#and you can make any shape you want from a combination of arrows and spin speeds and such

[polygon-seducer]

h

[recurring-polynya]

Hey an AU request for you:

During Renruki separation what if the roles were reversed. Like if Renji gets adopted (in some rival noble clan) and Rukia is left behind. Or else if Renji is going to be executed instead of Rukia. Want to feel the angst from Rukia's POV.

Let me know if these scenarios are good enough.

Thanks as always ☺️❤️

Hello, yes, I realize this was not precisely what you were asking for, but here is a scene that has been charging me rent in my own head since at least 2019, and it’s close enough and I am using this as an excuse to get it out. Thank you for your indulgence.

The actual role swap in this scenario is what if Renji had gotten Sode no Shirayuki, a zanpakutou who embodies patience and planning and thoughtfulness, and Rukia ended up with Zabimaru, a zanpakutou who just wants to fuck shit up.

Read on ao3 or ff.net (this one felt substantial enough that I made it a standalone and also I finally had an excuse to name a fic after one of my favorite Oh Hellos songs.)

🗡️     💔     💀

The air is heavy and thick in the World of the Living. It is oppressive, as if this very plane has its own reiatsu, as if it intends to oppose their mission. It’s just a thunderstorm gathering, though, a combination of atmospheric pressure and electrical potential.

Kuchiki Renji, Lieutenant of the Sixth Division and Heir to the great and noble Kuchiki Clan would like to finish this up before they are drenched, but he isn’t optimistic.

He stands on the roof of a human house, looking down at a nearly identical residence across the street, although this one bears signage indicating that it is also a neighborhood medical clinic.

Renji cannot feel her, but he doesn’t expect to. When Rukia doesn’t want to be found, she doesn’t get found, end of story. Renji can feel the human though, the human whom Rukia has given her powers. He can’t fathom why, but all of Rukia’s ways are inscrutable, they always have been. From the morning she saved his life from an enraged water vendor to the evening she walked away from the adopted family that gave them both names and a place in the world, Renji has never understood a single thought that entered her thick skull. Even if he can’t understand her, though, she is transparent to him, predictable.

He just needs to draw her out. And that part is easy.

Byakuya says nothing. Renji has explained his logic, and Byakuya is giving him the six feet of rope he needs to hang himself. Byakuya is also inscrutable, yet predictable. Sometimes, Renji wonders how the man managed to live in the same house as Rukia for as long as he did.

“Nii-sama,” Renji says softly. Byakuya does not like being asked for reassurances, but on this point, Renji requires it. “The orders said capture or kill.”

Byakuya waits.

“Shall I strive for the first?”

Byakuya makes a tiny throat-clearing noise. “I have fulfilled my obligation to that girl. I owe her nothing. Do what is necessary.”

Byakuya would never come out and tell Renji to kill Rukia, but the message is clear enough. Despite separating herself from the family thirty years ago, a trial, a jail sentence will be an embarrassment to the Kuchiki, an exhumation of old mistakes. Rukia will always be an inkblot on Byakuya’s conscience. Byakuya has never held this against Renji, which is probably the only sign of affection his adoptive brother has ever shown him.

Renji has done nearly everything Byakuya has ever asked of him. He is an obedient brother, hardworking and respectful. He practices the family sword form, he studies the history of Soul Society, he respects his elders. He has risen in the ranks of the Gotei, he has gained his bankai, he wears the kenseikan, even though they bite into his scalp. But Renji was only adopted into the family for one reason: to ensure Rukia’s compliance, and in that, he failed.

It is time to make up for that.

Renji jumps lightly from one rooftop to the other and over the ridge of the roof. The boy’s window is on the rear side of the house. He drops down onto the windowsill. His Hell Butterfly hovers at shoulder height. “Go on,” he urges it forward, to create a passage through the wall of the house. He hopes his hunch is correct. He does not relish the idea of murdering a young human in his bed.

It is not an issue. A dark shape rips itself from the shadows, but Renji has his zanpakutou from her sheath in an instant. Instead of Zabimaru’s wicked serrations, however, he finds himself blocking the worst shakkahou he’s seen since Byakuya sent him down to Shin’ou to scout out next year’s crop of students. It’s enough to momentarily blind him, though, and he leaps down to the ground to find steadier footing.

This isn’t right. Although Rukia prefers to rely on her sword, it’s not out of her M.O. to use kidou for a sneak attack. But why bother with a distraction when she could have just blown his head off? Rukia’s kidou are rarely elegant and Renji isn’t sure she even knows the chants, but what she has is power. Or rather, what she had.

Renji scans the backyard slowly. The grass at his feet is freezing over in a slowly widening circle. Careful, careful! Sode no Shirayuki sings in his mind.

Suddenly, he feels the crackle of hainawa and he leaps out of the way just in time, flinging an avalanche of ice in the direction of his attacker. Rukia’s kick catches him in mid-air, but he blocks it with a forearm. It doesn’t ring through his bones the way it should, though.

Renji lands on his heels and skids a few feet. Rukia’s toes hit the dirt just a second after. For a moment, their eyes meet. The air is so humid, it’s thick enough to swim in.

“Abarai,” Rukia snarls, baring a sharp canine. “Of course, they would send you.” She snorts. “Scratch that, I bet you volunteered.”

Renji sneers at her, but ignores the dig at his name. “I’m impressed, Rukia. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone botch a patrol mission so thoroughly.” He sheaths his sword.

Rukia barks out a laugh. “What’s this? Your sense of fairness? Gonna try to kill me with your bare hands, then?”

He’d rather not kill her at all. Byakuya will be peeved, but Renji doesn’t like the idea of running through an unarmed woman. “What is this, Rukia? You’ve given a human your full powers, haven’t you? Why?”

“It was an accident,” Rukia mumbles, her eyes darting to the side.

Renji narrows his eyes. “Where did you get that gigai?”

“A friend.”

“There was an intelligence report from the Stealth Force. A Menos showed up, just for a few minutes before it was driven back to Hueco Mundo with a sword wound. I assumed that was your doing, but you don’t seem to have a sword at the moment. Unless the Menos took that rusty piece of--”

“Fuck, Renji, don’t you ever get sick of listening to your own stupid voice?” Rukia spits, and in a second, she is on him, a blur of fists and feet.

Renji didn’t put his sword away because he thought he wouldn’t need it. He put it away because he knew that he would need two hands to deal with Rukia in hand-to-hand, even at 2% of her power, or whatever dregs she has left.

“I’m trying--” he backpedals furious, blocking blow after blow, “--to help you! I realize that your brain has probably atrophied down to the size of a walnut-- ouch! -- but doesn’t any of this seem fishy to you?”

“The only thing fishy is you questioning an order!” Rukia snaps, as Renji narrowly avoids getting his feet swept from under him. “We may not have much for brains in Eleven, but unlike the Sixth, at least we use what we’ve got!”

Suddenly, Renji manages to loop one of his arms under hers and spin her into a half-nelson. Her feet pedal furiously in mid-air. His spare hand presses her wrist against her rib cage to keep her from clawing the skin off his arm, and also to try and support her weight. “Can you breathe?” he makes sure, as he tries to figure out a way he can hold her still with one hand long enough to get a binding on her.

“Yes,” she grunts angrily. “Why are you doing this? Don’t you know you’re gonna be in trouble with Nii-sama if you bring me back alive?” She spits the honorific like venom.

“You’re wrong,” Renji mutters. He hates this. He hates how stupid this is. He hates that after all this time, her stupid arrows still find their mark, every single time. “You’re wrong if you think he’s spent even a second thinking about you since you threw away everything he gave you. You’re trash to him.”

“Is that what I am to you, too?” Rukia asks archly.

“You’re--” Renji starts to say, and then hits the deck as a sword whistles through the air where his neck had been a moment before. He loses his grip on Rukia, and she rolls away, but Renji’s got more immediate problems. He shifts to a crouch, his hand loose on Sode no Shirayuki’s hilt as he scans the shadows for his assailant.

As it happens, said assailant isn’t exactly subtle. “Hey, Rukia, this guy wears the same pajamas as you. Friend of yours?”

It is the boy, the one who buzzes with reiatsu that both is and isn’t Rukia’s. He is a gangling puppy of a human being, all elbows and ears. His hair is an unnatural orange and sticks out from his head as though he has just rolled out of bed. Given the hour, perhaps he has.

“Get out of here, Ichigo, this guy isn’t a joke!” Rukia screams, and Renji realizes that she is genuinely frightened.

“He sure looks like one,” the kid, Ichigo declares, hefting his sword up onto his shoulder. It is clearly a zanpakutou, but it is absurdly large. He can barely lift the thing. “And people say my hair is a dumb color.”

“My name is Kuchiki Renji,” Renji informs him. “Assistant Captain of the Sixth Division of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. I am here to take Kuchiki Rukia, Sixth Seat of the Eleventh into custody for the crime of transferring her shinigami powers to a human. I do not wish to kill you, human, but if you interfere, I will not hesitate.”

“Wait, what?” Ichigo sputters. “Rukia, I thought your name was Inuzuri? Is this guy your brother? If so, he sure got all the height genes. I am so, so confused.”

Rukia rises to her feet. Her face is pale in the moonlight. A line of blood shines on her forehead, glassy against the black of her tattoos. “He’s my fiance.”

“Your what now?”

Renji snorts. “Former fiance.”

“I don’t recall breaking up with you!” Rukia barks.

Renji wants to laugh. He doesn’t know which is more typical Rukia-- the idea that rejecting his family and not speaking to him for thirty years would somehow not count as a break-up, or that now is somehow an appropriate time to talk about this.

There are a lot of feelings pumping through Renji’s heart, but he freezes them to ice and pushes them away. There is no room for feelings on a battlefield. “I am taking Rukia back to Soul Society. If you do not resist me, I swear to it that no harm will come to her before her trial.” Byakuya wanting Rukia dead is just a feeling, too. The Kuchiki must stand for justice, right? This is a good compromise, Renji rationalizes. I cannot kill her in cold blood in front of a witness, but if they force my hand, things happen. Surely even Byakuya would agree with this line of logic.

Ichigo’s eyes dart to Rukia. “What about after the trial? Is this, like, a thing where you pay a fine, or…?”

“I’ll be executed, most likely,” Rukia replies dryly.

Ichigo’s jaw clenches.

“You’re a valuable asset to the Gotei,” Renji corrects. “Central may be lenient.”

The two strongest young shinigami in their generation, people used to say, when Rukia and Renji entered the Sixth together. His iron nerves tempering her volatility, her fiery passion igniting his cold aloofness. The next Kyouraku and Ukitake. No wonder the Kuchiki plucked them from obscurity.

Renji doesn’t know what people say about them now. Now that he is the sole Heir to the Kuchiki. Now that she fights among the animals of the Eleventh. People’s voices go quiet at his approach. Byakuya says it isn’t wise to listen to gossip in any case.

“Hmmm,” Ichigo shifts his sword to an attack stance. “I don’t like the sounds of those odds. I think maybe I’ll just beat your ass instead.”

“Ichigo, move!” Rukia starts, but Renji has heard the words he needs to hear.

Renji’s favorite parts of the Kuchiki sword form are the quick draw techniques. He is not as fast as Byakuya, but he is very, very fast, and his reach is better. In an instant, he has closed the distance between himself and the boy. Maybe it was a lucky reflex or maybe it was Rukia’s warning, but Ichigo manages to get that huge sword up just in time to avoid having his chest sliced open. Renji’s assault is merciless. If it weren’t for the stupid power limiter, which Renji isn’t used to, he’s sure he would have cracked the boy’s zanpakutou clear in half. Despite her appearance, Sode no Shirayuki is not a delicate sword and Renji swings her with the inevitability of a glacier.

As Ichigo backpedals, his foot catches on a loose paver, and he stumbles. Renji raises his arm, preparing to deliver the killing blow, when suddenly, a knee in his back punches the air from his lungs, and his elbow is jerked forcibly backwards.

“NOW!” Rukia’s voice bellows in Renji’s ear.

The stumble was a feint, because Ichigo is Rukia’s student, and of course she has taught him all her dirty tricks. Renji realizes he has made the mistake of thinking he could beat Rukia, just because she has no powers and no zanpakutou. She still knows him better than anyone, though. She knows his moves and she knows what a rank fool he is. As Ichigo’s sword plunges towards his stomach, Renji flares his reiatsu as best as he can, and hopes Rukia’s pet human isn’t strong enough to pierce it.

But before the blow lands, Ichigo’s eyes widen. He lets out a gurgle and falls sideways.

“Renji,” says Captain Kuchiki. “What is taking so long?”

It seems as though time is standing still, except that the pool of blood surrounding Ichigo’s prone form is growing, growing.

“No,” Rukia murmurs. “No, no, no.” Suddenly, her feet scrabble up Renji’s back, and she launches herself off of his shoulders. “You!!” she screams.

There is nothing she can do to Byakuya. Her hands glow with raw kidou, but she is weak. It is the desperate, useless move of a cornered animal.

Renji knows that animal instincts are useless, which is why he has trained every day to eradicate them. To ignore his fear, to replace his body’s natural reflexes with the kata of his sword form. So even though he knows Rukia’s attack is hopeless, he cannot help but react to an attack against his Clan Head.

Rukia hits the ground next to Ichigo with a dull thump.

Her body is wrapped in the glowing chains of hainawa.

Renji’s hand shakes, his breathing is heavy.

Rukia is screaming filthy obscenities at both of them.

Byakuya regards Renji silently. His eyes linger on Renji's sword, naked in his hand. A different reflex, and there would be two corpses on the ground.

“She should face trial, Nii-sama,” Renji says softly. “If we do not uphold justice, who shall?”

“The law, Renji,” Byakuya corrects him. “We uphold the law.” He jerks his head at the screaming woman on the ground. “Pick her up. Others are coming and you will only become more sentimental if I am forced to kill additional humans.”

Renji kneels and gathers Rukia in his arms. She does not make it easy, probably in hopes that he will toss her over his shoulder instead of this humiliation, but she is the brute, not him. He will not give her the satisfaction.

As Renji narrowly avoids a headbutt, though, he realizes that this is not merely a display of defiance. It is a distraction. “Nii-sama,” he says as he straightens up, “I do not think the human is dead.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Byakuya sighs. “I have severed his hakusui and saketsu. Even if he survives the wound, he will be powerless, and Rukia’s power should return to her.”

Byakuya considers his lieutenant’s full arms for a moment, makes a disgusted face, and then draws his sword to open the senkaimon home himself.

While Byakuya’s attention is turned, Rukia leans into Renji’s, her breath hot on his jaw. “I will kill him for this,” she spits in his ear. “And if you get in my way, I will kill you too.”

“Then we are enemies,” Renji replies quietly, “since I am sworn to protect him.”

The first fat drops of rain begin to fall from the sky.

[sinemoras09]

The train ride to Kyoto was a long one, but Kiyotsugu's brother didn't care about the commute. He rested his head against the window and watched as the rolling landscape streaked through the glass; green grass and a bright blue sky, a few errant farm animals peacefully grazing. The scenery was completely at odds with how he was feeling, and he turned his head, closing his eyes.

It was his sister who invited him after he called. "You sound like shit. What happened?"

"I dunno. I'm just feeling really depressed."

"You should come over," his sister said.

He took the train the next morning.

The clouds darkened. Kiyotsugu's brother glanced back outside, surprised at how quickly the blue sky was suddenly filled with storm clouds. A flash of lightning flickered in the distance, and after a few seconds, he could hear the sound of thunder mixing with the sudden rain.

A loud crash, and the train slammed on the brakes. He pitched forward in his seat, people's belongings tumbling from the overhead compartments. The thunder clapped louder and the passenger car violently rocked sideways, the passengers screaming. There was a squealing sound as the train skidded on the railway. They screamed again as something exploded through the roof like an arrow, lightning slamming into the cabin.

"Why have you not contacted me?" Kiyotsugu's brother whirled around while the voice boomed and echoed through the car. "Do you not realize you can come to my shrine and pray to me?"

"Do you hear that?!" he said to another passenger, but another spike of lightning flashed, splitting the ceiling further.

"HUMAN," the voice said, and he looked up and saw a flash of lightning shaped like a dragon.

"What the fuck?!" he said, and the lightning crackled. The dragon form involuted on itself, revealing the figure of a long-haired man.

"It seems I finally have your attention," the man said, and Kiyotsugu's brother jumped up, pointing at him.

"What the fuck-- what was that?! Are you a fucking lightning dragon?! You look like a fucking priest, what's up with the way you're dressed?! Are you in some kind of freaky cult or something?!"

"What you saw was my true form, which forces beyond my control sought to suppress." The man sniffed and ran a hand through his hair. "I have been looking for you, human, as I have not yet granted you your wish."

"What wish?" he said. "Dude, I don't know who you are, or if you're some sort of freaky shinto priest or something, but I ain't joining any cults, okay, so you can just find another shmuck and fucking move along."

"Does the name Hirano Kiyotarou mean anything to you?" the man asked. He tucked his hands into his sleeves.

"The fuck is that?" Kiyotsugu's brother said. The man sighed and shook his head.

"So the cursed vessel cast another spell on you. It is as expected. Come here, human," the man said, and he motioned for him to follow him.

"Dude, this is fucked up, I'm not leaving here."

The man threw his hand out and blasted open the side of the car, the passengers shrieking and lightning bursting forward and creating a man-sized hole.

"There are many ways to grant a wish. I could just as easily solve your problem and force you to reincarnate by killing you."

"Oh, fuck," he said, and the man yanked him up by the collar.

*****

"I cannot reverse this spell. The best way would be to kill you and make you my shinki."

"WHAT?!" Kiyotsugu's brother said. The man held up his hand.

"It is as I've said," the man said, and lightning crackled at the tips of his fingers. "I shall give you a name and let loose your true name. You have already been touched by a God's Greatest Secret, so I suspect the name I give you will remain intact."

"What the fuck-- wait a minute, you're gonna kill me?! Don't do that!"

"Do not worry," the man said. "If this works, you may continue to live your human life as you see fit, as there are many spells that can alter your appearance. Besides," the man said, the lightning crackling down his arm.

"If unleashing a God's Greatest Secret breaks your name and turns you into a phantom, it is of no consequence to me, I shall simply smite you where you stand."

"Wait wait wait, what the f--"

Lightning. He was killed on the spot.

Takemikazuchi sighed, annoyed, and lifted his fingers into a halberd.

*****

"Dude, that was totally not cool!" Kiyotsugu's brother said. He rubbed the brand on his shoulder while Takemikazuchi snorted.

"I have just gifted you with eternal life," Takemikazuchi said. "At the very least you should be thankful."

"I'm supposed to visit my sister, you can't leave me like this!"

"Then go visit her," Takemikazuchi said. He gestured. "You have all your memories, you know your human names. But know this," Takemikazuchi said, and his eyes narrowed.

"If you let loose a God's Greatest Secret to the other shinki or speak about your death, I shall revoke your name and exorcise you as a corrupted spirit, where you will cease to exist and have no hope of reincarnation."

"What the fuck!" his brother wailed. Takemikazuchi frowned at him.

*****

"Hey, Little Brother, you little bitch! Way to erase my memories ya freakin' nerd!"

"Wha- Nii-san?" Kazuma started. "How did you get your memories back?"

"Uh, maybe it's just 'cuz I'm frickin' awesome," his brother said. "Hey hey hey, don't walk away! We all did some things we both regret--"

"How is what I did to you remotely anything like what you did?!"

"Look man, I didn't mean what I said about Father, okay. I just wanted to piss you off, you know, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. It was messed up and I'm really sorry.

"Wait wait wait!" he said, as Kazuma started walking again. "Dude, can't we just talk about it?!"

"I don't have time for this," Kazuma turned. "Forget."

His brother snorted at him. Kazuma frowned.

"Forget. Forget! Nii-san! Forget!"

"Not gonna work," his brother said. He grinned. "That stupid thunder guy killed me and gave me another name."

"What?!"

"And guess what, you can't see it, ya know why?" and he threw out his arm and showed him an ugly tattoo of a purple phoenix. "I got a tattoo artist to freaking cover it! And this guy's good, okay, you can't use your stupid voodoo bullshit. I don't know why all you guys don't do this."

"Nii-san, Takemikazuchi-sama killed you?!"

"Yeah, that's what I was saying."

"And somehow you know a God's Greatest Secret?"

"Well your stupid magic had something to do with it, but yeah, he told me my real name," his brother said. "Look, we're both shinki now, we're both gonna run into each other, let's just bury the hatchet, okay? I'll even let you beat me up, okay, punch me in the face or something, let's do this!"

"Umbra," Kazuma said.

"Wait, are you serious?!" his brother said. "What the fuck..."

*****

This is what happened the next time his brother ran into Kazuma.

"Umbra," Kazuma said, but his brother threw a bucket of paint on him.

*****

They walked to the training fields just before dawn, the sky still dark and Kazuma quickly scanning the area to make sure they weren't being watched.

"Okay Nii-san. I'm going to show you one of the most basic skills a shinki can learn: a simple borderline," Kazuma said. He lifted his hands into a halberd.

"A LINE."

A quick swoop, snapping tightly as he threw it. The borderline shimmered in front of them.

"Whoa," his brother said. "And this is a shinki's only weapon?"

"Well that and casting spells, and I suppose whatever physical training you've had, much like when you were a human." Kazuma looked at his borderline, pleased with himself. "Okay, Nii-san. Just copy the movements I made: put your fingers in a halberd and make a sideways swiping motion. And don't get discouraged if you aren't able to do it at first, it took me years before I mastered it."

"Like this?" His brother held out his arm.

"A LINE!" he said, swiping fast and hard, and the light exploded, the line that he threw easily twice as high and twice as dense as Kazuma's.

Kazuma blinked. "Oh...wow."

"Yeah! That's what I thought, son!" His brother smacked him on the back, making Kazuma pitch forward a bit.

Kazuma pushed up his glasses. "Well that went surprisingly well. We'll do the next step in our lesson."

"Oh?"

"Throwing borderlines like projectile weapons." Kazuma lifted his hand again.

He threw his arm out, back and forth, in successive sweeps, his borderlines zipping out like shuriken. One sliced the top of the training post, the other sliced the top of a tree. The third one split into two and sliced through the both of them. "It's just precision and concentration," Kazuma said.

His brother nodded. "Oh yeah, it's like throwing knives, I totally get it." And he held his arm forward.

Swipe! Swipe! Swipe! Swipe! He threw compact blades of light toward the training post, slicing it in four successive pieces. "Little Brother, watch this!" he said, and he threw a vertical borderline, slicing through the four pieces vertically, cutting them in half. "Okay, cool! What else have you got to show me?"

"Uh." Kazuma blinked again. "That was basically it for a borderline."

"OOOH! Can you make them change shape?" and he threw one vertical and one horizontal borderline, which combined to make a spinning cross, slamming into the tree in front of them. "Oh! Cool! You totally could!"

Kazuma pushed his glasses up again. "I mean, that's flashy and all, but there are instances when you can't use a borderline, you'd have to use a spell."

"What? And memorize shit? Please. I used to guard the emperor, gimme a regular sword and I can totally defend my master."

"I guess it makes sense that you'd still remember your training as a human," Kazuma said. "By the way, Nii-san, what is your vessel form? I heard that you're a bladed weapon."

"Oh, dude, I'm more than that, okay, I'm a frickin' lightning sword! And I can shapeshift into different weapons!"

"Wha- really?" Kazuma said. "My Rekki form is a divine garment and lightning sword, and I can turn into a bow and arrow depending on how Yato holds the scabbard."

"Oh, cool! What other weapons can you turn into?"

"Uh, just the two."

"Seriously?" His brother made a face at him. "I can turn into any weapon Takemikazuchi wants me to. I can even arm his stupid dragon."

"Wait, you can arm Ouki? How?"

"I can turn into friggin' armor and wrap around him, so that people can't go injure him," his brother said. He thumped his chest. "Just the other day I augmented his weapons and made them more accurate! All his weapons were crackling with lightning and it was way easier for him to kill phantoms!"

"You draw borderlines for the other shinki?" Kazuma stared at him. "Nii-san, you didn't even know what borderlines were until this morning, how were you able to do that?"

"I dunno." His brother shrugged. "Instinct, I guess. I mean, let's face it, Little Brother, of the two of us I've always been more physically talented."

Kazuma rubbed his head. "I couldn't even coordinate Veena's shinki until I became an earring," Kazuma said. He rubbed his head again, then looked up at his brother. "Do you think I can watch you in action, when you're patrolling with him?"

"Yeah, sure! I'll tell my master you wanna watch and learn!"

*****

She was sitting at her desk when Kazuma opened the door and flung himself into the chair next to her.

"Veena." He banged his head on the desk. "You should release me."

"What? Why?" Bishamon said. He banged his head on the desk again and covered his head with his hands.

"Because my stupid brother is a stronger weapon than I'll ever be, and I'm already a hafuri."

Bishamon frowned at him. "Don't you think you're being a bit melodramatic?" she said.

His voice was muffled against the desk. "....No." Bishamon stifled a laugh.

"Alright." Bishamon patted him on the head. "You're just a bit rattled. You're still strong, I wouldn't worry too much about it."

"A shinki is only as strong as his confidence, and my brother has always been stronger than me. I can't convince myself otherwise - he was controlling Takemikazuchi's shinki and he's not even a hafuri."

Bishamon patted him on the head again.

****

"Nii-san," Kazuma said. His brother looked up. "Bind."

A flash. His brother froze in place, horror in his eyes.

Kazuma smirked. "It seems I figured out your name, Nii-san."

Another flash and his brother stumbled forward.

"Dammit, Little Brother! How did you know?!"

"Those feathers that make up that phoenix's wings, while well-hidden, all have an outline similar to the character 'Shio,' or 'En', as well as our obvious connection to salt mining and your unfortunate pen name. So your name is Shio, your vessel is Enki, and your human name is Shioun based on the family name used by Takemikazuchi. "

"Fuck!" his brother said. Kazuma sparkled.

("Why didn't he just ask Kiun?" Yukine said. Yato shrugged.

"'Cuz it's Kazuma, I dunno.")

Excerpt from the fic, Layers, where Kazuma runs into the reincarnation of his brother. AU. kazubisha.

[rejectofsociety]

Febuwhump: Day One

Prompt: Mind Control

Summary: As Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian invade Earth, Ebony discovers that Peter Parker makes an excellent servant

Word Count: 2,514

Warnings: Violence, Character Death

Thank you for organizing this event, @febuwhump!

✧༺✦✮✦༻∞　　∞༺✦✮✦༻✧

The moment Ebony Maw was faced with Earth's heroes (and some skittish scientist), he searched each mind for his perfect puppet. He couldn't penetrate the minds of the wizards— he assumed they were using complex enchantments to protect themselves. Typical, he thought to himself.

Next, he eyed the man with a neatly trimmed beard and advanced-looking glasses while he called the invaders "squidward." His mind was full of thoughts that made Ebony smirk— a woman he loved, a teen boy who he was silently praying would stay far away from the situation, a dream about a child who he loved dearly even before their existence was made a reality, and an overwhelming urge to protect his planet and family. His mind was so incredibly strong, yet simultaneously weak in the most disappointing way— too many emotions that could easily get in his way.

Ebony skipped over the jittery scientist, there was no use in wasting his time with him. While the earthlings continued shouting at him, he began to sense a new mind. A young and determined mind rushing towards the scene. He was eager and energetic, yet attentive and focused. Even from a long distance, Ebony could feel his physical strength and bizarre powers. Perfect, the alien thought slyly before welcoming himself inside the boy's brain.

Peter was wrestling his suit onto his body when a tidal wave of inky darkness crashed into his body. His stomach flipped and a sense of lightheadedness consumed him. His legs shook then collapsed underneath him while he felt vomit crawling up his throat. He hacked then gagged before managing to puke up no more than some stomach acid. His throat burned as he coughed and choked up bile while his head ached with the dark cloud enveloping him. His chocolatey brown eyes, usually so full of innocence and sweet life, were overwhelmed by a glowing blue color that held a malicious gaze.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his arm then took his mask and slipped it over his head. His mind now belonged to an eccentric force, leaving the real Peter Parker locked in a cage in the back of his head.

"Come here, Peter Parker," Ebony's oozing voice rang and echoed in his ears.

"Yes, sir," Peter mumbled gruffly in reply.

With that, he shot a web onto a nearby building and launched himself into the air. Within a second, his vision focused on the alien, donut-shaped ship were a battle was beginning to break out. He swiftly webslung his way towards the park until he landed in front of Tony with the grace of a cat. Cull Obsidian was about to smash his chain hammer into the Iron Man but, with the boy in the way, the hammer missed its target and was instead caught by Peter.

"Not him," Ebony ordered from afar.

Cull grunted his understanding then withdrew from his opponent and turned his attention elsewhere. Peter faced Tony with his body seeming stiff while his movements were somewhat robotic.

"Nice save, kid," Tony praised, "are you alright?"

"What do I need to do, sir," Peter muttered, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Kill him," Ebony instructed.

"Save that wizard," Tony demanded at the same time, yet Peter didn't hear any of his words.

"Yes, sir," he turned away, "activate instant-kill," he ordered his suit and the bug-ish eyes narrowed and turned red while the insides flashed, assessing weak spots in his surroundings, and readjusting web-shooter combinations to make them as deadly as possible.

Tony nodded his satisfaction then prepared to step away. Before he could, Peter spun around and smashed his leg into Tony's side. The billionaire was sent crashing into a nearby tree that splintered at the impact. Momentarily stunned, he was given no time to recover before Peter approached him and lifted him with his hand wrapped around the hero's neck.

"K-kid!" Tony gasped.

Peter clenched his fist then pummeled it into Tony's face, making his head whip back. Ever centimeter of nanotech that Peter touch was shattered almost instantly, forcing the suit to shed and replaced whatever was damaged.

Horror consumed Tony as he realized that whoever he was fighting wasn't Peter... not really. 

Peter landed another punch square in the hero's nose and Tony silently ordered the suit to form a repulsor cannon than blasted Peter the chest. The boy flew backwards, but before he could collide with anything, he shot a web at a tree and used it as leverage to spin around and kick Tony brutally in the chest. He pinned his mentor to the ground and smashed his fists into him over and over. Tony held his hands up to shield his face, his mind failing to process any thoughts as his nanotech was desperately replacing its damaged pieces, yet it was breaking faster than it could fix itself.

"Peter!" Tony cried, "c'mon, kid!"

Suddenly, a glowing, yellowish whip wrapped around Peter's throat and his hands snapped over the magical substance. He yanked at the rope until he was swiftly jerked away from his victim and thrown on the ground, the whip still wrapped around him like a leash. Stephen towered above, his cape assisting him in levitating above the scene while poor Wong had been left to busy Ebony and Cull. Stephen quickly created replicas of himself, each bearing a whip that they used to lasso Peter and hold him down as he thrashed furiously against their grip. Stephen rushed away from his clones and lowered himself to the ground next to Tony who lay shaking and gasping on the ground.

"Are you alright?" Stephen interrogated, reaching out a hand to help him up.

"Don't hurt that kid," Tony demanded fiercely as he heaved himself upright.

"It seems it's either his life or yours," the wizard hissed.

"He isn't the enemy," Tony sharply explained, "there has to be something controlling him. He would never hurt me willingly."

An uproar nearby caused the two men to whirl around to face Peter who had already taken down the wizard clones. This is what he's capable of, a scared voice spoke in the back of Tony's head, this child could kill everyone here. And he wants to kill you. Tony's breaths grew shuddering and uneven with anxiety as Peter faced the heroes. But he wasn't scared for himself, not anymore. Now, he was terrified for Peter. What if he failed to save this boy's mind? Would he be a slave to whoever was controlling him for the rest of his life? Would the real Peter ever see the light of day again? Or maybe his controller would kill him the moment he was no longer useful... Maybe Tony would be forced to kill him. 

"Take five," Stephen remarked to Peter then sent what appeared to be a wall of glass floating towards the boy.

The moment it collided with Peter, both he and the wall disappeared without a trace. Tony's eyes widened and he clutched the wizard's shoulder and spun him around to face him.

"What the hell did you do to him?!" He challenged fiercely.

"Calm down," Stephen jerked his shoulder away from the man, "I put him somewhere where he will neither be a danger to us nor himself. Now," his gaze trailed to Wong and his expression grew into one resembling guilt. Then, a realization struck him and his face lit up, "it has to be Ebony controlling him."

"Who?"

"Squidward."

"Oh. How do we stop him?"

"I say we play it safe and kill him."

"I like where your head's at. Let's do it."

The two rushed to aid Wong, who was shielding himself from simultaneous attacks from Ebony and Cull. Tony pummeled full-speed into Ebony, snatching him away from Wong and pinning him against an office building.

"Let the kid go," he hissed fiercely.

"Give me your little friend's necklace, then we can talk," Ebony spat in reply.

For a moment, Tony hesitated. How much was he willing to give up for Peter's safety? The offer sank in another second, then he realized what he was really risking— not just some necklace, but a stone. A stone with the power to manipulate time. A stone that could be the difference between Earth's demise and Earth's safety. Which also made it was a stone that could be the difference between life or death for Peter. Peter’s life was so precious to so many people: his aunt, his friends, even the citizens of New York who he assisted everyday in small yet significant ways. Without Peter, May wouldn’t have her nephew (or more accurately: her son), Ned and Michelle would be without their most important piece, teachers who adored the boy would lose their favorite student, and New York would be stripped of its most vital protector. Tony could not have that on his conscious. 

Tony opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted as a flock of spears carved from brick and concrete came rushing towards him.

"Shit!" He exclaimed as he bolted away from the alien and sped out of the spears' way.

Of course he was only buying himself time, Tony thought bitterly while he outran the arrows, I should've known he didn't actually care to make a deal. He weaved between skyscrapers and did a number of fancy maneuvers in an effort to avoid the deadly weapons behind him.

"Stark!" Stephen called from down below.

Tony dipped and stumbled to a clumsy landing at the wizard's side. Stephen hurriedly extended his hands and produced a shield to protect the two from the deadly objects. As Stephen braced for impact, Tony briefly stepped one foot out of the shelter and fired a series of plasma-blasts before ducking behind the mage once more. The blasts hit about half of the spikes, blowing them straight to hell; the other half smashed into Stephen's shield and were shattered instantly.

"Thanks," Tony muttered.

Stephen nodded stiffly then the two concurrently jumped in surprise at the sound of shattering glass. They whipped their heads around to see what appeared to be an invisible substances cracking, as if the air itself could break.

"What's that?" Tony questioned.

"I... I don't think the Mirror Dimension can break," Stephen slowly thought aloud then craned his neck to look at Ebony whose eyes were focused sharply on the break in the dimension, "it's Ebony. He's helping it break."

Before Tony could reply, there was an explosion of shattering glass and Peter stumbled out of the Mirror Dimension. The boy locked eyes with his mentor, and for a fleeting second Tony almost thought that he was looking at the real Peter. But, the moment Peter shot a web at his legs and flung him into a lamp post, Tony realized he was wrong. His back smashed against the pole with a sickening crack, and the post was forced to bend at an awkward angle upon impact.

"Hang in there, Stark," Stephen called, "I just got an idea."

"Hurry up," Tony rasped as he struggled to rise to his feet.

Peter yanked the hero upright by his wrist, then heaved him over his shoulder, slamming him into the ground. Tony gasped and coughed, pain shooting through his entire body.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Peter," Tony stated with determination.

The spider didn't acknowledge his words but instead forced the man into a headlock, one arm wrapped around his throat with the other hand gripping his head and ready to snap his neck. Tony clasped Peter's arm frantically, by now he had learned that his suit was practically useless when pitted against Peter's raw strength.

"C-c'mon, kid," Tony managed, "I know yo-you don't want to hurt me."

Peter was silent a moment as he tightened his grip, making Tony gasp as he could feel his suit being crippled under Peter's arms. I'm sorry, Mister Stark! Peter cried in the back of his corrupted mind, I don't want to do this!

"What would you like me to tell Pepper?" Peter hissed hoarsely.

Tony choked and was just barely able to wheeze out a few words, "tell her it wasn't your fault."

The very moment that Peter scoffed and began to twist Tony's neck, Stephen forced Ebony through a portal that snapped shut around his head and decapitated him. 

The spider's body froze and he felt as if a thousand pounds had been lifted off his body. Ebony's oppressive cloud of violence and darkness faded, leaving room for Peter to obtain control of his mind once more. The shining blue of his eyes was erased and the usual brown hue took over.

Peter withdrew from Tony as fast as he could and instantly burst into tears. Stephen rushed back to the two and put his hand on Tony's shoulder as he forced his helmet to disappear and he gasped for breath. Peter briefly glanced at Tony's bloodied and bruised face, only to sob and shake harder.

"Hey," Stephen called to him, "Tony, are you okay?"

Tony forced himself to nod and calm his trembling muscles, "k-kid, come here."

"N-no," Peter refused through his tears as he wrapped his arms around himself, "I hurt y-you."

"It's okay, it wasn't your fault," Tony assured calmly as he waved him over, "now come here, you won't hurt me again."

Peter hesitantly paced towards Tony then sat on his knees next to him. His body was shuddering with terror and guilt as he fought back sobs. Tony wrapped his arms around the boy securely and Peter gratefully sank into his touch. Stephen felt a pang of pity for the kid, and gently rested his hand on his shoulder for reassurance.

"Take a deep breath, kid. Calm down... calm down... there you go," Tony spoke softly as Peter's crying and shuddering gradually relaxed, "I'm okay."

"You don't look okay," Peter mumbled, hiding his face in Tony's chest— call him childish, but he really just wanted his aunt to hold him, obviously that was out of the question.

"You're right. Right now, I'm not okay and everything hurts," Tony deadpanned.

Peter choked out a small laugh, "you jackass, how's that supposed to make me feel better?"

"C'mon, Peter, you know I'll heal. I just need a few days," Tony smiled softly, "I don't think any less of you."

The little spider nodded slightly, "thank you, Mister Stark," he craned his neck to look up at Stephen, "and- um, thank you Mister Wizard."

"It's Strange," he corrected.

Peter knit his brow together and nodded, "yeah, I guess so."

"No, I mean-" Stephen cut himself off and shook his head, "let's go help Wong."

Tony took his arms away from Peter then the two stood up. Peter looked over at Wong as he narrowly avoided Cull's hammer as it was smashed into the ground. Stephen's eyes widened and he muttered a curse as he rushed to assist his friend.

"So, what this guy's deal, Mister Stark?" Peter asked, repressing any previous emotions of guilt, terror, and depression.

"He's from space and he's here to steal a necklace from a wizard," Tony explained.

Peter nodded and ran forward, attaching a web to a building and lifting himself off the ground, "just another day in the life."

Tony almost laughed at that and his helmet reformed over his face, "good to have you back, kid."

He smiled, "it's good to be back, sir.”

[enchantingsheepmoon]

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Triple Diamond slot machine represents a creation of the famous IGT software developing company, which was released back in 2014. This title comes in the form of a retro-style game, specially dedicated to the players who are into classic online slots. Both Triple Double Double diamond slot machine free play will make you feel like you are sitting behind an actual land-based slot device, although you will still be at the comfort of your home, sitting on your chair!

Triple Double Diamond Slot Review

IGT’s Triple Diamond slot is played across a reel set that comes in the form of a standard 5×3 grid, constructed out of three reels collocated into the same number of horizontal rows. This retro-designed reel grid contains an overall number of nine potentially active betting lines. And 'potentially active' means that you can determine by will how many lines do you want to mark as active at the beginning of each and every new round. The number of active paylines per spin can go anywhere between the minimum of one and a maximum of nine. The free Triple Diamond slot introduces a beautiful theme, with detailed, high-definition graphics, and life-like design, which provides an excellent first impression. It belongs to the category of classic video slots and, with its symbol designs (bars and 7’s), preserves the memory of early slot machines. The reels are placed in such a way to occupy the central position of the screen, as well as most of the screen itself, which provides great visibility.

The only two control buttons are placed at each side of the reel grid, blending just perfectly into the design. You can monitor parameters such as your balance, total bet amount and the amount of the won payout through the box below the reels. Everything is neat, manageable with ease. The game comes with the theoretical long-term return to player percentage of slightly over 95%. It belongs to the category of slots with medium to lower volatility, which implies that payouts are smaller in quantity but tend to occur more often.

International Gaming Technology

When it comes to the IGT provider, it represents one of the leading companies specialized in the development and production of multiple kinds of casino software, including a palette of games (slots, table games, video poker, card games, etc.), gaming platforms, land-based slot machines, lottery and sports betting software, etc.

Besides Triple and Double Diamonds free play slot machines, the company stands behind popular online video slots, such as the Cleopatra series of slots, Da Vinci Diamonds, Wheel of Fortune, Coyote Moon, or the Siberian Storm, which comes with the progressive jackpot! In the following parts of this Triple Diamond slots review, all features, options, rules, as well as the symbols and their payouts will be concisely overviewed.

How to Play Triple Diamond?

Playing Triple Diamond slot machine is not a big deal, while the rules don’t differ from the standard ones. The main goal of the game is to land a combination of more than two identical symbols, and they need to be placed on the same exact paying line, starting from the leftmost reel, to the right. Since this is a game with three reels, this would mean that you must cover the entire line with symbols to score a payout, unlike in 5-reeled ones. The exception is a symbol illustrated as the logo of the game, which awards payouts even when you manage to land a single one!

The controls of the game are pretty simple and very manageable. The green button on the left opens a menu, through which you get to adjust several parameters, such as the number of active paying lines per round, then the amount of your stake per one such line, and you can monitor the amount of your total wager as you adjust the bet per line. The yellow button located to the left of the grid starts the reels in motion. In the top right corner of the screen, you can see a small button with two white arrows. Clicking on it, a falling menu will present you three options: 'Home', 'Game Rule' and 'Paytable'. And that’s about all you need to know when it comes to Triple Diamond slots controls!

Triple Diamond Symbols & Payouts

The Triple Diamond online casino slot machine comes with an overall number of six symbols. Among them, five are ordinary, while the sixth comes with certain special functions, which makes it distinctive. Unfortunately, the game-play of the Triple Diamond slot includes no special symbols such as the scatter or the bonus icon. So, you can’t rely on a wild to substitute other symbols, or on the scatter to bring you payouts regarding the position on the grid or a certain number of free spins. This game is purely based on the random number generator, and that’s what makes it so thrilling!

When it comes to symbols, you can expect to come across five regular ones and one special icon in addition to them. Four of the regular icons are illustrated as various bars, while the fifth comes in the form of the lucky number seven. Bars come in following shapes and sizes: triple bar, double bar, and the regular bar. To score a payout with these symbols, you would have to land three of them in a combination, placed on a single active line. Triple bar combination pays 40x, double bar 20x, and the regular bar combination pays 10x. If you manage to land three bar symbols of any type, landed on the identical line, you will be awarded 5x the amount of your stake per line!

The only special symbol of the free slots Triple Diamond is illustrated to resemble the logo of the game and it, in fact, represents the wild. It has the ability to replace other symbols when forming a potentially awarding combination. It also carries the largest (jackpot) payout of the Triple Diamond casino slot online. If you manage to land a combination constructed out of three of these symbols on the same active line, you will be awarded a generous payoff amount that occupies the value of 1199 times your bet per line! Any two of these symbols will pay 10x, while any one of them pays 2x the value of your wager per one line. In the first case, the combination contains two special symbols and any other icon, while in the second case, two of them are of any type, and the third is the special one.

But that’s not all when it comes to the so called triple double diamond slots or just Triple Diamond special symbol! According to the rules of the game, any 3-symbol line win that contains one special symbol will pay 3x bet per line. If you manage to create a winning combination of three symbols, among which two are special ones, you will receive a payoff worth 9x your wager per line. All wins displayed in the box below the reels are shown in the currency you are playing with.

Betting Options

By clicking the green button located to the right of the reel set, you will enter a menu dedicated to betting options. Once there, through buttons labelled with + and -, you get to adjust two parameters that will affect the amount of your overall wager per a single round. The first parameter concerns the number of active paying lines you wish to add to the next spin. This number can occupy the values between the minimum of 1 and a maximum of 9.

The second parameter is labelled as 'LINE BET'. This value can range between a minimum of 25 and a maximum of 500. There are several bet line values to choose from, including the minimum of 25, then there is 30, then 50, 100, 200, 300, and a maximum of 500 in credits. You get to play the Triple Diamond slot for as little as £0.1 per spin.

The total bet amount depends on these two parameters. It can easily be calculated by multiplying the number of active paying lines with the amount of your stake per a single active line. It occupies the values from the minimum of 25 (with a single active line and the minimum line bet) up to the maximum of 4500 (all nine lines active, line bet set to the maximum).

Additional Rules

The winning combination achieved in the Triple Diamond free slots must contain at least three symbols of the same type, and they must be located on the identical activated paying line. The combination counts starting from the leftmost, up to the rightmost position on the active line. If there is the appearance of more than one combination on the grid, only the one with the highest value will be converted into a payout. Combination values displayed in the paytable are being multiplied with the number of coins you have staked on a single active payline. All wins displayed at the end of a successful spin are shown in the currency you have chosen to play with.

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How to Win in Triple Diamond?

There are several things you can follow in order to increase your chances to score any of the Triple Diamond slot machine wins. The first of all, which does not consider the game-play so much, regards to dividing your funds in a proper way. If you instantly go big, without spending a few rounds on getting familiar with the game itself, you risk going bankrupt very fast. So, spend your money wisely, and even better, play a couple of demo rounds of the free Triple Diamond slots before starting your real money game-play. The vast majority of online casino operators allows you to access this title through demo mode.

When playing the game, you should get familiar with betting options first. It’s important to understand that increasing the number of paylines increases the chances of creating a winning combination as well, although the amount of your total wager per round also rises. With slots, you must stake a sum to win a sum. If you are chasing for that magnanimous 1199x-line-bet jackpot payoff, then it is recommended to keep all nine lines active and wait for the combination of three Triple Diamond wild tokens to appear.

While on the run for the generous jackpot prize, potentially worth 270000 credits, you should keep an eye on bar combinations as well, while they will be filling up your account balance with smaller, yet more frequent sums of money, which will keep you alive for a greater number of rounds.

And last, but not the least, especially if you are not an experienced slot player, it is recommended to play several demo rounds of the Triple Diamond free slot, in order to get familiar with the controls, rules, and payouts. Preparation is the key to success!

When it comes to the game’s payout range, the minimum amount you can be awarded occupies the value of 2x line bet (a single wild in a 3-symbol winning combination). Then the payouts grow from 5 and 10x, over 20, 40 and 100x, all up to the maximum worth of 1199x line bet, taken by the non-progressive Triple Diamond jackpot prize!

Demo & Real Money

The game comes both as the real money version and as the free Triple Diamonds slot. And both demo mode and real money mode are available at the majority of online casino operators that offer games developed by the IGT software provider.

Demo mode is purely played with fictional money, credits, while in the other mode, wins and bet amounts are only displayed in credits. Those credits are later converted into the currency you have selected to play with, and added to your account balance in case of a win, or deducted from it when you are placing your chosen bet.

Triple Diamond Mobile Slot

The free Triple Diamond slot comes as a mobile version as well. This version comes in two forms, as a downloadable one, and as the instant-play one. For the first, you would have to download and install a game or casino app, while the second can be reached directly through the web browsing app of your chosen device, with the help of the Adobe Flash player extension. The mobile version of the Triple Diamond slot machine is perfectly compatible with portable devices such as smartphones and tablets, that are powered by software system platforms developed by Apple (iOS, MacOS), Google (Android) or Windows (Mobile). Since the mobile version is HTML5-based, the above-mentioned possibility of instant-play is achievable. When it comes to the game-play of the Triple Diamond mobile slot, it does not differ from the one dedicated to PC gaming. The rules and controls are the same as well. The game is designed in such a manner to perfectly fit all screen sizes and resolutions, for the best possible gaming experience!

Conclusion

If you are a player in search of a true classic, retro-styled online slot machine, then look no more because both Triple and Double Diamond slots from IGT will provide you with exactly what you desire! A 3×3 reel grid with up to 9 paylines, an amazing design that resembles a genuine land-based slot, classic symbols, such as bars and the number 7 will turn you back to the ‘80s. And the absence of bonus features, leaving only the wild symbol to help you on your path towards the jackpot payout, only makes the game-play more exciting! So, wait no more, and if you want to make sure that this is the game for you, play a demo round or two before starting to experience the thrill of Triple Diamond slot in real money mode!

Frequently asked questions about the Spiderman slot:

📌 Who produced the game and how many reels and paylines does it include?

The game was produced by the International Gaming Technology (better known as IGT), and it introduces a 3×3 reel grid.

📌 What is the minimum required bet for participating?

To play the Triple Diamond slot machine for real money, you must deposit at least £0.1 per spin. Playing the game in demo mode requires no charges.

📌 What is the maximum payout I can win by playing Triple Diamond slot?

The maximum (jackpot) payout occupies the value of 1199x line bet. If you are playing with all nine lines active and with the maximum bet per line of 225 credits, the jackpot would be around 270000 credits.

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📌 Can I play the game on my mobile phone or tablet?

Yes, Triple Diamonds casino slot online is playable on all smartphones or tablets that are based on software systems such as the Android, iOS or Windows Mobile.

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📌 How to increase my chances of winning?

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Playing a couple of demo rounds to get to know the game-play, as well as choosing a casino with generous welcome offers that will increase your funds, could affect the chance of you winning. All you need to care about is dividing your money, so you can avoid losing it in just a couple of spins.

[chibivesicle]

Golden Kamuy chapters 218 & 219.  Everything is wrong in regards to panning for gold.

Chapter 218 starts off with the man that Sugimoto saved from the bear.  Which really as soon as he mentioned the scrape on his forehead was a recent injury (and no obvious signs of being chewed on by a freakkin’ bear) I’m going to go with the fact that there is no bear.  Or that this man IS the bear. Why?  Based on what he thinks about Sugimoto.  That Sugimoto is so nice!

You know who thinks Sugimoto is nice?  Criminals!  Henmei and the con artist Suzukawa.  Anyone who thinks Sugimoto is nice is almost always a dangerous person.  His brother apparently catches up to him and we learn his name is Heita (who really has to be a dangerous person).

Shiraishi then asks if he’s a gold prospector due to his fancy boots and Sugimoto then smiles awkwardly as he admits his poor experience searching for gold himself.  The older brother Taka is immediately suspicious as he looks at Sugimoto and Shiraishi, while Heita is just more interested in their plans.

I’m sorry Heita but your facial expression this panel really is making me nervous and Sugimoto is terrible at reading creepy and dangerous people in situations like these where he either saves or protects them.

Heita declares that there is still plenty of gold dust to be found while an younger brother? and his older brother are suspicious, since they do have 2 rifles, bayonets, the fact that Vasily also carries a pistol and Asirpa has arrows and knives.  The putative father points out that robbers wouldn’t save them.

The next page reveals a very attractive woman who has come out to inquire about their unique looking group.  She looks like she could be a seductive woman and she remarks on Vasily as a foreigner and Shiraishi winks at her to define them as comrades while Sugimoto annoyed decides to define them as a rabble in english.

I would take this to mean that Shiraishi’s using a more positive spin on their group while Sugimoto is distancing himself from Vasily.  The longer they travel with Vasily, I can’t help but think Sugimoto will see him more and more like Ogata.  Silent and observing them. Taka then angrily tells Noriko to head back to their tent and she seems annoyed by his order.

There are a few pages of gold prospecting 101 from Heita to Sugimoto and Shiraishi.  They try to do things while Asirpa just stays behind on shore giving minimal support by heating water so they can try to work in the freezing cold water.  Heita and his family are using a more effective way to look for gold and it seems that perhaps due to their friendship with Asirpa, Sugimoto and Shiraishi may not ever have a shot at finding gold since as an Ainu, she believes this is one of the mistakes people made polluting the river. I think it is a bit of a karmic reminder that they know enough information now, to realize they shouldn’t be doing this and if they do it - it won’t work out for them b/c they are friends with Asirpa and Shiraishi has even had the Kiro’s tour of Karafuto to explain the rights of the native peoples of the east/north.

And Shiraishi even knows this as he declares it just isn’t going to work for them.

Again, Shiraishi is the voice of reason.  Just follow through on things Shiraishi, you are getting there!

Just as Sugimoto is about to give up as well, Heita tells them about gold that is mixed with platinum, and his family seems uncomfortable with him telling them so many points that they must have been keeping secret from others.

The next few pages are more description of the rising interest in platinum metals from miners and the value is increasing.  It can be used in fountain pens which were become more popular in Japan and now they didn’t need to import it from elsewhere to make the pens.  Therefore, Heita says there will be a second “gold” rush in Hokkaido. 

Even though he’s factually correct, I would not trust to work with this man!  He looks like a smaller version of Usami with those eyes. 

Shiraishi and Sugimoto are awestruck and in shock as they look on with sparkle in their eyes as they then firmly hold each others hands and Asirpa looks on from behind them.  They don’t even look at each other when they do this, they just instinctively hold hands.

After this Heita notices the bear again.  The rest of his family can’t see it and no one else can see it either.  Just looking at his facial expression and the creepy font for his statement about the bear getting closer (a likely hallucination) he’s creepy and suspicious as all hell.  Furthermore, he says that the bear is the wen kamuy.  And Asirpa upon hearing that notices the carved bear case on his belt.

Thanks Noda, I now know who the wen kamuy is - it is Heita. 

Sugimoto and Asirpa go to check out where it was spotted.  Yet they don’t find any signs of a bear.  Asirpa clearly states that there is no sign of a bear yet Sugimoto does not believe it.  He fully believes Heita, just like he believed Henmei and Suzukawa (as an Ainu elder).

Then Sugimoto tries to kind of apologize to her by disagreeing with her read on the NO bear status by referring to the white bear a sign that the Mountain gods are angry.  Really Sugimoto?  This is a half-assed attempt to connect with Asirpa’s own belief system.  Yet she just pauses before she states that she wonders . . . The chapter ends with the older father being chewed on by the “bear”.

219 then starts off with Vasily sketching a wren.  For a character who I think is a snow leopard, he does seem to have a cat like tendency to patiently stare at a bird. Asirpa seems to becoming more comfortable with him.  I feel like this is Ogata 2.0, she has a reason to talk to him about a bird.  This also shows that Asirpa is still a non-judgemental person and she really does seem to try to approach others in a neutral fashion despite the fact that Vasily shot Shiraishi in the leg.  This is really Ogata 2.0 since she approached Ogata even though he had fought with Sugimoto with a clear intent to cause harm.

To add to the fact to my now official “I am the Wen Kamuy” Heita hypothesis, she remarks that the wren, Cakcak Kamuy should call indicating there the the bear is.  The lack of its call means there is no bear near by.  The last panel shows a super creepy looking Heita and he’s gotta be the Wen Kamuy.  He explains more prospecting tools and terms to Sugimoto and Shiraishi and then he appears to be almost magical as he tells them where they should look for platinum.  Sugimoto and Shiraishi are obsessed with him and ready to do whatever he says.  He gets them when he agrees to split the money between them equally and they would rather do this than kill the Wen Kamuy.  Asirpa then strongly interjects that gold panning polluted the rivers and everyone lost their focus on hunting.

She tries really hard to convince them otherwise, and they completely ignore her (and her uncle’s words that Sugimoto was already told once before) and they beg Heita to help them, Master Heita even as they bow. Asirpa then inquires about his Ainu tobacco case with the bear on it.  Heita says he worked with some Ainu and they got along well so they gave it to him as a gift.  She replies that it explains why he knew the term Wen Kamuy (and this must also imply that most Japanese in Hokkaido are not familiar with the term).

Sugimoto then tells Heita that they know about the Wen Kamuy and that it has attacked people along the river and then Shiraishi tries to re-assure him that it will be okay b/c Asirpa is their bear hunting specialist to help him relax and help them find the gold.

Asirpa tries to get information from him about the bear’s behaviour and he with the creepiest expression ever - white eyes, Usami shaped says that it has been going on for years and years - implying that this cannot be a single bear that has become a Wen Kamuy.

I assume that he also mumbled this a little since Asirpa turns around in shock as she says “What?” while Shiraishi is encouraging Sugimoto to do his best with him together.  As Asirpa looks back at Heita, his head is awkwardly turned to the side, his eyes a shut as he smiles in a scary fashion and his mouth is completely black.  A few pages before when Heita was speaking you could see his teeth and his mouth was a light grey.  But now, it is totally black which CANNOT be a good sign.  He’s no longer human with that facial expression.

The action then shifts to Vasily drawing by himself.  Noriko asks him to come with her to draw her in their hut.  To give context to her as a character, here are a few tweets form Sei Kobiyama describing the context of her type of character.

The story arc is a combination of Showa pulp fiction and horror stories explaining the creepy factor.  Noriko is also a draw like a typical dangerous and seductive woman looking to do something bad, I’m guessing likely towards a male target.

That immediately comes out as she strips down to pose in the nude for Vasily.  Based on his furious sketching he seems to have found it very inspiring.  However, she catches something out of the corner of her eye and she freaks out!

Some sort of object that she was trying to get rid of is back and at that moment Taka comes to interrupt them and does some major shaming of her behavior.  She seems tired of waiting for Taka and he tries to explain to her to wait a little while longer, it is clear that she’s lonely as they try to find the gold.  The next page then reveals Heita up in a tree watching them kiss as he licks his own lips and then climbs down the tree face first and leaps off like a flying squirrel.  Noda really wants to make it clear that Heita is not okay.  I get it. Thanks. Sugimoto and Shiraishi are trying to pan for gold when they realize that Heita is missing and they panic that something bad may happen to him.  They tell Asirpa to keep an eye on him as the bear expert.  She replies to them if there really even is a bear around. 

But either way, she does take their suggestion to go look around.  Meanwhile, Taka tells Vasily that Noriko is playing a trick on him by taking his binoculars and placing them over on a mushroom growing off of a tree.

Vasily being the sniper that he is, immediately goes to retrieve his precious binoculars.  It is clear that Taka is leading him into a trap, an amappo specifically set up by some local Ainu.

Thankfully, Asirpa manages to save him and points out the signs for others to observe the presence of a trap.

After she speaks Taka appears in the background watching them as it is clear that he sent Vasily there on purpose.  Vasily nods, so hopefully this is showing that he can understand a tiny amount of Japanese.  She then has a full monologue to Vasily about how she’s been trying to find evidence for the bear that Heita has seen. She went as far as looking beyond the described range, found all of the local bears that are all in hibernation so she knows that he’s outright lying.  Since Shiraishi and Sugimoto won’t listen to her - she tells Vasily who can’t even talk back towards her currently.

The big question is now, why is he lying?  Besides the obvious fact that he is a killer based on the Sugimoto is nice rule.

Sugimoto and Shiraishi notice a bear off in the distance and go to find Asirpa.  They caught a glimpse of its butt.  Bear bum spotted. The final page then shows a bear claw around the Father and youngest son, buried in the snow and a final scene of Heita screaming in total shock/fury/I don’t even know what else.

I would guess the bear claw is actually Heita’s foot via “Heita vision”.  The editor’s tag line of “I came, I saw, I devoured” instead of conquered makes me think Heita is the bear and a cannibal.  So where does all of this action in 218 and 219 leave us? First off this is a creepy horror story arc.  People driven by greed to pan for gold in the rivers, out for themselves, not trusting others and wanting to keep others from robbing/killing/stealing from them. Heita is clearly a killer - a Wen Kamuy human.  Shiraishi almost gets the idea that panning for gold is a bad idea, but he gives into Heita’s sales pitch.  Sugimoto and Shiraishi keep ignoring Asirpa and her observations.  I’m obviously biased, but Asirpa is getting a bit of the Ogata treatment/repeat of how Sugimoto ignored her during the Silent Kotan arc.  He should know by now that her observational skills are vastly superior to his.  I’m hoping Vasily will be a stand in for Ogata and he will help out in their battle against Heita and even Taka and his binoculars may be important to that. Sugimoto and Shiraishi are going to freak out when the horror reveal happens. It would be interesting if Asirpa is forced to fight against Heita.  What if she has to kill him out of necessity?  That would be a cool plot point where Asirpa takes down the human Wen Kamuy.  This would be a philosophically interesting point.

The other major theme is how Japanese people are exploiting the Ainu land and this is a bad idea.  I’m sure Heita did not get that Ainu tobacco case through friendly means.  Or, the Ainu gave it to him to warn other Ainu that this man is the Wen Kamuy.  That would be a totally awesome plot point as well! Just based on the fact that Sugimoto is still not quite getting Asirpa’s background shows that this will likely reveal something deeper between them in regards to Wen Kamuy, different cultures and how to really respect each other. Overall, these types of arcs in Golden Kamuy aren’t my favorite, but they are frequently tied to colonialism and the abuse of the natives as this has overlap with; the bear monster arc with the American, boss and princess; the Silent Kotan arc; how Japanese fisherman were over fishing and Henmei was hiding among them and the central theme of wanting the gold. 

[mojave-musing]

No one tagged me to do this but I’m gonna do it anyway

Rules:

1. Choose an OC.

2. Answer them as that OC.

3. Tag 5 people to do the same. 

I’ll be doing this for Nat.

1. What is your name?

Natalia Quinn, or just Nat.

2. How old are you?

I’m twenty-three. Born two years after Vault 76 closed.

3. What do you look like?

Black hair in an undercut style. White as shit since I’ve never been in the sun. Brown eyes uh I have an x shaped scar on the left side of my face. The first one was from falling down the vault stairs, the other was from home trying to spin my knife.

4. Where are you from? Where do you live now?

I’m from Vault 76. Right now, I’m bouncing between towns but I guess Flatwoods is home. It feels like home at least.

5. What was your childhood like?

It was okay, I guess. I have nothing to compare it too.

6. What groups are you friendly with? Are you allied with any factions?

Well, I guess I would consider myself a Responder; I went through all the automated training for them.

7. Tell me about your best friend.

I didn’t really have a best friend in the vault. All us kids got along pretty well and there weren’t a ton of us so there weren’t options.

8. Do you have a family? Tell me about them!

My mom and dad are still alive. They set up a home closer to the Vault. We didn’t always get along, they don’t like that I’m going with the splinter group to fight the scorched.

9. What about a partner or partners? 

I don’t have anyone yet, but I really like this girl I grew up with in the vault. Her name is Nellie. She’s nice.

10. Who are your enemies, and why?

Scorched are the obvious answer. Spreading a plague and ruining Appalachia. I guess a runner up is Raiders; but I can see why one would turn to that life. Circumstances of life and whatnot.

11. Have you ever heard of The Brotherhood of Steel? What do you think about them?

I have found a few of their camps and holotapes. Fort Defiance is an impressive fortification. It seems like they were trying had to fight the Scorched; Roger Maxson sounds like he was an inspirational man.

12. What about The Enclave?

Considering they were the pre-war government, I hate them. I don’t trust MODUS; he’s definitely using us Vault Dwellers.

13. How do you feel about Super Mutants?

I feel sorry for them. They were once human and some of them are so angry, losing their humanity and not knowing it. I like Graham; he’s nice and he gives me a discount.

14. What’s the craziest fight you’ve ever been in?

A fire fight with raiders, in the middle they over took my cover with an older vault dweller, Maxwell. The Raider was someone Maxwell had went to high school with, they knew each other. The raider got mad at Maxwell, for surviving in the Vault, a luxury he didn’t get. He shot Maxwell when I rushed him. Now Maxwell can’t use his right arm, I feel a little at fault.

15. Have you ever fought a Deathclaw?

I have not. I don’t want to.

16. Do you like fighting?

Back in the Vault, when it was strategic knife-fights and boxing, Yes. Now, I don’t like it, it’s senseless violence.

17. What’s your weapon of choice?

Combat knife, mostly. When I’m at a distance, bow and arrow or crossbow, silent and arrows I can make and retrieve easier.

18. How do you survive? Your wits, your charm, your skills, brute force, some combination? (a.k.a. what’s your S.P.E.C.I.A.L?)

I feel like I’m smart enough to avoid fights I don’t need to fight. I also feel like I’m incredibly lucky most of the time.

19. Have you ever been in a vault? What do you think about them? 

Born and raised in one. Now that I’ve seen the outside world I never want to go back.

20. How do you beat all the radiation around here? Has it affected you?

Protective gear, rad-x and rad-a-way. I haven’t gotten terribly sick yet. Some of the people who I travel with haven’t been as careful and have mutated, their eyes are glowing in light shine like an animals, or their skin turning blue. I worry about them.

21. What’s your favorite wasteland critter?

Foxes. They are one of the few animals I’ve seen not mutated beyond recognition, I have fed a few my jerky, their fur is soft.

22. What’s your least favorite wasteland critter?

Scrochbeast. Ugly fuckint mutated bat.

23. How do you feel about robots?

Their are a few that are cool, the robots at train stations that trade. Rose is something interesting...—that insult bot though, I want to scrap him for parts.

24. How many caps do you have on you right now?

About one hundred. I need to save up more.

25. Nuka Cola or Sunset Sarsaparilla?

What’s sunset sarsaparilla? Nuka all the way.

26. Do you do chems? 

No.

27. Do you ever think about the Pre-War world?

The dwellers who lived it have some serious nostalgia for it. From the stories I’ve heard it was terrible, shortages and injustice. But the idea of these small towns having life in them...I would have liked to see that. I would have liked to meet Dassa and all these people I’ve heard in holotapes.

28. What’s your deepest regret? What would you do differently?

I shouldn’t have charged the raider than was fighting with Maxwell. Maxwell would still have both arms if I had waited a tad longer...but the raider could have taken the shot by then...I don’t know.

29. What’s your biggest achievement? Or what do you hope to achieve?

Well, so far getting the scorched vaccine was a good accomplishment. I want to see Appalachia thriving again, though. I want all this hard work against the scorched to pay off and people to have a safe place to live.

30. What do you want for the future? For yourself? Your friends? The world?

I want the scorched gone, people happy, maybe settle down with Nellie in Flatwoods. I don’t think we could have the pre-war world back, but something stable and at peace would be nice.

Thanks for reading this all! I tag @bbbetty @undeadcourier @courierspikeee and @osseincactus

[fanficshiddles]

I’m still breathing, Chapter 43

Loki returned from an overnight mission with Thor, Steve and Tony.

When he walked into his room, he found Sophie dancing around to music with her hairbrush while wearing only one of his shirts.

He stopped in his tracks and leaned back against the wall, watching her intently. She hadn’t heard him come in yet, so continued dancing around and singing. But then she did spin around and let out a squeal when she spotted him there.

‘Loki!’ She threw the hairbrush down, her cheeks turned bright red at being caught.

A mischievous grin spread across Loki’s face as he took a few of his large strides towards her. ‘That’s my shirt?’ He said and slid his hands underneath said shirt to squeeze her sides.

‘It is.’ Sophie grinned up at him and giggled.

‘You look delightful in it.’ He growled, squeezing her again as he lifted her up and tossed her onto the bed, falling on top of her.

‘What about my moves?’ She smirked.

Loki raised an eyebrow at her and pretended to think for a moment. ‘Hmm. Could do with some practice, I’d say. And your singing, well, don’t give up the day job.’ He winked at her.

‘Oi!’ Sophie whacked his chest. ‘Better than your singing and dancing, you ass!’

Loki laughed, leaned down and kissed her lips, then smirked. ‘I missed you.’ He said, trailing his fingers down her sides and along her hips.

‘It was just one night.’ Sophie whispered over his lips.

‘Shhh.’ Loki chuckled, kissing her again. ‘Says the woman who is wearing my shirt in my absence.’

Loki went for a shower while Sophie waited for him, lounging around on the bed while she read a book. When Loki came out from the bathroom, he was wearing only his leather trousers and the towel draped around his neck.

‘What are you reading?’ He sat down on the edge of the bed, stroking her leg and causing her skin to break out in goose bumps.

‘History of mutants.’ Sophie said sheepishly, placing the book down on her lap.

‘Oh, sweetheart.’ Loki reached up and stroked her cheek. ‘We will do everything we can. I promise you.’

‘I know. I just thought there might be something in here, if it’s happened before. But so far, nothing.’ She sighed.

Over the weeks, Sophie had gotten ever so slightly used to not having her power. But she still missed it greatly. She knew the first time back out on the field would be extremely hard. She wasn’t even sure if she would be able to fight again or not…

Loki ended up lying on the bed sideways with his head resting on Sophie’s lap, reading his own book while Sophie continued reading through her book, also while running her hand through Loki’s still damp hair between turning pages.

‘Did you know that mutants go right back before possibly even the first human?’ Sophie asked.

‘Really? Perhaps you are as old as I am.’

‘I doubt that, Granddad.’ Sophie said playfully, grinning as she glanced over the top of her book to see his reaction.

She was met with a mischievous glare, his book disappeared and his hands moved under the shirt quickly so he could tickle her. She fell to the side with laughter, trying to fend him off even when he straddled over her to keep her in place.

‘ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT!’ She screamed through her laughter.

Loki stopped and leaned down so his lips were just hovering over hers, a sly smirk plastered on his face. ‘If I am that old then you must remember that you are sleeping with this old Granddad.’ He chuckled and kissed her.

She mumbled against his lips, feeling him still smirking for a bit before he leaned back slightly.

‘I guess old could be classes as, experienced.’ She laughed.

‘Good save.’ He winked at her.

There was suddenly loud knocking on the door, then Tony called through. ‘Come on, lovebirds. Stop rolling around in the sheets and get your asses down to the training ground!’

Loki rolled his eyes and grunted, annoyed by the interruption.

‘Who needs a training session when I can kick your ass right now, Stark!’ He called back to him through gritted teeth.

‘Bring it, reindeer games!’ Tony shouted then Sophie and Loki could hear his footsteps disappearing down the corridor.

Loki growled in annoyance when Sophie wriggled out from under him and started grabbing her clothes to get dressed. ‘Perhaps Stark takes a walk on the rooftop and accidentally slips on a banana skin without his suit on.’ He said darkly, only a hint of mischief there.

‘Loki. Behave.’ Sophie chastised.

Loki sighed dramatically and flopped over onto his back, his dark hair sprawling out on the pillow. ‘I doubt anyone would actually miss him. I’m sure Pepper would be glad, I bet he’s a pain in the ass to share a room with.’ He said while staring up at the ceiling.

Sophie snorted and crawled onto the bed to lean over him, her face coming into his view. ‘I get the feeling she would miss him more than you think.’ She grinned and gave him a quick peck on the lips before jumping off the bed again before he could grab her, which he did try to but she was too quick for him that time.

He moved onto his side and narrowed his eyes at her in a predatory way while he motioned her to him with his finger. She just stuck her tongue out and darted into the bathroom. Loki growled and leaped out of bed to go after her.

He went up behind her while she was at the sink, starting to brush her teeth. He pressed himself against her back and wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her and making her laugh.

‘You really should lock the door when you’re in here and don’t want to be disturbed.’ He purred and started kissing her neck, moving her hair out of the way.

‘Wh, sd, wnted, b, distrbd?’ She mumbled with the toothbrush in her mouth, making Loki chuckle against her skin that caused a delightful shiver to run down her spine.

‘Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s rude to speak with your mouth full?’ He teased, trailing his nose up her neck.

She shrugged, grinning at him in the mirror.

Loki kept licking, sucking and nibbling on her neck while she brushed. Once she was finished, she managed to turn around in his arms to hook hers around his neck. She had to go up on her tiptoes to even gain a tiny amount of height compared to him.

‘You do realise if we take too long, Stark will bust in here at any moment.’ She grinned.

‘Well, we better be quick then.’ He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her.

When Loki and Sophie arrived down at the training green half an hour later, Tony did not look pleased.

‘About time!’ He said.

‘What’s the rush?’ Sophie asked.

‘It’s training time, that’s what the rush is.’ He folded his arms over his chest, which looked quite funny considering he was wearing his Iron suit.

Loki’s full armour, helmet and cape materialised onto him. Sophie was already wearing what she normally wore when on a mission or fighting. Though she wasn’t exactly feeling up to it without her powers. She’d managed to avoid training up till now because of it.

She turned to Loki while the group discussed what they were going to do.

‘I’m not sure if I can do this, Loki.’

Loki hooked her chin, to have her look up at him. ‘Hey, it’s alright. You can do this, Sophie. You’re an amazing fighter, with or without your mutation. It just means we will have to re-plan some of our moves.’

‘I feel vulnerable without it.’ She wrapped her arms around herself, but Loki took her hands and pulled her arms away from herself.

‘I’ll be right by your side, as always.’ He assured her.

Sophie looked over at the team, who were waiting for them to join in. She sighed and ran a hand down her face. ‘Alright. I’ll try.’ She nodded.

It took her a while to really get into the fight that they had against some of Tony’s training robots. Normally she would be straight in there, ripping out their little card that caused them to die out. But now, she wasn’t sure what to do.

She watched as Peter swung around the place using the trees, taking out the robots. Tony blasted them all with his blasters. Natasha was kicking ass with her combat skills. Clint from a distance with his arrows. Steve used his shield and fists. Thor was using his mighty hammer. Vision the power of his stone, with Wanda teaming up with him to combine their powers. Hulk… Well, smashing. And her dearest Loki, was using his tricks and energy to take them out with ease.

She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to give herself a mental kick up the ass. When she opened her eyes again, there was a robot running straight towards her.

Part of her wanted to flee, but she stood her ground and prepared herself. When the robot was close enough, she ran forwards and slid under the robot as it swung out towards her. She jumped up to her feet and gave it a high kick to the back of the head. It fell forwards and before it had time to turn around, she jumped on its back and managed to yank its head off.

She was breathing hard from the rush of adrenaline, but she suddenly felt a presence next to her.

‘Impressive. Now, help me take out this bunch.’ Loki said, his breath hot against her ear.

She looked up at him and nodded with a smirk. Feeling the adrenaline pumping through her again.

The couple then ran head first into the fight to help take the rest of them out.

After they defeated enough of the robots, Tony turned them all off and had them gathered up to be fixed for the next training session.

Sophie was exhausted. She was leaning over with her hands on her thighs as she tried to catch her breath.

Loki rubbed her back. ‘Are you alright, love?’

‘Yeah… just… out… of… shape…’ She gasped as she waved her hand at him.

Loki chuckled and scooped her up in his arms, making her squeal in surprise. ‘Well in that case, m’lady needs to be carried back to her chambers.’

‘Loki!’ She laughed. ‘I can walk, you know.’

‘Nonsense. I’m taking you back for a nice bubble bath and a massage.’

‘Well, when you put it like that.’ She grinned, sliding her arms around his neck.

[imagine-loki]

I'm still breathing, Chapter 43

TITLE: I’m still breathing CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 43 AUTHOR: fanficshiddles ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine a mutant has been living on the streets for years, until she is picked up by the Avengers. She’s taken to live with them so they can help her to discover what her powers are. Loki especially, takes an interest in her. The two become very fond of one another as they discover what her power is. RATING: M

Loki returned from an overnight mission with Thor, Steve and Tony.

When he walked into his room, he found Sophie dancing around to music with her hairbrush while wearing only one of his shirts.

He stopped in his tracks and leaned back against the wall, watching her intently. She hadn’t heard him come in yet, so continued dancing around and singing. But then she did spin around and let out a squeal when she spotted him there.

‘Loki!’ She threw the hairbrush down, her cheeks turned bright red at being caught.

A mischievous grin spread across Loki’s face as he took a few of his large strides towards her. ‘That’s my shirt?’ He said and slid his hands underneath said shirt to squeeze her sides.

‘It is.’ Sophie grinned up at him and giggled.

‘You look delightful in it.’ He growled, squeezing her again as he lifted her up and tossed her onto the bed, falling on top of her.

‘What about my moves?’ She smirked.

Loki raised an eyebrow at her and pretended to think for a moment. ‘Hmm. Could do with some practice, I’d say. And your singing, well, don’t give up the day job.’ He winked at her.

‘Oi!’ Sophie whacked his chest. ‘Better than your singing and dancing, you ass!’

Loki laughed, leaned down and kissed her lips, then smirked. ‘I missed you.’ He said, trailing his fingers down her sides and along her hips.

‘It was just one night.’ Sophie whispered over his lips.

‘Shhh.’ Loki chuckled, kissing her again. ‘Says the woman who is wearing my shirt in my absence.’

Loki went for a shower while Sophie waited for him, lounging around on the bed while she read a book. When Loki came out from the bathroom, he was wearing only his leather trousers and the towel draped around his neck.

‘What are you reading?’ He sat down on the edge of the bed, stroking her leg and causing her skin to break out in goose bumps.

‘History of mutants.’ Sophie said sheepishly, placing the book down on her lap.

‘Oh, sweetheart.’ Loki reached up and stroked her cheek. ‘We will do everything we can. I promise you.’

‘I know. I just thought there might be something in here, if it’s happened before. But so far, nothing.’ She sighed.

Over the weeks, Sophie had gotten ever so slightly used to not having her power. But she still missed it greatly. She knew the first time back out on the field would be extremely hard. She wasn’t even sure if she would be able to fight again or not…

Loki ended up lying on the bed sideways with his head resting on Sophie’s lap, reading his own book while Sophie continued reading through her book, also while running her hand through Loki’s still damp hair between turning pages.

‘Did you know that mutants go right back before possibly even the first human?’ Sophie asked.

‘Really? Perhaps you are as old as I am.’

‘I doubt that, Granddad.’ Sophie said playfully, grinning as she glanced over the top of her book to see his reaction.

She was met with a mischievous glare, his book disappeared and his hands moved under the shirt quickly so he could tickle her. She fell to the side with laughter, trying to fend him off even when he straddled over her to keep her in place.

‘ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT!’ She screamed through her laughter.

Loki stopped and leaned down so his lips were just hovering over hers, a sly smirk plastered on his face. ‘If I am that old then you must remember that you are sleeping with this old Granddad.’ He chuckled and kissed her.

She mumbled against his lips, feeling him still smirking for a bit before he leaned back slightly.

‘I guess old could be classes as, experienced.’ She laughed.

‘Good save.’ He winked at her.

There was suddenly loud knocking on the door, then Tony called through. ‘Come on, lovebirds. Stop rolling around in the sheets and get your asses down to the training ground!’

Loki rolled his eyes and grunted, annoyed by the interruption.

‘Who needs a training session when I can kick your ass right now, Stark!’ He called back to him through gritted teeth.

‘Bring it, reindeer games!’ Tony shouted then Sophie and Loki could hear his footsteps disappearing down the corridor.

Loki growled in annoyance when Sophie wriggled out from under him and started grabbing her clothes to get dressed. ‘Perhaps Stark takes a walk on the rooftop and accidentally slips on a banana skin without his suit on.’ He said darkly, only a hint of mischief there.

‘Loki. Behave.’ Sophie chastised.

Loki sighed dramatically and flopped over onto his back, his dark hair sprawling out on the pillow. ‘I doubt anyone would actually miss him. I’m sure Pepper would be glad, I bet he’s a pain in the ass to share a room with.’ He said while staring up at the ceiling.

Sophie snorted and crawled onto the bed to lean over him, her face coming into his view. ‘I get the feeling she would miss him more than you think.’ She grinned and gave him a quick peck on the lips before jumping off the bed again before he could grab her, which he did try to but she was too quick for him that time.

He moved onto his side and narrowed his eyes at her in a predatory way while he motioned her to him with his finger. She just stuck her tongue out and darted into the bathroom. Loki growled and leaped out of bed to go after her.

He went up behind her while she was at the sink, starting to brush her teeth. He pressed himself against her back and wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her and making her laugh.

‘You really should lock the door when you’re in here and don’t want to be disturbed.’ He purred and started kissing her neck, moving her hair out of the way.

‘Wh, sd, wnted, b, distrbd?’ She mumbled with the toothbrush in her mouth, making Loki chuckle against her skin that caused a delightful shiver to run down her spine.

‘Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s rude to speak with your mouth full?’ He teased, trailing his nose up her neck.

She shrugged, grinning at him in the mirror.

Loki kept licking, sucking and nibbling on her neck while she brushed. Once she was finished, she managed to turn around in his arms to hook hers around his neck. She had to go up on her tiptoes to even gain a tiny amount of height compared to him.

‘You do realise if we take too long, Stark will bust in here at any moment.’ She grinned.

‘Well, we better be quick then.’ He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her.

When Loki and Sophie arrived down at the training green half an hour later, Tony did not look pleased.

‘About time!’ He said.

‘What’s the rush?’ Sophie asked.

‘It’s training time, that’s what the rush is.’ He folded his arms over his chest, which looked quite funny considering he was wearing his Iron suit.

Loki’s full armour, helmet and cape materialised onto him. Sophie was already wearing what she normally wore when on a mission or fighting. Though she wasn’t exactly feeling up to it without her powers. She’d managed to avoid training up till now because of it.

She turned to Loki while the group discussed what they were going to do.

‘I’m not sure if I can do this, Loki.’

Loki hooked her chin, to have her look up at him. ‘Hey, it’s alright. You can do this, Sophie. You’re an amazing fighter, with or without your mutation. It just means we will have to re-plan some of our moves.’

‘I feel vulnerable without it.’ She wrapped her arms around herself, but Loki took her hands and pulled her arms away from herself.

‘I’ll be right by your side, as always.’ He assured her.

Sophie looked over at the team, who were waiting for them to join in. She sighed and ran a hand down her face. ‘Alright. I’ll try.’ She nodded.

It took her a while to really get into the fight that they had against some of Tony’s training robots. Normally she would be straight in there, ripping out their little card that caused them to die out. But now, she wasn’t sure what to do.

She watched as Peter swung around the place using the trees, taking out the robots. Tony blasted them all with his blasters. Natasha was kicking ass with her combat skills. Clint from a distance with his arrows. Steve used his shield and fists. Thor was using his mighty hammer. Vision the power of his stone, with Wanda teaming up with him to combine their powers. Hulk… Well, smashing. And her dearest Loki, was using his tricks and energy to take them out with ease.

She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to give herself a mental kick up the ass. When she opened her eyes again, there was a robot running straight towards her.

Part of her wanted to flee, but she stood her ground and prepared herself. When the robot was close enough, she ran forwards and slid under the robot as it swung out towards her. She jumped up to her feet and gave it a high kick to the back of the head. It fell forwards and before it had time to turn around, she jumped on its back and managed to yank its head off.

She was breathing hard from the rush of adrenaline, but she suddenly felt a presence next to her.

‘Impressive. Now, help me take out this bunch.’ Loki said, his breath hot against her ear.

She looked up at him and nodded with a smirk. Feeling the adrenaline pumping through her again.

The couple then ran head first into the fight to help take the rest of them out.

After they defeated enough of the robots, Tony turned them all off and had them gathered up to be fixed for the next training session.

Sophie was exhausted. She was leaning over with her hands on her thighs as she tried to catch her breath.

Loki rubbed her back. ‘Are you alright, love?’

‘Yeah… just… out… of… shape…’ She gasped as she waved her hand at him.

Loki chuckled and scooped her up in his arms, making her squeal in surprise. ‘Well in that case, m’lady needs to be carried back to her chambers.’

‘Loki!’ She laughed. ‘I can walk, you know.’

‘Nonsense. I’m taking you back for a nice bubble bath and a massage.’

‘Well, when you put it like that.’ She grinned, sliding her arms around his neck.

[kriscynical]

Kris’s Trial of the Sword Tips

There are some tips out there that I thought were pretty common knowledge when it comes to defeating the Trial of the Sword, especially the Final Trials, but after I made that post last night and chatted with a couple people, I guess... they’re not as common as I thought? 

Given this apparent fact, here are my tips for getting through the trials.

Some of the following information might seem like dumbass obvious stuff to most of you, but if even one person hasn’t thought of it or didn’t know about it, it’s worth including! This is the stuff that I found most helpful for my own playthroughs.

(Cut to save your dashes because this got decently long.)

Learn how to Perfect Guard/shield deflect guardians. The Eastern Abbey on the Great Plateau is a great place to practice the timing for it (a split second after the eye turns blue, usually... you develop a rhythm pretty quick) with the handful of stationary guardians that are peppered around. Saving right before confronting the first one gives you an easy way to go back again and again and again, especially if you blow through all of your shields really fast while you’re learning. Being able to shield deflect guardian beams will help you a lot because while you run into a couple guardian stalkers in the Middle Trials, you will deal with a LOT of guardians in the Final Trials including stalkers, turrets, and the skywatchers (I %*&$#-ing hate those little bastards with the fire of a thousand suns because I can never shield deflect them correctly!).

Watch the strat video by Austin John Plays on YouTube (a few of these tips come from that video). I don’t think every one of his tips are really sound (I took a lot of damage trying to do some things the way he suggested because they were overly tedious for my style of gameplay, so don’t take it as gospel), but overall I’ve found it to be really helpful. Your mileage will vary. (x)

Set your Sheikah Sensor to treasure chests. You WILL miss them otherwise, especially the buried one next to the skull cave on Floor 2? of the Middle Trials and the ones encased in ice in the Final Trials.

You can’t carry weapons or armor into the trials, of course, but you CAN carry in an already activated food buff. Exploit the hell out of this.  

Cook yourself the strongest, longest lasting defense buff in the game by combining 1 dragon horn shard and 4 armored porgies. It will give you a level 3 defense buff and the dragon horn shard will make it last for 30 minutes, which is the longest possible buff.

If you haven’t finished all 120 shrines and are short of the 30 heart mark, cook up whatever hearty food you need to max out your temporary hearts going in. Any help you can get to start with is invaluable.

If you have finished all 120 shrines and have a full stamina gauge and 26 hearts (the way I personally like to play the normal game itself), use the horned statue in Hateno to swap out your stamina for 30 hearts. I barely use the aerial archery slow down during the trials (save for Floor 4? of the Middle Trials with all the wind and elemental boko archers, but I still had enough stamina to get the job done), climbing is minimal, and hearts are far more valuable. Even with 30 hearts you’ll still have more than enough stamina to climb whatever you need to in the trials.

Save right next to the pedestal where you start the trials -- before eating your buffs -- so if you die, you don’t lose the buffs you just cooked.

Eat your hearty buff first to get your temporary hearts if needed.

Eat your defense buff and IMMEDIATELY drop the Master Sword into the pedestal to start the trials so you can take advantage of every second of that 30 minutes. It took me roughly an hour and 40 minutes to get through the Final Trials, an hour to get through the Beginning Trials, but only 29:30 to get through the Middle Trials. Don’t ask me how that ended up working because I have no idea.

If you reach a rest floor before your defense buff wears out (and I hope to god you do because you’re in bad shape if it takes you 30 minutes to get through ~six floors!) and you need to eat immediately to heal, be very careful to make sure your status effect ingredients cancel each other out when you cook. Otherwise you’ll cancel out your remaining defense buff if you eat something with a new buff effect! This seems obvious but I was almost stupid enough to do that my first time through, so...

This shouldn’t need to be said, but cook every hearty foodstuff you get individually, even if you don’t have 30 hearts. Extra temporary hearts aren’t going to do you as much good as a full health restore will, and each individual hearty item will, of course, fully replenish your health and give you at least one temporary heart if your health gauge allows it.

Don’t try to conserve your weapons by bombing wooden supply boxes and barrels if you have a defense buff (or any stat buff) running. Just use an ax or two-handed weapon. Bombing wastes a HUGE amount of time because you have to go on a chicken hunt for the supplies it just scattered in all directions, and you’re liable to miss something. When every apple is critical, you don’t want this to happen.

Do not stay on the raft in Floor 11 of the Beginning Trials. You’re a sitting target for every bokoblin along the way, and their arrows HURT. I had much more success -- and less damage taken -- by hopping off the raft and swimming over to the nearby rocks that have a chest hidden in them.

Always always always try to knock moblins and bokoblins into deep water. They can’t swim, and they instantly die. Wood weapons/shields will float and any metal weapons/shields can be retrieved from the water with Magnesis.  

Remote bombs float in updrafts. I forgot this at first when it came to the elevated chests in the wind floors of the Middle Trials. Just drop one and let it float as high as it will go. It’ll be high enough to break the platform to get the chests.

For wizrobes floating over bottomless abysses in the wind floors of the Middle Trials: make sure they’re not over a platform, Stasis them, and shoot them in the head with a normal arrow. When Stasis wears off they’ll fall into the bottomless pit and be considered dead.

Don’t bother trying to lure the stalkoblins to rusty weapons to be struck by lightning in the first few floors of the Final Trials. Odds are you’ll get electrocuted while you’re at it, and that shit hurts. 

Fire weapons keep you warm when equipped in cold areas. Pick up the Meteor Rod from the wizrobe in the earlier floors of the Final Trials and keep it on you for as long as possible in the cold floors, only unequipping it to fight something. If you’re quick, you won’t take any cold damage. It can also let you delay in eating your cold resistance food, especially if you’re not mortally hurting for hearts yet.

When you receive the thunder blade from the Stalnox in Floor 5 of the Final Trials, use it to disarm all the enemies you come across from there on out. Do not fight with it! You don’t want it to break. Just swing it once to make the enemy drop its weapon, steal the weapon, then equip something else to finish them off. Yeah, getting kicked by a moblin hurts when you’re in nothing but firebreaker pants, but it hurts a hell of a lot less than getting whacked by a moblin’s knight’s claymore. 

You can one-shot kill Lynels with ancient arrows! I thought this was well known, but I guess not! It creates a vortex behind them that sucks them in, and the trials count it as a kill. I don’t recommend doing this in the game itself, though, because that vortex sucks in all the Lynel’s weapons and stuff, too, so you don’t get any spoils. Because you technically cheated. But all is fair in the Final Trials because holy shit biscuits.

Save all of your bomb arrows for the Final Trials Floor 21 with the one guardian skywatcher. Climb up on one of the pillars to get above it and try to disable all of its propellers with bomb arrows and then spin attack with two handed weapons to take it out once it’s on the ground. Screw trying to shield deflect.

On Floor 22 of the Final Trials, skirt around the left hand wall to take out the guardian stalker first, then the skywatcher, and then the turret. This will keep more than one of them from detecting you at once.

On Floor 23 of the Final Trials, after immediately shooting the Lynel in the face with an ancient arrow, just pick off the mounted bokoblins with a bow stronger than 13. 2/3 of your bow stash should be over 20 by then and the trials are plenty generous with arrows if you destroy every box and barrel you see up until that point. Don’t mess with Stasis or any nonsense like that. It wastes time and gives them a chance to hit you while Stasis cools down. If you try to climb the only good tree in the area, the guardian turret will lock on to you and you’re screwed. Stay on the ground and hide behind that tree for cover.

And that’s all I’ve got! Hopefully any of you who have been struggling with the trials will be able to make a little headway with some of this information.

Good luck!

[pencilscratchins]

would you ever consider documenting a few of your drawing steps? im so very interested on how you make your drawings like the way they do, stuff like brush types and the order in which you create your pieces! thank you for reading, and amazing work, you're very inspiring and my self confidence in my own skills lessen every time i get a glimpse of your work! talent...

Hi hi hi! Firstly, thank you so much!! this is such a sweet sweet message and I am so glad that i have had any sort of inspiration to you haha! I’ve gotten asked this before so Im gonna try to walk you through something the best I can- stick with me lmao!

Before we start- I just wanna say… for real, don’t ever get discouraged when you look at someone you like’s art- I know it can get hard not to- hell I still spend nights cryin over Kevin wada’s work just… how does he do it??- but its so important to learn from the people you admire not compare! Art is a music festival, not a battle of the bands.

anyway here we go!! 

so I sketch in three parts- the first part is very very very rough. I just need to get the bare bones idea out of my head and onto the paper. I treat this like a gesture- I don’t spend more than 2 minutes on it. Just really get it out!

I use just a general pencil brush while doing this- which is the second smoothest brush my program offers. It allows some flexibility but not as messy. I don’t use a fancy program, so brush texture and such isn’t my forte!! XD

The second sketch, I look up a few references to help me get the basic shapes- I’ve been trying to get more comfortable this year with using references so I’ve been trying to use them in everything I do!

some tips when using references: draw directly next to your reference- if you can avoid it, I wouldn’t recommend clicking between two windows to use them- don’t interrupt your flow anymore than you have to!

I also put in the central movement lines- I like to keep these loose. avoiding straight lines in your work will make it look less stiff (my biggest issue is trying to get the flow better) Draw one for the spin, and then one for the shoulders and nipples- These three points are where I originally focus on. Also here, I find some of the main shapes of the human body (the rectangle of the torso, pentagon of the waist, circle of the palms and elbows etc) 

Next, I clean the sketch up A LOT- I really focus on getting my main ideas down, not the cleanest still. I sketch the clothes and hair with more detail but not too much. I also draw arrows to let me know what texture and direction I want the hair to go. Monet’s hand was giving me trouble so I did some central lines for the bones. And cherish this version of Jube’s jacket because its gonna get worse.

There’s not much I can really describe here, unfortunately. A combination of just how I draw and practice, I follow my sketch and the references again to get to the final product.

FINALLY we get to the final line layer! After the last sketch, there’s not much I have to fill out, just clean some stuff up and leave things like Jube’s glasses off (I do those in a seperate layer)

For the camp au, I use the “marker” brush at a 50 degree angle because I like the texture- It’s like a crayon brush, so it’s a little more natural looking, in my opinion!! I usually stick with a pencil or a pen(smoothest option) brush since it allows a cleaner look. 

so this is sorta an unpopular opinion but… I hate… coloring??? I hate it so much- its so tedious. That’s why I use ridiculous patterns or colors when I can, to make it exciting, so my coloring process is RIDICULOUSLY simple

Step One: flat colors: so, I fill in the organic parts of the art first (skin and hair) each has its own layer. I fill in the skin with its most middle tone, then gradient the edges of every limb with the same middle tone on ~50% multiply opacity, and a ~30% hard light opacity. I then put blush (any red or pink tone) on a soft light an adjust that until I like it on the cheeks, elbows, chest, and fingers! Hair, I do about the same, but I also shade around every line, and do highlights at the middlest points. 

Step Two: clothes: I speed the fuck through clothes. Usually, I will color shirts one one layer, pants on another, and accessories on a third and gradient each with its own color on a 45% multiply, with particular shading around any big shadow. I am……… a sham. 

The background is something I’ve also tried to be better with- I used a scene from a previous comic I did, but its the same process essentially. I do only one sketch for backgrounds, then a final and I put in any foliage with a separate texture pent (its literally called leaf)

after that, it’s a matter of messing with overlaying colors and textures- I usaully will pick two or three main colors and use them as varies overtones (here I choose green and yellow on a soft light and a difference I think?)

yeah! so more or less that;s what I do– I’m sorry if this isnt super helpful, I just have gotten a few questions like this recently so  Ifigured I get this out sooner rather than late. Seriously though, the process is so particular to everyone, so figure out what works for you and… go with god. :D :D

[thecoroutfitters]

Through the years, I’ve noticed preppers tending to fall into one of two categories, when it comes to self-defense.

The first category is the survivalists who are all about guns and bullets. Their self-defense strategy is to outgun the other guys by having more firepower. The second is into other types of weapons. While they might not be against firearms in general, they don’t want to depend on them for their survival.

I guess you could say that I’m part of both groups. I’m a big fan of guns, carrying concealed and stockpiling enough ammunition to get me through a small war.

But on the other hand, I would rather save my guns and ammo for a last line of defense. When it comes time for survival hunting or just defending myself, I’d rather use something that’s not going to make so much noise and attract so much attention.

So, while I carry concealed and make an effort to get to the shooting range every week, I haven’t limited my arsenal to only firearms. I carry a fighting knife, concealed, right alongside my pistol and I practice regularly with my bow and crossbow. Fortunately, I can do that in my backyard, rather than having to pay for more range time.

I am also constantly on the lookout for other weapons, either to add to my collection now or to make for myself, should the need arise. I believe that the ability to make weapons is an essential survival skill, especially if we are ever faced with a major disaster that takes down the grid or otherwise serves to disrupt society as we know it.

As part of this effort, I’ve made my own bows and arrows, experimenting with several ways of making arrowheads for your survival defense. I’ve also made a number of knives and other handheld weapons. This led me to looking into the idea of throwing spikes.

Click here to get your guide to a layered survival defense!

If you aren’t familiar with throwing spikes, they are a martial arts weapon, originating in the orient. It’s not sure whether they are an outgrowth of throwing knives or of throwing stars, as they are somewhat of a combination of the two.

There are several things that make throwing spikes attractive as a survival weapon. First of all, they are considerably easier to make than either knives or throwing stars, not requiring the fine degree of balance that a throwing knife requires and much easier to shape than a throwing star.

Secondly, a number of them can be carried quite easily, attaching a multi-pocketed sheathe to either the forearm, the belt or a tactical vest. Finally, they are small and lightweight, making it easy to carry a number of them, without them encumbering you.

One thing to keep in mind with throwing spikes, as with throwing knives or throwing stars is that Hollywood aside; you probably won’t instantly kill your opponent with them. These weapons are more disabling weapons, than they are killing weapons. But that’s okay. In a self-defense situation you don’t necessarily need to kill the person, you just need to disable them enough to allow you to escape.

Throwing Spike Design

There is some confusion on the internet over throwing knives, throwing stars and throwing spikes. That’s mostly because there is some overlap between their designs. Suffice it to say that all of them are pointed weapons, intended to be thrown a short range, by hand, in such a way as to stick firmly into the intended victim, causing them harm.

As I mentioned above, what makes throwing spikes attractive as a weapon for survival is the ease of making them.

Unlike a knife, there is no blade to sharpen, just a point. And unlike a throwing star, there is no complex shape to cut out. All you have to do is cut the material to length and sharpen it.

Throwing spikes can be single ended or double-ended. The only real advantage of a double-ended one is that you don’t have to worry about how you grab it. It will work the same with either end hitting. Some people like a tail or tassel on their throwing spike, which helps you to throw it straight; however, these weapons didn’t traditionally have any sort of tail.

The basic throwing spike is about six inches long and from 1/4” to 1/2” in diameter. Thicker spikes are heavier, requiring more strength to throw. At the same time, they have more momentum when they hit, so are likely to do more damage.

Making a throwing spike consists of cutting off the material to length and sharpening one or both ends. Cheap throwing spikes will only have a very short point, less than an inch long.

Ideally, you want that point to be at least two inches long, which allows it to be sharper, increasing the ease of penetration. The thicker the material used, the longer the point will need to be, in order to have the same angle.

Materials You Can Use to Make Throwing Spikes

Ideally, throwing spikes are made of a hardened tool steel. Soft, cold rolled steel, of the type you can buy at your local hardware store, can be used for practice, but you really wouldn’t want to use throwing spikes made out of cold rolled steel as a weapon. The tip would bend or break too easily. You need hardened steel, so that the point doesn’t bend.

This means either buying tool steel rod or using whatever readily available material you can find. One of your limiting factors here is going to be what you have to cut the steel with. The best thing to have is a band saw, with a metal cutting blade. Even if the band saw was not originally designed for cutting metal, it will still work, as long as you have the right kind of blade.

The other thing you’ll need to do, to use any power saw for cutting steel, is to cool the steel with oil. This will help prevent the metal and blade from overheating, which will cause the blade to go dull very quickly.

True metal-cutting band saws have a pump so that they can spray a cooling fluid onto the metal at the point of cut. But if you don’t have one of these, you can do a pretty good job by just spraying oil on the metal and blade every few seconds.

So, what sorts of makeshift materials can you scrounge to make your throwing spikes out of?

Broken screwdrivers

Hardened (grade 5 or 8) bolts

Leaf springs from cars

The rods from old shock absorbers

Engine lifter rods (these are just about perfect)

Metal-cutting files and woodworking rasps

If your tool collection is limited, you may want to stick to materials that are already about the right diameter, such as the engine lifter rods or broken screwdrivers, so that all you have to do is cut them to length and sharpen them.

Making the Throwing Spikes

There really isn’t much to making a throwing spike, as it is one of the simplest weapons there is. The first thing you have to do is cut it to length and the second is sharpen it. That’s it.

I have made knives using both a bench grinder and a bench-mounted belt sander. Of the two, I prefer using the belt sander, as it gives me a broader grind surface. This helps to control the cut better, providing me with a cleaner, non-segmented grind.

When using a bench grinder, there is a tendency to end up with a somewhat segmented surface, unless you are extremely careful and consistent in how you move the material over the grinding wheels.

No matter which you use, chances are that you will generate enough heat in the metal to turn the tip blue. This, or the metal turning red while grinding, indicate that you have lost the temper in the steel. So, once you finish grinding the spikes, you really need to temper them, once again.

Tempering will require a torch or forge, so that you can heat the metal up until it is red hot. Once heated, the metal is then quenched in an oil bath (not a water one). The oil absorbs the heat from the metal at a controlled rate, providing the final temper to it.

Video first seen on The Small Workshop.

Throwing Spikes

Throwing spikes are thrown differently than knives or stars. Typically with knives, you’re looking to flip the knife, spinning it into the target. Depending on the range to your target, you try to have from one to three flips, so that the knife arrives at the target point first.

Learning how to throw by both the blade of the knife and the handle allows you to go for half-flips, giving you more steps in the number of flips between you and the target.

But a throwing spike is thrown flat, not flipped. While this means that you won’t be able to throw it as far as a knife, it also means that you won’t have to worry about ensuring that it arrives point first; it will be point first from the time it leaves your hand.

The trick to throwing flat is the way you hold the spike. Rather than holding it between your thumb and forefinger, you hold your hand flat and allow the spike to sit against the flat of your hand, with your thumb holding it in place and the point about equal with your fingertips. This hold is critical to keeping the spike on a flat trajectory.

The throw itself is made by swinging the arm up, bending the elbow, so that the hand is beside the ear. From there, the hand is moved forcibly towards the target, as if you are trying to point to it. At the moment the arm is fully extended, the thumb releases the spike, allowing it to slide off the hand, directly at the target. Once released, the arm drops to the side in the “follow through” to the throw.

Please note that you will need some practice to get this technique right. It is actually easier to throw a knife by flipping it, than it is to throw a spike flat. But it is easier to get the spike to stick, simply because it will always hit the target point first, once you get the technique down. That is useful when you are in a rapidly changing situation, defending yourself.

This article has been written by Bill White for Survivopedia.

from Survivopedia Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies? #SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag

[nexttattoos-blog]

New Post has been published on https://nexttattoos.com/cool-tattoos-for-men.html

Cool Tattoos for Men

The removal of technical tattoos have been done so that getting a tattoo is no longer necessarily a lifelong commitment, but you still want to get a tattoo that is worth the time, effort and money it takes to get one. Educate yourself about the different types of tattoo available and those that are fresh for men can also help you make the best choice when it comes to selecting tattoo that you should get. When you find the design you want, be sure to also choose a reputed tattoo artist, so you know that your tattoo will be well made.

How to choose a cool tattoo?

Choosing where to put your tattoo is the next decision you will have to make. The upper part of the arms, the forearms and the chests are all parts of the body that are popular for men to place their tattoos. Tattoos on these body parts can usually be easily hidden when necessary and can also be partially hidden when you want to ask questions such as “let me see the rest of that tattoo” of people’s curiosity that can sometimes be romantic interests of the his. Tattoos can be a great conversation starter.

More great tattoo designs in 2016

There are many fashionable, tattoo designs that make cool tattoos for men. If you have a more aggressive personality you can choose one of the Daggers and Knives, the Design Shark or a Tribal Dragon design. Creative warrior designs are also very popular and arrow tattoos are trends in 2016. At least aggressivepersonality types can explore the possibility of obtaining a Yin Yang or Geometric tattoo. In recent times tattoos of lines or shapes like triangles have also gained popularity. If you are choosing any of these designs, be sure to research and find meanings with them. You do not want a design warrior that means “weak warrior” just because you like how it looks but do not bother to find out what it means.

Color trends to cool tattoos

The color you will use in the tattoo, you should also give careful consideration. Cool tattoos for men are usually made in black ink only, but you can find many colors of tattoos that looks good on men. Tribal designs, arrow and geometric designs are typically in black ink. Talk to your tattoo artist about your color selection before performing the tattoo. An experienced and well-trained tattoo artist can give valuable information on which colors and color combinations, if any, are best suited for your skin complexion and chosen tattoo design. The right tattoo can significantly improve your appearance and even makes you more attractive for possible romantic interests. That often can cause conversations and possible friendships with other people who also have tattoos. You must choose a tattoo design that is both meaningful and aesthetically pleasing to you. It should also have a timelessness in it, so in a few years you can still feel proud to have it in your body. Watch as many different tattoo options as you can, until you find one that is right for you.

Cool Tattoo Ideas for Boys

Tattoos can help show your physique, with your artistic placement. This, for example, emphasizes the perfect chest. The arms and neck are covered with various images, including several faces, a clock tower and much more. The neck has even more designs on it. But since each of these is predominantly black, it forms a strong contrast to the bare skin of the chest. The angel of the wings are also a classic that never goes out of style. This beautifuly tattoo highlights the physique of your back, and there is no need for another story behind it. The only question that remains is, are you a fallen angel or a white one? Owls are always the safe option, if you are cnsidering an animal tatoo. This great tattoo of an owl that rests gently on the neck and keeps you remembering to make intelligent decisions. It is completely sufficient and do not need any color to highlight the symbolic meaning. While the black ink tattoos are very popular because of their sharp contrast to the skin, the color of the tattoos can bring images to life. This tattoo is done just that. Create designs around the autumn leaves in warm colors while incorporating cool colors such as blue in the background. In addition, the black color is used to give it a 3D effect. The character of this tattoo is very urban. There is a mixture of chaos and order that presents the chaotic and at the same time very comfortable flow of an urban environment. The subtle color scheme is just enough to add a bit of life. Go for something a little out of the ordinary? This tatoo literally feels like you have printed a graphic on your body directly from your computer screen. And yet, it seems so real. This is undoubtedly one that stands out a bit from the other tatoo options. If you are looking for tattoo ideas for men, it may be worth considering this. If you are more of a spiritual type and are looking for something with a symbolic meaning, it is always safe to go with the famous ying-yang. Only this time you add something special on the side. The skulls are fascinating. They have inspired artists of all, but this only leads to a new level. A simple skull that emanates from a network of eye and mouth flux – it feels like the material of nightmares! The chest and neck tattoos are becoming more popular, so this is an exclusive design for the artist at heart. Colorful and happy, you can see the flowers, the flies and the petals. While a whole range of tones have been used, they blend well together and are used in perfect harmony. If you are not convinced by this design, I do not know what will convince you. The amazing 3D effect is really fascinating and just literally stinks in your eyes. If you want to enchant others with your tatoo choice, this is definitely a good idea. Chest tattoos are usually centered in a way that ensures that people can not look away. This skull tattoo, which is topped by a very attentive owl, is the perfect example of that. While darker shades predominate, their coexistence with pale tones make the whole picture come to life. On the other hand, the red in the background looks like blood, giving the intricate design of a bloody twist. A machine? A human being? Who knows? This tatoo perfectly presents our struggle with the fast path of life and the amazing 3D effect with all the details that make it look so real. Do you want others to look into your machine, as well as the body and find humanity inside? Is your heart steel or flesh? This fresh tattoo gives the appearance of a choker or a shackle. The eye in the neck fixedly, while the bird spread wings symbolize freedom. Most of that design is in a shade in the color black, but the reddish brown color of the additions emphasize the image. The mysterious souls, I would definitely recommend that you go for a tattoo with less color, much precise observation and maybe a classic skeleton motif updated with an owl or random symbols, from here and there that only you know the meaning of. This is another impressive tattoo of the idea that men. Unlike the typical openly morbid or terrifying images, this takes a break from tradition. In contrast, the red flowers on the black background stand out, but not in a delicate way. The strong yellow color of the eyes looking out from underneath will catch you forever. So I decided to get the manga? What about going Japanese style with some of the traditional reasons? The rich history of Japan, the warrior spirit of a symbolism all in his arm. Imagine if you immerse yourself deeply in Japanese culture, only to find your own soul samurai within you. This comic tattoo of a Chinese dragon in clouds that cover the length of an arm knows how to use color. Mainly in black, red offers a wonderful contrast to the design of the whole, making it stand out. Nothing better than a dragon tattoo when it comes to wonder. This tattoo on the chest shows the fiery beast in all its majesty, as it curves around the skin. The Chinese dragon is the symbol of male power, and this one represents it better. What could be cooler than a tattoo that gives an idea of ​​your skull. Put your hand back on your face, and you can see it transform into an optical illusion. This tattoo back hand of a partial skull shaded in black and will be sure to spin heads. The designs are new to the thing. Here both arms are covered in similar, but contrasting designs. He made use of blue ink, the delicate shading as well as the intricate design is sure to keep all eyes on you. The tattoo that covers all of the arms and the upper part of the corners of the chest, leaving the rest of the skin naked, and with it framed by ink. The intense use of black color in this dragon is what gives rise to that feeling of foreboding. The magnificent beast returns to life in the back, powerful and terrible. Everything, from its claws and mustaches, its fiery red eyes seem to scream danger. A dream come true for the cyborg secret, this tattoo will finally help reveal its true nature. Made in black ink with the bright red of the blood of the glasses, this creations intertwines internal machinery with muscles. Therefore, it represents the harmony between machines and humanity and also proves once and for all that cyborgs are real. This perfected tatoo technique is a great option for anyone who is inspired by ancient inventions and great minds like that of Leonardo da Vinci. Or you can consider yourself as a perpetuum being mobile that runs continuously like a machine. Half a skull and a lot of cold, this forearm tattoo will capture the attention of everyone as you walk down the street. The perfect shading gives the image a 3-D effect, ensuring that it stands out against your skin. A simple, but beautiful design. Two deer blocking the antlers under a man bone necklace. Made in black, they put emphasis on your bare chest. The detail inside the two animals is impressive. If you are a fan of flying and believing in mythical creatures, you might consider getting inked with something like this. The feathers are really very well made and the colors that the real magic brings in it. The tattoos also has a lot of details. One word: Comic-Com. Great vibrant colors of this stunning tattoo are the reason why you woke up in the morning to stand in front of your mirror, admiring your back. Imagine having all your favorite comic book heroes always with you? A dark tattoo that covers the upper half of the back, here you can see part of a skull, wings, crosses, and more. The black ink is used only to emphasize your feeling of images. An owl with two heads and detailed wings, this little tattoo is a beauty. Its creative and captivating design in the use of blue single point, the rest of the image. In fact, it is the blue eyes, in particular, that will leave you in a state of trance while also balancing the blue tattoo on the upper arm. Cool, masculine tattoos do not always include scary skulls or horrible monsters, sometimes they’re just designs – like this one. The bold shapes, strong lines, and fire in the neck and skull create an impressive conglomerate. This cool and colorful tattoo is for all the city dwelers who love to show their skin. Brings a very vibrant and happy tone to any observer. If you like comics, consider getting something like that, I’m sure it fits perfectly with your character. A drilling platform for the blood of a heart – what could be more heartbreaking. This cool tattoo idea is brought to life by the contrast between red and black, two colors that go very well together (even Dracula seems to think so). Who can say no to a good tatoo? If you are having a great time, this option is definitely the one to consider. Despite a single motive, it is extremely powerful and rich, and is likely to impress anyone, not to mention feeling good about oneself. Romantics love this tattoo as it reflects the soft but cruel side of love. The intense red of the rose and the flower of the beautiful shadows are a perfect decoration for your neck. Be careful that you are exposing your inner soft side. A masterpiece, this stunning tattoo is beautiful work of art made on the canvas of a bare back. The woman’s face done in shades of black is accentuated through the colored bars that will come in front of her. The upper half of the back is covered in warm tones with touches seen throughout the rest of the tattoo. Meanwhile, the beautifully arched woman, indifferent face is seen through the colors. Dark romantic dragon, flying along his arm. What a great story. Some details in red give it a very deep sense of serenity, even if the dragon’s eyes may seem vicious. Maybe you just want people to see beyond the obvious. The dragon, a powerful classic. Probably you can not lose with a dragon. They are noble creatures, they are powerful and that everyone is, no doubt attracted by their mysterious past. This tattoo is great because you do not have to exaggerate with the color, and, nevertheless, it captures all the greatness of the creature. Going back to the black ink tradition of tattoos, this cool design makes your chest the coffin of this skeleton. With several designs on the arms, the chest becomes the focus of attention with the skeleton very clearly that they have been placed inside it. With perfect shading, the creation retains a 3-D effect. Are you a dog lover? Then this is your choice. Simple, not very detailed and shady, but very powerful and cruel. And the interesting detail in the dog’s neck is that it also has a tattoo of a rose on the neck. But it’s a Rose, right? While crows are the best symbol of danger, nothing can beat this design. The incorporation of the dark feathers of birds in is widespread wings, which frequently remind people of terrible times, the head is present in their skeleton instead. If you are looking for something with a symbolic meaning that you can try to go for anchors and crowns. Or a combination of both. Remember that not everyone is fit to be king and have strong roots to counteract heavy storms. Tattoos usually have a story behind. And what greater of history, than the original sin with the serpent, the apple and that of Adam and Eve somewhere in the middle. Do you consider yourself a sinner or protector of the Truth? This snake is, without doubt giving you many options. This is another example of the stunning beauty of colorful tattoos. An inspiration to everyone around him, “Who has always anyway?” he asks. So why wait? Just get this wonderful inking creation now! It represents an hourglass with wings inside which the sand seems to be replaced by blood. It is surrounded by a laurel wreath, a reminder of power – which is ultimately in your hands. Lover of the bones? Show love, spread it on the whole of his back. This piece of tattoo art is something that everyone admires and you will always be safe, someone behind you. Imagine wearing a tank top for the gym. Speaking of artistic placement, this is another example. Covering a corner of the chest and an arm, the design is striking. Not too overwhelming, covering only the right amount of skin. On the other hand, the audacity of its lines and the tribal style is striking. This tattoo requires, without a doubt, his total dedication. It is very abundant in color and detail so unless you are a total fan of the Vikings or maybe the da Vinci code, I would not go for it. What I like about this is its asymmetric concept. If you do not like the color, in such a way, this idea is great, because despite having only 2 colors, it says a lot. For all the dark souls this may be what you have been looking for all the time. The shadows are not too strong and still information includes some sweetness. This tattoo is for those who have the courage of a wolf. It resembles someone who knows what he wants and also have the courage and mentality to achieve it. The beautiful and very detailed skin on the head that gives this tatoo very dynamic and feel. An example of the eternal fascination with skulls, this cool tattoo idea is to die for! In the hands of one of its most innovative representation, this shows two stylized skulls, one obviously male and one female, one of each arm. On the other hand, a dark brown tint is added to each, with a subtle rose embedded in the female skull of the hair, emphasizing its femininitity. One can never have enough of skeletons right? If you are one of those people who like to clash with your design options, this is definitely worth considering. Not very common in the placement, not to mention the great details.

[edwardmoorthy]

Android is known for its customization and you could quickly install third party custom Android launchers to change the look of your smartphone in no time. The way we arrange, organize, and interact with our apps on Android is called the launcher. Launchers usually consist of a series of home screens, where we can arrange app shortcuts and widgets and an app drawer.

A good launcher can give your phone a total makeover, from changing the look and feel with different icons and themes. Some launchers also add new functionality such as smart folders and Search Assistants. There are countless Android launchers on Google Play Store that customizes your Android smartphone in different unique styles. Some Launchers offer a lot of customizations but slow down your phone. While others are simple and light weight.

We understand that everyone has their own perfect launcher, but if you have not found your favorite yet, then here are 10 Best Android Launcher Apps we think will satisfy users of every type.

1. Nova Launcher

Nova Launcher

Nova Launcher

Nova Launcher

Nova Launcher

This is a very popular launcher and surely the undisputed king of customization. It strikes an excellent balance between having enough features to customize things without bogging you down with unfeasibly long options lists and menus. It balances extensive appearance and utility customizations with a minimal performance impact, letting you set your home screen just right without slowing down performance.

While the default theme is minimalistic, you can customize the user interface (UI), home screen, icons packages, themes animations & other things. The free version lacks some of the advanced customization features like notification badge, but it is more than enough for average users.

[appbox googleplay com.teslacoilsw.launcher]

2. Arrow Launcher

Arrow Launcher

Arrow Launcher

Arrow Launcher

Arrow Launcher

While it is normal to think that a launcher from Microsoft will resemble Windows Phone, you would be wrong. The Arrow Launcher from Microsoft brings a unique take on how info and app are presented to users.

The idea with Arrow Launcher is that you get a home screen to put your apps and such. From there, you have a variety of preset home screens that will show you things like frequent contacts, reminders (powered by Wunderlist), recent documents, and your frequent apps. You can arrange other apps on your device, get back to your recent activities such as phone calls, text message, photos, files, etc. You can also set reminders and search contacts saved on your handset.

Arrow is easy to set up and a breeze to navigate. Microsoft also updates the launcher frequently with new features. The features also generally integrate with other Microsoft products. That makes it good for people who use Microsoft products.

[appbox googleplay com.microsoft.launcher]

3. Evie Launcher

Evie Launcher

Evie Launcher

Evie Launcher

Evie Launcher

This is a lightweight, fast Android launcher with some unique features. First and foremost, like so many recent Launchers, Evie has a swipe up gesture to open the app drawer. Another popular launcher gesture Evie has is the ability to double-tap the screen to put your phone to sleep, either using the phone-locking Instant Lock or Smart Lock-friendly Timer Lock. If you miss that dedicated page from Google Now Launcher, there is even a gesture shortcut to take you to Google Now.

In addition, there is also a clever slide-out bar on the left side that gives you quick access to all of your apps. Universal search lets you just start typing an app’s name to find whichever one you need. Live wallpaper support, a custom app dock, and other features let you tweak your home screen and app drawer to your heart’s content.

Evie Launcher also comes with support for icon packs, a no-dock mode, and you can change things like the grid size on the home screen. Evie Launcher even has things like unread badges, widget customization, and more. It is totally free to download with no in-app purchases.

[appbox googleplay is.shortcut]

4. Buzz Launcher

Buzz Launcher

Buzz Launcher

Buzz Launcher

Buzz Launcher

If you need something weird or anything that would replace the classic home-screen theme, then Buzz Launcher would be the way-to-go solution. It offers tons of customization, which you cannot find in any other launcher.

It allows you to customize much more than just your Wallpaper and icons. You can add customize gestures and animation effects; you can also include some customized widgets built by Buzz Launcher. One of the most exciting thing about this launcher is, “Homepacks”. Homepacks are pre-defined themes created by others which you can download and use. In other words, you do not need to make the “perfect” launcher, you can find one from the theme store. You can also share your own home screens with other users.

Although the launcher goes too hard on resource consumption, it will not be a problem in flagship devices. Buzz Launcher is an ad-free custom launcher and offers more than 1,000,000 free themes to its users.

[appbox googleplay com.buzzpia.aqua.launcher]

5. Yahoo Aviate Launcher

Yahoo Aviate Launcher

Yahoo Aviate Launcher

Yahoo Aviate Launcher

Yahoo Aviate Launcher

This launcher is from Yahoo and it is one of those few Android Launcher Apps that works intelligently. Aviate begins with a simplified home screen and an auto-categorized app drawer. The launcher adapts itself based on your usage. As you go through the day, Aviate adjusts what is on the display to provide the info you need right now.

It uses a combination of the Google Now-like Smart Screen and predictive collections to help you find what you want quicker. While it is not as good as Google Now, It is a decent replacement. Aviate figures out where you are and what time of day it is and serves up relevant collections, so you can better handle those activities. For example, it will automatically pull up your music apps and artist details when you plug in your headphones.

The app also helps you save battery, notifies you with weather reports, upcoming events and much more. You can search anything using this app. Aviate is free and excels for having a high amount of polish and minimal maintenance, even though you might lose out on some customization.

[appbox googleplay com.tul.aviate]

6. Themer

Themer Launcher

Themer Launcher

Themer Launcher

Themer Launcher

This is a fast launcher for Android that allows you to setup a custom look for Android with ease. Themer lets you choose from a wide variety of beautiful pre-made skins quickly and easily. Themer Android home screen app has different, colorful wallpapers, themes, and icons package to change your smartphone look.

Your choices range from simple and sedate to bright, bold and colorful. Since it only takes a couple taps to switch your entire look, you can update your phone’s home screen as often as you change your clothes. It automatically categorizes your apps and transition effect as per your tone.

[appbox googleplay com.mycolorscreen.themer]

7. Smart Launcher 3

Smart Launcher 3

Smart Launcher 3

Smart Launcher 3

Smart Launcher 3

This is another fast and unique launcher when compared with other personalization apps. The spin style home screen is the most familiar one. Its biggest claim to fame is the various ways that you can have your icons displayed. There is the classic flower shape, various other grids, and more.

It is extremely clean and minimalist interface that works particularly well on smartphones with smaller screens. In addition to the smart dial, the launcher includes an intelligent app drawer that automatically categorizes your app into useful groups. You get separate drawers for games, communication tools, the Internet, multimedia apps, etc. The latest iteration of Smart Launcher adds flat surface detection, and other improvements, while retaining the slick interface.

It is light on the system and saves RAM and battery. Additionally, it also offers security on devices by hiding apps from the grid and protects them with a password. In the free version, you will get many default widgets, themes, wallpapers with this launcher app. In pro version, you can get the highly optimized home screen as per your choice.

[appbox googleplay ginlemon.flowerfree]

8. Z Launcher

Nokia’s Z Launcher

Nokia’s Z Launcher

Nokia’s Z Launcher

Nokia’s Z Launcher

Developed by Nokia, the Z Launcher is another one that helps you to get to your most used-apps and sites more quickly. It works by learning your habits and taking into account your location and the time of day to show you the most appropriate items. In addition, the more you use it, the better it gets, as the app learns more about your habits over time.

The core features of Z launcher are its gestures compatibility and silky smooth scrolling effects. The launcher uses gestures to quickly access apps. All you have to do is simply draw the first letter of its name in order to produce a narrow list of results. Are you looking for a ride? Just draw a “U” and the screen in an instant, the Uber app will be there at your fingertips. And the more often you use a certain app, the Z Launcher will remember.

Z Launcher also has a pretty slick design, including backgrounds that change based on the time of day, so you do not even have to sacrifice style for speed. It has some Wow features but lacks widgets could be a turn-off for some users.

[appbox googleplay com.nokia.z]

9. Launcher 8 WP style

Launcher 8 WP Style

Launcher 8 WP Style

Launcher 8 WP Style

Launcher 8 WP Style

If you are fond of Windows phone UI, then this launcher is for you. Launcher 8 brings you the tiles menu that resembles a Windows Phone like interface with great customization options. Its sole purpose for existing is to make your phone look like a Windows Phone.

Along with the launcher, the default Notification bar/drawer gets replaced with the Windows Phone like Notification bar. Although this launcher consumes too much of CPU Process, it is a really good launcher “for a change”.

You can convert your widgets into Windows Phone style live tiles and create virtually the same experience you would find on Windows Phone. Except, you know, with a functioning YouTube app. It also comes with a handful of other features making it a very solid Android launcher app. The launcher is free to download.

[appbox googleplay com.lx.launcher8]

10. ADW Launcher 2

ADW Launcher 2

ADW Launcher 2

ADW Launcher 2

ADW Launcher 2

This is the ultimate launcher for modders. You can tweak anything you want, from the particular shade of Gmail red to the precise gesture needed to open an app. ADW Launcher 2 offers a wealth of features and customization options.

It offers a dynamically colored interface based on your wallpaper, an indexed app drawer, transitions, icon badges, app categorization and more. It also supports new Android features, including support for app shortcuts found in Android 7.1. The best part is, it comes with an updated UI that fits in line better with stock Android. It also allows you to customize every aspect as per your need that too in the free version.

It also has one of the best make-your-own-widget features that we have seen. It is one of those launchers which offers premium features of other launchers in a free version. You can download it for free or pick up the pro version as an in-app purchase for $3.49.

[appbox googleplay org.adw.launcher]

A Few Last Words

While there are also tons of launcher apps available on Google Play Store, we believe that these were the 10 Best Launcher Apps for all type of Android Phones/Devices. We have not included the Google Now launcher, which was one of the best light-weight launchers since Google has discontinued it this year.

If you are an avid Android user, then you would have tried at least some of these launchers. If we missed any of the best Android launcher apps, tell us about them in the comments and do not forget to subscribe for more updates.

See Also

6 Best Free File Manager Apps For Android

7 Best SMS Or Text Messaging Apps For Android

6 Best Free Wifi File Transfer Apps For Android

10 Best Android Launcher Apps To Customize Your Android Phone

Android is known for its customization and you could quickly install third party custom Android launchers to change the look of your smartphone in no time.

10 Best Android Launcher Apps To Customize Your Android Phone

Android is known for its customization and you could quickly install third party custom Android launchers to change the look of your smartphone in no time.

10 Best Android Launcher Apps To Customize Your Android Phone Android is known for its customization and you could quickly install third party custom Android launchers to change the look of your smartphone in no time.

[omggadgets]

Android is known for its customization and you could quickly install third party custom Android launchers to change the look of your smartphone in no time. The way we arrange, organize, and interact with our apps on Android is called the launcher. Launchers usually consist of a series of home screens, where we can arrange app shortcuts and widgets and an app drawer.

A good launcher can give your phone a total makeover, from changing the look and feel with different icons and themes. Some launchers also add new functionality such as smart folders and Search Assistants. There are countless Android launchers on Google Play Store that customizes your Android smartphone in different unique styles. Some Launchers offer a lot of customizations but slow down your phone. While others are simple and light weight.

We understand that everyone has their own perfect launcher, but if you have not found your favorite yet, then here are 10 Best Android Launcher Apps we think will satisfy users of every type.

1. Nova Launcher

Nova Launcher

Nova Launcher

Nova Launcher

Nova Launcher

This is a very popular launcher and surely the undisputed king of customization. It strikes an excellent balance between having enough features to customize things without bogging you down with unfeasibly long options lists and menus. It balances extensive appearance and utility customizations with a minimal performance impact, letting you set your home screen just right without slowing down performance.

While the default theme is minimalistic, you can customize the user interface (UI), home screen, icons packages, themes animations & other things. The free version lacks some of the advanced customization features like notification badge, but it is more than enough for average users.

[appbox googleplay com.teslacoilsw.launcher]

2. Arrow Launcher

Arrow Launcher

Arrow Launcher

Arrow Launcher

Arrow Launcher

While it is normal to think that a launcher from Microsoft will resemble Windows Phone, you would be wrong. The Arrow Launcher from Microsoft brings a unique take on how info and app are presented to users.

The idea with Arrow Launcher is that you get a home screen to put your apps and such. From there, you have a variety of preset home screens that will show you things like frequent contacts, reminders (powered by Wunderlist), recent documents, and your frequent apps. You can arrange other apps on your device, get back to your recent activities such as phone calls, text message, photos, files, etc. You can also set reminders and search contacts saved on your handset.

Arrow is easy to set up and a breeze to navigate. Microsoft also updates the launcher frequently with new features. The features also generally integrate with other Microsoft products. That makes it good for people who use Microsoft products.

[appbox googleplay com.microsoft.launcher]

3. Evie Launcher

Evie Launcher

Evie Launcher

Evie Launcher

Evie Launcher

This is a lightweight, fast Android launcher with some unique features. First and foremost, like so many recent Launchers, Evie has a swipe up gesture to open the app drawer. Another popular launcher gesture Evie has is the ability to double-tap the screen to put your phone to sleep, either using the phone-locking Instant Lock or Smart Lock-friendly Timer Lock. If you miss that dedicated page from Google Now Launcher, there is even a gesture shortcut to take you to Google Now.

In addition, there is also a clever slide-out bar on the left side that gives you quick access to all of your apps. Universal search lets you just start typing an app’s name to find whichever one you need. Live wallpaper support, a custom app dock, and other features let you tweak your home screen and app drawer to your heart’s content.

Evie Launcher also comes with support for icon packs, a no-dock mode, and you can change things like the grid size on the home screen. Evie Launcher even has things like unread badges, widget customization, and more. It is totally free to download with no in-app purchases.

[appbox googleplay is.shortcut]

4. Buzz Launcher

Buzz Launcher

Buzz Launcher

Buzz Launcher

Buzz Launcher

If you need something weird or anything that would replace the classic home-screen theme, then Buzz Launcher would be the way-to-go solution. It offers tons of customization, which you cannot find in any other launcher.

It allows you to customize much more than just your Wallpaper and icons. You can add customize gestures and animation effects; you can also include some customized widgets built by Buzz Launcher. One of the most exciting thing about this launcher is, “Homepacks”. Homepacks are pre-defined themes created by others which you can download and use. In other words, you do not need to make the “perfect” launcher, you can find one from the theme store. You can also share your own home screens with other users.

Although the launcher goes too hard on resource consumption, it will not be a problem in flagship devices. Buzz Launcher is an ad-free custom launcher and offers more than 1,000,000 free themes to its users.

[appbox googleplay com.buzzpia.aqua.launcher]

5. Yahoo Aviate Launcher

Yahoo Aviate Launcher

Yahoo Aviate Launcher

Yahoo Aviate Launcher

Yahoo Aviate Launcher

This launcher is from Yahoo and it is one of those few Android Launcher Apps that works intelligently. Aviate begins with a simplified home screen and an auto-categorized app drawer. The launcher adapts itself based on your usage. As you go through the day, Aviate adjusts what is on the display to provide the info you need right now.

It uses a combination of the Google Now-like Smart Screen and predictive collections to help you find what you want quicker. While it is not as good as Google Now, It is a decent replacement. Aviate figures out where you are and what time of day it is and serves up relevant collections, so you can better handle those activities. For example, it will automatically pull up your music apps and artist details when you plug in your headphones.

The app also helps you save battery, notifies you with weather reports, upcoming events and much more. You can search anything using this app. Aviate is free and excels for having a high amount of polish and minimal maintenance, even though you might lose out on some customization.

[appbox googleplay com.tul.aviate]

6. Themer

Themer Launcher

Themer Launcher

Themer Launcher

Themer Launcher

This is a fast launcher for Android that allows you to setup a custom look for Android with ease. Themer lets you choose from a wide variety of beautiful pre-made skins quickly and easily. Themer Android home screen app has different, colorful wallpapers, themes, and icons package to change your smartphone look.

Your choices range from simple and sedate to bright, bold and colorful. Since it only takes a couple taps to switch your entire look, you can update your phone’s home screen as often as you change your clothes. It automatically categorizes your apps and transition effect as per your tone.

[appbox googleplay com.mycolorscreen.themer]

7. Smart Launcher 3

Smart Launcher 3

Smart Launcher 3

Smart Launcher 3

Smart Launcher 3

This is another fast and unique launcher when compared with other personalization apps. The spin style home screen is the most familiar one. Its biggest claim to fame is the various ways that you can have your icons displayed. There is the classic flower shape, various other grids, and more.

It is extremely clean and minimalist interface that works particularly well on smartphones with smaller screens. In addition to the smart dial, the launcher includes an intelligent app drawer that automatically categorizes your app into useful groups. You get separate drawers for games, communication tools, the Internet, multimedia apps, etc. The latest iteration of Smart Launcher adds flat surface detection, and other improvements, while retaining the slick interface.

It is light on the system and saves RAM and battery. Additionally, it also offers security on devices by hiding apps from the grid and protects them with a password. In the free version, you will get many default widgets, themes, wallpapers with this launcher app. In pro version, you can get the highly optimized home screen as per your choice.

[appbox googleplay ginlemon.flowerfree]

8. Z Launcher

Nokia’s Z Launcher

Nokia’s Z Launcher

Nokia’s Z Launcher

Nokia’s Z Launcher

Developed by Nokia, the Z Launcher is another one that helps you to get to your most used-apps and sites more quickly. It works by learning your habits and taking into account your location and the time of day to show you the most appropriate items. In addition, the more you use it, the better it gets, as the app learns more about your habits over time.

The core features of Z launcher are its gestures compatibility and silky smooth scrolling effects. The launcher uses gestures to quickly access apps. All you have to do is simply draw the first letter of its name in order to produce a narrow list of results. Are you looking for a ride? Just draw a “U” and the screen in an instant, the Uber app will be there at your fingertips. And the more often you use a certain app, the Z Launcher will remember.

Z Launcher also has a pretty slick design, including backgrounds that change based on the time of day, so you do not even have to sacrifice style for speed. It has some Wow features but lacks widgets could be a turn-off for some users.

[appbox googleplay com.nokia.z]

9. Launcher 8 WP style

Launcher 8 WP Style

Launcher 8 WP Style

Launcher 8 WP Style

Launcher 8 WP Style

If you are fond of Windows phone UI, then this launcher is for you. Launcher 8 brings you the tiles menu that resembles a Windows Phone like interface with great customization options. Its sole purpose for existing is to make your phone look like a Windows Phone.

Along with the launcher, the default Notification bar/drawer gets replaced with the Windows Phone like Notification bar. Although this launcher consumes too much of CPU Process, it is a really good launcher “for a change”.

You can convert your widgets into Windows Phone style live tiles and create virtually the same experience you would find on Windows Phone. Except, you know, with a functioning YouTube app. It also comes with a handful of other features making it a very solid Android launcher app. The launcher is free to download.

[appbox googleplay com.lx.launcher8]

10. ADW Launcher 2

ADW Launcher 2

ADW Launcher 2

ADW Launcher 2

ADW Launcher 2

This is the ultimate launcher for modders. You can tweak anything you want, from the particular shade of Gmail red to the precise gesture needed to open an app. ADW Launcher 2 offers a wealth of features and customization options.

It offers a dynamically colored interface based on your wallpaper, an indexed app drawer, transitions, icon badges, app categorization and more. It also supports new Android features, including support for app shortcuts found in Android 7.1. The best part is, it comes with an updated UI that fits in line better with stock Android. It also allows you to customize every aspect as per your need that too in the free version.

It also has one of the best make-your-own-widget features that we have seen. It is one of those launchers which offers premium features of other launchers in a free version. You can download it for free or pick up the pro version as an in-app purchase for $3.49.

[appbox googleplay org.adw.launcher]

A Few Last Words

While there are also tons of launcher apps available on Google Play Store, we believe that these were the 10 Best Launcher Apps for all type of Android Phones/Devices. We have not included the Google Now launcher, which was one of the best light-weight launchers since Google has discontinued it this year.

If you are an avid Android user, then you would have tried at least some of these launchers. If we missed any of the best Android launcher apps, tell us about them in the comments and do not forget to subscribe for more updates.

See Also

6 Best Free File Manager Apps For Android

7 Best SMS Or Text Messaging Apps For Android

6 Best Free Wifi File Transfer Apps For Android

10 Best Android Launcher Apps To Customize Your Android Phone Android is known for its customization and you could quickly install third party custom Android launchers to change the look of your smartphone in no time.

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KingsRoad Tool

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