#Complete Indoor Grow Systems

[terrence-silver]

You know the night in CK in S5 where Terry gets his home invaded, could you rewrite the night but with a heavily pregnant beloved?

The Honorable Thing To Do.

Mike Barnes, Johnny Lawrence, Chozen Toguchi (POV) and the non-shippy presence of Reader!Beloved x Terry Silver (Only Mentioned).

Inspired by this post.

―

-"Man, this asshole has more statues than a Vegas casino."-

Johnny Lawrence remarks stumbling through the main pathway of a vast estate comprised of an immaculate trimmed green lawn that resembled a carpet fenced in from all sides by tall, palatial walls and an unusual amount of marble figures dotting the grassy spaciousness of the garden that followed them along the eternity of the grounds, casting long, dark shadows in the cover of night — pillars of carved, pale stone illuminated by a faint moonlight, vines coiling around ankles and wrists, growing in the crevices and curves of sharp, stony edges, seeming like they were deliberately allowed to grow there by a skilled, devoted gardener instead of being old, mossy and unkempt. It was sleek.

A clearly new addition to the fortress of the dragon.

It was quiet, too quiet, as they snuck in, or at least tried to, somehow, in their inebriated state, the sound of their footsteps along the tiled pavement echoed back as uncharacteristically loud in his ears. What struck Chozen the most, he supposed, that they were all chiseled images of women made out of white granite and that the enemy’s domain, well, it was undeniably beautiful, all palm trees, perfectly kept magnolia bushes, decorative rocks, vines and a sleek, colossal front door in front of them, made from what seemed like polished, pitch black Oak. This was it. End of the line. Mike Barnes wordlessly lifts his leg on instinct, intending to crash through with a kick only to be stopped by a slurring Johnny. One too many drinks tonight. No good. The feeling here wasn’t good either. Not what Chozen expected it to be going in. Too serene. Too lulling. Like the quiet before the storm. Like an ambush. A trap on the enemy's own turf and territory. Chozen carefully leans against the surface of the mansion’s entrance, intent on listening. Trying to catch a sound from the great indoors. Complete and utter quietude. He’d almost prefer it if he’d catch the sound of something. Anything. -"No, no, no. That looks heavy as shit. You’ll break your foot."- Johnny chastises, shoving Mike out of the way, getting into a stance of his own instead. -"I’ll do it."- He offers blatantly, and no, not smart, Chozen concludes. They weren't smart right now. They were drunk. Not drunk enough to not be aware they were drunk. Last thing they needed was to trigger whatever hidden alarm system this manor had in place by breaking down the front door and causing enough noise to wake up half of the city. For a man of this much abundance to leave his home unattended, it just wasn’t feasible, but to his surprise, the palm of his hand resting on the dark wood moves and the door slides ajar along with it.

Unlocked?

And no one at home?

Why?

If it the questions didn’t compound skyhigh by then, they’d certainly tumble over right there and then, like a tower made out of cards.

He leads the way, figuring someone had to, and he gestures, ushering the two men behind him into the darkness, minding his steps trying to keep their balance along the surface of the floor that blurred and narrowed through the haziness of his eyesight, causing him to stumbling into what seemed like an open, marble floor lobby descending into small winding corridors, somewhat labyrinthian in nature, if memory served from his last visit here. Many rooms. Many cameras. Many hidden places. Many weapons, Chozen reminds himself, nearly jumping if only due to a momentary distraction, fingers squeezed into fists on the ready, long shadows cast by the reflection of the lobby’s mirrors concealing the silhouette of a person, standing in the doorway quietly. Not large enough to be Silver himself, but nonetheless, a somebody. His intuition told him it was too silent on premises; that something about that was innately suspicious, and as if on cue, Lawrence’s reaction is the loudest, breaking through the noiselessness of the hall, cutting like a knife, putting all three of them on immediate alert and the shadow shaped like a person stirs and moves, head and shoulders perfectly sharp in outlines against the light  coming in from the garden, the body shapeless, a black blur in the murky dimness of the entrance foyer. The face? Concealed and pitch black. Seemingly almost entirely featureless, save for the tip of tip of a nose. The outline of a mouth. Someone who deliberately avoided moving to, in equal measure, avoid detection. -"Holy shit!"- Johnny yelps, staggering forward, eyes squinty, like he was trying to make out the details in front of him and failing to do so with precision, only for his nostrils to widen with surprise, leaving Chozen to stare back and forth between him and the blackness at the edge of the immense atrium. -"What’s this? Molly Ringwald in ‘For Keeps’ meets the Poltergeist or some shit?"- Johnny stutters and the confusion deepens, swirling, the reference an unknown, and quickly rendered irrelevant once Chozen catches the outline of a hand on a torso traveling lower, landing on what he recognized as a belly. The airflow of breath hitches in his throat. There was nobody here but a woman in a wide nightgown, halfway embracing herself for comfort, in an obvious bout of anxiety judging by her body language.

Someone terrified of them and trying not to show it.

-"I’ll call the police."-

She says, trying for an obvious air of firmness in an attempt to intimidate them, but her voice coming through shaky. Scared. Her demand unintentionally relayed more as a plea, less like a threat. The needle of instant regret is there, looming, pinching something inside of Chozen, digging beneath layers of skin.

Hostage?

No, no. Something else. A hostage would immediately run over, pleading for help.

Begging to be rescued.

-"He keeping you here by force or something!? Okay, where’s the cameras?"- 

Johnny bombastically voices his exact concerns, spewing fire, staring daggers at the corners of the walls looking for blinking red lights watching them from some hidden security room, practically spitting his words and Mike brushes past him, ever the irritant, nearly crashing into him, unfettered, voice gruff and unimpressed, his footsteps loud, wide and booming. Impatient. Determined. Like he intended to demolish the place just for the sake of doing so, irregardless if the owner was present to see it or not, perhaps precisely because he wasn't present to see it or even stop it, giving him no fighting chance, intending to strike from the back, unexpected, kicking below the belt. Aggrieved former student. Lots of anger. He leads the way, practically charging as he ranted in stride, marching deeper into the foyer.

-"I know this guy’s tricks and he’s full of them! A subversion. To distract us. Don’t fall for it! He did worse crap for far less! But, this one’s really bottom of the barrel! Lets go!"-

The needle presses on invisibly and Chozen reaches forward, running after Barnes before he could do something bad, grabbing his forearm, stopping him. Dragging him back. The garden light illuminated by solar pipes and flares casts a ray of distant, pale brightness on the human shaped silhouette in front of them, and all Chozen sees is dignity veiled by fear, frozen in place. This was the shadow’s home and it didn’t intend to flinch, but was nonetheless too frightened and too alone to fight back. This was someone important. To Silver. The hand on the end of its torso guarding someone even more special. -"No."- His demand is final. Simple.

-"His woman."-

He explains hastily, watching Barnes’ face grow from a mask of fury to complete and utter bafflement, like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, mouth sliding agape, his wrath caught in a stalemate, having nowhere to go or to be channeled, Barnes expresses it by yanking his hand free and pacing vigorously, not unlike someone trying to walk off the side effects of their intoxication. Clear their head. This was Terry Silver’s woman and his unborn child they just stumbled upon. Johnny approaches him in the midst of Barnes doing exasperated circles around the room, head thrown back and he looks at Chozen, really looks at him, extending his arm forward, pointing at the person who’s acquaintance they accidentally made. Chozen imagines a baby’s crib, standing in a bedroom. A curtain. Terry Silver looming above it. Watching out into the night. He lied. He lied when they talked about their true ambitions. When Silver said his one regret was not having any children to continue his legacy. It was obvious now. He lied, because he didn't want anyone to know. Not the genuine facts of the matter. Didn't want anyone to jeopardize any of it. When a man starts lying about things in order to hide them, a man's keeping a weakness hidden, willing to do anything and everything to avoid having it be exploited by outside forces. Chozen closes his eyes, contemplating things. Big mistake. Coming here. Huge. -"The guy’s like eighty!"- Johnny shouts, outraged. Sato was eighty too at one point in time and he had entertainers come over at the end of every work week to pour his Sake too. Being old meant nothing. The puzzle pieces, though. They fall into place. Creating a cohesive picture. An understanding. An understanding only confirmed once the face of the person in front of them is partially illuminated from a nearby window and the recognition is near instant. It hits him like a flash of lightning. -"All over the garden."- Chozen attempts to explain, certain he wouldn’t be outright understood anyway that he was trying to tell them that they bypassed this silhouette at least half a dozen times, only in the form of carved marble. Silver had filled the premises of his estate with her likeness. Unbidden, Kumiko comes to mind and all the ways their village used to be plastered with the home made variation of posters whenever she’d perform during celebrations. She too, was loved. By everyone.

-"His woman."-

He carefully points to her and then lower, to the protective shield of her hand and what it was hiding.

At this point, Chozen’s whispering, as if though him speaking could actually disrupt the nap of the unborn in the womb, catching himself doing it, feeling the tipsiness engulf him like a swift tide and finding the gesture silly.

 -"His baby."-  

Johnny scoffs in a mixture of disbelief, drunkenness, snark and the obvious feeling of being entirely at a loss for words, joining an exasperated Mike in their nervous, anger-fueled, partially embarrassed pacing. Sensitive topic? Due to his and Carmen-san’s blessing on the way? They should go. They should go now. You lift up a nearby object from a nearby commode, placing it over your head, defensively; a warning to anyone, that if they step closer, or if they refuse to listen to the given demands, there was a blunt object at hand on the ready, even though, by the looks of you, the rounded, swollen shape of your belly outlining and rounding the edges of your night gown, Chozen was certain you’d attack no one and certainly not three men, calling your bluff. That you couldn’t even if you wanted to, and that grabbing what seemed like a metal, decorative candle holder was simply meant to highlight your horror and desperation and how badly you wanted to be left alone, like a cornered animal bearing its teeth. Your voice squeaks and instinctively, Chozen  lifts his hands up, trying to pacify you. Assure you that he wouldn’t. He wouldn't hurt you and he wouldn't let anyone else hurt you either. He left the path of dishonor behind a long time ago, taking a step back, wanting to disappear as uneventfully as possible, fingers hooking themselves into the seams of Johnny’s sleeve and dragging him back with himself too, once you plead, eyes shimmery in the darkness, brightened by the presence of suppressed tears. Daniel and Amanda-san never told him about the existence woman and they lived here for decades. Did they know at all? -"Please, leave. Please."- You beg, out of breath, standing your ground frozen like a deer caught in the headlights, looking like it hurt to stand as long as you were standing in only your house slippers burdened under the weight of your own belly propped up with one arm. Barnes explodes, lounging forward, impatience and impulsiveness culminating in a roar fire that was harder and harder to put out by the minute, his legs floundering mid-movement. Like mud and water, it wasn't good putting together a drunk, pissed off man who's own family was under fire and the family of the man who did it all. Barnes was out for blood. Smelled it like a clumsy, starved shark.

-"I had enough of this crap! Had a couple of drinks, yeah, okay, but I’m not getting conned like this! Where is he!? What hole did he crawl into!? She could be literally anyone and we’re falling for the oldest trick in the book! You think paying an actor stand-in is beneath him!? Nothing’s beneath him! He’s the father of lies!"-

Chozen’s legs move on their own accord and without him even having the chance to think, and before he knows it, he’s cut off Mike’s way, placing his body in front of him like a barrier and his hand to the man’s chest, letting him go no further. There would be days for revenge. But, it would be not this day. This night. Decades of striving to make things right with one’s soul wouldn’t be lost tonight. Chozen invested too much in his soul to drag it through the gutter all over again. -"No! We’re leaving. Honorable thing to do."- He whispers, head bent, the open palm of his hand never flinching from the surface of Barnes’ chest heaving with irritation and then ultimately, cooling down in the cloud of surrender, brows furrowed like he loathed to be told what to do They came here to deal with Silver, fueled by the euphoria of liquid courage, not antagonize a sobbing, pregnant woman. Barnes' features dropped like he was willing to begrudgingly accept that.

Chozen turns to you, speaking softly. Slowly.

-"Our business not with you."-

He couldn’t tell what you looked like. Not entirely. Not in this lack of light.

But, he swears he spots the wave of relief wash over you through a blur.

He bows with his full body facing forward, bent towards you, feeling it’s the correct gesture, throwing in a tiny smile for good measure, wondering if it'll alleviate the tension in the air. Not come off as mockery. As disingenious. The battle is always between the combatants.  Involving the innocent — makes the battle dirty. Low. Cheapens the victory. Cheapens even the act of participation itself.

Chozen reminded himself that mantra every day for thirty years.

 -"Apologies for intrusion."-

He excuses himself in a clipped manner, lifting his lower body up just as quickly as he paid his respects and Chozen’s out the door, dragging the two fools along with him, giving one last quick bow once his foot stepped over the precipice, his hand closing the door behind him, watching you lower the candelabra, your shoulders suddenly dropping. -"Have a pleasant evening. Gomenasai."- He throws in a final line, speaking Japanese with the conviction that it sounded more sincere and profound than a mere 'Sorry' in English, closing the entrance to the mansion with a loud thud and exhaling, suddenly realizing he’s been keeping his breath for far too long and that Barnes and Lawrence were standing by his side, humbled, eying the door with incredulity, appearing defeated, halfway on the verge of barging back inside, halfway on the verge of questioning what drove them to come here in the first place, the answer being drinks. Mostly the drinks. Terry Silver would come for them for this, Chozen knew, if for any reason, then simply for daring to frighten someone his --- and he paces, walking away from the marble front porch, realizing he needed to be ready. They all needed to be ready. There would be war. For every single tear you cried here tonight. For every bit of stress you suffered. Possibly even the very fact that they saw you and discovered your existence in the first place when it was so obvious now the enemy wanted you hidden. Terry Silver wanted you hidden. -"That’s some bullshit!"- Johnny huffs, protesting catching up with him, Barnes right on his tail, appearing gloomy, eyes dark and distant. The estate grounds open up around them and there they are, marble women with marble eyes, staring into nothing. Lawrence stares at them with suspicion, gaze oscillating between watching the premises lest something came alive and jumped them from the darkness and being in Chozen’s ear, ranting feverishly in a quick stride. Your image surrounds the whole manor. Loved. You must've been very loved. -"I didn’t even know the ponytailed prick had a chick and a bun in the oven!"- Hai. Exactly. Precisely. Treasure’s no longer a treasure if everyone has a key to its keep. If everyone knows where it's buried. Chozen shakes his head, feeling his lips press into a firm line; something inside of him told him there would be consequences for this. A payback. A settling of the scores. And this time around, a lot more than just Barnes’ livelihood would burn and he couldn’t decide if Silver was more dangerous while he seemingly didn’t have who to lose or now that they discovered that he has.

 -"That’s whole point. Not to know."- 

He reaffirms humorlessly, slipping into the night.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved on our archive

By Benjamin Mateus

The ninth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is finally receding, with estimated daily new infections based on wastewater data now standing at 669,000 per day, down from the August peaks of over 1.3 million. However, experts predict that the tenth wave will begin in late fall and continue through the winter holidays, as has taken place every year of the pandemic so far.

With one in 70 individuals currently infectious, the risk of coming into contact with someone in a classroom, work, or dining at a local facility with 25 to 50 people is considerable. And despite the relative lull in cases, there is more COVID-19 transmission now than during 56.1 percent of the pandemic. In other words, the “forever COVID” policy essentially means that COVID is now everywhere all the time.

Under these conditions, forced upon society by the capitalist ruling class, repeat infections act like a battering ram, taking a growing toll on the foundation of everyone’s overall wellbeing. There is a growing body of evidence that each hit weakens the organ systems, aging them biologically beyond the person’s stated age until sufficient injury begins to manifest in physically measurable symptoms.

At present, more than one billion cumulative COVID infections have occurred in the US, at a rate of around one per year per person, with somewhere between 3-4 infections on average among the entire population. Estimates place the number of Long COVID cases at over 410 million globally in just the first four years of the pandemic, while excess deaths are nearing 30 million.

Clearly, the pandemic is ongoing and remains a significant health risk for the global population. The criminality of the “forever COVID” policy is highlighted by the fact that virtually no funding is allocated to the development of next-generation mucosal vaccines, improved treatments during the acute phase of infection, or any treatments for Long COVID patients. While trillions are squandered on war and bank bailouts for the rich, nothing is provided for critical life-saving research.

Last week, results from the first clinical trial of a mucosal vaccine were released, showing remarkable levels of efficacy after a second dose.

The important study published by Chinese investigators demonstrated that an intranasally administered anti-COVID vaccine can induce robust mucosal immunity against the coronavirus in human subjects (128 healthcare workers). The study found that the vaccine provided substantial immune protection against COVID while demonstrating safety and tolerance.

Esteemed clinical researcher Dr. Eric Topol wrote on Twitter/X, “[two] doses of a COVID nasal vaccine spray led to more than a 50-fold increase in spike specific secretory IgA antibodies against 10 strains of SARS-CoV-2, indicative of potent mucosal immunity.” Furthermore, Topol added, “At least 86.2 percent of participants who completed two nasal vaccines doses maintained uninfected status, likely without even asymptomatic infection, for at least three months.”

Emergency room physician and indoor air quality proponent, Dr. Kashif Pirzada, replied, “This could potentially give a real ending to the pandemic. No more waves of illness, no more rushing for tests and antivirals if you’re elderly or vulnerable. Hope this comes out soon!”

However, large Phase 3 clinical trials are costly, requiring multiple participants to obtain statistically relevant information on clinical endpoints, not to speak of the research and development investment to identify a therapeutic that can be tested. Thus, under capitalism, there is virtually no investment in these large-scale trials and nothing is being done beyond offering boosters of the current vaccine, despite their greatly reduced efficacy in preventing transmission.

The mucosal vaccine study was conducted just as Chinese officials acquiesced to the demands of the imperialist powers to abandon their life-saving Zero-COVID public health program, resulting in the infection of virtually the entire population and the deaths of 1-2 million people. What could such a vaccine have meant to these millions that perished needlessly and the millions more globally since then?

This raises the broader question of why the international community, facing a devastating pandemic, could not bring its accumulated scientific bodies to address the need to develop a preventative treatment against COVID?

As a trigger event in world history, the COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated and exposed the deep-seated contradictions in global capitalism, which demands the accumulation of profits at any costs. The ruling class has nothing but contempt for workers, refusing to invest in any social programs that can improve the lives of masses of people. Short sightedness, corruption, mistrust, and suspicion epitomize their actions, which are rapidly progressing to a world conflagration carrying the danger of nuclear war.

Simply put, the ruling class cares not one iota about mucosal vaccines, just as they harbor resentment against any public health policy that infringes on their ability to conduct business.

Refusing to invest in these life-saving technologies, the capitalist ruling class has condemned humanity to face a lifetime of reinfections with COVID-19. What are the implications of this criminal policy?

Multiple previous studies have highlighted the dangers posed by reinfections with SARS-CoV-2. A recent study uploaded as a pre-print publication on Research Square (under review with the journal Nature Portfolio) by the Patient-Led Collaborative has once again found similar results when attempting to characterize the association between reinfections and the chronic debilitating condition known as Long COVID.

Among 3,382 participants (22 percent never had COVID, 42 percent with one prior infection and 35 percent with two or more infections), the risk of Long COVID was 2.14 times more likely among those with two COVID infections and 3.75 times more likely among those who had three or more COVID Infections compared to just one. Limitations in physical functioning measured in their study included ability to dress, bathe, perform moderate activities like vacuuming and functioning socially. Reinfections led to poorer overall health and worse immune health, including more severe outcomes and longer recovery from other infections.

As the authors wrote:

"Relative to those who did not report infections or experienced COVID-19 once, reinfections were associated with increased likelihood of severe fatigue, post-exertional malaise, decreased physical function, poorer immune health, symptom exacerbation before menstruation, and multiple other Long COVID symptoms. While vaccinations and boosters prior to infection are associated with lower likelihood of Long COVID, reinfections diminish their protective effect. The probability of reporting Long COVID remission is generally low (11.5 percent to 6.5 percent."

Another interesting finding of the study, which underscores the complete abandonment of public health efforts regarding COVID, is that a tiny number of those infected were prescribed antivirals during their acute COVID infections. Those with reinfections were also less likely to test, as the “forever COVID” policy has inured people from taking any protective measures to prevent infections.

The current alphabet soup of COVID strains is sees KP.3.1.1 dominate across the US and Europe, accounting for nearly 60 percent of all strains. However, a new variant known as XEC that was first detected in Germany in June has spread to more than 27 countries and accounts for six percent of all recently sequenced SARS-CoV-2 viruses in the US. Virologists expect this strain, derived from JN.1 through a complex recombination event and which has nearly twice the growth advantage, to overtake KP.3.1.1 and be the dominant variant during the winter season.

In a COVID update by TACT [Together Against COVID Transmission], the authors explain the dangers posed by these evolutionary developments of the SARS-CoV-2 viruses, writing:

"These variants can evade much of the immune responses from both vaccines and recent infections. Since they can evade antibodies to earlier variants, then that raises the risk of organ damage, vascular and neurological dysfunction, brain damage, and persistent infections which often leads to Long COVID. The unmitigated spread is raising concerns about their impact in the coming months."

Hospitalization rates for those 65 years and older and children were one of the highest during the summer from COVID and remain on par with the prior year’s summer/fall wave. The number of people that died from COVID In the week ending August 31, 2024, has climbed to 1,239, four times higher than the lows seen in June. At the present rate, it is expected that at least 60,000 people will officially lose their lives from acute COVID this year, not including deaths incorrectly attributed to another cause or due to the impact on the population’s health from accumulated infections.

These are not incidental and speculative issues. In a provocative report released by the Swiss Re Group, titled “The future of excess mortality after COVID-19,” one of the world’s leading providers of reinsurance and insurance, who specialize in financing the risk of death, they said, “[If] the ongoing impact of the disease is not curtailed, excess mortality rates in the general population may remain up to three percent higher then pre-pandemic levels in the US and 2.5 percent in the UK by 2033.”

They advised their investors:

"Based on current medical trends and expected advancements, we conclude that COVID-19 is still driving excess mortality both directly and indirectly. In the long term, lifestyle factors that contribute to poor metabolic health and lead to obesity and diabetes may become another compounding factor in population excess mortality. Insurers may wish to continue to monitor excess mortality and its underlying drivers in the general population closely, as well as the differences between general and insured populations."

[zoriwuff]

hi I'm adopting my au hard rules RN

this new mlp infection au has me in a grimdark chokehold. so much so that I slept with the lights on last night!!! I've been sifting through so much content. My favs have been from Chloe Alonzo (etc.etcetera) and Ariel (grimskelegirl).

With that being said I've decided to set myself some hard rules for my personal headcanon!! I want to work on some self-insert art with my oc FeatherBlade, so here are some of my thoughts on the universe:

How it started: Swamp Fever (canon to the show). A small population of Hayseed Willow trees (unnamed within the show) has made root in the everfree forest near the bog. Flash bee habitats are dying and the Everfree population has been MIA. Unfortunately, as one of the few pollinators immune to swamp fever, the Hayseed Willow trees have been on the fritz. Have you ever noticed how the bog always seems a little different every time you visit? The tree's aren't just changing every time you wander near them, no, they're entirely new trees from the last time you were there. Previously overlooked due to the originating population being from Hayseed Swamps, it's been observed that Hayseed Willows have a much faster lifecycle than typical trees. Due to the lack of abundant pollination, the Hayseed Willows have been producing more pungent spores in the face of dwindling repopulation within the Everfree. "Deemed unsafe due to the threat of swamp fever, the Hayseed Willows lack studied materials. Desperate times have given us reason to look into them further. Any information is useful information. Ponies are dying, we need to find answers. These new conditions have had... detrimental effects on the larger mammal and mammal adjacent populations surrounding the area (ie ponies, bears, gryphons, manticores, etc). A spore based infection hasn't been observed in cold blooded creatures (ei dragons, kelpies, serpents, various reptilian and aquatic species). Pure avian species getting infected hasn't been observed either, their resting body temperatures tend to be higher than mammals. Could infection rates be linked to host body temperature? Does the spore infection have to grow and evolve to combat the host's immune system fever response? Conclusion unknown." The rest of notes here are scattered. Everything seems to be written with extreme haste. Regarding the mane6: Twilight: Healthy. Stuck in Canterlot hospital both due to quarantine and studying. No progress, pulling samples from infected and any known immune ponies she can find. Twi has suggested case-controlled studies in allegedly unaffected species. This idea has been highly protested, though the ponies in protest no longer seem to be... There's been various creatures being moved to and from the hospital lower levels in completely blacked out boxes. Much of staff has no idea what she's doing down there anymore. Rarity: Healthy? Currently at sweet apple acres with the apple family. The boutique was quickly breached by infected ponies. Fashionable doesn't always mean functional, and the same applied to the boutique's exterior. Rarity was hurt in a scuffle trying to rescue opal, though infection not likely. She and opal are safe. Sweetie bell is currently at their parent's home in Canterlot. Rarity hasn't been able to contact her as the phone lines are down. She's worried about her safety, but has been told the Canterlot quarantine procedures have been successful. Pinkie Pie: Healthy, too op to get infected. She made it to the Pie family rock farm. Everyone is currently safe. Ghastly Gorge has been a great natural barrier between them and Everfree forest. No infected have been sighted yet, they've all been freely roaming the farm property without worry, but it's getting too quiet outside.. Apple Jack: Healthy. Locked down at the apple family farm. Rarity, Big Mac and Apple Bloom have all been healthy and safe indoors. Granny on the other hoof is losing it. After what looked like a small surface bite with no skin breakage, they thought she would be ok. But she has since gone mute and wanders aimlessly around the house. She hasn't been seen eating or drinking anything but shows no sign of fever or infection progression. Big Mac made the decision to lock her in the barn after an incident that put the family at-risk. Apple Jack has been observing her whenever the coast is clear outside.

 Rainbow Dash: Infected? Dash has been trying to convince Canterlot guards to let her in to see Twilight. Due to visible bite wound, they haven't let her in. Dash has grown neurotic under stress and hasn't given up trying to break in. She doesn't appear to be worsening but her agitation has been subject of debate on her progression. There's been talk of escorting her to the hospital but no official action has been made. Guards are growing tired of keeping her out on top of keeping the rest of the infected at bay. How long until they tell Twilight she's here? She's hurting herself trying to break in.. Fluttershy: Healthy. Under strict protection of Discord at his home. The level of chaos down in ponyville has struck fear into his softened heart and he refuses to let Fluttershy get hurt. Discord know's a thing or two about chaos but not even he could conjure up such an outbreak. It's unnatural, but caused by nature? That's exactly what's scaring him. She's been trying to convince him to let her help. Her communication with the wildlife may be what Twilight could utilize to advance in her studies. Not to mention how worried she is about the animals at the cottage. The two of them might be exactly what Equestria needs right now.. next post: royalty at canterlot + what's going on at the crystal empire, timeline on how far things have spread.

[tameblog]

Plumeria, also known as frangipani, is a deciduous, semi-succulent tropical plant renowned for its fragrant and colorful flowers. Its distinctive scent can be sweet, spicy, floral, or fruity. Plumeria features large, five-petaled, aromatic flowers in various colors, including white, cream, red, pink, yellow, and lilac. Tropical trees like plumeria do not thrive in most parts of the United States becausethey require hot and humid conditions. However, anyone who wants to enjoy their fragrant blossoms can successfully grow plumerias in containers and bring them indoors during the colder winter months. Ahead, plumeria growers share their expert tips for growing and caring for this striking plant. When to Plant Plumeria The ideal time to plant plumeria is generally from spring to early summer when temperatures are consistently warm and the risk of frost has passed, says Brian Dawes, owner and operator of The Potted Plumeria Nursery. “It is best to avoid planting in late fall or winter as plumeria plants go dormant in cooler temperatures and may struggle to establish if planted too late in the season.” However, in USDA zones 10 to 12, plumeria is a perennial and can be planted year-round since frost is not a concern. How to Plant Plumeria Outside Plumeria thrives in warm climates with well-draining soil and plenty of sunlight, says Dawes. Follow his steps to ensure successful planting: 1. Choose the Right Location Select a sunny spot that receives at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight daily. To prevent root rot, ensure the area has well-draining soil. 2. Prepare the Soil If your soil retains moisture, amend it with sand, perlite, or pumice. “Test drainage by digging a hole and filling it with water; if water remains after an hour, improve drainage by mixing in coarse sand or gravel.” The ideal soil pH for plumeria is 6.5 to 7.5 (slightly acidic to neutral). 3. Dig a Hole Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball but only as deep as the existing root system. If planting a cutting, create a hole 6 to 8 inches deep to support the cutting upright. 4. Plant the Plumeria For rooted plants, place the root ball in the hole at the same depth it grew in the container. The base of the trunk should sit just above ground level. For cuttings, insert the cutting 6 to 8 inches deep, ensuring at least two nodes are below the soil for better rooting. Backfill with soil, gently firming around the base to remove air pockets. If planting multiple plumerias, space them 8 to 10 feet apart to allow for full growth and proper air circulation. 5. Watering After Planting Water lightly to settle the soil, but avoid overwatering. Fill in any gaps in the soil that were created when initially watering. Allow the soil to dry out completely before the next watering to prevent rot. 6. Provide Support If planting a large cutting, use a stake to keep it upright until roots are established. Use tree ties or straps designed to stretch as the tree grows. 7. Mulch and Fertilize Apply a thin layer of mulch (1 to 2 inches) around the base to retain moisture and suppress weeds, but keep it away from the trunk to prevent rot. After two to three weeks, Dawes recommends fertilizing with a high-phosphorus fertilizer (10-30-10) to encourage root and flower development. How to Care for Plumeria aradaphotography / Getty Images Mike Atkinson, co-owner of Atkinson Plumeria, has grown plumerias for 30 years. He finds them to be low-maintenance and easy to care for. Here, he shares his tips for success whether you're growing plumerias outside or indoors. Sun Plumeria roots thrive in heat. They prefer full sun, whether rooted in pots or the ground. However, some shade is necessary for rooting or for newly-rooted cuttings. Soil Plumerias do not thrive in wet or muddy conditions, so it is essential to use well-draining soil. Atkinson advises against placing plant saucers or water catchers under the pots. If the plant is potted, use chunky potting soil such as cactus mix, and consider adding extra perlite or pumice to enhance drainage. Fertilizer Plumerias need regular feeding but are flexible in their nutrient intake. Atkinson recommends using NPK-balanced fertilizers like Excalibur Plumeria Fertilizer (which offers a slow release), rose food, or orchid food. Additionally, you can supplement with organic options such as manure, seaweed, fish fertilizers, and used coffee grounds. Water Plumerias like the soil to dry out a bit before being watered again. When growing plumeria flowers in different-sized containers, Atkinson recommends using a moisture meter, as different sizes dry out at different rates. Reduce watering during cooler months and place potted plumerias undercover (under eaves, patio, garage, etc.) during heavy rains. How to Prune Plumeria Though plumerias require minimal pruning, doing so can enhance airflow and allow sunlight to reach the canopy, helping to protect the plant from diseases and pests. Light pruning can also assist in achieving a desired shape. In spring or early summer, prune away the lower branches near the base of the trunk. Cut at a 45-degree angle to prevent water from pooling on the cut surface and reduce the risk of rot. If rain or heavy dew is expected, seal the cut with a pruning sealant. If the weather is dry, sealing is not necessary, says Atkinson. How to Propagate Plumeria Selecting a healthy, well-sized cutting will increase your chances of successful propagation. Dawes shares his propagation tips to help you through the process. 1. Choose and Cut Select a healthy branch from a mature plumeria plant or use an existing cutting, ideally one that's 12 to 18 inches long. The cutting should be mature (containing some gray bark), firm, free of damage, and generally healthy looking. Using clean and sterilized pruning shears, cut the branch at a 90-degree angle. 2. Let It Dry Allow the end of the cutting to dry for 7 to 10 days in a shaded area. This step is essential for forming a callus over the cut end and reducing the risk of rot once the cutting is planted, says Dawes. 3. Apply Rooting Hormone Before planting, dip the callused end of the cutting into a rooting hormone. While not mandatory, Dawes says this can help speed up root development. 4. Plant the Cutting Fill a small, gallon-sized pot with well-draining potting mix. Insert the cutting about 2 to 3 inches deep and tamp the soil down lightly, ensuring the cutting stands upright. A stake can be added for support if needed. Give it a light watering, but do not overwater—plumeria cuttings prefer slightly dry conditions as they root. Avoid wetting the leaves. 5. Provide the Right Environment Place the pot in a warm, bright location with indirect sunlight. Avoid direct sun and excessive water until roots develop. Water only when the soil is dry to avoid rot. 6. Wait for Roots Dawes says roots typically develop in four to six weeks. You’ll know it’s ready when you see a few large leaves forming. At this stage, you can gently tug on the cutting; resistance indicates roots have formed. You can continue to let the plant grow in this container until it’s ready to be repotted or planted in the ground.  Tips for Growing Plumeria in Containers Cynthia Shirk / Getty Images Growing plumeria in containers is an excellent way to control their size and environment and ensure optimal growth. To prevent root rot, use a pot with several drainage holes. A 1- to 3-gallon pot is ideal for young plants, while mature plants may need 10- to 15-gallon pots. Avoid oversized pots, which can retain too much moisture and cause root issues. Fill the container with a well-draining soil. You can use a cactus or succulent mix or make your own by combining potting soil, sand, and perlite. Avoid heavy garden or topsoil, which will retain too much water. Water deeply but infrequently, allowing the soil to dry out between waterings. Don't get the leaves wet, as this can cause fungus to form. Keep potted plumerias in a location with at least six to eight hours of sunlight daily. If growing indoors or in a greenhouse, supplement with grow lights to maintain healthy growth.  How to Overwinter Plumeria Plumeria can remain outside in mild winter regions, says Clark Little of Little Plumeria Farm. However, most cultivars will enter a dormant phase, during which they may experience leaf drop and reduced blooming. In frost-prone areas, bring plumeria indoors before freezing temperatures. Once indoors, keep the plant in a heated room near a sunny window, and water sparingly during winter. Do not take your plumeria outside until all frost threats have passed. Common Pests and Diseases While plumeria is mostly pest-free, the longhorn beetle (plumeria borer) poses a threat. The beetle lays eggs in tree branches. Larvae can damage the center, potentially killing the tree, says Clark. Eggs are typically laid in areas where there is a break in the tree's outer protective layer, particularly when cuts are made, or branches break off. He suggests using a pruning seal after trimming and applying systemic treatments like Merit on potted plumeria to prevent infestations. In terms of disease, rust is a fungus that can sometimes affect plumeria in humid conditions. It appears as small orange spots on the leaves. Clark recommends using a fungicide spray or neem oil to combat this issue. Source link

[asimplearchivist]

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓠𝓾𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷

𝐂𝐇. 𝐈 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐍, 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍. 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐕 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓.

[𝓪𝓼𝓲𝓶𝓹𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓬𝓱𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓼𝓽'𝓼 𝓶𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽] [ 𝐏𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐘𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐘 𝐃𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 ] [ AO3 | SPOTIFY | PINTEREST ] summary ✨ ⤏ lu poses a question that makes eliana wonder about the nature—and the unpredictable forgiveness—of time. pairing(s) ✨ [tba] word count ✨ 4.3k a/n ✨ [header credit] | [divider credit] ⤏ posting the ending arc of a story before the main part of it is perhaps a bold move, but…that thing will take me an indeterminate amount of time to complete (if ever), so I had to silence the voices in my head by at least getting this out of my system. it's been fermenting in the back of my mind since 2016, guys. my infatuation with this old ghost has cursed me in the best (and worst) possible ways. ⤏ any references to what may read as backstory prior to this would be explained in the main story. if I never fully write it out, I do at least intend to flesh out a solid outline here on tumblr, so keep your eyes peeled for that, at least, and I am always welcome to questions either in the comments or in my askbox. I really just want my moots to be able to understand the things I yap on about like I'm stark-raving mad tbh lol ⤏ enjoy the feels-train coming into the station, guys! grab your tickets and climb aboard! :) ✨ MASTERPOST ✨ ✨ ⤏ NEXT CHAPTER ✨

The question that would irrevocably change their combined lives came as a casual, off-handed supposition one lazy, sunny afternoon.

Eliana had been elbow-deep in a crate packed full of orbs that she had pulled from storage at Kangaskhan’s for the sole purpose of sorting the muddled amassment, organizing the ones to keep for the team’s utility or delivery to the ever-growing list of clients mounted to the board on the cave wall, and recycling those of which they owned in excess—and thus didn’t need—at Wynaut’s. She had stayed occupied with that blissfully mind-numbing task since they had eaten a mild breakfast of toasted flatbreads with liberal smears of honey and slices of freshly ripened fruit while Lu had taken it upon himself to reconcile the veritable mountain of job requests they kept stored in a chest, which had gotten quite out of hand considering the lid struggled to properly latch when shut.

They had worked in companionable silence while the sun had crawled towards its zenith, the plunking percussion of orbs clinking into the slotted tray Eliana used for such occasions as the mood to take inventory struck her kept time over the underlying rhythm of papers crinkling and shuffling as Lu compiled them into neat stacks by location and urgency filling the open maw of the bluff sheltering them from the worst of its glaring rays.

The balmy, salt-infused wind helped to wick the worst of the burgeoning summer’s heat, but the lack of clouds had cautioned them to stay indoors nevertheless—while Eliana did require a certain amount of sunlight as a part of her daily nourishment, full exposure with no breaks (while traveling at times harsh terrain and facing feral Pokémon while on missions in unpredictably dangerous mystery dungeons to boot) spelled out the possibility of her photosynthetic ears and tail flagging. That condition was uncomfortable at best—and most grass-types at the peak of health don’t even blink to shed the resulting wilted flora in order to allow for new growth to replace the lost organic material—but, at worst, it could pose somewhat serious health issues if left unacknowledged. Sunning in the mornings or afternoons proved most fruitful and kept her leaves glossy and lush.

It was the first day off their little team had taken in months, besides. They both had needed the break between the back-breaking, frantic jobs that had lately dominated the majority of their time after their recent promotion to Guildmaster Rank not even a month prior. As his most accomplished graduates by far, Wigglytuff had been relying more and more frequently upon them for assistance in maintaining the background runnings behind the face of the Guild—and particularly on Lu for the administration since Chatot couldn’t handle as much of the active work (namely running errands and maintaining documentation) as he used to due to the injury that he had incurred in Brine Cave)—so, despite being at the most stable point of their exploration careers thus far, they were busier than they had ever been before.

That was precisely why Lu’s soft-spoken question took Eliana off-guard like it did—it came unbidden, at completely random, considering that the topic hadn’t even touched the fringes of her mind in days for how severely she’d been distracted by the perpetual stream of waking, eating, packing, hiking, exploring (which usually entailed a rather harrowing combination of rescuing and battling Pokémon who, frankly, should have known better), resting, and repeating it all over again while keeping up with basic chores and routines for thier team to continue working as seamlessly as always.

Perhaps her guilt from the fact that she hadn’t devoted the concept much thought was excusable for this very reason, although it certainly did not alleviate the somewhat painful sensation in the least.

“…Do you ever think about what happened to the paralyzed future?”

It took a long moment for Eliana to compose herself, and she bought time by carefully finishing a stack of Escape Orbs that would afford them a refreshed supply of Reviver Seeds for the coming week. She tilted her head as if to roll the question around within her head, her tail curling over her paws as she parsed an appropriate response. “…Of course I do.”

“Dialga said that the timeline was restored,” Lu continued absentmindedly, eyes trained on the wrinkled parchment clasped between his tarsus pads, but the creases of his melancholic frown gave away the depth of his thoughts on the subject, “and you were brought back, but…what do you think happened to…everything else?”

He left that remark intentionally vague and open-ended for her benefit, no doubt, so she could divert the conversation if she needed to. Lu was also so considerate of her somewhat fragmented feelings on the matter, but she did wish that he wouldn’t treat it as though he should walk entirely on eggshells when bringing up one of the primarily defining moments of her conscious recollection.

“I…don’t know,” she answered truthfully, looking out towards the rippling sapphire ocean stretching out as far as the eye could see. “He never told me. I had assumed…”

At her trailing off, Lu raised his considerate gaze to gauge her expression. Besides her furrowed brows, Eliana felt no distress—and after reading her aura just to be certain (because she knew Lu, and she knew how fretful he grew over her), he set the paper down and pinned it with a coin to prevent it from wiffling away in the wind. “…That they’re gone?” he finished tentatively.

To acknowledge her reluctant, if hopeless, conclusion verbally hurt her too much, so Eliana gave him a stunted, singular nod.

“I don’t know, either,” Lu said after a long pause, “and I wouldn’t ever want to have false hopes, but…surely if you were brought back, Eliana, they would have been, too…?”

Eliana didn’t really want to dwell on the possibility. While the notion would vastly alleviate the guilt that plagued her every single time her mind drifted to her old companions (and she, too, had wondered at such a possibility before with the same reasoning), if the contrary were ever to be confirmed, it would grieve her all over again. She still struggled to reconcile their loss—because she had lost them, regardless of whether they had, by some miracle, survived like her, and they were separated by an indeterminate and insurmountable length of time beside—and if such hypothetical hopes were ever disappointed…well, she already had a hard enough time coming to terms with her emotions as it was.

“Maybe,” she offered mildly, returning her attention to her unfinished task. The rest of the crate would likely keep her busy until sundown.

“You know…” Lu resumed his own work, as well, tone then more conversational than cautious. “…we could always ask Dialga. Who knows? Since all the time-space issues surrounding us have been resolved, maybe we could—”

“I find that unlikely,” Eliana interrupted him, coarser than she intended to. When she snapped her head around to look at him, however, with shame lancing through her, he didn’t look ruffled in the slightest—such was the imperturbable nature of her partner, and the rational adult he had grown into from a timid, if somewhat passive-aggressive and hot-headed, youth. “I was brought back as a personal favor to you for saving Temporal Tower. I don’t know that Dialga—or whoever granted that wish—would allow for the timeline to have lingering echoes like that. And if…if they did…survive,” she ground out through gritted teeth, “there’s no guarantee that their memories would remain intact. If everything was overwritten, then…maybe they…maybe they wouldn’t even…”

Lu stood and stepped over to her, coiling his arms around her torso and tugging her into a hug. His warm, broad paws rested between her shoulder blades and stroked the length of her spine respectively, soothing her flaring tide of emotion. She blinked away the sting in her eyes and leaned into his touch with a soft, shaky sigh.

“I understand,” he murmured. “I’m sorry I brought it up. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“It’s alright,” she responded, muffled slightly by the fur cushioning her cheek. “I’m okay, just…I still have a hard time thinking about it.”

“I know. We can talk about it later, or…or never, if you want. It doesn’t affect me nearly as much as it does you, and I hate to see you cry.”

“Lucky for you, I hate to see myself cry, too,” she responded wryly with a sniffle, trying to grasp at the levelheaded disposition she wore most of the time. She didn’t usually keep her walls up around Lu, but she was particularly sensitive about this topic and…well, she had trouble with figuring out what to do with the equal parts grief, guilt, and anger that had come to reside in the scarred hollows of her heart that had once been occupied by her fellow future Pokémon. As she had countless times before since returning from the odd state of limbo in which she’d been trapped for the time between the Tower’s rescue and Lu’s breaking point, she opted to unceremoniously shove the complicated and snaring web of uncertainty to the back of her mind to be dealt with never later. “Do you want to go to Spinda’s tonight? I’m getting thirsty and I found some Joy Seeds we could try.”

“That sounds like an excellent idea,” Lu smiled, although she knew without a doubt that he noticed her deflection tactic. “Let’s finish up all this and we’ll call it a night.”

It didn’t take long to complete their tasks—Eliana tucked all of the excess items they’d elected to trade into a crate for Lu to carry and they discussed what jobs they should take the next day on their easygoing walk through Treasure Town. There was a handful of rescue and criminal apprehension requests for the Mystifying Forest a couple of days old that would be simple enough to complete. They could save the ones farther out for later in the week so they’d have better time to prepare the necessary supplies.

Spinda’s Café was moderately busy, but the background murmur of conversations and laughter helped to distract Eliana’s melancholy mind. She hadn’t quite been able to shake off their discussion of heartaching hypotheticals, even caught up in the soothing routine of taking inventory, so she distracted herself by entering the line to order while Lu when over to Wynaut and Wobbuffet in exchange for prize tickets that they would redeem later, once they weren’t so tired.

Domesticity elicited a more comfortable weariness, however, than exploring did (given the stresses revolving around dealing with the feral Pokémon in the mystery dungeons and their job requests’ oftentimes complex and tenuous mission objectives), and Eliana relished in being able to sit at one of the tables closer to the edge of the room with peace of mind—Kangaskhan had mentioned that their storage limit had been approaching, so Eliana was glad to keep herself busy in such a way.

Lu brought their drinks over once they were done, and they sat in oscillations of companionable silence and idle remarks while people-watching or bringing up recurrent topics that needed updating in context of their exploration team duties.

Not too much later, Bidoof and Corphish descended the stairwell, engrossed in a lighthearted chatter until they spotted the Guild graduates off to the side by themselves.

“Well, howdy!” Bidoof greeted with a toothy grin, “it’s sure been a while, yup yup!”

Eliana chuckled. They’d seen the lot of them only yesterday while checking the job bulletin boards and asking about Croagunk’s stock on special items. “It’s nice to see you two. Would you like to sit with us?”

“Hey, hey! Thanks for the invitation!” Corphish crowed, clacking his pincers enthusiastically. “I’ll go wait in line!”

“Gee, thanks, Corphish!” Bidoof said, clambering up onto the stool to be more closely leveled with the second-stage evolutions. “I didn’t see you two come through the crossroads today, yup yup.”

“We took an off-day,” Eliana told him, leaning down to sip from the dried reed that served as a straw. Lacking opposable thumbs, while something she had mostly grown accustomed to, was not ideal, but given the fact that many other Pokémon also didn’t possess them, there were always accommodations for it. “We’ll probably head back out tomorrow. What did you do today, Bidoof?”

“I sort of did the same,” he replied jovially, “since I filled in for Diglett as a sentry…although Chatot said I was more distracted than usual and didn’t seem very pleased, yup yup.”

“If you did that all day,” Lu said with a chuckle, leaning in and folding his forearms on the table, “I can imagine all the footprints started to blur together after a while.”

“Sure ‘nuff!” Bidoof laughed in return. “My eyes are still dazzled from all the sunshine, yup yup—I don’t know how Diglett can stand it!”

“He’s used to it,” Lu said, “because I’ve asked him the same thing before. He says they’re normally sensitive to light because he’s an underground dweller, but he’s adapted to it since Dugtrio spends so much time outside. Maybe you didn’t strain your vision too terribly—maybe you won’t get a headache on top of it.”

“Aw, I already started getting one, trying to keep up with all the visitors we had today,” the plump mouse Pokémon admitted sheepishly, “and Loudred was extra cranky, yup yup. My ears are still ringing. It didn’t help that I got worked up.”

“About what, Bidoof?” Eliana asked, frowning lightly. While Bidoof had his moments when he frustrated some of the others in times past—with herself included, she couldn’t deny that—he’d come a long way since Lu and herself had graduated. The thought of him getting his feelings hurt by someone else irked her, after all the support he’d given them both throughout the years—and if he had a name to give, one had best believe that she’d have some choice words for whichever poor soul who decided to pick on their mentor. “What happened?”

“Well,” he started, somewhat bashfully, “before you two came along, when I was still the newest apprentice at the Guild, I ran into a little patch of trouble with a group of thieves for a spell. I saw another one of those Pokémon come in—a different one, thankfully—and it reminded me of all of that.”

“Oh, no, Bidoof!” Lu breathed. “Did they show back up? Do we need to coordinate with Officer Magnezone? They didn’t harass you, did they?”

“No, sirree,” Bidoof replied hurriedly, “there’s nothing to worry about there! I haven’t seen their faces turn up around Treasure Town again since the Guildmaster gave them what-for.”

“That’s good,” Eliana murmured. “Were they trying to rob you?”

“Yup yup, my savings,” he said. “I got a mite discouraged with my progress around that time, so I thought about buying a TM to make me stronger. One of them saw it and they tried to ambush me in a secret mystery dungeon they thought no one else knew about. Tricked me right good, they did, but…I got something real special out of the whole thing.”

“And what was that?” Lu asked curiously.

“He got to meet Jirachi, hey hey!” Corphish piped up, his legs tapping the floor as he brought two glasses over brimming with smoothies. “That was his first real mission as a full-fledged explorer!”

“Aw, shucks,” Bidoof hedged, eyes averting and ears curling on his signature expression of embarrassment, “I was just going to say that I found a priceless treasure. I don’t really like spreading that information around a whole lot, you know, since he likes his sleep so much, but since it’s you guys…”

“Right,” Corphish said, setting the drinks down with a clunk upon the table before hauling himself up into the seat next to the normal-type. “I forgot that it’s all hush-hush—I’m sorry, Bidoof.”

“I’m curious, though,” Lu said quietly, leaning closer, “I don’t think you’ve ever mentioned this story, Bidoof. Isn’t Jirachi a Mythical Pokémon?”

“A renowned granter of wishes, from what I’ve heard,” Eliana offered—the trivia case easily, although the reasons she knew it did not…such was the curse of her amnesia, “if they’re awakened from their deep slumbers, that is. I take it that you had a wish granted, Bidoof?”

“He did, hey hey,” said Corphish indignantly, “but he never has told us what it was!”

“It’s sort of personal to me,” Bidoof answered quietly, twiddling his toes. “If you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind at all,” she told him warmly, “I completely understand. You have the right to share something like that or not.” She glanced sidelong at Corphish with an amused look. “Even if others’ curiosity is strong.”

“I never meant anything by it!” muttered the ruffian Pokémon. “I was just curious, is all, hey hey.”

“That’s alright,” Lu assured him. He looked back to Bidoof. “May we at least ask if it came true?”

“It took a little while, but it sure did!” said the normal-type with shining eyes focused on the pair of them. “Even if it got a little scary, I’m so glad I got so experience all that!”

“You said it was a secret mystery dungeon,” Lu continued, tone brimming with that familiar, scarcely restrained enthusiasm he’d always shown information on new, undiscovered places. “Is it really that hard to find?”

“Not really,” Bidoof said thoughtfully, “but it had a passage that no other explorers knew about. The Guildmaster figured it all out right quick.”

That sounded like Wigglytuff, alright. Eliana smiled. “Does the name of that mystery dungeon happen to be Star Cave?”

Bidoof, Corphish, and Lu starred at her, stupefied.

“Why, yes, it is,” Bidoof breathed. “How’d you know that, Eliana?”

“I’ve read about it before in passing,” she explained. “You forget that I spent a lot of hours in the Guild’s library. There’s not a whole lot on this continent that I don’t know at least a little bit about.”

If the trio noticed how she intentionally left out the second half associated with that recollection, they didn’t point it out. She hadn’t spent those late nights combing through dusty tomes, scrolls, and maps alone, after all, and Lu had never been a night owl like she was, so he had usually ended up snoozing away despite his best efforts to be helpful by remaining awake and alert. She could still recall the looming, massive shadow cast against the plastered wall of the last room in the basement level by numerous flickering candles and oil lamps crackling merrily away in the hushed ambience of crinkling paper, notes scratched out with ink quills, and the harmonious layering of rumbling baritone and whispered falsetto indicating points of interest for further study and investigation within the texts in the otherwise undisturbed and cozy silence. The mere image lurking behind her mind’s eye of that pair of broad, pale hands pressing carefully down on the warped, darkened pages to help her track the pacing of the ancient glyphs caused her throat to tighten, so she shook her head to dismiss it.

“I was always told stories about Jirachi growing up,” Lu remarked, sidestepping the elephant in the room with all the grace of a dancer, “but I always wondered whether they were true or not. It’s nice to know that there’s still a little magic in the world.”

“Yup yup, it sure was an amazing thing to witness,” said Bidoof, his onyx gaze glittering in awe in the wake of the (likely far more pleasant) memory. “I think that I’m mighty privileged to have seen it all happen right in front of my eyes.”

Eliana glanced at Lu, noticing a similar expression mirrored upon the aura Pokémon’s face—a sort of childlike wonder that had, to her relief, never been crushed by the harrowing events they’d endured.

By the time they got home that night, they were properly exhausted. Lu cut up some fruit as a late snack for them to eat while they settled down, enjoying the mild salty breeze combing through their fur and tugging playfully at their ears and tails. Neither of them spoke until they finished, tossed their scraps into the compost bin, and got comfortable on their beds. Eliana let out a content little sigh as she curled up on her side, tucking her legs and venturing out with the end of her tail to curl around Lu’s own. It wagged unconsciously in response—a reaction that used to embarrass him.

“Good night, Lu,” she murmured drowsily, her eyelids fluttering shut.

“Good night, Eliana. Sweet dreams.”

“You, too.” That was something with which she struggled, he knew, especially after what she’d gone through with her Dimensional Scream and the nightmares they’d both had leading up to the final confrontation with the perpetrator of her amnesia. It gave the sentiment all the more sincerity.

Eliana did manage to slip into a steady, if light, sleep unplagued by regurgitations of her traumas… but she roused when she felt Lu slip from her grasp and shuffle out of bed. She lifted her head, bleary and confused by her mind still muddled, and squinted at the shape of her partner sitting near the edge of the bluff in the direct park of the wind blasting up the cliff. Her fuzzy gaze passed over his relaxed form, and she picked up on the light thumping of his tail in the dust on the floor and the fiddling of his blunted claws playing with his scarf.

“What’re you so excited about?” she croaked, digging the heel of her paw into the corners of her eyes to dislodge the crust that had gathered there. “The sun’s not even coming up yet, Lu.”

He turned his head, somewhat surprised, and a flash of sheepishness passed over him at the realization that he had accidentally woken her up. “You can go back to sleep,” he told her gently, “I just can’t get my mind to slow down after hearing everything that Bidoof had to say.”

Star Cave, while rarely marked on any save the oldest maps, was one mystery dungeon which they had not yet explored. She had intended to bring it up to Lu eventually, since she kept a list of locations they had been to, but she hadn’t realized that a Mythical called it his abode. She suspected that there was more to Lu’s excitement than the mere idea of investigating a new place, however.

“Do you want to have your biggest wish granted?” she teased with a lopsided grin, turning over onto her front to prop her chin on the edge of the hay pile. “Bidoof made it sound like that guy gets pretty cranky when he’s woken up from his century-long naps—we may not want to fight a sleepwalking Mythical, you know.”

“I’ve already had my biggest wishes granted,” Lu pointed out after a beat, his expression softening as he looked at her. Her flesh warmed beneath her pelt at the fondness warming his crimson irises. “I got to join the Guild, and I got you back. There’s not a whole lot more that I could ask for, to be honest, but the idea of it is still so exciting!” He tilted his head, considering. “Surely there’s at least one thing you’d like to have, Eliana. You don’t ever ask for very much.”

“I don’t know,” she trailed off, glancing thoughtfully out towards the rippling, mercurial sea. One obvious answer popped into her mind, but it wasn’t one she dared give voice to. She shrugged and settled on, “…I’d like to get my memories back, I think…if I had to pick one thing, that is.” She exhaled forlornly. “Even if…if I never see them again, I’d…I’d at least like to remember them.”

Lu turned fully to face her, folding his legs beneath him as his eyes shone with hope at her admission. “…You know,” he said, “we could go check it out, at least. Jirachi might not even be there anymore, since Bidoof found him, or his part of the cave could have been resealed. But if he is there…I think it would be amazing to have our wishes granted.”

“So you do have one?” she queried, quirking a brow.

“I do,” he nodded, “but it’s bad luck to say what they are before they come true.”

“You have a point. Maybe that won’t come back to bite me.” Eliana rested her check on the soft bedding with a gaping yawn. “You should try to get some sleep, Lu. If we want to plan for that trip, we’ll need to get an early start, at least, and get these jobs wrapped up. It’s quite the hike out there from what I remember.”

Lu obediently returned to his bed, and this time he reached out and grasped her paw in his own. “…For what it’s worth, Eliana,” he murmured, “I know it was hard on you, losing your memories, and that it still bothers you, but…I’m glad I got to meet you, despite it all…maybe that’s selfish of me.”

“I don’t think so,” Eliana returned quietly, squeezing the roughened pads of his toes fondly. “I think everything happens for a reason. Darkrai caused it, sure, but…I like to think that our meeting fulfilled some greater purpose in the long run.” She met his eyes in the dark. “I hope you know that I wouldn’t trade it for the world, Lu.”

“I know,” he said softly, and this time they didn’t wake until the sunrise crept over the horizon.

[day6source]

DAY 6, a Mini concert + Keyboard Instrument Gift for Children With Incurable Diseases…A Special Time.

JYP Entertainment (hereinafter JYP) and DAY6 drew attention by carrying out wish-fulfillment activities for children with incurable diseases in Korea and cheering for hopeful dreams. In June 2019, JYP signed a social contribution business MOU with Make-A-Wish Korea and launched its representative CSR activity 'EDM (Every Dream Matters!)', a project to encourage hope by providing emotional support to children with incurable diseases. (hereinafter referred to as EDM). Recently, a Korean patient shared a wish, saying, ‘I want to meet DAY6 hyungs,’ and the members responded and shared a special time. Lee Geonwoo, 7 years old, was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia last year and is receiving continuous treatment. Wish Kid Lee Geonwoo said that he likes DAY6 so much that even during difficult treatment, DAY6's music changes his mood and gives him energy. He was very disappointed that he couldn't go to the solo concert "WTTS" (Welcome to the Show) held in April due to his weakened immune system, and his wish to meet DAY6 was delivered to JYP through Make-A-Wish Korea, which made his meeting with DAY6. DAY6 hosted a special mini concert where members sang their favorite songs. In addition, Lee Geonwoo, who is usually interested in musical instruments, played the instruments that the members actually use and gave them questions. In addition to taking photos to commemorate Wish Day, he delivered albums and T-shirts with his handwritten autographs, and in particular, Wonpil showed affection by presenting his instrument so that Wish Kid can continue to practice the keys. Lee Geonwoo said, "I loved the time I spent with DAY6 as much as the universe. Thank you for giving me the piano (key) that I wanted, and I will practice hard and become a great person like you." Lee's mother said, "I think today will be remembered as 'Best Part' just like the name of DAY6's song. Thank you JYP and Make-A-Wish Korea for leaving a huge page in my child's life." DAY6 said, "I hope that the time spent with us will remain a good memory when you can look back on later. I hope Geonwoo will grow up cheerful and innocent, and we hope him to be healthy and meet again at our concert. I hope you will practice a lot on the keyboard (gifted by Wonpil) and achieve your dream of becoming a great musician," he said. JYP has continued to carry out activities for children suffering from incurable diseases, such as when its head Park Jinyoung personally met children suffering from leukemia and gave them dance and singing lessons, and its artists communicated with patients and invited them to concerts to share memories. Last March, Twice participated in a wish-fulfillment activity for three children at home and abroad. Meanwhile, DAY6 completed their solo concert "Welcome to the Show" in April at Jamsil Indoor Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul, with a total of 34,000 spectators. Then, from June 21 to 23, they held their third official fan meeting 'DAY6 3RD FANMEETING "I Need My Day' at the same place and made memories with fans.

[raincode-archives]

Chapter 3 Loading Screen Trivia

Note: Currently, I do not know which of these trivia may be general game trivia or Chapter 3 exclusives (if there is any). And there may be trivia I'm currently missing that I will add later on, if I find any more.

World Detective Organization (WDO) An extra-legal, extra-privileged organization devoted to eradicating the world's unsolved mysteries.

Detective Deed An identification card. These are granted by the World Detective Organization.

Master Detective Among the detectives belonging to the World Detective Organization, this is a detective with a specialized power called Forensic Forte that aids in their investigative activities.

Forensic Forte Those exhibiting innate talent for special powers like clairvoyance or mind-reading are trained by the WDO to develop a supernatural investigative ability called Forensic Forte or simply, Forte.

Amaterasu Corporation Many products are in development, some of which cannot be made public.

Amaterasu Peacekeepers A department of Amaterasu Corporation. They serve as a sort of police force within Kanai Ward.

Kanai Station The only train station in Kanai Ward. It's a magnificent building, but seldom has customers because of the city's isolation.

Kamasaki District Crime generally isn't bad here, unless you venture deeper inside, that is.

Riverbank Due to polluted waters, fish are rarely caught.

Kanai Bus System A bus service running throughout Kanai Ward. The bus fee is fixed at 200 shien. Amaterasu Corporation employees ride free.

Kanai Ward Living Condition Perhaps because of the daily rainfall, some people in Kanai Ward don't mind getting wet.

TV Programs Nearly all the TV programs broadcasted in Kanai Ward are sponsored by Amaterasu Corporation.

Popular Sports Parkour is popular among the young men of Kamasaki District. New problems have arisen however, what will all the trespassing and running across the top of food stalls.

Crosswalks The crosswalks in Kanai ward detect pedestrians and stop traffic for them. As such, it's fairly uncommon to see people waiting for the signal to change.

Pets Because of Kanai Ward's unending rain, indoor pets are popular. At the same time, there is increasing concern of many dogs and cats become feral after being abandoned by irresponsible owners.

Flora in Kanai Ward Because it's difficult to grow plants in the perpetually rainy Kanai Ward, many have been replaced with synthetic counterparts, aside from some roadside trees and flowers in Ginma.

Flavor of Halara's Candy Depends on the mood. The worse the mood, the sweeter the taste; the better the mood, the lighter the taste.

Desuhiko's Bangs Desuhiko is particular about how his bangs look; it takes about an hour a day to style.

Fubuki's Accessories Fubuki's necklace has a clock motif. The choker is decorated with video playback control symbols.

Vivia's Garments There are just bandage-like wrappings beneath his coat, so it wouldn't be accurate to call it clothing.

Yakou's Lifestyle A complete night owl, he typically sleeps in until noon, even when there's work to be done. This nocturnal lifestyle was the norm until the Master Detectives arrived.

Sun & Moon Hotel Breakfast is served buffet-style in the adjoining restaurant.

Cafe A cafe with an open terrace located in Gina District. It is popular among office workers on break and female students on their way home from school.

Kanai Tower The tallest building in Kanai Ward. Especially high-ranking people within Amaterasu Corporation and their families live here.

Dohya District The so-called "slums" of Kanai Ward, where everything is stagnant and polluted. Most of the district is flooded because rainwater cannot be properly drained.

Dohya District Criminals and others on the run from Peacekeepers occupy the abandoned building here, making the area fairly dangerous.

Marunomon District The business area of Kanai Ward. Rows of office buildings line the street, and Kanai Ward's only bank is also located here.

Marunomon District Being a commercial area, it is relatively crime-free compared to other districts.

Marunomon Bank The only bank in Kanai Ward. All the money circulating through the city begins and ends their journey here. Due to the advanced security, no incidents have ever occured.

"Grade A" A meat bun shop in Marunomon District. Though luxuriously priced at 1000 shien apiece nearby office workers have remarked on the bland flavor.

Golden Path Cafe Uniforms Many customers flock here simply to ogle the uniformed waitresses.

Kanai Ward's Electrical Power Because of the perpetual rain, electrical power is derived predominantly from rainwater.

The Resistance A movement that has declared its opposition to Amaterasu Corporation. The name of the group is "Anti-Establishment Organization," but they're commonly called the Resistance.

Dronebrella Incidents Dronebrellas are handsfree umbrellas, and inter-device collisions as well as incidents involving loss of control due to electromagnetic interference has occurred.

Stay Safe at Marunomon Bank! Marunomon Bank uses state-of-the-art safes because the security of your money is our number one concern. Take advantage of our 1% interest rate now, only at Marunomon Bank.

Homunculus An immortal monster created through research conducted by Amaterasu Corporation.

Shachi's Coveralls Shachi's coveralls are made of a water-resistant material, ideal for working outdoors.

Iruka's Tattoo Iruka has a tattoo of dual pistons on the left side of her chest.

Icardi's Boots Made of waterproof material similar to that of wetsuits, the boots have a switch on the heel that turns them into flippers.

Margulaw's Photo Frame The old photo frame inside the shop is not for sale. It was a birthday present from departed family members.

Servan and Gambling A frequent patron of casinos, he prefers games based on probability and theory. His all-time win is currently less than 50%.

Makoto's Meals Almost always eaten at restaurants or the Amaterasu Corporation cafeteria. He's terrible at cooking, so he never makes his own food.

The Clockford Family The world-renowned family tasked with managing the world's standard of time. They are also responsible for deciding on standard operating procedures related to time and the calendar.

Fubuki's Sense of Monetary Value Given her affluent, princess-like upbringing, she rarely went shopping for herself and thusly has a unique sense of monetary value. She thinks an apple costs as much as a car.

Guillaume There's a hobby she hasn't told anyone about: recipe development. She's sweet on sweets and has strong opinions on proper jam making technique.

Rumor Surrounding Dominic Once a soldier, he suffered a serious injury in battle and became a cyborg after undergoing surgery at Amaterasu Corp. That's the rumor going around the company, anyway.

Swindle Detective A Master Detective who turned their advanced skills of deception and cajolery into a Forte. This detective was not summoned to Kanai Ward.

Guillaume's Lucky Fortune Telling! Guillaume's Lucky Item of the Day! For all the Aries out there, big trouble if you don't carry around a used disposable camera exposed to light!

Guillaume's Lucky Fortune Telling! Guillaume's Lucky Spot of the Day! For all the Tauruses out there, if you don't repent on the roof of an abandoned building, you'll die!

Guillaume's Lucky Fortune Telling! Guillaume's Lucky Place of the Day! For all the Geminis out there, a trip into an alternate dimension will bring you that much closer to achieving your goals!

Guillaume's Lucky Fortune Telling! Guillaume's Lucky Life of the Day! For all the Cancers out there, just give up! Better luck next life!

Guillaume's Lucky Fortune Telling! Guillaume's Lucky Goods of the Day! For all the Leos out there, wearing some lion fur might be the key to avoiding a tragic fate!

Guillaume's Lucky Fortune Telling! Guillaume's Lucky Jewel of the Day! For all the Virgos out there, get your hands on a cursed diamond! Deal with the curse yourself!

Guillaume's Lucky Fortune Telling! Guillaume's Lucky Scale of the Day! For all the Libras out there, carry one hundred 100-gram weights around for potential bliss!

Guillaume's Lucky Fortune Telling! Guillaume's Lucky Hero of the Day! For all the Scorpios out there, watch your head! Get trampled and become a star!

Guillaume's Lucky Fortune Telling! Guillaume's Lucky Gourmet of the Day! For all the Sagittariuses out there, sea turtle soup is the chef's choice! Get to a restaurant and slurp some up later!

Guillaume's Lucky Fortune Telling! Guillaume's Lucky Weather of the Day! For all the Capricorns out there, you'll have better luck when the weather clears up! But Kanai Ward is rainy all the time!

Guillaume's Lucky Fortune Telling! Guillaume's Lucky Jar of the Day! For all the Aquariuses out there, buy this jar for good luck! It's a steal at five million shien, for a limited time only!

Guillaume's Lucky Fortune Telling! Guillaume's Lucky Fight of the Day! For all the Pisces out there, pick a fight with a shop owner, then jump into the sea! A lovely encounter awaits!

Guillaume's Lucky Fortune Telling! Guillaume's Unlucky Human of the Day! Are there still Ophiuchuses around? Shouldn't we go back to just 12 zodiacs?

[catchyhuh]

i bet you were insufferable as a child

and since we know this about lupin and jigen for a fact we’re actually just gonna focus on the other three for now! yippee!! the "tms forgot i exist" special lineup!

fujiko:

i know she was a weird girl. i KNOW this bitch had a gigantic bookshelf filled with all the standard cute, girly beginner chapter books, but also those big fucking scholastic book fair pretend spy kits and shit. i don’t think she was ever the “play in the dirt and come home covered in grass stains and mud” type of kid, mostly because it just felt gross to her, but i DO think she was completely unhinged in an indoors sense. the kind of child who just starts talking your ear off acting like they know everything there is to know about frogs because they read one book so OBVIOUSLY they know ALL about FROGS!! 

absolutely adored those cheap horrible nail polish sets where the brush is the size of a q-tip swab. she also chewed on her nails though, so imagine the standard tiny hand with thin, watery, glittery purple polish on just the roundest, bluntest nails possible. that same hand is also thinking really hard about how to best pocket your coin purse though so like,

i think she had siblings. she was in the perfect spot where she wasn’t in the league with the older, more achieved kids, but wasn’t young enough to be babied and spoiled like the little ones. which takes quite a strange toll on you growing up. it’s why her demeanor now tends to go between taking advantage of the fact a lot of people don’t expect anything from her, to “why are you ignoring me?! what’s that about!!”

fujiko def developed her evil selfgaining tendencies before she even left the fifth grade. if you think she’s difficult to bargain with NOW, imagine what she was like in middle school when [pogs/pokemon cards/silly bandz/insert era appropriate cafeteria currency here] was big. she went through the school system curating personal black markets. it would be impressive if she wasn’t so terrifyingly cutthroat about it

in the nicest way possible, if the stars had aligned, and by some miracle all five of them were the same exact age and met in kindergarten, she… would not have been friends with any of them. well, partially. there’s a very sharp gender divide when you’re first starting school, so i think she kind of “made friends” with nice enough girls, but she absolutely thought lupin was obnoxious, she thought goemon didn’t like her because he rarely spoke to her, jigen thought it was hilarious to antagonize her, and zenigata was just kind of whatever, like he wasn’t a jerk, but he wasn’t exceedingly nice. like he gave her a colored pencil to borrow and that was the extent of that. at best, if goemon was forced to really socialize, she and goemon would get along well enough, but that’s also because she’s bossy as HELL and goemon just goes along with whatever, even now, so ESPECIALLY back when he was an impressionable child!

goemon:

god. you know the kid that sits on the edge of the playground that the teachers all go “aw, bless his heart. just a little old soul.” poor baby goemon

i don’t really think there was as much pressure on goemon to live up to his legacy the way there was for lupin. i’ve mentioned it before, but goemon’s relationship with the original goemon is very different from lup’s relationship with his grandpa, or even dad, and it’s not just because of the time gap. goemon CHOSE to emulate his nakesake’s abilities and talents, where lupin kind of had no choice. and because of this, goemon’s transition into his current lifestyle was much more gradual. i’d say he probably only started making an effort to BE “goemonlike” when he reached his mid-to-late teens. i know hes like 17 in the og manga so if any of this contradicts that Shh no it doesn’t

his quietness wasn’t entirely the result of being shy either. he just didn’t really know what to say at most points? he was (and still is) pretty blunt, and realized pretty quickly and very naturally that people outside of his immediate family didn’t know what to make of him when he answered rhetorical questions completely honestly and sincerely. so he kinda just. retreated inward a bit. he started to get a bit more talkative as he grew, but then he committed to his training and learned the importance of “meaning every word you say” so then he started getting quiet AGAIN

you would think he would be the easiest kid to look after. uh no. even in a pre-slashy slashy era he’s very naturally destructive, which is insane given how tenderly he treats certain stuff within the house. you go “ok goemon this is my dog’s favorite food bowl. it belonged to HER mom so that’s very old for dogs.” and he gives you this exceedingly serious nod and uses both hands to slowly set it down on the ground for the dog to eat out of. but then you go “goemon is that your great great great grandfather’s handmade teapot?” and he goes “is it?” and just in the process of him setting it on the counter it has shattered in two. little man is devastated but hey nobody was drinking out of that thing anyway so just krazy glue that fucker and the tears will subside

zenigata:

is there anything at all funnier than an angry 6yo. yeah. an angry 2yo. and even funnier than that, an angry infant. he didn’t even have anything to actually be pissed about, that’s just naturally how his eyebrows sit and HAVE been his entire life. i would give up my pinky just to see even a glimpse of the absolute comedy jackpot known as his baby pictures

not a revolutionary take by any means but he was definitely the “YOU CAN’T DO THAT WE’RE GONNA GET IN TROUBLE!!” kid. however he was absolutely not even REMOTELY the “didn’t we have homework?” kid because you know damn well he never remembered to do that shit. unless he knew a kid he didn’t like ALSO didn’t do the homework, then yeah, he’d absolutely go down with the ship just to get back at the little bastard. 

in that same vein he would absolutely be the easiest to babysit. “but his demeanor--” shh you are thinking too far ahead. this guy has no obligations. this guy has personal beef with like two random kids in his neighborhood. he has yet to grow a taste for calling superiors idiots who don’t know what they’re talking about. so as long as you actually tell him in plain terms “please do x” or “don’t do y because z” he’ll be fine. you tell this kid to set the table and he’s tripping over his feet putting the spoons and forks in the wrong places. also you’re just having chicken nuggets so i don’t even know why he did that. he didn’t grab plates.

do not mistake the above for him being a “good” kid because this just means he was unfortunately one of those horrible kids who are very polite in front of certain people and absolute monsters in front of those he doesn’t like. does that sound contradictory to the above bullet points? that’s just how children are. he was not a bully at any point in his life but he was so extreme with his ANTI bullying shit that he ended up in the principal’s office just as much, covered in bruises and star wars bandaids. all throughout his school years. he was still doing this shit in high school he’d overhear somebody being a douchebag and just push them off the bleachers. let ‘em fall 10 feet it builds character.

[toxics-sims-adventures]

The Invasiveness Tierlist (12-12-2024)

Here it goes again

I've decided to categorize what I think are the most game affecting packs in the Sims 4 DLC roster. I've recategorized and now you're looking at the new list.

Invasiveness is measured by the amount of gameplay changes, notification and pop up windows caused by installation of the packs. Notifications do not pause/interrupt your game, pop ups do, so pop ups are more invasive because they can mess up a flow of gameplay.

Explanations under the cut:

THE TIERS

~ Incredibly Invasive:

THE BASE GAME is needed to play TS4 at all so I just threw it into incredibly invasive for laughs.

GROWING TOGETHER adds gameplay to infants to make them less bland than the base game version of infants, annoyingly kind of necessary to have any actual fun raising them. And consequences. If you raise an infant poorly or don’t spend enough time teaching them skills like sitting up and crawling, they get a negative trait just like with Parenthood. But the most important feature of it besides adding gameplay majorly for Infants and minorly for Children and Elders, is the extra ‘learned traits’ mechanic added to the game. No longer are we constrained to only three traits for Young Adult/Adult/Elder sims! But you will get a bunch of annoying popups for your sim’s new preferences, such as liking or hating complaints or negative traited sims. Your sim who’s a slob can also get a trait change option pop up to ask if you want to make your sim neat now that you’ve been torturing them with the household chores.

LOVESTRUCK overhauls the romance system. Now there's a bunch of new pitfalls for romance and dating and woohoo. I'm glad science babies are a thing, I'm too AroAce for this.

PARENTHOOD. You cannot escape the character values. They effect every toddler, child and teen, like it or not. You constantly receive school projects in the offspring’s inventory even if you don’t want them. If there was an option to turn it off at the expense of getting the bonus traits, this would drop straight into only invasive with interaction.

MY WEDDING STORIES replaces the wedding party. Gone is the simple day of decorating Willow Creek’s cherry blossom park with an arch, a piano and a bar to get an easy progression through your soulmate aspiration. Without mods anyway.

~ Moderately Invasive

SEASONS adds weather to all worlds. You can turn most of it off though, the only weather you can’t avoid is sunny and cloudy days. It also adds temperature effects to Sims, but you can turn that off completely in the menu if you’re tired of sims overheating or freezing to death. Other than the seasonal life cycle of plants from gardening, which can only be subverted with indoor greenhouses or a pot in your sims living room to shelter the plant, the other thing Seasons does that would be considered annoyingly invasive would be the holidays. Even if you turn off all the major holidays preset in the pack, Love Day, Harvestfest, etc.  by deleting them from the calendar, you’ll still get random holidays popping up that keep coming back (without a mod to disable it) like the lottery or fight a sim day, which if you refuse to participate in can give your sim a sad buff depending on their traits.

GET FAMOUS adds the fame system. Everything you do can effect your sims fame level making their lives easier or harder. You can however step out of the spotlight so your painter monkey doesn’t get famous in the basement. (I have never made a painter monkey in the basement but some of you do and I’m as intrigued as I am terrified of you all.) BUT Get Famous also has a reputation system that you CAN’T turn off. Every friendly action/new friend you make will change your reputation positively and every mean interaction/enemy you make will change your reputation negatively. You can end up with a beloved or beloathed sim who when meeting new people will have their reputation precede them and effect their future relationships. Celebrities will show up anywhere, grinding pretty much everything to a halt so NPCs and even your own sims can swoon over them. (Plus Judith Ward and every other celebrity will always walk through your neighborhood no matter where you live, breaking the immersion. Yes even if you live in bumfuck nowhere, Strangerville.)

HIGH SCHOOL YEARS will NOT stop making me teen sims miserable. Acne all the time! Hair in weird places ALL THE TIME. To stop hair growth I have to go into cas and turn off the option for every body part FOR EVERY DIFFERENT SIM. Acne is in the actual pack settings to turn off. You have to turn off the check in the career tab in-game to stop the popup that asks if you want to follow your teen sims to school, for every teen sim. AND THE RANDOMIZED TOWNIE OUTFITS HAVE GOTTEN WORSE. I hate Trendi with a passion.

LIFE & DEATH. Wills. Ghosts. Lots of notifications about the daily festivals. If your sims die, they'll have the pop up ask if you want to continue your sim as a playable or NPC ghost or just to release them to the afterlife. Will this doesn't seem very invasive, it does get to be a bit much in my opinion. And you will get that ghost pop up for all sims in your household.

DREAM HOME DECORATOR. Sims will constantly go around critiquing my furniture choices, even in bedrooms they weren’t invited to, because they like or hate certain styles and it’s incredibly annoying. It’s not worth setting their furniture style likes or dislikes for the little happy moodlet when they like living in a midcentury modern decorated home.

~ Only Invasive With Interaction

GET TO WORK gave us our first occult sim, not counting ghosts. However, if you engage in the scientist career, you better prepare for absolutely every night to be filled with alien abductions. I never, ever see alien abductions or get pregnant male sims unless someone in the household is a scientist. The illnesses that come with the pack also can’t be disabled which is a little annoying when your previously healthy sim suddenly turns dazed because of a hidden buff of having a cold, or your screenshots are suddenly ruined because someone sprouted orange tiger stripe rashes. The only cure for these illnesses are the medicine bought off the computer, or the shopping for gifts menu from the phone. And sometimes they don’t work to fully cure your sim so sometimes you have to wait and take another medicine to completely cure the illness. However it’s largely easy to ignore and easy to fix so I won’t count it as totally invasive when faced with absolutely everything else this game can do to give your sims a billion moodlets.

CATS AND DOGS won’t really affect your gameplay unless you adopt one for your household. Yeah, you’ll still see the occasional stray in your neighborhood but that’s it really.

FOR RENT has emergency events that crop up like trash overload that your sim will have to fix or call their landlord to fix. It’s a random event for both landlords and tenants, so there’s no predicting and preventing when they’ll occur. There are also some gameplay objects to fix every so often but aside from the emergency events, living in a residential rental is pretty much like living in an apartment.

SPA DAY only affects gameplay due to the refresh, which gave the new trait High Maintenance. Which is very likely to make the sim with that trait freak out over any little thing under the sun. Including the sun. Sitting makes them uncomfortable. They get weird dreams that make them tense. They need constant spa days and wellness activities or they get angry and tense. If they don’t have the High Maintenance trait though? You will never need the Spa Day stuff close at hand.

VAMPIRES used to visit your sims at night pretty much all the time to bite and suck their plasma and give them a day long uncomfortable moodlet that you had no way to avoid without locking your doors to outsiders or engaging in the Vampire knowledge skill to make garlic braids and prevent feedings from garlic allergic vampires. Now you can turn off their nightly visits by clicking on the front door and disallowing vampire visitors. Just remember to do that whenever your sims move houses.

STRANGERVILLE only really affects the residents of Strangerville. The possession moodlet only affects the sims that eat the bizarre fruit to get the Infected trait and the vampires that drink from sims with the infected trait. On occasion you’ll see certain Strangerville townies go possessed but only if you have them invited out from before 1am in-game.

WEREWOLVES. There’s a setting in the menu now to keep the werewolves in Moonwood Mills while transformed. So being a werewolf is pretty invasive but now you have to have one in the household to experience the changes. Without checking that setting, that Werewolves invasiveness happens because either Greg decides to suddenly visit Oasis Springs for ZERO reason and scares everyone on my street, or because Jake Volkov keeps coming to Copperdale High in full fury furry mode and makes everyone run screaming from the classroom.

LAUNDRY DAY is only invasive and adds gameplay IF you put a washing machine, washtub, a dryer, clothesline and/or laundry basket on your lot. If you just want the cas and build objects aside from those, you will never see a stinky pile of laundry.

MY FIRST PET STUFF doesn’t bug you about the rodents unless you have them and it’s all notifications, BUT having a rodent and neglecting it CAN lead to a deadly, highly contagious outbreak of Rabid Rodent Fever, which can result in ghost furries.

TINY LIVING only affects your lot’s number of room tiles when selecting to live in a tiny home residential. If you exceed the maximum number of tiles, 100, you just won’t get the hidden lot traits that benefit your sims from living on a tiny home residential.

PARANORMAL STUFF only becomes invasive on haunted house residential lots. You will not see a specter, Guidry, or Temperance without going into the paranormal investigator freelance career otherwise.

~ Has pop ups

DISCOVER UNIVERSITY will give a popup to remind you that your sims can enroll and get a degree once in a while for every new teen or older sim. Which can pause your game if you're in triple speed skilling mode.

~ Not Very Invasive

GET TOGETHER will occasionally give you a notification about clubs or have townies call to invite your sims to the discotheque or parties in the ruins and bluffs.

CITY LIVING will give you a notification about whatever festival’s going on and NPCs will call to invite your sims out to them.

COTTAGE LIVING will give a notification every weekend for whatever fair is happening in Henford on Bagley

DINE OUT won’t give an effect to your game until you place a restaurant, and even then it’ll just be another location NPCs will invite your sims to.

REALM OF MAGIC introduced spellcasters and they really don’t do magic outside of the realm. They’ll ride brooms outside of the realm but they tend to stay grounded if they’re going to walk through your neighborhoods. Having a spellcaster with spellcaster friends results in a lot of phonecalls inviting you to a magic duel at the dueling grounds but that’s all really.

~ Wait I have that pack?

ISLAND LIVING is pretty much self contained. Other than occasionally seeing mermaid sims around town, the gameplay is self contained to Sulani.

SNOWY ESCAPE gives a residential world with a few vacation lots so your sim can vacation in the mountains. This pack is self contained.

Horse Ranch does not allow free roaming horses, which was my BIGGEST CONCERN due to how TS3 horses would show up even in Bridgeport. Even if you do have a horse on your lot, they are designed to walk through 1 tile wide doorways which is a huge relief when my biggest problem with TS3 horses was that even wild horses would glitch through the walls and get stuck in my living room, until I broke down an entire wall and shooed them out of my house. The horse events don’t come as notifications to clutter up the activity feed, so it even spares me that issue that most other packs have. You will have to turn off Neighborhood Stories though, otherwise random people will just start adopting horses for no reason.

OUTDOOR RETREAT gives a vacation world centered around camping. The herbalism skill doesn’t need to be interacted with and you don’t have to capture bugs. This pack is self contained.

JUNGLE ADVENTURES gives you a new vacation world and is easily the fastest way to get a ton of simoleons to end your rags to riches nightmares. Just make sure your sim is skilled enough to avoid getting poisoned/cursed to death. Otherwise this pack is self contained.

JOURNEY TO BATUU gives you a call and notification that you can visit at any time but you’ll never see a star wars character outside of Batuu unless you make friends with them. This pack is self contained.

LUXURY PARTY just adds the punch/chocolate fountain and buffet table to the game, no other additional gameplay.

PERFECT PATIO just adds hot tubs, which we now have a basegame version.

COOL KITCHEN just adds the ice cream machine.

SPOOKY STUFF adds a party type and that’s it.

MOVIE HANGOUT will give your sims the option to watch movies and you wont’ see any other gameplay unless you toss the popcorn maker into your kitchen, which I consistently forget about.

ROMANTIC GARDEN adds a bunch of flowers and a few bits of furniture and the wishing well doesn’t do anything until you interact with it.

KIDS ROOM just adds a collection of cards and a game system to play with them.

BACKYARD STUFF just gives you the option of having a waterslide in your backyard.

VINTAGE GLAMOUR adds no gameplay except for the butler and the tiny bit that is the vanity table but does nothing else.

BOWLING NIGHT adds a new skill, the namesake bowling skill, and you have to put the bowling alley in a bar to use it commercially.

FITNESS STUFF adds no gameplay except for the climbing wall which can help build fitness or climbing skill if you own Snowy Escape.

TODDLER STUFF just adds a ballpit and toddler jungle gym.

MOSCHINO STUFF fixes the limited photography skill but doesn’t do much else.

NIFTY KNITTING. You can knit and unlock some things in CAS and that’s it.

HOME CHEF HUSTLE adds new recipes and the appliances to cook them. the stand mixer does speed up cooking for five meals after one time preparing ingredients though.

CRYSTAL CREATIONS gives multiple gameplay affecting jewelry pieces and area affecting carved crystals but the effects are minimal and require charging. It's cool but not particularly invasive.

~ Does Not Contain Gameplay

All of the kits and the free holiday celebration pack don't add anything to the gameplay that isn't already base game. Except maybe the modern luxe kit adding the vanity table from vintage glamour but I haven't tested it and it's incredibly easy to ignore.

~ STAY OUT OF MY GAME FILES:

BUST THE DUST is just honorarily here now. Apparently there’s a setting to turn it all off, but I still don’t want this kit even looking at my game files.

[disfordevineaux]

An amalgamation of random CS Character HCs that have been knocking around in my brain for a while, pt1:

- Sheena was released on bail by her family a few months after fall of VILE. They worked their rich people magic and finessed a sweet, sweet plea that one could only dream of. She now works at Sephora for some reason.

- Chief loves a good paid product placement. In fact 90% of ACMEs income comes from brand deals and sponsorships. All the elevators within ACME HQs across America are Pepsi Branded.

- Chase has 2 younger sisters that he is incredibly close (one still a minor) with. They are both extremely intelligent, strongly opinionated and driven women, exactly the way he raised them. Which people in his inner circle find ironic when considering previous behaviours displayed. He admits it's ironic, and admits openly that it plagues his soul frequently.

- Neal was eventually caught, multiple, multiple, multiple times but naturally escaped. And eventually was just never seen again. Probably performing stand up somewhere. As is probably for the best. It's theorised that he kept getting caught just to escape because he was bored. The cafeteria staff within the prison miss him.

- Cleo developed a skin care line right out of her prison cell. Somehow. It's really successful. It is actually one of ACMEs many sponsors now.

- Zack signed up for a local musical theatre group after being inspired by the show Glee. He subsequently quit when he found out that you actually have to dance and sing, to be apart of the group. And not just sit in the corner and wait for a Glee moment to happen so you can 'get the live Glee experience', as he puts it.

- 6 months into Shadowan's 'retirement' in Greece, he found himself horrifically bored, and began fishing. Turns out he is really good at it, a natural, and ended up being featured on TV for his innovation to fishing.

- Chase decided to grow an actual beard, nothing serious, to shake things up. Zack caught on to this change emerging and wanted to copy him and grow one too. He was excited to become 'The Beard Brothers'. Chase shaved it pretty much the next day.

- Zari plays professional indoor beach volley ball. And is really dam good at it.

- Player collects Yu-Gi-Oh cards. Not to play, but just to organise. He keeps all the holographic ones in their own portfolio. He claims his entire collection is totally worth like a couple thousand, at least.

- Julia likes the taste of coconut. Loves those little chocolates that are called Bountys. It's not her favourite flavour but she really appreciates anything with some dessicated coconut in it.

- Chase is lactose intolerant, but like many people in society suffering from that affliction he refuses to live his life by it. He will not be controlled by dairy. HE controls the dairy. But he does commit to skim or oat milk in his coffee, he's not crazy.

- Dash Haber and Trey Sterling are frienemies to lovers to strangers.

- Carmen and Ivy partake in many private rendezvous that are not at all as work related as they lead people to believe they are.

- Brunt's favourite show is Supernatural. She has a huge huge crush on Dean. It's concerning. But understandable. She kicked up a stink about missing the 'new seasons' (she's a few years behind) and gets to watch an epp a week, despite being in prison.

- Ivy becomes ACMEs resident mechanic and supes up any ACME car she can get her hands on. Don't expect to have any appliances in any office she has a workshop in as the best parts come from a toasted sandwich maker and kettle.

- Player grows from like 4"1 to 6ft within seconds of turning 18.

- Carmen begins working on starting a charity which aims at completely reforming the international foster care system, so she can marry it to her 'stealing for the right reasons' motif which she is currently working at making an actual legal enterprise of some sort.

- Gray claims that he's so far met 17 celebrities throughout his life. But when you ask for a list of who he has met he only ever names a few out of those 17, but ALWAYS tells the story of how he met Chad Michael Murry at a service station in Brisbane.

- As a teen, Bellum was once lost within an IKEA for a considerable amount of time. They consider it the best 5 hours of their life and nothing will ever top it.

[hydroponicgardeninglove]

48"x48"x80" Grow Tent Kit Complete 4x4 ft High Reflective Mylar Indoor Grow Tent +Portable Full Spectrum LED Grow Light Combo Hydroponics Indoor Plant Growing Tent Room

AZNVx6.2 Hydroponic Growing Kit

[crestfallencrest]

Freezing

Summary: Yuri never minded the cold. He was usually the type to get through a harsh and cold winter day without much issue. Today, however, was not one of those days.

Prompt: No prompt, just some Duke/Yuri conversations in the discord that left me INSPIRED. Modern AU (Other oneshots can be read here on Ao3! [x] ) Pairings: Duke/Yuri Genre: Fluff Warnings: N/A Word Count: 1,998

Been hit with a tiny writing slump (too many ideas grabbing my attention) but I really really started liking Duke/Yuri lately and I really REALLY wanted to write a winter themed one shot for the Holidays so here I am. Short but sweet! Also, a present for my fellow Yuri/Duke lovers in the discord server I'm in <3

Yuri wasn’t the type of person who got cold easily. 

He had always been that way growing up. While Flynn would be bundled up with multiple layers from head to toe, Yuri could usually get by with a simple jacket and gloves. Maybe a scarf if it was a particularly windy day. But regardless, he would usually get through the day without a single complaint. ( “That’s rare, coming from you.” Flynn had said once, to which Yuri promptly told him to shove it and stop being jealous. )

His resistance to the cold seemed to shock his friends whenever it was brought up. Usually the topic would come up whenever one of his more ‘motherly hen’ friends ( coughEstellecough) would exclaim in shock over how little layers Yuri had decided to wear that day and every time, he would have to explain that he simply didn’t mind the cold weather. He moved around too much for it to bother him too much and a lot of his time on the job was usually spent indoors. Plus, growing up in a shoddy apartment without a heating system did wonders in helping Yuri adjust to the wonders of freezing temperatures. 

Today, however, was not one of those days where he could simply just shrug off the harsh and bitter winds of that winter afternoon. 

He worked as a cook at a small little restaurant on the other side of town and unfortunately, whatever otherworldly being that watched over him had decided that he was looking just a tad too dry when he was working on washing the dishes at the end of his shift. A pipe had burst and Yuri was quickly and completely soaked within seconds. It turned out that his simple afternoon shift had quickly turned into a closing shift as the restaurant had to be shut down early so the plumber could come in and fix the issue. 

Unfortunately for Yuri, it wasn’t like he had any spare clothes to change into at the restaurant. He was starting to wonder if maybe some extra layers wasn’t such a bad idea after all but he also couldn’t give his partner and certain other people leverage to say ‘I told you so.’

Not that they could right now, even if they wanted to. The water jet from Hell decided that soaking him to the bone wasn’t enough and that it also had to completely destroy his phone in the process. So calling someone to come and pick him up or bring him some spare clothes was unfortunately out of the question. 

So, Yuri decided to just fucking deal with it. 

It wasn’t that long of a walk to the bus stop and he’s endured worse before. So all he had to do was make it onto the bus, ignore the sting of his freezing fingers and the shivering of his body, get home, strip and take a very warm shower and hopefully no one would be any the wiser. Gods forbid the scolding he would get if his partner caught him out in freezing temperatures, soaked from head to toe. He could definitely hear his voice now if he saw Yuri at this moment, all huddled over and shivering as if seconds away from freezing to death at any given moment. He’d be concerned, of course, but his deep voice would also have that slight hint of disapproval as he would say–

“You wouldn’t be so cold if you had taken the extra coat like I had asked.”

Yeah, he would say it exactly like that. 

Wait. 

Aw, fuck.

Yuri momentarily forgot about the winter’s frozen touch slowly creeping through his body just long enough for his body to jolt into a more straightened standing position. He whipped his head around, following the voice’s source and he wasn’t sure if he was cursed or blessed to see the familiar red eyes piercing into his soul with what he could only assume was his stare of judgment that he could only work to perfect the longer they lived together. 

Long white strands poked from the red wool knit cap that he wore over his head, with the rest of it being held down by the black and white checkered scarf that was, in Yuri’s opinion, quite horrendous but it had been a gift from Judith when she was last in town so, of course, his partner saw no reason to not use it. Sure enough, Yuri could tell that the man was wearing at least two layers of clothing to combat the cold weather and for once in his life, Yuri was a bit jealous. 

“Oh, h-hey Duke.” Yuri greeted with a tiny grin, trying to bite back the shiver in his voice. “What’re you doin’ here?”

Duke quietly moved to stand by him at the bus stop, letting his arm raise a bit to show off the small grocery bag in his hand. “Groceries.” He answered simply before turning his head a bit to face him. “You mentioned needing to make cookies later this week for the holidays, did you not? We were out of sugar and butter.”

“A-Ah…” Yuri nodded quickly, letting his arms wrap around himself. “G-Good catch–”

The words barely left Yuri’s mouth before he realized that Duke was staring him down, eyes narrowed slightly before his free hand reached over to brush against Yuri’s shoulder. Duke was generally a hard person to surprise. In fact, despite Yuri’s life mission to try and startle this man at literally every given opportunity, he was ashamed to admit that he’s only managed to pull it off a handful of times and instead, it seemed to be Duke that would catch Yuri off guard, most days. 

(For example, how in the hell was he supposed to expect that Duke Pantarei of all fucking people would confess first?! No one could have possibly expected that! Of course Yuri would be surprised by that!)

However, upon letting his fingers brush against the jacket that was undoubtedly carrying more water than warmth, Yuri was surprised to see Duke’s hand jerk back in surprise. Yuri watched as his eyes widened and his serious expression tightened, frown stretching across his face. He didn’t say anything and instead just stared at Yuri and… ah, yeah, Yuri was fully familiar with that look. He was definitely in trouble. 

“I’ve had one hell of a day.” Was all Yuri could offer and that definitely did not seem to quell Duke’s concerns. 

“Why are you standing outside in this weather as wet as you are?”

“Man, and it’s not even the fun kind of wet–”

“Yuri.” 

Man, he kept hoping that that joke would land. Maybe one day. 

Yuri shoved his hands into his pockets, though it didn’t seem to help the impending chill that was quickly returning to his body. “A pipe busted at work and unfortunately, I was right in the line of fire. And I didn’t have a change of clothes.” 

Duke’s eyebrows furrowed. “You could have called me.”

“Oh yeah. Might need a new phone. Water got into my current one.” Yuri would have laughed had he not lost maybe two years worth of pictures on that damn brick. Thankfully he shared a lot of the pictures with his friend group and Duke but it would be such a pain to get those pictures back. Ugh. 

Duke quietly placed the grocery bag onto the bench and began to pull off his jacket and scarf. “I see…” He mused quietly as he finally looked back at his lover. “Take off your jacket and put this on over your clothes. Along with the scarf.” 

“I’m not going to steal your jacket and scarf. Then you’ll be cold!” And the last thing he wanted was Duke to be freezing too. 

“Between you and myself, are you really going to argue that I will be the cold one here?” Duke asked, once again holding out the jacket and scarf and… okay, yeah, he maybe had a point. 

Slipping out of the soaked jacket was almost torture for Yuri because while he wore a long sleeve shirt to work today, it sure as hell wasn’t built for this weather but sometimes you had to get colder in order to get warmer. He quickly shoved the jacket on and buttoned it up in record time and the warmth of the jacket having been on Duke’s body seemed to creep through Yuri’s body. 

Yuri shivered in relief as Duke took his wet jacket and placed it to the side for now before moving to wrap the scarf around Yuri’s neck. Feeling Duke’s warm, gloved fingers brush against the freezing skin of his neck and cheeks had Yuri nearly move to chase after the warmth of his partner as he gently reached behind him to pull his hair out from underneath the scarf. He was still wet underneath the jacket but the warmth of his jacket and scarf was already a major improvement.

“Mm…Feels nice…” Yuri hummed slowly, letting his eyes close as Duke’s fingers once again brushed against his cheek and this time, he couldn’t help himself as he stepped closer. 

This seemed to give Duke pause and Yuri cracked an eye open to see those soft red eyes staring down at his own. Duke was hard to read at times and it was a miracle that Yuri had managed to pin down the ability on how to read Duke’s expressions. Which is why he felt his chest light up when he saw his lover staring down at him oh-so-softly. 

Yuri was never a big romantic but even that was enough to have his heart doing flips. “You know, that’s usually when you, the boyfriend, would respond with some sort of sappy remark about always keeping me warm or something and then you’d like… do that.” He quickly added in, that teasing smirk making its way onto his face. 

“Do that?”

“Yeah. Keeping me warm.” 

“Hm. I didn’t realize that I was being held up to a certain standard.” Duke responded as he let his fingers stroke Yuri’s cheek once more before finally allowing himself to cup Yuri’s cold face into his impossibly warm hands. 

The shiver of warm relief shot through Yuri once more as he pressed his cheek further into Duke’s touch with a content smile. “We’ll work on it. Should I go jump in the lake down the street so we can try again?”

“I’d much rather we just get you home and warm you up.” 

“You’re no fun.” Yuri answered with a click of the tongue. 

And then he looked back at Duke, who had the faintest smile on his face as he stared down at Yuri. Yuri could hear the bus make its way down the street, preparing to come and pick them up to take them back to the apartment they shared but before Duke pulled away to prepare to climb onto the bus, he let his thumb brush gently against Yuri’s lip. 

“I see the meaning was lost on you.” Duke replied before he finally pulled away (and Yuri will swear to his dying days that he did not whine when the warmth left with him.) “I suppose I’ll have to do better next time.” 

As Duke grabbed Yuri’s discarded wet lump of a jacket and the grocery bag, Yuri was left wondering what Duke could have possibly been talking about regarding lost meanings and doing better next time as the bus pulled up next to them, opening the doors to offer them entry. Duke spared him one glance before climbing the steps onto the vehicle, the amused smile still clear as day and Yuri couldn’t help but feel like he had missed a joke somewhere along the way–

Oh. 

Oh. That’s what he meant by warming him up.

Cheeks burning from the cold weather and absolutely positively nothing else , Yuri was certain that he had never hopped onto a bus so fast in his life

---

And then they went home and 'warmed up' and Yuri absolutely did not catch the worst case of the sniffles right before the holidays! Thank you for reading!

[nvrcmplt]

Think the biggest change Emon wouldn't understand how to use much is Technology - the need to be indoors with phones, computers and TVs. Being in a world where their System screens were used for communication of its bog-standard message written in dialects of old time world language and often riddled with tasks to complete paragraphs. The idea that he could just read a whole book online about the Psychosis of man-kind, really floors him.

That being said, he isn't at all tech' savvy - he holds little interest in those things and is one of the few Otherworlder's to dismiss anything to do with technology. Whilst he praises his friends and those around him for adapting well, he holds himself a little behind. Scared even, that technology could be this easy and free to all. Aaphrine was a backwards place, though it had elements of technological advancements, it was with magic, mana crystal and rune scripture that could destroy the world alongside aid it to its best form.

Humans, in Emon's eyes - not that he sees himself completely different to them - have only shown him a greed and lust for power that hinders his desires to share his gifts and talents with mankind. Scary and unfathomable to see that future… Would it just become another Aaphrine?

Still, instead, he ventures on foot. He listens to the planet of Earth with everything he can give. He camps, fishes and makes his own furniture with his crafting skills. He cooks his own meals and even grows his vegetables and medical herbs with frequent love for the familiarity.

It's kind of strange to feel homesick of a world that was so war-torn and against his every wish in life and yet, here he was. Sometimes, Aaphrine reminded him of how good it was before war took it all away.

[southmenarchitecturalblog]

The Multi-Faceted Benefits Of Window Safety Films – Security, Safety, And Beyond

You may see nothing more than a plain glass pane separating your home from the outer world when you glance out of a window. However, what if I told you that this flimsy barrier might become a superhero that can promote safety, minimize injury risks, boost energy efficiency, and offer unmatched privacy? This is not a trick of the imagination, rather it is the power of window safety coatings. Let’s examine the amazing advantages of these cutting-edge films and discover how they may completely transform your living area.

Promoting safety

Consider a situation in which an intruder tries to enter your house. Their normal tactic is breaking windows, however when window safety films are installed, their schemes are foiled. These coatings make glass far more difficult to penetrate by holding it together even when it breaks. Because potential burglars frequently desire rapid and simple entry, this extra degree of security may discourage them. The multi-layered structure of window safety films gives them strength, which when hit, deflects and absorbs the force, lessening the chance of breakage. Because of this, it becomes an extremely strong barrier against forced entrance, giving you piece of mind that your house is more secured against break-ins.

Reducing the chance of injury

Mishaps occur. An unforeseen earthquake, a wayward baseball, or a sudden downpour may all convert your window into a serious threat. Conventional glass fractures into jagged, sharp fragments that can seriously hurt people. By keeping the glass fragments in place and lowering the possibility of injury, window safety films minimize this danger. This is a very important benefit for families, especially with kids. Children are inherently inquisitive and gregarious, and a broken window may rapidly transform a secure play environment into a dangerous one. You may provide a safer atmosphere for your loved ones by installing window safety films, which dramatically reduce the danger of harm even in the case of an accident.

Energy efficiency

Energy efficiency is more crucial than ever in the modern society. Reducing the amount of energy we use is a major issue because of rising energy costs and growing environmental consciousness. Because window safety films improve your windows’ thermal performance, they can be a big help with this project. These films help lower the amount of heat that enters your home during the summer and hence lessens the demand for air conditioning by reflecting a substantial amount of the sun’s heat. On the other hand, window safety films aid with heat retention throughout the winter, keeping your house warmer and lessening the load on your heating system. This dual purpose reduces energy costs and carbon emissions by maintaining a comfortable indoor temperature year-round.

Enhancing the level of privacy

In densely populated places where dwellings are closely distanced from one another, privacy is a valuable resource. While curtains and blinds are conventional solutions, they frequently deprive your living rooms of natural light, which makes them feel small and dark. Window safety films provide a sophisticated way to maintain privacy while yet enjoying the advantages of natural light. These films may be made to be tinted or reflective, blocking away the view from the outside, yet letting in plenty of natural light. This makes the internal space light and airy, allowing you to enjoy your solitude without feeling confined. Window safety films make sure that your private moments stay just that private, whether you’re lounging in your living room or working from home.

Aesthetic appeal and easy maintenance

In addition to providing security, safety, privacy, and energy efficiency, window safety films also improve aesthetics and are easier to maintain. These films, which come in an array of designs, hues, and textures, may enhance the aesthetics of your house and give your windows a refined appearance. Window films are available in a variety of styles to suit your preferences, whether they be sleek and modern or traditional and subtle. Furthermore, it’s easy to maintain window safety films. They just need to be cleaned by wiping them down with a soft cloth and a light detergent because they are strong and scratch-resistant. Instead of requiring frequent washings and gathering dust and allergens like curtains or blinds, window safety films offer a low-maintenance alternative that helps keep your home cleaner and healthier. Installing window films is thus a wise investment that benefits your home in many ways. These films provide a thorough resolution to a lot of everyday problems. You can improve the visual appeal and quality of your glass, as well as your lifestyle when you apply safety films to your windows. Savour the advantages of energy efficiency, the luxury of natural light-filled solitude, the comfort of a steady interior environment, and the peace of mind that comes with knowing your property is safe. Accept the many advantages of window safety films and see how this little yet effective addition may improve your home’s safety and comfort. Get the best window safety films in Bangalore at Southmen, the premier provider of high-quality window films for all kinds of residential, commercial, and automotive applications, delivering tailored solutions to suit your unique preferences and exceed your expectations.

[exvangelicalrage]

Apocalypse Anxiety

6/30/23

When I was a kid, one of the excellent decisions my parents made was not letting us read the Left Behind books, even though everyone at church swore the books were the best thing they'd ever read (after the bible, of course). 

If you're unfamiliar, the whole series revolves around a futuristic interpretation of christian eschatology, particularly the rapture and the tribulation. The series starts with a good chunk of the world population getting "raptured" suddenly, or taken to heaven by god, and then follows a group of people who didn't disappear. These folks try to figure out what happened and navigate the wild post-rapture world, and everything wraps up with the second coming of christ. The characters that survived the tribulation witness the millennial kingdom, where christ reigns for a thousand years, and then the final judgment day, and eventually, a new heaven and a new earth are created.

Obviously it's complete bullshit. It's not even biblical, as 11-year-old me wrote extensively about in her journal (I even included citations!). But the thing is, a lot of christians still believed it. And I think it formed a lot of mental images about what the "end times" would look like for people, which, as a result, meant there was a lot of conversation about prepping.

If you got left behind, what would you do? How would you survive? People talked about learning to grow stuff and sew. They bought generators and came up with secondary heat sources for their house. They talked about how prepared they already were compared to everyone else. 

Keep in mind, we lived in a rural area where people already had to be quite self-sufficient. So it was more of a bragging contest than anything, with a few people beefing up the systems they already had in place. 

The year 2000 brought with it a lot of apocalypse panic, fueled in part by that stupid book series (though I'm sure the Cold War, recent in so many memories, didn't help either). The Y2K bug was going to take down systems all over the world! We could be without power, without computers, without clean water!!! Our local morning show guys even did a parody of the YMCK song, where they sang, "Yyyy-2-K! What's the big deal about Yyyy-2-K! It's a real big deal / no it's not even real—" etc. Luckily for me I do not remember most of the lyrics.

Fast forward to 2016. By then, I was well and truly Exited from christianity. I'd made it through Y2K, 9/11, the recession, and college. I had a full time job and friends who weren't christian. I hardly ever thought about apocalypses, other than admitting that I occasionally enjoyed reading a good post-apocalyptic book series. 

But the day after the 2016 election, I found myself crying under a tree in the cemetery near my condo. I was terrified that trump would bring about the apocalypse, even though I didn't even believe in the fucking apocalypse anymore! At least, not the christian version of it.

Someone made a meme that said "the end comes with trump-pence (instead of 'trumpets')" and it was all I could think of. Like a giant neon sign to my trauma-bent brain.

Fast forward again to 2020. You probably remember that fucked-up year. 

It started with fires in Australia. And murder hornets. Remember those? Weird "signs and omens" of an impending apocalypse. Then came the plague and pestilence. 

Truth be told, it feels like we've basically been mid-apocalypse my entire life. Y2K. 9/11. The recession. trump being elected. fires. famine. plague. pestilence. war. death. 

And now, there are more fires. So many fires. I'm in an area with bad air. The canadian wildfires are filling the atmosphere with smoke and it's drifted down into my region of the northeast USA. Again. A couple weeks ago, we had air that had me and my spouse coughing and with sore throats, even indoors. Today, the outside is hazy and smells, and the new outlets are warning us all to stay indoors. 

I know it's just smoke. I know it'll blow away. I understand what's happening. Not to mention, we're fine. We are safe indoors. We have an air purifier. We don't have to work outside or even leave the house if we don't want to. Though the dog might get annoyed if he doesn't get his daily adventure.

We have enough food to last us weeks, if we're careful. We have a tank full of gas. I have a boatload of back-up plans for what to do in a variety of catastrophic scenarios. 

But I still feel the overwhelming desire to curl up in a hole and hide. My anxiety is sky high. It's a visceral reaction—not to the smoke itself, or to the knowledge of climate change, or even to a rational fear that one day, the fires might reach us. 

No. It's fear of the christian apocalypse. Fear of the rapture. Fear of getting left behind.

I know it's all fake. I just can't quite shake it.

[yusuke-of-valla]

If you think dismounting sounded annoying in Mystery of the Emblem, you should hear about it in Thracia 776!

First of all in Thracia 776, you have Lance Knights(cavaliers), Axe Knights, Sword Knights & regular Lance/Sword Cavaliers. When Lance & Axe knights dismount they..switch to swords as well. Note Axe and Lance Knights can NOT use swords when mounted and only can equip them in their weaker dismounted form.

And unlike Mystery, Weapon ranks are separate as Thracia introduced the modern day weapon rank system we use. Except in Thracia 776, there is no extra weapon exp for using certain weapons (bar staves) and you need gain 1 EXP for each successful swing of a weapon. A rank with a weapon requires 300 WEXP.

This means people like Glade, the guy whom memetically scored at the bottom of the first FEH poll, has like a proud A rank in Lances, but a pathetic E-Rank in Swords. So in other words, a lot of mounted units are completely helpless once they dismount or reach an indoor chapter.

This also means you have practically no lance users indoors. And whilst the weapon triangle is small in Thracia 776, it does indeed exist unlike in Mystery of the Emblem!

But wait, you have your Armored Knights like in Mystery of the Emblem and they can use Lances, right? Well turns out, Thracia 776 only gives you an Axe Armor Knight and no Lance Armor Knight!

But there is a General you can recruit late within the game, whom is the hardest recruitable character in the entire history of the Fire Emblem franchise. Generals can use lances in FE5!

The General character has great weapon ranks like A rank Axes, A Rank Bows, B Rank Swords and E Rank lances...what!

This was probably why IS abandoned dismounting until Three houses and even than, made it optional, LOL!

Yeah I heard about that General lol. It's fun seeing the issues as games grow into their mechanics