#it has been weeks since i've been in a trial against him

[eldritch-nightmare]

hak jiwoon... the man that u are....

[nicholaschavezobsessed]

I Need a Doctor

dr. charlie mayhew x plus size f! reader

18+ MDNI

warnings: cursing, suggestive language, patient in coma, not proofread.

word count: 1,219

should i write a part 2?????? ( i have started on pt. 2 it was supposed to be finished today but i have to delay due to a pet emergency. but it will be out this week ! )

pt 2 here ^^

————————————————————————

As soon as you received the call, you hurried to the hospital, pushing past the nurses who were trying to stop you from storming into the patient's room. Your hand immediately catches hers as you fall beside her bed, tears streaming down your cheeks. All eyes were on you, a mess on the floor beside your sister's bed, the room falling silent except the beeping of the monitor.

After a few seconds past, seconds really feeling like minutes, you glance up at the curious eyes focused on you. You stand up, clearing your throat, wiping the mess of tears off your face. “How is my sister doing?” you mumble quietly as you look at the doctor.

He sighs softly to himself as he runs his hands through his hair and looks down at the ground to avoid your focused stare. "Since someone dumped her off here last night, she hasn't progressed. The bright side is that we were fortunate to reach her at that time, or otherwise." You glance at your sister's condition again, your body churning with rage as she lies there, unconscious.

You move from her side to stand in front of the doctor, your finger accusingly piercing his chest, glaring at him as his words reverberate in your mind. "What are you not doing more of? Is there nothing else you can do? Your tone a mixture of sadness and anger.

You are brought back down a level by his powerful hands gripping your shoulders. "Y/n, we are doing everything we can, I promise.” You were shaken out of your thoughts by his gentle yet firm tone. Your finger slides off his chest as you let out a sigh. “I'm sorry, but she's all I have. I can’t lose her too.” You shake your head as your hands rub against your face, pushing your glasses slightly up.

————————————————————————

An hour later

After gathering your composure, you find yourself sitting in the cafeteria, eyes bloodshot red as you sip the coffee you don’t even remember fixing. Ever since the hospital called you, everything has been a blur, you’re not even entirely sure how you managed to drive here. Your eyes flutter shut, thoughts erratically running through your head, wondering how this even happened. There’s no way your sister just fell and hit her head.

You're startled out of your thoughts by the sound coming from the chair opposite from you. The physician who was responsible for your sister's treatment ended up across from you. You eventually glance him over, no longer consumed by rage. His eyes are piercing brown, and his hair is unkempt and deep brown. He clasps his hands together in front of you, a smile spreading across his lips.

“How are you feeling y/n?” a solemn tone to his voice as his eyes never once leave yours. You look into the now-cold coffee in your hands and shrug your shoulders. “I don't know if my sister will ever come out of her coma. So, tell me, Dr. Mayhew, how do you think I’m feeling." You scowl at him, the sarcasm leaking from your lips.

He throws up his hands, a laugh escaping his lips. “Sorry, I was just checking on you…” he utters softly, causing you to slightly crack a smile. “My apologies, Dr. Mayhew” you mumble the last part as you inspect his name badge. “It’s just…. hard to know that the only person you have left is in that state.” You take a deep breath and run your unsteady fingers over your hair. With a comforting hand on your shoulder, he pulls his chair closer. His eyes are fixed on you as he fades off, "I understand, I wish there was more I could do for you." You swiftly shuffle in your chair, turning your body to his.

"Not to burden you with all of this." Holding a hand between you, he interrupts you. "Go ahead; this is just a part of the job." His tone of voice has a tinge of sincerity mixed with sternness. "Well, my brother, sister, and I were the only ones growing up. It's terrible that my brother no longer speaks with us, but that isn't the point. Despite our age difference, my sister and I have always been close. The idea of her leaving my life is unbearable; we've been through everything together, so I never really envisioned it. Was she perfect? God no. But she’s all I have, and I’ll be damned if she leaves me.” You finally glance up, his eyes locked on you, causing your cheeks to flush.

His hand squeezes your shoulder, a soft smile placed on his lips. “I promise you; she’ll be okay. I will do everything I can.”

————————————————————————

Days turn into weeks, your sister still not showing any sign of getting better, but no sign of getting worse either. Each day without fail, Dr. Mayhew was there to comfort you in the cafeteria, always turning your sad days into bearable ones.

"So, Dr. Mayhew, tell me." He swiftly cuts you off. "Please, call me Charlie." You clear your throat, your voice slightly wavering. "So Charlie, tell me, do you do this with all your patients loved ones?" He leans back in the chair, glancing you over carefully, paying extra attention to the way your pants cling to your thick thighs. "Only the ones I think deserve the consoling."

"Oh? So, you think I'm worthy, Charlie?" As you see him observing you, you draw closer to him, your breath catching in your throat. His gaze gently moves up your body, taking in your voluptuous, thick waist. "Yeah, I think your worthy." You stand up and tug at the cloth that is stuck to your thighs as the room seems suddenly heated. "Excuse me." Without even glancing back at him, you dash to the closest restroom. You try to cool yourself by splashing water on your face while resting your glasses on the sink's edge. Wondering what the fuck is wrong with you, your hands resting on your plump cheeks. "He's your sister's doctor; you can't think like this." You place your glasses back on, images of him hovering over you, white shirt unbuttoned, that gold cross necklace dangling from him. You push those thoughts in the back of your mind as your swing the door open and step out, the cool air hitting you suddenly blocked as you connect with someone's body.

"Fuck, I am so sorry." You scramble over your apologetic words before a hand comes to rest under your chin, lifting your head to look at them. "If you wanted to be against me, all you had to do was ask." Charlie, smirked down at you, watching the color rise to your cheeks.

You stammer, over your words before backing up, gently pressing yourself against the bathroom door. "Charlie...." With cautious approach, he places his hands on either side of your head to stop you from moving. He leans down, lips grazing against your cheeks, causing everything else to fade away leaving only him and you in this moment. "Say the word and I'll leave right now, because I won't be able to control myself around you if you keep looking at me like that." His words send shivers down your spine, your breathing quickening as you consider his words. Fuck it.

[silentmoths]

Some HSR Thirsts

Because I've been fucking star-railed this last week and also I promised @dustofthedailylife that I would write a svarog thirst if she finally pulled welt. so since this exists, you can guess what happened!

Svarog/Yaoshi/Kafka x Reader

NSFW, nothing explicit perse but all very heavily implied, Robot/monsterfucking, does fucking a god cound as monsterfucking?, Svarog is a giant vibrator, Yaoshi and their many hands, also Yaoshi having an aphrodesiac venom in their scorpion tail, maybe a little implied dubcon in kafkas case? I dont...think it is but its there as a warning in case.

Ok but Svarog, who definitely knows what sex is, of course he does, he has an entire database to access, and lets face it, this man has probably already accessed it when looking up ‘how to parent’ information because at one point or another he’s going to have to give clara ‘the talk’

(no, we wont talk about how his version of the talk is going to be the most embarrassingly clinical talk ever to exist. rest in peace clara.)

But he does not, for the love of anything, understand why you want to have sex…with him.

Nonetheless, he does not stop your hands roaming his chest plates, he doesn’t really stop you from doing… anything really, because… whatever this is  makes you happy, and that’s all he wants. 

He’s confused when you ask him to touch you, but he does it anyway, all while sifting through his databanks to figure out both why and where. 

This is also the day you discover that Svarog has an… interesting vibration function in his hands that he claims was once for easing stiff muscles of his old human commanders before he was abandoned.

Yeah it’ll sure ease you alright.

Admittedly…he does like watching you squirm…it does… something to his servos.

Though, he thinks he may have created a monster, because now every day, without fail…you’re asking him for a hand. 

Perhaps one day, when he has done enough research…he might just reveal that one…extra modification that had been made to him before everything went to shit.

One day he will allow you to delve below his trousers and maybe one day he will use that…modification, to finally give you what you want, since it seems you’re unwilling to find another mortal to fornicate with.

Besides

perhaps …clara could do with a mother figure around.

----------

Some say the Aeon Yaoshi, of the Abundance, is a cruel and evil creature.

This does not stop you from seeking Their favour.

However when they finally do appear before you, you get so much more.

Six hands, long and delicate, trailing your skin as they pull you close, unearthly voice whispering in your ear, telling you they’ve heard every prayer, every plead and call for them; how they’ve been watching you all this time, and now they have come to bestow the blessing you’ve been seeking.

But only if you can endure one last trial.

In some depictions you had found, Yaoshi is endowed with a scorpion's tail, so it isn’t a shock when the appendage curls around your body, the tip pricking into your thigh. You feel the warmth of the poison spread through your body and you moan for it. Yaoshi only hums their praise 

Their venom makes you feel warm and fuzzy, it makes their touch intense and vivid, most of all…

it makes you want to give yourself over entirely

You feel hands touch places that have never been touched by another, you feel their teeth and their tongue. You hear their praises.

And then you wake, in your bed. 

At first, you think it was a dream, but then you sit up.

You were naked, your muscles ached, but it was a sweet ache, soft around the edges, and there on your thigh, where they had stung you with their venom…

the symbol of abundance

----------

Soft hands, and an even softer voice, leave you weak in the knees.

“Ready to talk yet?” Kafka muses quietly as she presses a single finger to your collarbone, and you immediately fall back against the table, your arms still bound behind your back. 

You should be struggling. You should be fighting back.

But you’d be lying if you said you weren’t incredibly turned on by the stellaron hunter who had kidnapped you, and was now apparently intent on interrogating you.

“You’ll….have to try harder than that.” you rasp, trying to sound intimidating. 

By the way Kafka’s smile widens ever so slightly, it’s failed completely, and you’re once again left reeling as she approaches, leaning over you like a cat who’s just caught their mouse.

“Will I?” her voice is so soft, and yet so very dangerous as her ruby eyes narrow in on your face “My…are we a little smitten? Your face is all red.” 

Goddamn it.

“I’d never-”

“Oh don’t be so dramatic.” She interjects as she perches on the edge of the table beside where you lay, she shoots you a look…an expression you can’t quite discern for a moment, until you realise her own eyes are raking down your body.

hungrily.

You watch her bring her hand to her mouth, teeth closing around the finger of her glove before pulling the offending article off; your heart is jackrabbiting in your chest.

“I think…” she hums as she leans back over you, magenta hair falling between you both like a waterfall. This was dangerous, so very dangerous.

But the moment her hand presses against your belly, and slowly begins its slow gaze downward, pressing shamelessly beneath the waistband of your bottoms? You’re a goner.

“I think I have other ways to make you sing that we’ll both enjoy…don't you think?”

Taglist: @stygianoir @meimeimeirin @ainescribe @dustofthedailylife @rjssierjrie @crystalflygeo @angel-of-requiem @asoulsreverie @zomzomb1e Want to be added to the list? shoot me an ask~

I will be starting a Starrail specific taglist shortly so if you want in on that let me know!

[mooncurses]

To add to the current trend of calling out the bullshit that Zionists spout, here's a collection of not so fun facts for my friends outside of Italy.

Some of you may have heard of how Ghali, one of the most famous singers in Italy who is of Tunisian descent, has been criticized by Israel's Ambassador to Italy Alon Bar, who accused him of spreading hate just because he called for a ceasefire in Gaza. Then to remind us all of how much of a grip on the balls of our entire nation Isr*el has, a letter recounting the October 7 happenings was read on air to "balance" things out politically speaking (as our useless Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister stated, whatever the fuck that means). On his part Ghali responded with confusion and honesty, simply saying that as an artist he's always going to use his platform to talk about what he thinks is important, besides the fact that he's always been supportive of the Palestinian people since he was a kid (thus reiterating how their struggle has NOT started on October 7). In no part he ever invoked anything but peace, and yet he sparked controversy.

Of course what this episode merely sheds light on is the shameful and blatant climate of selfcensorship that has taken over the Italian mainstream media. It's not even an isolated accident: just days prior another contestant of the Sanremo festival, Dargen D'Amico, was attacked by the mainstream press after he dared take a minute after his exhibition to remind everyone that with our silence we are all complicit in the deaths of countless children right now. Sure enough he was forced to apologize "for getting political" the very day after.

To protest this cowardly and disgusting attitude that has become the standard in Italy, a peaceful sit-in was organized today in Naples in front of RAI (the public TV network that broadcast the Sanremo festival and that is funded with tax payers' money). After the protestants tried to hang a pro-Palestine banner on the fence of the building, police brutality quickly ensued and several people got hurt after being hit in the head with batons (you can find a video of the whole scene unfolding here).

So the thing here is that you can see how the top brass of our government desperately wants us all to just be complacent in the killing of Palestinians at hands of Isr*el. Much like what happened with the bombing of Rafah carefully made to overlap with the Super Bowl, the pro Isr*el Western governements very much hope that our silence can be bought with as little as good old panem et circaenses. And I've gotta say, at least in the case of Italy, it's almost like in doing so they forget how we young people were taught about genocide in the first place.

They drilled an acute awareness of what genocide looks like into each of our heads throughout our whole grade school life. We would hold our yearly minute of silence for the victims of the Holocaust on Remembrance Day without fail, we would read "Se Questo È Un Uomo" by Primo Levi as early as eight grade and analyze it thoroughly. We would study Hannah Arendt's philosophy while focusing especially on her ideas about the banality of evil that she witnessed during the Nuremberg Trials. Most high schools organized mandatory conferences with Holocaust survivors as speakers and visits at the local synagogue, as well as extra curricular activities (I'm talking weeks long train trips to Dachau and other concentration camps while accompanied by members of survivors associations and historians) to further spread awareness about the horror of the Holocaust and make sure that we would never let it happen again, that we would take a strong stance against it if the situation ever called for it.

And now we are living through the first genocide that's being documented live for the whole world to see and yet apparently nobody can say nothing about it. The countries that so far have taken a strong stance against Isr*el are so few it's absurd considering the enormous amount of damning evidence of war crimes, human trafficking, and ultimately ethnic cleansing that Isr*el is carrying out. It's even more absurd if you think of how casual the Isr*elis are about all of this, perfectly knowing that as long as they are backed by the world's largest powers they are basically untouchable. The banality of evil for real.

But here's the thing. Isr*el is just a country run by the military and made up of brainwashed ultranationalist colonialists, who think it is their birth right to kill every last Palestinian and mock their suffering because that's what they've been told confidently their whole lives. They think that the suffering their people lived in the past made them beyond moral reproach today, that their right to self-defense can spill over to offense and nobody will ever blame them, and they are so convinced of this that they will respond to actual accusations of genocide and war crimes simply by saying "that's antisemitic" and moving on.

Even just recalling the words of Holocaust survivors who spoke up about genocide has stopped clicking in the heads of many people because they see everything pertaining to the Jews as exceptional in its political, social, and historical dimensions, even when it's not. To better explain what I mean let me summarize another fun fact from very recent happenings in Italy. This last January 27, on Remembrance Day, several protests by young people of Palestinian descent and other supporters were held in various cities to condemn Isr*el's actions in Palestine, despite having been forbidden for "security reasons" after some complaints of the Jewish community called for the protest to be rescheduled. Some of the words that were written on the banners that the protestors held are quotes of Primo Levi, a writer and Holocaust survivor who passed in 1987. The aftermath of the protests was basically centered around Noemi Di Segni, the president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI), who said that the remembrance of Levi's words should be left to Jews, and then called for an end to the "verbal violence" against Jews that pro Palestine stances imply.

"Cease the fire of words against us is what we say to those who continue to accuse Israel of war crimes and genocide, with slogans based on nationality and faith, giving credence only to Hamas propaganda and giving new life to prejudices that we had hoped were extinct," Di Segni said. She also said that this kind of "Islamic suprematism" should look for quotes elsewhere, basically.

The funny thing here, however, is that the words that Levi originally spoke and that Di Segni and many other Zionists say have been "appropriated" by Palestinians were words that were never meant to be exclusively related to the Holocaust and the persecution of Jews specifically. All the contrary, they invite caution especially by reiterating that everyone needs to retain awareness of the horrors of genocide, because anyone (even Jews themselves in theory) could let such unspeakable things happen again if they let themselves forget. These are the words:

"Se comprendere è impossibile conoscere è necessario, perché ciò che è accaduto può ritornare, le coscienze possono nuovamente essere sedotte ed oscurate: anche le nostre". (trans: "If understanding is impossible then knowing is necessary, because what happened can come back, the consciences can again be seduced and obscured: even ours.")

This is important because to imply as Di Segni did that the Holocaust is a self contained episode in history, that words of warning against genocide in general can only be used in the context of a particular genocide that happened over 75 years ago, is the exact opposite of what survivors like Levi wanted the world to think.

The title Levi gave to what his English-language publishers called “Survival in Auschwitz” was “Se Questo È un Uomo” (“If This Is a Man”). The Nazis’ crime, he believed, was to treat the Jews as if they weren’t men—human beings. But the Jews’ suffering, he said, did not make them better people, or give them special rights. They had to observe the same moral standards as anyone else. Levi abhorred what we now call “exceptionalism.” This affected his views on Israel. He repeatedly condemned the Israelis’ treatment of the Palestinians. When, in 1982, the Israelis stood by as the Christian Phalangists massacred the Palestinians at Sabra and Shatila, he called for the resignation of Ariel Sharon and Menachem Begin. “Everybody is somebody’s Jew,” he told a reporter, Filippo Gentiloni, from the Italian newspaper Il Manifesto, and he cited the abuse of Poland by the Russians and the Germans. At that point in the interview, printed on June 29, 1982, Gentiloni closed the Levi quote and added a sentence of his own: “And today Palestinians are the Jews of the Israelis.”

Anyways, keep calling things as you see them. It may piss off some people, but it's the only way things can actually start to change in such a mud pool of empty politics and performative activism such as what we're witnessing in most Western countries.

[splatsvilles-fashionista]

So over the week I've been replaying Return of the Mammalians, because I haven't played it since the week Splatoon 3 launched and I wanted to see how I felt about it without the excitement of playing a brand new game clouding my critical judgement.

(spoilers for RotM below, just in case)

That said I didn't feel like it changed my opinion very much. RotM's biggest problem is that it feels like the developers thought of a couple of really cool ideas (The fakeout in the intro, Deep Cut being bosses, the lore in the Alterna Logs, the final fight against Mr. Grizz) and then put them all in the game without really trying to connect them all in a very tangible way, and as a result Alterna is a very nebulous space that doesn't make any sense from a narrative standpoint (if it was a human settlement why is it full machinery and tests only inklings and octolings can use? What even IS the treasure we assemble except "a tool that just happens to solve the current problem?) but only really exists for gameplay.

The story also suffers as a result of this, too. Narratively nothing really happens until the very end of the game, where we end up just kind of stumbling into Mr. Grizz's plot to fuzzify the world right as he puts it into motion. Octo Expansion got around this by using its lore snippets to give the supporting cast a story of their own that unfolded as you progressed through the game, and ultimately it's Agent 8's actions that push the story of OE forward. In RotM we just happen to be there when things happen.

But despite all of its problems RotM also just plays really well. The combination of OE-style shorter trial levels with Hero Mode-styled hub areas you have to explore for levels and secrets work really well together, and those hubs in particular are an absolute blast to dig around in for secrets and open up a little by little. Deep Cut are incredibly fun as ineffectual Team Rocket-esque villains, and the whole final fight against Mr. Grizz is really good, especially the music. I don't even think Calamari Inkantation is especially good by Splatoon standards, but 3MIX is genuinely just an astounding track.

But I think what ultimately makes me feel more positive than negative about RotM is that I think its' thematic undertones actually really work for me. Mr. Grizz's actual involvement in the story might have been mishandled but as a villain he works. I've already written about him a bunch so keep things brief Splatoon has always been about the dangers of clinging to the past, and Mr. Grizz pushes that idea to its limits, because he is the past. He is a relic of a lost age, and he is so desperate to return to the world he knows that he will burn the future and turn back time (metaphorically) to achieve it.

But there's also the Alterna Logs and the reveal that it was human dreams of seeing the sun that drove sealife onto dry land. I think there is a compelling argument to be made that they didn't need to explain any of that to begin with, but I also think the explanation works with everything the series has been setting up on a thematic level. Humanity is gone, and will never come back, but our dreams lived on in the minds of the inklings and the octolings (and the jellies, and everyone else), and while they didn't know why, they reached for the sun together, and by achieving humanity's dreams they earned the right to take our place.

TL;DR: RotM good actually

[pande-monty-um]

Hi!

What are your favorite Far cry 5 headcanons?

Hello! Good question 😁 I've got a few that I tend to apply to my "regular au's" lol.

I've mentioned in another post that goes into more detail about this. I headcanon Staci as being on the wrestling team during school.

It just makes sense to me and has kinda become unofficial canon in my mind so I guess that's my favorite one!

There's the classics!

Jacob's a speed demon and gets pulled over often

Staci's a mama's boy (I actually have a drawing of his mom I've been working on just need to make one last tweak and it'll be ready to post!)

A few others I didn't mention in the other post that I particularly like:

- Jacob not being able to control who passes the trials. They either OD on Bliss and the conditioning or they pass. So Staci would need to pass the trials with his own skills which just ends up as a bonus for Jacob cause now he has a pawn to use against the deputy.

-I usually headcanon Staci as mixed race or "white passing". I did a pretty in depth character study of his features cause I wanted to get it right and that's the vibe I got. I'll probably make another post about that one of these days.

Also, he's always bilingual to me. My go-to headcanon is that I can see him speaking in broken spanish/ english at home with his mom (kind of like in Spiderverse with Miles and his mom). It's the struggle of the immigrant/ 1st gen child wanting to keep in touch with their roots but would struggle to have a convo in pure Spanish. I imagine growing up he was surrounded by kids in similar situations as him so he had alot of opportunities to speak "spanglish" with them even if he wasn't very close to anyone in particular.

- John being scared of Jacob (which is canon) but being the first he runs to when things get tough. Jacob always helps out even if he doesn't agree with John's methods.

- Sharky's actually friends with Hudson and Staci (sorry i dont make the rules 🤷). He's got a 5k reward out for his arrest but no one in the County is willing to bring him in. Everyone's got an unspoken agreement like "He's an arsonist but he's Our arsonist", so when Burke comes sniffin round suddenly nobody's heard of him in weeks, they cannot see 🙂‍↔️.

- This last one is a bit more serious.

Early on, when the Seed's moved in. During the few years that it took to establish the Cult, a lot of the more outspoken deputies had "mysteriously" gone missing, or moved away. On top of that, Whitehorse ended up having to weed out a lot of the cultists and sympathizers when nearly all the evidence they had on the Seed's was "mishandled" "lost" "thrown out in court" ext. which by the end only left Pratt, Hudson, and Nancy.

That meant they had to keep their mouths shut about the cult info, couldn't go on any calls without a partner (which caused alot of houses to get raided since they usually arrived too late), and lots of overnight naps at the station. Staci and Joey worked hard to cover each other but they were running on fumes and practically lived in the station by the time Burke arrived with his little paper of unlimited protection. Rook was meant to be a much needed addition to the department. Unfortunately, their first day turned into a war zone situation.

I'd love to hear some of your headcanons as well!

[starwarsmum]

Day 7 of Maribat BioFamily September! I managed a whole week! Prompt of the day is Love Languages

@maribat-calendar-events

The manor has been quiet ever since Marinette had gone home after the trial of Hawkmoth had ended. Damian had resorted to his usual grouchy manner and everyone was much less physically affectionate with one another.

The change hadn't been immediate. Tim had made a point to do a daily video call to begin with, and anyone who was available would crowd around the laptop to say hello. But as they all fell back into their routines, video calls became phone calls, which became texts. And the thing with texts, at least for the Batfamily, was that there were certain times they couldn't answer.

So now, after two months, the family were back to their emotionally constipated ways and Dick hated it. As another person who thrived from physical affection, he missed the way his new little sister would launch herself at him to say hello. Or the way she would spend quiet time with Damian, which seemed to mellow him out more than anything else anyone had tried.

Or how, when Tim was crashing from a caffeine high and needed more to keep going, she magically appeared with a fresh cup, and some cookies she'd baked with Jason who, surprisingly, found a sense of calm in kneading dough and learning something new. Even Steph, exuberant as she was, had withdrawn somewhat, no longer having Marinette to watch sappy romcoms with.

So when Bruce suggested they invite Marinette back for the summer, Dick had been overjoyed. He had immediately booked off two weeks so that he could fully immerse himself in the experience of Time with MarinetteTM. He even decided he would live in the manor with everyone else as much as he could.

They all made a special effort to be at the manor when Alfred told them that he would be collecting Marinette from the airport. Well, all except Damian who everyone said would probably do better picking her up than helping with the welcome party effort. To everyone's surprise, Damian agreed to go without any argument.

Dick was charged with getting the decorations up, given he was the most able to climb. Steph and Jason were choosing music, having agreed that they would both add songs into a playlist and go from there. Tim was arranging some party games - karaoke, a few board games some cards - while Cass stayed out of the way. 

Duke was still on the day patrol, although they planned for him to arrive back while the festivities were still happening and swap out with Bruce and Steph. Barbara was due to arrive any second with a trivia quiz to round out the night, and Dick couldn't wait.

_ _ _

When Marinette landed in the airport, she had so much energy that she practically vibrated while going through customs. Everyone who spoke with her gave her indulgent smiles, and she dragged her luggage into arrivals. Looking around, she squealed as she spotted the green eyed boy that she had been steadily falling in love with over the past couple of months.

He caught her up as she flung her arms around him, tucking his face into the crook of her neck. He had grown a little taller in her absence and her toes scraped the floor as she clung to him. He put her down after several moments, smirking down at her before she pulled him down into a kiss.

“Alfred is waiting for us, Angel,” Damian said at last, brushing a hand against her cheek gently. She beamed up at him, heart full of joy, but she let him pull away and take her luggage. “You have brought a lot with you, were you planning on staying for longer than the summer?”

“No, silly,” she giggled, picking up one of her bags. Damian grabbed her rolling suitcase and the other bag, motioning towards the door. “I brought the gifts I've been making for everyone. It's been kind of…lonely without you all in Paris.”

Damian hummed in agreement before pulling her to a stop just before they stepped into the open air. He leaned towards her, kissing her softly and she melted into him again. They had agreed that they would keep their budding relationship to themselves for now, not wanting the others to meddle before they knew if it would work.

While they had been long distance, they had gotten to know each other fairly well; Marinette asked questions about his favourite classes, hobbies, his friends, and Damian asked about her dreams for the future now that there was no supervillain terrorising Paris. They'd watched films for date nights, streaming things at the same time and chatting about them. 

In spite of that, it just wasn't the same as being in the same city. So before they were sucked back into the family dynamics, it was nice to reconnect by themselves. And when she pulled back again, he chased her for a moment which filled her with warmth.

“Hi, Monsieur Alfred,” she said as they approached the car. The butler smiled at her, helping to put her luggage in the trunk before opening the door for Damian and her. They talked quietly in the backseat, not touching but not leaving a lot of distance between them. When they pulled up to the manor, Damian stepped out of the car first and offered his hand back to her. She giggled as she let him pull her out and said softly, “Thank you, Dami.”

Inside the manor, everyone cheered when she came in, and Marinette was overwhelmed with happiness at how much effort they'd gone to for her. They spent the next few hours playing games and catching up until Dick excitedly said that they had set up karaoke.

“Before we move over to that, I need to give you all something!” Marinette trilled, grabbing one of the bags and pulling out delicately wrapped parcels. She moved around the room, handing them out and she could see the surprised faces of everyone except Damian. When someone asked what the occasion was, she merely shrugged and blushed lightly. “I just like making things for people, and since you all are basically family now, I wanted you to have something from me.”

There was a moment of silence before Steph impatiently ripped open her parcel. She stopped short as she pulled out a pair of pyjamas that was reminiscent of her Spoiler suit. Nobody else having waited to open the gifts once they heard Steph do so, they all similarly pulled up short as their alter-ego personas were put into sleepwear form. One by one they all swung back to stare at Marinette, although Damian merely looked amused.

“Was I not supposed to work out that Jason and Tim, who are exactly the same size and shape as the two vigilantes I met on the Watchtower, were Red Hood and Red Robin? Please, I'm a designer, measuring people by sight is kind of my thing. None of you even have magic to disguise you, how no-one has worked out that the Batfamily just so happens to be the same number of people as all of you is absurd.”

There was silence throughout the room until Tim pulled the rest of his gift out of the wrapping and gasped. Marinette giggled when he turned back to her, gaping. His hands were gripping the clothes tightly and the rest of the family were watching him with concern in their eyes.

“I figured if I was telling you I knew your identities, you deserved to know my other secret,” she said, the words making Tim stare at her wordlessly for several more minutes. “I mean, aren't you all supposed to be the world's greatest detectives? Kind of embarrassing that I had to spell it out for you, my initials are literally MDC.”

Her words were met with stunned silence as everyone immediately turned over their gifts to find her signature stitched into the tags. She was then buried under a pile of loving people.

[solar-sunnyside-up]

"Casualties of violent resistance to violent oppression are ultimately the SOLE blame of the violent oppressor"

Hey, you know what's interesting? I've been following solarpunk blogs for years. And I never saw any solarpunk blog display any kind of apologism for violence until this past month. In the span of a few weeks, the entire eco community has completely changed its tone about violent strategies. Apparently, since everyone is hyped about violence this month, violence is on the table now.

The US government legally classifies pipeline disrupters as domestic terrorists. Now, with our newfound violent rhetoric, we can give the FBI even better reasons to call us domestic terrorists. Everyone has spent a month calling terrorism "decolonization." So now the media will have a field day portraying eco activists as terrorists any time we mention decolonization. This will make attempting to communicate with the public much more complicated and challenging. But oh well. What's done is done. Tiktok decided to associate terrorism with the decolonization movement and now we all have to live with the consequences.

Do you think the eco movement's new political attitude towards violence will help our cause or hurt it? I'm genuinely curious. By the way, oil companies are deeply integrated with the military industrial complex which requires fossil fuel for missiles. So I'll ask again. Do you think violence is a good strategy for resisting the fossil fuel empire? Should we be studying, glorifying, and emulating violent movements? Is that a form of battle that we could ever possibly win? Or is that just a way for us all to martyr ourselves?

Also, how do these violent resistance movements even get off the ground? Do they just conjure their weapons out of thin air? Or are those weapons smuggled across borders by Iran's proxy militias? Do you think Iran or some other country with proxy ambitions would smuggle weapons to eco defenders? I don't know if they would. I'm just curious how murderous violent resistance could ever possibly overlap with solarpunk.

Woah woah bestie feels like we've jumped the gun on the actual post here, you must be new to eco movements it's ok tho! Let's handle this one bit at a time 💕💕

^^^ This is the post this is referring to for context. Now let's get down to dissecting this below the cut bc YIKES this is a lot to discuss but here why dont join me for a spot of tea yeah?

Before I start to tackle this with as good faith as I can let's get some facts in order:

A) I'm from Canada, a country known by its citizens for not respecting protesters/activists. Hell, the first Premiere of Manatoba, Louis Riel was a classified Traitor and was hanged for fighting against the government for the rights of his people and we treat him as the hero he is now. In the mid 2000s a "rebellion" was lead to protect a reservation from the mounties and they stole a tank! While the news and gov ripped them apart give it 10 years and ppl cheer at the idea now. The fairy creek protests and the pipeline protests are more recent examples. They arrested and brutalized people doing nothing more then having breakfast on their own land while blocking construction. So like.... I don't have the illusion of a "peaceful" protest. Here (particularly my province) you go to a protest you simply dont expect to come home. We are functionally a monarchy, we don't have "freedom of speech" and the government was never instilled for our "freedom" or our benefit it was solely to divide up the land and to conquer.

B) this is super not new to Eco movements in particular. They've have "Eco terrorists" on record as early as the 1900s ranging from Treespiking during early logging, to throwing paint on fur wearers in the 1970s. Wiebo Arienes Ludwig is from my Province, arrested for sabotaging Oil wells and went to trial in 2000. This is definitely not a new concept to eco movements and as Solarpunk enters a more Praxis heavy punk scene instead of pure sci-fi this is likely going to be a branch of it there's no avoiding that.

"Choose peace rather than confrontation. Except in cases where we cannot get, where we cannot proceed, where we cannot move forward. Then, if the only alternative is violence, we will use violence."

This additiude comes from a reasonable place in fact here a quote from Nelson Mandela in Gaza, 1999 sums it up pretty well:

Particularly since typically they will blame a peaceful protest just as much as a "violent" one. I think "violence " is something that will happen no matter what we do. If we're as peaceful as possible, they'll still call us violent mobs just to have an excuse to crack some skulls. Even if they're just having breakfast, on their own land, they will arrest and beat them. It won't matter at a certain point bc they want to prove they can be in control.

Now don't get me wrong, I would honestly prefer to slowly adapt. To build as we take down, to show ppl the joy of this and they'll come on their own. But that only works if the goverment and the citizens are equal partners. And idk bout the states since im not from there, but here? It wouldn't matter how many citizens asked for us to go Green overnight the government would ignore that cry for the corpate money.

"People should not be scared of their governments, governments should be scared of their people" and sure this is because we out number them but they should be working for us because that's the point of a goverment in the first place.

Next is: Do I think this is a useful way to spend energy?

Yes! I do, giving something for people to do with their hands, with groups, makes ppl realize how powerful they are and how weak the system oppressing them is. Empowering ppl to do what they can where they can is always good! What ppl do with knowledge is up to them, and if they feel it's needed then generally needed.

Now to the point of weapons: no one has said anything about weapons that something like the oil companies or military would back?? All the weapons endorced by these movements are typically things like using spikes and putting them into trees, or like in France- the energy union cutting off power to the CEOs house (while giving free electricity to hospitals and poor communitis) until they reconsidered the penson plans. Or when they put BBQs on tram lines during a protest. These are weapons, but they are of the ppls trade, they are tools ppl already have not as you said "[weapons] smuggled in to eco defenders" no one is suggesting Guns? That simply won't solve things.

Organizing, communicating, and strategic planning is our best weapons.

I think that covers it, but I'm also doing this on mobile while sick so I might not have covered it all. Although i think my point is made! The final thing I'll say is, if you don't agree with these parts of the movement you don't have to participate or even look at them. Forge your own path! Others I'm sure will follow! My way will never be the only way and we are in charge of our own experiences online. This post original wasn't even tagged as solarpunk, it was under revolution so feel free to block that tag or me if you need to! Have a good day!!! /genuine

[offender42085]

Post 1258

The victim's father expressed compassion for the young defendant, who stood to the side of the courtroom in prison garb, with his hands cuffed.

Alan Faynzilberg, New Jersey inmate 821030E, born 1997, incarceration intake December 2017 at age 20, released November 2023

Vehicular Homicide -- Reckless Driving, Manufacture/Distribution/Dispense of Controlled Substance

In October 2017, a Belleville New Jersey man was sentenced to eight years in prison for a drunken head-on collision that took the life of a young father of two in May 2016.

During a somber afternoon hearing in Superior Court in Newark, the judge said he had seen other victims' family members express forgiveness toward their loved one's killer. But none, he added, had ever done what Pietro Davila did following the death of his son, 33-year-old Luis Davila.

"I've never had a victim's family member come before me and request that he be put on the defendant's visitation list," said Superior Court Judge Ronald D. Wigler.

And while Wigler wished defendant Alan Faynzilberg, 20, success in eventually turning his life around, the judge was not as forgiving as Davila's family, and refused to reduce the 8-year sentence recommended by prosecutors in a deal that led to Faynzilberg's guilty plea earlier on June 26.

Faynzilberg was jailed for 10 months following the incident, then released, but has been back in custody since the prior week, when he turned himself in on what was supposed to be his original sentencing date.

Pietro Davila, 59, of Jersey City, was one of three people who made victim impact statements. But rather than condemning Faynzilberg, DaVila expressed compassion for the young defendant, who stood to the side of the courtroom in prison garb, with his hands cuffed.

"I feel content, because we are Christian," Davila said through an interpreter. Turning to Faynzilberg, he added, "This young man, Alan, on my behalf I forgive him."

The victim's sister, Giselle Davila, was equally compassionate, telling Faynzelberg, "I hope that when you complete your sentence, you change your life for the better."

Assistant Prosecutor Betty Rodriguez said during the hearing that Faynzilberg admitted using alcohol, marijuana and the tranquilizer Xanax prior to the crash. She told the judge that in that and prior arrests for drug-related offenses, Faynzilberg had repeatedly shown "a complete disregard for the law."

With his lawyer, William Fitzsimmons, at his side, Faynzilberg made an emotional plea for leniency.

"Let me express my deepest and most sincere apologies for May 27, 2016," Faynzilberg said, sobbing at that point and others during the hearing.

"I'm sure it was sincere," said Wigler, the presiding criminal judge in Essex County.

That said, Wigler told Faynzilberg that, under his plea deal, the prosecutor's office had already agreed to downgrade the vehicular homicide charge against him from first degree to second degree, sparing him several years in prison under sentencing guidelines.

Wigler added that Faynzilberg's prior record included two drug arrests, one in which he avoided a criminal conviction by being accepted into a pre-trial intervention program, or PTI, on April 15, 2016 -- just six week before the drug-fueled crash that killed Luis Davila.

"What's concerning is you don't learn from your past mistakes," Wigler told Faynzilberg. "And a family was destroyed."

A friend of the Faynzilberg, Alexandra Roth, made a statement on his behalf, assuring the court that he would have the loving support of his family to help him overcome his drug dependence and reintegrate him into society upon his release.

"The level of remorse that he felt was not of the kind, 'What's going to happen to me?' but truly of the magnitude of what happened," Roth said.

4y

[acourtofthought]

About who MC of the next book will be....I honestly agree with you. I mean, taking out ship discourse, all the arguments I've seen to support Az being the MC for the next ACOTAR book are using points from the CC series. But guess what....I've never read CC! I don't know what the heck a Starsword is or whatever connection that has to Bryce or whatever. And I bet there are plenty of people who've only read ACOTAR. (1/2)

Happy Saturday!!

I have found, not just in the book world, that people struggle to think outside of what they know.

For example, I remember getting into an argument with my mother who had been a teacher. Two years ago, my kids school announced that in two weeks time, the teachers would be getting a day off for a mental health day and I was discussing how that is inconvenient for the parents.

I know how hard teachers work, I truly do, But around here, children are expected to go to school 180 days and as parents, they plan on their children being in school as scheduled. So it's very difficult for a working parent to suddenly make plans to keep their children at home outside of the already "budgeted" for sick days, snow days, etc. It's an extra day where a working parent either can't be present for their employer or they need to pay for childcare.

But my stance upset my mother because she thought I wasn't respecting how hard she worked (even though she had retired so it was a moot point), that parents should be expected to take care of their own children.

I wasn't arguing against the fact that teachers worked hard or that parents shouldn't be responsible, just that it did put working parents in a difficult situation that they hadn't been expecting. But she was only focused on what she knew as a teacher and not how she might have felt as a working parent who lost income by this surprise mental health day.

When it comes to the fandom, I think there's a bit of that mentality because the fandom thinks in terms of what they know because they are in the fandom. Understandable but I do think it's important to step back and remember the many people who aren't immersed in the world of SJM in the same way. Something you understand with not having read CC.

Yes, there was a bit of buildup for Az's future story in SF (his name was mentioned often but that doesn't equal buildup, it simply means he shared dialogue and Cassian's plotlines). Hell Emerie was mentioned 421 times and no one is claiming she's getting the next book.

But it's not just about SF or even the crossover which happened months after SF. It's about the ACOTAR series in it's entirety (something I think fans forget when they focus only on SF) and there has been SOOOOOO much buildup for both Elain and Lucien. Two characters with unexplored powers. Two characters with an unaccepted mating bond that snapped. Two characters who haven't found a court to call their own. Two characters who have not gotten to share their traumas though their traumas happened on page since books 1 and 2 and beyond (versus both Az and Gwyn where we were told of their traumas after the fact. I'm not saying that lessens their traumas, simply saying we didn't experience them with the character in "real time", at least not Gwyn's trauma that was the reason for her going to the library).

We watched Lucien nearly killed by Rhys and almost killed again in the second trial, saw that he was whipped for helping Feyre, watched him being pushed down by Tamlin, read as he was forced to flee Spring, witnessed his SA by Ianthe, we witnessed his sadness over Elain and his past when Feyre slipped into his mind and he was given a POV (actually, SJM had Feyre slip into his mind on three different occasions in the actual book, that means just as much as an Az bonus), we saw his brothers try to kill him yet again, it was revealed that he has an unknown father, he met Elain's father and has untold stories with that, he developed a friendship with a female who, at the end of SF was about to be called back to Koschei, was living in the human lands but then was permanently stationed in Spring.

With Elain, she was taken against her will and forced into a Cauldron. Changed into an entirely new species. We had the chance to read how traumatic that experience was for Nesta but some do believe SJM is just going to skip over Elain's experience in favor of Az. Skip over Elain finally being able to talk about the loss of her father. Skip over Elain finally making a decision about her bond and her fiance and Az's rejection. Skip over Elain finally proving that she is capable. Skip over Elain finally finding her home.

I understand that SJM wanted to tell Nesta's story first but Nesta is also an Archeron sister. SJM has always spoken of wanting to tell the stories of these three sisters. So why would she skip over the final sister in favor of Az who the fandom knows is a capable warrior, who knows he belongs in the NC despite his struggles? Who isn't even fully aware that he has a mating bond?

Does it really seem like SJM would bench a FMC in favor of a guy? That Az's story is more important than the 24 year old who was violently taken from the life she knew and forced into a new one, where she recently lost her father and her friends and her fiance, is possibly struggling with her snapped bond and she just doesn't get a voice until Az has his story told?

This isn't meant to sound Anti Az because he deserves his HEA too, I'm just not sure his story is more important to tell than Elain's at this moment. Or even Lucien's.

Because regardless of what we learned of Az in SF or the CC (like you said, some won't read the crossover and from a publishing standpoint that means the next ACOTAR book still has to make sense for those readers), that doesn't erase what we were told of Lucien and Elain long before that.

The layout is:

Elucien bond plot introduced in 2016

Lucien being abused by Tamlin in 2016

Elain being made introduced in 2016

Lucien having to flee Spring /Koschei / Vassa / Helion as Lucien's Father / Lucien meeting Papa Archeron / Eris showing sadness over his relationship with Lucien introduced in 2017

Graysens Rejection / Seer powers Discovered / Elain killing the king / Elain's fathers death introduced in 2017

The IC needing Spring's borders protected / Lucien living with Vassa and Jurian introduced in 2018

Elain's powers gone dormant / Elain moving quietly being mentioned / Elain mourning Graysen and her father introduced in 2018

Elain's powers still dormant / Elain starting to stand up for herself / Rhys and Amren saying others have underestimated her / Elain reminding others of her trauma / Elain not fitting in with the NC / Elain being made for Spring, her scent a promise of spring / Reminder of Elain wanting to travel to the continent / More mentions of Elain moving with stealth introduced in 2021

Lucien commanding Cassian with a single word / Lucien being permanently stationed in Spring to be their eyes and ears because they need a strong ally / Lucien's "father" wanting to ally with Koschei / Lucien's friend Vassa ready to be called back to Koschei / Mor not able to get the peace treat signed in Valhallan / Lucien's brother becoming a character heavily involved in the plots and visiting the human lands where Lucien is living introduced in 2021.

Az got buildup in SF (2021) and he is part of the crossover (2024).....but she's playing catchup for him because he didn't have a lot setting him up to be an eventual MMC before that.

His newly introduced plots (of which they are still a little unclear outside the Illyrians) don't automatically take precedence over Lucien and Elain's plots. It doesn't mean she's pushing Elucien to the side in favor of Az.

It could just mean she's planning ahead for what comes after Elain and Lucien's story and the crossover isn't necessarily some sort of trump card when we have no idea exactly when or how SJM plans on introducing what happened in the CC into the ACOTAR series or when the next ACOTAR book will start on the timeline. The crossover doesn't eliminate the very real threats they were facing in their world in SF and if people are saying that she can "shelve" Elain and Lucien's stories regardless of the buildup they had in books 1, 2, 3 (etc), then why can't Az's story also be temporarily shelved regardless of the page time he got in SF / the crossover so she can first tell us Elucien's story and take us to other courts outside of the NC? Wouldn't the series ending in the NC make the most sense?

Shouldn't they deal with threats on their own world before they really start worrying about threats from outside their world?

You're right though (in regards to your second anon), whatever story she tells next is fine. But the arguments saying why it has to be Az don't make sense to me because if she could sideline Elucien then she can do the same to Az.

[thedo0zyslider]

I Know I've Kissed You Before But I Didn't Do It Right - 2k Words

Ren and Martyn are not sure where their relationship lies, and some trial and error is required to figure it out.

(my last fic for @treebarktitleswap!!! this event was so fun man!!)

A03 Link

Martyn knows he is in love with Ren.

He knows this, as the knowledge comes easy to him, as easy as breathing does.  Martyn is in love with Ren, and he knows it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Like it’s been taught to him since the moment he was born. He is in love with Ren, fully and with all his heart. He loved him like he had never loved anymore before.

But he doesn’t know if Ren loves him back.

He thinks Ren might, by the way their interactions go. Or, well, more like Martyn hopes he does. It's the beaming smiles he's given that make him think that. It's the way Ren is always laughing at his jokes, the way he's always looking out for him, the way he'll reach over and just hold Martyn’s hand for no reason. Or any of the casual touches they share, touches that neither of them exchange with their other friends. They've only known each other for a few weeks, and despite the bad start they had, Martyn finds himself very attached. He thinks Ren is attached as well. Someone who's not attached wouldn’t be so close to him right now, letting Martyn sleepy rest his head on his shoulder.

He thinks Ren is attached, because he has recently let Martyn share his bedroom with him. Martyn had his own room before, of course, but it had been a small thing. A small thing that was rather unkempt, and Ren had said it wasn't fit for anyone to sleep in. Let alone Martyn. And he says it's far too cold for anyone to sleep by themselves, since winter is now steadily approaching. The blonde just thinks he wanted to share a bed, and simply could've asked to do so.

Martyn feels a hand run through his hair, and he glances upwards. Ren is humming something quietly to himself, his claws playing with the blonde's hair. It's….pretty nice, Martyn has to admit. Despite now sharing a bed, and cuddling every night, and being practically glued to each other every hour of the day, they're not….intimate like this very often. Even if Martyn wants them to be. Even if he wants soft mornings like this one. Even if he wants it like he wants nothing else in the world right now. 

Maybe he should just bite the bullet, and admit that to Ren. Say that he wants to be something more, to define their relationship, to stop dancing around each other and finally talk about everything. 

Maybe, in a rare spur of longing and desperation, he decides to do it now, as they rest in bed together. Before the day starts, or something else happens, and the small burst of confidence disappears to never come back every again. Or before something bad happens, like an attack on the base or something, and they don't get another moment like this for a little while, and there's no other time to say it but now

“Hey.” Martyn murmurs, lifting his head up. Ren removes his hand from the blonde's hair, his tail starting to flick against the bed in curiosity. It’s always so cute when he does that…. 

“Hi.” Ren responds, pressing a delicate kiss into his hair. Martyn feels himself blush cherry red for a second, as he always does when Ren is delicate with him. Which ends up being most of the time with Ren, actually. 

He takes a breath, and just….asks it, his eyes focusing on the wall. He doesn't want to see Ren’s expression right now, a little scared of what it might be. A little scared of the rejection that might be hiding there. “What are we?”

“What do you mean…?” Ren shifts under him, his voice hesitant. And a little puzzled. He already knows the dog's ear is twitching in concern without even looking up at him. 

“Like, our relationship, what is it?” Martyn asks again, shifting away. He removes his head from Ren's shoulder, still a little scared to meet whatever expression he's about to. Even if it's one he doesn't want to see. “What are we?”

Ren pauses before speaking, as if not sure what to say. Like he wants to consider how words before he says something wrong and makes everything worse. “I….dunno, really,” He says, tail flicking in thought. He seems to draw Martyn closer as he speaks, despite the fact that they’d been literally leaning on each other just moments before. “But….I think we're something .” 

Martyn goes to respond, but can't even get a squeak out. Ren, on a spur of the moment decision, leans in, and makes part of how he feels about the two of them both very clear and also muddied as hell at the exact same time. 

Ren places a soft kiss on his lips, his hand cupping the blonde’s cheek a little hesitantly. Like he isn’t too sure about doing this. Martyn blinks, surprised, but he does try to kiss back, for the briefest seconds that their lips are connected. It’s not really a deep kiss, or a long one, but it’s a kiss regardless. A kiss Martyn instantly wants to savor forever.

Ren pulls away as quickly as he’d leaned in, his gaze unreadable thanks to the sunglasses. But the rest of his expression is clear as day, and the frown starting to form is plenty readable. Martyn places a hand over his, holding it, and doesn’t really know what to say. There’s a lot he wants to say, though, he just isn’t really sure how to word it.

(He thinks I love you is one of them…)

“Sorry.” Ren mumbles, moving away from him. “I just…wanted to do that.” There’s a flush on his cheeks, and the blonde can’t tell if it’s because he’s embarrassed or flustered. He thinks the color looks quite pretty on the other, and wants to see it way more often.

“It’s fine…” Martyn mumbles, reluctantly letting his hand go. He doesn't want to, but Ren doesn't want to stay. Not right now, anyways. He doesn't want to force him to stay if doesn’t want to, he doesn't want to ruin them like that. 

“We should start the day.” Ren clears his throat, starting to move away from Martyn and off the bed. Off their bed, though it doesn't feel like it is the both of theirs right now. “Make some breakfast.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Martyn says, scooting away from him as well. He swings his legs over the floor, and knows the breakfast will be horrible and award before he even enters their makeshift kitchen area, and finds Ren reluctantly making a plate for only one. 

Well then. That talk could've gone better, and the kiss that followed it is just making him want it more. Even if he thinks there will never, ever be another one between them again. 

(He thinks he's just ruined everything about them , and now has to figure out how to live with it, and without his beloved Ren.) 

_____________________________

The next time it happens, despite all of Martyn’s doubts and worries, they are sitting on Ren’s bed together. It’s been a few weeks since then, and a lot has changed. For one, he has been crowned king, and his beloved's hands have been stained with his blood. A crown sits atop his head most of the time now, except in the private moments with Martyn, the one time where he takes it off and lets the worries of the world go; content to be alone with his favorite person for just a little while. His favorite person who, ever since his own beheading, Martyn is now the Hand of the King. His right hand man, the one person he'd trust to slice his head right off his body. The one person he'd trust to die and kill for him then come home and mutter sweet nothings into his ear and hold him softly when they wake up in bed together. His right hand man, his sweet beautiful Martyn who means the entire world to him and then some. 

A lot has changed, because Ren is a bit more certain on his feelings now. He has thought it over, mulled over it for hours upon hours in his mind, and has come to a conclusion. Ren is in love with Martyn, and has been for weeks now. He just wasn't sure of it the last time, when Martyn had asked what they meant to each other. 

He really wishes he was, so he could've given his hand a proper answer. So he could've kissed him correctly, in the way he's been wanting to for a while now. He wishes he was, so they didn't have to sit in slight awkwardness and fleeting, unsure touches until they had the confidence to right themselves again; after Martyn cut off Ren’s head on his own request and cleaned his hands of the blood. 

He thinks he's been in love with Martyn the whole time, ever since they first laid eyes on each other all those weeks and days ago. Ren wonders if Martyn’s been in love with him for just as long, and feels like that answer might be yes , the longer they are together and the more soft looks they share. 

One morning, a few days after he realizes he's in love with his hand, they are laying in bed again. It's the same as they start every morning, lazing around in bed and doing nothing but exchanging soft words and touches. One morning they are laying in bed together like normal, and Ren decides he's finally ready to talk about them again. 

“Hey Martyn?” He mutters rather softly, the blonde clutched in his arms and comfortably held against his chest. Ren has his face buried in Martyn’s hair, and nuzzles into him even further. There's a lot of affection pouring out of him right now, as there Always is when they spend time together, and he needs the blonde to know just how he feels. He needs to tell him he loves him, to hold and kiss him to his heart's desire, and cannot do that unless they talk about them once more. 

Martyn hums, moving his head and, a little sadly, dislodging Ren. “Yes, m’lord?” He asks, meeting the King’s eyes. His gaze is curious, and piercing, and Ren feels his breath hitch a little upon meeting it. 

“You don't have to say that when it's just us, darling.” Ren mumbles, a frown forming on his face. He doesn’t want that to define their relationship, the stupid personas and things they play up when around other people. When they are in private he wants them to just be them , to just be Ren and Martyn and nothing more. He doesn't want the raging war outside to contaminate even their bedroom and their special mornings together. 

“Sorry.” Martyn mumbles, his brows furrowing just a little bit. Ren decides they can talk about that later, on a different day, when their relationship has been defined better and is more separate from their stupid little personas. “What were you saying?”

“I think I know what we are now.” Ren says, sounding a little hesitant even to his own ears. He really just spits it out, gets it over with, and for a few precious seconds, waits with bated breath for his hand's response. 

Martyn shifts out of his hold in surprise, and Ren lets him go easily. He doesn't move very far though, still relatively sat in the dog's lap. “......You do?” The blonde asks after a minute, sounding unsure. Like he doesn't believe it. Like he might be dreaming or something. His eyes search Ren, looking a little wild and desperate, and the King can't help the rush of sadness and affection that hits him all at once. 

“Yes, I do.” Ren says, grabbing Martyn’s arm gently. He pulls him closer to his chest once more, properly back in his lap. He sees the way his hand's breath hitches, the way his eyes widen in what has to be hope, and knows it's time to make up for past mistakes. To right a wrong and finally do what he's been longing to do for so many days now. 

“I didn’t kiss you right the last time,” He muttered, drawing Martyn in even closer. His hand just blinked up at him, looking as mesmerized as he had the last time. And just as pretty, but Martyn always looked pretty, every second of the day.  “Let me make up for it?”

“Please.” Martyn says, eyes wide and hopeful. It’s all Ren needs to close the gap between them, and kiss his hand absolutely stupid. Martyn kisses back with the same eagerness, and the two of them get lost in it for a few minutes.

It’s a proper kiss this time, not just a brief peck on the lips. Ren thinks he’s in heaven during the whole thing, even if it is for the briefest of seconds. Martyn tastes like citrus, like spring and what Ren thinks warmth and love might taste like. It's wonderful, it's lovely, it's everything he's wanted and more. Ren almost doesn't want it to end, but sadly, both of them will need air to breathe. 

When they pull away Martyn’s eyes are wide and shining, his lips all puffy and his cheeks red from the kiss. Ren thinks his hand looks gorgeous like that, and wants to lean in and kiss him again. And again and again and again until the world itself falls apart. 

“I love you.” Martyn says, a smile stretching across his face. It's a smile of true happiness, one pure and full and just so bright and pretty to look at. Ren wants to snap a picture of it and frame it on his wall so he could admire it forever. 

“I love you too, my darling.” He mumbles, bumping their noses together sweetly. He goes to hold Martyn’s face in his hands, a happy giggle leaving him. His hand, no, his boyfriend now (because there's something in Martyn's eyes that tells him they're on the same page, that they are now something, and Ren thinks he's the happiest man in the world,) is so beautiful, so pretty. Just the most wonderful man to ever exist, and Ren has never been glad he'd met anyone before.

Martyn giggles as well, leaning into the hold on his face. “Kiss me again?” He asks, leaning in even more, because he already knows what the answer will be. 

“Of course.” Ren hums, and kisses his boyfriend for the second time ever, and feels like he's in heaven once again. It tastes just as sweet as it had the first time, and just as lovely as it will the third time.  

[cloudtastrophie]

A little headcannon tidbit based off of chapter 2 of @canarydarity 's ranchers baseball au <3

-----

St. Louis felt infinitely like home. Or, as close to home as Jimmy could get. Coming into the city from the Illinois side of the river made him sick to smell the air of his childhood backyard. To taste the dirt in his mouth as he, once again, lost against Grian at the diamonds. St. Louis was 10 times smaller than grand old New York, New York, but it was 10 times more welcoming. The drivers were calmer, the streets less full, the culture more laid back. It was a lazy city, sticky and slow like molasses in the early summer midwestern heat. 

As the team bus rattled its way across the Eads Bridge, Jimmy felt Joel smack his arm, breaking his gaze away from the lazy flow of the Mississippi. “What in the bloody hell are they building?” Joel muttered, half standing to see over Tango’s shoulders across the isle. Tango looked as if he was about to burst out of the window, he was pressed so hard to the glass. He swiveled his head to look at Jimmy and Joel. 

“You two haven’t heard? It’s been in every paper for weeks!” He was practically vibrating with excitement. 

Jimmy shook his head and stood up taller to see what the fuss was about. By then, the whole team was ‘ooh and ahhing’ at the absolutely massive structure being built, right on the banks of the river. 

“It’s going to be called the Gateway Arch. It’s probably going to be the biggest feat of engineering since the Empire State. Probably better than the Needle out in Seattle is going to be.” Jimmy raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smile on his lips. Since when did Tango have a special interest in engineering?

“I did a few months in an engineering class. Got me hooked, but numbers are easier to understand.” Tango explained, as if he had read Jimmy’s mind. Then he turned back around and continued to peer at the stories-tall cranes slowly moving into place, and the two wide, square beginnings of what would apparently become a feat of engineering. Jimmy didn’t really see the draw, but he leaned across Joel and the isle to Tango anyways.

“We should come back to see it once it’s finished.” Jimmy said, watching the construction site fade behind them. The Cardnial’s stadium appeared behind the looming Old Courthouse. 

“I agree!” Tango replied, beaming. Jimmy didn’t care if he was 100 by the time the Arch was finished. He’d come back and see it with Tango when it was done.

------

hi worm i know you're reading this,,,ok I haven't had the energy (or time) to do any art for the baseball au but the brainrot has been stuck with me for DAYS. so I decided to write a little tidbit of how I imagined the ride into St. Louis for that game against the Cardnials. I have a lot of love for the city I grew up around so I really wanted to do something for it for you :) And if you're interested, here's some of the history I incorparated to make it feel more historically accurate! (i'm a cloested history buff, can you tell)

the st louis gateway arch began construction in 1963 technically, but I'm like 90% sure that there was soo much prep work done on the site before the actual construction, as there is a basement underneath it, and a huge walkway/viewing platform area, as well as the whole thing with the levee right on the Mississippi. I wanted to sort of figure out what that would look like in 1961 when the plans were being laid out. Also, the Arch is a certified national park, it's professional name being "St. Louis Gateway Arch National Park"

The Old Courthouse. UGH its one of my favorite buildings I've ever seen actually. Its so beautiful, and you can, from the road I'm writing them on, see Busch staduim looming behind it. The Courthouse also actually held the first two trials of the Dred Scott case, if you're into that kind of stuff.

The Eads Bridge. Also one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. It is the oldest bridge on the Mississippi and was constructed under the care of Andrew Carnagie. That bad boy is made out of actual authentic Carnagie steel. Sooo history rich. Pretty sure they actually held a parade with elephants once it was done. so that's cool

Oh, and Busch stadium. It wasn't called that way back when! And it looked much, much different than it does now. I'm honestly not sure what it was called in the 60's, but I'm sure most people called it Cardnial's stadium. It was a beautiful and massive stadium back then, and it still is now.

the seattle neetle was being constructed around the same time as the arch as well, which is why i had Tango say something about it LOL

And for funsies, here's a scorecard that I'm sure Tango would've recieved in 1961 from the stadium.

hope you enjoyed my little rant!! And if you made it to the bottom of this and you're not worm, I hope you enjoyed learning a little about st. louis today. :)

[cinematicendevaourz]

Coming into this film knowing that Todd Phillips was going for the Tony on this one softened the blow for my viewing of Folie A Deux, but despite featuring my favorite songstress to ever hop on the mic in Lady GAGA alongside Joaquin Phoenix with a broken voice belting out to match his broken sanity, the fact that Todd Phillips wanted to push The Joker so far away from it's source material that he made a musical makes this film hard to even consider revisiting.

As The Joker character in this film despises the sensationalism that the events in the first film garnered him, it's easy to see Phillips shares that deposition - which he has curated this sequel into a box office bomb.

The animated short at the start of the film lays out that this Joker feature will be about Jungian aspects in dealing with the shadow self while in "Folie A Deux", Joker does his best to rid himself of his stage persona, despite the fact that that stage presence is his only defense since he is on trial and pleading insanity by way of Multiple Personality Disorder.

This film exposes the failing of the U.S. mental health system as Phillips had accomplished with the first film, but his scrutinizing lense is expanded as he puts the U.S. Justice System within his crosshairs, zooming in on the sensationalism of high-profile cases that should be dealt with more respect for everyone involved - especially the victims.

GAGA is more GAGA as she portrays Charles Manson's Patty closer than Dini's Harley Quinn.

That's disappointing, especially since the only point of reference of a live action Harley Quinn is Margot Robbie and I hate to say it, but Robbie played a more familiar Harley Quinn.

The week prior to this film's release the Harleen Quinzell OST dropped for this film and the variant cover featured Harley doing the suit-up routine in Joker's old apartment from the first movie. Merely one minute of that footage is used in the actual film as Harley puts on eyeliner in damn near a cone bra, and one can only wonder where the rest of that footage went?

The rest of GAGA's scenes play out like a GAGA concert, and I've been to The Artpop Ball and seen many GAGA performances before and after. I've seen GAGA get outside herself in Robert Rodriguez films ("Machete Kills", "Sin City - A Dame To Kill For"), is that the only director she feels comfortable acting for?

Because even though her performance in "A Star Is Born" was great and I love seeing her on-screen in this Joker film, these films do not feature GAGA acting, more of GAGA just being an overexaggerated version of herself.

But where GAGA's Harley faltered, Phoenix's Joker rose to the occassion. Phoneix's role as the titular mentally impaired murder demands sympathy in the way Billy Bob Thorton did with "Slingblade".

The scenes primarily are centered around Arkham and the superior court room, as the film is a true sequel to Phillip's "Joker".

Gruesome sequences of the abuse of prisoners down to the finish begs for recalls of Olmos' performance in "American Me" and the court sequences down to the dismissal felt like a nod to Snyder's "Dawn of Justice", even though with Todd Phillips' track record, it would not be hard to assume he hates superhero movies.

GAGA is on-screen throughout the flick but Zazie Beetz comes back from the first movie to steal the show along with Leigh Gill when they are both called to the stand to recant the events of the first film.

Those moments of remembering the fond freshness of Phillip's first Joker work against "Folie A Deux", because when Beetz and Gill's character's are on-screen, I wished I could see them again in the first film and that wish took away from the cameos they gave in this film.

Brendan Gleeson portrays an Arkham security guard as if he was auditioning for "Westside Story" and Harry Lawtey portrays the smugest Two-Face I've ever seen on-screen.

Phillips makes it easy with "Folie A Deux" for the viewers to engage in asking themselves questions about the U.S. justice system as well as using the device of musical numbers to make it simpler to uncover if Joker is going through a delusional dream sequence, but again that hurts this film because those dream sequences with Zazie Beetz in the first film are what added an air of mystery to Phillips' first foray into the DCU.

Here (not just with the dream sequences) the clown makeup deliberately comes off and audiences are given a Lady GaGa concert to soundtrack the Manson Murder trial.

It's a great idea, and the film is a rare thinkpiece in using Jungian philosophy with a couple red pill's dropped in here and there since this is a Harley and Joker film but it's not what I paid for.

I can watch "American Me" again as well as Phillips' first "Joker", go to another Lady GaGa concert and read the next issue of "Detective Comics" and have a better time than I did watching "Folie A Deux". Even though there was plenty inappropriate nihlistic shit I laughed at while watching "Folie A Deux", it's not funny when a film does not separate itself enough from it's inspirations to surpass them as it's own unique piece of entertainment. Send in the clowns, not the clones, The Simpsons already did that.

-

C.V.R. The Bard

3rd/Oct.2k24

[bopinion]

2023 / 39

Aperçu of the Week:

"I would like to ask you what language the Palestinians speak? Was there a Palestinian coin at some point in history? Is there a Palestinian history or a Palestinian culture? There isn't. There is no such thing as a Palestinian people."

(Bezalel Joel Smotrich, Finance Minister of Israel and Chairman of the right-wing "Religious Zionism" party)

Bad News of the Week:

Serbia and Kosovo. Sadly, proof that the tensions that led to the Yugoslav Wars in the Balkans from 1991 to 2001 are far from over. The conflict over Kosovo is centuries old. The area has special significance for Serbia because it is home to numerous medieval Serbian Orthodox monasteries. Serbian nationalists also see a symbol of their independence in a battle against Ottoman Turks in 1389 in Kosovo. However, the majority - then and now - are ethnic Albanians living in Kosovo. They are mostly Muslims. They regard the area as their country and accuse the Serbs of having oppressed them for decades. Formerly granted special rights have been revoked, for example. In February 2008, Kosovo declared itself independent, and since then the region has been up in the air, with NATO stationing KFOR protection troops there.

Now the situation is escalating again. Already last April, there were clashes when Serbs boycotted local elections in the region. In the process, 30 NATO peacekeepers and more than 50 Serb protesters were injured. The fuse has been smoldering ever since. Last weekend, a conflict broke out between armed Serbs and Kosovar police, ending in deaths. Allegedly, however, this was not an official Serbian military unit, but the private militia of a Serbian businessman. What nobody believes.

Now for days Serbia has been pulling together an unprecedented amount of infantry, tanks and artillery - at 48 points directly on the border. Of course Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, speaking to the Financial Times, denied that his country was planning military action. But John Kirby, the usually well-informed spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, confirmed it. "We are seeing a large Serbian military presence along the border with Kosovo," he said. This includes "an unprecedented deployment of Serbian artillery, tanks, and mechanized infantry units."

It is with some trepidation that I currently pay attention when a "news alert" goes ping. For once again, a cold war may become a hot one. In the middle of Europe. Because of the imperialistic claim to power of one nation against another. Geostrategy and testosterone. Frustrating.

Good News of the Week:

"Judge's ruling on Trump financial empire poses existential threat." was a headline on CNN last Wednesday. Donald Trump and his Trump organization had committed "financial fraud for years." Is that a surprise? No. At least not to Europeans. Who never understood that a windbag like Donald Jessica Trump could get away with such obvious lies for so long in a state of law. And then also leads the forecasts for the upcoming US presidential elections. Excuse me?

Finally, on Friday, Trumpist Scott Hall pleaded guilty to multiple counts of attempted election fraud in the Georgia trial. Trump is among the other 18 co-accused. I can't believe anyone could be so naive as to believe a bail bondsman would have completely independently committed the exact acts that were in Trump's playbook - "I want you to find the votes!"

The GOP seems to be unable to break with the 45th president in U.S. history. Various potential opponents, but especially the powerful super PACs in the background, are increasingly disillusioned that the candidacy is unlikely to be taken away from him. His approval ratings seem rock solid. But slowly I'm getting the sense (or the hope) - from across the ocean - that the legal manifestation of his constant misbehavior is having an effect on the American (voting) people. I've lost track of how many cases Trump is currently charged with in which court anyway. And it's all there: Fraud, Porn Star, bribery, Rudy Giuliani, rape, defamation, fixer, tax evasion - you name it. Seriously, a guy like that couldn't even get himself nominated for the Recording Secretary of a flower growers club anywhere in the world. And yet could become president for the second time in the Land of unlimited opportunities? The supposedly most powerful man in the world?

I fundamentally believe in the good in people. But there are exceptions. Trump is one of them. When I think about which personality would put the greater good above personal ego, I certainly can't think of him. So when there are again and again brave prosecutors and special investigators who stand up to Mar-A-Lago, the Proud Boys and Matt Gaetz, I pay them my respect. And in the end this guy is simply unelectable. Now all we need is for enough hockey moms in the suburbs and used car salesmen in the rust belt to realize that. He's not one of you. He's not anti-establishment. He's a notorious egomaniac. He doesn't have your best interests at heart. But only his own.

Personal happy moment of the week:

Hello again! The coronavirus is back: as soon as it gets cooler, the variant BA.2.86, called "Pirola", starts to spread. With new symptoms, an extensive resistance to the previous vaccines and practically without monitoring - because a test regime or even a data collection does not take place (anymore). The shock was correspondingly great when a colleague first called in sick at the beginning of the week and then submitted the information "COVID infection". I am one of the three colleagues who had the most intensive contact with him in the preceding days. Immediately, a colleague got rapid tests, all of which were negative. A follow-up test two days later also confirms that I got away with it once again. Lucky me.

I couldn't care less...

...about the political future of Rishi Sunak. The British prime minister, in office for less than a year, looks pale and erratic. There is no sign of leadership or vision. There are plenty of headwinds at the current Tory party conference: the Conservatives are 20% behind the Social Democrats in polls. The economy is not recovering, there is no normalization after the Brexit chaos. The migration issue is inflated and not solved. Climate targets are being softened, climate measures put on hold. Rail infrastructure measures are being cut, mobility with automobiles is being supported. His party's populism is becoming more and more right-wing, and increasing radicalism is dividing the country. Soon, Labour may adopt the old Brexiteer slogan "taking back control."

As I write this...

...I am glad that a deal was brokered between the Writers' Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). Lasting 148 days, the strike was one of the longest in the history of writers for television and cinema in the USA. So my much liked late night show hosts will soon be able to entertain me with their monologues again.

Post Scriptum

For 40 years there should have been a worldwide holiday on September 26. Because the Russian Stanislav Petrov prevented the third world war in 1983. The computer in a Soviet control center reported an American nuclear attack. However, the responsible officer Petrov believed in a false alarm (in the end, a spy satellite was irritated by reflections of the sun), refused to trigger the nuclear counterattack and thus saved mankind.

[groovycatanime]

There's not a lot of headcanons for Jesus Burgess's family or backstory (in fact, I don't think there are ANY), so I'm going to share some ideas that I've been playing with in my head for a while.

Burgess' parents died when he was really young, so his grandmother, or his 'Abuela' took him in and took care of him all his childhood.

Abuela was a small, sweet and caring old lady, pretty much your typical grandmother, but she was also very fierce and tenacious woman, who was a lot stronger than she appeared, traits that passed on to her grandson.

When Burgess was growing up, he was a bit mischievous (which is likely to be an understatement...) and liked to get into fights with anyone or anything he locked eyes on! Whether it be the town bullies, the drunks from the local bar or a wild animal he happened to come upon, Burgess would fight them!

As expected, this usually got him in a great deal of trouble, which was often reported to Abuela. If the fight Burgess had was with someone who Abuela perceived as troublesome, like the bullies or the drunks, she'd let him get away with it. If it were an innocent child, adult or wild animal, then she'd let him have it! And Abuela is not someone who you want to make angry!!! (She was probably one of the few, if not the only person in town, who could kick Burgess' ass)

Burgess' fighting spirit didn't grow weaker as he got older, which is what a lot of adults in his hometown hoped; it just got stronger, and soon, he was pretty much one of the strongest men in town! Burgess had also been doing his best to not pick fights with every rando he came upon, but he still managed to start fights with some people, though the town was pretty used to it as this point. And the law pretty much thought, "As long as he doesn't kill anyone..."

Now, what drove Burgess to piracy? (I took some inspiration from the backstory of Salvador, a character from Borderlands 2)

So basically, Burgess was pretty much minding his own business in town (a rare thing), and he encounters a fancily dressed person he had never met in town before and decides to challenge them to a fight. To his surprise, the stranger agrees, but he tells Burgess that if he wins, he has to give up all the valuables he has, not just on his person, but in GENERAL, which would include whatever his grandmother possessed.

Burgess, not wanting to put his Abuela through that sort of turmoil, fights the hardest he had ever fought in his life! And he wins! BUT his opponent was not pleased by the outcome of the fight, since apparently, he had a reputation of being a fighting victor where he came from and felt humiliated by his defeat by Burgess, who in his mind, was just a nobody. Burgess pays no heed to the man's frustrations and just goes about his business, thinking the man's anger won't amount to anything harmful.

However, later in the week, the loser, accompanied by several men, go to Abuela's house in an attempt to rob the place as payback against Burgess for his victory. Abuela fights back as best she can, and eventually, Burgess catches wind of it and rushes to her aid, where they successfully fight off the men and restrain the loser. Abuela would've preferred to turn the man in to the local police, but Burgess, enraged that the loser had dared to harm his Abuela, kills the man out of anger. Unfortunately, that proves to be a GRAVE mistake.

Apparently, the loser was not only a popular fighter, but was also from a VERY rich family, who was NOT pleased that Burgess had killed him. Burgess was taken to court, where the reasons for his crimes were explained and the trial went like this at some point:

Judge: Mr. Jesus Burgess, you brutally killed a man of noble birth! Have you anything to say for your actions?

Burgess: He was trying to kill my Abuela!!!

Judge: I know that, but is there anything else you want to say?

Burgess: ...it was fun?

In the end, the punishment for Burgess was either exile or a life sentence in prison, and since Burgess didn't like the idea of being in a cage all his life, he decided to leave his island and have his fights elsewhere, much to his Abuela's dismay.

It would be a couple of weeks later, when he's picking fights on a random island in the South Blue, that he encounters Blackbeard...

So then you must wonder, what happened to Abuela while Burgess was gone? Well, she probably worried about whether he was okay or not, which increased when he got his first bounty poster, like any good grandmother would do. And I have two ideas for what became of her at the present point in the story. One's happy and funny, the other...not so much.

For the happy and funny idea, Burgess gets a wild hair and decides to go to his home island to see how she's doing and brings some of the crew along to meet her. Some of his crewmates, like Augur, try to suggest that this may be a bad idea, but Burgess doesn't listen.

Once in the town, he spots her:

Burgess: ABUELA!!!

Abuela, seeing him and gasping: BURGESS?!

Burgess, starts running towards her: ABUELA!!!

Abuela, starts running towards Burgess: BURGESS!!!

Burgess, still running: ABUELA!!!

Abuela, pulling off one of her sandals: BURGESS!!!

Burgess: Abuela?

Abuela, holding up his bounty poster: BURGESS!!!!!!

Burgess, starts to turn around: OH MIERDA! AUGUR, YOU WERE RIGHT! SHE WASN'T HAPPY TO SEE ME! GET ME OUTTA HERE!

But Augur and the rest of his friends have disappeared and Burgess, despite his possession of the Buff-Buff fruit, once again gets his ass beat by his angry Abuela.

Once Abuela had calmed down, she invites Burgess and his friends to her home for tamales and pastelitos, where she delights them with stories of Burgess' childhood (much to Burgess' embaressment).

Now, as we manga readers know, Burgess's face is now half-metal, and Abuela does ask how that happened, and Burgess is more than happy to answer. Afterwards, Abuela asks Blackbeard if he's willing to recruit the elderly into his crew...

And then a brief idea of a scene in the battle of the Straw Hats and Allies against the Blackbeard pirates would go:

Sabo, staring off into the distance: why is that little old lady running at me with a sandal???

Abuela, raises sandal up: THIS IS FOR HURTING MY GRANDSON!!!

Sabo: WHAT?! You're grandson?! Who's your grandson?

Burgess, whistles, getting Sabo's attention, and points to himself, grinning: It's me. I'm her grandson.

Sabo, looking back at Abuela: Oh fu-.

So, yeah, fun times for Sabo. (On a different note, I feel like Abuela and Dadan would get along GREATLY. They'd have a LOT to talk about!)

Now for the not-so-happy idea (hate me if you feel sad)

Burgess is doing pirate things on the seas, when by some odd chance he comes across someone from his old town who's working on a trade ship the crew happened to be pillaging.

The neighbor recognizes Burgess and informs him that last he saw his Abuela, she wasn't doing well. She had gotten sick with something and had trouble recovering.

Burgess, horrified to hear this, takes Doc Q and goes straight home to the South Blue, hoping to help her and maybe take her back to Fullalead with him.

Unfortunately, he arrives just in time to see her freshly marked grave...

Burgess being Burgess tries to play her death off as no big deal ("Well, I guess that's fate, like Augur would say, or bad luck, like you would say, Doc!), but deep down, he is HURTING. He feels a lot of guilt for not checking in on her, which increases when he learns from his neighbors that she had worried about him a lot when he started becoming a notorious pirate, which likely led to her illness.

Some neighbors phrase this in a way that it makes it seem like her death is Burgess' fault and that he should've never gotten into trouble and gone into exile back then, because who knows, maybe his Abuela would still be alive, and for a time, Burgess agrees...

But eventually, he turns his grief over her death into determination, using his pain to motivate himself to help Blackbeard become the GREATEST pirate in all the world! And maybe make his own strength and winning-streak well-known around the world, too, to show his Abuela, who he was sure was still watching him, didn't raise Burgess for him to amount to being a nobody!

[frostehburr]

What I'd Hope A Star Fox Adventures Remake Would Be Like

I use tumblr as a dumping ground for my thoughts on various things. I fully believe no one would care enough to read any of this even if they did stumble on it at random. So that's why I'm slapping this post in. Just to get it out of my head because I'm frustrated there's no Star Fox on Switch... yet. There's very little hope but there is maybe like a 0.01% chance we'd get a Star Fox game.

For the past two weeks I've been thinking about Star Fox Adventures, my favorite Star Fox game because dinosaurs, staff combat, and collectables. However, the more I think about it the more major problems with the game make themselves known.

Such as Krystal being stuck inside a crystal for the entire game until the end where she joins Fox's crew without proving her qualifications. Along with Falco who just shows up. When and why did he just appear for no reason?

This is why I think Star Fox Adventures should have a full blown reassembly remake full new game with same name. Much like Star Fox 64 and Star Fox Zero.... Look, if Nintendo is willing to remake the first Star Fox they can do the same for the other three in the franchise.

It is my understanding that majority of Star Fox fans love the 3 branching paths from the first game. Therefore I think it would be a good idea to implement 3 paths with Adventures. BUT the paths are based on the character you choose. Those being Fox, Krystal, and Falco.

The reason for this is to give each of them their own story line instead of Fox soloing the krazoa spirits and force point temples. As well as give a reason for Falco being near dinosaur planet.

Fox's path might be the easiest with his focus being on collecting Force Point crystals. One for each classical element but different name like Volcano, Ocean, Sky, and Forest. Taking some inspiration from Ocarina of Time but so did the first iteration of the game. It would also be nice to see different Force Point Temples instead of the same two twice. I would also insist Fox have his blaster, keeping it the way it was before but replace staff combat with his Smash Bros set.

I'd also suggest Fox using the snow horn and earth walker as substitute landmasters. Feel like Fox using blasters on top of prehistoric creatures would be more fun. Particularly if you use controls similar to the landmaster for it.

Krystal would be focused on collecting the krazoa spirits because a mysterious mystical entity told her it would help save the planet. Unlike the Gamecube game, Krystal would not be ambushed by some... thing.... and trapped in a crystal. Instead, she continues searching for the spirits, fights sharpclaws with her staff, and returns the spirits to the mystery entity.

Each krazoa spirit would have a trial for her and she could upgrade her staff along the way.

Falco would be stealthier gameplay. Implementing disguise kit and 3D platforming more than the other two. He'd, of course, use the same type of combat Fox has but be faster.

Since the lore says he was bored of Star Fox not getting any jobs, I'd figure him being a solo merc bumming around would do well enough to explain what he was doing prior to dinosaur planet. Keeping the story solution simple, Falco gets hired by an old friend who came across files of Andros making deals with General Scales to supply higher technology on a low tech planet in exchange for magical secrets. Because magic exists in Star Fox universe. What else would krazoa spirits be?

Anyhow, that's how I explain Falco being on dinosaur planet. Just taking up a job to figure out what General Scales is doing now that Andros is (supposed to be) dead.

Not so subtle; Andros is the mysterious entity Krystal been giving krazoa spirits to and the giant monkey is using them to reconstruct himself as a resurrection ritual. Krystal's big boss fight is against Scales who seeks to resurrect Andros to continue their deal and take over dinosaur planet under Andros' empire.

Wanted to give General Scales more menacing presence this time around so I would have him be the big boss of all three paths before the final boss, Andros, which uses arwing gameplay (Krystal uses a cloud runner and her staff). The arwing gameplay reoccurs between land missions (Falco having the most arwing time).

For the most part the game would not be far different than the Gamecube one. However, various additions and small changes would be beneficial.

These are just my ideas for a game I don't think will ever be seen. Think there's a ton of people around the internet doing fan games of Star Fox implementing dinosaur planet with explosions and arwing and landmaster combat. Not sure if they're much better than my ideas of simply adding to the previous game. But it's still more than what Nintendo gives us with Star Fox.

I personally hope we get Adventures and Assault on Switch or at least Assault. Assault was more of a Star Fox game and it continued the story much better. Oh well, there's always 64 with the online subscription...