#I got so many postcards that all need to get on there somehow

[bispacecadet]

clear files are such a good merch idea. I accidentally got some at miku expo thinking they were posters (the person manning the merch table didn't correct me lol) but now I put the documents I need for top surgery in one of them and it's giving me +1 morale

[legon751]

working on a new vegas doctor costume

first 2 pics are the main bag, the rest of the costume pieces (and my thoughts) are under the break

healing powder (crushed orange pez and candy cigarettes in a burlap bag), ophthalmoscope (a weathered otoscope because the item name in the game is wrong), sunset sarsaparilla deputy badge (worth every dead wastelander), surgical tubing, medical tweezers, forceps, gauze, mentats, fixer, jet, med-x, buffout, rad-x, and cateye. also a small mojave express mail pouch with some ncr currency, postcards, and the platinum chip (might roughen some of these up to look less new)

all of these bags are belt pouches to mimic the ones on the wasteland doctor fatigues outfit

bufftats (not new vegas, but eh, it came with the other pill bottles), first aid box (came with the med-x, it has tiny buffout and rad-x bottles in it), and a box of atomic wrangler matches

microfusion cell and vault 21 matches

cigarettes and a vault 21 lighter (you see how often doctors smoke in that game??? clearly they need this many lights)

gotta keep your caravan deck in easy reach, never know when a game might kick off...

bobby pins, a tin of bottle caps, tops casino dice, and a set of poker chips (ring a ding ding baby)

the "codac r9000" michael angelo gives you. even if these old kodak cameras are dirt cheap, i still feel bad messing one up to make it look more like the game file, so natural aging only on this one

the main costume itself: mirrored shades, the wastland doctor fatigues (green cargo pants and a white tee, need to dirty them up and blood spatter them), bandana, leather belt, and a replica colt peacemaker in a leather holster (i have a foam one for conventions, this one is a metal replica from denix that looks better on camera)

i have the materials to make rad-away, and i might throw that in this costume somehow. just worried about a bag of dyed water sitting over the rest of these sharp and/or fragile pieces while walking around

i went with a variety of bags/pouches because in my head, it makes no sense for someone using 200yo scavenged materials to have all matching equipment. it makes sense from the game design perspective (less Things To Model), but i see it more likely these were pieced together from scavenging, bartering, and hand making them.

i have the pipboy from the fo4 preorder, but im probably not going to use it for this outfit. its the wrong design for one, but its also plasticy and barely fits my arm (you have to basically cover my hand to get the clamps closed). i prefer this being pre-game courier six, or just some random wandering doctor who does odd jobs for mojave express on the side.

you might notice some major missing props! this mostly has to do with space or cost. i love nuka cola and sunset sarsaparilla, but how on earth am i fitting those bottles in a shoulder bag. as for stimpacks? 2 main reasons. 1, even basic unpainted 3d printed ones are $30+, which seemed excessive for this. 2? those seem more like adrenaline and painkillers meant to get you through battle and less like something a doc would administer. why cover the pain when i can just clean the wound and stitch you up?

im still debating if/how i do the leather gaiters on the doctor fatigues outfit. i cant find anything even close to right, and im not a leatherworker. i have a feeling if i just tuck the pants into my boots, nobody will notice anyway.

i have to stop myself on this one. i keep finding things to add or modify and at this rate itll never be finished. i already have a pair of surgical scissors coming, and i got a harmonica today. those may or may not end up in the bag. plus, ive got my eye on a deck of caravan cards pulled from the game files. the one i have is the preorder bonus one which is a beautiful deck but not very lore friendly.

still trying to figure out how to make/get the bottles they use for antivenom and other potions/poisons in the game. its weirdly hard to find white clay or stone bottles with a cork top and round bottom...

see what i mean! this build will never end...

[kenjiyabuki]

dmd ftr ep 5 shenanigans: surprise, bitch. i bet you thought you'd seen the last of me

when this episode was nearing the end, it felt bittersweet as i got attached to watching these boys weekly and upcoming series will probably gonna take forever to come out (i am sure they will keep on being active by doing dances on tiktok and selling products on lives etc but i find those contents very tedious, i like my actors acting more). i was wishing for this not to be the end and then, to my surprise, BAMMMM a preview for another episode started playing!!!! but then it was still bittersweet bc it was revealed that they will be singing and dancing throughout the whole episode...

like many other BL fans, there is nothing that turns me off faster than BL boys singing. personally, more than the boys' voices, its the songs themselves i find unbearable to listen to. to my dismay, Thai BL industry loves generic pop and slow ballads, two genres i cant stand listening to. anyhow, i enjoyed the fuck out of My School President, songs and all, so i am open to surprises!!! in fact i am begging to be proven wrong!! and i am glad that they seem to be choosing the winners based on their skills, not by vote or smth else!!!

now back to the episode::::

How Well Do You Know Your Bro challenge was kinda boring because questions were not that riveting but i thoroughly enjoyed Thomas being put down about not getting to play w Kong. i will comeback to that Tee & Kong situation soon.

finally KengNamping won and they got to have some lil old✨💫💞The Special Friendship Time💕💫 ✨. is this what we are calling having a heart to heart on a pseudo-date with your potential work partner nowadays???? during their Special Friendship Time, i was busy taking hundred of screenshots of Namping because he looked so damn good in his fit!!!!!!!!!

pink lipgloss, Celine shades, rainbow mesh sweater, bracelets, Adidas Samba OGs.... cmonnnn

it was sooooo sweet to see them openly talk about their lives and dreams. they had such a progress across these 5 episodes!!! they were finally open about how they want to work together but also things they need to better in order to do so. i cant help but just love their blushing and awkward demeanor!!! it somehow works in their favour.

so funny how keng is admittedly a hard to crack introvert but sometimes his awkward bluntness somehow leads to UNBEARABLY cute moments. like i was climbing up the wall when they were having their final discussion on the bench and keng was being like "who else would i be talking" OR "can we get this over with" while looking Namping in the eye LMAOOO and Namping cant help but just giggle... just some yummy novice fanservice <3

back at the house, Thomas getting jealous over TeeTee & Kong having a talk was funny to me because the it was kinda one of the most obviously produced/edited scenes of this show. i am not going to blame them, maybe they were worried about the show being too conflict free. honestly, i did actually expect Tee to ask Kong to be his partner because nothing gets past me just like Thomas::

we know in all boys sent postcards to each other episode 1 but the show didnt reveal who sent which. well actually, Domundi X account shared a picture of the postcards and (if you have too much free time like me) you can pair the cards w info given by boys themselves in that episode;

another brilliant investigative work i've done in collabration w Paint. also peep Namping's cute duck drawing. honestly what this man cant do???

so hey, Tee sent his postcard to Kong!!! so while folks were on social media making fun of Thomas being overly possessive, my dude was actually onto something!!! his radar was going off and he had to settle the matter!!! i get him, he is like "i''m already an established actor and have a fanbase, just let me get my man so we can maximize our joint slay and leave" and he is so right.........

since the first episode, everyone was tickled by how this show is working like a dating show, me included. but after seeing this comment and similar ones made me think further:

if you think about it, they kinda WILL date??? not on some delulu shit, think about it: they will be shipped, will do fanservice & skinship, spend most of their time together, travel together, co-habit if its required, not just work together but also will be required to take care and trust and depend on each other, FOR at least a couple years if it works out. they will be stimulating "dating", even out of a tv series. being branded pair is a long term job that requires a lot of trust and compatibility. they are also rookies in the industry, so of course they are taking it seriously and discussing their future like choosing a romantic partner.

so, while i felt really sad for Latte as he seemed really worried while trying to look chill about everything, i am glad TeeTee and First chose to not rushing into a pair just to win the show and were honest about still needing time to hone their craft and building chemistry. and i'm not opposed to TleFirst but i still want to see LatteFirst in LUAT as the side couple. i enjoyed them in the pilot trailer and think their roles is going to fit them well. i also dont want to see an actor lose a job for a ship, cmon...

Gems broke my little heart again ahhhh. TBH, Tle clocked his tea when he said Gems should be more confident in himself. its not easy to do so in front of an audience and i'm sure the industry feels like horse race but i hope Gems will be more sure of his abilities in the future and finally have his moment.

on a bigger twist, KengNamping & ThomasKong were the finalist couples!!!

honestly, i have NO IDEA which couple i want to see win. mostly because both pairings give off very different vibes to me. for me, my choice would depend on the plot of this supposed new series, but i dont even know what it is even about.

i was thinking what kind of series i would like to see them in. when i think of ThomasKong, i can see them pulling off a fun and youthful series like My School President, Kieta Hatsukoi or I Will Knock You. w KengNamping, they would look good in a period series like I Feel You Linger in the Air or To Sir, With Love, even though Domundi has already LUAT (which will hopefully come out in this century). i just want to see them in something angsty but also incredibly romantic. should the unimaginable occur and someone from Mandee Works is reading this, feel free to steal ideas!

i am excited for next week, i will be glad no matter the outcome. cant wait to see the crazy stage putfits!!!!

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EPISODE

keng's pink socks, same colour as the namping's blushing cheeks hehe

teetee threatening to drown thomas lmaoooo 🤨im telling yall thomas was onto something w his suspicions, tee is praying on thomaskong's downfall!!

thomas finally being called out for laying it on thick because enough is enough!!!

lattefirst bickering about meat...

idk this is a translation thing or not but gems getting brother-zoned gagged me

keng's glasses taking a dip in the water. you lose some, you win some. his glasses are gone but at least he now has a partner. thank god it wasnt the celine sunglasses...

yes king!!!!!!!!!!

[rowanlevine]

🥳 ℋ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑦 ℬ𝑖𝑟𝑡ℎ𝑑𝑎𝑦 @hdbnger! 🎉

everyone go tell the love of my life happy bday! he is an old sensitive, kind hearted man who needs to be reminded he is loved!

also no one read this down below. it’s mushy and gross.

being soft on main isn’t either of our strongest suits but i won’t lie, i’ve been in my feelings a lot these past couple of days thinking about celebrating you. since i met you, my entire life has changed for the better. i feel like you’ve been a catalyst for a lot of change in my life. you’ve given me freedom, security, family, unconditional love, the best friendship i’ve ever had and a lot, a lot, a lot and i mean a lot of headaches. but they’re worth it because i love you, even when you do the dumbest things.

like when you feel like you get beer wings and you can fly or when you put the utensils in the wrong way and not to mention unorganized in the dishwasher or when you get bored and raid my skincare fridge just to stick your (probably) dirty hands in them to see what each serum or cream each feels like. and don’t even get me started on the way you somehow manage to leave socks in every room of the house. it’s like a treasure hunt, except the treasure is always finding just one sock. the other one? lost in a mysterious void~. omg ok, why did my blood pressure just rise? lemme back on track.

i love you more than anything. truly. you are everything to me and i’m just grateful you’ve chosen me to do life with. i don’t think i’ve ever had a truly bad day since i met you, you make all the most hard and worst things easy to get through. you’re my home, you know? sometimes i catch myself thinking how wild it is that out of everyone in this world, we found each other. it’s kind of crazy when you think about it. all the things that had to line up, all the moments that had to happen just so we could end up here. the heartbreak, the walls we both had to knock down for each other and all the bullshit we had to get through to find our happy ending. together we defeated our egos, our fears, trauma and so much more.

it’s also crazy to even think we don’t have an anniversary. we just became us over time. was it quick? no. i can remember the many long months it took for us to even say ‘i like you’ let alone decide this is it for the each of us and don’t get me started on allowing ourselves to fall in love. we bought our house, got our kids and just have always lived our lives on our own terms and i appreciate that. i wouldn’t trade any of it. even with all the little annoyances, you make my life fuller and brighter in every way. i never imagined i’d find someone who could make me laugh, make me crazy and make me feel this loved all at the same time. i’m not perfect and neither are you but together, we make a great team.

so yeah, you drive me up the wall sometimes. but at the end of the day, there’s no one else i’d rather have beside me when the world gets tough or when it’s 2 am and we’re just lying in bed talking about nothing and everything or like sharing tiktoks about the craziest conspiracies or those ones of people getting spooked and we’re dying laughing with tears in our eyes. our dogs think we’re fucking insane but that’s a different story all together. thank you for all that you do for me, for us and our life together. i love you for all of it, the good, the bad, the messy middle. for working so much, putting yourself and your body through it so we have somewhat of a security and for making sure i never want or need for anything. thanks for being my person.

happy birthday!!

ps. winston, coco, potato, and stella also told me to tell you happy birthday. godzilla said he will send you a postcard from his travels.

psx2. i didn’t proofread this but i hope i made sense. if not it’s ok it’s 2am.

[toubledrouble]

Since you guys seem to like my chem teacher, I might just introduce the other teachers too

CZECH

Strict but also not

Tells us innapropriate jokes

Hangs candy on a tree that's hanging over her fence so kids passing by can take it

Has been present at the centre of Velvet revolution while pregnant. This woman was growing a new human inside of her body and still wanted to be present at the square when Gott and Kryl sang the national anthem

Was interested in a book I brought to class one day so much that she wanted to borrow it

Loves Dead poets society

Literally a manager of an orchestra

Lets us eat during class

Has a resignation letter thing ready at all times in case she just decides to quit, she's prepared for anything

She can be absolutely terrifying but she's also an absolute sweetheart and she teaches so well

When Adam tagged her (as in "tag you're it") she laughed and then ran up to me and tagged me

Disappointed by the lack of knowledge about culture we have

Honestly she's an icon idk what to tell you

Cool teaching methods

Probably will yell at you when you say something stupid but she's actually calm and that yelling somehow works to fix your stupidity? It's magic or something

Told us how many marks we need for her to be able to give us the final mark and let us just chill when we had them, no more tests

She just knows so much stuff

Her son is a doctor, ex army doctor I think? She must have passed the cool smart genes to her kids

Apparently one time I gave her some work of mine to read and then forgot it but she remembers? I'm so afraid what kind of cringe that must have been

Doesn't call me just by my name but by a sort of nickname (literally not even my own mom uses the affectionate version of my name)

Promised to give me a chocolate after partaking in the czech olympics regionals

Literally more proud of me than my family haha

Also teaches German. But speaks even Russian and I think French? And a bit of Latin. And obvi English.

Travelled a lot in her youth, it seems?

Keeps calling herself a grandma xd

Has absolutely stellar hearing and idk how she does that

She's an lgbt ally, yay!

Also wants equal marriage if she can be in a registered partnership (because she doesn't want to get married, she considers it long, boring and unnecessary at her age. And she doesn't need the benefits that marriage has)

Once described types of men using trees... It was a very interesting conversation

Accepted the fact that instead of a summary of one book I wrote about how it represents a metaphor for something because I misunderstood the wording of the assignment. She didn't let it slide with one other guy because he literally wrote the thing that showed up when you searched it up on Google but she let me and my explanation of three different ways the metaphor can work live and honestly I love her for that

Sometimes makes German grammar references in class and makes the russian-taking group confused

Tells us fun facts about the works we talk about in literature

Always says everything how it is

Will call you an idiot (affectionate)

HISTORY

Plays the guitar - both electric and acoustic

Was at a Pink Floyd concert recently

Has a motorcycle

And a cool aviator-like leather jacket (refuses to tell us where he got it, it's top secret)

For some reason is dating our bio teacher and we kind of pity him because at least to us she's mostly a bitch lmao

Tells bad jokes and worse stories (but we love it)

Tells us random innapropriate historical facts (apparently Napoleon didn't last long in bed and idk why he knows that)

Or says something about his past career or family history (randomly drops in how his ancestor had to ski back from Italy after ww1 or something about a client whose family tree he made)

Loves romanticism era literature

Goes fishing

One time he told me I look like I'm going to die (I'm very pale and it was summer)

Used to be my English teacher and it was amazing, we we wrote a postcard from a vacation to our principal and he made a rude comment about him and then quickly told us not to write that

Laughs whenever I have to go to the student council meeting because we both know something about toilets is going to be said

Had me read in the school announcement thing because he remembered that I was in poetry reciting competitions

Also made me start the teacher's day with greeting them as colleagues and then saying "this is prof. *his name* but 20 years younger with a soft, velvety voice"

Actually made me read a second thing there recently because he thinks I have a nice voice

My father figure lmao

We had a totally peaceful discussion about ancient and modern history and which one is better (it's ancient history and I will die on this hill)

Took selfies with us on a trip

Complains about how "see? If they paid attention in their history class, they would see where it was going and this whole thing could be prevented"

When he decided to make me suffer and ask me questions in front of the board (verbal exam) he asked stupidly formulated questions so I gave him just as dumb answers ("and what are these men in the photo doing?" "standing in front of a vagon" *shocked laughter* "I mean, yes, but I meant what are their jobs or... You know" "well you didn't say that" "that's valid")

Makes fun reanactments of situations he's explaining (that could be colonising, class enemies, literally whatever) and it's so fun

But also likes to make me suffer. Literally touched a pen during class? Amazing tell me everything you know about the current situation of native Americans in America (we were talking about the American revolution and this was kind of off topic but I can't really complain because I knew anyways).

Knew I love Joan of Arc, had an assignment about her ready and it was a free topic that he didn't assign to anybody, still decided to make me write my assignment on the structure of society in the middle ages (which you have literally not even one slide of info about because it just isn't that complicated unless you want to go into unnecessary detail which he hates so I was forced into writing a slide about my opinion comparing the society in the middle ages with the current one)

Just enjoys giving me harder assignment with a smirk that makes me want to punch him so bad (still adore him tho)

After I tagged him at lunch (literally ran past him, punched him arm as I was in full speed sprint and yelled "you're it!" in the full dining hall), he called me and my friend (they were filming it) into his office and then turned to one of my friends, tapped her shoulder with one finger and said "you're it." and we honestly lost it

One time accidentally said the Romans had rectangular squares (instead of shields) and I had a fit of laugher and he attempted to send me to the hall to calm down but when I got up to go I literally collapsed on the floor in a stronger fit of laughter and he started laughing at me

Loves to recommend historical movies. Or criticise them, for that matter.

Shittalked one Marie Terezie series with me

Has extremely cool hair

We actually made a meme about him being the hottest teacher and I really hope he has seen it. I might print it and give it to him at the end of the year, who knows

One time during a gingerbread thing I will describe somewhere a bit lower, I needed to make a good symmetrical cross (+) but screwed up so I just turned it into The sword in the stone and joked about giving it to him. Our main teacher actually did give it to him and he thanked me in the hall and I was so confused because I had no idea

One time I accidentally sent him a meme instead of an assignment. A Henry VIII meme. A really bad one.

One time I sent him a meme on purpose, tho. One about Romulus and Remus. He asked me about it and then told me he will be looking forward to receiving more memes in the future

GEO/BIO (aka our main teacher)

Makes tremendous exams even worse by forcing you to recognise pictures of the stuff. Cultural heritage places, trees that look literally the same, freaking moss that you can't tell apart let alone based on a projected photo...

Made us do damn maps of every continent. But at least three for each - river systems, terrain, and then possibly just classic geography. Also made us remember the capitals of every single European state which made me want to stab her because despite being slavic i keep switching some of the balkan countries

Lab work. Just. Lab work is pain.

You know about these weirs streams where it's just someone peeling an egg? Yeah she made us go that during our lab work

Also forced me to go to the bio olympics and j hate her for that because I don't even like biology

Literally makes me and my friend aka the responsible ones do so much stuff that we have basically no free time so she can kiss my ass

I hate her sm

Complains about being overworked, proceeds to dump half her work on teenagers

She sucks most of the time

Only nice to our medic group

Like. She buys us food after competitions

That doesn't change the fact that she's evil and overworks me constantly. One time I screwed my shoulder up after a full day of running around and running errands and carrying stuff and running upstairs with it and-- yeah I was in pain so I don't like her

Actually made us spend part of our Christmas break in the school kitchens baking and decorating gingerbread and doing other arts and crafts for some charity thing. I love charity events but once again I was sick and tired and had no free time

Makes our medic club do a thing where we explain first aid to kids. This includes minimum time to eat, drink, or go to the bathroom. One time I got a fever and still had to stay there. When I finally got home, I passed out haha. Spent the next two weeks in agonising muscle pain with a cold and a fever. Once again I refuse to forgive her for making me stay there.

PHYSICS

Kind of a pedo if I'm being honest

Somehow always manages to mess up whatever he's explaining and teach us wrong information

Tests basically each class

Sometimes can be convinced to play physics themed Kahoot

Old man

Just... So weird and random

Muted the whole class on zoom during quarantine and then complained that noone responded (we were texting in the chat but he ignored that)

So many weird zoom stories

Has that shirt + beige pants fit

Does so much weird stuff that he refuses to explain because "that's between heaven and earth"

Please just elaborate for once

Exams fron things he never even talked about because why not

MATH

Sometimes tells us what nails she is planning to get

Always get the worst bowl/helmet cut and then when it finally grows out a bit she does it again. My heart weeps.

Once made someone cry during geometry??

Threw someone's pen from the window

Threatens to throw more stuff

Honestly so done with us sometimes

Rocks red and black fits most of the time

Wear a light scarf sometimes because it's cold

Keeps saying it's trivial (it either isn't or we're just stupid, jury's still out)

Wears heels all basically all the time

Probably so done with me because I just can't count haha

Loves us but sometimes we piss her off

Sometimes we just have gossip session about our main teacher because she dislikes her as well

Complains about the specific blue chairs we have and use sometimes and she's so real for that

MUSIC

Weird

Somehow made us watch psychological horror movie based on a fairytale (probably of German origin like the most of them) instead of... Idk. Something related to the class.

Going out consists of walking to a nearby pub/restaurant and sitting in the garden area

Or the basketball court thing

Thinks he is a local celebrity (he's not exactly correct)

English

The sweetest

Made us a traditional Ukrainian Christmas dish

Me and my friend made her a list of classic Czech movies we reccomend

Always says "girls, why are you so late?" when you come in not even a minute after the bell rings

Thought I'm from a bilingual family lol

Sometimes we discuss and compare Czech and Ukrainian traditions in English

Confusing pronunciation

One time she said the name Shakespeare in such a funny way but she's sweet so we don't want to tell her

Watched the new Puss in Boots movie with us in class, told us we can bring snacks

ART/P.E.

A lesbian

Has asthma

Loves art and art history

Seriously she's like me from another universe

Plays audiobooks during art class

Grades mostly based of effort

Made big canvas paintings with us and then decorated the school with them and that was something new and revolutionary

She's cool, I like her

Used to be an equestrian, apparently?

Makes art history quizzes on her insta stories

So many boob flower pots and sketches of women... I love it xd

Oh yeah she also does ceramics and makes cups and flower pots and stuff

RUSSIAN

Sweetheart as well

Used to be my English teacher before we switched groups

So done with pur group sometimes

Very excited to teach us the longest or funniest words like достопримечательности

One time she watched Masha and the bear with us during class

And Jen Počkej Zajíci (Ну погоди) even tho it's basically the same in all languages since there's minimum speaking

Also made us recite a poem about lunch during the week and I still remember it after rlike three years and I hate that

[starlene]

Titanic: the Artifact Exhibition thoughts:

Let me start by saying that I have some... let's say, ethical qualms about the whole artifact exhibition thing. Obviously, they're not severe enough to prevent me from seeing the touring exhibition (and to be clear, I have seen different iterations of it in four different countries now.) But even so – I just don't think it's super cool that these historical artifacts are owned by a company who thinks Las Vegas is a proper permanent home for them. There is something very sideshow-esque about the whole thing. While it's cool that some of the artifacts tour the world for many people to see, if I got to decide, their permanent home would be in a well-established museum in a location that figures in the story of the RMS Titanic somehow. But I don't get to decide that, so whatever, I guess!

Mostly, the exhibition is both respectful and informative, but there are some little problems. The most notable one is that they haven't updated all their info plaques and their audio guide, so there are issues like two plaques right next to each other having contradictory info (say, how much the tickets cost in today's money.)

I also don't think it's, hmm, super great how you walk by the names of everybody that died – straight into a souvenir shop stand of teddy bears dressed as captains. I mean, sure, they need to make their money somehow, and I did buy a bunch of postcards and stuff myself... but apart from a handful of replica newspapers, cups and such, the shop really has the most tasteless selection of Titanic merch known to man. The only things missing are the "Titanic Swim Team 1912" shirts and the ice cube trays.

To make it clear: I'm not saying you're a horrible person if you wear a Titanic Swim Team tee or whatever (tbh, I would buy a Vasa Swim Team 1628 one in a heartbeat myself) – these days, the sinking of the Titanic is a part of popular culture just as much as it's a historical event, so it's just natural there are joke-y products around. I just think the contrast of a memorial wall for the actual victims and the captain teddies is rather gruesome.

Also, speaking of Titanic in popular culture and the public consciousness, I don't think it's super great how the exhibition strengthens certain Titanic myths that don't really have much truth to them, or are less black-and-white than the usual story goes.

They make a big deal of the Titanic (and the Titanic alone) being "unsinkable", to the point of lifting Captain Smith's "modern shipbuilding" quote¹ out of context, which of course makes guests assume he said that about the Titanic specifically. They also claim Captain Smith was about to retire after the Titanic's maiden voyage, though there isn't really any evidence to prove that. And of course, they keep mentioning how the Titanic was the largest ship ever built – which is technically true, sure, but I think it's worth mentioning that in practice, she and the Olympic were twin sisters.

I even spotted a new piece of nonsense in the exhibition that I've never heard before: they claim that Thomas Andrews was not supposed to be on the maiden voyage at all, but he had to travel in place of Lord Pirrie when he fell ill. I believe Thomas Andrews was always meant to lead the guarantee group, like he had done on previous maiden voyages, and I have never heard anything to the contrary before. But what do I know?

Props to the exhibition for not demonising J. Bruce Ismay, though! On the contrary, they mention he helped passengers board the lifeboats before leaving on the last lifeboat to be properly launched.

Anyway!! I think I have been negative enough here. I may have a lot of nitpicks, but even so, as a whole, I think the exhibition is a good introduction to the story of the Titanic, and it's interesting and touching to nerds like me, too. I like the interactive parts such as the changing soundscapes. I feel the sound design has gotten better since the last time I saw the exhibition, I especially enjoyed the soundscape near the 3rd class cabin reproduction that demostrated how you could hear the engines all the time in those cabins. The touch the iceberg thing is good and very sobering too, it really helps you to understand how hypothermia was only a matter of minutes on a night as cold as April 15th, 1912.

And of course, there are the artifacts themselves! I assume they keep most of the flashier ones in Vegas, but there were some good ones. My favourite was a golden chain with three lucky charms: a clover, a star, and a lucky pig. The lucky pig obviously didn't make it, but I do wish its owner did. I also liked the Extra Moist Cherry Toothpaste jar just because that sounds so silly. There were reproductions of that in the souvenir shop, but I couldn't justify buying one – maybe I would have if it came with some of that moist paste, but nope!

ETA: Something I found interesting was that pretty much every single artifact that was a part of the ship's decor, from dishes to lamp holders, was stamped with the White Star Line logo, even the fancy first class tableware. Was that all about boosting their brand recognition, or were they that worried about things being stolen? Or did they want to show off that everything was custom-made just for them, no off-the-shelf items from any generic manufacturer? Maybe it was a little bit of each?

I also think it's interesting to think about the weird journey the artifacts have made. Someone put them in their luggage to cross the Atlantic, they sunk along with the ship and spent about 80 years in the darkness... and then someone else came along with an underwater robot that has little hands and picked them up. The people who originally owned them could never have imagined the journey their everyday items would go on – or, if they briefly saw a vision of their trousers ending up in a glass case in a Swedish mall with some Finnish nerd staring at them, they probably thought they're just about to lose their mind.

All in all, Titanic: the Artifact Exhibition in Täby, Sweden, was a thought-provoking experience for me in many ways. I'm glad I got the chance to go.

¹ "I cannot imagine any condition which would cause a ship to founder. I cannot conceive of any vital disaster happening to this vessel. Modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that." (Said by Smith after the RMS Adriatic's maiden voyage in 1907)

[magspokemonadventure]

Blog Introduction

Hi there! I'm Mags & I want to take you all with me on my Pokemon adventure. ^-^

I somehow missed the Pokemon craze growing up. I never watched the anime, collected the cards, and despite having both a gameboy and a gameboy advance, I never played the games. When a friend learned this, I was given Leaf Green in high school but it was years before I got around to playing it.

Around 2016 when Pokemon GO came out, I dusted off my Leaf Green and gave it a try. I knew a few Pokemon from pop culture references, and of the ones I did know, eevee was my favorite. I put a few hours into the game when I finally obtained one from a man in Celadon city. My friend asked which eeveelution I was going to pick. I turned to them and asked how to catch more eevees because I wanted all the eeveelutions... that's when I got the news that made me stop playing pokemon for years: This is the only obtainable eevee in the game.

I. Was. Heartbroken. They said they could trade one in from another game, but I knew it wouldn't be the same. It's not /my/ eevee. So I put the game down. I didn't think I'd ever pick it back up. How could I pick just one? It wasn't until many years later that I learned of Pokemon breeding. I could have gotten a ditto and hatched more eevees. But by then, I had already walked away.

I could appreciate why people enjoyed the franchise, and even made some friends in the TCG community, but it wasn't for me. Until some very kind friends gifted me a switch for my birthday this year. Everything changed for me. I. Became. Obsessed. I suddenly had access to more Pokemon than I could dream of. Brilliant Diamond. Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Sword. Scarlet. Pokemon Snap.

So I started my Pokemon adventure in July 2023. I started with Brilliant Diamond but quickly swapped to Scarlet to play with some friends.

I decided to give myself a challenge to keep my interest for many years: a full form living pokedex.

Every form of each Pokemon ever available.

All in pokeballs (except event)

My OT whenever possible (exceptions are old events)

Very few POGO Pokemon to not have the stamped sprites

Complete for both the regular and shiny forms

To keep it organized, I modified a spreadsheet by Austin John. I've combined both regular and shiny, changed the way the % is calculated, hid superfluous info, added notes, and reorganized so the shiny and regular forms would be next to each other in home.

So, how am I going to actually pull off this crazy adventure when I'm just now starting in 2023?

Firstly, I'm going to recognize that this is not a short term project. There are a lot of Pokemon, in a lot of forms, in a lot of games. I'm going to need to use my switch, a friend's 3DS, and POGO to get every form.

Start with the easiest Pokemon to obtain and get full forms, shiny hunt a bit, but mostly focus on each form for now between Scarlet, Sword, Brilliant Diamond, Let's Go: Eevee, and Pokemon Legends: Arceus.

For the vivillon forms, I will use PoGo postcards to get both the forms and their shinies. When possible, hunt with a friend with a different postcard to knock 2 out at the same time.

For shiny hunting, I respect people that hunt with full odds, but I'm going to use every tool that Pokemon gives me, I have decades of time to make up for. (Masuda, Outbreaks, Sandwiches, Shiny Charms, Hunting with a friend to get 2 at once, Catch combos, you name it: I'm gonna use it)

When the bulk of the non-shiny forms are completed, I'll move onto the 3DS games. In these games, I will need to get every form and shinies before I return it. There will be at least 4 playthroughs of Omega Ruby (each form of Deoxys), and I'm sure more of another as well.

And Lastly, I'll keep in mind that there will be some really tough Pokemon for me to get following my parameters. Celebi, Furfrou, Pokeball Vivillon, Pikachu Hats, and I'm sure many more. I will have to concede some of my parameters for obtaining such Pokemon.

But I'm gonna keep at it, and keep record of my adventures here in this blog. Thank you for reading all of this, I would love if you joined me on my Pokemon journey. ^-^

[thistransient]

obligatory retrospection 2022

If I’m not going to do my homework I might as well write my 2022 review post. 2022, wow. One of the most years I’ve ever year’d. Finally, an equal and opposing positive force to offset the terror of 2014. Sure, I spent the many intervening years running around the world doing various unwise and risky things and eating exotic offal, to the extent that it became par for the course and nothing to write home about. But in 2022 I somehow managed to turn around, willingly go back to ground zero, and finish the unfinished business. (Probably because I spent most of 2021 locked in a condo in Pattaya making pita bread and going insane collecting myself first, for possibly the first time ever.) I suppose I reaped what I sowed, in a good way.

I was reminded how much my friends love me. I reestablished some confidence that I’m a competent person (at least part of the time, anyways). I did multiple things I’d been afraid of and putting off for years upon years, with great results. I’m kind of coming to terms with the ASD thing, and finally figuring out my own operating manual, so to speak. I read How To Be A Normal Person by TJ Klune and thought it was hilarious and extremely relatable.

I had one goal last year, which was to send more postcards to my friends, and I achieved that with flying colours. I had considered making “finish reading all of 天官賜福 in the original Chinese” a goal, but I thought there was no need because I was definitely gonna do it- and then somehow I got it into my mind that there were 225 chapters instead of 252, so when I got to 225 and, despite many ridiculous shenanigans, the antagonist was still at large antagonizing and there were over 20 chapters yet to go, the wind left my sails entirely. I think that’s going to have to be this year’s goal instead.

I would also like to pursue/invite more human touch into my life, which probably is going to require either diversifying my social circle or taking massage class or something. I’m undecided on my openness to romance at present. (My current crush-eradication mission is of course not going as planned, and I think it would actually be worse if it turned out to be reciprocated.) I would love to get a job with a salary that would let me move into an apartment with a balcony (and NO incessantly barking dogs OR revving scooters OR old men yelling and smoking after 23:00 in the alley directly below my room). But overall, obtaining tolerable employment and a work permit such that I can stay in Taiwan are my main concerns this year, anything else is icing on the cake.

[zootplayz]

Not so Doctor Who Legacy

So, Zoot loves legacies and she loves Doctor Who so it only seems natural she would want to combine them. And if you pay attention to my many legacies you know I've started this already so I thought I'd finally share. We are obviously not complete since I've been writing the rules as I watch the show from the beginning (it's been one heck of a binge).

Now there is already a very awesome Time Lord Challenge for the Sims out there but it's not really my thing. I love legacy play and would much rather have my challenge reflect each Doctors personality in different generations rather than in just one sim.

That's where the Time Lords Path of the Doctor comes in. Initially I was just going to use this plan straight out as the legacy but then my brain got thinking.

Why can't I take the concept and make it my own? Complete with rules along the way.

Thus, the Not so Doctor Who Legacy was born!

Obviously, huge inspiration is coming from the Not so Berry challenge here. At least in the generational requirements stuff and somehow I've got the first couple gens following the same careers. It wasn't intentional it just kind of happened that way.

They just fit the doctors!

This is based on my own interpretations of each doctor and will hit most packs so not really base game friendly. I chose to make my doctors famous that decision however is entirely yours.

Like in Not so Berry you can start out wherever you want but no cheating after that so keep those bill's in mind when picking your starter lot.

Any gender, its your doctor.

Keep a memento from each doctor. A picture or photo of them or just something they created.

If the rules seem abnormally specific that is because they are and I was trying to get myself to do things I usually don't. Plus slow myself down on baby making and just getting to know the sims.

But anyways without further ado here we go:

A Not so Doctor Who Legacy

Generation One

In loving memory of William Hartnells stern, mysterious yet family loving 1st doctor.

"Eh? Doctor who? What's he talking about...?"

You're a famous scientist with the brains to back up that ego of yours. Yet despite your many brilliant discoveries the one thing you struggle with is being a good parent. Which it turns out is your true desire in life.

- genius, self absorbed, hot head

- master scientist career

- master super parent aspiration ]

- master logic, parenting and one skill based on lovers traits (ie. violin for a music lover)

- have a child with coworker before you're in a relationship

- cannot have child until at least halfway through career (level 5)

- cannot marry until you learn all of your lovers traits and are halfway through the skill you learned to impress them

-make an enemy at work (this sims family will forever plague your own)

- make sure all of your work inventions are completely upgraded

- dress style: prim and proper(always dressed to the nines)

- 1-3 kids

- any spare children must find the perfect life partner before they can leave the house

Generation Two

In loving memory of Peter Troughtons cosmic hobo 2nd doctor.

"People spend all their time making nice things and then other people come along and break them!"

You love people. All you've ever wanted to do is make the world a better place for you and your family. Which sadly, is not as big as you'd like. Many friends have come and gone from your life but your child is always by your side no matter what.

- slob, music lover, family oriented

- friend of the world

- charity organizer in the political career

(does not need to be mastered, your focus is your child and self made family - friends)

- master comedy, violin and another instrument

- your postcard collection starts here , get your first postcard (collect one every generation from now on)

- protest at least once a week

- always have dinner as a family

- never marry

- can only have one child

There are two options to acquire this child.

*preferred method, be abducted and have your child from this otherworldly encounter

(It is possible for females to be impregnated thanks to mc and the satellite from generation 1 could help with the abduction process)

This child should always wear a disguise.

Now if you dont want to go the alien route I have provided an alternative

alternate method - your best friend hates children but after a one night stand the two of you have a child but they do not want anything to do with the child

(may remain friends but that is up to you, they just can no longer be romantic)

- your enemy dies in your presence (child of previous generations enemy)

- dress style: bow ties, hats, baggy and holey clothes

Generation Three

In loving memory of John Pertwees action packed dandy of a 3rd doctor.

"I sometimes think that military intelligence is a contradiction in terms."

Somehow your home has never felt like home. Your parent absolutely loved you but very much sheltered you from life. You seek to see all that life has to offer and maybe just maybe find somewhere that feels like home.

- active, snob, self assured

- complete renaissance sim aspiration

- master barista or scout career as a teen

- work in military as a young adult and continue to hide alien form (optional: attend university to be an astronaut at the same time)

- once your rocket is built (and or received a degree or got the job option from a phone call) join the astronaut career and never hide your true form again

- build 'Bessie' your spaceship fully upgrade her and visit another world

- if you did not go the alien route last generation you must move to a different neighborhood as well

- master handiness, rocket science,fitness and rock climbing

- dole out firm punishments on your children - you have your rules they must learn

- (optional) marry a witch or wizard

- master the rock climbing wall

- climb to the top of Mt. Komorebi

- have a light saber fight with your families enemy

- 1 - 3 children

- dress style: dressed to the nines like generation 1 but with flair! A bold color splashed into an otherwise sensible outfit or a cape

Generation Four

In loving memory of Tom Bakers erratic, brilliant and ever exploring fourth doctor.

"I'm a very dangerous fellow when I don't know what I'm doing."

Here's the thing: you are perfectly aware that you're just some form of entertainment for someone behind a screen somewhere. None of these so called sims believe you when you tell them they're out there. So you know what you're going to do?, you're going to make this as entertaining as possible, for you of course everybody else better strap in its gonna be a wild ride.

- erratic, clumsy, dog lover

- master jungle explorer aspiration AND spellcraft and sorcery AND a star wars aspiration of your choice

- must be born a spellcaster

(If second parent isn't one use a story element to account for it and use mc to make them one as a toddler)

- never have a job

- have a magic dual with your families enemy

- must own a dog from young adult on (can get one earlier if desired)

- master baking, pet training and comedy

- have an adventure (invite out) weekly with your best friend

- explore space with your parents rocket at least once a week

- marry someone down right jaw dropping

- clone yourself

- have three kids but spread them out. 1st is the parents best friend, 2nd not born until 1st child is a teen - this kid is pretty opposite of their parent, 3rd (heir) cannot be born until 2nd child is a kid.

- dress style: a scarf or a hat in every outfit, earth tones

- (optional) own a bakery or a restaurant specializing in deserts (jelly babies)

Generation Five

In loving memory of Peter Davisons doctor with the childlike optimism and a passion for cricket.

"The trouble with time travel is one never seems to find the time."

Your parents never paid too much attention they were far more interested in fun and exploration after all they didn't think this was the real world. And although technically you had a big family you were never all home at the same time. To you it just felt empty, as a child you surrounded yourself with friends to try to fill that empty feeling. But as an adult you think it would be even better to fill it with family.

- bro, childish, outgoing

- master social butterfly as a kid and big happy family as an adult (optional party animal secondary aspiration)

- master athlete career (sports)

- have a club with all your childhood friends that meets every week (bowling team anyone?)

- throw a party every week (man this generation is friendly)

- master fitness, bowling and robotics

- go to university to become an engineer but dropout when you are drafted into professional sports - just complete your next goal before you leave school

- build a servo and teach it to be self sufficient (2nd part can be done after you start your sports career)

- have at least 3 kids (but why stop there)

- children rules: one is a homebody who never wants to leave but you must guide them on their true path (help them find their calling career and/or play match maker) another child just craves independence, they leave as soon as they become a young adult but they just can't make it on their own and return as an adult

- after an altercation with your families enemy in front of your kids any spare children still at home must leave

- (optional) a child dies prematurely

- (optional) adopt a child

- (optional) doctors death by disease (rodent fever or jungle disease)

- dress style: sporty with eccentric accessories

Generation Six

In loving memory of Colin Bakers loud justice seeking and highly misunderstood doctor.

"I may be behaving like a manic barometer, but don't shrug off help when it's offered. You can't afford to."

After seeing your parents great fight (or death) it leaves an undeniable mark on your psyche. You're rude, brash and have no time for those not as smart as you. Yet despite this you believe strongly in justice and will fight for anyone in need - even if you don't really like them.

- paranoid, hot headed, cat lover

- master the academic aspiration

- master debate and charisma

- own white and bengal cats (because no cat lover ever owns just one)

- greet everyone lesser than you (think those God awful townies) with a rude introduction. The conversation can then be friendly but peoples initial impressions must be off putting

- earn a distinguished language and literature degree from Britechester

- join the Debate club and secret society

- must live on campus

- master lawyer career

- meet your future spouse in debate club - (initially you dont get along but over time and a chance encounter years later fall in love)

- this doctor must be famous (5 stars)

- use fame shine at all times

(You dont care if people like you but they must pay attention and always be aware of your presence)

- (optional - (because I dont know how it would work in game) have your families enemy save you

- dress style: bold colors mismatched until a graduate then can switch dapper and dark solid outfits

- have 1 to 2 kids

Generation Seven

In loving memory of Sylvester McCoy's entertaining, non violent but really quite sad and devious doctor.

"Happiness is nothing unless it exists side by side with sadness. Two sides, one coin."

Following in your parents footsteps you are quite well known. Which is great because you are a natural entertainer. You begin your life by riding on your fame as an actor. But your naturally devious personality catches the eye of those who could use someone like you in more secret enterprises. And you will do anything to blot out the ever nagging sadness that constantly seems to want to overcome you.

- gloomy, outgoing, perfectionist

- acting aspiration (does not need to be mastered)

- master acting and mischief

- master the secret agent career

- begin your working life as an actor but after an offer you couldn't refuse join the secret agent career (preferably from those job opportunities presented via phone messages for reputation)

- have a great reputation

- perform at a talent showcase once a week to keep up the pretense

(alternatively use a mod to have both careers going at the same time)

- always listen to jazz or blues music

- have one child very late in life (quite frankly you forgot all about being an heir to a legacy)

- dress style: anything you please (what can both attract attention and yet somehow be forgettable?)

Generation Eight

In loving memory of Paul McGanns effortlessly charming doctor.

"I'm the Doctor, but probably not the one you were expecting."

You never really knew your parent. So you try your hand at everything to emulate what they would want you to be. But your true calling is putting down roots, literally and physically.

- cheerful, loves the outdoors, green fiend

- master successful lineage aspiration and freelance botanist

- master violin, gardening, flower arranging and painting

- master gardening career (science)

- grow a large garden (10 plants or more)

- marry your soulmate a music loving doctor

- have 3 or more children

- have close relationships with them all

- dress style: a little bit cowboy

Have you noticed there's been no mention of the families enemy? They have disappeared.

Generation Nine

In loving memory of Christopher Ecclestons lonely and sad but do gooding Doctor.

"Tell you what, with a little bit of jiggery-pokery—"

You grew up in a very happy and close family but with time they all leave you. It was nothing personal just time. But with every loss you feel more and more sad and alone. As a result you retreat from the world throwing yourself into your crafting hobbies and work. What truly begins to brighten your life is finding that certain someone with a true connection.

- loner, gloomy, maker

- master detective career

- during interrogations use bad cop never good cop interactions

- master the master maker aspiration

- master handiness, charisma and fabrication

- cannot meet future spouse until on part three of your aspiration

- meet your true love through work (does not have to be a coworker) using an enchanting introduction

- make and keep a statue of every kind (including emotional ones)

- once married go on adventures with your spouse and family (weekend vacations - wherever and however you want just leave the house for 2 days)

- have 1 - 2 kids

- dress style: dark colors especially leather jackets

Generation Ten

In loving memory of David Tennants loveable and severely empathic doctor.

"If I believe in one thing, just one thing, I believe in her."

Your passion bubbles very close to the surface. You always admired your parents relationship but your emotions make it real hard to settle on just one sim no matter how hard you try. Until you realize they've been right in front of you this whole time.

- hot head, romantic, bookworm

- master style influencer career

- master serial romantic aspiration

followed by

- master soulmate aspiration

- master dance and a skill of your choice

- go on a date at least once a week once you reach teen

- all serial romantic lovers must be of the opposite sex

- soul mate must be of the same sex (an old friend)

- read two books every week

- really enjoy your life (take up invites out as often as possible)

- have as many kids as you like (who knows what risky has in store) one spare child of the opposite gender must follow in your footsteps in your career and the romantic trait

- your families old enemy returns at your favorite vacation spot. There's a light saber battle and they die

- dress style: big jackets, neck ties, glasses and sneakers ; sharp but casual

Generation Eleven

In loving memory of Matt Smiths extremely young incarnation with the oldest soul.

"Space can be very lonely. And the greatest adventure is having someone share it with you."

You are an incredibly kind, happy and understanding soul. All you want is to do good for others and encourage the same in others. Consistently winning people over with your big smile, big brain and even bigger heart. Over the years you develop a reputation as a natural matchmaker and set up many happy couples. Forgetting about finding someone for yourself as you have an incredible passion for traveling until you meet an incredibly flirty archeologist. Oh yeah, you are also an extremely picky eater.

- childish, good, foodie

- master doctor career

- master the grilled cheese aspiration, archaeology scholar aspiration and Mt. Komorebi sight seer aspiration

- master the vampire lore skill, cooking and at least level 6 in two other skills of your choice (except dancing and painting)

- have a childhood friend that you lose touch with until you become an adult

(once reunited with them you learn of their engagement. Attend the wedding and afterwards travel with the couple regularly over the following years.)

- visit every world (minus Sixam and Batuu) and hidden area at some point with your old friend

(emphasis on art galleries and museums)

- set up at least three sims with their future spouse

before

- marry a sim with an archaeology scholar aspiration (met in Selvadorado)

- complete the snow globe collection

- you absolutely adore kids but only ever have the one child

- your families enemy has a fight with a friend when you intervene they seem to have no memory of your families feud

- dress style: decidedly old fashioned, bow ties and suspenders, high water pants and sometimes a cowboy hat

Generation Twelve

In loving memory of John Hurts tired, warrior doctor.

"Great men are forged in fire. It is the privilege of lesser men to light the flame. Whatever the cost."

You are tired. All that travel with your parents was exhausting. You decide to take your time reflecting on your families past to ensure a good future.

- genius, bookworm, proper

- successful lineage aspiration

- freelance career

- marry the child of your parents best friend

- turn your families enemy against their siblings

- dedicate a room in the home to the achievements of all the doctors

(reflect there regularly)

- have at least 2 kids

- clothing style from the Batuu pack

Generation Thirteen

In loving memory of Peter Capaldi's brash yet caring and eccentric yet brilliant doctor.

"Do you think I care for you so little that betraying me would make a difference?"

Your parent learned of your families past to ensure the continued success of your family. You took all that knowledge and decide to pass it on to others because you have an excellent way with words.

- erratic, music lover, snob

- master musical genius and academic aspiration

- master education career

- master guitar, logic and/ or charisma, mischief and/or comedy

- have 2 best friends as a child

--marry one

-- the 2nd friend is from your families enemy, the relationship alternates between friend and enemy at every life stage

- have lots of kids

- be rude to all soldiers

- can only have really good friends/ you're incredibly loyal

- at some point take a week long vacation with just your spouse

- (optional) Father Winter saves your life

- clothing style: dark colors, formalish/ magicianish/ rockstarish

(Thank you Mist for help with 12, he baffled me. Maybe that's why he's surpassed 4 as my favorite doctor.

Generation 14

In loving memory of Jodie Whittakers exceptionally kind and compassionate doctor.

"Keep your faith. Travel hopefully. The universe will surprise you."

Your parent taught you to be the best of the family. Which you take to heart, always kind never mean and always helpful.

- cheerful, perfectionist, maker

- master the engineer career

- master handiness and juice fizzing

- leader of the pack aspiration

- work as a lifeguard as a teen

- volunteer once a week

- age up with all character traits positive

- never use mean or mischief interactions

- never live alone, always have roommates

- marry a genius sim (either a scientist or engineer)

- adopt at least two children

- clothing style: childish, always with boots

To be Continued ?

If you decide to do it please let me know and lets hashtag it either #wholegacy or #nsdw

[snellblogs]

Okehampton Station Re-opened

Blog by Susie Bedford

(Pen name, writing poetry and novels is Lynne Pearl)

Website https:lynnepearl.com

April 23

 There always was this old piece of track left behind after the 60’s cuts.  Somehow this little piece of track between Crediton and Okehampton was still there. The line to Barnstaple stayed in full service, but the piece going to Okehampton was only open on Sundays in the season for tourists and now it’s back, for all of us to use.  Is it a sign of the times, that we need more public transport than ever, not less if we are to reduce our reliance on the motor car which will be eclipsed eventually.  There is still a line between Plymouth and Gunnislake and it’s only a short piece of track necessary to join the Meldon quarry to Gunnislake and that would re -open an inland route across Devon that doesn’t involve Dawlish, the sea and storms in winter.  It’s so close. There is a viaduct outside Tavistock that has become a cycle route but it would be grand to link up the communities by rail.

  There is also a route between Starcross via Cofton but there is the matter of a hill in the way.  This is the case with Devon, it’s amazing we got a railway when you consider hills that are everywhere and, the mass of Dartmoor, our centre and beating heart.

   But we have a line opened full time for all from Exeter all the way through to Okehampton.  It has a real station again, not a picture postcard but an active service line that takes people from the heart of Dartmoor and the beaches of North Cornwall back to the beating heart of civilisation via a train.  It can take them home to jobs and all that entails in the South and South East of England.  It’s doable now and the community must be glad.

 The new-old line goes through Crediton where the track is single line and the signal box ensures the line is safe for trains to proceed.  There is a level crossing gate and beside the track there are horses in the field with may bushes in flower at this time of year.  

 The staff on this line are friendly. It’s almost as if they are chosen for their people skills, they are kind and patient, with time to make sure the journey is pleasant.  This is wonderful, a truly social railway.  This line seems to have more bridges than I have ever seen, magnificent stone bridges to carry lanes over the line that runs between farms.  

 At this time of year there are fields of rapeseed in flower, a yellow so bright it looks painted on.  Evidently the bees get drunk on the rapeseed it makes them dizzy there is an abundance. We pass blue tractors, a collection of them, and we are so close to the cowsheds you can see the cows waiting.  

 There’s a viaduct at Holsworthy that is now a bike track.  This train reconnects Bude with the world. Imagine there used to be a train all the way to Bude, my parents took it on their honeymoon many years ago.  A way of life nearly, not quite forgotten,  Bude is the town that is the farthest away from a mainline station until the railway opened again in Okehampton.

 We hope this is the way forward for us all to connect and keep our communities alive.

 PS I wrote a poem in the carriage en route… 

THE NEW OLD LINE

Deep green,

Rolling wet hills

As we approach small town Crediton.

There’s nineteen thirties platform here...

(and so one...)

www.lynnepearl.com

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7796332.Lynne_Pearl

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thiel-One-Foot-Front-Other-ebook/dp/B00GLNTCR2

[drarrily-we-row-along]

July 8: Postcard

The corner of the postcard had been torn when it arrived, just a little nick, not enough to ruin the image of the ocean on the front or distort the message on the back.

Draco had read it so many times when it arrived in the mail yesterday that he didn't actually need to read the words now to know what it said. Tracing his fingers over the nick in the corner was enough to make him block out whatever Pansy was saying so he could replay the message in his mind.

Dear Draco, It's so warm here! The sun and the ocean are amazing, and I think you'd love it. Wish you were here. It's not too late to join me. (Waikiki Beach Resort, Room 13) XO, Harry

But they didn't do things like that, right? He was just a convenience, just someone to warm Harry's bed on the cold nights. Surely he wasn't someone who Harry wanted to take on vacations with him. Surely he wasn't the type of person you wanted with you in the sun.

Still.

He'd gone through the trouble of sending a postcard. Harry'd taken the time to pick a postcard, write a message, and tell him it wasn't to late to come. That had to mean something, right?

"Draco," Pansy said, snapping a manicured finger at him. "Are you even listening to me?"

"No," he said frankly. "Sorry to cut lunch short," he said as he rose from the table and dropped a kiss to her cheek, "I've got somewhere I need to be."

He didn't wait for a response, didn't even let himself pack a bag, he just went straight to the international portkey office and got a portkey that left five minutes later.

When he arrived, it wasn't hard to find the hotel, or Harry's room with a gorgeous view of the ocean front. And he was so thrilled by the idea that Harry might want him there too, that it wasn't even hard for him to knock on the door or wait impatiently for him to answer.

What he somehow hadn't been expecting was that Harry would answer the door in his bathrobe, with a gorgeous man standing behind him.

(read more below the cut)

"Draco!" Harry said, his entire face lighting up like he was delighted that Draco was here in spite of the fact that he was covered only by a flimsy terrycloth robe and there was a strong, handsome man standing behind him.

"Sorry," he said, interrupting whatever Harry might have been about to say and taking a step back from the door. "I didn't realize that you'd have company. I didn't mean to interrupt-" He broke off and turned away, taking off toward the beach, ignoring Harry shouting after him.

He didn't know what he'd been thinking, he was such an idiot.

Strong arms caught him from behind and pulled him around.

"Listen to me," Harry said.

He shook his head, fighting tears, "It's fine," he said. "We're just friends with benefits. You don't have to explain, I should have said I was coming. I shouldn't have come at all. It's okay-"

"Listen to me," Harry repeated softly, cupping Draco's cheek. "That was Matt," he said.

"I don't care-"

"He's a masseuse," he rushed on. "I was just having a massage. He's not," he broke off. "He wasn't what you seem to think he was."

"Oh," he whispered.

Harry huffed a laugh and pressed a tentative kiss to Draco's cheek, "You're not just a fling to me. We aren't just friends with benefits," he added, "Not to me."

"Oh."

One of Harry's hands slipped around Draco's back and pulled him in a little closer, "I really like you."

His eyes fluttered shut at the words, "Oh," he breathed.

He could hear the smile in Harry's voice when he added, "I'm glad you're here."

"Me too," he whispered, melting a bit into Harry's body, and resting his forehead on Harry's shoulder.

"I want to hold you-"

"I want that too."

"-but I'm wearing nothing but a bathrobe," he finished.

Draco's eyes snapped open and he looked at the other man, to see that he was indeed wearing nothing else. "We should probably get you back to your room."

He laughed, "Probably."

By the time they got back to the room, Matt had left, and Harry seemed more than content to spend the rest of the weekend with just Draco.

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

July 7: Ice Cream | July 9: Festival

Read more of my gentle July ficlets

[tinyyoungblood]

hi!! adore your work love. could you maybe do smth where stark!reader has to get her wisdom teeth out but HATES the dentist so she brings her boyf peter and her dad w her?? and then when they get home the avengers are all waiting with like comical amounts of flowers and stuffed animals and then reader says some funny shiii and thor thinks she’s like dying lol. idk if that made sense but i’m getting my wisdom teeth out soon and i’m scared😭 thank u so so much love u babe

pairing: peter parker x stark!reader

a/n: tysm lovely :,) i rushed through this like my life depended on it, but i hope i’m not too late. either way, i hope you’re okay! it’s frightening but those bad boys gotta go because we don’t need that kind of energy in our lives. enjoy x

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

wisdom teeth? more like wisdoom

y/n has to get her wisdom teeth removed and it’s the singular most dreadful thing she’s ever had to do, which says a lot because her dad is tony richling stark

doing dreadful things she doesn’t want to do but still somehow end up doing just because she can is a personality trait at this point

no one really makes a big deal out of it since ~death~ is part of their job description, but y/n is terrified

and when a stark is terrified the only thing that will keep them one step from insanity is researching the hell out of it

that information will be info dumped into every conversation for the next few weeks leading up to the appointment

“y/n you need anything from the store?” "no thanks, did you know the side effects of getting your wisdom teeth out include ✨sudden death or blood clots✨ tho” “……..i have a coupon?”

the day of the appointment, peter comes along and literally doesn’t let go of y/n’s hand. he keeps touching her to let her know that he’s there and it’s so. adorable

he would rest his hand on her knee, gently stroke her back while holding her, or just play with her hair

happy drops them off and he’s too Cool™ for emotions but he knows y/n’s a wreck, so he just fist bumps her with a single nod and she almost breaks down bc it’s really affectionate

y/n is sitting in the dentist chair and genuinely nothing is happening yet, but she’s squeezing peter’s hand like it’s a sponge

peter might have a high pain tolerance but he’s in pain pain and he prays that his hand won’t just explode on him

the dentist notices how peter tries to keep it together and chuckles

“you okay there, son?” “yea it’s fine, had a better time when a building fell on me tho haha” “pardon?” “oh i mean i didn’t have a good time, i just had a better time”

because y/n is running Anxious Town™, the dentist gives her a sedative to help her relax 

plus, an injection of local anaesthetic to numb the tooth and surrounding area

she doesn’t feel anything and it’s GREAT

the procedure is quicker than expected and now the real fun begins

she tries to walk but she falls down so peter scoops her up bridal style and happy stays glued at her side

y/n doesn’t mind although she literally doesn’t recognise them and they’re practically strangers to her

but girly sees an opportunity and tries to flirt with peter bc why wouldn’t she

“you’re pretty” *blushes* “why thanks” “you should let your girlfriend know” “i should let her know i’m pretty?” “so you do have a gf? :(” “yea it’s you” “:)”

they stop for gas and peter goes in to get some water for y/n, and in her infinite wisdom, she decides it’s burger time

her mouth is completely numb and she’s practically leaving a trail of drool behind her, but she’d kill for a burger right now

so she wobbles around aimlessly for an hour on some random parking lot as if the ground might just magically open up like a rabbit hole and lead her to five guys

she’s going places. not back to the car. definitely not five guys. they’re closed. but places

peter finally finds her and he’s drenched from head to toe in sweat. he doEsn’T wAnt tO tALk abOut iT tho so she lets him take her to subway instead

normally, she would know that peter’s usual subway order is bread-lettuce-jalapeño

but in her drugged-up state, it had simply slipped her mind so now she’s staring at him like he’d just murdered someone right in front of her

“that- that’s your order?? no meat or anything just bread, lettuce, and a little spice?”

meanwhile at the compound, sam and steve are ordering everyone around bc they want to decorate this place before y/n gets home to surprise her

they take it very seriously too. they’ve watched like one HGTV show and said it’s our time

they finally get home and tony gives y/n a big hug, asking her what took so long

happy tells him that she was keen on getting burgers bc apparently someone has taught her that stressful times call for ~cheeseburgers~

he proceeds to look at tony with a pointed look

tony just shrugs and goes “she was a problem child. we don’t mention her dark past”

she’s swaying on the spot and keeps grinning like a fool and thor just stares at her weirdly before elbowing bruce and whispering loudly,

“what’s wrong with her? is she dying? should i start collecting leaves, i know this remedy—"

no one can tell if y/n is just happy to see the newly decorated home or if she’s just delighted to see everyone but then she goes around hugging the entire team

she doesn’t even acknowledge the sky-high pile of teddy bears and flowers everywhere bc she’s just squeezing everybody

y/n is so high, she just starts to spill all of her feelings about everyone and they’re already so overwhelmed by the hug chain they can’t take this too

“wanda i just want you to know that you’re like my big sister and you’re always taking care of me and i know you and vision are just going to make such good parents one day”

“bucky you absolute PRICK, you FIEND, you’re the best chess player ever and that’ll never change and i wouldn’t be good without you, i hate to say it but you deserve happiness even after you made me lose five times in a row yesterday”

“dad, you’re so strong and smart, even though we’re like never on the same page, you’re always along for the ride, i want to be like you when i grow up, i swear i’m gonna try to be as good to the avengers as you were to us” “aww- wait makes you think i'll be the first to die“

“nat you’re such a bitch about your protein shakes but you’re my best friend and i wouldn’t have it any other way, you can try out as many make up looks on me as you want”

“bruce, brucey, i would live with you in your lab for the rest of my days if i had to, whenever you ask me to hand you stuff i feel useful and important”

“laura’s way out of your league clint i have no idea how the fuck you got her but don’t lose her and i want to be your next child’s godmother”

“steve…we’re your family now. we’re always gonna be your family now. okay?”

“loki you’re not fooling anyone with your attitude, we all know you’re part of the family, you were just misunderstood and messed up bc of your dad–FUCK him by the way–but i realised everyone deserves as many chances as they need because of you”

“sam i would genuinely kill anyone who wronged you, even if they cut you in line at the grocery store, i would knife them no hesitation”

“thor, you poor golden retriever have been through so much, on my way here i made a wish on an eyelash for you bc you deserve better, your postcards always make my day, love you”

she mumbles something to peter that no one else can hear but he blushes and chokes back a sob

y/n orders hot soup and bucky brings it to her but before he even has time to react peter drops everything and ZOOMS across the room in .3 seconds

he barrels into bucky so hard they both go flying, but peter just smoothly rolls out of it and onto his feet like some kind of super ninja

“DUDE WHAT THE HELL” “😠 y/n is not supposed to drink hot liquids 😠”

all of this happens in mere seconds but sam has filmed it all and now slow mo clips go viral online of some mysterious kid knocking over the winter soldier

y/n’s a little in and out after that, but when she fully regains consciousness, she’s on a pile of blankets, surrounded by the team on the floor <3

* * *

let me know if this is actually comforting lmao stay hydrated pals

hc masterlist

[justkending]

Everest. Chapter 11.

Series Summary: She was done and retired. After Thanos and after the battle of a lifetime, she had called it quits and had distanced herself from the Avenger lifestyle. But word finds her that someone from her past is in danger. What the journey entails was never one she wanted to face nor one she saw becoming her reality again. The rollercoaster that comes with fighting evil odds arrives on her doorstep not leaving much room for a no…

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Word Count: 3400+

Chapter 11:

The ride was short, and about five miles out from their destination, she knew exactly where they were going. She stayed silent the whole ride and sat in the passenger seat while Clint drove, and Nat and Wanda sat in the back of the SUV.

Even as the car was put into park in the driveway, she didn't leave her spot. She reminisced on the last time she was here. It was right after the blip, and she had come to check on Lori and Marley, finding that Marley had run away and Lori had fallen victim to Thanos's snap.

She had seen Lori since, but it was never back at this house. Lori had come to the Avenger's compound to check on Y/N before the latter even had the chance to make her way out to her home. Since then, they had met in the middle of the city to catch up or stuck to sending postcards and letters in the mail.

It was as if she were magnetized to her seat. Upon getting out of the car, she knew what was to come. She thought she was ready for the next step in her grieving process, but seeing it was on the doorstep in front of her now, it was harder to accept.

As if feeling her apprehension, Lori opened her screen door and walked onto her wide-set porch. She was older. She looked more fragile than the last time Y/N had seen her.

It had always been interesting, never growing old, yet seeing friends you've known since college follow the natural law of a human lifespan. And yet, even with how many times she had lived the experience, it never stopped phasing her. If anything, it grew to become more painful, adding another friend she'd outlast.

Y/N took in a small breath and opened the car door. The others within the vehicle took it as their cue to leave as well.

No words were said between the old friends as Y/N approached the steps to the porch. They shared a look, and within it, silent words were spoken. Lori met her halfway as she stood at the banister, and Y/N went up the steps, knowing it would have been more of a struggle for the over 70-year-old woman.

Once at the same level, Lori sent her a kind smile and opened her arms. She had lost some height at her age, making Y/N bend down a little to embrace her. They stayed attached to each other for as long as each of them needed, and when they eventually broke, Y/N smiled back.

"I've missed you, old friend," she said softly.

"I've missed you too, old lady," Lori winked.

Y/N laughed gently at that before remembering why she was there.

"I'm sor-" she started.

"None of that," Lori shook her head, looping her arm through Y/N's and directing her into the home. "We aren't here to mope about the past."

"Isn't that the whole reason we're here," Y/N countered.

Lori stopped in her step and turned, giving Y/N a motherly glare.

"Let's not forget you're older than me. Even though I may look it, you're supposed to be the wise one," she hummed.

"Yet, you've somehow always beat me out in that area," Y/N smirked slightly.

"Well, then take this advice," Lori patted her arm, continuing her walk toward the entrance. "To grieve is to show the love we never got to extend for those that have gone on to their next journey. So I hope this grief stays with me, as it's all the unexpressed love I never got to share."

Y/N shed a single tear at the perspective. In all her centuries of walking the earth, she hadn't heard the pain she was feeling put into words that made sense and created comfort, as Lori had just shared.

"I suppose you're right."

"Suppose? Honey, I couldn't be further from a lie," the greyed-haired woman winked, bumping her hip with Y/N as they started their pace through the house and straight to the back door.

Y/N noticed now that none of her friends had followed them into the house, and as they approached the back door leading to the porch that dipped into a wide open landscape, her adopted family all stood in the gardened acreage Lori had maintained for so long.

Everyone matched her in colored attire, even Lori, wearing various shades of Marley's favorite color instead of black. Marley loved to spend time out in nature and had created her own plot in the garden that she and Lori had grown where the group now stood.

A flashback to a moment of time with Marley in the garden hit her as she looked out to the group.

____________________

"Why do people wear black to funerals?" Marley asked.

Y/N paused in her mulch laying as she pivoted on her knees and gave the young girl a raised eyebrow.

"Where did that question come from?" she chuckled slightly under her breath before turning back to the creation of the garden and patting down a mound of dirt.

"Well, when we buried that bird over there the other week," Marley pointed out to a tree far off in the distance, "you said it's tradition to wear black to funerals when I asked if we could have one for it."

"And that memory's coming to you now?" Y/N laughed again.

"Well, all the digging we're doing..." Marley shrugged.

She had been referring to a bird that, unfortunately, had flown into one of the windows and passed away due to the harsh impact of the glass. It was one of the few animals they had practiced relieving its pain when Marley was working on her powers. It was an unfortunate situation, but Marley had asked for help in easing its discomfort and then later requested to host a funeral for the little guy.

"I see," Y/N nodded, patting down one last patch of mulch before standing and dusting her hands off.

Marley finished planting the few seeds she had been in charge of and joined Y/N at her side.

Y/N threw her arm over the young girl's shoulder as they slowly made their way to a small bench under a tree, where some lemonade left out by Lori, was waiting for them.

"I believe it dates back to Roman times, actually," she answered. "They would wear darker togas when a loved one had fallen to show they were in mourning. It's considered a sign of respect. I guess it just continued on as a tradition."

They sat, and Y/N poured a glass for her and Marley before taking a seat and removing her hat, wiping the sweat from the hot summer sun.

"But why black?"

"I don't know. I guess when you think of death, you think of darkness. Therefore black," Y/N shrugged, taking a long drink after.

"I don't want black at my funeral," she said after a minute.

Y/N quirked her head at the comment.

"I'd prefer we didn't talk about your funeral," she shook her head.

She had seen enough death in her lifetime, and it never was something she found herself becoming numb to. The reminder that she'd attend more funerals than anyone ever was supposed to was something she tried to keep out of her thoughts.

"I'm just saying. When the day comes, I want everyone to wear my favorite color. Not dreary and depressing black," Marley continued, her lemonade in hand forgotten.

"What color would that be?" Y/N asked.

"Green. Any kind of green. My favorite is a light green, though. It reminds me of new plants..."

"New plants, huh?"

"Yeah, when something dies in a garden, a new plant usually replaces it. And when it does, well... Almost everything in nature when it first starts out is green or has tones of green. It's like the color that symbolizes a new start."

Y/N watched Marley as she stared off into the beginning of her new garden.

"I like that view," Y/N nodded, still watching the wise young lady before her.

______________

And just like she had mentioned all those years ago, her funeral was filled with people wearing the color that meant a new start.

Y/N looked down and noticed the tone she was wearing was that of her favorite. The dress was a light olive green, just like Marley had made note of before. She looked back up from the detail to see her friends standing in a group, waiting for her and Lori to make the first steps.

"Wanda planned it all," Lori spoke up. "Every detail she made sure was fit for our Marley." Y/N nodded in gratefulness, and a tear tumbled down her cheek.

Tony, Bruce, Steve, Sam, Wanda, Vision, Nat, Peter, Bucky, Clint and Laura... Everyone that could be there was there.

They had left a small gap that led to the garden's gate that was open. A path was paved for her to walk with Lori on her arm.

As she approached everyone, she gave them small head nods, showing she was thankful for their presence and help with everything. But looking ahead, she wasn't sure she could take the steps.

Wanda approached her side and took her other arm.

"We can do it. Together," she whispered.

Y/N felt a sense of relief flow through her, and she turned to Lori. Though she may be fronting as brave and strong, Y/N could still sense her sorrow in the circumstance.

Though she didn't have much of her own to give, she sent the same wave of comradery Wanda had to her, to Lori. Lori took a deep breath and smiled up at her as if somewhat relieved of the pain.

With the motivation to carry on, they started their walk through the garden to the spot where Y/N and Marley had sat for lemonade more than once on that monumental bench. In the space providing shade was a beautiful wisteria tree that Y/N may or may not have used a hint of magic to grow. And there, on the thick trunk of the place marker, there was a plaque.

Wanda and Lori took a step back and allowed Y/N her space to inspect and read the words carved into it beautifully.

To live in the hearts we love is not to die but to live on in love and peace. May her kind heart live on in a world not yet ready for her but in need of her. Rest in Peace, Marley.

She walked up slowly to the wooden plate and brushed her fingertips along the engravement. A feeling of pain hit her, but more than that, it was a feeling to ruminate.

She had the last two weeks to mourn and fall in the pit that Bucky had mentioned. Would she rather have stayed in that empty and hollow pit where she was finding her new sense of comfort? Yes. Would it do anything to help her actually move on from all the trauma? Would it have been what Marley wanted? No, and most definitely not...

Now was the time for a new start. A concept Marley had found herself understanding and blissfully believing even at a young age.

She had brought it up and explained it many years ago, and it wasn't until this moment, surrounded by others ready to help Y/N and themselves in the next step of the grieving process, that how she had been reacting was selfish, even if understandable.

Marley chose the finality of her death. She sacrificed herself for the greater good without hesitance, even after getting her life and mind back. Who was Y/N to take that away from her?

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and flattened her hand on the plaque.

In the next moment, a rustle of wind surrounded the group, and the branches and flowers from the tree swayed in a calming yet powerful pattern.

Instantly, a feeling of tranquility and alleviation surrounded the group. As if the feeling was embedded in the petals falling from the tree. It was captivating. Purple and violet pieces from the flowers that weren't even in season swayed in the wind, rained on the guests, and created stunning scenery all around them. The feeling and look of being a part of a painting that would hang in the Louver. A piece of art that billions would travel to view, and they were sat right in the middle of it.

A painting that represented the start of a new life. What once felt conquered, now moving on to its next journey.

Bucky looked up, seeing how the colorful petals flowed around them, staying only within the part of the garden they stood crowded in. The picture of spring in the middle of fall came to a slow stop when Y/N's hand slacked on the trunk. All the greenery and floral confetti settled where it was.

Though peace and acceptance filled the atmosphere, sadness still lingered. Marley's time here was done and wouldn't be continued on this earth. Their earth, at least... Moving forward was all that was left.

It was in the air. It was in the entire garden. The time to grieve is never truly one that ends, but the feeling of being able to continue on in one's own life is one that some never reach. Luckily for Y/N, she had taken that step thanks to everyone surrounding her now.

____________________

Inside, Wanda, Nat, Sam, Clint, and Laura began a small late-night dinner for everyone. What better way to celebrate life than spending time with those you still had the time to be with?

However, Y/N had disappeared a while ago, and Bucky noticed that she was still nowhere in sight as they were finishing the last part of cooking.

As he tried to casually look around for her without giving away his worry, Wanda smirked, looking up at him and then back at the strawberries she was cutting.

"She's up in Marley's room. First door on the right," she said, causing Bucky to look at her with a surprised face. Sneaky witchy woman. "Do you mind going up there and telling her the food is almost ready?"

"Me?" he asked.

"Uh, huh," she nodded with a small smile, still watching her fingers as she cut the fresh fruit.

Bucky hesitated but did as asked anyway. He quietly walked up the stairs, nervous about invoking Y/N's privacy. However, once he reached the top, the door Wanda had directed him to was open.

A sound came from the doorway, and as Bucky slowly moved closer, he noticed the slightest scratching that only came from a phonograph being played.

He peeked around the door frame and saw Y/N looking at the vinyl album cover in her hand. He didn't recognize the song, but it had a calming and comforting tune.

He didn't say anything at first. He let her sit there for a second, not wanting to interrupt whatever moment she was enjoying, and a part of him wondered if he should give her privacy, but he couldn't seem to tear away from the view.

He should have known she would sense his presence before he even came up the stairs because his spying only lasted about 20 seconds before she spoke up.

"All the Wild Horses, by Ray LaMontagne." Bucky straightened at her voice. "This album was our favorite to listen to when we had late nights."

She never looked up from the cover she was holding.

"It's nice," he responded after a minute. "I like it."

"Isn't it?" she hummed with a slight smile. Then she looked up at him and said softly. "I bought it for her on her 14th birthday. She's proven to get its use out of it."

A moment of comfortable silence passed, and Y/N turned from her position and pulled the cover to her chest before looking around the room.

"She wanted to be a doctor," she nodded toward a stack of old textbooks on a desk to the side, and Bucky followed her eyeline. "Lori and I would buy her old textbooks when college students resold them. She was so enthralled by them, she'd drop medical facts at the table," she chuckled, placing the cover on the desk and flipping through the textbook on the top of the stack. "Thank God Lori and I have iron-lined stomachs because most of the things she brought up were not dining-appropriate."

"Sounds like something Sam would do. He doesn't know when the socially acceptable time to give his very graphic and detailed mission retellings is," Bucky chuckled, placing his hands in his pockets as he leaned his shoulder on the doorway.

"Sam and her would have gotten along, I think. I would have introduced the two eventually if given the chance," she replied, and a slight hint of sadness coated the comment, but she smiled at the thought of the two either way. Her eyes ventured into a far-off thought before eventually returning to reality. "Sorry. You came up here for a reason," she said, shaking her head out of her thoughts and folding her arms into herself when she turned to him.

Bucky noticed that, at some point, she had thrown a cream cashmere sweater over the dress Nat had picked from her and wondered if she had a room here that held antiques of her own.

"Dinner's almost ready, but no rush," he waved off, taking some of his weight off the wooden frame.

"No, it's ok. I'm just reminiscing," she smiled, moving to the record player and pushing on a small lever that pulled the needle from the vinyl.

As she carefully started putting the black disc back into its case, Bucky could sense the slightest bit of resistance to her putting it away and spoke up.

"You should take it."

"Huh?" she looked at him as she slid it in fully now.

"You should take the album back with you."

She looked at the album in hand and back at the phonograph. Something about disrupting the peace in her room, which was the same as before she left, felt wrong.

"Something tells me she would want you to have it. A keepsake of her," Bucky shrugged.

She brushed the little flakes of dust collected over the years and turned it in her hand. Then she smiled down at it before looking at Bucky with the same look.

"I'll definitely think about it," she grinned, placing it gently back on the display next to the player, and started moving to the doorway.

Bucky couldn't help the smile that mocked her own, and he stepped away from the doorway and motioned to the stairs.

"After you."

"Much appreciated," she beamed a little wider as she descended the stairs with him behind her.

________________________

The dinner was simple and quaint, with breakfast dishes served in heaps on the large table as an honor to Marley and Y/N's favorite tradition whenever she visited.

There were chocolate chip pancakes, quiche, bacon, biscuits, fresh fruits and jam, orange juice, coffee, and tea... And bowls and plates were full of other comfort foods that fell under the brunch category.

The evening was happy and light. Upbeat and silly stories were shared about Marley and Y/N, which turned into ones about Marley and Wanda and sparked stories within the crew outside of just Marley.

Many of them consisted of the team making fun of each other for everyday things outside of missions. It was perfectly nuclear.

After dinner was served, half went out onto the patio on the back and drank a glass of wine or cocktail, and the other half stayed inside going through photo albums and talking about times Y/N and Lori were in college and the many adventures that came out of their time together.

They stayed for a while. But when it got late, Lori was ready to call it a night as she wasn't as much of a night owl, which led to the team packing up and getting out of her hair out of courtesy to her hosting.

"I expect to be seeing you more often, you understand?" Lori said as she hugged Y/N, not letting go of her for at least two solid minutes.

"What about you visiting me?" Y/N countered, knowing it was a long shot.

"You're funny if you think I'm going to take an eight-plus hour flight to the middle of nowhere Europe," she laughed back.

"Eh, worth a try," Y/N chuckled as they finally pulled away.

There was a moment of silent communication and sad looks exchanged.

"She would be proud and satisfied with all this." Lori quirked a lip with a knowing grin and motioned around her, hinting at the celebration of Marley's life. "I know I am."

"I hope so," Y/N nodded in agreement, even if the sureness wasn't 100% there just yet. "Love you, Lori," she winked, going in for one more quick hug.

"Love you too, Sunshine," she hugged her back tightly. "Oh! There's one more thing I meant to give you before you left," she rushed back into the house, and the sound of a weathered drawer struggling to open and then eventually shut sounded from the kitchen. Coming back, she had a little box, the perfect size for a piece of jewelry. "I found it while vacuuming her room the other month. I finally got the courage to clean some after so long of her being gone, and when I opened her drawer to put something away, I found this with a note attached to it... It's for you."

Y/N looked at the brown cardboard box, simple and not accented with anything but her name written in practiced cursive letters.

She could have opened it right there, but a part of her was prodding her to wait until she was alone. It was too sentimental a thing to open after an evening of high emotions.

"Thank you," Y/N nodded, taking the box gently.

The two said their last goodbyes and gave one last long hug before Wanda went in for hers, and they packed up the cars and headed back to the compound.

Though the day was hard, it was needed for not just Marley's next step in her journey but Y/N's as well.

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[soclonely]

The Clones as My Alternate Endings For Them

Let's say the Republic won, troopers got their rights, etc etc. This is my chosen ending for each of these boys

Rex- I don't think he would leave the GAR for awhile. With the galaxy at peace, Rex would continue to serve freely, eventually teaching future troopers at the academy. He would eventually retire, spending the rest of her s life fishing quietly on a calm planet and spending holidays with the Skywalker Family.

Echo- he would probably put in a few more years with the GAR, but still get out early enough to settle down with someone, start a family, and dabble as a teacher to middle or high schoolers.

Fives- would get out immediately, exploring the galaxy as much as he can, sending Echo postcards from all over. But once he sees Echo settling down, he would start to feel homesick for his brother, eventually come back and be that cool uncle to Echo's kids, getting a teaching job at the same school just to annoy him.

Jesse- this one is hard. At first I wanted to say some sort of police or first responder, but... I really think Jesse,once given the opportunity, would be a great advocate for those who don't have a voice. Maybe a lawyer or a Representative of the Clone Troopers to the Senate. He grew so much.

Kix- I could see him becoming one of Coruscants top doctors. Family physician of the Skywalker's? Uh yes.

Tup- animal sanctuary man. Becomes a vet. He didn't even have to think about that one. Saves even the boys great of monsters. Steve Irwin of the Star Wars Universe. Catch him on Space Animal Planet kissing a Rancor he rescued

Dogma-police officer of the people. He really loosens up after the war, and continues to help people after. Common to see him wandering the parks of Coruscant and waving at the kids.

Hardcase- firefighter Hardcase. This man would always be prepared and he just gives off those vibes. Fire house food? Hardcase- is in the kitchen just cooking for his brothers.

Coric- travels the galaxy with a group of doctors and activists, visiting small villages and towns and providing them with medical care.

Bly- General Secura and him get married, start a family after she leaves the order, and lives happily ever after.

99- doesn't get to move off Kamino, however he does get to travel! After the war, there was a small surplus of young troopers who need a home. The Jedi Council placed Plo Join in charge of this and he is accompanied by 99 when taking the young clones to their new homes. The rest of his s life is peaceful and full of goodbyes, this time happy ones

Cody- similar to Rex, Cody stays in until it's time to retire, eventually taking a senatorial spot that was granted for the clones via Mandalore.

Waxer and Boil- after the war, they return to Ryloth, reuniting with Numa. They spend the rest of their lives helping rebuild the planet and starting many public programs that help fight the slave trade of the people. I feel like they somehow become close with the Organas, who eventually come and adopt a few of the war orphans.

Wolffe- I could honestly just see him loosening up quick, finding someone, falling in love, and becoming stay at home dad. The man needs this.

Boost and Sinker- using their skills and memories of the simulators on Kamino, these two become some of the top video game makers in the galaxy.

Hunter- I think when the wars over with, Hunter will have some time adjusting. There will be a few hiccups along the way, but at the end of it he will be sipping sweet tea on a front porch somewhere quiet, enjoying nothing but the sound of trees and birds.

Wrecker- this baby decides to join the Coruscant guard, giving Fox greyer hairs

Tech- becomes a slightly mad scientist who gets cited a few times by the Republic for him s wild creations.

Crosshair- joins some mandalorian clan, disappearing into their society. Either that or swamp witch

[dreamteamspace]

MCYT subway au Part 3 because I’m a sucker for attention and the 2 ppl who made part 1 and 2 noticed me

Holiday Shift

- Everybody who works on the holiday gets double. Those that can’t work have to put their name on a list. Lowest entries and those that don’t enter need to work the shift. It’s Phil’s idea don’t ask

- George is the first to put his name there but Sapnap skribbles it out and makes sure everybody else gets their name in first. It’s his punishment for leaving Dream and him alone for rush hour when Karl was sick. Dream wasn’t all that mad but Sapnap Will Not let that shit slide

- Tommy gladly takes the oppertunity to not have to spend the entire day awkwardly hugging relatives and being told to keep their elbows off the table. Convinces Tubbo to join them, supposedly for the Money

- Dream: “So Karl did you put your name on the list yet?” Karl: “What list??”

- Shift staffing: George, Tubbo, Tommy and Karl

- George becomes the reluctant babysitter of what feels like three kids

- “Karl stop WASTING the bread we NEED THAT.”

- Tommy is told to go pull what they need for monday out of the freezer. Tubbo offers to come with him and holds his hand the entire time. They’re best friends your honor. Tommy promises Tubbo to make it up to him

- George does about 60% of the work on a four person shift. Swears to murder Sapnap on sight. Probably slaps a pastry in his face later

Promotion pt. 4: Taking Over

- Tommy begs Techno to join in support of Wilbur. Techno reluctantly agrees because he can’t really say no to Tommy and because he doesn’t really want to become manager anyway (too much paperwork and he’s fixating on the origins of vedgetables) 

- Tommy now adds #WilburForManager to his pogway stickers. Wilbur is also reluctantly Growing Soft in face of Tommy’s undying support

- Nobody knows why, but Quackity has the unspoken ability to make Schlatt give him sick leave or remove him from shift?? All Quackity has to do is point to his phone and give Schlatt a smug Look.

- Ppl are suspicious but really Quackity just has a video of Schlatt kissing a baby kitten in the face and talking to it in a high pitched soft voice

- Wilbur needs to visit extended family and leaves for 2 weeks. The day before he leaves is surprisingly light-hearted and Wilbur admits that Schlatt isn’t the worst manager imaginable. He lets them waste things sometimes and has yet to give anybody a cut for not showing up to a shift

- Dream can’t openly go against Schlatt, silently wishing he’d just put the milk in The Right Spot before his shift. But no. It never is. It’s always somewhere else. Always.

- Schlatt continues to place things in slightly different places than they belong and following his whim more than the rules. One time he didn’t order the dark chocolate cakes they sell because “Who likes those anyway”

- Phil is there more often to make sure Wilbur’s work is covered. The war continues to rage in stolen glares and misplaced ingredients.

- Bad and Skeppy are slowly genuinely growing concerned, watching the whole thing go down like a movie.

Promotion pt. 5: Adopted On Sight

- Schlatt tells Tubbo he’s doing great One Time because he literally saved Schlatt’s ass from being fired for the whole cakes thing by biking it to the nearest store that sells them and getting some

- Tubbo will now follow Schlatt around to ask him how he’s doing, if he did everything right, if he needs any help, how his morning went so far

- Schlatt does Not Know how to handle Tubbo and suddenly wishes for Wilbur to just Come Back and Take His Kid. Tubbo wishes him a good morning and good night every single day. How is he supposed to keep up his tough old man appearance like this

- Tommy is still on Wilbur’s side and purposefully makes Schlatt’s life just a little more difficult. Small pranks. Stickers on the cakes, wasting them. Writing #TommySupremacy on the sandwhich wraps with markers while nobody is looking. Taking 4 chairs to the back to stack them on top of eachother and stand on them to reach the ceiling. Being the teenager he is.

- Tubbo think it’s funny and that’s the main thing keeping him going really

- Schlatt confronts Tommy but with no results. He turns to Phil to ask him what to do and Phil is like, you don’t do anything. That’s just Tommy for you. Usually Wilbur keeps him occupied with the Dreamon hunting and now he has too much free time

- Quackity is using the blackmail more and more. Does he even work here anymore? When was the last time anybody saw him apart from looting the expired sodas? He’s the only one who can order avocados on a spanish site online that don’t cost their weight in gold

- But as it tends to be with good friends, Schlatt knows the amount of blackmail he has is enough to fill everybody’s need for drama here for the rest of the year. Also he can’t say no to Quackity

- Fundy recieves yet another apology card from Wilbur from Ireland, a whole postcard with a picture attached and a little doodle of a fox. He finally caves and forgives him, now refusing to do Schlatt’s work anymore.

- Dream is Popping Off. Nobody can stop him from working once he starts. He’s 2 months ahead on Literally Everything. Somebody help him

Promotion pt. 6: The Finale I promise

- Wilbur returns! Schlatt is THIS close to throwing in the towel

- Tubbo says he wants another sleepover, wanting to de-escalate the whole manager war. Tommy has to stay true to his promise in the freezer and they convince Wilbur together. Techno was on board before they even asked

- Unbeknowedst to them, the Dream Team + Karl wanted to stay in that night as well to sabotage Schlatt

- Both groups stare at eachother in confusion at first

-They combine their resources to figure out a way to sabotage Schlatt. Dream is growing increasingly quiet and unsure while Tommy stares at The Adults with dissapointment. Tubbo tries to get a word in about how Schlatt isn’t That Bad but they all yell over him. “The milk, Tubbo! Why can’t he put the milk back like a normal person!”

- Eventually Tommy pulls out his bravery and tells everyone to Shut Up

- Everyone stares at eachother

-Tommy: “How come you guys yelling over bullying somebody out of their work sounds less mature than when my literal nephews are screaming at eachother over 10 year old pokemon cards??“

- The adults stare at eachother even harder

- Dream shyly clears his throat. “From an outsider perspective, you know, uh, I should probably be fired for plotting against a fellow manager-“

- Wilbur finally finds his tongue. “Maybe this wasn’t the most... mature idea.”

- Everybody carefully agrees to apologize to schlatt and never speak of this again. Tommy has unknowingly gotten a lot more pranking rights

- They spend the rest of the night organizing the storage, hunting Dreamon, Dream telling them about that one time he ate a living frog, and taking turns playing some free racing game on Karl’s switch

- Lots of laughter, return to their shifts the next day

- They wait for Schlatt to come in to work and pull him to the back. Only Bad and Skeppy are already allowed inside while they keep the doors locked for anybody else

- Dream issues a formal apology to him and tells him everything, and Wilbur jockingly mentions they were really close to pouring food coloring into his rubber gloves as they try to laugh it off

- Schlatt stares at them

- “You know what? I quit. I don’t want to be the manager anymore. I feel like the dad of lord knows how many kids. Phil is some kind of angel. Wilbur please adopt Tubbo and Tommy again, as long as our store isn’t on fire I’m never going to complain about them ever again. Dream you might wanna phone Quackity.”

Insiders

- After a good, short era of peace within the establishment, the Drama Bois are getting bored and latching onto new things

- The bets on whether Skeppy and Bad are a couple or not are getting ever higher, especially as they’ve started letting them behind the counter. They figured out pretty quickly that they’re officially not together, but that just makes the betting all the more exciting. Do they like eachother? Are they hiding it? Are they just really good friends? Are they THAT oblivious or just really good at covering it up??

- Bad especially becomes good friends with Dream, George and Sapnap, and yet they’re all just as split as everyone else on whether he likes Skeppy or not

- Bad pretends to be but is in fact not oblivious to this at all

- Dream especially will often tell them they’re being VERY close to eachother or how cute they are next to eachother, revelling in teasing his friend, especially as Bad will sometimes start to get flustered while Skeppy manages to somehow stay 100% cool

- One day when a middle aged white woman is extremely unhappy with her order she starts talking down on George about being uneducated, and too clumsy for being useful at all, and how they should fire him. George asks her if he should just get the manager and she gladly agrees, only for Dream to swoop out of a back room, a good head taller than her, and sternly tell her if she can’t treat employees like human beings then he will ban her from the establishment immedietly. The woman stutters, takes her order and leaves, cursing something as she goes.

- Bad and Skeppy were sitting at a table nearby quietly the entire time, and Bad has this a-little-too-wide smile on his face.

- Dream murmurs something about having to go, but the seeds are planted. The idea has bloomed. Bad is ready to get his teasing revenge.

- Just as they’re closing, George puts away the milk that Dream left on the counter, telling Dream that he’s putting it away. Bad: “Wow George, that’s so thoughtful of you!” George: “???”

- Dream, softly telling George he can go home earlier and he’ll take the rest of the shift so George can catch up on sleep: “It’s okay, just go. I’ve got this.”

- Bad, just as George left, slurping his milkshake innocently while Wilbur and Sapnap are in earshot: “Awww, Dream! That was SO nice of you!”

- Dream, knowing exactly what this is for: “I’m just... nice to my friends!“

- Bad: “Really?! How many times do you let Sapnap go home earlier?” Sapnap: “You let George go earlier AGAIN?” Wilbur, having waited his entire life for someone to finally notice this: “George is getting so much favored treatment, Dream. But you’re really just good friends, right?“

- If looks could kill they’d all be dead at that point. Especially Bad, who continues slurping his milkshake as the chaos unfolds and Dream knows there’s no escape

@labbyyyyy @karlljacobs

[fakecrfan]

Since you very nicely offered to write me a fic:

Your prompt is: A story about a background character or characters dealing with life after the TMA apocalypse.

It can be set in the OG TMA universe in the post-post-apocalypse, or it can also be set in a different universe that was affected by the events of MAG 200.

Both OCs and characters established in-show are allowed.

This one aligned so well with my interests that I am actually tempted to open my inbox, briefly, in case anyone else has questions like “what is X bavjground character doing after the apocalypse?” so I can make a series out of it and expand on my post-post-apocalypse headcanons.

For now, you can read your fic here, on over here on AO3

---

Sarah doesn't know where she is.

England, she has to still be in England, she thinks. But it's not an England she recognizes. Not the cobblestone streets of London, and not the moors she used to visit on her vacations. The ground is barren, as though all blades of grass but a few have shriveled up and died. There are no trees, houses, or landmarks for miles--just scorched remnants of where they might have been before.

For a moment, the emptiness of it all is a relief after the hotel. But everything is the same on all sides, and she doesn't know where she is or where to go. She's starting to get hungry, too. She never got hungry in the hotel, nightmarish as it was.

She has to sit down for a moment, take a few deep breaths, and think.

Get food. Find shelter. Survive.

Find Alex.

(God, why had she left her child in a hotel room? Little twelve year old Alex who was still afraid to sleep without a night light. He'd begged her to stay, she should have--)

With that in mind she gets up. Doesn't know what direction to walk in, so she doesn't concern herself with trying to pick one. There's nothing to do but walk, keep her eyes open, and hope.

So she hopes.

---

None of our old maps match the landscape, anymore.

The world these days it's... not like in the before times, as I suppose we're calling it. Despite our hopes, ending the apocalypse wasn’t like everyone waking up from a nightmare. The land is...

It's scrambled, I guess. There are patches of the world that--well. They're not the same, but still have infrastructure intact. Electricity, running water, air conditioning. No scorched earth or rubble in these areas. Just a bunch of traumatized people living in an intact town, or city.

When I talk to them, they tell me it's not the city they remember, though. Everything has been switched around, houses and stores not where they remember them. Their neighbors aren't the neighbors their remember.

Those are the lucky ones. And then there's, well... the outside.

Some places have rubble everywhere, jagged steel ripped apart and waiting for someone to cut themselves on it. Some are frozen over, still waiting for the ice they were frozen over with in the apocalypse to melt. Some are scorched to dust. No phones out there, or anything that lets you connect back with home base.

I'm going out there. We need to map it out. We need to figure out our new world, understand it--and we need to get as many people out of the wastes as possible.

Melanie, Georgie--I’ll see you soon.

---

Sarah does find water. That's something. She's hungry still, so hungry, but she knows that the water is more important.

She wonders if she should stay there. She doesn't know if there will be more watering holes in the future, after all, and she has no way to carry it with her. She decides to keep moving on, and hope for the best.

She starts to see blades of grass poking up, along with some sort of metal crap strewn about the landscape. She looks at them a moment--it seems to be bits of an old carousel? Eventually, a giant sit in their shade, for a while. There she takes a moment to look at the horizon, and goes cold.

She recognizes the tower on the horizon.

A  scaffolded tower with two legs beneath it. A sight she'd last seen on a postcard from her brother. The Eiffel Tower.

Is she in Paris? No, that can't be it. It's just the tower out here in the wastes. There are none of the buildings that would normally surround it. It's almost as though its been ripped out of the city and transported here.

Does Paris even exist anymore? Does London?

If she even finds Alex, will there be a home for them to go back to?

---

I have a theory, Melanie. I think lots of people got transported to different places in the world based on what fear they belonged to. Like, a bunch of lonely people were put in the same place, a bunch of claustrophobic people were put in the same place, and so on. All away from the people they knew.

I’m in one of the suburban safe areas now. No one here knows each other. I talked to them all, and all of them remember living in the same house before, but none of them recognized the houses near them or the people in them. When I went from house to house, everyone had a different native language. I talked to a German guy and a French guy who spoke English, but a lot of them… couldn’t talk to me at all.

There was a woman who--she saw me and she lit up. She grabbed me and started talking a mile a minute in Arabic, I think. But I couldn’t understand her, and she--when I tried to talk back to her in English, her face just. Fell. And then she started to cry.

My dad refused to speak it at home, you know. He-- Actually, never mind. It’s not important. 

She ended up shoving me away.

---

Sarah makes it to the ruins of a forest. 

There’s nothing but stumps left of it, along with litter everywhere. She finds water again, filthy brackish water, and she drinks it anyway because she’s so thirsty. She starts sifting through all of the garbage strewn about for something edible. She finds stale bread crusts crawling with ant and eats them anyway. 

She finds a can of beans, and almost cries. When she can’t find a can opener, she screams instead.

---

The death count has gotten to me, honestly.

I’ve found dead bodies even in the towns and cities. Some looked like heart attacks. Some suicides. People who woke up but couldn’t bear the agony they’d just gone through. That’s still not… the worst of it.

I passed a whole field of dead bodies today.

Hundreds of people, I think, all of them lying dead in the soil. But there were... trails. They had been walking, before they collapsed. All walking in the same direction, to where you can still see London on the horizon.

They were alive. They were trying to get help. And they just... starved, it looks like. The walk was just too long.

How many people are going to die from it all, Melanie? How many already have, out where we can't see them?

I left as many jugs of clean water and rations along the roads as I could. I put up signs pointing to London, saying how many miles out they were, where I had stashed food. I gave them your number, so they know who to call to get to the shelter.

I hope it means the next group that passes by won't die.

I hope there is a next group.

---

Sarah can see what looks like a city in the distance before she collapses. 

She tries to get up, but can’t. She’s been walking for days now, it feels like, only sporadically drinking and almost never eating.  There just isn’t enough energy left in her to stand.

She tries to think about little Alex again, running around in his Batman cape, hoping some kind of love or maternal instinct will kick in and give her the last burst of adrenaline she needs to get up. It doesn’t work. Maybe she doesn’t love her own son anymore, really. Maybe it’s just been fear and guilt driving her this far, and that source has already been wrung dry. 

She manages to crawl a few feet, before she can’t even do that. With nothing else left to do, she starts to cry out. “Help! Water, please!” 

She doesn’t think anyone will hear, or show up. But against all odds, in her dimming vision she sees a figure come into view. Backpacked, clutching a water bottle. 

“Help,” she croaks out again. 

The figure gets closer, and she starts to be able to make out the details of his face. He’s her age, or older, with worry lines carved into his forehead and wide eyes. His nose looks eerily like her brother’s nose, and the shape of his jaw reminds her of her old boyfriend, the one who left her with--

She blinks. Maybe she’s hallucinating, or maybe she’s somehow run into a long lost cousin. But then, the man’s eye’s widen and his mouth opens.

“Mum?”

No, no it can’t…

“A-alex?”

No, Alex was a little round cheeked boy. This is a thirty year old man, at least, taller than her. It hasn’t been that long. It can’t be, it’s not--

“Mum?” He’s doing a frown that looks so, so familiar. This has to be a dream. “Mum, it’s--no.”

He sniffles. He steps forward, and steps back. He paces, uncertain.

“No, no,” she hears him mutter. “It’s all fake, all fake. It’s a trap. That’s what they want, the monsters and the face stealers. No one is real. Don’t give them what they want--’’

“Please.” she begs. 

But she hears him walk away, sniffling, and shortly thereafter everything goes dark. 

---

I have a confession to make, Melanie. I was going to side with Jon, back then. I could have lived with keeping everyone here suffering to prevent more of it. But when he said he was going to kill the whole world, not just leave it--that’s what made me snap. 

I couldn’t let the whole world die. Genocide of the entire human species? Anything but that. Surely passing along the suffering would be better, as long as it didn’t lead to the extinction of whole worlds. But… 

I keep finding more dead bodies.

I went back to that suburb I talked about, to restock on all my food. It was a lonely domain before, I think. I’d thought everyone there would be fine, you know. They didn’t have any deadly sicknesses, or twisted flesh injuries. They had food and water and shelter. But when I went back… more of them had died. 

Lots of suicides. Some of them snapped, and started to self injure.

The German guy I talked to had started to starve. He had a pantry full of food and he just wouldn’t eat it. I tried to get him to eat, to move in with someone else, but he said talking to people “made him sick.” 

I gave up, and left. I had to. There were too many people, and too much to do, so I left him. He’s probably dead now, or going to die soon. Because he can’t find the will to live, and I don’t know how to help someone with that.

The Lonely is probably one of the least directly harmful entities, right? This domain was just a suburb, probably the most comfortable you could get during the apocalypse. And yet the victims are still all dying. 

How much worse is it in places without food and water? In the corruption domains that still probably have deadly diseases spreading? In war zones, in flesh factories?

I think about that nursing home we found. All of the patients who'd died of heart attacks a few minutes after they'd woken up. The ones left alive screaming for help where no one could hear them, for days after the fact. All of the ones that died in their beds before we found them. 

I think about that field of bodies I found the other day. I think about the ruins of that Circus I found, people refusing to talk to me or each other--refusing to help because they didn’t believe it was over and thought everyone else was a mannequin. 

I think… I think it doesn’t matter that we saved the world. If people can’t find the will to live, ro rebuild, to trust and help each other again… I think we’re going through a mass extinction event anyway. 

---

Sarah’s in a car, she thinks. Not a moving one. She’s propped up against a seat,There’s something plastic pressed to her lips.

“Come on,” says a woman’s deep, level voice. “Come on. I got you. We’re getting to London. All you have to do is drink.”

Sarah opens her eyes. She sees a dark-skinned woman trying to coax her to drink, holding up a water bottle. 

“Just a sip,” the woman says. “Just enough to make it.”

Sarah closes her eyes, and takes a long moment to consider whether she wants to.