#i already owned the record but. you know how it is

[trans-axolotl]

oh having thoughts today about the way that some psych survivors and tbh the disabled community in general distance themselves from the label of “drug seeking patient.” cause it’s like—I think it’s totally okay to be drug seeking, actually, and I wish it was easier to just go up to doctors and ask for the drugs you need and then just get them. I wish that there was easy access to a safe supply of a whole lot of drugs and there’s nothing morally wrong with trying to seek that through the medical system.

and i very much do understand how having that label plastered on your medical record can be incredibly harmful in terms of preventing access to care, I know very deeply how destructive medical records can be on our lives, especially when we’re already marginalized. I know that sometimes we need to fight to have our medical records represent a certain narrative so that we are able to keep accessing the care we need. And I support doing whatever you need to do in the medical system to get the care you need, including lying to doctors, trying to get stuff taken off your medical record, saying things about your drug use to your doctor that isn’t the way you talk about it the rest of the time, cause this shit is impossible to navigate. I’m never going to attack someone for being upset that this shit gets put into their record—I know how destructive and violating it can feel to have the things that professionals say about you dictate all your access to lifesaving care after that.

I guess I’m just saying that regardless of whatever pragmatic steps we need to take when it comes to navigating our own medical records and care, I don’t want us to lose sight of the bigger picture of solidarity with people who use drugs and that we focus our anger on the root of the problem, which is that no one should be denied access to treatment and medication, including controlled substances and Adderall and opiates, regardless of what labels are applied to us, regardless if we’re using drugs for “recreational” or “medical” use (like the two can even be neatly separated in the first place lmfao). And that we keep an eye out for propaganda that encourages us to throw people who use drugs under the bus, that blames us for (artificially created) medication shortages or bullshit DEA policies that create all these restrictions in the first place. the disabled community cannot discard the many people who use drugs, criminalized or otherwise, from our community.

[zeroseuniverse]

Be My Girlfriend?

Word Count: 416 Summary: Can You Be My Girlfriend? Pairing: Hoshi X Fem Reader

Navigation

Hoshi was gone. Not tipsy, not buzzed—completely plastered. The kind of drunk where his eyes were slightly unfocused, his words slurred just enough to be hilarious, and he had somehow convinced himself that the floor was a trampoline.

Seventeen had taken over a small karaoke bar for the night, celebrating a successful tour leg, and at some point, Hoshi had declared himself the king of the night. That had lasted about five minutes before he tripped over his own foot and landed in Jeonghan’s lap.

But now, he had a mission. A very important mission.

Stumbling over to her, he flopped down into the seat beside her, his hands gripping her shoulders with the seriousness of a man about to change his entire life. His face was a little too close, his breath reeking of whatever strange cocktail he had last consumed.

"Can you be my girlfriend?" he slurred, eyes wide and pleading.

She blinked. "Hoshi... I already am."

Silence. His brain visibly lagged as he tried to process this groundbreaking information. Then, with the gravity of someone who had just discovered the meaning of life, he gasped.

"YOU ARE?!"

She nodded, barely holding back her laughter.

"For how long??" he demanded, eyes darting between her and the rest of the members, as if one of them would confirm that this was all some elaborate prank.

She tilted her head. "Almost two years now."

Hoshi gasped again, even louder this time. "OH MY GOD, I’M IN A RELATIONSHIP?! WITH YOU?! THAT’S AMAZING!" He suddenly clutched his chest, his expression so touched you’d think he just watched a heartwarming drama finale. "I HIT THE JACKPOT AND DIDN’T EVEN KNOW IT."

Seungkwan, who had been watching from the side, sighed. "This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen."

But Hoshi was already in full dramatics mode. He threw himself onto her lap, arms wrapping around her waist. "BABE. I LOVE YOU. THANK YOU FOR BEING MY GIRLFRIEND. I’M SO HAPPY."

Mingyu, recording the entire thing, barely held in his laughter. "Bro, she’s literally been your girlfriend."

Hoshi waved him off. "DOESN’T MATTER. I’M FALLING IN LOVE ALL OVER AGAIN."

The next morning, when he woke up with a pounding headache and no recollection of the night before, she showed him the video.

Hoshi screamed into a pillow for ten minutes straight.

And yet, for the next week, he kept randomly hugging her and saying, "I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE YOU’RE MY GIRLFRIEND."

Seventeen had never let him live it down.

[crieslikeafool]

"Max, hey Max, can I have a word?"

Max grunted, "Jesus you are everywhere."

Charles grinned, opening his green, green eyes a little more than necessary, and looking like the most innocent person on Earth. "Oh, me? I am just doing my job."

Bastard.

"Go on then." Max indulged him, knowing perfectly that Charles was, in fact, not recording a single thing.

"Isn't it hard to walk sometimes? Carrying that monstrous ego must be tiring."

"Not as tiring as hearing the bullshit the press says."

"Ouch." Charles followed him through the paddock, swaying through the people with much more confidence than any other reporter. "Feeling salty today, uh? Was it because I said than Lando will beat you today?"

Max glared at him. "It's not."

"Don't bite me. I was just stating a fact."

Max raised his eyebrows. Charles always like to tease him, but he was never that bold. It grabbed his attention like a slap in the face.

"And why would that be a fact, Leclerc?"

"Your grip was shit all through free practice and quali, thanks to that trash bin they gave you to drive-"

"Hey!"

"-Hence why you are starting fifteenth. Good luck on that bullshit."

"You talk way too much for your own good, do you know that?"

Charles grinned again, all sharp red lips and charming dimples. "You really don't know who got me into the sport, do you?"

"Can't google all the journalist that talk to me." He did google him. He just couldn't find any personal infos. Or social medias. Not that he cared.

"Sebastian."

"Wait, what? Vettel?"

That explains a lot.

They were almost at Max's motorhome. He had to change and shower before going back to the garage.

"He taught me how to bite back."

"He didn't tell you not to underestimate me, though."

Charles hummed, thoughtful. "You think you can win tomorrow? Really?"

Max leaned on his motorhome door, folding his arms on his chest. Their eyes met, and it felt electric. Max knew a challenge when he saw one.

"I think so. Yes."

Charles took a step closer to him, less than a foot between their chests.

"If you are so confident," He smirked. "Let's make a bet." And offered his hand.

Max raised his eyebrows again, but shook it anyway.

"When I win tomorrow, what am I going to get?"

Charles stepped closer again, still grasping his hand, just a few centimeters between them. "You can finally take me on a date." He whispered, and quickly stepped away.

"Good luck for tomorrow!" He said, already walking away as if nothing happened.

That fucking brat-

( @additiva you are a better writer than me, but i hope you'll appreciate 😂😂)

Lestappen au where Charles is a reporter who lives to torment Max with questions so absurd they make the Dutchman question his life choices.

"Do you think your car would perform better if it didn’t have to carry the weight of your confidence everywhere?"

“Do you think your ego has its own zip code?”

Max tries to stay cool, but Charles’ smirk is a red flag he can’t ignore.

[astracora]

Poly!LADs headcanons - Caleb Edition

(Because I have no idea if I'll ever get around to writing his intro to the polycule so I wanted to shove some ideas into a post.)

Masterlist

- The one who has the most trouble adapting to the concept of the polycule.

- Reintroduced after the polycule is formed, a year after his death.

- His reintroduction is obviously a bit rough, not only is he actively combative with the MC, but his actions push them further into the comfort of the polycule like a wounded cat.

- After they have eased the relationship out, it's some time before they talk to him about the polycule. Not sure how to broach it.

- He already knew, and he already stewed about it for a long time. (He's still stewing about it.)

- They've mourned him, after loving him, and moved forwards though, he can't push and demand when he knows that without the polycule they likely wouldn't still be there.

- His first meeting is rough, he can hide as much as he wants behind smiles, but Sylus is very good at reading people, as is Rafayel, so they can see through him. (Rafayel is no stranger to fake smiles). Xavier is jealous so reacts most to Caleb, while Zayne is somewhat calm, but wary. On one hand he has a childhood friend back, on the other hand depending on how much he knows. If he knows about Caleb's involvement with EVER, a great deal of distrust, and some real anger (that he tries not to show).

- Clashes most with Rafayel and Zayne. Rafayel because the two are almost opposed in many ways (Caleb's lack of sensory input and reluctance to touch, vs Rafayel as a Lemurian where his senses are SO attuned to his lovers, as well as the memory focus, and also the fact that both hide part of themselves behind a reasonably jovial mask, but Raffy is a lot better at hiding.) Zayne because the two do not agree on the methods of protecting and caring for MC (Keeping them hidden/caged, and the actions of siding with EVER with the intent to keep MC safe (which Zayne consistently states is a stupid plan.)).

- Understands Xavier, still doesn't like him.

- Depending on the advancement of his story, he has the potential to come to terms with the fact that accepting help and acknowledging that he's not alone in his drive to protect the person who means the most to him, helps him step past his self assigned cage.

- With enough time and trust, he accepts the polycule's help tending to his arm. They tinker with it and work with specialists to try to make it capable of sensory responses. It's kind of an exchange that keeps them on good ground. A kind of 'look we're not enemies, you have to lower your hackles' kinda thing.

- He hates the situation a lot less when he holds MC's hand for the first time again, and can feel the heat of them through his cybernetics.

- Builds models with Sylus, though it's more he builds models, Sylus suggests ways to bring them to life as real mini robot weapons. If the two are left alone, they WILL create tiny weaponised planes.

- Rafayel has taken to using them as target practice for throwing daggers.

- One crashed into Zayne's office door, waking him up from a nap, and made him think they were being attacked.

- Xavier slept through the whole thing, and woke up to plane shrapnel in his hair (he's used his light blade to knock a few out if they have disturbed his slumber though.)

- MC does not get enough sleep, and almost banned the planes, until Sylus and Caleb both promised to stop flying them indoors. Hooked up lil cameras to the things and started flying them around linkon and as far as they could before the things ran out of signal. (They got some killer nature recordings.)

- Caleb is another member of the insomnia crew. He's woken up alongside Zayne a few times, and made tea for them both. (Only for MC to toddle in not long after, and curling up between them with their own warm drink, exhausted and miserable but also unable to sleep.)

- Caleb helps take over some of the cooking, he also tries to find tech Xavier can use that won't catch fire, reducing the amount of cooking incidents by about 50%. (If asked he'll say he's doing it to keep MC safe... Xavier's smile when he cooks a full and very good meal has shit all to do with it. He swears.)

- Is the most averse to affection, originally sees the polycule as a means to an end, after all other people are just background noise to his real focus. Unluckily for him, it's hard to keep that mindset up when you spend that much time with people who don't have chips in their head, and also don't want to hurt the things you care about. The anti EVER squad are best placed to combat his 'world for just us two' energy. As well as question his intent. (Especially with how important MC's independence is to them.)

- Will not begin physically and emotionally warming up to the rest of the lads before he finally overcomes the wall keeping him from MC. After he has finally stepped over the line, he basks in it, then begins to let himself become more human again.

- He and Xavier ARE the protection squad. You want to bother the polycule? Can't promise you won't end up dead in a ditch somewhere.

- Zayne does try to rein this in. Sylus finds it hilarious. Rafayel cannot comment because he was thinking about stabbing that dude too. MC thinks they might need to start taking migraine medication because please guys, one nice meal out.

- He's tidy and multi talented. It takes a WHILE before he finds a room for himself in the house, isn't really sure what to fill it with because he struggles to refind his identity as a person. It begins with filling it with model planes, it advances into photos and memories, as well as his DAA stuff as well. Becomes a place he can keep things that tether him to himself.

- Has mended clothes for the others, really wants to know how Raffy tears so many shirts. No he cannot get acrylics out of a white shirt, why did you let it stain!?!!

- His puppy dog eyes are a weapon of mass destruction. NO one is safe. All have fallen to those eyes. 'But he just looks so sad' 'I know he does but why does that mean we now have two puppies in the living room' 'MC wanted them!' 'Caleb we don't have the space or time!!!'

- Uses all his old social media accounts, like an absolute fool. (Aren't you dead dude why are you using all ur old numbers????) Unfollowed most people, kept MC. Didn't follow the polycule. Was missing cute photos and things they'd posted, grumpily and (not that) reluctantly followed them all.

- He and Zayne occasionally have a kamaoji-off.

- He has taken Sylus flying. He did turn his head away so the dragon man could have a moment of sad recollection.

- Does still compete constantly to be the best person to assist mc in their day to day. The competitions can get aggressive and over the top. The lads do get carried away.

- Is the most scared of losing everyone, it does keep him awake at night. Does plan eventualities with the polycule. Does feel comforted knowing that if he fails, he's not leaving MC to deal with everything alone. Assures himself and everyone that he won't fail. He has his tether to get back to, after all.

[butlervibesonly]

hi!! I love ur writing and I had this idea if you could please write it!? It could be Austin x actress reader, they are dating and made a movie together and now they are at some kind of interview, but they are both distracted by each others pressence 🤭 maybe like the tension between them growing visibly and it could end with some funny comments from fans? Thank you in advance! 🌼

𝑈𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑟𝑒 || Austin Butler

• Pairing: Austin Butler x actress! reader

• Warnings: Austin and reader can’t take their eyes off of each other, flirting, desire,…?

• Note: HIII! What an absolutely amazing idea! You can’t imagine how I enjoyed writing this!! ( @eternal-love could tell… 😝) also! picture used at the end is fictional; created with app called TwiNote! AND YES, I HAD TO ADD THIS SONG.

You and Austin have been dating for a long time now. You both met thanks to the same industry you two work at and that nothing less than your beloved acting. Now that Hollywood has given you the opportunity, both of you were casted in a movie where you played love interests.

That was of course very easy for you, since the love you guys feel for each other is truly unconditional. When it comes to making movies there are a lot of duties to promote the movie by any kind of a way. One of them is interviews. Austin and you are on a press tour, promoting the movie you guys made and today… there is something in the air…

The bright studio lights cast a warm glow over the set, highlighting the two stars seated side by side in chairs. And that is of course you and Austin. The interviewer has barely finished the introduction before the oddly satisfying energy filled the room.

Even tho that the two of you have been together for nearly over a two years now, sitting next to each other like this, all dressed up for the press tour, makes it feel like you are back on set, falling for each other all over again.

You look absolutely breathtaking in a formal black dress in Austin’s eyes. Austin is wearing his grey shirt and black pants – so damn handsome. There are some glances between the two of you from the beginning of this interview. Something so unspoken but still so obvious.

“So,” the interviewer started, bringing you from your own thoughts. “Austin, Y/n… It’s nice to have you here today.” Both you and Austin smile warmly. “Thanks for having us.” Austin says, his voice low and deep - just like the way you love it.

“You two have worked together before, but this was your first time playing romantic opposite each other. Did that make things easier or harder?”

Austin opens his mouth to answer, but then you shift beside him, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear, and he gets completely lost in thoughts. His gaze flickers to you, and you only, caught in the way your lips curl so slightly at the edges, because you know exactly what you’re doing to him.

You raise an eyebrow, noticing his hesitation. “Easier,” you answer smoothly, tilting your head toward him after breaking the uncomfortable silence. “Definitely easier.”

Austin clears his throat, attempting to focus on the interview that’s being recorded. “Yeah, I mean, when you already have a connection, it helps.” He finally manages to say, though his words came out slower than he wanted, as if his brain is struggling to catch up with the sight of you beside him.

“I see. So you slid into the characters pretty easily, didn’t you?” Austin chuckles, wanting to answer the question with confidence, but then your fingers brushes his to hold his hand. Just for a second, just enough to send a spark up his arm. Austin of course looses the thoughts again. You can see he is out of his straight thinking, and take over the question again.

“Mhm, yes. The characters we got to play are actually not so different from us, so it was really easy to bring those characters alive.” you smile warmly. The interviewer grins, clearly noticing the interaction of you and Austin. “You both look like you’re still in characters.”

Austin rubs his tight as he always does, his other hand rubbing his lips - as he always does. “Are we?” he smirks, letting out a laugh to ease the atmosphere in the air.

What Austin actually does is that he unbuttons the few buttons of his shirt on his chest. You peripherally see his chest glistening in the studio lights, the lust in your eyes growing stronger. Okay. Focus. Just answer the questions… goes through your head.

The interviewer is speaking about the movie, but neither you and him registers the words. You shift beside him again, crossing your leg over the other. You just look so stunning for Austin to keep his eyes off of you. Too stunning. How is he supposed to form sense able sentences when you’re sitting this close?

Little does he know that you are now kinda doing it on purpose. Austin hears his name being mentioned, knowing he needs to get back to reality from his fantasizing about you. Say something, Austin. Anything.

“So, Austin, what was your favorite scene to film?” the interviewer asks. His favorite scene? He blinks, hesitating. Right. The movie. The reason you’re both here.

His brain is stubborn, refusing to pull up any scene except for that one; The one where your hands roamed around his body, the way you whispered his name like it belonged to you. The way it never felt like acting.

“Um…” He starts searching for a savory answer. “I really liked the one that actually director decided to remove… But it was some kind of scene where Y/n and I run through the rain on a beach.”

You smirk, knowing he is lying and tries to hide his real intentions. It’s actually no longer after when you are the one being questioned, and suddenly know how it felt for Austin when you are being seduced by the sight. He’s staring.

You can feel the weight of Austin’s gaze without even looking at him. It’s been happening since you walked onto the set of this interview of course, but now it’s getting way harder to ignore. Every time you move, his eyes follow. Every time you smile, his lips twitch like he’s fighting the urge to do the same.

It’s distracting. So unfairly distracting. You tuck a strand of hair behind your ear, again, pretending not to notice the way his hands flex slightly, like he wants to reach out and just touch you.

As the interviewer continues to say something, you risk a glance at Austin, and sure enough, he’s already looking at you with that expression of his. His blue eyes are squinted due to his eyebrows furrowing, more intense, almost as if he has forgotten you’re supposed to be acting professional.

You notice the way his jaw clenches when he’s thinking. His fingers drumming against his knee when he’s trying to focus. The way his unbuttoned shirt opens just right, and how his cologne still lingers.

“…undeniable desire,” the interviewer says. “I mean, come on, do you two even realize how you look at each other?”

Austin finally tears his eyes from you, shaking his head with a breathy chuckle. You cross your arms, biting back a smirk. Damn yes you do. And so does everyone else.

Interviewer leans back in his chair, watching both of you being barely present. You and Austin are both trying to stay focused, you really do, but at this point, it’s a lost cause already. Every glance, every half-smirk, every moment or hesitation before answering a question. Too much to handle at this point.

The interview ends the moment, thanking you both for coming - even tho you did absolutely nothing at the interview - and with a quick glance behind the camera at his producer he grins. Yeah, this definitely going viral.

With a teasing smile the interviewer calls it a day and shakes both of your hands. “Well, I think that’s all the proof we need.” Austin’s furrows his brow. “Proof?”

You are equally confused as Austin. “Of what?”

The interview chuckles, standing up. “That the two of you are terrible at pretending you’re not totally into each other.”

Austin lets out a breathy laugh, shaking his head and you groan, covering your face with one hand. “Yeah, it’s just hard not to keep eyes off of her,” Austin’s hand lands on the small of your back and you shiver at his touch.

You two walk off the set, heading into the backstage. As soon as you both arrive at the changing room, Austin smashes the door to close them. You gasp surprisingly and he leans you against the door.

“You will be the death of me, Y/l/n.” he whispers into your ears, his lips then capturing yours. He grips your hips, pulling you close enough to him as he savor the fact he can finally kiss you. Only a fool wouldn’t know how you spent the rest of the night after arriving at the hotel.

[oh-no-its-bird]

Gonna ramble a bit here, sorry in advance for that

With the rise in worry about the permanence of online media (books / music / video content / art / online chat history / etc.) I've been thinking about wanting to print out some of my favorite fics, or catologue some of my longer (months and years long tbh) conversations about ocs. Or maybe try and learn how to burn cds so I can save my music and favorite shows / videos n stuff

Mm,, download a show online and burn it into a cd so I never have to look for it again,, easily accessible physical copy,, I love pirating things

Obviously, with printing out fics I'd want to ask for explicit permission from the author and then keep the printed volume to myself. Gotta be careful to be respectful ab that sort of thing.

I'd also be interested in printing out some of my own shit too, just for fun. Those old conversations about ocs won't last forever, discord will eventually fail and when it does I know I for one will be crushed to lose all that chat history.

Obviously, I'm an American, and like the current political state in America is uhhh. Deeply worrying for all of us over here. So I won't lie, that's also adding a layer of worry from that angle. Things are already looking ugly, and if they get uglier, you know, I for one don't want my information to be completley ripped away from me

Turning back to the fic thing again, there's also a good amount of American fic writers who have / are planning to / are thinking about taking down some of their fics, due to fear of potential laws that threaten to make pornography illegal, and alao laws that classify anything homosexual as pornography.

Now, to be clear, I don't think they'll really do this. I think that even if they try, there're literally no fucking way it would pass. The backlash alone would be insane. But that doesn't change the fact that people are scared— that people got scared, and some have already taken things down

So there's another layer of just, shit man, I don't wanna lose my fics. There's always a risk that even if you download it, you could one day lose it too.

Also printed and bound fics are just cool as hell. What do you mean I have a copy of my very favorite fics, right there on my shelf in physical form, which I can open any time to any page I want without fear of ao3 one day crashing?

The ideal world tbh

Besides that, there's also a sort of time capsule aspect to it.

The other day, my dad whipped out his old tape recordings he made when he was a kid, just of him rambling about shit to mail to a cousin. He put them in to a record player he apparently just had, and I lost my fucking mind seeing it.

Both of my parents were laughing at how excited I was to see both the tapes and the boom box— and to listen to my dad's tinny, muffled voice sounding just like the vintage tapes might be portrayed on TV. Faint static and old timey tv lilt in his voice and all.

To them, it was just a small, slightly nostalgic thing. To me, it was cool as hell and totally retro

The things I save today, that I print, that I burn into cds; Stories I'm scared might get deleted, conversations I dont want to lose, tv shows I could never afford to maintain a subscription to see, playlists of music I worried I'd lose; They may someday be some day be a real relic of the past, however many years in the future. If not for other people, than yeah, for me

So just, I dunno. It's important to save things in a way that they can't be taken away from you.

It's supposed to be the "age of information," isn't it? Well then, let me keep my goddamn information

[luv-lock]

Your context is exactly what I'm saying. It's not true by any means. It's all misinformations. Ubisoft is trying to rewrite history and that's why they're silencing Japanese people who are talking against this game on internet. They even changed the name "Samurai" in Japanese version because they knew it's not true.

Look at some comments from Japanese people:

— Because of you, some people overseas now believe that Yasuke, a black man, was a samurai who significantly impacted Japanese history. This has led to a harmful trend of black supremacists claiming that samurai originated from black people and that Japanese culture is essentially black.

AI-generated images of black samurai are now being spread as if they were historical facts. This is a very serious offense.

— We cannot accept the blurring of lines between fiction and reality.

While Japanese people are very tolerant of creative works, we cannot simply ignore the fact that our country's history is being distorted or grossly misunderstood by so-called historians who are careless about the truth. It is clear that Yasuke was not a samurai but rather a retainer of Nobunaga Oda.

Please understand.

— Oh my god! That shitty white woman in the UBi game was so condescending when she said, "They used to behead people all the time in Japan back then! (So barbaric!)" I rewatched it so many times. If they're going to portray Japan like that, they should at least release the original version in Japan, too!

— They told us that beheading was a daily occurrence in Japan, and now they’re telling us we can't do it in the Japanese version? I distinctly remember players were able to slice through enemies in Tsushima. So, changing "legendary samurai" to "fearless warrior" is the extent of your "modifications"? That’s just double-speak.

— Not content with just one fabricated theory, now they say that beheading is worse than gore? There are no records of a black "samurai" outside of that one fabricated paper. It's annoying how other countries take Assassin's Creed seriously, even though it's supposed to be historically accurate, especially with this Z rating and all the changes. It's different from the previous game. I don't have a problem with the concept, but the changes are in the wrong places.

— You're just trying to add fuel to the fire.

— Okay, I get it. So Ubisoft is trying to divide Japan and the rest of the world, huh? You want us Japanese to just sit back and let Westerners rewrite our history? Ubisoft is a terrible company.

— Of course, the overseas version is probably going to romanticize Yasuke as a 'legendary samurai,' aren't they?

— The product description on Amazon is severely lacking. I have already reported this issue, but please ensure that you address it properly. If you fail to do so, I will report this matter to the Consumer Affairs Agency, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and other relevant authorities.

— I've been a long-time fan of the Assassin's Creed series and have purchased all previous titles. However, I've decided to wait and see before purchasing Shadows. While I was excited for a Japanese setting, the recent controversies have made it difficult for me to fully enjoy the game. It's disappointing.

— We wanted the Japanese version to be equal in terms of diversity.

Here's a Japanese man who talked many times about this game and everytime they took his video down because he was telling the truth about his own history. Click here to watch the video. He was also called racist by Americans/westerns just because he was telling his own history. As if you guys know our own history better than ourselves. Like I hate it when western trying to tell me my own history which I grow up reading about. I'm not Japanese but I'm Persian and western tried many time to tell me my own history and rewrite it.

Also @nightmaregiver is an Asian and they agree with me.

Also there's a rumors that they're going to delete Yasuke from the game because of the backlash and the fact that it's not historical accurate.

Ubisoft is a horrible company and they did the same with the prince of Persia. Another game that faces backlash and flop. And I'm so happy that they're closing.

STOP SPREADING MISINFORMATIONS. YOU JUST MAKE YOURSELF LOOK STUPID. Because the only place that a black samurai or black Cleopatra hold an argument is in the west (and not even there most of the time if people are actually educated). And it's because of White Saviors and Afrocentrics. Who lie because of their feelings. And I'm sorry if I sound harsh but it's true.

West need to fucking stop doing this shit!

This is not a samurai. This is not a Persian.

And this is clearly not Cleopatra.

How about y'all actually make something about actual black people? How about y'all make something about Muhammad Ali? Or someone else. We have enough black legends. You don't have to take other people's culture and history. Stop doing this shit. You made Persians mad, you made Egyptians mad and now you're pissing off Japanese.

[tanukitsuneko-suki]

build episode 34 thoughts:

- episode title "the separated best match" so uh does anyone want to tell me something :-|

- my son's so fucking stupid that the moment a person introduces himself with 3+ names he starts to get confused. and i say that with love . i love him so much

- ENOUUUUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH GUARDS SHUT THIS MAN UP IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!!!!!

- love the implication that he's apparently a certified planet ending villain freak but he still has to iron his own clothes. being a supervillain doesn't pay well you guys. that's how you know he's doing it for the love of game

- I'D BURN THROUGH EVERY SOUL I KNEW. IF I THOUGHT THE FIRE WAS WARMING YOU

- haha..wait..if evolt has the evol driver + the pandora box is here + the other bottles will arrive soon + AND banjo's in the area??? aw fuck off LMFAOOOOOOOOOOO

- me pretending idgaf so evolt leaves banjo the fuck alone:

- i just. started laughing uncontrollably. out loud.

- CLOSE ENOUGH WELCOME BACK PARAEMUUUUUUUUUUUU

- well i uhh...i have Thoughts

- would stalk x banjo be technically selfcest or are they mixed with enough external elements for it to count as a usual ship. is what i wanted to ask. um

- (scratches head) i need to rewatch ex-aid after this i think

- if i have a dollar for every time a villain is revealed to be the enemysona of my oshi i would have two dollars......

- don't get me wrong i am deathly entertained and i'm currently running some evil ryusen plots in my head atm and it's killing me how the one part of evolt who had forgotten who he was and met sento managed to learn how to continue loving and hoping the best for a world that has done nothing but wrong him but like. i need a moment. or two

- i mean. he could be lying you know. he doesn't really have a very good track record when it comes to trust, banjo-kun

- man. okay

- i should repost that one reply i made about selflessness vs selfishness parallels when it comes to senryu bc this time i have receipts. what the fuck man

- fourth gay montage

- senryu should just start dating already. what the fuck

- my son's gonna fucking die

- i have a bad feeling. banjo's left standing there but. uh. mm.

- he... he's not... it can't be. right??

- haha it's not like they fucking merged finally or whatever bc banjo reached the correct hazard right lol haha. lol. no. i'm not trying to escape from playing the episode. totally

- i can't fucking do this. i can't fucking do this

- what happened to his hair lmao

- clearly fucking not

- HIS HAIR LOOKS SO UGLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY TAKE IT BACK EVOLT YOU FUGLY ASSSSSSSSSS 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

- my wife..... come back from the war....

- the voice is taking me tf out

- WIFE THIS ISN'T YOU. COME BACK TO MEEEEEEEEE

- sento waking up to a fugly ass hairstyle LMFAOOOOOO

- EIJI AKASO YOU SHOULD'VE STOOD YOUR GROUND. THIS HAIR IS UGLY. EIJI WHY DID YOU LET THE HAIRSTYLISTS GET AWAY WITH THIS. EIJI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- on closer inspection it's not that bad but i'm deathly entertained by this plot twist so he should've been hotter for maximum effect!!!!!!!!

- anyway i need evolt to die

[wanderinginksplot-writes]

Gar Cyare Chapter Twenty

The trial of Akridia Brid is mercifully short... for you and Alpha, at least.

Alpha-17 x fem!reader (no reader description, no use of 'Y/N')

Word Count: 4,800

Warnings: Fake courtroom drama stuff, accusations, victim blaming (kinda), vague threats, misunderstandings, suggestive conversations

Previous | Next | Masterlist

---

Burk’yc Urcir (A Dangerous Meeting)

Your shirt itched terribly. 

The seat at the front of the court was uncomfortable - even more so because you were currently in the middle of being cross-examined - but all that kept running through your mind was how itchy the shirt was. Not for the first time, you envied Alpha his armor. It probably wasn't comfortable, but at least it was protective. You could use a little protection just then. 

“Administrator,” Brid’s lawyer reprimanded sharply. “I asked you a question.” 

She had, actually. In fairness to you, though, you had already answered the same question multiple times. 

“No, I didn't think it was overly strange that Brid didn't contact me about the additional help that was coming to Kamino,” you repeated, striving for patience. “Our previous communication had been strained, and I believed that she was trying to avoid contacting me directly.”

The lawyer, Myndel Sall, didn’t seem to appreciate your attempts to be gracious about the repeated questions. “So rather than do the slightest bit of investigation on your own behalf, you chose to believe that Ms. Brid had neglected her job duties in favor of relegating tasks to her own supervisor?” 

You were so tired of this line of questioning, but a glance around the courtroom treated you to the sight of a silently fuming Alpha. Abruptly, you were struggling to keep from grinning. You turned back toward Sall, who was still watching you expectantly. 

With a shrug, you admitted, “Yes.” 

A stifled laugh went around the courtroom. Brid was not well-liked, and much of the trial had taken place before you were brought in. 

Sall’s lips parted in a sneer and you braced for whatever rude question she would pose next, but she was interrupted by Dedric Trosteld, the lawer speaking on behalf of the Senate. “Objection, your honor and all members of the court. The administrator is not on trial here. I move to strike this line of questioning from the record as irrelevant.”

Sall interrupted before the judge could speak. “I would posit that the administrator’s choices are relevant, as we are here to assign blame for the attack on Kamino.” 

“Counselor, we are here to discover whether or not your client knowingly and maliciously allowed outside forces onto Kamino,” the judge stiffly reminded Sall. “The administrator is not on trial.” 

“On the contrary,” Sall insisted, “the fact that the administrator didn’t question the absence of her direct supervisor is a large part of the reason that Kamino was unprepared for an attack-” 

“Counselor Sall,” the judge said, voice severe. “I will not correct your conduct again. Counselor Trosteld, your objections are sustained. This line of questioning will cease immediately. Counselor Sall, do you have any further relevant questions for the administrator?”

“No, Your Honor,” Sall admitted begrudgingly. 

“Very well.” The judge looked to Trosteld. “Your witness, counselor.”

“Thank you, Your Honor.” Trosteld tucked his hands behind his back and paced steadily in front of you. “Administrator, how well do you know your supervisor, Akridia Brid?” 

You considered that for a moment. “Not well. We never worked together prior to my assignment on Kamino. The contact we had was short due to the unreliability of long-distance transmissions and limited strictly to work-related matters.” 

“I see,” Trosteld said with a nod. “And did you notice anything in Ms. Brid’s behavior or work that would suggest that she was disloyal to the Republic?” 

“No,” you answered honestly. “As I said, I didn’t work with her closely enough to pick up on anything about the quality of her work.”

“And how about her behavior?” 

Hm. That was more difficult. “Nothing stands out too strongly, but she did start to get more impatient as I continued writing the report. She accused me of wasting time on Kamino instead of working.”

Trosteld nodded. “In your written testimonies, both you and Captain Alpha-17 claimed that Ms. Brid tried to eject you from Kamino. Can you describe that incident to me?” 

“Of course,” you agreed, taking a deep breath to remind yourself that impartiality was the most important thing. “Supervisor Brid was unhappy that I missed a deadline for my report on the Kaminoan cloning process. She asked me to resign. I believed she meant to remove me from the project and I initially accepted, but she attempted to have me resign from the Senate workforce altogether. I refused.” 

“On what grounds?” Trosteld asked. 

“My hours were far beyond what the Republic considers acceptable overtime,” you explained. “I offered to send my logged time to a Republic investigator as proof that the original deadlines were impossible, but Supervisor Brid didn’t seem to think that was necessary. She also opted not to request that I be removed from Kamino by the Senatorial Administration Office.”

“Why?” 

You blinked. “I… I can’t begin to guess why Brid didn’t follow up on replacing me.” 

“Forgive me,” Trosteld requested with a small smile. “I meant: why did you fight to stay on Kamino?” 

“I believed that I could make a difference through my work on Kamino,” you told him, nonplussed. “How could I leave?”

Another glance around the courtroom showed smiles and approving nods from onlookers and the jury. Alpha gave you a warm look, smiling with his eyes alone, but you were distracted by a man at the back of the courtroom. He was standing beside the large doors, as if he had only stepped inside for a moment. He seemed to be wearing… armor under his long cloak. The single line of armor that was visible through the parted front of the cloak glinted golden in the light of the courtroom. 

When the man saw that he had caught your eye, he offered a shallow tip of his head. The motion looked somehow familiar, but you couldn’t begin to place it. 

“Esteemed members of the court, I have no further questions for this witness,” Trosteld announced, sweeping away from the raised booth where you sat. The judge dismissed you and that was that. 

Since you and Alpha had both finished testifying, you were ordered to leave the court. You did so gladly, hurriedly changing into comfortable clothes at the hotel. Alpha lounged on the bed. He hadn’t seemed overly concerned about the trial, but now that it was over, you could see the way the near-invisible tension had melted from him. 

“Do you think they’ll get her?” you asked, collapsing onto the bed beside Alpha. Even with the full force of your body hitting the mattress, he was barely jostled.

“Dunno,” he said, shrugging up at the ceiling. “Didn’t seem to have much of a case, did they?” 

“Nora warned us about that, remember?” you reminded him. “She said that we would only see part of the case. Brid’s law team brought us there to prove that there were other people who wanted to destroy Kamino, but I’m sure the legal teams have other arguments.” 

“I hope so.” Alpha turned slightly onto his side so he could watch you. “I want her in prison, but it should at least be a fair fight.” 

You stared silently at the ceiling, considering that for a moment. 

Brid was, in Alpha’s words, a di’kut. She had always been a di’kut, and trying to push blame for the attack on Kamino onto you? Well, if you had believed that you couldn’t think less of her, you had been mistaken. 

But something about the situation didn’t feel right. You had gained a fine sense of when someone was taking advantage of a victim for their own ends, and that sense was tingling. Brid would be a terribly convenient scapegoat, and she hadn’t made many friends during her time at the Senate. With no one to side with her, Brid was vulnerable. And if she hadn’t orchestrated the attack on Kamino, the Republic wasn’t searching for the real perpetrator.

Before you could even start to articulate that, Alpha’s stomach gave a loud grumble. You grinned over at him. “Hungry?” 

“Always,” Alpha agreed, rolling off the side of the bed and standing in the same motion. You would have been more impressed, but he had explained that it was basically the only way to stand up while wearing full armor. 

“Come on,” you invited, standing in a less flashy way. “A lot has changed since the last time I was on Coruscant, but I’m sure I can track down something tasty, cheap, and filling for dinner.” 

Alpha barked out a laugh. “How could I say no to an invitation like that?”

Skeptical as he was, you had managed to do exactly what you had promised. The street cart was nearly abandoned and it admittedly looked less than sanitary, but you had spent your time on Coruscant learning which carts were trustworthy and which were better to avoid. Somehow, this one met all your standards and you convinced Alpha to try it. 

The cart boasted an assortment of skewers, each one with a variety of vegetables grilled to perfection. The vendor, a human female from Castilon, had briefly lamented to you that Coruscant’s seafood selection was so poor. 

“There’s nothing like rokkna meat roasting over a wood fire,” she claimed, eyes bright with fervor. “But Coruscant is so far from a good ocean…”

You nodded sympathetically. With so many people in such a confined space, meat of any kind was uncommon on Coruscant, but seafood was especially rare. The nearest ocean planet was still too far for easy access, and most of the fishers on those planets charged a premium to the wealthy of Coruscant. Accordingly, seafood was a rare indulgence for the rich. The Coruscanti poor had no chance of affording it. 

“Have you tried-?” you started, but Alpha’s fingers brushed your elbow before you could finish the thought. 

“Neverd’ika,” he said lowly. “We need to go.” 

You glanced around, but couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Still, you trusted Alpha, so you nodded, offering your thanks to the vendor as you started back in the vague direction of the hotel. 

“What’s going on?” You had waited until you and Alpha cleared the square where you’d started, but you couldn’t stand the uncertainty any longer. 

Alpha took a moment to answer, scanning your surroundings with a grim set to his mouth. “Thought I saw someone I know.” 

“One of Obrim’s men?” you asked. When Alpha gave you a strange look, you shrugged. “That’s who was following Maze and I yesterday. Apparently, I’m a flight risk.” 

Despite the tension in his posture, Alpha smirked. “That so, little one? I’m glad you warned me now. I’d hate to wake up one day and find that you’d stolen a transport and disappeared.” 

You smiled back. “Could happen, but I hope that you wouldn’t make me disappear alone.” 

“Never.” Alpha’s expression sobered as he looked around again. “Let’s continue this conversation when we get back to the hotel.” 

For a large man, Alpha could move when he wanted to. He did the hard part of clearing a way through the crowd, even with his head ducked to help him blend in. All you had to do was stick close to his heels and get through the crowd before the halves re-merged behind him. 

There was a noticeable decrease in the number of people as you approached the hotel. The area was mostly commercial zoning, so there were few housing complexes in the area. And apparently, not many tourists wanted to stay in the legal district.

When you and Alpha were two streets away from the hotel, a figure pushed steadily away from a wall. You could see it in silhouette - tall and lanky, but bulky in a way that seemed both familiar and utterly alien. 

“Alpha,” you breathed, trying to keep the warning as low as possible. 

“I know, neverd’ika,” he soothed, fingertips brushing over your forearm. “Keep an eye on ‘em - I have one back here, too.” 

You eyed the figure nervously. “Do we stop?” 

“Do anything but stop,” Alpha told you sternly. “Get to the hotel room and lock the door, even if I’m not with you. Don’t stop or wait for me. I’ll meet you there.” 

“Alpha…”

“No time,” he hissed. 

He was right. By that point, you were close enough to the figure ahead of you to see that it was wearing dark armor and a visor. 

You did your best to skirt around the figure, clutching Alpha’s arm hard enough that your nails bit into the skin beneath his body glove. He slowed behind you just as the person reached out to grab your wrist in an iron grip. 

“We need a word.” The modulated voice came from the helmeted face, sounding vaguely humanoid, but you didn’t recognize the tone. The accent was precise, almost polished, but dripping with menace and threats left unspoken.

It was hard to pinpoint when the change happened, but your mind was abruptly taken over by all of the training you had done with Trem. You let the figure keep a grip on your wrist, barrelling into their chest hard enough to knock them off-balance. One of your legs was planted slightly behind one of theirs, and when they stumbled backward, they tripped on your calf and fell heavily to the ground. 

Initially, the figure didn’t let go of you, but working around clone troopers had left you with a keen understanding of armor and its weak points. With their arm extended upward to keep their hold on your wrist, their unarmored armpit was exposed. You planted the toe of your shoe against that unprotected joint and their grip faltered long enough for you to pull free. 

“Su cuy’gar, Alpha,” someone greeted from behind you. 

You were beyond the point of caring who these people were, tugging at Alpha’s arm so insistently that his shoulder joint probably hurt just as badly as that of the figure on the ground. Alpha, however, stopped short at the friendly voice. 

Alpha’s solid body stopping halted you as well, if only because you had such a strong grip on his elbow. You collided heavily against Alpha’s chest and he caught you almost absent-mindedly, already turning to face the other person. 

This one was much shorter. They were also wearing full armor and a helmet, though the gold plates of that armor were partially hidden behind a long cloak. Something tickled at the back of your mind, but the rumbling of Alpha’s voice through his chest distracted you before you could seize it. 

“Skirata,” he greeted flatly in return. 

You stared from the figure to Alpha and back again. “Skirata?”

“Alpha. Administrator.” The helmet inclined slightly, as if Skirata was eyeing the figure on the ground. “Alpha, my boy, you aren’t going to let an old man lie helplessly on the sidewalk, are you?”

A pang of guilt burned through the pit of your stomach. An old man? You had knocked down an old man? Armor or no, you were suddenly terrified that he had been hurt. Reflexively, you started forward, but Alpha’s hand on your shoulder stopped you from getting too close. 

Instead, he glanced down at the man lying on the ground in his black armor and gave a loud snort. “Weren’t expecting that, were you, Vau? Suspect some of your boys would pay good credits to see you get taken down by a civvie.” 

“I never did like you, Seventeen,” the dark-armored figure spat out, pushing himself up to his feet. 

Alpha watched him, unimpressed. “The feeling is mutual.” 

Skirata cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention back to him. “Sorry to interrupt your evening, son, but I heard the two of you were going to be on Triple Zero and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to meet your charming friend.” 

“I’m not your son, Skirata,” Alpha dismissed. “And my friend is no business of yours. Let us pass.”

“Oh, but she is,” Skirata insisted, reaching up to remove his helmet. His freshly revealed face wasn’t as old as you had expected from his statement about Vau, but you weren’t truly surprised. Skirata carried himself with an aura of capable menace that warned he was still well able to fight. The features were schooled into an expression of kindly consideration, but you weren’t entirely fooled. There was a glint in his eyes, one of both keen interest and deadly focus. 

“Kal Skirata,” he said, by way of an introduction. You had already braced yourself for his opening salvo when he added, “My boys tell me that you read all of of Ko Sai’s notes on genetic manipulation.” 

The mood turned to something dark and frozen. You could feel the way Alpha was getting ready to tear into the older Mandalorian man, but you couldn’t let him. This was nothing more than a bluff. An incredibly high-stakes bluff, but nothing more than that. 

With your most professional smile, you shook your head. “I’m sorry, Mr. Skirata, but I think you were misinformed. I never read the notes, just saw that they existed. I was able to see the note headings briefly using my Kaminoan administrative password, but I never accessed any of the actual files.”

“That so?” he asked, sounding unsurprised by your denial. 

“Sadly,” you agreed. “I tried to warn your boys not to try slicing into the files, but I couldn’t convince them to listen before they set off the self-destruct feature.” 

“They’ve always been hasty,” Skirata agreed with despairing smile. “Comes with the accelerated aging, is my guess. They know how little time they have, so they’re more likely to jump into things with both feet. Can’t really blame them, can we?” 

The casual tone of Skirata’s voice was belied by the staggering intensity in his gaze. He was testing you, probing to see whether you knew more than you were letting on. Unfortunately for everyone, you didn’t. You had technically seen Ko Sai’s notes, but for all that you had understood, you may as well have been reading Huttese. 

So you deflected, not with another lie, but with a truth so deep and close to your heart that there was nothing more honest you could hope to give this stranger.

“I can’t blame them at all,” you agreed, emotion tightening your throat until your voice sounded almost painful. “The only ones I do blame are the Kaminoans. It’s a cruel and heartless thing, to give life but make sure it’s short as well as being painful and frightening. If I ever found a way to reverse the accelerated aging, I would risk everything I have to get it out of Kamino and to the right people. That’s the reason I agreed to help your sons.” 

Alpha’s hand skimmed over your forearm, settling just below your elbow with a light squeeze. You took a shaking breath, relaxing your muscles and expression with effort. There was a fine line between fervor that would convince someone like Skirata, and giving him ammunition to have you locked away by the Republic if you made a move he disliked. You had likely crossed back and forth over that line several times so far, but you couldn’t pretend it wasn’t the truth.

“I feel the same way,” Skirata said when you had collected yourself. “I wish more people did, but more people see the clones as expendable than as living beings.”

“They’ll learn someday,” you insisted. “They’ll have to. This war won’t last forever.”

Skirata’s expression grew sad. “We’ll see.” 

Alpha cleared his throat. “We won’t see anything if someone reports us talking and the Republic decides to pay closer attention to what we’re doing on Kamino. We should go.” 

“Pragmatic as ever,” Vau admitted, scanning the area around you all. “And a good point. Let’s wrap this up, Skirata.” 

“Alpha has always been able to cut through to the point,” Skirata told you, leaning in as if Alpha wouldn’t be able to hear him from a yard away. “I’m as proud of him as I am any of my boys.” 

Alpha rolled his eyes and sighed loudly. 

“It was nice to meet you,” Skirata said, offering his hand in a firm shake. “Always like to get the measure of the people my boys work with, especially when they say someone is trustworthy.”

You tilted your head at that, but returned his handshake. If the Nulls found you trustworthy, you would think it was a shock, but you decided against saying it. Instead, you stared into Skirata’s face, attempting to get a sense of him in the same way he was trying with you. 

He wasn’t as kindly and paternal as he pretended to be. You had realized that almost immediately. And now that you had spoken with him, Skirata’s air of harmlessness was laughable. He made you wary. He was a good man who loved his sons as fiercely as any parent you had ever met, and he was willing to do anything to keep them safe. If you were ever in the way of him doing so, you were as good as dead. 

“Nice to meet you, too,” you agreed. “Always nice to see the ways children take after a parent.” 

The corners of Skirata’s lips curled up in an appreciative smile. He seemed like a man who liked to speak plainly when possible, but he also seemed the type to enjoy a good verbal spar. “One last piece of advice? It’s a little harder to make changes from outside the system, but not impossible. And it takes care of any privacy agreements you may have signed. Working in the private sector means that you can rally the public to your side when you need to.” 

“How-?”

You had stopped yourself before fully admitting that you had gotten a job offer from Nora, but Skirata still gave you a knowing smile. “It pays to have friends in strange places.”

“I’m sure she appreciates career advice from a mercenary,” Alpha interrupted, clearly having reached the end of his patience. “If you have any other wisdom to pass along, comm us.” 

No one got in the way as you and Alpha left, but you didn’t exactly give them the chance. Your quick steps didn’t stop until you reached the safety of your hotel room, and you locked the door the moment you and Alpha were inside. 

“How much of that was a threat?” you asked in the artificial silence of the room. 

“Plenty,” Alpha said shortly, checking the locks on everything from the windows to the hatches covering the climate control vents. You watched in silence, antsy from the heavy tension of the room. 

Sure enough, Alpha turned expectantly to you when he had finished. “Something you need to tell me?” 

You took a breath to steel yourself. “After you left the restaurant last night, Nora told me about a group that might be interested in hiring me.”

“Are you going to finish the report first, or leave immediately?” he asked and you flinched at the blank expression he wore. Even his tone was flat, distant. “Are you coming back to Kamino at all, or do you want me to pack up your things and ship them back here for you?” 

“No, Alpha,” you pleaded softly. “I’m not leaving. That’s the point. I wanted to talk to you about this myself after I knew a little more-” 

“Is that why you didn’t tell me?” 

You stared at him, aghast. “I just found out about this last night! And we were a little busy today. But I would have said something tomorrow or the next day. Don’t forget, we have another three days on a transport to get back to Kamino.” 

Alpha didn’t join in with your nervous laughter. “I don’t like that Skirata knew before I did. And Czajak - did she purposefully wait until I had left?”

“No…” you said uncomfortably, but you couldn’t let the lie stand. “Well, yes, but not because you weren’t supposed to be part of my decision. She just wanted me to have the chance to turn it down without anyone else weighing in. And I have no idea how Skirata knew about it.” 

Alpha’s spine was painfully straight as he turned to check the locks on the window again. It took a long moment before he spoke again. “I would never force you to stay on Kamino. You know that, don’t you?” 

The raw vulnerability in the question made your heart ache. 

“Of course I know that, Alpha,” you reassured, starting toward him. You stopped when you saw the way he tensed even more at your approach. “Nora was trying to look out for me, but she doesn’t know how our relationship works. I’ve been terrified about finishing the report for months. Now I have a chance to stay on Kamino - to stay with you - if I play my cards right. I want that so badly, but I don’t want to get your hopes up in case they don’t want to keep me.” 

“They would be di’kuts if they didn’t keep you,” Alpha said with a scowl. 

You smiled despite yourself. “You don’t even know who they are.” 

“Doesn’t matter,” he grumbled. He sighed a moment later. “I’ve been worried about you finishing the report, too.” 

You did an inelegant double-take. “You were-? You never said anything.”

Alpha shrugged. “It wouldn’t have helped. You were already worried. You didn’t need me making it worse. Who wants to hire you?” 

“Some group called Sentient Rights,” you explained haltingly. “I haven’t heard of them, but Nora said she works with them quite a bit. They’ve read my report and they like that I treat the troopers as… people. They want to use some pull to keep me on Kamino as a way of preventing any violations of your rights.” 

“We’re clones,” Alpha reminded harshly. “We don’t have rights.” 

“Right now, the Senate hasn’t made any ruling on you except that you can be used as soldiers in the Grand Army of the Republic,” you countered. “Until they make an official decision, you don’t have rights, but you don’t not have rights.” 

“That makes no sense,” he grumbled after a long moment of trying to find a gap in your logic. 

“The Republic rarely does,” you agreed. Alpha’s lips twisted in a suppressed smile. 

“What’s your plan?” he asked instead of remarking on your opinion of the Republic. “Work with them and hope they can keep you on Kamino?” 

“I’m hoping to get confirmation that I’ll stay on Kamino before I submit the report,” you admitted. “I want to comm them before we leave Coruscant in case they want to meet in-person. I know the Kaminoans will kick me off-planet as soon as the report is done, and I don’t want to give them a chance to bar me before I get a permanent post.” 

“Smart,” Alpha said with a nod. “Just as smart as hiding from Skirata that you read Nala Se’s notes.” 

You grimaced, sitting heavily on the bed. Your knees felt a little weak at the reminder. “Hopefully, the misdirection was enough to throw him off. He definitely seemed suspicious.” 

“He won’t waste time chasing down a lead like that if he doesn’t believe it’ll pay off,” Alpha reassured, sitting down beside you. “I don’t think you have to worry about him. At least, not in that way.”

“Good,” you said fervently. 

There were ways to recapture information that a human or humanoid had seen, even if they couldn’t consciously remember it. But those ways were never pleasant and they were frequently dangerous. No sane being would willingly submit to the process. Unfortunately, it often happened to beings who were less than willing. If nothing else, Skirata seemed like the type who wouldn’t necessarily care about little things like ‘coercion’ or ‘war crimes’.

“Don’t worry, little one,” Alpha said, wrapping an arm around your shoulders and squeezing as if he could hear your internal worries. “I said I would always keep you safe and I meant it.” 

“I know, Alpha,” you agreed, pressing a kiss to the side of his neck and smirking when he shuddered a bit. 

“Keep that up and you’re going to be in for a night,” he warned lowly, voice rumbling delightfully next to your ear. 

“I know, Alpha,” you repeated, smiling as you pressed another kiss to his neck. 

It was impossible to know how full the hotel was, but your neighbors - if you had them - probably weren’t thrilled at your pleased squeal as he flipped you onto the bed.

---

Author's Note - Hey, friends! I'm going to start with a few disclaimers in case anyone is upset.

No, Brid's trial is not going to be a major plot point moving forward. It and the outcome will be mentioned in passing, but only in relation to other changes. This story is already running longer than I meant it to and we have other places to be.

Walon Vau is a certified badass, not a feeble old man who could be knocked down by a civvie. We're chalking it up to him expecting Alpha to cause problems and momentarily shifting his focus away from the administrator, who he expected to be rather helpless.

Kal Skirata is not someone to be fooled by an impassioned speech from a stranger, but he and the administrator were speaking their own little language in that scene. It was less about what they said than about getting the measure of each other, and giving the right impression in return.

The next chapter will be a spicy one, and I intend for it to be out next week if I can get my life together long enough to write it. It's been a busy few weeks (also my excuse for why this wasn't posted on Wednesday like I had originally intended).

Thanks for reading! I'll see you all soon!

[nulfaga]

Traveling lady, stay a while Until the night is over I'm just a station on your way I know I'm not your lover

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

Still blows my mind the disparity between the Eng and the JP localization of Sonic Frontiers

So in the og English Tails expresses that he needs to part ways from Sonic so he can grow into a hero on his own, right? That he can't grow by being with him?

But like. The director of the game, who worked with Ian Flynn, worked on the JP localization and it's like. You're telling me that when they localized that scene for the Japanese audience

That it was about Tails learning that there are things only he can do? That instead of concluding that he needs to part ways from Sonic and become a hero, he just comes to realizes the ways in which he and Sonic fill each other's gaps? He learns that he already is on equal footing with Sonic. The two of them are just heroes who save people in different ways?

[seaofreverie]

GUUUYYUYSSSD !!!!!

‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

KIMONO MY HOUSE VINYL!!!!!!

Also funny story which is that when my brother took these to the cashier he said something like "oh... Sparks... they were here one year ago"

[crescentfool]

so you want to use OBS

hello! i’ve decided to compile information on my OBS setup and some resources that have helped me along the way.  this is mostly for personal reference, but maybe others can make use of this information!

some notes before i get into it:

i use OBS for both offline recording and (twitch) streaming. any footage i record is edited using DaVinci Resolve 18, which is free.

most of my OBS captures are of video games (through a USB capture card, specifically elgato), and the occasional screen/application capture (like clip studio paint, and sometimes PC games).

as such, the information here is reflective of these experiences. this post is not comprehensive to all of OBS’s features- this is just an overview of the settings and configurations that are most relevant to me.

with that out of the way, all the information will be under the cut!

Basic Setup

file format:

how to change: settings -> output -> recording -> recording format -> press “apply” once finished!

I save most of my recordings as .mkv files- it supports multi-track audio! i prefer .mkv over .mp4 because if your power goes out, you still have a recording to work with. 

.mkv files can be read by DaVinci Resolve without an issue- but for Adobe software, they'll need to be remuxed to .mp4 within OBS! (file -> remux recordings -> press the … to select a file -> press the “remux” button)

video resolution and framerate:

how to change: settings -> video -> output (scaled) resolution

my obs canvas is @ 1920 x 1080p (16:9)

i switch between 720p and 1080p as needed! if you're concerned about space, you can probably just go for 720p. i also record at 30 fps, simply because that’s what my capture card supports.

video bitrate:

how to change: settings -> output -> encoder settings (located in both the streaming and recording tab) -> press “apply” once finished!

bitrate is a bit of a doozy to explain, but the most important thing to know is that bitrate affects your video’s quality. lower numbers = lower quality, while higher numbers = higher quality. 

generally speaking, you'll want higher bitrate when you're recording things with high depth of information (e.g. you’d want a higher bitrate for something fast-paced like splatoon, compared to a slower-paced game like animal crossing).

my video bitrate is either set to 3000 or 4000 kbps! and here's some of my other (related) settings while i'm at it:

you can put your bitrate at much higher values than me if you're a stickler for quality- but keep in mind that a higher bitrate means:

bigger file size

more information to upload (when streaming)

your computer will need to encode more

i’d recommend reading twitch’s guidelines on encoding, bitrate, resolution, and framerate to get an idea of what values to pick. for people who are doing offline recording or streaming on a different platform, i suggest googling the appropriate resources!

multi-track audio:

this is mostly applicable to anyone looking to do video editing!

multi-track audio basically allows you to separate your audio sources (e.g. discord, game audio, and your own microphone) into different tracks. 

this is an immensely helpful tool because it lets you adjust audio levels in post-production (editing). some examples of how this can be used:

increasing someones microphone volume if they speak too softly

increasing/decreasing game audio

muting swear words/sensitive information

completely muting voice call + microphone if you want to upload a no commentary video

and more!

to set this up, take a look at your audio mixer panel, and press the ⚙ icon. this will bring up advanced audio properties.

by checkmarking a track box, it puts the audio on that track. to make the above screenshot easier to digest:

track 1 consists of ALL three audio sources- desktop, elgato, and microphone.

track 2 only has the microphone audio.

track 3 only has desktop audio (i use this for voice calls)

track 4 only has the elgato capture card audio (game audio). the volume has also been lowered so that any speaking voices can be heard clearly.

tracks 5 and 6 are unused.

you might be wondering, “why do all three of these have 1 checked off?” this is what i call the universal audio track. i recommend having a universal audio track for a few reasons:

when you stream from OBS onto twitch/youtube- you have to select ONE audio track.

it’s also a nice backup in case you didn’t separate your audio correctly.

if for whatever reason you need to move around your individual audio tracks in editing, the universal track acts as a nice reference point.

mark off your audio tracks for each audio source as you see fit! once you’re finished with the advanced audio properties, go to settings > output.

for the streaming tab, you’ll want to have the number of your universal audio track selected. in my case, that will be audio track 1.

for the recording tab, checkmark all the audio tracks that are applicable to you (in my case, audio tracks 1, 2, 3, and 4). by default, only audio track 1 is selected.

if you don’t check off the additional audio tracks in the output > recordings section, you will not have access to those audio tracks in editing, and you won’t be able to edit your audio tracks independently of each other. so don’t forget to do this! 👍

custom browser docks

custom browser docks are a great tool for when you’re streaming and want to have access to your twitch chat and/or activity feed! (or if you wanted to have some other web browser on OBS).

to create one, go to docks -> custom browser docks.

you’ll be given a table interface that asks you to put the dock name and URL. for streamers who want to have chat and alerts available, do the following:

on twitch’s homepage, go to the upper right and click your icon

then, click creator dashboard

once you’re on your dashboard, go to stream manager

click the vertical “...” on my chat OR activity feed.

press “pop-out chat” OR “pop-out activity feed”

copy and paste the link into the table back into OBS

press apply once you’re done

click and drag the docks around at your leisure to put them where you like!

if you ever decide you don’t want to have something on your OBS dock (or want to bring something back), go to the toolbar, click “docks,” and click the appropriate dock!

third party things

a section of optional things that you may enjoy having.

streamlabs alerts

this is basically for anyone who streams and wants to have their chat and/or follower notifications visualized on screen!

streamlab alerts can be added to OBS by adding a browser source into your scene, and the specifics can be customized on streamlabs itself. it’s pretty self-explanatory, so i’ll just leave a link to streamlabs website, where you can log in using the streaming platform of your choice: https://streamlabs.com/

discord overlay

this is a browser source that can be set up to show people who are in a server's voice chat and who speaks. i recommend this to people who make multiplayer content- it can help viewers distinguish who is who but also it can be helpful in editing.

to set this up, go to https://streamkit.discord.com/overlay, click “install for OBS,” and after logging in with discord, go to “voice widget” and click the server and voice channel you want.

you are able to apply CSS if you'd like more control over the visuals, but the standard layout tends to work fine for me! a search of “discord overlay css” on youtube can help you get more information.

veadotube mini

this is a pngtuber software that a friend recommended to me! no webcam is required- mouth opening and closing is based on your microphone input!

you can download it here (it’s pay what you want!): https://olmewe.itch.io/veadotube-mini

for a proper tutorial on how to use it, i recommend checking out the app's documentation, which you can read here: https://veado.tube/help/

source record

have you ever wanted to stream something with a chat overlay/layout, but wanted your recording to ONLY be the gameplay? or maybe you wanted to record BOTH your gameplay AND your webcam so that you can have a crisp zoom-in on your webcam!

source record is a third party plugin that can help you with that!

the general gist of source record involves applying the “source record” filter on either a scene or source, and customizing the encoding settings accordingly. the exact details of how to set it up is beyond the scope of this post, so I'll just direct people to this video instead (it was very helpful to me):

⚠ a quick note about source record: this plugin can be intense for your computer. be sure to do test recordings and the like to see what your computer can handle (and see if the recordings come out the way you like). it took me a few tests before i settled onto something i liked!

you can download and install source record here: https://obsproject.com/forum/resources/source-record.1285/

vdo.ninja

have you ever wanted to do a collaborative video or stream where you feature someone else’s video on your stream? or maybe you’re doing a multi-person streaming event! vdo.ninja is the perfect tool for you!

vdo.ninja turns your OBS virtual camera into a browser source link- which your collaborator can add on their stream! this is a new tool that i’ve added to my arsenal recently- since my friend and i are planning to stream a side order challenge together! i’ve still got to iron it out a bit more, but i like what i’ve used of it so far.

try it out for yourself at their website here (with documentation and demos available on the homepage!): https://vdo.ninja/ (no downloads required!)

ok! i’m set up! what now?

and with that, that’s all of the settings and tools that i thought would be worth mentioning! while most of my setup was written with video games in mind, some of these plugins and setups may be applicable to other types of videos (e.g. tabletop gaming with a physical camera)!

now that i’ve outlined all these settings, i have one more thing i have to say: regardless of what you're using OBS for, do a test recording before doing anything “official” with it. this recording can be as short as 30 seconds. it’s a good habit to develop that can make sure your streams/recordings turn out the way you want them to!

here are the kinds of things i like to check! it’s not an exhaustive list, but this can be a starting point:

video:

does my video look the way i want it to (and can my computer handle that)?

can my computer handle the load of encoding? - OBS will note in the bottom if the encoding is overloaded. if it can’t handle it, turn down your bitrate or adjust other encoding settings (e.g. i had to toggle psycho visual tuning OFF because it was causing lag)

this is especially the case if you're recording PC games- you don’t want to have slowdown on either your game or the recording!

audio:

are my audio sources (e.g. desktop audio and microphone) correct? - if you plug/unplug devices a lot, be sure to check this (settings -> audio).

are any of my audio sources muted? - make sure you don’t have anything on 🔇 if you don’t want it to be muted! otherwise the audio will be lost forever… (i lost my friend’s VC audio once… it was sad)

are my audio tracks separated properly? - requires you to boot up your editing software, but it's worth doing! for the test recording, just have something from all your sources playing at once, and see if your editor has things separated into tracks.

can i hear the voices clearly? or does the music and/or game overpower them?

if for whatever reason your OBS crashes, or you want more information on anything “critical” or “warning” worthy in your set-up, you can go to help > log files > upload current log file > analyze. crash logs currently can’t be analyzed by the log analyzer- but they’re a valuable tool when asking for help on the OBS forums!

and that’s all! for real, this time. i hope that some of these tools and settings can help anyone wanting to get more out of OBS. there’s definitely other things i didn’t touch upon (e.g. audio filters for noise compression, suppression, etc.), so i suggest doing your own research and trying things out!

happy recording/streaming, and thanks for reading! ✨

[skunkes]

if life is categorized by Before Loss and After Loss then I exist in the before but with a countdown to the after. and the countdown is always always present and debilitating. the loss will be debilitating too but i cant help myself. i will always suffer twice.

[hotsugarbyglassanimals]

every time my dad buys a stupid new guitar i want to beat him to death with hammers

[stirdrawsandreblaws]

screaming crying coughing up blood every time i have to fucking defend genocide joe bc ppl wanna lie and say he isn't responsible for most of the best domestic policy we've seen in decades

his foreign policy is dogshit, yes, and he should rightly be called on it and primaried out, but we can criticize the shit he's actually done wrong instead of making shit up about him ~not doing anything good~