#also just like seattle and oregon

[alfareria]

Since last year I've had this desire to go to chile and now i also wanna go to colombia

[morninkim]

In 1999, the speedster known as The Flash began fighting crime in Central City, Oregon, combining the inspiring presence and gentle demeanor of Superman with the facts-driven and logical mind of Batman.

Later that same year, Coast City, California would get its own hero in the Green Lantern, a cocky man who claimed to be an officer from an intergalactic peacekeeping force assigned to this sector of space.

2003 would see the appearance of the Green Arrow, a Robin Hood-like figure who would target and expose corrupt officials in Star City, Washington and surrounds.

Though not as notable as The Trinity of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, the three Heroes of the West Coast would be instrumental and important in the Silver Age of Superheroes.

[buffintruder]

My Mandela effect is people insisting (and statistics showing) that the Pacific Northwest is a "pop" region of the country, even though I've lived here almost all my life and have only ever heard it as soda

Like there is evidence that soda is perhaps a newer trend here, more pronounced on my side of the mountains. But it's not like I have never interacted with people 30+ years older than me from here?? And people are getting polls from cities near where I live or have lived, plus anecdotal evidence, that say more than half of the people say pop

I feel like I'm losing my mind, where are they getting these people who say pop

[3liza]

On Earth Day in 2022, President Joe Biden stood among cherry blossoms and towering Douglas firs in a Seattle park to declare the importance of big, old trees. “There used to be a hell of a lot more forests like this,” he said, calling them “our planet’s lungs” and extolling their power to fight climate change. The amount of carbon trees suck out of the air increases dramatically with age, making older trees especially important. These trees are also rare: Less than 10% of forests in the lower 48 states remain unlogged or undisturbed by development. The president uncapped his pen, preparing to sign an executive order to protect mature and old-growth forests on federal lands. “I just think this is the beginning of a new day,” Biden said. But two years later, at a timber auction in a federal office in Roseburg, Oregon, this new day was nowhere to be seen. As journalists and protestors waited outside, logging company representatives filed through a secure glass door to a room where only “qualified bidders” were allowed. Up for sale this September morning were the first trees from an area of forest the Bureau of Land Management calls Blue and Gold. It holds hundreds of thousands of trees on 3,225 acres in southern Oregon’s Coast Range. Forests here can absorb more carbon per acre than almost any other on the planet. A week after Biden’s executive order, the Blue and Gold logging project had been shelved. Now it was back on. The BLM is moving forward with timber sales in dozens of forests like this across the West, auctioning off their trees to companies that will turn them into plywood, two-by-fours and paper products. Under Biden, the agency is on track to log some 47,000 acres of public lands, nearly the same amount as during President Donald Trump’s first term in office. This includes even some mature and old-growth forests that Biden’s executive order was supposed to protect. An Oregon Public Broadcasting and ProPublica analysis found the bureau has allowed timber companies to cut such forests at a faster pace since the executive order than in the decade that preceded it.

lesser evil 🤪

[rogueabs]

Under the Gun - Abby Anderson x Reader

Are you living for love? When the road gets too tough, is your love strong enough? -under the gun by The Sisters of Mercy

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SUMMARY: You’ve been running from your reality, you had to leave your home in Oregon, it couldn't get worse after all, you had lost it all. Arriving in Seattle you hear yelling and grunting from afar, when you see a muscular blonde woman being beaten and dragged you freeze, you wouldn't be able to rescue her. Stealthy you follow the people with a scar on their face, a feature that relates them to another to what it seemed like their camp, you hide waiting for the moment to take the blonde girl from the rope restraining her up in the air incapacitating her.

You and Abby’s story begins when she saw the end of hers.

Warnings: 18+ minors dni, smut (further along you perverts!) angst, desciptions of weapons and violence.

Reminder!!do not support the game, buy it second hand if you can

links to help and educate on palestine.

last chapter

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Chapter 2 - Please Don’t Go

The auto shop was a dead end on loot, whatever you could find was gold you couldn't deny it, but it was cleared into its last drop. Approaching the small kitchenette in the shop you couldn’t avoid overhearing Abby and the boy Lev talking.

Abby: never seen scars go after scars before.

Lev: Seraphites.

Abby: What the hell did you do?

Lev: I shaved my head.

Abby: Fine, don’t tell me. I really don’t care.

You didn’t really understand what were scars, seraphites, I mean you understood Abby was referring to the kids by calling them scars with such bitterness - “What are seraphites?” - you question Lev approaching him. You notice Abby’s eyes widening with surprise at your question, but she decides to avoid bickering and continues to search for whatever you could’ve missed.

 “We worship and follow our prophets' texts, we live in contact with nature and detach ourselves from civilizations.” - the boy responded with certainty. You backed up from the conversation nodding, you weren’t that different from them, you also grew up detached but their faith seems too brutal but you didn��t want to start a commotion, you wanted to get to safety to help the poor girl Yara’s broken arm.

When Lev guides the group into an exit you keep running, somehow the surroundings of the woods grew more sombre and cold, but the adrenaline kept your blood running warm. Stumbling upon another building you and Abby search with hopes of more supplies, ammo was your number one priority, you needed to keep a distance from whatever could attack you next. Going to the lower level everything seemed okay until a runner attacked you out of nowhere, you were able to push him away, Abby came behind the stalker and quickly kicked him to the ground and stomped their head, you wouldn't back down now there were two more of them running towards Abby and you shot them both right in the head.

“Now what?” Abby asks, cleaning her hands on her shirt.

Yara responded by assuring the group “I’m quite confident it’s this way.”

“Quite confident?” Abby replies back sharply.

Protectively Lev storms in the conversation “ You don’t have to follow us.”

Abby is clearly tired and uncomfortable with this misdemeanour on her path “You want me to leave you three alone?” 

Shocked she included you in this conversation you pushed Abby’s shoulder angrily“ You aren’t leaving anyone alone until we are all safe, got it?”

While both of you stare off furiously at each other Yara mumbles out “Let’s just.. Let’s just get out of here. "

The strong blonde woman nodded at you and stepped away from you searching for the exit. You give a comforting smile and nod to the siblings to let them know everything is fine. Finding a room you realise the door was locked from the outside.

“Guys I need you here.” you ask towards the group to come help.

Abby tries to open the door but realises the effort won’t work, looking at the kids Abby asks “I get you through, you open that gate right?”

Yara reassures us that they will get the job done. Abby squats helping the kids up through the crack of the window. And of course, it's stuck and it won’t budge, the siblings don’t have the strength to get it open.

“Fuck!” you and Abby yell in frustration at the same time, “Hurry Up” Abby says and backs off the door. 

Out of the blue, you heard the screeching and Abby were afraid off, being locked with runners, and whatever else there was. Going back to back to one another out of instinct and making sure you both had supplies, you knew what you had to do, it was time to help one another, no time for stupid remarks. You separated from one another nodding to confirm you had enough ammo to get you through this. You fought the runners protecting Abby to help her create distractions to shoot the clickers - “Can’t believe, I trusted Scars.” Abby commented heatedly.

“ Theres no time for that Abby, fucking focus on getting out.” You couldn't believe she was still bickering over the kids, it's not their fault, they never got to know better.

The clickers wouldn't stop showing up, steadily and checking on your ammo again, you and Abby got ready to keep shooting, then she backed off going into a corner, you started going after her being ready to yell, but like she predicted your next move, she turned back to you showing a pipe bomb on her hand ready to throw “Get behind me now!” She yelled at you and you ran behind the tall woman throwing the bomb at a huge horrifying creature, there are more stages? You were petrified of what you saw freezing in place. Abby pulled your hand, dragging to a safe corner when on the spur of the moment you heard Lev yell “Wolf over here!” You both ran and climbed the ambulance Lev came out of, the kid was smart, when you were ready to leave a clicker grabbed your ankle, but you were able to kick him off and leave, Yara pushed the ambulance’s door closed shut while Lev dragged it out stabbing it. 

Out of strength Yara sat down on the floor, and out of instinct Abby picked her up ready to follow Lev to a safer space. All of you ran, you went inside containers, scattered in the middle there what you assumed to be the functioning offices from back in the day, you and Lev ran trying to get any of the doors open to hide inside.

Finding one that opened you all barged in quickly “Lock it.” Abby demanded and you complied. Yara asked Lev for help to get undressed, finally you were all able to stop and help her arm. 

Lev looked extremely sad and worried, I hope he doesn’t blame himself for his sister's injury “Hey, it just needs to be set okay?” the girl says to comfort her sibling. Yara looks both at me and at Abby hoping one of us knows what to do.

“Lev, cut her shirt into pieces.” you told the boy, giving him a pair of scissors. Calmly Abby got closer to Yara’s broken arm, getting up she broke the chair that stood in the corner, using the broken leg to stabilise Yara’s arm, you help Abby with the pieces of cloth to wrap the arm to its now makeshift cast. Finally you all get a proper introduction and you leave Yara’s side, letting her brother comfort her. Admiring with love how they took care of one another, you catched on the side of your eye Abby getting ready to leave. 

You didn’t want to disturb the kids but you stopped her in her tracks “Where are you going?” you asked between gritted teeth. 

“They’ll be fine, just leave by tomorrow this place gets a lot of traffic.” - Abby replies.

“ That’s it? You’re leaving? Abby, they're kids.” you said getting closer to her.

“They have great survival instincts and besides that they are scars.” She says looking at you up and down.

Staring her down you reply“Whatever they are, they’re still kids. You can’t leave them, you can’t leave me.” 

“Leave you? We don’t know each other.” Abby scoffs at you.

“That’s true but we saved each others asses and I don’t know where the fuck I am, I need someone.” you say desperately 

Sighigh the woman grabs your face “Look, I’ll be back but make sure Yara stays stable, but I still have to go.”

Grabbing her hand and taking it away from cupping your face “I’ll be waiting.”

Abby left, and now you were stuck helping two kids, the siblings were now both sleeping. You don’t know how they got into this but it feels like they haven’t properly rested in a while.

Not wanting to disrupt the quiet you let them be, taking over to stay on watch. You grabbed your backpack looking for your diary.

"I shouldn't place my faith in the hands of a woman I just met, but she’s captivating and strong. I need her help to find a way out of this city. Should I be her friend? I can’t verbally admit that when she touches me I don’t want her to let go. Going head to head with her is the most you’ve connected with someone in ages and I’m not tired of hearing getting on my nerves.

These kids can’t be left alone. I can’t believe the shit show I'm in but I can’t be at peace until I know I can get them somewhere safe.

I hope Abby comes back, I need her to be back."

[anghraine]

Perhaps the most purely surreal aspect of the election, btw, is that it actually went pretty great in my state (Washington). I don't even mean standard West Coast results. Washington is sapphire this year.

Harris/Walz are running about 20 points ahead of Trump statewide—currently, they're further ahead here than in Oregon or California. They're winning in Whitman County in eastern Washington and came within a few of points of winning Spokane County. Clark County, which is adjacent to the border with Oregon and contains the Portland suburb of Vancouver WA, can be a lot "swingier" than Multnomah County just to the south (which contains Portland) and a ballot box was literally blown up there to screw with the election results. Clark County worked to get new ballots to everyone affected and Harris is not only clearly winning in Clark, but further ahead than Biden in 2020—leading Trump by nearly 10 points iirc.

One of the few politicians I truly like, my beloved governor Jay Inslee, is stepping down, and had endorsed his Democratic AG, Bob Ferguson. Ferguson is easily winning the state, though not leading as much as Harris is, which is a kind of nice change from so many Democrats (including pretty mediocre ones) doing better than her, even though I've liked Ferguson as AG.

I will say that Ferguson was running against what goes for a good Republican candidate these days—a "moderate" with ties to King County (Seattle) who was not the first choice of the vile Washington GOP, but beat out some far-right assholes in the Republican primaries. For part of the campaign, it seemed like Reichert (the Republican candidate) might be "normal" enough and local enough to conceivably eke out a win, but in the event, Ferguson is ahead by double digits.

Our Democratic senator easily held her seat and also ran ahead of Ferguson in counties like Whitman.

Inslee's acknowledgment of Trump's win includes zero congratulations or unity blather, but instead remarks that Washington State sued the first Trump administration 97 times and won 95 of those cases while he was still president, and we will do it again if we have to (these suits were of course driven by AG Ferguson, now our governor-elect).

For the first time in generations, Washington Democrats actually won every statewide elected office—there are nine of them and the margins of the victories vary a lot, but the GOP failed to win even one, and the state government remains a Democratic trifecta as well.

There were four deceptively-worded, Republican-funded, corporate bullshit initiatives on the state ballot this year. Three are already dead in the water. As Governor Inslee put it, "Washingtonians sent an unequivocal message that they want action on pollution and climate change. Washingtonians also made clear they want to preserve the equity of our tax system with the capital gains tax on the super wealthy. When they or a loved one need long-term care, they want the WA Cares Act to be there for them." Yup!

Marie Gluesenkamp Pérez (a current Democrat in the House) is still leading in the Trumpy WA-3 district, which redistricting only made redder than it was before (when her victory was considered one of the biggest House upsets of the year). She's about three points ahead still.

This may sound like bragging about my state and isn't really meant that way. It feels like existing in a weird capsule because we're still very much in the USA and affected by national politics and we have our own right-wing assholes, of course, but so much about the country we live in is decided thousands of miles away from here, in large part by people who don't seem to share even the most basic sense of reality with most people here. It is a very strange experience to feel so estranged from what's happening in so much of the country.

[holly-louisexox]

Ribcage X Andy Biersack- Part 19

Masterlist

"There's one thing you should know about me Delia Vincent, I don't date. Got no heart to break and emptiness is safe, keep it that way."

He was adamant in his choices…

…But then things changed.

The bodies of two women have been found in the Seattle Ferry landing pier just days after police identified the first victim of The Seattle Bachelorette Stealer. This now identifies 3 of the four victims with no new cases appearing yet. Police are still trying to locate the suspect and urge anyone with information to please come forward.

*Corbin, Kentucky. 2 nights before Seattle.*

The show in Corbin was like the others, the passion the band had for their music was contagious and the fans were going wild whilst enjoying their evening, the screams and cheers were deafening and Delia was left yet again in admiration of the man Andy became whilst on stage. Seeing him jumping and strutting around the stage whilst interacting with the fans made him seem so caring and innocent that it always brought butterflies to her stomach; butterflies that she wished she could hate and kill off. Delia could not deny the pain she still felt towards him, which is why the butterflies she still felt only made it worse. Regardless, she was determined to push away anything she may feel about him, after all, once these last few shows were done she would be going back home to Ohio and she would never see him again. The distance between Los Angeles and Ohio would never allow anything to happen between them, even if they did become something it would never last. Those who claim that distance makes the heart grow stronger are simply fools in Delia's opinion, distance simply makes one small problem seem huge and that is what destroys a person the most.

"But I was blind, I couldn't see the world there right in front of me, but now I can." Andy was doing it again, he was singing right in Delia's direction and it did nothing but break her heart further. The lyrics he was singing, the words he was singing to her, she wanted nothing more than to believe them but how could she? After all he had said, after all he had done, he raised her spirits so high that when he dropped her she fell and hit the ground at an alarming rate.

Some say it is painful to wait for someone. Some say it is painful to forget someone. But the worst pain comes when you don't know whether to wait or forget.

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

*Portland, Oregon. 1 night before Seattle*

"Portland, you have been amazing tonight!" Andy cheers into the microphone earning screams to erupt from the audience. "We have one last song for you tonight, this is In The End!"

Andy was yet again jumping around on stage, pretending to be someone he was not for the sake of the fans, it was that someone that Delia found herself to love. Watching Andy on stage and the person he became, she almost forgot all the pain he had caused her... almost. As much as she was happy that the tour was nearly over and that she would not have to look upon him anymore, it did sadden her. Delia could not help but wish for what could have been if Andy wasn't so heartless and if he could open up to her slightly.

"Who will remember this last goodbye? 'Cause it's the end and I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid to die." Andy sings to end the song earning that same level of screams to erupt as when he introduced the song.

After the song ended, the screams got louder, which Delia could see made Andy smile. His smile made Delia weak and made her feel every emotion she ever felt about him. She thought about all the looks he would pass the way, all the looks they would share, the way his hands were so gentle on her skin, the way his lips felt on hers, on her neck... But then she remembered the harsh words that also left his mouth, how he thought it a mistake and that he never wanted to see her again after the tour.

"We've been Black Veil Brides, thank you and goodnight!" Andy continues to grin as he speaks into the microphone; that's when Delia feels the tears escape her eyes.

Be confused, it's where you begin to learn new things. Be broken, it's where you begin to heal. Be frustrated, it's where you start to make more authentic decisions. Be sad, because if we are brave enough we can hear our heart's wisdom through it. Be whatever you are right now, no more hiding.

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

"Great show as ever guy! One show left of tour and we've smashed it!" Shevy cheers as she and Delia walk into the room backstage where the rest of the band are sitting about- Delia not sharing even half of the enthusiasm that Shevy was feeling, she was more concerned about hiding her tears and her betrayal of emotions, hopefully, no one was to notice and they could just get this night over with.

"Just in time for Christmas as well!" Jinxx beams "A little over 3 weeks to go lads!"

"Dude, you're way too excited for Christmas, it's not December until tomorrow." CC laughs shoving Jinxx in the side.

"Hey Delia, can I talk to you outside quickly?" Lonny asks as he stands from his seat after noticing the emotionless expression on her face.

"Yeah of course." Delia nods before following Lonny outside the room. "Everything okay?"

"I feel like I should be asking you that question." Lonny smiles sadly. "One minute Andy is all over you and you guys are sleeping together and now he's said what he said and is acting cold again."

"I don't know Lonny, I don't understand him at all." Delia sobs as she feels the heartbreak all over again.

"Hey, Delia, shit, I'm so sorry I didn't mean to upset you!" Lonny feels his eyes widen in panic before he pulls the slightly younger and shorter girl into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry, what's happened?"

"I don't understand Lonny, he was so caring and nice. I stupidly thought we may have had something and even Shevy was convinced but he's not changed and now I'm here crying and feeling like an idiot." Delia rambles through her tears as she feels Lonny soothingly stroking her hair to try and calm her down.

"I know D." Lonny sighs "In all honesty, I thought you would have stood a chance. Shevy has probably said this, and I know it's likely not something you want to hear right now, but I think Andy has slowly started to change back to his old self. I like to think that's because of you. Andy is extremely damaged, he won't accept the help because it makes him believe he's weak if he does, he's constantly fighting his head which is why he writes the songs he does."

"I know, I know he's damaged, but I don't think I'm the one who can fix him." Delia sighs as she feels the tears continue to fall down her cheeks.

"I've seen the way he looks at you, especially during Lost It All and King Of Pain." Lonny smiles slightly. "They aren't songs he sings easily, he normally zones out during them. If he had it his way we wouldn't perform those songs at all but they're fan favourites which is why he does it."

"I don't know what to do or how to feel Lonny." Delia smiles sadly as she pulls away from the hug to look up at Lonny. "I feel like an idiot for liking him, I hate that I allowed myself to sleep with him and now... now I'm terrified of what happens next. As much as I've loved this tour part of me just wants to run away. I'm scared about going to Seattle tomorrow because of everything happening there, every time I'm in a room with Andy I feel like I'm trapped underwater with no air and I'll drown at any minute, I feel like my head is just going in every direction."

"Maybe a break from Andy will do you some good." Lonny smiles slightly. "Part of me is really hoping we're able to get you to come onto our next tour, only of course if you'd want to do that. I'm going to miss you though D." Lonny confesses. "I know I'm probably not as close to you as you are Shevy and I get that, but I do consider you a good friend."

"Oh Lon, if things were different with Andy I would happily do this again, it's been one of the best experiences of my life besides from that dickhead." Delia smiles.

"Just see what happens yeah? Who knows, Andy might change his way." Lonny shrugs his shoulders "This is a first for him in a while, I just hope he doesn't throw it all away."

Monsters don't sleep under the bed, they sleep in your head. Most will never realise that the biggest fight in life is the fight that is constantly happening in your head.

[duckprintspress]

Meet Aether Beyond the Binary Contributor Scarlett Gale

We are sloooowly creeping up on being 2/3rds funded on the crowdfunding campaign for Aether Beyond the Binary, an anthology of 17 stories by queer authors starring non-binary main characters in aetherpunk settings! It’ll definitely be a relief when we hit that wonderful 100%. Don’t forget to share Aether Beyond the Binary with friends who you think might be interested in the project!

Head on over to our Kickstarter Campaign page NOW to learn waaaay more about this project, and read on to get to know Scarlett Gale, read an interview with her, and check out an excerpt from her contribution!

About Scarlett Gale: Scarlett Gale is the author of His Secret Illuminations and His Sacred Incantations. Long ago, under another name, she was the co-author of Needles and Artifice (Cooperative Press; 2012), featuring a rollicking romantic steampunk adventure novella and associated knitting patterns, of which she also designed several. She writes and produces fringe theatre plays based on B-movies, such as Bodacious Barbarian Babes vs. The Indigo Empress and Showgirls of Beast Island. She is a co-producer of the Alison-Bechdel-approved Bechdel Test Burlesque, which in 2017 was included in the Women and Gender Studies curriculum at the University of Oregon. She lives in Seattle with her wife where she gardens, knits, reads, and drinks warm beverages. Unsurprisingly, she also has cats.

Links: Personal Website | Tumblr | Bluesky

This is Scarlett’s second time contributing to a Duck Prints Press anthology. A short story by her was also included in our debut anthology Add Magic to Taste. Learn more about Scarlett’s other published works.

An Interview with Scarlett Gale

What motivates you to create?

Spite and love in equal measure.

What are your goals as a creator?

To make the world a kinder, hornier place one story at a time.

Are you a pantser, a planner, or a planster? What’s your process look like?

I suppose Planster is the best description, though I think that makes me sound more like someone who has a lot of plants (she says, sitting next to a glass cabinet full of houseplants). For my longer works I usually start with a vibe and a general idea of the arc and write with no real outline until I’m about two-thirds through the story, at which point I will sit down and roughly bullet point the scenes I still want to write, arrange them into story order, and use that as a reference to finish the piece. Why when I’m two-thirds through? Because at that point I’ve had enough Shower Ideas that if I don’t document them somewhere, I risk forgetting to put them in, and my Shower Ideas are the most inspired parts of my writing!

What do you consider to be your strengths as a creator?

Wordcount. Good god, wordcount. I am the rare writer who can just sit down at a computer and bang out several hundred words in twenty minutes without second-guessing myself or worrying if the words are good enough. This makes me simultaneously the best and worst person to have in your writering group.

What do you consider to be your weaknesses as a creator?

Also wordcount. I think every story I’ve submitted to the Press has started out two thousand words above the limit, which means we have to do sooooo much editing. Goodbye, my beautiful words!

Do you like having background noise when you create? What do you listen to? Does it vary depending on the project, and if so, how?

Yes! It makes writing feel less lonely, since I do a lot of it only accompanied by my cats. I listen to music at a medium to low volume that either has no lyrics, or lyrics in a language I don’t speak so I don’t get distracted by the words. I actually bought the cheapest Pandora subscription specifically for writing music. My favorite stations are:

Lofi Chill

Bonobo*

Mikel & Gamechops 

Radio Asian Kung-Fu Generation (a recent addition)

*Fun story about the group Bonobo: The morning after our wedding, my whole family crowded into our tiny house to watch us open our wedding gifts. I had given my siblings control over distributing the drink tickets, which meant that after they handed them out to the guests, they used the remaining tickets to get SPECTACULARLY plastered, and were thus deeply hungover. My wife made loads of coffee while everyone grazed on the catering leftovers, and in the interest of creating a calming atmosphere, we put on a Bonobo album. Everyone liked the music, to the point that they repeatedly asked the name of the group, which meant my wife and I kept repeating, with increasing exasperation, “BONOBO!! LIKE THE MONKEY!!!!” It is my primary memory of that morning.

What are your favorite snacks and/or drinks to consume while creating?

Remember to eat? While I’m writing?? You think I’m sensible or something?! (I enjoy a cup of tea, either green, decaf black, or herbal, depending on the time of day.)

Tell us about your pet(s).

We currently have three cats: CeeCee, Matcha, and Gyoza. CeeCee (the Lady Catherine the Purr) is our most recent addition from March of 2023. She’s a fifteen year old scrungly tiny black goblin who knows exactly what she wants out of life: Food, sippies from the bathroom sink, belly rubs, and shoulder rides. If we are not providing any of these at the speed she would prefer, she screams at us. She’s PERFECT.

Matcha is an eight-pound calico brat with the sass of at least four cats crammed into her tiny body. Her favorite things in life are causing trouble and rubbing her face on my hands when I’m trying to write.

Gyoza is a sixteen pound gray tabby with the physical properties of a water balloon full of pudding. He loves to try to “play” with Matcha, which results in her screaming like she’s being murdered. His other favorite thing to do is play in the toilet and then come step on us with his wet toilet feet, because he’s the worst.

Please enjoy this festive photo of the three of them that I had to photoshop from three individual photos, since all of them hate each other.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Always take the opportunity to use the restroom when it’s available to you. Solid life advice applicable to any situation, really!

What’s the worst advice you’ve ever received?

I had a Jimmy John’s delivery guy tell me I should lie to people and say my fire-engine-red hair was natural, does that count? (I stared him down blankly long enough that he spontaneously apologized.)

If you could give one piece of advice to a new creator who came to you for help, what would that advice be?

Just write it. You can fix the words once they’re on the page, but excessive planning and worrying and worldbuilding won’t help you if you don’t write the words. Just write it! Let it be bad! Fix it in post! Write the damn thing!!!

What’s one thing (style, genre, etc.) that you think you’ll never do, and why not?

Write the type of fantasy book that has a map in the front and a glossary of terms, only because I personally am not motivated to do that level of worldbuilding. I appreciate the people who want to do that, but I guarantee that as a reader I will skip the map and then probably the glossary in order to get to the STORY, which tells you where my priorities lie.

Scarlett’s Contribution to Aether Beyond The Binary

Title: N(ae)ghbours

Tags: attraction at first sight, bisexual, city mouse and country mouse, competence kink, didn’t know they were dating, f/nb, farmer, first kiss, genderfluid, getting together, humor, idiots to lovers, meet cute, misgendering (unintentional), omg they were neighbors, panic attacks (mentions of), present tense, self-esteem issues, third person limited pov

Excerpt:

“But you were going to tell me what you’re researching?”

Ah. Well. “This might be boring and hard to explain.”

Rin waves a fork at the breakfast spread between them. “You have at least five pancakes’ worth of time. Hit me.”

Dahlia takes a steadying sip of tea. She explains about greenhouses and other protected growing areas for delicate crops, and the advantages and disadvantages of using them on a large scale. She explains that her family has a small greenhouse for starts, but most of their land is open-air, which means they get the advantages that come with that, but also the issues—they’re at the mercy of the weather, insects, birds…

Or they would be if not for the aether tunnel.

“It’s like a hoop house,” Dahlia explains, pulling up a photo of a hoop house on her phone to show Rin. “Normally, you cover the frame with mesh, or clear bio-plastic if you’re trying to trap the heat and control the amount of water it gets, but…”

“That’d rip right off in a big storm, right? And how do you get in there when you need to do plant stuff?”

(don't forget to check out the campaign, now that you've read to the end!)

[female-buckets]

Do you follow any specific wcbb teams?

UConn. And sometimes I check on Wazzu and Gonzaga if they have any interesting players. My grandma and grandpa went to those schools.

A former WAZZU player you should keep an eye on is Charlisse Ledger-Walker. She's at UCLA now and she's a miracle worker. My parents and brother went to UC schools. But I still resent those schools for leaving the PAC12. However, I'll gladly cheer against their enemy. Every UC School has the same enemy. USC. My parents taught me that USC stands for University of Spoiled Children.

I live in Seattle but I can't cheer for UW due to the PAC12 divorce. However, I can cheer against UW's rival Oregon. Fuck Oregon. But I'll cheer for Oregon State because they stayed in the PAC12

I live in Washington so I guess I have to talk about HVL. Oh Hailey. I don't even know. That TCU situation seems sketchy. But I hope she proves me wrong. I'd love to see her earn first team all American.

I like Baylor because I really appreciate Nicki Collen and everything she's done for BG.

I don't know anyone who went to an SEC school so I can't comment on any of that. But it would be good if Tennessee didn't completely suck. I want them to be competitive to keep the UConn/Tennessee rivalry alive.

My WCBB hot take is that Stanford and Cal should rejoin the PAC12. And Gonzaga should join. And UConn should also join. I know that sounds crazy but just think about it for a minute. Maybe crazy could work

[adventuresofahobbywriter]

Hello!

I've recently picked up the hobby of writing (not for anyone else just myself for fun lol) and I need some help with my characters.

The story revolves around a group of boarding school student that find a portal in the woods that teleports them to a fantasy world that's very much like a DnD type of environment. The group also transform into a race and class so they can fit into that world.

It's a group of six which feels like a pretty big group of characters, but the problem is that I LOVE all of them. I feel like I need to cut one or two of them or possibly repurpose them, but I can't decide who. I thought a good idea would be coming here and hopefully getting some feedback about what to do or possibly who to cut.

Here's the characters!

Emma Parker (15) Seattle, Washington

A 5'2, kind of muscular girl. She has blonde poofy hair that she only ever wears in a loose ponytail. Like the kind of loose ponytail that's not on purpose, but like the scrunchie was just a liiiiiitle too loose and then she went on a run. She usually wears athletic shorts, a soccer shirt, and a windbreaker. She also always wears a knee brace due to some undisclosed injury (we all know one). Her skin is a little tanner because she spends so much time outside and her cheeks and nose are always a little red. She's a very energetic and excited person, but VERY competitive and always feels the need to push herself to be better even if it's dangerous.

Kiyana (Ana) Ramesh (16) NYC, New York

She's 5'8 and kind of slender. The child of two Desi immigrants. She is at the school on a scholarship but, after being bullied at her last school, she decided to not tell anyone that information and instead joined the "popular" group. She is an EXTREMELY smart girl, but tends to act dumb and a little snobby to keep up with her new friends. She has black hair that reaches just past her shoulders and she is constantly trying to keep it tamed by straightening it or curling it. Her makeup is always done perfectly and she usually dresses preppy.

Abigail Whitlock (16) Oregon

Abigail is about 5'6 and curvy. She has brown skin and dark brown curly hair (about 3c). She was adopted at birth by a single woman. Her mom is the Headmistress of the school, the near constant supervision causing her to be slightly rebellious and stubborn. She dresses in a more alternative / goth style, wearing heavier eyeliner and black lipstick. She spends most of her time doing some type of creative projects (painting, knitting, sculpting, sewing, etc.)

Lucas Haine (15) Miami, Florida

A 5'8 lanky boy. Lucas has dark skin and dark brown / black hair that he wears in twists down past his ears. He has large brown eyes and most of the time gets mistaken for a 8th grader or freshman because of his youthful appearance. He usually wears ripped jeans, t shirts, and a flannel. He's usually either riding or carrying around his skateboard with the underside covered in stickers and doodles done by Abigail. He is smart and likes very stereotypical nerdy things, he's on the robotics team, TTRPG club, and comic books. Because he's so smart, he can come across at a bit of a know-it-all, especially when they end up in the fantasy world and he knows a good bit more than the others about how that world works.

Colin Walsh (16) Dublin, Ireland

Between 6' and 6'2 kind of muscular but you can't really tell (think sleeper build.) He has pale skin, but covered head to toe in freckles. His hair is red and fluffy with big curls. His face is covered by black rimmed glasses. He usually wears a sweatshirt over a disheveled button-up shirt, tan slacks, and either sneakers or dressier shoes. Ever since he moved to the US, he's developed a pretty intense coffee addiction. Stopping by the cafeteria between classes to refill his travel mug. He is very sarcastic and enjoys picking on his friends, it takes A LOT to get him worked up. He plays a lot of video games and is a member of the chess team.

Jae Chung (16) Los Angeles, California

5'10 and lean from being on the swim team. All the students come from pretty wealthy families, but his is by far the richest. He has black hair that's parted down the middle with the bangs hanging down onto his forehead (ngl look up Sang Heon Lee and that's who I imagine). He dresses very fashionable and always wears a silver chain around his neck. He's confident and egotistical, usually very concerned with his looks.

Just some extra info:

At the start Lucas, Colin, and Abigail are very close friends and hang out daily.

Lucas is the one who finds the portal.

I kind of want a Colin x Ana thing (not sure why, I just feel it)

I'm sorry this is such a long post! If you want to give some feedback I would be very appreciative! (:

[rabbitcruiser]

Earthquake Point/Broken Mountain, WA

Take a step back in time to December 14, 1872 in what was at that time Washington Territory. Ulysses S. Grant had just been elected president for his second term, and Boston was still recovering from the Great Fire that destroyed much of the city in November of that year. You had to draw water from a well, light your cabin with oil lamps, and typically folks would retire for the night shortly after sundown, when the evening chores were completed, and supper dishes were cleaned.

On that night, at almost 10pm, folks across the region were awakened by a massive earthquake. Contemporary accounts describe the earth rolling from North to South, no jolting bumps, just the feeling like walking on the deck of a ship in rough seas. 

The earthquake impacted an area of the Pacific Northwest over 625,000 miles – from Salem Oregon in the South, to Victoria, BC in the North, across Idaho into Montana and much damage was sustained in the populated areas west of the Cascades. In Seattle buildings rocked, trees shook, items and fell off shelves. Pendulum clocks were stopped by the offsetting rocking, or started up again, if they had been stopped. Plaster walls cracked and lamps tipped over. 

Prior to the event, Lake Union had been flat calm, but the quake caused a tidal wave several feet high. In Olympia there were reports of fireplaces crumbling.

Jack Splawn (also known as Moses Splawn) was a cowboy and resident of Yakima City at that time. He explained that he and the other cowboys on the ranch had just completed the year’s branding and were celebrating at the Sagebrush Saloon, when the building began rocking and they ran outside to see what hoodlums were trying to tip the house over. 

While some folks dealt with milk sloshed out of the pail, and knickknacks falling off the shelf, the residents of North Central Washington, especially indigenous tribes who lived along the Columbia river near Chelan witnessed a far more catastrophic event. It is known locally as “the night the mountain fell.”

As you drive along Highway 97A just past Entiat on your way to Chelan, there is a roadside pullout and marker explaining “Earthquake Point.” Here you can view what the native people named “Ribbon Cliffs”. A giant portion of the hillside of Broken Mountain fell into the Columbia river that night. Of course, the river was not as high then as it is now, as the hydroelectric projects along the river have raised it, however, the amount of earth and granite that fell blocked the river and flooded the lands behind it, including the ranch of the Wapato family. You might recognize that tribal name from the peninsula of land at Lake Chelan, called Wapato Point. 

At some point the following day the water broke through the earthen dam, the flood receded, and the river began to flow again. It must have been a sight to behold if you lived in Wenatchee to wake up to a dry riverbed! Witnesses to the event reported that it took several days for the earthen dam to break up and the river to return to its previous level. 

While there was no seismologic equipment in place seventeen years before Washington became a state, experts studying the damage and geologic features believe the quake was between 6.5 and 7.5 in magnitude. That makes it one of the largest on record in the state. 

For 143 years it was a mystery where the epicenter of this earthquake could be found. In 2015 geologist Brian Sherrod painstakingly surveyed a canyon between Chelan and Entiat, where he found a fault and was able to definitively prove it to be the source of the quake. 

Source

[hecatelund]

Hi, when you mentioned PNW in this post you meant Pacific North West, right? https://www.tumblr.com/hecatelund/757550488457789440/it-would-be-so-cool-to-meet-up-with-a-bunch-of?source=share

Like, Oregon, Washington, etc.? I live in Portland and my gf (also a transfem feedee) plans to move in with me later this year.

Yeah! I meant pacific north west! I live in the greater Seattle area myself, but I was just down in portland last week for Rose City Comic-Con! You’ve got some incredible food down there btw, portland is so rad. And congrats on moving in with your gf!!! You two are gonna get biiiig lol

[deadtime-stories]

Two Terrible People in One Terrible World

I threatened yesterday, now I'm following up. This is my working reference for future OC artwork. These are two of the four characters I recently made up specifically for drawing exercises going forward. Sketches, lil comics, full on Art(tm). I used the Baldur's Gate 3 Character Creation screen and a ton of mods to come up with basic models only. So no, these aren't perfectly as I envisioned. But they're close.

The World: In 1606 AD, the not-even-yet-considered theory of multiple dimensions was proven correct when something happened somewhere to smush another dimension into ours. The result of this astronomical Hulk Smash moment was the connection of our world with another that had completely different laws of physics, i.e., it runs on magic. People being people in every dimension, this started an all out war when the Magicians decided to do a little colonialism of their own.

Fortunately for Earth, the world now dumping wizards and shit into it through permanent portals had a much smaller population, so Earth just had to keep throwing Magic-Missile-fodder into the war until we outlasted them and won. The result, however, was vast swathes of Earth flooded with magic, and very much unlivable for the "civilized" sort.

They still managed to colonize around it though, and do every terrible thing you ever read about in AP History and then some, just on a timeline delayed about 20 years by the war and on a slightly smaller scale.

Present Day: It's 2024, and the world as you know it doesn't exist. Instead of large countries, most of Earth is natural, undeveloped landscape, with big cities dotting the globe where most people live. With its own ley lines supercharged and activated by the war--helped along by intermarriage between Earthlings and Magicians--Earth lineages have begun to develop their own natural magics over the last 400 years. Magic is NOT inborn, it's a skill anyone can learn, but some are more naturally inclined to succeed than others.

Setting: What, in our timeline, is known as the continent of North America, known here as Serathia. South Serathia encompasses what we know as Mexico and the southern half of the US. North Serathia, where these characters are based, encompasses what we know as Canada and the northern half of the US. There are no states, only regions. Laws are set by localities, though most abide by the Continental Accords, which is a basic list of rights and laws that are universal in member cities. Without getting into too much detail, this is based in Seattle City, the equivalent of real-life Seattle. Seattle City, however, is the main part of the larger metropolitan area of Seattle, which encompasses the eastern halves of Snohomish and King counties, the northeastern portion of Pierce County, and all of Kitsap County. There are no other major cities in what we know as Washington, Oregon, Montana, or the southern edges of British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. It's natural land dotted with small towns.

Society: Economically and legally, everyone is equal. Socially, society is divided between Civvies ("civilians"; a leftover term from the post-war rebuild era when "regular" people were not recruited into dangerous work as often because they were squishier than magic users) and Shinies (an originally derogatory term used by non magic users because magic tends to visibly sparkle when in use, and often leaves behind a fine, dust-like residue that leaves careless magicians very shiny indeed). Of course, non-human humanoids have also meandered through the portals over the centuries and settled in, both in cities and in their own enclaves. Not a lot of intermixing goes on there, though...Shinies only make up about 1/4 of the human population, and the other 3/4 can barely be normal about them, don't even ask a human how they feel about Trolls ("Snobby little know-it-alls too pampered to put down their caviar and ruin their manicures with real work," if you really want to know).

Religion: Here there be gods. Serathia, like much of the world, is polytheistic and follows a pantheon, most likely because those gods do really exist and do fuck around with mortals on the regular. In both the sexual and the "being a problem" sense of the term.

Name: Ilsifer. Likely self-named, as he currently doesn't remember who he is. No last name, he can't remember it and doesn't need one at the moment. Age: Idk. Neither does he. At least 35, though.

Carcass hauled from Elliot Bay a few weeks ago by the Coast Guard

Died, but got better

Probably(?) came back fine

Suspiciously familiar with what human flesh tastes like.

Somehow still knows about the world, just nothing about himself. People just nod in understanding when he says this. Pissing off a god and getting body-slammed into the bay is the general consensus

Gray-ish, pallid kind of complexion, almost like he's still dead

No heartbeat, btw. Doesn't feel that's important enough to ever bring up

Trans guy. Sort of.

Appears human, but is Dailathi. Dailathi are fucked up enough to need their own post; suffice to say, it's actually not suspicious that a Dailathi would know what human flesh tastes like. They do not out themselves or identify themselves to other species

Currently staying in a hostel in the Barrows, a seedy bay-side neighborhood that mostly comes alive at night

Also working under the table in the Barrows as a bouncer at Vespertine, a normal-looking burger joint that has a "speakeasy" in the basement where folks come to to indulge in illegal magical substances, and occasionally trade illegal artifacts in secret

Is 5'6". Does not care if anyone mentions this fact, since he's physically capable of lifting up to 600lbs without breaking a sweat

Nobody knows he can lift up to 600 lbs. That's Dailathi shit, we keep it on the down-low. He's just known as the mini firecracker who will break your fucking jaw if you get too pushy

Voice is far deeper than you expect when looking at him, scares a LOT of handsy dudes who think he's a cute girl

Name: Rhionin Winterbrooke Age: 157

Born and raised in Sacramento, a Dailathi stronghold humans tend to stay very far away from

Youngest of seven. Raised by mother and her six mates at the time, all of whom are his "actual father" because that's how his people do it

Has one sister, which is not abnormal but is rare. Also a huge stroke of luck. Not getting into it here..."male" and "female" go right out the window as soon as you take a half-decent closer glance at Dailathi

Left Sacramento at the age of 20 to learn a trade in Seattle. Also to stay alive. Unlike the omnivore boys, Dailathi girlies are obligate carnivores and...uh...literal man-eaters

Became a clerk to a private bookseller

Eventually got uncomfortably noticed by one of his boss' regular customers, a warlock named Cristophe

Eventually disappeared without a trace. Turns out, he also died. He did not get better.

He's still salty about it.

Has spent the last 130 years or so as a Servhant, a type of undead bound to Warlocks

Sometimes mistaken for Incubi or Succubi because they feed on blood but also absorb people's life force. Folks trade bits of their soul to Servhants for an unspeakably good orgasm followed by a really wicked high

Servhants filter those soul bits to the Warlock binding them; it lets the Warlock trade other people's soul energy to their patrons for power instead of their own

So Warlocks with more Servhants can trade more soul energy and get more powerful, creating more Servhants, etc.

This is all very illegal btw since Servhants are basically peeps you murder and bind to you as slaves. Bit unethical

Is one of five Servhants bound to Cristophe these days, basically spends his time getting whored out at Halcyon, an expensive private nightclub in the Barrows, owned by Cristophe

Very much a human trafficking victim, but also the insufferable type of guy you'd want to punch in the face. Two facts can and do coexist

Lives at Cristophe's private estate in Medina

Is only 5'8", DOES care if you mention it

Not that it matters, but can lift about 800lbs. This is NOT a Dailathi thing, they are as weak as regular human men, this is a Servhant thing

Follows Tethalyss, a goddess of death (generally of the slow, tortuous, painful kind), wrath, and spite, who is the patron deity of the Dailathi

[rogueabs]

Under the Gun - Abby Anderson x Reader

Are you living for love? When the road gets too tough, is your love strong enough?

-under the gun by The Sisters of Mercy

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

SUMMARY: You’ve been running from your reality, you had to leave your home in Oregon, it couldn't get worse after all, you had lost it all. Arriving in Seattle you hear yelling and grunting from afar, when you see a muscular blonde woman being beaten and dragged you freeze, you wouldn't be able to rescue her. Stealthy you follow the people with a scar on their face, a feature that relates them to another to what it seemed like their camp, you hide waiting for the moment to take the blonde girl from the rope restraining her up in the air incapacitating her.

You and Abby’s story begins when she saw the end of hers.

Warnings: 18+ minors dni, smut (further along you perverts!) angst, desciptions of weapons and violence.

next chapter

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Chapter 1: What if it was you

Growing up in Oregon was a gift and a curse, the peace that came with it also brought loneliness. Growing up you only had your mother by your side, your father passed away before you were born trying to protect your family farm from the undead creatures that roamed earth alongside surviving humans. It was you and your mom, against the world as it was always proclaimed by the both of you. She was THE wonder woman in the flesh, raising you, teaching you how to survive and how to take care and keep the farm alive.

When you were nineteen she passed away peacefully when you went on a hunting trip on your own. You found a letter she left and you carried it with you in your leather jacket pocket.

She had been sick for a while, never telling you of the symptoms, you always saw her complain about pain and went on scavenges trying find medicine to take it away but you never thought you would find your mothers lifeless corpse, she didn’t want you to kill her like she had done to the love of her life.

“Your dad and I got engaged on the infamous space needle in Seattle, my wish was to take you there for your birthday but this illness took me way too soon. I never wanted you to see me fade. One day I hope you can see how beautiful the view is from there;”

So you packed your backpack angrily, never wanting to see that house again after burying your mother it would never be a home again. 

With tears in your eyes you grabbed the old notebook your mom got you in a scavenge six years ago, you remember it like it was yesterday, it was her way of giving me privacy and I cherished every word I’ve ever written on it all these years.

"Dear diary, it's weird picking you up, it's been a while since i’ve talked with you. We are grown and alone, I've never been so afraid.

I remembered the old pick-up truck that belonged to the neighbours that once lived by our side, I have no memories of them, only that they were kind according to mom. I’ve been running like a mad woman trying to get gasoline for the last 2 days. It's a quick ride to Seattle. I just really need something good to happen to me."

When you finally got enough gasoline you swear you could believe in god for finally having your prayers answered. Walking back to the fields you knew like the back of your hand, you searched your neighbours house for a tool box, you needed a screwdriver badly. 

“Finally!” you yelled so loudly and regretted it, hoping nothing heard you.

“Okay” you said to yourself “How do I hotwire this fucking car…” rubbing your hands on your head you tried to recall how your mom did it flawlessly for you, how if it went to go sideways she would be the one getting shocked, protecting you was her greatest accomplishment and you lived by loving and caring for someone that deeply.

Shoving the screwdriver in the ignition system and moving it around, you manifest it working since this car was older than you and your mother too probably, a couple minutes of turning it and jiggling it around you heard the motor start.

Beating your legs using them like a drum, you cried of happiness, you could finally escape, a fresh start.

The farthest you could drive too was still far from your destination, you spent one week on foot, you could barely remember what sleep was like when you heard a commotion, it was gunshots.

 Instinctively you held your gun in the palm of your hand, you had to be sure that if needed it was on its holster ready to protect yourself no matter what it took. Scoping far from the building you understood it was one person who did the job, it made you curious of what may have happened, and whatever it was, you didn’t want to get on their bad side. 

Getting closer to the building, being careful not to draw attention to yourself you saw a muscular blonde woman starting to leave the building, sliding on the dirt ramp when out of nowhere someone with an enormous sledgehammer got on top of her. You were panicking deciding if you should or not get closer, to rescue her but you saw her handle herself biting the woman's ear but in a blink of an eye, two men came closer and someone knocked the blonde woman out.

Whoever they were, they started dragging the unconscious girl and you couldn't bear the sight of it. This wasn’t part of the plan but you needed to help her, something inside of you told you to do it, it could have been you.

You were light on your feet, stealth was your best friend and the people in the long jackets didn’t hear or see you, but from afar you noticed it all. Wherever they were bringing her too was bad, it made you sick, were they cannibals? Was it a cult? The only thing that made them related to another was the scars they had on all their faces.

They tied with rough ropes the ankles and wrists of the woman they called “wolf”, it was soothing due to her frame, they dragged her to a place where people were gutted and hung by their neck, you had to save her. 

The people with scars tied the rope on her neck and pulled her up, you got ready to aim and shoot the woman that was pointing a knife to her abdomen when suddenly a young woman was brought to the camp violently. 

The woman that was prepared to kill the blonde woman flipped instantly at the tumult created by two strong men grabbing the girl.

From what you could gather the girl was named Yara, and the sight was too violent, you had never experienced such cruel humans in your life. One of the men that was holding her down obeyed the orders of the woman who told them to “clip her wings”, they ended up smashing her arm with a hammer.

It was now or never and you decided to make your moves to help the woman down, arrows were shot out of nowhere, taking one of the men out and Yara took out the other with the same hammer that was being used violently on her. Quickly you started making your way to get behind the blonde woman to get her down. She was able to catch the tall woman who threatened her before who now was confused at the attack, the blonde trapped her with her strong legs, starting to choke her out but you showed up and stabbed her with a screwdriver in the neck, letting her choke on her blood falling to her death.

Taking the blonde woman out of her restraints you gave her a hand helping her down.

 A young boy came in desperately running towards the Yara girl who now had her arm broken and all you could feel was anger at what she had been put through, hearing them talk you were able to pick up that the boy's name was Lev and you heard her say that “Demons are coming.” Whatever that meant, it sounded like it was going to be hell on earth.

Gazing back at the blonde woman, she rubbed her neck trying to regain her breath and thoughts into place, getting her stability back she grabbed the hammer the girl had thrown across.

“Watch your backs,” the woman said.

You grabbed the gun out of your holster getting yourself ready in position, you were all gonna leave this place alive, even if it meant dying for the safety of these strangers.

It was a bloodbath fighting against all the clickers and runners that came across your escape out of the woods. You and the woman realised the kids were with us, helping us leave even if they were related to the people with scars in their faces and that made you filled with hope in escaping to safety.

After running and crouching underneath a fence, you believed you had left the thrill of the rush to a temporary safe haven in this mess and introduced yourself to the woman. 

“I know this isn't good timing but I’m (Y/N)” giving your hand for the woman to shake.

Shaking your hand the woman said “I’m Abby.”

In the blink of an eye the woman you had seen before, the one with the sledgehammer that knocked the woman down prior to this was attacking the kids, Abby got up instantly to fight without any weapons. You fumbled with your hands trying to search for more ammo to shoot her down but Abby got around just fine with her bare fists, the last thing you recall is hearing her question the tall woman if she was wearing her backpack and before you could recollect your thoughts on what you were witnessing, Abby had smashed the skull of the scared woman with the sledgehammer.

You made your way down trying to open the rusted auto-shop door and heard Abby talk to Lev and Yara but you couldn't hear it over the door you were trying to pry open.

“Through here c’mon” You said to the people you were stuck with for the moment.

When everyone got inside you let go of the door, you were searching your backpack for your flashlight when you felt someone’s presence getting closer.

“(Y/N)? Is that right? Abby asked.

“It is.”  you confirmed looking at her eyes, even if you never crossed her path again after this, you wanted to remember the strange womans features.

“Thanks for you know, helping me down. Do you need anything, anything at all?” She asked with her blue eyes never breaking your gaze.

“Don’t thank me Abby, I’m sure you would’ve done the same.” You replied wiping your sweat away from your forehead, “Right now I just need us to get out of this shit hole.”

Abby respectfully nodded and left you to search while moving  towards the struggling kids who were trying to pry  open a door. You desperately needed ammo so you wouldn't rely on your screwdriver as your weapon of choice but this was odd, you wouldn't admit it to yourself or out loud that the only thing stealing your attention from a completely focused supply search like you had done millions of times was Abby's piercing blue eyes that were stuck in your mind, what had you gotten yourself into.

[yinlotus]

as far as i'm aware from reading US news (ny times) most of the smoke on the US east coast is from the canadian fires. also, the fires in canada are a lot lot lot worse than looks on the image you can see - hundreds of fires burning all across canada.

as a californian myself, i've also been kind of annoyed seeing all the news about like 'unprecedented smoke in nyc' like seriously? this isn't unprecedented, just for them specifically. I understand that seeing the orange skies was crazy but like...it's not new...I literally saw that myself during the fires of 2020 in Calif. i've had friends and family had to evacuate from nearby fires, i had to wear an n95 during the summer before covid because being outside in that air quality made me feel sick. my brother had school and sports cancelled because it was too dangerous to be outside breathing the air.

calif, oregon, washington, british columbia and all of the western US and canada (maybe mexico too, I don't know about impact of smoke/fires in central or latin america) have been dealing with this for years. australia and nz have been dealing with this too for years.

I'm sorry...I kind of just wanted to complain a bit...it was a bit jarring seeing all those headlines about it being new when it's really not, it's just only new for the US east coast which has the biggest & loudest mouthpiece coming from america.

i'd also love to see some resources about the fires in canada if anyone has sent you any. i know for california, Cal Fire (fire.ca . gov) has info on calif. since there was a lot of rain this year (i've never seen so much rain in my life) i'm hoping fire season won't be too bad but we never know...

hi anon!

it's okay to vent about it. i understand that for those who have dealt with or are currently dealing with large wildfires would be annoyed by those who are not experiencing it as they are. still, i don't think it's right to blame those people without educating them a bit on it first.

honestly even when it comes to the east coast smoke most news talk specifically about nyc than the other places dealing with the same thing. picky news coverage can be frustrating to say the least.

and you're certainly right about it being new to us but not everyone else. the east coast is generally pretty wet with hurricanes in summer (which hurricane season officially started around a week ago, which i'm curious if it'll be affected at all since the smoke is also going east into the atlantic and wildfire smoke throws off marine ecosystems and cyclones are worse when the water is warmer) and snow storms during winter. i think no matter where you are, people will react extremely if something out of the ordinary happens. personally i can't even imagine it since even when i lived on the west coast, it was near seattle and mostly wet.

thank you for providing some info on california! nobody else has sent anything yet, but i'll definitely post if they do! :)

my screenshot was from fire.airnow.gov and from zooming in more i get a slightly better picture of where the fires are but the low accuracy is likely because the site's focus is only the us. nasa is usually quite good in capturing this things in the states, so i checked the canadian space agency to see if they had better images of the fires. while i didn’t find any recent satellite images (best i found was a video from a month ago), i was directed to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) which has an updated interactive map on the homepage. This site alao has links to individual centers in each province.

[what-if-nct]

Places in the US NCT Could be from

Taeil: Maryland, like from a beach city in Maryland. Like he just gives me east coast beach town vibes. Like a coastal boy but he's humble.

Johnny: Of course Illinois, where he's from but hear me out. Cleveland, Ohio.

Taeyong: Oregon, just a quaint north west boy not a big city, just small town in Oregon.

Yuta: Las Vegas, Nevada, I don't know why I just see him being from Vegas

Doyoung: Vermont but moves to Massachusetts for school and work. Refuses to go New Jersey.

Kun: Massachusetts, went to Harvard but decided to branch out and go to Yale Law, yes Connecticut was branching out. And he settles down in Connecticut with a psychiatric practice. Moved to New York as an editor for Esquire magazine for a year after Law School though.

Ten: lived in Reno, Nevada for a portion of his childhood and spent his teens in LA. Will never go back to Reno.

Jaehyun: New Jersey, yes he lived in Connecticut but like he has strong New Jersey vibes. Maybe even Rhode Island.

Winwin: Salt Lake City, Utah. A big city in the middle of nowhere is just his energy.

Jungwoo: Laguna Beach, California, he gives strong Orange County vibes. specifically Orange County probably worked in a surf shop.

Mark: Sacramento, California its just somewhere the little brother in a 2000s Disney channel show would be. And that's exactly what Mark is.

Xiaojun: New York, but upstate New York, like Syracuse or Buffalo not a big city but not a small town just right in the middle.

Hendery: Florida, specifically North Florida either Gainesville or Ocala. Maybe Tampa in central Florida. Definitely not South Florida but maybe the Keys. Strong Florida Man vibes.

Renjun: Virginia, somewhere that looks very colonial but also similar to a quaint small town like Stars Hollow in the Gilmore Girls, but there's a slight tinge of southerness, the cusp of the south.

Jeno: Texas, no I will not elaborate he looks like he's from Texas. Definitely not Houston, Austin or Dallas well... maybe Dallas. But for sure Fort Worth or Arlington.

Haechan: Louisiana, I can't explain it something about him just screams Louisiana, not New Orleans though but Baton Rouge.

Jaemin: Hawaii, I can just see him being born and raised in Hawaii and loving it and respecting Hawaii's land and traditions and fitting in so well.

Yangyang: North Carolina , he has strong feral southern energy. Maybe Raleigh but definitely not Charlotte.

Shotaro: Atlanta, Georgia, he is a southern boy, that is all I have to say. Just a sweet southern boy who you want to make cornbread, collard greens, and sweet potato pie for.

Sungchan: Pennsylvania, just look at him. he looks like he'd be from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, lived in the suburbs and goes to Penn State.

Chenle: Washington, DC that's where the president lives, Chenle's the president. But Originally from Fairfax, Virginia and he just moved a little up toward DC.

Jisung: Seattle, Washington, I can just vividly see him in Seattle, it just makes sense for him.