#while planet and ro are just also there to those three

[mcytegg]

i really REALLY want ro and minute to team again one day bc minute's inherent distrust of ro's ability to stay loyal if there's a mapicc out there is genuinely so funny

[marsprincess889]

Vedic astrology observations

Part 5

Some interesting takes in this one😌

Ketu nakshatras, while having the ability to access the core of situations, also are the most likely to be deluded, due to the naturally tamasic nature of Ketu. For example, they might say something that is technically true but follow it up with examples and arguments that are straight up false, and they'll defend those incorrect details aggressively. It's not like they choose ro be ignorant, it's just much harder for them to break out of what they were clinging to, it's like an inability to see past falsehoods in details. Rahu has the ability to get those details right, but they might be hollow and devoid of substance. People influenced by either of these planets(rahu or ketu nakshatras in big three) often have this kind behavior: pushing their point while not seeing the whole picture, but in opposite ways.

Jupiter nakshatra women can have a mean streak. People say that about mars nakshatras but jupiter women specifically might have repressed anger that can be hard to contain and is often released in situations that have little to do with the true reason of their rage. They're very aware of this, unlike ketu nakshatras they're pretty self-aware, but they still have to deal with trying to balance their giving nature and their repressed anger during a lot of their life. I do have to say that anger becomes more obvious as you go through nakshatras in the chronological order. Punarvasus might be "catty" about it, Vishakhas can be really confrontational and aggressive, P.Bhadrapadas have that devil-may-care attitude towards it.

Venus women are the most likely to try to maintain peace around them. They are very discerning and fierce on the inside but they hate to show that side of themsleves and all that passion is chanelled through love, beauty, art and enjoyment. With other people, they're extremely private but polite. They never show dislike by directly confronting, but they make sure to minimize any engagement with them as much as possible. With Bharani and Purva Phalguni, it's rarely personal. Purva Phalguni especially is almost never concerned with others, they're very self-focused, but Purva Ashadha is the one out of three to become confrontational. Still, their confrontation is very different from Martian, Rahuvian, Ketuvian, Jupiterian or Solar confrontation. Bharanis are the most private and heavy on the boundaries. All of them will quietly judge and take notes before they even consider direct confrontation.

Moon women, although not exclusive like Venus, have this quietly demanding nature. They are the most likely to sulk/hurt in silence for a while before bringing any issue up. Interesting thing that I've noticed is that Venus dominant and Moon dominant women rarely get along. The exception would be Purva Ashadha and Shravana women, I'd say they get along extremely well. Maybe also Hasta and Bharani, but that one is rarer. Lunar femininity is based on receptivity and nurture, Venusian femininity is based on exchange and enjoyment. I can't explain it but there's this weird tension between them where they're both aware that their views and priorities in "feminine" matters are very different. Moon might quietly resent Venus's exclusive nature and view her as a competitor, because Venus does not immediately give to and worship lunar energies. Venus will dislike Moon's "overly" dependant nature that is nurturing to everyone, and might view it as smothering.

Revatis have a very interesting sense of humor. They're the true comedians that base their humor on "silliness". They do it simply for entertainment and rarely, if ever, to bring up current events in politics or trendy topics. Revati is more Ketuvian than Rahuavian (Ketu is the ruler of Pisces) and so they know how to mind their own business. With humor, even if they make fun of others, it's almost as if they're universally making of fun of everyone similar to them. It's more universal, rarely singling someone out with the intention of calling them out. Often if they make fun of one person, they'll also make fun everyone else, including themselves. Of course, there are exceptions in specific intances, but their worldview is what I just described above.

Nakshatras with yoni animals that are physically strong have an air of dignity and regality. Elephant, Buffalo, Cow/Bull and maybe even Lion yonis(although they are much less likely to be this way in tense situations) fall into this. They all embody those traits in very different ways. To put it simply, Elephant yonis are very level-headed, careful and peaceful, although strong instinctually. Buffalo yonis are very neutral and placid. Cow/Bull yonis are soft and reliable and Lion yonis are bold and unashamed.

Wanted this to be longer but it's not bad! Let me know what you think, interact💕

Take care🤍

[onecornerface]

the time I trolled 4chan as a fake flat earther for six hours in 2012

In July 2012, I got on 4chan and pretended to be a flat earther. I passionately argued for flat earth theory for six hours with almost no break. I kept a single thread going the whole time, getting over 400 replies. I’m not sure if I still have a PDF of the thread, but I do have some quotes from people who responded to me. Looking back over this a decade later, I am proud.

[CW: Slurs]

"There's no way you're actually this dumb. There's just no way."

"the flat earth society is one of the best trolls i've ever seen, in all those days of /b/"

"I tried some scientific research on this topic a while ago. I ordered a pizza, got two because the first was not what I ordered. I let the first dry out under a light bulb. Eventually, after a couple weeks, living creatures started populating Planet Pizza, after a while orbiting their home planet. This is proof, that the earth is flat. tl;dr Earth is a pizza, probably on a bigger pizza which probably is in a room with an even bigger pizza."

"Sir your thesis contradicts climate, you don't know what refraction is, you can't explain day and night, ebb and flow and you're also paranoid and/or outright stupid since you believe in conspiracy theory."

"You are a stupid faggot, and the whole of society would be better if you stopped breathing it's air. ...unless, of course, you're a troll. In that case, I'll award you an 8/10."

"I however, HAVE BEEN TO SPACE. Twice. I assure you, having orbited the planet many times, it is indeed a sphere. OP is an idiot, his only defense against me is 'omg gimme proof' which I can, and once given, 'u r part of the illuminatee' Ugh. Ignorant dumb ass piece of shit."

"Damn OP 9/10"

"If we dealt with this on a daily basis i would kill myself."

"Yes my jimmies are rustled, because I hate ignorant, inbred fucks like OP. Go die in a hole. Oh wait, you couldn't, you'd be scared of just falling through into space."

"10/10 OP good trolling, keeping in character and sounding legit"

"9/10 OP. My jimmies will be rustled for the whole rest of the day after reading this tripe."

"[S]ome eyebrows must be raised in the direction of the /b/ros still continuing to argue about this. Better standard should be expected from you guys, but taking away nothing from OP. Excellent work."

"If you're not a failtroll you are, by far, one of the most deluded and idiotic people I've ever seen post on /b/, which is a tremendous feat."

"9/10 for commitment"

"love this thread op 10/10 for still being here." (This was three hours in.)

">Focuses on the obscurely worded >Ignores every other point >Provides no answers About what I was expecting."

"Go hung yourself, please Humanity doesn't need such stupid people like you are"

"I'd believe someone who says the earth is flat compared to someone who claims otherwise and can't grammar correctly."

"I haven't laughed so hard at something on /b/ for a long time."

"OP, I'm not gonna bother asking you anything. I just wanted to let you know this is the best thread I have seen as long as I can remember. You truly are amazing. Good fucking job."

"nice arguments though i am in awe of your reckless faggotry and ignorance and skills of producing believable logical fallacies."

(Four hours in) "I can't believe this thread is still going. OP is the most successful troll of all time."

">Earth is flat >Every other celestial body is round >mfw 1/10"

"Great thread. You are not a troll, I saw you other times here and I knew personally a man from this society."

"holy shit 0 of fucking 10"

"Billiard balls are also flat. Isn't it obvious that they sprites?"

"10/10 OP wins"

">almost 5 hours of this shit 10/10"

"Big respect OP. OP is alpha as fuck"

"but seriously, OP is the man destroying everyone with his devasting arguments for hours huge respect man if i would suck a cock then I'd suck yours and I'd propably come before you do"

"3/10. Painfully obvious troll, yet impressive to see so many anons actually failing to make a compelling argument."

"Willy Wonka travelled around the world in 80 days, and ended up back where he started, just in time for tea. You can't explain that."

"Did you ever wonder what happened to Amelia earhart? She flew too far. Gov't shot her down past the ice wall. They obviously couldnt have her come back from that trip, she would tell everyone"

"I myself subscribe to modern rational empiricism, in accordance to which OP's arguments are absolute bullshit. And yet the attempts to challenge his unfalsifiable beliefs have proven mostly futile. A great majority of those posting in this thread have no idea why they should believe the earth is round."

"There has to be trolling here, I seriously can't believe what I am reading."

"this is beyond epic"

"I'm starting to enjoy this so i'm upping you from a 2/10 to an 8 but it ends now."

"OP is now argueing since 6 hours. This is the longest discussion I've ever seen in my life. Of ALL discussions, not only 4chan."

"arguments presented thus far by flatty: >did you personally do the experiment? no? then the results are invalid >here's my evidence; as demonstrated in this experiment someone else did also >oh; you did the experiment itself and it basically shows that the earth is round? >there's probably crazy gravity or some shit; hell if i know or >just because we can't explain every one of these phenomena and a spherical model can doesn't mean we're wrong. i'm serious you guys also >pictures lie and you should never believe them; despite mind boggling quality and quantity available for universal use online"

"Explain how we can have fat asses and tennis balls but a flat fucking earth."

"9/10 OP, well done!"

[venillopewrites]

Hi I hope you're well. I was just wondering if there were any new updates you could give us?

If not, what about any non spoilery fun facts for this or your other project?

Actually Idk if you started working on it yet but if so, How's the other project going? All I saw was animals and got excited.

Hello love! I'm doing good, winding down from the summer excitement and preparing my home for my favorite autumn season 🍂 My neighbors are getting increasingly worried about my pumpkin collection.

I do have some minor updates for you! Nothing to warrant an entire post, but small successes are also successes!

For example, the personality aspect of the prologue has passed quick testing! Now every action has an appropriate reaction somewhere in the text, no matter how small. I so enjoy flavor text 💫 (I added like 2k words of flavor text. Oops, but not really)

The naming shenanigans for the Parasite has been fun. There's some easter eggs there, depending on what you decide to name it! (ie. Venom, which no doubt will be popular) Of course all of these aliens from media have faded from human memory between 2023 and 2974, but that won't stop me from writing some general and vaguely snarky responses.

Bonus scene for this week was the very first "death" scene. Not that the MC can die this early in the game, but I'll switch to the Parasite's POV as a lil treat for both you and me 😌 It's very exasperated about the whole ordeal of its human meat bag going *windows shutting down*.

Focusing heavily on the stat page now too, and boy is it fun. There's even (placeholder) graphics! Both literary and numerical relationship stats, yay! Shiba will be the only one who even remotely likes MC in the beginning of the game, the others are either indifferent (Parasite), wary (N.) or downright hostile (E.)

There are a lot of fun tidbits from both games, but let's do TEP for now.

Did you know organized religion no longer exists in 2974? The only thing remaining are obscure records on the intranets and crumbling, forgotten infrastructure hidden deep within the oldest parts of the Pens. Cults though, those you'll find in abundance!

The metropolitan city has a name, but no one really uses it. The three districts (the Aureum, the Hub, and the Pens) are the biggest districts within the city of Arca. There are more, but no one really pays mind to those. Like suburbs that have nothing happening to be honest.

All but four planets (the four exceptions being Neptune, Jupiter, Uranus, Saturn) in the solar system are inhabited by humans. Mercury is an industrial behemoth, and only houses mines, factories, and factory workers. Venus is a resort planet, but just for the richest of people who can afford it. Very bougie. Mars is a settled planet with similar massive cityscapes as Earth, but they're very much shielded under massive domes. Pluto is a prison. Many moons/natural satellites also have colonies, because humans are too many and need space.

One of those inhabited moons kinda went kablooey in 2430. RIP people who lived on Rhea.

While the future has many great technologies, humans haven't dabbled in android business yet. There are some trials on extinct animals though, but those have all been failures.

Animals only exist in zoos. The planet is too barren and crowded to house any natural animals. Sad, but no one really cares since they don't go outside the city limits on foot anyway.

Oh wee, that was a lot of loredropping, huh? Hope it gives a bit of an insight to the world!

Now the other project is in outlining stages, but I can name drop some NPCs/RO's for you 😉 They're all set in their genders too which will help me with coding.

Anyway, here's them and their respective emojis.

Kit 🐻‍❄️🐧

Olivia 🐬🦈

Dallas 🐊🐍

Mason 🦁🐯

Harper 🦚🦜

Sydney 🩺🐾

Oh, and the villain 💵🏗️, duh.

[toastess-with-the-mostess]

Let's Rewind! Toast Watches Voltron: Defender of the Universe (1984)

Season 1, Episode 41: There Will Be A Royal Wedding Season 1, Episode 42: The Sand People

Episode 41: There Will Be A Royal Wedding I think I recognize this episode title, PART THREE LETS GOO

recap timeee

THERE HE IS SVEN IS SO BACK

"I am a wild man, I live in this tunnel eating roots and mushrooms!" SVEN PLEASE

Romelle recognizes him!

Oh god, he's breaking down over his trauma for getting hurt and trying to heal but then he got enslaved all over again without being able to fight and still hurting

the start of the only couple ever, Keith and Allura could never happen because Keith would never stop self sabotaging himself and Sven is willing to be a malewife

he's so scared to call the force because he's scared of them seeing him broken like that he's calling them anyway

WHY IS ALLURA IN A TAN DRESS?? WHAT HAPPENED

oh an escaped slave ship full of slaves is getting recaptured

"do you think princess Ro-MEAL could survive down there?" Zarkon PRONOUNCE HER NAME RIGHT

oh also they're planning to take over Pollux while she's gone

WHY DO THEY KEEP CALLING HER RO-MEAL

new robeast, it's literally an iron woman that they called iron maiden pretty cool though OH GOD IS SHE CRUSHING PEOPLE IN HER HANDS?? THAT'S HORRIFYING

Romelle is trying to stop it, but Sven is stopping her because if she shows herself then their whole plan is fucked time to steal another slave ship to get her home!

The doomites have worse aim than storm troopers

poor Romelle she's crying for the other slaves who helped her and Sven escape, nobody else was able to make it with them BUT THEY GOT IN CONTACT WITH THE TEAM AND THEY'RE MEETING UP

voltron formed up early,,, it's getting serious folks

"so she wouldn't have me, but she runs away with some slave!" WHY ARE YOU SALTY ABOUT THAT LOTOR

Romelle and Bandor finally get to speak again, JUST GET THOSE BABIES TOGETHER DAMN IT

space battle with the iron maiden guys please you spoke too early now the real fight is starting with her gold form instead of her silver one

that's a cool attack, the crown tied up voltron after it hit his head

WHY IS BANDOR OUT THERE WITH A SINGLE SHIP THIS IS WHY HE GOT HIT

oh wow Voltron is taking such a bad beating Sven doesn't even want to help but Romelle is girlbossing so hard he can't help say yes

Voltron is freed by dumb luck, formed up blazing sword and the fight is over with a lot of explosions

Now they're back on Pollux and Romelle and Bandor finally get to hug again! Sven is officially Romelle's malewife "she gave me back my life" GOD HE'S SO IN LOVE

this episode went by so fast

/episode end

Episode 42: The Sand People oh man I remember some stuff from this episode

OH NOW YOU WANNA CARE ABOUT OTHER PLANETS CORAN

sand people lore: they're timid and sweet people and look like turtles Zarkon wants to turn them into weapons

"my horoscope tells now the time to be nasty" ZARKON'S LISTENS TO HIS HOROSCOPE?? ASTROLOGIST ZARKON CONFIRMED

PIDGE OSTRICHED INTO THE SAND AS GREEN THAT'S SO CUTE also Keith told him bless you after he sneezed, they're adorable

how are the team getting sand peoples tracks to scan on it accurately so can the lions 'smell' in order to do scans?

UNIDENTIFIED MY ASS, THAT SHIP HAS SKULL ON IT, IT'S FROM DOOM oh cool underground base- NO PIDGE GOT TAKEN DOWN BY SNAKES

ARE THEY UNSCREWING GREENS LIMBS FROM HER?

PIDGE STOP QUESTIONING PEOPLE WHO ARE GIVING YOU ADVICE ON HOW TO GET OUT OF AN ATTACK I KNOW ROMELLE ACCIDENTALLY BETRAYED YOU BUT STILL

oh the sand people definitely died if they got taken by those snakes

Pidge saying he needs to call them team, but Keith was already running towards his location He knows when his son is in trouble,,, there was a disturbance in the force

what are they even riding, I think those are the most alien looking things we've seen in this show ever

wow they really are like turtles, digging underground Allura is already treating them like puppies

I know they're trying to make the sand people humanized, but they're treating them like toddlers or animals

Allura wore a bracelet under her gloves this whole time? Well it's a gift to that one sand person now

"all sand tanks in formation!" all tanks are for the sand dipshit,, they have caterpillar treads

god now i'm humming one of the themes of the show

LMAO DO THEY KEEP COMMS OPEN SO LOTOR AND THE FORCE CAN TALK SHIT TOWARDS EACH OTHER SO PETTY

wow just like the first episode, everyone as their heads in the sand after being smacked back into the ground

THE TANKS CAN FLY?

Is avalanche just a word for snow? Because the team is getting covered with a ton of falling sand and I feel like avalanche fits for these scenes

Lotor grabbed one of them to turn into a robeast OH NO THE POOR BOY IS SO SCARED, AND HE'S THE ONE WITH PRINCESS ALLURA'S BRACELET

does yellow lion have fire breath?

How do the doomites know what Earth moles are

HOW ARE YOU GONNA STOP GIANT ROBOTS BY SHOOTING AT THEM WITHOUT A SHIP

THE COCKPITS HAVE SAND PEOPLE IN THEM NOW, THEY'RE SO CUTE

how is that bracelet still on the sand person, that some weak ass magic if it can't break metal Allura named him sandy

she's trying so hard to call out to him, but they have to form voltron anyway, this is going to get so depressing

oh they realized the S on him was keeping that robeast transformation on him so they ripped it off, and now he's in a "coma"

nobody ever dies in dotu

/episode end

[paradoxcase]

QuCheanya post 6, last post:

I shoved a bunch of extra stuff in at the end of the grammar which is all new but is more vocabulary-related than anything.

First, the number system:

Eat your heart out, Janko Gorenc. Is he even still around? I have no idea.

I tried to explain this in prose, rather than make a giant table of "here's how you say every number" but I'm not sure this is super clear, let me know if I can make it clearer. The multiples of 6 are as follows:

18: choi mai

24: syene fyeirä / pfona mai

30: talä mai

36: choi fyeirä / choamai

42: choamai fu mai (thirty-six and six)

48: pfona fyeirä / choamai syene (thirty-six two = 120 base 6)

54: choamai choi (thirty-six three = 130 base 6)

60: talä fyeirä / choamai pfona (thirty-six four = 140 base 6)

66: choamai talä (thirty-six five = 150 base 6)

72: mai fyeirä / syene choamai (two thirty-six = 200 base 6)

78: syene choamai fu mai (two thirty-six and six = 210 base 6)

84: roate fyeirä / syene choamai syene (two thirty-six two = 220 base 6)

I hope that makes sense. If you're counting only in base 6, note that syene choamai fu syene is actually 202 base 6, which is 74, while syene choamai syene, without the fu, is 220 base 6 = 84.

Incidentally, the base 12 system for angles of a circle works out to 15 earth degrees for every 12 cheanya degrees, or:

360 degrees = 200 base 12 degrees

180 degrees = 100 base 12 degrees

90 degrees = 60 base 12 degrees

60 degrees = 40 base 12 degrees

45 degrees = 30 base 12 degrees

30 degrees = 20 base 12 degrees

20 degrees = 14 base 12 degrees

15 degrees = 10 base 12 degrees

10 degrees = 8 base 12 degrees

Now that we have numbers, we can have time of day:

Honestly, I don't know why we split our clock into after-midnight-but-before-noon and after-noon-but-before midnight.

Also, yes, the sundials (and clocks) go anticlockwise. This is because we are in the southern hemisphere. Sundials in the northern hemisphere also go anticlockwise if you mount them on the wall (and southern hemisphere sundials mounted on the wall go clockwise) and I was not able to confirm this, but I suspect that all of those things are reversed if the planet spins the other direction and the sun rises in the west (which is not the case here).

This is using grammar discussed above: qhaitsea is the plural of qhaitse, hour, qätyafye is qätya (which is now a noun) + fye, suapfifye is suapfi (now also a noun) + fye, and fosorofye is the verb foso (= sleep) + action nominalizer -ro + fye. And of course, when your writing system is a syllabary, abbreviations use the entire first syllable of the word.

And now we have dates:

So, there are five weeks in each month, the first and last two are six days long and the middle one is usually eight days long and sometimes nine days long. And there are nine months. So that is a total of 32 days in the seven short months, 33 days in the two long months, and one leap day every five years, for a total of 290.2 days in the year. The days are 30.5 earth hours long, because I wanted to give my conpeople a day length that actually matches my natural circadian rhythm, for a total of 8851.1 earth hours in a year, compared to earth's 8769.6 earth hours per year, a difference of 81.5 earth hours, or about 3 earth days and 9 earth hours and 30 earth minutes. Each Cheanya hour is about 1 earth hour and 42 earth minutes long, with the Cheanya minutes being about 42 earth seconds long, and the Cheanya seconds are about 18% longer than earth seconds.

Language-wise: Nyoacelya Lyuya is nyoace (= fact/piece of information) + plural genitive ending -lya (plural nyoacea means knowledge/information) and lyui (= day) pluralized to lyuya. Nyufeisya is diminutive prefix nyu- + feisya (= sister), and Yearilye Ciria and Nyufeisyalye Ciria are just the names of the moons + genitive singular -lye and ciria, which looks plural, but actually means celebration or festival in either the singular or the plural.

Now, a table of postpositions, some of which are new:

Also shows what they mean when you affix them to a verb, and what case they take. Probably I will add more, but I think this covers a decent range to start with.

And some charts of the system of demonstratives and time/place words I talked about before:

More grammatical uses for tsai and nea. I think when I get to question words I will make them using another prefix that goes onto this same set of bases to make "what time", "what place", "what thing", "what person", etc. Note that this is yet another solution to the gay fanfiction problem - if the topic-reflexive pronoun and the noun tenses are not enough, there are also eight other words you can use to refer to people and things besides the third-person pronoun. I didn't do this intentionally, it kind of happened by accident.

Anyway, that's the wrap. The full document, including a number of other interlinears at the end and a dictionary of all QuCheanya words used in the document is here: https://github.com/faiuwle/qucheanya/blob/main/qucheanya.pdf

[zylian]

Zy is annoyed so quick summary on Planet in Vitalasy stream

Planet and vitalasy talk and they disagree on a lot of stuff

Vitalasy leaves the call annoyed and decides Panet is a problem and says he never wants to be put on a team with Planet ever

vitalasy than proceeds to test out the prison

he put planet in the unfinished prison and kept one tapping him until he almost got banned so he would stop talking since they disagree on stuff

Planet said "not again" and said he would do anything to make him stop

Planet gets out and Vitalasy tells Planet to stop interfering and blames him for his team break up

Planet see's the zam book which says "I never had teammates I could trust til now :)" (the one with the trust apple book) and Planet laughs saying "you kept more than Mapicc and Ro ever did" than vitalasy gets upset.

Planet says let's agree to disagree and Vitalasy gets super upset, leaves call, and than vitalasy talks about the past and says 3 players ruined it all.

————— Zy opinion —————

“3 players” well that's probably Mapicc, Ro & Zam so good thing those three don't hate each other currently

Vitalasy who is the closest to Spoke & Ash not bothering to see what their doing is the saddest thing I’ve ever heard. Spoke tormenting ppl and makes Vitalasy leader while Vitalasy wants hear nothing from anyone.

No one chooses their labels yet every person with a different opinion (who is mortal) is apparently his worse enemy (omg!)

He called himself the servers punching bag… I want him to name the people who hate him and the ppl who don’t cause from whatever I hear ppl blame him for trying to be a hero after the damage is done

The end portals? Yah they called him a tyrant so? Bro loves to contradict himself sometimes

Kinda glad Planet was the one to talk to him cause if it was anyone else Vitalasy wouldn’t have stopped. Why does it have to be Planet almost getting banned for him to stop raging smhhhhhhh

He keeps bringing up the past and I wanna bash my head into the wall like everyone heard u ok, yes you never wanted this to happen but what matters is the present and apparently running away is the answer. Than RUN AWAY, omg stop lingering in between, u can’t explain ur side (glitch wise) and than stick around other players

If u want to mind ur business alone than dont give ppl reasons too ??? ur already stuck being blamed for the exploits you can’t just run now

It makes sense why Subz just sat there and agreed during vitalasys rage/ rant cause wtf Planet isn’t a good but having his own opinion shouldn’t make u that upset

Subz who was ACTIVELY HUNTED chose to not learn the powers and that says something. Vitalasy who can’t log in to save his team and chooses to run away instead ? Ppl with less hearts and no gear still managed to save themselves. 3 heart trio got tormented A LOT yet fight with what they have, Zam got tormented SO much, they both probably have worse scars then Vitalasy in this season and Vitalasy choses to be left alone now. Did he not learn from Subz’s pacifism arc????

“Once the plan is in action you won’t be able to hit me anymore” ?????????? He hates the purpose of the server so badddddd

he becomes a god to be left alone, wasn’t Ashswag already considered a god and didn’t he still get people bothering him? Despite them knowing he would fight back. People want to fight eachother and especially a fair/ challenging one cause thats fun!!! The whole point Mapicc tries pulling Subz out of his pacifism was to fight cause when he fights Subz it’s fun, it’s challenging, he has to focus.

Vitalasy pls open ur eyes I swear it’s not that hard pls there are already ppl on the server who are in similar boats as you and ppl who have already run away

Also he keeps bringing up how he gave 8 hearts to Mapicc & Ro and they betrayed him. HE BETRAYED HIS OWN TEAM IN THE END FIGHT. He’s blind and even after his own team forgave him (Red & Pangi specifically) Vitalasy still treats it like he’s alone. I’m starting to think Pangi dragging him into fights was what a normal teammate would have done. Bro can never ask for help I swear

GAH I’m upset

[ambassadorarlert]

HEAT WAVES... (Armin Arlert x afab!reader)

.04 BOARDWALK (main menu | spotify ) 18+ MDNI NSFW ↳ summary: ...armin comes out of his shell. ↳ warnings: explicit sexual content, swearing, implied depression, anxiety ↳ genre: hurt/comfort, comedy, ↳ word count: 11k

No one really had an answer. It was as if Eren had vanished into thin air, like he erased himself from the face of the planet and it was just you eight who remembered his existence. All of his belongings stayed just where he left them. Eren’s suitcase was barely unpacked. A glass of water sat half full on his nightstand. There wasn’t a single thing that seemed odd or unusual. 

Missing in action for a few hours turned into a few days. Which, eventually, turned into weeks. All of the Survey Corps plans to set up a base in Marley had to be put on hold, and it raised more questions about what to do next. Should the mission be considered a failure and go home to Paradise? Or, wait it out and continue as coordinated once Eren eventually returns?

There was also the looming danger of being busted by Marleyan officials as Eldian’s from Paradise, a special group of people in which the entire country agreed that they hated. Was staying on Marley a minute longer than necessary a risk worth taking?

You didn’t want to think about any of that now. All you wanted was some breakfast.

You quietly open the door to the dining hall, not surprised to see Hange and Levi sitting at the table. They stopped talking to each other as you entered and greeted them for the morning.

They seemed to be having a particularly serious discussion. Hange was sitting on the edge of their seat, their face painted with that determined look that you found inspirational and also frightening-- depending on the situation. Levi was sitting back in his chair, an arm rested around the supportive backrest.

“Make a cup of tea for me.” Levi said.

Anyone else would have taken his tone for rudeness, and his request as a direct order. However, you knew this was Levi’s way of being polite, as his articulation was softer and rounder around the edges. A change of speech he only reserved for you.

It was a recurring joke that you were Levi’s favorite. Levi spoke to you in different tones than he does to anyone else. For you he is always a pinch nicer. He usually said yes to any of your requests, agreed with most of your ideas, and no one could recall a time where Levi had to whack you upside the head for saying something stupid. On top of all that, you were the only one who was allowed to make Levi his tea. Eren made it taste bitter. Jean serves it too hot while Armin serves it too cold. Sasha adds too much sugar, and Connie makes too much of a mess for a single cup. Hange somehow makes it taste like dirt. You were the only one who could brew and sweeten it the exact way Levi liked.

“Yes, sir.” You complied.

It was routine now that you would make a cup for Levi before yourself whenever you happened to be awake at the same time. He hardly needed to ask at this point.

As you approached the table to prepare tea, you took notice of the heavy silence between the three of you. Levi definitely added an ominous element to whatever room he was in, but the tension was too thick. Perhaps you really had walked in on a heated conversation. Being the awkward interruption made you nervous. You kept your head down as you sorted through the teabags to find one Levi would enjoy.

“So, since it’s just the three of us. We’d like to ask you a few questions, Y/N.” Hange spoke up, clearing their throat as they did so. You paused.

“Okay.” You agreed, trying not to sound as anxious as you had suddenly become.

“How has Mikasa been holding up since Eren has been gone?” Hange questioned.

“And be honest.” Levi interjected.

If you were going to be completely honest, Mikasa had been having a difficult time. Just as anyone would imagine. For the first few days of Eren’s absence, she had been inconsolable. Mikasa spent most of those days confined in her hotel room, crying to a point where she would exhaust herself, fall asleep, wake up, repeat. Then, her despair took a turn and transformed into unwavering hope that Eren couldn’t be gone much longer, and that he would return. It was a last minute coping mechanism.

“She’s.. doing her best.” You answered, pouring hot water over the teabag in the cup.

You voted to keep it simple and true as you could without divulging too many details. Mikasa was heartbroken, but she did less crying every day. You figured that Mikasa wouldn’t appreciate you giving out too much personal information, especially to Levi.

Levi and Hange glanced at each other as you kept your back turned. They mutually and silently agreed to not push further about Mikasa. Still, there was another person they were concerned about.

“And Armin?”

The sudden mention of his name falling off of Levi’s lips casually and innocently sent goosebumps down your spine. You shivered as if a chill had brushed right through you. You even dropped the spoon you were using to stir sugar in Levi’s tea directly onto the floor. It fell with a muted clunk against the carpet.

Your mind began to race. As far as you and Armin could tell, no one suspected anything about either of you. You both kept a respectable distance from each other around the group but by default your interactions with each other increased. No one seemed to notice how your eyes lingered on each other from across the room. Sasha, who had been wholeheartedly invested in your infatuation with Armin from the beginning, didn’t even realize that he fixed you a cup of tea every morning since landing in Marley. Jean, who was Armin’s assigned partner for the mission and only slept a few doors down, paid no attention that Armin’s door would squeak open and shut at odd hours of the night from you slipping in and out. Mikasa, who was Armin’s very best friend, seemed oblivious as well. Then again, her mind was elsewhere these days.

There wasn’t much to be said about what Connie knew, because it was usually nothing.

If anyone was going to notice anything, it was Levi. And if Levi knew then Hange most definitely did as well. Levi was omniscient, all-seeing, all knowing, nothing got past him without him hearing about it. You were sure that you and Armin’s jig was up. You’d have to break down and tell Levi everything he wanted to know, as you couldn’t imagine lying to your captain and commander.

You bit your lip as you reached for a new spoon. You began to sweat under your arms and your stomach felt as if it would drop right out of your ass. As quickly as your anxiety had been sprung, a new idea came to mind.

Telling Levi the truth was your best option. However, you didn’t need to reveal all of it. 

It was generally easier to tell if Armin was upset, afraid, happy, or sad. In the context of Eren, he was a tougher nut to crack than you suspected. When Eren first disappeared, Armin remained positive that Eren would return as he had no real connections or resources in Marley. He stayed up most nights as a watch guard, ready to welcome Eren back with open arms and a jillion questions. Coffee was his newfound hyperfixation. It gave him the energy he needed to stay up through the night. Apart from the stray glasses of water that you insisted he chug, coffee was all he drank. 

When it was becoming apparent that Eren qualified as missing in action, Armin’s decline began. He crash-napped at strange times during the day. Whenever he was awake, his nose was buried in the journals he brought along with him from Paradis, flipping through pages and notes and personal diary entries he had taken on Eren, his memories from his father, and information on the Attack Titan. Armin hardly ate anyway, but he held no real appetite. Armin slept in later and later, often letting the small plates of food you brought him run cold.

You straighten your posture.

“Actually, Captain, I’m glad you asked.” You said.

Hange and Levi shared another look at each other as they also sat up to listen. Just as they predicted, Eren’s two dearest and longest friends would be struggling with him being gone. Everyone knew that the trio never really had a single day without each other. Anyway they could help, they absolutely would. 

Levi’s tea was at the perfect temperature and just the right amount of sugar had been added. You walked across the room and lightly placed the saucer and cup in front of him. For a second, Levi watched the steam rise from the rim and eyed the deep brown liquid. You stepped back and stood at full ease.

“Armin hardly comes out of his room these days. I don’t think he eats, or sleeps, he’s too occupied overanalyzing and prophesying. We all know that Armin is more… perceptive than others. I-I think a day outside would do him some good. Only for a few hours just to get his mind off of things.” You submitted your idea, looking between Levi and Hange for any kind of reaction.

Instead of taking the cup by the handle, Levi hovered his hand across the entire rim and sipped through a gap in his fingers, louder than usual. He held his eyes on Hange, who actually had the final say. Hange’s stare was fixated on the table as you explained the situation. They nodded slowly as they listened.

Of course, there was more you wanted to say. But, just as you wanted to respect Mikasa’s emotional privacy, you wanted to do the same for Armin, and not lead on too much. Levi and Hange eyed each other down, quietly debating as if they could read each other’s minds. Your eyes darted between the two of them, eager to hear their thoughts. You felt like you were asking both of your parents for a favor.

“You think we’re going to let you two out and about unchaperoned, in enemy territory, after the shit you all pulled at the refugee camp?” Levi questioned, an eyebrow raised in suspicion. He didn’t look at you as he spoke.

Good point. Quickly, you came up with a counter argument to blame Eren for the sake of the conversation, but Hange intervened before you could propose it.

“Eren took full responsibility for that, and I said we’d just forget about it and move on. That was weeks ago at this point.” Hange removed their glasses to wipe a lens on the corner of their shirt.

“Armin and Y/N are responsible, and are the ones we would have to worry about the least if they were out by themselves.. We shouldn’t let Armin rot in his thoughts alone. Don’t you agree, Levi?” Hange hinted.

Levi took another large slurp out of his cup. With the loud sipping and little complaint as he drank, you figured you once again hit the nail on the head. Hopefully, that would add extra leverage to your proposal. Levi licked his lips and sat his cup in the saucer with an uncomfortable clink.

Levi’s silver-grey eyes weren’t cold, but still just as unnerving, as he finally made eye contact with you. You swallowed as he looked you directly into your soul, and a few yards beyond. He pointed a finger as he spoke.

“Don’t do anything stupid.” Levi said. Now, that was an order.

Your mind had drawn to a blank. You had prepared yourself to defend your case. However, you were not expecting the conversation to go as simply as it did. Once the tide of relief had washed away, you thanked them generously and prepared to leave and make plans. It was better to accept a yes and leave, than to waste another second and give them room to change their minds.

“Hold on,” Levi called after you before you could fully make it out the door.

He dug around in his pocket, and simply chucked whatever he had towards you. You caught it with ease, opening your hand to see that he had thrown a singular Marleyan coin. A string had been tugged in your chest. 

“Thank you, Captain.” You smiled greatly and genuinely, giving a respectful salute out of gratitude. Levi waved his hand, dismissing you. You turned on your heel and let the door fall closed behind you.

“Hmm.” Hange relaxed in their seat. Their lips pressed into a sarcastic frown. Levi glared.

“What?” He wanted to know.

“I didn’t hear you say you wanted reimbursement. But I always have to pay you back.” Hange commented.

Levi sucked his teeth and reached for his tea.

“I’ll just add it to your tab.”

-

A cloudy heaviness floated around in the dark and gloomy room. A few stray pieces of clothing laid across the floor. Dishes had piled on top of the bedside table as neatly as they could be stacked. A few mugs have been collected over the course of a few nights, dried and evaporated rings of coffee remained in the bottoms. The only light source in the room was the lamp in the corner that gave off a sickly yellow hue. It made Armin’s eyes and head ache, but he didn’t want to have the curtains open. Each rise and fall of the sun was just another day without Eren.

Armin took a gulp out of a mug that had been sitting near him as he rummaged through various journals and notebooks. His coffee that he had been cradling was brewed a few hours ago and had long been cold. Armin didn’t care about the stale taste it left in his mouth. He didn’t feel like going to get a fresh cup.

The only audible noise in Armin’s room was the annoying ticking of the clock on the wall. No one likes listening to the time pass by, and it was quite easy to tune out. However, all Armin wanted to do in this particular moment was concentrate on his own research. With each tick tick tick, Armin’s head pounded. His stomach also began to bubble as he had not eaten anything since yesterday afternoon. Food and water would make the hunger and oncoming migraine go away, but he was too engrossed in his writings to get up and do anything else.

Armin was hyper focused on trying to find a clue as to why Eren would disappear. He had been awake since the night before editing, studying, rewriting and scribbling over notes he had taken months and months ago. Something, somewhere, had to be an answer. He could taste it. Armin’s mind buzzed with thoughts and theories. Each assumption was laced over the other, intertwining in his brain all at once. They rattled against his skull.

A soft knock on the door was all that was needed to annoy Armin to the fullest extent, breaking his concentration on trying to keep his ideas sorted. Reality shifted around him now that he had been distracted. The hangry smog wiped from his eyes as he blinked himself to the present. Armin balled his fists, refraining from smacking them down on the table out of frustration

Armin turned in his seat and stood up. His head swam for a second as the blood pooled back into his legs and feet. He realized he had been sitting in that chair for quite a while. He spotted the shadow of two feet under the crack of the door and, suddenly, a piece of paper slid across the floor. The feet disappeared quickly as they appeared, muted footsteps trotted down the hall and away.

It was a note. Armin quickly reached to pick it up and unfolded it.

“Armin, would you please meet me at the pier by 12pm?”

There in black ink, written in your handwriting, was your name signing off. Armin stared at it for a moment to admire how the letters formed the sound of you. He also noticed that the i in his name was dotted with a small heart. Armin’s own heart fluttered. No one has ever written his name that way.

Armin turned the note over in his hand, not expecting anything to be written anywhere else. There was very little context. The pier? He didn’t quite understand. Whatever it is you needed to meet about had to be important if it was outside of the hotel. Armin checked the time. He had thirty minutes. 

With haste, he assembled an outfit. Brown slacks, a white button up shirt, and a beige vest to match. Armin splashed some cold water on his face and scrubbed his teeth until his gums bled. All the while his thoughts ran a mile a minute. Armin could feel the adrenaline flow under his skin at the anticipation of seeing you for the first time today. He did a brief breath check before grabbing a cap to conceal his insubordinate hair. Usually it would lay flat but of course it wouldn’t do what Armin wanted right now.

He was out the door with fifteen minutes left to spare. As Armin was just leaving, Jean was walking into his own room.

“Oh, ‘sup Armin?” Jean threw his hand up in acknowledgement. Armin paused, a breath of air being startled out of his lungs.

“Hi, Jean. Bye, Jean!” Armin greeted him breathlessly.

Perhaps if he appeared to be in a rush, Jean wouldn’t question where he was going without him. Armin didn’t need Jean holding him up and asking questions.

“Wait, hang on a second! Where are you going?” Jean stammered. His face was screwed up with confusion.

Suddenly, Armin's hands were beginning to sweat. Anxiety began to pool in his chest. Armin needed to navigate his way out of the hotel and to the pier. The pier was close, a block or two away. Armin could still be on time if he kept his talk with Jean short. 

“I’m going to the pier for a while. To look for Eren.” Armin said plainly as it was the entire truth. He put his hands in his pockets and swallowed. 

“I can go with you.” Jean offered. He had his hand on the door handle, ready to leave if Armin said yes.

Armin upheld his promise to keep your relationship under the table. He figured one of you would tell Jean eventually. Armin did find it quite funny that Jean was the one who gave him the small boost he needed at the camp that night, but was so far gone that he couldn’t even remember his drunken words of encouragement. Perhaps at some point Armin would thank him for his unsolicited help. With time, of course. For now, Armin was enjoying having you all to himself.

There was an awkward pause as he waited for Armin’s answer.

“No, I-I can go alone.” Armin politely denied.

“Alright,” Jean hunched his shoulders, slightly disappointed. He was about to go back into his room before he abruptly turned back on his heel.

“Y’know Connie and I stay up pretty late most of the time. You can come kick it with us if you want… If you get too lonely.” Jean gently suggested. 

This was the first time he and Armin had spoken to each other in days. Armin was Jean’s buddy, and he missed hanging out with him and Connie together. Every other night or so, Jean would tip down the hall to see what Armin was up to. Most of the time his lights were off and everything was quiet. Jean figured Armin would be a little lonesome. Leave it to a jerk like Eren to abandon his best friends.

Armin lips turned to the side in a shy, reserved smile.

“Thanks Jean.”

Jean nodded his head again. He decided to let Armin go his separate way. He couldn’t help but wonder if letting Armin out alone was a good idea or not, given the circumstances. He shook the thought away, having more faith in Armin coming back than Eren at this point. Jean held out his fist for Armin to pound. With no hesitation, Armin approached Jean and met his fist with his.

On that note, Jean went back into his room. Armin rounded the corner like a bat out of hell, and made a break for the exit.

--

The day was surprisingly warm and sunny. It was the middle of the week, and not many people seemed to be out today. It was nowhere near as crowded, as it was when you all first came to Marley. The pier was bright, full of life, loud, and busy. Now, it was pretty vacant and boring regardless of the lovely weather. There were a few people wandering around. Their shoes clunked loudly on the wood of the pier, echoing loudly into the open sea air. Even though the temperature was slightly high, the wind blowing off of the ocean just a few steps away provided a refreshing breeze. You could even taste the salt.

You checked your small wrist watch for the time again. The day was growing dangerously close to noon. Armin would have been here by now, but he was nowhere in sight. You had picked a perfect spot right in front of the pier's welcoming entrance. In big iron letters erected over its archway read Libero Pier Amusement. You sat patiently on a bench. Sitting in a public space and looking around anxiously was a perfect way to draw attention to yourself, so you kept calm and collected. 

The anticipation was driving you crazy. You didn’t bring anything to distract yourself with while you waited, so you resorted to picking at whatever hangnail you could find. You bit at one, wondering what could possibly be taking Armin so long? What if something had happened to him? It was unlike Armin to be tardy for anything. What if he just didn’t want to come? You glanced at your watch again. 

“Chewing on your nails again?” 

You jumped. As if you manifested him out of thin air, he was there. You didn’t even hear him coming. You looked up at him, relieved that he was finally here and in one piece. But your heart fell at the sight of him in the daylight. It was obvious that he had not been getting enough sleep, if any at all. The area around and under Armin’s eyes were darker than the rest of his face. His outfit, however, was pretty fly. Marleyan fashion suited him well.

“Yeah.” You admitted timidly.

“I got your note, obviously.” Armin stated as he helped himself to sit next to you, thigh to thigh. 

He leaned into your space, his hands resting politely in his lap. You had his full attention, eyes wide and dotting across your face. His eyes, the water in the distance, and the sky were all a miracle shade of blue. 

“What is this about?”

“I wanted to go on a date.” You introduced your idea, motioning to the nautical environment around you. You gave Armin a flirtatious side eye.

“A date?” Armin sputtered incredulously. You hummed in response.

A strange crack accidentally escaped Armin’s throat. A date, of course! How stupid of him to not realize that sooner.  Would you be upset if he didn’t realize this is what you had planned? Had he known, he would have gone out of his way to bring you something nice.

You pressed your lips together, hiding a smile and hoping that Armin would be okay with this. If not, you both could simply go back to HQ and spend time together there. Although, that wouldn’t be as fun.

“Unless you’re uncomfortable! We can go back--” You started to bargain. Armin interrupted you promptly.

“No, please! I-I definitely want to be here with you.” Armin pleaded. His reassurance made your stomach twist.

“I must ask though, how did you get past Hange and Levi?” Armin wanted to know.

He was more than positive that you did not waltz right up to them and say you wanted to go on a date with Armin. And, no matter what way you put it, there was absolutely no way they could have ever agreed to let you venture out alone without Mikasa. 

You playfully shrugged. You hardly broke a sweat trying to reason with your superiors, but Armin didn’t need to know that. You did, however, want Armin to know that Levi had given you money. Armin’s jaw dropped. He almost didn’t believe it until you pulled out the copper coin allowance out of your pocket, chuckling maniacally. Armin scoffed.

“I guess that little boy didn’t take all of it.” You lightly teased.

“He’s never given me money.” Armin fake pouted.

He thought back to all of the times that he had gone into town to get things for Levi, and it was always out of his own pocket. He genuinely did not mind at all. That, and he also dared not to ask otherwise.

You laughed. His mood already seemed to be changing. You grabbed Armin’s hand and stood up on your feet. He followed.

“So. What should we do first?” You asked.

Armin held his shoulder out for you to take. You wrapped your arms around his bicep and gave it a very firm hug. A warmth had gone through him, starting from the top of his head and sliding its way down into his toes. He could feel his cheeks flush just by you touching him. It sent his heart thumping and mind racing. This would be your first outing together as a couple. Maybe if Armin remained collected and chivalrous, while staying sharp and alert of his surroundings, he might not fuck anything up.

Like he did last time.

It did not matter where the starting point was, as long as Armin got to spend time with you. After a few weeks of beginning to get used to sneaking around in dark hallways at strange and ungodly hours of the night, it was refreshing to see you in a rather normal romantic environment. A beautiful day, you on his arm, out and about in a place neither of you had explored before. Armin’s stomach gurgled. He suggested food first.

Although this was your plan, Armin seemed to lead the way. He specifically wanted ice cream again and he looked for the trolly. Unfortunately, he didn’t spot the gentleman anywhere so he settled for something else. So, you both made way towards the only open food stand. There was a bit of a line, but you waited your turn. You stood behind a man with a baby resting on his shoulder.

The first thing you noticed besides the huge bald head, were their big green eyes. Their cheeks were fat and round, perfect for pinching. Just as you appeared, the infant kept their eye on you. You smiled and gave a little wave, and made a few funny faces. Your new friend, with their little fist in their mouth, smiled and giggled in return. A bit of drool had rolled down their bottom lip.

“Aw,” Armin chortled at you.

“I like babies.” You mentioned to him matter of factly. The line moved forward a few feet.

The parent must have caught a whisper of your comment. He barely turned to the side and glared at you through the corner of his sight. You could tell he gave you a quick up and down examination. The man's concentration circled on your left arm, which remained at your side since Armin was intertwined on your right.  Then, he gave an awkward and unfriendly fold of his lips, and promptly turned back around. It was always disappointing when a cute baby had rude parents. 

The menu for street food in Marley was insane. You and Armin collectively have never had so many choices for food in your lives, and it was quite obvious to the vendor by the way you both gawked at the menu. You recognized a few items, such as Mikasa’s popcorn and Sasha’s funnel cake. But you weren’t too sure what a hot dog was exactly…

You and Armin both opted for a pretzel, to try something new.

Once you had gotten your twisted snack and paid, you pointed back to the pier. From where you were standing, you scouted out a perfect spot to sit, eat, and talk. One section of the pier was lined with wooden benches. It was built to stand a few yards beyond the shore line and farther into the ocean. You both sat closer to the end, wanting to be as close to the water as possible, and ate in a comfortable silence. 

Seagulls called overhead. The sound of the water sloshing against the wood of the pier echoed under your feet. You snuck a glance at Armin as he munched. His hair blew against the warm wind. He was amazing to look at. 

“I’ve missed seeing you during the day.” You confided in a soft voice.

“Yeah…” Armin dragged out. “My sleep schedule has been kind of messed up…” 

It was obvious that Armin desperately needed sleep. Even though the bags under his eyes were plain as day, he was still good looking. In your personal biased opinion, Armin was always an attractive guy. The lack of sleep gave him a tragically beautiful aesthetic. 

“I stay up most nights just… thinking.” Armin lowly stated. 

Armin focused on the half eaten pretzel in his hand. There was something nipping at the back of his mind, something that you could see but not put a name to. You took a bite out of your food to fill some of the silence. 

“About what?” You asked.

He paused for a moment. Suddenly, he wasn’t hungry anymore. 

Armin thought everything was going well so far. He didn’t want to ruin the mood by being sad and talking about his feelings. Although, it was only a matter of time before you broke the ice and brought up Eren. He noticed how you tiptoed around it, how your exterior around him had softened. Since Levi didn’t bother to do bed checks anymore, only because the main reason for reinstating them for the time being had gone, you pushed the envelope on how late you would stay in Armin’s room. Sometimes, you’d fall asleep for a while. He guessed that you just wanted to keep him company. 

“You can tell me anything.” You reassured him. You lightly knocked your knee against his to get his attention.

You were completely right. You were an excellent listener, and quite easy to talk to. Having deeper and more meaningful conversations with you was simpler than he thought. After understanding that you liked to talk as much as he did, Armin realized that he had psyched himself out for years. Being too intimidated and shy to initiate anything beyond banter as comrades, and vague compliments.

He often found himself spewing embarrassing facts and stories. You knew that Armin does not like to sleep with socks on because he hates the way his toes feel when they’re confined together, and he likes when it rains because everything feels cleaner. If he could confide in you that he enjoys a romance novel every now and then, he could be honest about his latest dilemma.

“I know, I just…” He inhaled sharply.

The pout on your lips was involuntary. Armin’s shoulders fell. He still kept his eyes on his lap. His bottom lip was taken in between his teeth, chewing on the supple skin.

“I thought at first that maybe being in Marley triggered some kind of memory, that Eren got lost or confused and would find his way back. I read my notes a thousand and one times. He hardly ever spoke about his fathers memories, aside from killing the Reiss family, so I couldn’t even piece together an idea of where in Marley he could have gone” 

“And then I remembered the ‘see you later.’ It made me think he changed his mind at some point, but why? Maybe it was something I had done, something I didn’t understand… That’s kind of where I’m at now, I guess…”

You left your pretzel unattended as you listened. A sinking sensation fell in your abdomen. It was without question that Armin missed Eren and, honestly, so did you. He wasn’t your closest friend, but you enjoyed kicking him under the table when he joined in on Connie and Jean’s teasing. You constantly remind Eren to mind his business whenever he commented about Mikasa’s hair getting too long, and that she can keep it anyway she wants. Being the last person to see Eren seemed like a cruel joke. You felt as if anyone would see him for the final time, it should have been Armin.

You slid closer to him, hips touching together. Gently, you place your hand on his shoulder. Your eyes were locked on to him. He couldn’t avoid eye contact if he tried. 

“I don’t think it had anything to do with you.” You hushed. 

Armin offered a weak smile. You had spoken so tenderly, he almost believed that was true. All of a sudden, his mouth had gone dry. He felt as if you had him by the throat. A ringing sound in his ears as he zoned in on your lips. They always turned to a smile, no matter the occasion. 

“Stand up. Face me. ” You demanded.

Without question, Armin did as you said. You plucked his pretzel from his hand and sat it down where he was sitting, and took both of his hands in yours. They were warm and a little sweaty. You gave them a squeeze. You instructed him to take a deep breath in and a deep breath out, following along with him. 

“Let’s still try to have fun here while we can. Okay?”

Armin sighed. He could not deny to himself that the sunshine and fresh air had restored a piece of his mind. He was never going to stop wondering about Eren, thinking of the smallest technical detail, until he showed up again. For now, perhaps he could let his guard down for a moment…

“Okay.” Armin effortlessly agreed. 

From that point on, he managed to put all of his Eren thoughts to the back of his mind, and enjoy your company. It had actually been about two or three days since you both had spent time together. He realized he hadn’t seen anyone for a while, which must have been why Jean was so surprised. Armin missed hearing you laugh and reaching to touch him anyway you could as you did so, how you could make a conversation about anything, and you definitely had gotten prettier somehow. 

You both took one long, slow stroll around the pier. Mainly just talking, bouncing off of each other's ideas and random thoughts. You noticed a few things about him as you walked and talked. Armin spoke fluently with his hands. In casual conversation, he waved and moved them around. When he was being bashful, he rubbed them together. Armin also put his hands in his pockets sometimes. You hadn’t figured out what that meant yet. He apparently had a lot on his chest.

It was about to be your second turn around when you noticed a few people walking along the shoreline and under the pier. Immediately, you wanted to go there.

You and Armin rolled your pants legs up to the shin, took off your socks and shoes, and walked through the water under the pier. You held your footwear in one hand, while holding hands with the other. They swung in between while you casually strolled.

It was apparent that Armin was in a better mood. He skipped through the water, splashing himself and you as he kicked his feet around. He let his mind and his mouth run a mile a minute. Armin spoke on seemingly every thought that had came to his brain. You couldn’t help but to smile and laugh as he did. One day out and away from everything was just what he needed.

“Look at this,” Your eyes glanced at one of the pier legs.

You both stopped and approached to read and admire the handwriting that was etched into the wood. They were messages, notes, love declarations and promises. It was romantic to see how many couples had been in this very spot before you and Armin. He awed at some of the sentimental carvings. You had an idea.

You reached into your back pocket, pulling out a small knife you kept for last resort defense. You flipped it open and pointed the blade into the wood.

“What are you doing!” Armin exclaimed.

“Writing our names.” You stated, quirking an eyebrow. You thought it was obvious.

“You can’t do that, that’s vandalism!” Armin insisted.

He placed two hands on your shoulder, peering over as you were spelling your own name.

“Vandalism, really? Look how many people have been here before us!” You chortled as you moved on to sketch his name underneath yours.

Armin wasn’t the type to willingly bend the rules, which is what made it so fun to break them around him.

“Just because other people did it, doesn’t mean it’s right!” Armin hollered over the sound of the water moving and crashing. A subtle salty mist dusted the air as the wind blew from the ocean.

Armin’s face had turned a bashful red. He anxiously looked around. If you were both caught by Marleyan authorities and discovered to be from Paradis, it would be game over for the both of you as well as everyone else.

“Ta-da!” You cheered. You slid your knife back into your pocket and stepped back to admire your handiwork.

There, permanently drawn into Liberio’s pier were your names together, enclosed with a heart. Carving curves was more difficult than you thought it would be but the shape came out all the same. Armin noticed that you dotted the i in his name with a heart as well. He reached out to run his finger over the fresh carving.

“Nice little touch.” He complimented. The serious line of Armin’s lips twitched into a smile.

A quick gust of ocean breeze flew past, misting the sides of your bodies as you stood face to face. He had realized many things about you at once. Armin liked the way the wind had blown your hair back from your face, and the way your lips were drawn into a cheeky smile. He suddenly couldn’t feel his feet. The feeling of the cold water around his knees faded into the background as you had become the center of his attention.

Being in your presence was always a surreal experience. Even more so now that Armin got to have you all to himself. The era of Armin yearning from a distance was, for the most part, over. He no longer had the underlying anxiety of wondering if you would ever like him the same way. Even though you’ve said it, it was clearer now that you truly cared for him. He could feel it in the way you held his hand, pointing out the finer details of the world around you. You literally carved your names in wood, and it would be there forever for others to know that you both stood in this very same spot. It felt official, as if a contract had been signed. Armin’s heart pumped doubletime.

A switch had been flipped. A layer of Armin’s adoration towards you had been stripped, and a new fresh wound lay underneath. It seemed to run deeper into Armin’s chest than he anticipated.

“I owe you an apology.” Armin blurted out. You turned to look at him.

“Why?” You questioned.

He inhaled. The words weren’t easy to come off his tongue. Armin wanted to shrug and say he didn’t know, to spare you the bore of him talking. But, you said he could tell you anything…

“I… don’t think I’ve given you the attention you deserve.” He confessed, pulling on his fingers.

You helped yourself to wrap your arms around his middle, giving him the most genuine and warm hug he had ever gotten. The water that you stood in was cold, but your touch had him just about sizzling. 

“You don’t have anything to apologize for.” You stated.

Armin gulped at your comment. You resting on him eased his spirit, as if he was forgiven for a sin. He laid his cheek on the top of your head, snuggling into you for the moment. His eyes began to throb, tears threatening to pick behind his eyes. He wasn’t sure what he was about to cry for. Armin’s psyche felt a hue brighter. Suddenly, nothing else seemed to matter to him than you did in this current moment. Armin did not want to taint this memory with tears, so he quickly blinked them back.

You played under the pier for a few hours, as long as it took for mid-afternoon to turn into late evening. You kept reading other names drawn onto the pier leg, trying to find things to pick up and maybe keep as souvenirs, but you didn’t find much. Armin brought it upon himself to start throwing water. You splashed him back. This was maybe the happiest you had ever seen him be.

A weird creepy feeling hit you in the back of the neck. Suddenly, something was off. The hairs on your arm stood up. You got the sensation that you were being watched, stalked from behind. You stopped running around the pier legs, playing into Armin’s silly tag game. You took a sly peak from the corner of your eye before turning completely around.

There was indeed someone behind you, a few feet away. It was unclear what they were doing exactly. They stood still as if you couldn’t see them at all.

“What’s wrong? Are you tired?” Armin asked.

You had become distracted by his voice. In the split second you turned to look at Armin and back at the person, they had already gone. They were there plain as day, Armin must not have seen them before they took off.

“Nothing is wrong.” You said.

Armin approached you slowly, careful not to splash around as much anymore. He wrapped an arm around your back, enclosing you around him in a light hug. He looked in the direction you were staring into, not understanding what had distracted you all of a sudden. 

“Let’s go back.” He offered.

—

Armin didn’t let go of your hand once. He held it from the pier all the way back to HQ. His grip tightened when you made it inside and snuck through the halls like two lovestruck shadows.  The hallways were clear and quiet. There wasn’t a single person in sight.

“Are you tired?” You hushed. 

“No, are you?” Armin asked.

“No…” You trailed off.

Since the hallway was so empty, now seemed to be a perfect time to slip in either of your rooms. You typically snuck off to Armin’s room, which was farther down the hall and had loud door hinges. Your room was closer, only around the corner. “Do you want to come to my room?” You suggested.

A bell had gone off in Armin’s head. He’s never been in your room before, neither here nor on Paradise. He couldn’t begin to imagine what your personal bedroom looked like, although he wondered. Armin nodded his head in agreement. The lump in his throat had formed in seconds, and hindered his speech. The dry mouth didn’t help either.

You promptly grabbed your room key out of your bag, so you wouldn’t have to fumble at the door. You and Armin promptly rounded the corner. You stuck your key in the lock and with just your luck, the key did not turn. You moaned in frustration.

“Sorry. This sticks sometimes.” You explained.

You quietly jiggled the key in the hole, hoping to dislodge the mechanism inside. Of course it would happen now that you’re in a rush. Armin stood close behind you. You could feel his breath on the back of your neck, which only further distracted you. It sent goosebumps down your spine. 

He couldn’t help his eyes but to wonder up and down your backside. Armin began to anticipate what possibly could happen once he got inside your room. Anyway he put it in his mind seemed perverted, which isn’t the energy he wanted to give off. He couldn’t wait to hold you close to him and unwind under your sheets. Armin’s head began to pound at the thought of things escalating further.

Armin fumbled with his hands anxiously as you struggled to unlock the door. You shook the handle again, more aggressively this time. Mikasa’s room was catty-cornered from yours, and would definitely see what was going on if she caught wind of suspicious noises in the hall. Armin wasn’t sure how Mikasa felt about you and Armin being together. It never had a chance to be brought up. 

And, sometimes, he really disliked being on the same brainwave as Mikasa. They were always very close. At one point in their childhood, Mikasa tested Armin extensively to see if they could read each other's minds. It felt like just as Armin began to worry about being caught by her, Armin happened to notice her door was cracked enough to peek out of. The tip of her red scarf lazily hung through the crack, an eye just barely visible.

Armin quickly glanced between you still trying to break into your room, and Mikasa, who was staring directly into his soul. 

“What?” Armin mouthed to her.

She looked Armin up and down once. Her eye squinted. She was definitely judging him. Quietly, she closed her door back.

You managed to successfully turn the key, after spewing swears. The door swung open and you went inside. Armin followed and closed the door behind him.

Armin didn’t allow a second to pass before he had his lips on yours. He held them there for a moment. You were quite surprised, standing in a short jolt of shock. When the familiarity that was Armin as you knew him sunk in, you kissed him back. Both of your lips laced in between each other. He laid his hands on your hips. His fingers lightly dug into your skin. You placed your arms around his shoulders, giving him support as he leaned in most of his body's presence into you.

Your room was still dark. You hadn’t even turned the lights on yet. 

Armin took a step forward, causing you to take a step back. Walking while kissing made you miss a few steps. The back of your legs collided with your mattress and you fell backwards, dragging Armin down along with you. He exclaimed when his feet were suddenly taken out from under him, and quickly braced himself so he didn’t completely squish you.

You chuckled rather awkwardly as you were slightly embarrassed for some reason. Your heart thumped in your chest, even your ear drums were feeling the beat. Of course you and Armin were often this close to each other. It was obvious that physical touch was his main method of affection. Both of you were usually staying up extremely late, embracing one another, talking and getting to know each other better. Armin especially liked to fiddle and toy with your hands and fingers, and leave kisses anywhere he was allowed.

Armin giggled as well. You smiled up at him, eyes glowing brightly. Armin lowered his face to yours. He lightly rubbed the tip of his button nose against yours, and then helped himself to another kiss. You gently added your tongue to the equation. Armin melted instantly. Comfortable moans slipped through the both of you. Time seemed to no longer exist. Armin felt like he had been kissing you for ages, but still was not getting enough. His blood started to work harder to flush through his veins. 

He wanted more. Armin itched to feel your skin on his, soft and delicate. He remembered how good you felt inside. Not that he ever stopped thinking about it, and how being inside of you felt so right. He never stopped thinking about you. The way you held him, moaned his name and mewed for more, squirming under his touch. With his eyes closed, he could almost taste you again.

Armin broke himself away to collect air.

“Do you want to..? Y’know…” Armin struggled to find his words. He spoke them softly into your jawline as he walked his lips there to leave kisses. 

Armin resisted the urge to suck on a perfect spot where his lips grazed your neck, just below your ear. If he left any marks, someone would definitely put the pieces together and know that it was him. Armin most definitely wanted to leave his love bites and bruises on you. His secondary thoughts spun as they thought of all the other places he could freely bite and suck on.

Asking before proceeding was always the right thing to do, but Armin didn’t know why he was blushing harder or how it was possible. He could feel a bashful heat rise in his face. 

You knew what he was asking. You wanted to excuse yourself so you could hide your face in a pillow and scream into the down feathers to hide how hot and bothered you had suddenly become. This would be the first time you and Armin would have sex sober.

How would it be different? 

The blue in his eyes poured into you inquisitively. They changed from a light cyan to a deep, amorous phthalo. Perhaps it was the trick of the light. His eyelids appeared heavy, no longer staying wide with wonder. He focused on you as if you were a target he was aiming for. Armin’s cheeks were strawberry red, as well as the tip of his nose and ears. He held a small piece of his bottom lip in between his teeth as he patiently waited for an answer. 

You wouldn’t ever turn Armin down.

“Yeah, I want to.” You confirmed.

There was zero time to react. Armin sighed in relief and reattached his lips to yours. He was still on top. To make himself more comfortable, Armin put one leg on each side of your hips to straddle you. You could feel how hard he had gotten, making a shiver go from the bottom of your neck and straight down. Your hands went to entangle themselves in his hair that was so soft, it felt as if you were touching nothing. Your nails accidentally scraped the skin of his scalp as you did so. A miniscule whine left Armin’s lungs as he helped himself to kiss at the pulse of your neck.

“I promise I won’t cum before you this time.” Armin stated. The both of you chuckled, smiling into each other.

Both of you began to strip each other of your top layers. Armin’s shirt had been removed, as well as yours and your bra. You took into account how toned he actually was. He was definitely on the leaner side, shoulders and biceps defined with muscle. His abdomen was divided into faint sections of four. Armin wasn’t necessarily gung-ho about training and being physically fit, but it was clear that whatever work he was putting in was paying off.

Bare from the chest down, Armin moved from kissing the sensitive spots on your neck to your collarbone. Then, he moved to give attention to each one of your breasts. He kissed one as he held the other, giving your nipples each an equal amount of pinches and gentle sucking. Armin made his way down your sternum, down your stomach, and met a dead end at your waistline. You still had your pants on.

“Can I taste you again?” He wanted to know. His fingers had already hooked into your belt loops. 

You nodded your head in agreement, not even having to think about it. Armin’s lungs filled with excitement. He bit his lip to keep himself from smiling too much while he unbuttoned your pants and took them off for you. He began to tremble slightly from the anticipation of pleasuring you with something he knew you liked, something he was supposedly good at. 

You propped yourself up on your elbows to watch Armin make himself comfortable between your thighs. He was on his stomach with his feet hanging off the side of the bed. Just for a moment, Armin paused to look back up at you. He wanted to see if there was any hesitation behind your eyes. If there was, that would be okay. But he was practically praying that there wasn’t. He gently wrapped his arms around your tights. 

Armin took the kind smile you laid on your lips to be a go ahead, reading your mind perfectly. He helped himself down to give your clit two clear kisses, and began to lick ever so gently. The last thing you saw was the top of Armin’s blonde hair, his face tucked away. You closed your eyes and laid back to let Armin do his thing. 

Armin’s hands dug into the meat of your thighs and his arms had tightened into a gentle hug once you began to wiggle and whimper under his tongue. He changed from giving your clit smooth licks, to licking through your pussy. He lapped at everything you had to offer like a pup to water on a hot day. Armin removed one hand to dip a single finger into you, leaving nothing untouched.

“So good.” He whispered.

Using his tongue and fingers, Armin created a rhythm that he could keep up with. He managed to work his way up to two fingers inside of you, teasing at the spot inside that had his name written all over it. Armin focused his tongue back to your clit, sucking and licking them interchangeably. 

You were on cloud nine. This time around was better than the first. It would technically be Armin’s second time going down on anyone, but he performed like he knew what he was doing. You didn’t quite understand it, but if he was doing it this well then did it actually matter? You kept your noises to a minimum out of courtesy. A hand had made root in Armin’s hair, tugging at his locks. Armin’s one free hand reached for yours.

Enthralled in the pleasure he was giving, you had your eyes closed shut. Armin kept his wide open, unable to look at anything else. His vision tunneled from his job between your legs, to the sight of you squirming and huffing under his touch. Even before that fateful night in the tent, he had fantasized about pleasuring you in any way he could in any way you liked. Besides knowing what was outside of the walls, all Armin ever wanted was you.

A cord in your abdomen began to tighten and tighten. You knew you were coming close to an orgasm, but you didn’t want to just yet. You let Armin finger until you couldn’t take anymore. You tapped his shoulder. 

“Stop, I-I don’t want to come yet.” You puffed. 

Armin halted without comment. The corner of his mouth drew upwards in a shy smile. His eyes were swimming with lust, pupils blown out and dark. He used the back of his hand to quickly wipe his lips before glossing them back up your body. Armin kissed you. You could taste the faint tinge of yourself on his face and on his tongue.

A brief make out distracted Armin long enough for you to slip your hand in between your bodies and start messing with the button and zipper of his pants, which he had kept on. Armin gasped when your chilly hand found it’s way inside and around his cock. His mouth fell open with shaky sighs and moans as you began to work your hand up and down his shaft. 

Armin was hard as stone. He was of decent thickness and length. Your core fluttered at the memory of how he filled and stretched you out so wonderfully. His cock flexed and twitched in your hand. You had only worked your wrist a few times up and a few times down, Armin was already panting and sweating.

“I wanna be inside you,” he huffed in your ear. You smiled into his shoulder. He almost sounded as if he was begging.

You released your grip to give Armin space so he could shimmy out of his pants. Once they were tossed to the side and he had settled comfortably on top of you, Armin gave you one deep kiss. His breath hitched inside his throat as he sunk himself inside of you. His whine grasped your attention. Your eyes flipped open to check on him. Your vision was met with the top of Armin’s blonde hair. His face looked down to where you both were connected. 

“Are you okay?” You question.

Armin nodded. With his eyes closed, he took in a giant gulp of oxygen as he lowered himself onto his forearms. He was cautious not to put all of his weight onto you. Armin buried his face in the spot between your shoulder and neck. He spoke low, his voice sizzling in your ear.

“Forgot how tight you were.” He quietly confessed.

A little laugh escaped your lungs as he laid on top of you, chest to chest, as he pushed himself deeper. Your body recalled the way Armin filled you up. The stretch of him felt nice, a perfect fit and balance of length and size as if he had been molded just for you. Armin stayed still for a moment after making himself comfortable. Your arms wrapped around his shoulders, fingertips pressing into his skin.

He moved his head so his nose touched yours. He wanted to be as close to you as he possibly could. Being literally inside of you almost wasn’t enough. You being sheathed around him was as close as he could ever get, so warm and so snug. Armin kept his composure, as he tried not to climax upon impact. He worked his hips slowly against you, impossible to restrain his breaths of satisfaction.

“You’re so fuckin’ beautiful.” 

With the compliment rolling off his tongue, Armin met his lips to yours. You embraced him tightly, holding him against you as you felt like you were floating. He took your bottom lip between his teeth and tugged, his moans spilling into your mouth. They were low and breathless, just loud enough for only you to hear. His thrust increased, still slow and loving, but more emphasis was added as he pushed back up side of you. 

As he did so, Armin realized that your bed was slightly unsteady. It rocked as he did. And somewhere in the screws of the frame was a rather annoying squeaking sound. It might have just been his ears playing tricks, but he swore it got louder as he kept going.

“Your bed is very noisy.” Armin commented, chuckling and slowing down his pace to cease the squeaking. You swallowed. 

“No one will hear, I promise.” You said. 

Armin had to catch his breath over what you were saying. He inhaled deeply again, getting a good whiff of your hair. Armin let his hips have a break, staying still at his last thrust upward. You felt the tip of his dick touching the particular spot you liked. Armin put his forehead to yours and looked you straight in the eye. 

“Are you sure?” He asked. Armin looked deep into you, scanning for any amount of uncertainty.

A shiver went through your spine. Armin stared at you with an erotic gloss coating his eyes. It must be a signature of his. However, there was an icy focus to his irises. You saw an idea fly into his mind. His tone had changed, as did the rest of his aura. Everything had gone a shade darker, Armin being the only one taking up your entire vision. The world seemed to not exist outside of him being on top of you. 

“Yes.” You cautiously replied. Whatever he was about to challenge you with, you accepted it.

Armin believed you. If there was no chance anyone would hear, then he didn’t see a point in trying to keep quiet. There was more privacy in a hotel room than there was behind a tapestry. 

He leaned in for another kiss. Armin’s lips fell onto yours, haphazardly kissing you with no real pattern. Your tongues moved around each other recklessly. Armin pulled his hips all the way back, and snapped forward with little mercy. He repeated the same motion again, and again, and again. Your eyes clamped shut, seeing strange sparks of colors and shapes.

“Does this feel good? Hmm?” Armin panted in your ear, desperation entangled in his question. His breath was warm and rumbled as low as his voice could go. You nodded your head.

“K-Keep going. Don’t stop.” You confirmed, swallowing your encouraging words as Armin continued. 

It was all Armin really needed to hear. He snaked both of his hands down your arms and to your hands, locking his fingers in between yours. Without a single que, your hands flopped to the top of your head, being pinned down by a weight on your palms. Armin melodically sighed. Lewd moans were exchanged in between each other as Armin began to fuck you threefold.

“I won’t stop, baby. I-I… I can’t stop.” Armin huffed pathetically. 

Right now, his main focus was how well he fit buried deep inside of you. Armin swore he never had a stronger sense of belonging than here in this moment. He could feel the tip of his cock prodding at your soft walls. The way you squeezed around him had Armin crumbling around you. You smelled nice, as per usual. Armin could still smell traces of the ocean salt in your hair and on your skin, which was soft and supple as it rubbed up against him. Armin’s hands gripped yours tighter. 

The sound of bodies hitting together could almost drown out the bothersome squeaking of your bed frame. You hardly paid attention to it. You were too consumed in the ecstasy Armin was putting down. You drank in every word he spoke. His trimmed hair below his beltline made perfect friction on your clit as Armin bore down hard when he thrusted into you. You were so full of him, anymore might be too much. You were already sensitive from his tongue lapping at you moments before. This was just enough to send you over the edge. 

Armin freed your hands from above your head. Blood started to circulate back into your wrists. He then placed both of his hands on each side of your face, cradling you softly. Both of your eyes flipped open at the same time, directly looking at each other. Armin sheepishly smiled. It was impossible to look anywhere else. He held your face exactly where he wanted, maintaining eye contact as you fell closer and closer to coming undone. You held onto his shoulders, digging your nails into his warm skin. 

You could feel your stomach tighten and the muscles in your core swell. You whispered how you were close, so close, so so close while Armin kept his fast pace. He let his hips go as they naturally could, not really having a specific rhythm.

“I’m gonna come,” You smaller voice was swept in the wave of Armin’s moans. He put his forehead to yours. 

“I won’t until you do…” Armin exhaled. 

Just a few more pumps into you, and Armin had you splintering from reality. A wash of relief finally crashed down. You throbbed around him. You knew he could feel you coming to orgasm. Armin’s hips wobble for one single second, a rather delirious laugh cracked from his throat. He could feel you drowning in your orgasm. You clenched around him, sucking and pulling under the waves with you. 

Armin removed himself posthaste. Your head was still spinning and your consciousness was jaded. You sat up again on your elbows in time to watch Armin relieve himself right onto your stomach. Some white ropes had jumped all the way to your chest. His eyes were squeezed shut and his jaw hung open while he worked his wrist around his dick until he was satisfied.

Then, he flopped next to you on his back, his shoulder slightly over yours. You laid together in a thick fog of post-sex silence, catching your breaths and letting your brains reset. Your first coherent thought that came to mind was to clean Armin’s mess from your skin. Second, perhaps to bring Armin a glass of water. His face was beaten with red splotches as if he had run laps around the world. There was a thin shine of sweat to his forehead. You twisted the knob on your bedside lamp, and got up to do so. 

“Where are you going?” Armin asked. Like a frog to a fly, his reflexes were quick. Before you could get too far, he lightly grabbed your hand. 

“I’m going to clean up, and then bring you some water.” You stated with a smile, giving his hand a little squeeze.

Armin’s heart pinged. He smiled back at you, only because he was still too loopy to form a proper sentence. He watched you sashay away to your private bathroom, admiring the view of your naked backside. Once you had disappeared, Armin fell back onto your mattress. A puff of your smell wafted around him like an amorous security blanket. He inhaled deeply. If he snuggled into your blankets enough, perhaps your smell would rub on him too. 

Armin nestled under your blanket and made himself comfortable. While he did so, he realized that there was still a significant amount of space left, even if you were laying down next to him. In Armin’s hotel bed, there was barely enough room to fit the both of you but you still managed to make it work. 

“You know, your bed is a lot bigger than mine.” He commented. 

You snorted from your spot in the bathroom. You had cleaned yourself off and thrown on a shirt you had. Then, you filled up a glass of water in the sink, took a few sips for yourself, and filled it back up again.

“Yeah, it’s bigger than my bed back home too. Actually, this entire room is about three times the size of my actual bedroom. I don’t even have a…” 

You stopped talking at the sight of Armin completely passed out in your bed. He was literally awake and talking two seconds ago. His face was still flushed with pink, not as red anymore, and his breathing was still heavy. Armin was curled up on his side.

As quietly and as carefully as possible, you crawled up next to him and turned the light back out. Your vision adjusted to the darkness. You swore you could feel his heartbeat bang through the sheets. Holding onto that sound, you fell asleep not long after he did. -- thank you. reblogs and feedback are appreciated! @ambassadorarlert © 2023. all rights reserved. do not translate or repost any works by @ambassadorarlert on any other platforms. violators will be prosecuted in accordance within the law.

[clarenecessities]

As my followers may have picked up from my long, spiraling rants, I’ve undertaken a new research project, courtesy of the death grip She-Ra has on my brain. And guess what? It’s finally at Disseminate Information Stage! So I’m going to lay out all of the gods, demigods, and godbeasts of the Masters of the Universe. With sources!

This table is more of a cheat sheet. We’re gonna tackle this god by god, with a section on Actual Lore & a meta section to help you decide how valid you think they are, because frankly some canons are more canon than others.

Asklepia, Benevolent Snake Goddess

Lore: Asklepia is one of two snake goddesses, the benevolent twin sister of Serpentia. We know very little about her abilities, but the Snake Clan (a clan of human warriors) were said to worship her, and they were famed for their architecture and healing. She had the ability to curse and deform people--to what extent is uncertain, but she’s known to have condemned a fallen priest named Ka, whose disfigured likeness now adorns Snake Mountain.

Behind the Scenes: First appearing in the 1987 comic “Il Nero Cristallo Del Potere“, Asklepia remained nameless for over 30 years, until Masters of the Universe Classics (MOTUC) released a few choice bios. For the unfamiliar, MOTUC seeks to reconcile the often contradictory canons into one overarching narrative, which is great in theory, but in practice is kind of like putting ice cream on a hot dog. And calling it a Chilly Dog ® as if that makes it taste better. But I digress. In 2019 they released a bio for the Staff of Ka which finally put a name to the less-evil Snake Goddess, in an obvious nod to Asclepius and the asklepian (that staff+snake icon people put on medical stuff).

Sharella, the Green Goddess and/or “Avatar” of Asklepia

Lore: Contradictory

Long Version: Okay I’ve put avatar in quotes because it is... contentious. Basically, and you’ll see here why I felt the need to make this post instead of relying blindly on the wikis, Sharella was introduced (in the ‘87 licensing guide) as a tribal leader who had joint custody of Gray, the original name of He-Ro’s alter ego, while he was growing up. This was further developed by Emiliano Santalucia’s concept work, wherein she was the leader of the Green Tiger Tribe (GTT) specifically. While the comic concept was not run through licensing & is thus not “canon”, the idea of her leading the GTT persisted. This teeny tiny image of her from Tytus and Megator’s 1987 Italian box art was all we had until 2008, when one of He-Man’s accessories described her as the “warrior woman ally” of Queen Veena, “who had been changed into the immortal green-skinned avatar of the Goddess Asklepia”. In 2009, MOTUC released a figure for The Goddess, apparently forgetting they’d done that shit the year before because the packaging did say “K’yrulla” was her real name. They had to cover it up with a sticker. 

So who’s The Goddess? Way back in the days before Mattel solidified any of the lore around MOTU, there were mini-comics released with the toys. Initially, the Goddess served a similar function to the Sorceress in the cartoon, and was in fact sometimes called the Sorceress. She facilitated He-Man’s transformations, gave him missions, was generally magical and mysterious, etc. If you know who the Sorceress is, and you can picture Teela, but green? That’s about it.

Back to Sharella, though. The Third Ultimate Battleground rolled around in 2015, and for the first time since some packaging in the 80s, we saw Sharella in action! She was shot through the heart with a poison arrow. Yeah. But don’t worry, she received a blood transfusion from Moss Man (who we’ll get to later), and was transformed into the Green Goddess! She’s immortal now. How Asklepia figures in here is sort of unclear, which is weird since this is still part of the MOTUC line, but whatever. Whatever! Queen Grayskull (the aforementioned Veena) received a bio in 2015 as well, which described Sharella as her apprentice who became “The Goddess”.

Horokoth, Aspect of the Mother Goddess

Lore: DC went a little batshit (pun intended) with the lore for the Eternity War. Here the Goddess is three combined aspects, “Serpos” (Serpentia) for the Snake Men, Zoar for the human “Eternians”, and a third, invented deity called Horokoth, who represents the Horde. Horokoth is “the coming destroyer. The darkness at the end of days.” and is represented by a bat.

Behind the Scenes: That last link has a clearer picture of her, it just didn’t crop well. Also, I confess I couldn’t bring myself to read Eternity War. As thrilling as the prospect of a cohesive narrative is, if I wanted to see Adora slit her brother’s throat there’s the edgier side of deviantArt to peruse. Therefore I know little of Horokoth outside of a few still images of Hordak. The bat was almost certainly selected for the Horde’s vespertilian emblem.

Hordeous, God-Beast of Horokoth

Lore: A “primordial”, bat-like godbeast of Horokoth, created in response to the god Saz’s feline races. Their face was “forever infused“ on the surface of Horde World by Horde Lord (Hordak and Horde Prime’s father in the MOTUC canon) to grant their family power and immortality.

Behind the Scenes: Yes they’ve used some words wrong, but they’ve got the spirit, right? Hordeous was (allegedly, this is secondhand) an invention of the MOTUC crew in answer to Horokoth. Now, the Horde Supreme bio predates Horokoth’s introduction by about 3 years, but obviously the comics were in production already. There’s an undated sketch of Horokoth Hordak from an undated interview (thanks for nothing you useless website) but in that same gallery there’s an orko sketch labeled 2012 so. We’re good right? That makes sense, timeline-wise. Anyway the comics slam dunked Horde Prime out of existence and combined him with Horde Lord so it’s contradictory anyway. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Serpentia, Malevolent Snake Goddess

Lore: The evil counterpart of Asklepia, Serpentia is the goddess of the Snake Men. The priest Ka of the Snake Clan forsook Asklepia in her favor, destroying Asklepia’s sacred orb and stealing the Serpent Ring (an artefact capable of transforming humans into Snake Men) from the Ophidian Spire with King Hsss. In DC’s triune interpretation of the Goddess, Serpentia (here ‘Serpos’) is blood, passion, and desire. A primal and primordial force appearing to the Snake Men in their own image.

Behind the Scenes: Okay yes I’ve reused the Asklepia pic but in my defense they are twins and this is the easiest one to crop. So here’s the thing about Serpentia: we only got a name for her in 2019. We knew there was a snake goddess, and she was pretty evil, or at least hostile towards mammalian life (see: the source of the pic I chose for her). Where Asklepia references the asklepian, ‘Serpentia’ is a much more heavy-handed snake reference, even though Anguis was right there. Those Masters Mondays came through for us, though, with the shield and staff of Ka, Ssssylph, and of course MOTUC’s Dark Despot Skeletor, which is. something. Though only recently named, Serpentia has been a shadow over Eternia since the Snake Men’s introduction in 1985 (or, depending on how much of the presented backstory you accept, even sooner in the form of Skeletor’s lair, Snake Mountain).

Serpos/Sarcedon, God-Beast of Snake Mountain

Lore: Contradictory, but the gist of it is he’s a very large snake with elemental magic and a grudge, that was turned to stone and became Snake Mountain.

Long Version: Snake Mountain was conceived of towards the end of 1982, but wasn’t revealed to the public until September of 1983, with the debut of the Filmation cartoon. For another year, the snake coiled around its summit was simply a carving, its mouth hollowed out for Skeletor to stand in and loom. But in 1984 the Snake Mountain toy was released, completely discarding the Filmation design in favor of the hewn face of the figure we now call Ka. Instead of a snake carving winding its way up the peak, the Mattel toy featured a ‘striking serpent’, alive and attached to the mountain itself. From there, it was an easy leap to make to ‘this carving comes alive’. So easy, in fact, that they did it twice!

First attempted in 1985 in the newspaper storyline “Vengeance of the Viper King”, the snake was here called Sarcedon, the World Destroyer. At the dawn of time, he was said to crush Eternia within his deadly coils. He burrowed deep into the ground, causing fearsome storms that nearly destroyed the planet. Only a fearless hero (implied to be He-Ro) could defeat and imprison Sarcedon. Using a macguffin called a Mirror of History, He-Man forced Sarcedon to behold his own reflection in a reference to the Medusa myth that kind of missed the point of it being reflective. Sarcedon was sent back in time, Snake Mountain was restored, the good guys win, blah blah blah.

That was the last of it until the MYP cartoon in 2004. Serpos as a name was actually first invoked by Mer-Man in a 1982 minicomic, but like it probably wasn’t about the snake. Anyway in the MYP cartoon the Snake Men get this thing called the Medallion of Serpos that lets them un-petrify the snake around Snake Mountain, grow two more heads, and unleash his godly wrath. He breathes fire, trashes Eternos, beats up He-Man, then turns his attention on Castle Grayskull to consume the Orb of Power (containing the strength and wisdom of the Elders, who had first trapped him in stone). He-Man cuts off Serpos’s extra heads with a sword upgrade, the Elders are somehow magically restored to life, and they re-petrify him. Snake Mountain is restored, the good guys win, blah blah blah.

Zoar, the Fighting Falcon

Lore: Contradictory, but it sure is a bird!

Long Version: While Sharella’s backstory is fraught because of the comics couldn’t decide what they wanted her to be, Zoar was similarly tangled up by the toyline. Initially male, he went through several color schemes, some prettier than others. Though there was a vague association with the Sorceress before the cartoon (recall that pre-Filmation, the Sorceress was just the Goddess), Filmation made them literally inseperable by designating Zoar as the Sorceress’s falcon form, to which she was confined when leaving Castle Grayskull.

Some of the comics and Golden books showed Zoar as being flipping enormous & ridden into battle as a steed by Teela and Man-at-Arms. Pre-Filmation, Zoar was always referred to as male, but post-Filmation, always female, as an incarnation of the Sorceress.

The Eternity Wars comics describe Zoar as the third aspect of the Goddess, the ‘Great Preserver’ whose light would shine through the universe for eternity. They pull off a sort of tripartite priestess thing where it’s Serpos/Zoar/Horokoth represented by Teela-Na (the Sorceress)/Teela/Evil-Lyn.

MOTUC, of course, had to reconcile all of these contradictory canons. How’d they do it? “In the folklore of Eternia, the golden falcon symbolized the godhead Zoar, a powerful deity of Preternia. As a god, Zoar could appear in both male and female guises and while the blue-tipped female falcon was associated with the Sorceress of Grayskull, the golden falcon represented Zoar's masculine nature.” So Zoar is genderfluid now, and the Sorceress is merely borrowing their form when transforming into a falcon. This bio also established that Zoar had anointed the first Sorceress, Veena (Queen Grayskull), which explains why she has wings for no apparent reason.

Also it’s not offically MOTUC but the scultors of the line, Four Horsemen, made a single anthro Zoar for Power-Con 2013. In case you need that for some reason.

Glorybird, Emissary of Zoar

Lore: Many millennia ago, there were three siblings, who were very poor and mistreated by their stepmother, but had hearts filled with kindness and love. Zoar, recognizing their resilience and desire to help people, sent an emissary named Glorybird. Glorybird bestowed upon each sibling a divine gift, but as they used their new powers to fight for good, their stepmother revealed herself to be a Celestial Witch & attempted to sacrifice them to Zoar’s “greatest enemy”, Horokoth.  

Backstory: Okay, so the Star Sisters (and Glorybird) were in exactly one episode of She-Ra, primarily to set them up as new toy designs. While prototypes were made for these, the figures weren’t actually produced until MOTUC released figures for them in 2012. Though they were referenced in Princess Prom, and we saw a brief cameo in a background, Glorybird was absent until the introduction of the Star Siblings in Season Five.

That’s right! This bird is a god, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Saz, God of All Felines

Lore: One of the “Gods of the Multiverse” (he is the only member named explicitly), Saz was a blue-furred, feline deity responsible for the creation of all cats, humanoid or otherwise. He transformed himself into an enormous cat-beast to defeat Serpos and Hordeous, whose progenitors created them in envy of his children. Though Serpos was defeated, Hordeous escaped into the cosmos, and Saz himself vanished mysteriously.

Behind the Scenes: “By the whiskers of Saz!” is a fun pseudo-swear made by various cat races throughout MOTU, first in He-Man’s “The Cat and the Spider” and later in She-Ra’s “Magicats”. That was the only real mention of him until... okay, so MOTUC bios aren’t always attached to the product. Starting in 2018, they did this thing called Masters Mondays where they put unposted bios on the org forums. So while we’ve had the sword since 2010, we didn’t get the background on it until March of 2020. And then a couple weeks later, the Cat Mask of Catra bio referred to him as a “mystical being” instead of a god, but the mask was from 2011 so. He may not have been a god yet. It really depends on when the bios were actually written.

Saz wielded a blade probably best described as a falchion, whose quillon & langet formed a vaguely triangular shape around a deep red gem. I want to be clear that while it looks totally rad, this sword would be very impractical and have poor structural integrity were it not made by a literal god. Do not make swords like this. Also it’s almost certainly riffing on the Sword of Omens from Thundercats (affectionate).

Sabe-Or, Son of Saz

Lore: A green-furred, orange-striped paladin, Sabe-Or is one of the only named Ancients. He inherited his father’s blade upon Saz’s mysterious disappearance, and lived for centuries more. Upon his death, he transferred his “heroic essence” into a group of Eternian tigers, forever transforming them into the Green Tiger Tribe, whence both Granger (steed of King Grayskull), and Cringer, steed of Prince Adam.

Behind the Scenes: So “Battle Cat Man” is a concept that’s existed since they decided to make their hero ride a wicked tiger into battle. If you show a kid a superhero, and a supertiger, apparently the natural inclination of most children in the 80s was to combine the two. There are so many custom action figures. So, so many. Sabe-Or is visually a clear reference to this concept, and canonically seems to be the closest we’re going to get outside of the Thundercats crossover, unless you count Cowarros from 4H’s Mythic Legions line (I do, because it means Purrrplor is also canon and I fucking love calling him that).

Moss Man, Ancient Eternian Nature God

Lore: An ally of King Grayskull, Moss Man was something of an Eternian cryptid in the centuries leading up to He-Man Times. He has control over all plant life, the ability to meld with plants, and apparently can imbue sentience to said plants.

Behind the Scenes: Moss Man wasn’t featured in many episodes, because he’s a little... incredibly over-powered. He’s literally Bigfoot from 5000 years ago with magic powers. And like, since I don’t think the writers appreciate how long 5000 years is, you know what happened 5000 years ago? Stonehenge. This bitch is Stonehenge-old. But sure, you can trace a direct line of descent from his contemporary. smh. Anyway according to MOTUC his real name is Kreann’Ot N’Norosh so make of that what you will. Also his toys were pine-scented. I just love that.

Evil Seed, Rebellious Creation of Moss Man

Lore: Created by Moss Man to help fight in the Great Wars, Evil Seed betrayed his master and turned to evil (who could have foreseen this...), finding joy in corrupting all forms of plant life for his own amusement. Moss Man imprisoned him in enchanted chains, keeping him restrained for many millennia.

Behind the Scenes: According to MOTUC, his real name is Sero Malustro, clumsy New Latin for “(to) plant evil-burnt“. Why his name is New Latin and Moss Man’s is... whatever that is, I have no idea. As you can see from the image I included, he originally had an artichoke head, which was upgraded for the Mike Young Productions (MYP) cartoon. Personally I think the artichoke rules.

Volcana, the Fire Goddess

Lore: Canonically, she’s a fire goddess, and the mother of the Volcano Magus. Together, they are a rising force that seeks to conquer Etheria in the wake of Hordak’s defeat.

Backstory: Volcana has taken a long a twisted journey, but was first revealed to fans at Power-Con 2016 in a panel revealing previously unseen concepts and characters. After the first wave of She-Ra toys, a second wave was planned with a snow focus, to bring more attention the Filmation-neglected Frosta. This began with the introduction of a fire villain, an “evil lady that glows with heat” who would attempt to melt Castle Chill. That concept actually refers to a character named Amber (not Ember, as one might assume) who was reworked into a benevolent counterpart, Volcana’s twin sister.

Volcana was later fleshed out to be a Fire Goddess with flame-red hair, x-ray vision, and arms sculpted with flames. Her cape flew up with flame detail that rose up to control the volcano (of Volcanica, a proposed toyset that seems to have been reworked into the Crystal Falls). She was emphasized by Mattel to not start fires, which, honestly, is probably why they scrapped the character. He-Man couldn’t use his sword as a sword; a woman made of fire was basically doomed.

Now, though, we’re several decades in and lines made for collecters that are largely in their 30s and 40s can say whatever they want! So she’s canon, even if Amber isn’t. Yes there’s only one mention of her. Amber technically was mentioned in an unproduced episode titled “Amber Waves of Flame”, but as it was unproduced, it’s noncanonical.

Volcano Magus, Sinister Son of Volcana

Lore: Living within a dormant volcano, the Volcano Magus of the German audio plays was the source of most of Catra’s power and all of her evil intent. He supplied her with magic for spells and schemes with which to assail the Crystal Castle, but neither she nor Clawdeen were aware of the dark influence he held over them.

In the MOTUC canon, he’s specified as the son of Volcana, a demigod from the “Region of Volcanoes” who craved the nature magic of the Whispering Woods. When he learned the Twiggets were inextricably linked to that magic, he used his powers to petrify the former Rebels (this was after the Horde's defeat) and kidnap three Twiggets to drain the magic from their souls. Twiggets, for the uninitiated, are like purple tree-elf things. According to MOTUC, Razz is a Twigget, though the ‘real’ name they assigned her doesn’t fit their naming convention. She is purple, I guess.

Kowl, who avoided petrification, read Razz's spellbooks to find a way to save his friends, and learned of an Entrapment Gem that she hid in a shoe, for some reason. He confronted the Volcano Magus, spoke in the ancient tongue of the First Ones, and sucked him into the Gem.

Backstory: Admittedly this stuff is second hand, as I don’t speak German & they only have transcriptions/translations for the He-Man tapes anyway, but if anybody can find me an audio file I will do my best to verify. The MOTUC stuff at least I can confirm 100% because it’s from 2019 & I do speak English, for better or worse.

Oak, the Jackal God

Lore: Oak was the terrible Jackal God worshiped by the denizens of Zhar, an ancient civilization that once existed in a remote, forested region of Eternia. Long ago, Oak was imprisoned within a statue which could be found within the Temple of the Jackal. When Skeletor removed the statue from the temple, Oak broke free of the enchantment which imprisoned him and wreaked havoc on Eternia. Although the Jackal God was immensely powerful, he could be weakened by the elements of nature and was ultimately foiled by a rainstorm conjured by the combined powers of He-Man's sword and the magic of the temple's guardian priest.

Backstory: I have lifted this from a He-Man guide word for word as I cannot for the life of me find a copy of the Brazilian Editora Abril comic he came from, O Templo Do Chacal (1986). The description is like, suspiciously similar to the plot of the He-Man episode The Cat and the Spider, except the Grimalkin was never described as a god. The rest of it--statue, Skeletor, storm defeat--plays out almost the same. True pity I can’t find the original source, but I do trust this guidebook. You may be interested in Ceres from the UK comics--another dog-slash-statue who frankly might as well be a god himself, but as he’s not called one in canon he’s not going on the list.

The Bitter Rose Goddess

Lore: As Man-at-Arms told the legend, “Every day, a woman climbed Rose Mountain to look for her husband to return from the war. Alas, he never came back. Her tears poured from her cheek and entered the ground. One day she disappeared, but where she stood was a single, solitary rose. It’s the only thing that grows on Rose Mountain.”

The Insect People, who lived at the base of Rose Mountain, believed that the Bitter Rose is all that held the mountain together (and when it was picked, they were proved right). After the flower was restored, it transformed into the Bitter Rose Goddess herself, who explained that she had been a prisoner of her love's sorrow, so bitter that she refused to allow anything else to grow on Rose Mountain. She blessed the surrounding area, blanketing the jagged peaks with roses, and disappeared.

Backstory: She’s kind of... barely a god. She showed up in one episode and no other media & has objectively less power than like, every single demon they ever brought in. I almost didn’t put her on this list.

Mask-Ra, Goddess of Masks

Lore: A goddess who created the magical Masks of Power.

Backstory: Mask-Ra was first mentioned in 2019 and like, look, I’m gonna be real. I don’t respect her. She’s an invention of MOTUC (unless they were drawing on this concept art of Maska-Ra, which I doubt bc he was a Man-E-Faces precursor) and they retconned her into having created Catra’s mask, which is kind of redundant given the entire episode Magicats. This mask did not need two bios. There are no other mentions of her in any canon.

Potential other Masks of Power: The Deemos and Tyrella masks from the He-Man episode “Masks of Power”, lizard and canine masks from the mini-comic “Masks of Power”, Lord Masque’s Demon Mask from the He-Man episode “House of Shokoti, Part 1″, and whatever the hell Red Shadow has going on.

Procrustus, Giant Guardian of Magic

Lore: During the creation of the various dimensions (5 in MOTUC canon but demonstratably higher everywhere else), the gods installed the four-armed, immortal giant Procrustus to guard their secrets at the heart of Eternia. There lay the Starseed, from which the entire dimension was created. It still held immeasurable power, and could be used to conquer entire universes. Hordak, in an attempt to access the Starseed, cracked Eternia in two with the Spell of Separation. Though he was (mostly) thwarted, from then on Procrustus was forced to hold the two halves of Eternia together from within, lest the planet break apart and the Starseed be exposed.

Backstory: First appearing in the mini-comic “The Magic Stealer!”, Procrustus is a lot more tangible than most gods. We know where he is, at all times, and he seems confined to one size. His powers appear to be largely physical, as he had to burrow out of the ground to investigate in the mini-comic instead of teleporting or like, magicking the dirt away. This was his only appearance until MOTUC released a figure for him in 2012. He also showed up in the Subternia map the next year, holding Eternia together.

Standor, Cosmic Creator of Power

Lore: “Before time began, the great Gods of the multiverse convened in the Hall of Power to create all that was and all that will ever be. Head architect of this great task was Standor. A cosmic being of unlimited imagination, Standor helped lead his fellow deities by fueling their energies with raw creative force.”

Backstory: Released for Comikaze 2013 to celebrate the partnership of Mattel and Pow! Entertainment, Standor is literally just Stan Lee But a God. The prototype was called Standar--idk why they changed it, but I think it’s because it’s too easy to confuse with “Standard”. They made a bio for his sunglasses. I don’t want to talk about it.

Bash-Or, Slain Mystic God-Beast

Lore: Very little is known of Bash-Or, the Ram. His last remnant was sealed within the Ram Stone by the ancient sorceror kings of Zalesia, imbuing it with his divine power to overcome any barrier, magical or otherwise.

Backstory: Bash-Or was revealed in the bio for the Ram Stone, September of 2020, but his spirit (previously referred to as ‘the Spirit of the Ram Stone’) was twice utilized by Skeletor in the MYP cartoon, to great effect, before the stone was destroyed.

[imagineyourworld]

congrats on 100 followers!! :) could you do c from the prompts with han solo? thank you in advance if you decide to do it :D

Hi,

Thank you!

I also got an anonymous request for Han with a female reader, but without a prompt, which is why I figured it was sent by you as a follow up to this one, so this fic has a female reader, I hope that's what you wanted.

Love, Charlie

-------

Han Solo x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Injury (no graphic descriptions), kinda near death situation but nothing bad 

c. "Don't cry, I'm alright."

-------

The last couple of days were a blur. Han, after weeks of not contacting you, had showed up at your doorstep and told you he needed your help for some sort of emergency mission. Being the good... friend? Girlfriend? Person? You were you agreed to help him, which is how you found yourself on Coruscant just a day later. It was your first time visiting the metropolis. Han had always told you how beautiful it was with its giant skyscrapers, all glass and steel, riches you could only dream of on the small Outer Rim world you called your home. But he had failed to mention that what he described had been the upper levels, not the Downworld where your mission lead you. So instead of walking by expensive shops and through lush green parks Han, Chewie and you had spent your days seeing more rats than sunlight, and more criminals than most people saw in their entire lives. The mission had been over earlier than anticipated and the three of you were in a good mood, Chewie carrying the object you had 'borrowed' and Han with his arm around your shoulder, telling an old joke that made you roll your eyes, when one of said criminals stepped out of the shadows. She seemed vaguely familiar to you, but Han instantly recognized her. "Hey Ro, long time no see", he started, but before he could add to that sentence the woman, Ro, shot him straight in the chest and faded back into the shadows. It was only due to Chewie's fast reflexes that Ro hadn't shot Han right in the heart. The Wookie had pulled him aside just in time, though not enough for the blast to miss him entirely. In retrospect you had no idea how you had managed it, but somehow you and Chewie had carried Han back to the Millenium Falcon and taken off to a nearby planet, where Chewie apparently had an old friend who had medical training. That's where you were now, sitting besides the small bed Han was sleeping in. You haven't showered, haven't eaten, have barely even spoken a word since you arrived. It was now late at night, Han's wound had been stitched up and Chewie's friend had assured you that he would be alright, but that didn't stop you from sitting beside him, holding his too cold hand in yours and waiting. Waiting for him to wake up and reassure you that he really was alright. Sometimes you hated it, this job, this life. The danger was constant and while it might be thrilling, in moments like these you wanted nothing more than to settle down somewhere, preferably with Han by your side. But to do that you would have to do the one thing you were more afraid of then all the missions you've completed, more than the criminals you've encountered. You would have to tell Han how you actually feel, tell him that you wanted more than flirting and the occasional hook up.  “I really want to tell you how I feel about you, but to do that you need to wake up. It doesn’t even matter if you don’t feel the same way, I just need you to open your eyes, to look at me and crack a horrible joke.”  If it wasn’t for the fact that his hand was so cold and his heartbeat so slow you might have thought that Han was merely sleeping, but you remembered the blood that had soaked his shirt earlier, the way his eyes slowly closed and his breathing seemed to stop.  “I really need you to wake up”, you whispered again, this time accompanied by a single tear rolling down your cheeks. Another soon followed, and another. Before you knew it you were crying your eyes out, hoping against hope that all of this was just a terrible dream, that you would wake up on the Falcon and go over to the cockpit where Han would be waiting for you, alive and well.  Gentle pressure against your hand woke you from your daydream. Your eyes flitted from Han’s hand in yours to his face, his open eyes and the weak smile on his lips.  “You’re alright!”, you exclaimed. Tears were still streaming down your face, but now they were happy tears.  Slowly Han lifted his other hand, the one you weren’t holding, to wipe them away with the pad of his thumb. Every time he touched you you were surprised at how soft his hands were, this time was no exception.  “Don’t cry, I’m alright. Everything’s fine”, he said, his voice scratchy and weak, but you didn’t care. He was awake, he was alright.  “I was so worried. I thought I had lost you. I... Damn it, Han, I can’t bear losing you!”  With those words you crashed your lips against his. Despite his state Han reciprocated the kiss, full of longing and unspoken feelings, feelings that needed to come to light now, it was time.  “You won’t lose me, not while I have a say in it”, Han whispered against your lips before pulling you into another kiss.  Maybe telling him about your feelings could wait, right now all you wanted were his lips against yours, after all you had all the time in the galaxy. 

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This is incredibly short, but I hope you like it anyway! 

[aliennopossumm]

It Will Come Back

Happy [late-] birthday @andromedaspace! I hope you’re having a good week!

Pairing: mutual pining Analogical, romantic Analogical at the end Warnings: homophobia, hurt/comfort, quite a lot of cursing, kissing, so much awkward silence Characters: Logan Sanders, Virgil Berry, Roman Smith Character notes: autistic nonbinary Logan [they/them], autistic trans Virgil [xe/xem], genderqueer acearo Roman [he/prince]

Fic summary: Logan had known Virgil for a while now, but when they start getting gay thoughts, they consult Roman to help

2,921 words 16,543 characters

you can also read this over on AO3

It had been about three or so months since Logan had met Virgil. Since their original run in with each other, the two had been hanging out quite a bit, not restricting themselves to just the forest they first met each other in. Unfortunately for Logan, xe did not go to their highschool, but was rather homeschooled; this didn't stop Virgil in any way, however. After a week of knowing them, xe started to wait outside the school gates for Logan, making a habit of walking them home. This day was not any different, Logan making their way out of a particularly uninteresting English lesson - it did lift their mood knowing Virgil would be waiting. They were one of the last one's out, looking around for xem. Anxiousness started to consume them, unable to see xem outside - did xe just leave them?

They frowned slightly, taking their phone out of their pocket to see if they had any message. Logan jumped a little when everything went dark, panicking slightly, before realising somebody was just covering their eyes.

"Guess whoooo?" Logan relaxed at Virgil's voice, gently removing xyr hands with their own.

"Hey Vee," they smiled, turning around, "I thought you had left."

"Nope, just this guy was talking to me. Think he was British?"

Logan's eyes widened slightly in realisation, "Roman?"

"Yeah! Prin was asking me about you," Virgil took Logan's hand, as xe usually did when they walked home together, "he sorta... gave me a shovel talk? The whole 'hurt them and I'll hurt you' schtick."

A whine escaped Logan's mouth, "I told prin specifically to not bother you. I'm sorry, Virge"

"Hey, it's okay, it's cute how much your friends care about you," xe chuckled softly, checking both directions before leading the two across the road. Logan blushed a small bit at the comment, going to speak again. They were cut off by a yell from a passing car, making the pair turn their heads. The engine was so loud, Logan couldn't make out what whoever was in the car said exactly, but they could make out the last few words.

"What are you, gay!?"

It was said with so much bitterness, so much hatred. Several conflicting feelings started to consume Logan - anger, sadness, a small tang of guilt. They looked at Virgil with a hard to make out expression, their mouth unable to mutter anything, but their mind screaming. It told them to run in the opposite direction, to yell at their friend, to apologise, to kiss Virgil. Why did they want to kiss Virgil?

A few seconds passed, both of them clearly uneasy. Virgil shifted xyr hand slightly, making it obvious xe was considering letting go. Xe spoke after a few more seconds of silence, "I'm sorry, L."

"'s fine," Logan refused to look at Virgil, rather staring at the interlocked hand. As much as their brain begged and screamed for them to let go, they didn't. It was nice, they felt loved for once.

The older one nodded, swallowing dryly and starting to walk again, "right, right. Let's just get you home, hm?" No more words were able to escape Logan's mouth, just nodding and gingerly following xem. To their mutual dislike, the next ten or so minutes were spent in complete awkward silence. Both opened their mouths to speak at a few points, but not a word was said from either of them. Neither pointed this out, eventually reaching the door of Logan's block of apartments.

The building seemed to loom over the pair of friends now, making Logan feel as if they were shrinking into a miniscule room with just Virgil, forced to be close. It was an uncomfortably claustrophobic feeling.

"I'll uh, I'll get going," Virgil finally said, "see ya."

"Bye," Logan mumbled, quickly letting go of xyr hand and making their way upstairs without looking back at xem. On most occasions, Virgil would walk them to the front door, and xe would then call them on xyr way back to their own home. None of this happened though, sulking their way into the kitchen. Anxiously, Logan peered out the window to see where Virgil was - it did make them feel a bit creepy for doing so, but they were worried. Xe ended up making uncomfortable eye contact, the two immediately breaking it once they had noticed. As if their world was falling to pieces, which is what it felt like, Logan poured themselves a glass of cold water and hurriedly walked to their own room. It was quiet. Virgil wasn't being called, their parents weren't home, the AC was turned off. It was quiet.

Too quiet. Logan hated it, reaching their room and shutting the door with their foot. Everything in their brain yelled at them to just slump onto the floor with their back against the door, but they decided against it. They hung up their bag, walking to their bed and taking several long gulps of water. It was cold, numbing their teeth slightly. Iciness rushed to their brain, resulting in a groan and a small pampth where they fell onto their back and shifted so they laid on their pillow. Everything was fine until those kids. They harshly blinked a few times before staring at the green stars, planets and moon that were stuck above their bed, reaching out gently. Logan "grabbed" the moon next to the Earth with their hand, closing it into a fist as they were holding it. Nothing else changed, the room staying still. It couldn't have been more than a minute before their arm started to become tired, letting out a built up sigh and letting their arm flop next to them on the bed. The moon reminded them of Virgil. In an, only somewhat successful, attempt of getting their mind off their friend, they started to count the plastic stars.

Twenty six... twenty seven... twenty nine- wait, shit, they messed up. Logan groaned loudly, rolling onto their side. Nothing could make them stop thinking. With thoughts still buzzing, they wiggled out of the dark jacket they were wearing, taking their phone into their hand before throwing the clothing onto the floor. On most days, they'd be extremely strict with themself about keeping their room clean, but at this point, they had no energy to care. The phone was unlocked, showing the background - a selfie Virgil took of xem and Logan. It had a corny SnapChat filter on top of it, a black bar at the bottom with white text reading 'my nerd <4'. Great, now they were overthinking if there was any hidden context to that. Yet again, they sighed, opening their contacts and scrolling to the bottom. Logan's thumb hovered over the contact name 'Virge<3' for several seconds, before scrolling up an embarrassing amount from the V contact page to the R contact page. They hesitantly clicked on the contact name 'Ro 👑’, sitting up and leaning their back against their headboard.

Ring ring. "C'mon, Ro, pick up," Logan mumbled impatiently," ring ring, "c'mon, please..." ring ri-

"Yellow?" Roman's voice came from the other side, the soft sound of Mitski in the background.

"Roman, I think I've fucked up."

"You, fucking up?" Roman was heard sitting up, "that's a change. What happened?"

"Virge and I were walking from school and... and it was fine, until this group of kids sped past us in their shitty car. They said some shit and we ended up walking home in silence," they groaned loudly, "xe didn't even call me after xe left, just... walked away."

"What did they say, Lo?" The younger's voice was much softer now, the background music turned down so prin could listen better.

"We were holding hands and they-" Logan swallowed dryly, slipping down the headboard, "they yelled 'what are you, gay?'. I can't stop thinking about it."

"They just saw two masculine presenting people being close friends and jumped to conclusions. Plus, you two are gay, just not for eachother."

"I- I guess, but now I'm just confused," Logan laid back down onto their back, "my brain was yelling at me to do so many things at once. To run away, or yell at xem, or kiss xem, or say sorry-"

"To kiss xem?" Roman repeated, a chuckle at the bottom of his throat, "I think you may be slightly gay for xem."

Logan groaned, "I'm not." They looked away from the direction of the phone, despite the fact Roman could not see them. "At least, I don't think I am," they mumbled the last part quietly.

"Logan," prin was heard shuffling on his bed, sounding as though he sat up, "what made you concerned? What those assholes said, or the small chance you may be in love with Vee?"

They didn't reply for a few seconds, taking several deep breaths. Logan shifted uncomfortably, "I actually... think it's more of the second option. I... the other thoughts didn't even really bother me, because I know I wouldn't run from xem or yell at them. But I know I would happily apologise and-" they bit their lip, "and I would... happily... kiss xem..."

"I'm glad I gave xem the shovel talk now," Roman chuckled softly, "listen, do you want my shitty aro advice, or do you want to suffer with whatever your feelings are?"

Logan let out another mix of a sigh and a groan, "sure. Something is better than nothing."

"Tell xem - listen, before you go on a rant about how you can't," Logan shut their mouth which they did open in protest, "tell xem how you feel. This isn't the first time you've had these gay feelings for xem, is it? You like holding xyr hand, spending time with xem. Hell, you've called the time you spent in the forest with xem 'dates'! On multiple occasions. It's clear you like xem - it may not be romantic, but you like xem so fucking much. You were both outcasts, weren't you?"

Logan took a shaky breath, processing all the information they were just told. They blinked once or twice, "yeah, neither of us really had... many friends when we met. Virge was homeschooled and I only really knew you and Patt at this point."

"You have a genuine connection, everyone can tell that - even the fucks who taunted you. You love xem, and xe loves you. Your feelings are the reason you enjoy being physical, loving to just be in each other's company; why you had such a knee-jerk reaction to the thought of kissing xem. You probably had similar thoughts before, haven’t you?" Roman silently waited for them to reply.

Thinking back through the month's they had known xem, Logan realised the answer was yes. They mumbled the response quietly, and prin did hear it.

"But you're thinking so hard into this because for once, somebody else recognised this. Those kids... they mocked you for potentionally liking xem, they made you realise that you may actually be gay for xem. You've always seen xem as attractive, haven't you?"

Their world seemed as if it was shrinking in on themselves at the realisation, but was able to squeeze out a few more words, "yeah, since... since the moment we met. Even though xe was teasing me when I first saw xem, it... I appreciated how attractive they were. Fuck."

"You alright?" Roman's tone shifted - it was no longer their serious and lecture-esque voice, but soft. It sounded, as Logan liked to put it due to being an only child, like a protective brother's voice.

"I think so? Thank you, Ro, so much," Logan let out a small, happy noise, "I should text xem."

"Yeah," it was almost as if Roman's smile could be felt from the other side of the phone, "yeah, you should. Good luck, Lo-gay."

"I told you to stop calling me that," they ruffled their own hair, a habit they had picked up from both Virgil and Roman, "thank you, Ro, really. Bye, I love you."

"I love you toooo~” Roman sang the last word, "farewell!"

Once the call was over, the room went back into being too quiet, too cold. They lowered the phone from their ear, looking at the screen; underneath Roman's contact name was the call time - almost fifteen minutes. That conversation lasted for that long? Attempting to ignore everything else that was currently happening at the moment, pressing the back button and scrolling to Virgil's name in their contacts. At first, they were going to just call xem to ask, but opted to just texting. Logan bit their lip, anxiously writing out a message in an attempt to follow Roman's advice. Triple checking the message, though it felt as they read it back over a thousand times, they finally hit send on the message.

'Hey, Virge, I'm so incredibly sorry for the walk home today. I just froze up. Can we meet up at the place we first met to talk?'

They closed the texting window, looking back up to the ceiling stars. Nothing in them was really expecting Virgil to be that happy to talk to them again after what had happened, so you could imagine their shock when the phone almost immediately chimed. Logan pulled the phone to their face, clicking on the notification from Virgil, to their surprise.

'itz alr , l , promis . not mad ! u mean by the lake? cus if so , i ' ll see you ther in uhhh'

'10 minz?'

As usual, xyr typing ended up comforting Logan. They smiled sadly at the message, starting to sit up as they wrote a reply.

'Yeah, the lake! I’ll see you soon, Virge?'

‘ yea yea ‘

'<4'

For no particular reason, the difference of how Virgil typed emoticon hearts made Logan feel all bubbly inside. A green bag was slung over their shoulder - the bag which contained all their forest-exploring gear. Anxiety still consumed them for the most part, but knowledge that Virgil was safe and wasn't mad soothed them. Knowledge seemed to comfort them often, slipping on some black Doc Martens. The phone was gently placed into their pocket, leaning down and lacing the shoes up. They took a large, deep breath and left the apartment, humming to themselves to divert any nervous thoughts from their mind. Warmth covered their body almost as soon as they stepped outside their block of apartments, making their way towards the forest.

It didn't take long for them to reach the still lake, noticing Virgil sitting in the same place where they first met. Logan swallowed dryly, sitting opposite to them and leaning against their favourite moss-covered rock. They didn't want to have the first word.

"I'm sorry, L," Virgil repeated their same statement from a while earlier, "I should've broken the silence and said something more."

"It's okay, it wasn't either of our faults. I-" they refused to make eye contact, "I spoke to Roman about what happened."

"What did he say?" xe gently took one of their hands. Logan didn't reply, not holding Virgil's hand but not pulling away either. "L, what did he say?"

"He comforted me and made... made me think about shit."

"Think about what?" Virgil's voice was gentle, rubbing xyr thumb over Logan's hand gently.

"I wanted to kiss you."

"Oh."

"Sorry," it was the only thing they could think of. Truthfully they didn't know why they were apologising, or what exactly for. Virgil didn't visibly look uncomfortable. Were they apologising for having queer thoughts?

"Don't be," xe never stopped stroking their hand, looking down at it and processing what xe was just told.

"I still want to kiss you."

"Oh," Virgil repeated, but still didn't stop. Nothing Logan did could make xem stop attempting to calm them. "I, just- why?"

"Because you're... you. You're fun, and kind, and cheer me up," Logan's voice slowly grew more confident with each word, "you always make me smile and I enjoy the time we spend together. You're pretty, and a bit sarcastic, but still so loving and- and you're Virgil. I love you because you are Virgil."

Xe didn't reply for several seconds; Logan held their breath, going to apologise before getting cut off by xem.

"Kiss me, idiot."

Logan flushed slightly, the stars in their eyes. They gently leaned closer, softly kissing xem. It wasn't the best kiss in the world - neither of them having that much experience. Even so, it was tender and love-filled, Virgil pulling back after a few seconds. Xe breathed out deeply, chuckling when xe noticed how Logan now had slightly black stained lips.

"Shit, I-" xe smiled, "kissing before marriage?" Virgil gently smudged the transferred lipstick around their mouth with a thumb. "So..."

"I liked that," said Logan, leaning into xyr hand, "I like you."

"So much you want me as your boyfriend?" It was slightly jokingly, but truthfully it was the only thing xe wanted at that moment.

Logan paused, kissing xyr nose, "please?"

Virgil chuckled, peppering kisses on their face, "of course. I love you, nerd."

"I love you too."

Logan leaned their head on xyr shoulder, smiling widely. They'll be okay.

[sheresh0y]

Mar'eyce Introduces:

Ro Donetta-Awaud: He/Him, 30-ish

Along with his family:

Dagon Donetta-Awaud: He/Him, 28-ish

Tann Donetta-Awaud: 11-ish

Kato Donetta-Awaud: 5-ish

Ellis Donetta-Awaud: 5-ish

A/N: I decided to go balls to the wall with the rest of these characters. So much backstory. All of it. I'm dumping it right here. Drabbles will added, moodboards whenever the fancy strikes. The rest of Arumorut has had their stories told at this point in the story so, fuck it, whatever. I love these OCs too much and I'm screaming it from rooftops, baby. I know suck at writing children and these Awaud children are definitely come across as way too old but go with me on this. I also left the children's pronouns empty because I'm not entirely sure what they're all trying to tell me yet. I'll update it when they let me know.

Warnings: This fic and AU is 18+ for a reason. Mentions of parental death, swearing, slavery and unwanted children mentions. Ro's a little sad boy under all that armor.

Read from the beginning: Mar'eyce Masterlist

Ro Doneeta was born to Volya and Rol Doneeta, Twi'lek freedom fighters turned Rebels. When Ro had turned four, his parents went a on a routine trip for supplies and never came home. He was adopted shortly after by Kai and Ilyah, a quickly and quietly whispered pact made by the only two parents in their corner of The Rebellion after one too many close calls.

"Take care of them, for us. Please."

The Awauds openly encouraged Ro to participate in Twi'lek culture. Just because he was a Mandalorian now didn't mean he stopped being a Twi'lek as well. The entire clan learned Ryl and Kai and Ilyah found mentors for him to teach him the things they couldn't. They were never sure if they did right by their son, but they tried their best.

After the Awauds retired from the war and were sent back to Arumorut, when Ro and Kaiyah were sixteen, Ro threw himself into the deep end of medicine. It wasn’t humble in the way that Ba’buir was, he didn’t want to train the clan in first aid or help children with their sniffles. Ro had lost so much to the galaxy and this was his fuck you.

First, his ryma and kora, then his lek, now his buir. Kai’buir was physically there, but mentally, emotionally they were nowhere to be found. It was like he had died without dying. Ro decided he was going to fix it all, no one in his family was dying again. Nobody was getting left behind. For everything the galaxy took from Ro, he was going to drag back to this life with his bare hands.

After a few months of shadowing Ba'buir Nejaa, Ro was decided to pursue medical school on Naboo. It was a relatively peaceful planet, since tourism was most of the economy they were malleable to whoever was in charge. This meant that Ro couldn't just walk around anywhere. The Empire was still standing and he was a Mandalorian who may or may not be wanted.

Ba'buir Nejaa said no immediately. Their reasoning was the armor. Armor was important, every Mandalorian wore it all the time. The only reason Nejaa didn't anymore was because Kaiyah needed a new set and they had gifted their set to her. Ro didn't have this exception so he tried a compromise: he would wear the chest plate under his clothes. The plate was the biggest piece of armor he had and helped the most with regulating his temperature anyway. It wasn't comfortable but it was the best he could come up with.

About four years into his medical education, Ro met Dagon through some mutual friends. It was terror at first sight, the poor Zabrak man was missing nearly all of his right ear and Ro knew it was his fault. His stupid plan to fight an Aryx head-on had consequences he didn't full think of at the time.

Try as he might to avoid Dagon, it didn't matter. It was like the up and coming designer was everywhere, Dagon seemed to have his own gravity and Ro was quickly pulled in.

It didn't take long for them to fall in love, by the third official date Dagon was asking Ro to move in and by the fifth they were married. For his part, Dagon took everything Mandalorian related in stride. He barely blinked when Ro explained soulmates and the reasons they were both all scarred up on the first date. He just asked if 'his Mandalorian' had anyone to take care of him.

When Ro graduated school, not quiet a doctor but close enough, the couple had a long talk about the future. They both knew they wanted kids but The Empire was still looming. It wasn't safe for Mandalorians to be openly walking around and they were both faced with the thought it might never be. Dagon understood that his children would be raised Mandalorian. It was close to the way Zabraki culture was. Clans, fighting, it made sense for the most part. Even though he had parted he had parted ways with his family, Dagon knew Ro couldn't do that.

He had been officially introduced to most of the Awaud clan when Ro had graduated, Dagon threw a little get together in honor of his riduur and the only people on Ro's must invite list was his family. They had a bond that went closer than blood and Dagon knew his clan of two needed to do.

He moved the clan of two back to Arumorut, using the ship that Nejaa and Kaiyah brought to move the stuff that Dagon couldn't or wouldn't sell, Ro never seemed to hold on to much.

Ro was furious, initially. Dagon had plans, big plans, to be a designer and he was right at the cusp of finally getting his own line. Moving back to Arumorut would be a step back for his career or end it entirely. In Ro's mind, he could at least play security while Dagon chased his dreams and then they could settle down wherever. It didn't matter to Ro as long as he got to see his family regularly, somewhere Mid or Outer Rim, he didn't want to be too far in case of an emergency.

The move ended up being the best thing to happen to them, not a month after settling in Kaiyah brought home a little Twi'lek girl. She couldn't have been older than five, but with her malnutrition it was hard to guess and she didn't know. She didn't even have a name and barely spoke Huttese.

They named her Tann, for hope.

A year later, while debating on putting their names with an adoption agency now that The New Republic existed and Ro could get his record expunged since his Rebel activities were no longer deemed as 'treason' or 'terrorism', the twins fell in their laps. A woman had shoved the babies on Jax, who was working on a bounty at the time, she said she couldn't take care of them and knew that the Mandalorians could. Jax didn't have a soulmate at the time and knew that the Donetta-Awauds were thinking about adopting again, so he asked if they would like to add the Zabraki twins to their family. The boys couldn't have been more than a few months old, their skin was more pink than the vibrant red it now was.

Kato, for Dagon's father. Even if they didn't talk he still liked the name.

Ellis, for Ro's buir. It was her clan name before she joined Kai.

Ro knew he made the right choice when Kai-buir cried. It sounded terrible at the time, like he enjoyed making his father cry, but it was such a relief to find out that he could. That Kai wasn't entirely gone, just not always there.

Ro still asks Dagon if he regretted it. Losing his fashion line, being a boring tailor to people who didn't really need a tailor. On those days Dagon holds Ro closer, his chin resting on his Mandalorian's head, "Never. Not once. I've never been happier than when I'm with you. 'Boring tailor' and all. Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum, cyare."

^ Ro in his full armor. Isn't he a handsome boy?

Translations & Other Headcanons:

Ryma: Ryl, mother

Kora: Ryl, father

Buir: Mando'a, parent

Kai-buir: Mando'a, masc parents typically go by the first three letters of their name followed by 'buir'. The Donetta-Awaud children don't really follow this rule since they have one Buir and one Edalinare (Zabraki, family).

Ba'buir: Mando'a, grandparent

I headcannon Ro as a doctor who did all the bookwork, but never the internships which I believe is eight-ish years of school? Correct me if I'm wrong I just wanted to keep the timeline in some kind of order for myself (leaving Arumorut at sixteen + eight years of school leaves Ro somewhere near 24 when they have Tann, 25 for the twins). I also know that half the stuff Ro does in Arumorut a unlicensed doctor could never do in real life, but in his mind it got him close enough to what he wanted to do, hence the joke about 'not a doctor but close enough'. He was pretty over med school, honestly. Besides, he learned the good stuff from Nejaa (who is nowhere near doctor status, think closer to field medic/EMT who has Seen Some Shit).

Riduur: Mando'a, spouse

Tann: Ryl, hope

Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum, cyare: Mando'a, I know you forever, beloved.

In my brain, Dagon is like 6'4", 6'5"-ish and Ro is a short king comparatively coming in at a hot 5'8", 5'9" (he swears up and down he's a solid 5'10". He's not.) Ro is almost always little spoon and doesn't mind it one bit.

I feel like I need to add a disclaimer: did I accidentally create Numa and her uncle with Tann and Ro? Yes, yes I did. Do I really care at this point? No, because it makes moodboards easy. Numa and her family belong to Disney and Lucasfilms, I did not create them and I don't want anyone to think I did. That arc plus the fact she shows up in Rebels makes me cry.

[katieurah]

Guys, I can’t get Elorcan as Zoommates outta my head. So I write it. And it’s a mess. But here I am posting anyways. Yikes.

Forgive my terrible attempts at writing out sounds of a coffee grinder. I hear one every morning, but still..... 

Also, still titleless.

..........................................................

Whiiirrrrrrr. Sccrrrrr. Whiiiiiirrrrr.

Lorcan glared with bleary eyes at his coffee grinder struggling to keep up with the too-large scoop he’d tossed in that morning. He opened the latch and poured the grounds out into the pour over basket and set it to steep.

Extra butter went on his toast that morning, fried eggs instead of a healthy protein shake, and regular bacon - not turkey baked in the oven. Oh, no, not today, he’d thought as he laid the strips in the cast iron pan. He needed all the grease, comfort, and caffeine life could afford him for his day.

Seven months. Seven months, one week, and four days to be exact. His goddaughter’s dedication was perfect. The day was perfect. Until.

He finished his coffee, plated his breakfast, and walked to the office to turn on his system. And brood. Apparently he was good at that.

Elide. She was the other perfect thing about that day. But, apparently he was as self-absorbed as she claimed. How did he not know about that break-up? He and Elide were friends. They had a connection. A spark. Or so he thought. 

As Rowan’s oldest friend and former military buddy, he’d always been around. He knew Elide from the start of Rowan and Aelin’s relationship. Aelin’s cousin was more like a sister and was always there. They talked. They chatted about life. He thought they were friends. Then one day, friends didn’t seem like enough. He didn’t like that she went home earlier than everyone else and he couldn’t seem to talk to her. He had tried to compose about a million different texts to her, but nothing seemed right. He followed her Instagram and Facebook, but messaging her there felt like he’d just be sliding into her DMs, which made Lorcan’s skin crawl.

But, how had he not known about the breakup? How had he not known there was someone to break up with? She never said a word. Had she? He speared his fork through an egg and watched the clock. His computer system was up and running, but he realized after Elide’s haste and hatred in logging off yesterday, they never specified times for working today. He really thought 7:00 was too early to be video calling her. Mornings were not her thing. She’d probably shoot a virus through to his system. And if anyone could get one in his through his security protocols and firewalls, it was her. 

He ran through a few of his other projects while waiting, sipping his coffee and watching the clock. As 8:30 rolled around, he logged into the chat portal to ask what time they should start. As he was typing the first words, the screen lit up with a message:

>> Okay, Salvaterre. What time are we doing this?

He smirked at the sass in those eight words.

<< Whenever you want, Lochan. I’m all set up.

>> Gimme 5.

He chuckled as he imagined her getting her area cleaned off, checking her hair, and taking deep breaths before logging on. 

The 3-tone alert for a video chat came through and Lorcan switched the camera and mic on. Here we go.

…

Elide scrambled to get her hair pulled into a semi-decent bun on her head. She was at least wearing a nicer sweater this morning, even if she was still rocking glasses and no-makeup. Deeming her work area decent enough to be seen on camera, she grabbed her iced coffee and pressed the call button. 

Deep breaths. Deep. Breaths. 

Lorcan Salvaterre was on this planet to torment her, she was sure of it. They’d been… acquaintances? Friends? Something? Ever since Aelin and Rowan had started dating, Elide and Lorcan were along for the ride. They had a lot in common. It was so easy to talk to him. They had fun together. He made her laugh. She soon wondered how easy it would be to date. To hold hands, to kiss, to… everything. But he’d never seemed interested in more than whatever it was they’d been, so she went on dates. She went out with other guys and even a few second dates. Then a real relationship. For a few months anyways. She was sure she’d told him about it. 

Anyways, who asks someone else out while they’re crying from a break up? And while they’re buzzed? Ridiculous.

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. Nice of you to join me,” Lorcan crooned, eyebrow raised, small smile on his face. She was not a morning person. Never had been. And he knew it.

“Can we not? I haven’t even finished my coffee yet and it’s too early for your….your… it’s just too early…” She groaned at not even being able to formulate snark this early.

“What you’re drinking - that’s not coffee. It’s cream and sugar pretending to be all grown up.”

“Oh, yes, because your pretentious single-sourced pour-over makes you an expert,” Elide sniped back. Lorcan always drank the strongest, blackest coffee and it was always some single-origin that he had various methods for brewing. 

It would be too easy to fall into their banter. Too easy to believe he wasn’t an asshole. She needed some distance between them before it got too comfortable.

“So, I’ve been asked to make sure support services on the public side and the internal side secure and protect privacy rights. Here’s how we’re currently trying to keep that up,” Elide said as she launched into discussing protocols, servers, firewalls, identity management systems, and anything else they thought was necessary.

Lorcan was all business, professional to a fault, and courteous as they shared information. He asked great questions and traded scenarios with her. They worked for several hours getting a feel for what each department offered and wanted.

At noon, Elide’s stomach rumbled, drawing a chuckle from Lorcan.

“Geeze, El, hiding a gremlin over there? Go eat. We can pick up after one, yeah?”

She scowled back at him. Teasing her and using a nickname? Nope. “Sure, Salvaterre,” she said shortly, trying to put distance back between them. She almost felt guilty when she thought he looked startled, but his face went back to it’s neutral, calm, emotionless expression. She logged off the video chat and rubbed her hands over her face. How was this ever going to work?

…

As the chat window went dark, Lorcan sighed through his nose. He tried. He still had no idea why her ire with him went that deep. 

Lorcan strolled to his kitchen to get his protein shake ready. Before he could start the blender, his phone chimed. He swiped at the screen to read the messages.

Young Pup: So, old man, how’s the “partnership” going?

Lorcan sighed again. Fenrys somehow knew he and Elide were working together. This couldn’t be good.

Sarge: Fine.

He watched the three dots bounce and disappear a few times. 

Young Pup: Elide’s not got your balls in a twist yet?

Hawkeye has been added to the chat.

Lorcan groaned. Fen adding Rowan wasn’t a good sign either.

Young Pup: Ro, do we need to have an intervention with El? Two days working with the old man here and yet he’s alive and responding to our messages. Somethings wrong!

Hawkeye: Fen, knock it off. 

Hawkeye: El’s a professional. I give it a week before we need to worry about her.

Lorcan rolled his eyes and didn’t even worry about checking Fenrys’ reply and put the phone on vibrate. He finished making his shake and walked to the living room. As he sat on the couch, his phone buzzed for a phone call. Glancing at the screen, Lorcan saw Rowan’s name at the top of the screen. He sighed and answered. 

“I’m playing nice, I promise.”

Rowan laughed softly on the other end. “I bet. Look, Fen found out that you needed to work with their support services department and put two and two together about Elide. Aelin and I knew that Elide’s boss was going to ask you two to work together…” He trailed off, as if he didn’t know how to finish that thought.

“Just because we haven’t seen each other or spoken in months doesn’t mean I can’t do my job,” Lorcan said, a bite to his words.

“Hey, man, I know you can. It’s not that...It’s… Look, A is just worried. You two are Ellie’s godparents and you’re at odds right now. And I’m a little worried, too, about you both. You’ll let me know if things get worse, right?”

“Yeah, man, of course.”

“Good. And-” Rowan suddenly swore. “I gotta go. Ellie’s crying and A’s in the shower. Call me later and we’ll talk, yeah?”

“Sure.” Lorcan hung up. He looked at the time, downed his shake, and went back to his computers. Security systems and technology, those things he knew. People? Women? Foreign languages to him. He still couldn’t figure out why Elide was so pissed with him. Couldn’t figure out why Rowan and Aelin thought things would get worse. And now it was affecting his job.

It was going to be a long project.

[loveafterthefact]

Love After the Fact Chapter 61: In the Company of Friends

Lance meets some new people, and enjoys a carefree night with some friends.

First  Previous  Next

Thace and Ulaz’ place is a madhouse. This is understandable, given that they have five children, all under the age of eight, three of them triplets. There’s Mashan, the oldest, age eight. Then Forenz, Bimesa, and Lorna, age three. Then of course Raj, who’s only four phoebs old.

While Thace and Ulaz cook, Keith is showing the triplets pictures of Altea on his datapad which Lance cuddles with Raj. Mashan is sitting next to him, keeping an eye on her youngest sibling.

Lance rubs Raj’s ear as they begin to fuss in their sleep. He watches Keith interact with the rowdy triplets, letting them crawl all over him and pull on his ears, tail, and hair.

Ulaz hurries into the middle courtyard. “Thank you so much. Dinner’s ready.”

“It’s no problem. I can keep them if you want.” Lance smiles at the little kit in his arms.

“No way. Gimme,” Thace demands. Lance grins, hands the tiny baby back to their doting bearer. On Altea, five children would be more than illegal. It would be insane. Keith’s tentative dream of four is equally ambitious. “Okay, kittens! Ilun and her crew are going to be here soon. Let’s go outside and wait for them, huh?”

The triplets squeal, chattering with excitement, clinging to their fathers arms and clothes. Ulaz sets two of the triplets on his shoulders, hoists the other on his hip. Thace cradles Raj in one arm, takes Mashan’s hand. The eldest kit is also by far the quietest, timid, shy, and very sweet.

This is a strong family unit. Watching five happy kits interact with both of their working parents settles something inside of Lance he hadn’t realized had been disturbed. He can do both. Definitely. That thought curdles into bitterness at the realization that his father could have done both, too, but didn’t. Fortunately, Lance is good at pushing that particular line of thinking out of the way. He lets Keith snuggle up against his side as they follow the family outside.

“Hey, I wanna talk to you later,” Keith murmurs, watching the fathers with their kits. “When we’re alone.”

“Sure. What about?”

“I have a plan. For the next couple movements. And I want to go through that with you, and… stuff.”

“Absolutely.” Lance kisses the base of Keith’s ear. "If you're ready, then please, I want to hear it."

The couple joins their hosts outside, arriving just in time to watch the party ride in. There are about twenty of them, all riding elk, more on leads, carrying piles of furs and heavy-looking bags of leather and cloth. Lance can already smell the herbs, tingling in his nose. Wolves flank the elk and riders, pups galloping alongside, the tired ones riding with hunters or the bags. At the head, a pair of Galra with green markings on their faces and bared arms ride side-by-side. They’re not furry, like Keith. Mostly bare skin.

Keith leans over, whispers, “Ilun and Vrek. They’re mates. I’ve met them before, a few times. Their party always comes through this village. They hail from wetter climates, and always bring in some cool stuff. If you want to, you could buy me a vakalt pelt. I’m very fond of them. Maybe some amber jewelry, too?”

“Yes, alright.” Lance fingers the jewels in his ear. Vetroneius is going to kill him, but it’s not like they have any GAK. And Keith almost never asks for things. He asks for love, support, and basic care, but never things. "Amber would look very pretty on you. Better than some of our jewelry, I think."

Ilun and Vrek immediately head over to Thace and Ulaz, greeting each other, cooing over how the kits have grown. Ilun seems particularly interested in Raj. Understandable given the slight swell to her own belly. Lance learns later through village gossip that it’s her first, and that she and Vrek are disgracefully late on that front. He’s starting to catch on to the toxic reproductive culture of the Galra. No wonder Keith’s so stressed, being pressured from both sides.

Vrek rubs behind Keith’s ear. “Hey, little one. You’ve grown.”

“Just a little bit,” the young prince mumbles bashfully. Then he straightens himself up, gestures to the Altean at his side. “This is my spouse and chosen mate, Crown Prince Lancel of Altea. Lance, this is Ilun and her mate, Vrek.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Lance says, smiling, arm extended. The Galra glance at his arm, cautiously accept his greeting in turn. The smile turns into a grin, and Lance presses on. “I’m hoping we can do a bit of business.”

“Food first. Then business,” Thace orders. “The kits are chewing my legs off.”

“We can do both at once,” Ilun says, eyeing the Altean carefully. Lance gently slips his hand from Keith’s, wraps it around his waist instead. “What are you interested in?”

“Vakalt pelts and amber jewelry. Perhaps something that can be worked into a headpiece, like this one.” Lance removes his circlet, offering it to the hunter.

“Both are quite valuable. Vakalt takes are limited to control the population, but the pelts are highly prized. Amber is rare... What do you have to trade?” Ilun asks as they all sit down around a stone circle. She inspects Lance's circlet, eyeing the deep, bright blue stone with an impressed eye. "This is a natural sapphire. It's beautiful."

“It's by far my favorite. I have these to trade.” Lance plucks three hanging sapphires from his ears, replacing his circlet. “These were mined on Marzax 5. They’re of the highest quality available, restricted to Altean territories and trading planets. My father has not expanded trade to Daibazaal yet.”

Vrek takes the stones, holds them up to the light. “I’ve only ever heard of Marzax’s gemstones… Exquisite. For these, I can give you two vakalt pelts. As for the amber, we can take a look together after dinner. I may even have a solid ring that might fit.”

“What say you, beloved? Do you want them?”

Keith snuggles up to his side, tail curling around his waist. They’ve been too busy for contact most of the last two days, trying to get as much work done as they can. Now, at leisure, Keith seeks out that touch he’s been needing. He nods, an excuse to nuzzle against Lance’s chest.

Lance inclines his head at the hunting pair. “You have my thanks.”

“And you, your Majesty, will have your pick of our amber and our two finest pelts. Well, second two. The foremost is for our little one, once they’re born.”

“Sounds more than fair you me.” Lance beams, more than happy with the results of this trade.

“Yes, after we eat,” Thace stresses. He sets down a wood tray of small, crispy flatbreads. Ulaz has a series of bowls and platters with different soft foods in them. “Lance, have you ever eaten like this before?”

“No. I’ve mostly stuck to stews. More vegetables.”

“Lots of vegetables in here,” Thace promises, grabbing a piece of flatbread and scooping out a green paste from one of the bowls. “I added some in for you.”

“Thanks.” Lance smiles, grateful. “My dad keeps asking about my nutrition. And then my father backs him up. He’s trying to be more invested in my life, but only really knows two things: how to be disappointed in me and how to be up my ass.”

“I forget your species is vegetarian,” Ilun muses as everyone laughs.

“Predominantly, though I’ve grown to enjoy meat more since marrying this one.” Lance kisses Keith’s temple. “But my body isn’t equipped for a carnivorous diet, so I do have to be careful. If this one can do it for me, I can do it for him.” Lance beams at his spouse where he’s nibbling on a bread roll.

“Keef- Ah, Prince Yorak!” Mashan tugs on the Galra’s loose sleeve, green eyes wide with curiosity. “You love him?”

“Of course I do,” Keith says, not hesitating, ignoring the gagging and giggles from the triplets. He spoons a bit of shredded elk onto a piece of flatbread and passes it to the girl. “Come on and eat something.”

“Little one,” Vrek murmurs, watching Keith interact with the kits, hosts, and his spouse. “Are you truly happy? Are you well? Are you safe? Is your bonding with this man of your own volition?”

Keith smiles, squeezes Lance’s hand. Lance gets the point not to speak up just yet. “I am happy and well. Altea is not necessarily safe, but this man has done his best to protect me from the people’s anger. He is mine, and I do love him.”

“I love you too,” Lance murmurs. Pidge snickers as they dart into the den, gleeful at the mortified faces of their guests. “And you, Pidge.”

“Show-off,” they tease, crawling into Lance’s lap. “Haven’t seen you guys in a while. How’s life treating you?”

“Pretty good,” Lance says, swiping a finger down the slope of their nose.

“Improving.” Keith smiles. “Hardly sore at all today and I’m officially taller than Lance.”

“LISTEN. You’re like, two spots taller than me. Don’t get a big head about it!”

“Those two spots are my greatest treasure,” Keith declares, munching away. The crowd laughs, amused by the young princes’ antics. “My greatest triumph.”

“Mhm. Just remember I can grow whatever I want.”

“Um… Lance? I think you mean whenever.” Pidge squints up at him. “Right?”

“Of course.” Lance squishes Pidge into his lap so he can reach the food. They've grown to be like siblings, since he took the young pup under his wing. That includes some antagonizing.

“I’ve actually never seen you shapeshift before.” Keith eyes his chosen mate. “How much of you is real?”

“All of me, actually. No, really,” he adds at Pidge’s skeptical hum. “I am one-hundred percent natural beauty.”

“Wait.” Keith swivels, giving his spouse a hard stare. “You’re telling me that you were just… born this pretty?”

“Ye-es?” Lance shifts, suddenly uncomfortable. Everyone snickers.

“Okay, sure. Leandro,” Pidge says, grinning evilly.

“Huh?” Keith frowns. “What, your body’s real but your name’s not?”

“No! I don’t know what they’re talking about! What are you talking about?”

“I dunno. Why don’t you ask- Why don’t you ask Keith?”

Keith narrows his eyes, watching as Pidge squirms guiltily in Lance’s lap. “What do you know that we don't?”

“Room for one more?” Lotor pops his head into the den, grinning, hair tied in a knot to keep it out of his face.

“Hey!” Keith perks up, happy to see his cousin. “What do you need?”

“Nothing. Some good company, maybe some good food.”

“Well, you might as well come in then. We’ve got plenty.” Thace scoots over, makes space for the prince. Ilun and Vrek stare, wide-eyed, as the Imperial Prince settles cross-legged on the floor.

“Thank you for the invite, Thace. Ulaz. It’s been so long since I’ve managed to escape. Pidge, have you told them yet?”

“No. I was waiting for you. Also, there are children present.”

Thace jumps at the opportunity. “Oh, do we have adult gossip? Okay, kittens, outside! Go harass the hunting party. Don’t get eaten by anything. Leave the wolves alone!” Mashan grabs the hands of two of her siblings, wrapping her little tail around the third. She looks longingly back at her parents, a silent plea to be part of the grown-up crowd. “Not this time, sweet girl. Run along.”

The oldest kit sighs, disappointed at the dismissal, despite her bearer’s gentle delivery. She pulls her littermates out into the lively square.

“Ready to be the life and soul of every party,” Ulaz mutters. “We won’t be keeping her long.”

“Oh she just wants to be included. I was much the same.” Thace waves away his mate’s worries.

“You, shy and quiet? Gods, I sometimes wish.”

“Rude!” The couple teases openly, without the calculated distance and art of the Alteans. In company, the Galra are a far freer race that Lance had assumed. “Now. Your Majesty, what do you have for our entertainment?”

“We have this,” Pidge cries as Lotor settles a monitor on the table. Lance stares, open-mouthed, at the image upon it, of someone who is very nearly himself lounging with a half-dressed (if that) someone who is very nearly Keith.

“What. The fuck. Is this?”

“It’s the video game industry. Don’t look, beloved.”

“It’s the what industry?” Keith cocks his head, adorably confused. Lance’s heart melts.

“WHAT?!” Lotor stares, wide-eyed. “I have failed as your blood. Pidge, we must rectify this. Now.”

“Wait. Has the known universe seen my bits?!”

“Oh, beloved...” Lance rubs his spouse’s back sympathetically. “Yes, yes they have.”

“Well, fuck. Might as well see if they got it right then.”

“That’s the spirit, dear cousin! Shall we?”

The table cheers, minus Ilun and Vrek, who only stare, bemused, as they attempt to figure out why their hosts are so familiar with royals. Lance doesn’t care, despite the nagging of his father’s warning in the back of his head. He only cares that he’s surrounded by genuine good company, and that he has Keith cuddled up against his side, trademark curiosity lighting up his face.

Every now and then, he just wants to be a person, even it's a dangerous indulgence.

[jackkearns]

Okay so. Long rant/rambling about TRoS. Spoilers below, you’ve been warned. Posting this on a side blog and reblogging it so it won’t be “uncut” on mobile dashes.

The first... Fifteen minutes of ROS was... Too fast. There was a LOT going on that had no explanation.

Light speed skipping. That made no sense and was a little over the top. An icy outpost with contacts with no names getting information through unmentioned communication lines. Conversation with this Unnamed character that insinuated he was important, especially since we later see his HEAD in Kylo's grasp. Or was it a Knight of Ren, idk bc things went that fast.

LOVED the interaction between Rey Finn and Poe. They argued like a married trio though the whole movie and it was amazing. There was also a LOT of jealousy from Poe every time Finn tried mentioning his feelings for Rey. (Seriously, Poe was more concerned about cosmetic damage to BB8 than he was about the Falcon LITERALLY BEING ON FIRE and I just. Oh, Poe.) The group hug at the end just sealed the OT3 for me, end of story.

There was Force healing and I was excited to see that. Then... It got overused to the point of being a deus ex machina.

The Unknown Regions were mentioned and the path to the Sith world was full of solar storms and black holes and electrical flares and there was no mention of how canonly, that path was mapped by Thrawn, but OKAY,THAT'S FINE.

I was honestly scared to death when Hux was all "I'm the mole," because I was afraid they were making him run like a coward, but no, thankfully, he was being a Petty shit trying to sabotage Ren which is so ic for him.

His death, just a point blank, off handed shot to the chest and him sprawling on the deck of the Finaliser and being completely shrugged off was.... Disappointing. Very disappointing. His character had been played up as this ruthless, cruel and calculating battle tactician and he was made a joke in tlj and RoS. He was a fascist asshole and despite what people say, it wasn't Kylo who destroyed worlds and killed all those people, it was Hux, and it completely undermined how dangerous people like him ARE and I felt his death should have had more substance to address what he'd done and who he was.  

He's a villain, a war criminal, and he should have had more weight, been held accountable, idk, it was just utterly dismissive and HONESTLY I feel bad for Domnhall. Now I know why he didn't want to do any press at all about RoS. You could tell he really enjoyed playing Hux in TFA and I bet that kind of stung.

ANYWAY.

Leia’s death just... it felt detached? There was little to no build up to her death, and then she was just... gone. It didn’t really affect me until I saw Chewie’s reaction, and then it felt like I’d been punched in the GUT and couldn’t breathe for a hot minute.

Was REALLY amused Rey just took Kylo’s ship and bailed. “Thanks for the battle, taking your shit and leaving you here.”

When I heard Han say “Hey kid,” I felt my heart break a little bit, and that moment of Kylo saying the same line to Han- and ACTUALLY THROWING HIS SABER AWAY....

Which brings me to Daisy and Adam’s acting????? JUST?????

The DIFFERENCE in their faces when playing Rey Palpatine/Kylo Ren, and Just Rey/Ben Solo was INCREDIBLE. Their posture, their expressions, the set of their faces, the way they held themselves, was AMAZING. Daisy’s face went so HARD and COLD like a diamond, and Adam’s went so SOFT and OPEN and it was INCREDIBLE, AUGH

I am mad Rose was sidegated. Mad that there wasn’t more to Jannah. Mad that there wasn’t more of the Ghost or even a VOICE cameo of Hera.

LUKE LIFTING THE XWING OUT OF THE WATER MADE ME CRY.

I AM SO MAD AND UPSET OVER SNAP’S DEATH. WEDGE WAS THERE, MY FLYBOY WAS THERE AND HE HEARD HIS STEPSON DIE OVER THE COMMS AND I CANNOT FATHOM WHAT THAT MUST HAVE DONE TO HIM AND I AM STILL UPSET OVER IT.

Force Sensitive Finn. I love it, I knew it, so happy it’s canon, now I need a million fics of Rey helping him train and building a lightsaber with him.

I am not even touching the fuckery that was Sheev having a secret love child because the connotations are not pleasant.

I don’t understand why he didn’t possess Rey after she killed him, maybe it was because she had a Mass Cameo Moment with All the Jedi and reflected his lightning back him and made his powers Null and Void?

The lightning was cool af, even if it was More Extra than Necessary.

The Snoke Jar didn’t explain what Snoke was, who the template was- was it Sheev? Was it a random person? Hell, it could have been Ezra for all we know. It also didn’t explain why he was so easy for Kylo to kill.

Also, how did Hux keep hiding shit from Kylo? How did Kylo hide his plans from Sheev? Why is it the mind reading is very situational? I get Kylo maybe being able to shield his thoughts, but Hux? For three movies straight? And only his Petty Ass Behaviour getting him caught by Pryde and not Kylo? JJ/RIAN EXPLAIN.

The Star Destroyers/Sith Destroyers were pornographic. I said it. The scene with the fleet rising gave me a boner, y’all know I have a Thing for Star Destroyers, and there was a whole gorram ATMOSPHERE FULL OF THEM.

WHICH BRINGS ME TO A HAPPY POINT.

FINALLY. FINALLY. SHIP PHYSICS WERE ACCOUNTED FOR IN THIS MOVIE.

Ren brings the Finaliser into atmo and there are effects felt on the ground from the ship. The Falcon gets too close to the Finaliser and it affects the troopers in the hangar bay.

THE STAR DESTROYERS WERE AFFECTED BY BEING IN ATMO AND NEEDED TIME TO BRING UP THEIR SHIELDS.

I SORT of was all “...what” at their lack of navigation, but THEN AGAIN- when your viewport is full of nothing but the ships above, beside, in front and behind you, yeah, you need some synchronised navigation going on from a command ship.

(Am I STILL mad about the Star Destroyer above a city having no effect, but a Lambda taking off shot people all over the walkways in Rogue One? YES, YES I AM, ROGUE ONE SAID “FUCK SHIP PHYSICS, WE DO WHAT WE WANT, INCLUDING JUMPING TO HYPERSPACE WHILE STILL IN ATMO, LET ALONE THE GRAV SHADOW OF A PLANET” AUGH FUCK YOU)

The line “That’s not a Navy, that’s people.” So good. So. GOOD.

The scene with The Not Navy- GOOD. SO GOOD. (Though it’s like... how did Lando get ALL THOSE PEOPLE when LEIA didn’t?? RUDE)

BEN SHOOTING HIS BLASTER BLINDLY BEHIND HIM LIKE HAN MADE ME SQUEAK, I NEEDED THAT AND NOW I JUST WANT A MILLION AU FICS OF BEN AS A FORCE SENSITIVE SMUGGLER AUGH.

The Rey/Ben(Kylo? I think he was Ben at this point?) kiss was uh. I didn’t like it. And not because I don’t ship Reylo? (Because I HONESTLY do NOT mind Rey/Ben Solo- it’s Rey/Kylo Ren that I’m eeeeehhh about) but because it was generally just... awkward and Ben just “Aight, I’ma fade out” right after just made it more awkward??? IDEK.

All in all, I didn’t think it was BAD. It was an okay Star Wars movie. It is NOT my favourite- but it was not BAD.

It just felt like it was rushed, that some crucial content was cut in order to keep the plot goingandgoingcan’tstopgoing, and it honestly felt like the three movies was a passive aggressive pissing match between JJ and Rian.

LOT of amazing parts, a LOT of wtf parts, a LOT of disjointed plot points. Enjoyed it, but much could be done/handled better to have made it a more poignant ending to the saga.

[pjstafford]

Precious Time

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”  A tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens

 I have been posting blogs every Thursday as a way to mark the passage of time of each week  since I started working remotely and going out only for essential needs.  I think many of us our redefining our relationship with time.   So I have been thinking of the quote from Charles Dickens from A Tale of Two Cities

The passing of time is a scientific, incontrovertible fact.  The sun rises and it sets and there is a day. The moon rises and it sets and there is a night.  Winter turns to Spring and then to Summer and then to Fall.  When it repeats a year has slipped away.  Time is, also, a social construct.  We say 9-5 Monday through Friday is a typical work day and there might be some logic to that, but there might be logic to 7-5 four days a week as well. We have Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, but some cultures add a tea or late supper. A midnight shift worker still gets lunch –even though his lunch is at 3 a.m. we don’t call it breakfast in the middle of the work shift.  The lunch hour is a social construct of a work life.  We mark our seasons and plan our celebrations based on Holidays that cross countries like Easter or Passover and that don’t Thanksgiving or the Fourth of July.  Those are societal or cultural norms that we put in place to structure our time.  

In this, the Spring of 2020, time has simultaneously sped up and slowed day and our social construct of time means next to nothing at all – even as we are in the midst of what is commonly called “Holy Week.”  

I mark the time on Thursdays –

             Thursday March 5th was my birthday.  A friend and I went to a restaurant for dinner.  There were ten deaths in the country from the disease.  I worried if my trio to DC in two weeks would be canceled.  

             Thursday March 12 with the first confirmed case in New Mexico and the governor taking swift action I conversed with my boss about what swift action our agency would take to follow the governor’s lead and then I proceeded out of town to a work related trip that would last the week-end.

             Thursday March 19 I woke up with my first day to work remotely and socially distance except for essentials.  I wrote my first quarantine blog.

             Every Thursday since…

             And now its Thursday April 9 and 14, 000 across the country have died.  

 It’s happened all so fast! And time is so precious.  There are steps we can take to reduce the deaths but we started so late.  We must today do whatever we can to get more beds, more ventilators, more health care professionals and more tests.  Time is scarce and  there is an urgent need to get something done!  

But that is not my role in this crisis.  I am a non-essential employee.  My role is to socially distance.  And suddenly the social constructs of time looks different. Not just for me but for millions.  I hear people talk about the days running together and is it ok to have a beer at 3 in the afternoon when they woke up at 4 a.m. and plan on sleeping soon.  For me, I have actual work.  I am amazed by how many phone conferencing, time specific duties I have during this time of social distancing.  It sets some structure to my days.  As I blog last week, I have discovered I have to work at maintaining some structure of a week-end, but I have more time during the week.    I do not get up and get dress and commute to work and then commute back.  I mean I do get up and dress, but it looks far different. There are hours “saved” there and I eat when I want at home because I am in front of a computer, or listening to a webinar or a press conference and that social construct of lunch time might become a shower, or a walk, or a X-Files break. Do you know how many X-files episodes are about the threat of global contagion?  I digress.  I digress a lot these days.  My first blog was about everything I was going to do with this time, but if King Lear was written during a quarantine, my next novel is likely not to be.

It is, well, the worst of times for sure!  It can, also, be the best of times for some of us if we let it.  Last Friday was a great day!  Well, the New Mexico order for stay at home was extended and the governor announced the numbers the models show might die which were shocking and we found out specifically how many ventilators we were likely to come up short on.  And our President!  But a nurse friend from New Jersey who had been exposed without proper equipment tested negative and it was a joyous day.  I had a social media concert watch party about 5 on a Friday and it was like an actual Thank God its Friday party and that was so special.  It was the worst of and the not so bad of a day.  

The Dickens quote from a Tale of Two Cities!  We are all on the global planet going through the exact same pandemic, but in many ways we are going through it very differently, aren’t we?

There are the tales of the medical professionals, god bless them. My guess is time never feels slowed down for them.  

There are the tales of the unexpected heroes of grocery store employees, truck drivers, trash collectors, postal men, all who are not in fact staying at home because they are essential and the work they are doing cannot be done remotely.  

There are the tales I know the best of those who are staying at home, but that looks different for different people.  I live alone. I like solitude.  I enjoy working from home.   There are parents trying to continue education for their younger children while working full time jobs.  There are twenty somethings who social lives mean more to them.  There are persons who routine was to see their elderly parent in the nursing home every Thursday.  I guess in some ways they are just different chapters of the same novel.

There are economic inequities.  If you are having symptoms simply isolate into the basement or a single floor in your three story house.  Or, if you have a single story three bedroom house, the kids may have to share a room when daddy has symptoms.  Well, that looks a little different.  If you live with your spouse and your two toddlers in a one bedroom or studio apartments, social distancing is not possible.    Or if you are homeless and living in a shelter.  Or if, or if or if.  Decontaminate by immediately washing your clothes- because we all own washer and dryers don’t we?  

And if you live in an abusive relationship and you are now alone with the person the entire time.  The stressors are worse and….There are moments of hell happening across the global planet in the pandemic.  Some has to do with the loss of lives.  Some has to do  specifically with social distancing.  

But I also think that this is actually the reality of everyday life. The pandemic only exasperates existing problems.  .  While I sympathize and empathize with every single person going through hell, I cannot live it for them anymore than I can for all the homeless I regularly see on the street during normal times.  Life and death, also, happen every day.  The probabilities are high we will be effected in this time and I am not downplaying it and I don’t want to normalize it, but I do want to say there are some daily life lessons we could remember for when this is over – to love the ones we love, to know that everything can change in a second. The fact of life and death is not created in this time, but we are experiencing it differently now.  As we experience the intensity of this time, we should use it to reestablish a relationship with time that is focused on the preciousness of that time.  

I am struggling with sleep, worry and fear even if I enjoy the solitude.  I cannot put on music and dance.  It is a joyous activity and I feel little joy.  But is my not dancing causing fewer people to die?   Call  me Pollyanna but I still am hoping that, for some of us, we can find the best of times in this time.  

Most of our life we do not have enough of time .  I want to get to a place for myself and I hope others can too where they can experience the time in a peaceful and precious way.    I’m not there.  I want to be.

I think of a woman I know who bakes everyday with her kids as part of their lessons- great for math and science.   She bakes in the afternoon and the bake goods of the day are ready to eat around the 3:30 – 4:00 framework which is the time the kids were used to coming home and having a snack.  20 years from now those kids might think of this time as the time their mother spent teaching them to bake.  That doesn’t mean all the other people experiencing hell are not still experiencing hell  but not baking with her kids isn’t going to solve the world’s problems right now either.  It’s ok to have a project to finish.  It’s, also, ok not to and to spend more time enjoying your spouse or your kids or your parents or siblings if you live with them.  Watch t.v., play a game, converse.  

I feel very much alone in my isolation.  I want to believe that those people who have this time with their families are embracing it and embracing them.  And so why don’t I write that psychological thriller I’ve been saying I want to work on now for two years?  I don’t know.  I’m not learning a new language as I started with downtime in January and February. As much as I said in that first blog I had plans, boy, and looking forward to the time….I throw up my hands in the air exasperated at myself.  Maybe I needed to process a little what the world was going through and how I felt about my non-essential role.  Maybe I needed to give myself permission to feel the pain.  Maybe now, I write this blog as a way of giving myself permission to look again at this time as precious- because I do not know when I will have this much of it again, because all time is precious, because tomorrow I might die.  

 It is the worst of times, ok!  It is still precious time.  This Saturday night I am participating in a virtual rock concert video watch with some friends.  Can’t remember the last time I went out dancing on a Saturday night!  Maybe it is ok to put on music and dance. I give myself permission to be joyous. I have the time.