#72 units blood

[townpostin]

Tata Steel's SMD Hosts Successful Blood Donation Camp

72 Units of Blood Donated at Tata Steel SMD’s One-Day Camp Tata Steel’s Spares Manufacturing Department (SMD) organized a blood donation camp, collecting a total of 72 units of blood. JAMSHEDPUR – A blood donation camp organized by Tata Steel’s Spares Manufacturing Department (SMD) collected 72 units of blood in a single day. The event was graced by Tata Workers Union President Sanjiv Choudhary…

[izzystizzys]

As High Marshall Commander, a title foisted on him by the Galaxy’s fakest bitch aka Chancellor Palpatine, Fox theoretically has privileges and authorities like no other clone. In practice, he has a headache and gets ignored more obviously than before.

What he also has is a fancy new function on his personal comm unit modified to broadcast GAR-wide to all commanding officers, up to and including Jedi. It gathers dust next to his own modified button that sees much better use - a private channel to Stone, the only vod that will let Fox bitch at him to his heart’s content without hanging up (Thire) or bitching right back (Thorn).

It’s been a long shift of 72 hours, the maximum Stabby allows him to do without a well-placed hypo to the neck, when Fox finally collapses on his rickety cot in the Command quarters and hits the private comm connection to Stone without looking. He’s already rolling his eyes so hard it tweaks at the migraine that’s been building since hour 18 and heaving a put-upon sigh.

“Everyone is stupid, Stone, and asking to be thrown face-first from the Dome balustrades”, he begins, settling into a low, dead tone of voice to warm to the building monologue. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. “I swear to haran I’m going to wring Amedda’s stringy neck one of these days. I don’t know what magical Force gods his mother pissed off, but they made sure to punish her and the Galaxy at large a hundred times over. He sucks the joy and competence out of every room like a black hole of stupid. I’d call him a has-been, but I trust in the power of nepotism and also just don’t believe he ever was. I swear he’s doing it on purpose and - oh, kriffing Sith-damned hells, you know who’s definitely doing it on purpose?! The kriffing Chancellor, that wrinkly ass-faced ballsack!”

Taking a deep breath, Fox lets that sit in his chest for a moment, indulging in the feeling of bright weightlessness. “I swear he’s trying to keep the war going - no one man can be that incompetent and still draw breath, not even Amedda or Taa. Goddamn Taa - but anyways, kriffing hell, Stone, either the senility isn’t an act or he’s a bad cartoon villain from Dooby Scoo. Yes Sir, sending Senator Amidala to a Seppie-infested planet for negotiations is a great idea after her fourth bomb threat of the week. No Sir, I can’t hear you cackling evilly with Count Dooku under your lame two-credit robe as you’re definitely not colluding with the Republic’s enemies. What, you have a red lightsaber?! Oh, of course I don’t know what that means, I was dropped on the head as a tubie!”

Barely pulling in a harsh breath, Fox continues, palms pressing into his eyeballs hard enough to cause sparks. “And speaking of lightsabers and senile fucks, haran smite my ass off but who the kriff thought it’d be a good idea to give absolute tactical and military authority to the kriffing eldritch space monks! The Force didn’t bless them with the collective good sense it gave to a kriffing rock, and I’m tired of pretending otherwise! Has anyone kriffing read the Theed Convention of Sentient Rights in Wartimes?! NO?!! Well, color me UNSURPRISED, because war crimes ARE NOT! GOOD! BATTLE! TACTICS!!”

“They run around in crop tops, Stone, in crop tops! Oh, the Force provides - WELL I’M GOING TO PROVIDE MY FOOT UP YOUR ASS, AND IT’S GOING TO HURT BECAUSE YOU’RE NOT WEARING KRIFFING ARMOUR!”

“Sure, let’s send the preteens into active warzones under heavy artillery in kriffing party wear! Surely nothing will ever go wrong! And give them commanding positions equivalent to CC-clones, WHO WERE LITERALLY GENETICALLY CREATED FOR IT! WITH A DECADE OF INTENSE TRAINING! LET’S DO THAT, BECAUSE WE’RE ALL KRIFFING STUPID!”

He’s gesturing wildly at the ceiling now, face heating up as his blood boils beneath the surface. “And you know what really gets my lowers in a twist, apart from the preteen commanding officers and blatant kriffing high treason and war profiteering?! Is it the complete lack of recognition? Gratitude? Basic sentient rights?! No, Stone, no, I would take all that in stride if it meant I never had to see Skywalker and Amidala kriffing canoodle right in front of me again, and pretend like it isn’t the galaxy’s worst conflict of interest case in the making!”

“By all levels of Sith-hell, what the kriff is wrong with that woman? You have it all, you could have anyone, and you choose that twatwaffle?! And then they have the gall to lock themselves in a broom closet for twenty minutes straight and have me guard it! ‘Oh yes, Senator, naturally we all go rattling brooms with our good friends! Nothing dodgy happening at all! I definitely believe you were looking for detergent and have used a washing machine before!’ The absolute nerve on those two! And then last week - you’ll never believe this - High General Windu passed by, and I swear he looked like he wanted to throw himself off the roof! I’ve never been less impressed by anyone in my life, and I’m batch-mates with Bly!”

“Speaking of Bly, that little bitchtit - if I have to edit one more, one more kriffing propaganda piece of him staring at General Secura’s bits, I’m going to stab my eye out! And if I have to edit one more of Secura staring at his bits, I’m going to stab the other one out! The only good thing I have to say about them is they’re more subtle than Skywalker and Amidala, which means nothing really. I will never understand that woman - but then she’s worked with Jar Jar Binks for a decade and not had a nervous breakdown, so she either has nerves of steel or is on some good-ass drugs.”

“Girl, your choices. And you know what else is a choice? Kote kriffing roundhouse-kicking heads off droids when he has a perfectly good blaster right there! I don’t know what the Longnecks put in his tube, but I hope to kriff it’s not contagious. I’d say I’m glad he has Kenobi to keep him in check, but that man wouldn’t know common sense if it punched his nose clean off his face. Flirting with General Grievous, ugh. I’d say he can do better, but honestly, they deserve each other.”

“And Wolffe - “, panting, Fox pauses, considering. “Well, Wolffe is an asshole and stupid, and I hate him because he’s stupid and has a stupid face. Also he keeps drunkenly submitting adoption paperwork on General Koon’s behalf - I wish I could say something mean about that, but honestly, his existence is roast enough. Anyways, bitches are trying me today, and by bitches I mean everyone. Commander Fox signing off to go not commit treason, unfortunately.”

Thoroughly powered out, Fox sinks into his hard mattress with a deep sigh. Several seconds of silence reign, and then his comm unit starts blaring in alarm.

Somewhere in the Jedi Temple, Mace Windu is knocked flat on his ass by a gargantuan shatterpoint exploding.

[fushipurro]

Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy

Chapter 2 - Synched Spirits

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☆ Content: 18+ MDNI, cowboy!au, fluff smut & a bit of angst in between, guns, mentions of blood, pet names, creampie, anal, threesome (f/m/m), gangs

☆ Word Count: 5.4k

“So, you must be Clementine then, huh?”

The palomino huffs back, examining you with big brown eyes. Her ears flicker with interest, no doubt curious to the strange new human holding taking her by the lead to the other end of town. You can’t blame her for being wary, you’d feel the same if your beloved companion left you for another so you can only imagine how she and your Valentine are feeling right now.

She’s not the only one cautious of you. It’s hard not to miss the many townsfolk eyeing you down, what with how last night went. Between the robbery and your duel, everyone’s on high alert for the foreseeable future.

One would like to believe they’d be more grateful you didn’t outright kill the guy. Maybe they wouldn’t care so much if you were a man instead of a natural born, gunslingin’ woman, but sucks to suck. That drunken fool is lucky you decided to be nice and let him off with just a mangled hand. Had it happened after Valentine was stolen, the results would have been much different.

You hitch Clementine up outside the gun store, pushing past the door and greeting the shopkeeper. They’re about the only person so far today not afraid of you, but in all fairness, he’s the one with a dozen guns an arm’s length away.

“Lookin’ for anything in particular, Ma’am?”

You hum in response, scanning the available goods displayed out across the various shelves. There’s plenty of ammunition for a good price; wouldn’t hurt to replenish your pistol stocks after that duel. You decide on a few, bringing them over to the checkout counter.

“I’ll take these and…” Glancing up behind the clerk, there’s several cabinets containing an assortment of larger weaponry. A little voice creeps up from the back of your head offering a wonderful idea. “…maybe a rifle, depending on what ya have.”

He turns his back to you, unlocking one of the many units. Across the empty counter in front of you, he places down a few options, naming them as he goes, “Rolling Block, Varmint, Springfield, Bolt Action…take your pick.”

You’re instantly drawn to the Rolling Block, a girthy beauty that screams power and fine craftsmanship. “How’s the firepower on this one?” you ask, lifting the weapon up to better examine.

“You won’t find much competition with that one,” he tells you, and that’s exactly what you like to hear.

If someone dares to so much as think they can get away with stealing your horse, then you’re sure as hell going to track them down and put a gaping hole right where their heart should be. That black-haired outlaw better watch his back if he knows what’s coming. Once all is said and done with, Calamity Jane will be needing a new nickname after you usurp that throne.

“How much?”

“$187 even, Ma’am.”

Tch, that’s steep. And more than you have on hand thanks to the rest being buried in Valentine’s satchel.

You sigh, begrudgingly looking over the rest of the artillery. “How about the rest?”

“The Varmint here is our cheapest at $72 if you’re goal is hunting rabbits and other small game; otherwise the Springfield is our next cheapest at $120.”

You replace the Rolling Block in your hands with the Springfield Rifle, trying it out just like you did with the former. It’s lighter in weight with less range on the scope, but the clerk assures you that with some express or high velocity bullets, distance won’t be an issue.

“I’ll take this then.” You pass a billfold to the clerk, seething once again over why you’re doing this to begin with. Money’s hard to come by in this day and age, as far as legal opportunities go for someone like you. So help that bastard if he finds the rest of your stash and decides to take that for himself.

Leaving the store with your new weapon in hand, you’re quick to notice a gathering of lawmen outside the Sheriff’s office just across the street. A dozen uniforms with an equal number of horses all geared and ready to go.

“Who’s the Sheriff around here?” you call out, approaching the group.

“That would be me, Miss.” The crowd parts, making room for a young, white-haired man. “Sheriff Satoru Gojo. How may I be of service to you on this lovely day?”

You scoff, This guy? He’s clean as a whistle. Even the star on his chest could be mistaken for a mirror with how much he’s shined it.

Any other time and his equally bright smile might feel akin to fresh rain in the New Austin desert, but currently, it’s more like greeting the sun after a wicked night in the saloon.

“I’d like to know what’s being done about those thieves from last night.”

His blue eyes wander your figure up and down. Curious, but invasive. “You’re not with the bank, are you?”

Does it look like I’m wearing a suit or a fancy dress?

“My horse was stolen by one of those bastards and I intend on getting her back. Today,” you hiss impatiently.

Giving attitude to a man of the law may not be the smartest decision lest you desire a night behind bars, but to be fair, you have every right to be pissed given the circumstances. Had they have been competent in their line of work, then the criminals wouldn’t have gotten as far as they had or even been able to leave town in the first place.

It’s infuriating.

And the nonchalant nature of this man only pisses you off further.

“You’re in luck then, Miss…?”

You reply to the man with your name, sternness evident in your tone.

“Pretty name for a pretty girl,” he remarks, earning a glare of disapproval from you that he shrugs off with a laugh. “My deputies and I are heading out on a lead if you want to sit tight inside.”

You place a hand over your hip, all nice and sassy with your face anything but. “I’d rather come with y’all than sit on my ass.”

Satoru takes the lead of a pristinely clean cremello stallion, its fur almost as perfectly white as the hair on its rider’s head. “I won’t stop you, but…” He pauses, hoisting himself up and over the saddle effortlessly, showing off those long legs of his. “…it could be dangerous.”

You pat the gun holster attached to your hip, just another way of showing that you’re anything but the normalcy ‘round here. “I think I’ll be just fine.”

The rim of his darkly colored cattleman hat dims his facial expression as he hunches down over the horn of the saddle, but not the light coming from that toothy grin stretching ear to ear.

“I don’t doubt that for a second, I’m aware of the duel that occurred last night.”

“Good, so then you know I mean business,” you warn, not once wavering from the eye contact with Satoru.

He outstretches his hand, beckoning for you to accept. “Of course. You want to ride up here with me then so we can get going?”

“Thanks, but no thanks,” you respond, pointing your thumb behind you at Clementine. “This girl will do just fine.”

“Didn’t steal her, I hope?” he teases in an effort to lighten the situation. It doesn’t necessarily work as you roll your eyes the moment your back turns on him. From there, you and the rest of the deputies mount up to leave town, destination unknown.

You hunker back from the rest of the posse, allowing the mare to instinctively follow while you take in the surrounding sights. You had come to this town from a different path than the one you’re marching on now, but given the view, you’ll for sure find yourself adventuring out here again in the future. The settlers here picked a beautiful spot to build the city of Valentine on. In the distance lie snow-kissed peaks and plateaus in nearly every direction, a wide-open prairie, and now the freshwater stream trailing at your side.

The stream runs clear as crystal, giving you an easy view of all the trout and pike that call it home. Measly shadows darting around in search of food and the ducks swimming along the surface. Sunlight catches on all the ripples, reflecting a dazzling lightshow of effects.

“So… what brings you to our fair city?”

You turn to your opposite side where Satoru and his majestic stallion ─ Mugen as you’ve come to discover its name to be ─ are nestled up at your side, stirrups annoyingly clashing with utter disregard for personal space.

“Do I need a reason or permission to come?”

“Well, no,” he pouts, “but as Sheriff I like to know who all is coming and going.” He further invades your bubble by leaning over in front of your line of sight, leather scrunching with every motion. “Besides, you’re an interesting change to the usual visitors. How could I not be curious?” he adds pointedly.

You sigh, giving in to his questioning. He doesn’t seem like a bad guy after all, compared to the horse thief you’re eagerly waiting to meet later. Satoru’s merely caught you on a bad day is all.

“I’m just a traveler like any other,” you drawl, a seldom undertone in your voice. “I used to call Tall Trees home, but that’s long in my past.”

“Bear country, huh?” He whistles out of surprise. “No wonder you’ve got the balls of one.”

“You could say that.” An amused huff leaves you. “Hunting bears is what ensured our survival up around Aurora Basin,” you explain, looking off in the direction of the mountains you at one point called home. “Had to watch our asses at all times to avoid Brumas or Lobo’s pack always hanging around our house.”

“Brumas?”

“Yeah, she’s a local legend in those parts. ‘A giant clad in golden fur.’” You exaggerate with your hands the sheer size of the bear. “Many doubt her existence, but my dad and I saw her firsthand one winter while hunting elk. Barely made it out intact but we made sure to leave her with a memorable scar on her face.” The memory of that day pulls the edges of your lips upwards.

“It's kill or be killed,” the words of your father sound in your head. “Either you stand your ground and fight back, or you won’t survive in this world.”

As they say, there’s always a method to the madness. Grizzly hunting as a kid is what geared you up to take no shit from others today. Especially for a lone woman carving her way through the frontier, you need to have the balls of a bear as the man next to you so sweetly described.

“Yikes,” Satoru grimaces at the fierce display of your nature stretching across your face. “Remind me not to get on your bad side.”

“Help me get my horse back today in one piece and you won’t have to worry.” You wink.

“By my honor as Sheriff of Valentine, I will get your steed back.” He pulls a semi-auto pistol from his belt, twirling it around his finger like you’d find in those animated photographs big cities always show off. The cocky cowboy, slick as could be with the metallic extension of themselves. “I’m the strongest, after all.” He winks back.

You have to hand it to him; he knows how to make an insufferable day a little less so; like a chaser you’d have following some throat-burning liquor. All it took was just some conversation and fond thoughts to get you back in the right mindset.

A pungent smell wafts your way sooner down the path, the luscious greens of the shrubbery abruptly turn to charred remains covering the expanse of land before you. A thin boundary of life and death.

“Forest fire?” you question rhetorically at first, but Satoru offers an answer.

“Kinda, we’re approaching what used to be a town by the name of Limpany.” He pauses, exhaling a discontent sigh. “Burned to the ground last year along with the rest of what you see.”

Kinda?

“Do you know how it started?”

There’s another brief pause, enough to shift the atmosphere in an awkward direction. You aim your head at Satoru, finding his downcast expression and a bittersweet smile. He brushes his fingers through Mugen’s mane, finding comfort with his trusted familiar.

“Since you told me your story, I’ll tell you some of mine,” he begins, taking in a focused breath. “My best friend and I were once deputies together, our sights set on becoming the sheriffs of a town no one would dare mess with thanks to our presence.” A flicker of remorse passes through the depths of his blue orbs. “We had a job that went sideways, and it wasn’t the same for us after.”

“How so?”

“I went on to become sheriff like we originally planned, but Suguru started to pull back and decided on going home to Limpany for a while.”

A pit in your stomach forms, giving you a sinking suspicion as to where this story could go. Considering his mood, the destination ahead, and the reveal of someone important to his life, there appears to be more to this as a whole than just a bank robbery. Nevertheless, you allow him to speak freely.

“Suguru discovered some serious corruption going on in the town by its people. In response, he ended up decimating nearly the entire town in one night, sparing no one. From that day forward, he became a wanted criminal in the eyes of the law.”

You wonder what could have been so severe to require that much lethal force, but at the same time if you were in his shoes, you might make the same choices. It wouldn’t be that far off on things you’d do considering how you decided to get back at the men who stole the lives of your parents.

Now here you are sympathizing with the man you’re hunting for your own personal vendetta. Oh how the tables have turned once you see the other side.

“I take it this Suguru is your gold thief?”

He sighs, “Unfortunately, that looks to be the case.” As you already expected to hear.

The town comes into sight, and with that, an end to your conversation. You’re surprised to see that despite the raging inferno that had occurred, buildings remain standing all along the settlement. Crumbling and disregarded, but still feasibly sturdy.

Smoke still hovers in the air as nature has yet to blossom and overtake the land once more. Maybe once spring has truly set in, new life will occur in its wake. So far, It’s quiet, but that may not necessarily be a good sign. Satoru orders his men to disperse throughout the town, going door to door in search of any signs of the gang.

The two of you hitch your horses out front of what used to be the Limpany Sheriff’s Department. The lettering on the building has long since faded from the flames but remains legible to a degree. Next door however is a jailhouse that stands without issue, and scarce of any blemishes. While Satoru is occupied with the main building, you decide to check out what lies beyond the iron door. There’s a click as you pull the safety of the gun, cautiously opening the door and ready for whatever lies inside.

Come to find out, it’s empty. The eeriness of the room sets off a trail of goosebumps down your spine. There’s smoke damage on the walls inside, but elsewhere nothing is damaged as far as you can tell. One of the locked cells houses two adult skeletons shackled to the wall. The bones of their wrists still nestled between the cuffs. The cell across somehow felt more ominous. The door is opened, leading to an empty room which in itself isn’t a cause for concern, but the scattered loot tells a different story. You bend down to pick up once such piece.

Is this… a child’s shoe?

Your eyes widen.

No doubt that one, but multiple children were being held in this very cell for reasons unknown. Is this what Suguru had come home to find…?

“Surprised? I know I was when I first saw this.”

His voice startles you, causing your sudden turn to meet him. “Satoru, what is this?”

“Corruption,” he answers bluntly.

What a cruel world this can be to live in. And with that thought, you can’t blame Suguru for crossing that threshold of sin.

A commotion sparks up outside, drawing both of you to the door. “Sheriff, come quick!” One of the deputies calls out. You get up to follow Satoru out as the two of you are led to another section of town where lawmen have quickly begun to circle. “It looks like they camped here and left this morning! There’s fresh hoofprints everywhere too.”

“Mount up!” Satoru shouts confidently, “They couldn’t have gotten far, let’s not waste any more daylight here!”

You’re about to whistle for your horse off muscle memory when you immediately have to remind yourself that she wouldn’t be able to hear your call.

They don’t prepare you for these things.

Valentine is all you have left right now. Losing her is like losing family. As much as you find yourself resonating with Suguru, the fact remains that you’re heartbroken without her. Hopefully she’s safe and the two of you will be reunited again soon. You brush the thoughts, running off with Satoru before galloping off with the rest of the posse.

The roads outside Limpany aren’t the most well-travelled, so for any decent enough tracker, the thousand-pound impressions in the dirt are easy enough to spot. There’s evidence a wagon or two may have joined the group, all leading down the Dakota river towards the Upper Montana. Trees quickly become scarcer as you enter this new area thanks to logging companies, making it easier to see everything in front of you but at the same time, everyone can see you as well.

The group stops short of a tree line near the river to use as cover. Up ahead lies a small home and barn to match looking all too lively and full for its size. A fatal flaw in their attempt at laying low, but one you’re thankful for. Pulling out a pair of binoculars from your satchel, you investigate the scene. There’s a long, gray-haired man and another shorter bald guy walking around, weaponry in hand, and several more interesting characters around. Among the dozen horses grazing from their posts, none are Valentine.

“Are those the men we’re looking for?”

“Looks like it,” the white-haired man sighs, tightening the grip on his own pair of binoculars. “I see some other wanted faces the Outlaw Killer was looking into.”

“The Outlaw Killer?” you scoff, quirking a brow. Interesting title that speaks for itself.

“Yeah,” he snickers. “He’s a crazy bounty hunter. You’d know him if you saw him, I’m sure. Grouchy asshole that only ever wears black ─ hell, I think all his guns and even his lasso are the same color.” He rolls his eyes and an image of the blacked-out stallion and its flirt of an owner came to mind from the night before. So much for a bad temperament.

“Good to know,” you hum, raising your new rifle from its holster, taking aim at the gray-haired man first on instinct.

“Woah woah woah, what are you doing?” Satoru’s urgent voice fills your ear.

“What’s it look like?” you calmly reply, “I’m gonna pick them off one by one.” The safety clicks just as the man reaches out with a hand on the barrel to low the gun.

“I’m itching to get this done with as much as you are, but I’d like to arrest them, not kill.”

You click your tongue out of annoyance, “What’s your plan then, Sheriff?”

“Let’s just get a little closer and see what more we can learn first. It won’t do us any good if they’ve stashed the gold, and I doubt they’ll tell us anyways.”

He has a point, sadly. For now, you’ll just have to go along with it. You lean on the reins with a tap of your heel to guide Clementine. “Have it your way, but just remember that I’m not the one wearing a silver star.”

“Hey if this goes well, I’m more than happy to give you one.” He smiles, following your lead with the rest of his men. Once again, he’s got Mugen right up at your side, hunched over the saddle to see your face. “You’re just the kind of attitude we could use; that and I’m enjoying your company.” You roll your eyes but the faint smile tugging at your lips gives you away all too easily.

Being a deputy isn’t something you’ve had in mind before given your sense of exploration and all, but another way one could view it is imagining it as a means of settling down somewhere. An ever-growing supply of work paired with using your favorite set of skills to earn money; all and all giving you stability and a place to call home if you ever decide that’s what you want in life.

It's worth thinking about if he’s serious. A second option to consider on top of Kento’s.

To avoid spooking the gang, you and the rest of the posse tie the reins of your mounts to some trees a few yards back from the tree line closer to the homestead. From there, it’s all about maintaining a stealthy approach. Plenty of shrubbery dots the property, so even with the lack of tall standing trees, you’re able to keep as low a profile as you can without inciting a shootout. The rest of the men can have their fun with their hunt for gold or apprehending dangerous individuals. Your first and foremost objective is securing Valentine.

Since she’s not outside, one can only assume she’s in the barn out of sight. It’s a good size, but in desperate need of some TLC as you learn the moment some rotted wood snaps cleanly off with a simple tug. You crawl through from the back, entering the structure into a bed of hay. Looking up from the ground, you quickly find that it’s not just you stuck in a 12x12 box.

A familiar tobiano paint stands proudly, turning his head in your direction. Beautiful black and white markings cover the gelding with a splash of white on one side of its face revealing a sole blue eye. The other eye is a rich shade of brown, surrounded by black fur.

“Good boy,” you whisper to the horse, hoping to not frighten him or anyone else that may be inside to your presence. He eyes you back with a huff and some widened eyes, but thankfully their ears move in attentive patterns rather than that of aggression.

You measle around to the front of the stall, managing to swoon him with your pets between soft whispering coos. “I should steal you and show him how it feels. You want that, big guy?”

A high-pitched whinny pierces the air, drawing your eyes to your long-lost Valentine one stall over. She stomps her foot aggressively, but her warning comes all too slow before the stall door flings open. Before you can reprimand yourself for being snuck up on, let alone draw your gun, the opposing force already has their own aimed nearly point blank.

“My, I didn’t expect anyone to check here first, let alone wish to steal Uzumaki from me?”

You turn slowly towards the man you’ve been wanting to see all night and day. The same silky-haired bastard that made off with your mare. He stares you down the iron sight of a Cattleman’s revolver, holding a salacious grin as he takes amusement in this whole ordeal.

“I think it’s only fair, seeing as you stole my own horse after your little escapade in town last night.” Unlike his suave tones, your voice is laced with the venom of a diamondback rattlesnake. Just because he has you cornered, doesn’t mean you’re any less dangerous than a pit viper itching to strike.

The sound of gunfire alerts you both to the events unfolding outside the shabby walls of the stable, all with the shouting of a dozen men. The sliding door to the entrance of the barn opens with a bang, and the outlaw is quick to draw up a second revolver at the new arrival.

“Suguru, put your guns down.” Satoru says, trying to mask the hints of pain and grief beneath a stoic demeanor.

On the other end, Suguru is cheerful and keeps his sight set on the other with a cheshire smile. “Satoru~ long time no see.”

You clear your throat, reminding the two of your third wheeling presence. “Nice reunion and all, but you’re outnumbered here.”

“That may be.” he pauses, rolling his head in your direction once more. “But I’m holding the guns here so it’s up to you both to decide how you want to walk out of here.”

Funny how things ended up working out after that.

Between some more bickering, monologues, thundering hooves, and dwindling gunfire, who knew a simple suggestion to “kiss and make up” would lead to you being sandwiched between them in one of the empty available stalls occupying square bales of hay to use as surfacing.

Straw digs into your back annoyingly, but the pleasure of two cocks in either end transition you to a state of euphoria. Muffled whimpers fail to escape, instead warping around Satoru buried deep in your throat. It’s long, veiny, and curves in all the right directions. His hands find comfort over the mound of your breasts, kneading into the flesh with each thrust.

You can’t see it, but those breathtaking blue eyes look in awe of your figure adorned with a sheen of sweat and the sight of Suguru’s cock disappearing into your perfect little pussy. “So pretty,” he purrs, noting how you’re glowing brighter than any star could hope to achieve, silver or not.

Suguru’s hands brand the dipping of your hips with a bruising grip, rutting into you with his especially girthy extension. Each jerk of his body hits right into a sweet spot bringing you ever closer to undoing the knot at the base of your core.

They both momentarily pause as you begin to unravel, choking out cries that leave Satoru reeling with pleasure from the tightness of your throat. Suguru feels it too. Your gummy walls encasing around him in erratic motions. The two of them aren’t far away from their own release.

The sounds each make only serve to keep the wings of your pussy fluttering for more. Irresistibly charming, and all the more passionate given the shared history they share, and you now caught in the middle.

Suguru leans forward over you, cupping Satoru’s cheek to draw him closer, crashing their lips together in a messy embrace. That one action forces each to come undone, painting both ends of you so perfectly white. They pull out, savoring the whining noise you release from the loss. The black-haired man takes a moment to admire how you clench around nothing and the cum gushing out like a waterfall of love.

“How are you feeling, baby?” Suguru asks, and both Satoru and you simultaneously answer positively making him chuckle all low and honey-like.

“You’re doing so well, but we’re not done just yet…” Both men exchange a look, as if reading one another’s mind. Soulmatism at its finest. “Well, Satoru?”

“It’s been too long, Suguru,” he responds gleefully. Satoru then proceeds to lift your tiring body up and onto his lap, making you straddle him as the other comes around into your view. “Ready for more, princess?”

“Less talk, more stuffing,” you scoff, taking it upon yourself to line his tip with your eager cunt, graciously accepting him into the depths beyond what Suguru could reach.

“You heard the pretty lady, Satoru,” the other whispers into his ear, nibbling the lobe as he slowly thrusts up into the man. The slick coating his shaft that you provided just moments ago make for a smooth entry, earning a deep fulfilling rumble from Satoru.

His fingers slid up your thighs and over the curves of your body, pressing into the plush to bounce you on him. You saw plenty before of the cobweb of veins that marble his cock, but feeling the ridges trailing along your insides leaves you breathing out such sinful sounds. He works it like the most formal of fountain pens, writing poetry on velvet walls that could put even Shakespeare to shame.

“Fuuh-uck,” you murmur, burying your face in the crook of Satoru’s neck, shamelessly letting him contort your body however he desires. Your arms wrap tightly around his neck and hair, locking him in against your bare chest.

“Now now, don’t go hiding yourself,” Suguru says between disheveled breaths, trying not to let his pace falter as he urges your face up. He overtakes your lips, mixing sloppy kisses with nips across your bottom lip.

Satoru uses this chance to pepper your open neck with marks fashioned all in his name, biting down with more force each time his lover hits that sweet spot inside. He can feel not only his own chest tighten, but his balls as well.

Suguru breaks the kiss, but only to push the two in front of him down. The weight of Satoru comes down over you, taking your mouth against his and soaking up the taste of all the combined flavors. Suguru unleashes powerful thrusts into Satoru that force him in and out of your own body as he chases his high.

“You missed me this much, Suguru?” He gazes over his shoulder, smiling as he tries to form cock-drunk words. “S-so much more aggressive than usual, f-feels good.”

“Not a day goes by where I don’t see a reminder of you.” You can just barely make out the seldom, yet saccharine face Suguru makes, your own vision clouded with a hazy white. “It’s just like the old days with o-our new friend here.”

“Our princess here is taking us so well, isn’t she?”

“She is,” he says, and you feel feather-light touches come over your thighs that attempt to coil around Satoru for closeness. “You’re such a good girl, I bet you want to cum, don’t you?” You feverishly nod, unsure how much longer you can hold out.

“Come on, baby.” A finger moves over your clit drawing star-shaped patterns until that’s all you’re able to see. “T-that’s it,” he drawls, following soon after.

Hot ropes of cum spill out inside you once more, making a beautiful cocktail of three. Suguru mercilessly ruts into Satoru until he himself finishes, savoring the feeling he’s long since missed and relishing in the new ones you’ve brought him.

Satoru’s body relaxes leaving you trapped underneath. You take the time to brush your fingers through his hair as you come down off your high, feeling yourself ground to the Earth in the process.

Suguru pulls out, leaving a chaste kiss to you both. His delicate fingers push the hair of your face, admiring the beauty of your afterglow. You close your eyes, soaking up the feeling of one another, completely oblivious to anything else.

Well, almost oblivious.

“It’s been fun seeing you again and meeting such a lovely new woman,” Suguru starts. You open your eyes and Satoru as well to see Suguru dressed and mounted atop the tobiano. “I’ve got to get home before my daughters begin to worry. See you around sometime.” He winks, galloping out of the stable before either of you can say another word.

Satoru stands up, exhaling a defeated sigh. The plan to arrest Suguru ended up with the two of you being detained by love. Both his gang and the gold are long gone to wherever his hideout lies.

Satoru helps you up, cleaning you off as best he can before readying the horses, and yes, that means yours too.

Valentine is home, back with her family.

You.

As you sit atop her on route back to the city of Valentine, you feel a discomfort in your clothes and the crunching of parchment to follow. The source of which is a pamphlet courtesy of Suguru, detailing drawings and hints on how if you’re interested, you can use these clues to find him and his camp of outlaws.

And so, a third opportunity for your future presents itself, but that’s for the future. For now, the only thing on your mind is a steak dinner. Here’s hoping the Butcher has finished his job.

☆ Notes: KFC breakup – saloon edition

Fr this chapter was hard for me to write. I love satosugu but I’m not confident in writing them just yet :( I cursed myself so many times and had to close to document. march weather also has got me not feeling too well so that sucks.

I was kinda stumped how to transition from gunpoint to dickpoint in a way that wasn’t so dubious or noncon so I hope you don’t mind me just skipping straight to the action :3 threesome smut is hard to write for me

[countrymusiclover]

Gemini Runaway

"Being a twin of the Gemini Coven is a curse to never have children."

Raelyn Primrose Lane is on the run from her own family. She isn't trusting of anyone she comes in contact with all because she was forced to kill her twin sibling recently. Raelyn stumbles into the town of Mystic Falls and starts making friends. Alongside catching the eye of the original hybrid Klaus Mikaelson. Will Raelyn let Klaus in her heart or will her family manage to catch their traitor of a daughter

1 - Vow to never have Children

2 - Getting to know Him

3 - Original Vampires

4 - Blonde Friends

5 - A Hybrid's Offer

6 - Homecoming

7 - Abominations

8 - Date with an Original Hybrid

9 - Haunting Vengeance

10 - The Original Coffins

11 - Intense Family Reunion

12 - My First Friend

13 - The Mikaelson Ball

14 - Gemini Business

15 - Esther's Ritual

16 - You Only Live Once

17 - My Cousin Jo

18 - Tricky Witches Spells

19 - My Life Or Theirs

20 - One Last Hurrah

21 - The Ultimate Hunter

22 - Three Words Longed For

23 - The Bonds of Family

24 - The Sights of New Orleans

25 - A Dangerous Encounter

26 - A Coven’s Leader

27 - Dead or Alive

28 - The Miracle…Baby

29 - Sweet Vampire-Witch

30 - What's Wrong With Raelyn?

31 - Raelyn Let Loose

32 - Bringing Her Humanity Back

33 - Kol's Downfall

34 - Who Makes Him Human

35 - Finding the Cure

36 - Evening in the French Quarter

37 - A Harvest Ritual

38 - Davina - The Attic Witch

39 - Impatient Witches

40 - The Fate of Three Children

41 - Blood of Enemies

42 - Never Truly Gone

43 - A Magical Favor

44 - Papa Original and Confind Spaces

45 - Babies and a Ring

46 - Big Milestone and Mysterious Woman

47 - Proper Family Meeting

48 - Official Wedding Planner

49 - Uniting Friendships

50 - I Forever, I Do

51 - Our Secret Weapons

52 - Betrayal Can Come From Anywhere

53 - Dahlia's Offer

54 - Getting What They Deserve

55 - Vampires to a Witch Fight

56 - The Magical Border

57 - The Gemini Portland House

58 - Message For The Sire

59 - Red Head From His Past

60 - Sisterly Trio

61 - A Mikaelson Thanksgiving

62 - To Getting Rebekah Back

63 - Aurora's Revenge

64 - A Christmas Hex

65 - Vampire Camille

66 - Rescuing Klaus

67 - A Caring Vamp Sire

68 - King and Queen

69 - The Trial of Klaus Mikaelson

70 - Fighting the Magical Border

71 - Mikaelson’s before Gemini

72 - Kai's Message

73 - We're Screwed

74 - Gemini Fights and Supernatural Fates

75 - I Will Rescue You

76 - Moment of Peace

77 - The Horrific Merge

78 - Finally a Family Reunion

79 - A Long Awaited Evening

80 - One Day of Peace

81 - Gemini Downfall Wedding

82 - Finding the Heretics

83 - Heretics in Mystic Falls

84 - Meeting one of the Heretics

85 - Another Vampire Pregnancy

86 - Calling Us Home

87 - What's the Hollow

88 - Bloodline Deals

89 - The Last Remaining Gemini

90 - Parker/Lane Family Reunion

91 - A Family Dessert War

92 - Bye bye Hollow

93 - The End of Always and Forever

94 - Anything For Our Children- Flashback

95 - Running the School

96 - Family Troubles

97 - Unexpected Visitor

98 - The Family Falling Out

99 - Missing Coffins

100 - Not Little Girls Anymore

101 - Red Roses and Blood

102 - Owner of the Golden Coin

103 - A Rescuing Price

104 - Working through Changes

105 - Alina Mikaelson - Keener

106 - Changes under the Moon

107 - To Getting Elijah Back

108 - Like Father Like Daughters

109 - Always and Forever Lives On

---------- read part 100 to get the link to the next parts (you can only link 100 parts) 😢

Comments really appreciated ❤️

Tag list ask to be added @dragonixfrye @secretdreamlandmentality @ocappreciation @ocappreciationtag @kmc1989 @tallrock35

[onyxsboxes]

After a bit of delay, here are the songs titles from the LCAPT Clegan playlist

1. Learn to Fly by Foo Fighters 2. Clearest Blue by CHVRCHES 3. I'm Not In Love by 10cc 4. Death and All His Friends by Coldplay 5. Til Kingdom Come by Coldplay 6. The Queen Of All Everything by Ott 7. Love song from a dog by Shovels & Rope ft. gregory alan isakov 8. If we were vampires by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit 9. Passenger seat by Death Cab for Cutie

10. In our bedroom after the war by Stars 11. Early mornin’ rain by Peter, Paul and Mary 12. I was made for loving you by Yungblud cover 13. Visions of Gideon by Sufjan Stevens 14. Fourth of July by Sufjan Stevens 15. Lover, You Should've Come Over by Jeff Buckley 16. The Roads by Jonah Kagen 17. Next to You by John Vincent III 18. Seen My Man (Wisconsin Demo) by Trixie Mattel 19. Beneath Oak Trees by Dylan Gossett

20. Heaven is a Bedroom by TV Girl 21. Wicked Games by The Weeknd 22. Itchy Teeth by Marika Hackman 23. Breakup by Ashton Irwin 24. Work Song by Hozier 25. I’m Low on Gas and you Need a Jacket by Pierce The Veil 26. Betting On Us by Myles Smith 27. I'm the Sinner by Jared Benjamin 28. Running to You by Jamie Drake & Jamie Jackson 29. Look After You by Aron Wright

30. Smokestacks by Layla 31. Run To You by CJ Starnes 32. Gale song by The Lumineers 33. White Ferrari by Frank Ocean 34. Can You Hear the Rain Love by Richard Hawley 35. Say Yes To Heaven by Lana Del Rey 36. Talk Show Host by Radiohead 37. Untold by RY X 38. Lovers Rock by TV Girl 39. Waiting Room by Phoebe Bridgers

40. I Will by The Beatles 41. Glimpse of Us by Joji 42. Somethin' Stupid by Frank Sinatra & Nancy Sinatra 43. When the party is over by Billie Eilish 44. I love you by Billie Eilish 45. Blue jeans by Lana Del Rey 46. The secret marriage by Sting 47. Wicked game by Ursine Vulpine 48. Love Me Like You Used To by Lord Huron 49. Need you Now by Lady A

50. Strange Birds by Birdy 51. Old Money by Lana Del Rey 52. The Night We Met by Lord Huron 53. Piano Man by Billy Joel 54. Alley Rose by Conan Fray 55. Good Luck, babe by Chappel Roan 56. Be Nice To Me by The Front Bottoms 57. Saturn by Sleeping At Last 58. So Long, London by Taylor Swift 59. From Eden by Hozier

60. I Should Live in Salt by The National 61. Demons by The National 62. Graceless by The National 63. Your Mind Is Not Your Friend by The National, Phoebe Bridgers 64. Don’t Swallow the Cap by The National 65. Dreaming by The National 66. This Isn’t Helping by The National, Phoebe Bridgers 67. Issues by Julia Michaels 68. Gorecki by Lamb 69. Ends Of The Earth by Lord Huron

70. Dark Red by Steve Lacy 71. Fireproof by Coleman Hell 72. Heavydirtysoul by Twenty One Pilots 73. All I Want Is You by Barry Louis Polisar 74. I Found by Amber Run 75. Beautiful by Josh Zandman 76. Budapest by George Ezra 77. Be Together by Major Lazer 78. On The Nature Of Daylight by Max Richter 79. Guiding Light by Mumford & Sons

80. My Blood by Twenty One Pilots 81. My Madonna by Dexter Freebish 82. Chemicals Between Us by Bush 83. Protect Me From What I Want by Placebo 84. I Feel Loved by Depeche Mode 85. Gimme Some Lovin’ by The Spencer Davis Group 86. Little Light Of Love by Eric Serra 87. Fire and Flood by Vance Joy 88. Pride (In The Name Of Love) by Clivillés & Cole 89. Holdin’ Out by The Lumineers

90. If I Go, I’m Goin by Gregory Alan Isakov 91. Letting The Cables Sleep by Bush 92. This Feeling by Chainsmokers 93. Me And You by Barry Louis Polisar 94. Silver sable by Cigarettes after sex 95. How I Learned to Love the Bomb by Glass Animals 96. Hellofazoo by Until the Ribbon Breaks 97. Mr. Forgettable by David Kushner 98. John My Beloved by Sufjan Stevens 99. Alan by Perfume genius

100. One line by PJ harvey 101. Putting The Dog To Sleep by the antlers 102. In My Arms by Alex g 103. Certainty by Big thief 104. Angel In The Snow by Elliott smith 105. Nothing Matters by The Last Dinner Party 106. The Loneliest by Måneskin 107. Till forever falls apart by Ashe, Finneas 108. Whish that you were here by Florence + The Machine 109. I Forget Where We Were by Ben Howard

110. Bite by Troye Sivan 111. Lowlife by Poppy 112. Real Love Song by Nothing But Thieves 113. Like You Do by Joji 114. Be My baby by The Ronettes 115. Burn by Tom Walker 116. Lucky by Bif Naked 117. Fair by The Amazing Devil 118. Bitch by Meredith Brooks 119. I wish you were a girl by 12 RODS

120. All i think about now by Pixies 121. I know by Fiona Apple 122. Sweet tooth by Cavetown 123. Flawless by The Neighborhood 124. Can’t Help Falling In Love by Elvis Presley 125. Simply the best by Billianne 126. I remember everything by Zach Bryan, Kacey Musgraves 127. Coal by Dylan Gossett 128. i am not who i was by Chance Peña 129. I Bet On Losing Dogs by Mitski

130. Two slow dancers by Mitski 131. Lucky to get him by Aly and AJ 132. Crack baby by Mitski 133. I don't smoke by Mitski 134. Smoke gets in your eyes by Helen Forest 135. Love by Daughter 136. Can’t Help Falling in Love - DARK by Tommee Profitt, brooke 137. Chills - Dark Version by Mickey Valen, Joey Myron 137,5. Skyline by Sibewest 138. Beautiful Crime by Tamer 139. Act natural by Margaret Glaspy

140. Betray my heart by D'Angelo 141. I will be your friend by Sade 142. Can’t Take My Eyes Off You by Frankie Valli 143. I Didn’t Know by Sofia Carson 144. You by A Great Big World 145. This Woman’s Work by Kate Bush 146. Can't you see - acoustic by Matthew and the Atlas 147. Cowboy by Jack Van Cleaf 148. Feels like Home by Caamp 149. Carry You Home by Alex Warren

150. Belong Together by Mark Ambor 151. The First Day of My Life by Bright Eyes 152. Kaleidoscope by A Great Big World 153. Monsters of the North by The National Parks 154. The great war by Taylor Swift 155. Free by Florence + The Machine 156. I know the end by Phoebe Bridgers 157. Another Man’s Jeans by Ashe 158. I’ve Told You Now by Sam Smith 159. Love Me by Elvis Presley

160. Moment’s Silence (Common Tongue) by Hozier 161. Ocean Eyes by Billie Eilish 162. Take me home, country roads by John Denver 163. Army Dreamers by Kate Bush 164. I'm No Angel by Dido 165. We’ll Meet Again by Johnny Cash 166. Cowboys are frequently secretly fond of each other by Orville Peck 167. If We Were Vampires by Noah Kahan, Wesley Schultz 168. You Belong To Me by Jo Stafford 169. Goodnight Irene by Frank Sinatra

170. All I Want by Kodaline 171. Me and my Husband by Mitski 172. The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is out to get us by Sufjan Stevens 173. As the World cave in by Sarah Cothran 174. Dead of Night by Orville Peck 175. invisible string by Taylor Swift 176. The Ghost of You by My chemical Romance 177. We'll Meet Again by Vera Lynn 178. Love in the Time Of Socialism by Yellow house 179. Northern Downpour by Panic! At The Disco

180. Better in the Morning by Birdtalker 181. doomsday by Lizzy McAlpine 182. Guilty by Al Bowlly 183. Heat Lightning by Mitski 184. everything i wanted by Billie Eilish 185. Blood Moon by Josiah and the Bonnevilles 186. Night Terror by Laura Marling 187. Vengeance Is Sleeping by Neko Case 188. Finally Stop Dreaming by Dylan Gossett 189. The Yawning Grave by Lord Huron

190. Learning To Fly by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 191. Hounds of Love by The Futureheads 192. Now I'm in it by HAIM 193. Stand Back by Stevie Nicks 194. Moonlight of Your Room by Joe Pug 195. Blue by Mai Yamane 196. Call Your Girlfriend by Robyn 197. Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers 198. Summer Of '69 by Bryan Adams 199. Fix you by Coldplay

200. Sun Bleached Flies by Ethel Cain 201. I walk the Line by Halsey 202. The Greatest by Billie Eilish 203. I'll be seeing you by Billie Holiday 204. We will not be Lovers by The Waterboys 205. Triptych by Samia 206. In a Jar by Dinosaur Jr. 207. Dionne by The Japanese House, Justin Vernon 208. Nothing Like by Mannequin pussy 209. True Love Waits by Radiohead

210. Weird Fish/Arpeggi by Radiohead 211. I’m a Fool to Want You by Billie Holiday 212. A Life of Arctic Sounds by Modest Mouse 213. Soldier Boy by The Shirelles 214. Casual by Chappel Roan 215. Ruined by Adrianne Lenker 216. Without You by Tobias Jesso Jr. 217. That's Where I Am by Maggie Rogers 218. Die Young by Sylvab Esso 219. Violet hill by Coldplay

220. You made me love you by Patsy Cline 221. Smoke gets in your eyes by Eartha Kitt 222. Piece of my heart by Erma Franklin 223. Love and anger by Kate Bush 224. Guilty by Johnny Desmond 225. I Can’t Begin to Tell You by Bing Crosby 226. People Will Say We’re in Love by Frank Sinatra 227. You’ll Never Know by Dick Haymes 228. You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To by Dinah Shore 229. Speeding Cars by Walking On Cars

230. Girl Crush by Harry Style 231. Fine Line by Harry Style 232. Bittersuite by Billie Eilish 233. Et même après je t'aimerai by Hoshi 234. Tourner dans le vide by Indila 235. What was I made For? by Billie Eilish 236. Maybe by James Arthur 237. Happy Together by Gerard Way, Ray Toro 238. Dandelions by Ruth B. 239. When the Darkness Comes by Shelby Merry

240. Silver tongues by Louis Tomlinson 241. Telepathic by Starset 242. Always by Isak Danielson 243. Like real people Do by Hozier 244. Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls 245. Can you hold me by NF, Britt Nicole 246. Moondust by Jaymes Young 247. Maps - triple j Like A version by Camp Cope 248. We made it by Louis Tomlinson 249. Adore you by Harry Style

250. Love song by Lana Del Rey 251. Satellite by Harry Style 252. Late night Talking by Harry Style 253. Home by Edith Whiskers 254. Guilty as Sin? by Taylor Swift 255. The Light by CHPTRS 256. Started With You by CHPTRS 257. City Lights (Symphonic Version) by HAEVN 258. This Is Why I Need You by Jesse Ruben 259. Never Stop (Wedding Version) by Safetysuit

260. Sacrifice by Elton John 261. Who we are by Hozier 262. Politik by Coldplay 263. All I need by Radiohead 264. Can't pretend by Tom Odell 265. Would Anyone Care by Citizen Soldier 266. Hold My Hand by Lady Gaga 267. Warriors by Willyecho 268. Brother by Kodaline 269. Protector by City wolf

270. Texas reznikoff by Mitski 271. Pin by Grimes 272. I'm your man by Mitski 273. Haunting by Halsey 274. Twin flame by Weyes blood 275. Why Can’t The Dark Leave Me Alone? by Toni Fisher 276. No Other Love by Jo Stafford 277. Your Best American Girl by Mitski 278. Careless Whispers by George Michael 279. Sailor Song by Gigi Perez

280. Sidelines by Phoebe Bridges 281. not a lot, just forever by Adrianne Lenker 282. forwards beckon rebound by Adrianne Lenker 283. Norman fucking Rockwell by Lana Del Rey 284. Long Long Time by Linda Ronstadt 285. Break by alex_g_offline 286. Some Velvet morning by Nancy Sinatra, Lee Hazlewood 287. Overtime by Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Kacey Musgraves 288. The John Wayne by Little Green Cars 289. Pale blue Eyes by The Velvet Underground

290. You'll Never Know (78rpm version) by Frank Sinatra, Bobby Tucker Singers 291. Come on Mess me up by Cub sport 292. While I can by Keaton henson 293. Flying :)) by Tom Odell 294. Cornflower blue by Flower Face 295. Remember by Seinabo Sey, Jacob Banks 296. Once more to see you by Mitski 297. Back to the old house by The Smiths 298. Symphonia IX by Current Joys 299. So real by Jeff Buckley

300. Half return by Adrianne Lenker 301. Fade into you by Mazzy Star 302. All We Ever Do is Talk by Del Water Gap 303. Dirty Little Secret by Artemas 304. Too Sweet by Hozier 305. Anyways I Love You by Wild Rivers 306. like you’re god by Mehro 307. Size too small by Sufjan Stevens 308. Cheers Darlin' by Damien Rice 309. Lotus Flower by Radiohead

310. Twilight Time by The Platters 311. Because of You by Tony Bennett 312. if i needed someone by The Beatles 313. Standing next to You by Jungkook 314. Falling away with You by Muse 315. Exist for Love by AURORA 316. Sata vuotto by BEHM 317. Blood Sport by Sleep Token 318. Oblivion by SYML 319. Timezone by Måneskin

320. Own my mind by Måneskin 321. Pushing Up Daisies (Love Alive) by Brothers Osborne 322. Unbroken by Tim McGraw 323. I Was Born To Love You by Queen 324. You’re My Best Friend by Queen 325. Think I’m In Love With You by Chris Stapleton, Dua Lipa 326. Something To Talk About by Bonnie Raitt 327. Parachute by Chris Stapleton 328. Love The Lonely Out Of You by Brothers Osborne 329. Here Tonight (The Acoustic Sessions) by Brett Young, Charles Kelley

330. Stay A Little Longer by Brothers Osborne 331. The End by Halsey 332. Birds of a feather by Billie Eilish 333. Found Heaven by Conan Gray 334. Down bad by Taylor Swift 335. I do by Renee Rapp 336. The good I'll do by Zach Bryan 337. Half Light by BANNERS 338. Resistance by Muse 339. Far from home (the raven) by Sam Tinnesz

340. Francis forever by Mitski 341. I love you by RIOPY 342. This must be the place (naive melody) 2005 by Talking Heads 343. Maps by Yeah yeah yeahs 344. Cinnamon Girl by Lana del rey 345. I'm on Fire by Bruce Springsteen 346. Fire on Fire by Sam Smith 347. I'm Making Believe by The Inkspots and Ella Fitzgerald 348. Watch Over You by Alter Bridge 349. Summer song by Remy bond

350. Off to the races by Lana Del Rey 351. Almost (sweet music) by Hozier 352. giveuwhatuwant by The Driver Era 352,5. Birds of a feather by Billie Eilish 353. Big Mike’s by Dijon 354. Simulation Swarm by Big Thief 355. I Wanna Be Yours by Arctic Monkeys 356. Little Bit More by Mk.gee 357. Be Well by Ama Lou 358. Unknown/Nth by Hozier 359. Asleep by Smiths

360. Lucky by Atta Boy 361. Big Jet Plane by Angus & Julia Stone 362. Parallel Universe by Clara Benin 363. Dói Tanto by Gabriel Froede 364. Eyes Off You by Prettymuch 365. Secret Love Song, Pt. II by Little Mix 366. Finality by Woods of Ypres 367. Pra Ser Sincero by Enganheiros do Hawaii 368. Wherever You Go by The Calling 369. Janeiro by Esteban Tavares 370. I will follow you into the dark by Death Cab for Cutie

371. Tiny vessels by Death Cab for Cutie 372. King and Lionheart by Of Monsters and Men 373. Bloom (Eros) by Sleeping At Last 374. No One’s Gonna Love You by Band of Horses

25/10/24 edit: 17 songs added (357 -> 374)

[girlactionfigure]

🟪 ANTI-DRONE - Real time from Israel

 

ISRAEL REALTIME - Connecting to Israel in Realtime

( VIDEO - IDF soldiers on a break in a HEZBOLLAH UNDERGROUND AMMUNITION WAREHOUSE. )

▪️IRAN ATTACK FINAL.. 12 production facilities for rocket fuel mixers, the Russian S-300 air defense systems protecting Tehran, a drone manufacturing plant and a nuclear research site in Perchin were attacked.  US: During the attack on Saturday night, Israeli Air Force planes entered Iranian airspace and carried out deep strikes.  The attack ELIMINATED Iran’s air defense system, completely in western Iran and Tehran.  Anti-aircraft batteries and long range radars.

▪️DEFENSE.. The US is deploying a 2nd THAAD anti-ballistic-missile battery in Israel.  They have also stationed 3 AEGIS missile defense ships offshore from Israel.  While Israel’s Arrow ballistic missile interceptor system is very effective, apparently Israel has requested American coverage for additional capacity vs very large barrages.

▪️ANTI-DRONE.. the IDF has placed the first Vulcan cannon (very high rate of fire anti-aircraft gun) on the northern border, with the goal of intercepting drones launched by Hezbollah at Israel. The cannon was created by the Israeli Tamar company, and the IDF will mark the effectiveness of the cannon in its operational area in the north.

▪️A CIVILIAN HAS BEEN MURDERED.. in the Glilot terror ramming attack: Betzalel Karmi, 72, from Rishon L’Ziyon.  May his family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem, and may G-d avenge his blood!

▪️OH THE ICC.. The Guardian: The prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, who is trying to bring warrants against PM Netanyahu and Def. Min. Gallant, tried to (allegedly) prevent the employee who was sexually harassed by him from complaining against him.

▪️SHELTERS IN ISRAELI ARAB TOWNS.. several social commentators were stating that Israeli Arab towns, which have been hit several times recently with casualties, are not provided shelters.  The Ministry of Social Equality notes it has been delivering protective shelters to Israeli Arab towns within 20 km of the Lebanese border over the past year, including 14 different towns.  The town that was recently hit, Majd al-Khorum, has received 6 shelters to date.  

▪️MILITARY DRILL - AFULA, YOKNEAM, BEIT SHEAN AREAS.. exercise, from 16:00 to 19:00, active movement of police and security forces in the following places: Beit Shean and the nearby towns, Afula, Yokneam, Migdal HaEmek , Ramat Yishai and the Galilee. During the exercise, a partial blockage of traffic lanes is expected.

🔹Reuters: Iraq filed a complaint with the United Nations about Israel's use of its airspace in an attack on Iran.

🔸HOSTAGE DEAL NEWS.. Hamas has rejected the Egyptian deal, then hinted maybe not, or with changes.  A report on the Saudi Al-Arabiya channel: the US supports the Egyptian proposal for a fierce ceasefire and calls for it to be pushed through quickly.

.. With Netanyahu's intervention - the summit moved from Egypt to Qatar. Negotiation professionals recommended that it is a better center of gravity.

.. Saudi Al-Arabiya channel: Hamas is ready to accept the new proposal if it is part of the agreement proposed on July 2. “…We want guarantees of commitment to the Egyptian proposal and the agreement for a comprehensive ceasefire and not a partial deal.”

.. LEBANON SIDE - The office of the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament Navia Berri: "What is attributed to him regarding the negotiations is not accurate.”

[diazheartsbuckley]

In the line of love 💕

Hi angel 💕

I’ve answered that one here

But here’s another snippet 💋

(For context, Adam is Eddie’s partner at the precinct and Molly is Buck’s friend and coworker who he has known for years)

TW: mentions of blood and gun violence

There had been something off about this particular day. Eddie had been late to work for the first time in years, rushing out of Buck’s bed without kissing him goodbye. Then he had spilled scorching hot water down his body while doing the dishes in the break room.

He was in the patrol car with Adam, his hands tightly gripping the steering wheel as he stared blankly ahead of him, completely unaware of the fact that Adam had been talking to him for the past five minutes about some girl that he had met recently.

“You with me?” His partner questioned, sensing that there was something off about Eddie.

“Sorry, bad morning” Eddie chuckled and released the steering wheel a little, allowing blood flow back to his hands.

Adam was about to make a snarky comment about how Buck had probably kept him up all night when an eerie call came in over the radio.

“Attention all units. We have an active shooter situation at UCLA Medical Center, proceed with caution. I repeat, active shooter at UCLA Medical Center”

“Isn’t that-…”

“Where Buck works” Eddie’s mind can’t stop spinning yet he has to remain focused, his heart pounding against his ribs.

“Dispatch, this is Unit 12. Show us going” Adam spoke into the radio, Eddie’s foot already on the gas, swerving in and out of traffic, lights and sirens paving the way for him.

“Copy, Unit 12”

As Eddie navigated the tense drive, his phone buzzed urgently in the cup holder next to him. Relief washed over him when he saw Buck’s name and picture on the screen. Adam grabbed the phone and put it on speaker.

“Buck, are you alright? Are you at the hospital? Are you safe?” Eddie asked quickly. Buck wasn’t supposed to be at work today. He had worked nearly 72 hours straight this week and he needed to be at home, resting.

But the phone call from him would soon indicate that something else entirely was going on. At first, Buck didn’t speak and when he did, his voice was barely above a whisper and with every word that he spoke, his voice sounded like it was going to break.

“I don’t know what happened, Eddie. They just-just came in and-and-and started to shoot people. I’m-.. I’m-..”

Buck’s breathing was strained and panicked as he spoke, clearly trying to calm himself down before continuing to speak. Eddie could tell that someone else was with him, whimpering in pain. “-… with Molly. She’s been shot. It’s really bad, Eddie. I don’t-… I don’t think I can save her. There’s blood everywhere”

Despite Buck used to the stress and the tense atmosphere of the ER, this was nothing compared to that. Right now, it didn’t feel like he was a doctor. It didn’t feel like he was anything at all. Except scared to die.

“I can’t stop it, Eddie. He-…he shot her twice in the stomach”

Eddie's heart sank, adrenaline surging as he pushed the gas pedal harder. Before he could respond, Buck’s voice trembled again

"I have to go. We need to stay quiet. It’s okay, Molly. We’re going to be okay”

The line went silent, and then a muffled thud echoed through the phone. Eddie's pulse quickened as gunshots erupted in the background, only seeming to come closer with every single shot.

Using this as my Fuck It Friday 🫢

It’s a very rough draft of both action and dialogue but I’m so excited to write and wanted to share 🥹

Tagged by @disasterbuckdiaz @jamespearce9-1-1 and you @daffi-990 💋

Tagging!! @jesuisici33 @cal-daisies-and-briars @callmenewbie @butraura @giddyupbuck @honestlydarkprincess @thewolvesof1998 @theotherbuckley @watchyourbuck @knightlywonders @fionaswhvre @wikiangela @athenagranted 💗🦋

[justforbooks]

Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918 – May 14, 1987) was an American actress, dancer, and pin-up girl. She achieved fame in the 1940s as one of the top stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood, and appeared in 61 films in total over 37 years. The press coined the term "The Love Goddess" to describe Hayworth, after she had become the most glamorous screen idol of the 1940s. She was the top pin-up girl for GIs during World War II.

Hayworth is perhaps best known for her performance in the 1946 film noir Gilda, opposite Glenn Ford, in which she played the femme fatale in her first major dramatic role. She is also known for her performances in Only Angels Have Wings (1939), The Strawberry Blonde (1941), Blood and Sand (1941), The Lady from Shanghai (1947), Pal Joey (1957), and Separate Tables (1958). Fred Astaire, with whom she made two films, You'll Never Get Rich (1941) and You Were Never Lovelier (1942), once called her his favorite dance partner. She also starred in the Technicolor musical Cover Girl (1944), with Gene Kelly. She is listed as one of the top 25 female motion picture stars of all time in the American Film Institute's survey, AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars.

Hayworth was a top glamour girl in the 1940s, a pin-up girl for military servicemen and a beauty icon for women. At 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) and 120 lb (54 kg), she was tall enough to be a concern for dancing partners such as Fred Astaire. She reportedly changed her hair color eight times in eight movies.

In 1949, Hayworth's lips were voted best in the world by the Artists League of America. She had a modeling contract with Max Factor to promote its Tru-Color lipsticks and Pan-Stik make-up.

For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Hayworth received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1645 Vine Street in 1960.

In 1980, Hayworth was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, which contributed to her death in 1987 at age 68. The public disclosure and discussion of her illness drew attention to Alzheimer's, and helped to increase public and private funding for research into the disease.

The public disclosure and discussion of Hayworth's illness drew international attention to Alzheimer's disease, which was little known at the time, and it helped to greatly increase federal funding for Alzheimer's research.

The Rita Hayworth Gala, a benefit for the Alzheimer's Association, is held annually in Chicago and New York City. The program was founded in 1985 by Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, in honor of her mother. She is the hostess for the events and is a major sponsor of Alzheimer's disease charities and awareness programs. As of August 2017, a total of more than $72 million had been raised through events in Chicago, New York, and Palm Beach, Florida.

On October 17, 2016, a press release from the Springer Associates Public Relations Agency announced that Rita Hayworth's former manager and friend, Budd Burton Moss, initiated a campaign to solicit the United States Postal Service to issue a commemorative stamp featuring Hayworth. Springer Associates also announced that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences would be lobbied in hopes of having an honorary Academy Award issued in memory of Hayworth. The press release added that Hayworth's daughter, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, the Alzheimer's Association of Greater Los Angeles, and numerous prominent personalities of stage and screen were supporting the Moss campaign. The press release stated the target date for fulfillment of the stamp and Academy Award to be on October 17, 2018, the centennial of Hayworth's birth.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[hayanwulf]

For WIP game: anchor of Stability

(WIP game)

Read the first part of this WIP here.

Oh my, another one. I'll be honest, I'm not very keen on spoiling too much about this fic right now, as it's gonna wear those neat little tags of Unreliable Narrator and Plot Twists. I love those two elements a lot.

If you've read the first part, you might remember that I hinted that Tony has a strained relationship with Stephen of his own timeline. That is because he doesn't much like the general aura of Stephen for multiple reasons.

But as he travels through the past watching Stephen grow up, he's like "okay I like THIS version of Stephen but I still don't like THAT (his timeline) version of Stephen cause they're two different people. Yup."

Here's a snippet of when that finally changes..

“Suit integrity at 72%,” FRIDAY relayed and he quickly forced exit out of the Time Vortex. This was an even shorter jump than the last one, and Tony did not like at all where this was going. He was so close to home. He didn’t want to trap himself in a Zeno’s Paradox and be stuck taking smaller steps forever.

“19th January, 2017,” Tony read out the date as he took in his surroundings.

The foyer of Stephen’s Sanctum.

He had become a sorcerer.

The odd pride he felt at that fact was quickly washed away when he realized the state of the interiors. Broken furniture, shards of glass, books and relics lying haphazard, blood stains—

Tony’s mind instantly switched into battle mode, subconsciously calling his armor as he climbed two steps at a time up the grand staircase. There were more broken things and evidences of fight on the upstairs, but no signs of life. His armor encased around him, he flew the rest of the way up to the top floor, trying to keep the noise he made to a minimum—

And paused midair when he found Stephen by the large circular window, standing alone and looking like he was in no immediate danger. Stephen looked up at him like a deer caught in headlights.

“Oh..” Tony breathed, and lowered himself on the floor before letting his suit retract back into its housing unit.

Stephen had those signature white streaks of hair by his temples, had that same, distinct depth in his eyes as though his age was way more than what his body conveyed. His face was peppered with scratches and dried blood from wounds that hadn’t been tended to yet, his hands deliberately hidden behind the folds of his cloak. Wearing almost the same ensemble and radiating that unnatural aura of power which Tony could somehow always feel beneath his skin, this Stephen looked very much like the Strange from Tony’s timeline.

It was almost as if they were the same. The same flirty asshole with an ego to challenge Tony’s own, sharp in wit and intelligence but extremely difficult.

The same broken man who had been through so much in his life to get where he was.

In a way, the two were the same. They were just two versions of Stephen Strange.

Tony saw his worldview shift right in front of his eyes.

[wordsandrobots]

IBO reference notes on . . . odds and ends

I have begun writing another big notes entry but it's a heavy one and requires visuals, so I suspect it'll be a while before it's done.

In the meantime, here are a few jottings on various random things in Iron-Blooded Orphans I thought worth commenting upon.

Naming conventions

The headline one, obviously, is the Gundams being named for the demons listed in the Ars Goetia. This we eventually discover is an in-universe response to the naming convention used for the mobile armours the Gundam frame mobile suits were developed to take down. Each mobile armour is named for a angelic figure: Hashmal is named for a class of angel while Harael, Mebahiah, Nemamiah and Ananel are all apparently derived from the Shem HaMephorash. It would be neat if all the names came from John Reuchlin's list of 72, which corresponds directly to the goetic demons but Hashmal nixes that idea.

It's also unclear if the names are for individual units or if they represent different lines or categories of armours. I tend towards the latter, simply based on the scale at which the Calamity War is presented as happening. This is somewhat tenuously is backed up by the Iron-Blooded Orphans G mobile game (RIP) presenting the player with a battle against 'Ananel Alpha' and the flashback in the Urdr Hunt campaign seeming to show Gundam Marchosias fighting a pair of Haraels. Though I must admit, I've watched that clip a few times and still cannot quite make up my mind it if represents two Haraels or just the multiple perspectives of Harael's claw eyes.

In any case, it seems that whoever named the Gundams had enough sense of drama to designate their 'angel hunters' as actual demons. And yet, the overall organisation that operated them -- Gjallarhorn -- embraced quite a different tradition.

This was of course Norse mythology. Each family in the Seven Stars ruling council has heraldry based on a different beast from the sagas (Odin's Ravens, Fenrir, Sleipnir, Jörmungandr, Nidhogg, Veðrfölnir (probably), and Ratatoskr). They have bases named Vingólf and Gladsheimr. Their mobile suits are derived from a set of machines named after Wagnerian valkyries, and they designate various different types of 'suit using German words. And of course, 'Gjallarhorn' itself is the name of the horn that sounds the start of Ragnarök (fitting, for a group formed to prevent the apocalypse). Plus, you know, there's Vidar's whole deal.

Curiously, there is an additional use of a Norse name in the setting: the Garm Rodi, a seemingly unaffiliated type of mobile suit primarily seen in use by the Dawn Horizon pirates. Given this is an instance of mythological naming in a line that otherwise has prefixes like 'Spinner', 'Landman' and 'Monkey', I wonder if perhaps this indicates the type of machine used by Gjallarhorn prior to the development of the Valkyrja and Gundam frames (these both belong to the late Calamity War period, whereas Rodis were deployed during the middle period; no we have no idea how long each period lasted). I haven't any particular reason for thinking this beyond it being named for the dog that guards Hel, but given Norse names are otherwise entirely restricted to Gjallarhorn, it would almost be weirder if there wasn't a connection.

(The Garm is also noted for its versatility, which puts it in the same bracket as the general-purpose Graze frame that has become Gjallarhorn's mainstay.)

Speaking of mobile suit lines, the Hexa frame stands out for having different types designated using people's names: Hugo, Gilda and Enzo. A quick web search for the three names in conjunction returns the Argentinian film Una Cita con la vida, directed by Hugo del Carril, starring Gilda Lousek and Enzo Viena. I do not know if there is any connection there, out of fiction, but it struck me as an intriguing coincidence.

Then we have Teiwaz naming their mobile suits using romanised Japanese words: Hyakuren, Hyakuri, Rouei, Shiden, Hekija. Not much to say about that, since it fits exactly with their Japanese/Italian fusion mafia aesthetics. Although, I suppose we should shout out the Chief's bonkers suffixes. Lupus Rex? Rebake Full City? Jeepers.

Finally, I'd like to draw attention to how the Ariadne Network fits into all this, or rather how it doesn't. It's named for the myth of the Minotaur and how Ariadne gave Theseus a guiding thread to help map his way through the labyrinth. Fitting for a network of navigation beacons. However, as a piece of technology, it's an outlier, named for a Greek myth despite being under the control of Gjallarhorn.

The implication is that the Network predates both them and indeed the Calamity War, with the use of Ahab reactors in its construction being cited as a cause of said War, by virtue of preventing long-range communication and observation. Should we therefore take from this that pre-Calamity War devices follow a Greco-Roman naming convention ala the US space program? There are other Greek names used in the setting, specifically for the regions into which Mars is divided, following the actual real-world mapping of the Red Planet's geography, so I wouldn't want to rule out such a conclusion -- particularly with the way English is used in the setting. But on the other hand, it could simply be that the Network's function made this particular allusion irresistible.

Currency

There are two canonical currencies: the galar and the meria. As far as I can tell, the galar is exclusively mentioned in the context of Mars, and is therefore presumably related to Gjallarhorn's rule of the planet. Meanwhile the meria is used in the two spin-offs, Moon Steel and Urdr Hunt, both of which take place on or around space colonies. Whether this means the meria is primarily a space-based currency, or just a widely used currency in general is unclear.

Mostly I just think this is worth noting for the potential implications the galar has for Mars' situation: if the money in circulation there is directly controlled by Gjallarhorn, then that represents an added obstacle to independence. And given so much of Kudelia's efforts are focused on achieving greater economic freedom from Earth, it's an interesting detail to consider.

Oh, and apparently paper-like money is still in vogue in the Post-Disaster timeline. Which seems a bit odd, since paper itself is counted as a marker of wealth (explicitly stated in the translation of the CGS promo website linked from Gundam wiki; implied in the series by things like how we only ever see real books in the hands of the upper classes).

In Moon Steel, Tanto Tempo's members use paper files and documents, presumably because being part of an Earth-adjacent company, they can afford it. This makes me wonder about the source of the material. Do space colonies grow and recycle their own paper? Is that another layer to money's value in this setting? Or is the case made from some other material?

Food for thought, at least.

This excavator

Because first of all, it's an adorable piece of design work. And second, it's a rare example of non-mobile suit robotics in the setting.

Most Gundam shows have some sort of 'sub-mobile suit' category of mecha, be that a cruder precursor to the humanoid robot suits that are the mainstay of the franchise or a more utilitarian, often civilian variety of machine used for maintenance and construction work. Iron-Blooded Orphan's mobile workers are, however, mostly seen in military configurations, operating as small, extremely manoeuvrable tanks. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to classify them as mecha in their own right -- they have moveable 'legs' and on the type Tekkadan uses at least, the cannons operate in an arm-like fashion. But overall, they are generally more tank-like than anything else. The only civilian use we see from them is as a flat-bed truck. Indeed, when construction work in the space colonies comes up, it is specifically mobile suits that are cited as being used.

This excavator, which shows up in the background of the main series and has very slightly more presence during the Urdr Hunt game, makes it clear there are in fact mobile worker-like machines with entirely non-military uses. The arms appear to articulate in ways that set it apart from a real-world excavator, suggesting it operates in a more human-like fashion than your average JCB, and the armatures holding it up resemble mobile workers, only in a more stable four-point layout than the otherwise ubiquitous tripod arrangement.

It's a nice touch, extending the sci fi conceits throughout the world-building. It also stands out because so many of the vehicles shown beyond the obligatory humanoid mecha are simply . . . mundane. The cars, trains and even the fighter jets are little different than those we'd see around us today. Having something like this show up helps avoid the sense of the mobile suits being fantastical devices with no connection to the rest of the technological landscape, and gestures at mobile workers having uses that would earn them that name.

Gjallarhorn's plastic macs

I just love how utterly dorky the official rain-wear is.

McGillis very much doing the 'dignity, always dignity' bit, there.

Other reference posts include:

IBO reference notes on … Gjallarhorn (Part 1)

IBO reference notes on … Gjallarhorn (Part 2)

IBO reference notes on … Gjallarhorn (corrigendum) [mainly covering my inability to recognise mythical wolves]

IBO reference notes on … three key Yamagi scenes

IBO reference notes on … three key Shino scenes

IBO reference notes on … three key Eugene scenes

IBO reference notes on … three key Ride scenes

IBO reference notes on … the tone of the setting

IBO reference notes on … character parallels and counterpoints

IBO reference notes on … a perfect villain

IBO reference notes on … Iron-Blooded Orphans: Gekko

IBO reference notes on … an act of unspeakable cruelty

IBO reference notes on … original(ish) characters [this one is mainly fanfic]

IBO reference notes on … Kudelia’s decisions

IBO reference notes on … assorted head-canons

IBO reference notes on … actual, proper original characters [explicit fanfic – as in, actually fanfic. None of them have turned up in the smut yet]

IBO reference notes on … the aesthetics of the mobile frame

IBO reference notes on … mobile suit designations

IBO reference notes on … the Gundams (part 1)

IBO reference notes on … the Gundams (part 2)

IBO reference notes on … the Gundams (part 3)

IBO reference notes on … the Turbines, or ‘Tekkadan done right’

IBO reference notes on … the Gundams (Addendum 1)

IBO reference notes on … deals with the devil

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Judgement Against Israel's Enemies

1 An Oracle

The word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrach and will rest upon Damascus. For to the Lord belong the cities of Aram, even as all the tribes of Israel; 2 Hamath also, which borders thereon, Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise. 3 Tyre has built herself a rampart, and heaped up silver like dust, and gold like the mud of the streets. 4 But lo, the Lord will strip her of her possessions and hurl her wealth into the sea, and she shall be devoured by fire.

5 Ash′kelon shall see it, and be afraid; Gaza too, and shall writhe in anguish; Ekron also, because its hopes are confounded. The king shall perish from Gaza; Ash′kelon shall be uninhabited; 6 a mongrel people shall dwell in Ashdod; and I will make an end of the pride of Philistia. 7 I will take away its blood from its mouth, and its abominations from between its teeth; it too shall be a remnant for our God; it shall be like a clan in Judah, and Ekron shall be like the Jeb′usites. 8 Then I will encamp at my house as a guard, so that none shall march to and fro; no oppressor shall again overrun them, for now I see with my own eyes.

The Coming Ruler of God’s People

9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on an ass, on a colt the foal of an ass. 10 I will cut off the chariot from E′phraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall command peace to the nations; his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.

11 As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your captives free from the waterless pit. 12 Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double. 13 For I have bent Judah as my bow; I have made E′phraim its arrow. I will brandish your sons, O Zion, over your sons, O Greece, and wield you like a warrior’s sword.

14 Then the Lord will appear over them, and his arrow go forth like lightning; the Lord God will sound the trumpet, and march forth in the whirlwinds of the south. 15 The Lord of hosts will protect them, and they shall devour and tread down the slingers; and they shall drink their blood like wine, and be full like a bowl, drenched like the corners of the altar.

16 On that day the Lord their God will save them for they are the flock of his people; for like the jewels of a crown they shall shine on his land. 17 Yea, how good and how fair it shall be! Grain shall make the young men flourish, and new wine the maidens. — Zechariah 9 | Revised Standard Version (RSV) Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved. Cross References: Exodus 27:2; Joshua 19:29; 2 Samuel 24:7; Job 41:28; Psalm 18:14; Psalm 27:4; Psalm 45:3; Psalm 72:3; Psalm 72:8; Isaiah 14:29; Isaiah 17:1; Isaiah 23:1; Isaiah 23:11; Isaiah 24:22; Isaiah 33:17; Isaiah 52:1; Isaiah 54:14; Isaiah 62:3; Jeremiah 23:33; Jeremiah 25:22; Jeremiah 31:10-11; Jeremiah 47:1; Jeremiah 47:5; Jeremiah 51:20; Ezekiel 26:3; Amos 1:8; Zechariah 10:6; Matthew 2:2; Matthew 21:5; Matthew 24:31; Hebrews 6:18-19; Hebrews 10:2; Hebrews 13:20

Zechariah 9 Bible Commentary - Matthew Henry

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Hey @arecaceae175 have a graduation snippet gift <3

(@hermitdrabbles56)

This hadn't exactly been what he'd expected.

Surgery was precise and generally straightforward. If there was a problem that needed fixing, one simply addressed it. Medicine was much messier, ruling out issues and treating symptoms rather than addressing the issue at hand.

Emergency medicine was a chaotic mix of both. Link hadn't exactly known what he was getting himself into when he'd signed up for a trauma surgery and emergency medicine fellowship.

As if residency hadn't been grueling enough, what with up to 100 hour work weeks, this fellowship finally brought him back to the action in a way he'd never experienced. His past was... checkered, for sure, but it had always been solo missions, not an all out war zone.

He also hadn't been on the front lines for the injuries up to this point.

Five years into being a doctor and he could still have his breath stolen away by feeling so utterly clueless.

Shaking his head, Link centered himself. Sure, this was less controlled than an operating room, but he could still fix wounds. This wasn't entirely new to him, just a different environment.

"I need a doctor over here!"

The call was commanding and urgent, and Link immediately went to it. A blonde nurse with a confidence that filled the room was holding pressure on a wound, hands preoccupied with preventing the soldier from bleeding to death.

"You want to put in a order for fast blood?" he said in a terse tone that, despite the phrasing used, wasn't a question.

Link nodded, going to the nearby computer to put in the order.

"You'll have to call for the blood, too," the nurse continued. "And I'm going to need a hemostatic agent for this."

The doctor paused a moment, simultaneously grateful and mildly annoyed at all the orders. He wasn't against nurses knowing what they needed and ordering for it, and he was completely out of his element, but the fiercely independent side of him was not a fan of having orders barked at him. Nevertheless, he did as instructed and watched the nurse quickly use the specailized gauze on the wound and wrap it tightly as best he could. Despite his efforts, specks of crimson began to ooze through.

"His BP is 72/41, tachycardic in the 120s, O2 saturation is dropping despite being on nonrebreather at 15L," the nurse reported, changing his gloves and immediately grabbing the first cooler of blood that arrived. He called for another nurse to check the blood with him and then looked at Link sharply. "I can send labs for you. What else would you like?"

This person was in shock. They needed to know what products the patient needed. Labs were absolutely necessary. Link slipped back into routine knowledge, blocking out the chaotic backdrop of the constant chatter and movement around him, and got to work.

Four units of red blood cells, two units of fresh frozen plasma, two liters of fluids, blood pressure intravenous drips, and a quick arterial line placement later, they made a hasty trip to surgery to repair a damaged artery.

When it was all finished, Link wandered back into the ER and saw the room where the patient had previously been bleeding all over the floor was already clean and filled with another whose leg had been blasted off.

"So you surgical or ER doc?" the nurse from before asked as he gave the new patient a fluid bolus and pain medication.

"Surgery," Link answered. "But I'm doing a rotation in the ER."

The nurse paused and smirked. "Bit different from your tidy little OR, right?"

Link huffed and smiled in return. "I've seen chaos before, but yes, it is different."

"Name's Link," the nurse said, catching the surgical fellow off guard. "You?"

"Well... it'll be easy to remember, because my name is Link as well," he answered.

The nurse frowned. "What, really?"

"Really."

The nurse laughed at that. "You'll need a nickname. That'll get confusing."

"And you?"

"I'm Link. You need a nickname."

Link raised an eyebrow. "What's your rank?"

"Captain."

"Then that's your nickname."

The captain's face soured in mild annoyance before he shrugged and waved a hand with enough lighthearted energy to diminish his grumpiness. "Fine. But you get one too. If I'm not Link, the no one is."

That finally pulled a laugh out of the physician. The young man was cheeky despite his earlier serious demeanor. His codename came to mind and he immediately dismissed it. Then he remembered his reputation in his previous OR, and he smirked.

"Timekeeper."

"Too many syllables. The patient will have bled to death by the time I call for you. Time."

Time laughed again. "Very well."

[spnscripthunt-inactive]

SPNScriptHunt’s Script Raffle for World Central Kitchen

World Central Kitchen is a global organization providing food relief. They’ve assisted in war zones, in refugee camps, in areas devastated by hurricanes, in areas that are devastated by economic conditions and areas that are devastated due to emotional loss.

For every $10 you donate to World Central Kitchen, you will be entered in a raffle to win one of up to 30 Supernatural scripts autographed by cast members at conventions in the United States, Canada, the UK, and Italy: the more we raise the more prizes we’ll add!

The scripts shown here are just a few of the ones we’re offering, the complete list and all the details (with preview images) is on our fundraiser page: https://donate.wck.org/fundraiser/4789450

The Kripke & Gamble era scripts:

2.12 "Nightshifter" - Blue Draft signed by Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki at Salute to Supernatural: San Francisco 2023; to be signed by Chris Gauthier at DragonCon 2023 [It's missing the last page so we'll include the episode outline 🙃]

3.07 "Fresh Blood" - Network Draft signed by Jared Padalecki at Rhode Island Comic Con 2022

2.21 "All Hell Breaks Loose: Part One" - Blue Collated Draft signed by Jared Padalecki at Creation New Orleans 2023

3.14 "Long-Distance Call" - Production Draft, Blue Revisions (Production Draft signed by Jensen Ackles at Creation Las Vegas 2023)

7.03 "The Girl Next Door" - Production Draft, Blue Revisions, Pink Revisions (Production Draft signed by Jared Padalecki at Salute to Supernatural: Nashville 2022)

Raffle closes on Saturday, August. 26 at 11:59pm (Eastern Time). Winners will be drawn by a random number generator and contacted by Tuesday, August 28, 2023. We require an email address to contact winners so if you donated anonymously but would like to enter the raffle, please email your receipt to spnscripthuntgiving @ gmail before the drawing date. Winners will have 72 hours to respond, and will be required to provide their physical mailing address and to cover the cost of shipping (currently $10 for priority mail insured inside the US, international rates to be determined as necessary).

[popculturelib]

Fanzine Friday #16: Psychotronic (1989-1999)

Brought to you by the same people behind yesterday's Psychotronic Video Guide is the zine aptly titled Psychotronic. The zine includes reviews, interviews, ads, and much more about all things psychotronic. There's also an obituary section honoring the cast and crew of psychotronic movies that received little critical acclaim.

In order, the editions featured in this post, along with the movie the cover was taken from and what the editor had to say about them:

No. 2, spring 1989: Beauties and the Beast (1973), the best adults only yeti movie ever made

No. 3, summer 1989: from Sadismo, a Mondo movie

No. 6, summer 1990 Blacksnake/Sweet Suzy (72), a Russ Meyer movie you never saw

No. 7, fall 1990: Celeste Yarnall as The Velvet Vampire (1971) dir. Stephanie Rothman

No. 8, winder 1990: Werewolf in a Girl's Dormitory (1961)

No. 13, summer 1992: Barbara Steele, the queen of horror in Castle of Blood

No. 16, fall 1993: Monster from the Ocean Floor (1954) was a Lippert release directed by Wyatt Ordung and produced by Robert Corman for "$12,000"

No. 18, summer 1994: This is art from the infamous and popular ORGY OF THE LIVING DEAD triple bill show, consisting of three retitled 60s Italian horror movies (KILL THE BABY, KILL, MALENKA THE VAMPIRE and MURDER CLINIC)

The Browne Popular Culture Library (BPCL), founded in 1969, is the most comprehensive archive of its kind in the United States.  Our focus and mission is to acquire and preserve research materials on American Popular Culture (post 1876) for curricular and research use. Visit our website at https://www.bgsu.edu/library/pcl.html.

[anakintwolegs]

Kazu has been diagnosed with Diabetes & has started treatment. He had just had bloodwork and urinalysis done the middle of December, because I felt like he was off then. Not his normal, active playing self like Romeo & Quincy. All of that bloodwork and urinalysis came back completely normal. His blood glucose was right in the middle of the range 127. The range is 72-175. So since she couldn’t find anything wrong with him, we just had to wait till he developed any more symptoms. February 16 Kazu started being treated for a UTI. I also noticed he was drinking more water. About 3 days into his UTI treatment I still didn’t think he was right so I took him for more bloodwork and another urinalysis. Thursday 22nd morning my vet called called and said Kazu has diabetes my heart sank. His blood glucose was almost 400. She wanted me to bring him in to learn how to give injections and go get him a prescription for insulin to start asap. Kazu started out getting 1 unit of insulin every 12 hours. It is the tiniest little amount of insulin not even a fourth of an inch. We are also adjusting his diet and probably everyone else’s diet to make things easier and possibly help prevent Kazu’s other two brothers from getting diabetes as well I hope since this seems to be genetic. There is a possibility that Kazu could go into remission since we caught this very early so I am hopefully. Kazu’s went to the vet yesterday morning 2/28 for 9am to have glucose curve monitoring. His numbers still stayed in the low 400s for his first 2 checks then high 300s for the second 2 checks. Kazu was on 1 unit of insulin every 12 hours, now I gave him 1.5 units last night and then starting this morning he now gets 2 units of insulin every 12 hours. He has been really good about the shots. We just distract him with some of the lickable tube treat and he doesn’t even know he’s getting an injection. Kazu goes back for his next glucose curve monitoring in two weeks unless something change. I have been reading and researching a lot online about cat diabetes. I want to be fully educated and able to care for him the best I can. Kazu does act like he feels a bit better so I will keep you posted on how he’s doing! I can’t believe that he also has diabetes just like what happened to Forrest. At least this time I knew what to watch for. It still kills me that I didn’t know what was happening to Forrest until it was too late. I will always feel like I failed Forrest because I didn’t know what was happening. Please send me all the good vibes and well wishes you can for Kazu. This has been a lot to deal with for all of us and especially Kazu. Xoxo! Carrie & Anakin

Also Anakin is doing great! I’ll post some more pics and video of him soon ❤️

[veeples]

message received tuesday at 1:41 am

✦ Fandom: The Wayhaven Chronicles

✦ Pairing: Specialist Agent Mason/Faustus Valentine

✦ Word Count: 737

✦ Warnings: Slightly suggestive language. But c'mon.

✦ Notes: 72 hours remain to Book Three. :)

✦✦✦✦✦

Message received Tuesday at 1:41 am.

“Voicemail, huh? Really? I’m a little surprised, to be honest. You’re good at your job, better than what all that sulking lets on. Guess your phone must be dead or something.

[read on ao3]

Well, that’s– That’s good, actually. I’m relieved. This isn’t an emergency or anything. No sewer monster jumping out of the toilet while I’m trying to piss. [laugh] Hey, are sewer monsters real? Fuck, I hope not. It took like three washes to get the stink of stale muck and human waste out of my damn jacket. No way I’m shimmying my ass down a manhole again.

Don’t laugh at that. It’s not even that– [laugh] I can hear the way you would, you know. Even if you barely fucking laugh, I can hear it so clearly in my head. Deep, gravelly. Rough, but never loud. Growling, like distant thunder. It’s nice.”

[pause]

“Okay, so I don’t have a real reason I’m calling you.

It’s late, I really should be sleeping – Jesus, I can’t remember when I’ve had a decent night’s rest. Between the Agency and the music store yanking me around I’m so fucking spent I barely have energy to choke down cold pizza, but I still can’t sleep. Remember that night we spent on the roof? It’s still like that. The nightmares, I mean. Almost every night.

It’s stupid, isn’t it? We caught Murphy. He’s in the Agency’s fucked up little mind prison. I shouldn’t be this piss scared. Months later and still it’s like I’m waiting for something to be waiting for me in the shadows. It’s just…”

[sigh]

“Hard to forget. I guess. Nothing looks the same anymore. Nothing feels the same. The veil’s been lifted, the rose colored glasses are off. The world’s at a permanent tilt.

Sorry. I didn’t mean to get so– whatever. Just a lot of shit crowding up my thoughts.

You know, there must be a leak from the upstairs unit. It’s soaking into my bathroom ceiling. One big, ugly water stain growing in the corner that drips grey water every time Mr. Yu runs water up there. It’s got this dark center, like a rotten, moldy heart. I watch it sometimes when I’m shaving or brushing my teeth. I think I see it grow. It moves like a wave. Like a pulse? Spreading its fingers across the ceiling.

It never drips long enough for me to ever remember to call the office to get it looked at. All I do is kick an old mop bucket under the center to catch the water because the dripping drives me fucking nuts.

Eh, it’s fine. Probably. I’m not too hung up on it. If getting a dirty blood transfusion and having my throat ripped open in a rusty warehouse didn’t kill me, I’m sure a little bit of black mold won’t.”

[pause]

“Fuck it.

I called because it’s been too damn long since I’ve seen you, Mason.

What’s it been, a month? It feels longer than that. I keep thinking– remembering the last time we got to touch each other. The way your eyes look in shadow, hard and sharp, like flint. How you’re a little soft in the stomach.

Carnival, right? Haunted house. Dusty corner, stale smell of popcorn, faint stink of vomit– yeah, you remember. I got a little more than fake ass cobwebs stuck in my hair because you didn’t give me enough warning, asshole.”

[laugh]

“Goddamn. What a mess. Like two stupid teenagers.

You know what I miss? The smell of your cigarettes. They don’t carry them in store. Not any in Wayhaven, at least. I must have gone through all of ‘em. Gas station, grocery store. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zip. It’s not even a particularly nice smelling cigarette. Little too woody for my taste. Almost burnt. But it’s you.

One day I’m going up to that stupid warehouse. Fuck the Agency. Fuck their paperwork. Fuck the music store too. I miss you. I miss how warm you are under my hands. I miss the scratch of your stubble on my thigh. I miss how sweetly sharp my name sounds in your mouth.

Have you thought of me? I hope you have. I hope you miss the way I say your name too.

See you soon, sunshine.”

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