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#There are more fields in the Earth sciences but these are the ones that came to my mind at the moment may do more later.
nasa · 2 months
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Black Scientists and Engineers Past and Present Enable NASA Space Telescope
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is NASA’s next flagship astrophysics mission, set to launch by May 2027. We’re currently integrating parts of the spacecraft in the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center clean room.
Once Roman launches, it will allow astronomers to observe the universe like never before. In celebration of Black History Month, let’s get to know some Black scientists and engineers, past and present, whose contributions will allow Roman to make history.
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Dr. Beth Brown
The late Dr. Beth Brown worked at NASA Goddard as an astrophysicist. in 1998, Dr. Brown became the first Black American woman to earn a Ph.D. in astronomy at the University of Michigan. While at Goddard, Dr. Brown used data from two NASA X-ray missions – ROSAT (the ROentgen SATellite) and the Chandra X-ray Observatory – to study elliptical galaxies that she believed contained supermassive black holes.  
With Roman’s wide field of view and fast survey speeds, astronomers will be able to expand the search for black holes that wander the galaxy without anything nearby to clue us into their presence.
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Dr. Harvey Washington Banks 
In 1961, Dr. Harvey Washington Banks was the first Black American to graduate with a doctorate in astronomy. His research was on spectroscopy, the study of how light and matter interact, and his research helped advance our knowledge of the field. Roman will use spectroscopy to explore how dark energy is speeding up the universe's expansion.
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NOTE - Sensitive technical details have been digitally obscured in this photograph. 
Sheri Thorn 
Aerospace engineer Sheri Thorn is ensuring Roman’s primary mirror will be protected from the Sun so we can capture the best images of deep space. Thorn works on the Deployable Aperture Cover, a large, soft shade known as a space blanket. It will be mounted to the top of the telescope in the stowed position and then deployed after launch. Thorn helped in the design phase and is now working on building the flight hardware before it goes to environmental testing and is integrated to the spacecraft.
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Sanetra Bailey 
Roman will be orbiting a million miles away at the second Lagrange point, or L2. Staying updated on the telescope's status and health will be an integral part of keeping the mission running. Electronics engineer Sanetra Bailey is the person who is making sure that will happen. Bailey works on circuits that will act like the brains of the spacecraft, telling it how and where to move and relaying information about its status back down to Earth.  
 Learn more about Sanetra Bailey and her journey to NASA. 
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Dr. Gregory Mosby 
Roman’s field of view will be at least 100 times larger than the Hubble Space Telescope's, even though the primary mirrors are the same size. What gives Roman the larger field of view are its 18 detectors. Dr. Gregory Mosby is one of the detector scientists on the Roman mission who helped select the flight detectors that will be our “eyes” to the universe.
Dr. Beth Brown, Dr. Harvey Washington Banks, Sheri Thorn, Sanetra Bailey, and Dr. Greg Mosby are just some of the many Black scientists and engineers in astrophysics who have and continue to pave the way for others in the field. The Roman Space Telescope team promises to continue to highlight those who came before us and those who are here now to truly appreciate the amazing science to come. 
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To stay up to date on the mission, check out our website and follow Roman on X and Facebook.
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!
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fangswbenefits · 10 months
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For Science
𓂅 𓄹 Summary: There has been a rumour circulating in regards to Miguel’s venom. It has to be too far-fetched, right?
𓂅 𓄹 Pairing: Miguel O’Hara x spider-woman!reader
𓂅 𓄹 Warnings: 18+. Fangs. Biting. Venom!play (is that a thing?).
You eyed Jessica Drew with utmost interest as she worked her way around Miguel’s surveillance station, easily dragging files in and out of the multiple screens.
“Why do you get access to his stuff and I don’t?” you asked as sudden jealousy crept in.
“We go way back,” she started, pulling some information to her watch. “You’ll get there in time…”
Your ego soared.
“… if you don’t keep annoying him.”
It immediately plummeted.
“He’s easy to piss off,” you beamed. “And I’m easily entertained. What can I say? Match made in heaven.”
She chuckled at your antics. “Just don’t get yourself expelled.”
You nodded and waved your hand dismissively. “Yeah, yeah. So have you heard that rumour about him?”
Jessica finished setting up her watch and mission logs and threw you a suspicious look.
“Well… the one that says his venom does more than causing paralysis,” you wiggled your eyebrows, letting the not so subtle implication dangle.
“You know what? One day Miguel is going to kick you out and I won’t do anything about it.”
“What? I didn’t come up with this!”
It was absolutely true. You hard heard it from some spiders one night while strolling throught the lobby. Rumours came and went. No one thought much of them and these were just harmless fun.
“Well, I’m not commenting on this.”
“Fine! But it’s fascinating.”
Jessica sighed, rotated on her feet and went down the stairs. “You can go ask Miguel, then.”
“Ask Miguel what?”
You froze in place as spider-man 2099 entered the dark room, eying both of you.
“Oh, I’m out,” Jessica snorted, heading towards the exit. “You two have fun.”
Miguel kept his gaze on your and you waved a hand at him.
He frowned.
“Lyla, reroute all the main sectors to earth-1610,” he said, pressing on his dimensional travel watch. “Any possibility of a canon event being disrupted must be reported to Jessica.”
The AI appeared next to him and adjusted her heart-shaped glassed up the bridge of her nose. “Is she tagging along, too?” she pointed at you.
He shook his head. “Not a chance. She’s more useful here.”
“Hey!” you were about to protest, but decided against it.
You knew there was a compliment in there somewhere. Your past missions had not gone without some minor bumps, which was why it had been decided the previous day that you’d tag along Miguel for a couple of weeks to hone your off-field abilities.
“Anything major must be reported to me.”
Jessica nodded but Lyla was not so easily dismissed. “I didn’t hear you say iiit.”
Miguel rolled his eyes. “Thank you for your services as always, Lyla.”
She took a dramatic bow and vanished.
He took large steps towards the platform, greeting you with a curt nod.
How would you describe your relationship with Miguel O’Hara? Tense? On the verse of collapse each time you teased him? Friendly? But only when you didn’t have to spend more than one hour together.
“Morning to you, too, boss,” you saluted.
He let out an exasperated sigh as he checked the screens in front of him.
Maybe you should go easy on him. You were already on thin ice, but just adored pushing him. There was something about teasing him that just did wonders to you.
“Did you sleep well? Did you get some food?”
“Don’t start getting on my nerves.”
You raised both hands, feigning a look of innocence. “I did nothing. You’re paranoid.”
His head turned to you.
“You do have an issue obeying the chain of command. Your last mission was a disaster, because you got into an argument with Peter instead of focusing on the anomaly — don’t interrupt me!” he said pinching the bridge of his nose as you were about to defend yourself. “You have much to offer, but you’re also all over the place and lack discipline. I don’t think you—”
You gave him a jaw-popping yawn which effectively cut him off.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Am I boring you?” he asked, voice dripping with sarcasm. “You do know that I was pressured by others to let go of you.”
A long pause stretched out.
“Then why didn’t you?”
In your mind, you had hoped your growing friendship with him had played a part, but…
“You have potential,” he said with a sigh. “One day you might even be better than me.”
Well, that was a high praise and your spine snapped straight instantly. “Really?”
“Maybe… probably not,” he concluded. “But if you keep your focus and work hard, you will be a very skilled spider.”
You rolled your eyes. “Woah, thanks a bunch!”
In truth, you knew Miguel was trying his best to smooth over your bruised ego, but your pride got the best of you.
“Any questions you have, just let me know,” he said reassuringly while glancing at the screens in front of him.
“I can ask anything?”
“Yes.”
“Sooo… have you heard that rumour about your venom?”
It was too early in the day to be so serious, so you genuinely saw no harm in lightening the mood.
He threw you a side glance. “Be specific.”
“Well… that it can cause extreme pleasure,” you blurted out. “Oh, besides the paralysis thingy,” you quickly added.
Miguel turned to fully face you. “I don’t even want to know where that came from.”
Deep down, you felt a pang of disappointment. It would be such an interesting finding.
“Ah, so it’s not true.”
“Probably not.”
That piqued your interest. “Probably? So there’s a chance? It’s just so fascinating, because you’re already so different from the rest of us,” you started rambling not able to hold back your enthusiasm. “Now this is just an added layer!”
You were a scientist at heart and Miguel was pretty much an outlier when it came to being a spider-man. For months you had been trying to let him agree to you running some tests, but to no avail.
In all honesty, Miguel knew his way around science and the inner workings of biology better than you could ever, so he had no reason to indulge your curiosity.
“How do you do it? Is it the same venom or a different one?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Science, remember?”
It was a half truth, though. Yes, this would be mind-blowing science-wise, but this was also about Miguel O’Hara. The very man who had been guiding you through spider society for months. The same men who whose genius and dedication had built the foundations of the spider society.
He now had both hands on his hips and you figured you were already pushing it too far, but enjoyed doing it too much to stop now.
“Can you just tell me how it works? Please?” You clasped your hands together into a beg, hoping it would be enough to bait him for information.
But Miguel remained unfazed.
“No.”
“I won’t tell anyone,” you offered expectantly.
He didn’t budge.
“Please, pretty please?” you tried once again.
Nothing.
“I’ll bring you empanadas every single day from now on,” you enthused. “On demand! Whenever you have those cravings. Two in the morning? Check! Canon event disrupted and universes imploding? Check!”
Miguel quirked an eyebrow. “Do you ever shut up?”
“Is that a yes?”
“No.”
“Just show me how it works,” you sounded desperate by now. Arguing with Miguel ranked high up with the likes of trying to move a boulder with a wooden fork. “How did you get it to work?”
His eyes to widened slightly. “Show you?” he started out. “Are you asking me to pleasure you?”
Now that was probably on your top three of ‘Things you never expect Miguel O’Hara to say’.
“Oh — I mean… well… what?” you stammered, caught by surprise. “I didn’t — you know… huh…”
He only glared at your babbling self.
“Are you… offering?”
Miguel extended his arm to you. “Give me your hand.”
You panicked. “What? Now?”
“For science, right?”
Point taken.
You hesitated momentarily. “You’re not going to paralyse me, right?”
“Do you want me to?”
You offered your hand for him to grip, flipping it palm up. “No.”
“Then I won’t.”
Miguel’s voice was so flat he could just be reading items off a grocery list.
His gloved fingers traced the heel of your palm and his eyes darted down. You held your breath at the sight of him lowering his head. “This might sting.”
And just like that, you watched in complete awe as Miguel O’hara bared his fangs, slowly raking them across your skin before digging into the flesh.
“Ouch!”
Your stomach turned and your heart fluttered as his warm lips grazed the spot he had just bitten. Two circular and symmetrical openings pooled with a tiny amount if blood.
“So? Do you feel a wave of intense carnal bliss?” Miguel asked, straightening up and brushing the droplets away with his thumb.
You merely stood there, waiting for something — anything — to kick in. But as tense seconds ticked by, it was evident nothing was happening.
“No…”
He shrugged, letting go of your hand to tap his watch. “Ah, well. My pleasuring abilities must be below par this morning.”
You scowled at him and considered smashing his arm with a fist. “You could have just said it was all a lie!” you grunted in sheer annoyance, feeling like an idiot. “Now I’m bleeding to death.”
“You’re not going to die.”
“You’re annoying,” you huffed as you checked the bite marks.
“It’s not a lie. I can indeed inject an innocuous version of my venom that can be quite pleasurable,” he said.
“Then do it!” you said, your temper flaring.
Miguel wasn’t one to take orders. He was much more into being the one to call the shots, but your curiosity was eating you alive now that he had revealed that this rumour had some truth to it.
He was now looming over you, his impressive height adding to the tension. “It depends on where I inject the venom. Certain places are more effective,” his voice was uncharacteristicly low as his eyes landed on your neck. “This is just scientific curiosity, right?”
Your mouth had gone too dry to reply, so you just shrugged. Miguel had you taking a few steps back until your lower back hit the railing that lined the platform, causing your hands to clasp around it reflexively.
“Tilt your head.”
You did as you were told and felt his fingers tracing along your jaw, angling you just the way he wanted.
“Hold on tight,” he said, breath now fanning the prickling skin of your neck. “Tell me to stop if it’s too much.”
Feeling your face heat up from the sudden close proximity, you closed your eyes as if embracing for impact. He pressed his lips to your pulse point before digging his fangs slowly into you.
Your mouth dropped open, aghast, and you finally felt it. His venom poured from the fangs and into your bloodstream, spreading through your veins like wildfire. At first, it was just merely a pleasant sensation, like the one you’d get as you finally drank water after a hot day in the sun.
But it soon turned into something else, and unlike water, the new overwhelming feeling was leaving you thirstier with each thump of your racing heart.
Miguel had his hand on the back of your neck, keeping you in place. He moaned first — no, he grunted —, and you felt a jolt of almost painful pleasure shot down your spine and spread between your thighs.
Your grip on the metal surface wavered momentarily and you feared you might fall, but were firmly grounded by his other hand on your waist. It didn’t take long until your clit started throbbing in unison with your heartbeat.
“Miguel… this… this…”
Suddenly, your suit felt too tight and in the way, especially once he pressed lightly into you.
The venom was no longer being injected, but the remnants of it were enough to wreak havoc throughout your body.
“It’s just for science…” he growled, pulling his fangs away from you. “Does it feel good?”
You didn’t dare open your eyes and could only gasp when you felt him push his erection into you.
“Yeah… science… or whatever…” you gasped, feeling yourself being pushed over the edge with each second that passed.
Just when you thought your orgasm would hit you slowly, Miguel tilted your head to the side, exposing the intact skin.
You gripped his wrist as if holding on for dear life, fearing you’d explode. “Again?”
“Your body is neutralising my venom too fast,” he rumbled, lips hovering a sensitive spot. “I need to inject more.”
“Miguel…” you nearly cried out at the thought of your heart no being able to handle the intense pleasure.
“Look at me.”
Your breathing evened briefly as you did as commanded, his red eyes fixed on yours, pupils fully blown.
“Think you can do this?”
You blinked.
“I know you can take more.”
Your clit was now throbbing at an alarming rate at the promise of more of him.
Miguel flashed you his blood-tipped fangs before sinking them into you once again.
The liquid traveled through your body so fast, you felt like someone had punched the air out of your lungs. You vaguely wondered if you would die from this, and concluded that there were worse ways to go.
Being on the receiving end of Miguel’ dry humps would be enough to make anyone tip over the edge, let alone with the added layer of venom engulfing you into an explosive orgasm.
Your vision blurred in an instant as spams and contractions swept through your body. The friction of his clothed cock rubbing against your clit had you arch your back into him, feeling the bittersweet realisation that you were clamping around nothing. You weren’t sure if this was his venom’s doing, but you felt an overwhelming part of you wishing he had been inside you.
It hurt.
It hurt so good and lasted for so long, you like crying from the overwhelming tide of pleasure.
Miguel gave you time to ride out your orgasm, pressing a bloodied kiss to your lips, swallowing your cries.
Metallic taste filled your mouth and you broke away from him, gasping for air.
Your eyes landed on his crotch.
He was hard. Painfully hard. A faint stain of precum seeping through the material of his suit.
“You okay?”
You bent over, hands on your knees and laboured breaths.
“Are you?” you managed in between gasps.
Miguel crouched to eye-level with you. “I think you owe me one.”
“Yeah…” you nodded, swallowing hard. “Thanks for the… scientific… huh… demonstration.”
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evilminji · 4 months
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:O !!! Wait a second... GHOST DINOSAURS!!!
They died. There are ghost animals. You CAN NOT tell me getting fuckin nuked from space by a GIANT rock that blasted you and everything you've ever known into near instantaneous oblivion, wouldn't leave some Unfinished Business and a shit ton of Ectoplasm.
BILLIONS of things died all at once.
Did most move on? Probably. We're any of them sentient? We have no idea! Maybe! Unlikely, but maybe! Still a MASSIVE, countries wide, molten earth lined, crater of instant death. World shaking and history making. Death in the blink of an eye.
If you're lucky.
But! I hear the arguments now. That was one event. The X or Y dinosaur lived before that! What I'm interested in came AFTER! Good points! But not RELAVENT!!! Because you know what ELSE that giant fuck-off meteor is good for? Aside for Death(tm)?
Television.
Makes for some damn good documentaries. Exciting graphics and neato visual effects. Ooooh~ look at our dramatic recreation! The cute baby animals, unsuspecting of their Doomed Fate~! Tense music! And now, a world from our advertisers!
You know who LIKES Space Documentaries? Danny. He's all ABOUT that Science Channel. Granted, they've been pulling more and more of these mid-tear "aliens built the pyramids" and "look at these swords!" Shows... but! Still! He grew up on this channel! He doesn't WANT to give up on it!
And, yeah, this is... kinda hammy... but it's still watchable!
He's enjoying the live tweeting from paleontologists who are ROASTING the thing to a lovely golden brown. Has choked on his noodles like three times already. It's great! But now? They are arguing over what the dinosaurs actually looked like again... and??
And, look, maybe it's the good mood and boredom. Maybe it's having the house to himself. Maybe it's his parents finally encouraging him to use his "ghostiness" for SCIENCE(tm)(!) the other day. Could even be his bad idea impulse acting up again, buuuuut.....
Teeeeechnically?
Nothing? Is STOPPING him? From finding out? He DOES have Zone compatible cameras. And can probably back trace where they should-ish be? He can find out. The colors might be off, but it's a starting point? Right? And heck, he's pretty sure inverse coloration in standard unless someone's shape-shifting, so he'd just have to inverse it AGAIN to get an approximately correct coloration for them!
....eh, as long as he leaves a "not exact, this was the best I could get" note, it should be fine.
Road Trip time! Better call Dani and see if she wants to ride a few giant mammals and some lizards!
(Needless to say? Some researchers get VERY exciting emails. And only accept they are POSSIBLE, because this is a DC crossover. So there is aliens and magic regularly popping up in their field of expertise, so WHY NOT? Just the other day, a whole ass TOWN that has been wiped out... got UN-wiped out! 23 years later! It's made headlines. Weird shit happens.
So gib. Release to them the Dinosaurs, mystery email man. Fork them over before they begin biting. You think this corduroy jacket means they won't hunt you down? HA! You know NOTHING of academics! WHERE ARE THE EXTINCT ANIMALS? Where are you hiding them!?!?)
@the-witchhunter @hypewinter @nerdpoe @ailithnight @hdgnj @mutable-manifestation
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mariacallous · 15 days
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Content warning: This article includes scenes of physical and sexual harassment and assault.
The trouble in Antarctica started in Boston. It was August 1999, and Stanford geologist Jane Willenbring was then a 22-year-old self-described “country bumpkin.” She had just arrived to start her master’s in earth science at Boston University. As an undergrad with an oboe scholarship at North Dakota State University, she’d studied beetle fossils found in Antarctica and learned how, millions of years ago, the now frozen continent once pooled with freshwater lakes. “That’s not so different from the conditions we might expect in the future,” she says. She wanted to explore this critical science. “It seemed really important for future global climate change,” she says.
Of all the geologists, few were more renowned than the one Willenbring had gone to Boston to study under: 37-year-old David Marchant. Marchant, a scruffy professor at BU, was a rock star of rock study. He was part of a research group that rewrote Antarctic history by discovering evidence of volcanic ash, which showed that Antarctica had been stable for millions of years and was not as prone to cycles of warming and cooling as many thought. To honor his achievements, the US Board on Geographic Names approved the naming of a glacier southwest of McMurdo Station, the main research base on Antarctica, after him.
Willenbring says Marchant had insisted on picking her up at the airport, an offer she thought was nice but strange. It got stranger when he started making her feel bad for his gesture, which she hadn’t asked for. “I’m missing a Red Sox game,” she recalls him chiding her. “You really should have picked a better time to fly.” He asked whether she had a boyfriend, how often she saw him, and whether she knew anyone in Boston or would be alone. In a few months, she’d be heading with him on a research trip to Antarctica and the region with his big chunk of namesake ice. “It was almost like a pickup line,” she recalls, “‘I have a glacier.’”
But it’s what happened in the glacier’s shadow that led Willenbring to take on Marchant and become the first to expose the horrors faced by women at the bottom of the world. A report released in August 2022 by the National Science Foundation, the main agency funding Antarctic research, found that 59 percent of women at McMurdo and other field stations run by the US Antarctic Program said they’d experienced sexual harassment or assault. A central employer, Leidos, holds a $2.3 billion government contract to manage the workplaces on the ice. One woman alleged that a supervisor had slammed her head into a metal cabinet and then attacked her sexually. Britt Barquist, a former fuel foreman at McMurdo, says she had been forced to work alongside a supervisor who had sexually harassed her. “What was really traumatic was telling people, ‘I’m afraid of this person,’” she says, “and nobody cared.”
With a congressional investigation underway, Willenbring is sharing her full story for the first time with the hope of inspiring others to come forward and claim the justice they’ve long deserved. But even now, decades after she first got into Marchant’s car, she can’t help asking herself how, and why, the nightmare happened in the first place. “You never hear a women-in-science panel where people are talking about stuff like I do,” she says, “because they’re smart enough to fucking run.”
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Eddie's Kissing Lesson #3: It's way more than kissing now
(Lesson 1 | Lesson 2 | AO3)
A few years ago, Eddie made a habit of driving to Indianapolis. Inevitably, he ended the trips at a club or a bar. The visits were usually solo affairs, though not always; sometimes Donnie or Zac (the only ones in Hellfire who looked old enough to get past the bouncers) or Callie (who didn't look old enough, but who could charm her way in), would tag along. If they did, they'd go to a straight club. If he was by himself, he'd roll a die between a straight or a gay one. No matter the kind, he'd be approached at least twice every night. Beautiful strangers with appreciative eyes, a drink in hand and a line ready on their lips.
Eddie would accept the drink, flirt for a second, then tell them he 'wasn't interested, but thanks anyway'.
It was half true – he was interested (fuck, was he interested), but also… not. He'd never say it out loud, but even at his horniest there was something in his way. A roadblock. Because the thing was, intimacy required, as one might suspect, intimacy. Although, one night stands walked hand in hand with alluring anonymity. Like being watched without risking being seen.
Eddie liked that, most of the time. Liked shrouding himself in a mystery. But when it came to sex, he wasn't so certain. Something instinctual told him it wouldn't be truly good unless it was real. For it to be real, walls would have to come down. Leave an unobstructed field of view for wide-open eyes. Terrifying and exhilarating; he wanted it so bad, but he couldn't (wouldn't) have it with just anyone.
It had to be special.
So, he accepted the drinks, flirted for a second, and sent the beautiful strangers on their way.
Steve writes with a rhythm. It goes tap-tap-tap-tap with the pencil on the pad while he thinks, followed by scritching, before he pauses to tap-tap-tap some more.
It's strangely endearing, not to mention relaxing. You'd expect a guy like him to be rough, leave imprints on the papers underneath and constantly break the point, but no. His large hand is soft as it writes. Eddie could fall asleep to it. A shame they're too busy to sleep.
Star Trek IV came out a week ago and the kids, Dustin especially, have been obsessed ever since. The moment they stepped out of the theater, the little twerp turned to Eddie and begged for a science fiction-themed campaign. And because he's a chump who can't say no to the kids nowadays, Eddie agreed – to a one-shot, not an entire campaign.
(Also, he's already been crafting a solar system for a potential space exploration-campaign on the down low. Why not finish and use it?)
And because Eddie Munson doesn't do half-measures in these circumstances, he spent the next week worldbuilding and polishing his new universe. At one point, as he put the finishing touches on the water planet's cuisine, Steve peeked over his shoulder and asked about sports. Eyebrow raised, Eddie said 'what about sports'. And that's when Steve snottily pointed out that Eddie had developed everything about these space cultures except for the sports, which didn't make any sense – sports was a huge part of every culture, whether Eddie liked it or not.
So! Because Eddie Munson does not do half-measures… he's currently creating extraterrestrial sports games in Steve's kitchen. Although, right now Steve's doing most of the work. After Eddie came up with the base concepts, Steve stepped in to use earth sports as inspiration for the technical aspects: rules, scoring, player positions, player numbers, playing fields, seasons (which ties in with the climate of each planet), and so on.
If he's being honest, he'll never use most of this. God knows the kids (except maybe Lucas, but he wouldn't bring it up) wouldn't notice or care about the absence of sports. But. Turn down an opportunity to hang out with Steve? Never. Also, deciding how much of real baseball should inspire their thinly veiled version of space baseball (spaceball) is kind of fun? What's a penalty and what isn't is just exciting when you throw anti-gravity into the mix.
Most importantly, it's nice seeing Steve be in his element. Dude is so fucking knowledgeable about this. Hearing him say that this will score x points because of that reason, confidence dripping from every syllable, has Eddie's tailbone tingling.
Would it be rude to swipe their notes off the island and jump onto it, offering himself like a buffet?
He knows he's allowed. Or, he knows that Steve wouldn't mind if he asked for a break, even if it was to make out. They've made a habit of sucking face when it's just them and there's nothing else to do (or when there are things to do, but they're easily ignored). Question is if he truly wants to interrupt those soothing pencil scritches and put an end to Steve's surprisingly sexy thinking face. He's got a little furrow between his eyebrows while chewing on his bottom lip, and every so often he'll mutter hoarsely under his breath. The fact that he's being so serious about doing this for the campaign, for the kids, for Eddie, is…
'Unreal' is what Eddie would've said nine months ago. Now he knows it's entirely in character. It's still noteworthy enough for him to memorize every detail of this moment. The King creating nerdy sports with the Freak is a picture that must be immortalized.
He doesn't realize how hard he's been staring until Steve looks up from their work, raising his brows in a silent 'what is it?'
Eddie shakes his head, warmth creeping over his cheeks. He pushes off the kitchen island and turns away to hide it. The sink is conveniently right there, so he grabs a glass out of the cupboard and fills it as excuse.
Behind him, the pencil hits the pad, rolling across the paper. Steve's footsteps are deliberately loud, telegraphing his advance over the surge of running water. Eddie fills the glass, drinks it in one gulp, and puts it on the counter. When he turns, heart thudding, Steve is standing inches in front of him. Steve leans forward, bracing his hands against the counter on either side of Eddie's waist. Boxing him in, but not trapping him.
"Did you want something?" Steve asks.
Eddie crosses his arms casually and shrugs. "Not really."
"Huh. It seemed like you wanted something."
"I was admiring your dedication to the campaign. It warms even this barren heart that you'll partake in nerdestry for the sake of the children."
"Oh, okay," Steve says and doesn't move; his hands remain on the counter and his face stays inches away. His eyes shine like suns, hot and intense. Eddie meets his gaze, face schooled into something calm. At least, he hopes – years of DMing have taught him how to regulate his expressions, but there's a big difference between DnD and this.
"Did you want something?" he asks to fill the silence and – yes! – his voice didn't tremble.
Steve grins. "Now that you say it, I did."
And with that, Steve kisses him.
The initial second, Eddie's brain shuts off, as it always does. It's simply too much too fast and all he can register is Steve Steve Steve. His taste, his scent, his firmness as he presses against Eddie and backs him into the kitchen cupboards.
But only the initial second. After that, he's back on, and that means he's on. Loping his arms around Steve's neck, Eddie tilts his head at the perfect angle until their mouths fit together just so and licks the inside of Steve's mouth. His hands delve into product-stiff locks and tug the way Steve likes it. Steve moans, slumping against Eddie. Eddie giggles into the kiss. He fucking loves knowing Steve better than his own back pocket, loves coaxing these reactions out of him, loves when he melts and leans his weight on Eddie.
It could be better only if they were horizontal and on a bed, or couch, or the fucking floor, and he'd get to feel the hair on Steve's chest and legs, the jut of his hipbone, and his evenly distributed weight. He so badly wants to know how heavy Steve is. He wants to be fucking crushed underneath him.
Maybe he could if he asked. Or maybe that'd be too much. The only time they've gone past second base is during the spontaneous blowjob he still can't fathom happened. Since then, their hands and mouths have stayed strictly above the waist. Eddie, though he's dying to blow Steve, is not going to complain or rush. Steve's the teacher here; he decides the curriculum.
All Eddie can do is show off the results of his rigorous practice. Today, it's by slotting their faces together like a pro and perfectly executing that tongue-sucking move Steve seems to love having done to him as much as he loves doing it to others. It brings a guttural noise out of Steve; he grabs Eddie's ass with both hands and yanks him closer. Eddie nearly loses his balance and must cling to Steve's neck to stay upright. Laughter rumbles within Steve's chest as he steadies him and rolls their hips together. The neck of his shirt bunches in Eddie's vice-like grip. They're as close as during that first kiss, no room for Jesus' finest hair between them. Eddie feels Steve's heartbeat, which means Steve can feel his, and the combined thud-thud-thuddings have his knees shaking.
Steve's hands round Eddie's hips and tug at his belt buckle. Eddie jerks back, breaking the kiss; a string of saliva still connects their mouths. Steve's eyes are enormous, more black than hazel. There's a question in them, a plea for permission.
Eddie nods and doesn't look as Steve opens Eddie's jeans and pushes them down his thighs. His face is on fucking fire. You could fry eggs on his cheeks. Which is a little debilitating. This is never how it goes in his fantasies – he's a lot suaver in those. Quicker on the ball, so to speak. On top of things, one could even say. But not here. Because here's an unfortunate fact about sex:
It's embarrassing.
Exciting and sexy and fun, obviously. But also embarrassing. It was the same during the blowie. The moment his pants were coming off and his dick popped out, Eddie was more inclined to run away than anything else. Hopefully, the feeling will fade as he gets used to it. These hopes are supported by how at ease Steve is, going from de-pantsing Eddie to unbuttoning his own jeans like it's nothing, second nature.
Eddie couldn't look away from that if he wanted to. Why would he want to? Steve's dick is a sight to behold. It's the eighth wonder of the world. Worthy of worship, of a dozen temples and daily sacrifices. It's long and thick, smooth and symmetrical, flushed at the tip and with a bead of precome already pooling in the slit.
It's pretty. And it's hard. It's hard for Eddie.
"Hey." Steve cups Eddie's face, tilting his head up (as well as bringing to his attention that his mouth's been hanging open like a fool; Eddie's teeth clack when he shuts it). "Is this okay?"
Eddie nods, breathing harshly through his nose. "Okay. So okay."
Steve smiles like Eddie just did him a favor. Eddie could – would – analyze that a little closer, except Steve lines up their cocks so that they rest against the broad expanse of his palm, rest against each other, and-
That's another guy's hand on Eddie's dick. It's another guy's dick on his dick. Steve's. Steve Harrington's dick. Next to Eddie’s.
Hoooooooooly shit.
It's happening right in front of him, and he's still having a hard time believing it. But it's real; it has to be real. Imaginarily gifted as he might be, not even he could daydream this into existence. Like, the way Steve's fingers curve around their cocks as he squeezes and strokes? The scratchy calluses on his fingertips? The ever-present chill of the Harrington mansion? How Eddie's testes keep catching on Steve's shaft, rising and rubbing against the dry skin? Steve's softly labored breaths? The edge of the fucking countertop digging into Eddie's lower back?
That's real. Uncomfortably and amazingly real.
Steve pauses to spit in his palm; Eddie whimpers out loud. When Steve resumes stroking it's just amazing, the glide so much easier now. It lets him go faster, put his hips into it and grind their pelvises together. Eddie keeps whimpering, these shamefully squeaky little ah-ah-ahs that he tries to swallow until Steve moans, hotly against the shell of his ear, that he sounds so pretty and sexy and "fuuuuuck, Eddie, wanna hear you like this every day."
He stops holding back then. Gets even louder when Steve noses along his jaw and sucks what'll surely become a mark at the underside of it.
The saliva has rubbed off but the glide is only improving, thanks to the precome dripping everywhere. Both are leaking, but Eddie especially – he's so fucking close. He tries to say it, but his skull is full of cotton and he can't form the words.
Steve must have some sixth orgasm sense, though, because he presses his lips to the scar on Eddie's cheek and mumbles, "So good, baby, you're doing so good, so perfect, wanna hear you come, wanna see your face, looked so pretty last time, almost made me cream my pants-"
Eddie screams. Head tossing back, lungs bursting, as he slouches against the counter. Most of all he'd like to sag to the floor and nap for an hour, he's that spent. But he can't – Steve hasn't come yet, and there's no way he'll go without again.
"Steve," he says. "Whaddya wan' m' to… C'n I…?"
The syllables slur together; he takes Steve's dick in his hand while licking his lips, hoping the point comes across. He just wants to make him come. 'How' doesn’t matter, as long as he's the one doing it.
Steve, thankfully understanding, puts Eddie's other hand on his cock, molding them tightly around the shaft, and rocks back and forth. Eddie almost whines a little since… well, he honestly has never before been so keen on having a cock in his mouth. Like, Steve towering over him, holding his head in place while fucking his throat? Yes and please, Jesus Christ, amen!
But this image is also pretty good: Steve's face inches away, pink with exertion and arousal, fringe plastered to his forehead, mouth kissed raw, and him thrusting wildly into Eddie's closed fists. Eddie's gaze darts between it and the throbbing cock in his hands. It's the second he's ever touched, after his own. It's a bit like jerking himself off, except a million times better, despite the kinda awkward angle.
Steve makes a noise, reedy and desperate. Eddie's eyes snap up just in time to see the climax wash over him, his mouth dropping into a perfect 'o' and his half-closed eyelids fluttering in pleasure. Ridiculous, beautiful, intoxicating; Eddie could become addicted to it.
Sighing, Steve lumbers forward to flop his head into the crook of Eddie's neck. Eddie drapes his arms over Steve's shoulders, probably smearing body fluids on his shirt. Neither says anything – they simply hold each other and breathe.
It's been a while since Eddie last was in Indianapolis. Been even longer since he visited a club. After some time, rejecting willing strangers and going home with bluer and bluer balls, no one to blame but his own fucking hangups, got old. Why waste the gas when he could just as well be getting no dates and not laid in Hawkins instead?
Except here he is, sweat sticking his shirt to his skin, hair frizzing around his ears, come drying under his nails. Standing with his dick hanging out in Steve Harrington's kitchen, with Steve Harrington in his arms.
He's sure he could've gotten this exact experience in a gay club bathroom years ago.
"Rather unhygienic doing this in the kitchen, hmm?" Eddie says.
Steve grunts, grossed out, but shrugs a shoulder. "I'll disinfect it."
Eddie giggles, and so does Steve, rubbing circles over the scar tissue on Eddie's hips. Burrows farther into Eddie's neck and makes no indication he'll move anytime soon.
Yeah, Eddie could've had this in a club. But he couldn't have had it with Steve in a club. Couldn't have felt this swoop in his stomach, like he's at the top of a roller-coaster, anywhere but here. Couldn't have felt this special.
You're ruining me, he thinks as he pets Steve's head.
Do you know that? he wonders when Steve ducks away, griping about what a pain it is to get semen out of hair. Squinting, Eddie asks how he figures. Steve blushes and laughs and doesn't reply, eyes glittering.
Can you see it?
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Not tagging anyone except @piratefishmama because she's the reason this exists in the first place. Also, I'm pretty sure she's even more excited about this than I am, so. Here you go, girl. I hope you enjoy this very late continuation.
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pussydestroyer10110 · 4 months
Text
Jake x Avatar!Reader x Neytiri
1.25k words (not edited)
Chapter 1 - Context, arriving on Pandora
This is my first time writing avatar or anything like this so please bare with. I am writing this late at night so please be kind 🙏🙏🙏 also constructive criticism would be much appreciated
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You had arrived on Pandora after years floating in the abyss of space. The lack of gravity came as a shock after years asleep, making it feel as if you were still trapped in the never ending dream.
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You were a scientist and friend of Grace Augastine when she had been studying on earth, she first looked down at you with your lack of experience and youth but soon she recognised your passion and allowed the budding friendship to blossom. It was during your second year of studying under her that she was called to Pandora for a second time, afterall she had only returned to earth after the tragedy of the school and the RDA.
She had only ever briefly spoken about what happened that day but she still spoke of her students with love and kindness, holding them above almost everyone else she knew. Frequently she would tell you stories of the planet and how its buds would bloom with colours unseen by people on earth and how the animals were something out of fiction. It made you crave to go there.
When she had finally arrived on Pandora you were already deep in the field of environmental sciences, even studying samples of Pandora that she had collected herself, that's when she started sending you little messages with pictures of her avatar and the vibrant nature around her. For her she had seen you a mere few days ago but in reality it had been years.
Despite the time between last speaking to her the friendship remained strong and you opened each message with more curiosity than last.
She had told you about the marine 'Jake' that had joined them recently and how he was a complete moron with no respect for the world around him. Only weeks later she was singing his praises and telling you about how she had rejoined the clan she once and still loved.
You loved it all, you experienced it through her but that never seemed enough.
Then that one fateful day came, you had sat by your computer for months, checking and checking for new messages but nothing came. She had disappeared.
After a long while of waiting you had finally sent the dreaded message to the lab she was working at, asking of her where abouts, if she was okay. Nothing could've prepared you for the message you received, a message sent by one of her lab partners, Norm.
Now you knew of her death, it broke you in unimaginable ways. You felt your tie to the foreign world become severed within an instant, how could simple pixels on a screen completely twist your perception of reality?
So you threw yourself at your work, reading over notes only you had gotten thanks to Grace, you knew everything you could about this foreign world. That's why you were selected.
With the avatar programme under new management they decided they needed more hands to help repair the gaping wound left by the RDA and once Norm found your chat with Grace and heard about your work back on Earth he recruited you.
He had a team craft your own avatar for you.
When you saw it you cried. You felt a newfound connection to your old friend knowing she had experienced what you were going to.
Then you were placed on that flight which only about a dozen people were on to be shipped lightyears out into space.
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So here you were, your mouth dry, your body weak and tired despite your death like rest.
You were there in the outer atmosphere of Pandora. There was a large window carved into the far side of the ship, through it you could see the planet you had only heard about but dreamt of going to.
It felt new, fresh, it was a possibility of a new life as you literally had a new body to place yourself into.
A few hours later and you landed on Pandora, a mask clamped tightly around your face as you went from the shuttle to the base. Inside was sleek but more personalised than when the RDA had ran it, you felt yourself begin to feel slightly emotional once more knowing Grace had walked these same hallways were you were now.
It was a short walk to where the few humans of Pandora were, all of them were smiling and happy to greet you along with the team. To your knowledge they had picked a variety of skill sets, a few scientists, farmers and even a few family members.
You didn't know what to expect as you walked in but you knew you were the only one with an avatar.
The team had only enough materials to craft one more avatar due to the lack of government funding and it was gifted to you. You were waiting in this small room until a man entered, introducing himself as the 'Norm' you knew so much but so little about.
The others were soon chased off to do there duties, leaving you standing there, waiting for your own instructions. After a while Norm turned to you, a large smile on his face.
"Welcome, now you know we've given you an avatar because Grace had always spoken so highly of you"
You look at him with a soft smile, it was nice knowing your old friend had spoken fondly of you, he begins to walk through the hallways while spouting scientific facts about the lab around you, clearly wanting you to follow. Finally you reach a room with a thick metal door showing it was of higher security, from the gap between the door and the floor there was a soft blue glow.
"Now this is where we've kept your avatar for the time being, it's in with the link room as with you being the only avatar driver here we have to compact the space a bit more"
He says and he types a code and the door opens, inside a glowing blue tank and inside the tank the slender, hunched form of an avatar.
"She, well you, matured on the flight out"
As he says this you barely pay attention, instead choosing to walk up to the tank and gaze up at the otherworldly figure twitching slightly in the translucent substance. She looked like you but with her features sharper - not dissimilar to a cat - the whole thing enthralled you. Norm looked at you with a slight smile, he wasn't offended at the lack of focus you gave him as he reminded himself of the first time he'd seen his avatar.
"It's cool isn't it?"
He asks, momentarily breaking your train of focus, you turn to him with a sheepish smile knowing you've been preoccupied with your own thoughts.
"Yeah, it's a bit of a shock, Grace always told me about how it felt to be part of the Na'vi tribe, to look like one of them. I guess I'd never thought I'd experience it myself"
You state, it was obvious this whole experience felt surreal it almost wanted to make you pinch yourself to just assure yourself you weren't dreaming.
It was exciting, new and it hadn't even started yet.
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kairiscorner · 8 months
Text
no bc y/n is literally me here (ambiverted, socially awkward, school tryhard emez)
(reblogs are greatly appreciated, it helps get my content out there! if you guys like what you see, please reblog it too <:D)
miguel o'hara x socially awkward, smart, filipino reader
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summary: you just want to try and get to know him, but knowing everything about the science and tech at the spider society doesn't magically grant you wisdom on how to make a stoic, stern man become your friend in a day (let alone get your crush to notice you) pairing: miguel o'hara x gn!filipino!reader (but anyone is welcome to read it !!) genre: FLUFF ! word count: 1,359 request: can you write another Miguel x Filipino!reader who's really smart and talented but socially awkward... like the reader has a crush on Miguel and wants to have a close bond/relationship with him so the reader is doing their best to have a conversation/spend time with him (only to end up being kinda awkward in terms of the reader's execution huhu basta something like that ganern)
without a doubt, you were the most important person in the whole spider society as a normal, ordinary, every day person that didn't have any spider powers. second to lyla, you were the only two hands (that had signs of life coursing through their veins) that kept the spider society functioning and afloat. you fixed nearly everybody's technical hiccup in the span of a few minutes, and the best part was, you loved doing this—you loved helping the spider people you came across in the field you were an expert in; it gave you big boosts of confidence to your otherwise incredibly anxious self.
you were always praised and thanked by everyone you helped, and it always brought a smile on your face and humble words out of your mouth every time to respond. however, there was one person you couldn't dare to face in the eye to give a 'you're welcome' to them, one person you always ran away from in embarrassment every time you fumbled up your greeting to them or their name in sheer anxiety of how to approach them. your mouth sometimes runs faster than your already overthinking mind, which was both a blessing and a curse to you. that person was none other than the revered, yet feared, miguel o'hara.
the big man had never done anything to directly intimidate you, it was mainly your anxiety and overthinking that filled in the blanks for you about what he probably thinks about you. you saw him as this distant, otherworldly man who was far, far from your league–he was a stoic, stern, and serious guy who led a whole society of spider people from across the multiverse; he was hot shit, very hot shit. and you're just this... person, this person who came from another earth from some ordinary family, with ordinary roots, and a not-so ordinary mind that could solve technical problems in a matter of seconds–you doubted he'd take notice of you.
though, there was always that more risk-taking part of you–that side of you that always seemed to want to do something that would backfire or impossible to pull off; that side of you that... that yearned to do things that you usually wouldn't do, call it a nice intrusive thought, a reflex, an urge. and that urge was... to make small talk with miguel o'hara as you fix up his web shooter for him.
yeah. not the most comfortable situation.
you're starting to feel how cold and hard the seat below you is as you're analyzing the code in his digital webs. he's seated cross-armed before you and pouting slightly, maybe it was an urge for him, to, to just... pout. it was hard not to notice him pouting–your attention always did come down to his very full and plump lips, sometimes you'd think about the shape of his lips, drawing them out on some scratch paper to get the thoughts out of your mind, and sometimes, you wondered to yourself at random times of the day how good they'd feel against–nevermind. '
oh, please, don't ask him that. talk about anything else, say anything else, just not–'
"ah, um... you have pretty full lips, mig, don't you?" you asked him with a shy smile and an awkward laugh following it. a long silence fell and lingered in the atmosphere, joining the thick awkwardness that was palpable the more and more you tried reviving your dying out, nervous chuckle as you hurried darted your eyes from miguel's lips to his web shooter, trying to wipe the memory of what you just said away from your mind while also berating yourself for saying it.
'that's it, you killed your chances with him. nobody says that, what's up with you? he's gonna think you're weird, that you have a, what, a fetish for him? you've screwed yourself over! you're screw–'
"i do?" miguel asked as he looked at you, his lips still in a pouting look. you got a bit embarrassed, you eyes wide open as you profusely nodded. "i-it's, um, quite..." 'don't say it, don't say it, don't say it–' "...cute." 'you fucked yourself over again, for real this time.'
you began to sweat a little, then a whole lot; the beads of sweat glistening on your forehead as you awkwardly grinned at him to ease the tension of the awkwardness that filled the room, which actually made it worse in your eyes as your grin curved into a wince. "i do, huh." miguel said as he nodded and looked away from you, going back to analyzing the statuses of the earths he was monitoring earlier. "is that a good or a bad thing?" he asked you as you jolted up, straightening your back and stammering as your brain tried loading up an answer. "ah, um... yes." 'seriously?!' "what kind of answer is 'yes'?" 'i don't know!'
"i-i meant, yes! yes, i-it's a good thing. a... a very good thing." you added as you almost finished up fixing and patching up the bugs in his webs so he can finally use his web shooters in action and quit with the idle chatter. though a part of you, no matter how anxious and socially awkward, wanted miguel to stay–despite not having much to talk about, his presence comforted you, somehow. you may not have been the best with words, but you didn't have to be–you were comfortable and content with being with him in silence, just staying with him and being in each other's comfort. because, even though neither of you had a very proper conversation... you had always admired and looked up to him, always caught glimpses of him that spoke a deeper language more than words could ever hope to.
miguel cleared his throat and looked at you fixing up the final touches of his web shooters. "well, then... i suppose i should thank you, for, fixing my web shooters. and for your... unique compliment. i've... never been told that before in my life, it's... it's interesting to know." he muttered, his face getting a big flustered and so was yours–though yours was getting even more heated and flustered because... he's the one you like, the one you adore; the one for you, in your delusional yet genius mind. "um... this might sound very stupid to you, but, if you'd like, um... wanna maybe... come over to my place and... let me cook you up something good?" miguel asked you in stammers, trying to keep his voice even, but ultimately failed.
"i'd... i'd love that." you said with a grin, a bright, lovely grin that was full of hope and joy–you were just the cutesy little thing... and even though you were the one who fell first, miguel certainly fell much, much harder. miguel's AI assistant, lyla, popped up next to miguel and smirked. "was that so hard to say?" she asked him in a playful voice as miguel ignored her. the AI assistant popped up close to your face now and grinned. "y'know, it took him months to tell you that–that's why he always sounds like he's mumbling around you, i hope you weren't scared off by this big grizzly bear of a guy." she apologized for miguel as he growled lowly in embarrassment, like a provoked bear, as lyla described him as.
you giggled and told lyla it was no problem. "honestly, it took me months to talk to him..." "well, perfect, you two are clearly meant for each other." she said as miguel furrowed his eyebrows as his eyes widened. "lyla, i'll disconnect you." miguel warned the AI assistant as she stuck her tongue out at miguel and you whispered to her you'd have her back online in seconds if he did. you truly were the most charming person miguel met, without a doubt–you just needed a little push, a little reassurance, you had his heart in the palm of your hands in seconds; though you had social awkwardness and anxiety, you truly were a joy if the layers of your nervous and anxious self could be peeled back and appreciated, you were just perfect in miguel's eyes.
tags !! @miguelswifey04 @binibinileonara @hisachuu @wreakingmarveloushavok @fictarian @yuridopted0 @simsrandomstuff @luvstarrstruck @popeheywardssecretgf @meeom @arachnoia @melovetitties @fable-library @ophanimgold
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wlwsuperheroine · 9 months
Text
I’m obsessed with this scene from eclipse lake
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Some might see it as comedy or a visual gag on the word play of the ‘common mold’ or they might see it as foreshadowing to Luz’s death, which is understandable since she turns into a mold-like cluster.
But I think it’s deeper than that. I personally see it as using fungi as symbolism or storytelling tool to Luz’s character and development.
I have 2 points I’d like to make about that, first about Luz herself.
One of, if not, the most distinguishable trait of luz is that she’s human, it’s what sets her apart from all the other boiling isles inhabitants, to the point it became her moniker in a world full of witches and demons to many characters.
And genealogically speaking humans are more related to fungi than any other kingdom, more than even plants. We share nearly 50% of our DNA with fungi, enough for us to contract many of the same viruses a they do.
so putting the scientific perspective on the side let’s take a look at the poetic point of view.
Due to the fact that fungi’s main purpose in our ecosystem is to break down living matter and release other substances into the soil and atmosphere, they have always been a symbol for rebirth and resurrection, reincarnation and rejuvenation and regeneration.
Which yes might eludes to the finale where luz literally died and came back to life but you could also see it as luz being rebirthed into the boiling isles. There she started a new life, with a new family to love, a new house to live in, a new dream to look up to, new relationships to make and maintain, basically a brand new life.
Last thing, like luz, mycology and mycologists have always been overlooked and unappreciated, even in the scientific community. According to an article published in the guardian, fungi weren’t seen as their own kingdom of life until the 60s. Mycologists were put in a corner of the plant sciences department, rather than in their own fungal sciences department. And you could see how neglecting that must feel. But while being overlooked like fungi, mycology thrived in the dark and the damp.
The second point I’d like to make is not the fungi’s relation to luz herself but to her magic or at least how she uses magic i.e. glyphs.
We know glyphs are the first and oldest form of magic, just like how fungi was the first organism to come to life on earth. And as shown in the show, where different characters used glyphs at some point, that it’s very versatile, it’s very flexible they have a lot of uses and advantages even if many looked at glyphs with condescending disdain at first, we can’t ignore it’s potential.
Which it’s very similar to the strides fungi and mycologist are doing in the industry. Fungi’s application can be found in food, medicine, textiles, fibres, packaging materials, and there are some great research being made to use it as biofuel. And it’s not done, it’s no near being done in the field, and just like how we finished the series with luz discovering new glyphs, scientists all around the world are discovering new fungal species on a daily basis. The future is fungal.
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americas1suiteheart · 10 months
Note
Can you please do a doctor who fanfic, a 10th Doctor x TransMasc!reader please :3 nothing specific in the story other than that, though some fluff would be nice
Why I would be more than happy do write such! I absolutely adore Trans reader stories, its a shame there ain't many, I'm so glad you asked me this though!
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Brilliant!
[10th Doctor x Trans-Masc!Reader]
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[Summary: After years of traveling with the doctor, you accidentally spout out about how you identify. You had hid it the whole time you'd known him out of fear he'd drop you back off on earth out of disgust. That was the last thing he'd intended on doing.]
[Warnings; 900-some year old age gap (can I count that as a warning?)]
•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•
You were stupid enough to be messing with a piece of forgin spacecraft basically. You wanted to see what it was linked to, where it came from, and if it was getting any transmission signals.
So you began taking it apart. Yeah, just as I've said; not the smartest thing to do. Suddenly, it began whirring and flashing the white lights it had attached onto the top of it. Odd. Then it began blaring. Oh no. Then came a voice. Shit..
You take a few steps back from the piece of machinery and get your welding gun, protection I guess?
"WHO ARE YOU!? WHAT AM I DOING HERE!?"
The now what you assume is a battle robot or possibly even a life form, starts moving one of what you assume is its arm, and a blue glowing eye-like piece on its head.
Then it points another one of its "arms," up to you, starting to glow in a neon white color, making an awful whirring noise before flickering out and falling off from the body of it.
You were absolutely fascinated. Scared yes, but fascinated nonetheless. "What.. What are you?" I ask, walking closer as I look all around it.
"I AM THE DALEK! TELL ME WHAT DO YOU HAVE ME HELD HERE FOR!?"
This thing is incredible. You'd never heard of a Dalek before, but it surely was something. "I found you, I work in the engineering field and I was trying to see what you were or where you came from. I don't wish to hurt you." You put your welding tool down, seeing that the arm that seemed to be its weapon is no longer attached to it.
"RELEASE ME FROM YOUR CAPTIVITY HUMAN!" It begins rolling towards me, I back up slowly as to not let it get too close.
"Alright, I will but what did you come to earth for. Because surely your not from this planet or possibly even this galaxy, I'd never seen a piece machinery like that."
"WHY SHOULD I TELL YOU THAT!? WHY SHOULD I TRUST YOU!?" The Dalek rolls even closer to you, moving its eye up and down as if its examining you.
"Because I haven't done anything to harm you yet, have I? If I wanted to kill you I could have already done it by now." You place your hands up in a defensive manor as it rolls backward.
Suddenly, you hear your door beeps as it opens, you turn your head to the door, revealing two people, one young girl and one man.
"God, not again. Seriously what is it with you science guys and the Daleks." The Girl complains, followed by a chuckle from the man beside her.
The Dalek begins to freak out, blaring and flashing its lights as it looks at the girl and the man, pointing its remaining arm at them and flailing it.
"YOU ARE AN ENEMY OF THE DALEK! YOU MUST BE DESTROYED!"
What? It knows these people? Why are they enemies?
The man looks at the Dalek and deems it unharmful after looking at its missing arm. "You can't hurt me, you haven't even got your gunstick." The man laughs at the Dalek, getting closer to it. Then he turns to look at you, walking up to you. "You just have the bloody thing roaming around your lab? You know how much harm it could've done if it had its gunstick?"
"Well, it kinda did when I was messing with it." You admit, looking blankly at him.
"Your lucky your still alive you know, I'm telling you Rose, the bunch of you humans are fools sometimes!" He looks at the younger woman that you now know as Rose.
You look at the man dumbfounded, 'you humans'? Was he not a human himself like the Dalek? Was that why he was an enemy?
Rose approaches you, pushing the man to the side, "Hello, I'm Rose Tyler and this is The Doctor. We want to know how you get ahold of the Dalek and if it had caused any sort of mayhem before?" Rose puts her hand out to me to introduce herself and the man.
You reach for Rose's hand, giving it a firm shake as you introduce yourself, "Dr. L/n, and how should I trust you two? The other man is just called 'The Doctor'? No name or anything? And he said 'you humans' as well, how should I trust he's not just som-"
The "Doctor," then cuts me off, "Dr. L/n, I can assure you that you can trust us, we're probably the only ones on this planet that you can trust." The Doctor says, placing his hands on my shoulders.
"I found it in what we thought was an smaller asteroid landing, I found the Dalek mostly unharmed other than a few dents, then I took it into here and started taking it apart. I had no clue what it was really, It hadn't caused any damage and no one knows about it other than me and a colleague that thought it was just some spaceship debris. Would you please get your hand off me?" I explain, then looking down at The Doctor's arms on my shoulders, trying to shrug them off.
The Doctor takes his hands off of me, turning to the Dalek, "Alright.. What should we do about you now." He says, putting his index finder on his cheek in a thinking manor.
"FREE ME!"
"No no, I'm afraid we can't do that. We could kill you and just scrap your battle armor. Though self destruction might be better for y-" You shoot up and stand in front of the Dalek blocking it from The Doctor cuttting him off.
"Why should we kill it? It's already vulnerable being it no longer has its weapon." I look up at him.
"Dr. L/n, we have to kill it. It doesn't even serve a purpose here being the rest of its race is dead. There is no reason for it to fulfill whatever order it was sent here for. This creature doesn't show pity or remorse and will kill anything and anyone in any way that it can once it is able to." The Doctor explains.
You look down at the Dalek and step out of the way between it and The Doctor.
"YOU HAVE BETRAYED ME DR. L/N! YOU ARE NOW AN ENEMY OF THE DALEKS!" The Dalek looks at me as it flails its arm about.
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[Skip because I don't feel like writing a whole death scene for the Dalek]
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Rose comes up to me and shakes my hand once more, "It was a pleasure to meet you Dr. L/n, though it wasn't one of the best ways to do so I suppose," She lets out a lighthearted chuckle.
"Pleasure to meet you too Ms. Tyler."
The Doctor clears his throat, "Dr. L/n, what experience do you have with extraterrestrial machinery?"
"Well, I've handled quite a bit for a number of years now. I'm usually the person the higher ups hand all that kind of stuff to, why do you ask?" I say, taking my goggles off my face and placing them on the top of my head.
"Brilliant! I was wondering if you would like to travel with me and Rose here." The Doctor's face lights up as he turns to look at Rose.
"He doesn't know how to fix his ship, he just bangs the poor thing with a hammer and calls it a day." Rose giggles as The Doctor looks at her in unamusement.
Traveling with what seems to be an extraterrestrial being that just told another extraterrestrial being to kill itself, and a young girl. Sure that seems completely safe!
"Ship? So you're from space I'm assuming, Doctor?" You furrow your eyebrows.
"Well, yes. But Rose here is a human, you'll have another one of you on it, that is if you choose to go with us, of course, Dr. L/n." The Doctor shrugs his shoulders and tilts his head to the side.
"Alright, I'll go, but what am I going to do about my job? I can't just leave."
"We basically have a time traveling ship, give them a two weeks advance and then you can leave the same day if you go with us." Rose says.
I look at The Doctor and he nods.
"Alright, lead me to your "ship," "
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Its been years now since you'd first met the two. Now it's just you and The Doctor, as Rose had left a year ago now. You enjoyed your time with her and became good friends with eachother and wished she hadn't left, but you respected her decision.
Rose was the only one you had told about being transgender, she supported you and suggested you tell The Doctor, but pushed it off using excuses such as, "He won't understand it," and, "It wouldn't matter to tell him," but you were scared he was going to call you a freak really.
The reason for this was not just because you were afraid of losing a good friend, but because you had come to fancy him throughout those years.
You walk into the console room due to hearing banging, hoping it wasn't The Doctor trying to "fix," something, yet lo and behold, you find him using a mallet on the poor TARDIS.
"Doctor, if something is wrong with the TARDIS you could just ask me to fix it, you know that." You walk towards him, your arms crossed with a look of unamusement on your face.
The Doctor looks at you and places the mallet down, "Ah, Y/n! Great now you can go and fetch me the sonic screwdriver from the living area, I'd left it there when I was working on something else."
"Doctor, you don't need the sonic screwdriver, or this mallet, to fix this, let me do it." You say, grabbing the bag of your tools to look for the needed things.
"Watch, for stuff like this you only need a bit of electrical tape, wire cutters, and a couple of these wire butt connectors." You say, grabbing one of the faulty wires in the console.
"You splice the wires, taking off about a quarter of an inch, then you place it with the colour corresponding wire, connect in with the butt connector- are you even listening?" You look up at The Doctor to see him looking at your face.
"Yeah, yeah I'm listening don't worry," he says, leaning onto the railing on the console.
"What had I just said then?" You eye The Doctor for a second before going back to your work.
He stayed silent for a second, before saying, "Wires." He shrugs.
You roll your eyes and get back to working on the TARDIS. This wasn't the first time he'd done something like this, but yet, it didn't upset you.
"Y/n, I've wondered about your family. You never talked about them or anything of the such, why's that?"
Your family wasn't the best. After telling them you were transgender the only people that supported you was your dad and most of the family on his side. But everyone else, including your mum and your siblings cut all contact with you right after.
"Oh uh, I don't really talk to them anymore." You say, continuing your work.
"Why?"
Before you could stop yourself from saying anything you would regret, the words flew out from your mouth in desperation to be let out.
The one thing you told yourself you wouldn't do was done. You couldn't take it back or pass it off as a joke, the damage was done.
The Doctor just stayed silent, what appeared to be a look of confusion on his face.
You could've apologized and run off to your respectful room in the TARDIS, but you just sat there staring at him silently. You didn't want to loose more people because of your own choice to be something that you weren't born as.
"Y/n, I'm so glad you told me. Why hadn't you told me sooner?" The Doctor engulfs you into a hug.
Before you knew it you began crying. You'd never been so relieved and happy about something.
"You don't think I'm a freak?" You sputter out, trying your best to make it sound clear.
"No, Y/n I could never. I think your absolutely brilliant! I don't think I could ever have a more brilliant companion, really." He says, grabbing onto the both of your hands.
There was a peaceful moment of silence between the two of you before The Doctor broke it. "Y/n, can I tell you something as well?"
You nod your head.
"I'm in love with you, Dr. L/n." The Doctor says, looking at you as if you were the only thing in the universe, the glow of the TARDIS making his eyes glisten it that gorgeous caramel brown colour you adored.
That's the first time he's called you that since a little while after you two met.
"I love you too, Doctor."
You could see his eyes flick down to your lips before one of his shaky hands reaches for your cheek, he leans in and closes his eyes as he pulls your face closer to his, finally closing the gap between the both of you, placing a gentle but passionate kiss on your lips that lasted a couple of seconds before the both of you pulled away, breaths short.
He looked absolutely gorgeous in that moment, his messy hair sticking up from all directions, a lopsided smile on his face, an a deep blush spread across his freckled face, the TARDIS glow illuminating it.
"You're absolutely brilliant, darling." He says, placing another kiss onto your lips.
The universe had the best intentions for your life and you could never ask for anything better at that very moment.
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Word Count; 2,395
I hope that was a decent enough interpretation of what you wanted. I really like the way that this one turned out! My request book is open! Send any requests you have.
Do not repost any of my work!
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tf2shipswag · 7 months
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ROUND 1, MATCH 8
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cam and jr. belong to @fl00rbr3ad!! rene and alois belong to @allthepandasintheworld and @solemn-vow!!
[cam and jr. propaganda rule: nothing sexual rene and alois propaganda rules: nothing overly suggestive + only ship them with eachother]
ABOUT OUR CONTESTANTS UNDER THE CUT!
RENE AND ALOIS: - "He [alois] is literally babygirl. Light of this world. Killed his dad and uses his skull as a paperweight--oops. Medics have to have SOMETHING going on. - "Alois is like, if you took the classic himbo archetype and made him like, less stupid and a little more chaotic. A little. He's the type of man who would steal a dog if it was being abused by its owner. He also loves baking, and animals, and babies, and baby animals. He literally attracts strays, like his cat Margaretha and his husband Rene." - "he's [rene] like, THE tumblr sexyman archetype. If you know, you know. He's Ballister before the Nimona movie came out." - "He's [rene] a poor little meow meow, he's the most pathetic spy to walk this earth, he is a sad cringefail little man, and his joints snap crackle and pop when he does parkour. He's so competent and yet the world is stacked against him. The L in Lambert stands for LOSER!!!"
CAM AND JR: - "they clean up dead bodies all the time and deserve some recognition for it. :D👍" - "Cam(25) and Jr(13) are janitors hired by the administrator to clean up after every battle the RED and BLU teams have, because when your battle field is covered in dead bodies it’s not very efficient for fighting. When Cam was in her first year of college, doing forensic sciences, she attempted to burn down her college in order to get a free degree. She was caught and is now on the run with her little sister, Jr. Cam is friends with Demoman and Ms. Pauling, Jr is friends with Pyro and has a very chaotic sibling dynamic with Scout!"
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saturniandevil · 3 months
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February 2024 Important Dates
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AKA my notes on The Astrology Podcast's February forecast.
January recap: With Pluto now in Aquarius we've got new technological developments: "flying taxis" going to market, Google's new AI set to release around Jupiter in Gemini, and the first commercially available see-through LED screens. In Saturn-Neptune news, Apple's new VR operating system is being advertised as "spatial computing." Aquarius loves to experiment for the joy of discovery--even if society ends up rejecting some of these new projects. Austin points out many prophetic "near future" fiction stories came out under Jupiter-Saturn in Libra in the 1980s, which was a preview of those conjunctions occurring in air signs for the next 200 years (we had the last earth ones a few years ago). Saturn-Neptune also connotes widespread political misinformation (as it did in 2016)--we've got AI deepfake videos of political figures being used not just for humor, but also to try and sway voters in the New Hampshire Primary. Another notable Saturn in Pisces story is the restriction of the Red Sea trade route and subsequent rerouting of cargo ships along global trade routes. The Mars-Saturn conjunction in Pisces in March will likely show major developments in maritime combat or disasters.
We enter the month fresh off Pluto's ingress into Aquarius. There's a lot of energy in the sign this month, some good and some difficult. The faster-moving planets will be joining Pluto in Aquarius specifically for the first time since the 18th century, giving us the first tastes of what the next 20 years will bring for society at large. For personal charts, what house does Aquarius fall in?
February 5th - Mercury enters Aquarius, conjoins Pluto This is the first planet to join the Sun and Pluto in Aquarius. Venus and Mars will follow this ingress-conjunction pattern later this month--and the new Moon is in Aquarius. Mercury-Pluto brings up information and power such as classified document leaks, as well as hidden pathways or getting lost in the labyrinth. Determined efforts to delve into deeper truths can pay off, but we can also become obsessed with something no one else can see. Other significations include taboo subjects, with science and social rules being especially important in Aquarius, and negating ideas we once thought were true. Paranoia and manipulations also abound with Pluto-Mercury. In Aquarius we'll see these issues take light especially through new technologies. In general Pluto magnifies small things to their biggest extremes--something microscopic may change society irrevocably, etc. The PRC has a timed chart with Aquarius rising with the Moon in Aquarius, and indeed has been leading the world in uses & development of certain new technologies, which in turn has brought power struggles with other major players in those fields.
February 6th - Fortunate date (not pictured)
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Set at about 8:00AM local time, this chart should give you 11° Pisces rising. The Ascendant ruler Jupiter is in the 3rd house in a day chart, emphasizing communication and other 3rd house topics. The Moon in early Capricorn applies to a trine with Jupiter, bonifying her. The Jupiter-Saturn sextile is emphasized here; while Saturn is very close to the Ascendant, he's more cooperative in a day chart, and is being received by Jupiter (is in Jupiter's sign), who he's trining. Thus Chris predicts it'll be a good balance of consolidation and growth. This does have Mars in the 11th house in a day chart, so it's not great for matters involving friends, groups, and alliances. But it is good for communicating, neighborhood, education/learning, weekly schedule, siblings, and starting a daily practice (Saturn will help us establish routines).
February 9th - Aquarius New Moon
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At 20° of Aquarius, the closest configuration is a square from Uranus (19♉), connoting a disruptive or unexpected component. This is also the first Aquarius New Moon with Pluto present--Pluto will be weighing in on all monthly meetings in Aquarius for now. We can expect concerns around independence and freedom, but also emotional volatility. "How do I break from this pattern?" asks the rebel, knowing it'll be better than keeping things as they are. Mercury also applies to a square with a Jupiter during this time, expanding communications & bringing (possibly excessive) optimism. The Jupiter-Saturn sextile that hung over much of January weighs in as well, balancing our drives for both growth and consolidation.
February - 12th/13th Mars enters Aquarius Soon after he conjoins Pluto.
February 14th - Mars conjunct Pluto This is the first hard aspect since the square circa October 7th. There are going to be about 10 of these conjunctions during Pluto's trip through Aquarius. Mars connotes military operations, while Pluto brings underground groups and struggles. We've been having power dynamics stirred up in the Capricorn parts of our charts the past 20 years, and now this moves to our Aquarius house/area of life. Possessiveness and excessive force are also connoted by this planetary combination; exercise caution and take special care not to go too far. Austin describes this feeling as a "struggle against annihilation," even when we're not actually fighting for our lives. It'll take self-control and grace to navigate this Valentine's day well.
February 16th - Venus enters Aquarius Soon after she will conjoin Pluto, and later Mars.
February 17th - Venus conjunct Pluto The intensity, obsessions, and making mountains of molehills brought up by other planets' Pluto contacts will now show itself in the realm of relationships and social interactions. We get the extremes of affection and its negation with Venus-Pluto. This can be a good time for experimenting in the arts: we're getting a new movie based off Frankenstein, which was published under Pluto in Aquarius. Much of the novel is from the perspective of no the doctor but his experiment--when are we our own lab rats?
February 18th - Sun enters Pisces
February 22nd - Venus conjunct Mars Unfortunately Mars, Aquarius, and Pluto do not bode well for Valentine's-adjacent activities. Some positive connotations include magnetic allure and deep, passionate connections with others, extreme vulnerability and devotion. However, keep watchful for power struggles and manipulation in relationships and attraction. Ask yourself, "is this healthy or is this too far?" and try to set healthy boundaries. (Though the answers may be clearer in hindsight.) Look out for hastiness in relationships, jealous and aggression in love, or attraction to drama or conflict. Try to balance passion with reason, communicate clearly, and express that energy through creative outlets.
February 23rd - Mercury enters Pisces
February 24th - Virgo Full Moon
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Immediately after its exact opposition to Saturn, the Moon applies to one with Saturn, who as a matter of course is also applying to Saturn by conjunction (pictured above is the Moon between these oppositions). Austin describes this as a magnified check-in with Saturn, as we're approaching the 1-year mark for Saturn in Pisces (early March). How have you been bearing having to swim with weights on? Or maybe you've hooked something powerful on your fishing line--how will you reel it in? Chris says this lunation highlights tension in the Virgo part of our charts as well, shedding light that may help us identify solutions. We have a Sun-Mercury-Saturn conjunction a few days later that will bring our attention back to Pisces.
February 26th/27th - Mars square Jupiter Jupiter wants to help, but something's getting in his way. We can also think about taking risks, leaving our comfort zone, and increased energy/enthusiasm. However, as Mars is overcoming Jupiter (earlier in the zodiac), traditional sources would indicate that the warlike side of things will gain the upper hand over peaceful Jupiter. Mars in Aquarius connotes rogue or outsider forces, while Jupiter is privileged by stability in Taurus. Keep a lookout for global trade points and major conflicts, which will likely see developments around this time. Some positives of Mars-Jupiter include increased motivation, taking bold actions, and meeting ambitious goals. On the flipside is impulsiveness, overconfidence, and recklessness. Mars-Jupiter is willing to take a risk. Sometimes, it's better not to know exactly what you're getting into so you don't get overwhelmed by a monumental task; other times, it doesn't work out. This is the placement of the intrepid explorer.
February 28th - Moon, Mercury, and Saturn conjunction in Pisces This occurs at 9 degrees of Pisces, and each planet applies to a sextile with Pisces in the following days. Jupiter brings us another management check-in after Saturn's: how have we been balancing growth with consolidation? Jupiter's going to pick up speed and zoom out of Taurus later this year, moving away from this balanced position to a difficult square with Saturn. We've been balancing weight with buoyancy, but once in Gemini Jupiter forms more of helicopter to Saturn's submarine--vehicles that can't be combined. With Saturn and Mercury (and the Sun shedding light), we'll likely see changes in the status of maritime trade and travel. From Saturn to Jupiter we may see something go from being stuck to unstuck.
As we wrap up the month, we've got some Pisces planets approaching Neptune while Jupiter approaches Uranus. And don't forget, we've got 29 days in February this year!
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thatgeekyemo · 2 years
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Hope Dangles On A String
peter parker x reader | 3.3k
summery: "So you're telling me you don't know about how Spider-Man killed Mysterio?" You can't have heard that right. Mysterio was dead?
You blinked. "What?"
prompt 5: "Could you hold my hand?", requested by iloveyou3000 on Wattpad
note: I wanna see who gets some references I made. Some are more tricky than the others. (Hint: I've already made one)Also, this was written before NWH came out :)
The library had become one of your favorite places since you came back. It was quiet, filled with knowledge, and always air conditioned.
The library at Midtown School of Science and Technology in particular was a place you spent most of your free time in nowadays. You always got to the school early in the morning and always stayed hours after the school day was over. Ever since The Blip, it had become your second home; it was the most familiar place you could go to. A place where you could re-adjust to the world you grew up in and catch up on the five years of history you missed.
Currently, there weren't many people in the library with you, since school wasn't set to start for another month. But the administration always left the doors open for the book club and Decathlon team. You weren't in either, but as long as you still followed the rules, you were always welcome.
The library was a safe place. No one ever bothered you, and you could always get what you wanted to get done done.
You were friends with the librarian. You even helped out every once in a while. Being surrounded by so much information and stories helped you feel at ease. Helped you feel like you weren't the only person with the loss of them. Like you weren't the only one out of the loop.
With a book open in front of you--about how the world dealt and built itself back up after half its population suddenly disappearing--you tried your hardest to understand how the world functioned when you were gone, having been one of the people that disappeared.
It was a hard thing to wrap your mind around, believing that you had been gone five whole years. Everything just seemed like a blink to you. One second, you were scared for your life, wondering if Iron Man and Spider-Man were ever going to come back from following that alien spaceship into the sky. The next, you found yourself on the floor in a bedroom that wasn't yours, but at the same time was. One second, you had been sitting in dead silence, the next, the air was filled with the ear splitting yell of a young girl, screaming at you like you were an intruder in your own home.
You were.
In what felt like a blink, an entire five years had passed on Earth. Had passed everywhere. People grieved. Then people moved on with their lives.
You, among hundreds of thousands of other people, had to find new homes. New jobs. It was hard to believe that you were thrust five years and two months into the future, when just a second ago, you had been in 2018.
But of course, you knew the entire world couldn't be playing a giant trick. That against all probability, it had actually happened. You had to believe it whether you wanted to or not. This was your life now.
Just as you were getting settled, some boxes in your new room still unpacked, your parents urged you to go on your science class' summer field trip. They, as well as you, had thought that maybe it could help you unwind from the stress of living in a familiar but unfamiliar world.
Instead, Mysterio and the Elementals had happened, and what was supposed to be a relaxing summer vacation turned into looking over your shoulder to make sure another danger wasn't creeping up out of thin air every waking moment.
You had broken down in the airport once it was all over. Once everyone was safe. It was all too much. You didn't understand how people could live their lives like it was normal. How they weren't affected like you were. Too many life changing and endangering events had happened in rapid succession and it was too much for you.
It was Peter who held you then like he always had. It was Peter who pulled you from your spiraling state by making you focus on his voice. It was Peter who held your hand and wouldn't let go until you were okay enough to pull away.
You could always count on him to get you out of a tough place and stick by your side for the entirety of it all. And he didn't ask for anything out of it. Just that you would do the same.
That was a promise you had made to him years ago.
There were two other people in the library with you, not including the librarian, who was in the back room. You took note of them the second they walked in. You didn't know their names, so you figured might have been kids that survived. It was easier for you to keep an eye on everything around you. It made you feel better. The two teens had identical books of their own open in front of them, so you had initially assumed they were in the school's book club. But as the time passed, they disregarded reading and resorted to their phones. It didn't matter to you what they were doing. As long as it didn't break your concentration, they could talk quietly and laugh amongst themselves all they wanted. You didn't bother them, they didn't bother you.
So when you caught them staring, you had tried to disregard it. You hadn't done nothing much other than read the book you had checked out. There was a list of things that made you uncomfortable, and people staring was on it. You could feel their eyes on you as you kept your own trained on the pages in your hands. You knew you hadn't looked bad when you left your house that morning--your clothes were clean, your hair was combed--yet there was something that continued to make you their point of interest. It set you on edge, how their whispering dropped so that even you couldn't hear the words in the silence of the library. You hadn't done anything wrong, so what made you so interesting?
You didn't like being the center of attention. Not more than you already were. People treated you like you were some kind of baby, since you returned. They pitied you. Saw you as someone who needed help. And while you were, you didn't need them butting in. You had your own support group. Your own ways of getting the help you needed. But no one knew. No one really cared. Not unless their 'acts of kindness' were visible for the public to see.
So why single you out now? In the seclusion of the library, where no one else was around?
You thought about leaving, just to get away from their prying eyes. You had noticed them get up and move to a table closer to yours, really not subtlety at all. But then just as you made the decision to pack up once you finished the chapter you were on, you realized that you could hear them. The reason because they moved closer or having raised their voices up for debate.
"But she's his best friend!"
"You can't seriously think she helped him do it, can you?"
"We don't have any proof she didn't!"
They seemed to be arguing. Loud enough for you to hear. Loud enough for you to figure out they were talking about you.
It made your skin crawl. The fact that you were the topic of their conversation, but you had no idea what they were talking about. The fact that they were blaming you for something. You hadn't committed a crime in your life. The closest you'd ever come was bearing witness to more than a few.
You unconsciously found yourself squeezing your fists tight enough that you felt your nails digging into the palms of your hands. Taking a deep breath, you came to the unsettling conclusion that they wouldn't stop unless you dealt with it.
For the first time, you turned your head to look at them. Taking a moment to try and further understand the situation, you watched them. They couldn't have been older than you, they looked around your age. One of two things that stood out from the picture was that the girl had dyed bright pink hair. The other was the bright red news headline that lit up her discarded phone screen.
The boy caught your eyes first, promptly shutting his mouth and a look of fear flickering on his face. His reaction made the girl stop and look over at you, her eyes narrowing instantly. Like you were some kind of suspect. And going off of what you heard them talk about, you might as well be.
Shakily, you stood up and walked over to their table, holding your arms close to your body. You opened your mouth to say something, but you hadn't really thought this through.
After a gulp, you found your voice. But you were starting to feel small under the girls stare. "Hi." You tested carefully, your voice quiet. "Do you- do you need me for something?"
Her eyes lit up like she was just given a gift. The boy just cowered in his seat, like he was ashamed. "Yes, actually!" Her voice was cheerful, but the smile on her face was fake. Her words had a sharp edge to them, and you were afraid that they were nearing to cut you. "You haven't heard the news?"
"Billie, don't." The boy whispered behind her, glancing up, but avoiding your gaze.
"Don't what?" You tried not to flinch as Billie stood up. You couldn't stop yourself from stepping back though. She was taller than you, and her proximity was too close. "What news?"
"About Spider-Man." she stated blankly like she was bored you didn't already know. She paused, and it looked like she was waiting for your reaction. "About Peter Parker."
"No?" You said slowly, confused to hear those names put together like that. You wanted to ask, but that wasn't the point. You wanted them to stop talking about you. If for some reason there was some news involving Peter and Spider-Man that he hadn't told you yet, you were sure to find out soon. And if you didn't, you could just look it up when you got home. "What does it have to do with me?"
"Billie." The boy warned again, but she just sent him a glare.
"Get your phone out."
"I don't--"
"Now!"
"Um," you started to stammer over your words, not understanding what was going on. "Excuse me? I-I don't really want to be recorded--"
"So you're telling me you don't know about how Spider-Man killed Mysterio?"
You can't have heard that right.
Mysterio was dead?
You blinked. "What?"
"Don't play dumb." She snapped, her brows furrowed in determination, making you flinch. The accusation unlike any you had ever heard. "Tell us the truth. Did you help Peter Parker murder Quentin Beck?"
The words hit you like a slap to the face. They didn't sound right. They didn't feel right.
Peter wasn't Spider-Man.
Was he?
And Spider-Man definitely wasn't a murderer.
That you knew for sure.
Did you?
Peter wasn't Spider-Man. He would have told you. And you knew for a fact that Peter wouldn't kill someone. Neither would Spider-Man. And he sure as hell wouldn't have killed another hero.
But that's not what Billie was saying. She was saying that Peter Parker was Spider-Man. That Peter killed Mysterio. Killed Quentin Beck. And that you knew--no. Not knew. Helped him do it.
A hundred things were clawing at your brain, wanting to be spoken all at once. It swarmed in your head, bombarding your thoughts. It was hard, but you managed piece together a single sentence. Albeit choppy. "I don't-- I have no idea what you're talking about." You breathed out shakily.
"It's a simple question: did you, or did you not?" Billie asked again, her voice more insistent this time. The boy fumbled with his phone as she stepped forward, forcing you back.
"No!" You said as firmly as you could, tripping over your feet. If it wasn't for the table you were sitting at to catch you, you would have fallen. "I didn't even-- I didn't even know!" Why couldn't she hear the truth in your voice?
All comfort you found in the library disappeared in an instant. The silence you adored felt deafening. The calm was suffocating.
"How am I supposed to believe you? You're his best friend! Everyone knows that! You had to know something." She spouted the accusations as easily as popping a bubble. "Ryan, are you getting this on camera? Every news outlet is looking for any known associates, and we need this proof!"
"Who- who the hell do you think you are?" You could feel your own voice breaking as you continued to back away until you felt the strap of your bag hanging off the back of the chair you were sitting in. You snatched up the book you were reading and almost missed shoving it in. "I told you I don't want to be recorded! Leave- leave me alone!"
You grabbed your things and ran for the door, but the words continued to follow you.
Spider-Man killed Mysterio?
Did you help Peter Parker murder Quentin Beck?
You heaved a breath, the feeling of it getting harder and harder to breathe quickly overcoming you.
You didn't understand.
What was going on?
The sunlight seemed too harsh as you nearly fell over yourself outside. You didn't stop though. Not until Billie and Ryan gave up on chasing you. Until you were far away from the library. And only then did you stop only to breath so you wouldn't collapse.
It looked like the world was frozen. Their eyes glued to the nearest screen available. Phones, shop televisions. Any screen on any one of the hundreds of skyscrapers surrounding you.
And they all read the same thing.
London Attack Revelations: Spider-Man responsible for Hero Mysterio's Death
THEDAILYBUGLE.NET EXCLUSIVE: Peter Parker revealed as the murderer behind the mask of the menace known as the 'Spider-Man'
Voices overlapped in your head. The people around you reacting. The different news stations relaying each other. Your own.
But what stood out the most was the shaky video on display directly across the street from you.
You didn't recognize the man, but you recognized the suit. This man was Mysterio. Beck. Beat up with blood on his face and surrounded by broken glass.
And the words came right from him mouth.
"Spider-Man's name is Peter Parker!"
You felt your senses dulling around you then. The only thing you could hear was the rapid beating of your own heart trying to keep you alive.
So many secrets. So many truths. Too many.
You felt yourself loosing your grip, but no one was there to stop you from falling.
Usually Peter did that.
But Peter wasn't there.
Peter was Spider-Man?
Peter was a murderer?
A loud roar from a gathering crowd was enough to get you moving, even though you felt--well, you didn't know how you felt.
Your feet moved without much thought. Bringing you to the one place where you thought you could be safe. Where you could lock the door and cover your ears and close your eyes and wish it would all go away. That you would wake up from this horrible nightmare.
Your feet moved, and you mindlessly made it back to your empty apartment.
It wasn't home. You home had been taken away from you. The walls were empty. The furniture brand new.
Your hands shook as you locked the door behind you. That's when you lost the sliver of control you had, sliding down against the front of the door in a gasp that let everything flood you.
Tears burned against your skin as they streamed down your face. Tears of confusion. Tears of hurt. Tears of anger. Tears of any reason you could possibly think of.
It was a lot to comprehend at once.
Too much.
A frantic knocking on your door made you flinch and let out a yelp. You scrambled away, barely standing yourself up when you heard a voice.
"Y/N?" It was Peter. "Are you-- are you in there?"
Oh God, it was Peter. Standing on the other side of your apartment door. Sounding the most scared you've ever heard him in his entire life.
You stayed silent.
"Y/N, please-please. I can hear you,"
And you could hear just how much he was pleading. How his voice was shaking with every syllable.
"Please let me in. I can-- I don't know what you've heard yet, but I can explain everything. But I really need you to let me in. You're all I have left and I know-- I know it's selfish, but, Y/N, you're my only hope."
You're breathing became heavier and it held like someone was squeezing your heart in their fist.
You couldn't leave him out there.
But in a quick motion, you reached forward and unlocked the door.
Once the locked clicked, the door opened and Peter stepped in faster than you could register, locking the door again behind him. "Y/N, I'm so sorry--"
You backed away from him. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't make you leave." You demanded, the words sounding more foreign than a different language as they left your mouth.
Peter's expression was heartbreaking. His hair darker and plastered to his face from sweat. His eyes glossed over with tears already threatening to spill. A look of hurt painted over his face like it was a damaged canvas.
"L-look, I know about everything that they're saying about me out there, and-and I know how it sounds. Y/N, I'm not asking you to like me right now or even trust me until you sort things out because I know this is too much so fast. And I'm so, so sorry. But I'm alone and I'm afraid and all I'm asking is could you please just hold my hand? Even if you can only do it for a little bit?"
Your eyes didn't leave Peter.
They couldn't.
You didn't see Spider-Man as you looked at him. You didn't see someone capable of killing someone in cold blood.
All you saw was the boy who held you when times got rough.
The boy who defended you from bullies even if it meant he would be going home with a black eye.
The boy who stayed up with you all hours of the night when you woke up from a bad dream.
The boy who cared about you more than he cared about himself.
The boy who held your hand through it all.
And here he was. In front of you. Asking you to do the same.
After all, you had promised.
Peter Parker wasn't a murderer. That, you were sure of. The odds could be stacked against him twenty times over and you still wouldn't believe it.
But everyone wasn't like you. The world believed it. And the world was after him.
You looked at the boy. Peter wasn't a murderer, but he was broken. Broken over and over so many times, that he's now unable to put himself back together all alone.
You looked at the boy who held your hand all those years, and was asking the simple thing of you: to hold his back.
You looked at Peter, and all you could see was someone who needed you the way you needed him. The boy who has always needed you the way you needed him.
And now more than ever.
You cleared your mind enough to focus on that one thing. If you had learned anything, is that you needed to take the road to recovery one step at a time. And you already know what the first step was. What you had to do.
You take his hand.
A fractured smile twitched on his lips as he held on tight, heavy with the fear that you might let go. But you already made up your mind, despite what you knew you were going to have to do. Knowing that when the time came, you would have to turn your back on the world. To protect Peter. Because he needed you like you needed him.
"I can do more than that."
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kikaitales28 · 3 months
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OC SHOWCASE #0
HYVANN: Gyganos soldier
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Origins
=3044 A.D. the 30th Gaian Century=
Humanity was the in the middle of a great era, an era of understanding, growth, and independence thanks to the efforts and sacrifices of many across the years. From this prideful spirit came the desire to venture into the many unknowns that besieged our world and beyond, with one of the first steps being earthbound in origin, the formation of the Southern Cross government in the Antarctic continent of the South Pole; from which many scientific studies and expeditions across the icy caps and snow filled fields of the pole were carried out by insightful scholars in the field. Unfortunately...this desire would prove to be one of the first steps into a drastic shift for our race and our future...
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In the Eve of Christmas, a group of scientists would uncover...a creature of great size, and with it a forgotten den...a temple, filled with never-to-be-seen markings and artifacts that belonged to an unknown civilization! Like locusts they took what they could to their homelands for further inspection outside the harsh Antarctic soil, unknowingly triggering the rise of a foreboding force of great power and vile design.
Much to the terror and dismay of the science division of the UK plus the company backing them up, "Nina", their so-called mistress of secrets..woke up from a prolonged slumber and wasted no time in bringing fire and ash to these foolish humans. Simultaneously via a special telepathic/Synaptic link...triggered a special command to the temple to rise back up in the South Pole! The Swarm known to this day as the ZARKRYGON had thus made contact with humankind and has turned the once "prosperous" city of London and most of the UK into a Hive fortress, and so was the South Pole with the rise of their Babel-ish Tower of Bioengineering.
In response, plus several alliances forged for the salvation of Earth, from which the past was brushed off, would see the kickstart of Project Talos; from which the Gyganos Soldier Battalions were formed and deployed across the globe as the ultimate force of defense and offense against the many odds stacked against them by the Zarkrygon Swarm!
The Gyganos Soldiers
[PS: Due to the highly secretive nature of their development, most if not all of the information regarding to their origin is highly secured and only accessable for high command, so unfortunately we won't be able to learn the creation, therefore birth of these Mecha Goliaths and therefore Hyvann's birth]
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•Height: 100 [approximately]
•weight: 737 [approximately, without equipment]
•Occupant Accommodation: none
•Physique/build: outside of their bulky appearance seen in combat, one of the most interesting details about them is that behind their Masker Plates..hide an androgynous visage that we can't quite pin down why was this design applied in the first place [we can't deny however that it ain't pretty or awe inspiring to see].
•Equipment: [we only have data in regards to standard equipment, but suffice to say that it is known that they have more than what you see here]
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•Speed: Despite their bulky and clunky appearance, the Gyganos Soldiers are fast troopers, often throwing off enemies by the fact that something that hulking shouldn't be moving "that fast" on the battlefield! [Speed: Approximately 50-70 km sprinting]
•Strength: still to be determined/ambiguous, but they definitely pack a strong punch! Stronger than any known artillery or machinery in Earth's history and of course surpassing humans by design.
Hyvann [Pronounced as Hi-van]
Hyvann comes from the 118th Battalion known as "Leviathan", as previously said their origin/birth is unknown/classified outside of the propaganda/news coverage which claims "the Gyganos Army are the culmination of Engineering and A.I., all in perfect synchrony to build the ultimate warrior against the ultimate foe." What we do know well about Hyvann is somewhat of a shared trait the Gyganos Army have with each trooper, that is a life-like personality but for Hyvann's spotlight in this file we know that they're a modest, grounded, and introspective individual, composed even in the most harshest of environments; however that doesn't mean they won't just idle and when the moment presents itself, they can dish-out a rather "snarky callback" on the scene, a juxtaposition between being humble and poised.
Unfortunately, that's where we'll end this file by wishing Hyvann and their Battalion the best of luck.
Godspeed, and may Gaia light your way...
Behind the Scenes
•The Gyganos Army/Hyvann, their aesthetic is heavily inspired/influenced by the incredible work of Mech/Art Designer Makoto Kobayashi of Dragon's Heaven & Armored Core fame, going with that blend between Biology and Machinery that in the end produce a dream-like yet functional fusion with his Mecha; all in part thanks to French Artist Moebius being an influence seen in his illustrations.
•Hyvann, if described with all honesty is essentially my take on Shaian from Dragon's Heaven, that mellow yet big presence, almost like having a "big mech papa" or "chunky bud" if that makes sense [unless you've seen the OVA].
•In-Universe Newspaper snippet: I added a shout-out to DeviantArt artist & good buddy of mine, Feyzer for being a great dude in helping me out whenever I advance on my Original Works; he came up with the nickname "Nina" for this <X)
Link to his page if you want to check him out
[PS: I will make a post exclusively focused on the Zarkrygon and "what we know about them so far"]
I'm open for honest feedback and your thoughts on the comments below ^u^ 👇
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fabuloustrash05 · 1 year
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How do you think Mona’s relationship is with Raph’s family + Casey and April?
She really only interacted with Raph from what I remember and that’s a crime, she deserved more from the writers. Splinter showing her embarrassing baby photos of Raphael is everything to me💅
Yes! I've been wanting to talk about this! I really wish the show had Mona interact with more characters. The only people she truly has a dynamic/relationship with is Raph, Sal Commander and maybe Lord Dregg (but very little). Wasted potential for her character, so I'm gonna fix that! Here we go!
Leo & Mona Lisa
Leo took the longest for him and Mona to really form a bond/friendship. Leo tends to have a hard time trusting people Raph's close with (Slash & Casey) and even longer to warm up to them. Leo was grateful for Mona, she has helped him and his brothers numerous times, they both respect each other as skilled fighters and have a mutual respect towards each other, but that was it for the longest time. It wasn't until one night when Mona came to the lair to visit Raph she ran into Leo instead. He tells her Raph is out and won't be back till later so Mona decides to stay at the lair and wait. Leo is about to watch a 24 hour Spaceheroes marathon, and not wanting to leave Mona bored and alone, he offers for her to join him and watch his favorite show. Few hours later, Raph comes home to find his brother and girlfriend sitting together wearing Spaceheroes merch, sitting inches away from the TV, watching in a amazement as they fanboy/girl over Captain Ryan. Raph realizes in horror that Leo has turned his girlfriend into a Space-Nick. The two now are really close and 80% of the things they talk about together are Spaceheroes and other sci-fi shows Leo has gotten her into, and other times they spar together and share sword fighting tips and tricks.
Donnie & Mona Lisa
Similar to Leo, Donnie took a while to really bond with Mona, but he and Mona were more quick to find something in common. She's more than just her strength, she's intelligent and handy too. There have been times Mona had to work on/repair many Salamandrian ships by herself when they were down and her and her commander were off planet. Donnie also really enjoys talking to Mona about intergalactic sciences, and Mona often shows and lets him borrow her old tech and gear for him to study and analyze, helping him improve his work and knowledge of many scientific fields. Out of all the brothers, Mona and Donnie have the most mature relationship/dynamic, if that makes sense. Sometimes they like to share a cup of coffee and catch up and chat about the latest stuff going on in their lives. I also like to think in the future Donnie is Mona's go to for medical treatment/her baby doctor when her and Raph start having a family. He also becomes their kid's personal tutor.
Mikey & Mona Lisa
Mikey is quick to befriend anyone he meets, so of course he and Mona quickly form a friendship. Mona, just like many others, adores Mikey and he feels the same. Mikey reminds Mona of all the Salamandrian children back on her home planet and she admires how positive and carefree he can be despite all the challenges he has faced in his life. Mona also really loves Mikey's cooking (I HC that Salamandrian appetites are similar to Saiyans from Dragon Ball Z,) and she will eat almost anything he makes, and Mikey wants to introduce her to all Earth's food, especially pizza. I imagine one day Mikey finds out Mona is unaffected by spicy foods (another HC of mine) so he just decides to make as many spicy foods as he can to see if he'll get any reaction out of her. Spoilers: he didn't. Mikey also likes how happy Mona makes his brother, cause out of everyone Mikey knows how grumpy Raph used to be before Mona entered his life. Now, whenever Raph is angry or Mikey wants his big bro to do something for him, Mikey just pulls the "Mona-Card". Mikey is also a big time RaMona shipper and always likes to mess with Raph when it comes to Mona, whether that's embarrassing him by telling Mona stories about Raph from past missions/their childhood or telling her about "the bug incident".
April & Mona Lisa
These two would be BFFs and you can't change my mind on this!! Think about it: April's first real best friend turned out to be a lie, being only a Kraang bot used to get to her and the Turtles. For Mona, she grew up in the military (my HC), there's no time for silly childish games and making friends, only war. April would start trying to form a friendship with Mona by using the "we're both aliens" conversation starter, which Mona thought was a sweet gesture of trying to make her feel more at home when she first started living on Earth. Eventually Mona began to ask April for dating advice and help her get ready for dates with Raph. Because of this, the two form a strong bond and become basically like sisters. Always chatting, hanging out, sometimes even training together. Two become emotional support for each other and help each other grow and improve in their fighting and skills. April is the spunky upbeat friend, while Mona is the blunt badass ("Someone will die" "Of fun!"). Also, April always tries to get a piggyback ride from Mona, because she's tall and April is small. It's cute.
Casey & Mona Lisa
This one was kinda tricky, but I imagine Casey and Mona's dynamic would be something similar to Joey and Monica from Friends. The best friend and the girlfriend team up to annoy the shit out of the boyfriend and mess with him over little things he does. April is the good influence on Mona, while Casey is the bad influence. Casey is probably the one who taught/convinced Mona to curse and is most likely the one to make the dirty jokes when he sees Raph and Mona together. He's a wingman at heart, gotta help his bro. Also, out of everyone, Casey is the only one not disturbed when Mona talks about her traumatizing violent and bloody war stories. Casey thinks they are "so metal!!"
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sastrugie · 5 months
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ok so i dont this often but i have to pour my heart out: a year ago i reached a kind of dead end with my career and study aspirations. I had finished my bachelor of science degree in physical geography and geology and kind of wanted to change things up a bit. I was either ready to leave earth sciences completely and go into literature, but that meant starting a new bachelors which i couldnt afford so i decided to stick in the realm of earth and quarternary sciences. I choose archaeological sciences and geoarchaeology as a new field and am now doing my masters in Tübingen, Germany in said field. BUT i am unhappy. i miss pure geology and global tectonics, climatology and minerals, etc. I have a fairly good thesis topic, but i still plan on going back into earth sciences. also my polar obsession that came back recently is like .. showing me again that I am more interested in natural processes than anthropogenic ones and i feel like a 17 year old girl again, all giddy to become a polar geologist. Which i cant be anymore - because i am an archaeologist now and antarctica has little to no human impact :') ANYWAYS needed to get this off my chest, lets see what i will think about this in a year.
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fourgods-nobrakes · 5 months
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the scattering of the primarchs
As it happens in The First Heretic, an incredibly important turning point for the characters involved, and a great moment of the Powers extending their influence into realspace.
[this is the last scene of Chapter 17; Argel Tal and the other not-yet-Gal Vorbak have been taken to various places and times by the daemon Ingethel the Ascended, who promised to show them the truth of the universe and their own history. The final place it takes them is the laboratory where the infant primarchs are nearly ready to be "born" from their Geller Field-protected cradles.]
“The Legions tell the tale of the Emperor’s twenty sons being cast into the heavens by some great tragedy, some flaw in their creation process.’
You have been raised with tales of the primarchs that lead your Legions, but you have been fed centuries of lies. In a matter of moments, you will witness the truth. The Anathema dealt with the Powers of the warp long before he left Earth on the Great Crusade.
The Anathema desired mighty sons, and the gods granted him the lore to forge them with a union of divine genetics and psychic sorcery. He came to my masters, hungry for answers, beseeching the gods for power. With the lore they gave him, he shaped his twenty sons.
But treacheries have occurred. Oaths – sworn in blood and paid in soul – have been broken. The Anathema now refuses to show humanity the Primordial Truth, and the gods of the warp grow wrathful.
The Anathema is keeping its twenty primarch sons and paying no price to the Powers that gifted him with the knowledge to shape them.
Xaphen gripped the handrail to keep from going to his knees. ‘Our father – all of our fathers – are the spawn of ancient blood rituals and forbidden science.’
Argel Tal couldn’t keep from laughing. ‘The Emperor that denies all forms of divinity shaped his own sons with the blessings of forgotten gods. Prayers and sorcery are written upon their gestation pods. This is the most glorious madness.’
Be ready. The reckoning comes. The Powers will reach into the material realm to reclaim the sons they helped breed.
Argel Tal looked at the pods through a smile that wouldn’t fade. ‘This Geller Field. It fails, doesn’t it?’
It will fail in exactly thirty-seven beats of your heart, Argel Tal.
‘And the primarchs are seized – taken by your masters in the warp. That’s the accident that casts them across the galaxy.’
The warp gods are the primarchs’ rightful fathers. This is not to spite your Emperor. It is nothing but divine justice. And as these perfect children travel through the stars, they will grow. This is the first step in the gods’ plans to save mankind.
‘And Aurelian…’
Is the most important one of all. Lorgar’s incubation pod will be carried to Colchis, to walk the first steps to enlightening humanity of the Primordial Truth, and the gods behind the stars. Without the gods, humanity will die, piece by piece, under the predation of the aliens that still lay claim to much of the galaxy. Those that remain will die as the eldar died: in agony, unable to see the Primordial Truth before their very eyes.
This is Fate. It is written in the stars. Lorgar knows that humanity needs divinity – it is what shaped his life and Legion. It is why he was chosen as the favoured son.
Xaphen closed his eyes, murmuring a litany from the Word. ‘Faith raises us above the soulless and the damned. It is the soul’s fuel, and the driving force behind millennia of mankind’s survival. We are hollow without it.’
Argel Tal drew his weapons. The swords of red iron slid free from their scabbards with twin hisses.
Yes. Yes…
Both blades sparked into electrical life as the captain pulled the handle-triggers. Xaphen regarded him with hooded eyes.
‘Do it,’ the Chaplain said. ‘Let it begin.’
Argel Tal whirled the blades in slow, arcing loops, their crackling power fields growing more intense, the blades emanating ozone mist as they burned and rasped through the frozen air.
‘Aurelian,’ whispered Malnor. ‘For Lorgar.’
‘For the truth,’ Torgal said. ‘Do it, and we will carry these answers back to the Imperium.’
Argel Tal looked at Dagotal; the youngest of his sergeants, only recently promoted before the Legion’s humiliation. The outrider commander’s eyes were distant.
‘I am weary of being lied to by the Emperor, brother. I am so tired of being ashamed, when what we believe is the truth.’ Dagotal nodded, meeting his captain’s eyes at last. ‘Do it.’
Three.
He stepped forward, staring at a cluster of vein-like cables twitching as they channelled artificial blood around the semi-organic tower machine.
Two.
Argel Tal span the swords, leaving blurred trails of lightning in their wake.
One.
The blades chopped down, crashing through steel, iron, rubber, copper, bronze and vat-grown blood.
Both swords exploded in his hands, their blades shattering like smashed glass and decorating his bare face with bloody cuts.
And then, for one horrific, familiar moment, Argel Tal saw nothing but burning, psychic gold.
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