#Summit Mall

[middleland]

000036510015 (2) by Simon Birky Hartmann

[retro-system]

oh the next wave comes out next week yippeeee!!!!

[news4nose]

The retailers association of india has voiced concerns about the broad shutdown of  retail sector such as stores, malls, and restaurants scheduled for the upcoming G20 summit September 8th to 10th in Delhi. 

[afriblaq]

On this day 29 years ago, in 1995, the historic Million Man March took place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., drawing an overwhelmingly Black crowd to promote unity and strengthen family values. The march, led by Louis Farrakhan and organized by the Nation of Islam alongside the National African American Leadership Summit, became one of the largest gatherings in U.S. history, with estimates ranging from 400,000 to over a million attendees.⁠

For over 12 hours, speakers and performers from Africa, the Caribbean, and the U.S., including figures like Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, Martin Luther King III, and Dr. Cornel West, inspired the crowd. The march had a lasting impact, with more than 1.5 million Black men registering to vote in the following year, inspiring future generations of activists and leaders. ⁠

“That probably was one of the largest demonstrations of Black men that had ever been done in terms of the United States,” Martin Luther King, III told CNN. “So when you think about the fact that Black men were brought together with a focus on bringing families together, assuming appropriate responsibilities, that was extremely significant.”⁠

📸: AP, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C , Reuters⁠

@becauseofthem

[gillianthecat]

USA Protests for Palestine This Weekend

List from the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights

https://uscpr.org/oct-2023-protests/

Thursday, November 2

ST PAUL, MN | Thursday, November 2nd at 12PM at St. Kate’s O’Shaughnessy Auditorium

PORTLAND, OR | Thursday, November 2nd at 3PM at 911 NE 11th Avenue

BOSTON, MA | Thursday, November 2nd at 4PM at Brewer Fountain, Boston Commons

YPSILANTI, MI | Thursday, November 2nd at 4PM at Eastern Michigan University Student Center

CLEVELAND, OH | Thursday, November 2nd at 6:30PM at Beit Hanina Cultural Center

Friday, November 3

ST PAUL, MN | Friday, November 3rd at 4PM at Snelling & Summit Ave

BROOKLYN, NY | Friday, November 3rd at 4:30PM at Brooklyn District 10 Office 340A 9th Street

MENLO PARK, CA | Friday, November 3rd at 5PM at Meta HQ 1 Hacker Way

Saturday, November 4

NATIONAL MARCH ON WASHINGTON | Washington DC, November 4th, 2 PM. Freedom Plaza. Cosponsored by USCPR and other organizations.

OLYMPIA, WA | Saturday, November 4th at 12PM at City Hall

CINCINNATI, OH | Saturday, November 4th at 12PM at Ziegler Park

RICHLAND, WA | Saturday, November 4th at 12PM at John Dam Plaza

ORONO, ME | Saturday, November 4th at 12PM at UMaine Folger Library

NASHVILLE, TN | Saturday, November 4th at 1PM at Centennial Park

SAN FRANCISCO, CA | Saturday, November 4th at 1PM at Civic Center

SACRAMENTO, CA | Saturday, November 4th at 1PM at Arden Fair Mall

BURLINGTON, VT | Saturday, November 4th at 1PM at Battery Park

PROVO, UT | Saturday, November 4th at 1PM at 550 N University Ave

JUNEAU, AK | Saturday, November 4th at 2PM at Marine Park

LAKEWOOD, OH | Saturday, November 4th at 2PM at City Center Park

SEATTLE, WA | Saturday, November 4th at 3PM at 400 Pine St

TUSCON, AZ | Saturday, November 4th at 3PM at Catalina Park

Sunday, November 5

DENVER, CO | Sunday, November 5th at 12PM at 200 E Colfax Ave

DALLAS, TX | Sunday, November 5th at 2PM at 3333 Turtle Creek Blvd

ROCKVILLE, MD | Sunday, November 5th at 2PM at 101 Monroe St

SAN CARLOS, CA | Sunday, November 5th at 6:15PM at Hiller Aviation Museum

poster art by Shreya Shah from a publicly available collection of free art for Palestine

[ketrindoll]

List of russian lies in the UN or during diplomatic speeches:

1. In January-February of 2022 russia claimed in the UN that they will not invade Ukraine, that they have no plans to invade Ukraine, and evidence of upcoming invasion are lies made by the US or others.

End of the same month russia launched a full-scale invasion.

2. Russia claimed in the UN that the reason they attacked Ukraine was to fight some "local nazis" and that they are indeed good guys fighting Ukrainian hatred. That, however, does not explain why: a) russia opposed the grain deal until Turkey threatened to make it work one way or the other, showing their intention to starve hundreds of millions of people in neutral countries for no reason whatsoever, b) russia refused to allow UN or Red Cross etc to observe the conditions of POWs or to open humanitarian corridors for people to escape from Mariupol or other conflict zones, with thousands of witnesses reporting abductions, filtration camps, and shelling of retreating civilians, c) russia claimed to only want to protect local russian population, yet completely destroyed whole cities in majorly-russian-speaking Eastern Ukraine, like Mariupol (satellites showing mass graves), and bombing mainly civilian targets - schools, hospitals, theatres, a shopping mall during peak hours, a train station where people waited for evacuation, apartment buildings, etc. Currently we can see that there is no effort on the russian-controlled side of Dnipro river to help people in flooded areas, with videos and citizen testimonies reporting shelling of all disaster aid attempts, d) russia claimed that they only hate the "nazi" Ukrainian government, yet they openly shelled Ukrainian power grids during winter, for no other reason than to leave innocent civilians with no gas or electricity.

3. Russian state TV, public figures like Solovyov, former President and Prime Minister as well as head of security council of russia Medvedev openly stated either on national TV or in their social media pages that they want to "exterminate" Ukrainians. That the whole country should not exist, that Ukrainian language is fake, etc etc. This is genocidal speech and it is not limited to Ukraine either. The Baltic States, Poland, etc also received such claims - that they "do not exist" that they "belong to russia" or that they "should be invaded". Makes it very obvious who the imperialistic, colonist aggressor actually is. Medvedev also repeatedly threatened Western European countries with missile or even nuclear attack, yet they claim to only be "defending themselves".

4. Lavrov got laughed at during a summit in India for claiming that "russia was invaded by Ukraine". Do I even need to explain why this is a lie? If I do, check 1st point again. Or just turn on your brain.

5. Then there's more sci-fi nutjobby official russian claims (or lies) about - bioweapons in Ukraine, pidgeons carrying disease or weapons to russia, Ukraine having some super-soldiers, or even dark magic, as indicated by russian Ministry of Defense changing the goal of their "special military operation" from "denazification" to "desatanization".

And that's just a few of the main ones. More is discussed in the latest UN meeting, you can watch the video on their official website.

So, knowing all of this, why the fuck would you believe ANYTHING they say? Especially about the destruction of dam?

Russia has repeatedly shown aggressive attitude towards neighbouring countries, claimed their wish to occupy them, russian officials called for extermination of whole nationalities, and both President putin and Belova have enough evidence against them for ICC to issue a warrant for them for GENOCIDE AND WAR CRIMES.

If you still believe in russia, despite anything they themselves say, you're either a genocide-supporter or unbelievably stupid.

[astralbulldragon13]

Dressing for the Summit

So, Darlin has absolutely nothing fancy to wear, the best they have is their work slacks and a top better used for clubbing than a formal event.

David quickly said no and they decided to go to the mall to get new outfits.

Asher probably hasn’t had a new suit since senior prom.

Darlin asked if they could bring Sam and Vincent, the rest of the pack gives the go ahead.

Pops their head out of Sam and their room to yell, 'Put your socks on boys, we're going shopping!'

They go to the local mall so that they can find the right outfits because I know David won't settle for anything less than the couples being coordinated.

Thank god the Dahlia Mall is open late, so they all make an evening of the shopping trip.

So, note: Angel (she/they), Baaabe (they/them, he/him), Sweetheart (she/her mtf), Darlin (they/them)

Angel gets a gown, very elegant and sophisticated. Also, Angel has a bit of a thicker build

Next is Baaabe, they get a very nice suit, something very classy and with a little flare

For sweetheart she has a simple, beautiful red gown. Elegant and eye catching.

Finally, for our dear Darlin', I wanted them to have a more mixed look, but still very fancy.

[probablyasocialecologist]

There are enough highways, apartments and offices, malls and hotels, restaurants and theme parks—this despite an ongoing crisis of housing affordability. In the over-carbonised economies of the world’s wealthiest countries, maybe we don’t need to build any more, or only do so in a very targeted manner: hospitals and archives, cooling centres, housing and amenities for climate refugees. Even in these cases, there is often the capacity to reuse and redistribute what we have—to reconsider the role of design as one of maintenance, repair, and adequate comfort.  Some buildings are needed. Class A office space and luxury condominiums, not so much. After the Covid lockdowns, the vacant office space in New York City could fill twenty-six Empire State Buildings. Seems like enough. Yet there are still cranes in the sky, still new towers on the boards—indeed, the production of the built environment (and not only in New York) is essential to a growth economy. Any form of enough-ness goes against this premise of relative economic strength being measured by growth, or really by the growth of growth—how much has the GDP gone up, and at what rate? To suggest that, individually or collectively, we already have enough goes against the very foundation of consumer culture. Many life worlds are organized largely, if not exclusively, around accumulation, wanting and getting more—more stuff, more space, more savings.  The health of the US economy in particular is measured by rates of consumer spending, and through this measure implicitly directs the global supply chain. What, for example, is the carbon cost of the resurgence of interest in Barbie? The plastics, the shipping, the advertising, the repainting of houses. And given the carbon intensive energy regime that hums beneath this always-growing global economy, all of this—stuff, space, savings—is dripping in oil, vibrating with carbon intensity, keeping the arrow of emissions pointed inexorably upwards. The Austrian/Puerto Rican economist Leopold Kohr referred to this as Skyscraper Economics—how high can we build? How much can an economy grow? Is there a measure of health, or wealth, that is not about this competitive increase, but about a horizontal redistribution? At last year’s Beyond Growth Summit in Brussels, this was framed as a distinction between “ecologically harmful growth competition and well being cooperation.” Architecture’s fealty to growth, investment, and financialization is caught up in this distinction, and faces the challenge of finding opportunities for creativity within a new set of constraints. Why, when a new building is announced on Instagram or in a glossy magazine by some proud firm or client, do we see square footage, a few swanky features, but no mention of the estimated carbon emissions of the building’s life-cycle?

[world-of-wales]

─ •✧ WILLIAM'S YEAR IN REVIEW : MAY ✧• ─

2 MAY - William received the Rt. Hon. Christopher Hipkins MP (Prime Minister of New Zealand) 3 MAY - William, Catherine and their children attended the Coronation Rehearsal. 4 MAY - William and Catherine travelled on the Elizabeth Line to Tottenham Court Road Station where they were received by Mr. Kevin Traverse-Healy (Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London). Afterwards, they visited the Dog and Duck Pub. Subsequently, William received Hon. Anthony Albanese MP (Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia). 5 MAY - William attended the final Coronation Dress rehearsal. Later, Catherine and him attended the Realm Governor-Generals and Prime Ministers Reception at Buckingham Palace. Afterwards, they joined The King in greeting the crowds at The Mall. Subsequently, they attended the Reception for Heads of State and Overseas Guests. 6 MAY - William, Catherine and their children attended the Coronation of The King and Queen in Westminster Abbey. Afterwards, they witnessed the RAF fly-past from the Palace Balcony. 7 MAY - William took part in the Coronation Concert Rehearsals at Windsor Castle. Afterwards, Catherine and him attended the Coronation Big Lunch on the Long Walk. Later, they attended the BBC Coronation Concert and held a Reception following the Concert at Windsor Castle. 8 MAY - William and Catherine were joined by their kids for the Big Help Out at 3rd Upton Scouts Hall. They appeared in the Coronation Portrait released by Buckingham Palace. 9 MAY - William and Catherine gave an Afternoon Garden Party at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the Coronation of The King and Queen. 10 MAY - William held an Investiture at Windsor Castle. 12 MAY - William and George appeared with the King in the Coronation Portrait released by Buckingham Palace. 14 MAY - He attended the Women's FA Cup Final between Chelsea Football Club and Manchester United Football Club at Wembley Stadium. 15 MAY - William held a Meeting with Mr. Alastair Martin (Secretary of the Duchy of Cornwall). Afterwards, he chaired a Meeting of The Prince's Council. Subsequently, he attended the Zeitgeist 2023 Earthshot Prize summit in Hertfordshire. 16 MAY - William received Lieutenant Commander David Brannighan RN at Windsor Castle. 17 MAY - He met submariners who rowed across the Atlantic in HMS OARDACIOUS at Eton College Rowing Centre. 19 MAY - William received the Rt. Hon. Michael Gove MP (Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities). 22 MAY - William marked the sixth anniversary of Manchester Arena Attack. 23 MAY - He visited Notpla Limited in London. 26 MAY - William was received by Mr. Kevin McGrath (Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London) as he met members of the Grenfell community supported by Queens Park Rangers Football Club at Loftus Road Stadium. 31 MAY - William and Catherine arrived in Amman for the Royal Wedding.

[pjunicornart]

The Robinsons and Mario Kart Wii

Floating around Tumblr now is the headcanon that the Robinsons are a Nintendo household. I agree! So I'm gonna share something I've had written down in a notebook for a while now: What each Robinson mains in MKWii!

Why MKWii and not MK8? Because MK8 is painfully average and boring. Where's the jank? The standalone mini turbos? The busted stats? THE PROPER INSIDE DRIFT?! Everything in MK8 is balanced and boring. Therefore, no competition. MKWii is chaos, and therefore perfect for a Robinson game night!

Because I'm extra, as well as including their favorite characters to play, I will also include: Preferred vehicle, fav track, and fav OST. Plus a little paragraph of how they play. Listen, MKWii was one of my hyperfixations when I was little. I know this game by the back of my hand. LET'S GET INTO THIS!

Bud - Koopa Troopa: Standard Bike S Fav Track: Koopa Cape Fav OST: Koopa Cape (Pipe) - He's not the best at the game by a long shot, but he'll play it for the grandbaby. At least he gets the chance to play on his favorite track from when Neil would want to play with him back in the day.

Lucille - Toadette: Mini Beast Fav Track: DS Yoshi Falls Fav OST: N64 Sherbet Land - Same point for Bud can be said about Lucille. The Sherbet Land OST reminds her of her first Christmas with Neil.

Fritz/Petunia - Daisy: Wild Wing Fav Track: N64 Mario Raceway Fav OST: No Trophy For You! - Beginner level skills. Fritz plays for fun, but Petunia plays for competition! Daisy reminds him of her.

Laszlo - Baby Luigi: Jet Bubble Fav Track: Coconut Mall Fav OST: Coconut Mall - Intermediate level of skills. He can perform some easy shortcuts, like the Mushroom Gorge and DK Summit gap jumps. He also holds the opinion that Coconut Mall is the GOAT. He's not wrong.

Tallulah - Rosalina: Honeycoupe Fav Track: Moonview Highway Fav OST: Daisy Circuit - Casual player with an intermediate level of skills. She can perform certain shortcuts, she just doesn't because she's not overly competitive... unless she's playing against Laszlo.

Joe - Birdo: Classic Dragster Fav Track: DS Delfino Square Fav OST: DS Peach Gardens - Purely casual player. However, he might secretly get a leg up on you in the race. Why? He's lucky with the item RNG.

Billie - Dry Bones: Tiny Titan Fav Track: Wario's Gold Mine Fav OST: DK Summit - Competitive casual type. She is in it to win most of the time, but she's the type to not really want to improve her skills.

Gaston - Waluigi: Wario Bike Fac Track: GCN Waluigi Stadium Fav OST: GCN Waluigi Stadium - Speed is key for him, and he loves all the tracks where he can go ham and perform a bunch of tricks. Speed is his key, but he doesn't have the knowledge of which character and kart combos will allow him to gain that speed.

Art - Toad: Blue Falcon Fav Track: Rainbow Road Fav OST: Online Boss Theme - Back in MKWii's hay day, he played all of the online content. Like the boss battles and competitive races. It's because of this that he has knowledge of all the tips of the trade.

Carl - Baby Mario: Bullet Bike Fav Track: Mushroom Gorge Fav OST: Block Plaza - Really only plays it when Wilbur wants him to. He's programmed to be a decent challenger. So... not like the CPUs in the game, lol. Even in Mirror Mode, the CPUs are a joke.

Spike/Dmitri - Diddy Kong: Dolphin Dasher Fav Track: Moo Moo Meadows Fav OST: N64 DK's Jungle Parkway - They don't play often, which is why they tend to stick to the easier cups and engine classes.

Wilbur - Bowser Jr.: Sneakster Fav Track: Bowser's Castle Fav OST: Maple Treeway - He's made it his life mission to upstage his father in skill. Good luck to him, because Neil knows the ultra shortcuts and all of the hidden stats.

Franny - Yoshi: Wild Wing Fav Track: GCN Peach Beach Fav OST: Maple Treeway - Keeps it casual when asked. But otherwise? You're going down. Her weakness is the jankiness of the game.

Cornelius - Mario: Mach Bike Fav Track: Rainbow Road Fav OST: Rainbow Road - The master of jank. He can perform ultra shortcuts like the Grumble Volcano rock hop/respawn glitch and the Mushroom Gorge cliff ride. He's beaten every fast staff ghost. He's got the item RNG on lock. He has no respect for the key checkpoints. He knows which bikes to use and what characters are best. He shows no mercy. Side note - The RR OST gives him an eargasm every time with its nods to Super Mario Galaxy (his favorite Mario game).

[silvermoon424]

Hi, sorry if this is a weird question, but I was wondering if you had any store recommendations in Kansas City for someone who enjoys anime and magical girls? I'm visiting for my birthday and wish to go to some stores. You don't have to answer if you'd rather not. I've really enjoyed your blog for some years and just wanted your opinions. Thanks

Oh wow, that's so cool you're visiting KC! It's a great city but not as much of a destination spot as other cities are.

Anyway, I would definitely go to Oak Park Mall! It's in Overland Park (the largest suburb of KC). You can look at the store directory on their site, but the stores with the most anime/manga stuff are

Hot Topic

Box Lunch

FYE

EntertainMART

Go! Calendars Toys Games

Barnes and Noble

In the city itself, there's a store called Yoki that sells anime stuff and Japanese snacks. I've never been there myself but the next time I'm in the city I'd love to swing by!

You can also go to Half Price Books (there are a couple in the area). They sell out-of-print manga and often have anime figures as well.

There's a recently-opened lolita fashion shop in Lee's Summit that has a lot of adorable magical girl-like accessories. Be sure to check the store hours though, they're closed some days.

On a non-anime note, some fun things to do/see in KC are

Worlds of Fun (only open in the summer/fall)

The National WWI Museum (the largest museum dedicated to WWI in the entire US!)

Union Station + Science City

The Nelson-Atkins Art Museum

If you like miniatures and vintage toys, there's an entire museum dedicated to them that's really cool

The American Jazz Museum

The Power and Light District has a lot of great restaurants and often there's live music

[thunderclaw100]

Name:Jynx

Sex: Male

Race: Irken

Job positions: Weapon designer,analyst,coordinator

Personalities:Talkative,cheerful,Intelligent,moody,sly,cryptic,flirtatious,unpredictable,outgoing,blunt,witty.

Likes:Deserts,relaxing,video games,simulation developing,females,working,smeets,new wardrobes.

Dislikes:The heat,loosing track of time,dirty messes,being ignored,isolation,tangy food,bullies.

Bio: Jynx grew up during the toughest era of the irken timeline. Everyone is out for themselves. Even the leaders are fighting for power. Back when paks were not invented yet and the population of irkens rest in the strong hold of their superiors, who look down on those who are weak and pathetic. Jynx was only fortunate to be born in a hive that had better respect for their underlings and given them a chance to grow and improve themselves. He had met both good and bad irkens. Some who were there to help him and those who do nothing but stand by and watch him struggle. Jynx had lost his mother and father due to health complications that was too late to treat and ignored by the higher ups.

His fifteen siblings are scattered around the hive. Doing their own thing to survive. Jynx made some friends along the way to his training as he was drafted into the military, at a young age. He wasn’t the strongest drone but he is one of the smartest one in his unit. His first and only real war battle was taken place after a neighboring hive decided to attack his. It was because of the two tallest got into a heated argument during a summit and it left with death threats to both sides. Jynx participated in the act of war, and barely made it out of it alive. When he’s not doing his job. He’s either lounging around somewhere. Or pestering his fellow irkens, out of boredom. Jynx’s demeanor would have put him in he same category as a defective, but due to his status and bright intelligence. He was never brought in for a trial and to be deactivated. Despite being threatened for it. The drone has been kept in his tallest good side, for the most part.

He does have his timid moments. Especially when it comes to messing or flirting with some of the tallest’s birthing drones, inside their chambers. Jynx means well but he can be a bit of an eyesore to others. As the years go by. He made some improvements in his work and stick to that instead of following along with the battles, his comrades are facing with enemy hives. Jynx sees himself as a lover and not a fighter. However he will fight if and when he has to. He’s strategic and will analyze the situation before moving forward for the attack. This era of the Irken history, many hives want to keep their most valuable assets.

Their drones included. Jynx was taken from his old hive during a trade war with a very upset ally. To fix this, both tallest have to compromise and he was to be given to the other hive. Before the exchange. Jynx had a mall talk with his tallest, and he was told to not to use his other job talent to the other hive. He is to be known and to take the position as the other tallest’s coordinator. He accepts and follow along with it from then on. Jynx is hasn’t change much, despite the change, it he does have moments of home sickness, whenever he thinks about his old hive. He participated in three population events. Two of them in which he successfully got his female partners pregnant. Jynx’s sworms are all over the place, and he does keep track of them. Of course he had to keep his affections for them to a minimum, due to the whole policy thing and keeping the new drones focused on their training. He gets to see them during breaks and other events.

(EXTRA)

•Jynx can multitask with his positions.

•He was born with his antennas bent like a “W”

•He has no boundaries and would get scolded often.

•He can remember all the names of his smeets

•Jynx finds birthing drones very attractive. Which explains his constant visits and flirts with them.

•Jynx Never wanted to leave his old hive but has grown to adjust to his new one over time.

•His training days was the hardest part of his life.

•when retired. Jynx moved to the city and lived in an apartment with a few of his close comrades and kids.

• others find his dark blue eyes bizarre and uncommon. It almost made him feel like an outcast.

•Jynx get’s some of his personality from his father.

[thegreatunifier]

☁️ (first a soft one)

Making plans of any sort for Billy Kaplan and Teddy Altman always felt like a game of Russian Roulette, where instead of 5 empty chambers and 1 bullet, it was the opposite. Because inevitably, whenever they made plans with friends or family or just the two of them, someone decided that it was their day to wreak havoc somewhere in the universe and either one or both would be called to duty at the drop of a hat. At first, it was small things like the bank being robbed while they were visiting their favorite comic book shop down the street, or someone deciding that bringing a semi automatic to the mall while they were out with Billy's brothers and having to spend the rest of the day cleaning up the mess. But now that they are more well known with being associated with the Avengers and Dr. Strange and even some of the X-Men when the situation demanded, the occurrences seemed to be coming more frequently. Which wasn't a problem, really it wasn't. Teddy knew that this was one of the downfalls that came with being a hero. He knew that crime waited for no man, woman or child, human or no. But sometimes the constant running and dodging and saving and protecting had them so caught up in everyone else's problems that the two of them often forgot about their own. Like today. Today was forecasted to be a perfect, New England autumn day. The sky was cloudless, the air was crisp, clean and sweet with the scents of sun warmed leaves.

And the two of them were strolling leisurely through Central Park with no real destination in mind. It was a day that felt infinite, where time stood still despite the bustle of the city around them. Teddy had been on a mission to find every single hidden nook and cranny within the 843 acres that he could, and so far he estimated he only found less than 1/10th of what could be here. Sure, he could ask Billy to scan the place, sure he could do his research but exploring without a plan, rhyme or reason was part of the adventure. So now, with them trekking off the concrete path, moving randomly through the trees and crevices of rock, Teddy suddenly stopped in his tracks. It wasn't something that was even semi remarkable. It was simply a huge boulder that jetted up from the earth like a whale breaking the surface of the waves. While the lower parts were covered in moss, the higher the granite grew it became more weathered and sun bleached. It was a testament to how long it had been there, undisturbed, withstanding the elements of weather, time and human. "There it is!" He grinned, taking Billy's hand as they carefully made their way to the boulder's base. He had seen it from above, flying back from one mission or another in the dark and the light of the full moon had glanced upon the stone so perfectly that he knew he just had to find it again. "Tee, you know both of us can fly right?" Billy chuckled when his fiancée had let go of his hand to start scaling the stone. Despite it being quite cemented, there weren't a lot of places where one could get a hold of if they did ever want to mount the summit.

"yes, but where is the fun in that?" Teddy called over his shoulder before focusing back on the task at hand. While the main body of the bolder was slanted at an angle that would help climbers, the base was nothing but a near vertical wall of granite, smooth and hard against his skin. Okay, maybe he could cheat a little bit. He added a few inches to his height just so he could get the angle he needed when he jumped from the ground and caught the top of the stone that made up the base wall. He pulled himself up, making sure his center of gravity was secure before turning around. "Come on, jump and I'll pull you up." Teddy's grin widened when he saw Billy roll his eyes, but follow his command nonetheless. It was a stretch, but after a moment or two, they were both standing at the crest of the stone, a good 20 feet from the ground.

""I... am King of the Rock." Billy snorted and shoved Teddy gently against his shoulder, but not nearly hard enough for them to lose their balance. "And there's nothing you can do about it." "Oh yeah?" There was a small opening in the trees above them, and it was at that exact moment that a crack of thunder echoed off the trees and buildings like a cannon. Teddy looked up, frowning at the suddenly black clouds that were pressing down on them. And before he could even think to curse them, the roar of the rain rushed upon them, soaking them through in minutes. "Well, I guess the weather man was wrong after all." Teddy chuckled, looking back down to the man before him, brushing the dark bangs out of the way of the most beautiful pair of amber eyes he would ever see. "Yeah, well it wouldn't be the first time would it?" Billy grinned before pulling Teddy into a kiss. Yes, their lives were crazy and dangerous. But it was the moments like this that made every single ounce of pain and suffering worth it.

[storyspinner91]

I'm behind on my updates, but the last chapter of Flawless Five vol. 1 is almost complete! Hoping to have it up by the end of the week at the latest. Here's a little snippet:

Kit wanders the mall. She stares listlessly into a storefront. Walks past cute couples making out in the food court. Wanders into a movie theater and gazes vacantly up at the various posters: Killer Sharks LXXVI, Between the Beginning: The Sequel to the Prequel for That One SciFi Franchise, and Superboy: The Authorized Documentary. She ambles into an indoor roller rink and sits in the front row of the bleachers, watching as several groups of people skate around in circles. She grimaces and rubs her stomach. "…Man, that Summit Condensation was a bad idea," she mutters. She sighs and props her chin on the railing of the rink, watching people whiz past. "…I should call Airk. Or mom. Or…somebody." She makes no move to do so. As she sits there, motionless, a there's a loud *BEEEEEHN!* and the rink empties out. A few moments later, it starts to fill up again. Kit still just sits, staring into the middle distance. A pair of skates suddenly *THUNK* onto the railing next to her, making Kit jump and stare. "You skate?" Kit looks up, and her eyes widen. "Um." Standing over Kit, leaning on the wall of the rink from the other side and clad in a tank top and elbow- and knee-pads, is a tall, broad-shouldered white woman in her late thirties. Her blonde hair is trimmed close to her scalp, just a tiny bit longer on the top and front to create a fetchingly rumpled effect. As she leans on the rail, she positions her skates with the easy grace of an athlete, and her shoulders and arms flex with visible muscle. Kit swallows. "I. Um. I. Hi??" The woman grins at her. "You seemed bummed. Like you need to move. So. You skate?"

[ilyamatic]

Mixed Emotions, Heart Still Open

Oh no, the meme has become a bit of a series. Catch part one here and Vissenta's pov here.

CW: Drug use, relapsing

Song: Where You Are by John Summit and Hayla

Andrico was not running away. They don’t run away from anything. They were making a… strategic exit.

Because the thing about Julian Devorak, the love of their life and bane of their existence in equal measure, was that he was easy to spot in a crowd. It was hard to miss the guy who was more than a head taller than everyone else and dressed like a 90s goth mall rat. So when they noticed that distinctive mop of auburn curls, Andrico decided a visit to the bathroom was necessary. And if the bathroom was located next to the fire exit? Well…

Now, should that have led them to another club? Probably not. It was a festival weekend. That meant after parties. That meant drugs. That meant a couple of lines snorted in the bathroom, a new dealer’s number saved, and a very awkward conversation with their NA sponsor when they unblocked him in 3 weeks. That meant 5 years of sobriety down the drain.

Nasty work.

That being said, those were problems for future Andrico. Andrico right then? Oh, they felt good honey. Better than they had in weeks. Their blood was pumping, their inhibitions gone. There was only the music, the bass, the bodies writhing and grinding against theirs. Andrico didn’t have to think about Julian cleaving their heart in two or the strange way Vissenta got under their skin and stayed there or the empty apartment they were going back to. They only needed that moment, that high. Time meant nothing and each moment bled into the next.

Another line, a new song, laughter spilling into the streets. A stranger’s hand in theirs pulling them onto another dance floor. Rinse, repeat.

But there was only so much cocaine they could snort before they ended up in the hospital again, especially after so long. The high couldn’t last forever. They had to come down at some point. It just shouldn’t have been like this.

“Dunya?”

They should just ignore him. The music was loud enough, yeah? They were still far gone enough. They could do it.

“Dunya please. We have been looking for you all night. You left your purse and phone behind and–”

A strong arm wrapped around their middle and tried to gently guide them from the dance floor. Suddenly Andrico wasn’t floating miles above the Earth. They were in some too hot warehouse surrounded by people they didn’t know and Julian was there, holding them.

They were back in their body and it hurt.

“Let me go,” they pleaded with a weak shove.

“Dunya, we have to go,” Julian said gently. “It’s near dawn. We have to take you home.”

They could feel themselves starting to cry again. “No no no. Let me go. You don’t love me.”

“Andrico.”

They couldn’t handle the crack in his voice. They began to cry in earnest.

“You don’t love me, you don’t love me, you don’t love me but you won’t let me go,” Andrico sobbed. “I love you, let me go.”

Another set of hands came and rested on their shoulders, gently leading them away. They knew Vissenta’s touch anywhere. The sobs continued.

“You don’t love me,” Andrico said again. They repeated it like a mantra. They didn’t know who they meant anymore.

They soon found themself bundled in the back of a car. From the smell of Malboros and hand sanitizer they knew it was Julian’s. They would cry harder if they could but they were wrung dry.

A weight draped over them, all sea salt and burnt wood. Julian’s coat.

Whispers filled the car as he took the driver’s seat and Vissenta slipped into the passenger’s. Snippets of “what did they take?” and “how much?” caught their ear.

They were so tired.

Once the car began to move Andrico allowed themself to flop to the side. Vissenta’s head snapped towards them.

“He-y Drico,” their casual tone misplaced with the worry etched on their face. “Can you sit back for us buddy?”

Andrico shook their head. It was too much effort.

“Okay, that’s okay. Just let us know if you start feeling sick alright?”

“Or don’t lay on your back please?” Julian cut in.

If they had the energy they would snort. This wasn’t their first rodeo. Instead, Andrico allowed their eyes to close and focused on the car moving beneath them. In no time the whispers became white noise and they were able to drift off to sleep.

If they dreamed in thundercloud gray and olive green, that business was their own.