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fuck-customers · 2 months ago

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I work as an auto shop receptionist. Not even a big, like, chain company (like Jiffy Lube or the like), just a little shop that you'd drive past and not even realize it's there unless you were looking. And we get some of the most entitled customers, I swear. To list a couple of the most memorable ones:

1) A customer's vehicle totaled out by his insurance company. They would not pay for the repairs. The vehicle was in absolutely no condition to be driven (missing the whole front end, front axle busted, etc). The customer showed up at the shop, demanding his vehicle back, demanding to know why we weren't fixing it, and then called the cops on us when we would not just give the vehicle over without him paying checkout costs. He was complaining about needing his car back to drive Uber. My guy, you are not driving Uber in that piece of shit. Even the cop looked at the guy like "this isn't a 911 emergency, stop wasting our time".

2) A customer was told her vehicle would be done on XX date by our automated system. We explain, in great detail throughout communications, that the automated system is not a guaranteed date, but an estimated date that can fluctuate based on any number of variables (deliveries get delayed, wrong part comes in, additional damage gets found, insurance company twiddling their thumbs), and as a rule we cannot release a vehicle to a customer without some form of proof of payment. From insurance companies we get a pay screen (a screenshot showing payment is being issued) that gives us the okay. Well, she shows up at our shop on XX date...vehicle not only is not done, but we also don't have the payscreen. She proceeds to flip out like the raging Karen she is (she even had the haircut) and said we were "holding her car hostage". No amount of explaining that the vehicle was not fucking done yet would appease her, not even from the manager. When she came back when the car WAS done, she was unbelievably bitchy about it.

3) A customer who apparently thought he could just leave a completed vehicle on our lot for over a month and that storage charges were just a bluff. Needless to say, he got particularly irate when he came in and had nearly $2000 in storage on top of the cost of repairs because we called him and left him more messages than I can count warning him "hey, pick your shit up, you're accruing storage". Every vehicle that just sits here means one less spot for a vehicle we can work on.

4) A lady called our shop bitching about us not diagnosing her car properly. She neglected to tell us that her car was a diesel engine, and our system is not calibrated for diesel engines, so it would need to be taken up to a dealership for them to calibrate and we'd sublet the bill. She AND her dad then proceed to harass not only us but the dealership every hour, every day, demanding to know when her vehicle was going to be looked at. It got so bad the manager at the dealership called us like "you need to tell this bitch to chill".

5) Lady brings in a van that was damaged because a mouse got into the vehicle and chewed the hell out of the seats. We cannot get replacement seats (vehicle's like a 2011-2012, with specific colored seats, and they just plain don't make that shit anymore), so we arrange to get the existing seats reupholstered since the vehicle is getting detailed. She proceeds to call screaming "I DON'T WANT THEM REUPHOLSTERED I WANT NEW SEATS WHAT IF THEY STINK". Can't fucking win.

Posted by admin Rodney

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mundivagantsoul · 1 year ago

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✩ Bookshopist Moonboys ✩

Part 2: "A, b, c, d-"

Moon Knight System x Reader

Summary: How the boys have been setting in at the shop

Warnings: Google translate Spanish, a bit angsty at the end with Marc’s self-doubt, coarse language, Marvel depiction of DID

Word Count: 1.4K

A/N: Gave the boys particular fonts so the dialogue isn't confusing. Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading :)

Steven

Marc

Jake

<- Previous | Masterlist | Next ->

-------------------- ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆ ---------------------

Steven navigates through the labyrinth of bookshelves with a pile of novels in hand. Lightly caressing the spines of various books, his eyes skim over the authors’ last names.

Humming the familiar tune that’s become a staple in their shifts, Steven starts, “A, b, c, d-”

A heavy Chicago accent interrupts his rhythm, “M, z, i…”

Steven sighs, ‘not this again’, he thinks, trying to drown out his headmate he continues, “E, f, g-”

“Q, l, u…” abruptly interrupts his thoughts again.

“H-”

“Y”

“I-”

“T”

“Bollocks, Marc, quit it!”

“Quit what? I’m just reciting the alphabet like you”.

“A-huh, sure you’re being a real help”

“You’re very welcome”

“Look bruv, I need to put these away, and I can’t do it with you distracting me every two seconds”

“Should've thought about that before you ate my food”

“For the last time, I didn’t eat your food!”

“A-huh suree~ First, you stole my wife, and now my food? Your old pals at the British Museum would be proud”.

“Oh for the love of- I’m sorry about Layla!”

“Ahem..”, a frail voice interrupts their dispute, peering down Steven is met with the comforting face of an old woman, “Sorry to bother you luv, can you point me in the direction of the cooking section?”

Cheeks warming up, Steven points towards the aisle, “Just go strain down here and turn right at si-fi, then a left at parenting, and it should be on your left”.

She smiles kindly up at him, “Thanks honey”, then plotters along with a slight wobble in her step.

-------------------- ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆ ---------------------

It’s been 3 months since they started the job, and Steven’s loving every minute of it. His presence is appreciated, and he’s surrounded by others who share similar interests. Plus, he doesn’t have an aggravating boss breathing down his neck every second, which is a bonus.

The shop has a decent history and mythology selection. Since the Thor incident in 2011 and the revelation that god exists, people have become more intrigued by mythology. There’s lots of debate amongst mythologists and historians, arguing if the term ‘mythology’ is even correct anymore. Steven remembers reading a post by The Daily Bugle, stating, "Thor is a glorified space alien, and gods don’t walk amongst us." Little did they know.

The aftermath of the past decade and the revelations it brought have given way to more accessibility to novels regarding gods and deities, something that Steven has taken full advantage of.

In his first month of employment, he had managed to procure almost all the Egyptology books in store. Marc and Jake are constantly nagging him about it, stating they don’t have the room nor income to accommodate the influx of novels. Steven’s still trying and failing to convince Marc to turn their storage unit into a personal library, receiving the same answer in return, “We’re not turning the storage unit into your book-hoarding man-cave. We got this job to earn money, not spend it all on your addiction”.

After noticing Steven had managed to clear through all the Egyptology books, you felt the need to enlighten him with some bookshop wisdom. “You know…”, You say whilst ringing up Steven’s latest purchases, “You can order more Egyptology novels from our supplier. We don’t always have enough room to keep them on hand, but I know there’s a few we can get posted in if you're interested?”.

At your words, his eyes light up and you swear stars were floating amongst his coffee eyes, “Really?!”

“Ahí van nuestros ahorros” Jake facepalms.

Surprisingly, Jake has found himself enjoying work at the quaint store. The tasks are relatively simple, mainly involving manual labour, finding books of customers, and putting through sales. At first, he’d been nervous about working at the shop. He was closing in on 40, and the only thing he’d ever served was vengeance and cunt.

Thankfully, everyone at the store was supportive and non-judgemental. You reminded him one shift, "Believe it or not Lockley, it's okay to be a beginner and make mistakes”. Plus having two supportive brothers and a cat that somehow knows whenever he's feeling down helped. On the topic of cats, Jake was delighted to know that he could bring Viejita into work. “Will be good to get you out of the house” he mumbled to the feline, “Can’t have you growing up socially awkward like your tío Steven”, “HEY!”

Similarly to Jake, Marc was surprised to discover the job wasn’t as tedious as he’d initially predicted. The atmosphere is calm, especially for a retail job, and requires little mental thought. It’s a welcomed change, especially as his employment no longer involves something trying to kill him - though some books in the backroom have had a few good whacks at it. Since they started, Marc's gotten back into reading comics and sci-fi, he’s however, trying to keep it a secret. Khonshu forbid Steven found out he’s hypocritically spending their income on books.

There’s an unspoken rule amongst employees that if a text perks your interest you’re able to ‘skim a few pages’ to further your knowledge of company merchandise. Obviously, this only applies if you do it without altering physical integrity. All of the boys take advantage of this, finding a quiet corner in the backroom during their break, huddling up with one of the cats whilst eating lunch and immersing themselves in a new story.

Over the last 3 months, all the boys have had some interesting interactions with customers. In the first week, Steven had a lady yell at him about the price of a plastic bag - as if he had any input on the pricing. Marc and Jake were plotting murder for the full duration of the interaction.

Marc had to awkwardly ask someone for ID because they wanted to buy ‘adult’ manga whilst their mum was present. He then had to explain to the mother why an ID was required.

And just the other day, Jake had a lady come in asking for a book, only she didn’t know the title, or the author, OR the contents. Only that another bookstore in the area had in four months ago. He spent the rest of his shift questioning humanity's intelligence and pondering how we’ve managed to survive this long.

However, at the end of the day, all the questionable customer interactions are worth it because they get to see you. Your presence is now an anchor in their lives. A lighthouse guiding them out of thunderstorms and eternal seas that threaten to swallow them whole. From your enthusiasm when discussing a book, to the adorable face you make when concentrating. Every second they spend with you they become more infatuated with your being.

“We should ask them out”

“And risk them saying no then having to work with them afterwards? Absolutely not”

“We don’t know that they’ll say no, piensa positivo hermano”

“Okay, I’m positive they’ll say no”

“...That’s a lame comeback and you know it”

“I’m with Jake - not on the comeback comment, but on the fact that we don’t know how they’ll answer”

“It doesn’t need to be a date, solo cafe y pasar el rato”

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Marc sighs. Of course he wants to ask you out. Both Steven and Jake know that. He’s just worried you don’t reciprocate their feelings and only see them as friends. Or that he’ll somehow fuck it up for both you and his brothers. Maybe it would be better if he retreated back into the headspace, giving Steven and Jake the freedom to be with you without the burden of his pres-

Now it's Steven's turn to interrupt Marc. “Oi, we’re not havin’ any of that. We come as a package deal, remember? Burger, chips, drink ‘n’ everything. There’s no us without you, quite literally might I add.”

“Steven tiene razón, te respaldamos. Siempre.”

A small “meow” comes from his feet, looking down he’s met with the adoring eyes of Viejita.

“See even Viejita agree’s”

Mouth twitching up as his heart swells, Marc gives in.

“Fine... Just coffee”

-------------------- ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆ ---------------------

Tag list: @0-ramen-0 @sunnyskyapplepie

Leave a comment or send me a message if you want to be added :)

#steven grant #jake lockley #marc spector #steven grant x reader #marc spector x reader #jake lockely x reader #moon knight x reader #moon knight #moonknight

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niobiumao3 · 2 years ago

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Havoc Marauder Interior

Someone made a post about this a while ago but apparently they de-activated so it is possibly lost to the mists of time. Here is what I put together for myself as a writing reference. Image heavy, meta heavy.

Last edit: 2024/10/29

Edits: Replaced garbage text layout with actual ship overhead. Realized the two concept art images face different directions. This likely explains the magical moving jump seats. Also added discussion of a cargo hold. Added discussion of ship dimensions (specifically length). Replaced old guesstimates with numbers from Dawn of Rebellion. Added commentary about the magical seat. Added comment about the belly airlock and updated the floor plan.

I think people under- and over-estimate the Marauder's interior potential. Given its overall size and intended use (transporting about 10-15 troops plus assorted equipment and providing air support in a forward area), there's not much room left for creature comforts.

Except the Batch aren't 10-15 people, they're 5, and the shuttle is referred to as modified numerous times. This leaves plenty of room to make assumptions and freeform. So, as to what we have actual, visual evidence for from episodes and concept art, here is a rudimentary floor plan:

An important point about the two concept art images: they do NOT face the same direction. The top image faces to the aft/back of the ship, i.e. the tailgun. The second image faces to the fore/front of the ship.

Number key:

1: We know this is where the ramp and door are located from War Mantle and Metamorphsis.

2: We know about this upper storage area from Cut and Run

3: The access to the tail gun has changed visual from TCW s07e02 and various TBB episodes.

4: Access to a floor hatch with a narrow, vertical 'airlock' can be seen briefly in Bounty Lost.

The Airlock

With thanks to @megmca for reminding me of this: there's a narrow, belly-hatch airlock. We see it briefly in Bounty Lost, when they attach to the escape pod Omega has commandeered and Wrecker brings her in.

For all of you wondering what airlock-access the ship has, this is it.

The Magically Appearing/Disappearing Seat

In Cut and Run we have this moment with Hunter and Omega, but in most other shots each of these consoles has only one seat (eg. Tech and Echo in prior frames). I think this is actually NOT a magically appearing seat. I think it's the other console seat, because I suspect they can be moved. I base this one this shot from Replacements:

That looks like a seat with a moveable base.

Obviously this is bad design for a ship which is doing barrel rolls and what-not, so I have to assume they're magnetically locked. Even if it is the same seat, in the shots right before that one above, Omega walks up and it's not in that space. So it's almost like the scene was longer and was shortened, and we missed a few frames of her or Hunter unlocking it and moving it over.

Meta Discussions

tl;dr: I think of the Marauder as a small fishing vessel or a van-conversion RV. You can put a lot into a small space if you get creative.

Bathroom I know the writers have made weird assertions there isn't one and omg they all smell gross from no hygiene but that makes zero sense. Soldiers are constantly under stress, they're getting injured, they need to stay clean when possible or they're going to get sick and die from a systemic infection in short order. Anyone who's glanced in the general direction of military history knows this. You can argue about clone expendibility all you want but the Batch minimally qualify in that regard, being Nala Se's pet project. Can you imagine losing one of them to a staph infection because there's nowhere for them to bust out some no-rinse antimicrobial soap or get their scalp clean? I'm not saying they'll be doing photoshoots in between missions (well maybe Hunter would ) but, come on. (And are you going to tell me Mr. Sensor Sensoria is cool with doing long hauls with 4 people who don't bathe? Just, no.)

But that much aside, anyone who's ever been in an RV, a commercial airliner, or a modest-sized sea vessel knows you can cram a bathroom into a tiny space. Yes, you're going to be spinning in circles doing things, but the benefits of a spot to clean up, manage waste, and tend to injuries far outweigh any other use of that area. So regardless of what the writers say, a transport without a minimal refresher (to use the SW term) is counter to the ship's designed use. It has to be able to accommodate Wrecker, of course, but in the end it can double as storage when not in use. There is zero reason to not have one. Added to this, we now officially have a length for the Marauder, which is 30.3 meters (see below). RVs which are 1/5 of that size have bathrooms. You're going to tell me the Marauder doesn't?

If nothing else, since the TCW episodes and the beginning of S1 have pointed to them going on extended deployments with long hops between stops, they're going to need one or constantly be handling waste in much less efficient and sustainable ways.

Added to all of this, it's specifically called a modified variant of an Omicron. We're probably meant to think this means 'Tech would like to fly faster than the GAR and ship engineers think is reasonable for a shuttle' but IMO it extends to changes like this as well. So, there's a refresher in there, feel free to choose a spot. Right across from the fold out racks is a good candidate because in most imagery it's just weapons storage, and there's an entire upper-deck space which you could use for that.

Galley Definitely not one of these. The Batch are eating rations any time they're not on Kamino. You can make an argument they (and all clone units) have cook kits for improvised eating in the field; in the Batch's case I suspect that's a given, as they'd just start doing it because who's going to stop them? Additionally, the sheer amount of rations you would need to carry around to feed Wrecker would be ridiculous. (Remember when Wrecker talks about never being full in S2E13? I feel like this is an indication they did and still do, in fact, have to improvise a lot of additional caloric intake. Hunter probably thought Cut and Suu's farm was a genius idea. 'Grow your own food! Wrecker will never be hungry again! Fucking incredible.' Then Tech got the ship impounded.) I think you can argue for one being added, like with the refresher. Do they actually need those weapons racks anymore? Definitely no. But, it's not on there by default.

Beds As you can see in the concept art above, there are at least 3 racks that fold out from the wall on the port side. They're at a minimum wide enough to accommodate Wrecker, they may also be long enough for him to not need to curl up (unclear because in this shot from Bounty Lost his knees are bent and he's hugging Lula):

Three is a weird number since originally there were four of them. I figure the options here are:

The pilot/copilot/second row seats all look 100% more comfortable than the racks. We actually see Tech sleeping in one, at one point, so this has actual evidence to support it.

It's war time, they're never all asleep simultaneously. Someone is always flying the ship or on watch.

The floor is in effect the same as a rack, arguably preferable as you can't fall off it in the event Something Happens while you're out. So, one of them might actually be ON the floor sometimes.

They're not really intended to sleep on the ship for extended periods, but narratively we're lead to believe they have, many times, and needed to make adjustments to it as a result. Notice how quickly Wrecker whipped up a bed for Omega? IMO, not the first time they've done something like that--they did it for themselves first.

Cargo Hold Based on that screenshot of Omega above and the below shot from Cut and Run, the 'hold' of the ship is actually a storage area overhead, running the length of the ship. In that shot above of the rack, there are a series of yellow rungs which imply you can climb up somewhere on the port side. This is probably alternate access to that same overhead storage space.

In Cut and Run we see Echo, Omega, and Tech hide in it, coming back out from a slide-open hatch:

Given Tech's height this is probably somewhere around 1.5m high.

We can be reasonably certain the hold isn't under the ship, or at least storage there is minimal, due to a couple of things:

In all instances where the hyperdrive has been pulled, it's under the ship on the belly, and takes up a reasonable amount of space. Eg., in Retrieval, here's a bunch of stuff which has been pulled from the ship:

In instances where they're working on the ship from the outside, like in Cornered, the sides and belly never have panels open which contain empty space unless the ship's hardware have been removed to reach something:

So, the cargo hold is probably that space on the top from Cut and Run. It doesn't have much room; reasonably speaking, the area with the weapons and sleeping racks was probably a cargo hold as well, they just converted it to a more general purpose area. (So IMO this is a stronger argument for putting a commercial airliner-style bathroom in place of the weapons racks, particularly once they bail on the Empire.)

Dimensions - updated 11/3/23 Dawn of Rebellion has a Bad Batch section, and indicates the Marauder is 30.3m in length, 36.65m wide (presumably with the wings extended, and 12.41m tall (this probably includes the central stabilizer).

I will edit this to update it as we get more pictures. Since the toys that I know of have no basis the show from an internal perspective I didn't include anything from them.

Image sources:

All screencaps by me. Use at will.

Marauder underlay

Bad Batch Concept Art, Marauder Interior

#havoc marauder #meta #marauder #tbb marauder #did I use shots with tech #on purpose?#yes I did #because he's not dead #>:(#the bad batch #star wars

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probablyasocialecologist · 11 months ago

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A recent study has found it is currently “not feasible” for the global livestock industry to sequester enough carbon to cancel out its planet-warming emissions — and that policy efforts geared toward that goal may be deeply misguided. The study, which was published in the journal Nature Communications, shows that 135 gigatons — or 135 billion metric tons — of carbon would need to be returned to soils to balance out the amount of methane emitted annually by ruminants like cattle, sheep, bison, and goats. That would be an unthinkable task, said Peter Smith, a co-author of the study and Chair of Plant and Soil Science at the University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom. 135 gigatons is roughly equal to all the carbon lost due to agriculture over the past 12,000 years. We could completely rewild much of the planet and still not quite get there. “It’s a nail in the coffin for the suggestion that carbon sequestration can offset the methane emissions” of livestock, Smith said. “The overblown claims by the livestock industry, that you don’t need to worry about anything because we’re sucking up all carbon, we’re doing a climate-positive job — that’s just bullshit.”

[...]

That’s not to say that any use of cattle in agriculture is inherently problematic. Research has convincingly demonstrated that integrating ruminants into pastures and croplands really can help to sequester more CO2 in some circumstances. “Study after study after study after study has shown that one of very few agricultural systems that sequester carbon are pasturelands,” said Nicole Tautges, director of the Agroecology Program at the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute in East Troy, Wisconsin. However, as herds become more dense, methane and nitrous oxide emissions can quickly override the potential climate benefits. As Waginen University’s Corina E. van Middelaar, a co-author on the study, put it, “the emissions that you get from having more animals on that plot of land outweigh the additional carbon sequestration.” According to the Nature analysis, even the most ideal conditions can only support about one cow per hectare of land, about the average density of grazing animals in Europe. That figure was reached assuming cattle emit less than 100 pounds of methane annually on land with abundant carbon storage potential, conditions that “actually hardly exist,” van Middelaar said. The real world is likely to be much more unforgiving, with higher-emitting animals often raised on land with lower sequestration capacity. To make matters worse, it’s believed that most farmland can only store a finite amount of carbon — meaning even very well-managed pastures can max out their sequestration potential over time. At the same time, bad management decisions, like allowing cattle to overgraze or compact soil too much with their hooves, can easily reverse those gains. The inevitable conclusion, van Middelaar said, is that “we should move to systems with less animals to begin with.” Raising fewer ruminants would make it more possible to bring methane emissions and soil carbon levels into better balance, Smith said.

#livestock #meat #climate change #agriculture #farming

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minimickzy · 2 years ago

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Literally Just Us || Lottie Matthews

dialog prompts: "Spin the bottle" "It's literally just us

Characters: Lottie x Reader, Van, Natalie, Jackie, and Shauna

Word count: 1529

“Lottie Matthew’s you are the most beautiful person I’ve ever met.” You smirked as you took the joint from her lips and brought it to your own.

“Mm, you flatter me too much.” Her cheeks pushed up and caused the outside of her eyes to crinkle as she smiled, blowing smoke out.

“Not possible”

She laughed, the rosiness of her cheeks intensifing.

“Okay stop hogging it and pass it already.” Natalie deadpanned next to you- making a grabby hand in front of your face.

Lottie, Natalie, Van and you stood outside Lottie’s back door. The inside was buzzing with teens- most already drunk or high as it was rounding midnight.

Your gaze slid across her house, the big windows and golden light peeking out of them. Music seeming to make the stutters shake with the beat.

You must be pretty high already- or maybe just tried because you zoned out thinking about something you wouldn’t remember in 10 minutes when Van blew smoke right in your face, causing you to cough and stumble back in shock as the other three laughed at you.

“Yeah yeah- very funny.” You croaked out between coughs.

The girls calmed down. Lottie finished the joint and stomped it into the dirt next to the deck.

“We should head back in before Jeff and Jackie get into a screaming match again.” Natalie groans.

“Jeff! It was just Shauna it doesn’t count as sex!” Van mocked Jackie’s voice, earning laughs from the others.

“God when is she gonna have her come to Jesus moment.” You asked as you shook your head towards the ground.

“Hopefully soon- I can’t take much more of Shauna's puppy dog eyes- they're like haunting my dreams.” Lottie laughed as she swung the door open.

The party was still in full swing, people milling around with red solo cups and beer bottles. All of Wiskayok’s teens crowded in one house- a house that was amazingly able to fit them all.

Technically this party was for the football team but Lottie's house was the party house because of its size and the fact her parents were always gone and didn’t give a shit what she did.

You could tell it hurt her. You didn’t know the complexity of their relationship and it wasn’t really your place but you could see that they all loved each other- something just stopped them from knowing how to show it.

Jackie and Shauna stood against the counter, bickering about something. Shauna rolled her eyes before meeting yours. “Please tell me you have more beer in the basement Lottie.” She huffed out as she left Jackie with her mouth flapping like a fish.

“Sorry Shauna- we used up the reserves after the game last week.”

“Shit- I guess that’s my cue then.”

Natalie gave her a solute as Shauna gave all of you a little wave, ignoring Jackie on the way out.

You let out a low whistle. Van copied your sound and then joked, “is right. That was hard to watch.”

People were starting to leave in a steady stream. You and Van started to pick up stray bottles and cups as Lottie and Natalie kicked the few people left out.

The four of you stuck together at almost every party, when tai would be willing to put down homework and join, she’d fit in like another puzzle piece.

Because you all were a group and Lottie was the party house owner- it also meant that you’d tend to have a mini sleepover after each party.

Lucky you all had a system and it only took a little less 40 minutes to clean up the mess.

After the cleaning was done the four of you set up camp in the living room. You grabbed the mattress from one of the storage rooms and dragged them in front of the big tv.

Can face planted onto the mattress as soon as it was in place. “This bed is softer than mine at home I swear to god.” The mattress muffled her voice.

“Did you guys wanna play a game?” Lottie asked giving the mattress a tiny kick.

Van flopped her arm up, “To tried.”

“Yeah count me out too, I’m ready to pass out,” Natalie said joining her on the

“Boo. You guys are lame” Lottie laughed in a sing-song voice. She bumped your arm and gave you the big round eyes and little smile she knew would win you over every time. “What about you?”

“Sure lot.” You smiled back at her and she led you to the kitchen with your hand in hers.

She bent over and opened one of the lower cabinets, reaching back at a weird angle with a look of concentration.

“What are you doing?” You chuckled.

“You’ll see.” She continued to rummage for a few more seconds before the look of victory lit up her face. “Gotcha!”

Out she pulled a huge plastic bag of Skittles. “Did you hide that?” You laughed as she looked at the bag in her hands like it was her firstborn.

“Yeah- if my parents from candy they’d throw it out- a bottle of vodka, sure that’s fine but god forbid I eat a snack with sugar in it.”

You rolled your eyes, “I don’t get your parents.”

“Yeah, I don’t either.” You could hear the shift in her voice. A tone that said more than her words ever could.

You desperately wanted to bring her back to earth with you, in the big kitchen with soft yellow lights and a big ass bag of Skittles. “So!” You clapped your hands together. “What game are you thinking?”

The shift happened again, this time back to the after-party giddiness. “Hmmm, I don’t know…. How about truth or dare?”

You rolled your eyes, “Okay- a throwback to 7th grade. I like it.”

You moved to the parlor (wow you forgot how rich Lottie was sometimes) and kneeled on one side of a coffee table, gesturing for Lottie to take the seat opposite of you.

“Alrighty, your idea so you go first, truth or dare?”

“Truth”

“Do you actually like Jackie or do you only talk to her for the team?”

Lottie made an affronted noise and leaned across the small table to hit you on the shoulder. You made a weak attempt to dodge her attack and laughed, “What?! You have to tell me! Honestly.”

She looked at you seriously but couldn’t hold the façade and laughed. “I can’t stand her”

“I knew it!”

“God don’t tell anyone! I just see how much she hurts Shauna and she doesn’t even realize it! Okay, your turn- truth or dare?”

“Okay- truth.”

“You’re so boring-“

“You literally picked the same thing!”

“Hmmmmm…” she bummed over you. And then squinted her eyes, sizing you up. “Did you actually fuck Randy after homecoming?”

“Oh my fucking god Lottie! No, Jesus, no!”

She laughed and put her hands up in surrender, “Hey I was just checking, that rumor was going around the school for weeks.”

You shuddered, “Lottie no- Randy? First of all- not my type. Second of all never even kissed anyone.”

She gave you a slightly shocked confused look, “I’m sorry what?”

“Yup. Kiss virgin over here.” You have a little laugh trying to lighten the mood.

“Okay, new game- spin the bottle.”

“It’s literally just us.”

“So?”

Your smile faded, the conversation taking a turn you were expecting, and we’re entirely ready for.

“Uh… here..” Lottie stood up and wandered from the room. Leaving you to gawk at where she had just been. You heard some shuffling from the other room, and then water running, before she reappeared- an empty beer bottle in hand. “I got it out of the trash- Don’t worry- I cleaned it.”

You let out a nervous laugh. “Are you being serious?”

Sometimes it was hard to tell when it came to Lottie, whether or not she was serious or just making a slightly off-kilter joke.

“Yeah- a throwback to 7th grade right?”

You took a deep breath as she sat back down across you and set the bottle on its side in front of you. “Right.”

“Go ahead.”

You quriked your eyebrow up

“Spin the bottle.”

“Oh yeah, duh.”

You grabbed the bottle and gave it a steady spin. You knew in your mind it really didn’t matter where it landed, after all there was literally only the two of you.

You must of spun it harder than you thought as the bottle spun and spun for what felt that minutes before lottie spoke up, “I can’t wait any longer.”

She basically lunched herself across the table, cupping your cheeks with both hands and giving you a long, hard kiss.

She pulled back, just a hair, and met your eyes. You could see the determination and sometime akin to passion. “Lot-” She cut you off with her lips, captured yours in a practiced dance.

You only pulled back when you thought you’d pass out from lack of air. “Jesus.”

“No, Just me.” She gave you a cheeky smile as she whipped her chin. “We should play that again sometime.”

“Okay but only when it’s just us.”

#yellowjackets fanfic #yellowjackets #yellowjackets x reader #lottie matthews x reader #lottie x reader #lottie matthews

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praxcrown5 · 1 year ago

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The Nuts and Bolts of Car Reproduction: A Headcanon Hypothesis for the Vehicles from the Disney/Pixar Cars Universe

Today's essay will be explore my headcanon ideas for vehicle reproduction in the Cars universe.

Disclaimer: Tactful descriptions (and depictions) of vehicle reproduction. If this ain't your cup-o-tea...you've been warned.

This is a long post. Might wanna get comfy and grab a coffee or sommat. If you read to the end, there's some...artwork. X3

Auxiliary Disclaimer: The following headcanon is only for sapient vehicles. Non-sapient creatures like tractors, balsa thrushes, deere, cranes, coal scoopers, etc may actually be capable of reproduction without factory involvement. I might do a separate post for them at some point. For now, I just want to be clear that when I use the word "vehicle" I mean sapient vehicles only. I also headcanon that reproduction works a little differently for very large vehicles (passenger planes, war planes, ships, aircraft carriers, etc...).

Ok...how how do vehicles do the deed?

In my headcanon, vehicles are created in factories. The factories, themselves, are small city-states with their own cultures and populations of factory "born" and raised vehicles called "angels" whom serve "The Manufacturers" as part of "The Plan." Despite possessing technology that is thousands of years more advanced than anything in the outside world, the Manufacturers cannot create what they call the "flame of sapience." For this, they are dependent on their creations.

Vehicles achieve physical and reproductive maturity at age eleven, after their third growth spurt. Along with reaching adult size, and all the accompanying changes to the engine block and internal systems, they develop reproductive hardware. The bulk of the hardware is stored internally, and protected by a panel of sheet metal (coupling panel) which is separate from the surrounding body metals. It is usually located near the rear fender on the side of the body opposite the fuel filler inlet in cars and trucks. In larger vehicles like trains, planes, boats or helicopters the location of the coupling panel varies between makes and models...but it's usually located as far away from fuel storage as possible.

In visible light, the seams are thin and difficult to see. Most vehicles, however, can see farther into the ultraviolet end of the spectrum due to specialized structures within and behind the eye screen. A car checking out a potential partner would see the panel as a vivid purple (male) or yellow (female) square surrounded by magenta markings resembling ancient runes.

Fun (off-topic) fact: Vehicles also have manufacturer markings on their body metals that are only visible in UV light. A car can look at another car and tell right away what factory they were created by. There are model markings as well, but most people don't know how to "read" them.

Intimate encounters are known as "hookups." Other terms that have graced local lexicons include (but aren't limited to) knocking fenders, cableing, parallel parking, long idling, carving your name into the steel fortress, tapping the socket, bringing the van to the carport, getting to know one's model, driving around town, packing the trunk, nosing around the garage, etc...

Most civilian-class vehicles are compatible with one another. For example, a car like Sally could hook up with most small planes, boats, trucks, and helicopters...but attempting the deed with anyone larger won't work due to hardware compatibility issues. Boeing and HII have been manufacturing step-down systems since the late 90's...but it's expensive, and still caters mostly to carrier and combat-class vehicles.

Once two vehicles are committed to the idea of physical intimacy, they retreat to a place that's (usually) private and secure, the later being especially important as the post hookup, "nuptial repose period" can render them unresponsive for six hours or more.

Most vehicles adopt a V position when doing the deed so that they can see their partner's face, keep their mouths relevant, and have plenty of space to maneuver their hardware comfortably. Foreplay consists of a combination of biting, kissing, "paneling" (i.e. tongue + body panels/undercarriage) and electrostimulation. Items like whips, torches, lifts, boots, and cables can be used to great effect, and advancing technology is providing even more options for adventurous couples.

The coupling interface, located behind the coupling panel, consists of two parts: The coupling array and the siring array (also called the auxiliary array). While the coupling array is used during every hookup, the siring array is only used if a couple is actively attempting to create a child.

The coupling array is identical for both males and females and consists of four, prehensile cables (coupling cables) located near the base of the interface. Each cable has a contoured, metal tip that rests in a depression on the back wall of the compartment. The body of the cable, all 20' of it, is stored internally. The cables lack fancy names and are simply numbered 1-4, with coupling cable #1 being the most anterior and #4 being the most posterior. Above each cable is a socket called a coupling jack. Like the cables, they are numbered, with coupling jack #1 being located directly above coupling cable #1, #2 above #2, etc...

An intimate encounter happens when two vehicles connect their coupling cables to another vehicle's coupling jacks, and vice versa.

While this sounds simple and straightforward, there's a lot of finesse that goes into the act, especially in regards to timing. The most intense pleasure comes from simultaneous insertion of a cable into an opposing jack...but the engine is necessary, too. Revving it at just the right moment, post insertion, generates a powerful surge of electrical energy which not only helps intensify and prolong the sensation, but also acts to charge special, battery-like bio-tech organs called "surgers." The penultimate moment of the hookup comes when the surgers reach full capacity. Revving ones engine or connecting another cable after this point will cause the surgers to discharge their accumulated charges into the combined neuro-electrical systems of the pair to avoid over exertion. Couples that manage to time their last engine revs/cable insertion with the pending discharge experience pleasure that's described as "out of this world," and they pass out as their sensory and electrical systems overload. During the nuptial repose, a specialized network of HV cables and cells collect and direct this excess energy into the frame so that it can be safely discharged into the ground through the tires.

At anytime during the hookup, a couple may experience full-sensory visions, called "nuptial dreams." In some cases it can feel as a vehicle has been transported into their partner's body, experiencing their memories of an event as vividly as if they had been there themselves.

Use of the auxiliary array is necessary if a couple wishes to sire a child. This hardware takes on the appearance of a region of pins (male) and sockets (female) above the coupling array. In males, the pins mark the tip of an extendable HV cable called the "siring cable." Instead of discharging the excess electrical energy from the hookup into the ground, the siring cable redirects it into the female's body via the auxiliary jack. The auxiliary jack is connected to a bio-tech organ called the plasma condenser module. As its name suggests, it condenses the redirected electrical energy into a ball of plasma called a "flame," which is then transferred to a second, smaller organ, the plasma chamber, for storage.

Same-sex couples wanting kids have limited options. Surgery is out of the picture; modern technology isn't anywhere near advanced enough to change out a vehicle's vanilla hardware without killing or severely injuring the patient. That leaves "petitioning" and reaching out to a third party (called a "surrogate"). Asking a factory for help is the cheaper of the two options, but carries with it a substantial waiting time, anywhere from two to ten years. Recruiting a third party (called a "surrogate") is a possibility provided that one's family, and or one's state/country of residence recognizes the child's legitimacy. Vetted surrogates practicing their trade legally and safely command high prices. However a siring is attempted, if successful, the female will start receiving internal notifications with instructions telling her where to take the flame (80% of the time it's Detroit, if the child was sired in the USA).

When the female reaches the factory, a factory worker ("angel") temporarily removes the plasma chamber and condenser module so that their doctors can graft the flame to a newly manufactured body, a process that can take anywhere between three and five days, longer if the flame splits en route, resulting in twins. One's make and model seem to have no bearing on the factory that will ultimately create the body for one's child. Doc, for example, was manufactured at the Hudson factory in Detroit despite his sire being an Oldsmobile and his dam, a Cadillac.

If the female carrier can't get to the factory right away, she can maintain the flame for about three weeks by tripling her food intake. Eventually, the energy is reabsorbed by the body and she'll have to repeat the siring process if she wants another chance. One's make and model seem to have no bearing on the factory that will ultimately create the body for one's child. Doc, for example, was manufactured at the Hudson factory in Detroit despite his sire being an Oldsmobile and his dam, a Cadillac.

Since this is already a lengthy document, I'll cover growth and development in a future post. In the meantime, enjoy some car sm*t. Pic depicts my two OCs, Sam and Annette in the midst of a siring attempt. Second pic is a younger Doc Hudson showing off his coupling cables to a potential partner.

#cars #pixar cars #cars fandom #cars pixar #disney pixar cars #cars fanfiction #doc hudson #cars 2006 #disney cars #cars fanart #cars literature #cars oc #cars reproduction #disney pixar cars headcanon #cars headcanons #ihaveamastersdegreeinvolcanologyhowisthismylife #onlyusethisinformationforgoodlol #cars movie

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kurowdayo · 23 days ago

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Kemono Jihen Chapter 96: Summary + Page-by-Page Translation

Translated by me and proofread by @stinkigami

Last chapter of 2024! Merry Christmas to those who celebrate and a Happy New Year, Kemoji-Community

Chapter 96: As a Human

Summary

Kabane, Shiki, Iyo, Aya and Thin review the intel that Yui sent, specifically the vaccine that breaks down mamono cells. Iyo suggests selecting a small but elite team to break into the Ibaraki Research Facility run by Mikage where they hope to steal more materials.

Too many people volunteer and Shiki objects. Flashback of him talking to Akagi. Shiki asks him if the Ibaraki-Lab was the place where Akagi was turned into a Mamono. Akagi won’t help him out until Kaede is pardoned which annoys Shiki. Eventually, Akagi gives him one piece of advice.

Kabane, Shiki, Kon and Urabe are in a van to Tsukuba City where the lab js. Over com, Mayo suggests pretending to deliver materials for the facility to blend in and get on the premises while Kabane seems relieved that Urabe is doing well. He also picks up on what Mayo said last time and asks Shiki what “cucking” is.

Kon is convinced that something about Urabe has changed, as he smells different now. Urabe forces Mayo to reveal that his usual procedure of hacking the entire security system failed and all he managed was to get the map of the premises. Shiki complains that Mayo’s only redeeming quality is his IT skills.

Back to the flashback with Akagi where he supposes that the team members will be picked according to their skills of avoiding combat. He disagrees though and suggests taking Kaede with them.

The van gets attacked by several Mamono of a spider/ape mix and they blow up the vehicle. Kotaro and Mayo who watch everything over cam from the base deduce that the various Mamono are the new security system and Mayo freaks out because he can’t hack living things. The attacker could identify the intruders because they did not smell like fox-weed.

They make it into the building and Urabe suggests splitting up 3 to 1, he wants to go solo. The others object and, in the end, Kabane and Shiki go to the east wing, Urabe and Kon to the west wing. A security announcement announces that there are intruders on the premises.

Kon and Urabe want to search the 12 storage rooms on their side but find another Spider/Ape Mamono looking for them and Urabe quickly stabs it in the head. Kon asks if it's ok to just leave the corpse, as it might alarm others. Urabe asks if it will change anything and Kon answers that the stench of blood is so strong that it might cover for the lack of fox weed stench from which the Mamono find the intruders.

Still, Kon isn’t happy with Urabe because he smells like a bloodthirsty beast now and humans shouldn’t act like wild animals. She walks in front and tells him to stay behind. Urabe agrees but tells her, he will shoot anything that gets closer than 8 meters to him. He says there’s nothing wrong with him. He is just doing what he, as a human, should do.

Meanwhile, Kabane and Shiki make their way through their side of the facility. Shiki still wonders about Urabe’s change that Kon mentioned. Shiki also tells Kabane that, in the 3 years Kabane has been away, he “did something” a new technique and that Kabene better not freezes with envy once he sees it.

They encounter another Mamono Guard but before it sees them, Shiki uses said technique Hardening Thread: Poison Needle and knocks it out. Kabane asks if it’s dead and Shiki says jt woul be had he used any more poison. While Kabane was away, Shiki had Dr. Thin implant a poison sack in his body which was really hard to adjust to but now he can use poison.

More guards arrive, Shiki fights them off while Kabane tries getting through a door which is, in fact, another Mamono, an Ape/Door hybrid. He politely asks the Doormomo if it’d let him through but it won’t. Instead, it tells them to go look for what they search in Mikage’s room in the main building. If something got stolen from there, Mikage would be to blame which the apes/ape-mamono approve of because they all hate weak people therefore they all hate Mikage. If Kabane and the others are at it, they can kill Mikage as well. When an outsider does it, the apes won’ receive any blame.

Mayo relays the new plan to Urabe and Kon but suddenly another person arrives. Meanwhile, the door tells Kabane that Inari and Mikage also prioritize turning Humans into Mamono which is blasphemy to them because humans don’t deserve the powers that come with it.

The person who approached Urabe and Kon is Kanetake Sakata, a former Kyoto Police Investigator who was caught by Inari years ago. Kotaro’s older brother. He chats with Urabe as if nothing was wrong and Kotaro yells at Urabe to shoot him immediately. Urabe doesn’t and Kanetake transforms into a mamono similar to the one Mei turned into and attacks. Urabe is saved by Kon and starts breaking down because, as a human, he can’t possibly shoot an old friend of his

END

Page by Page Translation

Page 1

Kabane, Aya and Thin (over tablet) are seen looking at the Mamono-Vaccines

Aya: This is… the Mamomo-Cell destroying vaccine…

Thin: I really want the virus as well.

Aya: If we can replicate this (vaccine), we’ll be able to fight on even terms.

Iyo: Now, let’s select who’s going to head to Ibaraki-Research Facility. With a purpose to obtain these materials, a small but elite team would be best.

Page 2

Kon: Kon will go!

Kabane: I wanna go too!

Mukuro: Me too, me too.

Shinjou-Kemono: Me too!

Shiki: That’s not an elite few.

Kabane: Then, let Shiki choose/Let’s leave it (choosing the party members) to Shiki

Primula (the Plankton Kemono): Huh? Can we really trust this guy with something so important?

Shiki: Hearing that from plankton, huh? Well, in my case…

Flashback of Shiki and Akagi

Shiki: Akagi. Was it Mikage’s Research Facility where you got turned into a Mamono?

Akagi: If so, then what?

Shiki: Well…I thought to ask you for any help in case you knew what’s the place like

Page 3

Akagi: Then, in return, I’d like Kaede to be pardoned.

Shiki: Don’t get ahead of yourself!

Akagi: Well, this story is over then.

Shiki: Hey! If you really want others to think better of you/improve your standing, you gotta start by fixing your attitude!

Akagi: So… I’ll give you just one piece of advice.

Page 4

Shiki/Kabane/Kon in a car towards Tsukuba Research Facility with Urabe driving.

Mayo over com: A large variety of creatures are regularly transported to the Tsukuba Mamono Research Institute as materials for mamonofication. First, you need to blend in to get to the premises

Shiki: Understood (roger).

Kabane: I’m glad Urabe-san is doing well.

Shiki: Is it okay to say well… ?

Kabane: By the way, what is cucking? (My sweet pure boi, never change)

Mayo: Just forget what I said, alright!?

Page 5

Kon: Kon also doesn’t think Urabe is okay. His smell is different from before.

Mayo: It's alright, Urabe is at his best when working.

Urabe: Mayo-kun…isn’t there anything you are forgetting to tell?

Mayo: Ehh? What do you mean? That I had a butter toast breakfast without toast?

Urabe: Be serious!

Mayo: (clears throat) Weeeell…this time, the good old Tsunamayo-style hacking the security system stuff….didn’t go as planned

Shiki: Eh!? Why?

Page 6

Kabane: I didn’t really hear that. Can you say it again?

Mayo: Uhh… Ugh

Shiki: What does that mean? Your IT-skills are literally your only redeeming quality! (Literally: Without your IT skills, you’re nothing but faults)

Mayo: Huuuuh!? My existence is perfect, a 100 outta 100 but I cannot hack things that aren’t there.

Kabane: “Aren’t there?”

Mayo: Seriously, there was no security! How's that possible!? This is a highly classified facility! I did get the maps though, I’ll send them to you.

The group arrives

Urabe: No confirmation?

Page 7

Akagi (flashback): You guys are probably going into this…

Kon: There is something.

Kabane: Eh?

Akagi: (continued) You guys are probably going into this…with the sole goal of ‘gathering materials for the vaccine creation’ and so will choose only a few capable members, hoping to avoid any confrontation/combat.

However….if it were me, I’d take Kaede over there

Kon: (back in real-time) Here they come!

Page 8

The van gets attacked by Spider-Ape Mamono

Spooder-Monke Mamono: INTRUDERS! INTRUDERS!! (One of them shoots a laser beam out of their single cyclops eye and fries the van)

Page 9

Kabane: Bugs!?

Shiki: No… Those are Shoujou/Ape-Mamono!

Kotaro: (next to Mayo) I see, if the security systems are “living beings” then they certainly can’t be hacked.

Mayo: Nooo! If this becomes standard security, I’ll be outta business. I’m against it! Against it!! (or maybe) Objection! Objection!!

Spooder-Monkes: Stinky, stinky! They don’t reek of coma (fox-weed)! Eliminate! Eliminate!

One of the Mamomos’ heads explodes. Urabe is shooting

Page 10

Urabe: According to Mayo-kun’s map, there are symmetrical side-buildings/annexes to the east and west of the main building. We’ll split up, search for the virus and then meet up again at the main building.

Kabane: Got it.

Shiki: No… alright… alright but gimme a moment to calm down from that just now

Smaller text: Holy—!! He just one-shotted them!?

Urabe: Well then… (he just turns around and wants to leave, lol)

Shiki: Wait! Wait! You wanna split up 3 to 1!?

Kon: Kon will go with Urabe! I can’t let you go solo!

Can I?

Kabane: Yeah.

Shiki: But why all of a sudden?

Kon: Not sudden, Urabe’s smell has been strange this whole time.

Mayo: (still over com) Agreed, agreed.

Urabe: Mayo-kun…

Mayo: Rejected. Follow the operator’s instructions.

Urabe: Well then, I’ll leave the East side to you (Kabane/Shiki).

Shiki: Roger that.

Page 11

Security System Announcement: New arrivals (Intruders) on the premises! New arrivals (Intruders) on the premises! Workers, remain where you are and continue with your work. Repeat (cuts off)

Spooder-Monke: (patrolling a hallway) I’ll protect the door, I’ll be good (written in awful looking kana, omg that was painful)

—>Then it gets stabbed in the head by Urabe.

Page 12

Urabe: There are 12 storages in the west wing. Let’s take them one by one.

Kon: Is it okay to just leave the corpse here?

Urabe: Will hiding it change anything?

Kon: They were saying something about the smell of fox weed. It seems that’s how they can tell intruders and incoming material apart.

The smell of blood is so strong… so strong, it’s hard to smell anything. In our situation it’s best to just leave it here.

Urabe: Alright.

Page 13

Kon:

It’s not! Urabe, you’re acting different…You are a human. Humans shouldn’t act like wild animals!

I finally realized what this strange smell is…. You smell like a bloodthirsty beast.

Page 14

Kon: Kon will fight off the enemies. Just follow me. (lit. Kon makes the road safer)

Urabe: …8 meters

Kon: Eh?

Urabe: I’ll follow 8 meters behind you. I’ll kill any mamono that you skip within that distance.

Page 15

Urabe: Why are you surprised? I’m not wrong. I’m only doing what I should as a human. (Title drop ehehe)

Switch to Kabane/Shiki

Shiki: Strange smell, huh? Yeah, when it comes to nose and instincts, she’s really good at it.

Kabane: I had no idea there was something wrong with Urabe-san.

Page 16

Shiki: More importantly! Did you learn anything while you were gone?

Kabane: What’s anything?

Shiki: A new technique! Oh sorry. You were unconscious, right…

Kabane: Did you learn ‘anything’?

Shiki: Of course, it’s been 3 years… oh, there’s a guy guarding the door. Now watch this and try not to freeze in envy of my skill. (Derived from lit. Put your fingers in your mouth, an idiom meaning “unable to do anything in envy of someone else’s skills” thx Messy) (He produces a knife like protrusion with his threads)

Kabane: Hardening threads?

Shiki: Not just that! (apparently からの~ in that context is a reply to something with an arrogant connotation meaning “so what?” or “just it/that?” so I tried to change it to fit to Kabane’s statement)

Page 17

Technique Introduction Speech bubble: Hardening Thread: Poison Needle (lit. poison kunai)

Said poison needle is thrown in the head of the spooder-ape guarding the door, it immediately collapses.

Kabane: Is it dead?

Shiki: Nah, but it’s enough to knock it out. Some more and it would’ve died though. It’s poison! Poison! I was bored when you were gone, so I asked Dr. Thin to put a poison sack in my body. It took a while to get used to it though (images of Shiki barfing and lying in a hospital bed with an oxygen mask)

Page 18

Kabane: (he literally had his fingers in his mouth because he didn’t understand the idiom *please refer to page 16) More incoming!

Shiki: I’ll clean up here. You go and search the room.

Kabane: Got it. (He goes to the door and tries opening it)

It won’t open? Eh!? (The door is another Ape-Mamono, a Monke-Door)

Monke-Door: Hehee, I’m locked. I don’t know you, you’re not getting through.

Page 19

Kabane: Nice to meet you, my name is Kabane. Can you please give me the Mamono Virus?

Monke-Door: Hm? I don’t know you. Hm, you sure have got manners, but you still won’t get in by being polite. If there’s something you want, go to Mikage’s room. It has a normal door.

Kabane: Mikage’s room?

Monke-Door: At the very back of the main building. If anything gets stolen from there, it’ll be his fault. He’s away right now so he deserves it.

Kabane: He’s away? Mr. Door, do you not like Mikage?

Monke-Door: There is no Ape who does. We hate weak guys like him the most.

Page 20

Monke-Door: Plus, he’s been prioritizing Inari’s orders recently.

Kabane: Inari’s orders…?

Monke-Door: That’s right. And while you’re at it, kill him/it if possible. If we say an outsider did it, it won’t be our fault. He/it should be wandering around here.

(switch to Kon battling several Spooder-Monkes and only knocking them away)

Page 21

(Urabe-support from behind with his handgun, one-shotting everything that gets within his 8 meters)

Kon: D- dang it. Hey! (to the other spooder-monkes) If you don’t want that happening to you, don’t go anywhere behind Kon!

Spooder-Monkes: The hell is this intruder saying. Is she stupid?

Mayo: Good news! Everyone head back to the main building!

Urabe: The main building?

Page 22

Mayo: Apparently, Mikage’s room is over there. There’s a high possibility that he keeps important documents there. Let’s just steal it and get out.

Kon: G… Got it. Heard that, Urabe? Let’s head back.

(Urabe spots something approaching)

Kon: Urabe? Oi, what’s wrong

(back to Kabane chatting with Monke-Door)

Kabane: What is Inari’s order?

Monke-Door: It’s “humans”!

Page 23

Monke-Door: (while the scene switches back to Urabe and the “someone” approaching him) Inari wants to turn humans rather than kemono into mamono. Wasting such technologies on humans and making them powerful…is unforgivable!

Both Mikage and Inari are enemies of Kaidou-sama!

(The person approaching is Kanetake Sakata, Kotaro’s older brother and the special investigator the Kyoto Police Department lost to Inari’s seduction powers over 3 years ago.)

Kanetake: Urabe!? Uwaah, it’s been a while! Why are you here?

Page 24

Kon: Eh? You know him!?

Mayo: Kotaro… That’s…

Kotaro: Shoot. Urabe, please shoot.

Kanetake: You don’t have to answer. Hehe, I’m so happy to see you again.

Kotaro: SHOOT!!

Page 25

(Kanetake suddenly transforms into the mamono form which Mei Minamoto was already seen as. The worm like thing with the sucking appendage. He attacks and Urabe is only saved by Kon kicking Kanetake out of the way)

Kon: Oi, what’s with this one!? Is it friend or foe!?

Page 26

Urabe: (Urabe mental breakdown)

He is our comrade

Stop with this ‘shoot him! shoot him!’ nonsense…As a human…how could I ever kill my friend!! (Second title drop ehehehe)

End

#kemono jihen #kemoji #kemoji spoilers #kemono jihen spoilers

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syncroau · 1 year ago

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How can we implement van storage ideas and solutions?

Van storage solutions are essential for keeping your vehicle organized and maximizing its space, whether you use it for work, travel, or recreational purposes. Effective van storage ensures that your tools, equipment, and belongings are secure, easily accessible, and well-arranged.

Here are some van storage ideas and solutions to consider:

1. Shelving Systems:

Install adjustable shelves on the walls of your van. These are great for storing bins, tools, and equipment. Adjustable shelves allow you to customize the van storage layout based on your needs.

2. Drawer Units:

Drawer systems offer organized storage for smaller items. You can install drawers under shelves or within customized storage units.

3. Cabinets and Cupboards:

Cabinets provide enclosed storage for items you want to keep out of sight. They're particularly useful for protecting more delicate equipment or personal items.

4. Pegboards and Panels:

Install pegboards or panels on the interior walls of your van. Use hooks, clips, and holders to hang tools and accessories. This keeps frequently used items within easy reach.

5. Roof Racks:

Roof racks are excellent for carrying large, bulky items like ladders, kayaks, or other equipment. They free up interior space for smaller items.

6. Overhead Storage:

Utilize overhead space by installing shelves or compartments above the driver and passenger seats. This is suitable for items you don't need to access as frequently.

7. Bins and Totes:

Use plastic bins or totes to organize items by category. Label them for quick identification and easy access.

8. Cargo Nets and Straps:

Install cargo nets or straps to secure larger items that don't fit in bins or drawers. These prevent items from moving during transit.

9. Hanging Storage Solutions:

Hang organizers with pockets or pouches on the back of seats or doors. These are useful for storing smaller items like tools, gadgets, or personal items.

10. Sliding Trays: - Sliding trays provide easy access to items stored in the back of your van. They can be installed under shelves or within compartments.

11. Toolboxes: - Secure a toolbox to your van's interior or floor. Toolboxes are a convenient solution for keeping your tools organized and easily transportable.

12. Foldable Workbenches: - If your van serves as a mobile workshop, consider installing a foldable workbench. This provides a designated workspace for tasks.

13. Lockable Compartments: - Install lockable compartments or boxes for storing valuable items or confidential documents securely.

14. Customized Storage Systems: - Consider working with professionals who specialize in van storage solutions to design and install a customized setup tailored to your specific needs.

15. Regular Maintenance: - Regularly clean and organize your van storage to prevent clutter from accumulating. Adjust the storage solutions as needed based on your evolving requirements.

Customizing your van storage solutions based on your usage patterns and specific needs will help you maintain an organized and efficient workspace or travel companion. Whether you're a tradesperson, adventurer, or simply looking to keep your belongings in order, a well-designed van storage system can make a significant difference.

#Van Storage Systems #Vehicle Storage Solutions #Van Storage Solutions #van drawers melbourne

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fablesrose · 1 year ago

Text

Ch 6 - The Order 23 Job

Series Rewrite Masterlist

Pairing: Eliot Spencer x Ford!Reader

Description: The team messes with a dirty financial planner's mind by stealing a hospital and convincing him of a disease.

Words: 2355

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Our next job kept us in Massachusetts, where a finance guy had stolen money from his clients. Many had relied on him, only to leave them penniless. This was an interesting job, however, as he had already been charged for his crimes, in fact, we had shown up for his sentencing. The money he stole, though, was still missing.

We gathered in the courtroom, discussing the situation. Eddie, the mark, was going to a glorified prison in Florida that sounded more like a country club for only 18 months before he could come back and collect the nearly $400,000 he stashed before his trial.

“Alright, if this guy’s not afraid of prison,” Sophie started, “then what incentive does he have to tell us where the cash is?”

Nate didn’t have an answer.

“Nate, hate to rush you, but Eddie goes to prison in an hour so…” Parker probed.

“Yeah, yeah yeah…”

“Did you guys notice how much hand sanitizer that guy was using? Seems like a germaphobe on top of being a jerk. Makes me like him even less” I commented, mostly to myself.

“Did you like him at all?” Eliot asked me.

“No.”

Nate turned to us, “What are you more afraid of than prison?”

“Death?” Sophie guessed.

“And what are you more afraid of than death?” Nate raised the hand sanitizer Eddie had and looked at me, “Exactly.”

Nate quickly came up with a plan, Parker would sneakily drug Eddie’s water with some spy type vent menuevers. Nate would then pose as a doctor to keep Eddie in the area, even getting him to a hospital so we could have an even greater control over him. Once we stole the hospital of course.

Once we arrived Hardison and Parker set up equipment on an abandoned floor. Sound systems, cameras, anything you could think of to be able to convince Eddie that he was in an operational floor of the hospital. Nate sent me to grab some things with a list. Once everything was set up we met in one room which would be our makeshift HQ.

“Hey, are you sure there are no patients on this floor,” I asked after I had gathered all the stuff.

“No, they use this place for storage. We own it,” Hardison answered.

I nodded, setting the duffel I had down. “Alright, well here’s the stuff from the van, plus almost everything from the list. And by the way, nurses haven’t worn skirts with white stockings since the 70s.” I didn’t fail to catch the slight smirk that came from Hardison and Eliot when I said that.

“Guys listen up,” Nate caught our attention, “Eddie is here for an MRI, that gives us two hours. Don’t need to tell ya that’s not a lot of time. You might be playing multiple parts on this one.”

“Even me?” I asked, I hadn’t had a large role in a job yet, or any role at all for that matter.

“Yeah, even you,” Nate answered. “Parker, y/n, and I will be the medical team. Sophie, next door to the patient.”

Eliot and Hardison were bickering over shirts.

“Guys, just keep an eye on the Marshalls alright? We’ve got two hours starting now. Go.”

We split up with Eliot giving Hardison some last splitting words before walking off. Parker went down to the lobby to prepare and retrieve Eddie for the con. Nate went down in his doctor persona to meet them. Eliot and Hardison were down there dressed as cops to distract the marshals. I couldn’t help myself from taking a second look at Eliot in uniform before shaking my head to snap out of it. I was actually going to do something in this job, I had to prepare for it.

Sophie and I stayed on our floor, waiting for them to come back up. Sophie posed as a patient in the same room and chatted up Eddie when he got there.

“How’s this supposed to work?” Parker asked in our HQ room, “I barely dosed him with Rohypnol, I mean, it must’ve worn off by now. Especially with the rash.”

“Yeah, well look at him. I mean, he’s totally fine.” Nate answered. He handed me a script, “This thing, I need you to read on the…”

“PA?” I asked.

“PA thing, yeah.”

“Want me to make announcements?”

“Yeah, could you?”

“Yeah, you’re really selling the whole hospital experience.”

“No, that’s not what I’m selling.”

He didn’t explain further so I went to make the announcements he told me to. “Dr. Burns, please report to the cardiac ward. Dr. Burns, to the cardiac ward. Infectious disease unit, please pick up line 23. Infectious disease, pick up 23.”

When I came back Nate started to explain to the both of us, “See, you tell someone they have a bunch of symptoms, and the information gets processed in the executive center of the brain, right? Its job is to question assumptions, start an argument. But, if you suggest symptoms, you can bypass all that.”

“Like subliminal advertising?” Parker asked, asking my own question.

“It’s actually neuro linguistic programming. You know the gateway to the amygdala and… Which is the fear center of the brain,” Nate explained, “you asked what we’re selling, that’s what we’re selling.”

“So we’re selling fear?” Parker asked

“Yeah, we’re selling fear.”

“Lovely,” I commented, mostly to myself. The plans he comes up with are both amazing and somewhat frightening. I found it interesting I didn’t see as much of this growing up. It was like seeing a whole different side of him, and while he was still my uncle, I don’t think he was the same man anymore.

We watched on the cameras as Eddie became more paranoid with a fake special report on the TV and different recordings talking about contagions coming from the hallway. It all seemed to be going smoothly until the marshals discovered that Eddie was missing. Luckily Eliot convinced them to not call it in yet, but this was not ideal.

“So much for having two hours,” Parker said.

“We’re gonna stick to the original plan. We’re just gonna move things up. Eliot, lose the uniform, Sophie, it’s time,” Nate directed.

Sophie started to act disoriented and distressed, “I don’t feel good!”

The four of us, Nate, Parker, Eliot, and I all stormed the room with medical supplies. I pulled the curtain, and we all acted like we were doing things behind the curtain, giving Eddie shadows to look at while Nate barked orders. We simulated cpr and defibrillators before Eliot called time of death.

We all acted distressed at losing a patient as we rolled Sophie out on a gurney, leaving Eddie by himself.

Eliot went back downstairs to help Hardison stall the marshals.

“What do we do now?” Parker asked.

“Now, we wait. This is the stall. It’s no different than any other con.”

I took a mental note of that fact as I watched Eddie on the cameras. “Wait, his nose…” I pointed out, “Is that real blood?”

Eddie started screaming that he was bleeding.

“Yes, yes it is…” Nate replied.

“Did you just give a guy a nosebleed with the power of your mind?” Parker asked.

“Amygdala mania,” Nate said, “The almond tonsils…” He walked away quickly.

Parker turned to me, “did you know he could do that?”

I shook my head quickly.

“But you’re his niece!”

“I may be Nate’s niece, but…” I trailed off, not knowing how to finish the sentence.

Parker then looked at Sophie who entered the room in her normal clothes, “Is it just me or has Nate gotten a little sadistic since he quit drinking?”

“Is it just me or does that make him even more attractive?” Sophie responded before snapping her eyes to me as if just remembering I was there.

I just shrugged at her with my hands raised, “I’m not gonna comment.”

We continued to watch Eddie and listen to Hardison as he investigated the marshals a little bit when a guard came up to our floor. Nate told Sophie to take care of him, which she did in the form of an intimidating hazmat suit.

Hardison, on the other hand, had found some interesting things about one of the marshals in his car, namely that he wasn’t a marshal at all. He was a hitman sent to kill Eddie. Eliot was supposed to meet up with him, but Hardison couldn’t get him on comms. He took a somewhat drastic measure of speaking in code over the intercom of the hospital.

We had our own hands full playing with Eddie’s mind a bit more. Nate went in to him and explained a little bit about this virus that has been infecting people before collapsing. Me and Parker rushed in, trying to help him, all in character of course. We hauled him into the bed next to Eddie, where Sophie was before.

“I’m fine, you know. The rash is localized,” Nate said drowsily, “I just need an anti-inflammatory nurse. What, what are you doing?”

Parker handcuffed Nate to the bed, “I’m sorry, Order 23.”

“Wait, where are you going?” Eddie asked, “You can’t just leave me here!’

“Please, nurses!”

I tied a mask around my face and made a show of pulling Parker out of the room.

“Let me talk to CDC Atlanta,” Nate called.

Parker pulled back to answer him, “I can’t, they’re coming.”

“Who’s coming,” Eddie yelled, “wait! What is Order 23? Is it to leave us here to die?”

I made another act of pulling Parker away, “Come on, we’ve got to go now!”

“Please, get me out of here. I am not sick,” Eddie pleaded.

“Don’t listen to him,” Nate said, “Variant U cannot be released into the general population.”

“You heard him, I’m leaving right now!” I told Parker, “I’m not waiting for you anymore.” I dashed off down the hallway.

“It’s not my decision!” Parker told Eddie.

“Is it for $400,000?” Eddie asked. “Is it your decision then? I have it. Near here. And I’ll take you there, all you have to do is let me go, please!”

I smiled from my chair in our little HQ, we got him.

Nate cried no from his bed, begging Parker not to do it, but she released Eddie and led him out of the room.

Nate dashed from the room quickly after and joined me so we could clean up quickly to avoid the marshal that was reaching our floor. It wasn’t too long before the Marshal called it in that Eddie had escaped causing the whole hospital to be flooded by cops. We made our escape, Parker sticking with Eddie after he thought he tased her, the rest of us close behind.

Eddie led us right to the cash, which was hidden in the court house, ironically enough. Parker took the money after she punched him in the face, “Deal’s a deal.”

“So what happened, Eddie, huh?” Nate asked him. “You got a little bored during your trial, started looking around and you thought, ‘now what’s the last place someone would look for stolen money in this town?’”

Eddie looked from Eliot to Hardison who were holding him up to Nate before he started laughing.

“What’s so funny Eddie?” Eliot asked.

“I’m just thinking about all the crimes you committed today,” he pulled himself loose, “burglary, assault, kidnapping. I’m going to prison for eighteen months. But you, every one of you is looking at 25 to life.” He panted, backing away from us, “I know your faces. I know all your faces. I am really good with faces.You’re gonna pay for what you did to me. Right now!” He dashed off down the hallway as we heard sirens outside.

I rolled my eyes and moved my hands in a talking motion, mocking him, “ho, ho ho, I’m a jerk, AND an idiot!”

Eliot huffed a laugh before turning to Nate, wordlessly asking if we should follow.

Nate shook his head no.

We watched from a distance as Eddie got arrested, yelling like a maniac about us.

Nate exited the courthouse first, “So, here’s everything you need to know about criminal law. Every crime has two elements: Actus reus, the act itself, and mens rea, literally the guilty mind.”

“Wait, now you’re a doctor and a lawyer?” Hardison asked.

“Yes,” Nate answered without missing a beat, “Now, for the escape, the prisoner has to both break out of custody and show intent of escape.”

“Wait,” Sophie interjected, “So, if, let’s say, a prisoner was taken hostage during a jailbreak, then he wouldn’t be guilty of escape.”

“That’s a perfect example,” Nate praised.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” I commented.

“Which brings us back to our friend Eddie,” Nate continued, not acknowledging me, “and how the brain reacts to fear. In the heat of the moment, Eddie didn’t ask himself one simple question, who would doubt his guilty mind?”

I leaned over to Eliot, “I wouldn’t have asked myself that.”

He just nodded at me.

There were a few loose ends that still needed to be cleaned up. We split up again, Eliot and Hardison had to go back to the hospital to take care of the fake marshal. I kept my comm in, just to listen and make sure everything went smoothly. What I wasn’t quite prepared for though, was Eliot’s request of the marshal.

When he came back, there was a moment with just the two of us.

“I heard what you asked that marshal to do. To help that kid…” I looked to see him ticking his jaw, “that was really good of you. I’m glad he had you to look out for him.”

He glanced at me for only a moment, “Yeah well…” He gave me a tight smile, but didn’t finish his thought. He looked at the time, gave me a curt nod, and left.

I looked at the time myself and thought it was time to head home, I quickly said my goodbyes to everyone else before heading back to my apartment, wondering if I said something wrong.

Tags: @isoldeahlstrom @kniselle

#eliot spencer x reader #eliot spencer #leverage #rewrite #slow burn #multichapter #nate ford #sophie devereaux #alec hardison #parker #ford!reader

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point-pine · 11 days ago

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Chapter Two

“Good afternoon, everyone, Angela Borea here once again for radio Point Pine. I’m hoping everyone has been enjoying the rain more than I, as I happened to find the road back to town too muddy to use this morning. Regardless, the show must go on.”

Angela’s voice filled the store, running through a speaker I’d installed two years prior. She presented that day’s community radio segment with the kind of enthusiasm that most townsfolk only heard when she worked. That day’s five o’clock segment had been a several minutes later than usual as Angela had decided to play the full fifteen minutes of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture prior to her broadcast (a decision made more strange by the hour of Queen that had preceded it). The broadcast would usually align with my five o’clock snack breaks, so I took her voice as a cue to grab something to eat.

A portion of the storage room was left cleared, save for a table, an ice cream freezer that leaked near constantly, and a microwave. On my first shift, this area had been generously described as a break room complete with a refrigerator and an oven. On my second shift the bag I left on the table turned up empty by the time I left.

While I attempted to retrieve my sandwich from the depths of the makeshift refrigerator, the door at the back of the storeroom was heaved open.

“You would not believe the state of that back road. I’m surprised so many branches can fall in such little time.” Angela’s tall frame filled the doorway, a few empty shopping bags were slung over her shoulder. She beamed, seeming proud of herself. Her skin, beginning to take a wintry pale tone, contrasted with her black hair, the longest strands just scraped her shoulders, while errant threads blew about in the draft.

“The van made it here without too much damage, I should hope?” I replied, leaning to look out the door, Angela’s battered white van was parked at one end of the back road outside, the light rain creating streaks in the dirt that clung to the vehicle.

“Eh, probably. There was only an average amount of strange noises while I made it over here.” Angela pushed the door closed with both hands and locked it with a flick of her fingers. She tossed her keys into the air and almost caught them.

Angela walked out of the storage room, grabbing a small bag of chips from a box as she went. Before joining her in the storefront, I checked the backdoor was locked properly and took a bite of my limp sandwich.

“When the rain lets up, we’re in for crystal clear skies” Angela’s radio segment continued to fill the store, she smiled at me when I came out of the backroom and returned the thumbs-up I gave her. “And – I’m only guessing here – there’ll be a chill in the air tonight, at least ‘till tomorrow morning.”

“So, you managed to get pre-recorded segments working?” I asked, turning the speaker’s volume down a few notches.

“Yes!” she turned and drew her arm out in a vague, excitable gesture “Well, no! System’s probably too old, I was up for… A while last night, eventually I figured out a temporary solution that would work just fine.”

“You didn’t sleep last night, did you?”

“Not at all!” Angela dropped a bottle of juice into a bag and passed it to me before glancing at the clock behind the counter “Although I’ve only got maybe thirty minutes before we have to leave so I don’t broadcast dead air for too long.” She crouched down to collect a 10-litre jug of water.

I considered the ramifications of closing early for a moment, then pointed my thumb behind me with a quick “Now?”. Before long I was standing behind the store, shopping bag in hand, locking, unlocking, and relocking the door to ensure that it was properly locked. After turning the key for the fifth time, I flinched into the door as Angela tapped me on the shoulder. She whispered an apology and beckoned me around to the side of the store.

“Do you know what he’s doing out here?” Peering around the building, Angela leaned her head and pointed a thumb in the direction of a figure. Wearily pacing around on the opposite side of the road, umbrella in hand, was Trevor.

“He’s trying to stay awake.” The first thought that crossed my mind passed through my mouth subconsciously. I shut my mouth again.

“Nat…” Angela looked at me out of the corner of her eye at first, then turned her head. Her expression was calculating, a slight gap in her lips opened while her eyes searched my face.

“Anyway. I don’t know, he’s just someone.” I answered her question, it had been twenty-seven seconds since she had asked it.

Across the road, Trevor stopped pacing and held out his thumb before a car sped past him. That’s when he noticed us, he waved.

“Don’t hitchhike around here, trust me.” I called out to him. “Town is a fifteen- or twenty-minute walk north.” I pointed left and he shouted a quick thanks across the road before beginning the walk into town.

“Onwards, Angela?” I asked, turning toward her.

“Onwards!” A smile returned to her face as she clapped her hands together once with a flourish.

⁂ Time passed ⁂

A scant few leaves littered the road, twigs and weak branches snapped under the wheels of Angela’s van. The thick foliage above was just beginning to change colour, a few thick rivulets of water dropped off it onto the windows, while some branches streaked the drops as they glided across the windows. I tugged on my jacket’s zipper while Angela tapped out a staggered rhythm across the steering wheel. My shirt was sticking to me.

“Or, here’s one, have you been to the…” Angela paused, seeming to struggle to find which word to use next “Well, I think he’s calling it a café at the moment. Have you been to Terry’s Café recently?”

“Oh god, what’s he done this time?” I leant my head against my hand.

“Well, he calls me up, it’s probably eleven at night by that point, he sounds thrilled, overjoyed. He says” she dropped her pitch “Miss B, I’ve been experimentin’, come on down for a free meal – so long as you give us a little word on your show.” With her left hand, she pointed in my general direction “Then he hangs up!” She punctuates her last word with a weak snap of her fingers.

“Of course, you went down to the café?”

“You bet and, let me tell you, this experiment he seemed so excited about? It was a burger. An ordinary burger with a side of – probably frozen – chips.”

“Was it… palatable, at the very least?”

Angela paused for a moment; a sly smile appeared at the corner of her lips “It was better than yours.”

“Hey, fuck you! You showed up absurdly late of course they were going to be cold!” I repressed a laugh.

“And you, Nathaniel, told me the wrong time to arrive.”

“I still hold that I did nothing of the sort.” I crossed my arms and turned towards the window. Angela cackled; I chuckled.

The clearing came into view, illuminated by the fading grey of the early evening sky. Just off centre was the radio tower. It had stood so for eighty years and certainly would stand eighty more. The strong, sturdy limbs that held the building above the tree line were dark heavy chunks of wood etched with faded carvings near the ground. A rickety stairway that had been replaced twice within my lifetime wound around the supports. At the top of the tower was a collection of straight metal bars at right angles to each other reaching up into the sky. The single room atop the supports was constructed from 4 even rectangular walls, split by windows in the centre across the whole of each. Encircling the room was a balcony just wider than a metre.

The van came to a stop as a metallic clatter sounded from somewhere in the vehicle. Stepping outside, the air was cold, the rain light, and the wind weak. Angela moved up the stairs, water jugs in hand, while I carried bags, trudging up behind her. As I climbed, without the trees to restrain it, the wind grew in strength. Angela held the door for me while I hurried inside.

From inside, I took in the sights. A spare few drops of rain trailed down the windows, cutting and obscuring the view outside. Although you couldn’t see it from there, Point Pine was to the east, to the west the mountains stood as they always had. Due west was a mountain that had always stood out to me amongst the rest; I was sure there was a road that wound around it, somewhere out there.

On the western edge of the clearing was a gap in the tree line. Marked on either side by the rotted, moss enveloped remains of a fence was a meandering path. At the end dwelt a lake. Its surface was often still, stable, like the massive face of a mirror. The lake was identifiable from the tower, small shards visible through the trees, jagged edges changing shape with the dancing leaves.

“Nat.” Angela stepped in front of me. “The shopping?” Both her voice and the weight of the bags, things I was only vaguely aware of since I stepped in, returned to the forefront of my mind. I gave her a quick nod.

The space wasn’t large, made smaller by the various objects strewn about that I had to step over to reach the fridge. Angela called it cosy, although I could never tell if she was being facetious or lying. On a table in the corner opposing the door were various pieces of radio equipment that Angela was fiddling with, she spoke an apology for the last forty minutes of dead air into the microphone and rummaged through a small box of CDs.

To the left of the radio equipment was another table, in a pile were more CDs, several DVDs, and three books – two of which I had lent her; there was a bookmark placed about half-way through one. The fridge was further to the left, I flinched away from the cold when I opened the door. While I stocked the fridge, Angela organised a few notes.

The next wall along had the rest of the makings of a basic kitchen against it, through those windows you could see the lake, still, and the mountains.

Angela recited her sign off for the day, wearily drew her hand down her face and strolled toward her bed, which lay between a wall and a bedside table. She placed her phone on the bedside table, next to a half-melted candle and a burnt-out lightbulb. She sprawled out across the bed, sitting up, leaning her head against the window behind her. Angela’s blankets were bundled up messily to one side of the bed.

While Angela lingered in the moment, I picked up one of the books on the table; I had lent it to her at some point, a bookmark was placed about halfway through. Beneath a battered paperback with a dog-eared page near the end was another novel I had lent her, either yet to be started or already read. Also on the table was a small pile of electrical components I couldn’t identify alongside three collapsed stacks of CDs.

I picked up the novel without a bookmark and sat down. It was an old favourite of mine, the simple bronze ink linework design across the binding glinted from the ceiling light. I began to read.

⁂ Time passed ⁂

“Oh, I am so sorry, I think I nodded off there, we’ve barely had time to chat!” Angela sprang off the bed, almost toppling over in the process. “I haven’t even prepared your bed!”

“Hey, it’s fine. You’re tired, we can talk tomorrow. I’ll get my sleeping arrangements sorted, it’s all in storage yeah?” I pointed to the hatch in the centre of the floor.

“Yes, yes, it is. Are you sure though? I could- “

“It’s fine, just go to sleep.” I gave Angela a thumbs up.

Before I could say goodnight, Angela fell back into bed. I folded the blankets over her and looked outside. It seemed the wind had stilled.

Quietly, I placed the book down on the table and made my way outside. There, the night air was still, below me a light breeze blew through the trees, creating faint white noise. The rain had stopped by then, leaving a comfortable cold in its wake. The scent of petrichor hung in the air, barely detectable. I breathed lightly.

I lit a cigarette and looked to the sky. It was a clear night; it was more often clear at the tower than in town. The stars and moon were bright as day, I traced my eyes across the sky, identifying constellations, first at the centre of the Southern cross, then shifting outward.

Tiny, bright embers joined the stars in the sky. On some unknown, undetectable wind, the embers flitted about, they danced back and forth making their way to somewhere, slowly, in the brief moments before they burnt out.

Ahead of me, splintered through the trees, the moon glinted off the lake, larger and closer than the shape turning in the sky. The world continued to spin.

I flitted away the last of the dying embers into the still air and watched them dance among the stars once more when a slight movement made itself known. On the rail furthest from me, it hopped. The shape, with greater effort than appeared, closed a small distance between us. It was a quail, dark brown with cream stripes running down its body, it tilted its head inquisitively. I smiled at it. The fragile creature hopped once more; it was quiet. We watched each other for a moment.

Every now and then, time can seem to stand still out there.

I turned to go back inside, and the bird flew away.

Notes

Ringing in the new year with the next chapter! This one took perhaps too long. The first chapter was written in the span of a few days, while this one took the better part of eight months. I was never quite happy with a lot of what I had down and I am also ridiculously lazy. Regardless, the chapter is done now! I'm still not quite happy with it, and there's a bit of a road ahead for what comes next, but we're here. I hope you've liked meeting Angela, she was tonnes of fun to write for. Thanks for reading!

- P

#Point Pine #Point Pine chapter #fiction #prose #horror #comedy #horror comedy #weird #weird fiction #new weird fiction #series #oc

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empressgeekt · 1 year ago

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The Aura is with us - outline

The Aura is With Us (Even if you don’t want it)

please excuse the grammar and spelling

Prolog

Riley’s imprisonment

Mew and Mewtwo

Chapter 1

Sir Aaron’s awakening

Chapter 2: Goh vs team Rocket

a) Goh’s plan

b) Team Rocket’s confusion

c) Riolu’s confusion

d) Ash’s cage

e) Finding ash

Chapter 3: Past meets Present

Lucario’s grumblings

Sir Aaron and Ash

Mew and Mewtwo p2

Chapter 4: New and Old Faces

Lucario’s concern

Intro Amanda

Chapter 5: Lab

Ash introduces Sir Aaron and Lucario to lab staff, and giant magicarp soaks all the adults.

Cerise sends the boys to the kalos region

Sir Aaron and Ash talk late at night

Chapter 6: Kalos

Ash meets up with Korrina while Sir Aaron goes looking for Goh

Goh and Sir Aaron meet Korrina’s Grandpa

The battle

Chapter 7: Interlude Oak

Professor Cerise contact Prof. Oak

First Aura Lesson, Ash blows up a tree

Ash has a difficult time bathing Riolu

Chapter 8: To Pallet town we go!

Ash telling everyone about his home

Making it to the lab, meeting up with Tracy and the rest of ash’s Pokémon (Riolu goes with Oak and Tracy, Goh goes through the digital files, Ash, Sir Aaron and Lucario meet with Ash’s crew)

Ash and crew find Gary in the field.

Everyone meets up inside, and find out about the physical files in a storage rom

Chapter 9: In Black Ink

Searching file vault

Ash’s mom shows up and takes them to stay the night at her house.

Chapter 10: A mother’s memory

Lucario and Riolu in the back yard

Aaron and Delia talk after the kids are in bed.

Enter Anwir

Chapter 11: There’s a Ninja in the basement

a) Training in the front yard

b) Ren’s theory and phone call

c) Power outage

d) Meeting Mandy

e) Riolu and Pikachu mess up the kitchen and Mandy sleeps through it.

Chapter 12: Back to kalos

Lumious city

Seeing Clemont and Bonnie again

Clemont’s work shop.

Chapter 13: Eevee and Mandy

Mandy‘s anxiety and control issues / Eevee sneaks out of the van and follows Chloe to school

Mandy explains the situation to her mom’s employees / Chloe gets to keep Eevee

Sir Aaron’s nightmare

Sir Aaron finds Mandy cutting herself

Chapter 14: the aura temple

Arriving in at the temple ad going inside

Opening the door and finding the body

Splitting up: Goh and Ash/ Mandy and sir Aaron

The time flower/realization

Chapter 15: Escape the temple

Team Rocket attack, intro to Anwir

The flash back explaining Anwir’s life after banishment and loss of aura

Escaping through the mail system/ getting separated (Sir Aaron & Goh & Pikachu & Pichu, Ash &Raboot & Umbreon & Mandy, Lucario & Riolu)

Chapter 16: Lost in the woods p1

First group getting their bearings

Goh asking questions as the start walking wile Pichu hides underneath Sir Aaron’s hat to hide form the rain.

The rain picks up and Goh ends up caught in a river

Chapter 17: Lost in the woods p2

Ash finds out Mandy is pretty much blind without her glasses

They start walking, and get into a disagreement

Then they hear Goh screaming

Mandy jumps into the river and fishes Goh out saves him from drowning

They all find out Mandy’s deaf after her hearing-aides get soaked

They set up camp for the night

Chapter 18: Lost in the woods p3

Lucario and Riolu start to walk around end up in the old pup grounds

End up running into a group of toxicroak Riolu gets poisoned

Lucario retreats with Riolu

Riolu tries to walk himself, while their looking for the others but can’t de to the poison

They eventually take shelter in an abandoned burrow

Chapter 19: reunited

Ash and Sir Aaron talk,

Mandy sits away from the others, Unbreon sitting with her, she hears lucario’s telepathy

Lucario finds the camp

Sir Aaron has trouble sleeping after they make it to a Pokémon center.

Chapter 20: A legendary meeting

Arecus summons all the legendaries and mythicals to discuss the recent events (mew gets pissed off at arecus)

Mew and Mewtwo meet again

Chapter 21: That New Old Gang of Mine

Arriving in Alola

The kuki household

Sir Aaron and Kuki talk while the kids play in the ocean

Prof. Bernedette talk with Mandy

Chapter 22: Sunny party

Party at the Pokémon school / Students swarm the new comers

Mandy calls out Kiawe

Kiawe challenges Mandy she declines, shocking everyone

Kiawe and Goh still battle.

Goh catching alolan exggcutor

Chapter 23: Let’s Battle

A call with Clemont

Traveling to Unova and reading about the tournament.

Chapter 24: Round One

Mandy and Lucario try to sneak into the back? Mandy unlocks the door

In the stands

Ash’s battle

Chapter 25: Round two

Goh’s battle

Mandy downloading team rocket data

Chapter 26: Round three

Mandy’s fight/ forfeit

Team rockets attack

Afterward back at the hotel

Chapter 27: Break Through

Breakfast, and Mandy cracking through one of the codes that leads them to Moon Mountain

Mandy and Sir Aaron talk again in the RV ride there

Arriving at mount Moon, sensing Riley inside

Chapter 28: Break in

They find a secret tunnel leading to a hidden Team Rocket base that was once and Aura base

They get surrounded, and separated (Goh and ash, Sir Aaron and Mandy, [Pokémon stay with respective trainer])

Chapter 29: Break down

Ash and Goh find Riley

Sir Aaron and Mandy ended up falling through the floor and deeper into the tunnels, getting separated from the others and loosing her glasses, leaving Sir Aaron to try and teach her how to use her aura sight

Lucario and Umbreon go through the tunnels to try an find a way to get to Mandy

Fighting their way through team rocket

Chapter 30: Recovery

Back to Pallet Town, going back to Ash’s house, Mandy and Delia meet

Riley wakes up

Discussion of what to do next, Mandy says she has somewhere to go

Team Rocket discussing How to lure Sir Aaron in, Anwir suggests something

Chapter 31: Ryme City

On the train

To the mansion

The twins and miss rose

Lady Emily’s story

Chapter 32: old friends

a) Ash and Goh play in the pool with the Twins

b) Mandy’s old theater group

Chapter 33: Mother’s frost

Lorelei meets the others

A very uncomfortable dinner

Sir Aaron over hears Lorelei fussing at Mandy, and talks again with Miss Rose

Chapter 34: The round house

The battle stadium

Meeting with Bella/ ash challenges Bella

Battle!

Chaos, by drugs

Mewtwo teleports everyone away

Chapter 35: A mother’s wrath

Lorelei Blames Mandy for what happened

Riley tries to argue with Lorelei Mandy stops him and apologizes to her mother

Riley asked Mandy why she didn’t let him defend her they end up in an argument

Team Rocket kidnaps Delia

Chapter 36: A Brother’s strength

Sir Aaron counsels Riley on What to do about Mandy

Riley and Mandy talk again

Chapter 37: The calm before the storm

Oh, my Arecus we’re jedi

Attack by team rocket! (Lucario gets hit with a dart), twins were taken, and leave a message about Delia

Discussing what’s next.

Miss Rose calls an old friend (Jackie)

Chapter 38: For the Good of the people

Delia being taunted by Anwir

Arriving at the temple and surrendering (enter Mewtwo and mew as back up)

Giovanni and Anwir taunting the others / Anwir explaining the history between Aaron and Delia

Starting the ritual

Chapter 39: Battle in the Temple

Anwir taunts Deila and Goh one last time

Mewtwo starts a fight, and start to take out the grunts

The portal opens, Lucario and the others are shocked

Mew breaks Goh and Delia out

Giovanni ran out with the others only to get arrest by the rangers, while Anwir ran towards our heroes

Mandy breaks out as well as the others, they try to stop the portal from opening

Duel between Anwir and Aaron / while the others battle again the Shadow pokemon

Aercues Emerged from the portal smiting Anwir and the portal closes sending a large wave of Aura throughout the world

Chapter 40: The aftermath

Sir Aaron, Ash and Deila reunite as a family

Mandy and Riley discuss a way to get the twins out of the situation their in.

Mew thanks Mewtwo

0Chapter 41: Epilogue

Sir Aaron and Delia finally get married, and have a daughter

Riley restarts the Aura guild alongside Sir Aaron

Ash ended up achieve his goal of becoming a Pokémon master

Mandy joins the rangers and dies at 29

Twins Go on to run the family company and try to steer it away from their mother’s influence

The Aura wave ended up restoring the descendants of the previous bloodlines and making new ones

#aura guardians #aurafamily #lucario and the mystery of mew #oc #riley #sir aaron #pokemon #ash ketchum #fanfic #outline #rough draft #plotting #amwriting #writer #this is messed up #pokemon anime

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compneuropapers · 1 year ago

Text

Interesting Papers for Week 39, 2023

Perceived time expands and contracts within each heartbeat. Arslanova, I., Kotsaris, V., & Tsakiris, M. (2023). Current Biology, 33(7), 1389-1395.e4.

The rostral intralaminar nuclear complex of the thalamus supports striatally mediated action reinforcement. Cover, K. K., Lieberman, A. G., Heckman, M. M., & Mathur, B. N. (2023). eLife, 12, e83627.

A model of hippocampal replay driven by experience and environmental structure facilitates spatial learning. Diekmann, N., & Cheng, S. (2023). eLife, 12, e82301.

Changes in behavioral priority influence the accessibility of working memory content. Ester, E. F., & Pytel, P. (2023). NeuroImage, 272, 120055.

Hippocampal spatio-predictive cognitive maps adaptively guide reward generalization. Garvert, M. M., Saanum, T., Schulz, E., Schuck, N. W., & Doeller, C. F. (2023). Nature Neuroscience, 26(4), 615–626.

Neuronal birthdate reveals topography in a vestibular brainstem circuit for gaze stabilization. Goldblatt, D., Huang, S., Greaney, M. R., Hamling, K. R., Voleti, V., Perez-Campos, C., … Schoppik, D. (2023). Current Biology, 33(7), 1265-1281.e7.

Dissociating visual perspective taking and belief reasoning using a novel integrated paradigm: A preregistered online study. Green, R., Shaw, D. J., & Kessler, K. (2023). Cognition, 235, 105397.

Extracting statistical information about shapes in the visual environment. Hansmann-Roth, S., Chetverikov, A., & Kristjánsson, Á. (2023). Vision Research, 206, 108190.

Unsigned surprise but not reward magnitude modulates the integration of motor elements during actions. Jamous, R., Takacs, A., Frings, C., Münchau, A., Mückschel, M., & Beste, C. (2023). Scientific Reports, 13, 5379.

Saccadic modulation of neural excitability in auditory areas of the neocortex. Leszczynski, M., Bickel, S., Nentwich, M., Russ, B. E., Parra, L., Lakatos, P., … Schroeder, C. E. (2023). Current Biology, 33(7), 1185-1195.e6.

Emotion dynamics as hierarchical Bayesian inference in time. Majumdar, G., Yazin, F., Banerjee, A., & Roy, D. (2023). Cerebral Cortex, 33(7), 3750–3772.

Differential replay of reward and punishment paths predicts approach and avoidance. McFadyen, J., Liu, Y., & Dolan, R. J. (2023). Nature Neuroscience, 26(4), 627–637.

Systematic differences in visual working memory performance are not caused by differences in working memory storage. Pratte, M. S., & Green, M. L. (2023). Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 49(3), 335–349.

Multiple cortical visual streams in humans. Rolls, E. T., Deco, G., Huang, C.-C., & Feng, J. (2023). Cerebral Cortex, 33(7), 3319–3349.

Subjective perception of objects depends on the interaction between the validity of context-based expectations and signal reliability. Rossel, P., Peyrin, C., & Kauffmann, L. (2023). Vision Research, 206, 108191.

Estrogens rapidly shape synaptic and intrinsic properties to regulate the temporal precision of songbird auditory neurons. Scarpa, G. B., Starrett, J. R., Li, G.-L., Brooks, C., Morohashi, Y., Yazaki-Sugiyama, Y., & Remage-Healey, L. (2023). Cerebral Cortex, 33(7), 3401–3420.

On quantification and maximization of information transfer in network dynamical systems. Singh, M. S., Pasumarthy, R., Vaidya, U., & Leonhardt, S. (2023). Scientific Reports, 13, 5588.

Intrinsic activity development unfolds along a sensorimotor–association cortical axis in youth. Sydnor, V. J., Larsen, B., Seidlitz, J., Adebimpe, A., Alexander-Bloch, A. F., Bassett, D. S., … Satterthwaite, T. D. (2023). Nature Neuroscience, 26(4), 638–649.

Somatosensory targeted memory reactivation enhances motor performance via hippocampal-mediated plasticity. Veldman, M. P., Dolfen, N., Gann, M. A., Van Roy, A., Peeters, R., King, B. R., & Albouy, G. (2023). Cerebral Cortex, 33(7), 3734–3749.

Tracking neural activity from the same cells during the entire adult life of mice. Zhao, S., Tang, X., Tian, W., Partarrieu, S., Liu, R., Shen, H., … Liu, J. (2023). Nature Neuroscience, 26(4), 696–710.

#neuroscience #science #research #brain science #scientific publications #cognitive science #neurobiology #cognition #psychophysics #neurons #neural computation #neural networks #computational neuroscience

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