#cal corp

[fuzzyghost]

#cal corp #hologram man #90s movies #cyberpunk #dystopian #evil eye #90s #corporation #gif

[pinkiemachine]

Krypton: Factoids and Neat Things to Know!

Located in the nearby Andromeda Galaxy, specifically in the Rao system, Krypton was a cold, icy, crystalline planet. Fifth from its sun, most life existed in the habitable zone of its equator, which was always closest to the sun. This also meant that seasons did not occur the same way as on Earth, where the tilt of our axis causes the Northern and Southern Hemispheres to be further or closer to the sun depending on where we are in our orbit. Rather, Krypton’s orbit itself was slightly off kilter, meaning that while its axis was perfectly vertical, it would still experience colder and warmer months of its years depending on where in its orbit it was.

The summers there ranged from 60° to 70° at its warmest, and -10° to -20° during the coldest of the winter months. Further North or South of the habitable zone would mean even harsher, colder temperatures, and were generally only explored during the summer.

Krypton had two large continents—Lurvan, and Urrika—as well as several other smaller continents/islands like Vathlo. By the time the planet had neared its end, both continents had united under their own form of central leadership, with relatively peaceful ties between the two.

They were a Level 6 Star Faring race, and had dedicated much time, money, and resources into exploring the galaxy and inventing new technologies. They had made contact with the Green Lantern Corps decades before, had established contact with their neighbouring planet, Thoron, beginning trade with them, had made breakthrough after breakthrough with medicine and state-of-the-art technology, and had even been made a part of the Inter-Planetary Coalition (IPC). They had established contact and ties with many other planets, had set up minor colonies among the stars, and so much more.

Also, due to the fact that red suns send out WAY more radiation than yellow suns, Kryptonians are naturally able to absorb radiation, thus allowing them to fly and shoot lasers, etc. On Earth, Clark’s powers are actually WEAKER if you can believe it. Spiking in the summer, quelling in the winter.

As far culture goes, I haven’t written a whole lot yet, however, do not go making the assumption that they were a peaceful, all-knowing, always-do-gooding advanced race just because their technology is advanced. Like on Earth, there are layers. There was a gross amount of entertainment, mass media, disparity between the richest and the poorest, tons of struggles and problems that we humans know all too well. But, one main difference between them and, say, the United States, is that they had a much more structured system for their society. What I mean is, they leaned into classism a bit, and there were a ton of noble families still, the Els being one of them, children were taught to be well behaved and respectful, etc etc. it was all very upper crust. At least… among the upper crust. Elsewhere, different systems prevailed. At any rate, it’s very complicated and I need to dedicate some time to writing it out thoroughly.

Thank you for your time.

Part two here 👇

#dc #dc comics #fandom #superman #Krypton #fan fiction #head canon

[dearanakin]

trust you | anakin skywalker: episode V

Summary: You go on a mission with Cal... and Anakin. You have a task as a tech engineer, but dealing with General Grievous and his army of droids can be challenging. Ps: There's a character guest in this chapter, remember it doesn't follow the actual timeline of the franchise!!

No warnings, just vulgar language (a lot of it because it's a mission and they're all on the verge of flipping out lol)

Word count: 4.7k

*

(Y/N):

I'm not sure I even had the option to actually deny the offer Cal made. To be honest, he practically begged me and forced me to agree on going with him and his team to a trade with someone with a weird name.

Worst of it all, I had to be their tech guy for the mission. A mission led by none other than Anakin. I wish I could actually have had a choice, because I sure wasn't expecting to see his face this soon.

Especially after he literally threatened me the other day. I don't think I've ever felt this scared in my life. We all know the guy has a temper and he doesn't follow any rules. As much as we all hoped he would change through the years, it seems like it's getting worse instead.

Now I'm sitting next to Cal in his ship, while Artoo is on top of it. He seemed a little distressed, he doesn't show off his emotions a lot because he knows I get worried. But I know after what happened that day he's not getting along with Anakin.

I mean, who would at this point? He looks at you like he's about to rip your eyes out.

And I know Cal didn't want to look like he's only on this mission because of the team itself. He told me he didn't want to collaborate this time, which only made the Jedi Master walk around with a deadly look on his face.

But the redhead never felt intimidated by him in any way. Or at least he doesn't show it. As far as I know, we're heading to General Grievous' spaceship. I feel like I've heard this name before, but I can't collect it.

"So, what's the plan? Leaving me trapped in here with R2?" I ask as he maneuvers into outer pace, a concentrated look on his face as he does so.

He chuckles with dramatic concern. "You'll be looking out for us with commander Poe Dameron first" Cal explains as I nod. Who is Poe Dameron, by the way?

"He's a Jedi as well?" He shakes his head in response. "He's... not?"

Okay, that concerned me. I'm only used to being around force sensitive people, and being a human already scared me enough. Now, knowing I'm going to be around another human makes me wonder whatever happens if we get attacked.

"Nope, but he's a good Resistance's Starfighter Corps member. And a good pilot" He gives me a smile as he turns his head to face me. He can read my panic plastered all over my face and reaches out his hand to grab mine. "We're gonna need you there to break into their system".

So, we'll watch as the trade unfolds and hope for the best first. Do I agree with that? I didn't, but I had no choice but to help them.

"And if something happens, before he drops you there, he'll bring you back to Coruscant" Cal shoots his head back forward as we approach the starship.

Yeah, simple as that, right? If something happens, like, we'll just go back and live it out. Doesn't seem too tragic for me, I love the adrenaline.

Not.

We landed on a hangar, Cal preparing himself up before leaving me out here with only a Droid and a man named Poe. I hope this guy isn't a douchebag like Skywalker is, I won't be able to run away from him if I wanted to.

He gives me a small kiss on the forehead before leaving the ship, sending me a half smile before meeting the others already in formation. I watch as a brunette man walks towards from where the redhead just left and waves back to the others.

He has wavy dark hair, as well as dark brown eyes, and a stubble. Damn, this man looks fine as hell.

Poe steps in and sits down on the seat next to me, looking right up with a kind smile on his face. He finishes buckling himself before introducing himself to me, while I still glance at him like he just came out of a Disney movie.

"Hi, I'm Dameron. Well, Poe Dameron but they call me by my last name since I'm a commander" He explains, extending his hand for a greeting. I grip his hand for a few seconds before releasing.

Good handshake, firm and gentle. What am I even saying at this point?

"You're (Y/N), right?" I nod as he looks back at the panel, starting the ship.

"Yes, I am. It's nice to meet you" I say for the first time, feeling like I have never met anybody that gorgeous.

"Likewise. So, you're an engineer? You fix everything?" Poe asks, concentrating on lifting the flight.

"Well, mostly prosthetics and spacecraft. They're already too much to handle most of the time. But I can manage computers and systems as well"

"You were responsible for creating the robotic arm General Skywalker has?" He seems interested in what I do for my living and it kinda distracts me from the mission we were on.

I wish I could not hear this name on a daily basis.

"You know him?" I didn't mean to sound too surprised, but my voice gave it away anyway. "And not really, I usually fix it for him".

Yeah, and the last time I did it he almost got killed and that led to me almost getting killed as well.

"We've been out and about on a few assignments. I'm mostly doing tasks for the Resistance, leading attacks and all that" He sets the ship on standby as we watch from a distance while the group of Jedi gets in the Trade Federation Starship.

"Are you never scared of doing these dangerous jobs being human?" I ask out of curiosity, it gives me such a bad feeling being out for work like this.

He looks at me and grins. How can someone be so good looking like that? This is so distracting. "Kinda get used to it at some point, I chose this life".

I just nod and stare back at the distance. We both had comlink for communication, R2 looking out for any threats as well. I shuffle uncomfortably on my seat, desperate to be done with this mission. Poe notices my discomfort and rests a hand over my shoulder.

"You're going to be fine, they'll protect you at all costs and we'll be on full alert from afar. That's why we have other starships in position" He tries to comfort me and gives me a nod.

It doesn't change anything about this assignment, we all know how difficult they can be.

My sweaty hands grab my duffel bag and I look over the tools I brought with me. I hope this shitty idea works, because I can't be bothered to feel bad for failing their job.

A few minutes later, which seemed like hours, Cal spoke over the comlink and Poe promptly shifted the gears and flew back to the starship. As we land, I see him next to another General all while waiting for me. My nerves are on edge and I feel like I'm gonna fucking throw up.

Before I leave, Poe gives me a sympathetic look and offers a handshake. "May the Force be with you" He says kindly.

"May the Force be with you, commander" I force a smile that might have come out as a grimace and follow along with the other guys.

Cal stands next to me as we enter the enormous vessel, full of bodyguards and droids. He ignites his lightsaber and gets closer to my ear.

"We're close to the vents that lead to this small control room. We'll have to get into their system and gather as much information as we can" He whispers, walking me through a small hallway.

He and the other Jedi stop on their tracks and immediately drop both of the droids standing there. Cal turns on his heels and approaches me, handing me a blaster gun. One I was supposed to carry around but am too fucking scared to do it.

"You might wanna use it this time" He reaches out for a pocket knife strapped on his ankle and offers it to me as well. "I didn't say you'll have to. Just for self-defense".

He glances up at me with a tender look on his face. This man gives his life to protect me and I'd do the same if I could. I mean, I do but not the same way he does of course.

I just nod at everything he says and we look up at the vent. I'm not doing this alone, am I?

If I had a dollar for everytime he uses his force for mind reading, I would be such a rich person right now. "I'm going with you" He adds.

Getting in a vent with a duffel bag is probably one of the worst scenarios I never thought about. We were dragging our bodies while he tried to drag the bag without making much noise, but obviously not being very cautious with the tools, the gears and other objects in there. We get to the room, me behind Cal as he shoots his blaster against the soldiers. I can't feel my legs at this point, and it's not even because we're in such a small space.

He drops on his feet first, glancing around the room, before looking up at me. He shoots both arms up, waiting for me to jump in as well. I don't know how I was able to pull a stunt like that since I'm afraid of heights. And I mean 8 feet is already too much for me. Cal grabs my hips and slowly puts me down, a large smile on his face.

"There you go, James Bond!" He mocks, arching his back as I swat him on the chest.

"Shut up, smartass" I can barely speak as I feel my voice falter from the stress and the adrenaline.

He walks over a large control panel, hundreds of different colored buttons and keys. They have pretty much a huge system for such a small room. I mean, if there's a bigger room then this is just a gist. First things first, I had to disable the security camera before someone came bursting into the door. I sit on the big chair and Cal leans against the desk next to me. I'm sure he has no idea what the hell I'm doing. I use a small device to hack into the system and quickly find the program to the security camera. 

They clearly need a better safety system, because it's too easy to get into their computer. Either that, or it's a trap. But I'd rather believe they're just that stupid. I turn off the cameras, both of us making sure they're all shut down.

Next, I type in a few things on the keyboard, trying to find what exactly they need. Cal uses his pointer finger to make sure he's looking for the right folder, carefully reading every single word on the screen. "We need strategies folders, every spacecraft and architecture project. List of trades and traders they use".

He said it like he was writing down a fucking grocery shopping list.

I try not to send him a glare or even look at him like I'm pissed. So I just go straight to the point. "Might as well just wipe out the entire computer, Kestis. This might take hours!".

"You can just add them to the device you have?" I swear to God, he can't be that serious.

"You're smart, Cal. Use your head. How big do you think these files are? They're all programs, it's a heavy stack of files" I start to get freaked out with the idea of being there for too long.

"Okay, right I'm sorry if I'm a newbie at technology" He adds dramatically. "Can you just drag the list and the strategies folders then?".

I move the mouse right away, bringing everything to my device, waiting for the system to calculate the estimated time. I can't help but tap my fingernails over the desk while I wait for it. Cal doesn't seem too worried like I am, as though he carries a very serious look on his face.

"We've been in for ten minutes. We probably still have a good half an hour left" He says, still leaning next to me, looking at the watch on his wrist.

"Considering this ship can blow up when we least expect it, I don't think it's good" I look at him like I'm not feeling well. He reaches my right arm and folds his big hand around it, giving it a light squeeze.

"We'll know before it happens, darling" Cal reassures me as his hand goes up and down on my arm in a comforting attempt.

Fifteen fucking minutes. I'm gonna throw myself off the ship. He uses his comlink to let the others know, which they all agree. For the first time, Anakin goes in the line and says he's trying to make a trade. It was all a set up as Cal explained.

The remaining seven minutes turned into a disaster, when a loud blast echoed through one of the hallways outside the room. Then an alarm went off and the lights switched to a dim green light. I just wish they won't turn off any other system before I can transfer everything, otherwise this would be just a waste of time and job. We looked at each other, he was gripping his lightsaber tightly waiting for something to happen, while I held the blaster just for the sake of it. There was another loud burst from a distance, the red head sprinted closer to me.

"Is everyone good?" He asked through the comlink, no one answered. "Damn it" He muttered.

"We need to get out of here before it gets worse!" I try to step in and figure out a way for us to get out. He didn't seem to listen. "Cal!".

"We're closing in on the ship. We noticed a few explosions around" Poe finally chimes in, but not with good news.

Why is it never good?

And then Skywalker called out again, this time shouting words I couldn't understand. I twist my head to the side and look at Cal with desperation.

"It's a code, they're attacking us" He immediately watched as I stood up from the chair. "Hey, look at me! I'm here, you're fine okay?".

Definitely far from being fine. He then proceeded to talk but I'm too busy being stunned to care about it. His voice started to get muffled and I felt like my vision was getting blurry. Is this even the right time to faint or have a panic attack? He shakes both of my arms calling out my name, and I slowly blink a few times before staring back at him.

"For fuck's sake, (Y/N/N). Listen to me" He then places his hands over my face, forcing me to look him in the eyes. "Please, listen. I need to go back there and help them. There's a digital lock on the door, they can't get through if you block it. They'll need to blow it up to get to you".

And you think it's hard for them to do it? That won't be enough.

Again, he furrows his brows and keeps holding my face. "Stop with the overthinking, I can hear it louder. Look, I'll manage it. I'll be back in no time, just wait for the files to finish and you wipe out the rest, fuck it. We don't care!"

I try to agree with the plan, but it was just too hard to keep up with everything. Before he turns on his back to leave the room, Poe speaks up again.

"There's a General lying on the floor, he seems to be injured. It's on Block D" He states before going off again.

This time, me and Cal share the same look. Now he seems more concerned than I do. I follow his gaze up the vent we came from, nudging himself up as he grips the edge literally vanishing. I call out to him, but he doesn't answer.

"Shit!" My hands are shaking so bad, I can't even type without missing the keys. "Shit, shit, shit".

Two minutes. Just give us two minutes and we're out. I hear a lot of grunting up on the room, the floor above me filled with noises and shuffling. The locked door starts pounding and I look straight ahead, fright starting to wash over my body.

"Poe" I have no fucking idea what I'm doing. "Are you there?".

"Definitely here, Miss. How are you holding up?" He asks.

"Do you see any of them? There's someone trying to break in and I don't know what I'm gonna do!" My heart is racing and it feels like I'm going to have a stroke in the middle of the room.

"Just talk to me, alright? How long until it's done?" His voice sounds comforting from the other side until he shouts. "R2! Not that guy, he's friendly!".

I have no idea what's going on outside but I try to shrug it off. "Two minutes! My hands are shaking so bad that I'm not sure I can shoot whoever comes in".

"Okay, not so bad" It takes him another second to keep talking. "I remember I learned a breathing technique, we're doing it together alright?".

I forget he's not next to me and I nod, but I feel like he got that anyway because he started counting and walking me through it. Breathe in and count to 4. Then count to 4 breathing out. Repeat.

"Now, hold your blaster up. Focus on anything as a target and breathe. When you inhale, you count one second and shoot. Don't wait, just shoot. If you miss it, just keep shooting" He explains, wasting his time giving me attention instead.

It makes me feel bad that someone has to do it when he could've been minding his own task. But I'm really appreciative either way. I don't know where the fuck Cal is.

"Don't forget to use anything for hiding and leverage. And please, don't forget to bring back the device" Nice one, Poe. Imagine being in danger like this and not even being able to remember one simple thing.

"Okay, thank you, commander" I breathe through my mouth and grasp the blaster.

Looking over the computer screen, I see that there's only forty seconds left and the door is about to burst open. At the same time, I hear Poe for the last time.

"We're sharing a beer when we land in Coruscant. I wanna learn some technology tricks" I barely have time to laugh as I watch the door sling open.

Okay, breathe. One. Shoot.

Shit.

I miss it by inches. From across the room, I look at Anakin giving me a snide stare as the blast just crossed past his shoulder. I gasp from the outcome and the sudden surprise, but he doesn't give me time to process everything as he shouts at me. His eyes are pure angriness and his shoulders are stiffened.

"Come on, I don't have all the time in the world!" Anakin waits by the door as I quickly set the system to wipe everything out and grab the device before we sprinted out of there.

We rushed with him behind me, there was a mess all over the place and the blaring alarm was deafening. I couldn't even aim while running, my hands were sweating and I was afraid of tripping on my foot. He kept dodging the attacks as well as blocking them from coming at me. This is the most attention I'm going to get from him and it's kinda funny given he hates me.

Anakin pulled a hand over my shoulder to guide me towards the hangar, my eyes shifting to take notice of what was incoming. I tried to at least shoot some of the droids but I was terrible at it.

"Grievous just left the hangar with an escape pod" Cal spoke up after a while and I let out a heavy and long exhale. "Knock down these fucking droids and hurry up!"

I didn't understand the seriousness in his voice, the Jedi Knight behind me still hasn't said a word yet and I have no idea what I'm actually doing at this point. Shooting at them and missing doesn't quite help knocking them down faster and I swear I can hear Anakin just groaning in frustration.

Out of nowhere my arm gets yanked back by a guard droid, pulling me over a room and wrapping its robotic arm around my neck. As if I was panicking already, this time I was pretty sure I was going to collapse. I tried to shove myself off from the tight grip, but it only made me flinch more.

"Drop your weapons, Master Skywalker" It said with their gun stuck to my temple.

I looked at him with such fright, my eyes were desperately crying for help. Anakin frowned, using his flesh hand to hold the lightsaber while the other one he used to pull back using his force.

"Let her go!" He screamed, bloodshot eyes and blue irises staring at the droid holding me. "I said let her fucking go!".

"I'm sorry, Master. We have a mission of our own to do" The droid said before managing to leave me unconscious on the floor.

Anakin:

Fuck. Shit. Motherfucker. Fucking cunt.

I kneel in front of her as she lies unconscious on the floor. She seems to be breathing, but I have no idea what this cocksucker did to her. I didn't expect my mission to be such a disastrous piece of shit. As she's still out, I look back at the droid that's staring at me with a puzzling look on its face.

I know how to read droids' faces and it's a gift from heaven. It's easy to trick them when I want.

"What did you do?" I shout and use my hands to shove it back with the force. I tap her face a few times, she doesn't even flinch. My voice barely comes out as a whisper to avoid the other droids to find me.

How much worse can it get?

I grab her, sliding my arms under her torso and lifting her up in a quick motion. At least she's easy to carry. Through my comlink, Cal starts getting riled up and spitting words like he was worried about something. And then I remember about their friendship.

Fuck me.

I try to ignore all the cursing through my ear, at the same time as I pull (Y/N) up on my shoulder, her body swinging as I run faster. I can't dodge all the attacks at once, but I maneuver myself avoiding getting us both killed. My lightsaber slashes them, knocking them down making it easier to get to the hangar.

"I have her, Kestis! Will you shut the fuck up now?" My voice screeches when I yell at him and my throat hurts.

"Why doesn't she answer her fucking comlink, then? Did you kill her, Skywalker?" His voice started to annoy me, my head was hurting from all the situation. I groan loud enough for him to listen.

"Yeah sure, I killed her and now I'm bringing her body myself because I'm just that smart. She's fucking unconscious, relax!"

And now he's just being even louder and insufferable.

Poe spoke up, his voice emerging like an angel sent from God. "Alright, guys. Let's just settle down, we're not at kindergarten".

I roll my eyes at his statement, rushing towards the hangar. The only ship in good shape was one of theirs, and Cal was standing in front of it. He was pacing around, hands on his hips, his forehead was creased and when he saw us he bolted forward.

"What the fuck happened?" The redhead asked in dread, throwing his arms up.

"We don't have time for bickering right now, Cal. Just help me get her up inside!" I swear my head was going to explode anytime soon. "A droid pulled up some shit on her and she just blacked out".

Could've said it sooner, he would probably understand. He looks at me like he knows something, but I don't bother asking.

"It was probably a spell or something. We need to lay her down" He says sternly as we approach the back of the vehicle and drop her on a cushioned bench.

"This is not what I planned for this goddamn assignment!" I mumble before turning on my back to both of them, heading to the cockpit.

"Well she got the fucking device, you should be glad she could do it and not die either!" He spat back, his hands holding her feet as he props her on the bench.

I just turn away from him making my way to my seat, turning on the gears. Hopefully we'll be back sooner than I expect, I just want to take a long shower and be with Luke for a while.

"We're good to go?" Dameron asks, his voice in a relieved tone as he watches us leave the hangar.

"Yes, commander" I mirror his tone and fly off the starship.

My mind eases as we leave it behind, I feel my hands grip the yoke from the ship tight. We didn't get to do the trade, Grievous noticed our plan way before we could get ahead of them. They attacked us in a matter of seconds, bolting at us with no time to figure out an escaping route.

This one mission is hours away from Coruscant, so it was going to be a pain in the ass to sit this close to Kestis. The moment I realized I had to be next to him it just made me pissed. I don't care about (Y/N) on the back, she tried to help and she barely knows how to blast a gun.

I won't complain about how Cal helped the team out there, as a matter of fact. But I still can't stand seeing his face, considering we just confronted each other the other day. The guy always means good to people, but it doesn't stop me from hating his guts after what he pulled on me during our meetings.

Almost two hours after we left Grievous' ship, we were almost entering the Coruscant atmosphere. That was when she finally woke, a grunt escaping from her lips as she finally took in where she was. Cal helps her lean against the wall, while she places a hand over her head.

"Holy shit" That's her first words after waking up. She can't help but smile at the achievement she made.

I watch as she still keeps the smile on her face, pulling the device between her fingers and raising the object in front of her eyes. It took me seconds to notice I myself had a side smile against my will. The red head leans for a hug, both of them laughing.

I can't help but clear my throat before I regret doing this. "Uh- Good job out there, geek. The team is proud of you" I barely speak and the guy seems to remark that.

"What did you say? We can't hear it!" He says it out loud on purpose, and I feel my hands balling into fists. "Did you just compliment (Y/N/N)?"

"Don't push it, Kestis" My eyes roll to the back of my head, I push myself off the wall. "Good to see you're up".

They stare at my figure quite shocked, their faces almost the same as their mouths hanging open in such a surprise. I'm very aware that's the kind of effect I cause on people when I'm being nice, and I know I'm not really the golden boy of the year either.

But I can't just avoid the fact that, without her, we wouldn't have information about General Grievous and his army. Even though it didn't end how we expected it, that's a win after all.

Before I walk back to the cockpit, I hear her cracked voice speak up. Like she was embarrassed of talking to me. "Thank you for saving me out there".

My head nods before I turn on my heels, it almost feels like I've switched back to the young Anakin. Real smooth, Skywalker.

@jackie-on-the-loose @adorbzliz @himesuedi @kingdomhate @himesuedi @cl0esblogg

#anakin skywalker x reader #anakin x reader #anakin skywalker x you #anakin skywalker fanfic #anakin skywalker fanfiction #anakin fanfic #anakin fanfiction #anakin skywalker imagine #anakin imagine #star wars fanfic #hayden christensen imagine #anakin skywalker fluff #anakin fluff #anakin skywalker #usersavana #clonecaptains #userlace

[woahjo]

Hi cal! Hope you don’t mind that I followed you over from your old blog. If you’re still accepting drabbles, how about something fluffy for erwin smith? Maybe how he spends a rare morning off with his lover? Just a thought… ^^

holds u in my hands. of course i don't mind! thank you for coming over here!! also sobs quietly, fluff is my dearly beloved lately, i'd love to write this.

cw: it's literally just fluff, maybe some SLIGHT references to future angst, but it's just fluff, some mentions of titans

erwin is very dual-faced. you see it when he leaves in the early mornings for a mission or strategizing, when he readies himself in the vanity in his bedroom, fastening his bolo tie when he thinks you aren't looking. there's a look in his eyes. it's one you recognize. as a cadet, it scared you.

today, he doesn't have to go anywhere, but he rises with the dawn regardless. erwin can't really help it, rolling onto his stomach and tossing his arm over you. it wakes you gently, the weight of it pressing against your chest. you squeeze his bicep and then run your fingers along his upper arm.

"good morning," he mumbles, shifting to pull you up against him.

"hi," you say softly, soaking in the heat from his bare chest.

you search his face for something, unsure of what exactly you're looking for. that familiar expression from the mirror is gone, hardness and determination replaced by something softer. erwin smiles gently at you, studying your face before he leans in to place a gentle kiss on your lips.

"tea?" he asks quietly and you nod, watching as he stands up and moves over to the stove and kettle on the other side of the room.

erwin uses his hand to prepare the hot drink with his back is to you as he lights the burner and sets the metal pot down with a soft clink. you watch the muscle in his bare back move, flexing and shifting as he quietly moves about a rare, slow morning routine.

you smile as he walks the tea over to you with a slightly shaky hand, taking the mug from him with a grateful smile before he goes back with his own. then, he comes and sits down again with you on the bed, sipping the liquid.

on mornings like this, you think that erwin may have been built for a different kind of life. you imagine that, in a better world, he's a doting husband with time enough to devote to his partner. he seems to be, at his core, a family sort of man who may have appreciated a quiet life. then again, what sort of family man makes the choices that he does?

"what are you thinking about?" erwin says, setting his mug down in his lap and lightly touching the side of your face.

"the world when all of this is over," you say, tilting your head at him.

erwin's eyes harden for a moment before they go soft again and he steadies the cup in his lap as he leans forward to kiss you.

"that's a nice daydream," he mumbles against your mouth.

"mmm," you hum, "i think so too."

you can't blame his decisions. you've seen what he has, the monstrousness of titans. you've felt the ice cold fear as you stare one down, fingers trembling around the switches of your odm gear. you can't blame him, but a part of you can't accept it either.

you suppose that's what makes mornings like this so deeply precious. the air of false pretense. of a normalcy that hardly exists since the appearance of the beast titan.

"think we should buy a house together?" erwin says with small smile, setting his mug down on the nightstand and raising his arm for you to crawl under it.

"i dunno," you say. "depends where."

"maybe somewhere with farmland," he muses. "away from the city and the barracks."

"like you'd ever want to be so far from the corps," you snort with a laugh.

"i might," he says seriously. "if we actually do this."

"you mean solve and fix it?"

erwin nods, smiling to himself as he imagines a life with you.

"i think you might like a dog," he says, raising an eyebrow.

"we could get a dog now," you respond with a laugh, drumming your fingers against his chest.

"hange already sort of fills that role for me," erwin snorts. "they're high maintenance."

you laugh and erwin follows, thinking fondly of your overeager and somewhat twisted mutual friend.

there's a moment of silence where you both soak in the morning. sunlight pours into the windows, illuminating the wooden chamber and all of its precious amenities afforded to the commander of the survey corps. mornings like these are so rare, rarer still with the turmoil, and it has you both thinking in romantic hypotheticals.

"i love you," he says quietly, his rich baritone voice low next to your ear.

you tilt your head to look at him, holding mug of tea on his chest, cooled enough now to be warm on his skin.

"i love you too," you answer with a gentle smile.

erwin leans down and kisses you again, slower this time, like he's tasting you. his sleep swollen lips move languidly against yours and his thick eyebrows are relaxed as he lets himself breathe you in. you sigh, just pleased enough to be here with him now. plenty of time to be greedy later.

#cal care package #erwin smith x reader #erwin x reader #aot x reader #i don't write often for erwin this was a fun exercise #hopefully i did him justice omg #cal.writing #char.erwin

[detroitlib]

Portrait of actress Dorothy Dandridge. Printed on front: "Dorothy Dandridge. Associated Booking Corp., Joe Glaser, President. Squibb B'ldg. 745 5th Ave., N.Y. Beverly Hills, Cal." Label on back: "Downtown Theatre on stage, in person. Thursday, February 7th, 1946. Dorothy Dandridge, sepia star of stage, screen & radio. Direct from Hollywood."

E. Azalia Hackley Collection of African Americans in the Performing Arts, Detroit Public Library

#dorothy dandridge #actress #1946 #1940s #detroit public library

[earlofbats]

Okay so basically all the Skills have been given their equivalents except visual Cal.

Here's Boideiro!Harry for that fic I'm writing:

Logic = Wits

Encyclopedia = Almanac

Rhetoric = Preachin'

Drama = Theatrics

Conceptualization = Artsy

Visual Calculus = ??

Volition = Gumption

Inland Empire = Lone Frontier

Suggestion = Silver Tongue

Authority = Gravitas

Esprit de Corps = Cahoots

Empathy = Heart

Endurance = Mettle

Pain Threshold = Grit

Physical Instrument = Sinew

Electrochemistry = Vice

Shivers = Jitters

Half-Light = Instinct

Hand eye = Sharpshooter

Perception = Looky-Loo

Reaction Speed = Quick Draw

Savoir Faire = Swagger

Interfacing = Know-how

Composure = Stoicism

#disco elysium #harry du bois #kim kitsuragi #harrier du bois #kimharry #harrykim #fic #disco elysium cowboy au #DE cowboy au #Disco Western

[touchstarvedasclones]

Grand Army of the Republic Structure

So, looking at how the GAR is structured, there would be about 512 battalions total throughout all 10 system armies. (I can go into that later)

We know of (canon) 15.

Let me know if I missed any, here's the list:

21st Nova corp (wait, is that a battalion or a Corp in the structure? idk.) led by Ki-Adi-Mundi and CC Bacara

13th (the Iron Battalion) led by Jaro Tapal and Cal Kestis

41st Scout let by Luminara and/or Yoda, and CC Gree

104th (The Wolfpack) led by Plo Koon and CC Wolffe

187th led by Mace Windu and CC Ponds (I thought they were the 91st?)

612th led by Polla Royal and CC Granch (I'm assuming that's a CC)

Combat Engineer (I don't know either) let by Sergeant Gaffa

212th led by Kenobi and CC Cody

501st led by Skywalker, CT Rex, and Ahsoka Tano

332nd, which is an off shoot of the 501st, lead by CC Rex and Tano

(Carnivore is also a sub group of 501st, but I'm unsure if it is big enough to count as it's own battalion)

442nd, also led by Plo Koon at some point, and CC Verd

327th lead by Aayla Secura and CC Bly

184th led by Jor Aerith and CC Crane (again, guessing if a CC)

Rancor Battalion, lead by Shaak Ti and the Rancor ARC CCs

Coruscant Guard, which has no Jedi and is led mainly by CC Fox

Honorary member, but technically part of 212th, is Clone Force 99, lead by CT Hunter.

So that's roughly 15. Out of 512.

Good thing we fans like to make OC clones.

Also, I AM thinking about making a color chart for known battalions. And since there are so few, including those of OC made battalions too.

If anyone is interested.

Here's the link to the post that started this.

#star wars #clone troopers #my mind went on a spiral and now I'm here #following the dopamine #grand army of the republic #the structure of this behemoth is so weird #clone wars #swtcw #tcw

[sleepdeprivedsimp234]

Do you perhaps have any headcanons about New Mexico? I don’t see that much about him and he’s my home state so I’m desperate for any content lol (also sorry if it’s late for you cause it’s currently late for me but I don’t have a sleep schedule so-) but if you don’t, anything about Loui or Cal would be also be cool :]

Sorry m8 I don’t really have anything for New Mexico :( I do have some stuff for Cali and Loui tho :D

California:

He either was or is an e-boy. He has the f*ckin’ e-boy haircut too. :3

He’s a nerd and he loves books. Bro probably has an entire stash of books under his bed.

Cali pretends to hate Florida and Loui (mostly Flo though), but if anything bad happened to them he would never forgive himself.

This man can’t cook for sh*t. He’s okay at those microwaveable ramen bowls, but otherwise, he can’t cook and should not be allowed within 15ft of the kitchen’s entrance.

He has an orange tabby named Cassy and she is a dumb spoiled little bitch. She’s cute tho <3

LOUIIIII-[gets gunned down by marine corps] Louisiana:

Literally everybody loves Loui and tries to protect him, and what makes it funnier and cuter is that he’s completely unaware of the fact that he has an entire Loui Protection Squad™️.

Clumsy silly lil guy that always has bandages on his knees, face, and/or arms.

Florida makes it a point to tell Loui if he’s going somewhere cuz he knows that if he doesn’t tell him, he’ll panic. But nobody’s gonna know that Loui is panicking unless they look and see how shaky and fidgety he’s being. And if they bring it up, Loui will 100% deny the fact that he’s panicking. Even with tears in his eyes.

Loui doesn’t ever wish to hurt anyone, but at the same time if you hurt his loved ones, he will murder you and laugh like a psycho as he does it.

^Executing someone that hurts his loved ones? Yes. 100%. Getting revenge on the people that hurt hi- NOPE. He will NOT.

He’s gets anxious really easily, but mainly if there’s loud noise. So sometimes during meetings, if he’s not joining Florida in terrorizing Gov, he’s trying not to have an anxiety attack. I hc that Texas sits next to Loui (I think this is actually canon-), and Georgia sits across, so often they’ll be the ones trying to calm him down (Georgia holding his hands under the table and Texas hugging him a bit with his hand on Loui’s knee 😭).

#welcome to the table #welcome to the statehouse #ben brainard #wttt #wttsh #wttt louisiana #wttsh louisiana #wttt california #wttsh california

[captain-price-unofficially]

US Marine in the jungle with a M1919 .30 cal Browning Machine Gun on Cape Gloucester, New Britain - Late December 1943 (US Signal Corps photo by Pfc. Dave Silver)

#new britain campaign #pacific theater #wwii

[apollo11fangirl]

Cars 3 au

So after Lighting's third cup win, Doc has a heart attack and ends up in a coma for years. Lighting visits him when he can, but in his mind Doc is all but dead. A living corps if you will.

After Storm comes onto the scene, Doc wakes up and begins the process of recovering. He doesn't tell him since he wants to supperise him by showing up at Daytona. Just like the first time. Saddly he doesn't get to do that. Just as he getting the mic on to talk to him, Lighting crashes.

Doc is frozen in fear for a moment as he takes a breath to focus himslef. He then runs to Lighting as emergency personnel come to get him. The last thing Lighting sees before he passes out is Doc's face telling him that he will be alright.

Doc takes this crash hard as he stands watch over Lighting. He waits for him in surgary and plans how he will recover from everything. When Lighting wakes up, he is in shock that Doc is alive and is funtcing well. The last he heard Doc wasn't doing well even in his coma, yet some how when he heard Storm over take him and will, Doc woke up.

The two of them start the road of recovering. Rustezs on the other hand starts demoing Cruz as a new driver. They see her to be a better driver in the long run as Lighting and the team is getting older. Doc hears the news and decides to take Lighting to his hometown to get some practice in.

They meet up with the Barn Stormers, and Lighting starts to learn how to draft. Doc keeps up there old training regimen as they try and get an edge. One night the two of them get into an argument about how lighting thinks this won't work since Doc crashed and never got the chance to recover. Doc keeps trying to tell Lighting that, that's what he trying to avoid.

Unfortulatly for the two of them they here the news that Cruz is the driver for Rusteze and that they dropped Lighitng. At this point Lighting just runs off. Leaving Doc to find him.

Smokey tells Doc that he saw him dash to the trailor. Doc follows that and sees Lighitng pack everything up. Doc ask why and and lighting says what else can he do and trys to leave. They then have a long conversation about how Lighting can't leave and that yes Doc has no clue what to do now, but they will make it through together.

After that they make there way to Smokey's Garauge and Lighting sees all the leters that Doc sent and how they knew of Doc's plan to come back to Lighitng after recovering from in the hospital.

At that moment, Louise comes past telling them to get on the phone. Tex after hearing what happened to Lighting tells him he didnt' forget the prosmis that he made all thoese years ago. Lighting is now going to be racing with DInaco. Doc then gives his permission to use his number and paint skeem on Lighting's car.

Doc and the rest of the Barnstormers head south to Daytona. Once they get there Ramone quickly wraps the car since they don't have time to paint it. Lighting comes on the track as 'The Faboulus Lighitng McQueen'.

Storm just asumes that Lighitng will be easy pickings that is until Lighitng starts to out smart him. With Doc in his ear the whole time he wins first place.

While Cruz is happy for Lighting, even though she did take his ride. Storm trys and ask how on earth could Lighitng even win. Doc and Lighitng simply say that dirt does help out with that.

The rest of Lighting's career he is consistently in the top ten with Storm, Cruz, Bobby, and Cal. Also, Tex buys Rusteze and Bobby's team as well not to separate the track family they made.

#text post #cars au #cars 2006 #jackson storm #cruz ramirez #doc hudson #lighting mcqueen #doc is the reason why storm can't beat lighting #doc hudson is op #I may make this a fic one day

[seven-oomen]

So i am almost up to 8500 words on Caught somewhere in time. I'm about to tackle the Attack of the clones part of the fic. And with that comes a new set of headcanons I'll be incorperating.

On Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Cal:

Obi-Wan almost left the order on two occasions: his relationship with Satine Kryze, and his choice to have Cal.

Anakin sees Cal as his little brother, though he is also torn on how to handle him, as a part of him sees Cal as competition for Obi-Wan's attention.

Cal's psychometry has gotten him into trouble more than once. But mostly because he either sees things people don't want him to see, or because he sees things that upset him greatly and he has panic attacks.

Cal's gift for chaos and crawling through vents were inherited from Obi-Wan. As is his gift for reading people and their intentions.

Cal has inherited a rather unexpected ability from his sperm donor, namely the ability to sharpshoot with a blaster pistol.

Padmé and Cal team up against Anakin. And although Anakin complains and whines that he is not happy about this, he secretely relishes in the absolute chaos that Padmé and Cal cause.

On Stewjon:

The planet stewjon is like space Florida. It has mangroves, swamps, that eventually roll out into grasslands and even has some forest. There's a lot of water on the planet, though it is inhabited by all sorts of predatory fish and reptiles, and even beaches or lakes are not that safe to swim in.

There's also plenty of farmland on the planet, and some of the larger cities are packed with resorts, hotel chains, and tourist attractions. Though further inland there's a lot of poverty and people barely scraping by.

The mangrove trees are harvested for their valuable Oljohn wood. It is specifically useful for making jewelry and wooden figurines, or detailing work.

Stewjoni are a people that are intersex by nature. As such, their entire concept of gender and sexuality are very different from more traditional planets. (By our earth standards).

A person who carried a baby is referred to as mom, regardless of their gender. A person who sired the baby is referred to as dad.

Their phenotype is determined by chromosomes, XX gives someone a masculine phenotype, XY gives someone a feminine phenotype.

(I deliberately changed this, do not come for me in the comments.)

Stewjoni can breed with humans, like Twy'leks, and their biology is a dominant trait over our human biology.

Many stewjoni come out with their gender around the age of 16, some do this earlier. Until that time, many Stewjoni address their children in a neutral way, or choose to adhere to their phenotype presentation until the child determines otherwise.

Stewjoni sometimes choose to single parent, and like Naboo, there is no taboo on sperm donors or artificial insemination. It's seen as a perfectly acceptable road to take.

There's also no taboo on abortion or birth control. When the entire population is intersex, and resources can be scarce, you also need ways to control the population.

-

On Jedi:

There were many Jedi in the order that had some form of attachment to others, though those active in the order also made sure that a. the council didn't find out about those attachments, and b. that the attachments didn't interfere with their duty.

Some Jedi also chose to have children. If the Jedi stayed within the order and agreed to its terms, the children would be brought to the temple on Coruscant and were raised there. The Jedi parents would have visitation rights and could see their children at most once a month, preferably less. If a child was not force sensitive by age 3, they would finish their time in the clan and by age 13 be sent to one of the corps. (Agricorp, medcorp, educorp, exploration corp).

If a child was force sensitive they would stay for training among a clan and by age 9 go to Ilum for the crystal ceremony. By age 13 they would be chosen as a Padawan by a knight or master that was NOT their parent. If they're not chosen, they too would go to the corp.

This caused some form of tension within the order, as quite a few (parental) members found the rules unfair or downright cruel.

Any Jedi that did not agree to the terms of having children within the order would be excommunicated and stripped of their rank. They would however be given supplies and credits to get them on their feet. The Jedi are strict and stifled, but fair and supportive with old members.

Children of Jedi that were Padawan learners or corp members were given ways to contact their Jedi parent once a month to keep in touch. At the age of 18 these children were given a choice to continue service or to cut ties with the order.

-

And since it's now 2 am I'll leave it at this.

#star wars headcanons #the clone wars headcanons #cal kestis #obi wan kenobi #anakin skywalker #star wars prequels #star wars fanfiction #star wars #the clone wars

[fuzzyghost]

#cal corp #alphabet city #80s movies #cyberpunk #dystopian #corporation #80s #triangle #illuminati #screencap

[valeriianz]

10 fandoms / 10 characters / 10 tags

tagged by @virgo-dream and @seiya-starsniper, thank you! this took me a while... the way my hyperfixations work is, i'll completely devote myself to a piece of media for a time... then once i find something else i move on almost entirely lol. i of course still have a very soft spot for the shows/video games listed here (as well as my blorbos, such as they are) but the only fandom im currently active in is, of course, Sandman.

1: Levi Ackerman - Attack on Titan

I am in a love/hate relationship with AoT lmao (and some day i WILL finish the final season) but nothing, not even fandom war, will ever change my love for Levi. I'm obsessed with his backstory, how he came into the Survey Corps, and how it all sheds light on the decisions he makes and the tragedies he suffered through. I was fascinated by him since S1 and after the No Regrets manga came out, I was done for. He has been through so much and despite how cruel and unforgiving he seems, he actually has the biggest heart and-- guh I just love him. He deserves the world ;^;

2: Zuko - Avatar the Last Airbender

Truly was torn between Zuko or Katara... but I have always had mad respect for Zuko's redemption arc and how brilliantly it was written. I love how it takes a full season and a half for him to have this war within himself, that he makes the right decision but then regresses... before literally becoming sick with indecision and change. And then he finally proves his worth and becomes the most loyal friend and a perfect leader to rebuild a broken society. I'm a sucker for good character stories, and Zuko's arc in ATLA is my hands down favorite ever.

3: Roxas - Kingdom Hearts

God I just love tragic male characters, huh? lmao. This one is a no brainer to me. Roxas is the OG blorbo. I fell in love with him at the tender age of 17 and have never looked back. He is kind and loyal but also a feral gremlin. He is so goofy but sad and god dammit, I love his voice and his baby blue eyes. Also this line, "This could have been the other way around." *shakes fist* MY BOY!

4: Faye Valentine - Cowboy Bebop

We love complex characters in this house! Faye has all the traits of a character I usually wouldn't vibe with: she's arrogant (without much to back it up lol), lazy, and is susceptible to addictions. But oooh do I love a character who uses negative traits to hide how emotionally vulnerable they are. Faye appears strong, mean, and confident to a fault, but inside she craves companionship and is incredibly lonely (despite her lone wolf tendencies). Rewatching the show as an adult, I found Faye and I have a lot in common lol. She needs a hug.

5: Hob Gadling - The Sandman

Do I really need to say anything? lol I love that Hob is the fandom's plaything; molding and shaping him and writing him in all sorts of different ways... but I do adore his canon character. He is brash, stubborn, at times cruel and violent... but then immeasurably kind, loyal, and forgiving. He takes on immortality in unexpected ways. he thrives, he suffers, he works, he regresses, he makes mistakes, he learns from them, he changes... he is THE human experience.

6: Daenerys Targaryen - Game of Thrones

Robbed. Robbed. Absolutely robbed. The writers did Daenerys so dirty, I refuse to accept the final 3 seasons of GOT as canon lmao. (and here's another thing: I would totally accept her spiral into "madness" if it had been handled seriously. If the writers didn't just pull this out of their ass and instead thoughtfully worked in justifiable reasoning for her to go crazy). I'm 100% a stan and there's actually nothing you can say that will change my mind :)

7: Cal Kestis - Star Wars, Jedi: Fallen Order

My SON. My BOY! I have the adoption papers ready.

8: Tifa Lockhart - Final Fantasy VII

Another OG blorbo lmao. She's been with me since I was a teenager (also I always shipped her with Cloud, not Aerith. I do however ship Aerith and Zack... the latter whom almost made this list. Anyway-). Tifa is the badass motherfucker with a heart of gold. She is insanely loyal and truly the wisest of the bunch.

9: Mickey Milkovich - Shameless

ANOTHER BROKEN CHARACTER WHO GOES THROUGH EXTREME DEVELOPMENT? Can anyone sense a pattern?? This motherfuckerrrr *shakes Mikey and slaps him in the face and sobs* God I love it when a seemingly irredeemable character goes THROUGH IT and comes out shining a new, yet somehow the same old, sarcastic bitch.

(Also please note that Lip Gallagher almost made this list. Another shining example of the writers doing his character the WORST injustice just to keep him on the show. He should have stayed in college. He almost GOT OUT. He almost broke the chain. What he did was not in line with his character and I will stay mad about it).

10: Cesare Borgia - The Borgias

THIS. GUY! AURGH!! Arrogant, violent, sexy bastard. You piece of shit. Cesare actually did everything wrong, he doesn't want to be redeemed. But he is so fucking charismatic and I love that he uses it to his advantage. He's so fucking smart and quick on his feet. He's SUCH an asset on the battlefield. And he LOVES his family! He will kill a bitch with his bare hands if they dare insult his mother or sister. I love that he grumbles when given advice from literally anyone that isn't his most trusted friend, bodyguard, and assassin, Micheletto. Doesn't even flinch when he discovers Micheletto is gay, actually teases him for being a momma's boy, and genuinely grieves for his loss when he flees. He says out loud how he misses him and actually begins to doubt himself without Micheletto there to counsel him. Cesare is everything to me, actually.

tagging, no pressure!: @rainy-days-and-nights @the-cloudy-dreamer @kemurai6-dominion-of-dust @ferelden-loser @teejaystumbles @tj-dragonblade @hardly-an-escape @sutoribenda @quillingwords @mathomhouse-e

#woo okay #this was kind of difficult because i usually always have multiple blorbos per show lol #choosing only one from each was a struggle haha #thank you guys! #tag game

[walkingthroughthisworld]

(via XM1 Abrams Main Battle Tank by DarkWizard83 on DeviantArt)

The original prototype vehicle that led to one of - if not the - most powerful tank in the world, and current backbone of Us armored forces, the M1 Abrams MBT.  Born out of the failed German-American MBT-70 project, the XM1 was developed by the Chrysler Motor Corporation, and in 1978 Chrysler delivered to the Army a sleek, low-silhouette heavy tank that incorporated every major technological feature of the day, including computerized controls and a laser rangefinder.   But the most significant design feature of the new tank was its use of Chobham composite armor on the hull and turret.  While the exact nature and composition of Chobham armor remains a closely guarded secret, the evidence suggests that it utilizes a matrix of ceramic armor tiles, layered between the vehicle's internal steel and external armored plating.  When a high-velocity projectile - such as a round fired from a tank or an anti-tank missile - hits the armor, the explosion produces a high-velocity jet of gas that shears through the armor plating.  In normal armor, this jet of gas - once it had passed through the outer armor - would blast into the hull of the tank, causing irreprible damage and often killing the crewmen inside.  However, with Chobham armor's interweaved layers of ceramic composite, the forces that would normally tear into a tank's hull are forced to spread out and dissipate over a much wider area, leaving the inner hull intact.  This not to say that Chobham armor renders a tank invincible - any hit will still cause exterior damage, and a powerfiul direct hit could still damage or disable the tracks or sensitive electronic equipment.  But it would keep the crew alive, and often protect the tank itself enough to keep fighting. Another key crew safety feature is the vault-like armored compartment that houses the Abrams' primary ammunition.  One of the primary causes of a tank's destruction has not been the direct result of armor-pierecing hits, but the inderict results of those hits ignigting and detonating the tank's munitions.  To protect this, a kevlar and steel armored plate seperates the crew from the ammunition store.  Same with the tank's fuel supply.  Even if the compartments were pierced, and the ammunition or fuel ignited, the protective plates would insulate the crew from explosion and fire.   In combat, the Abrams has proven to be second to none.  During Operation Desert Storm in 1991, M1s were able to take out Iraqi tanks at distances as long as 4km.  Of the nearly 2,000 Abrams to see combat in the conflict, only 18 were ever taken out of service due to combat damage, and none resulted in any crew casulties.  In 2003 and onwards during Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Abrams again demonstrated a mastery of the battlefield, driving to Baghdad virtually unopposed.  However, the Abrams clearly showed its vulnerability to ambush attacks, with a number of M1s severly damaged and disabled from RPGs, and far more frequently by roadside IED bomb traps.  However, even when caught in some of the largest IED explosions, crew casualties have so far been astoundingly low, a testament to the M1s protection and survivability. While no future M1's are planned for production, a number of older models are currently slated for upgrade to current standards over the next few years, and the Abrams will continue to serve with the Us Army and Marine Corps. for mcuh of the century to come. M1 Abrams Vehicle Stats: Type: Main battle tank Manufacturer: General Dynamics Land Systems First deployed: 1980 Crew: 4 Length: 9.76 m Width: 3.65 m Height: 2.88 m Weight: 61.4 tons Armor: Classified Armament, primary: 1 x 105mm M68 rifled tank gun; later models equipped with 120mm M256 smoothbore tank gun Armament, secondary: 2 x 7.62mm FN-Browning M240 machineguns, 1 x .50-cal Browning M2 BMG machinegun Ammo stowage, primary: 55 rounds Ammo stowage, secondary: 11,000 rounds 7.62mm, 1,000 rounds .50-cal Powerplant: Textron Lycoming AGT1500 1,500hp gas-turbine engine Max speed: 72 km/h Max range: 498km Operators: Australia, Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, USA

[deambulationsdelabibliothecaire]

Hateread de Tara Duncan tome 10 – Dragons contre démons - Chapitre 20

Ceci est un Hateread du tome 10 de la saga Tara Duncan, inspiré par le long travail de Patricklemorse. Pour plus d’explications ou d’introduction, référez vous au post « Hateread de Tara Duncan tome 10 – Dragons contre démons - 0 : Dans les épisodes précédents » !

L’ensemble des extraits cités entre guillemets et en italiques appartiennent à madame Sophie Audoin-Mamikonian, que j’appellerai Madame S.A.M par facilité.

Hello les loulous !

Vous lisez certainement cette intro un moment après la publication du post sur le chapitre 19, mais sachez que je commence immédiatement après avoir fini le chapitre précédent. Celui-ci était si mauvais que j’ai désespérément besoin de prendre quelque chose de bon dans cette saga avant de refermer mon document LibreOffice.

La dernière fois, Mara trahissait l’Empire, tuait un Très Haut Mage et volait la sphère-négation, tout ça dans un chapitre qui arrivait à être chiant à mourir en dépit des enjeux.

Aujourd’hui, nous rejoignons notre mauvaise troupe sur Tadix. Le chapitre 20 s’intitule « Archange, ou comment découvrir que son futur potentiel peut-être petit copain voire fiancé est sans doute un sérial killer. »

Bref, la dernière fois qu’ils apparaissaient, nos sacrés camarades venaient tout juste d’invoquer Archange et sa clique, ce à quoi certains dragons ne réagissaient pas très bien.

Archange ordonne à ses démons de se calmer avant que tout ça vire au bain de sang. Tout ce beau monde se détend, les démons sont tous des top models, et Archange va voir Tara, ravi de la croiser. Tout ça ne plaît pas du tout à Cal, qui lâche un grognement. Parce que même le génie du groupe réagit comme un clebs quand il voit sa copine se faire draguer par un prétendant politique.

« Fafnir écrasa le pied de Cal, ce qui le fit sursauter. Il jeta un regard blessé à la naine, qui le lui rendit froidement, haussant ses sourcils roux d’un air de dire : « Eh bien quoi ? Tu veux vraiment tout faire rater ? » »

Putain, même Fafnir a une réaction logique, tu la sens ton efficacité, Cal ?

« Il se sentait l’âme d’un homme de Cro-Magnon. À moi ! À moi ! En fait, il aurait bien attrapé Tara pour l’emmener dans sa caverne. (les hommes de Cro-Magnon ne méritent pas la comparaison avec Cal. Et je suis persuadée qu’ils étaient mille fois plus subtils que ce que Madame S.A.M. imagine. Also Cal vient d’Autremonde et les bouquins passent leur temps à nous dire qu’il est inculte sur tout ce qui concerne la Terre, il ne devrait pas se faire ce genre de réflexion)

Sauf que, pour l’instant, Tara avait l’air littéralement hypnotisée par le bellâtre. Elle le regardait comme s’ils étaient seuls au monde. Cal espéra très fort que c’était du cinéma. Qu’elle n’oubliait pas que ce… truc était un monstre sous ce corps trop parfait. (Oh mais fait chier… qu’est-ce qu’on en a à foutre de la réelle apparence d’Archange ? Certes, je ne choisirai peut-être pas un démon pour une partie de jambes en l’air, mais 1/ peut-être qu’il y a des gens qui aiment bien, d’où tu juges. 2/ les relations inter-espèces ne doivent pas être si rares que ça dans cet univers, il y en a eu plusieurs simplement dans le magic gang 3/ La visée de Tara n’est pas de se marier par amour pour Archange, mais pour former une alliance politique qui leur éviterait une guerre ! Un autre parti envisagé était Chem, tu crois qu’elle a envie de pécho son mentor ? Donc qu’est-ce qu’on s’en fout d’à quoi il ressemble en vérité, ou du fait qu’il cache à quoi il ressemble ?? L’essentiel, ce sont ses actions, à la fin, pas le nombre d’yeux qu’il a !)

En fait, si Cal avait été dans les pensées de Tara, il aurait été encore plus inquiet. Parce que lorsque Archange avait plongé ses yeux verts dans les yeux bleu marine de Tara, la jeune fille avait senti… quelque chose.

Comme si elle était attirée par Archange. Un peu comme ce qu’elle ressentait… avait ressenti pour Robin, lorsqu’elle était folle amoureuse du demi-elfe. »

Ce bouquin aurait dû s’appeler « Tara Duncan : Adonis contre apollons ». Quand j’ai commencé ce PDF, j’attendais de la baston, pas un concours de JoJo poses. Je veux juste qu’un dragon casse la gueule d’un démon à ce stade, s’il n’y a que ça je serai déjà contente. C’est dire.

Sur ce, Archange ordonne à ses subalternes de distribuer les cadeaux qu’ils ont amené.

« Les démons avaient bien étudié les Omoisiens. Ils savaient ce qui allait plaire à Lisbeth. Tout n’était qu’or et joyaux étonnants, pierres extraites de leurs planètes, nouvelles couleurs, nouvelles textures, étoffes soyeuses rebrodées d’animaux improbables. Tara ne put s’empêcher d’être surprise. Elle ne savait pas pourquoi mais elle avait du mal à imaginer que les démons avaient un tel sens artistique. Mais elle comprenait très bien ce qu’ils faisaient. « Regardez, nous ne sommes pas différents de vous, nous aimons les mêmes choses, nous avons le sens de la beauté, soyons amis. »

C’était incroyablement habile. D’ailleurs, tout autour d’elle, elle sentait que les gens se détendaient »

Putain mais quelle habileté de fou d’offrir des cadeaux pour briser la glace face à des alliés politiques. Trop malins les gars. Stade avancé de réflexion, 4739 de QI, hauts potentiels intellectuels.

« [Lisbeth] leur offrit de précieuses semences, des blés résistant aux maladies, des pousses d’arbres fruitiers en stase prêtes à être plantées, des embryons d’animaux, un millier environ, des objets et gadgets fabriqués par ses usines et ses savants. Elle montrait l’étendue de ce qu’AutreMonde et Omois pouvaient apporter aux nouvelles planètes. Les machines mi-mécaniques mi-magiques, des systèmes de communication (elle avait la ferme intention d’inonder ce nouveau et juteux marché avec ses plaquettes de cristal-phone super-sophistiquées avec projection holographique des appelants, mémoire de plusieurs milliers de TMO52 etc.), des connaissances médicales aussi, des sorts de Reparus automatiques très coûteux et complexes, puisqu’on ne pouvait pas se guérir soi-même, ou encore de merveilleux parfums, des onguents onctueux et adoucissants, bref, un panel très varié dans lequel leurs futurs partenaires commerciaux allaient pouvoir choisir ce qui leur serait utile.

C’était aussi intelligent que ce qu’avaient fait les démons. »

Nan. Nan, c’est bien plus intelligent que ce qu’ont offert les démons, bien plus élaboré et ciblé, et une plus grande preuve de considération. Rendons à César ce qui appartient à César, ça, c’est une écriture de Lisbeth telle qu’elle la mérite. D’autant que, si on est indulgent envers madame S.A.M. et qu’on choisit de dire que ce n’est pas un élément sorti du chapeau, les Reparus automatiques ne sont pas répandus dans l’univers de Tara Duncan. Ce qui signifie que Lisbeth réserve ces éléments coûteux à la diplomatie avec les démons. Très in-character pour le personnage. À côté de ça, les tissus péniblement décrits que leur offrent les démons, ils peuvent aller se rhabiller avec.

« De fait, avec ses coffres regorgeant de joyaux et d’étoffes, il paraissait un peu futile, quoique très luxueux, alors que l’Impératrice montrait sa volonté de commercer. D’accord. Le point était pour Lisbeth. Il tourna son regard vers Tara. La jeune fille l’avait certainement conseillée. Il ne devait pas, jamais, sous-estimer l’intelligence de la jeune humaine. »

Oui bah c’est ça, suppose que le mérite revient à Tara et pas à Lisbeth. C’est sûr que Lisbeth n’a pas l’intelligence de prendre cette décision elle-même. Elle n’est jamais qu’Impératrice d’Omois depuis plusieurs années. Une broutille.

Bon, cela dit, vu la façon dont elle a exercé son pouvoir dans les chapitres précédents, la narration a probablement raison d’accorder cette idée à Tara. Mais ça m’énerve profondément.

Archange est parfait et il trouve Tara parfaite, blablabla. C’est l’heure de la récré, et par récré on entend que les démons vont se balader un peu partout et le reste des gens présents aussi. On a une redite de la blague « Ce serait drôle si on tuait un démon sans faire exprès oupsie » du chapitre 17, mais qui ne marche pas cette fois. Les âmes démoniaques, prisonnières des objets que porte Tara, se tiennent à carreau.

Un Tadixien vient s’enquérir du magicgang, ce qui fait réagir bizarrement Fabrice, qui se demande s’il ne serait pas atteint un peu par la magie démoniaque de la troupe d’Archange. Oupsie doupsie.

« Fabrice aurait dû rester sur Terre » : 3 (surtout que pour l’instant il est aussi utile qu’un plot).

Et sur ce, Glubl est de retour !! Vous savez, le type que rencontre Moineau pendant la réception, dans le chapitre 4 ? Je l’aime bien, même s’il n’a pas fait grand-chose pour l’instant. C’est le moment d’en apprendre un petit peu plus sur lui :

« Comme Sylver, il était une sorte d’hybride. Une création artificielle voulue par un sortcelier qui désirait que des humains, et non plus des gnomes, soient capables de communiquer avec les Santivoriens. Il avait donc mélangé les ADN, mis les produits dans le ventre de plusieurs mères porteuses humaines, puis attendu de voir ce qui allait en sortir. La majorité des infortunés frères et sœurs de Glubl étaient morts ou étaient nés si déformés que la mort aurait été préférable. Fort heureusement, le sortcelier en question avait fini par être démasqué et emprisonné. Glubl avait été confié à des parents humains, mais, très jeune, avait manifesté de grandes capacités télépathiques. Dès qu’un Diseur se promenait à proximité, le jeune garçon était capable de percevoir ce qu’il disait. »

Bon, mis à part cette histoire d’être né « si déformé que la mort aurait été préférable » (je vois d’où ça vient mais ça a des petits relents de validisme quand même), je trouve l’origin story de Glubl cent fois plus intéressante que tout ce qui a été tenté en terme de personnages jusque-là. Sincèrement.

Tara va pour se reposer, mais elle croise…

« Mourmur les attendait près de l’entrée du couloir alors qu’ils se dirigeaient vers leurs chambres. »

YES, enfin ma dopamine est de retour.

« — L’Impératrice ne fait pas confiance aux démons (ça, elle n’était pas la seule !). Elle pense qu’ils vont peut-être tenter d’utiliser leur magie démoniaque afin de faire venir d’autres démons, maintenant qu’autant d’entre eux sont ici. Mes petits bijoux sont là pour les en empêcher. Ils bloquent le flux du pentagramme, on ne peut pas l’utiliser, et si on passe les défenses de mes machines, elles émettent tout de suite un signal d’alarme qui réveillerait un mort. Elles passent aussi du vert au rouge dès qu’un vortex est ouvert dans un rayon de cent tatrolls (j’ai tendance à penser qu’il y a plus subtil, comme alerte. Genre quitte à ce que Lisbeth et Tara aient toutes les deux des montres, utilisez-les pour les avertir discrètement, afin que les démons ne se doutent pas qu’on sait ce qu’ils sont en train de faire ? C’est donner une information capitale à un potentiel ennemi... Bon je sais pas pourquoi je me fatigue, Mourmur son truc c’est les explosions, pas la discrétion). Grâce à ma présence dans le cercle, j’ai pu mesurer tout ce dont j’avais besoin pour nous protéger et surtout pour les calibrer. Pardon si cela a pris autant de temps, mais j’ai dû utiliser une partie de la magie que vous envoyiez dans le vortex afin de les rendre compatibles avec. (Mourmur qui s’excuse ? OOC, je suis entièrement sortie de l’histoire. Plus sérieusement, le mec est giga imbu de lui-même et a une trop forte confiance en lui, il devrait plutôt se vanter)

Le vieux savant avait l’air très satisfait de lui (MERCI, ça c’est le Mourmur que je connais). Tara comprenait à présent un peu mieux pourquoi il avait fait partie de l’étoile du pentagramme, alors qu’il était le plus faible d’entre eux en magie, et de loin, mais aussi pourquoi il avait été si long et si compliqué de faire venir les démons »

Oui, c’est bien ce que je pensais, Mourmur n’excelle pas en magie comme le reste de la famille. Faut pas s’étonner après si c’est mon personnage préféré (même si, faut avouer, s’ils avaient continué de développer Manitou, ça aurait sans doute été lui mon préféré).

« Ils hochèrent tous la tête d’un air très convaincu.

Tara aperçut du coin de l’œil une silhouette qu’elle connaissait bien.

Angelica.

La peste parlait avec un démon qui semblait l’écouter avec passion.

Tara serra les lèvres. Qu’est-ce que son ennemie était en train de manigancer encore ?

À la fin de la discussion entre Angelica et le démon, alors que Mourmur continuait à expliquer ce qu’il avait mis en place pour les protéger, Tara faillit avaler de travers. Angelica venait de poser la main sur le torse musclé du démon, moulé par une fine chemise bleue. C’était un geste très intime pour quelqu’un qu’elle avait dû rencontrer deux minutes plus tôt ! Le démon sourit et ils partirent ensemble.

— Et toi, Tara, qu’est-ce que tu en penses ?

— Hein ? dit Tara qui n’avait pas écouté un mot.

— Deux, répondit Cal, moqueur. (Bon, je peux critiquer Cal autant que je veux, mais celle-là j’aurais pu la faire, j’accepte. L’un de mes crushs répond bien « Feur » quand on lui dit « Quoi », donc bon...) Nous nous demandions si tu pensais que les démons étaient aussi inoffensifs qu’ils s’appliquent à le paraître ou bien des bêtes assoiffées de sang. Pour l’instant, les bêtes assoiffées de sang mènent cinq voix contre une, notre amie Fafnir s’obstinant à les trouver « mignons ». »

Étrangement, j’aime bien cette scène… ? Oui, mes standards ont fortement baissé, mon fav c’est Mourmur et je lis Tara Duncan, de plus le chapitre précédent était affreux… Mais en terme de mise en scène et de dialogue, elle fonctionne. C’est facile de la visualiser car elle se découpe exactement comme un extrait de série télévisée. Là je comprends l’idée, et c’est plutôt bien retranscrit.

Tara apprend que Lisbeth a décidé d’éloigner les chambres de ses amis de la sienne. Mais bon, le fait que Lisbeth accepte leur présence est déjà une faveur que j’ai du mal à comprendre.

« Tara rentra donc seule dans sa suite toute blanche et prit une douche pour délasser ses épaules fatiguées par la charge de magie. Les sièges, perchés sur de fragiles tiges d’acier, robots animés et non pas magiques, s’écartaient sur son chemin. La première fois qu’elle s’était assise sur l’un d’eux, elle avait eu peur que son poids ne le fasse basculer ou ne le casse, mais le siège avait tenu le choc. Puis, d’une voix métallique, lui avait signalé qu’elle pouvait se laisser aller, qu’il était inutile qu’elle se tienne sur la pointe des pieds afin de répartir son poids et qu’il avait été fabriqué pour supporter une masse de deux tonnes. Tara avait fait la grimace, ces robots étaient un peu trop malins à son goût. Elle préférait les bons vieux fauteuils de bois confortables animés sur AutreMonde.

Au moins, eux ne parlaient pas. Enfin, pas encore »

Des fauteuils animés comme des robots c’est giga stylé, Tara est juste une hater des Tadixiens, c’est fou. Je suis sûre que si Mourmur ou Cal lui avaient fabriqué la même chose elle aurait trouvé ça super original et inventif. Et puis bon, un truc en principe pas vivant mais qui parle et rend des services elle en a un sur sa nuque, c’est sa changeline. Et je doute que son exosquelette du tome précédent n’était pas un poil robotisé. Les doubles standards ça suffit.

Bon, j’exagère, je ne suis pas opposée à ce qu’ils développent l’aversion irrationnelle de Tara envers une planète inconnue. C’est simplement dommage que ce soit contre Tadix qu’elle soit hostile, car à part les mœurs des Tadixiens autour des banquets, il n’y a rien d’extraordinairement détestable. Au moins, la narration nous fait savoir que ce n’est que le point de vue de Tara. Pour l’instant.

« La changeline lui créa un pyjama moelleux et frissonnante, parce que la température était un peu fraîche dans sa chambre, (je ne sais pas pourquoi j’ai ri en imaginant à quoi ressemblait un pyjama « moelleux et frissonnante ». Disons que coller ces deux bouts ensemble n’était pas super habile) Tara se glissa avec Galant à ses côtés dans le grand lit tout aussi blanc. Elle posa les Objets près d’elle, les sangles se resserrèrent afin de l’empêcher de s’envoler pendant son repos et sombra dans un sommeil sans rêve, tandis que son pégase l’enveloppait de ses ailes duveteuses. (mais l’image de cette chambre… je veux vivre là-bas, vraiment. Pourquoi on passe autant de temps sur AutreMonde ? Tout ce qu’ils ont pour eux c’est des palais faits en pierres précieuses)

Le lit la réveilla une heure plus tard, tandis que les sangles se rétractaient et qu’une douce lumière commençait lentement à éclairer la chambre. Tara sourit en réalisant qu’elle était surprise. D’habitude, soit on l’enlevait, soit quelqu’un s’introduisait dans sa chambre, soit il se passait quelque chose de bizarre ou d’étrange. Et là, rien. Comme si on lui donnait un petit répit avant que les choses vraiment sérieuses ne commencent. Elle s’étira et commença à se lever.

Puis se figea lorsqu’une voix bien connue murmura doucement.

— Tara ? »

Et le chapitre se termine ainsi ! J’ai bien fait d’enchaîner avec celui-là, il était nettement plus agréable à lire.

La prochaine fois, nous nous concentrerons sur Robin ! Ce sera l’occasion de savoir ce qui lui est arrivé.

D’ici là, à toutes !

#tara duncan #tara duncan 10 #french #tara duncan critique #upthebaguette #français #book criticism #book critique #critique livre #dragons contre démons #lisbeth duncan

[radiofreederry]

As part of the restructuring of the New Republic's governmental structure initiated by Chief of State Leia Organa Solo, the Cabinet was established as a successor to the Ruling Council, which itself had replaced Alliance High Command in the days of the Rebellion. While nominally a part of the executive branch and serving at the pleasure of the Chief of State, in practice all cabinet members are drawn from the Senate and from the governing coalition. The Cabinet members are as follows:

Prime Minister: Cal Omas (Reform) of New Alderaan. The Prime Minister is responsible for much of the day-to-day governance of the Republic and primarily oversees domestic affairs. Also serves as the President of the Senate and the primary liaison between the Chief of State and that body. The Prime Minister also serves as the head of the Cabinet in the absence of the Chief of State - most Cabinet meetings regarding domestic policy occur without the Chief of State's presence.

Minister of Defense: Hera Syndulla (PPP) of Ryloth. Effectively second-in-command of the military, as the Chief of State is Commander-in-Chief. Coordinates military procurement and logistics, negotiates contracts with arms suppliers, and oversees the conduct of active campaigns in the absence of the Chief of State. Syndulla ascended to the role after Gial Ackbar was demoted to Minister Without Portfolio as part of the fallout of Mon Mothma's ouster.

Minister of Commerce: Drextar Pym (Liberal) of Excarga. Engages with the galactic business community and develops private-public partnerships, negotiating government contracts in various aspects of life while encouraging economic stimulation and growth.

Minister of Justice: Darial Anglethorn (PPP) of Beheboth. The liaison of the executive branch to the judicial branch. Coordinates government's counsel in pursuing legal cases of interest to the state. In extreme cases may argue for the government at the Supreme Court.

Minister of Foreign Relations: Elegos A'Kla (PPP) of Caamas. Coordinates the Republic Diplomatic Corps. Pursues cordial relations with affiliated states and friendly non-affiliate galactic factions, and negotiates treaties and armistices with hostile foreign powers. Also serves as the New Republic's official liaison with the New Jedi Order.

Minister of Security and Intelligence: Kerrithrarr (PPP) of Kashyyyk. Coordinates the New Republic's internal security forces and its intelligence community. Also serves as the chair of the Senate Committee on Intelligence.

Minister of Science and Technology: Rees Vera (Liberal) of Mikkia. Coordinates and engages with the New Republic's R&D apparatus to develop technologies with both military and civilian applications.

Minister of the Interior: Lassten Stonk (Liberal) of Ithor. Oversees state-controlled assets and natural resources as well as the budding Galactic Parks System, of which the Bail Organa Memoiral Garden was the first.

Minister of Labor: Garm Bel Iblis (PUP) of Corellia. The government's liaison with the labor movement and the unions. Oversees the Labor Relations Tribunal.

Minister of Health: Doman Beruss (PPP) of Illodia. Oversees the state-run healthcare being established under the Organa Solo administration, and also coordinates with healthcare companies for government contracts, including supplies of bacta and kolto.

Minister of Exchequer: Ponc Gavrisom (PPP) of Calibop. Oversees the Republic treasury and drafts the Chief of State's official budget proposals.

Minister of Education: Lanever Villecham (Liberal) of Tarsunt. Oversees the state's education system and establishes educational standards and essential curricula.

Minister of Transportation: Kordi Freemaker (PUP) of Nubia. Oversees galactic infrastructure, including hyperlane maintenance, and works to improve the Republic's growing public transportation systems.

Minister of Energy and Fuel: Jar Jar Binks (Liberal) of Naboo. Coordinates procurement of energy and fuel from private entities. Works closely with the Minister of the Interior in developing the Republic's public energy reserves.

Minister of Veterans Affairs: Jan Dodonna (PPP) of Commenor. Oversees pensions and services for veterans of the Galactic Civil War as well as the remaining clones of the Grand Army of the Republic.

Minister of Communications and Culture: Grelka Sorka (PPP) of Askaj. Oversees the infrastructure of the HoloNet, and promotes art and culture, especially such as is reparative to the many years of COMPNOR propaganda foisted upon the galaxy.

Minister of Food and Agriculture: Melana Koba (PUP) of Dowut. Coordinates with farmers, ranchers, and factory operators to regulate and secure the galactic food supply, as well as invest in advancements in agtech.

Minister of Housing and Development: Sala Mogag (PPP) of Duro. Coordinates public housing projects and regulates rents and mortgages across the Republic. Also invests in urban renewal projects on blighted worlds such as Taris.

Minister of Equalities: Boona Kalan (Federalist) of Taris. Oversees equalities and civil rights, as well as undoing the bigoted policies instituted by the Empire.

Minister Without Portfolio: Gial Ackbar (PPP) of Dac. Has no official office or purview since his demotion, but acts as an advisor to the Chief of State, particularly on military matters.

#Star Wars #worldbuilding #bill and I are a really good duo for this stuff