#and to be clear the electric chair thing is exaggeration for effect

[reliabledragon]

It is beyond parody that a 6-year old shot their teacher in Virginia, and the governor responded by saying that the solution was to "pass tougher penalties for crimes committed with guns".

Yeah, I'm sure the other 6-year olds will think twice after you send this one to the electric chair, Youngkin.

[cryysiswritesthings]

Emotional H/C || Draining Reality

Fandom: Inuyasha Rating: Teen and Up Warnings: N/A  Status: Complete  Pairing: KogKag  Summary: Kagome is having a shit day, and Kouga is at a loss of how to help.

Find it On: AO3

Tumblr Tags: #kogkag #inuyasha #hurt/comfort #modern au

“I'm sorry, what? What do you mean I haven't paid my bill?”

“Ma'am I'm looking at your account--”

“So am I. It says right here that I owed the hospital just under five hundred dollars, and now you're trying to tell me I owe them another thousand?”

“Miss Higuarshi, your first bill was for the hospital directly, not for the physicians and MD who took care of you.”

“I only had one physician, actually, and I had to sit around waiting for over five hours for her to come stitch me! And just to make it worse, she chose not to listen when I said she was still causing me pain and then had the nerve to tell me I hadn't said anything! Do the words ‘ow that hurts’ suddenly not mean anything?!”

“Ma'am I understand your frustration--”

“Clearly you don't! And who exactly is this Dr. Kimoto?! Why am I being charged for services by someone who never even saw me?”

“Dr. Kimoto was the attending MD on site Miss Higurashi.”

“And what does that have to do with me?”

“Your PA would have consulted with him about treatment options.”

“If she’s a god damned PA she shouldn’t need a consult on how to stitch someone!”

“Miss Higurashi there's no need to shout.”

“I'm sorry, do you have $1,000 just lying around in your house? Because if you do you are more than welcome to pay for this since I'm not going to!”

“Not paying your bills will result in them being sent to collections and have a negative effect on your credit.”

“I. Do. Not. Care. I'm not paying you people for making me sit around for five hours only to end up causing me even more pain than the cut did in the first place! You want me to pay for the five minutes it took for her to sew me up? Fine! But I'm not paying for hours of sitting around doing nothing, and I'm sure as hell not paying some random doctor who never even saw me!”

“Miss Higurashi there are clear notes in your file from the doctor stating that he saw you.”

“Oh really? Really? Describe him. Tell me what this doctor looked like. Was he the old lady who came in and cleaned out the cut? Or was it the young blonde guy who came in and re-did her work while doing a ten times better job? Or maybe it was the head nurse who came in and told me his name was Raito and to let him know if I had any concerns about my stay.”

“Ma'am, Dr. Kimoto is a middle aged, dark haired male with square glasses and a beard. I'm looking at his photo right now.”

“... You're kidding me. You have got to be kidding me. The random guy who walked into my room, didn't bother to introduce himself, unwrapped my hand and let it bleed for a good minute only to rewrap it and walk out typing on a computer? That guy is Dr. Kimoto, and you want me to pay him?”

“Miss Higurashi, I am sorry about your experience, but bedside manner aside--”

“This has nothing to do with bedside manner! He didn't do anything but make me bleed and you want me to pay him five hundred dollars for it?! Are you crazy?!”

“Ma'am--”

“No, you know what, screw that! Go ahead and send it to collections, and when your people write it off for their tax breaks, I'll be calling my lawyer and suing you and the hospital for personal and emotional damages. Good bye!”

Kagome Higurashi slammed the phone into its receiver and screamed her frustration into her hands. What kind of crap was this?

"So," her head shot up, staring at the tanned male leaning against her door frame. "That sounded like absolute hell."

"You have no idea," the girl groaned, dropping her head to her arms. She didn't bother looking up at the sound of the door closing, or at the ruffle of moving blinds. Folders dropped to her desk blew a gust of wind over her hair.

It was the warm hands on her shoulders that made her tense, the slow circles drawn over her back only making it worse.

“Kouga, now is really not a good time.”

“Kagome…”

“Please, not now.” He only wanted to help, she knew that, but her agitation wasn’t doing him any favors. “You’re trying to be sweet, but I’m in a horrible mood right now and the last thing I want is to accidentally take it out on you.”

Much as he wanted to argue, Kouga knew better than to stick around when she asked him not too. But that didn’t mean he liked the thought of leaving her alone. “Do you still want to come over tonight? I can pick something up.”

“I’ll call you and let you know?” She dug her teeth into her lower lip, back a line of tension.

He swallowed back a sigh, squeezing her shoulders once and releasing her. “Sure. Just let me know.”

Some of the stiffness in her spine relaxed, though it wasn’t much. Better than nothing though.

Knowing her well enough by now, he wasn’t going to wait for her answer. He allowed himself one brief, barely felt kiss to the back of her head, and saw himself out, locking the door behind him.

Relief was a balm against the pounding thrum in her body, but it didn’t last long. It was dark with her head down, but the room was too quiet. A stilled silence. If she didn’t do something, it was going to drive her mad.

Wincing as she lifted her head, Kagome gave her eyes a moment to adjust. The cord of her desk lamp rattled as she pulled it, shining on the wood with a soft, incandescent glow. The buzz from the electricity flowing through the bulb helped some, but it wouldn’t be enough.

She stood to flick the switch for the office light, casting the room with a warm, sheltering darkness. The desk lamp gave off just enough light to allow her to work, and when she retook her chair she pulled up the display settings for her computer.

A few adjustments tinted the screen, removing the harsh edge of its light. Satisfied, she pulled up a playlist of soft rock on her phone, setting the volume on low. Loud enough to make out the words if she wanted, but still able to fade into the background.

Perfect.

Her closed office door meant she wouldn’t be disturbed, and the click of her pen helped her focus on the work in front of her.

~

Kouga hadn’t seen his lover emerge from her office since he’d left her, and the worry was starting to gnaw. He’d watched her lights dim, and between the blinds he could see the gleam of her lamp’s yellow bulb. He could already picture it; leaning back in her leather chair, the warm light making her skin glow. The first few buttons of her blouse undone, exposing the warm skin of her throat. It wouldn’t take much to slide her skirt up--

Jesus Christ, he needed to get a hold on his damn libido. Friday’s were supposed to be the start of their weekly date night, leading up to a glorious weekend tumbling between the sheets. Thanks to the bastards at the hospital, he’d be lucky if she came over at all.

He might have to make a run down there and throttle someone.

But that wasn’t Kouga’s main concern right now. Claws tapped a rhythm on his plastic desk, trying to stop his frequent glancing at her door. How could he make this better?

Huffing a growl, a ‘ping’ from his computer told him he’d been messaged. Seeing who it was made him roll his eyes.

M.Bong: My friend, I am in dire need of help.

K.Wolf: What have you done now?

There was a stream of denials of any wrong-doing. Not bothering to try and insist otherwise, he interrupted the human male mid triad.

K.Wolf: Miroku I’m busy. What do you want?

Blue dots bounced while the other male typed. Kouga quirked a brow, unhelpfully amused as they disappeared and reappeared while Miroku debated his response.

M.Bong: It seems I have managed to incur Sango’s ire. I was wondering if perhaps you could ask Kagome to speak to her on my behalf.

K.Wolf: Absolutely not. Fix your own screw ups.

M.Bong: But it was all a misunderstanding! She simply walked in at an inopportune moment!

K.Wolf: Uh-huh. And does this ‘inopportune moment’ have a name?

M.Bong: Koharu, but that is hardly the point. I’m innocent!

K.Wolf: Sure you are.

M.Bong: I mean it Kouga! Koharu’s been after me for months, she refuses to back off! She’s almost as bad as Ayame was!

The thought of all the things his ex-stalker was capable of made him wince in sympathy.

K.Wolf: You sure you’re not just exaggerating?

M.Bong: She left lingerie in my desk drawer for Sango to find last week. What do you think?

… Holy shit.

M.Bong: I know I’m a womanizer, but I am not a cheat. I would never do that to Sango. She’s my everything.

M.Bong: And it’s not that she’s really frustrated with me personally, it’s the situation. We’ve gone to HR and they’ve promised to handle it, but that doesn’t help her feel better about it now and I don’t know what I can do to help.

That was a feeling he knew intimately. Kagome’s door pulled at him, heart clenching in his chest. Dammit all, he wanted to fix it but that wasn’t…

Wait a minute.

He was suddenly reminded of the conversation they’d had a few weeks ago. About guys always wanting to give solutions when a girl just needed to vent.

Clearly that wasn’t going to happen right now with Kagome feeling the way she was, but… That didn’t mean there wasn’t another way to help. Kagome had a gift for always knowing how to help someone feel better after a bad day, and they tended to revolve around the same thing. So maybe if he did for her what she did for him…

Kouga grinned.

K.Wolf: I think I’ve got an idea.

~

The quiet tinkling of her phone’s alarm pulled Kagome from her task. Blue orbs flicked back and forth across the room. Nothing was out of place.

Sucking in a shallow breath through her nose, Kagome linked her hands behind her back, stretching them above her head. Pops bubbled and burst through her spine, the stretch of muscles making her yawn. She’d been sitting in the same position too long.

Her sighed turned into another yawn, making her eyes water. Wiping them briefly, she started gathering her work together. While she’d gotten a head start on all of her upcoming projects, the hanging organizer on her door was bound to be filled with more. The office would be closed for the weekend, so she’d have to take it all home.

Chairs scraped linoleum floors, signaling the real end of the work day. And reminding her that she hadn’t spoken to Kouga since she’d asked him to leave.

Rising from her chair, Kagome slipped around her desk and peeked through the blinds. Kouga was still sitting at his desk, pen tapping rhythmically in agitation as he glanced repeatedly at his phone. Her poor wolf. She knew all he wanted to do was help, and her silence was only making him worry about her.

But she still wasn’t feeling like herself. Conversation was on the very bottom of the list of things she needed, and he’d want to talk about it and see how he could fix things. She didn’t honestly think she could handle it right now. Still…

Kagome looked back at the room, hugging herself. If Kouga was willing to… ugh, it sounded so selfish just thinking about it. How rude would it be to ask him to leave her alone while she was in his house ? She may as well not even bother going.

She missed him though. And she wouldn’t mind the company.

Biting her lip, she gave her arms one last squeeze and headed for the door. Nerves danced along her skin; she didn’t want to be out there right now. There were too many people, the fluorescent bulbs would be too bright, and the noises didn’t even bear thinking about.

But Kouga was waiting, so she was going to deal with it

She struggled briefly with the knob, kicking herself when she remembered he’d locked it on his way out. Embarrassment tinted her cheeks pink, but not enough to keep her from cracking her door to peek out at the floor.

Kouga looked away half a second too late. Even if she hadn’t seen it, the subtle lines of tension in his body would have given him away. She’d always been able to read him like a book.

Wetting her lips, Kagome slipped from her office, offering brief smiles to those passing. A break in the crowd let her make her way towards him; he was already standing by the time she reached him.

She stepped into his open arms, burying her face in his button down shirt. Large, warm hands moved slowly up and down her spine, and a soothing rumble hummed in his chest. She was letting him comfort her, and he was going to take full advantage.

She was so lucky to have him.

She made to pull back, but one of Kouga’s hands cupped the back of her head, keeping her there. Voices grew in volume as they chattered aimlessly, moving slowly down the hall and away from them. She was so, so grateful; even with the little things, he was still looking for ways to help her feel better.

Flushed and pleased, she turned just enough to leave a light kiss over his heart.

“How are you feeling?”

“Only a little better. Still not great.” Her fingers curled around the fabric of his shirt, clinging to him.

Her wolf dropped a kiss to her head, humming in thought. “How can I help?”

Kagome bit her lip, nervous though she knew there was no reason to be. Kouga could be ridiculously understanding when he wanted to be.

“I was thinking… I do want to come over tonight, if that’s okay.” She giggled quietly when he scoffed. “I just… I don’t really feel like talking much. At all, really.”

“But you still want to stay the night?”

“Mm-hmm.” She tilted her head up, searching his face worriedly. “Would that be okay?”

Cupping her cheek, he kissed her, lips soft against her own.

“Absolutely.”

~

When Kagome had left the office to head home and pack, Kouga booked it to his car and headed home. He finished a call on the way there, taking the steps two at a time to get to his apartment. He could have just taken the elevator, but the quick workout helped him clear his head.

Jacket hung and briefcase tossed to the side, he spent the next hour cleaning up his apartment. Dishes were done, floors vacuumed or swept, sheets on the bed changed, laundry started, fridge emptied of its few expired foods, trash taken out…

Standing back to admire his work, Kouga smirked. Perfect. Kagome would be around in another half hour or so, so he’d make sure to turn the radio on before she got there. Now all he needed was a shower and they’d be set for the night.

Kouga was in and out of the shower, drying off completely and tugging on some lounge pants before doing one last sweep of the place. He flicked the radio on as he entered the kitchen, pulling down some bowls and plates from the cabinet. He left them on the counter for now, fingers tapping impatiently against his sides. What else, what else… there had to be something he was missing…

It was the sunset that made him think of it. Lighting, that was what he was forgetting!

He flicked off the main switches, turning on lamps to illuminate the living room in their place. The kitchen light was more fluorescent than yellow, but Kagome likely wouldn’t be spending any time there. Not if he had anything to say about it.

As a passing thought, Kouga grabbed some pillows from his bed and threw them on the couch. Kagome’s favorite blanket he hung over its back, along with an extra comforter for himself. AC turned down was a little manipulative, but it might make her more willing to cuddle too…

The lock on his door turned while he was debating, the open door blowing Kagome's scent sweetly under his nose. She wore her favorite pair of sleeping shorts and overly large t-shirt, soft from years of use. She’d come dressed for comfort, slipping her flats off and dropping her overnight bag by the door.

She looked a little worn even freshly showered. Rather than say hello, Kouga simply held his arms open, closing them around her when she stepped into his embrace. Her sigh of happiness was a line of warm air across his chest, and kissed the top of her head, breathing her in.

They stayed that way for a while, Kouga holding her, Kagome allowing herself to be held. She was glad she’d made the decision to come over and see him. He wasn't pressing her to explain, wasn't trying to make her talk when she didn't want to. They stood quietly together, existing in each other's presence. It was exactly what she needed.

Kagome’s peace was interrupted by a chime from her wolf's phone. Pouting when he pulled it out, she snuggled more tightly against his chest, only making him laugh at her antics.

He released her with another kiss to the crown of her head and headed for the door. Curious, but unwilling to follow, she collapsed onto his couch, tugging the blanket over her head. She really should be getting started on the work she’d brought with her.

Only half listening, Kagome followed the sound of Kouga’s movement throughout his apartment. The slap of feet against tile made her look up curiously, peeking around the back of the chair to peer at the entryway of Kouga’s kitchen. Something smelled delicious. He’d had food delivered?

She made to sit up and stand, feeling nosey. Apparently he was paying more attention than she'd thought, because he poked his head out of the kitchen.

"Sit, you," Kouga told her, only half joking. "I'll be out in a sec."

"But--"

"Stay." Her huff was answered with a fangy grin, and he got back to work.

Sighing, Kagome let him finish… whatever he was doing. She arranged the blanket and comforter, shifting things around for them to be comfortable. The clinking of plates and silverware still kept distracting her, but she stayed settled on the couch. He was being secretive, but she'd find out soon enough.

Feet on the tile turned to padding on the carpet. Kouga was in front of her only a moment later, a glass of wine and a bottle of beer held in one hand with two plates balanced on his other arm.

“Kouga!”

“Ah! Sit.” His tone was disapproving as she made to stand. “I am more than capable of carrying a few plates.”

“I still could have helped.”

“Yes you could have, which would have defeated the point of me carrying them.” He wanted to kiss that annoyed pout right off her lips, but one wrong move and he’d drop everything. Better to stay focused.

She watched curiously as he first set the drinks down, wondering at the food on his plates. She was only half paying attention to him when she handed him a pillow to sit on as he sat across from her.

She didn’t have to look at him to know he was silently laughing at her, intent as she was on the dish in front of her. Why did… It hit her like a sack of bricks, and she looked up in dazed surprise.

“You ordered from Marrow’s.”

His smile was pleased. “I did.”

“They took this off their menu.”

“They did.”

“But you got it for me?”

“Looks like it.”

When she looked up from her plate, her smile was grateful, if a bit watery. “How…”

“I learned from the best.” Kouga’s eyes softened, and he covered her hand with his. Nerves whispered down his throat, worried but hopeful. “Did… does this help? I know it’s not an instant fix, but it works whenever you do it for me, so I thought, maybe…”

“It does.” Kagome’s sniffle was quiet, wiping at her eyes and releasing his hand to crawl over to his side of the table and into his lap. Her arms circled his neck and his her waist, hugging her to his chest. “It really, really does.”

A relieved sigh emptied his lungs, his grip around her tightening with gratitude. “I tried to set up the apartment a bit. To help, I mean.” Cupping her cheek, he pressed his forehead to hers. “I think I got it all, but if I messed up somewhere I can fix it.”

Frankly, it hadn’t really hit her why walking into Kouga’s apartment had relaxed her so completely. She turned now, taking the time to fully look around and see what he’d done. The dimmed lighting, the radio quietly playing, even the blankets and pillows. He’d turned his apartment into a haven for her to settle herself in.

New tears brimmed her eyes, and Kagome captured his lips with hers, kissing him with a smile. “What did I ever do to deserve you?”

His thumb lingered over the soft skin of her cheek, sky-blue orbs gentle and loving. “I think somewhere along the way you might have agreed to marry me.”

Kagome leaned into his touch, warmth seeping into her heart. Her fingers closed lightly over his wrist, and her other hand pulled the thin silver chain hidden under her shirt into the open. On it hung a simple, elegant ring. “I did, didn’t it?”

“Mhm.” He brushed a kiss to her forehead, nuzzling her lightly. “Means you get all the perks of having me for a future husband.” Her laugh soothed the last of his worries. “The laughter’s free.”

“You’re too sweet to me,” she said with a sigh, laying her head against his chest.

“Nah.” Kissing the crown of her head, he pulled her plate over to his side, spearing one of her shrimp and holding it to her lips. “When it comes to you there’s no such thing.”

Biting her lip didn’t hide her smile, but she opened her mouth, indulging him. “If any of your guy friends heard you say that, they’d call you whipped.”

“I am proud to be whipped, thank you very much.” His fiancee giggled into his chest, so he took a bite of his own food.

“Think you can handle the teasing?”

Snorting, he held a bite of her food out for her. “They can tease me about it all they want. Doesn’t make it any less true. Hell,” Kouga’s lips quirked in a grin. “I’ll take whatever they want to dish out. Me being whipped just proves how much I love you.”

His woman shifted in his arms and pressed her lips softly to the underside of his jaw. The submissive gesture made his chest rumble in pleasure, and he tilted her head up so he could properly kiss her. Her eyes were soft as they parted, so he stole one more kiss, brushing his nose with hers.

“Now then.” Kouga’s lips quirked in a playful smile, holding out another forkful of food. “Think you love me enough to let me feed you?”

“Hmm,” Pretending to think about it, Kagome tapped her chin thoughtfully even as she settled back into his chest. “I’ll allow it.”

Snorting a laugh, he let his fingers dance briefly against her side, making her laugh. “Such an honor, Your Majesty.”

“You know it.”

They sat that way for a while, Kagome with her back to his chest, and Kouga alternating between feeding the two of them. Her glass of wine was untouched, his beer warming the longer it sat.

“Kouga?” He hummed, letting her know he’d heard her. “I love you.”

Smiling, Kouga hugged the love of his life to his chest. “Kagome?”

“Hm?”

“I love you too.”

[okimargarvez]

EASE THE TENSION

Original title: Rilasciare la tensione.

Prompt: Luke and Penelope flirt, but it’s not enough for him.

Warning: smut, post 15x7.

Genre: romantic.

Characters: Luke Alvez, Penelope Garcia.

Pairing: Garvez.

Note: oneshot 72 in Garvez collection.

Legend: 💑😘😈.

Song mentioned: In bagno in aeroporto, Tiziano Ferro.

GARVEZ STORIES

EASE THE TENSION

 Countdown of a love... three... two... one... yessa!

Luke greets the others a little too hastily. He has listened absently to the conversation between JJ, Reid and Rossi about the paths not taken. But this isn’t the reason for his subsequent actions. All this starts from much further away; for not exaggerate, from the moment she had threatened to call him newbie again; and it hadn't been difficult to understand that it wouldn't bother him... on the contrary.

He gets off the jet and walks quickly on his long, athletic legs. Usually he waits for his colleagues, jokes with Tara, or rather, he undergoes her jokes without complaining, he smirks and laughs but nothing more. But in a completely different way than he does with Garcia. He realizes it during that short journey to the BAU entrance. It has always been a separate situation. Just as he has never been the kind of man who flirts with a colleague, before. In front of other people, then?

It is now clear that he seems to have lost his mind. Surely Matt and Dr. Lewis will have thought this. They reached a new level, or rather, it was he who crossed another threshold. However, it is still too little. And he doesn’t feel an unconscious madman at all, while he walks confident along the stairs, at least four flights. He could never invoke mental illness. He is perfectly aware of his actions and intentions. Even if he didn't think too much about it, as he used to do. Eviscerate every single sentence, nuance.

She had seen him with the eyes of the mind (and love). She knew he was smiling, though she had no way of verifying it in person. And he hadn't made a single sound, hadn't given her any clues. If this wasn’t a connection... what else could it be? And her reproach, combined with the fact that she had called him by his full name (the first time, he was almost sure), had only increased his desire to smile.

Penelope liked to play with fire; she always did it, not only with him, unfortunately. Over the past four years, he had listened to a lot of anecdotes about her jokes, about her even flirting with Hotch and ending up embarrassed herself with ex-section chief Erin Strauss. With him, however, there was something more. It wasn't just him who wanted to convince himself. It wasn't just male pride at work. In the end, something would catch fire with him. And that day had come.

He reaches their floor, continues to march with the same confidence and conviction, which he probably never tried in his life. He places his hand on the handle and lower it, opening the first door, and a second one, a moment later. He doesn’t waste time admiring her in his rainbow dress, which reminds him... Harlequin, one of the most famous masks of Italian theater and carnival. Maybe he is spending too much time with Rossi and Reid. Harlequin- The servant of two masters, his perverted mind suggests to him like a flash. Servant like he proclaimed himself, following her provocation. If he was her servant, she was his queen; there was no doubt about this. And yes, he's been spending too many evenings with them since he and Lisa broke up months ago.

In any case, he doesn't hesitate half a second. Just another absurd thought brushes his mind, while Penelope turns her chair towards the noise that has indicated the entrance of an intruder. We are like Lancelot and Guinevere.

-Luke, what...- she practically has no time to stutter anything deeper. From her expression she seems to have forgotten what happened, but there is no problem. He is here on purpose to bring everything back to memory and add details, so that she can no longer pretend that it was nothing. He doesn’t call her by name or by surname. He doesn’t say a single word. He simply takes those few steps that separate him from her, from her body that sends electric shocks even when she just stands there, with her mouth slightly ajar in amazement. She stands up, but doesn’t walk away from the desk.

It need not be said that it was her fault, that she could have already been at home and all this would never have happened. Because if he hadn't found her in her office, he would have gone to her apartment. And he would ring the bell, regardless of the timetable. Or he would knock the door. He would make her phone ring until she gave in and picked up. And they would have been in exactly the same situation.

He stretches his arms towards her; in Penelope's eyes, everything happens with a slow-motion effect that only makes it more terrifying. She feels like the protagonists of horror films who know they are one step away from death, but continue to stare at the "monster" who is about to rip them. He places his hands on both of her shoulder blades, pushing her in his direction, but simultaneously pressing her against your desk, until she places her butt on the surface, causing the first (but certainly not the last) rain of objects: colored pens with the weirder shapes, puppets of various kinds. She may sense more, but the only thing she feels is the warmth of the man on her.

He looks her in the eyes for less than a second, before moving his hands, in synchrony, to surround her face, in a sort of prolonged caress, no less sensual, which causes chills not only along her back. Her eyelids drop first, quickly followed by the male ones. Luke guides her movements, but Penelope wouldn’t able to say if it was for her or his initiative to slightly lift her chin. And then, it happens.

All the tension accumulated in four years of winking, shameless flirtations in front of the eyes of (not too) shocked colleagues, jokes, nicknames, mutual apprehension for the safety of the other, lies, painstakingly conquered hugs, slow dancing to the limit of humanly understandably, all this tension explodes in a kiss too many times postponed. Luke's mouth presses on hers, but she certainly doesn’t stay inert, doesn’t undergo the act, but becomes an instant active part of this, making use of years of training with boyfriends too distant and unable to understand how much this job is part of what she is. Rings and bracelets jingle when Penelope sticks her fingers in his hair, trying to bring him even closer, aware of the impossibility of the enterprise. The heads of both are spinning as if they were on board one of those rides that you can see in amusement parks. After about two seconds, Luke's tongue pushes to enter and is immediately satisfied.

Despite the fog that surrounds her brain, she can now feel it. Solid, hard, pressed against her thigh, almost completely uncovered, since her skirt has risen by itself by several centimeters.

She closes her eyes and, as if they were tied by threads, he does the same. They have always conducted parallel conversations only with the eyes. A moan of pleasure escapes her and she watches him smile without pulling away, ecstatic, not simply pleased to be the responsible of this noise. Then Luke reads the question she cannot ask, in her mind and eyes. For me? He lightly tickles her on the neck using only his thumbs and he answers her. Who else, if not for you? Overcome this one tiny doubt, the eyelids of both give up again, while the hands advance with a little more resourcefulness, sliding along the entire length of their labored and sweaty bodies. Luckily, he remembered to close the door. Both.

She shivers when Luke seems to want to count her ribs one by one and touches the bone of her pelvis, leaning a little more towards her, forcing her to do the same thing. A phosphorescent sphere and a pink remote control are the innocent victims of this act. Neither he nor she stop to see the damage. They conduct the dance alternately, in an almost completely balanced way. Penelope's fingers try to open the buttons of his blue shirt, but they don't find enough space for action, so they choose an alternative way, sliding directly under the fabric, in contact with his skin. Long last. She spreads her hands completely, to feel every single curve, every single millimeter of his abs, of the muscles of his chest, and doesn’t draw back when she encounters traces of his past, more or less recent scars.

Luke moans too, without showing shame for what she causes him, returning the favor, but with a little more dexterity, opening the upper part of her dress, towards heaven, freeing her shoulders and arms, to access her breast more easily. All without practically interrupting the contact between their lips only once. She doesn’t wear any bra, absolutely nothing and this almost causes him to completely lose the horizon. The thought that there was only that thin layer of cloth to separate him from the ecstasy... He remains concentrated on the present, opening his cupped hands and brushing her nipples, already turgid, with the tips of his fingers.

Penelope seems to melt like wax. She pulls her mouth from Luke's and bends her neck, letting out a series of inarticulate exclamations. Only then the man realizes that he is in a strong oxygen debt. He tries to fix her as best he can, because he doesn't want her to get cold or get sick and he helps her get back on her feet, then pushes her against him again, in a sort of strange embrace. He squeezes her, staying in total silence until both of their breaths turn regular.

Penelope sits on her desk, dropping a particular object, black and white, of which Sergio may be jealous, but neither of them notices. She gives him a little smile, red cheeks on her pale face. -What do I owe this?- she asks. He tries to be a good boy and focus his attention on something other than her badly buttoned suit (his fault). Witness of what just happened.

Luke had expected much worse, so he returns the smile without any problem. -It is the consequence of all the sexual tension accumulated in four years.- he answers with honesty and even candor. Perhaps this is precisely what upsets her most. She blinks more than once, runs her tongue over her lips. And she feels his taste. And his scent of woods on her, on her skin.

-Sexual tension?- she asks. But she has tangible proof of this in the unidentified object that continues to press against her thigh. Someone really needs a cold shower. Or maybe not.

Luke chuckles, stroking her arm in an equally erotic way. -Exactly. Are you going to repeat everything I say?- nothing more than a provocation, one of their one, which taken out of context might even seem innocent. But it is not, and both know it.

Fire burns in Penelope's dark eyes. She lets time pass; she enjoys the waiting. The pauses have never been meaningless, between them. And she gives him another smile, not sweet, but exclusively mischievous. The same smile that he is ready to swear will have painted her lips even a few hours earlier, while she believed she had put him in trouble with that joke. -What if I do it?- she is playing the part of the bad girl, the rebel. But she is simultaneously his queen and his best friend, his red-light desire and the woman he would like to turn into his wife. She is everything.

He shrugs. -Nothing.- he plays her game, that has never belonged only to Garcia. How many times had he started first, how many times had he not given up? How many times she had forced him to behave unprofessionally and in front of eyewitnesses? She challenges him with her eyes and he accepts, capturing her lips in a series of short but not less hot kisses. She kisses him back with the same passion. -You provoked me already when we were discussing the case on the jet.- but Penelope knows he's just flirting, on an advanced level. Just their way.

She can’t do less. -Is it my fault if you like to be called Newbie?- she observes with satisfaction that grimace peeking over the man's mouth in hearing that nickname. They both missed it, even if he is no longer, has never been and will never be just the Newbie, for her.

And he knows it. And awareness makes an immense difference. He nods, admitting that she's right. -But only for you.- Penelope smirks, then wraps her arms around his neck and drags him toward her. How can he be so much taller than she is? His shoes are flat and she wears high heels! Luke certainly doesn’t back down, instantly returning the new kiss, but letting her dominate the situation a little more.

She stays with her forehead resting on the male forehead. -You know that I flirt with everyone and always in an innocent way.- she continues to provoke him, but this time there is something more besides malice and flames. There is a small shadow, something that tries to obscure their joy.

Despite the high testosterone levels, the man captures every nuance. -Not with me. It doesn't work with me. It's different with me.- for every short sentence he leaves a trail of kisses on her neck and on every exposed area of her body. -Am I wrong?- he watches her bite her lips, in an attempt to remain focused.

Not for this he stops kissing her and touching her. -How... how can I answer you while you are...- he runs along her legs and focuses on the inner thigh. Penelope opens her eyes suddenly. -Oooh, Luke.- she moans, fully surrendering, at his mercy. But now that worm has begun to dig into the mind of the Latin agent.

One of the thousand obstacles that have always stopped him from carrying out a work of conquest towards the computer technician, is exactly his fear. And hers, which he saw reflected in her eyes, even if just for a few seconds, before it was again masked by lust. -Are you not going to deny that you feel something for me?- he asks then, why sooner or later this point will have to be addressed. And as much as he wants to be inside her, he's not here just for sex. She doesn't answer him, but probably it's his fault, of his fingers that have not ceased to caress her legs and every now and then they go a little too far. -Or to run away and tomorrow pretend that tonight never happened?- he knows that he is pushing his luck, suggesting her exactly an escape route, but he needs to know that she is really his, as the same way he belongs to her. Penelope swallows and looks him in the eye. His hands stop. She is serious. She barely shakes her head, although she trembles slightly. Other tension flies away from the man's body. -Penelope Garcia, you are still able to surprise me.- she smiles and he does the same. They kiss with the same passion as the first time, but with one more ingredient. For all the times they have made love with the eyes, conducted conversations with the eyes, now they just exchanged the sincerest "I love you" that have ever been unpronounced.

Penelope pinches him, leaves superficial and not entirely voluntary scratches on his back; Luke goes much straighter to the point. It's okay that absence sharpens the appetite. But he believes he has waited long enough for this moment. Even too much. His cold fingers come back to play with her thighs, completely pushing aside her skirt and overcoming the obstacle of her panties. He uses his thumb masterfully, touching her clitoris just enough. She seems to try to appease the fire that burns inside her through more aggressive, rough kisses, her fingernails in his scalp. -Do you... do you want to make it in my office?- she manages, she doesn't even know how, to ask him. The fly of his jeans seems about to explode.

For me. For me. For me. She repeats it a few times, to convince herself of it.

-And do you want it too?- he replies with another question. Penelope no longer has time for provocations and flirts. She rubs herself against his groin and looks at him, serious again.

-Right now I only know that I need to feel you inside me.- is what she says. One of her classic jokes, he might think, but they both know it's not just that. Time for recreation space has long since ended. One of those things that only she can say, accompanied by an innocent look. Luke feels an earthquake in his abdomen. It's the Garcia effect. They should have warned him when he joined the team. But he doesn't care much at the moment.

He captures both her wrists, as if she were his prisoner, pulling her towards him. Making her taste a modicum of his strength. And it excites her at stellar levels. -Your wishes will never be rejected, milady.- is the last joke and the last dialogue for the next half hour.

They start kissing again from where they left off, they act in no hurry. Their hands sweep away the few objects that had heroically managed to stay on the desk. He makes her lay, standing for a few seconds, uncomfortably bend, to kiss her, feeling a little like the Prince Charming of Snow White. Or was Cinderella? He has never been good about fairy tales. He reaches her a few moments later, and it is truly incredible how none of the catastrophic hypotheses occur: the poor furniture proves to be able to bear their weight and above all, despite he is not being at all skinny, there seems to be enough space for him. He wonders if when they designed them, they considered this kind of accessory aspects…

Partially moving away, almost sitting, he contemplates her, meditating that this is probably just one of his dreams. One more reason to do everything possible. He raises the skirt of her dress until he discovers the lower part of her body again. She looks at him while he is taking off her panties and, absurd, her gaze is the most erotic thing he has ever seen. He helps her to get up, realizing that she wants to free him of the zipper. He does the same thing, watching the movement of her hand as she pulls the zip down, slowly, maddeningly. An image strikes him as a fragment without context: that same hand that grabs a pink package, containing a collar for Roxy, bringing it a few centimeters closer to him.

They are not comfortable. It is not the ideal place. But somehow, it is the only one, together with the elevator (which in the meantime has been conquered first by Rossi and Krystall and then by Spencer and Max, according to what he overheard) appointed to frame their first time. He lies down on her again, throbbing at the entrance without crossing the threshold, taking revenge for his zippered game. Then Penelope grabs his head abruptly, forcing him to look at her and candidly reads the threat in her dark eyes and through the clouded glasses. Now or never, Alvez.

There is no need for her to beg him concretely. He slips inside her inch by inch, as if it were the only thing, he is capable of doing. She arches her back and screams. These walls are soundproofed, right? But it ceases to matter when he realizes that what she's screaming is his name. He soon joins her, creating a new litany made up of moans and half-names.

They alternate kisses and pushes, postponing the moment of reaching the complete ecstasy at least five times, since neither of them wants this moment to end, because this is worth it, it repays them for all the nights spent without being able to sleep, for the unwarranted jealousies, for the cries, for the sparks extinguished just a moment before the outbreak.

He understands too late that they have not used any kind of precaution, and he is certainly not worried about sexually transmitted diseases. With all the medical tests that the Bureau obliges them to take! Nor does it seem appropriate to ask her if she takes the pill or some type of contraceptive. Not now, not tonight. All will be as it should be. Because she is his destiny. And he never believed in this kind of bullshit, before.

They stay panting, looking at each other. For the first five minutes Luke lives at the mercy of the fear that she is about to contradict herself and to drive him out. To feel her partially naked body stiffen at the moment of refusal. Penelope instead seems to look at him with... shyness. He forces himself to get off the desk. His knees thank him. As a true cavalier, he helps his Guinevere to do the same. She thanks him with a sweet smile.

They arrange their clothes, but anyone who saw them might easy understand what happened. Let them understand. Emily wouldn't report them to the Director, or to the Internal Affairs, she wouldn't do it, not now that Andrew has sweetened her a little. When everything is settled, their eyes end up in the same place. The floor is covered with objects. She starts to bend down, but he prevents her from doing it in her place and he passes her beloved amulets against the darkness of their cases. And of the outside world. -Are you not afraid that now that the tension has been released, the spark has gone out?- he would like to punch himself. Why must he always try to demolish his happiness?

Penelope grasps the man's big hand, who squeezes (but it's just a coincidence) an anti-stress kitten, that falls back to the ground, when their fingers intertwine. -Oh, I wish I could feel more fear, really, but I can’t.- she shrugs, almost this was a bad thing. They chuckle, in complicity. -And you? - he does not let the slightest uncertainty touch her heart.

-Never had half a doubt.- he whispers, with a firm tone. They finish tidying up her office. He helps her wear her coat and she looks at him, still talking to him with her eyes. Look, I could also get used to this kind of treatment. He answers her the same way. And you should do it. -Shall we go to my house?- he proposes, while she enters the security code outside her office. They were late. Nobody in sight. He strokes her back. When she has finished, she turns to him and raises an eyebrow. -To sleep, I mean.- he adds. -I think that I could be satisfied for tonight...- Penelope drags him against her warm body and her lips which have preserved his perfume. -Or maybe not.-

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[auroreswritings]

Aaaaaaaand here comes the last entry for the Dazatsu Halloween event! It’s a little late because life, and stuff, you know, but it’s finally done! Hope you like it, it’s a light piece to finish the week on a cute note! (Can you tell I’m a big scaredy-cat and just CANNOT DEAL with horror stuff? haha)

I would like to thank the mods who made this event possible, Cherish, Datura and Mango, thank you soooo much, I had so much fun writing all these stories! It got me out of my writing comfoort zone and made me explore genres or themes I probably wouldn’t have explored on my own. Thank you!!

Now that I’m done, I’ll be reading through all the other works submitted and enjoy eveyone’s hard work!

Find this on A03.

Demon in the Dark

              The Armed Detective Agency was as busy as ever, but for once, the detectives were not drowning in paperwork. Halloween was approaching and they had decided to host a costume party. All the staff was invited of course, as well as notable clients and other officials who had worked with the agency before. The office had been entirely decorated for the occasion, ghosts and bats hanging here and there, pumpkins and spiders adorning desks and walls; even a bloody trail had been drawn on the floor of the corridor, leading the way from the elevator to the office’s door. As evening was approaching, the detectives were making sure it was all perfect, dusting a shelf here and there or adjusting a decoration on a desk. Food and drinks would be served at the arrival of the first guests. They had spent the day cooking and baking, preparing all sorts of savory and sweet appetizers and cookies: pumpkin tarts, tiny spider-shaped rice balls, cupcakes topped with orange or white buttercream, cinnamon-flavored ghost cookies and other deliciously evil dishes were patiently waiting to be eaten. Several cocktails, with and without alcohol, had been mixed up, ready to be served in massive punch bowls. Some even had lychees filled with cherries floating in them, mimicking a soup made of eyes floating in blood.

              All the detectives had dressed up with their best costumes: Kunikida had put extra care in his vampire costume, even bringing a huge coffin to the office, Kyouka was posing as a puppet master, walking around with a stuffed rabbit wearing a dress similar to hers, Rampo was dressed as a witch, massive bag of candies attached to his broom, the Tanizaki siblings were impersonating the monster of Frankenstein and its wife, Yosano was a spider queen, black dress gracefully undulating around her, Kenji had a forest spirit costume on, with moss and leaves hanging from his little antlers, Dazai was wearing the long cape of a reaper and swinging around a giant scythe, and Atsushi had become a mummy, bandages usually reserved for Dazai now dangling around him, sometimes dangerously getting caught around his feet. Even Fukuzawa had dressed up, impersonating what looked like a vampire hunter, having traded his usual kimono for a more Western-looking outfit.

              The first guests arrived with nightfall, and soon the office was filled with animated conversations, loud laughter and the sound of clinging glasses. Music was playing in the background, keeping all the costumed guests entertained. Candles had been put around, giving the room a somehow mystic atmosphere despite the electric lights shining above heads. Most of the detectives were delighting the guests with conversations of past cases. Most of them, because Atsushi was just awkwardly standing in a corner, not really sure how to approach the important people filling up the room. As he was new to the agency, he didn’t have much to talk about and was a little intimidated by the fantastic stories his colleagues were narrating. Kenji, who had noticed him from the buffet, approached him with a sweet smile.

              “-Atsushi, why are you alone here? You should go and talk to people, it will be fun!

              -But I don’t know what to tell them!

              -Don’t worry about it. You can just join in one of the others’ conversations, I’m sure you will find some interesting things to say!” The teenager tried to reassure him, pointing to a small crowd that had gathered around Dazai.

              Taking the hint, Atsushi left his corner and walked to his mentor, who was extravagantly retelling their last investigation, clearly including exaggerated details here and there. His scythe was only adding to the dramatic effects in his storytelling. The people around him were holding their breath, hanging to his every words, relishing in the nerve wrecking stories. Atsushi blended in the group, amused by Dazai’s manners. The older man’s gaze fell on him, and with a wide flailing of his arms, he wrapped himself around the tiger, continuing his story.

            “-Atsushi! This young kid, here! He was so brave! Oh, you should have seen it, my belladonna!” he reached for one of the women’s hand, who blushed and giggled at the gesture, “He ran to the villain head on, not caring for anything else but MY LIFE, and tackled him to the floor, restraining his moves so he couldn’t touch me anymore. I wouldn’t be here to tell this story if it wasn’t for him!” He rubbed his knuckles against the weretiger’s head, ruffling his hair playfully.

             The young man didn’t remember any of these things but he smiled as people were praising him, humbly accepting the kind words. Dazai kept with his tale, sometimes coaxing Atsushi into agreeing to a weird detail here and there, although most of them were obvious lies. The tiger was slowly getting more comfortable with the crowd, easing up into his own conversations. Dazai was glancing at him from time to time, happy to see his junior gaining confidence.

              Suddenly, the lights flickered a couple times. A few people around the room joked about a ghost or spirit roaming the building, others were laughing nervously. Atsushi looked around, a little anxious. Nothing happened in the following minutes, and everybody went back to what they were doing. The tiger, still tensed, engaged in a conversation with a client he had met a few months back. After about ten minutes however, the lights turned off completely. The only light left was the ominous glow of the candles casting long shadows against the walls. Silence had fallen around the room, people not daring to make too much noise. A few nervous whispers were running around the crowd.

              “-I will check the electricity panel, everyone stay put!” Kunikida’s voice flew up from a corner of the office, and soon he passed through the crowd with a candle in his hand, walking out the find the source of the problem.

              Atsushi could feel his nervousness grow. As much as he liked Halloween and other spooky things, it still made him a little jittery to think about ghosts and haunting spirits. He suddenly felt a cold breeze blowing against his neck. A high pitched shriek escaped him before he could stop it.

              “-Aren’t you a little jumpy, my dear Atsushi?” Dazai voice was whispering right in his ear; the weretiger could sense the mocking smirk gracing the man’s face.

              “-D-D-Dazai! That’s not funny!” Atsushi rubbed his neck, trying to erase the uncomfortable feeling creeping up his skin.

              “-But I find it extremely amusing.” His voice was teasing, tone a little darker than usual.

              Atsushi’s body stiffed at the words. Dazai was up to something, and he was going to be his victim, he was sure of it. Just as the thought crossed his mind, he felt the man’s hands on his shoulders, making him jump a little. Dazai’s fingers were trailing up to Atsushi’s throat, tugging at the bandages. As he was about to rebuke his mentor, the lights turned on again, blinding everybody around. The weight of Dazai’s hands lifted from his shoulders, and he clearly heard a frustrated sight behind him. Turning around, he saw his mentor running towards the tall blond who was entering the office again.

              “-Kunikida! You saved us! I was so scared; I thought a demon was going to attack me in the dark!

              -Shut it, Dazai!”

              Atsushi couldn’t help but scoff at the remark. A demon in the dark, he was one to talk! The party went back in full swing. The tiger tried to forget about Dazai and immersed himself in the festive atmosphere again, enjoying the food and entertaining the guests.

              Eventually, as night progressed, the office emptied out, people returning home after having enjoyed the thrilling stories and filled their bellies to the brim. Soon enough, only the detectives were left, a little drained from all the socializing. Kenji and Kyouka had fallen asleep on the sofa, Rampo was sprawling on a chair, rubbing his candy-filled stomach. The siblings had just left and Kunikida was already clearing up his desk, while Yosano and Fukuzawa were putting the remaining food and drinks away in the fridge. Dazai was sitting at his desk, lost in thoughts and Atsushi was nibbling on one of the last cookies he had found. Everybody had fun and clients and officials had assured they would ask for the agency’s services in the future when needed. It had been a successful night.

              The detectives eventually left the building, leaving Atsushi to close everything. He had stayed behind to swipe the floor a little; they would have a big cleaning day tomorrow, but he had still wanted to get most of the crumbs away before leaving to avoid having any crawling visitors during the night. After he was done with his broom, he checked around the office one last time to make sure no food had been left behind and turned the lights off. As he was about to close the door, a strange noise made his whole body tense. All his senses were alert. A soft scratching sound was resonating through the corridor, as though mice were digging their way through a wall. Atsushi tried to ignore it and closed the office entrance. He put the key in its hole and as he turned it, the sound intensified, getting closer to him. Loud steps were now resonating through the hall as well. Atsushi took a step away from the door as silently as possible. His heart was beating uncontrollably, filling his ears with its frantic pumping. He raised a hand to his chest, clutching the bandages of his costume, hoping whatever was in the room wouldn’t hear the fear inside of him. A small whisper suddenly echoed:

              “-Atsushi! I know what you’ve done!” The tiger jumped at the sound. What had he done? His heart started pumping faster, his breathing getting shallower. He tried to reach the elevator, the only light helping him the faint one of the emergency exit sign. The scratching intensified, and the voice started again:

              “-Atsushiiiiii! I know what happened! You will be punished for your wrong doing!” Fear made Atsushi’s legs a little wobbly, and as he tried to step back some more, his feet got caught in one of the dangling bandages and he fell back to the floor. He let out a small cry, pain and panic mixing together in his voice. He crawled back a little but was soon stopped by something pulling at the bandages around his legs. The voice, louder than earlier, rose through the air once more, sending horrible shivers down Atsushi’s spine:

              “-Atsushi! You have abandoned me! You will pay for this!” The poor man’s mind was filling up with incoherent thoughts, trying to understand what was happening.

              He tried to crawl back again but his legs were still stuck. Was he going to die here tonight? As the dreadful thought took over his mind, the lights went on, revealing the tall silhouette of the Reaper standing in front of him, large scythe glistening under the electric light. A loud scream escaped Atsushi’s lips. This was it, this was the end. A sudden clear, happy laugh filled the corridor, stunning Atsushi for a second. The Reaper took its hoodie off, revealing a cackling Dazai, tears almost running from his eyes. Realization soon hit the weretiger and he tried to get up without success, bandages still stuck under his mentor’s feet.

              “-Dazai! Stop it already, this is not funny! I was so scared!” The man moved away from him, freeing his legs, but kept on laughing, unable to stop himself.

              “-A-A-Atsushi! You should have seen yo-your face!” he managed to let out between giggles.

              The younger man huffed, his heart and breathing slowly coming back to normal. Now that fear had washed out of him, he was slowly getting pissed. He couldn’t believe Dazai had played such a trick on him. He knew the man had something planned, but still, this was actually pretty mean. Atsushi gave an annoyed look to his mentor and turned around, deciding to take the stairs instead of the elevator. As he stomped down, he heard Dazai call his name. He didn’t stop until he reached the door downstairs. Running steps were coming towards him.

              “-Atsushi, wait!” Dazai quickly reached him and stopped him from opening the front door. “I probably shouldn’t have gone all out like this, but you’re so cute when you’re scared. It’s Halloween after all, I just wanted to mess with you a little.

              -I know, Dazai, but still, that was mean! I can’t believe you waited for me just pull this out!” Atsushi turned around to face him, accusing look in his eyes.

              “-Actually, I didn’t really wait for you, you almost locked me in the building.” A smirk appeared on his face.

              “-Wait, is that what you meant by ‘abandoning you’? Seriously…” Atsushi let out an exasperated sigh, hints of a smile tugging at his lips. He couldn’t remember seeing Dazai leave but hadn’t seen him in a while so he obviously concluded the man had left and was going to close the front door without checking the toilets or anything, which would have successfully locked the man in for the night. He looked up at Dazai, his mischievous look infecting him right away and making him smile back.

              “-Okay, maybe I deserved a little scolding. But all that… That was too much.

              -I’m sorry, Atsushi. But as I said before, you look adorable when you’re scared, I couldn’t help it.” The young man blushed at the words, gazing at the floor, smile still gracing his lips.

              Dazai patted his head softly then walked past him, holding the door for his flustered junior to walk out. He knew Atsushi couldn’t stay mad at him for too long. He had been lucky to see his cute scared face tonight but, most importantly, the look of relief he liked to see on his features so much. It had really been a successful night.

[rtfmp2021]

Rhonan McGarry

Rhonan McGarry is a digital artist from Scotland who uses comics, sci-fi, pop art and surrealism to inspire his work. He has a series of artworks named 'The Boys in the Lab', in which you will consistently see two small men figures in each piece. I think the concept is intriguingly strange, but in a minimal and simple way so it's clear. The bold colour themes, layouts and imagery amplifies the art further, making it eye-catching and fun to view. In his sketchy lines and rough textures you can see a grungy aspect, which I think adds character and interest. What I like about his work is how it makes you think about the art rather than just view it, this is because we see human figures as familiar but not the surreal, sci-fi imagery. Therefore when combined it feels familiar yet abnormal, leaving the viewer to figure out what's going on.

The Boys in the Lab

This collection of artworks focuses around the concept of 'boys' scientifically experimenting, investigating and exploring, of which could involve shrinking, explosions, sea life etc. The art outcomes look like a still image from a scene, which helps tell a story and communicate the concept.

Genomics

This first piece displays two tiny men standing besides an orange, using an ordinarily small object helps exaggerate their size as it's the size of a tall building compared to the men. Another aspect that shows the figures as tiny is the space it's located in, because the tiles look like kitchen tiles and a countertop of which these men are standing on. Therefore having a familiar setting and imagery helps the viewer to understand the art, whereas the surreal concept of minuscule men walking along the kitchen countertop brings us curiosity and wonder, when combined together it's super intriguing. I also think the harsh size difference between the men and orange is important, because a smaller contrast would look less effective and therefore less interesting. So when I create my own outcome I want to display the figures significantly small, to really exaggerate the concept and make it clear.

Infrasonics

My next example shows two men standing at machines as they investigate 'infrasonics', this represents the sound waves's frequency below the human audibility. What I love about this piece is the layout of everything, I think it look really pleasing and satisfying because it's centred and equally proportioned. I also think only showing a portion of the whale is a more suitable design choice, because not only does it fill the space more it also expresses the large size of the animal. Looking at this work it feels strong and bold, but peaceful at the same. One explanation is because whales are powerful animals, however the colour scheme is filled with rich and light blues that represent and provoke different feelings. E.g. light blue portrays peacefulness, while dark blue signifies depth and power.

Potential Difference

The third artwork involves the men climbing up a ladder, through somewhere that looks filled with electricity. You can see these bolts of electricity connecting from both sides of the walls, leaving a thin slot in the middle similarly to the previous piece. I really like how these bolts lightly fill the space, done by colouring, layering and blending these repeated squiggly lines. I especially like how there is energy both in-front and behind the men, and how the foreground electricity blends into the background as it isn't a solid object. In all of these outcomes are the men, however in this piece you can for once clearly see that they're wearing suits. I think combining formal attire with such bizarre and exciting situations creates a contrast, making it even more surreal and dreamlike. I also love the colour scheme used, it immediately caught my eye as I was searching for examples of McGarry's work, and kept me interested as I was viewing it.

Superpositions

Here is one of McGarry's simpler pieces, which isn't to say it's less commanding because sometimes less is more. Displayed is the two 'boys' who're viewing a shoebox, and like before the ordinarily small object is now the size of a house compared. However this time the height difference isn't as distinct, but still enough to be effective. Other than this there are two tiny chairs and a background to show the corner of a room, leaving the box to really stand out as the focal point even though it's such a basic item. This is only possible because the rest is so simple, otherwise a busy background would completely take the attention away from the box. Nevertheless, this would put the art in danger of looking boring or too simple, therefore McGarry added a horizontal line pattern which lightly but clearly covers the entire canvas. I think this subtly adds character and interest, because the walls are no longer plain but still an overall one colour.

Oncology

Lastly is this piece, it shows the men testing a large weapon which results in an explosion you can see up in the air, I think this incorporates movement in the art because you can see the impact made. Especially having included smaller details like the smoke, it really does look like a freeze-frame of the event. This as well as the grid floor and wall can be seen in all of these artworks, however in this piece these squared are far more notable. I really like the grid background is in this piece because it gives the action a space to be in, whilst still featuring a mystery aspect as it's an unidentifiable location. Another aspect that stands out to me is the shadows because it's detailed, clear and covers a lot of space, without these shadows the space would look far too empty, even though it's only a change in lighting. However, the most beneficial thing about these shadows is they show a difference between what's grounded and what's high up, so you can get the full effect of the explosion. Both the use of grids and shadows from this piece inspires me, so for my work I will experiment with the same ideas but in my own way.

[exmphades]

Confrontation | Zeus & Hades

@mpdonghae continued from here:

“Hello to you too waterfall,” Zeus scoffed. Staring at his older brother with a raised eyebrow he honestly didn’t know where all of this was coming from all of a sudden. One moment they had been enjoying a damn fine cocktail in the warmth of the summer sun and the next Hades turned into some kind of sucky psychiatrist. Knowing his older brother to enjoy making fun of him, Zeus contemplated on ignoring his brother’s questions all together. Dismissing them as being asked to either irk or tease him. Smiling at the other without any mirth, he picked up his cocktail to bring it to his lips. But the liquid which had tasted great before now tasted sour. Why did Hades do this to him? Why did he have to ruin this perfect good mood and day?

Trying his best to forget the questions, his mind however kept repeating them until the point where he could no longer ignore them. “We have the same damn parents Hades. Why do you even bring them up?” Fingers tightening around the cocktail glass he looked at the other in exasperation. “You’re trying to be funny with telling me mommy and daddy issues are nothing to be ashamed of? It’s not funny brother.” Biting his tongue in a desperate attempt to keep himself from saying more because he knew he’d say things he’d regret later on because of his anger, the only thing him biting his tongue was good for was allowing him to taste his own damn blood. Eyes turning grey because of the taste, he crushed the cocktail glass in his hand. Blood and liquid mixing with each other it found a way through the cracks of his fingers to drip on the table in between them. “We fought our parents Hades. It was brutal not funny.” he hissed through his teeth with a scowl on his face, not caring about his own wound in the least bit because this was far too important, “But we did so to be free. All I wanted for us was to be free. To have a home. I grew up in a cave while you were stuck in our father’s stomach. I wanted to save you.”

Putting even more pressure on his already wounded hand, he could hear the glass grit inside of his palm. Yet Zeus did not care about his own pain, he was too angry and too hurt by Hades’ words to give even the slightest fuck about it. “I don’t run away all the time, Hades. It’s ridiculous coming from you. I don’t know why you’re telling me that.” Lightning starting to crackle over his wounded hand then, his voice held the same threat as thunder, “I did run away once and that was when I left Olympus behind. Other than that I always faced my problems. Probably not in the way you wanted me to face them, but I did. What would you know about my coping mechanisms? Why do you say they’re not good?”

Swallowing Zeus knew he had to calm down. His wounded hand was shaking from the force he was putting on it. His entire body was trembling actually, now that he thought of it, because of his own emotions. But he’d still not addressed the question -which actually had been more of a statement- which had bugged him the most. “But yes, brother. If you really have to call me out on that right here and now, I will not lie. I don’t want to lose those I love so yes, what you said was true.”

Hades watches the way the words he has spoken affect his younger brother. They’re sitting in the summer sun, enjoying a nice cocktail together. So far their chat has been amicable and more of the usual, but the effect his series of questions has on his brother is one he didn’t anticipate. Admittedly most of these questions were asked out of a sense of amusement - more of those ‘25 questions to ask someone in order to get to know them better’ - but some were actually ones he was honestly curious about the answer of. However, the response his brother gives is a little more explosive than what he’d imagined.

To be honest, Hades enjoys laughing with his brother and bantering, but he never tries to upset him. Bringing up their parents, however... He should have known that that was going to hit a sensitive issue. He doesn’t always understand why exactly, though, because like Zeus himself states; he’s the one who was stuck in their father’s stomach, so he thinks he pretty much got the short end of that stick. And then later on after they defeated their parents he also got the short end of the stick when the Underworld became his realm to dwell in. Not that he still minds now, but still. The clear anger in Zeus eyes is palpable in the air between them, but Hades still feels that the younger god is exaggerating a little with his reaction. Perhaps Zeus is just.. more passionate about it than him.

Hades only flinches a little when Zeus clenches his hand further into a fist, because he knows that this will only aggravate the wounds caused by the glass digging into his brother’s palm. It’s not that he’s scared of his younger brother’s thorn, because it’s his younger brother, but he’s scared for Zeus, he doesn’t want the other to lose himself too much in his emotions. So he stays quiet, and listens to everything that comes out of his brother. Notices the frustration that is there not only because of him but because of all the years in which Zeus has had trouble with the other gods blaming him for things that weren’t always his own doing. The sound of thunder coming from his brother doesn’t particularly scare him either. Yes, lightning can hurt, but to be quite honest there isn’t much that Zeus can do which Hades hasn’t already lived through in this or the other of their youthful fights. He’ll survive anyway.

Staying quiet until eventually the thunder quiets down and they fall into a moment of expectant quiet - which might be the way the storm dies out, but might also just be the quiet before an even bigger storm - Hades looks at his brother with the same calm expression as before, but he’s straightened up a bit in his chair and it’s clear he doesn’t underestimate the gravity of this conversation. Listening then how the main source of Zeus’ aggravation is spoken out loud, Hades just holds his brother’s gaze for a while. It’s a spur of the moment action that follows, as he leans forward and reaches out. He’s already mentally prepared for the jolt of electricity that will run through him when he does it, but he still puts his hand gently on top of Zeus’ wounded one.

“I’m sorry, brother,” is the first thing he says, voice soft and apologetic. “I didn’t mean to aggravate you this much.” He leaves his hand where it is and clenches his teeth for the additional few sparks of electricity that escape Zeus’ grasp and run through him. It’s not much, nothing at all compared to the kind of shock he would be getting if Zeus would turn the lightning on him - which, to be quite honest, might still happen at this point, Hades doesn’t think he’s out in the clear yet. Letting a moment of silence fall between them, Hades thinks over the things that have been said and what it has revealed to him. “But to be quite honest...” He pauses, wonders about whether he should finish that sentence, wonders about how Zeus’ current temper might flare even further if he says what he’s thinking. Then decides there has never been anything but honesty between the two of them - at least from his side - and he’s not about to change that custom. “It’s been millennia since that fight. Maybe it’s time you leave it behind you. Father’s still locked away, he’s clearly not getting out, and our lives have continued on. It’s not strange for me to make a joke about it, you know. No matter how horrible it was.” A breath, he risks extreme electricity charges running through him what with his hand still on Zeus’, but he continues anyway. “What would you have me do? Never speak of it again unless in the most serious of ways? I joke about things, little brother, and most especially about the bad stuff. You know that.”

[consciousowl]

Is the Celestine Prophecy Still Relevant?

Back in 1993, Celestine Prophecy, a self-published novel about the approaching millennium, came out of nowhere to sell 100,000 copies. A major publisher picked it up, and it went onto the New York Times Best Seller list for three years in a row, selling 20 million copies. The writer, James Redfield, started out as a simple social worker in Alabama helping disturbed adolescents before trying his hand at writing. How can we account for this story’s unparalleled success? Was it because it foresaw the approaching millennium as both a transformation of Planet Earth and our collective enlightenment?

Celestine Prophecy: Then and Now

James Redfield never claimed to be introducing earthshaking ideas. Rather, he has consistently seen himself as a synthesizer of the best insights of the New Age movement, most particularly how we can individually and collectively experience for ourselves mystical truth. When the novel was first released, Bill Clinton from Arkansas was the new America President. Despite his downhome manner, Bill was an extraordinary intellectual. For example, he brought one of the leaders of the New Paradigm, the physicist, Dr. Fritjof Capra, into the White House to explain the new model of reality to all his staff.

As we approached the millennium, we were hungry and thirsty for a revelation. The Cold War was over. The Soviet Union had transitioned into the Commonwealth of Independent States. The E.U. had just formed. The global “Superhighway” was in, and political correctness, Hillary Clinton-style, was considered hip. Twenty years later, the Global Warming of Vice President Al Gore seems all too real with superstorms and wild swings of hot and cold. The icepacks are melting. All the while, religiously inspired and sanctioned terrorism is reaching an all time high, and governments around the world, perhaps in reaction to President Obama, have swung sharply to the right. Where is the promised millennium? Where is the global enlightenment? The world is flat, but is humanity any wiser?

Why Is Cultural Evolution Important to All of Us?

We have a mountain of biological evidence for physical evolution, but scant proof, since it would take millions of years to witness it in action. The missing links still have yet to be resolved. It has already been 150 years since Darwin published his On the Origin of Species, written from the perspective of Newton, not Einstein or Heisenberg. With systems theory and ecosystems, we now realize that species cooperate as much as they compete with one another. What cannot be denied is that society and culture have evolved. While we cannot say that humans have become any better, we have certainly become a whole lot more sophisticated. You can’t even compare the infrastructure of the Roman Empire with the digital complexity of our global civilization. While you still see pockets of barbarism here and there, such as demonstrated by ISIS, you couldn’t go around literally crucifying people without universal condemnation. Dr. Deepak Chopra maintains that today it is all about metabiological evolution. We have the evolution of evolution, itself. We are rapidly evolving our notions of what it means to be human. We have gone from spoken words to written words to print to video clips. All human knowledge is now online, and it is doubling every year or two. That we have a global brain is hardly an exaggeration.

Are the Nine Insights All There Is?

The Celestine Prophecy (book) opened up a daring new perspective on consciousness and energy. Evolution is not arbitrary; rather, it is God’s way of continuing creation. We gradually evolve from son and daughter of man to Son and Daughter of God. This is theistic evolution, pioneered by the French paleontologist and priest, Teilhard de Chardin. Everything can be seen as the interplay of energy within a conscious universe. We find in the old growth forests and deserted beaches a stunning sacred beauty. When we tune into the aesthetics of our environment, we see an inherent loveliness in all created forms.

The Celestine Prophecy has a compelling story which is meant to function as an allegory or parable. If you take Redfield’s masterpiece too literally, you miss the whole point. It is a brilliant work, because his ideas come alive in a way that profoundly speaks to the reader or filmgoer. The exotic locale of Peru near the ancient ruins of Machu Pichu, as well as the mythical city of Shambhala in Tibet, fuel the imagination, Already, James Redfield has gone to Twelve Insights. We have reason to suspect he will come up with even more. We may come up with our own insights that can lead us toward a magical experience of life.

What If I Can’t Tune into Synchronicity?

When I met James Redfield in San Francisco at the world premier of his Celestine Prophecy Movie, James invited the audience to tune into coincidences in their own life. He maintained that synchronicity is for him a spiritual practice. He invites meaningful coincidences every morning, and then proceeds to look for them. Having enjoyed brief periods of extraordinary coincidences, I am convinced of the validity of synchronicity. However, I haven’t been too successful in doing it on demand. I notice them when I notice them. When they appear meaningful, I probe. God speaks to us in other ways. For example, Neale Donald Walsh became rich and famous by transcribing his Conversations with God using a simple pen and legal pad. A friend of his typed them up into what became a best-selling book series. I have found an Inner Voice that speaks to me daily, and gives me extraordinarily accurate insights and guidance. What works for James Redfield may not work for you, and vice versa. Not to worry. Redfield might advise us to tune into patterns in our life wherever they may appear. We certainly don’t need to be in a rush to figure it all out.

Is Energy the Basis for Everything?

James Redfield sees God in the third-person, as a Sacred Presence and Energy. Many people like this, as it throws out archaic conceptions of God as an old man on a rocking chair high in the sky. Redfield interprets everything in his novels in terms of energy. That is how the divine speaks to him. We know from relativity and quantum physics, matter is instantly convertible to energy. Neither can be observed without consciousness. What we consider matter is actually form organized into intricate patterns in the most intelligent way possible. Thus, energy is much more fundamental than matter.

This doesn’t mean that you simply plug your fingers into an electric socket to find the divine. Here, Redfield is getting at a much more subtle form of energy. He sees a clear relationship between divine energy and life energy. In the Celestine Prophecy Movie, one of the characters points out that the halos around saints are actually an expression of this light.

What Do We Do When Things Keep Getting Darker?

Since the election of President Trump, the world has increasingly witnessed an extreme back-to-the-basics attitude, putting Fortress America first at all costs. With the increasing proliferation of terrorism, this should not come as a total surprise. Clearly, recent American Presidents didn’t deal all that well with this issue. Today, it is easy to fall into a cynicism that the world is getting darker and darker, that hope is all but extinguished. What is hard to appreciate is that, whenever humanity takes 10 steps forward, it almost always takes six steps backward. Progress is invariably a net effect, never a straight line. Think of a never-ending spiral going up and down, and yet always moving forward.

Progress is invariably a net effect, never a straight line.

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We can appreciate the Celestine Prophecy today when we realize that the world is simultaneously becoming both darker and lighter. Humanity is increasingly united through mobile technology. The number of people on Facebook has literally moved into the billions. Our hypersensitive digital news media pick up everything, whereas in previous times, we enjoyed the bliss of ignorance. We now see people like Eckhart Tolle, appealing not to hundreds or thousands, but to hundreds of thousands and millions. Collective transformation on a massive scale is no longer a pipe dream. Today, you can reach hundreds of millions of people in a matter of minutes and hours, not months and years. Just think of Arab Spring and the Occupy Wall Street movements. Whenever things get much darker, stop and think of all the ways they are now getting lighter.

Can We Really Unite Heaven and Earth?

The Celestine Prophecy Movie comes to a glorious climax when the key characters, John, Will and Marjorie, walk onto the ruins and find their energy stepped up to the point where the intruders literally can’t see them. They have temporarily become spirit beings. In the process, they see departed people alive, inhabiting a different dimension. The notion that heaven is right here is compelling. It came to me shortly after I did the original est training. In point of fact, our earth already is in heaven. We are suspended way out in one of billions of galaxies, with everything around us expanding. As we come to the realization that space and time don’t exist independently of us, we can see a way to bring together heaven and earth. The Near Death Experiences of people such as the neurosurgeon, Dr. Eben Alexander, offer impressive evidence that overwhelming love awaits us when we transition, and that the next world can seem every bit as real as the one right in front of us.

What Celestine Prophecy Has Done for Me

Toshi Ide, past President of DynaWARE USA, a subsidiary of one of Japan’s leading software companies, first introduced me to the Celestine Prophecy back in 1995. Toshi got very excited Redfield’s novel, and had all his colleagues read it. While I was intrigued, I couldn’t quite make sense of it. It did, however, make me think much more deeply about the approaching millennium. As I saw the World Wide Web mature, as well as the emergence of the Y2K crisis, I began to sense that we were entering a whole new age, that the “New Age” is what we are living right now. The French postmodernists were onto something. The industrial Modern Age in which I grew up has now been surpassed by a digital age of information. James Redfield’s courageous vision inspired me to write with my partner a book exploring the implications of our new Planetary Age and Civilization: Awaken Perfection: The Journey of Conscious Revelation. Even today, you may find that The Celestine Prophecy, especially in movie form via Amazon, will fire your imagination and open up the possibility of a magical life all over again.

Is the Celestine Prophecy Still Relevant? appeared first on http://consciousowl.com.

[greggory--lee]

Everything You Should Know Before Buying A Mobility Scooter

During my many years in the mobility business I have acquainted a vast knowledge of what to look for when purchasing a mobility scooter or power chair. Never rush into making your purchase as buying the wrong product can be very costly. I have been monitoring many on-line auctions recently and as yet I have not managed to find anything that stood out to me as being a real bargain. Many of the products I have seen for sale are inferior quality and do not appear to be a recognized make. Please note that there are lots of companies in China and other countries where labor is cheap are manufacturing mobility products. These mobility products are being imported to the UK and have very little backup if things go wrong. These products are popular for many people because of the reduced costs of buying them. Unfortunately the reduced price is reflected in the build quality and many of them break down within the first 24 months.

My first tip must be do not buy a Scooter without it has a recognized brand name such as:

Pride Mobility Products Roma Medical (Shop rider) Days Medical (Strider) Sunrise Medical (Sterling)

The above is not a complete list of recognized Brand names but in my opinion it is a good list to stick by. All these companies have head offices in the UK and dealers throughout the country all who offer a full back up service including spare parts.

Spare parts for scooters can be very expensive and it is very easy to buy a second hand scooter that requires immediate attention.

Time to be aware

I have found that people usually sell their scooter after they have not used it for a while and realized it is of no further use to them. When a scooter has been stand for a while the batteries tend to sulphate very quickly leaving irreparable damage to the battery. Depending on the size of batteries needed the cost can be between £ 80 and £ 400 per pair. Mobility scooters and power chairs are all battery powered so if you do buy a second hand one make sure the batteries have been charged regularly (every time the scooter has been used) or at least once a week if the scooter has been out of use.

Electronic Mag Brakes

The breaking system on all scooters and power chairs are controlled by an electronic controller and the common fault that goes wrong with them if the machine has not been stored or used correctly. The brake can seize up due to the damp air that can be found in many sheds and garages in the UK.

The average price of a mag break is £ 100 and that is before someone has diagnosed the fault and charged you for the fitting of it. The main controllers are full of components that are similar to the types of components you would find in a television. So the question you must ask yourself here is if you left your TV set in a shed for 6 Months do you think it would work properly if you plugged in back in? A main controller for an average scooter can cost from £ 200 up to £ 400.

Scooters come in all shapes and sizes and it is very important that you choose the right one.

Some scooters are allowed on the road and some are not.

A Class 3 scooter must be capable of a top speed of 8 mph and must have a speed control switch that allows the speed to be halved instantly when being driven on the pavements. The Scooter must also have Lights (front and rear), traffic signal indicators, hazard warning lights and an audible horn. If the vehicle is to be driven on or across a dual carriageway it must also be fitted with a flashing beacon that stands 6 foot in height. Rear view mirrors are also essential.

A class 2 scooter will only be allowed to drive on the pavements and cross minor roads where traffic control is in operation. Many Class 2 machines now have lights and indicators fitted to them as standard and it is important that you do not get confused between the two classes of machine.

Recently it has been very popular to buy fold up scooters. I have seen many portable scooters advertised for sale laTely, both new and second hand. I must admit that I am shocked at what some people will do to sell these portable scooters. Do not get me wrong here. I am not against these products; On the contrary I really think they are a valuable addition to the mobility business. I just want people to be aware that they are not designed to travel very far even when new.

I have recently seen advertisements reflecting that some of them have a range of 25 oranges. This is massively over exaggerated. If a scooter is fitted with 12 amp / hour batteries as so many are and they are carrying a person of average weight in average conditions. It is likely that from new they will only have a range of 6 to 8 miles. As they get older you will be lucky to get to the end of your street without having problems. Portable scooters are ideal for shopping centers and parks but if you want to go any further I suggest you invest in a class 2 or 3 scooters by one of the previously mentioned brands.

Another thing about portable scooters is they almost all have solid tires, plastic seats and no suspension which can prove quite un-comfy after a period of time. Some of these scooters also boast a 21 stone capacity. I am 10 stone 4 pounds and they struggle to pull me up a slight incline when they are brand new.

Should I buy a 3 or 4 wheeled scooter?

There is something at this point I think I need to make very clear. No scooters are designed for indoor and outdoor use. If you want something that will be effective for both uses you should be looking at a powerchair / Electric wheelchair. 3 wheeled scooters are far more manoeuvrable than 4 wheeled ones. 3 wheeled scooters are also very handy if you have long legs or large feet as they have much more leg room. Always try and match your size and weight before you buy.A scooter can be a very useful machine if you get the right one but if you do not it can be very expensive.

The main advantage of a 4 wheeled scooter is purely psychological. I find that all scooters made by reputable companies are very stable due to strict guidelines that are enforced upon them but I must mention that there are some machines on the market that I would not recommend to anyone so please are careful. In the fairness of business I will not say which products I will not recommend as it is just my opinion. I am, however always willing to recommend any quality products for your needs.

Weights, distances and speed.

This can be difficult as each scooter can vary depending on how it is made. There have been full sized 8mph scooters with 2×50 amp hour batteries as standard that have a maximum load weight of only 18 stone and on the other had there been some lightweight scooters on the market with 2×12 amp hour batteries that are supposed to do 4 mph And carry a max load of 21 stone. For more information on the performance of each scooter it is best to ask the seller or manufacturer directly.

If you need further advice my company website is http://www.cheapest-scooters.co.uk . The advice I give is offered to you in good faith and under no circumstances will I get involved in problems that have arisen from people buying inferior products from door to door salesmen, internet sales or mail order products.

My aim is offer advice that will save you time and trouble and money when purchasing a mobility scooter.

Source by Steve Greaves

Source: http://bitcoinswiz.com/everything-you-should-know-before-buying-a-mobility-scooter/