#Bankruptcy phoenix

[freshstartbankruptcy]

Filing for bankruptcy won't eliminate your obligation to pay back child support. Under Chapter 7 or Chapter 13, child support payments must continue. Chapter 13 bankruptcy allows for a structured repayment plan, prioritizing child support over other debts. Failure to pay child support can result in severe consequences like wage garnishment, property liens, license suspension, and even jail time. While bankruptcy can help manage other debts, child support remains a priority and must be paid in full.

[seophoenixazbklawyer]

Phoenix, Arizona, known for its sunny climate and rich cultural heritage

Phoenix, Arizona, known for its sunny climate and rich cultural heritage, is also home to many hardworking individuals and businesses. However, like any city, some residents and businesses may face financial struggles. For those seeking a fresh financial start, the Phoenix Chapter 13 bankruptcy lawyer at AZBKLawyer is ready to provide assistance.

AZBKLawyer is a trusted name in Phoenix for providing expert legal assistance in bankruptcy cases. Their Chapter 13 bankruptcy lawyers are well-versed in the intricacies of bankruptcy law, enabling them to guide clients through the complex legal process.

Chapter 13 bankruptcy, often referred to as a "wage earner's plan," enables individuals with regular income to develop a plan to repay all or part of their debts. This type of bankruptcy involves a repayment plan where debtors propose a plan to make installments to creditors over three to five years.

At AZBK Lawyer, the skilled Chapter 13 bankruptcy lawyers understand that each client's financial situation is unique. They take the time to understand each client's financial goals and circumstances. By doing so, they can develop a personalized strategy that aligns with their client's objectives and complies with bankruptcy laws.

The lawyers at AZBK Lawyer are not only knowledgeable but also compassionate. They understand that filing for bankruptcy is a stressful and emotional process. Therefore, they strive to provide a supportive environment, offering guidance and reassurance to their clients throughout the process.

Moreover, AZBK Lawyer's commitment to excellence extends beyond the courtroom. They also advise their clients on how to manage their finances effectively, helping them build a secure financial future and avoid future debt pitfalls.

In conclusion, if you're contemplating filing for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in Phoenix, AZBK Lawyer should be your first port of call. Their combination of legal expertise, personalized solutions, and compassionate service makes them a reliable partner in navigating bankruptcy. With AZBKLawyer by your side, you can be confident that you’re taking the necessary steps towards a fresh financial start.

[carsthatnevermadeitetc]

Cizeta Fenice TTJ Spyder, 2003. After the bankruptcy of Cizeta Automobili S.r.l. in the 1990s, founder Claudio Zampolli returned to California to set up Cizeta Automobili USA, primarily to provide support and spare parts for the handful of existing V16T owners. He also resumed worked on an open top version of his hypercar that had been planned but never put into production due to the financial difficulties of the Italian company. The new model debuted on August 15, 2003, at the Concorso Italiano in Pebble Beach, the name alluding to the Phoenix, the mythical Egyptian bird that rises from its ashes. However it remained a one-off

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[radiance1]

Remember that post where Danny was a dragon and Vlad was a pheonix?

Yea, they're thought here too.

And Danny is obvi an eastern dragon.

Also kinda inspired by the Kwami from mlb.

Danny became the prince of the Far Frozen, after having been adopted by Frostbite a few centuries earlier. Danny is immortal here, and lived past his family so he just spends most of his time in the Far Frozen now.

Vlad meanwhile just stuck to his own lair, a great zone of fire filled with his signature black flames. Occasionally he goes out to the human world to check in on Vladco, he unfortunately had to leave his business up to an heir since it would draw a great amount of suspicion if he were to still be the head after, say, a hundred or so years.

Did he have a child with someone? Hah! No, he just took an orphan off the street, cleaned them up a lil, and turned them into an heir worthy of Vladco.

Vlad and Danny aren't exactly friends, nor enemies either. The most accurate term would be that they're Frenemies. After a few hundred years they've just resorted to that.

Vlad is an enemy of Prince Aragon, surprisingly he didn't actually do anything significant to earn his ire, Prince Aragon just hates him because he's a phoenix.

Danny is also enemies with him, since he was one of Danny's enemies before when he was a teen and the guy's attitude didn't at all help in making Danny not be his enemy really.

So you can say they bonded over their shared hatred for that one guy a little bit.

Cute forward a couple years into the future and Danny and Vlad have gotten trapped inside some magical artifacts.

Why?

Because some wizard wanted their power for his own gain and such made a plan to pit them against each other, make them tire themselves out and injure the other, and then turn them into artifacts.

Danny got transformed into a necklace and Vlad got transformed into a ring.

In hindsight, they should've seen this coming.

Like the Kwami's from mlb they can come out of their respective items in a chibi form. Tiny eastern dragon and tiny phoenix that gave the wizard who turned them into what they are now hell.

They were sassy, straight out insulted him and laughed to each other about it straight to his face, and when the situation allowed it. Hindered him instead of helping him.

It got so bad that the wizard who turned them into jewelry decided to just give them off instead of holding onto them.

They've been given away, sold, auctioned off. A lot of things, though after being handed off from the wizard they were mostly silent. Over the years they were unfortunately split up, going to different owners.

Fast forward to another couple more years and Danny found himself dug up from a casket belonging to a long dead wizard and then just dumped into the custody of one Timothy Drake.

Meanwhile, Vlad found himself bought Lex Luthor, then he went: "Wait a minute, something about you is familiar.." then found out he was the descendant of that one orphan kid he took off the streets.

Danny appeared to Tim because he was lonely, and basically became his best friend. Though he was confused about his apparent obsession with this Batman character.

Vlad also appeared to Lex Luthor, though he did haggle him quite a bit for his business and what did you mean that kid's descendants ran his business into the ground? He taught that kid everything he knew and his descendants had the gall to run his business into bankruptcy just because he wasn't around?

If he got his claws on them he swore he would-

Anywho, who the hell is Superman and why do you hate him?

[stra-tek]

The Animated Series' weird takes on Trek history deep dive!

Check out S.S. Bonaventure 10281NCC from "The Time Trap", according to Scotty "the first ship to have warp drive installed"

Among the council we see a woman in a white Starfleet TOS-ish uniform with blue collar and a science insignia, presumably a surviving crewmember.

TAS is weird because it was out of continuity during the 90's, due to Filmation's bankruptcy and subsequent rights issues and Gene Roddenberry's supposed dislike of it. As a result, episodes and novels were forbidden from referencing it even if a few were snuck in regardless and subsequent Treks took things in different directions.

Now in 1993 the Star Trek Chronology was released, largely ignoring TAS. It featured this same named ship, which subsequently made it into a Deep Space Nine episode via this graphic:

And this Bonaventure design would be inspiration for the Phoenix in the movie First Contact

So how does TAS' Bonaventure fit now? Ummmm not so well. Fans speculated she was the first ship to have a Dilithium powered warp drive... until Star Trek: Enterprise nuked that. And then TAS nuked itself on those details a little later...

April's Enterprise

"The Counter-Clock Incident" is the first time we meet Robert April and his wife Sarah. Robert April was an early name, eventually changed to Christopher Pike for the 1st pilot episode of live action Star Trek and eventually James Kirk for the original series proper. Then retroactively made into different characters who commanded the Enterprise prior to Kirk.

Sarah comes out with "As the first medical officer aboard a ship with warp drive..." which is problematic to say the least.

TAS seems to imagine a universe where Bonaventure 10281NCC was launched shortly before the Enterprise, and warp drive and everything are all very new. The Star Trek Chronology and then the Enterprise series would move things back considerably, giving us the warp-powered Enterprise NX-01 with Dr. Phlox a century before Kirk's time.

Spock and the Enterprise's age

In "Counter-Clock Incident", weird stuff happens and the crew are in a bizarre reverse universe where they age backwards. April begins as a 75 year old man heading to mandatory retirement, but as everyone de-ages he ends up a young man looking much like Jim Kirk. At that time, everyone else is a toddler. Spock lasts longer though, and is still functional on the bridge as a teenager until the last few moments. This implies Spock is the oldest by far of the TOS crew, which makes sense due to the long lifespans of Vulcans. However, beginning with that 1993 Chronology book and made official in Star Trek Beyond, Spock is only 3 years older than Jim, born 2230 and 2233 respectively.

And how old does this make the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701? This goes all the way back to The Making of Star Trek, which supposed the vessel is 40 years old at the time of TOS - something modern Trek would cut roughly in half. Strange New Worlds makes official her launch year as 2245, when Jim Kirk was 12 and Spock 15 (and in the Kelvin Universe, the Enterprise is launched much later in 2258 under Pike, but that's explicitly an AU where everything post 2233 is different)

The Man-Kzin Wars

I wrote a whole thing about the Kzinti in Trek here:

In Larry Niven's Known Space novel universe, the Kzinti were defeated when humans invented faster-than-light travel. In the 1970's, long before Star Trek First Contact, Star Trek Enterprise or the official Chronology book, I'd guess the 4 Man-Kzin Wars took place much as in Known Space, warp drive made the difference. But what does Sulu say?

"The Kzinti fought four wars with humankind and lost all of them. The last one was two hundred years ago..."

So despite "The Counter-Clock Incident" implying 40 years ago for warp drive and "The Time Trap" giving us a first ship with warp drive looking much like the TAS Enterprise implying it's not that old, now it's 200 years ago. Which in modern Trek would be around the time of Star Trek First Contact. I have a headache.

So in summery, TAS is amazing and it's continuity is utterly flawless and it's everything else made since that's wrong even when TAS clearly wasn't paying attention to what it itself had established.

[ross-hollander]

Folk tales from the...

...reaches of the Sphere and beyond. Larger than life and maybe, but then maybe not, based on true stories. Nonetheless, firmly embedded in the hearts and souls of those who have grown up on the stories of their exploits and adventures:

Tall Ricardo, the pilot who didn't fit his cockpit. Tales range from "Tall Ricardo had to shoot the top out of his cockpit to let his head poke out" to "Tall Ricardo piloted an Atlas by wearing it like a mascot suit in a kiddie restaurant".

Jump Jet Jackie, who pilots the Stellarhawk, a modified Phoenix Hawk, and who waited at the (completely wrong) spaceport for her ship to come in for so long that she tinkered up her 'mech to fly between systems, and fights pirates and strange aliens in many a comic or storybook.

Aino Tiffany, youngest spy in the Combine. She combined a photographic memory with a natural curiosity to crack many cases of smugglers or infiltrators in her spaceport hometown. (There was also a TV adaptation, but most viewers agreed that the producers somehow managed to make the original plots even more nationalist, and the political intrigue ruined the simple mysteries.)

Mad Vlad Mavis, who stopped an entire strike fleet during the Third Succession War by donning a crazed mishmash of official-looking military apparel and screaming orders on every comms channel until he was red in the face, succeeding in making the invaders believe their own HQ had ordered them to return to base. To this day, spouting nebulous authorizations or pulling rank for matters that really don't need it is called Mad Vladding.

David Friedwald the One Shot Kid, who was facing down bankruptcy when he spent his last cash on a 'mech with a single autocannon round. He always brought in his marks for mercenary work, but never managed to keep enough of the bounty (due to misadventures, repair costs for the 'mech, bills to pay, etc.) to afford any more than another single shell to replace the spent one.

Big Nancy Brown, a mesa of a woman with an invincible smile and arms thick around as truck tires, who had a hundred suitors in any port of call, and with nothing but grit, wit and her trusty multitool pocket-knife survived everything from the Isle of Man-Eating Crabs to the Trackless Polar Wastelands. A 'child of Nancy Brown' is someone who relishes the need or chance to rough it.

Kumar Langdon, the pirate's pirate, a privateer legend who dismantled whole corsair armadas with rusty old freighters and a few dozen marines. They say he studied tactics so closely he could recite each move of each battle of each Succession War, all off by heart. He could win a fleet battle with a metal pail, an oxygen tank, and an automatic pistol.

[wyvchard]

You'd Expect They'd be Used to This, But They Aren't.

The agency finally managed to establish contact with Agent Phoenix after losing them at the beach. However, they are not the same anymore.

Inspired by the Countdown / Explosion Ending from The Stanley Parable

Content Warnings: Time loops, time loop deaths, IEYTD spoilers, angst, restraints, explosions, implied blood and injury, aftermath of hopeless situation, implied PTSD, implied mind control

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What do you mean evac couldn't locate them? Their earpiece was active moments ago. They should be there." Reginald frowned as he heard the other line pipe up in panic. "This shouldn't be the case."

"We're sorry but they're gone. We saw some faded footprints. But they're Agent Phoenix's size and shoe prints."

He took a breath, careful to hide his growing panic. His fingers hovered across the keyboard in order to see if he can discover where their last known location was.

He'd done it before. He can and will do it again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Agent Phoenix awoke to an empty desk with several sheets on top. Red walls oppressed their mind as it introduced a shiver down their spine as it was too much like blood for their taste.

Too much like that room.

The only consolation, if there was any to be found, was the lack of the printer or briefcase. So, they aren't dead. They didn't have to repeat that implant overload.

But their head is aching, not to mention their body as well. Nausea climbed up their throat as the events in the volcano returned to their mind, its rumbling echoes still passing through their body.

The cuts and burns still sting, putting them on a daze as their body harshly demanded acknowledgement, no matter how much pain it will bring.

They took inventory, noticing the shackles on their wrist. They tugged at it, trying to see where it leads to, only for a sudden blaring to erupt in their ears. An explosion occured shortly after.

Zoraxis is not playing any games this time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reginald held back a breath when he realized his agent was in an abandoned office building, one of the many locations Zoraxis had to let go after several of its employees sold things off to avoid bankruptcy.

He'd rather not think of the implications. That's not important right now.

His agent is caged, and he's more than willing to risk it to free them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They took a few breaths after the initial shock, barely stopping their tears as they were deprived of the room.

How are they not dead? They were exploded, right? Blasted into who knows how many smithereens.

Their body shivered at the thought, nausea taking hold. They're lost, yet upon closer look at the walls, it wasn't walls, but-

A screen.

A screen as it's counting down.

A screen with a Zoraxis logo as it's counting down.

Urgency flooded their veins as they tugged on the shackles again, only to realize that pulling on it only speeds up the timer.

They stopped, taking note of the contents of the sheets.

It was blank.

They can't use their TK here, only earning them a sensation that something was drilling their brain.

Another explosion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He loathed his helplessness right now, barely holding it together as he watched another handler and agent pair go in to rescue Agent Phoenix.

They're far from okay to deal with any threats. He'd seen how they slumped against a rock, clearly still in pain from the earlier ordeal. Not to mention the cuts and burns hidden by their dark coat. He'd barely heard the groan of pain when they started to wake up.

If it wasn't for Roxana...

He keeps his mouth shut. Worrying without doing anything wouldn't help them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pulling themselves free from the wall as quickly as possible gives them two minutes to run around, shaved off from ten.

But they needed to find a way out of the room. They'd looked around already.

There were no revealers, no pens.

They couldn't even find anything to break themselves free from the shackles.

It was explosion after explosion after explosion.

It's bad enough that they're still limping in agony from their last mission, and now this? Coupled with the fact that the burns may not be physically there but the pain is?

They held back a sob.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Go to the left. Upstairs, then take the employee elevator."

Reginald was watching the feed as the agent made his way through the halls.

"They smell a lot like mold." The agent mumbled as they followed instructions. "It'll be fortunate if they didn't end up passing out from this."

He clenched his fist at the comment, worry dropping down to the pit of his stomach as the metallic gear sounds scratched at his ears. 'Not this time,' he begged his mind.

The silence when the agent pressed a button was palpable, watching as several camera feeds of employee tables and spaces lit up.

"...What in the world?" He couldn't stop himself. What has Zoraxis been doing here?

"Mind control facility. Apparently, one of the employees were being tested. Something about pencils?" The agent read from one of the papers before looking at the feeds. "I see them. Deactivate this operation first before taking them out?"

"Y-yes. Ummm... Agent, please be careful."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They lost track of the loops.

They lost track of the loops.

They lost track of the loops.

They didn't bother to move as they covered their ears in order to stop the blaring of the countdown reaching to its last ten seconds.

Everything hurt.

It wasn't just the burns from the detonation. It was the fact some loops end with them buried under rubble, tasting the dust and mold in whatever this godforsaken location is mix with who knows how much of their blood to slowly drown them.

Their telekinesis still hasn't recovered, giving them a sense of static as it occasionally prevents them from keeping themselves balanced as the pain seemed to radiate from their implant.

None of the doors budged.

None of the buttons worked.

None of the levers either.

Nothing worked.

No paper, pen, or anything. They'd already flipped the desk many ways but it all led to the same thing: death.

Their voice was now caught in their throat as the rubbled pinned their neck once more.

They're now back at the start.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Is it over?"

"I think so. That dang thing has so many wires." The agent unhappily rolled his eyes. "Let's get the bird before they notice what we'd done."

The details of the abandoned office were thrown out in order to search for their best agent, their goal of navigating the labyrinthine corridors taking priority.

Reginald held back a sob as he saw their sorry state, hair more disheveled as they dug their fingers in. Their face was damp, clearly had been crying for a while now.

"Stop... Please stop... It hurts..."

Their tiny squeak broke him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They didn't know when the explosions stopped, only that they did. Their body had been reacting to it by making them shiver as they pressed onto the source of warmth.

They couldn't make out the warbled sounds but they're just barely aware enough to know whoever it was is talking to someone. Whether it's them or someone else, they couldn't care anymore.

Zoraxis can torture them all they like. Everything feels too heavy; their eyelids had been plunging them into darkness for a while anyway.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Agent?" His voice was gentle as he saw them stir awake. He'd been waiting for hours, all what he thinks he's only been capable of as of late.

The slight wince after opening their eyes was quickly answered by the dimming of lights. Their breaths felt a touch more even.

"Agent, can you hear me?"

Phoenix couldn't move their body, one hand on a brace in order to avoid jostling any of the medical equipment hooked into them. Their eyes watered yet wandered about to look for him.

It took a while for them to communicate, a few minutes of rest in order to make sure they aren't too tired. The medical team also had to make sure they aren't too injured.

"Would you like to tell me what happened from your end?"

"Couldn't fight them off. Shoved there..." Their eyes dimmed significantly, despairing at the memories. "Kept dying. Again. And again. I couldn't..."

Their whimpers broke his heart, slowly urging him to gently hold their hand.

Moments passed, with them just whimpering in pain as their voice failed them and with him just whispering in relief as his voice reassured them.

And they never wanted to let go of him, even if he had to for their sake.

"How about this? I'll see if we can put your earpiece in so you can hear my voice while I sort out your paperwork?"

It was clear they didn't want that but barely nodded their head. He plans to do it as quickly as possible. He didn't want to let go of them either.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few hours later, Reginald came to the dim hospital room after visiting hours. (There was nothing a few bribes couldn't exactly solve, after all.)

He listened to the quiet thrumming of the hospital equipment as it showed that his agent was alive. That they would still be here with him for a little longer.

The small bag he carried unveiled the red blanket he got for them after they expressed how comfortable his were when they'd borrowed it. It was a puzzle to prevent it from tangling the wires as he tucked them into it, yet seeing the ease in their face as the tension abated to a significant degree.

But that wasn't what he was excited about. No, it was a plushie that looked like him but cuter (according to the handler who made it). He gently guided their arm into hugging it to provide them a companion.

A slight smile formed on his face before his hand caressed their hair, soothing it with gentle motions. They looked so vulnerable in this state, unaware of the storm of emotions stirring within him.

He still has more work to do, many questions to answer, and numerous mysteries to uncover.

What Zoraxis had done to his agent made this even more personal than it already was. However, he'll push it aside for now to make sure his Agent Phoenix recovers properly.

The nightmare is finally over now. There are no time loops to worry about. They're no longer in that hopeless place anymore.

And he'll make sure they'll remember that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

... Is no one going to tell Reggie that he's wrong about the time loops?

For those aware of 13-12's lore, no. This isn't it canon. (Probably. I could change it. XD)

@tillywunderwing, should I apologize for any ideas this may spawn? /j

@the-one-and-only-043, has something like this happened to 043? Pretty sure something like this can happen.

@phoenix-and-found-family

@ghostlystarwanderer

@jellyfishgummy

[ereardon]

The Back Seater and the Baker || Chapter 1 [Bob Floyd x f!OC]

Overview: Bob hasn't seen Haley Nichols since he was fifteen. But when Haley shows up out of the blue with one sentence that throws Bob for a loop – "I'm turning thirty in two weeks, are we still on?" – all of the feelings from their childhood return. Bob never thought that Haley would remember the marriage pact the two made when they were just kids, even if he never forgot. So what happens when Bob falls all over again for his childhood crush? And what will Bob do when he discovers the real reason she came back to capitalize on the pact is to secure her inheritance and save her bakery from bankruptcy? Will he believe Haley when she confesses that she loves him, too?

Pairing: Robert "Bob" Floyd x OC [Bakery owner Haley Nichols]

Tropes: Marriage pact

Chapter summary: Bob gets a surprise at his front door; Haley grapples with how to save her bakery business

Warnings: Cursing, alcohol

Word count: 3K

Series masterlist here; next chapter here

It had been a long day. Bob was dragging the moment he left the training facility, drenched in sweat, dehydrated from a day in the skies. 

The only thing he was looking forward to was taking a nice cold shower, putting on a pair of pajamas and ordering Thai food.

So when the doorbell rang just as he was pulling on a shirt, hair still wet from the shower, he groaned audibly. 

“Fuck,” he whispered to himself, padding down the hallway of his small cottage. He thought it would be Phoenix with a case of beer under her arm, or Bradley with the door to his Bronco flung open, beckoning Bob to join everyone at the Hard Deck. 

He yanked the door open perhaps a little too hard, face stone cold in preparation for turning down whatever nitwit idea his friends had. 

That’s why you were almost knocked over from the weight of his angry stare as the wooden door swung open. 

Bob’s eyes went wide as he took you in, standing on his doorstep, a smile spread across your face. 

“Haley?” Bob asked. He sounded like he was seeing a ghost. That’s what happens when you haven’t seen or spoken to someone in fifteen years, you thought. He looked older, but so much better. Blond hair pushed back messy from his face, wire glasses perched precariously on his delicate doll-like nose, blue eyes wide and clear, perfect little pink lips opened in surprise. 

“Hi Bobby,” you whispered softly. 

“What, uh, what are you doing here?” he stammered. 

You grinned. “I turn thirty in two weeks,” you said as realization started to creep through Bob’s brain. “Are we still on?” 

***

You were nine when you met Bob Floyd for the first time. 

You were thirteen when you decided you loved him. 

You were fifteen the last time you saw him, or at least what you thought would be the last time. Waving his hand in the middle of the street as you sobbed, watching him from the back of your dad’s pickup truck, your fingers pressed against the glass in the back of the cab as you sat turned around in the backseat, watching until his form became so small that he disappeared beyond a hill in the road. 

You were thirty the next time you saw Bob, standing on his doorstep, asking if he remembered the marriage pact that the two of you had made as kids in the South Carolina low country.  

***

You were up to your ears in buttercream. Or at least, that’s what it felt like. Why you had agreed to take on a three-hundred person wedding two days before the event you had no idea. 

Actually, you did know why. They were going to pay you four thousand dollars. And you desperately needed it. 

“Need help in there?” 

“God, please,” you groaned, using the sleeve of your jacket to push the hair out of your face as you filled a piping bag. “Can you stir the lemon curd?” 

Calvin nodded, taking over at the stove, stirring the large vat with a wooden spoon. He looked you up and down. “No offense, but you look like shit.” 

You rolled your eyes. “Well I’m not trying to win a beauty competition, just want to get through this wedding in one piece and I’ll be happy.” 

“You shouldn’t have taken it,” he said, as if you didn’t already know that. “We’re behind as it is.” 

“In more ways than one,” you huffed, bending over the metal prep station, swirling a perfect ring around the edges of the cupcakes. 

Calvin put one hand on his slim hip. “You gonna make me say it?” 

“Say what?” 

“We’re both thinking the same thing,” he said. “Grandma Lee.” 

You looked up at him with eyebrows furrowed. “No fucking way.” 

Calvin shrugged. “Then it’s your funeral. And the bakery’s.” 

“Were you this much of a pill in culinary school?” you asked. 

“One thousand percent,” he said with a grin. “Even worse when I was dating Dylan. God, remember him? He was gorgeous.” 

“He stole from you,” you reminded him. 

“Yeah, but he was hot.” 

You laughed, shaking your head as Calvin flicked off the heat on the stove. “Grandma Lee is not an option.” 

“Why not? She’s filthy rich and old as fuck.” 

“Because she hates me,” you said. “And she’s mean.” 

“Mean, but rich,” Calvin reminded you with a knowing look. 

You set the pastry bag down on the metal table with a sigh. 

He held up his hands in a sign of defeat. “Hey, it’s not my business that’s about to go down the toilet,” he said. “Way I see it is, either you marry a billionaire overnight, you call Grandma Lee, or you lose the bakery in three months when the bank forecloses.” 

“Isn’t there a secret fourth option?” 

“Nope.”

You refilled the pastry bag. “Sell feet pictures on the internet?” 

“With those fucking hobbit feet? You’d be lucky if they didn’t make you pay to post those.” 

You rolled your eyes. He was right and you both knew it. Even if you hated to admit it. 

***

You brought it up first, on a crisp fall day as the two of you were walking through the marshes. Bob didn’t know it yet but you were moving in a few weeks. You refused to admit that it was real. That it was happening. Instead, you grabbed Bob’s hand.  

“Bobby?” you whispered. 

He smiled at you. Behind him, the sun was starting to set softly, tossing a halo of light around Bob’s already golden head. “Yeah?” 

“How old is old, do you think?” 

He smirked. “I don’t know, thirty?” 

“So if I’m thirty and still not married, and you’re thirty and single, should we do it? Get married?” 

He squeezed your fingers. Bob looked at you like you turned on the sun every day, lighting up the world. You could feel his smile all the way to your toes. He grinned. “No way will you not be married by then.” 

“Shut up.” 

Bob laughed. You loved the way he laughed. He didn’t do it often, only when the two of you were alone. He was shy back then, and quiet. He hid behind a pair of bulky glasses, shirts a size too big, a backpack overloaded with books. But you loved him. You had said so six months before, as the two of you kissed for the first time under a weeping willow on the edge of your grandparents' property. 

He had said it back. It was the best day of your life. 

You looked at Bob expectantly and he realized you were serious. You were the one with all of the ideas. Bob was just along for the ride. But he knew even back then that you wouldn’t lead him astray. 

He trusted you. 

Bob leaned in, brushing the hair from your face back behind one ear, the right one which stuck out more than the left. He nodded. “OK,” he whispered. “I’ll marry you when we're thirty.” 

“Shake on it,” you murmured, sticking out one hand. Bob slid his long, slender fingers into yours and you wrapped your warm ones around his, gripping him tightly. You never wanted to let him go. “No going back,” you added. 

“I wouldn’t dare.” 

***

“I, uh, what?” Bob stuttered, his mouth still popped open in shock. He shook his head quickly. “I mean, um, come in, we’re letting the cold air out.” 

You stepped over the threshold and Bob closed the door until it was just the two of you standing in the small foyer of his house, staring at each other. 

Bob adjusted his glasses with one hand. They were wireframes now, and his blue eyes looked massive behind them. You hadn’t expected the fervor that would course through your veins, seeing him again. The desire. How even after fifteen years, it felt like he was the first boy to ever look at you and truly notice you. 

You smiled. “Got anything to drink?” 

Bob frowned, stepping into the kitchen and you followed him. He opened the fridge, scanning it with his eyes. “It’s been a while since I’ve been to the store,” he admitted before pulling out a bottle of sparkling water. “I have this?” 

“Anything stronger?” 

He shook his head. “Sorry, my teammates pretty much cleared me out last time they were here.” 

“That’s fine,” you said, reaching out a hand. Your fingers brushed over Bob’s and he almost dropped the bottle but you caught it, smiling up at him. He felt woozy. “Sit,” you said. “You look a little green.” 

“Thanks.” Bob took a seat at the small kitchen nook in the corner and you rummaged around for glasses before pulling out two and pouring water into each. You slid one toward Bob. 

“Drink,” you said and he lifted the glass to his mouth, sucking half of it down. “Feel better?” 

He shook his head. “Haley, what are you doing here?” he asked softly. 

Your smile fell and Bob wanted to kick himself. “You’re not happy to see me.” 

“Honey, that’s not it,” he said and that small drawl came jutting out. You smiled. “It’s just, it’s unexpected. It’s been a while.” 

“I know.” You leaned forward, pressing one hand over his on the wooden table. “I’m sorry about that.” 

“Not your fault,” Bob said. “We were just kids.”

“I could have tried to stay in touch better,” you murmured. 

“We tried,” he whispered. "We did our best." The unspoken hovered between the two of you.

You nodded. “I’ve missed you, Bobby.” 

“How’d you know where to find me?” he asked. 

“Grandma Lee.” 

Bob nodded. Your grandmother knew everyone and everything in Mount Pleasant. No doubt she had somehow kept track of the Floyds. 

Bob studied you. You were beautiful. As kids, you had been a little gangly, awkward. By fifteen, the year you moved away, you were just starting to come into your beauty. But now, another fifteen years had passed and Bob could barely believe he was breathing next to you. Caramel colored hair, big green eyes, stunningly white smile. Your fingers pressed into his. “Bobby,” you whispered. “What are you doing tonight?” 

“I, uh, I don’t have plans.” 

“Let’s go out,” you said. “Dinner. On me.” 

“It’s been a long day, Peanut,” he mumbled and you smiled at the nickname. 

“OK. What about tomorrow?” 

“Um.”

You grinned. “Not taking no for an answer, Bobby.” 

He frowned. “What are you doing here?” he asked again. “In San Diego.” 

“I came to see you.” 

“After fifteen years?” 

“If you don’t want to get dinner, I understand.” 

“No, no!” Bob shook his head furiously and you smiled. “I just, feels random is all.” 

“I had some vacation time,” you said, “and like I said, I’m turning thirty at the end of the month.” 

“You can’t be serious.” For the first time, Bob raised his eyes to yours. 

Your lips pulled back in a perfect smile and Bob felt it in every inch and crevice of his body. He thought you would have forgotten about him. Even if he had never forgotten you. 

Somehow, you had always been there in the back of his mind. A looming countdown. Perhaps he had always just been counting down the days until he turned thirty on the off chance you showed up, looking to seal the deal the two of you had made over a decade ago. And now here you were, like he was dreaming. 

You shrugged, lips still quirked up in a smirk. “Maybe, maybe not,” you said, teasing. “Don’t you want to find out?” 

***

Bob tapped his foot nervously. On the bar next to him, a ginger ale was growing warm. 

“Floyd? You doing OK?” Nat took a sip of beer and squinted at him. “You look antsy.” 

Bob thought about confiding in her. Of the daggers, he was closest to Phoenix. But on the other hand, he hadn’t wanted to bring you here tonight. He had wanted the two of you to simply get dinner somewhere off the beaten track. But when he had gotten conned into going to the bar for pre-birthday drinks for Fanboy, he texted you to move your date and you had volunteered to meet at the Hard Deck first before heading to the restaurant. 

Phoenix leveled Bob with her brown eyes. “Spill.” 

He shook his head. “It’s nothing. Just don’t want to stay too late.” 

She looked over at the corner where the group was already calling for shots. “They’re going to get rowdy. I say stay for one more round and then you can Irish goodbye.” 

Bob nodded, picking at the cup of pretzels between his legs. He was too nervous to notice that you had just stepped into the bar, wearing a pair of jeans and a tight tank top, brown hair pulled back into a soft bun with a few tendrils framing your face. You spotted Bob immediately, his back partially turned to you, and started to make your way toward where he was sitting at the bar. 

You tapped his shoulder twice and smiled as he turned, face automatically lighting up. 

“Hi,” you whispered, cheeks flushing. Even in a bar crawling with men in uniform, Bob was still so handsome in a way that swept you off your feet. 

“Hey,” he murmured, his eyes locked on yours. After a moment he scrambled to his feet. “Can I get you a drink?” 

“Tequila soda? Casamigos if they have it.” 

Bob raised an eyebrow but nodded. He turned around and flagged down the bartender as you fidgeted. Nearby, a group of rowdy men were on their way back toward the bar when a handsome blond narrowed his gaze on you. 

“Hey sugar,” he said and you placed his accent in a millisecond. “New here?” 

“First time,” you said. 

The brunette woman next to him smacked his arm. “Shut up, Hangman. Can’t you see she’s with Bob?” 

Hangman barked out a laugh just as Bob turned around from the bar with your drink, handing it to you gently. 

“Here you go,” he said. “No Casamigos, I’m afraid, but Penny said this was good.” 

You accepted the glass and took a sip. “Thanks, Bobby.” 

Hangman turned his gaze between the two of you. “You know Bob?” 

You let your free arm wiggle up over Bob’s broad shoulder, resting on the back of his head as your fingers threaded through his hair. “I’m his fiancé.” 

All eyes turned to you. Bob blushed. “She didn’t mean that.” 

You shrugged, taking another sip of your drink. “Well, technically he hasn’t proposed. But I think he’s going to.” You winked up at Bob and he turned a darker shade of crimson. 

The brunette crossed her arms over her chest with a smirk. “Care to fill us in, Floyd?” 

“Guys, this is Haley.” Bob held out one palm toward you. “Haley, this is the squad. That’s Phoenix, Fanboy Hangman, Rooster, Payback and Coyote.” 

“I’ll never remember those names. Except maybe Coyote, I like that one.” 

The taller man in the back grinned. “Thank you, ma’am.” 

“Haley,” Phoenix said, settling down on a stool. “We’re going to need the full story of how you know Floyd here.” 

“Oh, you know,” you said softly. “Childhood friends fall in love. Girl moves away. Girl comes back fifteen years later because her thirtieth birthday is coming up to see if boy still remembers the pact the two had to get married when they were thirty if they were both still single.”

Rooster barked out a laugh in the back of the group. You dropped your hand from Bob’s shoulder, letting it dangle at your side, brushing against his hip. 

“But I’m having a hard time convincing him,” you said with a smirk. “Maybe there’s someone else.” Despite your light tone, your heart froze in your chest. What if there was someone else? 

Bob looked down at you softly, shaking his head. “There’s nobody else, Peanut.” 

“Floyd here has been girl-free as long as I’ve known him,” Hangman said, clapping Bob on the shoulder before ordering another beer at the bar. 

Bob grimaced as Rooster piped up for him. “Not to say he doesn’t get hit on his fair share,” Rooster added. “Bob is a hot commodity around here.” 

“Not true.” Bob’s voice was quiet. Without thinking, you intertwined your fingers in his at your side and squeezed. He looked over at you and you smiled reassuringly. 

“So how long has it been since you’ve seen each other?” Rooster asked. 

“Fifteen years.” You glazed over the summer that you turned seventeen. It was something you and Bob hadn’t spoken about since it happened. Perhaps it was better to stay unsaid. 

“Long time,” Phoenix said, tipping her head, examining you. “Why’d you come back?” 

“Had some vacation days,” you said. “And I’ve never been to San Diego.” 

Phoenix nodded but there was something behind her eyes. Bob squeezed your hand affectionately. “We actually have dinner reservations,” he said quietly, “so we should be getting going.” 

There was a collection of groans from the team and you smiled, eyes trained on Bob. The two of you made your way out of the bar and you were pleasantly surprised to find that one of his hands was pressed against your back, guiding you through the crowd. 

“This is me.” Bob pointed to a black pickup truck. 

“Really?” 

“Yeah.” He frowned. “You don’t like it?” 

“Oh that’s not it,” you said, pulling open the passenger door and scooting in. “Just not what I expected.” 

“What did you expect?” he asked, tugging the truck into gear and peeling off down the road. 

You leaned your head back against the headrest, looking over at him. “You’re different,” you whispered, eyes freely examining him. “In a good way. Better than I had hoped, I guess.” 

Bob gripped the wheel tightly, eyes locked on the road. He snuck a glance over and noticed you taking him in and blushed. “You’re more beautiful than I imagined,” he murmured. 

“So you’ve thought of me?” you teased. 

“Peanut,” Bob said and the nickname rolled around in the cab of the truck, penetrating every pore on your body. It was syrupy and delicious and it rolled off his tongue like he had never stopped saying it. “I never stopped thinking about you.” 

“You’re the one that got away, Bobby,” you whispered, turning to face back through the windshield. “Always were.” 

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[sergeantsporks]

Gilded Fam monopoly night plus Petro! Who wins, who spends half the game in jail, and who tries- and fails- to rig it in their favor

After the first trip around the board, this very quickly turns into a game between Novus and Sam. They've counted the chance cards and know which ones are up next, both of them have calculated how they have to throw the dice to get the rolls they want, they've done ALL the math. It's just a matter of which ones screws up a dice roll first.

Soon, they'll enact "death round" which is a house rule where one trip around the board, everyone has to pay based on an estate's mortgage rather than the rent, and has to pay the price to the bank if they land on their own estate or an unbought estate. Immediate bankruptcy for most players, but Sam and Novus can crunch the numbers and land on the right estates/chance cards in order to make it out alive.

Phoenix has been in jail for some time, and is now afraid to leave. Jason is bankrupt and crying. Cherry has invoked the house rule of "debtor's prison" which is where he goes to jail until whoever he's in debt to makes another trip around the board or ends up going to jail themselves, at which point he's free to try and stumble his way around the board hopefully collecting enough cash from chance cards to pay off the people whose estates he lands on. He's on borrowed time; if he goes bankrupt before passing go again, he's just out. He's buying more time by deliberately landing on the Go To Jail tile so that he can make another run at the chance cards between jail and the go to jail tile.

Petro had the good fortune of landing on boardwalk first and bought it immediately but is slowly losing all his money because everyone else is out and Sam/Novus are too good at rolling to land on it. He's waging a bidding war between Sam and Novus over boardwalk. He knows that if he actually sells it he'll lose the game, so he's just trying to destabilize the two of them and get them at each other's throats so that one of them will make a mistake and land on his or someone else's property, losing their money, or that the property taxes will slowly bleed the two of them dry until he has a chance.

Caleb and Evelyn are making plans to hide the game once it's done.

[translations-by-aiimee]

Mistakenly Saving the Villain - Chapter 18

Original Title: 论救错反派的下场

Genres: Drama, Romance, Xianxia, Yaoi

This translation is the product of my limited knowledge of Chinese characters as I attempt to learn the language. If I have made any egregious mistakes, please let me know.

Chapter Index

Buy me a Ko-fi ☕

Chapter 18 - Bankruptcy Crisis

Song Qingshi clasped his hands together and said to Yue Wuhuan devoutly, "My test subjects are here!"

Yue Wuhuan was confused for a moment and found that he was looking at six little white mice running around in the cage in his hand. He quickly and carefully placed the cage on the laboratory table and presented them: "Master, this was sent by the master of Night Rain Pavillion. Is it a rare spirit beast?"

"These are the mice I asked him to look for in the mortal world. It was hard to find these ones." Song Qingshi leaned on the table, looking at the cute little guys happily. He couldn't get enough of them, "Wuhuan, do you know this? Mice are 98% genetically similar to humans and are the most used experimental animals in medicine."

Yue Wuhuan opened his beautiful phoenix eyes wide and looked in disbelief at the dirty little mouse in the cage.

This thing is 98% similar to him?

"Now, these are only a few wild ones, and a large amount of breeding will be needed. Then we can cultivate various types of mice, clean mice, mice that don't carry diseases, sterile mice. . . maybe we can also breed high and low cancer-risk mice, diabetic mice, and so on.” As Song Qingshi talked about his beloved little white mouse, his face was radiant, and he didn’t care whether others could understand him or not. He continued muttering to himself, “It will probably take decades to cultivate, but fortunately, high-level cultivators have long lifespans, so I can raise them slowly. Is the breeding container ready? I’ll be living in the laboratory starting today. The mice are very delicate, and I don’t know if they can adapt to the environment of the immortal world. I want to make sure they won't have any trouble. It would be so good for them to have babies. This is the lifeline. . ."

He once had a senior sister who was doing experiments abroad, and the mice that had been cultivated for four years were about to produce results. When encountering setbacks, she was terrified and called every day to complain. Everyone persuaded her to give up the experiment and come back. She broke down and said her lifeline was here, and she wouldn't leave even if she died. Since then, the little white mouse has been nicknamed the lifeline in their laboratory.

Yue Wuhuan understood. He thought about the past rumours and asked tentatively: "Master, no matter how similar a mouse is, it's not a human being, and it's very troublesome to raise it. Why don't you use mortals to test the medicine? This is a common practice for pharmacists in the immortal world, right?"

"Of course, we need to use human beings," Song Qingshi replied casually, now satisfied with the mice. "We need to use mice and other animals to determine the safety of the drug before doing human trials. My teacher liked to try the drug on himself first and then recruit volunteers to try it after he determined that it was safe. I've also tried this several times to confirm its efficacy."

He especially admired his teacher, who was highly respected, incredibly humble and dedicated to public affairs, with a clean reputation. He only sought the well-being of mankind.

Hippocrates once said that medicine is the most beautiful and noble of all technologies.

If a new drug could be developed in medical research, countless patients could be saved from suffering, and it could even change human history.

How wonderful was that?

Song Qingshi looked at the little white mice as if he saw a bright future.

Yue Wuhuan thought for a long time and asked cautiously: "Master, your teacher has tried so many medicines, but now. . . is he okay?"

Song Qingshi answered honestly: "He's in another world."

Yue Wuhuan's face turned pale, and he said anxiously: "Master, please give the test medicine to Wuhuan from now on."

"Okay, I'll let you try if there are no problems." Song Qingshi praised contentedly, "Wuhuan is really a good seedling suitable for studying medicine, smart and kind, with a big heart. Your future achievements will definitely be very great."

Master is good at everything, but he's a little blind. . .

He learned from a medical servant that although the Immortal Medicine King had always been a medical fanatic, burying his head in research every day and speaking and acting in the same strange way ever since he came to Medicine King Valley, the Immortal seemed to be more emotional and he no longer got angry for no reason. He no longer did cruel human experiments, and their trust and love for him have never been higher.

Such a change made him uncontrollably delusional. Today, this delusion was even stronger.

Master doesn't even mind such dirty mice, so could he also. . .

"Master, I'll raise the mice for you," Yue Wuhuan gently pulled Song Qingshi's sleeves and begged in a low voice, "My physique is very suitable for testing medicine. Let me try the medicine for you for the rest of my life, just like these little white mice. . . Okay? I'm not afraid of death, so don't hurt yourself."

When Song Qingshi heard the word "death" come out of his mouth, his mind exploded, and the shadow of failure struck again. He reasoned through their whole conversation and quickly figured out where the communication had gone wrong. He swore firmly that both the mice and Yue Wuhuan were the lifelines and held the same place in his heart. His teacher was in another world because of other reasons; absolutely nothing happened because of the test drugs, and now under his careful control, he wouldn't die.

Yue Wuhuan listened with great satisfaction.

Song Qingshi considered that he was sometimes inconvenient and needed assistance, so he handed over a thick mouse breeding manual to Yue Wuhuan to ensure careful care. Yue Wuhuan cautiously took the manual with one hand and the cage with the other, vowing to take good care of his Master's lifeline.

A medical servant brought the bill for the mice and a letter from Night Rain Pavilion.

Although the mice weren't spiritual beasts, no one had ever asked for this thing before. They were small and hard to find. It took a lot of manpower and material resources to find it before they were finally found on a deserted island overseas.

Combining the above information and so on, in the end, the final price for each mouse was 100 top-grade spirit stones.

"That's not too expensive." Song Qingshi paid the bill without hesitation.

Yue Wuhuan hesitated for a minute before asking: "Master, have you. . . have you read the account book I sent a few days ago?"

Song Qingshi was not interested in the account book, so he threw it on the table and forgot about it when he received it. Hearing him mention it, he picked it up and casually glanced at it, and then was horrified to find Medicine King's Valley's financial deficit. He pointed blankly at the number on the account book, looking forward to the explanation from the almighty secretary.

Yue Wuhuan sighed: "Master ordered a lot of special tools in Tianji Pavillion, which were expensive. And. . . you also bought a lot of precious herbs for research. Most importantly, you have an unknown sum of 200,000 top-grade spirit stones. . ."

Song Qingshi gulped. He used to be a rich trust fund kid. He only cared about spending money and had no idea about the economy. His parents loved him, and he didn't feel bad about spending a million or eight hundred thousand dollars at random to buy drugs for his self-funded research. The laboratory had all kinds of equipment, so he never considered how much drug research costs.

Now that he had travelled through time, after Yue Wuhuan sorted out his industrial accounts for him, he had opened up a lot of ways to make money with promising prospects, so he bought as much as he could, but he didn't think he would become prodigal.

He absolutely didn't want Yue Wuhuan to know that the 200,000 spirit stones were to buy the Ten Thousand Spirit Marrow.

One reason is that he's afraid that he will be burdened psychologically, and the other is that he wants to surprise him.

Seeing that he didn't want to say where the money went, Yue Wuhuan didn't ask and comforted him: "Master, don't worry too much. The main reason is that it takes some time to earn some income. I'll think of a way."

Although he didn't blame him, Song Qingshi still felt extremely guilty. He suddenly realized that he had neglected common affairs for a long time. To reject Golden Phoenix Manor, he pretended not to be open to accepting patients and squatted in his laboratory and study room every day for fun. Yue Wuhuan worked tirelessly to deal with all the things he didn't want to do and even helped him earn money and take care of his basic necessities, so much so that he happily forgot about these responsibilities that should be his own and kept giving the other trouble.

Song Qingshi pulled Yue Wuhuan's sleeves and apologized in shame: "It's my fault. I won't spend money recklessly in the future. I don't want cold silk pajamas. I won't eat dessert. I'll do a good job of restraining myself. I won't buy more research equipment for the time being. I'll stay open later to treat a few wealthy patients. I'll work hard to make money to support you and make sure you won't have to work so hard. . ."

Since he had started following him, Yue Wuhuan, a top-notch beauty, and a super student saw that it was okay to eat and drink very poorly, and he had to work every day despite not recovering from his illness, trying to make money to support his prodigal son and worry about his livelihood.

What kind of peerless scumbag was he?!

What kind of doctor treats a patient like this?!

Song Qingshi became more and more panicked as he talked, his eyes red.

"You don't have to do that." Yue Wuhuan found that Master was about to cry, and quickly explained, "This isn't hard work for me. Master's research is for the benefit of the world, and Wuhuan should give his full support."

Song Qingshi pulled him, not knowing what to say: "But, but. . ."

There was a faint smile in Yue Wuhuan's eyes. He gently held his hand, gripped it, and said softly: "Master, I like to be busy, and it helps me not to think about the past. So, let me do it. I like to do things for Master. . ."

His beautiful fingertips lightly slid across his palm, drawing circle after circle, warm and tickling.

Song Qingshi was touched to his core by the little angel's kindness.

Yue Wuhuan played with his palm and said with a smile: "I just need a little bit of time. I plan to raise funds to buy drug stocks, acquire medicinal materials, and train pharmacists. The low-level elixirs produced by Medicine King Valley could sell just fine, but I have no connections and it's not suitable for me to show my face. It's best to find someone suitable to take care of external affairs."

Song Qingshi knew what he was worried about, and he wouldn't dare let him go out alone for fear of encountering a pervert.

In the immortal world, there were so many things to kill and treasures to steal. Only those with real strength can conduct big business.

Song Qingshi is the only one who can control the market in Medicine King Valley. If he, an introvert with social anxiety, was allowed to negotiate business with an old fox, it would be better to let him die. . .

Song Qingshi pondered for a long time and suddenly came up with a good idea. He found a letter from the pile of letters, ran over and said: "An Long is coming in a few days. He's the master of the Ten Thousand Companions Sect. The Ten Thousand Companions Sect is very powerful in Xilin, and his family has a spirit stone mine, so he's super rich and well-connected. Should we see if he'll be our saviour investor?"

The Song family's father and sister were both domineering presidents. Although he wasn't well-versed in this world, he still knew a little bit from what he saw and heard every day.

Yue Wuhuan glanced at the letterbox and found that An Long's letters accounted for the vast majority. Although it was an academic discussion, there were three or four letters almost every month, and Medicine King Valley's account books often contained gifts exchanged with the Ten Thousand Companions Sect. The gifts from the Ten Thousand Companions Sect were much more valuable than those from Medicine King Valley. He frowned slightly, feeling a little uneasy, knowing he needed to figure this out.

. . .

Song Qingshi didn't hide anything and spent a lot of time explaining clearly to Yue Wuhuan his relationship with An Long.

Recently, the original body's memories had become more and more integrated with him, and he often had the illusion that the two were the same soul. The only thing was that the original body was more indifferent in dealing with things and hadn't learned any morals, so his methods were more radical, but his living habits and learning methods were exactly the same as him. Because the original body didn't care about anything other than research and cultivation, and he didn't care about anyone, the details of many of his memories of An Long weren't clear, but they were generally correct.

"We met more than 500 years ago. At that time, I was still young. He was a small cultivator who had just established his foundation." Song Qingshi organized his thoughts and said to Yue Wuhuan, "I remember that he was older than you, seventeen or eighteen years old, quite a rebellious boy."

Yue Wuhuan interrupted and corrected him: "Master, I had my development suspended by the Acacia Seal when I wasn't fully grown, and my appearance was controlled to look like a teenager. It doesn't mean that I'm actually that young. In fact, I was already an adult when I formed my spiritual foundation."

"Yes, you'll grow normally after the seal is released," Song Qingshi recalled his own lessons and suggested cautiously, "You didn't form your golden core early. Growth slows down after a cultivator reaches their foundation establishment and their golden core is finalized. If you form your golden core too early, you'll become like me unless you specialize in exercises such as body training or when you get distracted and reshape your body. . ."

This immature face is the result of the blood and tears of the original body, who was too talented.

He also didn't want to reshape his body for the sake of appearance, so he had to accept his fate.

"I know." Yue Wuhuan looked at him with satisfaction and licked his lips, "It's good that you're like this."

Song Qingshi took that as comfort and continued the serious topic: "I met An Long when I was collecting medicine in the secret realm. We discussed pharmacology, and I found that he was very insightful and he had a wealth of knowledge about compulsion and poisons, so I allowed him to come to Medicine King Valley as a guest to exchange ideas. But that boy was so naughty. He liked to tease me and also liked to make me angry. After some years. . . After I had grown older, we had a big fight for some reason. He was inexplicably angry, cursed indiscriminately, made a lot of trouble, and finally left Medicine King Valley."

Yue Wuhuan tapped the table lightly with his fingers, not knowing what to think about.

"Two hundred years later, he also reached a high level of cultivation. He suddenly realized his mistake and wrote a letter to apologize. After that, we kept in touch with each other, and our relationship was pretty good." Song Qingshi concluded happily, "Now that I think about it, it's probably because his teenage rebellious phase is over."

Yue Wuhuan asked cautiously: "Master, does he like men. . ."

"Don't worry!" Song Qingshi knew that he had some concerns about this and said firmly, "Although An Long is prodigal by nature and likes to mess around, his orientation is as straight as straight can be! When we were together before, I always saw him flirting with girls, always messing around with either an immortal woman or a prostitute! It's rumoured that he's been involved in many affairs. I've never heard that he has any thoughts about men!"

Yue Wuhuan still had some doubts.

Song Qingshi patted his chest and assured him: "Don't worry! If he dares to put his hands on you, I will break his legs!"

The author has something to say: In this life, the little phoenix has been fighting for favour with little white mice and occasionally loses. . .

If the little white mice had a problem, Qingshi would immediately jump off the bed and rush to the laboratory (no matter what happy things he was doing on the bed at the time)

[halfmoon-horse]

@starsarestaringatyou picked 1, end, page. I'm on my phone so this is an estimation.

You picked the problatic au: horse racing! (Please don't stone me people)

This is part of the second draft - neither is finished - and I'm still not happy with the style, but meh.

At the seventh-from-home Dusk hesitated, the tiniest waver. The drop in speed had him twisting to get his hind legs over, tipping Phoenix off balance and out of the saddle. Mud sky mud sky mud sky sky mud mud mud. Face pressed into the ground, soil thick and gritty in his mouth, he flinched into a ball as the rest of the field passed over him. A punch to the chest. Another to the head, knocking his helmet askew. The thunder rolled on without him. The saturated ground wicked the heat from his burning muscles. He tasted blood and wondered if he’d lost any teeth. He should stand, get off the track and into a car back to the race facilities, but he hurt. The earth was holding him and although it was cold it was also nice, soft. Someone said something about concussion. Told him to stay awake. He realised sleep was an option and took it gladly.

Incredibly foolish indeed. A concussion, fractured radius, fractured sternum, broken clavicle and six broken ribs, all down his right hand side. Not to mention the extensive bruising and split lip. Pretty light considering how close he came to being trampled. The doctor was not impressed by his immediate question of how soon he could ride again, nor his pouting at the answer. Six to eight weeks, minimum. Six to eight weeks took them to New Year, and the edge of bankruptcy - Maya couldn’t afford to hire jockeys and a groom while he was out of the game. Magatama was booked to ride her Class 2 in two weeks; they would lose the entry fee if they couldn’t find a replacement rider.

He had a visitor. It wasn’t Maya. There was no doubt he’d suffered brain damage if he was hallucinating Edgeworth in a sweater and jeans; not only that, but willingly visiting him off the track. A part of his brain had clearly been knocked loose. His mouth flapped uselessly as Miles pulled the weathered chair up to his bed and flopped into it, glaring at him the entire time. That part was believable at least. He was finally convinced of his corporeality when Miles reached out and squeezed his hand that was probably, hopefully, meant to be gentle and reassuring, but instead shot flares of agony up his damaged arm.

Edgeworth assured him he hadn’t come to finish the job, offended by the accusation. He was further infuriated by Phoenix asking whether he won. (He did.) When he enquired about the extent of his injuries Phoenix gleefully regaled him of the tests and x-rays and scans he’d been subjected to the night before; the longer he talked, the longer Miles would stay by his side, his brain told him. The same brain he had damaged - so probably not the most reliable fellow. But Edgeworth remained, face set in a disapproving expression but his steel eyes flickering with concern, so clearly he was doing something right.

Somehow, despite years of evidence pointing to the contrary, he eventually ran out of things to talk about. 

[freshstartbankruptcy]

Bankruptcy is like a legal reset button for people who can’t pay their debts, while eviction is the process landlords use to remove tenants from their properties. In Phoenix, where the economy and housing market can affect how people manage their finances, it’s crucial to know if bankruptcy can stop eviction. Bankruptcy doesn’t always stop eviction, but it might offer temporary relief. The automatic stay in bankruptcy filings can temporarily halt eviction proceedings.

[seophoenixazbklawyer]

The Expert Bankruptcy Attorney in Litchfield Park, AZ

When financial troubles seem insurmountable, seeking the guidance of a skilled bankruptcy attorney becomes crucial. In Litchfield Park, AZ, one name stands out as a beacon of hope for individuals and businesses facing overwhelming debt: Azbklawyer. With their extensive experience and unwavering commitment to their clients' well-being, Azbklawyer has earned a stellar reputation as the go-to bankruptcy attorney in Litchfield Park.

Comprehensive Bankruptcy Solutions:

Azbklawyer understands that each bankruptcy case is unique, and they tailor their approach to meet the specific needs of their clients. From Chapter 7 to Chapter 13 bankruptcy, Azbklawyer provides comprehensive legal services, guiding their clients through every step of the process. With their in-depth knowledge of bankruptcy laws and regulations, they work diligently to protect their clients' rights and help them achieve a fresh financial start.

Expertise and Experience:

Led by a team of highly skilled bankruptcy attorneys, Azbklawyer boasts an impressive track record of successful cases in Litchfield Park, AZ. Their attorneys are well-versed in the intricacies of bankruptcy law and stay up-to-date with the latest developments in the field. With their wealth of experience, they have a deep understanding of the challenges their clients face and are adept at finding innovative solutions to complex financial issues.

Compassionate Client-Centered Approach:

At Azbklawyer, their clients' well-being is their top priority. They recognize the emotional and financial toll that bankruptcy can take on individuals and businesses, and they approach each case with empathy and compassion. Their attorneys take the time to listen to their clients' concerns, answering their questions and providing them with the guidance and support they need during this challenging time.

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Azbklawyer is deeply committed to serving the Litchfield Park community. They believe in giving back and actively participate in local initiatives that promote financial literacy and education. By empowering individuals and businesses with knowledge and resources, Azbklawyer strives to create a stronger and more financially secure community.

Conclusion:

When facing overwhelming debt, having a trusted bankruptcy attorney by your side can make all the difference. Bankruptcy attorney Litchfield Park, AZ, offers unparalleled expertise, personalized service, and a commitment to their clients' success. With their guidance, individuals and businesses can navigate the complex bankruptcy process with confidence, knowing that they have a dedicated advocate fighting for their rights and financial well-being. Don't face bankruptcy alone – contact Azbklawyer today and take the first step toward a brighter financial future.

[fishandrobotsandaliens]

Sun In The Midnight AU

Silly little au where Phoenix Wonderland closes due to bankruptcy and Emu joins nightcord

[corymolloy]

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆-𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 In 1997, when renting videos was king, Blockbuster was worth nearly 10 billion dollars… Yet, one customer wasn’t satisfied with how they were doing things… Because he hated getting late fees! Yet Blockbuster was making a whopping 800 million on these late fees (16% of their revenue). So, they weren’t going away… Reed Hastings was so upset about it; he started his own company – Where you could rent as many videos as you wanted for a monthly subscription. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 – 𝗻𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝘀! And when the Internet got bigger, their mail-order subscription service provided video streaming to their customers. Yes, I’m talking about the corporate giant, Netflix. Like many other companies, we know today – 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲… Meanwhile, Blockbuster was too big for its britches to adopt the technology… Yet in 2000 they had the opportunity to buy Netflix for $50 million – A mistake, I’m sure they regret to this day. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗜𝗚 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯? Because things are shifting again… And we just had enormous changes: • Shutdowns • Bankruptcy • Broken Supply-Chains While Your business may have weathered a few storms. What else is coming? And are you ready? In the 90s some said: The Internet is a fad… Well, they were wrong, and it cost them. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 – 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗺, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝘄𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀! For example: In 1996, I was one of the first entrepreneurs to get creatine into the market and it did fantastic. When you find the right wave to ride, you can come out on top. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗼 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁… #CoryMolloy #DirectMail #Sales #Marketing #EffectiveAdvertising (at Phoenix, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cne_SY9vo70/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[plutoz-october-challenge-blog]

Day 16 - Decomposition - Project Sekai - Nene Kusanagi & Nene-Robo

Phoenix Wonderland mysteriously shut down after one of their workers went missing, it was abandoned and run down now.

Laying in an abandoned storeroom behind the wonder stage was the rusting body of robo-nene. Her paintwork was peeling, the metal underneath rusted around the bolts, flies surrounding her chest cavity.

The reason Phoenix Wonderland shut down after the ‘disappearance’ of Nene Kusanagi was because she never disappeared. She was murdered and nobody could find her body but they knew she was in the grounds. To prevent a scandal they faked bankruptcy and made the world forget.

The inside of Robo-nene wasn’t exactly cold, it was stuffy and humid. The decomposing guts of Nene Kusanagi were inside her.

The stench of rotting organs surrounded the metal doll, blood seeped through the loosening panels of metal. The blood rusting her back faster than the rest of her.

If Rui could see what had become of his creation he would be devastated. Even worse when he realised what happened to his best friend.