#i may be being hopeful rather than cynical here

[ssaalexblake]

now if we wanna talk about something i’ve thought about and decided to be cynical over, we have stp s3 :/ 

[innerfare]

Crocodile Relationship Headcanons

Summary: a random collection of Crocodile relationship headcanons

Genre: I don't wanna say fluff because a relationship with this man wouldn't exactly be fluffy, but... it's fluff

CW: None // SFW

———

This man is the human embodiment of a Lana Del Rey song. “You’re screwed up and brilliant, look like a million dollar beli man, so why is my heart broke?” 

On and off again. The man acquired a high enough status as a pirate to become a Warlord, may have been in prison a time or two before that, ran an underground crime syndicate, spent some time in Impel Down and fought a war, and then started yet another criminal organization in the New World, leaving him with very little down time. But you’re the person he goes to when he lacks confidence or feels a little too cynical about the world. 

Has fallen asleep in your arms a total of three times, but that’s three more times than he’s fallen asleep in anyone else’s arms (except for that time fifteen years ago when he passed out from blood loss after a fight and Daz caught him, but they don’t talk about that). 

Looks down on himself for being soft on you, like some sort of sniveling schoolboy. 

Considered poisoning you when he realized you had become his weakness, but decided against it because he’s not convinced it would actually rid him of the dreadful affection he feels toward you and would instead make the feeling more intense. The only thing worse than wanting to hold you in his arms is wanting to hold you in his arms but not being able to (this man thinks he should be able to do whatever he wants whenever he wants, so it checks out). 

Also only ever uses the word affection, and even then, only uses it sparingly. Would rather die than say love. Thinks it’s rather undignified for a man of his stature to love someone. Affection, though, is tolerable in small doses and with much secrecy. Will tolerate you calling him your lover but not saying you love him. It's a very fine line you have to toe.

Takes your security very seriously, but also knows you can fend for yourself; would never think fondly of someone who couldn’t fight their own battles. Not only would he not respect you, he wouldn’t much like having to worry incessantly.  

Doesn’t completely hide you from the world. Rather, he paints your relationship as one of business and uses this as an excuse to protect you like he would any other asset. It's calculated and cunning, exactly what you've come to expect from your lover.

Daz Bones is the only person who knows about your long history with Crocodile. Buggy thinks it’s purely sex. Mihawk has his suspicions, but he doesn’t ask any questions. Daz also doesn’t question Crocodile about his attachment to you, though he does recognize early on that you’re one of Crocodile’s handful of weaknesses and as such should be regarded as dangerous. Would kill you in a heartbeat if he thought you were a serious threat to his captain. Has most definitely had the, “anything you do to him, I’ll do to you,” talk with you behind Crocodile’s back. 

Crocodile showers you in jewels, some stolen and some purchased. He rather enjoys plucking diamonds off the necks of people he disdains and stringing them around yours, but he also likes having custom pieces made for you. 

Buys you a house on an island he has a firm presence on, a place to your taste and secluded enough from the outside world that you’ll be protected from prying eyes. He never tells you when he'll be visiting, just shows up and expects you to be available.

Shows up at your doorstep after Marineford. Doesn’t say much, just accepts a bath and warm meal and sleeps in your bed for two or three days as he heals from his injuries. You know something is very wrong when he doesn’t tell you his injuries are nothing. You also know it’s a very big deal that he lets you seem him in such a vulnerable state. 

———

Hope you enjoyed it! If you want more, you can check out my masterlist here!

[rejectedfables]

While the source material clearly intends Xue Yang to be read as an orphan (perhaps orphaned so young he has no memory of his parents), I think it’s underexplored in fandom that he never ACTUALLY SAYS that his parents DIED, but rather that he was a child without parents. 

"He had neither dad nor mom nor money" (via the official english translation)

I think there's something in here worth exploring about the possibility that Xue Yang was abandoned by his parents. 

Perhaps he remembers one or both of them and/or the event, perhaps he does not but just has a sense of it having happened, perhaps he has no memories of it at all but it still psychologically impacted his development. 

Just about every character in the story can be better understood by looking at how they were raised, and Xue Yang is CERTAINLY not an exception. 

There are myriad ways to interpret his childhood (though none of them stable, safe, or cared for), but I have been thinking a LOT lately about how being abandoned by his parents could have shaped him into who he later became.

His behavior in the Villainous Friends extra (wherein he, seemingly arbitrarily, breaks things and antagonizes people and then specifically challenges Jin Guangyao about paying for damages) COULD be interpreted as acting out in a way that's common for children and teens with a history of abandonment who are testing the waters of just how much their new guardian/s will tolerate. This sort of behavior can be a self fulfilling prophesy as well as an attempt to prove to themselves that their expectations of rejection or punishment are correct.

If Xue Yang has only ever known the world to be a painful place where people reject and abandon him, then that's how he expects the world to continue behaving. If suddenly someone defies this expectation, it is simultaneously a fascinating and wondrous thing, and also a threat to his worldview. After all, if THIS person can be kind and care for him, then why didn't anyone else?

If JGY, who at this point is essentially just his handler, can be unconditionally patient with him... then why couldn't others have been patient with him over much less? And why couldn't his own parents, who had considerably higher responsibility to him, be as patient as JGY?

It's much easier to push and push and push until you break the patience and prove your cynicism correct, than it is to grapple with those painful questions. And after all, Jin Guangyao had an exterior force (Jin Guangshan) requiring him to show patience. And once that force was removed, so was Xue Yang. This, perhaps, felt as much like validation as it did betrayal.

There might be a parallel to be made here, too, about how JGY was and felt betrayed/abandoned by his father. This in common might be something that they bonded over.

And of course, as always, there's Yi City.

Xue Yang expects Xiao Xingchen to abandon him, and his elaborate “revenge” was at least in part in preparation for that anticipated betrayal. He "knows" he will be betrayed and, perhaps unlike what happened with Jin Guangyao, he intends to be ready for it this time. Ready to punish Xiao Xingchen the MOMENT it happens, or ready to convince him not to betray him after all (what is "We're not so different, I'm not uniquely evil, you're ending our life together because you think you're better than me but look! Look! You and I are the same now" if not a deeply misguided and utterly desperate plea?).

At some point he starts hoping it just won't happen, and stops needing the “revenge” plot. When it starts unraveling before him, he tries for understanding first. What is "Hear my story, THEN decide--" if not begging to be understood?

Of course it doesn't work.

Xiao Xingchen doesn't even kill Xue Yang, either; he goes Away. Goes where Xue Yang can't. If Xue Yang is read as having this particular trigger, Xiao Xingchen's suicide may feel like abandonment all over again.

Perhaps Xiao Xingchen NOT killing Xue Yang becomes a parallel to Xue Yang's parents abandoning him to suffer alone instead of keeping him or killing him. Or else maybe Xue Yang's mother DID try to kill him (drown him or left him out in the cold) and he just managed to survive, in which case Xiao Xingchen NOT trying to kill Xue Yang puts him a cut above even Xue Yang's own mother/parents.

Final thought:

While I find Xue Yang's lack of familial connection to the rest of the cast compelling, I also find "what if" scenarios fascinating to explore, and "Xue Yang was abandoned by parents who might still be around during the story" does create some fascinating opportunities for fic.

Such as:

What if Xue Yang was yet another illegitimate son of Jin Guangshan? What if he knew but Jin Guangyao didn't? What if Jin Guangyao knew but Xue Yang didn't? What if Jin Guangshan himself knew? That would really put the insistent protections into a very weird light (is there a heart in there? Or did he think he could string Xue Yang along like he did Jin Guangyao? Or was Xue Yang blackmailing him?)

OR

What if Xue Yang was the illegitimate son of Chang Cian? It certainly puts a spin on that entire scenario. Little Xue Yang has another reason to want to please this man, and a further reason to feel betrayed by the abuse. Chang Cian not even recognizing him. Xue Yang taking revenge on the entire family because they ALL wronged him in a way he can't articulate. Because they got to live the life he could have if he'd been wanted.

Certainly none of this is canon, but it's not TERRIBLY far beyond the bounds of canon either, and makes for some juicy food for fic.

[wheredafandomat]

Shrink - P1 | You need to get laid

Random short thing I thought of. It’ll probably only be a few parts.

Avenger! Loki x therapist! Reader

18+ | there will be some bad language and probably mentions of sex throughout etc. Also, this is a lil unethical

Next

With a long exhale, Loki rolled his eyes as he settled back against his chair, slouching as you continued to speak. He didn’t like being here, judged, therapized, forced to confront his feelings or whatever other taradiddles Thor had conjured up to get him here. He tried to look interested, gaze meeting yours as you paused before continuing when you had his attention.

“I personally feel your hostility and aggression towards the other members of your team may be rooted into something else.” You concluded as Loki narrowed his gaze questioningly at you. “Loki, I’m going to ask you a very personal question and I want you to answer truthfully.”

“Go ahead.” He nodded.

“Remember in here” you started, gesturing around the room “is a safe space.”

“Get on with it.”

“When is the last time you’ve had sex?” You questioned.

Inhaling and exhaling, Loki’s gaze began wandering around the room as he nervously scratched the back of his neck.

“Well there was—and— and I can’t forget—” he began mumbling to himself as you took a sip of water before he was looking at you again “if I were to hazard a guess, I’d say around a century ago.”

Gasping, you almost spat out your water.

“Relax, only a midgardian century, time moves very slowly here I’ve gathered.” He tried to console.

“I thought it moved faster here?”

“Perhaps” Loki shrugged “I don’t know, I was just trying to quell your shock and distress.”

“I wouldn’t say I was distressed, just” you swallowed thickly “surprised.”

“Well, I’ve not found anyone I want to be intimate with.” He spoke matter of factly.

“No one?” You queried incredulously.

“I don’t spend much time out. I’m usually helping my brother and his team of delinquents.” Loki explained.

“They’re the Avengers, Earth’s defenders Loki.” You countered.

“Well I hope your planet musters up a more capable team, sooner rather than later.” He mocked.

Instead of defending the organisation further, you kept your professionalism.

“Look, Loki, if I’m being honest with you, I don’t think you’re angry, I think you're sexually frustrated” you proposed. “it’d explain the irritability, the edginess and the dreams we spoke about last week.”

“Sexually frustrated.” He repeated, mulling over the words. “And how would one go abouts curing this sexual frustration?” He asked, earning a cynical look from you. “Right.” He realised.

“For you, this week's homework is to go out and get laid, safely.”

“Get laid?”

“Have some sex, do I have to spell everything out for you?” You huffed exaggeratedly.

“Right.” He smiled.

“So, same time next week?”

“Yes.” He agreed, making his next appointment before leaving.

Making his way back to the compound, Loki thought about your words. Could you quite possibly be correct? He didn’t want to admit it but he thought that there was potential for you to be right but then that’d mean that the whole concept of therapy wasn’t as useless as he had previously argued and he didn’t like being wrong. He despised it. Huffing to himself, he thought there was probably no harm in testing your hypothesis. Once he reached back, he was greeted by Thor.

“How was therapy?” Thor asked.

“Do you and Jane have sex?” Loki questioned causing Thor to swallow thickly, clearly taken aback.

“Yes, yes we do.” He answered. “Why?”

“Well Doctor y/l/n recons that I’ll be all better if I have some of the sex.” Loki explained, causing Thor to stand straighter.

“Well we must settle this at dawn, whoever survives will be the one Jane—” Thor began before Loki interrupted.

“What on Midgard are you going on about?”

“What on Midgard are you going on about?” Thor narrowed his gaze.

“I have to find someone in which I can have the sex with and then I’ll be all better. Don’t fret, I don’t want Jane.” Loki insisted.

“Oh splendid.” Thor clapped happily.

Meanwhile, you had just finished up with your last client before you heard a knock at your door, looking up, you smiled as you gestured Natasha inside who was holding food. Once she entered, she sat down as you both tucked into the meal.

“So, how’s your week been, any good client stories?” Natasha asked.

“Natasha” you exclaimed “if I were to share information about my patients with you, I’d be at risk of losing my license.”

“I won’t tell” she baited you “besides, I’m not asking you to be specific and use names, just give me the rundown, we used to share everything with each other.”

You couldn’t disagree with her, you became best friends when your office was based at SHIELD headquarters and she was a trainee agent.

“You’re a terrible influence, pour me a glass of that wine.” You relented.

“Soo, banging anyone?” She asked, both of you with glasses in hand.

“No, no one rocks my boat.” You sighed.

“What about that accounting guy?”

“We were at my apartment and let’s just say an encounter with a spider left one of us almost in tears and the other completely turned off.” You cringed at the memory causing Natasha to laugh. “I want a man Nat, he was always just so—”

“Weak?” She finished.

“I was going to say submissive and not in the sexy way. I guess I’m just done with always being the one making decisions, always being the one in control.” You rationalized.

“You wanna be dominated.” She figured.

“Yes.” You agreed.

“You should have just asked.” She teased.

“Very funny” you smiled “but yes, I think that’s it. Like if we’re having sex, I want him to hold me down and fuck me you know, not just cuddle and dry hump me until his boners gone down.”

“Accounting done that?” She interrupted you, aghast.

“He said he only wanted to have sex romantically.”

“What does that even mean?” She laughed.

“Who knows?” You shrugged. “Maybe it means after a date?”

“So then what did he do the times he was just at your apartment?”

“Not get rid of spiders” you laughed “he was more of a friend really. We just watched films together and hung out.”

“Wow, that’s crazy.”

“I know.”

“Girl you need to get laid.”

“I knowww.”

“So, what’s the plan?” She grinned.

“I’m looking for a man that can remove spiders from the home and pin me against the wall.” You giggled.

Next

Tags

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[thyla-scene360]

I have returned with more TSSM AU art. Sorry about the hiatus, real life has been rather busy these last several months.

I’ve had this concept floating around in my head for a while; here’s my take on a much younger Vulture, aka Adrian Toomes.

I mentioned a while back that I imagined him being a Sphynx Cat in my AU. He still is, but I imagine he had a very thin coat of fur running from his nose to the base of his tail in his youth (some sphynxes still retain a small amount of velvety hair on their bodies, although it varies). Unfortunately, a combination of old age and significant stress caused him to lose all but most of it over the years - only a few sparse patches of peach fuzz remain on his back.

Overall I wanted to try and see what Ol’ Beaky may have looked like in his youth while still staying true to his character. I gave him a slicked-back, businessman sort of hairstyle; I also gave him ginger hair as a nod to the comics (yeah, Adrian was apparently red-haired in his youth, both in the comics and in the 90s animated series).

Anyways, here’s a couple of headcanons I came up with for him, taking inspiration from some of the movie and tv adaptations (including tssm of course).

Unlike many of his fellow villains, Adrian didn’t have a particularly bad or unstable upbringing. He actually had a pretty normal childhood all things considered, and was raised by strict but loving parents.

Hot-tempered, disciplined, straightforward, and determined, Adrian’s turn to villainy was in truth far more gradual than most were led to believe. Decades of stress, frustration, and failure in addition to experiencing workplace corruption first-hand slowly hardened his heart. The bright-eyed young man with big ideas who joined the engineering business in the hopes of revolutionizing the industry was now a cynical, tired, and bitter old man with a short temper and an even shorter patience. The final straw was having his life’s work (years of research, setbacks, failure, and constant work) stolen out from under him by a mega corporation with no hope of recognition or even an ounce of compensation.

Adrian and Otto have been longtime friends, having known each other and worked together since their Tricorp days. Despite his cold exterior, the former cared a great deal for his friend and worried extensively about him during their time at Oscorp. Adrian knew it was only a matter of time until Otto received the same backstabbing treatment as himself, and tried to no avail to convince him to find better employment. However, Otto was simply too afraid of Norman at the time to do so. It came as no surprise to the old bird to find out his good friend had finally snapped…and ironically enough their turn to villainy has strengthened their friendship more than ever. Even through countless failed schemes and prison stays, the pair continue to support and look out for each other.

[sgiandubh]

I have a question! You're a shipper. Therefore, you like both S&C, but you only post about Sam and the posts are about him not doing enough to expand his brand, how he is miscast and untapped potential. You've said you were a defender of Sam, but I did not think you came across that way, you mostly write about what Sam isn't doing to your liking. So, my question is why don't you post about Caitriona? One Belfast post some weeks ago and a paragraph about her non-existent branding. Of course, this is your blog, and you can post and say whatever you'd like, I'm just an anon so I don't have a leg to stand on here, but I'm being genuine in asking.

Dear Caitriona Anon,

Yours is an interesting, provocative question and for this reason alone it did not make the classic trek to the bin (yay?).

Oh, yes, a shipper I am. Probably not what you folks call an 'extreme shipper', but a staunch, firm shipper, whose convictions aren't just based on wishful thinking. Enough said.

May I ask (and I swear I am doing it without malice) for how long have you been following my page? I wrote about C quite a number of times, even specifically about her, in a very positive way, if you'd just care to look into the archives. For example, this post: https://www.tumblr.com/sgiandubh/724773265698062337/la-passante-de-la-place-des-vosges-the-passerby. And I have always, always ferociously defended S, against all odds, especially when the Disgruntled Tumblrettes (probably the most unkind, dishonest, cynical tribe of this fandom) went for him in a rather unsavory fashion.

Now, Anon, do not expect me to constantly fangirl over These Two, because this is not going to happen. They are my age and as such, I see things perhaps a bit differently than OL's main demographic. Cynically speaking, I can afford the luxury of being a bit irreverent, from time to time, about two people I find extremely endearing (make no mistake) and worth of my attention. Not a mommy, nor a worshipper. Just a rational shipper (we are quite a few, in here, you know), who does not think this is all about unicorns and leprechauns for ever frolicking at the end of the rainbow.

Because it's not - this is about two people who make terrible gaffes and horrendous mistakes, too. This is about a girl who sometimes shows such entitlement and wrath, that it is almost too hard to like her, at times. And about a boy whose foot in mouth syndrome is, by now, proverbial. This is about two people whose lies and coverups slowly turned them into cartoonish, PR-generated versions of themselves. And this is about two people who, almost like in a Wilde parable, unexpectedly found fame, fortune and love on their path. Will they squander part of it? All of it? Will they be wise about it and learn from their own blunders? This is something I find fascinating to observe, Anon.

My critiques of S's branding have always been, I think (or at least, I sincerely hope), respectful, motivated and constructive. Mainly because I think that (particularly) in his case, there is a deep chasm between his PR and real personas. He would have everything to gain if he stopped trying so hard to be someone he obviously isn't. And so would she.

If my thoughts are not your jam, Anon, simply stop reading me. What you do seem to conveniently forget, too, is that this blog is also, and maybe above everything else, about these two people falling for each other, for real. And it is my deepest belief that we do not help this story by turning it into a cheap cliché or behaving like a hungry mob prone on tantrums if they do not deliver what is conventionally expected. And perhaps you are right, in a way: I seldom post about them as separate entities. In my mind, they are one.

You are welcome to answer, Anon. And I hope I managed to do the same with your question.

[banemmanan]

U.N.C.L.E. statistics graphs

Part 2 of 3

[part 1] * [part 3]

All Man from U.N.C.L.E. data was compiled by @commander-kiranerys :

Series 1 * Series 2 * Series 3 * Series 4

Girl from U.N.C.L.E. data was compiled by myself and my sister:

* GFU *

Original graphs created by commander-kiranerys:

* :1: * :2: * :3: * :4: *

(more info and analysis under the cut)

Disclaimer:

As you can see from the data attributes, the mfu and gfu stats have been compiled by two different people. As such, results should be taken with a grain of salt as our views on what exactly constitutes 'torture' or a 'failed escape' may vary.

A word on graphs:

I felt that having compiling the separate info in one place in the form of bar charts was ideal for visual comparisons of the data, rather than jumping between posts. However, I cannot recommend enough commander-kiranerys's original graphs enough due to them being in the form of line graphs, thus giving a good view of change over time for the individual results of her statistics. This was not possible here due to gfu being part of a separate show.

Analysis:

Tied up: so if you're into bondage then MFU Season 3 is for you. Specifically Illya... (I see you Season 3 writers, I see you). As you can see from these graphs and the next two, the GFU villains weren't really very kinky. A shame tbh (who said that?).

Chained or handcuffed: I had combined these two separate categories into just the one in my data set and so I added together commander-kiranerys' results to create some compatible data. The MFU stats here remain very consistent before that good ol' Season 4 drop, they didn't get that same significant increase that being tied up saw.

Tortured: sad to see that Napoleon and Illya have never been tortured together. As the old saying goes, partners who get tortured together, stay together. Very tragic.

Drugged: a lot of the cynics out there will say that it's no surprise at all that GFU was on the most drugs of the series. But to that I say, just look at that MFU Season 3 stat! The least by a long shot!

Knocked out: the most impressive thing here is that if you removed all of April's stats, GFU would still be leading on getting knocked out. I'm more than a little worried about Mark; has anyone checked him for post-concussion syndrome?

Shot: my findings? Bullet wound Mark is an outlier and should not be counted. He is one gunshot away in his single series from equalling Illya in the entire run of MFU. The consistency of those MFU results is very satisfying to me, and then Mark has to ruin it! Someone get this man a touriquet or smth idc. Also April is bullet proof, aparently.

Wet: although I was too British and prude to tally-up instances of partial nudity (idk why I found that too embarrassing ok), I am not imune to fanservice and was more than happy to count instances of getting wet. Now, if you like your agents soaking wet, then aparently GFU is the show for you (yes this is a propaganda post). Though on average it ties with MFU Season 4; in terms of raw numbers it cannot be beat. Interestingly though, Season 1 Napoleon is tied with Mark for soggiest individual character.

I will freely admit that the analysis here is strongly skewed towards comparing the GFU results with the MFU results. Mainly due to commander-kiranerys having already created a set of graphs and gone over the MFU data there. I didn't want these posts to replace those in any way and instead to add to them. Please check out those posts (linked above) for a more MFU-oriented approach!

I hope you found this data useful or at least interesting! I would love to have discussions about these!

[love-from-sasha]

Stalker (1979)

dir. Andrei Tarkovsky

"you can't be happy at the expense of other's unhappiness"

Stalker is a hypnotising dystopian tale that delves into ideas of religion, morality and human desire. set in an unknown country at an unknown time, the film follows a pilgrimage undertaken by the Stalker (Aleksandr Kajdanovsky), the Writer (Anatoly Solonitsyn) and the Professor (Nikolai Grinko) into The Zone - a mysterious, abandoned area located in the midst of a post-apocalyptic wasteland where the natural laws of physics do not apply. The Zone, guarded by the government, is said to hold The Room which can grant an individual's deepest desire upon entering

the three figures are representative of conflicting philosophies. the Professor - a man of science, is decisively pragmatic, and sees knowledge not as a useful tool but rather a lethal weapon if fallen into the wrong hands. his deep-rooted skepticism of the human condition challenges the conviction that mankind is inherently good. the Writer - a man of art, is a devoted idealist. however, he has grown disillusioned by the world around him, and has seemingly lost faith in his own talent as an artist. they place all their remaining hopes in the Stalker - a man of faith, an altruist for whom the meaning of life is rooted in his desire to ensure the happiness of others by guiding them to The Room, with no interest in entering himself. it is precisely these virtues and moral conviction that both the Writer and the Professor evidently lack that make them incapable of entering The Room once they reach its threshold, being equally plagued by cynicism and terrified of a force beyond their comprehension

The Room allegedly grants one’s innermost desire, but that does not mean that it is what one believes to yearn for the most. this is illustrated when the Professor recounts the story of a former Stalker ‘Porcupine’ who had lost a brother, and entered The Room in order to bring him back to life. however, upon his return, he instead came back home to a large sum of money - meaning that, subconsciously, he longed for wealth more than the return of his dead brother. this unbearable realisation drove a guilt-ridden Porcupine to suicide soon after. much like Porcupine, the Writer and the Professor are afraid of what they may discover once their desires are manifested. for them, ignorance is bliss and far preferable to confronting their lack of integrity - even at the expense of fulfilment. The Zone then becomes, in a way, a judgment of character. there are the obvious moral dilemmas that one must confront in the Room, that can only be ascertained by embracing what you seek

"what comes true here is that which reflects the essence of your nature. it is within you. it governs you"

overall, the true essence of the film lies not so much in the destination but in the spiritual pilgrimage these three individuals undertake on their way to the Room. it possesses a poetic, magnetic quality that pulls you in, much like the Room lures in the individuals that the Stalker guides

“Stalker is a tragedy, but tragedy is not hopeless. Tragedy cleanses man. I believe that only through spiritual crisis healing begins. In this film I wanted to make some sort of complete statement: namely that human love alone is - miraculously - proof against the blunt assertion that there is no hope for the world. This is our common, and incontrovertibly positive possession - that essentially human thing that cannot be dissolved or broken down, that forms like a crystal in the soul of each of us which is all a person can count upon his existence”

with love,

sasha

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Bill Bramhall

* * * *

Become a warrior for truth!

May 18, 2024

ROBERT B. HUBBELL

I have been reflecting on why Democrats feel so besieged by the news. One obvious explanation is the patent bias against Biden and the double standard employed by the major media. However, it is also that the news outlets that are supposedly more liberal in their editorial policies and news reporting are sliding into “both siderism” and false equivalencies.

In Michael Cohen’s testimony on Thursday, he said that he would call Maggie Haberman of the NYTimes and Katie Tur of MSNBC when he wanted to plant “pro-Trump” stories. (I don’t have the actual testimony; I would appreciate it if a reader can send to me or post the testimony in the Comments section. I will pin it to the top.)

Maggie Haberman is no surprise. She is a former Daily News political reporter who thrived at the Times by engaging in “access journalism.” Haberman was brutal in her reporting on Hillary Clinton’s non-scandal relating to emails, but passively supportive in her reporting on Trump, withholding some of the most damning details discovered during her interviews and investigations.   

Katie Tur was a surprise—but not really. Nancy Pelosi recently scolded Tur on-air for being an “apologist” for Trump. On another occasion, Tur mused whether it was “fair” for New York to charge Trump with business fraud. Katy Tur Asks Whether It's Fair to Charge Trump For Fraud (mediaite.com).

But it doesn’t stop there. Ari Melber frequently platforms pro-Trump surrogates or Republicans who oppose Trump but are happy to trash Joe Biden (like former Governor John Kasich). Alex Wagner hosted a Republican consultant on Friday evening and allowed the consultant to expound on Joe Biden’s alleged weaknesses as a candidate. Wagner either didn’t care to contradict his misstatements or was not equipped to do so. Either way, she platformed a Republican operative and failed to fact-check him.

So, yeah, it feels like the leading news organization on the side of democracy and decency is giving unchecked airtime to Trump surrogates, current Republicans, or former Republicans who will rejoin the GOP when Trump is gone. The MSNBC hosts rarely challenge the anti-Biden bias of those guests. (Rachel Maddow, Chris Hayes, and Lawrence O’Donnell are exceptions.)

What should we do? On the whole, outlets like MSNBC deserve our support. Without it, the leading source of criticism of Trump and MAGA extremism may disappear. But be prepared to send critical emails and turn off offending programs when they drift into placid acceptance of lies about Biden.

Also, support independent writers like Heather Cox Richardson, Simon Rosenberg, Joyce Vance, Jay Kuo, Jessica Craven, Dan Rather, Robert Reich, Judd Legum, Lucian K. Truscott IV, Dan Pfeiffer and others on Substack who are striving to bring balance to reporting on the news. Talking Points Memo and The Guardian are also high on my list of objective sources.

Most importantly, you must become a reliable news source for friends and colleagues. If you read a factual, well-written article, op-ed, or newsletter, do not hesitate to forward it to others. I know that thousands of you forward this newsletter to friends and family—and I encourage more of you to do so!

Millions of people are hungry for objectivity, balance, and hope in the face of a news industry that profits from cynicism and negativity. Do friends and family a favor by giving them something positive to hold onto during challenging news cycles.

We are engaged in a permanent information war. You must be a warrior for truth in that ongoing struggle. I wish it were otherwise, but here we are. If you become a source of truth and hope for others, you will feel less besieged by the misinformation and bias that washes over us daily. Instead, you will take charge of the narrative in your life, a narrative grounded in truth and accuracy. It doesn’t get any better than that!

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

+

“World War III will be a guerrilla information war with no division between military and civilian participation.”

~ Marshall McLuhan (some decades ago)

[surveillance-0011]

Looking at Garten of BanBan II… I actually feel kind of optimistic.

This second game feels like it does have more effort put into it- and it’s more genuine, less of a cash grab especially without the merch link right there. I’m not gonna blame the devs for charging money bc it seems they are very low budget, and I’d prefer a game costing money rather than asking you to buy overpriced merch.

There’s a somewhat scarier atmosphere and I think the direction the story is heading could prove to be interesting.

Spoiler alert:

Saw the human experimentation thing coming from a mile away. Not the most original in the mascot-based horror niche, but I’m a sucker for it and am actually kinda interested in seeing why it’s happening in this facility posing as a kindergarten, of all places. Also, BanBan as a possible good guy is very interesting. Yes, Alice and Mommy Long Legs both send you on fetch quests with ulterior motives, but BanBan seems to genuinely care about saving the kids, even if it means he’s not heroic enough to do it himself.

It’s also interesting that he’s apparently not the “major” threat- that’s Stinger Flynn, apparently. Unless BanBan is lying/tricking the MC, which is like a 50/50 chance.

The game also, surprisingly, has a sense of humor. BanBan’s note telling you he’s gonna knock you out, his sheepish apology, NabNab’s misery, and Seline (the snail) reaching the chase scene too late all actually got a chuckle out of me.

However, it’s not exactly the most riveting gameplay. The game still seems kinda slow, glitchy, and like there isn’t as much of an “active” threat. Everything is very … compartmentalized? Until the last chase scene there doesn’t seem to be an active threat chasing you down.

And the story does have some pitfalls and confusing bits. It’s frustrating to me that they are dropping gradual hints in the notes alone- at this point I wish there was more of a why and maybe even more of an admission. BanBan sees himself as human still, yes, but certainly he’s aware everyone else thinks he’s BanBan? And that he’s in a lab? But he never says “yeah they mighta turned me into something I’m not, but deep down I’m human and you can trust me”

And while I like the idea of Stinger Flynn as a major threat I’m surprised NabNab isn’t more of an opposing force. Like they’re literally an obstacle for like the construction section and they peer out as a lil secret when you finish the chase scene and turn back. For someone teased as a big thing, they seem more like a needless red herring and underwhelming extra. It’d be better if they were more present in this chapter.

The … attempt at social commentary in the classroom segment was also just weird? There’s not really a popular kid weird kid bullying hierarchy in kindergarten of all places… and the metaphor is just very bland and fake deep and whatnot. Unless it’s just BanBaleena running the school like she thinks they’re run bc she’s a human experiment with no memory/knowledge of the outside world. Or some sort of commentary on the game community? Eh, it was just weirdly cynical and I didn’t dig it.

And it’s weird that they’re already advertising game 3. It’s a chapter system and it’s bound to happen, but it makes me think they’re rushing it a little.

So it’s not perfect by any means. There’s a couple of glaring issues of disorganization and rougher edges, hell some of the worries concerning it being too “kiddy” still ring true. But it also seems to confirm the game is growing into its own unique self and is a genuine attempt at making a decent game rather than something thrown together to make some money off of children. There’s some heart. It may be small or weak, but it’s there.

I never thought I’d be rooting for the Euphoric Brothers, but I do actually hope they improve from here and actually make something some people can dig. They’re not really some insidious force like people make them out to be, just two people trying in a… pretty flawed way? They gotta work on a lot of stuff, from the game to how they have taken criticism, but they’re not goddawful, the first game was just the worst first impression ever.

And…If anything BanBan’s popularity is inspiring. It’s a good reminder that anyone can make a game- and possibly succeed in getting what they wish.

Tldr: not winning any awards any time soon, but Garten of BanBan is not a total waste. I hope the Devs listen to the criticism they’ve gotten and improve from here, too.

And I. Do like NabNab and Stinger Flynn. And BanBan. I am not immune to silly blob thing.

[petitprincess1]

One of your villainos posts is getting trashed

It's just what you expect when it comes to saying anything negative about Villainous and Alan Ituriel. Although, I find it funny that it's not the first time I've said Heed and Dem are overly sexualized, especially in that drawing of the two in playboy bunny costumes, but oh no! This time I really messed up, even tho that anon brought it up and not me x3

Also, the way they're saying all "Oh Dem and Heed are underdeveloped but what about Millie????". So, like....yall admit to the characters being underdeveloped....but then use it as a "gotcha" moment? And, no, Millie isn't underdeveloped.

She has strong ties with her family, even tho her own family jokes about her freelance job and clearly has a rivalry with her Sallie May. She's very protective over Moxxie to the point where she "sees red" when he's in trouble. Heck, Millie actually seemed to have worked on that, since she used her anger in Exes and Ooohs to give her an advantage than letting it blind her. She's easily excitable and tends to be more optimistic, while Moxxie is very logical and somewhat cynical.

Millie has even spoke up on Blitzo being too into their personal lives, but she deals with it. Again, opposite of Moxxie. Millie also can easily see through other's bullshit after Harvest Moon, since she didn't care for those con artists and Seeing Stars, while also pissed at how Mox did fall for it. She even seems to have a problem with Loona, since she just calls her "hellhound" and views her as nothing more. She's very caring and loving of her coworkers when push comes to shove.

Meanwhile, what do Demencia and Heed have that isn't already obvious? Wow. Demencia is insane and loves BH. She's not intelligent any longer bc, according to Alan, her guessing the answer to Flug's equation was played for laughs. Also, Flug made her. Wow. What a shock. You really fooled me with the blueprints he has in his lab...and the fact that Alan has already said that he made her in the livestreams lol I mean, hell, Demencia doesn't even remember nor care about her past. So, why should I?

Now, Heed does have a ton more development compared to Demencia, but that isn't saying much. She still mainly is there to lift Goldheart rather than being her own thing. It's still kinda weird that she went through all that effort when all she needed to do was brainwash Goldheart. I won't say much because I do have more hope for Cecilia than anyone else in the series. She's the only one that has potential to be interesting, especially with her reports. So, here's hoping her book speaks more about her.

Also, my posts are labeled "unpopular opinion" for a reason. And let's not compare two completely different shows. Please. That's incredibly dumb.

[carlyleandco]

SHOT BY SHOT PT 2

Lockwood being berated by Barnes. Lockwood looks a little worse for wear here; I'm going to guess this is him being talked to by Scotland Yard and DEPRAC after burning down the house. Barnes' characterisation seems a little colder and more cynical in this adaptation, at least to me, maybe because he is younger than his book counterpart.

Kensal Green! Cue electric guitar! I absolutely love they were able to film exactly on location as is in the book! Also, did anyone notice the swagger in Lockwood's walk? Because it's taking me out

My fav Fittes agents <3

Kipps is so petty I can't

The bet is on! But where is Bobby Vernon and Ned Shaw?

Lucy arrives at Fittes House for what I presume is her interview, given the bags she is carrying.

Lockwood having a jab at the adult-run agencies, as he should.

DEPRAC arriving at Portland Row, perhaps after Jack Carver died?

DEPRAC officers spraying Portland Row down with a salt solution after Jack Carver died in order to ward off his potential return. AND SEE THEY'VE GOT THE UMBRELLA STAND WITH THE RAPIERSIN IT

Protestors, maybe some cultists who don't want the ghosts destroyed? This seems to be some worldbuilding from the Hollow Boy, which featured disruption from the public in this capacity, however, I don't know if that means we are getting THB.

Lucy staring pensively into the distance.

I'm going to say this is the morning after the incident with the necklace in Lucy's room, they've discovered the engraving and Lockwood is perhaps discussing how the case may help give them proper publicity.

The gang approaching Bickerstaff's grave at Kensal Green. Got the iron chain going, we love to see it.

Bickerstaff's ghost stirring, Lucy has her hands on her ears, attempting to block out the sound of the Bone Glass.

This is one of three people imo: Lucy's sister, Lucy's close friend from Jacobs' agency, or Holly.

This was a serve. Missing Floating Joe and Lady Esmeralda!

"I'm working with maniacs." Did he stutter? The background seems rather ornate here, Combe Carey Hall?

The Golden Blade appears. Yeah I think this is Sir Rupert, and they are decking it out in the Library in Fittes House, given all the paraphernalia everywhere and bookshelves in the background. Lockwood also appears to be in his dress suit. This would be quite a departure from the book. Also, look at Lucy in the background! I hope she's cheering him on!

Bickerstaff house or Combe Carey I'm guessing.

Crossing the Thames, on the way to the Black Market Auction!

Flo my beloved <3

Fanatic cultists I'm going to say, seemingly outside Kensal Green?

Sneaking through Fittes House?

Given the fountain, this is likely the morning after Combe Carey; DEPRAC arrive to clean up the situation and respond to Lockwood's request for help.

[innerfare]

Mihawk’s Type 

Summary: A list of headcanons describing Mihawk's ideal type

Genre: Fluff

CW: None // SFW

———

Would go for someone with a more sophisticated streak, the sort of person who can name what all is in his wine cellar, who knows which drinks go in which glasses, could arrange a society soiree (not that he would ever host such a dreadful thing), wears silk pajamas, etc.. If you can expertly arrange the flowers from his garden, dislike loud, unruly crowds, and are more likely to be overdressed than underdressed, you’re probably his type. 

In that same vein, he likes it when you use his full name. “Dracule Mihawk.” Something about it sounds right falling from your lips. 

Also would want someone intelligent and well-read, the sort of person who will discuss what he reads in the newspaper every morning with him and is content to spend their days in his library, not just browsing but taking stock of what he has and going out to purchase anything he may need. 

With that in mind, wants someone who will assess what he may need more generally, too. Is he lacking in any way? This man’s dream date is you telling him his flaws over a bottle of wine so he can rectify them. Low key a masochist. 

All that being said, he doesn’t like people who are too out of line. He has a weakness for strays, so someone who’s put together on the surface but has a rougher, more wild side would be his absolute weakness. 

He also likes people who are independent, people who can entertain themselves and have their own goals. He wants someone who, upon arriving at his castle, will explore on their own rather than ask him for the grand tour. 

He would want a person who isn’t naive. Someone who knows how the world works, possibly even a bit of a cynic, not someone who is going to sugarcoat things and make excuses for corruption (or listens to the excuses the government gives). 

I see Mihawk with someone who comes from a good family, the sort of person who possibly attended the One Piece equivalent of finishing school. More than likely, a government employee he met some time after he became a Warlord (or possibly even before, meaning they had an illicit affair while he was still a wanted man). Someone who sees through the World Government and finds the corruption disgusting, but is also not a pirate. 

———

Hope you enjoyed it! If you want more, you can check out my masterlist here!

[xxlittle-miss-horrorxx]

I think I may make a side blog just for Helluva Boss

Now it’s not really gonna be so much of a critical blog (even if I may critique things here and there) but idk I still have a very love and hate relationship with said series. It’s actually more of a blog of an AU of how I would change things. Like redesigns and such.

I don’t fully hate it since I had fond memories with season 1 but idk something about season 2 misses the mark for me… the last episode was so bad that even my friends who love the series thought it was too much. (Actually like me, they also can’t stand season 2)

Also, I don’t wanna discuss these spindlehorse allegations. I feel like it’s not fair to jump the gun since there’s more sides to the stories and I keep seeing screenshots that provide no context at all. And just talking about that is super exhausting… like sorry guys, I rather not have people bother me about that.

However, I still like the characters I just wish season 2 didn’t assassinate them. I actually love Blitzo being an cynical asshole and he’s a favorite of mine BUT ahhhh I would prefer if he faced consequences. I’m very mixed with Stolas, I enjoyed him through season 1 since idk the morally grey with him was entertaining but eh…. The woobification happened and once again being neglectful to Octavia :””) so yeah but I had ideas I have in mind.

I think the issue with Helluva Boss, is that it should had stayed as an episodic edgy adult cartoon than forcing it to have a plot driven story. A thing with cynical characters CAN work but you should let them face consequences when they do dumb stuff. It’s kind of why I enjoy MTV’s downtown so much since that show too has cynical characters but don’t always get things easily handed to them. But now it’s like giving me the odd feeling I had with Aggrektsuko and SVTFOE when they force a ship to show that it ruins all logic 🙃🙃🙃

That being said, I have issues with the fandom and hatedom.

I really don’t wanna engage to much with the fandom since holy shit there’s so much toxic positivity there, i remember people getting angry at me for disliking Loona. (When I had my reasons) and I had to give my reasons why the show had a misogyny problem with women. Because god forbid a fan can’t have different opinions.🙄🙄🙄 I am nervous to share self ship art of my oc with Bl*tzo since oooof st*l*tz shippers may take it personal. (Even tho I plan to have blitzo and Stolas be in a friends with benefits relationship since I think that makes more sense with them )

And while I don’t really 100% believe these allegations since I think there’s missing truth, I hate how these Stans would attack Erin and Ken like guys please fucking stop. We need to have innocent until guilty, not just with Viv okay? I’ve detached myself from Viv since I’m not fond of her childish behavior but I don’t wanna jump the gun with her still. (Please don’t bother me about this I’m aware of Ken and I do hope they recover, it’s just that’s so exhausting )

As for the hatedom and antis… oooof I’ve seen antis go too far and would harass Viv and her writers and such because of a bad episode and all of that. Don’t get me wrong, I know Viv enables bad fandom behavior and even shit talks people that review her stuff and I am against that… but sometimes these haters stoop to her level. Hell one “critical” blog even went on how Viv blocked them and was all “suspicious I think not” well when you constantly got o their pages to harass her and her team, well no shit they’ll block you. And idk this person just has a very unhealthy extreme hate for Viv…. They watch her every move and look way too deep into things…

It’s just idk I hate because these people get lumped with criticals. Some critic blogs are fine I just hate they’re now lumped with antis that go too far.

Also maybe it’s me, I’m planning to create an Indie project soon and I just rather make a side blog for this stuff. I think it may be unprofessional for someone like me to dwelve into the hatedom and fandom and it’s better to surround yourself with small friends you trust.

So yeah don’t expect me going anti or Stan, it may be a bit critical but it’s also me doing fun AUs and enjoying things I do like about the show. The more you stay in toxic positivity or toxic negativity, it’s gonna eat you alive.

I’ve been encouraged by friends to just do my own thing you know :3

So I just rather be the casual fan who just forms her opinions on things so I don’t have to interact with fandom as a whole :””)

[austenpoppy]

Nightfall: at dusk - Prologue: Night monsters

Ao3 link: Nightfall : at dusk - Chapter 1 - Austenpoppy - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own]

Fanfiction.net link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14301937/1/Nightfall-At-Dusk

Summary:

2001. Ron and Harry are working hard at the Auror Academy to become full-fledged Aurors, while Hermione is trying to find her place in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and Ginny is training with the Holyhead Harpies. Everybody is trying to overcome what happened in the war to focus on building a better future, and life seems easier than it has ever been. However, darkness is looming on the horizon as Muggleborn and Half-Blood wizards and witches disappear before being found out weeks later, their dead bodies having been experimented upon. Meanwhile, Ron has more and more trouble dealing with the aftermath of what happened with the locket...

I can't believe I'm actually starting to post this. This is going to be the first fanfiction I publish, but it is a gigantic project that I have started years ago, when I was barely out of high school - and it's very close to my heart. It all began in a rather boring geography class in 2017 (I'm sorry, Mr. D, I can't say I care about mussel culture in Thailand) where I had let my imagination wander, doing one of my favourite hobbies: inventing stories with one of my favourite characters of all time (in case that was not clear, I'm talking about Ron). I was thinking about one scene from one of my favourite childhood movies (the fantastic "Azur and Asmar" by Michel Ocelot) and I was replacing the characters from the animation film with Harry and Ron, imagining how they could have ended up in that situation and what could happen after.

The entire universe of Nightfall was born from this one scene alone.

If you start this journey with me, my fellow Internet friend, this is going to be a long, very long ride. The story is so huge I divided it into three parts, each of which have their own "arcs" so to speak. The good thing is that I know exactly where I'm going, and I can assure you that considering there are already six years of work put into this project I am not likely to ever abandon it. You should rather feel sorry for my dear friend and beta Vivithefolle who not only had to hear me talk about this project for years, but also had to read some chapters in complete disorder, with some notes from me to explain the context or background information. Thank you so much, Vivi, you motivated me to write at a time you were my only reader and I had this crazy idea I would write all the chapters before publishing them (no this did not work out, but no one can accuse me of being impatient... six freaking years of work...).

However I want to be clear and honest to my potential readers: this is not going to be a happy-go-lucky story by any stretch of the imagination. I am going to write about mature and sometimes very dark subjects, even though if you know me, you may have guessed I rather like humour and am not really fond of cynical and hopeless works. I, however, am a sadist, as you will have the displeasure to discover once you see how I treat Ron (I'm joking, I'm joking...or am I ?). I don't want to say too much, but let's just say people who came here for a feel-good story without any angst will be thoroughly disappointed.

As a side note, I consider this work to be canon-compliant, given that I only consider the seven original books as canon and take what J. K. Rowling wrote on Pottermore with a grain of salt; but "Nightfall" is not my headcanon of what happened after the war either. Consider it more like an evil twin of my actual headcanon.

Now let me introduce you to the world of "Nightfall", or the story that has been living rent free in my head nearly everyday for the past few years. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it, and I'm proud and extremely touched to present you with my first published fanfiction (I also feel very self-conscious, but I guess that was to be expected).

Disclaimer: All characters and events depicted in the original book series belong to J.K. Rowling. Most unfortunately.

Trigger warnings for this chapter: graphic depictions of violence, disturbing imagery

(See the end of the work for more notes).

Prologue : Night monsters

Sunday 7th January, 2001 - 2 am.

It was a very cold night. Thaddeus gripped the pants of his cloak tighter against himself, trying to warm himself up as best as he could. As he exhaled loudly, his breath came out in a silvery steam before disappearing. His lips were chapped, and he could feel the cracks on them that would probably end up bleeding.

He found himself thinking wistfully of the warm bed in which his wife was waiting for him at home. Images of himself with his head going deep into his soft pillow, pulling back his fluffy blankets over his body, and kissing Magdalene goodnight before going to sleep with a contented smile on his face flooded his mind. He fidgeted, feeling irritation slowly rising inside him. How long would he have to wait?

Magdalene was certainly trying to fight off sleep until he came back, though she was most likely too groggy to last long – Calder, who had turned three in November, was in his oppositional phase and was exhausting them both. Thaddeus had been in the Auror Task Force for more than twenty years, and Magdalene had been his wife for well over fifteen years now, but she still worried almost as much as she did back when they started dating.

She worried even more those days considering what had been happening lately. Eight wizards and witches had vanished in the last month and a half in mysterious circumstances;  two of them had ended up dead, their corpses dropped in random places all over the United Kingdom. And to top it off, all of the missing people had either been Muggleborn or Half-Blood, something that the media had been quick to point out.

Of course, worried whispers had emerged ever since Fidvi Khokhar, the second victim, had disappeared, and those whispers had grown louder and louder every time another person had gone missing. A collective shiver had taken over the wizarding community, that was paralyzed with fear at the idea that somehow, You-Know-Who had managed to come back from the dead yet again.

About two weeks earlier, when Conri Hartnett's body had been found five hundred miles away from the place he had last been seen, stupor had seized Aurors and civils alike. Of course, everyone had felt very sorry for his family, though nobody had ever doubted that the former Unspeakable had been killed - there was even a strange relief that had gone hand in hand with the discovery of the corpse, since victims of Death Eater who had disappeared were very rarely found.

Yet, despite this small relief, horror and fright had quickly made their way into everybody's hearts at the knowledge that Hartnett's body had been experimented upon. Thaddeus had not seen the body himself, and photographs of the corpse had been forbidden despite outcries from scoops-hungry journalists, but he had heard other Aurors shiver while recounting the tale in the common room.

The picture those Aurors had painted was the kind that you only saw in the most terrible nightmares. Hartnett's fingers, hands, arms, legs and foot had apparently disappeared, replaced instead with translucid tentacles reminiscent of a jellyfish. Meanwhile, his head had taken up a more cubic-shaped form, while his hair had completely fallen off. Furthermore, the rest of his body had been covered with a bad rash. The Aurors who were at the crime scene had said you could barely make out the place the human body ended and the jellyfish started, as if the two were one and the same.

Really Thaddeus couldn't imagine much more terrible fate. The Auror department had not even allowed Hartnett's family to see the body, let alone get it back for a proper funeral. As of now the scientific team was still trying to figure out what had happened to Hartnett exactly. So far the only things they were sure about were that the kind of jellyfish Hartnett had been merged with was a species of the family Oceaniidae, and that dark magic had been involved in the twisted process of Transfiguration.

Two days after Hartnett, another body had been found in Cardiff. This one, too, had been awfully disfigured. After a bit of investigation, it had turned out to be Donovan Kovalenko, a British Ukrainian citizen who had worked as a secretary in the Ukrainian embassy until his disappearance, and the last person to have disappeared.

Unlike Bartnett, he had not been blended with a jellyfish, but with a bowhead whale. His face had been completely unrecognizable, and it was only because of a very specific birthmark that the scientific team had been able to identify the body.

Just like with Bartnett, Kovalenko's transfigured corpse had been found very far away from the place he had last been seen, since the Ukrainian embassy was based in London. What was more, he had also been found in a completely different region than Bartnett, whose body had been discovered in a little town in Scotland, Tobermory.

All in all, Thaddeus thought with a shudder, there was something really dark going on, but no one could tell whether this was the work of a serial killer, of Pureblood fanatics, of a human trafficking ring, or something else entirely.

Thaddeus didn't think Magdalene had any reason to fret today, though. If the situation he'd been required to deal with had been dangerous, he wouldn't be hanging around waiting for the Hit wizard on duty to come and let him know what was going on. It was probably some kind of drunk wizard who'd destroyed public property thinking Trolls were attacking him. Two months ago he'd arrested a man who had been bothering a neighbourhood in London, believing himself to be Celestina Warbeck. The fella had sung all night with a croaky falsetto voice that seemed immune to the most powerful Silencios.

Merlin, he hated being the reserve Auror at night, but he needed the extra money.

Just as his mind was going to go down a rather dark route he was nonetheless accustomed to, he noticed a familiar figure coming right toward him, looking grim. He couldn't help but raise his eyebrows in surprise.

"Harvey?" he asked as they showed each other their Auror badges and checked each other's identity. "What're you doing here?"

"Nasty business, Thaddeus", Harvey replied sombrely, shaking his head, while Thaddeus followed him. "A young witch who was on her way home after a party stumbled upon the body of Lucinda Backstreet. Lynn's team is already on the crime scene."

Immediately, Thaddeus felt his shoulders slump, and his heart constricted. It was going to be a long night. Magdalene's eyes would give up the fight against sleep well before he would be able to go home, and the first thing he would do when he did go back to his house wouldn't be to kiss his children or wife but take a huge glass of Firewhisky.

Lucinda Backstreet was one of the eight people who had disappeared in the last weeks. A young girl from Bristol, enthusiastic and passionate about the protection of magical animals. One day she had left her home to go to the weekly meeting of her club dedicated to the defense of the rights of magical creatures, and then nobody had ever seen her again. Her disappearance had really caused a stir nationwide. Not only was she the youngest victim, but her father, Cyneric Backstreet, was a well-known businessman who had made a fortune selling transportable strongboxes that were charmed to repel most common spells.

Walking toward her corpse reminded Thaddeus as to why some days he thought that he should find another job.

Neither Harvey nor he were speaking, and the only sounds that could be heard were that of their boots on gravel. After a few minutes spent in silence, they finally approached the crime scene. Thaddeus noticed that a few members of the scientific team were already there, looking for evidence and preparing the body for transport, including the Team Leader of the scientific team herself, Auror Lynn Oliver. Thaddeus gave a nod in her direction, which she answered grimly.

Thaddeus looked around for familiar faces, and he saw Monica and Griffiths acknowledge his presence with a small wave, though they quickly got back to what they were doing, both of their faces incredibly serious.

When Thaddeus finally laid eyes on Lucinda's body, he felt himself repress a gag and he had to quickly avert his eyes. The young girl was spread out on the pavement, her face turned toward the starry night. Her expression would give Thaddeus nightmares for months. Her mouth was contorted in pain, her cheeks were tear-stained, and her glassy eyes were wide open in terror, telling a story of terrible suffering.

Though her face and chest had remained human, her stretched-out arms had been turned into something else, just like the previous victims. This time, as far as Thaddeus could tell, the monsters responsible for the murders had tried to turn Lucinda into some sort of part-Phoenix creature. While the shape of her arms was visible, they had been saddled with very big wings, covered in those unmistakable red feathers typical of Phoenixes. Some of them had seemingly burnt, as they had turned black and were emitting a dark smoke that Thaddeus instinctively backed away from.

Lucinda's hands were still present, but her fingers had elongated, and were contracted, as if she had had a seizure. Her legs, too, had been partially Transfigured. Thaddeus could see feathers coming out from under her pants, that had clearly been buttoned up hastily, and her feet had been turned into sharp talons, onto which no shoe could be put, though her shoes had still been put beside her body.

"I can't believe I'll have to be the one who'll tell Cyneric Backstreet that his daughter is dead, and that her death was clearly not a quick, painless one", sighed Harvey next to Thaddeus.

"Is that why you arrived at the crime scene before me?" Thaddeus asked, his voice laced with sympathy as he looked up at Harvey. "The emergency code for the missing persons' case?"

"Yeah, I was the one from my squad on duty tonight", Harvey replied, his breath turning into vapor as he exhaled. "The witness fortunately remembered it, and I received the signal thirty minutes ago. Right now Gallaway is taking her deposition."

Harvey jutted his chin toward a young woman, who couldn't be older than twenty-five and was in a clear state of great agitation. She was standing a few feet away from the crime scene, and was talking to a black-haired Auror in uniform that Thaddeus had only met a few times.

Thaddeus crouched down to look at Lucinda. He could not imagine the horrors she must have been through, and he shuddered as he thought of her father, who had openly wept in the Aurors' Office when he had been told there were few chances that Lucinda was alive after the first two bodies had been found.

As a father himself, Thaddeus could barely bear to think about that happening to his own children. Lucinda's face was so youthful that it was just plain wrong to imagine her doing anything other than laughing with her friends, complaining that she had too much homework, or giving animated speeches about endangered species.

Feeling dejected, Thaddeus turned his face toward Harvey and declared quietly: "Poor girl. She wasn't even seventeen."

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He was stuck on a chair in the tent and felt dirty. He looked down at his hands. He had been so sure he had cleaned them several times before, yet they looked filthy, dusty - all those adjectives finishing with a - y that applied to him because he was such a terrible person.

"Nothing will ever wipe your hands off your betrayal. It's too late. But has there been a time when you were at their level? Has there ever been a time when you were worth their brightness? No, and you know it. You're a dark creature, Ron Weasley, with even darker and hideous thoughts. I have seen your heart, and it is black. You have tried to keep your jealousy and your mediocrity hidden, you have tried to ignore the calls of your inner nature, but hear me out - you have failed."

"Do you see them? They are outside, in the sun, in the light. They shine very brightly, don't they, Ron? Their skins glow, their eyes sparkle, their smiles warm up everything around them. Do you see how much happier the world seems to be with them in it? Birds sing again, flowers are blooming, and Harry Potter and Hermione Granger are the stars the sky was waiting for."

“You are in the dark, and you will remain in the dark. You are seated in dust because you are nothing more than dust yourself. Actually, to be perfectly honest, your surroundings were welcoming and comfortable until you showed up and sat down in this chair. Crazy how you spoil everything around you. See, here, the tissue the tent is made of is quickly falling into pieces. Your mere presence is enough to destroy what is around you... Unless the objects you are surrounded by somehow feel how evil you are, and they'd rather turn to dust than stay with you any longer. Choose which hypothesis you prefer."

"Aaaah, they're coming your way. I will never understand why they decided to keep you with them, despite your darkness. But I will never understand real kindness either, so I will drop the subject. It was your redemption, Ronald. They were your redemption. You could have atoned for your sins. You could have let them crush you so they would climb higher and finally reach the sky where they belong. You could have done something useful for a change. Yet you spoiled your only opportunity. You spoiled everything, as usual."

"Now you're not even worthy enough to be a footboard for them to climb. You are just dust on their shoes. Dust, dust, dust. They will be so happy to wipe this dirt off their shoes. Even coming near you dampens their spirits. Their smiles are less warm, their eyes are less bright, their skins a lot paler. So are you going to spoil them, Ronald, like you did with the tent, or will they finally beat you and turn you into dust? Given how furious they look, I bet it's the latter."

He felt cold. Harry and Hermione were looking at him with a freezing glare and a scornful snarl at their lips. He shivered. And swallowed. He knew he had fucked everything up. He knew he deserved their anger and more. He just didn't want them to be upset over this, over him and his stupidity. And if he was honest with himself, it was also terrifying to be on the receiving end of their hatred.

"Listen", he choked, "I-I can't say how sorry I am, because no word will ever be enough. I am also...I am also so happy that you accepted to take me back to help you. I promise I won't be a bother. Don't mind me. I'll just do what you need me to do and disappear from your lives forever after if-if that's what you want. Please don't throw me out !"

But Harry and Hermione were not listening to him. Their freezing glare had turned into a flaming and scalding hot look and they were burning him. He was very hot. He was sweating. He felt drops falling on his face. The locket was weighing on his chest. It was so heavy. It hurt. He felt like he was melting.

He looked down at his hands again. He was actually melting. The skin of his fingers was going brown and was softening; small drops began to fall on the floor of the tent. Ploc, Ploc. They were forming a puddle and it looked like mud. In fact, he was sure it was mud. He wanted to yell, but he couldn't. His face was already melting, joining the puddle on the floor.

Ron woke up with a start and sat up, gasping for air. It had been a nightmare. Just a fucking nightmare. He ran a hand across his face, shivering from head to toe, and felt wetness on his cheeks. Fuck it, he had once again been crying in his sleep. It was the fourth time in seven days. Even as a child Ron hadn't been that much of a wuss, even though George liked to remind him that he'd kept taking refuge into one of his brothers' beds (or Ginny's) whenever he was scared, and that until he was eight.

It wouldn't matter as much if he had been crying for anything else. Not that he preferred the other nightmares, mind you, but he just felt pathetic for turning into a sobbing mess all because he'd been too weak to resist an effing necklace. Harry was particularly affected by Dementors. Nothing less than Bellatrix Lestrange could make Hermione truly terrified. Ginny, who had been possessed by a diary, didn't flinch at the mere presence of a book.

But him ? Ron could already imagine George making grand gestures wherever he went: "Alas, my dear Sirs, gentlemen, thou shall make place for the delicate Ronniekins in his worn-out PJs, for he fainted when the dreaded locket came into his dainty view. Please bring the smelling salts while we're fanning his pasty white and freckled face and he's letting out little whines of distress. He's the king of wimps, thou see, and he can't bear the sight of lockets, less he be crying like a famished baby !"

Yeah. George'd be the kind of asshole who'd offer him a pacifier if he knew what kind of nightmares was making Ron cry in his sleep.

Ron looked down at his hands, the real ones this time. Goddammit, they were still shaking. Bloody frickity freakering fuck, he thought as he closed his eyes in frustration, why did he have no control over his own body? Why did he have to act like he was a ninety-something-old buffer who needed help to take a piss?

Why did he have to ask himself stupid questions that nobody would answer?

Even though the bedroom was completely silent at this hour of the night, Ron could still hear his heart thumping madly in his ears, and despite himself he couldn't help but feel like the locket was still whistling behind him, making his skin crawl. Sweat was running down his back and had already soaked his armpits, and yet for some reason he was cold, goosebumps erupting all over his flesh.

And he still had this impression of someone hissing near him, and the room was closing on him, and his pyjama top was glued to his skin, and he didn't like the way the sheets were trapping his legs, preventing him from moving... Unable to bear the situation any longer and feeling like he was suffocating, Ron yanked the sheets off his part of the bed and got up quickly, before pulling his sticky pyjama top over his head and throwing it on the ground.

He took his wand and started walking toward the door, though he couldn't help himself and stopped to throw a glance at Hermione once he was in the doorframe. She was sleeping peacefully, her wild brown curls framing her head like some kind of fairy tale princess. The moonlight was lighting up her beautiful face, and she had a contented smile that almost made him want to go back to bed to kiss it.

Leaving the bedroom, Ron crossed the corridor and went into the small kitchen of the flat, and immediately put water into the kettle to make himself tea. He cast a heating charm on the kettle, took his favourite mug, and put a teabag in it. Waiting for the water to boil, he put his outstretched arms on the counter and sighed, his head lowered toward the sink.

It was the third time in a week that he'd had a nightmare about the locket. It wasn't surprising per say, because it was January and it was always around this time of the year that Ron had the most vivid nightmares in regard to the locket, but it still sucked. Especially because it'd been three years already, and some part of Ron had - foolishly - hoped that the nightmares and his locket-related terror would have subsided by now.

But nope, he mused as he stared at the happy light brown dog on the mug running around and chasing a butterfly. He still had dreams in which he could feel the heavy weight of the locket on his chest, preventing him from breathing. In which he was trapped in an endless stream of dark thoughts echoed by the locket's whispers, reminding him of all the times he had felt worthless. In which he kept leaving the tent as Harry's scornful stares and Hermione's cries followed him even after he woke up.

At the same time, he knew the nightmares were the last thing he deserved for ever having walked out on Harry and Hermione. He'd never been good enough for them in the first place, but deserting them when they needed him most was irredeemable, something that the locket, whether it be through his nightmares or flashes, kept reminding him of.

At this moment a whistling sound made Ron's heart do a somersault before he realized that it was only the kettle boiling. He poured the hot water into his mug, added two and a half sugar cubes to his drink, steeped the teabags in the water, and as he adopted the same waiting position as before his thoughts went back to the place he had among his two best friends.

He was thankful Harry and Hermione still wanted him in their lives, and somehow he kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, when they'd wake up and realize he'd been nothing but a cock-up all this time. Truth be told, part of Ron had to pinch himself every morning when he was reminded that Hermione wanted to be with him, of all people, and that he got to be an Auror Trainee with Harry, who still thought Ron had his back.

So he'd keep trying to enjoy every moment while it lasted. It was not always easy, because every little thing seemed to remind him of a memory in which he'd fucked up or that showed how insignificant he was. Yet Ron had learned to cast the memories aside in order to focus on more important things, like his family, Harry, Hermione, his other friends, or his studies. The hardest part in all this was to not let his useless feelings get in the way of things.

Ron could say with some pride that he'd grown way better at dismissing his gross feelings of jealousy and insecurity compared to when he was a teenager. Sure, sometimes he slipped up because he was still a moron, he pondered as he turned a spoon inside his mug. But all in all, so far he had managed to keep his selfish desires in check - mostly.

He kept making efforts to show others, and more particularly Harry and Hermione, that he had changed. For that he needed to make sure they didn't notice he still had the same old feelings, or at least he needed to let them know that those feelings would never be a burden to them again. Of course sometimes they couldn't help but notice a few things, like this time Ron had casually let slip that he thought Hermione often favoured Harry over him and it had ended up in a huge row with Hermione as she yelled he was just being a possessive jealous sod trying to stifle her. Or this time he had jokingly told Harry he was Mum's favourite and Harry, disturbed, had replied that however important Mrs. Weasley was in his life, she was not his mother. Harry had been weird for days after that, all because of Ron, his stupid mouth and his stupid brain.

That was the reason why he made sure no one knew the extent of the mess he had in his head. While he had never been a great liar, he tried not to be too specific if someone asked him what was wrong, he tried to take their attention away from whatever face he was making, he tried to dismiss his reactions whenever they were related to this pathetic sticky, stinky magma of insecurity inside him.

And it was somewhat working, but for how long would it last?

Right as his mood was turning as bitter as the tea he had brewed, considering he had let the teabag steep for more than ten minutes, he heard footsteps coming in his direction. He didn't bother to take his wand or even turn around. Ron would recognize Hermione's light but determined steps anywhere.

She entered the kitchen and stopped in the hallway for a few seconds, before walking toward him and enveloping him from behind. Even though she had wrapped a warm nightgown around her, her hands were still cold on his chest. Yet he didn't mind. The contact of her skin on his, the touch of her curls and cheek on his back made everything better, and despite himself he closed his eyes for a brief instant, savouring the moment.

"A nightmare again ?" she asked in a low voice.

"Yeah..." Ron admitted with a sigh. "I didn't want to wake you up, but I needed to get up."

"It's okay", Hermione replied in a reassuring tone. "But I'm starting to get worried. You've had many nightmares in the last three weeks and haven't been able to sleep properly even though you have exams coming up. Perhaps you should see a healer to get a Sleeping potion ?" she added anxiously.

"Not until I really have to", he retorted firmly. "We've already had far too many problems with Sleeping potions, I don't want to risk it. Besides, I'd have to tell the Auror Academy's specialist Healer about it and I'd like to avoid it if I can."

"I know", Hermione sighed. "I'm just worried about you. You always seem to get so stressed out before your exams at the Auror Academy, even worse than I've ever been at Hogwarts. I wished you would stop doubting yourself so much."

Ron did not reply, but he squeezed Hermione's hands that were still clasped on his chest, right next to his heart. It was strange how the people around him seemed to know him so well while at the same time not knowing anything about the exact reasons that were making him upset.

"What can I say ?" He finally acknowledged after a few moments of silence, though he hoped his tone appeared casual. "You can't change old habits with a wave of your wand. I guess it's hard for me to think I won't fuck up somewhere. But you shouldn't worry about me", he added gently. Go back to sleep."

"I woke up because you were not beside me in the bed, I'm not going back in there without you", she retorted assertively.

"I'm gonna lose the debate if I try to argue, won't I ?" Ron snorted.

"Of course you would lose, I'm more stubborn than you", she said confidently, and Ron could feel that she was sporting a small smile.

"Even if that were true, which remains to be seen, that's nothing to boast about, Miss Granger", he tutted in a fake formal voice. "I've been told that I'm more stubborn than a brooding mule having been raised by Harry, so imagine what could be worse than that... Apart from Harry himself, of course."

Ron felt Hermione shake behind him as she laughed heartily. He could not help but feel a surge of pride at having made her laugh after having made her worry for no good reason. Being able to make Hermione laugh as much as possible was one of his goals in life, and the sound of her laughter was one of the things he cherished most.

"I love you", she said fondly, as if it was the only logical answer to his antics.

At that, Ron turned around, and it was his turn to envelop Hermione in his arms, her smaller body fitting perfectly with his own. He kissed the top of her head, her brown curls tickling his face, before putting his chin on top of the mass of her unruly hair.

"I love you too", he whispered, and he hoped she could not detect how emotional he was.

He was glad that she could not see his face in the dark kitchen that was only lit up by the moonbeams that went through the main window. If she had, she would have seen in his eyes, of which Hermione always said they could never lie, the one thing that kept playing on a loop in his head but that was stuck in his throat.

I don't deserve you.

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Notes:

I suppose I should add a bit of information concerning my own vision of the Wizarding World that may seem surprising in future chapters:

1. I rather like to think the wizarding community is not small. I consider that there are hundreds of thousands, or even millions of wizards and witches in the United Kingdom, scattered in many different cities and villages.

2. For the same reason, I do not think Hogwarts is the sole magical school of the entire United Kingdom. It is the most reputed one, but I imagine there are thousands of smaller schools everywhere, allowing for people who do not want their children to go to a boarding school to learn magic and to learn how to control their powers nonetheless.

3. Only old wizards and witches actually dress in robes the way one would picture a typical wizard robe. I have my own ideas of what wizarding fashion is.

[for-the-sake-of-color]

Crisis Company goes to a Formal! [+Kix]

Mary Ann took them all 'Individually' (looking at you, Lake and Torch) clothes shopping and gets them tailored. Imagine the purple is generally velvet, excluding the armor, and Kix's sash is satin. I cannot be bothered to render fabric at the moment.

If Cynic looks a bit like a whore (affectionate) to be going to a formal, it's because Margo was nervous about how much skin her dress showed and so he said 'bet.' What a good brother.

If Nihlus' outfit looks a bit weird and lumpy, well, he really wasn't supposed to wear the hauberk under it. But he's paranoid.

The thing on Sprigs chest is supposed to be conceptually reminiscent of a bull skull, with the horns being made of a stiff fabric. I like how it turned out.

Heron could not be bothered to find a pair of shoes that would both fit over both his legs, and be the right height to keep his hips even. (someone introduce this man to canes) so he just wore his plate.

Lake and Torch are wearing their chest pieces, and gauntlets, because Torch is also paranoid. But they actually told the tailor and it was designed into the outfit. Their hoods are meant to be slightly different, the twins thrive on being just almost completely identical. It's just a cherry on top that makes it all the more sweeter when someone fucks up and mixes them.

The entire company are (lovingly) corralling Nihlus and Kix apart for the whole night. Kix is annoyed that he cant dissapear with the sith and make good on his "Id rather see that sash on my floor" When Kix asked how he looked. It's just too bad he said it in front of the whole company, who let them nowhere near a closet. If they all had to stay here, so did the couple.

Anyways heres the only Exerpt I have that even minimally relates to the party cause I haven't even planned it out yet.

He jumped as the door slid open behind him, interrupting his brooding spiral. Kix walked in behind him, obviously not really awake, and leaned over and kissed the top of Nihlus head as he stumbled past to the toilet, mumbling something completely unintelligible. The sentiment translated easy enough for Nihlus though, touch telepath. 

Hello, beloved  

Kix stumbled past again as he finished his business, not even bothering to make a full kiss this time, just bumping their heads together, before he headed back to bed.

Love you

Maybe, Nihlus thought as he watched Kix curl back up, He should just let himself enjoy something for once.

Later, though.

He didn’t think he’d be able to fall asleep again at the moment, too wired from the weeks of constant running and fighting. So, he quietly replaced his armor, and went looking for something to eat. If he remembered correctly from before he had been sucked into spacetime, the caf should have just gotten a shipment of HGR-1210 non-enriched vegetarian mre rations. There may have been a slight hop to his step as he made his way down. 1210 was tomato soup. It may not have been his most absolute favorite meal ever, but the humble tomato was the only vegetable he had ever encountered that both resembled and tasted like any of the fruit cultivars found on his home planet. 

He had to scoff to himself at the irony of it, the presence of a food so close to that of his past, of his homeworld, after Kix had literally just been there. But he wasn’t going to complain too much. Something other than crackers was always pleasant. Maybe after the war he’d take Kix back to the homeworld for some decent food. At least, he hoped the homeworld would still have fruit like he had known. If pears still existed and tasted mostly the same as he remembered, surely the others would too? It wouldn’t be terribly much of a chore if the cultivars had changed much since he had been gone, even if five thousand years was a long time, especially for crops. Thats what the hidden section of the seed vault portion of his archive was for. The most annoying thing would be the fruit trees, some taking decades before first bloom, but it wouldn't be difficult. Actually, those were probably the least likely to have changed, anyways.

The first thing he noticed upon entering the caf was that it was emptier than usual, and the second thing was the line of plastic folding tables lined up against the back wall. A couple of troopers stopped and grabbed something or another from them before moving on. It smelled… sweet from a distance, like sweet bread. With a gulp at the sudden watering in his mouth, he strolled up to the tables. There were so many platters of pastries scattered across the tables, although he would guess the lunch rush had come and gone, as many of them were mostly empty. Probably should grab a couple before he goes, everything else would probably be gone by the time Kix woke up. He bet he’d want some.

After getting his cup of soup, Nihlus snagged one of the little paper plates and began contemplating what the medic would want. He knew for a fact Kix liked sticky buns so he’d probably grab one of those. One of those mini cakes too, maybe? And one of those scones, for when he woke up. So at least he could make the excuse that it was for breakfast. As Nihlus reached for a bun a womans voice behind him said

“You can’t have those”

Okay, well, that wasn’t going to stop him from taking them but, 

“Why? Are they… for a party or something?” he asked as he turned around to face whoever had talked to him. He had to crane his neck up to make eye contact with her, damn she was tall. She wasn’t wearing armor though, just a purple apron, dark hair tied up in two poofs. 

“What?” She gave him a confused expression for a second before a look of realization dawned on her face, “oh, no, I mean you can’t have those. Nihlus, right? Mandalorian in red, glowing eyes, short. I was told to look out for you. Pretty much everything here has some combination of eggs and butter and milk in it. Actually I brought in something for you, specifically. Seemed like it would be rude to do all this for the crew and leave out the resident healer” She said with a chuckle as she turned to go get… whatever it was

Right, of course. Specifically for him. Pastries… on the Resolute. Someone catering pastries on the Resolute. The military cruiser. Who knew him. Who he couldn't really get a read on in the force. Why couldn’t he get any read on her?

Hello??? Who the hell was this woman?

He jogged to catch up to her. “Uh, who are you?” 

She stopped and turned to him with a curious expression, “You don’t know? Can’t just... Tell?” Her orange eyes narrowed at him playfully, “And Jet said you were a good mind reader”

And, well. He did try to press, and still found… nothing. Not just a shielded mind but… nothing. No force presence whatsoever. She just stood there, grinning down at him, sharp canine teeth on full display. 

Oh. OH. Nihlus started laughing, he couldn’t believe it took him so long to figure it out. Gurlanin

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Mary Ann” he said with a grin, “Sorry I was just expecting someone more…  wolf like? Which is stupid, I know” he said, pausing to raise his hands in defense, “Shapeshifters, I know. Didn’t know we were near Coruscant, though” 

“It’s great to meet you too,” She replied, before she raised a brow at him, face a little concerned, “You don’t know where you are? You alright?” 

He rubbed at his eyes with a sigh, “Who knows. It’s been a little crazy for me lately. So, you’re catering for the republic?”

She gestured for him to walk with her as she talked, “No, actually, I’m catering for the Resolute specifically. You all pulled in to port a day or so ago, figured I’d do something nice for the people keeping my mates alive.”

“Plural? Margo finally admitted to it huh?”

She grinned at him as she kneeled down and pulled out an entire bag of cookies from her cart, handing it to him. An entire bag of cookies. For him? 

“Yea, Jet managed to work it out of her, after you tattled” she replied as she continued to rummage around in her cart for… something. It was strange to not just know what she was thinking. Not unheard of, just… strange. 

Nihlus scoffed, folding his arms as he leaned back. He was afraid of the freak that the cookies would bring out in him if he started to eat them in public, so he figured he’d wait, at least for a little while. No one needed to see him stuff a full bag of cookies the size of his face into his face.

“It’s not tattling, it’s meddling. Tattling implies I didn’t have a specific goal in mind when I told him” 

She laughed at that, throwing her head back, “Well thanks for the meddling. They both make me very happy. Here, I saved these for your beau, Jet said you said he liked them” and she handed him a full plate of sticky buns. 

He looked down at them before meeting her gaze again with a skeptical expression, “Trying to make it a trio? He might try to marry you for this. Which is a shame cause I like, really like this guy” 

“Ha, no. Not Kix” She replied with a snort as she stood up, “I think I’ll have my hands full with my pair and dealing with the chaos company, anyways”

“Crisis company”

“Yea they do cause their fair share of those” 

He narrowed his eyes at her, “Theres a story there”

She smirked back at him, “Maybe I’ll tell you over dinner? Jet said you’re all on shore leave for two weeks? I bet we could all find time for a double date.”

That explained the weirdly empty caf, “At like… a fancy restaurant though? I don’t think any of us have anything to wear besides armor. Or money, either.” 

At least he didn’t really have much at the moment, he thought as he rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Yea, it’s fancy” She said flippantly before smiling with that barred tooth grin, “But I own it, and I would love to see some of those stuffy ass politicians squirm when they realize they're eating next to a real mandalorian. And we have many wines, some are even of a decent vintage” she finished loftily, studying her nails with feigned aloofness before she grinned at him once more

“Well in that case, we would love to join you” 

“Awesome! Also, I’m taking the entire squad out clothes shopping because I actually have a formal event I want you all to come to later this week. You can even bring your boy-toy to both. Don’t worry,” She started before he could say anything, “I know a guy who does armored casual, He could probably even find you something to fit over the chainmail”

“Hauberk,” he corrected absentmindedly as he tilted his head, hand on his chin, “Jet has it in the schedule?”

“Of course,” She replied, “I’m sure he probably wanted to tell you himself, but he should have been faster than that”