#symbiote shattered dream

[totallylulalutiacreations]

First day of Sans x You week Fallen king. I spent more time on this than expected but I like it! I use Raven from the Symbiote AU by @mothiepixie I hope you like it!

[gabessquishytum]

Surely there’s been a dreamling Venom AU done before? I just came back from watching the Last Dance and I can’t get it out of my head.

So Hob is this journalist who loses his job after asking too many questions about the Burgess Corporation and the rumors that they’re doing illegal experimentation in their labs. This is true, of course. In the search for extraterrestrial life, they locked up various specimens for research and have been trying to achieve “symbiosis” with human test subjects. Unable to shake off the feeling there’s something shady going on, Hob sneaks into the labs and lo and behold, discovers all of these chambers with innocent people all locked up and looking not so good. After trying to break one of the patients free by shattering the glass, the alarm goes off and the patient jumps him and he only barely manages to push them off and get away, but not alone.

Back at home he’s experiencing these strange changes to his body he can’t explain. The doctors say it’s a parasite but even they can’t put their fingers as to what it is exactly. Either way, Hob goes about his life trying to get used to the sensation of something squirming around inside him.

On the other hand, Dream, the symbiote, has been making home inside his new host and is just relieved that he’s free from that godforesaken lab. It doesn’t hurt that his host is easy on the eyes either. It’s been so long since he’s met a body that he’s so compatible with so he’s pretty damn determined to keep it alive. It’s so warm inside this body that Dream’s been making sure to explore every corner and crevice to get himself really familiar.

Shenanigans occur and eventually Dream reveals himself to Hob and explains everything about how they’re attached at the hip etc etc and Hob has no idea why this is happening to him but he also can’t help but feel really turned on (like the monsterfucker he is) about having something inside him at all times and hell, he never really liked being alone anyways so what’s the harm? And Dream has also gotten really fond of his new host so he decides to stay around instead of returning to his planet because listening to Hob try to explain what it’s like on Earth and having him take him around to new places has just been so fun and he really couldn’t imagine separating from him at this point. The only issue now is how they’re going to handle Dream’s diet of human brain but they’re sure one Roderick Burgess could help them out with that.

And yes, tentacle porn in an inevitable.

So. I can confirm that the excellent @seiya-starsniper has blessed us with a Venom AU: you're the only real thing i've ever touched. Its really fucking good.

I do love the idea of Dream being Hob’s symbiotic alien boyfriend. Mainly because I think Hob would be super into it. He likes the constant companionship. He likes the fact that he kinda has super powers. He really, really likes the sex. He and Dream are very very compatible indeed.

A lot of the time Dream will happily curl up and sleep deep down inside Hob, occasionally squirming to get comfy. Hob secretly loves that sensation of movement, reminding him that his lover is there, safe inside him. Sometimes Dream will add an extra little tease during Hob’s workday - wrapping a tendril around his cock, or slithering into his hole. Hob gets so blushy and squirmy, sometimes Dream has to talk to him sternly in his deep, sonorous voice.

Dream isn't going home to his native planet any time soon. He thinks earth is very beautiful - through Hob’s eyes it is, anyway.

[meganwayne24]

A Ticking Clock (pt. 1)

Did time ever stop for you?

Fandom: Insomniac Spider-Man

Word Count: 1517

Pairing: PS5 Harry Osborn x Reader

Trigger Warning: Death, light swearing, anger

All you could hear, so vividly, was ticking. A clock’s arms moving slower and slower, time running out. Covering it was static. The shock of the explosion made your ears ring. Your head was spinning. Reality felt like a dream you were about to wake from. Like everything in your life was leading up to this moment.

Your eyes fluttered open trying to take in your surroundings. The zoo you were in was destroyed. Everything was on fire and damaged and there was no sight of comfort. Bodies of hunters scattered the warm ground with their blood pooling in each man-made pothole. You looked up seeing the shattered glass ceiling realizing a few of the cuts along your body were inflicted by the shards. Still staring up you see Harry fighting Kraven with the symbiote. They were angry, furious punches. You looked to your right to see MJ desperately trying to hold Peter up, the broken blade of Kraven’s sword sticking out of his side.

You went to get up when you realized you were stuck. Your tunnel vision state prevented you from seeing the metal pole that was lying across your chest. It was almost the size of a boulder, but felt like you were crushed under the statue that nearly took out MJ and Peter. You were short of breath, it was likely the impact collapsed one of your lungs.

Peter’s strength gave out, a fair distance from you. You were sure they couldn’t see you. MJ tried to hold him up but he couldn’t walk anymore. You could see her uttering words to Peter but all you could hear again was that ticking. Slower and slower.

It wasn’t looking good for Peter, but you knew things were far worse than you originally suspected when the first word you heard was a violent, desperate, horrified scream.

“HARRY!” It was MJ. Peter was on his back, his breathing visibly shallow. You watched his chest rising up and down, slower…and slower. Harry hit Kraven one last time that seemed to keep him down for a while. He jumped down from the glass and landed a meter away. He sprinted to Peter’s side, his knees hitting the ground hard. The only time you can remember him dropping like that was when he got the news about his mom.

Your hearing started to tune back in briefly as you heard Harry “Hey, hey buddy this is nothing. Remember in 5th grade when-” Pete’s mask was off. His head went limp first, then quickly down his limbs in the matter of milliseconds his body was finally at rest.

“Pete…” MJ couldn’t process what was happening.

“NOOO!” Harry was distraught. He couldn’t stand a loss like this. Not again. They sat there for a minute until Harry looked up at MJ. “Where’s Y/N?” He had been so caught up in losing his best friend. He had to push it aside for now. He stares at MJ intensely, waiting for her to answer. She always had a lead. But when he looked at her, she had nothing but a scared look on her face. “Where is she?! I won’t lose another person. I CAN’T.”

You try to reach your arm out. Something to draw his attention to your direction. You try to say something, but you’re still short of breath and realize yelling isn’t something you can do now. Your cuts have been releasing blood by the minute. You were dying. You started losing feeling in your arm. You couldn’t tell if it was from exhaustion, or the lack of blood flow. Your eyes started to close slightly, the ticking creeping up again. Could you even call it that now though? Now it was just an occasional thump. That’s what it’s been. Your heart begging, pleading with the rest of your body to have something to pump through. But there was almost nothing now. So little in your body and yet so much to lose.

MJ had been your best friend for as long as you could remember. She was just always there. Any event in your life you could think of, there she was, the two of you cheering each other on. And Harry…Harry was everything. Day, night. It was him. A part of you always knew that but you just never could bring yourself to tell him, because what if he didn’t feel the same and you lost him forever. It felt stupid now. You were dying and all you could think of was how you wished you had the chance to tell him. And now it was too late.

“-Y/N. Oh my god Y/N!” You felt so weak but you managed to open your eyes a slight crack. Harry used the symbiote’s strength to lift the pole off of you. You felt a surge of pure pain and let out a brutal, soul-crushing cry. Tears streaming down your face.

Harry got down next to you, his eyes wide with fear. He was afraid of making things worse so he held your hand. His face a mere centimeters away. “I’m sorry. It’s okay, you’re gonna be okay. Please.”

“Harry…” You struggled to breathe let alone speak. “I need…I need to tell you…” Your other hand reached to his face.

“No. You’re going to be okay, you hear me? You don’t die today.” You felt tears on his cheek.

“Harry…please.” You started to gasp for air between words.

“Y/N breathe with me okay?” He starts taking deep breaths in and out. You try to follow but it’s becoming increasingly harder, taking more and more of your energy each time.

“Harry listen please.” He saw something in your eyes. Something he didn’t know he’d been dreading. Desperation. Not for someone, but for time. He stopped speaking and looked at you. “I love you.” You gasped for air. “I always did.” You needed to make it quick. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.” Between each word almost it felt like you weren’t getting air in at all. It didn’t matter to you at that moment though. You watched Harry, suddenly noticing every speck and crease your eyes glossed over before. Before he could respond, your eyes closed. That ticking clock finally stopped. No more noise.

“No. No no no no. Y/N please open your eyes.” Harry was now holding you close to him trying to wake you up. “Please this can’t be it.” His mind started swirling with all the unspoken words that had been in his head for years. Every stolen glance he had ever taken. Every little thing you did when you were excited or scared that he noticed. “I love you. I love you I love you I’m sorry.” He pressed his forehead to yours. His original crying had now become audible sobs. They progressively turned into angry screams.

“Harry you found-” MJ came running over until the image was burned into her brain of what took place. You died in his arms. Peter and you, now gone. Harry gently put you down. He walked onto the path between you and his once lively best friend.

“Heal the world. What’s the point when they’re not here? Heal everyone else’s world but not my own. Our own.” He paused, everything hitting him in that moment. “This isn’t FAIR!” Swiftly following that yell was the black tentacles escaping from him. They projected outwards as Harry screamed with rage. MJ watched in horror as the tentacles started to move their way around you and Peter. Both of your corpses were both being held in the air. The symbiote encapsulated you both, simultaneously placing you on the ground.

That ticking was back. At a much quicker pace than what you had gotten used to. You shot up, eyes wide open. You hadn’t had this much energy for as long as you could remember. Gasping for air, you observed your surroundings. Pete was looking around as confused as you were. He was covered in what looked like Harry’s suit. Pete looked between you and Harry and before you knew it the black tentacles had you pinned against a tree.

“PETE WHAT THE HELL?”

“Y/N?” Peter revealed his face from the suit. “Why are you in Harry’s suit?”

“What are you talking about?” You finally look down and see you are enveloped by the symbiote. “Wait no…this isn’t right. MJ? Harry?”

“You died. Both of you. The symbiote just sort of split from Harry and into the two of you.” MJ, now with a clear mind, had the answer.

“Wait so Harry does that mean..?” You were heartbroken. You knew what him not having the symbiote meant. No cure meant the disease was no longer in remission.

“Yeah, it does.” He didn’t seem too upset. He kept looking at you, like he was more concerned for you than him.

“Okay so how do we-” Before Pete could finish, more hunters started showing up. It was time to go. That ticking thumped normally now, officially drowned out by the adrenaline pumping in your ears from having to run to safety.

A/N: hope you guys enjoyed! i can’t lie I wanna make a part 2 like it feels part 1-ish if you get what I mean. maybe a story idkkkk we’ll see! I should also mention this is one of the first fanfics I've written so if it's rough I apologize lol she's a work in progress!

[strayheartless]

I have an AU in my head where Gaia gets sick of the Sephiroth’s shit and ends up tuning him back into a baby and shipping him off to Cloud to raise differently.

Like she full of grandma Pascal’s him like “He said mommy I want to destroy every living creature on the planet, but I said m’hijo, don’t do that do something else!”

And Cloud has only a little concept of what’s happening when he helps Tseng excavate an old project S lab. He had a dream about a Moses basket in the middle of a burning Nibelhiem and the sound of crying. He just thought It was new parent anxiety over taking on Denzel, but it all suddenly makes sense when he looks into an incubation chamber and sees a tiny silver haired baby squirming to be held.

He’s annoyed about it obviously. Gaia seems to be under the impression she says jump and Cloud asks how high, but he’s also smart enough to know that this is a chance to save the General and the planet from an endless war. So he scoops up babyroth and takes him back to edge to raise him.

It’s tough going at first. Sephiroth’s is not an easy baby. He’s fussy; his cries can and will shatter glass; he’s stronger than he should be for what Cloud would wager is only about four months old. He starts teething early; he has opinions about carrots and bananas (much to the walls dismay) once he gets onto solid foods; he’s demanding in that way that only baby’s can be, but it seems a little bit more than that.

It takes everyone a while to figure out that what he actually is, is traumatised. He’s clingy in a way that shatters Clouds soul because if they put him down he panics. If he can’t see Cloud, even for a second, Sephiroth seems to think he’s been abandoned.

Eventually though, Seph settles a little, and it doesn’t feel so much like Cloud is running on two hours sleep accumulatively and sheer will power alone. Seph seems to smile a little more and there’s a little look of wonder in his little mako blue eyes that makes everybody melt.

Tifa finds it the hardest to reconcile this tiny child with the man who murdered her father, and it does put significant strain on her relationship with Cloud for a while (that’s not a judgment on Tifa btw, girls aloud to feel conflicted.)

Barrat on the other hand is of the opinion that the Goddess knows what she’s doing and a baby is a baby even if it did commit atrocities in a past life. It’s not current Sephs fault that his human parents experimented on him and a Alien symbiotic parasite god sent him mad. Current Seph just wants grapes and Barrats enough of a sucker for Rosie cheeks to give them to him.

Vincent is very careful with Seph (who they’ve all collectively decided never to full name unless he’s in trouble.). When he’s home from travelling he speaks to him quietly about everything and nothing. He doesn’t really touch him to start with, which frustrates little Seph who seems to think the cloak will add extra comfy cuddles. Over time though, Cloud,Barret and surprisingly Cid (who appears to randomly know a thing or two about babies.) help him get over his fear of hurting the little boy. Seph really enjoys cuddle time with Vincent, and learns to demand to be “upped” whenever he comes home.

Cloud, for his part is just dad, which he finds endlessly strange. He’d never really taken on that role for Denzel, he was the boys guardian sure, but they’d never really discussed the whole “if you want to call me Cloud that’s cool, but if you want me to be your dad I can be that too” thing. Marlene wasn’t his; Barrat was her dad and Cloud was Cloud. A parent of sorts, but not her Father. He was more like a devoted uncle really.

With Seph though it’s different. Cloud is this baby’s entire universe, and once language starts coming into play, various versions of “dada” become increasingly common. He’s not sure how he feels about it at first; this is the man who slaughtered his mother and decimated his villiage, the man who killed Aerith… but he was also just a baby.

This version of Sephiroth didn’t know what he’d done. Gaia had given him a chance at redemption and Cloud will be damned if he holds the acts of a mad man against a kid; no matter the circumstance.

So he’s dad. He feeds Seph, plays with him, baths him, puts him to bed, reads to him and teaches him everything he can. He doesn’t lie to him, and he always explains when Seph doesn’t understand.

And if Tifa slowly adjusts to being Mama then that’s nobodies business but their own.

Life’s nice being a family. Maybe they’ll add to it one day…

Or maybe Cloud will trip over a double Moses basket one day on the way out of the door to work, and when he looks down he sees two little crowns of hair one dark one red, and similar sets of shiny Mako eyes.

Maybe the little red headed one will cough weakly, and the dark haired one will fuss.

And maybe Cloud will curse himself for being a sucker for babies that used to be evil maniacs.

[moonshere]

A Ghost's death

Kinda referencing this and this

Since most ghosts are already dead people, they cannot die again. Even a shattered core still holds the pained consciousness of its ghost. Despite that, there are still many different ways of 'dying' in the infinite realms.

One of those ways is through the Ancient master of Dreams, Nocturn. People have always called sleep the cousin of death. So ghosts who no longer want to exist in their unliving lives seek out nocturn to become one of his sleep-walkers.

This puts them in an endless dream, while giving Nocturn their power. This symbiotic relationship is why Nocturn is an ancient.

Another sort of death is something of a rebirth. Ghosts are creatures of pure emotion, and the ghost in question would have to experience an extreme emotional pain that cracks the surface of their own core.

The cracks would spread, until the outer shell of their core shatters and returns into an unformed state.

The old ghost would be dead. Their memories, connections and bonds all gone. And while traces of them would still remain, a new ghost would be reborn. This is one of the ways realm-born ghosts form.

They can then grow into a different power set and latch onto different aspects of their previous Obsession, sometimes even developing a brand new one.

For Danny, his human half would negate his memory loss, but it works the same. Should he not be careful with his core, with his emotions, asking for help. He might hurt his core beyond repair, and all that would be left is for him to be reborn again.

[the-cooler-vigilante]

GOD I am so hyped for the Spider-Man 2 Trailer, even if I'm not gonna be able to play it until it releases on PC.

The Gameplay looks amazing, I can't wait to see how the new gliding mechanic works, let alone the new combat abilities.

I LOVE how much more savage Peter's moveset is while he's wearing the symbiote, some more of his frustration and anger bleeding into his moves.

As for Miles...

MY MAN HAS LEARNED HOW TO DO THE KAMEHAMEHA. I also love the new blue energy look he's got going on. I wonder if that's a side effect of the NuForm reactor or his abilities maturing.

Gameplay aside, I really want to talk about the little chunk of the story we're given, I'm not gonna talk about the whole thing, but there is some interesting stuff that flies by pretty quick.

First off, we get a look at the Targets Kraven has chosen to potentially hunt:

In order we see Black Cat, The Prowler, Wraith (Yuri Watanabe), Tombstone, Peter Parker Spider-Man, Miles Morales Spider-Man, The Lizard, Tombstone, and finally a last character that we don't get to fully see.

Now this character could be anyone, but I do have a few theories. It is NOT Norman Osborn. Norman's definitely going to show up as the Green Goblin, either in act 2 or 3 of this game, or as the main antagonist of the 3rd game. But he's not on the radar. So whoever it is, it's not him.

One possibility I think is more likely is that this target might be Otto Octavius, either as Doctor Octopus or the Master Planner. In the time between the last game and this one, he may have escape and is formulating a plan to once again terrorize Norman Osborn.

It could also be Mister Negative, after all we never saw him get sent to prison, just batted away by Doc Ock after his fight with Spider-Man. I could be wrong though.

Now, only in my most wildest hopes and dreams could this happen. But I hope it might be someone we haven't seen before; Deadpool. He could be a source of challenges akin to Taskmaster or Screwball, or the minor antagonist of the story, which Shattered Dimensions did very well.

Moving on from that detour I really want to talk about the Black Suit. Hell, we're all gonna be talking about the Symbiote after this.

The black suit looks. so. damn. good.

I didn't know how to feel about it at first, but the more I got used to the look the more it works for me. It feels so alien and wrong. It's shines too much, and just looks wet. Like, all of the time. Aside from that, the way it has a thicker, more armored looking outside protecting and intricate, nerve-like looking inside feels perfect for this interpretation.

I think we can assume that at this point in the story, Peter has had the Symbiote for a while, and it's getting more and more of a hold on him. His anger bleeds out during the fight at (what I'm assuming is) Curt Connor's house, beating the ever loving spaghetti out of Kraven's Goons.

He acts more reckless too, single mindedly going after the attack chopper, which definitely would have ended poorly his Miles hadn't been there to pull him out of harm's way. Hell, I don't think he's even considering what could happen to everyone around that fight should things get messy.

I can't post too many more images, but I didn't see him swooping in to save anyone in this sequence, just going after the attack chopper. again. In fact, looking back at the video, he doesn't even seem to try to stop that sign from falling, more concerned with taking down the chopper with Miles, even then only giving "Fine" as a response to Miles.

But this is where it really hit for me.

These two scenes, the one where Peter almost goes after the Lizard, instead of helping the people back on the pier. And the scene where he says, "So do I." in response to Miles comment about the Lizards bigass chompers. Just look at those eyes man, even now Venom is taking form.

To me it feels like the Symbiote is lowing Peter's inhibitions, and raising his levels of frustration, of anger. Letting the venom out. Except it's not just aimed at Peter's enemies, but also his friends and family as well.

I don't think Peter's going to be doing too well at the start of the game, I mean, yeah he's got Mary Jane and Miles, but he's also lost Aunt May, been betrayed by Yuri, and is on the verge of losing Harry, whose only hope is Curt Connors, the very same man he just let escape.

The Symbiote is feeding on not only his anger, but his fears. I think that in this version of the story, it's going to take a little more than church bells and sheer will to pry it off of him. But that's just speculation. Either way, whatever path this game wants to take with the symbiote is going to be one hell of a trip, no doubt.

[pennstateuniversitypress]

A Black Philadelphia Reader: An exerpt

The common date given for the settlement of Philadelphia is 1682, when William Penn established a Quaker colony, providing it with a name that means “one who loves his brother.” Penn intended an idyllic “greene country towne,” one that was well ordered, with large open spaces within its twelve hundred acres. It “was the first major American town to be planned.” Penn envisioned his “towne” as a place of freedom, particularly in terms of religion. As with a certain amount of history, much of this is myth. The land, of course, had been settled by the Lenape Indians long before the Europeans arrived. Additionally, Penn’s “greene country towne” soon became a highly congested city, plagued by disease, crime, and fires. Its vaunted freedom was largely limited to White Protestants, and its “brotherly love” certainly did not extend to most immigrants, to non-Christians, or, in particular, to its Black residents.

Blacks have been at the center of Philadelphia’s history since before it was even known by that name. More than two thousand Blacks lived in the area once called New Sweden between 1638 and 1655. The fledgling colony encompassed parts of western Delaware and parts of Pennsylvania that now include Philadelphia. One of the most famous of these settlers was Antoni Swart (Black Anthony), a West Indian who arrived in the colony in 1639 aboard a Swedish vessel. Though initially enslaved, records indicate he eventually became free and was employed by Governor Johan Printz.

The history of Black Philadelphians has been one fraught with both great promise and shattered dreams from its beginnings until today. Philadelphia was, as historian Gary Nash observes, “created in an atmosphere of growing Negrophobia”; still, despite ongoing racial prejudice, “it continues to this day to be one of the vital urban locations of black Americans.” It is this paradoxical condition that is the most characteristic dynamic of the city’s relationship with its Black citizens. One facet of this relationship has been constant: whether African Americans have thrived here or suffered egregious oppression, they have never remained silent, never letting anyone else define their situation for them. They have always voiced their own opinions about their condition in their city through fiction, poetry, plays, essays, diaries, letters, or memoirs. The city has been blessed with a number of significant authors, ranging, among others, from Richard Allen to W. E. B. Du Bois to Jessie Fauset to Sonia Sanchez to John Edgar Wideman to Lorene Cary. In addition, there have been numerous lesser known but also forceful figures as well, including the enslaved people Alice and Cato, who were only known by those names. Whether they were native sons and daughters or spent significant time in the city or were there only long enough to experience the city in an impactful moment, Philadelphia has touched them all deeply. This anthology is a documentation of and a tribute to their collective voice. The focus here is not just on writers with a Philadelphia connection but on the authors’ views on the city itself. The hope is to provide a wide variety of Black perspectives on the city.

There is something special about what leading African American intellectual W. E. B. Du Bois once labeled “the Philadelphia Negro.” One reason for this uniqueness is the city’s relationship to its Black inhabitants, in part caused by their intertwined, virtually symbiotic, history. No other major Northern city in the country has had such a long connection with African Americans, one forged in the seventeenth century, and Blacks have never stopped coming. They first settled largely in what are now called the Old City and Center City, where some Blacks still live. They have since scattered throughout the city, sometimes by choice but often by necessity and force, today mostly residing in Northern and Western Philadelphia. Migration patterns have changed over the years, as in other cities, but the Black population in the city has rarely declined and has often increased in number. Philadelphia was, as of 2020, the sixth-largest metropolis in the nation, and Blacks make up more than 40 percent of the population there, more than the percentage of any of the other top ten cities in the country.

Philadelphia has a vibrant and culturally rich history, offering enormous promise to its inhabitants since its beginnings. It was founded with the premise of religious freedom and steeped in the radical independence movement that created this country. The city was settled by Quakers, perhaps the religious group that, in popular opinion if not always in fact, has most vociferously been associated with opposition to slavery. The “peculiar institution” was, in fact, almost nonexistent there by the early years of the nineteenth century. Philadelphia was the center of the Underground Railroad, with such legendary conductors as William Still. As the closest major city situated above the Mason-Dixon line, symbolically separating the North from the South, many fugitives from enslavement passed through Philadelphia. Some moved on, but a large number stayed, as the city seemed like the promised land for many African Americans. This is the powerful narrative of the city’s history that still holds true for numerous people today when they think of Philadelphia.

There is also something unique about the Black experience in this city. Blacks have had a nominal freedom throughout most of their existence in Philadelphia, yet when we look under the surface, Philadelphia’s treatment of African Americans has hardly been benign. The city has held out promises, but unfortunately many of these promises were not kept. Philadelphia may be situated in the North, but as Sonia Sanchez so eloquently writes in her poem “elegy (For MOVE and Philadelphia),” in many ways “philadelphia / [is] a disguised southern city.” There were Quakers, many of whom were abolitionists and worked for the Underground Railroad, but there were many others of the faith who were slaveholders, including the colony’s founder, William Penn. And even if the city was replete with abolitionists, it did not ensure that they viewed African Americans as equals. Blacks were, in fact, disfranchised from the vote in 1838, never to regain it until the ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment in 1870. Although the city was the center of the antislavery movement, not all of its White residents opposed slavery, and even if they did, the Fugitive Slave Acts of 1793 and 1850 hampered efforts to keep Blacks out of bondage. Before and after the Civil War, as demonstrated throughout this text, the city experienced a series of violent racial conflicts and has continue to practice an ugly pattern of segregation in housing, transportation, education, and employment, severely limiting the prospects of improvement for its Black citizens. There is a long history of racial injustice practiced by Philadelphia’s police as well as Black residents being ignored, at best, by the city government.

A Black Philadelphia Reader: African American Writings About the City of Brotherly Love is available for pre-order from Penn State University Press. Learn more and order the book here: https://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-09731-2.html. Take 30% off with discount code NR24.

[catoblepon]

Hi, I'm Catoblepon!

I have a lot of hobbies and I keep finding myself unable to stick with only one, so expect me to talk, ramble, or follow stuff related to spreadsheets, CSS, digital art, videogames & TTRPGs, worldbuilding, web development, etc.

I've been on Tumblr before, but I've barely done more than follow a couple posts, doom scroll, and then leave again. This time I have friends backing me up and I hope my stay is more permanent than temporal. I just hope I don't forget about this again. I also have no idea what I'm doing but I saw there's an HTML editor and I'm a happy web nerd.

I love languages, both natural speaking (like English, Spanish, etc) and artificial (such as C++, Java, Python, etc). I have two beautiful dogs whom I love with my life. I'm not good at intros and I dunno what to add.

Worldbuilding

Worldbuilding as of right now is the "main" hobby I'm focused on (other than playing video games but I don't do much other than playing them xD). Most of the art, CSS, and spreadsheets (and perhaps other stuff) are related to my worldbuilding worlds. So far, I have four (working on starting a fifth) settings.

What do I enjoy reading in worldbuilding?

Conditions/diseases

Lava related worldbuilding

Wild Magic

Magic and technology!

Species (especially animals)

Settlements (tell me all the weird details!)

Daeliha

Daeliha is a dark world filled with magic and your typical fantasy species but with twists, such as Elves having a symbiotic relationship with bacteria. Its people are constantly quarrelling, with anger and fear brewing for centuries. Now, however, people are rediscovering forbidden knowledge that had been hidden away in dusty temples, threatening to release old powerful magic upon the world.

Iphars

Fifty years ago, magic appeared in the world, and with it, new places, flora, fauna and worse, people. As those newcomers start to claim lands for themselves, the people indigenous to Iphars have to fight to adapt and keep what is theirs.

Khulgran

Humanity always dreamed of interacting with aliens. When no aliens arrived on Earth, humans decided to take matters into their own hands and travel themselves to new planets. There, they become aliens to meet other people, the technologically advanced society invading other worlds. But humans did not confine themselves to physical worlds; they also discovered access to a dimension of dreams. Of course, they immediately started to transform and adapt it for their own needs and entertainment. Thus, Altrea dimension was born. Will they manage to mess it up?

Shattered

Shattered is a place of brokenness, as its name says. It is composed of many islands and giant animals floating in space and surrounding a single star-like object, which has three states: light, dark, and rain. On these islands, one finds life, civilized and not-so-civilized societies; outside of them, one finds death and corpses of unknown creatures floating in a never-ending state of decay.

Games?

I enjoy games! Videogames, tabletop games, all the games! I mainly play solo games or games I can play with my friends (with them, of course!).

Favourite videogames

Skyrim

Minecraft

Borderlands

Dishonoured

Pokemon (the last good for me was the fourth-gen)

Legend of Zelda

Favourite TTRPG

D&D 5e

Fragged Empire

Vaesen

Solo journaling ttrpg (Even made one!)

I love trying new games!

[hcmteam]

The moment when Mirage risked his life to save him. It replays at the back of his head continuously. Some would say it’s a speck of trauma. To Noah, it replays solely because of immense guilt. How reserved, and hesitantly cooperative he was to the cybertronians; caring little of what they could think, or feel if they were even capable of that. It all changed during the final battle. Mirage- what the hell Mirage… Seeing him take multiple bullets, deafening agony, his blood spilling. Witnessing the mecha’s face structure wince and shape from the usual cocky expression full of energy to one that was enduring the worst of pains, frowning in sadness and worry. Limbs shattered, body firm as he shield Noah even if he didn’t treat Mirage the best. All of this pain just to protect someone like him? A someone who doubted their intentions? It seemed unfair, an injustice. Noah didn’t deserve rescue, not after what he tried to do back then. Seeing Mirage’s life fading away is what he finally realized completely, this was no machine. Mirage had a soul, they all have souls; and Noah never gave second thoughts a chance to linger. They too have lives, ambitions, dreams, hope. Mirage had all of these and now he was gone; or so Noah thought, and thus the fusion- the exo suit was created. The suit was the soothing reassurance that yes, Mirage lived. It was a chilling experience, the definition of double senses. Noah not only could he feel his own heartbeat, but also feel the weak and faint thrum of Mirage's spark. The sense of relief was overwhelming but welcoming. It was proof enough that Mirage never died, instead, he entrusted his frame to Noah as one final act to keep the promise. After that and once he finally fixed Mirage completely back to how he was, Noah reflects. No doubt that a bond was born from that moment, even if grief played a good part. The exo suit was symbiotic, the perfect concept of two beings working together as one. Noah will admit, it was an experience out from this world, but worry crawls. The reason the exo suit happened was because Mirage laid down his life for him. What Mirage has to do that again in order to fuse? It’s something Noah wouldn’t want from the cybertronian. And thus there’s many blue prints, a concept of an exo suit replica. Noah wants to help and protect everyone he loves without endangering their lives. And that includes Mirage. He won’t stand by and let that happen to him again.

[totallylulalutiacreations]

Small drawing of shattered Dream and Raven symbiote. I also did a little write up for Lore to this pair.

I'm still a lil'new to this world of AUs but I hope you all like it!

An AU where humans had sealed away Monsters but also became fearful of those with mage lineage. Rare as it was. 1000 years later, Raven, a woman in her early 30s, lived with her young daughter in a secluded forest away from most towns. 

One night, Raven woke to the smell of smoke and the sounds of her daughter's frightened screams. They had been found by one of the villages nearby and despite using her shields and plant magic, Raven was unable to fight them all off and she fled, both her and her daughter injured. 

Meanwhile, Dream in his shattered state had fled from battle injured and in desperate need for a host to gain his strength. He chose to hide in this insignificant universe but sensed a soul, green he believed, filled to the brim with anger, hatred, and guilt. He followed it to a woman, injured but able, as she sobbed and clung to the body of a young child. He couldn't tell whether or not the younger was alive or dead, but it was too good an opportunity to pass. As he slid his way over, the familiar sounds of a angered and frenzied mob grew closer. 

"My goodness, miss, you look exhausted." He said in a low, weak voice. 

"Wh-..." Raven looked around before eyes fell upon the small symbiotic creature. "What do you want?" Her voice was shaky. 

"I can help." He stated but gained a scoff. 

"Can you bring people back from the dead?"

"No," he began. 

"Then what's the point? My daughter's already gone." She answered lowly. "I…"She trailed off. Eyes tired and unfocused as she looks down but at nothing in particular 

"All the more reason for us to work together, they don't deserve to get off scot-free for this...I should know..I've been you…" He shouldn't dally, but having her willingly give in compared to fighting him would be much easier. 

"I think I see the witch!" A call came from the distant treeline. He could feel, absorb, and taste the surge of fear, anger, and hatred, emit from this doe eyed woman as she clung to the small body in her arms. 

"They each should suffer for this. Revenge for every, pained breath that little one has gone through…" he growled out. He was almost convinced himself he was actually trying to help her and not just recover. 

Her breath hitched as she slowly looked up to flashlights that tunneled down upon her. 

"Clocks ticking…all you have to do is accept my help…" he growled. Surprised as she stood slowly, the emotions underneath were reflected in those brilliant green eyes. 

Raven clung her daughter to herself, shaking as the tears rolled down her cheeks and her lip curled in a snarl. 

"I…" she choked out from behind a sob, but cleared her throat and firmly stood her ground as shouts grew louder and louder from the forest. 

"I accept" 

[scythero]

A Botanical Daughter by Noah Medlock (2024)

It has been some time (again) since I've finished the book. I haven't felt compelled to post about it yet because after reading it, I vented about it quite lengthily to two of my friends. So the steam was let out. That being said, A Botanical Daughter was awfully disappointing. Spoilers ahead!

I bought this book for its really pretty cover and intriguing premise. That being two Victorian gentlemen living together in a greenhouse and using their combined skills as botanist and taxidermist to create a sentient plant-being. This being, according to the blurb at least, would be uncontrollable and dangerous. I will come back to that.

This premise is set up quite interestingly. The two gentlemen Gregor (botanist) and Simon (taxidermist) hire Jennifer as their housekeeper, whose ""best friend"" Constance had recently ""committed suicide"". Gregor, having found a fungus that would engage in a symbiotic relationship with plants by controlling and also caring for their needs, dreams big of creating sentience but struggles with a suitable substrate. So him and Simon go dig up Constance's body. From that, they create the being called Chloe, which Jennifer eventually is to care for as governess.

Now, wouldn't the revelation of Jennifer's newfound adoptive parents having desecrated her dead girlfriend's body shatter the found family of social rejects? Absolutely, and this is the books biggest crime. It never happens! Well, it does, kind of, but I will get to that. There is no drama, Jennifer just remains blissfully unaware throughout the entire book.

Another thing that was set up, even by the blurb, was that "plants could not be reasoned with". Turns out they can. Cloe is initially violent, killing a few birds of paradise and almost drowning Jennifer when they first come across each other. Jennifer then starts caring for her and from that point on, Chloe is just this innocent being that just wanders and sways and grows and mirrors people's motions. There is no sense of danger emanating from her. She's entirely passive.

The two times Chloe kills it is set up by Gregor, in almost identical scenarios. He invites over a guest, the two talk and get into an argument, and then Chloe reveals herself, killing the guest. The first person to die this way is Constance's father, who killed his daughter. The second is Julian Mallory, Gregor's ex-lover and head of the Royal Horticultural Society, which Gregor has held a grudge against for some ten years. Julian has been built up through mail correspondence with Gregor and once there, tries to tempt him. Gregor just kills him, and his death never has any consequences at all. Same with Constance's father, even though a potential conflict with the villagers has thoroughly been set up. The villagers are often described as unable understand or tolerate the found family in the greenhouse, so they need not find out. They never do.

Additionally, the main cast of characters is so inconsistently written. Their views and personalities change on a whim and they keep having the same arguments over Chloe all over again, but with different people taking different stands every time. It gets very confusing and the middle part of the book is far too long anyway. Initially, Simon finds the creation of Chloe to be abhorrent and he can't stand looking at her. Then, Gregor has a mental breakdown in which he reveals to Simon that he would love for Chloe to be their daughter. Simon immediately accepts the premise and becomes protective of Chloe, while Gregor then starts seeing her as his experiment? Sometimes Gregor is afraid of Chloe, sometimes he's resentful, sometimes he has paternal feelings. They are never explored. It's confusing.

There's more but I will jump to the ending now, because I find it to be just awful. Chloe has expressed wanting to go outside, and after Jennifer finds her mistreated by Gregor (which is set up to make Chloe angry/violent since she mirrors behaviour, but eh whatever), the two run away together. While riding, Jennifer has a memory about Constance, and then Chloe behind her says the lane from that memory. They're like "You can't know that." "Maybe Chloe can?" "You can't know that!" "Maybe Chloe can!" And that's quite unbelievable. Since the book made a big point of Chloe's creation, during which Simon took out the brain before the fungus ever enters Constance's body. The put the fungus in the skull, it doesn't work, so they decide to put it in the heart and have it use the arterial system to spread itself. So brain and fungus never interacted. Maybe that's a nitpick, but with how accurate the book tries to be with its botany and anatomy, it makes no sense to me.

Anyway, Jennifer learns of Chloe being based on her dead girlfriend's body, but then they go to her childhood room and have sex. It's terrible and I wish never read that scene. Also, Chloe has been treated and behaved like a child throughout the book, but I guess her suddenly having one memory of Constance makes her able to consent? Jennifer dies during it. Her biological dad and her two adoptive ones find her and Chloe as a mess of plants and Simon kills the bio dad. Very out of character.

I do like the explanation of Chloe needing to expand since the fungus has outgrown its substrate, hence her wanting to go outside. And Jennifer attraction to Chloe just gets mirrored by her. Then, Jennifer becomes the fungus' additional host. That's cool.

In this last act of the book, Simon actually realizes Gregor's abusive behaviour towards him and symbolically sets free the emotions he has always suppressed. Good for him. Sadly, in the 2-years-later epilogue, they are still together, having turned Chloe into "the Living Machine" to really stick it to the Royal Horticultural Society, who apparently never investigated the disappearance of their President.

I'm sure I missed some things but this shall conclude my ramblings about a book that severely disappointed me.

[hitnessgymdanderyd]

Unveiling the Fitness Journey How Personal Trainers at Hitness Gym Danderyd Sculpt Success

In the tranquil suburb of Danderyd, nestled amidst the serene Scandinavian landscape, lies a haven for fitness enthusiasts: Hitness Gym Danderyd. Stepping into this state-of-the-art fitness center, one is greeted not just by gleaming equipment and modern amenities, but by a team of dedicated personal trainers committed to sculpting success, one client at a time.

A Personalized Introduction

Your fitness journey at Hitness Gym Danderyd begins with a personalized introduction to your designated personal trainer. Unlike conventional gyms where you're left to navigate the labyrinth of machines alone, here, you're welcomed into a supportive and motivating environment tailored to your individual needs.

Assessing Your Ambitions

Before embarking on any fitness regimen, it's crucial to understand your goals and aspirations. At Hitness Gym Danderyd, personal trainers take the time to comprehensively assess your ambitions, whether it's shedding those stubborn pounds, building lean muscle, or enhancing overall well-being. This initial consultation sets the cornerstone for a customized fitness plan crafted exclusively for you.

Crafting a Tailored Fitness Regimen

Armed with insights garnered from the initial assessment, your personal trainer meticulously crafts a tailored fitness regimen designed to optimize results. From cardio exercises to strength training and flexibility drills, each session at Hitness Gym Danderyd is thoughtfully curated to challenge and empower you, pushing past limits you never knew existed.

Nutritional Guidance for Optimal Performance

No fitness journey is complete without paying heed to the fuel that powers your body. Recognizing the symbiotic relationship between nutrition and performance, personal trainers at Hitness Gym Danderyd offer comprehensive nutritional guidance, ensuring that you're not just eating, but eating right. Whether it's debunking dietary myths or devising meal plans tailored to your dietary preferences, they're with you every step of the way.

Monitoring Progress and Adjusting Course

As you progress along your fitness odyssey, periodic assessments are conducted to track your advancements and recalibrate your regimen accordingly. Whether it's tweaking the intensity of your workouts or introducing novel exercises to stave off monotony, personal trainers at Hitness Gym Danderyd are adept at adapting to your evolving needs, ensuring that stagnation is but a distant memory.

Cultivating a Community of Support

At Hitness Gym Danderyd, you're not just a client; you're part of a vibrant community united by a shared passion for health and wellness. Beyond the confines of the gym floor, social events, workshops, and group activities foster camaraderie amongst fellow fitness enthusiasts, providing the support and motivation needed to stay the course, even when the going gets tough.

Celebrating Milestones and Embracing Transformation

As you inch closer towards your fitness goals, Personal trainer Danderyd are there to celebrate each milestone, no matter how small. Whether it's fitting into that coveted dress size or shattering a personal best, your victories are their victories. And as you stand on the precipice of transformation, they're there to cheer you on, a testament to the unwavering commitment to your success.

In the bustling suburb of Danderyd, amidst the hustle and bustle of everyday life, lies a sanctuary for those who dare to dream, to aspire, and to transform. Welcome to Hitness Gym Danderyd, where personal trainers don't just sculpt bodies; they sculpt success, one client at a time.

[junzofay]

Minecraft Piss Stream

Asphyxiate within my abyssal void, an inner void of perpetual sin,

Consuming valiant souls who dare venture in.

Reality crumbles, drowning in inky despair,

A tempest seethes, disseminating torment through thickened air.

Far beneath these darkened, foreboding skies,

Gaia quakes, tortured by its solitary cries.

My heart's arrhythmia fades, a ghostly beat,

Your touch fades like ashes, cruel and fleet.

Another diurnal fades into endless night,

Innumerable grains in this chasm's bite.

A ceaseless march, a cursed countdown to the end,

Crawling ever closer to Thanatos, on morality’s path we wend.

A comet's blaze paints the heavens, a fleeting, fiery sight,

I hesitantly reached for you, enraptured by your light.

Mandibles grate in silence, an endless inner scream,

Ears haemorrhage, trapped within a perturbing dream.

Violets bloom, piercing through ribcage,

Snow descends, decaying, encage.

Torn apart, fragile as a dandelion's breath,

Aching for inspiration, to embrace your death.

In this twisted realm, devilry takes hold

Smothering my soul, baleful and cold

Lies masterfully disguised as truths, concealed stories untold

Sanity melts away, a slick tale to be foretold

Screams echo through the cobblestones of despair,

A cacophony of pain, a tormenting affair.

Splintered minds, consumed by eternal night,

Shattered dreams, vacuumed from sight.

With each tick, shadows intertwine

Whispers of despair, a haunting rhyme

Captive in inescapable web, woven by time

Invisible in this labyrinth of Crete, where aspiration is a crime

In the distant depths of solitude, I am confined

Chains of isolation, dense and unkind

Lacrimation flows like rain, habitual and aligned

Yearning for solace, but solace I can't find

Raging storms within, a tempestuous sea

Symbiotic in sorrows, struggling to be free

Tormented by the Hecatoncheires, my soul's decree

An eternal accord, a Sisyphean plea for mercy

In this pastiche of anguish and strife

Breathing befits Ares, tenuous is life

Yet, in the darkest abyss, a flicker of light

A cruel mirage that will cease to ignite

[johnmoakler]

Fiduciary Focus with John Moakler - Unraveling the Essence of Trust in Financial Planning

John Moakler

Financial landscapes can be labyrinthine, and traversing through fiduciary relationships often appears intimidating. It's common for people to feel uneasy about having their financial future in the hands of someone they barely know, which can provoke feelings of fear, doubt, and hesitance. However, the cornerstone of this complex process remains rooted in one fundamental component: trust. Trust is what John Moakler, a seasoned fiduciary, emphasises when guiding individuals through their personal finance journey.

Imagine a world where your financial planner isn't just a number cruncher, a faceless entity wielding the colon as their weapon of choice in crafting complex financial strategies. Instead, picture a relationship built on the bedrock of trust—a partnership where your financial planner is more than just a guide through the labyrinth of investments, but a steward of your dreams, aspirations, and, most importantly, your hard-earned money.

In the realm of financial planning, the term "fiduciary" is often thrown around like confetti at a celebration. But what does it really mean, and why should you care? A fiduciary is more than a buzzword; it's a commitment, a sacred pact between you and your financial planner. It signifies that your planner is legally bound to prioritize your interests above all else. No fine print, no hidden agendas—just a straightforward dedication to your financial well-being.

Embarking on financial planning, one must acknowledge the crucial role of this fiduciary bond. It surpasses a mere contractual agreement and rests on the trust vested in an individual committed to securing your economic future. While numerical figures often cloud our judgment, the fundamental element of trust remains pivotal for fruitful financial planning. Trust is what John Moakler, an experienced fiduciary, emphasizes when he navigates individuals through their personal finance journey.

Consider this: you wouldn't entrust your deepest secrets to a stranger, nor would you willingly share your vulnerabilities with someone who doesn't earn your confidence. The same principle applies to your financial planner. Trust is the bridge that connects you with the person responsible for shaping your financial destiny. Without it, the journey becomes a perilous tightrope walk, fraught with uncertainty and doubt.

In the landscape of financial planning, the absence of trust can manifest as a ticking time bomb. The financial world is rife with tales of individuals who handed over their financial reins only to find themselves entangled in a web of deceit, betrayal, and shattered dreams. This underscores the vital role that trust plays in the symbiotic relationship between you and your financial planner.

Building trust isn't a one-size-fits-all endeavor. It's a nuanced process that requires time, communication, and a shared commitment to your financial goals. Your financial planner isn't just a number-crunching automaton; they are human, and understanding the person behind the spreadsheets is crucial. This is where the magic happens—the convergence of expertise and empathy, creating a synergy that propels your financial journey forward.

In the realm of financial planning, the key to a strong advisor-client relationship lies in transparency. A trustworthy planner, such as John Moakler, prioritizes open, candid communication about your financial strategy. The main aim is to elucidate the complex financial schemes, thereby enabling clients to make well-informed decisions. This collaborative arrangement promotes an atmosphere of mutual understanding and shared responsibility in shaping one's financial future.

Trust is a delicate dance—one misstep, and the harmony can be disrupted. It requires consistent communication, a commitment to understanding your unique financial fingerprint, and a genuine interest in your aspirations. A fiduciary relationship isn't a transaction; it's an ongoing dialogue, a partnership that evolves as your life and financial landscape undergo transformations.

In the cacophony of financial advice and market fluctuations, the fiduciary focus provides a steady anchor. It's a reminder that, beyond the numbers and charts, there's a person dedicated to safeguarding your financial interests. In an industry where the colon and bullet points often reign supreme, the narrative of trust is a refreshing departure—a return to the fundamental human connection that underpins our financial decisions.

Picture this: the financial landscape is a vast and unpredictable terrain, much like a wilderness waiting to be explored. In this wilderness, your financial planner is not just a guide; they are your compass, steering you through the twists and turns of economic currents and market fluctuations. The fiduciary relationship, in essence, transforms this expedition into a collaborative adventure. It's a partnership where both you and your financial planner navigate the unknown, adapting strategies to weather storms and seize opportunities that arise.

Trust isn't a static entity; it's a dynamic force that thrives on communication and understanding. A fiduciary relationship encourages an open dialogue that goes beyond mere financial discussions. It invites conversations about your values, fears, and aspirations—elements that shape the tapestry of your financial life. In a world where numbers often dominate, these conversations breathe life into the relationship, transforming it from a transactional engagement into a meaningful connection. Your financial planner becomes not just an advisor, but a confidant who comprehends the nuances of your financial journey.

In an environment often defined by financial unpredictability, the fiduciary responsibility offers a reliable foothold. It's a commitment assuring that despite market disturbances or economic variations, John Moakler as a financial planner stays firm in his pledge to his client’s benefit. This duty serves as a consistent source of stability in a domain where change remains the sole certainty.

In the multifaceted world of financial planning, the fiduciary emphasis is the key element that merges professional competence with human understanding. It acknowledges that each financial choice is intrinsically tied to a personal narrative—a tale of dreams, hurdles, and victories. Adopting this fiduciary philosophy with John Moakler, you not only safeguard your economic future, but also commence a journey where trust serves as the guiding principle, communication is the medium of exchange, and your financial planner evolves from merely a guide to a trusted companion through life's economic challenges.

[januaryagain]

Last week I met somebody else.

And when I finished in their bed, I pretended they were you.

Your hypocrisy is justified, but doesn’t mean that it is in any precedence of fair, or comforting, to be consciously aware of. It is not satisfactory to be alive in your mind if not also alive in your dreams. Do you know that I sleep covered in roses? That while I rest I scratch my skin, and claw at my hair until there is nothing left of me except bone dust and my favourite jewellery?

I still have scars in the mornings.

What did you give me except side eyes and sex and the indescribable sensation of being enough?

What did you leave me with except your ghost and your games and the need to look for you in every single room?

Last week I met somebody different.

His hair was blonde and when I looked into his glasses, I thought I saw your eyes.

The way you glance at the floor when I pass is symbiotic with how I gaze at the world when someone mentions your name. Corners of the moon pale and crush in complexity; they blink and bribe when you enter my peripheral, corporeal or not. My windows show me the pieces as they land gently in my backyard.

They get pricked by the roses my father never uprooted.

Last week I met somebody.

I expected roses, drenched in shattered moon specks and rusted bracelets.

I expected roses, but they never came.

[labwebs]

"I'm just..." There really was no stopping the tears that'd welled up again. He was too tired, too exhausted, too shattered to pull himself together. But at the same time, he knew that with MJ he didn't have to do that. She'd seen him at his best, his worst, and everything in between and always been there when he needed her. They'd had their challenges and their bumps in the road, but it'd only made them stronger and better together. And though some memories were still beyond his reach or shaky at best, Peter knew that it wasn't just anyone who wouldn't have given up on him with the way he'd been since the symbiote had bonded with him. Sure, he'd only been trying to do the right thing... but it had twisted the responsibility he'd felt for the past near-decade into something much more violent and selfish. Much like how it'd taken Harry's dream of healing the world and justified a nightmare with those words. None of it felt very ok right now.

There was a lot to unpack about the past week or so. A lot to process and figure out and deal with the fallout of. And as driven as Peter was... he knew he couldn't do any of that like this. He needed sleep. Desperately. And time.

But as he glanced back at his bed again, he felt a small shudder work its way through his body. Probably irrational, possibly not given what he still didn't know, but the idea of getting up there just seemed impossible at the moment. May's bed was out of the question- he hadn't touched it since he'd moved in. Probably something else to grapple with when he felt more himself again. The couch wasn't practical as the temperature had dipped and there was the matter of that hole in the wall... And he wasn't sure he could do the stairs in this state, either. Maybe it'd be enough different if he just- "Um, I'm just gonna-" Giving MJ's hand a thankful squeeze first, he twisted around to pull the mattress off the bed frame and on to the floor- blankets and pillows and all. Yeah, that'd work. Good enough for his sleep-deprived, still-processing-everything brain anyways.

"Too bad we're probably too old for a pillow or blanket fort, huh?" he asked, exhaustion still coloring his voice, but with a bit more genuine attempt at a joke than he'd managed in a bit. "Even after she donated a bunch, May still seemed to always have a ton of extras. For guests, I guess."

@redhead-reporter

Peter wasn't the only one whose mind flashed INSTANTLY to that night when she looked at the twin sized bed shoved in the corner of his childhood bedroom. But unfortunately for her? MJ did have all the memories that followed him falling asleep, remembered that night with picture perfect CLARITY. How he'd VANISHED from under her nose, torn apart the swarm of hunters that had assembled to capture him, and then taken off into the night. How, with Miles's reluctant help, she'd CORNERED him in the tunnel to try and talk some sense into him. Reach him through whatever HAZE had fallen over his mind since he put on that suit, remind him who he was and get this insanity to stop.

It had been an almost FATAL mistake - she tried not to think about it too much, since she'd probably never sleep again if she did.

"Hey, no. What'd I say LAST time about you singing this same old song, Tiger?" MJ shushed affectionately, shaking her head as she rubbed comforting circles into his back. Trying to stay in constant physical CONTACT with him, as if her touch would be enough to keep him anchored in the here and now rather than falling down the rabbit hole of painful memory. "Yeah, maybe you should've trusted us a little more but ... you were just trying to HELP. And it's easy now, knowing what we know, to say you made a MISTAKE but ... for all we knew at the time? You might've been fine, might've-" she cut herself off, not daring to voice the hypotheticals floating through her mind since the only thing they'd accomplish was cause more PAIN. If he'd been RIGHT? If he could control the suit, if he really had been OKAY? Maybe everyone could've been saved - Harry could still be awake, Kraven might be in JAIL rather than six feet under, and she never would've been dragged into that horrible hive mind by Venom...

"You made the wrong choices. But you made them for the RIGHT reasons, Pete." MJ reminded him slowly, leaning in to press a firm kiss to his cheek. "It's OKAY ..."

@labwebs