#Three Position Traffic Signal

[glitter-and-be-gay]

YAY I PASSED the written exam. Now I only have to keep going to practice lessons until I make sure I am unlikely to run over pedestrians or have the car stall in the middle of the street and we're golden

[arinzeture]

Garrett Morgan was an African American inventor and entrepreneur best known for his groundbreaking inventions that improved public safety.

One of his most famous inventions was the three-position traffic signal (patented in 1923), which introduced the yellow warning light, making intersections safer and influencing modern traffic systems. Another major contribution was the safety hood, an early version of the gas mask, which he used to rescue workers trapped in a toxic tunnel explosion in 1916.

Beyond his inventions, Morgan was a successful businessman and advocate for Black advancement, founding a newspaper and supporting civil rights initiatives. His legacy lives on through his innovations that continue to impact everyday life.✊🏿Salute!❤️🖤💚

. . .

#BlackHistoryMonth #BlackExcellence #OurLegacyOurFuture #hiphop #culture #follow

[ts-wicked-wonders]

Black History Month: Did you know?

The three-light traffic signal was invented by a Black man named Garrett Morgan.

Garrett Morgan had only an elementary school education and was the son of a formerly enslaved man. Nevertheless, Morgan surmounted these difficulties and is responsible for many important inventions. Most notably, Morgan invented the three-light traffic signal in 1923.

While driving one day, Morgan witnessed a serious car crash at an intersection. This sparked his idea to add a third light to the traffic signal which would warn drivers of an impending red light. His patent was granted in 1924, and after early installments of the three-light traffic signal were successful, they spread throughout the country and became the three-light signal many of us encounter daily.

[royal-chandler]

💌 a sealed letter for FirstPrince, please :)

this is for @onthewaytosomewhere as well, who asked for the exact same thing 🤍

i apologize for the delay. this sort of exploded on me. i feel a little iffy posting it because i think it needs some sprucing and some tidying with the formatting but if i keep it any longer, i'm afraid it'll grow into an audrey ii. tldr; henry and alex would not shut up.

this is also a lowkey request for a beta read??

i hope that you both enjoy it all the same!

--

Henry pens the letter on parchment paper bought from a shop three blocks east of his brownstone, a charming jewelry box of stationery supplies that he’s frequented on almost a weekly basis since relocating to the States over a year ago. 

Deep black ink closes the confession: With a heart full of hope, Henry Fox

Neatly shaping the letter into a trifold and tucking it into a heavy self-seal envelope, Henry’s insides feel as though they rest precariously on a high ledge. His nerves inevitably find his hands and some of his script loses curvature in the address lines. As well, the postage stamp glues down off-center but Henry doesn’t dare try to peel it back. 

The dawn-grey morning light filters through his bedroom curtains and he loses minutes staring at the letter, touching its cream corners. Henry has made up his mind; a decision one way or another long overdue. He tells himself it’s not cowardly, this route. That it’s romantic and a face to face encounter would only leave him tongue-tied, allow for his affections to be misconstrued. 

So yes, before shipping off a love story that possibly only he had been writing from the start, he gives himself a moment.

David, on the other hand, has no care for Henry’s desire to stall. He climbs down from the bed to make space for himself between Henry’s feet. His darling face turns up with serious dark eyes and his tail thumps against the floor, letting Henry know that he has ten minutes and counting to shower and change before his full bladder becomes a threat. 

At the mercy of the master of the house, Henry pushes away from his desk with a fond laugh.

x

Rather than walk the entirety of the neighborhood and deal with cross sections and traffic signals, Henry chooses a shortcut through the park for the drop-off box. 

David is thrilled with the change-up from concrete to grass, the exponential number of squirrels, and different trees to sniff around and hike a leg near, leave a mess for Henry to pick up. 

They're in no true hurry and there's a cinematic view in front of them on this significant day, the horizon’s honeycomb bloom peering through greenery and spilling gold over everything else. So, having deemed the day significant, Henry soaks it in. He stops at the next free bench, taking a seat and letting David off his lead to burn energy on the manicured lawn. He watches David bound about, his floppy ears moving through the air like the wings of bats, and he pulls out his phone to film.

A video of David getting bested by a tag team of squirrels and collapsing on his front legs with disappointment is captured and shared to his chat with Pez and Bea. 

Bea: Aww! Poor Davey! Give him a massive squeeze and smooches from me. Let him know Aunt Bea misses him!

Don’t bother pitying him too much. He recovered quickly and is now chasing the tail of a Dachshund. Or it’s chasing his. Sort of a chicken or the egg scenario. 

Pez: There’s a lad! He’s got the heart of a champion. Speaking of carnal pursuits. Isn’t today the day, Haz??

Bea: IT IS. UPDATE, HENRY.

It is positively terrifying that I can hear you from a continent away. David and I are heading toward the post if you must know.

Bea: He's larking. Collect your dog and go!

What happened to sweet Aunt Bea?

Bea: She wants to see her brother happy.

Pez: And get fucking laid on the regular. It’s been how long now, mate? A year? I recall my Spotify was up for renewal and it’s nearing that time again. I bet your mattress is as sturdy as the day you bought it. 

Bea: I won’t repeat that but I acknowledge it. 

Christ, you're both hideous. I’m going. 

Henry stows his phone back into his satchel. Standing, he calls for David before fetching the lead which had managed to partially abscond through the space between two of the bench’s slats. His back is turned as he tries to detangle the knot that’s been mysteriously made. 

Oh fucking shit, Henry hears from behind. Then it’s David’s bark followed by the unmistakable sound of a rough tumble. 

Henry spins around, his chest tightening with panic. It’s amazing really, the haste in which fear can clasp you like a shackle and then rapidly release leave an uncapped valve. David is unharmed, pondering the wincing face of an unknown man, and it’s perfectly evident what took place—that a collision prevented by the runner putting on emergency brakes when David was making his way back to Henry. Clad only in split shorts and a sports vest, there’s scratches on his bare elbows and knees, on his legs that keep going and going until they disappear under what has to be a three inch inseam and has little to no restriction.

Henry swallows.  “Um, are you alright?”

The man who had been in the middle of inspecting his palms looks up from under sweaty curls and he’s got bright brandy-brown eyes with lashes suited for a high-end mascara advertisement. They’re gorgeous. When he smiles, they’re beautiful. “Oh, I’m right as rain. I’ve been in worse scrapes,” he says, the debut of his voice warm and kind. 

Henry feels the width of his own smile, the heat on his face.  “Be that as it may, I apologize.”

“No worries,” the runner replies, getting to his feet. They’d meet in height if Henry stretched to his toes. He thinks they’re around the same age. “I mean, it’s not your fault. I’m just happy that your dog is okay.”

“I won’t move on the point that it’s regretful you had to risk bodily injury but yes, thank you, I do appreciate you not trampling over David here.”

“David? Wow. Please tell me that he came with that name.”

“I could but I’d be lying to you and that’s not exactly a proper way to go about meeting a person.”

“Did you not choose Stuart because it was a little too dry or because it was already taken by a mouse?”

“He's named after Bowie.”

“Why not Bowie then?”

“It’s a bit on the nose, don’t you think?”

“Ziggy?”

“Doesn’t match his personality. Trust me.”

“Stardust?”

“He’s spotted.”

“Yeah, I’m missing the logic on that one. You should have gone with Bowie.”

“Well had I done that I wouldn’t be on the receiving end of this delightful line of questioning, would I?”

“One more question if you can stand it,” the stranger proposes, his laugh a soft rumble. “What’s your name?”

“Ah, right,” Henry says mildly spaced, a ghastly number of seconds late.  “Henry. I’m Henry.”

The stranger offers his hand alongside his name. “Alex.”

Henry goes to grasp it, to touch him. However, his eyes catch the vibrant tear of red that’s made a rivery inroad through the map of Alex’s right palm. “You’re bleeding.”

“What?” Alex asks. His gaze drops and his brows rise. “Huh. That wasn’t happening a minute ago.” Using the hem of his top, he improvises a crude kerchief. 

“Don’t you dare,” Henry warns, and it’s almost funny, Alex’s shift into a statue. Wide-eyed and chastised. Henry points to the bench. “Sit.”

“Damn, not even a please.”

“You were about to rub dirt into an open wound.”

“It is not a wound.”

“You're taking up the whole—budge up. Please.”

David barks in protest when Henry sits back down. To appease him, Henry digs out an on-the-go dog treat from his bag. He scratches behind David’s ears while he starts on a long strip of jerky. “Five more minutes and we’ll get going. You’ve been the best boy. You truly have. I just need to tend to Alex first, hmm? He did go arse over tit for you so it’s only fair.”

“Arse over tit,” Alex repeats. He nods approvingly. “That rolls nice off the tongue.”

“I bet it does,” Henry replies, back in his satchel again. Though his face is hidden, he doesn’t veil the innuendo.

In Henry’s search for his first-aid kit his fingers slip over the letter, and his stomach slips low, anchoring his grin with it. He’d forgotten. All morning, the letter had essentially been the only thing to occupy his head and he’d forgotten.

“Hey, are you good?” A concerned Alex breaks in when Henry has presumably fallen silent for too long. “Seriously, Henry. You’re under no obligation to stitch me back up. If you’re uncomfortable—”

“This box doesn’t contain any stitches and if it did, I have no skill with a needle so your hand would look like it was borrowed from Frankenstein’s monster.”

“I was being hyperbolic.”

“Is that a character trait of yours?”

“Some would say yes. You’re blatantly avoiding the question, by the way.”

Henry cleans his hands with an antiseptic wipe before ripping open a new one. “I’m fine, Alex. I don’t think you appreciate the amount of guilt I would be burdened with if I walked away from the man who bled himself for my dog without at least sparing him a plaster. Not to mention, you were about to give yourself gangrene.” He takes Alex’s broad hand in his, and tries not to notice how good it feels or how soft the hairs at his wrist are—tries not to consider the length of his thick fingers. Gently, he rubs at Alex’s vulnerable skin, careful where the cut is most severe. “There’s no alcohol in this so it shouldn’t sting but it still may hurt. Sorry.”

“It doesn’t hurt,” Alex murmurs quietly and yet somehow sounding so close it sets off a shiver in Henry. He’s not sure that he covers it successfully, given the awkward start of Alex’s next words. “So, uh. Um, I don’t think I’ve seen you in this park before. First time here?”

“No.” Henry discards the wipe for a packet of topical ointment. “David and I come around every so often but we usually circle our neighborhood. He’s a hit with the kids during his afternoon walk, loves the attention.”

“Where’s your neighborhood?” Alex questions.

Busy dabbing ointment onto Alex’s hand, Henry gestures with his head to the north entrance of the park. 

“What!?”

“Alex, don’t move!”

“Sorry, it’s not every day that I meet someone who has six point one million to drop on a fucking brownstone.” Alex shrugs at the curious glance Henry sends his way. “Us commoners like to fantasise and window shop on Zillow occasionally. What of it?” 

“Commoners.” The word rolls into a laugh as Henry rolls his eyes. He flips through the provision of adhesive bandages for the correct size to fit Alex's hand. “Your trainers say otherwise, sweetheart. Which direction do you come from then?”

“Downtown, a modest two bedroom apartment."

Henry hums.

"I third-wheel it with my sister and her girlfriend, who also happens to be my ex. Which I swear is not as incestuous as it sounds,” Alex says hurriedly, the words almost tripping over each other. “She and I dated for like a week and then broke it off after mutually coming to the conclusion that we’re much better as best friends.”

It’s none of Henry’s business but the opportunity dangles right in front of him, likely a fleeting thing, and Henry is incapable of walking away with today without knowing. He can’t put up with the thought of it. Prior to this exact point in time, he’d call it impossible, having enough heart to give, enough heart to yield to this firebrand—armed with bright eyes, wit, and kindness. A firebrand urgent to stake claim. But it’s here, scraping the whole of Henry's heart clean.

He clears his throat and opens a plaster. Camouflaged in a casual tone, he manages to ask, “You can’t move in with your girlfriend?”

When Alex doesn’t respond, Henry worries that he’s bungled it. Screwing this up feels worse than having his guts on a ledge because in a matter of minutes, like a flash-forward, he’s seen what this could be up close—rather than standing at a distance and wishing to be noticed—his gaze lifts to meet Alex’s and he realises that Alex was simply waiting on him, waiting for Henry to look at him and see every honest piece. The sweet sentiment, longing and want, the very real hope. Alex admits meaningfully, “There’d have to be a girlfriend for that to be a possible solution. Or a boyfriend. What about you? It is just you and David in your big ass brownstone? You get a floor, David gets a floor…?”

“My sister gets a floor and my best mate gets a floor,” Henry finishes for him, smiling. “Whenever they stop in for a visit.”

“Check that out. We have a lot in common.”

“Now, hold on. I think running is a dreadful form of exercise.”

“Henry, there are numerous forms of exercise. I’m confident in our ability to stumble across one we both enjoy,” Alex shares, newly delighted and a riotous spark in his eye. He’s so bloody handsome he radiates, pales the sun. “Don’t count us out yet.”

Henry’s breath catches. At a loss for words, he ducks his head and finally removes the plaster from its backing, aligning it over Alex’s palm and sticking it firmly into place. Henry’s in the middle of the moment before he’s aware he’s begun, raising the open sprawl of Alex’s warm hand and tenderly pressing a kiss to center. He skips his thumb over Alex’s fingers and then lets him go.

“There. No flesh eating diseases for you,” Henry jokes lightly, watching him with a hectic heart.

“I don’t think you really know how medicine works.” Despite this, or maybe because of it, Alex looks fond. His smile softens on a bemused exhale. “Is it alright to ask for your number?”

“Yes,” Henry says because anything short of it is unimaginable. “May I take a picture of you?”

“Yes,” Alex is quick to oblige. Of course, in reverse order of standard protocol, he then sees fit to ask, “What are you planning to use it for?”

“My mates are busybodies with an unbalanced investment in my dating life. To give you an idea of what you're getting yourself into.” Henry gets David’s attention and scoops him up. “Good god, I know, what a hassle. Last favour, dear.  And then,” he pauses, his thoughts visiting muted images of parchment and pen. Henry continues on, “And then we’ll head on home. Now take a seat on Alex so Aunt Bea and Auntie Pezza don’t accuse me of nicking an image from google. And Alex, be mindful of your hand.”

“Yes, mother hen,” Alex agrees, grinning. 

“Abhor that,” Henry grumbles. He retrieves his phone and opens the camera. He smiles at the two of them. “Ready?”

Eventually, after a few attempts, Henry gets a decent snapshot of Alex hugging David one-armed with a peace sign and sends it off.

Predictably, and almost instantly, his phone lights up with an incoming call from Bea. It goes to voicemail and there's a text notification waiting.

Pez: So, luv, did you learn from David or did David learn from you?

x

When Henry returns home, he tucks the letter into a desk drawer. By no means is he crowded by regret but the writer in him is hesitant to throw out his documented emotions so readily. 

Months later, when the desk is relocated to storage to move in Alex’s things, Henry is distracted by happiness and the kisses that Alex keeps pressing to his lower back and lower to get off hoover duty. He empties it indiscriminately and piles everything in a box to keep. 

Years later, they buy a house in Austin and spend a week's worth of afternoons in their rented climate-controlled storage unit. Alex is showcasing writings like flashcards in a game of ‘yay or nay.’ Most of it has been nay and Henry is questioning his past self. He has no clue why he even kept the box Alex is currently digging in. 

“This one looks like it might be important.”

“What is it?”

“A fancy ass envelope. Opulent, one might say.”

“I’d had two glasses of prosecco, Alex, and we were choosing our wedding invitations. Leave me alone.” 

“Uh huh. This letter is unopened, if that makes any difference to you.”

Henry stills. It’s a percussive blast from the past when he turns to see the letter he hasn’t thought about in years. Alex’s brow is raised expectantly. Henry could tell Alex yes, it’s important. It would be the truth. They wouldn’t have met had Henry not written it and gone to the park with every intention to mail it. 

And nothing means more than Alex. 

“Baby, yay or nay?”

“Recycle.”

--

ugh, how big of a mess was it?

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Costume meta 8x01, 8x02 & 803

Life is incredibly busy for me at the moment, so I’m not able to spend as much time on things like writing Costume meta as I’d like, so, while I am planning on writing a meta for each episode, these are likely to be shorter and I will only be guaranteeing to do Buck and Eddies costumes. Any other character will be entirely dependent on my time and if there is anything interesting to point out! That being said, because I’ve combined the first three episodes into one meta (because they spent most of it in uniform!), it is on the longer side!

So, let’s get this season 8 costume meta show on the road!

Last season I pointed out the show was going heavy on the pink colour coding and suggested it was being employed to signal an overarching theme for the season - innocence and naiveté and the loss thereof. This proved to be correct  and we saw the show weave stories across the season about innocence and naiveté and we then watched characters experience the loss of those things.

So I was intrigued to see what colour they would be using this season and had been contemplating over hiatus what I thought they’d go with. I regret not making a post about it back then, because my thoughts had been focused on orange, and early indicators suggest orange is indeed the colour they’re using - along with a second colour - brown. 

I have spotted a lot of both colours in both episodes of the season so far, and very often they are using a sort of burnt/rusty orange/brown, that combines both colours I’ll be keeping my eye out for both colours in the upcoming episodes as well.

rest below the cut!

Examples of it in these opening two episodes that I’ve spotted are;

The light aircraft had orange and brown detailing on the tail. 

The truck has a brown logo, the driver who ran up to the car on the highway was wearing an orange check shirt, and his co-driver is wearing brown

Tori and her assistant Sheila are wearing orange and brown and Sheila is wearing brown trousers with and orange check when the bees attack. 

Hen’s jacket has a lot of orange and some brown in the plaid, and Denny’s shirt has a dark orange text on it.

Eddie and Buck are wearing brown shirts and Eddie is wearing an orange hat - the orange balloons and streamers are also fairly dominant in the party decorations.

Denis is wearing a light brown zip front hoodie (he also has his orange prison jumpsuit but I’m not including it as its standard prison uniform and would’ve been included regardless!)

Tia is wearing an orange/brown shirt under her white and coloured design jacket

Amy the manager of air traffic control is wearing both brown and orange

the toothbrush Dennis makes a shiv from is orange

several crew members on set are wearing brown

the workman who removes the blade fro the firetruck is wearing brown.

Orange means enthusiasm optimism and emotional strength. It’s also a colour of positivity and progressive thinking as well as creativity and success in endeavours! Orange can also be impatient and can also symbolise insincere personalities or intentions.

Brown meanwhile is stable and reliable, honest and supportive. It is also seen as protective and it is the foundation from which new things can grow. It also means honesty, wisdom and strength and it is a dependable colour. It can also have meanings such as loneness isolation and sadness, as well as being seen as boring or dull.

They are two colours that have intertwined meanings and to me this is suggesting an overarching theme for the season of positive stable progression. The idea of letting go of the past and moving forward. Everyones arc’s so far this season seem to be setting up the exploration of all our mains having to deal with aspects of their past (or connected to their past) be that something that happened to them or their behaviour, something they haven’t let go of that continues to impact them and that is preventing them from being able to progress further than they have. It feels very much like the show is setting itself up for making some changes to things for season 9 onwards (not saying people are leaving I want to make that clear - just that I think we might see some changes to what roles people fill within the show)

Check Theory

Check theory was out in force in these two episodes as well - and it has yet to fail me! The small aircraft pilot,

the truck driver,

the first passenger we see on the plane (whose shirt also happens to be that rusty orange/brown colour), one of the attorneys in LA, Sheila the PA, Amy the air traffic controller, all wearing check patterns along with Hen and Tommy. If you haven’t read my theory before - you can find it here, but basically check generally means the character will be the one in danger in some way (not always physical, it could be emotional) and in the case of the passenger on the plane - he is a signifier for the entire plane being in peril by virtue of being the first passenger we see.

Hen’s check came in a scene where we start to see the jealousy she feels towards Chim and Mara’s relationship (while Karen isn’t reacting to it at all - beyond seeming happy that Mara is happy) and is foreshadowing the upcoming issues with Hen and Chim’s relationship and their fight to get Mara back. the use of two different types of check is perhaps hinting at the fact Hen will be facing issues on two fronts - the Ortiz front and the Chimney/Maddie front. The raw edged denim also helps to play into the idea that Hen is reaching the end of her capacity to deal with things - she is feeling raw and frayed.

Tommy’s check is serving a similar purpose - we get a continuation of Tommys dismissive comments when Buck is telling him something about his life and it is clearly foreshadowing the issues and hurdles Buck and him are going to face. Interestingly the colour of the check is hard to figure out - I'm pretty sure its black, but it looks dark green in some moments and navy blue in others. The black and white colouring in a check pattern is giving us hints - telling us that in the case of Tommy things are very black and white - that there is little nuance to his character.

It's telling us what we see is what we get and that all of his behaviour up to this point can be read for what it is and t hat what it is isn't good because of the check. the other thing about black and white is that it suggests a lack of change - things being black and white in costume terms generally means that the character in that moment a a minimum can be read very plainly - they are how they are and how they have always been.

The fact Tommy is wearing it in a scene discussing Gerrard really is implying that things on that front are going to be black and white and that plays into the theory that it is his problematic past at the 118 (that the show deliberately chose not to address last season) is at least one of the issues that’s going to come up this season and that it is a black and white issue - as in not one with grey areas.

Tommy's blue party hat is also pretty interesting, and telling, blue is very much a Buck colour, its one he wears a lot of - far more than any other colour, this, along with the fact the black check on the shirt appears blue or green depending on the lighting and camera angle, fits with my theory that Tommy is meant to not only be similar to Eddie, but also and alt version of Buck. The fact he is wearing an open shirt over a henley also plays into this theory as they are items of clothing associated with Buck (open shirt) and Eddie (henley). 

Navy blue as a hat colour is an interesting choice to have Tommy wearing in this scene because it is a colour associated with several things, its supposed to be a symbol of peace, commitment and honesty, as well as authority. It also means fragility, depression, impersonality and coldness. 

We saw various shades of navy blue on Buck a lot during his relationship with Taylor - especially during the more fractious periods - moments such as the ily scene - seemingly a moment affirming commitment and honesty, but also revealing the fragility and coldness of their relationship.

So on Tommy it seems to be conveying a similar concept - the juxtaposition of the commitment of Buck and Tommys relationship and the idea that Buck is at peace with himself in relationship terms right now, but it is also revealing the fragility and coldness of the relationship - its supporting the textual clues we get in the scene and setting up Bucks arc for the season and the instability of his relationship with Tommy.

On to Eddie and Buck now we've dealt with the more general costume things!

I’ve already written above about the meaning of brown and how its meaning is stable and reliable, honest and supportive. It is also protective and it is the foundation from which new things can grow. It also means honesty, wisdom and strength. It is a dependable colour. It can also mean loneness isolation and sadness, as well as being seen as boring or dull.

The thing with brown is that it is made up of all of the colours and can therefore have different coloured undertones. In this scene, Bucks shirt is red toned and Eddies is yellow/orange toned and this means we should look to those colours for additional information about the potential meanings.

Eddie

The yellow and orange undertones for Eddie means his brown is connected to communication and enthusiasm as well as the meanings of brown I’ve described above. the meaning that particularly stands out to me in this scene is the idea of support - of being supportive. It’s a theme that plays out in different ways in this scene especially for Eddie and Buck. For Eddie specifically it is the idea of being supportive of what he thinks his son wants - what he i being told his son wants. 

Eddie is trying to communicate with Christopher but Chris is not communicating back - Helena is the one that communicates the information we get about Chris - that he is happy in El Paso and has lots of new friends and is visiting the pool a lot etc. Eddie tries to be supportive of what he is being told, despite it making sure his broken heart stays broken - because he thinks it’s what Chris wants because it is what he’s being told. 

We also have eddies orange party hat - picking up the orange undertones to the t-shirt, it emphasises the emotional strength Eddie has to employ to keep persevering with Chris - even when he is getting barriers thrown up at him. He’s being creative - throwing the party in LA even though he’s not with Chris - trying to make himself a part of things and show Chris that he’s trying to mend the bridge he broke. The orange is also playing the long game with Eddie as well - the lack of orange in the El Paso visuals is telling us that Eddie will be successful in his endeavours - he just needs to be patient and keep trying.

It's also worth noting a couple of things about Eddies clothing - firstly that Eddie is back to wearing slightly oversized tees again - calling back to season 5 and his breakdown and mental health struggles. and secondly the choice of putting him in olive drab cargo pants and his mom in jeans of the same-ish colour (its hard to tell exactly what shade of olive drab they are as the colouring through the computer screen is wildly different!) is an interesting choice - its hinting at where Eddies battles lie - an indication of both going into combat with one another!

Buck

For Buck his brown has reddish undertones (these are much less obvious than the yellows and oranges of Eddies undertones), and there his also the red party hat bringing the red aspect into focus. Red is a symbol of anger, danger, impulsiveness, aggression, passion, sacrifice, and courage. 

Again the concept of support comes into play with the brown - Buck supporting Eddie, being a source of strength and stability at his back, as is visually shown with him never leaving his spot behind Eddie (unlike Tommy who moves away and out of camera in both the video call and the way the scene is shot - its costume and directing working in tandem to relay information about Tommy to the audience). 

The reddish undertones play into the other aspect of the scene - the conversation (if yo can call it that) between Buck and Tommy - its foreshadowing Bucks anger towards Gerrard later in the episode, and also his impulsive and courageous actions to save Gerrard. I think the honesty and wisdom of brown is also important here as well. Buck may be questioning his motives and actions - if he intended to hurt Gerrard or save him, but the brown is giving him stability and suggests that ultimately he will figure things out in a positive direction.

I do want to quickly talk about the fit of Bucks shirt as well, because it is important in relation to what we've seen with Bucks costuming across the seasons and from the bts pictures we've had from Oliver showing a couple of Bucks costumes for upcoming episodes. The fit of this shirt is really really good on Buck and that is important.

I spoke quite a lot in my season 6 and season 7 meta's about the fit of Bucks clothing - in particular his trousers, but in his tops as well, how we've seen his clothing seemingly shrink and become to tight, right through to ill fitting and slightly oversized clothing.

The wardrobe department have been clearly showing Bucks character growth through the fit of his clothes - to tight and too short in the leg when he's uncomfortable and has outgrown his current situation - playing into the idea that Buck is trying to make himself smaller - make himself fit inside a skin that doesn't really represent or fit him any longer.

Then we've had the other extreme where his clothing is baggy and ill fitting - suggesting he doesn't fit in to the new him he's trying on - it is a perfect way to visually show that Buck is growing but not yet comfortable or at ease with this new version of himself.

His clothing settled into fairly well fitting through the latter half of season 7, and it was really interesting to see which scenes he was dressed slightly oversized or slightly too small in. Interestingly we tend to see clothes being slightly oversized now with Eddie and pushing towards too tight with in Tommy scenes, the ones where there is cross over (such as the greyish brown and light blue vertical stripes which we saw in scenes with both the fire fam and Tommy) we tend to get a good fit.

Right now we're in a period where Buck is the most content within himself that he as been and this brown shirt echoes that. It fits him well and it is a scene which features both Eddie and Tommy. WE know that we're going to see Buck wearing a range of fits of clothing, the up coming golf scene with Gerrard for example has a return of the fit being too tight and too short in the leg- emphasising Bucks discomfort. It will be really interesting to see which way things play out when it comes to costumes soley associated with Tommy, compared with costumes that are connected to Eddie or connected to the wider fire fam. I'm not quite prepared to pin my colours to the mast on this front just yet, but I do think we'll either see a slow shrinkage connected to Tommy and things being sightly oversized when it comes to Eddie - as a way of exploring his diminishing feelings for Tommy and expanding knowledge of his feelings for Eddie, or we'll see the reverse - oversized with Tommy as the relationship starts to run into problems (in much the same way we saw Eddies oversized clothing during his break down in s5 and now again in s8 connecting to Christopher's absence and his struggles with that) and to small with Eddie as a sign Buck no longer fits into the status of their relationship - that his feelings for Eddie don't fit the concept of friend any longer - that they are more than simply friendly.

So yeah - its going to be very interesting to see which way it plays out!

I'm finishing here as I'm already so much later posting this than I intended (thanks tumblr for being a pain and not letting me upload pictures into this post no matter how many times I recreated it - but I won the fight in the end!) hopefully 804's meta won't take so long or be such a technological pain!

I'm not tagging anyone this time as I didn't have time to ask if anyone wanted tagging in my costume metas - so this is your chance - if you'd like to be tagged in future costume metas for s8 - please drop me comment and I'll include you in the 804 meta!

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed - its good to be back talking costumes! 💜💜💜

[ptseti]

Garrett Morgan: The Inventor Who Saved Lives

Garrett Morgan, an African American inventor and entrepreneur, made groundbreaking contributions that continue to impact society today. Born in 1877 in Kentucky, Morgan had little formal education but possessed a natural talent for problem-solving. His most life-saving invention was the safety hood, an early gas mask that protected firefighters and workers from smoke and toxic fumes.

In 1912, Morgan developed the safety hood, which featured a long tube to draw in cleaner air from ground level. Initially, racial discrimination made it difficult for him to gain recognition, but his invention proved its worth in 1916 when a tunnel explosion in Cleveland trapped workers underground. Morgan and his brother bravely used the masks to rescue several men, demonstrating the device’s effectiveness.

The U.S. Army later adapted Morgan’s design for use in World War I, protecting soldiers from chemical warfare. Though often overlooked, his gas mask helped pave the way for modern respiratory protection.

Beyond this invention, Morgan also created the three-position traffic signal, improving road safety. His contributions, though not always credited in his time, remain vital to public safety today. His legacy as an innovator and problem-solver continues to inspire future generations.

[promodispenser]

Car Shipping Tips Every Car Owners Should Know

Transporting your car can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. With san jose auto transport services, you can move your vehicle safely and efficiently. This guide will walk you through the steps to ensure your car arrives at its destination without damage or delay. From choosing the right service, as well as useful tips to safe driving especially for beginners, you'll find all the tips you need to make car transport simple and worry-free.

Things to Consider Upon Arrival of Your Car

Getting your car shipped marks an important step in the car ownership experience. You should prepare a well-lit, spacious area to inspect the vehicle upon delivery. A complete check helps you spot any changes from transit.

Pre-Inspection Preparation:

Clear driveway or parking area

Gather documentation

Prepare inspection tools (flashlight for evening deliveries)

Have camera ready for documentation

Meet the transport truck driver and start a systematic inspection right away. You need to file any damage claims within 48hours of delivery.

The Bill of Lading (BOL) acts as your legal contract with the shipping company. You must finish a detailed inspection and note problems before signing this document. Your BOL should include:

Current mileage reading

Exterior condition details

Any new damage observations

Fluid levels status

Mechanical function notes

Most shipping companies accept cash, cashier's check, or money order as payment. You can tip drivers for great service, but this remains optional.

Taking photos during vehicle unloading adds extra protection. These pictures support your pre-shipping records and serve as evidence if problems come up later. Good inspection practices and proper documentation help you transition smoothly into vehicle ownership and driving.

Basic Driving Skills: Tips for New Drivers on the Road

A new driver's journey starts with learning a vehicle's simple components. They should get familiar with the car's controls before taking it on the road. Every driver must quickly identify the location of turning signals, headlights, windshield wipers, and hazard lights.

Common Car Parts and It’s Function: • Three pedals in manual cars (clutch, brake, accelerator) • Two pedals in automatic cars (brake, accelerator) • Steering wheel adjustments • Mirror positioning • Dashboard indicators

Drivers should become skilled at the proper sequence to start a manual transmission vehicle. The process has these steps: inserting the key in the ignition, pressing the clutch pedal completely, and putting the car in first gear. Automatic transmission vehicles work more simply - drivers just need to press the brake pedal before changing to drive.

Starting a car properly keeps both the driver and vehicle safe. Manual car drivers must find the bite point - when the clutch creates a slight vibration. This skill helps achieve smooth starts and prevents stalling. Good steering control depends on proper hand positioning and wheel handling. A firm grip allows smooth rotation during turns. The steering wheel responds best to gentle yet decisive movements that help maintain vehicle control and direction.

Drivers must apply brakes gradually and manage gears correctly to stop safely. Manual transmission drivers coordinate the clutch and brake pedals together. Automatic transmission drivers focus on controlled brake pressure. Both types of drivers must watch surrounding traffic and road conditions carefully.

Smart Driving Tips for New Car Owners

Drivers in San Jose just need to adapt constantly to road conditions, especially those unfamiliar with the area's varied terrain. Weather changes and traffic patterns make drivers adjust their approach based on current conditions. Drivers should keep at least 4 seconds of following distance in poor weather conditions.

Key tips include always wearing your seat-belt, obeying traffic signals, and staying focused on the road. Avoid distractions like your phone and keep a safe distance from other vehicles. Remember, practice makes perfect. As you build your skills, stay alert and make safety your priority. Start your journey to becoming a confident driver today and stay safe on the road.

Understanding a fully insured car carrier guide is important for beginner drivers. Knowing about shipping methods, costs, and timelines can save you time and money. Always compare options and read reviews to choose the right service. Remember, a reliable transport company makes all the difference in getting your car safely to its destination. Consider these tips as you navigate your auto transport journey. Start planning today to make sure a smooth car shipping experience.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Claire Lehmann

Published: Jun 27, 2025

Banging drums in Columbia University’s Butler Library in early May, a group of protesters shouted: “Free, free Palestine!” When campus security shut the doors of the reading room, effectively trapping the demonstrators in, their chants turned into pleas. One person tried to break through to the exit, and a scuffle broke out. “You’re hurting him, stop!” a girl cried out. By the end of the occupation, 80 protesters had been arrested. Sixty-one of them were women.

The Columbia protest made national news in the U.S., but the striking gender imbalance of its participants went largely unnoticed. It shouldn’t have. Whether the cause is Gaza, climate change, Black Lives Matter, or feminism, overrepresentation of young women has become the norm in progressive activism. And this shift signals a susceptibility to ideological extremism.

Women moving to the left is a global phenomenon. A 2020 study on the Extinction Rebellion environmental movement in the U.K. (a group which regularly engages in civil disobedience such as blocking traffic and vandalism) described it as a “highly feminised” protest culture. Surveys have found that attendance at climate demonstrations in cities around the world tends to be about 60 percent female, and recent American progressive movements—such as Black Lives Matter and the Gaza encampments, many of which were supported or led by the female-founded Jewish Voice for Peace—have likewise been launched and sustained by women.

Data published by John Burn-Murdoch in the Financial Times confirms that the shift spans continents. In South Korea, the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom, Gen Z women have shifted toward “hyper-progressive” political positions, while men in the same age cohort have held steady or moved to the right. In the U.S., according to Gallup data, women ages 18 to 30 are now 30 percentage points “more liberal” than their male peers.

There is growing awareness of how young men can be drawn into far-right extremism or misogynistic subcultures, but we in the media—and society more broadly—pay less attention to how young women become drawn into political subcultures. Indeed, the terms “radicalization” and “women” are rarely—if ever—seen together. This oversight has consequences, because radicalization—defined as rigid commitment to an ideological cause to the point where it distorts one’s worldview, harms mental health, undermines relationships, or disrupts functioning—is not a male-only phenomenon.

Of course, political engagement is not, in itself, cause for concern. The fact that young women attend climate protests or BLM marches is not evidence of extremism. But if we imagine political engagement on a spectrum, the extreme end is not benign. And the failure to recognize this has allowed radicalism to flourish.

The escalating tactics of climate activism illustrate the pattern. Last year, three female members of the British climate action group Just Stop Oil, alongside two male members, were sentenced to prison for climbing onto overhead signs of a major motorway, forcing police to shut down traffic. One of the men received a five-year sentence, while the others were sentenced to four years each. Two trucks collided and one police officer was injured amid the chaos. The stunt created major gridlock that led to people missing medical appointments, exams, and flights.

Another tactic popular with climate protesters is the defacing or attempted vandalism of artwork: Vincent Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” was targeted by two female activists in London, while Edgar Degas’ “Little Dancer Aged Fourteen” was splashed with paint by two activists, one male, one female, at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Men are still engaging in radical left-wing protest, of course, with Aaron Bushnell being a salient example. But we find it easy to recognize radicalization when it happens in young men, while romanticizing or ignoring the same phenomenon in women.

In my home country, Australia, a female protester cemented her arm into a car near a major freeway to protest a weapons exhibition in Melbourne last year. In Sydney, a 22-year-old woman shut down the Harbour Tunnel during peak-hour traffic by chaining herself to her steering wheel. Another offender, Deanna “Violet” Coco—who helped shut down the West Gate Bridge in March 2024, delaying emergency services and forcing a pregnant woman to give birth roadside—recently had her jail sentence tripled on appeal after a judge noted that she had 15 court appearances in less than four years.

Sometimes, mainstream institutions don’t just overlook female extremism—they actively encourage it. In Australia, Elsa Tuet-Rosenberg, a Melbourne-based activist who helped dox more than 600 Jewish-Australian creatives following Hamas’ attacks on October 7, 2023, has delivered taxpayer-funded “anti-racism” training to primary schools through her own consulting firm. Clementine Ford, a feminist author with a large social media following, has spread conspiracy theories about Israel, dismissed the mass rape of Israeli women on October 7 as unverified, and accused the IDF of manufacturing hostage deaths—all while remaining associated with a prestigious publisher, and being featured as a speaker at major public events.

This dynamic is perhaps best reflected in the career of Greta Thunberg. Since she began skipping school at the age of 15 to demand action on climate change, Thunberg has been showered with encouragement and awards. She was named the youngest-ever recipient of Time’s Person of the Year honor in 2019 following her “How Dare You” speech at the United Nations. She has since received multiple Nobel Peace Prize nominations and an array of awards from media, philanthropic, scientific, and academic institutions, including several honorary doctorates. No matter what one thinks of Thunberg’s activism, it is hard to imagine a young man receiving the same level of global adulation. A “Gus” Thunberg who encouraged children to skip school would be more likely to be called in for detention than invited to the U.N.

Thunberg’s trajectory illustrates a broader pattern: Radical behavior from young women is not just tolerated but actively encouraged through awards, platforms, and institutional support. This creates a feedback loop. The incentive structures that rewarded Thunberg so handsomely for her climate activism have since encouraged her to expand into pro-Palestinian activism. “If you, as a climate activist, don’t also fight for a Free Palestine and an end to colonialism and oppression all over the world,” the now 22-year-old activist declared at a demonstration in Milan last year, “then you should not be able to call yourself a climate activist.” This demand for ideological purity across unrelated causes is a signature move of female radicalism, and a feature of how “intersectionality” is used in activist cultures. What began as a framework for understanding different forms of disadvantage, and how they can overlap, is now a litmus test for moral conformity—not only on issues like climate and Gaza, but also on heavily charged topics like abortion, where deviation from the dominant view is treated as betrayal. While generally not coercing people through violence, female radicals coerce through threats of shaming and social exclusion.

It’s easy to dismiss such actions as inconsequential compared to the violence of male radicals. Women rarely engage in political assassinations or mass shootings, the way a small subset of fanatical men do. But the blocking of infrastructure and the vandalism of cultural property inflict a real toll—on the public, yes, but also on the activists themselves. Social coercion through threats of exclusion causes young women across the world significant anxiety. More concerning is that this phenomenon remains largely unstudied. A growing number of academics are researching how and why young men become radicalized, but they generally exhibit little interest in addressing similar processes in women—with the exception of female radicalization in the context of Islamic extremism. 

Still, existing studies in moral psychology and social behavior offer valuable clues about the underlying dynamics. Moral Foundations Theory, developed by the social psychologist Jonathan Haidt and colleagues, argues that human moral reasoning is built on a set of intuitive foundations: Loyalty, Authority, Care, Fairness, and Purity. A 2020 study using this framework across 67 countries found that women consistently scored higher than men on the latter three. The Care foundation relates to our sensitivity to the suffering of others—an extension of the instinct that compels parents, especially mothers, to respond to infant distress. Fairness is tied to notions of justice and equality, while Purity—originally evolved to protect against disease—can manifest as a desire for ideological or moral cleanliness. These tendencies, while adaptive in many contexts, can also make young women particularly receptive to political narratives framed in terms of trauma, injustice, and moral absolutism. And they also create vulnerability to ideologies that use victimhood as currency.

The way young women organize their social lives compounds this vulnerability. Studies by developmental psychologist Joyce Benenson have found that female friend groups tend to be less resilient than those of males, and many women suffer from an intense fear of social exclusion. The pressure to “fit into” a group is stronger for girls than for boys, possibly leading girls to support beliefs or ideas out of a desire for social harmony rather than true conviction.

These dynamics create perfect conditions for availability cascades, a social phenomenon—described by Cass Sunstein and Timur Kuran in 2007—in which a group comes to hold a belief through chain reactions. Take, for example, Greta Thunberg’s declaration that climate activists must also fight for Palestinian liberation. In progressive social circles where Thunberg is held up as a moral authority, some girls might think this argument makes no sense—but they won’t say so. Collectively, such silence can be mistaken for universal agreement, pressuring others to mold their views to fit in. This artificial consensus can snowball, as individuals assume everyone else in their peer group agrees with a given sentiment, completely unaware that many don’t. The result is a fragile system held together by fear rather than belief.

Social media intensifies these cascades. When female friendship groups migrate online, superficial displays of consensus—the sharing of memes, badges, and hashtags—can feel mandatory. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok serve up a stream of trauma-related content—activating the care instinct—while exposing young women to constant cues that their safety, belonging, and self-worth depend on adopting “pure” ideological postures. The result is a technological and ideological hijacking of female psychology.

It should come as no surprise, then, that progressive girls were the first group to suffer a��major mental health decline following the mass adoption of smartphones and social media around 2012. As Haidt points out in his book, The Anxious Generation, and in his newsletter, After Babel, Gen Z girls have been socialized online in a culture based on hypervigilance toward harm, accompanied by demands for moral absolutism and purity.

This represents a new form of radicalization that operates differently from its male counterpart. When ideology takes over female friendship groups, the process is less violent and more relational, driven by peer pressure, emotional reasoning, and fear of social exclusion. It thrives in spaces that appear safe and caring, but beneath the language of justice lies a brittle conformity.

The implications extend beyond individual well-being to institutional trust and social cohesion. When compassionate instincts become misdirected and the instinct for purity leads to coercion, the resulting absolutism becomes toxic. A formal study of female radicalization would need to examine evolutionary psychology, social psychology, and the incentive structures that reward extremism. Recognizing this pattern is the first step toward protecting young women from the misguided narratives that exploit their moral sensitivity. But to change it, we must first name it.

==

Women and girls have objectively been radicalized far more than men and boys, who are as moderate and centrist, on average, as they've always been.

And it shows in the rapid deterioration of their mental health.

But the last 5 years in particular have been a campaign of abuse and gaslighting to convince you that BLM, racism and sexism against the right people, supporting terrorists who want to destroy us, belief in pervasive conspiracies without conspirators, and drugging, sterilizing and mutilating children and gay people is the "right side" of the moral arc.

We have full-blown mentally ill ideological extremists who will scream at you for holding completely mainstream views as if their reality-detached, postmodern-fueled zealotry was just the self-evident truths of the world they don't actually know the first thing about.

[dentalseomarketingagency]

Dental SEO Marketing Agency

In today's competitive healthcare landscape, having a well-designed website is no longer enough to attract new patients. With most individuals turning to online search engines to find dental services, securing a strong position in local search rankings is essential for growth.

A dental SEO agency specializes in optimizing a practice's digital presence to ensure it appears prominently in search engine results, making it easier for potential patients to discover and choose their services. Through strategic SEO services for dentists, practices can improve online visibility, increase website traffic, and convert visitors into long-term patients.

Understanding the Importance of Local SEO for Dentists

Local SEO improves a website's ranking for searches conducted in a specific geographic area. For dental practices, ranking well in local search results can significantly impact patient acquisition and retention.

An SEO agency employs targeted strategies to help practices secure top positions in search results, including:

Optimizing Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) for enhanced local visibility

Utilizing location-based keywords to attract relevant searches

Managing online citations and directories to ensure consistent business information

Encouraging patient reviews and reputation management to establish trust

Enhancing website performance and mobile responsiveness for improved user experience

By implementing these key tactics, SEO services for dentists improve a practice's digital reach and ensure it remains competitive in the local market.

How a Dental SEO Agency Improves Local Search Rankings

1. Optimizing Google Business Profile for Increased Visibility

A fully optimized Google Business Profile is essential for appearing in Google's “Local Pack"; the top three business listings displayed for local searches. A dental SEO agency ensures this profile is accurate and includes relevant keywords, updated business hours, high-quality images, and engaging patient reviews.

2. Implementing Targeted Keyword Strategies

Effective SEO relies on identifying and incorporating the right keywords. A top-ranked SEO agency conducts thorough keyword research to determine patients' search terms when looking for dental services.

These keywords are strategically placed in website content, meta descriptions, blog posts, and service pages to improve rankings. Examples of high-intent keywords include:

“Family dentist in [city]”

“Emergency dental care near me”

“Teeth whitening services in [location]”

By leveraging SEO services for dentists, practices can attract more qualified leads actively searching for dental care.

3. Building a Strong Backlink Profile

In backlinks, links from reputable websites to a dental practice's site are crucial ranking factors. An SEO agency works to acquire high-quality backlinks from authoritative sources such as industry blogs, dental directories, and local business associations. These backlinks enhance a website's credibility and improve its position in search rankings.

4. Enhancing Website Performance and User Experience

Website speed and mobile responsiveness are key factors in search engine rankings. Slow-loading websites or those that are not mobile-friendly can lead to higher bounce rates, negatively impacting SEO performance.

Through professional SEO services, websites are optimized for:

Faster loading times

Mobile compatibility across all devices

Intuitive navigation and user-friendly layouts

Clear call-to-action (CTA) buttons for appointment scheduling

These enhancements improve search rankings and create a seamless user experience, encouraging potential patients to engage with the practice.

5. Managing Online Reviews and Reputation

Online reviews are critical in patient decision-making and search engine rankings. Google prioritizes businesses with frequent, high-quality reviews, as they signal credibility and trustworthiness.

A dental SEO agency helps practices implement effective reputation management strategies, including:

Encouraging satisfied patients to leave positive reviews

Responding professionally to patient feedback

Addressing concerns promptly to maintain a positive online reputation

These efforts contribute to higher local rankings and increased patient trust in the practice.

The Long-Term Benefits of SEO for Dental Practices

SEO is not a one-time solution but an ongoing process that yields long-term results. Unlike paid advertisements that stop generating traffic once the budget is exhausted, SEO continues to drive organic traffic and patient inquiries over time.

Investing in SEO services ensures:

Higher website traffic and improved patient conversion rates

A competitive edge over other dental practices in the area

Sustainable online growth with minimal reliance on paid advertising

Increased brand authority and credibility in the dental industry

By partnering with a top-ranked SEO agency, practices can maintain strong search rankings, adapt to evolving SEO trends, and consistently attract new patients.

Conclusion: Strengthening Digital Presence with Professional SEO

For dental practices seeking to expand their patient base and improve online visibility, a strategic approach to SEO is essential. With expert guidance from a dental SEO agency, practices can enhance their local search rankings, increase website engagement, and build a strong digital presence.

Through tailored SEO services for dentists, practices can optimize their websites, attract targeted traffic, and convert online searches into real-world appointments. By investing in long-term SEO strategies, dental professionals can ensure continued growth and success in an increasingly digital landscape.

[do-androids-dream-ao3acc]

BuckTommyWhumpWeek, Day 6 Helicopter crash

All the Pain, Chapter 6 | Read on AO3 | In this chapter (CW): Still trapped under the rubble, Buck's body is giving in. | @bucktommywhumpweek

(-> Chapter 1) (-> Chapter 2) (-> Chapter 3) (-> Chapter 4) (-> Chapter 5)

There's a traffic accident on the interstate at 2 a.m., and it's bad.

Six cars wedged into each other, plus a burning truck loaded with pork halves, half a mile of destroyed guardrail and a bunch of meat spread across the highway. One dead, a dozen injured. It's a battlefield with three units of firefighters plus air support to sort everything out. The helicopter is mainly used to monitor traffic, while several police units clear up the chaos on the streets. 

The 132, 217 and 118 are in operation. It's never easy to coordinate several task forces, but tonight, all captains quickly agree on Bobby because he's the oldest and has the most experience. Work runs smoothly, as if it were the catastrophe itself that welds everyone together – and often enough, it is. It's not easy, but every injured driver is freed from their wreck, and the paramedics quickly form a triage. 

The accident is still a difficult piece of work, keeping them busy for several hours. It’s long after the last injured was taken away in an ambulance that the first responders get to pack up. Adrenaline will soon fade, and once they’re back in station, they’ll be exhausted. They will still stay a bit longer to talk about what happened, Bobby will make sure of that. Captain Shore, who recently took over Harbor Station, shakes hands with him after radioing air support that the mission is over. 

“Very good work tonight,” says Bobby, and he means it. 

“Likewise, Captain Nash,” Shore replies with a smile. “Hold on a second...”

She taps her radio again and repeats her message, “Air Support, do you copy? Operation completed.”

The radio crackles into silence, which is admittedly unusual; it’s protocol to answer every radio message. Bobby and Shore gaze up into a night sky illuminated only by a few stars, but it’s empty of helicopters.

Hen, who’s loading the last emergency bag into the fire truck, asks, “Is Tommy on duty today?”

“You think he flew straight home to his boyfriend?” Chimney replies with a laugh, about to get into the vehicle. “He's off tonight, why do you think Buck was so keen to swap shifts?”

“It's Andrews, not Tommy,” Shore confirms, repeating her radio message once again. “But none of my pilots would return to base without confirming order. I swear, if it’s that gremlin technology again…”

“Dispatch, has air support reported back?” Bobby asks into his radio.

“Negative. Is this about the highway accident? Can't you get through to air support?”

“Does that happen sometimes?” Bobby asks Captain Shore, and she nods. 

“Harbor got a whole bunch of new tech gimmicks, but they keep breaking down.” Then she speaks into her radio again, “Dispatch, try to reach air support for me, please.”

She gives the helicopter’s labeling number and its last known position before turning back to Bobby with a grim face.

“Williams has been blowing me off for weeks, I keep trying to reach her. We can't work like this, not with devices that...” 

“Captain Shore, your helicopter has disappeared from our radar,” dispatch reports. It’s Josh’s rookie, Chrissy, the incredulity dripping from her voice betraying her inexperience. 

“What do you mean, disappeared?” Shore almost shouts into the radio.

“Hold on. Confirming last position according to your information, but no radio contact for about an hour, and the signal can no longer be found.”

“Does the GPS also cause problems?” asks Bobby, frowning.

“No,” replies Shore, ”but it can be difficult to locate, depending on the weather. Or when it’s blocked by trees...”

“You mean in the event of a crash,” says Hen, who, like the rest of Bobby's crew, has now stepped closer. 

“We would have noticed a crash,” Bobby remarks.

“We've been pretty busy,” Chimney interjects. “If the last signal was an hour ago, the helicopter could be practically anywhere now.”

“Why would it move away from the scene?”

“That's at the pilot's discretion,” Captain Shore explains. “There may well be reasons that are not so obvious to us down here.” 

“And air traffic control?” asks Hen, but Shore shakes her head, “Helicopters only have to sign in and out at their control centers. They don't fly anywhere near the altitude of airplanes, so they’re usually not subject to air traffic control.”

“But there's probably an app for that,” says Bobby. “To monitor helicopter traffic?”

“True. Never used it, though. I assume he’s just returned to Harbor.”

“Captain,” Hen reasons, obviously not convinced, “at least he would have called then, even if the radios were down. Especially then.”

“I believe you also think he crashed, Captain,” Chimney says, rummaging for his phone. 

“Even if I did,” she returns with doubt in her voice, “somebody would have noticed a crash.”

“This is L.A., I’ve seen tourists mistake an earthquake for a movie event. What’s the name of this app?”

“Captain Shore?” It’s dispatch again. They can hear it’s another voice now, Josh, who’s obviously has taken over the call. Shore clutches her radio and holds out a hand to Chimney, mouthing wait. “I think I know where your helicopter may be.”

 ●·○·●·○·●·○·●·○·●●·○·●·○·●·○·●·○·●

Buck is in a cocoon, just away from all the security that normally comes with it. 

There's nothing cozy or soft in his stone prison. He’s cut off from the world around him, so it might as well have gone under without him realizing it. Buck has been counting the seconds since Tommy left, but his mind keeps wandering, and it's getting harder to breathe. 

Maybe that's just it. Maybe the ceiling will collapse completely before Tommy manages to get help. Or perhaps the pain and blood loss will reach the point where his body can no longer handle either. Buck never delved too deeply into the tasks of paramedics. He knows the basics, but he's nothing more than an amateur who happened to help a baby into the world once, on his own couch. Apart from that, he knows just enough to realize things are not exactly looking good for him. He's not quite sure if his life is hanging by a thread, but his consciousness certainly is – he feels dizzy now even lying down, and the pain seems to have taken over his whole body, even in his head. He just wants to close his eyes for a minute. 

Perhaps the worst thing is the doubt. Buck is confused and hurt, but he's seen Tommy's face, and the man is guaranteed to have a concussion, if not worse. There's nothing Buck wants less than Tommy walking around in this state, but there's also nothing he could have done to stop him. He’s in crisis mode, something Buck knows all too well himself. Buck can only lie here, breathe in the dust and hope that Tommy still knows what he's doing, even with a bleeding skull.

He can't keep his eyes open. 

There's a helicopter not far above the house; it was approaching as they pulled into the driveway.

“Pretty low,” Tommy says with that admirable connoisseur's look, but Buck is more interested in him than in the helicopter, and he can hardly wait for the man to unlock the door. 

Once inside, he pushes him against the door, and the bag with the takeaway lands carelessly on the floor as Buck searches for Tommy's lips. He can never get enough of this. 

The kiss lasts just long enough to rasp up his voice as he says, “Dinner's getting cold. I'm gonna wash my hands real quick.”

“Really, Evan?” groans Tommy, but he picks up the bag as they pull away from each other. “One wonders what you like more, dim sum or your boyfriend.”

“I'll show you when I get back,” Buck grins and vanishes into the bathroom. 

He thinks he hears Tommy say, “That doesn't sound good at all,” but that doesn’t make any sense. He also hears sirens. Funny, Buck thinks, a lot of firemen claim that they can tell the difference between the sirens on their own fire engines and those on others, and that's actually nonsense because the department buys the same ones for every station. This one, however, totally sounds like the 118. What would they be doing at Tommy’s place? Buck leans on the sink and looks at himself in the mirror. 

There’s no reflection, and it startles him. He turns around, but there’s also no door anymore, which is quite confusing. Because if there’s no door, where’s Chimney’s voice coming from, calling his name?

“Buck! Open your eyes for me, will you?”

I didn't realize I had closed them, Buck thinks as he cracks his eyes open. Strangely enough, it's not so dark now. Maybe he’s just been here for a very, very long time, long enough for a new day to have passed its zenith. A second later, he realizes that headlights are illuminating his surroundings. Chimney kneels in the remains of the blue tiles and stones that were once the walls of Tommy's bathroom. He looks so serious, thinks Buck.

“Hey there, Sleeping Beauty. Let me see if I can hook you up on an IV, and then we'll get you out of there, yeah?”

Buck wonders, very briefly, why it’s not Hen doing this, but the answer is more logical than his aching head should be capable of: Chimney is smaller and more agile, and unlike Tommy, he actually manages to reach Buck. 

“Tommy,” he says as he tries to look at Chimney's concentrated face, not really feeling what he's doing anyway. “Where's Tommy?” 

“We'll take care of that once we got you out of here, all right? Let me check your vitals.”

“But he-he called you, didn't he?” asks Buck.

“Called us?” 

His brother-in-law's face is interesting when he's confused, Buck finds. His eyebrows almost creep into his hairline, as they do now.

“No, Buckaroo. We were looking for a missing helicopter, and the only call dispatch got was from one of Tommy's neighbors. Nobody really took it seriously, unfortunately,” Chimney says as he works on Buck. Somehow, that doesn’t explain anything.

“What helicopter?” asks Buck, confused. “Tommy wasn't in a helicopter.”

“Pretty sure he wasn't. It's a long and strange story, and I'll tell you all about it as soon as we get you out of here. Okay, I think we can try now…”

“Wait,” Buck interrupts him urgently, “where's Tommy?”

Bobby's face shifts next to Chimney's. He’s visibly having a harder time squeezing into this narrow space.

“We'll find him, don't worry, Buck,” he soothes. “Let's help you first, all right?”

“No, no, you don't understand,” Buck returns with urge, voice muffled with dust in his throat. If he waits a second longer, he'll suffocate and won't have time to tell them what they need to know. 

“Blood pressure's dropping,” someone says, and then there’s Chimney's voice from somewhere, “Calm down. It's going to be okay.”

“It's not," Buck chokes, “It's not gonna be okay. Tommy ran out to get help. He had a head injury. You must...”

“Buck? Hey. Stay awake, kid.”

“... find him,” he says, and then nothing more. 

(this chapter was beta-read by @lavenderleahy, thank you!)

[abbiistabbii]

One of the few things about the UK I can talk positively about is how well some small things are designed? Like don't get me wrong, the UK sucks and shouldn't exist as a state and every else is garbage, but get this.

So power outlets in the UK are designed so kids cannot easily stick their fingers in them and get an electric shock, see, UK plugs have three pins, the top pin (earth) is longer than the other ones because along with being the Earth Pin, it's also the pin that operates the latch that opens up the pins that actually carry the electricity. Also you can wire these plugs yourself and are taught how to in high school.

Trams have different traffic lights from other traffic and they are designed not just for telling the tram to stop or go, but which direction they can go. If there is a horizontal line on the signal, it means stop. If there is a vertical line, it means go. If there is a diagonal line left or right, it means "you can now turn left or right". That is pretty fucking cool because it combines both a stop and go signal with a directional signal.

Also, train signals have four lights on them. Why? Well Green and red are obvious, but there's also double yellow and single yellow. Double Yellow means "next signal is single yellow, prepare to stop", single yellow means "next signal is red, get stopping because you are a train and trains have long stopping distances". What this mean is you can look at a signal and see if a train has been by and how long ago or how far away that train is.

BBC Radio 4 (the main talk radio station and basically the main radio station for the country in general) plays four short "pip" noises and one long "pip" so people can accurately set their watches and clocks to the exact time on the hour, every hour.

Under most button boxes at crosslights there's a little nub that starts spinning when the lights turn green. It's actually meant for the blind or deaf-blind so they know when to cross, but I use it when I'm looking at my phone or if the sun is in my eyes.

[drunkenskunk]

Meanwhile, in the Tuera Dossier...

I'm satisfied with the next file I want to put in the Tuera Dossier. I was initially going to redact it, dirty up the images, make them all look like they were scanned by an ancient government photocopier built in the 70's... and maybe I will later.

But for the moment, enjoy these scans of printed pages that I'm going to put in a physical folder lmao

Transcript (of the transcript) below the break.

RADIO TRANSMISSIONS AND INTERCOM

Compiled chat log from OpCent Black Box

DICE01: Special Agent White, Operation Command DICE02: Special Agent Huntington, Operation Vice Command Obelisk: Technical Specialist Kirk, Mission Control Wolf: Infantry elements Rhino: Armored vehicle element Vulture04: Helo Air Weapons Team

DICE02: Look, I know what you're trying to do. Just tell me honestly, alright? Is the intel on this op good?

DICE01: The intel is good.

DICE02: ...are we sure? The last thing any of us wants is a repeat of last time.

DICE01: Last time our division wasn't involved. That shitshow was entirely the fault of those mentals in the Arcane Division. They thought they could overpower her in a straight fight, and they paid the price for it. We've been tracking her signature for the last six subjective months. Based on her movements so far, this is the most likely location where she's going to strike next. And besides, thanks to those idiots and their fuck up, we now know how to nullify her energy projection.

DICE02: I hope you're right.

Obelisk: Agents! I've just received the signal from the ground teams. They're entering the area of operations and are almost ready to begin.

DICE01: Excellent. Patch us in. Game faces, people. It's time to go to work.

[click]

Obelisk: Ground team leader, this is Obelisk. How copy? Over.

Wolf 6: Obelisk, this is Wolf Six Actual. Solid copy. Company has reached the AO. Standing by. Over.

Obelisk: Sat-Recon Overseer is currently tracking vitals and positions of the ground team. Requesting verbal confirmation. Over.

Wolf 6: Copy that. All callsigns, sound off!

Wolf 1: Six, this is one-zero. Standing by.

Wolf 2: Six Actual, Two-zero. Standing by.

Wolf 3: Three-zero here. Ready to rock.

Wolf 4: Six, this is four-zero. In position and sanding by.

Rhino: Six Actual, Rhino. Foxtrot-victor-four-two-zero-one in position. Sixty four – that is six-four – HEAT rounds readied for the hundred and twenty milimeter.

Vulture04: Vulture is on station above the AO and standing by. Adhesive cannon loaded and ready to provide air cover.

Wolf 6: Wolf Six copies all. Obelisk, all callsigns ready and in position. Over.

Obelisk: Roger that. Commence operation. Secure the exterior of the target building and set up roadblock checkpoints to prevent civilian interference. Out.

Wolf 6: Alright you apes, you heard 'em! Fan out and secure the area! MOVE!

[click]

DICE01: And now, we wait.

DICE02: Did they really need to bring all that hardware? I mean, if we really can nullify her powers, it just... seems like it might be overkill.

DICE01: Overkill is underrated. Besides, you know what mercs are like. They're probably just looking to bump up their operational costs, so they can bill us more after all is said and done.

DICE02: Don't they prefer the term “private military contractors,” or something?

DICE01: Only when trying to avoid international regulations.

[click]

Wolf 3: Obelisk, this is Wolf three-zero. How copy? Over.

Obelisk: Wolf three-zero, your signal is weak. Try switching to the backup channel, try again.

Wolf 3: Obelisk, this is Wolf three-zero. How you read me now?

Obelisk: Obelisk has you loud and clear, three-zero. Send your traffic.

Wolf 3: Obelisk, we are currently setting up roadblock checkpoints, but some of the civvies are getting nosy. We have three – that's zero-three – foot-mobiles approaching from a charlie victor. Interrogative: do we have permission to engage? Over.

Obelisk: Negative, three-zero. Lethal force is only authorized as a last resort. Maintain an aggressive posture, but only engage if they attempt to cross your perimeter. We'll be tracking with Overseer.

Wolf 3: Copy that, Obelisk. These guys are – whoa! HEY!

[muffled gunfire]

DICE02: What the hell?

Obelisk: Wolf three-zero, do you read? Gimmie a SITREP. Over.

[muffled gunfire]

Obelisk: Wolf three-zero, respond! What the fuck is going on?

Wolf 3: Obelisk, we're... uh... we're status green over here. Three tangos down. One of them went for a concealed sidearm. Had to grease 'em. Over.

Obelisk: ...solid copy, Wolf three-zero. Recommit to the mission. Overseer indicates you have less than five mikes before target is in the AO. How copy? Over.

Wolf 3: Three-zero copies. We're oscar-mike. Out.

[click]

DICE02: Where in the hell did you find these clowns?

DICE01: Hey, don't blame me. Impact Security Solutions came highly recommended. It'll be messy, sure, but if they're even half as good as I've been told, they'll get the job done.

DICE02: Bullshit. Why are we even relying on these fucking mercs anyway? We should be using our own forces for an operation like this.

DICE01: You know damn well why we can't. Protocol demands the use of locals in operations wherever possible, to minimize an excessive dimensional footprint and to prevent further timeline contamination. You don't like it? Take it up with The Director.

DICE02: …hmph.

DICE01: Yeah, that's what I thought.

DICE02: Don't give me that.

DICE01: Hey, look on the bright side. This'll all be over soon.

[beep-beep]

Obelisk: Agents, it looks like Overseer is reporting a large energy spike in the AO.

DICE01: … wait, is that-

DICE02: She's early.

DICE01: Fuck.

[click]

Wolf 6: Obelisk, this is Wolf Six Actual. How copy? Over.

Obelisk: Wolf Six, Obelisk reads you. Go ahead.

Wolf 6: Obelisk, my teams are all reporting in. Perimeter of the AO is secure, ahead of schedule. Break. However, I've got marksman units with eyes on the target building. There's some kind of, uh... disturbance on the top floor. I can see it, too. Interrogative: is this what we're waiting for? Over.

Obelisk: Wolf Six, Obelisk. Can you describe the disturbance? We need confirmation before we can proceed. Over.

Wolf 6: Roger that, Obelisk. Uh... looks like some flashing lights, and fast moving shadows. Definitely signs of a struggle. And, uh... hang on... is that... oh yeah, that's definitely some blood on the window. Looks like someone is gettin' carved up real bad in there.

Obelisk: Wolf Six, affirmative. Overseer confirms: target is now in the AO. Say again: target is now in the AO. Stay frosty, and do NOT underestimate her, under ANY circumstances. Over.

Wolf 6: Copy that, Obelisk. Wolf Six Actual out. Ramirez! Get those heavy floods in position!

[click]

Obelisk: Obelisk to Vulture. What's your status? Over.

Vulture04: This is Vulture. Currently maintaining position above the AO. Ready for tasking.

Obelisk: Vulture, the target is now confirmed in the AO. Soon as she's in sight, you are cleared to engage with the adhesive cannon. Be advised: the target's hands must be immobilized before she can be subdued and brought in. Do not hesitate to fire, I say again, do NOT hesitate to fire. Do you copy? Over.

Vulture04: Copy that, Obelisk. We'll make sure the bitch stays put. Vulture out.

[click]

DICE02: Can we increase the gain on the image from Overseer?

Obelisk: What? Why?

DICE01: Just be patient.

DICE02: You be patient. We can see that she's in the building, but we can't tell exactly where yet. For all we know, she could-

[click]

Wolf 1: Sir! Got a return on the motion tracker! Looks like our Tango is approaching the entrance!

Wolf 6: Roger that. All squads, eyes front! Ramirez, hit the floods!

[clunk]

Wolf 6: Obelisk, Wolf Six Actual. Engagement imminent. Over.

Obelisk: Copy that, Wolf Six. Stay frosty.

DICE01: Here we go.

Wolf 1: Contact front!

Wolf 6: Light her up!

Vulture04: Target in sight. Shot.

[thud]

Vulture04: Good hit. Reloading.

Wolf 6: Vulture, repeat! She's still up!

Vulture04: Roger. Firing.

[thud]

Vulture04: It's shot.

Wolf 6: Repeat! Hit her again!

Vulture04: This should stop her.

[thud]

Vulture04: Reloading.

Wolf 6: Okay, okay, I think that last one got her. Good hits on all. Obelisk, Target is immobilized. Moving in to subdue. Over.

Obelisk: Roger that. Bring her in. Out

Wolf 6: Wolf Two! Move up, on me! Ramirez, get those restraints ready!

[click]

DICE01: There, you see? You were worried for nothing.

DICE02: Hmph.

[click]

Wolf6: Alright, make it easy on yourself and stop your struggling. You come quietly, and we won't have to hurt you.

[???]: I'm sorry, I think you're confused. What do you think is happening?

Wolf 6: Give up the act. That adhesive you're stuck in has already hardened. You won't be able to pull your hands free, so we know you can't do any of that mystical hocus-pocus shit. So like I said: stop struggling and cooperate.

[???]: Oh, I see. You think I need to snap my fingers to cast my spells, don't you?

Wolf 6: What ar-

[intense feedback]

Wolf 2: WHAT THE FUCK!

Wolf 1: HOLY SHIT! OPEN FIRE!

[gunfire]

DICE01: What the fuck?

DICE02: Oh no. No no no no!

[indistinct shouting]

[gunfire]

Rhino: Engaging!

[thud]

[muffled explosion]

[gunfire, indistinct shouting]

DICE02: SITREP! Now!

[feedback]

Rhino: Traverse right! Fire!

[thud]

[muffled explosion]

Rhino: Reverse! Back us up now!

[gunfire]

Obelisk: Wolf Six Actual, this is Obelisk. Do you read?

[gunfire, indistinct shouting]

Wolf 1: Fall back! Fall back now!

Obelisk: Wolf Six Actual, respond!

Wolf 1: Obelisk, this is –

[feedback]

Wolf 1: FUCK! Wolf Six is KIA! Say again, Wolf Six is... he... he just exploded, man!

Wolf 4: Contact left! Contact left!

[gunfire]

[click]

Vulture04: Obelisk, this is Vulture. Uh... things are, uh, looking kinda' bad down there. We cleared for the heavier ordnance?

DICE02: Get them out of there! Get them out NOW!

Obelisk: Negative, Vulture. Mission is a failure. Exfil is now your top priority.

Vulture04: Roger that, Obelisk. Exiting the – wait. What is -

[feedback]

[stall warning]

Vulture04: Obelisk, I've got a problem. She hit us with... some... kind of... uh, I dunno what, my controls are unresponsive.

[altitude warning]

Vulture04: Mayday, mayday, mayday. We're going dow-

[static]

[muffled explosion]

Wolf 2: Fuck! Look out!

[feedback]

[gunfire]

Wolf 4: Fuck sake! Fall back! Jackson, rocket launcher!

[gunfire, indistinct shouting]

Rhino: What are you waiting for? She's RIGHT THERE! Hit her aga-

[feedback]

[muffled explosion]

Wolf 3: Where are the fucking snipers?

[gunfire]

DICE02: Oh my god, they're... they're dropping like flies!

[indistinct screams]

DICE01: Fucking hell...

[gunfire]

Wolf 4: Quick, get out of the open!

[feedback]

Wolf 4: In here! Go, go, go!

[muffled gunfire]

[thud]

[footsteps]

Wolf 4: [whispering] Obelisk, do - do you copy?

Obelisk: We're reading you. Go ahead.

Wolf 4: [whispering] Uh, this is... fuck... this is, uh, Wolf Four Echo Four Juliett. Wolf Four Actual is KIA. There... there's only three of us left, I think. How copy? Over.

Obelisk: Solid copy, Wolf Four. Confirm your current position.

Wolf 4: [whispering] We're, uh, holed up in a building, uh, two blocks south of one of the barricades.

Obelisk: Understood. Mission is a wash. All air and armor support in the AO is down. Displace to a more secure location outside of the AO, and await further instructions. Out.

Wolf 4: [whispering] I don't -

[crash]

Wolf 4: FUCK! Fall back!

[gunfire]

[feedback]

[indistinct screams]

[gunfire stops]

DICE01: Fuck.

Obelisk: Uh... Agents, it looks like... uh... Overseer is reporting, uh, no more life signs.

DICE02: Oh my god... they're all dead...

[echoing footsteps]

DICE01: Wait, what is...

[???]: I must say, I don't know if I should be disappointed or insulted. Did you really think these idiot jarheads with their little toy pop-guns could bring me down? After everything else you tried? I sent every single one of your pet sorcerers back in bodybags the last time, so why did you think this would work? I suppose it doesn't matter, now. I was willing to ignore you after the last time, thinking that your... organization... would be smart enough to get the message, and leave me alone. But that's no longer an option. I hope you're prepared. Because you've sown the wind. Now reap the whirlwind. I'll be seeing you soon.

[feedback]

Obelisk: I, uh, think she's... gone. Overseer has lost track of the energy signature.

DICE01: Fuck me.

DICE02: The Director needs to know about this. We have no choice.

[END OF TRANSCRIPTION]

[parasavenue]

Commercial Projects In Noida | Paras Avenue

Paras Avenue stands out as a premier commercial project destination in Noida, offering a range of unique features. The ground floor retail spaces offer an impressive 19-foot clear height, complemented by a pedestrian-friendly layout with no vehicular movement.  Its three-side access ensures high visibility, while the wide atrium and beautifully landscaped surroundings by Roha enhance the shopping experience. The exclusive 5-screen multiplex, featuring low-density seating, shares the floor with a vibrant food court. The large frontage, visible from the expressway, and a dedicated drop-off area for retail and multiplex visitors, make it an unmatched high street retail hub. In the rapidly evolving commercial landscape of Noida, Paras Avenue stands out as an outstanding opportunity for businesses and investors alike. As a premier commercial project in Noida. It boasts an advantageous location, remarkable architecture, and a plethora of premium brands already secured. Paras Avenue offers not just a business venue but an investment that promises substantial returns.

The Lease that Brands Swipe Right For One of the most compelling reasons to choose these commercial spaces is the fact that 50% of their retail areas have already been leased out to premium brands. These industry titans recognize the immense worth of the project, even at the pre-construction phase. With decades of industry leadership, the development team behind these spaces continues to attract top-tier brands, creating a promising environment for future success. Their commitment to securing space demonstrates confidence in the project's potential for growth and brand value. When reputable brands invest in a location, it signals that the area is poised for growth and can attract significant consumer interest. If you are looking for such investments then Paras Avenue should be your next big move—where brands, growth, and opportunity come together!

Investing in already leased-out projects like Paras Avenue comes with several advantages. Foremost among these is the immediate cash flow that leased spaces provide, delivering financial stability from the outset. This is particularly beneficial for investors seeking to maximize their returns without the long wait typically associated with new developments. Furthermore, with esteemed brands already committing to the project, investors gain the confidence that their investments are anchored by reputable tenants. The presence of premium brands enhances the overall appeal of Paras Avenue, attracting even more visitors and potential customers. As more consumers flock to the area, the value of the property is likely to increase, ensuring that investors benefit from a growing asset. Get Noticed: Location and Style

The strategic positioning of these commercial spaces enhances their appeal as leading projects in the area. Located near the bustling expressway, they ensure effortless accessibility for both consumers and businesses alike. This prime positioning not only guarantees high visibility but also attracts foot traffic from nearby residential complexes, educational institutions, and corporate hubs. Complementing their location is the exquisite architecture of these developments. The stunning structures are designed to provide a visually captivating environment that elevates the overall shopping experience. With thoughtfully planned spaces and modern design elements, these spaces are not just commercial projects; they are lifestyle destinations. If you're looking for something like this, consider Paras Avenue which embodies these qualities!

Dedication to Timely Delivery and Brand Integrity

At these commercial spaces, the pledge to timely delivery is a cornerstone of the operational philosophy. Investors can rest assured that their interests are entrusted to a company dedicated to maintaining high standards of quality and reliability. This commitment to excellence, combined with an already established brand presence, makes these projects highly attractive options for those looking to invest in the region's commercial real estate. In summary, with advantageous locations, architectural grandeur, and the significant presence of premium brands, these spaces represent exceptional investment opportunities. With two decades of experience in the industry, considering Paras Avenue is beneficial for both investors and businesses seeking a prime location.

[usafphantom2]

How to identify and track military aircraft in online applications

It is surprisingly easy to track what is flying above you, but there are limits - you will still see only what the military wants you to see.

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 12/24/2023 - 14:40 in Military

The system, known as ADS-B, allows you to quickly search for what is flying in your vicinity, or even on the other side of the world.

In the past, before the 2000s, people looked at the sky and saw the trail of condensation created by commercial and military jets at high altitudes and wondered what would be the aircraft that passed over our heads, where it was going, where it came from. Today, thanks to a worldwide transponder system, you can track even U.S. military aircraft.

About a decade later, it was already possible to follow commercial aircraft, knowing which airline, flight level, speed and route taken by the flights, being able to accurately follow the arrival of a plane at the airport.

Currently, equipped with a smartphone and with a particular app or website, we can find all this and much more.

Civil aviation authorities around the world began to implement Automatic Transmission of Dependent Surveillance (ADS-B) in the early years. The ADS-B is an aircraft-mounted transponder system that transmits a variety of information in real time, including the location, speed, direction of the aircraft and a unique transponder code for each aircraft. This information, plotted on a map, gives pilots and ground controllers the ability to quickly get a sense of the local airspace (or the airspace of most places on Earth).

Transponder signals can also be captured by cheap terrestrial receivers that amateurs, aviation enthusiasts and others can build for less than $100 using widely available hardware and software, some of which can be obtained on flight tracking sites.

Movement of aircraft tracked by the ADS-B Exchange around the world.

As of 2021, ADS-B transponders are mandatory in the USA, Europe, Australia, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, South Africa, Taiwan and Vietnam, and the system is being implemented in China, Canada and Saudi Arabia.

In the United States, almost every type of aircraft - from commercial aircraft and small private aircraft to military fighters, helicopters, bombers, tankers, information-collection aircraft, transport, special operations aircraft, drones and even VIP aircraft carrying the president and members of Congress - are required to transpose into controlled airspace.

A screenshot of the online flight tracking site ADS-B Exchange showing a snapshot of military flights in the United States on July 18 of this year on the ADS-B Exchange.

The information is not only available to the aviation community. The ADS-B Exchange website gathers aircraft tracking data and makes it available in real time, allowing anyone to track air traffic anywhere the system is working.

Unlike FlightRadar24.com or FlightAware.com - which rely on flight tracking data streams provided by the FAA and other international aviation authorities or obtained from Aireon's global ADS-B air traffic surveillance and tracking network, as well as ground-based ADS-B receivers - ADSBExchange.com relies on thousands of independently owned ground-based ADS-B receivers and multilayer devices, or MLAT.

MLAT receivers in groups of three or four in a small geographical area use triangulation to track aircraft. In other words, if an aircraft is not using ADS-B for transponder as military aircraft sometimes do, MLAT receivers can still capture their S-Mode transponder signals and establish a position and tracking for an aircraft, as well as altitude and speed data.

The network of receivers of the ADSBExchange.com website includes 10,000 MLAT devices worldwide. As it does not collect flight tracking data from government or commercial sources, it may offer "unfiltered" flight tracking.

ADS-B Exchange merges ADS-B data with other publicly known data on military and civilian aircraft around the world. Individual aircraft are plotted on OpenStreetMap - a free geographical database of the world - represented by color-coded icons according to altitude. The icons range from individual autostos and Cessna 182 to four-engine Boeing 747 and Airbus A380 civil aircraft. Military icons include U-2, KC-135 Stratotankers, C-17 Globemaster III, C-5M Super Galaxy, V-22 Ospreys and so on, although fighters are often represented by a more generic icon model of swept wing and stuffy nose.

A click on the icon includes spatial information, including ground speed, altitude and location, ADS-B signal strength and other data. It also includes the registration of the aircraft, the country of registration and adds a photograph or thumbnail of the aircraft when possible.

All this means that, with the click of a button, you can instantly find out what is flying near you.

Although aircraft tracking has long been a niche hobby among aviation enthusiasts who like to catalog the comings and goings of aircraft, the public availability of transponder data in mid-air also offers journalists, researchers and other observers an effective means of tracking the movements and activities of the planes of the richest and most powerful in the world. The aggregation and analysis of public flight data shed light on the CIA's torture flights, the movements of the Russian oligarchs, and Google's friendly relationship with NASA.

Flights from ISR platforms tracked in the Ukraine region for a period of one month, at the end of last year.

More recently, these tracking techniques have gained international attention after attracting the wrath of Elon Musk, the richest man in the world. After buying social media giant Twitter, Musk banned an account that shared the movements of his private jet.

Despite repeated promises to protect freedom of expression - and a specific promise not to ban the @ElonJet account - on the platform, Musk censored anyone who shared the whereabouts of his plane, claiming that the data obtained entirely legally and totally public was equivalent to "murder coordinates".

A Global Hawk flown remotely with the indicater FORTE12 was the last aircraft tracked over Ukraine before the invasion of Russian forces and the closure of the country's airspace to civilian air traffic, according to the global flight tracking service Flightradar24.

Soon after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a US Global Hawk, with the indication FORTE12, was followed almost daily by thousands of people on the Flighradar24 platform.

Publicly available flight tracking data is a growing problem for the U.S. military, a senior Pentagon official said recently.

Sites such as ADSBExchange.com, FlightRadar24.com and FlightAware.com aggregate flight data in the United States and abroad using a combination of commercial and citizen-owned sensors that capture the movements of commercial, civil and military aircraft in real time, 24 hours a day.

"The Department of Defense considers open source flight tracking and data aggregation on our aircraft a direct threat to our ability to conduct military air operations around the world," the U.S. Air Force said.

An F-35 fighter was tracked in the Flightradar 24 app earlier this year, during a flight near Phoenix, Arizona.

Aggregated by websites and retransmitted on social media accounts, the data can be a free source of intelligence for nation-states, terrorist groups or individuals, revealing everything from operational movements of aircraft, aviation units and troops to training standards, development test flights and the movements of government officials, experts said.

This image shows a Beechcraft King Air configured for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions in the military aviation field of Baledogle, Somalia, in 2021. The U.S. civil registration code on the side was not assigned to any specific aircraft at the time and its exact operator remains unknown. However, this is very much in line with the types of aircraft that JSOC allegedly operates clandestinely and that would be interested in hiding the activities through the proposed aircraft flight profile management database tool.

Therefore, military aircraft routinely transmit their ADS-B data, but have the option to turn it off when necessary. The Pentagon is well aware that aviation enthusiasts - and potential opponents - monitor ADS-B data and that aircraft turn off transponders when they do not want anyone to observe them. Often when following the aircraft they simply disappear abruptly from the map.

The U.S. military is also known to use fake hexadecimal codes, which identify a transponder as belonging to a specific aircraft, to help mask certain sensitive flights. For example, the U.S. Air Force VC-25A Air Force One jet that transported President Donald Trump to Afghanistan in 2019 electronically disguised itself for a time as a KC-10 Extender tanker in this way.

As a particularly notable and relevant example of tracking high-profile U.S. military flights, the U.S. Air Force C-40 Clipper aircraft that transported Nancy Pelosi, then a representative of the Democratic Party in California and mayor, to Taiwan last year was visible online, despite concerns that the Chinese military might try to forcibly prevent the flight from reaching the island or harassing it otherwise.

This flight, which used the SPAR19 indicative, was one of the most tracked of all time in terms of total simultaneous users monitoring it on the popular website FlightRadar24, and ended up taking down the app for a period of time.

The Ghostrider trail on the night between November 20 and 21, 2023, on Radarbox.com.

In mid-November, something new happened: a U.S. aircraft involved in combat apparently left its ADS-B on, and did so intentionally. An AC-130J Ghostrider attack aircraft carried out an airstrike against a target that had launched a missile attack against U.S. forces at Al Assad Air Base in Iraq. The AC-130 gunship has a variety of weapons, including 30mm and 105mm cannons, and precisely guided bombs and missiles, and usually flies in lazy circles above its target, pouring firepower on the targets below. In Al Assad's retaliatory air attack, according to The Aviationist website, the Ghostrider involved apparently kept his transponder on all the time, drawing large circles on the ADS-B map and it was possible to be seen on the Radar Box website.

In Brazil, it is possible to track several military aircraft in aircraft tracking applications, including the most widespread Flightradar24. Next, you can see the KC-390, C-130 Hercules transport aircraft or T-27 Tucano coaches in flight near the Air Force Academy. The FAB has hidden data from the presidential aircraft A319 (VC-1) and E190 (VC-2) on these sites.

FAB T-27 Tucano aircraft are often seen flying near Pirassununga, AFA headquarters.

More recently, it was possible to follow the flights of the Brazilian Air Force that went to seek refugees and Brazilian citizens who were and Israel and the Gaza Strip. The KC-30 and KC-390 aircraft could be tracked in real time on the tracking platforms.

If you are a fan of military aircraft or just like to know what is happening when you hear the noise of aircraft engines, ADS-B is a free and reliable tool that you should use to track and identify planes. Observing fighters, spy planes and transport coming and going can help you get to know your armed forces. Just keep in mind that, at least when it comes to military flights, you will only see what the military wants you to see.

BONUS

From Christmas Eve, the flight tracking site Flightradar24 will be keeping an eye on Santa Claus and his reindeer Rudolph, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen as they accelerate around the world.

Initially tracking Santa Claus was a challenge, but thanks to an ADS-B transponder installed a few years ago and the reindeer horns functioning as an additional antenna, Flightradar24 uses a mixture of terrestrial and satellite ADS-B coverage to track Santa Claus during his busiest night of the year.

To follow the good old man, go here.

Tags: Military AviationtrackingTechnology

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Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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INTERCEPTIONS

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[eatrev-blog]

Google E-E-A-T in 2024: What You Need to Know for Top Rankings

Imagine you're guiding your clients through a dense SEO jungle. They yearn for the sunlight of top search rankings, but tangled vines of competition and ever-shifting algorithms threaten to hold them back. Fear not, SEO warriors! One secret weapon carves a clear path: Google's E-A-T.

E-A-T: The Holy Grail of Trust

Think of E-A-T as a three-legged stool. Each leg – Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness – is crucial for establishing your client's website as a haven of reliable information. Google craves websites users can depend on, and E-A-T is its compass to find them.

Why Should You Care About E-A-T?

Strong E-A-T is the golden ticket to SEO success. Here's why:

Soar in Search Rankings: Google prioritizes trustworthy websites. Think of it as promoting the most informative guides in the jungle. With a strong E-A-T foundation, your clients will be basking in the sunlight of top search results.

Become a Trusted Authority: A stellar E-A-T reputation is like a glowing recommendation letter for your client's brand. Users will see them as the go-to source, leading to a surge in reputation and brand loyalty.

Welcome More Visitors: Imagine a well-marked trail leading to your client's website. Higher rankings and a trusted reputation attract more organic traffic, translating into more leads and conversions.

Building a Strong E-A-T Stronghold

Now that you understand the power of E-A-T, here's your arsenal to craft a winning strategy for your clients:

Content is King (and Queen): Craft informative, high-quality content that caters to your client's target audience. Well-researched, up-to-date content establishes your client as an expert in their field.

Author All-Stars: Partner with industry bigwigs! Guest posts by established thought leaders or leveraging in-house subject matter experts adds weight to your client's expertise.

Website Fortress: Ensure your client's website is secure, user-friendly, and free of technical glitches. Regular updates and a professional design scream trustworthiness.

The Backlink Brigade: Encourage other high-authority websites to link back to your client's website. Think of these backlinks as positive word-of-mouth recommendations in the SEO jungle.

Review Champions: Positive online reviews are gold! Encourage satisfied customers to leave glowing reviews on Google. These reviews not only build trust but also act as valuable content for Google to understand your client's offerings.

The Secret Power of Google Reviews

Google Reviews are like glowing embers that keep the fire of E-A-T burning bright. Here's why they matter:

Trustworthy Torch: Positive reviews signal to Google that your client is a business users can trust. It's a badge of honor in the E-A-T world.

Local SEO Spotlight: Reviews are a key factor for local SEO. Positive reviews illuminate your client's local presence, attracting more customers in the vicinity.

Content Whisperer: Google can glean valuable insights from reviews about the services and content your client offers. Reviews mentioning specific keywords can help Google understand your client's website better.

How to Ignite a Positive Review Stream

Here's how you, as an SEO warrior, can help your clients cultivate a steady stream of positive reviews:

Service with a Smile: Exceptional customer service paves the way for positive reviews. Happy customers are more likely to sing your client's praises online.

The Review Request: Politely ask satisfied customers to leave a review on Google. This can be done through email, SMS, or even a friendly in-person request after a positive interaction.

By wielding the power of E-A-T and nurturing positive online reviews, you can guide your clients through the SEO jungle and emerge victorious, basking in the sunlight of top search rankings and a thriving online presence. Remember, the journey is ongoing, so stay updated on SEO best practices and continue to refine your E-A-T strategy. With dedication and these valuable tools, you'll help your clients not just survive, but thrive in the ever-evolving SEO landscape.

[valeskakingdom]

Like the good old times (part53)

The raindrops were hitting the car's roof resembling marbles hitting a metal plate. The heavy clouds covered the sun and gave the city a dull atmosphere. It affected people's mood a lot, you could say the whole city felt lousy. People refused to go out and preferred to lay in bed. Some people even dared to go for a walk, but they slowly strolled over the sidewalks, being despondent, like zombies who longed for any food.

Horns were honking when the car drove through the streets, signaling the usual folks their commitment was of high importance. No traffic could hold them back from driving fast to their target. They wouldn't even mind killing people right now - their priority pertained to their caught murderer.

Here and there, people turned their heads in the car's direction; they were curious as they saw the big S.W.A.T van and 4 other police cars, two at the front and the end. Where were they driving to? Was it Arkham Asylum? Or any other usual jail? Did the police catch another murderer? Or were they about to haunt someone? Or did an Asylum inmate escape?

It was just like the first time, Scarlet was driven to Arkham Asylum by the police. The same weather, people who were watching the whole scenario, the same atmosphere, the same empty streets. For Scarlet it was just pleasing, this memory she has when she first sat on this call will never be forgotten. It was the time when she was about to murder her brother and his girlfriend. She remembered every single detail: the cries and begs from Adrian and Kyle, the sobs, the feared looks whenever she was playing with her knife, or the joyful moment when she could manage to kill Kyle - it was glorious to see all the pain in her brother's eyes, and remembering this made her feel even better.

"Like in the good old times," Scarlet let out a relieved sigh "It's been so long I've been sitting here in the car last. Must be like over three years but I remember the day as if it was yesterday," She then got in a comfy position, the chains on her legs and arms rattled "It was the day where I was about to kill my brother and his little bitch. Didn't work out that well though since I forgot the fucking neighbors who's been loving to spy on me and my family. Fucking cunt"

"No one's interested in your storytelling, Patel" One of the cops muttered annoyed "We all will be thankful if you shut up" He made the others laugh with it, of course.

"Try it, darling, make me shut up," Scarlet just grinned, "I bet your wife already looks for some fresh meat since she admitted to herself that your small dick can't satisfy her needs" Immediately, she saw this aggression in his eyes which he tried to suppress - probably because she was right. Reactions like these mostly revealed people's private problems. In this case, he and his wife presumably had a huge crisis: he was too lazy, he just thought of work and football, he didn't satisfy her needs in sex, he had no time for her anymore so she thinks of a divorce - things like that.

"Wow," Scarlet laughed "So you and your wife indeed have problems in bed. What is it? Is the sex not good enough? Do you get no boner? She's into stuff you're not into?" He loved to provoke this man because she saw it worked. It was so easy to play with his mind, as easy as to throw a ball. Through his reaction, he revealed his matrimony and his wife are his emotional sweet spots - and for people like Scarlet, it was a perfect tool to play with.

"You know nothing about me and my wife," The cop grumbled with gritted teeth, clenching his fists. Oh, you could tell he was in a rage, you could see he hated being treated like a toy, he hated that however Scarlet managed to find out about his private problems and played with them. She should be the victim here and not him. Oh, she will get what she deserves, the cop thought, she will learn not to mess with someone like him "You will see what-..."

"Dylan, don't," one of his colleagues held him back from trying to attack Scarlet, he of course knew Dylan was the one in the crew who always failed to stay professional. he always got a rise out of him from others. He was a too choleric person to stay calm and always got into trouble "She's just messing with your head. She's playing tricks on you, stay professional"

"He's right, Dylan," Scarlet grinned "Stay professional, don't show any kind of emotions. You and your colleagues surely know people like me can read you according to your different reactions. Thanks to your little aggression problem, I do know you're a choleric person. I do now know you can't stay calm when someone like me is provoking you - and this is good fodder for me, you know, you make it pretty easy for me to play with you, especially when it comes to your wife, right?" Scarlet chuckled bitterly. She was quite amused to have such an idiot like him in front of her who revealed all his emotions and feelings with just one look "I'm sure it's horrible for you to know your wife is secretly meeting other men whenever she tells you she's out with friends, right?"

"And I'm sure it was horrible to see to experience that even Jerome had the urge to kill you," Another cop said making the others laugh "It's pretty sad to realize that no one in this world loves and wants you"

"And it's pretty sad to see the only forte that makes you popular is mocking others. I mean, look at you: You don't seem very sporty according to fat belly, you don't seem very neat either. I bet you're still living at your mommy's, and when talking about girlfriends we all can see and know you never had one because you're searching for the true love - you will never find it, though, because no one wants to date you" Scarlet spatted. Did he think she would become aggressive just because he mentioned the incident with Jerome? - even though it was quite questionable where he got the information from since this happened at a private place, but at the same time she knew asking them about this would just show they aroused her interest.

"It's fun to see how you think you know about my private life," the cop scoffed with a burst of bitter laughter, scratching his head "Your manipulation tricks are poor, darling"

"But instead of being professional and ignoring me, you keep discussing. So apparently I'm not that wrong with my assumptions," Scarlet chuckled "Think about it! For someone who uses to playing cool and nagging at others, you're working poorly. If I was your boss I would have fired you already, all of you!" Start frowned at him "I know what you think now, though: you would never listen to someone like me because I'm a killer and my intentions are quite different than yours - but actually, we're both doing the same job"

"We will never be doing the same job," Another cop scoffed "You destroy lives and families while we are trying to protect them from lunatics like you"

"But if needed, you're capable to kill people - as I can do," Scarlet grinned "So you see? Our jobs are not that different. You try to teach people manners who aren't following your rules, I do that with mine. You try to show people what's right, as do I! We just have a different point of view on that"

All of the cops in the car just stared at Scarlet. She was insane. How could she think being a killer and a cop are the same things? They are not! Killers like her murder insidiously, they kill to be satisfied, they love chaos, and almost each of them has a sexual intention behind a murder - and that should be equal to a cop! Hell no! A cop doesn't murder someone with lust, he doesn't plan to murder anybody to satisfy their needs! A cop provides law and order: they arrest the evil, punish people for breaking a law, and only shoot if someone endangers others with weapons or else. That's the quite opposite of a killer!

The cops stopped paying attention immediately to her as the van was about to stop - the brakes squealed for several seconds and the wheels grinded on the ground. Some other people suddenly smashed the doors open, and the cops that sat next to Scarlet jumped out of the van.

Through the gunny sack, Scarlet smelled the dirt and fresh air as she heard the sand rubbing against the cops' soles whenever they made a step. They finally arrived, she thought, it was a long way from her home to Arkham. For half an hour she sat there in the van, surrounded by impolite cops. She didn't feel uncomfortable, not at all. The drive reminded her of the good old times when she and her family went on vacation by car. It was a quiet drive. No one ever said a word. Her father hated small talk while driving. He preferred concentrating on the traffic than listening to his children's experiences. Whenever someone broke this rule, he told them to shut the hell up in an angry tone. It was similar to what the cops told her: shut up, Patel!

Scarlet noticed some other cops stood up as the car rattled, they incurred her legs and grabbed her arms to push her out of the van. Finally, she felt the sandy ground under her feet. She was relieved. From all the driving with a rattling car, she felt a little dizzy.

"Home Sweet Home" A cop pulled the funny sack from her head so that she could view her new home - Arkham Asylum. It resembled a typical asylum from books. Windows with grids, and dark clouds in the sky give a dark atmosphere, an old construction of the building.

It was a little cliche-like: Through the dark clouds, it could give some people a strange feeling. Something like the evil itself is living there - well, yeah it's true.

"Home sweet home, indeed," Scarlet grinned, she was almost pleased to be in Arkham now. She could manipulate people, telling them she would be the one to help them to flee, and with all her charm she could wrap some stupid guards around her finger to get whatever she needed - like the good old times "Wow, the atmosphere seems to be as shitty as a few years ago. I'm impressed it did not worsen since, you know, uhm... have you seen the new wannabe criminals? They're gross! They resemble apes! I wouldn't wonder if they devastated the whole city" Exactly this sentence made the cops frown, did she say that? She was one of them! She was a part of this devastation program!

"What?" Scarlet shrugged "I don't damage things and harm people without a certain reason, I have my plans at least" Not saying any word, the cops grabbed her arms harshly and pulled her to the entrance. They were annoyed by her and even happier she won't bother them any longer in a few minutes. They walked along several floors past cops until they reached a door from a little cabin. Right in front of it, a fat and tall cop with a belly, who smelled like old cheese and Whiskey stood there, apparently waiting for Scarlet to come.

"Everything prepared for the little comeback?" One of the cops held her arm tightly, looking over to the fat, tall, and cheesy-smelling cop "Where's Rosanne?"

"Oh, Rosanne!" Scarlet cheered "I remember this loving woman. A fearful butch who shows no remorse. I'm not lying when I say she's the only woman who arouses me under her touch"And it was true what Scarlet said, she indeed was impressed and somehow aroused by Rosanna's appearance. Rosanna was a beast, a real butch under all cops and guards. She was a musculus monster, probably more male than most of the other guards and cops in Arkham. Any of her femininity has faded over the years. Her voice was as deep as a male, probably caused by the huge amount of cigarettes she was smoking during and after the shift. Also: Rosanna wasn't soft at all. She treated you like an object, she was the dominant one. Whenever you didn't behave, she forced you to behave - and she always won. She had such power in her arms and hands, it was unbelievable!

"Rosanne will be pleased about your comeback, too," The fat cop chuckled bitterly, of course, it was sarcasm. Rosanna hated Scarlet, she hated that Scarlet had such a sexual tension towards her, it made her aggressive - and that was the spot Scarlet loved to play with "But yes, pens and notebook are in the cell as another pair of clothes. E 145"

"Good," The cop nodded "Clothes are in the cabin?"

"Rosanne is already waiting for her" The fat cop smirked wide "And I can tell she's not in a good mood. She had a very stressful day today"

"Even better," Scarlet smirked "I'm sure, I can help her become a little more relaxed" She winked at the guy with a burst of maniacal laughter while the cops pulled her annoyed after them to the cabin. These stupid come-on lines are disgusting, they resembled harassment, something that often ended up in reality.

The cops walked with her along the floor, right to the cabin which was next to the rec room: Scarlet could take a look in it. It didn't change that much at all. Several inmates sat on the benches, mumbling, grumbling, playing with their hair, walking from one side to another, and some were talking to each other. Scarlet could just smile about this, how exciting would this be to meet new people who eventually fulfill her expectations?

"Rosanne! Guess who's excited to see you!" One of the cops smirked when he already heard Rosanne's rattling keys from standing up, then walking up to the cops and Scarlet - and there she was: Rosanne. The butch in person. She just gave Scarlet a bittersweet smile with the cigarette in her mouth, oh she was pleased to see Scarlet but not in a positive way. Rosanne couldn't wait to degrade her with the fact in Arkham she'll be just a number, she'll not even be called a human.

"Oh, hi, Rosanne," Scarlet grinned wide "Long time no see, don't you think? How have you been?" But instead of a real answer, Rosanna just glanced at her, dragging on her cigarette, and blew the smoke right into her face.

"I undertake this now," She said with her dark raspy voice, grabbing Scarlet's arm and pulling her into the cabin. Directly after closing the door, Rosanne started patting Scarlet down: she pulled out every knife, every pistol, and every other stuff that seemed to be an opportunity to harm people. Right after that, she forced Scaret to take the inmates' clothes. Scarlet though enjoyed the whole act. Rosanne's roughness was incredible - you had to undergo this!

When she was done, Rosanne grabbed her arm and pulled her to the rec room's door. the door that would bring Scarlet a new life unknowingly. Rosanne opened the door, opening Scarlet's handcuffs and pushing her through the door. You could see, Rosanne intended to bring her into this cell as fast as possible so that she would no longer bring chaos over people. And by locking the door, Scarlet became an inmate in Arkham - again, after all these years. It was just perfect! Now she could start with her plan: she could start seeking any stupid inmates with the ability to plan and get her the stuff she wanted and needed. She looked through the crowd, slowly walking past people to check them out. Most of them seemed to be absent from reality, they seemed depraved. They talked gibberish, tried eating their nails, and hit each other with some pencils or books and laughed about this. No one seemed to be a person with high intellect - at least not until she heard this quite familiar voice:

"Hello, my precious doll. It's been a while, isn't it? How about you gimme a kiss?”