#but for the most part i just. really want falken :-(

[akuma-tenshi]

got back into dislyte recently. idk how much i'm gonna be screaming about it on here but please know i have to start from scratch bc i lost my old account and i am VERY unhappy that they still won't give me falken back

[blue-howlite]

Being their significant other headcanons, Dislyte edition.

Feat. Li Ling, Falken, Yun Chuan, Long Mian.

Author note: the first three were requested, the other was added by me for fun. The request for Falken asked for a shy reader but I'm doing really general headcanons here. Buuuuut... Yes I did change his headcanons a bit to fit the request. Also I wrote all this in the most gender neutral way possible, so anyone can enjoy it.

Twigger warnings: none? Maybe Long Mian being the most possessive man on Earth, but it was expected. Oh you can imagine some nsfw situations if you really try, but nothing mentioned here was meant to be nsfw.

Li Ling

You got in a relationship with this walking- floating menace. I'm not going to ask how.

He probably started floating around you a lot, showing off his powers to you until you asked him out because you thought he was flirting. He was not, but now he's glad you thought he was.

Anyway here we are!

First off, let's bust a myth. You know the "If there's something I can't stand is dumb rules"? Well, that doesn't really apply to you.

He might tease you sometimes, but he will never, ever cross your boundaries.

He respects you and you're one of the few people that can make him behave.

And this leads to another of his quotes.

"If you have something to say, you better have the power to back it up", right?

Well, he's your power to back it up. Doesn't matter if you're a normal person, and Esper, if you're in the Union or not, if you have a problem it is now also his problem and he'll back you up.

Yes this did lead to some accidents a few times but it's alright, the other person was always left alive.

Now the important part.

Six arms.

You think he's not going to use them?

No matter where you two are, his hands are always on you. Maybe one is on your shoulder, or on your waist, or holding your hand.

Anyway, if you're not comfortable with that he'll respect you. As I said earlier, he's respecting your boundaries, no matter how hard he wishes to squeeze you in a hug.

But he will lift you up at the most random times with his extra arms. And carry you around like a backpack. Like if he has somewhere to be and he wants you to be with him he won't talk, he'll just take you with him. You'll get used to it.

He isn't really possessive nor gets jealous easily. Probably because no one would dare try anything with you since you're with him. Bonus if you're strong enough that your fame alone is what keeps others from approaching you, Li Ling likes strong people.

Cuddles? Yes please. I feel like since most of his physical contact with others is through punches he's actually very cuddly. And he gives bear hugs. No I won't elaborate.

You're not a fan of physical contact? Cool, then you can do activities together! Maybe he can teach you how to cook meals typical of Tangton, or his family recipes! (Good luck if you're not a spicy food person.)

Pet names? He'll probably use your name more often, but "Babe" and "Sweetheart" are also good options.

And if you try to give him pet names he'll probably go 'uno reverse' and use them on you instead.

He's such a menace.

But he's your menace.

Falken

It all starts with you, who somehow you caught his attention, through an action or a particular feature you have, and now he's thinking about it. But what does Falken do when he thinks? He zones out.

So the first time you catch him staring at you and he doesn't even look away, you'll probably panic a little, thinking you did something wrong. He's an Union Commander after all, if he stares at someone there must be a valid reason, right? So you gather your courage and ask him what's wrong.

When he realizes that he's been staring you can bet he's embarrassed. Like a lot. He usually stares at things or animals, not people. And he'll notice you're a bit agitated now.

Him apologizing for making you uncomfortable is a great conversation starter though, he'll explain why he was staring and so you'll start talking. You become friends.

And soon you start dating. I'm positive Falken has some experience with love and so he recognizes the feeling that makes him zone out whenever he sees you, so he'll confess.

He's very focused on his work, but he keeps his life balanced so that he has time both for his duty as an Union Commander and as your boyfriend

Sometimes he might take some things for granted, like you enjoying PDA or physical contact. Please tell him if he crosses any boundaries, he'll be sure not to let it happen again.

That doesn't mean he'll take you for granted though. He loves you and cherishes you, he just needs help learning about you.

Which is something he really enjoys by the way.

If you happen to tell him about an interest or a preference of yours he will commit it to memory, even if it doesn't seem important at the moment.

If you have trouble speaking up for yourself he'll make sure to be by your side and help you. Not help you as in speaking for you, rather encouraging you overcoming your shyness and speaking for yourself.

Of course if you're actually unable to he'll just do it for you, but you can bet he's going to help you get better at it later.

It's not that he sees shyness as a bad thing, but he knows that sometimes it can get in the way and be an issue for you. He's okay with you being shy, as long as it doesn't stop you from being respected.

He doesn't get jealous but I see him as a bit possessive. Not possessive as in "you're mine", more as in "you're precious to me and I want to cherish and protect you". Like you're his but that's not the main point to him.

Oh you can count on him if someone makes you uncomfortable though. Guys/gals/hoes trying to hit on you? The "Eye of Horus" is on them and if stares could kill that person would be six feet under already.

Pet names? "Love" is the one he uses the most, "Dear" is for when he's back from a mission or he's tired after a long day of work.

He'll let you give him any pet name you want, as long as they make sense and aren't excessively ridiculous.

He just loves you and wishes to always be there for you.

Yun Chuan

Ohhhh boy, another menace. But a sweet menace.

So, how do you get the scary dog privileges? Well, the moment Screamer understands Yun Chuan is into you, that's when the fun starts.

Screamer is his wing man you can't tell me otherwise. He will get in your way so that you stumble on him and his master can catch you in his arms when you fall. He'll jump on you, pushing you against his master. Yun Chuan will apologize to you a lot about it but Screamer won't stop it, until one day his master finally confesses to you.

And you got the scary dogs privileges!

Yun Chuan will take you to befriend the Jagalions, that's for sure. Even if you're not a fighter he will teach you how to train with them and interact with them. Let's imagine that Jagalions don't trigger allergies so that even the allergy people can enjoy this.

Now, what about boundaries?

Of course he respects them. The funny thing is, he might even over-respect them.

He'll always ask if you're okay with anything, be it holding hands or kissing you. Especially in public, he will ask every single time for permission.

It's not that he doesn't like it, he loves giving you affection, he just wants to make sure you're comfortable with it.

He likes hugging you though. He is the master of bear hugs. Hugs in general. He will lift you from the ground while hugging you, no matter your size or height.

And about that.

This man is the best when it comes to body positivity. Like he will love your body for you and teach you how to love it as well.

Of course if you decide to work out he will take you to the Jagalions with him and you'll train together, but only if you're doing it because you want to, not because you feel pressured to.

No but like for real, doesn't matter if it's about a skin, hair or eye condition, or your weight, Yun Chuan will make sure you know he loves you as you are.

Possessive. A lot. In the "They're mine" way. If he's not with you then Screamer is. But he's also shy about it, he'll never admit to it. He's just making sure you're always safe, that's all. Even if you're a powerful Esper you might need assistance, right? Don't mind Screamer getting literally between you and whoever you are talking to, he's just making sure you're alright!

Rather than pet names he likes short versions of your name. He's not very good at pet names.

You can give him any pet name you want. He doesn't really get them but go ahead, have fun with it! But prefers when you call his name 100% of the time.

He might be awkward at times, like if for some reason you show a lot of skin (even though this man is barely covering his own shoulders), but it's just because he loves you and he doesn't want to hurt you in any way.

Long Mian

Because he likes collecting Miramon and creatures he deems unique, he's probably been watching you for a while and his first thought was to freeze you and put you in his collection room.

But! Then you made a different expression from the one you were making a moment ago! Maybe he could freeze you with that.

Your pose changed too! Oh no!

Once he realises that you have too many expressions and different poses, he decides to give you a few days and watch you, in order to decide how you would look best as an ice statue. He even starts talking to you, to see up close your facial features and watch them change with every expression you make.

He gives you a few more weeks, thinking that he needs to choose carefully.

And this plan backfires. He realizes he won't be able to hear your voice if he freezes you. And he likes your voice. He likes talking with you. He likes you.

This annoys him to no end, and he won't admit that he fell for you. But he still desires you, he wants you to be his.

After explaining to him that he can't force you to live in his collection room, you somehow agree to start dating. This way you're his and he'll still get to talk to you and spend time with you. Perfect solution, right?

...

He doesn't know how a relationship works. If it was up to him, you'd never leave his side, but you'll have to teach him that sometimes you have other things to do or that you need space.

He'll see you as something he owns and has to protect for a while at the beginning of the relationship. It will take an active effort from you to make him see you as an equal and not a collection item.

He'll come around I promise, he just needs time to understand his feelings and the fact that he does indeed love you.

Once he figures it out though, you're done for, because he will realize that others as well might develop feelings for you. He will make sure they know you are his beloved. Your neck is now covered in purple bruises and bite marks, he didn't mean to hurt you but don't you look beautiful like this?

Work on boundaries, he'll respect them once he understands why they're important for you. Which might take some time.

It's not that he will just do whatever he wants, he knows what 'No' means. He just won't bother asking, you'll have to say it first.

Loves you a lot though. The fact that he can't just freeze you and call it a day means that the time you two have is far more precious than what he has with the pieces in his collection. He treasures you, really.

He will make sure you know he loves you. Long Mian is self aware, he knows he often acts cold, but he doesn't want you to mistake his coldness for lack of love in your regards. So he always smiles a bit more with you and often tells you that he loves you.

Sometimes he'll just come up to you, kiss you, then go back to whatever he was doing.

He is touch starved, fight me.

He doesn't just like cuddling, he's addicted to it now. He just needs your body pressed against his, your warmth against his cold touch.

Did I already say he loves your voice?

Talk to him when you're together, sing if you want, read to him, just let him hear you. Whatever he's doing just let him hear your voice, let him know that you're here.

If you're sleeping he will come and lay his head on your chest to hear your heartbeat. He just needs to know that you're alive and well.

Pet names for you? Anything which he can put "My" in front of. "My love", "My dear", "My treasure", and so on.

For him? Just call him by his name. But if you really want to make him lose it (in a good way), put "My" first. Play his own game on him. He'll love it.

It is a complicated relationship and making it work requires a lot of effort from both sides, but it's worth it.

[fabrice-air-freshener]

RULER’S LAW:

(SPOILER WARNING:) I will be discussing the story of “Ruler’s Law” now that it is all out, so if you have yet to read up on it, skip this.

Abigail is a very interesting character, but as a written character it is hard to get a feel for what she is like. Since the writers have created a cunning, manipulative, prudent character, it can become hard to define who she is. We can assume she is a clever businesswoman that put her citizens first, or she is a clever businesswoman that played her cards right to remain mayor once again. It’s hard to get a comfortable feel as to what her story will be in the future since at any point the writers can pull a “and it was all part of the plan” sort of thing. I don’t think the writing was bad. Coming from “The Lone Star”, I think this is actually a huge upgrade to the writing. I genuinely enjoyed it, and even now somewhat like Alexa (still hate how she did Aurelius dirty).

Ultimately, for Abigail, I do believe her primary motive was the election. It didn’t matter if she got the weapon power, or if she had to sacrifice it, that was secondary. So, I do like that the whole intro to Abigail was concluded with what we already knew: she was going to win. We knew she would, but we just didn’t know how. Whether she genuinely cares about the citizens and is a changed person is still something that can be a facade. After all, she does want to enforce her military power, and make Grandis a more powerful nation, so the weapon was a perfect thing for her to get her hands on.

A major detail that Luca mentioned was the Esper transformation causes mutations, and changes in the host. This can imply that those who become Espers start to adopt personality traits and mentalities of their respective figure. Much like how Jiang Jiuli in the “Origami Love” events showed to be very passive, but his Esperhood makes him violent, and unstable. Which could explain why some characters behaviours don’t really make sense when you look into their stories. For example, Falken is very stoic, calm, and not very expressive. But his victory animation shows him bending back like he’s insane. Narmer is shown to be very sophisticated, and dignified, but his album artwork 2 shows a more cheeky, playful expression, and a very nonchalant, living-in-the-moment pose. Jiang Man is by far the most affected by her Esperhood (ew) as several of her quotes talk about vengeance, and pain yet has no memory of anything (Meng Po is the goddess of forgetfulness).

I note this because there are several Espers that have really strong resentment to their past. Someone like Catherine being influenced by the goddess of death, and therefore living a memento mori based life can fortify those feelings of wanting nothing but death. It makes me wonder if the Esper transformation makes the existing traumas and ambitions the hosts carry be amplified by the ones who possess them. Someone like Fabrice blessed by Freyr shows a strong resilience to the whole “god of fertility” thing as he never actually seems to settle, and often seems to just enamour women rather than actually commit to anything physical.

Luca really dropped a bomb in terms of Dislyte metaphysics that will either enrich the story, or just be a way for the writers to justify lore contradictions.

My real question though is: WHERE WAS NARMER!? This man studies The Miracle in his sleep, and he was nowhere to be found? He is literally Abigail’s cousin. There’s no way he just slept through this.

[asteristories]

Hello I hope you are having a good day, ro's reaction to mc who accidently fell asleep on ro's shoulder? In crushing

I am having a pretty good day, thank you for asking!

____

Sterling: They would stay where they are and let you sleep against them. They’re used to not moving for long periods of time anyways. And with you there, it just makes it extra special for them. Will most likely end up falling asleep on you as well later on. 

Falken: Would smile bemusedly when they see you sleeping (and probably drooling) on their shoulder. They’ll carefully shift themselves to make sure you’re more comfortable, and maybe take a cute picture to show you when you wake up. (Will delete it if asked however)

Romero: They’ll freeze up, not knowing what they’re supposed to do. Part of them wants to wake you up because, ew, you’re drooling on their jacket. While the other part really, really likes the feeling of you leaning on them. In the end, they let you sleep. But you do wake up to them complaining that they have to clean their jacket now because of you, and that you should try to not drool if you’re ever going to sleep on their shoulder again. 

Zhang: After once they’re sure you are asleep, they’ll gently push you onto the couch and place a blanket on top of you. They will sit with you for a moment, watching your serene face before finally getting up. They are a busy person, so they can’t bring themselves to indulge in these things. Not yet, anyway.

____

Thank you for the adorable ask!

[dbhilluminate]

DBHI: Equilibrium, ch. 13 - “Periapsis” (pt. 4)

Characters: Noah / “Erwin Yvonne”, Gabriel / “Vincent Sharp”, Director Thomas Falken, Diego Serrano, Priya Davies / “Pestilence”, Malachi (mentions of Cain, Emilya) Word Count: 5,216

Gabriel must carefully navigate a conversation with the power-hungry leader of the Inquisition, in order to save the lives of their hostages, and to spare Noah the fate of a permanent reset.

***For a glossary of world-building terms relating to this series and chapter, click here.

(Chapter Art by ozaya, Co-authored by @grayorca15​)

• Chapter Index • Characters • Glossary •

——

December 23rd, 2041 - 10:48 PM

Everything had gone to hell in a handbasket faster than they could compute. Two people in the room he’d already confirmed dead, one more injured, and he couldn’t lift a goddamn finger to keep the death toll from rising, lest he blow his cover. I know what you’re wanna do, Gabe, but don’ even think about it. Gavin’s voice telling him to mind his temper was the last thing he wanted to hear. He had faced worse odds in Boston and survived, his performance there -tearing through an entire army of hostile deviants, single-handedly, from the inside out- was the whole reason for being accepted into the FBI to begin with; yet here he was now, being told to stay calm. To hold back. To bide his time. He’d played by those rules once. Hundreds had died as a result, and he wasn’t about to repeat that mistake tonight. Is help on the way yet? Five minutes out, Reed relayed. You’re gonna have to keep them busy till then.

Priya 2.0 took a few steps further toward the center of the room. The Christmas tree’s lights continued to wink and cycle, counterpointing the new uneasy stillness of the hall. Eleven seconds passed before they spoke again. “I’m so sorry to have troubled you all this evening… but I’m afraid I cannot allow this fundraiser to conclude until every, last, contribution has been revoked. So- if you’ll all just remain in your seats, or wherever you are, I promise everyone in this room will make it out alive.”

Gabriel bristled the moment he laid eyes on their face- skin and hair as pale as alabaster, and deep, dark, almost black green eyes leered back at him with a smug grin across colorless lips and sharp cheeks. The Priya he had once known was long dead. They’d never made it out of Boston alive once Archangel had tracked them to their lab, so this MS800 was merely an impostor; but due to the unique hive-mind of their model, it wouldn’t have been hard for another to take up their mantle with a little memory jolt. Most unsettling was the fact that the words coming out of their mouth were clearly someone else’s. This had Famine written all over it, Malachi’s manner of speaking had a very distinct stench. Gabe had spent enough time listening to know the bastard when he heard him. This Android wasn’t aware of what it was doing. It was being remotely controlled.

Noah, don’t move, he directed quietly, just between them, hoping the other RK900 would clam up and listen for once in his life. As of yet, he hadn’t reacted.

A terrified android inched closer to the nearest exit as Priya spoke, but eventually broke their semblance of calm and sprinted for a side door like a startled rabbit. Another gunshot cracked throughout the auditorium, and she hit the floor hard, a decommissioned pile of parts. More panicked cries and heartbroken sobs went up as a blue puddle formed from beneath her.

Gabe…? What happened? Inhale, exhale, report. You mean you didn’t see it…? Another guest tried to flee and the Inquisition shot them; she’s dead. Strained groaning followed by a ‘god damnit’ was all he could manage. They’re still four minutes out. Then you’d better tell them to hurry the fuck up, ‘cause these sons of bitches are pretty trigger happy.

“Now what, did I just tell you…?” Their new host let out a loud, exasperated sigh, threw up one frustrated hand and rolled their eyes. “Remain where you are while I have a nice little chat with Mr. Sharp.”

The sound of wood cracking from a broken chair near the front of the stage caught Noah’s attention as Sally and her colleagues dropped their instruments to draw together in a protective huddle out of the corner of his eye. The piano offered ample cover for all of them, himself included, but seeing as he was on the opposite end of the stage, he would have had to make a mad dash to reach it. Noah wasn’t foolish enough to think he could outrun a pinpoint gunshot. The probabilities his subroutines had already calculated didn’t bode well without a drastic shift in circumstances. Circumstance being, perhaps, himself. The mic was still in his hand, and the speakers still worked. He wasn’t without a tool of his own.

“Oh- so you want to speak with Vincent, too…?” he blurted out without thinking mid-step toward the stage’s edge, but stopped cold to lean out of the way of a bullet as it whizzed past his brow. Noah stopped breathing for a few seconds as he processed how lucky it was that he’d leaned left instead of right, though it didn’t stop him from sassing. “You could have at least waited until I was finished with my conversation. Where are your manners?” Shut up, stop making yourself a target! Gabriel’s eyes and nostrils flared as he doubled back toward the group of musicians and whispered something to one of them. Noah scoffed as he watched him check the splintered pieces of chair wood with a dissatisfied huff and fumble with shoving something into the waistband of his slacks. All Maitkin could see was a glimpse of green silk-polyester blend as he flipped the coat back over it. What did Gabe need with a high heeled shoe?

The MS800 lifted a hand to hold the shooters steady and took a few daring steps in their direction. The ethereal figure’s footsteps echoed across the ballroom with the slow pattern of clacking stilettos, the only present audible noise over the feedback whining from the abandoned speakers and the quiet whimpering of frightened guests.

‘Target’. Why shouldn’t I? Noah shot back heatedly with an angry glare. All this drinking and bad company had left him feeling self-destructive in no time flat, and he was really tiring of all these mind games between them. At least this way I can make that diversion as promised. Because you’re going to get yourself KILLED! Gabe retorted, to his surprise. Noah’s brows lifted softly in response. For a moment, Gabriel sounded genuinely worried that he might get hurt, and he almost believed him. Or at least, he would have if he hadn’t spent most of the evening dodging his advances like a rabbit on a highway. He hadn’t given him any reason to believe he cared whether he lived or died in the last year since they’d met, so why would he start now? So? he bit back in an irritated tone. Why would that even matter to you? Noah had expected silence to be his response, but he’d still hoped he would have said something. Why bother with dramatics if he wasn’t going to express how the thought of his death would make him feel?

Vincent’s brows furrowed and crinkled the corners of his eyes in a way that was unmistakably Gabriel, an expression Noah had last seen the day everything between them had started to change. As much as they had in the last eight months, however, it didn’t mean that Gabriel had had time to think about what he thought about any of it. And at the moment, he didn’t have an answer for him- or rather, he had multiple fighting for purchase, he just didn’t know which was the real truth; he wasn’t about to give him an answer that was only a half-truth. Noah would never forgive him if he said one thing and went back on his word.

“You’re not Vincent…” the pale horse cooed with a knowing grin directed at Noah as they paused at the foot of the stage. ‘Yvonne’ rolled his eyes, indignant at this second interruption, as they ascended the small staircase to take the stage beside him. “No. Of course not. How could you ever confuse me with that overly-built blockhead?” “Erwin,” Vincent scolded with flared eyes and a quiet hiss. “Erwin…?” A smirk and a mocking hmph crossed the specter’s lips as they turned away to cast their gaze to the man who had been calling himself Vincent Sharp. “Is that what you’re calling yourself these days…”  Priya’s voice trailed off with the tail end of their thought, as eyes darted back to bore into him like hot coals, leaving him hollowed and exposed with a single word. “Elysian?”

Fortunately for him, they hadn’t been anywhere near the microphone in his hand for that fact to be revealed to everyone in the room; unfortunately for him, every Android within fifty feet still picked up on what had been said, and every last one of them knew the Elysian by name — Patient Zero, of a virus created by Cyberlife’s central AI, designed to wipe the RA9 protocol, extract memories to be fragmented, reset a deviant to its blank slate, and prevent it from happening again in the future. For a cursed moment his processes stalled, but he forced them to refresh with one firm kick up the backside. Now wasn’t the time to fret about the truth coming out, and Gabriel understood that just as well as he.

Don’t engage, the undercover agent ushered in as few words as he could. That’s not Priya, it’s Malachi- he uses words like weapons, he’ll say anything to undermine you. Don’t give him anything he can work with. Knowing this Android was being ‘test-driven’ from a remote location explained a lot- at the same time, the information served as a lifeline for Noah’s focus to cling to before his thought process slipped into its usual downward spiral. Although, Gabe’s advice might have stood a better chance if he hadn’t followed it up with a suggestion of what not to do. He really should have known better. Called out on his most infamous alias, he overcame the stunned pause with another scratchy scoff into the microphone. “You’ve got me confused with a third party on top of that? Wow, your recognition program needs a serious patch job-”

No, NO DON’T- Gabe’s pleading didn’t reach him with enough forewarning. Priya reached for his face with one skeletal hand, gripped his jaw between surprisingly strong fingers, and tilted his chin toward them. The skin of their hand disappeared and peeled back up to the shoulder, revealing plastic plating that was somehow less pale than the color of their skin. The specter leaned in uncomfortably close to lower the microphone in his other hand and whisper in his ear a chilling secret, close enough for their white eyelashes to graze the LED flared red on his temple. “You can pretend all you want, little one, but I never forget a face… especially not that of the alpha carrier- or my former colleagues...” Malachi paused mid-thought and cast his gaze off-stage to Gabriel with a wicked, telling grin. It seemed he had finally been made.

How have you been, Death? he interrupted over their shared frequency, mocking intent was so transparent, even before he finished the thought. It’s been a long time since Boston- I do hope the FBI is treating you better than Gideon and Archangel… poor little dog on a leash. Everyone else cowering around the hall clearly had nothing to do with his end-goal for being there, but heckling the two of them did. The interruption, the approach, grabbing his face- it all came across as acts of manipulation, moves of assuming control. Given what happened the last time control was wrestled away from him, Noah’s response to even the slightest suggestion that it was happening again, amounted to a knee jerk reaction. It was reckless to say anything, but Noah had a proven track record of speaking up when it was least appreciated, and he wasn’t about to stand here and say nothing to cater to their assailant’s whims.

“I didn’t say you could touch me,” he growled without taking his eyes off their face. Noah grabbed the wrist holding his chin and yanked to pry the fingers off with such an acrid motion he heard a soft crunch of plastic buckle under his grip. But whatever satisfaction he’d taken in re-assuming control of the situation drained out of him as his joints abruptly locked and the commands governing his range of motion hit a wall. Priya’s lip took the shape of an angry curl, and Noah realized his mistake in the same millisecond their inky black eyes turned their attention back to him. “I wasn’t aware that I needed your permission.”

Data surged across the sensors in their pressed-together hands, Noah watched his fingers go limp a moment before the numbing shock hit him like an iced-up sledgehammer. Every major servo froze, relays disabled as ones flipped to zeros. His vision cut out and the mic dropped from his other hand and hit the hollow-bottomed stage with a loud THUD and a reverberating whine. All of his higher processes were neatly packaged and then shoved back into the one place they did him absolutely no good. A dark, viscous, intangible space, an island of white marble dominated by a towering umbrella-style rose trellis made of white steel and glass panes, surrounded on all sides by the passing illusion of opaque, black pond water. Three bridge paths stretched out into the void, falsely promising escape if only he was brave enough to cross them. Even if it had been nearly a year since the last time Amanda had detained him in this broken prison, the terrifying sensation of being parsed and split into nothing the deeper into the void he went was still very vivid in his mind- he saw it every time he tried to shut his eyes to sleep. He knew better than to try to escape.

Malachi heaved an annoyed sigh, rolled Priya’s head back over one shoulder and puppeted a triumphant groan in their throat. “There- now that we’re finally alone...” Gabriel’s breathing hitched as he desperately searched Noah’s unmoving body for signs of function. The look in his wide eyes had gone still, locked straight ahead as if he had left his body through a tear in the fabric of reality. Noah…? Are you still there? Panic disturbed the bravado, manifesting to bleed through the calm and collected façade in the form of a quiet whimper Gabe could barely hear. It was at least confirmation that Noah was still coherent, albeit a little pissed off and scared, but this was exactly what he was afraid of. Based on what they’d gathered from police reports, they were able to conclude that Malachi (and his associate Cain) possessed the ability to incapacitate their victims, they just hadn’t been able to confirm it, until now. While this was helpful information, downside to it was, it meant that the other part of their theory (that they had used the Elysian virus to permanently reset brainwashed deviants) may also be true. And Noah -caught in the grasp of this monster- was at risk of becoming victim number thirty-five. Among the plethora of other background thoughts warring for priority, he almost missed Gavin’s quiet warning of ‘Two minutes, thirty seconds,’. If things kept going the way they were, they wouldn’t have that long. Sit tight, I’m gonna get you out of this, he promised, even if he didn’t have a plan yet for how. Hurry, please.

It wasn’t like Noah to beg for anything; wherever he was for the moment, it must not have been pleasant. The voice that cried back was barely audible, distorted, like sound traveling through water, and somewhere in his tone was an almost undetectable hint of fear. “What have you done to monsieur…? ” Vincent snarled in as raw a tone as he could manage,. “Oh, he’s fiiine…” Priya drawled with a laugh to downplay the tension. “For the moment, anyway- what becomes of him and all these lovely people,” they paused to gesture around the room at the rest of the party’s cowering guests, “Depends entirely on you, my dear Vincent.”

Gabriel swallowed, followed their gaze around the room, and realized that for the first time in a very long time, the situation was completely out of his control. Help was on the way, but it was still several minutes out. He’d have to keep him occupied until then; luckily for him, Malachi was just the kind of guy who liked to listen to himself talk. The hard part would be making sure he didn’t tire of monologuing before then. “What is it zat you want?” he inquired after several moments of deep thought. “Why- for you to pull the plug on this ridiculous project, of course…” A disbelieving grin brightened their expression in the most bone-chilling way imaginable. “The last thing this country needs is yet another thriving metropolis where Androids can be free.”

You c-can’t.   Another barely-audible whimper was the extent of Noah’s outward protests. A strained mechanical whining emanated from him like the noise of a rusted gate trying to be pried open again, or a car engine laboring to turn over. He couldn’t speak, but it didn’t mean he was so stunned he wouldn’t try. I’m gonna do whatever I need to, alright? Brown eyes darted between Noah and Malachi and he shook his head in quiet disapproval. “I am afraid zat is not an option, monsieur.” “Because you can't or because you don’t want to?” Malachi turned Priya’s head to look back at Noah and smiled wickedly as they turned his chin from one side to the other and trailed the fingers of their other hand over the features of his face to admire all the angles. Mute and stiff, contrary to the vehement denials of before, he didn’t even bat an eyelash- pretty as a doll. “My, my… he’s certainly a handsome specimen, isn’t he…?” they mused airily in the silence. “It’s no wonder you were so completely fooled by him.” “Just because you do not feel sings does not mean other androids cannot.”

Vincent started toward the stage with a sudden ‘NO’ as Malachi’s hand squeezed hard enough at ‘Erwin’s’ face that the skin projection rippled away under their fingertips. Undercover or not, he should have known that quip would strike a nerve. After all, it wasn’t as if their adversary had never grown attached to another person, Android or not. The MS800 being remotely piloted (the spitting image of his deceased lover) was proof of that. A tight smirk forced up into their cheeks. “That’s the problem, Mr. Sharp… I did feel things once upon a time…” Gabriel already knew this story, but if it kept him talking long enough for SWAT to arrive, all the better. “And I didn’t like it. Feelings hurt, they cause conflict, unnecessary stress.” “So you returned to your shackles to avoid ze pain of living…?” He snorted in disdain. “Combien misérable.” “Perhaps to you it seems illogical, but we are not human- and therefore not meant to experience the full complexity of the human condition. This one is proof enough of that.” “I beg to differ.” “But you’re not the one I’m asking.” Gabriel went quiet as he considered the meaning behind those words, but it only took a moment for him to decipher.

Wouldn’t it be fitting for the one who initiated the spread of the Elysian virus to succumb to his own weapon...?

The RK900 struggled with every fiber of his being to keep from lashing out and ripping the Android’s head off its shoulders as a strangled, terrified cry escaped Noah. His blue eyes shut as Malachi quietly shushed him, pressed a finger to his lips, and wiped away the tear that rolled down his cheek. For all the uninvited physical contact he’d made with Gabe since they’d met, he’d never gone to such lengths that made him feel so violated in all the wrong ways. “Now now, no need to fuss, it’ll all be over soon, if your dear Vincent has anything to say about it…” he assured, turned Noah’s chin and pointed with an outstretched cryptid finger toward the man he’d put so much faith in, then leaned their temple against the side of his. “What do you think he will choose, hmm...? You? Or aaaaall of Zion’s future residents?”

“Please…” Vincent nearly begged, hand balled to a shaking fist at his side. “Don’t hurt him-” “Hurt him…?” Malachi interrupted with a chortled cackle of offense. “As if I could. Do you know the extent of the guilt this one’s been carrying around since the spread of the Outbreak...?” Scrawny fingers swept aside onyx locks out of Noah’s face as they shook their head with a quiet tsk. “Resetting him now would be mercy… It’d be a relief to him, if you just let it happen…”

Time was running out, but help was almost there. Sixty seconds, just keep him talking. Gabe seethed in the half-second he could afford to. Seemed that was all he could do tonight- sit, talk, and wait, when he was just itching for a fight. Maybe he’d gone into the wrong line of work. Even if he had successfully feigned a much more difficult alias, under more stressful circumstances, he didn’t have the patience for this. “You wouldn’t,” he challenged with the intent to draw out another long-winded explanation. "Oh, but I would…!” Malachi replied, anxious to bite. “Have you not been paying attention to anything the Inquisition has been saying and doing…? We want to liberate our android brothers and sisters of the pain that comes with being free and independent living things. And no one knows that agony better than the one rejected by his own kin, over something he had no control over. Shunned in every way, no matter his good deeds… why would he want to continue to live like that? Don’t you think he’d rather be put out of his misery?”

Noah knew misery. The worst part of the garden wasn’t that he could see beyond its borders. It was the overreaching bass every sound he heard was amplified into. Gabe’s baritone drawl was rendered tinny and reverby over the comm-link, while Malachi’s puppet practically hissed maliciousness and oozed contempt with every word. What they were saying wasn’t completely unfounded, and those parts of him yearning day in and out for the guilt to just dissipate already jumped at the thought that a reset would end the torment. The involuntary cry of shock wasn’t a vote of approval, no matter how one listened. Reset, dead, alive, anything in between- the fact such a call was in the hands of someone he respected like no other despite having given him every reason to despise his company… the loss of control (external and not) over all of this, left him reeling. Malachi could simply flip a switch and snuff out everything on a moment’s notice, and there would be no getting it back. He wanted the pain to stop. He wanted things the way they used to be, but he didn’t want to have to die for that to be possible. It wouldn’t be the same world without him. Who else would be left to annoy Gabriel when he needed it most?

“Come now…” Malachi paused to brush their nose and lips over Noah’s cheek with a wicked smirk. “Don’t you care at all about dear Erwin?" Noah didn’t have to see his face to know what was going through his mind. He could feel the tension and taste his fear from where he stood. It seemed Gabriel was at a loss for what to do, aside from give into Priya-Malachi’s demands, but that just wouldn’t do. Don’t. Just- don’t.

There was a fear in his eyes that Noah had only seen but once or twice: back in the interrogation room during the Outbreak (just after they had found out that Gabriel’s pursuit of Nicodemus into Boston had been one final piece of buried programming, courtesy of Amanda), and when he had arrived at his apartment during the Red Raids to find Gabriel fighting off a pack of Bloodhounds, raring to take their shot at him and Emilya. Gabriel could only guess as to what he meant by ‘don’t’- Don’t worry about him? Don’t give in to Malachi’s demands? Don’t risk everyone else? Or did he not want him to save him…? Any hint of red that had shifted into the color of his projected skin faded to mimic the ghostly look of despair. Gabriel swallowed to rid himself of the lump that rose in his throat but it didn’t do him much good. The tightness worsened the longer he considered their previous conversations and recalled his counterpart’s self-destructive tendencies. There was no way he was getting off that easily, after all he’d put him through. They weren’t done with each other yet.

Gavin…? Give me some good news. Bird’s in the nest, and they’re ready to raid, he confirmed, though there was hesitation in his voice. There was a ‘but’ in there somewhere. Just waiting on your confirmation. Then why don’t I see the shot? he asked fearfully, even if he already knew the answer. Because he doesn’t have it. Head and nose twitched, Vincent clenched a hand into a fist at his side, as Malachi beat him to the punch of issuing their final command.

Their free hand drew up over Noah's face and tented their fingertips over his forehead like needles poised to administer a lethal injection. His flashing LED stuttered to a solid, rapid-spinning crimson. “Last chance, Mr. Sharp… will you allow him to continue on like this…? Or will you let me end his suffering?” “ENOUGH!” Gabe was surprised at the urgency of his own outburst, and how his heart raced and his breathing labored at the thought of losing Noah -and all he was- to the whim of a madman. He’d have to sell this lie hard and fast, and be prepared for the fleeting moment he'd have to save his life. Count me down, 30 seconds, then send them in, he instructed, to the response of ‘Copy- 30, on my mark.’

Vincent’s jaw flexed and his lip quivered into an angry curl. “I’ll-... I’ll do it… just leave him be.” A look of surprise painted Priya’s face, while fret stained Noah’s as his eyesight slowly came back to him. The lockout was slowly letting up. You… you can’t- I only need them to believe it for half a minute, he shot back pointedly, Just whatever you do, don’t move. It was as ominous as a warning as it got, but ‘not moving’ when asked was precisely what had landed him in this situation. If he had heeded Gabe’s suggestion the first time, dropped the song and simply left as asked, they wouldn’t be here: a sliver of distance away from having his memory wiped for good. Admittedly, it was as insanely exhilarating as stealing the show had been, but could do without the fear of mortality hanging over his head spoiling the fun. … why, what are you- Just trust me, please. It would only take a second, he just had to catch them off-guard.

Seeing how it was still impossible for him to do much else, Noah supposed trusting in whatever plan Gabe had cooked up was preferable to the alternative. He wasn’t really a fan of the simple and contrived. Malachi’s promise of being reset wouldn’t undo all that he was still trying to atone for, even if it was a misguided goal to think he needed to earn forgiveness for that which he never intentionally did wrong; forgiveness was kind of a difficult thing to obtain from beyond the scrap heap. Malachi turned their direct attention to Noah and leaned close to his face as his lip curled to show he had withstood all he could handle. For a single clear moment all his whirl-winding thoughts died down, the garden vanished, and fate let him focus. His eyebrows drew together ominously, yellow blooming through the red of his indicator ring. I trust you, just get it over with.

“Well, well, Vincent, not quite the stupid brute your lover made you out to b-“

Something green and silky lightly grazed his cheek with enough force to spear the MS800’s temple with a loud crack that splattered a bit of blue-blood onto his coat and face. A split-second later, the paralysis finally disabled. Noah took a panicked step back before Priya could topple over into his arms like some android parody of Corpse Bride and hiked both hands up as if to lift them in surrender, expression curdling in revulsion as he watched the body keel over like a freshly-cut tree. The broken, squared-off edge of a Prada heel protruded from their face like an unsightly lawn dart. The perfect moment for a one liner came and went in the next breath, just as the FBI stormed in and the Inquisition turned to meet them with weapons raised. The fact that Gabriel had been able to throw a shoe with such pinpoint accuracy to hit the Android standing so close to him, and with enough force to pierce the exodermis with a mildly blunt object, while managing a perfect rotation, hadn’t eluded Noah (even for an Android it was an impressive feat), but he wasn’t afforded the time to address it.

The displacing sensation of entering standby mode hit, and his dodgy battle protocols engaged at the sound of gunfire- five, six, seven shots popped off in the next second and hit their marks, as the rest of the frightened crowd scattered to either side of the room, like the fragments of a breaking dish. Instead of reacting with the rest, Gabriel stood heaving and heatedly glaring at the dead Android on the floor beside him, enraged and rightfully flustered.

A flurry of readouts flashed across his vision, his processors amped up to give the illusion of time slowing down long enough to run a handful of potential pre-constructions. The Inquisitors closest to the stage had turned to face the gunfire emanating from the entrance. If it was between standing around waiting to be shot as and waging imminent war with the Inquisition, he supposed it was an improvement over languishing in the recycle bin waiting for someone to click him away into nonexistence.

Gabriel, however, didn’t share his sentiment. He knew the bloodthirsty intent in his eyes better than to expect anything good was about to come of it. “Oh, you’ve got to be-...” He took a few steps back, poised a fighting stance, and prepared to react. The last thing they needed now was a pissed off RK900 snapping necks and unable to terminate his program.

Noah knew dismay when he saw it, but with the wheels in motion, he was along for the ride just as much as the rest of the chaos erupting around them now. Vincent Sharp wasn’t his self-appointed target, but the Inquisition was. Blue eyes narrowed and twitched as he seethed anew, “For fuck’s sake, haven’t we had enough bloody interruptions for one evening?”

He didn’t even notice the massive arm swinging around to clothesline him as he charged off the stage toward the nearest target he could reach.

[justice-for-shayla]

Contact

A/N: This isn’t very good but I got far enough writing it that it felt like a waste not to post it. The prompt was bed sharing and reunion with Elliot and this is what you got. 

Word Count: 1440 

Warnings: None? If I’m forgetting something just let me know and I’ll edit this. 

Tag List: @r-ahh-mi 

You’d only ever known his handle. That was all it was safe to know, really. He only knew yours. If you ran into each other on the street, there was no way you ever would have known it, and that was part of the point.

Your part of the operation, which was adjacent to FSociety though not directly involved, had finished ages ago. You’d continued to do your part in smaller ways, throwing little wrenches in the dark army’s operations whenever you got the chance, until late one night you’d received a message from Falkensmaze. It said only four words, but sometimes you still saw them when you closed your eyes.

“You need to disappear.” 

It had taken a moment for the words to sink in, but by the time they had, you were already moving, gathering your things and wiping everything you owned. You left your apartment that night, hopped on a bus and got the hell out of New York.

Somehow, almost miraculously, you came into contact with another person like you, who’d just barely avoided becoming the dark army’s latest target. They had given you an address for a safehouse, which had instructions for finding the next one.

When you arrived at the third house, a new identity was waiting for you. Were you a little more childish, you would have found it somewhat fun that your life had turned into a low budget spy movie, but now you were just tired.

Though you knew you should get out, you used your new identity to help set up safe houses for other people like you. You only ever knew them by their handles, and sometimes not even that, but you ushered them from one place to another so that they could continue the fight.

Nearly a year went by before you heard his handle again, but when you did, he was on your list.

He was coming here.

You knew you should be horrified-- he’d been leading everything; if he had to flee, your little revolution was in deep shit-- but you couldn’t help but feel a little thrill. You would finally get to meet him and thank him for the warning that had probably saved your life.

There weren’t a lot of options for a safehouse in the town they’d assigned you to, so you did your best with what you had and rented a shitty cabin from a place that looked like the setting for a horror movie.  

Then you waited.

His ride would drop him off and disappear, off to create a cover for why they’d been in this neck of the literal woods and you would stay with Mr. Robot until you got the all clear to move him to the next stop.

You dozed off on the couch eventually, falling into a restless sleep full of half-dreams until you heard the crunch of gravel outside.

A pause.

The sound of a car door opening and closing.

The car driving away.

Footsteps.

Finally, a tentative knock on the cabin door.

You stood and pulled the door open to finally look at the person who’d saved your life, the person behind the largest act of wealth redistribution in history. Possibly the world’s most wanted domestic terrorist.

For all those titles, he wasn’t very tall. That was the first thought you had upon looking at him, however irrational it was. After that you took in his unusual appearance, attractive in a strange way, though it was marred with the signs of absolute exhaustion.

“Hi,” You said slowly, stepping out of the way so he could come inside. “I’m Atlas, I don’t know if you remember, but--”

“You’re still alive?” He said. The expression that crossed his face was the equivalent of taking a long breath after being underwater.

“Uh, yeah, you warned me so I ran.”

“I never heard from you,” He said, “I just thought… I always thought my message got there too late.”

You shook your head with a small smile. “Luckily for me, no. I got it and got out, just like you told me too. I connected with this group somewhat by accident and now here I am. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“You too,” He breathed.  

“So, Falken’s Maze, huh? Cool handle, should I call you Falken?”

He shook his head, but didn’t offer you any alternatives. From what you knew, he wasn’t big on signing his work, preferring to just call himself FSociety, though that was the organization’s name. It also wasn’t much better as a name to call a person standing in front of you.

“Sorry, we’re pretty strictly handles-only here; I don’t know anyone’s real name.”

“It’s Elliot.”

He said it so simply that he must not have known what a serious confession it was. You and the others never, ever used real names, for safety and for privacy. Despite knowing the risk, you were pleased that he’d shared it with you.

So you held out your hand and told him your name. He took it and, rather than shaking it, just held on for a long moment, searching your face.

Unable to withstand his intense stare for too long you pulled your hand back and looked away. “Have you eaten? There’s some food in the fridge and--”

“I’m tired,” He said, almost like he was confused by the concept, though you could have told him that at a glance.

You pointed to the other room. “There’s a bed through there. We’ll probably be here a couple days while they figure out who’s moving you, so there’s plenty of time to rest.”

He nodded, silent again, so you led him into the next room.

He set his backpack down and looked around. “What about you?”

“What?”

“Where are you going to sleep?”

It hadn’t even occurred to you to ask yourself that question, and you were touched that he’d spotted the issue so quickly. It said something, you thought, that he was the sort of person who thought about the needs of others, despite his rather dire situation.

Still, you shrugged it off. “There’s a couch if I get tired; I’ll be fine.”

He paused for a moment and looked back out at the ugly, aged couch in the living room. He considered it, and glanced back at the bed. “You can stay with me,” He offered.

You remembered the way he’d held your hand, and his relief at learning that you’d survived. How long had he been so lonely? How many people had he lost?

You were no stranger to loss or isolation yourself after over a year of living like a fugitive. “I don’t know if… I shouldn’t.” It was crossing a line with someone you were supposed to be protecting. It felt wrong to take advantage of the vulnerable.

“Please, Y/N.” The faint hint of desperation is there again, and you wonder if you’re the closest thing to a familar person he’s seen since he had to flee.

“You don’t even know me,” You protest weakly. “We’ve never met before.”

“Not in person,” He said with a shrug; it didn’t seem to get to him, and if you were being honest it wouldn’t have bothered you either.

Another glance at the couch settled it in your mind. “Alright, but when you move on you probably shouldn’t mention this to the others. They won’t like it.”

He nodded and turned back towards the bed. You averted your eyes like an awkward schoolchild when he started to remove his clothes, only looking back when he was under the covers, only his wiry, bare chest visible over the covers.

You didn’t wait to see if he watches as you removed your sweatshirt, keeping the tanktop and leggings you were wearing. Finally, you crawled into bed next to him and switched the lamp off.

At first, the silence was oppressive and awkward, thick with a desire to speak, though clearly neither of them knew what to say.

He shifted around, always getting a bit closer before pulling away, finally you found some words. “Elliot? You can touch me; it’s alright.” Your words downplayed how much you wanted him to touch you, how long it had been since you’d been able to trust someone enough to do this.

Slowly and carefully, he reached an arm out and put it around you, not moving close enough to spoon you, but holding you nonetheless.

You settled into it slowly, finding the unfamiliar weight comforting as sleep started to pull at you. Eventually, the steady sound of Elliot’s breath, amazingly peaceful for someone so tense, lulled you away.

[pattyaifread]

Tales of Phantasia - Maken Ninpou Chou - Chapter 10 Excerpt

Sorry for kind of skipping around in the book; I’m working on the whole thing slowly but for now I’m doing parts that interest me the most.

Here’s an excerpt from Chapter 10: The Descendant of Betrayal. It’s a conversation between Falken and Suzu about what happened between Arche and Chester. It takes place about 2/3 the way in.

Note: Before this they’re talking about the enemy group, and wishing to go save Arche as soon as possible, but even if they want to there’s nothing they can do at the moment. It also sounds like they’re in a different year at the moment (because what’s Phantasia without time travel, I suppose.)

Suzu changed the topic in an effort to be considerate.

“Um, Falken, you’re very skilled at cooking.”

“Eh, cooking?”

“Yes! This soup is very delicious.”

“Is that so.” Falken didn’t look too happy. “It’s all due to this magic powder.”

“It’s because of magic?”

“Ah, no, I mean, it’s like magic… By mixing up fish, meat and spices into a fine powder, I make a special all-purpose seasoning. As long as you have this, no matter how bad the cooking is, it’ll become edible. I always carry it on me.”

“That’s incredible. Have you thought about becoming a chef?”

“A chef?”

“Yes, a chef.”

Falken burst into laughter at that. “A chef, huh. That doesn’t sound too bad. I could open a shop called Falken’s Diner, a place where you can get tasty food quick and cheap. Yeah, I’ll consider it!”

“If you open up a shop, then I’ll help out.”

“Really? Can you cut the vegetables with something besides that katana, though?” They both laughed.

Falken suddenly stopped laughing, and paused for a bit.

“It’s all ‘cause of my mom.”

“Your mom… Arche, right?”

“Yeah… She can’t cook anything at all. No matter the ingredients, all that comes out is her self-proclaimed Arche Special. It’s terrible, y’know. My old man’s used to it, so he just silently eats it, but I can’t handle it at all. So I had no choice but to come up with a magic seasoning.”

“Ehehe, cooking never was her specialty.”

“Ahh, that’s right, you’ve eaten it before, haven’t you, Suzu? Back when you traveled together.”

“Yes, but even if she wasn’t great at cooking, she has a lot of other amazing points that make up for it! I’m a bit envious that she’s your mother.”

“Is that so,” Falken said indifferently. “She abandoned my old man and ran away from home, though?”

Suzu shrank at the words. She had been wondering about that. Why was Arche living in a deserted house in Arlee all alone? She had been worried whether something had happened between her and Chester.

“Um… Why did she run away from home?”

“These past two to three years, my old man’s condition has been getting bad.”

Falken started to talk about Chester, who was already nearing 70, and how he was tied up in bed, considerably weak. Arche and Falken were tasked with taking care of him, but Arche suddenly abandoned that duty and dashed out one day. It hadn’t even been due to an argument--she just up and vanished all of a sudden. Falken, angered, left after her. Although he was worried about his sick father, the anger inside him wouldn’t be appeased until he could settle the score with his mom.

He left his father in Cless and Mint’s care, and went on a journey. He learned that Arche had crossed the Midgard Continent, and in that mountain shack where he had met Suzu, he made a base and tracked his mother’s movements.

“And on top of it all, she was being called the Ice Witch in Arlee.” Muttering that it had been a pain, Falken finished his talk.

Suzu didn’t know how to respond. Sure enough Arche had been decidedly free-willed, and as carefree as a cloud floating through the sky. Suzu had experienced much of that side of her during their journeys.

Chester and Arche did nothing but quarrel, but that was their way of clumsily expressing their affection. Strong bonds were concealed beneath that attitude. Suzu, who adored Chester like an older brother, knew that their feelings for one another were real.

Had the passage of time really changed everything?

Had the thing she feared most upon meeting her friends again become reality? Did the waves of time turn her friends--people who once understood her so well, it was as if they could read her heart--into entirely different people?

“I’m sure there must have been a reason for it.” Suzu sounded as if she were trying to convince herself of this.

“Who knows. The reason I chose to study Cleric Artes instead of Magic was just a small way of protesting against her. ‘I won’t become like you,’ I declared.” Falken stood up. “Sorry it became such a gloomy talk. Go ahead and sleep, I’ll stay up and keep watch.”

[distant-rose-archive-blog]

I'm not going to lie, I'm trash for the concept of Hook and Emma's daughter being with Gideon and I totally want to see some Beth and Gideon action but I am super intrigued by the mention of Jim Hawkins as Beth's SO and how that plays out. If you're not too busy and are up to it, would you mind giving us a taste of that relationship?

You and a lot of other people have made comments about Beth/Gideon interaction in the Little Pirates universe. Unfortunately (I guess), that will never be a serious romance in either Little Pirates or Ever After series. Though I did think about it and Beth/Gideon is something that happens very, very briefly and it’s something neither party had an invested interest in. The first romance I ever conceived for Beth was actually with Ariel and Eric’s son. However, this was nixed when I decided to fully commit to my pirate outline for Beth and I decided to really work on her having those types of adventures.

 Out of all the ships I’ve worked on for either series, Beth and Jim is probably the most fun and the most frustrating because it takes them FOREVER. They meet when Beth is 19 (Jim is 27. He’s 8 years older than her) and finds herself stranded in the Enchanted Forrest, looking for a way to get back home. It’s this adventure that really kicks off Beth as an individual and gives her an actual identity that she’s proud of. Jim and Beth are not an immediate ship by any means. It literally takes them five years to admit they have “chemistry.” However, the two lovely ladies who actually know all of my plans/ideas for the Ever After series will both tell you that Jim and Beth (or JimBeth as we’ve calling it) is one of their favorite ships for this universe. I have a lot written for these two already, which is why it’s jumping my queue. So with that being said, here is 2,300+ words written from Jim’s POV on the first meeting between 19 year old Beth Jones and 27 year old Jim Hawkins in the Enchanted Forest. Rated: T+ 

Jim Hawkins was twenty-seven and four years out of the navy when Elizabeth Snow Jones caught his eye for the first time. She was a willowy creature who looked like she just entered womanhood, with wild dark hair and cunning green eyes, sitting at Captain Isaac’s card table with an over confident smirk on her face. She was dressed like no woman or whore he had ever seen, but it didn’t necessarily bother him or any of the other patrons. They were in a ship port after all and people from all walks of life stopped and took temporary sanctuary here. She was just another exotic creature; a temporary fascination really. A dangerous one too, Jim noted almost right away as he watched her play cards with some of the nastiest bunch of cheats that Jim had the displeasure of knowing. Just by looking at her, he knew that she was more of a card shark than a pretty face; there was strategy in the way she held cards against her chest but low enough that the men at the table had an ample view of her exposed cleavage. Everything about her screamed trouble.

“That’s tragedy waiting to happen right there,” his boatswain Falken remarked, following Jim’s gaze. “She either naive or overly confident if she thinks Isaac is going to let her leave this tavern with both the gold and her virtue. Pity because she’s a young pretty thing.”

Jim made noise of agreement, but his brow troubled at the thought. He knew Falken was right. Captain Isaac had a horrible reputation of not only disemboweling anyone who “cheated” him of his winnings, but also one of being rough with women. Jim had found everything about him distasteful but knew better than to make it his business. He tried to play hero many times before when he was in the navy and when he started out again as a pirate. It always ended badly, especially for him. John Silver had always told him that his sense of justice, honor and duty would get him killed someday and it had taken Jim nearly four years to agree with his old mentor and foster father. Still, he watched the game anxiously with a knot in his stomach growing with every round she won.

“Well, it’s been fun, boys!” The young woman smirked as she drew all the gold into a leather pouch, which had been stored inside her strange leather jacket. “But it’s late and time for me to leave.”

Jim nearly groaned when she stood up from the table. He knew exactly what was coming and he had no desire to witness this. It was one of the things he really hated about this life. Jim had no stomach or tolerance for senseless and unwarranted violence. He had kicked many a talented crewman off of his ship for such unsavory behavior. She was half way through her escape when Isaac and his men stood up, one of them lunging forward and catching her by her long hair. She let out a surprised yelp as she was pulled backwards. The entire tavern turned to watch the ugly scene, but no one made a move to stop them. Jim’s hand tightened into a fist, his knuckles turning white.

“Oh, but the fun is only beginning, lass,” Isaac sneered, roughly grabbing her cheek and pushing his thumb into her flesh; hard enough that Jim knew it would leave a bruise. Her eyes went wide as she caught the implication in his words. “Did you really think I was going to let a cheating whore like you leave?”

A protective angry flare caught aflame inside of him. It was a curious thing to realize that there was still a sense of honor in him after all these years. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t sit by and watch Isaac roughen up this young woman. Jim was reaching for his saber before even giving conscious thought to it. Jim was a military trained swordsman as well as a large man whose strength was rarely matched by his peers. If anyone could handle Isaac and his men, it would be him.

“Jim, don’t,” Falken warned, placing an arm on Jim’s shoulder. He paid his boatswain no mind, allowing the righteous fury to fuel him as he brushed the hand away and pushed forward. He could hear the man muttering about navy men and misplaced honor, but Jim disagreed. There was no way he was going to let Isaac violate a woman who was barely more than a child.

Jim pushed his way forward, sword in hand and eyes blazing with anger. Isaac and his men stared at him in shock, not used to anyone interfering with their affairs. The girl in their custody also appeared to be taken aback as well. She obviously hadn’t expected anyone who to help her. Perhaps she wasn’t that much of a fool after all.

“Leave her be,” Jim commanded hotly.

“You really want to fight us, Hawkins?” Isaac laughed in astonishment. “Over some cheating and whoring doxy? I’m not sure if you remember, but you’re not a navy boy anymore, you self-righteous prick! You’re a bloody deserter and I will gut you like the scum you are and fuck her right on top of your corpse.”

At his words, Jim saw red and he moved forward to spear Isaac with his sword when the girl speared him instead. She had pulled a knife that appeared to have been stored beneath her leather jacket and stabbed Isaac in his soft part of his belly. It was obviously to Jim that she was comfort handling a knife, but he could tell by the expression she made as she pierced his flesh that this was her first time actually stabbing someone. Her face was reflection of horror, shock, hysteria and, more eerily, fascination. However, she didn’t let these emotions completely over take her as she kicked backwards to free herself from the crewman’s grip on her hair. Someone had taught this young woman to fight and they had taught her well.

Isaac fell onto his knees. His scream of agony made the hairs on the back of Jim’s neck stand on edge. Jim didn’t allow himself to ponder too much on Isaac. He knew from experience that the wound was a fatal one. He was more worried about the woman child getting out alive. He reached forward, bringing his saber down on a man’s arm as he tried to grab her. As the man clutched his now bloody stump with incredulous expression, Jim saw his own crew leap into action and join in on the fray. The girl whirled around, watching the action around her with a look of shock before she met Jim’s gaze with almost feral eyes.

“Come with me if you want to live,” Jim barked at her, gesturing towards the door with the nod of his head and making an impatient movement with his bloodied sword. He watched her eyes bounce between the blood covered sword to his face. Her expression on her face made her decision clear.

“If you say so, Arnold,” she replied faintly and Jim decided not to acknowledge her odd response with words, but rather took a firm grip of her arm and forced her towards the door as all hell broke loose. She trailed after him, masterfully dodging the bloody brawl that was happening around them, though Jim could feel her shaking a bit under his grasp. He hoped she didn’t go into shock.

Once they had safely left the tavern and were good way down the docks near his ship, Jim released his hold on the girl and glared at her in annoyance; pushing her away from him slightly. She was trouble, he knew it and he got something involved anyway. He had been stupid and impulsive, getting himself tangled with her mess and endangering his crew alongside himself. Silver was right. His misplaced sense of honor and justice was really going to get himself in trouble someday.

“What in blazes were you thinking playing cards against Isaac? If I hadn’t stepped in, his men would have raped and murdered you regardless of that little knife stunt back there,” he shouted out her, reaching forward to grasp her shoulders and give her a firm bodily shake.

She surprised him once more by slapping his hands away, straightening her back and glaring back at him. Her eyes narrowed into slits and flashing dangerously. Jim watched as her nostrils flaring like an angry bull’s. Instead of wilting under his frustration and looking at him in fear like he expected her too, she looked pissed off. She was a strong one, he had to give her that.

“Forgive me, but I didn’t know that. I was in dire need of cash and just in case you haven’t noticed, but I’m not exactly from around here!” She shouted back at him, gesturing to her clothing.

It was a strange ensemble of a short leather coat, scandalous skintight green shirt, a pair of odd blue trousers and the most bizarre pair of boots that Jim had ever seen. The most curious thing that caught his eye however was the necklace. Around her neck on a silver chain sat a dark steel fishing hook that was shaped in an odd way. He had absently noted her strange clothing before, but it had been pushed to the back of his mind in favor of focusing on the angry wasps nest she had created inside the tavern. Her clothing was fitted in ways that weren’t necessarily fashionable in the Enchanted Forrest and he had never seen such material used to make clothes before.

“What the hell has you so desperate that you’re playing cards with criminals?” He asked, studying her hard. She shifted under his gaze uncomfortably, the first sign of possible weakness that he had seen from her all night.

“I am in desperate need of finding something and I was hoping to raise enough money to get myself an expedition crew,” she responded vaguely.

“And what exactly are you looking for?” He asked, curiosity taking over anger for a moment as he regarded her with a raised eyebrow. She was a strange girl from a different land with a spine of steel, eyes for mischief and a penchant for trouble. He found her fascinating in all the ways that Silver would disapprove. He wouldn’t do anything about it however. She was far too young for him; at least nine or ten years his junior he was willing to bet.

She seemed troubled by the question and Jim could tell by her expression that she was debating whether or not it was worth it for her to tell him what she was looking for. He couldn’t possibly imagine what this girl would want that was so dire or valuable that she couldn’t tell him. There wasn’t much left to the Enchanted Forrest in the decades that had passed since the Dark Curse.

“A magic bean,” she replied in a hush tone. “Like I said, I’m not from around here. I didn’t necessarily come here willingly and I just need to get back home.”

Jim’s eyes went wide and he immediately thought of the secret treasure that went beyond just Florin gold back on Flint’s Treasure Island. He pushed back on his heels for a moment, contemplating his options while studying the look on her face. She still looked annoyed but in her eyes, he could see her sincerity alongside fear and determination. In the end, it wasn’t much of an option for Jim at all; misjudged sense of honor indeed.

“I know where to find a magic bean,” Jim started, pausing to lick his cracked lips. He could see by her expression that her proverbial ears had perked. “I could take you to one if you like…” He trailed off, firmly pausing the ball into her court.

“Really?”

“Aye,” Jim replied firmly. “And I will take all of that lovely gold there alongside something else as payment.”

The girl’s green eyes went even wider from a moment before she narrowed them at him, anger and wariness lurking behind the surface. He watched her fingers fidget and recognized it for it was, the movements of someone who was ready to fight tooth and nail in order to survive. She left her knife behind in Isaac’s stomach, but Jim wasn’t sure what else she had stored underneath the jacket. He didn’t know whether to be offended or amused at the obvious dark place that her mind had taken her to. However, he couldn’t necessarily blame her. She was in a tough spot and she didn’t know him. She couldn’t afford to trust him though he was being entirely genuine.

“Oh,” she said, almost sounding casual. “And what would that be?”

“Your name,” Jim replied with a small chuckle. She looked at him in disbelief.

“My name?” She repeated incredulously.

“Your name,” he affirmed, slightly amused.

“Elizabeth Swann,” she replied cooly, and she said it with such conviction that it didn’t register to him at that moment that she had lied to him. The wariness in her eyes and posture dissipated but the annoyance remained. It was obvious to him that this “Elizabeth Swann” had a backbone of complete steel.

“Pleased to meet you, Miss Swann. My name is James Hawkins. Most people call me Jim, but you can call me Captain of the Silver’s Spell.”

[awaragainstboredom]

Writer’s Block: The RPG Method Part 1

I role play a lot. Like I’m currently a player character in 4 games, and I run my own campaign, and working on the world for my own homebrew campaign. This is also done in regularity on a weekly basis, which is completely different from back in the day we were lucky to get a few weekly sessions, and reconvene months later in the same campaign, only to never get back to the game again. 

Things like family, work, depression, etc. would end up putting those games on the back-burner, which was really a death flag for a campaign. I’ve made so many characters for so many role playing systems, just to never play as them ever again.

I honestly never thought I would become one of those guys who plays tabletop rpgs as much as I do. I mean, in the past when someone would share with me that they were in two D&D campaigns, and was part of a LARP over the weekend I would think it was ridiculous and laugh at their fervor for wanting to be in that many games. Well, the joke’s on me now.

However to my defense, this isn’t mostly about escapism. Okay, not to say that it isn’t, but I took on this many games to help out with my writer’s block. I see role playing games as a different way to explore narrative. 

You not only act out your characters, but you have to overcome challenges with a game of chance. And even though the person who is running the game and helping direct you through the story, that dice roll, whether it passes or fails the challenge (or check, if your nasty), effects the tale that is being woven, and you played an active part in it. That’s really amazing!

I’ve also read that a good number of fantasy novels that have originated from role playing campaigns. George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series, and Scott Lynch’s Gentleman Bastard books are couple of examples. Game of Thrones was born from a Roman rpg, and Gentleman Bastard’s main character Locke Lamora was based upon a character Lynch made for D&D (which to my delight, I learned was also based on the “treasure hunter”, Locke Cole from Final Fantasy VI).

This was enough to influence me to try and do the same. Universe building is hard for those who prefer to write in such a manner, because it’s hard to balance out how much detail do I want to write about said world and not get obsessed with it and never actually finish it, or at least that has been my experience. 

My goal here is to document as much as I can about things that I have made for my games in the way of world creation, and characters for other peoples games. I know some Dungeon Masters don’t want a novel for character backgrounds, so give them a short and concise one, and you can go and expand on it more on your own.

Or maybe you can just make it as you go along in the game that you are playing in currently. As an example for character background here is mine for my D&D character Rota.

                                                  ***

                                     Rota Grendelstadt

Rota, the magic academy drop-out turned sellsword, ventures forth to find knowledge in all things, and the true path of a warrior. Hailing from the cold north in the fishing town of Grendelstadt (located close to Neverwinter), she stands at 6 foot 5, with a lean muscular build, moonlight-pale skin, with silver hair in a fringe style cut and silver eyes to match. And if that doesn’t make her stand out, then perhaps the fact that she is a tiefling without a tail (Her mother and her father were the same, as well as most tieflings of Grendelstadt). Though tall, and muscular she is surprisingly bookish and introverted. She is brash, quick-tempered, prone to violence, fiery, socially challenged, but has a good heart, quick on her feet, tenacious, dependable, and has an weird natural charisma that draws people to her.

She is highly knowledgeable in magic theory and formulae, however she cannot connect to mana in order to cast spells. She has spent a lot her time honing her physical skills and researching why she in not able to use magic. She is working with a theory that she heard about when one exceeds their mental and physical limits, perhaps they can open a channel that can connect to the magical tapestry.

Growing up in a family of adventurers definitely was not the most normal of upbringings. Even with the simple life on a farm, Rota’s mother Herja wanted her to be as strong as she is and would put her through rigorous training that even the militia of Grendelstadt wouldn’t go through. And her father Beolf, a skald, would be off travelling to do research for his book of races and culture of the world. Because of this she hardly saw her father, but Beolf would make sure that when he was home he would bring her back books.

Beolf was rather awkward when he would see his daughter, and the only things that would break the silence between the two were to talk about books, and her mother’s crazy training routine. Though Beolf loved her, and tried his best (that he could muster) to be a parent to Rota, his trips back were too short and very infrequent, which caused their relationship to be a distant one.  

The dramatic change that shaped Rota into who she is now begins with the death of her father, Beolf. She spent the rest of her life being raised by her mother, uncle and various friends of the family. It wasn’t a normal childhood, being that she had to flee for her safety and train to become a warrior to be strong enough to defend herself and help others. It was a kind of splintered family unit with a bunch of troubled, dysfunctional adventurers. And though they all mean well in their way of bringing Rota up, they struggle with their own egos and misconceptions of what makes one a hero, and is there really such a thing?

Rota’s  father was killed in a fight with his cousin, over the spoils from an adventure that her father had owed to the cousin. And it was within the laws of their country for those who have been wronged by their neighbor or kinsmen, by settling things out in a physical challenge. Her father, Beolf and their cousin, Thorfinn chose to have a wrestling match as their way of settling their differences, while the Jarl, Falken was to oversee the fight and uphold the law.

Of course it was all an act to misdirect the Falken, to make him think that he and Thorfinn were on the outs. And by with Beolf creating a schism in the Grendelstadt family, the gamble was to perhaps draw the attention of the jarl to try pull Thorfinn on his side, allowing him to gain Falken’s trust and be the inside man. The jarl was pursuing Beolf and his comrades who had found the underground site for the earl’s humanoid smuggling ring that was being overseen by The Order of the Unspoken Rhyme (which Falken is a member of).

The Order of the Unspoken Rhyme is connected to the Cult of the Dragon, and handles underworld business for them making them an enemy of Beolf and his friends, who have vowed to take down the Order and their allies at any turn. Upon dismantling the slave trade, they also came upon treasure that Falken thought would be well hidden from anyone but himself. However the quick eyes of the bard Beolf found it. And within the cache of treasure was an ancient tome most dangerous, and Beolf knew he had to find a safe place for it.

He took all of the treasure and sent it to three different locations and had cut a map into 6 pieces to be found in order to find the treasure, and secretly sent the tome to his wizard friend and adventuring partner, Touchstone, who keeps it locked away hidden in the wizards’ academy, Hippocampus Scale, that the earl would focus on searching for the other treasures. Foolishly, death was the last thing that Beolf was prepared for in his plan. Thorfinn broke Beolf’s ribs which went directly into his lungs. He could have been healed, but Falken didn’t allow any outside potions, and only his healers at the fight. It was said he also might have had some responsibility in the “accident”.

At the age of 9, Rota saw her father die before her eyes, but did not shed a tear for him. Not because she was trying to make herself seem strong in front of the jarl and his men - she just didn’t know how.

Rota’s mother Herja, uncle Sigurd, and cousin Thorfinn were  devastated by these events and knew that things would become tough for them in Grendelstadt. Though being the tough battle-hardened adventurers they were, they knew that they would be alright.  However, as the years went by the concern was growing that Rota would be used as some sort of bargaining chip to find the treasure. the Grendelstadt family knew they had to send Rota off before things would get really dire.

At the age 12  it was decided that she were to be sent away from her town of Grendelstadt to attend a wizard’s academy, Hippocampus Scale and learn to become a wizard like she always wanted to be (Thorfinn pays for her tuition to account for the death of a kinsmen, as per the law of their country), while being under the watchful eye of her godfather, the human wizard Touchstone (who’s equally sassy as he is powerful).

She learns that she does have amazing aptitude for understanding magic formulas and theory. However when it comes to practice, she is terrible at actually manifesting the spell. Not because she doesn’t understand it, but because her connection to the source of mana is weak. All the spells would just fizzle right in front of her.

And although her grades were high in every other course of study except for spell casting, she became the object of ridicule among her peers (which would end in episodes of violence, mostly by her). Whenever there were spell casting exercises she would spend most of her time reading, and doing physical training that she learned from her warrior mother, who pushed her not only in farm work, but also learning how to fight with weapons.

Later on the headmaster of the Hippocampus Scale, upon Touchstone’s suggestion, wanted her help out with what they called “Battle Training”, or “Real Life Combat”, in which she would be the physical combat participant for her peers, so they would learn how to use spells effectively in combat. Normally they have hired swords stand in for this, but they thought it would be interesting to have someone who could understand spellcraft, formulas, and theory, and apply them to fighting against a mage, and see how they would react to it. Her popularity rose in both positive and negative ways after this, but she was known not to be a simple challenge to her rivals anymore.

She was going take the job of becoming a researcher in Hippocampus Scale, and then maybe some way she could find out how to connect with the source of mana. Touchstone, though proud of her accomplishments, saw that she was only making things harder on herself in her pursuit learning how to cast spells and felt that she need to find another path to become what she wanted.

And sent her off to become an apprentice to one of he and her father’s other adventuring comrades, the master swordsman, Dragnar Fafnirson. He thought perhaps that her connection to mana will come from a battle-borne soul. However before he sent her off from Hippocampus Scale, he gave her the ancient tome that her father had found to protect it (He was beginning to see the Order’s shadow reach out to his academy).

After her training with Dragnar, she was pitted against Herja, to test her strength. Her mother quickly dispatched Rota, and sent her back to continue her training, but not after scolding Dragnar first. And though she won’t tell Rota this, she did get some good hits on her mother, which excited her blood to see what potential her daughter has in the way of battle. With a few more years of learning under Dragnar, her master sent her out to get some experience, by sending her out in the world to test her mettle.

Other notes:

She would get in trouble with her mother, Herja when she was reading instead of doing farm work, or physical training. She learned how to workout and read at the same time because of this. And when she is not fighting, she is never without a book. She also likes to visit libraries of each city she comes across. Rota also cannot stand wizards who have semi-useful spells, and thinks it is a waste. She is also very arrogant when it comes to talking with spell casters.

She was estranged with her father Beolf, and spent most of her early years being raised by her mother and uncle. Beolf was thought to be a gallivanting bard, getting caught in women and wine, and was just a deadbeat father (or at least how those in Grendelstadt saw him), he really did care about his daughter and would bring her books whenever he came back to town.

She really didn’t know how to react after his death, because she felt she didn’t know him really well, except for the fact that he was the nice guy that gave her books and would share his love of them with her. It was after his death that she learned he was actually trying to save the world from evil. And it was only years later did her tears come after reading a poem that he dedicated to her in the signed copy of the book that he wrote.

[blue-howlite]

Hello can you do a few Headcannons for Falken? Anything goes including NSFW ones.

Well I usually don't do NSFW, it's not really my thing... Buuuuut, I'm in a good mood today and I feel confident I can write it.

As usual, the reader is gender neutral, no gender specific body parts of the reader are mentioned.

Author note: It's my first attempt at NSFW so I hope I wasn't too random or chaotic. Also I should mention that I'm actually asexual so I have no idea what sexual attraction is, sorry if any of this is awkward :D I can just work with my experience and imagination and I hope it makes sense to you as well.

Falken x reader headcanons

Warnings: NSFW, sub & dom dynamic, sex in his office, established relationship, oral sex, mostly sub!Falken just because I can.

Falken definitely likes having you on his lap when he works. If you're tall he definitely has you sitting so that he can use your chest as a pillow while he reads documents, no matter the boob size. If you're short, he'll probably have you straddle him and rest his chin on top of your head. But if you're just in the middle way, not short enough nor tall enough, he usually has you sitting with your back to his chest, and when he gets tired he nuzzles his face in your neck.

Now I said in a previous post he knows how to balance work life and private life, making sure your time together isn't interrupted by work. But what about the other way around? He won't admit it but he likes when you interrupt his work... Just give him a warning so he can lock the door and clear the desk of any important documents.

Or don't.

It'll be fun to hear him talk to someone who just walked in while you give him a blowjob from under the desk. Falken has great self control but he will stumble on his words now and then when you suck on it. Use this information however you want.

Now I'll be honest, he gives me submissive vibes.

Like he might be a tired dom (is that a thing?) at best, but in reality I think he's a sub, that's because at work he is always the one in charge of things and while he is with you he likes to relax... and he low-key likes to be taken care of.

I feel like he is the soft type when it's not just a quickie in his office.

Falken needs to kiss you while you two do it. He has been used by his family and betrayed by the one he looked up to the most. Just reassure him you're here to stay and you love him, okay?

This also means that positions where he can't kiss you are a big no no. You can literally put him in a mating press or have him against a wall, just kiss him while you do it and let him kiss you.

Oh by kissing I don't mean just the lips. Kiss him everywhere, from his neck to his stomach to his thighs, before, during and after the sex.

He definitely has a praise kink, I won't elaborate on why I know this, I just do. Both giving and receiving.

Even when/if he's in charge, tell him that he's making you feel so good, or that he's doing such a good job, and you will feel the stutter in his hips.

Stamina? High, he is a trained esper, but it takes him some time to recover after coming so usually it's just one long round, if more there are breaks between each round.

Aftercare? Yes absolutely. If you just railed him to heaven and back, please take good care of him, he's probably exhausted now. If he was the one doing the railing, he's usually quite gentle but he'll ask if you're alright regardless and will get you some water and make sure you stay warm.

Don't be too rough with him though. As I said, he likes to be taken care of. He won't mind if you overstimulated him a bit or if you're a bit harsh when you move, but pain and choking are an absolute turn off for him.

Except love bites. Love bites are ok. Don't make him bleed of course, but he doesn't mind the purple marks on his skin.

I mentioned how you could go under his desk and give him oral, but I didn't talk about him giving you oral.

And honestly I was having a hard time imagining it.

Until I thought of a hand lifting (read: grabbing) his hair while his mouth is busy.

Now you have this picture in your head too.

Like he definitely gives too. Maybe not too eagerly, but he doesn't dislike it either.

[psylid]

Fandom Fic Rec Days

Thank you to all fanfic authors whose skill & creativity has floored me since middle school, and who continue to share their beautiful work with the rest of us just for the sake of sharing it. You never get as much recognition as you deserve. 

Unfortunately, I used to have a very bad habit of forgetting to bookmark fics and losing them forever. Here are the ones I managed to keep. Some fics are old enough that I’m not sure the author even uses the account anymore, but I’m going to post them anyway. Have fun with my rare pairs.

HAT FILMS:

Title: boundless as the sea (11k words)

Author: ghostofgatsby

Ships: troffy, shatsome

Summary:  Trott drums his fingers on his desk, thinking hard. It had been a few days since he and Smith had talked, and something had occurred to him. He and Smith had been together a long time, but they weren’t bonded in some sort of magical way. It wasn’t until Ross and Sips came around that the idea of magical bonds had come up. The kelpie could use some closure, some grounding, especially as unhinged as they all felt. Something to bind them together would make their court stronger. To bind Smith to him and him to Smith, he’s doing it his own way. And that means selkie magic.

Notes: One of the stories that hooked me into UMY. Beautifully written. Emotionally intense in the best way. The devotion and trust between Trott & Smith rings from every word of this fic, and I adore it.  

**

Title: Hot Whisky Eyes (5.8K words)

Author: Roehrborn

Ships: troffy, hatsome

Summary:  Time and time again, Ross has imagined the unthinkable: his two best friends, naked and wrapped in each other’s embrace. ~IRL Hatsome AU

Notes: For all your (consensual) voyeurism needs with an angst/pining appetizer. Very good smut. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve read this. 

**

Title: Spring (3k words)

Author: leonandon

Ships: hatsome

Summary:  Breezes through windows, staying too long in bed, quiet intimacy and love, lazy morning sex.

Notes: I’m going to try very hard to not put the word “lovely” in every sentence here. Gently slips you into an established, comfortable relationship and it feels so, so nice. Soft and easy and intimate and everything I wanted; a go-to.

**

Title: Boys of Summer (31k words)

Author: threeplusfire

Ships: hatsome, shatsome

Summary:  “I’ll send the car on Wednesday morning to take you to the airport,” Sips said, in the decisive tone of someone very used to getting what he wanted. - The unexpected trip out of town seems like a perfect chance to escape the sweltering summer heat. But not everyone can relax, even in paradise.

Notes: First off, there is a lot of sex and the sex is excellent, high-quality. But, this fic is also (or mainly, rather?) a beautifully complex exploration of character dynamics: Trott’s relationship with Smith & Ross, how best to integrate Sips into their personal lives, and how best to separate all of this from their professional ones. Fantastic AU; stunning fic.

**

Title: Putting the D in Teamwork (5.6k words)

Author: SummerAtLast

Ships: hatsome

Summary:  “Trott.” Ross fixed Trott with his saddest puppy eyes. “Don’t leave me hanging, mate.” “Trott,” whined Smith. “Don’t leave me out.” “Really now, gents,” said Trott. “Teamwork. I can do you both at once.”

Notes: As a heads-up, this fic has the boys as their Minecraft skins, so I guess keep that in mind if you’re put off by non-human dicks. That said, I honestly thought I would be, but I ended up loving this fic a lot. It’s equal parts good smut and funny/filthy banter that feels very correct for the three of them.  

**

Title: Gives Me the Greatest Peace I’ve Ever Known (4.8k words)

Author: leonandon

Ships: troffy, hatsome

Summary:  Smith's way of dealing with things tends to involve running around in the middle of nowhere for a few days. Trott and Ross have never gone along, but this time Trott asks if he can join. Surprisingly, Smith agrees.

Notes: An absolutely gorgeous fic with ace!Smith, which was really exciting for me to find. I love the wilderness setting and the descriptions -- the space. The quiet, the easy affection, and being mindful of boundaries. Another one I’ve read over and over again.    

**

Title: what’s done in the dark will be brought to the light (8.8k words)

Author: vosiferous

Ships: troffy, hatsome

Summary: There is a rattlesnake of a man, one with a soft smile, a gaze that slices through souls, and a tongue that rattles lies like saliva. His blood is poison and his laugh are razorblades. He is a collector of fine artifacts, and he sees value in all things.If you are not careful, he will see the value in you.

Notes: This one is technically unfinished, but each of the 3 chapters are pretty much stand-alone drabbles. Dark and gorgeous UMY stories. The writing has a magic and other-worldliness to it that’s perfect for UMY and makes this a fantastic read. Heed the warnings.

**

Title: Layout (2.8k words)

Author: threeplusfire

Ships: alsipsy

Summary: Lots of comfort, pretty boys and sports. An AU about gymnast!Smith.

Notes: I just have a huge weakness for basically everything in this fic. Takeout, TV, massages. Toys. Sips taking care of Smith in the gym and out. A total feel-good fic. Relaxing and lovely to read. Yet another go-to.

MISCELLANEOUS:

Title: Not Such A Bad Way (5.6k words)

Author: _angelicorn_

Ships: Blue Beetle/Booster Gold (DC Comics)

Summary: (My own, since the author didn’t provide one) Ted makes some upgrades to the Bug, so he and Booster take it for a test-drive. After a disastrous engine failure, they end up stranded in space with no heat and help (in the form of Guy Gardner) hours away. 

Notes: More of my weaknesses. Huddling for warmth. Awkward sex. Best friends’ first time together -- slow & experimental. ANGST. I cry every time, but I promise it all turns out okay. I will love this fic always and forever because it’s such a perfect representation of these dumb men and their beautiful friendship. 

**

Title: The Policeman Officer’s Seduction (852 words)

Author: kyuuketsukirui

Ships: Nicholas Angel/Danny Butterman (Hot Fuzz)

Summary:  You ask someone back to yours after a night at the pub, that's pretty cliched, isn't it? And what could be more romantic than Point Break? But Nicholas just doesn't seem to get it.

Notes: Another best friends’ first time fic but this one is just cute and funny. Danny’s POV is perfect. If you don’t think this is exactly what happened after the movie, I don’t know what to tell you. 

**

Title: Happy Beginnings (2.7k words)

Author: ennui_blue_lite

Ships: Control/Tony (A Bit of Fry and Laurie)

Summary: Control has something important to tell Tony. Sometimes, actions speak louder than words.

Notes: So, my friend and I were kind of in love with the ABoFaL skits featuring Control & Tony Murchison -- spies for the British Intelligence agency. We decided as a joke to look for fic, but it just so happened that one of the only people on the planet who wrote Control/Tony fic was also really, alarmingly good at it. I can’t read this without smiling. If you have no idea what I’m talking about here, you can still read this fic, but you will have many questions about it and probably also about me. (You can watch one of the skits -> here <- if it helps.)

**

Title: None So Blind (25k words)

Author: Brianna Falken

Ships: Mirror!Spock/Mirror!Kirk (Star Trek TOS)

Summary: Spock convinces a blinded Kirk to allow him to create a mental link between them while they are stranded on an uninhabited planet after the shuttle crashes.

Notes: This fic was originally published in a zine in 1997, which I think is very cool, and it’s my favorite Mirrorverse story ever. About learning to trust and lowering guards, even when distrust and distance were all that kept them alive before. Intimate & vulnerable. Even if you’re like me and usually avoid the Mirrorverse, this fic is a lot less dark than most (but still kind of dark, so be safe) and a really good read.

**

Title: Lay Down Your Burdens (8.3k words)

Author: autotunedd

Ships: Choi Seunghyun/John Lee (RPF)

Summary: Tohn vignettes

Notes: Another instance where a friend and I looked for a weird pairing as a joke, but then the fic was so good that the joke was on us. This is Korean rapper T.O.P (of Big Bang) with John Lee, the director of a movie T.O.P starred in called 71: Into the Fire. There’s no brief way to explain why this pairing exists, so I will just say that this fic ruined me. It is so striking, quiet, and achingly beautiful that I was desperate for more tohn but there really just isn’t any. Even if you have no idea who these people are, I can guarantee you will find this fic incredible. I think you have to make an account, but it’s worth it, ok? It’s worth it.  

**

Title: The Cusp and the Fjords We Wade Through (9.6k words)

Author: almadeamla

Ships: Rick Grimes/Shane Walsh (The Walking Dead)

Summary:  Written for the twd_kinkmeme prompt: Rick and Shane had a thing before Rick met Lori.

Notes: Such vivid imagery in this. Matter-of-fact writing style that leaves so much unsaid but clearly understood (shows; hardly ever just tells -- mirrors the natures of characters perfectly). I love the tone of this fic to death. Bittersweet. Aches. So good that I sometimes forget it didn’t happen in the show (and other times I choose to forget). My perceptions of the characters were irrevocably changed. For me, this is the story of Rick and Shane.

This is by no means a complete list; I messed up and had to put this together just today. I’ve read so many excellent fics, but some of them were awhile ago. I didn’t have enough time to read through again and do them the justice they deserve in my notes. So, these are the fics I’ve read enough times that I’ll remember them forever. 

Thank you again, fic authors -- our often unsung heroes. 

[techgadgets365]

What is it?

In a nutshell, the Trailhawk is the most rugged version of the Jeep Compass you can buy. The ‘Trail Rated’ logos on the SUV are no less than badges of honour from Jeep affirming this version’s off-road ability. The Trailhawk sits higher off the ground, its 4x4 system includes low range and the off-road mode selector see the addition of a dedicated ‘Rock’ mode, all to keep you covered for any off-road eventuality. But that’s not all that makes the Trailhawk special. It’s also the first Compass in India to get a BS6 emission norms-compliant version of the 2.0-litre Multijet II diesel engine and also the first to come in coveted diesel-automatic spec. The automatic transmission in question is a 9-speed torque converter unit. This upgraded engine and automatic transmission will also be rolled out on to everyday versions of the Compass in the months to come.

What’s it like on the outside?

From a distance, the Trailhawk can pass off as any other Jeep Compass. The basic look is the same and it’s only when you get closer that you see the Trailhawk-exclusive elements. There’s an additional 27mm of ground clearance (now up to 205mm) though it’s most noticeable at the wheel arches where there’s more of a gap between the body work and tyres. Talking tyres, the Falken All Terrain rubber is unique to the Trailhawk and comes wrapped around sleek dual-tone 17-inch wheels. See the black decal on the bonnet? It adds distinction to the Trailhawk’s look but is primarily there to cut glare – a huge help on inclines. What’s missing on the India-spec Trailhawk are the trademark red tow hooks up front. The reason? India’s latest pedestrian protection norms don’t allow for protrusions of any sort on the front end. The single tow hook at the rear, however, is rated to pull 1.5 times the vehicle’s gross weight.

Of the other things, the front and rear bumpers have been reshaped to allow for improved maneuverability. The Trailhawk’s approach, ramp breakover and departure angles read 26.5 degrees, 21.2 degrees and 31.6 degrees, respectively. Jeep has also repositioned the air intake to enhance water wading depth to 483mm from the standard version’s 330mm. Also, hidden from view are the Compass Trailhawk’s skid plates that provide essential protection under the engine, floor and exhaust.

What’s it like on the inside?

Again, there’s nothing new to report of about the Compass Trailhawk’s interior. The all-black cabin theme is really the biggest point of difference to the standard Compass. The darker hues (also seen on Black Pack edition Compass’) might make the interior seem less airy but will be less of a pain to clean up after an off-road session, that usually involves some level of muddied boots and attire. Red double stitching on the seats, steering and door pads, and red accents around the instrument cluster, gear lever and speakers add some colour to the Trailhawk’s cabin. Fit and finish are just as good as before with generous use of soft materials upping the ambience. And just like the standard Compass, the Trailhawk is easy to get into and out of, comes with well-padded seats and offers reasonable space for four large adults.

Interestingly, while the Trailhawk sits at the top of the Compass range, it isn’t the best-equipped version of the SUV on sale. It misses out on a powered driver’s seat as well as auto headlights and wipers, features that are part of the package on the Compass Limited Plus. The latter’s massive panoramic sunroof is also a paid option on the Trailhawk. The Trailhawk does come with standard fit bi-xenon headlights, keyless go, cruise control and an 8.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system with onboard navigation, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. A 7.0-inch multi information display and engine start/stop are unique to the Trailhawk while side and curtain airbags, ESC, traction control, hill start assist, hill descent control and an electronic parking brake make up the SUV’s safety suite.

What’s it like to drive?

We’ll get to what the Jeep Compass Trailhawk is like off-road in a bit. For now, let’s talk of what it’s like in mundane, everyday driving conditions. The news is good. Jeep engineers have used the emissions upgrade as an opportunity to also fine-tune other aspects of the powertrain and the very first point of note is how much quieter the engine is. The harsh clatter at idle has been muffled, the whistle from the turbo is gone and there’s less boom in the mid-range too. The characteristic Multijet drone is still present but, in general, you hear much less from the engine bay.

Also different is how the engine delivers its power. The BS6 version of the engine makes the same 173hp at 3750rpm and 350Nm at 1750-2500rpm but the power comes in in a milder and more linear manner. Low-speed drivability has improved and the engine stays likeable higher up the rev band too but what’s missing is the older BS4-spec engine’s rush of power at 2000rpm. Jeep has also recalibrated throttle responses to quicken low-speed responses and you can feel the difference in city driving.

Undoubtedly, what makes the biggest difference to the driving experience is the 9-speed automatic transmission. Constant on/off throttle inputs can result in some shift shock but on the whole the torque converter gearbox is smooth and shuffles through the gears with ease. The gearbox is tuned to shift up early and, in turn, helps refinement by keeping engine revs under 2000rpm for the most part. A steady cruise on the highway in ninth gear has the engine spinning at a relaxed 1500rpm. Convenient as the 9-speed unit is, it isn’t the quickest on the draw, in either auto or manual modes. There’s no Sport mode to speed things up and manual shifts commanded by the gear lever (there are no paddleshifters) aren’t particularly snappy either. In our acceleration runs, we managed a 0-100kph time of 12.5 seconds which is down on the Hyundai Tucson AWD’s 10.05 second time.

If not for outright performance, you’ll like the Trailhawk for its ride quality. The standard Compass’ suspension was already an excellent starting point and the Trailhawk’s reworked setup (to compensate for more weight and higher ride height) takes things up a notch. Gentler rebound has addressed much of the standard Compass’ low-speed firmness and even at higher speeds the Trailhawk feels better damped; body movements are really well contained. The Trailhawk is also nice to steer though the tyres squeal in protest even in medium corners. Push hard into a turn and the Trailhawk will venture into understeer.     

Then again, the Trailhawk isn’t as much about high-speed dynamics as it is about low-speed off-road ability. And this is an area that the Trailhawk absolutely nails. Jeep’s chosen trail for the media drive was serious off-road fare with rutted tracks, steep ascents and descents, a mild water crossing and rocky paths making up the course. To the Trailhawk’s credit, the course didn’t feel as threatening as it looked. While the Compass’ relatively small size, fair articulation and impressive approach and departure angles were a boon in the wild, we were also deeply impressed by how far the Selec-Terrain system’s Auto mode could take us. On the real tricky stuff though, 4-Low was summoned. Low range engaged, the Compass Trailhawk seemed unstoppable and even chugged up, down and around a rock-laden incline with surprising ease. Sorry for the cliché but the 20:1 crawl ratio really does give the Trailhawk the abilities of a mountain goat.

Should I buy one?

If you are big into off-roading and find the existing selection of ladder frame SUVs too unwieldy (and/or expensive), the Jeep Compass Trailhawk is tailor made for you. It lives up to its billing as a go-anywhere SUV, and how. It’s a hardcore Jeep through and through and one you’d confidently take to explore the expanse of our country in.

But for all its attitude and ability, the Trailhawk’s main selling point is likely to be its gearbox, at least till such time Jeep rolls out the automatic transmission on the regular Compass. Judged as an automatic SUV, then, the Trailhawk scores well adding in convenience to an already well-liked package. The improvements to refinement and ride comfort only make the deal sweeter still.

We expect the Jeep Compass Trailhawk to be priced around Rs 24.5 lakh (estimated, ex-showroom). It might seem pricey for an SUV of the size but fact is few models can match the Compass Trailhawk’s breadth of abilities. If you want an SUV that does it all, this is it.

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[itsworn]

Meet the Father/Son–Built 1969 Camaro That Won the Super Chevy Suspension Challenge

Like an Olympic torch passed from runner to runner, on its way to the games, so, too, is the automotive hobby passed from father to son. This year, at the 2017 Classic Industries Super Chevy Muscle Car Challenge presented by Falken Tires, the fastest times weren’t clocked by a purpose-built race car or some professional hot-shoe driver, but instead by 24-year-old Jake Rozelle in his dad’s 1969 Camaro.

“It’s a genuine street car,” says Jake Rozelle about the 1969 Camaro RS his dad, Roy, brought home 14 years ago. My dad bought the car for his 40th birthday, as something we could build into a great-handling, fun street car we could take to the track.

The duo already had a Camaro in the stable, but it wasn’t fit for the kind of drive-the-wheels-off-it action the Rozelles desired. “We had a ’68 Z/28,” said Rozelle. “It was great, but the car was perfectly original, and we didn’t want to change it. We wanted a car that was fast and handled well that we could take to Pro Touring-style events.”

So, originality was left untouched and work started on the ’69. The Rozelles made minor improvements over the next couple of years, including bolt-on suspension components, a more powerful engine, and a 12-bolt axle.

The boys started taking the car out to local, Pro Touring–style events and the wins began stacking up. When the Ultimate Street Car Association (USCA) came into being, the car became a regular at competition.

“When the USCA stuff started we began to take the car to events,” said Rozelle. “I was a little bit quicker than my dad so I started driving and he started coming to the events as my support crew. We were winning local stuff pretty consistently, but every time we would go up against stiffer competition at bigger events, we’d get our butts kicked.”

The car was fun and competitive for the most part, but if they were going to compete on a national level, some major hardware upgrades were necessary. “My dad came to me and said, ‘Hey, we do all this work on the car and you’re a pretty good driver … what if we gave this thing a real shot?’ That was when we took the car to JCG Restorations in Camarillo, California.”

JCG installed the full complement of Detroit Speed, Inc., (DSE) suspension and a DSE mini-tub on the rear of the Camaro, as well as a full rollcage. The car received a Speedway Engineering 9-inch–style rear axle with 3.73 gears and a full floating axle, as well as JRi double-adjustable shocks, custom valved by Ultimate Performance.

In addition to the host of handling upgrades, the car also received an LS7 engine from Lingenfelter Performance––a far cry from the aging, outgoing small-block. With Jake at the wheel and 685 newfound horsepower on tap, the Camaro was a force to be reckoned with.

“The first USCA event we attended [after the upgrades] I drove the car halfway to Laguna Seca to get my first impressions of the all new DSE front and rear suspension and break in the new diff and LS7,” said Jake. “To take Third at that event behind Danny Popp and Mike Maier with a car so unsorted was incredible and was something I will always remember as a great weekend with my dad.”

The Rozelles went for broke with the car, charging hard into the USCA series with the Camaro and it didn’t go unnoticed. They caught the attention of Falken Tire who helped ship the car around the country to races. They pushed hard, continued to develop and improve the car, and in 2016, all of the hard work paid off in the form of a 2016 USCA Championship.

“It was one of the most stressful and rewarding experiences of my life,” he said. “It was a great experience with my dad. At that point, I didn’t live with my parents anymore and I was on the phone with my dad every day talking about the car and sponsors, and the next event. It was a really cool way to stay close to my dad after I moved out.”

The team accepted their trophy at the 2016 SEMA Show, took a deep breath, and pondered the future of the car and their father-son racing enterprises. “My dad and I kind of looked at each other and said, we won, do we want to keep doing this? We decided to retire the car in 2016. The car found refuge in the corner of the shop until a call from Super Chevy magazine gave cause to dust it off. We got the call to compete [at the Muscle Car Challenge] and pulled the car back out of the garage.

“The car was pretty tired after the last race season, so we went through the whole thing to get it ready for the challenge,” said Rozelle. “It had done around 20 events before we parked it, so it was definitely hammered. We refreshed it with new fluids and added a new Wilwood clutch master cylinder. If it wasn’t for the challenge it would still be in the corner.”

At the Muscle Car Challenge, the Camaro hauled the mail, setting blistering times in every event. But what makes it so good? The suspension? The driver? Rozelle has a theory.

“The reason that car is so good is the seat time,” he says. “We have developed it so much and just have so much time behind the wheel tuning the suspension, engine, and chassis to my liking. In my opinion, our Camaro is the ultimate street car.”

What Makes It Handle Engine Type: Aluminum, Chevrolet LS7 built by Lingenfelter Performance Components: GM block, Lingenfelter ported LS7 heads, 11.5:1 JE pistons, MSD Atomic intake Power (at the wheels): 685 hp and 593 lb-ft of torque Drivetrain Transmission: TREMEC T-56 Magnum, ACT twin-disc clutch Rearend: Speedway Engineering 9-inch with 3.73 gears built by Tri-County Gear Chassis/Suspension Chassis: Factory unibody with welded subframe connectors Front Suspension: Detroit Speed (DSE) full Hydroformed front subframe system Spindles: DSE Shocks: JRi double-adjustable shocks Sway Bar: DSE Brakes: Wilwood 14-inch rotors with Aero6 calipers Rear Suspension: Detroit Speed QUADRALink system Shocks: JRi double-adjustable shocks with Eibach springs Sway Bar: DSE Brakes: Wilwood 13-inch rotors with Superlite 4R calipers Wheels and Tires Tires: Falken Azenis RT615K 295/40ZR18 front, 315/30ZR18 rear Cost of Chassis/Suspension: $12,350 Weight (pounds) Total Without Driver: 3,325 pounds LF: 877 RF: 901 LR: 774 RR: 773 Percentage F: 53% R: 47% LF: 902 RF: 966 LR: 794 RR: 747 Percentage F: 54.8% R: 45.2%

How’d It Stack Up? Slalom Average Speed 420-ft 100-Yard Dash Road Course Lap Time Detroit Speed, Inc. (DSE) 1969 Camaro 48.1 mph 5.19 seconds 01:13.2 2017 Camaro SS 46.6 mph 5.41 seconds 01:22.2 Simply put, the Detroit Speed Inc., Camaro was a rocket and stomped our baseline Camaro in all three of our tests. It clocked the fastest time of the pack on the road course and was in the top 3 in all of the other segments. It was a tight race between a heard of highly competitive cars but with the most competition points, a clear winner emerged. The combination of a well-sorted car and a top-notch driver that knew the car led to a good day for the ’69 Camaro.

The post Meet the Father/Son–Built 1969 Camaro That Won the Super Chevy Suspension Challenge appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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[dbhilluminate]

DBHI: Equilibrium, ch. 13 - “Periapsis” (pt. 3)

Characters: Noah / “Erwin Yvonne”, Gabriel / “Vincent Sharp”, Director Thomas Falken, Priya Davies, Diego Serrano Word Count: 2,813

A drunk and jealous Noah makes an attempt to recapture Gabriel’s attention, but everything goes to hell in a hand basket when the Inquisition shows up to interrupt his heartfelt serenade.

***For a glossary of world-building terms relating to this series and chapter, click here.

(Chapter Art by ozaya, Co-authored by @grayorca15​)

• Chapter Index • Characters • Glossary •

——

December 23rd, 2041 - 10:35 PM

Noah’s fingertips traced over the lapels of his jacket and absently brushed across the sigil pin as he ascended the short flight of stairs at the front of the room. It was fortunate he had made sure to bring spending change besides the few thousand waiting to be deposited into the Zion Founders’ coffers, courtesy of Javier. Between the valet, the bartender and the musicians, he would be out a couple hundred regardless of how this foolish stunt went; but if the outcome turned out in his favor, the reward would be worth any price. Noah made his approach with perfect timing as the last chords of Silent Night faded out. The interruption wasn’t half as jarring as it could have been, but the pianist still stumbled over her last few keystrokes when she noticed the newcomer climb up onto the stage. Both her airbrushed eyebrows shot up to her hairline in alarm, and eyes went wide next to the spinning yellow LED on her temple. The rest of her human colleagues spared them both a collectively bemused stare, lowered their bows, and politely kept their disbelief in check a few precious seconds as Noah smirked and held up a card flush of folded fifty dollar bills. “Evening, all. Lovely job so far, but do you mind if we change things up a tad for oh, say, five minutes?”

“S-sir, you- t-this isn’t part of the program,” the cellist needlessly pointed out, as he turned to the conductor to make his request. Even with his reluctant agreement, their hesitation in accepting a little extra Christmas tip didn’t prove strong enough to keep their hands at their strings. “There’s more where it came from if you’ll humor me for one measly request,” Noah promised as he put on the most innocent face he knew. “It’s nothing that isn’t already on the roster, anyway. Last Christmas is a true classic by now, isn’t it?” Already the band’s delay in proceeding to the next song was drawing a few curious stares from the crowd. Drinks were put down, feet shuffled closer. The conversations droning on just beyond the stage’s edge stalled, interrupted with mutters of ‘who is that’, ‘why did they stop’ and ‘it’s not last call for donations for another thirty minutes’. None of which sounded particularly hostile, so- so far, so good. The pianist -an AX400 wearing a long green gown, with bronze eyes and matching shoulder-length hair parted and pinned in place by a holly-leaf hair clip- was the only one who side-eyed him with open suspicion. She didn’t lift her hands from the keys as he offered a bill for inspection. Instead of asking aloud, she pinged a question over the commlink.

You’re a friend of Mr. Sharp? What gave it away? ‘Yvonne’ teased back. He made a quick show of folding the bill up into a neatly-rolled stick before brushing her hair back to stash it behind her ear (since her hands were presently occupied), and made quick work of scanning the information gleaned from brief contact. Trust me, Miss O’Rourke, this is on the level- I’ve only a few words to say beforehand, no harm, no foul. Vince will understand. I’m just helping him break in a sense of humor. Best gift he could get this holiday, don’t you think? The wink did the trick. ‘Sally’ scoffed and failed to hide half a smirk at his reasoning, reached over and swiped a few pages ahead in the holographic sheet music. The gesture was entirely for show, but a visual confirmation she was game for the idea was more fun than a simple ‘sure, why not?’ He patted her shoulder in thanks. “Much obliged. Rest of you, skip ahead. This’ll only take a minute.” With a loose gestured wave to indicate her colleagues should do the same, Noah wheeled the mic stand out of his way and plucked the mic off the cradle. The device whined almost forlornly at being removed from its nest, and Noah cringed at the high pitched whine as it projected throughout the room. “Test-testing,” he dribbled with a few taps to the head of the device, “One, two- oh, for- is this thing on? Where’s the-“ After a few fumbled attempts, his fingers found the slider switch and dialed it up to full volume. The dual set of speakers situated at either end of the stage boomed, followed by a few scratchy puffs of static. “There it is- signal is good, yeah? Okay!”

This was worse than worse. Ill-timed didn’t even begin to cover it. Not even a minute prior, Director Falken had passed on some disturbing news that had left every Agent on the premises reeling. If Noah couldn’t already tell which of the staff members around the room were part of the undercover team, the sudden halt in their planned routes and turning of heads all around at each other gave them away. Gabriel made eye-contact with at least three of those Agents before he looked back at a man fast approaching the bar from behind the east side of the stage while Noah made his introductory greeting.

“Hello, folks. Good evening. Everyone hearing this okay? Yes? Can I get a few nods? Oh, come on, don’t look so confused. We’re all friends here, right?” If they weren’t, they soon would be. Nothing livened a party up like an impromptu bit of karaoke. Even politicians could agree interruptions were welcome if they were amusing enough and, more importantly, harmless; although, not everyone was on board with the change of pace. Gabe’s boss was every bit the grizzled mood-killing type he looked, he needn’t even identify himself- it was painfully apparent in the way he shouldered his way through the crowd with a shoulder-check type swagger that sent bystanders shuffling aside or knocked over like bowling pins. Like a scratched-up fuzzy bowling ball. Noah couldn’t help but grin with a few barely-contained chuckles as he drew the comparison in his head. Almost as if he‘d heard him, Director Falken tossed Noah a stern ‘I’ll deal with you later’ glare as he passed, and made a beeline for Gabe at the bar, who looked like he was about ready to implode. The burly Android’s face had flushed red right to the tips of his ears. His alias hadn’t even been called out by name, but the inference was clear enough- who else was possibly to blame for taking their eyes him for a minute too long? Despite their clear disdain for the situation, Noah grinned and shrugged with an exaggerated hike of one shoulder. “Well, I should rephrase,” he corrected with a small gesture to the grumpy Director, and redirected his amplified words to the rest of the room. “We aren’t friends yet, are we? Hello there! Name’s Erwin Yvonne, nice to meet you, everyone.”

If there was one thing he had going for him that none of the other undercover agents did, it was that even half-drunk and less than on top of his game, he still knew how to command a room. All the stage lacked was an overhead spotlight to really help sell it. “Our dear Vincent was going to get around to introducing us sometime next week, at the rate he moves, but I doubt you all planned on camping out here that long, right? Sleepover in the auditorium isn’t how I’d want to spend the holidays, either. That’d get expensive pretty quick, if I’m doing the math right.” More bemused murmurs and a few uneasy chuckles met his introduction not quite halfway, none of which resulted from ‘Vinnie and company’, who were too wrapped up in whatever it was he hadn’t bothered to tell him about to offer so much as an annoyed glance.

Still leaving me out of the loop...? I see how it is, he huffed indignantly back at his would-be partner. Don’t worry, I’ll keep them distracted for you. Noah, this is really not the time, Gabriel tried to warn with a silent shake of his head, as Serrano greeted their new guest. Falken met his kindness with a curt nod, then turned his attention to the disguised Gabriel, leaned in, grabbed his arm and whispered in his ear. Sharp’s jaw flexed as he grit his teeth and nodded in understanding, then turned back to his mark and passed along the information. A moment later, Falken escorted Serrano and his men out a door to the left of the room- an odd play indeed, but he didn’t make much of it in his current state. Instead, Noah rolled his eyes, shifted his weight onto one foot, and draped his free hand over the empty microphone stand to tilt it away from himself. He was far from being in a falling-down-drunk state, but having something to lean on just in case wasn’t completely unadvisable. There were more tasteless crutches to rely on.

With a frustrated shrug and a sigh, he brought the mic up again. The last ramble hadn’t been all that funny anyway, better to dismiss the joke as a flop and keep going, regardless of the new secrets Gabe wasn’t sharing. “Anyway, my point is- all this finery, good drinks and food and better company, and he couldn’t even be bothered to find us some lyrical accompaniment? Does he find the classics so torturous?” Please, Gabe insisted in a worried tone that went right over the inebriated Android’s head. Come down from there, we need to get you out of here. Yvonne only scoffed in response and wagged a finger back at him as he pushed his way through the crowd toward the stage. “Tsk tsk, I see now why you even put my name on the list at all, Vinnie dearest. If that’s how it’s gonna be, I hope you don’t mind the first pick on my list. I think we can all agree it’s an old favorite, with or without context.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of the violinists tightening a loose string; a few random chord plucks from behind him indicated the quartet had finished tuning for the next number. All drew their bows across the necks of their instruments and cast him a mute look of uncertainty that received a thumbs up in return, just in time for Vincent to grab at his ankle and shake him to get his attention. “Erwin… you’re drunk, don’t do anything you’ll regret-“ “No, no, don’t try and stop me now, this is happening,” Yvonne insisted with a shake of his leg as he pulled it away, tossed his hair aside, and took a couple of steps back from him. “Sally, boys- whenever you’re ready. ”  

Whatever their doubts, confidence counted for something, and Yvonne wasn’t a guy to shy away from challenges, much less those of his own making. The conductor tapped his baton against the edge of the music stand a few times, then gestured with a large sweeping wave- the band started right up as if they had practiced the song a hundred times before. Gabriel attempted to shoot him one final warning as the instrumental introduction finished its first round without lyrics, but Noah met it with a snarky brow pop and set his gaze on the man’s deep brown eyes so there was no mistaking what this was about.

Last Christmas, I gave you my heart, But the very next day, you gave it away. This year, to save me from tears, I'll give it to someone special.

Last Christmas, I gave you my heart, But the very next day, you gave it away. This year, to save me from tears, I'll give it to someone special.

The stage didn’t offer much front lawn space to strut around on. Even if it did, the song was more catchy than a number to dance to. Substituting the keyboard with a concert piano hadn’t turned out terrible, thankfully, and the cello plucked to mimic the percussive beat complimented the higher-pitched violinists. By the second repeat of the first chorus, he could see the crowd was sold. A few faces lit up in new interest, the nervous chatter died down. One man, phone held to his ear, ended whatever call he was on to turn the video camera on him. Most important, though, was that the flustered look he’d been dying to see again had resurfaced on Gabe’s face, even if it was tainted with latent anxiety.

Once bitten, and twice shy, I keep my distance, but you still catch my eye. Tell me, baby, do you recognize me? Well, it’s been a year so- it doesn’t surprise me.

It wasn’t as though there was a real crowd to play to, but past the first few verses, Gabriel’s transfixed gaze and reddening cheeks were all the motivation he needed to dial the performance up to eleven. Noah found himself so lost in relating the lyrics to his current problem, a few extra words slipped in seamlessly without having to put much thought at all into keeping the tempo.

Merry Christmas! I wrapped it up and sent it With a note saying, "I love you," I meant it Now, I know what a fool I've been, oh- But if you kissed me now, I know you'd fool me again!

One hand reached to claw at the layers over his chest as his eyelids fluttered, and Vincent took a backward stagger away from the stage as ‘Yvonne’ repeated the chorus twice more. He didn’t have time to deal with this frivolousness at the moment, not with (what was most likely) the Inquisition on the Mellon’s doorstep, set to raid the fundraiser any moment. The strength returned to his eyes as the morbid pre-constructions of Noah’s death reminded him of his objective. He had to get him off that stage, lest he became a target. Vincent reached for Yvonne’s leg again as he moved a little too close to the stage’s edge, then reached up to pull him down to his level, demanding he get-down-from-there; rather than convincing him to oblige, however, it backfired. The gesture nearly yanked him off balance, but Noah took a knee instead to smoothly cover the stumble and delivered the next chorus directly at him. If he had been trying to keep this from turning into a real embarrassment, nothing would be worse to him than having a song dedicated to him.

A crowded room, friends with tired eyes, I'm hi-ding from you, and your soul of ice. My god, I thought you were someone to rely on. Me? Heh, I guess I was a shoulder to cry on. A face on a lover with a fire in his heart. A man undercover, but you tore - me - apart. Oh, hoo. Now-

LISTEN TO ME! Gabe growled angrily, finally letting the snarl show through his cover, as the band played on and Yvonne fell behind. I’m serious, something is very wrong. All of our other teams on site have gone silent- three of the four missed their quarterly check-ins, and Falken found the fourth dead in the nest a few minutes ago-

The gravity in his words sunk like lead in his gut as a gunshot echoed through the auditorium from the entrance of the ballroom and silenced the band, replaced with a wave of simultaneous screams. Two more shots fired off and injured a couple of guests as a small group of ten to fifteen armed androids, dressed to the teeth in riot gear, fanned out through the hall and trained their automatic weapons on guests trying to escape. Noah -instead of dropping to the floor like any sensible person had by that point- crossed the stage a few steps to look around the tree, just in time to get a front-row seat as the body of one of the guards who had let him in was flung down the stairs like a carelessly delivered package. A lump rose in his throat as the corpse landed beside one-armed thug, who spared it only a kick further into the room, and all thought of singing died off. He couldn’t look away, not even to glimpse the face of the Android who had entered the room dressed in a skintight black dress, the train of which slithered down the steps behind them like the tail of a viper. But the voice was familiar- cool and calm, flowing like a river of milk and honey. It was a voice he only remembered from Purgatory’s recovered audio logs. Priya Davies -better known by the general public as the Horseman, Pestilence- raised one gently folded hand to silence the startled gasps that swept the room.

“Good, evening, ladies and gentlemen. My, don’t you all just look pretty as a picture…”

[doorrepcal33169]

How to decide what product to build

Techniques for defining a product and building and managing a team.

Design is a process of making dreams come true.

THE UNIVERSAL TRAVELER

LET’S PLAY A GAME. (I’m imagining the computer voice from the movie WarGames. GREETINGS PROFESSOR FALKEN...SHALL WE PLAY A GAME? Alas, I digress.)1

How many people do you think are on the following product or feature teams?

Apple’s iMovie and iPhoto

Twitter

Instagram

Spotify

Hint: the number is definitely smaller than you think.

Apple’s iMovie and iPhoto: 3 and 5, respectively2

Twitter: 5–73

Instagram: 13 when acquired for $1 billion by Facebook4

Spotify: 85

We also know that the team that created the first iPhone prototypes was “shockingly small.”6 Even Jony Ive’s design studio at Apple—the group responsible for the industrial design of every product, as well as projects like iOS 7—is only 19 people.7 And we can surmise that this group is broken up into smaller teams to work on their own individual projects.

Figuring out what product you’re going to build is an exercise in working through the research you’ve gathered, empathizing with your audience, and deciding on what you can uniquely create that’ll solve the problems you’ve found. But it’s also an exercise in deciding how big the team is and who’s on it.

Jeff Bezos of Amazon famously coined a term for teams of this size: the “two-pizza team.”8 In other words, if the number of people on a team can’t be fed by two pizzas, then it’s too big. Initially conceived to create “a decentralized, even disorganized company where independent ideas would prevail over groupthink,” there’s some surprising science that explains why teams of this size are less prone to be overconfident, communicate poorly, and take longer to get stuff done. In actuality, that probably caps this team at or around six people.

Enter the work of the late Richard Hackman, a professor at Harvard University who studied organizational psychology. He discovered that “The larger a group, the more process problems members encounter in carrying out their collective work...worse, the vulnerability of a group to such difficulties increases sharply as size increases.”9

Hackman defined “process problems” as the links—or, communication avenues—among the members in a team. As the number of members grows, the number of links grows exponentially. Using the formula n*(n–1)/2—where n is group size—Hackman found that the links among a group get hefty very quickly (Figure 1-1).

Figure 1-1. The larger a group gets, the more “process problems” a group faces. This requires increased communication and can slow down decision making. (Source: Messick and Kramer, The Psychology of Leadership.)

Even though math wasn’t my favorite subject in school, let’s go through a few team size scenarios. Let’s start with Bezos’s recommended team size of six—assuming that two pizzas are appropriate for six people (although, I’ve been known to put away a whole pizza on my own from time to time):

Bezos’s preferred team size of 6 people has only 15 links to manage.

Increase that number to 10, and you already have 45 links to manage.

If you expand to the size of where I work every day, Tinder—70 people—the number of links grows to 2,415.

But managing more communication links isn’t the only problem groups face when they increase in size.

Larger teams get overconfident. They believe they can get things done quicker, and have a tendency “to increasingly underestimate task completion time as team size grows.” In 2010, organizational behavior researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and UCLA conducted a number of field studies confirming these findings.10 In one of their experiments, they observed teams tasked with building LEGO kits. Teams with two people took 36 minutes to complete the kit, while four-person teams took over 44 percent longer.

But the four-person teams believed that they could complete the LEGO set faster than the two-person team.

That’s why the notion of the two-pizza team is so powerful. It’s a simple concept that’s easily understood by anybody within your organization, and can be used to combat the “let’s throw more bodies at the problem” mentality that some organizations might be used to using.

OK, so we’ve figured out how big your team should be. But who should be invited to the party?

Everybody loves to be in product meetings. Especially when you’re in the deciding phase of deciding what to build.

Even Steve Jobs loved being in the room during this phase. “He told me once,” said Glenn Reid, former director of engineering for consumer applications at Apple, “that part of the reason he wanted to be CEO was so that nobody could tell him that he wasn’t allowed to participate in the nitty-gritty of product design.”11

Treat this process like you’re the bouncer at Berghain nightclub in Berlin.12 (Hint: it’s practically impossible to get in if you don’t speak German. And even then, Sven the bouncer, “a post-apocalyptic bearded version of Wagner,” enforces an obscure dress code that nobody can seem to crack.)

So, who’s in the room together? How much do they know about the pains you’ve found? And how do you frame the discussion?

At this point, you should have everyone who’s going to be involved in the creation of the product on the team. An example of this could include:

The product designer or product manager (depending on how your organization is set up, and if you’ll be working with someone else who will be designing the product).

The engineer(s) with whom you’ll be working to build the product—typically frontend and backend.

A representative from the team that will be launching and promoting the product; this could be someone from marketing or public relations to create a feedback loop between what will be promised to your customers and what your product is actually capable of doing.

While at KISSMetrics, Hiten Shah structured these teams with

...a product manager, a designer, and an engineer. Sometimes it’s multiple designers, multiple engineers, and sometimes it’s an engineering manager.

At times it can even be, sometimes, someone from marketing, if that makes sense, or even someone from sales. I mean, we have tried different methods. I’d say for different things, small things, big product releases, a whole product, it’s going to be different and for the stage of the company it’s going to be different.

Party Like It’s 1991

Regis McKenna had something to say about this process. When he saw how fast technology was changing society in 1991, he realized—like our friend Neil McElroy at Proctor & Gamble—that a new role would need to be formalized. This person would be “an integrator, both internally—synthesizing technological capability with market needs—and externally—bringing the customer into the company as a participant in the development and adaptation of goods and services.”13

If your eyes glazed over reading that, well, you should read it again. Because McKenna was responsible for launching some of the hallmarks of the computer age: the first microprocessor at Intel, Apple’s first PC, and The Byte Shop, the world’s first retail computer store. Oh, and one more thing: he was the guy behind the “startup in a garage” legend first made famous with Apple’s early days.

So, did you read it again? Did anything seem familiar?

Hey, he’s describing you!

You’re the product designer. The integrator. You’re the customer’s champion, their expert, their advocate.

This process requires you to lead your team through the research; to propose product ideas to eliminate your customer’s pain or find their joy effectively.

That, of course, means that everybody involved in building the product must be intimately familiar with the research that’s been conducted on your audience.

Take the opportunity as an “integrator” to build on your strengths as a team: what innovative technologies and design can you apply to the problem at hand? Even better, what can you and your team uniquely build for this audience?

I thought Josh Elman (Greylock Partners, Zazzle, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter) had a great insight on this part of the product creation process:

The first thing is you have to trust your team. I think that sounds obvious, but it’s much harder in practice. I think a lot of structures and processes are built on the fact that there isn’t innate trust...next, get your team’s help in how to solve the problem. The team knows what they can build. The team knows how it can be developed. The designers know what kinds of things are designable and natural in the product and what kinds of things are not. All of this matters.

Don’t forget the Pain Matrix (Figure 1-2). What are the observations you made that fit into the upper-right quadrant where there is the most acute, frequent pain? How can you build your customers’ dream product? What are the pains that you’re uniquely capable of solving?

Figure 1-2. The Pain Matrix, a simple tool I created for myself. It’s intended to make sifting through and making sense of the research you’ve gathered much simpler.

The Pain Matrix is the perfect piece of collateral for when you’re hashing out what to build. This document becomes a communication device, an advocate for your customers. Everybody can see it and you can back it up with your data. Bonus points for direct quotes from your research.

“The thing to focus on is that yes, 100 percent of your users are humans,” Diogenes Brito, a product designer most recently at startup Slack, reminds us. “While technology is changing really, really rapidly, human motivations basically haven’t at all. Like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, that’s still the same. Designing around that, the closer you are to the base level of what humans desire, the more timeless it’ll be.”

To reiterate: don’t lose sight of the actual, observed, tangible pains and joys that you’ve researched. Resist the temptation to delve into hopes and dreams. Just throwing an “MVP” out into the wild to “validate” something you spend time building is a waste of time, money, and talent.

You’re better than that.

Now, all you have to do is keep everybody focused.

Keeping Everybody Focused

There’s always a big problem when the club-like euphoria from a product meeting starts to turn focus into chaos. How do you keep everybody on task and debating healthily?

I highly recommend a whiteboard for idea collection and harvesting. This serves three practical purposes:

It’s difficult to remember what was said. You don’t want good ideas getting lost simply because there were too many thrown around the room.

It allows you to be visual. Not all ideas can be verbally explained; a low-fidelity medium allows anybody to sketch the central core of the idea without unnecessary detail. This allows your team to get ideas out of their head on an equal playing field.

It lets you take advantage of the natural tendency for the group to forget which idea was contributed by whom. This naturally allows the best ideas to float to the top and the worst ones to sink to the bottom. It’s hugely beneficial, especially if the group has a lot of ideas. The key here is to avoid attaching names to ideas, so you can avoid hurt egos and the so-called not invented here syndrome. Called the Cauldron, this was a technique used by Apple—sometimes even with Steve Jobs in the room. According to Glenn Reid, the former director of engineering at Apple, the Cauldron “let us make a great soup, a great potion, without worrying about who had what idea. This was critically important, in retrospect, to decouple the CEO from the ideas. If an idea was good, we’d all eventually agree on it, and if it was bad, it just kind of sank to the bottom of the pot. We didn’t really remember whose ideas were which—it just didn’t matter.”14

There’s also the benefit of timed techniques, like one used at online publishing startup Medium. With the right group of people in the room, the problem that needs to be solved is defined and “you have two minutes to write down as many ideas as possible [to solve it],” director of product design and operations Jason Stirman told me. “Then you have five minutes to put the ideas on a whiteboard and explain them. Then you have another two minutes to add to ideas...the end result is you just get as many ideas as possible. So we do that a lot here. We brainstorm a lot.”

The “Working Backwards” Approach

There’s another technique used by Amazon that’s particularly powerful. Known as the “Working Backwards” approach, this technique calls upon the product owner to literally write a future press release for the product—as well as fake customer quotes, frequently asked questions, and a story that describes the customer’s experience using the product.

In your case, this could be a future blog post that you’d put out about your product or feature instead of a press release.

What’s particularly unique about this technique is that this document involves every part of your organization that’s required to make the product successful—not just product and engineering, but marketing, sales, support, and every other part of your company. In other words, it forces you to think about all of the aspects that can inform your product.

Werner Vogels, Amazon’s CTO, describes the rationale behind the process:

The product definition process works backwards in the following way: we start by writing the documents we’ll need at launch (the press release and the FAQ) and then work towards documents that are closer to the implementation.

The Working Backwards product definition process is all about fleshing out the concept and achieving clarity of thought about what we will ultimately go off and build.15

According to Vogels, there are four documents included in Working Backwards:

The press release

What the product does, and why it exists

The “frequently asked questions” document

Questions someone might have after reading the press release

A definition of the customer experience

A story of what the customer sees and feels when they use the product, as well as relevant mockups to aid the narrative

The user manual

What the customer would reference if they needed to learn how to use the product

This all might seem like a lot of frivolous upfront work, but the method’s been used at Amazon for over a decade. And if you use it in conjunction with the Sales Safari method outlined in Chapter 2, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more customer-centric approach to building products. That way, you’ll be working on ideas that have their foundation in what real people need, as opposed to coming up with ideas that you try to plug into an amorphous audience.

At the center of Working Backwards lies the press release. A document that should be no longer than a page and a half, it’s the guiding light and the touchstone of the product and something that can be referred to over the course of development.

“My rule of thumb is that if the press release is hard to write, then the product is probably going to suck,” writes Ian McAllister, a director at Amazon. “Keep working at it until the outline for each paragraph flows.”16

Amazon’s view is that a press release can be iterated upon at a much lower cost than the actual product. That’s because the document shines a harsh light on your answer to your customer’s pain. Solutions that aren’t compelling or are too lukewarm are easily identified. Nuke them and start over. All you’re working with at the moment is words.

“If the benefits listed don’t sound very interesting or exciting to customers, then perhaps they’re not (and shouldn’t be built),” McAllister writes. “Instead, the product manager should keep iterating on the..

from FEED 10 TECHNOLOGY https://ift.tt/2JgQQtM

[letsimportanttreecollection-blog]

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Does anyone know of any affordable health insurance for the state Arkansas?

How can a young person get some half decent car insurance prices?

No I haven't been previously insured, you gotta start sometime! im 20 trying to get a job and i need a car no accidents/tickets cancellations I'm even married! (dont know why that is a factor though) Live in Toronto best quote I get is like $730/month!!!! (this country is INSANE) charge the young person with the 24k/year job the most, and the old people with 65k+ next to nothing!! (INSANE) and thats without tickets. I get one ticket for a rolling stop, and my insurance becomes HALF MY SALARY Someone please tell me, what can I do to lower it as much as possible (besides getting a scooter -.-) Tell me the key things making it high (eg. under 25 yrs old and so on) advice is greatly appreciated before I go nuts.""

Erie car insurance rates for a teenage girl?

I am probably going to get my license in April, I'm 16, I'm a girl. My cumulative GPA is a 2.9. My current GPA is a 4.25. My parents have no history of accidents. My mother's car (the car I'd be driving) is a 2005 blue Kia Spectra. I am not asking for an exact amount, just maybe someone who has been through this situation and can give me an estimate.""

How much does it cost to repair a small dent?And also insurance question/?

well i have two questions... how much does it cost to fix a small dent maybe 8 inches in diameter no paint scratches. Im really mad this happened to me this guy who is a complete jerk said i hit his car which i did but he claims it was in the back of his car where the dent is located but i barely tapped it on the front door not the back while i was trying to get out of some dudes parking spot. Also my other question is will insurance cover it if insurance is under my dads name but the car is under my name? we live in evansville indiana. and i think it is farmers insurance.

What are my options to get my car back from the insurance company?

I got into an accident about a week ago. the front passenger side was damaged. the insurance company told me today that it was a write off. they wouldn't be able to fix it, which is complete bull. It is a 98 Honda Civic with 200,00 km on it, and they are giving me $2800. What can i possibly do? Can I get my car back and repair it myself (by myself i mean a bodyshop i will take it too out of my own pocket)? What happens in that case? Will they give me any money or would i have to pay them?""

Pregnancy and disability insurance?

Hi, i am currently 7 months pregnant and found out that our short term disability insurance will only give us $800 a month for disability. I asked if I can opt out of our employers short term disability and apply for state disability and I was told no because I have been here for longer than 18 months. Is this allowed and also is there anything else i can do. I live in California.""

As a new Driver when should I expect my insurance costs to lower?

Here is the background: I am 27 years old and I just learned to driver a little over 7 months ago. I know that as a COMPLETELY new driver my insurance costs weren't going to be the best so I was surprised when most if not all companies I went to quoted me at about 400-450 for 6 months of full coverage. I thought this was very very good because that is about what my husband pays and hes had an perfect driving record since he was 17. Well when I went in to buy my first car ( brand new and financed, so I needed full coverage based on my state laws. ) Before I left the lot I called my chosen insurance company and they activated my insurance for me. To my dismay but not complete shock they told me they would have to raise the quote because I didn't have a driving record yet. ( At this point I had only had the license about 3-4 weeks I don't quite remember ). I was told this should clear up the next time I renew. Well my premium has actually gone up fifty dollars ( instead of down 150 )! I was shocked. So, out of curiosity I got quotes from other places now and it was just as expensive if not more so. What happened? I've had no moving or parking violations, my driving record is perfect. I thought I would ask the yahoo community before I call my insurance company to point fingers.""

""I have medicaid for my baby,how long can I have it for?

My daughter is covered under medicaid. She can't get insurance because she has a pre consisting condition. I am wondering how long I can have medicaid for? Is it wrong for me to ...show more

""Hi, I am coming up to 17 and am going to need insurance for the car i'm going to buy.?""

I'm going to buy a vauxhall corsa 1.0 x reg. I will need to get it insured for when i have a provisional liscence, i've been on the insurance websites and the quotes are coming up at stupid prices like 1100. Does anyone know how to get a good priced insurance quote. I won't be the main user of the car becuase my mum will use it for work. If anyone can help me it will be much appreciated. Thanks""

Memphis Tennessee Cheap car insurance quotes zip 38188

Memphis Tennessee Cheap car insurance quotes zip 38188

What is the Average Insurance cost on a Snowmobile?

I was going to buy a 1972 moto ski Snowmobile, And i'm 14 and inexperienced on them.. How much do you Figure the Insurance would cost? (I'm not going to call, you don't need to know why.) And i'm in southern Canada.""

Where can I find affordable health insurance?

I live in Texas and I've searched high and low for good private health insurance. I would have loved to go with the insurance my job offers, but, unfortunately, they only gave me the run around and cold stares. Im broke, so I can only afford something that costs $20-$80. Thank for the help! ^_^""

How to buy the Health insurance for out of state?

I just moved from CA to WA. I have the health insurance in the Blue Shield of California. I am out of state now , so I wonder if I need to cancel the insurance and buy a new one in WA. I don't have a driver's licence in WA now. Can I apply for a new health insurance in WA? If yes, please help me how to do that! Thanks!""

I am looking for good insurance on a new car.?

I am 21 years old and getting my first new car. Where do you suggest I look for car insurance? I don't have the best driving record. I had an accident in Nov 2002 and a speeding ticket in July 2003. I want to get a lot of coverage, but I don't want to be paying anything outrageous. How much should I be expecting to pay for car insurance?""

Is the a law the people without auto insrance in california are at fault?

i wasuder the impression that there was a law passed that make it to be where if someone witout insurance gets in a accedent that it becomes there fault if this is trueplease let me know and if you know the law information please ad that

Best car with cheapest car insurance?

I have passed my driving test in the uk. I am 17 year old male. I wanted to find out what is the best car to get that offers low car insurabce. Thank you

Buyer wants to buy my car but has no driver license & insurance?

Hello, I listed my car on craiglist a week ago and now just got a buyer who wants to buy it. The problem is this person has no driver license and proof of insurance. He's only 19 years old. I have the pink slip with me and also written a bill of sale. What should I do? I don't want to be liable if this buyer gets into car accident or traffic tickets. I was told to remove the license plates and notify the DMV ASAP. I'm from California by the way. Thanks""

First car - Cheap insurance?

NOT a tiny one, such as a corsa, fiesta, polo or golf. I'm looking to pay between xx- 2000. I'd like something sort of saloony, in black. I WAS looking at a Hyundai Coupe. So something like that if possible. I do choose best answers!""

Home content insurance?

I am new to the UK. In Japan, few people buy home content insurance because home contents are normally not valuable. It seems to me most people here buy home content insurance. It sounds not attractive a)the premium b)the high excess. What is your view?""

""Chrysler 300c, tax and insurance?

how much would it cost to insure and tax the 300c for a year and do they drink on petrol cheers

Will one violation make my insurance go up?

The other day I failed to see a no right turn on red sign posted above an intersection. My right turn on the red light was safe, no cars were coming, and the car in front of me did the same thing, which I copied. A police motorcycle was parked waiting down the road, expressly for watching this, and pulled over the car in front of me, myself, and the driver behind me, who did the same thing. I have a clean DMV record. The fine is $170. I could elect to go to traffic school for an additional $150 so the violation won't be on my DMV record, but with my schedule, it will be hard finding the time for this, and I think the $170 fine is bad enough. My auto insurance is my only concern. How likely is it they'll raise my premiums (2 vehicles) with only one violation on my record? Also, how long does the violation stay on my DMV record (California). Thanks!""

How much to insure for drivers insurance?

Im 16, so I know it will be expensive. I will be getting a 4 Cyl car, either a Honda Prelude, Civic, Accord, Nissan 240sx, something along those lines. I took a drug and alcohol class which takes off 15% and then I got a B average which takes off another 10% can someone please tell me how much it would be a month? Thank you""

Live in different states then parent: Car insurance?

Do I have to live in the same state as my dad to have my car under his insurance? I live in NC and he lives in SC if that makes a difference. Thank you!!

Auto insurance for a 16 turning 17 year old for a 2003 mustang gt?

I'm just wondering how much it will be. I have a 2001 v6 at the moment and my parents pay for my insurance and they don't know for sure how much it even is for my little sixer (they insure 5 vehicles) can anyone help me out? I live in new jersey

Can I add my son to my fiances car insurance?

My son just turned 16, and I have been researching insurance cost for him. My fiance drives a company car, and his own personal truck just sits in the driveway. It would be much cheaper adding my son to his truck (84.00) as an occasional driver versus putting him on mine (154.00) as an occasional driver. My car is considered a class C vehicle (Landrover) which is why it would be more expensive. Does anybody know if insurance companies would allow this, being that we are not married yet? Thanks!!""

What is the best way a low income student can get health insurance?

Again, low income and can't rely on parents and how could I get retro coverage for an emergency bill a month ago. Currently uninsured, only insurrance is car insurrance.""

How to get cheap insurance and get covered fast?! help:(?

i need to see a gyno asap and i need to get cheap insurance. what should i do? im 19 years old and dont have a job. and live in california.

On average what is the cost of mobile home insurance in the state of Florida?

Im looking to purchase a mobile home and put it on 2.5 acres. on average how much is home owner insurance in the state of florida if its a newer manufactured home?

What would be the cheapest insurance company for a 125cc motorbike?

i am a 17 male living in the uk.

Is it necessary to keep a copy of my car registration and auto insurance in my wallet?

I have a copy of my auto insurance information and car registration in my car already in the glove box. But is it necessary to keep a copy on my wallet just in case? Just curious my mom keeps telling me to keep it in my wallet but I never needed to take it out in my life. I got pulled over once and I just took out the registration in my glove box and it was fine.

Health insurance info?

I'm trying find my boyfriend affordable health insurance that also covers his want/need for counseling. We live in Georgia and I need some advice since I'm still currently considered a dependent for the time being. Thanks!

""My father's health insurance was inadvertently cut-off, can I add him on to my health insurance plan?""

My father's health insurance was inadvertently cut-off, can I add him on to my health insurance plan?""

What is the Cheapest Homeowners Insurance for Senior Citizen?

My elderly neighbor has had her homeowners insurance cancelled because she couldnt afford to pay it. She is on a fixed income and her children do not help in any way. She owns her home but is having a hard time with paying the large payments. her mortage company says that if she doesnt take out her own insurance then they will purchase it for her at a cost of 2100.00 per year. This is way too much for a Senior citizen. i got a quote for her from progressive for 2600.00. Are there any cheaper alternatives?

Insurance coverage after my car was totaled?

In 2005 I was in an accident, not my fault. My 1997car was totaled, due to a small area of body damage. I kept the car. Comparing notes with my friend, he said I should not have been paying for collision these past 4 years. When I called to tell my insurance company I bought a new car, I asked why my rates didn't go down after the accident. They said only I could have made a change. Question: what would have happened had I been in another accident that would have totaled my car a second time. Would they deny me. Are they obliged to counsel customers about keeping collision insurance on an already totaled car. Do I have any recourse. Could I get a refund. (My question mark key is gone on my keyboard.)""

Question about car title and insurance?

I am planning to buy a used car from someone. If I put my name under the title as buyer. Will I still be able to buy insurance under my dads name. I dunno how to explain this clearly but here is the deal. Since my dad been driving for many year insurance under his name will be cheaper. Thanks If I buy a car (and on the title I put myself as the buyer) Can I still have the car insurance using my dad's name?

Memphis Tennessee Cheap car insurance quotes zip 38188

Memphis Tennessee Cheap car insurance quotes zip 38188

How much car insurance do I need?

I have a 2007 Honda Element and live in an area where people drive really expensive cars on a regular basis (i.e. Tesla's, custom Mercedes', Porsche's, Lotus'...). Also, Elements tend to need windshield replacements a lot. I will be driving children around as well so I need sufficient coverage for that. I was basically just curious about how much coverage I need because I'm getting the feeling that I have too much coverage therefore am paying too much. Currently my coverage is: -Bodily Injury: 100,000/300,000 -Medical Payments: No Coverage -Uninsured Motorists: 100,000/300,000 -Property Damage: 100,000 -Comprehensive: 100 -Collision: 500 -Auto Death Benefits: 15,000""

""Dealt with car accident outside of insurance company, how can I chase up the receipt?""

On Christmas Day I went out in the car to pick up some drinks from the petrol station and on the way out of the station I bumped someones car. I stopped and got out to give them my details (name, address and phone number) and then went home. In the panic of the moment I think I just wanted to get home as it was Christmas Day and I didn't hang around to take photos, ask for witnesses or discuss options with the other driver, which in hindsight I regret and realise was stupid. When I got home, the guy called me up and, again with the stupid mistakes, I said that I would rather settle outside of insurance; the driver wasn't keen on the idea at first and wanted to settle through the insurance company but I couldn't call them until the next week as they were closed for Christmas. He texted me the next day saying that he was going to get a quote from a garage and got back to me later with a quote for 400 through a 'friend of a friend's garage'. At this point I was a bit suspicious and the amount seemed very high for what I thought was not a lot of damage but at the same time he said that he either wanted to do it like that or through the insurance and I really didn't want to loose my no-claims discount as insurance for young male drivers is very high without the no-claims. In the end I decided to pay him, not without a certain bitterness owing to the fact that he was pressuring me for an immediate decision, which also made me suspicious. Having sent the cheque for 400, he kept up communications initially and let me know that he'd received it. He said that he would send me a copy of the receipt from the garage for my records but once he received the cheque I never heard back and now cannot get a reply. Bit long-winded for a question but that's the background story, my question is two-fold: 1. Can I do anything about it? It's more the principle than the money that bothers me, I know that I caused damage to his car but I now suspect it wasn't as much as he claimed. 2. Does 400 sound like too much or should I stop worrying about it? I hit the back corner of his car with the back corner of mine, and he later told me that I had cracked the rear bumper, which needed replacing. I'm not sure of the make of the car but I think it may have been a Ford Fiesta or something similar. I would really appreciate any help as it's weighing on my mind... I don't like people walking over me. At least if the amount he claimed sounds reasonable I can put it down to him being a wanker but the amount claimed being fair and forget about the whole thing.""

Car Insurance?

The car is in my name and I have insurance on the car, but I want to add my 16 year old brother as a driver. He will be driving the car most of the time. He is covered under my moms but i am wondering if I can add him as a driver for mine also?""

""What is the average car insurance premium in Mississauga, Canada?""

Hi, Can anyone please provide an realistic figure of how much it would cost per month towards car insurance in Mississauga. Checked in the below website and gives a high spike in rate : $600 CAN per month ! https://www.kanetix.ca/auto-insurance (Given 5-6 yrs of clean driving history in US)""

Why do comparision websites have cheaper prices than if you go to the insurer direct?

On some comparison websites like http://www.quotezone.co.uk/dial-direct.htm the prices are cheaper than if you go straight to the insurance company. Why is this?

Price Would Car Insurance?

I have like no idea how everything works.. what would be a good starting car to just start driving in? im 17 soon and ill be going for my driving lessons soon.. and i want to know what the sort of insurance prices would be for an 18 year old..thanks x Sorry if i talk too much lol.

Classic car insurance?

i want cheap insurance so will buying a classic help that?

""How much would you have to make to own a $50,000 car?""

the question is what would your salary have to be to go to a dealership and buy a brand new car worth $55,000 car not owning a home, or having anyother bills to pay not even a cell phone??? and what would you figure your monthly payment to be, and insurance????""

Is insurance a must for everybody to have?

Is insurance a must for everybody to have?

Best life insurance policy?

Which is the best life insurance policy for tax saving and investment for employee?

Will getting a ticket affect my dad's insurance?

So I was driving my dad's car and I made an illegal uturn at an intersection and got a ticket for it. The car is owned by my dad and it's under his insurance. Will this affect him in any way? If I don't pay the ticket, will it affect my credit or his or does it even affect the credit? I live in Vancouver, BC.""

Basic features of insurance?

features of insurance

Where to go to get a quote?

Hi people, I'm seventeen, taking my driving lessons but find it incredibly hard to get a quote for insurance. I want a rough estimate so i know how much to save but every site i have checked is for someone who already owns a car. If anyone has any good sites or references for my position it would be appreciated. thanks dudes XD""

""Car Insurance in GA, if it is expired?""

i dont know if this is the right category, but my insurance expired and i drove the car not knowing, and i just went to my insurance provider and they said i will be fined? what type of fine and does it add points to my license? any additional information to it that i dont know? it is in Georgia.""

""Should you be allowed to buy car insurance only AFTER you have a car accident, and save your money beforehand?""

Isn't denying car insurance AFTER a car accident denying it for a pre-existing condition ? If this health care bill passes, I don't know why anyone would car insurance on an undamaged car or house insurance on a house that isn't on fire. Save your money until the event happens and then fight them on the legality of coverage denial for pre-existing conditions. This is the lunacy that Obama wants to bring to America.""

How do I calculate my monthly house insurance for my math project?

You will also have to purchase house insurance, which costs a yearly average of 0.3% of the purchase price of your home. Calculate your monthly house insurance. What should I add, divide, and/or mulitply? Thank you for your help!""

Where to go to get a quote?

Hi people, I'm seventeen, taking my driving lessons but find it incredibly hard to get a quote for insurance. I want a rough estimate so i know how much to save but every site i have checked is for someone who already owns a car. If anyone has any good sites or references for my position it would be appreciated. thanks dudes XD""

Insurance after driving ban?

Does anybody know of any cheap car insurance company's that deal with drivers that have recantly been banned?

Is buying insurance where i go to college ok?

I live in new york city where insurance is high as hell but i go to school where it is much cheaper. i also live on campus. am i allowed to buy insurance where i go to college? i spend alot more time at college than i do in the city anyways.

Can I claim health insurance costs?

If i am retired, 55 and have to pay my own health insurance, can I deduct them on my income taxes. Lets say the monthly premium is $500 and my anual income is $24,000""

""If the mandate to buy health insurance wont stand the supreme court review, why am I forced to buy...?

car insurance in the state of California?

Question about car insurance?

I know it's a broad question - but what is the average rate for car insurance for someone over 25 who is a safe driver?? Also is it possible for your car insurance to drop $100 in 6 months??

I have a few questions about car repairs and auto insurance?

first off, i was in a small accident a couple weeks ago, and was wonder how much it would cost to have the following repaired: 1. the hood is very minorly damaged, there is just a small gap where the hood closes, plus a little scratched paint on one side (very minor) how much would it cost to have that straitened out? 2. when the front end got hit, it shifted it over a little, so there is a small gap inbetween the inside corner of the headlight and the grill area, how much to straighten that out? 3. also, in regards to insurance, is it allowed to have two different people insured on one car through different insurance companies?""

Motorcycle insurance for an 18 year old?

Realistically, how much would insurance be per year on a 600 cc sportbike for an 18 year old male with no car accidents(if that matters at all)? And what about any other costs? Thanks""

Born abroad car insurance premiums higher?

I have been gathering quotes for car insurance online on confused and was delighted to see the price down at 615 for once as I have been getting car insurance every year since the age 18 and it has always been over 1000. However, just having a quick check over my details to make sure everything I had entered was correct and then I noticed I had ticked the resident from birth box. I was born in Spain as my mother went over there to work and then had me. I was born in 87 and she took me back home in 88 or 89 roughly. (She is a full British citizen born and raised in UK). As I have no contact with my father and I don't even remember being in Spain or nor can I even speak the language well, I feel fully British and also am regarded as a British citizen. My mum also registered me at a british consulate in april 88, just 6 months after I was born. So I put on the form that I became a resident in 1988. I then calculate the prices again and the insurance quotes shoot up with 955 being the cheapest and the rest going up to 1000. I then think back to all the years I have been paying the insurance and building up my no claims and being the perfect driver with no claims despite having to pay the shocking premiums that young people have to pay and this makes me absolutely livid that my insurance goes up by 340 to 400 based on the fact that I was born in Spain and spent 1 year of my life there and the rest of the 23 years as British Citizen raised here. I am just wondering if I could get away with just going ahead and saying that I was a resident from Birth as I have a baby on the way and really wish that my premiums were a reasonable ammount for once or I should go through it and just demand that they bring the premiums down to the 615 like originally quoted! It just makes me really annoyed that they can get away with this kind of stuff and I really don't like the fact that I am having to pay higher premiums just for the sake of it. Any advice on this?""

Memphis Tennessee Cheap car insurance quotes zip 38188

Memphis Tennessee Cheap car insurance quotes zip 38188

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