#but once they start to specialize I can send them to other facilities in the area

[sapphicdib]

"i could gush about my sig headcanons all day but auuughvjgghh". You know what, do it. I dare you. After that sleepy iterators post I'm itching for more headcanons to ponder.

SORRY THIS IS RLLY LATE, IVE BEEN WORKING A LOT

THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME HAVE AN EXCUSE TO HAVE A CATEGORY 10 AUTISM MOMENT ON THE DASH. this is legit about to be a better essay than anything ive ever turned in for university so strap in, obv everything is gonna be under the cut bc this is prolly gonna be long as fuck

Okay! My main headcanons for Sig are:

He uses he/she/it pronouns, but mainly he/she!

He's a bioengineering dork.

She's a specialized medical facility!

She doesn't really care much about the great problem, and thus has a lot of hobbies. He knitted her own scarf!

She has a lot of friends, even outside of the local group. He's incredibly close with Chasing Wind.

He's a mid-gen iterator, (Ages being: LTTM, SRS, SOS, CW, NSH, UI, FP), so his emotional AI is a lot more advanced than Suns' (there's quite a gap between the two, Suns is closer to Moon in terms of age).

She considers Hunter to be her daughter, Hunter calls him her dadmom and Moon her mom.

He tends to bury these emotions down for the sake of others, which leads to...bad situations.

She's terrified of being alone :)

Sig just gives me gender fucky-wucky vibes. Her pronouns are the/bit and he's committed to it. There's not really a basis for this in canon but it just fits his personality of being pretty laid back and goofy when not in um. emotional distress. Also the accessorizing to his puppet (ie the scarf) makes me think he likes to experiment with her appearance and presentation. To add on to this in the streamer au she goes by any pronouns and is pretty androgynous, so none of his followers can tell his AGAB, and its funny to him to watch the chat argue about it. (He's AFAB, tbh I can't see her as anything else). No one can guess his sexuality either, the only "confirmed" thing seems to be polyamourous, but other than that it's "whatever makes it gay", or "whatever pisses you off most".

Sig obviously has a knack for bioengineering, as he was the one who started investigating the idea of using purposed messengers to stay in contact with others once the comms degraded, not to mention the creation of the slag reset keys. Yes this is my incoming rant of "Sig is not bad at making slugcats", since sometimes people tend to act like "Sig didn't follow Suns' instructions" or something like that, and that's why Hunter is sick. There are MULTIPLE points in their conversations where it's outright stated that Sig was the one who did it first:

Sig was the one who showed Suns the process:

SRS: I purposed a messenger, and sent the information by land via a data pearl. NSH: How original of you. SRS: I learned from the best.

Sig clearly has experiences with messengers, and Spearmaster happens before Sig begins working on Hunter:

NSH: I feel like I need to be simplifying my speech patterns. Is that something you do when conversing with your messenger?

SUNS SAYS "ANOTHER" MESSENGER, AND THEN LATER SIG SAYS "ANOTHER MESSENGER" AS WELL. SIG HAS MADE MESSENGERS BEFORE:

SRS: Do you suppose you'll ever raise another messenger?

NSH: I'm tempted to start work on raising another messenger as a last ditch effort, but to be honest I don't think there is any point.

And then, in her reply, she says, "*I* started investigating the method".

NSH: If the need arises, I certainly would. After all, I started investigating the method out of the inevitability of our situation.

And just to nail it down that Sig was the one who purposed them first, the gossip between Wandering Omen and Pleading Intellect:

PI: You haven't heard about what No Significant Harassment did? WO: All I heard was the complaining. Didn't he send an iterator something distasteful? PI: Well, yes, but more importantly, he trained a purposed organism to deliver it!

WO: How do you even get a dull creature such as that to follow orders? I may consider asking him to teach me his ways.

So yes, Sig was the one to purpose the messengers first. She had already made at least one in the past, to send the "distasteful message" to someone. I'd honestly say he probably made more between that/before, to test the efficacy and also just to mess around with the process.

This leads into my next headcanon: Sig was a specialized medical facility! Five Pebbles mentions to Hunter that "I was not a medical facility even when the equipment was functioning," so I believe that there were some more specialized iterators built. Sig's knowledge of bioengineering could be an indication of this specialization, not to mention it fits with him not really caring about the great problem to the same degree as everyone else. Purely headcanon after this point, but when Sig was first built, Moon was very nervous about getting a new model of "specialized" iterator that she wouldn't be able to help train as well! Moon was a more generalized iterator as she was older, so she does have knowledge about medicine and bioengineering, as all iterators did for the health and growth of her city, but nothing to the degree Sig would need. Thankfully, iterators are fucking supercomputers, so its not like Sig needed much "training" in the way of that, but still. Moon wanted to be a good mentor to her! And she very much was, considering how Sig turned out. That's why they ended up so close.

After the mass ascension, he became the resident "doctor" of the local group. Pointing back to the slag reset keys, Sig seems to have shoved as many as he could into that thing, since Pebbles reacts to the amount of them with surprise, so he knows his way around iterator biology. In pure headcanon mode now, when they develop my tangible projections thing (which Sig and Moon were heavily involved in), it meant that she could actually help others by preforming repairs on their puppets, and even their structures by sending her overseer into them. Moon's inspectors enjoy head pats from her whenever he's passing by.

Her being a medical facility also means she doesn't give as much thought to finding the Triple Affirmative as others. His processing power was delegated more towards finding cures, aiding the sick, and engineering better production techniques for medical equipment and such. His city is also highly accessible and optimized for the disabled and elderly. When you're a medical facility, your goal is more to keep people alive than perma-kill them! I mostly get this headcanon from the fact that when Suns is faced with "what to do" other than solve the great problem, they respond with "What else CAN we do? You're stuck in your can, and at any moment you have no more than two alternatives: Do nothing, or work like you're supposed to.". Meanwhile, Sig responds to Suns' question about purposing another messenger with "There's nothing better for me to do with my time, though.". Not to mention, he was already purposing messengers before this, so she certainly wasn't dedicating all of her time to iterating the great problem! Of course, he probably did iterate on it, just not to the degree his peers did. He also jokes about it in that broadcast where Wind is telling everyone about erratic pulse, saying "Haha with the slimers, lizards and etceteras? Surely the answer was in a lizard skull all along!" so it really seems like he doesn't take it very seriously.

Her disinterest in solving the problem led to her developing a wide range of hobbies. He's an iterator after all, they probably get horrifically bored if they're not doing something! She taught herself to knit (telling his citizens it helped her focus so they would provide her with needles and yarn), and eventually learns to make garments as well. I headcanon he plays video games too, especially with Chasing Wind, mostly just because she probably wanted to see if an iterator could run Doom for the lolz. Probably also trolls in the group chats sometimes, considering the "distasteful pearl", and I think her being being NGI ("No Great Ideas") would be funny as hell. This also makes it pretty obvious why I made the streamer au, Sig's a top level player for multiple FPS games and has won some pretty prestigious awards in esports tournaments. And then she goes home and plays Hollow Knight randomizers with Pebbles in a maid outfit.

Sig's personality also lent itself to having a lot of friends. Her and Chasing Wind were built less than 50 cycles apart (Wind is older), so they're practically attached at the hip. Wind isn't in her local group (He's in Sliver's), but they're still very close. It's not really explored much in canon since we really only see her interact with Suns for the most part, but given her personality, I don't think it'd be a far off assumption for him to have lots of friends. Because she's younger, she also has a more sophisticated emotional AI...which can be detrimental at times, but is helpful when it comes to maintaining friendships!

AHAH So here comes the um. SAD portion of the rant lol. I feel like Sig buries her emotions down a lot, for the sake of others. In her conversations with Suns, we do see him get snappy with him, but for the most part he remains either calm or sympathetic, at the most a bit pessimistic towards the end. When she finally does call Suns out for their bullshit, he (presumably) stops replying to Suns for a short time before apologizing and continuing to talk to them.

SRS: I'm in noticing you are becoming more defensive. This obviously wasn't the end result I was aiming for, you know. SRS: Please respond to my messages. I don't want to leave it like this. I need someone to talk to. NSH: I don't mean to be cold, I'm just very worried.

After this interaction, Sig seems to either just reply with facts/possibly explanations for Moon/Pebbles' actions, or completely changing the subject to Suns' messenger, which then leads to the broadcast where Suns is telling her all the ways they modified their messenger to sneak past Sig's overseers, by not giving them the mark and hiding the pearl, we see Sig's replies become very short, single sentence answers.

This to me reads as slightly passive aggressive, but Suns doesn't seem to pick up on it. To be honest I in my head I hear this as Sig hissing this shit through clenched teeth if he could, but it's just text so I suppose we'll never know.

Additionally, he still does let his emotions overwhelm her at points, (such as during the "Your plan was a complete failure" broadcast), but the most blatant is probably in the messages she sends to Moon and Pebbles.

Starting with the Pebbles one:

NSH: Five Pebbles, I will say once again. You need to stop. Immediately. NSH: I know you are going to trash this message like the rest, but... NSH: I hope eventually when you are out of this state of mind you will look back at these. NSH: Look back and reflect on all the regrets you've set yourself up to have.

Sig is angry. Like he shows no sympathy for him, and just hopes he wallows in regret for the rest of his life. She does express his dislike of Pebbles while talking to Suns as well, but manages to still be nice by saying "I think a lot of us were like that in the beginning.", and such, and then drops the subject by the next broadcast by talking about Suns' messenger. He only ever talks about Moon's condition, likely to keep himself from being a dick about Pebbles in front of Suns because talking directly about him is obviously pretty touchy. But this broadcast is straight up mean. She doesn't manage to hold back her emotions but to be honest? I don't think he actually cares, if he burns that bridge with Pebbles then fine, because Pebbles burned it first.

Pebbles took away one of the few friends he still had in this dying world.

I really and truly believe that Sig's biggest fear is being alone. She makes the slugcats as a way to keep in contact with others after the comms arrays degrade. After being snappy with Suns, she immediately backtracks, apologizes, and keeps talking to them, even if it hurts. His messages to Moon also emphasize this:

NSH: Moon? Moon, are you able to communicate?

NSH: Moon? It's me again.

NSH: I need to talk to you. I need to know you're okay.

The fact that we are provided two of these broadcasts and not just one seems to point to the idea that these are not the only two Sig sent. "It's me again." There is more desperation in her tone compared to the messages he shares with Suns, possibly because he's more comfortable expressing his profound distress with Moon because they're closer. A part of me headcanons she...never stopped sending messages. He needs to know she's okay. You can even find a green overseer in outer expanse and subterranean, locked out of the facility but still searching, still looking for any sign of Moon...or Hunter.

When Sig sends Hunter to Moon, the pearl he sends is goofy and lighthearted. He doesn't want to bring her down when she's already suffering enough. It's short, and sweet, because anything longer would probably devolve into something unpleasant. She's holding the words on that pearl together with tape and glue. Once again, hiding the pure grief he feels for the sake of others.

I also think that's why Hunter is sick. Once again, pure headcanon, but Sig mentions this on the pearl:

Excuse the unorthodox delivery method, equipment eroding etc etc.

I kinda interpret this as Sig pushing herself too hard to make Hunter in time to save Moon, and in turn, irreversibly damaging himself in the process. An emergency shutdown occurred after he ignores the 50th pressure warning his systems desperately tried to get her to pay attention to, causing Hunter to become sick thanks to the sudden disruption in his concentration, much like Pebbles and the rot. This is also why no other messengers were sent after this, Sig simply couldn't make any more that were healthy. She loved Hunter, and I fully believe that, as Hunter's last vision in the void sea was to return to his arms. Continuing the pure headcanons now, but he treats Hunter like a daughter and knits her a scarf for her journey. She tells Hunter that Moon is her mom. She gives Hunter a name, which were held in very high regard in ancient culture, a gift so she can at least be remembered for her sacrifice: "Hunting the Stars, Moon's Savior."

All and all, Sig is desperately trying to delay the inevitable, watching the walls of loneliness close in as she loses contact with friends, slowly encroaching on her until he's locked up in a box. Alone.

HOWEVER!

I for one, absolutely adore the goofy, flirty personality the fandom gives Sig. I really do believe when he isn't in extreme emotional distress, she is like that. The motherfucker uses tildes in his texts and teases Suns and makes jokes about slimers and lizards. I just like peeling apart the little snippets we see of him, which are mostly at pretty low moments unfortunately, and just seeing what I can extrapolate from that. Even if some of my headcanons are far-fetched and shit, I do at least try to keep most of them at least slightly in character with some explanation.

I hope you enjoyed my unhinged rant about my favorite guy!!!! I put this in google docs and its literally like, 2.4k words, I could genuinely have turned this in to one of my fucking college courses LMFAO. It's probably better than some of the garbage I DID turn in tbh. If you want more I am totally happy to provide, cuz I could make a whole OTHER ramble about Hunter that's just as long LMAOOOO

(Oh also none of this applies to rot au Sig. that freak deserves her own post bc at this point he's 50% oc and 50% No Significant Harassment Rain World LOL)

[dailycharacteroption]

Class Feature Friday: Hacker Specialization (Operative Specialization)

(art by gtasoul on DeviantArt)

If there’s anything unique to science fiction, it’s hacking. After all, traditional fantasy rarely has computers (and when they do, they’re usually the ancient, barely understood kind), leading to an entirely different avenue of heroic action as the characters crack open cybersecurity measures, often stylized with virtual avatars and the like.

Now, with their tech savvy, you probably expect the average hacker to be a mechanic or technomancer, and that’s fair, they certainly have the specialization. However, brilliant engineers and techno-mages are hardly the only archetypical hacker characters. Sometimes someone is only focused on computers and not engineering. Others might be agents with a variety of skills that just happens to include cybersecurity as a specialization.

After all, it’s one thing to remotely hack someone from across the cybercafe using the unsecured wifi, and an entirely different beast to sneak into a secure facility and crack open a server with no wireless connection.

And so we have the hacker specialization for operatives. Bank details, classified documents, incriminating messenger logs, the targeting software for the rocket turrets shelling the party… If its on a computer, it isn’t safe from them. What’s more, as operatives, they have the skills to get in close enough to do their hacking without being detected (hopefully). So let’s see what makes them special!

Naturally, these operatives are very familiar with computers and engineering, and they can use their computer skills as part of their trick attacks, sending distracting alerts to enemy headsets, causing malfunctions in nearby devices, or even simply projecting a distracting hologram from their own device. Obviously, however, they have to actually have a computer device on hand to do so. One of the rare occasions where an operative may be forced to use a different skill with their trick attacks.

As expert hackers, these operatives learn how to be especially cautious in their approach, reducing the chance of triggering countermeasures if they accidentally push to hard.

More skilled hackers can take control of devices they have hacked, potentially using their functions for their own benefit a few times before they return to normal or are deactivated.

While not as adept at hacking as other classes, hacker operatives can do a lot of fun things with it, particularly once they gain control of a system with their mid-level ability. Imagine activating the security systems to target the guards, or starting up machinery that proves distracting or hazardous, and so on. I recommend pairing your hacking skills with stealth or another sneaky skillset to make the most of it.

There are a lot of ways to play a hacker. They might be terminally online, or they might tap into vibes of the 80’s idea of a hacker as a cool trendy figure with fancy computer knowhow. Or they may be more professional about it. Certainly hacking has a long association with disrespecting authority, with all the character traits associated with that.

The hacker known only by the username LuckySTR!KE is a notorious thorn in the side of may corporations, earning them a bounty for their capture or death. However, the crafty worlanisi tends to stay a step ahead. However, the contents of their latest datamining has them nervous, and they’re willing to pay for bodyguards.

A passionate hacktivist and self-proclaimed protector of the ecosystems of the galaxy. Beshara has developed a knack for sneaking into corporate facilities and sabotaging their efforts to study and exploit wildlife. However, when one such outing ends up with several researchers being scarred and killed by the acidic saliva of flying kriegakos, she begins to wonder if she has become too extreme.

An expedition to alien ruins may not seem like it needs a computer expert, but when it is discovered the stone buildings are interlaced with intricate technomagical circuitry, one is called in. Unfortunately, the team doesn’t realize this hacker is a corporate spy feeding information back to a rival conglomerate and seeking to steal the most precious treasures in the name of their employer. Unfortunately, her acts of espionage and greed end up awakening the mummified guardians of the ruin.

[iviarellereads]

Nona the Ninth, Guest List and John 20:8

(Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For detail on The Locked Tomb coverage and the index, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

No chapter icon for either, but both have lots to talk about.

Dramatis Personae Guest List, as dictated by Nona and transcribed by "C. Hect"(1)

Dogs. Nona LOVES dogs. She wants all the dogs she knows at her party. She also wants all the members of the gang there, with all their unfamiliar names. There's also a teacher she calls The Angel she'd like to invite.

The Blood of Eden members are where this list starts to get interesting. "Crown Him with Many Crowns"(2) is shot down by Cam in notes, and "the Captain"(3) is "Not possible". Cell/Wing Commander We Suffer and We Suffer(4) is another flat no from Cam.

And of course, Nona's three guardians.

This is followed by the Houses poem, once more, in full.(5) Then, a new poem. Without saying anything too specific, I'd just suggest coming back to this every once in a while in the book. Since hopefully you've already read the John prologue-introduction before reading my notes, you might have an idea of why this might continue to be important throughout. Still, in a surface-level interpretation, it's a poem from someone being asked to sleep a while and leave another person to their revenge quest. This may sound familiar. Alecto and John, of course.

You held aloft the sword. I still love y

Then, onward, into John 20:8(6) which I think it's fair to assume is John and... well, if the last line is right, Harrowhark.

In the dream, he told her the words about where he took his degrees, his postdoc, his research fellowship. They were his noise and not really for consumption. More like meditation; like even his mouth knew the pointlessness of it, and just wanted to recite. Dilworth. Otago. Auckland. Overseas to Corpus. (She likes the word corpus; it sounds nice and fat.) Then another year abroad, where he got the grant and met the men who would make things happen. Special pleading with the New Zealand government and Asia-Pacific Environmental, at his suggestion, then back to the facility outside Greytown. They mocked it up to look like a freezing works. We all thought that was funny, he said.

He said: We just wanted to save you. You were so sick.(7)

Early on, the team was just A- and M-.(8) M- as a medical professional, A- "because he was the glycerol-6 genius." He also handles the shareholders for John, who still hates meetings.

C-(9) was brought in by the executives of the funding, as oversight, but she was on their side within a year.

Until the last year, there was every sign that the funders would see the project through. John wanted to be sure no one of the eleven billion was left behind.(10) When the funders started constructing other ships, John was told it was nothing, just some exploratory stuff. He even loaned them G-(11) for his expertise. M- didn't like it, but John said she shouldn't get too paranoid. This is how everyone can get out, and the trillionaires will go where the real exit is.

When the funders call to say the project has been cancelled, M- reminds him of this statement.

The two are sitting on a beach, with a fire he made from driftwood. The ash still falls, and makes them sick for a little while.

Anything that hurt them only ever hurt them for a little while.

She's sitting next to a pile of meat, for when they get hungry, which always happens at the same time.(11)

John continues that the worst part is that M- and A- cried in each other's arms, they were so scared, and John couldn't do anything about it.

He and she sit in the quiet for a while.

She prompted: So what did you do? He said: A damned thing, didn’t I. She said: When is the part where you hurt me?(12) He said: Soon. It’s coming up. She said: I still love you. And in the dream he rubbed his temple with his thumb and said: “You always say that, Harrowhark.”(13)

=====

(1) Camilla, naturally. (2) A hymn from 1851. Expect a lot of this sort of name. (3) Funny that the Captain has no other given name, no song or poem fragment. Even We Suffer gets a partial name. Do we know a captain with no historical document linked name in the BOE? (Sort of… if you squint and think Judith might have gone over after we last saw her in HtN) This also might recontextualize Crown's name if you think about it. (4) "We Suffer and We Suffer", now that we have a little more of the name we first learned in As Yet Unsent to contextualize, is a quote from Agamemnon, a play by Aeschylus from about 458 BCE. In a slightly fuller context, it's a line about how it is impossible to know the future, we must suffer the present and learn what's to come when it's time for it to happen. How very fitting of such an enigmatic character so far. (5) I also feel it's worth noting, this time, how the Lyctors are split into a trinary. His Lyctors, his Saints, his Hands. We saw them use all three in HtN. (6) Positioning this as a Bible verse is pretty clever of Muir. Since she's shown a preference for the DRB translation, here's John 20:8 "Then that other disciple also went in, who came first to the sepulchre: and he saw, and believed." However, it's also important to note that the numbers on this chapter can correspond to letters: TH. I think the duality is important. If this is your first read, I do not recommend looking at the table of contents in the ebook until the end. I'll keep you up on what all these chapter numbers are indicating as we get to them, promise. (7) Save who? Harrowhark? He couldn't have known her back then. And why would a cryogenic facility save anyone? (8) Augustine and Mercymorn? They were the first two to serve, and Mercy does have medical aptitude as we know her later/in the present. Only, why would John be using initials for his friends? (9) From context, Cassiopeia, founder of the Sixth, would have had the book-smarts for this, and was the Fourth Saint which tracks with being brought in earlyish in whatever this project is, though none of this project tracks with what we were told of the origins of the Nine Houses. (10) G1deon? Likely, as again, Third Saint. (11) It's a dream, so you shouldn't need to get hungry, but dream logic can also depend on what you expect to happen. Simultaneous hunger suggests a deeper link between these two people though. (12) How did John hurt whoever he was trying to save? (13) And here, now, why would Harrow be in a dream with John, how could she have been the one he saved? Or is something odd about this dream, too...

[detectiveichijouji]

Case 5 - The stolen armor

[AO3 version]

After receiving the mysterious calling cards before each heist, Ken and the 02 Team wondered why those gems were targeted. Arsenemon could pick anything else, but he managed to only focus on those mysterious Digital World’s rocks. Most of them were stored in facilities for study, under the names of some researchers and scientists -- Yamaki, Shibayama, Daimon, Noguchi, Norstein, Amano, Mogami, Mochizuki, Wato, Higashimitarai, Amanokawa, Suedou, and so on.

Such gems were pieces. But they didn’t know that… yet!! There were also claims that those ‘treasures’ were stolen from the Digital World by those humans first. Those claims sounded odd though…

“WAIT THERE, ARSENEMON!” Daisuke screamed, running after the elusive and glamorous phantom thief.

… But the most frustrating part was that even with the Chosen Children’s help, they couldn’t catch Arsenemon.

“Au revoir~ Merci~���

And they still didn’t know how that digimon looked at all! It frustrated Daisuke so badly that the group was starting to think the idea of them helping the police to prevent the heists was a bad decision.

“Goddamnit!!” Daisuke growled, and sat on the seat from the karaoke booth. Everyone was whispering so he couldn’t hear them.

“We should do something,” Miyako said, “A grumpy Daisuke does not sound good.”

“What can we do, dagya?” Armadimon asked the others.

“What if Hikari-chan asked him for a date?” V-mon suggested.

“Do you think it would work?” Hikari looked at Daisuke picking a song to play as background music.

“That’s not a good idea” Miyako rejected it, “Because we know him very well, if Hikari-chan asks him out he might pass out or act awkwardly. It will be the worst first date for both of them!”

It’s not like Hikari would do that out of pity though…

“He likes ramen, so we could go out and eat ramen,” Patamon suggested instead.

“But can it work?” Takeru frowned.

“.............................. ARGH, ENOUGH!” they heard Daisuke screaming on the microphone.

“??????????!”

“I know I know, I’m not athletic enough! I can’t run at the speed of light, I can’t even beat Ken at a soccer match! I need to get in shape! So I will go and train and train until I become faster, stronger and--”

Ken took the mic from his hands, “You don’t need to overdo it. We’re a team, and each of us has a special ability. So, don’t be so harsh with yourself.”

“... You’re right! I’m too obsessed with that sneaky thief! I’m forgetting my own dream, that is to open my own ramen shop!”

“I guess Ken-kun knows how to make him feel better,” Miyako smiled, staring at Ken.

“Everyone… The website got a request” Iori, who was mostly checking their inbox and reading the news, called them out from the corner of the table.

“A request!!” Daisuke gasped, “What is it, what is it!?”

“I think he forgot about the ramen part all again,” Wormmon shrugged, and the others just sighed together.

Daisuke then read the message on Iori’s laptop: “ ‘Someone stole my armor, I can’t go out without it. Please, help me Chosen Children -- Ludomon’ ?”

“A digimon request…” V-mon commented.

“Well, the website is for both humans and digimons” Hawkmon clarified, “I thought that was a little… obvious.”

“Ludomon huh…” Takeru mused, “Shall we go see them?”

  “Gah! Someone stole a friend’s gear!” Espimon cried, waving her arms, “They said the equipment was taken away from a Gazimon partnered to a human child!”

“...” Arsenemon glanced at him, with a pout.

“Boss?”

“Where should we go?” and asked seriously.

“Uh umm… Just searching, might be here in one instant…!!”

“... I thought the Chosen Children were nice human beings, was I wrong?” and the phantom thief mused, “Could this mean… There’s bad apples in the orchard?”

“Ah-- I got them!”

“Good, let’s visit them once the night arrives. Ah, first I need to send a little mail for those human kids.”

The group met Ludomon, who explained everything, but the digimon was just embarrassed as a Gabumon who lost their pelt. Their contact was from the window of the little house, with the curtains closed and Ludomon’s head peeking through them.

“A Chosen Child’s digimon did this to me” Ludomon reported, sobbing, “it was a Gazimon.”

“I think there’s a good chunk of Gazimons partnered with humans lately” Miyako frowned, then looked at the group, “How can we discover which one of them is the bully?”

“Hmm…” Daisuke tried to think of a solution, and harder.

“Let’s go back, and check out for details” Ken suggested, “Maybe we can find a way to contact that Gazimon and their human partner if we look for more clues.”

Once they returned, Iori (who had stayed in the human world) called them through the phone -- Another request about a stolen item -- this time a blade from Spadamon. And then another from a Pidmon who had his staff stolen. And another one from a PawnChessmon (Black) who had their weapons stolen as well. All of those mentioned a partnered Gazimon being the perpetrator of those cases.

“Is this a chain of thefts now?” Daisuke pouted, “We still didn’t solve the current case!”

“Hold on, I think we can catch the thief if we lure them into a trap” Takeru gave them all a serious gaze, “We just need a volunteer.”

“Oh choose me, choose me!” V-mon raised his arm.

“What do you plan to do, Takeru-kun?” Miyako and Ken asked him.

“You will see,” he winked, and dragged Daisuke down the street.

“Wait, what!!? W-where are we goin’?? T-Takeru!!”

Ken, Wormmon, Miyako and Hawkmon looked at them leaving. Then they looked at each other. V-mon followed them once he realized he was left behind. 

Hikari and Tailmon weren’t with them at the moment, but Takeru immediately contacted them for a little task. Daisuke was starting to fear whatever was Takeru’s plan.

 

“Takeru… What the heck is this plan!? Why am I the bait!?”

The group gathered again, and now they were just… Looking at what looked to be a Lighdramon-like armor with cold colors and a spear that also had Lighdramon’s motif.

“Pretty cool huh?” Takeru grinned like an idiot. He did it purposely, right!? “Here’s the plan: Daisuke-kun will pretend to be a digimon and be our bait. When that partnered Gazimon appears, we will catch them and ask why they are stealing stuff.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea” Miyako, Hawkmon and Armadimon said together.

“... Where did you get that equipment…?” Iori, on the other hand, was curious about how Hikari and Takeru got something like that in so little time.

“There’s things that are better to not know,” Hikari replied, in a very cryptic way.

“I don’t think it will work…” Ken whispered to himself…

“Now, let’s wait for the thief to take the bait!” Takeru and Hikari pushed the others to a hidden spot.

“W-wait… Am I going to have to stay here… ALL ALONE!?” Daisuke babbled.

“You two are doing it purposely…” Iori sighed. But then, they noticed a certain card flying from a lone balloon and popping in front of Ken, with the paper gently falling in Ken’s hands.

“Oho, we attracted one, dagya!”

“Wait, what…” V-mon looked at Ken, “What does it say?”

“... Arsenemon is going to steal a suit of armor from a Chosen Child’s residence.”

“Gah, now there’s two thieves in the wild!?” Patamon gasped.

“Hmm… Something is off here…” Hawkmon mused “Couldn’t it be the same Chosen Child partnered with a Gazimon, could it be?”

“Who’s the target?” Takeru asked. At the moment everyone was too interested in the calling card to witness a Gazimon popping in and starting a fist fight with Daisuke (luckily that armor will protect him, right!?)

“V-mon, Everyon-- Ouch ouch! No you can’t steal this spear-thing! Hey!”

“Kitagawa Kentarou” Ken replied to the question, “If Kitagawa has a Gazimon as partner, this means--”

At this exact moment, Gazimon threw dirt on Daisuke’s face (luckily he was wearing a helmet!) and yanked the spear from his hand, kicked him right in the stomach and left.

“HEY! COME BACK HERE!!”

“-- he could be our perpetrator,” Iori completed Ken's phrase.

“Alright…!” Suddenly, Takeru’s phone rang -- “Ah, just a second everyone,” He took it from his pocket and answered the call, “Hello?”

“WHAT WERE Y’ALL DOIN’ -- THE THIEF-GAZIMON KICKED ME IN THE TUMMY AND STOLE THE FRIGGIN’ SPEAR!!”

Daisuke’s scream was heard by everyone around Takeru. Oh of course, they… They forgot to keep an eye on Daisuke.

“Ah, don’t worry… I put a tracker on the spear just in case this happened,” He was smiling.

“Takeru… You idiot.”

“ • • • 💧” Everyone was… well… speechless.

“Where did you get that tracker…?” Iori asked, politely.

“There’s things you shouldn’t know” the cryptic Hikari voice came back.

“Scary…” Armadimon whispered.

The use of the tracker meant that the 02 Team would find out if Arsenemon’s target was the same person whose partner was stealing stuff from the other digimon. And their answer was…

“The tracker says it’s here!” Miyako reported, “In that building.”

Once they reached the tracker’s area, which ended in front of the door for the apt 407…

“... Kitagawa’s residence” V-mon read the name on the door, “So it’s really the same person?”

“We have yet to check if this is the right Kitagawa person’s home,” Hawkmon replied. Ken rang the doorbell. But then, Tailmon noticed the door was open already.

Oh no…!!

“Well,” Daisuke said, looking around and making sure no one would witness them breaking in, “Ok, everything’s clear,” Then he turned to Ken: “You go, and I stay here.”

“Right, Iori-kun and Hikari-san come with me. Takeru-kun, you stay with Daisuke to give him support. Miyako-san, keep watching the tracker’s signal in case something changes.”

“Right!” Miyako nodded.

Ken’s group entered the apartment, ready to examine the crime scene. The clashes of a battle became imminent, and they found out Gazimon and Kentarou being haunted by the stolen objects -- A haunted Ludomon armor was waltzing through the room, Kentarou trying to hide himself under the dinner’s table while Gazimon was running away from that creature. And the other stolen weapons and equipment dancing in the light of the starry sky coming from the window.

“What’s going on here!?” Armadimon gasped.

“H-him!” Kentarou screamed, “S-stop him!!”

“Hikari, look!” Tailmon pointed at the spear in the middle of countless digimon’s equipment stolen by Gazimon, “They’re our culprit!”

“Promise that you won’t steal anything else from innocent digimon and I will stop.”

A familiar voice was heard, and Ken noticed that the ‘haunted Ludomon’ armor was actually… Arsenemon’s magic trick in action.

“Why should I stop him?” Ken said, showing his poker face.

“W-WON’T YOU HELP US?!” Gazimon cried “BUT AIN’T WE ON THE SAME BOAT AS CHOSEN CHILDREN!?”

“The Chosen Children don’t steal from the others!” Wormmon stared at Gazimon.

“Our role is to protect the digimon, not to cause them harm!” Hikari snapped, “Promise to Arsenemon that you won’t steal anything else anymore! And give those back to their respective owners!”

“H-Hikari’s quite scary today, dagya…” Armadimon blinked.

“WE PROMISE! WE PROMISE!” the kid and Gazimon screamed.

Then the armors and weapons fell on the floor, lifeless. Arsenemon popped on the apartment’s balcony. He was… holding another specific gear with him, from another digimon not related to Ludomon at least.

“Well then,” Arsenemon smiled, looked at the detective trio and their mons and snapped his fingers, disappearing in the moonlight, “merci et à bientôt, Chosen Children~”

Kentarou and Gazimon were still petrified by the sudden attack of the weapons and armors they stole. The 02 group then made them return everything stolen and to promise to each victim and to the six that they wouldn’t do that anymore.

Daisuke’s bad mood had returned though… Because not only Gazimon had managed to hurt him, he was also upset by what Takeru and Hikari had done to him. And Those two were now asking him to forgive them. Ken, Miyako and Iori, also the six digimon partners, were watching those three from a reasonable distance, in silence.

“Daisuke, please forgive them” Miyako finally broke the ice between the two groups, “They meant no harm.”

“... Ok, ok” Daisuke sighed and pouted, “But I don’t want to be part of your plans without you asking me first, ok??”

“Ok… Sorry,” Takeru frowned, “I actually thought you were physically strong enough to deal with a Gazimon…”

“It’s also our fault that we didn’t notice you were in trouble…” Hikari added.

“... Ah, I’m hungry…” Armadimon interrupted them, “Iori, let’s go eat Yamatoya’s ramen…”

“Oh! I want ramen too!” Daisuke grinned, “Takeru will pay for us this time.”

“H-huh??”

“Think about it being your way to compensate him, Takeru-kun,” Ken smirked. Of course Ken was right about that plan not working~ That smirk meant as if he was saying ‘I told you, see?’

Takeru paid that day’s ramen round. And Daisuke forgave him and Hikari. Not because of the ramen, but more that he couldn’t be upset with them any longer.

[margapenelopebasa]

In a blink of an eye...

...media has really grown since then, hasn't it?

To think people once started with carving rocks to simply pressing a button on a screen for them to interact with each other is, without a doubt, nothing short of astonishing. Sometimes, we start to forget how much of a long way we came from---especially in regards to how easy it is to exchange with other people. If we pretend like nothing of the sort happened, for all you know, we'd still be painting caves and chanting rituals for us to understand each other. I mean, I'm pretty sure none of our first ancestors would have imagined being able to post their MIL Values Integration activity on Tumblr using a phone before.

Now, with all this evolution and progression, we've come to create numerous types of media that can be so similar yet different at the same time. They all, in a way, share the same purpose, yet have varying mediums they are expressed on. Again, we've come SUCH a long way since then that we now have different categories to classify these examples of media! How cool is that?

According to the Media and Information Literacy subject, there are 4 types of media; Print, Broadcast, Digital, and Converged Media. To put is simply:

PRINT - is when the media is physically written or printed on paper, BROADCAST - is when the media is transmitted through local stations, national networks, and public networks, DIGITAL - is when the media is organized and distributed through digital platforms, and CONVERGED - when the media is a combination of all aforementioned three simultaneously.

So how did the evolution of the different types of media shape the values and norms of people and society? With how I see it, the way we lived our daily lives significantly changed depending on what type of media was available or most in favor at the time. For example, it must've been normal for our early ancestors to communicate through painting and carving. Instead of a singular reliable verbal language, they communicated through drawing and depicting pictures. At the time, pictographs and the like were the norm, and so the people of this period leaned on this type of medium---which can be heavily classified as print media.

This later evolved into sending letters and other written forms of media. Text messaging was not a thing back then, and it usually took ages for people of this period to receive said letters from their loved ones or friends. And as you know it, the cycle goes, and what people perceive to be normal and on trend greatly corresponds to what media was in use at the time.

Now that you've gotten this far...

As a student uploading on Tumblr, it just goes to show that we now live in our current age, where digital facilities and the internet are prevalent. Following this, I would also like to note how these same different types of media help us right now and how they affect our quality of life in general---namely in three given aspects: Education, Business, and Healthcare.

EDUCATION. I don't think you'd be able to learn or educate in the first place without using media. In any type, be it print, broadcast, digital, or converged media, schools use these to produce materials so that their students are able to learn the necessary lessons they are expected to master. Textbooks, educative podcasts, learning resources online, or scholarly websites on the internet all showcase different types of media.

BUSINESS. Workplaces produce paperwork on a daily basis---and they make a LOT of it. Aside from physical paperwork, it is also common to see these workplaces hosting seminars, specially for their own workers. They also use digital platforms, and often use social media and the internet as platforms to promote their business.

HEALTHCARE. Have you ever noticed when you attend a check-up with your doctor, they give you different papers for all the processes you go through in a hospital? Papers are necessary for documentation, though they also back up these files digitally. There are also free courses online that when attended to, can expand your knowledge on the in-and-outs of medicine. Additionally, doctors, in order to garner an audience and attract patients, tend to use the internet to promote their services.

So, when you really think about it, media surrounds all of us. And not only does it do that, but it also widely used in everything around us. We, as humankind heavily rely on each other to get by. Without media, there really wouldn't be any communication, organization, and togetherness within a community; and are we even classified as a society if there wasn't any interaction?

#AMILeAhead

[canis-rex-lupus]

GUYS I HAVE TO TELL YOU ABOUT MY. MY OLD PSYCHONAUTS OC. RIGHT NOW

his name is

philbert funk.

this is him right here in fact. it's very old art but i still like it. there will be even more art of him later in the post...

click the read more to learn his JUICY backstory ok?

ahhhh good to see u. so glad ur interested in my philbert let me tell u about him.

PHILBERT!!! FUNK!!!! was an employee at psychonauts hq, and a hell of a good one at that. he was an inventor slash researcher, like otto mentalis, who he even got to work with on occasion. he'd invent psychic gadgets to enhance existing powers - things like telekinesis extender headbands that let you pick up more objects at once or telepathy mufflers shaped like earmuffs to get some peace and quiet without having to stick around in an isolation chamber (you can guess who that one was for). he was a quick learner and a hard worker who refused to let ANY job of his turn out less than perfect. real high standards - maybe worryingly so. he skipped a LOT of sleep to keep up his momentum. he was ambitious, VERY ambitious, and liked to test the limits of both his inventions and himself.

problem is, when you make overperforming your baseline, people expect a hell of a lot more out of you than they should - and most certainly more than he could deliver. the popularity his work earned him turned out to be more of a curse than a blessing as he worked himself to the bone trying to invent more and more impressive things to win approval again and again. what started out as a simple curiosity and love for science turned into the desperate need to keep things up lest he disappoint everyone.

philbert funk flew too close to the sun.

one of his greatest fascinations was animal telepathy - he had none. he'd always been, admittedly, BURNINGLY jealous of those who could speak with animals, as zoology was a special interest of his for...well, forever. so the idea occurred: what if there was a way to fabricate the power by making your dna more compatible with the animal you want to communicate with? if your brain chemistry is altered to be more similar, maybe it would be easier to make the connection for those who don't do so naturally, like himself. he creates a big elaborate machine meant to intertwine your dna with an animal by having it read the animal's pattern and then manipulating your dna to its shape. around summer 1981 he test runs it in front of everyone in a fancy tech demo using a goat, his favorite animal!

IT DOES NOT .... go well.

he comes out with a goat face, the goat comes out with a HUMAN FACE, both are in critical condition cause hello it's a machine that TWISTS YOUR DNA, everyone freaks. phil is immediately written off as a danger to himself and others and fired as soon as he's stable enough to leave the infirmary. blacklisted too. he's made to leave and no one sees him again....

.....UNTIL!!!!!!!

couple years later, now 1983 (just a few months after raz gets into the biz officially), otto sends raz on a little fetch quest to an old building on the edge of the woods - it used to be a facility for testing gadgets or scientific studies or whatever but it went out of commission due to budget cuts shortly after phil was fired and hasn't been touched since. it's a cut and dry mission. go find the place, get the tools otto wanted, come back. right?

ummm. wrong. cause tools aren't the only thing in there.

that's right babey. the funkatron has been hiding out in there for YEARS! two of them. to be precise. living off scraps and whatever he can find in the woods, all to stay and try to fix his machine so he can turn himself and poor greff normal again, hoping it would be enough for the psychonauts to forgive him and maybe, just maybe, take him back. and GOD does he look ROUGH!!!!

like the pic implies he doesn't actually feel all that messed up about what he did to himself (though he does feel bad for greff -- he gave that thing a human consciousness and now it has to be self aware forever) cause like. hey! it didn't go exactly as planned but it was one hell of a scientific feat. he just wishes he hadn't been so stupid and reckless; he lost the respect of his compatriots and idols AND lost his dream job, and rightfully so.

despite not outwardly showing a lot of guilt (still being able to be lighthearted about it and all), raz sees for himself that poor phil's mind is a MESS. it's a courtroom and the same hearing happens over and over and over. prosecution shows off the memories of the day of the machine demo as evidence, no one's there to defend him, he admits guilt, repeat cycle. the judge always gives him a chance to say something else but he ALWAYS pleads guilty. he is, but hanging onto the guilt forever isn't gonna help anyone so raz has to jump in and be his defense lawyer and do a sick phoenix wright like maneuver to finally convince him to break the cycle, pointing out that while he IS at fault he's not helping anything by dwelling on it and he needs to move on. raz finally gets philbert out of his............... funk B) IM the funniest guy on earth it's me.

raz does a lot of convincing and phil pulls off his best puppy eyes and it ALMOST doesn't work but greff steps in to vouch for him (he DID dedicate the past two years of his life just to try and help it) and hq agrees to take him back and get him on a rehab and therapy program since...he. hasn't talked to any human beings in 2 years he needs a little re-acclimating. while he's getting used to normal life again he gains some new interests like gardening! and crochet! since they don't really want him engineering again quiiiiite yet... but i think he's welcomed back after an initial period of wariness and he works hard to earn back people's trust and finally keeps a healthy work life balance 😋 and from then on he joins the ranks of the psychonauts' cool old guy club

THAT is my philbert story... thank you oh so much for listening. i just remembered about him today and i got so excited. psychonauts ocs are oh so much fun

[layear2]

Some Top Down Shooter Animations

Gun Idle Animation:

Gun Walk Animation:

Gun Shoot Animation:

Zombie/Enemy idle Animation:

These are assets for a Top Down Shooter game. The project idea is the classic stranded in a facility where there has been a containment breach of some sort of infestation where people who touch the fungus turn into zombies. The animations with the gun, is the player. The drained idle animation is the infected people in other words the enemies. The reason why I chose this project instead of the other 2 games is because I believe that this game requires more animations. As an animator I obviously chose to follow this path as I do not develop proper games and make assets for people's games.

To make these animations smooth I have used Handle type - Automatic, Interpolation - Bezier. To add a delay on the arms and make it look like it has weight :

The two top highlighted keyframes are the arms, the bottom one is the torso. As you can see there, the arms are delayed to the next keyframe compared to the torso ones. This gives it a nice effect as shown in the animation of the idle. This applies to the enemy one too.

The walk animation is looped using Make Cyclic (F-Modifier). To apply this to an animation you need to select the parts on the left side on the screen shot above (all of the body parts) and press shift + E and click on Make Cyclic (F-Modifier). Without this mode the model would stop moving on the end of the animation and repeat the animation, making it lose the momentum of the walk. This process was also used for the Idles.

The shooting animation uses rapid and close keyframes with the handle type automatic. I used the handle type in a special way. Automatic (handle type) works like a trampoline essentially. When someone jumps on the trampoline it goes down and then swings up with the person to send them high. But as it returns back to its normal state it goes lower than normal, and only then returns back. The ending process of the trampoline is how the handle type works. It goes over the keyframe set to slow down the momentum.

Here is a visual example.

The start of the clip is simply a quick movement at the start into a random position as the ending with the default handle type. Once I change the handle type, you can see the analogy of the trampoline that I mentioned. Depending on the speed of the first action, will change the exaggeration of gap of no keyframes.

[laraphleb]

Master the Art of Phlebotomy: A Comprehensive Guide to Allied Health Careers

**Title: Master the Art of Phlebotomy: A Comprehensive ⁢Guide‌ to Allied Health ⁣Careers**

**Introduction:** Phlebotomy is‍ a crucial skill in the field of ⁤healthcare that⁤ involves drawing blood from patients for various medical tests, transfusions, or ⁢donations. Phlebotomists play a vital role in ⁤the healthcare ‌system, and mastering ⁢the⁢ art of‌ phlebotomy⁤ can open up ⁤a ​world of opportunities in allied⁤ health careers. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore everything you need to know about pursuing a⁣ career in phlebotomy, from training and certification to job prospects ‍and advancement opportunities.

**Benefits of Pursuing a⁣ Career in Phlebotomy:** 1. ‍**Job Stability:** The demand for phlebotomists is expected ‍to grow by 17% ​from 2019 to 2029, ‍much faster than the average for⁢ all occupations. 2.​ **Flexible Work Environment:** Phlebotomists⁣ can work⁤ in hospitals, clinics, laboratories, ⁢blood banks, and ⁤other healthcare settings. 3. ⁣**Competitive Salary:** Phlebotomists earn a​ median annual wage of $36,480,‌ with the potential ⁤for ‍higher ⁤earnings with experience and ⁣specialized training.

**Getting ⁣Started in Phlebotomy:** To become a phlebotomist, you will ⁤typically ‍need to complete a ⁣phlebotomy training program, which can⁢ range from a few ⁢weeks to several⁢ months. ⁣These ⁣programs will teach you the necessary skills and knowledge to ‌safely and effectively‍ draw ‌blood from patients. ⁤Once you complete your training, you may need to pass a certification exam to become a certified phlebotomist.

**Job Duties ⁢of a Phlebotomist:** 1. **Preparing Patients:** Phlebotomists explain ⁤the procedure to patients​ and ensure they are comfortable before drawing blood. 2. **Drawing Blood:** Using sterile techniques, phlebotomists collect blood‍ samples from patients⁢ and ⁣label them correctly ​for testing. 3. **Processing Samples:** Phlebotomists may be responsible for processing ⁣blood samples ‌and sending them ⁤to the laboratory for ​analysis.

**Advancement Opportunities in Phlebotomy:** Phlebotomists can advance their careers by obtaining additional ‌certifications, such as a Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) or a Phlebotomy⁤ Technician (PBT) certification. With further training and experience, phlebotomists can also pursue roles in management or teaching.

**Case Study:** Sarah started her career as a phlebotomist after completing‌ a training program at her local community college. She quickly gained experience working in a​ hospital setting ‍and decided to​ pursue additional certifications to advance ​her career. Today, Sarah is a lead phlebotomist overseeing a team of ⁤phlebotomists‌ in a ​large healthcare facility.

**First-Hand Experience:** “I chose to become a phlebotomist because I⁢ wanted a career where I could ‌make a difference in people’s ⁣lives every day. Drawing blood may ⁣seem intimidating⁢ at first, but with the right training and practice, it⁣ becomes ‍second​ nature. I love⁣ the variety of settings ‌I⁤ can work in as a phlebotomist and the opportunities⁤ for growth in ​my career.” – Emily, Certified Phlebotomist

**Conclusion:** Mastering the⁢ art of phlebotomy can lead to a rewarding career ⁢in allied health with excellent job ⁢prospects and opportunities for advancement. If you are passionate about helping others⁣ and have‌ a steady hand, ⁤pursuing a career‌ in phlebotomy may‍ be the perfect fit for you.​ Start your ⁢journey⁣ today by exploring phlebotomy training programs ​and taking the first step towards ‍becoming a certified phlebotomist.

https://phlebotomycareertraining.net/master-the-art-of-phlebotomy-a-comprehensive-guide-to-allied-health-careers/

[ecosmining]

New to Bitcoin? Here is everything you need to know

What is Bitcoin (BTC)?

Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency – a decentralized digital currency based on blockchain technology. Unlike physical currency, a central bank or government does not control it. Transactions are mostly anonymous and made without any intermediaries.

Who created BTC?

An unknown person or group under the alias Satoshi Nakamoto created Bitcoin in 2009. The goal was to create «a new electronic cash system» that was «completely decentralized with no server or central authority.»

How do I get BTC?

You can get BTC either by mining it (see ECOS mining) or simply purchasing it at Marketplaces called “crypto exchanges” with Fiat Money or other cryptocurrencies. You can also get Bitcoin from other people as a form of payment.

What is Bitcoin Mining?

In simple terms, mining is the process of verifying BTC transactions and recording them in the public blockchain ledger. Everytime someone sends a BTC to someone else, the network records the transaction as well as other transactions over a period of time in a «block.» Powerful Computers with special software called «miners» write these transactions in a massive digital ledger. Once a block is verified, the miner becomes eligible to be rewarded a certain amount of BTC.

Where do I save BTC?

You can save your BTC in digital wallets either on the cloud or on physical computers. The wallet is somehow similar to what a bank account is for Fiat money.

How many BTC are there?

There is a maximum fixed supply of 21,000,000 BTC. Currently about 18,650,000 BTC are in circulation. Maximum supply is fixed to protect against inflation and insure the cryptocurrency will increase in value. This supply will never change and is hard-coded in the BTC protocol.

What can I do with Bitcoin?

There are 100,000s of merchants around the world that accept BTC as a form of payment and the list is growing by the day. You can spend BTC on products from commercial goods to ordering games and movies to even buying cars and real estate. Paypal recently started accepting BTC as a funding source. So technically, you can pay with Bitcoin anywhere Paypal is accepted.

Why does BTC have value?

Bitcoin has value because people decided to use it as a medium of exchange. Recently, institutional investors and big companies started investing in BTC, driving its price up. As adoption increases, and given BTC limited supply, Bitcoin price is expected to continue growing.

How do I get started?

The first step is to create an account on the ECOS platform. You will need to provide some personal information and complete the verification process to start investing.

ECOS provides easy access to the best-in-class digital assets to a wide audience.

It offers a diversified line of products for different investment strategies, including Bitcoin Mining, BTC Cloud Mining, High-Risk trading strategies, and B2B services. ECOS has a convenient mobile app available at the App Store, Google Play, and Mi App Malls. This app allows clients to monitor their mining operations in real-time, providing insights and updates on performance and profitability on the go.

At ECOS, you can mine Bitcoin in 3 ways: by cloud mining, ASIC rental or by buying an ASIC.

To start using Cloud mining, you need to select a contract on the website. You can pay for the contract with a bank card or by cryptos: BTC, ETH, USDC, USDT, BNB, XRP, Doge, ADA.

Another way to mine BTC is to rent or buy a Bitmain Antminer, which will be hosted at the ECOS mining facility in the Free Economic Zone in Armenia.

ECOS does everything for you: manages logistics, customs clearance, installation, setup, and daily maintenance. You can just enjoy a hassle-free mining through your personal account.

With 0% taxes on export/import and income, Armenia’s Free Economic Zone offers an ideal environment for mining hosting services. Additionally, stringent security measures, including military guards, fortify operational efficiency and safeguard assets within ECOS’ domain.

ECOS provides plenty of special offers, including trial mining, for its registered users.

Currently ECOS provides a unique opportunity to test mining before purchasing. After registration, activate demo mining in your account settings: use promo code “TryBeforeBuy” to try cloud mining and use promo code “TryASIC” to try ASIC mining.

[kiarazuri]

Chapter 12: Lottie

After a restless night holding his husband’s exhausted body, Eya—with surprising agreement from AJ—commands JJ go straight to the Cakerie to see how much information he can get from Lottie. Anxious bile pools in JJ’s mouth as he heads over, nervous guilt burning in his belly.      He really doesn’t want to spy on Lottie.      To be honest, he just wants to kiss him and introduce him to Eya so they can kiss too.      The thought helps wash away the bile a bit, but it can only do so much.      When he arrives at Délicieux Carré he finds the yellow-brick road surprisingly bustling (a departure from how it was the days after every other body was found), the shop doors open, and each window displaying the same announcement:

LUCKY FIVE TO WIN FACTORIE TOUR OCTOBER 1ST! JUST FIND THE GOLDEN TICKETS! We, the geniuses at DuCiel Confectionarie, have decided to open the factory to the public for the first time this century by allowing five lucky customers a chance to be shown around personally by our esteemed heirs. These five will get to see all the magical, wondrous secrets the DuCiel facilities have to offer, &, at the end of their tour, receive a special treat. All you reading this no doubt know how Golden Tickets work, but we’ll explain all the same: five winners tickets have been printed on golden paper, and these five tickets have been hidden beneath the ordinary wrappings of five DuCiel Chocolate Bars in any, all, and every one of their glorious flavors. These five chocolate bars with their hidden treasures may be found in any store within Délicieux Carré as well as upon any Crescent City counter where DuCiel Sweets are sold. All tickets shall be found by September 31st of this year, so search quickly for your own, once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the factory in all its glory! Good luck from your future guide! Lottie DuCiel

JJ reads the announcement three times before the truth of the matter finally sinks in. Golden tickets? Factory Tour?? October 1st??? THAT’S NEXT MONTH! Mind racing, JJ snaps a picture of the poster and sends it straight to Eya and AJ via their personal Chaos App group chat.

WerewolfNamedMoonMoon sent a picture


WerewolfNamedMoonMoon: Looks like the DuCiels’re holding a contest


AJames1995: Looks like the DuCiels’re setting a trap


WitchKing_of_Araña replied with a picture of the Bayou: Trap or not, it may be the perfect opportunity to get INSIDE without raising suspicion.


WerewolfNamedMoonMoon sent a picture of the Cakerie storefront: Can you use a spell to ensure we win?


WitchKing_of_Araña: I’ll see what I can do


WitchKing_of_Araña: The hunters are here, gotta go. Love you. Go get him!


WerewolfNamedMoonMoon: Love you too, be safe


AJames1995: 👍🏾


WitchKing_of_Araña: Will do

JJ takes a deep, calming breath to brace himself.      The chiming bell above the Cakerie door is a happy background sound to the nice, picturesque scene inside. It’s exactly as it was the day before and the day before that except it’s… overflowing with people. Humans and supes of all kinds, seniors and adults and children, immortals and mortals alike; all of them smiling and laughing and opening chocolate bars left and right.      Are there even any left? JJ wonders, making his way to the back of the line—where there’s at least 30 people in front of him. He’s pretty sure if this were a mundane shop the line would already be out the door. This isn’t even the Chocolaterie or Confiserie, JJ notes. The other shops must be full to bursting.      JJ’s 27th in line when someone grips him by the wrist and pulls him away.      “Whatcha doing, Cher?” Lottie asks as he pulls him to the counter.      “Was grabbing some chocolates before they ran out,” JJ replies dazedly as he’s plopped into the same seat as last time.      Lottie swings over the counter effortlessly so they’re face to face across the tiled surface. The caker grins at JJ with just enough fang for the man’s pulse to start racing. It doesn’t help his heart that the man is just as gorgeous as ever. Today his dreads are half-up—braided with thin gold thread and tiny blush-pink blossoms into a couronne over his head—and half down. He’s not wearing a full suit today but instead a black button up with a powder pink vest with gold filigree on the back, sides, and buttons and matching slacks.      Maybe I should be dressing better, JJ mulls, resisting the urge to look down at his own lackluster outfit: a simple black long-sleeve shirt, a pair of black jeans, and black boots. Eya had said he looked hot (probably ’cause the shirt’s definitely a size too small) but now he’s not so sure.      Lottie certainly didn’t mind what you were wearing yesterday.      Oh. Oh, yeah, JJ holds back his smile at the reminder. Memories of yesterday morning coming to the forefront. He coughs, and refocuses on the DuCiel before he can get lost in the memories.      “Just tell me what you want and I’ll bring it here,” Lottie replies, and JJ struggles to remember what they were talking about. “Any flavor in particular?”      JJ’s mouth twitch’s up in a smile. “You’ve chosen well for me the last few days,” he states, leaning closer over the counter. “Why don’t you surprise me again?”      Lottie smiles and immediately pulls a few bars from beneath the counter between them. There’s five in total and they’re covered in brown paper like presents wrapped just for him. JJ only knows they’re chocolates from the size, shape, and weight of them.      “Choose 2. One for you. One for your brother.” Lottie commands. “And you’re not allowed to open them until you’re with your brother, pigé? The flavors need to be a surprise for both of you.”      JJ’s eyes widen owlishly as he stares at the identically wrapped gifts in front of him.      “Uhhhh.”      Lottie laughs. “You don’t have to decide now.”      JJ sighs in relief. “No?”      “‘Course not. Just swipe 2 before you leave.” He confirms with a smile.      “Thanks,” JJ hesitates, the silence almost drowning before he works up the nerve to ask his next question. “I came back ’cause I wanted to talk about yesterday, but then I read about the contest, so y’mind me asking about that before we continue where we left off?”      Lottie’s eyes sparkle with mirth. “‘Course, sugar.”      “Why’re you doing the contest now? Yesterday… I mean, after I left I saw there’d been another victim.” JJ asks, his voice lowering slightly with every word. He looks around as if searching for eavesdroppers, but encounters the same magical barrier cutting them off from the rest of the shop as last time. Interesting.   ��  The DuCiel mulls over his question seriously. “I’ve been planning the contest for a few weeks. Wonda’s like a god to us so when we were brainstorming ways to fix our image we decided on a factory tour. We were originally gonna wait till December but…” he trails off meaningfully.      “What exactly is on the tour, may I ask?” JJ doesn’t expect Lottie to answer, so he’s not surprised when the mischievous DuCiel gives him a crooked smile.      “Now now, if you want to know that, you’ll have to win a spot yourself,” he teases, brandishing one of the still wrapped bars in front of JJ’s face. “It’s a good thing you’ll have plenty of time to try. We do have half a week left in our arrangement, after all.”      Half a week.      JJ’s brain sort of short circuits at the reminder.      “Any chance there’s another morning rendezvous on the agenda?” His mouth asks before his brain can come back on line.      Lottie looks him up and down with a look of pure hunger.      “Play your cards right, cher, and we can rendezvous morning, noon, and night.”      It appears JJ’s brain is going to stay firmly in his pants for the foreseeable future.

To Be Continued in Chapter 13 💗

[the-firebird69]

There are a couple more things happening here in Port Charlotte and punta Gorda they're putting up roadblocks and fences and the patrol it just like in Mexico. And they're trying to blame my son it's like Dino was down there screwing every all sorts of s*** up and had her son go down there over and over cuz he went to take another crack at him so he's a fool and everybody knows it and it going after him to shut him down. They have a lot of fence up already as well 300 M on the south to either side of the road and that's not really a huge amount but there's like 10 miles of it around punta Gorda and 20 around Port Charlotte and really there's not that many miles if anything is 30 miles around Port Charlotte and 20 miles around punta Gorda if that they haven't finished today let's just chain link and they've been taking it from everywhere and that's where I went on that job site cuz that's a John Reed Mallard job site and they're using it on the fence and they put detection on it so if you cut it they know about it and you have to kind of cut it to get stuff through and they can tell if you're trying to run it on a wire on the bottom. It's only been up a few days and they welded it and painted it over some sections are painted green the light on non-reflective dull green. Huge lengths of it now are going in now the whole place fenced off. It's only a 4 ft fence but it works and they use it for detection too they set up stations and some of them are good sized about eight people can fit in there and this house is along too they're using and they don't want any s*** from anybody that's what they're saying and they're tired of this useless assholes young at them messing with vehicles all sorts of stuff now they're going to push them out and they did note the technique that Trump was using on them and they're using on Trump and that's defense. Another pushing these people out but not allowing them in. Once I come in here they're stuck they have a hard time getting medicine and fuel and nobody wants them here it's been going on all day long and they're taking hits good sized hits okay and it's going to continue today until it's all over we don't have anything else to say except you people suck so bad we can't stand you you're going to be responsible for whatever happens here we're talking about the morlock you crap your mean people you're being cordoned off. They're sending your pink slip today. To your house when you're sheriff at. And boy you a retard you have no idea what time it is we're glad our son noticed quite a while ago. Hera did too. Now there's a reason for this going on you mess around with them and it doesn't seem to have helped you you keep doing it and it is a severe detriment to you and we told you to stop and you're not so take care of you and you're useless you're being real then and hauled in by practically everybody I'm pretty sure there won't be any of you big jutting out losers.

-they have these drums and they're playing them at the harbor some reason you idiots think that you can do that they got your code this morning and see what you're doing they told you not to issue any more messages to each other regarding them or sedition or attacking them and a big list of what they're not supposed to do especially with our son is on there and not to have them report anything good about anything so they heard this morning's report and Macs doing it, anyone came in fuzzy that what they're doing they said no and you said this, we need to know the stiffest deterrent won't stop them. They're bringing out solid measures here armored trucks are going into your houses they're using robots to pull you and your s*** out they're sticking you into the army vehicle if they scan you and find anything and hauling you off to a special facility at military installations. That started today. Couple more things happening

-you losers had our son by the wrong tire and it cost you a lot they picked up on your system over there and they understood how you're doing things and The cutting you off from what they don't want you to touch

-we needed them to do that as we need them to do this put their foot up your butt to doing it now trying to figure out why you're harassing him right now and they're doing it all the time what they say is they're trying to get stuff elsewhere so we have to find it we've been doing for years and we still are we going to ask you very hard here just like they are bringing in vehicles to do so and we're using it for now as cover and actually it was our son's idea and the idiot fell for it. You think she's AI man is going to use it on everyone as his forces window his robots his AI and he won't have any delivery methods and his AI will be hunted down so not really sure why he's like he is he's just a jerk and we're going after him there's one more thing happening

-we're tired of our son being treated like a jerk but a lot of people and it's going to change cuz we're coming in now and said you have to come in and manhandle them or nothing gets done and we tested it's true so he's thankful and it's a lot of work it might take time but we're going to do it soon

It's pretty much all for today but you guys are living in some sort of captive state and you're not going to stay here alive after a day or two the ones hiding will be pulled out and sent to the middle and executed and burned one's running around town to grab today we keep grabbing the ones running around until it stops and will continue taking him to the central Florida incinerator until you stop coming here that's their message

Thor Freya

I'm upset and what they're doing these people have no sense they're crazy they're bothering me all the time and it's a headache I am working on it but boy you retards are stupid. Very stupid and I can't stand you I need you out of there and I need you out now so we're going in there and we're going to pull you out . The max are too but we need intel as well

Hera I said all the above

Zues

I'm going to give him support and we need to start now and I'm assigning or we are assigning troops and people right now

Olympus

[skywardsylphina]

Hello there! 😄 I’m a current teaching artist and professional ceramicist. I apologize if this is more info than you asked for, but I hope it’s helpful.

First thing i’d be remiss not to mention, as not all studios teach this to students working within their facilities, you should do is one make sure that when working you’re doing so safely. Silicosis is the disease of the lung that ceramist can get if their work areas are not set up and maintained properly. It is irreversible and can be deadly with enough exposure. As such it is not something to be messed with. I say this, not to scare you, but to instill the importance that you take care. Ceramics isnt dangerous as long as you take proper precautions but those precautions are important. Make sure you’re working in a well ventilated space (outside or a garage is ideal but an easily wiped down space with no carpet and a window also is good) and cleaning with water frequently (ideally every time you’re done working for the day, and especially the floor). For cleaning do not vacuum or sweep, use a sponge with water. The dust in clay that of concern is too small to see and easily swept into the air when dry. I also do not know how your studio stores their clay but if you can, purchase premixed, wet clay, I would do that rather than buying dry clay. The same goes for glazes. Eventually, when you have access to proper equipment (like a fume hood and a respirator) glaze chemistry and clay mixing is magical, but it is not safe for the beginner in a new home studio.

As for firing and glazing, I would recommend learning from your studio first before trying to purchase a kiln or fire on your own. Previous supervised education and experience is important both to make sure you get the right kind of kiln for the type of firings you want and to make sure you do not damage either the kiln or your self (most kilns need special electrical fitting in homes where I live and firing often produces fumes that are harmful to breathe in and thus require ventilation that more complex than how you fight clay dust). Look into what local internships or student studio technician positions are open in your area. If nothing is publicly posted a lot of the times studios are willing to take on dedicated high school or early collegiate student for a few months if you ask around. You can do this either in person or by sending a quick polite email to either the artist or studio manager explaining your interest and situation.

Additionally many local ceramists and studios are willing to allow artists to fire work made outside of the studio in their kilns for a small fee or if you purchase clay through them. This not only will allow you to gain more experience from teachers who know the craft of loading a kiln (because loading a kiln is a skill of its own), but will potentially also grant you access to different types of firings you wouldn’t be able to do at home. I would not recommend a gas kiln for example to somebody relatively new to pottery (I’d say a small electric with preprogrammed firing schedules to start off with once you get experience loading and firing) which limits you to just oxidation. Firing with a studio or professional ceramicist will likely give you access to both oxidation and reduction as well as potentially raku, wood, and or pit fires, depending on where you are and what is available. All of these give you different options for surfaces and colors and are just a ton of fun.

To transport work thrown at home you should load your pieces in between foam sheets (old mattress toppers or upholstery foam in couches are great for this), and nestle them snugly so that they will not shake around while in transit or knock against each other in a box. (Crumpled newspaper can help cushion too, but foam I’ve found is the best) I know of several professional ceramist who drive through bumpy rural roads with bone dry pieces in the back of their trucks that, because they pack well, don’t often break their work.

I know a lot of this is likely frustratingly vague, and I am sorry for that. So much of firing in particular is best with in person visuals and doing rather than words to start out. I hope what little I was able to share was helpful without being overwhelming.

Congratulations on your wheel and have a ton of fun!

New-ish to pottery, need help!

So I have taken a pottery class. I have the basic skills and knowledge on throwing and whatnot.

My parents bought me a wheel recently. That is all of the equipment I have. I know I need a kiln and glazes but know absolutely nothing about those since they were provided and fired for us in the class.

Does anyone have advice on getting into building a studio as a hobby and just general information?

Thanks!

[smaptain-smerica]

Time: Post-Top gun: Maverick

Y/n Blackwood - L/n, daughter of Charlotte "Charlie" Blackwood. Y/n took a strong interest in planes from a young age. Knowing her father was an esteemed pilot drew her even further into the navy. Quickly, she became one of the best solo pilots and graduating at the top of her class at Top Gun.

Her next mission? Return to Top Gun, Face certain death, romantic interests, and finally, her thought-to-be-dead, father.

This book contains strong language and sexual content that may be sensitive readers under the age of 18

This story was originally posted on Wattpad, follow me on there for faster updates. I have published a non-binary version of this story published there for those who do not identify as female or use she/her pronouns. It will follow the exact same story line. Link to Wattpad Account Link to the Non-Binary version

Master list

Blue Suede Shoes

Third person POV

Pete Mitchell walked back into the same screening room he had been in a year ago when he was called to train Top Gun graduates for a mission. He was met by Warlock and Cyclone sitting on the opposite side of the long table.

"Captain Pete Mitchell. We meet again." Cyclone boasted into the empty room.

"Too soon, Admiral." Pete replied, a small hint of a smile on his face.

"As you can probably guess we have another mission that requires your expertise. The enemy has once again dishonored the NATO treaty by building another nuclear bunker. We expect this one started construction a few months before we terminated their previous bunker. The kicker, this time it is under water and heavily guarded by a series of SAM's with a air fleet approximately 7 minutes away from the bunker."

The screen came on, displaying the map of the under water bunker. It was hidden under sediment and plants but it was definitely visible from the top waters.

"We aren't sure yet if we will be able to take our their air fleet with missiles or not. We are attempting to send scout drones but they keep getting shot down. The underwater bunker will be easy to hit with missiles, but getting there-"

"It's going to be a dog fight in and out." Pete finished Cyclones sentence, looking at the overhead map while tapping his finger on his face in thought. "Alright, who's our candidates?" Pete asked.

The screen swapped to show portrait pictures of the flyers. Pete recognized nearly every face and was excited to be reunited with them. One person stuck out to him, a h/c woman with a familiar last name to him, though he shook off the feeling.

Warlock cleared his throat. "As you can see, we have the same crew as before. They're all very eager to work with you again."

"Who's this? This Y/n Blackwood- L/n?" Pete asked.

The room went silent for a moment. Warlock and cyclone looked at each other briefly before warlock continued. "Y/n Blackwood-L/n is an extremely skilled pilot. She graduated at the top of her class and has received training from our most skilled pilots, iceman being one of them."

"Her mother, who's her mother?" Pete has a sinking suspicion as to who it was, though Blackwood could be a common last name, it could be anybody who's child this is. He had mixed feelings, he hoped and dreaded for it to be his long lost love's child.

Warlock and Cyclone exchanged sideways glances, unsure of how they should approach. "Charlotte Blackwood."

Pete felt his heart drop into his stomach. She had a child? Why had she never tried to contact him again after she left? Pete had thought they had something special why would she cut off communication? Y/n had two last names, had she not been married when Charlie had the child?

"Maverick."

Cyclone's voice snapped Pete out of his thoughts. He turned back to the two Admirals with his full attention. "I'm sorry. Um, when do we need to mobilize?"

"We've got about 4 weeks. They're still building parts of the facility but the first shipment is predicted in 6 weeks. Better to be safe than sorry." Warlock explained the time frame.

Pete nodded in response. It should be plenty of time to train these already skilled pilots in dogfighting. "I'll do my best, sir."

"I would hope so. As much as we hate having you here, you are the best."

~~~

Your POV

My car rumbled to a halt in the parking lot of a small bar called The Hard Deck. I turned the engine off and stepped out of the vehicle. I locked my doors and pulled out my phone to check the text message I had gotten earlier that day.

I checked the time, it was right after 7. I put my phone back in my pocket and looked up to see a couple guys pointing and whispering. I gave them a smile and a wave. When I took the mustang anywhere, it was guaranteed men were going to stare and wonder why a woman has a car like that.

I had on my brown pilots uniform that was given to me when I checked into the base. My hair was slicked back into a low bun. I stepped into the bar, it was small and crowded with chandeliers made of ceramic cups on the ceiling. I remember coming here when I was in the Top Gun program but the building looked different, someone else must have bought it.

I looked around for some familiar faces but couldn't locate any. That was, until I saw a group of people around my age, standing around the pool table wearing the same uniform that I had on.

I stopped at the bar, ordered a Michelob Ultra from the brown haired woman behind the bar. "I've not seen you around before." She commented, handing me the cold glass.

"I just Shipped in, I'm here for the naval academy." I explained to her, taking a small sip of the cold beverage.

"Ah, top gun?" She questioned, taking a towel and wiping down some glasses that had just come out of the dishwasher.

I chuckled a bit. "I guess you probably get a lot of us here, don't ya."

The woman chuckled and winked at me before she moved on to the next customer. I noticed the sign behind the bar and raised my eyebrows. Good thing I didn't put my phone down on her bar.

I began to make my way to the pool table, slipping in between people to get by. I noticed another woman with dark hair and a smaller man with a round face on the right side of the table, Hangman and Coyote (who I recognized from my time in top gun) on the right. They looked up as I rounded the corner. The dark haired woman's eyebrows raised in surprise and she nudged the smaller man who then looked up at me.

"Would you look at what the cat dragged in." Hangman's signature smirk was plastered on his face as he leaned against the pool stick that was propped up on the ground.

"The only pussy I see around here is you, Hangman." I sassed back at him, a playful smile lingering on my face. A bunch of  'oh's' came from the other pilots around us.

"It's good to see you too." Hangman paused, looking me up and down as he did so before turning his attention back to the game. "This is Robert and Natasha."

"You can call me phoenix." "And I'm Bob."

I shook both their hands as they introduced themselves by their call-signs. "I'm y/n. It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise. What's your call-sign?" Phoenix asked me, taking her shot at the pool balls.

"Wolf."

"I've heard a lot about you, Wolf." I turned around and met two men both of different skin colors. I smiled up at them. They were handsome, kind faces and warm smiles. The navy definitely wasn't running low on eye candy.

"I'm Ruben Fitch, call-sign Payback." "I'm Mickey Garcia. Call-sign Fanboy."

I shook both their hands as they greeted me, a smile on my face. "Y/n Blackwood-L/n, Call-sign Wolf. But apparently you already knew that." I smirked up at fanboy who brought it up earlier.

"What can I say I'm a fan of talent."

"Oh please," Hangman began. "The only talent she has is kissing up to superiors to get back in the program."

"You wouldn't know talent if it hit you in the face. You got lucky I left that year or you wouldn't have been at the top of your class." I aggressively defended myself, taking a long sip of my drink afterwards. The group of pilots that were slowly gathering around snickered at my comments towards him. Hangman rolled his eyes. "That never would have happened. I am the best and I'll always be the best."

Fanboy leaned over my right shoulder form where he stood behind me. "Someone knows how to push Hangman's buttons."

I smile in response to that and lean back to whisper; "I've specialized in that field."

"If you're the best, why didn't you get chosen for our last mission then, eh hangman?" The group turned to see a tall, tan skinned man approaching. He had on a white undershirt and a thin floral button up that was left open. He flashed the group a crooked smile and held out his arms.

"Rooster!" "What's up man!"

"Hey I saved yours and maverick's asses." Hangman replied to rooster with a smile. They met each other with what seemed like joy, clasping hands and pulling each other in a bro hug.

The entire group greeted him one by one, he seemed to be a popular crew member. Normally a man can't pull off just the mustache without looking like a pedophile but Rooster wore it well. His facial features were strong and structured but his personality seemed lovable, caring, and friendly. He greeted his friends with hugs before finally getting to me. He took off his sunglasses, his eyes seemingly lost.

"My name." I tried to guide the star struck man in the right direction with a smirk plastered on my face.

"I'm sorry?" He finally blinked, snapping out of whatever trance he was just in.

"You we're going to ask me my name. It's Blackwood, Y/n Blackwood-L/n. Call-sign Wolf." I held out my hand to him and he took it gently while shaking it. "Bradley Bradshaw. Call-sign Rooster. You said Blackwood, right? As in-"

"As in Charlotte Blackwood? Yes. Although it's L/n now." I finished his sentence for him with a small smile on my face. It was impossible to read what he was thinking. His entire face showed thought, like he didn't know what to think of the person in front of him. That person being me, I wanted to know what he was thinking so hard about.

"I see, it's nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

It wasn't long until the group slowly grew as more people filed in. Everybody mingled, talked, laughed, it was nice to get to know the people I could potentially be working with. I found myself gravitating towards Phoenix. She was a strong willed woman who wasn't afraid to stand up to all the guys. We were very similar in that sense.

"And when we asked him what his call-sign is, he goes, 'Bob?'." Phoenix and Bob began chuckling to one another. I joined in the laugh.

"Wait so you hadn't been given a call-sign yet? Or even thought to make one up?" I asked Bob who gave me a shake of his head.

"I did make one up I just didn't know you needed a cool one!" Bob put his hands up in surrender while he defended himself. The three of us broke into hard laughter, bending over at the knees.

"Hey, Bob's as cool as any call-sign." Phoenix reassured her friend, clasping him on the shoulder.

Suddenly the music in the bar stopped, the crowed awed at the sudden stop in tunes. "Oh here he goes again." Phoenix chimed in.

I looked to the sound of soft music playing. It was Rooster sitting at the seat of the piano. Phoenix stood up and grabbed my arm to take me with her. "You ever heard 'Great Balls of Fire'?" She asked me as we walked over to the piano.

"Do I know it? I'm surprised you guys do!" I playfully elbowed Phoenix and she smiled at me.

"Well, get ready for this one."

The entire bar erupted into song as Rooster played Great Balls of Fire on the piano. The pilots  all gathered around the piano, hanging on each other and singing and laughing. This entire feeling was euphoric. This was a close knit family, it almost felt like attending a family reunion. The entire bar could feel the energy we were putting off because pretty soon everybody started singing it.

I guess the song was more popular than I thought.

The crowd cheered as the song ended. Hangman had returned to our group with a beer in hand for him and a beer in hand for me. He nudged me and gave me a smile, handing me the drink. I took a long drink, about half of the pint before I set the glass down on a nearby table.

"Alright rooster, scoot over." I commanded, bumping into him on the piano's bench. The crowd around us cheered me on in encouragement.

Rooster scooted to the end of the bench but still sat on it. We sat close, no space between us. He smiled down at me before taking a swig from the bottle.

"Take the lead, wolf." He spoke kindly to me. I looked up at him with his sunglasses on the end of his nose. He gave me a playful wink before pushing his sunglasses back up on his face.

I quickly looked down at the keys, thinking about what to play. I put my fingers down on the keys and began to play 'Blue suede shoes' by Elvis Presley.

"Ooo I love this song!" Fanboy chimes out, sitting down next to me as he began to sing the first lines of the song. I was sandwiched between the two singing men on the bench, laughing my head off.

Midnight finally rolled around and it was way past time for the pilots to go to bed. We had to wake up early to be on the base. I walked out to my car, putting my key in the door and twisting it to unlock.

"I was wondering who's car that was." My attention turned to Rooster who stood on the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets.

"1968, right?" He asked, stepping off the sidewalk and walking up to my car.

"Yeah, it was my moms. I only drive her on special occasions. Plus I find most people in the military have a thing for classics." I mentally cursed myself for rambling. I felt so nervous now that we were by ourselves. Maybe it was attraction I was feeling, because it wasn't intimidation.

Rooster chuckled and nodded his head. "I've got my dads old Ford." He pointed down the line of cars to the end where a powder blue First-Gen Ford Bronco.

"Are you kidding me? You're disrespecting that bronco by calling it an 'old ford'. I'm disappointed in your Bradshaw."

We shared a laugh as he approached the car to take a look at the interior. He whistled while checking it out. "She's beautiful."

"Thank you."

"I'll have to take a ride sometime." It seemed like he was flirting, looking at me from the corner of his eye while looking into the car.

"Only if I can catch a ride in the bronco."

Rooster laughed and stood straight up. "I think we can manage that."

I thought about tomorrow. Last year they had Maverick train them for the mission. It also wasn't new news that Maverick and Rooster were close. Being his best friends son and partner in life and death. I was so disappointed I didn't get to train under him during flight school. "Hey, do you know if Maverick will be training for this mission? I'm excited to meet him." I asked.

Rooster raised an eyebrow at me and cocked his head. "You haven't met him before? "

"Can't say I've had the pleasure."

He looked me up and down with a confused look on his face, which I returned back to him. What was he looking at? And why was he looking at me like that? Was something wrong?

"We will have to see tomorrow then. Goodnight Wolf."

"Goodnight Rooster."

Next Chapter

[autumn-sweet-fae]

(I’m so sorry, this idea started small in my head but I started writing and it just didn’t end 😭😂 but here’s kinda my idea of what happens at the sorta end).

If there’s a final confrontation at the spear piller, I imagine that it’s after whatever’s happening at the facility with emmet getting kidnapped and sneaslers the one who leads them back to the pillar cuz even if elesa and emmet think they should go to a certain place she still doesn’t want to go to other people. And they’re still being chased by researchers now after they rescued emmet. And they finally get to the top of the pillar and the show downs gonna start, the rest of the evil researchers bad guys are there to give it all they can. They start fighting, and while our heroes are obviously stronger, there’s just a ton of bad guys, and more people keep coming, good and bad, helicopters arrive to watch and akari is like “you know what” and just calls out to arceus while they’re fighting and he just. Appears. He wasn’t paying attention before, he thought it was all good and he hears her call him and looks and is just so confused and shows up. And the battle just stops. The bad guys and the good guys backup are just shocked cuz it’s one thing to be a bad guy and another to fight god. And before Akari can even say anything, Lady sneasler just, explodes. She’s stressed out, they’ve been on the run, her humans have gotten hurt, her eggs have been in danger, one hatched prematurely and she’s had enough and tells him. Just send them to Ingo and Emmet and Elesa’s home already cuz her future home is too messed up and according to the nimbasa trios pokemon, they’ll be protected there. And arceus is just like, ok, sorry for not paying attention before, but as an apology I’ll send you to their home and you will all be safe and then it’s just a blink and they’re gone. All that’s left on the pillar are the good guys backup and the bad guys as police start filling in the area. And then Nimbasa city gets the biggest shock ever cuz arceus just appears with our people in front of their house (cuz I hc that even in a city, trainers with ground Pokémon and bigger Pokémon like haxorus and garbodor would have a house instead of an apartment) and they just lockdown at home now while unova celebrates and comes together to keep sketchy people away from them. (Alternatively it’s palkia that appears and does them the solid but yea, just a fun idea I had, like especially for any people who still think the researchers are telling the truth, like what you think god is a bad guy too?) and I imagine by then everyone knows akari is the missing champion and Barry was with them during this so now everyone’s just getting some TLC, getting checkups from the hospital, and taking over ingos room as a nest for the rest of the babies to hatch. It’s a full house now, especially once iris and Drayden head over. Overloaded house

HOLY FUCK

Ok so I had been REALLY hesitant about having the big final confrontation be at Spear Pillar, because I couldn’t think of a way to justify using the battle field of actual gods for my crime thriller fic.

But this!? This is beautiful and hilarious and so goddamn fitting!! I love you Anon 🌈✨💜

(Also solves my problem with getting Sneasler on a plane with her eggs if they we’re gonna smuggle them all out of the country)

Yes!! It’s definitely Arceus who appears first! Sneasler is just so pissed at them, but at least the Almighty Arceus has the decency to look guilty. 

So then Arceus will summon Palkia, because I plan to start the fic with Arceus summoning Dialga to transport Akari, Ingo, Sneasler & co to modern Sinnoh. Dialga tells Adaman how, as all powerful Arceus is, it’s better if those who specialize in their domains handle those that travel through it.

(Cause like, you don’t want a sledgehammer when you’re trying to chisel the finer details of ice sculpture. That how you accidentally give your travelers amnesia)

So Arceus just summons Palkia, who is giving the creator of all things such a ‘I told you so’ look, and then sends them all off to Unova.

(“Thy must not tell Giratina of this” “I promise no such thing”)

Everyone left at Spear Pillar is in a state of shock that when the police pour in, lead by Looker, the arrest are all quick and easy.

Yes! Your so right about them having a proper city house with a yard for the ground types. They would have one of those New York Unovan Brownstones with a backyard all set up for their Pokémon to enjoy. (The place felt a bit big for the twins when they first moved in, but they love letting their pokemon wonder freely at home so it felt lived in. Though later, after Ingo’s disappearance, the place felt too big and empty to Emmet. )

The list of folks who all get teleported to Unova are: Akari, Sneasler, Ingo, Emmet, Elesa, Barry, Johanna, Leon, Hop, and ALL their Pokémon. Once Drayden and Iris arrive it’s just an incredibly full house and Emmet wouldn’t have it any other way.

[thedragonqueen1998]

Yeeeess, Giovanni is so nervous because in the past the werewolfs in their line were pretty mindless and if Ezio is like that, he would be forced to be sent to Monteriggioni where they have special made cells that can contain a wolf once transformed. The cells are deep holes straight down with a thick and heavy metal grate on top. You have to be lowered down into it as the walls are extremely smooth, making climbing almost impossible for the wolf. Their claws are extremely strong though, so they could in theory claw grooves and climb up, but that requires the ability to plan which they often lack. Giovanni could ask Lorenzo to have similiar cells made underneath the city, but it would take years to complete so in the meantime Ezio would essentially be exiled from Firenze.

Oh, didn't really think about Eagle Vision. Hmm, i guess i originally treated it as seperate thing to the whole wolves thing, but it being connected is interesting. I did develop some lore for this after sending the ask and i considered the idea that werewolves were a weapon made by the Isu(autocorrect turned Isu into issue XD) to blend into the human rebels before turning on them. But due to the upcoming flare, the project had to be cancelled before it could be refined(full control of their mind in wolf form and control over when to shift). Before the subjects could be destroyed though, the flare happened and destroyed the facility, allowing the survivors to flee and hide among the humans. Eagle vision came from the Isu, so it would be a seperate thing. Though, maybe the Isu gave the wolves the sense to make them more potent and because werewolves are more human than Isu, when they bred with humans, because they're more compatable, there was a higher chance of Eagle vision passing down succesfully? So, while werewolves have Eagle vision and it is stronger than a normal humans, it doesn't mean every human with the gift is a werewolf. So Giovanni, believing the curse to be over since it hasn't skipped a generation before and realising Ezio has the gift, believes it is either because of the fact Assassins used to have it or that it is a remnant of the curse, but since Ezio doesn't have the other traits, believes he will not in fact turn. So yes, some heavy denial. XD

Other things i thought of after sending the ask was that Altaïr would not be a wolf in this AU and that though there is so much more werewolf lore and myth, they have basically become extinct as werewolves often choose to not have children and they are killed before they can have them. Giovanni only chose to have kids because no one after Renato became a wolf, while Mario decided to not risk it. So when the team sees Ezio change it a werewolf, they all lose their mind. Desmond literally loses it and actually starts his own transformation.

The first transformation is always the longest and most excrutiating one as the body has to figure what to do and how to do it efficently. Later ones become much quicker as the werewolf gets older and though they hurt just as bad, the quickness gives the illusion that it's less painful as time goes on. So Desmonds is actually pretty quick, because the secondhand experience from Ezio fools his body into knowing what to do. Everyone freaks out ofc, because your teammate turning into a giant fucking wolf is not not concerning and they have all heard the tales of mindless beasts. Everythings fine though, Desmond is in control of himself. Minerva made sure of it, the ability to stay in control was actually a freak mutation that happened in Giovanni. So if Mario had kids, they would have been mindless.

Hmmm, actually. What if Altaïr WAS a werewolf, but he had the gene to fully control when to transform, but would not keep control of his mind? Umar had it, but before he could teach Altaïr about it and to warn him to never use the ability, he was executed? Oooo, ok, just got an idea. XD

So what if Altaïrs mother didn't die in childbirth, but Umar was the one to kill her? Maybe the village was attacked and in a desperate bid to save his family Umar changed into his wolf form to kill the attackers, but due to a miscalculation in how much time he would use to kill the attackers(i imagine Umar and Altaïr has to spesify the amount time to stay transformed before doing it and they transform back after the alloted time or they transform when the sun rises again if they don't spesify a time), he ended up killing his wife and as he transformed back he was just swinging his clawed hand down at Altaïr. Due to the pain of transforming, his aim went off mark and instead of tearing the infants face off, he instead sliced the boys lip with his little finger. But it was still too late, he had murdered his wife and forever scarred his son. He swore that he would never use his wolf form again and no matter how much Al Mualim ordered him to, he never did it again. He told Al Mualim that he would have Altaïr do the same. I don't fully remember exactly how it went down when the Saracens(?) attacked Masyaf and Umar had to be killed for it, but in this AU, Al Mualim delibratly sabotaged Umar before he could tell Altaïr the truth(he wanted to wait till Altaïr was an adult because the thought of his young child hating him was too much to bear) and in doing so, had his perfect weapon. He waited with telling Altaïr about his heritage. Maybe after he saw he almost lost Altaïr to Adha and in a bid to further bind Altaïr to him, told him that his father was a mindless monster and that he was one too? That any children he had was at risk of being slain by his own hands? Though, how old is Altaïr when he meets Adha? When we start AC 1(isn't he like 27?)? I'd imagine Al Mualim would have Altaïr become his mindless weapon as early as possible, so maybe we can move the timeline a bit and have the whole Chalice thing happen when Altaïr is like 16-19? You know, make it a rebellious teen phase. XD So Altaïr realises he can never have a normal life and that he is too dangerous to be close to others. So he starts becoming rude and anti-social. Essentially becoming the person we know in cannon. Kadar is the only friend he had that doesn't believe Altaïr is being a dick without reason and keeps being Altaïrs friend.

.

Ok, that is it for this round of lore making. XD God i spent like 2 hours on this. XD This is fun and man, i wanna write a fic about this so badly, but also i'm too unmotivated to try. 🤣 I'm happy you like it, thank you. 💜

I just got this AU idea, like legit, it just hit me so hard. XD But yeah, what if: neing an Assassin wasn't the only secret Giovanni hid? He also kept it secret that the Auditore line is cursed.

Basically, werewolves. I know, cliché, but werewolves are fun! :D

But yeah, Giovanni thought his family was free of the curse as both his father, brother and himself didn't suffer it like their grandfather. That is, until Federico suffered his first transformation. Hearing his eldest sons screams of pain and seeing flesh tear and bones break broke his heart.

'God, why did you curse Federico? Why did you lull me into the false hope of living free of this curse?' He couldn't help but think, watching his son finish the gruesome transformation. He knew he should have struck the beast down while it was incapacitated, but it was Federico, his son. He couldn't do it, even if it would save the rest of his family. He should have had the cages that he and his brother used to sleep in before they knew for certain that they wouldn't transform. Now it's too late. His eldest son would murder them all and if he survived the guards until the morning, he would wake up without his family, covered in their blood.

Any minute now, the beast that was covering in the corner- wait. Werewolves never show fear. And the beassts eyes.. they shine with intelligence. With fear. Could it be? That there is no dumb beast, just his son?

"Federico?"

The beast flinches with the sound of his voice and whimpers. It is truly his son! Federico is not a mindless beast, so unlike his grandfather. So unlike any other beast before him. Maybe the curse has weakened after being absent for 2 generations? No matter how it happened, he will take this blessing.

"Federico, everything will be alright. May i come near you?"

He wants nothing more than to run and hug his son, but even without the madness, Federico will be much stronger than before and his claws are long and sharp. He could easily scratch his father to death in a hug. But his son nods to his request and he cautiously holds his sons featsome face in his hands. The fur is soft, warm and has the same colour as his hair, a dark brown, almost black shade. His dark brown eyes shine with tears, showing how distressed he is. A beast rarely cries and only does so when in great despair. He has heard tales of beasts slaughtering their families while crying, showing that despite not being in control, they are aware. He has not heard of crueler curse and probably never will.

"Federico, i promise you, this transformation is temporary. In the morning you will be back to your human self and i will explain everything. For now, rest. I will stay snd watch over you."

Giovanni watches his son curl up to him, seeking comfort. Usually, Federico would be too old for such things, but being a family of Assassins, they rarely give much thought to what society deems acceptable and in this circumstance, comfort is needed. Everything will be fine by morning. Their lives are irrevocably changed, but it's still a good life.

.

Man, the words just came flowing out of me. XD So, i imagine this takes place when Federico is around 18. So he knows about the Assassins and has been training for a while(i headcannon he started sround 16-17, unless it's stated somewhere when he started?). Both Giovanni and him decide to keep training him as an Assassin, but they both know that Federico likely won't be trusted or sent away on missions, due to the curse. Renato was a great Assassin, but he very rarely travelled far from Monteriggioni due to not risking being away from the Dungeon. The Dungeon is basically a bunch of deep holes with heavy metal grates ontop. This design ensures that the werewolf can't get out and won't hurt snyone as long as the keep away from the grate.

In this AU, this is why Giovanni waits to tell Ezio about the Assassins. If Ezio turns out to be cursed too, they need to know if he will be like Federico or if he will be a mindless beast. Ezio's room is right next to Federico's, so if Ezio transforms and goes berserk, Federico can try to hold him while everyone gets to the secret tunnel. If Ezio retains his sanity, he can be informed of all the family secrets and start his training. Though it is risky, having a werewolf as an Assassin has some very obvious perks. The increased strenght, agillity and senses bleed into their human form, so they always make great Assassins as long as they ensure there is a cell strong enough to keep them contained.

But yeah. Big brainstorm info dump. XD Was gonna say idk what else to do with this, but then: What if? The day Giovanni and his sons get captured is a fullmoon and Federico transforms? Giovanni tries to explain to Petruccio why his big brother suddenly turned into a monster when they hear the howl of another werewolf. Federico and Giovanni share a sad look and both know that this has to be Ezio. The curse rarely affect women and Claudia is still too young to transform. Ezio is scared and confused and he originaly planned to talk to his father, but now he can't talk and would his father even recognise the monster he's become? Should he even try to see his father? No, he should wait this out, maybe this is a temporary thing and tomorrow everything will be alright.

.

Duh duh duuuu! XD But yeah, now i'm done. 🤣

Hope it's okay to tag you @teecupangel? This seems like an idea you would like. 💜 I at least had fun writing and coming up with this idea. ^^

[boldlyvoid]

Million Dollar Man | chapter two

18+

summary: Spencer's therapist recommended he branch out and meet new people who don't want to talk about his work... she didn't expect him to sign up for a Sugar Daddy website.

Content warnings: sugar daddy!spencer, age gaps (14 years), daddy kink, blow jobs, kissing, drinking mention, lowkey perv!Spencer, cum play, praise, oral (female receiving), grinding, love confessions, arrangements, Spencers anxiety, (more to add)

word count: 3.4K

a/n: updates on Wednesdays and saturdays at 2 pm est

Chapter Two | Masterlist

She sat on the subway with an anxious pit in her stomach and her purse held close to her chest. Her laptop in her bag, she didn’t want to lose it on her way to the most important meeting of her whole life.

Her story was becoming a book, she was almost done the final draft, they were making touch-ups to the cover and picking the type of paper today.

Her dreams were coming true within the next month, soon she’d have a physical copy of her book, her pre-sales were showing that she’d be on the bestseller list, and her name was finally going to be on the cover of this one.

She sighed and reached for her necklace, holding it between her fingers as she took a few deep breaths. She was doing so much better today than she was last year and it was all because of Spencer, he was the best thing to happen to her. To think she complimented his sweater vest and now he’s the only person in her life she can count on.

All she can think about is him for the rest of her journey, through 4 more stops she keeps her eyes closed as she thinks of all his little facts and his cute laugh. She smiles to herself and the anxiety slips away, she loves him and she knows that for sure, but she just doesn’t know how she loves him.

She’s never had a sibling, her best friends are all women, her previous boyfriends were all shit and her other sugar daddies were never this wonderful, and her parents are lesbians… she doesn’t know what her feelings really are for Spencer, mainly because she’s never known any other men to compare him to.

But she does know the exact moment she realized she fell for him.

He booked a hotel room in DC after a local case, asking her to meet him in there at 10 pm. She was waiting in the bathtub when he arrived, bubbles galore, her hair up and arms open, “welcome home, honey.”

He laughs, “you want me to get in there with you?”

She just nods, “let me take care of you, daddy?”

He takes off his blazer, pulls his tie off and starts to unbutton his shirt. She watches patiently as he gets undressed, and it’s not sexual to her. He’s her person, her best friend, the only human being she would ever share a moment like this with and that’s when it hits her.

She doesn’t accept it just yet.

It’s not until he’s lying on her chest, between her legs, cheek resting on her boobs as she runs a sponge over his back while he gives her a little run down on his terrible week. His co-worker almost died, his mom is stressing him out, the only good thing he has left is her and she knows that.

“And then I get to my moms facility and she’s had a really good day, she knows me and she knows all of my childhood again and she’s all right there in front of me and yet she’s so far away. I’m never going to get all the time I want with her and it’s really hard to accept.”

He shares things with her that he doesn’t even tell his therapist. Because his therapist doesn’t hold him like a child against her chest and tell him he’s okay when he get’s upset.

Y/N loves him, so she kisses his forehead, “I’m so sorry, I have 2 moms if you’d like to have one?”

“It’s okay, I would love to meet them sometime though,” he wraps his arms around her waist a little tighter under the water. “Thank you for tonight.”

“Did I mention my leg is 44 inches from hip to toe?” She asks in the middle of the silence, quoting pretty woman, knowing he hasn’t seen that far into the movie yet. “So basically we’re talking about 88 inches of therapy for the bargain price of $800 dollars a week.”

Her legs wrap around him and their naked bodies are closer than they’ve ever been and yet it’s completely platonic, “I’d spend a million dollars on you if it always meant feeling this good after.”

She runs her cheek along his wet hair as he snuggles into her neck, “mmm, I like the sound of that,” she teased. “My million dollar man.”

Her stop rolls around and she pulls herself out of her day dreams to get off the train and head to her meeting. She smiles as she walks through the station, up the stairs and onto the busy downtown streets when she gets a text with Spencers special chime. She opens it when she gets to where she’s going, safely inside and in the waiting room.

It makes her laugh in the waiting room. People look at her but she doesn’t care, he’s so special to her she feels butterflies in her stomach even when he’s not around.

“Y/N!” She hears her name being called by her editor, he’s over ecstatic as he comes running out to get her. “Come, come we have so many choices to make!” He jumps up and down as he holds her arm, like a child in a candy store.

“Andy, chill man,” she laughs at him and plays it cool, “It’s just the cover being finalized.”

“It’s our baby!” He teases back, pushing his glasses up and tugging her behind the glass doors of the office.

She’s surrounded by people and paper and huge versions of her book cover. She has a sharpie as she fixed mistakes and jots down final ideas. “And I wan’t Phil to look more human and less like data from Star Trek?”

“But Dorothy looks okay?” The artist asks, nervously and Y/N can tell.

“She looks beautiful! You really brought her justice,” she smiles, “really she looks the same in my head! It’s just Phil and I’m sure it’s tough getting a drawing to look like a robotic human, let alone human.”

“I have some ideas?” She opens up more, taking her iPad out and sliding it across the table, “I wanted to give him more of a Sophia feel? His face is silicone but his joints and everything are more like an Elon Musk crash dummy.”

“That’s perfect!” She’s shocked, “why didn’t that go in the first draft?”

“I was worried it was too much,” she’s a little older than Y/N, and yet her anxiety is that of a teenage girl. “I’m going to get working on the final, do you want some emailed versions tonight?”

“Yes please,” she smiles.

“So we’re done?” Andy asks, “we’ve made all our final calls?”

“I believe we have,” Y/N closes her laptop and takes her phone out, taking a photo of the final rough sketch of her book cover on the table to send to Spencer before he comes to pick her up. She can’t wait to see him now.

—

They’re sitting side by side in matching spa robes, he’s getting a pedicure while she gets her nails done. Leaning back in her chair with a face mask and cucumbers on her eyes, she’s never felt more relaxed in her life. And just in time too, her back was killing her from writing, her knuckles hurt and she just needed a break.

Spencer did too, he was genuinely not having a good time at work anymore, every case made him spiral and he always looked to Y/N on days like that. They met more than once a week now, she got $800 every Friday and she didn’t even really need it anymore. He was coving for so much of her bills and lively hood that her savings account was growing and growing because of him.

For the first time in her life she thought she would be okay if a man left her. As terrible as it was, as much as her moms tried to raise her differently, she fell down the daddy issues rabbit hole and she’s never going to find her way out— however, luckily for her, Spencer is down here too, and he brought a flashlight.

He understands her, more than anyone else on earth. He knows all her secrets, every crush and bad grade and snide remark she’s ever kept to herself. He didn’t judge her, he could actually listen to her issues and tell her why she had them. He gave better advice than a therapist and he was able to get information for her if he didn’t know the answer to what she was going through.

He’s absolutely everything to her and yet he’s 14 years older than her, he’s still traumatized beyond belief, he’s sad and ashamed and recovering… but he’s the best man in the whole world and she wishes he could see that. If he just looked at himself from her eyes, if he felt how she did in her soul when they were together, he’d love himself.

They’re too relaxed to drive home, and Spencer knew that would happen beforehand, bringing her a change of clothes (lingerie) and that robe me mentioned. He books a hotel above the spa and takes her to it. Arms linked as they enter the suite, she’s amazed to find more than one gift bag on the bed.

“How many gifts is this now?”

“We’re at 5 out of 24.”

She laughs as she wraps her arms around him in a thank you hug, “this is what you consider 4 gifts? Spencer there are like 8 things on the bed, let alone the massage and manicure?”

“If you think this is too much I guess you’re going to get really mad next week,” he teases as she looks up at him with a surprised look on her face.

“Spencer, I am so busy next week, I cannot be galavanting around with my sugar daddy,” she tries to act like she doesn’t want to go on an adventure with him again.

The last trip they took was the best week of her life. They went to all the historical sites in the UK that she and Spencer had talked about. Mainly old churches and castles, strange poets graves, random art and most importantly; stone henge. It was a trip of a lifetime and he took it with her.

“I watched the rest of Pretty Woman the other day,” he smiles, “and I thought I’d pull an Edward Lewis and really surprise you because you deserve it.”

“You know how the movie ends, right?” Her heart beats really fast in her chest and she wants him to love her so bad but it’s also terrifying now that she’s this close.

“He lets her choose,” he whispers.

“He rescues her,” she corrects him.

“And she rescues him right back,” he really did watch the end of the movie.

It makes her heart skip a beat as she swallows sharply, “what does this mean for us?”

“I have a whole plan, a whole sequence of events I want to stick to. I wanted to make you fall in love with me this week and ask you on your birthday, can we still do that?” He pleads with her, he’s so serious. He’s clearly put a lot of effort into this.

“Absolutely,” she smiles, “but if you’re going to make me wait that long for you to ask, you still can’t kiss me till then. No matter how much I already love you.”

“Really?” He’s so soft with her, she knows he’s not reacting to the teasing. He’s never had someone tell him they love him and then stay after.

“I would never lie to you about that, spence. I know what love means to you, I know how scared you are and I’m scared too. But I know there is no one else in the whole world I’d rather be scared with than you,” she holds him tighter and rubs her nose against his, “so what’s in the bags, daddy? Finish your surprise.”

She plays along perfectly, stepping back and hauling him towards the bed. “I got you some outfits and things for the next 2 weeks, we have a few things planned. We’re going on a flight soon, I have new luggage being delivered to your apartment this week and we’re going to see your moms for 3 days.”

“No,” she shakes her head, “there’s no way, Spencer, I haven’t seen them in 5 years, I’m going to cry.”

“I know,” he cups her jaw with his hand. “They’re really excited to see you.”

She hugs him tight, kissing his neck as she holds him. “Thank you, daddy, do you want me to put something on for you now?”

“I’m just going to take it off you, plus, what your wearing is sexy enough, he whispers back. “You’re always so beautiful, baby.”

“I thought you were saving the best for last?” She asks as she pulls back, overly eager and he can tell.

“I want to repay the favour from the other night.”

She doesn’t mean to gasp and yet she does, “please?”

He pulls on the tie of her robe, opening it enough to snake a hand behind her back and draw her in with a hand on her bare back. “Please what?”

“Please, daddy?” She looks up with her best begging eyes, perfect pout and all. “I want you to touch me, I promise I’ll be a good girl.”

He steps away from her to swipe all the bags off the bed before picking her up and laying her back against the pillows. He kisses down her body, hand on her lover back as she arches, he drags his bottom lip from her belly button to her cleavage. Nipping and sucking at the exposed skin on her chest, pulling her breasts out of the bra to suck on her nipples, she moans and it’s louder than she expected.

As she plays with his hair, he marks her, bruising small little love bites all the way down as he makes his way between her legs, “take me, please?”

He’s been dreaming of this for so long, he can’t even give you an accurate number of times his mind has drifted to the thought of how wonderful she would taste, how beautiful she’d sound…

“Tell me how badly you want me?” He asks as he spreads her legs and kisses her left thigh.

“I haven’t had sex in 10 months while waiting for you. Daddy, please you’ve owned me for so long, just take what’s yours already for gods sa- OH!”

With a broad lick, his tongue flattens against her core and it shuts her up. She gets what she wants, holding into his hair as she tosses her head back, taking it all in and enjoying it. He’s been on her mind for months, every time her vibrator was where he is now, she thought of him. he’s been the man of her dreams longer than she’s known him, and he was proving it.

“Right there, daddy,” she speaks through shallow breaths, “do you know how much I’ve thought of this?”

“You know I don’t,” the vibrations of his voice against her skin are glorious, he looks up at her through his lashes as his tongue flicks over her clit and she shakes a bit.

“Fuck,” she gasps, gripping his hair tighter, “better than I thought you’d be, fuck, too bad you— Jesus, don’t have the stash anymore…”

He stops and looks up at her, the smirk on his face glistening with her juices, “the stash?”

She nods, “I’ve thought about calling it the pussy tickler,” she teases, running her hand down his cheek and swiping her thumb across his bottom lip before bringing it up to her mouth to taste, “I want more of you.”

He kisses back up her body and she reaches for his robe the second he’s close enough. “Just grind against me? I know you’re waiting but we can still feel good together?”

He kisses the side of her mouth and she takes that as a yes, wrapping her legs around him so his hard cock is pressed right against her core as they move their hips in synchronicity with each other. His breathing is heavy as he kisses her cheek and jaw, her nails scratch down his back, he feels absolutely amazing against her.

She feels so empty, she wants him so bad she’s clenching around nothing as she squirms against his cock and wishes she was full.

“I wish I could move time,” she whispers. “Fuck, why can’t it be my birthday?”

He laughs against her, grazing his teeth over her neck and drawing another moan from her but then he stops moving his hips, “why are you so impatient?”

“Remember I said I stopped enjoying everything? Well, taking a 10 month break from sex and thinking about you every time I got off has made me desperate,” her hand cups his cheek, “I’d wait forever for you, but a girl needs to be fucked hard every once in a while.”

Only she could find a way to make something both profoundly beautiful and whorish at the same time, he loved her for it and she knew that now. He smiles and leaned in to rub his nose against hers and it takes everything in her not to kiss him. The same way it was taking everything in him not to slip into her as he began to grind against her once more.

She’s so close, the accidental edging has added a whole new level of desperation she’s never felt before. She wants to cum for him so bad, but more importantly she wants him to cum for her.

“Take my bra off,” she whispers, Spencer’s hands travel behind her back to unclasp it and he helps her out of it before tossing it to the floor.

“Cum for me daddy,” she whispers in his head with a hand in his hair, gripping him tightly as he bites at her neck, “cover me with your cum like you’re marking your territory.”

“Shit,” his hips sputter against hers.

“Say it, I know you want to,” she teases, so close to the edge but it’s too good of an opportunity. She loves seeing him fall apart like this and she can’t wait to see it again. “Who’s am I?”

“Daddy’s girl.”

He grinds down on her harder and faster and she’s so close, the bubble in her gut is reaching a fever pitch and with a gasp, she’s cumming and then she feels it. His load covers her stomach as he pants against her neck and grips her hips tighter as he comes down.

She wraps her arms around him and holds him as close as humanly possible, her breathing still heavy as he rises and falls on her chest. He’s heavy but she doesn’t care, she just kisses the top of his head and thanks him.

He brushes his nose against her neck, nuzzling her like a cat, “do you really mean it?”

“What, honey?” He remembers so much, this could be a question about something she said 2 months or 2 minutes ago and she has no clue.

“You’re not just playing along with my kinks right, you genuinely want to be mine?”

For being her million dollar man, his heart sure was broke. This is why he wasn’t ready, he still didn’t understand why she would want to stay without anything in return, he’s gotten so used to paying her for her time now that his anxiety has managed to convince him that she’ll leave when he stops being worth it to her.

“What does my necklace say?” She asks, knowing how close he was to it. “Read it to me, I forget.”

“Daddy’s girl,” he smiles again.

She soothes her hands over his back, “I would do anything with you because I love and trust you, but also because everything you do is sexy… you could read me the dictionary and I’d still want you to pump me full of cum after.”

“It sounds so crude after,” he laughs, “speaking of, we really need to have a shower.”

“I’ll wash your back if you wash mine?” She teases as he gets up.

“Only if you let me wash the front too?”

She smacks his bare ass and races him into the bathroom, turning on the water and getting in with him while still laughing and carrying on. He’s her best friend in the whole world, there’s no one else she would rather do this with… there was no one she has done this with. No one has made her feel this good, before during and after sex.

Spencer Reid was an anomaly, but he was hers.

Permanent tag list:

@g0lden-cth @doctorspenceryeet @samuel-de-champagne-problems @reiding-recs @shemarmooresfedora @reidsfish @manuosorioh @mochionly @jswessie187 @k-k0129 @blanchardsbk @idonotexiste @measure-in-pain @dreams-in-blxck @doc-padfoot @nomajdetective @mggswhorificlover @dinonuggets1967 @meganskane @gubeskneescrew @kya-li @reidsbookclub @muffin-cup @sassymoon @shirleyrose

Sugar daddy fic (Some tags didn't work)

@mggs-sidehoe @bakugouswh0r3 @mggskneescrews @moonlight-2-6 @spencerreidscumwhore @my-thoughts-are-weird @violetclifford @youabitchhhh @bunny-script @baby-i-am-fireproof @moondustmemories @rexorangecouny @minervaonmars @onlyhereforthefanfics @anonymous-reading @go2sleepducky @kingcrain @beepbooptoop @givemeth @emma-is-a-nerd@wrecky-becky @eternalspence @ne--yo-pets @valerieweasley @coldlilheart @andiebeaword