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ackermanbloodline · 9 months

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Letting Go (Part II) - Levi Ackerman x Female Reader

Word Count: 4.1k

Warnings: Sexual themes. 18+, MDNI.

Read Part I

* * *

“As much as I’m enjoying this, we should get out of here before we draw too much attention to ourselves.”

“Good idea.”

He motions his head towards the exit and you follow him, his frame sturdy and unwavering as you have to brush by numerous bodies just to get to the doorway. He occasionally looks back at you to ensure that you’re still behind him.

The night breeze feels like a welcoming party when you step outside. You breathe in an entirely fresh breath of air. It cleanses your entire being. It’s chilly but not cold. You look up and the stars are out tonight, shimmering brilliantly above.

It isn’t until you hear Levi toying with his keys and unlocking his car that you snap out of your trance. A set of orange lights flashes onto the pavement ahead for a moment once the car is ready to get into.

“Levi, wait,” you call urgently. He doesn’t stop or seem to acknowledge you at all. “Are you okay to drive?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t be offering if I thought I wasn’t capable,” he says your name with bitterness playing upon his tongue. “Just let me drive you home.”

“Okay.”

You manage to swiftly seat yourself in your car and he does the same. The inside, as you expected, is immaculately clean. There isn’t a single spec of dust on anything. Not even the floor mats have any dirt on them. It looks like it was just driven off the lot. The car smells like a mix of cologne and mint. The entire interior is leather with some silver accents and you immediately notice that it’s a stick shift.

As you put on your seatbelt, Levi depresses the brake pedal and pushes the start button, causing it to roar to life. It’s loud but not overbearing. Blood-red lights light up the floors. The touchpad screen turns on and his slender fingers immediately press on it and settle on some music. It’s heavy enough that a conversation isn’t meant to be had.

(Song: Drive Forever [Remix] by Sergio Valentino)

He puts it in first and slowly drives off the lot. As he does, a large surge of people exit the nightclub. You left at the perfect time. The bass from the song echoes in your chest. The sound system is immaculate. And his taste in music isn’t so bad, either. As he continues to drive, you look out the window and admire the numerous streets and houses that are still alive, even at this hour.

You reflect on the night and remember his wandering hands on you. How his hips meshed with yours without effort. His eyes.

“Then let's give them something to stare at.”

You swallow a thick wad of saliva after the memories play in your mind like a film reel. You take a deep breath.

He takes an unfamiliar turn towards another road and your eyebrows furrow together.

“Where are we going?”

He adjusts the music volume.

“You’ll see.”

* * *

His car turns down a dirt road and you are sure that he’s taking you out here to murder you or something. The road is windy and keeps going uphill. You are somewhat concerned for his car since it’s so low but he seems careful with it. After a few minutes of going up, the vehicle sits on top of a giant overlook of the city. It looks so peaceful and quiet.

“Holy shit,” you swear, sitting up in your seat to get a better look. Meanwhile, he leans his seat backward to stretch out his legs more.

“One of the few perks of being a captain is getting access to restricted areas like this. Nobody else comes up here with the exception of me.”

“We have to be somewhere in Wall Sina, right?”

“Yes.”

You don’t recall the ride being so long but maybe you were too submerged in your thoughts that you didn’t even notice. You’ve never been here before. And many people will die not having the same privilege. You count your blessings.

You smile, “Cool.”

He frowns, deeply, “Hey, what in the hell happened to your hand?”

You look down on your lap and see hints of bruising starting to flower across your hand in lighter shades. He managed to notice it even though the red lighting distorted its appearance. Some of the skin is even off your knuckles, dried blood taking its place instead.

“Oh, uh… it’s nothing. Really.”

Levi calls your name the same way as he does while in the Survey Corps. It’s an order.

“Some dude just got a little touchy and I took care of it. Not a big deal.”

“And I’m assuming this happened on your trip to the bathroom?”

“On the way back, actually,” you say as-a-matter-of-factly and he glares at you. “But… yeah.”

“Did you at least break his nose?”

You chuckle, “Considering that it was bleeding pretty good, I think so.”

“Good.”

You look down back on your lap, not knowing what to say back. You twiddle your thumbs. The vehicle is silent for a few moments before you speak again, slightly laughing.

“You know, those were quite some moves out there. I didn’t know you danced.”

He says, almost defensively, “I don’t.”

“Levi, lighten up. You were actually pretty good.”

His eyes practically roll, “You were alright too, brat.”

“Just alright? That hard-on you had tells me otherwise.”

His head snaps over towards you and you hold up your hands in defeat.

“Hey, just being honest.”

“Tch.”

“For what it’s worth… I was pretty flustered too.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you still?”

“Flustered?”

“Yes.”

“Sort of,” you admit sheepishly, your cheeks heating up. “Are you?”

“You have no idea.”

Your pelvis contracts with his words, which are low and quiet. And you two can’t seem to break eye contact with each other. Your attention bounces from his lips back up to his silver gaze. Your lungs tighten, seemingly now unable to breathe properly. When you see his eyes do the same, a spark of desire starts in the pit of your stomach and courses throughout your veins.

As if both on cue, you both reach toward each other and your lips slam together. His grip secures itself around your waist and yours on the frame of his face. He feels warm, something classy playing upon his lips. Cinnamon… amaretto? You aren’t sure. Levi opens his mouth and your tongue slips in, getting more of a taste of him. Definitely amaretto. His mouth is so skilled on yours, especially when he takes your bottom lip in between his teeth and pulls back. You moan.

Levi’s dick hardens more and more with each passing moment. It almost becomes uncomfortable for him when things continue to stay the same for a few minutes. But he is a patient man.

His hands lift you and set you gently on his lap. He leans his seat farther back so you’re more comfortable. You feel a little self-conscious that you’re straddling him. A familiar bulge presses itself against your very inner thigh underneath you, which dissipates your feelings of insecurity. You steady yourself by gripping the headrest of his car seat and begin to softly roll your hips down onto his. When his hardness brushes against your cunt repeatedly, your eyes roll back.

You look down at Levi, your hair falling in curtains on the sides of your face, who is looking up at you with so much desire and lust that it makes you flood. Your stomach does somersaults. Desperate to feel him again, you lean down and kiss him. His touch is needier now. His grip on your sides pushes you down onto him and he kisses you harder than before. His mouth moves from your lips to your jaw and down to your neck.

“Levi,” you moan out when his warm tongue traces your carotid, running one of your hands through his hair and gripping it.

He steadies your hips so they quit moving and he shifts his hips up, allowing him to take total control. It isn’t long before he is tugging at your shirt and looking up at you.

“Can I take this off?”

You don’t respond. Instead, you take it off yourself, pulling it over your head and throwing it onto the passenger seat beside you. Your black lace bra catches his eye and he leans in to bury his face in your chest. He kisses and nips at your breasts. You relish in the feeling of Levi wanting, needing you so bad. He pushes one cup upward and takes your breast in his hand before placing your nipple in his mouth. He moans with appreciation.

He sucks, bites, licks, and kisses it. His mouth is slippery and warm. It feels so fucking good. Incisively, you shift your hips and grind against him, greed getting the best of you. You gently push him off you and pull the bra over your head before it also joins your shirt on the seat. Levi’s eyes go slightly wide, staring at your chest. You’ve never seen him present so much emotion.

You feel your face start to get hot.

“So perfect.”

The warm glow of the red floor lights shines on you both which creates an entirely lustful atmosphere. It’s perfect. Levi continues his assault on your chest, making sure that each of your breasts receives as much attention as the other. It is basically torture after minutes go by. You are certain that you are even soaking through your pants at this point.

You reach over his head and pinch the fabric on his back, urging him to take it off. He complies. And when he does, he wraps his arms around your torso. You relish in the feeling of skin-to-skin contact. An overwhelming feeling of safety takes over you. He kisses you once more before pulling away and pushing a strand of hair back behind your ear with his index finger. Shivers make waves down your spine.

“Get in the back.”

You do what you're told and navigate through the front seats to the back ones, laying down. Levi works to adjust the seats so that you both have more room to move around. You seize this moment to sneakily take off your pants, shimmying them down your legs. Once you’re done, you open them for him. Once he is done, his gaze falls on yours and scans up and down your body.

Your breath hitches in your throat when he swears and says your name, taken by surprise. You blush and grab him by the belt to pull him in between your legs. Your fingers work steadily to remove his belt and throw it onto the car floor. He helps you undo the button of his pants, pulling down his fly, and removing his pants completely. You are both now only separated by two thin layers of cotton.

Both of you are panting with desire. He lays down on top of you and places his lips on yours. His dick strains through his underwear and against yours. Your wetness soaks through his own underwear and leaves the dark fabric glistening in the red light. Levi looks down and despite his eyes going wide, his tone remains calm and calculated.

“Look at the mess you’ve made,” he says. “You must be enjoying yourself.”

“Thoroughly.”

You chuckle and sit up, hooking your fingers into the hems of his underwear and pulling down to his knees. His dick springs free and you place a kiss on his hip bone before securing your hand around it. Levi rotates around and lays down on the backseat, running a hand through his disheveled hair before his gaze drops down to you, beautifully perched in between his knees. You let go of him and pull up your hair, securing it with a hair tie so he can have the entire view. A small, crooked smile plasters across his face. You had never seen him smile. He had caught your eye from the day you saw him. And you swore that you saw his eyes lingering on you, too. But you never made anything of it. Years of tension, finally being broken down in one night.

Once your hair is completely tied up, you lower your lips back down on his sex. His hips buck into your mouth softly when you take him in his entirety. Even though he was on the smaller side in general, that sentiment didn’t reflect on his penis. You are pleasantly surprised. His head rolls back and a low groan rips from the back of his throat. All the muscles in his body become tense. You wish you could somehow save this memory forever. How long had it been since he last experienced pleasure like this? You aren’t certain.

Levi nearly loses his mind when you suck him off properly. Although you eagerly lick the precum dripping from his tip, you don’t really taste anything. It tastes slightly salty but it’s barely even noticeable. His body jolts and jerks occasionally as you speed up your pace and slow it back down. He can’t even bring himself to look down at you. He knows he’ll cum on the spot. The vibrations your moans make on him feel too good, though, and with each passing second, he feels the peak of his orgasm build more and more. And it doesn’t go unnoticed by you.

You want him to lose control. He never does. The man doesn’t drink, doesn’t do anything that’s even remotely out of line. You want him to break all the rules tonight.

He deserves that.

Levi tries to force you off him but it doesn’t work, you’re too steadfast in your desires to falter.

“Hey, brat… I’m gonna — oh — you’re gonna make me cum if you don’t stop now.”

His voice is so breathy and low. Saturated with lust. He looks down at you and you bat at him through your eyelashes. You look him dead in the eye and use your hand and mouth to rhythmically milk him for all he’s worth. His grip finds its way to your hair, gently securing a grip around your scalp. His strong legs shake and his abs contract with pleasure. Your name falls off his lips once in between grunts and groans. Warm streaks of liquid shoot down your throat. You swallow it all and don’t dare waste a drop of it.

His hand tightens on your hair when you continue sucking, causing him to jerk uncontrollably below you. His eyes snap shut and he whimpers loudly as he leans forward. You lift up off him and giggle as you speed your hand up. He pleads for you to stop and you do, respecting his wishes. He collapses backward on the seat and heaves for breath. His eyes are still closed as you sit back in amusement.

He runs a hand through his hair again, setting it on his forehead after, “If you’re trying to kill me, you just got awfully close.”

“Not today, Levi.”

“Mmm, sure. Now come here and sit on my face.”

Your eyes go wide and you aren’t sure you heard Levi correctly. Your suspicions are confirmed when he looks at you with annoyance when you don’t do as he says.

“I beg your pardon?”

“For fuck’s sake,” he practically rolls his eyes before he grabs your hips and brings you up to his face. You look down at him, head in between your thighs, still laying down on the backseat. “For someone who’s been in the Scouts for as long as she has, one would think you’d know how to listen.”

You quickly but softly lower your pussy down onto his lips to make him shut up. He responds by wrapping his arms around your legs and using his fingers to grab and pinch your skin. His eyes close and his tongue starts to go to work. The flat of it presses up against your slit, causing a wave of warmth to echo throughout your pelvis. You place a head on the ceiling of the vehicle to stabilize as you slowly but surely begin to lose yourself to Levi’s mouth. His low groaning and moaning tells you that he enjoys eating you out as much as you love receiving it.

The windows are now completely fogged up. Your hips grind down onto his lips and mouth and occasionally he reaches a hand up and grabs at your breasts. He uses his index and thumb fingers to tweak your nipples. You chant Levi’s name over and over. He can’t get enough of it. The sounds of him licking and sucking fill the void of the car and add to your arousal. Levi is already hard again. You occasionally reach down and run your fingers through his scalp when he hits a really good rhythm/spot.

Your legs give out after a while and you fall backward and softly collapse on his body, your sex still in his face. That doesn’t give him reason to stop, though. He’s still going, relentless in his pursuit to make you feel as good as you made him. He sometimes shakes his head back and forth as he sucks your clit, causing his hair to fly all over the place and tickle your thighs. You periodically look at him and see his silver blades of eyes cut into yours in the darkness. It’s too much.

The atmosphere starts to spin thanks to your heavy breathing and tingles of pleasure spread down your legs and to your toes when you get close. Your hips stutter against his tongue and your moans become more frequent and high-pitched. You can feel his lips curl up into a smile beneath you. He doesn’t say anything and he doesn’t stop his rhythm. He keeps it right where you like it. That bastard.

“That feels so good, don’t stop,” you manage to moan out, reaching towards the back of your neck and grabbing his cock, stroking him again. He’s hard as a rock. And already so soon. His hips shift up into your hand. He groans into your cunt in response.

You nearly scream out when he adds two fingers into the mix. Without giving you much time to adjust to it, he already curls his long fingers upward and they press against your g-spot.

Levi places an open mouthed kiss against your inner thigh as he pushes up against it again and again. His eyes close when you mirror his stroking movements to yours. When you clench around his fingers again and again as your release nears, he has to show some restraint to not pin you down and pound you until you can’t walk. He bites the inside of his cheek harshly.

“You’re close, huh?”

You nod your head, broken pants being the only thing that can surpass your lips right now. He lowers back down and attaches his mouth to your clit, sucking it harshly as his fingers continuously hit your other sweet spot. He can tell you just need a little nudge and you’ll be pushed off the edge.

He mutters onto you, “Be good and cum for me.”

And it hits you like a freight train. Your legs shake. Your eyes roll back. You lose touch with reality. All you are able to comprehend is your orgasm ripping through you. You can’t even moan. You’re completely silent. You’ve never cum so hard in your entire life. Just like you did with him, though, Levi persists and keeps his movements steady even after you’re done. Your hands shoot down and push his away, but he’s too strong. It’s no use.

Warm tears well up at the corners of your eyes at the overstimulation. You regain your voice and your squealing is like music to his ears. But he stops soon after and looks at you with complete awe. You’re glistening with sweat and the sweet red light absorbs into it like honey. You’ve never looked more attractive than you do right now.

Levi pushes you down onto the seat and he climbs on top of you. You’re still recovering. You’re basically limp.

“Done so soon?”

You breathe, “Fuck… you…”

“If you say so.”

And his length slowly slips in, making your mouth drop open. You swear you can hear Levi very quietly gasp as it goes in. He looks down at where your bodies connect as he sinks deeper into you. Your pelvic floor is still pulsating. And he feels it. He emits a low groan.

“Levi, p… Please just give me a second.”

He nods and stops in his tracks, waiting for you to regain more of your senses. You take some deep breaths and try to focus your eyesight again. After what seems like forever for him, you finally wiggle your hips onto his, which is your cue for him to start again. His hips roll into yours and his dick slowly thrusts in and out. You wrap your hands around his tensed neck.

HIs body collapses onto yours and the feeling of his body weight on yours, his lips back on your neck, and his cock stuffed inside you is enough to make you want to go all night with him. Your lips ghost over his ear and you whimper quietly with each and every thrust. The sounds urge him to keep the rhythm he’s currently at. He doesn’t dare stop or slow down.

It’s almost like your pussy is made for him. You are taking him so well and you fit him like the perfect glove. He’s never experienced anything like it.

Both of you are accumulating sweat on your bodies and it causes you to slip and grind against each other in the best possible ways. The obscene sound of his skin softly slapping on yours fills the car. His balls slap against your ass. You feel so full with him inside you that it’s making your head go in circles.

He’s managing, somehow, to hit your sweet spot again. You contract around him with the sensation. He lifts himself up, holding his weight with one hand, and uses the other to make tight circles around your clit. He’s probably close, too. How couldn’t he be? The combination of his movements quickly back you to the brink again. And by the way he’s moaning, he’s right there too. He even uses his propping arm to slam up against the interior of the car once.

Instinctively, you wrap your hands around his neck to bring him back down onto you. You need the contact again. You wrap your legs around his backside, trapping him inside. He tries to pull away but you tighten your grip on his neck.

He whimpers, “Wh… what are you doing?”

“Cum with me, please. Please, please, please.”

With the sounds of your begging, it’s all Levi needs. And as a result of his sloppy hips and heartbreaking moans as he cums, you are granted your second orgasm. And it’s just as intense as the first. Your cunt almost suffocates him. It’s almost painful. But still, he is too focused on his pleasure to care. His thrusts slow down to an eventual stop. He lays on top of you.

You feel his heartbeat rage against your chest as he takes a moment to recuperate. You run a hand through his hair and his body tenses.

“Come on. We should get back.”

“Right.”

* * *

It’s a quiet ride back to HQ. Still, Levi tries to make small talk. Frankly, you are both utterly exhausted from the day’s events. Even though he only sleeps for a few hours per night, he feels like he could sleep through until morning. He catches himself drifting off at the wheel a few times but catches himself before his eyes close.

He walks you to the barracks. Once you reach your door, you turn around and look at Levi.

“Thanks for tonight,” you say sleepily, rubbing your eyes. “I had a lot of fun.”

“One night of leisure. I still expect you to be at the training grounds bright and early tomorrow with everybody else.”

“I’ll be there.”

“Good.”

“Okay.”

You go to twist the doorknob to enter, but Levi calls your name. You turn around and he looks conflicted.

“For what it’s worth… I enjoyed myself tonight as well.”

A smile creeps on your face, “Good, I’m glad. Goodnight, Captain.”

“Goodnight.”

You quietly sneak into your bunk after closing the door. You pull the blanket over you and get into a comfortable position. You close your eyes and recollect the night as you drift off. You’re sleeping in less than a minute.

Needless to say, you dream many things about the Captain that night.

* * *

End

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i-was-today-years-old-when · 10 months

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i learned that Gabe Newell, president of the video game company Valve which created steam, owns Inkfish, an ocean-exploration research organisation which currently holds the records for the deepest crewed dives in all five oceans with their deep-submergence vehicle Limiting Factor (x)

#today i learned #facts #truth #science #titanic

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sycamorelibrary754 · 2 months

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Guardian Angel

Chapter 9: When in Rome

Summary: I have no idea how to summarize this chapter besides saying buckle up. 🫣

Warnings: Danger, angst, claustrophobia.

Word Count: 6.3k

A/N: My apologies for how long it took to get this chapter posted. I wanted to take my time on it because it’s essential to the rest of the story. I hope you enjoy it!

Guardian Angel Masterlist

You walked into your room, anxiously shutting the door behind you. Your mind races as you pace back and forth. Running your fingers through your hair, you struggle to comprehend why Onyx Petroleum would be interested in Sokovian land. Your mental spiral is interrupted by a knock on your door, followed by Tony's voice asking if you're okay. You open the door, and the billionaire walks in, quickly shutting the door behind him.

"I can't believe I didn't clock it before," Tony said, holding up the newspaper. "Those con artists from Onyx Petroleum are your parents - sorry."

You force a smile and respond, "It's okay. They deserve the title, trust me."

"I know firsthand," Tony muttered.

“You know my parents?”

“Your father was a regular visitor of the Stark Expo in the old days.” You're taken aback, wondering how you never knew that. “Dear old dad rarely spoke to me growing up, but I remember he once said that Y/F/N Y/L/N was the only person who made him believe that humanity was doomed to extinction.”

“Sounds about right,” you said.

“Oh, and then," he recounted, "A few years ago at a September Foundation grant presentation at Cal Tech. Your mother, as usual, was doing her thing - schmoozing with everyone. She cornered Pepper and started rambling about how a partnership between Onyx Petroleum and Stark Industries could transform the global oil exploration and production industry. Pepper kindly reminded her that Stark Industries no longer partners with companies or individuals that harm the environment or the population. So your mother called Pepper a fraud and threw her drink in her face! Can you believe that?"

You sigh as you sit down on the edge of the bed, “Unfortunately, yes.”

"Any idea what this is about?" Tony asked, holding up the paper again.

You shake your head, saying, "No clue. They've never shown any interest in foreign oil.”

"Do you have access to anything that would give us insights into their business dealings?" Tony inquired.

You shake your head again, feeling helpless. "Not anymore. My parents removed me from all of their bank accounts and company mainframes when they kicked me out," you say with a huff, throwing yourself back onto the bed. “I don’t get it. Sokovia was destroyed. What’s left for them to find.”

“Vibranium.”

“What?” You said as you sat up. “That doesn't make sense. Sokovia was a war zone.”

“What do you think they were fighting over?” the billionaire asked rhetorically.

“How do you know this, Tony?”

“After Ultron's attack on Sokovia and the subsequent sinking of Navi Grad, FRIDAY performed an extensive deep-sea mapping of the ocean—every square centimeter. Seven hundred thousand images were captured at a depth of almost 4,000 meters,” Tony explained, tapping the screen on his watch. “The mapping exercise was aimed at locating the submerged remnants of the destroyed city and ensuring the safety of any underwater vehicles or divers exploring the area. Doing so would provide insights into the underwater topography of the region and assist in the reconstruction efforts.”

You rise to your feet as a hologram of the 3D map materializes before your eyes.

“Instead, FRIDAY found something else,” Tony explained, shifting pieces back and forth through the air. “Outside of Wakanda, Sokovia has the largest natural vein of Vibranium anywhere in the world, but no one has been able to mine it yet because…,” zooming in on the composite. “It’s underwater.”

You studied the 3D image carefully, trying to comprehend how Onyx Petroleum would go about mining the most potent substance on Earth.

“This much Vibranium in anyone’s hands is frightening,” Tony said. “In the hands of a company notorious for unethical business practices, it’s perilous.”

“Does Wanda know?” Your mind was racing with concern for your girlfriend.

“No, and I don’t think we should tell her,” closing the hologram.

“What? Why not? She has a right to know! It was her home. We can’t just—“

"Easy, Willy Wonka," Tony said. "I know she needs to know, but we need more information before we can act. I need to do some more research and figure out the next steps. In the meantime, tell the rest of the team what we know. Wanda is running point on a full-team, large-scale mission the day after tomorrow, and it benefits no one for her to be distracted, right?"

You nod hesitantly in agreement, still processing everything. "Trust me, Y/N. If we take our eyes off the ball, bad things happen. We need to be strategic and focused if we're going to keep everyone safe."

After a moment of silence, you let out a heavy sigh. "Okay, you're right," you concede, looking down at your hands. "I just don't feel good about keeping this from Wanda. We've always been honest with each other, and I don't want to ruin that."

Tony places a reassuring hand on your back. "You're not lying to her. You're just postponing the truth to protect her," he explains calmly.

You slowly nod, taking in his words. It made sense, in a way. But the guilt still lingered in your mind, gnawing at you. You knew that, eventually, you'd have to come clean.

*^~^*

You stirred from your sleep two days later, but the uneasy feeling in your stomach lingered. Your conversation with Tony was still vivid in your mind. You peered outside and saw SHIELD agents hustling and bustling around the grounds. You felt lost, unsure of what to do or where to be, so you did your best to keep a low profile and stay out of everyone's way. This was your first time seeing a mission play out before you. Sure, team members had come and gone before in the three months you had been living at the Avengers Compound, but being so focused on your recovery, you hadn’t paid that close attention.

FRIDAY interrupted your train of thought as you stood by the window. “Ms. Y/L/N,” she said, “Ms. Maximoff requests your presence in The Overwatch.”

You were confused. “The Overwatch? Where’s that, FRIDAY?”

“I’ll escort you there, Ms. Y/L/N,” FRIDAY said, opening the elevator doors.

As you stepped into the elevator, you noticed it was going down. The compartment sprang to life, and you counted at least three floors before it finally stopped. The door opened, revealing a futuristic virtual command center. Wanda stood with her back to you, looking up at a wall of monitors.

You couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow!"

Wanda turned at the sound of your voice, and her smile was enough to melt you into a puddle. "Impressive, isn't it?" she said.

You nodded, still in awe of the sight. "What is this place?"

"This is The Overwatch," Wanda explained. "It's a command center that allows Fury or other Avengers who aren't on a mission to provide support in real-time."

You walked over to where Wanda was standing. "It's only used when everyone gets called away or on big-scale operations," she added.

You looked up at the bank of monitors, each displaying a name in the corner. Your eyes quickly found Natasha's, labeled N. Romanoff. Next to her, you spotted T. Stark, S. Rogers, B. Banner, T. Odinson, C. Barton, B. Barnes, S. Wilson, K. Bishop, Y. Belova, P. Parker, and C. Danvers.

"Am I even allowed to be in here?” You asked.

"Technically, no," Wanda replied with a smirk, "but this is my first time running point on a mission, and I could use the company."

Curiosity getting the better of you, you asked, "Who are they after?"

"Unfortunately, that information is classified," Wanda replied, typing away on the keyboard and pulling up a map, "but I can tell you they are in Europe."

"Well, that narrows it down," you joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Wanda sighed and sat before the command module, motioning for you to join her. "I wish I could tell you more," she said, "it's so much more stressful sitting in here than being out in the field with the team."

You tried encouraging her, saying, "Hey, at least you're safe here."

“Yes, but I feel so helpless," Wanda admitted while monitoring the team's vital signs. "Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful to Fury for agreeing to let me ease back into the swing of things, but the loss of control scares me.”

The tense atmosphere was palpable in the comms as Steve's voice cut through, "Wanda, we're on our final approach. ETA, 30 seconds."

Natasha's raspy voice chimed in, "How are we looking?"

"The approach is clear—five guards in the courtyard outside the building.

"I got it," Tony interjected. You heard muffled groans on the other end of the comms as Tony dismantled the threat in a matter of seconds. "We're clear outside."

Everyone, turn on your body cameras," Wanda commanded as the monitors rose to life, giving you a first-person point of view of what everyone on the team was seeing.

"Nat, the security office is two doors down on your left," Wanda directed.

"Noted, I'm on my way," Natasha confirmed.

"When do I go in?" Peter's voice sounded eager on the comms.

"Hold your position, Spider-Boy," Yelena said. "Patience is key."

"Yeah, Peter. You're too eager. Just slow your roll and wait for the signal," Kate Bishop said.

"So is being quiet, Kate Bishop." Yelena cut in again.

I can't believe this is happening," you said involuntarily.

"Shh," Wanda whispers.

"Who is that?" Thor asks as he catches his hammer flying towards his monitor screen.

"Is that Y/N?" Carol asked between shots.

"No, it's not," Wanda lied to protect you.

"It is Y/N! What are you doing in The Overwatch, Willy Wonka?" Tony asked.

“Aww, they’re having a date night,” Clint joked sarcastically as you watched an arrow fly away from his camera and out of sight.

"Everyone, please be quiet. You're clogging the comms," Bucky demands irritably.

"Let's all be civil," Sam adds.

“I concur,” Bruce agreed.

"How are we doing, Nat?" Steve asked as he knocked out another security guard.

"I'm bypassing the firewall, Natahsa replied, typing away on the keyboard. “There. The Iris Detectors are down.”

"On my signal," Wanda spoke calmly. "Disabling the dome cameras in 3, 2, 1. Go.”

Sitting in front of the bank of monitors, you found yourself momentarily bewildered. You weren't sure which of the screens to focus on as the team moved in unison. Each one displayed a different angle of the action, and you didn't want to miss a single moment of what was unfolding before you. You watched with bated breath as they efficiently made their way through the building, their movements purposeful and precise. It was a sight to behold - you had never seen such determination and skill in your entire life.

Despite seeing footage of the Avengers on the news over the years, watching them firsthand was an entirely different experience. You felt incredibly fortunate to be able to call them your friends. As they worked towards the second level, you couldn't help but feel a sense of awe wash over you. These were some of the most powerful beings on the planet, and yet they were risking their lives to protect others. It was a humbling and inspiring sight to behold.

As the team entered the building, you watched Bucky effortlessly kick in a door. "I'm in the lab," he announced, his voice calm and collected.

Tony's voice crackled through the comms, "Do you see the mainframe?"

"There's two, which one is it?" Bucky replied, scanning the room.

"Open the silver panel," Tony instructed.

With a few hard pulls, Bucky managed to pry off the front of the mainframe. Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass filled the air as Carol crashed through a nearby window with a guard's arms wrapped tightly around her neck.

Without hesitation, Bucky turned to assist her. "Keep going! I got this," Carol shouted, her voice slightly strained.

Tony's voice cut through the chaos, "You should see the mainframe HiperSockets that provide high-speed TCP/IP connectivity within the central processor complex."

"For fuck's sake, in English, Tony!" Bucky shouted, his frustration palpable.

"Language,” Steve reprimanded.

An alarm began to blare as red lights flashed, signaling the imminent arrival of more guards.

"Bucky and Carol, eight more guards are heading your way," Wanda's voice sounded over the comms. "Thor, you're the closest."

"I'll be right there," Thor answered.

You watched as The God of Thunder bounded down the stairs and into the lab. In a thunderous flash, he took out all eight guards, leaving the room eerily silent.

"Cut the blue cable!" Tony finally shouted.

Bucky pulled out a pocket knife and quickly sliced through the blue cable.

The rest of the team arrived on the scene, and the lights inside the mainframe went out, plunging the room into darkness.

"How do we know for sure it's down?" Kate asked, her voice laced with concern.

Natasha fired three gunshots into the mainframe, causing the container to smoke.

"That ought to do it," she said, lowering her gun.

"Well done, everyone," Wanda praised. "I'm no longer seeing a heat signature from your location, which means the building is offline."

"Thanks, Wanda. Nice job on the point," Steve said. "We'll reconvene at 1800 hours to go over Phase Two."

Wanda looked exhausted as she removed her earpiece. The monitors had gone dark again; she leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath to calm herself down. After a few moments, she opened her eyes and looked at you.

"Wow, sweetheart. That was amazing! I've never seen anything like that in my life. You were great,” you said, touching her shoulder.

Wanda smiled weakly, feeling a sense of satisfaction mixed with exhaustion. "Thanks," she said, "it was touch and go. But I'm glad they were able to get the job done."

You nodded in agreement. "Are all the missions that intense?"

Wanda thought for a moment before answering. "Not all of them," she said, "but this is one of the most challenging ones we've had in a while. But that's what we're trained for, right?"

“Do you miss it? Being out there, I mean,” you asked hesitantly.

Wanda’s expression was pensive as she spoke, her gaze fixed on the ground. "It's a complicated situation," she began slowly. "On the one hand, I don't want to leave my boys. After we lost their father, I made a promise to Billy and Tommy that I would always be there for them, no matter what." She paused for a moment as if lost in thought. "But on the other hand," she continued, her voice growing softer, "sometimes I feel like I'm denying who I am. Like my magic knows, I’m turning away from that part of myself.”

As you sat beside Wanda, you suddenly realized something that had never occurred to you before – you had never seen her use her powers. You searched your memory for any instance where you had witnessed her abilities in action, but you drew a blank. The only thing you could recall was being in her arms after the accident before you passed out, but even then, you couldn't remember if she had used her magic to keep you safe.

You took a deep breath and reached out to hold her hand. "I know we've never talked about this, but is there a reason you've never used your magic in front of me?" you asked, your voice gentle and curious. You hoped she wouldn't take offense to your question, but you couldn't help feeling a little curious about this aspect of her life that she had kept hidden from you.

"I was wondering when you would finally ask me about this,” Wanda sighed softly. “Since Westview, I have had difficulty trusting myself to use my powers safely. I lost control in a way that I never have before, Y/N, and the thought of putting anyone through that again is unbearable." Her voice was tinged with remorse and sadness as she continued, "I don't want to be a danger to those around me or myself. I’m afraid to use my magic again, and I don't know how to overcome that fear."

As you stroked her hand, you spoke reassuringly to Wanda. "I know you're feeling guilty about what happened in Westview, but that was only one aspect of your powers. You've done so much more good in the world than bad, and the magic that courses through you is a testament to that. Remember all the times you used your abilities to save lives, protect innocent people, and bring hope to those in need. That is the true measure of who you are, Wanda. Don't let a single mistake define you or your legacy."

Wanda nodded as she looked at you. “Thank you, Y/N,” wiping the tears away that threatened to fall. “I know I can’t avoid using them forever,” she looked around the room, “I also know I can’t hide down here for the rest of my life.”

“Why don’t you show me?”

“What?”

“Show me your powers. Come on, let’s see what you got, sweetheart. It’s just us, and we’re three floors underground. Nothing can go wrong, I promise.”

She looked at you hesitantly before she finally agreed, “Okay.”

Wanda rose from her seat and walked to the middle of the room. She took a deep, cleansing breath, held out her left palm, and began slowly circling it with her right hand. You watched as an orb of red energy materialized in her palm. Pointing her hand in your direction, you felt the chair you were sitting in move underneath you as you quickly rolled across the room and stopped on a dime in front of the redhead.

“Woah,” you said in amazement.

“You haven’t seen anything yet,” she smirked.

Slowly but surely, she rose above you, her body glowing with a vibrant, otherworldly red magic that seemed to envelop you completely. Despite your shock, you felt a sense of calm wash over you as you basked in the warmth and comfort of the magic surrounding you. It was as if Wanda had wrapped you in a cocoon of pure energy, and you felt safe and protected in her presence. Her eyes were fixed on you, glowing like twin stars in the night sky. For the first time, you knew without a doubt that you were in the presence of a powerful being beyond your understanding. Yet, despite her immense power, she was your Wanda—gentle and kind.

The redhead reached down and gently touched your cheek. For a moment, you closed your eyes and basked in the warmth of her touch. You couldn't help but wonder if she felt the same sense of warmth and safety with you that you felt with her.

I do, Y/N," Wanda said with nothing but adoration in her eyes.

You were confused and asked, "Do what?"

"Feel the same warmth and safety you feel with me," she replied.

You wondered, "I, did I - I don't think I said that out loud, did I?"

"I heard your thoughts, love," she answered.

You repeated, "You heard me - you can hear my thoughts? Oh, God."

Wanda reassured you, "Oh no, no, Y/N. It's okay. This was the first time I've ever listened to your thoughts. Outside of work, I never invade anyone's privacy that way and never would with you without your permission or unless it was an emergency."

The redhead reached for you as she floated down. The red magic swirling around your joined hands.

"That was incredible, sweetheart. I know it will take some time, but don't hide this part of yourself away. It's wonderful.”

The sudden sound of the elevator whirring through the walls startled Wanda, breaking her concentration and causing her to dismiss her red magic hastily. "Shit! Quick, hide in that storage cabinet," she urgently whispered, pushing you towards the stainless steel structure.

"What?! Why?" You asked, confused and alarmed.

"I told you, you're not technically supposed to be here. The security clearance is off the charts," Wanda explained as she urged you towards the cabinet.

You sprinted towards the cabinet and quickly shut the door just as Maria exited the elevator. "Hey, Wanda. Great job on Phase One. Everything looks good on our end," she said, scrolling through her tablet.

“Thanks,” Wanda said, nervously tucking a strand of red hair behind her ear as Maria continued.

"I'm going to go brief Fury, but I'll be back for the check-in call at 6 pm to discuss Phase Two."

"Okay, see you in a bit," Wanda replied, relieved she hadn't noticed you.

As Maria stepped back into the elevator, she teasingly called, "Oh, and Wanda? If Y/N is going to be down here with you, at least give her a key card."

Wanda blushed at being caught. "I don't know what you're talking about," she fibbed.

"Of course, you don't," The Deputy Director chuckled. "Ask her to bring some Candy Bar chocolate for us later when she comes out from the storage cabinet," she added with a giggle as the doors closed.

You cautiously opened the door to the cabinet and stepped out, your cheeks reddening as you met Wanda's embarrassed gaze. She fished a blank white key card out of her pocket and handed it to you. "Here, now you can legally be down here with me."

You took the card and turned it over in your hands.

"Thanks," you said softly. “Tell Maria I'll bring some chocolate truffles later," you winked.

"Hmm, sounds good," Wanda smiled, leaning in to give you a gentle peck on the lips.

*^~^*

You arrived back at The Overwatch a few hours later, your white key card and a bag of truffles in hand. Maria was sitting next to Wanda in front of the wall of monitors. You sat down next to the redhead, passing the bag of chocolates to Maria.

"Aww, Y/N. How did you know? This is exactly what I wanted."

"Shut up,” you smirked. “So, what's happening here?" As you pointed toward the dark screens.

"We had the check-in call about forty-five minutes ago, and Steve should be reporting in any minute to confirm they've reached the target,” Wanda explained.

As if on cue, Steve's camera turned on, followed by the rest of the team. "Speak of the devil!” Maria exclaimed.

You could tell immediately that the team was in an underground passage, evidenced by the rough stone masonry surrounding them. Their footsteps echoed through the tunnel, adding an eerie quality to the tense atmosphere.

"Hey, Cap, you ready to go?" Maria asked, glancing up at the screen.

"Affirmative," Steve replied. “Although some of us are feeling a bit claustrophobic."

"Speak for yourself,” Clint chimed in.

"Tony, you want to take that one?" Wanda asked, typing away on her keyboard.

"Sure thing, Red," Tony replied. "Everyone, reach inside your suit pockets. You should find an object the size of one of Morgan's Legos."

Yelena, ever the skeptic, held up the miniature object Tony had referred to. "What the fuck is this?" she asked, her voice laced with annoyance.

"Language," Steve admonished.

"Oh, tell it to someone who cares," Yelena retorted, rolling her eyes.

"Sestra," Nat scolded, her voice echoing through the tunnels.

"It's a bit of technology I borrowed from our friendly neighborhood ant, and subsequently made even better,” Tony smirked. "Press the button on the top."

As one, the team pressed the button, and a small oxygen mask grew to fit in their hands.

"And we couldn't have worn these on the walk down here because?" Sam asked, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

"Because they only have a 24-hour oxygen supply," Tony explained. "We need to conserve as much as possible."

"Do I have to wear this?" Carol asked. "I can breathe in space. I'm pretty sure I'm fine down here."

"The vacuum of space is very different from underground," Maria said. "We don't want to take any chances. Put it on, please, Danvers."

“Why doesn’t the billionaire genius have to wear an oxygen mask?” She asked.

“There’s an oxygen supply built into the suit,” Tony smirked.

With a resigned sigh, Carol donned the mask, and the rest of the team followed suit. Wanda went over the topography of the catacomb, identifying key landmarks and intricacies that could help them navigate the maze-like structure safely.

In a hushed tone, you turned to Maria and asked, "Have they ever had an underground mission before?"

Maria shook her head and replied, "No, not like this. This is completely uncharted territory for them.”

"Okay, as we discussed," Steve said, pointing to the left. "Group one with me down the left tunnel; group two with Tony down the right tunnel."

As you observed intently, you saw each group setting off towards their designated directions, down the ancient corridors. The walls were adorned with intricate archways, illuminated by sporadic pockets of light that added to the mystique of the surroundings.

“Mr. Stark, this is amazing! Have you looked at these carvings and art? Easily third century—” Peter started.

“This isn’t a history field trip,” Natasha interrupted. “Pay attention to your surroundings.”

The group had been walking through a tunnel for some time when, without warning, felt the ground beneath their feet shake. A low and ominous grumbling noise echoed through the air, and everyone was thrown into the tunnel walls.

"FRIDAY, what's happening?" Tony asked urgently.

"Accessing the wave radar and enhancing the thermogenic signature," FRIDAY responded.

“Do you feel that too, Steve?” Wanda asked

Steve grunted as he struggled to regain his balance. "Yeah, is it an earthquake?" he asked.

"It's an energy surge, Boss," FRIDAY replied to Tony. "A core reactor holds together the primary stabilization of the tunnel structure."

"That's not first-century tech," Peter mumbled, face down on the ground.

Kate helped him up. "Yeah, no kidding, Sherlock."

Just as the group was getting back on their feet, Sam's voice cut through the tense silence.

"Hey! Hold it!" he shouted.

"What is it, Wilson?" Tony asked.

"Someone is watching us at the end of this tunnel," Sam exclaimed as he ran ahead of the group.

"Sam, wait!” Steve shouted.

"Lock onto Wilson," Maria said, standing up.

Wanda quickly shifted to Sam's primary camera and enlarged the visual. The mystery figure took two quick turns to the left as if they knew exactly where they were going. A third turn to the right, and Sam lost sight of the man for a split second. Looking around quickly, but to no avail, he said, "I lost them."

"How will he get back to the rest of the group?" You asked.

"Good question, Y/N," Sam replied.

Maria glared over at you. "Sorry, I keep forgetting they can hear me too."

"Sam, you're closer to Tony than Steve," Wanda said. "I'm pinging his tracker right now. Two lefts and a right should do it. And Steve and company, follow your tunnel about a half a mile down and then take a right, and you should meet up with everyone else."

The team wandered through the catacomb tunnel in silence, only the sound of their breathing and the stone under their feet breaking the stillness. When they were finally reunited, Tony broke the silence, "Okay, new plan. We're staying together."

Peter quickly agreed, "I'm with Tony on this one."

Yelena, standing nearby, murmured to Kate, "Color me surprised."

“Oxygen masks stay on, Nat,” Maria said pointedly.

"Yes, detka,” Natasha replied.

Yelena couldn't resist mocking her sister, "Yes, detka," she repeated sarcastically. But before she could carry on, Natasha pinched her arm, causing her to yelp in pain.

Thor shouted, "Knock it off, Lady Widows!"

Wanda added, "Thor is right. The catacomb can be disorienting, but you need to keep moving. Tony, I'm reviewing the National Geophysical Data Center records to assess your declination value and sending them to FRIDAY. Keep true north."

You turned to Maria, puzzled, "What did she say?" Having no clue what your girlfriend was talking about.

"They should turn right," Maria whispered.

You watched as everyone walked in a single-file line to the right, trying their best to keep their footing on the uneven stone. Suddenly, a second energy surge echoed loudly through the comms, causing everyone to turn their cameras downwards. Your heart raced as you gasped at the sight of cracks quickly forming between everyone's legs. Before anyone could react, the ground gave way beneath them, accompanied by screams and the sound of broken gravel.

Maria gasped, and Wanda put her hands over her mouth in shock.

"Oh my God!" You exclaimed. "What the hell just happened?"

Wanda asked urgently, "Steve? Tony? Can you hear me?"

Maria followed with a shaky voice, "Natasha? Come in! Anyone?"

"Shit," she said anxiously, picking up the phone in front of her. "All SHIELD agents, Romeo, Echo, Delta."

"FRIDAY, Code Red. Initiate Emergency Protocol 3000," Wanda ordered, running back towards the elevator and flipping a red switch under a glass cover.

"Compound shutdown initiated. Director Fury and Mrs. Stark have been notified and are en route to The Overwatch," FRIDAY responded.

You stood there, frozen, not knowing what to do with yourself. The shock of what you had just witnessed was so intense that your vision started to blur, and you felt as though you were about to pass out. Suddenly, you felt someone's arms on your shoulders, and you jumped slightly.

"Y/N? Y/N, love, stay with me, okay?" Wanda said, her voice soothing.

You looked up at her and then back at the monitors, pointing at them with a shaking hand. "They... it..." you stammered, struggling to form coherent sentences.

Wanda nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. "I know," she said, rubbing her hands up and down your arms in a gesture of comfort.

She slowly led you back to your seat, still holding onto your shoulders, and conjured a glass of water out of thin air. Taking it in your hand, you felt the coolness of the glass against your skin, which helped ground you and bring you back to the present moment.

*^~^*

Fury furrowed his brows and asked Maria, "When was your last point of contact?"

"Five minutes ago."

"Maximoff was running point?"

You didn't appreciate the way Director Fury was speaking about Wanda as if she wasn't in the room, but as an outsider, you chose to hold your tongue.

Wanda stepped forward before Maria could respond, "Yes, sir."

"What happened?"

“Two energy surges of unknown origin, but we didn’t have time to assess the cause before-." Wanda’s voice trailed off as she struggled to continue.

“Before you lost them,” Fury finished the sentence for her. Wanda nodded silently, unable to look the Director in the eyes.

“She didn’t lose them! It was an accident,” You suddenly heard yourself shout.

Pepper placed a hand on your shoulder as Fury’s gaze shifted over to you.

“Who is this?” Fury asked, pointing at you.

“I'm Y/N Y/L/N, sir. It's a pleasure to meet you,” you said, slowly reaching out your hand to shake his, but the gesture went unreciprocated.

"The car accident victim," looking you up and down. "She looks fine, why is she still here?"

You wondered why you were still here yourself, but Maria jumped in before you could respond, "She’s still recovering, Sir."

"Do you have clearance to be down here?"

You fumbled in your pocket for the white card Wanda had given you earlier. Fury looked at the card but gave you no response before turning back to Wanda.

“Are we still picking up pings from their trackers?”

“Yes, faintly,” Wanda said.

"Do we know how deep the catacomb goes?" He continued.

“Roughly 65 feet, but the fall could have taken them another 50 feet at least," Wanda stated.

“They were wearing oxygen masks?” Fury asked.

“Yes, but they only have a 24-hour oxygen supply if they haven’t been damaged,” Wanda explained.

Fury turned back to Maria, “How fast can we have a team of agents on the ground in Rome?”

Your ears perked up at finally knowing where everyone was.

“Four hours,” Maria responded.

“Make it three,” The Director said.

“Yes, sir,” Maria replied as she started to walk away.

Wanda interrupted calmly, "No. I’m going."

“Out of the question, Maximoff. You haven’t been back in the field since your return, save for her accident," Fury pointed at you. "I’m not sending you out there by yourself in the most dire moment in the history of SHIELD. You don’t know what you’ll find down there, and you’re still too unreliable."

“Unreliable,” Wanda repeated. “With all due respect, Director Fury, no one is more reliable than me. There is no one more powerful than me, and you and I both know that it will take someone who can move heaven and Earth, literally, to bring everyone home!”

Fury looked over at Pepper, who had yet to say a word—doing her best to keep her calm.

"Wanda can do it," Pepper declared, fidgeting with her wedding ring. "I have faith in her."

"You leave in 20 minutes,” Fury said, turning to Wanda. “But you're not going alone.”

“I’ll get changed right away, sir,” Maria assumed.

“No, you’re staying here, Hill. You’re too close to the situation with Romanoff.”

“Nick, I-“

“No, you’ll run co-point from here. That is final."

“Co-point? Who is-“

“I need to make a couple of phone calls. In the meantime, Maximoff, you get suited up. We’ll meet you in the hangar,” Fury ordered.

“Yes, sir,” Wanda acknowledged.

You followed Wanda out of the elevator and into the locker room, feeling nervous and determined. Wanda suited up with a look of solemn determination on her face. You didn't want to show your nervousness; Wanda had enough on her plate. She took out her phone, frowned at the screen, and then turned to you with a serious look.

“I need you to do something for me,” the redhead said.

“Of course, anything,” you replied, trying to sound as reassuring as possible.

“I need you to pick up Billy and Tommy and stay with them at my house. I know you have only met them once, but they liked you,” she started to ramble, her voice tinged with anxiety. “Pepper offered to take them, but I just can’t let her do that while Tony is…” she paused, her voice breaking with sadness.

You nodded understandingly, realizing the gravity of the situation. “I’ll do it,” you said, grabbing both sides of her face. “The boys will be okay, I promise. You bring everyone home.”

“Thank you so much, Y/N. I I already called the school to let them know you’ll be picking them up. I know I can trust you,” she said, her voice shaking with emotion. Your lips met in a kiss—one of comfort and reassurance.

The word trust was all it took for Onyx Petroleum and Sokovia to rush back to the front of your mind. But then you remembered Tony’s words. “If we take our eyes off the ball, bad things happen.” Wanda needed to focus. But God, it was killing you to keep this from her, even under the most dire circumstances.

You walked with Wanda to the hangar, an area of the compound you had yet to visit. The mood was a stark contrast from this morning. SHIELD Agents moved about the space with the same purpose and direction, but the energy differed. It was anxious.

You caught sight of Director Fury standing next to one of the Quinjets with two women you didn’t recognize, but it was clear Wanda knew both of them. She ran a few steps ahead of you and wrapped her arms around both of them in an emotional embrace.

“Y/N, this is Dr. Darcy Lewis and Captain Monica Rambeau,” Wanda said, motioning to each woman. “This Y/N Y/L/N, she said, touching your back.

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you both,” you said as you shook their hands, trying to keep your composure.

“Hi, nice to meet you too, Y/N,” Darcy replied warmly.

“It’s a pleasure,” Monica said, giving you a small smile.

"Captain Rambeau will be accompanying Ms. Maximoff to Rome, and Dr. Lewis will be running point with Deputy Director Hill from The Overwatch," Fury explained before glancing at his watch. "It's time to go."

Wanda looked at you with a mixture of anxiety and determination in her eyes. You tried to hide your nervousness, not wanting to add to her stress.

After a deep breath, Wanda spoke, "Billy and Tommy will be off from school in a couple of hours," she said, handing you her house keys. "Let them know that I'm working with the rest of the team, but don't give them any details. I’ll try to check in if I can.”

"Okay, sweetheart," you replied, taking the keys and putting them in your pocket. "Just make sure everyone comes home safe."

"I will," Wanda said with a nod, her eyes shining with determination.

As you leaned in to kiss the beautiful redhead, you felt a rush of emotion wash over you. Her soft lips met yours, and for a moment, everything else seemed to fade away. When you pulled away, you wrapped her in a tight embrace, holding her close to your chest. You watched as she walked towards the Quinjet, accompanied by Monica. Darcy and Fury were waiting by the side of the hangar, their faces solemn. You couldn't help but feel a sense of dread as the jet's engines came to life and slowly lifted off the ground. You stood there, watching as it climbed higher and higher into the sky until it was nothing more than a speck in the distance. As it disappeared from view, you felt a pang in your chest, as if a piece of your heart was flying away with it.

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blueiskewl · 3 months

Text

Have Researchers Found Amelia Earhart’s Long-Lost Plane?

A new sonar image shows an airplane-shaped object resting on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, not far from where Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, went missing in 1937.

On July 2, 1937, pioneering pilot Amelia Earhart vanished somewhere over the Pacific Ocean near the end of her historic around-the-world flight. For decades, her mysterious disappearance has perplexed explorers, who have spent millions of dollars trying to find her missing Lockheed 10-E Electra plane.

Now, a possible new clue has emerged in the case: A sonar image captured during an expedition last fall shows an airplane-shaped object sitting on the ocean floor, not far from where experts believe Earhart likely crashed, reports the Wall Street Journal’s Nidhi Subbaraman.

The blurred object is far from definitive proof, but Dorothy Cochrane, an aeronautics curator at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, tells Smithsonian magazine it’s “an intriguing image” that warrants a second look.

The expedition was led by Tony Romeo, who is a former intelligence officer with the U.S. Air Force, a pilot and a commercial real estate investor from South Carolina. In 2021, he sold his real estate properties and spent $11 million to fund the trip, including buying high-tech equipment to aid in the search.

“This has been a story that’s always intrigued me, and all the things in my life kind of collided at the right moment,” Romeo tells Business Insider’s Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert and Rebecca Rommen. “I was getting out of real estate and looking for a new project, so even though I really started about 18 months ago, this was something I’ve been thinking and researching for a long time.”

Last September, a team from the exploration company Deep Sea Vision, which Romeo founded, departed from Tarawa, Kiribati, in the South Pacific aboard a research vessel. Working in 36-hour shifts, the 16-person crew used an underwater autonomous vehicle equipped with sonar to scour the sea floor, scanning roughly 5,200 total square miles.

About 90 days into the trip, the team was reviewing sonar images and noticed something unusual in the data from some 60 days prior. The mysterious object looked to be about the same shape and size as an aircraft, and it was identified roughly 100 miles from Howland Island, which is within the region where experts think Earhart’s plane went down. The object is around 16,400 feet below the water’s surface.

By then, however, the crew had determined it was too late to return to the site for a closer look. The camera on the underwater vehicle was also broken, which meant they wouldn’t be able to see anything if they did circle back, reports the Post and Courier’s Tony Bartelme.

But Romeo is undeterred and hopes to revisit the area in the future.

“This is maybe the most exciting thing I’ll ever do in my life,” he tells the Wall Street Journal. “I feel like a 10-year-old going on a treasure hunt.”

In the meantime, the sonar image is not detailed enough for experts to draw any definitive conclusions.

“It definitely appears to be an aircraft of some sort,” David Jourdan, who has searched three times for Earhart’s missing plane and is the co-founder and president of the ocean exploration company Nauticos, tells the Post and Courier. “It has aircraft-like features. But sound is funny. It can mislead you. We can’t say it’s her plane until you put a camera on it.”

To truly identify the object, future missions would ideally capture detailed images that contain the registration number of the plane, says Cochrane. Or, at the very least, they might more clearly show the submerged object’s dimensions and shape to see if it matches the model of Earhart’s vehicle.

“It really requires further research,” says Cochrane. “Finding something that’s really worth investigating further is step one. Verifying it’s the actual craft is step two. And step three becomes: Is it possible to recover this or not, or should it just be left where it is?”

At the time of her disappearance, Earhart was a global celebrity—speaking with the Wall Street Journal, Romeo likens her to Taylor Swift today. In June 1928, Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean (as a passenger of pilots Wilmer Stultz and Lou Gordon), a feat that propelled her to international stardom.

Nearly four years later, in May 1932, she made history again by becoming the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Later that year, she became the first woman to fly solo across North America and back. And in 1935, she became the first person, regardless of gender, to fly solo from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Oakland, California.

In the summer of 1936, the renowned pilot began to plan her most ambitious trip yet: a circumnavigation of the globe. On May 20, 1937, Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, departed from Oakland for the first leg of the trip. They flew nearly 22,000 miles, making stops in Miami, South America, Africa and India along their eastward route.

By late June, they had made it to Lae, Papua New Guinea. After a few days’ rest, they departed for Howland Island, a small, uninhabited outcrop in the Pacific where a refueling station had been built for their journey. The U.S. Coast Guard had a vessel, the Itasca, stationed nearby to help with the landing.

Operators aboard the Itasca heard Earhart’s radio messages as she got closer and closer to the island. But eventually, they lost contact. Earhart and Noonan were never seen or heard from again.

The U.S. Navy and Coast Guard spent 16 days searching for the missing duo without success. About one and a half years later, on January 5, 1939, Earhart was declared dead.

Theories abound about her mysterious disappearance—some onlookers have speculated that she was a spy or that she was captured by a foreign military. But Cochrane believes the simplest explanation is the most plausible: that Earhart and Noonan ran out of fuel near Howland Island.

“She’s got to be around there somewhere,” she adds.

By Sarah Kuta.

#Amelia Earhart #Have Researchers Found Amelia Earhart’s Long-Lost Plane?#Fred Noonan #Howland Island #Lockheed 10-E Electra plane #mystery #history #history news #long post #long reads

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quads4days · 8 months

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"Tidal Transformations: The Poolside Mystery"

Prologue: The Spill

The first hint of dawn painted the sky in pastel shades of orange and pink. The tranquillity of the early morning was broken only by the rhythmic thud of Thomas's running shoes on the paved trail. As the rising sun began to illuminate the world, it cast a golden hue on Thomas's imposing form. Each stride showcased the sinewy contours of his calves and the powerful flex of his thighs. His sweat-slicked torso glistened, drawing attention to the ripple of muscles on his abdomen and the broad expanse of his chest, each inhalation highlighting his chiselled pecs. A lifetime of dedication to physical fitness had carved his body into a masterpiece, admired and envied by many in the town.

The bridge up ahead cast its long shadow on the churning river below. Thomas, with his bronzed Adonis-like form, relished these early morning jogs before the demands of his lifeguarding job consumed his day. As he neared the bridge, the discordant blare of sirens invaded the serene ambience. Blue and red lights danced across the mist that had settled over the river. A huge tanker lay sprawled awkwardly in the water, half-submerged. Authorities swarmed the area, working feverishly to secure the scene and retrieve the vehicle.

"What on earth…" Thomas muttered to himself, slowing his pace to observe the commotion. He noticed the logo on the side of the tanker — BB Enterprises, a company he knew to be involved in advanced medical research.

One of the emergency personnel, a woman with steel grey hair and a demeanour that suggested she was in charge, barked orders at her crew. "Ensure every bit of that waste is accounted for!" she shouted.

Thomas watched as large containers, presumably filled with medical waste, were hauled from the river, their contents a mystery to the onlookers. He felt an uneasy churn in his gut, but he couldn't pinpoint why.

A uniformed officer, noticing Thomas's lingering presence, approached him. "Move along, sir. This area is off-limits."

Thomas nodded, tearing his gaze away from the chaotic scene. He resumed his run, but the image of the capsized tanker remained etched in his mind. As he neared the local pool where he worked, a thought struck him — the pool's water was sourced directly from the river.

Chapter One: Shifting Tides

The morning sun beamed down on the local pool, casting shimmering reflections on the water’s surface. Thomas, in his official lifeguard uniform - or rather, the lack thereof, stood as a central figure. Shirtless, with his skin bronzed from endless days in the sun; his physique was an embodiment of strength and allure. His well-defined pecs and the deep valleys between his abdominals drew many an admiring (and envious) glance from patrons.

A subtle nod here and a wink there, Thomas worked the crowd masterfully. His role wasn’t just about ensuring safety; he also played the part of the charming, friendly lifeguard everyone loved to interact with. Children would excitedly wave at him, hoping for some recognition, while adults often initiated casual chats, mostly as an excuse to be near his magnetic presence.

But, for all the attention he commanded, there was one person at the pool that day who equally caught Thomas's discerning eye. It was Ben, a pool regular known for his stamina and the long laps he swam daily. Ben's toned body, with muscles rippling in just the right manner, made him a mirror counterpart to Thomas. As Ben finished his set and hoisted himself out of the pool, the water cascading down his chiselled abs, Thomas approached, raising his hand for their customary high-five.

"Great set today, Ben!" Thomas complimented as their palms met with a satisfying smack.

Ben chuckled, "Thanks! Felt good." The water droplets on his skin accentuated every contour, and Thomas couldn’t help but admire the view. It was an open secret around town about Thomas's fluid preferences, and many suspected that his camaraderie with Ben was more than just friendly.

Their shared glances had an underlying spark, a magnetic pull that had, over time, become a cherished secret between the two men. As Ben made his way to the changing rooms, Thomas followed suit, ensuring he wasn't seen. They both knew the routine, having enacted it countless times before.

The communal showers were deserted at this hour, with only the echoing sound of water dripping from a faulty tap. Steam enveloped the room, making the atmosphere sultry and charged. Without a word, Thomas turned on a shower, the water cascading down, and they stepped into the spray together.

As they closed the distance, Thomas reached for a bottle of soap, letting its silky contents spill onto his palm. He started by lathering Ben's broad shoulders, working his way down the muscular expanse of his back, appreciating every inch. The intimacy of the act, combined with the warm water surrounding them, heightened their senses.

But as Thomas’s hands moved around to Ben's abdomen, a sudden change jolted them both. Beneath his fingers, where once there had been tight, firm muscles, there was now a sudden softness. Thomas pulled back in surprise and watched, horrified, as Ben's fit body began to expand. A spare tyre of fat, uncharacteristic and unexpected, ballooned out around his midsection. Ben’s face twisted in confusion and distress.

"What's happening?" he gasped, his voice edged with panic.

"I don't know," Thomas replied, equally alarmed. The shower was hastily turned off as Ben continued to grow. As Thomas watched, the metamorphosis unfolded in agonising detail. The first thing he noticed was Ben's abdomen distending outward, like a balloon being gradually inflated. The once sharp lines of his six-pack faded, overtaken by the burgeoning flesh. His chest, previously firm and muscled, started to sag under the weight of the sudden adipose. The water cascading down their bodies made the expansion even more surreal, with every droplet magnifying the sight. The once lean and sinewy arms that Thomas had admired filled out, losing their chiselled definition, resembling dough that was proving and expanding.

Ben's face rounded, the sharp jawline becoming softer, plumper. Even his legs, the source of his swimming power, thickened, thighs rubbing together, the chiselled calves bloating outward. The transformation was total, shocking, and yet mesmerising in a grotesque manner.

As fear gripped Ben's widened eyes, Thomas instinctively pulled out his phone with one hand, dialling for an ambulance. But his other hand, driven by a mixture of concern and morbid curiosity, couldn't resist exploring this changed form. His fingers dug into the new, soft layers, tracing the unfamiliar contours. The act was intimate, perhaps even more so than their earlier touch, filled with a combination of wonder, worry, and an undeniable hint of longing. Ben moaned loudly before demanding loudly, “Feed me, Thomas! Make the hunger stop!”

Chapter Two: Transformation in Tandem

Thomas had a strange knack for compartmentalising traumatic events, and the scene of ambulance officers working with an effortful strain to help the newly engorged Ben into their vehicle was already locked away. The hospital would determine the cause - a severe allergic reaction, they surmised. However, the hedonistic memory of their tryst, a fusion of passion and panic, the sensation of touch transforming from solid muscle to softening flesh, still lingered fresh in his mind.

Later that day, the sun cast long, rippling reflections on the pool's surface, and as always, Thomas stood sentinel over his domain. His bronze, chiselled torso gleamed with droplets of water, each muscle defined and taut. It wasn’t just his duty to guard the pool; he was also its prime spectacle.

When Cameron and Arthur approached the pool's entrance, their athletic bodies testament to hours of dedication at the neighbouring CrossFit, Thomas couldn’t help but give them an appreciative glance. Cameron's sinewy frame was a stark contrast to Arthur’s bulkier, sculpted build, yet both radiated sheer power. Their pecs were defined, every ripple in their abs visible, thighs strong, and calves like sculpted stone.

Seeing them, Thomas’ roguish smile appeared, and he motioned for them to enter on the house. It was an unspoken transaction - a simple exchange of favours between bodies that understood and admired one another. They grinned back, their tight trunks hinting at their gym-honed glutes.

After an hour or so of swimming, the duo emerged, water glistening off their tanned bodies, making their muscles look even more pronounced. With a sly glance in Thomas’s direction, they moved towards the staff showers. And although they didn't beckon him verbally, Thomas knew the ritual.

Slipping in behind them, the steamy atmosphere of the showers almost acted as a veil, obscuring the outside world. Cameron and Arthur, already towel-dried, turned to face Thomas, their expressions a mix of mischief and anticipation. Drawing him in, three sets of hands explored familiar terrains.

However, amidst the passionate embrace, Thomas felt something amiss. His hands, as they roamed over Cameron and Arthur, detected subtle differences. The once hard obliques seemed softer, the chiselled midriffs slightly padded. It felt as though each man had suddenly added about 10kg to their waists. Deja vu hit Thomas like a tidal wave. Memories of Ben flashed before his eyes, and a frisson of anxiety rushed through him even as the steam and passion surrounded them. The misty veil of steam around them only accentuated the charged atmosphere as Thomas, Cameron, and Arthur entwined. Each movement was a symphony of muscle against muscle, their bronzed bodies glistening with beads of water and perspiration. Their Adonis-like forms were nothing short of mesmerising; every ripple of a muscle, every flex of a bicep, and the way their physiques intertwined felt like a work of art in motion.

Yet, as their fervour grew, Thomas noticed an undeniable shift. Cameron's lean frame, known for its sinewy muscles, started to soften. His defined abdomen started to round; each previously defined muscle seemed to blur and soften under Thomas's touch. Arthur, who possessed a bulkier but equally defined build, began to plump up more prominently. The thick, sculpted pectorals started to sag slightly, no longer firm but turning softer, more malleable.

As the moments passed and their passion intensified, the transformation became more evident. Arthur's muscular legs, once rock-hard and sculpted, now jiggled slightly, thickening and expanding. Cameron's once chiselled jawline started to round, a double chin subtly emerging. Their weight seemed to increase dramatically, the very force of it pushing against Thomas, almost pinning him between their ever-expanding forms.

Thomas felt both awe and a rising panic as the two men continued to swell in size. Their combined weight, growing from a lithe 80kg each to a staggering 120kg, was both a marvel and a mystery. The weight wasn't just in fat; their muscles also grew but were rapidly being enveloped by the expanding flesh. The sculpted physiques he had admired were transforming into softer, larger versions.

Their passionate endeavours slowed down as Cameron and Arthur felt the changes themselves, their movements becoming heavier, more laboured. There was a brief moment of shared alarm in their eyes, yet their physical connection didn't wane. Encased between the two, Thomas was trapped, not just by their weight but by the sheer inexplicability of the situation.

The room, charged with a mix of passion and panic, became a tableau of transformation. Thomas’ adonis figure was encased between the two men, once at the pinnacle of physical fitness, now ex-jocks whose CrossFit days were now long in the rearview mirror.

Chapter Three: The Inevitable Waves of Change

The sun glinted off Thomas's bronzed skin, accentuating each sinewy curve of his muscular frame as he sat atop his lifeguard tower. The strength evident in his thickly set arms and broad chest was not just for show. However, even his years of rigorous training had not prepared him for the surreal events of the past day. Distracted by the afterglow of yesterday’s encounter, a frantic cry from the water jolted Thomas back into his role. Two young women, who had been happily splashing around earlier, now appeared to be struggling, their once slender bodies rapidly changing. As Thomas squinted against the glare, he realised with shock that they weren't drowning but were instead inflating, their limbs becoming rounder and their torsos swelling like balloons.

With a speed that belied his size, Thomas was in the water, the taut muscles of his back and legs propelling him forward. As he approached the duo, their faces showed a mix of confusion and panic. Each girl's waistline had thickened, and their once-fitted swimwear now stretched to its limits. The buoyancy of their new, plush forms made it easier for Thomas to guide them towards the shallower end, but as they reached the pool's edge, their rapid weight gain made it near impossible for them to lift themselves out.

Relying on his immense strength, Thomas, with veins pulsing in his thick forearms, reached under the arms of one girl, heaving her upwards. Her once firm body now felt soft and malleable under his hands. Managing to get her seated at the pool's edge, he turned back to the other, using his broad shoulders and back to push her out of the water.

Out of the pool, they looked like entirely different individuals, their skin glistening not just with pool water but stretched over newly formed rolls of fat. Their swimsuits, designed for svelte figures, were now digging into their flesh, creating lines where the fabric strained.

As Thomas tried to calm the panicked girls, assuring them that medical help was on the way, two men – presumably their boyfriends – emerged from the pool. Their chiselled jaws dropped in horror at the sight of their transformed girlfriends. But before they could even process the situation, they themselves became the centre of attention. Beginning with tightness in their swim trunks, their glutes began expanding outward at a rapid pace. Their athletic chests puffed out, but not with the solid feel of muscle. Within minutes, their formerly sculpted abs were buried beneath layers of soft, yielding fat.

The pool area was now in chaos, with onlookers pointing and whispering. Thomas, though stunned, knew he needed to act. But deep inside, he couldn't deny a sense of exhilaration at witnessing these incredible transformations up close. The pool had become an epicentre of mysterious, rapid weight gain, and the root cause still eluded him. He just hoped he could keep his own desires in check long enough to unravel this enigma, realising he himself had just taken a plunge into the same waters that had changed these patrons.

Chapter Four: Tempting Fate

Thomas' gaze darted back and forth between the pool water and his reflection. The events of the past days had left a cloud of paranoia over him. He expected to see a softened face, a rounded belly, or fleshy arms. Instead, the figure that stared back was the familiar masterpiece he had worked hard to chisel: defined cheekbones, a broad chest with each pec defined, and abdominal muscles carved to perfection.

The serenity of the day was abruptly shattered by the sound of a scuffle near the deep end. A young woman with golden locks was visibly uncomfortable, her blue eyes flashing with anger as she tried to ward off the advances and unsolicited fondling of a brawny jock. He was undeniably imposing with steroid-enhanced muscles that threatened to burst from his tight-fitting shirt.

Without hesitation, Thomas stepped forward, interposing himself between the two. "Why don't you take a swim and cool off?" he suggested, subtly emphasizing the jock's flushed face.

The jock squared up, his artificially inflated biceps bulging with what seemed like suppressed rage. The menacing stare, the tightly clenched jaw—Thomas met it all with a calm and assertive gaze. Deciding to bait him, Thomas playfully taunted, "I bet you can't swim a kilometer without stopping."

The jock's hand shot forward, shoving Thomas with a force that would have unbalanced any lesser man. However, Thomas' well-toned legs held firm. With a grumble, the jock accepted the challenge, quickly discarding his shirt and revealing a torso that was more akin to a Greek statue than a real human. Without another word, he plunged into the water, his strokes strong and powerful.

The girl approached Thomas, gratitude evident in her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice quivering slightly. However, Thomas' attention was fixed on the pool. His heart raced, not from fear or adrenaline, but from anticipation.

As the laps continued, the jock's form began to falter. By the 38th lap, his once smooth, rhythmic strokes began to appear sluggish. Thomas leaned forward, eyes narrowed in concentration. And then it began.

At first, it was a subtle ripple in the water, an unexplained disturbance. But soon, the jock's broad shoulders, which had been slicing through the water with precision, now looked...softer. The once tight skin that had showcased every sinewy muscle now seemed to wobble with each stroke. His well-defined back started to round, flesh pushing outward. His tight swimming trunks, which had previously only accentuated his lean physique, began to dig into expanding flesh.

What was once a trim waist ballooned outward, pushing against the fabric of his swimwear. His steroid-enhanced pecs, previously firm and proud, sagged under the weight of accumulating fat. And his thighs, those powerful pistons that had propelled him so effortlessly, now chafed with each kick.

By the 40th lap, the jock could swim no more. He clung to the edge of the pool, panting heavily. His previously Adonis-like figure had transformed into something softer, rounder, and undeniably heavier. The once cocky swagger was replaced by a look of pure disbelief, his eyes wide as they took in his newly acquired bulk. The jock, gasping and struggling in the water, turned his terrified eyes to Thomas. The arrogance and confidence that had once been a mainstay of his countenance had vanished, replaced with raw fear. His flailing arms reached out, trying to gain some purchase on the pool's edge, but his newfound bulk made even the simplest actions cumbersome.

Thomas stood tall and imposing, his taut muscles and athletic form casting a shadow over the expanding man. The pool's once still water now undulated, disturbed by the jock's desperate thrashing and the rapid inflation of his body. The very sight of this once proud figure begging, his voice desperate and strained, was a contrast that wasn’t lost on Thomas.

The jock's growth was not a slow transformation this time. It was as if nature itself sought to expedite his retribution. His abdomen distended first, pushing outward at a pace that was almost audible, the taut skin stretching to accommodate the rapid accumulation of fat. His pecs, once firm and prominent, drooped heavily, merging with the fatty bulge of his midsection.

Thomas, leaning down, whispered, "You reap what you sow." His voice was cold and unforgiving, and the jock's eyes widened in terror, his pleading intensifying.

The jock's limbs started to thicken next. Muscles that once rippled with power now disappeared beneath expanding flesh. His once muscular arms looked like they were being pumped full of air, his forearms disappearing into meaty hands. And his legs, his strong, tree-trunk legs, now resembled massive pillars, growing at such a rate that they started to push against each other, constrained by the water.

Thomas, with a sudden jolt of compassion and realisation, began trying to rescue the jock from his swelling fate. He reached forward, his muscular arms straining against the sheer mass of the man. A crowd gathered, and several bystanders, fuelled by a mix of curiosity and altruism, joined Thomas in his efforts.

With every pull, with every heave, the jock's body continued its relentless expansion. As they passed the 450kg mark, it felt as if they were trying to rescue a giant balloon being rapidly inflated. The weight was staggering, and the sheer girth of the jock was making it difficult to get a proper grip. But Thomas, driven by determination, rallied the crowd, and with a concerted effort, they managed to drag the jock to the edge of the pool.

However, by the time they succeeded in partially hauling him out, the jock was almost unrecognisable. The man, who had once been the epitome of athletic prowess, was now a mound of flesh, his features almost entirely obscured by his bloated form. The once-tight swimwear had given way, lost beneath the folds of his immense bulk. His breathing was laboured, each inhalation causing his massive body to quiver. By now, it was evident that he was pushing 500kg.

Thomas, panting and drenched in sweat, looked at the behemoth in front of him. The transformation was both mesmerising and horrifying, a stark reminder of the pool's mysterious and terrifying power.

Chapter Five: Whispers of Change

The events of the previous day had turned the once-quiet pool into a site of intrigue. The sun hung high and unrelenting, its rays bouncing off the glistening water, drawing even larger crowds to the infamous pool. The whispers about the 500kg transformation reached far and wide, but instead of deterring patrons, it seemed to have the opposite effect.

Thomas perched in his high chair, his eyes scanning the bustling pool area. The sight of Cameron and Arthur, sprawled out by the poolside took him by surprise. Their newly acquired bellies — prominent, round, and proudly displayed — caught the sun’s rays, making their skin shine. Their hands caressed each other's newfound bulk, fingers sinking slightly into the soft flesh. The two seemed content, undisturbed by their recent changes, their love for each other apparently deepened by their shared experience.

While the previous transformations had been dramatic, the effects today were subtler, perhaps because of the crowd. But they were still noticeable if one knew where to look. And Thomas, with his keen observation, definitely noticed.

A father, probably in his late 40s, emerged from the pool. While earlier he'd had the tell-tale signs of a mild dad bod — soft around the edges but not particularly pronounced — now there was a definite change. The waistband of his shorts dug into a newly formed layer of fat, creating a slight overhang. His shirt, once loosely draped over his frame, now clung to a more rounded midsection. He seemed oblivious to the extra weight, chatting animatedly with his family as they settled down for a picnic.

Further down, a group of young women, probably in their early twenties, stepped out of the pool. They had spent no more than fifteen minutes in the water, but the effects were undeniable. The high-cut bikini bottoms, which had once accentuated their toned physiques, now had a slightly different story to tell. Soft, pillowy flesh now crept over the edges, not enough to be immediately alarming, but enough for an observant eye to notice.

Thomas continued his vigil, noting each transformation. A teenage boy, athletic and spry when he entered, now had a faint roundness to his cheeks and a slight pudginess to his belly. An older woman, once svelte and elegant in her one-piece, had her thighs now touched in a way they hadn’t before.

The transformations were myriad — some subtle, some a bit more pronounced, but none as drastic as the jock's. The pool's power, it seemed, was proportional to the exposure, and the patrons seemed oblivious to the fact that their day of leisure had more costs than their planned for.

Chapter Six: Ripples of Transformation

It was late afternoon when the rumbling sounds of camaraderie echoed through the pool area. A team of rugby players, their jerseys marked with the evidence of a fiercely fought game, entered in high spirits. Each player was the epitome of fitness, their physiques chiselled from hours of rigorous training and matches.

Thomas recognised the team. They were the local heroes, having won the regional championships earlier that day. They had come to celebrate, to wash off the sweat and grime, and to enjoy a moment of reprieve.

The players, laughing and joking, quickly stripped down to their swimwear. Their muscles rippled, each movement showcasing years of dedication to their sport. The sunlight gleamed off their broad backs, their torsos tapering down to lean waists and powerful legs. Initially, they lounged by the pool, chatting and relishing their victory. But soon, the temptation of the cool water proved too much. With playful shoves and mock protests, they all ended up in the pool. Their boisterous energy transformed the ambience, their laughter infectious.

Thomas observed them from his perch, aware of what might ensue, but equally curious to see the outcome. As minutes turned to hours, he began to notice the initial signs.

The team captain, a tall man with a prominent jawline and a frame that bespoke power, was the first to show visible change. His abs, previously like a washboard, started to soften, each pack melding into the next. His pecs, once tight and firm, began to droop ever so slightly.

Next, the swift winger, known for his agility, found his thighs thickening, the toned muscles now covered in a layer of plumpness. His face, sharp and angular, took on a rounder, softer appearance.

One by one, each player underwent their transformation. Some added bulk around their waists, the beginnings of a belly forming. Others found their biceps and triceps becoming less distinct, blending into the increasing fullness of their arms. Butts expanded, pushing against the fabric of their swimwear. Faces filled out, necks disappeared, and backs broadened further.

Yet, amidst this change, the spirit of the team remained undeterred. They acknowledged their expanding forms with humour as if only realising their team mates physiques for the first time, slapping each other’s muscle bellies. Their bond, it seemed, only strengthened.

Their mirth was infectious, spreading quickly to the pool’s other patrons. But their loudest cheers were reserved for one person—Thomas.

“Hey! It’s the legendary Thomas!” the team's burly prop forward shouted, causing heads to turn and hushed whispers to circulate. Many of the players shared knowing glances and cheeky winks. Tales of Thomas's passionate escapades with some of the team members were the stuff of legend. His reputation, it seemed, was as well-known off the lifeguard chair as it was on it.

In their post-match euphoria, a playful plot began to form. With a gleam in their eyes, several players approached Thomas. “Fancy a dip, lifeguard?” the captain teased, the undercurrent of mischief evident in his voice.

Thomas laughed it off at first, but the men were insistent, their intentions clear as they closed in. He began to resist, using all his might to fend off their advances. But even the renowned strength of Thomas, impressive as it was, stood little chance against a group of determined and slightly inebriated rugby players.

The world seemed to blur and slow as he felt himself lifted and then, with a dramatic arc, hurled into the pool. The coldness of the water shocked his senses, but instinct kicked in, and he swam to the surface as swiftly as he could, eager to escape the potentially transformative properties of the water.

Emerging, his hair slicked back and his body glistening, he was met with the raucous applause and cheers of the rugby team. They congratulated him on his swift escape, patting him on the back, their expanding hands now noticeably softer. As they struggled to fit into their jerseys, now straining at the seams and riding up over their enlarging bellies, the mood remained lighthearted.

The evening eventually wound down, and as the last echoes of laughter faded into the night, a profound sensation overcame Thomas. A hunger, deep and insatiable, gnawed at him, his stomach growling loudly. Thomas sighed in relief when his hand felt solid abs as it rubbed his torso, but the hunger remained. He glanced at the still waters of the pool, its mysteries continuing to deepen as his mind raced through what he would eat on his way home from work.

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lanaroff · 1 year

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Unwanted- Part 1

Paring: Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Summary: Y/N is an enhanced SHIELD agent who is forced to work with the Avengers. What happens when they discover that she’s not alone?

A/N: I had this idea in mind for a long time now, and I’ve been looking forward to write something related to Venom. I know that this portrait of Venom might not be the most accurate one. So bare with me. I want to make this a series so if you like it please let me know.- Lana

*not my gif*

It was another cold night. The streets were empty, and the only sound hearable came from underneath your feet, as you walked those desolate streets. The humidity of the air was a clear sign that a storm was coming. But you didn't pay much attention to it, as you were submerged on your thoughts. However, the sound of your phone ringing made you stopped in your tracks. With your phone on your hand, you kept walking as you answered it.

"Agent Y/L/N". You answered in a cold tone.

"Hello." The agent behind the line replied.

"What is it?" You asked going straight to the point. As you knew SHIELD would only call if they needed to give you a new mission, or needed you for any test.

"From this point forward, you are removed from any solo mission regarding hydra." You heard as replied. "The Avengers are making progress on the matter. It is believed that your abilities will contribute positively on the team's mission to bring down the enemy's lines."

"This is not what I agreed with SHIELD, Does Fury know about this?". You said as you felt the anger build up on your body.

"Yes mam, this are direct orders from him. They will be expecting you tomorrow morning." The agent paused for a moment, hearing you sight of frustration. "Have a good night."

You hanged up your phone aggressively wishing you could crash it on the ground. With your body full of anger, you sat on the sidewalk and let your emotions came out of you in the form a groan. "I told you we couldn’t trust them" You heard a voice inside of your head saying. However, you ignored it, even though you were furious. You didn't enjoy working with other people, let alone the avengers. A group of people who thought that the were better than everyone. Or at least that was what you believed. So, you stood up, and continued your way back home. You didn't want to give it more power than it already had.

The sun rose over the tree tops, ready to bright another day. Despite the clouds, the light came from the window and hit your face, waking you up. You stood up and made your way to the kitchen. Half asleep, you opened the refrigerator searching for something to eat, or at least, for it to eat. You grabbed a piece of raw meat and placed it on the countertop. "Food!". You heard again the deep voice saying.

"You better eat all of that." Since you had became Venom's host, the both of you have been in a constant fight regarding food. On one hand, Venom craved human flesh and raw meat. While you tried to get it used to normal human food. Despite your intentions of changing the creature's feeding, both of you came to an agreement. You would feed it with cow and other animals meat, as long as Venom's diet remained human-free.

Once the both of you ate your respective meals and got yourself ready for the day, you got into your car. Driving was a very complicated task. Since Venom was always trying to push you to run over someone, so you had to really focused on the road. On the way to the Avenger's compound, you explained the alien the bases of the agreement that you had with te creature. Venom would only reveal itself once you had warned them about its presence. And of course, it was forbidden eating or attacking any person, unless you said so. The moment you stepped out of the vehicle you felt a tingling sensation on the back of your head, meaning someone was approaching.

"Y/L/N!". Natasha Romanoff exclaimed. "How have you been?"

"Romanoff. We've been... fine, I guess." You answered as you were walking inside the building. "I assume Fury told you about the new orders..."

"Yes, he did... Look at the bright side, you can always ask Venom to eat him" The agent joked.

"Yes! Let's eat the director." Venom replied as it showed himself to Natasha. Throughout the years, you forced Venom to see Natasha as an ally rather than an enemy. Which with time grew to like the agent's presence. Ensuring S.H.I.E.L.D that Venom was capable of not hurting people, and that you could also control him. "No!... None is eating the director. Stop putting ideas on its head Natalia."

The moment both of you stepped foot on the avenger's compound and made your way to the meeting that had already started, the room fell to an uncomfortable silence. Natasha sat down on a chair that was placed at the edge of the table, while you stood up in front of the team. They were all waiting for the new member to introduce herself.

"You must be agent Y/N Y/L/N, I'm Steve Rogers nice to meet you". The captain said. You weren't fond of being with too many people in one room. Being that you knew that losing control over Venom was a possibility, and someone could end up getting hurt. However, you had no say on the matter, since those were direct orders from the head of S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Yes, that's me. It is a pleasure to meet everyone." You replied politely, even though you did not felt it as a 'pleasure'.

"So... tell us, what are your abilities, assuming you have some." Tony Stark exclaimed, as he made his way next to you standing in front of the room, making you feel irritated by his question and presence.

Without any hesitation, you allowed Venom to show itself by saying its name. "Venom." And the form of a black creature emanated from behind your body. The alien opened its mouth widely and moved its tongue in circles spitting the floor. Tony immediately flinched as he looked the yellowish sharp teeth of the creature forming behind your body.

"Everyone please met Venom". She said with an annoyed looked on her face.

"What is that?" Sam asked as he saw the creature moving around you. It was cleared to you that every single person in that room was scared and surprised. Except for Natasha of course, who was enjoying the moment.

"The avengers... another group of idiots" The alien spoke slowly with its deep voice. Making everyone even more frightened. Venom likewise you was not a fun of the group sitting in front of them. "Behave." You shot back to the creature.

The truth was that every single person, even Natasha, was surprised to see the alien. Sure, they had met other beings from space before, but never a creature that lived inside a human like that. To them you were just the shell that Venom used to stay alive, and it was clear by your aspect. You had pale skin, dark eye bags, and by your attitude it was noticeable that you were tired. Which it certainly was.

"There's no need to be afraid. Venom knows that it cannot eat people. Or at least until I allow it to do so." You mumbled with a faint smile knowing that it would cause fear in the eyes of those present.

Immediately that you finished spooking the avengers, the alien disappeared from sight re-entering your body. The room, then again fell down into an awkward silence.

"Y/N, let me walk you to your room." Natasha said breaking the silence.

To Venom, it was hilarious to cause people fear, and you just enjoyed the show. Once you made your way to your new room, Natasha let the your settle down for the rest of the day and rest if needed.

Hours passed, the sun was now hiding itself under the horizon, and you were sitting right next to the window reading some files. On the other hand, Venom was moving all around the room, examining every single thing.

"Food" She heard the creature saying as both of you caught the sound of a dog barking outside.

"No, I told you already, dogs and cats are NOT food." You replied without taking your eyes from the files you were previously reading.

"Then let me eat the avengers" It exclaimed facing you.

"No" You responded harshly. "We need them alive."

Yet, the creature continued arguing on why you should let it kill everyone on that building. You were so focused on Venom and its behaviour that you missed the knock coming from the door. Without being able to stop the person entering the room, you saw as Venom quickly turned to the entrance. With the intention to harm whomever was at the door, the alien swiftly moved towards the direction of the sound, meting Wanda's terrified eyes as she slowly opened it.

"VENOM STOP!" You screamed as you reached a small device placed on the back of her ear. Immediately you felt a loud sound coming stunning your hearing, making you and Venom flinch of pain.

Once the sound stopped, you opened your eyes watching the creature returning to your body. With SHIELD's help, You found out that Venom was sensitive to loud sounds, ending with the organization creating a device to control it in case it was necessary. On that moment you thanked the device inside your body and let a sigh of relived came out.

"You CAN'T enter my room like that. Did you hear me?" You yelled while standing up. Your eyes met Wanda's and you were able to clearly see how shocked the girl was, as her hands were shaking. "Are you okay? Did it hurt you?"

"Yes" Wanda hesitantly answered. "Yes, I'm okay." A part of her was scared to be next to you. She knew what was like to have dangerous powers, and the end of the day hers were a clear example of that. However, she had never encountered a creature like that before.

"What do you need?" You asked in a cold tone.

"I was coming to tell you that dinner is ready" Wanda exclaimed. Once she received a nod from you, she left the room without looking back.

Despite dinner being served downstairs, you didn't dare yourself to go and eat with the team. Deep down you were too ashamed about what had just happened. You were scared that someone could end up being hurt if you weren't careful enough, but mainly because you didn't wanted to see Wanda.

Since Venom, you were tired all the time. Tired of always having to be aware of your surroundings so the alien wouldn't try to eat someone. But mostly angry that the creature had chosen you, something that you did not ask for nor had the chance to choose.

You let your body lay on the mattress. Felling the comfort of it, you allowed yourself to relax. Hoping that Wanda would forget about what had happened that night. And without realising you were already sleeping.

#marvel #wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff fluff #reader #wanda maximoff fanfic #wanda maximoff imagine #wanda maximoff x female reader #wanda maximoff angst #y/n

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sreegs · 10 months

Note

Would you be willing to share your sources relating to the submarine/submersible technology? I believe you, but I’d love to a. read more on the subject and b. Share something that isn’t a tumblr post with a family member

i linked wikipedia articles in my reblog which, themselves, have sources in their references, but i'm not sure what specifically you're asking for a source on.

i presume you're asking why i asserted a sphere is safer than a cylinder which is more or less just physics and not strictly related to subs. a cylinder has more surface area than a sphere of the same diameter therefore it has more surface for pressure to act on. moreover the nature of material manufacture means that a cylinder has more seams (2) than a sphere (1).

spherical pressure hulls are usually made of two halves of forged titanium or steel then fused together along one seam. the titan was two halves of a titanium sphere attached to the ends of a carbon-fiber tube. where the tube was joined to the spheres it made two seams. this is really oversimplifying it but the point is to highlight that seams can provide a point of failure because they're not part of the same continuous material. the more seams the more potential points of failure

if you're asking about the DSVs themselves, when it comes to functional deep-sea capable vessels i guess it's important to point out the difference between a "submarine" (the long tube shape you see used in the military) and a deep-sea vessel like a bathysphere (which is not a submarine because of its lack of mobility).

submarines, especially modern ones, can handle some pretty impressive depths but they don't go anywhere near as deep as vessels designed to travel to the deep sea. military sub max operational depths are probably classified but their reported depths are in the hundreds of meters

modern dsv's dive past ten thousand meters. which is way, way more pressure.

so to understand modern DSVs, here's the description of the batysphere concept and some of the original designs, which which were the first deep-sea capable vessels just much more primitive. they were lowered on cables and didn't travel on their own power. so they weren't really vehicles

here's the next logical step, the bathyscaphe, which allowed it to move up and down under its own power, however the crew cabin is still a sphere. you can see them protruding from the bottom of the vessel in some photos

"deep-submergence vehicles" (which i linked in that reblog) are a bit more closer to submarines in terms of design and mobility, but their crew cabin designs are still spherical, with few exceptions. the deepest-traveling ones are spherical

crew cabins are pressure vessels. meaning they're built to withstand the force of the pressure of the water outside the vehicle. DSV's may have multiple components in compartments that don't look spherical at all from the outside but it makes sense when you realize some of these compartments aren't pressure vessels. some are solid foam. some even flood with sea water by design

take a look at this diagram of the Alvin with crew inside:

the largest pressure vessel is the crew cabin. there's a few other smaller pressure vessels to provide variable ballast (flooded with sea water or pumped with air) and some mercury vessels to provide leveling trims (to tell which way is up)

the rest of the vehicle is either pressure-resistant foam or empty space in which water can get in because the components inside are small enough and engineered to withstand the pressure. remember, because water pressure acts in all directions, the less surface area you have, the less pressure you need to worry about to maintain whatever function you need to perform. since the crew compartment is so big and so important, it's the thickest titanium and probably engineered to more exacting safety standards than some of the other parts

a couple people have already commented more on what i posted with good insight into things i can't explain as well. here's someone going into detail about the sphere vs cylinder issue:

and here someone linked a very informative youtube about the manufacture of the DSV Limiting Factor including footage of the crew compartment being forged from titanium

#titanic #oceangate #deep sea vehicles #submarines #infodump #physics

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dungeon-strugglers · 1 year

Text

✨New item!✨ Fabien’s Mechanical Mule Wondrous item, legendary

This mechanical apparatus vaguely resembles a mule, and can be ridden by two Medium or smaller-sized creatures. A creature at the front of the saddle can control the mule like you would a mount by manipulating its reins.

The mechanical mule is a Large object with the following statistics: Armor Class: 18 Hit Points: 100 Speed: 40 ft., swim 20 ft. Damage Immunities: necrotic, poison, psychic Damage Vulnerabilities: lightning Condition Immunities: prone

As a bonus action within 60 feet of the mule, you can whistle to it, causing it to follow you autonomously. The mule will follow you until you click your tongue as a bonus action to cause it to stay. The mule will ignore other whistles while it is following you.

The mule weighs 500 pounds and has a carrying capacity of 1,000 pounds. At the rear of the mule is a hatch that can be opened or closed with an action. Inside the hatch is a storage space 2 feet in diameter and 6 feet deep. While the hatch is closed, the compartment is airtight and watertight. The mule automatically deploys a pair of flotation devices when submerged in water, allowing it to float along the surface.

The mule must consume 1 platinum piece daily in order to operate. You can feed the mule a piece of platinum as an action. If it has been more than 24 hours since its last piece of platinum, the mule will cease to function and become dormant until it is fed.

If the mending spell is cast on the mule, or if you spend 1 minute repairing it with tinker’s tools or smith’s tools and succeed on a DC 15 check, it regains 2d8 hit points. If it drops to 0 hit points, it ceases to function until it is repaired.

The mule emits a 10-foot-radius aura of thermal regulation. The atmosphere within this area is a comfortable temperature, regardless of the weather. Creatures within this area have resistance to fire and cold damage.

As an action you can hold an object up to the mule’s face and name a location, and it will direct you to the object’s source as per the find the path spell. The spell does not require any other material components and it does not require spell slots or concentration when cast in this way. The mule will immediately begin moving towards the desired location until it is directed to halt or follow, or it reaches the destination.

The inventor and arcanist, Fantabulous Fabien, fabricated this vehicle to bear him across the vast expanse of harsh desert, snow-blown tundra and muggy jungles without breaking a sweat or catching a chill. It always knows its way home and, as long as it has a steady diet of platinum to munch, it never tires! - 🖌🎨 Like our work? Consider supporting us on Patreon and gain access to the hi-resolution art for over 170 magic items, item cards and card packs, beautiful creature art and stat blocks and setting pdfs with narrative hooks and unique lore!🧙‍♂️

📜 Credit. Art and design by us: the Dungeon Strugglers. Please credit us if you repost elsewhere.

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dougielombax · 10 months

Text

Me, on the phone to the CEO of OceanGate trapped in his DIY submarine death trap:

“Don’t worry, I’m sure that eventually the air will just trickle down!”

Feel free to reblog.

#personal stuff #dougie rambles #what #my poor attempt at a joke #oceangate #titanic #titan submarine #oceangate submersible #submersible #shitpost #dsv #deep submergence vehicle #iron lung #iron lung 2: decompression boogaloo #air #or lack thereof #feel free to reblog this #implosion

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ladybellissima · 6 months

Text

Finding Love Katakuri x Reader Part 40 End

"(Y/N) my dear… Wake up. We are here…", Katakuri's voice let her eyes slowly open and with a short yawn she stretched her arms. Realizing what he had said and looking into his smirking face, she gasped surprised and hugged him tightly of pure joy. Chuckling of her sweet act, he placed a kiss onto her forehead and took her bridal style to walk back to the cockpit. Sitting down in his seat, he placed his wife in his lap and guided the ship to the port of whole cake. It was really happening. Finally they were back home.

(Y/N) 's eyes widened of the sight before her. She totally forgot how literally sweet everything looked and how much she had missed it. The beautiful colors, extraordinary designed houses made out of chocolate and candy.

Absolutely stunning.

On top of that it was a beautiful day. The sun shone brightly down and let the sweets glister. Coming closer, they could see chess soldiers gathering together and looking quite surprised and most of all irritated. The news spreaded quickly, like a crossfire, after the pink bonbon stopped before sweet city. Oven was eating dinner, the moment a bunch of soldiers rushed through the doors like maniacs. Annoyed he scolded them to be more sensitive and most of all not so damn loud, but their message let his whole world spin like a ferry wheel. Mouth agape he first had to collect his thoughts. Shocked and uneasy of what to believe, he jumped to his feet to stumble out of the room quickly. On his way he was met with Brulee, Daifuku, Flambe…the list went on. More and more siblings followed his trail stunned and excited to see what was going on outside.

"Can you believe it?", Brulee breathed out stressed of what to think either about the news.

"Out of nowhere… I don't know Brulee. I hope she is in there.. I hope she is okay.", he spoke, while he was fighting with his inner self of what to feel. For happiness it was too soon. Who knows what was going on. Getting down to sweet city they were met with hundreds of chess soldiers, who were guarding the bonbon ship nervously. The familiar mass of pink gave the Charlotte siblings goosebumps. It sure looked like it was traveling through a battlefield and it sure meant a disaster for the one who caused this damage. Getting to the front, the sibling's look fell onto the entry of the submerge ship, which slowly started to move. Nervously they watched how the door opened. Gulping stressed Oven could hear silent footsteps, which came closer and closer.

Was (Y/N) really coming out there?

After all the despair they had been through, would she be back? Save and sound?

Gasping, shocked shouts of "Look there", were called after a familiar silhouette stepped out of the vehicle. Bright and beautiful shining eyes which had tears of joy in them, looked up to them and let the charlottes sob bitterly.

There she was.

After days, weeks and months of horrors, she was finally back at whole cake.

"I am back…", (Y/N) spoke, while tears rolled down her cheeks. Everyone was relieved and happy, nevertheless the moment felt also bittersweet for them.

"Come on. Don't be so slow…", (Y/N) called out into the ship and let everyone raise their brows in confusion, but then it hit them like a ton of bricks.

"This…. This isn't real..", Oven gasped and fell to his knees, while Brulee shut her mouth with one hand to control her outburst of emotions.

With one big step the sweet general of the big mom pirates stepped out of the ship carefully and faced his siblings with an uneasy look on his face. Still wearing the red scarf, he got from (Y/N), and only dressed in black pants, he felt kind of vulnerable without his usual look. But at that moment nobody really cared at all.

"Brother Katakuri….", everyone was crying out and comprehending what really happened now, while their brother watched their distress sadly.

"I didn't mean to worry you so much.",his deep usual strong voice let them cry even more. Even in this unusual outfit, even in this heartbreaking moment, he looked intimidating, tall and confident like the pirate he always was.

"You idiot…. What are you saying. We thought we will lose you. You and (Y/N).", Brulee cried out and his next words let her eyes widen. It let everyone's eyes widen.

"I am sorry. I missed you too."

Opening his arms she could see the soft smile by the look of his eyes and without to hesitate she jumped into his arms and clinged onto him desperately. Not only Brulee. Everyone came to his side and clinged onto his leg, arm, chest with a dead grip, while crying and shouting how much they missed him. (Y/N) smiled happily and was about to step back to gave them more space, but Pudding grabbed her hand and pulled her into a tight embrace with other siblings close by.

"(Y/N).. We were so worried. But you made it. You really made it and brought him back home."

It took them awhile to calm down and Katakuri had to pull his wife up to his chest and step further away to not fall into the water of their outbursts of emotions. All eyes were on the sweet general and his beautiful wife and Katakuri knew all too well what they were thinking right now.

What the hell happened? And how could they get back to whole cake together?

After minutes of silence, Katakuri sighed deeply. Honestly he wasn't in the mood to explain anything now. He just wanted to rest, have a shower, have his clothes and his old self back. Plus, spend long needed time with his wife, but they deserved information after everything they had been through.

"Is Mama still at Wano Land?", Katakuri asked seriously and Brulee gave him a short nod as a yes. Relieved to hear that, he placed (Y/N) down and turned to the submerge ship. Oven clapped his shoulder in a friendly way and scratched his head uneasy at the sight before him.

" Mama's ship needs some repairs.", Katakuri spoke and got a chuckle of his brother.

"You mean a complete makeover. This ship is a disaster. Thank god Mama isn't here..", Oven spoke and ordered to get the ship into the Underground entry. (Y/N) watched her husband discussing things and realized how she missed seeing this intimating and strong sight of him. It was only a short time since he had arrived, nevertheless everyone was listening to him eagerly to fulfill his orders. Smiling slightly, she leaned against a close by tree and enjoyed the fresh air, mixed with the sweet scent of the island. After such a long time she was able to really relax. To calm down and feel save. No running away, no hiding and suffering. Just stay and enjoy the moment. A shadow at the sky got her attention and the next moment she was met with a news coo.

"Ah the daily news. Always a pleasure.", Brulee spoke in a mocking tone and came to her side to pay for the newspaper. Like always she delivered the news to Oven and didn't notice that a piece of paper landed on the ground. (Y/N) was about to call out to her, but stopped midtracks after giving it a closer look. It wasn't just an ordinary paper, like an add or part of some news.

That would have been way better than that.

Mouth agape she grabbed the wanted poster and read through the text with an horrified expression. In the corner of his eyes, Katakuri could see that something was off and stopped his talk with his brother to get to her side.

"What's wrong?…", he started and the next moment grabbed the paper roughly from her hands to read the text with widened eyes.

" Wanted

(Y/N) Charlotte

Alive

1 Billion berries

Above the text was a picture of a breathtaking young woman, dressed in a marine dress and smiling one of her beautiful smiles. It seemed like a dark cloud hovered over Katakuri's head, while his hands were shaking of anger. His eyes were piercing the text, mostly the word alive, because he knew all too well who was the one who caused this.

"Katakuri…?", (Y/N) asked worried and stopped after she noticed his more than pissed look. Seeing her in the enemies clothes, still looking beautiful, but also it let the words of captain Coby pop up in his mind.

"She has to move to his private chambers."

"Like hell this will ever happen.", he growled pissed and let (Y/N) look at him confused.

"This damn bastard…. I swear if he tries to attack us…dares to come closer to you, I will not only kill him.", he growled and got frightened looks from his siblings. Oven and Daifuku were able to snatch the paper out of their brother's hand and read through the news stunned.

" (Y/N)? Is that you? In a marine outfit? ", Daifuku asked shocked and again she was confronted with her picture.

"You see… How should I start..", (Y/N) stuttered nervously and thought about it, if she really should talk about that, because Katakuri was already on the verge of exploding.

"She entered marineford undercover and became a marine to safe me.", Katakuri cut in and let the others gasp of surprise.

"But she got the attention of this fleet Admiral bastard Akainu and now he is after her..", he added with a growl which let not only (Y/N) shiver.

"Sure. This man would never accept such a failure that you were able to get him out of prison.", Oven started, but was roughly grabbed by his collar and pulled close to Katakuri's face.

"You think that's it? This damn bastard wants (Y/N), because he likes her. He is after my wife, because he wants her in his bed.", Katakuri hissed and let his brother's eyes widen like saucers.

"He.. What?", everyone shouted, while looking at (Y/N) who was fighting for words.

"Crazy right?..", she spoke uneasy and gave her husband a sad look.

"What now?", she asked, while Daifuku balled his fist and let the paper scrunch up to a ball of the build up hatred against the marines.

"We will make sure to guard every outpost, every corner of whole cake with enough soldiers. Plus Flour island. I don't expect that they would come to whole cake for you. Never would they dare to attack Mama directly, but who knows. I will make sure to keep you safe here.", Katakuri spoke pissed, while (Y/N) hugged his arm to calm him down.

" I can't believe it. Our (Y/N) is official a pirate. ", Brulee spoke with a smile.

" Now the world nows who you are and where you belong. ", Daifuku added with a smile.

" and I am sure Mama will be happy too. She always loves to see a new wanted poster with her last name on it. ", Oven spoke amused and gave Katakuri a proud smile. He knew what they were up to. They wanted to make the best out of this situation. In a way they were right. His mother loved such news. It sure would be a great help with all the other problems they still had to deal with. But most of all they were safe now. That was more important than anything else.

"I need some rest…For now we will stay at whole cake.", he spoke exhausted and took (Y/N)'s hand in his to signal her to go. Nodding happily, she let herself guide to the path of whole cake chateau. At the back they could hear everyone cheer to have their brother back. With big smiles on their faces, they watched their brother holding his wife's hand, a gesture they never thought to see ever.

"Katakuri.", (Y/N) spoke and let him look down to her sweet expression.

" I am really sorry… I never thought that this man would… ", she stopped mid way to avoid making her husband angry again. "Is it that bad to be on that list?", she asked seriously and let him stop for a moment. Sighing he thought for a moment of what to say. Sure she didn't know exactly. This wasn't something she had to deal with ever in her life.

"What do you think? To be wanted means you will never be able to go out there freely ever again. There will always be a shadow haunting you down… Forever. Not to mention what this lava shithead will do… ", he spoke strained and got irritated of her smile. Giving his hand a short kiss, she smiled even wider into his stunned face.

"But you will be with me. Right?", her words let his heart flutter and suddenly this problem didn't feel difficult anymore. Nothing seemed difficult anymore.

Smiling under his scarf, he got down to her level and slowly reached for his scarf. Stunned she watched his actions mouth agape. Was he showing his face here? Outside? With still his siblings at the back, who got eyes like saucers after noticing his actions? Looking back to the others, (Y/N) got kind of nervous. These intimated moments were only held in private. To be seen like that with others, made her cheeks flush furiously.

A soft fabric landed around her neck.

A familiar scent, which she adored so much.

Noticing the red scarf around her head, she was met with the face of her smirking husband, who placed the accessorie around her too, to have her close. Hidden behind the fabric nobody was able to see what she could see. A smiling sweet general, who pressed his lips against hers. The time stopped, nevertheless they still could hear the cheering at the back of having such a sweet moment in front of them.

"always my sweet wife….", he whispered against her gasping lips of his passionate kiss.

"I will stay by your side forever…. "

Xxx

End - one special left 🥰

Such a sweet Sweet General…. Thank you so much for reading. And feel free to leave a comment. I always love to read feedback and support from you. Any idea is welcome!

Have a nice day! 😊

#fanfiction #romance #katakuri x reader #karakuricharlotte #one piece #charlotte katakuri

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rinbowaman · 10 months

Text

S E 7 E N : L E V I A T H A N P A R T 5 I VE

Warnings: oral sex (female receiving), reptilian features during oral sex, intimidation, use of force, mentions of torture, death, rape, and cannibalism, murder, insulting religion, characters going against God…I think that’s it.

The cult members merely stood in shock and fearful awe, processing the poetic riddle as Jake revealed his true identity, Leviathan, one of the Seven Princes of Hell, associated with the deadly sin, Envy.

He didn’t budge his posture as he remained standing with the superior stance of having his feet shoulder width apart, his arms crossed as he makes eye contact with each cult member.

It was at that moment you noticed the level of the ground starting to shake, as if an earthquake was breaching the city. It grew more intense at a rapid pace.

Paired with the raging waves of the ocean, there was a horrendously loud sound that emerged from the water. It was a screeching echo mixed with a roar that you’ve never heard from any other animal.

Jake smirks as he maintains his glare, tilting his chin downward, he slightly turns to your direction and extends a hand out for you to grab onto.

“Beautiful mortal daughter of God.…come over to my side.” He smiles.

Taking his hand, he gently pulls you over in front as he wraps his arms around your waist and lifts his hand to cradle your chin.

Slightly tilting your face upwards and tilting it to the side, off into the view of the wide ocean, he bids you to watch.

“Witness what I can do…”

You leaned back into his chest, your muscles shake at the sound coming from the sea, it was getting louder and the waves grew larger and stronger.

“We-we’ll all drown! Those waves! They’re coming right towards us!”

“Get the Senator out of here! Quickly!”

As the men scurried and tucked the Senator away into the vehicle, the remaining regulators who stood by watched in disbelief and horror at what emerged from the water.

You couldn’t lie, you also were stricken with fear for a moment. It drew its body out of the sea as it flowed through the waves, levitating, it continued its motions as it swam through the air, circulating around the tall buildings…yet all the infrastructure in the city couldn’t compare to its great size.

“My pet…” Jake smirks out as he tugs on your waist.

The creature continued to flow gracefully throughout the city, up high, it remained just below the clouds as it effortlessly tangled itself around the city buildings with its elongated and serpentine form.

Screams and chaos ensued in the city as the public all swarmed, hiding away for safety and cover. The creature roared and screeched, it’s thunderous sound effect caused glass to shatter, buildings to rattle, and the clouds to dissipate.

“Listen here you morons!” Jake exclaims to the members who remained behind as the senator’s vehicle drives off.

“Remember this, you and all who are like you, are so far from God. You praise his name yet you disrespect it in the unholiest manner. You believe yourself to be led by a noble leader, but take my warning with strict value…if anything should happen to y/n….I will personally see to it that the city and all who reside within it is devoured. Don’t even get me started on what HE would do…the world will cease to exist, and you all will face him in Hell…every single one of you.”

The members all shook and froze in fear as both, Jake’s words and the monstrosity of the demon lurking through the city nearly caused them to lose pulse.

Scattering as they hurried away, dropping their weapons and migrating deep into the suburbs, they disappeared like roaches.

Smirking once more, Jake looks up and watches as the enormous serpent swiftly, with incredible speed, dives back into the sea. As the last bit of its form submerges and disappears into the depths of the water, the waves die down and the water returns to a placid state of tranquil ripples.

“Let’s go back princess.”

…….....

Just as Sunoo did, Jake stayed with you all throughout the night. You can’t recall what time you went to sleep, for the moment you both reached your apartment, he started up your shower and undressed you.

“Let’s get wet….come here."

...............

Stripping you of your clothing, he follows suit as he guides you in the shower. Plastering your back against the tiled wall, he kneels down and loops one of your legs over his shoulder.

With the sweet kisses of his lips, the metal lip ring pressing up against your skin as he sucks on your clit, thrusts in his tongue and explored you inside and out, causing your body to go limp.

Continuing on with his oral performance, he went on for what must have been hours, your body was reaching the painful tingles of overstimulation as you grabbed onto his hands, his hair, and his shoulders.

“I-I can’t! Please…n-no more!”

“That’s too bad princess…Heeseung has a lot of stamina, we gotta get you up to speed…unless you want that type of pain…." he pauses as he performs a slow and painfully pleasing lick up your slit.

"trust me...you don’t want that." he finishes.

You screamed out your moans as both your bodies remained drenched from the sprinkling shower head.

“Just learn to overcome it…it’s going to help you in the long run….besides…" breathing against your clit, he gently taps his lips with gentle pecks as he speaks in between. "you taste really good.”

Making sweet love to your entry with his mouth, you couldn’t recall when or how, but at some point while you were still inside the shower, you had passed out. Though it wasn’t too far from him finally reaching a finishing point as you heard him whisper out just before your vision grew dark…

“Not too bad. Longer than I expected…you’ll do fine with him….sweet princess....”

A gentle kiss on your inner thigh was the last thing you felt before suddenly waking the next morning.

…….

Taglist: @deobitifull; @solstramaii; @vampiregirl215; @nshmrarki; @enhypen14; @iamliacamila; @lisaaannna; @nikstrange; @jaehaki; @luv-enhy-skz33; @silcry @honeysjae; @crackedcameraa; @stinkmonkey ; @baekxo07 @raishaii @@yangjungwon33

#heeseung x reader #heeseung scenarios #heeseung smut #heeseung hard hours #enha x reader #heeseung hard thoughts #heeseung fanfic #enhypen smut #enhypen hard hours #jake imagines #enhypen jake #jake sim smut #jake x reader #jake smut

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trickstyrss · 10 months

Text

I lied, I am making one more post about the OceanGate discourse because I am tired of the dehumanization and jokes.

I decided to look into two of the people on board that sub because I knew nothing about them and everyone keeps saying its just a bunch of rich tourists who deserved to die.

Today we are going to talk about Hamish Harding and Paul-Henri Nargeolet. -------

Hamish Harding: What did he do during his life? Is he just some rich asshole? -In 2017, Harding worked with Antarctic VIP tourism company, White Desert, to introduce the first regular business jet service to the Antarctic using a Gulfstream G550, landing on Wolfs Fang Runway, an ice runway. Harding also visited the South Pole several times, accompanying Buzz Aldrin in 2016 as he became the oldest person to reach the South Pole (age 86) -In 2019, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, Harding, along with Terry Virts, led a team of aviators that took the Guinness World Record for a circumnavigation of the Earth via North and South Poles in a Gulfstream G650ER in 46 hours 40 minutes. The One More Orbit mission launched and landed at the Shuttle Landing Facility (Space Florida) at NASA Kennedy Space Center, US. Harding was the mission director and led a team of over 100. -In 2021, Harding and Victor Vescovo dived to the deepest point of the Mariana Trench, the Challenger Deep at a depth of 36,000 feet (11,000 m), in a two-person submarine, setting the records for greatest length covered and greatest time spent at full ocean depth. -In 2022, Harding's aviation company Action Aviation supplied a customized Boeing 747-400 aircraft to transport eight wild cheetahs from Namibia to India to launch the reintroduction of the cheetah to India project of the Indian Government and the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia (CCF). Cheetahs have been extinct in India since independence in 1947. This conservation project was designated a "flagged expedition" by the Explorers Club with club members Harding and Laurie Marker, founder of the CCF, carrying the flag on the flight to India.

------- Paul-Henri Nargeolet: What did he do during his life? Is he just some rich asshole?

-In the 1970s, he was appointed Commander of the Groupement de Plongeurs Démineurs de Cherbourg, whose mission was to find and neutralise underground mines. -In the 1980s, he was transferred to the Underwater Intervention Group (GISMER), where he piloted intervention submarines. During this time, he travelled the world retrieving submerged French planes and helicopters, including the individuals and weapons upon them. Through this work, he found an Roman wreck, located at a depth of 70 metres. He also located a DHC-5 Buffalo that crashed in 1979 with 12 people on board, including several members of the Mauritanian government. -Nargeolet piloted dives to the Titanic wreck site in 1987, 1993, 1994 and 1996. His 1987 expedition was the first to collect artifacts from the wreckage. -In August 2007 RMS Titanic, Inc., owned by Premier Exhibitions, a company that organises travelling exhibitions, commissioned Nargeolet to locate RMS Carpathia, which had rescued survivors of RMS Titanic but was torpedoed in 1918. -Nargeolet worked with RMS Titanic, Inc. to recover artifacts related to the Titanic as the Director of the Underwater Research Program. His work has included utilizing remotely operated vehicles (ROV), as well as piloting dives to the wreck site. His work has resulted in recovering nearly 6,000 artifacts over the course of 35 dives. In 2010, he was part of a mission to 3D map the wreck site and determine levels of deterioration using ROVs and autonomous underwater robots. -In 2010, he participated in the search for the flight recorder of Air France Flight 447, which crashed the previous year while en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris

------- TLDR: They may be a couple of rich dudes, but they were more than that. They were actually qualified to be in such a vehicle with actual experience diving in real submarines and had reason to be there. They were not just some tourists. They did a lot more than any of you are ever going to do, but sure, lets dehumanize them and see them as just a bunch lazy rich people who deserve to die simply because they are rich.

#OceanGate #tragedy #discourse

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listen-to-the-inner-walrus · 10 months

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since i seem to be becoming a titanic guy, ive decided to just lean into it and explain the best i can, in laymans terms, what happened to titan and why the design had been criticised by experts in the deep-sea diving community.

i will preface this with the fact that im not an engineer. i have a psychology degree so this is not in my wheelhouse; im simply attempting to relay the information that has been made public in a more layman-friendly way. if i get anything wrong, please correct me.

a second preface is that quite a lot of this post is relying on oceanliner design’s video on this topic. though hes less critical of oceangate than i am, mike does a great job of breaking everything down so anyone can understand it. [any statements i make without listing a source are likely to be information from this video]

so with that out of the way, lets jump into it:

first, lets talk about what titan was. ive seen it described as a submarine by many people and im pretty sure ive also described it as such, but titan was a deep-sea submersible with a guiding philosophy of simplicity.

whats the difference between them?

submarines are self-independent vehicles meaning they do not rely on exterior support.

meanwhile, submersibles can submerge and can act independently to an extent, they primarily rely on exterior support such as being tethered to the mother-ship, or in titans case, receiving navigational inputs from said ship.

and here we meet our first bit of criticism; almost all other submersibles do not rely on external navigational inputs. they have their own equipment and systems for this. it may seem trivial, but as oceanographer peter girguis points out, these systems are as important for navigation as they are for the safety of the crew. [x]

when you are in water that deep, you need to know your exact position and be in constant contact with the mother ship. and its not as if oceangate did not have access to this technology, the beacons they use are commercially available. instead, they relied on short texts as a form of communication which is simply unacceptable. the submersible limiting factor has real-time verbal communication between those in the sub and those on the mother ship on dives 27,000 feet deeper than the titanic wreck.

“titan [did] not appear to have some of the other kinds of sensors, beacons and other systems that we use in research, that are also important just to maintain contact.”

“titan was not designed with research in mind.”

most deep-sea submersible designs are based around the design for the dsv alvin as it was one of the first of its kind. you might ask why its alvin that designs are based around and not another. well that would be because alvin was launched in 1964 and is still in use today and has completed over 5000 dives.

and this is why so many in the deep-sea submersible community are so outraged at titans design. titan was around 5 or 6 years old when it imploded; alvin is 59 this year. we have the technology to create submersibles like alvin or limiting factor that are arguably safer to be in than on the deck of a ship [x]; this disaster should never have fucking happened.

okay, so now lets move onto the actual design of titan which differs very much to most other deep-sea submersible and this is not a good thing. the reason most designs are so similar is because these features have been shown time and time again to be safe. again, ill refer to what peter girguis stated:

anyway, ill get back on topic. this is alvins design:

alvins pressure vessel is a large sphere with titanium walls that are 2 inches or 5cm thick. titanium is used as it is a very strong metal as whathisname from 2012 sang about, and a sphere is used because its the best shape for equally distributing pressure. when designing these vessels, you do not want any areas where pressure can build up and a sphere does not have any; the entire structure reinforces itself.

unlike literally every other deep-sea submersible, titans pressure vessel was not a sphere and not made of titanium, rather it was cylindrical with two hemisphere on either side and was built out of carbon fiber. see the shape below:

the important part is the big circle labelled “personal sphere”. this is called the pressure vessel and is where crew and any equipment needing protection from the water pressure reside. this vessel needs to be able to withstand around 6000 pounds or 3 tonnes of pressure per square inch, which is about 400 times the pressure on the surface.

if they had followed previous designs, they would have had to make a much larger sphere in order to fit everyone. but the bigger you make your sphere, the weaker it becomes so you then have to use thicker walls, and all of this makes the pressure vessel much heavier. and this is where youd run into problems because the submersible still needs to be able to plucked from the ocean at the end of the trip and to power itself in the water. the heavier it is, the harder this becomes.

first, well address the shape. as the design philosophy of titan was so that it could carry up to 6 passengers, it would have been very difficult for the pressure vessel to be shaped as a sphere. alvin, in comparison, can only fit three crew and equipment.

so instead, they chose a cylinder. this is not a terrible choice by itself. it is preferable to use round shapes in high-pressure environments as pressure builds up in corners, especially right angles. if youve ever wondered why plane windows have round corners, its because the square windows on the de havilland comet (the worlds first jetliner) gave areas where pressure could build up and caused the jet to suffer a series of explosive decompressions. it crashed many times. [x]

now, well get into where the design really has problems: the materials used. as i mentioned, the majority of the pressure vessel was made of carbon fiber. the ceo of oceangate, stockton rush, believed that carbon fiber would have a better strength-to-buoyancy ratio than titanium, and this was one reason why it was chosen. [x]

so in terms of shape, its not the worst choice. it is much preferable to use a sphere as a cylinder is not as adept at equally distributing pressure, but their choice was at least logical.

on the end of the cylinder, there were two titanium rings bonded to the carbon fiber hull (though the method of bonding is not publicly available), and these rings were then bolted to two titanium hemispheres. now, you might notice that titan does have four right angles in the pressure vessels, but these are within the vessel so as long as no pressure can get into vessel, these are fine.

the problem with this is that carbon fiber is an experimental material that has not been fully evaluated. stockton rush was very aware of this as he was repeatedly warned by many experts in the field, including deep-sea exploration specialist rob mccallum who stated that:

“that carbon fibre is not an acceptable material”

if this occurs, not only do the gaps give areas for pressure to build, the pressure vessel becomes much weaker, and runs the risk of failing as happened. this risk only gets worse when you decide to use expired carbon fiber.

now, you might be saying “kai, you literally told us earlier that they did use titanium” and if you are, A+ to you my friend, youve led us straight onto another problem with the design of the titan: using multiple materials.

one major concern about the carbon fiber for the hull is that it had to be layered up and cured in between until the hull was 12.7cm or 7 inches thick. these layers cause a problem that titanium does not have; there is a risk of de-lamination, aka the layers separating. as previously stated, the titan was several years old so it had already gone through many pressurisations and dive cycles which all run the risk of de-laminating the hull.

and this, ladies and gentleman and those of us past that stage, is why deep-sea submersibles use titanium not carbon fiber.

by designing titan like this, stockton rush strayed ridiculously far away from any other designs which have been tested and shown to work. the submersible was not safe to travel on, especially so far down to be able to visit the titanic wreck. as rob mccallum states:

you just dont do it. by introducing areas where multiple materials meet, you are introducing potential points of failure because well done, stockton, youve introduced yet another area where pressure can build up.

“[titan] was the only submersible in the world doing commercial work that was unclassed. it was not certified by an independent agency.”

in fact, it makes sense to go through the process because you then know that your vessel is safe and idk, its probably better for marketing if your vessel has been certified as safe.

mccallum goes on to describe stockton as a “maverick entrepreneur” who wanted to think outside of the box even when it comes to things like the rules of physics or tried and true engineering principles.

and im sure we can all guess why. it wouldnt have passed and the company has recognised that the design lays outside of the accepted system. though its not a mandatory process even though it really fucking should be, theres no reason to not let your vessels be examined by a marine organisation.

we know that the hull was breached. we know this as one of the very few safety features aboard titan was something known as a “real-time hull health monitoring system” or an rtm. [x]

and he is completely right because what happened to the titan showed how the design of it was so flawed. [x]

“if you steer away from sound engineering principles, which are all based on hard won experience, there is a price to pay, and its a terrible price”

this did what it said on the tin and it did before the catastrophic implosion of titan. when the rtm picked up on too much strain on the hull, it sounded an alarm as a warning. those on board were prepped so they knew what this meant so they used one of the other few safety features on the sub: dropping the ballasts.

ballasts are heavy material gathered in the bottom of a ship or vessel to help stabilise the ship. you use them in order to stop a ship from becoming top-heavy as a top-heavy ship is much more likely to capsize; see the ss principessa jolanda that sank at launch as she launched with all her fittings completed and empty ballasts, causing the center of gravity to be too high. some ships have port and starboard (left and right) water ballasts and if theyre listing dangerously to one side, they can release the water in that ballast to attempt to stabilise the ship.

this, again, is an area of criticism as most submersibles have multiple features that can be used in an emergency. marine geologist, chris goldfinger points out that most submersibles have multiple ways of self-rescue, such as detaching the pressure vessel from the sub itself. [x]

in the case of the titan, dropping the ballasts was the only way the ship could surface in an emergency. it appears that those on board attempted to do so, but did not surface quick enough to avoid catastrophe.

“[titan did not have] nearly that much redundancy and self-rescue capability."

“im concerned that they [oceangate] overlooked some of the features that we build into research submersibles, because they struck [the builders] as costly or unnecessary, or uninteresting. a lot of those features that we see across submersibles have evolved over decades, precisely because they work, and because we know it increases safety for the crew.”

"i have grown tired of industry players who try to use a safety argument to stop innovation"

hes also stated that titan was underprepared which most experts in the field agree with, such as girguis who stated that:

and we know that stockton rush was aware of all these issues; email exchanges show that people at the company came to him with concerns, but he brushed them away. instead, we have statements from him like:

he heard warnings from employees and from deep-sea submersible experts, and a former employee david lochridge alleged in a counterclaim lawsuit in 2018 that he was fired for raising concerns over quality control and testing of potential flaws. [x]

keep in mind that oceangate originally sued him for breach of contract because he brought all of his concerns to osha because he was that concerned. though, this was settled out of court, it clearly shows that this disaster was years in the making.

“it was only a matter of time before they killed somebody.”

as victor vescovo stated:

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