#and i hope that things go without problems and that everyone can remain safe
Note
I think a critical flaw in the vegan’s user’s argument was that they clearly buckled down on how capitalist exploitation and overproduction factors into milk and meat markets… and then seemed to assume that vegan diets avoid capitalist pitfalls completely.
But you’ve already posted on your blog before about how crop production under capitalism has created huge environmental issues in terms of biodiversity, depletion of topsoil, and sustainability. Meaning even a non-animal diet can (especially on the scale necessary for every human being currently in existence) still create large-scale issues if that diet demands having specific foods in abundance to avoid eating meat.
Like, I’m sympathetic to what vegans want to do, it just feels like they’re ignoring a MASSIVE number of pressing logistical and environmental issues to push that agenda. There’s several intersecting problems here, and claiming humanity as a whole is poised to chuck eating animals completely seems to be jumping the gun.
This is basically exactly what I hope to convey to people. I feel like extremely pressing issues such as topsoil loss, pesticide and herbicide use, and pollution caused by nitrogen fertilizers, not to mention the severe biodiversity impacts of monoculture, are being disregarded in favor of a very simplistic "Meat is killing the Earth" argument.
And I think the "veganism to save the earth" idea is just...distracting, as a movement. I'm glad people are motivated to do it. I don't think it's bad. But we need people to take action beyond just Buy Product. Anyone telling you that the most important action you can take is Buy Different Product does not have your best interest, or the planet's best interest, in mind.
If you're eating a plant based diet, but your only relationship with your food is Buy Product, you are still alienated from the source of your food. You still don't know, and can't respect or care for, the ecosystem or the labor that gives it to you.
My agenda is far more along the lines of "society needs to be organized so more people are directly involved in growing food that feeds their community" than anything to do with animals, but it's clear to everyone who has studied it for 2 seconds that farming needs to change hugely and it's so, so much more complicated than "farming animals is bad, farming plants is good."
Also the fact is that veganism cuts you off from sources of nutrients that have been part of virtually every human society ever, a LOT of people have disabilities, allergies or nutrient absorption issues that mean going vegan isn't possible for them, and people who try to argue with me about this simply Stop knowing how to read when this is brought up. "Some people need animal protein to live" is a reality of the world but people who don't like this straight up refuse to consider it.
I have no food allergies or sensitivities, and I still struggle to eat enough food to live. I lost thirty fucking pounds in college because of stress, the dining hall being shit, and my roommate trying to control my eating habits (long story). Thats like...well over 1/5 of my body weight. Sometimes people Cannot restrict their diet safely.
Like, sure, I 85% agree with the vegans who like to comment on my posts, but the remaining 15% of things they say is completely insane.
And some of them are so out of touch with reality that they will swear up and down that it's impossible for humans to drink milk without someone having to murder a baby animal. They seem to think farming is exclusively some kind of horror show that happens in a warehouse somewhere, and don't understand the concept that "some people live in rural areas" or "it's not uncommon in some places to just keep a few dairy goats that provide milk for your family."
And if they admit this exists, it's like "well, that's not where your dairy comes from, because the INDUSTRY—" thats. that's my point, you can get milk from a farmer who keeps a small herd that is well treated, we should start doing this actually, you can even keep your OWN goat
my ideal world involves "backyard chickens and goats are legal in suburban areas where there's space" because there's literally nothing innately unethical about keeping a couple dairy goats or healthy heritage breed chickens and you can quote me on that and you can even fight me.
That one person (the one who kept bringing up eating poop) (Lord what a sentence to have to write) eventually turned to "Well those sources are wrong because governmental organizations want you to keep eating animal products" which is already well into "conspiracy theory" territory. No thanks.
707 notes
·
View notes
Note
Team RWBY getting introduced to the multiverse by a team of superheroes who've been fighting God-like beings for years and not asking for any help against Salem after establishing that she's apparently laying waste to the rest of Remnant and Vacuo is the last remaining hope is just... Typical, I guess.
I feel like that highlights how unintentionally selfish the writing makes the team out to be. Again: unintentionally because though the story is clearly aiming for a heroic perspective, lack of development and world-building like this ensures that falls flat. I haven't watched the movies yet, but we saw a more complex version of this in the Atlas arc where the group was more concerned with what was morally easy for them (save people) than grappling with the difficult choice that might help everyone in the long-run (lose people to maintain/win the war). It's a hard thing for a lot of fans to even pick up on because the knee-jerk response is, "How can saving people be bad?" and... it's not, but RWBY keeps presenting moral quandaries where the "best" outcome is both subjective and unlikely to come about through traditionally heroic means. Same thing with the Ever After. Team RWBY wants to leave the world they've been cast into so they can get back to saving people. That's good! Totally good. How could that in any way be bad? Well, because staying there, if only for a short period, means they may learn information that will assist them in defeating Salem. Lose another (metaphorical) battle to potentially win the war. Make a sacrifice to protect the majority. The go-to response for why they didn't hang around and question the Blacksmith is that they had to get back to help, but that short-term help is always what's prioritized. The immediate help. The easiest help to give without taking risks or making a hard call. Now, why go through the difficulty of acquiring inter-dimensional allies and attempting to figure out the logistics of them saving your world when you can just fix the immediate problems (defeating the one-off baddie, getting back home) and return to your regular saving people gig? That's a fantastic gig that indeed makes you look good... except when it's no longer enough to solve the problem and your preferred means, no matter how heroic on paper, are acting as a hindrance to your success.
Obviously in the realm of tie-in movies there are writing considerations too like, "These superheroes aren't actually a part of the canon proper, so they can't just swoop in to save the day" but that doesn't mean the writers can't craft a hand-wavy scenario for why that help is denied. The point is to have the heroes try to find that solution. Let the girls try to defend Mantle, try to help Ironwood keep the Relics safe, try to get the Blacksmith to fix things, try to ally with superheroes to win the war, and if the story doesn't want those to function as solutions it can come up with reasons why it didn't work/someone refused. But continually the team makes these terrible choices that don't forward their primary goal and the audience is left to try and justify that with very unpersuasive excuses.
60 notes
·
View notes
Text
My fav Judgement Day member. 💜
Summary: The reader encounters some problems with Imperium buts finds someone unexpected coming to her rescue.
It's a Monday night after Raw has already gone off the air and everyone has exited the arena for the night. Earlier in the night you suffered your 5th loss in a row this month. This one is at the hands of Sonya Deville. And it's safe to say that you're feeling pretty sorry for yourself right about now. And what better way to celebrate your self-loathing than grabbing a drink at the hotel bar?
The bar is unusually packed for a Monday night when you arrive. You recognize a few people from work as you make a b-line for the bar, but none of them bother to acknowledge you. Not that you really care. Right now, the only thing on your mind is getting a drink and feeling sorry for yourself.
"Evening," The bartender on duty smiles at you when you approach the bar.
You nod at him with a hint of a smile and sit down on a barstool. "Hey," You answer his greeting and nod to the cooler of bottleneck beers sitting behind him. "Just a beer, please."
"That it?" The bartender muses. "No fruity drink?" He jokes.
"Not tonight." You shake your head.
The bartender nods and pops the cap off of a beer before handing it to you. You take a sip and close your eyes for a moment. The cold liquid slides down your throat and cools you off. You can hear various conversations between patrons all around you, as well as some Indi music playing from somewhere to your right.
The bartender strikes up a friendly conversation with you when he's not serving drinks. He's nice enough that you don't feel annoyed when he asks you about yourself. He walks away after asking you about your job for a moment and when he comes back he's got some fruity drink with him.
"Here, this is for you." He slides the drink your way. "It's from those two guys over in that booth." He nods across the room.
You turn in your seat and gaze across the room where Giovonni Vinci and Marcel Barthel are sitting. Vinci flashes a dashing smile at you and you quickly turn away from him. "Great. Thanks." You reluctantly take the drink.
You hope and pray that the drink was just a friendly gesture and that Vinci won't come over to bother you. But much to your chagrin, he heads over a few minutes later.
"Y/N! What a pleasure seeing you here." Vinci walks over and leans against the bar next to you.
"Giovanni. Thanks for the drink." You offer him a small smile. "That was nice of you. But I was just about to call it a night." You inform him.
You reach for your purse and pray again that Vinci will get the hint and leave you alone. But he makes no indication that he's going to leave you alone. "Awe, going so soon, Y/N?" Vinci asks you. "You've only been here for like half an hour."
"Yeah well, I've got an early day tomorrow." You reply dryly.
Vinci still makes no effort to take your hints and leave you be and you start to wonder if you could get away with just leaving without a word. You've already made plenty of enemies on RAW at work. Sonya and Chelsea hate you. Zoey is still holding a grudge from when you were both in NXT. Not to mention Rhea Ripley has had it in for you ever since it was revealed that you and Dominik are cousins.
You take a breath and are about to try and dismiss yourself from Vinci again when suddenly you sense that someone is standing directly behind you. "She doesn't seem like she's interested, Vinci." A deep voice sounds from behind you.
"Pfft. It's none of your business, Priest!" Vinci defends his prey.
You turn your head and find Damian Priest looming behind you with a scowl on his face. 'shit' You curse to yourself. 'What the hell could he want?' You wonder.
"I said, leave her alone. Don't make me tell you again." Damian remains adamant that Vinci needs to leave.
Vinci locks eyes with Priest and the pair stare at one another in a statement. Vinci ends up breaking first through, and storms off mumbling something under his breath.
"You didn't have to do that." You turn back to the bar.
"I know." Damian replies and steps over to your side where you can see him now.
You reach for your drink and finish the rest of it. "If you're expecting me to thank you then you're going to be standing there for a while. I didn't need any help." You inform him dryly.
"No thanks needed." Damian replies. "Vinci gets on my nerves too. It was no problem." He insists.
"Right." You huff and reach for your purse again.
The last thing you need is one of Rhea's goons thinking that you owe them something. So it's better if you just leave now and not interact with Priest. Even if he did save your ass.
"Here, let me get it." Damian pulls his wallet out faster than you can find your card in your purse and hands it to the waiting bartender.
"I can pay for my own drinks." You insist, but Damian shakes his head.
You watch him sit down on the stool next to you and signal the bartender to ignore your request. "It's just a beer," Damian argues with you. "Trust me, it's no big deal."
"With you people, it always seems to be." You grumble.
"You people?" Damian turns to you with a raised brow.
You realize your poor choice of words and bite your lip. "You know what I meant. You're in Judgement Day. And I don't want any part of that whole mess."
"That's work," Damian replies smoothly. "We're not at work right now, are we?" He reminds you. "Right now we might as well be strangers. You're the girl getting unwanted attention from some sleaze who doesn't know how to take a hint. And I'm the guy trying to help her out." He jokes.
"Pretty sure this conversation qualifies you as the sleaze giving me unwanted attention." You quip back with just a hint of a laugh.
Damian chuckles and picks up his drink. "Fair enough." He acknowledges your burn. "I'll let you get out of here then. But I'm still paying for your drink." He adds.
"Yeah, thanks." You sigh and dismiss yourself.
The next week you are heading back to the locker rooms after your match against Zoey Stark when you run into Giovonni and Marcel again. The pair box you in and manage to corner you outside of catering.
"Well well well, Y/N, funny seeing you here." Vinci grins down at you.
"Giovanni." You swallow hard and accidentally back yourself into a wall. "How are you?" You ask him nervously.
Vinci and Barthel both share a look and laugh with one other before they both turn back to you. "I don't appreciate being dismissed, Y/N," Vinci warns you. "Especially when I was being so nice last night. I even bought you a drink." He reminds you.
"I never asked you to do that." You defend yourself. "I wasn't looking to have any company last night."
"Oh but that's just not true, now is it?" Marcel cuts in. "You seemed more than happy to let Damian Priest sit down with you and talk for a moment." He reminds you.
You bite the inside of your lip and curse yourself for managing to get yourself into this much trouble. Why can't you go one week without getting your ass beat?
"Hey!" A booming voice echoes through the hall causing Vinci and Barthel to look away from you.
You take a chance and duck to the side and past Marcel and Giovanni and toward whoever just shouted. Once you're passed them you see that Damian is heading down the hall with a serious scowl on his face. You make your way to him and duck to safety behind him.
"Unless both of you want your asses kicked, I suggest that you both leave," Damian warns Vinci with a growl.
Marcel grabs Giovonni's arm and encourages him to leave. Vinci nods in frustration and both of them head off. Damian waits for them to be out of sight before he turns to you.
"You okay?" Damian asks you in a calmer tone.
"Yeah, I'm fine." You nod. "I...thank you for that." You thank him. "But I don't need this."
Damian nods but doesn't walk off just yet. "I know. You don't want anything to do with Judgment Day. I get it." He informs you. "That's not what this is about."
"Then what is it?" You reply sheepishly. "Because I've got no clue why'd you have any interest in me that doesn't have to do with the fact that Dominik is my cousin." You admit.
Damian chuckles and shrugs. "Maybe I just think you're pretty." He suggests. "No ulterior motives needed then, right?" He jokes.
"Right." A small smile plays on your lips. "Thank you again, Damian." You thank him once more. "And sorry about acting like a frigid bitch last night."
"It's alright." Damian nods. "You were having a bad night. I get it."
You laugh to yourself and shake your head. "More like a bad year. But yeah." You correct him.
"Awe, you'll pick it back up soon." Damian chuckles. "You just need the right confidence boost is all."
"Right, well when you figure out where I can get one of those, let me know." You joke. "Anyway, I better get back to the locker room." You nod down the hall.
Damian nods and steps out of the way to let you pass him. "Y/N, wait up. Get a drink with me after the show?" He asks you.
"Damian." You bite your lip. "Rhea and Dominik...:
"They don't have to know." Damian replies. "No one does."
You mull it over for a moment, knowing that you're playing a dangerous game right now. "...Yeah, okay. One drink." You ultimately decide to give in and get that drink.
"Great." Damian smiles. "Meet me at the hotel bar at 11."
112 notes
·
View notes
Text
Revelations (we could do without)
Content warning: pure chaos
My brain refused to let me sleep last night because it took a random dialogue line in Punk Hazard and ran away with it and decided to make it everyone else's problem xD I hope it makes someone laugh just a little bit :)
[ READ ON AO3 | KO-FI ]
—————
Nami couldn’t believe it. She had thought that with Robin and Usopp there, Luffy and Zoro wouldn’t do anything completely stupid or insane on that burning island. She had also thought that staying on the Sunny would be safe.
But here they fucking were.
In but a few hours, Nami found herself standing in the broken remains of some laboratory in the absolutely freezing, semi-deserted half of said island, stuck in Franky’s giant, iron body while surrounded by children of various sizes playing happily around them. An alligator centaur was glaring at her. They barely just got rid of a talking severed head only for it to get put on a walking pair of severed legs—going off to search for his creepy moving severed torso. Her body was likely currently being groped by Sanji and ogled by Brook. At least the charges she was planning to collect would be somewhat worth it, she supposed…
But then the children started collapsing from terrible drug withdrawals and Nami really had to wonder what kind of cursed star she was born under.
And if all of that wasn’t enough, now the creepiest fucking guy Nami’d ever met was just standing there, casually chatting with Luffy as if 90 % of everything she just recounted wasn’t his own damn fault. And he wouldn’t even get her back inside her own body! Sure, Sanji was still better than Franky but she wanted her beautiful, delicate figure back, goddamn it! She didn’t work so hard to stay in shape, pampering her skin and hair just to lose it, simply because Mr Warlord here thought it was funny or something.
And as if that wasn’t enough—
“I am going to go with your decision, but Luffy—” Robin said, tone serious— “but betrayal is all too common with pirate alliances.”
—there was this goddamned alliance thing.
Nami knew there was no point trying to talk Luffy out of it but that didn’t mean she was happy about it or didn’t try. And god, did she try.
The entire walk back from the stupid mountain back to the laboratory, she did nothing but argue with him, trying to explain all the reasons why an alliance was a bad idea but it was like talking to a snickering wall.
She loved Luffy and she would die for him but she really hated him sometimes.
Stubborn idiot.
He was so lucky Nami was too tired to get mad about it anymore.
“Who’s the doctor?” Trafalgar Law asked, full of exasperation after his short-lived, pointless argument with Luffy about helping the children, then groaned when everyone wordlessly pointed at Chopper, lying immobile on the ground after Franky and Luffy’s collective abuse.
“I’ll help you with the drug antidote but I can’t really walk right now,” Chopper said apologetically. “Can you carry me?”
For a moment, it looked like Law was regretting every single life decision that led him to this point—and good riddance, it was his own fault—before he clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Fine. But you’ll have to hide.”
“I’ll get you ready, Chopper.” Usopp hurried over before he grabbed Chopper’s little backpack and started stuffing all the equipment he had used on the children earlier inside.
Meanwhile, Law was rubbing at his temples and Nami was sure he was having a headache about as bad as she herself did.
Just then, Luffy approached Law, that bright, blinding smile of his plastered on his face. “By the way, Torao,” he started, poking Law’s side a few times to get his attention.
“What?” Law sighed, sounding absolutely exhausted.
“You said there was something you wanted to take back from me earlier? What did you mean?” Luffy questioned, his eyebrows furrowed into an adorable frown while he tilted his head to the side curiously.
Law was silent for a moment, simply regarding Luffy silently before he clicked his tongue again, looking away. And this time… he looked almost embarrassed as he opened his mouth to speak.
“I meant my heart, Straw Hat-ya,” he muttered, obviously trying to keep his voice down enough that the rest of the crew didn’t hear. Unfortunately for him, however… this cave-like structure did nothing for secrecy, with all the echoing.
And so… Nami could still hear him loud and clear.
Her eyes blew wide as her mouth fell open. She exchanged a look with Usopp, the man looking about as horrified as Nami felt. She wasn’t sure if that made her feel better or worse.
Because holy shit.
Trafalgar Law, the Surgeon of Death, one of the Warlords of the Sea… really said that.
“Did he just confess to Luffy?” Usopp mouthed in her direction.
Nami’s eyes flickered between Law, Luffy, and Usopp before she nodded stiffly. Then, she turned her attention fully to the pair, taking in the scene before her.
To her surprise, Luffy didn’t look the least bit shocked or taken aback or creeped out or… anything along those lines, really. Instead, he was standing in front of Law confidently, perfectly relaxed; only his frown had deepened even more while he stuck his bottom lip out in a pout.
It looked like he was actually unhappy about what Law had said—or maybe disappointed?
“But why?” Luffy whined, this time grabbing at Law’s sleeve and pulling sharply—an action that only got him a dirty look. “I like it! It’s not like you need it.”
“Straw Hat-ya, a person can’t live without a heart,” Law retorted, unimpressed.
Luffy simply rolled his eyes in response. “You know what I mean, you ass.”
At that… Law chuckled. Actually chuckled.
“Fine, have it your way. Don’t blame me if you die later because of it.” There was a teasing smirk on his lips as he spoke.
And then…
Nami’s eyes blew even wider if at all possible as she could do nothing but watch while Trafalgar fucking Law leaned down, pressing his mouth to Luffy’s. While Luffy let him. Then laughed happily when Law pulled away again.
If she wasn’t so frozen, Nami would have screamed.
Because oh god.
Oh.
God.
They kissed. They fucking kissed like it was nothing, like it was normal, like they had done it a hundred times before.
Nami had no idea what was even happening anymore. Luffy did mention Law had saved him after the war but this? This was something completely different. It was absolutely insane, actually.
“I think your crew’s going to explode,” Law noted, finally breaking the oppressive silence that had settled over the lab—or at least seemed to have; it wasn’t like Lufffy and Law had stopped talking after… that but Nami couldn’t hear anything they said over the static in her brain.
“Can you blame us?!” Usopp cried, his hands flying up to cover his eyes as if the sight had burned them.
“Oh.” Robin chuckled. “I think you’ve neglected to mention something, Luffy.”
“Huh? What do you mean?” Luffy asked, full of confusion once again.
“You didn’t tell them we’re dating?” Law asked, his eyebrow raised as he glanced at Luffy.
Luffy, who merely hummed in a way that made it clear he thought it didn’t matter—or thought it was too much of a drag to explain. But finally, he turned to the present members of his crew, placing his hands on his hips and proudly declaring, “Guys, Torao’s my boyfriend.”
“Tell us these things before you scar us for life!” Usop screeched, his face still buried in his hands in despair. Or maybe he was trying to claw his eyes out. “I don’t even want to know what that thing about his heart was anymore.”
A happy smile spread on Luffy’s face and he started talking animatedly. “That one’s so funny, actually! Torao’s power is super weird. He can take organs out and it’s so cool, okay? He let me play with my intestines and stuff.”
A strangled, horrified noise came from Chopper, the only reaction from the one normal and sane doctor around, apparently. It was a reaction that perfectly conveyed how Nami was feeling in that moment.
“Luffy, please—” Usopp started but Robin interrupted him.
“Please continue, that sounds fascinating,” she said, apparently paying rapt attention to whatever creepy shit Luffy had just said.
“No! Please just shut up!” Nami begged, her hands quickly coming up to cover her ears in a vain attempt to stop the words from reaching her.
Luffy, however, paid neither her nor Usopp any mind, his grin widening at Robin’s prompting; he continued, now even waving his hands around in excitement. “Yeah so, we couldn’t have a vivre card made on Amazon Lily so Torao just took out our hearts and switched them so now I have his heart with me. It’s such a funny feeling, you guys should try it!”
Nami didn’t have the brain capacity for this anymore.
She really should have just stayed with Arlong.
#one piece#lawlu#trafalgar law#trafalgar d water law#luffy#monkey d luffy#opfanfic#lawlu fanfic#punk hazard#canonverse#canon typical chaos#humor#crack#kinda#nami#outsider pov#usopp#robin#katie pretends to fic#they are so dumb and i love them so much you don't understand#i also love punk hazard more than is probably healthy#but anyway#ahahaha
31 notes
·
View notes
Text
LOKI 2.4
I don't see why they can't keep Dox in Holding forever; they had no problem pruning Lokis into the Void for forever. >.>
Dammit, Sylvie, it would have taken OB and Victor five seconds to sign each other's copies of the TVA Guidebook; could you not let them have their brief moment of fanboying joy?
OB's explanation of the Loom is very helpful here; it reminds me of the Doctor on Doctor Who explaining sciencey things to his companions on screen so that the kiddies (and adults, lol) at home could understand what was going on. (Okay, so the TVA as a TARDIS, discuss. Look at all those long corridors its got for running in!) I loved OB's "...the backlog of branches that was created when someone...*looks accusingly at Sylvie* ...killed He Who Remains and released all those branches and ruined my life." (Aw, come on, OB, you're out of the basement now! You're making friends and meeting admirers of your work!)
Loki claiming that the little figure in the model was clearly not him so why did he have to be the one to 'hoof it' and lob the throughput multiplier into the Loom? Well, Loki, you have very long legs and can run fast, also tradition has been established that your character is the one who gets sent to do the hard jobs for others; just be glad you're not being asked to steal Surtur's flame and doom Asgard this time around. (Of course, your decision to abscond with the Tesseract has already caused the TVA to erase the Asgard of your timeline, people and realm both, so...uh, never mind, pretend I never said anything.)
MOBIUS AND HIS PIE AGAIN. I SWEAR TO GOD THAT THE TVA LACES THE PIE WITH DRUGS TO KEEP ITS WORKERS DOCILE AND HAPPY WITH HAVING NO LIFE OUTSIDE OF WORK AND POSSIBLY ACTS AS A CONTINUAL DOSAGE OF SOMETHING THAT KEEPS THEM FROM REGAINING THEIR MEMORIES? MOBIUS CAN'T GO TOO LONG WITHOUT ANOTHER SLICE OF PIE BECAUSE HE'S EXPERIENCING THE WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS OF AN ADDICT. I was so happy to hear Sylvie call him out on his pie-seeking habits and his refusal to try to find out any information about the timeline he was pulled from. Like sure it might hurt to remember a family whom he'd lost, but I'd rather honour the memories of loved ones by remembering them than being too cowardly to do so.
I have to agree with the point I saw raised in another post of 'WHY do they have to fix the Loom? Surely all the multiple timelines managed to exist just fine on their own before it was created?' Also, hoo boy, did Loki's speech about how you can't free a people and then leave them to look after themselves remind anyone else of Asgard's justification of being the ruler of the Nine Realms? Keeping a military presence on those conquered worlds? AND NO, LOKI, YOU'RE NOT A GOD, YOUR DAD TOLD ME SO IN A BIT OF THE SACRED TIMELINE YOU DIDN'T GET TO EXPERIENCE. Although this time at the TVA is Loki's post-Thanos period when he was claiming the same thing in the Sacred Timeline, wanting to be a 'benevolent god'. So...that actually ties in.
Um -- do we all agree that Miss Minutes looked orgasmic watching everyone (except Brad) be crushed in the cube thingie?
(Was Loki pruning himself related back to the time slipping thing? I still don't really understand what the point of that was.)
OB: But if I reboot Miss Minutes, we'll lose the magic dampeners in the TVA!
Loki and Sylvie: THIS IS THE OPPOSITE OF A PROBLEM!
Oh hell yeah, Bradley, prune that bitch! I HOPE YOU END UP IN THE VOID WITH A HUNGRY ALLIGATOR, RAVONNA.
Kudos to Timely for sensibly asking if it's safe before sticking his head inside some alien machinery and not just blindly following instructions.
LIGHT! BEAUTIFUL LIGHT IN THE TVA! I don't care what this means as long as I can properly see what's going on!
Oh. Oh shit. Spaghettification is what's going on, huh. *Salutes Victor Timely* May you get the afterlife you hoped for, sir, you died a noble death. Guys. Guys, stop staring into the blinding radioactive light; I'm sure that's not good for your eyes.
And...what a cliffhanger; it's like FINALLY all the pieces are falling into place and the story is getting to someplace exciting. That was a good episode; I hope it keeps up this pace next week and something good happens if the Loom is going pear-shaped. I gotta try to remember to watch this on Thursday for a change.
@delyth88 -- finally felt inspired to make a long reaction post! (And my stupid computer glitched about 2/3 of the way through and I had to rewatch what I'd already seen to remember what I had been commenting on! I blame the TVA.)
#loki series#loki season 2#loki spoilers#loki#mcu#sylvie#OB#victor timely#um i didn't notice the episode title#loki 2.4#brad wolfe#we do all agree that's a play on doctor who's bad wolf right?#i haven't seen anybody mention that but i thought it immediately in his first episode#mobius#sylvie being like 'i didn't want to end up in the pie place'#DO NOT RESIST THE PIE#LISTEN TO ITS SWEET LIMEY SIREN SONG#EAT MEEEE#i think the episode title should be the loom of doom#'loki odinson and the loom of doom' sounds like a good name for a junior tie-in novel
31 notes
·
View notes
Note
is japan a sexist country in general? because damn some questions that i read in japanese actors' interviews are crazyyyyy the cultural shock is harsh like wdym you don't want women to be "too independent"? lol
short answer: yes, very.
of course there is sexism in all countries. finland constantly comes on top in happiness and gender equality rankings, but when sanna marin became the prime minister in 2019 it highlighted so much sexism that had remained under the surface. a 30-something woman can become the prime minister in finland, but there will be people trying to undermine and attack her skills and character every step of the way. so i'm well aware sexism is a problem everywhere, but japan has a particularly poor track record in dismantling it.
if you look at rankings or statistics, in 2023 japan ranked 125h out of 146 countries in the global gender gap ranking, well behind south korea and china. what's even worse, they ranked 116th the previous year, meaning things have not been improving at all, or if they have, it's been too slow. i don't know if you're familiar with the parks and recreation episode where they create an all male panel to discuss gender equality, but that's how it is in japan. a bunch of grandpas in the room wondering why the population keeps declining, year after year. there are few women in positions of power, be it politics or business. foreigners say how safe they feel on the streets, which may be true, but sexual harassment at workplaces is rampant and really hard to report.
i don't mean that every japanese individual is sexist, but you're very much surrounded by sexist narratives and representations. if you look at talk shows on tv, it's older men talking and pretty young women reacting. a couple of weeks ago i saw a news clip of an annual award given to female celebrities with beautiful legs. the pressure to be pretty or act in a certain way can be quite consuming. it only stops once your children are grownup and you have proved yourself as a woman. 女子力 literally means girl power, but it doesn't mean what spice girls said it means. it means to be skilled in performing femininity.
i can't comment on that interview without knowing the context, but i'm not super surprised some actor might say that. japanese male celebs disappoint you all the time lol. i'm still gonna go not all men here, because not all men. my spouse is a lovely person who hopes i'll make more money than him one day so he can quit his job and focus on housekeeping. i remember one anecdote from his work when he was washing the tea cups and his older coworker said why are you doing that, leave that for the women. it isn't only women who suffer from this strict framework, it's everyone who doesn't meet the expectations of masculinity or femininity.
that was a lot of poorly constructed rambling, but i will leave you with this thought: as matters stand, a woman can never become the emperor of japan, the symbol of the nation.
23 notes
·
View notes
Note
helloo how would the brothers / side characters [ you can choose ] react to mc being like mikasa from aot ? gn ! thank you 😼
Having a mikasa like s/o
《☆》《☆》《☆》《☆》
°•A/n: so i've only seen the first 6 eps from season 1 and even that was a long ass time ago so I'm going on what I read about her personality, hope that's okay but if you want me to rewrite it it's okay, just ask and add more details about her or any character you want done, hope you enjoy :)
◇Warning◇: nothing
°•Characters: Lucifer, Barbatos, Diavolo and Solomon
°•Reader: gn
°•Lucifer:
Honestly thought you were a doormat from how quiet you are
Rubbing his temple thinking he has to keep you from getting eaten since ofc mammon can't be responsible 😒
Tried to make you remove that red scarf off your uniform but you surprisingly refused and stood your ground
Was walking to the student council when he heard a commotion, let out a tired sigh and went to resolve whatever was happening
Heard some demon yelling your name and immediately thought of the worst- made his was through the crowd of students, ready to save you or what's remaining of you
But was pleasantly surprised to see you winning a fight against a demon, pathetic thing looked like they were about to pass out while you're not braking a sweat
Is indifferent about your calm and stoic personality, on one hand, finally, on the other hand, he wants to see you brake
When you two got closer and he saw you genuinely smile? Omd his heart was doing flips, butterflies were fluttering and he had to cover his face with his hand so no one can see that blush everyone saw tho
°•Barbatos:
He knows you can handle yourself just fine but he gets a kick out of seeing everyone's look of shock and disbelief
He kinda reminds you of levi, and no, not levi the demon, levi with the cleaning obsession
Tell him about what's going on in your world and he's debating on letting you go back
Ya'll have tea dates :D talking about anything but make sure to ask him about the tea blend your having, he gets so excited, even tho it isn't obvious to most ppl/demons
He spars with you when he got free time, gotta let out that built up frustration and you're the perfect person to spar with, dw he won't go too far, you getting hurt by him is something he never wants to happen
Likes how stoic and level headed you are, you're the voice of reason when he and Lucifer aren't there
Loves the small smile you have when you're having your weekly tea date with him <3
°•Diavolo:
Excited golden retriever
Very interested on how you kept calm when you were kidnapped transported to the devildom, standing in front of the most powerful ones around
Loved how although you're quite, you won't let anyone step all over you
When you get close and he learns about your childhood and how things are currently, omd he just wants to hug you and keep you here, where it's safe 🥺
Heard how you beat up a demon thrice your size without a problem and he had stars in his eyes
He is touch starved asf so pls hug him every now and then-
Almost refused to send you beck home but knew that if he did, it would cause a commotion and unnecessary problems, so he did send you back with a havy heart and an enchanted necklace that'll keep you safe :)
°•Solomon:
Heard from Asmo how you weren't shaking in your boots when you got to the devildom and was intrigued
When you passed by him in RADs hallway, he wanted to tug your scarf to get your attention
But before he could he was face-to-face with the floor with your foot pushing his back down further
After that and how he had to convince you to get off of him, he introduced himself but kept more distance this time
He loves seeing other demons shake when you pass by, it makes him so so happy :)
When ya'll get close he uses you to scare demons even more by saying he'll call you over rn if they don't move out of his way
But also watches out for you, when you need assistance with something, he's right there to help his fellow human 😌
Probably inchanted your gear so when you go back, you have more protection and your stronger then you used to be
Loves how your eyes sparkle when he teaches you a new spell
#obey me x gender neutral reader#obey me x gn!reader#obey me x male reader#obey me headcanons#obey me shall we date#obey me x m!reader#obey me x reader#obey me lucifer#obey me solomon#obey me barbatos#obey me diavolo#mikasa aot#mikasa ackerman#male reader#x gn reader#gn!reader#m!reader
279 notes
·
View notes
Text
It's just the beasts under your bed (in your closet, in your head)
Fandom: The Owl House
Rating: T
Relationships: Gus & Hunter, Gus & Belos
Characters: Gus Porter, Hunter, Emperor Belos | Philip Wittebane; CAMEO - Caleb Wittebane
Summary: Gus runs away from the gentle, haunting light, to the dark and even smaller bathroom. His eyes are blue again, so they’re the only thing lighting up the place. He uses Willow’s breathing technique over and over again, and again, and again.
And it won’t work.
It won’t work because…
Gus’ blue eyes aren’t the only ones in the room.
Word count: 989
AO3
A/N: I finally wrote down a little something for the ideas I've been having of Belos possessing Gus, after posting a couple drawings online (you can check them out on my art account, @lotusthekat!). This is mainly just a concept fic for now, I do have more plot points, but I'm still unsure this will become a full story soon. For now, I want to keep it one chapter until I have time and inspiration to continue it.
I hope you like it!
TRIGGER WARNINGS - hallucinations (illusions), dissociation, flashbacks, past death, implied death and blood, and possession.
P/ROSHIP DNI.
--
The human rain shouldn’t be scary.
The fact it can cause the power to go out, though, is scary. The thunder and the lightning are entirely unfamiliar to him.
Gus, not wanting to disturb Hunter – who sleeps through the storm without a problem, ironically enough –, decides to go upstairs and stay in the living room. Maybe the basement is actually safer since there are no windows down there; but the smaller space was going to drive Gus crazy.
The wind trying to enter the house is even more terrifying. Gus feels like that same little boy that went to his dad, crying and begging him to make his head stop. Just stop. Dad obviously couldn’t do anything like that, but at least his hugs were safe.
His father was his home.
And Gus isn’t even sure what happened to him.
In the dark, the boy weeps for his home, for everyone he knew.
Until… he hears someone coming from the basement, the steps already knowing where he went to.
“Gus?”
The illusionist doesn’t look up.
“You couldn’t sleep?” Hunter asks softly.
Without saying a word, Gus shakes his head.
When the thunder blares outside, he can’t contain his furious flinch.
That’s when Hunter approaches more.
And then…
Gus feels something warm around his shoulders.
A blanket.
His blanket, actually.
That has Gus look up and find two magenta eyes that know too much, that know entirely about crying alone in the night. Them, and the light spell illuminating them both.
“Do you want some tea?” Hunter suggests.
“Aren’t the flavors different here?”
“Well, yeah, but it’s probably not hard, right?”
Gus snickers. “We’ll probably burn down the kitchen.”
“No, I’ll make the tea for you.”
“Then you’ll set the whole house on fire.”
Hunter looks at him, betrayed, which makes Gus laugh a little less shyly.
“We’ll make it together, whether it sucks or not,” the latter concludes. “How about that?”
“Together…” Hunter gives in and smiles. “Yeah. That sounds nice.”
--
The two sit on the couch together, sharing the blanket and drinking their own cups of tea. It doesn’t taste as good as how Luz’s mother makes it… but it doesn’t taste horrible, at least.
Gus and Hunter remain silent on the most part, if not for their palismen, who have joined the cocoon. Everyone else is asleep, as they have been exhausted since their arrival. Gus hasn’t slept well in the last nights, admittedly. Tonight, though, has to be the worst yet. He’s simply… overwhelmed and sad, and mournful.
Hunter can tell, even if Gus hasn’t told him anything.
The former leans on the latter affectionately, to show him that he’s here. Gus smiles, then takes one last sip of his tea. Sighing deeply, he lowers his head and stares at his empty cup.
Much to his surprise, Hunter’s hand is cupping Gus’ chin.
“Hold on, you have… some tea there,” the older boy observes.
Gus blushes at how gentle the touch is, so much that he won’t move.
“O-Oh. Thanks?” He lets out, sounding like his pre-puberty self.
Hunter snorts.
“You’re welcome, Pip.”
Gus goes cold .
“... What?”
When he looks back, he doesn’t find magenta.
He sees… brown.
Brown eyes that simultaneously look dead.
The same smile but there’s something wrong about it.
I know you’re still in there.
And he sees red.
No, not just Flapjack.
Please…
Red, red, red.
Don’t do this, Philip.
The storm is getting through, wetting him, making him feel lost and crushing him with the tears from the skies.
…
… snap.
Snapping fingers.
“... Gus! Gus ! Can you hear me?”
As soon as he blinks again, everything… is back to normal.
Hunter is there, with his magenta eyes, with the same scars, wearing cozy clothes. He’s frowning in concern, apparently sweating as well, maybe not knowing what just happened to Gus.
The illusionist feels his head heavier.
“Your eyes were blue,” Hunter points out. “Were you seeing an illusion?”
Gus can barely react.
He’s still seeing the brown and the red in Hunter, and he can’t get them out.
“Gus,” Hunter insists, “what did you see? Can you tell me? You look scared.”
It’s…
Too much.
Gus still hasn’t left the illusion.
(Has he ever?)
“... nothing.”
“What?”
“It was nothing,” Gus replies simply, trying to sound as numb as possible to disguise the shakiness in his voice.
“That wasn’t nothing,” Hunter reacts incredulously, yet not to the point of lashing out. He’s on the verge of panicking himself, and Gus feels terrible about it. “Gus, you can tell me anything, remember? I promise I won’t mess with you.”
These words are useless right now.
The black teen shakes his head repeatedly.
“No,” he mumbles.
“Gus–”
“I need to–” Gus tries to stand up from the couch, only to almost fall. “I’m okay.”
“No, you’re not-!” Before Hunter snaps and tries to help him, Gus raises his voice.
“ Just give me some space, okay!? ”
Something about his voice changes.
Gus covers his mouth in utter shame.
Especially at how terrified Hunter looks.
Please… don’t do this, Philip.
“I-I’m…” Gus tears up, adding quietly, “I’m sorry.”
Finally, he runs to the bathroom before things get worse.
Although he hears his name being called, Hunter doesn’t go after him, and maybe it’s for the best.
Gus runs away from the gentle, haunting light, to the dark and even smaller bathroom. His eyes are blue again, so they’re the only thing lighting up the place. He uses Willow’s breathing technique over and over again, and again, and again.
And it won’t work.
It won’t work because…
Gus’ blue eyes aren’t the only ones in the room.
When he gasps and steps back, doing a light spell, he touches and feels the mirror behind him. Which means…
This isn’t an illusion.
Despite the fact that the eyes disappear.
Panting, Gus can only sit on the floor and cry like a child.
I can’t even trust myself anymore.
#the owl house#gus porter#toh hunter#philip wittebane#emperor belos#caleb wittebane#fanfiction#long post#death tw#hallucination tw#flashback tw#blood tw#possession tw
10 notes
·
View notes
Text
A Quiet Entrance
Fandom: The Umbrella Academy
Summary: Nine months after landing in Dallas, Texas during the 1960s, Diego is finally reunited with the rest of his family. They've got a lot to deal with until they're safe and they've got a lot of curveballs coming to them, but they can handle it because they're back together again.
Warnings: Pregnant trans character, graphically described childbirth, mentions of mental distress, and period typical transphobia
Word Count: 11,618
Ship(s): Diego Hargreeves/Viktor Hargreeves
Archive link!
A/N: If you've noticed that I'm writing more fics like this, it's because my mutual poked me into watching Call the Midwife and it reignited my special interest surrounding childbirth and pregnancy, so I am combining it with my current fandom obsession. I hope that you guys can enjoy some of these, because there's going to be quite a few of them as time goes on. Thanks for reading! Stay sissy and bitchy everyone <3
After making sure that all four of his already found siblings were listening to him, Five began to explain the situation that they were in. “I dumped you here without permission and we got the attention of the Commission, unfortunately. The Handler has been trying to do something nefarious with it since I joined and she’s using the fact that you’re all here as a way to continue doing that. I went back to the Commission and agreed to stop messing with time and keep certain things a secret as long as they helped me keep all of you safe. They’ve agreed to let us use one of their old safehouses. It’s one of the ones that The Handler isn’t aware of, so I’m sending you all there so that you can be safe.”
He had tried to make it so that his statement left no room for arguments. He didn’t want to spend an unknown amount of time poking, prodding, and reassuring them that it was okay and the right thing for them to do. He just wanted to make sure that the five remaining siblings he had were safe and tucked away until he could return them back to the world that they deserved.
Luther, however, seemed to have not gotten the message. Five should have suspected that he would be the biggest problem out of all of his siblings since their father had reassured him over and over again that he was the leader. “You’re going to go after that entire organization by yourself? Don’t you need the rest of us to help you?”
The oldest-youngest brother shook his head. “I don’t. I’m only going after The Handler and I’ve been given permission to use some of the other agents if I need any help. The thing that is going to help me most is having you all out of the way so that I don’t have to worry about you fucking up the timeline more. The Commission wants you out of the way as well. Two of you have tried to mess with the Kennedy assassination and the other two have made huge ripples in the culture of Dallas and the world as a whole.”
Diego pursed his lips and then folded his arms moodily over his chest as he sank down in his chair. Luther looked a little bit guilty and began to fidget impatiently. Allison let out a huffy noise and rolled her eyes, obviously not having any remorse for the ripples that she had sent through the timeline. Klaus just laughed as he lounged back on the couch that he was already sitting on.
“Do you understand?” Five asked as he looked out over all of his siblings. “If you all continue with what you’ve been doing until I got here then there’s the chance that the Commission will decide that you need to die anyway. You all have to go to the safehouse and stay there until I come to get you.”
Allison spoke up before the rest of them had the chance to, “Are we allowed to go back and say goodbye to any of the people that we loved?”
“No,” Five shook his head. “Not right now. Maybe if you’re all good and you’ve done what I’ve asked I can accompany you back so that you can say goodbye before we got back to where we’re supposed to be.”
She didn’t seem content with that answer, but she also didn’t pitch a big fuss. Five walked his siblings down the stairs so that they were near the car that Eliot had before he had been killed by the Swedes under The Handler’s instruction. “I want you to all go to this address and find Viktor. He’s going by his old name and working as a nanny for the family that lives at this address,” he didn’t bother to explain how he knew that as he wrote the information down and then handed the slip of paper over to Diego.
The aforementioned brother’s face was overcome with a kind of emotion that none of them had ever seen from him before. His brows were furrowed together and his mouth was in a pinched line. He walked to the other side of the car and then got in the front behind the wheel while waiting for the rest of his siblings to follow suit.
As soon as the present Hargreeves, with the exception of Five, had sat down in the car, he started it up. A flash of blue told him that Five had gone off to wherever he was finishing his business, so he pulled out of the driveway to go to the address they had been given.
Klaus struck up a conversation about halfway out of the city and towards the farm where their last brother was living. It was easy to fall into the pattern that they had grown up in, listening to him say something and then groaning or pointing out the inaccuracies in it. This time, even Luther joined in. Diego felt himself relaxing as he thought back to some of the more comforting memories that he had of when they were younger.
The tension and stress that he had felt before were back as soon as they pulled down the dirt driveway of the farm where Viktor was living. There were tire tracks down the path, but no car in front of the barn or beside the house which meant that someone had probably gone out.
Diego hung back in the car while the rest of the siblings piled out. He had a lot of emotions that he had to sort through concerning the brother that they had come to pick up, the least of which being the guilt that was boiling in his stomach at not coming to rescue Viktor from what might have been a very bad situation.
He stepped out after a moment, knowing that he couldn’t run away from it. He turned and then felt like his breath was stolen from his lungs in the best way possible.
His relationship with Viktor had been complicated from the very beginning of their lives, there was no alternative with the way that they had been raised. As they got older and began to come into themselves more as people, it had gotten even more twisted and confusing. He had always thought that the violinist was beautiful, but something had changed since they had last seen each other and the radiance of the other man had seemingly increased tenfold.
Viktor was standing next to a laundry line where he was picking up garments from a basket and then pinning them down so that they flapped dry in the breeze. He was wearing a long blue summer dress that brushed across his ankles and tightened up at the waist. The sleeves were simple and stopped at his mid-forearm with a looseness that allowed for work to be done easily. His hair was cut short again, like it had been right after they left the Academy and formed their short-lived band.
Something about the way that he was standing in the hot Dallas sun, the spring breeze wrapped around him, made him look more beautiful and ethereal that Diego had ever seen him look before. He could only see the side of Viktor’s face and yet the healthy glow that he had acquired since arriving in the past was evident. He was beautiful in the same way that he always had been, handsome yet soft, but at the same time different. It might have had something to do with the fact that he was off of the medication that he had been on his entire life and was finally able to feel his own feelings, but as soon as Viktor turned Diego knew that it wasn’t just that.
“Viktor?” Allison called, quickly getting the attention of their brother.
He turned around and his beautiful brown eyes welled up with tears. They didn’t even hang on his lashes as they often had when they were all children, back when his emotions were being suffocated by the medication that Reginald had kept him on since they were four. “Allison?” he asked.
The siblings had all been getting ready to approach their brother so that they could have a conversation without shouting, but as soon as he turned around they all stopped. He had one hand extended out over the top of a basket that was overflowing with wet laundry and clothespins, but the other one was what they were paying attention to. Even if it hadn’t been placed where it was, the object of their fascination would have been very obvious.
Viktor’s stomach was rounded out from underneath his chest all the way down to between his hips. It looked firm and not at all proportionate to what it would have been had the small man just gained some weight. The hand placed on the very bottom of his stomach made it even more obvious because it cut the dress so that the fabric was tightly formed around him. It was very blatant that he was pregnant.
Diego felt like he was frozen in place as soon as that finally clicked in his brain. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do when he saw the man that he had so much history with before that had been thrown into the equation, but now any ideas that he had were completely thrown out the window.
The rest of the siblings seemed to be similarly astounded that the bringer of the apocalypse, their timid little brother, was harboring a life inside of him. They were just as frozen as Diego and so Viktor had to be the one to make the first move. He dropped the basket of laundry so that they tumbled down onto the packed dirt and grass. He didn’t care as he hurried, as quickly as he could with the heavy weight on his abdomen, towards the siblings he was worried he would never see again.
He paused when he was finally in front of Allison, a mere foot away. “You’re okay?” he asked, his hand twitching at his side as he thought about whether or not it would be okay for him to reach out and touch her.
“Yeah, I’m okay, I’m okay,” Allison immediately nodded. She lurched forward so that she was hugging her brother, saving him from having to make the decision. Viktor had been crying the entire time that he had been getting closer to her, but as soon as her arms were around him he began to sob loudly.
“I’m so sorry that all happened and then I wasn’t even there to make sure that you were okay. I tried to get back to you but then my powers they- they just took over so I couldn’t think anymore and then I woke up in Dallas and I didn’t even know if any of you were out here,” Viktor gasped around sobs.
“Shh, shh,” Allison immediately soothed. She brushed her hand over the back of his head in the same way that Grace had often done when they were younger. She placed a kiss on his forehead and Diego felt a spike of jealousy flare up inside of him as he wanted to be doing that, though he quickly stamped it down as he remembered all of the feelings he had nine months ago when they were in their own timeline.
Allison pulled back then, brushed her fingers over her own eyes to rid them of the tears. “You shouldn’t be all worked up when you’re in this condition,” she sniffled.
Viktor laughed as the hand that wasn’t on Allison’s shoulder, reassuring him that his sister was really there and really okay, moved to his stomach. He rubbed a circle and then settled it back where it had been while he was working with the clothesline.
One of the other siblings slipped out of their surprise then as Klaus walked over to the smallest of the brothers. He wrapped one of his long arms around the violinist’s waist and brought him in to a half hug, “I never thought that we’d see you in a dress again, mein bruder.”
The aforementioned brother let out a half laugh, sounded absolutely exasperated despite how little Klaus had said so far. “How about you try being nine months pregnant in the beginning of Dallas summer and then tell me if you want to be wearing jeans?”
Klaus laughed, tossing his head back so that the black hat that was perched on the edge of his head tumbled back into the grass along with the laundry. “At least you don’t have much longer to go. When is baby supposed to come?” Klaus asked.
His hand moved over to Viktor’s stomach but Allison quickly hit it off. “Klaus! Never touch a pregnant person’s stomach without permission. Just because they’re carrying a baby doesn’t mean that they don’t get to have autonomy and consent anymore.”
The violinist quickly soothed the argument before it could really get started. “Allison, Klaus never asks when he touches someone so it isn’t like this is a pregnancy specific thing.” He then turned towards his brother with a small smile, “I am getting very close to my due date. We’re not sure when exactly because it took a while for me to remember again and then I couldn’t quite figure out conception dates because of how the time travel worked.”
“Remember?” Luther asked. He walked out from where he was standing next to the car so that he was closer to the rest of his siblings. Viktor tensed up a little bit and the wind picked up, but then he took a deep breath and everything settled again.
“I was dumped into a back alleyway when I got here. I was really disoriented because of the kinds of things that my powers had done to my head. I stumbled out into the road and someone hit me with their car,” he explained. “I actually work for her family, she’s been kind enough to let me stay here even with the baby on the way.”
“You were hit with a car?” Allison gasped.
“Yes, but don’t worry! She stopped as soon as she could so it basically just threw me down to the ground. I didn’t break any bones and the baby wasn’t hurt at all. I had a concussion for a little while and some scrapes but we’re both fine,” Viktor immediately soothed. He then flushed a little, no doubt ashamed that he had assumed they were worried about his and his baby’s health because of how he had been treated when they were younger.
Diego felt like he was suffocating, like the air around him was slowly seeping out. It reminded him of some of the training that he had done when he was younger, back when Reginald was trying to figure out if his breath-holding applied to anything other than world. His chest was beating up in his ears so that it made it hard to hear what his siblings were saying, but he was also hanging off of every word. His thoughts were rolling over and over in his head as he tried to figure out conception dates on his own.
“We should get going. Five said that we had to go straight to the safehouse after we picked him up,” Luther said as he glanced back towards Diego, who was still hanging back at the car.
The look got Viktor’s attention back in that direction as well. His eyes widened when he noticed that the brother he had been closest to as teenagers was there as well. He ducked his head down, though without the curtain of hair that he had all the way up until their sixteenth birthday, it was hard for him to hide the way that he was feeling. His eyes were wide and the tips of his cheeks were colored red with a nervous flush. Diego had seen that look a lot back when they were trying to, futilely, get their band off of the ground.
“Safehouse?” Viktor asked.
Klaus let out a sigh as he got ready to explain, “Our dear Fivey has been very busy since he dumped us here. He only got into Dallas about three days ago and he’s been working rather tirelessly to find us all. We were all dumped in different times because of how messy his powers are. Apparently we caught some nasty attention and so now he’s having to squirrel us away while he gets it all cleaned up and we get to go back home.”
“I can’t leave just yet. I told Sissy that I would get some chores done around the house and she might worry if she comes back and I’m just gone,” Viktor shook his head. He detached himself from Klaus and Allison as he slowly made his way back over to where the laundry basket was. Diego noticed, with affection swelling his heart, that Viktor had a little bit of a waddle now because of the size of the baby.
“Here, let me get that,” Allison quickly said as she moved past him and gathered the laundry up from the ground. She winced when she saw that one of the shirts had spilled out into a patch of mud and was now soaked. She placed that over one arm while she put the rest of the laundry back where it went and then handed it to Viktor.
“Thank you, I can’t reach stuff that falls as much as I used to. I refuse to be one of those people that just doesn’t pick things like that up because it’s harder, but it’s nice not having to do it every time,” he laughed as he took the basket. He turned back to his siblings. “Can you let me finish up the chores I need to do around the house and pack up some things?”
He was taking everything in better stride than they thought that he would given what their last interactions had been like. It was kind of hard to believe that the brother that they had seen up on that stage, bathed in white energy while trying his very best to kill everyone coming too close to him, was the same that was standing here. The Viktor that they had seen the last time they were all together was all blue-hued and cold while this one was full of rosy golden warmth.
Diego spoke up before anyone else had the chance to. His words had been stuck in his throat, much like his body had been stuck in place. “We have time, you can pack.”
From a few feet away from the car, between the vehicle and their pregnant brother, Luther whirled around with wide eyes. Despite his reluctance to help Five in the saving of the world earlier that day, he seemed to have jumped on it now. The idea of letting someone have more time than the rest of them also seemed to tick off Allison, but she didn’t say anything about it.
Viktor turned to face Diego for a moment, his eyes full of nearly-unreadable emotion. When they had been working together on starting their band, before Diego had flunked the police academy and blown away in the wind like bad dandelion seeds, the marksman had gotten very good at reading those emotions. He had to be since Viktor was shy and quiet and rarely ever spoke what he was thinking. “Thank you,” he whispered. He turned back around to his work so that he could finish hanging up the wet laundry on the line.
The lone girl of the family sent a half-pissed look at her brother, which just confirmed that the pregnancy was the only reason she wasn’t fighting against his decision the way that Luther was. She walked over to their brother and took the basket from him so that she could help him. Viktor was pulling garments out and then pinning them to the line while she trailed slowly after him while keeping the basket steady.
“What the Hell, Diego?” Luther demanded as he stormed back over towards his brother.
“You didn’t even want to save the world the last time that Five came to ask you for help,” Diego snarled.
“Why does he get more time than the rest of us to wrap up his shit? Five said that we had to get to the safehouse as quickly as possible because of the danger that the Commission is posing to us right now. If we stick around for too long they might figure out where we are,” Luther argued.
Diego felt a flare of anger burning up inside of him. He thought that he had left those kinds of feelings behind when he had dropped into this world. Despite the barbaric treatments of people in 1960s mental institutions, some of the things that he had talked about while in therapy had helped him with some of his issues. He had a couple of sessions of therapy under his belt before he even got there, so he just built their basic suggestions on the more modern ones he already knew. He had worked very hard to try and get over the issues that he had with his brother, to ration that it was their father that had turned them against each other like that.
He had forgiven Luther around the fourth month of being in the institution. The more that the other man was pushing this specific issue, the less he wanted to keep on that streak. “Because he’s fucking pregnant, Luther! You weren’t around him enough to see how much being forced to pretend that he was a girl messed him up. Pregnancy in the 1960s isn’t going to be fucking nice to him so we have to be gentle for two different reasons. I don’t think you want anything bad happening to him or the baby, do you, Luther?” he snapped.
“Something bad is going to happen to him, Diego!” Luther shouted. “There are dangerous people out there with guns that are going to hurt him, the baby, and the rest of us if they catch us!”
“They’re going to have to fucking wait until Viktor feels safe enough to go anywhere! I’m not going to push our pregnant brother into doing something he isn’t comfortable with,” he was basically seething at that point. They were going to be going back and forth like that for a while longer before one of them got bored and stopped fighting. It was something that they had done often when they were younger and were pushed against each other by their father. It was something that he often goaded them into and they fell into very easily. Diego also needed to burn off some of his anxiety and the other feelings that were swirling in his gut.
Meanwhile, Klaus had wandered off to talk with Viktor and Allison. “So what have you been doing since your little ending-the-world rendezvous?” he asked as he snagged one of the clothespins to play with.
The pregnant man pursed his lips and shrank down into himself. Allison opened her mouth to object over their brother bringing up that topic, but she was shut down before she really got to, “I’ve just been living here. Like I said earlier, Sissy hit me with her car and then brought me to the hospital. I had a pretty bad concussion and had no idea who I was so they brought me back with them to take care of me since I didn’t match up with any missing person’s reports. My memory slowly came back and we tried to reach out to you guys but I was too pregnant to get a job so that I could get an apartment. I work as a nanny here so that Sissy can focus on the farm.”
“They’re not working you too hard, are they?” Allison asked, her eyes drifting down specifically to Viktor’s domed stomach.
He chuckled and placed a hand on his swollen bump. “No, they’re not. I mainly do household chores and watch after Harlan. My midwife said that getting the exercise that I do is actually good for me and the baby. Makes it so they can grow up to be healthy and strong. Also means that I’m not liable to go into labor sooner than I’m supposed to,” he grabbed the last garment from the bag and then took the basket from Allison.
Viktor turned back towards the car, trying to catch some kind of a glance at Diego, when he saw the two brothers fighting. “Allison, why don’t you go see if you can talk Luther down and then send Diego into the house with me? We need to talk.”
He didn’t give them any room to argue as he drifted back into the house to finish up the remainder of his chores before he had to leave. Klaus and Allison glanced at each other knowingly before doing as they had been asked.
The back door that Viktor had just come through slowly opened and then closed as Diego walked through it into the kitchen. Viktor was placing the shirt that had gotten dirty when the basket fell back into the washing machine so that it could be washed with the next load. He set the basket down on the ground next to it and then slowly pushed himself up into a standing positon, one hand going to his back for extra support.
“Allison said that you had something you wanted to talk to me about,” Diego said softly as he walked over to one of the counters in the kitchen.
“Yeah, I do,” Viktor nodded. He turned around to that they could have their conversation face-to-face but then paused as he felt the burning, searing pain beginning to grow in his back. He placed his hand on the wall to support himself as he took in a deep breath through his nose. The muscles along his spine tightened painfully and then wrapped around his gravid belly for a solid thirty seconds before they all released. The pain fled and he was flushed with endorphins before he remembered everything that was happening. “Um, would you mind making another tally under the four on that paper for me since it’s behind you?”
Diego had been staring at him the entire time that he had been standing there, he was able to feel the other man’s eyes boring into his very being. It was only after he said something that the spell or captivation that had been placed on him was finally broken. He turned around to grab the paper and pencil that had been requested of him before he paused. “Viktor, what is this?” he asked.
“It’s just something that my midwife asked me to keep. A log book of all my false labor contractions to make sure that nothing is wrong with baby,” he replied. “Which is kind of what I need to talk to you about.”
“False labor?” Diego asked, trying to play stupid to give himself more time to process the information on the paper. It was broken up into seven sections, each with several numbers spread evenly throughout. Underneath each number was a certain amount of tallies, with some being more frequent and most of them being devoid of the marks altogether. The one at the bottom that was marked with their current date was what had caught his attention, however. The tallies increased as the day got later, to the point where there were already five in the column underneath the four.
“No, the baby,” Viktor shook his head. He snagged the paper and then set a tally mark down where it needed to be. “I know that you and I haven’t always had the… most stable relationship,” he winced.
Diego snorted, “You could say that.”
“Do you remember right when we found out that Dad died? You got distracted when you were doing your whole Batman-thing and came to me to get patched up, like you always did. And we…” his ears were burning red as he fully trailed off.
The memories of that night came flooding back to them both. It was like whenever they were seated that close together, on the poorly tiled floor of Viktor’s tiny bathroom, something drew them even closer. They had become intertwined as they had many times before, but they had become so giddy with the news of their father’s death that they had forgotten to be as careful as they usually were. It had resulted in them having to shower to get all of the blood from Diego’s cut off of them and Viktor complaining under his breath about having to pick up a Plan B on his way to work the next morning.
“I never did it. I was late going to orchestra and then the funeral happened and now…” he placed his hand on his swollen stomach.
“Are you saying…?” Diego felt his eyes widen as the words got stuck in his throat. That had happened so often when they were younger and Viktor had always been the most patient about it, struggling with his own words more often than not. The thought had flit across his mind as soon as he had seen the state that his adoptive brother was in, but he pushed it away quickly after reminding himself that nothing good ever happened to him.
Viktor nodded, tears welling in his dark brown eyes. “I think so. I- there’s a chance that it could be Harold’s because we weren’t… there was a time, right after my powers went haywire when Allison triggered me with her rumor that he… and I didn’t really have the brain space to be able to tell him that I didn’t want to or that he had to use a condom,” he gave a shudder.
Immediately upon hearing that, the amazement and wonder was replaced with burning rage. He had already felt a huge surge of protectiveness over his pseudo-lover when they found the body of the poor woman who had first chair violin in Viktor’s orchestra, but knowing that the murder had taken advantage of Viktor during a vulnerable time in his life made his blood boil. Diego had often initiated forceful sex and kissed without asking first, but he had always immediately backed off without any attempt at coercion when he had been told no.
He was brought out of some of the darker thoughts when he watched Viktor wiping at his face with both of his calloused hands. “Sorry. I haven’t been able to think about it much during the pregnancy, I’ve kind of decided that they’re yours already because I can’t bare the idea that he could have gotten me pregnant on top of everything else.”
Diego’s hand twitched at his side and he slowly brought it up to Viktor’s stomach, giving the other man ample opportunity to say that he didn’t want it. Instead, Viktor reached up and took his wrist so that he could lay Diego’s palm flat against his stomach, right above his belly button. “I had sex with you first and we know for a fact that you were ovulating then and we didn’t use protection. The chances are pretty damn high that this baby is mine,” he whispered.
Normally he wouldn’t have been able to say something like that because it all would have felt too overwhelming. While he always wanted to be a father, a child was a big responsibility and having a baby suddenly dumped on his lap when he didn’t have any time to think and panic about it made him want to throw himself into a lake and live there eternally. The impulse didn’t plague him now, though, because he knew that Viktor needed that reassurance. The baby would be born soon, especially if Viktor’s midwife was right about due dates, and he needed to be strong for the blossoming family and the man that he loved.
Diego took a deep breath as he leaned forward and pressed their foreheads together. It was an intimate gesture that used to be very common for them, back when they were playing small gigs in the back of pizza parlors and abandoned garages. Viktor had always been nervous, even when he was back on the medication that their father had given him, and that was one of the only ways that would properly soothe his nerves. “It’s a lot to take in, huh?” Diego asked.
He felt like he was going to shake apart at the seams as his brain really began to process everything that had happened. One day it felt like he was going about his normal life, working as a janitor in a gym by day and being a vigilante at night. The next his father was dead, he had some of the best sex of his life, and then he was at his father’s wake. Everything after that, finding out that Viktor had powers, that his sort-of lover was dating someone new, that someone turning out to be an obsessive murderer, watching his mother die twice, watching his childhood home crumble, being forced to sit silently as Viktor begged him to let him out of the cage they had locked him in, and then watching powers none of them understood taking over their brother. That had all been before the time travel, the asylum, the second end of the world, and everything that had happened with Lila.
Now he was standing in a stranger’s kitchen, trying to work through all of those events while also processing that it was very likely he would be a father before the week ended.
“I don’t think I’ve had the chance to process it all since it began. I was back here and then I was pregnant and I had that to worry about. Still do, and then I’ll have the baby. But there’s always time for a panic attack later, right?” he chuckled.
Diego cracked a smile at that. Despite the nervous energy that was thrumming through his body because of everything happening around him, that nod back to their band days helped him feel immensely better. It wasn’t something that they had enjoyed at the time and it had worried him then, but now it made him feel warm. It reminded him of back when they thought that they had a chance for the future, that they would never hurt each other because they understood the other too well. That hadn’t lasted long because Diego was shit at managing his life and had a mean mouth to boot, but he had changed a lot since then.
“Yeah, there will be time for panic attacks later,” he murmured as he rubbed his hand over the swollen bump on his brother’s abdomen. The idea that their child was inside of the smaller man, nestled away from the world and safely growing until they could make their debut was the most exciting and terrifying thing that Diego had ever thought about.
He felt a small kick to his hand just as Viktor’s face fell from the delicate smile he had been wearing. He let out a small hum in the back of his throat as his spare hand moved away from Diego's shoulder and to his back, supporting him through another one of the pains.
Diego kept one hand on Viktor’s bump while the other moved to support his brother. They slowly walked over to the dining room table a few feet away from the kitchen. He helped Viktor lower himself down until he was leaning back in the chair, finally sitting down and off his feet. “So I’m not exactly an expert on this, but I don’t think that false labor contractions happen this often,” he gestured with his head over to the note that he had snagged on their way to the chair.
“I’m not in labor,” Viktor shook his head. “When my midwife came to the house yesterday she said that I still had a couple of days. Nothing is on the move yet, so we should have plenty of time for Five to finish doing whatever it is that he needs to get done.”
There was no argument in his voice and Diego was too worn out from having all of the information dumped on him to try and find the words. He merely added another tally underneath the hour and sat with Viktor until the other man felt steady enough to get back up. “Do you think that you could help me with some of the packing? I’ve already done most of the chores that Sissy asked me to do while she was away.”
“Of course,” Diego replied. He was standing and helping Viktor to his feet in an instant. Knowing that the other man still loved him, at least in some way even if it wasn’t the more direct way that he had been hoping for, had directed some of his attention away from all of his other thoughts. He had been of the opinion that the fathers-to-be that were obsessed with their spouses when they were expecting had been cheesy and unrealistic. He had never been around someone that was pregnant all the way from the beginning to the end when he was that young, but his opinion had stayed the same as he got older. He had figured that nothing much could change in the way that someone loved just because their partner was pregnant. He now knew better than that, because he felt completely enamored with Viktor now that he knew the other man was responsible for making him a father.
“Just through here,” Viktor explained as he waddled towards the living room. The couch had a stack of blankets and pillows carefully made up on one side and there was a suitcase full of clothes next to the chair.
Diego felt his mouth flicker down into a frown. He was grateful that this family had taken in Viktor when he needed them but he wished that it had been a slightly better situation. If the apocalypse hadn’t happened Diego might not have been able to offer Viktor a better place to stay himself, but at least in their own time the pregnant man had his own apartment and an actual bed to sleep on.
“Where’s the baby stuff?” Diego asked as he searched for it.
“Under the couch. It’s bigger than you think,” Viktor chuckled. He walked over and hefted the suitcase up onto the chair so that he could flick it open and look through it. It was full of clothes from throughout his pregnancy, though there weren’t a lot of garments in there. It was about half full with a half dozen pairs of pants, three button ups and a pair of overalls. There was plenty of room for him to move the baby clothes that he hadn’t prepared yet into it.
Diego slid everything that had been nestled underneath the couch out and then began to help Viktor fold them and get them packed away. The smaller man had another two contractions while they were working but waved away Diego’s little concerned noises every time.
Eventually, the domesticity of the situation was interrupted by another one of their siblings. They had been in the house for longer than they thought and the others were beginning to get worried that they were hanging around for too long. “How’s it going in here?” Allison asked as she looked over the baby clothes that they were sorting through. It was two full boxes worth of clothing items, everything that Sissy had saved from when Harlan was born and a few that they had gotten just in case the baby was a girl.
“Good,” Viktor smiled. He turned towards her to give her more details but then stopped as he felt another one of the building pains. Diego was on his feet in an instant, allowing Viktor to use the other man’s hands so that he could stay upright and steady.
Their sister turned towards Diego and their eyes met. A whole conversation exchanged between them in the silence of Viktor’s contraction. “Are you in labor?” she asked, keeping her voice low and compassionate as she walked over to help keep him steady.
“No,” the smaller man objected. He stood up straight with a little grunt in the back of his throat and then a splattering noise sounded through the room.
Allison let out a little giggle as she said, “I think that baby is determined to prove you wrong. Unless you just peed yourself, I think that was your water breaking.”
He slowly tilted his head down so that he could see the growing puddle of water in the middle of the living room. Despite being nine months pregnant, he had never had an issue with his bladder other than feeling like had to pee more often. He was also aware enough of his own body to know that the clear fluid leaking out of him certainly wasn’t urine. “I thought that I was going to have more time…”
Another silent conversation passed between the other siblings. Diego grasped Viktor’s elbow with one hand and placed a hand on his back with the other. “Come on, we can go out to the car and wait there while people finish up here,” he said softly.
“Wouldn’t it be a better idea for me to go out to the car with him? I’ve had a baby before,” Allison argued.
“That’s why I need you in here,” Viktor replied as he nodded towards his suitcase. “You know more about baby clothes than Diego does. He can sit with me in the car and hold my hand or whatever people are supposed to do when they’re around other people in labor.”
She looked like she wanted to protest, but he had made a good point. Instead of wasting what little time that they had before the baby got there and it was a lot harder to get to the safehouse, she gathered up the items from the couch and basically forced them into Diego’s arms. The duo were then shepherded out of the backdoor and towards the car so that Viktor would have a semi-stationary place to labor.
Klaus and Luther were talking about something amongst the white sheets that were now billowing in the hot desert wind, but Viktor didn’t really pay much attention to either of them. He had been so wrapped up in his feelings and everything that was happening before his water broke that he barely noticed when the contractions came and went. Now that the protective bubble of the amniotic fluid had left and he was focusing on how soon he was going to meet his baby, everything felt a lot more present. He had to pause every time that he got one of the pains, which was thankfully only once as they made their way out of the house and to the car.
They paused in their conversation to watch the slow way that Viktor was walking while almost clutching at his stomach. He was sure that the lower half of his sun dress was almost soaked with the fluid that was still trickling down his leg when he moved the wrong way. He tried not to think about it too much because the idea that he was going to give birth soon was almost too much for him to handle.
Diego opened up the back of the car and then carefully helped Viktor into it. The only section of the vehicle that Luther fit in, they found out, was the trunk, so even though Viktor would have more maneuverability back there, it was off limits so that they could get the entire family to the safehouse.
The marksman laid down one the blankets on the backseat and then another in the footwell so that there was some cushion no matter how he decided he needed to be. “Can you run back into the house and get some more towels? I have a baby blanket but that’s not going to be of any use to us until baby is at least a little bit clean. Especially since we have no idea what this house Five is stashing us at is like,” he explained.
Diego looked a little anxious at the idea of having to leave his heavily pregnant and laboring partner, but he also knew better than to argue. He slipped out of the backseat, but thankfully he didn’t have to go far. The other two had been watching the interaction that they were having and slowly drifting over. Diego explained about the contractions and how Viktor’s water had broken when they were in the house, which only served to make Luther look a little pale and clammy. “Can one of you go get some towels? It sucks that we have to steal from this family but it’s not like we want this baby to be born with nothing if this house Five is sending us to ends up being empty.”
Klaus immediately agreed, turning and rushing off to do as he had been asked. Luther slowly trailed after Diego as the marksman returned to his lover. He paused when he got about a yard away from the car, turning to look around like attackers could be coming from anywhere. It was a little silly since Five had guaranteed that they’d be safe for a few hours while they drove to the house, but anything that made him feel better was getting a pass in Diego’s book.
It took about ten minutes for them to all be ready to go. Viktor was in the backseat with his forearms pressed together on the backseat of the car, kneeling down in the footwell behind the front. Diego was right beside him with a bowl of water snuggled up to the door and the crease in the seat so it didn’t spill. He would douse a cloth in it and then either use it to wet Viktor’s lips or run it over the back of his neck to keep him cool. It was kind of beautiful and terrifying to see what his lover was going through to bring their baby into the world.
Eventually Allison and Klaus both came out of the house. The suitcase full of things that Viktor would need for the newborn was placed into the trunk alongside the towels and the kit that the midwife had dropped off for his delivery. Klaus was driving and Allison was sitting in the passgender’s seat, though there had been a brief argument about who should be the one sitting beside Viktor.
None of their siblings knew about their band or what their relationship had been like after Five left and Ben died, when they could only find solace and companionship between the two of them. Allison’s argument for her being back with him was that she had been in labor and delivered before, but Klaus was quick to chime in and tell her that she had a c-section so she wasn’t really going to be a huge help during the delivery part.
Viktor barely even noticed anything had changed when the car started moving. Despite not having done it for most of his life, Klaus was fairly good at driving so even the transition down the long dirt driveway away from the farm was fairly smooth. They drove through the endless streets as they tried to get to the safehouse that Five had set up for them. Allison sat so that her back was pressed to the door and she could see both out of the windshield and her laboring brother, which was the only way that she allowed Diego to stay in the back with him.
“He’s so quiet,” she whispered after almost half an hour of driving. Viktor had been swaying back and forth and breathing rhythmically the entire time, which made it very hard for her to time how close his contractions were.
“I thought that the screaming and shouting and throwing things during labor was a stupid movie trope,” Luther piped up from the back. He was nervously worrying a blanket in between his fingers to try and settle down. He kept checking behind them like he was suddenly going to see the FBI and Commission coming to chase them down, as though they didn’t look like any other family trying to get where they needed to go before a baby came into the world.
Allison moved her hand back and forth. “Yes and no. I didn’t tell Patrick that I hated him or I never wanted to have sex with him again when I had Claire but I still made noise. Contractions are probably the most painful thing that I’ve ever been through,” she explained.
Viktor was lulled by the sounds of his families’ voices all around him. He had always wanted to be surrounded by their love and warmth and he had been denied that for so long when he was younger. It was nice to be around them when he already felt so zeroed in and focused on what was happening. His brain was fuzzy and distant like it had been when his powers took over his body, but in a much different was. The only thing that he could focus on was the steadily raising tide of pain and pressure. Each wave would overcome him for about thirty seconds and then recede before the next one came in. He could feel every distinctive thing happening in his body as his baby stilled and made their descent into the birth canal.
His body had basically taken over the entire situation. He didn’t feel like he had to worry because Diego was a steady, constant presence beside him and his other siblings were all within grabbing reach. He could just focus on the pressure low in his pelvis and the steady descent of his baby.
He leaned forward and shifted so that he was up on his feet instead of his knees. It spread his pelvis at least a little bit wider, which was much more comfortable now that he was at this point in his labor. Viktor grasped the blanket that Diego had spread out over the seat of the car so that his knuckles had turned almost white as he felt the overwhelming urge to bear down. He wasn’t going to deny his body what it wanted after years of his life being consumed by only that alone. He also wasn’t sure that he was physically capable of resisting the urge.
Almost as soon as he had made the choice to start pushing, the pressure was alleviated off of him entirely. It was enough of a relief that he let out a small whimper when he breathed out after the contraction passed.
“You doing okay, V?” Diego asked as he brought the cloth over. He had wrung it out so that he could place the entire thing over Viktor’s head and cool him down. It did the trick as the water weighted down his feathery brown locks just enough that his scalp was bathed with cool.
Viktor turned his head to the side so that he could meet his lover’s eyes. He gave him a tired smile and said, “Yeah, s’just a lot.”
“You know that you can cry out, right?” Allison asked, reaching over so that she could rub his back with one hand. “We know that it hurts. No one is going to get mad at you for making noise while your body literally prepares to birth a child.”
He gave a small nod as he returned back to what he had been doing before. He wasn’t making noise not because he was scared to, but because the pain didn’t seem all that terrible to him when his mind was as fuzzy as his was. The pressure was what was wearing him out since he dealt with low level pain almost every single day. The steady movement on his back was just the right amount of stimulation that he needed to keep his body from freaking out. It was something to focus on other than the baby’s head slowly descending down his birth canal.
The tension in the car was so thick that it could have been cut with a knife. They were all worried about being able to make it to the safe house that Five had set up for them in the time that he had given them to show up. Luther was basically staring out of the back window like he was going to be able to summon a monster for him to fight just to get his nerves to settle down. Klaus was focusing on driving, though he kept muttering to someone that none of the rest of them could see. Diego was focused mainly on Viktor, but images of having to fight while his boyfriend was giving birth to their child alone kept flashing through his mind and it was making him feel restless. Allison kept twitching back and forth, her eyes never hovering on any of the siblings for long but taking more time with Viktor than she ever had before.
Suddenly, she jerked forward and asked, “Is he pushing?”
Diego’s attention was snapped out of his thoughts and day-mares so that he could focus entirely on the brother that he had been taking care of during their long drive. “V? Hey, baby, I need you to look at me,” he made sure that his voice was soft and compassionate as he said that.
Viktor had, in fact, been pushing for the last ten minutes at least while they sped through Texas. He shifted so that he was leaning back against the front seat and looking towards Diego. His chest was heaving for breath but he focused on panting like he had practiced with his midwife when they were preparing for the birth.
None of the siblings said anything about the inherently romantic pet name that their brother had just called the laboring man, focusing entirely on the way that Viktor was cupping something between his legs. His hands had moved under the sundress that he was wearing somewhere in the twenty minutes that they had all been quiet. The billowy material of the outfit was enough that none of them could make out what it was.
Diego brought the cloth down and brushed the edges of it over his red-hued cheeks to try and help him cool down. “Just breathe, baby, just breathe. You’re doing so well, working to bring our kid into the world. Don’t worry about anything else, we’ve got it.”
The words rushed over him like the soothing water from the cloth. He felt some of the tension in his muscles relax as he continued to let his body do what it needed to. His eyes fluttered shut for a moment as he felt the head, which had been crowning for quite some time, finally reach the apex and then slip out of him entirely. He had been feeling the soft, dirty, downy hair of his baby while he waited for that very thing to happen. Now that it had, he simply cradled the little head while he waited for the next pain to take over him.
Allison and Klaus shared a look with each other as they realized who the father of their brother’s baby was. It wasn’t like the pseudo-incest that any relationship between the Academy kids had been taboo. Allison and Luther had been making moon-eyes at each other since they were thirteen and they had all been raised as child soldiers instead of siblings like others might have been. It was just surprising because up until that very moment, all of them had assumed that the duo hated each other based on the way that Diego had acted during their father’s wake.
Soon, Allison recovered from the shock and turned around so that she could continue to enquire about the situation. “Diego, is he pushing?”
During the time that she had been asking him that, Viktor felt another contraction come on so he pushed harder. He let his head fall back against the front seat of the car and then whimpered when the shoulders of the baby finally slipped from him and into his waiting hands.
One second he was pushing with all his might to rid his body of the tiny infant coming out of him and the next both of his hands were full of baby. He completed the movement by removing the baby from underneath his dress and placing them on his chest, cradled protectively in his arms.
“Holy shit,” Diego whispered as he felt his eyes go wide. He might have gotten faint at the sight of needles, but blood and whatever else the newborn was covered with weren’t affecting him in the slightest. He had never felt more awake than he did in that very moment, staring at the squirming body of his firstborn.
“What? What just happened?” Klaus asked as he tried to glance back into the backseat using the rearview mirror. They had just passed by a rest stop so the amount of cars that they were passing increased enough that he had to pay attention to the road.
“Oh my God,” Allison gasped as she watched her brother slowly sink down into a sitting position with the baby grasped in his arms.
All of the noise and Allison’s insistent questions was enough to tear Luther away from where he was staring out the back window for any threats. He was now staring directly ahead, where all other eyes were, on the sweaty forehead of their brother next to the grimy body of the newest Hargreeves family member. “Viktor literally just gave birth,” he said as a way of explanation for Klaus.
Diego was the first to recover from the shock. He turned around and then flipped his body over the back seat. Luther barely even noticed that he was there, until the taller man was pushed almost unceremoniously to the side so that Diego could grab the delivery kit from where it was on top of the suitcase full of baby clothes. He also snagged a towel before he turned back around and dumped the former of the two items down. He handed the towel over to Viktor as he slid down onto the floor.
“You did this, you brought this baby into the world,” he smiled so wide that his cheeks hurt. It was hard for him to really grasp, that in a moment, without even knowing it, his baby had been born and he had become a father. The mere idea that Viktor had been that quick and efficient in giving life to another human made him all the more amazed with his boyfriend.
“S-sorry I didn’t tell you, I got too wrapped up in trying to get it over with,” Viktor replied breathlessly as his eyes flit up to where his sister was staring at the baby in dazed wonderment.
Diego leaned down and pressed a kiss to his wet forehead. “You have nothing to apologize for. I would take being surprised that I’m now a dad over you suffering or feeling uncomfortable any day,” he explained. He set the towel down over the other side the baby so that they were sheltered entirely from the rest of the outside world.
The smaller man brought his hand up so that he was rubbing small circles on the baby’s back to start cleaning off some of the birth goop. He let out a small, adoring laugh when the newborn took in their first breath and began to wail so loudly that he was sure the cars passing by could hear. “Hi baby, hey,” he whispered happily. He shifted a little bit, with Diego’s help, so that he was laying against the door with his legs spread out so that his knees weren’t bent any longer.
Diego got up onto the seat of the car and began to unpack what was in the birth pack the midwife had sent. He got out the clamps first so that he could cut the cord like he needed to. “Roll them out towards me?” he asked Viktor.
The other man complied, shifting the baby around so that the neonate was facing up towards the ceiling while still protectively wrapped up in the towel. “A little boy. We’ve got a little boy, Vik,” Diego was almost crying as he got a good look at his son. He would have been happy with either sex and he would be happy with any gender that his child may or may not decide he wanted to be in the future. He was more marveling about every little detail he got to know about his baby now that the little one was finally there.
“We do, he’s our little boy,” Viktor beamed at him before he looked down at the newborn with a fascination that only a brand new parent could have.
Allison instructed Diego on about how far down he had to cut the cord based on what she remembered from when she gave birth to Claire. They gave it an extra little bit just so that they could be sure they weren’t hurting the newborn.
He shifted again, placing the clamp back in the bag now that they had tied and cut the cord. He wet a towel with the water from the bowl and handed it to Viktor before he dumped the rest of it out of the rolled down window. He then placed the bowl on the ground of the car so that they could use it to catch the afterbirth when it finally came. He knew that much from the mandatory lessons about childbirth they had to take during their first aide training.
“We’re about an hour away from the safehouse where we’re going to be able to bury it, sorry,” Klaus said as he checked the roadsigns that they were passing by.
“It’ll fly by now that we’ve got him here,” Viktor whispered as he looked down at his son. He had finished washing the baby off so that he was now spotless, pinked skin and kicking his chubby legs like his life depended on it.
They managed to get some clothes from the back thanks to Luther rooting through it until he found something that looked to be about the right size. Once the baby was changed into a diaper and onesie, Viktor wrapped him up in the baby blanket that Sissy had given him when he first found out he was pregnant. “You wanna hold him? I have to pass the afterbirth and then I want to change into something so I can feed him.”
That question was one that, for some reason, he hadn’t really been expecting to be asked. He knew that the baby was his and eventually he would hold his son, especially since he wasn’t going to be distant like some of the fathers he had seen in the sixties or his own. Still, it came as a bit of a shock to him and sent his brain reeling.
He ended up just opening his arms for the newborn instead of being able to give an affirmative properly. All of his words were stuck in his throat, like they got every time he was worried about something. He carefully took the baby into his arms and then sat back on the seat of the car while staring down at the tiny face of the newborn. His son was still wailing loudly since it was overwhelming and confusing to be out in the world when he had been in the protection of Viktor’s womb only moments before.
The aforementioned man moved so that he was in a squatting position above the bowl and grunted as he pushed one last time and the afterbirth came out of him. Allison ended up looking it over with a pair of gloves from he birthing kit so that they could make sure it was the entire thing.
Viktor was changed out of the now completely ruined sundress into a pair of baggy pajama pants and one of the button up shirts for ease of access when he was breastfeeding. His belly was still there but it wasn’t nearly as large or hard as it had been when the baby was inside. Diego got him set up on the seat part of the back with the pillow they had grabbed from the house propping him up against the door. He sat on the floor, though the blanket that had once been down there was now rolled up on the other side with the afterbirth bowl tucked inside of it so that no one had to look at it.
The rest of the siblings were quiet, each of them processing the fact that they had just become uncles and an aunt. Luther was staring out the back of the car to protect them from attacks in that direction and Klaus was focusing on driving.
Diego brushed his fingers over the soft hair on the back of the baby’s head while Viktor focused on helping the baby get his first feeding. “It’s hard to believe that he’s real. I know he’s mine though, he’s already got my nose and lips.”
“He’s got your eyes too. The shape of them. The blue will go away eventually,” Viktor said affectionately. “I think. It’s possible we’ve both got blue eyed parents and we don’t know.”
“I know he’s all squished and lopsided right now but he really does look like us.” He was marveling over that fact for several minutes until he finally asked, “What are we going to name him?”
“I was hoping that we could name him something Russian. I know that you’re Spanish and that’s also very important to you but… I just wanted something to connect him back to my own mother since I was thinking about her a lot when I was pregnant,” Viktor said, his voice small and nervous.
“Something Russian,” Diego hummed as he thought about it, not even questioning it.
“Rasputin,” Klaus said from the front seat. That got a laugh from the rest of the siblings, which was enough to make them all relax a little bit. None of them seemed to realize how the nerves of the baby being born on top of fleeing to a safehouse had worn on them until that joke finally broke the tension like a ball of glass.
They went quiet again, though it was a lot more easy this time. Diego brushed his fingers over the back of the baby’s head. “Aleksei?”
Viktor looked at him, tearing his eyes away from their baby’s now sleeping face for only a moment. “Aleksei Benjamin Hargreeves. I like it.”
In the front seat, despite being the person that had been most relaxed through the entire process of driving to the safehouse, Klaus tensed up. He turned to the side where Allison was sitting, though it was pretty obvious that he wasn’t looking at her. He glanced to the backseat and said, “Ben says he’s honored.”
None of them could say anything about that, but Viktor leaned forward so that he wasn’t directly crying down onto the baby as he suppressed a sob. Diego moved so that his boyfriend was laying down in between his legs and surrounded by his warmth. They stayed like that until they got to the safehouse, forty five minutes after Aleksei had been born.
Luther carried Viktor into the house, which they found to have two bedrooms and be completely furnished with anything that someone would need to live there for upwards of two weeks. Diego was put in charge of getting all of Viktor’s clothes set out along with setting up the cot for the baby to sleep in. Luther was in charge of digging the whole for the afterbirth while Allison and Klaus worked on getting some food ready for the rest of their family.
Viktor chose to be in the living room while all of that was happening. He had been separated from his siblings for his entire life and he had just been through something deeply traumatic and frightening, so he didn’t want to be away from them again so soon. Aleksei seemed to be soothed by being around Diego anyway, and he was building the small cot in the living room where there was more room.
Another half hour had passed by the time that the tell-tale pop of Five teleporting sounded around the room. “You all got here safe, good,” Five breathed out. He looked worn out and tired, like he had lived an entire life between when he had told them to come here and that moment.
“Hey, do you want a grilled cheese? I know you prefer that peanut butter monstrosity but Viktor got to choose because… well,” Klaus waved the cheese-covered spatula towards the aforementioned brother.
Five’s brow furrowed together with confusion before he turned towards Viktor. He was laying on the couch with a blanket draped over his legs and part of his chest as he nursed the newborn again. The eldest-youngest brother blinked a few times and then said, “What the fuck?”
#fanfiction#fanfic#writing#ao3#archive of our own#tua#the umbrella academy#tua fanfiction#the umbrella academy fanfiction#pregnant viktor#viktor x diego#diego x viktor#viktor hargreeves#diego hargreeves#viego#oneshot#five hargreeves#luther hargreeves#allison hargreeves#ben hargreeves#pregnancy#trans male pregnancy#a quiet entrance fic
11 notes
·
View notes
Text
Hello everyone! I realize how this post might sound, so I'll keep it as brief as I am able. But after some time in thought, I cannot stay silent about this any more.
I will be leaving the Isola Radiale community for good.
It is with a heavy heart that I make this decision, but I cannot say that I feel safe or comfortable with the philosophies behind recent decisions and acts of bullying on Twitter/anons that have been made in regard to other former members of this community.
I would go into the details, but I have come to realize that it just doesn't matter what I say. There is no defense or explanation that I can offer that won't be used as a way to defame my character despite any history that I might have with anyone.
But regardless, I would like a chance to explain my concerns.
I beg that changes be made to the codes of conduct of the Isola Radiale group. There is no safety for anyone as long as there is:
no safe space to engage in discourse
no three-strike system on the public rules page
no definitions as a unifying standard
no criteria for major or minor infractions
no appeal system whatsoever
no publicly detailed investigation process
no communication made to accused (which is illegal irl)
no accountability standard for the leadership
and a mindset that says: "shoot now and ask questions later."
I do understand the reasoning behind why certain things are the way that they are, specifically the zero-tolerance policy. There is a place for that, but it should never be the default for every single case.
There needs to be a list of specific and detailed criteria for the rare occurrence where a zero-tolerance ban must be made into effect, and the accused MUST be made in the know with no exceptions.
I have a huge amount of respect for how much time and effort goes into the maintenance of a group such as this. It is no easy feat to take time out of the day and dedicate it to others, especially when it is not a paying job. I would never discredit the hard work that is put into this community.
But that does not mean that there are no flaws in how things are.
Communities are made by people as much as they are made by leaders, who are also people themselves. The nature of roleplay is meant to be a cooperative environment, where we all agree we just want to have fun writing our favorite characters.
But there is fear. Fear of coming forward to point out problems that exist in order to help better the community, not harm it. The fear of being cut off from those you thought were friends is very real. At this time, I don't trust the leaders to come privately with my concerns, and I have little reason to believe that I matter in any capacity.
The simple truth is, I'm tired of being afraid.
I make this post only to notify those who I have been writing with and to make a marker of this blog's activity. I truly enjoyed writing in this space, and it was a wonderful place for me to dip my toes in the world of Tumblr roleplay.
I encourage those who remain to simply consider the bigger picture; You should be able to feel comfortable calling attention to legitimate issues without getting bullied on Twitter or being banned for it. And you have a right to be able to defend yourself and be considered seriously when being accused of something you're not.
Your voice does matter. Your safety and comfort matter. And your actions and character matter.
If you believe that because of my decision, I support morally repulsive content then you might as well ban or block me too. If you would so brazenly assume the worst in me with no evidence of such a claim, then go right on ahead.
For the record, I do not condone, engage with, or support content of a repulsive nature, nor will I ever do so. But like I said earlier, my words don't matter. I just hope the history of my actions would.
You might disagree with me entirely, and that is okay. I respect your right to do as you see fit.
I will return to this blog someday - in a few months most likely. I may continue answering indie interactions but I haven't decided on that just yet (I need some space from these events). I won't be abandoning my muse any time soon ^^
Thank you all for your time, and I wish you the very best.
#Isola Radiale#kasey quack \ (ooc)#I appreciate your time for reading this!#I am willing to maintain open polite discussions as well#rebranding is likely to come#( . psa . ) // putting on life vests ⚓༄⋆｡°்⋆
5 notes
·
View notes
Text
Sneak peak for the next chapter (34):
As always, spoilers... and some wording might change but the sentiment will remain ❤️
It’s been a while since the staff has felt any sense of normalcy inside the estate. Ever since Naoya had returned from his mission, and subsequently failed his promotion, things just hadn’t been normal.
These days would not be the exception, starting by how uncharacteristically the absence of the heir had become.
They always knew where he was —it was kind of their job to know so—whether through their own inquiry or because Naoya was never a “humble” man to begin with. Always the extravagant one, he needed all the attention on him.
But something had occurred the day he returned with you after your second health check-up that evoked him to distance himself (even more) from everyone else… Well, they couldn’t blame him, not after seeing the way he essentially cowered away from you and your staff after delivering you safely home, the sight of him soon becoming a rare occurrence.
The staff may never know why the always overconfident and arrogant Naoya suddenly became coy; on the other hand, it’s something he’ll never forget.
Another day passed, and Naoya has yet to see you—although this time it’s more of his decision than yours.
Ashamed and humiliated for your unquestionable preference for anyone else but him, Naoya has found himself actively trying to hide his presence from everyone around him in hopes of avoiding confrontation on what he deems a miscalculation of your persona.
To say that he was disappointed and hurt upon seeing you rush to your ladies as soon as you stepped out of the car, doing the same when Naoaki stepped into frame, would be an understatement.
From the moment he peeled away from you, scurrying past the staff, and away from the world, it’s all he’s ever thought. It’s all he can think of, more so after receiving the constant pressure of being watched, ridiculed, from the people he was running away from.
Like a car crash, it was a sight they couldn’t peel their eyes away from. Because for the first time in their life, they got to see Naoya experiencing pain.
Small actions that slowly snowballed into this culmination, Naoya was starting to feel the heavy consequences he’d inflicted in his marriage.
He’d seen the consequence of his actions before, he knew what to do, what to expect and how to fix it. Even without Ranta’s guidance, Naoya has never found it necessary to try more than once to get what he wants.
So why isn’t this the same situation? Why is his problem solving skills not working in these circumstances? Why is this the exception? Why are you the exception?
He wishes to know—and it seems that everyone else too, judging by their shock in the following occasions.
In the scarce moments he’s blessed with the presence of others —those who have slowly regained the routine of addressing him once the fad of harshly scrutinizing him began to fade— they have professed their surprise at Naoya’s alleged attempts in getting to know you, as well as the way you couldn’t care less for such things.
“Did you see the things they returned with?” one of his staff members would whisper.
“Looks like Naoya-sama went shopping with his wife. But she didn’t seem all too happy about it, I mean, did you see the way she rushed towards her staff and Naoaki-sama?” the other remarked.
“Ooh, that was painful to watch” the first admitted. “And for the first time I ever saw him do something like that—can’t say I wouldn’t do the same as him and just disappear! Oh, how embarrassing…”
P.S. This chapter is going to be quite long, and honestly? DESERVED. Very excited indeed.
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
Limitless. Chapter 43: Goodbye...
Chapter 1: click HERE
Chapter 42: click HERE
Epilogue: click HERE
If I say it now, I've said this more than once: I HATE WRITING ENDINGS!
One week.
It has now been one week since Junko was sent to the depths of space. There has been no sign of her really coming back. She truly was gone. The morning after everything had happened, the group held a small memorial for Tsumugi, the real one that tragically died. Even if they didn't know the real one for as long as they thought they did, they collectively agreed that it would be wrong to just forget her like that. It was the least that they could do. While at first everyone thought that Tsumugi wasn't real at the start, now they knew the truth, they hoped that she was at peace, wherever she was.
After a couple of days, when everyone felt like they were fully recovered from the fight, they started to plan what they needed to do next. The Momota household was too small for fourteen extra people to stay for a long time. And there was another factor to take in. Even though White and Junko were dead, whose to say that any of the other scientists managed to escape? It was a small risk, but one that no body wanted to take. So they thought that it would be best to keep running, maybe even find the families that they need to see again. As much as they wouldn't like to, everyone had decided that it would be best to split up. It was too dangerous to be travelling in such a large group. They don't want to risk repeating what happened on the train. Tenko, Himiko and Angie decided to travel to Angie's island home. Keebo and Miu decided to go to Tokyo so Miu could set up her own inventing business under an alias. Rantaro went to search for his sisters, with Kirumi and Ryoma volunteering to help with the search. Shuichi, Kokichi, Kaede and Maki left as a group to search for Shuichi's uncle. They thought that maybe he might help with tracking down any staff that escaped the Facility alive and make them pay for their crimes. Gonta left on his own, returning to the forest where he felt more safe. Kiyo also left on his own to continue with his work in anthropology.
And Kaito was left behind.
As Kaito sat down at the table, he couldn't bring himself to eat his breakfast. He just said goodbye to Shuichi, Kokichi, Kaede and Maki. He knows that he'll be seeing them again, so to speak. Before leaving, Miu made communication devices for everyone to have. At a specific time and day, every week, everyone was to contact each other to make sure everything is still alright, there are no problems and to catch up. But it wasn't the same. Kaito was so used to being with other people like him that life felt almost empty without even one of them being with him. Also...
"Why so glum? Cheer up. Things can go back to normal. Well, almost." Kaito's grandfather grinned, trying to cheer the teenager up.
...there was something else plaguing his mind.
"Gramps, Grandma...I...I can't stay..." Kaito finally said hesitantly, gripping his fork tightly in his hand out of nerves.
"What?!" His grandmother exclaimed.
"But you just came back!" His grandfather added, looking just as shocked and appalled as his wife.
"I know, but we don't know if those scientists are still out there. After what happened with Junko being here, it's not safe for you if I stay." Kaito explained, trying to maintain eye contact with his grandparents. He also tried hard to not get as emotional as he would like. His grandparents had a mixture of anguish and confusion on their faces. "Please, try to understand. I don't want to leave, but I have to."
"No! You can't!" Kaito's grandmother shouted, desperation evident in her voice. She turned to her husband who remained silent. "Dear, tell him he can't leave!" Kaito looked at his grandfather. The old man didn't seem to listen to his wife, nor pay attention to anything else that was going on right now. His brow was furrowed as he was deep in thought. After a tense minute of silence, the elder finally looked up at Kaito.
"You honestly believe this?" He asked, his voice strong but it also sounded like he was holding back his emotions. Kaito hesitantly but silently nodded. He really was hesitant to leave. He spent a long time to return home. But after what happened with Junko, he wanted to make sure that the family he had left was safe. Seeing that he was serious about his choice, Kaito's grandfather stood up. He limped his way over to a small cabinet, shifting through some papers. He pulled out an envelope that hadn't been opened yet.
"First of all, here. It's the license that you applied for before you went missing. Arrived a few days after you were kidnapped." The elder explained, handing the envelope to Kaito. Eyes a little wide, Kaito opened the envelope without hesitation. He pulled out the card that resided inside it with the letter to go with it. "And second..." Kaito's grandfather gestured for Kaito to follow him as he disappeared down the hallway. Kaito glanced at his grandmother, but had to look away as he saw her heartbroken face. He slowly got up and followed to where his grandfather disappeared. The door leading out to the garage was wide open, letting a small draft go through the house. Kaito spotted his grandfather standing next to something covered by a tarp.
"We were hoping to give this to you on your eighteenth." The elder said as he gently pulled away the tarp, dust flying a little in the air. "Will it help while you're on the road?" Kaito's eyes were met with a motorcycle. It was black with custom made purple star stickers on the fuel tank and rear fender. That's what the license was for. During the school holidays, Kaito had been taking lessons and passed his theory and practical. He had originally planned to save up for buying a motorcycle himself, but his grandparents obviously thought otherwise. This will definitely help him out on the road.
"You don't have to go, you know that right?" Kaito's grandmother said as she quietly stepped into the garage.
"Yes...but a man should put his family first, right? I just want to make sure that you're both safe. That's my priority." Kaito said, trying his best to put both elders' minds to ease.
"Well...since you're not going to be here on your eighteenth it seems, at least come back before your twenty first. Deal?" Kaito's grandmother said. She still looked upset, but she was going to allow this to happen.
"Deal." Kaito smiled as he enveloped the elder in a tight hug. He understands that his grandparents weren't happy with this sudden decision. He had only been back for a week after disappearing for so long, and now he was suddenly leaving again. The only difference was is that it was his choice.
"I'll only ask you one final time. You're sure about this?" Kaito's grandfather asked, wanting to be sure that this is what Kaito wanted one more time.
"Yes. And don't worry. I'll call you both as much as I can to let you know that I'm safe." Kaito said with confidence as he looked at both of his grandparents. "And please call me if there are any problems. I'll come home as fast as I can if there are any."
"Of course." Kaito's grandfather smiled sadly. Kaito brought both elders in for another hug. The family held onto each other tight, as if they truly didn't want to be separated from each other again. It hurt, but it was something that they need to do. Kaito didn't want to think that he wasn't going to see his family again. He made a promise to be back after all. He'll call them as much as he can. It's the least that he can do to make sure that they are safe, and to let them know that he was safe.
"I love you both. Never forget that, okay?" Kaito said as he pulled away to look at his grandparents.
"Of course, we won't." His grandfather smiled as he rubbed Kaito's back.
"You are so much like your father. But you have your mother's traits too." Kaito's grandmother tearfully smiled, her eyes glistening as she stroked the hair that started to grow back on Kaito's head. "I think that they both would be very proud of you."
———————————————————————————
After filling up his stomach and packing what he needed, Kaito finally left. He didn't pack too much. Just money, his phone, some spare clothes, a wallet to hold his card and license, the communication deceive that Miu had made and his toothbrush. Although his backpack felt a little bulky. Though he already had a helmet, his grandmother made him take a spare. He didn't understand why, and tried to say that it wasn't that necessary, but his grandmother said that she had a feeling that he might need it. He'll still keep his promise to contact his grandparents when he could. He decided to do it at least one or twice a week unless it was an emergency. His grandparents said that they would send him money every month, to make sure that he would have enough. Kaito tried to turn the offer down, but his grandparents were having none of it.
As Kaito drove through the city to get out of it, he couldn't help but feel like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders a little. Maybe it was because he was leaving of his own will this time, or maybe it was the fact that he was trying to keep his family safe. Either way, it felt a little nice, so to speak. Kaito finally reached the city limits a lot quicker than he thought he would. The road was a bit quieter than he was expecting. However, there was someone on the side of the road that caught his attention. At first he thought it was a hitchhiker, but then he recognised the denim jacket with a rose stitching on the person. Kaito slowed down and pulled over safely on the side of the road.
"Maki Roll?" He couldn't help but say as he turned off the engine.
"Nice wheels." Maki smiled as she stepped a little closer to him.
"What are you doing here? I thought that you had left with the others." Kaito asked, taking off his helmet.
"I...I changed my mind." Maki said, tucking a strand of hair away from her face. Kaito couldn't be sure, but he thought that he could see a light shade of pink on her cheeks. "I thought...you could do with a roommate."
"You knew I would leave?" Kaito asked, getting the feeling that he knew the answer.
"I had a feeling." Maki shrugged a little.
"You had been waiting here since this morning?" Kaito asked again.
"Yes." Maki said, nodding a little. Kaito couldn't help but wonder if he didn't leave today. Would Maki have been still waiting? Or would she have come back to his house? It didn't matter now. He was here. Now he understood why his grandmother made him pack a spare helmet. She must have had a feeling that he would have a passenger. Kaito smiled as he felt glad that he wasn't travelling alone. The thought of that was a little daunting to him. At least he has someone with him that he knows that will have his back. However, there was something that told Kaito that Maki was hiding another reason. He knows that there was something else.
"Is there another reason why you waited here?" Kaito asked as he stepped closer to Maki. Maki almost stepped away, but her feet were planted to the ground. She couldn't bring herself to step away.
"I..." she tried to say, her cheeks warming up. She wasn't able to say anymore as Kaito suddenly bent down to her and gently pressed his lips to her. Maki's eyes grew wide a little, her body tensing up. However, she relaxed as her eyes closed and she accepted the kiss. Her hands gently rested on his shoulders as Kaito's arms wrapped around her waist. Ignoring the sound of the few cars passing by and the wind rushing, the two stayed like that for as long as they could. They only separated when they had the need to breathe.
"I love you too." Kaito panted as he looked deeply into Maki's eyes. Maki looked up at him, different emotions swimming in her eyes. He could only say that of he...
"You remembered every word I said?" Maki asked, remembering what happened that day. Kaito didn't mention it, so she assumed that he didn't remember. She would've been okay with that, because even if she was heartbroken, at least Kaito was normal again.
"It all started coming back to me after a few days." Kaito smiled, a little weary. He didn't know if Maki was going to slap him or kiss him for staying silent about what had happened. Thankfully, Maki only responded by holding Kaito close to her. Though he had a feeling that Maki might make him suffer for it later, at least they were both happy with each other. When they broke apart, Kaito reached into his backpack, and pulled out the spare helmet, effectively making more room in his bag. Maki happily put it on as Kaito mounted his motorcycle. Maki took his backpack and slipped it over her smaller one. It was to ensure that she would have a better hold on Kaito as she was behind him.
"So what's the plan?" She asked as she sat behind Kaito.
"White told me that other Limitless had escaped from him before." Kaito explained, remembering what the demented doctor had said before he was forced into a catatonic state. This was another reason why he wanted to leave home. He wants to find the other Limitless and reassure them that, even if they still remain in hiding, at least they don't have to worry about White ever again.
"You're thinking on finding them? You do realise that it might be impossible, right?" Maki asked, as Kaito turned the engine on.
"The impossible is possible. All you gotta do, is make it so." Kaito grinned, looking back at Maki. "You ready?"
"Always." Maki smiled, wrapping her arms around Kaito's waist for a secure hold.
Time for a new adventure...
3 notes
·
View notes
Text
Of grace, inflation, cancer and getting thiccer.
I was browsing for a cake to buy for Father's Day the other day and thought to look for the rainbow cake from Secret Recipe that I'd spotted some weeks ago. I'd remembered its price to be RM71 per cake, but when I checked it out again last Sunday, the price has increased to RM74. This is just a tiny reflection of the overall price increase of late.
I was tempted to feel sorry for being alive in this particular day and age, but I had to remind myself that I still am very much privileged compared to others. I have a job and no dependents, except for my cat. Things are tough across the board for everyone, but it could've been tougher.
I was reminded again of the last time things were really hard for me. It was in early 2015, I had been unemployed for several months, just recently moved out of my family home to live on my own, and was fresh out of a five-year relationship. I was vulnerable, lonely and broke. To make matters worse, it was the year when the Malaysian Government introduced the GST. Everything became expensive almost overnight. When I did get a job, it paid significantly lesser.
Honestly, I didn't think that life was going to look up, but It did. God's grace caught me unawares and suddenly everything was enough. I struggled a lot at the time but somehow, the struggles did not overwhelm me. His promises were true, His grace indeed was enough, and indeed He did not abandon me.
He's brought me and my family out of the pandemic safely. We survived and we all have Him to thank for it. I'm sure He will get us through this current inflation. His grace will be enough.
Of singleness and cancer.
If you had told 21-year-old me that I was going to remain single well after my 38th birthday, she would've probably died from a panic attack. The problem with the younger me was that I used to have a self-esteem the size of a mustard seed. I didn't think I would amount to much. In fact, I didn't think that I was going to have a good career or be capable of being successful in anything at all. Therefore, I thought it would've been easier to aspire to be married to someone who would save me and provide for me.
These days, I've accepted singleness as my true lot and portion. It is what it is and this is probably what life would look like into my 50s. Recently, though, I had a little 'episode' after finding out that one of my colleagues, who was also single, had died of breast cancer. I also found out recently that local celebrity, Adibah Noor, too, had died of ovarian cancer. She was never married.
I asked God in my prayer that night if this could be the reason He's 'singled me out' -- so that when I get cancer and eventually pass away, nobody would have to mourn losing me, since I don't have a partner or children depending on me anyway.
Again, He reminded me that His grace is and will always be enough. If it can get me through unemployment, financial ruts and breakups, it will get me through cancer -- IF that is my lot and portion in life. I will echo Job in saying, "should we accept from God only good and not adversity?" (Job 2:10). I have only enjoyed good things thus far (and I hope being single is all the 'adversity' He has for me in this life!), but should there be more adversities to come; I know His grace will be enough.
Of growing thiccer.
I recently went back to the gym for the second round of my strength cycle. I was sore for the whole day on Monday, but looking at my training log, I realised that I'm now able to do 6x3 reps of 88kg back squat. This time last year, 88kg was my 1 rep max -- and I could barely squat it to parallel then.
I've gained (and maintained) 3kg since my first strength cycle, and most of my long pants couldn't get past my quads anymore, but I haven't had any problems with my knees since. In fact, I'm now able to squat heavy up to 80% of my 1RM without relying on knee sleeves as a safety blanket. I'm also able to do pistols, and wall balls and do block runs without pain.
Like many women, getting comfortable in one's body takes a lot of getting used to. Luckily, I'm starting to care less about what my body weighs and appreciate it more for what it can do. My relationship with food has also started to change for the better. Having carbs at night used to leave me feeling guilty, but I realised that I often feel and perform much better at the gym after a healthy carb-fueling the night before.
Best of all, I no longer feel like I need to compete with someone else and always be the person who works out more. Right now, four times a week feels like a sweet spot. I can still hit PRs and look good without feeling so sore and tired all the time. As I get older, I realise that I need to focus on longevity. I want to be able to do this well into my 50s and 60s. Therefore, the safer I train the better.
1 note
·
View note
Text
Chapter 11 Part 2: Oh god no
The first thing we do on this ghost ship is have Moulder cast the Torch Staff he has so that we can see a bit more. It reveals this gargoyle to the right.
You'll notice that I didn't bring Colm this time even though there's fog. His vision would have helped, but I haven't trained him at all, and he's not that tough to begin with, so I was worried he'd be a liability on this map with limited space to move in.
The torch staff also reveals these two eyeball monsters up top. They attack with magic, so Vanessa, with her good res, might be a good choice to draw them down.
Yup, Vanessa with a javelin does just fine!
Not much happens that first turn, but then at the beginning of turn 2, Ephraim says, "! The enemy ship is approaching!"
So the ship moves in and we can see that it is packed with monsters.
And aside from the one gargoyle we saw before, there were a couple others in the fog who have already started moving towards us.
This is why fliers are so useful on this map. The top-most gargoyle is out of reach for anyone who can't fly, and the middle one is only in 2-range reach from the tile that Ross is standing on, which then blocks one of the two tiles which we can reach the bottom-most one from.
With fliers, it's possible to engage with the gargoyles and eyeballs a bit more aggressively. Without them, you need to do a lot of waiting for them to come to you, which means sacrificing some amount of control over the flow of battle.
The gargoyles are also pretty tough, and given the kind of damage output I have, and the limited number of squares to attack from, I resign to the fact that I won't be able to take out all 3 on player phase.
Lute and Ross get the bottom one, and then Cormag damages the middle one. I have him use his killer lance in the hope that he crits and just fixes the problem for me, but he doesn't.
So then Tana shows Cormag how it's done and crits with her javelin!
This makes an easy kill for Vanessa.
The one remaining gargoyle then eyes Lute, a tiny little person clearly without much in the way of defenses, but just as it's about to fly over and stab her, it hears a yell. The green-haired pegasus rider seems to take a tumble in the air and looks open to attack. The gargoyle switches its attention to her and dives in, only for her to suddenly recover and dodge the gargoyle's attack.
"Hmph, so it was all a ruse was it?" the gargoyle realizes too late.
Lute, who has been closely studying the behavior patterns of pegasus riders recently, immediately recognizes that--Titania was it?--was faking her fall to draw attention away from Lute. Why did she do that?
"I guess when I thank her for the book, I should thank her for keeping me from getting attacked too. Not that I couldn't take care of myself, but it's good to thank people. It makes them happy" Lute thought.
At the beginning of the next turn, Ephraim notes that the enemy ship has attached itself to our ship and the monsters are going to board.
He then says a very Ephraim thing, and basically breaks out the "I'm not trapped in here with you, you're trapped in here with me" thing.
Literally: "This is convenient. With this, my lance will be able to reach them!"
Before dealing with the immediate threat of the clump of monsters to our right, Moulder casts torch again to double check the surrounding area. There are more eyeballs to the upper left.
Now, as scary as that clump of enemies looks, they are mostly pretty weak, so it's not as bad as it looks. Franz can charge in pretty safely since some of them actually can't hurt him, and even the ones who can only do small amounts of damage.
The same goes for Duessel.
So then I set everyone else up. I sent Seth up to the top to draw out the eyeballs. It turned out that they didn't move during enemy phase though.
Most other units hang back since Franz and Duessel can handle this pretty well. I guess I could have moved Ephraim up behind them and had Tana hand over a javelin to him. I didn't move Ross up behind Duessel with 2-range just because Ross still has kind of low defense, so he isn't always good at tanking multiple hits, but he is good at doing damage, so he is a likely character right now to "suffer from success".
(Basically, sometimes characters are so successful at doing damage, that they kill multiple enemies on enemy phase, but this means other enemies don't get blocked out from attacking, so the character takes a lot of damage and dies. In some situations, you actually want a character's attack to not be super great.)
Here are some examples of the work Franz and Duessel put in during enemy phase. Lots of zeroes in the enemy damage displays!
Cormag also did some work.
And then from out of the fog, this happened. I did not know that bow was there! This is why fog maps can be difficult!
But Cormag does get a level up during enemy phase, and he now can reclass whenever he's ready.
But yeah, that was a big hit, and it's good there weren't any other strong enemies nearby or we'd already be saying bye to Cormag right after recruiting him last map!
Next time: Hacking away at the weeds
#fire emblem#sacred stones#fire emblem the sacred stones#fe8#ファイアエンブレム#聖魔の光石#fire emblem lute#vanessa fire emblem#lute x vanessa
0 notes
Note
How is this Louis festival any different from H’s tour plans? Yet I see many people who pretty much ’cancelled’ Harry a week ago, being all excited and going ’well it’s outdoors and free etc etc’ now. I’m sorry but really?
you know, i'm actually going to take this moment to break this down because i feel like people really don't understand the double standard:
the two situations are not comparable. we can acknowledge and admit that. louis is doing a one day festival vs harry doing a two month tour across the US. those are obviously not the same thing at all. but we see time and time again how people perceive the motivation behind harry and louis' actions are completely different.
people were begging for updates on tour and saying over and over "harry is for sure postponing tour, there's no way he's going on tour rn with the delta variant spreading" and then when we find out that plans were different, it was super spreader this, harry is greedy that, as though changing plans for a world tour are a decision that happens overnight and not something that takes time and careful consideration, especially in the middle of a pandemic.
there's no performing at half capacity for shows that have been sold out for over a year. y'all want him to make a two month tour go for four? there's no outdoor venues for places where venues are booked or few and far between. the idea that, if harry were to do something different to accommodate for an ever changing pandemic when just two months ago things were drastically improving in the US, people wouldn't still behave exactly as they have or be satisfied enough by his efforts is just not working for me.
like y'all just need to be transparent. i see y'all reblogging gifs and videos and photos of megan the stallion performing at lives shows (where mfs got sick) and not acknowledging a damn thing because you only choose to make a problem out of something when you want to.
#like be honest with yourselves if harry tomorrow came and said ''i'm cancelling all shows on my us tour and only performing one show''#would y'all be like ''oh this is okay this is fine''#or would it then be ''why are you doing any shows at all in the middle of a pandemic?''#and i dont give a fuck that louis is doing this show i really don't like good for him i hope the people who go enjoy themselves#and i hope that things go without problems and that everyone can remain safe#but i keep that same optimism for tour in the meantime and pray that it gets postponed for everyone's safety in the near future#but maybe thats because i dont have some petty spiteful attitude that makes me want to see people learn for their mistakes#at other people's expense#i am literally not comparing anything that either of them are doing either i am acknowledging the shitty way this fandom moves#and if you somehow feel like me saying this is an attack on louis jah bless but your reading comprehension is no good i fear#anyways every day i think about how i dropped my discord idea because things seem to get better#and then y'all just piss me off all over again#but the immediate enthusiasm whenever louis moves and only saying some shit when y'all see others say some shit#vs the first reaction of harry doing anything being a negative one is fucking real i hate it here#anonymous#mensaje mensaje
6 notes
·
View notes
Text
Online Safety Relevant to the Current State of the Internet
On twitter I made a tweet about how online safety lessons in school can be very out of touch but that the advice of people who are familiar with the current internet shouldn't be disregarded. So here's my informal collection of online safety tips
Sources: unrestricted internet access since elementary school (not recommended), being a formerly involuntarily home bound person for several years that amassed way too much online experience
This could possibly hold upsetting reminders to people who had bad experiences online including mentions of grooming and emotional manipulation so please proceed with caution!
Information Sharing
Make an online pseudonym for public profiles and websites.
Don’t feel like you have to list everything about you for the world to see.
Sometimes it’s not a question of “can this information be used to locate and identify me irl?”, but simply “do I want this information publicly available and linked to my online persona?”
Unlike offline, being online leaves a constant trail of who you were accessible at all times. People are constantly growing and changing. Try to limit the information you share so you can ditch that trail and start over if need be.
Sharing information with people you make friends with and trust is a judgement call on your part, but always be on the safe side and be protective of your information.
Start as cautious as possible with online safety. Any risks or judgement calls can come later when you are 1. aware of the risks, 2. ready to address them if they occur, and 3. have gathered plenty of information instead of doing something blindly and hoping for the best.
Do not share your triggers publicly, they can very easily be used against you. Instead use websites with a large amount of filtering options to curate your online experience. If you are going to share them, only do it privately with people you trust.
Importance of Boundaries
It doesn’t matter how mature you are, don’t enter age limited spaces you don’t qualify for. It’s disrespectful to the boundaries of the people who made that space. Boundaries like this exist for the comfort of both sides involved.
Just because you can “handle it” doesn’t mean it’s good for you. Desensitization is not something to brag about.
Venting or making r18 posts as a minor on a public account is VERY dangerous. Intense emotional vulnerability is something manipulators will look for as a way to get to you. The same with sexual jokes to develop your comfort talking about those topics casually and eventually escalating the situation. If you are going to talk about such things please keep that in private conversations with people you trust in your age group.
Note the difference between public and private online space. Tweeting something on a public account is not the same as having a conversation in the cafeteria with your friends.
If an adult tries talking to you about r18, run the other way. Doesn’t matter how cool you are, it says something weird about THEM if they’re willing to talk to a minor about that stuff.
If someone( like 3+ years, honestly depends on how old you are) older than you wouldn't be comfortable saying what they're saying to you in front of other people (like a teacher or guardian), that's suspicious as hell. Run in the other direction.
The younger you are, the more age gaps matter. There's a bigger difference in development between a 13 year old and a 17 year old than there is between a 20 year old and a 24 year old. It helps to try to contextualize it with real people instead of numbers. Instead of thinking "oh just 4 years? that's not that weird" consider "oh. that would be like a freshman (13/14) dating a senior (17/18). yikes."
Be just as wary of people your own age talking about things that make you uncomfortable. Just like irl, sometimes you’ll meet people your age that are hurtful.
Friends complain to each other and talk about their issues, that alone is fine. But when people are doing it without permission, draw a line. When people are making it feel like you’re responsible for maintaining their mental health, you need to draw a line. When it starts to effect your mental health, PLEASE DRAW A LINE! I know it feels like your responsibility sometimes, but it’s not. You cannot be there for others if you’re not taking care of yourself first and foremost.
Don’t be afraid to block people. Even for petty reasons. It’s good to block people. Don’t force yourself to see stuff you don’t want to see.
Being Constantly Online
The 24 hour news cycle is not a good thing to follow 24/7. Taking social responsibility is a good thing, but your brain is NOT built to worry about every issue in the world at once. One strategy I use for staying sane is I try to only check the news once a day, and if something needs more attention to set aside an amount of time I’m going to focus on it before I need to take time to step back.
Touch grass. Not literally, unless you can in which case I highly suggest it, sometimes it’s just good to lay in a field. What I mean is you need to dedicate a good portion of your time to being offline (sleep does not count). What your offline time looks like is going to differ depending on your level of ability, but even if you are house bound it’s important to build some hobbies that don’t rely on the internet. Talking to people offline is also a good goal if possible, even just to your housemates.
Social etiquette greatly differs online and offline and sometimes the reminder that were all just Some People gets lost behind the numbers and the fabricated personas. Keep in mind the difference in how information is shared without forgetting that the fact we are all people remains the same.
Be generous with your etiquette. You will avoid a lot of stress if you conduct yourself with the same politeness you would have in an offline interaction. Master the art of "minding your own business" for your own sake.
Arguments and Competition
As soon as you can, you need to internalize the fact that leaving an argument is not losing.
It is inevitable you will be exposed to many people who disagree with you. Some people only want to argue to rile you up. Sometimes that’s not their intention, but it’s what they’re doing. You do not have to remain in conversation with people, especially if they’re not interested in actually coming to an understanding. Even if they are interested, sometimes they just suck!! Leave!! You can leave!!
On that note, sometimes you are going to get valid criticism and it’s going to hurt. That is part of learning. If someone says you messed up and did something hurtful, take a second to step back from your defensiveness and consider: intent ≠ effect. Apologize, repair what you can, and move forward with the ability to do better in the future. You’re going to mess up every once in awhile, it’s inevitable.
To summarize the past two points: don't waste your time on unnecessary hostility but don't close yourself into an echo chamber either. Debates should be about learning.
Sometimes people are not going to like you. This happens offline too but people tend to be a lot more blunt online. Sometimes people dislike you for no reason or for really petty reasons. That’s not your problem, move on.
Don’t actively seek out people you don’t like or who don’t like you to argue with. Whether or not your side is the “right side” doesn’t matter, it’s going to cause you so much unnecessary stress. Feel free to keep posting your opinions on your own profile but don’t seek out unnecessary conflict.
This is a different type of competition than previously mentioned, but be aware of the danger of comparing yourself to other people. Especially if you’re a creative or student, DO NOT GET SWEPT UP IN THE GRIND CULTURE. It’s more subtle in some places than others, but anytime you see the notion that you should be working yourself to the bone be VERY critical. Also be critical of any online cultures (such as gaming and art communities) that brag about unhealthy habits or act like it’s ~part of the culture~ (ex: all nighters, not taking breaks, getting hurt. Any activity that neglects health to work toward a goal).
Not just grind culture, any community of subculture that shares anti recovery sentiments is a huge red flag. Even if they're joking, it's not worth the risk of internalizing those statements.
Everyone’s social media presence is to some degree doctored because it’s a purposefully selected collection of what they allow you to see. It’s fine to like the persona you see being displayed, but never forget that it is not reflective of the entire person. Everyone online is JUST SOME PERSON. Do not forget that and start holding yourself to a standard you can’t even see every side of.
By posting online you are opening yourself to criticism. Whether or not it’s justified can vary, but either way it’s going to happen. Mute stuff, go private, disable comments, etc if you need to.
Misc Tidbits
these are technically just general info that is also good for offline but I have seen things that make me think people online need the extra reminder.
Learn what cults are, how they recruit, and what they do to their members. I'm not kidding. This is particularly relevant at the moment because of current societal unrest and widespread loneliness. No one is immune to cult propaganda, and not every cult is based on pre established religion or family. Many exist ONLINE and are able to manipulate people without ever meeting face to face. (learn more: Loneliness as a Pandemic: The Dangers of Online Cult
Familiarize yourself with the concept of pseudoscience. Please familiarize yourself with the concept of pseudoscience and then learn how to identify pseudoscience. (learn more: Karl Popper, Science, & Pseudoscience: Crash Course Philosophy #8)
Q. How do I know if a source is reliable?
Final Thoughts
It's important people of ALL ages learn these lessons, because the internet is constantly changing and we are all vulnerable when in the presence of other people.
Be cautious and stay safe
2K notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
f-amilyties
f-amilyties
cambridgegarden
Cambridge Garden Centre
authorinprogresss-blog
Isabella Kathleen
dearfreddyfreddy-blog
Top Hats and Knifes
luffyandaceswife
Portgas.D.Lynn