#She was level 11 when we ended so there's room to grow

[ihaveonlymydreams]

🎲

[molsno]

god, what happens next is so good. the character writing is just spectacular. it fascinates me just how much depth there is to each character and how that contributes to the story.

milo's dni is the most revealing thing about him, and it's the very first thing we hear from him:

right off the bat, we can see what kind of person the protagonist is. he's a pastel softboi trans man who clings to a childish aesthetic to appear weak and non-threatening. despite being involved in a toxic relationship with another trans guy who attempted to rape and kill an 11 year old girl when he was a teenager and later murdered his girlfriend, which milo helped with by dismembering her corpse, he puts "pedophiles and unhealthy pairing shippers dni" on his carrd. which, ok, maybe he wants to distance himself from people like griffin now - except that's not really true, because he talks to, moves in with, and regularly hangs out with a serial killer fan who idolizes griffin and is even dating the guy while he's in prison. he puts "being against neopronouns" and "anti-otherkin" on the same level as those things. he explicitly denies any responsibility in the murders of haylie and savannah, despite having literally chopped haylie's arm off. all the while, he has "you deserve to heal" in big bold letters, while not applying that belief to anyone but himself.

right from the start, it's obvious that milo is not a good person. but he's also humanized throughout the story. sure, some of his softboi persona is a means of victimizing himself to avoid taking responsibility for what he did - and you could make the case that he was a victim in some ways. on the other hand, he also never got to grow up because he spent 5 years in a psychiatric institute. is it any surprise that he clings to the same aesthetic, interests, and hobbies he had when he was 15? he never got to stop being a kid, and how is he supposed to now? he didn't graduate high school, he can't get a job, and nobody wants to be friends with him because of what he did. it raises uncomfortable questions - namely, what happens next? milo served his time for the crime he committed as a minor. he was already punished, but now he has to live the entire rest of his life. what is he supposed to do?

that, I think is the most interesting part of this story. almost every character in this story makes it hard for you to like them, but they also have very human reasons for doing the terrible things that they do. I'll talk about some of my favorites under the read more, but be aware that there will be spoilers:

claire is one of the most interesting characters to me, just because of how unlikable she is.

when we first see claire in victim impact statement, she tries to ignore haylie, griffin, and milo as much as possible. she doesn't even seem to like her sister. she treats haylie as a nuisance for coming into the room that they share as sisters. she doesn't want to go to the open mic night to listen to haylie play her ukulele. when she finds haylie bawling her eyes out in the bathroom at anime central, she just looks away, as if to say "you chose to date your shitty boyfriend". when she hears haylie and griffin fighting upstairs, she just pretends not to hear it. when haylie is curled up in terror later, claire puts on headphones and turns her back to her. her headphones become a way of drowning out haylie's screams when griffin is around, and because of that, she doesn't hear haylie screaming for her life, and ends up finding her corpse in the kitchen.

that's why I don't find it surprising at all that she becomes an outspoken transphobe who wants to take her anger out on the trans people who murdered her sister. she goes to media events and publicly degenders milo and griffin. she calls aaron's friends trannies. I think it's easy to misconstrue her as a terf, but she literally doesn't even pay lip service to feminism. how could she? she knew that her sister was being abused by her boyfriend, and she did nothing. let me remind you that she lives in a house where "smash the patriarchy" is embroidered on the wall. she doesn't care about any of that. she just wants a scapegoat. she wants to make the law impose harsher punishments on minors who commit violent crimes because she doesn't know what else to do with her life. she very clearly hates herself, becoming an alcoholic to cope with her guilt. she pretends to care about haylie and fight for this law because it's the only way she can convince herself she's a good person, even though she can see that doing what she's doing is turning everyone against her.

and then that brings us to audrey. it's difficult to like her, too, because she's dating claire despite all of the horrible things she's doing. but at the same time, I can see where she's coming from. her mother died of cancer and she and all of her other black siblings were adopted by conservative christian white parents. she's still christian to this day, and makes a point of separating herself from "criminals" by insisting that she has nothing to do with them because she goes to church and takes care of her family. she doesn't want to disavow the law that claire worked so hard to pass because at the end of the day, it won't affect her personally, even though she is aware that the justice system disproportionately punishes black people. she very clearly has a lot of internalized racism, and I think that's best exemplified in the way she draws herself. despite having pretty dark skin in real life, she draws herself as light skinned as claire, her white girlfriend:

like, it's hard to like audrey, but you can clearly see why she's made all of the decisions she has! she idolizes claire because it's her first lesbian relationship. the way she sees it, claire can do no wrong. audrey does actually seem to be aware that her girlfriend is doing terrible things, but she essentially just plugs her ears and tries to ignore it. that's why she doesn't go to claire's campaign events. she ignores all of her girlfriend's flaws because claire is essentially her savior. because she has claire, she doesn't have to go back to her family, to her abusive alcoholic white father. she doesn't have to actually take care of her younger siblings, which is a responsibility she's foisted off unto mark. that's why she ignores that claire is just as much of an emotional drain as her father. she's highly depressed, she's an alcoholic, she trashes their bedroom (leaving audrey to clean up after her mess), she puts up an emotional wall and dismisses audrey's attempts to comfort her, and dismisses audrey's own problems as being less traumatizing and less important. by all accounts, claire is a terrible girlfriend and a terrible person, but because audrey idolizes her as her savior, she stays by her side. I'm really looking forward to seeing how she reacts to claire's disappearance in future chapters.

and then of course, there's vikki. she's been doing something incredibly disrespectful for years by making true crime videos where she talks about the victims and killers like it's all a joke. she makes a video about whether ethical necrophilia is possible, and makes a callous, bitter joke that the concept of "respect for the dead" is antiquated, because nobody respects her as a trans woman of color even though she's still alive. for this comment, people have harassed her online endlessly, enough that she had to make a video called "STOP TELLING PEOPLE I FUCK CORPSES". that doesn't stop her from making a video about the murder of haylie, complete with an interview from milo. she'll throw him under the bus if it means getting the attention off herself for a bit.

and yet, I think out of everyone, I feel the most compassion for vikki. yes, she used milo for content and called him a "sad little blonde girl", but I can understand where she's coming from! like, again, she's a trans woman of color in the true crime community. she knows the archetype milo is trying so hard to be in order to avoid taking responsibility for what he did. like, I've personally seen trans women of color who are victimized by white trans men who pull the same exact shtick as milo over and over, so I completely understand her frustration. that said, she also realized she went too far and tried to apologize, only to find out she was blocked and that milo basically wrote a callout post against her. I think it says a lot that vikki was one of the only people to actually try to talk to milo, even if the way she went about it was wrong.

vikki does things that are disrespectful, but to be honest, it's not that surprising! she grew up in a 90% white town in the middle of nowhere, got assaulted by multiple white boys for being a faggot, got sent to alternative school, worked for a funeral home as a teenager, and transitioned. not only is she desensitized to death, she's angry that people revere the dead more than her.

it's astounding, really! what happens next is so well written because it makes you feel conflicted about each of its characters. what are we supposed to do with these people who do awful things? a lot of the intrigue in this comic comes from seeing how each of the characters handles this question as they deal with the other characters who have done terrible things, while they themselves are deeply flawed as well. I think the writing really forces you to contend with the idea that these are all still people, and that their humanity needs to be recognized even if they do terrible things. it makes you ask, what happens next?

[albertasunrise]

Hope - Gotta be Hopeful

Masterlist

Summary: After Joel loses his wife and your best friend during childbirth. You support him as he takes on parenthood on his own at 22. But when feelings start to develop, you battle with the guilt you feel for falling for your best friend’s husband.

Relationships: Joel Miller x Reader

Warnings: Like AO3 I choose to give none. Read at own risk. 18+… this is to avoid spoilers! (So happy y'all loving this fic. Sorry in advance for this angsty chapter ♥️ slightly shorter chapter but it'll all make sense in the end 🙊)

Series Masterlist - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Your brows pulled together as you eyed the time on the clock. It was gone midnight and the later it got the more worried you became. Alec had promised you that he'd get back no later than 11 and had sworn to call if that was to change. So the fact that it was just shy of 12:30 had you picking up your phone and opening your contacts. 

Your brows pulled tighter when Tommy's name started to flash on your screen. 

"Tommy, what's up? Everything okay?" 

"No." He choked down the phone and your stomach sank. 

"What's happened?" You managed to ask as your hands started to shake. 

"Joel and Alec were heading back from the bar and... Shit... They were heading back and..." He trailed off and your throat tightened as you waited for him to continue "They were in an accident..." 

"What do you mean?" You sobbed as your eyes flitted to the photo Alec has recently had printed and framed of you all at one of the many weekend BBQs you'd had. Joel smiled as he held a giggly Sarah in his arms with Noah at his feet, grabbing his jeans as he grinned at his friend. You and Alec were in a natural embrace. He's kissing your temple as you grin at the camera whilst Tommy stood to one side scrunching his face at the two of you. 

You had taken a few but that was the one you'd ended up picking. It emphasised the family-like unit that had developed between you all. 

Tommy's sob pulled your attention back to the call you were on and you fought to keep yourself together. "I'm on the way to the hospital now with Sarah... Shit... shit it's bad. It's really bad."

"What hospital Tommy?" He gave you the address and told him you were leaving before heading up to Noah's room. 

You picked up the sleepy toddler and grabbed the emergency to-go bag that Alec always had packed for him. The little boy was confused when you carried him to the car and put him in his seat but you tried your hardest to stay calm so that he didn't get worried. 

"Where's daddy?" He asked sleepily as he wiped his eyes and you choked back a sob. 

"We're going to see Daddy, honey." You said softly as you jumped in the driver's seat.

"Is daddy okay?" He asked softly and you shut your eyes a moment as you willed your tears away. 

"I hope so sweetie." 

...

Tommy was cradling a sleeping Sarah against him when you arrived in the waiting room. Noah looked around at his surroundings, his mussy clutched tightly in his little hand. His eyes grew wider when he saw Sarah and he grinned as he jumped up and down on the spot. 

"Sarah here." He screeched, quieting down when you crouched down to his level. 

"I know sweetie but she's sleeping right now." You said softly "We need to be quiet whilst we're here okay? There are lots of poorly people that need to sleep to get better." 

"Are Daddy and Joel sick?" He asked quietly and you nodded softly.

"Yeah, baby... they are but the doctors are going to help them feel better." You said sweetly "But we need to be quiet and gentle so that they can rest okay?" 

He nodded, eyes growing a little teary and you were quick to pull the toddler into your arms, looking at Tommy over his shoulder. He gave you a grim look that made your stomach sink. A short while later, Noah and Sarah were curled up together on the couch in the corner, fast asleep. He held her closely, the blanket from her emergency back draped over the two of them. 

"What are the doctors saying?" You finally managed to ask and Tommy scraped a hand over his face as his eyes drifted to the kids. 

"Joel was driving." He started and confusion filled your features at this new information "Truck jumped a light and t-boned them." 

Your shaky hand flew up to your mouth as you tried to muffle the gasp that slipped from your lips. 

"Joel's suffered internal bleeding and a bleed on the brain. They've put him in a coma and he's on life support. Won't let me see him till he's more stable. They're trying to treat the brain bleed without surgery but..." He trailed off, throwing his head in his hands as he tried his hardest not to fall to pieces. 

"What about Alec?" You asked softly, listening to the soft sigh he let out before he raised his head to look at you again. 

"He's in a bad way." Tommy confessed "Broken leg and arm. Internal bleeding and head trauma." He stated, taking a moment to compose himself "They had to remove his kidney and gallbladder..."

"What else?" You pushed, knowing there was more "Tommy, what else?" 

"His spine was damaged too." Tommy replied, finally looking at you as his eyes started to mist with tears "They're concerned about the long-term damage but at the moment it's too early to tell." 

"Are you telling me he may not walk again?" You sobbed, glancing at the children when Noah moaned softly in his sleep. 

Tommy couldn't keep the tears at bay. They silently slipped down his cheeks as you looked at him pleadingly. 

"They don't know." He answered honestly and you sobbed, cradling your bump when your baby girl started to move. 

...

3 hours later you were finally able to visit Joel. The doctor had promised you that you would be allowed to see Alec soon so you resigned yourself to waiting. You carried Sarah, the lighter of the two toddlers and Tommy carried Noah as you were led to the ICU. Joel was situated in his own room, surrounded by different machines that were throwing out different sounds. Sarah turned her head, tiredly rubbing her eyes as she looked at her father who lay in the bed in front of her. 

"Daddy?" She said softly, leaning back to look at you before returning to her dad "Daddy." She said, her voice growing more distressed and you hushed her as you carried her closer.

"Daddy's not very well." You said softly as you sat in the chair that had been placed beside his bed, Tommy pulling the spare sat in the corner up next to you. 

"Daddy owie?" She asked as she pointed at the scratches visible on his face and arms.

"Yeah, daddy's got a few owies but they'll get better honey." You said softly "Just needs to sleep a little bit and then he'd be all better." 

You knew it was going to be hard for the toddler to understand. You wished you knew what to do. Tommy was 19 so you knew that he was going to need help with Sarah whilst Joel was in the hospital. You were going to need each other as you navigated this mess. 

Now more than ever. 

...

Tommy took care of the kids whilst you went to visit Alec. He looked, physically in better shape than Joel. The doctor had advised you he was sedated but that they were confident he was going to recover. 

They just weren't sure if he'd walk again. 

His right side was almost pure plaster. His arm and leg elevated to help the healing process. You sobbed as you sat beside his bed, wishing you knew what to say to him. How were you going to cope if he ended up paralysed? 

You were 6 months pregnant and had a 3-year-old also. The idea that you were going to have a disabled partner too was daunting. 

"Hey." Alec croaked, pulling you out of your thoughts and you jumped to your feet, cradling his face as you kissed him sweetly. 

"Hey." You sobbed as you pulled back and rested your brow on his. 

"Hey, no tears." He said softly as he used his uninjured hand to wipe them away "It's okay... We're okay." 

You nodded softly, pulling your bottom lip between your teeth as you drew your head back to look him in the eye.

"How's Joel?" He asked and you choked on a sob "He's not?..." Alec asked as his eyes grew wide and you shook your head.

"No... No, he's alive but he's on life support." 

"Shit... God this is my fault... If I hadn't offered for him to drive-"

"No, hey. You can't think like that." You said as you placed your hand on his hip, pulling your hand back when you noted the stitches "Oh, sorry." 

"It's fine, can't feel it." He said, shaking his head and your eyes widened at that "What?" 

You were fighting not to break down as you stepped back from him and covered your mouth to muffle the sobs that wanted to slip out. 

"Baby... what aren't you telling me?" 

"You damaged your spine in the accident." You choked out, hand shaking as you spoke "There's... there's a chance that..." 

"A chance of what?" He pushed and you sobbed harder "Fuck, baby you're scaring me. Just spit it out."

"You might not walk again." 

The silence that fell over you both was deafening. Your whole body was shaking as you watched him process this news, your hand on your bump as she gave you a powerful kick. Making you wince. 

"You okay?" Alec asked, taking you by surprise and then your eyes followed his to your hand rubbing where she just kicked and you nodded. 

"Yeah, she's just making herself known." You chuckled as you made your way to his side again and placed his hand on your bump, smiling as he smiled at the feeling of his little girl moving underneath his fingertips. 

"We'll work this out." He stated, eyes not leaving your swollen middle "It might now be easy but we'll get through this." He finished, looking up at you "I promise." 

You nodded at him, lifting his hand to kiss his grazed knuckles. You believed him. No matter how this went. You were going to make it. 

Alarms started to blare from another room and your stomach dropped. The sound of Sarah screaming made your blood run cold and you glanced at Alec before sprinting out the hall, almost colliding with Tommy as he was pushed from the room, Sarah crying in his arms and Noah clutched his leg. You pulled the inconsolable toddler from his arms so Tommy could pick up Noah, watching through the slits in the blinds hanging in the window as the doctors shocked Joel. 

"DADDY!" Sarah screamed, thrashing in your arms as she tried to reach for him and your heart broke as you stood there and watched them work. 

Praying for her sake that they could bring him back. 

Next

For updates follow @albertasunrise-ficsblog

[dadvans]

missing language.

if livejournal posts were still real. this would be it.

i started learning japanese when i was 11 years old, around early summer 2000, from my aunt from okinawa. she would practice with me in the gazebo when she and my uncle would come to visit for family reunions in the midwest, and would continue to buy me tapes, movies, CDs to start learning the language.

my school district was one of the lowest in the country growing up. we had a prestigious japanese immersion charter school, and after a disastrous middle school year, i ended up applying and being accepted. grades four to twelve. each year we were in different (sometimes abandoned or condemned) buildings up until halfway through my freshman year. despite occupying abandoned churches and gymnasiums, we had the highest test scores, and most exclusive college acceptance rates in oregon. it was either that good or that bad. we all hated each other the way family hates each other.

i won my division three years running for the oregon japanese speech contest through my ninth grade year.

i moved to japan two days after my sixteenth birthday. the year and a half that followed was not easy. i had a host family for a period of time that constantly kicked me out, starved me, and found other families for me to live with. i had another family where the host dad tried to molest me twice by taking me to remote locations. when i became fluent, really fluent, around the 6 to 8 month mark (long after i passed the JLPT 3 at the time, which is now closer to JLPT 2), after months of isolating myself in the computers at class to speak english to abroad friends for an hour a day, i told my japanese school friends, and they were horrified. they stepped up in ways i never knew. it wasn't usual for someone to be so forthcoming, and yet they all recognized it as an extreme circumstance, invited me into their inner circle. my home room teachers took notice and would take me out for lunch. my host family situation was codename ONI BABA, and even another family that eventually took me in would refer to her as such, when i asked if i could borrow her koto for a public concert (yeah, the one instrument it turns out i'm a prodigy at is okoto. Played my first concert at a local Obon festival within a week of starting. Talk to me about how Hana Kage is a fucking bitch. this version of 回転木馬 was what i was performing after a year. if you can find my old livejournal account, i guarantee there is a really terrible version recorded on my motorola razr still live).

by the time i was seventeen i was allowed to be on payroll to act as a translator for a month-long "jan-term" project with my mom in japan, where we took about 13 students across the main land. back at my american school i was writing all my essays in japanese, in the style i had been taught in japan (it was WILD to relearn how to rewrite english essays when living abroad-- that shit does NOT translate sometimes).

i went to college. i was immediately accepted into the higher ed programs my school provided. they were working toward offering a major, but only had a minor present. i signed on for level 300 with 8 other students.

the professor hated me. that is the nicest word for it. she would have typos on her quizzes. she would make fun of my hokkaido accent. but the worst part was when i was sexually assaulted by one of the other 8 students in the class, went to her during office hours to request that she not pair me with that student out of fear, and then she proceeded to exclusively pair me with that student on projects.

i was also learning i had a learning disability, but the student union health center refused to directly prescribe me medication for my disability, or refer my outwards--what happened instead was i was put on a prescription that had not been recommended outside of extreme epilepsy (carbamezapine), and when i expressed my fear that it was resurfacing suicidal tendencies, the doctor in charge doubled the dosage and encourage me to kill myself.

it was an ordeal. it was an ordeal that i documented. it was an ordeal that by spring 2008, i was accused of cheating on a test i got less than 30% on because i was so fucking out of it by a woman who would only partner me with a man who had sexually abused me. and when i confronted her about it on tape, with a medical transcript of what i had endured for the past year, i have a recording of her saying, "I don't need a piece of paper to tell me that you have problems."

Anyway, she went on sabbatical to adopt a kid the next year. Idiot sex pest remained in my classes, but god, he really sucked. I had to leave through most of my 400-level classes because I was working a lot. Most of my classes were essentially unpaid labor where we were translating books and providing subtitles for movies that were ready for American distribution. Half of my classmates my second year were born in Japan and spoke Japanese better than English but were able to cop out a foreign language credit, and they were honestly my favorite friends in the class, even if that's a steep fucking grading curve. Asshole teacher appeared once my spring semester, but knowing she took the year off, I actually completed my minor degree my sophomore year in early 2009.

And then I never really spoke Japanese again.

And it's hard. Whenever I'm introduced to media, I'm like, god, I forgot that. I remember that. I knew that, once upon a time. I remember conversations in English that weren't in English. And I remember when I was in my senior year of High School, I would be speaking Japanese and forget that I was speaking Japanese, that sometimes no one else except my teacher or friend who were equally fluent understood too. I miss that feeling. I feel shame, sometimes, at letting it go. I know I still have the pronunciation and local dialect, but it's hard to be reminded of how much I forgot.

When I started learning first, very close to when I was still fluent, Indonesian, and more recently, French, my backup language in my head has always been Japanese instead of English. My wife used to tell me I had a Japanese accent when I would try to speak French (fun fact: one of my friends in Japan was learning French and spoke zero English, and only then did I understand the horror of French phonetics), and it took me literally over a month of quietly practicing my R's in my car when I would get home from work for her to be like, oh you sound like a regular Anglo (read: white boy trying so hard and yet).

Whenever I get back into the mindset of becoming fluent in French (mandatory!), and restart the journey from where I left off these past years, I ache something fierce and weird for my Japanese. It is, surface level, a sense of failure. I couldn't hold onto you, I wouldn't have known how to try. There were obstacles. There were so many bad memories. And yet, sometimes I will be in bed with my wife, and she will be watching a Japanese show, and I will be like, "Did he really say that?" and she will say, "Oh God, I forgot that you knew Japanese."

Some things are bone deep and will probably never go away. I guess I'm still in mourning for the language that I lost as I continue to learn a new language. I want to be better, I know I can be better this time! And yet, I'm afraid that every step forward, I'll lose what I have of my second language identity. I have already lost so much.

[pushing500]

Starting today off by introducing our 21st colonist, Henry!! Woo! How exciting- and annoying. My colonist bar had to break into two rows on top of each other to handle so many pawns! it won't be a problem for long, don't worry

Henry is a little boy who is of the 'Hussar' xenotype, which just means he's a genetically engineered super-soldier who will apparently develop a dependency on Go-Juice later in life. Hooray for him. He has a wooden foot and lil' bandaids on his face, which makes me think this kid has seen some fights way too grown-up for him. Fortunately, the colonists at Eureka don't believe in sending children into combat, so Henry is free to spend his days learning and having fun.

The first thing Henry did (after putting on a new shirt) was go hang out with Irwin in the school building to learn about melee. For what it's worth, Henry is already the third-best melee fighter in the colony, at the same level as Kawoo, and only beaten by Irwin at level 14 and Connie at level 11.

I think he is going to get along swimmingly with Irwin.

Then we had a drop-pod raid, which I did not think was going to be a problem because there didn't seem to be that many Saurid raiders... But, alas...

I guess someone named "Executioner" would ruin my day, huh?

The problem with drawing the adventures of these colonists is that I get way too attached to them. So, uh... I wrote eulogies. Sorry. They're under here if you feel like reading 'em.

Wendy Marsengill

Wendy Marsengill was killed on the 13th of Decembary, at the age of 27. She is survived by her wife of 1.5 years, Tamarind, by a vast and eccentric family, including her Aunt Kawoo and cousin Andy, and by many friends in the settlement of Eureka and beyond.

Wendy had a fascinating start to her life when she was recruited as a Child Spy. She went on to become a Barber in her adulthood, though, at some point, she ended up on a distant Rimworld and was lost to madness as a Wild Woman. She wandered in this state for some time before joining the Animist Alliance, where she met and eventually married her wife Tamarind.

Wendy was the best cook in the settlement and often was single-handedly responsible for keeping the colony fed with properly cooked food, and nobody ever got food poisoning while Wendy was manning the kitchen.

Some of Wendy's greatest moments include wearing a jester's hat to her own wedding and somehow managing to cement herself as the most Australian colonist in my head based on a single social interaction way-back-when.

Pearl the Cheetah

Pearl was the first animal to join the ranks of Eureka's ever-growing menagerie, not including Rogan the rottweiler who crash-landed with Albina, Brennan, and Irwin.

Pearl landed near our burgeoning settlement in an animal drop-pod, where she was rescued and nursed back to health by Head Researcher Brennan. Pearl decided to stay with us and spent a very long time sleeping on an animal sleeping spot on the rough marble floor of Irwin's ascetic bedroom (sorry, Pearl. You deserved better).

Once Andrei McCarthy joined the colony, it was love at first sight, and he bonded with Pearl almost immediately. She was eventually given a proper animal bed in the room Andrei shared with his wife, Kawoo and their infant son Andy, before Andy moved to his own room.

Pearl was brave, beautiful and very fast, as cheetahs often are. It is a tragedy that I can't draw animals as well as I would like to, or she would have featured far more prominently in all these posts. I'll miss her. She made silly noises when I zoomed in on her sometimes. It's going to be quiet without her.

First | Next | Previous

[bitch-spectrum]

PART 2/3

Part 1 ,, Part 3

Ed

Personality Headcanons: He hates tobacco. He hates it when people smoke around him. He's the kind of guy to put out your cigarette for you and you look up at him, thinking you're gonna fight some punk but quickly change your mind. His dad used to make him cut and light his cigars and he hated doing it so much he swore he'd never smoke. The hole that he sleeps in is deliberately cut, sanded, and reboarded. He nests in there. Probably Autistic and doesn't speak much around strangers. Will gladly infodump to his friends. He's in his mid-late 30s ~35-38. In addition to being part of TF4 he also works part time as a steam locomotive driver. After being tied to the train tracks, he kind of got curious about it. He can play an instrument, I'm just not sure which one. Probably a fiddle idk. Physical Headcanons: The tooth sticking out is a broken tusk. he desperately wants to grow facial hair, has tried, and cannot. He's very jealous of people who do have facial hair. ~6'05" Gender: Cis male Pronouns: He/Him Orientation: Straight He's a hardcore ally and loves going to pride events to support his friends. He thinks they're a lot of fun. Post Game: His life carried on fairly regularly afterwards, like Ace. I personally feel like he had more of a connection with Clover than the others though so, he was a little more impacted by their death. Sometimes he'll sit into the early morning with Starlo at the Saloon. Opinions: I'm bias. I heart large men so, points. I would have also liked to have seen more of him. One thing though is that on appearance alone I could so clearly hear his voice when he spoke. His design carries. 3.5/5.

Flowey

Personality Headcanons: Flowey is my favorite character in the Undertale franchise so I'm going to TRY to keep this short. As it stands, he's currently stuck at the maturity level he died at, so around 11-13. Since he doesn't have a physical body (other than a flower) he doesn't really age. I don't think he's a lost cause or even completely irredeemable. He's a terrified, traumatized, kid who's own parents don't recognize him anymore. He's had to try to navigate the world in a body that isn't his, completely alone. Sometimes when he goes through episodes he lies close to the ground to bite his petals and rip them off hoping that somehow it'll make room for his horns to grow back. He both despises his family for splitting up and ignoring him but wants nothing more than to be a family again. He has really conflicting feelings on a lot of things. I feel like if he went through extensive therapy his maturity would probably eventually catch up to what would be his chronological age if he wasn't a flower. He's touch starved but hates being touched. Probably has one or multiple personality disorders. Physical Headcanons: We get a side profile of his nose in his boss fight in neutral. I think that's a genetic trait from Asgore. Has freckles. Not much to headcanon since he's a Flower until the true ending of the OG UT when he ascends. Gender: He stopped giving fucks a long time ago. Pronouns: He/They (DESPISES being called an it) Orientation: Aroace. He's not necessarily repulsed but if asked if he has a crush on anyone he'd say "I'd rather watch someone be crushed to death than think ever think about dating." Post Game: N/A Opinions: I'm a die hard Flowey Apologist. He's such a deep, complex, and tragic character. I love him. I want to hug him. In this specific game too, wow, I love Flowey lore. Love Flowey angst. 5/5.

Martlet Personality Headcanons: Probably AuDHD. Definitely has racing thoughts / scatterbrain. Her first job was babysitting when she was a teen. She only barely got into The Royal Guard because they were desperate after losing a lot of good members in the war. She eventually proved herself to be a good member. Probably in her early 20s so ~21-23. Physical Headcanons: She's pretty buffed because of her job. ~5'10". I don't have too many. Gender: Trans Woman Pronouns: She/They Orientation: Multisexual of some sort with a preference for women. Also ambiamorous. Post Game: She quit her job at The Royal Guard, unable to really take the burden of having to kill a human child for the king. Chujin's words haunt her, what he said about her not being cut out for it. Instead she got a job as a classroom assistant. She bounces around the limited schooling system the underground has. So often times she gets a good reputation with the kids and will get to watch them grow up. Sometimes her job makes her think about how she could have done her best to hide Clover and watch them grow up too. She's a very emotional person by nature so, she would probably take the longest to really have it be in the past for her. But, she got right to *appearing* like she was moving on. By day it was like nothing had happened at all, she puts on a smile for the kids she helps out with, plays games with them. She's good at seeming okay but just shatters every night for a long time. Eventually (RAREPAIR), spending so much time with Dalv became beneficial for the both of them and they helped pull each other out of the rut. Opinions: I wish she had more screen time because she seems like a character the creators cared a lot about. She's very OC shaped and that's a good thing. I love when I can see the care that goes into a character. 4/5.

[inbarfink]

Much like many ‘What Remain of Edith Finch’ fans, I also subscribe to the theory that there is nothing truly supernatural about the ‘Family Curse’. That it’s more of a bad trauma-coping-mechanism turned self-fulfilling-prophecy that led the Finches to romanticize and obsess over death, take unnecessary risks, and never learn from their mistakes. 

But generally I see folks people point to Molly’s death as the event where this really got going. Like, obviously the ‘Curse’ existed long before this back in Norway - but its Molly’s death and Edie’s inability to process her own guilt in it that led her into a full-on obsession with the ‘Family Curse’ that eventually doomed almost her entire beloved family. And while I don’t deny that the loss of Molly was certainly an important step in Edie’s obsession- I’d say the true inception of it all was quite a bit earlier, back when Edie lost her father and her house.

Because the loss of that old house has clearly left a huge mark on Edie, it haunted her dreams every night of her long life - she spent what was probably her last few days on earth writing a story about it. And what is Edie’s biggest problem? She clings, she never lets the past go. In her own whimsical and cheerful way, she’s in a state of permanent mourning. Every death story is retold and mythologized, every dead child’s room is meticulously preserved as the day they died (to the point of making one of her sons share a room with his dead twin for 11 years), the New Finch House can rarely actually change - it can only grow. And I do believe that this obsession with preserving the past is born of the time Edie had to watch all the past she had at that time drown beneath the waves alongside her father.

We really can’t know what sort of memorialization traditions the Finches had back in Norway. We’ve never being inside of the Old House, not even in Edie’s story. And according to Edith’s narration, Odin built it - so it probably hasn’t been around for enough generations for the Finch tendency to cling to the past to be as evident as with the outside architecture of the New House. 

But I feel like it’s very probable that while Edie really took it to another level, the Finches had a tradition of memorialization for a long time. There’s a reason why Odin was so insistent of sailing his entire damn house across the ocean. And when it drowned, Edie didn’t just lose her daddy and her childhood home - but also everything that connected her to the dead Finches that came before her. There’s a reason why we know almost nothing about Ingeborg, Edie’s mother, all of her possessions and pictures have been lost when the house sunk. Odin probably only kinda avoided that fate on account of being a kinda-known writer, so his books and pictures of him were still available outside the House. But who knows many other Finches’ memories were buried under the waves.

During Edith’s flashback of her last day in the house, you can see some of Edie’s post-it notes about ‘the History of the Finches’, full of names neither Edith nor the player can recognize. 

And when Dawn pulls the book away from Edith, you can see a few lines that were not narrated to us. 

“And I wasn't alone. I started seeing things. The bed I shared with my sister. The chair my grandmother died in. The clock I used to hide inside of.”

All of these people were once just as real as Louis, Dawn and Edie were to Edith - but how much of them was really left after decades of existing only in Edie Finch’s mind? How many of these names Edie remembered and how many did she have to guess at inside the fog of her memories? Does Edie really remember the chair her grandmother died in or did she have to hesitate wandering if it was a sofa instead? Did she even remember her own mother’s face by the end? 

The true tragedy of Edie’s book isn’t really that Edith never got a chance to read more of it. We know the other entrance to the library exists, if Edith was truly driven she could have tried finding that key (gathering up the torn book honestly wouldn’t be that much of a worry, it seems to have basically into two big halves, after all). The reason why the Player never gets to read on is cause I think Edith realized that this book was just pure fantasy.

And not just in the sense that there wasn’t ever any freak earthquake and low tide that allowed the Old Finch House to resurface, in the sense that whatever Edie wrote about meeting or discovering in the Old House was stitched together from the half-remembered memories and wishful thinking of a grief-stricken old woman. There was nothing there that would’ve truly brought Edith (or her son, or the Player) more information about the family history or the ‘Curse’. It could only teach her about what great grandma Edie wanted to be true, and what she wanted most of all is see that Old House again. To once again, for the first time in years... feel like she was home. To meet all these people she lost and can’t preserve eternally like she thought she could with her new family. To have something from them she can preserve. To be able to tell Edith about her sister and uncle and grandmother and mother. To truly remember them again. But she can’t. All of these ideas as such of a fantasy as the Old House rebuilding itself before her eyes. And that’s the true tragedy of ‘The History of the Finches”.

Edie was so resistant to Dawn’s attempts to move away from the family obsession with death because she thought she knew what it feels like to let go, what it feels like to move on. And it feels like all of her family and memories drowning beneath the waves. The roof peeking over the shore a constant reminder of all that she lost. And cause the Finches are not really good at finding a happy medium, all Edie knows is to cling to the past, to everything she can lose, to her house. Even as her obsession exacerbated the ‘Family Curse’ - until all her family died or left her. Until Edit Sr. ‘Edie’ Finch died all alone in her big empty house, surrounded by her perfectly preserved memories of her dead children.

Like I mentioned at the start, I think the ‘Curse’ became a self-fulfilling prophecy partially because it led to a mindset that never learns from mistakes. If every death is a manifestation of a supernatural blight upon the family line, then there’s no point at looking at a tragic death of a child as a mistake that might’ve been prevented, then there’s no attempt to avoid similar mistakes in the future. And Odin’s death is really the encapsulation of that problem. 

Odin supposedly moved to America in the hopes of leaving the curse behind and moving on, but just like his daughter, he was seemingly incapable of actually leaving anything behind. He sailed his entire goddam house across the ocean (and through either the arctic circle or the Panama Canal cause the Finches live on the State of Washington) because he was so unable to part with any of the memories imbued within it. And how did that end? With both Odin and his precious home buried beneath the waves forever. If Odin was able to admit he can’t take everything with him to America, he could’ve simply taken the most important mementos of his dead wife and child and the Finch Family History in general and be able to actually preserve some of his memories in his new home. Or at the very  least let his daughter keep at least some pictures of her own darn mother. Instead of losing everything, including his own life.

But for Edie, this whole story didn’t seem like an almost-parable-like narrative about how clinging too hard to the past might just mean destroying it more thoroughly. It just seemed to her like the Curse striking again, making it clear it will follow the Finches everywhere in the most poetic way possible. So instead of learning any sort of lesson from what happened to Odin, she glorified and romanticized the actions of her father. Built him a monument that made him seem like some sort of hero. She reveled in the story of the house that sailed across the ocean and almost made it ashore. And then just set on making his exact same mistake, over and over again.

[alieinthemorning]

Haunt [Ace Trappola | Maeda Yuuna]

Content: Kidnapping, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort

Pairing: Ace Trappola/Maeda Yuuna

Header: @/n_twst on Twitter

Reblogs: Let me know that you enjoy my work and want to see more, so don’t forget to like and reblog (and comment in the tags. I love seeing people’s rambles in the tags)!

This work’s concepts, plot and original characters are my own which means I do not allow any sort of creative theft nor do I allow my work to be entered into any sort of A.I. bots. Thank you for respecting my space and boundaries.

Ace wasn’t always the best sleeper, but after those nightmares, his sleep became worse. So when he had woken up to 11:59 pm three times, he knew that something was wrong. Trey burst in the room moments later, asking him about his other roommates, who were—

“Where’d everybody go?”

Trey sighed, “I’m too late…” then gestured for Ace to follow him. “Ace, you better come with me for now.”

The lounge was barely filled, and Cater was nowhere to be found, so when Riddle explained that half the dorm had up and vanished, the pit in his stomach began to grow cold. It found its way up to his throat once Headmage Crowley had come to the conclusion that time had stopped over the entire campus, as well as over half the student body going missing. 

What about her?

A plan had been made to escort the students to the Mirror Chamber, but he couldn’t just leave her, so—

“Hey, uh…”

“Yes? What is it, Trappola?”

“Would it be cool if I made a pit stop somewhere?” He tried to keep his voice level, but he was itching to just run out. 

Riddle cut in, “Need I remind you that this is an emergency, Ace?”

“Look, I’m just a little worried about Yuuna and Grim over at Ramshackle.” A little more like terrified. 

Sebek offered his help, for some weird reason (he didn’t even know her), and Trey reasoned that it was a good idea, so he was stuck with him. 

“Trappola, Zigvolt, I would be happy for you to go, but I don’t wish to send two freshmen out by themselves…” He glanced at Trey, “Clover, go with them, if you would. 

Then they were off. There was no small chat made, and Ace was growing irritable every slow step he took. He wanted to run off, he needed to know that you were okay. 

You weren’t.

You were gone and there was someone lurking around. As much as he wanted to sock the fucker himself, he knew that if they were powerful enough to stop time on campus, then they would need all the firepower they could get. 

But in the end, he was too late. The culprit was gone, only leaving a card. 

All Night Raven College students are cordially invited to a Halloween party. Come and join the festivities. I await you at the venue.

An invi-fucking-tation. 

What an absolute bastard.

Yuuna had been kidnapped. Her kidnappers would not say the same as she had voluntarily gone with them, but—

How was she supposed to say no to Malleus Draconia?

She wasn’t, unless she wanted to end up like her nightmares. 

Lilia, who was in on it, assured her everything was fine, and that she only had to sit and wait in this room until the allotted time. Again, she couldn’t argue, she wasn’t a mage, didn’t have any weapons, and refused to get Grim involved. 

So all she could do is wait.

And wait

And wait.

Until the door opened on its open, giving Yuuna her cue. 

“Let’s get this shit show over with.”

As she drew closer, she learned that Malleus and Lilia had pretended to be possessed by the ghost and fought everyone who had come to save the missing students, but everything was unveiled because Grim was hungry (as per usual).

“While we were there, we thought we’d invite our living friends from Ramshackle, as well.”

Yuuna entered the spotlight then, giving the group of disgruntled students a two finger salute. 

“Yo. Been a while.”

“Yuuna…” Her gaze meet Ace’s, and they both knew. 

As soon as the moment presented itself, get the hell out of there.

It didn’t take long for the two of them to slip out unnoticed. The party was now and full swing and people were mainly mingling and eating, the whole ordeal already behind them.

Except for two people, of course.

Yuuna wasted no time plopping down at the base of the tree, the two of them had found. In sight of the venue, but far enough to not be bothered by what was going on inside. 

“You didn’t go willingly, right?” Of course, Ace was getting right to it. 

She chuckled, “No, I didn’t.” the shrugged. “It’s not like I can say no to one of the top five mages, now can I?”

“What a dick.” Ace joined her on the ground. “The ghosts said you were invited, but—”

“Having him starting at you with those eyes…yeah, basically like a gun to my head.” She paused, “...it reminds me of a nightmare I’ve had before.”

From the corner of her eye, she saw him bite his lip, debating on pushing the topic. 

She’d do it for him, since she already had started. 

“Before I came here, I constantly dreamed of death. They were always violent, and I’d never seen the person’s face.” Her gaze meet the moon’s. “Until dreams became reality.”

“Huh?!” Ace lunged forward, looking her over. “You were attacked in real life before?”

She nodded. “Yep. It was targeted or anything like that. Just…wrong place, wrong time.” She closed her eyes. “Just like how I got here.” 

“You…remember how you got here?”

“Of course, I do.” Yuuna turned away, “Never said anything, because no one ever asked.”

“...can I ask?”

Yuuna shook her head. “No, I don’t want to talk about it.”

“And I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready to talk about it.” 

I'll be real, I wrote this out of spite. Adding more OC-inserts to the pile for people to disregard lol.

Anyway, spite aside,

Yuuna, you know I love you, right? The trauma I am inflicting you with is necessary, it's your canon event.

Ko-Fi | Commission | Masterlist

[glapplebloom]

Yep, I’m totally delaying reviewing Season 10 for as long as I can. Maybe not the best choice to do that with this.

Twilight Sparkle is planning to host an event for the school known as the Feats of Friendship. Four challenges where groups of seven have to work together to show just how great Friendship is. And because our Student Six is just six, we are introduced to their 7th Member: Swift Foot, the newest exchange student to the School of Friendship. And Sandbar immediately crushes on her...

She’s All Yak, which established the Sandbar/Yona ship, aired on May 11, 2019. The first issue was published August 7, 2019. And nowhere in the story shows Yona being upset with that. I could probably excuse the first issue since who knows how long it was written for, but the second one was released in October. They could have added something then. Oh boy, let’s get back to the recapping...

Now off the bat, the comic is letting you know something is up with Swift Foot. She said she’s from another sunny little village but the background is showing something MUCH different. And it gets on right away with what that is: getting these six groups of friends to no longer be friends by exploiting differences. Sounds like something Cozy Glow did in “What Lies Beneath” that was released on September 22, 2018. Except she did it better.

When Cozy Glow did it, she targeted specific aspects that were pretty much established from the series already. Since they come from places that don’t understand Friendship, she used that to target their friendships. Sandbar has to help since he came from Ponyville. Growing up as a love starved Changeling. Hiding underwater from an Evil King for years. Griffins not wanting to be around others. Dragons being fierce and degrading themselves into doing things. Yaks saying they’re best at everything makes it seems being friends with others not Yaks being a step down. Great targeting points.

Swift Foot, on the other hand, is honestly not based on anything. She targets Silverstream under the idea that they only helped when the Storm King affected them, all the while beginning with trying to remember who was the guy that caused them to hide. Off the bat, within the same issue, Swift Foot’s entire argument falls apart. How do you expect them to know about the Storm King until he shows up? The fact it took her a while to remember his name pretty much shows that knowledge about what happened wasn’t widespread enough.

With Gallus, she specifically targets him being the leader. That’s something only really established in this issue. As far as the series is concerned, they’re about equals. With Yona, she targets about her having to learn the language, something that even the show establishes that there is no specific Yak Language. Their kids speak English when they talk privately. Even Zecora doesn’t really have a language except that brief time in Season 1.

You’re telling me that Smolder doesn’t eat gemstones at school? The same school that sets a room aside for the ONLY TWO DRAGONS IN PONYVILLE to have a fire breathing contest There’s literally a gem cave walking distance from Ponyville and she knows Spike the Dragon. They definitely serve gemstones. And Ocellus, Swift talks about how Ocellus is forced to stay in one form... Yet she has numerous times changed forms in front of them with no issue. This is not something she’s forced to be. This is her default look. This is DC’s Act of God’s level of not getting the point. And Sandbar is too lovestruck to fall for her tricks.

But still, he sees all his friends being upset with Swift Foot’s actions and they go their separate ways. It ends with Sandbar walking Swift Foot back into the Inn where, when she’s alone, reveals she’s evil all this time! And I’m going to stop there because I thought I could review the entire series in one sitting, but I got all ranty and want to save the rest of the story for another time.

But so far, I am not liking the issue. My biggest gripes being continuity issues and being a poor attempt at the show’s specific plot. And why is she called Swift Foot? I keep typing it up as Swift Hoof because Horse Pun and have to go back and change it to Foot. And even ignoring all that, it’s basically a whole issue introducing this character and having 8 pages of her gaslighting characters you probably like depending on how you feel about them on the show. 

I’ll save my rewriting when I reach the end of the series. If that’s next week or the following I don’t know. It’ll depend on how much ranty I get in the next issue.

[m-feline]

To adapt, to survive, to live - ch 11

Silco x Freader

Tags: fluff, singing, games, paperwork, makeup, injection to the eye;

Masterlist

Previous ->

Time passed and then a month passed from my ritual. As I took the treatments, my body got accustomed to the moving signia. On the last day, there was no need for treatment, according to the Doctor. We went back to him to get more vials if needed and he also made a full checkup for me. I didn't like to be there, with such a bad memory of the place but I had promised Silco to do it.

The Doctor offered to make my last formula for the ritual himself but I refused. I did however agree to his offer to have a tank set for me, for recuperating after the last ritual. He said it would be easier for me to sleep while the body got accustomed to the formula. He also asked a few questions about the recipes and their purpose, how I made the formulas, and so on. After all that, everything was going back to normal.

Well, not everything. Silco had gathered more power, and influence while I was recovering. He had his factory set and at full capacity, making Shimmer, but it also started something new. Silco had also made a deal with some other parties, and they had started to invest in mechanical implants. Which was slowly yet eagerly getting people interested in augmentations to their bodies. Sevika for example got a new arm, and it became a hit when she used it to deal with nasty businesses for Silco. Many people later began to use these augmentations whether they really needed them or not.

Shimmer kept raging on the streets. It wasn't so hidden anymore. Almost everyone used it one way or another. But other things began to come up as well. Greenhouses in Promenade levels. Markets, parlors, Chemtech, and Chem barons. I tried to not look but in the end, it became impossible not to look at the changes. The Undercity was now full of companies that were directed by Chem barons, and Silco led them. As time went by the Undercity was changing into something entirely different yet at the same time, it had the same rules. Strong will trample the weak. But the scale could now be tilted when you consumed Shimmer. Take just a little and you survive for the day. Take too much and you end up in the slumps with nasty side effects.

For me, it meant that staying with Silco was even more imperative for my ritual and my life. I worked at the bar as usual but now Silco set me mostly on the night shift. It was fine by me. It meant more time with Jinx in the morning and work at night. Yes, I would be tired after it but it didn't bother me too much. What bothered me was Silco watching my every move at the end of the shift when I would close the bar and clean the lounge. But that was about to change too.

The Last Drop was going to be remodeled soon. And remodeling the bar was going to change it drastically. The bar was getting a new look, it was turning into a night club, the façade of the place was changing, and the entire second floor was growing. Jinx was getting her own room. As was I. I didn't ask for it but it was still on the way. I was more interested in the kitchen that was coming to the second floor. I no longer would need to go downstairs to cook. And it kept me closer to Jinx. And Silco.

Though things were normal now, Silco for some reason kept me somewhere so he could see me. I don't know why but it made me nervous from time to time. He would come to the lounge, sit at the bar, sipping his drink and tell his goons to give me some room when I cleaned the place. And many of them did. They were all accustomed to me doing some sort of chores in the Last Drop. Be it cooking or cleaning. So far their favorite thing had been my cooking but Silco was slowly restricting that. I still made more food but only certain people were allowed to eat it. It was kind of a carrot for them to do their work and then receive a good homemade meal. A privilege, that only Silco, and Jinx were allowed to have daily. It was also a way for Silco to calm down when he got his meal which was made specifically for him.

But when I cleaned, it was quiet, leisure time for everyone to simply relax. No need for Shimmer to make them tough. No noise of crowds in the Last Drop. And no rush to go anywhere unless you had an early shift tomorrow. I liked those quiet hours even when Vander was alive. Now there were just slightly more people but that was okay.

One such night, I was cleaning when one new guy was talking with Dustin and brought up my singing.

“So, you see, (Y/n) has this habit of humming when she sweeps the floor,” Dustin said to the new guy. Matt, I think was his name.

“I do noo~t,” I said as I passed and picked the empty glasses for the table next to him.

“You sure doo~,” Dustin sang back with same tone, laughing. "We all heard you, right Lock?”

“Heard you,” Lock said at the other side of the lounge.

“Heard you too,” Ran said before taking a sip of her drink.

“We all have heard you,” Sevika said playing cards with two other guys.

"Well, I'm sorry for ruining your evening with my horrible attempt at singing,” I said dramatically and took a batch of glasses to the bar so Thieram could wash them.

“Woah, Woah, Woah! I never said it was horrible,” Dustin said. "It's just… surprising.”

“Nice save, Dustin,” Ran snickered at Dustin’s predicament.

“Wh-what I meant is…” Dustin tried but I simply plucked the almost-finished glass of rum from his hands. "Hey, I wasn't finished.”

"You are,” I said and took Matt’s empty glass too. "Let's end it here before you get even more embarrassed by getting drunk.” Almost everyone in the lounge chuckled to what I said.. All except one.

“So, everyone has heard (Y/n) sing,” Silco said moving the glass of whiskey and looking at the ice cubes twirl in the drink. He was sitting at his usual spot at the bar. "I haven't heard her.” Shit. Don't tell me…

“Ooh, now you have to sing,” Dustin grinned.

“Why in hell would I do that?” I asked glaring daggers at him.

���You heard the boss, he hasn't heard you,” Ran said trying to suppress her laugh.

“That doesn't mean I'm going to sing now,” I said glaring at her now.

“Just do it, (Y/n),” Sevika said trying to ignore the topic and focus on the game again.

"No, not gonna happen.” I insisted.

“Do we have to say the p-word?” Matt asked.

“And what would that be?” I asked.

“Penalty?” Dustin added knowing this game. To see who will fall to the word "please” before they get me to agree with another kind of p-words.

“Permission?” Ran added.

“Umm, … give me a minute. I got one,” Lock tired. "Umm, Provoke.”

“Persuasion,” Sevika said.

"Yeah, none so far aren't working,” I said suppressing giggles.

“Privilege,” Silco said and made everyone make oooh, sounds.

“Best one so far,” Ran said.

“Tempting but no,” I said.

“Possitive effect.”

I turned to look at the second floor where Jinx stood and leaned against the railing looking down at the rest of us.

“That one doesn't count, it's two words,” Dustin said.

“No one said it had to be one word,” Jinx said grinning.

“Why aren't you in bed?” I asked with a hint of anger in my voice.

“Couldn’t sleep, and I heard you talking. I wanna hear you sing,” Jinx said.

“I'm not going to sing,” I said firmly.

“Pwueeeeease.”

“Yeah, girl, do the puppy-eyes. Oh, that's good p-word too,” Matt said.

“What? Sense when…” I barely had time to ask when Jinx made the most adorable puppy-eyes and looked at me.

“Oh no!” I shouted and covered side of my eyes so I wouldn't see her. "Who of you son-offa-bitches taught her that?”

“Oh come one, you looked after four kids before, surely you got immune to the puppy-eyes trick,” Ran said grinning and made Lock laugh.

“It's not the same when they made the worst puppy-eyes ever,” I said to her angrily. "It is so easy to say no when someone looks like they ate something sour, or look like their bladder is about to explode.” I looked at Dustin who quickly tried his version of puppy-eyes.

“Hell no,” I said to him and then turned to others. "See how easy it is?” Everyone broke to laughs after that and Dusting looked like someone told him to jump to a fissure.

“Pleeeease!” Jinx tried again. She had moved to a place where I could see her better.

“Oh no, oh no. I can't say no to that,” I whined.

“She cracking. Just add a bit of sadness,” Ran shouted to Jinx.

“If I learn you guys taught her puppy-eyes, I swear I poison your next meals,” I threatened Ran while I tried to avoid looking at Jinx.

“Pretty Pleeeease.”

Oh no, she is good. I can't. Silco was just smiling behind his glass as he listened to this spectacle happening.

“Fine. You win,” I sighed.

“Yessss.” Jinx cheered.

“One song and you go back to bed,” I said to her sternly.

“Okay,” Jinx said before she ran somewhere but I didn't look since my eyes were now on the people sitting downstairs.

“And the rest of you will do the cleaning,” I said glaring at them.

“What? No way,” Ran asked.

“They will,” Silco said. "You will go with Jinx and make sure this time she goes to sleep.” I didn't need to say more when everyone gave confirmation either as firm "yes” or groans. Jinx came down with a guitar and held it towards me.

“You do know I can't play that well, right?” I asked.

“But you can play one song,” Jinx grinned. Oh, I knew already what song she had in mind.

"You also know that song is in another language?” I asked again.

“But it sounds pretty,” Jinx said.

“Fine then,” I said and took the guitar before I sat on empty bar stool. Jinx went to sit on another stool next to Silco grinning victoriously that she got her way.

I began the song with very simple sounds from the guitar. The song didn't need more than simple strokes of the guitar and repeat them over and over. Though the melody was simple, the song was more deep. No one knew what I was singing, not even Jinx. For someone it might have sounded like a live song. But I knew what the song was about. It was about missing the past, the people lost, and the days that will not return, and how one will move on despite all that and face the future. As I sang more, the more my confidence grew and I sang louder. When I finished the song, some of the people applauded for the song. That being Jinx, Dustin, Matt, and a couple of more. I set the guitar away as I got up and turned to Jinx when the claps got down.

“And now you go back to bed,” I said.

“Aaw, but I wanna hear another,” Jinx whined.

“Nope, we agreed. To the bed,” I said and picked her up from the stool.

“Oh come on, pleeeease,” Jinx tried begging.

“Not working this time,” I said before I turned to others. "And you guys clean this lounge.” I was answered by choir of groans as I began to climb the stairs. But it got quiet quickly and sounds of moving chairs and clicks of glasses filled the lounge. Maybe they remembered that it was Silco who said they would do it. Either way, I took Jinx to my room and tucked her in, and after another lullaby, which she requested, I left her sleep and headed back to downstairs to see if the lounge was truly cleaned. I didn't even reach the stairs when I met with Silco. He carried a small stack of papers in his hand.

"Going somewhere?” Silco asked.

"To see if the lounge needs cleaning,” I said.

“I told them to clean it, and they will,” He said.

“Okay, what about you then?” I asked.

“I got work to do,” Silco said lifting his hand with papers in emphasis.

“At this hour?” I asked in shock. "When are you going to sleep?”

"Later,” he said. "I only need to go through these and I rest then.” Thought the stack wasn't big but I could tell there was much to go through.

“Let me help,” I sighed. "At least, the ones that aren't about Shimmer production. The faster you get to rest the better I sleep too.”

"Very well,” Silco said and led me to his room. One of the major changes that will happen to this place will be that he will get an office in this establishment. I'm waiting for it. It feels a bit intrusive for me to come and go to his room.

When we enter I saw more papers waiting for him to go through. I'm the one who will be needing rest after going through even half of that pile.

“Just go through that pile and tell me what it is about, if it isn't important just stack it there,” Silco said pointing to one stack and then an empty spot on the table. " If it is important just pass it to me.” Great, late-night shift of secretary work. The job wasn't hard but it got longer as I went through the papers. Some reports from the factory regarding shifts, people, gear, chemicals. Those were papers Silco wanted to look later. The letters from the Chem Barons, unless they were about the factory and possible new location, he asked them to be set away. Then there were about the remodeling of the Last Drop, calls for meeting with people wishing to join Chem Barons, supply networks. And… an invitation to the Topside?

“Set it away,” Silco said sound extra grumpy.

“Why do you get an invitation to the Top?” I asked looking at the letter.

“I wish to make a deal so we can get some parts for the factory. It would make things easier to work with,” Silco said dismissing the letter in my hands.

“It says, they are willing to negotiate,” I said reading the letter over and over again. I saw no problem with it's contents. "Is the person you are to meet an unpleasant one?”

“No, he is alright,” Silco said finishing the last paper of his stack.

“Then why not?” I asked. He turned to look at me and simple motioned to his mangled face. "Oh, that's it?”

“Though I'm not going to meet Piltover’s finest elites, I doubt this face will draw any positive reactions,” Silco said.

“But you need this deal, right?” I asked.

“Unless I'm willing to work my employers to the death, yes,” Silco sighed.

“Wait a moment,” I said and left the room. I wasn't gone long but I came back with my compact makeup kit. "Why not try this?”

“I doubt you and I share the same palette,” Silco said eyeing the compact makeup kit.

“Just for your left side, only the concealer,” I said. He seemed to think about it, and for a moment I thought he would say no. But he then gave a tired sigh and motioned me to come closer. I leaned over him as I applied the concealer and slowly hid the scars under the make up. The result wasn't bad. But he could use a touch of the liner to create an eyebrow over his mutated eye. But I promised that I’d only used concealer so if he agrees to go, then I could add it. When I finished I snapped the sponge back to the compact with a snap.

“Done,” I said happily. " You should take a look in the mirror.” Silco got up with a huff and walked to the bathroom to look at himself in the mirror. I got closer to see his reaction, and it was worth it. The look of surprise and amazement was clear in his good eye as he touched his left side of the face with his hand.

“Impressive,” He said.

“If you let me paint a brow on you face, then you would look even better,” I said smiling. "Add that charming smile of yours and surely some ladies would fall for you.”

“Would you?” He asked turning to face me. I was caught in surprise when he asked that. I was completely speechless for entirely 30 seconds till I got my mouth working again.

“Maybe someone more pretty,” I tried to sound unbothered.

“You can be quite pretty if you allow it,” Silco said smirking. Dammit, what have I gotten myself into?

“My point is, your look won't be too eye-catching as you said earlier,” I said but I was slowly losing my words again. "Surely, your left eye is still evident … but in a good way. What I meant… you're handsome…No!... I mean.. "

“My, my,” Silco chuckled. "Our nightingale has lost her words. How cute.”

“I…I’m … not a … nightingale ,” I stuttered.

“Oh, what then?” Silco asked as he began to walk towards me. "A siren? A nymph? An angel?”

"No-now you are making things up?” I said trying to get my composure back. "And stop with this game, it isn't funny.”

"Oh well,” Silco sighed and ended his teasing. "Still, thanks for the tip. I will have to make more appearances at Piltover in the future. This will certainly be helpful.”

"Good,” I sighed in relief and took there remaining stack of papers. There was a couple of letters about some transported goods but I didn't need to see more when Silco dismissed them saying they can wait. We were about warp it up, when I noticed Silco bring out the injector again. He sat on the armchair and tried to bring the device over his eye yet this time it seemed to be difficult.

“Something wrong?” I asked as I cleaned and organized the papers.

“Just a slight need for adjustment,” He said and tried to concentrate to place the device over his eye.

“Was your drug changed again?” I asked. So far, Silco had three different variants of the drug to his eye.

“Yes, Singed gave me a new one,” Silco said and gave up on the effort. "It's mixed with shimmer and other chemicals. It would be a tenth of the dose from before but the effect should last longer.”

“Meaning fewer injections, that's good, isn't it?” I asked.

“I suppose, the trouble is that since the dose is stronger, setting the device correctly becomes more crucial,” Silco explained. "Otherwise, the moment it is injected I might hurt myself in the process.”

“You need someone else to do it?”, I asked.

“I can do it myself,” Silco said a bit annoyingly. "It just requires more patience.” I saw him try to place the device over his eye again, and for a moment it seemed to work but it slipped again.

“Here, let me,” I said and came to him and took the device from him.

“I said I can do it,” Silco said tiredly.

“Sure but let's just say that we get faster to sleep when I do it,” I said and adjusted the device in my hand. ”Lean back and look up.” After sighing Silco leaned back to the backrest of the chair as I set the device over his eye. It still needed some minor adjustment so I had to lean over him. It wasn't easy unless I sat on his lap but now was no time or place for it. So instead I placed one leg on the armrest and leaned over him. Now it was in place. All that was needed was to squeeze the handle. Ever since Signed made Shimmer fused drug for Silco, I noticed that the reaction was from time to time strong for him. He would have convulses for seconds as the effect dies down. This shouldn't be any different. I felt his hand coming to rest over my thigh that was over the armrest, as I gave a small caress with my thumb to the side of his face. Then I pressed the handle. The needle just pinched his eyes but that was all he needed. He groaned and his hand gripped my thigh as the surge of pain went through him. I saw some purple liquid coming out of his dark eye so I used my sleeve to wipe it away. He looked even more tired now. It was about time we both went to bed.

“Thank you,” Silco let out with a huff.

“You're welcome,” I said as I handed him back the device. ”Good night.”

"Were you planning to leave someday?” Silco asked while he still sat on the armchair. I was just about to turn and leave when he asked that. It made me freeze there, wondering what should I say. Confess it? Deny it?

“I'm not sure what you…” I started saying, hoping I would have an idea before I finish the sentence. But nothing came to mind. Silco just waited for me to finish talking but I didn't. I simply had no idea. "I thought about it when I began working here. When the kids would be old enough to live their lives, I would leave Undercity and Piltover altogether.”

“And now?”

“ I don't know. I just wanted to leave the place that took my family away. No one would need me so no point in staying.” I chuckled at my own naivety. "But now, Jinx needs me. Even if I get my signia, I don’t know if I should stay or leave.”

"Why not stay?”

"Why should I?”

“Perhaps, just to see how everything changes as we reach our goals.”

"I have seen the changes the Shimmer does, it's not that amazing sight to see.”

“No, but what comes after it.”

I kinda wanted to see where Silco was heading with all of his plans but I also worried for Jinx. Then again my ritual wasn't finished. So far I had postponed the thought of it till my signia was done. Then, if I was no longer needed or if I was still needed would depend on Jinx.

“I don't know.” I sighed. " I’ll get back to it once things clear out.” I left Silco’s room and went to my room to get in the bed with Jinx and fall asleep.

Next ->

[dufreydiaries]

Dufrey Diaries Chapter 11

Lucline and Rasina sat down on sofas fashioned in the Youkadian style. Riatira’s mother was an Imperial women with the same brown hair as her daughter. Her skin was lighter than Tira’s, given her father was half Redguard himself. The walls of the sitting room were decorated in various Imperial and Redguard masks and jewlery. There were even a few swords of both Cyrodiil and Hammerfall on the walls as well, just out of Tira’s reach.

“My name is Alcena Artia, welcome to our home ladies. I had a projection from your co-worker, Lobamog. It’s good to meet you, Lucline and Rasina.”

Lucline detected behind her courtesy something was bothering her. Tira sat down on the ground before her though and she started to braid the girls hair like a little crown.

Rasina smiled and then spoke up. “We are just here to confirm if the rumors were true. If they were, the Society is going to install a member here in Bergama to offer teaching.”

Lucline nodded as she carefully braided the young girl’s hair. “Even raw talent with magic can’t protect against a sudden burst of power. Even if she doesn’t want to be a Mage when she grows up, she will need to learn the kind of control that will keep it in check.”

Tira spoke up now. “I want to go to High Rock and train as a knight!”

Her mother smiled, she had clearly heard this before. “She’s been using magic unconsciously since she was two. We were sure she was going to grow up into an arch-mage but ever since she meet a Knight-Errant on a quest to find a lost daughter, she wanted to be a knight. We plan when she’s old enough to be a squire to move to Daggerfall or High Isle to start her training.”

Lucline finished the girls hair and watched as Tira rushed off to look in a mirror. “I’m sure she will be a good one. Knights often are given lessons in restoration magic, she will be a natural at healing and dealing with the undead with her power level. Though she will likely end up needing to serve one or more of the Divines.”

Alcena fished out a small amulet. “Not a trouble. We honor Stendarr in this house. My husband and I were both born in the Empire but had to flee to Hammerfall for various reasons. We were going to go onward to High Rock but I learned I was pregnant and refused to walk another step until our baby was born. We just never started traveling again after.” 

“I understand,” Lucline nodded at Alcena’s words. “You had a lot to risk.”

“I’d do anything for my child. Even send her away if needed. I was so worried you were here to take her to Sentinel, Miss Dufrey. Now that I know you intend to install a teacher here, that settles my worry quite a bit. You may consider your mission here a success.”

Tira came bouncing back into the room. “Mama! Doesn’t my hair look great?” Alcena motioned to her daughter whom rushed to her and run her hands through the braids. “Oh yes, my little Princess. Miss Dufrey did a very good job. Have you thanked her yet?”

Tira turned and Lucline found herself dazzled by the bright smile of the young girl who tackled her in a hug. “Thank you, Miss Lucline!”

“You’re welcome, Tira.” Lucline returned the hug before letting the girl go.

“I insist that you ladies join us for luncheon.” Alcena rose and her tone said there would be no argument. “I’ll just go to the kitchens and make the arriagements.”

“I’m gonna go grab my toy sword and shield to show Miss Lucline and Miss Rasina!” Exclaimed Tira. “I want to show them what Captain Kayeson has been teaching me.”

The doting mother shook her head as her child rushed up the stairs. “Watch out, ladies. That monster can keep up her ‘demonstration’ for a few hours. Even though he’s only shown her a few basic forms and strokes.”

Rasina chuckled. “Start them early, that is the motto at the School of Leki. I was around her age when I first wore the robe of an apprentice, though most of my day was spent in chores. I know Kayeson, he studied with me there. He is an honorable man and has a fine form. He will be a fine teacher.”

Alcena inclined her head. “Much obliged for your recommendation, Miss Rasina. He seemed trustworthy but we still hardly know people here. My husband is neither a Crown nor a Forbearer so he is not as welcome as I feel he should have been. I’ll return shortly.”

The woman headed off to the kitchen as Rasina leaned her head against Lucline’s arm. She hummed in delight as her partner’s weight lay on her.

“What are you thinking, oh light of my desert?” Rasina asked her as they waited.

“I was just envious of Tira for a moment. I wish my mother had been as close to me as they are.”

“One day, I’ll get that story from you, my heart, and then I’ll punch my future mother-in-law in the mouth.”

Lucline giggled. “I would pay much gold to see that happen, my love.”

Just then, there was a terrified scream from up the stairs. Rasina was up first and dashing up the stairs towards Tira’s room. Lucline was not far behind her, calling magic to her hands as she ran. Alcena came to the door, her face pale.

“We got this, ma’am.” Lucline called. “Make sure no one comes down these stairs expect Tira.”

The woman nodded and grabbed a curved scimitar from the wall nearby. From the way she held it, she had used one before.

Lucline braced herself for whatever awaited them at the top of the stairs.

A/N: Another cliff hanger ending. I hope you have been enjoying the story so far. See you tomorrow.

[crowscommunion]

November 11, 2023.

What's kinda ironic is that things are better now than they were first figuring things out. Like the first month us being love-drunk and just being happy, but there were some solid issues I had to deal with personally. I know for people who are used to narc relationships, they're always expecting things to get worse or get boring, not get better over time, but normal relationships grow as you go on. I did still have some abandonment fears and separation anxiety, which are things I hadn't actually had to sort out.. Because I didn't have a relationship in four years- at least not one with mental, emotional, or physical intimacy. I'm not really sure I was even capable of that, even when I dated someone for six months. He was great, I have nothing but good things to say about him, but the reason I ended that relationship was because I couldn't deal with intimacy at that time. So over the next few years following that, I just didn't date, which was a good thing for my health. But when you go from not dating anyone intimately to being in a relationship you want for the rest of your life, it's obviously kind of a shock. It didn't take much adjustment as far as my lifestyle, he's the only partner I've lived with and the only person I ever want to live with, but we definitely did a lot of our healing while actively in this relationship between months 2 and 3. A lot of love there, and determination to get through it, but there were internal struggles. Probably mostly for me, when it came to the past. A lot of things were resolved through time back together, just knowing things have changed, how we handle things have changed, and rebuilding trust by just being together. He had issues with over-stimulation for awhile, which is why it's good to have separate rooms (the option is there), but he prefers to keep his setup in my room. I had a lot of problems with separation, for obvious reasons, and I just dealt with that by sharing how I felt but also keeping a realistic standard for how we handled it. I had to deal with that now, because I didn't really have any intimate connections with anyone since we stopped talking before. I would even say that I avoided a lot of those negative feelings by just not dating, and anyone who wanted to date me that I had any atypical feelings toward really just terrified me. And really, dealing with people who couldn't just be my friend even further damaged my readiness to actually trust anyone on an intimate level again. Because the most basic level of trust and companionship is always friendship. I absolutely hold resentment toward any of the sad dudes in my personal life who jumped ship as soon as they didn't get to date me, and anyone who completely overlooked my personal health for their own wants. I think it's disgraceful. But I did have to spend a lot of my time healing from that while actively in this relationship for the first month, just like he had to deal with a lot of his healing and anger from his prior relationship at the same time. And a lot of the shit we dealt with regarding his ex made us closer, because it's one thing we both have in common. It's one years-long experience we've both been having that was extremely negative. When you both deal with the same narcissistic shitbaby for years and you both have a lot of similar experiences with that person, you spend a lot of time validating each other about everything that's happened, and it did become something we talked about quite often.

It was part of our healing, and it was also closure.

He was able to give me a lot of insight into his ex's behavior and her personality that validated exactly what I assumed, and I was able to validate his feelings toward the mentally and emotionally abusive behaviors she exhibited in their relationship. She inadvertently gave us one of our most similar and intense life experiences, and also was something we both healed together over at the same time. Which is the one thing she assumed we would never be able to achieve.

And the one thing that made me at peace was that he came to me for friendship, not a relationship. He didn't think I would even want to talk to him at all, and if he had messaged me any time before last year I probably wouldn't have.

He really just came back into my life because he missed me as a person. I'm the one who initiated more than that, because of how easily we fell back into being close and at ease with each other. It would have been unrealistic to think we wouldn't struggle with anything after everything that happened, but I am happy to say it's been incredibly minimal, given the circumstances.

And for the past couple of months, things have just been quiet and peaceful. We've been happy, life has been uneventful (just the way we like it), and we spend all day every day talking, playing games, joking around, eating good food, and spending time with just each other. I know I've said that the first month we started talking things were really intense and we were very in our own bubble, but we're really still like that. We've always been like that. It's really easy to fall into the comfortable safe space you've established together when you really like the person you're with. And after the last few years we've had, we both just really appreciate having company with a like-mind and a brain that actually works, he's told me about a lot of the shit he dealt with and I'm honestly shocked she can even dress herself in the morning without a life-coach, no joke. Having the company of a reasonable, rational person is a rarity, and having someone in your life who really understands you and appreciates you for who you are is even rarer. So here's to the next 50 to 60 years, because we're in this shit. Things can only go up from here.

[olko71]

New Post has been published on All about business online

New Post has been published on http://yaroreviews.info/2022/11/autumn-statement-bbc-experts-on-six-ways-the-plan-could-affect-you

Autumn Statement: BBC experts on six ways the plan could affect you

It is a big week for the UK’s finances as we find out how the government plans to try and get the economy growing as the cost of living soars.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement on government tax and spending plans will affect your take-home pay and household budget.

BBC News has experts dedicated to helping audiences navigate the cost of living crisis. We asked them how it may affect you.

You generally expect your wages to increase each year.

This rise may mean you start paying income tax, or it pulls you into a higher tax bracket. This means that even if your pay rise does not match the level of rising prices, you would pay more in tax. This is a particular issue at times of high inflation, such as now.

The chancellor could use these bands as a way to raise more tax without actually increasing tax rates. That might sound strange, but here is how it works.

You start to pay income tax on annual earnings of more than £12,570, charged at 20%. You then pay income tax of 40% on earnings over £50,270 a year, then at 45% on earnings above £150,000.

Those earnings levels, known as tax thresholds (which are slightly different in Scotland), are being frozen until 2026 under current policy, rather than rising in line with inflation. Speculation suggests that freeze may be extended for a further two years.

Whether or not you do end up in a higher tax band, a greater proportion of your income is likely to be taxed.

More from Kevin: Are you missing out on benefits?

The government is currently helping limit your energy bills.

It has lowered the maximum price you can be charged for each unit of energy you use and it is giving you cash directly to help you pay the bills.

Since October, that has limited a typical household’s bill to £2,500.

This help is due to end in April, and most households are staring down the barrel of another massive jump in bills.

The government has already said the most vulnerable will continue to be protected, but the chancellor may explain exactly how in this Autumn Statement.

And for everyone else trying to sort out their own budgets, he may give a hint about what to expect beyond this winter.

More from Colletta: Four discounts that could help you

The cost of living is soaring at its fastest rate for 40 years and the chancellor is under pressure to deliver on previous promises to raise all benefits in line with the rising cost of living.

That would see both Universal Credit payments – for those on low pay or unemployed – and the state pension go up by September’s inflation figure of 10.1% from next April.

Former Prime Minister Liz Truss faced a backlash from some Conservative MPs when she proposed raising them by average earnings instead, which would be 5.5%.

Whichever option Mr Hunt chooses, people will still feel their budgets are tighter.

Rental costs have soared while housing benefits have been frozen, and lower income households spend more of their money on necessities such as gas, electricity and food, which have gone up faster than the headline rate of inflation.

The number of 16-24 year olds not in education, employment or training now stands at one in 10.

The government was so concerned by the effect of the coronavirus lockdown on young people’s ability to find employment that it subsidised six-month job placements for more than 150,000 under-25-year-olds. But that scheme has now come to an end.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said he wants to prepare young people for the economy of tomorrow and that education is the most powerful way to transform peoples lives.

But with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt warning that spending needs to come under control – how much room does the prime minister have to invest more in skills and training for young people?

The Autumn Statement may feel very distant from your life but Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s plan will be aimed at “restoring stability” and “getting inflation down”.

The pandemic, the Ukraine war, and some aspects of Brexit mean a slowing economy with tax revenues hit, spending up, and higher interest payments on debts.

All that means the UK’s debt are expected to rise in a few years’ time. That goes against this government’s self-defined targets for “responsible” finances.

Setting a plan for a declining national debt by 2027-28 will require tens of billions of both spending cuts and tax rises.

It is this plan, the Autumn Statement, that we get on Thursday. But in making those numbers add up, the chancellor will also be under pressure not to deepen what already is set to be lengthy recession.

The challenge is to present a set of numbers that both add up and a set of policies that will actually pass through Parliament.

His aim will be to help keep the interest rates set by the Bank of England, and by mortgage lenders, for example, lower than they otherwise would be.

More from Faisal: Why is the UK struggling more than any other big country?

Look out for plans to make companies that are doing well due to soaring oil prices share some of the pain of people who are facing soaring bills.

Companies including Shell and BP have reported some of the highest profits in their history since Russian exports have been cut or shunned.

The government has already placed an additional tax of 25% on the profits of UK oil and gas operations making a total tax of 65% on any UK profits. Expect that to rise to at least 70% and possibly 75%.

Renewable electricity energy generators have also seen profits soar while the sun and the wind has not changed in price. New renewable projects sell their energy at agreed and fixed prices – so there is no windfall to tax. But older facilities are making more money than they imagined and the chancellor knows that.

When millions of people’s pain is some companies’ gain, the political and economic pressure to further increase taxes on companies that are reporting bumper profits on the back of energy price rises will seem irresistible to the government.

More on this story

BBC experts: Six things you can do as cost of living rises

18 October

[f10werfae]

What is Victoria’s Secret Anyway?

Pairing: Husband! Chris Evans x Model! Reader

Word count: 1,411

Summary: When Y/n gets a massive career opportunity, all she wants is her husband’s support, and she always gets what she wants

Warnings: none really, just get ready for a very confident and maneater Y/n 😩

————-

Requests are always open!

Likes, Comments and Re-blogs are appreciated♥️

————-

(Y/n's P.O.V)

This was the absolute turning point of my career, my manager had just contacted me about the opportunity of a lifetime.

One of the top dogs in Victoria Secret seemed to be really pleased with my continuous work with them, so now i’ve been offered the opportunity to be the new Victoria Secret Angel.

Growing up I had always felt confident in myself, not narcissistic, I definitely know what I want and I will get what I want. Including men.

I guess my personality is how I bagged my husband, Chris Evans. Sure when I first met him I pretended to not acknowledge him, but hey it worked in the end.

Now with us going on being 3 years together, he had never been to one of my runway shows, purely because he said he’d rather not observe men 'ogling' at his wife.

Although if I asked nicely, with this being such a big thing, surely he’d say yes to coming along. After being told the spectacular news by my agent at the company, I ran downstairs to the living to see him watching his scheduled football match on the TV.

Adorning a white tank top and grey sweatpants, God I could eat him right there and then. Clearing my throat, I slowly walked towards him, sitting myself to straddle his lap.

“Hey baby, what d'ya want? I know that look of yours”

He said smugly, his hands massaging my waist, his eyes looking deeply into mine.

“Oi! Jus cause i’m here doesn’t mean I want something” I replied back cheekily, crossing my hands over my chest, turning my head to the side. Always acting the brat I was.

“Awk come on now bub, don’t go all pouty on me” He cooed, his hand holding onto my chin, pulling me to look at him, his other hand going down to stay on my ass.

Rolling my eyes at his hand placement, I wrapped my arms around his neck I bent down so we were eye level.

“I guess you could make it up to me?” I said playing around with the chain around his neck, not daring to look at his beautiful blue eyes.

“Yeah, how’s that?”

“Well, I just heard from a little bird that I may be the new Victoria Secret Angel”

“Mhm, of course look at you hun, you’re a diamond”

“yeah yeah, anyways I was wondering if my lovely husband would want to come watch me?”

“Look at me in the eyes and ask me again”

Hearing his authoritative tone, I looked up, that same smug look still plastered on his handsome face.

“Will you, pretty please come and watch my runway show?”

“Hmm give me a kiss first”

He said teasingly, his hands clasped around my body at the bottom of my back, caging our bodies together.

Leaning forward, I pressed my lips against his, a satisfied groan leaving his lips as I cupped his cheeks to deepen it. Pulling away, I placed a series of small pecks on his lips before sitting up right again.

“Well?”

“I’ll think about it baby”

“That’s it? After all that?”

“Mhm, now pass my beer over would ya?”

“Hmm no” I said now more annoyed, getting up from his lap and walking back upstairs, hearing him chuckling from the living room.

(Time Skip to the Day of the Show)

Chris and I never discussed the runway show again, taking his answer as a no. Although it didn’t really bother me, I knew he loved me and I guess if I had to watch my husband being ogled I wouldn’t exactly be comfortable either.

Looking at myself in the dressing room, I ran my hands over the Lacey lingerie coating my glowy skin. The massive baby blue feathered wings, coming out of the back. The lingerie fit perfectly, it was extremely empowering to have this opportunity.

To show the world that this is what I worked hard for, I love myself and nothings going to stop that. I could care less what people say about me walking in a lingerie set, because only my opinion matters.

My face had beautiful makeup, jewels glued around my eye to contribute to the eye makeup, my hair left down to frame my face.

“Y/n you rea- Oh my gosh” Bethany said, my manager.

“Yeah i’m ready” I said taking a deep breath in and running my hands down my body.

“You look absolutely stunning, and I mean i am starstruck”

“Shutup girl before I start crying, and you know how long this makeup took”

“I’m sorry i’m just so proud of you, went from small town grocery store posters to a globally known model for all women”

“Yeah I know, it’s crazy isn’t it?”

“Now are you ready to kill it?”

“Hell yeah”

Walking towards the side entrance of the stage, I could already hear the singer on stage, the cheers of the people getting louder.

Turning to Bethany, “Did Chris end up coming by any chance?” I asked hopefully, biting my lip.

She gave me a slightly small smile before shaking her head, “Not that I know of, but i’m sure he’s watching proudly at home with Dodger”

“You’re right. Well here I go” With a final pat on the back, my heels clicked as I walked into view. My wings spread out gracefully behind me, cameras already starting to flash.

Smiling brightly, I started walking down the runway, feeling instantly at my highest. Meeting the eyes of many famous designers and celebrities as I sauntered down the walkway, reaching the end of the walkway I put my hands on my hips and smiled at the cameras.

Looking down when I saw those same beautiful blue eyes, the ones that greet me every time I come home from a long day. My husband. Chris.

Noticing my subtlety shocked expression, he clapped along with the audience sending a wink my way before whistling, “THATS MY WIFE!” He shouted cupping his mouth, whistling once again.

Giving one final smile and blowing Chris a kiss, I began walking down the walkway again, my heart thumping more rapidly in my chest,

Reaching the backstage Bethany was waiting for me, the stylists already helping to pull the heavy wings off my back.

Reaching Bethany, she gave me my silk robe to put on, “He came Bethany, Chris was here” I said smiling gleefully, feeling like a kid in a candy shop.

“REALLY?!”

“YEAH” Then we both erupted into excited squeals and giggles

“There’s my girl” I heard that husky voice say behind me, an even bigger smile forming onto my face.

“CHRIS BABY”

I shouted, running into his arms with my arms around his torso. His hands rubbing up and down my back comfortingly.

Dragging him into my personal dressing room, I stood shyly in front of him.

“What’s got you all shy, pretty girl”

“I jus wasn’t expecting you baby, what made you change your mind?”

“Well, I wanted to be here to support you and realised how much I wanted to see you doing the job you love. I don’t care if men look at you during your runways, because in the end, I know you’re coming home with me.”

“I love you so much” I said feeling on cloud 9, no thoughts in my head except for how much I loved Chris.

“Trust me, I love you way more” He said smirking at me, pulling at the edges of my robe to pull me closer to him, placing a fat loving kiss on my lips.

“Well what did you think of it?”

“God I f*cking loved it, getting to tell everyone 'oh yeah that gorgeous woman is my wife' I am so proud of you hun, and I swear I just fell in love with you even more. If that’s even possible”

“You are so corny, now wait ten minutes while I get changed”

Leaving his arms I walked over to the clothing rack, got my undergarments, picked up Chris’ shirt and sweatpants I wore earlier and put them back on again. Not that easy though when your perv of a husband is in the same room.

“Lets go home yeah?” I said picking up my duffle bag, only for him to take it off my shoulder and hold it over his. His arm going around my waist to pull me into his side protectively.

“Say babe, what is Victoria's Secret anyway?”

[chris-evanslover]

Easy There, Tiger

Summary: OFC Tess is visiting her cousin Anna in LA, right before the Super Bowl. What happens when she meets a certain QB at the club...

WC: 1.6K

I’ve always detested Los Angeles. My older cousin Anna has lived here for a couple of years now and I decided to go visit her for a couple of weeks before I start my big girl job at a PR Agency in New York. There’s something about this place that is just seedy to me, however I do understand the hype. It’s a big city, oozing with celebrities and luxury, and it’s right by the beach. Growing up in New York City, however, has damaged any other city in my eyes, so I’m terribly biased. I just graduated college in the winter, ready to begin working towards the one bedroom, pinterest-esqe, brownstone apartment that every NYC dreamer thinks about.

“So, that guy I’m seeing is in with this big shot promoter. What do you think about going out tonight?” Anna said to me while I shoved my mouth full of Tostitos (scoops…obviously).

“What kinda party are we talking Anna?” “Not sure, BUT! There’s only one way to find out!” She smirked at me. “C’mon Tess, it’ll be so fun and if it’s not then we dip, no harm no foul.” She spoke.

“You promise we can leave if it sucks?” “Yes! I promise.” “Ok.” “YESSSS!!!!! I’m gonna let TJ know we’re in!” she leapt up from the dining room table and practically pranced to her room. This was going to be a weird night I could already feel it.

~That night, 11:00 PM~

The VIP section of the club that the promoter got us into was really cool I must admit. I was sipping on my second Tequila Lemonade when Anna’s man TJ came up to us. “Hey guys, you’re never going to believe who’s heading up here right now!”

“WHO??” Anna practically shouted at him due to the volume level in the club. I chuckled at her eagerness to meet celebrities. “A couple of the players in the Superbowl this weekend, my boy is going to introduce us.”

Rolling my eyes at Anna’s shellshocked expression, I found myself becoming curious as to who was going to show up. I guess I spent too much time in my head about it because before I knew it, Anna was pulling me up from the couch, causing me to almost spill my drink everywhere but luckily for once, God decided to look out for me.

“C’mon Tess let’s go meet cute football players!”

“I’m right here Anna” TJ sarcastically said as he rolled his eyes. “Yeah yeah, I want to get Tess a NFL player, how cool would that be” Anna said.

“No no, that’s not what we’re going to do” I stared at her pointedly. “And why not?” she asked, like I was being unreasonable for not wanting to be forced into flirting with a guy just because he’s a professional athlete.

“Because, Anna” I started, “I’m not a hookup person and you know that, and If there’s anything I hate more than hooking up mindlessly, it’s being set up. You know how awkward I can get.”

“Oh c’mon let loose! You just graduated, you’re stunning in this dress, and you deserve to have some fun, OH look, I think they just walked in.” Anna clapped her hands together and pulled me along with her.

Another thing you should know about me is that I hate the trope in books and movies that goes like, I saw him, he saw me, we are one, and all that love at first sight bullshit. But I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel a spark when my eyes met his. He looked familiar, I knew his name was Joe and he was the Quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals, but that’s where my knowledge of him kind of ends.

I suck in a deep breath when his eyes catch mine, I quickly look down when I realize he’d caught me staring at him, God Tess you just made it so obvious. I decide to look up once more and notice that he’s still staring at me. We catch eyes once more and he sends me a small smile before being pulled into a hug by who I’m assuming is a friend of his.

Joe and his friends make their rounds around the VIP section, saying hello to everyone and quickly chatting, his friend who introduced himself as Ja’marr got around to Anna and I.

“Hello pretty ladies how are we doin tonight?!” Anna chuckled beside me and introduced us. “I’m Anna, my boyfriend TJ is friends with the promoter that you guys also know, this is my cousin Tess”

I’ll admit, I kind of spaced out until I heard my name and felt Anna nudge my side with her elbow. I looked up and saw that Ja’marr had his arms out to give me a hug so I hugged him back, saying the pleasantries ‘It’s nice to meet you’ ‘congratulations on the superbowl’ yadda yadda yadda.

I look over to Anna who was now hugging Joe hello and felt myself get hot immediately. I don’t know how I’m going to do this but get it the fuck together girlfriend. Anna must’ve said something funny because Joe pulled away laughing and I swear I would’ve committed arson out of admiration to hear that laugh again.

He turned to me and immediately opened his arms, “Hi there, I’m Joe it’s really nice to meet you”. I giggled (???bitch giggles now) and returned the hug, all I could spit out was “I’m Tess, congratulations”. He laughed and said thank you and motioned for me to sit back where I was before. By now, my tequila lemonade was long gone after I slurped it down due to nerves before.

“What are you drinking? I’ll get you another one.” Joe said, scanning my outfit subtly, however I noticed and dared his eyes to meet mine. When they came back up to my face and he noticed I knew he was checking me out, I could’ve swore I saw the tops of his ears go red, but it could’ve been the club lights.

“Tequila Lemonade please, thank you Joe” I said. “Tequila girl, alright I like it, I’ll be right back” Joe went to the bar in the upstairs section and got mine and his drinks before making his way back. While he was gone, Anna jumped on me like a tiger (no pun intended but fuck it we’re writing an imagine, pun intended). “HE’S INTO YOU!!!!!” “SCREAM IT LOUDER WHY DON’T YOU!!” “Tess, go for it! Kiss him he’s cute!”

“I’m not just going to kiss him!” “You need to put yourself out there! At least flirt with him!” “That I can do”

Joe came back and handed me my drink, before plopping down into the seat next to me on the couch. “So Tess, where are you from?” “New York” I answered while taking a sip of my drink (which was delicious by the way). “New York huh? What’s that like?” “Busy” I laughed “Very fucking busy I have to say, I’m starting a new job soon since I just graduated so I’m excited about that-sorry you didn’t ask about that” I laughed a bit awkwardly.

When I looked at him, he was smiling at me. “No please I want to hear more” “Um, well, I’m going into Public Relations, I have my eyes on a puppy at the animal shelter I’m thinking of adopting and my favorite sport to watch is ice hockey, no offense” Joe threw his head back and laughed “You’re brutally honest, I respect that in a person more than you know”

“YO! Joe!” Joe turned his head to Ja’marr calling his name “What’s up Ja’marr” “Nothin just wanted to talk to my best friend” Joe rolled his eyes and looked at me “This is what I deal with daily” making both of us laugh.

By this point I had drunk about half of my third drink and the alcohol was starting to really hit my brain. I giggled and leaned in a bit, loosing my balance almost falling over on to Joe but he caught me. One hand on my upper arm and the other snaked around my waist. “Easy there, how about some water, I’m going to get myself some too” “Please” I smiled up at him when he got up, he smiled back and walked to the bar. Immediately after he left, his spot was taken by none other than Ja’marr.

“No funny shit Tess, Joe hasn’t stopped staring at you all night. He’s genuinely a good guy I promise, give him a chance”

“He’s really nice” I laughed not knowing what to say to Ja’marr’s compliment.

Anna then told me that TJ had to get up early and that they were thinking of heading out. I frowned, not wanting to leave without talking to Joe more, but I also wasn’t that comfortable staying here without Anna and TJ. Joe came back with the waters and gave me mine when I stood up to meet him.

“I might be heading out, my cousin and her boyfriend have to leave” Joe’s smile faltered a bit, “I can’t persuade you to stay can I?” he asked hopeful. “Unfortunately I don’t know my way around here and there’s no way Anna’s leaving me alone. I’m sorry”.

“Could I get your number then? I’d like to see you again if that’s okay” “That’s more than okay”. I gave Joe my number and hugged him and the other’s goodbye. I headed out with Anna, before we could make it to the lobby I got a text from an unrecognized number.

(xxx)xxx-xxxx: Hi :) It’s Joe

(xxx)xxx-xxxx: Hi Joe, it’s Tess :)

A/N: Hi, I haven't written anything in literally forever but I'm excited for the Super Bowl and Joe is cute as hell so here's this. Let me know if you guys want a part 2 or request anything else, I'm horrible with idea's so please help a girl out!!! xoxo

[hintofelation99]

The Justice League Hangs out with Duke

Bruce: Duke, it's time we had the talk.

Duke: Uh... nope. No thank you. I'm not getting the sex talk from Batman.

Bruce: What? No! The Robin talk.

Duke: But, I'm- I'm the Signal now? Isn't it a bit late for a Robin talk?

Bruce: Son, it's never too late, not for this.

Duke: Um. Ok.

Bruce: When Dick, Jason, and Tim first started as Robins they created a tradition. A tradition that continued with Stephanie, Damian, and now you.

Duke: And that tradition is?

Bruce: Taking down the Justice League. By being annoying and slightly terrifying.

Duke: OHHHHHH. Is that why no one from the Justice League talks to me?

Bruce: Yes, yes it is. But don't worry. I made an arrangement that will allow you time alone with league members to continue the tradition. You have a week to prepare.

——————

Duke: Cass, what do I do?

Cass raises an eyebrow at Duke.

Duke: For the Robin tradition thing. I have to take down the entire Justice League in a night using creative, outlandish, and original methods. But it's already been done by Dick, Jason, Tim, Damian, and Steph. So what do I do? How can I be better than all of them.

Cass smirks: Take them down too.

Duke looking at Cass like she's crazy: What?

Cass: Take. Them. Down.

Duke: Holy shit, you are terrifying.

Cass just smiles and leaves.

-> One Week Later <-

Wonder Woman, Superman, Flash, Aquaman, Green Lantern, Black Canary, Martian Manhunter, Dick, Jason, Tim, Damian, and Steph gather in the Watchtower.

Duke: Hey guys, Batman just wanted to go through some training exercises with everyone. He'll be a little late. Harley and Ivy escaped Arkham and are trying to grow penis shaped shrubs in all the public parks. But, don't worry he asked me to go ahead and start with out him.

Green Lantern: Why are you leading this meeting?

Duke: Batman is running late and he wants me to practice leading meetings.

Green Lantern, glaring suspiciously at Duke: Are you about to do that stupid Robin tradition where you torture all of us?

Duke: What Robin tradition? Also, I'm not even a Robin? I'm the Signal.

Green Lantern continues to glare at him.

Superman: Calm down Green Lantern, the Robins never do this in front of each other.

Every League member seems to relax at this.

Duke acting confused: Uhhh, yeah. Ok, we have a few housekeeping things to do according to the list Batman left. So, I'll have everyone pair up for sparring while I handle these individually.

------

Everyone is in the training room working out or sparring. Duke approaches Tim.

Duke: Hey Tim, Bruce wanted you to look in to that Bludhaven case. Is that ok with you?

Tim: Yeah, why wouldn't it be?

Duke: Oh, I just thought it might be difficult considering what Dick did.

Tim: ...What did he do?

Duke: Wait, you haven't noticed? Oh no, I'm sorry I shouldn't have said anything.

Tim: Duke. Tell me what he did.

Duke: Well, Jason said that he replaced all your coffee with decaf.

Tim: THAT BASTARD. No wonder I've been feeling so tired! I'm going to kill him!

Duke: Wait, just stop! I heard that he hid all of it in Green Lantern's room.

Tim: Wait, why there?

Duke: Something about you being afraid of him.

Tim: WHAT?! I'm not afraid of the Green Nightlight! I'm gonna find that coffee then make Dick pay.

Duke: Oh, well cool, good luck!

------

Green Lantern: Um, what are you doing in my room?

Tim: Where is it?

Green Lantern: Where's what?

Tim: You know what I want. Give up now or face the consequences.

Green Lantern: WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?

Tim: Fine. Consequences.

------

Steph, sparring with Duke: So, what's it like being the first meta bat?

Duke: Not too bad, but I could do with out the whole 'predict the future' thing.

Steph, laughing: What? You can not see the future.

Duke: I bet you $50 I can

Steph: Your on.

Duke, makes everything around him light up and uses a weird voice: In the next thirty minutes Green Lantern will flee the Watchtower in fear. Soon after Dick will be attacked by Tim.

Steph, snorts in obvious disbelief.

Steph: That was so fake-

Green Lantern runs out of the tower looking terrified.

Steph: No way.

Tim tackles Dick and they start fighting like three year old's on the floor.

Steph, handing Duke $50: Holy shit Magic Man.

Duke makes things light up and does the voice again: Oh my god.

Steph, looking excited: What?!

Duke: The- the sushi. The sushi you brought today, it's made from-

Duke pretends to choke back a sob.

Duke: It's made from the fish who was the maid of honor at Aquaman's wedding.

Steph: HOLY SHIT.

------

Steph and Aquaman sit beside each other for lunch, she pulls out her sushi and looks at Aquaman sadly.

Steph: I am so, so sorry for your loss. But just know that her sacrifice is not in vain.

Aquaman, looks confused for a second then sees the sushi: NOPE. Not this again! I'm leaving.

Steph: Wait! I'm sorry!

Aquaman leaves as Steph tries to chase him down.

------

Jason is laughing and filming as Dick and Tim fight.

Duke, whistles: Man, imagine if that video went on YouTube.

Jason, looking confused: What?

Duke: I'm just saying if the video of Red Robin and Nightwing fighting like kids ever got on YouTube, it'd go viral. Oh and they would be so pissed!

Jason, laughs: Too bad B would kill me if I uploaded this.

Duke: Yeah, I guess so. And you can't upload it here because then Superman would get in trouble.

Jason: Why would the boy scout get in trouble?

Duke: Cause he always uses his YouTube account on the Justice League computer. So it'd look like he uploaded it and B would find out that Superman watches cat videos while he's on monitor duty.

Jason, smirking: Huh, so you're saying if I upload this on the League computer I'd piss off Bruce, Tim, and Dick and get Supes in trouble?

Duke, acting innocent: Huh, I guess so.

-> A Few Minutes Later <-

A call from Bruce comes up on the main computer.

Superman: Hey Batman, what can I do for you?

Bruce: You, Red Hood, cave now.

Jason: What? Why me?

Bruce: Because I saw that little home video you uploaded of your brothers.

Jason: What, that wasn't me!

Bruce: I could hear you laughing while you filmed.

Jason: Dammit.

Jason and Clark leave for the cave pouting like kids.

------

Duke: Hey, Black Canary?

Black Canary: Yes Duke?

Duke: I'm sorry to do this on such short notice, but I'm very worried about Dick and Tim.

Black Canary: Why?

Duke: Well, Tim keeps claiming that Dick is out to get him. Something about Dick messing with his coffee? And Dick feels like he's just being attacked for no reason and is worried about Tim's health. Is there anyway you could intervene?

Black Canary, looking sighing and looking exhausted: Usually I have three days of preparation before dealing with bats.

Duke: I know it's just-

Duke gestures to Tim and Dick rolling on the floor fighting.

Duke: They really need help.

Black Canary: Alright, I'll see what I can do.

Black Canary attempts to intervene only to get pulled into the fight. Now the three of them are tangled in a huge, confusing fight, that's filled with yelling and hair pulling.

------

Duke: Damian! Quick!

Damian: What is it Thomas.

Duke: I think somethings wrong with Dick and Tim and maybe even Black Canary. They're all fighting and won't stop! Can you help me contain them so that we can figure out what's going on?

Damian: Fine. I shall help.

Duke: Ok, just try to herd them into this containment cell.

Damian joins the fight managing to get everyone, including himself, into the containment cell. As Damian is trying to leave Duke closes the cell. Damian angrily yells and bangs on the sound proof walls.

Duke: What? Sorry, can't hear you! My hand slipped!

------

Wonder Woman: Very well done Signal.

Duke, acting innocent: Hm?

Wonder Woman: You tricked Red Robin into scaring Green Lantern away, then into fighting Nightwing. Once that fight broke out you tricked Red Hood into uploading a video to the internet using the Superman's credentials. By uploading that video he caused both himself and Superman to face Batman's wrath. You also used the fight to trick Stephanie into annoying Aquaman to the point of leaving. Then you involved Black Canary in the fight, which was her downfall. And, as a final touch, you managed to get Robin into the fight and trapped all in a containment cell. You successfully eliminated 9 foes with one trick.

Duke: You mean 11.

Wonder Woman: What?

Duke: 11. You see, I didn't trick Red Robin, I tricked Nightwing. I had a week to prepare. In that week I convinced Dick that Tim needed to cut back on the caffeine and that Dick should help by switching all of Tim's coffee with decaf. I also convinced him to hide that coffee in the watchtower, in Green Lantern's room. So that was all true.

Wonder Woman: But, that still does not make 11?

Duke: It does. Because This morning I moved the coffee. I replaced the Flashes decaf with Tim's ultra caffeinated coffee. You see Tim has it specially manufactured to increase the caffeine levels. And, while Flash doesn't usually drink his coffee in the morning, he's always running late and forgets, he does drink coffee during training breaks. Which is now. So in about five minutes we will have an incredibly caffeinated speedster in the Watchtower. And since you're the only one around right now with a chance of catching him, that's your problem.

Right as Duke finishes Flash runs by, majorly hyped up on caffeine.

Duke: Checkmate.

------

Martian Manhunter: It appears that I am the last remaining League member.

Duke: Yeah, I don't really understand this tradition but apparently every Robin ends it by picking a favorite league member.

Martian Manhunter: Out of all the League members, why have you chosen me?

Duke: Your smart and have a lot of cool powers. Also, I dunno, I hear you sometimes feel like an outsider with the league. Cause, the whole martian thing. And I know it's not the same but, sometimes I feel like an outsider with the bats, being the only meta and all.

Martian Manhunter: You have chosen me so that we may bond over our lack of connections?

Duke: Uhhhh, yeah?

Martian Manhunter: Hm. Very well, I assume that this is your “Robin Weakness”. Apparently every Robin has one.

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

<- Previous |