#save the Earth it's the only planet with chocolate

[doctortwhohiddles]

Me, in a nutshell

#chocoholic #save the Earth it's the only planet with chocolate

[blueberrypancakesworld]

Mutants in love

warning : fluff, kissing

Summary : Valentine's Day on earth is a day full of devotion, love and sweet gestures. Flowers, chocolates and jewelry are not only exchanged between people, but also at Charles Xavier's school for gifted children, who are presented with one or two fiery gifts.

Info : So finally something for the X-men and my fav John Allerdyce, since Aaron Stanford will be back as Pyro and I'm here for it. So have fun reading :)

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Valentine's Day was a special day of love, the flowers bloomed, spring slowly gave way and summer made its entrance. It is a day when lovers come together and people buy flowers, chocolate and other small gifts.

Small gestures to show how much their love means to them. But this day was not only for the humans, but also for the mutants. The mutants, the other species on the planet that could also love.

So there was also love between the mutants. Be it Charles and Erik, Logan with Scott and Jean, Bobby and Rogue or sometimes Kitty, depending on how early the feelings of love were carried around. But others at the school also thought about how they could show their love.

Either with home-baked things from the kitchen or with small handmade things. Others went a little further and used their strength to create something or even a declaration of love, which worked much better for some. When Jean's telekinesis wasn't causing cakes to fly around and Logan and Scott were trying to catch them.

But there were also attempts that were far less dangerous Kitty who made a wall of flowers that she pulled up out of the ground, Erik who made metal statues for the school and other types. But in all this there was also the couple of fire and water Pyro or John with civil name and his girlfriend with the manipulation of water.

A couple that attracted and repelled each other in many different white ways. From the initial bickering when she put out his fires as he learnt to control them, or his fire slowing down her waves when she had the sniffles and the fountain at the front of the school threatened to spill over.

It was an eternal back and forth between the two of them but in the end they found each other at the latest when they saved each other more than once in training simulations, she picking up tips from Jean and John from Logan, both adults having a completely different approach when it came to the handling of mutants.

Which is why nobody was surprised when noises came from the craft/art room and the kitchen during the night, while different types of light could always be seen on the meadow. Until the long-awaited day arrived.

A day on which they would both find each other again after lessons at which Professor Xavier had released everyone.

She was just making her way to her room with her friends to pick up John, who had told her they were meeting up for a chat.

Just outside his room she caught a figure in the corner of her eye and knew it was John flashing his fireball to get her attention.

,,Ehm, guys, I've got to go, I'll see you later," she said hastily and hid herself before running out of the corridor and disappearing around the corner after the fireball, which was glowing in a strange rose colour and kept forming shapes.

A heart, a sun, two people hugging each other. ,,Pretty," she murmured and continued to run after it before opening the door to the garden outside. She saw the different couples, felt the warm sun on her skin, the chirping of the birds and the love in the air, warm and embracing.  

The ball that had previously been a fish swimming around formed itself into an arrow that danced around her with caution and showed her the way. ,,I'm already coming" she smiled as if he could hear her through the fire but maybe he could, who knows?

Following the arrows, they walked more slowly, mindful of their surroundings, past the fountain, the tree that was held together by vines and rose up after Scott had broken it.

Until they finally arrived at a slightly secluded spot on the grounds, something that couldn't necessarily be set on fire...hopefully. ,,You found me, Raindrop," the brown-haired man grinned and winked at her as he called the fire to him and let it hover beside him.

,,I always find you... it's not difficult with your heat," she said with a smile before he wrapped her in his arms, his warmth was always pleasant, he always warmed her and in the end had warmed her heart too. ,,Well, then take a look at this, love, just for you," he announced, pointing at the curtain behind him before holding the fire over the metal construction.

Only seconds later, colourful fountains of fire and sparks appeared and colours that couldn't be more different began to form a picture.

The image flickered, showing moments they had shared together, sweet, heartfelt and romantic, until it ended with the embrace before the flames slowly diminished and died out.

,,John... that was beautiful, just incredible!" she cried into his arms again and felt his rewarding kiss on her lips, his hands on her back, holding her gently. ,,I know I'm good," he winked and she rolled her eyes with a giggle before pulling out her present, the small box she had made herself with special contents that she couldn't have built without Colossus and her powers.

i,,Here, I thought this was just right for our hot adventures," she said and he opened the box and took out the metal pendant next to the home-made biscuits in the shape of little flames.

,,Heat-resistant stable, it doesn't melt... at least not on the spot," she said, pointing to the raindrop and the flame they both represented. She saw something flash in his dark eyes, the light pink colour on his cheeks and the smile on his lips that was soft and touching.

,,You don't know how much I love you, do you?" he asked and before she could say anything he had kissed her again, touching the pendant on his hand. ,,I love you too," she murmured, feeling his hand go to hers, lightly stroking her fingers and they knew that their love was unbeatable. The fire met the water again in nothing but pure love.

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@thefandomqueen2882

#xmen #xmen pyro #john allerdyce #pyro marvel #pyro x reader #john allerdyce x reader #aaron stanford

[oldinterneticons]

SAVE THE EARTH. It's the only planet with chocolate. =]

#earth #environment #chocolate

[ovaruling]

“Happy #batappreciationday!

If your day includes soap, shampoo, cosmetics, a toothbrush and toothpaste, coffee, margarine, paper or ink, cushions, wood furniture, fuel or lubricating fluids, rope or twine, timber, boats or canoes, ornamental trees, life saving medicines, air fresheners, candles, rubber, chewing gum, spices, vegetables, fruits, chocolate or even margaritas or beer, you are not only involved with bats, you are dependent upon bats. Bats pollinate or disperse the seeds of many valuable plants and trees including wild banana, avocado, date, fig, mango, eucalyptus and balsa wood, just to name a few. It is the fruit bats that are responsible for 98% of the reforestation of the world's rain forests (the lungs of our planet). Without fruit bats we would lose entire forests without felling a single tree.

About seventy percent of all bats are insect eaters that feed on a tremendous diversity of bugs including the pests that consume the crops we need to survive. Each bat is capable of eating a whopping 5,000 insects per night; a lactating female will eat twice that amount. The 20 million bats (the single largest warm blooded mammal colony population on earth), that roost at Bracken Cave in Texas, eat 200 tons of insects each summer evening. Bats eat crop pests that cost farmers billions of dollars annually. Insect control by bats keeps down prices of fruits and vegetables at the market place.

Bats are a keystone species and they have long played essential roles in our lives. Their loss today would compromise the health and stability of our environment. Bat Appreciation Day is a tribute to these little agricultural vacuum cleaners in the sky, controllers of fruit flies, dispersers of seeds, and pollinators of products we both need and desire.

We had to share one of our favorite photos from @Bat World Bulgaria again, because we also appreciate just how stinking cute bats are!

Thank you, dear bats, we would be lost without you.”

(via batworldsanctuary)

#bat appreciation day #bats #v #vp #bat world sanctuary

[musekicker]

Okay so, I intend to tie these ocs in with actual Sam and Max characters at some point. I need to figure out how exactly.

But a couple of Sam and Max ocs with a little world building involved.

Nick Heartsblood: A chocolate twenty year old brown lago- hoppkin with blue eyes. A rabbit being like alien species.

The species itself are a more warrior type. The leader a warrior queen.

Nick in particular comes from a noble family ( big families in this species called warrens.) known as Hearts Blood. One of the more powerful warrens on the planet. Even though his warren was know for being rough and brutal, Nick likes to use his wits more often. And his fantastic luck that almost always works in his favor. Easy going for the mot part, just kind of bored by everything lately. But his life was good and everything was looking to stay good.

Then Nick was told by a oracle ( a feral, tricky Lago-hoppkin that has reasons to hate any of the ruling class.) that his warren was being plotted against and within the week his warren would be gone. That he would be the sole survivor because as she put it "his lucky rabbits foot".

Nick didn't quite believe it until the night that his warren was attacked by another. In one fell swoop the last of his kind. His only path was to return to the oracle, who had dangled a offer of a path to save himself if he were to flee the planet and take her with him.

So he does. And of course, they end up on Earth.

And of course they end up on a path that will lead warring planets, a weapon, and if fate or luck comes out ahead.

Talia Graveberry

A twelve year old Lago-Hoppkin, a ashy grey color with green eyes. The tips of her fingers are black. Stained magically some say, from the story that maybe she poisoned the last elder oracle. That is very much not the truth as Talia wants nothing to do with being a oracle. She has poisoned a guard once so most likely where that story started.

Generally very angry and wild as she can get, hating her path in life and honestly everyone else. So when she can get a chance to get out because of Nick, she takes it.

Swears, yells, and bites her way through life really.

#sam and max

[clericofshadows]

you got me in a chokehold

I posted this on AO3 already, but I never put the whole thing on my blog since it was a 10K whopper.

so I'm doing it now so that all my fics are in one place.

Description: Sequel to take me back to eden. Kaidan and Zaeed meet up on Earth to reconcile and to grieve over the loss of Regis Shepard. Rating: E Paring: Regis Shepard/Kaidan Alenko, Kaidan Alenko/Zaeed Massani, Kaidan Alenko/Zaeed Massani/Regis Shepard (past)

Kaidan stepped out of the Alliance transport hub, his bag slung over his shoulder, taking in a deep breath.  Always good to be back on Earth, and to be back home in the cool air of Vancouver.

He wished he wasn’t taking this trip alone.  

He walked down the street for a few minutes until he reached a small little cafe.  Quaint, locally owned, and a favorite of his and Regis’s that always had the best damn cookies and brownies.

The day Regis managed to get the recipe to their triple chocolate brownies was quite a victory.

Kaidan stepped inside, smelling the sugar in the air.  He waved at the owner of the cafe before sitting down at the bar against the windows, taking a seat next to Zaeed.  

“You should’ve gone into spec ops,” Zaeed laughed, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.  “Too damn quiet.”

“That actually might be in my future,” Kaidan replied, leaning into his touch.  “Got a lot to think about.” “I’m sure you do.  Crazy times we live in.”

“No shit.  God, it’s only been like two months.”

“Feels like a damn eternity.  I keep expecting to get a ping from him, a check in message or some new hack he wants me to download.”

Kaidan nodded, staring out the window.  “I keep asking myself what I could’ve done differently, if I could’ve forced him to come with me, to abandon ship early.  But that wasn’t who Regis was.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Zaeed agreed.  “Not when it came to his crew I heard so much about.”

The owner came over and brought out his usual order, a small green tea with their triple chocolate brownie.  Something was different, however.

A folded piece of paper laid next to a wrapped stack of sugar cookies. Regis’s favorite order.

“This is on the house, Kaidan,” she said.  “I heard the news.  I’m so sorry.  I know he always loved these things, so I decided to give up my recipe.  I think he would like you to try and copy them yourself.”

Blinking away tears, Kaidan took the tray from her hands with a watery smile.  “Thank you, Lucy.  He definitely would.  I can hear him now, bitching about how I was the one who got the prize.”

“And he would be saying he can make them oh-so-better than me.  Bastard,” she laughed.  “If you don’t mind me asking, would you mind if I made a new menu item for him?  Something he liked but we don’t have.”

“Chocolate squares,” Kaidan immediately replied, thankful for her thoughtfulness.  “I’ll send you his recipe.”

“Thank you.  King’s Chocolate Squares, I like it!” she smiled.  “Enjoy your tea and snacks, Kaidan.”

“I definitely will.”

Kaidan took a sip of his tea as she walked back to the counter.  “She’s owned this place for years and has been a friend of my family.  Sort of a tradition to come here first if we’ve been off planet for a while.”

“I can see why.” Zaeed motioned to his cup.  “This is the best goddamn hot chocolate I’ve had in years.”

Kaidan split his brownie into two and passed it over to him.  “Try this.”

Zaeed took a bite and widened his eyes.  “Holy shit.”

“I know, right?”

Zaeed quickly finished the rest of the treat off. Kaidan pushed his plate towards him with a grin, but he held up his hand.  “It’s yours.”

“Let me be a gentleman.”

“Nah, I won’t be greedy this time.  I’ll save that for later.”

Why was it so easy to talk to him?  Even after everything that has happened?

“So confident there’s going to be a later,” Kaidan teased, taking a bite out of his brownie.  

“I don’t think you would’ve come all this way just for a goddamn brownie.”

“I don’t know, you just found out how good these were.”

“Fair point.” Zaeed shrugged, finishing off his drink.  “I got some interesting news to tell you as well, but that can wait until we’re back at the apartment.”

“Mine’s closer,” Kaidan replied, immediately intrigued.  “Unless you would prefer your accommodations?”

“Nah.  I brought my essentials with me.  I travel light.  It’s in a locked bag with my motorcycle,” Zaeed said.  "We can always go back to my place if needed."

“Sounds good.” Kaidan finished off his tea and carefully packed the recipe and the cookies in his bag.  “Lead the way.”

Kaidan followed Zaeed out the door after saying goodbye to Lucy.  They walked a short distance, hands brushing against each other the whole way, neither of them making a move.

Not yet.  Kaidan wanted it, but part of it still felt too soon, even if Zaeed’s offer was tantalizing.

Regis would want him to go for it.  He fell first and hard for the man back on their Omega adventures, Kaidan quickly joining him with his own infatuation after a few battles together.

Unafraid to work with biotics and unashamed of his abilities, Kaidan was drawn to Zaeed’s manner.  He meshed well with them, following up with strikes on carefully lifted and pulled targets without a second thought.

Perhaps he had worked with biotics before in his career as a merc, but there was something special there.

And Regis and Kaidan had yearned for more after it was time to go back to being Alliance soldiers.

“Do it,” he could almost hear Regis say in his ear, “make yourself happy.”

Ten years of a relationship and even more of a friendship taken away in an instant.  Over ten years of knowing each other, of becoming one on the battlefield, of surviving impossible odds and feeling each other’s biotic field when close together.

Kaidan missed the comforting press of Regis’s biotics.  Regis always claimed he wasn’t as strong as Kaidan when it came to pure control and precision, but Regis figured out how to reign in his field in such a way it would take a lot of concentration from another biotic to sense him.  Something he perfected during N training.  

Something he later taught Kaidan as an in-case measure.

Kaidan now kept his field in close.

There’s no longer another biotic by his side to sense it.

Kaidan snapped out of his thoughts once Zaeed came to a stop.  Zaeed perched himself on the motorcycle, holding out his hand and a spare helmet.  Kaidan took his hand and put on the motorcycle helmet, noticing that it was painted a grey camo pattern with blue stripes, just like his armor.

“You made this just for me?” He asked, wrapping his arms around Zaeed.

“I had one made for Regis as well,” he admitted, “N7 stripes and all.  Kept them stored here on Earth, and I was going to give them to you after your mission as a surprise.”

Fuck.  Was Zaeed hoping that one day their relationship could resume beyond just messages and vid calls?

“He would’ve loved it,” Kaidan replied, trying to keep his voice steady.  “Hell, did I ever tell you about the motorcycle he stores on my family’s property?”

“No, I don’t think you did,” Zaeed said, and Kaidan could hear the strain in his voice as well.  “Tell me more.”

The motorcycle roared to life as they activated the comms in their helmets, damping the sound some and allowing them to better talk on the drive.  Kaidan sent Zaeed the address to his apartment, and then they were off.

“Regis was obsessed with pre-eezo bikes, and somehow, he managed to get his hands on one in decent condition.  Hell if I know what he paid for it, but he loved taking that thing down all the roads in the country and tinkering with it.  We had a lot of good times riding together.” Like this, he wanted to say, arms wrapped around someone I love.  Someone I trust to never crash and to keep me safe.

“I’m sure you two had lots of fun riding together.” Zaeed laughed.

“That too,” Kaidan replied with a grin, knowing that Zaeed couldn’t see it.  “Remember, despite all Regis’s confidence, he’s the one that always paused with those kinds of comments.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t forget.  Did you rile him up during your mission?”

“A few times.  We had to keep it somewhat professional.”

“Surprised you were able to stay together.  Regis mentioned that he leveraged the Alliance’s want for him to be on that ship by making sure you were on board.”

“Some of the Admirals were aware at the time, but the ones that did didn’t care.”

Hackett. Ahern. Hannah. 

“Sounds like it could’ve been the perfect posting for you two.”

“It really was.”

They fell silent after that.  

The traffic was light, and soon Zaeed was parked at Kaidan’s apartment building, and they were heading inside.

Kaidan unlocked the door with a wave of his omnitool, the lights turning on the moment they walked in.  He quickly showed Zaeed where everything was, stopping at his bedroom to drop off his bag.

Kaidan sat down on the bed, noticing a long black coat still thrown over the edge of the bed.  

One of Regis’s favorite coats.

Zaeed joined him on the bed a moment later.  “Want me to get that for you?”

Kaidan shook his head, unable to speak, tears starting to roll down his face.  He reached out and grabbed the coat, breathing in deep.  Citrus and eezo and vanilla.  

Zaeed wordlessly pulled him in close.  Kaidan rested his head on his shoulder, the coat squashed between him, finally allowing himself to let it all out.

Nothing about this was fair.

None of this should’ve happened.

Regis should be here with them.

Instead, all he has is a fucking jacket.

Shaking with sobs, Kaidan held onto Zaeed tightly. Zaeed rubbed his back, a comforting touch that grounded Kaidan. 

Like Regis, Kaidan rarely allowed himself to lose control or show weakness. The two of them fed off of each other, only letting go in the comfort of the other.  

If Kaidan didn't have Zaeed here, he may not have ever allowed himself to let go, needing the comfort of somebody else to ground him. 

His parents had been great through all of this, expecting a visit while he's here on Earth.  He’s glad he has them, but it’s not enough right now.

But one day, it will be.

He wondered if Zaeed had lost someone close to him before in his long life as a merc. He understood what Kaidan needed in the moment, never questioning, just being a strong presence and a soft place to land. 

Like what Kaidan wanted to be for Regis when he didn't want to be Commander Shepard.

Perhaps only a few minutes passed, but it felt like a damn eternity once he calmed down, face wet with tears and body filled with exhaustion. 

He pulled away as Zaeed eased up on his embrace. 

Zaeed cupped his face with a gentle grip, wiping away some of the wetness. "What do you need, Kaidan?" He asked, his voice strained, and Kaidan noticed that his eyes were red and damp with tears as well. 

God, they were a mess. 

"I need you, Zaeed," Kaidan said, letting go of Regis's coat, feeling like he's letting go of a chapter of his life. 

But that's what Regis would've wanted, never one to dwell much in the past and always focusing on the future and moving forward. He would want Kaidan to move on and allow himself to love someone he can trust, and Zaeed is right there. 

And perhaps that's all they needed to finally act on the feelings that's been brewing between them starting all the way back in Omega, starting the moment the three of them shared a bed together in the midst of a crazy battle against an angry vorcha mafia.  Zaeed leaned in and Kaidan met him halfway, kissing him slowly and softly and sweetly, letting out a content sigh as Zaeed ran a hand into his hair. 

Zaeed was the first to pull apart, placing his hands on Kaidan's leather jacket collar. "Why don't we wash up a bit?  I saw that the shower and bath was large enough for the two of us."

Kaidan nodded, letting Zaeed take off his jacket. "But we really do need to talk. Not just about us."

"I know. That old friend I mentioned?  I'm sure you're well aware of Steven Hackett."

Kaidan raised an eyebrow, stopping in the midst of taking off his sleeveless mock neck. "I'd like to know that story."

"We go way back," Zaeed waved it off. "But my point is, he wanted me to keep an ear close to the ground, and for me to be aware of the truth of the goddamn battle at the Citadel that you participated in."

"Meaning the Reaper threat."

He nodded. "Exactly, even if I don't fully understand it myself. Hackett's gathering allies unofficially, but there's still too much damn uncertainty.”

"Regis's mother gave me a heads up about Hackett wanting to meet with me."

"And is that going to include whatever the hell you're going to be getting up to next in the Alliance?"

"I'm going to become an N and be the first biotic in Regis's accelerated training program," he replied. "Finally doing the damn thing he's always wanted me to do." Kaidan couldn't quite keep the bitterness out of his voice. 

"Listen, I know he wanted the both of you to wear the red stripe together, but don't blame yourself for not wanting to go for it until now.  Would you have ever done it unless your hand was forced?" 

Kaidan looked away. "Probably not. I knew I could handle it, but it wasn't something I felt like I needed to do."

"But is it something you want to do now?  Or are you being forced into it?” Zaeed sounded concerned. 

“A bit of both.  They want me to finish what he started in the new biotic programs he was creating, while also being a trial run for his new programs,” Kaidan admitted.  

"As long as you show those bastards what you can do while staying true to yourself, that's all that matters." Zaeed threw his jacket and sweater over the bed. 

"I had a very similar conversation with Hannah."

"Then we might've gotten along," Zaeed mused. 

Kaidan shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. She and I've never been close, but that's mostly due to Regis."

"He was very tight-lipped about his childhood. Not great?"

"He never wanted to be a spacer kid."

"And he joined the Alliance anyway?"

"He did, but he did it on his own terms."

Zaeed chuckled. "I can see that." He crossed his arms against his bare chest, giving Kaidan a calculated look. "What is it you aren't telling me about him and space?"

Shit. 

Kaidan tossed his shirt on the bed, mingling with Zaeed's clothing. "The last thing Regis wanted was to die in space."

Zaeed widened his eyes. "Fuck."

"And I listened to it," Kaidan admitted, sitting back down on the bed. "I heard every last word, every breath he struggled to take, every plea he had for him to somehow not die in space."

“Wait, you heard him get spaced?  What really happened?”  Zaeed sat down next to him.

“We were hit by an attack from some kind of unknown ship.  Ripped us to shreds damn near instantly.  He ordered me to get off the ship while he grabbed our pilot.  He was able to get our pilot out, but not himself,” Kaidan summarized.  “Regis wasn’t going to leave anyone behind, but I knew all the details of his ‘disaster’ plans, and our pilot disobeyed his orders.”

“How so?”

“Regis was a bit of a pilot himself, at least, when it came to smaller ships and shuttles.  There’s a story I should tell you about the time when he was a teenager and stole a shuttle off his mother’s ship to get to Earth.” Kaidan cleared his throat.  “Anyway, Regis recognized when a situation couldn’t be helped, and wanted our pilot to get himself out alive because there were moments that no good piloting could save a ship.”

And the space above Alchera was one of them.

“Feel free to blast me across the room for even asking this, but do you blame ‘the pilot’ for not abandoning the goddamn ship when he had the chance?” Zaeed asked.

Kaidan laughed mirthlessly. "You read me too well."

"Part of the job. You don't have to answer." That's answer enough, was left unsaid. 

"No, I might as well tell someone else," Kaidan sighed. "We exchanged some heated words after the fact and we were all 'settled' back on the nearest Alliance station."

"What the hell happened, Joker? Why wasn't he with you?"

"There was another blast right when he got me in the shuttle."

"Did Regis have to drag your ass in the pod?  You knew he was going to come for you!"

Ashley came up behind him. "Kaidan—"

"Don't 'Kaidan' me!  He knew what the fucking plans were and still stayed put!  I don't care what you have to say Joker, Regis—"

"My piloting ensured as many of you could get the hell off the ship!  I know that Regis died while saving me, but don't go blaming me for something that I couldn't have controlled!"

"Couldn't have controlled?  No, you just couldn't stand being wrong about anything involving the Normandy!  But it doesn't matter anymore, now does it?  You might've saved the ship a few precious seconds, but Regis didn't get any!"

Ashley stepped between them, interrupting whatever Joker was going to say next. "This is not the time to be fighting!  God, it's a terrible day when I'm the fucking mediator. Joker, you knew what the orders were. Both of you, walk away before things get more ruined than they already are."

"You aren't going to call out Alenko for prioritizing his boyfriend over the rest of the crew?" 

Kaidan felt his biotic corona roar to life. "Go fuck yourself Joker and remember that Regis died for you!  He was never going to leave anyone behind!  And he chose you."

Zaeed listened to the story, never betraying anything with his expression about his own thoughts and feelings on the matter. 

"We haven't talked since, not even during the damn funeral.  All I've heard is that he's grounded now, and with his record, I'm not sure if he'll fly anything like the Normandy ever again," Kaidan finished. "I'm not proud of how I reacted, but I'm not yet ready to apologize for anything that I said."

"No need to defend yourself to me, but it sounds like you at least have a good friend there in that Ashley."

He nodded. "She tore me a new one, and I don't blame her for it. But I had to know."

"Regis once told me he felt like he finally found himself a home on that ship," Zaeed said after a short moment of silence. "Even if he did bitch about some of the crew."

"Like who?"

"That pilot you were talking about. Some of the younger Marines.  The asari you rescued," Zaeed listed off. "But he seemed to like everyone for the most part. Would've loved to see him in his element.  God, I should've brought out the goddamn whiskey for this talk."

Same group Regis would always complain to him about. Kaidan hadn't thought about T'Soni since the Saren mission, not really caring where she went after the battle of the Citadel. 

Regis prioritized her mission last, and he never really formed a bond with her in the same way with all the other crew members and ground teams on the ship. He saw her as a liability, and openly refused to let her meld with him. 

Honestly, Kaidan wouldn't have allowed it either if it were him in that situation. It still shocked him that Regis let Shiala in, but that was far more dire in comparison.  Especially since Regis was able to supply enough detail for T'soni to figure out where the Conduit lied purely from his descriptions. 

"There's still time."

"Nah, even I can admit that would've made things worse right now. It's too damn fragile right now."

To hell with it.

Kaidan leaned in and claimed Zaeed's mouth with his own, pressing in against him and making him fall back on the bed. Warm skin rubbing against each other, feeling every inch of the man underneath. 

A feeling he's yearned for again for too long. 

Zaeed made a pleased noise, one hand grasped in Kaidan's curls, the other slowly teasing down his front.  Kaidan joined his hand on top of Zaeed's, guiding him down to his zipper as he started to kiss down his neck. 

"Anything changed since our last encounter?" Zaeed asked, pressing lightly against his hardening cock. 

"No, not really," Kaidan said, hovering next to his ear. "But I've taken to an even greater liking to being in charge."

"That doesn't surprise me.  Want to order me around, be in control?" Zaeed chuckled, but his expression was serious. 

Kaidan pulled back slightly so he could face him. "No, not today." He maneuvered himself so that he was leaning against the pillows, switching their positions for the moment. 

It would be so easy to say yes, to claim and that semblance of control he so desperately wanted to have right now. 

But not yet. Not when things felt so delicate between them. 

Not when the ghost of Regis still lingered. 

Zaeed winked and pulled down Kaidan's zipper, yanking down his pants and boxers in one quick movement.  Kaidan gasped as Zaeed lightly took his dick in his hand before swallowing it down in one go.  

"Goddammit, Zaeed!" Kaidan moaned, barely keeping his hips from thrusting into his mouth. "Give me a warning next time."

Zaeed pulled off for a moment, kissing the tip before saying, "You like it that way."

He does, but he's not about to admit it. 

"Bastard," Kaidan said, moving his grip to tangle in Zaeed's hair, his biotic field coming to life in a bright blue.

Zaeed took him in, his cock hitting the back of his throat.  Kaidan let himself relax into the bed, gasping and letting out small noises as Zaeed worked him closer and closer to the brink. Oh, how he missed this.  Missed having this man in his bed. 

His corona stuttered, his hips starting to move with Zaeed's clever tongue and talented mouth. He made a pleased sound as he swallowed Kaidan down once more, pulling off right when Kaidan made a high-pitched whine, nearly about to come down his throat. 

"Not yet," Zaeed rasped. "I want you to come in me."

With a quick twitch of his fingers, Kaidan pulled the bottle of lube that sat on his nightstand. He sat it down on the sheets, raising an eyebrow at Zaeed and motioning down at his pants at his knees. 

"Use your words, Kaidan," Zaeed said, a grin tugging at his lips. 

Oh, he wants to play it that way?

"Finish what you started," Kaidan ordered, clasping his hands together behind his head. 

Zaeed pulled down his pants, tossing them on the floor.  “You look good in ink,” he observed, lightly tracing the branches that were inked on Kaidan's left thigh. The tattoo he got to mirror Regis's own tree on his right arm. 

Kaidan shuddered at the light touch. "I've been meaning to get more but never found the right piece."

“Let me know when you do.  I want to see it.”  I want to be part of it, Kaidan heard.

Zaeed then slowly ran his hand down his chest, lightly squeezing his nipples, palming his covered bulge, letting out a groan before he tugged down his pants, tossing them on the floor with the rest of the clothing.

Kaidan took a moment to stare at the man in front of him. Beautiful tanned and scarred skin, dark, thick line work covering his arm and his chest. The expression of pure pleasure gracing his face as Zaeed slowly stroked his cock, giving Kaidan one hell of a show. 

"Gorgeous," Kaidan murmured, crawling towards the man to claim his mouth, kissing him slowly, sliding their lips and tongues together, skin against skin. 

"No, you're the gorgeous one. How lucky am I to have you here with me?" Zaeed breathed against his mouth. 

"We can play this game all day, love," Kaidan replied, the endearment flowing out of him like water. "Because I can't believe you're here with me."

Zaeed started kissing down his neck, nibbling at the skin, leaving little marks down to his chest. 

It should feel too soon with everything that has happened, but it doesn't.  He felt nearly at home with Zaeed, a feeling he had with Regis. 

"I wanted to commit with him, I really did." Regis admitted, snuggled in Kaidan's arms a few days after they returned from Omega, resting in Kaidan's childhood home. Can't have extended shore leave without visiting the Alenko's. 

"Me too.  I always thought you were it for me, and I've never wanted for more. He was different," Kaidan said, pressing a kiss against the skull tattoo on the back of Regis's neck. 

"He felt like coming home, just like how you feel to me."

"That's exactly how I felt."

Regis laughed. "And that's how I know we are meant for each other. At least he gave us a way to keep in contact.  A private number of all things.”

"Maybe one day things will change, love."

"I imagine it won't as long as we're Alliance soldiers. It's not easy."

"No, it's not, but I didn't take him as the type that wanted 'easy.'"

Zaeed leaned back in the bed and slid his thighs apart, his erection flushed against his stomach.  Before grabbing the bottle, Kaidan waved his fingers, gathering dark energy to trail down Zaeed's chest, teasing at his nipples before jolting at his cock. 

Zaeed gasped in surprise, squeezing his eyes shut. "Fuck, Kaidan!  How the hell can you do that?"

"Lots of practice and my own high levels of control," Kaidan said with a smirk. "I can take you apart with just a wave of my hand." He flared out his corona to illustrate his point. 

Zaeed’s eyes darkened.  “Enough teasing.”

“Thought that was what you wanted?” Kaidan asked lightly, hitching Zaeed’s legs up and coating his fingers.  He reached down to tease at his hole, waiting for a response.

“Get on with it already, goddamnit!” Zaeed groaned.

“All you have to do is ask.”  He pressed one finger into his hole, and then another, taking his time to work open the tight, hot body.  Only meeting a little resistance, Zaeed must’ve been with other partners recently, but he implied he wanted it bare.

Kaidan trusted him, and he continued to work in a third finger, spurred on by Zaeed's heavy breathing and fists grabbing at his expensive sheets.  They’ve only fucked once, while Regis watched, tied up and desperate to be touched, only able to watch as the man he loved pleasured another.

It was a quick, hard, and fast thing, Kaidan pulling all the stops to press deeply into Zaeed, taking the merc down a few notches in the process.  Kaidan thought they would be two dominant personalities tangling and fighting against each other, united in their desire to make Regis feel good, but Zaeed surprised him with his occasional versatile taste.

That was a night Kaidan never wanted to forget.  Seeing Zaeed take care of Regis so readily after they finally turned their attention to him, and ensuring he got all the tactile love he needed once they were done with their scene.

A stark contrast to the hard-ass merc he portrayed on the outside.

Kaidan twisted his fingers once more, feeling Zaeed seize up with a deep groan. There it is. "You ready for me?" Kaidan asked, wiping his fingers on the sheet.

"Yes, Kaidan!" Zaeed groaned, voice full of gravel and lined with pleasure. 

Kaidan leaned in to cup his face and gave him a sweet, soft kiss that had Zaeed rolling his eyes but going pliant anyway. 

He slicked himself up and hitched Zaeed's legs over his shoulders, finally pressing into his hole.  Zaeed let out a long, deep groan, sighing as Kaidan bottomed out and bended Zaeed nearly in half, his flexibility nearly rivaling his own. 

They breathed together for a moment. Zaeed moved to grip onto Kaidan's arms.  His face broke out into a grin, and Kaidan took that a sign to move.

Kaidan fucked him in long, slow strokes, drawing out the feeling, enjoying forcing out whines and moans from the older man. 

Kaidan loved taking his lovers apart, bit by bit, until they were lost in pleasure. 

He took his own pleasure in the tight heat, letting go of his own control, meaning with Zaeed as he brought himself closer and closer to release, his corona shining bright in the dark room. 

With a flick of his wrist, he extended his barrier to envelope both of them, a trick he and Regis perfected in the heat of battle to help protect their non-biotic squadmates. 

It had its uses even beyond the battlefield. 

He watched as Zaeed's eyes glazed over, his mouth caught in a wordless moan as Kaidan fucked into him deeper and deeper, the electricity of his biotics creating a heightened sensation. 

Kaidan took hold of his cock, stroking in time with his thrusts, grinning as Zaeed got even louder. "I'm almost there," he grunted. "Come for me, Zaeed."

"Ah, fuck," Zaeed cried out as he finally had his own release, and Kaidan followed moments later, spilling deep in his hole with one last thrust, his biotics flaring out in a bright pulse, moaning Zaeed's name like a damn prayer. 

Still inside him, Kaidan lifted up his come covered hand and licked it clean, watching as Zaeed stared at him. "Fuck, you're unbelievable," Zaeed said, satiated, falling back against the pillows with a groan. 

Kaidan slowly pulled out of him, reaching for the box of tissues to clean themselves up, but Zaeed stopped him. "Not yet."

Kaidan shrugged and settled himself next to him, letting Zaeed wrap a tattooed arm around him. "Fine by me, but I'm getting up in a few to take the damn shower we were talking about earlier."

"I'll join you," he murmured. "I haven't been fucked that hard in a long while."

"You're welcome."  Kaidan grinned.

Zaeed grinned back, letting out a sigh.  “What’s next?”

“What do you mean?” Kaidan knew what he meant, but he wanted to hear it. No implications. Real communication instead. 

“What’s next for us?”

Kaidan turned on his side to face Zaeed.  “We—I always wanted more, whatever that may be.”

Zaeed closed his eyes.  “I wanted it too, but now with you going off to N training and me keeping an ear to the ground… it’ll be hard to make it work.”

“But doesn’t that mean it’s worth trying, however we define it?”

The words they should’ve said three years ago.  But it’s not too late.

“Friends with benefits ain’t enough.  That’s not what we are.”

“What are we, then?”

“You called me ‘love’ earlier.  And I liked it.  So…” Zaeed trailed off.

“Lovers, then,” Kaidan said.  “Whatever and wherever that may take us.”

Saying that felt like coming home.

But a small part of him still felt like it was a betrayal to Regis.  It shouldn’t, knowing what the man’s thoughts were on this kind of thing.

“I finally updated my will and put it on my omnitool.  It’s also stored on my private server, y’know,” Regis said before their mission, before they were stationed on the Normandy.  

Kaidan nodded.  “I remember, and I won’t forget.  Mine’s also been updated, just in case.” “And I hope nothing ever fucking happens.  I added something new for you.”

“Oh?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Regis waved it off.  “Just a personal message.  I’ve always had one for you, but I’ve added a few things to it.”

“I’m not worried, just curious.  I’ve left a few messages for you and the family but haven’t updated them in a while.  You reminded me I should.”

“Nothing wrong with being a little curious.  Just hope you never have to listen to them.”

“And I hope the same for you.”

“Obviously,” Regis laughed, always able to make light of a situation like this, especially one that had felt so foreign and so impossible.  His expression suddenly grew serious, his red eyes staring Kaidan down.  “But I want you to know this: Don’t you dare prevent yourself from moving on.  I don’t give a shit when you do it, but don’t let your happiness die with me.”

Kaidan didn’t think it would be that easy but agreed anyway.  “I promise.”

“And that’s all I ask."

Kaidan had already dealt with the damn will with Hannah, not that there was much to it.  Regis was straightforward with that kind of thing.  Most of his assets went to Kaidan, leaving a few various things and monetary amounts going to his mother, his uncle, and some even to Kaidan’s family.  A few weapons and other items he kept stored planetside went to Zaeed, and they had already handled that as soon as they could.

He hasn’t yet listened to the message.

“Getting lost in your thoughts?” Zaeed asked, pulling Kaidan closer in.

“Thinking about something Regis said to me,” he admitted.  “He wanted me to find happiness, if something happened.  I kept wrestling with myself about this whole thing, but…”

“It’s what he would’ve wanted,” he finished for him.

“Or something,” Kaidan said, still not fully convinced, but here he was, enjoying the post-orgasmic glow with another man.  “There’s also a recorded video Regis left for me, but I can’t bring myself to watch it.”

“I can watch it with you?” He offered.  “Let’s wash up and take it one goddamn step at a time.

Kaidan nodded, and they untangled themselves from each other.  Kaidan offered a hand and guided Zaeed to the bathroom.

The water was warm and soothing, just what they needed.  Taking comfort in each other’s presence, touching and brushing against one another, but nothing more than a tease.  Just appreciating the intimacy in the moment, already satisfied with how their evening has gone.

Now in a warm pair of joggers and a sweater—Zaeed borrowing a pair from Kaidan despite them being a little too short for him—they curled themselves up on the couch in the living room, underneath a warm blanket.  Kaidan’s omnitool sat on the coffee table.

He took a deep breath and grabbed it, accessing their private server and entering in the information to access the video.

Regis appeared on the screen, clothed in his favorite black turtleneck, his dog tags hanging proudly around his neck, his father's ring gleaming in the light.  He looked at peace, despite the content of the video.  Kaidan wanted to look away from the perfect picture of his beloved, but he gathered enough strength to play the video.

“Kaidan, if you’re watching this, then I’m so fucking sorry that you’re in this situation.  That somehow I was able to get you out alive without covering my own ass, too.  Or something along those lines.” He laughed, and then cleared his throat.  “Not the damn time, Regis.” He muttered.

Kaidan thought he had nothing left, tears already dried up, but more threatened to fall.  

“I wanted you to know that I loved you so much, and I hope you are keeping Dad’s ring safe, whatever it is you decided to do with it.  Wear it, store it, whatever.  My mother kept vigil over it, then it was me, and now it has come to you.  I only wish I was able to give it to you myself, underneath that big appletree that you and I loved to sit under back home."

Regis considered Kaidan's family home. 

And that goddamn ring. He never even thought about the possibility of it being lost along with his fucking body. 

It haunted him nearly as much as Regis’s memory.

“I also hope you remember our conversation.  Take the time you need to grieve, but also remember to find happiness in whatever that may be.  Hell, we both know someone that I hope will be there for you.  So don’t worry about me haunting your ass for claiming what we both wanted, if that’s where that goes.” Regis shook his head, a small smile gracing his face.  “Shit, tell Massani directly that I will haunt his ass if he doesn’t keep an eye on you for me.”

They were all such idiots, weren't they?

They could've made it work, but none of them wanted to be the one to make that brave first step. 

Kaidan paused the video, wiping his eyes and reaching for the box of tissues on the table, setting it between them. Zaeed yanked a few out of the box, tossing him some whole keeping some for himself. "We were such fucking idiots."

"No shit," Kaidan wetly laughed, pressing play again.

"Just… live for yourself Kaidan, and not for me. Hell, I've probably given you some impossible promises already, but all I ask is for you to be able to move on.  If that means leaving the Alliance or following in my footsteps or whatever, then so be it. I want you to live. That's all I've ever wanted, even since the day I met you back at BAaT. I never thought I would find something so good and so precious there, despite everything." Regis laughed, and it was like music to his ears. 

"All this to say, I love you. And this video is asking you to let me go.  This is Regis Lucian Shepard, signing off.” He touched the screen with his hand, as if he was caressing a face, before it went dark.

Regis knew him too goddamn well.  Of course he did.  Ten years of a relationship… becoming friends at BAaT… a long history.

He knew Kaidan would struggle with his own feelings and gave him an out.  No questions asked. 

Kaidan turned off his omnitool and let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. 

They laid together on the couch, in each other's arms, in the silence of the apartment, letting the message sink in. Zaeed laced his fingers with Kaidan's, squeezing with reassurance. 

A message pinged on his omnitool before he could fully gather his thoughts.

Kaidan activated his tool once more to see that it was a message from his mother.  He checked the time and realized it was close to the time he promised to call. 

"It's from Mom," Kaidan said, clearing his throat. "I was supposed to call her, but I got, uh, distracted."

"Need me to get up for a bit?" Zaeed asked, not making any sort of move to get up.

Kaidan shook his head. "No, unless you'd be more comfortable not being in the vid call.  I don't want to hide what we have."

"Sure, I'll stay.  It's been a while since I've met the parents," Zaeed replied but sounding hesitant. 

Kaidan glanced up at him.  "Uh huh. You have nothing to worry about. Mom will understand."

"I am not worried."

Kaidan rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Massani."

He hovered over the call button, studying Zaeed's expression. When he smiled slightly, Kaidan took that as consent and started the vid call. 

He should probably move to where he wasn't lying on his chest, arms still wrapped around him, but he didn't want to leave his comfort just yet.

His mother's face appeared on the screen, all warm smiles and a positive presence. "Kaidan!  I was beginning to worry that you forgot!  Am I interrupting something?" She greeted, her expression turning concerned. 

"No, not really.  It's just been a rough day, Mom, and there's someone I want you to meet." He transferred the call to the larger screen in the living room. "Mom, meet Zaeed Massani."

"Well, it's nice to meet a friend of Kaidan's, or shall I say something more?  You might want to adjust your turtleneck some, sweetheart, you got a little something…" she motioned with her hand to a spot underneath his chin, and Kaidan immediately felt his face warm up. "I'm just teasing. Now, tell me, how did you two meet?  There's a familiarity I see between you that reminds me of Kaidan and…" she trailed off, looking away. 

"You can mention him, Mrs. Alenko," Zaeed said before Kaidan could say anything. "The three of us go way back. I just happened to be in the area when Kaidan gave me a heads up that he was heading to Earth.  Sorry for interrupting your time."

"Ah, it's not a problem.  I'm happy he has someone to confide in during all this. It's still very soon, you see, Regis became a member of our family the day they returned after their biotic training.  And it's Aurelia, Zaeed. Such a gentleman," she gushed. "Way back, you say?  Tell me the details you're willing to share."

"Met them while they were on shore leave three years ago. We became quite close," he said, keeping the story simple, but not quite revealing how close they got.

Kaidan squeezed his hand. "And by close, he means that the three of us entered into a relationship for a short time.  We stayed friends after Regis and I had to get back to the Alliance."

He could tell his mother knew he wasn't telling her everything by the calculated look in her eye, but she seemed satisfied enough with the response. 

He looked up to see Zaeed's look of surprise, his mismatched eyes wide. "What, you didn't think I would admit it?  I'm not ashamed of what we shared, and it's the damn truth."

"Now I see why you told me I had nothing to worry about," Zaeed muttered, causing his mom to laugh in response.

"We're not scary, just a bit overwhelming, I'm sure.  If you're up to it, we'd be happy to host you as well Zaeed.  We were planning on eating good food, getting drunk on the Alenko reserve, and honoring the memory of a beloved member of our family.  What do you say?" She asked, a welcoming smile on her face. 

"I'd like that a lot," he said. "If you'll have me."

Mom had already accepted him into the family.  Kaidan had a feeling she would, but that didn't mean he was looking forward to whatever conversation they were going to have when they were alone. 

"Of course!  It's just going to be a small thing, you know. Oh, and Kaidan, Adrian is going to be there.  Said he had something for you he wanted to tell you in person."

Zaeed raised an eyebrow, not recognizing the name. Kaidan cleared the air. "Regis's uncle, who also happened to be his father's twin.  Anyway, did he say what it was?  He hasn't said anything to me about it."

They've chatted a few times since Regis's death as one of the few family members Regis was actually close to.  Adrian was Regis's tie to earth and learning about his father from another source, and he cherished that relationship. 

In some ways, he was the hardest person to deliver the news to, barring his mother. 

"Not at all, but it got me curious.  Seemed a bit cagey too. All the more reason to get your asses over here so I can get to know you properly." She grinned. 

"Yes ma'am," Kaidan replied, rubbing his face. "At some point I might be called back for another meeting with the brass, but at least that will be held here in Vancouver."

"It never stops, does it?  I won't keep you long, now that I know you have company.  Take care, sweetie, and get some much-needed rest.  Home is just a call away." She said, waving. Kaidan waved back. 

"It was nice meeting you, Zaeed.  I look forward to getting to know you more!  Take care of my son for me, he needs to stop relying on himself too damn much."

Kaidan protested as Zaeed laughed. "That's what I'm here for. We both need to take care of each other."

"I'm happy to hear it.  See you soon!  I love you, Kaidan."

"See you soon. Love you too, Mom."

She waved once more before ending the call. 

Kaidan felt a little better after talking to his mom, feeling a bit more at peace even during the short talk. Almost always able to cheer him up and unafraid to call him out on his bullshit, his mother was always an easy message away. 

Kaidan cherished the relationship he had with his family, sometimes wishing Regis had a similar one. 

He remembered how out of his element he was when they were still teenagers and not yet in a relationship the first few times he brought Regis by. 

And his family had accepted him immediately, despite knowing the full story at BAaT. 

"I'll be honest," Zaeed admitted, "she wasn't what I was expecting."

"What were you expecting?" Kaidan asked, pressing a kiss onto Zaeed's hand. 

So free with his affection, as that was what Regis always craved. Zaeed seemed to like it as well. 

"Hell, I don't know. More pushback on our whole… thing. Sorry about the marks," he replied, not looking sorry at all. 

Kaidan felt his face heat up again. "Mom's used to my shenanigans with Regis. He could be shameless sometimes."

"I'll behave."

"No, you won't."

"You're probably right." 

"I know I'm right."

"I'll let you win this one."

Kaidan rolled his eyes. "Anyway, what do you want for dinner?  I can arrange a grocery order, or we can order some takeout."

"Just order some goddamn takeout.  I know you're about to pass out on this couch." Zaeed said, loosening his embrace around Kaidan.  Kaidan rose up and sat down next to him, still bundled up in the blanket. 

"Will do."

They still hadn't addressed the video. 

"Even thinking about what Regis said in his video, it's still hard for me to just jump into something new," Kaidan admitted. "I want this, but I can't help but think about Regis nearly every step of the way."

"Shit, Kaid, I'd be worried if you weren't thinking about him. Hell, he keeps popping up in my head too," Zaeed said, his gravelly voice almost going soft. The nickname was new, and Kaidan let it roll around in his head, deciding that he liked it okay enough from him. 

"So, we'll take this one step at a time?" Kaidan said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"One step at a goddamn time," Zaeed echoed, pulling him into a hug. 

"I'd like that," Kaidan whispered. 

His omnitool pinged again. 

"You need to silence that damn thing," Zaeed said, grabbing off the table. Kaidan took it from him, pulling up the message. 

It wasn't from Alliance Command, but he recognized the writing style all the same. 

Lieutenant Alenko,

I hope your shore leave has served you well.  Give me a time you can meet and we'll discuss your future. 

Admiral Shepard has already warned you about this, I'm sure, but this is off the record, for now. 

Times are changing, and I want to be ahead of it. 

Admiral Hackett. 

Kaidan couldn't keep the incredulous expression off his face.  Never in a million years would he have expected an unofficial meeting with the man. 

He assumed from Hannah's warning that it was going to be the official version of the meeting he had with her. 

Not this. 

Zaeed was reading it over his shoulder. "You're welcome to mention me by name. Might throw the old bastard off."

"He's already got me at a disadvantage with this approach."

"Clearly it's something he doesn't want official channels to be completely aware of." Zaeed looked thoughtful, stroking his face and the stubble around his chin. "What kind of relationship would you say he had with Regis?  He's always been a ruthless bastard."

Takes one to know one.  Regis was never afraid to be ruthless.  Nor was Zaeed now that he thought about him. 

"Out of all the higher ups, Regis respected him the most and gave him the least amount of bullshit," Kaidan said, thinking back at all the requests he fulfilled for him.  

"I figured he would be someone Regis would get along with. He was never the type to trust easily."

"No, he wasn't." Kaidan agreed. "Which made gaining his trust and friendship a damn honor sometimes."

"Yeah, I know. Hell, Steven was the same.  What are you going to say to him?"

Kaidan will have to poke at the first name basis thing later. 

"I'll answer and say I can meet tomorrow morning, and let Mom know that I have Alliance business to take care of before we head down."

"Sounds good, but something tells me you should bug Regis's uncle and see what he wants to tell you.  Sounded too important for some reason," Zaeed said, tilting his head to the side. "Can't explain the feeling I have but you know how it is."

"Yeah, I'm well aware."

Kaidan typed up a reply. 

I can meet tomorrow morning.  What time and where?

A reply came in moments later. 

0800.  Meet me in my office. 

Huh. 

"Meeting's secure. Wants me to meet him at HQ," Kaidan said. 

"Technically I met him outside HQ, and we caught up over drinks at a local bar. It got serious after the fact," Zaeed said. "So, I can't help you there."

Kaidan really wanted to know more about that friendship. 

"At least drive me there. Chances are he'll have feelers out and it'll be a surprise," Kaidan laughed, mostly to shake off his nerves about the meeting. 

He didn't think it was going to be anything bad.  Hell, he had a feeling it was going to be about the N path all over again with a dash of Regis. 

But a small part of him has a feeling it was going to be something far more than that. 

And that worried him. 

"Sure. Always happy to be a meddler."

Kaidan looked back down at his omnitool, scrolling through his contacts until he stopped on Adrian's name. "Want to meet another family member?"

He shrugged, settling back down on the couch.  "Might as well."

Kaidan leaned against him and sent Adrian a vid call request.  A few moments later, he answered. 

He appeared on the screen, curly hair pulled into a bun with shaved sides.  Kaidan could see where Regis got his most striking features from.  The dark hair, the pale skin, and the hard-set jaw framed by a beard. 

Regis's smile and eyes were directly from Hannah herself, although he once admitted to Kaidan that he got gene mods to change his eyes to red so he wouldn't have his mother's eyes anymore. 

He had the most striking green eyes back at BAaT. Hell, it was one of the first things he noticed about him.  

The red suits him better.  Suited him better.

"Hey, Kaidan. Aurelia told me about your call. Guess you just couldn't wait to hear me out in person?" He chuckled. 

"Not exactly. I'm meeting with an admiral tomorrow and my partner told me I should go ahead and talk to you," Kaidan explained. "This is Zaeed, an old flame of Regis's and mine. We reconciled."

"As in Massani?" he whistled. "Damn, Regis was holding out on me."

"How did you know that?" Zaeed asked, narrowing his eyes. 

Adrian didn't even blink. "Don't think anything bad of it. My partner, Vikram, knows of you."

Zaeed instantly lightened up. "Good ol' Vikram, how's that old bastard doing?  I guess they're still doctoring in Omega?"

"Yeah, much to my displeasure.  They're in their matriarch years and I kept thinking they would settle down by now, but nope. They've only mentioned you by name a few times, so I recognized it. Don't worry, I've heard mostly good things." Adrian explained. "So, partners, eh?"

Kaidan blushed. "Yeah, uh, we decided to give it a chance."

"I'm happy for you, truly. Regis would've wanted you to move on, and since he's a mutual of yours… I guess that worked out well for you." He sighed, scratching at his beard. "So, I wanted to tell you something Vikram told me.  Vikram has quite a few ties in Omega, mostly because they're a damn good samaritan and people respect them and their services. But also because they have an in with Afterlife, and they hear things."

Kaidan sat up, resting his elbows on his legs and leaning forward. "What does this have to do with me?"

"I'm getting there.  They saw an asari you are quite familiar with, T'Soni, working with a known Shadow Broker agent."

"Fucking risky business," Zaeed spat. 

Kaidan shook his head, rubbing his temples. "Are you one-hundred percent sure?"

Why the hell would T'Soni be working with the Shadow Broker?  Hell, she was as green as a damn recruit fresh out of high school when it came to combat experience. He couldn't deny that she had biotic power, but it lacked the finesse of theirs.  Plus, Kaidan thought she was a bit naive about the world.

Regis argued she had no place on board the ship after they rescued her and got the information they needed.  His request was denied.

"Her markings aren't exactly common, and Vikram is well aware of current events, so I would say yes. Now, they have no idea what their meeting was about, but they told me about it anyway thinking that I could let Regis's crew know," Adrian said, clasping his hands together on the table. "I'll poke their brain again and see if they've learned anything new, but they did tell me they weren't afraid to leverage one of their favors with T'Loak if it meant getting to the bottom of this business."

Zaeed glanced over at Kaidan. "How serious do you think this situation is to warrant using something like that?"

"Regis was never close with her, but I always got the impression T'Soni had a bit of a crush or infatuation on him after our rescue. He shut her down hard as soon as he could when it came to her dealing with his visions," Kaidan explained. "She was never with us long enough to be a part of much of anything."

"Interesting to know. I'll pass it on to Vik and see what they think."

"Thanks, I don't want to be the one to decide something like that. I understand what those favors are," Kaidan said. 

"You would, being in bed with Massani," Adrian chuckled.  When Kaidan didn’t laugh, he held up his hands in surrender. "Sorry, too soon?"

Kaidan waved it off, even if the comment did bother him some. "We met Zaeed while on Omega. You can put two and two together, Adrian."

"I sure can… tell me that story one day over drinks.  Anyway, I won't keep you unless you have more questions?  It's a fucked situation either way, and I don't like it." 

"No, I think I'm good, for now. Let me know immediately when you hear back," Kaidan said. 

“Of course.  Something about this whole thing is giving me a bad feeling, and really, the least I could do is tell you directly to see if you shared similar thoughts.  I won’t keep you.” Adrian said, expression growing serious.  “Take care of Kaidan, you hear me, Massani?  He’s my damn son-in-law in everything but name.”

“I’d rather take another goddamn bullet to the head than hurt him,” Zaeed said sincerely, wrapping an arm around him.  “You have my word.”

Kaidan was sure he was looking at him with such a besotted expression despite everything.

“Good.  I look forward to seeing y’all on the Alenko property.  Be safe out there.” He waved and hung up the vid call.

Kaidan stared at the empty vid-screen, trying to take in everything that he had learned today.  Zaeed and Admiral Hackett had some kind of history.  T’Soni had gotten herself involved with the Shadow Broker, which presented itself as a possible security threat to the Alliance.  Hackett wanted to meet with him personally and in what appeared to be in an unofficial capacity to some extent. 

Regis wanted him to move on so earnestly. 

It was all too much to take in, and he didn’t have enough time or energy to handle everything at once.

Kaidan let out a yawn. "It's been a long day.  And honestly, I don't have much of an appetite." He said, thinking back at their earlier conversation. 

"Well, I'm hungry, and I'm going to order us a couple of pizzas and breadsticks, and you are going to enjoy it with me," Zaeed said with a tone that left no room for an argument. 

"Yes sir," Kaidan replied, enjoying the smirk that formed on his face. 

While Zaeed busied himself with ordering their food off of a suggestion from Kaidan, he took a moment to throw the bedding in the wash, changing it out for some fresh ones.  He also straightened up the guest room, just to have something to do, but he hoped it wouldn't get any use while they were here. 

The food came soon enough, and they settled back down on the couch, eating a few slices each and enjoying each other's company. 

After they were finished, Kaidan cleaned up after them and put the leftovers in the fridge. "I need to get my uniform ready for tomorrow, and then I'm getting some sleep," he said, leaning against the counter. 

"Have you decided what you're going to tell him?" Zaeed asked, leaning on the counter next to him. 

Kaidan shrugged. "I'll let him know that I know you. I'll give him a heads up on the T'Soni situation, and I'll read Hannah into it as well.  We'll see where it goes from there."

"He wants an edge on whatever the hell is going on."

"But he can only do it off the record.  With the new council dismissing any claims contrary to what they claimed happened at the Battle of the Citadel, there isn't much we can do.  Regis believed in the Reaper threat in the end, and after what I saw, I believe it too."

Zaeed shook his head. "Steven seemed to believe it as well if he was willing to tell me about it."

"Regis kept his visions tight-lipped. Hell, he was absolutely furious when Anderson brought them up in the first council hearing about Saren.  But once we saw Sovereign on Virmire, that solidified it for all of us," Kaidan explained. "You've heard the reports.  It, along with the geth, took out the Destiny Ascension with no trouble."

"And the Alliance saved the day.  I have to ask, who made that call knowing the council was on board?"

"Regis did.  Ash and I were by his side when we got the distress call from the Ascension, and the call for the Fifth Fleet. He held back the Alliance fleet so they could focus on Sovereign," Kaidan said. 

“Goddamn.” Zaeed whistled.  “One hell of a choice.”

“He’s had to make too many of those.” Kaidan muttered. 

"Won't disagree with you there." 

Kaidan yawned again, which prompted Zaeed to start heading towards the bedroom.  He followed him and stepped into the bathroom to do his usual nightly rituals. 

But it wasn't the same.  Not without Regis butting in to take over the mirror while Kaidan was in the middle of something or them sharing their favorite moisturizer and skin care products. 

There were even a few of Regis's piercings still inside their case on the bathroom counter.  

After Kaidan was done, leaving Regis’s things where they were for now, he left the bathroom to see Zaeed already stripped down to his boxers.  Zaeed squeezed his shoulder as he moved past him, and Kaidan leaned into the touch.

He took a moment to check his messages before going to bed.

Right at the top was one from Ashley, sent about an hour ago.

ASH: You said you were heading back to Earth, made it safely there?

KAIDAN: Yeah, been here for hours now.  Caught up with an old friend, and I’m going to visit my family later. 

ASH: Glad to hear it, LT.  Say, does that old friend happen to be the same one you and Regis were telling me all about? KAIDAN: Maybe.  What if it is?

ASH: Just want you to be happy.  I mean, I’m not into older men, but I can see why you two were so interested.  I’m sorry to hear that this was how you reunited.

KAIDAN: It’s alright.  We’re dealing.  And well… Zaeed’s different.  It’s been good seeing him again.

ASH: Oh, is he with you right now?

KAIDAN: Maybe… 

ASH: Hope I’m not interrupting anything ;)

KAIDAN: Nah, we’re just getting ready to get some sleep. Guess who has a meeting with Admiral Hackett in the morning.

ASH: Shit… Wonder what that’s going to be all about?  Your N training stuff?

KAIDAN: Probably, and then some.

ASH: Good luck.  Hopefully we can be N training buddies :D but something tells me they have bigger plans for you.

KAIDAN: Of course.  Regis more or less made sure of it with his biotic training plans.

ASH: Still looking out for you even in the afterlife.

KAIDAN: Yeah, I guess he is.  I’m going to finish what he started.

ASH: Good.  Well, I won’t keep you.  Get some sleep.

KAIDAN: I’ll try.

ASH: I guess that’s all I can ask.  Good night!  Don’t be a stranger.

KAIDAN: Night, Ash.  And same to you.  I’m always here.

ASH: And so am I.

“Must be something nice if it’s got you smiling like that,” Zaeed said as he walked into the bedroom.

“Just talking with Ashley.  We’ve been checking up on each other as best we can,” Kaidan replied.

“I’ll need to meet her at some point.  Get to know that soldier Regis was always telling me about.”

“Regis loved her, and you know I don’t say that lightly,” Kaidan said, pulling back the covers. “Don’t think I’ve ever seen him trust someone so easily after you.”

“A high honor, then.” Zaeed crawled into the bed, settling down next to him.  “Where do you want me?”

“Still trying to get me to order you around?”

“You know you love it.”

“Maybe I do.  I appreciate you checking in on me.”

“Of course, no goddamn thanks needed.  Only way we’ll make this work.”

Kaidan nodded.  “Well, if you insist on me putting you somewhere, I want you to hold me.”

Kaidan was almost always the big spoon when he and Regis were together.  Regis loved being held, even despite the small height difference between them.  

Regis enjoyed putting a lot of things in Kaidan’s hands.  Loved relinquishing control to someone he trusted.  Loved stepping down from his role as Commander to just Regis.

“Granted.” Zaeed said, kissing the back of his neck before wrapping arm around him, pulling him in close.  

Kaidan allowed himself to relax in his touch, taking slow, deep breaths, willing his active mind to slow down.

To stop thinking so damn much about Regis.

Kaidan doubted that would ever happen.  Those soft smiles, fierce red eyes… his judgemental attitude and confident aura… his sense of style and love for showing off.

No, Regis would always be with him.  BAaT ensured it.  The Alliance ensured it.

Their damn biotics ensured it.

Now, Kaidan needs to keep his memory safe and remember him as Regis Lucian Shepard.

Because the galaxy will remember him as Commander Shepard, Butcher of Torfan, first Human Spectre, and Savior of the Citadel.

Not as Regis.

#mass effect #kaidan alenko #regis shepard #zaeed massani #cleric's writing #mass effect fanfiction

[davilacristine]

𝐒𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘

I am Cristine, and 1,825 days have passed since the catastrophic tragedy that forever changed our planet. The chaos started 5 years ago, specifically on Tuesday, March 18, 2031, where it all happened. During the morning, I was at work with my husband Elkin, around 10 a.m., when I heard the news. So, my husband and I left work in search of water. The streets of my city were already filled with people in panic and fear of running out of the most vital resource for living.

Subsequently, the government declared that it was taking measures to address the crisis. News reports of water shortages and natural resources were causing the inhabitants to collapse. Then, desperate to do something, I took my agenda and started to carry out my plan. "Aqua Time Saver". Elkin, my husband, who is a programmer and engineer, helped me with my plan. After numerous attempts, Elkin gives up and experiences a recurrence of his discouragement, as the situation seems to have no solution. However, I persevered and told him:

—Don't get discouraged; that doesn't allow you to think clearly. —I'm not discouraged! -said Elkin. —Yes, you are. -I replied —Very well, I am, what else can I do?" answered Elkin. —Have a chocolate to cheer you up. You can do it, just be patient; I'm sure you will!

Thanks to my efforts to encourage Elkin, he finally found a way to get the time machine working. Consequently, the machine had been turned on, and without thinking about it, Elkin and I went into the past to avoid tragedy. First, we use the machine to go back to the year 2023. With our experiences of the future, we work tirelessly to convince world leaders and society about the importance of water conservation. Also, we created a global network of scientists, engineers, and activists focused on solving the water crisis. As the years passed, our actions paid off. People created videos on how to save water; even kindergartens started to teach the children how to conserve water.

Finally, we returned to the year 2036, where we look to a future where the catastrophe of March 18, 2031, is only a memory of a past that never happened. Indeed, the Earth has been saved, and the lesson of the importance of water conservation remains a fundamental part of our society.

How did I create the AI images?

To create images with artificial intelligence, you need to search for an AI generator online, enter specific details in its user interface to get the desired image, adjust additional options if necessary, and then click "generate" to get the image.

VIDEO

#science fiction #story #water saving #time machine

[daymeeawn]

Cultivation

The Scarlet Specter was far and away the strangest spacefaring vessel planet Earth had to offer; shaped like an oversized wine bottle, with a body built from high-impact glass tinted a dazzling crimson, and a large white propulsion jet at the end of its neck. Despite its unusual appearance, the Specter's eco-friendly design and unbeatable speeds made it the go-to choice for The Cultivators; a traveling band who had officially traveled further than any other band in history. Their mission —as their name implied— was to cultivate peace among interplanetary populations using the power of music.

Three years into their expedition, however, the quartet had yet to make any significant progress in their search for alien life. Not that they were trying very hard. The clouds of smoke constantly hanging on the curved ceiling were not due to any technical malfunction, but rather the crew’s recreational drug use. They spent most of their waking hours giggling about nothing, stuffing themselves silly on snacks and gliding back and forth on the sleek glass floors, while the ship's on-board navigational systems handled all the hard work.

Sadly, their miracle drug did nothing to loosen up the tightest ass in their ranks; Melanie Waters, a tall, blond bombshell with the voice of an angel and the temper of a tyrant.

She wasn't considered the captain per se (as the group at large didn't adhere to such archaic concepts as elected leadership), but the way she behaved, you would be forgiven not only for assuming that she held absolute dominion over her bandmates, but that she possessed some sort of seniority, when in reality she was the youngest of the bunch.

The remaining three supposed they ought to be grateful for all she'd done for them —after all, it was her stubborn nature that ultimately coerced the Aerospace Administration into granting their group the opportunity to pave a path of peace across the cosmos with their melodic messangery—, but that admitted appreciation didn't make Melanie's attitude any easier to deal with. Take for instance an incident which occurred roughly an hour before their ship touched down on alien soil for the very first time:

Melanie plopped down in the pilot’s chair and popped open the compartment under the dashboard. She rooted through the clutter without looking, feeling for the crisp paper wrapping of the chocolate bar she’d kept stashed inside. Her fingertips soon brushed the back of the drawer without ever having met with the desired dessert.

She glanced back across the cabin and eyed her associates with growing suspicion. Edsel Bogori sat cross-legged atop a yoga mat, strumming wistfully away on his guitar, his squinty eyes darting back and forth behind his dark-lensed spectacles, his fingers skillfully dodging the colorful tassels dangling from the collar of his bulky black cardigan. Beside him stood Nora Pouteria, the golden rings adorning her attire jingling merrily as she bobbed up and down in time with the melody, her flowing brown locks swaying with equal energy. And in the far corner of the cabin stood the shaggy-haired Cantel Lopez, smoking a joint. Melanie's bright blue eyes narrowed in on her latter companion, or more specifically, on the faint brown fingerprints staining his tie-dyed t-shirt. She wasted no time in taking authoritative measures, strolling swiftly toward her crewmate and swiping the spliff from between his fingers.

"You filched my candy bar, didn't you?!"

Cantel cowered under Melanie's interrogative gaze. Whereas most of the Cultivators despised direct confrontation, their lead singer seemed to almost relish in it.

"Aw, lay off Mel, you know I've got low blood sugar!" Cantel stammered.

"And you knew I was saving that candy bar for a special occasion! That was the last bar of milk chocolate we had!"

"So what? We've still got plenty of dark chocolate left. You could melt it down, stir in a little powdered milk, wait for it to harden-"

"That's not milk chocolate, goddamnit! That's dark chocolate with milk in it!”

“What on Earth are you two arguing about?” Nora cut in.

"It's nothin-" Cantel began.

"Cantel ate my candy bar!!"

Nora didn’t respond immediately, nor had Melanie expected her to. Nora wasn’t known to pass judgment on others regardless of circumstance, making her especially easy to confide in.

"Hey Mel, I think I finally figured out what your problem is: you love looking for things to complain about, don't you?" she asked.

Well, so much for confiding in Nora.

"What? No I don't!" Melanie barked back.

"Sure you do, you've been griping ever since we set out on this mission. Whenever we're drifting aimlessly through the cosmos you complain about how dark it is, when we get close to a star you complain about how bright it is! I bet if all three of us died tragically you'd complain about being left all alone!"

Blood began to rush to Melanie's face. True, she had a proficiency for pointing out what was wrong in any given situation, but she was only speaking the truth! She wasn't trying to be a drag, there were just some things she thought her friends ought to be made aware of, for better or for worse.

Suddenly, from his corner of the cabin, Edsel erupted into an all-too familiar tune:

"Miss-Miss Pessimist

got a problem, can't resist

letting everybody know~"

"Be quiet, Edsel!" Melanie snarled.

"No, she ain't much fun,

makes it tough for everyone.

At least she puts on a helluva show.

The woman's warnings did nothing to deter the guitarist from further prodding her patience. In fact, it only encouraged her remaining bandmates to chime in as well.

She'll let you know when it's blistering hot,

she'll let you know when it rains.

When trouble starts brewing

you know what she's doing;

complain, complain, complain!

And that clinched it; Melanie continued to bitch and moan right up until landing.

The very first planet to catch the Cultivators’ eyes since their initial departure was a vast, lush jungle world not marked on any of the Earth's star charts. Of course, that didn't mean that it was totally uncharted, but the visiting humans had no way of knowing that just yet. As far as they were aware, it didn't even have a name.

Despite Miss Waters' apprehensions, the ship's landing went off without a hitch, and soon the four crew members were setting foot on solid ground for the first time in what felt like forever.

Melanie stretched out, allowing the soft forest breeze to tickle her midriff, savoring the feeling of her bare feet sinking into the soft dirt. Looking around at her companions, she was surprised to see that the reclusive Edsel had decided to join them outside rather than stay behind and watch the ship, though he was apparently unwilling to part with his beloved guitar, as he kept it hung from his back by a leather strap. But how could she blame him when she herself was concealing a cordless microphone in her pocket just in case the opportunity for an impromptu jam arose? She guessed that Nora had her patented triangle stashed somewhere on her person too. And Cantel completed the quartet as he came bumbling down the exit ramp resembling a one-man-band whose experience lay solely in percussion. Lugging a disassembled drum set through the jungle seemed a bit like overkill in Melanie’s humble opinion, but if Cantel wanted to blow out his back doing so, then she wouldn’t stop him. She was trying to cut back on her griping, anyway.

"You ready to go, Mel?"

Melanie, pulled out of her ponderings by the shrill voice of her best friend, nodded.

"Okay, let's go find some aliens!" her curly-headed comrade cried out.

Nora's optimism was somewhat misguided; while humanity had established contact with otherworldly intelligence a year prior to the team’s departure —kicking off a series of similarly ill-plotted expeditions— , there was no guarantee that this, of all planets, played host to alien life.

Beyond the confirmation that there were other civilizations than their own out there in the universe, the earthlings learned surprisingly little from their preliminary discussions with the alien ambassador. Nobody knew what these lifeforms actually looked like —according to their correspondent this was not due to a lack of trying on the extraterrestrial’s end, but rather a failing of Earth’s electrical equipment to unscramble their video signals—, and the coordinates provided for the faceless figure’s base of operations did not correspond to any known sector of space. At least one thing was certain; these aliens were perfectly capable of speaking the human language.

Twigs and leaves crunched under the merry band's feet as they trekked through the trees.

Walking around barefoot was a long standing habit of Melanie's, and the soles of her feet had grown so calloused as a result that no amount of scratching and stabbing could phase her, so the slog through this hostile environment didn't bother her in the slightest.

She was busy examining the local flora when her ears caught onto a rustling in the bushes close-by. The band members stared in total silence. Cantel raised his hand and pointed toward the bush, as though nobody else had traced where the noise originated from. Before anyone could think of something to say, the bush rattled again, and something crawled out of it, something bug-like. Its eyes shone a radiant red, its hair forest green, its weathered skin a creamy shade of brown, almost —like my chocolate bar!

Little did Melanie know she’d just met the future father of her child.

The enormous insectoid blinked at the Earthlings. They blinked back.

Finally someone screamed. It was Nora. But she wasn't terrified, she was ecstatic!

"OH…MY…GAWD! I CAN’T FRICKIN’ BELIEVE IT! IT'S AN ALIEN!"

Nora's cry attracted even more of them. One by one they emerged from the wilderness, the bushes, the treetops, fluttering down on their housefly-esque wings to see what all the buzz was about.

The boys still hadn't spoken, their mouths hung wide open on their hinges like a couple of five-year-olds who had just seen their first pair of boobies.

"Don't just stand there you guys, let's sing them our song of peace!" Melanie ordered.

This seemed to snap everyone out of their collective trance. Despite how unlikely a scenario this was, the group happened to have rehearsed for just such an event. Quickly Edsel swung his guitar around to his front, Nora produced her triangle from her pocket, Melanie whipped out her portable microphone, and Cantel scrambled to assemble his drum set.

With the pieces finally in place, Cantel seated him in his foldable stool and clicked his sticks together, prompting his partners to kick off the one and only song they had prepared:

Put your mind on huggin'

put your mind on kissin'

If you don't know lovin'

you don't know what you're missin'!

A sickening splat cut through their chorus, and Melanie turned to see Cantel slumped back in his stool, an arrow slotted stubbornly in his throat. His diabetic blood poured down his front, pooling atop the batter head of his medium tom, dripping down the coils of its springs, and finally pattering to the earth —No, this isn't Earth!— at his feet.

The next thing she recalled was hearing Nora's scream, and this time it was entirely warranted. She would have screamed too, but she knew she had to keep a level head; she needed to be the one who remained in their right mind. After all, she was the leader of this expedition, whether her bandmates knew it or not.

She looked back at the natives still standing stiffly in place, holding all manner of rudimentary weapons —spears, crossbows, daggers— in their clawed hands, their beaks quivering in anticipation, waiting for the invaders to make another wrong move.

"W-We need to get back to the ship!" Melanie commanded.

"WHAT ABOUT CANTEL?!" Nora shrieked.

"There's nothing we can do for him, come on!"

She grabbed Nora by the wrist and took off running back in the direction from which they came.

And all at once, the weapons went off. Their ears were assaulted by the twanging of bows, followed by the dull thuds of arrowheads piercing the trees on all sides of them.

A dagger flew straight toward them and jammed itself in a trunk right by Nora's head, causing her to scream so loud that Melanie thought her ears would have their period.

Edsel did his best to keep up, but the quick ducking and weaving under branches was something the large instrument on his back would not allow. He stuck fast when his strap was snagged by a low hanging branch, and shrieked in terror as the hunters caught up with him. It was the loudest noise anyone had ever heard him make.

Melanie didn't dare look back.

A chorus of chirps filled the forest, gradually growing louder and louder, until Melanie actually began to crave the dull, empty silence of deep space. These definitely weren’t the articulate aliens they heard from a year ago.

Finally she saw it; the scarlet sheen of the ship they'd arrived in, and that they would leave in, Nora and her.

As they were scurrying up the ramp leading toward the wide open door of the ship. Melanie inexplicably slipped, and toppled over. Her body slammed down on the steep metallic incline, and began to slide back down. She looked around wildly, wondering what could have happened to cause this.

The ramp was coated in blood. Her blood. All of this running around had caused the skin on the bottoms of her feet to blister, creating a trail of her own liquid essence leading straight to the ship. Silently cursing her own body's natural functions, she clambered to her feet and made another go at ascending the ramp, only to slip and fall once again. This time, she managed to salvage her progress by propping herself up on her hands and knees, but they too were beginning to succumb to the slickness of the surface.

Nora was already in the doorway, blabbering a useless advisory for Melanie to get inside, quick.

I'm trying, chill the eff out!

Melanie reached up and took hold of Nora’s outstretched hand, and with a surge of unexpected strength, her curly-haired comrade managed to hoist her up the ramp. The high pitched chorus of chirping had reached earsplitting levels. They were close.

Not trusting her to do it correctly in her hysteric state, Melanie shoved her shipmate aside and rapidly input the Specter’s lockdown code. The heavy door slammed down and Melanie watched through the transparent wall of the hull as the Lianhuan hunters slithered out from the underbrush and circled the spacecraft. They examined the battened-down bottle with immense fascination. Their targets were still in clear sight, but were unobtainable behind the hard redness.

"This is so not cool! We're, like, totally surrounded!"

Melanie’s skin crawled ceaselessly. The sight of all of these aliens around them, was, for lack of a better word, alien to her, but if she had been forced to describe it, she’d have likened the feeling to lying her down on her back with a sheet of clear plastic hovering above her face, and then having a bucket of cockroaches dumped on top of it. Despite the layer of material between them, the very sight of the creatures, and knowing they saw her, was more than she could handle. Nora on the other hand, had her nose pressed against the glass, looking down on the scene with childlike wonder.

"Huh...they're actually...kind of cute..."

Melanie had never understood Nora less, and Nora could speak Latin.

"Uh, did you forget what they did to our crewmates not two minutes ago?!"

"Of course not, but you have to try to see things from their perspective. To them, we're the aliens, we invaded their territory, and —let's just be honest here— we were kinda overbearing with our greeting. You can't blame them for wanting to defend themselves. Besides, look how confused they are now, it's adorable!"

"Sure it’s adorable, in a "trying to figure out how they're going to kill us" kind of way." Melanie muttered.

Then she heard the door slide open, and knew at once what Nora had been thinking. Before Melanie could do anything to stop her, her best friend was stepping toward the archway, calling out to the monsters as she went.

"I know we got off on the wrong foot before, but my name is Nora, and we-"

Melanie dashed towards the door, sliding in her own blood as she went, but it was too late; a pair of claws had reached out, seized Nora by her wrists and dragged her down the ramp. She arrived in the doorway in time to see them bent over the body of Nora, ripping and tearing, shredding and slicing, savoring the taste of Nora.

"Ew...I'll try to retrieve your remains later!"

Even as she watched her best (and last) friend being forcibly extracted from the mortal world, Melanie couldn't bring herself to lose her cool. Empathy had always been something Melanie struggled with, while Nora had not. In the end, it was clear to both of them who things had worked out better for as a result.

Melanie calmly pressed the lock button once again, and strolled across the room to the captain's chair as the door resealed itself.

Doing a thing like this isn't really in my nature, but I need to get rid of these monsters somehow, and the engineers shouldn’t have installed them if they hadn’t meant for me to use them! Melanie reasoned as she seated herself at the dashboard.

She activated the supersonic modulator, cranked up the dial on the external sequencer, and switched off the auditory restraints, then cocked her head back to look out at the swarm, lying in wait for their next meal.

Okay alien scum, it's time to send you running back where you came from!

Finally, she pushed the activation key, and a hatch slid open on the roof of the ship. A long rod extended high into the air, affixed to the top of which was a red and white striped siren, which released an alarming tone over the treetops.

The Lianhuans scattered in all directions, frightened to their cores by the blast. Melanie couldn’t deny gaining some small catharsis from finally being able to torture others with sudden loud noises the same way she had been. Soon enough, the panicked natives had vanished into the treeline, and Melanie was alone.

She radically reduced the homing horn’s hearability and reclined in the captain's chair, wiping away the sweat that had formed on her forehead.

Some day, discovered alien life, all my friends died...what a drag...

Oh well, nothing to do now but report back to Earth.

She removed a headset from the overhead rack and placed it on her head, switching on the radio as she unstuck her hair from the dead zone between the speakers and her ears. The communications channel came through with a satisfying crumple of static.

"Mission control, this is Major Melanie."

No answer.

Assuming the lead operator was on break, she delicately twisted the dial to the secondary support line.

"Mission control, do you copy?"

Still, nothing.

This was getting absurd. Those turkeys at the command center assured her these lines would be manned twenty-four seven! She desperately hoped that those hacks at the dear old double-A hadn't lost their research permit while she was away.

With a frustrated sigh, Melanie removed the headset and tossed it across the cockpit.

Fine, I guess I'll just have to report back to them in person!

She swiftly removed the ship's key from her pocket and crammed it into the ignition. She gave it one good turn, two good turns, three good turns, but the engine refused to start. The fuel light flashed on the dashboard with an accompanying ping.

"Out of gas?"

Something was grinding against the hull of the ship. Looking to the side, Melanie discovered that a lone Lianhuan had returned, and in a strategic move she’d not known his kind to be capable of, had chewed straight through the hull into the ship’s fuel line. Now the liquid contents of the gas tank were steadily draining onto the grass, where the alien slurped them up greedily. Melanie suddenly wished that the ship didn't run on vegetable oil.

"Hey, get away from there!"

She banged on the glass, trying to scare the scoundrel away, but still he continued to gulp away her precious fuel. Apparently these creatures also had the mental capacity to ignore.

Melanie was stuck here. She was undeniably, unequivocally, un-solution-ably stuck here. All this time her friends had assured her that no situation was ever as bad as she made it out to be, that she was being too negative, that there would always be a way out of any seemingly hopeless situation she might find herself going through, but she knew that wasn't the truth. There was such a thing as an unfixable problem, and Melanie was smack in the middle of one. And now that her faithful friends were dead and gone, there was no one here to tell her otherwise. So here she was, pacing back and forth through the powerless ship, having at long last been vindicated, and it sucked ass.

She spent the next hour or so in a state of restless rumination, trying to discern what the best course of action would be now that her only means of escape had been compromised. She could have tried sneaking outside to repair the fuel line, but even if she had had any idea how to go about doing so, the tanks had already run dry, and there was no way for her to recollect their contents, given that half had long since soaked into the soil, and the other half was sloshing around inside an alien’s stomach (and she would be, too, if she wasn’t careful). The radio wouldn’t run if the ship was out of fuel, so even if the operators miraculously returned to their stations, she had no way of reaching them. Her only option was to live out the rest of her days bottled up inside this ship. With the other members of her crew gone, she had enough clean water and dehydrated meals to last the next twenty years, and plenty of pot in case she got bored. But what sort of life would that be, lounging around this cabin, eating up resources and creating emissions without doing anything to better this planet or its people?

She decided it would be best to think about this for a little while, and what better way to increase her prospects than to get totally stoned?

It was during this period of contemplation, as she lay sprawled out in a bean bag chair, covered in cookie crumbs and cold sweat, that a third option presented itself, albeit one which put her life at risk.

Oh well, it’s not like I can do much with it anyway.

Melanie flipped the emergency door override switch and descended the blood encrusted incline, her hands placed firmly atop her head in a show of seeming surrender, making a mental effort not to dwell on what might become of her if this plan fell through. Still, the image flashed incessantly in her mind; her carcass being picked at similar to that of a dead bird lying on the side of the road, her insides swarming with feasting ants and flies and maggots. The only conceivable difference between her and this nondescript dead bird was that birds rarely volunteered to wind up in such a state. Such was the evolutionary contrast between humans and animals; only the former possessed the mental capacity to purposefully place themselves in a vulnerable position.

Melanie shook her head, trying to cancel out those thoughts before her survival instincts could take over. Any second now, the savages would see her, hear her, smell her, or however it was these creatures located their prey, and that would be the deciding moment.

She didn’t have to wait long. Shortly after setting foot in the forest, a band of vengeful Lianhuans sprang from the shadows, thrusting their stony spearheads toward her tender throat. Melanie reacted fast, flipping the switch on the portable microphone concealed in her cupped hands, then watching amusedly as the ensuing feedback left the hypersensitive hunters quaking in fright. They dropped their weapons at the woman’s feet and retreated. Melanie watched them go with a grin on her face.

Aversion therapy. Works like a charm.

Her former bandmates might have cited such methods as cruel and unusual punishment, but Melanie begged to differ. She wasn’t needlessly tormenting the tribespeople, just nudging them in the right direction, was all. Already an avid nature-lover, Melanie would have no trouble adjusting to the simplistic Lianhuan lifestyle, and if the nasty natives raised any objections (in the way of raising their weapons), she would swiftly and decisively shut them down with a dose of gnarly feedback. If all went according to plan, the Lianhuans would gradually gather that it was in their best interest to leave her alone, eliminating the need for negative reinforcement altogether. For now, however…

For the first few nights, Melanie slept aboard the Scarlet Specter, but it quickly grew to be too much for her to handle, knowing the great things this ship would be capable of —the least of which getting her off of this planet— if only she had some kind of fuel. Sadly, the vegetables grown on Lianhua weren’t anything like the ones on Earth, and failed to live up to the Scarlet Specter’s nutritional standards (or hers either, come to find). So although her cell had greatly expanded, Melanie was still essentially imprisoned.

Luckily, the village she eventually stumbled upon was greatly accommodating (not that they were given much of a choice), providing her with food, water and a small hut of her own.

It wasn't long before Melanie began to feel lonesome. She felt no shame in admitting (if anyone cared to ask) that she was no stranger to the occasional group love-making session with her bygone bandmates, but now that those had been put to a sudden stop, she was beginning to get pent up. So one night, after most of the hunters had turned in, and the guardsmen were performing their patrol around the perimeter of the village, she decided to experiment a little.

Under the cover of darkness, she snuck into the hut where a lone hunter resided. She scanned his sleeping body up and down, and couldn’t help but utter a gasp as she set her sights upon it. She'd seen it in passing once before, but the appearance of it when viewed directly (and deliberately) was truly breathtaking; his reproductive organ. She tried not to look that way very often, —since it wasn’t polite to stare, and all that— but on this particular warrior it was much too enticing not to. As he slept, she had all the time she needed to thoroughly inspect his equipment.

Yes, she thought. This will do perfectly.

But before anything could be done with it, she needed to be sure that the owner reciprocated.

She carefully stirred the warrior from his slumber with a gentle shake, and he blinked up at her with a confused, crimson stare. She stood a few feet back from his cot so he could get a full view of her body, then slowly pulled down her puffy pink bellbottoms. It wasn't long before everything from the stomach down was completely exposed.

She was surprised with how quickly he took to her.

And even more surprised when weeks later, the morning sickness began, and the cravings, and the swelling.

Against all odds, that alien creature turned out to be biologically compatible with her. Or perhaps she was biologically compatible with him. No matter who was responsible, the point still stood; in a few months time, Melanie would give birth. She wasn't quite sure what the resulting lifeform would look like, and a part of her was afraid to find out, but she knew that she was bound by nature to love it regardless. Though for its own sake, she prayed it would take more after its father.

"Sssh, sssh, it's okay, momma's here," Melanie cooed to the wailing newborn.

She had been riddled with worry about how the Lianhuans would react to her child, but she was especially worried about the crying. If their reaction to Nora was anything to go off of, the wails of her infant daughter may very well be the nail in the coffin for both of them.

The crowd of insectoids watched with respectful restraint, however, letting her tend to the child with no intrusion whatsoever. One of the females even brought a clay bowl filled with pond water for her to wash the newborn’s body.

The baby looked exactly like its mother; smooth skin, pronounced whites in the eyes, five chubby fingers on each hand, and the beginnings of hair on the top of its head. It looked human.

Once it was nice and clean, Melanie held the baby girl tight to her bosom, tears of pain turning to tears of joy. For the first time in her life, the infamous Miss Pessimist could find nothing to complain about. Her child was flawless. Her child was perfect. And a perfect child deserved a perfect name.

“Welcome to the world, my darling Gerine.”

Years later, that baby would grow into a pretty young lady, whose facial features were nearly identical to those of her mother, whose body was well toned and built for survival in the harsh forests of Lianhua, and whose name we know well. But Melanie would never get to see her little girl grow up, for on the day that her daughter was born, as she lay in her bed nursing the infant, the savages circled in.

The beasts began clawing at her and the newborn, rattling roars rising from their throats. Melanie knew something like this might happen, and luckily, she came prepared. Her hand fell to the microphone lying by her bedside and raised the instrument high above her head like a warning beacon.

Radio silence accompanied her actions.

She frantically flipped the power switch up and down, raised and lowered the volume dial, beat the damned thing against her leg, but it wouldn’t turn on.

The batteries were dead.

But that didn’t mean Melanie was going to just give up and let these beasts take the life of her newborn. She threw the microphone directly into the mosh pit, striking one of the beasts right between the eyes, then set about beating another over the head with her bare fists. She didn’t know if her lover was among those in attendance and she didn’t care. She would fight off whoever she had to if it meant keeping her darling daughter safe.

But the baby wasn’t the one they were after. They could clearly sense that this child was —at least in part— one of their own. The baby’s mother, on the other hand, was an invader. An invader who’d had all the fight taken out of her. Her body was basted in blood and sweat. She was malnourished. She was weak. Now was the time to finish her off for good! If any harm came the child’s way, it was only as a consequence of trying to reach the mother.

Melanie realized this, and reluctantly released Gerine. Released her into a reality full of violence and bloodshed, of heartbreak and betrayal, of sadness and anger, and without anyone to guide her. Although, Melanie acknowledged, there existed equal opportunity for caring and kindness, for love and laughter, for peace and prosperity.

And so, able only to wish her baby girl the best of luck in life, Melanie Waters was swallowed by the swarm.

#novel #scifi #hippie #prologue #original character #alien #stranded #dark comedy #rock band #insectoid #space exploration

[apexulansis]

Xaallo all but shuffles up to Ardaka when the day finally arrives, excited but still the slightest bit sheepish. Even if he knows Ardaka will probably like it (he did ask outright, afterall, and receive a 'yes' about certain clothing items). The people on this planet call it 'Magic Hour', when the sky is said to be the most beautiful; That is when He gives Ardaka the bounty: A card, chocolates (made with blood~), and the gift of clothing. Lingerie-- a twin set, one red and one black.

" I uh-- I hope you like it." Xaallo murmurs, coming in for the hug and nuzzles, " I love you, Ardaka."

Ardaka had known Xaallo was planning this long in advance, yet only upon being given the gift does he dimly realize how rare it was that he was ever given anything at all. Talon knew how to receive gifts — even if then it was more like tribute — but Talon was a mask both figurative and literal that he was not wearing, and hadn't worn for the past few months. He'd always been adept at veiling any emotion on his face (whether or not it was visible) but he's been so on edge lately that right now he doesn't think about it. Ardaka's expression cycles through a couple emotions; short-lived surprise and confusion followed by the reminder of this Earth holiday Xaallo was so excited about — it must have been today.

It was a pertinent time out. The sky was a beautiful array of red and orange and pink, clear with the slightest hint of clouds. He liked to watch the sunsets here most of all, out of any planet he'd visited. In his comms channel there is a message half-written to beckon Xaallo and Two to join him, but the Margaven finds him before he can finish it.

He opens the box, knowing what to expect via their conversation a week prior. Chocolates and lingerie (that was a new word), and it's as his eyes rake over the fabrics does his nose pick up on the distinct smell of the treats. ❝Huh, normal chocolates don't smell like that, right? This delicious?❞ Ardaka muses, lifting the box closer to his nose to smell it again — clearly not complaining. Then he looks over the clothing again, the smile curving up his lips helplessly, and for the first time in a month he wasn't thinking about the dread looming overhead.

The box is closed, the garments silently enjoyed for later, but he holds the card open (its cover is a pun he doesn't understand) in his free hand. It was all so utterly frivolous, he felt tickled someone would bother. Privileged that it was Xaallo. There's a beat of silence as he reads, but Ardaka's focused expression soon breaks into another smile — a softer more genuine one from what was always stretched up a Kariian's maw.

When Xaallo embraces him, Ardaka melts into it. He savors it like it could be his last, burying his nose into the golden prince's mane and breathing in his scent, passing the box and card down to his smaller paws so the larger ones can wind into his mate's fur.

The Kariian stills a moment after Xaallo tells him he loves him, as if to savor that, too. Ardaka didn't know the name of the emotion he felt then, strong enough to overshadow the anxiety and paranoia and all the unpleasant feelings that had been brewing within, save for a sudden fear he felt at the idea of losing it. He felt fiercely protective and determined too, though — determined to keep it. To nurture it. His hands move across Xaallo's body for his own arms to wrap around him, holding the other prince in turn. What else was that feeling if not love?

❝Koz varuure sukeh wehrunn, Xaallo.❞

#IC: A RESTLESS UNIVERSE. [ARDAKA] #COMMS. #xaallo #XENOART. #this ask gets DOODLES to accompany it

[dreamlandcreations]

Vigilante

Adrian Chase x Kryptonian!Reader

The world needs saving. Again. But why should you bother?

Uh, fine, let's save Earth. It's the only planet that has chocolate. And how come these aliens think they can just take over the planet like that? They'll just have to find another hellhole because you were here first.

• moodboards masterlist •

#moodboard #moodboards #vigilante #adrian chase #peacemaker hbo max #aesthetic #adrian chase x reader #adrian chase x you #vigilante x you #vigilante x reader #my stuff #my boards

[manygalaxiesinone]

Headcanon: When Laharl’s away:

Etna: “What are you doing, Prince?”

Laharl: “I’m making a list of who I’m going to have look after the overlord whenever I’m not around. Don’t want to risk this place falling into chaos again like when my old man passed.”

Etna: “That’s...actually pretty smart for you.”

Laharl: “What do you mean by that?”

Flonne: “So who do you have next in line for the throne?”

Laharl: “It depends on how many of us are gone actually. If it’s just me, then Etna’s in charge.”

Sicily: “Wait, why Etna? I’m your sister!”

Laharl: “Multiple reasons. She’s my right hand demon since day one, she helped my dad out in the castle before I was even born and we even agreed that if something happens to me she would take over the moment I appointed her to that position. She is legit the most qualified out of all of you guys.”

Etna: “Aww prince, how sweet of you to remember.”

Laharl: “That being said, try to assassinate me again and I’m giving all of your sweets to the Kazamatsuri sisters in Hades.”

Etna: “I’ll be good.”

Sicily: “Okay, fair enough in that regard, but where does that put me?”

Laharl: “You’re right behind Etna.”

Flonne: “Wait, I thought I was behind Etna.”

Laharl: “Flonne, you’re not even on the list.”

Flonne: “I’m not on the list?! Why?!”

Laharl: “Several reasons actually, but most importantly, you’re the one who’s around here the least. Come back and talk to me when you change your mind about being the Archangel and packed your bags so you can stay here for good.”

Etna: “He’s got you there, Flonne.”

Xenolith: “Am I on the list, King Laharl?”

Laharl: “I was actually considering it since you’re pretty responsible, but then I remembered how the planet itself was pissed at you for what you did and what Etna had to go through in get you to come back, so not exactly the best idea to mark you down. At most you’ll be like a last resort.”

Xenolith: “Fair enough, that’s facts.”

Laharl: “After Sicily, it’s Porkmeister, then after him, it’s Hanako.”

Hanako: “Wait, why am I below Porkmeister?! If anything I should be tied with Sicily.”

Laharl: “Stop summoning random people trying to destroy the Netherworld and I’ll consider bumping you up.”

Etna: “Speaking of summoning, you did finish your studying for today, right?”

Hanako: “...BRB.” runs off.

Laharl: “After that, it’s a certain few members of the Dark Assembly, then Adell...”

Etna: “Wait, what?”

Adell: “I was on my home planet and heard that, WHAT?!”

Laharl: “Yeah, you’re on the list of next available Overlord, my guy.”

Adell: “The hell I am! I don’t even live here!”

Sicily: “Yeah, why is he on the list?”

Laharl: “Remember when I told him that I was going to make him work for those chocolate bars you made for him?”

Adell: “Okay, but couldn’t you just have me do like some chores or fight people? I don’t want to be overlord!”

Laharl: “I know you don’t and that is exactly why I put you on this list.”

Etna: “You seriously put him on there just to be petty?”

Laharl: “Hey, at least he doesn’t have to worry about job searching anymore.”

Adell: “Oh this some bullshit.”

Laharl: “Alright and I think that covers it.”

Grosso: “Wait prince, what about us?”

Garungun: “Shouldn’t we be on the list too?”

Laharl: “Like hell! You three are the LAST people I would ever consider making overlord even for just a fill in.”

Grosso: “What do you mean? We put in work!”

Laharl: “What work?! All you guys did was make me fight your chosen candidates while you sit on the sidelines! You didn’t help me or my dad all the times Tyrant Baal invaded the Netherworld. You weren’t around AT ALL after my dad died and the Netherworld went into chaos as everyone was fighting for the throne! Even Flonne and the damn prinnies helped me out with that. You weren’t around when Earth invaded us either or when Vulcanus tried to take over the universe. In fact, the only reason I saved you guys was to get Rainier’s help to look for the angels, and she couldn’t even do that! We had to turn Flonne into a magical girl to look for them.”

Xenolith: “Once again, that’s facts.”

Laharl: “Yeah, so ya’ll shut the hell up.”

#disgaea #Disgaea 2

[doctortwhohiddles]

Save the Earth, it's the only planet with chocolate.

#lord knows i'll need a vast amount of it to go through this idiotic project at work

[queen-scribbles]

Alliance Commander Ask

tagged by @callavia​(thank you!), just gonna open tag if anyone wants to do it :)

1) Who’s your Alliance Commander? What class are they? Alignment? Random other facts you wanna share?

Tiiiiime for canon #2, aka my beautiful avocado girl Vica Nerai. Fully LS Consular Shadow(added Sage when she got a second class). Loves Theron, Crete the Manka cat, and hot chocolate.

2) What’s a reason or two you like that this character is your Commander?

She has the patience of a saint and is nearly impossible to rile, makes her an extremely good diplomat and calming presence for an Alliance full of former enemies. 

3) What’s a reason or two you don’t like about them being Commander?

She feels obligated to solve all the galaxy’s problems (even without being asked) and has trouble taking a break and letting other people Save the Day™ so she doesn’t burn out.

4) Why did this character of all your OCs become Commander?

Equal parts bc she romanced Theron so I had to take her through SoR etc and bc I think she makes a damn good Commander.

5) Who did they side with? Did they stay loyal or go saboteur? Or maybe you headcanon they defect properly?

Republic all the way, baby. 😎 She did keep the Alliance independent; she’s too happy with/proud of what she’s built, and she doesn’t like how (relatively) easy it was for the Republic to fall under the sway of a de facto dictator(Saresh). Just bc Rans seems friendly and down to earth and all that doesn’t mean that danger is gone.

6) Are there any NPC’s from the class stories you’d like to see/HC join the Alliance? Ex: Master Timmns, Ardun Kothe, Watcher One, etc.

Aside from the ones I mentioned for Tel, Attros Finn, Chance, Crysta’s daughter(CANNOT remember her name to save my life rn), Beryl Thorne, Agent Galen, a couple of the Masters from Consular Act 1(maybe Tykan and Sidonie?), Master O’a.

7) How’s your OC feeling about the current Malgus situation?

She’s genuinely hoping it’s done, he’s beaten and not going to be a problem anymore. But they thought that after he was defeated(and supposedly killed) over Ilum*, and she’s all too familiar with the penchant powerful Sith have for coming back. There’s a small part of her, a part of her that’s very tired but still too Jedi to kill a “defenseless” prisoner that hopes if he tries anything again in the future he fights to the death. 

*she did not handle the Ilum arc, so she heard Malgus was dead but wasn’t present to see it

8) Are any of your other OC’s part of the Alliance? If yes, what do they do for the Alliance? Do they get along with your Commander?

Yep. Her canon also has Briyoni(Trooper, the one to handle Ilum), who is her younger sister, for sure and tentatively: Eliyis(Inquisitor), Khii Mera(Smuggler), Deira,(also smuggler) and Qhora(Knight)  

9) How does your OC feel about Odessen? 

She loves it. With the strength of her connection to the Force, she’s very in tune with the balanced state of the planet and it gives her a sense of peace aside from that one valley that was the stuff of nightmares. She also thinks it’s a beautiful place, very scenic, and enjoys being tucked away from the rest of the galaxy.

10) How does your Commander feel about being the Commander?

It’s exhausting but she thrives on being able to help, to do things to make the galaxy better, so she loves it. Even if she is constantly tired and it has brought almost as much strife as joy. She’s a workaholic who doesn’t realize she’s a workaholic half the time bc she’s wrapped in the guise of people need me. 

11) Favorite place in the Alliance base?

Her quarters, snuggled up on the couch with a hot drink, her Spy Husband, and a datapad she’ll more than likely fall asleep reading.

12) Favorite mission in KotFE?

I’m always going to love Disavowed more than anything, but Vica, as would be expected, loves ch 9 bc not only does she get reunited with Theron and officially start a relationship with him, it’s more heavily centered on the talking/personality/diplomacy things that are right up her wheelhouse. She can fight, she’s a badass(Kinetic Combat FTW), but she is a diplomat at heart, so stuff like interpersonal relationships is where she’s happiest.

13) Favorite mission in KotET?

Ch 4/5 bc it’s exploring a whole new world(even if that world is trying to kill her and all her friends, it’s still fascinating), with technology and such that they’ve never seen before.

14) Least favorite mission in either? Why?

Toss up between ch 12 and 15 in KotFE for her and ch 7 in KotET. She really hates Valkorion’s little “You’re not listening to me :(” getaway, but that Eternal Fleet ship was just awful (aside from getting to see Tai again, that’s was pretty neat). And again, with how strong she’s tied to the Force, Nathema was oppressive for her. It felt like a combination of being on the verge of throwing up and that dullness to your senses of recovering from a flashbang.

15) Is your Commander successful because they’re skilled? Or are they perhaps just really lucky?

In her case, honestly, I say as a biased parent talking about a favorite child, I’m pretty sure it’s all skill.

16) From our OC’s point of view, SoR -> KotET wasn’t a fun experience, did they develop any fears as a result?

People thinking she doesn’t have the galaxy’s best interests at heart. She spends years bending over backwards to help everyone she can however she can, so the whole thing in the Fractured Alliances arc with there being people who actually think she doesn’t care is awful and makes her worry there are others who feel the same way, that can’t have been all of them on Nathema.

17) AU time! If your Commander wasn’t Commander, which of your other OCs would have likely taken their place?

Assuming all the tentative characters stay in her canon, probably Qhora. Maybe Eliyis. I have some headcanon things for Bry where I need her to not be the Outlander for them to work.

18) Who’s someone your Commander hopes they never have to deal with again?

Aside from Valkorion? Kaliyo, Novo, Terrak Morhage, SCORPIO, Saresh, Atrius (the joys of being 100% LS; she didn’t kill anyone she was given the option to, no matter how awful they are, so she has a longer list of “never wanna deal with them again” than some)

19) Does your Commander hold on to/still use any titles they earned before KotET?

Oh, she still holds onto Barsen’thor. That one’s very tied to her identity as a Jedi and a defender of the good in the galaxy. She views it differently now; as an achievement and honor rather than a duty, but it’s still important.

20) Share something, anything at all, you want about your Commander that you’ve not really gotten the chance to share before but really want to.

She out of all my Theronmancers panicked the most at the end of Nathema Conspiracy bc she’s the only one with Z E R O healing abilities. Jaaide’s an Operative, Sha’reii’s a Sorc, Khii’s a Scoundrel. Vica’s a Shadow, she’s a tank, a defender, not a healer. (Or, well, wasn’t. Why do you think she wanted Sage for her second combat style?) So she, who has buried her identity and worth in her ability to help, was helpless in the face of losing the man she loved, and it was not fun.

She plays the vioflute and would say she’s a tad rusty right now, but she’s still good.

#tagged #vica nerai

[coolgirl32]

Powerpuff girls: things you didn't know about Jacqulyn utonium aka the Powerpuff girls' mom

Powers

1. Telepathy

2. Laser vision/ heat vision

3. Super strength +super speed

4. Flight

5. Ice powers + fire powers + wind powers+earth powers+water powers

6. Mind control

7. Magic powers

8. Sonic scream

9. Singing .

What is she like at home

Very loving to her daughters and husband somewhat Stern but also kind and supportive brave courageous mysterious a little bit hot headed smart and always comes up with intensity plan and thinks ahead of things and thinks things through and is willing to risk her own life just to save others she is also very selfless and also very funny and chill.

What is she like as a hero outside of home

She is strict but keeps things lightheartedly and tries to make things fun for her daughters she even makes sure that her daughters won't fight each other and she always gets the job done and arrives at home on time for dinner.

What is her weakness

That would be plutonium since she is from the planet Pluton she and her daughters are allergic to plutonium (like Superman with kryptonite) so if any plutonium ever gets close to her and her daughters they could either die or get sick depending on how much plutonium there is if there's a lot then they die if there's a little then they get sick the only thing that will bring them back to normal or fill better is rest vegetables clean water and the Sun.

What scares her

Losing her family and the one she loves also spiders and horror movies and becoming a monster

Her favorite food/ snacks

1.Pizza

2. Vegetables

3. Mac and cheese

4. Fruit

5. Gummies

6. Chocolate

7. Candy.

I hope everybody loves this also please not copyright

#powerpuff girls fanfic

[jim-fetter-illustrations]

Chocolate is like twinkies, lasts for decades!

I see all of the Valentines candies and chocolates that didn't sell are now priced to sell in most of the grocery stores, and believe me my Grandmother, bless her heart,.. use to shop during these days after a holiday for stuff to give out the next holiday to save a buck,.... as sometimes we kids would get white chocolate treats that were originally milk or dark chocolate, as chocolate turns a whitish color when it's aged like fine cheeses, Lol

And we kids still ate it because it was still good tasting, as old chocolate is like twinkies, lasts for decades, lol

Ya see back in those days of glory they didn't have that "use by date" on stuff so one could literally buy chocolate and save it for a year and then re-gift it out to unwitting children, Lol

Anyway i was reading a scientific report on the actual chemical properties of Chocolate, and turns out chocolate can only be made on planet earth, and no other planet in the known universe has all the ingredients to produce chocolate!

So once humanity has the wherewithal to move to Mars like we are pursuing there will be no Chocolate produced from the Mars nutrient-poor soil that is basically unfit for direct use for propagating food crops, so the earth will still be where we grow stuff to eat on Mars, which when ya think about it is kind of stupid we'd even think of moving there,....... but I'm sure your billionaire leaders know what they are doing,...... that's a sarcastic joke!

So if ya want that chocolate fix ya better mosey on down to Walmart where chocolate covered gummy hearts are half the price they were on February 14th!

(Lol)

#chocolate is like twinkies lasts for decades #Chocolate #valentines chocolate #earth is the only planet with chocolate

[moracatherine]

Preserving the flow: A water conservation crusade

Definitions:

Story:  Is a description of imaginary people and events, which is written or told in order to entertain.

Tales: Is a story, especially one that's full of creative embellishments.

Science fiction: Is a form of fiction that deals principally with the impact of actual or imagined science upon society or individuals.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Story:

"Hey, sis, what's the deal with this mysterious agenda you've been hiding lately?", I said. 

"None of your business, Catherine. I am only stressed because I have zero dollars in my account", my sister said. 

"Alright, you don't have to be so mysterious", I said.

It was 2080. I was eating a bar of chocolate when my distant sister, told me like a robot: "Catherine, I received an anonymous message! All the water on Earth has vanished!"

Our relationship had been strained for years; meanwhile, my sister, bearing jealousy over our mother's preference for me, had always wanted to make my life miserable. Nevertheless, her discovery of a peculiar ring that allowed time travel pushed her towards malevolence. She didn't limit her actions to me; instead, she sought to harm the entire world. In a rage, she adventured into the past and contaminated the world's primary water source, setting off a chain reaction that would disrupt the global balance for decades.

Upon learning of her malevolence, I confronted her. Subsequently, "You'll now feel what I've endured for years," she mocked, referring to her belief that everything she touched turned to destruction. Later, I reached the time machine and ventured into the past, leaving her behind in the future.

I discovered her younger self in fraganti, just before she doomed us all. I stopped her and made her see the consequences of her actions. In addition, I pointed out that her plan had dire consequences, which would ultimately harm us all in the future. Eventually she changed her attitude and I was able to repair our relationship. The best part was that my sister became my friend.

“After all, the bond I shared with my sister had begun with resentment and jealousy, but, in contrast, it evolved into a profound friendship. Consequently, I had saved the world from impending disaster, and therefore, our future was lighter than ever. Thus, the power of change and redemption had triumphed over destruction and hatred”, I thought.

"In the end, it's not about what we've done, but how we can mend and build a better future", I told my sister.

 "You're right, let's make amends and ensure the world thrives", my sister said.

Later, we enjoyed a delicious pizza together, and as we put on some relaxing music from the piano, we decided to clean up our past mistakes and start living again, but this time working together to heal and forgive all corners of the planet for what happened.

How did I generate this image?

The image was really simple to generate, since in google there are several pages to create images in AI, in this case, I used Pica AI, it was given the message, or rather, the whole story, for the AI to decide which was the best scene that represented the written story, that way I chose this one, since it fits more to what I ask.

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Links

Canva: https://www.canva.com/design/DAFxz_GNzOg/tN6AlRltRdw18Feuy3az-Q/edit?utm_content=DAFxz_GNzOg&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ob4_ZyhB7c2KpLNQB46sLYmCeUBJdpWj/view?usp=share_link

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References:

Sterling, B. (2023, October 18). Science fiction | Definition, Characteristics, Books, Movies, Authors, Examples, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/art/science-fiction#:~:text=science%20fiction%2C%20abbreviation%20SF%20or,the%20American%20publisher%20Hugo%20Gernsback.

Story definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary. (2023). In Collins Dictionaries. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/story#:~:text=A%20story%20is%20a%20description,told%20in%20order%20to%20entertain.

Tale - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms. (n.d.). In Vocabulary.com. https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/tale#:~:text=A%20tale%20is%20a%20story,that's%20full%20of%20creative%20embellishments.

#AwaterConservationCrusade #SavingWater #TheStoryOfSavingWater