#GIRLY PROPAGANDA IN TAGS I LOVE HER | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

vodika-vibes · 5 months

Text

The War Chest

A Magic and Knights AU

Summary: It’s been fifty years since the war between Mandalore and Serrano ended. A war that ended with an uneasy peace between the two nations…an uneasy peace that has since grown into something stronger. You are a daughter of one of the Noble Houses of Serrano, though only through marriage. You stand to inherit nothing from your step-family, unlike your mother. So, in an attempt to get your feet under you, you turn to treasure hunting.

Pairing: Pre Kix x F!Reader

Word Count: 5400

Warnings: None

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly @the-bad-batch-baroness

A/N: So, I know Kix already has a story in this AU, but I'm giving him another one that is unconnected from the last one. This one, I think, fits a little better with the rest of the stories. Also, there's a fun little twist at the end that I'm not sure about, honestly. Anyway, I started writing this at 8 am and it's now 2 pm, and I managed to write it without any breaks. Go me~

“Rumor has it,” You arch a single brow as the man you’re talking to, a pirate who you’ve had more than one run in with, “That Count Dooku’s War Chest has been discovered.”

You wave your hand as if brushing the rumor aside, “Everyone knows that Dooku’s War Chest was propaganda from Mandalore.” You counter with a roll of your eyes.

“That was the accepted fact. 50 years ago.” He leans into your space and you lean back to try and keep him from breathing in your face, “Come on, girlie. You’re not even remotely curious.”

“I’m far more interested in facts, Shen. Not fairy tales.”

“Bah! You’re no fun.”

“If you want someone willing to chase fairy tales, you should be talking to Lyna, not me.” You eye your drink, and then push it to the side.

“Lyna is an archeologist,” Shen counters bitterly, “She’s all, ‘this belongs in a museum’ and ‘we should return this to its rightful owner’. She’s even less fun than you!”

“Come on, you tell her about Dooku’s war chest, and she’ll be all over it,” You say as you lean back in your chair, “Can you give me anything more than fairy tales?”

“No.” He folds his arms, “You were more fun when you were running with the crew.”

“Yeah, yeah. So you’ve mentioned. If you’re not going to try and help, you can take off. Find some other patsy to do the research for you.”

Shen scowls at you, and then pushes to his feet and storms away. He hasn’t changed since you were kids, tragic but understandable.

In any event, you’re not going to get any intel on your next score here. So you suppose that the archives is your next destination. Which is a shame, the archivists are always so annoying when you decide to visit.

They’re all, “Oh, Lady Nalcin has come for a visit!” Which is annoying since, A, you’re not Lady Nalcin, that position belongs to your mother. And B, you don’t even carry that Nalcin last name, seeing as your father is still alive.

Mother just had to marry Serrano nobility, didn’t she.

You push away from the table and shove your hands into your pockets as you meander through the bar. You step through the open door, into the cool air of the autumn evening and you inhale deeply.

You love this time of year. Not too hot, not too cold, and none of the plants you’re allergic to are spewing pollen. If you could live someplace where it’s autumn year round, you’d be a happy woman.

Tragically, such places don’t exist.

You turn to the left, starting towards the inn you’re staying at for the time being, when you hear heavy footsteps behind you. You tense and half turn, your baton falling into your hand from where it’s stored in your sleeve.

And then you turn properly.

The person running up to you looks like a college students, slightly younger than you, with wide eyes hidden behind thick glasses. She’s gasping for breath, and is barely able to say your name

But, garbled as it is, she does say your name.

You slide your baton back up your sleeve, and take a good look at her. She’s well dressed, and she’s wearing a brooch that marks her as a daughter of one of the High Houses. She’s also nearly bent in two trying to catch her breath.

“...are you okay?” You ask, after watching her gasp for air for a moment.

“I-” She gasps out, “Not fit-”

“...I can tell.”

The younger woman takes a deep breath and then straightens, “My name is Evie Wilsi, I’m the oldest daughter of House Wilsi. You are the daughter of Lord Nalcin, right?”

“Step-daughter.” You correct flatly.

“Yes. That.” She takes a step towards you, “You’re…something of an archeologist, right?”

“In a manner of speaking, sure.”

“I want to hire you!”

“...what?”

The girl flushes, “I…um…sorry. I would like to hire you, please.”

You stare at her and arch a single brow, waiting for her to continue.

“I want to hire you to find Dooku’s war-” You roll your eyes and turn your back on her to walk away, “W-wait!” She grabs your wrist and then scrambles so she’s standing in front of you, “I know that this sounds…insane-”

“Dooku’s War Chest doesn’t exist.” You say flatly, “It was a rumor. No more.”

“I have reason to believe that it does exist.”

You sigh and shake your head, “Look, Miss Wilsi, I don’t chase fairy tales. Period.” You tug your hand out of her loose grip and step around her to continue to the inn.

“2 million.”

You stop mid-step, and turn your head to stare at her, “I beg your pardon.”

Her hands are clenched into fists near her chin, “Two million credits. You’ll get two million credits just for taking the contract, and another two million when you find the war chest.”

You turn to face her fully, “And if the war chest doesn’t exist?”

“Then…then you’ll still get the second half of your payment. But only after you exhaust all avenues.”

“And you can afford this?”

“Yes.”

Your eyes narrow at her, “Prove it.”

She nods and pulls out her comm, pulling up her banking information, before she turns the device towards you. You glance at the number on the screen and your brows raise, “Four million credits is almost your entire bank account, is this worth that much to you?”

“Yes.” She stows her comm again, “It’s…everything to me.”

You fold your arms, and shift your weight slightly as you examine her. Over the years, you’ve become very good at reading people. Part of it is your natural magic, an innate ability to read intentions off of people, most of it, however, is just experience.

She’s being honest.

Not only does she believe that the War Chest is real, it really does mean everything to her.

You drop your arms, “Fine. But I want to be paid immediately.”

“Deal! Is there someplace we can…talk?”

You turn your back on her, and start walking away, and then you pause and glance over your shoulder, “Follow.” You don’t want to see if she’s following your instructions, you just start walking, your feet leading you to your favorite food cart.

“A…food cart?”

“Don’t knock it til you try it,” You reply as you order a caf and move to the side to wait until it’s done. Your maybe employer’s nose is scrunched up in distaste.

“Is this where you want to talk?”

“Surrounded by people? No.” You accept the cup of caf, and motion for her to keep following you. You lead her down several winding roads, and then make a sharp left into the biggest cemetery in the area.

You notice her hesitate at the gate, but you don’t slow down. If this means as much to her as she implies, as much as your magic is telling you it means to her, she’ll follow you anyway.

And you’re right.

Though she dithers at the gate for half a minute, eventually she hurries to catch up with you as you head into the older parts of the cemetery. As soon as you’re sure that there isn’t anyone around you can listen in on your conversation, no one alive at least, you perch yourself on the worn down stone wall and stare at the other woman.

“Alright. I’m all ears.”

“Here?” She asks, her voice hushed, “Isn’t it…disrespectful?”

You just tilt your head, “People don’t come to this part of the cemetery, which means no one can eavesdrop.”

“Right. Right.” Evie paces in front of you for a moment, and then she stops, “How much do you know of the Six Great Houses?”

“Assume I know nothing.”

“Right. Right! Okay. I can work with that.” Her hands curl into fists again, “There is a hierarchy to the six families, with House Dooku at the top of the pyramid, and House Wilsi at the bottom. House Nalcin is nearer to the top than the bottom.”

You lean back on the wall and take a sip of your caf, waiting for her to continue.

“This is why, 50 years ago, it was so easy for House Dooku to incite a war with Mandalore.” Evie continues.

“As I understand it,” You interrupt, “House Dooku was manipulated into it by what’s his face from Naboo.”

Evie looks genuinely pained, “You mean Court Wizard Palpatine?”

“That’s the bitch.”

She takes a deep breath, “You’re right. He was, and it was only after Count Dooku was killed that we were able to sue for peace-”

You sigh heavily, “Evie, what does this have to do with the price of chicken in Corellia?”

“...what?”

“Why does this matter?”

“Oh. Well, my family lost a lot of clout during the war…we sided with House Dooku. It seemed like a politically sound choice…so when the peace treaty was signed…we lost almost all of our status. We almost lost our noble name.”

“And?”

“And, finding Dooku’s war chest will do so much in helping us recover from this.”

“If it exists.”

“It does! It does. I’ve been researching this for years, my whole family has, and we have a solid lead.” Evie says as she steps closer to you, “It’s…here.” She digs into her purse and shoves a thin notebook at you, “All of the evidence is there, if you know where to look-”

You set your cup to the side and flip the notebook open, every page is filled with different handwriting. The notebook has clearly been in the works for years.

“Count Dooku had a safe house. He had many safe houses, in many different countries. But in the middle of the war, he vanished for three months. My family thinks he went to Hoth.”

You arch a brow, “Well, if that’s where he decided to hide his war chest, it explains why no one has found it.”

“Yes! Exactly. According to records, Count Dooku’s safe house was up in the mountains of Hoth, which would be nearly impossible for anyone to traverse at the time-”

“It’s still impossible to traverse.” You point out, “The storms of Hoth never stop, and you need special gear and equipment to survive even the lower parts-”

“Yes, but you’ve done the impossible before.” Evie says, “I mean, you’re the one who found Palpatine’s palace in Mustafar-”

“You’re not wrong, I just hate that you mentioned it.” You mutter.

“Can you help?”

You stare at her, silently, for a moment, and then you sigh and nod. “Yeah, alright.”

“Really! Oh, this is-”

You hold up a finger, silencing her, “Several conditions. 1, I hold on to this for as long as it takes for me to read it cover to cover.”

“Deal!”

“2, you are coming with me. It’s the only way for your family to get all of the credit.”

“Of course. I’ll even pay for everything we need to survive-”

“3,” You interrupt again, “We can’t leave for 6 months.”

“...what! Why?”

“I’m not fool enough to try and climb a mountain in Hoth in the dead of winter. And good luck trying to find anyone who will.” You say flatly.

“...you raise a fair point. So we’ll head out in the spring.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Evie claps her hands together in excitement, “Oh! You won’t regret this! I promise.”

Your gaze drifts off of her, lingering on a dark thread connecting Evie with something else, a thread that only you can see with your magic, “Well,” You murmur, “That remains to be seen, doesn’t it.”

“Hm?” Evie tilts her head, “Oh! Right, payment.” She pulls her comm out and hurriedly, very hurriedly, sends you the two million credits that you’re owed for taking her contract.

You watch your bank account shoot up, and then promptly move the money from that account into your personal account, “I need your comm code,” You say once that’s done, “I’ll call you when we’re ready to leave.”

“I can’t wait!”

And then Evie is gone, hurrying out of the cemetery with none of the grace that you’d expect to see from a lady of her standing.

You watch her leave, and then pick up your cup of caf and take a sip, while eyeing the notebook thoughtfully, “Well, it won’t be boring at least.”

7 Months Later

Hoth is a miserable place.

Frigid even in the dead of summer, with very few animals that won’t kill you as soon as they see you.

True to her word, Evie did prepare everything that you might need for an expedition, and then some. You have a base camp, vehicles that are suited for the freezing weather, and cold weather gear that is light enough to move in, yet heavy enough to protect you from the biting wind.

There are also people. So many people. Aides and attendants, and bodyguards. Not to mention maids and chefs and butlers. You’re not impressed, at all.

“So, I was thinking we’d go up the mountain in the morning?” Evie says, her eyes alight with some emotion that you don’t want to think too hard about.

“Mm, bad idea.” You reply, as you eye a group of men that you know come from a Merc Group, “There’s a bad storm rolling in, we go out in it, we don’t come back.”

“Oh, really?” She glances at the monitor and makes a face at the massive storm rushing in, “I should tell the others to prepare for the storm.” Evie mumbles, before she gets to her feet and hurries out of the room.

You’re alone for a moment, before one of the mercs brushes past you. “You should know,” He murmurs, his voice low, “The moment you find this treasure, we have orders to remove you from the equation.”

“Hmm.”

“You saved my life that day on Taris, this is me returning the favor.”

“Noted.” He glances at you, and then continues walking. The exchange took less than 5 seconds.

Luckily, you prepared for this exact scenario.

It’s not like this is the first time a client has betrayed you, after all.

You remain in the monitoring room for a bit longer, watching the storm build and grow in strength, and then, when you’re sure it’s late enough, you meander to your “room”.

You waste some time in your room, packing what few items you need to be able to survive in the storm, and then you cut out the lights, and you wait.

One hour passes. And then two.

And finally the lights dim in the hallway, and you know it’s time to go.

You don the severe weather gear that you bought yourself, grab your bag, the notebook, and you slip out the window.

As you figure, you have about five hours before anyone notices that you’re missing, and by the time they notice you’re gone, the storm will have erased any and all evidence of where you might have gone.

You walk quickly through the snow, wanting to get as far as you can before the storm hits. Though, you do take the time to veer towards a ravine just long enough to toss the notebook as well as a decoy pack down the ravine. With luck, anyone chasing you will think that you succumbed to the storm and nature.

The trick won’t work for long, but it will buy you a couple of hours, at the minimum.

That done, and with a storm moving in, you veer towards the mountain range. According to some of the notes you decoded, Count Dooku had pathways dug through all of the mountain ranges. You just need to find an entrance.

Luckily for you, Dooku wasn’t half as clever as he thought he was, and you were able to find an entrance in less than two hours. Unluckily, the passageways aren’t heated or lit.

You dig around in your pocket for your lamp sphere and light it with a touch of magic, ordering it to circle your head as you walk through the empty tunnels.

“Let’s see,” You say, aloud, to yourself, “If I was Dooku and needed to hide a war chest, where would I hide it?” You look around, peering down identical dark passages, and you sigh.

If you have to search every passage, you’ll be here for ages. There has to be an easier way.

You close your eyes for a moment, and focus your magic on your eyes, and then open them again.

Your natural magic isn’t the most useful for your chosen career path. You can see intentions, which is useful in foreign countries when it comes to bartering and when dealing with clients.

It is an innate magic, you don’t have to focus on it at all.

However, if you focus your magic on your eyes, and if you’re lucky, sometimes you can see traces of people’s intentions. Memories, written on the world around them.

It’s a desperate act. Dooku has been dead for almost fifty years. The odds of any of his intentions having been strong enough to leave an echo so far into the future is…unlikely, but you have to try.

As you fear, there’s no hint of intention in any of the passages.

You’re about to power down your magic, when you catch a glimpse of something higher than where you are. You focus your gaze on the dim glow and you frown.

The intention is…strong, but faint at the same time.

You puzzle through what you’re seeing. Strong implies that someone is actively in the passages with you. But the faintness implies…slumber, perhaps. Maybe someone lives in these passages.

Well, it’s better than continuing blind.

So you mentally mark the location in your head, and you start heading that way.

It takes time, though, to find the right path that will take you to the right level. The passageways were designed as a labyrinth, and you wonder if the passages aren’t complete, or if Dooku was just that paranoid near the end of his life.

You’ve never heard one way or the other.

But finally, after many dead ends, several looping paths, and one time when you thought you were going up but were actually going down, you reach a door.

You send a silent prayer to the patron god or treasure hunters, and then push the door open.

It creaks loudly, and another hard push causes it to fall inwards. “Whoops.” You whisper as dirt and dust swells around you. You wave the dust away from your face, and then step into the room properly.

It’s…empty.

Well, okay. Not really empty.

There, sitting in the middle of the room, is a massive crystal formation.

It looks man-made, to your eyes. Crystals don’t generally grow in such a deliberate way, at least not in your experience.

You move closer to the crystal and circle it, your eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

Now that you’re closer, it looks like there’s something inside it. You press your hand against the stone and try to peer through the cloudy material, but you might as well be trying to look through a solid wall.

You rip your gloves off, and press your bare hands against the planes of the crystal. Slowly you feel around the edges of each plane you can reach. And then…there, near the bottom, on the opposite side of where you started, you find a single sigil carved into the crystal.

Now, sigils and runes are basic magic.

It is, quite literally, magic 101.

But you’ve never been interested in modern runes or sigils, preferring to focus more on the more ancient versions that you normally encounter while on your treasure hunts.

That said, runes are runes, right?

They all get activated in the same way.

So you pull your hand back and summon a small amount of magic to your fingertips, and press your fingers against the sigil. “Please don’t be a bomb.”

For a moment, nothing happens, and then there’s a loud crack. And then another one. And a third.

And you’re forced to dive out of the way as the crystal shatters, sending large shards crumbling to the ground.

Then you see what was in the middle of the crystal, and your heart sinks.

It’s a man. Maybe about the same age as you, or a bit older, with a strict military cut and a five o’clock shadow. He’s wearing mandalorian armor, with the symbol of the medical corps on his shoulders.

You hurry over to him and kneel next to his head as he releases a low groan. You push your hood off your head, and tug your scarf down and goggles up as his eyes flutter open.

He looks like-

Your lips turn down in thought.

“Hey, can you hear me?” You ask, shoving your concerns to the side.

“Y-yes,” His voice is raspy and he blinks a couple of times, as if trying to clear his vision.

“What’s your name, soldier?” You ask, as you help him sit up.

“Kix…M’name is Kix.” He groans as you sit him up and he looks around the room, and then at you, “Your accent…you’re not Mandalorian.”

It’s not a question.

“Good ear,” You pull your bag off your back and dig through it, please let you have enough cold weather gear for him. “I’m Corellian, born and raised.” Kriff, you don’t.

Kix looks around, sharpness sliding through his gaze as he shakes off the sleep, “This isn’t Corellia.”

“That is correct.” You reply, before cursing, “How good is that at keeping you warm?” You ask with a nod towards his armor, and the helmet laying half forgotten in the shards of crystal.

“Good enough.” He lets out a pained groan as he gets to his feet, “Why?”

“Well, because it’s a wee bit chilly outside, on account of us being in Hoth.” You reply dryly and you stand and grab his helmet. You make sure that there aren’t any crystals inside the helmet and you offer it to him.

“...Hoth?”

“The one and the same.”

“What is a Corellian doing here?” Kix asks suspiciously.

“Well, I was hired to find Dooku’s war chest.” You glance at the crystal shards, and then at Kix, “And I found it, apparently. I’m not generally in the business of saving people, but I suppose I’ll make an exception.”

“...what?”

You glance to the side when you hear, what sounds like, magic explosions, “Times up, I’m afraid.” You look around, and then find another door, “This way, hopefully this door stood the test of time better than that one.” You pull your scarf and hood back on, “Put your helmet on, it’s freezing.”

Kix pulls his helmet on, but he doesn’t take his eyes off of you, “What’s going on? What’s with the explosions?”

You glance at him, before you focus on the door, “Oh. My former employers. The Wilsi family from Serrano. I was informed that they were going to kill me once I found the War Chest, so I decided to cancel the contract.”

“You keep mentioning this war chest, what is it?” Kix asks as he walks over to you and helps you open the door wide enough that the pair of you are able to leave the room.

“Well, unless we find a vault full of riches, I think it’s you.”

Kix pauses, “What?”

You glance at him, “There’s no easy way to say this, but it’s been 50 years since the war between Serrano and Mandalore ended.” He freezes, and you quickly tug him out of the room and shut the door, “Listen to me, Kix, I know that this is a shock to you. I know that. But if we don’t start moving, we die here. Can you contain your totally understandable freak out until we’re somewhere safe?”

It’s kind of eerie, having that blank helmet staring at you, but slowly Kix nods, and you release a sigh of relief.

“Come on, this place is like a maze. Maybe we can use that to our advantage.” You turn to the left, and Kix falls into step behind you.

All you have to do is find a way out, and make sure that neither you, nor Kix, die. And then, somehow, get him back to Mandalore.

No pressure.

“Can we take a break, please?” Kix asks as he helps her close another door, leaving the pair of them in a slightly warmer room, “I can’t hear the explosions anymore.”

She frowns, though it’s only noticeable because she pulled her scarf down a little bit ago. “Are you okay?”

“I’ve apparently been in stasis for fifty years-” And isn’t that a kicker, how is he supposed to deal with that? How can he deal with that? His brothers are all going to be in their 70s- “I just need a break, that’s all.”

She nods, and tugs her hood down, before she sits on a rock, stretching her legs out in front of her. Kix watches her for a moment, before he sits on another rock, “So…who are you, anyway?”

She blinks, and then laughs, “Sorry, I never actually introduced myself, did I?” She introduces herself with a slightly crooked smile, “My mother would have my head for such rudeness.”

“And what is it that you do?”

“I’m an archeologist. Technically. That’s what my degree says at least.” Her name, something long and complicated, does not suit her at all. So Kix makes a mental note to just call her runi, and then moves along.

“That sounds like you don’t actually do archeology, runi.”

“Eh, I go to old places and look for old things to sell to people who would rather stay safe than do things.” She waves her hand.

“Ah.”

“What?”

“You’re a tomb robber.”

“I am not!”

“Oh, so you have permission to take these items then.” Kix asks.

“I…well..not exactly. But I haven’t exactly been denied permission either-”

Kix smirks, “Tomb robber.”

“Yeah…well..what do you do?”

“I’m a medic. A perfectly respectable career that isn’t illegal.” Kix replies.

She huffs, but doesn’t respond, so Kix takes it as a win.

“So, I assume you have a plan?” He asks, “To get us out of this mess.”

“I have a broad idea of what needs to happen, but as for the details…not so much.”

“...what?”

“Why plan? I mean, they never work out like they’re supposed to.” She shrugs, “But in the end, I do intend to get you back to Mandalore.

“And you’re going to do this without a plan?” Kix asks.

“Yeah. Pretty much.”

He heaves out a sigh and then stands and pulls his helmet back on, “Maybe I should stick around with you. Stars know how you haven’t been killed yet.”

“Rude,” She scowls at him, but scrambles to her feet and pulls her cold weather gear on as well, “I-” She pauses and her head snaps to the side, “Motherkarking-...they’re planning on blowing up some of the tunnels. We need to go up and…over, I think.”

“Then let’s go. I’ll follow you.”

Kix watches as she leads him through the winding halls, pausing every now and then as though she’s following a path that only she can see. Having some kind of magic would make her survival a lot more understandable, all things considered.

He very nearly stumbles as a massive explosion makes the whole mountain shake, and Kix has to tackle runi through a door to keep them both from being crushed.

Turns out to have been a good thing, as the room they ended up in had a single set of stairs that lead somewhere else. It’s good enough for Kix, as he hoists runi to her feet and ushers her to the stairs and up.

And up.

Finally she throws open a door at the top of the stairs and they find themselves in a workshop of some kind.

“This must be where Dooku did his magical studies,” She notes as she peers at some of the books lining the walls.

“Wouldn’t there be a teleportation circle in here somewhere?” Kix asks, thinking back to the wizards tower back in Mandalore.

“Well, yeah. Probably. But I’m not wizard, I might be able to make it trigger it’s last destination, but-”

“This mountain is coming down, like it or not. Anywhere is better than here.”

“Ugh…fine! Help me find it.”

The pair search frantically around the room, before Kix lets out a shout of triumph. “Found it!” Runi hurries over to him and, with Kix’s help, clears the teleportation circle.

“Um…let’s see, it looks like it’s set to teleport somewhere…west?” She says as she scans the runes.

“West is good enough.” Kix shoves her into the circle as the building trembles, “Can you activate it?”

“Can I activate it.” She scoffs, “Of course I can activate it, but I have no control over where we land.”

“Better there than here,” Kix points out logically, and she makes a face, but clearly doesn’t disagree.

The runes start to glow, faintly at first, and then brighter.

Runi pulls her hands away from the seals, her eyes widening in panic, “Oh…oh bad…”

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Um…” She turns panicked eyes on him, “The runes and sigils are reacting to the magic of the explosions…they…this is bad.”

“What’s the worst that can happen?” Kix asks, and runi opens her mouth to reply, but before she can say anything the teleportation circle activates.

It’s the most painful thing that Kix has ever felt in his life, and he’s almost grateful when he blacks out.

His last coherent thought is that he hopes runi is okay.

Kix wakes with a groan, this is beginning to become a habit for him. His everything is throbbing in pain, and it’s funny but his first thought was to question where his armor went.

“Easy there, vod. You’re okay.”

Kix squints at the man, one of his brothers, “-where?”

“You’re on the Resolute. We found you and the civvie passed out near a bombed out building. Seems like you threw yourself over her to save her.” Kix blinks a couple more times and finally he recognizes Vacc, one of the men he trained.

“...civvie?”

Vacc helps Kix sit up, and there’s a slightly jarring sensation when he realizes that he doesn’t recognize the medical bay. It’s…whiter and starker and has a lot less magical healing equipment than he’s used to. “Over there.” He motions to runi clad in some kind of medical attire, “She hasn’t said a word since she woke up.”

She’s curled up on the bed, her knees pulled up to her chin and her hands tangled in her hair. She lifts her gaze to meet his, and as soon as their gaze meets, her gaze darts to the portside window.

Kix follows her gaze, and his breath catches in his throat.

The Resolute was a sea-faring vessel.

But, for whatever reason, the Resolute seems to be in space.

No wonder she’s so freaked out. “Where…” Kix pauses to clear his throat, “Where are we going?”

“Coruscant.” Vacc claps his shoulder, “Get some rest, vod. We’ll be back at the barracks before we know it.”

And then his brother is gone, and Kix pins runi with a stare, “What happened?”

“I don’t know,” She sounds miserable, “The explosion must have mixed with the magic of the teleportation…I don’t know, Kix.” She winces and clamps her hands over her ears.

“Okay, okay. Runi, sweetheart, what’s wrong? Are you in pain?”

“How can you stand it?”

“Stand what?”

“The screaming.”

“What screaming, there’s no screaming-” She wraps her hands around his wrists as soon as he’s close enough, and then he hears it, high pitched and constant, as though someone, somewhere, is screaming in unending pain.

When she releases him the screaming stops, but she just tightens her hands over her ears.

“It…it’s going to be okay, runi. We’ll figure it out. I promise.”

Kix casts his gaze back to the window, just as a slightly mechanical voice echoes through the ship, “Preparing to jump into hyperspace in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…”And the galaxy outside the window fades into streaks of white and blue as Kix folds his hands around runi’s hands, trying to help her block out the screaming.

#star wars #tcw #star wars au #magic and knights au #clone medic kix x reader #kix x reader #star wars fanfiction #x reader fanfiction #f!reader fic

36 notes · View notes

best-underrated-anime · 3 months

Text

Best Underrated Anime Group D Round 4: God Troubles Me (Hanhua Riji) vs Happy Sugar Life

#D2: God Troubles Me (Hanhua Riji)

Prophecy girlie, hyper cellphone, and gamer cat get silly

#D3: Happy Sugar Life

Lots of traumatized minors messing each other up bad

Details and poll under the cut!

#D2: God Troubles Me (Hanhua Riji)

youtube

Summary:

Su Moting, the daughter of a god and a monster, is the supposed Chosen One set to fix the balance of the universe, but unfortunately, she’s just barely living as it is. Only just told of her great fate, Su Moting couldn’t care less as she juggles her social life, work, and her new duties (which she doesn’t take seriously). Alongside Moting are Star Tianji and Star Dikui, a god and a monster out to help our protagonist with her grand mission. They, too, are also struggling to figure out life on Earth, as Tianji is an immortal who doubles as the god of Su Moting’s personal cellphone and Dikui is a cat monster immortal more concerned with lazing about. Somehow, they make things work as the best worst roommates of all time.

Propaganda:

Four-season donghua (Chinese anime) that’s so recent and seeped in American pop-culture that I needed to do a double take when a literal cockroach said “Run, Forrest, run,” in English with a heavy Chinese accent. There’s a cat who plays video games (he’s very good at it), a phone who’s the worst kind of hype man, a sentient air conditioner, a guy who can shapeshift into any vehicle, off-brand Super-Man but jerky, a high-ranking god that collects anime figures, and the mega ultra cool protagonist who is a normal human girl fresh out of college and always low on money. It’s great

Trigger Warnings: Animal Cruelty or Death, Child Abuse, Emotional Abuse, Flashing Lights, Racism, Self-Harm, Suicide.

All the TW’s above are done for comedic effect, but they come in fast and hard with the humor. Better safe than sorry! The biggest things I remember are one or two “blink and you’ll miss it” racist jokes, characters joking about killing themselves out of embarrassment (no one goes through with it), and there’s a LOT of self-harm via stupid decisions. Stupid things like tying a loose tooth to the back end of a sports car sort of stupid. The protagonists have 3 brain cells collectively.

#D3: Happy Sugar Life

youtube

Summary:

Satou Matsuzaka is a beautiful high schooler who has a reputation for being permissive with men. However, a chance encounter with a young girl named Shio Koube makes Satou realize that this is her first and only true feeling of love.

Telling others that she lives with her aunt, Satou secretly shares an apartment with Shio. Despite her innocent appearance, Satou is willing to do anything to protect her beloved, resorting to desperate measures to ensure that their “happy sugar life” remains intact.

Propaganda:

It is questionable, but in the way that the anime is meant to make you uncomfortable. It’s an uneasy psychological horror. You’re meant to dislike almost the entire cast, so you don’t know who to root for. Yes, the characters are fucked up, but it isn’t glorified as far as I can see.

It made my stomach churn, and I was sobbing at the end because that’s what it was trying to do.

I said it’s not good, meaning it’s not comfortable, and none of the characters are good. But it’s well-written and it’s interesting.

Trigger Warnings:

Child Abuse, Pedophilia (not graphic)

Murder/Violence (one brief scene is semi-violent, but most isn’t shown)

Kidnapping

Rape/Non-Con (not shown, but it’s obvious that it happened/explicitly stated)

Suicide

When reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

If you want to criticize one of the shows above to give the one you’re rooting for an advantage, then do so constructively. I do not tolerate groundless hate or slander on this blog. If I catch you doing such a thing in the notes, be it in the tags or reblogs, I will block you.

Know one of the shows above and not satisfied with how it’s presented in this tournament? Just fill up this form with your revisions, and I’ll consider adapting those changes.

New: Starting round 5, screenshots will be included in the poll post. You can submit screenshots through the form linked above, or through here, via ask or dm.

Guidelines in submitting screenshots:

No NSFW or spoilery images.

Pick some good images please. Don’t send any blurry or pixelated ones.

You may send up to 9 screenshots, but not all may be used.

#anime #donghua #best underrated anime #polls #poll tournament #tournament #anime tournament #animation #group stage #group stage round 4 #tournament polls #god troubles me #hanhua riji #汉化日记 #happy sugar life #group d

28 notes · View notes

vacantgodling · 7 months

Text

actually it’s been awhile so let’s have another one—open tag as usual i think i’m gonna do a couple of these of just some random ocs LOL

oc smash or pass

Rules: self-explanatory, but include physical descriptions and propaganda for both and an "other" option (for those whose sexualities don't align or wanting to study under a microscope or something)

and now for some good old fashioned propaganda

GENERAL INFO:

masculine trans woman (she/her), 34yo, sexuality is equivalent to anyone she gets along with she’s not really that picky

PROS:

WE LOVE A TALL WOMAN (6’2”) … LEGS FOR DAYS…

will top or bottom—a very attentive lover overall

is SO CARING ACTUALLY anything you need, she makes sure you got it. is always checking on you, making sure you ate, bandages you up, makes sure you take vitamins the whole nine. a true acts of service/actions speak louder than words girlie

is literally a milf (she has 5 adopted children)

deep voice 🫦

surprisingly shy and always thankful whenever you do stuff for her (she’s just not used to people treating her sweetly so she melts when you do)

literally always thinks so highly of her partners because if she cares about you, you must be a good person.

strong moral compass. super protective. doesn’t take anyone’s shit.

CONS:

workaholic (is a nurse and works the night shift. she like Actually doesn’t have time for anything)

chain smoker (it’s the only thing keeping her sane since she swore off drinking)

has psychic powers that cause her immense pain (one night stand went Horribly Wrong and now she’s basically got a supernatural std. eyepatch’s she wears keeps the pain at bay but Man :)))))) it’s not great :)))))

it’s hard to get her to open up fr like she’s like a fortress. it’s not even intentional either she just doesn’t think people would actually be interested in her :/

#i’m obsessed with nyssie yall don’t understand #i love her so much #s: nondisclosure #s: nad #(idk which tag i use lol)#oc smash or pass #ask games 2024

20 notes · View notes

edgepunk · 2 months

Text

OC Smash or Pass part 2

Tagged by @roseeway

rules: pretty self explanatory. include physical descriptions or pics, and propaganda. the “other” label can be used for “sexuality misalignment” (ie: oc is femme and you’re gay, vice versa or you aren’t into smashing but a specific thing you wanna do with them like perhaps hug or study them under a microscope idc).

As usual, I'm too lazy to tag anyone, so feel free to do this if you want to!

This time I'm going with my first Cyberpunk girlie, Valéria Vajanská.

Basics

Age: 27 years old

Height: 180 cm / 5'9''

Gender: she/her trans woman

Sexuality: bisexual with a preference for women

Extra: Has a big collection of plushies.

Details

She fled her country because Nomads were being hunted down and killed by Arasaka

Yearns to find a place she calls home

She gets often homesick, but tries not to show it (you can still tell something is bothering her)

Way too trusting for her own good

Gets more mistrustful after she moves to Night City and starts taking less shit from people (but she still slips up sometimes)

Generally tries to play nice, but keeps her cards close, especially after Konpeki Plaza

Prefers to avoid violence, but if the situation requires it, she won't hesitate to use her Mantis blades

Loves bright colors, kitschy clothes and cocktail dresses

Enjoys nighttime rides through the city while listening to synthwave

Has deeply rooted hatred for Arasaka for what they've done to her people and home country

Sometimes lashes out due to unprocessed trauma

Tends to be stubborn as a mule and has tunnel vision when she's set her mind on something

Loves cuddling.

She bites. A lot.

Very dominating and kinky, although she's not into kinks that involve...how do I say this without getting flagged by the anti-titty bot.... certain bodily fluids and excrements.

Good luck keeping up with her when drinking alcohol, girlie can drink an entire bottle of vodka with no problems.

#valéria vajanská #oc tag

7 notes · View notes

morsartis · 1 year

Note

i saw that you write for MHA i was wondering if you could write about one of the LOV (preferably shiggy or dabi) finding Eri before the heros did and raising her?

I loved this request so much I almost wanted to make it an au but I promised myself I wouldn’t do that unless I was gonna make an AO3 account. (A//N: I AM SO SORRY I MISINTERPRETED THIS AS HEADCANONS AND NOT STORY I WILL WRITE A SMALL DRABBLE FOR YOU AS SOON AS I FIND THE TIME AND I WILL TAG YOU I AM SO SORRY)

Honestly as wrapped up as Dabi has been in his quest to destroy his father I don’t think he would care much about Eri herself.

Definitely would have her use her quirk on him to see what all the damage can be reversed and as an excuse to push himself even further.

Like make no mistake I’m as big a fan of Dabi being a good brother as everyone else but realistically it won’t happen.

I do think he would grow to care for Eri, however.

In his own selfish way.

Shigaraki, however, is another story.

Listen, I 100% believe that Shigaraki would project his younger self onto Eri.

However if this is pre getting his shit together by slipping further away from the light Shigaraki he would have no clue how to take care of someone else that isn’t himself.

Definitely would shove her off into the hands of Kurogiri with an order to look after the girl.

Which Kurogiri would complain about but still do very well!

But if you want to shift the timeline around a bit for your bidding and have a more serious Shigaraki then he would take Eri on as AFO did for himself.

Whether this is good or not is another story entirely and completely up for interpretation!

Shigaraki would see to it that Eri develops her powers and would definitely be feeding her some LOV propaganda about heroes (though let's be honest he has some genuine criticisms that I love to see addressed in the plot).

Overall I don’t think he’d be a father figure to her so much as an older brother figure.

He would tease and taunt her often, not always with any malicious intent but trying to mimic the relationship he once had with his sister.

Kurogiri would be left to do the brunt of the actual raising when it comes to Eri and I full-heartedly believe he would do a fantastic job of it. Most likely he would categorize raising Eri as following Shigaraki’s orders and by extension the orders of AFO to look after Shigaraki’s development.

Shigaraki can’t raise a child by himself and run the league, now could he? No. So obviously Kurogiri is doing his job!

I think Toga would be the most excited at the prospect of another girl in the league. Especially one that would be easy for her to befriend. Definitely put on babysitting duty often.

Toga would be the one to introduce Eri to more girly things like painting nails and doing hair. Though Kurogiri would have to keep an eye on them to make sure Toga doesn’t get too carried away and try to take a little blood.

Eri would definitely grow up to be a biter if she was raised by the league.

You have to be just a little unhinged to survive there. Let's be real here.

#bnha #mha #lov #league of villains #Eri bnha #Dabi bnha #Dabi Todoroki #Shigaraki #LOV imagine #Kurogiri #Toga Himiko #Headcanons #I really enjoyed this ask!#AND I AM SO SORRY I MISUNDERSTOOD I SWEAR YOULL GET THAT DRABBLE #I WILL GET YOU TWO CONNECTED DRABBLES #I AM SO SORRY #Thank you so much for the request!

12 notes · View notes

powerpolyculeshowdown · 2 years

Note

description for shikimori/izumi/ai kamiya: Shikimori and Izumi are already an established couple at the start—Izumi is known for his infamous bad luck that often gets him in trouble, or gets him hurt. Shikimori loves him nd wants to protect him from his bad luck. Izumi is the more feminine one of the two, he's very gentle, sometimes a bit awkward and shy, but he's known for his kindness to others. Shikimori is still pretty girly herself, but she's seen as masculine with the way she swoops in to protect or support Izumi like a knight. Kamiya is seen in the school as one if those role model, reliable types. She gets to bond with Izumi, the first person who treats her normally, and she even gets vulnerable with him. Meanwhile, Izumi thinks she's also a very kind person, and loves whenever he gets to talk to her. Eventually, Kamiya crosses paths with Shikimori when their school has this fun little gimmick event with numbers and how the same people with same numbers are soulmates or something. Kamiya gets the same number as Izumi, but Shikimori shows up asking for it. At first Shikimori thought she was ok with it, but realized and caught onto Kamiya's true feelings. When Kamiya wouldn't take back the number because she says she feels guilty for feeling this way about Izumi and getting in the way of them, Shikimori tears the number apart and hugs Kamiya, saying that she shouldn't force herself to get rid of the feelings and she should cherish it. She also said that someone who likes the same person as her can't be a bad person, and she just confirmed how kind she really is. In the next episode their common friend Nekozaki gets them to hang out in the mall after school. When Nekozaki goes to the bathroom, Shikimori tries to shiw Kamiya how to play one of the arcade games, but she says it's too hard for her. Shikimori ends up playing and winning some snacks and gives it to Kamiya, saying she won them for her. Kamiya gets all blushy but then says she should get even, because her personality doesn't fit the passive type. Cut to them later and it's revealed they both won a LOT of plushies for each other, getting carried away. It's cute because this parallels Shikimori's competetiveness when it comes to impressing Izumi, and in an earlier episode she also got carried away and won too many plushies for him. But in this one, Kamiya can match her own competitiveness and also tried to keep up with impressing her. And they just blush around each other sometimes and there was a shot that emohasized their physical closeness at one point. Shikimori even admires how pretty Kamiya looks while blushing to herself. A noteworthy parallel is Izumi also seeing Kamiya for who she really is, much like how he did with Shikimori.

hi!!! thank you so much for this omg! i just realized i already had a description for them from the nominations so i May Be Stupid?? im so sorry!! but i'll mix them up!!! is that okay? i'll have to summarize your part, unfortunately, but since u put so much work into it ill add it to thr propaganda tag too. I really appreciate this and im sorry for my goof....

also they sound extremely adorable 💖

#canonpropaganda #btw if u have a pic of the 3 of them that would help too!!

5 notes · View notes

sheshopelesse · 2 years

Text

Tagged, sort of, by @sineala

RULES: go to spotify, go to your On Repeat playlist (it’s curated for you), put it on shuffle, write down the first 10 songs.

Let's do this.

Scuffle, Dessa. I love the stutter-step rhythm of this one. It's early Dessa, and lacks a lot of the polish of her more recent stuff, but I'm incredibly here for it. Also, "You just spread those broken wings / You spread those busted wings / You fucking walk."

February, Barnaby Bright. Okay, mood shift? I think of this as a definitional spring song, even though I've been told it's definitely about winter. Sounds like some propaganda from someone who didn't grow up in Chicago. "February, February reminds me that winter's behind me"

Win It All, The Orion Experience. Possibly this whole thing is going to be mood whiplash. This is a hockey song! Maybe it wasn't intended to be, but that's what it is now. It's also upbeat and catchy af, as you'd hope from The Orion Experience. "When the world pushes you down (You get back up) / And when it knocks you around (You get back up) / And now you fight a little harder (You get back up)"

Make Out, Julia Nunes. This is also hockey! Less obviously, though. Came across this song bc it was in a vid on twitter. Now it's unfortunately adorable forever and there's nothing I can do about it.

Electric Bones, Findlay. I'm a sucker for a song with a good, thumping, driving beat. Does it make you want to walk faster, and in time, while feeling a little predatory? That's my kinda song. "We're going nowhere, nowhere seems to me to be the right way to go / As if that's not enough, I am not yours, I'm not even my own"

Missing, London Grammar. Quintessential London Grammar. Longing and angry and sort of...celestial about it. "I worry that one day you'll go missing / And who will notice when you're gone?"

Girls Against God, Florence + the Machine. Oof, been feeling real mentally healthy this month, huh. This is pretty much the only song that can chase the vibes from Missing, but it replaces them with the same feelings, only bigger. "When I decided to wage holy war / It looked very much like staring at my bedroom floor"

Jackrabbit, San Fermin. Big, brassy, and triumphant in an unexpected way. Sometimes running away from something is running towards something else etc etc "Run for the hills, honey, run for the hills, honey / Run for the hills, don't look back"

Landsailor, Vienna Teng. Look, I'm a fanvid girlie from way back. Of course I have Vienna Teng on my frequent listens list. "Oh I am altered now for good / Shield these eyes no more"

This Song Has No Title, Elton John. Hah, okay, this is a funny one. From a Good Omens playlist I made back when I dabbled in that fandom. Ngl, it stands up. "And each day I learn just a little bit more / I don't know why but I do know what for / If we're all going somewhere, let's get there soon"

And that's some songs! Like Sine before me, I'm not much on tagging particular people, but if you see this and feel so inspired, consider yourself tagged by me. I love collecting new music.

#jams #fuck it i do memes now

2 notes · View notes

bi4pan-polls · 1 year

Note

HELLO I AM MAKING MY GLORIOUS RETURN WITH *THE* BI4PAN SHIP: HEART&SOUL

(i would LOVE for this to be propaganda btw. They're gonna need it)

Characters: C. A. Cupid (canon) + Venetia Soulsong (OC)

Media: Ever After High (web series/doll line by Mattel, sister franchise to Monster High)

About the ship: do you ever see a canon character being done dirty by the writers/producers of a franchise by reducing her to the 3rd wheel of a love triangle that is clearly going nowhere, and think, "you know what she needs? A girlfriend"? No? Just me? Alright.

That's what is happening here. 😁 So the tl;Dr for anyone not in the know with the Monster High/Ever After High deep lore is that Cupid originally started as a Monster High (the school for the children of monsters to just learn and hang out) character, got hella sidelined, then got transferred over to Ever After High (the school for the children/successors of fairytale characters who then go on to retell the fairytale they were chosen for) with a nebulous destiny of "the Daughter of Love", then proceeded to... Get sidelined again 🙄. BUT, by putting her in Ever After High, she was opened up to the possibility of retelling a specific fairytale featuring Cupid (there are actually several, fun fact)!

Enter: Venetia Soulsong, my successor to Psyche, from the fairytale of Eros/Cupid and Psyche, scientist extraordinaire and lover of butterflies and cute pink-haired girls. 🥰

I could give you the full essay on how they met, how they got together, how they realized their sexualities (Cupid doesn't have a canon sexuality but in classic Greco-Roman fashion i headcanon her as bisexual; Venetia is canonically pansexual)... Buuutttt that would be long and it's honestly easier to just link Venetia's Ever After High Fandom Wiki page (with spaces cause I'm not sure if Tumblr still nerfs asks with links in them): https : // everafterhighfandom . fandom . com / wiki /Venetia_Soulsong

The OTHER tl;Dr is basically:

-sapphic soulmates (Venetia can see Red Strings of Fate, except for the one that is connecting her to Cupid)

-Ultimate Lovecore Vibes (Cupid is classic pink Lovecore, Venetia is romantic red/cream/gold Lovecore)

-tall/smol couple (Venetia is tall and built like a runner, i headcanon Cupid as being shorter and chubbier, built a bit more like a cherub)

-STEM girl x arts girl (Venetia is a budding lepidopterist!)

-friends to lovers (we love to see it!)

-thwarting destiny by choosing love rather than just letting it happen (something something queer theories on love. You get it.)

-something something Cupid (the original) was described as being a "terrible monster, more powerful than the Gods, able to conquer even mighty Zeus" and putting Cupid (the girl), who was originally a Monster (at Monster High) into his role in Cupid and Psyche. Yeah.

-they are the cutest couple known to man. Like. Lumity levels of cute. HUNTLOW levels of cute, even. THE CUTEST.

I will likely be back with visual propaganda but I'm having trouble finding it on my phone, in the meantime there's some visual propaganda on Venetia's page and also under the OC: Venetia Soulsong tag on my art Tumblr, @rai-knightshade-art so!! Enjoy the bi4pan girlies 🥰

...I actually HAVE also shipped a cannon character with a oc because the character was going to be reduced to a love traingle character I think! So like. So real so real!

OH MYGOSH SHES SO COOL! Everyone go read the wiki for Venetia if you are interested in this sort of thing because !!!

She seems, So fun !!

"Unbeknownst to her, however, Cupid was crushing on almost every person she could to distract herself from the truth: she was falling for one of her closest friends, i.e. Venetia." Hehehe. Love stuff like this

whao lumity and huntlow levels of cute :000

I haven't watched ever after high in years but I remember Cupid was one of my favorites so this is very fun for me!

#I will say I will tootaly prioritize getting ocs in the bracket over cannon characters as long as i dont have many oc submmsions #because #its my poll and i love ocs so so much #but you said you want this to be proaganda whch means i get to tell you how much I like yoru oc >:)

1 note · View note

buddietomytarlos · 3 years

Text

Season 5 Episode 3 Thoughts *Spoilers*

Thoughts under cut to keep the tag clean :)

- I heard this ep was pretty awful bc it’s just cop propaganda but here we go kiddos

- Wait if they tied him up like that how did he get out of it to go to the hospital and such 😭😭

- Why would you put that picture in your house it looked so???

- Did he just lick—

- Can we stop attacking Michael for absolutely no reason thanks like damn he’s completely right...

- God poor May having to stay back and work that would destroy me tbh.

- I was about to be like “why didn’t he close the trunk so he wouldn’t know?” but then realized that he would have heard it and known

- HARRY SAYING THE SMARTEST THINGS THOUGH WE LOVE HIM but also ask for their police number! or call the police and ask if there’s a cop nearby and if he’s legit (which he isn’t so)

- it’s fuck COPS not firefighters. NOT CAP DISRESPECTING THE ANARCHIST’S WISHES…. THAT WAS SO FUCKED UP ARE WE SUPPOSED TO BE ROOTING FOR HIM??? And it was so ooc because Cap is supposed to be calm and collected on the job and leave it all at the door. Also so did the people who called 911 not tell anyone in their group that they called for help like I’m sure that’s what you’d do first…

- He really put the same stuff that Harry got out of the first time back on Harry lmao what a dumbass

- This rapist freak hates her because HE attacked HER and in self defense she shot him in the dick??? Pathetic but not surprised...

- Not him putting THAT picture up???

- May helping out by finding a social media post muah she just be solving everything in a better way huh… also thank god that woman actually posted it even though he had a badge like—

- “It’s not your fault, and it’s not mine either” it literally is your fault but okay lol

- Honestly this ep should feel like a criminal minds ep since it’s a kidnapping but it doesn’t bc all it is is pro cop… they really don’t know their audience if they think we want more cop stuff.

- Michael asking questions that Athena the Cop who’s supposed to— SHE JUST LEAVES? WHAT THE FUCK?

- Athena going into the no police zone… but also why is it up in the first place? Because of the outage?? Or is it there like permanently…?

- However I will praise her for that “police” video to find Jeffrey that was smart

- DON’T TELL HIM THAT THE DUDE IS STILL ALIVE? ATHENA JUST FUCKING STOP TALKING. OH THE FIREFIGHTERS HELLO!!!

- JUST ARREST HIM ALREADY? Girl all you had to do was shoot his hand or something, not like five times?!?!!?

- Now that you physically have his car can’t they trace where it went or…???

- Okay but Michael being so good at putting pieces together and such this ep!??! slaps hard

- So… the whole point of the blackout was so we could have this cop propaganda episode…? It would’ve been so much more interesting and better utilized if they showed the struggles of the black out and taking down the hackers instead. It ending like this is just so??? It’s dumb as hell and makes it all completely unnecessary????????

- No but the way Buck was looking at Eddie BYE

- BUCK TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF OF THE BED. “Hi honey, I’m home.” ew

- Harry 😭😭 you’re definitely not going to be fine after being KIDNAPPED

- Maddie… why are you talking like that…….. MADDIE PLEASE DON’T DO WHAT I THINK YOU’RE GOING TO DO...

- ngl I almost laughed “maybe you should go home”. GIRLIE READ THE ROOM? HE DOESN’T WANT YOU HERE YOU OVERSTAYED YOUR WELCOME

- She knows it’s coming LMAO rip that’s kinda sad

- NOT HER USING THE PANIC ATTACK AGAINST HIM?? All he asked was to sit down to make the blow easier…

- But if she’s known he wasn’t into her why continue with the relationship clinging onto something that’s obviously not working?

- Eddie being silent against the fridge with tears brimming bro that HURTS

- EDDIEANA BONES THO!!!

- MADDIE 😭😭

- The next ep looks pretty good tho 👀

#9-1-1 #Thoughts #Spoilers

3 notes · View notes

obsidianfr3sk · 4 years

Text

Rise of the Renegades (Chapter 8)

Summary: Heroes come from the most unexpected places. Heroes sometimes feel a little too different, a little too scared, a little too alone. But heroes also know when enough is enough, and that before saving the world, they need to save themselves. And they cannot do it alone.

They were going to be the hope of the world. They were going to call themselves the Renegades. Even if they didn’t know it yet.

AO3 Link

Hi!! I honestly didn’t expected to update today, but here we are:’) I hope you enjoy this chapter!! If someone wants to be added or remove from the tag list, tell me haha.

Tag list: @nodrianbcyes @dawniebb @healing-winston-pratt @cerenoya @ marissagustrerbenson

Getting cold hands?

Now I understand what you tried to say to me,

and how you suffered for your sanity,

and how you tried to set them free.

They would not listen, they did not know how;

perhaps they'll listen now.

Simon

“YOU DID WHAT?”

Hugh put his hand over his mouth to shut him up and Simon felt his cheeks turn red when he realized a couple of older boys had turned to see why the hell he was yelling. Their faces contorted in disgust and continued with their chat.

Because prodigies were disgusting.

He immediately regretted his decision to come back to school.

Hugh removed his hand from his mouth. “Don't be mad at me,” he whispered.

“I'm not mad at you,” he replied in a lower voice, “it's just that I'm surprised you did something so impulsive and so, so… so stupid.”

Hugh bit his lip but couldn't hide his laugh. “Wow, Simon, watch your language.”

He kicked him to silence him. “I am serious,” he replied. “You gave my address to a complete stranger—"

“Georgia.”

“—To make a plan for which we have no ideas—"

“I do have many ideas.”

“—and who will bring a friend we don't know.”

Simon went silent, waiting for Hugh to answer with the friend's name. But he did not.

That only further proved his point. “From the beginning, your plan was very wrong.”

And I should have been there to warn you.

“No, my plan was golden from the beginning,” Hugh argued, “because Georgia is not a stranger. I met her at Joe’s Basket and she turned out to be a really nice girl. She likes mystery novels, wears white pajamas to sleep, and can fly. I consider that a very specific profile.”

“I consider her a stranger. You don’t even know her last name.”

“Rawles.”

“Does she has a middle name?”

Hugh ignored him completely. “If you just had heard her speak, Simon. She was absolutely right about everything,” he continued. “Georgia is a good person. She returned my notebook even though she didn't have to. And look what she did.”

Discreetly, he took a sheet of paper out of his back pocket. It was the drawing he had been working on a couple of days ago. Propaganda. “She repaired my drawing with washi-tape. It’s… kind of pretty, isn’t it?”

It was the most adorable washi-tape Simon had ever seen. “Too girly,” he growled.

“Girly? The— the washi-tape?”

“Yes,” Simon answered. “It’s too girly. I don’t like it.”

“Oh, no, I don’t like it either,” Hugh answered. “I just thought the contrast was… funny.”

Simon said nothing more. Hugh put the drawing back before anyone else saw it. “Look, that’s what would make us a great team. We all have different strengths. And also… she’s a girl. An older girl. And she likes Wonder Man.”

Simon decided to draw the line there. To hell with her pretty washi-tape. “Why does it matter she’s an older girl who likes Wonder Man? I like Wonder Man too.”

Hugh adjusted his glasses, confused. “But… you don’t like it,” he reminded him. “You say Wonder Man is an idiot.”

I do say that.

“What I mean is,” he said evasively, “like ... I mean, what does strengths does she has? Because being a girl is not one of them.”

“Her vision,” she replied. “She has a way of seeing things that are surely different from ours. Not just because she's a girl, but also because I bet she has experienced the world in a way we haven't and has more experience with certain things that could help us. How many times have we talked to someone who isn’t part of the school?”

Simon rolled his eyes. “We don't talk to anyone at school,” he muttered.

They hate us. They really hate us.

Or do they fear us?

Is there a difference?

“Well, when have we talked to someone... other than the two of us? Or your dad, or your sister—” and he smiled playfully “—or my aunt.”

He immediately realized he was trying to make him laugh. But at that point in the conversation, Simon was fed up with the entire female gender and he wasn’t even willing to smile at him.

Hugh hugged himself. For some reason, he was not wearing a jacket that day... “Where’s your jacket?” he asked in a soft voice.

“I gave it to Georgia,” he replied. “The one she had didn't protect her from the cold.”

Then Simon remembered that they were arguing and that Hugh was an idiot who gave his address to strangers and did not deserve his compassion. “Well, it's her fault. Why does she wear a jacket that looks cools but doesn't protect you from the cold?”

“Maybe she’s… passionate about fashion?” he said, half-joking.

Simon didn't find it funny. “Maybe she puts fashion above basic needs.”

Hugh realized that it was useless to keep trying to make him laugh. He put his hands in his pants pockets. “Simon…” He glanced at him. “You... that someone you mentioned last time—“

“What’s with that someone?” he asked sharply.

“That someone still wants me to believe in him, right?”

At that moment, Simon realized that throughout the entire conversation, he had had his arms crossed as if he were throwing a tantrum.

Stars. How childish Simon looked. And how worried Hugh looked.

The last thing he wanted to do was worry him.

Simon wasn't even quite sure why he was reacting like that. Like, of course, he had been annoyed that Hugh had made a move without first consulting him, especially one involving his home.

However, it didn't take long for him to realize that that other emotion he felt, in addition to the obvious annoyance, was fear. Fear that he was going to leave him for that new friend he had made. Which he knew didn't make sense because Hugh wasn't the one who abandoned others.

That one was Simon. Simon had abandoned him the other day.

Simon was the bad person here.

He leaned against the wall. “Yes...” he acknowledged. “That someone still needs you to believe in him.”

Because that someone needs you maybe a little too much.

Hugh seemed suddenly calmer. “Good,” he sighed. “I was starting to get a little worried.”

“Sorry.”

“You don't need to apologize.”

“Sorry,” he repeated.

“Simon, stop.”

But he couldn't. “Sorry.”

Hugh just laughed and leaned against the wall too. “Well, you know, since we're on the apology thing… I'm sorry I didn't consult you before giving the address to someone who is a stranger. For you,” he added quickly. Simon kicked him. I told you that she is a stranger. “It's just that… I got excited. I have never met someone like Georgia.”

Simon nodded and felt a lump in his throat. He knew what Hugh was talking about.

He had never met someone who believed in themselves because the only person Hugh hung out with was Simon, and Simon…

Simon didn't believe in anything. Not even himself.

“Are you sure we can trust her?” he asked in a small voice.

“She promised me he would be there,” he replied. “And I had to promise her that I would be there too. Simon… can you promise me that too?”

Simon scoffed. “You will be at my house.”

“You know what I mean—“ he tapped his hand with two fingers. “Can you promise me you'll be there?” he repeated.

Simon ignored the feelings that light touch gave him.

He had always been good at ignoring.

So he nodded.

The bell rang and the few students in the courtyard began to enter. Hugh chattered his teeth and hugged himself again.

“You are cold, right?” Simon asked him.

Simon didn't want to go to class yet. He wished he could stay out a while longer. Simon loved cold days because he could put on a lot of layers of clothing and people saw less of him.

But the truth was that he didn't want to go to class yet because he wanted to stay talking with his friend a bit longer.

Even if he made him angry.

“I’m freezing,” he answered. “Look, feel my hands.”

He put a hand on his cheek. Simon could feel his face turning all red again.

Ignore it, ignore it.

“Yes. They’re cold,” he answered.

“Told you. Cold can’t kill me, but is surely a pain in the ass.”

Simon gave him a lopsided smile, trying not to look like he was doing his best not to imagine… that.

Don’t think about his ass.

In a desperate attempt to distract his mind, he searched his pockets for the gloves his father told him last night to wear when leaving the house. He stood up and handed them to Hugh. “Put them on. I don't like wearing gloves anyway.”

They headed for the school entrance while Hugh struggled to put them on. They were a little too small for him, but if he didn't move his hands a lot they would surely cover them well. “Thank you,” he mumbled with a smile.

Simon shrugged. It was the least he could do.

The rest of the day, he was the one whose hands were freezing because his school had no heating since always. Yet the thought that Hugh was wearing them and that his hands were warm made him better able to ignore the cold.

That and the fact his cheeks were still red.

I'm not abandoning you again, Hugh.

I’d rather be dead.

Georgia

When she arrived, she did not make her classic introduction. She didn't say "Honey, I'm home!" nor did she hold Molly in her arms and ask her how school went. She only greeted Tamaya, gave her the bag with the few provisions that she could offer her, and dropped onto her mattress.

It was more comfortable than one would expect to. She didn't understand why Tamaya said it was uncomfortable.

Tamaya didn't seem to notice that change. And if she did, she said nothing. Georgia would dare to say that she was just as quiet as her.

She lay down beside Georgia. They were shoulder to shoulder, staring at the old roof of the abandoned store. Tamaya fiddled with her broken locket.

“Who goes first?” Georgia asked leaning on her shoulder.

“Huh?”

“Who tells her problem first,” she clarified.

“Oh.” Tamaya dropped her locket. “You. You go first.”

Georgia wanted to refuse. She knew that if she started talking, there would probably be no one able to stop her. And it was already difficult to get Tamaya to open up…

But she had to tell someone. She couldn't hold that secret inside her for another second.

She turned to see her. “I met someone.”

Tamaya did the same. “Someone?”

“A boy.”

“A boy,” she repeated. Sharply.

“Not like that,” she clarified quickly. “He's a literal boy. So yeah. It would be kinda gross, to be honest.”

Tamaya relaxed her expression. Only a little. “What did he do to you?” she asked.

“Stars, Tamaya,” Georgia laughed. “He did nothing to me. But he gave me this.”

She reached into the pocket of her jeans. Georgia hated wearing jeans because her legs were too wide and she could never find jeans that actually fit her. However, that day all her skirts were too dirty to wear. And she also had to keep that paper in a safe place.

They both straightened up as Georgia unfolded the paper with her fingers.

It's made of glass, Georgia. Like your hopes. Like the future of the world.

Be very careful.

She opened it without breaking it and passed it to Tamaya.

To a very confused Tamaya.

It's made of glass, Tam. Please don't break it.

“Is this his address?” she asked, confused.

“No, it's his friend's address.”

Tamaya crumpled the piece of paper rolling her eyes. “What the hell do you want to tell me, Georgia?”

“Be careful!” she screeched, snatching it away.

She put it on her leg and began to try to flatten it with all the strength of her hand. Luckily she had rescued it in time...

It’s made of glass! It’s made of glass!

Tamaya hid between her wings. Immediately, Georgia could recognize what he was trying to tell her by that.

She was afraid. Altered. She didn't like being yelled at.

And Georgia knew it. “Sorry...” she mumbled.

Tamaya nodded.

Why did she have to be so loud?

“Tamaya... who are you?” she asked.

Tamaya rolled her eyes. “I think you just answered your own question,” she mumbled, annoyed.

“No, I mean ... what are we?” she asked. “Look where we are—” she pointed around her “—look where we ended up.”

“I don't know if it's time for you to make me feel bad about where I live.”

“No! It's not that, Tamaya, it's just that…”

And she stopped.

“Is it just what?”

The same question was in her head.

What's your excuse now, Georgia?

She fought the urge to cry that suddenly washed over her. “It's just that I haven't stopped wondering if we've been on the right side of history,” she replied, standing up. “And it's something that I hadn't really asked myself until yesterday, you know? Until they gave me this address.”

Tamaya's shoulders hunched more. She was still hidden behind its wings.

Jeez, Georgia, can't you lower your voice a bit?

Georgia knelt beside her friend and put a hand on her shoulder. She did not reject her or bite her. Good. “Tamaya, what are we?” she insisted. “Are we women?”

“Well... yes,” she replied with a frown. “Or at least you are.”

“No, Tamaya, I am not a woman. I'm a girl,” Georgia said. “I am a girl who continues to live in the fantasy world that she designed to survive all the trauma she went through. It doesn't matter I have grown physically, on the inside… on the inside all I have done is hide my head between my books and my dolls and your friendship, because I am too much of a coward to do anything for the outside world.”

She covered her mouth with her hands as she turned her back to her. Don't cry, don't you dare cry.

Georgia did not cry.

Tamaya stood up. “Are you... are you okay?”

“Yes,” she replied with a sigh. “All good. You? Are you okay? Do you forgive me for yelling at you?”

She did not reply. For a second, Georgia thought she was going to hug her. How childish of her to think that. Tamaya never hugged people. She didn't know how to do it.

So Georgia hugged herself.

She always hugged herself. There was no one left to do it.

“I still do not understand—”

“These kids—” she showed her the slip of paper “—these kids are not cowards. And they are children. How are they braver than us? What has happened in their lives that have made them so brave?”

Tamaya pushed her fist away from her face. Georgia had accidentally put the paper on her to just below his nose.

She looked into Tamaya's eyes and realized that many things had happened to her in her life that had made her brave. Because yes, Tamaya was brave for the sole fact of her existence.

Tamaya was born with wings, which although Georgia found them wonderful, for her they were the constant reminder of everything that was “wrong” with her. Her parents despised her, she lived locked in a cage, like...

Like a bird.

But Tamaya was not a bird. Or a monster, as she called herself. She was none of those things. She was a woman.

And a brave one. Georgia wished she could see herself the way she saw her.

No, there was nothing wrong with Tamaya. Who was wrong was the rest of the world.

And that world was so different from the one Georgia had created when she was little. One that writhed in pain and hurt whoever dared to help it. Georgia was so scared of pain.

But she was more afraid of continuing being the coward in the story.

Coward. Coward. Coward.

Last night, intoxicated by the smell of vanilla and the taste of freedom, it had seemed easy. As if giving the notebook back to a child was going to make the difference the world needed at that moment.

However, as the effects of adrenaline left her body and Hugh began to speak more and more, she realized that things were more complicated than she had initially imagined. That a simple act of kindness was not going to take away the suffering from the world in which she lived. She wished it did though. I want to help you, but I'm not sure how.

Was she going to have to take the pain for the world?

Coward. Coward. Coward.

She turned to see her friend again. “Tamaya, I want to stop being a girl,” she whispered, taking her by the shoulders. “I want to stop being a coward that hides in her own imaginary world.”

Tamaya grabbed her wrists. “And what do you want to be then?”

“I want to be a woman,” she replied. “One that goes out into the real world and does something to save it.”

She nodded. Georgia decided to venture out to ask her a new question. “What do you want to be, Tamaya?”

Tamaya held on tighter to her.

Although she wasn't hurting her Georgia wondered if she was holding her tighter so she wouldn't hurt herself. “I just know I want to stop being a monster, Georgia.”

Georgia wrapped her in a hug. Tamaya reciprocated by surrounding her with her wings.

Yes. This is better than a hug.

Then a putrid smell suddenly hit her. She discreetly sniffed Tamaya's body. It wasn't her.

Good. She wasn't quite sure where she could have found a soap that could remove that.

"What’s that smell?" she asked.

There was a foam plate right behind her friend. Georgia broke away from the hug and took the foam plate in her hands. She opened it, and the retching she felt was enough to make her realize that it had been a horrible decision.

The smell was of rotten fried rice. “Tamaya!” she screamed “Why do you have this here? It's disgusting.”

Tamaya came up behind her and closed the foam plate. The scent lingered in her nostrils still, but Tamaya seemed unaffected. “It is my reminder.”

She sounded so distant, so empty...

Had she sounded like that?

She put the foam plate at the other end of the room quickly. When she returned, Tamaya was sitting on the mattress, hugging her legs. Georgia took Molly and held her out. Tamaya took her doll and put it on her lap.

Georgia sat next to her.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Tamaya shook her head. She undid one of Molly's braids and started doing it again. “Give me ideas.”

“Ideas for what?”

“Ideas for what I could be. I don't know anything else.”

Georgia undid Molly's other braid. “How about... being a superhero?”

#renegades #archenemies #supernova #renegades trilogy #simon westwood #hugh everhart #georgia rawles #tamaya rae #OG renegades #rise of the renegades #ao3 #fic #i promise they all are going to meet up soon:(#i just need to organize a couple of things #thanks for being patience u.u

13 notes · View notes

hearticho · 6 years

Text

Captain Marvel post-viewing thots

[Disclaimer: Hot takes coming at you from someone who is NOT a Marvel super fan or even a film buff. Just a casual fan of superhero movies. I also identify as a QTPOC and feminist who doesn’t support the U.S. military.]

Overall, I’m so happy with how the movie turned out. It was better than I expected (even after seeing the excited responses from my tumblr dashboard). I love Brie Larson and Captain Marvel so much. All the thoughts below will be somewhat unorganized bc I’m so amped up still, but hopefully, they’ll still make sense!

Music

I think I’ll start with the soundtrack bc it’s the easiest thing to talk about. I’m a 90s kid and even though I’m not a film buff, I’m a big music person. I got so happy every time a new song popped up. All the songs were songs that I could imagine Carol and Maria listening to and loving. The soundtrack is female heavy and the composer for the score is a woman! So cool! Just like the Black Panther soundtrack, I’m def going to be listening to the CM soundtrack on repeat for a while. I’m really glad that they didn’t pull like, a Sky High thing where they had currently popular artists covering old songs. Music is so important bc it sets the tone and gives emotional cues for audiences. It indirectly tells the story and shows the growth of the main characters. I think the music worked really, really well. And omg that fight scene with No Doubt playing “Just a Girl”??? ICONIC

Action/conflict

I thought it had the right amount of action and conflict. Introductory Marvel movies tend to focus on the character’s backstory and who they are, which I think is good. You can’t grow attached to a hero if you don’t know who they are! I thought the conflict and the action sequences weren’t too difficult to follow. With other movies, I’ve had trouble following along bc things were inconsistent or just hard to see. I appreciated that it wasn’t the case for CM. Things weren’t too complicated, otherwise there would’ve been way too much time spent on explaining.

Given all the military propaganda, I was surprised that the twist was that the “terrorists” were actually the good ones. It was interesting to see those things exist within the same movie. It was wonderful to see that CM went with her gut and used her empathy to guide her decisions. Things weren’t adding up and she did what she knew was right.

Costumes

SHE LOOKED PHENOMENAL!!! Her makeup, clothes, and superhero suit were all so perfect. All her different looks reflected who she was. They felt right for her personality and where she was in life. Also, Brie Larson worked her ass off to get a particular superhero body, but she was fully covered the whole time!!! There was no gratuitous half clothed scene where she was at the beach or training in a sports bra. She was a soldier the entire way through, not a frilly, lacy person. The suit was a uniform and not a skin tight costume with a boob window (or impractical skirt and thigh high boots) and I could kiss the costume people on the face for that. The mohawk looked great. I wanted to wear the outfit she wore in the karaoke photo. So many amazing throwback looks people like Monica and background people too :)

Nick Fury and Carol Danvers

Their relationship was so fun to watch! They went from “who dis” to “you’re awesome” and it felt v natural and real. It didn’t feel like father and daughter either and I liked that. They were colleagues and they saved the world together. He was a part of her journey into accepting her emotions/power and she helped him start the Avengers. It was fantastic to see that the heroes were mostly women and POC. The white men in it were either Coulson or the enemy (Jude Law and Lee Pace’s characters).

Maria Rambeau, Monica, and Carol Danvers

Their little family was beautiful!!! Whether you interpreted Carol and Maria as lovers or just saw them as bffs, it was v clear that they loved each other dearly and really cherished their connection. (No male love interests in sight for Maria and Carol? Inch resting... 👀) Monica was adorable and it was so sweet that she was the one to show Carol her past and modify the suit colors. I thought it was precious of Maria to wear a Monica necklace too. They love their kiddo so much!

Wasn’t it awesome to see Maria and Nick Fury side by side towards the end? Two black people helping each other and helping saving Earth? I don’t think I’ve ever seen that in a Marvel movie besides Black Panther. I thought it was cool that Maria had more depth too. She wasn’t just the Black BFF who was “sassy” and didn’t have any part in defeating the baddies. Without her, things would’ve been v different for the plot.

A female superhero, a female film crew, and being a strong woman

I feel like I could see all the female touches and attention to detail in this movie. I noticed special things that were present but also absent. If this movie was created by men, about men, for men... you wouldn’t have seen the LA train passengers trying to protect the old lady and pull CM away from her during their fight scene. You wouldn’t have seen much of a relationship between two women like Carol and Maria. You wouldn’t have seen Carol and Monica talking alone together or in general. You wouldn’t have seen Carol getting back up time after time defiantly. You wouldn’t have seen her constantly cracking jokes, being joyful, and actually having a lil fun during her fights.

Instead, you would’ve seen Carol having romantic feelings for her mentor and deferring to Fury all the time. You would’ve seen her more traditionally girly, talking in a lower “sexier” vocal register. You would’ve seen more scenes about her Tragic Backstory and flashbacks focused on abuse and pain. Rather than forcing the audience to linger on pitying feelings for Carol, the audience was able to admire her overcoming adversity and could identify with her as a warrior.

Men think strong women are women who act like men and have the same goals as men. To men, strong women want to be violent and invulnerable. Strong women are “serious” and “conventionally gorgeous” without wanting to be Like Those Other Girls. It’s really fucked up!!! But CM was shown to be the strongest person in the universe and still had a sense of humor with a full range of emotions. She wasn’t a robot and she wasn’t paralyzed by her sad feelings. She wasn’t entirely sure of who she was or where she came from, but that was okay.

Significance of the names

Women struggle with proving their humanity and worth and that they’re autonomous beings all the time. The Vers/Carol Danvers stuff made me think about Spirited Away and how the main character’s name was also taken away and replaced as a manipulation tactic. She became more powerful and sure of herself when she learned her real name, her real past, and was called Carol (or Auntie Carol). Maria and Monica had the better half of her dog tag bc they were her real family. The names (both with CM and Fury) felt important to me bc they showed respect and love and identity.

Who is Carol Danvers?

Carol Danvers is fierce. She’s the courageous underdog who wants to help other underdogs. She’s smart and thoughtful. She’s loving and hilarious. She’s someone you aspire to be and I think that’s a defining trait of any hero. I can’t wait to learn more about her and see her in more movies.

#I probably have more to say but I'll just leave it like this for now #captain marvel #captain marvel spoilers #carol corps #hearticho posts

12 notes · View notes