#they have lost the one who keeps trying to keep them united so it'll either divide them or push them to finally work together

[danwhobrowses]

Okay so we are doing a very rare third post about the events of Critical Role campaign 3 episode 91 so avoid if you still haven't watched it because there will be spoilers again

Right. So I'm not gonna talk more about the Reincarnate vs Stay Dead debate with FCG, I still prefer Reincarnate for reasons I put in my last post but now I'm gonna talk about the other route, if FCG stays dead, what becomes of his remains?

It is almost ironic that a PC death happened a few episodes after Matt created the Ruidian custom of making weapons from a loved one's remains, something Ashton and Fearne were quite intrigued by, so I wonder if the Hells would do the same - in a way carrying a little bit of FCG with them to continue the fight. Outside of his loot it's hard to tell what the Hells can use, if it were me I'd have each of the Hells have a bracelet from his hair at the least, but the rest would probably need to be left in the hands of tinkerers to create things that may enhance the Hells' combat; maybe a conductive whip for Imogen to use for her more lightning-based magic for instance, I can also see Ashton fixing FCG's head onto their outfit or hammer and Chetney and Laudna maybe making little FCG dolls for each of them too.

Loot-wise I had to look at the wiki to remind myself of all the stuff FCG had on them, as well as see what Otohan had but outside of the backpack and swords it wasn't quite descriptive at this point, and even then there's no guarantee it'll all be undamaged from the blast, but there were some notable things that could end up in the Hells' hands to use. I feel like we're all in agreement that if FCG doesn't come back that Ashton keeps the Coin of the Changebringer, perhaps even have it affixed to their hammer so to feel like FCG is still fighting with them. The full extent of its magical properties were not shown outside of the Yes/No question and 1 bout of Lucky per day, but on Ashton's hammer the daily reroll might end up being helpful, though they are not a fan of the gods a little FCG-aided divine buffing could go a long way. Other than that, Ashton probably should claim the two Potions of Possibility FCG had, my earlier post mentioned my belief that Otohan's backpack should go to them because Dunamancy (I didn't however mention how echoes can work as temporary meat shields for Ashton to better negate enemy attacks that'd otherwise be aimed at the party) and the logic is the same here, Matt would probably have to try and balance Ashton's Dunamancy and Titan buffs so to not take all four potions (or more, think Fearne and Orym have one too right? *checks* oh and Laudna so that's 7 potions!) at once but those seem to be key loot Ashton should keep a hold of.

Outside of combat FCG would be helpful in using Identify when the Hells came across new objects. While Chetney has Grim Psychometry to do something similar, the Goggles of Object Reading that FCG used could be taken by Imogen - which in turn may provide Laura and the fandom a means to canonize glasses on the character - along with the Staff of Dark Odyssey that she has used before.

Fearne is another who could hold the Staff, but I find it unlikely. She would probably take the rod used to plane-shift to the Fey Realm, in a way being a key to home if she needs it. I can see her taking the Ivory Branch as well, albeit temporarily until a new healer presents themselves, due to the +1 Spell attack and +1d4 Healing. She might keep the Ruidian mood ring but I feel like that wouldn't survive the blast, same with the recipes FCG collected, though it'd be nice if someone were able to carry on his memory that way; Fearne, Ashton or Orym would be likely candidates for that.

Laudna would perhaps be able to use most of the scrap remains of FCG for her constructs, perhaps a little buffing for Pate is in order plus she doesn't use Sashimi often. Chetney only really works in wood so he probably won't take the remains, stuff such as his saws and propeller could be used to empower Laudna's own creations, maybe even the fake legs too.

One weapon I think will not end in Laudna's hands however is the Grapple cannon, which could suit either Orym or Chetney. Orym is the better candidate to use it though, given the 20 Dexterity compared to Chetney's 14, additionally there is the +1 Mithril Half-Plate Armor, which could be an improvement for either.

If Orym were to get both I could see it being a trade for Chetney not getting anything, in turn granting Chetney both of Otohan's swords to use - since Orym may want nothing to do with her equipment given her role in killing their family. Otherwise I can see Chetney maybe grabbing the saws ahead of Laudna, maybe the goggles but he does already have the monocle, and any utensils he can repurpose for crafting. There is also the possibility of him getting the Aeoran Scrambling Devices that we know little about, maybe adding a little 'this wouldn't happen if it were wooden' catharsis for Chet if he used them on machines.

The only other thing that is left from FCG are the bolt thrower and the All-Minds-Burn drugs. The latter could go to anyone but Ashton, Fearne and Imogen are more likely (she still needs to plant that seed), the bolt thrower could go to Laudna, she never used Bor'dor's slingshot with the Draconic Rune that Prism added to it, or to Chetney to fire a chisel. His coat he designed like FRIDA's would probably be kept for her to be given too. Outside of that the only other specific loot we currently know from Otohan is the Fake Treshi Ring for Scrying (not its official name), which won't be of use to the Hells since the next time they get close to a major enemy they will be fighting, but perhaps it could be placed in the hands of Liliana Temult, either to keep track of her or to plant on Ludinus so the Hells can track his movements instead.

[sameschmidtdiffname]

So Panem is set in the future, right? Meaning our current American society is the history behind Panem.

So, hypothetically, not that I've been thinking about this, it would theoretically be possible that there are certain things in our society that would be persevered, and therefore consumable for the people of Panem.

And if a certain Peeta Mellark was married to a certain Katniss Everdeen, who both seem to have a love/appreciation for music, were to be discussing interesting things they read about the previous country's pop culture to a certain Effie Trinket, it would not at all be impossible that they could get on the subject of old, classic musicians that were incredibly popular in their time, and thus were historically preserved for future enjoyment and such.

Now, I'd imagine things such as devices for music would only be available to the Capitol after The Dark Days until after Mockingjay, when the country is once again united and it's now easy to get whatever wherever so long as you put down an order to come on the next shipment to your District.

So overall... hypothetically... it could be possible for Katniss and Peeta to slowly develop into vinyl collectors post-canon. With probably way too big of a collection because hey, they have the room, and there's so much available to order in the catalogs Effie keeps subscribing them to, and there's just something nice about the things. What, with the maintenance, the calming sound of an old vinyl with pops and snaps or the sharp clarity of a new, clean press.

Or, OR, not that I've thought about this either. Would it be possible that when Peeta disappears into his room on the train back to 12 after the first Hunger Games, at some point Effie realizes he's isolating and goes to check on him. Partially as her job, partially because Effie genuinely cares about why he's upset. And Peeta being a freshly traumatized 16 year old kid who just lost his leg and is now experiencing his first relationship + hearbreak all at once let's Effie in because he wants some sort of motherly figure right now, and since Haymitch knew about the fake relationship, Effie is probably gonna find out soon enough if she doesn't know already. So he's just sobbing on the bed, pouring out his whole lovesick and raw heart to Effie while she just strokes his back and tries to calm him. And knowing Effie, she's slowly reaching over to a remote to program some radio in the room to some fitting music, promising it'll all be alright, and you know, there's some very beautiful, retro music that is very fitting for times like this. Would you like to hear some? Let's just try it, just for fun, hmm?

Long story short, Peeta already has a head start on his and Katniss's combined vinyl collection from when Effie was his dealer for Taylor Swift music before the war.

(Post canon his favorite song is 'State of Grace' Acoustic Version, but during Catching Fire?? That boy was BLARING 'illicit affairs' so much Haymitch gets 'nam flashbacks when Peeta lets it play one day while he cleans with the window open, making Haymitch storm out of his house, screaming at him to "shut that shit off!" And confusing the entire District as he begs Peeta to "not make me live through this again," and "whatever she did it wasn't worth this." Peeta has no fucking clue what he's talking about since a lot of memories were lost or muddled due to the hijacking until Effie gently reminds him. After that, there's a in no way shape or form small list of songs that Peeta is banned from playing within earshot of a even semi-conscious Haymitch. All is well again until Katniss discovers Hoizer.)

[duhragonball]

Neon Genesis Evangelion 11

Most of this episode is just characters restating the problem over and over.

Basically, Tokyo-3 experiences a power outage. The NERV base is also affected, which results in Misato and Kaji getting trapped in an elevator the whole time.

What makes this especially irritating is that the story keeps teasing interesting plot developments only to abandon them immediately. For example, the episode opens with Ritsuko and other NERV staffers discussing the three Magi supercomputers that run Tokyo-3's government. So maybe the blackout is tied in with the Magi? No, it's not. Ritsuko had planned to run tests on Eva Unit 00 today, so maybe that's what caused the blackout. No, it wasn't that.

Oooh, maybe Gendo Ikari sabotaged his own facility, as part of some weird scheme he's up to... nope, he doesn't know who did it either. He just knows it must have been a human enemy, which is ironic, since NERV is trying to save humanity from the Angels. Well, at least it'll be fun to unmask the saboteur... no, that never happens. If we ever find out who did this, it isn't in this episode.

Vice Commander Clownshoes points out how it would be disastrous if an Angel attacked at a moment like this, and that's exactly what happens. So you'd think this episode would be focused on getting the power back in time to fight the thing, but not quite.

Mostly, the focus is on Shinji, Rei, and Asuka as they attempt to enter the base without any power. Rei has emergency instructions in her purse, and Asuka declares herself the leader, and they bicker the whole way in. For some reason they crawl through ductwork, and it's kind of boring because it's not like anything will attack them on their own turf. There won't be a malfunctioning security system or anything like that, because the power's down.

As the Angel threat becomes more pressing, Gendo Ikari orders the Evas to be prepared for launch, using a diesel engine that was set up in case of emergency. We see him helping the others to set up all the stuff with pulleys instead of machines. I'm not sure how any of it works, but whatever.

So when Shinji arrives, he's surprised to find the Evas ready for use. Ritsuko tells him that his dad believed that the pilots would show up when they were needed, and so they did. Nice.

So when they're finally ready to deploy, the Evas have to ascend a vertical shaft, but the Angel is waiting above them, secreting a corrosive solvent down onto them.

They only have a few minutes of battery power to work with, so Asuka finally proves her worth and comes up with a plan. She takes her Unit 02 up into the shaft to defend the others. Rei goes down to retrieve the weapons they dropped earlier. Then she'll hand off the weapon to Shinji, who will open fire on the Angel. Asuka takes the defense job because it's more dangerous and she wants to repay Shinji for helping her out of that volcano in the last episode.

And it works! Another Angel bites the dust. I think this is the eighth one? It's enough of them that I've lost count.

With that settled, the kids chillax outside while they wait for the grownups to restore power to the city. Rei waxes philosophical about how humans fear the darkness, so they scrape away at its edges with fire. Whatever you say, kid.

[the-firebird69]

Who said some people get beat up you people getting beat up doesn't want you next to him if you keep bothering him so he says you're good after my money it's Max money until Mac is all done so you two can fight now we know what that means do you

Camilla

I guess we're saying it that we're doing that it will be fighting Max instead of war with them it was a laughing stock of the whole world because we're in fighting he'll be over soon we have to worry about it and the nuclear devices he says it's going to be stuck to us like we're stuck to him. This is the part that I'm not aware of no I am is going to go ahead and do it if you're not big enough to make all that sand in New York state and I'm wondering where this is a s*** comes up and pushes the sand out to get out and someone didn't take the sand out of the way because they can't afford to do that because the people Iike you. So he's going on and on talking about some s*** we are putting warrants on him. A little goofball called my son over there to the house and yapped at him him as the freezer. whatever it is s*** you look like your father's character. I heard so this happens but really you people are idiots yeah treated an awesome alarms everywhere your behavior is horrible your attacking the United States you are enemy combatants . We want you out of this country today, this is if they weren't sitting on your lessons in this would be running to the USA. We agree with that as well. Don't need to plug you dan it's legal.

Camilla

You're a stupid person Dan AKA Dave you guys lost all those businesses did you announce the other people who have the land I need to lose that cuz it's easier to take from you that's a loser okay you shouldn't be here you're freaking loser.

Zues

So he says yes he goes around and tries to do dumb things but really these two are losers just slime balls okay my son says I don't want to use you get out and they won't and he says I'll execute you then it won't move he doesn't want that other dick head in there either Jason you going to fight to the death so he's wondering over what would drive them to fight each other instead of stupid s*** they're both rotting. These ships have been down there for 10 years rotting. He's trying to bring them he can't. The Black ships are sitting under there rotting. This question is what are they fighting over Jason and the other guy. And some ships come out like saucers and alien chips. It's probably a bunker he says no I think Jason takes out of the submerged mothership. And it might be with her after but he says the ships that are Stone chips are not sealed he doesn't know about the ones inside. That might make sense.

Camilla

So you guys want to compete with everybody now. If you said that it's probably the imperium fleet and we know that they did a lot of them and it's ork and stuff and it's because of you it is you trumpsters. So I guess you think it's okay let's not we want you the hell out of here and you won't leave and we can't get you out of here until you destroy your race so go ahead with that

Tommy f

And yeah he was held up by Trump and the ship's running and they didn't know what to do about it I guess they didn't do anything and all ruins and mac didn't plan that. It'll take 20 years to build them back even with Giants and he wants you all dead he's wondering what her son is thinking and Son's thinking wow that was much easier than I thought. So this is what all those threats and idiotic comments and dumb and inside the gigantic ships there are big ships that hold it together inside those ships are smaller ships which are more intact than the others each of those ships have ships inside it which are more intact than the other ships when you start at the bottom you have one mile shifts and those hips are inside ships there are probably like 20 mi and those are in ships that are about 500 and those 500s are in the big ships some of those are in tax but most of the 20 mile shift certain tax and most of the tens and the fives and the ones and the twos are intact and it's all Warcraft ships and Warhammer and space Marine type imperium ships tons of them all over the world that's what people are after now and the money and goes hand in hand and for some reason it goes to Alabama instead of into the ships it doesn't make any sense and Tommy McGee goes for ships yes in New Orleans and yeah that's Forrest Gump. He gets a ton of them and it's during a storm it goes up the Carolina's it's not funny and that's part of it then he goes overseas for the fleet cuz he knows where they are and it's gathering this huge Force and he's working with demons and he is unfortunately opposing his brother and father and he has angels and demons and he's still up to it and our son says he's also still up to like 511 so we're moving on.. so he's laughing cuz his picture himself on board but the orcas is like cartoon. And since why aren't you afraid it says I'm a giant and it's maximum says a good one and the rock is trying to explain to him and his people it's not a giant right now not right now not yet baby giant so it's kind of funny so these aliens said I'm fighting on their side they get there share just wondering if trumps are all purple. It would explain the song no by deep purple LOL. Jason grabbed a bunch of alien chips and if you want to see it and pull them out of the mothership which is kind of running but it's not going to get out because there's an idiot and trying to break up the top and probably damage it it's a different kind of s*** and it had very nice hold aside I guess we should get this out

Thor Freya

[dreamsmp-au-ideas]

Aw, heck, can I get emotional about Phil, Bad, Skeppy, and Sapnap in the future?? Because that sounds like a whole entire recovery and character arc for Phil right there. (This became a long post oops)

Like, Phil has been dragged through hell ever since Ranboo came back. He's trying to deal with the fact that Ranboo wasn't actually dead and came back at all, and then trying to help him avert the literal apocalypse, grappling with the fact that after putting Tommy and Tubbo in the foster system to get them a better life they ended up getting abused, and all of that before he even spends literal years falling in love with Kristin!! And then right after he comes back to the present, he has no time to process anything, it's just time to go kill Dream and save Tommy and Tubbo.

So then, he gets separated from his kids again and is alone with this Sapnap guy, who apparently works with the time travel guys trying to kill them but is not himself trying to kill them anymore, which is. Sure. Phil will take what he can get. And lost in the future, Sapnap finds Bad and Skeppy, who he thought were dead, and they have this big tearfelt reunion and Phil wants to be happy for them, he does, but instead he just feels tired. He wants to see his own family. He wants a happy reunion with the people he misses.

And Bad notices, and Sapnap explains that they accidentally got dropped into this time, and so Bad immediately offers that they can stay with him and Skeppy until Phil finds the rest of his family.

And for once, Phil is surrounded by other people who have, like, emotional stability and maturity? Bad and Skeppy just have normal, stable jobs that they enjoy, and they have two little dogs, and Sapnap fits right in with them, and Phil doesn't have anyone else he needs to worry about anymore. He's doing what research he can to find where everyone else ended up, but Sapnap just tells him that most of what they can do is wait for clues. They might not even appear for days, weeks, months.

And when Phil inevitably breaks down because of it, maybe because Bad, Skeppy, and Sapnap do this domestic little family thing that makes Phil think of his own family, he... doesn't have to hide it? Everyone else is doing well and so they're able to catch him when he falls and comfort him, and listen when he vents, and take care of him when he needs it, which Phil... can't actually remember the last time that happened? He ends up telling them everything, all the way from dealing with his own wings/powers as a kid to worrying about all his own superpowered kids to losing Kristin.

And like. It turns out Sapnap, Bad, and Skeppy are really good listeners. And also good advice-givers when it comes to "Please stop bottling everything up oh my gosh that's like 30 years of trauma I promise you will not die if you talk about it every once in a while."

And the four of them legitimately start developing into a healthy family unit! Phil gets a job in the future! He and Sapnap are obviously still looking for the others, but it's not consuming Phil's every waking thought. Maybe we decide that Phil arrives earlier in the future than everyone else, like Klaus, I think, in the show? So he has all this time to go through a whole arc before the others show up.

So that means Phil starts noticing when Bad is distracted more, spends less time at home, starts mentioning that he always has work to do somewhere else. He, Skeppy, and Sapnap all watch as Bad tries to introduce them to the Egg. And all the Eggpire stuff starts happening, and Phil gets to watch Bad recruit more people, gets to watch Red Skeppy, gets to watch and try to help with all this stuff happening. And by the time Phil starts realizing that this isn't something they can fix on their own, he and Sapnap finally find someone else from the family appearing a few towns away. And it's a combination of Phil finally getting the chance to see his family again, and knowing they can probably help with the Egg thing, so Sapnap and Phil tell Bad to hang tight, it'll be okay, they just need to go get this family member and then they can come back and keep helping.

(And then they come back to Skeppy missing and Bad a full-on egghead but this ask is probably long enough now so)

Phil’s arc in s2 is just one huge healing arc and character development. He gets to heal with Sapnap, Bad, and Skeppy. God.

Yeah, he’s the first to land in the future. Both him and Sapnap are the first and so they wait the longest but with that time comes healing.

Then we get Phil noticing that there is the Egg to worry about and both him and Sapnap go and find out that another family member is just a few towns over. Either Fundy or Tubbo most likely.

Also, I would love to hear your ideas about Phil and Sapnap coming back to Skeppy missing and Bad being an egghead. Please tell me your ideas.

[mad-unit-alive]

*I didn't ask for this..*

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*I didn't ask for any of this to happen...*

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*But I am glad you all showed up and help me with believing that there is better beings here...*

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Although her eye was closed she could still notice the warm lighting filling the chamber. Even with everything that covered her form, everything blocking some of her senses... she could still detect it all.

Ivy slowly opened her eye slightly, gazing at the ball of light the was the center and one of the care givers of this place. The flower petals that went loose and danced through the gentle breeze. The petals and leaves surrounding her rustled adding a soothing background easing her mind, freeing her from the cruel reality of the universe. Blessing her with the calming, good things that still remain. This place was the only other place where she could achieve relaxation.

The garden.

It was unforseen that the vault could generate something so nice and harmless. But to Ivy.... this has been here before she was even born. Her mother always tells her old stories about her life and experiences with the vault, connections, power, history, even it's own consciousness. Each story would just impress her more and helped her understand it's being.

It's name pretty much describes itself.

Ivy's arm twitched at the sensation as leaves and bits of grass brushed against her metal skin. It made her mentally chuckle at how something so minor could bring someone so much joy.

Guessed just like her mother, everything that is dark or cruel has a soft and beautiful side you just have to look hard enough and understand it to see it. Thanks to that you can view everything in a whole new light. It could be years but oh will it be worth it.

Her gaze than fell upon the fire like souls that flew around the place, not hastily but rather slow. Their "tails" swayed as they moved, stopping when crossing another's path and communicating, dancing, or simply playing games together to spend time. She gave them this opportunity, a chance to bond with those who have as well lost their lives because of the harsh universe they lived in. This garden is a home to lost souls who had more good intentions then others, to reunite with loved ones and family they lost before death. They deserve a chance to live in a peaceful afterlife. Everytime she noticed their death, Ivy would bring them here and each time made her happy to witness reconnection.

One flew away from interacting with the rest and came over to her resting spot. The petals in the air close to its path trailed behind it for a minute before going back to its gentle dancing. The soul looked down at her as if it could see her under the flower bed.

'Heh, they are so curious and innocent now.' Ivy laughed in her head.

She then closed her eye once more, letting sleep consume her. The warmth of the souls and the light was nice, the background sounds made it much easier. She soon felt something that snapped her out of it. A warm touch just above her.

She flinched at the contact and now her systems were too active now for her to sleep now. The flowers rustled again but not from the wind, but from her getting up. The soul shudders at this and quickly flew away to the others. All the plants that covered her form now scattered into the air as Ivy sits up or retreated back to the ground, not losing their grip to the vaults soil.

The bot emitted a yawn and stretched her arms before looking around, seeing the garden at it's best. The flowers were all kinds of color but most were purple, yellow, and orange, others had different colors making them in a way more appealing and noticeable.

"48 hours and 34 minutes, that's a record for you." A voice entered. She knew this voice all too well and already began to snicker. "Although you're mother has slept for much longer and has been in this chamber for over 5-6 years straight."

Ivy got up and wheeled over to the vault medal that hovered just a few feet away from her spot.

"Ya trying to make yo mama joke or something?" Ivy asked sarcastically.

She folded her arms and leaned slightly forward while keeping eye contact with it, trying to look serious.

"Try me." The medal replied with a growl, but she knew it wasn't really mad and could hear the amusement in it's voice.

This was something that would happen on a regular basis. The vaults consciousness would appear and speak with her even though they are bonded it'll remain silent at most times, whenever they did speak at times like this it would either be heart to heart or it would be just joking around. It's funny because no one could see the vault subconscious to be so goofy.

Looking around she could see all the spirits playing, to think that all this was possible with the vaults help as well as her family. The robot didn't even want to imagine what might have been if her mother and the vault didn't meet, the thought of there being no resting places or peace was beyond words.

"It's not my fault the place is so peaceful." Ivy commented. "If it weren't for this I'd be more stressed than a last human in a zombie apocalypse.... or an emotionless bot."

The medal just laughed. " Oh really? If it also weren't thanks to me, your parents may have never seen each other again and had you."

"Don't test me now." Ivy replied and rolled her eye.

It was true, if it weren't for them she wouldn't have existed and possibly her parents may have not survived to meet again. The unit pushed the medal jokingly, while doing spins through the air it laughed again. The fun they have, they are the same with her parents she could image that.....

The medal just laughs again before speaking happily. "Want me to summon your parents over? I mean sure you see them everyday but I'm certain that they will be impressed with all that you have done here."

Ivy looked one last time around the chamber. Everything was so peaceful and all her efforts towards this place along with her family were always worth the while.

"Why not." Ivy shrugs. "It's always has been great to do some family bonding here too also I think they would appreciate a long break from Pandora, or wherever they are exploring now."

The medal only gave a nod before disappearing again to go ask the two other unit it was connected to. Giving the bot another few moments alone in silence. Enjoying the few things about her afterlife garden once more before spending the rest of the day laughing and bonding with her parents.

Oh how glad she was to be born into this family. Just as she was coming back to reality, a portal opened a couple of feet away from her. It made her core become warm with happiness and love as she saw them warp through into the room.

The very garden where it all start, her parents meeting again, gaining powers of the vault, having her....

As well as bringing peace into a world were no one thought it could be.

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*Thank you*

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*Thank you all for this*

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*I'm honored to be a part of all of you and.....*

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*I am proud to call you all.... my friends and.... my family ❤*

[sirro85-blog]

Humans are Space Orcs: Improvising

So as I have described humans are ingenious and curious and they have the ability to look at a piece of fruit that tingles while you eat it and see a weapon. It goes further than that though. Humans can even look at a mistake and see success in another guise.

Major Kovac looked at his fellow officers and gave a gesture I had never seen him make before he spread his hands slowly and then brought his shoulders up.

"I think, that when we sent the last order the message got scrambled," ventured Captain Gillespie.

"Well I fucking hope so because I don't see how a request for 'artillery ammunition, medical supplies, rifle munitions and fuel' became 'water bottles, uniforms, pens, pencils, notepads, paperweights!? 150 Nyrex, assorted foodstuffs; and fuel'..." Kovac trailed off, "add to that the only supplies we have to begin with are food and for some reason paint and plaster."

"Munitions supplies code: 83-C; recruits basics supplies: 8-DE...medical supplies code: 14-P office supplies: 40-B" Gillespie said in a monotone voice.

"Whoever was on the other end didn't think to question or ask for a repeat order, it's the new civillian company running logistics they don't speak phonetics so they relay it normally so our order "Eight-Three-Charlie" becomes "8DE" in a busy office and we end up with new water bottles, nyrex and uniforms." Captain Becca said, "the wonders of privatisation." she laughed.

"Alright Bex, no time for your socialist rants now, we're going to have to make do. Wolf, What do you think?" Kovac enquired

"Surrender," Wolf replied immediately, "No seriously sir, I say we surrender." He raised his voice as the other officers shouted him down, "these aren't a horde of barely trained fanatics we're facing down these are the cream of the crop, the zealots who have served these crackpots long enough to become battle hardened and true veterans." He gestured around himself a little wildly, "what do we have? a squad of combat engineers, one squadron of wet behind the ears infantry, Gilly's auxiliary troop, and the second half of our forces are fucking weekend warriors, the strategic planetary defence reserves, other than the 88th and Gilly we can't count on two thirds of our forces. The OC is so far past it even he has realised it and I don't trust Major Picklefarts as far as I can throw her."

Kovac clicked his fingers a few times and hummed the bars to "Catfish Blues" Captain Becca gave a soulful hum.

"Woke up this mornin'," growled Dorman in his best blues singer voice, "my dog was dead; no food in my fridge y'all; ate my dog instead."

"Got idiots above me; got morons below; if it gets much colder; it'll start to snow" finished Becca.

"Feel better?" Asked Kovac.

"How can it possibly snow here? It's 35°C in the shade! We're in a god damn furnace!" Wolf drew a calming breath.

"Now that we've made Wolf feel better let's clear up a few things," first...it's Major Portbury and I don't much like her either, second the other two squadrons will hold their line until they don't not much more we can ask of them. Third, Gilly hasn't just got a troop he's got Staff Sergeant Frank King and his units could bring Muddy Waters back from the dead to slap us all for ruining blues, and he's got Griffin Battery out there and we know what those boys can do with a connonade. So it's us, it's us the 88th, 3 Squadron Combat Engineers, Fighting Fit and Fucking Ugly, the real first in last out, the infantry may hold the front line but we fucking build it." Kovac pointed a finger at his map, "everything we know says the Xhost are going to try to capture the peninsula, they do that they gain the remote base within a week and they neuter the Fortress Moon, then they have a foothold in another system and who knows how long before the Galactic Council decide to take them seriously, they'll have another million "converts" by then. So we stop them here, we hold the Isthmus, we send them back to their ships or we send them to hell."

"With glass paperweights?" Wolf asked in a scathing tone, "Kovac I love you brother but without the supplies we're going to lose."

"Want me to show you what I can do with a paperweight?" Becca said with a growl.

"That gives me an idea," said Kovac, "Wolf, Becca, who's the nastiest soldier you've got?"

"Barbie," said Wolf.

"Knickers," said Becca.

"Dorman? What about you?"

"In a fist fight? Bickers is a nasty piece of work but for one of your ideas? Well Bickers again but you'll have to let him know just how nasty you want him to get."

"Alright have those three, Buckets, Footsteps and Corporal Chloe meet me in my office, Wolf you can join us too, just keep your eyes off the Panther's arse, Becca go see what you think of Portbury. Dorman go with Gilly and see what you would do to our defences if you had a wish list."

The meeting in the Major's office went on late into the night, unusually for human military Major Kovac was not just respected by his soldiers he was well liked. In the early hours of the morning as the soldiers left the office Kovac "high-fived" Knickers as the two achieved success in their experiments.

The following morning Kovac was found striding across the top of the fortifications gesticulating enthusiastically. "Here, and down there, it'll provide good cover for your men," he explained to the dazed looking infantry officer.

Around him infantry soldiers were carefully ripping paper from notepads and sliding them into each pocket in the nyrex they held.

"You see," Gillespie was explaining enthusiastically, "we use the left over plaster and water, and soak the new uniforms in them to create a sort of plaster cast...glacis, something to absorb damage and line the enemy up to expose them to your attacks, then we fortify it with these nyrex, filled with paper they have pretty impressive stopping power and the whole thing is made of leftovers and things wrongly delivered instead of medicine and other useful supplies. It's genius really." Major Portbury looked unimpressed but that didn't stop Gillespie, "Griffin Battery have taken the paint pots that was clever too, I think Footsteps deserves a raise Kovac ha ha, then Kovac has come up with some really nasty tricks with the water bottles and paperweights."

"Unfortunately we're out of fuel," cut in Kovac, so we'll be walking a lot," in his head he played back Becca's statement from earlier this morning, 'she resents being promoted to Major late and resents having to join a new regiment of raw recruits to do it, she resents the idea that she can't cut it and resents her men, also the girl can drink but... she may be a good officer one day, if she can ditch the chip on her shoulder.'

"Major I think it's probably best if you and your men hold the centre, we need infantry not engineers playing at infantry in our middle to steady our line, we'll put the SPDR on the far right flank where the attack should be weakest, my 88th will take the left flank, they'll hit that flank harder as they're coming from the South. Better us than the militia, sorry the SPDR, but with you a rock on one side and the water on the other we should be ok."

Portbury appeared to consider this and then nodded, without the Lietenant-Colonel there Kovac had seniority anyway.

"OK then, I'm going to send my engineers out to rig up some welcome wagons for the Xhost when they arrive" Kovac gave the Major a nod and walked away.

Kovac kept his men busy that day, he pushed them to work hard and they responded, the Major himself was tireless, he moved up and down the line talking with the men of the reserves on the right flank and then spending time with the infantrymen always talking positively about the situation, at midday he organised a competition, platoon against platoon and as the men ran up and down their line, stopping and firing at specific targets they realised how the improvised glacis exposed those before it to fire from a range of fields. Their confidence grew.

Late evening saw the first lines of Xhost troops pull into view, they had started to set up camp when Griffin Battery, buried further back behind enemy lines opened fire, explosions on their base caused chaos and when the dust had settled through omni-goggles Kovac could see the smoking ruins of three air support ships, the surprise of Griffin Battery had been lost but there was no air support for the Xhost tomorrow.

When the Xhost advanced in the pre-dawn gloom they did so in near silence, Griffin Battery stayed silent, they crept forward until the silent guns filled them with confidence and the advance sped up, they crept closer until in the middle of their lines explosions tore through the ranks.

Crouched and looking through the omni-goggles, Captain Becca called out ranges as more detonations shredded the advance. The Xhost fell back.

"Improvised nailbombs, water bottles with fuel and gunpowder salvaged from rifle rounds, strapped to two glass paperweights each." Kovac nodded to Becca, "That knickers is a nasty piece of work."

"They're advancing!" Yelled Becca from her vantage point, "two divisions on the left flank, one division in the centre, half a division moving to the right."

Again the Xhost advanced cautiously, and again the guns of Griffin Battery stayed silent, the few remaining paperweight bombs detonated but this time the Xhost were ready for them, and did not recoil in shock.

The advancing army looked vast in comparison to the thin like of troops dug in to oppose them, they drew nearer still nearly in rifle range when the guns of Griffin Battery sounded, amongst the shells shattering the Xhost lines were improvised shells which erupted on impact and appeared to contain liquid fire, Lance Corporal Bickers knowing that fuel and polystyrene - a packing product for the "useless" paperweights - could combine to create a highly flammable viscous liquid was the sort of information that earned him considerable "side eye" most of the time, but on occasion proved extremely useful. The fact he had known at least four other methods to make "napalm" was considered concerning.

The advance lines caught in the firestorm disappeared into the flames, the rest of the Xhost retreated.

"They're done for the day," said Kovac harshly, he looked out at the killing zone as if forcing himself to watch what he had done.

Kovac was correct in his assessment night fell and the Xhost made no movements to advance, the human forces bedded down and the sentries fought heavy lids as they watched the enemy lines.

Morning broke with a stiff breeze sweeping in from the northern shore bringing moisture and freshness to the air. The Xhost drew up and then stood watching the human defences, they stood and sang their hymns, Major Kovac ordered his men stood down but the infantry and SPDR stayed in their positions on guard while the engineers slept. The Xhost stood and sang all day, and late into the night and while Major Kovac had his men keep sentry and the others slept the less experienced troops stayed in position.

It appeared as though the Xhost might try to sing their way to victory, depriving the troops of the Galactic Council Defence Force of sleep until they were defeated but Kovac appeared to have a plan, as dawn broke the second day on the singing Xhost, the wind tugging at the ceremonial robes if their battle clerics rifle fire sounded and commanders of the Xhost began to fall, over a dozen shots sounded before the shocked Xhost rushed forwards. Half way between the two armies Hemmings and Richards the two finest shots in the engineers ranks broke cover and sprinted for the safety of their own lines.

While the two humans had a significant lead they were stiff and cold and amongst the massed ranks of the Xhost were species significantly faster than humans. As the massed ranks of the Xhost surged forward some shapes raced ahead, fastest of all were the unmistakable forms of Rhul converts, surging across the ground in their four legged posture.

Griffin Battery opened fire and still the two snipers ran with the Rhul closing the gap every stride. Hemmings was 30 yards ahead of his fellow sniper when he stopped, turned and fired three shots, the two Rhul yards from Richards dropped and Hemmings turned and sprinted for home.

The Xhost kept coming and for the first time reached rifle range, the Xhost drove on over their falling comrades as the defensive lines cracked with rifle fire. Flashes of colour appeared in the Xhost lines as Kovac's next trick was revealed. Artillery shells, robbed of half their munitions weight attached to left over paint tins rained down on the Xhost causing damage and spreading paint across vast swathes of Xhost numbers, coating rifle sights and eye stalks in blinding paint.

Still the Xhost pushed forwards until they were close enough that the faces of the myriad species of the Xhost converts could be seen. Kovac's last trick was played, empty paint tins and empty food tins, packed with the wrongly delivered pens and pencils and the munitions taken from the paint-shells were fired from the infantry's portable howitzers.

As the thin metal reached muzzle velocity of 180m/s it shredded spraying thin slivers of metal and wood out into the Xhost lines.

A shudder went through the fanatic troops as their advance slowed and they paused, no shot fired in return and over 3/4 of their own number laying in carnage.

Kovac stood up and walked to the lip of the human defences, "now, bullet bomb, bayonets!" He bellowed and the left flank suddenly hailed grenades followed by a volley of bullets and then the 88th 3 Squadron Combat Engineers launched forward in their own advance.

By days end the Xhost were defeated and driven from the planet.

I have multiple examples of humans turning errors into victories, vulcanised rubber, antibiotics and even the low resistance substance they coat their ships in but these are often seen as unique events, they aren't. Human achievements all across history have been accompanied by two phrases. "I have an idea" and "What if?"

I'm assured "hold my beer" is a crucial part of their success too.

[chaossmagic]

We keep talking about how hard it is going to be for Aaron and Vic when Robert is gone, but it'll be hard on Liv as well

OH DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED

She was crushed when Aaron and Robert broke up, because she’d lost the first stable, loving, committed family unit she’d ever had. The first time she felt wanted and accepted for who she was, and it was over.  She was angry at them both for a long time for that, and when she was in prison she told them that she feared that they’d start fighting again and break up a second time and that she wouldn’t be able to cope.

Of course Aaron and Liv are extremely close and have a special bond, but Robert and Liv have something entirely unique that I often actually think is better than the ones they have with their own biological siblings. They’re siblings through choice, not blood, and although their relationship got off to an…interesting start (kicking Robert in the balls and then turning him over to the police comes to mind), they grew to love each other as fiercely as any siblings would. 

I’ve always said that one of the reasons why Robert loves Liv so much is because she reminds him of himself when he was that age, angry and resentful at being rejected and neglected, feeling unwanted and unloved, and wants to give her the kind of love and acceptance that he didn’t get. He’s firm with her because he wants to push her to fulfil her potential, but at the same time doesn’t try to force her to be anything she doesn’t want to be (unlike the treatment he got from his own family, wherein any deviation or difference from his dad or his siblings was punished, either with verbal abuse or physical violence) and is sympathetic and understanding of her difficulties due to childhood trauma and coming from a broken home. 

Liv is what Robert might have been like if he’d been treated with empathy and kindness instead of being thrown out and left on his own, and he doesn’t want Liv to end up like that. He wants her to know that she’s loved and that just because people think she’s one thing - a waste of space, gobby, bratty, a delinquent, useless, a failure - it doesn’t mean that she is. Robert himself has a lot of experience with struggling to cope with people’s expectations (or not) of you and trying to prove to the world that you’re not who it thinks you are, that you’re better than what they believe you to be. That you can be better regardless of anything you might have done or thought about doing in the past. 

And those lessons, he passes on to Liv, in the hope that she won’t grow up like he did and make the mistakes that he made. That she’ll be happier and safer and more secure in herself than he was, able to be her whole self without judgement and being unapologetic about who she is, in a way that he couldn’t be for a really, really long time.

So, yeah. You think Aaron is going to be devastated when Robert leaves? Liv will be just as bad. She loves him, too. He was her whole world, too. 

[starswelike]

Hot beginning (The Heart - Marvel fanfiction)

This is the first chapter of the Marvel fanfiction titled The Heart

Pairing: Loki x OC

Warning: strong language

In this Story you can except:

massive character developement

an OC, who's secretly Not an OC

a hate to love relationship, and love át first sight

Loki becoming stronger

Lots of fun and sassy remarks

Warning again: I have to admit English is not my first language, but I try to learn it. I think writing is a good way to do it, because I love books and stories, and of course, fanfictions. 🙂

So I really hope if you give my story a chance, you won't regret it (and that I can write understandable 😅)

Well, enjoy the Story! ❤️

Chapter - Hot beginning

The armored troop-carrying SUV seemed to be moving at its greatest calm. Thanks to its serious equipment, the passengers could not feel it when the vehicle drove into a pothole, so starkly, keeping its speed, it broke towards their destination. The prestigious vehicle was perfectly suited for the transport of armed troops.

The nine people the monstrous SUV was carrying did not detect at all the wild pace dictated by their driver, middle-aged Dylan Johnson. The man was not a model of patience, it also appeared in his driving style: if he could not get around something on congested inner-city roads, he pushed it down with noble simplicity.

“Next time let's take a helicopter, it'll be faster." He had a slight annoyance between his teeth, though he could not deny that he enjoyed deep down that he was the greatest and that no one could stand in his way. Rather, the reason for his nervousness was that he was afraid of that, another unit was ahead of them. Dylan always wanted to be the first one who arrives to the crime scene, thanks to his competitive personality.

“Just take us there, Johnson. There will be plenty of other reasons for headaches." replied the small team's chief, Commander Miya Okamura, in a harsh tone. Her ominous words were noticed by all of them, knowing Okamura never exaggerated.

“Can you tell me what we're afraid of?”

Juan José Navarro, the team's sniper questioned in cold blood. His eyes and expression reflected his interest before his voice.

"Here's what we know," she began with the boss's usual firm voice. “There's been a report at 177/A Bleecker Street.

“Isn't that the title of that weird Strange?”

Aidan Cole, a handsome man in his 30s, could not wait for the boss to report everything undisturbed, as expected. He had comments all the time. What's more, he once again expressed his disinterest in magic.

"If you spit at Dr. Strange like that, you can scratch off the background of your phone, snitched," grumbled she, the team's med coach, Bria Hornback. “Scarlet Witch is not appropriate for you, who can't respect magic at all.”

“When did you check my phone, Hornback?” he asked with shock.

“I guess I found it out.”

“Wait. So you didn't know? Then how do you...?”

“Are you still asking? You always talk about her as the perfect woman.”

“Don't discuss who's looking at what now.” Okamura put an end to their light-hearted pecking. “Yes, that's where we're going. Wong came to us, Strange's most loyal man, claiming that particular events had taken place there in recent times, but before they could shed light on the secret, someone created a dimension gate that opened with a spell.”

“Can you make that a little clearer, boss?” Ella Willis was shocked. Her face showed the woman's lostness on the subject with undisgued sincerity, but she was not alone in doing so. Bria herself couldn't suddenly imagine what a dimension gate that would open all the time might look like.

"These wielding fuckers have created again," said Aidan, with mere despity. “Tell me, what's our job, boss?”

“Aidan, I'd like to know more about the situation.”

"So am I," said Bria, taking Ella's side. The weapons expert waved off the tea, which she wouldn't have left without a word. She felt the anger that was pouring in from her insides, but she exercised calm, for she knew it was not the best time to create a big-mouthed rival, even though in most cases she was happy to get involved.

“According to Wong, they don't know who caused the complication, which is why they need our help. Since the summoner's identity, and more importantly the spell itself, is not known, it is much more difficult for them to take them out," continued Miya, noting that the discussion had almost swerved in a different direction again. “What we know at the moment is that there's a dimensional gate that opens the way to several other dimensions at the same time. It's also feared to open up to a place where evil creatures sit on pins and needles waiting to be released to Earth.”

“That's tough. Then what do we do?" One of Bria's best companions, Takahashi Arashi, came out in the dismay of his eyes. He probably didn't get any smarter with the explanation; at least he probably didn't understand how the dimensional gate worked. Bria didn't fully understood it either, she didn't blame him, and she thought it was a sympathetic step to clarify what to do.

“According to what was discussed, Strange is trying to find the magic in the library, or a counter-spell to eliminate it. He noted that because he did not know how to eliminate it, at least traditional techniques do not work for the gate, it is feared to have been created by a force that is in the same way as Strange's power." Hearing the commander's remark, they all understood that the task would be more serious than expected, and Bria swallowed a great deal of concern, fearing that she would have to care for many of her comrades. “While the monks are protecting him, we, the S.H.I.E.L.D.'s units, are striving to catch the creatures pouring out of the gate, take them out and most of all, and not let them get away from the area. The lives of innocent civilians are at stake here.”

"That's why I hate all these magicians," shudded Aidan. “Their spells are like a bad experiment, only if it goes wrong, we could be in big shit.”

“Yes, because the gun is obviously completely harmless. Not to mention the nuclear bomb and its associates. And even these are old-fashioned compared to today's new weapons.”

Bria was unable to stop responding to the man's statement, which earned her inciforming gaze.

"The line-up is the usual," continued Okamura, once again noting the little digression. “Saunders is on his way, Ella's covering for him from above. Aidan and Takahashi will follow him with me. Alma, Hornback and Johnson stay in the back and cover Navarro until he can find the best shooting position.”

“I've been looking for some for you, Juan. Do you see them? “ the young technician in the passenger seat, Alma Mariano, turned back.

“Yes, I picked out what I thought.”

They all had digital display phones as work equipment. A fantasy image of the area to be secure has already appeared on it, beamed by S.H.I.E.L.D. satellites. The gate was located in the middle of the four-lane road, which was open in the north-east and southwest. But they weren't aware if anything had come through.

They all saw the small front terrace that Juan had chosen. Okamura nodded, approve of the decision.

“All right, Alma, you cover Navarro and Johnson's got Hornback.”

Bria was very feared for her associates during every operation. The boss always explained this by saying that they needed her, as a med schooler, to save lives, not to risk her own at the forefront. If she's lost, maybe there won't be anyone else to help. She appreciated the same, and it felt great to her that there was always someone to protect her even when she was in the danger zone, but she wasn't completely satisfied. Even though they told her that she deserved it as a med coach, she somehow felt like a clog and longed to fight better on the battlefield. Unfortunately, she only received basic combat training, and the main education for her was physiology, biology, chemistry, all that science. She gained useful knowledge, but at times she felt like a bird locked in a cage.

The bends were felt from slight inclinations. Bria and the people on the same side as her were leaning forward on a left turn, holding them only with their straps in place, when Dylan said:

“That stinking fucking sky! It's like it was in ‘12.”

If she could, Bria would have jumped up to see what might have been out there, but she knew what was late wouldn't go away, so she waited, despite the immense curiosity that consumed her insides. Their driver compared this one to the incident in which the Asgardian gods appeared on Earth, and Loki unleashed an army of alien beings called Chitauri on them. Would that have meant that bloodthirsty race had re-found? There was a chance, the dimension gate gave them every opportunity.

She took it upon herself with a big sigh, and decided that she would do everything she could to make sure that no such great devastation could occur again. That old case did enough damage to her and her life, and she was just one of them. To this day, countless people have thought of that day with anger, grief, sadness, and they all had their rightful reasons.

Takahashi put his hand on her shoulder and stroked it a little to help her relax a little. Perhaps he did it a little more gently than he should have, but Bria appreciated that and his smile. That man knew her too well, he noticed her tension. She couldn't have kept anything from him.

As soon as the vehicle stopped, they untied their seat belts and armed and prepared for the command.

“Johnson, what do you see?”

'Well, there's trouble' murmured the man, then exchanged a meaningful look with Alma sitting next to him. ‘Conventional weapons won't work here. Some creatures don't even have a solid body that pops up.”

It didn't prove a little reassuring to hear that. Although the arms industry also tried to keep up with magic and space technology, the most widespread weapon was still the one that threw up bullets. True, those who fired shots similar to those of the late Iron Man's energy beams began to gain ground. Fortunately, S.H.I.E.L.D. circles did not prove to be a problem to obtain these types, yet Bria was less confident in grabbing her small pistol, which was handed to her after the gun cabinet was opened. She didn't have one, only that and her combat knife.

“Let's go, let's go” Okamura commanded, and Saunders opened the back doors at that moment.

It couldn't be put off any longer, so Bria swallowed all her tensions and went with her companions as discussed. Saunders cut forward with a huge gun, Ella pulled over his head with the help of a jet-pack. Just as Okamura and they discussed, everyone was grouped together to whom they were commanded. Bria waited for Johnson, and together they cleaned up the creatures that got close to them.

The view turned out to be astonishing. At first glance, they couldn't figure out the tangle. Despite the fact that Bria thought it might be time for her to finally be in the lead, Bria was grateful that she could stay a little behind to map the field. If she had been in the front, she would suddenly not have known what to do, but the others shooted at their opponents almost without thinking, reflex, habit.

The sparkly dimension gate was located right in the middle of the road, as the digital map showed. When she looked into it, Bria saw that the place changed from second to second. She saw worlds she never dreamed of. There were some strangers from where they came from. Flaming skeletons or icy giants, splashing swamp creatures or space creatures floating in ghost form. From the horrible to the more beautiful, there were all sorts of things, but thank goodness not all the areas where the gate opened proved dangerous.

With a big leap, a strange, blue-bodied creature, looking like a half-grown frog, landed near her. It was ugly, especially I’s huge canine teeth, which it clapped towards Bria. The woman was startled by the unexpected incident, but she was neither a beginner nor a clumsy one, so she quickly put her gun on him and destroyed the ugly creature with an energy beam.

Dr. Stephen Strange was not present. He must have been wildly looking for a counter-spell. His disciples and members of the order, on the other hand, have been very aides in capturing the terrible creatures. They were mostly pushed into other dimensions, and the monks were very smart. If a creature came from underwater, it was sent to the desert, which came from the cold, thrown next to lava. The cruel but useful procedure has brought its results, and for the time being they have managed to control the various species, none have ever attacked anyone. It was a real relief for Bria to see that the situation was under control. So she aimed her targets with much more confidence. Unfortunately, sometimes she found someone who had just been sent through a dimension gate from under her nose, but it was better to try twice than not once.

“That's going to be fine. Only the doc has to rush” said Dylan, and the medic nodded.

If everything had stayed that way, the situation would have been resolved over time, but no one said that more serious opponents would arrive. The gate made sure it opened in most of the places that exist. Some were given the moment it saw the gate that opened at their home, and some of them were unwittingly dragged in. And Bria was the first to see him.

It's been more than ten years since Bria was attacked in Manhattan. The losses she suffered that day proved to be heavy for her. Although she always thought she could never make amends, and she had to learn to live with the thought that what she lost that day would never get her back, she was overwhelmed with feelings of anger and vengeance when that day came up or whatever hinted at it. That's why she was so ready to act in the open-plan, but the moment she saw Loki unearthed from the gate, who could not be mistaken for anyone else, she was blinded by rage to the extent she had never before. At the same time, she felt a sudden desire to act. If she catches that cunning but dangerous god, they'll finally, maybe for once in her life, appreciate her and realize that she's dynamic, too.

Anger is not a good counselor. Bria, who always tried to act judiciously, even if it was difficult, proved unable to restrain herself this time. She wasn't thinking, she was just doing what she wanted to do in those moments.

“Loki!" She screamed, like a wild Amazon, and immediately threw herself toward him, not counting, not caring about the command, nor her team, nor the potential danger. She just wanted to get close to him before God knows what he would do. Bria's only advantage was that she was on her way before Loki could even figure out what had happened to him. She could tell he didn't intend to be here at all. His face was clear with surprise and anger.

Bria almost instinctively pushed aside those who got in her way, could have been her teammates, Strange's men or monsters. It's like Loki was in the crosshairs, and she waded through anything to get to him.

“Hornback, stop!” Okamura shouted at her, hearing it loudly over the radio, but not she heeded it. She wouldn't let anyone stop her.

Loki seemed to be surrounded by a faint blue light. Although Bria had never seen anything like it before, she didn't dilate, and she kicked off and caught the Asgardian before the light flash blinded her.

The next thing she knows, she's feeling them fall and she's burying Loki under herself. She didn't even notice it was hot, and everything looks so red. She wanted it too much. She sat on Loki's chest and held his hands down.

“I've got you!” she declared triumphantly. At that moment, their eyes met. She could see Loki’s confusion, and then his pupils dilated. Bria didn't know where to put this. She thought maybe the god of mischief had seen something that scared him, and her vanity was fading at the thought that it might be her.

Then she noticed the change of environment. She looked carefully around, not yielding to her grip, and discovered they were near a volcano, on a protruding rock, plenty of hot air. And Loki didn't look at all like he was having a good time. He was sweaty, his eyes fell in and his lip was dry.

A dimension gate opened, and they all caught their heads to see an overly muscular creature, resembling a minotaur of legends, fall straight into the hot magna. Their demonic cries, while burning, penetrated to the veal, Bria trembled for a moment, but she ruled.

"I didn't want to come here," murmured Loki under his nose, looking at Bria, as if he expected the answer to the big question of how they got here.

"They probably caught us with a dimension gate and sent us here."

"And why are you here, pretty eyes?"

Bria didn't show anything because of her equipment, just her eyes. They were just as blue as the sky on the most beautiful summer days. Loki looked at her with a peculiar smile, he seemed so confident, she wanted to shout at him, but now she finally ruled herself. She took the first step, caught him and got close to him. She quickly completed the final phase before Loki could escape, pulled a tiny circular object from one of her waistline bags and quickly pushed it to his neck.

"Auch" he hissed and Bria pressed the button in the middle of the device to activate itself. "What's this?"

"It blocks magic" she smiled, smiling slyly, and even good enough to lean close to the face of the God, looking even closer into his eyes, emphasized what she had to say. "You're my captive."

"Hm" sighed Loki and rolled his eyes. Somehow, the threats never work, and he's already reached out to rip the device out of his neck. Bria quickly pressed the button on the remote control for the device, and her prisoner shocked throughout his body and froze.

"If you do something I don't like, count on me to torture you."

"There's has to be a time when you're not watching" chuckled Loki. He was ready for the challenge, he wasn't daunted, even when Bria was sure he wouldn't get out of it. She leaned even closer to him. She herself behaved in a challenging way, feeling in the saddle.

"Test me."

They stared into each other's eyes for a long time. Loki didn't move either. It seemed serious, as if he had studied his situation, but Bria's attention was not abated. But she couldn't deny her excitement. For all the things he did that day, Loki could now be penalized and she was happy to be so close to him. She's heard the saying more than once, revenge isn't worth anything, but it's proved undeniable that it's sweet.

"What do you intend to do to me now?"

If they were already in the crater of a volcano, there must have been a reason to be lured. Bria could have rolled Loki down into magna, he probably wouldn't have survived, especially with a teaser blocking his strength around his neck. Her gaze suggested that she had thought for a moment about this possibility. Once and for all, ridding a villain of the world turned out to be truly graceful, but in the end she followed protocol by pushing his position indicator so that if they sought her out, they would find her.

"It's an enjoyable position, the way you sit on top of me, but maybe we should move."

He was sick of the heat, which is why the Asgardian was talking. Bria, on the other hand, wasn't touched by that. Seeing him suffer was a pleasure for her.

"Commander Okamura!" She told his transceiver, but the static chatter revealed that they wouldn't be receiving it. "The rocks are shielding the channel."

"Should I take you somewhere else?"

"Listen, the easiest thing for me would be to push you into the lava, so you better not pull the plug."

He smiled again. He’s never been scared of threats? Bria was a little amazed by this, but at the same time annoyed, but calmed herself with a quick sigh. She couldn't let Loki mislead her. She knew exactly how emotional manipulation could achieve his goals, which is to escape at the moment. If she’s already captured him, she really didn't want him to get out of hand.

She was hot, but not as hot as Loki. The Asgardian was tormented by the symptoms of heat, while Bria simply took the mask off her face and then the helmet off her head. She left her blond hair in a bun, and to torture his prisoner even more, she took out her canteen and pulled a big one out of it. Deliberately so that the fine water drips over her face, and then on her waterproof clothes, a few drops reach Loki. She looked at the man with a sarcastic smile, barely visibly licking her mouth, his eyes almost staring out, so he observed. This filled her with satisfaction, and she even made a small laugh.

"You're an evil woman, you know that?" Loki said softly. Although him tone might have been surprising, Bria ignored it.

"I'm just enjoying the moment."

"As do I."

"What?" she tipped his head to the side. "I can tell you're about to die of heat, and you can't even get the teaser out of your neck, because if you reach for it, I'm going to push the button. What is it that you can enjoy now?"

He smiled again. Despite the circumstances that were really causing him suffering, Loki was very easy to use to confuse Bria. She was terrified to realize that he had already begun manipulating her, as he had piqued her curiosity.

" Yes, even though you can see that I'm not a fan of heat, the energies that come out of you, the passion, the sexuality, the confidence, and how beautiful you are and how close you are to me..."

"Are you seriously complimenting me?!" Bria screamed, as did another being that they didn't pay attention to, but in the meantime it got here and fell into the lava. Loki smiled like rabies. The Asgardian was crazy, if he really thought it would take her off his feet. The woman was sure that Loki had not taken a word seriously, if only because of his great egotistical reputation, which, because of his divinity, looked down on people so despised that he would have condemned them directly to servitude. When someone felt this way about humanity, the compliment could not have been real, but in Loki's case, the issues should be treated with reservations.

"What's so surprising?" The man's half-smile would have been quite heartwarming with those sparkling eyes if it wasn't for Loki who Bria hated so much because of the old attack. "Don't they ever tell you how beautiful you are? Or are your fellow human beings so blind?"

"Don't think I'm going to fall for the honey-glazed words. You're a god, and I'm a human. You look down on us."

"But I recognize beauty."

"You're just trying to embarrass me so you can manipulate me."

"Yes, because I'm guessing you're trying to lock me up somewhere. I can see the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo pinned to your chest."

Bria almost screamed at Loki not to stare at her breasts, but she couldn't let anger take control of her. The Asgardian tried hard to get out, obviously by all means. She was starting to feel uncomfortable alone with Loki. She was really hoping the beacon sent the notification. Even if the radio waves were blocked, the position indicator sent a signal to every satellite in existence, which could then be decoded in S.H.I.E.L.D's central application.

"I am surprised by your sincerity," she replied, more calmly than she had first planned.

"At the same time if I can't escape, I'll try to enjoy every moment with you at least."

"I'm afraid I'm not enjoying anything with you."

"You sat on my chest quite easily. Maybe you could do it to my lap too."

"With these perverse innuendos, you're not going to get anything from me," chuckled Bria. "Even though I haven't had a relationship yet, I'm not embarrassed by the subject of sexuality. "

"What do you mean?"

"Do you know how many people make pig comments about me at work? I had to learn to handle these."

"I guess other people recognize the beauty you have," said Loki, raising his eyebrows with some anger, which gave Bria joy in the hope that these compliments would finally spare him. "But now that I've found out you're a virgin, you seem interestingly more attractive to me."

"Come on, don't make a stand. I know you despise me for being human, so I can't be attractive to you."

"Why is Hornback written on your dress? Is that your name?"

"Yes, I'm Bria Hornback," she nodded, it's okay for Loki to remember her name." What's wrong with it?"

"It's such an interesting coincidence, don't you think?" the Asgardian flashed that half-smile meant to be alluring again, and his eyes shone despite all his suffering. "Your name is Hornback, and I have a helmet with horns swerved back..."

"Don't explain to me that we have anything in common." Bria was still more restrained than she first wanted, while the sounds of death filled the space. "You're a monster!"

"What did I do to you to hate me so much? Or are you like this because of New York?"

Bria kept quiet. Her ears were hurt by the bitter cry of another creature. Death proved to be shocking, no matter how it came.

But she didn't stay quiet because she wanted to hear the cry so much. She just didn't want to answer the question.

"You don't know me, yet you judge me," continued the Asgardian. "Tell me, do you really think you guys are so flawless? I mean, judging isn't a very nice gesture."

"I didn't say we are, but you did enough damage to my life to make me hate you."

"Yes, it was a big mistake, and yes, I'm guilty. Since then, however, there have been a lot of events that have made me change, so..."

"Oh, don’t you dare make yourself look as a good guy." she snapped. "You're evil, the god of mischief, unreliable, and..."

"Don't be so stupid!"

Loki's voice thundered with anger for the first time, which frightened her. The word was stuck in her throat.

"Are you seriously going to put a little tip on everyone? Good and evil? White and black? You should know by now that there's no one in the universe who has only good or bad qualities. We all have our faults. Even you, Bria."

It turned out to be an odd feeling when Loki called her by her name. Despite the fact that he intended his monologue to be a reproach, it was as if the man found her worthy calling by her name. That said, after he liked her last name, maybe she shouldn't have been surprised.

"You're not treating me like an equal. You judge me without knowing me. You're being this erotic, and you're putting me through this heat. These are bad qualities."

"Merry Christmas! I hope you're pleased with your discovery."

"You're as cynical as I am," laughed Loki, but his throat was scratched. Maybe he was starting to dry out. "They say cynicism is a sign of intelligence."

"Do you have anything else to study on me?"

"Interestingly, the more I learn about you, the more I care about you."

'Wow, That’s good for me. " Bria sighed not a little joyously.

Suddenly she saw a bright flash of light in the sky. A helicopter appeared over the crater, and the beam of light settled on them after some searching. Bria's relieved to see this.

"This is Bria Hornback, med school of Commander Miya Okamura's unit," said she to her transceiver after setting up the general S.H.I.E.L.D. channel, holding one eye on Loki. "I have a captive I'm asking for urgent support for. I catched Loki!"

"All right, Agent Hornback." received the answer via radio. "We're taking Loki into custody immediately. We help you! Please don't move."

Bria smiled for the first time with a truly great exultation at the man who had been laid down. His face finally showed a slight sign of disappointment.

"So you succeeded," he said resonantly.

"If there's anyone you shouldn't look down on, it's me. "

"I'd add, for now. Because I can't guarantee I'll stay with you for a long time."

Bria looked deep in Loki’s eyes, and the feelings of victory were gone. It was perhaps the first sentence she believed without doubt and took as a warning. She did not want to tell the Asgardian that she was up to the challenge.

[kimxblht-17]

𝙌𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙃𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙚

Let’s not lose hope in humanity, instead live to help others. we are able to make a difference"

What does hope for humanity really mean?

According to the urban dictionary Hope for humanity is a beautiful thing and might create peace. Sadly it disappeared years ago. and is solely employed in when exaggerating. Humanity is what keeps us alive int his world. It shows our love for our fellow people human being, there are all kinds of individuals on earth good or bad but you as somebody's should never lose your hope from humanity. Hope is an optimistic state of mind that's supported an expectation of positive outcomes with relevancy events and circumstances in one's life or the globe at large. Humanity is that the mankind, which contains everyone on Earth. it's a virtue related to basic ethics of altruism derived from the human condition. It also symbolizes human love and compassion towards one another. Humanity differs from mere justice therein there's tier of altruism towards individuals included in humanity more so than the fairness found in justice. That is, humanity, and thus the acts of affection, altruism, and social intelligence are typically individual strengths while fairness is usually expanded to any or all. Humanity could even be classed united of six virtues that are consistent across all cultures.

Why does Humanity is Important?

We all people have a unique religion. Religion could even be a broad entity that has to add some higher purpose to one’s life and keep you grounded. it is not just a group of rules and teachings that you simply simply simply must devote your life to. It’s what you take from any religion that’s important. All religions give the teachings of affection, peace and unity so as for us to assist one another and humanity. It should be something to believe, and not just something to define our very actions and thoughts. the foremost important requirement is peace. Where there's peace there's abundance. on behalf of me the foremost important religion is humanity, during this world full of chaos we'd like humanity and being an honest individual defines you everywhere. All that you just simply just must work upon is being helpful to the needy within the smallest amount times and each place. Being loving and caring towards all living beings even plants and animals, and particularly to understand another person’s problem and realize the situations they're in and be considerate. Humanity means caring for and helping others whenever and wherever possible. Humanity means helping others sometimes once they need that help the foremost, humanity means forgetting our selfish interests occasionally when others need our help. Humanity means extending unconditional opt to each and each living being on Earth. If eating and having fun is solely what we are born to try and do and do, then we must always keep one thing in mind even animals can do that. One doesn't need a hefty checking account to contribute towards and humanitarian activities. There are lots of humanity that we are ready to make even during an easy doing like, paying our servant fairly is additionally humanity. Lifting the heavy bag for an old woman is humanity, helping a disabled person to cross the road is humanity, helping our mother in chores is humanity, helping our classmate to understand the lesson, within the end helping anyone who is in need is humanity. As soon as we understand the importance of humanity in day to day life, the aim that we are on Earth is automatically fulfilled.

Humanity features a great Impact

In spite of positive changes in recent decades, conflicts still rage in many of our countries. Attacks on civilian populations and objects are commonplace. many thousands of individuals are forced to travel away their homes. International humanitarian law is typically flouted. Highly destructive natural disasters still shatter the lives of giant numbers of individuals. New and old diseases cause widespread suffering. Health services and social and economic systems struggle to pander to increasing demands. The weakest round the world still suffer most.

In the face of this we commit ourselves:

-to bring real help and luxury, wherever it's needed, to save {lots of|to avoid wasting} to avoid wasting lots of and improve the lives of millions;

-to reinforce our collective commitment to international humanitarian law;

-to campaign for human dignity and thus the responsibility of every one in every people to assist others, without discrimination, to mitigate the implications of disasters and war;

-to support the ample organization and Red Crescent volunteers across the planet who daily embody the humanitarian commitment.

“The power of humanity” is that the strength of individual commitment and also the force of collective action. Both must be mobilized to alleviate suffering, ensure respect for human dignity and ultimately create a more humane society.

These are some Ways to demonstrate Humanity in line with Leo Babauta:

Too often the trend in our society is for people to be separated from either other, to be discontinue from the great mass of humanity, and in doing so to be dehumanized a touch bit more with each step. Cars have taken us off the streets, where we accustomed greet each other and stop to speak. Cubicles have detached atiny low amount of the humanity in working, as have factories and even computers to some extent. Television has planted us firmly in our living rooms, instead of out with others. Even movie theaters, where many of us get together, cut us aloof from true conversation because we’re viewing an enormous screen. And while I’m not railing against any of these inventions (except perhaps the cubicle), what we must guard against is that the tendency of that individuality to have us focused on ourselves to the exclusion of our fellow personalities. The tendency towards selfishness rather than giving, on helping ourselves rather than helping our brothers and sisters in humanity. I’m not saying we’re all like that, but it can happen, if we’re not careful. So retaliate against the selfishness and greed of our present, and psychoanalysis a fellow soul today. Not next month, but today. Helping a fellow person, while it'll be inconvenient, includes some humble advantages:

-It makes you to feel better about yourself; -It connects you with another person, a minimum of for a flash, if not for life; -It improves the lifetime of another, a minimum of a little;

-It makes the world a more robust place, one little step at a time;

-And if that kindness is passed on, it can multiply, and multiply. So take just a few minutes today, and do a kindness for yet one more person. It are often something small, or the start of something big. Ask them to pay it forward. Put a smile on someone’s face. Don’t know where to start? Here’s a very incomplete list, just to induce you thinking, I’m sure you will be able to come up with thousands more if you're thinking that about it. -Smile and be friendly. Sometimes a straightforward little thing like this could put a smile and warm feeling in someone else’s heart, and make their day a small amount better. they might then do the identical for others.

-Call a charity to volunteer. You don’t must move to a charity today. Just search the number, make the choice, and make a rendezvous to volunteer sometime within the subsequent month. it'll be whatever charity you want. Volunteering is one in every of the foremost amazing stuff you'll do.

-Donate something you don’t use. Or a complete box of somethings. Drop them off at a charity, others can put your clutter to good use.

-Make a donation. There are many ways to donate to charities online, or in your area people. instead of buying yourself a replacement gadget or outfit, spend that benefit an exceedingly more positive way. -Redirect gifts. instead of having people provide you with birthday or Christmas gifts, ask them to donate gifts or money to a selected charity.

-Stop to help. the subsequent time you see someone pulled over with a tire, or somehow in need of help, stop and ask how you'll help. Sometimes all they need could also be a push, or the use of your movable.

-Teach. Take the time to point out someone a skill you recognize. this may be teaching your grandma to use email, teaching your child to ride a motorbike, teaching your co-worker a valuable computer skill, teaching your spouse the thanks to clean the darn toilet. OK, that last one doesn’t count. -Comfort someone in grief. Often a hug, a helpful hand, a kind word, a listening ear, will go a protracted way when someone has lost a beloved or suffered some similar loss or tragedy.

-Help them take action. If someone in grief seems to be lost and doesn’t know what to do and do, help them do something. It may be making funeral arrangements, it is making a doctor’s appointment, it would be making phone calls. Don’t hump all yourself allow them to require action too, because it helps within the healing process.

-Buy food for a homeless. Cash is sometimes a foul idea if it’s visiting be used for drugs, but buying a sandwich and chips or something like that's a good gesture. Be respectful and friendly.

-Lend your ear. Often someone who is unhappy, depressed, angry, or frustrated just needs someone who will listen. Venting and talking through a problem could be a huge help.

-Help someone on the sting. If someone is suicidal, urge them to urge help. If they don’t, call a suicide hotline or doctor yourself to induce advice.

-Help someone get active. someone in your life who wants to induce healthy might need a aid offer to travel walking or running together, to affix a gym together. Once they start, it can have profound effects. -Do a chore. Something small or big, like cleaning up or washing a car or doing the dishes or cutting a lawn.

-Give a massage. only appropriate in fact. But a massage can go an extended thanks to making someone feel better. -Send a pleasant email. Just a fast note telling someone what quantity you appreciate them, or how proud you're of them, or simply saying many thanks for something they did. -Show appreciation, publicly. Praising someone on a blog, ahead of coworkers, before of family, or in another public way, may be a good way to form them feel better about themselves.

-Donate food. Clean out your cupboard of tinned goods, or buy a pair bags of groceries, and donate them to a homeless shelter.

-Just be there. When someone you recognize is in need, sometimes it’s just good to be there. Sit with them. Talk. support if you'll be able to. -Be patient. Sometimes people can have difficulty understanding things, or learning to try and do something right. Learn to wait and see with them.

-Tutor a baby. This may well be difficult to try and do today, but often parents can’t afford to rent a teacher for his or her child in need of help. Call a faculty and volunteer your tutoring services.

-Create a care package. Soup, written language, tea, chocolate, anything you're thinking that the person might need or enjoy. Good for somebody who is sick or otherwise in need of a pick me up.

-Lend your voice. Often the powerless, the homeless, the neglected in our world need someone to talk up for them. You don’t must tackle that cause by yourself, but join others in signing a petition, speaking up a council meeting, writing letters, and otherwise making a requirement heard.

-Offer to babysit. Sometimes parents need a prospect. If a fan or other dearest in your life doesn’t get that chance fairly often, call them and offer to babysit sometime. founded an arrangement. It can make an enormous difference.

-Love. Simply finding ways to precise your like to others, whether or not it's your partner, child, other friend, friend, co-worker, or a whole stranger, just express your love. A a form word, spending time, showing little kindnesses, being friendly, it all matters quite you recognize.

The purpose of life isn't to be happy. it's to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to own it make some difference that you simply have lived and lived well. — Ralph Waldo Emerson

https://zenhabits.net/25-ways-to-help-a-fellow-human-being-today/

@queenlupitajones

[existentialstatesofmind]

Opening Up

Clare: raised an eyebrow at the mention of dark manga. “Thank you. I’ll have to download it to my tablet and check it out. But I will be careful. Especially when I read late at night.” She probably wouldn’t be able to sleep at all if she stumbled across the wrong manga. Clare laughed at Kota’s story. “One group of boys ruined it for everyone, huh. I guess the sewing and child development units would be worse especially if they didn’t choose to be there. I do want to learn how to cook. I can’t complain about getting my wish.” She shrugged. “She locked herself in a locker? If Nakashimi is so shy she was hiding from people not that long ago, I’ll just have to remember to be patient with her. Sounds like she’s trying to change.” At the mention of girls not wearing pants, Clare thought she was already experiencing culture shock. “I can’t win.” She grumbled. She smiled at Kota and playfully smacked his arm soon as he laughingly mentioned picturing her in Visual Kei style. “I already got the memo that I can’t pull off the Goth look from Eli! Okay, does this mean I have to freeze every time we go outside until Spring? I really can’t bring any pants with me?” She said in dismay. The leggings would be fine for school, they had to wear uniforms in the first place. The rest of the time was what concerned Clare. “Glad I found this out now. What if I pack all the wrong things? This is going to be a disaster. Are there other social norms to keep in mind while shopping?” Clare bristled at being called a Yankee. She’d mostly heard it in reference to New Yorkers usually with the word ‘damn’ preceding it and she was Canadian. “I was hoping you would. Dakota, if they think you slept with other girls before we started dating I won’t tell them differently. Not even Alli because it’s none of her business if my boyfriend’s a virgin or not. Sleeping in my room might make everyone at our new temporary school think we’re having sex. I don’t care. I can stop wearing my purity ring if we need to make it more believable.” She nervously twisted said ring around on her finger. Clare would do almost anything to keep from losing Kota the way she’d lost K.C especially since she was a lot more attached to her current boyfriend. However, she drew the line at having sex because you ‘were supposed to’. Wanting to because they loved each other was another story. “Japanese girls are lucky they’re not held to different impossible standards. However, I can’t just start having sex. Are you still okay with waiting? Whenever we are both ready, we’d have to take things really slow. There’s a lot to consider besides how I’m going to feel if I go against my beliefs. Birth control is out of the question for one thing.” Clare ignored Kota when he turned away. She had never spoken to a real celebrity before and she didn’t get to rehearse what to say. Who knew what would come out of her mouth if she wasn’t being guarded right now? Of course, it would’ve been far worse if he’d took her to meet Melanie Martinez backstage at a concert where she thought it was appropriate to jump up and down screaming in his ear and to ask for pictures and autographs. She shook Melanie’s hand. “I am so I know you’re not on tour right now. Are you here to shoot a music video or record a new album?” Clare asked still suspecting there must be another reason Melanie was in town. She listened the story about Johnny Depp with wide eyes. “You really did all of that, Kota? How old were you?” It was unbelievable, he knew all of these famous people and MB was blowing up. She smiled when Melanie mentioned bowling. It was very cool she did normal things though Clare wondered how she could without being mobbed. A disguise? Renting out a private bowling alley? “Yes of course you can!” She told Melanie. “Did Kota tell you about the exchange program we’re going on to Japan? I have to figure out what I need for about six months, and I had no idea what Kota was up to.” Clare said apologetically. She laughed glancing at her boyfriend. “He told me he’d give me a tour.”

Kota: looked at Clare. "You can choose what category you read. If you have drama selected and find a story it'll also show what other categories it's in such as fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and more that way you have a warning. Plus you need to judge the manga by the cover, if the picture looks scary the book will be scary." he explained not wanting her to read horror before bed. "If you want I can teach you the basics. I'm not sure if they'll require you to use a wok or not, but I can teach you how to use that too." he offered. "Well, the locker was unlocked so she mainly hid, but yes please be patient and know when she yells it's not out of anger." he smiled at her and listened to what she had to say. "No you don't have to freeze, you can wear pants when we're out together. I've heard by guys they're really warm and I may have to wear them. They are allowing us to have a Cultural Festival a little later so we'd be able to experience it first hand. Right now girls are asking my kendo club do a Host Cafe, but it probably won't be allowed. Our class will be doing a reverse maid cafe and you don't need to ask for pictures, you'll already get them. It's required that the entire class take a picture in their costumes which means I get to see you dressed as a guy since you'll be in charge of the register and the host. It'll be easy since you'll mainly take the customers to their seat and sit them down and that also means you get to wear pants." he assured and listened to her mention her purity ring and kids at school, he automatically put his hand on hers. "Clare, remember we're staying with Yohio. He's one of my best friends and probably already thinks we sleep in the same bed, but knows I'm a virgin and he hasn't told anyone. No one in school is going to know about us sharing a bed even if they sleep over. Emi and I can stay in my room and you can stay in yours with whomever sleeps over. You don't need to even take your ring off. A lot of girls will probably just look at it as a regular ring. I don't care if it takes me a while to lose my virginity. I'm not ready to lose it either. I have Emi and like you said birth control is out of the question and condoms break so even if I were ready, I wouldn't have sex. The only thing one hundred percent effective against pregnancy is abstinence and I don't want to risk having an Emi of my own running around. I wouldn't be able to deal with a crying baby and one that's hyperactive during the day. We can talk more when one of us is ready to take that step, but right now we're on the same page." he assured and kissed her head. When Clare asked Melanie her question, he looked at Melanie too. "Well, I came here to get away. This is my home away from home and Kota and I don't end up in another American scandal when we're here." Mel shrugged honestly. "I was 13 and yes. We really did run away to the UK." he confirmed. "Besides it's not like I can runaway to another country anymore." he sighed. "You could always run to America and we can hang out for about a day until videos of you get uploaded to youtube or something. 'This just in Kota Anderson just landed in LAX. Paparazzi are already on scene." Mel said mimicking a fake reporter as she and Kota laughed. "Not to mention the mobs." he stated. "Yes, like when we went out to eat. 'Can we get pictures and autographs?' 'Are you two dating?' and then the scandals began." Mel laughed. "But we squashed them in about a week." he reminded. "He did tell me about going to Japan, but not as an exchange program. I told him not to tell you he's meeting me. I'm glad to see he kept my promise." she smiled. "I want a tour too. We can go have some fun." she smiled and Kota lead them out of his office leaving Melanie's dresses in there. "What do you want to see first? I can't take you into the place where everything is made though, it's too dangerous. I can take you to other offices and to Yohio's lab." he explained.