#And that even in a “bad” system that's still a “bad” thing to do?

[mattslilies]

Mother Knows Best - M.S.

"what if something's wrong?" or... the one where you're pregnant with your first child, and matt can't stop calling up marylou's phone with questions. warnings: pregnancy, mentions of kicking, throwing up, general pregnancy symptoms. matt being a worrywart because he cares so much word count: 666 a/n: requested by anon!

you doubled over, well, as much as you can, a groan leaving your lips. it took matt three point two seconds to be across the house and by your side, face full of concern.

"what's wrong? is everything okay?"

you laughed as much as you could manage standing back up as the pain in your stomach slowly dissipated.

"i'm okay, honey. baby just kicked me and i wasn't expecting it."

he nodded sympathetically, immediately helping you walk over to the couch, getting you to sit down.

"do you need anything? water? a snack? ibuprofen?"

you shook your head, smiling at him.

"matt, i'm fine, baby. take a breath."

he nodded, sucking in a sharp breath like he hadn't allowed himself to breathe in ages.

"i'm sorry, they just kick you so much-- i get worried."

you nodded, getting him to sit down with you.

"i know. you worry a lot, but it's because you care. it's okay. i promise i'm alright."

he nodded again, calming himself down. he'd never been seen pregnancy firsthand, and he'd be a liar if he said that he wasn't worried about anything and everything going wrong. that was his kid, he couldn't let anything happen to them.

"i'm gonna call my mom real quick."

you couldn't help but laugh, waving him off to go do so.

matt had called his mother for every single thing that had happened during the first seven months of your pregnancy. every pin drop, every ache, every pain, every tear, he'd called her, panicked. she'd been able to calm him down each time, offering solutions and advice, and also telling him to stop worrying so much.

now that you were nearing the eighth month, marylou never got a break from her son's contact. not that she minded, of course. she adored you both, but you always failed to talk matt out of phoning her. "it can't hurt to ask", he'd always respond with. and no, it couldn't, but still.

at this point, you just let him do it. it calmed his nerves, which in turn helped keep you relax, and helped the baby overall, so it wasn't much of a sacrifice to just let him do his thing. marylou was an amazing mother in law, and you were incredibly grateful to have such a good support system around you.

you giggled to yourself as you heard the back end of their conversation.

"is it normal for them to be kicking her so much? it's not gonna cause any problems, right?"

you felt bad for teasing, because the concern in matt's voice was genuine, but you could just see marylou fondly rolling her eyes on the other end at her son's dramatics.

"what if something's wrong?"

"are you sure?"

you covered your mouth with your hand, attempting to stop the laughter as you knew exactly how marylou was responding. you waved at matt, signaling you wanted him to walk back over to you.

"bring me the phone, baby, i want to talk to her."

he nodded, walking back over.

"mom, she wants to talk to you real quick."

he passed the phone to you, and you pressed it up against your ear, smiling.

"hey! i told him i was fine, but you know how he is."

she laughed into the receiver.

"i do. he just loves you, that's all."

"he does. i know he does."

matt looked at you suspiciously, wondering what his mother was saying about him.

"you've been an absolute saint this whole time, we're so grateful for you."

you could almost hear her smile through the phone.

"of course. what are mothers for, after all?"

you smiled, wrapping up the phone call. matt took his phone back, a fake hurt look on his face. you kissed it away, grinning at him.

"you know i love you, even when you worry so much. it means a lot to me, knowing our child is going to have an amazing father who cares so deeply about them."

[cupidlovesastro]

༻❁𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒂𝒔𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒏❁༺

-> i believe it can represent your skin since it’s your outermost layer, just like how your ascendant is the outermost layer of your chart! also thank you to all of you who gave me better insight on the rising sign and your skin !

☁️other post you may love !🪽

astrology observations #25 (asc edition)

dark astrology observations #3

lilith observations

✧ aries- your skin could have issues like redness, acne, or even dryness. it could be harder to combat skin issues with skin care. although, i do see things clearing up faster for you, than others. your skin complexion could be seen as sexy, and i can see you being someone who tans or gets red easily.

✧ taurus- your skin can be seen as conventionally attractive. your skin can be slow to healing, and stubborn when it comes to trying to fix skin issues. i do see your skin being overall, easy to deal with and likely doesn’t flare up as easily as other risings. also, these individuals do tend to have moles or freckles ! i also notice they tend to have keloids, tumors, skin tags, etc and my belief is that it’s because taurus can represent gaining and abundance of things. so taurus = abundance, asc = skin, abundance of skin.

✧ gemini- your skin is likely tighter and smooth, which gives you a youthful look. i can see your skin possibly being oily (oily skin keeps wrinkles away) and also being easier to take care of. although, you can have skin that is a mix of both oily and dry. i do also notice that it’s polarized for those with this placement. some have more sensitive and acne prone skin that changes easily, while others have skin that rarely changes and adapts to environments and diets very well.

✧ cancer- you could have baby soft skin! i can see your skin being like your mothers, wether that’s complexion or blemishes. you could struggle with pimples or blackheads causes craters, and larger pores than others. your skin might be more sensitive to changes and i can see intense emotions causing break outs. i also see your skin changes with menstrual cycles as well.

✧ leo- your skin is naturally very glowy, especially if you take care of it. you could have skin like your dad, wether that’s your blemishes or complexion. i can see you being someone who takes in the sun very well. you also likely get compliments on your skin, even if it has blemishes and you feel confident in it regardless of what others think. i see your skin being naturally even and beautiful !

✧ virgo- similar to gemini, you likely have tighter skin. virgo risings have a more youthful appearance, making their skin also look youthful. your skin heavily reflects your diet and body’s health. bad health = bad skin, good health = good skin. also skin conditions caused by your immune system, which also deals with your hormones. so these can all play a role in your skin’s appearance. also it’s important you do take measures to keep a skin care routine!

✧ libra- these individuals also usually have skin issues where there is hair, that even includes shaving. your skin is also likely more sensitive than others. you may also have something about your skin that’s seen as beautiful, like a mole, freckles, etc ! even if you do have acne, people still admire your skin. your skin could also be more oily, since oiliness causes less wrinkles, making you look younger !

✧ scorpio- these individuals tend to have hyperpigmentation, and skin that changes quite a bit, especially with your hormones and emotions. i do also see these people having moles or freckles, that are more obvious than other skin. your skin could be seen as very sexy. to keep your skin clear, (if it’s not) you would need to have a ritualistic skin care routine and be consistent. i do notice these individuals do usually have some kind of skin blemish though, like black heads, intense acne, and so on.

✧ sagittarius- your skin can be quite hard to deal with, since sagittarius represents independence and rebelliousness. it can go through a lot of big changes i definitely see you also having markings like freckles, moles, beauty marks, or even cultural/ spiritual markings. (and your markings may be more noticeable or larger than others) your skin may be one of the first things people notice about you, and it could be very naturally glowy and lively looking.

✧ capricorn- you likely have skin issues that are harder to deal with than others, or more extreme cases of a skin condition. i do also see your skin can have issues for a long time and that it can be hard to get rid of blemishes. i see an intense and long skin care routine can help solve that, although it could take awhile. i do see that your skin’s appearance can be a money maker for you as well !

✧ aquarius- your skin could be unique compared to others, possibly in your country, family, or just unique in general. maybe you have a rare skin condition, or skin that stands out from others. your skin can go through drastic changes, like being a light complexion, then tanning to be much darker. or going from really clear skin to lots of acne. it can be stubborn when it comes to fixing your blemishes, but you need to create a skin care routine that is quite literally designed for your skin.

✧ pisces- your skin is very soft and youthful looking. it also tends have a more shiny appearance, and glows even when it’s dark. your skin may not have any blemishes, and tends to be very even all around. although i do see that it can be sensitive to changes and requires more moisturizer than other skins. your emotions can also cause changes to your skin.

dividers by @uzmacchiato @enchanthings-a

[revelboo]

Reeeeev. Have you seen the new bumblebee movie soundwave and ravage!??

This darn music man is out for my money I swear swearrrr yolopark cooked so hard

You guys are making it so hard to be good 🤣 I have surgery next month and I need to behave until I figure out how much my insurance is going to cover and how much I’ll owe. But I’ll probably get him eventually, because I have zero impulse control and he’s pretty lol 🔞

Bad Idea Pt 23

TFP Soundwave x Reader

• A tendril slides against your thigh, his arm draped across your side to pin you in place with your back to his front and the weight of his arm against you is reassuring. Head resting on his other outstretched arm, he’s too hard to be comfortable to lay on, but you have no urge to move as he vents steadily against you, the soft alien hum of his internal systems becoming comfortable white noise to you. You’d gotten flashes of thoughts, images and memories when his spark had made contact with you. Knowing things about him now, but you still have so many questions. Maybe the little, lover-bot will come back for advice and you can hit him up for information. It’s not like Lazerbeak is going to volunteer anything.

• Coming online to the feel of soft fingertips tracing over his helm, he keeps his visor blank and his biolights muted. Wanting to watch you while you think he’s still recharging. The way you smile to yourself as you trace the sharp edge of one of the mandibles below his visor. Then reach up to trace the line of his crest, your leg sliding against his own. Fascinated with the softness of you against him, the contrast between your bodies and the fact that you fit perfectly together like you were made just for him.

• Tracing a heart on his visor, you still when he catches your wrist with the graspers on a tendril, moving slowly so as not to startle you. And you smile at him as his visor brightens, splaying your fingers so his graspers can interlace with your fingers. “Morning,” you murmur, eyes closing when his head lowers to rest against your own. Aware that the communication barrier between you should drive you crazy, but you’ve always been able to understand him well enough.

• Shifting, he braces a hand near your shoulder and leans over you, tendrils moving restlessly. Tempted to claim you again as you stare up at him with those trusting eyes. Instead leaning his head against your shoulder to vent and pull your scent deep into himself. Because you’re his now. Fully bonded to him and your soft hands cradle his head to yourself. Making him want to stay, spend the day with you. And even now there’s a hint of guilt, the certainty that he doesn’t deserve happiness. That he shouldn’t have this, have you.

• Tendrils brushing affectionately over your body as he presses his head more firmly against you and you lay your head back to keep from getting scratched by the pointy bits on his helm, you inhale the metallic, spiced bite of his scent. “Do you have to go?” You guess and he clears his vents, resting more weight against you until you’re squirming. And he lifts up slowly, head butting yours as he shifts back onto his knees and his attention dips, tendrils doing a fidgety little dance around him as you look and snort at the dried, neon colored mess he left on your thighs and he offers you that heart emoji to make you laugh.

Previous

[rhinorapscallion]

If I remember correctly there was a class in my West Virginia middle school history class that spent a great deal of time on WV's coal wars and the larger labor movement that it was a part of. I don't remember much of it other than a pro-union sharif of being offed by a bunch of corporate shills. But I do remember the "Lesson" that we are stronger if we band together as a collective, *unionized*. That's was the last class I took that I could say that lesson could be taken from. In 8th grade in the US.

I was shocked to hear that unionization is still taboo, that coworkers will see you differently if you even hint about wanting a union. How hard corporations fight it (Google: Starbucks Furry). I was appalled to hear of Walmart's "pro associate" bullshit.

We're bad at protesting because of privilege, but also because we have no fucking clue that we *can* make a difference via peaceful protest. Civil rights have been fought for since before the emancipation proclamation, and we still have very large issues with systemic racism today. Religious freedom is still a big "hot topic" issue even though it's written directly into our constitution. Hell, we have an entire non-profit (multiple acually) dedicated to fighting laws that disproportionately discriminate on the basis of religion. Our government can't even allow people to use she pronouns when they have a penis even though a majority of the people I meet don't give a shit about what's in someone else's pants. All of these issues have had protests at one point or another, some got violent, some were only barely noticed, and others were demonized.

If I didn't receive that lesson in 8th grade, where some movement somewhere actually *did* something, I old have no idea that something like the recent No Kings wasn't an exercise of futility. I know they can be, but at some point they'll be one that's not. But if I give up before participating, and others are in the same mindset, It will delay, or stop, the protest that'll actually matter.

That hope that was given to me in 8th grade by a single lesson, taught me that protesting *is* worth it, and that non-violent ones can win. But now, all I really hear about is "we don't need unions anymore because laws changed and we have osha" and "Martin Luther king helped end the racial inequalities, so we now have laws that fix systemic racism" without adding the very, very important thing that, no, we aren't done, we can still improve things, and if we stop the pressure, things almost always just get worse.

Education is our most powerful tool against what's going on in the US, unfortunately, we're losing it bit by bit and I see less and less people fighting for it and many fighting against it because of "anti-Christian propaganda" and other bullshit like that.

sorry but we cant be doing "americans are so bad at protesting bc of their education system" NO its bc we're all PRIVILEGED FUCKS dont get it twisted

[aroacebaggins]

As Pride Month comes to a close this is a reminder that July is Disability Pride Month!

It's not super well known in my experience, so basically this is a time to acknowledge that disabled people exist and we're not going anywhere, and honor different experiences and disabled history and struggles. Some things to remember:

Disabled is not a bad word. Please just say disabled instead of things like "differently abled".

Not all disabilities are visible, you can't always tell if someone is disabled.

If someone tells you they're disabled, believe them. We already deal with enough doubt and gaslighting from doctors and the medical system. The amount of people who actually fake disabilities is very low and also, not your problem to police!

Anyone can become disabled at any time. We're not so different from you. However, the idea that you may become disabled should not be the only reason you care about these issues.

You are not entitled to information about someone's disability. You can ask questions IF someone says it's okay and depending on the situation. For example, I'm usually pretty okay with questions. Some people aren't. Avoid personal and invasive questions, and never give unsolicited medical advice. Just don't.

We do not owe you inspiration. We can be proud of who we are and we can be angry at the same time. We're humans, don't expect us to be perfect little poster children.

Actual support is better than sympathy. We don't need your pity, but you can still get involved and be an ally.

Educate yourself about ableism and do not assume you are incapable of it, even if you have disabled friends/family. Heck, even if you're disabled yourself. You're not a bad person if you notice you've fallen into the same kinds of ableism prevalent in society, but it is your responsibility to change your behavior/language/etc. Call out ableism when you see it.

Pay attention to political issues in your country that impact disabled rights. In the US, problems with accessibility, education, access to healthcare, wages, marriage equality, etc. aren't new, but we're losing protections right now. (This is a good article, though the title... as mentioned earlier, the idea that issues could affect abled people too really shouldn't be the reason you care).

Use your position as an abled person to help advocate, but try to direct back to disabled voices and spotlight actual disabled people.

I also wanted to go over the meaning of the disability pride flag (shown at the top of this post) because I like it and it's not well known.

Black background - mourning and anger for disabled people who have died from illness but also from negligence, violence, eugenics, and suicide

Parallel, diagonal bands - solidarity in the community and cutting across barriers disabled people face

Red stripe - physical disabilities

Yellow stripe - cognitive and intellectual disabilities and neurodiversity

White stripe - undiagnosed and invisible disabilities

Blue stripe - emotional and psychiatric disabilities

Green stripe - sensory disabilities

So anyway, I'll probably be doing more disability posting for a while as well as my usual, and this is why. Happy Disability Pride Month, and helping spread awareness is appreciated!

[70thlovesong]

outdoor cats have basicallhy decimated the local demon hunters in my area it's crazy. even otherwise docile and lazy kitties will catch one glimpse of green smoke and go bonkers. the demon hunters can't really fight back either. their wings only take them short distances and their horns are ornamental, also many of them have fragile immune systems due to the fel concentration in their bodies, so even if they escape, the toxins in cat saliva just kills them slowly :( they don't stand a chance, it's kind of heartbreaking. finding a dead sufferer here or there in your house might seem like a minor nuisance but just wait till it's 3am and you have to chase your cat around the house to pry a full grown illidan out of her mouth while he's still struggling and flapping his wings and yelling about the hands of fate. and then you feel kinda bad so you call animal control and they say sorry ma'am, we;re busy dealing with a blood elf retribution paladin infestation right now, and all the elf rehabilitation centers have been at capacity since that thing with the tree anyway, so you have to take the illidan outside and kill him with a shovel because he's injured and won't survive in the wild and the kinda sad thing is he doesn't understand what's happening, he thinks you're sargeras basically. anyways this is just a reminder that if you live in an area with a high illidari population, do your part for the environment by letting your cat roam outside as often as possible

[creature-wizard]

You have privilege! ...Now what?

This is my little guide for what to do and what not to do when you realize that you benefit from a system of inequality, because some people out there still need some help with this.

The first thing to do is recognize and acknowledge that systemic inequality is a thing. It's fine to feel upset and discombobulated. Handle your feelings with mindfulness. (If you have not learned mindfulness, now is a really good time to do so!)

Understand that privilege is not original sin, nor is it even regular sin. It does not affect your value as a person, nor does it mean you have to engage in penance or do something to "make up" for having it. You don't need to do any kind of performative thing as a response to having privilege.

Privilege is something you have due to a system of government and a set of social norms that you did not create. It cannot morally pollute you.

What it can do is leave you unaware of the realities of other people's lives. So what you should do is acknowledge that you probably don't understand the lives of marginalized people as well as you thought, and you need to plan on learning more about that.

As you learn, you will probably find yourself challenged often: you may learn that things you did or participated in perpetrate inequality. It's not going to feel great, but again - mindfulness.

Some things will be simple to give up - like slurs. Other things will be harder, maybe even impossible sometimes - like buying things from corporations. The important thing is that you do the best you can. (You might not be able to avoid buying from corporations all the time, but you can search for alternative options.)

You can also use your privilege for good. For example, if you're white, you might have white friends who won't listen to a Black person talk about racism yet, but they might listen to you, and maybe they might listen to a Black person if you recommend them. (Also see my post on persuading people.)

Remember that you'll mess up and get it wrong sometimes. This doesn't mean you're a failure or a bad person. (Activism and allyship does not mean hating yourself!) Just try to learn and do better when it happens. (Some people out there might be very harsh on you, and maybe say things that are very unfair. Try not to take it personally, try not to lash back, and just do the best you can to learn and move on.)

So there you go, these are the basics for handling your privilege.

[beatbizzle]

You know what? You're right about part of this and i'm sorry I was so agressive. Venting into the void is sometimes all someone can do. I dont want to take that away from anyone. Not from this OP, but also not from the people OP is talking about in her post.

We have to remember: Two things can be true. People living under opression have every right to vent about their situations, even about people who are perceived to have it better. But we also have to remember that "better" is not good and its also okay for those people to defend themselves on a public post, because posting things publicly can sway perception and discourage people from acting, even if that wasnt OPs intention.

No one is going claw their way out of a pit of oppression if we keep attacking eachother instead of the systems that oppress us.

So with that, again: I'm sorry I attacked so agressively and claimed a vent post was "the enemy of progress." But I'm not sorry for defending people who are upset that their systems (while better than most) still need work.

To OP: i'm sorry my tone was so agressive and in bad taste. I did a poor job of giving you space to be upset and vent about some people's insensitive rhetoric and you deserve a space to be able to do that.

To Marxistmegatron: I try my best to understand where people are coming from and this time I truly missed the mark. I also speak a lot about the "not everything is about you" mindset and this time I fell for that myself. Thank you for describing how I myself was being insensitive and helping me understand how to do a better job at uplifting everyone without becoming a persecutor myself in the future.

Yeah actually the usa is the worst place to be trans we just have doctors who give us hrt and we can get surgeries very easily and there's lots of us and large communities of us Yeah basically it's the worst no one has it worse

[orellazalonia]

Lingering Hope and Doubt

Summary: After slowly reintegrating into the compound, you begin to share quiet, meaningful moments with the rest of the team including Bucky. However, doubt creeps in as you start to wonder if his attention is only because she is no longer around. 

Word Count: 1.9k+

Main Masterlist | The One You Don’t See Masterlist

As time passed, the days didn’t feel so sharp anymore.

They weren’t exactly comfortable yet, but the air didn’t bite when you walked into a room now. People looked at you differently. Not in awe, or suspicion, or even pity.

They looked at you like you existed, like you were seen, like you mattered.

And the most surprising part?

You were starting to believe it.

It started small.

Bruce had gently roped you into reviewing logs from his portable monitoring systems. Wanda asked if you’d go on a walk with her when the air was too heavy in her head. Clint dropped by with bad snacks and worse jokes. He always left too fast, like staying longer would make it real.

But Bucky?

Bucky stayed.

Every day that week, he’d stopped by your door. No expectations. No plans. Sometimes with coffee, sometimes with a question, or sometimes with silence that didn’t feel like an absence.

You never told him no.

And by Thursday, you’d stopped waiting for him to knock. You were already waiting by the door when he arrived, and he never said anything about it, just gave a small nod and started walking.

You followed.

That morning, the two of you sat on the south-facing balcony just off the training floor, nursing tea neither of you particularly liked. The sunrise spilled amber light through the clouds, and for once, the compound felt still.

He didn’t ask you deep questions. You didn’t offer any revelations. It wasn’t like the old movies where damaged people stitched each other up in one grand moment.

You were just sitting. Together. Safe, quiet, and alive.

“I never liked this place much,” Bucky muttered after a long stretch of silence.

You glanced over at him. “The compound?”

He gave a small shrug. “It was always too clean. Too… polished. Never felt like it was meant for people like me.”

You gave a soft hum. “I used to think the same thing, like I was some uninvited guest waiting to get caught in someone else’s spotlight.”

He looked at you then. Not hard or apologetic, but the words that followed were full of sincerity.

“You never belonged in the shadows.”

Your heart beat too loud in your ears. You looked away.

“Neither did you,” You whispered.

The silence after that wasn’t awkward. It was weighted and full.

You finished your tea as he did too. Then, as he stood, he glanced back down at you.

“You doing anything tonight?”

You raised a brow. “Is that code for a mission or…?”

He cracked a small smile. “No. Just thought maybe you’d want to join the rest of us. It’s movie night. Clint picked something terrible, and I figured you should suffer with the rest of us.”

You smirked. “That’s the most compelling argument you’ve made so far.”

“So…?”

You nodded. “Yeah, alright.”

“Cool,” He said, stepping back. “See you then.”

And just like that, he was gone again. But the warmth stayed.

Not from the tea. Not from the sunrise. Just from the realization that for the first time in a long time, you were being invited to something.

Movie night was exactly what Bucky promised: a chaotic mess of over-salted popcorn, bad lighting, and Clint loudly quoting every line of the terrible action flick like it was Shakespeare.

You sat near the edge of the couch, half-curled into a blanket Wanda had tossed at you without comment. Bucky sat a few feet away, arms crossed, and trying not to smile at the absurd explosions on screen.

It wasn’t cozy yet, but it was safe.

And maybe that was more than enough.

In the mornings, you helped Bruce catalog long-forgotten samples from the lower labs. In the evenings, you found yourself eating in the kitchen instead of your room. Some nights you’d wander the halls late, listening to the low hum of the ventilation or the sound of distant laughter from the gym.

You saw Wanda, Clint, Steve, Sam, and occasionally Natasha, slipping through like a shadow and offering you a curt nod in greeting.

And Bucky was always steady, always there in small, quiet ways; making room for you. But sometime around the middle of the week, you noticed something.

She wasn’t there.

The woman Bucky had once cared for. The one who smiled with soft confidence and made you feel small without ever raising her voice.

You hadn’t seen her in the cafeteria or during debriefs. Not walking the halls or tending the plants she used to keep.

At first, you thought maybe it was coincidence. Maybe you were avoiding her without realizing it. Perhaps the compound was just big enough that two people could simply… miss each other.

But then three more days passed.

And still, nothing.

One afternoon, you passed by the comms room where she used to sit during rotation and found it empty. The glass teacup she always used was gone from its usual shelf in the lounge. The spare keycard hook on the access board read:

Status: Revoked

You stood in the hallway longer than you meant to, something unsettling turning over in your chest.

No announcement had been made. No debrief. No confrontation. No trial.

Just… absence. At least, to your information.

You didn’t bring attention to it yet, but your brain cataloged it all anyway.

She hadn’t been escorted out publicly. She hadn’t been arrested that you knew of. And yet… her clearance was pulled. Her name was off the board and somehow no one mentioned her.

It was as if she’d been quietly erased.

You didn’t know whether to feel relieved or unnerved.

The hum of the reinforced glass filled the stillness.

Below, two junior agents ran combat drills loud enough to fill the silence with the rhythmic slap of boots and the dull thud of padded hits. You stood at the edge of the wide viewing window, arms folded loosely, gaze drifting.

Sam joined you halfway through the second round.

“Thought I’d find you up here,” He said lightly, passing you a bottle of water. “Word on the floor is you’re the mysterious ‘coffee ghost’ who keeps vanishing before anyone can say hello.”

You offered a faint smile. “I’m easing back in. Stealth mode helps.”

He chuckled, leaning against the railing beside you. “You’re not the only one figuring things out again.”

The agents below reset their stance. Your fingers toyed with the plastic cap of the bottle.

Then you asked quietly, “Hey… do you know what happened to her?”

He blinked. “Her who?”

You hesitated. “The woman who used to be around a lot, close… to Bucky. Smart, kind of always knew what to say and smiled a lot. I think… I think she spoke to me once.”

Sam’s brows knit faintly. He didn’t answer at first.

Then: “Oh.”

That one word told you everything you needed to know.

“She’s gone?” You asked, even though you already knew.

“Yeah.” He exhaled slowly. “Sort of. Officially she’s… being held elsewhere. Off-site.”

“Elsewhere,” You repeated, voice flat.

He glanced at you. “It’s not really public info. But she’s not in the wind, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“I wasn’t,” You lied.

He didn’t call you on it.

“She always seemed so…” You trailed off, trying to find the word. “Certain.”

Sam nodded. “Yeah. That was the mask.”

You looked over at him.

“She really got to you,” He said, not unkindly. “The way she talked, the way she knew things. But not everything she gave away was free or honest.”

“She only ever spoke to me once,” You said, frowning. “It wasn’t even much. Just… a passing moment, but it stuck.”

“Because she made you feel seen.”

You didn’t answer.

He glanced down at the agents below. “We all missed it.”

“She said she cared about him.”

Sam looked at you again. His eyes soft, but unreadable. “Maybe she did, but doesn’t mean she truly did… or cared about the rest of us.”

You turned back to the window, the weight of that sitting cold on your shoulders.

He didn’t push the conversation further. Just stood beside you as the drills wrapped up and the buzzer sounded.

Before leaving, he added quietly, “Some people… they know how to find the cracks in a place. But that doesn’t mean they’re trying to fix them.”

Then he left you alone again. And the silence left behind felt larger than ever.

After that conversation, you weren’t sleeping again.

Not for lack of trying, but your mind was filled with thoughts. Too many of them, too loud, too persistent. You’d hoped a trip to the gym would help tire them out, but after half an hour of half-hearted pacing on the treadmill, you gave up.

Now you sat on the upper balcony overlooking the empty floor, legs pulled up to your chest with your water bottle forgotten beside you.

Then you heard footsteps. You didn’t look up. You already knew who it was.

“Couldn’t sleep either?” Bucky’s voice was soft behind you.

You shrugged. “Something like that.”

He sat a few feet away like always, not too close, not too far. Familiar.

“I figured you’d be on mission rotation this week,” You said, staring out at the dark mats and deactivated equipment.

“Opted out.” A pause. “Didn’t feel right leaving.”

You hummed, unsure what to say to that. You could feel the edge of a question pricking your mind, but you didn’t let it out. Not yet.

He rested his arms on his knees. “You’ve been quiet lately.”

“I’m always quiet.”

He smirked faintly. “Yeah, but this week it’s the kind of quiet that echoes.”

You didn’t mean to ask. But the words tumbled out anyway, raw and too real.

“Would you still be around if she hadn’t disappeared?”

Silence.

You looked away, heart hammering suddenly in your chest. You hadn’t even planned to say it. It just came.

When he finally answered, his voice was slow, careful. “What do you mean?”

“I mean…” You swallowed hard. “You used to be close with her and now she’s gone. And suddenly you’re… here, talking to me, bringing me coffee, sitting with me at movie nights…”

You didn’t say caring. You weren’t sure you could handle the answer if you did.

Bucky didn’t answer right away either. The air and silence between you stretched for what felt like ages.

When he finally spoke, it wasn’t defensive. It was low and honest.

“I’m not here because she’s gone.”

You waited.

“I’m here because I should’ve been before,” He continued. “And I didn’t realize it until it was too late to fix what I missed.”

You clenched your jaw, voice quiet. “So I’m a guilt project.”

He turned his head toward you, eyebrows drawing together. “No. Don’t do that. Don’t put words in my mouth.”

You didn’t meet his eyes.

“I’m not trying to earn points,” He added. “I’m not here because I feel bad. I’m here because I see you now. And I want to.”

That made something twist in your chest: warm, aching, and uncertain.

“But would you have looked if she were still here?” You whispered.

He hesitated for a moment but he didn’t lie.

“I don’t know.”

The honesty hurt, but so would anything else.

You nodded slowly, biting the inside of your cheek. “That’s what I thought.”

He leaned back, looking at the ceiling now, sighing softly. “I don’t know what that says about me. But I know what it says about you.”

You looked over.

“That you were worth seeing the whole damn time.”

You didn’t answer, but your throat felt tight. And your hands were trembling just a little where they rested on your knees.

You weren’t sure if you believed him, but some part of you wanted to.

Taglist: @herejustforbuckybarnes @iyskgd @torntaltos @julesandgems @maesmayhem @w-h0re @pookalicious-hq @parkerslivia @whisperingwillowxox @stell404 @wingstoyourdreams @seventeen-x @mahimagi @viktor-enjoyer @vicmc624 @msbyjackal @winchestert101 @greatenthusiasttidalwave @avivarougestan @saoirses-things @itsmejen @saucysasha2035 @smokescreen1000 @poiscntree @therealh18 @vieenr0se @ravenswritingroom

[neptuneball]

TW: opinion, cussing (for the babies in this fandom)

i want to add in my two cents on the new reveal of earth and luna being siblings but first! we need to discuss my overarching opinion on familial relationships in this show:

i think it’s fucking stupid actually :D like in the case of neptune and uranus being cousins— it does absolutely nothing for ANYTHING!! there was no point in making them cousins especially bc they don’t even treat each other like that in canon (they hardly even treat each other like friends the majority of the time). by assigning them a familial relationship, alvaro did nothing but hinder fan creativity and prevent things like shipping uranus x neptune. like, i know it was based off of their similarities as the two ice giants of our solar system but that actually didn’t have to equate to them being related…

if you want to use that logic alvaro, fine. but then use it for venus and earth too, bc they are both also considered sister planets!! should they not be considered brothers? why are you picking and choosing?? i think that’s what people are mostly frustrated with. it’s not clear across the board who is related to who and WHY ykwim.

as for earth and luna being not only brothers but also the kids of proto and theia, i don’t like it either. like i was saying, it hinders fandom creativity, ruins the previously developed and established relationships dynamics between earth and the rest of the cast and also just feels thrown in there. (don’t even get me started about this info being patreon exclusive until now, that shit PMO so hard) and now with this finally being revealed to the general public, shipping is gonna take a massive hit which is just bad for the fandom.

people are going to get pissed off and leave bc suddenly their favorite ships have a weird—UNNECESSARY—ethical dilemma. the younger, inexperienced members of our fandom will take this as reason to start attacking people for having been apart of the, for example, earthluna shipping, and things are gonna get toxic and hard to be a part of.

i want to clear up that no, i don’t ship uranep (i do view them as family as i has written into many of my fics) and no i don’t ship earthluna (idk i don’t really focus on the rocky planets - i view them more like father/son or brothers) but i would like to come out and say i WANT THE OPTION TO DO IT. that’s what i LOVE about this fandom!! i love have the OPTION to ship characters and see characters as having a different/deeper relationship than in canon. i love being able to play around with character designs and make weird headcanons and generally have the freedom the do whatever i fucking want with the characters bc bro they are personified celestial objects, let them fuck AGAGAGAGAGA. i want the OPTION to ship whoever i want, the OPTION to view whoever i want a family (without fandom backlash) and the OPTION to think that two characters shouldn’t be related.

to reiterate in case i’m not being clear enough: by canonizing a relationship dynamic between two characters, you take away my ability to be creative with the characters!!! even if alvaro had never canonized uranus and neptune being cousins, i would still have had the OPTION to view them more like brothers/cousins than lovers—but he did and now if i were to ship them, id get laughed off the internet for being an incest shipper. if he had never canonized earth and luna, i would’ve STILL been able to see them as brothers but i also would’ve had grounds to explore a deeper connection between them!! like i said, that’s what people are mad about. they are mad that their options are being taken away and frankly they have every right to feel that way. if you are going to wait until 3 years into the show to canonize a character relationship that had been purposefully left up to debate, don’t be surprised when there is push back against it.

directed towards younger fans who have never been exposed to a situation like this in a fandom: BE NICE TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE DIFFERENT INTERPRETATIONS OF CANON. DONT ATTACK PEOPLE WHO DONT KNOW. DONT SHAME PEOPLE OFF THE INTERNET JUST BC YOU THINK YOU KNOW BEST. this fandom is already insufferable. DO NOT ADD TO IT.

[maxdibert]

One last thing;

Ive grown up poor. I had no one in my corner at all, ever. I was failed by the healthcare, mental health, and family care system over and over. I was bullied severely. And yet, I never called anyone slurs. And yet, I never went right wing out of 'self defense'. It's a fucking weak argument to say that his environment shaped him and he had no further common sense to be a better person?

I work with people who have been in and out of prison multiple times. Many of them have not only committed crimes, but have also struggled with serious drug addictions, particularly heroin. The vast majority come from deeply devastated environments, shaped by poverty, institutional neglect, structural violence, and complete emotional abandonment, situations so extreme that most of your moral judgments would crumble if you spent five minutes face to face with them. I’m talking about people who started using heroin at 13 or 14. People who had no support networks, no resources, no guidance, no actual options outside of what their environment imposed on them. People who formed emotional bonds and loyalties in violent, abusive contexts simply because that was the only form of connection or care they had access to.

And you’re telling me —someone who sees, every single day, how material conditions weigh on people’s bodies and lives— that I should focus on the exceptional cases? The ones who did make it out? The ones who didn’t “turn bad”? You really expect me to ignore systemic realities and center moralistic exceptions, as if virtue were some innate, individual quality instead of something profoundly shaped by class position, access to education, mental health care, and safe environments?

Sorry, but that’s pure neoliberal thinking. That’s exactly the kind of discourse that blames the poor for their own poverty. It’s the same meritocratic narrative that says, “If I could do it, anyone can,” as if everyone starts from the same place, as if growing up in hell doesn’t shape the way people make choices. It’s a fallacy, and it’s deeply classist. And yes, you can be poor and classist, just like you can be oppressed and still reproduce oppressive narratives. That’s because the system teaches you to hate yourself, to compete, to cling to figures of power even when they destroy you. This is not about justifying everything, it’s about understanding things through a material lens.

The issue isn’t whether there are poor people who don’t use slurs or who don’t turn to the right, of course there are, just like there are rich people who don’t either. The issue is demanding moral superiority from the oppressed in order to make them worthy of empathy or analysis, while refusing to apply any structural understanding to their behavior. That’s a double standard. If you only use individual morality as your framework, then you’re reproducing the same logic of punishment that puts poor people in prison while letting rich criminals walk free.

I’m marxist and marxism isn’t a moral code, it’s an analytical tool. And if you apply it seriously, you can’t just say “I suffered but I didn’t do X” as if that were an argument. That says nothing about the system, it only says something about you. It doesn’t negate the structure, the pattern, or the statistics. It just proves you’re an exception. And building political arguments around exceptions means you’ve fundamentally missed the point.

[penellaphemierel]

I agree with you. If Rhysand was supposed to be a morally good protagonist who acts uprightly to change the system and for the greater good, we should see that happen. Instead we have him doing terrible things over and over again and not facing the consequences of his actions and then the narrative gives a weak and forced excuse for his actions, or his bad actions are completely ignored. I don't know how the author thinks this is a good way to write her protagonist. For example, in Epic, the protagonist Odysseus when he does bad things, the narrative never tries to twist things around to make him actually good and upright even though Odysseus' motivations are shown. No, he is not the worst of men, but the bad things he does are shown as just that: something bad that the narrative does not romanticize. I consider Odysseus in Epic a good example of a well-written morally gray character. Another problem with the way Rhysand is written is that he is forgiven for everything bad he did without consequences, but other characters who did less bad things still suffered severe punishments, and even when they do things to make up for their mistakes, or even when the character has an understandable motivation for their actions, they are not forgiven when Rhysand was less than that.

This kind of inconsistency of seeing the protagonists being pampered like this by the narrative and others not, really ruins the story and there is no suspension of disbelief capable of making me ignore this when there are other characters being harshly condemned for less and some never receiving any consolation or forgiveness, besides making protagonists like Rhysand hypocrites as hell.

I've seen people say that people who criticize Rhysand are wrong because they are using real-world ideas and not those established in the book, but that is not true. Other characters who did things that don't even come close to Rhysand's terrible actions were punished, punished and suffered much more while Rhysand never suffered the consequences of his actions so harshly. Which is a huge plot hole and a screaming contradiction in the plot. I've even read children's books that are self-indulgent self-inserts (like ACOTAR is a self-indulgent self-insert franchise for "adults") but that had better-written "morally gray" love interests than in the case of ACOTAR. As you said, morally gray has lost its meaning at this point. There is no complexity in the plot, and honestly the story with Rhysand makes no sense at all, he does the most terrible things and the narrative will always romanticize and minimize everything to make it seem like he's right, even when it contradicts already established facts. It could be the case of an unreliable narrator and the reason for these supposed plot holes is that what Rhysand does wrong is not treated with the seriousness and consequences that occur for other characters. But I think overall it's just because he's a Gary Stu and a case of really bad writing.

Ramble thoughts - Rhysand focused.

Rhysand literally grew up in Illyria (don't know how much of his childhood was spent in Velaris before he became HL) and you're telling me he only made two Illyrian friends? One of which he and Cassian beat the shit out of after being brutally maimed by family, trapped in the dark and unable to fly due to lack of practice, may I add, because "haha, brothers. Aren't they funny?" Yet losing your mind over sisterly spats that never became physical and all gave it equally.

Sure, the other Illyrian’s around may have been looking at him sideways originally - perceive him as not fully 'like them' and pampered in comparison, but even after some time, a reconsideration of initial perceptions never flickered? Not once?

I wonder why? No... generally, why?

He loves to spew the "change takes time" bullshit, but the subtle changes should have been happening during childhood and onwards, especially when it was obvious he would be the next expected HL and he claims to hate how the current system is. He could have built a relationship or found like-minded Illyrians to break down barriers, yet he chose not to. Heck, he could have even trained to even become an aspiring general (because no one knows when the current HL will die) and understand them better. Build comradery. See them and let them see him beyond being a nepo baby that only elevates his friends/family/those with power to add to his arsenal in order to just maintain the fucked up status quo.

The change should have already been implemented long before, and I refuse to believe that all illyrians are bad. It was so easy to find the two in acosf, and they weren't even hiding. Now imagine how many others are there just simply trying to survive and having to do and participate in acts they wish they didn't, but have no other choice? Fighters and non-fighters alike.

The world building could have been so rich. Ideologies could have been explained to expand the thought processes. The dynamic could have been complicated, but on the way to making something better in the end whilst even showcasing the challenges as things changed. But instead, as I've been reminded in a recent post highlighting direct quotes which shows that the IC sees recent windows and those who are airing out their grievances after losing families as spreading "poison." Want to use the Rite to kill those who would oppose them. For Rhysand to show up, not because he wants to be involved and change his court, but to intimidate just like he intimidates in the CoN for shits and giggles.

Things are written to be so black and white, you'd think the comprehension level was originally targeted to middle grade readers, but I won't even disrespect the great middle grade stories like that. Because the truth is, it's just lazy writing targeted to a consumer base who have been conditioned to think less and dismiss questionable actions. Those who states they're faves are morally grey, but sees their every action as correct (seem to be missing the point of the term). You're not meant to agree with an act that's actively wrong, even if context can be added to explain the reason. 'Morally grey' has lost all meaning at this point, especially when others do far less questionable things and are torn apart because...what, they don't lick the MC's cooter and fall before their feet on their every decision?

Yeah, bye.

SJM might have implied heavily through characters we're 'meant' to think that Rhysand is a good HL, but he's honestly incompetent. Overly powered and for what? 2/3 of his court despises him (never explained or truly delved into to broaden the perspective and reasons why), and the 1/3=Velaris of his court was long established before him. So what has he actually done that makes him better than others?

Of course, change takes time when all you're doing is 'dreaming' and not being proactive whilst literally being the government and having the power to change anything he wants in HIS court. He was quick to kill all those Illyrian’s that sided with Amarantha (just as he did) with no issue, so the talking point of "he can't just kill everyone he wants" falls a little flat.

I'm lowkey mad because Rhysand could have been such a great, interesting character. I was even more intrigued with him and his actions as a ruthless fae in Acotar than I was with Tamlin, but the rest of the story ruined him because he doesn't actually expand much as a character. He just gets excuses due to author and MC favouritism whilst treating common sense reactions as mindless, controlling, or undserving because you don't fuck with a certain character and it's annoying. All it displays to me is the lack of ability to consider others' perspectives beyond your own, even in a story format. In a space that's meant to be "morally grey" and in a fantasy setting, at that.

Rhysand could have been so good and complex. SJM isn't a novice. But everyone, even in text, that calls him out are viewed by the narrative, thus the fans, as unworthy of an opinion and it just removes so much nuance. I'm mad that we were stripped of the absolute cunt of a character he could have been. One you love to hate and love and hate again, stuck on repeat because he's just so interesting and charming and wicked.

Give me Klaus Mikaelson. Give me Cersei Lannister.

But, no. He's just underwhelming, and it sometimes makes me sad, lol.

[transmutationisms]

hi caden! you and your mutuals have been so helpful to my understanding of the world :3 thank you. I’ve been stewing on a few ideas that feel connected but I’m struggling explain their connections in a way that isn’t just “this thing has similarity to the others.” I’m thinking about how discussions ‘fast’ fashion and sustainability in the garment/textile industries share similarities with ‘media literacy’ v literacy, and then also AI moral panic.

my first thought was that a lot of critiques around fashion are superficial, which I know you’ve talked about. even subcultures that claim to be radical in politic still fall victim to the belief that a person’s values can be determined by their clothing (and therefore also their body.) and I see this same rhetoric in discussions about sustainable v fast fashion, wherein people claim you can ‘read’ a garment to determine its means of production. but like even if a garment is well-produced with high quality fabrics, that tells us very little about the working conditions of the person who made it! And people seem very resistant to actually admitting that expensive garments are just as irresponsibly produced, because it’s the whole of the clothing industry as an international phenomenon that is predatory.

I have a gut feeling that this is similar to what’s happening with AI, where people think their judgments of something’s quality is tantamount to criticizing its production. It doesn’t really matter whether ai is producing slop or not, and if anything that conversation feels like a distraction from the practical reality of how it gets used. if it’s being used to train drone programs that determine if a civilian looks or moves like a ‘terrorist’ (like Lavender), then that system is bad because the human parameters are bad. But instead people want to bellyache about the moral superiority of ‘writing good’ AKA writing convincingly. And it just makes me sad when people’s solution to this artificial problem of AI slop is to say “hey everybody just needs to get really literate right now”, as if critically reading the commodity (whether an AI essay or a sweater) is going to actually do anything about what these tools are actually being used to do, which is entrap people in poor labor conditions, poverty, and kill them. and then somehow the result of this rhetoric about literacy is that sufficiently literate people only read or purchase good commodities?? When actual literacy is necessary to navigate these predatory systems and mitigate risk? Like I think media literacy is just the commodity fetishism replacement for literacy, and it misses out on why literacy is actually useful

anyway sorry for ranting, I’ve tried to explain this many times and I would really appreciate any critiques or clarification you can offer. thank you Caden!

yeah i mean ia the problem with ai is not really on the consumer end, it's a product like any other that can be useful or not in different contexts, the actual labour and production issues are the things people should be concerned about & that applies to literally any production under capitalism but is definitely rhetorically elided in specific ways wrt the tech industry right now. i'm really not the person to ask about ai or fashion in detail to be honest, they're not industries i understand in a lot of depth or frequently buy new stuff from lol but i do agree the way people talk about them is very detached from actual labour concerns and instead tends to just focus on moralising consumption to make the speaker feel better for being Smart etc

as far as commodity fetishism im not sure i directly see the connection to literacy? it's more to do with the way a commodity is 'read' under capitalism as an already existing object with an exchange value determined by the market & without any of its real history of being produced, transported, etc by human labour. i think you csn see the earlier version of this concept eg in how marx talks about estranged labour in the paris manuscripts, compared to the formulation of fetishism in eg kapital. but i also think the fetish concept is flawed & applied asymmetrically & relies on a notioj of 'fetishism' that is bound up in colonial anthropological ideas -- would always recommend j lorand matory's 'the fetish revisited' on this

[3liza]

my sleep physician says i have obstructive sleep apnoea and what is basically narcolepsy (my sleep latency is too long but they think it’s linked to my cpap use or something) and he’s prescribed modafinil. do you have any thoughts on it? i seem to remember you talking about it at one point but obviously tumblr search function sucks.

also kudos to him for being maybe the only specialist who took my concerns seriously in our first appt and scheduled sleep studies there and then and i didn’t have to look for another doctor who wouldn’t just tell me to lose weight.

modafinil is a really interesting drug, lets see if i can summarize what i think i know about it without misinforming anyone.

modafinil is still sort of a mystery drug. we know it works and that it has a good safety profile, but we dont know exactly how. it's a central nervous system stimulant, but the more occult behaviors of the drug aren't clear. it temporarily blocks the part of your brain that perceives that you are tired. it does not actually rest you, or lessen your sleep debt, but it allows your brain to temporarily ignore it. if you have chronic sleep deprivation and/or fatigue (these may be the same thing but thats a different post), then shutting off your interoception of tiredness can make you smarter, more alert, less anxious, more focused, etc. this is theorized to be what is causing the "nootropic" effect that modafinil is credited with on reddit. its unclear if modafinil provides any cognitive benefits to people who arent sleep deprived, but so far most studies have said no.

so even though its an excellent temporary way to ignore fatigue, i dont think doctors who deal with sleep disorders are focusing enough (or sometimes at all) on making sure the patient improves the quality and duration of their actual sleep. without actual decent sleep everyone just continues to sicken gradually. modafinil wont help with that, the doctor also needs to be actively working on fixing whatever is going on with the narcolepsy and apnea (although the narcolepsy may just be a manifestation of your sleep deprivation).

modafinil can give you a mood boost but usually doesnt cause euphoria like many other stimulants can, so it has largely replaced amphetamines in the united states military (especially air force) as a combat drug. it stacks well with caffeine. in my experience it does not stack well with adderall and will also sometimes just block adderall completely. everyone's drug metabolism is really really different so you wont know until you try it how it can affect you

contraindications/warnings: modafinil is a histamine-dumping monster. if you have allergies or problems with mast cells, modafinil has a strong likelihood of making them worse (until the dose runs out, not permanently). it can also shoot itself in the foot and end up being useless or making you sleepier if your histamine load gets bad enough. theoretically you could derail the histamine dump with antihistamines but i havent found a combination that works yet

modafinil is also sometimes dogshit for people who get migraines, depending on what is causing your migraines. modafinil causes neck and shoulder clenching and dehydration, and those two things in combination with the histamine load = instant migraine for a lot of people including myself

its important to drink 10x the amount of water (with electrolytes) you usually drink when youre on modafinil (another reason i cant take it successfully). dehydration is the hardest side effect to manage. also, it often takes many hours to kick in, so if youre in that boat, it's annoying to time correctly. a lot of people set an alarm for like an hour before they have to get up, take the modafinil, go back to sleep, and it's kicked in by the time they have to get up. you can take it sublingually but it tastes sooo bad. also the half-life is about 8 hours, so it can sometimes still be active when youre trying to go to bed that night

modafinil is a cyp3a4 inducer, which means it will interfere with the metabolism of a lot of other drugs, any drugs that use the cyp3a4 enzyme to function, which is a lot of them. in addition to the case study i just posted where a guy got so low on salt after a modafinil OD that his brain swelled up, there is also this elderly lady who took too much modafinil and had an adrenal crisis (and also got so low on salt), apparently because hydrocortisone uses cyp3a4 for metabolism (which explains also why i cant seem to get modafinil to work for me, im chronically low on cortisol).

so modafinil is pretty safe, doesnt seem to cause long term effects once discontinued, and is worth trying. it works great for a lot of people. watch your water + salt intake while youre on it and double check drug interactions

[marshalllir]

Thank you so much to @twistedpartywolf for all this discussion and the development of a random idea. I love our ideas and headcanons~

A source of inspiration

Music: Eclipse - SAY3AM, CHASHKAKEFIRA

Have a nice reading time to all!

Marshall: Okay. What if when Gregor and Caz fall off Beira D, Rennick organizes the rescue mission?

We know that in the canon, in the past, Rennick was already blamed for the 💀 of two people who fell from an oil rig. However, this isn't an uncommon occurrence in real life. Therefore, Rennick may have had a bad day, just like any ordinary person who couldn't handle the storm.

I'm sorry, but I really want to see Rennick, furious and agitated, giving commands and orders to save the workers. Even though he's already fired McLeary, as long as he's on Beira D, he's still his responsibility.

Twisted party wolf: Bro yes. I’ve seen the footage. But I imagine that after he gets them saved, he will talk to them. First to Gregor about he needs to be more careful around the edges. Tells the man to get a shower and warm up. When he gets to Caz, he already knows about him trying to pull Gregor back up. He would call Caz an idiot gobshite for nearly getting himself killed but also understands Caz was trying to do a good thing in saving Gregor. Rennick would tell Caz he will go to the mainland later, but for now to get warmed up and rest. When Caz tries to tease Rennick about him becoming soft, he’d probably say something like “Get the fuck to the showers and ta bed. When you’re healed, you’re out the rig.” When he’s secretly glad the two are okay. From the two previous deaths, he could be scared of them happening, which could be his drive to instantly save Caz and Gregor and take precautions to make sure they didn’t become casualties.

Overall, Rennick is a boss who is a hard head, but really does care for the safety of the co workers. Something like two deaths could affect you, especially when they were under your watch.

Marshall: Oh yes, he should talk to them and scold them for breaking safety regulations. There's still tension between Caz and Rennick after their argument two hours ago. Renick is a hot-tempered prick, and we all know it. Davey will yell at McLeary again, but this time, because he's a heroic idiot who decided to put Rennick in the crosshairs of the police again. One accident involving two employees is an accident, but two accidents are a system.

Caz responds with a stubborn speech about how he hasn't been thinking about anything like that. "You never use your head, McLeary," Rennick snaps. McLeary continues his speech about saving Gregor anyway. McLeary's stubborn sincerity is evident in his gaze, and Rennick gives in: "Get in the shower, now."

Although McLeary is glad for the delay before returning to land, he is still shaking with adrenaline. This time, the team of workers witnesses their argument, and they encourage McLeary, thank him for his bravery, and consider him a hero. In their eyes, Rennick was a little less of a prick today.

Rennick needs a glass of whiskey for his headache and to calm his nerves and the tremors in his hands. It's possible that his PTSD is exacerbating, and he's retreating to his nesting room to regain his composure.

Twisted party wolf: Yes I do agree with the PTSD which I think would cause him to be more cautious and what to do this time because he doesn’t want it to happen again. Maybe someone who is close to Rennick fills Caz in on his past. Ex. Trots. Maybe Trots knows about the two deaths and tells Caz about it, who is still confused and pissed as to why Rennick acted like that via the argument. He tells Caz what happened and how he saw it with his own eyes. How he saw Rennick become a shell of himself and sorta depressed after it all happened, blaming himself constantly. “It never left him for months until he got help.” He would saw as Caz listened with a thing of warm coffee or hot chocolate made by Roy, who visited him as soon as he was able too.

Caz would get a better understanding of Rennick as a person and may feel bad because of his past.

We should also address why the two fell off in the first place. Because of the explosion of the air pocket. I feel like after Rennick knows, he instantly calls Roper to stop the drilling operations until further notice. He would definitely take what Gibbo or Roper said on the phone during Caz’s firing and have the rig be moved to a safer area.

He also may not be able to look at Caz or Gregor in the face knowing they could’ve died again. Dude it would eat Rennick alive.

But imagine Caz pays him a visit to talk to him. Caz ends up feeling bad for Rennick as he now realizes the old fud was trying his best with what little he was given.

Marshall: Rennick, for whom his reputation is very important, doesn't expect guests at this late hour... And again, McLeary, now with the air of a beaten dog. From the threshold, Rennick knows that McLeary already knows all about the accident, but he doesn't need anyone's pity.

"McLeary, get out of my office!" Rennick leans his hands on the table, trying to make himself taller, bigger than his heavily hunched figure.

"Rennick, I..." He hates that look, even before McLeary continues.

"I don't need your pity, McLeary!" The chair creaks on the floor.

"I came to apologize," McLeary begins. Rennick is taken aback and momentarily speechless, and McLeary is quick to take advantage of this. He apologizes for being a prick instead of thanking Rennick for saving him. There is no guile in his gaze, only that stubborn sincerity that Rennick hates.

"Apology accepted. Now get out." Rennick still grits his teeth, hoping that McLeary will get the hint and get the hell out of his office.

But McLeary isn’t known for his politeness; like a stubborn ox, he ignores all hints and direct words, barging his way into his boss's inner sanctum.

"Drinking alone?" He says. Rennick involuntarily pulls his glass closer to him.

"Since when do you care about my personal life, McLeary?" Rennick raises one eyebrow, not offering a second glass or his personal supply of alcohol.

"Since Trots told me everything," McLeary immediately bites his tongue, realizing that he's said too much. And Rennick immediately becomes gloomy, of course, who else could have known about what happened.

Rennick's thoughts are interrupted by footsteps, and McLeary appears at the opposite end of the table.

"Is this your family? Grandchildren? They're twins!" McLeary exclaims in admiration. Rennick is almost choking with indignation at McLeery's unscrupulous interference in his life.

Rennick takes a deep breath, adjusting his glasses on his nose. However, it's hard to deny that McLeary's presence is distracting him from the spiral of his PTSD.

"Abigail and Mason," he nods to himself. Taking care of his grandchildren kept him from going off the deep end. His son even got him a cat, claiming it helped with stress.

Twisted party wolf: OMG yesss! They would bond with each other via children. Since I have a feeling Rennick’s grandmother kids are near the same age as Caz’s girls.

It’s so cute for this idea to happen.

They would get to talkin and maybe, just maybe, Rennick would share some of that alcohol with Caz.

Rennick would get his mind off the stress when he finally has someone to talk to that isn’t Troy’s or the nagger known as Addair.

Ру посты здесь

[gojoest]