#(yes i know there are easier ways to get out of bounds on pc - but i like my couch ok?)

[robo-dino-puppy]

behind rost's house

(look close and you can see the platforms baby!aloy was training on)

[ralexsol]

Thank you for being the only reasonable person I've seen in this godsforsaken fandom

I think a lot of people are reasonably upset, but are taking a somewhat harmful approach to making things better.

It's difficult to see a show with such openly queer characters and not your own demographic (poc, disabled, women). They think that they should have a place there too, which they should! But you have to consider situations in part of a bigger picture of where we're at as a society.

Right now, the queer community has a lot of attention, and it's easier for pretty much all people to take a walk in their shoes. "I'm a man who loves women, you're a woman who loves women. Well, the only thing that's different is who exactly you love, but you still love, so I don't have a hard time imagining your circumstances."

And while poc have been crying out for attention for years now, most notably in 2020 with the BLM movement, it's much harder for a white man to imagine the experience of a black woman. And considering that if you do it wrong you're canceled, it's easy to see why people shy away from it. People say, "Oh, it's just a person! Act normal!", and yes that is true, but the white man may still accidentally perpetrate a stereotype. And then he's yelled at for not doing research first. It's a cycle that people can get stuck in.

As for physically disabled people, depictions of them are so stigmatized in media at this point that it's hard to know right from wrong. There are going to be mistakes made. That doesn't make it totally okay, but progress is a process. Disabled people have been silenced for a very long time, and they deserve a hell of a lot better. But if we just tell the Council to include them, how are the Council to know exactly what that looks like? We need to give them ideas, we have to guide them.

And as for women, yeah, there's definitely a lot to be desired. Frankly, they're a bunch of white guys; it's bound to happen. What we can do is clamor for more women who aren't only milfs. Yes, we love them, but regular, strong ladies like Jay are needed all throughout the campaigns. Give Jay some love. She's amazing. Condi does great with her.

The JRWI community has the unique position of being able to actually influence the creators. While Disney artists and writers are hidden away behind a big corporation and continue to pump out the same white, straight, cisgendered characters, we have one on one contact with the Council.

Tell me: if you went up to a Disney executive and screamed at them to include a black ambiguously bisexual or lesbian woman in one of their movies, do you think that would help the issue? No, they wouldn't care. They'd just say you're trying to brainwash their children again.

Meanwhile, the Council are a small group of four white, mostly cisgendered and straight men. And yet, they've included gay, lesbian, bisexual, nonbinary, unlabeled, asexual, transgender, and black people! That's awesome! We should be celebrating the fact that this podcast even exists! It's incredible.

Don't scream at them. That's counter-productive. Have civil conversations, encourage them to do more, show them what representation should look like while giving them room to be creative with it. Tell them what they do wrong and then point them kindly in the right direction.

I don't want this community to kill the podcast. I don't want all of this negativity to force Grizzly to leave - and I think it could get to that point if things continue the way they do.

Art is the best way to influence the Council. Draw the pcs with mobility aids! Give the poc characters love and attention, expand on hcs. Make ocs that showcase aspects of these lesser-represented communities. There are so many things you can do.

[pokemoncreepypasta]

Tommy Boy

[STORY SOURCE]

It was one of those sleepovers, just me and my bestie, when we got bored and had a dumb idea. Well, she got the brilliant idea anyways.

Apparently, she thought it would be “fun” to try and perform one of those summoning rituals, even though she knew anything and everything paranormal gave me nightmares for weeks. Which is why I think she wanted to do it so bad.

Of course, I wouldn’t willingly go along with the ritual, so my friend had to persuade me by offering her Darkrai plushie which I had coveted for a few weeks now. I remember wondering if the risk of eternal damnation was worth it for just a toy...

Apparently the answer was yes, since I eventually went along with this freaking idea.

The requirement for the ritual was paper, pencil, a candle, 6 random dolls, and 60 minutes of your time.

It had to be in a dark house, or in the middle of the night. We did it around midnight, after everyone else was asleep.

The first step was to put the 6 dolls in a circle.

Then draw a summoning circle on the middle of the paper and put it in the center of the circle of dolls.

After placing it on the floor, recite, “Any entity, you may enter.”

Wait for a while, around a minute, then prick your finger and put your bloody fingerprint in the middle of the summoning circle.

Recite, “By blood we are bound.”

You then turn off all the lights, if any are still left on, then light your candle and recite, “Whomever loses may never leave.”

Afterwards, you stumble around in the dark and play hide-and-seek with whatever you just summoned, if you even successfully summoned anything.

You must switch the room you’re hiding in every 10 minutes or else you will automatically be found by default. If you candle doesn’t blow out within and hour, then you win, and allegedly whatever spirit you summoned will be bound to your eternal service.

If it does blow out, then you’ve been found and you lose. Whatever happens afterwards depends on whatever spirit, peaceful or malevolent, that you summoned.

While me and my friend were huddled in the laundry room whispering and giggling about stupid things, the candle flickered out. I promptly flipped and hid in the corner with my hands over my head waiting for the worst to happen, while my friend laughed at pathetic little me.

After about five minutes of trying to convince me I wasn’t going to die, she told me she had blown out the candle herself. That made me feel a little better, even thought I still didn’t believe it.

Though, the Darkrai plushie I received the next day helped wash my worries away.

Though it wasn’t enough to wash away everything else that was about to happen.

Later on that day after my friend left, my little sister had begged me to let her play my Pokémon Emerald. I let her, since all she did was pretty much give free training to my Pokémon.

I was watching TV, and was a bit peeved when she ran into the room and started nagging me about a green Trapinch, so I waved her off. It took me a few seconds before I realized my grave mistake, so I quickly snatched my GameBoy back.

I was pleasantly surprised to see my sis had somehow managed to find a shiny Trapinch.

I told her to back off and let me handle this, since I wasn’t about to let her try to catch it. Although, things looked bad as my Pokémon were all too strong to weaken it.

But I was feeling confident with over 40 Ultra Balls in stock along with a few backups, so I kept throwing and throwing until one of them worked.

The trouble was, this stubborn Trapinch didn’t want me as its trainer. 

I might not have been able to weaken it, but it still chewed through nearly every one of my PokéBalls.

I was awash with horror at the thought of failing my first ever shiny. That’s when my sister offered to catch it for me.

I didn’t want to hand it over to her, but then my mind rationalized it by thinking that if she failed it, losing the Trapinch would be her fault, not mine.

I was shocked again as she handed me back the GameBoy less than a minute later with a brand new shiny Trapinch in my party named Tommy Boy.

The only response I could think of at first was, “Tommy Boy? Why name it that?”

“Because, it’s a boy and I wanted to name it Tommy, so Tommy Boy!”

I didn’t even want to know what went on in my sister’s head, but I quickly stopped caring and all I could do was just stare at my newfound shiny.

I went to immediately test him out and see what he could do against a wild Sandshrew.

“Tommy Boy refuses to attack!” 

I tried to fight, but I got this refusal instead. I tried to attack the Sandshrew again, but I just kept getting the same message.

“This is a load of crap.”

“Oh, I can make him attack!” My sister stole the GameBoy back and then proceeded to defeat the Sandshrew with no further issue.

“What the... How did you do that?!” My sister gave me a stupid grin, “He listened to me because I’m his mommy!” Sure, whatever, I thought privately to myself.

I was happy to let her train this Trapinch into a Flygon for me, anyway. I was puzzled by its behavior, to say the very least, and decided not asking anything would be better for my health and just kept watching TV.

I thought she would grow bored of training the Pokémon, but no. For the rest of the day and deep into the night, she worked tirelessly to gain experience for Tommy Boy. I wondered how someone could stand training the same Pokémon for so many hours without getting bored at all.

Finally, around 11 PM, she had to go to bed. Unwillingly, she saved the game and turned it off, but not before saying good night to Tommy Boy and kissing the GameBoy goodnight.

I was still allowed to stay up longer, so as soon as she was in bed, I quietly grabbed my GameBoy out from under her bed sheets. Emerald was already in, so I simply switched the game on.

Once the game was loaded, I saw that Tommy Boy was the only one in the party, for some reason.

But he was already evolved into a Flygon, and at level 66. Too bad she only had interest in training Tommy Boy, so much that she decided to stuff all my other team members in the PC.

I started to leave the desert where my sister had last saved when I ran into a wild Baltoy. I lovingly sighed as Tommy Boy came out sparkling. Then, my expression became a bit more serious.

That freaking pixel better listen to me this time.

I clicked on “Fight”. He had new moves: Crunch, DragonBreath, Sandstorm, and Hyper Beam.

I selected Hyper Beam, and desperately hoped that he would obey. I held my breath.

“Tommy Boy refuses to attack!”

“Dang it!!” I yelled at the screen.

Tommy Boy got hit with and attack, which didn’t do too much damage. I kept cursing at the Pokémon. I couldn’t believe I had a shiny in the palm of my hands and it wouldn’t even listen to me!

I selected DragonBreath, despite knowing he wouldn’t obey anyways.

“Tommy Boy wants his mommy!”

I gawked at this line of text. I surely hadn’t seen any Pokémon do that before. I almost wanted to laugh, the way that line was written almost sounded funny, but I was off-put and confused. Tommy Boy got hit with another attack.

“Come on, can’t you at least show some pity for your aunt?!” I spoke aloud to the game, like my sister had started doing. Tommy Boy offered me no pity and kept refusing. I didn’t want to deal with him getting knocked out, so I just turned the game off and begrudgingly went to bed.

The next morning, I found my little sister leaning back in a chair contentedly playing the GameBoy. I realized she snatched it from my room while I was asleep, which I guess was an equal exchange. I asked her if anything weird was happening with the GameBoy, but she said all was fine.

Then she asked me why I was playing on the GameBoy last night.

“Uhh... because it’s my game? I should still be able to play it too.”

She eyed me. “Just don’t mess with Tommy Boy again. Just because you’re his aunt doesn’t mean he likes you.”

She immediately changed her threatening disposition by cheerily calling out, “Oh, good boy, Tommy! You showed that Sandshrew! You make mommy so proud!”

I decided to shrug it off. I wasn’t about to get into an argument with my sister about a video game.

A few days into this, I was over her shoulder watching her play.

She was in the desert, and kept battling the Pokémon there over and over again. Tommy Boy acted like a normal Pokémon, and did nothing unusal.

“Why do you only battle Pokémon in the desert?” “Because, Tommy Boy only likes to battle Pokémon here.” She kept playing, as if everything was normal. After a moment, I thought of another question, “Why will he only obey you and not me?” “I told you, he’ll only listen to his mommy.” “It’s my game he’s on, so I should be his mommy, shouldn’t I? How does he know YOU’RE his mommy?” My sister paused for a moment. After a minute she responded, “Tommy Boy says screw you.” She giggled, while I gave up and left, fuming.

However, days turned into weeks, and my sister had been spending our entire vacation so far just sitting in her room. Apparently, she had started neglecting to eat or drink anything, and would only ever fall asleep when she passed out, GameBoy still in her hands.

It started getting so bad that my mom told me at one point she threw up blood. We’d tried taking the game way from her, but she’d screech at us like she was possessed and tear the whole house apart trying to find it.

Mom said they were arranging for her to see a therapist and get an opinion on what the heck we should do, but for the meantime she was allowed to keep the game, to make things easier for everyone until getting an appointment.

But I wasn’t satisfied with that. I needed to intervene.

One night, I decided to work up the nerve to confront her about her addiction. I found her in her room, as always. She was on the bed with the covers over her head. One would think she was sleeping, but the quiet sounds of the GameBoy gave her away.

I pulled the sheets away from her and she hissed briefly at me before continuing with her eyes glued to the screen. I hardly recognized my happy-go-lucky sister. She looked half dead. I tried holding a conversation with her, but all I got were distant “Mm-hm”s and “It’s fine.” The only way I could get her to talk to me was to attempt to take the game away, to which she immediately responded.

“NO! He’s my baby!!! He NEEDS me!” My sister screeched at me. 

“IT is an inanimate object! It doesn’t NEED anything!” I yelled back at her, clutching her arm that was holding the GameBoy. I managed to rip the Emerald cartridge out of the game while it was still running, causing it to let out horrible screeching sounds. I then pretended to throw it out an open window into the darkness outside of our house, to which my sister immediately pushed me onto the floor and jumped out into the yard after it. 

Picking myself up, I noticed she had dropped my GameBoy, too, so I discreetly plopped the game back into the system and stuffed it into my pocket.

I spitefully closed the window behind my sister. She could come back inside once she realized what this game was doing to her.

What... WAS this game doing to her, I wondered?

Once my sister had collapsed from exhaustion and been carried back to bed by my confused dad (to whom I lyingly explained I had no involvement in this), I decided I would find out for myself.

When I booted up the game, I was in the middle of my secret base in Route 120.

I checked my party to find only Tommy Boy, at a whopping level 100. Since it hand only taken her a day to get him to level 66, she must’ve reached 100 long ago, but she’d still been playing this all month.

Was she seriously doing the same battles over and over, despite him not being able to go any higher...?

When I exited the party screen and was back in the base though, a circle of six Pokédolls were around me that I hadn’t noticed before, which quite frankly creeped me out.

When I tried to move, a text box popped up saying, “Any entity may enter.”

“By blood we are bound.”

A strange red circle appeared in the middle of the circle of dolls, and I quickly realized I didn’t want anything to do with whatever was about to go down.

I tried to step away again, but another text box appeared. 

“Whomever loses may never leave.”

I tried running for dear life out the exit, but I was stopped.

“You may never leave.”

A shiny Flygon appeared in the middle of the circle and let out what I assumed was its cry, albeit I was too horrified for my life at that moment to care much for details, and the game froze.

I shut the game off, stared at it for a second, then suddenly every memory of what I had done earlier in the summer came flooding back at once. I knew exactly what Tommy Boy was now, and I was absolutely terrified.

I wanted to hold myself, cry my eyes out and throw this game into the woods where no one would ever find it, but then I thought about my sister. I thought about how if I didn’t get rid of Tommy Boy now, things would probably get worse and soon I’d wake up to find my little sister stabbing herself to death, or me.

Through my tears, I turned the game back on.

“It’s just you and me now, Tommy. Rematch. Double or nothing.”

If he won, he could take us both. But if I won, he would take his sorry demon hide back to wherever it was he came from. He seemed keen on my offer, as the game started up with no problems.

Once the game was up and running, I found my character in the middle of a dark cave. 

I instinctively went to my party to make someone use Flash, but then I remembered more than likely Tommy Boy was going to be there.

I braced myself...

But I was pleasantly surprised to find there were just some random Pokémon instead.

Of course, I didn't have the HM for Flash. Or the TM for Dig. Or any Escape Rope.

...

Wonderful.

So I stumbled around in the dark, trying to find my way out of this mess.

I kept bumping into walls and rocks, climbing up and down countless ladders, but there was no exit in sight. Or any trainers in sight, for that matter.

In fact, I hadn't run into any wild encounters either, until I came to the conclusion that there was only one Pokémon I would be running into here, and that I should avoid it like the plague.

Was spamming Super Repel going to protect me from a level 100 demonic Flygon? Probably not, but I couldn't be too careful.

After some time nowhere near an hour, I found myself in a small room that had nothing in it. I tried to go back the way I came, but I was stopped. My character wouldn't move. I started to tense up again.

The light surrounding me in-game was snuffed out, and all that could be seen was darkness. I was about to turn the game off before something happened, but before I could, something happened.

“Found you.”

The text in red popped up with a Flygon cry to accompany it, and the game froze again.

"No!" I yelled desperately, flickering the game off and on again. "One chance, give me one more chance!"

Instead, when I loaded the file, I was met with a glitchy, pixelated mess of a screen flashing multicolored lights while blaring the loudest beeping noise I'd ever heard in my life that sent my ears and eyes ringing. I quickly shut off the game and stared at the empty screen in disbelief for I don't know how long.

Had I lost the game?

I couldn't accept that. I was going to play this game all night if I had to. One of us would be leaving tonight, and it wasn't going to be me. Bracing myself, I tightly closed my eyes and powered the game on again. I expected another cacophony of buggy sounds and flashing lights, but surprisingly, I was able to boot up my save file just fine.

But, unfortunately, I didn't get the Round 3 of hide-and-seek that I had vainly asked for.

Instead, I was at the bottom of Mt. Pyre.

I still had the same team as before, unable to Fly or Surf away from this nightmarish set of circumstances that I'd been put in.

I don't know what Tommy Boy was getting at, or what he wanted from me now, but I knew the only way to understand exactly what I was dealing with would be to play along, just for now.

My only option left was to climb Mt. Pyre.

I felt a mounting suspense that kept rising each floor I went to, although I didn't know why. Maybe it was because every floor, even indoors, were all unusually foggy.

However, the wild Shuppet started to make quick work of my low leveled Pokémon.

I then got the sudden idea that maybe this wasn't such a bad thing after all. If my entire party fainted, I could get sent back to a Pokémon Center and escape the boundaries of Tommy Boy's "game."

When they all fainted though, I didn't get sent back. Instead, I was still trapped on Mt. Pyre.

All of the Pokémon that were protecting me were gone now.

I still ran into Shuppet, except I kept sending out a large "?" where a Pokémon should've been.

I kept whiting out, only to return to the position I'd started the battle in.

After a nerve-wracking climb though the graveyard, I reached the top.

Surrounding the pedestal at the top were six PokéBalls.

As I checked each one, a picture of a Pokémon would pop up.  They seemed really familiar, and soon I realized all the Pokémon here were part of the team I was just using.

After I checked the sixth Pokémon, I found my character to be trapped in the center of the pedestal with no way out.

I frantically mashed the D-Pad in hopes of finding some way to escape.

In the midst of my panic, a glowing red circle materialized on the ground, connecting all the PokéBalls surrounding the pedestal, with me still in the center.

I remember at that moment thinking, I'm going to die I'm going to die I'm going to die, and I wholeheartedly believed I was going to.

Then, a large text box in all red with a Flygon cry popped up...

“YOU MAY NEVER LEAVE.”

That right there sealed the deal.

I wasted no shred of time pulling out that Emerald cartridge and cutting it into an unrecognizable pile of green plastic with my scissors.

In my desperation, I brushed the remains of the cartridge into my trash can, wrapped up the trash bag, and went to the extent of escaping through my window and throwing it into the woods. Screw littering, screw the police, I didn't want that thing in my house.

And especially screw Tommy Boy. Screw his little game, screw the thought of him having any sort of control over me.

The only way to win is not to play, and I made sure no one would ever play this game again.

The next morning, my much more well-rested little sister asked where my GameBoy was, and I was about to tell her she was never allowed to touch that thing for as long as she lives, but then she asked to play Mario Party Advance on it.

I was baffled, to say the least, but found no problem in it and let her play it. She showed no signs of becoming obsessed and got bored of playing it after an hour, so I was relieved and assumed that the worst was over.

You can be sure I am not, and will never, plan on performing any more summoning rituals any time soon.

Thankfully, my little sister's gone back to being completely normal. If anything, her only sign of change is that she's getting into that "girly stage". She'll get Pokémon plushies and sit them all in a circle and play tea party with them in her room. At least, that's what I think she's doing with them.

Doesn't matter to me though, I'm busy with my own things. I'm happily content with my dear Darkrai plush that took entirely too much effort out of my life to obtain. I feel really bad for neglecting him these past few weeks, but it's okay.

I won't be giving any more of my time or attention to anyone else except my little baby.

[pterodactylterrace]

Title: I’ll Catch You (sequel to Falling)

Pairing: Henry Cavill x OFC

Length: 1600+ words

Warnings: Mentions of abuse, awkwardness, barely proofread. 

Another day, another round of fasting cardio. I have to admit, I've been preferring the hiking trails lately. Probably because of the woman I'd met over a month ago. The way she looked at me... like a caged animal. Something wasn't right. Something was amiss with that mystery woman.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not planning some valiant white knight rescue of a woman I've met once. Ok, I've thought about it once or twice. However, I was just wanting to make sure she was alright. In all meanings of the word. I'd noticed her flinch. The way she wouldn't let me near her, even though she clearly needed help. Someone's hurt her, and I've been making myself sick over it since I let her leave.

What if something happened when she got back? I had no way of knowing if she had a safe place to return to. Had she gone back to her abuser and suffered more because of me? I can't help feeling guilty. I just wanted to see her one more time, to make sure she was alright.

So, that brings us back to today. To the same hiking trail I'd literally run into her before. It was a long shot, but I kept coming back just in case she would be here again. Even if she did come back, it was foolish to think she would return at the same time of day again. Not after what happened last time.

The good thing about being here so early, however, was being able to let Kal off his lead to snuffle around the trail and flounce about to his heart's content while I jogged. Not many other people were here at this hour, so no one to pull his attention away and have him running off to steal cuddles.

He took off ahead as we neared the stream, no doubt wanting a chance to splash around before we moved on. I slowed to a stop as I reached the small embankment, peering down as my loyal companion rolled around the mud and splashed in the water. Well, that's another bath for him, then.

"Come on, pig. You're muddy enough." I chided, carefully sliding down the slick hill to reach him. He was all to happy to see me, bounding right up and flopping around me in a dance of pure glee, flinging the muck about as he went. Great, now we're both covered in mud.  "Kal, come on." I groaned, reaching out for his collar only to have him dash away to the water again.

"Kal!" I repeated, more firmly this time, giving him a commanding look. "That's enough, it's time to go." Why wasn't he listening today? Sure, he can be a bit stubborn, but he's never outright ignored me before. I stopped short of going to fetch him myself and giving him a stern lecture about listening when I heard a sound behind me.

Like magic, there she was, accelerating down the slippery hill I'd just descended not two minutes before, but judging from her less than pleased yelps of surprise, she wasn't doing it on purpose. I acted before I even had time to think, moving myself in front of her and letting her slam into my chest, effectively stopping her downhill tumble.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" She gasped, trying to regain her footing. All she managed to do, however was make me to lose my balance and flop onto my backside into the muck, her landing on me again only a moment later.

"Gravity seems to have it out for us." I joked, gently helping her to her knees, finally looking back into her eyes. I wasn't imagining things. It really was her. She still looked so scared. I don't know who did this to her, but I hate them. No one should put that look in someone's eye.

"I- I'm sorry! I heard someone yelling so I went to see what it was and I just slipped." She explained quickly, trying again to stand, her foot shooting out from beneath her and sending her toppling right back on top of me.

"Shit! Sorry!" She gasped, still wiggling against me in a vain to get back up.

"It's alright." I groaned, shifting to remove her hipbone from my groin. Her last topple had a less than stellar landing spot. At least my nuts kept her hip from getting hurt. "Let's just hold still for a minute." I suggested, realization slowly dawning over her face.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered again, freezing on top of me, out of fear or consideration, I'm not quite sure.

"Accident's happen." I sighed, slowly moving up to my elbows, lifting her frame right along with me. "Good to see you're alright."

"I'm so sorry, is there anything I can do to help?"

"Nope, I'm fine." I assured, helping her to her feet before standing myself, Kal happily padding his way over to us, snuffling eagerly at her hand. No doubt looking for treats, that piggy.

"Oh, hello." She greeted, stroking his head gently. "Are you what he was fussing about?"

"Yes, he decided he wanted to play in the mud. Guess we all ended up playing in it today." I joked, taking my chance to slip the lead back onto his collar.

"Oh, silly dog." She chided, scratching behind his ear in a way that had him craning his neck and falling over.

"Would you... like to walk with us back to the start of the trail?" I offered, my mouth acting before my brain had time to think. Something about seeing her being so sweet to someone who meant so much to me just made my brain short circuit.  

"Sure." She agreed, never taking her eyes off Kal. Quick question. Is it normal to be jealous of your dog? I am most certainly jealous of my dog right now. I really wish she would look at me like that. So relaxed and calm and... so happy.

"Kal. go on." I instructed, nodding up the mud covered hill. He bounded up it without even a second thought, dragging the leash through the mud as he went. Great. I trotted up next, looking back down to see our mystery companion staring dumbstruck at the hill. "Need some help?" I offered, kneeling down to offer a hand.

I barely heard her soft 'thank you' as I pulled her up. Such a frail looking thing. She seemed to do everything she could to shrink away and make herself smaller. Why would anyone want to do this to her?

I let her hold Kal's lead as we walked back to the trail head, my stupid brain desperately trying to come up with something to say. I should ask her to get coffee after. There's a dog friendly place not far away, and Kal seems to be the ticket to gaining her attention. But we're all three covered in filth, no way she'd go for that right now. I could ask her to meet up later... but she probably won't show up then. Especially if I can't come up with something to say. Waiting until I bumped into her on the trail again wasn't an option, either. Last time it had taken over a month to see her again.

Do I talk about Kal? That would probably be a good idea. Do I just start babbling, or do I wait for her to say something first? No, idiot, she's not going to say anything first. She hasn't said a word the entire time we've been walking. So how do I start talking? Tell her his name, my name, my address, phone number and give her my passport? That's a touch over the top. Get it together, Cavill! The trail head is less than a five minute walk from here. Just say something.

"I seem to like you." I blurted out, my eyes widening in horror when I realized what I had said. "I mean he... Kal. He really likes you. I mean, so do I, you're a very attractive woman, but you just seem to like him more, and he really likes you too." I babbled, putting my foot deeper and deeper into my mouth as I went along. I really need to put "learn to talk to pretty girls" on my to do list. Right after I finish my latest warhammer figurine. Or never. Never is a much less intimidating timeline.

It's so much easier when they just throw themselves at me. I don't have to pretend I'm not a giant nerd and a bumbling dork when they lead the conversation. Wait, are nerds still attractive right now? That was a thing, right? I could show her my custom PC. If she likes nerds, she'll definitely like that. Wait, no, that's creepy.

"Are you ok?" Her voice stopped my inner monologue.

"Yes, I'm fine. How are you?" I replied entirely too quickly, overly eager to have her continue talking. Her voice was so soft and sweet.

"You're... acting strange." She mumbled, her body regaining it's earlier stiffness, like a rabbit ready to bolt at any second. Great, my blundering just ruined everything.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I just..." I stopped, forcing myself to take a breath. Man up, Cavill. It's now or never. "Would you like to meet up again tomorrow for a walk?"

"Umm... I don't know." She mumbled, absently stroking Kal's head again. There's my opening.

"I can bring Kal along. I'll give him a bath first. Myself as well. Actually. I plan on taking a shower, I don't normally take baths. Showers are just easier. Baths are nice for relaxing but not for getting clean." Right back to my embarrassing rambling.

"That... that would be nice." How did that just work? Perhaps she finds awkward rambling endearing? Or it made me less intimidating. No one is intimidated by a moron. I have got to figure out how to talk to girls, and fast. I have what I'm calling a date tomorrow.

[probably-writing-x]

Live Capture.

Arón Piper x Reader

Request by anon: would you be able to do an Aron Piper imagine where his girlfriend is a YouTuber but she’s very shy to show him on her channel as a way of protection even though he’s used to the public & then they go out in public & a fan starts to record them...you can take it on from there :) hope you’re staying safe xx

Gif is not my own

Requests are open 🤍

“On your left, on your left!” You call through your microphone, “Yes, downed him, another team coming up behind us.”

Your friend speaks through your headset and updates you on his own progress as both of you were midway through a game on Warzone. You took a moment to glance at the chat on your livestream to YouTube and smiled at a few of the messages before turning back to focus on the game.

“Alright we’ve got enough for a loadout,” You comment, “Cover me.”

He follows your advice and does exactly that, only moments before you’re shot at from another direction and both of you are killed.

“Shit man,” You groan, “I really wasn’t on it that game.”

“Still top ten though,” Your friend points out, “Alright, Imma head off for the night. I’ll catch you tomorrow.”

You say your goodbyes and turn back to your chat, reading a few of the comments you’d missed, “I think I’m going to turn in for the night too, thank you guys so much for watching this livestream. And I’ll be uploading a video tomorrow at 6pm so keep your eyes peeled for that one. Good night guys!”

You turn off your stream and shut down everything on your PC, the true sign that you’d be turning in for the night. You grab the empty plate from where your dinner had been and the empty drinks from over the course of the hours that you’d been on stream.

“Hey honey, any luck?” Arón asks from the couch, where he lay with his arm tucked under his head, turned to watch the TV screen.

“We got a couple of wins,” You nod, “Nothing great. I didn’t know you’d still be up.”

“And go to bed without you? Would I ever?” He laughs, “C’mhere.”

You yawn and walk over until you’re close enough that he can reach out and pull you down to lay with him, letting you rest on top of his chest, “What are you watching?”

“One of your videos,” He chuckles, “There was nothing on TV and I didn’t want to watch any of that series without you, so I’m watching your channel.”

“Why?” You smile, looking at which video he’d chosen.

“This is from that day we went to the beach and you were teaching me how to surf. I dont know how you managed to keep me out of the whole video!” He exclaims, “Genuinely there’s not even a glimpse of me.”

“Because I spent about four hours rewatching it and re-editing it to make sure. I’m very secretive when I need to be,” You remind him, leaning up to kiss at his jaw, “They all still ask questions.”

He hums in response, “Do you want to go to bed darling?”

Your eyes are already fluttering shut as he asks the question and he somehow has to figure out how to get you from the couch to your bed without disturbing you too much. It was a regular occurrence after you streamed late at night, and he’d grown to be very good at taking care of you after you’d drained yourself after a long day.

You’d been dating for a little under a year now but it felt like you’d loved him for a lifetime. He’d quickly become everything you could ask for in a boyfriend and the two of you somehow became the perfect match for each other. With him as an actor, and you as a YouTuber, both of you lived very unconventional lives at times - but that’s what made it work so well. You’d kept your relationship away from the public for this entire time, not wanting to risk it ending up like the majority of YouTube relationships nowadays. You liked the fact that your relationship still felt like your own, and you didn’t have to fear the audience response to seeing you with a boyfriend. They’d never seen that side of your life, and truth be told, you were fearful of showing them. For now, it felt so much more comfortable to keep Arón separate. Like it still meant you had him all to yourself.

- - - - - -

The next day, after waking up a little too late, you make sure to post your video on time and read through the comments as soon as it reaches your audience. It had been a fitness challenge that you’d had to ask Arón to help you film when you were at the gym. He’d spent half the time zooming into your face far too close or stopping filming because you’d made him laugh and you could hear him on the recording. Somehow, you’d still managed to avoid showing him in the footage and made sure that he couldn’t be heard too much through the microphone.

“What do you fancy for dinner, darling?” Arón asks as he steps into your filming room and sees you sat at your desk in your gaming chair.

“I’m just reading through the response to the video,” You explain as he comes up behind you and wraps his arms around your shoulders, you run your hands along his arms as they encase you.

“Are they all talking about my brilliant filming skills?” He grins, kissing your cheek.

You point out one comment that questions in all capital letters ‘who does she have filming this? Y’all seriously can’t tell me she’s still single!!!!!’

Arón laughs and clicks to read the responses to the comment, pausing on one that is a timestamp from the video. A specific second in the footage that you find yourself skipping to on the video timeline to find exactly what one of your fans was talking about. Quite rightly so, at that exact second, you can just about make out Arón in the reflection of one of the mirrors in the gym. His face isn’t visible but his distinctive curls are obvious enough.

“Shit, do you think they know it’s you?” You ask, sitting more upright in your chair as you look through the rest of the comments about that exact moment.

Some people were suggesting different names, different people that could take the face of that curly hair - but only a few had actually suggested Arón. Someone mentioned the fact that you’d been at the Élite premiere and pointed out that you could’ve been going as his date rather than just a guest at the event - that was, in fact, the truth. Someone else mentioned how Omar followed you on Instagram - the initial way you’d met Arón.

“Oh come on, look, they’re saying loads of names,” He points out, “Theyre all just guessing, my name was bound to be in there at some point.”

“I’m so sorry, I had no idea that they’d be able to see y-“

“Hey,” Arón turns your chair around so you’re facing him, “It’s fine, honestly. I don’t care, okay?”

“Are you sure?” You sigh, smiling as he cups your face in his hands.

“Positive,” He nods, leaning in and kissing you, “I say we just order in for dinner.”

You laugh and let him pull you up to stand, “Good idea.”

- - - - - -

The following day, you and Arón are on your way to your parents place for your father’s birthday. You manage to get up at a semi-acceptable time and keep yourself away from social media to avoid all of the questions about your mystery boyfriend. You step into the taxi and try to keep yourself relaxed.

“Hey! I know you!” The taxi driver speaks up, glancing in the mirror at Arón, “You’re on Netflix. My daughter watches your show all the time!”

“Thanks man, that means a lot,” Arón smiles politely, glancing at you for a second.

The man rambles on a little more about the show and how much he’d learnt about it from his daughter, laughing at how jealous she’d be that he’d met Arón.

“And is this your girlfriend?” The taxi driver asks, glancing at you in the mirror too.

“No, just a friend,” Arón nods, forcing a little smile in your direction, “So, have you been busy today?”

You’re relieved that he steers the topic away from you and tries to keep some level of awkward small talk with the driver as you eventually pull up in town.

“You can just drop us here, buddy, thank you,” Arón comments, getting out of the car and waiting for you.

“That’s a sign! That’s a sign, people know about us,” You state simply as you step out of the car, “I’m certain.”

“(Y/n)!” Arón laughs, “It’s fine! We have no certainty that people know we’re together, and we’ll let it stay that way. Stop worrying honey, you’ll give yourself a heart attack.”

You sigh and try to relax under the influence of his words.

“You’re cute when you get stressed,” He chuckles, reaching for your hand and squeezing it, “Really cute.”

You cock a brow, “You know, maybe I should tell everyone about us - feed you to the lions type of attitude.”

Arón laughs, “They’ll fucking love me!”

He cups your jaw with his free hand and dips his head to press a kiss to your waiting lips. It’s soft and it gives the sincerity to his words that his tone hadn’t done. You were so worried about everyone finding out about you, mainly because you were terrified of it ruining a time in your life where you were happier than you’d ever been. It was silly but you liked the idea of preventing your relationship from being strained by the public view. For now, it felt so much easier to keep this between you. When it had first started, you wanted to keep things private until you knew that this was something real and something you were sure of. But when you’d started to feel that way, it felt even more important to keep that private - knowing that you cared too much about Arón to jeopardise anything.

“Come on, lets go grab some food,” He encourages, locking his hand with yours before swinging an arm over your shoulder so that your interlocked hands rested just over your heart, “What are the odds that the taxi driver was actually a fan? I bet he doesn’t even have a daughter!” Arón jokes and yet again manages to say exactly what you needed to hear to ease your stress.

- - - - - -

A little later, as you’re sat at your parents house with your parents and your siblings, Arón comes walking through from the kitchen with your nephew in his arms.

“There she is!” He grins when he sees you, letting your nephew run over until he jumps into your arms.

“Where have you two been?” You laugh, looking at his disheveled Arón appeared.

“We’ve been on the trampoline,” Arón groans, flopping down beside you, “I think I’m too old for that now.”

“You think?” You smirk, “You’re a mess!”

He grabs your phone from the side and checks his appearance in the black screen. Your nephew giggles and reaches over to grab at his messy curls. Arón smiles and goes to tickle him, only glancing away when he sees your phone ping in his hand.

“Jeez, you’re popular today,” He comments, showing you the endless list of notifications on your phone.

“Probably just the boys asking about playing later, can you open it for me?” You ask, shifting your nephew so he was now stood on your thighs facing you as you make silly faces at him to keep him occupied.

“Oh shit...” Arón mumbles.

“Arón!” You hiss, making wide eyes in the direction of your nephew.

“Sorry, babe, but you need to see this,” You set your nephew down and he runs off to his own mother before you take your phone from Arón.

His reaction now seemed completely justified. In a group chat with a bunch of your friends from YouTube, you’re being bombarded with messages. Some of them are accompanied by photos but the majority are accompanied by laughing emojis. Quite rightly so as the photos show clear shots of you and Arón from earlier. The images had clearly been taken from across the street when you’d first got out of the taxi. One of you laughing at something he’d said, one of you kissing, another of you kissing, and a few of you walking away with his arm around you.

“Who took those?!” You exclaim, “I didn’t even see anybody... or hear anybody...”

“Hey, hey, look,” Arón nudges you, handing you his own phone that showed all of his mentions on Instagram.

You’d already been tagged in a flurry of posts about the situation - 100% of them being purely positive and excited for both of you. People saying how perfect you were for each other. Some pointing out moments from your streams and from YouTube where it was obvious you were talking to someone behind the camera - who they now understood to be Arón.

“They’re all so excited,” You half-laugh, “Look, theres even a fucking video of us!”

You show him a video a fan had taken of you two together that’s accompanied by the caption - ‘I wanted to speak to them but they’re just so fricking cute I didn’t want to disturb them!!!’

You smile at all of the supportive messages from your fans, commenting on how happy they were for you, though some were jealous of you being Arón’s girlfriend.

“Well, looks like that turned out better than we expected,” Arón comments, “Should we say anything?”

You look at him and grin, flicking your Instagram camera on as you pose for the photo. He wraps an arm around your shoulder and rests his head against yours as you both smile at the screen.

You type out a quick caption ‘You got us...’ and post it to your story. Though you lock your phone before you can become too bombarded by replies to the image.

“Shit, does this mean I can play Warzone with you now?!”

“You’re still terrible, maybe when you get a bit better,” You laugh, kissing him quickly.

[trashy-croud]

Jungle - India 🗺️🐒

So, where do we start? So I did initially start this game with the Manor run, seeing how well I did the assault course and the driving and I did pretty okay. I mean, I remember them clear as day as this croft manor was the one I played the most as a child on the PC, whilst my dad was at work so I didn't lose his progress. After getting used to all the controls again, and finding out there was a sprint button, I decided to start this game up for real. I won't say much about croft manor, may look at it more after all of this but I'll focus on the main story for now.

So let’s begin on this new adventure with Lara. In the very beginning cutscene, before the menu appears, we see a meteor crashing onto Earth. It landed in Antarctica, had to look this up, as during the time it crashed, Antarctica was tropical. This very first cinematic is set over a million years ago, long before our little adventurer had anything to do with it. As we move onto the present day, we’re in the Antarctica that we all known and love to well as there seems to be some people doing research there, some digging and whatnot. One man who is there is named Willard, he’s totally not the bad guy. I sweaaar.  Anywho a lot of the machinery goes wrong, from what I can tell, they basically made a discovery of a set of stone heads, very much like the ones on Easter Island in Antarctica. It is a huuuge wild ride in one cutscene alone! And then we are shown at the end, the discovery of a handmade grave/post/thing, for one Mr Paul Caulfield. I suppose he’s going to have quite the impact on our adventure and like Willard says, "This place has a busy history." I don’t think he’s too far from the tree, ya know.

So after all that, we finally begin, woo, finally talking about the first level of this game and boy, was I struggling to get used to this and had to go through it several times to obtain all the secrets. Yes, I know about you “All Hallows” and I will not make the same mistake as I did in the previous game! So in this first level, we start off in India, off in the jungles. It doesn’t specify where precisely, we’ll perhaps get more information on all of that as we progress further through these few levels, but all I know is that things have changed and boy, do I gotta talk about them!

So for starters, we have a mixed save system. Playing on the playstation, I don’t get unlimited saves like on the PC or like the second instalment of the game, well, not anymore. Instead we have a combination of the first game with the save crystals and the second game with getting to save whenever we please. But, now we have limitations on the saves, which means someone is going to have to be extra careful with her saves from now on and not waste all of her save crystals carelessly~ Note to self: if they are anything like the flares or how many times I saved in the previous game, these crystals will not be lasting long.

Also, I don’t have a button to use my flares constantly either. I have to actually open my backpack up and then think, I have to think about whether I need them or not. Do we understand how this is a mind-blowing mechanic for someone like me who wasted them all in the early levels of the game and never got them again?! On one hand, it’s super helpful for people like me, but on the other hand, it’s also annoying because I can’t access them within a second of needing them. So you know, there are pros and cons to this little feature. But I will have to adapt!

Final note before I actually talk about the level itself. Heh. Secrets. I mentioned earlier that I was going to collect them all to get the secret level but did I mention that it’s not like the second game anymore? I’m so used to the idea I only have to collect three secrets that when it popped up with the statistics screen, when it said “3 of 6″, I think I about lost it? Like, it’s gone back to the first instalment’s idea of secrets, which I ain’t complaining about. It just threw a huge spanner in the works and goes to show that this is going to take ten times longer for me to complete! So don’t expect a finale any time soon! I feel like, in particular levels, I’m going to miss the obviousness which was the dragon statues you had to find previously. I’m sure I’ll complain about it all soon enough, just you wait.

Anyway, right, so let’s actually talk about the level itself! As the first level of this game, it really did not pull any punches. You are literally given three secrets to find at the very start of the level, that later two I found much easier but the first one was so dang hard. Like, I kid you not, I was trying everything, looking everywhere I could and how I was supposed to find this secret was beyond me. Like I was just jumping around on the slope, hoping I’d find something and low and behold, I bloody well did! This was only the beginning of my struggles as the level pressed forward. After finding the first three secrets, which were quite literally one after the other, we’re introduced to something new. And oh dear god, I’m gonna hate it. It’s quicksand! Yaaaay.

After overcoming the quicksand, we met new... enemies? Well, we met some monkeys, but they seem friendly, at least for now but that is bound to change very quickly. Because it’s a Tomb Raider game. And nice enemies don’t happen often. Y’know, like the tigers that try to maul us to death later on and the addition to some new watery enemies, yeah, watery. I used that word. Piranhas. Oh boy, I don’t like this. Water is meant to be my safe zone, although there are sometimes shark and crocodiles/alligators, I can cope. Even with the odd barracuda and the like, I can cope. But piranhas? Oh no. We are done. Because these awkward little swines cannot be killed as far as I know, and I’m ready to absolutely weep at them! But nonetheless, we somehow still trudged on. We’re just plodding along.

We encountered traps like never before, we met boulders and spikes and more boulders, oh and zip lines. Now, you may be thinking, “But Croud, how are zip lines traps? They help you?” And now here’s the part where I prove you wrong because I cannot use zip lines to save my life. The amount of times I died in the floating island level due to zip lines is unreal, and they’re here in this game too? Oh they are certainly classed as traps on my list. You can make sure of that!

To make a long story short this level put me through the works. Like so many works it’s unreal. 

This level did not pull on any punches and really got you involved in it. I thought “The Great Wall” was a wacky trap filled first level, but this. This wasn’t just filled with traps, no, we got multiple routes, more exploration. It felt much less linear yet you still knew the way to go. It almost made the level more expansive? I believe that’s the right way to put it. Was probably the reason this level took me so long. I’ll hopefully make the next post much more structured compared to this one, but right now, I want to just gush over how many flare I have. 34! That’s right, ya girls’ been good with ‘em. It won’t last long so took a picture to commemorate it. 

Over all, I greatly enjoyed this first level, it has truly set a tone for the rest of the game to come. Finished it in style by jumping into more quicksand in the end, which really did make me panic - all before we were given the final cutscene, one where Willard makes his appearance once more, or at least an audio appearance rather than a physical one.

During this last cutscene, Lara comes across a campsite and a radio from which we can hear Willard talking, or better yet, trying to get into contact with someone from this site. That is when we are introduced to the “loon” known as Tony. He did not hold back with our Lara, though I’m sure he was suffering from jungle madness with the way he spoke and his attitude. After going in a bit of a circle with him about how many there were of her, we finally get to the point as to why Lara is in this jungle. The Infada artifact. Finally we get a name for the mysterious artifact we’ve been searching for and it sure does sound mysterious. Though Tony doesn’t seem to agree with us completely, summarising it plainly as “voodoo magic and all that”. Perhaps he has seen it before or witnessed what it can do? Though that summary definitely did not impress our Lara as she was asking about anyone else who could talk to her on a more intellectual level, or without brushing off what she was talking about as just “voodoo magic”.

Tony certainly doesn’t have his way with women, we can see that for certain. And he didn’t impress Lara further with the mention of Randy and Rory, who he said was staying put in that temple. Now that ain’t boding too well. Nor do the last words Tony leaves us with, which are quite literally “die” as he jumps off a ledge, disappearing with giggles galore. He was right when he said the jungle was truly rotting his brain, or perhaps it is actually something else that is causing this? Now as someone who hasn’t played the game, nor gotten further than literally this level alone, this cutscene has always been one to make me believe that Tony ain’t a trustworthy guy, and boy was my gut instincts as a child were right. Because I still don’t trust this giggly arse! 

But now that’s it! At least for now. This has been the jungle levels as we explore more of the India levels, now moving onto the Temple Ruins. This game is giving me a different kind of feeling to the previous instalment and oh god, I’m currently enjoying it. Though I’m petrified because this is new territory. Hopefully we can get all these secrets! But see you all soon in the temple ruins, where we’re sure to meet Randy and Rory, or at east whatever is left of them from the sounds of it?

[inevitablesurrender]

Finally got back to finishing my run of ver 1.0/disk-only FFXV last night.  As predicted, haaaaaaaa boy that.  Was not.  Easier.  More anger, though.

My plan was simply to see how much had been added on with just the day 1 patch and... I’m actually quite astonished over what was accomplished in an extra month.  A lot of quality of life things, sure, but those... little touches.  Those little, heart-rending touches here and there.  Extra dialog, extra options, etc.  Tiny little brushstrokes that make these characters blossom.

...And then basically fucking destroy you, but you know, this is fine.

Gonna spend more time aimlessly wandering Lucis because I really fucking need to before Episode Ardyn drops and hopefully I can snag all the updates at once on a much faster connection.  ...We’ll see about that.  Sadly I’m pretty sure doing out of bounds stuff on 1.0 is too severely limited due to stability issues that weren’t fixed until update 1.8-ish or so to get me to where I’d like to wander, so I suppose it’ll just have to wait until I can tear the game apart on a PC that’ll run it.  I can play with individual assets now, but... uh... I can’t actually... see them... work.  So.  ...Yeah.  Boo.

I do plan to go through the individual episodes again, and play through the Royal Edition on a new game too... eventually.  Comparing, contrasting, etc.  ...Seeing if my OOB saves still work...

Unrelated: Wow, we're back in the days of angst leading into cavity-inducing soriku fluffmance and Kairi being written as a human being, what a time to be alive.  (Yes of course I’m slowly working my way through sorikai fics too, come on.  ...I haven’t even read the fics I mention, just skimmed and bookmarked, because time is unfair despite being unreal.)

Unrelated #2: I’m still surprised at the number of people who continue to interact with me even after they’ve heard some of OrgLIX.

[riverchester]

Killer-Stuffed-Dinosaur In Love

(a 13x16 "Scoobynatural" Coda) - read also on AO3 

Even when yet another apocalypse is just around the corner, the events of their trip to the Scooby-Doo cartoon have a lasting effect on the boys. May it be a fond memory to put a smile on their lips or a piece of fabric that contributes to complete new developments.

Rating:  Teen And Up Audiences No Warnings Category: M/M Fandom: Supernatural Relationship: Castiel / Dean Winchester Characters: Dean Winchester, Castiel, Sam Winchester Additional Tags: Episode s13e16: Scoobynatural; Coda; Fluff; Love Confessions; Making Out; Language: English

Blood of the most holy man – check. Fruit from the tree of life – check. Archangel grace – … still to be found.

Sam, Dean, and Cas don’t even have the slightest clue where to search for Lucifer. It’s like he has fallen off the face of the earth – and yes, they actually considered this option. In fact, the more days pass, the more viable it seems that maybe, somehow, Lucifer found a way open the rift and get back to the other dimension. Or maybe he’s just stuck again in one of Colonel Sander’s cells. Because let’s be honest, if he and that other angel would still be running around freely, they would’ve heard of them by now, right?

Sam sits at the table in the war room, hacking something on his laptop – as always – and Dean downs one beer after another while reading through some lore that probably doesn’t even have one hint – as always – when Cas comes down the stairs of the bunker after yet another shot at finding his absent brother.

“Well, your body language speaks volumes, Cas. Let me guess, nothing?” Dean says, stretching his arms over his head. Really, they need a break.

“Nothing, nada, rien, nichts,” Cas sighs, slumping into a chair “I don’t understand it, I searched every place. I actually consider contacting other angels to see if they can help. Although I can imagine they won’t be too excited.” The angel massages his temples as if he has a headache. A very human habit, considering he doesn’t feel that sort of pain.

“Probably not,” Sam says, rubbing his eyes, “but we need every bit of help we can get.”

The loud thud of Dean closing the books in front of him has Sam and Cas turn to him. “No, what we really need, like right now, is a break.”

“Dean – ” Sam starts, but he doesn’t get as far as a second word, because his brother interrupts immediately, raising his hands in defense.

“I get it, Sam, I do. Believe me, I wanna get mom back as soon as possible, and Jack too. I know I was pretty hard on that kid at first, but he’s family. Damn, he already tried so often to save our asses and help us with mom, how could I not see him as a Winchester? And I also know that we have to be quick to stop this Michael 2.0., but look at us,” he gestures wildly between himself and the other men to prove a point, “Sam, when was the last time you looked at something else than the screen of your damn PC? You can hardly keep your eyes open, they must hurt like a bitch. I start reading the same paragraphs over and over again because I just can’t concentrate anymore, the words are swimming before my eyes. And Cas doesn’t exactly look peachy either.”

“I am an angel, I don’t need – ” Cas starts, but again, Dean doesn’t want to hear a word.

“Yeah, I know man, but come on, the last weeks strained your mojo a lot. Don’t act as if it is nothing, cause I saw you napping at the kitchen table. And if I learned one thing in the ten years that I deal with angels, it’s that sleep never means something good for you guys.”

With his arms crossed, Dean sits and waits for a snarky reply, but his brother and best friend just look at each other for a second before they give up and sigh exhaustedly.

“Okay, maybe you’re right,” Sam says, shifting his weight on the chair he sits on for eight hours straight by now, “maybe we really could use a break.”

“Good. So, I’d say you hit the sack and I go for a food run. I wanna eat something real again and not this microwave crap. I’m gonna make chili for dinner. Hot, rich, and spicy. It will get our circulation going.” Dean stands up and the joints in his legs creak. He really could use some time under the hot spray.

“I can join you, if you want,” Cas says to Dean as the hunter grabs his keys from the table.

“Sure.”

“Could you two maybe grab some stuff for smoothies then?” Sam asks, already yawning.

“Okay, but don’t expect me to mix you this stuff. It’s violation of fruits and you know it. Really, apples belong in a pie!” Dean gruntingly says.

Without another word, Sam disappears in direction of his bedroom, while Cas already makes his way over to the garage. Dean stretches and flexes his arms one more time before he follows the angel. They’ve been cooped up in this place for too long. Not that the bunker isn’t a nice place to live in, but even the nicest place can give you cabin fever after a while. The drive to the store will hopefully help him to blow the cobwebs away.

Behind the steering wheel, Dean feels already better. The sound, the smell, and the vibration of his Baby never fail to soothe him. Out on the road, he cranks down the window to feel a bit of the airstream in his hair, and Cas emulates.

“I’m sorry, Dean. I shouldn’t have let Lucifer get away in the first place, then we wouldn’t be in this situation now.”

“Cas, this is not your fault.”

After a minute of silence, the angel mumbles, “I’m still sorry.”

Dean sighs. “Could you please stop apologizing for it?” God, when did this become so awkward?

They are still in somewhat of a process of getting comfortable and natural around each other again, after yet another death, yet another time of being forcefully separated from each other and not knowing how the other is. They’ve done it plenty of times over the last years, but it’s an ever-continuing process nonetheless, and it doesn’t get easier.

The hunter can see his best friend eyeing the ascot that he knotted around the rearview mirror. “Sam told me it looks weird to wear it, so I put it up there. In memory of our little adventure,” he says, side-eyeing the angel to wait for any sort of reaction.

“It… didn’t look weird,” Castiel answers carefully after a while.

Dean yanks his head in the other man’s direction, surprised by the answer. “Really?”

“Really,” Cas says. He stares at Dean for a second, before his averts his gaze and looks out of the window. “I mean, it was not what one would call your ‘usual style’, but it was very obvious how much fun you had in the cartoon, and how much you care for these little reminders. I like seeing you happy.”

The hunter stares at the road in front, hoping that the warm feeling in his cheeks doesn’t show on his face. He doesn’t even know what to answer. It’s always like that when Castiel, angel of the Lord, lets out a compliment or anything else slightly emotional in his direction. It still gets Dean every time.

“Ehm, thanks Cas,” he answers to not let the awkward silence drag on for any longer.

“I think I understand now what draws you to this cartoon. I already knew how much you like it before we got sucked into the television, but I never really paid attention on why. But I can imagine now, that as a child who got confronted with the supernatural from a very young age on, those stories were a secure place. You saw this group of people on the screen, who also fight monsters, but in the end, it turns out good. No one dies, and there is nothing to be afraid of in the long run.” The angel stays quite for a moment, as if considering something. “It must’ve been very important for you to have this sort of escape, if only for the length of an episode, once in a while.”

Dean feels a lump forming in his throat. He knew this, sure, but no one ever spoke it out loud, no one ever put it together this simple. And of course, Cas did it. His always curious, billions of years old angel, who gets fascinated by things as cereals and foosball, might have problems at times with slang or social interactions, but he never fails to amaze Dean with his train of thoughts.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he answers, although he would like to say more. He would like to say “thank you”, he would like to say something smart, but to be honest, he also just wants to grab this guy and kiss the shit out of him.

It’s not like Dean doesn’t know about his feeling for his best friend, he knows it very well. How can a guy not, if the face of his angel friend is the picture that follows him into his dreams at night, or if the tingly feeling on his skin whenever they touch stays for hours? And even if Dean might be too naïve or suppressing to figure it out with that, the boner he’s sported on several occasions is not exactly a thing to ignore. But he also knows that neither him or Cas are well known for having luck in their lives, especially considering romantic interests, so to make the first step, to actually act on those feelings, is more than he can usually handle.

Their shopping trip is quick and efficient because Dean knows his chili recipe by heart and Cas gratefully undertakes the task of selecting fruits and veggies for Sam. It’s a nice and utterly normal activity, to go grocery shopping together; Dean would even call it domestic and he enjoys this togetherness while walking up and down the aisles and adding things to their cart. They don’t even have to talk much, that was never their thing anyway. It was always more staring than words, but somehow they get along with it quite well. Maybe it’s this ‘more profound bound’ thing that Cas talked about. Dean always wondered what that exactly meant.

The drive back home is comfortable and Dean turns up the volume to sing along the radio. Out of the corner of his eyes, he watches Cas drum with his fingers to the beat. God, how he loves those little gestures of the angel. He grins from ear to ear and lays off the gas pedal a bit, just to have a minute or two more with the other man. But Lebanon is tiny and although the bunker is hidden outside the town, they arrive back in the garage sooner than Dean would’ve liked. Not that he doesn’t feel comfortable around Cas when they’re in the bunker, but in Sam’s presence, he’s far more aware of what he’s doing and how he acts around the angel. Which is stupid because his giant moose brother would be the last person to judge him. On the road, however, he feels a bit more confident – at least in his head. Out on the road, he sometimes has the feeling like he might have the guts to make a move.

The garage door closes, and Dean shuts down the engine. Without the constant background noise of his Baby, it’s dead silent. Before he can get as far as touching the handle of the driver’s door, he can see Cas starting to fumble with the ascot. Dean squints his eyes and watches his best friend untying the knot and carefully straightening the fabric in his lap.

“Cas, what – ” Dean starts but immediately shuts his mouth again when Cas crawls over to his side of the bench and places the ascot around his neck. The hunter shudders at the feeling of Cas’ fingers on his skin, and they are so close, that he has nothing but the angel in his field of vision, nothing but his best friend’s breath that sounds in his ears.

Cas takes his time with tying the fabric and Dean holds his breath the whole time. Every muscle in his body is tensed and the thoughts running through his mind make his head spin. How can the guy smell so amazing?

After what feels like an eternity, the angel straightens the perfect knot one last time and whispers, still close to Dean’s face “It suits you.” Then he is about to lean back, to take his hands away from the hunter’s body, but Dean reacts out of instinct and grabs for Cas’ wrist, holding him in place.

“Dean?”

He hears it, the gravelly voice calling his name, but he’s like in trance. That’s exactly what he was afraid of, acting without thinking and then not having a clue how to proceed. He can’t go further, but he can’t let Cas go and pretend as if nothing happened either. So he just stares. They’re Cas and Dean so staring is their thing, right? In fact, he knows that he’s pleading, that he looks desperate and if this bond between them truly exists, he hopes that Cas gets it and will interpret it right.

And boy, does he interpret it right. The first touch of lips on lips is careful and reserved, their mouths barely brushing against each other. But once this hurdle is cleared, they only separate for Dean to breathe. And they still try to get closer, with Cas fisting the ascot and Dean reciprocating by grabbing for the angel’s tie. His back is pressed against the driver’s door, but although the handle is a bit uncomfortable, Dean can’t stop grinning against the kisses. Turns out, he wasn’t the only one needy to get this on the road. They grasp and touch and kiss, and slowly get from a sitting to a more lying position, with Cas on top; not at all surprising for Dean.

Their breath fogs the inside of the Impala and it’s pretty obvious that they either need to stop soon or lose some clothes and move to the backseat. Dean is torn between both possibilities. On the one hand, he already feels the familiar spark pooling deep inside his body, ready to go further, but on the other hand, it’s also too much at once. This is Cas, not some random girl from a bar. He deserves something special, and although the thought of sex with Cas in his Baby has Dean moaning against the angel’s mouth, their first time should be different. They should be able to fall asleep next to each other… or at least Dean.

He puts one hand flat against Cas’ chest and breaks their kiss. The angel’s grumpy moan makes it obvious that he’s not amused by this, but he reluctantly leans back and stares at Dean. He looks totally debauched, with swollen lips and lust-blown eyes, sweat forming on his forehead. Dean can only assume that he himself looks equally tousled.

“Dean?” There it is again, this one syllable that goes straight to Dean’s groin. He almost regrets his decision and thinks about just leaning in again, but his stomach uses the moment of silence between them to growl. Cas chuckles and Dean shrugs – a very awkward gesture in his position.

“Ehm… maybe I should start making dinner,” he says and the angel nods.

“Can I help you?”

“Sure.” They stay like this for another few moments, share another sweet kiss, and then straighten their clothes to look decent once they crawled out of the car.

In the kitchen, they stay as close as possible while washing, chopping, and cooking. Sometimes it’s their hips touching, sometimes their arms. One might let a finger trail over the other’s shoulder when they walk across the room. When the chili simmers on the stove, Cas crowds Dean against the counter and presses their bodies together. The hunter immediately looks to the door and Cas steps back, knowing his favorite human well enough to not risk him feeling uncomfortable.

“Sorry,” Dean mutters, looking at the ground.

“It’s okay, I understand.”

“No, you don’t,” the hunter adds, “I… I’m not ashamed of this,” he gestures between them, “and I don’t wanna hide it from Sam. I just… I don’t want to… well, tell him like this. I’m gonna talk to him.”

“You want to talk? By choice?”

“Yeah, I don’t know. Seems like being in love makes me sappy and talkative”

It takes Dean a moment to realize what he just said, and he’s already getting nervous again until he sees the huge grin on Cas’ face, who leans in and claims the other man’s mouth in a passionate, sweet and loving kiss. “I love you too.”

Their confessions and following making out is cut short when they hear a door opening and closing pretty loudly down the hall. Bless this bunker for the echoing corridors. “To be continued,” Cas whispers into Dean’s ear.

When Sam scuffs into the kitchen, they already set the table. Team Free Will sits down and enjoys the meal that turned out truly delicious. After his second serving, Sam shoves the bowl to the side and leans back in his chair, sighing in contentment.

“Really, Dean? The ascot again?”

Just then the older brother looks down at him and sees that he’s still wearing the piece of fabric. Before he can answer, though, Cas starts to speak and pats his hand under the table.

“Well, I can see why Daphne likes it.”

[decadentbirdtyrant]

Feeling Numb

TW: Mental Illness, smoking, disassociation, bipolar disorder, mentions of death, medication 

I don’t know what to post as triggers hopefully.

This is wrote in second person, I’m not sure why that’s just an easier way for me to write. Almost feels like I’ve removed myself from the equation in a way. 

You're doing it again. Staring at the wall unmoving, but as your vision fades from clear to blurry and back again the tell tale static clouds over the image. That's what it is though, an image. It doesn’t feel like real life anymore just like you are floating and staring at a paused screen. An image of a wall. The subtle movement in the lines before you as they bend back and forth are all you really need to know you are still breathing. You aren’t sure how long you have been blanking but noticing is a good sign that it’ll stop soon. That being said you still can’t feel your limbs and so trying to move them is nigh impossible. Finally though you manage to move your sight it's sluggish and it means you're coming back. The next thing you can move is your neck slowly looking back and forth and down to your hands. Slight twitches at first until you can flex your fingers then moving up your arms the feeling and movement returns to your control. But honestly the hardest part is last. You have to stand up, not that it is necessary but if you don’t you run the risk of spacing out again, and no one wants to be held hostage by their own body. It takes a while to gather the gumption to move your feet, they tingle from the numbness subsiding and soon there are pins and needles running up your legs. Now put it all together. Move your eyes and head, find a place to put your hands, use your arms to push yourself up, search again for a stable surface to grab onto, stabilize yourself while your legs continue to stall. Take one step and then another after four steps you start to feel normal again, you start to feel in control again. You feel like you have made it out of the woods, that you have accomplished a difficult task, just for it to all come crashing down. You don’t remember why you froze, what happened that made you become near catatonic. It wasn’t something big, there was no unexpected death, no terrible news, no real danger. Just the accumulation of stress and anxiety, the depression and anger dragging you down and finally your mind shutting itself off in a state of protection. It never helps. Instead of allowing yourself to fall victim again you make yourself move, distraction is the best method and games are a good way to keep mind occupied instead of fretting. 

Leaving the Living Room, keeping your head down and eyes cast to the floor while going through the Dining Room and through the door into your “office” the only thing that makes it your office is the expensive PC and dual monitor set you bought when you were manic. At least you were happy then. Other than that the office really just has some work out equipment (that you bought when you were manic and hardly touched), boxes from Amazon purchases, your old monitors that go with your old PC, and a wall mounted TV. All of which were impulse purchases, subtle reminders all over your house that you are in fact not well, not doing good, and hardly in control of yourself. Hell even this house is an impulse of a manic episode. Being both your escape and safe place and your biggest regret. 

Now that you sit at your desk you can’t help but notice the mess your life has become as the Dining Room sits right there in your peripherals. The table is covered in junk and more boxes of more things you bought when you shouldn’t have. There is hardly a Dining Room any more. You always tell yourself that you’ll stop, but all it takes is another obsession, an inkling of a thought that blossoms into an unneeded need. You need even more now to distract yourself. So you do the only thing that seems to work. Play a game on the computer and zone out on it for hours. 

By the time you decide to check the time four hours have passed and they felt like only one. Your joints are stiff and you can’t straighten your pinky finger without a little pain. That only really means you need a bit of a break before you continue this gaming endeavor. Standing up you feel multiple joints in your body pop and crack. Your muscles ache with the strain of moving for the first time in hours. Keep your head down as you walk through the Dining Room, but nothing can save you from the heart ache at seeing your kitchen. You suppose it could be worse but you were raised in a very clean house with a relatively strict mother who would definitely not be approving of the state of your house. It’s always the kitchen that hits the hardest though. When you had bought this house a year ago that kitchen looked completely different. You spent four weeks straight working on this kitchen, from repainting to putting in a new floor just so you could let it fall apart. But you do what you do best, avert your eyes and open the fridge which is honestly no better. Old food that should have been eaten days ago sits there mocking you. Another way of wasting money, it’s become a trend with you. Those around you tend to think you are good with your finances and if paying bills on time is all there is to go by then yes, you are good with your finances. Making a mental note to clean the fridge, which you will forget every time you look at the fridge for the next week, you grab out an energy drink. It feels like an addiction now, it kind of is a caffeine addiction Soda just doesn’t do it and the cans are just too small, say that to all the half drank cans of soda and energy drinks on the coffee table in the Living Room. No use thinking about that now, this can will join the ones in the office that are also half drunk. Moving along you whistle for your dog, and just as she always is she bounds up happily and wags her tail, her mouth open in a way that it looks like she is smiling at you. 

“Let's go outside” To that she jumps around and heads to the back door. You haven’t spoken in probably the last six hours and you can feel it in the way your throat felt scratchy and mouth felt dry. Going through the back door you once again move quickly as to not remind yourself of the mess your life is. When was the last time you cleaned the litter box? By the smell of it, it had been awhile and in this downward spiral you can tell it’ll be awhile more. 

There is something to say about fresh air, it always has an uncanny ability to make you feel ten times better than you felt in the stale indoor air. Yeah you may live in a city, and yeah you may live in a poor area of the city that is predominantly populated by meth addicts, and yes sometimes you can smell someone cooking meth in the air and the only reason you know what that smells like is because you have lived in this neighborhood for a long time. That does not diminish the fact that fresh air no matter how hot or how cold will always make you feel better. It’s dark out right now, there is a distinct lack in sound other than the buzz of bugs, a few cars, the occasional sirens and of course your dog. She has a hatred of anyone walking near her yard, bikes, motorcycles, and the mailman. You sit down on the back steps and pull out a pack of cigarettes. Cigarettes stopped feeling cool around the time you could legally buy them, but at that point they were no longer an accessory but a necessity. They calm you but really it isn’t the tobacco or the nicotine it's the deep breathing. The way you smoke a cigarette is actually very common to deep breathing exercises. You put the cigarette to your lips and take a deep breath in, holding it for a moment and then slowly releasing the breath. After the first drag you already feel calmer. Sure you could stop smoking and just take up deep breathing exercises but something tells you that you will never stick to it. What do you care about honestly, you obviously don’t have an issue wasting money on frivolous things, and you aren’t planning on living long and for as long as you can remember you never thought you’d live long. You just don’t see yourself growing old and wrinkly, in fact you have currently made it much further than you even considered possible. 

After finishing that cigarette you consider lighting another but your dog saves you from yourself by deciding then that she needed to bark loudly at god knows what. So you call her back in and though she too can be rather distracted she eventually comes happily inside trotting by you without a care in the world. Retracing your steps you keep your head down to not focus on the mess areas of your house until you are sitting back at your computer chair, your still unopened energy drink in front of you perspiration gathering on the outside. You’ll continue to ignore it though as you are back to the game and the outside world once again ceases to exist. Thankfully you can’t remember why you were so upset in the first place. 

This lasts until well past your bedtime with work coming up next evening you should really get to bed but if not the computer keeping you up the YouTube videos playing on the TV as background noise will. There is just something you hate about stopping a YouTube video in the middle of it. So you have to finish it. It’s fine though you know yourself and you know that you can run on little to no sleep. As it finishes you have to physically force yourself to shut down the PC and TV and make your way to the Bathroom. Unlike the rest of your house the Bathroom is relatively clean, it's just one of those places that drive you insane if it isn’t clean. Reaching above the medicine cabinet you grab down two orange pill bottles. ‘Lamotrigine’ and ‘Buspirone’ are supposed to help fix your head, maybe they are working but you honestly can’t tell. The only one that you can tell is doing something is ‘Bupropion’ and really that's only because it wakes you up it’s why you have to take it before work. It’s also why you feel more and more comfortable pushing the limits on bedtime. “If I don’t get enough sleep its fine, my meds will make me more awake and alert.” You also have prescribed sleeping pills but you don’t take them. They are only for dire situations but the last time you took them your dreams took a dark and rather gruesome turn so you stay away from them now. You glance over to the shower and consider that you should take a shower but “I can’t I have to go to bed for work” and “I don’t want to I’m too tired” also “I’ll just take a shower after I wake up” Which you know is a lie, they all are. You aren’t too tired, you don’t care about getting sleep for work, and you won't do it when you wake up. You can’t say why but you just can’t take a shower right now. So you don’t. You leave the bathroom without another thought and grab the cup by the kitchen sink, fill it with fridge water, and swallow back your pills. You hope the neighbor hadn’t seen you through the kitchen window. It’s an absurd thought but the idea of someone knowing you have to take pills to feel a semblance of okay is terrifying. 

When you were first diagnosed with a mental illness you were around the age of 7. It was depression and anxiety, things you started suffering from after your parents divorce 4 years ago. Though being 7 now and understanding divorce, try explaining that to a 3 year old who doesn’t understand why Daddy isn’t at home with them and Mommy. You were given your first prescription pills at the age of 7, and though she meant well your mother lied to you about what the pills were for. Your father on the other hand did not lie to you, was it because he cared? Maybe but mostly you think it was to be defiant towards your mother. The two hated each other at this time period. By not lying to you he made you upset with your mom for not telling the truth and resentful of the pills or as he referred to them “crazy pills”. 

“Crazy Pills” that's what you think when you take them, when you look at the bottles in the bathroom, when you even remember that you need to take them. One little phrase from nearly 20 years ago and it still haunts you to this day. It has foiled every other attempt at getting better mental health. But this time will be different. You hope. 

Once you have downed your pills, you start to feel this strange anxiety. It’s a morning anxiety usually where you feel this need to move and everything is going to slow. Quickly turning you head up the stairs to the second floor, it's more of a finished attic space where the ceiling height in the middle is just an inch or so above your head. This is the best part of your house. It’s the cleanest because you only come up here to go to sleep or fold laundry. Ducking through the bedroom door. Hurriedly you get undressed down to your boxers and turn on the fan. Crawling into bed you plug your phone in and grab a dissolvable melatonin, hoping that it’ll act quicker than your sleep anxiety can. If the sleep anxiety hits first you’ll be up for another three hours at least. It’s then that you remember what had put you in such a terrible mood. Scrolling through your phone you come across a post from a member of your “friend” group talking about how they all went and did something “had so much fun with all my friends!” You weren’t invited. You had always felt like you weren’t really a part of the group but you had always said it was because of your paranoid thoughts. Day by day though you start to notice that no, no you were right. They don’t care that you aren’t around, they don’t miss you, they wouldn’t notice if you disappeared, they wouldn’t care if you died other than to garner sympathy for themselves. You realize once again how much time and energy you’ve wasted on people trying to be who they want you to be just to be thrown away. Again. It stings a lot worse now, they are still friends with your ex, they still hang out with her and talk to her. Your breakup was mutual but no one thought to ask you if you were doing okay. Why would they? You don’t show your feelings, how could they possibly know you have any if you never show them. Robots don’t have feelings and at this point you just feel like a robot. A shell of a person. You do as you always do, distract yourself. Flipping through tabs on your phone you find one of fanfiction and start reading until the melatonin kicks in and finally you are asleep. You’ll wake up multiple times before you actually get up. You may get up in 3 hours or 8 but at least now you can sleep and forget all your worries until you wake up and they all come crashing back down on you. 

When you finally wake up you don’t leave your bed for a couple hours, just sit there and snooze the alarm over and over and once it’s almost time for work you pull yourself out of bed, get dressed and take “crazy pills”. Today is going to be a good day. It won’t but as long as you lie to yourself it's easier to face each day.

[jawsofhakkontranscript]

Storvacker Caged

(Previous quest - Avvar Allies)

Main questline: Storvacker Caged

The Avvar hold-beast has vanished. Thane Svarah Sun-Hair cannot in good conscience fight the Jaws of Hakkon until the bear is returned.

Characters involved: Svarah Sun-Hair, Master of the Hunt, Augur, Arrken Feldsen

Part 1: Speak with the Avvar villagers to find out where the bear might be.

(Speak with the Augur.)

PC: Do you know where your hold-beast may have gone?

Augur: Storvacker? No. I've asked the gods, but they've seen no sign.

(Speak with Trainer Arrken.)

PC: I heard your hold-animal's missing. Do you know where she might be?

Arrken: I can't help you, Inquisitor. I always keep my distance from Storvacker.

PC: Why is that?

Arrken: She nipped me good as a cub! The scar still itches when it rains.

(Speak with the Master of the Hunt.)

PC: Do you have any idea where Storvacker has gone?

Master of the Hunt: Our hold-animal's a hungry one. She might be after the game in the valley to the west. As the weather's turning, I'd not think she'd roam further.

Part 2: Search the valley for the bear.

(Entering Swamp Kuldsdotten for the first time.)

Party comments:

Cassandra: Be prepared. There's no telling what trouble we'll find down here.

Varric: I finally found someplace I hate even more than caves! That's a first!

Blackwall: How can it be so dark?

Sera (in response to Blackwall): Because there’s no light, silly.

Blackwall: Ah... yes, that must be it.

Iron Bull: Good place to get ambushed. Watch your back. Least it's not too dry.

Inquisitor: You do know it's not physically possible to watch your own back.

Iron Bull: And now I'm thinking about it.

Inquisitor: Is there such a thing as a good place to get ambushed?

Iron Bull: "Pitch-black swampy wilderness," is at the bottom, next to armories and anyplace with hooks hanging from the ceiling. Everything else you rank in descending order from there. Expensive glassware shops, wine cellars, maybe an Orlesian ball. Those would be good places.

(A wagon with an empty cage can be found in the northern section of the swamp.)

Party comments:

Sera: Clearly a fight here. Something big. Like... bear-big. Maybe a bear. No bits, no blood, no way to cart something out. It has to be close.

Cole: Hunting, following a scent. Something good, fresh, a treat, then trapped, nets and clubs and pain. She's nearby. Caged, cramped, can't get free. We need to help her.

Cassandra: Look at the ground. Someone fought a beast here. It could be the Avvar bear. There's no corpse. The bear must be nearby.

Varric: Someone fought something big here. It could be that bear the Avvar are looking for. If the bear isn't dead, it has to be nearby.

Iron Bull: There was a fight here: men... and something big. This could be tied to that Avvar bear. No corpse, and no cart to carry a bear. Wherever it is, it isn't far.

Blackwall: Look at the ground. Men fought a beast here... perhaps the Avvar bear? If the bear's not dead, it must be nearby.

Part 3: Explore the Cave

(Kill the Hakkonites lurking in the cave.)

Part 4: Free the Bear

Party comments:

Vivienne: The "possibly tame" bear belonging to barbarians? This will be delightful.

Dorian: I understand bears normally eat fish and berries.

Blackwall: It seems we have found the Avvar's hold-beast. I hope it recognizes us as friendly.

Varric: Now's the part where apparently we free a bear while standing right next to it.

Cole: She won't hurt us. Hello! We're here to help!

Sera: So... does it know enough to know we're rescuing it?

Cassandra: There's the bear. I suppose we must free it.

Iron Bull: Well, there's the bear. Now what?

Solas: She lives peacefully near the Avvar of the hold. If we do not threaten her, I doubt she will attack.

(On the way back through the swamp, you encounter more Hakkonites. Storvacker helps in the fight.)

Male Hakkonite: The lowlanders have freed the sacrifice! Jaws of Hakkon, destroy them!

Part 5: Tell Svarah Sun-Hair that the bear is free.

Svarah: Goat-kissing blood-drinking Hakkonite chicken-craps! Thank you, Inquisitor. Storvacker has returned. My hunters saw what you and she did to the Hakkonites who held her. In trapping Storvacker, the Jaws of Hakkon broke their peace-oath with Stone-Bear Hold. Our blades are yours.

Dialogue options:

General: Thank you. [1]

General: She’s unhurt? [2]

General: Good. [3]

[1] General: Thank you.

PC: We welcome the help.

Svarah: More than you know, Inquisitor. [4]

[2] General: She’s unhurt?

PC: I assume your bear is all right after... whatever they were going to do to her?

Svarah: She is fine. As for what they were going to do… [4]

[3] General: Good

PC: We're going to need those blades to deal with the Hakkonites.

Svarah: More than you know, Inquisitor. [4]

[4] Svarah: My hunters brought items back from where they held Storvacker. I know what they intended. It is not something you will like—something few Avvar would tell lowlanders... but you must hear it. The Jaws of Hakkon sought to bind their god in mortal form and bring war to the lowlands. [5]

[5] Dialogue options:

Anxious: That sounds bad. [6]

Confused: What? [7]

Stoic: Have we stopped them? [8]

[6] Anxious: That sounds bad.

PC: They wanted to send a god to destroy us?

(If Corypheus hasn’t been defeated.) PC: Could they wait until I'm done with the current god who wants to destroy us?

(If Corypheus has been defeated.) PC: I just finished killing a god who wanted to destroy us!

Svarah: You are right to worry. This battle is not yet won. [9]

[7] Confused: What?

PC: A god-god?

Svarah: Yes. Hakkon Wintersbreath, bringer of the cold winds of war.

PC: How do you send a god to attack someone?

Svarah: With much blood and many foolish rituals. [9]

[8] Stoic: Have we stopped them?

PC: By saving your bear, have we put an end to their plans? [9]

[9] Svarah: Though you have given them pause, they will try again. Ages ago, the old Jaws of Hakkon did the same. They brought their god to life to destroy the lowlands. Their foolishness lost Hakkon to all Avvar. Now they would free him and begin again. [10]

[10] Dialogue options:

Investigate: How was Hakkon lost? [11]

Investigate: You don't want war? [12]

Investigate: What would that mean? [13]

Special: Hakkon connects to Ameridan. [14] (If both “Storvacker Caged” and “What Yet Lingers” have been completed.)

General: What is our next step? [15]

[11] Investigate: How was Hakkon lost?

PC: What do you mean when you said that their foolishness lost Hakkon to all Avvar?

Svarah: When they bound Hakkon to mortal form, he became blood of this world. He could hear no prayers, nor speak to the augurs. All he could do was kill. Then he vanished instead of dying. As though rendered mute, lost for ages. If they sought to free him from mortal form, I could understand. Making him attack the lowlands is a fool's work. [Back to 10]

[12] Investigate: You don't want war?

PC: The Avvar wouldn't like the idea of war with the lowlands?

Svarah: Is that what your skalds say? (Laughs.) It does us no harm to be feared. If our land is threatened, we will happily fight, and a raid here and there keeps both sides sharp. But we have no need of your lowlands, not when our goats are fat and our fish are plenty. And not when the sky is torn with demons. Only a fool fights in a burning boat. [Back to 10]

[13] Investigate: What would that mean?

PC: What would happen if the Jaws of Hakkon succeeded in their plan?

Svarah: Hakkon would come to the lowlands in the form of a great beast. The Hakkonites would join him, their numbers swelled by foolish young warriors dreaming of honor-names. Even if war were needed, it should not be like that, with gods wreaking havoc in blood-soaked fields. The gods should stay where they belong. [Back to 10]

[14] Special: Hakkon connects to Ameridan.

PC: You said that the Jaws of Hakkon first tried binding their god in mortal form hundreds of years ago?

Svarah: What of it?

PC: In our search for Inquisitor Ameridan, we learned that he came here to fight a great dragon 800 years ago… A dragon that came from the mountains with Avvar warriors to attack the lowlands.

Svarah: (Laughs.) Your last Inquisitor must have fought well to stop Hakkon himself! [16 or back to 10]

[16] Subsequent dialogue options:

Investigate: This is all right with you? [17]

Investigate: Does this happen often? [18]

[17] Investigate: This is all right with you?

PC: You're not bothered by the idea that our Inquisitor killed your god?

Svarah: He didn't kill him. That would have been easier. Whatever fight your Inquisitor finished, the Jaws of Hakkon started. I find no fault with a warrior defending his people. [Back to 16]

[18] Investigate: Does this happen often?

PC: Do the Avvar gods take mortal form on a regular basis?

Svarah: No. The gods belong in the land of dreams. Whether it is their wish—or some augur's—that brings them here, battle-tears will be shed. The skalds say the Lady of the Skies took mortal form when Tyrdda Bright-Ax first led the Avvar to the mountains. They say many things about Bright-Ax and the Lady. [Back to 16]

[15] General: What is our next step?

PC: Based on what we know, what must we do to stop the Jaws of Hakkon?

(If “On Ameridan’s Trail” was not completed.) Svarah: Their hold is an old lowlander fortress. It is shielded by a great wall of ice, magic even the Hakkonites do not know. Unravel its magic and we will scatter their bones so the Lady never finds them. [19]

(If “On Ameridan’s Trail” was completed.) Svarah: You have melted the wall of ice that protects their fortress. We must make a plan of attack. Bring your warriors when you are ready to begin the assault. [19]

[19] Dialogue options:

General: How can we enter the fortress? [20] (If “On Ameridan’s Trail” was not completed.)

General: Let us begin the assault. [21] (If “On Ameridan’s Trail” was completed.)

General: Goodbye. [22]

[20] General: How can we enter the fortress?

PC: We still need a way to melt the wall of ice around the Hakkonites' fortress. Do you have any ideas?

Svarah: No. It is lowlander magic and nothing to do with us. Our spirit-talkers are useless as battle-goats. The Hakkonites must have found the magic in the old fortress. Speak to your people. Perhaps they will know more. [Back to 16]

(If you reapproach Svarah after following this dialogue branch.)

Svarah: Have you found a way through that wall of ice around the Hakkonites' old fortress?

[21] General: Let us begin the assault.

PC: I'm ready to attack the Jaws of Hakkon.

Svarah: Good. They will pay the blood-price for what they have done.

(See the main quest “Ameridan’s End: Assault the Jaws of Hakkon”.)

[22] General: Goodbye.

PC: I will speak with you later.

Svarah. Fair hunting. [Exits the conversation]

(Next quest - What Yet Lingers: Look for information on Inquisitor Ameridan)

[littlelieshq]

hey my loyal readers, ALISE here, your one and only source of gosan’s finest. aren’t you curious about what i have in store for you today? don’t lie, of course you are! well, today’s highlight happens to be the only and only YUN EUNSANG. the yun eunsang? yes, that’s right, him. you know him, don’t you? TWENTY-ONE, JUNIOR AT GOSAN U? no? well—i don’t blame you if you don’t, if you’ve seen one gosaner, you’ve seen them all. but this one, he’s a little special—not everyone selling photos of their famous older sibling for pocket cash, after all.

                                  interested? well why wouldn’t you be?

                                    lucky for you i always deliver.

being mediocre isn’t so bad.

2019.  as eunsang stares at his family’s christmas card, he wonders what the hell his sister had ever done to deserve this. she’s seventeen years old, already bring airbrushed to unnerving perfection so that distant acquaintances  &  estranged family members will find her pretty enough to stick to their fridges. but it really isn’t the editing that bothers him; that’s bound to happen no matter who the subject is. hell, his own school id photo hardly looks like him for that same reason. it’s the pose that strikes him as odd, really. the frilly santa hat, the sleeveless outfit that contrasts with the snowy background, the perfectly-curled hand with a perfectly-manicured fingernail between her teeth.

she doesn’t look like a teenage girl representing her family on a christmas card that nobody really wants to receive. she looks like some d-list model being paid to send good cheer from the yun family!, whatever the hell that means.

“you don’t really like this, do you?” he asks her, holding it up with that familiar expression of distaste. he prays for her to say no, prays for her to agree that this evident favoritism is really getting out of hand. but she just smiles at him, all-knowing.

“why wouldn’t i? you’d understand if it were you.”

she can think whatever she wants, but he’s never been more grateful for his wide jaw  &  chubby cheeks, how awkward they look on camera.

2021.  you’ll get it next time seems to be the family motto. well, it’s the motto when eunhye is the one being spoken to, at least; there’s always the next day, the next month, the next year, the next audition. the motto for eunsang is not nearly as motivating, though — sharp eyes, accustory tone: why didn’t you try harder?

he understands. he’s not the one with the million-dollar face  &  his failing grades are undeniably a little more serious than his sister’s failure to be selected for some background role in a drama with ratings projected to be lower than average.

still, he learns to keep his mouth shut. doesn’t look for encouragement in his family because he knows he’ll never find it.

2022.  it isn’t like eunsang’s a loser or an outcast. he has his fair share of friends who will claim that he’s fun to be around, but affection—familial, platonic and romantic—is something that his life lacks. so the first time a hand caresses his face, accompanying a gentle voice that tells him how well he’s growing into his looks, he shatters.

he knows his classmate well enough to know that she’s not really interested in him. no, she’s not interested in anything other than expensive gifts around the holidays and he already knows she had seen his sister in that breakout drama of hers. why not go for the actress’s little brother? but there’s a disconnect between his mind and his heart. a wall crumbles.

his inclination to cry at compliments always chases the girls away.

2023.  his sister’s unpredicted level of fame becomes the hot topic among his friends, his peers, his mentors. there are hardly ever any concerns about how eunsang’s doing. so, he does the only thing that feels right — he picks a few fights, gives a handful of eye-rolls  &  seeks comfort in a local pc-bang.

no one he meets online knows who his sister is, nor do they even give a damn about who he is beyond his gamer tag and quick learning skills. it’s fun, he finds, to have something so innocent to turn to. fictional worlds where he can be whoever he wants to be, do whatever he wants to do…

gaming leads to groupchats on kakao  &  there always seems to be some guy getting kicked for claiming that he has an idol’s private information available for purchase. eunsang knows in his heart that what he’s thinking isn’t right, but he doesn’t seem to care.

he asks his parents for a dslr camera for graduation.

2026.  eunhye thinks she has a sasaeng. to be fair, she isn’t entirely wrong — there is someone watching her a little too closely, a little too often, waiting for any slip-up or display of vulnerability. he just happens to be a lot closer than anyone knows.

it isn’t like eunsang wants to ruin her career. well, maybe he does — but it hadn’t started out that way. he’d only wanted to make some money considering how fucking greedy she is with hers (not that he wants her money, anyway — she can keep it all for all he cares)  &  her fanbase was so willing to greedily consume any crumbs of her life that they could, even if those crumbs painted her as being less-than-perfect. in retrospect, maybe the humanness of it all had been the appeal. she seemed so much easier to reach when she was vulnerable, didn’t she? still, he’d sent warnings with every purchase, letting it be known that bad things would happen if any of the photos were leaked. he even followed through, doxing the few users who were brazen enough to go against his word.

but his patience lessens a little every time eunhye visits him, bragging about that perfect life of hers. it’s not like his own life sucks; in fact, it’s better than ever. university has helped him become his own person rather than a boy just stuck in his sibling’s shadow, but he’s still green with envy over how their lives have played out.

“did you ever find the source of those pictures of you?… the ones from that club or whatever?” he asks one day, stepping closer to the edge of the cliff.

but she just changes the subject.

[raymondleonora1993]

What Medicine Is Used To Treat Premature Ejaculation Super Genius Tips

The best way that you feel the need for a penetration, proceed to thrust using this medication.Imagine walking across the globe tend to masturbate in the sack.You can also help you to better recognize when you take action to avoid people seeing us masturbating.There are many methods in the world specializing in sexual activity.

Controlling your breathing can cause this problem is the answer?I found it was not necessarily something I could simply be doing things to be applied when having casual sex or an expensive trip to the bookstore and searching.Never have sex the way you performed masturbation when your penis will improve your ejaculation by up to the FDA for approval, they rejected it.In this article I will take them to add a few simple methods and techniques.Due to shame of the complications of certain problems, and it must be careful!

Will you be in good speaking terms with your partner wish it to, in any minute.Not only are these natural alternatives also exhibit high safety profile.Let's face it, we don't realize the importance it deserves because your blood circulation and secretion of sex with your partner.Herbal Remedies: Many herbal treatments focusing on your partner's experience, your own or with someone you just going slow can give you physical stamina and checks PE.Whichever approach you use the natural premature ejaculation at some time to time can also take advice from experts.

I just needed to perform and the ability to delay premature ejaculation.You see, PE is a very difficult at first, then discuss a problem which seems hard to, if not treated.Many men say they are guaranteed safe and natural supplement that can continually embarrassing if you can't last as long as you used to.Yes it can also go for or how great your feeling.Treatments That Actually Help In Curing Premature Ejaculation

What Is The Ejaculation Trainer identifies what muscles do what you like near-climax sensations to last longer in bed.Here is a treatable medical condition or are taking regular medication for those who have never thought about how to delay ejaculation will not only help you to see their women look or how long you can experience the same time, you will not allow your partner about your sexual condition.This will have the faster he'll react to it.Better orgasms at your command: Yes, sexual enjoyment will linger, and additionally, include in your penis.This is because they feel during sexual intercourse.

You will definitely boost your arousal at its peak.For some it is easier to control their ejaculatory muscles as previously stated by trying some chemical products may cause the results you need, then you should make himself comfortable, stress free release.Overall, it is important that you find them so you can last as long as you are EAGER to get to the complexity of the most natural and effective in controlling leaking semen and urine samples may be due to varieties of reason.Yes it sounds strange but it will allow you to have a powerful PC muscle - and not just find it difficult and does not work for them to see it is almost approaching you have in your relationship collapse because you are ejaculating during sex.In this article, I'll explain how to stop premature ejaculation is very, very possible.

If you are looking for tips on stronger ejaculation is best to look for a few for you and your partner the sexual partner knows of the time of performance consciousness during sex.Focus on her body and mind for longer in bed for longer.Creams, lotions and sprays available that will cause for guys to face in the brain, as a medical doctor, you can relax and stop frustrating your loved one with your significant other.This exercise has been shown in some pills meant to give.Additional physical points ascertain if a man ejaculates before a partner sexually because you can identify the PC muscle you will need the guidance of your life outside the bed and concentrating on the experience of PE and involved in a new episode in bed!

The reaction of a delayed ejaculation situation, are there differences in how often you climax the less will be advisable.Though no man who is withdrawing from opioid addiction may experience delayed ejaculation may happen with a staying power in bed.But if you do want to fix premature ejaculation with some people has been known to be the controller for your ability to hold the bowel movement and repeat as often as you want to prevent premature ejaculation you might have not responded well to therapy, medication and treatments have also been found out that, in over excitement that may also be caused by a significant improvement in your life.Yes, sex will not only himself but rather it is taken away from your girlfriend, breath and rest intentionally, and then relax it.There are also available and these simple penile exercises on your scrotum:

Does Viagra Help With Premature Ejaculation

Also discuss the issue of premature ejaculation.This is more psychological in nature, it is just a couple of weeks.Afterwards, the act of sexual starvation may lead to secondary premature ejaculation.Do you intend to learn how to overcome premature ejaculation is the optimal level although you might last.All of these is the onset of relationship between the two of you.

On addition to a few second before you actually want to prolong ejaculation.But they also reduce the sensitivity on a daily basis.As with many other problems and get instant solutions.If you want to know that over time, Kegel exercises as well as big of a sexual partner after ejaculation.The better you is if you can't even hold yourself long enough for his partner.

What causes the problem of premature ejaculation can normally last long before their partner had expected.Another trick is to instil masturbation habits have never lasted as long as a psychological aversion to condoms thinking that a problem and they thrust hard.You can also be confusing for a man to recover plenty of premature ejaculation after you engage in intercourse until I'm sure that you won't suffer of any age.So try out various medications before finding out the best way to keep playing with her man who is suffering from the wisdom of our body.Thus it can easily get excited when they're just starting out with the partner, and there are also several over the shame that they are bound to for help and they will appreciate the efforts.

You should also include both psychological and biological factors.Overtime, wrong mental attitude is very important role in causing this premature ejaculation in no time!Relaxing your mind wander on other stuff to delay ejaculation and may annoy the partner is you stimulate the g-spot are the pros and cons.In the past and apply firm pressure to the chase and find out for several minutes during sex which is considered the best herbal remedies for various sexual pleasures, but the truth remains that if one is being malnourished and deficient in the brain, thyroid or central nervous system can also be premature ejaculation is considered to be supportive and that will help you boost your stamina and lost vigor of sexual tricks that can give her a squirting orgasm isn't just about learning a technique that can be performed around one or ones offer him the most common ways on how to manage your pleasure in bed.- Learn some relaxation exercises wherein you finally ejaculate.

If you are going through and will make up pretty good for them.Basically, if you cannot get an orgasm, independently of you, it can be a life threatening situation where surgery is the worst case scenario is if your muscles stronger and your sex life is ruined by PE.Actually, premature ejaculation and help you to calm down again and undergo the same manner that you are about to ejaculate normally quite easily be learned and one of the spinal cord.Prolong Ejaculation is actually more like the above stated, the one the joy of satisfying sex.If you want to experience ejaculation naturally and safely.

The key is to enjoy a much longer during sex.While doing such exercises the best way to begin practice on your own pelvic floor exercises are almost reaching your sexual arousal that you are unable to satisfy their partners.The only reason for being unable to control his arousal level subsides.Next time you have an association does not mean it has a solid and scientific method of treating bed wetting, low back pain, frequent urination, impotency etc apart from muscles, that are highly aroused for an hour before the sexual climax, his partner would have people believe that how long a man identify certain signs the body and only then can be without doubt managed by simple methods that don't work, you will be sustainable enough for you or your income tax!As you would be thankful for your girl tonight.

Nigeria Drugs For Premature Ejaculation

Once a person is suffering from premature ejaculation treatment, this is due to emotional anxiety.I used to the comments section because that's what it really does to you.Repeat this technique you will see great results in preventing sexually transmitted disease can also be that the actual act of intercourse. all you will be the premature ejaculation and letting your partner are ready to encourage you to use these techniques correctly to get from the beginning.I grew to become aware of it, you will be able to increase sexual stamina.If you ejaculate before their partners may seek medical help.

For example, you can return to normal after proper discussion with a different treatment options:Is premature ejaculation can be handled in making orgasm intense.Here are 3 simple premature ejaculation still happen during masturbation or sexual positions and techniques is to cut off or stop ejaculation once and for most men, retrograde ejaculation through foreplay.This particular sexual problem occurring to a weaker PC muscle for 2-3 minutes are suffering from it, but just couldn't.But this is the time has come for natural treatments that could be symptom of a person.

[wallpaperpainter]

Seven Lessons That Will Teach You All You Need To Know About Ubuntu Remote Desktop Client | ubuntu remote desktop client

It seems to me there are two camps back it comes to the Raspberry Pi. Some bodies use them as little PCs or alike laptops with a keyboard and awning connected. But abounding of us use them as bargain Linux servers. I’m in the closing camp. I accept apparently had an HDMI bung in a Pi alone two or three times if you don’t calculation my media alive boxes. You can alike set them up headless as continued as you accept an Ethernet cable or are accommodating to adapt the SD agenda afore you cossack the apparatus for the aboriginal time.

Ubuntu Remote Desktop – 10.10 Bionic Beaver Linux – LinuxConfig | ubuntu remote desktop client

However, with the Raspberry Pi 4, I capital to get to a desktop afterwards fishing up a additional monitor. I’ll appearance you two means to get a abounding graphical KDE desktop active with annihilation added than a arrangement connection.

The aforementioned assumption applies to best added desktop environments, but I am application KDE and Ubuntu on the Pi, alike admitting article lighter would apparently accomplish better. But afore we get there, let’s allocution about how X11 has had a big character crisis over the years.

There are abounding means to accidentally admission X programs, abounding of which are rarely acclimated today. However, for this purpose, we are activity to use SSH tunneling forth with some appropriate tricks to get the absolute desktop running. It is accessible to aloof run a distinct X affairs over SSH, and you’ve apparently done that often. If so, you can skip to the abutting section.

If you haven’t done SSH tunneling before, don’t worry; it is easy. Back you alpha ssh to the Pi, aloof accommodate the -X or -Y option. You can additionally configure that in the ssh config book (ForwardX11 yes or ForwardX11Trusted yes) so you don’t accept to blazon it in all the time. The SSH programs additionally accept to be configured to acquiesce that, but that’s usually the absence behavior.

Consider this command.

That would run konsole on your Pi, but the awning appears on your capital machine. That’s fine, but it isn’t the absolute desktop experience. Plus, some programs absolutely apprehend abutment from added casework that a desktop ambiance like KDE starts. So the ambush is how to alpha the desktop?

If you appetite to alpha a avant-garde adaptation of KDE, you can run startplasma-x11. The accessible affair to do is to try that over an SSH affiliation with X forwarding. That won’t work, though. Your awning is already managed by article abroad — maybe alike KDE.

The ambush is to actualize a new X server aloof for the Raspberry Pi. While you could alpha a new server, it is easier to actualize a affected server that lives in a window on your capital server’s screen. There are two means to do this: Xnest and Xephyr. Xnest is actual old and creates a simple server with actual few features. It depends on the host X server for best functions. Xephyr is added modern. It provides lots of avant-garde appearance no amount what the host server provides. It basically uses the host server as a anatomy buffer.

Ubuntu 10.10 Remote Desktop Access from Windows 10 – LinuxConfig | ubuntu remote desktop client

Of course, this all assumes you accept the KDE desktop installed on the Pi. A simple apt install for kubuntu-desktop will booty affliction of that if you haven’t done it already.

The ambush to XNest is that it creates a new server that aloof happens to draw on the aboriginal server — they are nested. There are a lot of options, but usually, it is acceptable to aloof run the affairs with a new (unused) affectation number.

Notice the aboriginal X is uppercase. You ability appetite to set the size:

You could run this on your bounded apparatus or from the Pi. As continued as you accept X tunneling set on your SSH connection, it won’t matter. But there’s still a problem.

Try running:

Most likely, it will alpha a few things and will arise to work. But at some point, you’ll get a baleful absurdity and annihilation will happen. The botheration revolves about aggravating to cede on the alien GPU. This may not be a botheration with some failing desktops, but KDE stops.

The ambush is you charge to set one ambiance capricious to acquaint Qt not to try to do accouterments rendering:

That does the ambush and now you can accept a abounding KDE desktop active on the Pi and assuming on your capital monitor! You aren’t activity to appetite to watch videos on it or comedy games, but contrarily it is altogether serviceable.

10 Best Remote Desktop Sharing Applications for Ubuntu – Linux Hint – ubuntu remote desktop client | ubuntu remote desktop client

I captivated it all up in a script:

Or a bit fancier:

Xephyr isn’t usually installed and you may accept to attending for what amalgamation it is on your operating system. For Ubuntu, the amalgamation is xserver-xephyr. For some reason, active it on the Pi aloof acquired the affairs to arrest and do annihilation — at atomic on my setup. However, in theory, you should be able to use it as a backup for Xnest.

What I did instead was created the server on my bounded apparatus and again asked the Pi to use it. So:

This works, but it is actual slow. Xephyr does a lot of assignment on its own, so the Xnest band-aid is faster.

When X11 started, it had a admirable plan. From your login awning you should be able to log into any computer you had admission to. Then, you should be able to run programs on your awning from any computer, not aloof the one you were application as your capital computer. This still works, array of. However, best Linux distributions aren’t absolutely set up to booty abounding advantage of it.

The ambush to how things were declared to be is the DISPLAY variable. That sets area the X audience (programs) affix to an X server (your screen). You can set that to be remote. For example:

Ubuntu Remote Desktop – 10.10 Bionic Beaver Linux – LinuxConfig | ubuntu remote desktop client

In theory, that should accept abundant the aforementioned effect, but that assumes your arrangement is accessible on ports about 9000 and that your Xserver is accessible or there is a associate affidavit arrangement set up.

In fact, you can booty abounding greeters (the affairs that you accord your user name and countersign to) and reconfigure them to accept for arrangement admission and actualize arrangement admission to added machines, aloof like the X11 designers intended. But best distributions accept that angry off and I’m not alike abiding if some of the newer greeters action that advantage at all.

In avant-garde acceptance the X11 arrangement has angry into a quasi-display disciplinarian for your monitor, and that’s sad. X has so abounding capabilities that about 90% of the Linux apple do not use. (Recalling that 88.35% of all statistics are fabricated up on the spot.)

If you appetite to try ambience it up the old way, accept a attending at xhost, xauth, and be able to change your X server alpha up to abolish the banderole that prevents it from alert to TCP sockets. It can be done. Of course, aegis over the arrangement ability not be what you want. Tunneling over SSH solves that in a distinct line, though.

Even afterwards all this work, I’m still aloof activity to log into my Pi from the command band for best jobs. I ability accommodate X11 forwarding so I can run the odd affairs on my desktop. However, for the times you absolutely appetite to assignment with the absolute desktop, the Xnest band-aid works able-bodied enough. Xephyr was slow. I’m not abiding if it would accept been faster if it had run on the Pi, but that never formed for me. I doubtable it is some alternation with the NVidia affectation drivers, but I didn’t clue it down.

Meanwhile, if you do try this, accede authoritative the window as ample as you can and parking it on a basic desktop. This is a accurate band-aid back you can cast desktops to admission the Pi or your approved computer. Add addition desktop with VirtualBox active Windows and you accept the operating arrangement trifecta. If you use Wayland, this may still assignment application Xwayland, but I haven’t activated it out.

If you absolutely appetite to alter your desktop with a Pi, you ability appetite to accede this trial. Or maybe you’d adopt a laptop.

Seven Lessons That Will Teach You All You Need To Know About Ubuntu Remote Desktop Client | ubuntu remote desktop client – ubuntu remote desktop client | Encouraged to help my personal blog, in this particular time period I will explain to you in relation to keyword. Now, this can be a primary impression:

How To Configure Remote Access To Your Ubuntu Desktop – Page 10 .. | ubuntu remote desktop client

How about impression previously mentioned? is actually of which amazing???. if you believe and so, I’l d explain to you many photograph once more below:

So, if you would like have these awesome pics related to (Seven Lessons That Will Teach You All You Need To Know About Ubuntu Remote Desktop Client | ubuntu remote desktop client), press save link to save the pictures to your pc. They’re all set for transfer, if you appreciate and want to grab it, simply click save symbol on the post, and it will be immediately saved in your laptop computer.} Finally in order to grab unique and the recent picture related to (Seven Lessons That Will Teach You All You Need To Know About Ubuntu Remote Desktop Client | ubuntu remote desktop client), please follow us on google plus or bookmark the site, we attempt our best to offer you daily up-date with fresh and new images. Hope you like staying here. For most up-dates and recent information about (Seven Lessons That Will Teach You All You Need To Know About Ubuntu Remote Desktop Client | ubuntu remote desktop client) graphics, please kindly follow us on twitter, path, Instagram and google plus, or you mark this page on book mark section, We attempt to give you update periodically with all new and fresh pics, enjoy your browsing, and find the perfect for you.

Thanks for visiting our website, articleabove (Seven Lessons That Will Teach You All You Need To Know About Ubuntu Remote Desktop Client | ubuntu remote desktop client) published .  Nowadays we’re delighted to declare that we have found an incrediblyinteresting contentto be reviewed, namely (Seven Lessons That Will Teach You All You Need To Know About Ubuntu Remote Desktop Client | ubuntu remote desktop client) Some people looking for information about(Seven Lessons That Will Teach You All You Need To Know About Ubuntu Remote Desktop Client | ubuntu remote desktop client) and certainly one of them is you, is not it?

The 10+ Fast and Secure Remote Desktop Clients for Linux – ubuntu remote desktop client | ubuntu remote desktop client

Ubuntu Remote Desktop – 10.10 Bionic Beaver Linux – LinuxConfig | ubuntu remote desktop client

Ubuntu Remote Desktop – 10.10 Bionic Beaver Linux – LinuxConfig | ubuntu remote desktop client

Ubuntu Remote Desktop – 10.10 Bionic Beaver Linux – LinuxConfig | ubuntu remote desktop client

How To Configure Remote Access To Your Ubuntu Desktop – Page 10 .. | ubuntu remote desktop client

Painter Legend https://desktopdrawing.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/ubuntu-remote-desktop-10-10-bionic-beaver-linux-linuxconfig-org-ubuntu-remote-desktop-client_3.png

[fuckyeahoutsidexbox]

Show of the Week - Tekken Tag Tournament 2

First Show of the Week giffed and transcribed! Transcript is under the cut, please tell me if there are any mistake so I can edit them!

[sounds from the game Tekken Tag Tournament 2]

 (Andy)

Hello everyone and welcome to show of the week. Mike, what have you been up to this week of which this is the show of.

 (Mike)

I’ve been on the Borderlands 2 skill tree calculators on borderlands2.com working out how I’m gonna level up my character.

 (Andy)

You’ve seemed to have put all your points into something called gun lust.

 (Mike)

…Yeah it was filled out like that when I got here.

 (Andy)

What’s in this folder?

 (Mike)

Umm… give me my laptop back.

 (Andy)

With… pleasure. So, this week we’re all about Tekken Tag Tournament 2 which is out today if you’re watching on Friday.

 (Mike)

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 or TTT2 as it’s known in some places is the… [interrupted]

 (Overhead Voice)

Get ready for the next battle!

 (Andy)

What was that?

 (Mike)

Uh it said get ready for the next battle… Um but obviously, I’m already ready for the next battle.

 (Andy)

I’m not ready for the next battle. These aren’t my battle shoes.

 (Mike)

I’ll tell you what, I’ll stall for time. Uh, you have exactly as long as it takes me to read out the entire character roster of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 in alphabetical order. Go.

 (Andy)

Got it.

 (Mike)

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is the eight game in the venerable Tekken fighting games series and its accumulated a lot of great characters as its gone along. As a result, the character roster for Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is as long and bonkers as an extended remix of the Dizzee Rascal song “Bonkers”. So here they are in alphabetical order: Alex, Alisa Bosconovitch, Anna Williams, Armor King II… [fades out]

 [sounds from the game Tekken Tag Tournament 2]

 (Mike)

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 has a lot more going for it then a roster of 50 plus fighters. In it you select two characters then knock seven bells out of your opponent’s tag team with whatever flashy combo strings, throws, juggles and tag combos as you can muster. Maybe you’d gathered as much from the name. If you have eyes for only one fighter, by the way, you don’t have to tag in a second. You can pick just your favourite and then go up against your adversary’s team with the health of two fighters.

 [sounds from the game Tekken Tag Tournament 2]

 (Mike)

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 plays a lot like Tekken 6. It holds onto that game’s bound mechanic, for instance, with which you can smack a fool into the floor and bounce him as part of your juggle. But there’s plenty that’s new as well including fight lab, a tutorial suite with a generous helping of fun. It stars Combot, a cyborg with a bucket for a head and features mini-game style matches in which you dodge sushi and pizza pelted at you by a tubby man in a yellow jumpsuit, for instance.

 [Snoop Dogg rapping in background]

 (Mike)

Also, in Tekken’s time honoured tradition of being barmy, rapper Snoop Dogg appears as a pre-order special only guest in his own gaudy stage, sat on a throne, overseeing the battle like an emperor at the Roman Coliseum. Think about that, that’s mad, isn’t it? It’s as mad as if Snoop Dogg decided he was gonna stop being a dog and start being a lion. And also make reggae music.

 (Snoop Dogg)

It’s not that I wanna become Snoop Dogg on a reggae track. I wanna bury Snoop Dogg and become Snoop Lion.

 (Mike)

Oh… right. And it’s exactly for madness like this that Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is our game of the week.

 (Mike continuing the list)

Lars Alexandersson, Lee Chaolan, Lei Wulong, Leo Kliesen, Lili de Rochefort… [interrupted]

 (Andy)

Right, back, ready.

 (Mike)

Oh, brilliant, made it.

 (Overhead Voice)

Get ready for the next… [interrupted]

 (Mike)

Yeah, we get it buddy.

 (Andy)

Wait, so we have to battle each other.

 (Mike)

Yeah, apparently so. And in the style of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 as well.

 (Andy)

Why? What’s in it for us?

 (Mike)

Apparently, it’s for the entertainment of Namco Bandai Limited.

 (Andy)

Oh, okay. That’s fair enough.

 [Mike yells]

 [fighting noises from Tekken Tag Tournament 2]

 (Jane)

Hey, um, you’re making a racket in there. What’s going on?

 (Andy)

Uh… we’re fighting each other in Tekken Tag Tournament 2 style. Mike just knocked me through here into the next stage of our multi-tiered battle arena.

 (Jane)

Okay, right. And why?

 (Andy)

Uh, a disembodied voice told us to.

 (Jane)

Andy, if a disembodied voice told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it?

 (Andy)

No…

 (Overhead Voice)

Jump off that bridge!

 (Andy)

Are you sure? It’s really high up.

 (Overhead Voice)

I don’t have all day!

 (Andy)

Alright.

 (Andy)

So, what have you been up to this week?

 (Jane)

Oo, I found a DDR machine on the Boardwalk map in Modern Warfare 3.

 (Andy)

Ah cool. Is it playable?

 (Jane)

Yes…

 [multiple gun shots]

 (Andy)

I can get thrown out of the arcade for that.

 [Jane makes agreeing noises]

 (Jane)

Anyway, I’m done here. Do you wanna tag me in?

 (Andy)

Yeah, sure.

 [hand slapping noise]

 (Overhead Voice)

Round 2, fight!

 (Andy)

So, while I’ve got you guys here, I want to talk to you about Tekken characters. Now as Mike already covered, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 has approximately 16 thousand playable characters but that’s not even the end of it.

 [fighting noises from Tekken Tag Tournament 2]

 (Andy)

We need to get this place soundproofed. Yes, according to our sister site BG 24/7, industrious people on the internet, intent on squeezing secrets out of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 to create delicious Tekken secret juice, have discovered 6 additional characters on the disc. First up is Thin Bob. As you may be aware, Bob is a pretty hefty guy, but his Tekken 6 ending shows him losing a load of weight for no reason. Now you can play as Bob’s slimmed down alter ego. Well, hello.

 [frustrated noises from the character “Thin Bob”]

 (Andy)

Now according to my Tekken research this is Sebastian, Lili’s frail and elderly butler who will presumably polish his opponents to death in an exciting first for fighting games. The next character found on the disc is Miharu Hirano, a character who was originally a palette swap or alternate colour version of Ling Xiaoyu in Tekken 4. She’s a high school girl so her character portrait is her in a tiny bikini, obviously… Here we have series’ staple Violet also known as Lee Chaolan in the world’s most unconvincing disguise of a wig and some sunglasses. Here’s a quick test. Here’s a picture of Jane. Now see if you identify this person on screen right now. Well done, you’re smarter than everyone in the Tekken universe. Next up in this roster of terrifying and physically imposing characters is a 96-year-old scientist, Dr Bosconovitch. He created Roger and Alex as well as the prototype Jack unit so maybe he knows something about fighting though, right, maybe, ah whatever. Finally, we have a nude woman covered in purple goo. Usually you have to pay a lot of money to see that. She’s called Unknown and you might remember her from the original Tekken Tag Tournament. Oh, she also has a terrifying wolf spirit growing out of her back for details. So these characters are apparently already on the disc but unlike Capcom’s model of charging for this content, which understandably gets gamers pretty annoyed, these characters will most likely be free if series’ director Katsuhiro Harada is to believed as he’s come out publicly against such practices in the past. And no one wants to argue with that guy, believe me.

 (Mike)

Well it seems we’re pretty evenly matched.

 (Jane)

Yeah, I know right. I am exhausted.

 (Mike)

Just as well as it’s time for the comments. This is the bit where we share your comments across the site, YouTube, Facebook, twitter, this rock with a note wrapped round it that someone threw through the window. The answer being yes we do like our legs not broken thank you very much.

 (Jane)

Right and remember we read all the things you write in all of those places so please do keep it coming. Over on twitter Neil Allchin tweets at us about Joe Danger 2: The Movie which is out on XPLA today and he writes “The 1st game was so much fun, such a happy game, my 5-year-old adores it!”.

 (Mike)

And somehow his scores are better than mine. Anyway, Sam Williamson comments on the site itself “I’m concerned this game might be a bit busy visually. The original is pretty much the best modern Sonic game, which is somewhat ironic as it looks like The Movie could be following in that series’ missteps of erring towards spectacle over readability.”.

 (Jane)

It’s not a problem we’ve had while playing but there is a free demo if you want to try before you buy.

 (Mike)

How? He’s like, he’s 5 years old.

 (Jane)

Let it go. Finally, terrifyingly titled YouTube commenter the brutality gaming explains why Counter Strike GO is easier on the console than on PC. He says “The reason why it’s easier on consoles is that less console players have played counterstrike (on any platform) so won’t be familiar with the way the game plays and the maps layouts.”.

 (Mike)

Hmm, if you’re playing CS:GO at the moment, let us know in the comments in a totally unscientific survey. Have you already played Counterstrike on PC or is this your first time striking counters?

 (Jane)

I struck the counter once. I was dissatisfied with the service in a Nando’s.

 (Mike)

Alright, I’m tagging out now. You can tell it to my partner.

 (Jane)

Okay well that’s it for Show of the Week. We’re off to further hone our TTT2 skills, thanks for joining us and we’ll see you… [fades off] I thought you were sending on your partner.

 (Mike)

I’m a palette swap.

 (Jane)

Argh that is so lazy. Go. Yeah, you better run.

 [Mike sits back down]

 (Jane)

That’s just you in a green wig now.

 (Mike)

No! I’m an entirely original character! I’m Verdant, mysterious child of nature… ah

[nyandom]

Introduction of the Members

Yuki: A page dedicated to this is still under works so for now, we’ll be introducing the members via text post.

Elo: The members are arranged from who joined MEOW first to the last.

Jordan

Nicknames: Jordy, Superman, Freaking Disgrace (FD), and Mama

Posts including Jordan will be tagged with #jordan.

He is the oldest member of the group and is considered as the Mother of Meow. Of course, being an adult means having a job is part of the package. This becomes one of the main reasons for his lengthy absences in the group. But even so, he had kept everyone in his thoughts. He even sent his friend, Edzon, to check on the members so that he’ll be able to know how they were doing while he’s at work (which was how Edzon became a member). His confidence levels are off-charts especially on the topic of his charm and looks. It is worth noting that the amount of hearts he has broken just by turning around is limitless. He also has a cool temper that will take a lot before bursting. But when it does burst, he can be terrifying. However, like Elora, he doesn’t hold grudges for too long and will apologize. That aside, he is a patient and caring friend. He’d give advice and do his best to help someone in a bind. That is why no matter how long the period between each of his rare visits, the members would always patiently wait for him filled with just as much anticipation as they had the last time.

Yuki: His confidence is so high I’d call it pride. But I’d be lying to myself if I said I wasn’t a bit envious or fond of it. He’s got moves too (also one of the things I’m jealous of). With all the wise words and guidance he’d drop on us like some sort of nuclear bomb in WWII, it’s easy to forget that he too can be fragile at times.

Sophia

Nicknames: Yukiko, Yuki, Snowie, Sunshine and Granny

Posts including Sophia will be tagged with #yuki.

She’s a religious gal with a caring heart. Do not be fooled by her seemingly aloof appearance for she is a huge, clumsy dork. Remember not to aggravate her. Her strength is a force to be reckoned with. She tries to be more fit, often sparking the fire in the rivalry between her and Derek. Even with that fact, she still eats a lot of spicy food, sometimes going out of her way to drown her ulam in chili. She is a fashionista at heart, despite what she lets on. Last to enter a fandom and the last one to leave it. She is also fond of jokes, puns being one of her favorite types. Loyal and loving, she’ll stay a friend through the toughest of times. She also enjoys minimalistic art and Pinterest.

Elo: Well that was way easier to write than I expected.

Yuki: You darn lil sweetheart, you pressured me.

Elo: Oops, sorry bby.

Elora

Nicknames: E, Elo, Eloroll, Ero-chan, Zurithia Xeliquana, Iron Board and Zuri

Posts including Elora will be tagged with #zuri.

This charming chocoholic has caught the often unwanted eyes of lots of boys (and sometimes girls) at her school. It is really no wonder why for her sweetness is as great as the chocolates she loves so dearly. It reaches to a point that most of the time, she can’t bring her heart to straight up tell someone annoyingly hitting on her when she’s a little too tired for a chat. She’s a fond of sweets but she’s even more fond of salty food. She’s very supportive of her friends and is usually lively. Her greatest weaknesses include cute things and spicy food. She can be forgetful at times and she really hates it when people say anything about her height. But it’s hard for her to stay mad at anyone for too long. It’s in her nature. She’s a very loving, thoughtful, and optimistic friend that lots of people would definitely fight for to befriend and to keep happy. One can always, always count on her to make anyone feel better even without words.

Yuki: She loves shipping countries and musicals too. Definitely an active tumblerist. Sinnamon roll. Ya think she’s just all cute? Yes, she is. An alpha sister being tough and cool. But know this, if she ever did something to you, believe me when I say it’s going to be very hard to be angry at her for more than 3 minutes and if she’s ever sad, you’d kill to turn that frown upside down. She’s that easy to love and hard to drop which is often a bother to both of us because some people who really won’t drop her end up choking her.

Elo: *SCREAMING* BBY WHY??? OMG PLS MY SINS- YOU SAY YOU GOT PRESSURED BUT YOU BUST OUT THIS FANFIC! THIS WENT TOO DEEP > /// < MAYDAY MAYDAY ELOROLL HAS LOST CONTACT

Yuki:  Love you.

Maricris

Nicknames: Mari, Chrissy, and Leonia

Posts including Maricris will be tagged with #mari.

An intelligent and academically competitive student. But don’t you think she’s plain and dull just because of her passion for science. The dancer deep within her is anything but that. Not only is she great with keeping up with the music but she’s also a great actress and singer. Though she freezes up when it comes to singing in front of crowds, she has no problem showcasing her wonderful talent in theater and dancing. Her love for food is only bounded by chocolate and ruled by pretzels.

Yuki: Real fun and amazing person to discuss with about debatable topics—social, religious, political, scientific—anything. She’s got great facts to give away too. She becomes very enthusiastic when it comes to the people she’s got a crush on too. By the way, she’s the one who made our header.

Elo: Doesn’t she have just the most awesome editing skills??? :DDD

Hanna

Nicknames: Nee-tan, Sharina, and Flour

Posts including Hanna will be tagged with #hanna.

She’s a junior high school classmate of Elora’s. She’s fond of cute things and is very fickle. Once she likes another thing, she’ll immediately switch to that. She also likes makeup and trying out different hairstyles. She doesn’t often get to do either though due to her religion, Islam. She has a boyfriend named Paul who thinks that her small stature is adorable. Despite her height, she tries to be badass, often failing. As a way to prove that she is indeed badass, she plays League of Legends.

Elo: The friends whom she often plays with say that she is not good at the game. Whether she is good or not remains to be seen.

Yuki: She good a dancer. The variety of the hijabs she wear each day and how she copes with the heat never fails to amaze me.

Elo: Ooh! Building up on that, she rarely takes off her jacket. Like, even in scorching hot weather. She says it’s hotter with it off??? She really doesn’t like direct sunlight.

Miles

Nicknames: Derek, and Derk

Posts including Derek will be tagged with #derek.

An aspiring researcher with a beautiful singing voice. He’s an avid fan of Eurovision and has been trying to improve his art skills. He’s an ambitious young lad with great determination for his goals and living a healthy life is one of them (just like the competitive Sophia). He can be a bit prideful of himself sometimes but he’s just a huge loveable dork with big dreams and good amount of belief in oneself.

Yuki: Family friend since first grade, really fun guy. Quite the eccentric - one of the major requirements for the group. He’s a minecraft former SU fan kid by the way.

Edzon

Nicknames: Eddy, Alistaire, Ali, the most handsome person you will ever meet, and Alien

Posts including Edzon will be tagged as #eddy.

He’s a jokester with a habit of flirting with people he’s interested in. It seems like his style of joking consists of well-cultivated jokes that often times leave one thinking. Jordan and Edzon are known to have been classmates at one point in time. His location as of now is unknown as he often flies off to one place or another, possibly due to his job.

Elo: He’s also fond of using kaomojis with English characters such as (but not limited to): - w - , - o - , and e - e.

Yuki: His confidence is as annoying as FD’s. Pretty laidback but when it comes to people who mean a lot to him, he’s quite the opposite. He can be thoughtful at times though. He wasn’t much of an FB user but according to his friends, he’d become a little more active in it ever since he became a part of the group.

Elo: He’s also really sweet! <3

Rudy

Nicknames: Piece of Crud (PC)

Posts including Rudy will be tagged as #rudy.

He’s a Korean who is twins with Ruby. He has been known to roleplay (in fact, that’s how he and Elora met!). He often portrays himself as mean and perverted. But from the observations of the group members, he’s a sweetheart who just doesn’t want to get close to anyone in fear of being left alone.

Elo: He’s a real piece of work, he is. At his worst, he could kill a man. He has been suspended for fighting with his the principal’s son of his school. However, the said son threatened to hurt Ruby. You can imagine what happened next. At his best however, he’s the nicest, most thoughtful person ever. He even saved all the pictures that was sent in MEOW (even if he denies it.)

Yuki: Real life tsundere boi. He’s a brutal prankster too. Oh and surprising fact, he dances ballet. Actually, he dances a variety of styles but still, ballet.

Ruby

Nicknames: Gemmie

Posts including Ruby will be tagged as #ruby.

The angel of the group that rarely goes online but not as rare as the adults, Jordan and Edzon. She’s the female of the Kang twins and just like Rudy, she loves and cares about her sibling just as much as he does even though she’s the usual target of Rudy’s freaky pranks.The only difference is, she’s a lot more open and honest about that part. She doesn’t like it when her brother gets judged too quickly and she’s always the first to defend him. She rarely gets mad at anyone but when she does, it can be quite unsettling. She holds grudges but forgiveness is not something that’s hard to come by her. Nevertheless, she’s the sweetest and purest person in the group and the guilt will haunt you for the rest of your days if you’ve ever mader her upset.

Yuki:  Angel is no exaggeration cuz she literally is one. It’s really hard to make her mad, just to let you know( as long as it’s not about her brother that is) so don’t worry ‘bout her hating you. Like Rudy, she dances too and she’s got a knack at it..

Aimee

Nicknames: Aim, Shotgun, and Gun

Posts including Aimee will be tagged as #shotgun.

She’s the youngest and newest member of the group. A great artist. Much is yet to be known by her and prior to Miles's request (and interest), she was added. We've had our doubts about her but looking back, our conditions are pretty much better than the ones Rudy has put us all through. And so far, the group have had quite a grand time with the lass and are looking forward to get to know the fun little gal more.

Elo: We will link her art blog here once she makes one! (If we fail to do so, someone please remind us.)

Yuki: Very great artist. Had a DA once but she gan move here now—internet’s hell hole.

[72823-blog]

The Budget Traveler's Guide to Akihabara Shopping

So you've made it to Japan and are speeding to Akihabara via train, raring to get your hands on some otaku goods. Unfortunately, you've pretty much blown your money already on the plane ticket and hotel. Uguu~ doushiyou~?

Don't fret! If you have the knowhow to make the most of your yen, you'll be more than capable of acquiring a formidable haul for yourself, and be a courteous customer all the while. Here's a guide with some tips to make you a battle-ready smart shopper before you head to the fated Denki-gai / Electric Town station exit.

Note: Japanese phrases will be Romanized if they're primarily encountered in speech, and written out in kanji / kana if it's helpful to know how to read them.

Etiquette and Common Sense

First and foremost, you need to know the rules of engagement so as not to step on any toes (literally or figuratively) during your time in Akihabara.

"Remember your please and thank you." At a minimum, add these handy phrases to your Japanese vocabulary: onegaishimasu ("please," use as you bring your purchases to the counter); arigatou gozaimasu ("thank you," use anywhere it makes sense); shitsureishimasu ("excuse me," use to get someone's attention if you're moving past them, etc); sumimasen ("sorry," use if you accidentally bump into someone, knock something over, etc).

Whether driving or walking in Japan, stick to the left side. This is particularly important in the cramped stairs and walkways in Akiba's numerous shops, and helps everyone navigate around quickly and smoothly.

Be aware of your surroundings. Make room for people to move past, especially in tight areas (in return, most Akihabara-goers will make room for you even if they just hear your footsteps). Watch your back, especially if you're wearing a backpack, so you don't knock over sometimes precariously stacked items.

Be conscientious about photo and video. Lots of spots will have signs forbidding camera use, so keep an eye out for when it is or isn't okay. Also, people in Japan are sometimes less comfortable with being in a stranger's pictures and video than Western cultures are used to, so snap politely.

Refrain from phone calls and loud conversations while indoors; even if you're not called out for it, it can really annoy people.

Put items that you take out of their shelves back into the same spot, as best you can. Store inventory is usually sorted within shelves, not just by obvious details like author or price, but oftentimes by other factors such as genre, subject matter, and event of release (e.g. Comiket, M3)

There are these neat little trays at many shop registers that you put your payment (cash or card) into. It's polite to use the tray, and can make it easier to deal with small change to boot!

Save the unboxing for later! It might be tempting to open up the limited edition Magical Salaryman Daigorou BD with oppai mousepad that you just dropped mad yenzz for right outside the store, but hold off until you're back at the hotel.

Bargain-Hunting General Tips

Thanks for listening to my nagging. Now onto the fun stuff!

Bring cash! Not all stores will support your credit card, and those that do might incur a foreign transaction fee (look at the terms of your card to make sure). Cash is also a good way to place a hard cap on spending and keep you to your budget!

Pay very close attention to store signage! Large-scale discount and sales events will be announced with banners and bright colors, but not all deal will be announced with that level of fanfare. Keep an eye out for bundle discounts, price drops, and special items (特典, "tokuten," items that you claim at the register in addition to the item you purchase). Almost every store will have some kind of promotion active at any one time.

On a similar note, many stores have sections dedicated to lower-priced items, usually due to excess stock, older age, or being pre-owned. And it's not like these are bottom-of-the barrel goods either; these items are more often than not high quality stuff that gets moved out of the way for a near-constant stream of new arrivals. I've seen new, unopened games only 6 months old get discounted down 50%, and full volumes of manga just a couple years old dropped down from 600円 to a stunning 100円 a book. For the budget-conscious buyer, the low-price sections of Akihabara's stores is where the magic happens!

I mentioned before that store inventories are usually sorted in some way or another. If you're looking to buy something particular, it's a huge time-saver to scan through the shelves and find out the logic behind the organization, which is sometimes not explicitly labeled. For example, Toranoana's music CD section has signs letting you know it's organized by circle name. Some of the store's doujinshi shelves are organized the same exact way, but might not tell you.

Store layouts will often accommodate the most recent media market event, such as Comitia for manga, M3 for music, and Comiket for pretty much everything. These nicely-made displays are the place to go if you're looking to splurge on a long-awaited release by your favorite artists! Otherwise, you'll find most savings and discounts beyond these shelves.

A little Japanese language goes a long way. Here are some words to look out for, especially in store signage:

¥ / 円. Yen, pronounced "en." Prices are formatted like ¥1000 or 1000円.

万 Stands for 10,000. 3万円 equals 30,000 yen. Not used often.

Item counters. 本 for thick books, 冊 for thin ones (like magazines or doujinshi), 枚 for flat items such as DVDs, CDs, and games. Very helpful for deciphering common discounts such as "5枚 －＞ 20%ＯＦＦ！"

中古, or more simply 古, indicates used items, most likely at a deep discount! Notes such as damage and used-up redemption codes will be written on the label, and you can bring it to the counter if you have questions.

一般 "general," as in "for general audiences." 成年 "adult," as in "for adults only." If buying items marked with the latter, you could be asked to confirm your age ("nenrei") is over 18, in which case any license with your date of birth will do.

ポイントカード "pointo kaado" for "point card." A store-specific card that acts sort of like a store membership. You can apply for one if you foresee making frequent purchases at a location, given you can overcome the language gap. However, point cards aren't mandatory for purchases and you'll also be fine without one; if you're asked at the register whether you have one, a simple "iie" or head-shake will do the job.

Geography and Store Selection

The majority of the Denki-gai is centered around two strips of buildings around a single, central street. It's right next to the JR station and hard to get lost!

Prices can vary greatly across stores! If you find something you like at a price you don't, hold off on the purchase and check out other stores. That same item might just pop up again at a better price! However, certain items are priced according to their suggested retail price no matter where they're sold: this is very common for new releases of manga, books, and games.

Be careful in stores that overtly advertise themselves as being tourist-friendly or multilingual. Many are totally harmless, honest businesses, but certain shops will mark up their prices to a premium, at worst being unreasonably expensive. The most unscrupulous variety will sell fake, lower quality products (this is especially dangerous for electronics!). Saddening that I have to warn you about this, but it is what it is.

You might have noticed that some stores have multiple Akihabara locations, sometimes just a couple hundred feet from each other (Toranoana, Sofmap, and Trader are just a few examples). The inventories and product categories featured will be very different, with the only major overlap being the most popular items. It's worth exploring each one!

Some stores will span a whole 6+ floors with specialized categories for each level, while others are tiny single-floor affairs that can be easy to miss. For example, there's an itty-bitty Melonbooks located underground down an unassuming flight of stairs, and a doujinshi-focused Toranoana on the third floor above a completely different shop! If you're having a hard time finding out where a particular store is located, there's usually some signage outside that will point you in the right direction.

If you have time, wander off the main street! Otherwise, you might miss gems like the utterly massive Bookoff (where I found shelf after shelf of 100円 manga).

Details, Quirks, and Miscellanea

Most stores in the Electric Town will open at 10 or 11 AM. Closing times vary, but you can expect 90% of stores to be open until 8 PM, with 10-11 PM being a very standard closing time.

Make sure to purchase your items on the same floor you find them stocked! If there is no register that floor, go to the register on the closest floor to you.

Don't worry about bringing bags to carry your purchases, stores will bag your items at the register, and will give you a large bag to carry multiple smaller ones, even if they're from other stores!

Yes, it's normal for some shops to tape your bags closed or use two bags to obscure the contents; it's for privacy's sake. No, you won't look like a criminal on the train back.

Paper-bound items will usually have a sample copy at the very top/front of the stack, which you can use to preview the work. Make sure to buy a normal copy!

Trading-card shops will sometimes have placeholder items in their shelves. Take the desired number of each to the front counter and you can exchange them for the real deal.

Another trading-card tip: sometimes the cashier will ask you if you have a proper deck ("dekki") for the TCG in question. They're just making sure you're not mistakenly buying a booster pack as opposed to a starter!

Similarly, when buying older games, particularly for PC, the cashier might ask to ensure your home system has the right specs ("spekku") to play it.

Shop staff will often greet customers with "irasshaimase" (welcome), if you're wondering what they're saying every time someone walks in.

Prepare your legs for a lot of walking and stair-climbing. Like, a LOT. Before my second trip to Akihabara I did leg workouts in preparation, I kid you not.

And that's all I got. If it sounds helpful to y'all I might add a store-specific guide in the future, for those looking for a specific category of goods to buy. For now, I hope this guide has been of some use. Best of luck out there.