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karingottschalk · 8 months
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Fujifilm Japan: Fujifilm unveils the latest development roadmap for interchangeable lenses designed for the GFX Series of mirrorless digital cameras – Press release
GF 55Fujifilm unveils the latest development roadmap for interchangeable lenses designed for the GFX Series of mirrorless digital cameras TOKYO, September 12, 2023 – FUJIFILM Corporation (President & CEO, Representative Director: Teiichi Goto) has unveiled the latest development roadmap for interchangeable GF lenses designed for the GFX Series of mirrorless digital cameras, which incorporate the…
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nasa · 1 year
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Caution: Universe Work Ahead 🚧
We only have one universe. That’s usually plenty – it’s pretty big after all! But there are some things scientists can’t do with our real universe that they can do if they build new ones using computers.
The universes they create aren’t real, but they’re important tools to help us understand the cosmos. Two teams of scientists recently created a couple of these simulations to help us learn how our Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope sets out to unveil the universe’s distant past and give us a glimpse of possible futures.
Caution: you are now entering a cosmic construction zone (no hard hat required)!
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This simulated Roman deep field image, containing hundreds of thousands of galaxies, represents just 1.3 percent of the synthetic survey, which is itself just one percent of Roman's planned survey. The full simulation is available here. The galaxies are color coded – redder ones are farther away, and whiter ones are nearer. The simulation showcases Roman’s power to conduct large, deep surveys and study the universe statistically in ways that aren’t possible with current telescopes.
One Roman simulation is helping scientists plan how to study cosmic evolution by teaming up with other telescopes, like the Vera C. Rubin Observatory. It’s based on galaxy and dark matter models combined with real data from other telescopes. It envisions a big patch of the sky Roman will survey when it launches by 2027. Scientists are exploring the simulation to make observation plans so Roman will help us learn as much as possible. It’s a sneak peek at what we could figure out about how and why our universe has changed dramatically across cosmic epochs.
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This video begins by showing the most distant galaxies in the simulated deep field image in red. As it zooms out, layers of nearer (yellow and white) galaxies are added to the frame. By studying different cosmic epochs, Roman will be able to trace the universe's expansion history, study how galaxies developed over time, and much more.
As part of the real future survey, Roman will study the structure and evolution of the universe, map dark matter – an invisible substance detectable only by seeing its gravitational effects on visible matter – and discern between the leading theories that attempt to explain why the expansion of the universe is speeding up. It will do it by traveling back in time…well, sort of.
Seeing into the past
Looking way out into space is kind of like using a time machine. That’s because the light emitted by distant galaxies takes longer to reach us than light from ones that are nearby. When we look at farther galaxies, we see the universe as it was when their light was emitted. That can help us see billions of years into the past. Comparing what the universe was like at different ages will help astronomers piece together the way it has transformed over time.
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This animation shows the type of science that astronomers will be able to do with future Roman deep field observations. The gravity of intervening galaxy clusters and dark matter can lens the light from farther objects, warping their appearance as shown in the animation. By studying the distorted light, astronomers can study elusive dark matter, which can only be measured indirectly through its gravitational effects on visible matter. As a bonus, this lensing also makes it easier to see the most distant galaxies whose light they magnify.
The simulation demonstrates how Roman will see even farther back in time thanks to natural magnifying glasses in space. Huge clusters of galaxies are so massive that they warp the fabric of space-time, kind of like how a bowling ball creates a well when placed on a trampoline. When light from more distant galaxies passes close to a galaxy cluster, it follows the curved space-time and bends around the cluster. That lenses the light, producing brighter, distorted images of the farther galaxies.
Roman will be sensitive enough to use this phenomenon to see how even small masses, like clumps of dark matter, warp the appearance of distant galaxies. That will help narrow down the candidates for what dark matter could be made of.
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In this simulated view of the deep cosmos, each dot represents a galaxy. The three small squares show Hubble's field of view, and each reveals a different region of the synthetic universe. Roman will be able to quickly survey an area as large as the whole zoomed-out image, which will give us a glimpse of the universe’s largest structures.
Constructing the cosmos over billions of years
A separate simulation shows what Roman might expect to see across more than 10 billion years of cosmic history. It’s based on a galaxy formation model that represents our current understanding of how the universe works. That means that Roman can put that model to the test when it delivers real observations, since astronomers can compare what they expected to see with what’s really out there.
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In this side view of the simulated universe, each dot represents a galaxy whose size and brightness corresponds to its mass. Slices from different epochs illustrate how Roman will be able to view the universe across cosmic history. Astronomers will use such observations to piece together how cosmic evolution led to the web-like structure we see today.
This simulation also shows how Roman will help us learn how extremely large structures in the cosmos were constructed over time. For hundreds of millions of years after the universe was born, it was filled with a sea of charged particles that was almost completely uniform. Today, billions of years later, there are galaxies and galaxy clusters glowing in clumps along invisible threads of dark matter that extend hundreds of millions of light-years. Vast “cosmic voids” are found in between all the shining strands.
Astronomers have connected some of the dots between the universe’s early days and today, but it’s been difficult to see the big picture. Roman’s broad view of space will help us quickly see the universe’s web-like structure for the first time. That’s something that would take Hubble or Webb decades to do! Scientists will also use Roman to view different slices of the universe and piece together all the snapshots in time. We’re looking forward to learning how the cosmos grew and developed to its present state and finding clues about its ultimate fate.
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This image, containing millions of simulated galaxies strewn across space and time, shows the areas Hubble (white) and Roman (yellow) can capture in a single snapshot. It would take Hubble about 85 years to map the entire region shown in the image at the same depth, but Roman could do it in just 63 days. Roman’s larger view and fast survey speeds will unveil the evolving universe in ways that have never been possible before.
Roman will explore the cosmos as no telescope ever has before, combining a panoramic view of the universe with a vantage point in space. Each picture it sends back will let us see areas that are at least a hundred times larger than our Hubble or James Webb space telescopes can see at one time. Astronomers will study them to learn more about how galaxies were constructed, dark matter, and much more.
The simulations are much more than just pretty pictures – they’re important stepping stones that forecast what we can expect to see with Roman. We’ve never had a view like Roman’s before, so having a preview helps make sure we can make the most of this incredible mission when it launches.
Learn more about the exciting science this mission will investigate on Twitter and Facebook.
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!
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thephoblographer · 2 years
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A Simple Little Ultra-Wide: Sony 10-20mm F4 PZ G Review
This lens is tiny -- but is the Power Zoom a good trade for no OSS?
The Sony 10-20mm f4 PZ G crams both the ultra-wide and the wide-angle perspective into one lens. That’s not entirely uncommon, but this lens weighs just over six ounces. Designed for Sony’s APS-C cameras, the new optic incorporates weather sealing and tons of controls onto a rather tiny lens. (more…)
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badbatchsprincess · 23 days
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Heated ~ pt.6
Pt.1 ~ Pt.2 ~ Pt.3 ~ Pt.4 ~ Pt.5 ~ Pt.6 ~ Pt.7 ~ Pt.8 ~ Pt.9
Masterlist
Summary: This is an ABO Bad batch!Poly x Omega Reader smut with a plot. This takes place as an AU before order 66. Y/N previously served under the 501st before being transferred to Special Forces 99. This is her adventure with these rowdy Alphas in a quickly changing universe.
THIS IS AN ABO AU ABOUT THE BAD BATCH (NO CANON OMEGA!) Due to the unfortunate situation of her name being Omega… Omega the child from the canon series is not going to be apart of this fanfic/porn with a plot. I feel obligated to put this warning in because it makes my skin crawl thinking anyone could make that mistake. 
Warnings: Canon typical violence, sex!pollen trope, some injury, sexual themes, masturbation, heat cycles, rut
Finally I got his chapter done lololol there's 4k extra words in this one so please enjoy haha!
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─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──
"We're under attack!" Wrecker pointed to the sky as more Separatist bombing droids came whizzing by, firing at the Venators in orbit.
"I'm getting Y/N," Hunter started, taking off running towards the growing commotion, but he was suddenly taken off balance when Tech tripped him with his own foot, causing the Sergeant to go tumbling into the grass. He looked up at Tech with a glare.
"You cannot go," Tech said, looking at the camp. "With your heightened senses, it may kill you. From what I can see, those wearing helmets are okay due to their air filters, but those who were caught off guard are starting to display signs of infection. Rescuing Y/N will only risk our own infection, and then it will be irrelevant."
Hunter looked back at the camp, distraught.
"We can't just leave her," Hunter growled, standing back up again.
"What if she's infected?" Crosshair asked, looking down his scope at the medical tent. "The Omegas on the science team died."
Wrecker growled.
"The Omegas died because they had no Alpha to cure their induced heat," Tech read through the researcher's report. "The heat symptoms progressed too far unnaturally."
Suddenly, their com channel cracked. "Hunter?"
"Wolffe?" Hunter responded, looking back at the chaos across the clearing.
"I got her, Hunter!" Wolffe radioed in. "Are you at the Marauder?"
"Yes, we're up here," Hunter said, relieved he could finally take a breath. He grabbed his scope and looked down the rolling hills, trying to see through the foggy red dust.
"We're on our way," Wolffe turned his com off, leaving the 99's in anxious silence. Hunter could pick up the stench rolling off Wrecker and Tech. While the scent was significantly less, even Crosshair was getting nervous seeing the rising tensions in the crowd of 104th regs.
"I see them," Tech said, zooming in his lenses. "1 o'clock."
"What happened to her?" Hunter tried zooming in closer to their silhouette. Y/N was thrown over Wolffe’s shoulder, dangling limply, while Echo followed behind, holding a bloody rag over his face.
"Is she hurt?" Tech asked, trying to get a clearer image.
"I can't tell," Crosshair hissed.
Wolffe and Echo ran as fast as they could, dodging regs and shoving their way through the chaos. When they finally made it up the hill, Wolffe was panting and rubbing at his eyes, trying to wipe the dust from his skin.
The others backed up, not wanting to get any closer.
Wolffe set Y/N down on the plush grass, letting Echo kneel down and press his hand to her forehead. He adjusted the little filtration mask pressed to her face, letting her head lull to the side. She was knocked out cold.
"What the hell happened?" Crosshair couldn't believe it.
"I don't know," Wolffe rasped. "But you gotta get her out of here!" He was panting, starting to feel the effects.
"Tech, power up the ship, we're leaving now," Hunter placed his helmet on, securing the filtration system. The others did the same, running to get the ship primed and ready.
"Radio the General, please!" Wolffe was tearing at his armor, starting to feel the unbearable itch of a rut forming. "Fuck!"
Hunter bent down, picking up the tiny Omega and turned towards the ship.
"What about the other Omegas?" Echo asked, looking back at the camp. The infected regs were raising their noses in the air, seemingly trying to tail a particular scent.
"We can't save them all," Hunter decided, saving Y/N was the top of his priority. "We're not risking it."
Echo just nodded and followed him onboard the ship, letting the door close behind him. 
When Tech started to pull the Marauder up into the air, they could see the Commander crawling in the grass, fighting the effects of the drug, but in the distance, they saw the beady eyes of the infected following Y/N’s trail. 
They seemed to fall into rage when they realized the Omega had gotten away; their howls could be heard from the ship.
"Maker…" Echo was in disbelief. It was hoards of feral Alphas, hundreds of them.
"What happened to Pip?" Wrecker was nudging her limp body, pathetically trying to wake her up.
"Is she infected?" Tech asked.
"No," Echo confirmed. "She got the mask in time."
"Are you infected?" Hunter looked at their co-pilot.
"No," Echo shook his head. "I'm barely human, nonetheless an Alpha. I don't think it affects me the same way it does all of you."
"We should still check," Tech put the ship into autopilot and went into Y/N's bunk to grab her med kit.
"What happened to her?" Hunter asked, setting her down gently on the floor.
"We just got to the triage tent, she was clocking in when Wolffe came to speak with her," Echo noticed the way Hunter’s eyes narrowed, possessively he might add. He was going to love rousting Y/N when she finally wakes up. "They were talking when the bombs dropped. She saw the red and knew exactly what it was. She grabbed a respirator and tried to save her friend, that little skinny Omega."
"Taran," Tech chimed in.
"Yeah, sure, anyways," Echo looked over to his longest-known friend. "She got knocked over in the chaos and hit her head. Almost got trampled but Wolffe found her and got her out." Echo wanted to smirk so badly, knowing it was going to drive his unit up the wall to know Wolffe saved the day once again. 
They had been pining for her ever since they met her, but Y/N was too oblivious to notice. But the arc trooper noticed everything. His sense of smell may have been demolished, but he could see it in all of their eyes.
Echo also may or may not have caught Crosshair rutting with an Omega that looked nearly identical to Y/N the last time they were back for quarterlies. Echo didn't say anything though, but he was always watching.
"What do we do?" Wrecker took off his helmet and sat on the floor next to Y/N.
"She'll need bacta for the head injury and probably pain management when she wakes," Tech informed.
"I'll do it," Crosshair knelt down, taking the pack. "I did it for her once on Crait."
The others just watched as he found the liquid bacta and placed it into her injector. He cleaned the site and pressed the mechanism close to her neck. He pressed the button and watched the dose administer. Her head lulled back into his hand, and he gently removed the respirator from her face.
"Ad’ika?" Hunter cooed, running a gloved hand over her cheek.
Crosshair kept his hawk eyes carefully trained on her eyelashes. She tried to flutter them open, but they were too heavy it seemed. Instead, she just clutched onto his chest plate weakly and groaned in pain.
"It's okay," Hunter whispered, watching Crosshair help her sit up. "You're safe."
She turned into Crosshair, feeling dizzy.
"Get her the painkiller," Tech fussed. Hunter loaded the new cartridge and handed it to the sniper. He pressed it to her shoulder and pushed the button, hearing her wince as the medicine entered her system.
"She's too weak, get her something to lay down on," Crosshair motioned to their bunks.
Wrecker disappeared into her bunk and came back with her cot mattress. They made room on the main cabin floor where Crosshair gently set her down on the mattress, letting her lay down comfortably.
She rolled onto her side, keeping her eyes closed, waiting for the medicine to kick in.
Hunter just looked to Echo, who was concerned, watching his friend in pain.
"What do we do now?" Wrecker asked, watching the Venators approach.
"We let them know what happened, and then I guess we go to Coruscant for quarterlies," Hunter crossed his arms, peering down at the little medic. "We're not going back to Kashyyyk. Not with Y/N."
"It’s been three months already?" Wrecker groused, he hated getting his implant replaced.
"Shockingly yes," Tech replied. "We'll be coming up on seventy-five rotations, give or take a few days." He settled back into his seat to send the transmission to General Plo’s ship.
Up ahead, the darkness of space was lit up with blue and red laser beams as the Republic forces engaged the Separatist warships. Tech stayed far enough away to not be noticed, but close enough to get the message out.
"Well then let's set a course for—" Echo was cut off when their ship was suddenly rocked violently.
"Separatists!" Tech pulled back the controls and started making a beeline away from the planet to make the jump to hyperspace.
"They're on our tail!" Echo exclaimed, watching the red blast fly past them.
"I know…" Tech tried to snake the ship hopefully to throw them, but the droid ship just locked on.
"Make the jump!" Crosshair bit out.
Tech flicked the switch on the console, hearing the hyperdrive power up. Tech set the course for Coruscant, and Echo pushed the lever. Just as the Marauder made the jump, there was a blast coming from the back of the ship.
Just as they jumped, the ship made a loud rumble before falling out of hyperspace. They all lurched forwards as the Marauder was beginning to lose control.
"We've lost left rear engine and hyperdrive," Echo was scrambling to gain the controls back.
"We're heading straight for Mimban," Tech pointed out, seeing the brown planet approaching quickly.
"We're going to have to make an emergency landing," Echo grabbed his steering and tried to pull up to slow the ship.
"Brace!" Tech yelled, pulling up the nose last minute.
The crash was violent and rough. The entire ship creaked as its hull bent under the impact. The lights overhead flickered before permanently shutting off, throwing the whole crew into total darkness. Everyone on board was flung forwards as the Marauder skidded to a halt into something soft.
The emergency lights turned on with a red glow, signaling a total system failure.
~~~
Everything was fuzzy and dizzying the longer you tried to refocus your vision. The pain killers were swirling in your system, making you feel good… really good actually. This was probably the best crash landing you've ever been a part of now that you're thinking about it.
"Y/N?" Echo's face was suddenly in yours. "What is wrong with her?"
You heard yourself giggling. Echo suddenly had two heads, only making you giggle more. Reaching out, your hands felt strange, like they had grown scales or something. You just looked at them, watching your fingertips change colors with an amused gasp.
"Crosshair gave her too much painkiller," Tech brought his flashlight to your eyes, watching them dilate. You placed a hand against Tech's helmet lens, blocking his view, making him swat your grabby hands away.
"What do we do?"
"We just gotta wait it out."
"Well, I don't think that will be a problem. I don't think we're getting out of here for a while."
You could hear their voices talking. Hunter's smokey voice was like honey to your ears. You chewed your lip, looking down at your boots, feeling your cheeks heat up. You felt a tingly warmth start to fill your tummy the longer he talked, and the feeling only seemed to move lower as he continued. You looked up and stared at his criminally slutty waist and fit ass from your jump seat with a longing stare.
You barely registered when he turned to face you with a raised brow. Caught, you turned your gaze up to meet his pretty face and pretty eyes. You bit your lip and blinked owlishly as he studied your face.
"That's freaking me out," Echo grumbled, watching you go out of your right mind.
"Well, let's get to work trying to repair the ship. I don't want to find out what's out here come nightfall," Hunter ordered, "and don't let her wander.”
Soon, you found yourself alone, happily swinging your feet from the jump seat without a care in the world. Echo arrived and adjusted your seat straps so you couldn’t dawdle off like a lost pup. You just giggled and poked at his head ports, making him scowl.
He forced you to drink some water, mumbling something about flushing your system.
You felt the warm Mimban breeze blow through the ship as the boys opened the hatch and got to work digging the ship out.
Tech came to feed you some ration bars and give you more water before checking your vitals. When he determined you were able to hold yourself up without falling over, he unclipped the jump seat straps and helped you get used to your feet again.
“I would suggest you just lay down for a while until you’re functioning properly again.” You clutched his arm while he helped you walk to the mattress on the floor. You plopped down on your bum before flopping over on your side.
“Alright then.” Tech pushed his glasses up and went back to tinkering in one of the side panels.
You pawed at the sky, trying to feel the breeze with your hands, which earned you a few glances from your concerned pack. You nibbled at the food they left for you, but it started to taste funny, and you only giggled more.
“I couldn’t have given her that much,” Crosshair watched you play with your food with an amused look on his face.
“She’s small, even for humanoid omega standards,” Tech ripped out a clump of fried wires and began cutting through the damage, “The dose you gave her was most likely for a full-grown alpha, such as Wrecker.”
“Kriff,” Crosshair whispered and turned back to help Tech.
~~~
Night was coming fast, and you had now come down from being stoned beyond your wildest imagination. You stared at the wall, suddenly remembering everything and realizing the dire situation you were all in. You were beginning to miss the delirium of the painkillers. Luckily, your headache was gone, and the bacta seemed to heal the head injury.
However, you were still royally pissed at your unit.
You didn’t forget what happened, and how they had treated you. You tucked your knees into your chest and decided zoning out into the wall would be better than feeling the rage boiling in your chest.
You noticed they were starting to call it quits making their way back inside the ship. You decided you wanted to be alone and grabbed the corner of your cot to drag it haphazardly through the nearly sideways ship. With a struggle, you got the mattress back into your bunk and hauled it up onto the metal slab. With one final grunt, you shoved the mattress back into place, giving yourself a rest.
You decided to change into something a little cooler. This planet seemed to be a lot warmer than Kashyyyk. You haven’t been able to see outside, but you could taste the humidity in the air and feel the warming breeze. You yanked your long sleeve off and swapped it out for a cropped tank. The tight cargos got swapped for loose ones, and you kicked off your boots, opting just for your socks.
You heard a knock on the door and expected it to be Tech needing something from his bunk, but it turned out to be Echo.
“Hey,” he said, closing the door behind him.
“Hey,” you replied, folding up your dirty clothes. Your nose immediately scrunched, “You reek.” It wasn’t his normal smell; it was something gross and terrestrial.
He sniffed his armpits, “I didn’t even think I still had sweat glands.”
You shook your head and pointed to his shoes, “Stinky!”
He looked down at the reddish mud caked onto his boots, “Oh… yeah, it’s nasty out there.”
You just made a face and covered your nose.
“You feeling okay?” He asked.
You nodded, “Yeah, but I don’t really know what’s going on. One second I’m on Kashyyyk and the next I’m higher than a hayroot, and then we’ve crash-landed on some stinky planet.”
“Well… you pretty much nailed it,” Echo scratched his head, “You got knocked out in the triage tent after separatists dropped the spice bombs. Then Wolffe carried you all the way back to the Marauder despite being dosed himself and handed you off to Hunter who tried to get away to keep everyone safe and get the message to the General, but we were shot down making the jump to lightspeed and then crash-landed here on Mimban.”
“Mimban?!” You screeched, “That’s in the middle of nowhere!”
He nodded solemnly.
“Did you guys send a distress call to the Republic fleet?”
“We tried… then Tech realized our comms have been squished.”
“Squished…” You narrowed your eyes.
“That was the word he used.”
“I see,” you crossed your arms, “So what I’m hearing is, we have no ship…”
“Correct.”
“No comms.”
“Correct.”
“No fleet.”
“Correct.”
“No one knows where we are.”
“Mhmm.”
“The entire 104th was chemically attacked.”
“Yes.”
“And we’re stranded on Mimban… with no way to leave.”
“Correct.”
“Are you all aware we are supposed to be on Coruscant in eleven days for quarterlies?”
“Unfortunately.”
“Mhmm,” you nodded, feeling the anxiety creeping in. Great, this is just perfect.
“Are you… alright?” He asked, watching your eye twitch slightly.
“No.”
There was a bout of silence…
He smacked his teeth, “It’s an unfortunate situation.”
You nodded vigorously, “One might say that.”
“An extremely awful and awkward situation…”
“Yeah… it is,” you pushed your tongue into the side of your mouth.
“Well… do you want dinner?”
“I think I lost my appetite,” you gave him a plastered smile.
“Let me know if that changes… I’ll leave you to it.” Echo turned on his heel, leaving your bunk and closed the door behind him. It was only a few seconds before he heard you scream violently into your pillow, making the others jump.
“I take it she figured it out,” Hunter uncovered his ears.
Echo shook his head, “Yeah, I’d say she figured it out.”
“FUCK!” Your muffled scream made Hunter cringe again.
“I think she’s taking the news quite well,” Tech poked at his food.
“Was that you making a joke?” Crosshair raised a brow.
“I thought my sarcasm was obvious,” Tech bit into his warmed food.
“How was that obvious?” Wrecker grumbled.
“We have to get off this rock,” Echo chewed his dinner, “Stating the obvious, but your implants are going to wear out. If we don’t get an evac or somehow manage to fix the ship, we’re going to have a big problem.”
“Our first priority is to fix the com system and try to contact the nearest fleet,” Tech replied, “That would be the most promising scenario given we have no other hurdles.”
“And if we can’t?” Echo raised a brow.
“Then we’ll deal with it when the time comes,” Hunter was trying not to think about the fact that they could be dealing with an omega in heat with alphas in rut in a very confined space. The potential for a mess was likely.
“That gives me a lot of confidence,” Echo snarked.
“It’s all we can do.”
~~~
Day two on Mimban consisted of you coming out of your bunk earlier than the others to eat your breakfast. You looked outside the cockpit window to see nothing but orange fog clouding any terrain. You sighed and prayed to the Force that it would guide you back safely.
The rest of the day, you helped Echo, trailing him, trying to help in any way possible. You quickly realized that the soil on Mimban was reddish-brown clay and it was soft. That was probably the reason the ship hadn’t snapped in two on impact, but the nose of the ship was buried into a thick pile of the stuff. The boys were busy trying to dig out the hull while you, Tech, and Echo fixed the interior damage.
Day three, you were starting to get a little weary. Sleeping on an angle was a bit rough, and Tech decided rest was beneath him. He stayed up all night trying to repair the comm system but didn’t seem to be making any good progress. Echo had you carry around all of the spare parts he needed to try and fix the left engine. Hunter had elected to venture out with Crosshair to see if there were any towns that might be able to help. Wrecker was on shovel clay duty.
Day four, you realized your unit was totally alone in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere. There wasn’t anything within remote traveling distance, and when Hunter and Crosshair came back in the morning with the news, you left to lock yourself in your bunk and cry.
Day five was much of the same. You leaned your forehead against the side of the ship while Echo abused your laser suture to weld some pieces of metal to the engine core. You were starting to feel the weight of the situation as the emotional exhaustion was starting to settle in. You missed Kashyyyk. You missed the food, and the fresh water, and the clean air. You missed talking to your unit. They still haven’t apologized, and you’re still giving them the cold shoulder even though they clearly cared enough to protect you from the attack on the war camp. Eating your meals in the bunks was the only time you got to yourself.
Day six was when the others started getting a little agitated. It started with Tech fussing about the mud caking on his boots and ass. He tried shaking off the thick clay but ended up getting so frustrated he screamed and kicked the Marauder with full force. It was so out of character everyone stopped what they were doing to look. No one said anything, but they watched their pack mate rip off his shoes and throw them violently into the cabin with a loud splat followed by very creative cursing.
Wrecker was starving as usual, and his food-related complaining was starting to make your stomach growl too. You had to resort to rationing your rations as you all were not prepared to be stranded for days on end.
“Someone had to have seen us get shot down, right?” You asked Echo, handing him his screwdriver.
“I don’t know, pip,” he sighed, scratching his head, “I don’t think this planet is very inhabited. And if it is, we don’t know if it’s advanced in any way.”
You sighed, taking the screwdriver back and handing him a wrench.
“I think the others are starting to lose it,” you whispered and peeked around the corner to see Tech angrily messing with the console with his mismatched socks on display.
“I’ve certainly never seen Tech yell before,” he snickered.
“I miss Kashyyyk,” you sighed.
“Do you miss Kashyyyk or a certain alpha on Kashyyyk?” he joked.
“Echo!” You whispered.
“What?” he laughed, “I’m thinking about that omega back on Coruscant I had before Skako Minor.”
You gasped, feigning scandal.
Echo smirked, “Whatever gets you through the day.”
“Guys, come out here!” Hunter’s voice echoed throughout the ship.
The three of you came out of the ship to see that they had cleared most of the clay away from the ship.
“We need help pushing her over so she’s back on her feet!” Hunter said, ushering you all to help. When you all were in position, you pushed with everything you had (Wrecker did most of the work), but you all watched in awe as the Marauder was finally on all four landing pads.
“We did it!” Wrecker hooted and picked you up spinning you around before depositing you back in the mud. You gave him a little laugh which made his eyes light up. If he was happy about the ship, that was nothing compared to hearing your voice again. 
They all got back to their tasks while Wrecker lingered a bit trying to figure out how to hear that pretty sound again. 
You just followed Echo back into the now level ship. 
“She laughed.” Wrecker mused, “I haven’t heard her laugh in so long.” 
Hunter just gave him a saddened look. He knew him and Crosshair still had to apologize for their behavior back on Kashyyyk. But so many things that happened since then he didn’t have time to think about what to say or how to even approach you. It was killing him that you didn’t want to be around them anymore. He was angered by the fact that Wolffe has offered to take you in, and you hadn’t denied him. Had they really pushed you so far? Your cries when Crosshair forced you to submit out of fear haunted him. It made his inner alpha cringe. He regrets not stepping in but he knew his jealousy had overtaken him. Hearing you giggling with Wolffe and coming back wreaking of him like a mated pair made his blood boil. He was far more territorial than he had ever given himself credit for even though he didn’t actually have a claim on you.
You on the other hand, had no desire to talk to either Hunter or Crosshair, even in this desolate situation you’ll never forget the feeling of Crosshair forcing you to do that. 
Day seven then turned into eight, which morphed into nine and ten. By the eleventh day, you knew your time was becoming limited. The past few days had everyone’s sense of smell acting up. The pungent odors from the planet’s atmosphere were becoming stronger and you knew the implants were wearing out. 
You knew you couldn’t beat around the bush any longer, by dinner time on the eleventh night, you emerged from your bunk full of anxiety. You walked through the galley and faced your pack who conversed over their food. 
“So, whats the plan?” 
They all whipped their heads around shocked to hear your voice. You stood there raising a brow and crossing your arms waiting for the shock to wear off and someone say something. 
“I’m assuming you’re referring to our implants dissipating.” Tech spoke first. 
You nodded. 
“Well that means we have an undisclosed amount of time before we all inevitably have a rut and you a heat. That puts us in a precarious situation that I think-”
“We know!” Echo snapped. 
“We can turn Wreckers bunk into your place for the week.” Hunter started, “You can stay there and we can rig the lock so only Echo can open it. The rest of us will just deal with it out here.” 
“Sounds like a plan.” You retreated back into your bunk. 
“Y/N! Wait.” Hunter stood up and followed you. He stepped inside your bunk to find you nervously chewing on your lip. You turned around to face him looking like a kicked pup. 
“I-I…” He stuttered wanting nothing more than to reach out and embrace you like you had allowed before this whole fight. 
“What Hunter?” You were getting agitated with his silence. 
“I…I’m sorry, I’m bad at communicating my feelings.” He sighed knowing he was starting to sound like Crosshair, “I don’t know how I should approach you or… I…” 
You just help up your hand stopping him, “Come back when the words find you.” 
He sighed, “No I-I just need to tell you… how sorry I am. I was wrong. I should have stopped Crosshair and I shouldn’t have punched Wolffe. I just… something came over me and I lost it. It wasn’t okay and I should have protected my pack…I should have protected you and I’m so sorry we’re in this situation again. I don’t know what to do, I-I-“
“Hunter.” You stopped him, “Thank you for saying something.” 
He shook his head, “No, you should be angry with me… with us. This isn’t how a pack is supposed to be. At least I don’t think. I’ve never actually been apart of a real one given I don’t have a family.” 
“Hunter…we are your pack.” You sighed. 
“I just… wait what?” His face suddenly lightened, “y-you’re staying?” 
You raised a brow confused. 
“It’s just I thought you were starting to court Wolffe, or rather he was courting you and then he offered you a spot in his ranks…” Hunter babbled.
“Hold up.” You shook your head, “Commander Wolffe?”
Hunter looked at you and blinked. 
“Courting me? Me courting Commander Wolffe?” You couldn’t hold in the laugh anymore, “That’s what this is about? You thought I-… oh my god!” You were howling. 
“He- you-“ Hunter crossed his arms confused now. 
“Me what?” You giggled. 
“You came back… from being with him.” He mumbled. 
“Did you not hear me when I got back to camp?” You were amused at his confusion. 
“It was kinda hard to listen when you came back covered in his scent.” He said pointedly. 
“Hunter… I almost drowned in the river.” You scoffed, “Wolffe had to pull me out before I got swept down stream.” 
He just let his mouth lull open. 
“And yes, while we may have been naked, nothing happened…”
“You were WHAT?” Echo screeched from the main cabin. 
“You were what?” Hunter repeated with a growl. 
“Chill,” You warned. 
“You didn’t tell me that!” Echo yelled. 
“I may have left that detail out.” You yelled back. 
“Look,” You smiled up at Hunter adjusting your crossed arms, “Wolffe has a good ass but he’s definitely not an alpha I’m interested in like that. Now what I cannot figure out is what the hell happened that made you all hate him so much. You didn’t have a problem with him hitting on me on Coruscant.” 
Hunter just reached back and scratched his nape, “I uh…” 
“Tell her Hunt!” Echo chided from the other room. What a little eavesdropper. 
Hunter shifted uncomfortably, “He-he asked if I had claimed you on Crait…”
Butterflies fluttered violently in your stomach. You tried your hardest to steel your emotions but he continued, “I said no. That was the truth, but then he made it pretty clear he was interested in pursuing you. I guess I-”
Suddenly the pieces clicked…
“Hunter, are you jealous?” You put your hands on your hips. 
“W-What?” He sputtered and you watched his un-tattooed side of his face turn pink. 
“And Crosshair too?” You raised a brow. That would explain his sudden aggression towards you. 
“I-I uh,” He genuinely didn’t know what to say but you knew the truth. 
Suddenly you remembered the way they all started acting weird after Wolffe talked to hunter. They were all starting to get territorial. They thought Wolffe was taking you from them and they started changing their behavior trying to get your attention. 
“I’m coming to save Hunter before he implodes.” Echo stepped into the bunk and let Hunter walk out redder than Mimban clay. Echo gave you a playful look before disappearing back into the cabin leaving you alone to think about everything. The one thing you desired was at least some kind of olive branch from Crosshair, you knew you’d never get a heartfelt apology, but until then you’d wait. He owed you that at least. 
~~~
That night, your anxiety was at an all time high. Sleeping in the newly converted bunk the boys had made was making you a bit uneasy. Wrecker’s alpha scent was calming, but you were used to having Tech near by, instead the square box was feeling a bit prison like. The knowledge that you were locked in too didn’t help. You would have preferred to have slept with the door open but Echo insisted that this be how it is. 
You curled up on your side holding Lula trying to close your eyes and let sleep take over, but your elevated heart rate disagreed. 
You picked up your com and pressed the button, “Echo!” You whispered. 
The line was quiet for a moment before he responded, “What?” His voice was raspy with sleep. 
“I’m literally fine can you please let me out? I can’t sleep.” You spoke softly into the device. 
“No.” The line went dead and you rolled over onto your back with a groan. You picked up your data pad and decided to read one of your smutty holobooks instead. 
~~~
“What did she want?” Hunter rasped waking up from the noise. 
“She wanted out.” Echo set the device down and curled back up onto his side. 
“She’s not an animal Echo…” He sighed rubbing at his eyelids, “It’s not a cage.” 
Echo just blinked up at the bottom of Hunter’s bunk, “…No.”
~~~
The mafia boss thrust his massive length into the sweet little omega’s pussy. Her soft mewls filled the gold lined dinning hall with her sweet sound. This only seemed to spur him on. 
“Yeah?” He thrust a little harder, “You like when I maim the men who hurt you? You like feeling their blood on my hands?” He nuzzled into her neck lightly teasing her mating gland with his fang. 
Elina suddenly clenched down at his words and he smirked knowing thats exactly what his little princess liked. 
“Mmm I like that too Caspian.” Y/N chewed on her finger nail finally getting past the enemies to lovers portion and right into the good stuff. Reaching down for her water mug, Y/n suddenly felt a painful knot form in her abdomen. 
With a grunt you put down your holonovel and rubbed at your stomach feeling the pain settle. With a deep breath you tried picking up your book again, but the movement caused another one to tear right through your muscles. You yelped and forced yourself into a sitting position. 
“No. No. No.” You whispered trying to massage the pain away. 
“Please no.” You begged but the dull pain was starting to become something more sinister. The heat started to emanate from the pain and spread throughout your body giving you a flush. You suddenly were uncomfortable in your little sleep set. You couldn’t get further enough away from the blankets on your cot and opted to curl up on the floor absorbing the cold steel floor desperate for relief. 
~~~
Hunter was having a relatively boring dream when his senses started to draw him back to the land of the living. 
He couldn’t help but raise his nose in the air while he blinked awake trying to follow the deliciously sweet scent. He barely had his eyes open when a gut wrenching yowl rattled the entire ship. 
Suddenly Crosshair was shot up in the darkness holding his blaster trying to figure out what startled him. 
“What was that?” Wrecker’s voice croaked from the floor. 
Crosshair rubbed his eyes looking around. Everyone was sat upright listening carefully when another more pained warble made the hair stand up on the back of their necks. 
“Y/N…” Hunter said looking at their closed door knowing she was just on the other side of the hall surely in pain. 
“It started.” Echo laid back down using his pillow to cover his ears. 
“It seems she’s… in heat.” Tech searched for his glasses. 
“What do we do?” Wrecker asked concerned. 
“Nothing.” Hunter groused and laid back down, “Go back to sleep.” 
Another whine echoed making Wrecker tense, “She sounds like in pain shouldn’t we help her?” 
“That’s the point idiot.” Crosshair snapped while he relaxed back down on his side staring at the wall. 
Wrecker just grumbled to himself and forced himself to ignore pip’s desperate cries. 
~~~
“Kriff.” You hissed and writhed on the floor feeling the unbearable heat terrorize your entire body. In this moment you cursed the GAR with everything you had. You missed Layla, she wouldn’t have ever let this happen to you. Instead the universe just had to crash land you on this hellscape of a planet with 5 devastatingly attractive Alphas whose scent was beginning to permeate the blast door’s seal. 
You moaned smelling the delicious alpha pheromones as they all danced around your little cage like the worst form of torture. The smell immediately triggered your slick response. The wetness soaked your panties and little sleep shorts ruining them totally. 
You cried out praying one of the men would snap and take pity on you. 
This was significantly less luxurious than the heat house on Naboo. What you would give to have knotting toys and a vibrator right now. You shoved your tiny hand into your pants bringing them to the source of your wetness and dragged them through your silky folds. 
You bit back a moan when you found your clit and started to circle it just how you liked. Just like the last time, you came fast, but the burn didn’t ebb. You just growled wanting nothing more than to be stretched from the inside. You wanted a thick knot to cure your pain. 
You writhed as another wave of cramps hit and you let out a scream. 
~~~
Hunter had held out longer than he thought we could have. He at least made it to sunrise before he couldn’t take listening to her suffering anymore. It was literally his biology to service an omega. Listening to her helpless sounds was making him feel ill and the rock hard boner in his pants wasn’t helping either. Her cries were so tempting. He tried to cover his ears but it was like a siren’s call. He knew that was the point, but it didn’t make it easier to hear especially because he could hear way more than the others. He could hear her panting, her silenced moans, the way her fingers squelched as she tried desperately to fill herself to dull the pain. It was a torture like no other. 
“I can’t take this.” Hunter said throwing himself over the side of his bunk and exited the ship. He noted how the others hadn’t gone back to sleep either. How could they? 
When he passed by the door, he heard the way she gasped and crawled over to the door trying to listen to his footsteps. Her desperate whines turned into sultry cooes trying to lure him closer to her. She was lost to the heat. He could tell from her cute little sounds, and the way he could smell her slick from the hatch door. She was slipping deeper and deeper by the minute. 
With a bit of willpower, he continued outside hearing her crying fade and turn back into suffering wails. 
He huffed and sat down on the hatch steps feeling on edge. He shoved his hands over his ears trying to down her out. He knew the others were starting to be affected, even their scents started to spike in response to the distressed omega. It wouldn’t be long before they were in rut too. 
~~~
It was time for Echo to feed you. He seemed to be the only one not affected by the now pungent smell. The others resorted to fleeing outside the ship like Hunter had hours ago. Echo was obviously the only one permitted to open your door to make sure you were eating and could use the fresher. 
“Hey Y/N?” Echo knocked on the blast door. 
He just heard a small sound letting him know you were in there, “I got you some dinner and thought you could stretch your legs?” 
“Alpha?” She rasped coming nearer. 
Echo used his special pass code to open the door letting it slide open to reveal you absolutely drenched in sweat and shaking on your knees on the bare floor. He knelt down holding your food tray setting it down gently in front of you. You peered up at him with your massively dilated eyes. He sighed knowing how painful all this must be for you. 
“Please Echo.” You whined reaching out for him grabbing his arm. He looked down at your flushed wrist feeling its heat on his skin. He leaned forwards to press his palm to your forehead making you preen. Your skin was hot making him a bit hesitant. He was really hoping you weren’t in any kind of health predicament because of this. He’s personally never seen an omega suffer through a heat alone. His partners had always been cared for and it had never gotten to this point. He was a little distressed looking at your current state. It felt wrong. What little part of him still carried the Alpha instincts, felt for you. He wanted to comfort you but knew it couldn’t do any good. 
“I’ll take you to the fresher when you finish eating.” He said backing up making you drop with wrist with a pout. 
“I’m not hungry.” You sulked. 
“I know hun, but you have to eat something or you’ll get sick.” He reasoned. 
“But…I-I…” You chewed your lip anxiously. 
“Y/N,” He sat back with a more stern voice said, “Eat your dinner.” 
“Can I use the fresher first.” You tried to negotiate. 
“Fine.” He sighed standing up to assist you in standing, “But then you’re going to eat right after this, you haven’t eating anything in 24 hours.” 
You just nodded and let him assist you to the fresher. Once inside, he left you to your devices to use the toilet and turn on the shower to cold. Once inside the shower, you keened feeling the freezing water soothe your burning skin. You tried your best to wash the suds over your hair and skin trying to clean yourself to the best of your ability despite the grogginess. 
Echo handed you a fresh towel from a crack in the door letting you dry off and pull on fresh clothes he had set out. 
You wobbled back to the room seeing the plate of food on the floor you had neglected and internally sighed. You didn’t want to eat. It didn’t sound good. Instead you wanted an alpha, a really really strong alpha. One that would scent you and fill you up so good. Better than that dumb food. 
“Y/N?” Echo eyed the tray, “Remember what you promised?” 
You pouted, “Echo please I’m not hungry.” 
He just rubbed his face getting frustrated and grumpy. 
“Can I have something to nest with?” You asked giving him your best begging eyes, “The floor is cold.” 
He sighed and got up leaving you to glare at the steaming rations. When he came back he had every cargo/moving blanket he could scrounge up along with a few pieces of your clothing. He set them down presenting them to you and you chirped happily taking the fabrics from him with greed. 
“Now will you eat?” He was getting annoyed. 
You ignored him and started fussing around with the blankets rubbing the slightly rough material on your face trying to place them just right. It was making you a bit feral trying to place them correctly in the corned furthest from the door. 
You heard the door slide shut behind you letting you know that Echo had abandoned his attempt to get you to eat something. You smiled finally feeling like you were getting somewhere. You wiped your sweat from your forehead and continued rubbing your scent all over the new nest. 
Unexpectedly, the door slid open again and you spun around at being disturbed. This time, Echo wasn’t alone. Next to him stood Crosshair, who looked a bit crossed. 
“Alpha.” You stood to walk over to him. His delicious smell was making you hazey and you practically tried to throw yourself at him. Crosshair came to save you…
“Stop.” His tone made you freeze on the spot. Your body started to vibrate the longer you scented him and stared into his piercing eyes. 
“Echo said you aren’t eating, ad’ika.” His voice was making more slick produce in your panties. You swore you saw his nose flare at the smell that was radiating off of you. The only thing you could process in your dumb omega mind was how good his knot would feel like inside you right about now.
“Omega.” He snarled. You whined. Alpha is upset. 
“I’m not h-hungry.” You whispered casting your eyes down to his boots. 
“You will eat and you will finish that entire glass of water do you understand?” He commanded with a stern voice you weren’t used to. But man, did it do something to your instincts. You nearly fell to your knees pulling the tray into your lap. His alpha tone was like nothing you had ever heard before, and it sounded so so good.
“Yes, Alpha.” You said picking up the spork and shoving the first bite of food into your mouth, when you swallowed you took the tooka mug of water chugged the liquid not realizing how thirsty you had actually become. You looked up at the two Alphas desperate for their approval. Crosshair just gave you a little nod wanting you to continue. 
“Thank you.” Echo whispered. 
Crosshair grunted trying to keep himself in check. Even though he was engineered to have inhuman levels of self control and patience, somehow seeing you kneeling on the floor desperately trying to finish your plate to please him was making his pants tighten. The alpha in him was desperate to take your pain away. Echo had worried them when he said you were refusing to eat, he asked Crosshair to give the command knowing he’d be able to control himself for at least a little. He still was upset about your weight when you had come back from Naboo. Those karking droids couldn’t take care of you as well as a partner could. He knew he had no other choice but to step in. 
“I’m done Alpha.” You said sweetly placing the tray down hoping he’d give you a reward. 
“Good girl.” Crosshair praised watching your eyes light up as Echo took the tray away, “Now you’re going to eat everything Echo gives you, do you understand?” 
She suddenly pouted realizing he wasn’t staying.
“Omega?” He raised a brow. 
You nodded letting him know you understood.
Then to your chagrin, they closed and locked the door once again. You gave an anxious whine hoping they’d come back, but when the door remained closed despite your hopefully thinking, you resigned to the nest on the floor. 
~~~
“She ate.” Crosshair joined the others in the makeshift tent they created outside. The others visibly relaxed. 
Crosshair noticed Hunter’s cheeks turning pink as he seemed to be locking his vision onto the floor… the little omega must be trying to get herself off again he thought. Hopefully she’d settle down soon and sleep leaving them all to toil in the increasing rut symptoms. 
“Is it getting hotter?” Wrecker tried fanning himself. 
“You’re in rut Wrecker.” Tech bit out yanking at his own collar. 
“Argh!” The giant groaned. 
Hunter shifted uncomfortably noting the near painful bulge in his pants. That damn omega was making his entire system feel like it was on the brink of short circuiting. He was starting to get a little anxious on top of his agitation. It had never felt like this before…granted he didn’t ever let it progress like this…
“I’m so…” Wrecker stood up and pushed his fist into the nearest rock, “Argh!” 
Pieces of red earth went flying everywhere. 
“Wrecker!” Hunter snapped, “Go rub one out, thats an order!”
The giant just stomped away out into the distance to relive himself. 
“I’ll admit, this is beginning to feel unbearable.” Tech slumped against the rock he was leaning on to stare up at the night sky. 
“Imagine how Pip feels.” Echo sighed hoping to get some shut eye. She was being uncharacteristically quiet. 
So much so, that after a bated breath, the others perked up their heads including Hunter trying to figure out why it was so silent. 
Then there was a loud moan breaking the silence and they continued on knowing she was fine. 
“This is cruel.” Crosshair crossed his arms looking at Hunter, “You didn’t see her.” His disapproval had been known since it had started. 
“You don’t think I know that?” Hunter snarled, “But what the fuck are we supposed to do?” 
“Go fuck her!” Crosshair leered. 
“We cannot do that.” Hunter shook his head despite how much his body agreed with Crosshair. 
“So you’re going to let her suffer like this for six more days?” Crosshair rolled his eyes at his stupidly moral brother, “This is cruel to her and you know it.” 
“Since when do you give a fuck about her?” Hunter narrowed his eyes challengingly. 
“I’ve always given a fuck about her.” He bared his teeth, “Like you said, she’s pack!” 
Hunter just stared at his little brother. While Crosshair may be harsh and unyielding, Hunter couldn’t ignore the tiny soft spot Pip had carved out into his stone cold facade. It was the smaller things, Crosshair brining her stuff, keeping an eye on her wherever they may be, the gentle way he holds her when she’s in need, the bastard still treated her like shit out of jealousy, but that didn’t change the fact that Hunter did in fact see it. 
“Alright everyone calm down.” Echo put a hand up in the air, “You’re hormones are taking over.”
Tech decided to stand up to stretch, the clay earth was dampening his trousers making him cringe. He really would prefer to be on Kashyyyk right about now, at least there they had wood for a fire and fresh meat. He decided it would be best for him to also find a secluded space to relieve himself before the frustration became too much. 
“Then there were three.” Crosshair closed his eyes again trying to focus on anything else besides the throbbing in his pants. 
Echo cleared his throat, “I agree with Crosshair.” 
“What?” Both the Sargent and the sniper said at once. 
Echo just looked at Hunter, “I already feel guilty about leaving her at that heat center, granted she had way more available to her, but this is wrong. You didn’t see her Hunter, she’s delirious.” 
“No! We’re not subjecting her to that.” Hunter growled. 
“What if she chooses?” Echo said diplomatically. 
“It doesn’t change the fact that eventually she’s going to not be in heat and have to live with us. Then she’s definitely going to transfer to the wolf pack. She’ll hate us.” 
Crosshair growled menacingly at the mention of the 104th. 
“I don’t think thats the case.” Echo tapped his chin. 
“What do you mean?” Hunter questioned. 
“I just… look she hasn’t said anything to me, but I have eyes. She’s not oblivious to the way you four have been slowly courting her. She knows none of you are going to make a move without threatening to upset the others so she ignores it.” Echo sighed, “I just don’t think she’ll be as upset at you think Hunter.” 
“I still don’t think it’s the right thing to do. She said she hasn’t had a heat in two years. Clearly she’s not interested.” 
“Well… that’s not entirely true.” Echo smirked. 
Hunter raised a curious brow. 
“She had a bit of a thing with the captain stationed on Ryloth, before she transferred to you.” Echo continued, “It was after she was stranded in that village with the droids. The captain had been the first to find her with the pup. Everyone swore he fell in love at first sight. The lovesick idiot couldn’t stay away from her.” 
“They were in a relationship?” Hunter prodded he fought back the jealousy flaring in his chest… with a reg?
“No, no.” Echo shook his head, “Just an arrangement. When she had a breakout heat, he’d be the on she went to.” 
“Which captain?” Crosshair snapped. 
“Howzer.” Echo hid a cheeky smile. 
“Was he assigned to helping Cham Syndulla?” Hunter asked. 
“Thats the one.” Echo confirmed. 
They sat there in contemplative silence. Wrecker and Tech were making their way back at this point, pink cheeked, and sweaty. 
“So, how would this work?” Hunter thumbed his chin, “How does this work without causing a massive problem?” 
“Are you worried about her or the others?” Echo asked. 
“Both.” Hunter answered, “I think it’s obvious we all like her.” 
“We let her choose.” Crosshair repeated Echo. 
“Then whoever it is, helps her, and everyone else agrees to be civil.” Echo added. 
“And what about you?” Crosshair raised a brow. 
Echo chuckled, “I don’t know if you noticed but…” He gestured down at his body, “Not an alpha anymore. Barely a human at that. I’m not affected by her smell or noise.” 
“What are you guys talking about?” Wrecker had an idea but he wanted to make sure he wan’t imagining it. 
“We’re putting Pip out of her misery.” Hunter shook his head unable to shake the feeling that this was a bad idea. 
“Are you suggesting what I think you are?” Tech was a bit in shock that his brother caved like this. 
Hunter just looked to Crosshair who spoke up, “Let’s get this over with.” 
They got up, and made their way inside the ship all filing into the main cabin where Echo scooted past them to start entering the access code to Wrecker’s bunk. 
The Alphas were squirming in their shoes in the presence of such strong pheromones. Her scent was everywhere and it was thick they could practically taste it on their tongues. 
The door unlocked and slid open causing Echo to turn his eyes up to the ceiling. Inside, Y/N was nearly naked writhing on the floor as more cramps coursed through her little body. 
~~~
“Alpha?” You whispered feeling how hoarse your voice had become. 
“Just me tiny.” Echo folded his arms looking away trying to give you a little dignity. 
“Are you making me eat again?” You asked sitting up to look at him. 
“No Ad’ika… can you put on some pants?” He cleared his throat. 
You got up on wobbly legs and grabbed a pair of panties and pulled them on with an agitated huff. Had he been still a normal reg, he wouldn’t have ever been able to resist such a pretty thing like you. He was starting to wonder how Howzer didn’t seal the deal and claim you when he had you like this. 
“Thank you.” He sighed and looked back down at you. You noticed him looking to his side and wondered what he was seeing. “I’m going to let you out. The others have agreed to help you on one condition.” 
“An alpha?” Your eyes suddenly lit up and excitement boiled in your tummy. 
“Mhmm.” He nodded, “They’ve agreed to play nice, but you have to choose okay?” 
“Okay.” You slowly made your way out of the confinement space raising your nose in the air smelling the delicious scent of purebred alpha. When you turned into the galley your scent spiked in excitement. Echo helped you stop swaying as you entered the main cabin. You let out a gasp seeing your pretty alphas all in one space. 
“Alright, you got your pick of the litter.” Echo nudged you forward. 
“It’s okay Ad’ika.” Hunter invited you to come closer. 
You couldn’t help but feel the thrill of seeing them having to adjust themselves at the sight of you. You stepped closer taking Hunter’s sturdy hand. 
“I have to choose?” You asked with doe eyes. He nodded. 
You leaned forwards bravely placing your hands on his firm chest. The warmth was making you shiver. You brought your nose forward and pressed into his neck. He smelled as good as he did back on Anakin’s Venator. You shamelessly crawled into his lap straddling him. He let out a surprised yelp feeling your warmth on his crotch. He nearly collapsed when you affectionately rubbed your cheek up against his feeling his stubble along his chin. You repeated on the other side scenting him, you were getting frustrated with how he kept his hands off of you respectfully. You wanted him to grab at the tiny scraps of clothing you were still wearing and tear them off already. 
“Alright sweetheart come’re.” Crosshair was getting jealous and lifted you off of his brother. You purred liking his dominance. He towered over you as he leaned against the dining table. You fisted his shirt in your hands as his hands wandered your back letting you explore him. You really liked how his presence dwarfed yours. His smell was similar to Hunter’s but just slightly different making him uniquely Crosshair. You stood on your tiptoes to reach his neck, he took pity on you and leaned down slightly to help. Your mouth instantly started to water and you opened your mouth to stick out your tongue to get a taste when his hand immediately fisted into  hair to wrench your head back. 
“Ah ah ah.” He chided, “Be good and follow Echo’s rules.” 
You pouted before relenting, ignoring the rush of slick sliding down your thighs.
Next was Tech. He shifted slightly when you approached. You stood between his parted legs and bent over giving Hunter a perfect view of your dripping core and soaked panties. The poor Alpha gripped his chair so hard the metal probably bent. 
“Hi Tech.” You smiled sweetly bending one knee to place it between his legs thinking he’d let you. Instead he took you by surprise and grabbed your neck keeping you from making your move. He raised a brow and tilted his head slightly in a domineering way you didn’t expect from the pilot it sent a rush through you.
“You heard Crosshair.” 
Crosshair snorted watching Tech control your movements, it shocked him too. 
“Yes sir.” You whispered letting him guide you to his scent gland. You shifted to get a good smell letting your hands wander his shoulders a bit hoping he’d let you run your fingers through is hair. When you tried, he leaned into your touch giving you the cue. You greedily let your nails scrape against his scalp and you felt the way he was fighting back a groan. When you were satisfied, you then turned to Wrecker who was watching every single micro movement you made. 
“Wrek.” You smiled and crawled over Tech to sit in his lap. They didn’t stop you when you climbed over Tech to straddle the giant. Wrecker placed a massive hand on the small of your back making you shiver with his warmth. His scent was similar just like his brothers, but each of them had tiny notes of something different. They were equally delicious and you could help yourself but to grind down on his lap making him smile and moan. 
“Omega…” Hunter warned. 
“She’s a greedy little thing isn’t she?” Crosshair raised a brow. 
“So?” Echo asked looking at you. 
“I can’t choose.” You pouted pushing yourself into Wrecker who happily let you. You rubbed your forehead against his neck liking his scent. You hadn’t really been able to smell any of them before, not with your implants intact. But now, ugh it was so good. Your entire body trembled with excitement being around so many perfect alphas. 
“What?” They all asked. That’s never happened before. Usually omegas can pick out one scent that they prefer. 
“I don’t wanna- ah!” You clenched weakly around Wrecker as another wave of cramps pushed through. You let out a pained whine, “Help me. Please!” You begged to the room. 
“Y/N we can’t help you until you tell us what you want.” Tech said struggling to control himself. Wrecker rubbed soothing hands up and down your back in an effort to relax you again. 
You squirmed against Wrecker and tucked your face into his neck again mumbling. 
They just looked confused before turning to Hunter. 
He looked up at Crosshair then Tech, “She said she wants… all four.” 
─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──
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Taglist: @substantial-exposure @rains-on-kamino @minimissmoo @z-and-the-batboys @aynavaano @9902sgirl
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dawn-moths · 23 days
Text
"40 — Love"
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Nanami Kento x Female Reader
word count: 3,700+
(After watching Nanami and Gojo’s tennis matches for so long, you decide you want to try your hand at the game. Luckily, you just so happen to have access to the perfect teacher.)
disclaimer/content warning: nothing explicit but still some suggestive content, minors please dni! set in my i’ll be your angel au (sugar daddy nanami), use of the word “daddy”, reader is called “angel, baby, sweetheart, princess”, size difference, jealous gojo satoru. 
*ao3 mirror*
♡♡♡
The early summer’s evening sun beat down against the tennis court, the first gentle shades of what would eventually morph into a blazing sunset blanketing over you from where you lounged beneath the partial shade of an umbrella, the diamonds studding your ears and wrapped around your wrist winking in the soft amber light. Every movement you made caught Nanami’s eye, little glittering flashes of the newest jewels he’d gifted you distracting him like a magpie eagerly searching for a fresh sparkling trinket.
But he kept forcing himself to avert his gaze, umber eyes hidden beneath the lenses of his sunglasses as he trained his stare on his opponent. Gojo Satoru, on the other hand, was somewhat reveling in Nanami’s distraction. Perhaps now he might actually stand a chance at scoring a point against the blonde.
Satoru figured it would be hard for him to take his own eyes off of you, if you’d been visible from his side of the court. But, as was Nanami’s preference, Gojo’s back was facing you, though that still didn’t do much to stop him from trying to show off. If anything, it only encouraged him. Just a single glimpse of you in your sporty little baby blue skirt and crop top, the clothing hugging your sunkissed curves so deliciously it nearly had Satoru salivating despite the dryness his mouth had earned from all the recent exertion, it was enough to inspire him to give it his all on the court today, that was for certain.
Not that he ever took it easy when competing against Nanami, whether you were present or not.
And while Gojo excelled at plenty of other skills, Nanami Kento was a force to be reckoned with when there was a racket in his hands.
As Nanami sent the ball zooming past Satoru once again, earning himself another point (they weren’t keeping score, Nanami had said, just practicing, letting off some steam at the end of a long and busy day, but you’d secretly been keeping track the entire time, and so far, your Daddy was undeniably undefeated) you let out a cheer.
Nanami flicked his gaze over to you and gave a confident smirk and a thumbs up. No wonder he always won. He had the best good luck charm any man could ask for. And if Gojo thought blue was his color, today, it seemed, the shade belonged to Nanami through and through. He swept his gaze along your form, tracing from the big velvet scrunchie secured around your high ponytail all the way down to your pristine white sneakers.
He knew your favorite thing about joining your Daddy on his athletic activities was, of course, the cute outfits you got to model for him. And his favorite part, other than getting the chance to admire his favorite little cheerleader in between matches, was the fact that he’d get to take each and every article of clothing off of you later that night.
In the past, you’d participated alongside Nanami in some of his favorite physical hobbies— like golf or swimming or, like today, tennis— trying so hard to keep up with his speed and his strength and his skill. And weren’t you just so precious, thinking you could even come close to matching him? Because you couldn’t compete with him even if you wanted to. No one— not even Satoru— was a match for Nanami’s powerful tennis stroke.
You’d spent several afternoons as of late serving as a spectator, watching them play while you sat under your private little veil of shade and sipped pink lemonade, idly attempting to read through a book. But the thing about Nanami and Satoru’s tennis matches was, once the grunting and the sweat and the competition really began, you couldn’t focus on anything else. Couldn’t take your eyes off them, cold drink and paperback fiction all but forgotten as you sat up in your lounge chair, practically on the edge of your seat, leaning in as you peered over the delicate frames of your heart shaped sunglasses to watch them racing across the green top.
“Nice one!” Gojo called across to his casual-partner-turned-brutal-opponent as Nanami sent the ball back over the net in a clean, controlled arc. “But don’t forget this is—” His sentence was cut off with a growl as he hit the ball back with enough force to emit an audible crack echoing across the gardens. “A competition!”
Nanami leapt to hit the ball back in time, your breath catching when you feared he might actually miss. But at the last second, almost too fast for your eyes to keep track of, his racket sent it rushing back towards the man opposite him. Gojo dove for the ball but missed it by just a hair, the little blur of lime green slamming into the chain link fence with a shuddering rattle.
“Don’t get cocky now, Satoru!” Nanami teased, finally able to take a moment to catch his breath as Gojo went to retrieve the ball, raking a hand through tousled, sweat-streaked blonde strands. His lips cracked into an arrogant smirk, clearly not intent on taking his own advice. “Besides,” he added, lowering his voice a bit as he cast a glance your way. “You really think I’ll lose while she’s watching?”
Gojo peered over his shoulder, snowy locks damp and sticking to his temples and the back of his neck, a water bottle gripped in one hand while he used his other to fan his body with his black t-shirt. He couldn’t help but grin then too. Maybe if he had a good luck charm as perfect and pretty as you, he might actually manage to beat Nanami just once.
“Y’know, we might need to make a new rule,” Gojo suggested as he turned back to face Nanami, taking a few quick gulps of the flavored electrolytes. When he was done, he let out a satisfied sigh and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Then, lazily gesturing his tennis racket towards Nanami, he continued, “I could consider you bringing along your little cheerleader as cheating. Let’s see how you’d do without her around, shall we?”
Nanami’s gaze darkened at the prospect of the challenge, but ultimately his smile held steady. “How could I?” he replied, gently jovial. His full attention was on you now, and you resisted the urge to get up and saunter over to him upon his beckoning stare. “Besides, I promised I’d give her a lesson or two after we were done.”
“That mean we’re calling this match?” asked Satoru with a slightly defeated scoff.
Nanami could tell how eager you were to come over, so as he said, “Yeah. Better luck next time, I guess,” he gave you a beckoning wave.
You sprung up from your seat, trotting over across the court with a beaming smile, wearing a brightness to rival the season’s sunny weather. “Is your game over, Daddy?” you asked with that adorable sweetness lacing your tone, all watermelon-sugar and honey drizzled peaches.
What Gojo wouldn’t give to have a girl like you to call his own.
The moment you were within reach, Nanami was pulling you protectively against his side, one of his strong arms cradling your shoulders as you nuzzled further into his loving touch. “I’d say it is, princess,” he cooed, melting in your presence like a popsicle left out in the sun. Then he cast a somewhat taunting glance over at Satoru and added, “I mean, unless Gojo is intent on losing again today?”
Gojo flashed a mean, sharp smile, all pearly white teeth and malice, and then coughed out a huff of a chuckle, something cold and vengeful shining in those elysian blues. “Mark my words, Kento,” he taunted, “one of these days, I’m gonna annihilate you, and when I do…” His gaze then shifted to you, scanning up and down your form, trying hard not to let it stick on the soft flesh of your exposed thighs, the dip of your waist and the little sliver of your tummy that showed in the space between your skirt’s waistband and the hem of your top, the curve of your breasts and the bit of cleavage that peeked out from the V-neck. His tongue flicked out to wet his lips, pink and wanting, right before he concluded with, “Good luck charm or not, she won’t be able to save you.”
You felt a little tense then, the energy suddenly seeming to shift as Gojo wore an expression that you swore was hungry. And, god, how tempted he was to make a bet with Nanami, wager a night with you— hell, even just ten minutes— as the prize for one of their weekly matches. And Nanami, being confident in his own ability, relying a little too heavily on his unbroken winning streak, might just be in a playful or arrogant enough mood to entertain Gojo’s little whims.
“Sure,” he’d reply, sarcastic and cocky. “If you can beat me, I’ll even let you have her in my bed.”
And that…
That would be just enough of a stake to seal the deal. To cause Gojo Satoru to become even more relentless than he normally was on the court against his oldest friend.
That would be the time Gojo finally won.
And he’d relish in making Nanami eat his overconfident words just before he’d drown in the pleasure of finally being able to have a taste of you— the one thing in the world he couldn’t buy for himself no matter how many figures his bank account secured.
“Well, I guess I’ll see you for the rematch next week,” Gojo shrugged, his predatory gaze morphing back into something light and unbothered, a look belonging to the Gojo you were more used to. After gathering his things, he gave you a playful little wave goodbye and said, “Don’t go easy on him now!” Nanami offered to walk Satoru out, but Gojo waved him off, saying, “I know my way out. Now teach her well so someday I can drag Megumi or Yuji or Nobara along and we can play doubles.” With a cheeky wink and a self-assured stride, Gojo Satoru was gone, disappearing beyond the manicured lawns and hedges and heading back to where his black Rolls Royce Phantom awaited him in the long, curving driveway.
“Can’t you let him win just once, Daddy?” you asked, some sympathy for Satoru’s defeat bleeding into your whine. “I’ll still think you’re the best at tennis even if he occasionally beats you…”
Nanami hummed out a note of amusement, beginning to guide you off to the side of the court where the extra rackets and tennis balls were kept. “And if I let him win, do you really think he’d be satisfied, sweetheart?” he asked you, pure adoration peppered with condescension lilting in his low, soothing voice. “Do you really think he’d accept a victory that he didn’t earn?”
No, you thought to yourself, Satoru would never claim a victory that he hadn’t earned fair and square. Because as carefree and frivolous as the man could be, he was equally cruel and competitive. He was good enough to outmatch anyone in almost anything, tennis included, just so long as that person wasn’t Nanami Kento. And though the two men were more evenly matched in their golf and swimming skills, it was, of course, the one game that Gojo had yet to best Nanami in that he was so hung up on.
“I guess you’re right,” you agreed with a shrug. As Nanami reached over to hand you your tennis racket— the light pink one he’d had custom made for you the moment you’d shown interest in learning— you took on a slightly more nervous tone and asked, words trembling a little towards the end, “But you’ll go easy on me, right?”
There was no way you’d survive a single one of Nanami’s vicious serves unless he dialed it way back. And he knew this just as well as you did. Not to mention he’d sort of been hoping you’d take interest in one of his hobbies eventually. That way, it would give him the perfect opportunity to spend more time with you, to leave work a little early or reschedule a boring meeting because it was almost time for his precious baby’s tennis lesson, and he just couldn’t be late. It also would be the perfect opportunity to put his hands all over you as he showed you the correct way to hold a racket or take a swing, his palms planted firmly on your hips as he helped correct your form, distracting you in the process of course, though once your lesson was over and he’d praised you for a job well done, the two of you fully intended on revisiting those more intimate parts of the lesson later in the bedroom.
“Of course, angel,” Nanami chuckled, grabbing up two extra water bottles from the mini fridge. “Don’t worry, you’ll be just fine. Besides, don’t I always take good care of my favorite girl?”
Especially because he wouldn’t want you to get frustrated and decide to quit. Oh no, he couldn’t have that. And while Gojo’s comment about playing doubles was probably a pipe dream, Nanami couldn’t help but fantasize about spending cool summer evenings out on the private home court with you once you’d gotten the hang of things, just gently hitting the ball back and forth with the sound of your bright laughter echoing over the net every time you successfully returned the ball to him.
But first thing was first. He had to teach you how to serve. So with your back against his chest and his hands taking purchase over where you held the racket, gently correcting your grip position at the start, Nanami led you through the basics of the swing.
“That’s it,” he encouraged you, allowing you to try a few times on your own. He grinned, impressed. “See, you’re a natural.”
You let out a proud giggle, wondering if maybe you’d end up having a knack for this after all, unlike golf, which was very technical, and swimming, which was very exhausting. Though, you’d always been one to get a little ahead of yourself. Because the ball hadn’t even been introduced into the equation yet.
In other words, the real test had yet to begin.
With Nanami now standing at the other end of the court, one of the fuzzy green tennis balls clutched in your manicured hand, you weren’t feeling quite as confident. You’d liked it better when he was guiding you, felt more capable with his expertise close and at the ready. Now, you feared you’d just forgotten nearly everything he’d taught you, your mind racing with questions of how to hold the racket properly and where to aim and, well, honestly you weren’t even sure if you’d be able to hit the ball successfully after tossing it up into the air.
“Whenever you’re ready, baby!” Nanami called over to you, and it was then that you steeled your resolve and reminded yourself that you could do this. You wanted to make your Daddy proud, wanted to hear him praise you when you did it right. You wanted to prove what a good student you could be for your teacher.
“Ok!” you called back, preparing to toss the ball up into the air. You didn’t throw it too high, though imagined how fun it would be to one day toss it as far above your head as you could, watching it plummet back down towards you with the confidence that you’d still be able to hit it across the net.
And even though your aim was a little off-center, you were still able to swing hard enough to send the ball over to Nanami, who lightly tapped it back to you, letting it bounce on the green once before you lunged forward to hit it back. You felt the ball make contact with your racket, and next thing you knew it was soaring over the net once more.
“Oh my god!” you exclaimed, your look of concentration splitting into an astonished grin. “I did it! I actually did it!”
Nanami returned the ball to you in the same gentle fashion, urging you to continue with the streak you two had going now. “See!” he said. “I knew you could!
But it then seemed your newfound confidence got the better of you because, though you leapt for the ball with everything you had, that time it was just too far out of your range. It passed you on the court and rolled until it hit the chain link fence.
“Ah, man!” you said, jogging to go after it, though you sounded more amused than disappointed.
“That’s alright!” Nanami called, casually walking closer towards the net so he wouldn’t have to shout as loud. “Just bring it here and we’ll try again.”
You grabbed the ball and tossed it towards him, Nanami reaching out to catch it in one of his sure, strong hands. “Do you want to try serving again?” he asked. “Or do you want me to serve?”
You took a moment to think about it, then smiled and replied, “I want you to serve now.”
Nanami returned a soft grin. “Alright, princess,” he said, both of you beginning to make your way back to your preferred places on your respective sides of the court.
“Don’t forget to go easy!” you called over, a playful giggle trailing off the end of your reminder.
“I dunno…” Nanami teased, a hint of mischief present in his voice. “I think you might be ready for a little more of a challenge.”
But, in the end, he was still nice about it. The serve came towards you in a controlled, soft arc, though when you returned it that time it was with a little more fervor, the power behind your stroke increasing just enough to wake Nanami up from his gentle daydreams, the lull provided by the balmy, early summer evening breaking upon the next cool breeze that wafted through the gardens.
The two of you practiced hitting the ball back and forth for another hour or so until you grew tired, your perfect white sneakers beginning to scuff and drag a little across the court, your swing becoming a little sloppier as fatigue caused your concentration to slip. But you didn’t want to call it a day until you’d managed to make Nanami miss the ball just once.
Similar to Gojo, it seemed you had some unrealistic fantasies of your own.
So, after asking you a few times if you wanted to be done for the day and you saying one more round despite how exhausted you clearly were, Nanami drew this conclusion and decided that, if he was going to let anyone beat him, it was going to be you.
“Why don’t you serve this time?” he suggested, sending the ball back your way. You let it roll off to the side a bit before going to retrieve it, and then, hoping he maybe wouldn’t catch onto your plan until it was too late, you tossed the ball up into the air, careful and soft like you’d been doing thus far but, that time, when you swung, you hit it as hard as your arms could muster, letting out your first real tennis grunt from the unexpected exertion.
And while the strength behind the swing was still nothing in comparison to either Nanami or Gojo’s, it still caught Nanami by surprise, caused him to hesitate just a split second too long. He went to lunge after the ball, originally intending to miss it on purpose, but when he found himself instinctually trying to hit it back only to miss it by accident…
Gojo would never believe it.
He looked behind him as it bounced out of bounds and rolled to meet the fence, and though technically the victory wouldn’t have counted in a real match, he certainly wasn’t going to tell you that. Not with the way you were jumping with joy on the other side of the net, squealing and giggling as you came running his way as if you’d just summoned magic for the first time.
“Did you see that?!” you asked, nearly crashing into his arms as you met him on his side of the court, your pretty pink tennis racket forgotten on the side you’d scored your first point against him from, the sorbet glow of the setting sun staining everything in sight with rich golds and brilliant tangerine oranges. “I can’t believe I actually did that! Did you see? Did you see?!”
Nanami dropped his racket and wrapped his arms around you, pulling you in for a hug and sweeping you off your feet a bit as he spun around with you in his arms. “I saw it, baby,” he assured you, placing a kiss to the crown of your head. “You were great.”
And when you looked up at him, arms still secured around his waist, wearing that look that was just dripping with pure love and devotion, eyes practically sparkling with it, Nanami had half a mind to lower you both to the court and celebrate your first successful tennis lesson a little early.
“I couldn’t have done it without such an amazing teacher,” you told him, nuzzling your cheek against his chest, both of you warm and dewy with a thin sheen of sweat. “But I had a lot of fun! Can we practice again tomorrow?”
Nanami let out a chuckle, the richness of it rumbling through his chest, velvety and sonorous. He swept you up in his arms, intending to carry you all the way back to the house, all the way up to the master bedroom. He said, “Of course, sweetheart. But first, a victory dinner is in order, don’t you think?”
You hummed out a pleasant note, that beaming smile of yours not faltering, though now something a little more devious snaked its way into your narrowing gaze. “Can the victory dinner involve going out for ice cream after?” you asked.
Nanami let out a sigh, though couldn’t wipe the grin off his face even as he shook his head a little and reluctantly replied, “Alright, I suppose you’ve earned it.”
But after that, once your sweet tooth had been satisfied and the exhaustion from the day crept back in to claim you, Nanami would be sure to collect his own prize. And once he was done with you tonight, well…
You might want to take a break from practicing tomorrow after all.
♡♡♡
(Hiiii everyone and thank you so much for reading! Honestly I’ve been thinking about my sd!Nanami from this au for so long now I just had to write a lil something for him and this is just what came to mind! I also can’t wait for summer, so I’m spending most days just dreaming about that lol. Anyway, I hope you’re all doing wonderful and remembering to take care of yourselves! See you next time, byyyyye~!)
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elodieunderglass · 2 years
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Someone who doesn’t follow me was concerned with the fact that my posts about plantcraft may not be ideologically pure.
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Here is my response, which is more effort than a random really deserves:
I don’t hate any plant! They are all “native” somewhere, they are all “useful” somewhere, they all have benefits and lessons to share with us. I love the grass in the grassy part of my own garden. There are six different seed types and they are beautiful. I love seeing little wild birds eat the seeds, and seeing the chickens and Guinea pigs eat the leaves. I love how public parks with grassed areas stand up to every insult humans throw at them, and then in fine weather people automatically come and sit on it. I love the human impulse in fine weather in a city to find a place with mowed grass and Sit Upon It With Friends. No other plant than turf grass could serve the public like that.
I think it’s possible to have a deep and meaningful relationship with any plant that strengthens your connection to nature. I would rather have “ordinary” people practice No Mow May in joy and interest, and journal their butterflies, than bully them out of having a lawn. I think a sustainable interest in sustainable gardening can grow more naturally from “ordinary” people gaining knowledge and connection than through the ranting and bullying of people who actually KNOW NOTHING ABOUT PLANTS.
I don’t think people should water lawns (except in fire risk.)
I don’t think any land should be terraformed. People should not have turf grass in Arizona (it’s frankly cruel to the plant, and takes far too many resources to maintain.) but equally people should not be trying to grow thirsty vegetable plants and flowers in Arizona. People should not be growing almonds in California. The first principle of plantcraft i preach is to work with the local geography in respect for the land. Terraforming a plant that needs a life support system is wrong, but not because the plant is malicious or evil or deserves hate. It’s simply the wrong choice for that land, and would be a fine choice on other land.
I don’t think American dads should have three acres of lawn. I don’t think Americans should have 3 acres. I think they should give the land back. I think if you have more land than your household can reasonably maintain and use, it should be a common. In most cases in Europe and America this will simply be a reversion to how land-in-excess was handled. Many proponents of sustainable living set five (productive) acres as the maximum for a private household to own. In fact, I don’t think anyone should privately own thousands of acres. No, not even those slightly mythical cutesy American family farmers.
I have many political stances that sound a bit bonkers and radical, but when you carve them back, they’re actually deeply informed by science, ecology, sustainability, indigenous activists, and good relationships.
Sometimes I feel that the internet isn’t ready to handle complex thoughts about ecosystems, and maybe that’s fine. Maybe people need to have very simple ideas like “Grass is Bad, Bees is Good” and it doesn’t really matter if, as a result of believing that, they kill lawns with roundup to be more eco-friendly and displace native pollinators with cute European honeybees. Because maybe simple is just that much easier to handle.
But I cannot explain how much I dislike viewing the natural world as a set of fandoms. In which there are organisms you’re supposed to support and plants you’re supposed to hate and people have to check the purity of your preferences. I just don’t think that the lenses of supremacy, power struggles and borders are useful ways to relate to the inhuman universe: they aren’t lenses that zoom in to deep truths, they’re mirrors that only show you reflections of your own thoughts.
I can only warn you that doing so leads you farther away from building relationships and connections with the natural world, and separates you from it, instead of leading you to your place in it.
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siriuslysatorusimping · 7 months
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Okay okay okay okay
So I've been thinking a lot about Gojo's brain lol. And I think he could fit the bill for a bunch of conditions- but this may also be because the field itself is beginning to move away from categorizing disorders and instead is starting to examine things not only based on spectrum perspectives, but also through the lens of genetic an biological lenses (check out the RDoC, it's SUPER cool).
I think he definitely fits the bill for executive dysfunction overall- man's tonic and phasic dopamine regulation is not regulated AT ALL. I could see him as also having a touch of savant syndrome maybe potentially possibly. Mild ASD I think would also make sense for him. But so would a certain level of OCD in my most humble and personal opinion- or even autonomic nervous system dysregulation that leads to sensitivity to certain stimuli and migraines. I love his whole sugar addiction because in the manga it really does make sense- sugar is pretty much glucose at its purest and glucose is what the brain uses for energy, so him utilizing so much brain power and thus developing a sweet tooth is just peak brain function lol. I think whatever conditions you decide he may experience would be super fun to explore, and it could easily tie into him being very good at very hard subjects and also having a hard time understanding why other people don't get it as easily. I'm gonna start flipping through my notes to see if there's anything that jumps out to me as very Gojo.
I definitely think OCD would fit, I was thinking about it earlier as well.
Savant syndrome sounds like a really good fit for him, too!!
And yes, his sugar addiction makes so much sense and it all pairs so well with him just being so smart and why he chooses such difficult subjects.
🤔🤔🤔
My brain just go zoom right now with the possibilities and I am filing this entire message away for later 😂
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sirfrogsworth · 1 year
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I was worried the TV would be too big, but it honestly feels like watching a big movie screen at the theater and it is so immersive. Like you are *in* the frickin movie.
And even in the 2 years since I got my other TV, the picture quality has improved quite a bit. All of the issues I had with my other TV are pretty much resolved. The only thing it can’t do perfectly is deep inky blacks like an OLED screen. But it comes really close and it gets much much brighter than any OLED, so lasers and lightsabers just look soooo cool. Like they could melt your face off.
I am also finally able to notice a difference between 1080p and 4K. Though it is still subtle and I wish people wouldn't think 4K is the ultimate measure of clarity and quality. Resolution has become one of the least important aspects of picture quality.
I mean, our phones can film in 4K. An Arri Alexa cinema camera can also film in 4K. Do you really believe a $1000 smartphone and an $80000 motion picture camera have equivalent quality?
The goal of higher resolutions is to resolve more detail to provide a sharper image. So imagine a tiny tree in the background where the leaves are all mushed together in a blur in a low detail image and the individual leaves can be seen in a high detail image.
What allows you to get that high level of detail?
Teamwork!
You need a really good sensor with a lot of photosites or pixels. And you need a really good lens with a great design and perfect glass. Bigger is better in both cases.
There is this concept called "perceptual megapixels." This is a measurement of how much detail a camera lens can resolve. So if you have a 50 megapixel sensor but a lens that can only resolve 20 megapixels worth of detail... then you are getting a 20 megapixel image.
The dirty secret of smartphone advertising is that while their sensors might *technically* be 4K or 8K or 100+ megapixels, none of those tiny lenses have the resolving power to support those resolutions. That's why a Samsung with a 100 megapixel sensor does not look significantly sharper than an iPhone with a 12 megapixel sensor. And that's why if you took an old DSLR with a 12 megapixel sensor and slapped a Zeiss Otus lens on the front, the image detail would trounce any smartphone.
But honestly, detail and sharpness really only come into play when you are pixel peeping and zooming way into images. At normal viewing distances, pretty much any modern camera or lens is sharp enough to give you an acceptably detailed image.
If you are looking for a quality TV picture, ignore the Ks and look for things like brightness (nits) and black levels (contrast ratio) and color gamut (number of colors) and HDR interpretation (tone mapping). A great site that breaks all this down is rtings.com. They have the most detailed reviews of anyone and they test various aspects of picture quality. You can decide which aspects are important to you and choose a great television accordingly.
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mirith · 1 month
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Y'all!!
I got a film camera! And a Helios 44-2!
Kalimar SR200 cameras are just Zenit E cameras, rebadged for sale in the US.
I just wanted the Helios 44 58mm lens so I could adapt it to my Fujifilm XT4 and get swirly bokeh. I was kind of on the fence about spending $120 plus shipping (was looking on ebay). But then I found a listing for a camera and three lenses. One of which was listed as a 44mm lens.
The Helios 44 is a 58mm lens, but this seller missed that, and didn't know they had a $120-170 lens. I bought everything for $99.
The lenses are beautiful.
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One is a zoom and one is a telephoto. (The visible dust is on the outside of the lenses).
All three lenses are pretty sharp! Coatings are in good condition, everything works, no oil on aperture blades, glass is clean and undamaged, barely any dust inside the lenses themselves. It's incredible.
The camera works, mechanically, and I just shot a roll of test shots using all three lenses to check for light leaks and shutter misfires.
I love that it's fully manual. There's a light meter that doesn't take batteries to work. Everything else is mechanical. I kept thinking I needed to power it down to save on battery life between shots. Nope! Kinda crazy.
Anyway -- now I just have to wait a couple weeks to get the negatives and scans back to see if the camera works.
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shopping-house · 2 days
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Ultra-X Night Vision Goggles
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Cutting-Edge Technology The Ultra-X Night Vision Goggles utilize state-of-the-art infrared imaging and digital enhancement technologies to provide superior vision in the darkest environments. Unlike traditional night vision devices that rely on ambient light amplification, the Ultra-X goggles integrate advanced thermal imaging sensors. This dual-mode functionality allows users to switch between image intensification and thermal vision, providing optimal visibility regardless of the lighting conditions.
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Superior Optics and Ergonomics One of the key features of the Ultra-X Night Vision Goggles is their high-definition optics. These goggles offer a wide field of view and high-resolution displays that produce clear and sharp images. The lenses are coated with anti-reflective materials to minimize glare and enhance contrast, ensuring that users can detect even the faintest movements in their surroundings.
The design of the Ultra-X goggles prioritizes comfort and usability. They are lightweight, with adjustable straps and padding to ensure a secure and comfortable fit for prolonged use. The intuitive control interface allows users to easily adjust settings such as brightness, contrast, and zoom, even while wearing gloves.
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Versatile Applications Ultra-X Night Vision Goggles are designed for a broad range of applications. In military and law enforcement contexts, they provide a tactical advantage by enhancing night-time operations, enabling personnel to navigate and engage targets with precision. For hunters and wildlife enthusiasts, these goggles offer the ability to observe nocturnal animals in their natural habitats without disturbing them.
Additionally, the Ultra-X goggles are valuable in search and rescue missions, providing rescuers with the ability to locate individuals in low-light conditions. They are also beneficial for maritime navigation, allowing sailors to detect obstacles and navigate safely during night voyages.
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Durability and Reliability Built to withstand harsh environments, the Ultra-X Night Vision Goggles are rugged and water-resistant, making them suitable for use in a variety of conditions, from rain to desert sandstorms. Their battery life is optimized for extended missions, with options for rechargeable batteries and power-saving modes to ensure they remain operational when needed most.
Conclusion The Ultra-X Night Vision Goggles represent a significant leap forward in night vision technology. Their combination of cutting-edge optics, user-friendly design, and versatile functionality make them an essential tool for professionals and enthusiasts alike. As night vision technology continues to evolve, the Ultra-X goggles are poised to remain at the forefront, offering users an unprecedented level of clarity and performance in the dark.
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jonnowrites · 3 months
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Sylvia Cooper - Chapter 1: Making a Withdrawal
Set years after the events of Honour Among Thieves, the next generation of the Cooper Gang works to uncover a worldwide conspiracy... and make some cash along the way.
Sylvia crouched on the edge of the rooftop. A night time chill brushed her hooded coat and a smile crept across her muzzle beneath her face mask. Her brown, striped tail eagerly swished side-to-side as she stared at the building across the street. The Parisian skyline was where she felt most at home.
Her eyes were set on a large building across the street. A large holographic sign glowed with the name Chat D’or Bank with the symbol of a sleek golden cat. Her smile grew with anticipation.
She tapped the side of her mask and activated its onboard Binocucom. The Binocucom was just as its name suggested – a set of high-tech binoculars doubling as a communicator. The display came to life, a small scope appearing in the centre of her vision, and a pair of small windows flickered to life beneath the lenses. The face of a rabbit girl appeared on the left screen, while on the right was her own. She wore a confident smirk while the rabbit looked more apprehensive.
“Okay, Lily,” she said, “ready for an old-school bank heist?”
“Sylvia, are you absolutely sure about this?” asked the rabbit. “I’ve told you who owns Chat D’or , right?”
“Julien de Griffe,” Sylvia answered with a nonchalant smile, “entrepreneur by day, crime boss by night. Don’t fret, girl – what we’re doing is one hundred percent morally sound.”
“It’s not the morality of it that worries me,” said Lily. “It’s the fact that you’re about to break into a high-security building owned by one of the most powerful people in the city.”
“By that definition, it’ll be my third one this month. Any safe ways in?”
“I’ve got the schematics in front of me, and your best method of entry would be that air vent on the roof.”
Sylvia watched as the vent in question pulsed light blue on her Binocucom, showing through the concrete walls, and she zoomed in the lens for a closer look. “I see it. My first stop is the security office, right?”
“Right,” Lily nodded. “Just put that drive into the computer and I’ll take over from there.”
"And if anything goes wrong, we have Plan B," grinned the raccoon. "Talk to you inside."
Sylvia deactivated the Binocucom and pounced off the roof. She arched forward into a nosedive and reached for the small crooked staff on her belt. With the press of a hidden button, the staff extended into a long cane, its hook snagging onto a telephone wire. Using the rebound, she bounced back into the air and landed both feet on the wire with practised precision. Holding out her arms for balance, she danced across to the bank rooftop.
The thought of breaking into a place with security tighter than a wedding dress nearly made her burst with excitement. A lesser thief would be at least nervous about committing such a caper, but Sylvia was a Cooper – the latest in a family of master thieves dating back to the days of the Egyptian Pharaohs. What set her apart from other thieves, aside from the obvious skill difference, was that a Cooper only stole from other criminals. After all, where was the honour or the fun in swiping Joe Nobody's wallet on the street corner? Hence why tonight's target was one of the most influential men in Europe, who after some digging, turned out to be taking advantage of his bank's customers by overcharging them and keeping the bonus tucked away for himself. His leadership of the biggest criminal syndicate in Paris certainly didn't help his case either.
Once close enough, Sylvia jumped off the wire and dashed across the roof to the air vent. She pushed another hidden button and the cane retracted, the tip of the blunt end flipping open to reveal quite the Swiss army knife of thieving tools. She opted for the universal screwdriver, removing the bolts on the vent grate and quietly setting it down. She hooked the cane back on her belt and dove head-first into the vent, sliding down a ways and slowing to a safe stop after a bend.
"Okay, you're showing up on my screen," she heard Lily say in her earpiece. "The security room's just up ahead–take a left, then another left, then two rights, then three lefts, then another-"
"Lily, Lily," hissed Sylvia. "Remember what we said about 'one step at a time'?"
"Sorry," Lily muttered. Sylvia could hear the blush on her cheeks. "Take the first left."
Sylvia followed Lily's directions and scurried through the ventilation system. For a moment, she found herself wondering if any of her ancestors were claustrophobic. That would be quite the obstacle. 
She peered through a grate and watched as one of the bank's night guards strolled along the floor, blissfully unaware of her presence. Sylvia was never worried by guards–she could slip down there, pick the dude's pocket and get back in the vent before he even had a feeling something was wrong.
The floors and walls coated with lasers the guard was walking through, however, she wasn't so confident about.
"de Griffe didn't skimp on the security," she whispered.
"It's a system that responds to facial recognition," Lily explained. "You get scanned when you go in, and if your face is in the database, you can go around those lasers no problem."
"But my beautiful face…?"
"Will get deep-fried, yes. Until you get that drive to the security room, that is."
"I'm getting, I'm getting."
Sylvia continued her journey through the vents, swiping through cobwebs with her cane. Some more lefts and rights later, she looked through another grate.
"You should see a room overlooking the main bank floor," said Lily. "Big bulletproof windows and a Silverkey 7000."
"I see big bulletproof windows and a big fancy computer," whispered Sylvia. "And a guard typing away on it."
"If only we had someone on the team who could sneak up on a lone guard and knock him out."
"Twist my arm, why don't you."
"Camera in the room is down, go ahead."
Sylvia rolled her eyes and slowly opened the grate to silently land behind the guard. It helped that he was too busy dealing with an offline camera feed to look over his shoulder. She slunk up behind him and with one swift motion, extended her cane and knocked the hapless guard into the air, grabbed his shirt with the hook and brought him down to the floor with an overhead slam to knock him out cold.
If Dad could see that, she thought with a proud smirk.
"Okay, now plug the drive into the Silverkey 7000," Lily instructed.
Sylvia looked around, blinking cluelessly.
"The big fancy computer."
"I knew that." After double-checking the guard was indeed unconscious by prodding his face with her cane, Sylvia crept up to the computer and fished a small flash drive out of her pouch. It took her a few seconds to find the right port.
"Sweet," said Lily. "Don't get comfy, this'll just take a sec."
"How long's a se--"
"Done. Head for the elevator."
"Huh." Sylvia retrieved the drive and ducked back into the vent. "And this'll stop me getting cooked by the lasers?"
"Yeah, but you'll wanna avoid going on the floor anyway. Computers are often easier to fool than guards."
"You'd be surprised."
Sylvia scurried to another grate and silently lowered onto the floor. She pushed the button to the elevator and watched a security beam scan her up and down. After a second, the doors slid open with a ding and she went inside, using the tip of her cane to tap the button for the top floor.
"I've got you on the security cam," said Lily. "Currently blurring you out."
"Aw, but how will anyone see me?" Sylvia mock-complained.
"Why are you so eager to get arrested?" She could hear Lily's frown.
"Ahh, you know I don't mean it."
"Anyway, de Griffe's office is just outside the elevator. He doesn't keep any guards or lasers up there because of all the requirements just to access the floor."
"The requirements we just bypassed."
"You got it."
The doors opened and Sylvia slunk to the wall, creeping along it before leaping to the opposite side, repeating the process down the corridor.
"I just told you there's no one there," sighed Lily, watching through the cameras.
"It's called 'drama', Lil." Sylvia knelt down at the door and produced another tool from her cane–a universal lockpick. She made short work of getting inside and took a look around the spacious office.
"Why do bad guys always have giant paintings of themselves?" she asked, looking at a huge portrait of a lynx in an expensive black suit leering down at her. "Talk about an ego problem."
"I don't think Sylvia Cooper: Master Thief of the World is one to talk about ego," snarked Lily. "Anyway, turn on that computer and plug in the drive."
The raccoon did just that and perched herself on the leather seat, idly running her hand on the smooth desktop while Lily worked her magic.
"You think we should get a mahogany desk?" she wondered.
"Where would we put it?" asked Lily.
"In the hideout, obvs."
"But where in the… oh." The rabbit's tone turned nervous. "Oh, this is big ."
Sylvia's ears perked. "What's up?" The computer screen suddenly had windows of details and names popping up.
"It's not just bank customers paying kickbacks. There's cops, business owners, politicians… and they're all from different countries. de Griffe's taking huge sums from nearly everyone in Europe!"
"Explains all his fancy stuff."
"And that's not all – he's not just taking money, he's also giving it away. To different names, but at regular intervals."
"You got the deets?"
"Copying them onto the drive. Just make sure it gets back here in one piece, because that's the only copy and I do not trust the Cloud."
"Got it," said Sylvia. "While we're here, we should make sure this extra money goes back to the proper owners. Y'know, the ones who really need it."
"I'm sure the mayor will be happy to repay us for uncovering this interest scam."
Sylvia could tell Lily was wearing a smirk as big as hers was. "A few thousand Euros? That's quite kind of you, sir."
She nearly jumped out of the chair as an alarm began blaring. A red light started slowly flashing.
"Oh, carrots!" gasped Lily. "I think I tripped a hidden alarm!"
"I thought you shut down the security!" said Sylvia. Metal shutters came down over the windows.
"It must be on a separate system! I'm working as fast as I can!"
Sylvia rushed to the door and pressed her ear to it. "I can't hear a thing over this stupid alarm."
"I have to transfer this data first," Lily insisted. "Once it's safe, I'll shut the backup security off."
"Something tells me it's not backup security."
"Just a little more…"
Sylvia anxiously hopped in place, darting her eyes around for an exit. The windows were barred, there were no air vents, and the hallway outside no doubt had an army of guards rushing toward it.
"Almost…"
She reached for her cane and started fidgeting with it.
"Done!"
Sylvia raced to the desk and grabbed the drive. "Sweet. Now if you could just find me a way out?"
"I'm trying to get through this firewall, but it's a lot tougher. I think you're onto something, Sylvia – this isn't just backup security. It looks like there's a whole other grid just for de Griffe's office."
"What makes him so special?" remarked Sylvia. The alarm suddenly turned off and the lights returned to normal. "Oh, nice going Lil."
"Um, that wasn't me," muttered Lily.
"Now I can get a good look at you." A man's deep voice caught Sylvia by surprise. "Sylvia Cooper, I presume? My name is Julien de Griffe."
She looked at the monitor, and her heart skipped a beat at the lynx glaring at her. His indifferent expression was mostly hidden by his steepled fingers, but that did nothing to help the icy glint in his eyes.
“Smart enough to invade my place of business while I’m out of the country,” he continued, “and yet stupid enough to get caught.”
“Having your office on a different security system is cheating!” Sylvia protested. She then asked Lily quietly, “That is cheating, right?”
“Don’t distract me,” Lily muttered. “I’m nearly done.”
“I’m afraid whatever you’re scheming is doomed to failure,” de Griffe said. “The proper authorities have already been called.”
“Like I’m scared of some donut dunkers,” scoffed Sylvia. “Besides, they’ll be pretty interested to learn about this little racket you’ve got going on.”
“Bold assumptions, girl.” Sylvia saw the hint of a smirk behind the lynx’s hands. “The proper authorities I speak of will be more interested in finally apprehending a Cooper.”
Sylvia lowered her head just a bit, to hide the surprise in her eyes.
“My security team will keep you company until then. Au revoir.”
The video call ended, and Sylvia let out a quiet sigh. She had a feeling she knew exactly who he called.
“Done!” Lily gasped.
Sylvia grabbed the drive and hopped off the chair. The door was suddenly kicked in, and a small squad of guards surrounded her from all angles. She felt like she’d never get used to having this many guns pointed at her.
“Freeze!” one snapped. “Don’t move a muscle!”
“Put your hands behind your head!” another ordered.
Sylvia looked between the two. “He wants me to freeze, and he wants me to put my hands over my head. You two are gonna have to decide what we’re doing here.”
“Quiet,” the largest guard, a burly polar bear woman, snarled.
Sylvia rolled her eyes. “Uh, Lil, I’m in a bit of a bind here. We’re gonna have to go with Plan B.”
The moment she finished talking, the polar bear rounded on the other guards. A huge fist knocked one of them flying into the wall, and another was knocked out by the butt of her gun being thrown right between his eyes. She grabbed the last two by the shirts, lifted them off their feet and slammed them into the floor. 
Sylvia watched with a grin, thinking of that movie she watched once where a sleeper agent was awakened by a key phrase.
“Plan Brooke never fails,” she chirped. “Nice work, big girl. You really got into character too.”
The polar bear grunted and bumped Sylvia’s waiting fist with her own. “We done here?” she asked curtly, ignoring the pained look on the raccoon’s face.
“We’ve got everything,” said Lily through both their earpieces. “Head back to the van.”
The two dashed back to the elevator and made their way down.
“Heads up,” Lily said, “there are guards heading your way."
“You redirect traffic then head for the van,” Sylvia said to Brooke. “I’ll take the scenic route.”
Brooke nodded. Once the door opened, she clumped across the floor while Sylvia hid beneath the floor panel. She pressed a button on her gloved palm, and her body faded out of sight starting from her feet.
“She’s headed to the vaults,” said Brooke. Sylvia pounced up to an open grate just as Brooke ushered the guards into the elevator, and scurried back up to the rooftop. Once she was outside, her body fizzled back into view.
“This active camo thing is awesome. Recharge time needs work, though.”
“It’s a prototype,” Lily said defensively.
Two familiar clicks behind her made Sylvia pause mid-step.
“Hold it right there,” she heard a man say. Young, around her age.
She turned around and caught the hard glare of a fox pointing a pair of pistols at her. His grey fur went nicely with his dark red shirt and black jacket, blue jeans and black boots. A gold star glistened out on his chest.
Sylvia lowered her hood, revealing her brown shoulder-length hair, giving him a grin.
“Hey, bro.”
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mudaship39 · 3 months
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Character bio of the Asian Pasifika demigod and Afro Latine Native alien hybrid superhero main character part 3
Bionic and Cybernetic Prosthetic eye: 
They have a prosthetic bionic and cybernetic right eye. The prosthetic bionic and cybernetic eye is made out of alien metal and human metal. They have a blue plasma scar that goes from the top of their face on their left forehead all the way to the bottom of their cheek. The scar goes through their left eyebrow. They were blinded in one eye by accident early on in their life as a metahuman and superhuman super soldier and military officer. 
However their caretakers managed to craft, buy, or otherwise procure some kind of device that allowed them to see more or less like normal people. He/she/they are physically disabled as someone because he/she/they were disfigured in combat during war. He/she/they were disfigured by a hard light bullet wielded by an alien officer who was a sniper of the Earth military of the Terran Dominion. 
At some point in the past he/she/they have lost use and function to a part of himself/herself/themselves. But through study of advanced technology and the help of those who have already done so he/she/they have replaced it with an advanced prosthetic replacement.  Without the eye they had decreased depth perception. It was built for them by humans and aliens who were inventors, scientists, engineers. Losing your eye is fairly easy in a world filled with technology and magic. Gaining back your sight is still possible if you have the brass, copper, silver, platinum, & or gold coin, cash, or credits for it. 
In the biggest cities in the counties, states, countries, & continents on the terraformed and colonized planetoids, comets, moons, asteroids, & planets of the Federation you can find merchants of all kinds. However to gain your sight back you must approach only the best human and alien mechanics, inventors, & scientists in the city. They can install the device in two days. The first day is spent on measurements and creating the components while the second day is spent installing the apparatus. 
Purchasing a bionic and cybernetic prosthetic eye gains your sight back and much more. These devices not only return your vision but also prevent further eye loss with the diamond hard lenses and human and alien metal. Fires powerful optic blasts from the bionic and cybernetic prosthetic eye. Can see throughout the electromagnetic spectrum. It lets them see in the dark with night vision or heat signatures with heat vision. Can help with targeting with guns. Has a gps. Has real time updates about users stats. Can zoom in and zoom out with a binocular vision to microscopic to even nanoscopic levels. Has a red dot laser to help with sniping. 
He/she/they can remove the bionic and cybernetic eye to use as a spy eye to record audio and visual. It is detachable and can send images and video to its owner while detached functioning as a spy camera. They have the ability to remove one's mechanical eye and use it to view hard-to-see areas during certain situations after placing it somewhere. The eye is not in any way connected to the owner yet it operates just as well as it was. It functions as a  surveillance drone or spy camera. 
This artificial eye replaces a real one that was lost or removed. They can see through it as though it were a normal eye. This is truly a luxury item for the blind. While the eye is embedded in their eye socket. It can’t be removed by anyone other than them. The eye upgraded with them. The eye has been customized and upgraded many times now. It gives the user the ability of eidetic memory and memory retention. It can copy anything it perceives. Gives the user near 360 telescopic and binocular vision. It has three blindspots. These blindspots are hard to exploit though. 
Biological eye can shapeshift into a supernatural eye (divine eye, devil eye, or draconic eye) with ultimate vision and all ocular powers for a limited time. This magical eye gives many magical and supernatural powers. It allows the user to shoot magical optic blasts in the forms of magical beams or lasers from their eyes. The magical eye lets them mind control other people, but only who look directly into their prosthetic eye, for a few minutes. 
The arcane eye lets them see through illusions. These powers are because of a magical eye. The magical eye was upgraded. It gives them the superpower of ultimate vision with magic. They can see throughout the electromagnetic spectrum on a supernatural level. Allows users to see through supernatural disguises. Magic eye gives them superhuman perception, knowledge, charisma, wisdom, intelligence, & luck. 
Can summon a third eye for more power for a limited time. Bizarre irises or unusual pupils mark the individual. It is a third magical eye. The third eye blocks unwanted telepathy from telepaths and empaths. The third eye makes the user invisible for several minutes. The third eye lets them hypnotize enemies with illusions but only with direct line of sight. Lets them summon and command low level celestials and infernals such as demons and angels. It lets them summon imps and mustevals as familiars. Allows users to use all elements such as fire, water, storm, rock, & nature as an elementalist. It lets them see magical signatures. It lets them see invisible creatures. It lets them speed up or slow down their perception of time for a few minutes. 
They can’t time travel using the eye though. It lets them see a few minutes into the future with the power of precognition, clairvoyance, & divination. It protects them from telepathy and telepaths such as mind flayers. It lets them use a penance stare or petrifying gaze on enemies who look directly into the eye for a few minutes. Allows users the ability to see through dimensional rifts or interplane disturbances only for a few seconds. Gives the user the ability to use true sight for a few minutes. Using these magical powers through the magical third eye is taxing on their energy, stamina, & endurance so they don’t use it often. They got the third eye after an encounter with a primordial being as a demigod (who became a true god after being given divinity through heroic deeds, accomplishments, & achievements). 
Bionic and Cybernetic Arm:
Automotive Armored Prosthetic Cybernetic Bionic Arm. They have an automotive armored prosthetic bionic and cybernetic right arm. He/she/they are physically disabled as someone because he/she/they were disfigured in combat during war. He/she/they were disfigured by an alien super soldier of the Terran Empire. At some point in the past he/she/they have lost use and function to a part of himself/herself/themselves. But through study of the sciences and the help of those who have already done so he/she/they have replaced it with an advanced high-end prosthetic bionic cybernetic replacement. It is a prosthesis that replaces a missing extremity such as an arm or leg. 
The type of limb used is determined by the extent of amputation or loss of the missing extremity and the location of the missing extremity. Artificial limbs are needed for a variety of reasons where a body part is either missing from the body or a body part is too damaged to be repaired. It was built for them by an engineer, an inventor, & mechanic. It was installed on their body through a team of highly trained surgeons and doctors. Having artificial prosthetic limbs comes with a number of complications. Some of which are minor inconveniences while others can be dangerous if ignored. 
Due to the constant risk of damage and mechanical failures the mechanical prosthetics require daily maintenance and repair. It is maintained and repaired regularly by a team of mechanics and surgeons. The automotive armored prosthetic bionic prosthetic arm is highly upgradable and highly customizable. The prosthetic is linked directly to the nervous system taking electrical pulses from nerves to regulate the many electrical motors and actuators inside the prosthetic bionic arm. It can be moved at will like a natural appendage. This augment functions as if it were the normal body part. These constructs are designed to replace lost limbs if magical healing is not available or if the user desires to have an improved replacement. 
The automotive mechanized bionic prosthetic arm has electrical motors, gears, & springs. The bionic arm is made with a full skeletal titanium frame with steel armor plating to protect the wires and intricate machinery inside. The automotive armored prosthetic bionic arm moves using synthetic muscles and fibers. It is a fully articulated prosthetic arm with multiple moving parts capable of manipulating even weapons.  Once the prosthetic is attuned to its user it will behave and act as the limb it replaces. It moves according to conscious and unconscious thoughts and commands from its user. This was a prosthetic intended to replace lost limbs and damaged organs. This advanced prosthetic replaced and enhanced the lost limb. The prosthetic bionic arm was painted to look like their real biological arm. 
First perfected by humans and alien humanoids the armored automotive prosthetic bionic arms arms are now built by several master inventors and engineers. The bionic arm provides an almost perfect semblance of full functionality but is quite expensive. The recovery time it took for the user to recover from the automotive armored prosthetic bionic arm after doctors and surgeons installed on their body took three months. It does not require an external energy source. It has a built-in battery. The automotive armored prosthetic bionic arm is electrical and fusion powered.  
The prosthetic arm has built in tools. From tools to concealed weapons. Only one tool can be summoned at a time. Summoning another one cancels out the previous tool. His/her/their bionic and cybernetic prosthetic arm comes with a built-in wrist computer, a built-in photon cannon, a built in plasma shield, & built-in wrist serrated blades made out of hard light and plasma.
Has built in hard light wrist blades covered in plasma. The blades take the form of fully retractable extended serrated blades. These blades are twenty inches in length and ten inches wide. They offer greatly increased range owing to their greater size. The wrist blades can be folded away completely when not in use. These are blades that extend over the back of the hand from a gauntlet worn on the user’s wrist. Its single gauntlet on one wrist fitted with a pair of parallel blades. The deadly blades are sharp enough to cut through steel and titanium armor. After the upgrade they possessed wrist blades with triple blades. When fully extended, these wrist blades can be as long as a user's leg. Giving the user significant range in melee combat. These are an advanced pair of wrist blades that could completely retract into the wrist gauntlet. They can fire the wrist blades out of the gauntlet like a harpoon as projectile weapons in emergencies.
Has a stowed cannon. A small explosive incendiary ion and photon cannon was discretely built into their mechanical limb. They use it as a portable cannon that fires ballistic and hard light cannon balls. It is able to tear through steel armor. 
Has a deployable harpoon gun with grappling hook. They use it to traverse environments when jumping across or jumping up is too far. They use it to pull out obstacles. It allows them to rappel down from high heights. A deployable, spiked grappling hook is built into their mechanical arm. The grappling hook allows their users to make death-defying leaps from point-to-point by latching onto sky lines with the knowledge that they will automatically latch on. 
Has a deployable shield. A basic folded, iron, copper, and bronze round square shield was built into the forearm. It was upgraded into a gold, platinum, and silver metal rectangular shield. It was upgraded into a steel and titanium diamond shield. They have to be repaired though. This shield was finally upgraded with a forcefield generator and shield generator. This allows the steel and titanium shield to be covered in an energy shield, plasma shield, & hard light shield. The shields have to be recharged though with a built in battery. These shields were built into the forearm of their artificial limb. They use it to protect themselves. 
The automotive armored prosthetic arm is also a cyberware enhanced bionic arm. This prosthetic bionic arm is made of steel, gold, silver, electrum, nickel, brass, titanium, platinum, & copper for durability. However, contemporary technological advancements have allowed certain automotive armored prosthetic bionic limbs to be composed of other materials  as to be less cumbersome and more durable than steel in abnormal conditions. This prosthetic bionic arm is also made with a weave of chrome, fiberglass, aluminum, & carbon fiber for flexibility. 
Like wearers of normal prosthetics these users are subject to various aches and pains resulting from drastic changes in barometric pressure. However another drawback to full steel limbs are the adverse effects which occur in extreme conditions such as heat and cold. In extremely high temperatures the metals which conduct and retain heat induce great deals of discomfort to the user. Who must remain with a heated metal object grafted to the skin. In extremely cold temperatures the cold conducting metals cause standard oils to cease functioning as well as expedite frostbite damage to the connecting tissue. This means that the bionic arm is also made of lighter more expensive alloys that is resistant to extreme temperature changes so the armored automotive prosthetic bionic arm no longer suffers the ill effects of certain extreme heat and extreme cold environments. 
Having a functional mechanical prosthetic affixed to one's body can be a difficult and painful process. Additional amputations are often required as a prosthetic base can typically only be safely affixed at joints. For an artificial limb to function correctly. A "base" needs to be surgically affixed to an amputee's body. The base serves as both a support structure and interface for artificial limbs.
The prosthetics themselves are affixed to the base and must be customized by a team of a tinkerer, inventor, surgeon, doctor, scientist, and or trained mechanic in order to correctly fit the frame and body size of their wearer. As a result, the prosthetics themselves come in a large variety of shapes and styles depending on the team constructing the piece and the client's own personal tastes. This metal mechanical prosthetic. Once attached to a functional prosthetic base. It allows the user the same range of motion and functionality of the arm or leg it is replacing.
This is a high quality prosthetic bionic replacement that is made to look life-like (at least at first glance). This artificial prosthetic limb is much less bulky than its counterparts. Since its frame more closely follows the contours of an organic biological limb. The exterior and interior of its chassis is lined with precious gemstones, crystals, metals, and complex alien engravings. Engraved with intricate decorations and animated with holograms. A powerful sensor provides full sensory feedback to its user allowing all sorts of tasks to be accomplished with the limb. 
Having artificial prosthetic limbs comes with a number of complications. Some of which are minor inconveniences while others can be dangerous if ignored. Due to the constant risk of damage and mechanical failures the mechanical prosthetics require daily maintenance and repair. It is maintained and repaired regularly by a team of mechanics and artificers. The automotive armored prosthetic bionic arm is highly upgradable and highly customizable. The prosthetic is linked directly to the nervous system taking electrical pulses from nerves to regulate the many electrical motors and actuators inside the prosthetic bionic arm. It can be moved at will like a natural appendage. This augment functions as if it were the normal body part. 
It was upgraded with large glowing red, blue, green, gold, silver, & violet bold alien crystals. The bionic arm comes with a built-in sonar to detect nearby enemies and allies. Some of the more creative and talented prosthetics inventors, & engineers have been known to include all sorts of devices in prosthetic limbs. Some ranging from helpful tools to dangerous weapons. Including some with questionable legality. Some intrepid amputees have even been known to tinker with their limbs on their own time. However you go about it, modifying an artificial limb requires great expertise and tends to be costly. 
The prosthetic bionic arm was later weaponized and upgraded with human and alien metals for combat situations as a military grade augmentation. This makes the prosthetic arm built with a lot of durability and so would not break easily even with high output performances in combat. Based on the technology used to construct a robot, power armor, or an exosuit using alien metal and human metal is shaped into a single limb. These constructs are designed to replace lost limbs if the user desires to have an improved replacement. Once the prosthetic is attuned to its user it will behave and act as the limb it replaces. According to conscious and unconscious commands from its user. These limbs are of a stronger and lighter design. Designed to serve another function in addition to their use as a limb. 
Usually these limbs have a hidden compartment, concealed weapon or a set of tools. Such as a hard light arm blade and a plasma cannon. These additional functions can be used at will. These limbs are designed to shift, adjust and grow. Prostheses made of alien alloy can grow organically and form so many things if reasonable. Metal limbs can shift to form whatever other form the host can imagine, but cannot gain or lose mass. While deactivated, these limbs seem to be little more than simple alien and human metal plates, but once attached and active these limbs appear as masses of energy forming whatever shape their host imagines. 
The armored automotive prosthetic bionic arm comes with a built in injection system with multicolored serums. These serums are contained in vials that are unknown glowing cardinal, cerulean, emerald, silver, tangerine, gold, & violet fluids. 
These serums are made from human and alien materials found throughout the federations, empires, & confederacies of human and alien humanoids of the multiverse that are then ground up and mixed into concoctions, brews, potions, & elixirs. That when injected from the bionic prosthetic arm into the biological body through the injection system greatly enhances the user's strength, dexterity, constitution, durability, perception, awareness, intelligence, endurance, stamina, agility, flexibility, reflexes, dexterity, & speed at a supernatural level. 
The serum injection system also has a separate glowing obsidian vial that when injected into the user through the bionic arm with a time limit of a few minutes turns the user into a controlled berserker. Allowing them to fight at their fullest potential at a superhuman level without limits by weaponizing their inherent biology as a metahuman demigod and superhuman alien hybrid. It lets them release themselves of all rational restraints in battle. It lets them go into a controlled induced rage mode and combat enhanced mode but without the side effect of a berserker rage. 
It lets them immerse themselves completely in combat as a controlled berserker becoming a powerful ally for friends and a dangerous enemy for foes. As a controlled berserker they can tell the difference between ally and foe. They can ignore physical damage with pain suppression and injury immunity as if it never affected them and continue fighting past their limits but only for several minutes. It makes them unpredictable when fighting enemies and hard to counter. As a controlled berserker the user’s intelligence is not affected like a regular berserker. 
However the side effect is the severe backlash when the controlled berserker rage is over. The main side effect is while a user is only able to ignore the effects of pain and injuries while sustained in the berserker state. These injuries take full effect when they come out of the induced berserker rage once these chemicals wear off. They have to heal from the damage and pain on their own with their healing factor. The other side effect is that it leaves the user exhausted for several minutes as they run out of endurance and stamina.
This is based on the magical humanoid technology of the world of the Afro Asian Native variant human, fae elvish, goblinoid, & giant kin ancestry adventurer who’s a spellcaster, sword fighter, & gunslinger. It was created when the Afro Asian character came to the near and far future from their own modern but not futuristic world with magic (imagine 1950s but with magic) on a magical giant planet. They came over through a singularity or anomaly that bridged their worlds together.
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cloudbattrolls · 2 months
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Dead Silent
This drabble is preceded by Digging Deeper and directly followed by Abrasion.
Death can come in such strange ways. I am not one to dwell on it, but I will admit; the method here surprised even me.
--
Naturally, Ullane asks Yarrex to help investigate these leads. He checks on the graffiti, which seems to be nothing out of the ordinary - the word ‘Q-Bag’ is included, to Ullane’s dryly amused snort. She can guess where that one came from. 
He finds out that the last person to use the unlocked door was one Giorni Valtop - one of the medical staff - on his smoke break, but that the clinic’s camera footage shows no signs of a trespasser coming through it. 
Ullane muses that perhaps they could figure out if someone using cloaking tech or the like came through it, to which Yarrex responds he’s not psychic, though that would be pretty cool. He remarks that they’re not sure who threw the phone away, but he could have chrono-reactive lenses installed last night to zoom in on the trash can and find out (Ulalne rolls her eyes at that).
He hands the phone to her, having already gone dumpster diving for it in preparation, and remarks that it’s an old-style one, the kind you flip open, imagine. Also, the memory and battery cards have been removed.
Ullane mentions that such a person could still be tracked by visible breath or movement in the air, or yes, with a psychic; it’s too bad Zanzul is away now. Yarrex responds that he’s aware, but their cameras’ resolution isn’t top of the line and they’re in static positions. 
She also comments that the phone’s state isn’t strange at all; clearly it was used to communicate something the caller didn’t want any record of, and it means Halvir may not be the murderer at all, it could be someone else entirely. 
Yarrex points out that it would’ve made more sense to throw the phone away outside the clinic, and Ullane agrees. If they didn’t do that, perhaps they couldn’t, they had to get rid of it immediately for some reason…
…or, she says, struck by a sudden thought, it wasn’t a burner phone at all. It was used in some other incriminating way.
Yarrex shrugs and says he hasn’t the foggiest what it was used for if not making villainous calls.
Ullane rolls her eyes and says that their…opposition…is not ‘villainous’. At least, no more than she used to be. She isn’t an expert on technology, but she could ask Xrumon.
The brownblood warns her that if she stays too vague she’s liable to put on a tinfoil hat. He has some made, just in case. 
She retorts that she looks stupid when she wears any hat, and that she’s intentionally being careful.
Her head of security thoughtfully remarks that the walls have sponge clots…and they ooze green slime, but only on Tuesdays.
Ullane pushes him a little. Stop it with the Spongebob, she says, she hears it enough from Thrixe.
Yarrex collapses in agony, wailing for workman’s comp.
She prods him with a toe. Save it for the theater, Fissaa. Get up.
He takes out a copy of the movie “Up” from his sylladex and hands it to her. She baps him in the face with it and then puts it away in her own, silently wondering how he keeps pulling out oddly fitting objects to match what she says.
Once Ullane goes to Xrumon, he looks at the phone and says it’s a phone. Has she considered giving him a battery to turn it back on with or should he power it with one made out of spite?
Ullane placidly replies that it seems like something he could do, but she leaves and returns with a slightly odd looking battery for him to use.
Xrumon boots up the phone and notes that someone wiped the internal memory on top of tossing the external card, asking her what she thinks it was used for. 
Ullane tells him that she thinks it was used to hack the nanotech, which she knows sounds ridiculous, but she isn’t ruling anything out.
He replies that that’s easy to prove; just bring him a nanobot and a piece of bread.
Ullane frowns, finding it hard to believe it’s that simple, then retrieves the needed things quickly. She explains that usually, Friday simply controls the nanotech with her psi, since they’re technically part of her; made from her own cells’ extremely effective DNA repair that she has so her body can cope with her radioactivity manipulation ability.
But when other clinic staff use them, of course they have manual commands via a remote, or a pre-made code, like a normal robot. It’s dangerous to alter their instructions too much once they’re inside a body, though, she adds.
She hadn’t even thought they could be hacked, she muses. Or maybe the batch itself was interfered with during creation, but that seems less likely.
Xrumon, asks if there’s a specific radio frequency the nanites listen to, and Ullane confirms there is; that’s Friday’s power, after all. Electromagnetic manipulation.
The tealblood goes into the phone’s ringtone and connects it to his laptop, nothing that funnily enough their past work on Reality’s Song is helpful here. 
At first, his work produces only a tuneless noise that becomes inaudible when he puts it on the correct frequency. Then he holds it up to the piece of bread and presses play.
There is no sound.
Yet as both trolls watch, the piece of bread tears itself to pieces, spurred on by the noiseless song.
--
Such trouble gone to, simply to kill one man. Trolls die of less and for less all the time.
But one death, well placed and timed, can change everything.
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hannahfortune · 3 months
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Marx, Althusser, and Benjamin. Oh my!
How the aforementioned theorists' ideas can be applied to music videos such as Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2" and Rage Against the Machine's "Sleep Now in the Fire"
Another Brick in the Wall
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Pink Floyd's music video for "Another Brick in the Wall Pt 2" offers a powerful critique of societal structures and the education system, making it ripe for analysis through the lenses of Marx and Engels' theory of ruling ideas, Althusser's construction of the state apparatus, and Benjamin's musings on mechanical reproduction. From the beginning of the video, it’s clear that Pink Floyd is criticizing the educational system of the United Kingdom. The first lyrics of the song, “we don’t need no education, we don’t need no thought control” play over a panning shot of a dull and gray city at 0:09 before zooming into a schoolyard of children playing at 0:26. At 0:36, the video cuts to an animation of a ‘teacher’ figure on strings, like a puppet; he is a clear caricature of a scholar that is meant to represent the bottom rung of the educational system, a mere puppet through which the ruling class’s ‘ruling ideas’ may be expressed. This caricature and the way that education is represented throughout the entire music video ties back to Althusser’s description of what he calls the State Apparatus. This theory suggests that institutions such as schools serve to maintain the dominance of the ruling class by perpetuating ideologies that justify the existing social order. This teacher puppet enforces conformity and punishes deviation from the norm. The school is depicted as a repressive institution that indoctrinates students to accept their place within the hierarchical structure of society, thus perpetuating the status quo.
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At 0:48, the ‘teacher’ shoves the children into a meat grinder shaped like a school, suggesting that the children are being taken apart and melded into the status quo. The teacher then morphs into a hammer surrounded by a brick wall as the lyrics “all in all it’s just another brick in the wall, all in all you’re just another brick in the wall” play. These lyrics can be interpreted in a few different ways that correlate to the theory we have been reading about; the first ‘wall’ could be Roger Waters’ countless negative experiences with the establishment and school in general, while the second mention of the wall could be interpreted as the proletariat, made up of ‘bricks’ that have been perfectly molded to be exactly the same; to fit together and build a wall of class hierarchy. The next section is made up of a group of children, singing as a chorus that they “don’t need no education” at 1:15. The lights dim and fade to red as they sing, further emphasizing the dangers of indoctrination from educational systems that uphold the ruling ideas.
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Remember how the teacher turned into a hammer earlier? Yeah, well now everyone’s a hammer! Around 2:34, the music video shifts focus to older children walking around what could be assumed to be a school. These shots are intercut with personified hammers walking in single file lines together, almost like an army. The hammer could represent many things, but to me, it most obviously highlights the next generation that is ready to ‘hammer’ the ruling ideas of the status quo into the next generation. The hammers continue to move as a unit, scoping out anything that may be out of line. Benjamin’s theories of mechanical reproduction are not so applicable in this video, but it could be argued that a commodification of art is present within the classroom from a historical perspective.
Sleep Now in the Fire
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Rage Against The Machine's music video for "Sleep Now in the Fire" offers a scathing critique of capitalism, corporate greed, and the collusion between government and big business. The very beginning of the video starts with a message about Wall Street’s “record profits” and “record layoffs”, highlighting the connection between the two. It then is stated that Rage Against the Machine have been told to not play on Wall Street, so the next day they do!
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via GIPHY
At 0:30, the camera cuts to the back of a police officer’s head. Rage Against the Machine is known for being against the police, as they are a part of the ‘machine.’ This greatly aligns with Althusser’s theory of the state apparatus, with police making up part of the repressive state apparatus. The RSA functions through explicit coercion and the threat of physical force to uphold the law and enforce compliance with the dominant ideology. Police are a perfect personification of this part of the apparatus. At 0:34, the camera cuts to a presumably fake game show for which the title flashes on the screen above the ‘host’ : “Who Wants To Be Filthy F#&%ing Rich?” The host then points at the camera before a contestant eagerly runs onstage to participate. This piece of the music video represents a different but just as interesting piece of the ideological state apparatus; the communications and arts ISA. Things like game shows cement the want for money and shifting your class position, the classic ‘American dream’ type of message (that to Marx, as well as likely to the rest of these thinkers we have been reading about, is impossible). This game show could also be used to argue for Benjamin’s theories of mechanical reproduction, as mass media and the subliminal imagery within it takes away from its artistry and works to serve the ruling class.
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Shots of people dancing as they listen to RATM’s music (as they’re surrounded by cops no less) are intercut with the game show participants answering questions about the US government. At 1:24, the question “Number of Americans with no health care?” is on screen, and the two options for an answer are “A: 45 million” or “B: A few old people.” The answer is, of course, “45 million” and I’m sure the number is even higher today… However, this clip reinforces the idea that the ruling class enforces ruling ideas through conditioning. People may assume that healthcare isn’t as much of an issue as it is due to the conditioning from the State Apparatus. More questions, like those about the top 10%, the wealth gap, and even more are shown on screen throughout the duration of the video. There’s a lot more I could say about this video, but I’ll keep it short and sweet so that you can watch it and make judgments for yourself!
Discussion Questions
How do the music videos for Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2" and Rage Against The Machine's "Sleep Now in the Fire" utilize visual imagery and symbolism to critique capitalist structures? What specific scenes or symbols stand out to you, and how do they contribute to the overall message of each video? Did you find these forms of imagery effective?
How does “Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2” imply the acknowledgement of the entire ideological state apparatus along with education? In what ways can you connect the message of this song and music video to other elements of Althusser’s theory?
In RATM’s music video, they disregard Wall Street’s declaration that they shall not play music on Wall Street, and yet they do anyways. This shows a very blatant protest against the rules, but it made me think about Marx and Engels’ thoughts on false consciousness; could this be an example of just that? Especially considering that this song and music video were mechanically reproduced, monetized and turned into consumable products in one way or another?
Althusser, Louis. 2006. “Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses (Notes towards an Investigation).” In The Anthropology of the State. N.p.: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Benjamin, Walter. 2009. “THE WORK OF ART IN THE AGE OF MECHANICAL REPRODUCTION.” In FILM THEORY AND CRITICISM Introductory Readings. N.p.: Oxford University Press.
Marx, Karl, and Frederick Engels. 2010. “The Ruling Class And The Ruling Ideas.” In The German Ideology. Vol. 5. N.p.: Lawrence & Wishart.
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tilapia-goulash · 1 year
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I've gotta say, out of all the MXTX novels, MDZS definitely feels the most "different" to me. Is it a bad thing? Not really. Is it just because of my own biased perception (MDZS was the novel I read last)? Maybe. But as I've thought about it more, I've realized the main thing for me that really separates MDZS from the other two novels isn't its more surface level differences (different flavor of ML, more political drama-y, arguably good sex, etc etc) but rather one simple thing: the scale.
TGCF and SVSSS are stories that have larger scales by necessity of the plot. SVSSS not only has its main setting introduced as a book summary, but is also meant to be a parody of an existing genre, so it stands to reason there'd be the odd worldbuilding monologue where Shen Qingqiu curses out Airplane for his bad writing and whatnot. Worldbuilding is the primary tool through which the reality of Proud Immortal Demon Way as a setting (that being that it's a shoddily written but still fully system-expanded porn novel) is communicated to the audience.
TGCF is about a wandering banished god and a ghost king, so of course there's going to be lore about different kingdoms they've gone through and their histories with each other. Of course there's going to be a general picture painted of all three realms of this world and what each is like. Of course some defining points of our leads' character journeys are when one couldn't prevent a whole kingdom from collapsing and the other was rebirthed in a volcano as an unimaginably powerful super being. It's a fantasy novel. It only makes sense.
In contrast, though, MDZS feels incredibly zoomed in. All of the conflicts are between individual people or clans of maybe 50-100. There aren't any threats to the world at large (aside from maybe the criticized aspects of society like mob mentality and whatnot, depending on how you view it) and, hell, we don't even know what the kingdom it takes place in is called! The "world" of MDZS (if it can even be called that, as small as it is) is its own individual entity that isn't really connected to the greater universe around it. There's barely any worldbuilding at all--aside from the clan-sect thing, it's a bog standard cultivation setting, and there's no "wider impact" of any of the events of the story* outside the people the story chooses to focus on, because, simply put, there doesn't need to be.
In that way, it definitely makes sense that MDZS has the biggest impact on a lot of people. A smaller scale and more personal stakes might make the story feel more grounded and easy to connect with than, say, a giant statue kaiju mecha battle. (Absolutely no disrespect to the giant statue kaiju mecha battle from me, though. That shit was great)
Also, slight tangent, but this might be part of the reason there are more "serious" crossover fics (i.e. ones with more developed plots then "hey wouldn't it be fun if these characters interacted") between TGCF and MDZS than anything involving SVSSS. MDZS's lack of real connection to everything outside its story bubble makes it very easy to just drop in as a random thing going on in the background of TGCF, so it's not a big stretch to imagine. Hypothetically, this would also work with dropping MDZS into the world of SVSSS, but the tones of the stories are so wildly different that they feel a bit harder to reconcile.
In the end, though, it is still nice to see that even though MXTX has written three cultivation danmeis by now, there's still noticeable variety in not just the stories themselves, but the lenses through which they're told. It makes me very excited for whenever her fourth novel comes out, because because who knows what she'd do with a whole new setting...
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krakenmare · 8 months
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The cluster is so massive that its enormous gravitational field deflects light rays passing through it, much as an optical lens bends light to form an image. This phenomenon, called gravitational lensing, magnifies, brightens, and distorts images from faraway objects. The cluster's magnifying powers provides a powerful "zoom lens" for viewing distant galaxies that could not normally be observed with the largest telescopes. (January 11, 2000)
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