#After 6 Junction 2

[prfm-multiverse]

DJ Utamaru Sorry Jr. "Perfume ONLY MIX" - Ijiwaru na Hello + Twinkle Snow Powdery Snow + Secret Secret (TBS Radio After 6 Junction 2 2024.08.26)

[azukiel]

Nightfall Heir

Chapter 4

🔞 MDNI 🔞 NSFW

Warnings (as a whole): Explicit sexual content, Graphic descriptions of violence, PTSD, Angst, Blood kink, Pregnancy and Childbirth

Notes on this chapter: Fluff with Gale, banter about sex, relationships and periods. Also, I'm kind of on a roll with writing this story, I've already written chapters 5 & 6. I will try pacing out the posting of them 😅

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11

⭐Here is the story on Archive of Our Own ⭐

🔥Comments and reblogs are much appreciated! 🔥

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Walking the streets of Baldur’s Gate with Gale by your side was not the strangest sight. In fact, the people of the city were more accustomed to seeing him walking with you and the other members of your group than without.

“You’re looking radiant, my dear,” Gale began, his tone laced with curiosity. “Did you and Astarion have a good evening?”

“You could say that,” you replied, attempting to suppress a blushing smile.

“You know,” he began, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. “When I first saw the two of you together, I was somewhat shocked, to be honest. You didn’t seem the type to go for someone as, well, uninhibited as Astarion. But you complement him well.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

“Indeed.” he nodded, a knowing smirk spreading across his face. “And I must say, you’ve had a very positive influence on him. He’s mellowed out. Not as bloodthirsty. He’s become, dare I say, domesticated.”

“Domesticated?” You laughed, raising an eyebrow. But not as bloodthirsty? Well, you thought to yourself, you were still allowing him to feed on you.

“Yes,” he chuckled. “A star-crossed vampire and his drow companion. Who would have ever imagined?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” you began, a sly grin spreading across your face. “Lae’zel and Halsin seemed to have their suspicions back in the day. And it doesn’t surprise me in the least that Lae’zel and Astarion still get into their bouts of verbal sparring. You’d think they’d get tired of it, eventually,” you shake your head, chuckling. But suddenly a dull pain cramped your abdomen. Flinching, you let out a small groan, rubbing the area where the pain was throbbing the strongest.

“For fuck’s sake, now of all times?” You grumble to yourself.

“What’s the matter, my dear? Are you in pain?” Gale was quick to notice, as was his usual.

“It’s nothing,” you lied. “Just a bit of a cramp.”

“Are you sure?” His concern was apparent.

“Yes, yes, I’m fine,” you brushed him off, trying to alleviate his worries. “Probably my monthly visitor is going to grace me soon. Perfect timing, as always.” You rolled your eyes with sarcasm.

“Ah, well, I’m afraid I can’t offer much assistance with that. Unless, of course, you require a some feminine hygiene products?”

You couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “Gale, really?”

He held his hands up defensively. “I like to see myself as an honourable man,” he declared. “And so I endeavour to look out for the women in my life.”

You chuckled, “I’m not sure how honourable a man who walks in on his friend pleasuring herself in the bath can be, but I appreciate the sentiment.”

He shrugged. “You should have had the door locked, then.”

“I should have,” you agreed, and shook your head, still laughing.

“But I think I may actually need some tampons,” you grinned nervously. You could feel a slight wetness at your junction but could not tell if it was remnants of your carnal thoughts from earlier or not.

“Shall we detour to the apothecary?” Gale offered, concern for your wellbeing still riddled on his face.

“Do you mind?”

“Absolutely not, my dear! We can’t have you bleeding through your clothes, can we?”

You flushed, embarrassed. “No, definitely not.” Thank the gods you were wearing a long, dark skirt.

“So,” Gale started after a moment of slightly awkward silence. “With Astarion being a vampire and all...” He trailed off for a moment.

You knew where this was going to lead, but did not stop him.

“What, Gale?” You asked, side-eyeing him.

“Well, does he drink your... You know...” He made a crude gesture.

“Gods, Gale, really? I thought we were mature adults?”

He flushed, embarrassed by his sudden crass inquiry. “Forgive me, I forget myself sometimes. I truly overstepped. Especially having walked in on you before.”

You snickered and patted him on the shoulder to reassure him. “It’s alright. I’m just joking. I think the lot of us have grown close enough with each other that talking about such things is now considered normal.”

Gale chuckled nervously at your words. “True.”

“And to answer your question,” you continued, “No, he doesn’t. The thought hasn’t crossed our minds. Well, if it has crossed his, he hasn’t said anything,” you shrug. “But that does not mean we don’t have sex on my period. I find myself... particularly ravenous just before and during it. He, too. Perhaps because he can smell all the blood, being what he is and all that. And he... does bite me sometimes when we are making love.”

“Oh?” Gale was intrigued by the notion.

“Yes,” you confirmed.

“Dare I ask where?”

“You’re a curious one today, aren’t you?” You teased.

Gale flushed. “Sorry... I just find it... intriguing,” he admits. “Obviously, I’ve never slept with one of the undead.”

“No, but with a goddess?” You elbow him playfully.

“And look how that turned out.” He rolled his eyes sarcastically. “So, are you going to indulge me? Or should I stop prying?”

You shook your head, laughing. “He sometimes bites my inner thighs, my breasts, neck, wrists... the usual places.”

“Usual?” His eyes widened. “I won’t even begin to imagine what the unusual places are!”

You laugh and slap his back affectionately. “We really need to get you laid, Gale. You’re getting far too curious for your own good.”

He shrugged innocently, blushing again. “Well, since losing to Astarion, I haven’t had any luck with women,” he poked you in the ribs.

You were surprised by this notion. “I thought you and Shadowheart had a thing going?”

He sighed, almost dolefully. “We sort of do, but it’s just that she’s so busy taking care of her parents now that they have reconnected. I would hate to come between them.”

“I understand your sentiments, my dear Gale, but I am sure the poor thing could use some ‘distractions’ as well. Her parents seemed to like you when we all met them. And besides, I am sure she would appreciate any assistance you could offer her with their care.”

“Yes, they are lovely people, and I am thankful to have been given the opportunity to meet them,” he nodded, and his expression softened.

“They’re proud of her,” you stated, “And they are grateful to us for giving her a chance. If not for her joining our little posse, I doubt she would have been able to break away from the clutches of Shar.”

“No, I don’t think she would have,” Gale agreed.

“But enough about me, let’s get back to talking about you and Astarion,” he smirked, and you chuckled at his persistence.

“I don’t know what else to tell you, Gale,” you began. “Our relationship is pretty typical, for the most part. We make love, we bicker, we argue. We fuck again.”

Gale almost choked at your colourful use of words.

“How blunt!”

“It’s called being honest,” you countered.

“Still,” he sighed, “you and Astarion have something special.”

“I would certainly hope so,” you smiled, blushing, looking back down at your ring. Gale noticed your affectionate gaze upon it.

“And with those, it is like you’re a married couple!”

Though he was only jesting, his quip caught you off guard, causing you to chuckle nervously.

“Yeah... well...” It was not like marriage had never crossed your mind, at least. But Astarion’s? Neither of you had ever breached the topic.

“Don’t worry, my dear, I’ll say no more,” he grinned.

“Good,” you smiled in kind.

“Ah, here we are!”

Looking up, you saw the apothecary just ahead. You sighed with relief. The wet feeling was indeed becoming... more apparent.

“Thank you, Gale, for being so understanding,” you smiled appreciatively, patting his arm.

“You are most welcome, Tavrin. Now, please, allow me,” and with a gentlemanly flourish, he opened the door but was courteous enough to wait for you outside.

“Such a gentleman!” You cooed as you stepped into the establishment.

“Only for you, my dear,” he smiled, and shut the door behind you.

The inside of the apothecary was filled with an abundance of herbs and spices and various medicinal potions and ointments. The scent was not unpleasant, however. It was rather heady and soothing. Once you paid for your feminine items and some herbal teas to help with your cramps, you went back out to where Gale was waiting patiently for you.

“All well?” He asked you with a smile.

“Yes, but I think I might need a new pair of panties,” you flushed.

“Come to think of it, I am fairly sure our old pal Lorroakan had some trunks of old clothes lying about. I am sure I spied some women’s garments when I was trifling through the stuff he left for us to plunder.”

You chuckled. “Thanks, Gale. I want to be freshened up before I meet Astarion at noon. So, we better hurry up with our cataloguing.”

“We’ll make good time. I promise!”

With a grin and a playful nudge, the two of you began your walk towards the Sundries.

[putaposyinyourhair]

Slowly but Also Like All at Once

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7

noah diaz x mirage (they’re… y’know 💅)

warnings: mirage keeps flirting like an asshole and noah’s still in his feels but it gets tender

arcee shows up (and you know she should come with her own caution label)

“So, um…” Noah pauses for a second, to think on his words before he says them aloud. “You look good.”

He physically flinches away from his own words— from his own stupidity— and squeezes his eyes shut, not able to stop himself from reaching up with both hands to dig his knuckles into his eye sockets.

Fuckin’ idiot.

But Mirage just chuckles at his expense and Noah forces the embarrassment away with a deep breath.

“I meant like— you look… new,” he tries to correct, even though it still sounds wrong. “How’d that happen?”

“Oh, you mean how’d they get humpty dumpty back together again?” Mirage drawls.

Noah shifts in the sand, pulling away from Mirage’s side— where he’s been resting for a while now— and turns to sit cross-legged in the sand, staring up at the bot.

Mirage is looking up at the sky. The stars are starting to disappear behind dark clouds but the moon is still shining brightly over the water, its light reflecting off of Mirage’s silver face plating.

“Yeah,” Noah alludes, curiously.

Mirage glances down at him, frowning softly for a moment— such a quick little moment that Noah barely catches it— before he shrugs.

“OP spent like ten weeks in the Mojave looking for one of our medics who crash-landed there,” the mech reveals. “Ratchet. Dude’s usually such a buzzkill but… he’s good at what he does. I’ll give him that.”

Noah’s brows arch.

A medic? A new autobot?

“How many of you are there?” he asks before he can stop himself. “On Earth, I mean.”

One side of Mirage’s mouth tugs up into a sly smirk and Noah rolls his eyes before the bot can even reply.

“I told you already, boo, there’s none like me,” he declares pompously.

Noah reaches out and attempts to shove at Mirage’s thigh guard, uselessly because it does absolutely nothing.

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Noah tells him. “You’re one of a kind.”

Mirage sits up, grinning.

“You better recognize!”

Noah barks out a short laugh.

“You a one of a kind dumbass,” he snickers softly.

Mirage reaches out to poke at his chest playfully and Noah tries to bat the digit away fruitlessly.

“Yeah, but you missed me,” the mech teases. “You already admitted it. No take backs.”

Noah doesn’t know why the words pull such a visceral reaction out of him, but they do. The happy smile drops from his face and he swallows drily.

“I did, man,” he concedes, fisting the material of his jeans in his hands. “I really fuckin’ did.”

Mirage moves so fast, it almost scares the shit out of Noah. The mech reaches out and suddenly Noah finds himself settled on top of the bot’s lap, pressed against his chest plates with one of Mirage’s servos cradling his back— well, the backpack strapped to his back anyway— whilst the other gently presses Noah’s face into the junction between his helm and his shoulderpad.

They’re… hugging?

Noah feels kind of frozen solid for a minute, unsure of what to do in this strange new situation. Sure, he’s been… inside— for lack of a better word— of Mirage before, in different modes of him too. And Noah doesn’t think either of them are strangers to physical proximity, after all they’d stuck pretty close to each other the whole time in Peru.

But this is something else. Something… more.

It’s nice though. Really nice.

So he relaxes into it.

It’s warm. And he can feel that same hum emanating from underneath the bot’s plating, like a low-frequency vibration that seems to soothe and calm something deep inside of Noah— he’s almost tempted to call it his soul, as corny as that fucking sounds.

Noah’s face feels more heated than usual.

“You a hugger, huh?” he mumbles, reaching up to run a few fingers against the glossy metal edge of that baseball cap-esque piece that rounds the back of Mirage’s helm.

This close, Mirage smells faintly of motor oil and something else Noah suspects must be alien in origin because he decides there’s no earthly scent he can compare it to. Not any that do it justice anyway.

Mirage’s digits move against the back of his head, digging into his curls as the mech’s chest plate’s rise and fall with a small stutter.

“For you?” he sighs. “Always.”

Noah’s eyes widen, his jaw clenching.

And his heart is fucking… fluttering. He really hopes his friend can’t feel it.

Something’s wrong. With him. Or with Mirage.

Noah doesn’t know what it is. But this is…

It is weird. Or, maybe not weird. Weird isn’t the right word for it.

“Mirage.”

Noah pulls away from the mech so fast, a yelp bursting out of him as he nearly tumbles off of the bot’s lap— he’s sure he would’ve gone sprawling into the sand between his friends’ outstretched legs had it not been for Mirage’s servos keeping him upright. He reaches out and grabs onto one of the bot’s gauntlets.

And before he can look away— to locate the source of the newcomer’s voice, a newcomer Noah is pretty sure is Arcee— he looks up at Mirage.

Oh.

Mirage’s face is doing… something. The mech’s optics are darker than usual— not glowing as bright a blue— and the silver metal just beneath his optics is tinged with a bluish hue, something Noah’s never seen it do before.

Noah doesn’t want to assume but it almost looks like a—

“Aww, Arcee, why you scarin’ my boy like that?” Mirage whines out, throwing his helm back like an unruly child who’s been told he has to eat all the vegetables on his plate. “His heart’s beating so fast!”

Okay, so Mirage can feel his heartbeat when they’re this close.

Wonderful.

Noah huffs— mortified but unwilling to admit it, even though his cheeks feel so flushed he probably looks like he could be doing an impression of a tomato— and reaches back to gently push away the servo Mirage has at his back.

“I wasn’t scared,” he grumbles, grunting as he steps down from Mirage’s lap and back onto the sand. “Jus’ surprised… that’s all.”

Arcee steps closer, smiling softly as she glances between them for a moment.

“Sorry, Noah,” she has the decency to apologize. “I really didn’t mean to frighten you.”

Noah waves her apology off.

“Nah, seriously,” he stresses, reaching up to grab onto the straps of his backpack. “I wasn’t scared or nothin’.”

Yeah, he kind of was. But he was mostly embarrassed.

Was it normal for cybertronians to hug humans? To hold humans the way Mirage was holding him?

Arcee isn’t giving him any indication. So maybe it’s not as big of a deal as it feels to Noah.

The femme fixes her gaze on Mirage, one optical ridge arching as both servos rest at her skirt plates. Her lower body cocking to one side as she watches the blue and silver bot rise off of the ground, raining sand down all over Noah who groans and steps away, reaching up to sweep it off of his head.

He’s definitely going to need a good, long shower later to get all that sand out of his curls.

“I said I’d cover for you for a couple of hours, Mirage,” Arcee points out, then mimics glancing down at a watch on her gauntlet in a very human-like way. “It’s been six.”

Noah’s eyes widen, glancing down at his own watch quickly.

Six hours? Oh, he definitely missed dinner. His ma’s gonna kill him.

It’s nearing sunrise already.

“It’s time,” Arcee emphasizes. "Optimus will not be pleased."

A sharp wave of what can only be panic rushes through Noah. It’s so quick, engulfing him from head to toe. He feels exactly the same way he’d felt when he’d had to stand there and watch Mirage be taken away. He thinks he makes some kind of tiny strangled noise.

The overwhelming sensation leaves him blanched and breathless.

“Arcee!” Mirage chastises, dropping to one knee beside Noah. “You’re not helping.”

Noah feels a couple of his friend’s digits slip underneath his chin and he lets the mech tenderly lift his face so he’s looking up into Mirage’s now bright blue optics.

“W-what is she talkin’ about?” he manages to squeak out, despite the dread that feels like it’s got a physical hold of his heart in his chest.

“It's nothing bad!” Mirage swears, holding his other servo up, palm out. “I promise.”

Noah swallows the lump in his throat and exhales shakily.

“Okay,” he yields. “Okay, sorry.”

He feels kind of stupid about his reaction, childish, and pulls his chin away from the mech's digits. But he doesn’t look away.

Mirage gives him a look that Noah thinks translates as sheepish, before he stands, optics flickering about for a moment like he’s struggling to make himself meet Noah’s unwavering gaze.

“Okay, so, uh,” Mirage stammers, reaching up to rub at the back of his helm with one slightly twitchy servo. “Well, you see, what had happened was—”

Arcee huffs.

“Ratchet has yet to give him the all clear so Optimus expressly forbid him from leaving," she reveals. "So of course he snuck out of the medbay without permission to come see you tonight, Noah.”

Oh. Yeah, sure.

Noah’s heart doesn’t feel like it’s swelling with joy and about to burst out of his chest or anything.

He’s totally like… chill about it.

[liillyliilly]

An Insomniac's Guide to Dreams

konoha akinori x reader words; 4580 synopsis; Maybe he could be her guide to accomplishing her dreams. The kind of dreams where a person falls in love and then magically, as if almost impossibly, stays in love. Konoha could be that for her. She just needed him to give her that opportunity.

Konoha looked at the clock, another 2 am shift that had kicked him from this universe into an entirely different one. Nothing was normal after two in the morning.

Especially not that hooded figure.

Definitely not the hooded figure that was lurking straight to the medicine aisle.

Konoha had been working at the pharmacy as a part-time job, hoping that he could use his experience working at the pharmacy to level up and finally apply to a pharmaceutical company after he had graduated college. He was 20 years old, and his older coworker had shifted his graveyard shift onto Konoha at the last minute.

The grey hoodie floated around until they found what they were looking for. Konoha was trying not to spy on them, but it was all he could do during the lateness of the hour.

She pulled her hoodie down when she slammed a bottle of melatonin gummies near the cash register.

Konoha recognized her from somewhere, he thought.

He scanned the bottle, then remembered he had to ask some questions before selling a drug like this to people.

Yawning, Konoha began the miniature spiel, “You need an ID to buy melatonin, can I see a driver’s license or other valid form of identification.”

She rubbed her dark eye bags and gave him a bored look.

“I don’t have my ID on me.”

Konoha responded, “I can’t sell you the melatonin then.” He grabbed the bottle and shoved it under the top of the table and she hit her forehead against the counter, slapping her hand repeatedly on the counter to draw attention to herself.

“You’re like what, 18 years old? Look me in the eye and tell me that I don’t look 18 years old as well.” She put her chin on the table and gave a huge pout, looking up at Konoha. He felt his mouth go dry.

“I can’t sell you the drugs.” Konoha wishes he could’ve, just the way her eyes glimmered a little in the dull light of the pharmacy had his heart experiencing minor afflictions.

“Really, not even for me?” She stood up to her full height, and leaned over the counter, propped up with her hands on the counter.

How much could an acquaintance from high school grow up in two years? Konoha was now realizing the reality of puberty, and maybe the reality of seeing people for more than their high school self.

He laughed when he realized it was her, the same 1st year from Nekoma who had followed him around during his last summer training camp in the volleyball club. Konoha laughed a little more, slightly delirious from a combination of seeing an old friend and from having stayed up for longer than 24 hours at this point.

He bought the melatonin gummies for her with his own money. He closed the store early, and locked it up as she cradled the bottle in her arms.

“Why are you still awake, isn’t school still in session for you? It's Wednesday?” He remembered that she must be in her final year of high school. Konoha tried to remember how many more days until she was going to graduate, it couldn’t have been more than a month or so.

She shook the jar, before pressing a quick kiss to the lid. “Insomnia is a clinical issue that happens to occur in around 6% of the adult population, it’s an actual disorder Akinori.”

“I don’t doubt that, but you really shouldn’t be out and about at this time. All the creeps come out at night.” Konoha shudders, he had been exposed to too many issues and body parts late at night.

“I ran out of my sweet, sweet, medicine.” She shrugged, and her hoodie slid off her shoulder a little, exposing skin to the cold air. She could feel the goosebumps crawl over her, so she gently rubbed the junction of her neck to her collarbone trying to generate warmth.

He started to toy with his fingers, wringing them out, avoiding looking at her exposed shoulder. And also definitely trying to ignore the way he saw a lack of a bra strap on her shoulder.

Konoha wants to ask how she’s been the last few years. He wonders if that’s something he should even ask. How close were they really?

He asked where she needed to go, and she said she needed to take a train with a few transfers to get back home.

“I’ll take you home, I want to hear all about what you’ve been up to. ‘Master of None’.” He throws her old nickname out into the wind, and she cringes, shutting her eyes tightly.

“Please don’t ever call me that again. What a horrible stain on my reputation.” She rubs the top of her head in discomfort, remembering her younger years teenage follies.

Konoha chuckles into his turtleneck, letting his tan-blond hair cover his eyes as he shakes his head a little.

“I only got called that because none of those Nekoma players would never ever listen to me. It’s like I wasn’t even a manager.”

“But, oh my saints, did you love that nickname when you realized my teammates called me ‘Jack of All Trades’- you tried to climb me and begged me to listen to you explain how our nicknames meant we were meant for each other.”

She coughed a little, feeling blood coursing to her cheeks, she just cuddled her container of chewables tighter.

Konoha realized he may have teased her a little too much, so he softened the blow of his words.

“You were a cute kid. Very passionate. You could talk for hours on end if there was someone listening.”

There was something about calling her a kid, when in reality that had only been just over two years ago. Konoha knew something was shifting in his mind, something that made him realize that he had missed her.

Longing felt like a bitter pill to swallow. Initially being separated from someone who he’d grown close to was painful, and it matted on his conscience. Then as time went on, that irritation of being away from her faded. Her coming in and shopping where he worked had been a catalyst for a reaction where he grasped just how much he had yearned for her. How much he still felt for her.

“Well, you got stuck with me because you were the only one nice enough to let me talk for hours on end.” She pointed out.

He doesn’t quite remember it like that.

She was an overzealous 16 year old, but he hadn’t known that. He was a lax 18 year old. She was a manager for the volleyball team at Nekoma because her grandpa was friends with Coach Nekomata. Her debate season had ended, but volleyball was still barrelling along.

It was a sense of pride, or perhaps intrigue that drove her to put all her focus on understanding volleyball so she could be the best manager possible.

The first day of camp, she was running around greeting all the other managers, bowing and telling them that she was ready and willing to learn from them. He thought she behaved a little bit like a raging storm, nothing able to stop her in her tracks. She was a whirlwind of excitement, and he couldn’t help but want to know who she was exactly.

“Akaashi, you’re smart, who’s that?” Konoha bent forward to touch his toes, stretching before the first practice round against Nekoma.

Akaashi blinked slowly, trying to solve a puzzle in his mind, “Well, guessing by the way she’s wearing a very red jacket, and the way that Kenma keeps avoiding her while she trails him with a water bottle- I’d have to deduce that she’s Nekoma’s manager.”

Konoha lifted his head, pulling his arms from side to side to embrace the tug of muscles in his body.

“They didn’t have a manager at the last practice match we played with them a month ago.”

“I think she just joined. Kuroo was talking to Bokuto about her earlier. Apparently, she can talk for ages.” Akaashi laughed a little, going over to the rest of the Fukurodani team.

Konoha dropped his arms to the side of his body, and when she finally turned around- successful in getting Kenma to drink some water- they locked eyes. He waved politely, and she grinned with all her teeth, almost jumping up a little.

He thought she was definitely cute. A little ball of energy sure, but she radiated something beyond just excitement, she carried a sense of eternal optimism. And that was something Konoha would’ve killed to have as a high school student. It wasn’t that he had an extreme form of depression, or that his anxiety was serious enough to warrant a prescription. But he did experience the ruins of chemical imbalances more so than the next person.

She was inclined to watch Konoha, because he seemed naturally good at all the elements of volleyball. He could do everything at a level that was higher than most, from solid foundational receives to a slightly more technical serve.

To say she was infatuated would be an overstatement, because she really was just a girl with a huge crush on a boy.

Instead of sitting with her own team at the lunch break she had made her way to Konoha, asking if she could sit with him. He looked around, and saw that Komi was using his hands to make an insistent gesture of ‘no’ by slicing his hands back and forth in front of his face.

He had ignored Komi and patted the spot next to him on the concrete stairs into the gym.

Akaashi had been right, she could talk about anything and everything, her mouth moving faster than Konoha’s own brain. He only got to make small remarks when she took a bite of her lunch, chewing on the rice quickly but thoroughly so she could keep going on about a movie she had seen last week.

“What do you think?” She looked at him with expectant eyes.

Konoha swallowed his chicken, “Of Better Days?”

She nodded rapidly, Konoha’s head almost hurt a little at the motion.

“I haven’t seen it, I’m not a big fan of international films.” He shrugged, eating another piece of chicken from his plate, looking out to see groups of boys mingling.

Not once during his time with her at that camp did he wish he had spent it with anyone else. He was completely content just listening to her talk, with her occasional periods of interview-like questions for him to answer. A few times during the camp he would sit at one of the regular tables with an agglomeration of fellow players, and she wouldn’t go over to him.

When he looked around though, she was sitting alone in the same spot they had sat at during the first day. Using her water bottle to draw shapes on the grey pavement steps. He tried to wave her over, but she knew how other people looked at her. They would get this sheen in their eyes that told her that they did not want to listen to her, but that only made her talk more, trying to prove her worth.

Konoha had finished his food quickly, grabbing his own water bottle and sitting next to her.

“Let’s work together to make a drawing of Kuroo as a cat.”

The way her mood shifted, from feeling the sting of loneliness to the thrill of getting to spend time with the person she deemed as the best looking boy at the camp, was extremely beneficial for her happiness.

He didn’t mind filling the role of her friend during camp. He did feel a slight scorn for all the other boys and girls at the camp though. It was rude to be so blatant about their dislike and irritation at her.

On the second to last day, Konoha woke up in the middle of the night, needing to go get water from the vending machine in the gymnasium.

He scratched at his stomach while putting in his coins. Then he saw her, in a thin strapped black tank top and short shorts. She was playing with a hacky sack, kicking it with her knee then when it would land on her foot, she shot it up so she could alternate feet.

She was talking to herself as well. He listened to her chatter about music, about art, about that annoying thorn she’d found in her shoes that made her foot bleed a little. He could listen to her talk forever and never get bored.

Konoha put another few coins in the machine, getting a second can of orange flavored water. She was in the main area of the gym, but she had been facing away from the entrance to the gym, so when Konoha cleared his throat, she dropped the fabric bag full of rice on her head.

“You shouldn’t wear a tank top, it's dangerous.” Konoha handed her the drink when she bounded up to him.

She raised an eyebrow and cocked her head to the side, “Why would it be dangerous?”

“Someone might think you’re trying to seduce me.” He joked, cracking open his can and taking a deep drink of the nectarine tinged fluid.

Her eyes went wide as she reached down to a bench where she had put her jacket, she slid her arms into the sleeves.

Konoha chewed the inside of his mouth a little. Maybe over the course of a week he’d gotten in over his own head, developing a slight attachment to her. He pushed the thought away, remembering that she looked slightly uncomfortable. He had created a mentality for himself, one where he was supposed to view her like a younger sister. Hell, he had a younger sister her same age.

His stomach twisted a little.

“Sorry. Sometimes my jokes don’t exactly land how I intend them to.” He brought the can up to his mouth again, needing something to lubricate his increasingly drying throat.

She zips her jacket all the way up, the collar comes up to her chin. “It’s alright.”

Konoha looks down to avoid eye contact, trying to find a way to diffuse the slight stagnation in the air, but his eyes only land on the plush of her bare thighs. He could feel his ears turning red when he saw how her shorts dug into her thighs a little, creating a divot, and then the rest of her thigh seemed even more thick.

“I heard that there’s supposed to be really bright stars tonight.” He offered, turning on his heels to exit the gym. She followed him closely.

When he stopped in the center of the field next to the gym, she rammed into his back, getting bounced backwards a little. He caught her by the arm, tugging her upright.

“Woah there, I don’t want you falling for me quite yet, I haven’t even shown you my best qualities.” He snorted slightly.

She buried her face in her jacket, he could see her furrowing her eyebrows in an abashed way. The butterflies in his stomach would not stop fluttering. The little sister comparison stopped right in that moment, as she gave him a shy downturned smile.

It couldn’t have been later than midnight at most, but the way that he kept dozing slightly and opening his mouth to fix the air pressure around his head let him know that he was staying up much longer than he should’ve.

But how could he not, when she was looking up at the sky with admiration.

He pointed to the stars that represented Orihime and Hikoboshi. Everyone knew the story of the two star crossed lovers, a princess and her cow-herder. They had been so in love that they failed to tend to their duties, so her father had separated the couple. They could only reunite every year on July 7th, when the magpies created a bridge for the couple over the milky way.

That night, that they sat together under the stars, had been July 7th.

“I can’t see them.” He could hear the way she was making a frowning face, upset at not being able to see what he could see.

“Here, let me help.” He scooted closer to her, the length of their sides against one another, as he lifted her hand and tried to point out the star Vega, for Orihime. When he was satisfied that she was pointing right at the star he checked in with her, “Do you see her?”

Her soft no comes from much too close to his face. In Konoha’s excitement, he had brought his head closer to hers, trying to replicate what she would be seeing as best as possible. They were almost cheek to cheek.

He pulled away slightly, just enough for some space to exist between them.

“I only see you.” She breathed out.

Konoha choked.

He immediately stood up.

“We have matches tomorrow, I have to get back to bed.”

She got up to her feet, nodding to Konoha’s words.

The last of camp, after all the games were played, and the barbeque devoured by rowdy teenagers.

She was helping to put away bags and other miscellaneous supplies into Nekoma’s bus. And Konoha was leaning against the bus that would take Fukurodani back to their school. Akaashi had shoved his duffel bag into the compartment under the bus and walked to Konoha.

“Kuroo told me that she’ll be their manager for the rest of the season, so she’ll be at Nationals, if Nekoma makes it.”

“Nekoma will make it.” Konoha stated it with finality. Akaashi could see how Konoha was staring at the way she was struggling to lift a heavier bag.

“You know you can go and help her right?” Akaashi inspected his fingernails, suppressing a grin.

Konoha reached into his backpack, ripping a piece of paper from his notebook and scrawling out his phone number. He passed his bag to Akaashi and tucked the slip of paper into his pocket.

She was trying to hoist the bag with her arms, leaning really far backwards. Konoha grabbed the handles of the bag from her and tossed the bag into the bus. She smiled and thanked him.

“Fukurodani’s bus leaves in another hour or so, when are you supposed to head out?” Konoha leant on his shoulder against Nekoma’s bus.

“In around thirty minutes.”

So he asked her what she was going to do over the next few days, and she talked.

She had gotten through around fifteen minutes of talking and was in her zone, completely engrossed in following the rabbit hole of her own mind. Konoha’s hand was sweaty, as he tried to think of just the right pocket in her black backpack to slip his number into.

Eventually, Coach Nekomata told the team to gather around and she bowed to Konoha, saying her goodbye to him.

He just grabbed her by the loop at the top of the bag, rushing to put the paper into the main section of the backpack. She tried to walk forward but was tugged into staying in place with Konoha’s grip.

“Uh, yes?”

“Get home safely.” Konoha beamed, “Alright?”

“Alrighty.” She tilted her head back and forth, twisting her shoulders in a content giddiness.

He moved his head up to the sky and tightened his face, “So cute.”

She wiggled a little, and he released her bag. She asked, “What was that?”

“Nothing.”

“Okie dokie.” She held onto the straps of her backpack, shifting it around to be comfortable on her back.

She walked over to her team, letting Coach Nekomata pat her head a little bit.

Konoha rubbed his face, climbing into his bus and slumping into his seat. Bokuto got into the seat in front of him, but turned around and put his chin on the top of the chair to face Konoha.

“What’s with the sour attitude, Mr. Jack of All Trades?” Bokuto made a face of intense focus, intent on Konoha’s potential answer.

Akaashi put a hand on Bokuto’s shoulder, giving the answer Konoha couldn’t articulate, “He’s fallen for Nekoma’s first year manager.”

Konoha stood up, not realizing he had put his seatbelt on, so he got rope burn around his neck as the seatbelt prevented him from actually going anywhere, “She’s a first year student!?”

Akaashi laughed, grabbing onto his stomach. Bokuto’s jaw dropped.

“You’ve been hanging around her all week and you neglected to ask what year she was in Konoha-san?” Akaashi wiped tears of humor from his eyes.

Konoha groaned, pulling his legs onto the seat as he hugged them.

Bokuto looked at Akaashi, “Well he’s positively forlorn. Did I use that word right?”

Akaashi nodded.

Konoha helped her get onto the train, making sure she didn’t trip from the platform to the main portion of the train. The train was mostly empty, with a few people standing or sitting a fair distance apart.

They sat side by side and she opened the container of her melatonin, lifting the lid to her nose so she could smell the berry flavored medicine.

Konoha folded his arms, bringing one leg to rest over the other.

“You know, I was surprised when, after the camp, you didn’t contact me at all.” Konoha felt a little strange, asking about something from what he deemed as a long time ago.

“How would I have contacted you? Believe me I did want to keep in touch, but we never exchanged numbers.” Just smelling the melatonin had her a little bit sleepier.

“I, uh, I put my number into your bag. When everyone was getting ready to leave, I put a piece of paper into your black bag.” Konoha rubbed his arm, getting ready to accept that maybe he had been the only one to have developed a crush that week.

“Oh, I didn’t bring a backpack to the camp. It must have been someone else’s that I was wearing.”

Konoha slumped into the seat further.

She had finally made the connections in her brain.

“You liked me!”

“It was kind of hard not to.”

“And here I was, living my entire high school life thinking that I had been head over heels for someone who had never liked me back.” She said simply.

“Had been? As in, no longer?”

She pursed her lips a little, tapping her chin.

“There’s something about the phrase ‘had been’. It carries a sense of loss, it carries with it a feeling of belonging. Like what had been was extremely personal.”

“You make no sense sometimes.” Konoha chuckles into his words.

“Maybe something better to say is, here I am. Living life wondering when we’d meet again.”

The train came to a halt, and he checked that this was the stop they would get off on. She tucked her bottle of drugs into her hoodie pocket. The street was entirely empty, and the street lights flickered a little from time to time.

“So, you want to go into pharmaceuticals?”

“Yeah, it’s a decently lucrative business, comfortable enough to live life with some extra money for this and that.”

They stood under the flickering street lamp, Konoha digging the toe of his foot into the concrete ground.

She felt a little bit like the world had frozen in time. Here he was, after two years, drawn to her yet again. She hummed for a moment. Then make a request for Konoha.

“Wait for me.”

Konoha lifted his head to make eye contact with her. Tilting his head a little, he made a look that could only be defined as inquisitive.

She really did love him. Call it instantaneous love, her crush that she had held onto for much longer than necessary, but she felt something for this sandy-haired drug dealer of hers. The way his light brown eyes almost seemed like a rushing sand dune in the right lack of light. Or the way that he had subconsciously reduced their distance from their walk, train ride, to now standing inches apart.

What kind of a person was he to show kindness to an annoying first year, taking her under his wing for an entire week. Solving emotional worries, relieving anxieties of where to sit or who to talk to, making her feel at home in a place that had decidedly rejected her before it even got to know her.

Maybe he could be her guide to accomplishing her dreams. The kind of dreams where a person falls in love and then magically, as if almost impossibly, stays in love. Konoha could be that for her. She just needed him to give her that opportunity.

“Wait for me, one more year, once I graduate. Let’s date.” She grabs his hand, and he lets her. She clears her throat a little, “Let’s give love a shot?”

“I think I’d like that a lot. It’s a deal.”

Dreams aren’t reality. Because sometimes reality is better than a dream.

She was chewing away at a piece of literature, trying to dissect Freud’s The Interpretation of Dreams novel for her Sleep Science class. Becoming a Sleep Scientist wouldn’t do much for her own horrible sleep schedule if she wanted to make it through her Doctorate successfully. Despite Konoha telling her that sleeping was important for her well-being, she had the tendency to ignore what he said sometimes- it would only be one more all-nighter anyway.

He’s asleep in their bed, nuzzled into her pillow and not his own. He’s wearing one of her hoodies to bed, her favorite one from high school that had been two sizes too big.

The beige highlighter reminds her of Konoha, and she has to rip her eyes away from him to get back to her book.

Work at the pharmaceutical company had been long, especially with the rolling out of their new drug the past few weeks. Konoha was the head of the project and needed to be at work almost twice as much, even though he felt bad leaving her alone in their apartment for long intervals of time. He always brought home bagels and an apology disc, of a movie she had been wanting to watch, for her to add to her collection of physical copies of movie CDs.

Their shared shelving system was an agglomeration, her DVDs and books on one side of the shelf, and then his photos, astrology novels and miniature telescopes on the other side.

When she accidentally dropped the highlighter onto the floor, Konoha’s head shot up. It was a mess of dirty blond hair from sleeping.

“Aki, go back to sleep.” She coaxed.

“No, it’s cold when you’re not here.” He turned around and opened his arms to put emphasis on his point. “I’m basically a snowman right now.”

She closed her book, tucking the bookmark in. Slinking her way from the desk to the bed, only to slump into his arms and hug him tightly.

“Much better.” He slides over to his side so she can lay out on the bed more comfortably, and she brings her legs to lay on the bed. “I’m all warm now, thanks to you.”

Sometimes a dream is just a girl with the boy who made her feel seen.

Other times a dream is a boy who finally finds someone to let him feel a little more happy everyday.

[newsfrom-theworld]

2/05/2024

Today's breaking news:

Armed Isr@eli settlers attack a Bedouin community near Jericho.

Pro-Isr@el mob played the sounds of crying children on speakers in front of the pro-Palestine encampment at UCLA.

The Evergreen State College, where Rachel Corrie used to study, agrees to divest from Isr@el.

French police brutally assaulted demonstrators in Lyon

The Washington Post reports that more than 1,700 pro-Palestine protesters have been arrested on campuses nationwide so far.

An Isr@eli tank targeted the minaret of a mosque in Al Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza.

Isr@eli Ynet news reports citing a senior security official, that Netanyahu constantly pressured to bomb all crossings to Gaza at the beginning of the war to ensure that nothing would reach the besieged Strip

Isr@eli authorities delivered today the dead body of a citizen from Gaza.

Mohammad Samour (14 years old) is the latest victim of Isr@eli explosives, which look like food cans.

Isr@eli occupation airstrikes persist in targeting residential areas in Gaza, killing and displacing thousands of innocent Palestinians.

An aid convoy driver was killed and others wounded as Isr@eli occupation forces targeted their trucks at the al-Kuwaiti roundabout in Gaza City.

The Prisoners' Affairs Commission and the Prisoners Club report that two prisoners from Gaza, including Dr. Adnan Ahmed Al-Birsh, head of the orthopedic department at Al-Shifa Hospital, have been martyred while in Isr@eli occupation detention

The UN estimates that it would take until at least 2040 to rebuild Gaza's destroyed homes even if the Isr@eli war ceased today.

Isr@eli occupation authorities forcefully dispersed a protest by the Haredi Jews as they demonstrate against the conscription law.

Three Palestinians were killed as Isr@eli occupation airstrikes targeted groups of civilians in al-Nafaq Street in Gaza City.

Dozens of casualties reported after Isr@eli occupation airstrikes target residential areas in Al-Salam neighborhood in Gaza and Rafah City.

The Isr@eli occupation authorities have released Palestinian journalist Ayman Abu Aram after detaining him for several months

Isr@eli settlers mobs, under the protection of Isr@eli occupation forces attacked Palestinian vehicles near the Beit El junction.

Isr@eli occupation forces storm the town of Shuqba in Ramallah, arresting Palestinian youths.

Isr@eli settlers attack Palestinian vehicles on Highway 60 near the village of Burqa, east of Ramallah, today.

Israeli occupation artillery shells the Al-Salam neighborhood east of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip

CNN anchor Kasie Hunt referred to 6-year-old Palestinian Hind Rajab, who was executed by Isr@eli tanks in Gaza, as "a woman killed in Gaza."

Isr@eli warplanes destroyed Al Azhar university during the aggression against Gaza

[jones-friend]

I think everyone should try building these commanders once (electronic, not in paper)

When I built each of these I learned a whole lot about deckbuilding and piloting these decks. I have notes below the cut, just in case you want to go into this unspoiled. I also would love if you do try building these show me the link!

Rashmi 1.0 is about understanding mana curve and cheating mana value for gains. You need a balanced curve with some scry and topdeck tech to keep freecasting the top card of your library. Cards like Elder Deep Fiend with high mana values you discount to UU while having flash are huge.

I have played aristocrat strategies before. None of them operate like Athreos. The pay 3 life or I get it back trigger makes your creature selection matter, because if you sacrifice a 6 mana sun titan for someone else to let it go to hand you now need 6 free mana to recast which is hard to come by. If built wrong you end up bouncing expensive creatures instead of sending them to the gy for easy reanimation.

I recommend a lot of low to the ground etb’s that are in the 2 drop range, 3 mana maximum, who give value after cast and etb not on death. Cards that exile from hand are clutch ways of keeping power out of the game until you can drill life totals. Then play smart with Ath triggers to deal bolt damage or recur creatures as you need them.

The Jori En Two-Step. You can argue better commanders exist from Thunder Junction but being 3 mana is hugely important for the strat. Ideally you are casting 2 spells on each player turn, letting turns go around as you cast smaller cantrips for value. Jori En flies under the radar with more pressing threats netting you tons of cards per game.

OTJ commander has some new tricks but I would look into mana efficient control spells like Memory Lapse, Izzet Charm, and Stifle. You don’t need to 100% solve the problem, a Suspend on an attacking creature will take them out of the game for exactly as long as you need. Play fast and smart and needle strats to keep them at bay as your cast triggers become overwhelming.

Kathril is a precon I fell in love with in 2020 and despite not getting new additions very often at all its still a fun as heck deck! The key is to mill some while building a boardstate, drop your commander, then swing with kitted up creatures. Bonus points if you don’t go voltron.

When I built Kathril I had to establish some rules to make it work:

Creatures must have two keywords minimum. If they don’t there needs to be a very good reason to include them (like Odric 2.0)

Creatures I intend to swing with need minimum power 3+. A doublestrike 2/2 or 1/1 isnt pressing enough of a threat

Creatures should have a mana value smaller than Kathril. Some adds like Carnage Tyrant are too juicy not to, but if your whole curve is above Kathril you’re in for a slow game.

There must be a good distribution of keywords. Flying and trample are easy to come by, dig deeper for good reach and menace options.

Early game, mana efficient mill sets up the gy for Kathril to exploit. Be sure to run some mill. Carrion Grub makes for an amazing early game play, it mills, will have decent P/T, and curves into Kathril.

[stormbreaker101]

BEHOLD! MY MAP!

I first made it on a physical styrofoam board, then realized my phone camera is bad so I remade it in MS Paint. The locations of the worlds are NOT indicative of their actual positions in the Spiral (i have more headcanons about that), and instead were chosen just so that no thumbtack was directly in between 2 others... to some extent.

There are 49 different connections and each one has SOME bit of reasoning behind it, which I shall write under the cut.

I made this map for my AU, Corrupted Spiral, which has some noncanon shenanigans going on.

1) Wizard City/Wysteria: Canon says so

2) Wizard City/Valencia: The old Leyline to Valencia in the Catacombs, a handful of Valencians live in Wizard City, more know quite a surprising amount of the Wizard & WC.

3) Wizard City/Avalon: The old Leyline to Avalon in the Catacombs

4) Wizard City/Dragonspyre: The Druid/Dragoon war, and Dragonspyrian immigration to Wizard City after the awakening of the Fire Titan.

5) Krokotopia/Marleybone: Of course Marleybone would expand its empire to a neighboring world. In fact, I'm of the headcanon that the reason we see so LITTLE of Krok and it's all so hyper-concentrated into the Iconic Bits TM is because Marleybone fucking TOOK CHUNKS OF KT AND BROUGHT IT CLOSER TO MB SO IT'D BE EASIER TO HAVE EXPEDITIONS TO IT. (Following in the accidental footsteps of Stallion Quartermane)

6) Krokotopia/Valencia: To-be-released Canon P101 (Arc 2)

7) Krokotopia/Mirage: Both based on SWANA, and I'm of the opinion that worlds with similar IRL geography should be closer together. It just makes sense. Plus, both worlds mention the Sands of Time.

8) Krokotopia/Wallaru: Of course the Krokotillians (Pharaoh Ramakrok in particular) would attempt to expand their empire to a neighboring world. Additionally, I'm of the headcanon that the Manders, Koalas, and Kangaroos are all distant descendants of the Storm Titan (I can go in further detail if asked), so it makes sense for folks of related origin to be nearby.

9) Marleybone/Avalon: Both worlds are based on England, just different eras of it. We see a fair bit of species overlap between the two worlds as well; I'm of the headcanon that MB and AV split off from each other, with AV retaining its high-fantasy magic and MB going more low-fantasy steampunk.

10) Marleybone/Valencia: Canon P101.

11) Marleybone/Mooshu: Canon P101.

12) Marleybone/Cool Ranch: The Marleyboneans are seen establishing CR's train systems with fail time and time again (Duck of Death, Great Sky Train Robbery Gauntlet)

13) Mooshu/Zafaria: A Wizard101 NPC mentions she trades internationally, and Mooshu is one of her regular stops (alongside Marleybone, Avalon, and Polaris). Mooshu also acts as a junction between Zafaria and Marleybone and ergo the other Spiral Powers.

14) Mooshu/Valencia: Canon P101.

15) Mooshu/Skull Island: Canon P101.

16) Mooshu/Wysteria: The wisteria plant is native to East Asia (which Mooshu is based on the way a protein shake is based on multiple ingredients: thrown into a blender), and we see pigfolk in both worlds. Similar Species clause. Yes I am absolutely going to rewrite Wysteria so it's not a fucking joke because I know leaving it in its canon state with this history is a big Yikes Move.

17) Dragonspyre/Monquista: Canon P101.

18) Dragonspyre/Valencia: Canon P101.

19) Celestia/Azteca: Celestia and Azteca have so much history to me. I made a big ol' post about it.

20) Celestia/Khrysalis: Both worlds are deeply involved in the study of Astral magic, the Celestian Zodiac includes the 4 Celestian Creatures of the Radiant Alcazar, and both worlds take... inspiration from Oceania (Celestia's Watermoles are a gross stereotyped imitation of Polynesia, and Khrysalis includes references to Aotearoa)

21) Celestia/Empyrea: I have a headcanon that the Celestians were made by Raven to be stewards of Astral magic, the way the Kalamar, Nimbari, and Dwarves were made to be stewards of the main Schools (besides Balance). But because Astral magic forms a triad of Schools rather than a pair, they couldn't form a Paradox Chain and so Raven deemed them 'unworthy' of staying in Empyrea and so dropped them into what is now Celestia. However, this action caused the 2 worlds to form a link, which became a Stormgate.

22) Zafaria/Aquila: Apparently Carthage existed and the Punic wars happened.

23) Zafaria/Polaris: Same reasoning as Marleybone/Zafaria.

24) Zafaria/Mirage: A similar (albeit weaker) situation as Krokotopia/Mirage, in that the 2 worlds are (sorta) based on similar(ish) places geographically. Additionally, we see both Lions and variants of primates in both worlds.

25) Avalon/Karamelle: They both have fae and that's good enough for me. It's how Lydia made it to Avalon to save Merle Ambrose's life from badly photoshopped gay baby jail.

26) Avalon/Grizzleheim: Both worlds feature bears (the Grizzlies in GH and King Art + Balor the Broken Fang of AV) and giants (Grendels & the Jotuns in GH, the Fomori in AV). Species Similarity.

27) Azteca/Skull Island: I'm just going to point you to THIS again. Also, Xol Akmul's existence.

28) Azteca/Karamelle: I made this choice solely to make my main pirate's backstory work.

29) Khrysalis/Darkmoor: Both are pretty "shadowy" worlds, plain and simple. It just makes sense. The vibes and nothing more profound than that. You understand.

30) Khrysalis/Empyrea: We see a handful of Khrysalis NPCs stranded in Aeriel Shore, and also I just love the idea of a stormgate stretching from the most Light-heavy world to the most Shadow-heavy world. Like, the Heart cannot be completely severed from Spider. Ripped out, but not disconnected.

31) Polaris/Valencia: Canon P101.

32) Polaris/Empyrea: Raven made Empyrea to keep herself out. She dumped Mellori in Polaris. The two worlds hold a theme of being distant enough from everything else that Raven assumes them safe. Sounds pretty close to each other to me yknow?

33) Polaris/Grizzleheim: Similar to Avalon/Grizzleheim, both worlds feature bears (the Grizzlies and the Oskiy) and giants (the Grendels + Jotuns and the yetis). Additionally, the Rus that became Eastern Europe were originally norsemen. Once again bringing up the Geographical Proximity = Spiralian Proximity.

34) Mirage/Wallaru: I have a headcanon that the Sands of Time are related to the Dreaming. If the Dreaming is a sea of possibility, of everything and everywhen all at once, then the Sands of Time are just the things that became real, crystallizing and precipitating onto Mirage.

35) Empyrea/Wysteria: There is regular trade between these two worlds.

36) Empyrea/Karamelle: So we're just gonna take the canon gobbler shit and just kinda burn it in a fire, then completely rework the Alphoi's involvement in Karamelle to not be so shit. Don't worry I made it way better. Ask me about it.

37) Aquila/Valencia: Canon P101. Also what if Valencia had more birdfolk than just Marco Pollo?

38) Aquila/Monquista: Canon P101.

39) Darkmoor/Grizzleheim: Similar to Polaris/Grizzleheim, in that some of the Norse became Eastern Europe. But now instead of fantasy Russia, it's fantasy Romania.

40) Darkmoor/Cool Ranch: English Bill was able to flee from CR to DM to become the Duck of Death.

41) Skull Island/Monquista: Canon P101.

42) Skull Island/Cool Ranch: Canon P101.

43) Skull Island/Valencia: Canon P101.

44) Skull Island/Wallaru: We see many folks of Skull Island in Wallaru in-game, plus it's a convenient way for the Spiral Powers to be able to reach Wallaru.

45) Valencia/Cool Ranch: The Valencian unicorns became the Santo Pollan Stallions, and what if some of the Aquilan/Valencian birds also became the birds of Cooper's Roost? Something something the idea of the West moving from the Roman Empire to Modern Europe to America.

46) Cleaved/Lemuria: CCSAU lore time: CS Lemuria is basically in the Cleaved Spiral now, rather than in the CS Spiral. It probably has a handful of Stormgates leading to multiple worlds of the Cleaved Spiral, but that's not what this is about.

47) Cleaved/Grizzleheim: A rift formed between Cleaved!Karamelle and CS Grizzleheim because many canon Karamelle NPCs fled to Grizzleheim. The presence of "the same" characters in multiple Spirals forged a gateway between the two.

48) Cleaved/Wallaru: Just like the Cleaved/Grizzleheim rift, a rift formed between CS Wallaru and Cleaved Wallaru.

49) Lemuria/Empyrea: To help the two Spirals be more interconnected, and to help Lemuria develop a standing, a Stormgate between CS Lemuria and CS Empyrea was made. Why Empyrea? Because it's doing rather well compared to the rest of the CS Spiral, and also because knowledge of the other rifts between Cleaved and CS weren't international knowledge yet.

[randofics]

Kinktober / Spooktober day 6

Batman x reader

Prompts - Civilian, coincidence

🎶Rise against- savior

🎶Seether- careless whisper

🎶Breaking Benjamin- anthem of the angels

I kinda changed the civilian to an off duty detective. Hope it still counts. Also, I might make a part 2 for this.🤷‍♀️

I know it's not October anymore but I couldn't finish it till now.

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

You had just finished your weekly coffee date with a friend when you saw him. It had just been a glimpse under a streetlamp, a coincidence, but you were certain it was him.

Crossing the street, a car screeched to a halt, honking at you for being reckless. You ran into the alley after him but temporarily lost him. Then his shadow caught your eye as he jumped the gap between two buildings. You continued to follow him, making sure he didn't see you.

Eventually, he jumped down into one of the underground tunnel entrances. You waited a minute before following just to make sure he didn't hear or see you. With your light, you followed the muddy bootprints through the winding passages. It felt like he was just aimlessly wandering the tunnels or perhaps just using them to get around unnoticed with less energy.

Soon, though, you could hear voices further down the tunnels. You held the flashlight under your shirt fabric to soften the light and better mask your presence. The voices sounded like they were coming closer, and you couldn't help the slight uptick in your heart rate.

You pulled your gun while still keeping your light covered. The voices grew louder as they echoed off the brick walls. Suddenly, a noise from the tunnel next to you caught your attention. A black and grey blur rammed into you. Your gun was pulled from your grasp, clattering to the floor, and the flashlight cut off as it broke on the concrete.

A gloved hand covered your mouth in the pitch black. You could feel a strong body against yours as you straddled a muscular thigh. You pushed the man's chest, pawing at his gauntlet with your other hand. It did little against the wall of muscle pinning you. You could hear his steady breathing not at all strained by your wriggling.

A deep blush covered your face. You couldn't help it. This man had you pinned straddling his thigh as he covered your mouth in the complete darkness. He could have his way with you, and you'd have little choice but to let him. This was practically a mile or more into the heart of Gothams underbelly. Without a light, you could be wandering for hours if you somehow managed to get away.

You felt him lean closer before a deep, gravelly voice growled in your ear. "Why did you follow me, detective?" You let out a whimper as tears pricked your eyes. No, you wouldn't allow yourself to cry, not now! Swallowing the painful lump down your gaze was drawn to the light in another tunnel a few yards away. It was slowly growing in intensity as the voices were closer than before. Now you could see the pointy eared silhouette looming over you.

He looked over then back to you with an idea already formed in his head. He leaned down to growl an order in your ear. "Stay quiet and let them pass. If they come this way or spot us, you run. Got it?" You nod, and he catches a glimpse of your expression blushing with the sheen of tears in your eyes. Quickly, he uses his other hand to conceal you behind his cape, keeping it just under his eyes so he can watch the criminals pass by.

Like he'd hoped they would they go right past the tunnel you both are hiding in, and for a moment, he thinks he can relax. Then he hears one man speak. "Oops, sorry, wrong way we should turn at the junction back there."

His eyes widen, and he hisses out another order. "Grab your gun and run!" He pushes away from you, and in the dim light, you scramble for your pistol just managing to grip the handle when the bat grabs you by the arm pushing you in front of him. "Hey! It's the Bat! Shoot him!"

The rapid fire of fully automatic guns pierce your ears as orange flashes light the tunnel. These idiots luckily for you, have the aim of a stormtrooper, and despite the barrage of bullets whizzing past, none manage to hit their mark.

You come to another junction, and he yells for you to go right. He follows suit, tossing a smoke bomb behind him to disorient them. Within a few minutes, he's somehow led you to the surface, and you exit the maze of tunnels. But surprisingly, it isn't over yet. You can still hear the shouting and gunfire of the criminals chasing you.

-------

The Bat pulls you down an alley to the heavily lit street where Halloween decor hangs from the streetlights, and people dressed in costumes crowd the sidewalks.

He thinks he can leave you to dissappear in the crowd while he takes to the rooftops, but once again, the crooks find you both. Before they can get a shot off, he pulls you through the crowd. Stealthily, he slips off someone's mask and hands it to you as he pushes out onto the street. The crowd stops the cars, and he grabs you, pulling you into his side so he can place his arm around you, hand on your hip.

"Take off your jacket and put on the mask. Act like were a couple." You blush again, but do as you're told, tying your jacket around your waist and slipping on the mask. Warily, you take his arm into your chest, resting your head on his shoulder as you once again move through the crowd.

The criminals spot his pointy eared cowl amongst the people on the other side of the street and rush over only to find a shorter and thinner guy with glasses. Another is spotted going into an alley just down the street, and they roughly push through everyone to get there.

-------

He takes you into an alley, pushing you against the wall again. Your hands land on his chest. "What is your deal man!" He pushes a pumpkin basket with candy into your hands, looking at you with a serious expression. "They spotted us again. We need to take the act up a notch." You give him a worried look. "I'm going to kiss you, and we need it to look real." He looks at you apologetically before pushing forward.

A surprised noise escapes your throat when his lips connect with yours. You're tense at first, but then you lock eyes with him. He'd lifted the lenses of his cowl with a tap on his temple. His eyes aren't malicious in any way. Instead, they're worried, worried about you. He gently places his hand on the small of your back, pulling you to him. Your eyes flutter closed, and the basket slips from your fingertips, spilling candy across the ground.

One of your hands moves to his jaw, and another sound escapes your throat when his thumb brushes your hip over your waistband. When he breaks away for air, you blurt out an idea as you catch a glimpse of the criminals over his shoulder. "Act drunk and start kissing my neck!"

"Are you sure?" You nod with a serious expression of your own. "Alright then." When his lips connect with your skin, a chill runs up your spine. A good chill that is, and it's quickly followed by heat in your face and belly. You crack your eye open to look over his shoulder, but his teeth nip your pulse. A small moan tumbles from your lips, and your leg lifts to hook over his hip. Unexpectedly, he sucks on your skin, leaving a mark.

His free hand grips your lifted thigh, leaving reassuring circles on the fabric with his thumb. Your arms, having snaked around his neck, pull on his cape. The men have gotten close enough that you can see them through your lidded eyes. "They're close Bats." He only grunts, still putting up the act. Unexpectedly, his tongue licks up your throat. Your nails dig into his back through the cape, and a louder moan escapes your mouth.

He feels the muscles in your back quiver, and it's like he's losing himself in you. He needs to concentrate.

-------

He can hear them walking closer, trying to get a better look at him and you. One man pulls him away from you, and he pretends to drunkenly stumble right onto a pile of garbage bags. "Ssswhat the hell, man!? It was just...hicc... getting good!" You rush over to help him up. "I-I'm so sorry! He's had a bit too much to drink." He gives you a hard time lifting him off the bags to add more realism to his act. You tug his arms a few times before he makes it up into a woozy standing posture.

"Don't worry about it, doll. We thought youz was somebody else." You nod slinging his arm over your shoulders. "Great costumes, by the way! I love how realistic you got the guns!" You give them a genuine smile as you help your *boyfriend* out of the alley to join the crowd again. He keeps up the act until he's sure you won't be spotted again.

"I think we lost them. I apologize for all of that back there." A particularly cold breeze rushes past you, and you push yourself back into his side, wrapping yourself around his warm arm. "I don't mind. It was rather exciting, and I also didn't mind the whole couple act."

"I also apologize for the mark on your neck. I should've controlled myself better." You look up at him before pulling him into another alley this time further back so the shadows cover you. You push him back into the brick wall with a small smile on your face. He observes your eyes. They aren't malicious at all. Instead, he sees attraction to him.

You push yourself against him, standing on your toes as you use one hand to grip his jaw. His hands land on your hips as your lips connect with his. The kiss is sweet and slow as you pour your feelings into each other. You break away from him, eyes half lidded. You touch your lips as you take a step back. His hand glides along your arm as you pull back, finally stopping when his hand takes yours gently.

He flips your hand to plant a kiss on your palm. His ocean blue eyes connect with yours. "Do you need a ride home?" You shake your head no. "Would you like me to call you a cab?"

"Yes, please." He waits on the corner with you till a cab pulls up. Before he can turn and leave, you speak up. "I hope I can see you again. Maybe you can give me more proper of a date before kissing me next time." He chuckles, giving you a warm smile. "I don't doubt I'll see you again. Have a good night detective." He turns his back, and you run up to him jumping up to peck him on the cheek. You can't help the flurry of giggles as you run to the cab, giving him a wave as you slide into the backseat.

He touches his cheek watching as the cab drives away. A giddy grin pulls at his lips before he continues down the street.

-------

Later that night in the batcave, Bruce is sitting as a surveillance video plays on the giant screen. Alfred places a tray on the desk beside him. "I see you met the new detective tonight master Bruce. She seems to have had an effect on you."

"How so, Alfred?" He smiles, taking the lid off the tray to reveal a freshly cooked meal with a glass of water. "For one, your mood has greatly improved, and secondly, you can't seem to concentrate on your work." Once again, Alfred spotted something he'd refused to acknowledge, and he chuckles. "You've caught me red-handed old friend. And she does seem to affect me more than I thought she would."

"Perhaps I should keep her in mind as a potential suiter?" "Mmh, perhaps..."

[girlactionfigure]

🔷 Thu night - ISRAEL REALTIME - Connecting to Israel in Realtime

( 1 of 2 )

▪️WHATSAPP.. some outages across Europe and others worldwide.  Reminder, this channel is also on Telegram -> https://t.me/Israel_Realtime_Updates

⚠️ENEMY WAR PREP.. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards began moving forces into Lebanon. (Shiite channels.)

▪️US CALLS TO LEAVE LEBANON.. White House called on American citizens in Lebanon to prepare for a possible evacuation.  10 countries have now called for the citizens to leave.  And now Russia.

▪️A HERO SOLDIER HAS FALLEN.. in counter-terror battle Jenin: Elon Sacgui, 22, from Hadera.  May his family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem, and may G-d avenge his blood!

… 16 warriors injured as they came to assist and treat.

▪️PEOPLE CAUGHT.. on camera by Israeli Telegram channel tracking drone intercept information and uploading status to Hezbollah site.  Shin Bet interrogating.

▪️PEOPLE WHO PUT THEMSELVES AND SECURITY FORCES AT RISK.. Israeli woman enters Jericho (Palestinian controlled city).  Security forces enter, with confrontations, to rescue her.. she left on her own.

▪️ARAB CONSPIRACY OF THE DAY.. (I have to write this… carefully.) Release Gazan prisoners accusing Israel of training dogs to .. umm .. torture prisoners while in Israeli prison by .. umm .. performing an indecent act upon males forcefully.

▪️PROTESTS - ANTI-DRAFT.. “Torah scholars don’t enlist”.

 1. charedi protest blocked Rosh Ha’ayin-Modi’in intersection.

 2. Another blocked Route 4,   Police declare illegal assembly and forcibly disperse. 

 3. Blocking highway, route 1 at Latrun.

 4. And route 4, Yavne junction.

 5. And road 443 Gamzu junction.

 6. And route 4 by Geha bridge / Coca-Cola / Bnei Bran exit.  Police arrest 32.

By the Jerusalem Faction / Rabbi Friedman.

▪️GOVT. ANTI-DRAFT RESPONSE.. Following the court and attorney general rulings, govt support for ultra-Orthodox must be canceled even in the form of dormitory and day care subsidies, and discounts on Bituach Leumi fees. The day care is between 1300-2300 NIS subsidy per child per month. (( Practically this will impact working charedi women. ))

🔷 Thu night - ISRAEL REALTIME - Connecting to Israel in Realtime

( 2 of 2 )

▪️POLITICS - LABOR AND MERETZ.. parties to merge, with new name.

▪️INTL. POLITICS.. Bolivian government severed relations with Israel because of the war in the Gaza Strip, unclear if before or after the coup attempt in their country.

▪️KOLLEL STUDENT ARRESTED AS SPY.. for Iran, in Beit Shemesh.  Report says NIS 4 million found in his home.  Mistaken identity, or infiltration of society?

▪️WEAPONS ARRIVE?  Arabs report: a shipment of “secret” American weapons went to Tel Aviv from the American base in Ali al-Salem, Kuwait. (( For reference, Israel doesn’t receive military planes at the Israel civilian airport, and there is no military airport in Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. )).

▪️CANADA IMPOSES SANCTIONS.. against a number of Israelis who live in Judea-Samaria and right-wing Israeli NGO organizations involved in “violent” or "destabilizing" activities.  Noting with monthly terror attacks and murders, no such sanctions against Palestinians or their organizations.

▪️ICC POSTPONES BECAUSE UK DEFENDS?  The Criminal Court in The Hague has adopted a significant decision and allows Britain to argue that the court lacks authority to judge Israeli citizens, including the possibility of issuing arrest warrants against them

♦️Masses of Gazans are fleeing from Shejaiya on the orders of the IDF after a ground attack was launched in the neighborhood.  The IDF demands that the residents of Shejaia, Al Tarhman, Al Tufah immediately evacuate to the humanitarian zone.

♦️IDF ATTACKS LEBANON.. the town of Hula, South Lebanon, the town of Somur in West Bekaa, East Lebanon.

♦️PHOSPHORUS.. Israeli phosphorus bombs have made the area near the Lebanese border uninhabitable, the Financial Times reported.  The main destruction occurred in a 5-kilometer zone north of the so-called Blue Line.

⭕ HEZBOLLAH SUICIDE DRONE ATTACK.. Rosh HaNikra naval base.

⭕ ROCKET BARRAGE from HEZBOLLAH at Safed, Meron, Amuka and surrounds.  Power loss in Safed, forest fire started, 1 woman injured running for shelter, 1 home hit.

⭕ HAMAS ROCKETS at aid port Kerem Shalom and Nachal Oz, 2 rounds.

[resident-rats]

In this game you pick stuff from your room and have people vote on which one they want to take home.

Thanks for the tag @colesabi !! (I took the scennedyfield trifecta)

1) The bear and raccoon are both build a bears, and the walrus and ferret cannot be separated bc they’re friends

2) It’s ethically sourced!! It was from a lady who loves crows and kept them and taxidermied them when they died

3) Projects swirly colours onto my ceiling. Sometimes I change its colour to blue and listen to rain sounds lol

4) Fiancé stuck it there after deciding it didn’t stick to his phone properly and now it’s welded on there 💀

5) No cables are plugged in, but I fear the day I have to sort through them all

6) My ds I’m currently playing Animal Crossing Wild World on <33

My brain is too fried to tag people rn, so literally if you want to do this please consider 🫵🏻yourself🫵🏻 tagged. I like being nosey and seeing what people have in their room

[prfm-multiverse]

3 MORE DAYS until Digital Release “Nebula Romance: Part I”

[tacticalhimbo]

SCRUTINIZED DETAILS — LUNA’S GUEST ROOM / OFFICE

Whoops! I forgot I still had things to post for this ^^;

Anyway, this room is interesting because it's not really clear what it is. As far as I know, it was likely the old location of her desk/workspace, but after Sarah's death and the beginning investigation into the Blueblood Killer, Luna chose to utilize the wall space in the living room.

Still, there's some interesting finds in here! Transcriptions for any relevant material (e.g., awards and the small bulletin board) below the cut!

-> IMAGE 4: CERTIFICATE / AWARD

Certificate of Achievement

In recognition of brave and dedicated service and commitment to our community n the occasion of your being presented with the Police Officer of the Year Award by the Exchange Club of Yonkers.

-> IMAGE 6: BULLETIN BOARD

FBI WANTED POSTER

WANTED BY THE FBI

SERIAL MURDER - DOMESTIC TERRORISM

[Sketch]

BLUEBLOOD KILLER

DESCRIPTION

Age is guesstimated at mid-thirties. Sex is male. Height between 5'11" to 6'. Weight between 150 to 180 pounds. Build is athletic and compact. Hair color is unknown (length and color covered by a dark-colored beanie hat). Eye color is unknown. Complexion is light but could be darker. Race described as white. Nationality is unknown. Occupation is unknown (could be unemployed or ex-law enforcement). Scar and marks were not noted. Remarks from witnesses describe an odd gait, wide shoulders, possibly left-handed, large eyes, and above-average ability to [???] urban enivornments. Last seen wearing a black beanie hat, dark lower face mask, black hooded sweatshirts, and black slacks.

CRIMINAL RECORD

Unknown. Wanted for the murder or 12 police officers, 2 criminal prosecutors, and 1 criminal analyst.

HIDDEN ARTICLE (BENEATH WANTED POSTER)

Steetly chapel is 850 years old

The ancient Chapel of Steetly All Saints is 850 years old this year — and to mark the occasion there will be an open air service in the Chapel garden a week on Sunday at 3:15.

The singing will be led by Whitwell Colliery Welfare Prize Band and the preacher will be the Right Rev. T. R. Parfitt. Assistant Bishop of Derby.

The [???] [???] shows that Steetly was held shortly after the [???] Survey [???] by Gley de Briton, by whom it was probably built. It is one of the most complete and beautiful specimens of [???] work on a small scale that can be [???] with anywhere, though there is a similar chapel at [???] Quevilly, near [???], France. The south doorway has three receding semi-circular arches and shafts richly ornamented.

The exterior of the [???] east end is also [???]. The [???] is supported by five round-edged plaster buttresses connected by a broad [???] [???] {???], delicately carved with interlacing foliage and above this unique [???] are three small round-beaded windows.

The Chancel arch is one of particular beauty. It is ornamented with triple [???] of mouldings. The [???] on the north side are carved with a representation of St. George and the Dragon.

The arch into the [???] is surrounded by the [???] moulding and the [???] are carved with foliage.

Four well-moulded ribs, or [???], with the [???] design, support the vaulted roof and at their junction [???] [???] oval medallion carved with the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God).

The capitals of the shafts from which the ribs spacing are also carved, one representing the temptation of Adam and Eve.

Behind the altar is a stone which formerly lay outside the south door and is believed to have marked the grave of Lawrence de [???], a clergy-man who was inducted to Steetly a year before the Black Death in [???]. Its rich carving includes a [???], a chalice and a hand stretched out as if giving a benediction.

The Chapel fell into ruins at the [???] during the reign of Henry VIII.

A visitor to Steetly in 1698 wrote: "In a green meadow [???] a [???] well-built [???] all arch-roofed [???] and [???]. The [???] that covered the same is all [???] away so that the weather begins to pierce through [???] [???] to [???] [???] decaying."

When [???] George Edward Mason became a [???] of Whitwell in 1874, Steetly Chapel was in a sorry state.

The roofless, doorless ruin had an interior overgrown with [???] and [???] and was a shelter for sheep and cattle and, it is said, was used as a cockpit in the days when cock-fighting was the sport of residents in the surrounding villages of Whitwell, [???], [???], and Steetley.

He could mourn its former beauty, and felt that it could be restored.

A year prior to his coming to Whitwell, the Chapel had been visited by members of the British Archeological Society, who also could see what a masterpiece it had been.

One deeply interested was the Victorian Prime Minister, William Gladstone.

[???] Mason secured the services of Mr. J. L. Pearson, one of England's most famous [???] architects. It was he who restored the ruin to its present beauty.

The diminutive Chapel is 58 feet in length and is divided into three parts — a [???], a [???], and an [???]. The [???] is 16 feet wide and the [???] 14 feet. Under the eaves outside are hideous gargoyles.

The restored Chapel was [???] on 2nd November [???] by the Bishop of [???]. As it was the day after All Saints' Day, it was named Steeley All Saints. The original Chapel was dedicated to Our Lady and St. [???]

— [???] P. Gallagher.

POLICE APPEAL FOR CLUES IN 1985 MURDER

By Thom Gross

Of the Post-Dispatch Staff

Vinita Park police are appealing to the public for clues in the unsolved murder of Linda Sue Sherman in 1985.

All leads have been exhausted, Lt. Michael Webb said, "But we have reason to believe that there are members of the public who may know something about it."

Sherman was reported missing April 24, 1985, by her husband, Donald Sherman, of the 8300 block of Monroe Avenue. She was 27 and the mother of a 9-year-old daughter. Two days later, her yellow '71 Volkswagen was found in a short-term parking lot at Lambert Field, absent any sign of struggle.

Further investigation led police to suspect that she was the victim of foul play, Webb said.

In 1990, a skull was found in Bridgeton, and it was turned over to the St. Louis County medical examiner's office. Vinita Park police learned of the skull in September 1991 and matched it with Sherman's dental records.

No other remains were recovered.

People with any clues about the case are asked to call Webb or Vinita Park Police Chief Robert J. Hartz at 428-7373. Webb said any information would be kept in strict confidence.

THE LAST LETTERS OF A KILLER

[This article is impossible to read, with some supplemental material only just legible. As such, transcription was not an option.]

SUICIDE OF M62 KILLER

[This article is impossible to read, with some supplemental material only just legible. As such, transcription was not an option.]

-> BOOKS IN THE ROOM

There are numerous books in the room, and are as follows.

On the chair — Tactical Crime Analysis: Research and Investigation (First Edition) by Derek J. Paulsen, Sean Bair, & Dan Helms. Official description is as follows:

Research has shown that the majority of crimes are committed by persistent or serial offenders, with as little as seven percent of offenders accounting for approximately 60 percent of all crimes. By focusing police efforts on these prolific offenders and learning to identify, analyze, and resolve the crimes they commit, the law enforcement community can protect and defend the public much more effectively. Tactical Crime Analysis: Research and Investigation provides a comprehensive discussion on both the theoretical and practical aspects of crime series analysis, making it a critical resource for those engaged in crime prevention and investigation.

On the table — Two unlabeled books, and Spy Secrets That Can Save Your Life: A Former CIA Officer Reveals Safety and Survival Techniques to Keep You and Your Family Protected by Jason Hanson. Official description is as follows:

The New York Times bestseller that reveals the safety, security, and survival techniques that 99% of Americans don’t know—but should

When Jason Hanson joined the CIA in 2003, he never imagined that the same tactics he used as a CIA officer for counter intelligence, surveillance, and protecting agency personnel would prove to be essential in every day civilian life.

In addition to escaping handcuffs, picking locks, and spotting when someone is telling a lie, he can improvise a self-defense weapon, pack a perfect emergency kit, and disappear off the grid if necessary. He has also honed his “positive awareness”—a heightened sense of his surroundings that allows him to spot suspicious and potentially dangerous behavior—on the street, in a taxi, at the airport, when dining out, or in any other situation.

In his engaging and empowering book Spy Secrets That Can Save Your Life, Jason shares this know-how with readers, revealing how to:

• prevent home invasions, carjackings, muggings, and other violent crimes • run counter-surveillance and avoid becoming a soft target • recognize common scams at home and abroad • become a human lie detector in any setting, including business negotiations • gain peace of mind by being prepared for anything instead of uninformed or afraid

With the skill of a trained operative and the relatability of a suburban dad, Jason Hanson brings his top-level training to everyday Americans in this must-have guide to staying safe in an increasingly dangerous world.

Then there are the... emblems? On the wall, which are just various stock badges with no real significance. And the photo of Sarah, which can be seen here:

This is just a stock photo which can be found here, created by someone who seems to have a niche for criminal justice stock photography.

[nordic-language-love]

25 Things That Surprised Me as a Brit Living in Japan

1) Shops and supermarkets change their stock regularly. One day you buy ice cream, and when you go back three days later to get some more, it’s gone and there’s no evidence they ever sold it. No “sorry this is sold out”, no empty space where it was.

2) So much single-use plastic. Cookies, cakes, fruits and vegetables etc are individually wrapped, or wrapped in packs of two. To be fair though, Japan is much better at recycling all this plastic. Which leads me nicely on to...

3) PET bottles go in one recycling bin, the plastic labels and bottle tops go in a different one. You can’t just put them in together.

4) Multipack crisps are not a thing. Or if they are, I’m yet to find them. I’m used to getting 24-bag multipacks and adding crisps to my lunchbox, taking them with me in case of sudden hungries and using them to get me by between meals. Here you only really get crisps in sharing-size bags, and there’s much less variety. (Although you can buy chocolate-coated crisps, which sound like a cardinal sin but are pretty tasty)

5) There are lots of varieties of plain yoghurt. There’s not a lot of variety of flavoured yoghurt, especially when it comes to large pots. In the UK I can get strawberry, strawberry wholegrain, raspberry, blueberry, mango & passionfruit, mango & apple, mango & vanilla, vanilla, coconut, lemon curd and so much more in 500g pots. Here I’ve found vanilla, honey and blueberry in 350g pots.

6) Even in the winter when the snowstorms came, there were many non-coniferous trees that remained green. I cannot begin to explain how jarring the sight of such vibrant greenery amongst white snow is when you’re used to winter being a sea of brown and grey.

7) Cars actually stop to let you cross the road. Even if they’re turning into a side-road or at a junction, they stop for you to cross, holding up traffic. In the UK, you would annoy a lot of drivers if you started crossing a junction they were turning into.

8) Squat toilets. They’re not just a thing; they’re a commonplace thing and almost every public toilet seems to have at least one. I’ve never seen anyone opt to use one (apparently it’s easier for pregnant women though)

9) When the emergency services are called, they really show up. My neighbour left her keys in her door, someone called the police, two of them waited for her to return home. That same neighbour accidentally used a dish that wasn’t heat-resistant in the microwave and while there was no fire, there was a bit of smoke. Three fire trucks showed up, as well as police. Not a chance anything like that would happen in the UK.

10) You’re not supposed to thank the cashier after buying something; you’re supposed to just bow and leave. I cannot do this; I am culturally conditioned to thank cashiers and find myself doing it anyway.

11) 99% of (non-sliding) doors open outwards. In the UK, the opposite is true. I assume this is because, in the event of an earthquake causing structural damage, it’s much easier to barge your way out of a door when it opens outwards. In the UK, we’re more worried about people breaking in, and so doors open inwards such that we can barricade them (or so I’m told).

12) There are differences between some fruits and vegetables here. Cucumbers are tiny green wrinkled things that look like alien fingers. Radishes are enormous white monstrosities. Spinach is rarely baby leaf. Pumpkins are green. Sweet potatoes are white inside.

13) There’s not much in the way of caramel or salted caramel, but strawberry-flavoured things (especially chocolate) is very common (as is macha flavour). Things that are caramel flavour are more like burnt toffee flavour.

14) People wear coats when it’s 25ºC outside because apparently that’s not warm for them.

15) Convenience stores have printers that you’re welcome to use any time. You have to pay, of course, but for A4 paper it’s 10 yen per black and white page or 50 yen per coloured page, which is basically nothing. You can also print out things on A3, B4 and B5 paper, as well as photographs and postcards.

16) The stairwell for blocks of flats is typically outside, and then you walk along a walkway outside to get to the door. You don’t typically go into a block of flats. The opposite is true in the UK: you have to go into the building (which is typically locked, so you have to buzz the flat of the person you’re visiting and they’ll open it electronically for you from their flat) and then go up the stairs inside.

17) Bread is not sold with the end slices. It’s also usually sold in loaves of 6-8 slices, all of which are thick-cut and much sweeter than English bread. Typically only white bread is available.

18) Vending machines crop up everywhere in the seemingly most random places. I stg if Erebor were in Japan in the years of Smaug, it would have a well-stocked and fully functioning vending machine.

19) There’s no such thing as pepsi max, although there is pepsi zero. Typically you can’t get pepsi zero from the convenience store (although you can get coke zero) and have to go to the supermarket, but it costs like half the price of coke zero if you can be bothered to make the journey.

20) There are cars/vans with megaphones that just drive around advertising things. One time one passed us by and I asked my friend what the deal was and he said “oh, it’s advertising gas”. They’re also used in election campaigns. I’m still confused by these things.

21) Exposing your bare shoulders is a no-no. Even when it’s 35ºC with 90% humidity, people wear tops with sleeves that cover their shoulders (some even wear long sleeves to stop them from getting a tan). It’s okay if you’re going out on the town, but not as everyday wear.

22) “Milk” and “butter” are flavours. Personally, I think it’s redundant to describe cream as “milk-flavoured” or cake as “butter flavoured”, but it would seem Japanese people disagree.

23) Cash is still used everywhere. I pay my bills at the convenience store in cash.

24) Prices of produce are REALLY volatile. One day you pay 88 yen for a tomato. The next day that same tomato - now slightly mankier thanks to being a day older - is 198 yen. Two days later tomatoes are 98 yen. The next week they’re 128 yen.

25) Shoes off! In the classroom, at the doctor’s, at the office etc, shoes come off at the door and you change into provided slippers. This is now so deeply ingrained in me that I feel uncomfortable when my UK friends send me pictures/videos and they’re wearing shoes inside.

[estrellami-1]

Soft Touch Baby

Pt 1 | Pt 2 | Pt 3 | Pt 4 | Pt 5 | Pt 6 | Pt 7 | Pt 8 | Pt 9 | Pt 10 | Pt 11 | Pt 12 | Pt 13 | Pt 14 | Pt 15 | Pt 16 | Eddie’s POV | Song | ao3

(Technically I still haven’t gone to bed so it’s still “yesterday” but I’m busy and wanted to give y’all this. Enjoy!)

Steve takes another deep breath. In, out. He sees Eddie mirror him. Decides to be brave. “I was about to call you.”

Eddie’s eyes flick up to his face for a second before they cut away again. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” He sits on the couch, a careful half-cushion between them, unsure of what he’s allowed.

“Nightmare?”

He hums in agreement. “You?”

“Yeah. Same. What was yours?”

Steve huffs an incredulous laugh. “You gonna believe me if I tell you I don’t remember?”

“You don’t.”

Steve shrugs. “You called.”

An almost-smile lifts the corner of Eddie’s mouth. “I did.”

“What was yours about?”

The corner of his mouth drops. “I don’t remember.”

They both know he’s lying. Neither bother to point it out.

Steve looks away. Sighs. Looks back at Eddie, notices him biting his lip, notices his hands clenching around the hem of his shirt, notices his eyes darting to Steve then away. “Eds?”

Eddie looks at him for half a second longer this time before his eyes slide away again. It’s enough of a confirmation for Steve. “D’you want-?”

“If… I don’t…” he grunts, frustrated, shakes his head once. It’s irritation, not a dismissal, so Steve responds.

“You can. Whatever you need.”

Eddie looks just past Steve’s elbow, then suddenly stands, flicking his head to motion Steve over. He obeys immediately, standing close enough he can see the minuscule tremors, can feel the anxious energy vibrating through him. He holds his arms out a little, angled in the tentative gesture of a hug, and Eddie makes a small, broken-off, broken sound before all but collapsing into his arms.

“I’ve got you,” Steve murmurs, heart breaking. Reminds him, “Whatever you need.”

Eddie sticks his face in the junction of Steve’s neck and shoulder, squeezes until Steve squeezes back, nose buried in the hair above his ear. “I’m here,” he murmurs.

Eddie breaks.

There’s no other word for it. Fat, hot tears fall onto Steve’s neck, shirt collar, roll down until they’re stopped by his shirt. He’s shaking in earnest now, and Steve knows he’s still trying to be quiet, biting his lip, muffling his sobs, and they’re quiet but so real and so there that Steve feels sympathetic tears pooling in his own eyes. Eddie clutches, tears, at his back, scrabbling for a hold on his shirt, and Steve pulls him closer than he’d previously thought humanly possible. “C’mere,” he murmurs, voice tight, trying to maneuver them so they can sit or lay or something, he needs to help, needs to ground, and he gets them laying on the couch and immediately their legs are tangled. Steve puts one of his legs in a lock he’d learned from wrestling, applying the barest hint of pressure, not trying to hurt but trying to prove that he’s there, and Eddie leans even further into the hold, to a point where Steve has to let go before one of them gets hurt, gets both his legs around both of Eddie’s and squeezes.

He squeezes and holds and cuddles and rocks and taps and rubs and does whatever he can to calm Eddie. He takes deep, measured breaths, only realizing the fourth time his breaks in the middle that he’s crying too, so he stops, just lets himself hold Eddie and fall into whatever pit they’ve dug.

Eventually his breath evens out, Eddie’s begins to, and Steve takes one last big, shaking breath before he’s able to guide Eddie’s breathing.

“Shit,” Eddie murmurs after a minute, face still buried in Steve’s neck. Steve just grins.

“Pretty much.”

Then they’re both laughing, mostly hysterical, almost trying to be quiet and Steve may not know about Eddie but his own laughter is because he’s just so fucking relieved, they made it, they’re battered and broken but they’re here.

“I know,” Eddie murmurs, and that’s when Steve realizes he said all that out loud.

He laughs once more before allowing his muscles to relax, just gently holding onto Eddie now. Eddie does the same with a huff that’s meant to be laughter.

“So,” Steve manages. “I’m guessing sleep isn’t happening after this?”

They break again, back into laughter, giggling like little kids, getting a little too loud but unable to care because they’re okay, they’re here, they’re safe now.

“You’d be right,” Eddie answers after a few minutes, still giggling, sitting up and wiping at his tears.

“Fuck,” he murmurs. “Sorry. That was…” he shakes his head.

Steve shakes his back. “Don’t apologize.” He pauses, swallows, whispers, “Please.”

“Okay,” Eddie says, just as quietly.

Pt 12

Taglist:

@thegingervulcan @snapshotmaestro @the-redthread @tiny-enthusiast @thatonepotatochild @maya-custodios-dionach @imsociallyanxiousgetoverit @vhelt @newtstabber @huskysarelife @singmeyoursimpsong @gaysonthefloor @darkwitchoferie

[zoriwuff]

Swamp Fever, the royal update

We know what's up with the mane 6. But how are the princesses handling the outbreak? How far has this adaptive Swamp Fever spread? Do we know how hayseed willows even got to the Everfree forest? Let's dive into it!

4 weeks since the first known infection

After about 2 weeks of quarantine at Canterlot, the sky seems to be stuck in a permanent dusk. It’s been assumed the princesses have been hard at work protecting ponies. That’s why the sky hasn’t changed, right? The quarantine efforts have been ruthless and borderline unforgiving. Aside from the hospital, everypony in town has been known to be healthy. Though a strict shelter in place has still been enforced, and food has been rationed out to the citizens by guards. So far Luna has been the only princess to face the public. She looks exhausted and her mane and tail seem to be losing their luster. She’s become sick and tired of Celestia’s cowardly facade of keeping everypony in the dark and keeping up a fake smile. By now, Celestia hasn’t left her room in 12 days. Luna has informed the castle staff that she’s writing to nearby cities and doesn’t have time for PR until further notice, though staff has grown suspicious. Luna has started telling the citizens more about the severity of the current outbreak. It caused an initial wave of panic, though now ponies have taken safety measures much more seriously and exercise much more patience with castle guards. With continuous cooperation, Luna hopes Twilight will find a cure swiftly. The less stress the better, but please hurry Twi.. we’re running out of time. Running out of time? Time for what?

Ponyville has been left to its own devices, but the majority of the healthy population has left town. It’s become a wasteland of death and decay. The first handful of ponies have taken root in the outskirts of town. We’re starting to get a better idea of how long the infection cycle lasts. The apple family has been working hard to make sure no pony makes sweet apple acres their last resting place. At this rate they’ve seen more than anything Twilight could possibly be observing in containment. If only she’d respond to the scrolls they’ve sent. Thank Celestia for Rarity’s magic, they wouldn’t have had any form of communication without her. Dodge Junction has suffered greatly as well, leaving the town quiet and dangerous. Most residents have taken to the Badlands. The climate hasn’t been forgiving but the infection rate seems little to none. The same can’t be said for Appleloosa. No word from the citizens, but sky-watch has yielded concerning visuals on the town. No infected can be seen from up high, though corpses have been spotted in the streets. Current safety precautions have limited how close pegasi can get to the ground. The only exception is when a presumably healthy survivor is spotted. Neither of these cities have had anypony picked up by the search parties. The forests have been too dense to allow for any safe sweeps. 

In the opposite direction from Canterlot, the Crystal Empire has been presumed safe. Princess Cadence has been running things comfortably as a lone ruler. The citizens have been incredibly understanding of her recently resigned marriage. The royal guard has been running strong without Shining’s guidance. Maybe they really didn’t need him after all. Despite the estranged status of her late fiance, Cadence still upholds a close relationship with Twilight. Recently her scrolls have gone unanswered, and the phone lines must be explicitly down. She originally thought it was just maintenance related but it’s been a week since she first started calling. Worried about the radio silence, she took it upon herself to make a quick trip to the library in hopes to check in with Twi. Even if that meant running into her ex-fiance. Cadence just wanted to check in. She left without any guards accompanying her, assuming it would be a typical “Twilighting.” It’s so in character of her to be wrapped up in her books, surely that’s all it is. Ponyville seemed so quiet. There was a dark substance splotched around town. Where was everypony? She approached the library and knocked. “Twilight? Have the books eaten your attention span again? I hadn’t heard back from you in a while… Shining? Is anypony home?”  There was no response. The front door was locked, so Cadance decided to fly up to the balcony and see if she could peer inside. She pressed her face up against the small round glass window, shading her peripherals with her hooves. The inside was dark, and there were scattered papers and books everywhere. Twilight usually never lets the library get this bad, and if she does she makes sure it’s tidied up before leaving. Looking for clues, Cadance was unaware of the impending doom leaking from the branches of the tree. A pony-like creature, dripping an orange fluid, was watching her from the leaves above. It was covered in yellowish orange blisters and blue bruising. The limbs looked unnaturally elongated and leaves were sprouting from its orifices. It didn’t move fast, but it took no time at all for it to wrap its weeping body around Cadance’s back. Falling backwards in a panic, Cadance crushes the creature between her and the deck below her. It fountains out an orange bile, gripping around her neck and kicking her wings. Repeatedly bashing her head backwards, the creature begins to loosen it’s grip and fade to a pile of infectious chunks. Wiping away as much fluid and sludge as possible, Cadance flies disorientedly back to the Crystal Empire. 

The guards spot her incoming, but Cadance refuses to take even a second to acknowledge any of her staff. She bashes through her balcony doors, locks every entrance to her room and starts a shower. Washing away the grime, she watches the orange colored water seep down the drain accompanied with bits of what could only be explained as hardened flesh. The creature was so fleshy and soft, why are the remains now like pebbles? It doesn’t matter, the important part is she’s clean. After the mirror fog has faded, Cadance notices mild lacerations around her neck and the back of her head. “I’ll just flush these out with antiseptic, that should be enough to kill whatever bacteria came from that wretched creature.” More dirt-like particles fall from the wound on her head. Thank Celestia she cleaned this out as soon as she did. 

The guards have been pestering at her door since she’s returned. She’s clean enough, it’s about time she explains herself. Opening the bedroom door, she’s greeted by Sunburst and two guards. “Princess, is everything ok? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you fly with so much speed! When did you leave? Where did you go?” 

“I’m ok Sunburst, I appreciate your concerns. It’s really nothing to worry about on my behalf, but something sinister has crept into Equestra once more. I’d appreciate it if you'd tell the royal guard to start a lockdown” she exclaimed with a calm certainty. “But princess-!” “No more questions. Nopony comes into the city and nopony leaves. Just… don’t make a ruckus about it. I wouldn’t want to see my subjects in a panic.” Princess Cadance shut the door abruptly in Sunburst’s face. He turns to the guards accompanying him with a worried look. All he gets in return is a shrug, and the three of them leave to go notify the rest of the Royal Guard. Cadance walks with her eyes to the ground as she makes her way to her bed. “This headache is killing me, it must be from all the stress. I can’t shake this feeling that something is seriously wrong. Where was Twilight? Why was the library abandoned?” Maybe she can connect the dots more clearly after some rest. Thoughts racing, she finally succumbs to a well needed nap. 

notes: hey!! just to clarify I've named this au Wandering Tree. I've gone back to tag my au as "mlp wandering tree au" so anyone is welcome to keep up with my story. feel free to ask me any questions about this world. any questions I don't have answers to are an opportunity to flesh out the story. More art will be on the way as I go, but I will likely keep art posts to a bullet style update. please drop a follow as well! I've gotten a decent amount of traction on my other posts, but I've only gained a small handful of followers since I started posting. Don't be shy! I want to be active with the community <3

[athena5898]

GAZA STRIP — Civil Defense Spokesmen Mahmoud Basal:

Current field situation as of 21:00 EEST, September 12 on the 342st day of the aggression

NORTH GAZA Northern Governorate ▪️ 3 martyrs and injuries reported following an airstrike on the Siyam family home, opposite Al-Fakhoura Clinic in Jabalia camp ▪️ 3 martyrs and injuries following an airstrike on the Hassan family home in Be'er Al-Na'ja, western Jabalia camp

GAZA CITY Northern Governorate

▪️East: 5 martyrs and injuries reported after an airstrike on the Al-Dahdouh family home, southern Al-Sham'a Mosque in Al-Zeitoun neighborhood ▪️North: 4 martyrs and injuries after an Israeli airstrike on an apartment belonging to the Al-Balbisi family in the Al-Mashahira area of Al-Tuffah ▪️Southeast: 2 martyrs and injuries following an airstrike on citizens in Kashko Street, Al-Zeitoun neighborhood ▪️South: 2 martyrs, a husband and wife, after an airstrike targeting citizens near Ain Jalut School in Al-Zeitoun neighborhood ▪️East: 1 martyr and injuries reported after an airstrike on the Abu Asr family home on Qandeel St in the Al-Shujaiya neighborhood ▪️West: 2 martyrs and several injuries following an airstrike on a group of citizens near Al-Shati camp market ▪️South: 4 injuries reported after a drone dropped a bomb on a group of citizens near Al-Iman Mosque in the Sabra neighborhood ▪️ For the 19th day, intense artillery shelling continues across areas north of Street 8, particularly in the Ali Ibn Abi Talib Square, the Musallaba area, the Abu Habib junction, and the Islamic Complex area ▪️“Israeli” forces continue to prevent the entry of cooking gas since the beginning of the war, forcing citizens to use dangerous alternatives like plastic, cardboard, and cloth, posing risks to lives and properties

DEIR AL-BALAH Central Governorate ▪️6 martyrs and injuries after an “Israeli” airstrike on the Shahin family home in Nuseirat camp ▪️ A severe injury, including an amputation, reported after an airstrike on the Al-Ajez family home in eastern Nuseirat camp

KHAN YOUNIS Southern Governorate ▪️ East: 4 martyrs and injuries in an airstrike on the Al-Zoghbi family home near Gaza European Hospital ▪️South: 3 martyrs were recovered, including a father and his son, from the Qizan Rashwan area

RAFAH Southern Governorate ▪️Central: 4 martyrs were recovered from the Al-Zuhour neighborhood, after being targeted by occupation forces ▪️North: 3 martyrs were recovered after being targeted by “Israeli” forces in Khirbet Al-Adas area ▪️Northwest: “Israeli” forces bombed and demolished residential buildings