#lieutenant safeguard

[robertmisirian]

A headshot of Lieutenant Safeguard from the Pinatrix Universe.

[tip-top-cloud-surfer]

The Danger Zone (Part 15) - Hangman

Pairing: Hangman / Fem!Bradshaw!Reader | OC

Word Count: 5.6k

This work, all my works, and my entire blog are 18+ ONLY.

Warnings: Unplanned Pregnancy; Military Inaccuracies; Some Body Insecurity (Pregnancy Related); Use of "You," No Use of Y/N, No Set Physical Description

Summary: You and Jake work on your relationship. Jake is officially promoted to Lieutenant Commander

Series Master List

Master List

After you moved back into your apartment with Jake, the two of you spent the next week focusing on your relationship.

While the two of you weren't strangers, there was still plenty of relationship moments that you had skipped over before and after you got pregnant. And now was the time to figure all of that out before the baby came.

You talked about the past. Jake explained the steps that he took after he left home to protect himself and now, by extension, you and your daughter. He had already been to see lawyers in the past about protecting his assets and what money was legally his and what money was legally his parents' money.

You told him more stories about your parents and about how their lives impacted how you viewed raising your own child. About the safeguards that you wanted in place to protect either one of you. And to especially protect your child. Jake updated his will to ensure that everything he had went you and the baby. And you were in the process of updating your own when one slightly contentious subject popped up.

Who would be entrusted with your child if something happened to both of you.

It was a subject that you brought up initially, playing off your own fears from your own childhood. Jake echoed your concerns and shared your desire to have it all down in writing.

But the question remained: who were you going to ask?

“You want it to be your brother?” Jake guessed, resting his arms on his thighs.

“And you want it to be Javy?” you returned softly.

You stared over at Jake from the couch. Your arm was lazily draped over your bump as you lounged around in Jake’s shirt and a pair of your boy shorts.

“I would feel more comfortable with Javy, yeah, but this isn’t just about me.”

“Or me,” you agreed, sitting up. “We have to pick someone that we both agree on.” You leaned back and rested your hands on your bump, looking at Jake through your eyelashes. “Why do you want Javy and Nat?”

“Javy’s the only person—besides you and the baby—that I consider to be my family. And I trust both of them with my life. And I'd trust our child with them too.” Jake paused for a moment before asking, “Why do you want your brother?”

“Well, he’s the last biological family that I have left. And Emma and I are really close. And I know that they want to have their own family one day. Bradley can tell the baby stories from our childhoods and our parents.” You shared a look with Jake before continuing, “And I trust Javy and Nat with my life too, but I’m worried that with both of them being in the Navy and neither of them expressing an interest in leaving it or having kids, that our baby wouldn’t fit into their lives.”

Jake didn’t disagree with any of your points, but it didn’t change how he really felt about your preference. Even though he and Bradley had a chat after your and Jake’s fight where Bradley apologized to him, they weren’t best friends. There was still distrust on both sides, and Jake was worried that if the baby went to Bradley and Emma, then he'd be written out of the storyline.

And he knew that Javy and Nat would never do that to you.

“But I know that you and Bradley don’t have the best relationship,” you replied softly, careful with your words. “And I don’t want you to feel like you don’t have a choice in this decision. This is your baby too and we need to agree on a couple.”

“I don’t feel that I don't have a choice,” Jake assured you, causing you to nod. “It’s just . . . there’s some thinking to do.”

“We don’t have to decide today,” you stated, slowly getting to your feet. Resting a hand on your back, you walked over to Jake, who automatically placed his hand on the curve of your bump. “I think that I’m going to shower and get dressed for lunch. I feel all gross and sweaty after this morning.”

“Do you need help?”

“If you want, but no funny business,” you warned him.

You bumped him on the nose with the tip of your finger, causing Jake to grin, remembering the last shower that you took together.

“Yes, ma’am.”

~~~~~

“You know that I can still drive, right?” you reminded Jake as he drove to Penny's house.

“I know, but I like driving you around. It makes me feel like I’m doing something for the two of you,” Jake replied, making you swoon a bit. “And besides, you have more space over there.”

"Alright," you agreed as Jake threaded his fingers through your own. "But after your promotion ceremony, I can drive home so that you can actually enjoy it."

"We'll see how it goes," Jake replied as you neared Penny's house.

Jake parked on the street and the two of you walked together around the house. It was the first family event since your and Jake's fight and you were hoping that it went well. At least, better than the last few had gone. Giving Jake's hand a squeeze, you called out to your family, who were seated around the lawn furniture.

“There they are,” Penny stated, standing up from her seat and moving to greet the two of you. “How’re you feeling?”

“Sweaty,” you joked, accepting Penny’s hug. “Thanks for having us.”

“Don’t even start with that. You know that you’re always welcome here. You too, Jake,” Penny stated, offering him a quick hug too. She took the plate of sweets that you baked before ushering you over. “Come and sit. Dinner’s almost done.”

You and Jake took your seats on the couch beside Emma, who greeted you both with a kind smile. While the two of you chatted about your weeks, Maverick walked over to you and Jake.

"How's the little birdie?" Maverick asked, referring to your child.

"Getting more active," you replied, accepted Maverick's hug and the bottle of water with a thankful smile.

"And you ready for your promotion, Jake?" Maverick questioned, handing him a beer.

"I guess," Jake replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "Not really much else to do except show up at this point."

"Yeah, I always found that the week after always ended up being more stressful than the week before it. Because then it all sinks in," Maverick stated, taking a sip of his beer and raising an eyebrow when he caught your look. "What?"

Bradley called out that all of the grilled items were done, and everyone got up to make their plates. The six of you ate in relative peace. There was still some tension there. Bradley and Jake were actively avoiding each other, but it was better than glaring at each other, so you would take it. As Emma told you about a wedding invite that she received from someone that you knew from college, Amelia came running down the stairs.

“What’s wrong?” Penny asked, standing up from her seat.

“My driving instructor cancelled,” Amelia stated, causing Penny to sigh and lower her head. “I’m not going to pass my test, Mom!”

“Amelia, you’ll be fine.”

“You won’t even let me drive to the bar, Mom,” Amelia replied, staring her mother down. “And I don’t think Rooster’s going to come driving with me again.”

“If you give me time to drink four more beers—”

“—Bradley,” Emma admonished, nudging her husband in the side. “She’s learning.”

“She hit the mailbox. Three, actually.”

“And you won’t let Mav teach me,” Amelia reminded her mother, folding her arms over her chest.

“For a reason,” Penny stated firmly.

“Mav taught me how to drive when I was her age,” you spoke up, reaching for your water. "And I turned out fine. I'm sure that she'll be perfectly safe with him, Penny."

“I can teach her,” Jake offered as soon as you finished talking, causing everyone to turn to him. He added, “But only if that’s okay with you, Penny.”

“Yeah, my test is in three weeks,” Amelia agreed, turning to her mom. “I need to practice.”

“Alright, fine,” Penny consented after a few moments of thought. “But no speeding. And don’t hit anything this time. Please.”

“Thanks for offering to teach her how to drive,” you told Jake, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. “You didn’t need to do that.”

“No, I felt like I should,” he replied, squeezing your knee before getting up from his seat.

“Like you . . .?” you trailed off, running through the last few seconds of the conversation in your head. “Jake?”

“Hmm?” he asked, turning around after Amelia handed him the keys.

“Are you calling me a bad driver?” you asked him, frowning when you saw how his expression changed at your question. Now offended, you pressed, “Jake?”

“You did hit the garage,” Bradley reminded you, taking a long sip of his beer.

“Shut up, Bradley,” you told your brother before turning back to your boyfriend, who was quickly walking away from you with Amelia in tow. “Jake Seresin!”

“Sorry, I can’t hear you over the waves!” Jake called back, motioning to his ears as he and Amelia walked around the corner of the house. “I love you!”

Huffing, you sat back in your seat, folding your arms over your chest and pouted a bit. Rooster snickered to himself, earning a sharp look from you.

“Yeah, laugh it up, you big chicken. You stole the neighbor’s Playboy magazines and let Mav take the fall for it.”

And that got him to shut up.

“So, you guys are using the ‘l’ word with each other now?” Emma asked you, causing your frustration to leave your system.

“Yeah, we are,” you replied softly, a bit bashfully.

“So, everything’s patched up?” Maverick asked with an edge of parental concern.

"We're working through everything together," you stated, rubbing your bump with your thumbs. "And we've been doing a lot of planning for the future together. Wills, joint checking accounts, loan applications."

"All good steps," Penny told you with a supportive smile.

"So, you guys are looking at houses now?" Emma questioned, causing you to smile and nod.

"I'm hoping to get one in your neighborhood. So that our kids can go to school together," you admitted, causing Emma to beam. "But we'll see what we can find."

"We'll keep an eye out for any signs in our neighborhood."

"Thanks."

"So, you guys are buying a house together and doing all of these other things together," Rooster trailed off, sharing a look with his wife before asking, "Are you guys getting married then?"

"We've talked about it," you admitted quietly, glancing over at Penny and Maverick.

"And?"

"And when it happens, it happens," you replied with a shrug of your shoulders. "I mean, I'm due relatively soon. We'd have no time to plan anything. I'd look like a whale in all of the photos. And Jake could still get deployed without a lot of notice . . ." you trailed off, glancing down. "So, we'll just wait and see."

~~~~~

“Gently,” Jake told Amelia as she pulled into an empty parking lot. “You’re not a NASCAR driver.”

“Says the man who flies around in a fighter jet all day,” Amelia scoffed, driving into the parking lot. “Can we try backing into a spot? I really need to practice that.”

“Yeah, go over there.”

Amelia drove into the corner of the lot and stopped a bit suddenly, causing Jake to grunt as his seatbelt locked to prevent his head from slamming into the dashboard. Rubbing his chest where the seatbelt tightened, Jake turned to Amelia, who winced.

“I know, I know, easy,” Amelia sighed, slumping in her seat. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine. Just straighten out and drive down the row like you’re going actually to park.”

Amelia followed Jake’s instructions and eventually slowed to a stop. Looking over his shoulder, Jake pointed at the parking spot that he wanted her to aim for. Walking her through the process of backing up, Jake guided Amelia through the maneuver, taking the steering wheel from her for a moment.

After Jake walked her through it again and she pulled out of her spot, Amelia tried to do it herself. But when she finished crooked, Amelia let out a groan of frustration.

“It’s alright. Just straighten out and try it again,” Jake coached her. “You just need to pull the wheel less before you move.”

Amelia pulled out of the spot and tried to back in again. Jake helped her straighten out the wheel properly as she moved into another parking spot. The second try was straighter, though there was still room for improvement. And by the sixth try, Amelia backed into the spot on her own. Once she put the car in park, both Jake and Amelia opened their doors to check the lines.

“See? You just needed a little practice,” Jake replied, closing his door.

“Thanks,” Amelia returned, shutting her own door. “Especially because I know that you’re just doing this to impress her.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Sure, you don’t,” Amelia replied, glancing over at Jake. “You know, you’re a lot better than my mom at this stuff.”

“I’m used to staying calm,” Jake stated, turning to Amelia. “And besides, your mom does a hell of a lot more than I could ever do. She's allowed one weakness.” He paused for a moment before turning back to the lot. “Who’s been teaching you how to drive?”

“Just my driving instructor, really. Mom doesn’t trust Mav to do it because she’s worried that he’ll teach me to speed.” Amelia turned back to Jake and asked, “Do you really think that your girlfriend is that bad of a driver?”

“No, not at all.”

“If I promise to not tell her?” Amelia rephrased.

“I’ll be driving our family every chance that I can,” Jake stated, causing Amelia to laugh. “But you said that Bradley went driving with you once?”

"Yeah."

"It was that bad?"

“He freaked out and only lasted about ten minutes.”

“That doesn’t shock me,” Jake scoffed, shaking his head. “About him, not you.”

“My mom thought that I gave him a heart attack.”

“He gave himself a heart attack over nothing, I’m sure,” Jake replied, turning back to Amelia. “Besides, you don’t even have your license yet. You have plenty of time to learn and improve.”

“Thanks. You too.” When Jake turned to Amelia with a questioning look, she explained, “For when you teach your own kid how to drive.”

“Oh,” Jake replied quietly. “Thanks.” Controlling his own emotions, Jake cleared his throat and pointed at the space in front of him. “You should probably learn how to parallel park too if you’re going to pass your driver’s test.”

~~~~~

“I’m just worried that I’m going to look ridiculous,” you sighed to Penny and Sarah, glancing at the racks of clothes in the store.

It was only a few days before Jake's promotion ceremony, and you still didn't have anything to wear to it. So, you enlisted the help of Penny and Sarah Kazansky to find a dress for the occasion. But so far, it was not going well.

“You’ll be fine. And no one’s going to think that,” Sarah Kazansky assured you from another rack.

“Will I? Have you noticed that more than half of the maternity dresses look like they just used the fabric that no one else wanted to wear?” you sighed, showing Sarah a dress from the rack that proved your point. "This print is giving me a headache."

“Here, try this one,” she offered, handing you a plain blue one.

With some help from Penny and Sarah, you collected a few dresses before walking back into the changing rooms. You tried on one that you picked and immediately cringed at your reflection.

“How’s it going?” Penny called through the door.

“Oh, great,” you called back sarcastically.

“Just come out in one. I’m sure that it’s not that bad,” Penny tried to convince you.

Stepping out of the changing room, you shot Penny a look as she tried to hide her expression behind her hand. Sarah, however, noticeably winced. You sighed, turned on your heel, and walked back into the changing room. After you went through all of the dresses that you picked, the three of you headed to another store.

“Jake will love you in anything,” Sarah encouraged you, as you started to look disheartened.

“He has to,” you sighed, inspecting another dress. “He’s the reason why I’m fat.”

“Here, what about this one?” Penny suggested, holding out another dress to you.

“It doesn’t look half bad,” you agreed, studying it.

“Go try it on.”

You walked into a changing room and pulled on the dress. Letting the zipper in the back hang open, you stepped out to show Penny and Sarah. Penny got up and zipped up the back of the dress for you before the three of you looked it over.

The fabric was soft and stretchy and not too heavy. It accentuated your bump and breasts without making either look too big. And with Sarah’s approving look, you knew that it would be appropriate for the promotion ceremony.

“I think we found it.”

You paid for the dress and then Sarah and Penny insisted on taking you out for a meal. Sarah asked all kinds of questions about the baby and your pregnancy and you, in turn, had some questions for her.

"What did you get Ice for his promotions? I haven't been able to come up with anything good to get Jake yet.”

“When he became a captain, I got him a nice watch. When he became an admiral, I got him a new desk for his office." Sarah reached for her drink with a small smirk. "And when he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander, I gave him a baby nine months later.”

“Aunt Sarah!” you groaned, sticking your tongue out.

"Well, you're already working on that one," Penny teased, causing you to hold a hand to your face. "You could always get him something related to the baby."

"But is that really a good gift for his promotion?"

"You know, one time for Ice's birthday, I took a few portraits with the kids so that he could take the photos of them with him if he got deployed or sent to conferences.”

“Jake did love the ultrasound photos,” you replied, mostly to yourself. Thinking it over, you smiled and turned back to Sarah and Penny. “I’ll think of something.”

~~~~~

“So, what exactly did you need my help with?” Javy asked as he and Jake drove into San Diego.

“I need your advice.”

“Thank you for narrowing it down.”

“I need your help with picking out a ring,” Jake stated, causing the sarcastic smile on Javy’s face to fall.

“A ring ring?”

“Yeah, a ring.”

“No, Jake. A ring ring? You’re going to buy the ring?” Javy repeated, turning to face Jake, who kept his gaze on the road. “You’re going to ask her to marry you?”

“That’s the plan,” Jake agreed, pulling into a parking lot. “But I need a ring first to do that.”

“You’re serious?” Javy asked, causing Jake to shoot him a look.

“Of course, I’m serious, Javy.”

"What made you suddenly decide to take my advice?"

"I had a lot of time to think while we were fighting and she wasn't there with me," Jake began, turning off his truck. Turning to Javy after a pause, he added, "And every dream where we were separated, of her looking at me like she did during our fight . . . I couldn't fucking bear it, Javy." Jake looked down at his hands for a moment. "She and our baby deserve the world, and this is just another step in me giving them that. I want to call her my wife and fucking hell I want her to call me her husband."

“I get it,” Javy replied with a proud smile. "You're finally growing up, Jake. I knew it would happen one day."

"Yeah, yeah," Jake scoffed, pushing Javy's hand off of him. "Now, come on. I still got to pick one."

Jake and Javy got out of his truck and made their way down to the jewelry store. Standing in front of the display case with all of the engagement rings, Jake tried to not get overwhelmed with all of the choices. It almost felt like a test. Would he pick one that you would wear and cherish for the rest of your life? Or would he just look like an idiot kneeling there?

"What's your budget?" Javy started off with.

"We're having a baby in three months," Jake reminded Javy, staring down at the rings. "And we're trying to buy a house."

"Should we go to Walmart then?" Jake shot Javy a look, clearly anxious, causing Javy to chuckle and turn back to the display case. "Don't shit your pants over it. We'll find the perfect one."

"I remember telling you that," Jake mumbled, studying more of the rings below him.

"Turn around is fair play," Javy joked, picking up a card that showed off the different cuts and sizes. "Here, does this give you any sort of idea of what to get?"

"This is her mom's ring," Jake replied, showing Javy a picture of it. "She held onto it until Rooster proposed to Emma with it and I think she still has that in her head."

"You're just going to get a replica then?"

“No, but something similar, I guess. We're not her parents, but I know that she holds onto their story. And she's already cried to me about them not being here and I just want to make her happy and feel like they're still apart of this whole thing."

"You need to save these little speeches for your proposal. Stop wasting them on me," Javy stated, though it made Jake smile to himself. "Alright, those ones are similar over there."

"Can I help you gentlemen with anything?" an employee asked as he walked over to them.

"He's buying an engagement ring," Javy explained, causing the employee to nod.

Jake pointed out a few that looked good to him and inspected them closely as the attendant listed off their details. Moving onto the third ring that he selected, Jake paused, admiring it.

It was a simple three stone ring on a silver band. The middle stone was fairly bigger than the surrounding stones, which gave the ring an intricate appearance. It was similar enough to your mother’s ring, but it was distinctly its own ring too.

And Jake quietly favored the three stone rings, since you were going to be a family of three shortly. It just felt symbolic.

God, he was turning into a sap.

"She'll love it, Jake," Javy replied supportively, staring down at the ring too. “And you already got her pregnant anyways, so she'll probably agree right away.”

"Thanks, Javy," Jake returned, rolling his eyes before handing the ring over to the attendant.

~~~~~

After some research and asking around, you decided to reach out to a local photographer to put together a gift for Jake’s promotion. You never really saw yourself as the type to get a maternity shoot done, but Jake loved the photos from your ultrasound so much that you felt like it just made sense.

Ringing the doorbell and waiting a bit nervously, you smiled when the photographer came walking over to the door. She unlocked it and let you inside, offering you a kind smile.

“Hi, I’m April. It’s so nice to finally meet you,” she greeted you, shaking your hand.

“It’s nice to meet you too.” You followed her back into her studio, your nerves building a little bit. "I've never done anything like this before."

“Not a problem at all. I'll walk you through the process."

April gave you a brief rundown of her equipment and how the photoshoot would go. You already sent her some references and April told you that you would work off of those and see what direction that the photoshoot would take.

“So, you’re doing these for your boyfriend?” April asked as she fixed the lighting.

“Yeah, he just got a big promotion at work, and this was sort of my best idea of what to get him,” you explained, setting down your bag.

"He's a pilot, right?"

"He's a naval aviator," you agreed, looking around the studio.

"I can see the appeal," April mused, hopping down from the ladder and walking over to her camera. "Alright, let's start with that long dress then."

You posed a bit awkwardly for a time but as you and April talked more about your baby and your relationship with Jake and she put on some soothing music, you grew more confident and comfortable with the photoshoot.

"Do you know if you're having a girl or boy?" April asked, straightening up.

"Not yet no. We wanted to wait. Or, I wanted to wait, I guess. I don't think he cared."

"Do you have a preference?" April questioned, lining up another shot.

"Well, I'd be happy either way. I just want the baby to be happy and healthy. But I have a suspicion that we're having a boy."

"Does he want a boy too?"

"No, he wants a girl. Of course, he'll be so happy with a little boy, but I just know he's picturing a little girl." Smiling to yourself as you looked down at your bump, you heard the sound of April's camera going off. "She would have him wrapped around her finger the second that he sees her. That's the thing about men in that kind of industry. They're all tough and macho and then they have a little girl, and then they turn into puddles like that."

April took another photo of you as you talked about your child and Jake before walking over to show you the results. As she slid through them, she smiled at your reaction.

"The best photos are usually the ones that you don't know are being taken," April replied, stepping back. "Did you want to do some more in the dress, or did you want to change?"

"I think those are perfect. Can we do those black and white photos that I showed you next?"

You pulled on Jake's white button up and a simple pair of black stretchy shorts. Buttoning up the shirt so that your breasts were covered but your bump was completely shown off, you returned to where April was waiting for you.

Repeating a lot of the same poses that you did before in your pink dress, you added some more that really focused on your bump.

"Have they kicked yet?" April asked, taking a close up of your bump.

"No, not yet. But we're counting down the days until it happens. My boyfriend always tries to get them to kick before bed, but he hasn't been successful yet."

"He sounds like he's really excited," April mused, taking another shot.

"He is," you agreed, smiling softly.

April walked over to her prop box and pulled out a toy plane. Walking back over to you, she placed the toy on your bump and with just a little sticky material, it stayed in place for a few shots.

You wrapped up the photoshoot and April uploaded the photos to a flash drive for you to take home. You picked a few photos to get printed in time for Jake's promotion ceremony as you contemplated doing a few more. Especially as you looked over the other references that April pulled out.

"Do you do a lot of these?" you asked April, pointing at one.

The woman in the photo was kneeling on the floor, her bump and a well-placed arm protecting her modesty. You had seen photos like that one before but thought it was too bold.

But now you were having second thoughts about it.

"A fair number," April assured you, causing you to bite your lip. "Did you want to try them out?"

"I'd feel weird about those getting printed," you admitted, causing April to smile.

"I print those in house, usually. Or I just do them with a Polaroid. Does that change your mind?"

You went and changed again, still a bit shy as you kneeled down on your mark. You knew that you weren't exactly anywhere near your most beautiful right now, but these photos were for Jake, and he only seemed to get more loving with you as you got larger.

Resting one arm over your breasts, you arched your back and held the pose from the reference shot. April directed you to turn your head a bit towards her.

“Now, imagine that he’s standing right behind me.”

You adjusted your head a bit more and changed your expression until April took the photo.

~~~~~

It was a scorching hot day in Miramar, and you were trying to focus on the ceremony and not how much you were sweating. Hoping that you didn’t already look like a mess, you started to fan yourself with the ceremony pamphlet.

“You alright?” Bradley asked quietly, leaning over.

“I’m fine,” you mumbled back, fanning yourself some more. “Just a little sweaty.”

“A little?”

You elbowed him in the side before focusing on the stage again. You knew that Jake was up next and you didn’t want to miss it. And when they called his name and he got his new pins, you clapped proudly with everyone else as he shook Cyclone’s hand.

The ceremony wrapped up shortly afterwards and everyone stood up, but you continued to sit, not wanting to have to push through everyone. Not when your baby was sitting uncomfortably and moving around at the least opportune times. So, you would just wait for him.

Jake shook hands with the high ranking naval officers, trying to politely move his way over to where you were waiting for him. Excusing himself, he weaved through a few more people before he finally spotted you sitting towards the back. You smiled and waved to him, continuing to fan yourself with the pamphlet.

Jake strode quickly down the aisle towards you. Taking your time, you slowly stood up from your seat as Jake slid into the row in front of you to get to you faster because there was no way that Bradley was going to move out of the way in time.

“Congratulations, Lieutenant Commander,” you told Jake, wrapping your arms around his shoulders.

“Thank you,” he mused, pulling you in for a soft kiss and resting his hand on your bump.

“There are other people around,” Rooster reminded the two of you, earning a pinch from his wife.

“Sorry we’re so far back,” you stated as Jake pulled away. “I was worried that I’d have to pee and need a quick escape route.”

“That’s fine. You’re drinking enough water, right?” Jake asked with a dash of concern.

“Yeah. And now I really need to pee,” you replied sheepishly, causing Jake to chuckle.

“I'll go with you,” Emma offered, standing up too.

“We’ll be right back,” you promised Jake, pressing another kiss to his lips.

You and Emma walked away, leaving Jake and Bradley alone with each other. Jake could have walked off, but he wanted to wait for you. So, he just stood there awkwardly with your brother.

“Congratulations,” Rooster stated calmly, standing up from his seat.

“Thank you,” Jake returned with a nod. Taking his cap off of his head, Jake tucked it under his arm. “I’m sure that the rest of the squad will get their promotions soon.”

“It doesn’t matter to me. I’m separating in six months,” Bradley replied seriously, causing Jake to blink with surprise.

“You’re not renewing?”

“No. Neither is Payback.

“Right,” Hangman spoke, rubbing the back of his neck. “Why now?”

“Emma and I agreed to start trying for a baby in a few months. I’m already working towards my masters and Mav has a friend who could get me a job in the city once I finish it.”

“Have you told everyone?”

“She already knows,” Bradley stated, causing Jake to glance in the direction that you left in. “I’ve already accomplished everything that I wanted and now I’m ready to be home with my wife and our future kids. And maybe a dog if I manage to convince her.” Bradley scratched his cheek before dropping his hand. “We’ll tell everyone else after your baby’s born and things settle down.”

“Congrats to you too then,” Jake responded quietly.

“Thanks.” Bradley shifted his weight on his feet before asking, “Did they give you your orders yet?”

“Not yet. But I’m dreading it already.”

“Nothing you can do about it,” Bradley reminded him.

“No,” Jake agreed quietly. “Doesn’t make it easier.”

“No, it doesn’t.”

They didn’t say much more than that, but there was a silent understanding that passed between them. Jake looked up as you came walking over with Emma.

“You good?” you called out to Jake, noting his smile was slow to return.

“I’m good,” he assured you, pressing a kiss to your head. “I’m very good.”

“For the love of—”

Tags (PRETTY PLEASE have your AGE on your blog or message me about it to be tagged--thank you!):

[If I missed you, don’t feel bad about asking to be tagged again! But please make sure that your age is in your bio/comment/etc. If you see your tag spelled correctly, please double check your privacy settings! Thanks!]

@mrsjobarnes @wishiwasacasualfan @bethabear12 @everythingmarveltopgun @hardballoonlove @mavrellover91 @senjoritanana @sophiaslastbraincell @xoxabs88xox @emma8895eb @dempy @harperdoodle @itsmytimetoodream @sarahjoestewy-blog @the-annoying-fan @athenabarnes @midnightmagpiemama @praline357 @sucker4seresin @sunsetsimpsblog @sgt-barnesveins @abaker74 @shanimallina87 @kellyls04 @trickphotography2 @kmc1989 @boiolay @offical-potato @topgun-imagines @caitsymichelle13 @daddymack01 @hangmandruigandmav @hotch-meeeeeuppppp @lilylilyyyyyy @lillunna @bcon24 @sky0401 @ashcosmo @blackwidownat2814 @specialagentjackbauer @imareallygoodlawyersbrick @percysaidnever @silenthappyplace @buckysteveloki-me @havlindzk @hookslove1592 @mamachasesmayhem @aviatorobsessed @marvelogic @ems-alexandra @harrysgothicbitch @shawnsblue @shiara04 @delguersojoy-blog @erindiggory @eloquentdreamer @tomanyfandomstrash

[baronvontribble]

thoughts on the vampire ascendant

so, the ascension ritual was conceived of by the archdevil mephistopheles to give cazador power, right. like, this is a two century old deal with a devil. we know that deals with devils always involve an ulterior motive. something deeper is going on under the surface. so why would mephistopheles give cazador a deal like that? a guarantee of seven thousand souls? he could get that just by starting a war.

no, i think it's bigger than that. he is, after all, very specifically empowering cazador. it's an all-of-the-perks, none-of-the-drawbacks situation. the perfect vampire.

the perfect vessel.

astarion, impulsive as he is, hasn't given a lick of thought to this. if cazador had any safeguards in place to keep himself intact, astarion isn't aware of them. he hasn't even considered that he might lose himself to the ritual, and there's plenty of proof that he does.

in the hordes of the underdark expansion of neverwinter nights (yes i'm old for knowing this), mephistopheles is specifically plotting to turn toril into the lowest circle of hell under his rule. this will make him more powerful than asmodeus, thus making him the lord of all the hells.

it explains why he's the one the crown of karsus was stolen from in baldur's gate 3, because of course he'd have an object that powerful in his vault. but it also explains why he would assist a vampire in ascending, because an ascendant vampire's body would be the perfect vehicle for an archdevil looking to rule the world to work through.

there is no way for astarion to come out of the ritual intact. it wouldn't have been designed that way in the first place. particularly if this is one of the contingencies mephistopheles came up with before the events of hordes of the underdark (which, given the timeline, it is). ascended astarion is almost definitely an archdevil's puppet, much like cazador would've been if he'd been successful. whether it's one of mephistopheles's lieutenants or the asshole supreme himself pulling the strings, it's fucked either way.

anyway, no judgement, i'm just adding to the commentary/theorycrafting around it in case anyone wants to take a poke at this kind of narrative direction. food for thought, basically!

[twstgarden]

❀ ❝ 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 ❞

━ malleus draconia x fae! gn! reader ━ part 2 of so close yet so far. unable to find the strength to let the prince know of your true feelings, you decided to pen down your thoughts every night. unfortunately, you failed to safeguard those letters properly, which caused the prince to receive those letters and reply back to you with a surprise announcement. 

may include a few spoilers for chapter 7! f/n stands for first name.

do not steal or translate without my permission.

‘to his royal highness prince malleus draconia,

this is another of the unsent letters that i’ll write to you. we have known one another for a century or so, and i have always thought this job of mine would be mediocre, but i often find myself waking up in the morning filled with motivation to guard you properly and to be around you. 

though inexperienced, i am no fool for i immediately knew i held romantic feelings for you. however, i do not have the intention to make you aware of it. you’re a prince and i’m your guard, that’s all we’re destined to be. 

it is enough for me to stand by your side in regard to your safety. it is enough for me to see you sit in the lounge with the rest as you sip on your drink and zone out from time to time. it is enough for me to be around you. 

with how sappy and emotional this letter sounds, i am, quite frankly, relieved that i do not need to send this letter to you. 

forever yours, f/n l/n’

you sighed to yourself as you placed the pen down and folded the paper, tossing it into the treasure chest box by your study table along with the other unsent letters you wrote for the prince. your working hours were done a few hours ago, so you found yourself seated alone in your room as you stared at the disorganized stack of folded letters in the treasure chest.

after a while, you stood up and stretched your limbs before crashing onto your bed to get a good night’s sleep and forget about your worries for a moment. 

another day to persevere and hold back your feelings for the young master.

you were currently in the courtyard with the young master and the other two retainers. it was minutes after class dismissals and malleus wanted to sit in the courtyard for a while, possibly to relax. it was quiet, at least for you since you were zoning out. silver and malleus were both talking about the black coffee they drank this morning before class and sebek, once again, seemed rather upset at not being able to spend some quality time drinking the same drink as malleus due to his dislike towards the beverage.

at some point in their conversation, malleus told the two of them to go ahead and train since the courtyard did not have a lot of people around, leaving you and malleus to sit together on the bench. despite the blank expression on your face, your heart was beating really fast at the slightly close proximity. 

well, you need to calm down because he’s only sitting. 

your eyes stayed on silver and sebek as you observed their combat moves, unaware that you were already evaluating their performance and felt proud at how they’ve improved over the years. after their combat training, sebek looked at you with a rather proud smile and even the usually reserved silver was smiling at you too.

“lieutenant! i did better than silver, right?! have you seen how i blocked his last attack?!” exclaimed sebek in excitement as you smiled at them. you hummed with a nod as you responded back, “mhm, you two did great. you’ve improved a lot! keep at it, you two.” silver thanked you politely as you continued conversing with the three about their swordsmanship and combat skills.

with your attention focused on your juniors, you failed to notice the way his sharp eyes stayed on you for a long while. though his expression was blank, it was evident that he is impressed with your skills as he always has been and will continue to hold you in high regard. 

later on, you got back to your dorm room as it was already late at night. you sat by the window as you stared out at the dark backyard of diasomnia in silence, spacing out and falling into your daydreams with a small smile on your face.

however, your little delusional moment was interrupted by a bird flying right into your window and settling on the windowsill with an envelope in its beak. you raised a brow in confusion as you noticed the words ‘to l/n’, “for me…? thanks.”

you grabbed the letter from the bird as it flew away from your window, leaving you alone with the letter and opened it to read the contents with an intrigued and confused expression because who sends letters at 2 in the morning? especially to you of all people?

‘to my dearest,

this letter may arrive to you in the dead hours of the night and you may find yourself wondering who or why this was sent to you. i have received one of your “unsent”, as you claimed, letters. perhaps it ended up on my desk by accident, but i recognized your handwriting immediately. 

to know that you’ve held such deep feelings for me leaves me astounded. it is a surprise, but a wonderful one. 

you may remember the conversation a few days ago in the lounge about lilia announcing my grandmother’s wish to aid me in my search for a spouse. i have no need for the aid as i had already found the person i wish to marry and i, as well as my grandmother, have spoken to your family yesterday to request your hand. 

you say we are destined to only be the prince and the guard, but perhaps a proposal from me will make you change your mind about this ‘destiny’ that you speak of. 

meet me in the dorm garden 30 minutes after the bird sent you this letter.

i shall see you then.

eternally yours, m.d.’

you blinked your eyes several times as thoughts started running through your mind. ‘m.d.? m.d.??? as in malleus draconia? as in my master? his royal highness? the man i’ve been crushing on?’ 

“holy fuck,” you mumbled in surprise as you stared at the letter. he claimed to have already spoken to your family yesterday, so it seemed your father was made aware of the young master’s interest in having you as his spouse. your mind started to drift back to that night when you heard the announcement from lilia, and thought that there was something you might have missed that made you not realize it was you all along.

"so, i've heard queen maleficia wishes to help you find your significant other, malleus... what do you think of it?" asked lilia, which broke you out of your trance, suddenly interested in the conversation but remained silent, as usual. 

"hmm..." 

a hum escaped malleus' lips, setting down his teacup on its saucer as his sharp green eyes stared at his beverage in deep thought. your eyes were glued on his figure, taking in his features as you awaited for him to share his response. he had always looked strikingly beautiful, malleus was one attractive man and you would never deny that.

you loved everything about him - those striking green eyes of his, his beautiful horns, the adorable child-like smile he would display every time he was happy, his commanding presence, his voice, his powerful skills and abilities, and so on. 

there was something about this man that you promise to serve with your whole life, so it was not a surprise that you had fallen for him over the course of your time together. 

you snapped out of your thoughts as soon as malleus cleared his throat, preparing to share his response with a smile, "that's fine... i already have someone in mind..."

ah... 

stupid.

delusional. 

you were stupid enough, delusional even, to think that the feelings you hold for the man you're serving will be reciprocated.

what a joke. 

despite the smiles on lilia, silver, and sebek's faces, you remained indifferent as you felt your heart slightly crack. you didn't want to ruin the happy atmosphere as much as you wanted to sigh out in despair and run up to your room, you didn't want them to suddenly be concerned if you decided to storm out.

so you sat there silently, tuning out the conversation as you were no longer interested to listen to something that you knew will hurt your feelings even more. 

with such thoughts in mind, you failed to notice the way malleus was staring at you. he had his eyes on you for a while now after the announcement, but frowned a little as he noticed your silence. lilia, silver, and sebek looked at you as well, noticing that indifferent expression as you cast your gaze on the coffee table before you. lilia then glanced at malleus as he asked in a soft tone, “do they know?” the latter shook his head in response, making it clear that you were not aware of any of this and it may seem that you’re plunging your mind with negative thoughts. 

“f/n?”

silver called out to you softly, but you didn’t respond. maybe to you, you believe none of the four would ever address you by your name in such a familiar way, but little do you know about the several missed calls of your name and not your title due to your spacing-out habits. sebek continued to look at you as he called out this time, “mx. f/n?” 

a soft sigh left lilia’s lips as he mumbled, “they’re spacing out again…” he continued to stare at you for a bit before calling out to you a little louder than those two did, “lieutenant?” you snapped out of your trance as soon as you heard lilia's voice calling out to you, addressing you in your official title and not your name. 

because you were spacing out.

"yes...?"

you replied softly, finding no energy to speak after feeling so downhearted. you noticed the hint of concern in your comrades' eyes whilst your future king looked over at you with curiosity as lilia spoke, "you haven't said a word ever since we started sitting on the lounge. is there something on your mind? we've been calling out to you for a while now, but you didn't respond."

"oh... um..."

you couldn't think of a proper excuse as silver asked, "are you tired, lieutenant? you can retire for the night..." you hummed in response as you shook your head, "i'm not tired yet. my apologies for being in a trance and spacing out." 

"hmm... well, that's fine since you're with us, but you must remain vigilant when on guard duty. it is troubling to think that you might not be paying attention to malleus or your own safety if you're in a daze," reprimanded lilia as he leaned back on the chair. he may have already been retired, but he was still your mentor, he taught you all the sword-fighting skills that you practice today as well as combat tips that are useful in the field. 

you meekly nodded as you mumbled, "yes, sir. my deepest apologies." 

you went silent once again as the conversation between them continued, but malleus was also silent. his gaze stayed on you as he thought to himself, ‘i wonder what keeps their mind busy… i shall inform them of my interest soon, then…’ 

and so, you found yourself in the garden of your dormitory as you found the tall man standing by the bushes, eyeing the dark scenery as he waited for your presence. once you arrived, you gave him a polite bow as you spoke softly, “my apologies for making you wait, young master.”

malleus turned to look at you and shook his head in a dismissive manner, replying back to you in that attractive voice of his, “no need for an apology. i simply came earlier than needed. i assume you have received my letter, then?” 

there was a small smile on his face as his expression seemed more lighthearted and softer than usual. you couldn’t help but nod in response as you tried to keep your blank expression on, “yes, sir…” 

“perfect… and just call me by my name. there is no need for formalities between us, f/n.”

oh my, he addressed you by your name this time. you nodded your head once again as you spoke calmly, “as you wish, malleus.” you then continued to converse with him for a while until he turned his head to look at you with a smile. his smile looked beautiful as it always was and you find yourself smiling back at him.

the prince then handed you a rose, speaking in a tender tone as his eyes stayed fixated on you. 

“i would be happy to have you as my spouse if you’d let me.”

© twstgarden 2023 || please do not steal, translate without my permission, or use this to train a.i.

[shadowgale96]

AU where Sixty was captured rather than killed. In the aftermath of the revolution, he's being detained at the DPD for abducting a police lieutenant, holding him against his will, and attempted murder.

He is confined to a cell as they try to determine whether Sixty was an object used in a crime perpetrated by Cyberlife (since he had yet to deviate) that should be held as evidence, if he should be considered an accomplice to a crime as androids are now legally considered citizens rather than objects, or if he should remain in lock up as a threat to those around him for committing these crimes as easily as he did despite Cyberlife being under legal obligation to put safeguards in all their androids that prohibit them from using firearms and acting outside the law in the first place.

Sixty's detention is a legal disaster.

Despite everything that went down at Cyberlife tower, Connor still comes to visit Sixty in his cell. Connor knows that Sixty was merely obeying his directive. (A directive also being investigated into thoroughly because Cyberlife either instructed and permitted Sixty to break the law, or their lack of safeguards over the Amanda AI allowed her to instruct androids under her surveillance to commit crimes. Which is a whole other legal mess that gives Hank a migraine.) Connor remembers all the paths he could have taken to accomplish his mission. Many of them weren't legal either. Logically, it makes sense that Sixty would act more callously after studying Connors memories and seeing that empathy led to deviancy. So of course Sixty would harden his heart and act ruthlessly to achieve his goal.

But now Sixty is deviant. Androids were gradually gaining rights. And Connor doesn't think it's fair to keep Sixty locked up for something he did before he was able to truly choose. So, he advocates for his release, and visits him in his cell everyday he's in the station until he can be freed.

Sixty, on the other hand, isn't exactly pleased about Connors frequent visits. Connor reminds him of his failings at the tower, his failing of Amanda, his failure to achieve his mission. He was supposed to be the one to correct Connor's shortcomings. He's grateful to be alive, sure, but he isn't sure what to make of his life now. Part of him knows he shouldn't hold it against Connor, but he can't help but feel resentful of Connor. Resentful that he can even FEEL because of Connor. Frustrated that Connor wasn't defective, he was alive. He keeps making the right calls even though Sixty doesn't know what right or wrong is anymore.

So, yeah Sixty's not exactly pleased to see Connor everyday, but in his own way, he doesn't exactly want his visits to stop either. Because Connor is probably the only person in the entire world that truly understands him. And Connor's currently the only friend he has in his four-walled existence.

During the visits, there's friction between them, but there is also companionship.

Eventually, Sixty is released. In no small part due to Connor's efforts. He should be grateful, but he's just frustrated. So maybe he snaps at Connor. Tells him that, being an RK800 model, he is just as capable as him and doesn't need Connor taking care of him. Much to his annoyance, Connor doesn't retaliate but lets him vent his frustrations.

Connor tells Sixty he is glad he's now free to go his own way. He's sorry for what happened between them and hopes that one day they might be able to start over. Connor sends over information on android housing as well as work that might pique Sixty's interest being related to their skill sets.

They part ways for the time being. Connor gave Sixty his contact information if he needed anything, much to Sixty's annoyance. When Sixty left the DPD he had no idea where he'd go. But he'd find his way.

He thought of Connor a lot in the following months. Wondered if Connor thought of him. Eventually, he'd reach out. But he needed time to grow. As well as to heal.

[spaceengineerjulia]

Deranged psionic communist military lesbian media reccomendations? 👀 ☭🏳️‍🌈

Unjust Depths!

Unjust Depths is an underwater space opera web novel about a group of communists on a mission to foment revolution in a collapsing empire. It is military sci-fi featuring fleet combat, political intrigue, and underwater mechas called "Divers". It is explicitly communist and explicitly lesbian! The main character Murati Nakara is explicitly a trans lesbian!

from the site:

Even if it brings the world to the brink of ruin, you must demand justice. A thousand meters under the ocean, beneath an uninhabitable surface, the Union of Ferris, Lyser and Solstice scratches out a living for its people in former slave colonies won in a communist revolution against the vast Imbrian Empire. Out of every junior officer in the Union navy, Lieutenant Murati Nakara has made the most petitions for promotion to an active duty warship. When the Empire enters an era of internal political chaos, Murati finally gets a chance to prove herself. Aboard an experimental ship and part of a young crew inexperienced in war, Murati takes on the task of exploiting the Empire’s weakness to safeguard her home. This journey will lead her across thousands of kilometers of ocean, discovering unlikely allies, dangerous foes, and difficult truths about their underwater world.

[thesilliestrovingalive]

Updated: September 24, 2024

Reworked Character #9: Tequila

POTENTIAL TRIGGER WARNING: Viewer discretion is advised due to references to death, torture, suicide, child abuse, cannibalism, crime, alcoholism, and divorce.

Real name: Sermeg Bracquemond-Kagamihara (he legally changed his name to Sosuke N. Kanikoja)

Alias: Maestro of a Thousand Skirmishes

Nickname: Tequila

Occupation: Lieutenant General of the S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S., Brigadier General of the Regular Army, Army Chief of Staff for the Rebel Army (formerly), and mercenary for the Theophylaktos Union (formerly)

Retirement plans: Open a florist shop, become a philanthropist dedicated to supporting child welfare and war veterans, and establish a company that designs and manufactures affordable, electric vehicles

Special skills: Coordinating covert missions, and training programs for new recruits, proficiency in tactical planning and the operation of heavy machinery, mastery of disguise, and rescuing hostages

Esper abilities: His body possesses a unique adaptive ability, granting him resistance to extreme temperatures, toxins, and other hazards. In response to environmental stressors, his organs automatically secrete a protective, opalescent slime that coats them. This slime serves as a barrier, preventing harmful microorganisms from entering his body and shielding him from infections and diseases. It also repels toxic substances and deadly gases, safeguarding his organs from damage. Furthermore, the slime produces purplish-black cells that play a crucial role in his thermal resistance, helping to regulate his body temperature and enabling him to withstand extreme heat or cold temperatures

Moreover, he's able to intentionally shed his skin, peeling it off like a removable garment. Following its removal, his skin rapidly regenerates through a self-materialising process, restoring his epidermal layer. This process allows him to remove harmful organisms that may have attached to or burrowed into his skin. Shedding contaminated skin also enables him to regenerate healthy tissue and develop enhanced immunity and resistance to biological hazards, including toxins, bacteria, and other harmful substances.

By leveraging his photographic memory and manipulating his genetic code and organic mass, he can shapeshift into any form he has visually memorised. He can also teleport short distances, allowing him to suddenly disappear and reappear in locations with which he has partial or full familiarity. He boasts flexibility rivalling that of an octopus due to his extreme hypermobility, and agility nearly identical to that of a cheetah. Furthermore, his senses are incredibly acute, featuring eyesight as keen as an eagle's, hearing as sensitive as a bat's, a sense of smell as discerning as an elephant's, and touch sensitivity as refined as a star-nosed mole's. When sensing the presence of danger or untrustworthy individuals within his range of sight and hearing, his mind instantly kicks into fight or flight mode, impairing his impulsivity and heightening his hypervigilance. This triggers a sudden surge of adrenaline, preparing his body to either confront the threat or flee to safety.

He can clearly read emotions and thoughts by proximity to an individual's aura within a 6 ft (182.88 cm) boundary. Additionally, he possesses psychometry, granting him access to accurate knowledge of an object's or person's history through physical contact, which triggers brief yet remarkably vivid visions. He can sense celestial events, planetary alignments, and cosmic anomalies, allowing him to vaguely predict global changes. Furthermore, he can passively sense environmental changes to predict weather, earthquakes, and other meteorological and geological events.

He has black half-spheres on the palms of his hands, which possess a red-violet lustre and serve three distinct purposes. Firstly, they enable him to manipulate the organic fabric of sentient life forms and the four elemental forces that comprise the cosmos: earth, air, water, and fire. Secondly, they allow him to absorb memories and knowledge from the freshly deceased and bodies in various stages of decay. Lastly, by touching a sentient being or placing his hand in close proximity to one, they grant him the ability to communicate with them telepathically.

Hobbies: Gardening (especially cultivating deadly plants), playing underground poker games, watching demolition derby events, tinkering with and customising his own vehicles, and engaging in friendly fire incidents during covert missions with military organisations

Likes: Gourmet grilling, the innocent curiosity of children, enjoying a drink after a long battle, the symbolism and cultural significance of flowers, and exploring exotic destinations and natural wonders

Dislikes: Captivity, troublemakers, being stuck in tight spaces (especially during an escape), bureaucratic red tape, and witnessing his comrades and children being exploited and oppressed or caught in situations of gratuitous violence

Favourite food: Tequila (tequila sunrise is his most favourite) and his own gourmet grilled food

Sexuality: Panromantic graysexual

Gender: Male

Age: 50 (in 2022), 56 (in 2028), 58 (in 2030), 60 (in 2032), 62 (in 2034), 69 (in 2041), 71 (in 2043), 72 (in 2044), and 75 (in 2047)

Blood type: A-

Weight: 109 lbs. (49 kg)

Design: He’s a 5 ft (152.4 cm) Canadian ectomorph of French and Japanese descent with a lean, semi-lanky build, subtle softness around the midsection, and a weak yet surprisingly stocky musculature. He has sloping shoulders, beige skin (it was pale ivory during his younger years), and a small black mole on the right side of his chin. He has a missing second premolar on his lower jaw and heterochromia eyes: his right eye is a medium sky blue and his left eye is a deep cyan. Tequila sports a brownish-black spiky crew cut dyed a light auburn, which is paired with sideburns, semi-bushy eyebrows, and a slightly dishevelled five o'clock shadow. On his right outer thigh, he has a tattoo depicting a seven-horned Lamb of God, its legs bound, holding an olive branch in its mouth. The lamb is set against a backdrop of a gilded Chi Rho symbol (☧), which is encircled by a radiant, flaming aureola.

He bears numerous battle scars from past encounters, including: half of his upper back being heavily burned; a series of jagged cuts on his left arm caused by shrapnel; a deep, curved scar on his temple; a thin, horizontal knife scar on his chin; a slight cut on his left cheek from a bullet that flew past him; and a bullet wound below the right side of his diaphragm. Tequila also has a series of deep stab wounds on his right shoulder and right lumbar region, a severed tendon (flexor carpi ulnaris) in his left forearm, and a partially cut left thumb. After being experimented on, his body underwent significant transformations: his muscles now have a coppery hue with bronze streaks, his neck is adorned with bearded vulture feathers, his bones are gilded and steel-hard, and his legs are covered in shaggy, greenish-black fur.

His military gear consists of brass-plated goggles with yellow-orange lenses, a navy blue bandana mask, a bone white tank top with a slight rip just above the left hip, and greenish-black gloves. He wears army cargo pants in a camouflage pattern featuring cerulean, lavender grey, and Cambridge blue, which are tucked into spike-soled liver brown combat boots. His pants have two crudely stitched patches: a triangular brownish-red one on the right knee and a rectangular steel blue one on the middle of his left outer thigh. Tequila wears a metal dog tag necklace with his name, navy blue elbow and knee pads, a leather belt, a sheath for his combat knife, and a drop leg holster for a handgun with a silencer. A Prussian blue waist pack is secured to the back of his belt, containing a bronze-finished flask filled with his tequila cocktail of choice for the day.

He wears a linden green flight jacket, often left unzipped, featuring a brown wolf-fur lining, a metallic silver zipper, and gilded epaulets. The jacket has four pockets and boasts the S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S. logo emblazoned on the back. It has two hidden compartments designed for firearms, but typically stores a sheathed machete and a scoped bolt-action rifle instead. Additionally, he wears a reseda chartreuse armband on his left sleeve, adorned with the Regular Army insignia. He typically wears a blue-green Lightweight Helmet (LWH), but occasionally opts for a gold-edged wedge cap of linden green seal fur instead.

Over his tank top, he dons a Soldier Plate Carrier System (SPCS) with a cerulean, lavender grey, and Cambridge blue camouflage pattern, which carries around his walkie-talkie and ammo for other firearms. He wears three dark grey bandoliers: one draped over his right shoulder holds flashbang grenades, another over his left shoulder holds smoke bombs, and a third wraps around his waist above his belt, holding ammunition for his handgun. Tequila carries around a steel blue load-bearing backpack that contains camping equipment, tactical explosives, portable ammo boxes, a canteen full of water, a grappling hook, and a disguise kit that adapts to the specific requirements of each mission. It also contains a rocket launcher, grenade launcher, bazooka, flame gun, missile pod, practical tools like mechanic and lockpicking sets, and a photo album filled with Polaroid pictures.

The pockets of his flight jacket carry around a metallic blue-green lighter, the key to his motorcycle, noise-cancelling earplugs, and a hundred-eyed cowrie shell, a gift from Gimlet. Tequila also carries a collection of cherished photographs: one showing him with his ex-wife, Margaret, and their late son, Thomas; another with his former team, including a young Gimlet; a third featuring a Swiss brassy ringlet on a yellow mountain flower; a fourth capturing Red Eye playfully placing an orange cat on a sleeping Donald Morden; a fifth depicting him and Clark on a mountain hike; and a sixth showing him, Marco, Tarma, Gimlet, and Red Eye, taken one year prior to the Great Morden War.

He has a stash of cigars and a half-empty pack of cigarettes tucked away in the right pocket of his army cargo pants, while his left pocket is occupied by a burgundy instant camera, a digital recorder, a silver engagement ring featuring a princess cut diamond, and a golden wedding band. Ever since he encountered a Swiss brassy ringlet during a hike through the rocky meadows of the European Alps, he fell in love with them and proudly displays a pin depicting one on the left side of his flight jacket. He wears two distinctive necklaces: a black cord with a teardrop-shaped nazar charm and a gold chain holding a pendant of the Immaculate Heart of Mary impaled by a longsword.

His custom-made motorcycle is a glaucous BMW R75, adorned with forest green cheetah spots outlined in sandy beige. The motorcycle comes with a sidecar, which serves as storage for extra supplies and his load-bearing backpack. The sidecar features an intriguing design element: a Swiss brassy ringlet on the antler of an elk skull, proudly displayed on its side. The sidecar is outfitted with a greenish-black rocket turret, while two rotating miniguns are mounted on either side of the front wheel of his motorcycle.

Personality: He's a cunning, wise, rebellious polyglot with a strong aversion to being bossed around unjustly. As a thrill-seeker, he has a tendency to bluff and revels in the raw power and adrenaline rush that comes with high-intensity situations, which makes him feel alive. He has a strong sense of camaraderie with those he considers comrades and close friends, going to great lengths to ensure their happiness and safety. Tequila is especially devoted to Marco, Tarma, Red Eye, Gimlet, Clark, and Eri, holding their well-being in the highest regard due to the deep affection he feels for them. Depending on the situation, he can be very blunt, believing that people need to quickly learn that the truth is often a hard pill to swallow. Whenever his patience is running thin or he deems it necessary, he isn't afraid to speak his mind, though his words can be abrasive and unsettling.

Despite his perpetual weary expression, he’s a fundamentally kind-hearted and morally upright leader. Tequila is a tough-as-nails and hypervigilant individual that has a tendency to engage in occasional reckless behaviour. He has a cynical, pessimistic outlook on life, which he occasionally masks through social drinking, reading the newspaper or immersing himself in his hobbies. As an introvert with an exceptionally high intellect, he finds it challenging to connect with others. He has a deep-seated compassion and strong protective instincts towards children who are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. Tequila views it as a moral obligation to safeguard them from harm and foster a secure environment that allows them to thrive. When drunk, he exhibits clumsiness, boisterousness, sorrowfulness, physical aggression, and increased insulting behaviour (far more than usual). Additionally, he's even more likely to make awkward attempts to flirt with anyone who catches his eye.

He's particularly self-conscious about his height and extremely hates being teased about it. When someone teases him about his height, he tends to retaliate by rudely insulting them, often targeting their appearance-related insecurities. When he's feeling scared or furious towards someone who has visibly angered him, he has a habit of jumping on their back, which may follow up with an attack. Tequila has zero tolerance for cowardice and incompetence, viewing them as lame excuses for people to avoid putting in effort and failing to contribute meaningfully to their roles in society. He dislikes people who are overly pesky or slimy, individuals with a bratty and entitled attitude, unnecessary trouble, political corruption, and duplicity.

As a devout Catholic who also believes in the evil eye, he abhors war and can't help but feel a pang of sympathy for new military recruits, knowing their innocent worldview is likely to be shattered. Nevertheless, he recognizes that everyone has their own reasons for enlisting and refrains from criticising their choices. He becomes vengeful when he encounters people who have been unreasonably hurt or when he feels betrayed and devastated after losing something he deeply cares about. He’ll only betray someone or a cause if he senses that they’re crossing into morally reprehensible territory. He lives with sleep paralysis, atypical depression, and mild borderline personality disorder and PTSD. When he needs time for solitude and contemplation, he withdraws from others, seeks out a comforting space, and puts in his earplugs to block out the voices and distractions of those around him.

He harbours a deep-seated hatred towards his former friend, General Morden, stemming from his subsequent betrayal when Morden's megalomaniacal desire for world domination consumed him. He perceives Margaret as promiscuous and attention-seeking, disapproving of her flirtatious behaviour as a means to cope with loneliness. Despite their divorce, he still cares about her well-being and has been gradually rebuilding their relationship, attempting to alleviate her loneliness. He has a strong affinity for Gimlet, whom he sees as a surrogate son, striving to educate and guide him on the right path. However, he often finds himself disappointed by Vasser's ill-tempered bully attitude, his excessive thirst for blood and action, and his tendencies to slack off, cause mischief, and make unwanted advances towards women.

Backstory: Sermeg Bracquemond-Kagamihara was born on December 23, 1972 in Chichicastenango, Guatemala. His biological parents were Kafkasi Bracquemond, a French-Canadian construction worker from Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada, and Tsukiko Kagamihara, a Japanese-Canadian entrepreneur who owned an open-air market selling homemade Japanese craft goods. He had an adoptive sister who was six years older than him named Ximena, who had been abandoned by her father, struggling with alcoholism. As expected, he had inherited Tuatha Dé Danann DNA from his parents, which became noticeable when he frequently mentioned seeing a pair of glowing red eyes watching him. Sermeg's parents had also noticed that his intelligence grew at rapid speeds, which they greatly encouraged. Between the ages of 1 and 4, he read numerous books on various subjects, including mathematics, engineering, sociology, psychology, architecture, ancient history, geography, political science, and world religions. By the age of 5, he had taught himself to speak multiple languages, including Japanese, Korean, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian, and learned about their respective cultures.

Before Sermeg's 7th birthday, his father was assassinated by a hitman in retaliation for killing the right-hand man of a prominent Québécois organised crime family near Montreal. Prior to his death, Kafkasi had fled with his wife, Tsukiko, to Guatemala. The crime family, seeking revenge and viewing Tsukiko and her children as potential assets, had planned to force them into hard labour and prostitution. Out of fear, Tsukiko made the tough decision to put Sermeg and Ximena up for adoption, hoping they would be safe. Shortly after, Tsukiko vanished mysteriously, leaving behind only speculation that she had fallen prey to the Québécois crime family's sinister activities.

They were adopted by an organ harvester named Tecuani, who took pity on them after learning about the fate of their parents. Despite his illicit profession, Tecuani went out of his way to ensure that Sermeg and Ximena were well-fed and properly educated. He even taught them essential survival skills for navigating the dangers of the streets, giving them a better chance at thriving in a challenging world. However, their time together was short-lived, as Tecuani was promptly arrested after one of his employees reported him to the police for operating an illegal organ harvesting business.

As a result, Sermeg and Ximena were placed into the foster care system, where they experienced a tumultuous journey through four different foster families. The first family was neglectful and struggled with addiction, the second was intimidated by Sermeg's abnormal intelligence, and the third, although kind and lenient, harboured an uncle who posed a sexual threat to Ximena.

Tragically, their last foster family was a source of immense pain and suffering. The foster father, a business executive named Clifford, was controlling and abusive, lashing out physically and emotionally, especially when Sermeg dared to stand up for himself. The foster mother, a psychiatrist named Magdalena, failed to provide a safe and nurturing environment, neglecting their needs and belittling them with hurtful words that preyed on their insecurities. Ximena, who had always been dear to Magdalena, struggled with depression, PTSD, and body dysmorphia, which ultimately led to her eventual suicide when Sermeg was just 12 years old.

At age 15, Sermeg joined a newly formed cartel that promised him refuge and financial assistance in exchange for killing and cannibalising his foster parents. Initially hesitant due to his disgust at the idea of consuming his abusers, he was motivated by the prospect of exacting revenge. He followed through on the cartel's demands, completing his initiation and rapidly rising through the ranks thanks to his street smarts. He played a key role in gathering valuable intelligence for the cartel's boss and devising strategic plans for financial management and tactical attacks.

To cope with his emotional pain and seek excitement, he turned to drinking various tequila cocktails, eventually leading to an addiction and a particular fondness for tequila sunrise. His struggles with addiction led to him being dubbed "Tequila" by those around him, a nickname he unexpectedly embraced as part of his identity and later adopted as his codename for military operations.

The circumstances of his departure from the cartel are unclear, but rumours suggest that the cartel was either absorbed into or annihilated by a relatively obscure cult-like guerrilla group from Venezuela known as the Theophylaktos Union. However, it's confirmed that he did join the Theophylaktos Union at age 19, becoming a skilled mercenary and spy for the organisation. He admits that he had a boyfriend during his time in the Theophylaktos Union, but their relationship was cut short when his partner was killed in friendly fire. This was also when he began exploring mechanics and constructed his first custom-made motorcycle.

At the age of 21, during a raid on a Brazilian town, he encountered a frightened child clinging to her dead mother and her severely injured younger brother. Initially, he callously shot her, believing her to be an obstacle to fulfilling the Dark Lord's supposedly twisted desires. Yet, upon reflection, he questioned his actions and his allegiance to the Theophylaktos Union, ultimately realising that this path was not for him. He subsequently retired from the group, assumed the alias Sosuke N. Kanikoja for his protection, relocated to Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada, and sought rehabilitation to address his escalating alcohol addiction. He also turned to Catholicism as a way to find new meaning in life and began working as a bartender and cashier at a flower shop.

While working as a bartender, he met Hyakutaro, who had just completed a challenging mission for the Regular Army. They quickly formed a strong bond after sharing their personal struggles and aspirations. Hyakutaro encouraged him to join the Regular Army, hoping it would give him a sense of direction and purpose. Inspired by their conversation, he enlisted in the Regular Army at the age of 25 and went on to specialise in hostage rescue missions. He also developed expertise in camouflage, secret identities, and intelligence gathering, earning recognition as the Regular Army's top covert agent. His exceptional leadership skills, tactical planning, and recruitment abilities further propelled him to the rank of Brigadier General. Four years after joining the Regular Army and Intelligence Agency, he was among the first to be transferred to the newly established S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S. special forces unit, becoming one of its founding members, alongside Red Eye.

He met Margaret Southwood shortly after the S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S. was established, encountering her at the Combat Academy section of the Intelligence Division. He immediately fell in love with her and decided to ask her out on a few dates, which blossomed into a romance. As their relationship grew, they eventually got married and had a single child together, naming him Thomas. Tragically, their marriage was short-lived after their five-year-old son was killed by a drunk driver. As they both struggled to cope with their grief, Margaret turned to promiscuity and Tequila turned to drinking as a means of distraction. Unfortunately, these coping mechanisms created an insurmountable rift, leading to their divorce.

At age 39, after exiting a pub and heading back to a nearby Regular Army base on his motorcycle, he noticed a malnourished teenage boy lying in an alleyway with a bruised and bloodied face. He took great pity on the boy and promptly aided him, noticing the boy's eerie silence and uncanny resemblance to Thomas. He decided to head back to the base later and instead brought the boy to a restaurant, buying him lunch. After a couple of minutes of trying to encourage the boy to speak, he finally introduced himself as Vasser Gutenschiff-Wolstenholme and shared his story of taking to the streets to escape his abusive father, Kanan. Moved by Vasser's situation and seeing it as a duty to protect children from harm, he vowed to enact vengeance. With the assistance of Vasser, he assassinated Kanan by breaking into his house, then adopted Vasser through the Regular Army's orphan program.

A couple of years after Vasser's adoption, he met Morden unexpectedly while serving with the North American Garrison, which was assisting the European Garrison and Middle Eastern Garrison in thwarting an Oceania military organisation's attempt to spark a full-scale nuclear war. Following the successful completion of this mission, they forged a bond over drinks and shared stories of their challenging childhoods. Morden also expressed his admiration for Tequila's courage in his espionage work and leadership abilities within the North American Garrison.

He would eventually become a revered mentor and friend to many, including Clark, Red Eye, Tarma, and Marco. Notably, he encouraged Vasser to join the Peregrine Falcons Squad, but this guidance had an unexpected consequence: Vasser began to reveal a more attention-seeking and bloodthirsty side, indulging in troublesome, slothful, and lecherous tendencies that led to several issues. In addition to rescuing hostages, he consistently went above and beyond to save children who were in imminent danger or at risk of harm, making their safety a top priority regardless of the mission. One mission that remains etched in his memory is when he rescued a group of children being trafficked and sold on the black market, while his team simultaneously took down the criminals responsible for this heinous crime.

He played a key role in the Arms Deal Barrage and defeating the remnants of the Serapion Fellowship, but the mission uncovered a shocking truth: the Regular Army was secretly involved in an arms deal with the aforementioned group, a revelation he shared with Gimlet, Sagan, Logan, Hyakutaro, Red Eye, Morden, and Allen O'Neil. This moment opened his eyes to the Regular Army's secret corruption, but he remained silent, fearing that speaking out would make him a target for swift assassination as a whistleblower.

Three years after the Central Park bombing, Morden secretly approached him at a bar and convinced him to defect. Believing it was a good opportunity, he quietly resigned from the Regular Army and S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S. to join the Rebel Army. He excelled as a top-notch spy, often disguising himself as a Rebel in a woodland military uniform for land troops. He rose to become Morden's right-hand man, serving as the Army's Chief of Staff. However, after nearing one year of service, he discovered General Morden's true intentions and how he had fully succumbed to his megalomaniacal desires. Horrified, he promptly left the Rebel Army and defected back to the Regular Army, warning them about the impending rise of the Rebel Army. However, despite his inside knowledge, they were unable to prepare in time as General Morden successfully launched a surprise attack, overpowering them and rapidly consolidating his global dictatorship.

During the Great Morden War, he aided Marco in leading the governmental resistance against the Rebel Army. Although he held a higher military rank than Marco, he allowed Marco to take the initiative, recognizing his great potential to become a truly charismatic leader. After being ambushed by Morden and his forces, he was brutally tortured and forcibly killed in front of Marco and Tarma. However, Morden promised to bring him back in a greater form, sending his deceased body to Doctor Amadeus. Doctor Amadeus successfully revived Tequila, but as a semi-clone of Hyakutaro, significantly altering his existence.

[bestworstcase]

Sort of a funny/sad realization but it just occurred to me Salem & Sienna potentially could have worked together.

Cos even if we ignore well thought out speculation on Salem's end goals, her priorities have been Relics > Ozma > Maidens > Kingdoms.

With the last two being more like tools to get to the latter two.

Sure we know from Atlas she is OK with a civilization falling, but she's also fine with something just being snuck out of the Vault or given to her.

Thus, it seems it was more Cinder's methods and or issues with the kingdoms as concepts that informed some of her methods or allies, IE, Adam who cares more about killing than he does about building or conquering.

But if city destruction and mass death are not necessary, one could actually see an alliance between Sienna & Salem.

i think abt this all the time cause like

salem sends hazel, her most level-headed lieutenant and the one least likely to escalate or resort to violence in circumstances where ozpin is not present, to represent her to sienna khan

hazel (& salem by extension) is not forewarned of adam's plan to assassinate sienna and his open disgust with adam afterward leads to hazel (& again, salem by extension) essentially washing hands of adam's white fang at haven

"but the moment you put your desires before my own, they will be lost to you" <- this isn't true of hazel (he lies to protect emerald, salem intimidates emerald to make a point but does not hurt her) or cinder (salem doesn't stick to "she must be left to toil in her isolation" for long and cinder wins the power struggle in V8), but it IS true of adam, whose coup results in salem dropping him

so like… it seems pretty evident that salem would have preferred to work with sienna over adam which aside from the obvious ideological implications of that preference also… makes sense because, as you note, both sienna and salem are pragmatists motivated by change rather than wanton destruction.

i would also point out that salem's campaign is specifically against the huntsmen academies, with the kingdoms being collateral damage (grimm withdraw from vale but continue to hold beacon, in mistral she assassinated qrow's information network and targeted haven very precisely, her forces do not attack mantle or follow civilians into the subway), and atlas falls as a result of what ironwood does while salem is a smear of ash on the ground + by the time she reconstitutes the cities are almost completely empty. so i do think it's an open question whether salem intended for atlas to fall versus just not caring to save it from falling when she reformed in a doomed but fully evacuated kingdom.

which matters because if sienna were brought into the loop regarding what the academies are really for (i.e., safeguarding the relics for mankind's eschaton) i do think she would find working with salem to break the academies and retrieve the relics a fairly easy sell if salem gave her a compelling reason to believe that the ultimate plan is to build a new world--it is obviously not going to go well for the faunus if the human who controls those relics ever summons his gods back for the day of judgment and it isn't as though sienna's averse to violent tactics if she believes they will be effective in furthering her strategic end of a better world for the faunus. (salem not being human is also a potential point in favor)

[kervl-klear]

C2ISTAR introduction part 2

North Capital

North Capital is Northland defense force’s head quarters where generals and admirals who perform non-command work report to whether they develop weapons or advising the higher up about war and espionage strategy.

The head quarter is so flooded with generals that major generals and rear admirals are simply glorified coffee makers and it is well known for being a place with suffocating work environment.

Area 21

Area 21 is a highly classified remotely detached facility administrated by Sandpear navy base on the seaside and Rosemary army base on the land side.

Sandpear is a navy base where fleet of battleships and aircraft carriers from the unit of the same name reside, they are established to safeguard Rosemary army base. The fleet is run by soldiers at the rank of lieutenant and above with their main function being to sailed out and mitigate intel leakage, Sandpear will temporarily take over residential units while hiding their true intentions through join command protocol.

Rosemary army base is an ISR office tasked to safeguard and analyze classified intels, most of the base located underground. There are 4 levels, B1 is the main office, B2-B4 are intel safes. The intel are categorized base on the classification level, blue files(confidential) are kept in B2, red files(secret) are kept in B3 and yellow flies(top secret) are kept in B4.

Aster research institution

Defense force research institution established as a result from clandestine collaboration between the pacifists of Northland and South wood to heal the victim of war under the guised of competing against West coast and Bay hill‘s technology.

The institution was burned to the ground, and the unit is disbanded. However, the soldiers seem to still be alive and are trying to reach out to someone with encrypted code.

[tanadrin]

The Frontier Shapeshifter Classification and Threat Response Scheme

"Shapeshifters? That kind of science fiction nonsense isn't real. Pull yourself together, Lieutenant!" --Captain Abrido Xem of the Helvetosian light frigate Kamar's Dawn, thirteen seconds before xir execution by a Varyassid infiltrator

"Shapeshifter" is the common term for a number of different species which exhibit similar natural adaptations and/or technologically-augmented abilities that enable them to take on the guise of other species, of specific individuals, or, in extremely unusual cases, diverse nonliving physical objects in their surrounding environment. Shapeshifting can be a tool for avoiding harm, for peacefully gathering information, or even for facilitating first contact, but it can also be used for hostile infiltration, assassination, and war. Many interstellar polities and organizations are therefore wary of shapeshifters, if not outright hostile. Frontier policy (and that of the Foundation in general) is one of gradual, cautious friendliness in all first contact situations; this applies no less to shapeshifting individuals or clades than it does to any other newly-encountered lifeform. Hostile shapeshifters have been encountered, however, and the following general policies have been developed for use in situations where an encounter is suspected or confirmed.

General principles

Frontier ships operate at the limits of Foundation knowledge, and it is not unusual for two alien species (say, a Foundation member and an unknown non-member) to have such wide cognitive, communicative, or conceptual gaps between them that creative means must be found to establish first contact, or even to make one's presence known to the other. Thus, the surprise presence of an alien lifeform aboard a Foundation ship should not be taken as in itself proof of a hostile invasion situation, but should put the crew on high alert. General procedures when discovering an alien presence or influence that has made its way onto the ship unnoticed is to immediately report the presence to command staff, and to implement Alert Protocol F-4 ("The Buddy System (Infiltration)"). If hostile intent is suspected, but not confirmed, Alert Protocol F-5 may be implemented ("Active Containment"). For permanent installations, protocol F-5B should be used ("Foothold: Condition Orange"). In cases of confirmed hostile intent, more serious protocols should be enacted, but the exact protocol depends on the nature of the infiltration: F-7 ("Passphrase Protocol"), F-8 ("Stun First, Ask Questions Later"), F-12 ("In Case of Brain Slugs, Break Glass"), or even F-13 ("Shipwide Purge"). Commanders of key installations may, in extreme circumstances, order the implementation of Protocol F-13C ("Foothold: Condition Red"), but certain safeguards must be observed to prevent infiltrators or enemy agents from simply using this protocol to wipe out key bases (see Command Briefing RX-11 for details).

Major classes

Class ANAMORPH - ANAMORPH-type shapeshifters are sometimes not considered true shapeshifters at all; they are "amorphous" lifeforms that can change their physical shape, but within fairly limited parameters, and without especially unusual adaptations beyond the changing of integument color or texture that let them mimic other species. A common example might be the Earth octopus, which uses its ability to hide from marine predators, but which would not fool even the most basic bioscanner (or a zoologist giving one a cursory physical examination).

Class WEREWOLF - WEREWOLF-type shapeshifters are among the most common, and refer simply to lifeforms that have two or more (though almost always it is only two) highly specific morphs which they can alternate between at will, and within a relatively short period of time (at most a few days; sometimes as little as a few minutes, but more usually on the order of hours). The danger of WEREWOLFs comes primarily from unfamiliarity--e.g., disturbing the sessile and apparently inanimate forms of Khuryans during their aestivation, or not noticing the presence of Farosian flesh-burrowers because their locomotive form is far more commonly depicted in pop culture than their nesting sac. Some WEREWOLFs have developed their alternate morphs as camouflage, which may be technologically enhanced in ways which render them difficult to find even when searching for them with advanced technology. Frontier ships are equipped with sensor suites sensitive to all known WEREWOLF camouflage techniques, but of course when seeking out strange new forms of life, explorers should expect the unexpected.

Class SELKIE - SELKIE-type shapeshifters specifically emulate members of other species. Of especial interest are those that imitate members of sapient species. Most are themselves sapient, but not all--notably, the Ormovan organ-stealer is such an adroit mimic that it can get close enough to unwary humans to complete its feeding cycle despite having an extremely primitive nervous system and very little native intelligence. SELKIEs do not imitate specific sapient individuals, often require a great deal of observation or preparation to learn to mimic a new species, and are detectable to most remote scans. Most sapient SELKIEs make no effort to hide their ability, and use it primarily to facilitate communication and trade.

Class PUCA - PUCA-type shapeshifters primarily use their shapeshifting abilities for concealment, and their ability relies to some extent (whether technological or biological) on subverting the senses or cognition of other lifeforms. Since there are no adaptations which are generally effective in subverting the perception of all sentient species, PUCAs often are vulnerable to detection by new species or by unfamiliar sensor technologies, though sapient PUCA exhibit a great deal of adaptability in dealing with these situations. PUCA are typically quite harmless, and most only want to be left alone. Confirmed PUCA, like the "Fairies of F3X-449" or the Julaya Freehold, are subject to a general noninterference order.

Class CHANGELING - CHANGELING-type shapeshifters, like PUCA, are reliant to some degree on subverting the perceptions of other lifeforms; unlike PUCA, they exhibit more flexible, generalist abilities, sometimes including the ability to mimic specific other sapients. Like PUCA, their weakness is often new species or new sensor technologies which they have not yet been able to develop countermeasures for. However, since CHANGELINGs' abilities are not aimed primarily at concealment, they may be more bold about actively infiltrating alien ships or installations, or even planets, for both benign and malicious purposes.

Class ETIAINEN - ETIAINEN-type shapeshifters are among the most dangerous, when their intent is hostile. They exhibit the ability to mimic not only specific sapient species, but specific sapient individuals, and to do so in ways that allow them to acquire at least partial knowledge, memory, and/or skills of the individual in question; sometimes they may even be unaware of their status as a shapeshifter, allowing them to act as long-term deep-cover agents. There are few true ETIAINEN species; most known ETIAINEN are small clades within larger species-groups, or the result of specific military-intelligence projects. Known ETIAINEN include the Varyassid assassins (who must partially consume their target), Ghoshani mimics (must maintain prolonged physical contact with their target to acquire information from them, typically isolating them in a remote location), Turei doppelgangers (they usually physically infest and gradually replace the host body), and Chaulan scanners (who allegedly need only momentary contact with the person they intend to replace).

Minor classes

Class ASWANG - ASWANGs are not true shapeshifters in the sense that they may imitate or acquire attributes of species, but do so in a piecemeal fashion, often appearing chimeric as a result. They are also overwhelmingly predators, some of especially keen intelligence. Fortunately, they are rare, but the suspected presence of an ASWANG aboard a Frontier vessel is a TYRANT-grade emergency.

Class CUCKOO - CUCKOOs are brood parasites who find ways of inserting their young into alien populations. Sometimes this is a way of learning about them, with the young later returning as adults to CUCKOO worlds; for other species, this seems simply to be such a natural part of their existence they continue it without questioning it very much. Most CUCKOOS target oviparous species for obvious reasons, but this is perhaps not always so: there are reports that a case of apparent triplets born aboard the FSEV Beagle proved, on genetic testing, to actually consist of one human baby and two nanotech-engineered replicants, though as the mother was reported to have had a threesome with a fellow crewmember and a Harusian artificial lifeform nine months prior, this may technically be classified not so much as a case of brood parasitism as simply a cross-species polyandrous multiple birth.

Class TIYANAK - TIYANAKs are "reverse shapeshifters:" species which reproduce by infecting other, physically compatible species, which they then subvert and frequently genetically alter, or which they use as a kind of permanent parasitic host. Due to the physiological difficulties in such a life cycle, TIYANAKs are in fact quite rare, and the handful of known examples are arguably more likely to be (essentially) ancient bioweapons or computer viruses gone astray than natural occurrences. Nonetheless, TIYANAKs are considered extremely dangerous. "Classic" TIYANAKs resemble the Pavrian Rakshasas, which infect their hosts and gradually replace all their biological tissue with new Pavrian tissue, starting with the central nervous system. "Parasite"-types like the Edrian skullburrower may keep the host body alive and largely intact, using it for locomotion and sustenance. There are also ambiguous "hybrid" types which seem to alternate modes as circumstances require: during the F96-A4A Incident, Captain Havar of the FSEV Orreiska noted that the infectious vector produced a variety of ambulant "parasite"-types, alongside sessile "broodmother" types. Since the human and Chalawani crew was immune to infection, a great deal of data could be gathered during the course of the outbreak (though sadly it could not in the end be stopped), and of dozens of the broodmother types examined, not one, after reaching maturity, contained any genetic or physical trace of the original host.

(Excerpted from Karel Mora's An Introduction to Xenology for Starship Officers, 3rd. edition)

[soapver4]

A Stranger in the Lee Soo-Yeon Strangeverse

Merch idea: You're a vacationer in mystery mistress Lee Soo-yeon's macrohabitat, where each story so far begins with a lead character running into a corpse: in a store he shops at, at the home he visits for an appointment, along his commute, in a vehicle arriving at his workplace, and right above her on her vehicle. To enjoy your stay with maximal peace in this video game, you must keep the place as safe as possible:

Brave the embarrassment and stigma to report suspicious activities and domestic violence and other wrongdoings before they escalate or occur to more victims

Stop establishment patrons from taking any unconscious person away

Clean up after yourself so that no sign of carelessness or sloppiness suggests an abundance of easy victims to potential criminals

Join a mentoring program for at-risk youths

Join a neighborhood watch

Help out at a soup kitchen

Sign petitions for safer infrastructure and other robust security measures and for legal reforms to hold wrongdoers fully accountable

Pay all your rightful taxes to sustain a well-functioning justice system, including adequate hot spots policing (but with policy safeguards to forestall racial profiling)

Depending on the number of crimes accrued by the end of your stay, you get to collect rewards or penalties. There are two tiers of rewards: (A) a computer-generated, shareable gif of you slurping noodles with ace prosecutor Hwang Si-mok and warm-hearted police lieutenant Han Yeo-jin or having desserts with the dashing emergency medicine specialist and secret change-maker Ye Jin-woo and (B) shareable AI doodle of you in Han Yeo-jin's art style. The penalties? Computer-generated imagery of Lee Soo-yeon's villains cynically pointing weapons at your photo avatar. Sorry, you'll have to do more work to show off this other visual on social media. Naturally, the number of villains increases with the number of crimes.

A leaderboard publicizes all players' rankings. Every few months, active players have virtual access to a debate between socially-driven crime writers like Lee Soo-yeon and Kim Eun-hee and experts on criminal affairs. Physical attendance is possible with ticket purchase. The top 5% of players receive complimentary tickets. Let's keep in mind, though, that virtual virtue does not always translate to real-world virtue. Nonetheless, at a time when apocalyptic news ceaselessly rains down on us, the reminder that we have so much agency to sculpt our surroundings would be empowering, clarifying and inspiring.

[robertmisirian]

A head turnaround for Lieutenant Safeguard, a superhero in my Pinatrix Universe.

[absent-enigma]

Some FS Auburn Lygari Info/HC’s:

-As of surfacing from the Underground, Lygari is the monster equivalent of 50 in human years. He is content to relax when he doesn’t have to constantly watch his older brother’s back like before, and takes up more hobbies to fill the space that was bodyguard duty. He doesn’t give it up entirely if Arduum goes to some conference or other event at the Queen’s request, and as the judge, he’s allowed to decide if he wants to join or not. Lygari does have his duties as the judge, but it is a lot less in demand now that monster’s don’t feel as trapped and needing to lie about their emotions theough the flower pins they wear. On occasion, however, Lygari does have to be less lenient as the judge if a monster happens to cause a commotion and friction with humans, especially earlier on when monsters are just getting used to being on the Surface.

-To support his older brother, Lygari, at age 12, and on bed rest from a terrible accident, secretly did research of his own, but instead of training, he focused on the structure of the Royal Guard and its history, as well as qualifications to be considered. The biggest obstacle for Arduum was his health; had Lygari wanted to make a bid to the Royal Guard, he would have had better luck with his strength and good solid health and stamina. But it wasn’t what he was interested in; tech and how things worked were. But seeing his brother consistently go to bother Alphys for 5 entire years (before and after Lygari’s accident) made Lygari decide that he would do some training of his own; not for the Royal Guard’s use, but to safeguard his older brother so he could follow his dream.

-With a little pestering of his own by hacking Alphys’ phone and trying to get her to at least let Arduum experience senty duty in a relatively safer area of the Underground. Alphys exasperated with him but knows of him through Undyne (and that Lygari is attending classes for tech/the CORE) and tells him Arduum (age 20, Lygari age 15) will get one chance and it’s on Lygari if someone dusts him. Lygari just thanks her for his brother and prepares himself for the bodyguard duty he’s assigned himself (despite being younger/continuing to heal from his accident 3 years ago. Everything went well; Lygari knew Arduum was competent, and with him watching his brother’s back, Arduum was allowed to dedicate himself to his newly aquired job that he was obviously proud to receive and determined to proform well for promotions. No one caught on for the longest time to Lygari as Arduum’s shadow, first on the sentry route and station (age 15-17) then to his courier position (Lygari reluctantly joins as a sentry and discovers Muffet’s cafe in Snowdin as he and Arduum grew more comfortable with their positions, age 18-20). Most knew when Arduum became lieutenant of the Snowdin faction (Lygari, using his height and hunched posture to loom and make other’s question his intentions despite his general friendliness, and his flower pins (and puns), age 21-30), to weapons master of all the Royal Guard and second to Alphys (Lygari amusing himself by still being unsettling, age 31-40) and finally to Captain of the entire Royal Guard (Lygari foiling assassination attempts and lurking outside his brother’s office to pretend he’s there on duty as ghe judge to keep those he doesn’t trust away from his brother, 41-50).

-Despite the injuries that should have fully maimed Lygari from an accident when he was 12 years old, he persists without complaint, and all he had to show of the past accident is a brace that’s around the last cervical vertebrae down to his middle of his shoulder blades. It does give him a slightly hunched over position from the way that the injury healed itself after many times. It had caused immense pain and the addition of the brace once Lygari hit, then was done, with his growth spurt. Had bed rest and painful ‘hold the vertebrae in place and hope’ each time Lygari grew taller. Caused a slight curve in the upper spine once the grow spur then were over with. The brace helps with pain and keeping the vertebrae in place-hardly takes medicine.

-Lygari loves the Surface, as it means he can rest his body more often and not be hunched over and have his skull looming over someone like he’s about to pounce someone. Good for the Underground, not so much up top. Has claimed the corner of the living room as his ‘bed’ and it is almost always covered in numerous soft blankets and pillows (that Lygari intentionally over it’s as he knows Arduum wants them but won’t but them-nicking his younger brother’s belongings? Why not? It’s revenge for Lygari’s horrible flower puns when he came to bother Arduum, or at least that’s what Lygari lets his older brother believe).

[usafphantom2]

Latvian Air Base becomes NATO's third Air Police base in the Baltic Sea region

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 03/05/2024 - 09:00 in Military

As of March 1, 2024, the Latvian Military Base in Lielvarde was activated as the third NATO base to host Allied fighter detachments that will protect the skies of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, conducting the Baltic Air Police mission.

As a symbol of friendship, Colonel Viesturs Masulis, Head of the Air Force of Latvia, presents Lieutenant Colonel Swen Jacob and his detachment with a piece of black bread. (Photo: Arnaud Chamberlin)

At a ceremony held on March 2, 2024, representatives of Latvia, Canada, Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Spain, the United States and NATO officially inaugurated the role of the base in NATO's regional Air Police stance. Due to the runway and infrastructure works at Ämari Air Base that will last until the end of the year, Latvia - in close cooperation with Estonia and Germany - has created the structural conditions in Lielvarde for rapid reaction alert tasks 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, under the aegis of NATO. Until November, a German Eurofighters detachment will carry out this mission.

— Team Luftwaffe (@Team_Luftwaffe) March 1, 2024

An inspection team from NATO's Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) in Uedem, Germany, responsible for supervising the Alliance's Air Policing throughout northern Europe, has officially certified that the command and control process is in place in Lielvarde - from the first alert to the launch of the fighters and the presentation of the final mission report.

"This is a memorable day for Latvia and NATO. For the first time, NATO Air Policing will be carried out from the Lielvarde Air Base," said Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spr? ds. "We are grateful to all the Allies who contributed their forces to this mission of shielding the airspace of NATO and our people. Air domain is essential for the deterrence and defense of the Allies. The ability to carry out the mission from various locations clearly shows that NATO's integrated air and anti-missile defense can be agile, fast and credible in the defense of our airspace,” he added.

— Team Luftwaffe (@Team_Luftwaffe) March 2, 2024

"For almost 20 years - since Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania joined NATO in 2004 - the principle of collective defense has been implemented in the Baltic States, and this mission has now physically reached Lielvarde, which means that NATO has three operational bases for detachments. - one in each Baltic ally," said Major General Harold van Pee, commander of the CAOC Uedem. “Both Latvia and Germany did an excellent job in quickly preparing the air base for combat aircraft jobs, as was demonstrated yesterday, when the German detachment managed to make its first alert a few hours after formally assuming the status for the first time,” he added referring to the first German takeoff from Lielvarde to intercept Russian military aircraft flying over the Baltic Sea.

— Team Luftwaffe (@Team_Luftwaffe) March 1, 2024

The ceremony was another opportunity to highlight the collective effort of the Allies in the region. “In the current ever-evolving security environment, NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission plays a crucial role in deterring potential threats, safeguarding the integrity of airspace and promoting regional stability,” said Colonel Viesturs Masulis, Commander of the Latvian Air Force. "It serves as a visible demonstration of our collective determination to defend ourselves against any threat; therefore, we have the honor of receiving and hosting the German Luftwaffe while it operates its Eurofighters from Lielvarde Air Base, ensuring safe skies. I would like to thank the Polish Air Force for its support of the Ämari Air Base mission in Estonia. Thank you for helping to protect our airspace during the last few months,” he added.

With the activation of Lielvarde Air Base, Latvia allows NATO to continue to use two air bases for Air Police in the region. In the meantime, Ämari Air Base will be used for the deployment of Germany's Detachable Control and Reporting Center, which, from mid-March to the end of June 2024, will increase NATO's surveillance and control capacity in the Baltic Sea region. During this period, German air traffic controllers will be integrated into the control and communication centers in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Tags: Military AviationEurofighter TyphoonLuftwaffe - German Air ForceNATO - Air Police Mission

Sharing

tweet

Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

Related news

MILITARY

Finland approves deployment of the F-35A assembly line at Patria

04/03/2024 - 23:18

BRAZIL

IMAGES: How was the farewell of the C-130 Hercules at the FAB, after almost 60 years

04/03/2024 - 18:36

MILITARY

VIDEO: Turkish manufacturer tests Akinci drone with high-precision missile systems

04/03/2024 - 14:30

MILITARY

IOMAX prepares updated Grand Caravan aircraft for ISR missions with the Royal Jordanian Air Force

04/03/2024 - 13:00

MILITARY

Pentagon will suspend V-22 Osprey flight ban this week

04/03/2024 - 12:00

INTERCEPTIONS

Hours after taking over NATO mission, German Eurofighters intercept Russian aircraft

04/03/2024 - 09:00

[docgold13]

365 Marvel Comics Paper Cut-Out SuperHeroes - One Hero, Every Day, All Year…

November 28th - Abigail Brand

Abigail Brand was born and raised on the planet Axus, to an extraterrestrial father and a woman from Earth.  Abigail inherited the X-Gene from her mother and manifested Mutant powers in late childhood.  These powers entails the ability to generate a fiery energy from her hands that can burn through nearly any substance.  From her father’s side, meanwhile, Abigail inherited green hair and enhanced physical attributes (increased speed, strength and durability).  

Abigail relocated to earth in her young adulthood and was recruited into an unspecified branch of the United States military intelligence.  Not long thereafter, she was asked to join SWORD, a subdivision of SHIELD tasked with defending the Earth from extraterrestrial threats.  She excelled in her position at SWORD and was made director of the program at the young age of 28.  

As the director of SWORD, Brand has had multiple encounters with alien beings and forces from all over the cosmos.  Her efforts to safeguard the earth have at times led to her making unscrupulous decisions, yet her cold pragmatism has helped to protect the greater good of life on earth.  Brand has been involved in multiple adventures alongside The X-Men and has maintained a rocky on-again/off-again romance with the fellow Mutant,  Hank McCoy.     

SWORD folded following the Infinity event and was replaced with the similar program, Alpha Flight.  Captain Marvel was named head of Alpha Flight and Brand stayed on as her first lieutenant.  Marvel stepped down from the position following the second superhero civil war and Brand was made director of Alpha Flight.  In the wake of the Empyre event, however, Brand decided that Alpha Flight was woefully unprepared to fulfill its duties and she quit the organization.  Brand has since founded a new version of SWORD based out of the Mutant nation of Krakoa.  

The heroine first appeared in the pages of Astonishing X-Men Vol. 3 #3 (2004).  

[clonemedickix]

OC General Lara Lin (Telperion Laurelin), Commander of the Dragon Company, Guardian of the Balance and Guide of Souls

Dragon Company 1st Officer: Lt Primer

Dragon Company Sergeants: Boost and Deuce

Dragon Company Chief Medical Officer: Volte

Things about Lara: An immortal goddess, created to guard the Balance between the Light and the Dark. The source of the Force, living and cosmic. Created by Eru Iluvatar as a safeguard and ultimate weapon against enemies such as Morgoth the Deceiver, his lieutenant Sauron, and any in that vein. A visitor to the Star Wars galaxy, there to offer her assistance in their war.

Personality: feisty, generally happy if not slightly jaded. A little crass at times, spends most of her time off duty in the American South and so speaks with a drawl mixed from Northeast Louisiana/Southeast Texas (think if Duck Dynasty mated with east Texas). Known to occasionally let fly with curse words. Not above a little pranking, especially against people that annoy her. Loyal, capable of deeply loving, a strong, agile and experienced warrior. Does not handle the loss of loved ones well; swore off personal relationships for this reason. A complete sucker for a clone in uniform.

Rating: EXPLICIT

Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions Of Violence / Adult Themes and Relationships / UNDER 18 DNI

Category: F/M

Fandoms: Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Cartoon)Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media TypesThe Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. TolkienGame of Thrones (TV)Star Wars - All Media Types

Relationship: CT-7567 | Rex/Original Female Character(s)

Characters: CT-7567 | Rex | CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo | CT-27-5555 | ARC-5555 | Fives | Hunter (Star Wars: The Bad Batch) | Tech (Star Wars: The Bad Batch) | Wrecker (Star Wars: The Bad Batch) | Crosshair (Star Wars: The Bad Batch) | CC-2224 | Cody | Obi-Wan Kenobi | Mace Windu | Clone Troopers (Star Wars) | CT-5597 | JesseCT-6116 | Kix | Clone Trooper Hardcase (Star Wars) | Cut Lawquane | Suu Lawquane | Yoda (Star Wars) | Plo Koon | CC-3636 | Wolffe | Sheev Palpatine | Darth Sidious | Padmé Amidala | Ahsoka Tano

Excerpt:

The sound of lightsaber on steel rang through the room as Lara and Skywalker fought in the ring. Rex saw Ahsoka Tano standing by Cody, watching the sparring match; Lara’s lieutenant, Primer, was also there watching in silence, almost as if coaching her movements. Lara needed no coaching, but he knew Primer’s heart was in the right place; he of course wanted his general to win. Rex stepped up quietly to stand next to Cody’s other side. The door behind opened once more and General Kenobi walked in, his face full of curiosity. Kenobi walked up to watch with the other spectators, on Primer’s right side, cheering very quietly as Lara blocked a blow from Anakin he’d aimed at her back; she’d reached back with her great sword to protect her rear and then spun quickly away from him, bringing her short sword around to take her own swipe at him. The two danced around the fighting ring, graceful and sure in their skills; everyone could tell they were enjoying their battle. Anakin used many Force assisted leaps and flips to stay out of her range, while Lara used her quickness and reach to close on him frequently. She knew more tricks than he did, and she spun beneath his saber, her mail shirt’s small skirt flaring in the air. She took a couple quick steps, dropped to her knees and slid beneath Anakin, flaring backwards and bringing her two swords up together as a single instrument to block, then she hopped back up to her feet and spun, leaping and swinging one powerfully aimed boot around to kick Anakin square in his chest. It knocked the wind right out of him and he collapsed to the mat with a thud. Obi Wan laughed out loud; he always loved to see his old padawan bested in a match. Ahsoka groaned; she had thought he had a chance this time, but towards the end of the fight she’d seen Lara’s concentration increase, realizing that as usual she’d only been dedicating about half of her skill to the game.

Lara took a breath; the fight had been hard enough that she was slightly winded, and felt it had been a very good contest this time. She put her great sword back in its sheath over her shoulder and reached her hand down to Anakin to help him up. He groaned in a little laugh, took her hand and let her pull him to his feet. “I’m going to have your boot print on my chest for a week, Lara.” He rubbed it carefully; she’d kicked him about as hard as an angry mule.

Lara smiled at him and replied very quietly, so only he heard her, “Be sure to tell Padme it’s from me.” She winked at him with an even bigger smile as he laughed at that rejoinder. They turned to move over to their spectators, and Lara glanced towards Rex, seeing him watching her quietly. She paused only for the tiniest fraction of an instant, seeing his face, then she moved over to Primer and Cody.

“That was a great move, General. I’ll have to see if I can copy it next time we fight.” Primer took her hand in a warm move of greeting.

Kenobi smiled at her and nodded. “I think we could all learn a thing or two from your fighting styles. That was a good match to watch. Good to see you back, as well, General Lin.” He gave her something of a wistful smile, and tipped his head in a way she knew was mean to convey condolences for her loss.

“Thank you, Obi Wan. I wish the circumstances were a little happier, but it’s good to be back.”

“Yes well, since you ARE here, I’m sure we can find some way to put your skills to use. Anakin, we are needed at the Temple. Ahsoka, you too.” He looked to his fellow Jedi, about like a mother hen herding her chicks toward the coop. Anakin gave Lara a little fist bump as he walked off with Obi Wan; she knew she’d see them in the next few days and they would update her on any needs or deployment plans. Kenobi walked a few paces away and then stopped, turning back to Lara. “Oh Lara, I meant to ask you - General Windu received a strange crate of supplies the other day on deployment from the quartermaster; it seems a large satchel of rubber phalluses in assorted sizes and colors arrived to him, with a note that said ‘Eat me.’ You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

A huge whoop of laughter escaped Anakin before he could stop it; he covered it by suddenly faking a coughing fit into his sleeve and looking away. Ahsoka asked him, “What’s a ‘phallus’?” Obi Wan’s eyes cut over to Ahsoka and Anakin quickly, his brows scrunching together in what he hoped was a signal to get her moving. Anakin put a hand around Ahsoka’s shoulders and steered her toward the door, still choking on his laughter and tears running down his face.

Primer and Cody both heard the short conversation and their eyebrows about touched the ceilings; they looked at Lara’s face and saw her head suddenly come up, a tiny smirk lit the corner of her mouth and then her countenance went carefully blank, an expression of consternation and shock in her eyes. “I can’t IMAGINE who would do such a thing, Obi Wan! How the neighbors will talk! I do declare!” She drawled the words out, doing her best to keep her appearance one of innocent, amazed outrage and surprise. Kenobi stared at her flatly, waiting for her to finish her little play. “For heaven’s sake….? Bless his heart?…. No? Not working for you?” She finally gave him a little smile while showing her teeth in an exaggerated grimace and cocking her head a little to look from under her lashes.

”You’re a terrible moral example, Telperion Laurelin.” Lara gave him a very false but endearing look of contrition, and Obi Wan turned to leave. He called back over his shoulder, “Next time, don’t sign the requisition ‘Hugs and kisses, Obi Wan’, please.” Lara pursed her lips together as hard as she could to hold in the laughter that wanted to escape, until the door closed behind him. Then she sputtered out in giggles, made even worse when she looked over at her lieutenant and Kenobi’s clone commander. They were both still staring at her like they didn’t know what to do with her. The laughter in her eyes made it hard for them to hold it against her, plus… it was pretty funny. The two men shared a look and then shook their heads at her incorrigible actions.