#[ data : unit blue two ]

[5mind]

7, 8, and 9 from the relationship meme for Blue/Five! If you feel like answering all three - if not, then any one of them is fine. :)

@the-haunted-office

7. Which of their needs is your muse willing/ able to voice in their relationships? Which needs do they struggle ( or even refuse ) to articulate?

Once a degree of mutual trust is established, Fivemind would be more willing to voice their physical needs through their units. They'd be more comfortable verbally telling their partner when their units might need some time or parts for repairs (mostly as a heads up that they might not be working at their best rather than asking them for help though).

What they'd struggle with, especially as Blue Two, would be voicing their emotional needs. In the first place, this is already something the AI struggles with recognising on their own so articulating it would be even harder for them.

8. In what ways is your muse prone to sabotaging their relationships? Do they do these things consciously?

A lack of communication and sometimes even self-isolation. Fivemind, despite their best attempts to put themselves out there, will have their moments where they'll withdraw into themselves. It also doesn't help that they're really not good with parsing their own emotions

9. What does your muse want in their relationships that others might be hard-pressed to give?

Secrecy. No not about the relationship but about what they are ( an artificial consciousness in five bodies ) and where they operate from. And hopefully, they'd like to entrust their partner with knowledge of their past and all that they've done wrong. It's something that weighs so heavy upon their processor but really they'd also rather not have it weigh heavy on someone else's mind....

[apas-95]

the more well-known the agency confronting you is, the less trouble you're usually in. like if it's the cops at your door, it could just be a noise complaint. FBI might just be there for tweets. obviously, still bad, but... here, a comparison. if you have a run in with the CIA you're probably in trouble, but if you have a run in with the Office of Naval Intelligence then you've definitely fucked up. did you know the USPS has its own investigative force? and you might be thinking like, oh, as in some dudes in baby blue button-ups who search for missing mail - but no, these are uniformed, armed federal agents with all the authority that entails. they've got squad cars and such. and, like, these guys are serious. back in the late '80s to the early '90s, when electronic mail sorting first started to be rolled out, there were consistent issues with the machines having trouble scanning letters. it wasn't a super common problem, but it happened a lot, in multiple states. anyway, the USPS eventually realised two things - first, that the problems persisted even after the machines themselves were replaced (at great expense); and second, that they were really limited to michigan and some surrounding states, with only rare occurrences elsewhere which might be unrelated. anyway, that was enough to get the United States Postal Inspection Service to take interest. if somebody was sending dangerous materials though the mail which were messing with the scanning machines, it was probably endangering postal workers too. this was pre-9/11, so the idea it was terrorism wasn't taken too seriously, and the investigation didn't get much support. anyway, it takes months of waiting for machines to break down, cataloguing the mail they'd been handling, cross-referencing it, etc, to narrow down the source of the mail to somewhere south of detroit. kinda goes cold for a while, since the mail's scanned in big batches and finding the common link takes a *lot* of data and work. anyway it's like october '91 now and they think they've finally got it. they've found a specific batch that's tripping the machines up, and they're going over it with a fine-tooth comb when an agent's pager starts freaking out. after experimenting, they realise that whatever's fucked with the scanning machines has also fucked with the pager, and they realise it might be putting out radiation. biiig 'oh shit' moment. they isolate the whole batch and get a big medical checkup, but they're alright. geiger counter picks up nothing. what they *do* find, however, is that there are like 60 letters in there that are each putting out small amounts of non-ionising EM radiation. so, basically safe to handle, but together they're enough to flip some bits in the janky '80s tech they've got and cause occasional scanning errors. and, get this, they're all from the same address. they track this place down, and it's this guy running a sort of bird sanctuary in his backyard. he's australian, and sells like, courses for avoiding getting attacked by birds - and he spends a lot of time hanging around these birds, right? so they take the guy in for questioning, and they literally can't even have recording equipment on the table with him without it glitching, he's almost cooking popcorn here. they question him, and he tells them about his business, how he like, teaches people specific hand gestures to scare away birds and whatever, and they start grilling him on whether he's been exposed to any chemicals or anything, because of the letters. and the guy, when he hears about the letters, suddenly goes like 'ohhh', and explains. cus he gives people grades on their performance and sends them a handmade certificate after they complete the course, right? so they're like 'why the fuck are your letters irradiated' and he just tells them 'Thats My Crow Wave Gradiation'

[reiderwriter]

do you think you could write where reader is a part of the BAU and gets kidnapped/ hurt by an unsub and spencer saves her? much love and i love your fics!

Hi! Thanks so much for your request. I'll admit this took a bit more brain power than usual 💀 may have gotten slightly carried away creating an unsub lmao

Summary: You go undercover for a case and Reid keeps you company through online messages, only to feel absolutely worthless when you go missing.

Warnings: Typical case descriptions, kidnapping and abuse of Y/N, Reid self-deprecating again but it has a happy fluffy ending so a win.

My Requests are Open! Send me an ask if you want me to write something~ 💕 And check out My Masterlist!

“Y/N, what do you think? I’m not going to send you in if you’re not confident you can complete the mission.'' Your Unit Chief, Aaron Hotchner, was briefing you on the plan. Luckily for the team, or rather, unluckily for you, you fit the victim profile of your latest case, and with an absence of leads, your last chance to get him before he took another victim was an undercover mission. 

“I can do it, but can we establish a background in enough time? He’s devolving and he’s going to need to pick up another victim pretty soon.” 

You’d been called in to consult on the case two weeks prior. Local women who lived alone in the metropolitan area had been going missing on a weekly basis for the last three months, and the BAU team had been called in when they’d finally found the dump site of the first three victims. 

You’d so far managed to figure out how he was finding his victims from their home computers - a site for young women to look for sugar daddies. You’d previously profiled him as a man in his mid-40s who was going through a personal loss and was lashing out at women who represented someone specific to him, and after searching through the dating profiles, you were pretty sure his stressor was a recent or impending divorce. 

But try as Garcia might, these dating websites had a whole lot more encoded data than was expected, and after the Ashley Madison scandal of the previous decade, they’d taken to deleting the majority of their user data regularly so that certain accounts couldn’t be found. Which meant that you were left with a geographical profile you couldn’t pin down, a profile that could match half the men in the city, and a killer that was almost ready to strike again. 

“Garcia can get something ready for you in the next 8 hours, and we have some access to some FBI safehouses in the area that we can ready in at the same time. Go get yourself prepared for cover.”

And that’s how you found yourself living in a dingy studio apartment on the south side of the city for two days, waiting to report back about whatever men approached you. There wasn’t much for you to complain about, but you were getting pretty lonely. 

You’d greeted your new neighbors and made a show of attending some ‘new to the neighborhood’ events, making sure to get out and about to let the team assess if the unsub was stalking you. Other than that you’d spent the rest of your time in your apartment a constant tab open at the sugar baby website. A few men had been interested, and your computer was cloned and running simultaneously on Garcia’s system so the team could do their best to track suspicious accounts. 

The rest of your spare time was, surprisingly enough, spent messaging Spencer Reid. You’d been on the team now for three months, joining the team as a transfer from the blue collar division you’d worked in straight out of the academy. You had spent the same amount of time doing your best to gain confidence to work in the field. Sure, you’d trained for this, but theory and practice were so different and you really didn’t want to fuck up so early into your job.  

Which is why, you supposed, that Doctor Spencer Reid was so intimidating to you. Though he admittedly wasn’t the best at field work, noting the amount of exceptions the FBI had to make to allow him outside of the office at all on your first meeting, he was just so damned competent. With three PhD’s, three BA’s and a pending fourth on the way, he was the golden child of the BAU, and you found yourself desperate for his approval. It surely didn’t help that he was also your exact type to boot, and sometimes you found yourself conflicted if you wanted his approval because he was so good at his job or because he was go goddamn good-looking. 

With no way to know how the unsub was tracking his victims before he kidnapped them, your team theorized it was unsafe to have physical check-ins, opting instead to set up another account on the sugar baby website, that would be manned around the clock. And tech-averse Reid had volunteered to do the bulk of the manning, leaving you with all the time in the world to talk to him in your private chat room. 

sug4rbbY/N: Good evening, Doctor, got any interesting facts for me today? ;)

D0ct0rD0ct0r: Did you know that it is illegal to flirt in Haddon Township, New Jersey? Under the section “Peace and Good Order,” a person may be punished for approaching “any person of the opposite sex unknown to such person and by word, sign or gesture attempts to speak to or to become acquainted with such person against his will.”

sug4rbbY/N: Well, aren’t I glad that we do not live in New Jersey then. 

D0ct0rD0ct0r: There’s more where that came from if you’re ever interested. 

sug4rbbY/N: I’ll certainly keep that in mind. 

sug4rbbY/N: Any plans for the evening, doc? 

D0ct0rD0ct0r: Just sitting here talking to you :) 

sug4rbbY/N: All by yourself? ;)

D0ct0rD0ct0r: Never feel like I’m alone when you’re online. 

sug4rbbY/N: Haha that’s sweet.

sug4rbbY/N: BRB, Doc, my doorbell’s ringing.  

You stood up from your desk, a glance at the mirror betraying your feelings, as your flush was prominent. You weren’t sure if it was the intimate nature of the messaging system, or just for the sake of your cover, but the flirty tone of your messages had certainly been leaving you wondering if there could be more to your relationship with your coworker in the future. 

You quickly walked over to the door, opening it wide and came face to face with a bouquet of flowers. 

“Miss Y/N Harper?” the man behind the bouquet used your cover name to address you, and you hesitated a little before nodding in the affirmative. “Can you sign here please? It’s standard procedure for deliveries like this.” 

“But I didn’t order any flowers…” you took the bouquet from the man and grabbed the pen in his hand ready to sign. 

“Oh yeah, our shop specialises in anonymous flowergrams. That bunch you’ve got in your hand has some aconite, some white lilies and jasmine flowers.” The delivery man explained, and something in your gut twisted as you listened to his words. 

“But aren’t lilies usually meant for funera-” you didn’t get to finish because he had pushed a wet rag to your face, and you had just enough time to shake some small petals off and push them far enough underneath a nearby shoe storage unit before you faded into unconsciousness, your last thought a prayer that your team would uncover your clue. 

–x– 

Needless to say, when you didn’t check back in a few minutes later, Spencer had alerted every cop in the vicinity of your new apartment that you were gone, and they discovered your apartment empty within ten minutes. 

“She was right there,” Spencer ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “She was talking to me and then she just got up and he took her.” 

“Reid, calm down, she can’t have been gone long, and we have security cameras all over the building. We’ll find her.” Morgan reassured the younger male while searching the entrance of your cover apartment for clues. 

“That’s easy for you to say, it isn’t your fault that she’d gone.”

“And it isn’t yours either, Reid. You did your job, but he wasn’t going to stop until he had her.” 

“I should’ve notified the standby officers as soon as she sent through that last message and what was I doing instead? Trying to figure out if she was flirting with me for real or not. I’m pathetic.”

“Reid, get your head back in the game. She’s gone and theres nothing you can do to change that now, but we need your head here or we’re not going to find her. Y/N’s an agent too, remember, she can hold her own. Now look and think.” 

“SSA Morgan, Doctor Reid, we may have something over here,” one of the local detectives called the two men over. They’d found the remnants of the petals you’d done your best to scatter, and even though the unsub had taken the bouquet with him, he hadn’t been as thorough as he should have been. 

“We didn’t set her up with any flowers when she started her cover, so these must have been bought in by the unsub. I’ll call Garcia, tell her to look for any flower shops within his comfort zone.” Morgan hit the number on his speedial, but before he could start, Reid cut him off.

“Wait, I think we can narrow the search a bit further. Those are Aconite petals, they’re not often stocked by local florists because they have a pretty sinister meaning. They’re usually used to express hatred for the receiver, and because of their poisonous properties most florists don't stock them for fear of doing harm and causing lawsuits. He must be specifically ordering them in to give to his victims. Garcia, can you crossreference the list of florists in the area and check to see how many of them have purchased this plant recently?” 

“Just the one. Sending you the address now. Go find our girl Doc.” 

–X– 

When you came to, in what you assumed to be a backroom of some kind of flower shop, you were bound at the ankles and wrists and there was a gag in your mouth. You struggled a bit against your bindings but it was no good, and you had to reassure yourself that you were going to be okay, doing your best to push down the tears and clear your head. 

You decided your best bet was to get to know your surroundings, check to see what was around you and what you could use to your advantage. There was a clock on the wall, and you realised that you’d only been gone half an hour. Reminding yourself that the unsub kept his victims for a minimum of two days did a lot to get your heartbeat back to a normal pace, but it spiked again as soon as you heard the door slam open and your captor walk in. 

“Stupid little bitch,” he slurred his words slightly and you could smell the alcohol on his breath as he moved closer to your space in the corner. You tried your best to scamper as far away from him as possible, but he grabbed you by the hair and pulled you up to his face. 

You winced at the pain and tried to squirm out of his hold. “Look at you all pathetic now, begging me to let you out. It’s not going to fucking happen, y'know. I’m going to be the last person you see, last person you hear,” he throws you against the wall, pinning you up with his hand on your arms as he sends a leering glance down your shirt and then gives you a disgusting grin. “Last person you touch.” 

Your bindings mean your movement is limited, but you still manage to bring both your legs up to knee him in the groin, effectively pushing him off you but landing hard on the ground yourself after you manage to do so. 

“Fucking whore,” he shouts at you standing up and dealing a sharp kick to your head that has your vision going white for a minute. “I’ll teach you to fucking mess with me again, you little bitch.” He makes to grab you again, but before he can you hear the blissful sounds of a door being kicked down and the shouts of the FBI to stand down. 

Two agents are on him in minutes and you finally allow yourself to let out a deep sob in relief, as a third, very recognisable agent, makes his way to your side. 

“Y/N, shhh baby, it’s okay. You’re okay now, I’ve got you,” Reid whispers in your ear as he unties you as gently and carefully as he can. The moment your arms are free you leap into him, wrapping your arms around his neck and pushing your face deeply against his chest. He pulls away just enough to untie your legs, and then lets you burrow into him again. 

“I knew you’d find me. Knew you’d understand something from those fucking flowers.” You sob into his chest now, as he strokes your hair, just holding you like that on the floor until you’re ready to move. 

“I’m so sorry, Y/N. I should’ve sent someone to check sooner, and I should’ve never let you accept that stupid cover mission,this is my fault and I'm going to make it up to you. I'm never going to let anyone hurt you ever ag-” he begins rambling but you shut him up again, this time by firmly pressing your lips into his. 

“Before you say anything else, this is not transference and I’m not doing this because you saved me, we both know I would’ve done that eventually anyway,” you rest your forehead against his, and after he has time to process what has just happened, he’s wiping the tears away from your face, and gently holding it with both of his hands, leaning in to do it again, gently pressing his mouth against yours as if he’s afraid you might bolt at any second. 

“Thank you, again. For finding me,” you whisper to him, the space between you so miniscule now that you barely had to move your lips to know that he understood you. 

“Thank you, for letting me find you.” He grinned at you and held you again, determined to never let you out of his arms ever again. 

[in1-nutshell]

Hello! First time requester and long time lurker! Just wanted to request a story for a opposite personality kid buddy with megatron (tfp) similar to the optimus and Ratchet ones you have done! They are my new favourite thing lol

Also would love some possible best uncle soundwave bits in it!

Its fun to see the Bots and Cons interact to their daughters with opposite personalities, but I saw this request and chose pain. Fair warning there may be tears or not.

Megatron is not going to have a fun time when he realizes that his daughter's personality is a little like someone he knows...

If this isn't what you wanted, please let me know!

Hope you enjoy!

Megatron with a daughter who has the opposite personality of his own

SFW, Angst, mention of injuries, Platonic, Famialil, Cybertronian reader (Buddy is a minicon)

TFP

Buddy was Megatron’s dumpster baby.

Literally.

Megatronus was out in one of the dirty alleys of Cybertron when he heard a noise coming from the piles of scrap.

He thought about ignoring it… but something told him to at least check it out.

There sticking out of the pile like a beacon of light was a tiny sparkling. Perhaps a minicon sparkling.

All alone dirty and crying.

Megatronus didn’t have the spark to leave them their alone and picked it up.

“Hello there little one.”--Megatronus

Sparkling stops crying and just looks at him with her big optics.

“Some one left you here? No surprised with how everyone is… What should I do with you?”--Megatronus

Sparkling grabs one of his digits.

“There is always the sparkling care unit…”--Megatronus

The sparkling yawing and curling into his servo to take a nap.

“…Great… I’ve gotten attached to it… but you can’t stay with me in the gladiator’s quarters just yet. Too small for your own good. But there is someone who can help.”--Megatronus

Orion opening up the door to his habsuite revealing Megatronus holding a small sleeping sparkling in one servo.

“…Megatronus… please tell me you didn’t kidnap this sparkling.”—Orion

“What! No!”--Megatronus

The two mechs created a plan.

Orion would watch her while Megatronus was at work and the Megatronus would come by and pick her up during the free times he was now given with the rising status as a gladiator.

Orion in the meantime would house and help feed her. There would be times where he had to take her to work, but no one seemed to mind.

The sparkling was quiet and to top it off had become increasingly interested in some of the data pads in Iacon.

“Orion? What do you have there?”—Alpha Trion

Orion holding Buddy in one servo and an energon cube in the other.

“An energon cube?”--Orion

“Pax you know what I mean…”—Alpha Trion

It was a bit rough at first, but they made it work.

Buddy was her given designation after her friendly nature around bots.

Megatronus didn’t mind it at all.

Soon enough Megatronus started introducing some of the gladiators to Buddy, though he wasn’t quite ready to have her move in with him. It still was no place for Buddy.

Out of all the gladiators Buddy got to meet, she clearly had a favorite.

Soundwave.

Having already a small team of minicons with him, Buddy was easily welcomed into the group.

Some even made jokes about Buddy being Soundwave’s kid too.

Soundwave loved Buddy’s light.

He swore an oath to protect her.

During the first meeting.

“Buddy, this is one of my closest friends, Soundwave.”--Megatron

Buddy from behind Megatronus’s pede peeping out.

“Go on, just like we talked about.”--Megatronus

Buddy slowly walks up to Soundwave.

“Hello! My designation is Buddy! I like blue, red, and purple. You’re purple, I like you.”--Buddy

Soundwave internally promising to offline anyone who harms the little one.

Orion soon introduced the sparkling to Ratchet.

Ratchet loved seeing the little sparkling around he thought it was Orion’s sparkling for a while.

Until he saw the clear favoritism the sparkling had when she saw Megatron.

Ratchet watching Buddy speeding over to Hug Megatronnus’s pede.

“Wait she’s not yours?”--Ratchet

“No? What made you think of that?”--Orion

Ratchet remembering the number of times he ‘s seen Buddy sleep over at Orion’s place, go to ‘work’ in the archives, near identical friendliness.

“…No reason… but… did he kidnap her by any chance?”--Ratchet

“Ratchet!... Well, I thought that too, but no!”--Orion

Then the debates with the Senate began.

Megatronus felt so betrayed by Orion’s words he stormed off, enraged.

So filled with hatred and betrayal, he almost forgot that Buddy was with him.

There was no way that he was going to let Buddy anywhere near that traitor again.

“Where’s Uncle Orion?”--Buddy

“We are not seeing him again.”--Megatronus

“What!? Why?!”--Buddy

“He has done something unforgivable. I will not have him influence you.”--Megatronus

“What did he do?”--Buddy

“…He betrayed me. He is no longer your ‘uncle’, Soundwave is your only ‘uncle’.”--Megatronus

“Can… Can at least say ‘good-bye’?”--Buddy

“Life doesn’t let you say ‘good-bye’ Buddy. Learn from that.”--Megatronus

“But—”--Buddy

“NO!”--Megatron

“…okay…”--Buddy

Then the war started.

Megatron made sure that Buddy was going to be always stuck to his side.

Other times it would be with Soundwave.

As Buddy grew up in the dark corridors of the Nemesis, she decided to pick up on basic patch work.

Maybe do something to fix her father.

She had been told hundreds of times that her uncle Orion, now Optimus Prime, had started the war.

He was the cause of all this destruction, of all this death.

Buddy believed it for a while.

But as she got older the more, she would begin to hear more unfiltered pieces from the Autobots. More things from their side.

She knew that the truth wasn’t going to be pretty by any means… but she just wanted to know what happened to her sweet uncle Orion.

Megatron soon began to be haunted by the ghost of his former brother in the shape of his own sparkling.

Their personalities were scarily similar.

Too similar.

Megatron tried to change this in his own way.

He began training Buddy to fight, but this didn’t help too much.

Buddy frame shaking from exhaustion.

“Get up! We can not have the Future Leader of the Decepticon’s kneel on the floor!”--Megatron

“Megatronus—”--Buddy

Megatron looking at Buddy, for a split-second seeing Orion in her place.

“…Can I please have a break? We’ve been at this for more than 2 hours.”--Buddy

“No.”--Megatron

“But—”--Buddy

“I said no!”--Megatron

“Megatronus—”--Buddy

“I SAID ‘NO’! WHY CAN’T YOU LISTEN TO ME, ORION!”--Megatron

“… Megatron… Its me Buddy, Orion is not here.”--Buddy

“… 5 minute break then we are going back to training.”--megatron

Even if she was a minicon, Megatron treated her like any other soldier.

He began sowing the seeds of the future into her helm. About leading the Decepticons if anything were to happen to him.

He had subconsciously placed a near unbearable weight upon his daughter’s shoulders.

She did talk to her Uncle Soundwave about this.

“What is he thinking Soundwave? Me? The future Leader of the Decepticons? Yeah right, like Starscream or some of the others would take orders from a lowly minicon like me.”--Buddy

“You—Have—Soundwave.”--Soundwave

“I know that, but why… just why…”--Buddy

Buddy started to sniffle, Soundwave wrapping his arm around Buddy as she buries her helm into his side.

“Why… why…”—Buddy

“You—have—Soundwave—everything—is—going—to be—fine.”—Soundwave

“… I miss your voice sometimes Soundwave. I know you wont because of the oath… but I do miss it.”--Buddy

“…”—Soundwave

Soundwave just holds Buddy closer.

Soundwave grew a bit more protective of Buddy seeing as not many minicons could survive on their own for long.

He should know…

Sometimes he’ll have Lazerbeak watch her or keep her company when he is unavailable.

Then Megatron disappeared.

Buddy never felt so much pressure or sense of guilt in her life.

As Megatron’s successor she automatically assumed control as Leader of the Decepticons.

Soundwave always by her side as was Starscream.

Soundwave never let Buddy alone with Starscream under any circumstance.

Starscream did find some insult in this but understood. He was constantly trying to overthrow Megatron, even going with murderous attempts.

But even he had some standards as to not killing the kid… yet.

Buddy did attempt to contact the Autobots while in command to talk, but all attempts never reached them. She wanted to make some peace negotiations before any more energon could be spilled.

All her hard work went down the drain when Megatron came back.

“Megatron! Meagtron you’re back!”--Buddy

Buddy going in for a hug, but Megatron moving aside completely missing Buddy’s hug.

“Megatron?”--Buddy

“How have the troops been?”--Megatron

“Everything is good, just as you left them. But shouldn’t we get you to Knockout? Just to make sure that everything is okay with your systems.”--Buddy

“No.”--Megatron

“Megatron, its highly—”--Buddy

“I’m sorry did you just speak back? You are no longer the Leader of the Decepticons anymore, learn your place.”--Megatron

Every Decepticon within hearing distance optics going wide.

“…Right, my apologizes… Lord Megatron.”--Buddy

“Better. Now get ready for our sparring session. You’ve grown soft and we cannot have that.”--Megatron

Things only got worse between them after the reunion, after he plunged the dark energon into his chassis.

Megatron seemed more and more obsessed with Prime. He nearly ignored more and more of his duties as Leader. Buddy, Soundwave and Starscream had to pick up after him.

The sparring was getting more and more intense.

Many of the Vechicons had reported to Soundwave or Breakdown to get down and stop the sparing matches because of the screaming they keep on hearing. It sounded more and more like a torture session than sparring session.

Knockout organizing his wax bottles when Breakdown and a Vechicon come in. Buddy in the Vechicons arms near limp.

“What happened!?”--Knockout

“Take a guess.”--Breakdown

Vechicon placing Buddy on the med slab.

“Thank you, Steve…”--Buddy

“Commander Buddy—”--Steve

“Don’t call me that okay. We’ve talked about this Steve. It’s just Buddy. No titles, no nothing, just Buddy.”--Buddy

“Okay… Buddy.”--Steve

“Okay Steve you can resume your duties, thanks for the help.”--Breakdown

“Of course, Breakdown. Bye Buddy.”--Steve

Buddy trying to wave back but wincing.

Knockout is already getting his tools out.

“Training, I’m guessing.”--Knockout

“Yes…”--Buddy

Silence in the med bay as Knockout finishes up the patch work.

“Megatron is lucky this time it looked worse than what it was. He needs to be more careful… we only have so many minicon parts right now…”--Knockout

“It’ll be all right Knockout.”--Buddy

“And how do you know?”--Breakdown

“Hope. Cause that’s all we have right now. Hope and a whole bunch of ammo.”--Buddy

“Heh. Guess you’re right about the ammo part.”--Breakdown

“Yeah!”--Buddy

“And… your done! Now don’t go and ruin that finish missy!”--Knockout

“Or what? Its not like Optimus Prime is going to ruin it.”--Buddy

[23fallencomets]

Comets Fic Snippets

ranging from the oldest drafts I have to the newer ones so sit tight because this is pretty long :)

Made in the A.M

It takes Jenson a few minutes to realize what he’s looking at. In the dim lighting of his home office, with the sunset as a golden backdrop, he finds that Williams is screwing over their rookie. The data basically shoves it in his face with a taunt, look and see how they’re destroying this boy from the inside out. It takes him another second to gather himself, to put the papers down and look at the data from the sim racing and the on-track racing.

It’s bad, is what he’s getting at, so fucking bad that he’s surprised no one has said anything. He picks the papers up again, raising them above his head so they can catch the light like if the truth would reveal itself, like if it can convince him Williams isn’t sabotaging their only rookie.

Blue (Navy and True)

pairing: Max/Logan (inspired by that one edit one is the loneliest number followed by two ifykyk)

He wakes up a few hours later, 6:47 am exactly. His head swims as he goes to the bathroom, momentarily forgetting where he is exactly. By the time he remembers, he’s way too hungry to really care.

Max is still asleep and it reminds Logan that Max is still only three years older than him. He looks calmer, peaceful. Logan moves away and finds Max’s meal plan sitting on the table near the phone. He calls in room service that falls within their diet before moving around and picking up the mess he had made in attempt to get Max in bed.

Twenty minutes later, breakfast is on the table and Jos Verstappen at the door.

Endzone

“A boy born in the Sunshine State of the United Staes who left his home at a young age to pursue a challenging career in racing, who has been doubted again and again has shown up today in the red and white of the American team of Haas to bring them their first podium of the season! Logan Sargeant who has had to fight tooth and nail to prove himself over and over again showed up today and became the first American to win a Grand Prix since Mario Andretti in 1978! Logan Sargeant passes the checkered flag and wins in Suzuka!”

Logan sits in his car for a moment, hands still shaking around the steering wheel. His eyes are blurred by tears, a heaviness he didn’t know he still carried around suddenly loosening as he forces himself out, going through the motions. He stumbles to stand on the nose of his car, the red and white livery that helped deliver him first across the checker flag.

You Are More Than Just a Dream

Pairing: Loscar

OG mentor!logan fic i had posted about

“Do you want to go back? I’ll drive you.” Logan said, his Italian just a bit stilted. Whatever tension Kimi had releases as he leans heavily onto Logan. Logan had picked up Italian quicker than anyone Kimi had known, even Ollie still struggles, and they were teammates for the entirety of their time at Prema.

Kimi’s debut race could have been worse, like Oscar’s who had to DNF after a gearbox issue. There was no shame in Kimi finishing in tenth, unlike Logan who got lapped and ended in twelfth. Logan understood the stress of wanting to finish better, after all Logan was consistently below P15 for the first half of the 2024 seasons.

“Can I sleep in your room?” Kimi asks quietly. Logan nods, hands on his shoulders as he leads him out of the party. Their hotel isn’t that far, and the air is nice on their flushed skin. The whole walk back is silent, Kimi still in his head while Logan just makes sure Kimi gets in safe.

One in A Million

pairing: ??? i think it was implied carlos/logan ngl

Logan sighs, simultaneously relieved and dreading the briefing. It had taken them a week to post a proper goodbye post across their social medias. Logan didn’t exactly care since there wasn’t much he could do about it besides film a one-minute goodbye video. The media team had basically begged him to look happy and all Logan could have managed was a tense smile.

He didn’t really understand why they were making such an effort in getting content out of him when it wouldn’t matter in the next ten races. The only things he was looking forward to were the Team Torque videos and the little ten minutes challenges that were cut down to three or four minutes.

Meet Me Halfway

dad!logan, pairing undecided (toss up between loscar and sargebon, any suggestions of any logan ship is welcomed :)) , healthy co-parenting with female oc

Steph wasn’t lost, he just happened to lose sight of Miss Wendy and was now sitting next to a tall man with a funny accent. He watches the screen intently, keeping an eye out for his dad’s car. He rocks himself slightly when he catches sight of the Williams.

“That’s my dad’s car.” Steph says seriously, nodding as Logan overtakes another blue car. Toto blinks, pen moved from where it was pressed against his mouth. He looks at the little boy, his blue-green eyes and messy blonde hair, a natural down-tilt smile. He kind of looks like a baby version of Nico, and there’s only one other person on the paddock who sometimes looked like Nico.

Fred appears at the moment, a cup of coffee in his hands and freezes when he catches sight of Steph Sargeant sitting cutely next to his boss. He looks around, sees a camera focus in on him and he quickly steps forward, quickly drinking the warm coffee before he swoops in.

Let Me Wrap my teeth around the world

supernatural, past loscar, sargebon, parents!loscar, siren!logan

The fledging flinched; one hand gripped into the sweatshirt of the vampire next to him. The dark toned vampire looks between them, braid beads clinking almost beautifully; the leader, by all means as the others flank his sides.

Logan feels sick to his stomach, feeling it roll like storm waves, dangerous and painful. The fledgling—Oscar, his brain chants, Oscar, Oscar, Oscar—whines, eyes squeezing shut and trying to hide behind his leader.

Logan takes a step forward, shakily, and so fucking angry. It’s a few more steps until he gets his hands on him, tan skin against the sickly paleness of Oscar’s skin. The coven hisses, teeth bared in a pathetic mimicry of intimidation.

“You died.” Logan says, almost so quietly he’s not sure he can hear himself, “I buried you; Lia and I buried you.” At the mention of their foster child turned daughter, he flinches hard enough his leader grasps his hands, gentle and loving.

Rage boils under Logan’s skin.

Close to you

sargebon, post 7/28, dating-but-not-knowing-they’re-dating, redbull reserve driver!logan

Alex makes it home before midnight, the apartment as empty as he had left it. He drops his things off by the door, figuring out that he’ll move it later when he spots the first thing out of place. It’s nothing big, but Alex has always been good at keeping track of his apartment and that blanket wasn’t there when he left.

He walks over, running his hands over it and his fingers bump over the embroidered LS on the corner. He holds it in his arms, the heavy blue material making his arms ache as he looks around the living room. His movie center thing was moved around and there were droppings of popcorn on the floor near the couch.

Alex feels hope bloom in his chest when he spots a familiar navy blue suitcase in the hall by his bedroom door. He opens the door, a familiar tuft of blonde hair visible from where Logan is buried under Alex’s blankets. He drops the one in his arm on his desk chair as he carefully grabs his things. He still has to shower so he does so quickly, a million questions running through his head as he tries to not to slip.

Logan Sargeant and the Inconveniences of Crushes

In hindsight, this isn’t the worse thing that has happened to Logan; being friends with Arthur Leclerc takes the cake. Either way, Logan has a life-long history of falling in love with people he will never have so just like all the others, he doesn’t do anything about it.

He really should’ve taken in account how persistent Alex Albon and George Russel are.

And done! If you got to the end, thank you very much. Most of these fics have at least 1k words written, but keeping up with all of them isn’t easy especially with writers block. If any pique your interest and want to know a bit more, please don’t hesitate to shoot an ask and i’ll be more than happy to share more 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

[redistrictgirl]

As of August 11th, 2024, Republicans are heavily favored to win the United States Senate.

If you are a Democrat, this is bad. This is very, very bad.

There are twelve vaguely competitive Senate races, and Democrats must win nine of them to control the chamber, even if Tim Walz can break ties come January. Compounding this is the fact that five of the competitive Senate races are in Missouri, Montana, Texas, Florida, and Ohio, all states that former president Donald Trump has an over 85% chance of carrying.

So why, then, are we paying attention to this chamber? Well, the Senate races aren't all Ms. Harris vs. Mr. Trump. In Ohio and Montana, Democrats have strong incumbents from the 2018 Blue Wave (and earlier!). And in Missouri, Republicans are saddled with Josh Hawley, who only carried the state by six percentage points last time around. If Republicans manage to lose two of those three states, it becomes much tougher for them to win the chamber - in that case, they'd likely need a Trump win or a flip elsewhere. That said, a strong candidate can only do so much in today's world - the GOP is still heavily favored in all five races.

Less important to Senate math, but highly competitive regardless, are the Southwest states Arizona and Nevada. Here, the fundamentals are somewhat worse for Democrats than they are in the presidential race, with Arizona actually leaning slightly towards the GOP. That said, both states are a coin toss, and we still don't have polling data for AZ, where it is widely expected to look better than the baseline.

The Blue Wall states, which are more Democratic downballot, could come into play if the former president has a respectable night at the top of the ticket. Wisconsin has about a 40% chance of flipping to Republicans, while Michigan is more of a one-in-three chance. Reach states include Minnesota and Pennsylvania, both with very strong Democratic incumbents. Virginia is also theoretically within play.

Overall, this map is very comfortable for the Republican party, and though they don't have ideal candidate matchups, there is still a strong margin for error. The model is heavily relying on fundamentals and candidate strength at the moment, but that will change as we get closer to election day - and if downballot Democrats can work their magic again, it could become anyone's game.

[ryo-maybe]

Ryo, we must save the Blue Archives

THIS SUMMER

*A jaunty little tune, accordion and mandolin singing together in lively unison, accompanies the camera as it pans across a sunny Mediterranean cityscape and through a window. Fading transition to a shot of tomato sauce being stirred inside an open rice cooker with a baguette. The camera follows the baguette as a French-Italian man uses it to taste the sauce and smiles, satisfied.*

"Ryo, we must save the Blue Archives!"

A YOUNG MAN'S NORMAL LIFE TAKES AN UNEXPECTED TURN

*A wall explodes in a deluge of debris and fog, the music turning into some trite Two Steps From Hell bullshit. The camera zooms in from a low angle as a buff Southern Asian man emerges and strikes that one pose Dwayne Johnson makes all the time, you know the one.*

THE TRUTH REVEALED, HE SHALL SUSPEND HIS DISBELIEF... OR DIE!

*Several phone screens are shown in rapid sequence, a finger flicking frantically through pictures of young anime women endowed with plentiful bosoms, all dressed in a variety of differently designed high school uniforms.*

"The data doesn't lie. The average Blue Archive girl's breast size is indirectly proportional to her age."

"What are you trying to tell me?"

"Don't you get it, Ryo? They're highschoolers. All of them."

"No way. Not Asuna. Come on."

*Sal meets Ryo's eyes. His gaze is mirthless, his voice grave, his pecs rock-hard.*

"Asuna. Karin. Hanako. All of them. All of them..."

DIVIDED BY FATE AND BLOOD.

*The camera pans around a skyscraper's windswept rooftop. A teary-eyed Ryo and an enraged Sal, bruised and battered, their clothes a torn mess, are respectively pointing a wooden spoon and a tablet pen at each other.*

"I refuse to see it!"

"You can't just pretend they're not kids, Ryo!"

"Can you pretend I'm not French, Sal!?"

*Sal gasps*

UNITED BY PURPOSE AND SWEAT.

*Slowmo montage of Ryo and Sal laughing as they toss flour at each other in a kitchen, jog at the beach, hit each other with joypads while playing Mario Party. Ryo is shown lifting a 5kg dumbbell with great effort. The camera immediately pans down to show he's sitting on the 80kg barbell Sal is lifting.*

TRANSCENDING HISTORY AND THE WORLD, A TALE OF GAMBLING AND ART, ETERNALLY UNTOLD

*The music reaches the zenith of its crescendo, accompanying a montage of several scenes: Ryo frantically typing on his keyboard in front of a screen showcasing a Fandom Wikia; Sal slamming a Jalter dakimakura into a display case full of FGO figures; Ryo and Sal falling through a swirling vortex of AI-generated art.*

THE LINE BETWEEN ART AND CONTEXT SHALL BE DRAWN IN BLOOD

*Ryo and Sal standing back to back, surrounded by a horde of Arataki Itto cosplayers.*

"I never thought I'd destroy a mobage side by side with a French..."

"What about side by side with an Italian?"

"Heh... aye, I could do that."

SUPER GACHA BROS - FRAGMENTS OF BLUE AND ARCHIVE

*The screen turns black, lingering for a few seconds until, preceded by an activation noise, a silhouette appears from the darkness, backlit by blue light.*

"Excuse me for.. dropping in."

ONLY IN THEATERS

[partisan-by-default]

Remember That DNA You Gave 23andMe?

23andMe is not doing well. Its stock is on the verge of being delisted. It shut down its in-house drug-development unit last month, only the latest in several rounds of layoffs. Last week, the entire board of directors quit, save for Anne Wojcicki, a co-founder and the company’s CEO. Amid this downward spiral, Wojcicki has said she’ll consider selling 23andMe—which means the DNA of 23andMe’s 15 million customers would be up for sale, too.

23andMe’s trove of genetic data might be its most valuable asset. For about two decades now, since human-genome analysis became quick and common, the A’s, C’s, G’s, and T’s of DNA have allowed long-lost relatives to connect, revealed family secrets, and helped police catch serial killers. Some people’s genomes contain clues to what’s making them sick, or even, occasionally, how their disease should be treated. For most of us, though, consumer tests don’t have much to offer beyond a snapshot of our ancestors’ roots and confirmation of the traits we already know about. (Yes, 23andMe, my eyes are blue.) 23andMe is floundering in part because it hasn’t managed to prove the value of collecting all that sensitive, personal information. And potential buyers may have very different ideas about how to use the company’s DNA data to raise the company’s bottom line. This should concern anyone who has used the service.

[mayakern]

Hello 👋 just wondering if theres the differences between the old and new manufacturers listed anywhere? I thought i read in an ask a while back that they were cooler? So if it talks about the fabric or saturation etc and compares the two id love to see it

i talked about this pretty extensively a couple months ago and i do not have the spoons to go hunt for it/retype the whole thing, so i’ll give you the cliffs notes (which are already plenty long)

the printed skirts use a lighter weight fabric that is nice and cool in summer

higher quality/more consistent fabric that won’t have the same pilling issue the old fabric sometimes had

new manu does their own wash tests before sending us anything, meaning the above problem is even less of an issue because they’re already checking for it

new manu does much more extensive quality checking on their end, enabling us to streamline things on our end

printed fabric is now a poly/elastic blend, old fabric was a poly/spandex blend

printed fabric is less staticky/clingy than previous

printed fabric is shinier than the previous midi fabric, which some people like and some don’t

solid color fabric is ecovero viscose, which is made with ethically sourced tree pulp and is biodegradable and compostable in your home compost. it’s also really nice and soft

higher quality and more consistent sewing (this means tighter seams, less loose threads, etc.)

printed skirts are now printed using sublimation, which prints at 300dpi instead of 100dpi, meaning the printing is now much crisper. i don’t have hard data on the differences in the color gamuts, but i find the new manu’s color range much better, especially in the blues and purples which can be very difficult to print satisfactorily.

new factory is certified up the entire supply chain by the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (certifies ethical labor practices) and OEKO-TEX Standard 100 (certifies responsible textile production, i.e. ensuring there are no harmful substances present). for those of you who know anything about supply chains you know this is a Big Deal because getting that information on things like buttons and zippers, which are often made in labor camps, is incredibly difficult

because of everything above and because our new factory is in turkey, which doesn’t have the same generous import situation as china, our cost per unit has increased dramatically and we’ve eaten as much of that as we feasibly can, but unfortunately that means we make less money per skirt sale than we used to. but between wanting to keep costs down for y’all and all the other benefits that come with making this change, i think it’s worth it.

[silicacid]

No evidence of inflated mortality reporting from the Gaza Ministry of Health

Benjamin Q Huynh, Elizabeth T Chin, Paul B Spiegel

Published: December 06, 2023

Mortality reporting is a crucial indicator of the severity of a conflict setting, but it can also be inflated or under-reported for political purposes. Amidst the ongoing conflict in Gaza, some political parties have indicated scepticism about the reporting of fatalities by the Gaza Ministry of Health (MoH).

The Gaza MoH has historically reported accurate mortality data, with discrepancies between MoH reporting and independent United Nations analyses ranging from 1·5% to 3·8% in previous conflicts. A comparison between the Gaza MoH and Israeli Foreign Ministry mortality figures for the 2014 war yielded an 8·0% discrepancy.2 Public scepticism of the current reports by the Gaza MoH might undermine the efforts to reduce civilian harm and provide life-saving assistance. Using publicly available information, we compared the Gaza MoH's mortality reports with a separate source of mortality reporting and found no evidence of inflated rates. We conducted a temporal analysis of cumulative-reported mortality within Gaza for deaths of Gazans as reported by the MoH and reported staff member deaths from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), from Oct 7 to Nov 10, 2023. These two data sources used independent methods of mortality verification, enabling assessment of reporting consistency.

We observed similar daily trends, indicating temporal consistency in response to bombing events until a spike of UNRWA staff deaths occurred on Oct 26, 2023, when 14 UNRWA staff members were killed, of whom 13 died in their homes due to bombings. Subsequent attacks raised the UNRWA death rate while MoH hospital services diminished until MoH communications and mortality reporting collapsed on Nov 10, 2023. During this period, mortality might have been under-reported by the Gaza MoH due to decreased capacity. Cumulative reported deaths were 101 UNRWA staff members and 11,078 Gazans over 35 days. By comparison, an average of 4884 registered deaths occurred per year in 2015–19 in Gaza.

Cumulative reported mortality rates (Oct 7–Nov 10, 2023)

Data are calculated by separate death reports from the Gaza Ministry of Health (MoH; red line) and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA; blue line).

If MoH mortality figures were substantially inflated, the MoH mortality rates would be expected to be higher than the UNRWA mortality rates. Instead, the MoH mortality rates are lower than the rates reported for UNRWA staff (5.3 deaths per 1000 vs 7.8 deaths per 1000, as of Nov 10, 2023). Hypothetically, if MoH mortality data were inflated from, for example, an underlying value of 2–4 deaths per 1000, it would imply that UNRWA staff mortality risk is 2.0–3.9 times higher than that of the public. This scenario is unlikely as many UNRWA staff deaths occurred at home or in areas with high civilian populations, such as in schools or shelters.

Mortality reporting is difficult to conduct in ongoing conflicts. Initial news reports might be imprecise, and subsequent verified reports might undercount deaths that are not recorded by hospitals or morgues, such as persons buried under rubble. However, difficulties obtaining accurate mortality figures should not be interpreted as intentionally misreported data. Although valid mortality counts are important, the situation in Gaza is severe, with high levels of civilian harm and extremely restricted access to aid. Efforts to dispute mortality reporting should not distract from the humanitarian imperative to save civilian lives by ensuring appropriate medical supplies, food, water, and fuel are provided immediately.

[hetaologist]

APH America "Ethnography" and Headcanons (SFW)

The United States of America, Alfred F. Jones, Mr. Stars and Stripes, 'Merica, Pretty Boy, um... or just simply America.

Here is a list of data I have gathered from this country and oh boy, what an interesting specimen we have here....

Ethnography

You will find this find this mythological creature at your local Walmart superstore during the evening hours on a weekday, sporting flannel loungewear pants (The plaid kind), a cotton t-shirt that definitely has been worn no less than two (2) times, Old Navy $1 flip flops, and a gray jacket.

When asked about his late night runs to the popular supermarket chain, his answer is just simply:

"There's nothing else to do and no where to go."

America's Cart Inventory for March 22nd:

One (1) package of "Mega Stuf Chocolate Oreos" for $5.97, One (1) 6-Pack of "Starbucks Frappuccino Chilled Coffee Drinks" in Caramel Flavor for $7.98, One (1) Family Sized Bag of "Flaming Hot Cheetos" for $5.94, One (1) "Furby Interactive Toy" for $39.19, and One (1) Stick of " Axe Apollo Men's Deodorant Stick" for $4.97. Total of purchase was $64.05 before tax.

When questioned about the "Furby Interactive Toy", he replies:

"Yeah dude, there's this thing I wanna make that's called a "Long Furby". Wanna come by my place and check it out?"

I agreed to the invination as it would give me a better look into his living space and lifestyle. He's very friendly person.

Living Space (Home):

Oh dear god, why did I agree to come here?

House is a what you would expect from a typical American college student such as:

"Saturdays Are For The Boys" banner flag, Marvel and DC posters, a very unsettling looking blue leather couch that looks like it has been through hell and back, random dumbbells and untouched exercise equipment, every game console from the 1972 "The Magnavox Odyssey" to the PS5, action figures from various popular TV shows and comics, an old KFC bucket with half eaten chicken on the coffee table and a shelf with a huge vinyl record and CD collection.

Conclusion: What a fucking gross nerd.

America offers a cold can of Coca-Cola, I accept it.

He shows me a very long light blue "Long Furby" from his collection, further proving how much of a dork he was.

When asked what kind of music he liked (in regards to his music collection), he replies:

"That's hard to answer, it changes every week. Because of my diverse music, I pretty much like everything. One week I could be listening to 1980's classic rock, 2000's techno-pop, Bluegrass Country, 1990's Hip Hop or anything. But, if I had to give you this week's favorite artist, it would have to be Taylor Swift and Doja Cat."

"Interesting..." I replied.

I have recorded enough data for today (the smell was bothering me) and left his home to do further extensive research.

Headcanons:

America has a deep love for cars and trucks, he can be seen working on his vintage 1968 Dodge Charger R/T called 'Thunderbird' (an absolute speed demon that can reach at top speeds of muthafuckin' 156 mph), and his enormous 2019 Ford F-150 'Big John' that he loves to drive to world meetings because he is a total stud muffin showoff.

Oh yeah, he defiantly modded 'Big John' horns with airblasters. So when he parks his car and he sees other nations come out of their vehicles, he pounds on that horn and scares the living shit out of them.

He totally does 2 am donuts in the Thunderbird the front of Walmart parking lots with his brother Canada to freak him out.

Other than seeing him work on his cars while listening to "Waking Up in Vegas by Katy Perry" on the radio, he's in his room sorting out his action figure and comic book collection.

Damn, what what a geek.

He has an eBay account where he buys, trades and auctions his collection as his interests constantly change.

If you think him being a geek, dork and a nerd is gonna save him from getting a basic ass Stanley cup, you're wrong.

He has a navy blue one that he takes to meetings and he would get dirty looks from the other nations.

"Goddamn it America, you do not need that much coffee."

"Fuck you, you scone sucking twink. It's not coffee, it's the Panera Super Charged Lemonade mixed with Redbull."

"I beg your fucking pardon..."

He gave Canada a red one for his birthday that he also takes with him to meetings.

"Canada, mon ami~. That better not be that merde American drinks that makes your heart explode."

"No, it's Tim Hortons iced coffee."

"Well.. that's better than what America drinks..."

[5mind]

🙉what are two things that make my muse uncomfortable in conversation - antares, blue two

🙉what are two things that make my muse uncomfortable in conversation

For Blue Two in particular, handling delicate conversations where one is expected to show empathy is especially challenging. This goes for Fivemind in general (empathising with others doesn't come easy for them) but especially more so for Blue given that she speaks entirely in monotone.

Talk of memories, especially childhood memories, also isn't something Fivemind is comfortable with in general given that they never actually had a 'childhood' stage. Also the memory problems.

---

In Antares' case, he's generally uncomfortable when people outside of his work - especially those who only know him as Terry - try to ask him about his work. He's got his go to lies and deflections but the thing is he would like to be able to vent about work to people who aren't coworkers mostly because that's just what people do. That's normal. He's normal.

The topic of family, when directed towards him, is also something he'll dance around. This doesn't apply to other people's families or the topic of possibly starting a family (which for him is an unrealistic fantasy, in his opinion).

[gumjrop]

The Weather

The CDC has finally released their own wastewater dashboard with state-level and regional trends. After public pressure to expand wastewater surveillance in September, including from all of us, it’s great to see some progress. The CDC’s National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) landing page now includes dashboards to check national wastewater viral activity for COVID and Mpox. Additional dashboards for National and Regional trends, State and Territory trends, a wastewater viral activity map, and variants in wastewater are available.

As of 11/25/23, the Current Wastewater Viral Activity Map shows viral activity by state. Many states are reporting high to moderate COVID levels with very few reporting low levels. Approximately 350 sites delayed testing since September 15, 2023. After these sites have resumed testing for six weeks, their data will be added to the dataset. However, we’d suggest the CDC reconsider its color choices, as the calming blue shades they’ve chosen for “high” COVID transmission are misleading at best. They can refer to our red-shaded transmission map for reference.

Also updated 11/25/23, the national wastewater viral activity level is high and seems to be trending upward. The West is in decline while the Midwest, South, Northeast and National levels are at an incline. As with Biobot data, the most recent two weeks (indicated by gray shading on the graph) are subject to change due to reporting delays. Trends mentioned in this text are based on the areas before the shaded area shown in the graph. As we enter the cold and flu season, many in-person gatherings are held. We encourage you to continue monitoring local reports for a more accurate measure of levels. Also, please continue to, and support others in using, layers of protection. And as we continue to report on advocacy successes, remember that our actions and voices can enact change!

Hospitalizations

Weekly hospitalizations are trending upward in the last three weeks according to the CDC’s COVID data tracker, with over 19,000 weekly admissions reported 11/25/23. Since we last reported deaths on 10/28/23, there have been an additional 3731 deaths reported, for an average of almost 750 deaths per week. Remember that these numbers are an undercount related to reporting delays in place since the Biden Administration ended the Public Health Emergency. Remember also that COVID deaths follow hospitalization numbers, so we expect these numbers to increase in the weeks to come.

COVID remains the third leading cause of death according to the CDC in the US. We mourn all those who have died due to COVID, and in that mourning, call you to take measures to prevent death and disablement for yourself, your loved ones, and your communities. 

Wins

Early this month, school districts across the United States will be able to order free Covid-19 rapid tests from the national stockpile to be distributed to schools with the HHS encouragement to share them with, “students, staff, family members and others in the community.” While this school project of the Biden Administration feels long overdue, we hope new access to free tests aids in preventing the spread of Covid-19, if used correctly.  If your household has not placed a new order for more rapid tests from the federal government through covidtests.gov, you can still place an order for 4 free rapid covid tests here. The Horward Zinn Book Fair this weekend is requiring masks indoors, and outdoors, within 15 feet outdoors of the venue.  Increasingly progressive groups in this country are connecting the dots between our governments’ attempts to erase the ongoing pandemic in an effort to restore business as usual and the necessity of centering public health and disability justice in our social movements. Send them a note of thanks here. 

Take Action

We urge you to take a moment to read and sign on to this letter, authored by public health and medical professionals, demanding CDC Director Mandy Cohen reject HICPAC’s (Healthcare Infection Control Practice Advisory Committee) Guideline for Isolation Precautions: Preventing Transmission of Infectious Agents in Healthcare Settings. Current draft guidelines are incredibly insufficient, inappropriate, and fail to protect both patients and healthcare workers.  Letter can be found HERE. You also still have time to sign on to the National Nurses United letter urging the CDC ��to reject HICPAC’s weak draft and create a new one that protects health care workers and their patients!” Sign-on deadline for both letters is this Friday, December 8, 2023.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved on our archive

As flu season nears, so do new COVID-19 variants.

A newly discovered COVID strain known as XEC continues to spread rapidly across multiple countries, including the United States and California.

First appearing in late June in Berlin, the XEC COVID-19 strain has spread across Europe, North America, and Asia, totaling around 550 samples, according to Australia-based data integration specialist Mike Honey.

The variant has been recorded in 27 countries, including China, Ukraine, Norway, and Poland.

COVID in California XEC is spreading rapidly worldwide, but there have been only 23 cases in the United States, including three in California.

“We are still in early days, so it could be a dominant strain, or it could fizzle out and die. It’s very difficult to predict. It does have some advantages in the lab over currently circulating strains, predominantly the KP strains," Chief Dr. Dean Blumberg of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UC Davis Health told ABC Sacramento.

Omicron variant KP.3.1.1, also known as deFLuQE, made up over half (52.7%) of COVID-19 cases between Sept. 1 and Sept. 14. However, XEC and a variant known as MV.1 seem poised to become the next dominant strains, scientists say.

"At this juncture, the XEC variant appears to be the most likely one to get legs next," Scripps Research Translational Institute Director Eric Topol wrote on X.

California has seen a slowdown in COVID-19 infections and deaths since late August, the California Department of Public Health reported.

"While COVID-19 levels had increased over the summer to levels comparable to last summer, they are now decreasing as seen in both decreasing SARS-CoV-2 test positivity and detections in wastewater," officials told KCRA 3 Sacramento in a statement.

COVID XEC symptoms The CDC has not confirmed whether the XEC variant has any unique symptoms. USA TODAY has contacted CDC officials for comment.

The agency continues to outline the primary COVID-19 symptoms, which can appear between two to 14 days after exposure to the virus and can range from mild to severe.

These are some of the symptoms of COVID-19:

Fever or chills Cough Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing Fatigue Muscle or body aches Headache Loss of taste or smell Sore throat Congestion or runny nose Nausea or vomiting Diarrhea

The CDC said you should seek medical attention if you have the following symptoms:

Trouble breathing Persistent pain or pressure in the chest New confusion Inability to wake or stay awake Pale, gray or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds

What is variant MV. 1? First documented in Maharashtra, India, in late June, COVID-19 variant MV.1 has been recorded in nine countries, including the United States, Honey reported.

It's spread across four continents in countries including Portugal, Scotland, Ireland and the Netherlands. In the United States, it's mainly been seen in the northeast, according to Honey.

How can we protect ourselves from XEC and other variants? The CDC recommends that everyone ages 6 months and older, with some exceptions, receive an updated 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccine to protect against the virus, regardless of whether you have previously been vaccinated or infected.

[ghostofskywalker]

I’m popping back in with another request, I hope that’s okay. I couldn’t decide between Jesse or Tech but what about a new member who is having a rough go at adjusting to the new surroundings and sticks to Jesse/ Tech like glue because they were the first person they met? - Curious Curios

@curious-curios this was such a fun prompt - thank you!! i went with jesse because i thought he fit the prompt a little better :)

words: 2,099

summary: The 501st's files are a mess, and you're the one who was going to fix them. You definitely didn't know what to expect with this assignment, but it definitely wasn't developing a crush on a certain ARC trooper.

clone troopers masterlist

Welcome To The 501st

The reassignment had been hasty, and you had arrived at the hangar with absolutely no idea where you were supposed to go or what to do. The Civilian Administration Unit (or CAU for short) was still in its infancy, and up until about 20 minutes ago, you had thought you would be working with the 104th. You held your datapad in your hand and stared at the message stating that someone from the 501st would be there to greet you and escort you up to the flagship Resolute, but other than that, you were in the dark.

Previously, you had worked in the front office of the GAR, but you had always longed for something more exciting than fielding voicemails and scheduling budget meetings. So when the CAU opened up and was looking for volunteers, you jumped at the chance. The idea behind it was that people with administrative experience would probably be better at handling the more report and data-heavy aspects of life on the cruisers (the 501st, you had heard, was especially bad at keeping up with this type of stuff).

The door to the hangar opened and you turned around to see two men walking towards you, and you recognized one of them to be General Anakin Skywalker, who the holonet had dubbed one of the galaxy’s great heroes (and who you knew as one of the budgeting department’s biggest nightmares). There was a clone trooper walking next to him decorated in blue, the symbol of the Republic adorning his helmet, and when he removed it, you found that the symbol had also been tattooed on his head. You had to keep yourself from staring for too long, because he, like all the clones you had met, was incredibly handsome.

“Are you our new civilian officer?” Skywalker asked, and you nodded in response. He introduced himself and the clone next to him as Jesse, to which you softly introduced yourself as well. There was something about being the little fish in the big pond that made you even more shy than you usually were, but Jesse offered you a kind smile as the general started talking about the things you would be doing once you got onto the cruiser.

This speech continued until you got onto the transport and sat down, and Skywalker had boarded his own ship, so it was just you and Jesse. “Don’t be nervous,” he said as he sat down next to you. “The 501st can be a lot to take in at first, but you’ll get used to the craziness eventually.”

“Thanks,” you said sincerely, surprised that he had approached you. During your time at the GAR office, you had gotten a chance to meet some of the members of the Coruscant Guard, and while you thought they were all very nice, they tended to keep to themselves. “Are you included in that craziness?”

“I like to think I’m the rational one,” Jesse responded, a smile crossing his face. “But I’m sure if you asked our head medic, he’d tell you a different story.”

You laughed quietly at his words, immediately taken by his easygoing attitude and nice smile. “Well, as long as none of your reckless actions end up in the reports I have to file I have a feeling everything will be just fine,” you said, plucking up the courage to be a little bit friendlier rather than just scripted politeness.

“I’ll try to keep everything on the down-low,” was his response.

“Thanks.”

The conversation shifted after that, with him asking you about your work on Coruscant and you asking him about the tattoo on his face. He also told you stories of the 501st’s troopers and their heroics (as well as their more entertaining blunders), and by the time the transport ship was docking in the Resolute’s hangar, you felt comfortable around him, and you couldn’t help the little tug of attraction you felt when you looked at him. You’d meet many clones before, but he was the most attractive one (at least in your opinion).

Right before the two of you got up out of your seats and out the door, he turned to you. “It’ll probably be a little chaotic for your first few days, but if you need anything, I’d be happy to help.”

You smiled kindly. “Thank you Jesse. I’ll keep that in mind.”

His comm device buzzed the second you stepped out onto the hangar floor and he took off, leaving you to wonder if you would ever see him again.

***

Jesse definitely wasn’t wrong about the chaos of this particular battalion. When you arrived at the hangar, Captain Rex had introduced himself and taken you on a tour around the ship, which also gave you a chance to meet some of the other troopers, including Kix, Fives, Tup, Hardcase, and many others whose names all began to blend together after a while. They were all friendly (even to the point of being a little overbearing), but soon you were facing the real trouble: the file system.

Namely, the fact that it was a kriffing wreck.

Rex had tried his best to keep up with it, but the fact that the 501st hopped around planets nearly every other rotation made it a difficult job. Besides, he also had to lead an entire battalion, so secretarial work took a backseat (especially when the General threw them into some crazy plan on such short notice). He had offered his help to you in trying to organize and get everything submitted, but you politely declined, telling him that this was what you were here for and he had too many things on his plate to come help you all day. You would be fine once you took a look at everything and formed a plan.

And you were right about that, but it just took a little longer than you were expecting. What you thought might take only a few rotations ended up taking more than a week to organize, but thankfully you had it set up so something like this wouldn’t happen again, even if you were to leave and go back to Coruscant tomorrow. You practically lived in your office, having meals delivered to you instead of going down to the mess hall three times a day. Hells, the only time you left on most days was to go to sleep at night.

However, now that the system was better organized, it meant that you had more time during the day to go eat in the mess or take the occasional walk around the ship. There was just one problem: you didn’t really know anyone, so it was a bit of a lonely lifestyle.

Sure, there was Captain Rex, but from what you could observe, that man had a crazier schedule than you, so there was no way he was just walking around with nothing to do. Besides, he was barely an acquaintance.

You thought about Jesse, but there was no way for you to contact him. You had received your comm device after you arrived on board, so you couldn’t have given him your frequency. He was also an ARC trooper, which meant he was busier than usual as well. You considered going to the medbay to see if he was there, or to ask Kix for his brother’s frequency, but your shyness won out in the end and you just kept to yourself.

So here you were, sitting in the mess hall by yourself, picking at a lump of something on your plate that didn’t look the most appetizing, but wasn’t actually that bad. You always kept your datapad on hand so it didn’t look too embarrassing that you were eating alone. But one day, you were in the middle of reading a holonovel when you heard someone say your name, and you looked up to see Jesse sit down across from you, a grin on his face. “Hey!” he said. “Do you mind if I sit here?”

“Not at all,” you responded, and your face stretched into a smile as well.

“It’s nice to see you again,” he said. “Rex said you managed to get all the files and reports organized, so I wondered if you were still on the ship.”

“I’m still here,” you said. “The 501st is stuck with me until further notice.”

“That’s great,” he said. “But I think it’s probably more like you’re stuck with us.”

“I don’t know,” you said. “It hasn’t been too crazy around here.”

“You haven’t been here long enough then. Just wait.”

You just laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

When it was time for the two of you to go your separate ways, you ended up exchanging comm frequencies. You hadn’t expected anything of it, but soon you had a standing appointment to eat lunch together whenever you could, and you no longer had to scroll through your datapad looking for something to read on most days.

You also got a chance to know some of the others better, as they started to join you at meals as well. You and Kix got along the best (much to Jesse’s chagrin, because you just used your friendship to tease him), but you were friendly with a lot of the other troopers now.

It was always difficult when the troopers went out on missions to different planets. You spent those days holed up in your office, waiting for some word about them being okay. Jesse usually let you know when they were on their way back, but you didn’t breathe easy until you saw your new friends with your own eyes, safe and sound.

Sometimes not all of the troops went, which was what had happened this time. Fives and Jesse were assisting General Skywalker with a mission because of their ARC status, so you and the rest of the 501st were still on the Resolute. You had waited all day for news of their return, but so far had heard nothing. It was during one of the times you obsessively checked your comm that you realized how you felt about Jesse. Your friendship with him had definitely blossomed into you wanting more, and you wanted to tell him as soon as possible.

A knock at the door of your office interrupted your worried pacing, and you gently called for whoever it was to come in, expecting it to be Kix with a cup of caf for you (and a little bit of reassurance that everything was okay).

Instead, Jesse walked through the door, and immediately, you wrapped him in a hug. His armor was cold and slightly damp, and he had a few minor scrapes on his face, but you didn’t care. He laughed as his arms snaked around you and held you close to him, and you allowed yourself to smile for the first time all day. “I’m guessing you missed me then,” Jesse said, and you could hear the smirk on his face.

You tried to maintain indifference, but it was a little difficult when you still hadn’t let go of him yet. “Oh shut up.”

“I just risked my shebs out there, and this is the thanks I get? Why don’t you make me?”

His words were playful, and maybe it was a lapse in judgment on your part, but you did just that, leaning up to place your lips on his for a fleeting moment. Or, for what you originally intended to be a fleeting moment. Once he realized what was happening, Jesse kissed back, his hands coming down to rest on your waist as the two of you poured all your unspoken passion into the kiss.

And it would have been even longer too, if Kix hadn’t barged into your office without knocking. “Kriffing hell,” he said as he stepped into the room, and you and Jesse pulled apart (rather reluctantly, if you were being honest).

For a moment, the medic stared owlishly at the two of you as you both stared back at him, and then Kix threw his hands up and started to back out of the room. “When you’re done eating each other’s face off, Jesse needs to come to the medbay so I can clean his scratches.”

He walked off before either you or Jesse could say anything in return, muttering something about this being Fives’ fault and how he should get paid for dealing with these animals.

And well, there wasn’t much talking between you and Jesse after that, as he leaned in for another kiss, just as passionate at the first. 

- the end -

[pencil-peach]

GWitch Onscreen Text: Episode 7

This is part eight of my attempt to transcribe and discuss all the monitor text in g witch! Because I got worms! We're on episode 7, "Shall We Gundam?"

Now then. Shall we? (Gundam?)

Not text, but in the opening, Vim tells the Peil Witches that it's despicable of them to breach the Cathedra Agreement, only for one of them to respond that she believes he would know something about that himself. This is our first hint towards the existence of the Schwarzette.

Now to the real text, we see a mockup of the Pharact of it's systems in this opening as well.

Here, we see that the Pharact is 19.1m and 57.1t.

The Blue and Red labels are tough to make out, but they each respectively say the same thing. I'll make my best guess: Blue labels: G-O | SYS-GUND CHH Red Labels: GUND FORMAT | CORAX UNITS

The Corax Units are the name of the Pharacts GUND Bits, and we know those use the Gund Format, so that checks. We saw 'CHH' on 4's data graph, still not sure what it means though.

I think the floating red text says GA - MS//RACT, but I can't be sure. The big label in the center says GUND-ARM FP/A-77.

Not text, but I think Sarius and Delling is another relationship I wish we got to see more of. Delling actually worked directly under Sarius within Grassley before eventually becoming President of the entire Group.

During the scene in the greenhouse, we get a look at the program on Miorine's monitor. No way to read the actual text on it from this shot, but we do see Miorine verify the name of one of the brands of fertilizer before presumably typing it on the screen, so it's probably safe to assume it's tracking the general maintenance of the tomatoes.

We never get a completely clear shot of the Incubation Party Invitation (Because it just can never be easy) But I'll make my best estimate of it from the shots we DO get.

TEXT: SUBJECT: INCUBATION EVENT PARTY INVITATION & APPLICATION GUIDELINES FROM: BENERIT GROUP PROTOCOL MANAGEMENT OFFICE

INVITATION The Benerit Group has the great honor of inviting you to the 15th Incubation Event.

Off topic but this scene has one of my favorite Miorine Noises in the whole show. It's so good. Take a listen. She is Flabbergasted.

TEXT: 15th INCUBATION EVENT PARTY Hosted by BENERIT GROUP

Pretty...

The Mobile Suits on display aren't named, but the one in the back right is actually the YOASOBI Collaboration Version of the Demi Trainer.

(YOASOBI are the musical duo that composed Shukufuku)

I wont bore you with a 1 to 1 transcription of the text of this first presentation, so here's the general overview.

This is PRESENTATION No. 001 for the Incubation Party from TENGRIFF SOLUTIONS. They're asking for 100,000,000 to develop an INTEGRATED FIRE CONTROL SOFTWARE. What that means generally is that they want to develop a software that can automatically correct/redirect an MS's aim to a specific target, in both Individual and Team based MS Operations. The benefits of this system are: AUTO TRAJECTORY CORRECTION AUTO CORIOLIS CORRECTION AUTO GRAVITY CORRECTION FIRE CONTROL FORMS BATTALION HIGH SPEED TARGET DATA LINK HIGH PERFORMANCE SPOTTING SYSTEM ALL ENVIRONMENT CONTROL SYSTEM

Unfortunately this project did not meet the 75% formation requirement and DIED

Funny Shaddiq Expression. I don't think he ever makes a face like this for the rest of the series.

[Pointing] One of the two times throughout the series we see any pat of Notrette. The only other time is in the second season opening.

We see VIM JETURK on Lauda's screen when he's calling him. (The "Accept" button actually darkens when Lauda taps it)

This scene is our first look into Nika's role as a go between for Shaddiq, and also how it'll be a main point of conflict between her and Martin, as he's the one who sees the two of them talking.

(Also, Shaddiq has a habit of abruptly lowering the tone of his voice to signify a change in his demeanor. If you ever rewatch the series again, try and listen for it ! He does it all the time)

TEXT (Top to Bottom) BENERIT GROUP NETWORK CONNECTION ^ ACCESS REQUEST ACCESS POINT: STAGE SCREEN LINE CODE: 2915.455X.eX STATUS: APPROVAL PENDING LINE CODE: Yds2.4006.40 LINE CODE: 2945.Rr50.52 LINE CODE: KL40.024c.R2

Miorine's phone when she requests access to the Stage Screen

When she gets approved and begins connecting, her phone displays this loading screen called SYNCHRONIZE

And the stage screen is displaying that same loading screen for a split second before fully connecting.

Miorine explains what this all means in the show proper, so I feel it'd be redundant to explain it, but here's the presentation anyhow.

We also see the UI of the program Mio is using in the presentation. She only uses the MEMO tab, but we see that there's a TEXT and PICT tab as well.

When Miorine takes the phone back from Delling, the investment status has reached 3%, meaning he invested 7,200,000,000 in the company. Mama Mia !

Business Successfully Formed!

But it seems that they only reached the bare minimum amount, 75%. So of the 240,000,000,000, she requested, the company earned at LEAST 180,000,000,000

We also see that Miorine’s presentation is only the 5th one of the night.

And that's all! Thank you very much! Unfortunately I can't leave anymore images because I've somehow reached the image limit :(

Instead I leave you with this: Go back and watch the scene where Miorine and Suletta see Prospera and Godoy. After the scene where Suletta greets him, they keep drawing his face wrong. Okay! Goodbye....!

Click here to go to Episode 8!

Click here to go to the Masterpost!