#HOW CAN YOU FEEL BAD FOR THE DEATH OF A WOMAN. A WHOLE PLANET. IF HER HUSBAND DOESN'T LOVE HER AND SHE ISN'T A PERFECT LOVING MOTHER

[bonefall]

longtime dc fan and i think a lot of people are angry because alex is obviously one of the most culturally relevant instances of misogyny in media. that being said being more culturally relevant doesn’t mean it’s the worst instance of misogyny and i think bumble definitely experiences more profound misogyny in the way the actual content is presented, if that makes sense

I get you, and that's a charitable way of looking at it.

I think what's rustling my jimmies is that like, there was a couple of WC fans being mildly dismissive of Alex in that note minefield, after dozens of comments of "fuck you how could you let the fridge woman lose" and "Bumble didn't deserve to win ANY rounds" and "how could A CAT experience misogyny." But then WE get blamed for the toxicity because THEY were butthurt that the Funny Cat People have the 'audacity' to win something they feel entitled to.

Like, we've gotta be endlessly charitable as we get openly insulted because they're upset about Alex losing, a very well-known and culturally relevant character with a legacy so massive we have a whole term named after her. But condemnations of "She's just a cat, letting WC into this poll was a mistake, Bumble can't even be a victim of misogyny" only started coming around once I started talking about it.

as if it's OUR fault people got passive-aggressive or even OPENLY aggressive towards us, and that we're "just as bad" for retaliating

But like you said, it's not a "Most Culturally Relevant Misogyny" tournament, it's a "Canon Misogyny Victims" tournament. And you're not even supposed to give a shit that Bumble died. The fat, woman abuse victim is beaten to death by a dictator, and your takeaway is meant to be, "It's so sad that Clear Sky is being blamed for murdering her, now they're all preparing for self-defense against a homicidal maniac, oh nooo :("

And I think that DOES make her deserve the win here! Alex is a MARTYR. Everyone with a brain agrees what happens to her is bad. It happened in her canon because it was bad. We talk about her and keep her memory alive. Bumble gets dismissed entirely out of hand because she's "just a cat in a kid's book" as if that doesn't make it worse, and as if the kid's book didn't treat a domestic abuse survivor like a moron for even asking for help.

Anyway, just to reiterate, I love DC fans. It's not all of you guys. Alex was done dirty and deserves justice-- and it's even kind of a shame that all she became is "The Fridge Woman." I haven't even heard people talk about how she was a wary, responsible person who was still ready to rock with Kyle's new weird glowstick powers, or that she was a journalist, or that she just got brought back in another edition as a Green Lantern only to be revealed as an illusion and re-absorbed back into Kyle's mind. Nope. Even her fans just remember her as The Fridge Woman.

[xan-izme]

"Bad Guy" (Dad!jake x Villian Daughter reader)

Summary: Jake didn't just leave you on a rotting planet, he did so much more. He barely showed his fatherly side to you, he was on Marin mode 24/7. The night before he left was what pushed you to the edge, after years of him not returning, was your braking point. He left you, his own daughter and betrayed his own race. If he can do that, what's wrong with leaving behind your own humanity?

TW: Death, mentions of death, child neglect, drinking, manipulation ect.

tag list: @kkkmm @myh3artttt

How far can you push a child's love and loyalty. Till they no longer can tell the difference between the two?

Raising children is known to be a very complicated task. But it was a part of life. Parenting is tricky, anything you do or say will affect your child's behavior.

Jake didn't think like that. You were his first child, a girl at that. Your mother was just a one night stand, but he did know her. She was a friend from before he lost his legs.

When you were born, he was already in a bad spot. So a child being dumbed on him in his situation wasn't the best.

So, when raising you, he tried his best to show you that the planet they were on was cruel, and that you need to fend for yourself sometimes. He might have been harsh with his words, but you had some sort of understanding that it wasn't out of meanness. Jake was strict. Set up curfews, schedule for all classes and hang outs. Knowledge of your whereabouts was a must.

But all of that understanding and balance you two had, was quick to shatter. The night before Jake was to leave for Pandora, he was drinking. Yes, Jake drinks a lot, and you know that.

But his twin brother just passed, for the paper he had in his pocket. Sadly, you came back home 15 minutes late.

So, when you tried to get Jake to bed, he was just complaining about you coming late.

Jake was grumbling something while you were trying to clean up the bottles that were laying around.

He complained about the military, about his parents, the people and his twin.

"And you, Y/n"

You stood in place, watching your father point at you, bottle of alcohol in hand. "You killed your mother . . . and now, you're killing me."

Those words hit you like nothing before.

Jake threw the bottle towards you, it missed, but you wish it did hit you and just killed you.

The next morning, you locked yourself in your room. You refused to open the door. No matter how many times' Jake apologized, no matter how hard he begged.

His words of promises to come back and make it up to you, were probably the only thing that made you feel some type of sympathy. And hey, if he did come back, the two of you might have had a decent father and daughter relationship.

You just had to wait for 6 years or so.

Then 6 years turned into 8. 8 years turned into a decade. Then you got word of what Jake had done.

Betrayed his own race, fell in love with a native and started a whole new family. And on top of that! he got legs! isn't that lovely, good for him. And all Jake had to do was leave his pathetic, no-good daughter on a rotting planet to get the life of his dreams.

The amount of anger you felt could not be explained. Wanting to take revenge, wanting your old man to feel unexplainable pain you had been suffering. You applied for a spot in the RDA. Specifically, in the Daja blue group.

It took a lot of training and strings pulled for you to get in that program. But you got in, and once you showed your skills, you were immediately welcomed in.

"Ms. Sully-"

You held back the urge to give the operator a look, not liking being called but his name. But his name is a part of your plan. You want people to know that you're his, that you came from the same Jake Sully.

"Your Avitar is ready."

You hummed and followed the woman. You two passed many other avatars. Then finally came to a stop at one that oddly looked like you. You stared down at the young body.

You were currently in your mid 20's, but avatars are made to be way younger than you currently were. This one looks about 18 or 19. You didn't mind. As long as the body was capable of handling her plan for Jake.

You must say, Pandora was more beautiful than you expected. Such beauty shouldn't have been wasted on Jake. You honestly didn't care for Quaritche's reasons or his mission in general, all you wanted was to install fear and dread into Jake.

Thankfully, Quaritche seemed to not mind what your little mission was. The only thing you two had in common, was to put Jake down. Break him in unimaginable ways.

"Your one of his" Quaritche mumbled. But you heard what he said. Your ears perked as you slowly made your way to the small Na'vi boy. Now seeing by his fingers and looking closely at his face, he held a close resemblance to Jake, that caused you to stare rather hard.

You kneeled down and looked your half-brother in the eyes. You then heard a voice, a voice that you could never forget. You grabbed the innercom that was still connected to the boy's neck and tossed it to Quaritche. As the older man spoke to Jake, you grabbed your half-brothers face, examining it.

The boy growls and roughly moved his face out of your hand.

"Let us go you demons!" The boy hissed in his native tongue. You scoffed in amusement and took hold of his hand, roughly putting it in front of his face, then put your hand against his. Matching all five fingers.

"We are more similar than you think boy." Your words shocked the boy. Leaving him silent and confused.

You turned to go back to your original position, giving a glance to Jake's daughters. You glared at the smallest one.

When Jake brought the fight to them. Quaritche let you have a little time alone with Jake.

Your tail swished from side to side before pouching on Jake. Your fighting style was sloppy, but in a way that was nearly always unpredictable. Almost like you were some kind of; savage.

Jake threw you off him, causing you to land on all fours against a nearby tree. You hissed as you stood up slowly, your tail flickering side to side, your eyes had never left him.

"So mean papa. That really hurt" You licked the blood from your lips as you gave the man a toothy grin.

Jake frowns, that voice, was for some reason familiar to him. His eyes squinted as the figure stepped closer into the moonlight. Once you were in the light, it took him a second, but even in Na'vi form. He recognizes his own daughter.

"Y/n . . . ?"

Jake dropped his weapons as he slowly approached you.

"Y/n, my baby! how-" His hands hovered over your skin, before you stepped away.

The two of you stared at each other, in compleate silence. Suddenly, the sound of a helecopter came. You sighed

"Oh well, guess our time is up." You say in a disappointing tone, you turned to walk off and get back to the group.

"Next time, I won't go easy on ya!" You say with a playful tone, but the noticeable sadistic look you had said otherwise.

Chaos unlashed itself upon the Sully family. The children of Jake demanding to know more about the Avitar woman who claimed to also be a Sully. That night, Jake and Neytiri had to explain that Jake had a daughter back on earth, and the moment he betrayed his own race, he lost privileges of trying to bring his daughter to Pandora or at least try and contact her.

Jake thought about you every day, every second. Every time he treated his sons like soldiers, he was reminded of you, and what he had said that fitful night.

Lo'ak laid awake that night. Your words spinning in his mind. That small talk of how his father truly was. How Jake treated her worse than he was with them now. Lo'ak can barely tolerate how their father is now, so just thinking about how strict or harsh he was with you. He understood you were probably hurt, but he thought of some way to make you see what Lo'ak saw when Jake spoke about you. How much love he had with each word for you, speaking about you like he would for any of his children.

When Jake first saw you again, it was like a dream come true, but now, he feels like he sees you everywhere. You're becoming a nightmare for him, all because of that first interaction you two had, if you knew of this, you would be laughing at how pathetic Jake was to easily be this way.

Even though Neytiri saw you as a traitor and a threat to her family, Jake still saw you as his little girl. His sweet baby girl that he left. The little girl he had the nerve to treat like a soldier. Guess this was Jake's harsh reminder that he was raising a daughter back then.

The Jake now can never imagine treating Kiri and Tuk the way he did with you, it hurts him.

You didn't want to hurt anyone but Jake. That doesn't mean you care for the life around you, no, if killing the ones Jake loved the most would drive Jake to the breaking point like you wished? you would have done that long ago.

You kneeled down to Lo'ak and made sure he was tied properly.

"Why are you doing this! aren't you, our sister??" Lo'ak was trying to reason with you. Trying to make you see what you were doing was wrong. You sighed and gave him a small smile while caressing his head.

"Oh, sweet little brother. You are too young to understand."

"I wan't daddy . . ." Tuk mumbled out a small whine. You shifted your eyes to her.

You stepped back and examined the two. "you two think our father is such a hero. A noble man who loves his family more than anything. But your wrong, the moment you slip up, he turns on you. . . . Did you know what he said to me before he left?"

Lo'ak and Tuk stayed silent as they kept their eyes on you.

"He said that all I had to do was wait for 6 years, then he'll be back, and make up for what he had done to me. Then 6 years turn into 8, then it turned into a decade. . . . It took 10 years for me to realize I didn't need him. And that he didn't want me." You never told your small sob story to anyone, and you surprisingly didn't feel that shitty about what your life had become.

"Your wrong."

Lo'aks words brought you back. You tilt your head a little.

"Oh?"

"Dad loves you! He told us what happened and he's sorry. He regrets everything and all he wants is you to be with him again! h-he loves you and always did." You hum in amusement

"He loves me . . . . How interesting."

Your plan just changed, and in the best way possible.

Jake didn't mean too. He didn't mean to shout at you that night, he didn't mean to leave you behind like he did, he didn't mean to turn you into what you had become now.

You coughed up blood, holding your stomach tight, where the stab wound was.

And most of all, he didn't mean for this to happen. Not to you . . . not by him of all people

"Y/n- I didn't . . . please come with me. Your hurt!" Jake pleaded. You stumbled back and hit the metal wall. You laughed as you slid down to the ground. You slowly looked up to Jake with teary eyes.

It really hurts. The burning pain was like nothing you felt before.

Jake rushed to your side and tried to lift you up. You stopped him and gripped his shoulder. "Hey, you love me . . . yeah?"

Jake didn't hesitate to answer "Yes! I love you. I love you so much." Jake held back a sob as he moved strands of hair away from your face. You sighed and slowly looked back up to him.

"Then, if you truly love me. You should take responsibility for this." Jake's ears slicked back.

"W-what?"

Your eyes were stone cold. Void of any emotion.

"Finish what you started--" You grabbed onto Jake's hand, the one he still had his blade in. Your blood stained with the sharp object.

"-- And if you truly loved me, you'd end it for me already."

Jake shook his head "no, I can still save you! you still have time-"

You cut Jake off "Look, Jake. My time is up. No use for pity now." You were rather done at this point. Just wanting it to be over with.

Jake took a long moment. But it happened. You held eye contact with your father as he stuck the blade in you once more, finishing you off. His salty tears mixing with the blood on your face.

Jake Sully lost his daughter that day. By killing her with his own hands.

So, in short, remember parents that children can be quite fragile in their early stages of life.

They can and will remember everything.

[keypaa]

Astrology Observation No.2

Keep in mind that there always will be some exceptions ;)

Saturn in 12th house possibly visiting an asylum once in yo life time especially if your 12th house is in one of the water signs—> 12th house (asylums…) and Saturn is standing for hardships etc…

Golddiggggggerrrr? a lot of Taurus placements combined with taurus degrees (2,14,26) and some 8th house or scorpio energy I‘m sorry babes

Capricorn men with sag placements 😩

Sun-Pluto hard aspects have some toxic traits (as we all have) Ego/death| Sun-Pluto

Blunts just for leo moons why you may ask¿. Irrelevant which sun sign ppl I’ve met had if they were a leo moon they always had a history with blunts lak wha?!?!!?!!

Mercury-Neptune using your phone or doing everyday chores etc… without realising you are constantly dreaming & tings like that til it‘s night and you wonder why the time went by soooo fast

Just observed my aquarius teachers talk a lot but it’s adorable

Virgo mars gets shit done they are sooo hardworking and freakyy

My grandfather, dad and ... have saggitarius venuses and they all have a passion for the outside especially for going on walks etc... tHaT cAn‘T bE a coincidence

Mars in pisces yeah nah nah they are not innocent. They would kill you if they just would not have that huge feeling of regret yeah they would throw your dead body overseas but honestly if you are dead because of them hon hon than it WAS your fault

Gemini venuses are the ones you think are bad guys/girls (I know a lot of people myself included that have the reputation to be a player and I don’t mean inside the astro community) like why I just breathed

Lilith in scorpio are good at hiding their dark side and trust me you would in no way be capable of standing still if you knew what they hideeeeeee

Mars in gem VoCaL during that shingzzelingg trust me bro (and I also talk about the boyzz)

Theory: Hard mercury-saturn aspected people think about being successful in school a lot but it‘s really really hard for them to just sit down and learn Mercury: school, thinking, learning…. Saturn: responsibility, discipline, restricting planets aspected

Aries mars or mars in aries degrees possibly thought about going to war, they were soldiers or are just obsessed with the idea of war while playing war games. (war is ruled by mars and aries is also ruled by mars)

9th house mercury always talk and think about school stuff (even if you don‘t like school) like oh God "I need to do soooo much homework. How should I do that do get this grade?" it‘s just so awful so it‘s constantly on your mind

Scorpio mars can be quite and go unnoticed but you can just feel the freak inside of them ( I also attract a whole bunch of scorpio mars but I am more than glad about it)

Lilith-Saturn in mens chart indicates serious problems with accepting a woman being more successful than themselves 

all the comments *cry cry kinda adorable but I CAAANANNNNNNNN‘T ANSWER THEM

Luuuuuv muah

04:30 AM

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© 2022 the content is subject to the copyright and responsibility of the author

[ofallthingsnasty]

So capture kill got me thinking, you know how in very, very rare cases a woman can have twins with two different fathers if they have sex close enough together and the planets are in alignment and all that stuff (okay I’m not a doctor I can’t remember the specifics but it can happen!)

Imagine poor reader getting knocked up with twins, one from Bill and one from Evan 👀

😊💕💕 aaah thank you so much for showing interest in capture kill!! you don't know how happy this makes me 💞 also dshjdhsja anon you are funny af, i can't stop giggling over here

fic referenced

Surpisingly, I think Bill wouldn't mind that much. For him, the rules of his pack go above all else. His alpha told him that whoever knocks you up gets to keep you - and now you're having a kid from them both? Well, whatever. He'll learn to live with it. His scent on you and you getting visibly pregnant is enough to distract him from that pesky sting of jealousy - and let's not forget, as Evan's elder, he always gets to call dibs. There will definitely be a learning curve for him but he'll manage. He won't hide his distaste for Evan but he won't be cruel to the other child. He is very protective, yes, but not all too territorial. As long as your kids with him outnumber any potential pups between you and Evan, he'll be quite content. He'll keep calling Evan a cuck until his dying breath, though.

Evan, however, is devastated. He feels betrayed by some divine force, feels as though he's been cheated out of a happy life. Having to share you with Bill is worse than not getting you at all - he could have split from the pack and moved away if Bill had gotten you, could have forgotten about this after many, many tears and grief. He can't even be happy that you're expecting your first child with him - it's all overshadowed by the fact that you're also pregnant with Bill's pup. He'll fall into a huge depressive episode, will grow apathetic and lethargic. Keeping his distance, you probably won't see him for weeks at a time, much to the delight of Bill, who uses the opportunity to play house with you and shit-talk the younger man behind his back. Not only did all of his most intimate, deepest dreams die a painful death, he'll have it rubbed into his face for decades to come. He may be a lovesick, delusional little creep but even he has to admit defeat in this situation. It truly shatters his whole world.

His behavior will get so bad that Hugh, their alpha, will have to step in and talk some sense into him - and into Bill. Evan is about to become a father - he needs to get his act together and step up and Bill will need to learn to control his acid tongue. Their little squabble is not only damaging to the little about-to-be family you three form, it's also creating tension within the pack. Evan will slowly get better and will start to regain some of his delusional, beyond optimistic tendencies (especially when he holds your child for the first time - he'll just start bawling his eyes out with happiness) but the relationship between him and Bill will require lifelong work. In the end (and if kept in check regularly), they'll get along somehow. Not without some fights, not without some troubles but they'll make it work. Be prepared to be pregnant for as long you are able to, though - these two will lay their claims on you again and again, each in their own way.

[yamameta-inc]

okay so. i've always thought it was obvious that yoshiwara in flames arc's main relevance to gintama's overall narrative is as the prelude to rakuyou. like it's not thematically very interesting on its own, right? but it exists mainly for kagura and kamui's sake, establishing the sort of parallelism that gintama lives off of. it isn't really that connected to the red spider arc even though at first it might seem to be.

but i had no idea about the meaning of the name "rakuyou" until i saw @suchira 's post about it earlier today. and before that i also hadn't thought about utsuro's connection to the sun, which they've also talked about.

given everything that happens in rakuyou, this has expanded my thoughts quite a bit! i'm going be thinking through this as i go, so this is going to be me rambling.

housen is one of the few big arc villains who don't feel related to gintoki. jirocho, jiraia, oboro, takasugi--these kinds are obviously meant to be foils to gintoki. isaburo functions differently as a character, but even he gets directly compared to gintoki by nobume. but housen isn't really there for gintoki--he's there for kamui. he isn't a particularly interesting character, nor is his death very satisfying because of the wishywashy writing about hinowa showing kindness to him at the end. previously i'd thought that his thing with the sun was just a weaker example of craving something that would destroy you, and/or running away from one's weaknesses and vulnerabilities to the point that you become a sort of husk.

that's probably still a thing, but the introduction of the sun motif on the much more meaning-dense end of gintama adds so much more. because now the pre-existing thematic framework of gintama can do the heavy lifting for housen (who is, again, a pretty uninteresting character), hinowa (who is cool, but suffers from both Woman and Mom in shounen), and tsukuyo (who is very cool, but suffers egregiously from Woman in shounen).

so what is housen, really? he's the guy kamui chose to go with when making his very bad life decisions, the end result of the path he decided to pursue. for simplicity let's call him kamui bad end, though they aren't very comparable in canon itself because housen doesn't come across as nearly self-destructive enough. but the basic logic is that housen is one of those characters who gave up everything in single-minded pursuit of power--he's a flat character because he already "emptied himself out", as kamui says, before the series started. (but then he got scared and lonely, and all that.)

what's funny is that if housen is a bad end, then the guy who he considers his rival automatically comes to mind as an opposed route. i think it would be a serious stretch to call umibouzu the "good end" for kamui, and that's definitely part of the point in how the yato are written. but in any case, kamui clearly looked both ways (insert roads leading to two castles meme) and saw housen stereotypical villain bad end on one side, and his dad on the other. so obviously he chose housen.

rakuyou is a planet where it's always overcast. you could say that kamui chose to leave that "safety" in order to pursue something that shone much brighter to him, even if it would disintegrate him in the end. or, since rakuyou's name invokes the sun, you could say that he chose to flee the place of his weakness and pain, where his family was, like housen deciding to flee the sun and build an underground paradise.

when i go over my gintama cast tarot assignments, i always hesitate over hinowa. is she the Sun? or the Empress? how can i choose? and i think this is essentially the same conundrum. and i think the fact that she's both (thankfully, actual gintama storytelling isn't restricted to 1 character = 1 arcana) also provides us with the best answer here. hinowa is the object of yearning of both housen (as the sun) and of seita (as a mother). obviously, as i said before, the whole seita-hinowa thing is meant to lay the groundwork for kamui's motivations, and is also why he's introduced in this arc in the particular way that he is. but kamui is both seita and housen. he's the child yearning for his mother, but also the warlord who fears the sun so much he'll lock not only himself but countless others into the dark forever. but housen also desperately longed for the sun. kamui looks down on seita for being weak, and he looks down on housen for choosing to drown himself in vices at the end of his life. in the end, he doesn't kill either one of them.

if the sun is what kamui yearns for, he wants to leave rainy "rakuyou" behind--and/or he misses his home, his childhood, his family, even if these things feel like they will destroy him. or, if the sun is what kamui seeks to avoid, he wants to turn away from "rakuyou", all the things that hold him down so that he can throw himself into single-minded pursuit of self-destruction--and/or he's afraid of the weakness and pain that the sun inflicts on him, and desires to be strong enough that he won't feel them. see, a whole lot of words to say the same thing over and over.

i've always assigned housen the Emperor arcana. and i've often wondered, should it be umibouzu instead? should it be utsuro? and that, i think, is another illumination. thank you tarot for being an icon. it's so effective here because gintama is predictably built on parallels, and overlapping arcana assignments are bound to make you think: why?

in the end, housen builds a city underground in order to avoid the sun, but he also severs hinowa's ankles so that he can hold her, the sun proxy, captive in his grasp. he can't bear to feel sunlight, but he can't bear to let it go either. kamui is much the same, but he's young--he thinks he can let it go, his fears and regrets haven't caught up to him yet, because he still has so much to reach for. housen attained the peak of his strength and notoriety, and then there was little left for him.

what else happens in rakuyou? well, oboro and takasugi fight. oboro is sort of a seita figure in his own right, if seita had burned down yoshiwara in hopes that it would drive hinowa running to him. of course, seita didn't know that hinowa couldn't run; and oboro didn't know that shouyou couldn't, either.

but aside from seita and housen, there's another character in yoshiwara who yearns for the sun--not to possess it, but to protect it, to serve it. tsukuyo is an interesting character heavily let down by the realities of living in shounen jump. from my own understanding of sorachi's character, i don't think the following was intentional on his part. but i do think there are real reasons why these parallels are textually present (mainly through gintoki).

tsukuyo is the closest oboro has in this series to someone similar to him. not in the sense of a reflection in the mirror or hole-sided adjacency, but as in someone who sort of has a similar job and background to him. or had, anyway. as i implied earlier, the few, specific, clearly intentional similarities she has with gintoki (hello red spider) bleed over into her similarities with oboro, of course, because gintoki and oboro are... you know. just look at them.

tsukuyo swore herself to hinowa, but technically she was working under housen. she led housen's paramilitary force--fortunately, the hyakka loved her a lot more than the naraku were probably ever able to have an opinion about oboro. i don't think tsukuyo and oboro would ever get along--but they did have the same job. oboro did it in the heavens, tsukuyo did it underground. anyway, hinowa "saved" tsukuyo by teaching her about fighting from inside one's cage, and so tsukuyo gladly walked into the cage, just like oboro returning to the naraku without shouyou. because they thought it would be worth it. and also because tsukuyo had been groomed from a young age for the Hole (apologies to those who haven't read my ouroboros essay), to give up on her selfhood, and also to kill her sensei (hello gintoki). but hinowa remained around, unlike shouyou. tsukuyo never thought she could really free her--but protecting her, being able to see her, was enough.

oboro's life problem is a bit like if hinowa and housen were the same person. but kamui would see in that pairing only a reflection of his parents. and also, kouka is a bit like if hinowa and utsuro were the same person. but utsuro is already like if shouyou and utsuro were the same person--because oboro's actual life problem is that shouyou and utsuro are the same person.

i've spoken a lot about tarot, but the moon in gintama has little to do with the Moon arcana. in gintama it's the backdrop, the symbol of promises--promises made, promises fulfilled, promises held on to dearly whether they can be fulfilled or not. i don't truly think that the sun as represented by hinowa interacts directly with this. but tsukuyo and oboro share moon-related names, and their promises (or rather, their vows of devotion) towards hinowa/shouyou are one-sided. one-sided promises aren't a problem in gintama--our silver-haired protagonist wouldn't be alive if it weren't for them.

if the naraku, if utsuro, if oboro under utsuro is associated with the sun through the yatagarasu, perhaps it's because of the evaporation of the promise through the eclipsing of the moon. shouka sonjuku, after all, burned down, and utsuro emerged from a pyre. and though i think that the sun is overall a motif much more strongly associated with the yato--that which they avoid, are weak to, and secretly long for--i don't think that's incompatible with the crow-meaning.

rabbits can die of loneliness, you know--or they can die from overheating in the sun. i think the question here is, is this a trick question? are those two the same thing?

[phaedraismyusername]

Just chucking my 10 pence into the ring for Women in Translation month with a handful of recs on the off chance it'll be of use to someone

The Vegetarian by Han Kang

- a short novel about a Korean woman who decides to become a vegetarian after a bad dream and how the people (mainly men) around her react to the decision and her subsequent spiral into stranger and stranger behaviour.

Convenience Store Woman by Sakaya Murata

- the story follows a neuro-divergent middle aged Japanese woman who loves her job at a convenience store more than anything and just wants to be left alone to do what makes her happy and how the people around her pressure her into conforming to what society expects from her (finding a man, getting a "real job", etc) and how those expectations negatively impact her life.

Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin

- a strange winding Argentinian novel about a dying woman and a young boy sitting in hospital together and telling stories. I don't really know the best way to sell you on this one other than you'll have to try it to know if you'll like it lol. But if you like a whole lot of weird and appreciate narratives and themes around environmental abuse then this could be for you.

Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

- another Argentinian book but this time it's just a straight up consumption horror lol. It follows a man who works at an abattoir essentially in a dystopian society where animal meat is now poisonous to people so they've started breeding and mass-processing humans for meat instead. Does what it says on the tin and pulls absolutely no punches in the process lol.

Confessions by Kanae Minato

- an excellent little Japanese thriller. A class room of teenagers are sat down by their teacher on her last day of work to talk about her resignation after her young daughter died in an accident on school grounds, only for her to reveal that she knows that two of the students are responsible for her death, and the steps she's taken to set her revenge into motion. The rest of the book jumps pov every chapter as you watch the consequences ripple out from there.

and last but not least

Vagabonds by Hao Jingfang

- a Chinese sci-fi novel that follows a group of Mars-born teenagers who, after a civil war between planets, have spent their formative years on Earth as delegates and are now returning to Mars and how they deal with that, basically. It's the longest book on this list by far at around 600 pages but the writing is beautiful and the conversations about Mars being a communist ideal while Earth has reached the pinnacle of what capitalism can create are done in a way that doesn't feel at all soapbox-y and feels very fair in exploring the pros and cons of each system. Just an all around excellent book.

[lexivass]

I love Taylor's music as much as the next person but her fans are fucking unbearable. Some people in Brazil wanted to make a moment of silence due to Ana's passing right after champagne problems, when Taylor is usually applauded for a couple of minutes. And the comment section was FILLED with people saying like "nooo, that's a terrible ideia. Taylor's gonna be so sad, she's gonna think we hate her, you guys know how she tends to take everything personally 😭😭"

Foda-se???? A 23 year old girl died. A family lost her daughter, her friends who loved her will never see her again. She was studying psychology, she had an adorable cat who's probably still waiting for her to come home, she was part of an athletic association at her uni, and if you know anything about athletics you know how close those people are. She's not coming back. THIS IS NOT ABOUT TAYLOR SWIFT. She didn't kill her and she's nowhere responsible for her death, but putting the focus on her like she's the only one grieving (or the one who's grieving the most) is fucked up.

How come her fans treat her like the most powerful woman on the planet and the INDUSTRY when everything's okay, and in moments like this she's back to being a defenseless 16 year old? Honestly, make sense, people. She's a 33 woman, if she has a problem in not knowing how to cope with her self loathing and thinks everybody hates her and can't separate professional from personal she needs fucking therapy. It's exhausting when you people try to baby her. She's a billionaire, for fucks sake. When the Manchester tragedy happened Ariana paid for all the funeral expenses of 22 people and made a whole festival to pay homage to them. Taylor posted a little note and didn't even contact the family, Ana's own father said that.

Just because she's a great artist it doesn't mean she's a great person. We love her because we can relate to the good and bad feelings she writes about, but that's all her career's been like for almost 20 years: making a spectacle out of every single thing that happens to her and never doing anything to change it or actually getting over it. Do you really wanna put yourself on the line for someone like that?

[ashleyfanfic]

Thank you for the NSFW recs! When you have the time, I would love to hear your favourite Jonerys slowburn fics 🔥

Oh slow burn. Alright, so full confession, I usually don't have the time for slow burn. It's infuriating sometimes because I'm like FUCKING KISS EACH OTHER and then they don't and it makes my anxiety fucking sky rocket!

BUUUUUT that isn't to say that there aren't fics out there that nail it to me. This is a small list of fics off the top of my head. Granted, most of these are modern AU because I guess, as a whole, this fandom just decided we're just gonna make them fuck right off the bat cause they both deserve it. I mean, there are a few that canon divergent - but show/book Jon/Dany deserved to fuck each other until they collapse. So, with that in mind, here they are in no particular order: (M for modern AU - C for canon divergent) Westeros' Most Eligible Bachelor by @muttpeeta - M After one too many public scandals, Prince Jon Targaryen agrees to be the new star of "Westeros' Most Eligible Bachelor." He just wants to clean up his act and change the public's perception of him as the black sheep of the family, but he might just get more than he bargained for. Enter contestant: Daenerys Targaryen. His aunt.

You Can Never Be Mine by @muttpeeta - C Jon Snow knows it's wrong to covet what his brother has. He's never begrudged Robb Stark his title or his claim as the heir to Winterfell. But when Daenerys is taken in as Lord Stark's ward and betrothed to Robb, Jon's honor is tested in a way he never expected.

Desirable Business by @dracoignisworld and @dragonanddirewolf - M - In 1960's New York, creative director Jon Snow is faced with a challenge. His new secretary Daenerys is everything he is not; kind, friendly and innocent. With her around the office, he finds it hard to distinguish between reality and his fantasies. There can be consequences to desiring someone you should not have.

Written in the Scars on This Heart by @jalenmara and @notpmahlem - M - Daenerys Targaryen, supermodel and face of House Targaryen, a rising star in the world of Fashion, is commonly known as the most beautiful woman in the world. And someone wants her dead. Jon Snow, running from the ghosts of his own past, lands the job any man would kill for— protecting her. But can he protect his own heart from her?

Where the Wild Things Are by @stilesssolo - M - Daenerys Targaryen has fought tooth and nail to get to the high-ranking position she has at Tyrell Outdoor Recreational Equipment, Inc, doing everything within her power to help the planet along the way. Jon Snow has a dog with over two million instagram followers, despite the fact that he can't figure out how to work the app to save his life. When sales drop enough to threaten Tyrell's environment-saving programs, Daenerys is determined to find influencers that can turn the tides for her company. And she has her eye on Jon. Or, well— technically, Ghost.

Her Life, Her Death by magicmoon11 - C - Swayed by the powerful words of a dying queen, Stannis Baratheon takes in baby Daenerys Targaryen as his ward. In the North, Eddard Stark is ordered to raise Jon Snow to wed and dishonor the Targaryen princess, by bringing bastard blood into her line, and ending the Dragons forever. Across the continent, and across the Narrow Sea, the wheel continues to turn, and the Great Game commences. Thus begins a series of events that would change the fate of Westeros forever. Familial relationship between gruff Stannis and his ward. Eventual Jon x Dany.

The Oasis - @fierypen37 - M - With uptight and stressed CEO Daenerys Targaryen's regular masseur on leave, she has to make do with the replacement Jon Snow. Relaxation is not something she can find with his hands on her. Too bad he doesn't feel the same. Except unbeknownst to her, he definitely does. When a threat on her life pushes them together, they must both learn to deal with their growing feelings.

[misrepresentedmorallygrey]

And Round 1 is Done!

PROPAGANDA

"Picture this: the love of your life betrays you and causes your death, then you're brought back to life later against your will and your lover is with your reincarnation. Anyone would feel bitter! She tries her best to keep living her half life and helping people. She's hated just because she's not the main character and gets in the way of the show's OTP."

"Kikyo was such an interesting character. She was murdered by the villain, who tricked both her and her love interest into thinking the other had betrayed them, brought back to life against her will only to find that fifty years had passed, the world had moved on without her, her baby sister was now an old woman, and she'd been condemned to an awful half-life in an unfeeling clay body where she was stuck in her worst moments and basically a vengeful spirit, but she eventually managed to move past it, gave up her one chance at getting revenge on her murderer to save the life of a child, and achieved some measure of inner peace before she died for good. But, she also has the misfortune of being the first love of the male lead, so of course the only thing anyone seems to care about is how she supposedly did him dirty and wasn't good enough for him. The whole fandom is chock full of meta posts about how she didn't trust Inuyasha enough and should have known he'd NEVER betray her like that. Meanwhile, Inuyasha fell for it just as easily when the villain framed HER for attacking HIM, but nobody ever tries to claim that HE didn't trust HER enough. (For further context, when she thought he'd betrayed her, she retaliated by pinning him to a tree and putting him in an enchanted sleep. He retaliated by destroying her village.) In at least 90% of the fanfics that she appears in at all, she's either the Bad Girlfriend or the Evil Ex, who either previously or is currently abusing the hero, or cheating on him, or trying to coerce him into turning human, or dating him for years only to break up with him by telling him he disgusts her because of his demon blood (huh???), none of which she did in the actual canon, solely so the preferred love interest can swoop in and kiss it all better. People will claim they're just making valid criticisms of her actions (which, to be fair, aren't always great), or saying she didn't properly earn her redemption (which is actually pretty standard for a shounen series) because she didn't apologize enough, but them multiple male characters who did far worse than she did somehow miraculously managed to escape the constant criticisms that she's subjected to, this despite having a so-called redemption that's literally just "He stopped eating people because he wanted to get into the heroine's pants", and remain very popular characters both in their own right and as alternate ships for the female lead. The double standards are so glaringly obvious, yet people will bend over backwards and jump through mental hoops that would give a gold-medal Olympics gymnast pause to insist that they're being completely objective and fair and that this isn't just about trying to score points in a ship war or holding female characters to completely different standards from male characters."

Kairi Propaganda

"The Kingdom Hearts game series is about Mickey Mouse battling the forces of Darkness with an alliance of fashionable anime boys. Kairi is a major character, and one of the few female characters. She is part of a trio of childhood best friends, with the protagonist Sora and their other friend Riku (who had a villain arc and then a redemption arc). Though Kairi is constantly and clumsily sidelined by the canon narrative, she arguably has more backstory going on than any other major characters. She is a refugee from another planet. She implicitly lost her beloved grandma at five years old in the traumatic destruction of their hometown. She was kidnapped and experimented on by an evil wizard-scientist—she escaped thanks to having a magic charm that basically teleported her to her soulmate(s). Then she had to adjust to living on a new planet and being adopted by a new family. In the very first game, when she's 14, she turns out her pure heart is one of 7 in the entire universe to be free of Darkness—she shows a full emotional spectrum of fear, sadness, frustration, defeat, but she isn't vulnerable to corruption. In KH2, she becomes one of the Chosen Ones who wield a magical weapon called a Keyblade. She loves her friends very much, and she has the unique talent to instantly recognize them even when they've been transformed into monsters. She has saved them several times with nothing but the Power Of Love in her heart randomly manifesting in, like, telepathy and teleportation and resurrection—she doesn't even consciously know that she has powers, her love is just so great that it's accepted as a tangible force of nature. She is frustrated and ashamed by her role as a damsel in distress, and she wishes to be stronger and combat-capable so that she join her male friends on their adventures instead of waiting around where it's safe. Also she was kidnapped by an evil assassin clown who's ten years older than her, and then they became friends. NOT ONLY does the fandom plug its ears and claim there is nothing interesting about this character and no potential in her story—Kairi has been demonized by the fandom for about 20 years. Somehow Kairi is useless and boring while also being a Mary Sue at the same time. She was called a bitch and a slut and a whore. She was hated for wearing too much pink and wielding a girly weapon with a floral design. She was criticized as a slut for wearing a short skirt, and for THE PLAYER being able to manipulate the camera into a contrived angle to look up her skirt to see her panties in the first edition of KH2. You can find nearly 20-year-old fanfiction and fanart of her being twisted into an evil schemer driving her friends apart, and of her being gleefully brutalized and insulted. Haters STILL comb for every crumb to make elaborate anti-canon theories about why she's an agent of evil, even though canon has FIRMLY ESTABLISHED for TWENTY YEARS since the very beginning that she's THE ONE CHARACTER incapable of growing Darkness in her heart. The theory is that she exists only as a puppet sent by the main villain to sabotage her friends (the plot for two out of the four main female characters) for all ten years of their friendship. The theory is that she's been using her powers to force her friends to love her—and their Power Of Friendship that is the EMOTIONAL BACKBONE OF THE STORY, and THE MAJOR FORCE OF GOOD IN THEIR UNIVERSE, and THE MOST CONSISTENT MOTIVATION FOR THE HEROES is all Just Misdirection LOL building up to a shitty Plot Twist. The theory is that she's secretly a custom-manufactured Chirithy (a cute talking animal companion that serves and guides humans)—and not a human girl with her own natural feelings and aspirations. AND THEN after stripping her of every important trait and role, these fans claim they're making Kairi more important and interesting than she is in canon. I don't know what causes the fandom to so desperately hate a sweet 14-year-old girl who literally canonically never did anything wrong."

[aita-blorbos]

AITA for accidentally making my friend think he'd killed his (now) husband (and then making fun of him when he realised he wasn't dead)?

So this happened a while ago now but I still feel a little shit about it even though everything worked out alright in the end.

It all started when a... I'll call him a friend, I suppose. When a friend (I'll refer to him as S)(then 36M) started acting very out of character. He's normally a very stoic sort, but he started being uncharacteristically emotional and was being violent to people for no discernable reason. The only person who could get through to him was our Captain, Jim (then 33M), and even he couldn't get a straight answer from him right away. Turned out he was being afflicted by a condition that impacts people of his kind every 7 years or so, compelling them to return home and find a mate or they die. Bit dramatic if you ask me, but it happens all the same.

Anyway, cut to a little while later and we were heading to S' home planet, where he had to complete some ceremony or he would die. When we got there, the woman who was supposed to become his wife at the time, we'll call her T (then 36F) (they were betrothed as children apparently??) refused to marry him, meaning instead he would have to fight to the death. Now, T selected Jim as her 'champion', meaning he would be the one S had to fight. S pleaded with whom I assume is his grandmother or something not to let Jim fight, but she overruled his pleas and the battle began.

Now, the conditons on S' planet are different to those on Earth, and Jim was not used to them, so he was struggling. Now, I'm a doctor, and when I see someone in trouble it's my duty to help them, so I got permission from S' grandmother to give Jim something called a tri-ox compound to give him a better chance.

Now, in the end S won the fight. He killed Jim. Or so we thought. Turns out I'd accidentally given him a neural paralyser -- something which can simulate death in a person -- rather than the tri-ox compound I thought I'd given him. But poor S didn't know this yet, and seemed rather distressed when he came back to the ship. According to his grandmother, he didn't even return the proper parting response to her -- which is very out of character for him.

He was just talking about turning himself in to the authorities when Jim got up and walked out of the room behind him. And would you believe it, the stoic, emotionless, coldly logical S grinned. From ear to ear, he grinned. Here's where I believe I acted most poorly. Throughout our time of serving together, I consistently made digs at S. He was most certainly not my favourite crew member. This doesn't mean I disliked him, however, but I didn't always act like it. When S grinned, his grin dropped when he remembered the presence of one of the nurses and me, and he tried to play it off like he hadn't just shown a drastic display of emotion. And I must admit, I did make a remark that his response was purely logical, 'in a pig's eye'. I feel a bit bad about this whole situation, despite how well it resolved in the end, so AITA?

[spaghettificationandpretzels]

The Reaper and The Death Angel Part 33

Series Masterlist

Part 32

Contains: Fluff, violence, timeline changes, even more canon divergence, follows the plot of 3x01 - 3x02 loosely.

5.6K Words

Comment if you want to be tagged. However, the issues with my tag lists persists, the most reliable way to get updates is to follow #the reaper and the death angel sorry for the inconvenience.

Even after it all, things keep getting worse.

"Oh Juicy, I love you." Juice put the fresh bread on the table, ever since you have him that sourdough started all those months ago, he had been baking bread. He brought a new loaf to every dinner party and kept the Clubhouse well stocked, he and Bobby had developed a bit of a rivalry.

"Everyone hates hospital food, I know you're only here for another day, but I figure you're jonesing for something nice."

You nodded, "did you bring veggies? Everything here is boiled to death." He nodded and pulled a container of a mix of green.

"Sam said you really liked veggie toast in the morning." You dug into the homemade food, "is Jax here?"

You shook your head, "I sent him home, I love the guy but he's smothering me."

Juice gave you a sweet smile, "can you blame him? he almost lost his child and his old lady in the same day."

You shook your head "no I can't but it's just a lot. I'm only staying here another day so he doesn't have a heart attack. Since you're here, can you take me to see Sack?"

He went to get a nurse, and came back a few minutes later, "I don't need a wheelchair."

The nurse, Alex, who you had become fast friends with shook his head, "hospital policy."

"Hey Kip, you look like shit."

He smiled, "so do you."

You let out a chuckle, "blood loss will do that to you." You grabbed his hand, "has anyone been by to see you today?"

He nodded, "Chibs left about an hour ago. I'm kinda getting sick of them."

"Yeah, me too. I miss my alone time."

He groaned and rubbed his face, "I'm going to be here for another two weeks."

You nodded, "I know, you lost a chunk of your liver. I'll talk to Jax, make sure you don't lose your seat."

He squeezed your hand a little tighter, "it's no big deal. We almost died on Jax's old kitchen floor, I feel like that gives us some kind of near-death bond."

He laughed and clutched his side, "don't make me laugh too hard, it hurts." You sat with Kip for a little while longer before going back to your room, Jax was there waiting for you.

"I thought I told you to go home and unpack."

He smiled, "I'm mostly done anyway, how are you feeling?"

He helped you back onto the bed, "itching for a long walk."

He shook his head, "I'll see what I can do."

Jax came back five minutes later with a smirk, "I managed to charm the nurse, you've got ten minutes."

The smile you gave him made Jax feel warm, "well, don't just sit there making goo goo eyes at me, help me up." You grabbed both your hands and with a small pull you were on your feet.

"I don't know what everyone's going on about, I feel fine."

Jax kept his hand under your arm, "I can see that, are you sure you're not an alien?"

You batted his shoulder, "I don't know, maybe this whole relationship is a ploy to steal your genetic material and take it back to my home planet."

He screwed up his face through a giggle, "you are so unladylike."

You shook your head, "hey, if you want a lady, you picked the wrong woman."

He kissed you softly, "I love you so much."

You deepened the kiss, "I love you too."

You managed to get an extra lap of the hallway before he was shoving you back into bed, "any leads on Hayes?"

He shook his head, "nothing yet, Billy seems to think he's in Canada but we're still waiting on surveillance from the port to confirm."

"Makes sense that he'd head for the border, have you heard for the Irish yet?"

Jax swallowed, "it's not good. They think Hayes and Jimmy'o might have been working together to get rid of the Irish Kings, if they can't sort it out, it's bad news for everyone."

"Why does the Club have to do it?"

Jax shrugged, "a favour, Belfast offered to help before Clay could say no and now we're stuck."

You rubbed your head, "see, this is what happens when I'm off my feet. I'm not there to put out fires and it goes to shit."

Jax huffed, "I don't think this was anything you could solve."

He squeezed your hand, "I'm out of here tomorrow morning, I'll see if I can pull something out of somewhere."

****

"Let's break you out of here."

Sam came the first thing that morning, "thank God, I'm going crazy." An hour later, you were driving home. "How is everyone coping?"

He tilted his head, "everyone's really worried about Sack, he's been voted in but he'll lose his seat if he's not back on his bike by the end of the month."

You nodded, "that was sweet, Kip doesn't know, does he?"

Sam shook his head, "nah, we're going to surprise him when he gets out."

You smiled, "he'll be out soon enough, whether he's ready to ride is another thing."

Sam gave a solemn nod, "no one's going to take his seat away, he almost died trying to keep you and Abel safe." Before you could reply, you were pulling up to your home.

The dogs were on you the moment you opened the door, their little butts wagging with their tags, "hello you two, I missed you guys."

You could hear Abel crying in the background and Ima appeared looking tired, "he won't stop crying, I've tried everything." She handed him to you.

"Hey my sweet boy, why are you giving everyone so much trouble?" He cried for a little while longer but stopped when he realised you were home, "see it's not the end of the world, if you keep crying when people hold you, you're going to start offending people."

He cooed, and Ima turned to Sam, "I kinda want one."

You buried your face in Abel's shoulder to hide your smile, "yeah, so do I."

He pulled Ima into a hug, "maybe we should wait till things calm down a bit."

Ima nodded, "good idea, plus I need your crow before I go having your babies."

Sam smiled wide like a schoolboy, "should we call Happy then?"

Ima nodded and kissed Sam, "I'd like that."

Sam turned to you, "you like three meters away, we know you can hear us."

You did your best not to start jumping up and down, "I'm happy for you both, as much I as I would like to celebrate, I need a shower."

****

"Hey Darlin."

Jax got home later that day, "hello my love, how was work?"

He shrugged, "fine, we're no closer to Hayes."

You handed him Abel, "I missed the little guy."

Jax kissed his tiny cheek, "he missed you too, he wouldn't stop crying."

"It has been a long couple of days my love, but can I ask a favour?"

He nodded, "help me wash my hair?"

Jax smiled and walked you to the bathroom, "sure, you know how much I love your hair."

He made it passed shampooing before he started making comments, "you should let me do this more often."

You shook your head, "Jax, you've seen how much time I spend on my hair, something tells me this would turn into sex half the time and then my hair would be fizzy and not curly."

He leaned forward and kissed your neck, "are you saying I have no self-control?"

You nodded, "yep, not a wink."

He chuckled behind you, "if that were true, you'd never leave the bed."

"I don't think that's such a bad thing."

He continued doing your hair, you were yawning by the time he was done, "how are you feel?"

He sounded worried, "I'm not dizzy anymore, just really tired."

He helped you up, "nap then?"

You looked at the clock, "I can't, my hair's got to dry."

He laughed, "I fix everyone dinner then, I'm sure Abel wants to spend more time with you."

*****

Dinner was simple, Jax could tell something was going on by the way that you were smiling at Sam and Ima, "what's going on?"

You shrugged, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Jax shook his head, "bullshit."

You and Ima giggled, "I'm getting Sam's crow."

Jax's smile split his face, his eyes wrinkling, "I'm really happy for both of you." You were smiling so hard your face hurt, Jax shook his head, stroking your hand lovingly, "God you're a dork."

You rolled your eyes, "I'm not a dork, I'm just happy." With dinner done, you were ready for bed.

"Shall we watch some TV? It's still early."

Jax nodded, "why not." You settled into bed, you in Jax's lap with your back pressed against his chest. You put on Friday The 13th two, Jax laughing each time you pointed out how stupid the campers were.

"These people have no situational awareness, no wonder they're being picked off."

Jax kissed the side of your face, "yeah, if that was you, the bad guy wouldn't stand a chance."

You laughed, "nope, because I have a gun."

Jax wrapped his arms around you, "I can totally see you being a final girl, running through the forest after whoever and not from them."

You turn around in his arms, laying your head on his chest. "I knew you'd get to Abel in time, I just had a feeling."

Jax's hand came up to rest over your crow, "you did?"

You nodded against him, "I did."

You lifted your head off his chest and pressed a kiss to his lips, "I love you Jackson."

He kissed you back, his hands cradling your face, "I love you too."

Another yawn broke the peace, "come one Darlin, let's get you to bed."

You nodded and rested against his chest, "you can finish the movie if you like, I'm just going to lay here."

He laughed softly while rubbing your back, "sure Darlin."

You were asleep within ten minutes, Jax turning off the TV and laying down with you on top of him, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

"Good night y/n."

****

"Good morning Beloved."

Jax smiled, and pressed a kiss to your forehead, "good morning Darlin, how are you feeling?"

You nodded, "much better, I feel like I actually got a good night's sleep."

Abel's crying interrupted the quiet, "I''ll get him."

You shook your head, "I'll do it, I missed getting to see his sleepy little face." You went into the next room, the shelves being packed perfectly, you reminded yourself to thank Juice for trying so hard.

"Hey little guy." Abel babbled, flapping his fat little hands. Ima came around the corner with a bottle, "thank you." She sat down on the soft chair, "when are you seeing Happy?"

She smiled, "he's coming by this weekend."

"I'm really happy for both of you, you and Sam deserves good things."

Her face changed, "you really don't care that I work in porn?"

You were shocked, "nope, not even a little. You make Sam happy and I can see he makes you happy. Do you love him?"

She nodded, "then that's all the matters, how much does he tell you about the Club?"

She tilted her head, deep in thought "I'm sure as much as Jax tells you, I know about the guns and the Irish, I know that's why Abel almost was taken."

You nodded, "good, you deserve to know the truth before you commit."

She nodded, her eyes growing wet, you put Abel down and pulled her into a hug. "Sam loves you Ima, he doesn't care what you do for money he just wants you to be happy. If one day you chose to leave porn and try something else, he'll support you and so will I. And if anyone else has a problem with you, you'll see a side of Sam you didn't know existed."

She smiled softly, "thank you."

****

Everyone was down for breakfast a little while later, "when are you going back to work?" You shrugged, "I wanted to go back at the end of the week but Holt says I can't come back into the office for anything other than paperwork pick ups and drop offs until my stitches are out, I'm going in today to pick up some."

Sam nodded, "when is Pd letting you back in the house?"

Jax put his piece of toast down, "today."

You nodded, "have you figured out who you're going to rent it to?" Before Jax could respond, he got a phone call.

"That was Laroy, we've got a lead of Hayes."

You waved them off, "go, we can pick this up later." They left and you and Ima continued the meal, "where are you going to get the crow?"

She tilted her head, "thigh or arm, it's not like I need to hide it for work."

"Happy's really good, for someone so rough he's very good at it."

She nodded, "yeah, he's soft and squishy when you get to know him." Breakfast went on and it was time for her to go to work, you headed off to the lab, hoping Jax would call with more information soon.

****

"Hey professor."

He put a firm hand on your shoulder, "how are you feeling?"

You shrugged "fine, a little out of sorts but fine."

He nodded, "I've left your paperwork with you intern."

With another soft smile, he left you to chat with all your friends.

"You have a trend of almost dying, don't you."

You shook your head, "yes Jack, I do, I would be too powerful if the universe didn't do its best to keep me down."

He laughed, "you're hardcore."

You smiled, "I try."

****

Jax wasn't impressed with the guy the Niners brought, he was jumpy and offred less information than Billy had found in a handful of hours. Nevertheless, they went down to the docks. Only to end up in a car chase and firefight, Jax was desperate, the last few days hitting him like a ton of bricks.

"The guy you bought the boat from, he shot my old lady in the chest and almost kidnapped my eight month old son."

The man's eyes went wide, "Irish dude?"

Jax nodded, "yeah." The man's tune changed right away.

"Three days ago, he said he needed some quick cash. Met him down at the docks with the boat and some AKs." That conversation was as equally disappointed as the one this morning. Jax was feeling more and more lost without you, he pined every moment you were parted from him.

He knew he should have gone back to the garage but he wanted to hear your voice so he comprised and called you, "hey darlin, you're a sound for sore ears."

Your giggle made him smile, "hello my love, how did everything go this morning?"

"Nowhere. Are you at home?"

He sounded sad, "yes I'm at home with Abel and the dogs. You want to come and see Kip with me this afternoon?"

He felt himself relax, "sure, I'm betting he wants a break from us."

You laughed, "nonsense, you guys are great."

"Alright darlin, I'll come and pick you up." Jax was there half an hour later, he got off his bike and took your keys from their hanger, "you ready?"

You nodded, "you know I can drive right, why do you want to drive my car so much?"

He laughed and shook his head, "hey, a guy can't appreciate a nice cage?"

You grabbed his hand, holding it while he looked over your face, "you doing ok?"

He shrugged, "I just want all of this over with."

You pulled him into your arms, "I know, it's not like Hayes has left the planet, we'll find him."

The drive to the hospital was quiet, Jax seemed lost in thought, "I'm sure Kip will be happy to see you, I think he's still worried you'd be mad that he didn't do more."

He nodded, "yeah, I know nothing's going to happen to him, everyone wants him to get his full patch."

You pulled up at St Thomas and got out, going right to Kip's room, "how are you feeling?"

He shrugged, "the stomach ache won't go away but the doctor said that's normal."

You nodded, "yeah, it will pass after a while. Have they told you when you're getting out of here?"

He nodded, "still eight days."

Jax sat down on a chair next to him, "how about I get some food from the cafe and leave you two to talk?"

Jax smiled and handed you some bills, "thanks darlin."

You came back fifteen minutes later with some coffee and snack food, handing Jax a wrap and Kip and pie before sitting down with a serving of fries.

"Thanks y/n the food here makes me wish I died on that floor."

You laughed, "I know right, I was only here for three days and I thought I was going to starve to death."

Jax laughed, "it can't be that bad."

You shook your head, "well then, not fires for you." You passed the box to Kip and raised an eyebrow, taking a handful and smiling at Jax.

"You're terrible."

You smiled, "I know." You and Jax sat with Kip until Opie and Lyla showed up, "change in shifts?"

Ope nodded, "yeah, Hale's at the Clubhouse, he's got an update on Hayes and wants to talk to both of you."

You left soon after, Jax still insisting he drives. The compound was quiet when you got there, only a few people milling around. Abel was with Sam, and seemly confused that he somehow kept disappearing under the table.

"You are so easily entertained, you know he has no sense of object permanence, he thinks you're not there."

Sam laughed, "yes, that's why it's so funny."

You looked around, "where Gem?"

Clay's face fell, "her mother just passed, she with her father."

You put a hand on Jax, "I'm sorry."

He shrugged, "I didn't know her that well."

Hale came over after finishing his conversation with Bobby, "you got any updates?"

He shook his head, "we went to the marina but we didn't find anything, the FBI aren't really interested anymore, they seem to think he's already left the country."

Something had changed in the man, "you seem different."

He nodded, "I realise I can't be sheriff and be at your throats, as long as it doesn't happen inside Charming, and you don't put anyone here at risk, I won't bother you. But that won't stop me from arresting anyone that brings their problems here."

To say that was a shock was an understatement, "shit man, what happened?"

He swallowed, "my brother, I saw how many people came here to air their problems with him and it made it clear to me that the town trusts you more than us."

It was strange the way he said it, like Clay wasn't even there. But that didn't matter, he slapped Hale on the shoulder and gave him a warm but false smile, "I'm glad we could finally see eye to eye."

"I think I'll go see Gem tomorrow, does someone have the address?"

Clay nodded, "yeah, that might be a good idea."

Chibs ran to the office to get it, coming back soon after. "It's not too far to travel, I'm sure she'll be grateful to have you there."

You took the bit of paper from him, "thanks Chibby."

You stood around talking for a little while, then Jacob Hale turned up. "What the fuck do you want?"

He did his best to seem humble, "I read your statement in the Gazette. I think it would be good if we could hold a town meeting, I'd like to make a statement in apology."

You crossed your hands over your chest, "and say what you Nazi shit bag."

"Nothing much, I want to hear from the residents about why they're upset and what they want for the town so we can move forward. I came here to ask you if you wanted to speak because in your statement to Jerry, you said you had written multiple papers of Neo-Nazis."

You shrugged, "fine, but read them first, I'm not sparknotes. Also, pay for them, you can afford it."

Everyone was watching on, glaring at him. Sam was holding Abel, tapping his little back after feeding him. He went to thank you when someone drove through T-M and started shooting.

Jax drove on top of you, shoving you to the ground and laying on top of you while David pulled his gun and started firing, the van crashed into the far wall and everyone stood up. Jax could hear Abel whaling and when he looked over, Sam had me press to his body. Sam's arm had been grazed by a bullet but he didn't seem to have even felt it.

Jax ran to the van with Hale hot on his heels, ripping the man with the gun out of the passenger seat and climbing on top of his back, slamming his head into the ground over and over again. Jax had four inches and 40 pounds on Hale so it took him and some of the other Sons to manage it and even then it was hard.

After checking on everyone, it was clear that other than a few grazes and some shock, everyone was ok. You ran over to see Hale standing in front of Jax so he couldn't set himself upon the man again.

"Jackson, Abel is fine. Listen, he's not even crying anymore." Jax paused and couldn't hear his son screaming, Hale didn't seem impressed.

"Let me take him home, we won't stop for anything. I think it's clear that this was a serious situation, and everyone acted within the law." You pointed to the rifle that was in the front seat.

"That was a good shoot, and I have no problem making that statement so you can bring IAB to my home later and I'll back you up, ok?"

He clenched his jaw, "go, but if I see either of you in town tonight, he'll spend the night in lockup."

You nodded and dragged Jax away, Sam walking up to him and handing over Abel, "see, he's ok." Jax buried his face in Abel's tiny shoulder, "I'm going to take us home before you get arrested."

The ride home was silent, Jax was waiting for you to start yelling or for that horrible dream to come true, but you didn't. When it was time to get out of the car, you parked and got Abel, then gave him right to Jax.

"I'll put dinner on, you take some time to calm down then we can talk, ok?" Jax nodded and sat down on the couch, despite the way you were talking to him, he was waiting for you to kick him out.

Sam came home with Ima, he must have gone to get her after Chibs patched him up. "You guys good?"

Sam nodded, "Hale will be over later with IAB to take your statement." He sat down next to Jax and Ima went to help you cook.

"What's wrong?"

Jax shrugged, "you don't need to worry about my sister, she's seen a lot more violence than that."

Jax let out the breath he didn't know he was holding, "what do we do? Most of us are going to be inside soon and we can't run a Club from the inside while all this is happening."

Sam paused before responding, "we'll work it out. Hap's going to transfer and if Tig can swallow what happened between him and Kozik, he'll be voted in too. Things will work themselves out, we'll talk to Alvarez tomorrow." Jax nodded and relaxed at the sound of you and Ima giggling in the kitchen.

"We better go help with dinner or they won't feed us." Jax huffed and got up.

"Thanks man."

****

Hale showed up after dinner with two IAB officers, "hello, please come in and remove your shoes. I wouldn't be letting you in my house normally, letting alone Internal Investigation but it's for David so I'll bear it." You sat them down at the table with everyone else in tow.

"State your name for the record."

You did so then went into your statement, "taking into experience my just over ten years of combat experience both direct and indirect, I believe that deputy sheriff Hale acted in an appropriate manner to stop the threat."

Sam backed you up, mentioning that the shot he took was clear of civilians, "you say you have ten years of experience, why weren't you using your weapon?"

You glared at him, "my partner threw himself on top of me so I didn't get shot, I can't really get my gun out of its holster and fire it when I have a fully grown man laying on my back, can I now?"

They seemed happy with everyone's recounting of the events, then you were asking them to leave, "thank y/n"

You gave Hale a curt nod, and he left. You turned to Jax, "come on dearest, I need a long, hot shower."

****

When you woke up, Jax wasn't there. You threw on a robe and went looking, finding him in the home gym doing push-ups. You could see his arms shaking as we went down and there was a sheen of sweat down his back.

"Good morning beloved." Jax felt against the ground, unable to do anymore and got up, coming over to kiss you softly. "Something on your mind?"

He shrugged, "I don't know what happens now y/n, it's gonna get a lot worse before it gets better."

You nodded, "I know."

He shook his head, "do you? What happened last night was just the tip of the iceberg."

You put a hand on his shoulder, "if you're trying to scare me you need to try harder. I don't mean to sound harsh, but you're the ignorant civilian in this partnership. Come back to me when you've rip a man's guts out with nothing but your bare hands and a hunk of broken glass, then we can talk."

Jax swallowed, he sometimes forgot that you had seen and done so much violence. "I'm going to drive to see Gemma, I've called so she waiting for me. Your grandad's not doing so well."

Jax nodded, "we're heading to St Thomas to see if we can Id the guy who shot up the Clubhouse. Have you heard from Billy?"

You shook your head, "yes and no, he texted and said they had something but he's still waiting on confirmation."

"I hope you get somewhere, we could really use a win. I text when I'm there safe."

Jax smiled softly and kissed you, "I see you tonight?"

You nodded, "yeah, I love you."

"Love you too."

****

"THEY CUT OFF MY FINGERS, THEY CUT OFF MY FINGERS." While Chucky distracted the guards at the hospital door, the guys went inside. He struggled while they looked for tattoos, but they only found non-descript prison tats. Then Jax had an idea, pulling the man's lower lip down, he found the numbers three and twelve.

It was like a lightbulb appeared over Opie's head, "C, L, Calaveras?"

"They're in Lodi. We better go see T.O."

Bobby shook his head "they're a Mayan puppet club, what are they doing shooting up the Clubhouse?"

Sam thought for a moment, "not anymore, The Mayans dropped them when they started working with Zobelle."

Clay nodded, "it seems without their minders, they're moving up in the world."

*****

"Hello Mr Maddock I'm y/n, Jax's partner."

He tilted his head, "your grandson, daddy."

A look of understanding came over his face, "I knew that. Where is he anyway?"

You walked inside and put your bag down, "busy with work but I'm sure he'll be around sooner or later. How are you feeling?" You started unpacking the groceries you have bought with the help of the nurse.

"Fine, please be careful, Rose doesn't like it when the kitchen is messy."

You nodded, "of course sir, I'll make sure it's perfect." You took Gemma aside while the nurse continued to unpack.

"How long does it take for him to forget?"

She looked sad, "not long, he asks about Rose a thousand times a day."

You nodded, "yeah, he's not the first person with dementia I've met. I'll keep him entertained, I'll take him for a walk out in the garden and talk about the roses. Often if you talk to people with dementia about things they enjoy, it helps keep them stable."

You went back into the lounge room and sat next to Nate, "I really like your garden, can you take me on a tour? I've never been able to keep my roses alive."

He got up shakily and gestured for you to walk outside with him, "I'll show you my trellises, are yours getting enough sun?"

****

"It wasn't us that killed Eddie, it was Stahl. She didn't want to take the heat for ending the ATF investigation so she put it on us."

Jimmy'o shook his head, "Jesus Christ, this shit just gets deeper."

Jax had a scowl on his face, "Cameron directed his vengeance at the wrong target, he almost took my son and put my old lady and one of our prospects in the hospital."

"We know he's got a fake passport, he's got to be back in Belfast."

Jimmy'o explained that he wasn't but it was hard to tell if he was being truthful. "I'll be heading home in a couple of days. Luke will take point from here. If there's any news about Cammy, I give you my word, you'll be the first to know."

Clay reluctantly took Jimmy's extended hand and they left. As they were getting onto their bikes, Jax brought up one of Bobby's ex-wives and her bounty hunter boyfriend. But Bobby was far behind on alimony and child support to so it took so doing to get him to agree. However, after a quick beaten and a kind word from Jax, she was on board.

With that sorted, they went to see T.O and the other Grim Bastards. "You guys have had a tough run, how can we help?"

Clay leaned in, "the drive-by was done but the Calaveras. We know The Mayans tossed them after what went done in Charming, we were wondering if you had any info."

"We've been seeing a lot of activity in town."

The vice president spoke next, "the Calaveras have been on a recruiting spree, it all adds up."

Chibs shook his head, "we're going to have to break it down, we can't have a rival club at our borders."

T.O nodded, "we can't them inside our, the dope and pussy game is hard enough without anyone else stepping on it."

Clay nodded, "agreed."

The V.P spoke again, "what's the move."

"Let's find out what Salazar is up to."

T.O seemed to be on board, "we need to locate a C.L someone high up, an officer maybe."

He nodded, "yeah, we'll find the right guy."

****

They met the bounty hunter outside a sex shop with the promise that if they bought this high-risk bounty in, he would help them find Hayes. It didn't take long for them to grab him and after a quick car chase and an indecent with a hybrid, he seemed ready to help.

"Hey, I want something on Hayes by the end of the day."

****

Jax just couldn't win, even after beating the shit out of Salazar, he wouldn't talk. So now he was sitting on his bike, ready to run Salazar over to get answers. It took two laps passed his buried head before he talked.

"We wanted to set up a bag and cut operation in Lodi because The Mayans keep taking our territory, we want to move H to push them out of the prison trade."

They walked away, "this has to be the deal Alvarez was going to cut with Zobelle."

Jax nodded, "if they're processing it in Lodi, it means they have to take it through Charming to get to Stockton."

Opie had another bright idea, "why don't we let Alvarez know, I'm sure we can find a way to loop the Bastards in."

****

"He hasn't asked about Rose once since you took him outside."

You smiled, "people with dementia are just like anyone else, I gave him something to occupy his mind and that helps keep it away from the fact that he is feeling confused."

"Will they do that in the home?"

You nodded, "I looked over the information, it's a really nice place with some of the best aged care doctors in the state. Rose picked very well." Just as you were about to add more, your phone ran, "it's Billy, I need to take it."

Billy was quick, "I got a lead on your guy, he's just been found dead with an IRA tag in his head in Ireland." You were racing out the door before he could hand up.

"Gemma, I need to go back to Charming and talk to Jax, they've found Hayes," You drove off with the promise to come back tomorrow, getting to the Clubhouse just as the day was winding down.

Jax seemed better, pulling you into a hug, "we found Hayes, he's in Canada."

You shook your head, "I don't know where you got your source from but they're wrong. Billy just sent me this." You pulled out your phone, opened the encrypted Avnil app and showed him the photo of Hayes.

"Jax, he's in Ireland."

Part 34

Please let me know what you think

[saturnsfavouritemoon]

It's that time of the year when every single Bengalee living on this planet walks around with a heavy heart and anticipation in their eyes for the following year. Well, in my case, I always have had a weird connection with festivals. Especially, Durgapujo. I have always considered myself an agnostic in the past two decades but a person made me feel something about these guys up there called GOD. Well, we went back to being strangers again but I still do have a weird connection with god. I mean, the Woman (yes I think god is a woman) and I don't seem to see eye to eye much. I have always had a hard time while doing prayers. The weather has been unpredictable lately, much like my mind during prayers. But I can welcome death if it means won't lose my mind while praying. I am miserable at goodbyes so I bailed on seeing HER off. People say, 'God removes people from your life because she heard the conversation you couldn't." I don't know why she let them come into my life in the first place. LESSON? Please! I have had enough of that.

I think about the past. Every year pujo reminds me of how different my life used to be during the last one. And how the people I spent the last pujo with, gone missing silently. Pujo makes me remind how lonely a person can possibly be. I don't think about how not giving myself time to feel something, has felt lately. I pretend to like it. I pretend not to have a panic attack while seeing the pujo lights. Mum says god knows everything. I asked her to tell God to fix everything because mums do listen to each other right?

I am bad at expressing my thoughts out loud. So I write. But letters are heavy. People don't seem to carry that well. They leave. I don't want God to leave. So I never dared to write anything to her.

What do they say about weird relationships? This piece can be almost a perfect example for that. Well, almost is one of the saddest words in this whole world. Cause almost has the failed potential. Just like last year I almost had a perfect prayer speech or the way everything almost worked out. But DIDN'T.

PAIN and PRAY are two four-letter words and I'm not used to the strength they bring.

[themuseandantarctica]

* 𝒒𝒖𝒐𝒕𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒑𝒕. 13

change however necessary.

“A life lived in fear is a life half-lived.”

“Needless fear and panic over disease and misfortune that seldom materialize are simply bad habits.  By proper ventilation and illumination of the mind it is possible to cultivate tolerance, poise, and real courage.”

“People living deeply have no fear of death.”

“I know that the human being and the fish can coexist peacefully.”

“There is no such thing as a fish.”

“The Bible clearly states that God brought before Adam all the beasts of the field and all the fowl of the air.  What about the fish?  Did Adam name the fish?”

“Carp may be said to be water-sheep: herbivorous, gregarious, of a contented mind.”

“The catfish is a plenty good enough fish for anyone.”

“A chub is the worst fish that swims.”

“Looking for fish?  Don’t climb a tree.”

“The gods do not deduct from a man’s allotted span the time he spends in fishing.”

“There’s a fine line between fishing and standing on the shore looking like an idiot.”

“People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have the things about us.”

“The flower has no weekday self, dressed as it always is in Sunday clothes.”

“Flowers in the city are like lipstick on a woman—it just makes you look better to have a little color.”

“The flower that follows the sun does so even on cloudy days.”

“Perfumes are the feelings of flowers.”

“The crown of petals is the flower’s panties.  Rip them off and you will have public indecency.”

“Our national flower is the concrete clover leaf.”

“Advice on dandelions: If you can’t beat them, eat them.”

“If dandelions were hard to grow, they would be most welcome on any lawn.”

“Science, or para-science, tells us that geraniums bloom better if they are spoken to.  But a kind word every now and then is really quite enough.  Too much attention, like too much feeding, and weeding and hoeing, inhibits and embarrasses them.”

“The lily was created on the third day, early in the morning when the Almighty was especially full of good ideas.”

“A morning glory at my window satisfies me more than the metaphysics of books.”

“Some people are always grumbling that roses have thorns.  I am thankful that thorns have roses.”

“The violets in the mountains have broken the rocks.”

“Food is an important part of a balanced diet.”

“Man cannot live by bread alone; he must have peanut butter.”

“A gourmet who thinks of calories is like a tart who looks at her watch.”

“Nobody really likes capers, no matter what you do with them.  Some people pretend to like capers, but the truth is that any dish that tastes good with capers in it tastes even better with capers not in it.”

“There is more simplicity in the man who eats caviar on impulse than in the man who eats grape-nuts on principle.”

“The trouble with eating Italian food is that five or six days later you’re hungry again.”

“There are two things I like stiff and one of them’s jelly.”

“There is no such thing as a pretty good omelette.”

“He was a bold man who first swallowed an oyster.”

“I wonder why they call this porridge.  It would be far more manly and straightforward to give it its real name.”

“I believe that if I ever had to practice cannibalism, I might manage if there were enough tarragon around.”

“I think somebody should come up with a way to breed a very large shrimp.  That way, you could ride him, then, after you camped at night, you could eat him.  How about it, science?”

“All I know most surely about morality and obligations, I owe to football.”

“The natural state of the football fan is bitter disappointment, no matter what the score.”

“Some people think football is a matter of life and death.  I assure you, it’s much more important than that.”

“There is only one word to describe football and that is ‘if only.’”

“There are three things I always forget.  Names, faces, and the third I can’t remember.”

“If a man can remember what he worried about last week, he has a very good memory.”

“How is it that we remember the least triviality that happens to us, and yet not remember how often we have recounted it to the same person.”

“Whenever you go out to paint, try to forget what objects you have in front of you—a tree, a house, a field or whatever.  Merely think, here is a little squeeze of blue, here an oblong of pink, here a streak of yellow, and paint it just as it looks to you, until it gives your own naive impression of the scene in front of you.”

“There is nothing more difficult for a truly creative painter than to paint a rose, because before he can do so he has first to forget all the roses that were ever painted.”

“There is no forgiveness in nature.”

“Without forgiveness life is governed by an endless cycle of resentment and retaliation.”

“I can forgive, but I cannot forget, is only another way of saying, I will not forgive.  Forgiveness ought to be like a canceled note, torn in two, and burned up, so that it never can be shown against one.”

“You know you have forgiven someone when he or she has harmless passage through your mind.”

“Only the brave know how to forgive.  A coward never forgives; it is not in his nature.”

“He who cannot forgive others destroys the bridge over which he himself must pass.”

“He who has not forgiven an enemy has not yet tasted one of the most sublime enjoyments of life.”

“Many promising reconciliations have broken down because, with both parties came prepared to forgive, neither party came prepared to be forgiven.”

“Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.”

“Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.”

“Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong.”

“All mankind is divided as it always has been into slaves and freemen. Whoever has less than two-thirds of his day for himself is a slave, be he a statesman, a merchant, an official, or a scholar.”

“It is true that liberty is precious; so precious that it must be carefully rationed.”

“Everyone appears to be noticing only the statue’s torch and not the manacles on her ankles.”

“A man’s worst difficulties begin when he is able to do as he likes.”

“If crime fighters fight crime and fire fighters fight fire, what do freedom fighters fight?  They never mention that part to us, do they?”

“I’m no linguist, but I have been told that in the Russian language there isn’t even a word for freedom.”

“Be a lamp unto yourself and seek your own liberation with diligence.”

“People hardly ever make use of the freedom they have, for example, freedom of thought; instead they demand freedom of speech as compensation.”

“The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously.”

“If we don’t believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don’t believe in it at all.”

“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”

“Everything is determined, the beginning as well as the end, by forces over which we have no control.  It is determined for the insect as well as the star.  Human beings, vegetables, or cosmic dust, we all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible piper.”

“No one knows anything about will, what it is, how to make it, or how it works, or why it works as it does.”

“A man can surely do what he wills to do, but cannot determine what he wills.”

“Nothing which is independent of the will can hinder or damage it; the will can only hinder or damage itself.”

“You will say that I feel free.  This is an illusion, which may be compared to that of a fly in the fable, who, upon the pole of a heavy carriage, applauded himself for directing its course.”

“Free will is probably located in the pre-frontal cortex, and we may even be able to narrow it down to the ventromedial pre-frontal cortex.”

“This free will business is a bit terrifying anyway.  It’s almost pleasanter to obey, and make the most of it.”

“All theory is against the freedom of the will; all experience for it… Sir, we know our will is free, and there’s an end on it.”

“Money can’t buy you friends, but you can get a better class of enemy.”

“Your friend is the man who knows all about you and still likes you.”

“A true friend is one who likes you despite your achievements.”

“When I was a kid, I had to friends, and they were imaginary and they would only play with each other.”

“We’re born alone, we live alone, we die alone.  Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for a moment that we’re not alone.”

“When one is trying to do something beyond his known powers it is useless to seek the approval of friends. Friends are at their best in moments of defeat.”

“Adversity is the only balance to weigh friends.”

“The only reward of virtue is virtue: the only way to have a friend is to be one.”

“I lay it down as a fact that if all men knew what others say of them, there would not be four friends in the world.”

“Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and ti is only by this meeting that a new world is born.”

“My mother used to say that there are no strangers, only friends you haven’t met yet.  She’s now in a maximum security twilight home in Australia.”

“When you have confidence, you can have a lot of fun.  And when you have fun, you can do amazing things.”

[lec743]

Peebee on Voeld

Peebee was having a great time on Voeld. She was gathering all the data she could ever collect on the Remnant and she gets to kick Kett ass. She doesn’t like that they essentially take and convert peoples DNA to make more of themselves. It’s too much like how her people, the Asari, reproduce.

Sometimes she thinks about what a Kett converted Asari would be capable of doing. So when she does think about it, she throws a biotic ball at an unsuspecting Kett a little bit harder than she needs to and pushes aside the thought.

Today though, Peebee was ecstatic. They had managed to release Angaran slaves in a giant ice cave, and found that the Kett had almost uncovered an underground AI. She was amazing.

Sure the AI wanted nothing to do with them, and Sara got seriously injured as she managed to tackle the angaran man off of the AI who was quickly shocking him to death, but hey, it worked out.

Sara was lecturing the Angaran man as she and him were being doctored, and Scott and Jaal were helping the Resistance transfer the AI. S.A.M. apparently doing a lot of work just to make sure she doesn’t try to kill anyone again as she get’s transferred.

Peebee was staying on the sidelines as she took recorded notes of her surroundings and tried to examine what machinery she could see thorough the solid ice. She can’t wait for Scott to be able to Terraform this planet. Hopefully it’ll be a nice sunny planet and she’ll have more access to the surface, away from all the ice.

She was in the middle of a hypotheses when the AI really started to screech about how much she absolutely didn’t want to go anywhere and how they weren’t her creators. Peebee had to turn off her recording so that she didn’t mess up her notes. The panicked speech made Peebee feel a little bad for the AI but mostly she was annoyed. They weren’t going to hurt her.

The Resistance was strapping the AI in to the back of a cruiser as she was screeching.

“Oh, will you be quiet you little skkut,” an angaran woman resistance fighter said, losing her patients.

“Hey, don’t talk to her like that,” Sara barked.

“We’re not going to listen to it screech like that the entire way to Aya,” she exclaimed.

“S.A.M. is it possible for you to mute it,” Scott asked.

“What! No we’re not going to mute her, she’s just scared,” Sara said.

“And it tried to kill you and that man,” Scott said, pointed at said injured angara, “The least we can do is make it a little easer on ourselves.”

“Will you all just think about how she’s feeling right now. She’s been alone for Goddess knows for how long. Then she’s surrounded by a bunch of strangers, claiming her as property, and you expect her not to try and defend herself.”

Peebee watched as Sara defended the AI and as she continued to speak, the AI became quieter. She’s pretty sure that S.A.M. was not muting her.

“I’m going to talk to her alone for a second, okay,” Sara said, not asking for permission as she hopped into the back of the cruiser.

“It could kill you,” one of the Angara Resistance Fighters stated.

Before closing the door Sara said, “If I die then so be it.” Then she slammed the door.

Scott huffed as he threw his hands up in the air and started walking around in circles.

Peebee went up to Jaal and stood next to him.

They were silent for a bit as they watched the cruiser.

“So, how have you been enjoying our food on the Tempest,” Peebee decided to ask Jaal.

“It is odd to have so much solid food available. Whole foods are a luxury for special events.”

“Oh, yah. Your fruit paste thing. Do you hate how odd it is?”

“No. Just my jaw is a little tired from how much chewing there is to it.”

Peebee chuckled. Her voice echoing in the large chamber.

“I never thought about it.”

“Mmm,” Jaal nodded in agreement.

They stood there in silence for a while longer.

“Jeez, how long does it take for a human to talk to an AI,” Peebee asked.

“I don’t know, I am worried about her safety, being alone in there with that wild AI,” Jaal said.

Peebee could see him slightly sparking with electricity.

“Hey, she’ll be fine. Considering all the scars I’ve seen on her when we share a shower, she’s survived worst.”

“That is not as reassuring as you think it is.”

Peebee smiled sheepishly. She supposed not.

They returned to silence. Peebee could see that the Resistance Fighters were getting impatient and Scott looked like he was going to wear a hole into the ice with the way he was pacing. One of the Resistance Fighters, the woman that told the AI to shut up, started to move towards the cruiser, when Sara opened the back doors and hopped out. She stumbled a bit as she landed on the ice.

“Okay. So her name is Lila and she’s ready to go.”

“What did you do,” Scott asked warily.

“I talked with her. She’s not happy to be going anywhere, but Lila’s not going to attempt to kill anyone as she get’s situated on Aya.”

“That is good enough for me,” a random Resistance Fighter said as he went to double check that the AI was secured in place, and everyone started moving.

Peebee followed Scott and Jaal out of the ice cave as Sara joined them.

Peebee lagged behind a bit to walk by Sara.

“What did you two talk about?”

“Just normal stuff. Introductions. Swapped interests. She let me name her. I have a promise I’ll keep, so on and so fourth.”

“You promised something to the Ancient AI?” Peebee asked, skeptical that that’s a good idea.

“I’m not going to promise something that’s unreasonable or that I can’t do.”

“Okay. So what did you promise?”

“That’s not for me to say. You can ask Lila when she’s on Aya.”

Peebee pouted at that. Sometimes the Asari thinks Sara outpaces her when it comes to secrets. Like, who get’s a back tattoo on Tuchanka? She still hasn’t explained the story behind that. Though to be fair, Peebee hasn’t shared her story all that much either.

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Peebee said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“In terms of being kind, I do.”

“Hmmm.”

[booksandwords]

Ride the Lightning (Sinister in Savannah, #1)

by Aimee Nicole Walker

Series: Sinister in Savannah, #1 Read Time: 4 Days Rating: 3/5

Quote: Life is like a thunderstorm—unpredictable, beautiful, and sometimes dangerous. — Maeve St. John

Warnings: PTSD, discussion of death and terrorism and survivor's guilt.

I really enjoyed Ride the Lightning much more than I think I expected to. Particularly given I only chose to read it now despite having bought it quite a while ago to fill a prompt for a reading challenge, always a risky prospect. The ending is lovely. Everyone gets what they need and there is no true sadness. I really enjoyed the ride the whodunit aspect and the parallel romance. Avery and Jonah are so good for each other and their bedroom aspects suit them their mix of playful and serious mixing Avery's flirtatious and sunny self with Jonah's brooding and stormy side.

The plot didn't feel predictable to me in hindsight maybe it should be but isn't that a sign of good writing? Being able to look back and see the things the signposts you missed. I do worry about the fate of one of the characters but I think maybe he's fine. Given there are two more books in this series he may yet reappear. On the subsequent books I appreciate that we are given tidbits of them. Book two Mr. Perfect follows Felix and Jude Arrow because there is no way that rivalry isn't hiding all kinds of electric chemistry. Felix is going after a case that for in order to avoid civil suits Jude is shying away from. I'm would guess on professional egos the size of small planets, a history and a battle of wills. Book three Pretty Poison follows Rocky and a yet unmet man. The case in question is Tess Hamilton and it honestly looks really interesting. Tess is a black widow type. Look I have a great aunt who appears like a black widow and it endlessly amuses the whole family. I just really like any book that plays with the trope. The plot is basically is Tess a black widow or not and if she is how did she get away with it for so long.

The characters are likeable on the whole you will find yourself screaming at them to get on with it but that is part of the charm. Their unresolved sexual tension that everyone can see but they are unwilling to act on. they both have very humanising elements too. Jonah's past is more than a bit dark. Just be aware he has PTSD though not as bad as I've read in other books. There is some discussion of death and terrorism and survivor's guilt.

Marla is Jonah's next-door neighbour, recently diagnosed with terminal cancer, Marla is a freaking Queen in two senses of the word. I love her so much. "There are certain things I am unwilling to compromise and staying true to myself tops the list. Love me as I am or get the fuck gone." She is all power and sass and let me go my way. She actually feels quite similar in some ways to Maeve St. John, Jonah's grandmother and the most influential figure in his life. Both are somewhat guiding figures to him. Marla is core to the reason the plot exists, she is the friend that asks Jonah to investigate Earl Ison's case.

Have a note dump because this is already long...

“Why are you assuming her affair is with a man?” Jonah asked out of curiosity. “Oh, hell,” Rocky said slowly. “Why the hell didn’t I consider her lover could be a woman?” “We’re brainwashed with heteronormative bullshit from birth,” — There is a subplot involving PI Rocky and a cheating spouse case that still isn't resolved at the end of the book. I find it amusing and this line, in particular, is so good because we really, really have. (Jonah and Rocky)

God bless any author who writes explicitly safe and consensual sex. In this case, there is also Jonah knowing that as much as Avery wanting something he isn't ready it will hurt him.

Rocky is a serial flirt but Felix is "the slut puppy in this trio,”. That makes things interesting, Rocky may not be all talk per se but he likes to play and banter.

Rocky and Felix have an almost perfect sibling-like relationship. Given they haven't been working together long that was a choice to write but it works well with their personality types.

“Today’s episode is called Ride the Lightning,” [... ] “The term is slang for execution by electric chair, which wasn’t abolished in Georgia until October 2001.” — I didn't know the origins of the title. It's a great choice. I won't add spoilers but the whole thing just works. (Felix)

"Resolve whatever demons are haunting you, cut those fucking chains, and allow yourself to love and be loved in return. You deserve it, baby." — I could write a hundred of Marla's lines here and it wouldn't be enough. In some ways she makes the book.

Just omg the Scooby-Doo references

Karlee who we never met but I kinda wish we did is the sort of best friend I think everyone needs. She's giving her bestie the kick in the pants Avery so desperately needs.

“Goodnight, Avery.” “Sweet dreams, thundercloud.” — Avery's nickname for Jonah is adorable. Thundercloud suits Jonah.

“No one wants to think that innocent people land in prison, especially not on death row. History has taught us otherwise, and I’m afraid some people weren’t paying attention to the lessons.” — This is totally a fair point but also a gut punch. (Jonah)

Props for Ellie. I do love seeing queer women in powerful positions. She's also the best aunt Jonah could ask for.

“Glitter,” Marla scoffed. “I said snazzy, not tacky. This blush pink is my signature color in case you haven’t noticed.” — Look I laughed at this. This is another moment of Marla in a nutshell.

Total respect to any author who can write friendships like this. A hookup that has turned into an almost sibling-like relationship. Neighbours are willing to risk anything for each other. Ride or die best friends and the varying romantic dynamics. All mixed up and working so well in harmony. For those who like Aimee Nicole Walker's writing style after reading this. Royce and Sawyer with their hilarious chemistry, the like of which I haven't read since Rowe and Noah in Unbreakable Bonds, have their own series Zero Hour (book one Ground Zero). Events involving some of the characters in Ride the Lightning take place in the second book, Devil's Hour. I would guess Jonah's cutie housemate Kendall will turn up somewhere else too. Preferably without his problematic baggage. Believe it or not, it's only Travis's douchery that makes me call him problematic not their complicated relationship.

[sinisterexaggerator]

For the requests if you are still doing them.

Cad Bane being nursed back to health by a girl after crashing really badly on a planet. She also fixes Todo for him and tries giving him money, when he is recovered enough to go, for his troubles, becauseshe doesn't exactly know who he is and she is probably a bit naive.

Smut is optional if you can fi d a way to put it in!

Title: Damn you, Fennec Shand!

AO3

Word count: 7.9

Dear Anon, your wish is my command ( and boy let me tell you, there’s always a way to fit smut in – in fact, maybe my smuttiest Cad Bane fic yet to date. Thanks for that! )!

Warnings: Smut, explicitly detailed. Like, REALLY graphic. Description of alien anatomy ( xeno dick(s) ), tongue-fucking, face riding, rough kissing, pillow biting, dirty talk, rough sex, vaginal penetration, and mildly dubious consent. Biting, blood, angst, feels, naked/forced cuddling, caretaking along with one grumpy Duros - A.K.A. a sickfic.

Notes: Pagodon is a planet featured in the Mandalorian that is populated by the fearsome ravinak located somewhere in the Outer Rim. This story takes place after the episode of Bad Batch entitled “ Bounty Lost” where Fennec Shand sabotages Cad Bane’s ship and leaves him stranded on Bora Vio. By the way he holds himself, it is evident he is injured. Well, I fuck him up even more.

References to Duros anatomy comes from my own concepts of how I imagine things might work as Bane is noted in several different places to be “reptilian.” I tend to favor the double-dong ( hemipenis ). ;D

I don’t know how this wound up being so long! Hope you enjoy! Comments / likes / kudos/ reblogs all greatly appreciated!

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Alarms were blaring, the Duros experiencing a feeling he wasn’t used to; one of fear and overpowering concern for his well-being. His ship had been sabotaged back on Bora Vio by that accursed witch of a woman Fennec Shand – his bounty lost, and all his credits - the only thing he had to show for it were his extensive injuries, bruised ribs most likely, as the pain in his midsection had yet to subside or dull. His face ached; his whole body from her forceful punches and her kicks. She was fast, adept at her profession – he had been caught off guard, nearly killed, and it had taken him two days to get off the kriffin’ ground.  

“Todo! Why’s de warnin’ ssignal for de energy accumulator goin’ off! Ah thought ye said de ssystem was recharged!”

“It appears that I have failed to properly solder one of the energy accumulator’s uptake lines after it was severed by that woman! We are losing ship functions at an astounding rate!”

“Ah'm aware o’dhat, ye chiphead!"

“There is no need for name calling sir, I-"

“If ye don’t shut de kark up, Ah'm throwin’ ye out de airlock!”

Things were compiling atop each other, getting out of hand, more noises sounding in a raucous discordance from all directions, The Justifier’s main console bleating at him like a wounded animal, though they were in realspace and there wasn’t much that he could do in the off chance of changing things. The indicator for the energizer was added to the fray – it could take days to fix, and by then he’d freeze to death; run out of oxygen – he wasn’t about to send out a distress beacon, either. No telling who or what would try to pick him up.

“Just where de sskrag are we, anyway?!” They had been taken out of hyperspace by the loss of power, Cad Bane slamming his hand down on one particular, square button. A map of the current system was pulled up; they were on the outskirts of the one they’d left – Lido, a part of space he wasn’t too familiar with, though close enough to the Outer Rim to give him a small amount of confidence – hopefully they wouldn’t wind up in some desolate, Maker forsaken place.  

“I would tell you, but I am not permitted to speak.”

Cad Bane growled, ignoring his smart aleck comment, knowing the droid was trying to get the best of him; his personality lacking in his ability to read a room, even in the face of certain doom.

“'Spose we betta try an’ land dhis thing, no danks te ye!” The nearest planet was half a parsec, the Duros taking over. He chose manual operation, as Todo was an example of omission in his derelict of duty – he ought to have the damn droid reprogrammed, though instead he barked out a set of orders – it didn’t hurt to be prepared.

“Ah think we have enough juice te kick us de rest of de way dhere, but get ready fer a crash landin’! Betta magnetize; we’re jumpin’!” Cad pushed a lever fully forward, the stars stretching out before his eyes, as the last little bit of energy left in his ion engines boosted him across the short length of hyperspace that resembled a nighttime sky.

It took mere minutes; seconds; before they fell out into realspace a second time, right above the atmosphere of an unknown spheroid that looked arctic, somewhat foreboding or uninviting, though The Justifier had been pulled in by its gravity.

“Todo, if Ah die ‘cause’o’yer negligence, ye betta engage de sself-destruct ssequence Ah programmed, or Ah'm comin’ back te haunt yer metal chassis!”

“But sir, I hold untold quantities of data that may be val-”

“Exxactly! Don’ want no one knowin’ m’business! Jus’ do it.”

Todo sighed though he had no lungs with which to expel air from, shaking his head a minutia as the alarms got louder, the fuselage beginning to rattle as they started to descend into a swarm of billowy, white clouds. Cad pulled up on the controls, tried to ignite his retro thrusters to curb the impact, though they sputtered and died out. He released the landing gear and grit his teeth. He closed one eye, realizing he was about to crash into solid ice.

---

You were a resident of the pale blue dot known as the planet Pagodon; a waitress at the one establishment worth a snot on this freezing landscape; the Public House, a part of the settlement known as Ferryman’s Ranch was your stomping ground, though few people came to visit here. You mostly served locals, riffraff, a crook or two, your life was more than boring, that is until you found yourself on break.

You stepped outside only to bear witness to a trail of engine smoke following behind a nearly decommissioned starship. It was coming in rapidly, headed for the barren wastelands Pagodon was known for, and you were overcome with worry for the poor soul left aboard, as ravinaks were living beneath its glacial layers. They were dangerous; attacked at a moment’s notice – you ran inside, yelled to your boss you would be right back, though knowing that was more or less a lie.

You went home first as fast as your legs could carry you, gathering up a various assortment of things that might be needed: a durashelter and blankets, your trusty blaster, a medpac, a small toolkit, and something warm to drink held within a thermajug.

You hopped on your speeder bike well equipped for treading your planet’s unique, frigid surface - it was coming nightfall, you only hoped you wouldn’t be too late.

---

You approached the crash site; saw a small light in the distance - it was moving, but just barely. The closer you got to it, the more curious you became. Once you were near enough you realized it was a droid of some sort - he was missing one of his little legs, though the one left to him had its rocket thruster activated. He was spinning around in circles; he looked downright distraught; shaken, though you were sure he couldn’t experience emotions, yet he kept repeating the same old thing. He seemed broken, out of sorts, or at least confused – not a good sign, but you hoped to remedy his ails.

“Mister Bane – M-Mis – Mis- Mister Bane. The ship- the shiiip.. shiiiiip...”

He cycled through that series of words again, thinking the person with the name of Bane was this droid’s owner as you conked the poor thing right on his access panel with your balled up fist. He sputtered out, shook his head, his golden eyes blinked; the light cut out, but only for a moment, then he was back online.

“Oh! Hello! Who are you? Where am I? Where is Bane? Where is my other leg?”

You ignored his questions and pressed on - he managed to follow you somewhat, gliding along behind you like a lost hound looking for its way home. He teetered on his axis, somewhat destabilized. “Bane is still inside, isn’t he? Oh, I do hope he’s still alive… “

Todo had his own fears to deal with, thinking he didn’t want to have to initiate his self-destruct - he was loyal to his master without a fault, even if that meant the end of him.

From the outside, the ship didn’t look too badly damaged, though it had nosedived into the ice below. It had skidded a few feet but hadn’t managed to break through. You were wary the ravinaks could show up any moment now; they could recognize footsteps, pressure put on the planet’s surface – the droid had been floating, but you were a sentient who walked on two able-bodied legs.

The door was cracked, stuck halfway open, you skirted around the corner and stepped inside - seems the droid had managed to escape somehow. You were careful as you inched down the narrow hall to the starship’s cockpit – you had a bad feeling about all this.

Sparks flew from a cable dangling down before you; you circumnavigated around it, careful not to shock yourself. The lights were dim, nearly nonexistent, as you came upon the scene of a man laid out on the floor - that droid’s other leg was still magnetized to the damaged ship’s interior.

He was weak, struggling to right himself - he couldn’t seem to stand. He kept lifting his body up, bent at the elbows, thinking he should have taken his own advice. His heavy captain’s chair had dislodged itself, pinning him down by the back of one spindly leg - every time he moved, his chest met the floor soon after, Cad having been thrown forward against the windscreen, and his already injured ribs had taken the brunt of it.

The Duros coughed, or at least that’s what you thought he was – the green blood he retched up onto the floor confirmed it. He was bleeding internally, and that’s when he saw you – somehow the large hat he was wearing hadn’t fallen off during the violent crash.

He reached out a single hand as if asking for assistance, though apprehensive; he didn’t speak; his red eyes contracting at the blaster on your hip. You weren’t aware, but the alien thought you might be another bounty hunter, law enforcement, someone to kick him while he was down.

You stepped closer and he tried to push himself up again using the aid of one arm only, his other hand gripping at the handle of one LL-30 BlasTech pistol, but he was too debilitated to even withdraw the weapon - the man soon after succumbing to unconsciousness.

More sparks flew, but this time off the console – you were unsure of the state of things, though you were a fairly good mechanic  - you had fixed mobile objects like your own speeder bike, your bosses hovercar – you thought to have a look once you were less preoccupied.

You pulled this man named Bane along, having freed him from his imprisonment with all the strength that you could muster, removing the hefty seat that had entrapped him to gather him up beneath his arms.

The droid was happy to see you had returned; found his master, as he spun around haphazardly. He posed a question; one he was dreading an answer for. “Is Bane dead?”

“No, but I have to comm for help. I can’t move him like this on my bike alone, or you.” You pressed the link on your communication device, calling the outpost some few miles off. You requested assistance in the form of a vehicle big enough to haul a droid and an injured man; to tow a starship, though they said there was a storm brewing in the distance, and it might very well be a half rotation before they could reach you – it put a damper on your spirits.

You set up the durashelter; it would block most of the wind. It was insulated, though the nights on Pagodon were even colder. You were careful not to disturb the ground too much, treading lightly with a gentle step. You laid out blankets, your sleeping bag, but the man had stirred - he coughed up blood again.

You monitored his breathing by the rising and falling of his chest; it was shallow; you withdrew the medpac as the little droid was frantic. “Miss! My scans indicate that his vital signs are unstable; he was badly injured in the crash; I am afraid he has suffered internally. Please, is there anything you can do for him?”

You unzipped the pouch to withdraw a stim-shot - you had an idea, but you needed to wake him up first; you decided to try to rouse him on your own before injecting him with something.

You took off one of your warm gloves, pressed your tepid hand to his blue cheek encased in black; you whispered to him, coming in close, using the name the droid had given you, though you had no idea who this man was. “Bane? Can you hear me?”

No response: his skin was frigid, colder than you expected him to be. Your exhales came out in small, transparent puffs, denoting the drop in temperature as the sun had nearly set, though on this planet you could always see your breath. You gently shook him with your other hand; his lids fluttered, two crimson, egg-shaped eyes revealed to you for just a moment, yet the Duros was too groggy to stay awake.

You readied the pneumatic dispenser in your hand, pressed it between your knees to hold it steady, then loaded the stimulant to administer the shot – they flew open then; those horizontal pools of red that might as well be magnets as they drew you in.

You had momentarily forgotten your other hand was on his face; he took you by the arm, yanked it back before he sat up straight. You gasped, though his actions were short-lived. He released you, groaning out in pain and anguish, his arm going to rest against his wounded midsection. The Duros’ breath was labored as he tried to speak, however his voice came out unfriendly; angry, callous with his droid, and perhaps you for touching him, his accent something you had never heard before; laced with the cybernetic modulation of his breathing apparatus. “Todo! Wha - what happened? Jus’ wh- where’n de eight Stalbringion hells are we?”

“Mister Bane! Are you all right?!” The one-legged droid appeared curious, though ecstatic that his master was still alive, answering him his question held over from before the crash. “I believe this is Pagodon, sir. Is that correct, Miss?”

Your gaze traveled between the two of them before the one named Bane spoke up again; you had already lost your focus – though this man was injured, he was handsome, and you had it in your heart to help him if only he would allow you to.

“It’s so blasted cold! How cahn ye stand it?”

“You get used to it.” you stated quietly, your eyes centered on the Duros. His fiery gaze shifted towards you; his eyes only half opened - his lids were drooping, his hand still gripping where the pain was. You realized the stimulant seemed to be wearing off already – you had to act fast – you dug into your medpac once again and handed him a small vial of something; a dose of bactade you hoped would heal him from the inside out.

“Drink this, it will help.”

“Ain’t drinkin’ nothin’ ye give me, girl.” Cad Bane was an untrusting man; he rarely partook of food or drink he didn’t watch be prepared. It was unthinkable that he would swallow something a stranger had given him, no matter his condition.

He went to stand, put one knee up, pushed down on both hands – he made the motions, but then cried out. His grip on himself tightened as he fell back. He had bent over in exasperation and distress, Todo hobbling forward on one leg still attached, begging his master to accept your kindness. “Please, sir. You are severely wounded. I don’t want you to die as then I would have to self-destruct, and I am sure that it is a very unpleasant experience.”

Bane was squinting, his words pushed out of him in a tone of voice that betrayed his current state. “Sso glad t’know you care…”

“It’s only bactade – listen to your droid. He’s right.”

“Don’ tell me what te do, lil' lady. No one orders me around.”

“Fine, then die.” You made a movement to get up, frustrated, realizing this was a lost cause. Why risk your life, weather the coming storm, when this Duros was only going to be rude to you?

You gathered up your belongings, made to leave him there. You decided to let the  durashelter remain; he would need it, but it was then he seemed to come around.

“Maybe Ah's bein’ too hasty…” He grit his teeth, bared his fangs to you, more so in pain than out of anything you had done. It came out quiet, like it had been hard for him, something he wasn’t used to; forced to be polite. “Yer not … leavin’ me ‘ere, are ye?’

You handed him the vial again, and he took it this time. He was nearly too enfeebled to undo the cap, his oversized, cerulean colored fingers struggling to spin it the right direction before he finally threw it back. He swallowed it, made a face that was disgusted with the taste; his tongue idly licked the remnants from his mouth, and you noticed it was forked; unusual to you. “S’awful. No more’a dhat.”

Even though this bacta drink might aid him, Bane was no stranger to his temperature dropping fast; this planet was a poor one to get stuck on as a Duros, but he was unable to help himself. “Feelin’ tired … maybe Ah jus’ …”

He sank back on his forearms, one hand still idly resting against his person, that droid of his buzzing around in rings, not able to completely right himself. “Bane, you are in danger! I sense your biological functions are beginning to slow down.”

“S’normal…”  he mumbled out. “Just so … b-blasted … c-cold.”      

“Miss? May I speak with you a moment?”

Bane had seemed to of fallen back even further, barely keeping his head up, his eyes open; if he weren’t blue already, you were sure he would have been by now. You followed the droid back to the ship, pausing several feet away, he was frank with you; it never failed to surprise you the personalities these little machines could carry.

“I am afraid this atmosphere’s too much for him. Bane is too proud to admit this, but he is slowly dying. He is Duros - his internal temperature must be regulated or else he’ll freeze to death as he does not have the appropriate attire for this weather! His insulated breathing suit can only do so much! Our trip here was unplanned as you might be able to imagine...”

“Well, let’s get him in the durashelter.” you offered, meaning to turn around. The droid shifted, slid in front of you, asking you a somewhat peculiar favor.

“I am afraid that might not be good enough. Bane needs a source of heat, and fast. Our ship’s power… The energy accumulator…” The little droid had lifted both his hands, fingers idly tapping against each other as if he felt embarrassed, tiny clinks issuing forth between the awkward stretch of silence, perhaps not wanting to admit that this was all his fault, or at least it felt that way.

“Would you so mind?”

“Would I mind what?” You thought you knew what he was getting at, but it was hard to verbalize; it had to be confirmed; there was no way you would think to do it otherwise.

“You are warm. I am not. I would take your place If I could. Please, do not allow Bane to cease functioning.”

You glanced to the Duros in the distance; he had laid back again, though the stim-shot had served its purpose – you got the medicine in him. You wished those nerf herder’s at the outpost would hurry up; you were lucky so far in terms of the ravinaks not attacking; you only hoped he would last the night.

“But-” Your eyebrows knitted in defeat, somewhat unsure, but wanting to do what was best for him, even if he seemed to be a jerk. “All right…”

“Oh, thank you! It is said skin-to-skin is best.”

“You’re- wait, what?”

“When a person suffers from near to hypothermia, it is said that-”

“Don’t push your luck!” You almost thought to stomp away from him - you were cognizant enough to know better; those feisty creatures might hear you; feel your angry footsteps. You paused above the now unconscious Duros, canting your head a bit; he was sort of cute laying there defenseless, yet you knew his snark might come back to bite you in the ass by tomorrow morning if he managed to survive.

You dragged him to your makeshift shelter, placed him atop your sleeping bag. You cuddled up beside him, wrapped your arms around his chest, one of your legs resting upon his. You pulled the blankets up, tucked him in like you would a child – thought twice; unhooked the canister of oxygen from his apparatus; the lengthy tubes; they would only get in his way of laying flat. In addition, you took that silly hat off and placed it to the side.

His chest rose and fell softly, though he didn’t rouse. He was still shivering within that same hour, then another came and went. He hadn’t died yet, but you thought about what the droid had said, contemplating a course of action before you sighed out loud.

You unfastened his protective outer vest, unzipped his tunic and his trousers next, and with some effort managed to remove them along with his steel-toed boots and the fancy blasters holstered on his hips. You had to find the mechanism with which to unlock and dislodge his forearm gauntlets before you could take them off - it was almost impossible, frustrating – he had so many contraptions, gizmos, and strange things on – you wondered what he needed all those for. 

He was left in a skintight suit of black armorweave you suspected, though the droid said it was insulated – you unzipped it to expose his chest; his waist; his injured ribs. There was bruising all across his abdomen. You reached into your medpac, withdrew more bacta, this time in the form of a medicated patch. You removed the packaging and gently placed it on the largest of his wounds – he flinched, though didn’t wake from his involuntary hibernation.

You lamented to yourself, shook your head, not believing you were about to do this. You took off your heavy coat, pulled off your sweater and your shirt. The bra came next; you were left bare breasted - you refused to take off the rest of your apparel, curling up again next to this grumpy man who had crash-landed on your planet.

His skin was cold no doubt, like the ice that made up the ground outside your shelter; you honestly felt bad for him, one hand coming up to stroke his chin; his cheek, the skin left exposed to you that wasn’t hidden beneath his skull cap – he made a sound. It was a rumble in his throat, low, but not unpleasant – perhaps a noise of protest, though he didn’t rise to consciousness. You held him there the whole night through.

---

Cad Bane had woken up with an alarming start – he was trapped under something - he did not move. He stared at the ceiling of the durashelter, though he felt warm; comfortable. His gaze darted around the confines of the space before he realized you were laying next to him under thick fur blankets.

His first instinct was to shove you, yell something, throw the blankets off - get mad at nothing and everything all at once - but you were sleeping soundly, and he realized you were nearly naked - Cad Bane couldn’t help but notice your large breasts were pushed up against him; a part of a woman he was known to favor – it almost quelled his rage.

Another thing he noted: your hand was on his face. The warmness of it was cupping his gaunt cheek the best it could. He shifted, turned his head a fraction of an inch – he thought you pretty, though his eyes had narrowed. He didn’t know how he felt about all this.

He decided to try and remove you without disturbing you too much; his arm beneath the blankets changed position. One gloved hand rose up, and he realized he was stripped of everything he had been wearing, though instead of getting angrier he was surprised you had gone to all that trouble of undressing him, of cuddling him; showing him affection, though in light of death.

His reedy fingers were placed atop yours against him, his palm encasing your soft flesh. He did the unthinkable – he pressed it to himself – you would never notice, you were resting peacefully, but your eyes had fluttered. He caught on quickly; retracted his appendage, though his sudden jerky movements caused him to writhe in pain.

“Dagnabbit…” he pushed the many layers off, exposing you, your chest and his, though for you it was more embarrassing as you blushed full flush, your cheeks ruddy as he sat up – he examined you without a hint of inhibition as he gripped just below the patch of bacta.

He stared, blinked those ruby magnets, took in your mammalian, shapely bosom, though just as you thought – his snide remarks cut deeper than a vibroknife. “Sspose ye had yer way wit’ me – don’t remember anythin’ – must nahtta’ been te good a time.”

You were overcome with anger; how dare he think you would take advantage of him. Without contemplating further you pulled your arm back and brought it forward, aiming to slap him across his grouchy, glaring face.

He caught you midway there; fangs bared. His large, spidery digits nearly engulfed your entire hand. You gasped, not knowing what he planned to do, and you hadn’t thought things through. He dragged you near to him, a half inch from his surly countenance – his steady gaze bore into yours, filled with seeming menace; he had all the appearances of being ornery - right before he kissed you.

He let your wrist go, brought both his large hands up – he cupped your cheeks almost gently. You blushed again but for different reasons, not sure what he was playing at or where this was even going, though you hadn’t thought to stop him – in fact, you didn’t mind.

You felt he must be feeling better as he dropped one cool extremity to knead and encage your breast; his tongue prodded at your lips, asking for entrance – you permitted him, and he pushed against you harder then.

His fingers gripped you, dug into your skin; he pulled you in, forced his tongue almost halfway down your throat through your open mouth. Your nipples had become erect at his cold touch; the tips of rough finger pads tweaking; stroking its pert point.

A growl emanated from deep within his larynx; primal; an expression of his lust. His other hand lowered, gripped your mound through your skintight pants. You pulled away, expelled a breath of air out of surprise even though you suddenly found yourself aroused.

He stared into your eyes as he massaged you, his entire palm cradling your increasing enlivened sex; he whispered, though it came out more as a grumble - the intonations; the inflection of his voice like the utterance of a beast who could sense you were in heat, and him prepared to rut.

“Ss’my turn now, lil’ lady …”

“But I didn’t-” you began, though common sense suddenly overtook you. You gently braced against his attractive frame with the flat of your open hand. “You’re injured, you can’t possibly-”

“Ain’t dhat bad off…” He leaned his body forward, slowly - you knew he was trying to circumvent his pain. You felt his teeth first, a nip, before his tongue trailed from the arc of your tender neck to just below your ear. You shivered as he tasted you, Cad enjoying your delicious flavor; a bit of sweet mixed in with salt, but he didn’t stop.

"Don't like owin' people," he confessed, the tip of his forked points flitting against the opening of your ear canal - it caused your body to spasm as your one hand still upon him clawed into his scarred and beaten chest. You wondered how many times he had brushed with death, and his anatomy was suddenly fascinating to you; he didn’t have nipples; areolas, though his pectorals were firm and fit.

The droid was outside waiting, he had heard voices within the shelter, he piped up, though obviously low on charge. He was quiet, perhaps not wanting to disturb, but disturb he did. “Mister Bane? Are you all right? Is he alive, Miss?”

“Alive enough te weld yer mouth shut if ye don’t kriff off.” He had pulled away just far enough so he wouldn’t deafen you with his complaint, the droid needlessly apologizing before you heard his little thruster tote him off to an unknown place. You felt bad for him, but didn’t mention it, as Cad started to tug at the edges of your remaining garments; he was making little headway. You would need to help. Despite him saying otherwise, he was still very vulnerable, susceptible to injury.

“Please, I don’t want you to hurt yourself – your health comes first – I think that-”

“Dhat’s yer problem – ye think too much …” He moved in to caress your flesh, your supple breasts, the cut between them, down to your belly button. You sat upon your knees with your pants halfway shimmied afield from your broad hips. He dipped down low, meant to finish what you’d started, or perhaps start something of his own - he involuntarily cried out, though he closed it off between his saw-toothed fangs, one arm coming to bear down upon his aching abdomen.

That was the straw that broke the bantha’s back. You gently pried him up; his brow ridge was furrowed, hating all of this; his seeming inability to even move in certain directions. His internal organs were still healing, though the bacta and your warmth had saved his life – yet that didn’t mean he couldn’t project his sour mood.

“I told you.”

“An' now Ah’m tellin’ ye.” He took you by your hair; it’s roots; loose strands of it falling about your face; he tugged you forward with him as he leaned back, laid out again on your sleeping bag. He held on with one large hand even as his breathing hitched, the other one being used to yank each side of your trousers down in turn.

“Get em’ off before Ah rip’em off!” he seethed, and you complied, feeling slightly alarmed, though strangely curious, turned on, and feeling heated, annoyed that he wouldn’t listen to you, but that feeling quickly dissipated as a single finger extended; glossing between the folds of your ripe womanhood. You were drenched in your own wetness – it was quite apparent – he could also smell it, knowing no matter what your current attitude that you were on the cusp of fiending for him.

You were suddenly embarrassed, though the Duros had displayed a grin. The apex of his finger trailed to the nub that was your clit. He stroked it with assertion, rubbed against it, your gasp was soft as you threshed against his touch.

“Know how te shut ye up, but Ah might wanna hear de way ye sing.” He took his hand away; you were left wanton for him, but not for long. Both long arms reached out; he coerced you, repositioned you, forced your legs to straddle him. You braced yourself against his shoulders, your breasts hovering above his head. He craned his neck and you watched in awe as his teeth delicately clipped one nipple, a trickle of blood forming, though it had hurt so good.

He drank from you, suckling hard, your nether regions soaked as he grabbed you by your hips. He didn’t ask; he forced you forward, letting go of your wounded breast to sit you flat upon his face.

His thin fingers had spread your lower lips apart, his arms on either side of your thick thighs – he had exposed you – now you were the one who was feeling vulnerable. That forked organ of his entered deep into your body’s cavity, your emptiness filled as he wormed his way as far as he could go. He sampled your nectar; delectable; as if that tongue of his were the proboscis of an insect, one of his thumbs shifting as he toyed with your clit again.

The sounds that exuded from his mouth were the guttural utterances of an animal; you could feel the rumble in his throat as it vibrated against you, though he minded the fangs for now – you squirmed, perhaps meaning to get up, not knowing how you were feeling, but his grip was taut. He forced you down, smothering himself in the velvety confines of your genitalia as if hungry for you; dining on a meal.

That one thumb kept caressing you: rough, yet gentle. His other arm snaked around your waist like a serpent meaning to constrict its prey. The sensation within was a patient writhing; forceful; like the squirming of a tentacle -  he was tongue fucking you and you would be lying if you said you didn’t like it.

You relented; reached for your own hair; your body stretched itself as your fingers dug into your scalp, your breasts protruding in the open air. You moaned out loud; you couldn’t help yourself. Each stroke of him inside you, outside you, caused you to release another sound.

It only encouraged him, He propped a knee up, held you there behind your arching back, his other hand now free to explore your shapely curves. He groped your breast again, the one that bled; he pinched you, it sent a lightning bolt of pain through you – but pain that was masked with pleasure.

You came hard, but he wouldn’t stop, not until he had lapped up every drop like a thirsty dog who needed water. He finished you off by biting you again, the soft flesh of your labia. You yelled out, shocked, pulled from your euphoria, though he hadn’t bit hard enough to leave a mark.

You scrambled back, your chest heaving. He grimaced, as you had almost sat along his wounded midsection. He closed one eye, grit his teeth, though he tried to push himself up to sit. He lightly raised a hand; he wiped his mouth off on the back of it before he looked you in your eyes – or at least you thought he did, as you had positioned yourself across his lower half; finding that his cock was hard beneath you; it had an express shape -  he wouldn’t ask for anything, the Duros having wanted to repay you in his own way.

“Was a pretty tune. Wouldn’t mind hearin’ it again.”

You blushed, opened your mouth to speak, but you heard voices – human ones, the sounds of a tow truck that sported two forward-facing arms that could be used to encapsulate his starship. Someone called out your name, a familiar person; someone you knew back at Ferryman’s Ranch.

Cad Bane raised one half of his brows slope, confused for just a moment, and you thought to explain yourself as he had gone to move, almost too quickly, concerned about The Justifier, all his belongs, his home away from home – his source of transit, and his droid was out there somewhere. “I called for help last night – there was a storm. They are here to help.”

That same man called again, you rushed to put on your clothes. “Be right out!” you shouted, Bane left to his own devices figuratively and literally, as you suggested he do the same.

---

“Do you think perhaps we could find and reattach my leg? Where are we off to, Miss? I am sure Mister Bane wants to get going as quickly as possible – is there a technician who might be able to repair our ship? I could certainly go for a recharge – I am feeling rather drained. I only have a few hours left before-”

“Cahn’nit! Tired’a listenin’ te ye bellyache.”

The little droid was talkative as you all three were driven back into town together. Your speeder bike was coupled in the back, along with Bane’s massive ship. You sat across from him in the back of a hover car as the tow vehicle rode along behind – you were honestly surprised you hadn’t seen any ravinaks - that was until one punctured through the ice.

You had been lost in thought, your imaginings, lingering on the act Bane had committed – you studied him – his arms were crossed, his face turned away from you at an angle, revealing to you his handsome profile. His hat was tipped down low, though you could still see the glow of his deep red eyes. His lips were tight, and he held tension within himself – he was unhappy, though you felt that must have been his default mode of being.

The whole entourage jerked to a sudden stop. Cad Bane grit his teeth again, shielding his wounded personage. He was angry then, tired of hurting, tired of feeling like a sitting mynock. He stood; the thrusters on his boots fired up; he rose into the air and then dropped down - right in front of the ravenous creature who had sank its giant tusks into the bottom of the tow truck.

You watched, awestruck. He extended an implement from his forearm gauntlet – it was a lanyard of some kind, a metal microfilament; it had wound around one oversized, sharp fang. He pressed a button, held it down, cranked the power levels; set his contact stunners to full blast. He conducted a jolt of electricity so strong down the length of it that the ravinak screeched in pain; sizzled, fell back into the depths below the ice. Everything was silent – he released the line from the odd contrivance on his arm; tipped his hat at the driver; the workers who were startled; staring, before he took a moment to open the door this time, acting as if nothing happened. No one else had even had the time to withdraw their weapons or blink their eyes – he was hypnotizing.

You were turned on by the thrill of it; the way this reptilian-humanoid named Bane could command a beast without so much as a note of concern present in his sinewy, alien configuration, though he was more or less a man – he was piquing your curiosity left and right - you quietly observed him sit down to collect himself; the ravinak hadn’t even put up a decent fight.

---

“Two days tops - got a lot of repairs that need to be made. Energy accumulator is offline, the wires look like they had a bad stitch job … energizer is shot; won’t hold a proper charge. Some damage to the hull on impact; landing gear is misaligned, thrusters need recalibrating…”

“Yes, yes.. Ah get it. Fine. Don’t dally, dhen…  Considerin’ yer de only tech crew on dhis dang-blamed planet. Ah’ve got’a burra fish te catch … “ He had plans for Fennec; he thought to seek his revenge when he was healed; or at least obtain an eye for an eye, interfere with her bounty this time – she owed him credits galore.

You listened, intent on helping him – you knew this man; you had a favor you could pull. You wheedled him to the side, struck a bargain; you were willing to help out – you knew your way around a workbench, and you would start with his droid’s leg, move your way up to assist in fixing his crippled ride, and in turn it would cost him half the price.

Bane withdrew a toothpick from his pants pocket, leaned back, propped his foot against the wall - this was the first time you saw him do this – you bit your lip as he placed the object between his. He gnawed on it; chewing helped him to redirect some of his agitation as he sighed; annoyed, posing a question to the both of you. “Any accomodations around dhese parts?”

“You can stay with me.” It rolled out of you without a second thought.

---

You had learned his full name by now, Todo 360’s too. Cad was atop you, two dexterous digits inside you open mouth. They toyed at the edge of your flat incisors, pressed against the tip of your wet tongue, though his forefinger and thumb held you by the chin as he steadied your servile movements, your outright moaning, as he baited you to verbalize your pleasure. “Make sure de neighbors hear, Ah like’it when ye scream fer me.”

His cock was full inside you - your jaw had dropped when you saw what he was packing, though this was the third time he had entered you, twice the night before. It was large; long like one of his distinctive fingers, made to expand by the flow of emerald blood. This particular part of him was ridged, and you were shocked because he had two of them … They were covered in spicules, though pliant; they didn’t hurt, they rubbed against your g-spot like a felicitous massage as he railed you, shaking the headboard of your simple bed.

Cad Bane was not a gentle man when it came to this. His fingers shifted, gripped the hair along your scalp – he dug in with all five as the other hand propped him upright. He ground his phallus into you until he decided he was bored of this – he made you flip around at his leisure, though giving you short notice. The slighter of his cocks was somewhat prehensile in nature; it stimulated you at the same time as the one inserted, mooring itself upside your pulsating bundle of soft nerve-endings.

You gripped your pillow with both hands, drove your teeth into the downy fabric; he pushed you against your home’s partition from the outside world; slamming his narrow hips into your backward facing haunches – it drove a whine out of you until it transformed into a moan of jubilation – it might as well have been an extra finger down below as the tip seemed to of curled itself back under you; latched on. It was practically cinched over your safeguarded area; it had attached itself – your labia having been parted by this extra shaft as you were willingly forced to endure the first; like being mounted to a wall, though that wall was Cad Bane’s hemipenis.

“Dhat’s it, take’it like de good girl ye are…” His genitalia was made for a Duros’ to match, though the feeling it filled you with was unlike any other species you had experienced. You were afraid to lose him in that moment, for him to leave tomorrow morning had made you begin to cry. He slowed his rhythm, but didn’t pause, thinking he was perhaps being much too rough, though he hadn’t given you a safe word, and you didn’t ask for one.

“Ain’t becomin’ of ye te do dhat.” He punished you by sitting up, his chest having been against your spine; his cool skin had a slight roughness to it, but Pagodon wasn’t the best place for his microscales. He tugged you backward by one arm around your waist as he sat down crossed legged upon the mattress – still bruised, still beaten - he had fucked you just the same.

You sank into his lap, his foreign cock nearly pressing against your cervix – you quickly rose just enough so as not to impale yourself. You shifted precariously onto your knees – you used the muscles of your thighs to gently ride him as he sat back and watched you dance for him, his hands groping your firm breasts from around and behind.

You wiped your tears away; Cad Bane didn’t comment on it; only added his two cents to the way you made waves along his member, that second organ still titillating you as it drove you to cum, your body’s natural secretions coating him as he drove it home. “Ah oughtta stuff ye full-up; make ye beg fer it… ”

He tried to hold it; wanted to make you cum again, but he suddenly pushed you off. You gasped as he bent you over; he released his seed along your back, your buttocks, his fangs gritted as he growled out sounds of appreciation. His own dirty talk had sent him reeling over the edge into an orgasm.

He slapped your ass afterward, dredged the abrasive undersides of his weedy digits along your skin, left a mark; a large red welt, before calling it a night.

“A trip te de refresher might do ye good,” he said.

---

Todo had been left with the lead technician while Bane had been ensconced by you; you had truly wanted to keep a watchful eye on his condition. The droid had come to alert his master the repairs were finished. The hunter had been hanging out around the Public House, as you had asked your bosses permission to have the last few days off. You left him waiting as he idly drummed his fingers along a table, seated in a darkened corner - he studied the holoprojector above the bar; the news was on, though nothing truly noteworthy.

“Sir, The Justifier is primed and ready for us to finally leave this place! What is next on our agenda?” His leg had been reattached – he was cheerful; downright happy, yet the Duros had ignored him.

Bane swirled another toothpick betwixt the opposing points of his fleshy tongue; bit down; slowly rose. You were waiting by the door, a forlorn look of sadness on your face you were trying your best to hide – his was a mask; unreadable; stoic by his very nature.

He crossed the threshold, he shivered a bit at the temperature compared to the one indoors, obviously disgusted by this place – you felt he couldn’t wait to leave. You sucked in a tiny breath, held out a small bag within your hand – it clinked, as credits were inside grazing one another. His eyes constricted at your humble gift.

“I know you spent a lot on your ship’s repairs … Here, I want you to have this.”

“Don’t want yer creditss... Ye’ve done enough.” He batted your hand away, traipsed onward to begin his walk back to this town’s one hangar - you followed him as you tried to hold back your fragile feelings. You called out to him as he meant to board.

“Wait – Bane – I ...”

He turned around, removed his toothpick, deposed of it with the flick of his lithe wrist and adjoining digits. He strode forward the three or four steps it took to meet you, your head downturned; eyes lowered.

He coaxed you up by the crook of a knotted knuckle and his thumb – he saw your eyes were watering. His face never faltered, never changed appearance. He leant in and kissed you as a way to say goodbye; a simple press of his hairline mouth to yours.

“So long, lil’ lady.” He walked away, almost dismissive, and the lead technician had come to join you. He whistled out, shook his head, giving you a dumbfounded comment; he was astounded.

“Cad Bane, huh? You sure know how to pick ‘em. That’s a story to tell your grandkids.”

You glanced to him, eyebrows furrowed - you were irritated, but also inquisitive. “What do you mean by that? You know him?”

He scoffed, almost laughed, surprised by you being so naïve. “You’re kidding, right? Cad Bane is the toughest, most infamous, quickest draw in all the karkin’ galaxy – he’s a bounty hunter. Didn’t you know that?”

Your hand moved to your mouth, you tried to hide your shock - he was gone then, and Todo too - his ship taxied to the edge of Ferryman’s Ranch, your home sweet home; your little outpost, until he took to the skies, Bane having ignited his engine’s thrusters, and in that moment you knew you would never lay your eyes on him again.

 ----

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