#c: unidentified egg

[sfstranslations]

UPDATE: The S-Ranks That I Raised (368)

It hadn’t been that long since the kids were entrusted to me, but I was already sweating.

Read Chapter 368: I’m Working Despite Being Kidnapped (2) now!

Request access to the My S-Ranks translations by sending us your email through our contact form.

[jayofolympus-writes]

More from my pile of unposted works.

Soap has fallen in love with someone who will never want him back

Soap's head was pounding when he woke up and rolled out of bed. He hadn't drank that much in a long time, and he was paying for it now. His only consolation was that Gaz had been just as drunk as he was, and likely wasn't in any better shape now.

Ghost was a fucking godsend, already in the shared kitchen fixing up a fry up, even if he was radiating smugness without even having to turn around to look at Soap.

"So, when should I expect to get a save the date?" Ghost asked, plating up the bacon into a nice big pile that Soap was looking forward to scarfing down once he'd done something about his mouth feeling like he'd been eating sand.

It wasn't until he was gulping down water that Ghost's words registered, and Soap choked, spluttering water all over the counter.

"Fuck sake, keep it away from the fucking food," Ghost grumbled, moving to shield the plates with his body. "Trust you to be able to drown drinking a fucking glass of water."

Soap gave him the finger, unable to give a better response than that while he was still struggling to breathe.

"The fuck d'ye mean 'save the date'?" he demanded, once he had stopped choking.

Ghost just nodded to the notebook sitting ominously in the middle of the table. Soap could tell he was grinning under his mask, and decided to approach the notebook with the appropriate level of caution; treating it like an unidentified explosive that was rigged to blow. He still wasn't prepared for what he found inside.

Flicking through the pages, hazy memories trickled back into reach, fuzzy at the edges and tilted a little to the side, but clear enough to cause his cheeks to redden with embarrassment. Gaz had been bemoaning his lack of love life, the way all his cousins seemed to be getting married these days, and the fact that his mother was now hounding him for news of a relationship, and Soap had offered to marry him, forgetting in his drunkenness that he was meant to be keeping his crush to himself.

"Fuck," he hissed, looking at the sketches depicting himself in a kilt and Gaz carrying a bouquet. It appeared they were sharing Price and Ghost as their best men, and on the next page he'd clearly begun attempting to design rings.

The notebook needed to be burned.

He turned, intending to grab the nearest lighter and take the thing outside to hide the evidence of his shame, and nearly ran right into Gaz himself, emerging from the spare room.

"Oh my god, I can't believe we actually planned a wedding last night," Gaz laughed, snatching the notebook from him to flip through it, grinning. "Thank fuck I fell asleep before I could hit send, 'cause I tried to text my mum and tell her I was getting married."

Soap forced out a laugh, though it came out higher and more panicked than he intended. He needed to get the notebook back so he could burn it and they could all move on and pretend it had never happened. He needed to change his name and move to Mexico, really. Rudy would surely help him hide, maybe even set him up with a new identity. He couldn't believe he'd been so stupid as to put it all down on paper like that, not when plausible deniability had gotten him this far.

"Shit, Soap, for as shit faced as we were, these drawings are still fucking sick," Gaz said, inspecting one of the pages more closely. "I can barely draw stick figures when I'm sober, fucking hell."

Soap forced another laugh, getting desperate. Ghost turned to look at him, picking up his - far too obvious - distress signals.

"Right, food's up," Ghost announced, pulling the pan off the hob and sliding the last fried egg onto a plate. "I'm going for a smoke before I eat. Johnny?"

Soap nodded, so frantically that he felt like one of those stupid bobblehead things. "Yeah, sounds good," he said, his voice weak as he clutched at the merciful exit he'd been offered. "Leave some bacon for us, yeah?" he called to Gaz, already fleeing out the door.

Ghost caught up with him outside and silently offered his pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

"You know, last night I thought you just wanted to suck his dick," he noted, watching Soap far more intently than he'd like. "You really do want to marry him though don't you? You're fucked."

Soap didn't even try to deny it. He really was fucked. Gaz thought it was all some big joke, but he was going to figure it out sooner or later, and then Soap would... Well, at best, he'd be embarrassed and everything would be very awkward until he could get over it and move on. Considering how long he'd been hiding his feelings for Gaz, though, he didn't think he'd be getting over it any time soon. Would Gaz ever be able to look at him the same way after? It would make him uncomfortable, Soap was sure, to know that someone he worked so closely with, someone he was around almost all the time, had been creeping on him.

"Shit, you're not just fucked, Johnny," Ghost hissed, his eyes pitying. "You're already breaking your fucking heart over him."

Soap just shrugged. He could hardly help it; Gaz was beautiful, inside and out, with a sharp mind and a smile like sunshine. He was kind in a way that Soap had never been, and funny, and Soap loved him. It was hard not to.

"Doesn't really matter, does it?" he said, giving Ghost a sad smile. "Not like it's ever gonna happen. I'll get over it, ye jist need tae keep me from doin' anythin' stupid until then."

Ghost sighed. "How the fuck did I end up in the middle of this?"

That got a real laugh from Soap, and he felt steady enough to go back inside and face Gaz again, hopefully without giving himself away.

[kitthepurplepotato]

MWRMI PART 4

My Weird Roommate, Midoriya Izuku

Week 2 - Garden Shenanigans! 🪴

~•🥦•~

Summary: Midoriya has a shopping problem. He also has a hard time understanding the difference between a friendly banter and flirting when he’s in a good mood. Y/N realizes her favorite person in the world isn’t pro hero Deku anymore.

Warnings: swear words, mentions of alcohol (they have one cider)

First Part Masterlist

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Shopping With Midoriya is… an adventure.

The sun is barely up when he decides that you had enough sleep for the day and barges into your room, uninvited. There is a burnt smell coming from somewhere, but right now, all you care about is the fact that pro hero Deku just invited himself into your room and you probably look like shit after sleeping less than 4 hours the night before.

“Y/N, they open in an hour, I made breakfast, come and eat!”

… so that’s what the smell is.

You lazily open your eyes to take a look at your new roomie; with a frown on your face you realize he looks absolutely stunning even with the lack of sleep. He’s wearing a tank top and dark green shorts, his arms are full of new and old injuries but instead of them being unattractive they kinda make the guy look really… well… sexy. And manly. Ahh, it’s way too early for all this sexual frustration.

“It’s already way too hot outside, stop making it worse with your existence.” You mumble to yourself, absolutely sure the guy won’t understand your mumbling anyway. For your surprise, Midoriya freezes in one place and his face gets as red as a tomato in only a few seconds.

“Y/N! You can’t say things like that to me!” Deku is about to combust from the embarrassment and while you know you should be ashamed of yourself for being heard, after yesterday’s mess up you can’t even bother anymore. You already fucked up enough for Midoriya to never look at you in a romantic way anyway so you might as well just be honest and be yourself at this point.

“Midoriya, you can’t barge into a lady’s bedroom either!” You parrot the green haired hero, who gets even redder (if that’s even possible) and moves towards your door while mumbling apologies on his way out. You giggle to yourself and put on a bit more clothing; it’s really hot outside so your sleepwear is quite light and you are not sure if you have the confidence to show yourself in your sleepwear to the greenette yet. This whole roomie thing with your favorite hero is still a bit too much for you; you definitely feel less awkward about it since yesterday, but still, you want to give yourself some time to adjust, one step at a time.

You put on a grey tank top with capri trousers and make your way to the bathroom to wash your teeth; there is no way you are going to have breakfast with Midoriya while smelling like death in the mouth.

“Y\N, this is not a fucking date, you moron” your mind screams, but you blissfully ignore it.

~•🥦•~

“Midoriya, with full respect, this is an abomination.” You stare at the dark brown, unidentifiable thing on your plate. By the broken egg shells in the bin, this THING needs to be a really poorly made/burnt scrambled egg with rice? Also, the ketchup on the top makes it look like it’s a murder scene. Midoriya looks at you with tears in his eyes; he looks like a little child who tried to do something nice for his mother but ended up burning the house down by accident. “I will gladly eat this abomination.” You mumble, physically incapable to look into his pretty puppy eyes any more.

“You don’t need to…” The boy sounds heartbroken, his voice trembling and fuck, you would do anything to make him smile again. Anything.

“I do, Midoriya. You made this for me. You poured your heart and soul into this…” you stop for a second to investigate the substance in front of you but Midoriya is nice enough to help your out. What a nice chap.

“Egg fried rice”

“…Into this egg fried rice, and it is my responsibility to at least give it a try.” You finish your sentence with a big sigh and try a small amount; it’s gooey and sticky and absolutely atrocious, but it’s still edible. Disgusting… but edible.

The green haired man smiles while you struggle to swallow; (that’s what she said… - Kit) but fuck if it wasn’t worth it. Thankfully, Midoriya has just enough self-preservation to bin the rest of the food with a promise to eat something at the garden center instead and pushes you out of the door as soon as the “food” is safely disposed.

~•🥦•~

There are a lot of headcanons on Tumblr about Midoriya in general and there is also a debate about his possessions; does he own a car? What car does a hero like Deku drive? Is he the fancy type or the “got this from my mom when I was 18” kinda gal? Or maybe he prefers motorcycles? Bicycles? Skateboards?

Well… you get your answer when Deku leads you to the underground garage and points to the flashiest car in the car park.

“So, this is my baby.” Midoriya points at the massive sports car. It’s metallic dark green with orange and black details; the interior is a tan color which makes the interior stand out even from the distance. It’s the most elegant and most badass sports car you’ve ever seen in your life. “It’s a McLaren 570GT. To be honest with you, I just wanted a Prius, but Kacchan said I should get a ‘fancy ass car to hide my boring, stupid personality’ and forced me to buy this baby.” You are almost hundred percent sure that this translates to ‘you deserve a better fucking car’ in Dynamight language. “It’s not too useful for shopping or driving around with friends which is a shame, but Shouto-Kun has a mini-bus, so… what’s so funny?”

You don’t even realize you are laughing until the greenette points it out.

“I was just thinking about Pro Hero Shouto driving around in a mini bus and picking you guys up one by one, making sure the whole class is present before driving off to school.”

“He even has an attendance sheet.” The hero winks at you like it’s a big secret; well, it probably is; and you can’t help the blush spreading on your cheeks. “I’ll ask him to add you to the list the next time we go camping! Just make sure you don’t drink anything Denki gives you. The last time we went camping, Denki made Kacchan so drunk he almost burnt the forest down while sneezing.”

You can’t believe these guys. In your mind, these people were beyond everyone, perfect, flawless and majestic, but here they are, playing school camping on their day offs while getting shit drunk, like normal people. By the end of the day, heroes are only humans. You can’t wait to meet these people in real life, they sound so much fun to be around.

“So Dynamight loses control over his quirk when he drinks?”

“Don’t get me started on quirk analysis, I’ll never shut up.” Midoriya giggles, clearly struggling not to give you a whole presentation on the topic.

“You never shut up anyway.” You tease, but by the blush on his face, he didn’t really take that as a joke. “I like it.” You add sheepishly, your own face also decorated with the same shade of red. “Please, never change, Midoriya.”

The hero looks at you the same way he did yesterday; like this is the first time someone has told him to be himself. His eyes are wet, but they shine with gratitude written all over them.

“I wish we’ve met in different circumstances, Y/N.” He sighs and opens the door for you. You look at him with a questioning look. “It’s nothing. Let’s go, roomie.” He gives you a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes and moves along to the other side; you sink into the fine, comfortable leather seat with a content sigh.

When Midoriya jumps in and starts the car none of you speaks up; the sound of the engine is so calming you almost fall asleep from the beautiful sound of it.

~•🥦•~

Midoriya takes this shopping really seriously; he’s crouching down in front of a bunch of seed packets and googles them one by one to make sure they are suitable for his garden. He’s wearing a baseball hat and sunglasses to hide his identity, but thankfully, the garden center is almost empty anyway on this lovely Tuesday morning.

“So, what kind of tomatoes do we want? Fiorentino, gold nugget, marmande, rugby; well that’s a funny one; sun gold or super mama?

We. You and him. Oh fudge, this is too much for your little heart.

“Well, get a nice big one and a small one for the salads?” You mumble with a blush on your face, but he doesn’t even listen to you; he jumps into your sentence without hesitation.

“Look, I found the perfect seed for you!” Midoriya gives you the packet to check it out; it’s a sweet pea. Your face becomes as red as the tomatoes on the pictures.

“Midoriya! Behave!” You ramble, and give him another seed packet. “There you go, this is you.”

“A teasel?” He looks at you with a confused face.

“Yes. Because you’re teasing me. Get it?” You can’t help but grin as Midoriya’s face contorts into a frown from the bad pun.

Without a single retort, he puts the two packets of seeds into his shopping trolley. “Aww, you’ll buy them? You are so sentimental! So kawaii! Please tell me you want them to have their own special place in the garden as well!”

The green boy blushes and moves towards the flower section. “And then what.” Midoriya mumbles and fuck… you love this guy so much already.

“Izuuuuuu!!!! You are so sweet!” Without a single thought in your silly little head, you jump on the hero’s back. He stiffens for a second but catches your thighs to keep you up, giving you a piggy back ride.

“Awww, what a sweet couple!” The cashier mumbles to her colleague and that’s the exact moment you realize how stupid of an idea this was.

“I’m sorry, Midoriya, you can put me down now.” You mumble apologetically.

“No, this is fun.” The greenette looks back at you with his puppy eyes; there is no way you can say no when he does that. No fucking way.

~•🥦•~

“Wow, look, they have an All Might themed flower basket! Let’s get five of those!”

“FIVE?!” You deadpan. He’s such a fanboy, honest to fuck. “What about those cute little pink ones there?! I want the pink ones!” You insist; you know it’s not your garden, but the whole renovation was your idea so you definitely want to be a part of it.

“Four All might baskets?” He flutters his eyelashes for great measure. This man will be the death of you.

“Three All Might baskets and 2 pink ones. Look at their names, Midoriya! Pink kisses! Flutter burst! Purple wedding! We need these as good omens, otherwise we will be single forever!” … Not like you actually care but it sounds like a great way to make it sound like you don’t have a big fat crush on your adorable flatmate.

“I don’t mind being single. I have you. That’s more than enough for me.” You definitely did not expect this comeback. That was a low blow.

What are you supposed to say?! ‘Marry me then?!’

“… I’m getting them anyway.” You mumble with a red face, avoiding eye contact with the greenette.

“Please do. They are cute. Like you.”

… this needs to stop. He’s only joking but your little fragile heart wants to take everything seriously. You can hear the wedding bells in the background. It’s getting harder and harder to put your Deku fanatism aside and concentrate on the guy in front of you as a separate person, or to be more exact, it’s getting harder not to love this guy the same way you love your favorite pro hero if not more. This is Midoriya Izuku, everyone, a walking green flag who can’t even have a flaw without being adorable.

“Honest to fuck Midoriya, stop flirting with me.” You reprimand, but it rather sounds like ‘please, praise me more.’ Oh well, you tried.

“Oh… sorry, I didn’t realize this is what flirting is like. Maybe this is why the ladies get mad when I turn them down…” Midoriya stares into the nothingness, deep in thoughts. Ah, that explains it.

“You heartbreaker!” You giggle, poking his shoulders in a friendly way. You can do this. You can be friendly. There is no reason to make this weird.

“I am, apparently. Sue me.”

“I would never sue someone with such a pretty face.” You coo at the greenette, topping your words with a kissy face. You can play that game too, okay?!

“You are such a hypocrite, Y/N!” Deku grins with a slight blush on his face and everything goes back to normal; or as normal as it can be considering you are on a not-a-date with your favorite hero of all time, buying garden supplies like a 60 years old married couple.

Being with Midoriya is confusing, but it’s so much fun; you’ve never been this happy in your whole life and it has nothing to do with him being your favorite hero. You can only hope he’ll find someone who likes him the way you do; because Midoriya Izuku is just as perfect as a human being as he is as a hero.

~•🥦•~

The two trollies are full of random plants and bushes by the time you get to the furniture isle; there is a citrus tree, a cranberry, strawberry and blackberry bush and a small acer tree next to all the flowers you two have chosen a few minutes prior. He also managed to find some all Might merch hidden in a gift shop; they are fake and cheap but apparently, the nerd needs them all; Midoriya definitely has a massive shopping problem.

“I really want that.” Midoriya points at the biggest firepit in the building. You can’t help, but sigh. This is the fifteenth random thing the greenette wants to take home for no reason. You don’t have enough energy to do this again.

“Midoriya… we already have a massive sofa set, the most expensive one at that I might add, four folding egg chairs, five lounge chairs, ten foldable chairs, the biggest available grill and a parasol. There is no more space in that poor garden.” You deadpan.

Does he care? Nah.

“Well, the foldable chairs are useless without something to sit around, ain’t they?” Midoriya’s eyes are chaotic; he somehow managed to get to a point when the insanity is clearly written all over his face. He’s also hyperventilating a little bit. A few more minutes and he’s going to drool all over the floor. Shopaholic Midoriya is scary.

“Alright.” You give in. “But you’re buying us another hot dog, because I won’t have time to cook today.”

“Deal.”

… this will be a long day.

~•🥦•~

“I’m so sorry, Y/N.”

Well.

Okay, listen.

Having Midoriya fiddling with the tank top he changed into and staring at you with puppy eyes while the garden looks like a war zone is one thing but the above mentioned tank top doesn’t have sides… like at all. This means, you can see everything. Everything. His pectoral muscles are on another level, they are so plump and perfect they actually look fake. You can’t even comment on the rest of his body without sounding like a thirsty fangirl. This should be illegal. This guy is a fucking dream. Damn, you really want to touch the skin under that tank top.

You swallow your NOT so innocent thoughts and look up at the hero.

Keep your eyes on his face, Y/N. You can do this.

Ahh, that’s a nipple.

Fuck.

“Uhm, let’s try to assemble all of these first then move on to the plants. I think it looks worse than it is.”

Well done, Y/N. You managed to sound coherent.

Midoriya looks heartbroken by your words, even though you didn’t mean any harm with them.

“I said I’m sorry.” He repeats, his eyes scanning the grass like he’s looking for something there. You can’t help but touch his side to comfort him; what you did not expect is your hands touching his naked skin. How stupid can you be? You literally just had a full conversation with yourself about his perfect, almost naked upper body.

Fudge, his skin is so soft, what the actual fuck. You definitely need to borrow his moisturizer and MOVE YOUR FUCKING GRABBY HANDS AWAY. LIKE NOW.

“I heard you, but there is no need for you to feel like that, you know. You are an adult and this is your garden and your money. Thank you for buying me those flowers. I can’t wait to see them from the window every morning.” You smile at the tall, bulky man next to you.

After 10 seconds of emotional staring you move away with a shy giggle; this is too much for your little heart.

“Thank you.” He says and you look back at him; Midoriya’s smile is so honest and so full of affection you can’t help the blush spreading on your cheeks from all the fluttery feelings boiling inside you.

“Shut up...”

~•🥦•~

It just around 9 PM when Midoriya and you finish with the garden shenanigans. You are both exhausted and sticky from the sweat but that doesn’t stop you from having a cider on the brand new sofa set while the sun goes down in the background. Midoriya’s fluffy head ends up on your shoulders, hist chest moving up and down with his calm, steady breaths. This should be uncomfortable for so many reasons, but if just feels right; there is this weird feeling that pulls you towards the green haired nerd, this new emotion lurking in your heart. It’s confusing but so, so nice; warm and cozy like a hot chocolate on a grumpy cold winter night.

By the end of the day, Midoriya and Deku became two different people in your eyes and funnily enough, the one cuddled close to you takes over Deku’s Number One place in a flawless victory.

“I really like this.” The green haired man speaks up, breaking the comfortable silence.

“Being able to hold someone so close even though you both smell like shit?” You look at the greenette questioningly.

“Yes, Y/N. I like the fact that I trust you enough already to be at my worst around you without feeling terrible about it.” Midoriya strikes back with a new kind of sass. “I also like the fact that YOU also smell like ‘shit’ but I still feel the urge to stay close to you and It’s really fucking nice but now you ruined my emotional roomie-love confession.” He pouts, clearly offended; he’s so fucking adorable you want to cry.

“You know what?” You speak up in the same offended tone. “If we are having a honest moment here, I would like to add that from today, pro Hero Deku isn’t my ultimate favorite person in the world.” Midoriya actually takes offense at that and moves away but you continue your rambling. “It’s cuz’ of that stupid little sticky nerd I spent the day with. You know, the one who comes home all bloody and grimy sometimes but takes his time to comment on my latest drawings anyway. The one who let me have my shitty pink flowers in his perfect All Might themed garden, even though they stick out like a sore thumb. I only knew this guy for a few days, yet here I am, all sappy and emotional, goddamnit.”

You kind of lost your confidence by the end of the sentence but as you look up at the teary eyed greenette, you know he’d understood.

“Let’s stay like this forever.” Midoriya clinks your glasses together, the air filled with electricity from all the unsaid words swirling around the both of you.

“Forever.” You smile, and this time, you are the one who breaks down the wall and snuggles close.

One day, you will get used to this. But for now, you just enjoy as the loud beats of your heart slowly lull you to sleep on the new sofa as the warm summer breeze soothingly caresses your face on this lovely Tuesday evening.

~•🥦•~ (extra)

You end up talking about random stuff until 11 PM; you only had one cider so you can’t even blame it on the alcohol, but at one point the conversation stops and you are both just staring at each other, taking all the small details in. You cheekily take another look at your flatmate’s lovely chest while taking a big sip of your beverage, and that’s when Midoriya decides to break the silence.

“You know, Kacchan told me I should get a nipple piercing.”

Needless to say, you choke on your drink and spit it all out; right at the poor guy’s above mentioned, perfect chest.

“You can’t fucking say shit like that without giving me a heads up!” You cough as Midoriya tries to clean himself up.

“Well, you were looking at them and I got embarrassed and blurted it out and now I’m also freaking out, because it was such a creepy thing to say, I’m so sorry!” He rambles, not even taking a single breath in between the words.

“Sorry for looking at your nipples!” You blurt out with a red face. “I completely zoned out! I think I should head to bed. Please, forget about this, I can’t believe we can’t have one day without me embarrassing myself in front of you!” You end up complaining.

“Hey, I really love when you say silly things like that. Please, never change, Y/N.” The hero winks, throwing your own words back at you.

You’ll never get used to this. Never.

… Next Part!

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Likes, comments and reblogs are always appreciated 🥦

Random fun facts and rambling:

- Midoriya’s car exists and it’s absolutely stunning, look!

- All the plant names are real, I actually went to a garden center for this chapter! 😂

- Midoriya’s shopping problem was based on myself. Needless to say, my whole flat is a jungle at this point.

- This series will be really fucking long so I hope you don’t mind that. Every time I write a chapter I come up with three more chapter ideas. It’s killing me. I also can’t stop writing it hence why I have another chapter almost ready by the time I’m uploading this.

- The next chapter will be called “Reality Check”. Does it sound ominous enough? *evil laugh*

Taglist: @porusuniverse @stickygumchewer @sixxze @mily-moo

[antronaut]

The Form and Function of Spider Orb Webs : Evolution from Silk to Ecosystems

Stabilimenta in spider orb webs (A–C) various morphologies of silk stabilimenta in the webs of Argiope argentata (Costa Rica). (D) Spiral silk stabilimentum in the horizontal orb web of Uloborus glomosus (USA). (E) Curled leaf ‘stabilimentum’ in the web of an unidentified araneid (New Britain). (F) Debris stabilimentum at the hub of the web of Cyclosa caroli (Costa Rica). The spider is sitting at the centre of its hub and its horizontal orientation matches that of the stabilimentum. (G–I) Stabilimenta are commonly included in the resting webs built by spiders preparing to moult or lay eggs. (G) Nephila clavipes (Costa Rica). (H) Argiope argentata (Costa Rica). (I) Cyclosa caroli (Costa Rica)

Theridiid cobwebs and linyphiid sheetwebs (A–B) the cobweb of Parasteatoda (Achaearanea) valoka from New Britain. The web is unique in how a leaf is bent over and used as the substrate for the entire web, yet it illustrates common themes of typical cobwebs—a central to peripheral irregular sheet forming a retreat for the spider with sticky gumfooted threads radiating from it and attached to the substrate (A), with sticky globules restricted to the lower part of the gumfoot lines (B). (C) a ‘star web’ (Achaearanea sp. juvenile) as built by many Achaearanea/Parasteatoda species, with a semi-global central retreat, and radiating gumfoot lines. The spider rests in the centre of the ‘globe’ and seems well protected from larger predators. (D) Theridion sp. that spins a simple two-dimensional sheet with sticky globules distributed throughout the sheet. The spider has a silk retreat under the leaf. (E)Helvibis cf. thorelli, with long gumfoot lines radiating from a silk retreat under a leaf. (F) subsocial web of Anelosimus may, a ‘basket’ shaped sheet web with knockdown lines above the sheet. No sticky silk seems to be employed. The spiders rest under leaves in the basket area and seem well protected from larger predators. (G) sheet web of Dubiaranea sp. (Linyphiidae) (photograph courtesy of W. Eberhard)

[ocular-intercourse]

silvester one shot familiar heist was a blast, so here are the deets:

little intro describing the familiars being created, stressing their connection with and wish to please the witch

came up with three tables for the players to roll their characters from so we could start immediately,

table one had 20 options for the type of familiar, table two had 12 options for the color/design of the familiar, and table three had 101 different defining characteristics

we had:

a whiny octopus made from ice named malcolm,

a cocky flying ghost-monkey named hubertus,

an impatient shadowy pseudodragon named kash &

a ruthless crystal imp named triggerheart

(names mostly came from a random name generator for heroic horses)

the witch explained she created them to steal something from a fellow witch in her covenant, which meant she was very limited in ways to help, spells and oaths kept her from directly harming a sister or getting into details (had to make it convenient for me, i had trouble deciding on what they should actually steal to the very end and hoped i would come up with something on the fly), so she could only tell them the location of the hut, warn them about possible traps and guards and that they would find it in a little wooden box with sun ornaments

her regular familiars could not act so she had to create secret familiars, as an explanation why they all started with d4s in all of their stats, while the witch convinced two of them they were made and chosen especially for this two of them immediately realized they were just cannon fodder and the witch did not necessarily expect them to succeed, considering all she could manage for the heist team was weak familiars

the game system was a mix of kids on brooms, or rather the s2 misfits and magic variant of it, blades in the dark and homebrew stuff, the familiars had 5 stats (mind, might, mettle, manouver, magnetism) which all started at a d4 and leveled up with each hit of the max die number, and a d20 magic die, failures gave them 2 tokens which they could spend on adding the magic die to any roll, the number of tokens depending on the might of the spell, they could get hurt 3 times and each had one flashback they could activate to gain a helpful item or information

for some rolls that were technically fails i decided on the fly to ask them whether they wanted two tokens or other helpful items or information they had not aimed for, for example the octopus looked for helpful tinctures in the bathroom and failed, but i offered they could take some unidentified salves (nicely smelling bathsalts) rather than tokens

the witch sent them on their way, each of them could fly so it was not exactly hard to get to their goal

the other witches hut was placed on a little island in a sea and had 6 areas - outside, living room, kitchen, study, bedroom, cellar - and 7 creatures to interact with:

there was a catfish in the sea behind the house which asked the players to rescue his eggs, which the witch had stolen for rituals or maybe just to eat, and promised to act as an exit strategy if they did

there were militaristic mice currently stealing from the kitchen pantry which would have ignored the players as long as they did not mess with their mission, two of the mice would have licked up some spilled unidentified potion and would have mutated into monster mice, if the players helped the mice defeat them they would have shared info about the hut's layout

there was a snake familiar in the living area which would have told the players they could look the other way if they got rid of the witches cat pet cause it was jealous

there was the non-magical cat in front of the living room's fireplace which was pretty much just chilling and would've just acted like a normal cat

there was a magical grandfather clock which would've done everything to protect the witches secrets in the study

there was an old tattered witches hat in the bedroom collecting dust, which was easily distracted by his failing memory and confusion

there was a living fire in the basement which would've asked the players for wood and would have given questionable advice in return

every door and window was protected by spells and some areas in the house, like the entryway leading to the study, and a storage room with magical equipment in the ritual basement was trapped with a bunch of animated crystal fairies which just attacked anything that entered the room

the house was littered with unidentified potions and other witchy stuff, the garden had magical plants, the cellar storage was filled with magical items and in the cellar itself there was an unfinished ritual and the book it was based on which would've answered the players a single question if done correctly, but had deviating handwritten comments written all over, so it was very unclear which were the right instructions to choose from, and a mysterious water filled bowl on a fancy stand, which i did not have a function for at the start and once again planned to come up with as we played

i had not decided on where to put the wooden box, i was thinking about a chest in the bedroom or the storage in the cellar, potentially a hidden room, depending on how quickly the players would get through it

it went off the rails so, so quickly, beautifully so:

---

hubertus being a ghost monkey managed to roll well on his test whether the ghost thing was just an aesthetic or actually functional and could peak his head through the wooden walls to scope the inside out, but only saw a cat sleeping in front of the fireplace

the players originally planned to throw rocks at the garden door and have the others run in the front during the distraction, but the stones they threw were dispelled before they ever hit the windows or doors due to the magical protections

hubertus managed to enter the kitchen through the wall and got scared by the shadows of the mice, not knowing what they were, he tried to open the kitchen door to the garden from the inside and failed, which got him teleported to a cage in the study, which, again, he could quickly escape considering his player was lucky enough to roll the ghost form on the creature table

the others were locked out and decided to first try and clog the chimney to smoke out the inhabitants and then, after it did not do much, the imp caught a squirrel and let it down the chimney on a fishing rod they had found in the garden, hoping it would distract the cat

hubertus could watch from the inside how the cat fled from the smoke and heard how it alerted the snake, which came to investigate, so he promptly fled through the cellar door

the others saw the snake kill the squirrel from the garden window and when it noticed the players the imp and it screamed at each other through the window like " imp: what have you done to my squirrel? - snake: what have YOU done to your squirrel??!"

meanwhile, hubertus in the cellar didnt manage to enter the storage room and decided to touch the water bowl, which on a bad luck check sucked some of his magical energy, after the magical fire laughed about his mishap they started talking (for some reason i decided to make the fire a stoner right then?? lol inspired idea really) and when the fire asked for wood the flying monkey decided to - again, on a bad mind roll - throw the magic book in

did not plan for that !! , decided that the book must've been full of powerful energy which was now fed to the fire which immediately became a power hungry maniac and flared up with all the new power

lucky for the guys up top this made the fire in the kitchen and living room flare up as well, which caused an explosion to throw the snake away from the window and burst the windows and doors towards the garden so the others could enter

the mice fled, their general quickly telling the players to ignore them and they would not bother them either, after being asked for the location of "fish children" the mice had not seen them

entering the kitchen the players had to deal with the mutating mice and the snake but quickly managed to defeat them with the other mices help and the pseudodragon entering the chimney and attacking from behind

the pseudodragon tried to convince the fire to help them if they gave it the entire hut to eat, the fire responded why stick to the hut if it could have the entire world

meanwhile hubertus, not learning from his mistakes, decides (on another failed mind roll) that it would be very smart to throw the magical water in the fire, despite the fire having told him earlier that he thinks the witch stores her energy in there, so now the fire is even more powerful and it starts to grow and destroy the hut more and more, causing trembles

the octopus uses its flashback to activate a spell roll the witch had given it to freeze and stabilize the area enough for them to find what they were looking for

they run to the study, activate the grandfather clock and the imp immediately stabs it to death/misfunction

in the bedroom they alert the witches hat and quickly realize its just an old man ranting nonsense about how he used to be the witches favorite and in his day and age people were respectful to their elders and and..

hubertus manages to convince the fire to keep it together for long enough to let him search for the box, which he allows since hubertus gave him all this power to eat

he uses his flashback to recall the information in the magic book about the ritual but decides not to finish the ritual

the fire lets it slip that there's a hidden room in the cellar and the witch typically opens it no problem,sometimes wearing clothes, sometimes not, the players asked if she was wearing a hat, so i though yeah sure why not make that the way to open the hidden door

the imp breaks open the chest and finds a lot of old letters, exchanges between two scholars of magic (unbeknownst to them: the target witch an their witch) which became more and more personal over time, and other personal items from the witch, decides that it should try and dress up as her, using hair bands and high heels, to convince the door to open, however decides to try it on the (non magical) storage room doors, while hubertus is left with the magical door

when the disguise did not work, the imp just breaks down the storage door, immediately gets attacked by the fairies but the octopus quickly defeats them with its ice powers

hubertus puts on the witches hat and asks it for help, accidentally helpful the hat tells him to be more respectful to the witches belongings, hubertus kindly asks the door to open, which it replies to by asking "the magic word, please", hubertus asks the hat for the magic word, it repeats "the magic word: please!" and the door opens, where hubertus finds the wooden box

the pseudodragon tries to rescue the cat, but it runs to hide under the bed, he learns about the target witches opinions on her covenant and annoyances and how she's fed up and looking for ways to influence them (a hint to what the witch wants to use the thing they steal for)

the octopus and imp try to find the catfish eggs and after some bad rolls and confusion about what fish babys look like just take every flask full of eggs

the gang manages to escape while the fire starts to envelop the entire cottage and grows and grows and grows, they run to the catfish which is reunited with its eggs, and many many many unidentified eggs he just adopts then and there, and he makes good on his promise to help them escape over the water

three of four decide on the way home to look at the content of the box and find a simple "I.O.U." written on paper their witch had given to the other witch (which she wanted to have retreived bevor her sister could make use of it to influence the covenant, binding vows between witches and all)

the familiars return home and use the i.o.u. to gain their freedom, which the witch happily gives, since it makes the voucher disappear for a good cause, and reveals she stupidly had given the promise to help in written form after the other witch had helped her proofread her dissertation

hubertus closed the session asking the witch if she can teach him which items are safe to feed to a fire and which arent, the "camera" panning up to reveal the fire ever growing in the distance

wonderful

---

we already talked about a continuation, the sequel being set some years after in an apocalyptic burned wasteland ruled by a manical stoner fire

but hey, their witch never had to keep her promise to the other witch ��� alternative things the goods couldve been was a recipe for brownies the other witch just refused to share or other silly things, i definitely didn't want it to be something that was actually powerful

[mightystargazer]

Another Year, Another Readinglist!

Not so many books in 2004, only 183!

1 Robert Jordan    The Fires of Heaven

2 Robert Jordan    Lord of Chaos

3 Robert Jordan    A Crown of Swords

4 Robert Jordan    The Path of Daggers

5 Robert Jordan    Winter's Heart

6 Robert Jordan    Crossroads of Twilight

7 Robert Jordan    Knife of Dreams

8 Robert Jordan    The Gathering Storm

9 Robert Jordan    Towers of Midnight

10 Robert Jordan A Memory of Light

11 Robert Jordan A Fire Within the Ways

12 Robert Jordan The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time

13 Dean Koontz The Bad Weather Friend

14 Drew Hayes The Case of the Damaged Detective

15 Drew Hayes The Case of the Haunted Haunted House

16 Drew Hayes The Case of the Felonious Faire

17 Jonathan Maberry Lullaby

18 Mark Tufo Devils Desk

19 Mark Tufo Devils Desk 2

20 Stephen King Revival

21 Will Dean The Last One

22 Jamie McFarlane Junkyard  Commandos

23 Jonathan Maberry Beneath the Skin

24 Jonathan Maberry Limbus Inc I

25 Jonathan Maberry Limbus Inc II

26 Jonathan Maberry Limbus Inc III

27 Jasper T. Scott Nightstalkers

28 Philip Fracassi A Child Alone with Strangers

29 Alan Dean Foster Quozl

30 Martha Wells All Systems Red

31 Martha Wells Artificial Condition

32 Martha Wells Rogue Protocol

33 Martha Wells Exit Strategy

34 Martha Wells Network Effect

35 Martha Wells Fugitive Telemetry

36 Martha Wells System Collapse

37 Alexander James The Woodkin

38 Erika Engelhaupt Gory Details

39 Scott Meyer Brute Force

40 Andy Weir The Egg and Other Stories

41 James R. Tuck That Thing at the Zoo

42 James R. Tuck Blood and Bullets

43 James R. Tuck Spiders Lullaby

44 James R. Tuck Blood and Silver

45 James R. Tuck Circus of Blood

46 James R. Tuck Blood and Magick

47 Douglas Michaels My Homemade Spaceship

48 K. Eason Nightwatch on the Hinterlands

49 Keith C. Blackmore Prequel

50 Keith C. Blackmore The Hospital

51 Keith C. Blackmore Omnibus

52 Keith C. Blackmore Well Fed

53 Keith C. Blackmore Make Me King

54 Keith C. Blackmore Mindless

55 Keith C. Blackmore Skull Road

56 Max Brooks Devolution

57 Scott Bartlett Mother Ship

58 Douglas E. Richards Unidentified

59 Grant Hendrix How to Sell a Haunted House

60 Javan Bonds Zombie Lake

61 Javan Bonds Zombie Island

62 Colson Whitehead Zone One

63 Ben Rock, Bob DeRosa Catcher

64 Jenny Kiefer This Wretched Valley

65 Rachel Aukes 100 Days in Deadland

66 Rachel Aukes Deadland's Harvest

67 Rachel Aukes Deadland Rising

68 Dustin Tigner Wrong Divinity

69 Ken Lozito Genesis

70 Ken Lozito Nemesis

71 Ken Lozito Legacy

72 Ken Lozito Sanctuary

73 Ken Lozito Discovery

74 Ken Lozito Emergence

75 Ken Lozito Vigilance

76 Ken Lozito Fracture

77 Ken Lozito Harbinger

78 Ken Lozito Insurgent

79 Ken Lozito Invasion

80 Ken Lozito Impulse

81 Ken Lozito Infinity

82 Ken Lozito Expedition

83 Douglas Preston Extinction

84 Jen Williams The Hungry Dark

85 Keith C. Blackmore Breeds

86 Keith C. Blackmore Breeds 2

87 Keith C. Blackmore Breeds 3

88 Richard Laymon Resurrection Dreams

89 Scott Sigler Alive

90 Scott Sigler Alight

91 Scott Sigler Alone

92 Anthony Melchiorri Sunken Spaceship

93 Joshua T. Calvert The Object

94 Jonathan Maberry Threshold

95 Jonathan Maberry What Rough Beast

96 Jonathan Maberry Destroyer of Worlds

97 Doucette, Gene The Apocalypse Seven

98 Earl Swift Hell Put to Shame

99 Peter Beagle I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons

100 Russell James Atoll X

101 Eric R. Asher Mason Dixon Monster Hunter

102 Steven Bird EREBUS

103 Zach James Occupant

104 Brian Evenson Immobility

105 Christopher Golden All Hallows

106 Earl Swift Hell Put to Shame

107 Luke Walker The Kindred

108 Tony Moyle The Limpet Syndrome

109 Tony Moyle Soul Catchers

110 Tony Moyle Dead Ends

111 Greig Beck Beneath the Dark Ice

112 Greig Beck Dark Rising

113 Greig Beck This Green Hell

114 Greig Beck Black Mountain

115 Greig Beck Gorgon

116 Greig Beck Hammer of God

117 Greig Beck Kraken Rising

118 Greig Beck Void

119 Greig Beck From Hell

120 Greig Beck Dark

121 Greig Beck the well of hell

122 Greig Beck The Silurian Bridge

123 Dean Koontz The Big Dark Sky

124 Jonathan Maberry Zombie CSU; The Forensic Science

125 Stephen King You Like It Darker

126 Michael Cole Creature from the Crevasse

127 Mike Alread Universally Screwed

128 Simon R. Green The Best Thing You Can Steal

129 Taylor Caldwell Wicked Angel

130 Tony Urban Hell On Earth

131 Tony Urban Road Of The Damned

132 Tony Urban The Ark

133 Tony Urban I Kill The Dead

134 Tony Urban Red Runs The River

135 Zach James Occupant

136 Codie Crowley Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch

137 Hannah J. Tidy Horror Stories

138 Jack Campbell Vanguard

139 Jack Campbell Ascendant

140 Jack Campbell Triumphant

141 Jack Campbell Dauntless

142 Jack Campbell Fearless

143 Jack Campbell Courageous

144 Jack Campbell Valiant

145 Jack Campbell Relentless

146 Jack Campbell Victorious

147 Jack Campbell Dreadnaught

148 Jack Campbell Invincible

149 Jack Campbell Guardian

150 Jack Campbell Steadfast

151 Jack Campbell Leviathan

152 Jack Campbell Boundless

153 Jack Campbell Resolute

154 Jack Campbell Implacable

155 Michael Cole Crab Attack

156 j.n. Chaney Undead Marine

157 Nick Clausen Dead Meat

158 Dean Koontz The Forest of Lost Souls

159 Mark Tufo Zero

160 Mark Tufo Zombie Fallout

161 Mark Tufo A Plague Upon Your Family

162 Mark Tufo The End

163 Mark Tufo Dr. Hugh Mann

164 Mark Tufo The End Has Come and Gone

165 Mark Tufo Alive in a Dead World

166 Mark Tufo 'Til Death Do Us Part

167 Mark Tufo For The Fallen

168 Mark Tufo An Old Beginning

169 Mark Tufo Tattered Remnants

170 Mark Tufo Those Left Behind

171 Mark Tufo Etna Station

172 Mark Tufo Dog Days of War

173 Mark Tufo The Perfect Betrayal

174 Mark Tufo The Trembling Path

175 Mark Tufo Sifting Through the Ashes

176 Mark Tufo Hiraeth

177 Mark Tufo The Lost Journals

178 Mark Tufo Altered Destinies

179 Mark Tufo Unearthed

180 Mark Tufo Shores of Despair

181 Mark Tufo Burden of Time

182 Mark Tufo Bridging the Gap

183 Mark Tufo The Broken Road

[chrysanthemum9484]

Jason stared at the meta who saved the groceries after they bumped into each other, preventing the eggs from breaking on the pavement.

He had hair as black as Duke's shadows when using his umbrakinesis, eyes bluer that Superman's. But he knew the meta isn't a Kryptonian and a runner's/swimmer's build. He felt as though he was touched by what makes the Lazarus Pits work and none of the bad things making them up. He felt cleaner than the pits.

He also got the 'same hat' vibes. Which is beyond strange because this is the first time anyone has given Jason those vibes and he has traveled a lot and met a lot of people.

"Thanks for saving the groceries." Jason mutters, brining them both out of their stupor from bumping into each other.

'He is hot!' thinks Jason.

'He is an in-between walker!' thinks Danny.

"You are welcome." Says Danny just as dazed.

Jason blinks once, twice before realising that the meta in front of him isn't from Gotham, "You aren't from around here, are you?"

Danny laughed, "Yeah. What gave it away?"

"Your accent. You don't sound like someone from Gotham." Answered Jason after clearing his throat.

Danny smiled, finally letting Jason get the groceries back, "Yea. I am visiting a friend."

Then they started walking in the same direction.

"..."

"..."

"It appears that we are headed in the same direction." Noted Danny.

"Indeed." Agreed Jason.

...

Danny and Jason stared at the apartment they knew they both wanted to visit.

"Say... Who did you say was your friend?" Asked Jason after a minute of awkward silence.

"Tim Drake. A mutual friend came over yesterday and complained about the lack of proper food... Which includes simple bread and butter." Said Danny while showing Jason his bag of groceries and that it contained simple foods and simple ingredients and some meat.

Jason stared at Danny before ringing the bell of the apartment.

"Sam if that is you I will pull out the herbicide and put it in your water!"

Danny snickered before yelling back at his best friend, "No, T. It's a me, Danny!"

"I take it Sam is that mutual friend?" Asked Jason.

"Yep. What about you?"

"Tim is my younger adopted brother." Said Jason before banging on the door, "Open up already replacement!" Which got him a raised eyebrow.

Then they heard a crash, a squeak and some unidentifiable sounds. Then the door opened, Tim looking like his worst nightmares had become reality.

"Uh... Hi. Danny. Jason. C-come in."

Danny was immortal... Yeah a shocker right? Well here is the thing. Danny unlike Vlad walks the line between life and dead. He is a pure halfa and he gets the best of both worlds. For example ghosts are immune to human illnesses and humans are immune to ghost illnesses and as such Danny is immune to both ghost and human illnesses. His ghost half protects him from dangerous to his human half substances. His human half helps his ghost half form resistance to Blood Blossoms even if it takes a few good years. And so on and so on.

But most importantly he is immortal. No one walks the line between life and death and stays with regular human lifespan.

Danny had been a hero for over 10 years before he retired. He was simply no longer needed. And when new human villains popped up new heroes popped up as well before Danny had the chance to decide if he wanted to return from retirement.

Danny thought that he was the only in-between walker until he met him. Jason Todd-Wayne. He was young. Young enough to be Danny's grandson. But age didn't matter for in-between walkers. They were immortal after all. What really came as a surprise though was that Jason had no ghost half. He was more like a liminal ability wise yet he walked the very same line Danny does.

Also it came to Danny as no surprise that Jason and his fam are heroes. After all it takes a special kind of person (hero, villain, something in between) to to make someone an in-between walker.

What did catch him by surprise is that absolutely everyone connected to the Batfam thought that he was a civilian. A regular human. Despite the fact that he never actually hid even if he didn't use his abilities when he didn't need to. If he had to he would use them but otherwise no he won't.

Naturally the illusion was broken when he used his abilities. When Ra's Al Ghul thought that it would be funny to capture all of the bats and torture them. Of course Danny has to arrive in his entire Phantom glory. And he has had a century to polish the fighting style he cultivated while being a hero for 10 years.

Ra's never stood a chance. Not against a in-between walker, not against Phantom who has trained across the timelines because Clockwork decided to send him on extended missions. Yes, Ra's has lived for longer, experienced more than Danny will be able to imagine for a while but he has been defeated by Batman more than once, Batman who is a regular human and a child when compared to Ra's. Danny just like Batman is a child when compared to Ra's but he just like the caped detective easily defeats Ra's. But most importantly Danny's body holds more power than Superman's possibly ever could.

So naturally Danny almost literally wiped the floor with Ra's. And that alarmed the Bats and the Birds. An overpowered meta just moped the floor with Ra's when even Superman would be hard-pressed to do so. And the meta clearly did that effortlessly too.

[bluepoodle7]

#TheLegendOfZeldaWindWaker#WindWaker #ToonLink #VideosIRemember#Nostalgia #VidsILike#MyThoughts

Just some vids I liked and using this screenshot of windwaker/toon link holding that glowing rock communicator as a place holder image.

I remember seeing this glowing rock communicator and wondering if it shows up again in the game but my guess is that it was dropped later in the game.

Image and video not mine but link is there.

27:02

The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition (Wind Waker Demo) (youtube.com)

I wanted a gif of Toon Link pulling out the glowing rock communicator out his pocket.

https://gifmaker.me/video-to-gif/viewimage/20241003-09-ySkn5LM6y8GysmIo-cOXtl3-hnet

All unlockable secrets guide: Mad Mode, Swimmer Mode, Big Eyes, etc. - Blue Stinger (Dreamcast) - YouTube

Illbleed- Side A (Michael Reynolds') - YouTube

Blue Stinger- Side B (Shinya Nishigaki) - YouTube

Klonoa: Door to Phantomile- Side A - YouTube

Klonoa on vinyl - YouTube

18 juin 2024 - YouTube

EGG ON PUPPY COIN BANK #toys #trending #youtubeshorts - YouTube

Dog House Money Saving Box Money Bank For Kids Beautiful(Purple Lucky Dog) | eBay

Tatsuro Yamashita - 08. Your Eyes - YouTube

Keyboard Glep (youtube.com)

Roundabout by Yes (to be continued meme music) - YouTube

Yes - Roundabout (Original 1971) - YouTube

This song gives me Animal Crossing vibes like walking around your town just chilling out maybe with a sunset in the background.

Date of Birth- greenish - YouTube

This song gives me N64DD vibes like from Mario artist talent studio.

Date of Birth- alien in the dream - YouTube

Chimera's Gettin' a Pizza (youtube.com)

Nightmare Ned - The Puberty Song! (Fan Art) - YouTube

Nightmare Ned Game - Uvula Song - YouTube

My favorite house music track so far.

Feels like walking down a street by yourself just wandering in a town.

Riviera Love Affair/Reuse 35 - YouTube

Way To Paradise - YouTube

Pretty Ballerina - YouTube

Smoothly Love/Reuse 929 - YouTube

This gives me Sonic stage vibes like on the Sega Genesis.

The Big Babbler/Original Archive Version - YouTube

A helpful guide to working with your Realtor! (Analog Horror short based on House Hunted) (youtube.com)

This sounds like a old black and white cartoon that has song lyrics in it.

Ritzy Glitzy Mitzi - YouTube

Sweet Home - YouTube

From Now On/Heavy Bass Booster Version - YouTube

Please Stay With Me - YouTube

Farewell My Love - YouTube

Sounds like Cuphead tutorial music to me.

Butterfly - YouTube

Found this video but don't know if the voice is AI or not.

Take the risk. - YouTube

DHDJykfyo:#{)90eDJlv883SVHO98hosonJ99u{=¢∆mxkksklalSBO•√¢÷¢×¶%I8JSjjsksoozox - YouTube

Can you remember data without a face? PC Shift (youtube.com)

I like it that in Illbleed there are three patterns the game will randomize in with the shock events moved around in different places.

Seems to me the A, B, and C patterns are mixed up so player wouldn't know which traps are on easily.

Illbleed Speedrun Tutorial Stage 4: Killer Department Store - YouTube

Illbleed - Let it Bleed (youtube.com)

ILLBLEED - MrCantinfla - YouTube

I like this person's character model like it's corrupted.

Yet another dream was cast (René plays Illbleed part 5) - YouTube

Illbleed Hidden Minigame TOP SCORE - YouTube

Worst customer service - YouTube

🎮 Super Nintendo controller you've never seen before - YouTube

My favorite Nightmare Ned track and I didn't know it had lyrics.

Nightmare Ned -- Balloon World (deleted song) - YouTube

I hope someone finds this song.

Unidentified Song - (“Jenny”) - YouTube

[BIG DREAMS] - As For Dreams x BIG SHOT Mashup (youtube.com)

Ongezellig (Part 1 + 2) - YouTube

The Best Web Animation You Never Seen - YouTube

Above The Clouds: A Lost Song From a Pirated DVD - YouTube

Templeton Thompson - This One’s Gonna Fly (2011) - YouTube

This song is pretty good and so is the Letter to Juliet movie to bad it is obscure.

You Got Me - Colbie Caillat - Lyrics (youtube.com)

IXxuSmw2HFNWXLUyJFO7xKIT3E7diFUSa86wgFiMI413xtfZga5hClZ/AgdzP33dhpj+0qc1d5sK2jyH5EqK6g== - YouTube

Spoiled Soda :3 (youtube.com)

All SPECIAL HORROR EVENT scares [ILLBLEED] - YouTube

My favorite song from Dynamite Headdy.

Dynamite Headdy OST: Sega Genesis - 21 - I Sing - YouTube

When I heard the bad news about the Magiswords man and it slapped me back to the third joke in this video from the incomplete Oney Plays Illbleed let's play where they are on the woodpuppets level and saying that the dad isn't free from what he did.

Oney Plays Animated: Pillopio Roleplay... 1 + 2 + 3 - YouTube

Maybe have Prohyas be Pinocchio say that to the creator that he isn't free from what he did.

If I knew how to animate I would.

Oney Plays Animated: Pillopio Roleplay... 3 - YouTube

Someone found the Dog of Bay Ps2 game ost with English lyrics.

I wish this weird game was on steam or ported to other consoles.

Dog of Bay Sing-along OST - YouTube

知性のゆめにっき - YouTube

Continental House Shaped Stress Ball - YouTube

Title Theme - Kirby's Pinball Land (youtube.com)

Marth's Huge Grab (and why it's completely fine) - YouTube

Finale (Unused Mix) - Undertale - YouTube

Finale - Undertale - YouTube

Song That Might Play When You Fight Sans (OST Version) - Undertale - YouTube

I watched this person's let's play and it was pretty good.

I like the review and explains the game.

Illbleed: Road to the True Ending (Sega Dreamcast) - YouTube

Welcome to Michael Reynolds Virtual Horror Land - Illbleed - YouTube

A certified Illbleed classic - YouTube

A Vlog in My Pants - Illbleed - YouTube

Illbleed (02/2001) - YouTube

Eyestrain Warning // Illbleed // Couture (youtube.com)

Fatboy Slim - Put It Back Together - YouTube

[Vinesauce] Vinny - DOODLE DIP - YouTube

[Vinesauce] Vinny - This is my Doodle Dip Time Capsule - YouTube

Vinesauce Vinny: Space Kids [The ATDQ Cut] - YouTube

This felt a early 2000's song that would be at the end of a Shrek movie before the Minions were a thing in the credits to me and this is my first video hearing this song.

[Vinesauce] Vinny (Pre-Stream) || Deep Doodle, Vinesauce Fan Games, Weirds - YouTube

SpaceKids Soundtrack (MS-DOS AdLib) (youtube.com)

This sounds like Johnny Bravo singing to me.

I Feel Love (Fantastic Plastic Machine Remix) - YouTube

Some really good FPM remixes.

FPM Remix Works Best Mega Mix mixed by okadada - YouTube

FPM Best Mega Mix mixed by okadada - YouTube

I wish Mischief Makers was ported to the switch or the new Nintendo console with Dynamite Headdy.

Mischief Makers - Trouble Maker - YouTube

The Jerma he looks like Freddy Fazbear noise in this video gave me Illbleed sfx vibes.

Now I want both noises side by side.

Jerma- You look like Freddy Fazbear - YouTube

Illbleed fright/shock SFX - YouTube

Found this T-Rex ninja turtles like cartoon.

The adventures of T-Rex 1.1 - YouTube

Kirinji - Goodday Goodbye (FPM Mix For Nightfly) - YouTube

A look back at Crazy Games and Shinya Nishigaki - YouTube

Been looking for this FPM song.

Kenji Jammer - Daddy's Delight (FPM Talker Vocal Mix) - YouTube

This one is a great FPM mix.

松田聖子 / あなたに逢いたくて (FPM MIX for Lovers) - YouTube

【That Handsome Devil】Charlie's Inferno【English Lyrics】 - YouTube

Friday Night Funkin' - V.S. Mike The Hardcore + Awesome [Mike & Melissa] - FNF MODS [HARD] - YouTube

Friday Night Funkin' - Khonjin House (One-Shot) - FNF MODS [HARD] - YouTube

Blue Khonjin House/Supermental Remix [Friday Night Funkin] (youtube.com)

John doe fnf fan song: sliced - YouTube

Charlie's Inferno (That Handsome Devil Remix) (youtube.com)

This song is really good and the artstyle gives me OK KO vibes with the sound of this song.

nobonoko - Sylvester the Cat (Lobinho Telesoccer 3000) - YouTube

This cool Spongebob music video.

네, 선장님! - YouTube

A Not So Joyful Lobotomy - A Chicken Little Instrumental Fan Song (youtube.com)

Randomly found this and I love the luscious listings name and it gives me REALTORs monster house dating vibes like that would be another website name for it.

I know it's Kurtis Conner faceless channel.

The Most Ridiculous Houses You'll Ever See - YouTube

The "Faceless YouTube Channel" Plague

Khonjin House like channels.

Ruther Apartment Ep.1: Poptarts

JOUSE 1: Battle Tower (Upgraded) - YouTube

Opening Movie (In-Game Mix) - Eek! The Cat - YouTube

[steadypet101]

CW/TW: Loss of family member mention, c**cer mention, de*th mentioned, self doubt, and long post

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"The Drake's Mother's Day memorial"

The family of three take a time of remembering of their wife and mother, Nancy Drake. Before her death, she was a fun-loving, free-spirited, and kind person who wanted to change the world with kindness. It has been three years since she died from cancer. But her family can't let her legacy and spirit die, for they know that she is always with them no matter what.

History:

Nancy Williams was born in New York City. She first met her husband Ned when they were in college. Soon, they got married and had two daughters together. She was once a most promising employee at the TCRI and a loyal partner to Cynthia Utrom. They work together and they work on science together. While Nancy wanted to work with science for good, she had no idea that her boss wanted to work on science to create mutant armies and for evil.

One day, Utrom overheard Nancy that she was planning to have another baby. A second sibling for her first child, Susie, to bond with. Utrom, who has a top secret experimental fertilized egg she has been working on and wanted to test on it on a human being, reaches out to her trusted employee and informs her that she is willing to help her to go out with another healthy pregnancy by being part of the IVF program. She lied to Nancy by saying that many women came up to her and asked for her help when they couldn't conceive babies of their own. Nancy believes her, and she and her husband have agreed to let Utrom do her work. The process was a success. Nine months later, they have a second daughter, Tiffy. No one in the family knew she had telekinetic and mental abilities until she was at least 6 years old. It was from that moment on that they believed that she was blessed with a gift, not knowing she was a weapon for Utrom and a pawn for her own army.

11 years later, after the death of former employer Baxter Stockman, Nancy overlooked and overheard what Utrom's plans about mutating animals and re-engineering their genetics to create an army of mutants and Tiffy was her main goal to create mutant children as weaponry. Nancy confronts her boss about this, telling her that this was not their work. Utrom then threatened her not to speak any of this to anyone, not even her detective husband. Angry, Nancy wants no part to any of this and out of the work. Before she left the building, she took all the file evidence and took lots of photos to show proof to the news media and to the police of what Utrom was doing. Utrom, who already saw Nancy from the surveillance cameras, did the most despicable thing; she shot her now, formerly trusted employer with a small dart on the back of her head with a chemical that has enough radiation to give her a brain tumor. Feeling dizzy, Nancy passes out and collapses, and Utrom calls the ambulance to rush her to the hospital, claiming that she had passed out for no reason while destroying all evidence that traces back to her. Waking up from the hospital, Nancy had no memory of what she saw and heard from her former boss and what she was planning to do with the mutant army, but all she knew was that she needed to protect her family from her. She has not returned back to her old job since and wanted to become a stay-at-home mom.

A couple of months later, after Tiffy's 12th birthday, Nancy suddenly got sick and became ill, and the family was all worried about her. They went to the hospital to figure out what's going on, and the doctors confirmed that Nancy had an unidentified brain tumor inside of the back of her brain. She has gone through chemo therapies, but she's not showing any signs of getting better, and it concerns her, the rest of her family, and hospital staff. They were all saddened when they were told by the staff that Nancy had a few months to live. The Drake family spend their final moments with her before she stays at the hospital due to her brain tumor quickly spreading and feeling more weak and sick. Before she passes away, she told her husband, two daughters, and the rest of their family members that she loves them all very much and everything will be okay as they knew when she passes on, she's no longer suffering and will be with God as they're a Christian family. She died in her deathbed a few days later. The funeral was made for her a week later, and the Drake family became even closer than ever. Even though they have no idea what kind of brain tumor that killed Nancy, all they know is that she's at peace.

Tiffy has more guilt than anyone could have known. She believes that it was all her fault that her mother had cancer and died. She knew she was special, but she thought that was the reason her mother was gone. She blamed herself for being born for three years, and her family helped and reminded her that it wasn't her fault. But later, she realized that none of this was her fault for she would soon discover that she was born her extraordinary powers for a reason. She will help with the Ninja Turtles, April, her sister, and her two friends to stop Utrom from her evil plans and to make sure no animal or humans will be weaponized. She will avenged her beloved mother.

To celebrate Mother's Day without Nancy, Ned has a Virgil and prayers for his late wife with his two daughters by his side. They would make Mother's Day poems and letter for her and remind her how much she means the world to them. The three have missed her dearly every day. Ned would cook himself and the girls a special family dinner to celebrate her life and for Mother's Day, knowing that Nancy will always be there with them.

Sorry if none of this story makes any sense. I hope y'all like this.

[ufo-thetimesareripe]

UFO Disclosure - Mexico vs USA: The Hunt for Extraterrestrial Truth

Introduction:

In recent years, the interest in UFOs and the possible presence of extraterrestrial life on Earth has reached unprecedented levels. While debates about the authenticity of such sightings continue to dominate discussions, a recent hearing held in Washington D.C. on July 26, 2023, has raised further questions on the matter.

During this hearing, three high-level witnesses presented compelling evidence of the existence of unidentified flying objects (UFOs), paving the way for a possible official disclosure.

Alleged Alien Remains in Mexico:

Meanwhile, the Mexican Congress has been the stage for another significant development in UFO research. Mexican journalist Jaime Maussan presented alleged evidence of alien remains to the Congress. One of these artifacts underwent rigorous scientific testing, including X-rays and CT scans. The results of these analyses have raised the hypothesis that the artifacts could indeed belong to alien mummies.

But which country, Mexico or the United States, will make the first official announcement?

Sightings in the United States:

The recent revelations from the United States Department of Defense have shaken the world. U.S. military pilots have confirmed the authenticity of UFO sightings, emphasizing that the characteristics of these objects could not be attributed to U.S. or any other nation's military technologies. The Pentagon itself has reported at least 291 UFO sighting reports in the past year, some of which describe high-speed maneuvers and unusual maneuverability.

The testimony of former pilots Graves and Frevor, supported by tangible evidence (including recorded sensor data), has raised a series of questions about the origins of these objects and has led many to wonder if the official announcement regarding the existence of extraterrestrial life may be closer than ever. Additionally, the indictment made by former Major David Grusch against the Pentagon for secretly holding non-terrestrial spacecraft and unidentified aerial phenomena bodies in their hangars and laboratories, with impeccable credentials, to be further explored in a SCIF (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility) closed-door meeting in November, adds further fuel to the fire and rekindles the hope of at least a cautious partial official admission that there is evidence that we are not alone in the universe.

The further analyzes of the mummies and the further declarations in the new hearing in November

Meanwhile, in Mexico, despite fierce criticism from Maussan's opponents regarding the exhibition of the Nazca mummies in the Mexican Chamber of Deputies, expert Jose de Jesus Zalce Benitez, following a live TV CT scan, states that the remains show no signs of assembly or manipulation and belong to a single skeleton. It has also been highlighted that one of the beings was alive and in gestation, suggesting the presence of eggs inside its abdomen. These discoveries have added further support to the theory that Earth is visited by extraterrestrial beings. Furthermore, the nature of the unusual metallic implants found on the bodies of the mummified creatures will be discussed in the upcoming Mexican congress. This could make a difference.

The Race for Official Announcement:

With the testimonies of UFO sightings in the United States and the discovery of alleged alien remains in Mexico, the question arises: which country will be the first to make an official announcement regarding the existence of extraterrestrial life?

In the immediate future, neither country is likely to make such an announcement, although the United States, having already conducted official hearings on the UFO topic, seems to be at the forefront of the search for truth. The past hearing in Washington demonstrated a commitment by the U.S. government to seek rational explanations for UFO sightings and to acknowledge the possibility of extraterrestrial presence on Earth, and the upcoming SCIF meeting in November could provide further impetus for positive developments in this regard. However, the forces at play, as there is a real war between those who are pro and those who are against, could slow down this process, particularly because if the Pentagon were to make an official admission after decades of lies on the subject, many, too many people would have to be held accountable for their criminal behavior. There are millions of dollars at stake that have been used for the development of Black Programs, derived from not-so-clean operations, and many would be called to answer, at various levels, both present and past. Not to mention the intimidations and killings that David Grusch briefly mentioned, targeting witnesses of such incidents.

Conclusions:

The UFO hearing in the United States and the authentication of the Nazca mummies are significant events that push us towards a possible, yet cautious and controlled, official disclosure regarding the existence of extraterrestrial life on Earth, in order to minimize the social impact such a revelation would have. Both countries appear to be actively involved in the search for truth and in providing plausible explanations for the sightings and evidence collected, despite numerous opponents on both sides.

It is difficult to predict which country might take the lead in making the first official announcement, as both have demonstrated a commitment to pursuing the truth about UFOs. However, regardless of which country takes the initiative, an official announcement regarding the existence of extraterrestrial life would have a significantimpact on society and our understanding of the universe. It would undoubtedly spark widespread debates, scientific exploration, and philosophical discussions about our place in the cosmos.

As we await further developments and the outcome of ongoing investigations, it is important to approach this topic with an open yet critical mind. The search for truth and the exploration of the unknown are essential aspects of human curiosity and progress. Whether the truth is revealed by Mexico, the United States, or another country altogether, the potential disclosure of extraterrestrial life would mark a pivotal moment in human history.

Oliviero Mannucci

[batboyblog]

2022 in antisemitic hate crimes. 

Jan. 2nd: a 26 year-old Hasid was chased and beaten in Williamsburg. He required several staples in his head.

Jan. 14: in front of a Haredi Orthodox shul in Midwood, a white woman wearing Uggs and an orange hoodie spat on an 8 year-old Jewish boy and made anti-Semitic remarks. The woman allegedly yelled — at a 2, 7, and 8 year-old child playing outside of a synagogue, mind you: “Hitler should have killed you all.” “I’ll kill you and know where you live.”

Jan 22: On Shabbat in Crown Heights around 1 AM, a Hasidic man told the NYPD that he was approached and punched in the face. It's being investigated as a hate crime.

Feb. 4: On Shabbat in Bedstuy, a man ran up to two Hasidic men and punched one of them in the head.

Another assault involving a Jewish victim was also reported that same night

Feb. 11: At least one religious Jew was attacked on Shabbat evening in Flatbush by a person in a hoodie. NYPD are investigating as a hate crime. "Video shows the attacker trying to intimidate the victim, then slapping him in the face, knocking off his yarmulke."

April 1: A group of assailants repeatedly punched and kicked a Hasidic man in Williamsburg. a blurry video appears to show the group striking the victim and shoving him against the side of the truck, where he collapsed, and the beating continued.

April 2: Three teens armed with a crowbar, a knife and a machete allegedly threatened six boys, ranging in age from 12 to 16, on the Upper West Side.

May 6: Two men punched and kicked a rabbi in Crown Heights while making anti-Semitic remarks.

May 10: A man in a hoodie ran up to and punched a Jewish man walking in Flatbush. The man allegedly said, "Free Palestine."

July 13: 3 men assault a Jewish father in front of his 5 year old child

Aug. 9: A 44 year-old Jewish woman at a subway station on the Upper East Side "was choked by an unidentified male suspect, who made antisemitic remarks to her while she waited on the subway platform of the No. 6 train at around 11:20 a.m." according to NYPD.

Aug. 20: Two ultra-Orthodox men were chased down the street in Williamsburg, and at least one was sprayed with a fire extinguisher (which contains major skin and eye irritants)

Aug. 22: A 27-year-old Hasid was slapped by a stranger on Lynch St. near Marcy Ave in Williamsburg at about 4:30 p.m., per NYPD.

Aug. 22: Two teenage boys and a teen girl harassed and then chased a 13-year-old Jewish boy off of a Staten Island bus, took the boy's yarmulke from of his head, and fled.

Sep. 13: A 58 year-old man in Far Rockaway was allegedly punched in the face by a man hurling antisemitic epithets. NYPD has arrested a 34 year-old suspect, per Hamodia.

Sep. 17: Female suspect verbally assaults a Hassidic man before slapping the hat (and Kippah) off his head

Oct. 23: A suspect on a bike road up behind an 18 year old Jewish man and knocked him down

Oct. 24: Three students standing outside their Yeshivah on Avenue L & East 18th Street, were pelted by eggs. The perpetrators screamed “Free Palestine" and forced the students to say it as well.

Nov. 3: an elderly Jewish man walking on Kingston Ave had water and garbage thrown at him.

Nov. 8: Three men fired a gel-based pellet gun at a Hasidic woman and her son. They have been charged with assault as a hate crime, assault, aggravated harassment, and criminal possession of a weapon.

Nov. 9: A group of 4 assaulted a Jewish man in Brooklyn, knocking off his streimel

Dec. 5: A father and his 7 year-old son were shot with a BB gun outside of a Staten Island kosher grocery store

I want to be clear that A) this is ONLY! inside of New York City B) is only assaults and not any other kind of hate crimes like harassment or threats or property crimes and finally C) this is one reporter's informal attempt to track this problem, she admits she thinks she missed some crimes, so this list should not be seen as an authoritative list.

[toxooz]

not fictional dumbasses related but i got covid AGAIN from my absolute shitass coworker since nov2020 so for the sake of record and idk education ig im gunna try?? to describe what everything tastes like to me now ever since like a year bc god only knows what the fuck is gunna happen to my taste and smell AGAIN within the next few days!!! :))))

- all fast food tastes like the same dull “grease” flavor is the only way to describe it, fries,chicken nuggets, burgers, pizza everything

-coffee( or any java flavor), cigarettes, any kind of wheat cereal, and weed all smell the same which is basically like old smoke 

-most if not all candy tastes like straight up bar soap or like i just sprayed perfume in my mouth

-chocolate tastes the same!! somewhat. the fancy expensive chocolate does, m&ms or snickers or anything like that has a faint “meat taste” which is the flavor that meat tastes like to me now 

-meat overall has a very strange sour kind of taste i cant put my finger on it ,ive heard others with long covid say it tastes rotten which i somewhat agree, ham is like the most sour tasting, chicken can be ok?? if i get it raw and cook it but like tv dinners or something forget it, turkey just tastes like it’s been sitting out for days as if its old and dusty idk, i think beef is the most tolerable of them

-all fruit just has a vague “fruit” taste and smell which doesnt quite taste like fruit at all, same with vegetables, asparagus and potatoes were the most identifiable so far

-pretty much most variously good smelling things just got reduced to a vague unidentifiable “good” smell which, again, doesn’t really smell that good like candles, air fresheners, shampoo conditioner, ect.

- with soda the flavors just kinda vanished and all thats left if the “base flavor” like all mountain dew tastes the same (except code red??? i think a lot of cherry flavored sodas pulled thru blessim)

-some things are just completely rearranged like fireball whiskey smells and tastes e x a c t l y like old spice deodorant, skunk smells like that “meat” smell but rlly gross and strong, mandarin oranges smell like formaldehyde which is the chemical used to preserve organisms for dissection, i know when i went over my friends house at some point and a rat died in his walls it literally smelled like soup to me???, golden puff cereal literally tastes like sour meat with some sugar on it 

- onions and garlic both have a particular smell and taste that i cannot stand now, it’s like onion But Somethings Wrong idk how to describe it but if i again make garlic from scratch it somewhat tastes fine

-i had to fight tooth and nail to enjoy eggs again but it still has this smell and taste to it that i have to consciously remind myself that yes this is an egg we like eggs remember eggs tastey

and on very rare blessed occasions some things smell and taste the same but overall i Was getting more accustomed to everything or kind of being about to taste the original taste if i think about it hard enough which thats another thing that sucks absolute ass is remembering what something used to taste like but you just    cant taste it anymore?? as if theres a part of my brain that locked me out of that i used to be able to get to or going into autopilot and getting something i like only surprise!! this tastes disgusting now and u just wasted money :) so yeah im predicting my smell and taste will vanish again within the next few days and come back a whole new confusing horror that i have to figure out how to live with and as for the lung problem and brain fog as of rn i feel like theres like a thin layer of Something covering my trachea?? it might go away idk from the last rodeo my lungs and Functioning Brain kinda already suck now so idk what the hell else is gunna happen to them now

[hurglewurm]

C- Can I read the coraline essay 😳?

ok but it’s Long so i’m putting most of it under a cut

lmao ahem. 

Promises of the Womb

Neil Gaiman’s Coraline presents a horror that takes the form of what is often the most comforting: a mother, and a home. The novel’s protagonist, the eponymous Coraline, is nearing the cusp of adolescence, and therefore slowly exiting the dependence that children have on their parents. As she struggles with the new distance between her and her parents, she also faces the Other Mother and the Other World, which invite her to re-enter her childhood state of dependence on her mother (only now her Other Mother)—to accept and become part of the space that the Other Mother has created, and thereby be reintegrated into the metaphorical womb. Because Coraline is of a liminal age, neither a helpless child nor yet an adolescent, reintegration into the metaphorical womb is both revolting and somehow appealing; revolting in how it would disintegrate Coraline’s identity and selfhood, and yet appealing in its promise of never again facing the stress of growing more independent and separate from her mother. 

The novel opens with Coraline in her original world, where she, as a child, feels silenced by adults, who do not make efforts to recognize her identity. This is especially seen in the mispronunciation of her name, which David Rudd identifies as a factor of Coraline’s “frustration of feeling neglected” by the adults around her (Rudd 164). Coraline often ineffectually protests: “It’s Coraline. Not Caroline. Coraline [….] I asked you not to call me Caroline. It’s Coraline” (Gaiman 2), only for her neighbours to continue calling her “Caroline”. Chloé Germaine Buckley argues further that the collective inability of her neighbours to say her name correctly signals that “ ‘Coraline,’ the ‘child,’ is a particularly tricky, unstable construct” (Buckley 71), and that she exists to them as “a figure who always emanates from and belongs to the adult imagination” (71), meaning they assume to know how she feels and what her name is based on their own expectations as adults speaking to a child. Coraline’s struggle being tied to her age is made explicit in her conversation with the police officer over the phone, and she “trie[s] extra hard to sound like an adult might sound, to make him take her seriously” (Gaiman 52); Coraline is aware of her age and how it makes people perceive her, and this frustrates her all the more, as she cannot do anything about it. 

In the Other World, however, this struggle is conspicuously absent, as Other Mr. Bobo and Other Misses Spink and Forcible speak Coraline’s name correctly before she even gives it to them; Other Mr. Bobo says, “Hello Coraline” when he sees her (30), and Miss Spink invites her on stage and says, “Now, Coraline, […] what’s your name?” (40). Furthermore, the Other World paints itself as appealing to Coraline by how much attention she gets from the adults there, particularly the Other Mother; despite Coraline’s wanting not to be treated as a child by the police officer, the Other World functions to soothe and contest the “fear that the increasing independence her real parents demand of her amounts to rejection and abandonment” (Gooding 396), as Richard Gooding puts it. While the real world simultaneously dismisses her for her youth and demands independence of her for her being suitably old enough to warrant it, the Other World provides an alternative: Coraline is invited to embrace her youth, to reside in a child’s bedroom with walls painted “in an off-putting shade of green and a peculiar shade of pink” (Gaiman 28), to play with “[a] whole toy box filled with wonderful toys” (28), and to wear “dressing-up clothes” and costumes that “she would love to have hanging in her own wardrobe at home” (67). In short, Coraline is invited to integrate into the space the Other Mother has created for her, free of the pressures of growing up, and to become her daughter: to take her place permanently in the Other Mother’s womb. 

Viewing the Other World as womb-like in more than a strictly metaphorical sense requires a certain putting aside of the novel’s descriptive language taken from Coraline’s perspective, which largely describes the Other characters as bug-like as they start to devolve: Miss Spink and Miss Forcible’s bodies are mashed together inside of a sac like a “spider’s egg case” (99), “stuck to the back wall like a slug” (98); the Other Father is “pale and swollen like a grub with thin, sticklike arms and feet” (108); Mr. Bobo is likened to an “enormous dead insect” (116); and the Other Mother is described as distinctly spider-like, with skin “the colour of a spider’s belly” (126), a predator to all the others. Rudd plays on the spider imagery in his article, describing Coraline as being in danger of becoming “trapped in the ‘other mother’s’ web, and ultimately absorbed” (Rudd 160). However, the bug-like descriptors are relegated to similes, meant to evoke emotions in the reader but not necessarily a strict likeness to bugs—in fact, the Other Mother’s eating of bugs (crunching) is not at all reminiscent of how a spider would trap its prey and liquefy it before consumption, and Buckley presents the Other Mother as having rather “predatory bird-like characteristics” (Buckley 66). 

It is in looking at the Other characters in the novel that the fetal elements become more apparent, painting the space where they reside as a womb. Gooding quotes Karen Coats in describing “the degenerate forms of Miss Spink and Miss Forcible” which now “resemble fetuses, suggesting an ‘infantile state of undifferentiation’ ” (Gooding 399), as they have “melted and melded together into one ghastly thing” (Gaiman 100). The Other Father, grublike though he may seem, is certainly no bug: his body is malleable like “pale clay” (109), and his most frightening aspect seems to be his mouth, which “open[s] in the mouthless face, strands of pale stuff sticking to the lips” (108), recalling a notion of Kristevian abject. Julia Kristeva defines the abject as “what disturbs identity, system, order. What does not respect borders, positions, rules” (Kristeva 4): the Other Father’s transgressive mouth, creating an opening in his body where there was none, is an example of this. The unidentified “strands of pale stuff sticking to the lips” further the feeling of abjection, as this substance is never properly identified—it could be parts of his amorphous clay-like flesh, or, if we explore the womb-like space and the process of reproduction, it could be breastmilk or semen. 

The Other World evokes abjection, as it does not respect the boundaries between bodies, as seen with Misses Forcible and Spink, with Mr. Bobo when his body becomes rats, and with the Other Father, whose skin is “tacky, like warm bread dough” (Gaiman 109), much unlike a body’s boundary is expected to be. This abject feeling is aggravated by likening the Other World to a womb, as it disturbs Coraline’s identity both as a growing child (and not a fetus) and as having come from another’s womb. However, the Other World does seem to have some kind of order to it, following Gooding’s observation of the real world of the novel (which the Other World mirrors) as rather concerned with “things being under other things” (Gooding 393). If one views the Other World as a body, then the old man upstairs is the eyes, being made up of rats, which the Other Mother “uses […] as her eyes and hands” (Gaiman 73); beneath that live Misses Spink and Forcible and the Other Mother, residing in the womb-space—Spink and Forcible especially, existing in their fetus-like state in a sac of “sticky, clinging whiteness” (100), once again evoking the abject through suspicious possibly-bodily substances; and beneath that in the cellar resides the Other Father, the only male figure in the Other World (aside from Mr. Bobo, who is made of rats, and the cat), taking the place of the genitals, as the hidden secret below. 

Furthering the notion of abjection and fluid boundaries, the idea of integration is at the core of the Other Mother’s desire for Coraline, as the cat explains: “ ‘She wants something to love, I think,’ said the cat. ‘Something that isn’t her. She might want something to eat as well. It’s hard to tell with creatures like that’ ” (Gaiman 63). For the Other Mother, to love and to consume are synonymous, as ultimately she would break down the boundaries between her body and Coraline’s and absorb her. It is impossible to say whether the Other Mother has a true stomach or a true womb, but I would argue that they would function in the same way: to hold something other than herself within her own body, and to integrate it until there is nothing remaining of its original selfhood. The result of such a process is seen in the ghost children trapped in the mirror, who warn Coraline: “She [the Other Mother] kept us, and she fed on us, until now we’ve nothing left of ourselves, only snakeskins and spider husks” (83). The ghosts are “faraway and lost” (81), unable to remember their names or even what gender they were in life, and Gooding asserts that the novel hinges on Coraline not becoming one of the ghosts by resisting integration with the Other Mother—on a more psychoanalytic level, on her “capacity to surmount an infantile desire for permanent (re)union with the mother” and resist the “regressive desire to disintegrate her subjectivity” (Gooding 397, Buckley 74). Coraline’s ultimate choice to resist integration and maintain her selfhood and identity is integral to her escape, as only she can save herself from the Other Mother: as Rudd puts it, “in order for a person to take up their place in the world, distinct from the mother figure who once provided all and everything, the maternal must be set apart” (Rudd 166).

In the end, completing the likeness to a body and a womb, Coraline’s escape from the Other World requires traversing the passage between the two worlds, which is “described […] in terms of a birth canal” (166): the wall is “warm and yielding” when Coraline touches it (Gaiman 133), and moments later is “hot and wet, as if she had put her hand in somebody’s mouth” (133). By escaping the womb through the birth canal, Coraline essentially performs her own birth, the ultimate and inevitable separation from one’s mother. Back in the real world, Coraline must still rid herself of the Other Mother’s disembodied hand, and she does so by enacting a performance, “reverting to a younger self, to one that still plays with dolls [….] affect[ing] an innocence she no longer possesses” (Rudd 167), playing at the youth that the Other World invited her to retain forever. Coraline then buries the hand in a hole; according to Freudian theory, the fear/desire of being buried alive evokes the memory of being in the womb (Gooding 403)—just as the Other Mother buried and re-buried her own mother (Gaiman 91), Coraline traps her Other Mother “down into the darkness of the well” (157), in an inescapable womb. 

Coraline explores the horror of growing older and more independent from one’s parents, and frames this horror as the threat of losing one’s subjectivity by being reintegrated into the womb. The Other World presents itself as a space where Coraline can release her anxieties of being neglected by the adults around her by accepting her place in the womb, where she never has to grow up or be separate from her mother again—and yet, as a womb, the Other World is also where unfinished, fetal creatures reside, evoking feelings of abjection in both the reader and Coraline as her identity and selfhood are threatened, and she ultimately defeats the Other Mother by performing the very youth and innocence she no longer has and trapping the hand in another womb.

Works Cited

Buckley, Chloé Germaine. “Psychoanalysis, ‘Gothic’ Children’s Literature, and the Canonization of Coraline.” Children’s Literature Association Quarterly, vol. 40, no. 1, John Hopkins University Press, 2015, pp. 58-79.

Gaiman, Neil. Coraline. Harper Collins, 2008.

Gooding, Richard. “ ‘Something Very Old and Very Slow’: Coraline, Uncanniness, and Narrative Form.” Children’s Literature Association Quarterly, vol. 33, no. 4, John Hopkins University Press, 2008, pp. 390-407.

Kristeva, Julia. “Approaching Abjection.” Powers of Horror, translated by Leon S. Roudiez, Columbia University Press, 1982, pp. 1-27.

Rudd, David. “An Eye for an I: Neil Gaiman’s Coraline and Questions of Identity.” Children’s Literature in Education, vol. 39, no. 3, Springer, 2008, pp. 159-168.

[squawkoverflow]

A new variant has been added!

Purple Martin (Progne subis) © C. W. Wyatt

It hatches from blue, dark, distinctive, eastern, large, late, liquid, massive, natural, other, overall, several, similar, unidentified, variable, visible, and western eggs.

squawkoverflow - the ultimate bird collecting game          🥚 hatch    ❤️ collect     🤝 connect

[mythgirlimagines]

ANON-CORRECT QUOTES

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

(Context: Eldritch decided to confront Myth with some romantic advice...)

Myth: (swaggering towards her adoring fanclub) Watch and learn, Ritchie! This is how I charm the ladies~!

Myth: (flirtatiously waving) Catch you later, my little kittens!~

Fangirl 1: (swoons and faints)

Fangirl 2: (catches Fangirl 1) Keep it together!

Eldritch: (shocked, forming more conspiracy theories by the minute) I-I-Is she emitting p-poison g-g-gas or s-something?! C-Could it be n-n-nerve g-gas?! Th-There's no doubt a-about it! SHE'S DANGEROUS! W-We need to qu-quarantine M-Myth-senpai at once!

Source: Engaged to the Unidentified

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

Nerd: (angrily, after being told that he needs to sleep) BULLS***! I wasn't THAT sleep-deprived!

Scar: (deadpan, pulling up a Powerpoint presentation) Nerd-senpai, you were so sleep-deprived that you made a 14-page Powerpoint presentation on how Santa could beat Peter Pan in a fight.

Nerd: (just standing there, embarrassed as hell)

Curious: (smiling, in instant praise mode) I must say, you were really convincing.

Source: Texts From Last Night

Page Source: (http://www.textsfromlastnight.com/Text-Replies-14119.html)

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

Dream: (flexing one of her arms, in front of her salad, proudly) As a proud athlete, I've got to take good care of my figure!

Dream: (to Fusion, pinching his thin arms) Y'know, Fusion! You should probably take better care of YOUR figure! Any new lifestyle changes or diets, recently?

Fusion: (smiling, in front of his monstrosity of a breakfast) Well, I'm on a seafood diet! When I see food,...

Fusion: (smirking and ready to dig in) I EAT IT!

Source: Tiny Toon Adventures

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

(In an AU where The Baby Squad decided to host their very own crime-based podcast...)

Janon: (waving to Egg) See ya, Egg. We're heading to town right now to interrogate the murderer.

Iris: (brandishing an axe, cheerfully) We have an axe!

Egg: (skeptically) Hmm...seems like the kind of thing a responsible mother or father wouldn't want you doing...

Egg: (smiling and relaxing) Good thing I'm a non-binary parent!

Source: Gravity Falls

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

Fusion II: (to the other Anons) Okay, you guys. Da-FUSION and the other Brain Cells are going on a trip for 3 days. Can they leave you guys for that long?

The Non-Brain Cells: (in unison) YES!

Fusion II: (glaring at a couple of particular Anons) And can I trust you guys to not get into any trouble?

Wet Sock: (rooting through their bag) Yes, because...

Wet Sock: (pulling out a knife, with an evil glare) I know how to use a knife.

Source: Unknown

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

(Context: Sparkle decided to drag all of the Anons to a live theatre performance of "The Nutcracker", but some were not so happy about the arrangement...)

Wyre: (visibly grouchy)

Purple: (reassuring) Come now, Wyre-senpai. A fair bit of culture is beneficial towards one's mental aptitude.

Sparkle: (pensively) BESIDES, MYTH SAID THAT YOU ENJOYED "THE NUTCRACKER", DIDN'T YOU?

Wyre: (pouting) No, Sparkle. I didn't. "The Nutcracker" had ZERO physical comedy. And-And with a name like "The Nutcracker", I thought, "Oh, this'll be worth a few yuks!". But NO, Sparkle. That title wrote a check that those Anons on stage refused to cash!

Source: Family Guy

Video Source: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68eclKbyBUI)

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

Random Anon: (confused and very scared) Who are you?!...

The Fancy One/Mastermind: (smirking maliciously) I'm known by many names: Ultimate Despair, The Fancy One, Mastermind!~★

Random Anon: (attempting to crack a joke) I-Is one of them Evil Dirtbag With A Chainsaw?

The Fancy One/Mastermind: (stabs the Random Anon with a chainsaw) Yes! That one's my favorite.~★

Source: Five Nights at Freddy's: The Musical

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

I hope you like this week's quotes, and I'd love to hear what you think of them!

---

GOD I WISH I COULD BE THAT CHARMING

[underthewingsofthblackeagle]

The Murderess of the Grunewald (20): Secret Whitsun Holidays on Rügen (9): Sharing Joy and Suffering (6b)

“Kreidefelsen Rügen” / ”Chalk Cliffs of Rügen” by tlemens

Previously

Sunday night, Pentecost 2020, two days after Claire's release from prison

         The afternoon had passed by in flight. After settling on the old tree trunk, Claire wanted to let Bismarck off the leash. But Jamie held her back.

          "That's not possible, Claire."

          "Why not? He does not run away from us here! "

          "No, but it is forbidden to let dogs run free in a national park or in a nature reserve."

          "German laws," she sighed.

          "Yes, German laws," he sighed mockingly. Both started to laugh loud and heartily. Bismarck, who had been looking back and forth between them during the brief conversation, joined in yapping. Then he tried to jump onto the tree trunk where Claire and Jamie were sitting. But the trunk was round and smooth and so he slipped off again and again. Finally, Claire took pity on him. She picked him up and put him next to her. Meanwhile, Jamie had unpacked two large bottles of water from his backpack. The sandwiches they had bought at the fish market at the port of Lohme followed. Bismarck did not immediately see the rolls, but he smelled them and of course, he was no longer in his place. He jumped down from the trunk on which he eagerly had wanted to sit a few minutes ago. With a look that left no doubt that he had not received a single meal for weeks and was near starvation, he sat down right in front of his master's feet.

          "The fish on this sandwich is called Bismarck herring," Jamie said, "but that does not mean it's your sandwich."

          He held another sandwich in Claire's direction and looked at her questioningly. She nodded to him and took it. With the words:        

          "Ok, time to feed the predator!"

          Jamie grabbed the backpack again and got another, but smaller, water bottle out of it. He put a drinking device for animals on it and let Bismarck drink. Then he took a bag of dry dog food from the backpack and put it down in front of the pet. It only took a few moments for Bismarck to finish his meal. Jamie let him drink again, then grabbed his sandwich and began to eat. Bismarck made another attempt to get some of Jamie's lunch, but one look from his master was enough. The dog trotted back to Claire's side and lay down at her feet. Maybe this human had a little more compassion for a starving dog and if she did not give him anything voluntarily, maybe some crumbs would accidentally fall to the ground ... But nothing happened. When both had eaten the first sandwich and drank again, Jamie took two more sandwiches out of the backpack. Bismarck watched the scene closely. Jamie finished his second sandwich with only some big bites, but none of it had fallen off for him. Claire chewed slower and took longer for the second part of her lunch. As Jamie closed his eyes and stretched out to the sun, she quickly tore off a bit of the sandwich and dropped it right in front of Bismarck's snout. Only seconds later, the piece of bread - on which to Bismarck's joy was even left a little butter and a scrap of egg - had disappeared in his long snout.

          "Claire?" Jamie asked in a tone that reminded her of the character of a strict teacher in a 1950s film.

          "Yes, Dr. Fraser?" she asked, putting as much innocence in the tone of her voice as possible.

          Jamie opened his eyes and looked at her:

          "If you secretly feed the dog, then you should stop it from smacking. He reveals himself and you."

          "Dr. Fraser, do you remember? You are my lawyer, not my prosecutor."

          He did not answer, but pulled her close and kissed her. Claire took Bismarck and put him back on the log next to her. Then they all reached out to the sun and enjoyed the gentle breeze of the sea.

“Hühnergott (adder stone), Fundort: Unterhalb des Königsstuhls, Insel Rügen (found on location underneath the “King’s Seat” at the island of Rügen)” byCharlie1965nrw at the German language Wikipedia [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]

         An hour later they started their way back. As they walked along the beach, Claire collected a number of little things. At first, there were adder stones, then little colorful pebbles. Bismarck, who ran before her, danced around her every time she stopped for a new find. He would have liked to sniff out every part that caught her attention. Claire would have liked to know what the little black guy was thinking in those moments. Most likely, she would never know. But one thing was obvious: Bismarck seemed very sympathetic to her behavior. Maybe he saw in her curiosity and in her "hunting instinct" a small affinity? Each time Claire's hands were full, Jamie had to turn his back so she could pack her newly found treasures, which included more and more shells, into the backpack. When she came back for the first time with some small stones that looked like amber, he held her back.

“Bernstein * Ostseeküste” / “Amber * Baltic Sea” by mixmax9999

         "Claire! No! Do not do that! You can not just put that in the backpack!"

         "Why can’t I have this? It's amber! Or is there a strange German law speaking against it?" she asked startled and slightly annoyed.

         "You can take it with you, of course, but you have to put it in the metal box, which is in the outermost compartment of the backpack."

         "Why?"

         She looked at him blankly.

         "Because it could also be White Phosphorus."

         "White Phosphorus? But this stone is yellowish, almost brownish!"

         "Yes, but when White Phosphorus weathers, it also takes on those colors and then looks a bit like Bernstein."

          Jamie had put the backpack down and taken a metal box from the outermost pocket. He opened it and held it out to Claire. She put in the brown and yellowish stones she had collected. Once again she looked at him questioningly:

          "I don’t understand. Why should it be here on the beach ... "

          "That has something to do with the last war. On the island of Usedom, two hours by car east of here, during the last war, there was a so-called 'experimental station of the army'. It belonged to the German Wehrmacht and was under the command of the chief of the rocket department in the Army Weapons Department, a major general named Walter Dornberger. The technical management was in the hands of Wernher von Braun. I’m sure, you have heard of him before. After the war, the Americans resettled him and 120 other German specialists who worked there to the United States. His work and that of the other specialists became the basis for the later US missile and space program."

          Claire's eyes widened and Jamie took this as an indication that she was interested in more information.

"British Attack Plan for Operation Hydra" Extracts from the account of the raid on Peenemunde on 17 - 18 August 1943 by Captain John Searby, the Master Bomber on the raid. (AIR 20/4040) Operation Hydra, the raid on Peenemünde. Targets shown are: Experimental station B: Factory workshops C: Power plant D: Unidentified machinery E: Experimental facilities F: Sleeping and living quarters G: Airfield * by RAF photographer [public domain] via Wikimedia

         "In the military complex Peenemünde on Usedom the first functional large rocket with the name 'Aggregat 4' was developed and tested. After World War I, the Treaty of Versailles forbade Germany the construction of large canons. However, it said nothing about rockets. So they developed and built them. And von Braun succeeded in what no other human had done before. On October 3, 1942, the ballistic missile he developed completed its first successful flight, making it the first man-made object to penetrate into the outer space. That's why Peenemünde on Usedom is also known as the ‘birthplace of space travel'. The Nazis used the rocket, which they later called V2, as a so-called retaliatory weapon against Great Britain. They bombarded London and targets in southern England. Towards the end of the war, they also attacked Antwerp and Liege. On the night from the 17th to the 18th August 1943, Britain then launched the 'Operation Hydra'. Their air force bombarded Peenemünde with phosphorus bombs. At that time, an estimated 4,000 bombs were dropped. But not all bombs hit their targets ashore during this operation. Many landed in the waters of the Baltic Sea. Since then, they are corroding in the salt water. And in doing so, they release their contents, the dangerous White Phosphorus. But that's not all. After the end of the war, the Allies also decided that 85 percent of chemical weapons found in Germany should be sunk in the sea. Some time ago I saw an interview with an expert from the explosive ordnance clearance service on television. He said that it is estimated that up to 1.3 million tons of phosphorus-containing munitions are at the bottom of the North Sea and 300,000 tons in the Baltic Sea. As said, these weapons corrode and release their deadly cargo. Like amber, White Phosphorus has a low density. That's why it is flushed on the coast with the flow like amber. Here it settles down like amber, shells, adder stones or thunderbolts. White Phosphorus is highly toxic. Only 50 mg is enough to poison a human with deadly results. However, it takes a few days for that to take effect. But that is not the only danger emanating from it. Normally, it ignites when it is washed ashore at 20° C and then it burns off easily. However, if you accidentally collect White Phosphorus at lower temperatures or if it has just been washed ashore and you let it dry in the pocket of your jacket, for example, it connects with oxygen and begins to burn at a temperature of 1,300° C. You can only fight these flames with sand or a special fire extinguishers. Water is absolutely useless. The phosphorus in the firebombs was also mixed with natural rubber, creating a sticky, burning mixture that can’t be stripped off. It eats through the clothes into the body and burns the flesh down to the bone. In the past few years, there was a growing number of reports that people found old White Phosphorus during walks on the beach instead of amber. They then put the pieces in a jacket or a trouser pocket. But instead of bringing their finds home, they caught fire. Fortunately, some went without injuries. But others suffered severe burns. That's why it makes sense to transport stones that look like amber in a closed container, preferably made of metal. If necessary, you can also throw it away."

          "How do you know all that?"

          "Well, I've read a few books about the Baltic Sea and its islands. On the other hand, I told you that I'm a junkie when it comes to documentaries."

          Claire nodded. They had already talked about Jamie's interest in TV documentaries during their car ride to Rügen.

          "Today we have," Jamie looked at his smartphone, "18° C. That's not very cold, but it's still safer if we transport the stones in the metal box."

        He opened the box he had taken from his backpack again and held it out to Claire. She nodded and let some more stones she had collected while they were walking and talking slip into it.

“Rügen - Muscheln” / “Rügen - Shells”  by Zteven

          Then they continued on their way and arrived shortly afterward at the stairs at the 'Kieler Bach'. After a short break, emptying their drinking bottles, they began the ascent. When they got back up on the mainland, they hiked to the bus stop 'Welterbeforum', drove one stop on the bus, and then got on the bus that took them to the parking lot where they had parked their car.

          "Well," Jamie asked when they sat down, "do we want to go to dinner somewhere or do you want to go home?"

          Claire stretched.

          "The day was beautiful, Jamie," she pulled him close and kissed him on the cheek. "But I'm exhausted. Let's go back. Or don’t we have anything to eat at home?"

          "Sure," he replied as he started the engine and slowly drove off the parking lot, "lots of food. The whole freezer and the fridge are full."

          Fifteen minutes later, they reached their holiday home. Jamie let Claire in first and then he released Bismarck from the transport box. When Claire entered the house, Adso, who had obviously missed her, ran to her meowing. Bismarck, who ran into the house shortly thereafter, was probably not so much missed by Adso. Because he was first touched with the cat's claws and backed away. Claire went to the bathroom to freshen up. When she returned to the living room sometime later, Jamie had already ignited the fire in the fireplace. On the coffee table, some candles were burning, giving a warm glow. Next to them stood a jug of fresh tea and two cups.

          "Come here, sit down and rest a little," Jamie said. He came out of the kitchen and had a bowl of biscuits in his hand. Claire poured tea into the cups and handed one to Jamie. She drank and then grabbed some biscuits.

          "Are you very hungry?" he asked after she had finished the third biscuit and poured tea in his and her cup again.

          "Not so much," she replied and her answer was accompanied by a hearty yawn. Slowly, she let herself glide from the vertical to the horizontal and thus to the comfortable couch. Adso, who had already left his sleeping place on the windowsill a few minutes earlier and had sat down next to the coffee table, watched her attentively.

          "What would do you say," Jamie asked, "if I let you rest a little while I'm taking care of our dinner?"

          "I would say that's a very good idea, Dr. Fraser. But ..."

        "But?"

        "But I feel a little guilty. All the time you do something for me and I just lay here lazy ..."

        "Claire," he said softly as he gently stroked her hair, "you have gone through six exhausting months ..."

        "Says the man who worked for me six months around the clock," she answered, rolling her eyes.

        "That was my job and I got paid for it."

        "Ok, Dr. Fraser. The victory in the case of 'Fraser against the conscience of Claire Beauchamp' goes to you as well. I'm just too exhausted to engage in a legal discussion."

        "Good," he said with a smile. Then he got up, covered Claire with a light blanket, and headed for the kitchen. He passed Bismarck lying on his large beige dog cushion. The animal had its legs stretched out and snored audibly. Jamie smiled. The little greedy fur monster was too exhausted to follow him into the kitchen. As he quietly closed the kitchen door, Adso crept out from under the coffee table and sprang onto the sofa, slipping under the blanket at Claire's feet.

        An hour later, Claire woke up. On the way to the bathroom, she saw that the dining table was already set. As she passed the kitchen door, she heard Jamie hum. She could not tell what song it was. As always, he hummed completely free of all musicality. But in her mind's eye, she could see him smiling, and once again she wondered how this man had saved himself such humor tough the many battles that his professional life had brought upon him as she had observed first hand. 

         One hour later, minestrone and lasagna were eaten, the table cleared and the dishes stored in the dishwasher. Claire had taken a shower while Jamie and Bismarck went for a little evening walk. Afterwards, she had put herself in pajamas and dressing gown in front of the fireplace. Adso, who had been waiting for his chance, was walking slowly towards her and then lay down on the floor right in front of Claire. The request: "Pat me!" was obvious. When Jamie, also in pajamas and dressing gown, came out of the bathroom, Claire didn’t look at him. He sat down next to her and put his arm around her. As he tried to brush a strand of her hair behind the ear, he saw it: A trickle of tears made its way down her cheeks.          “Claire, mo chridhe,” he asked concerned, “what has happened?”

         She looked at him, her eyes red and full of tears, unable to say a word. So he took her in his arms and rocked her softly at his chest.  Later, he would not be able to say how long he had held her in his arms, stroked gently over her back and hair, whispering reassuring words in Gaelic. But it seemed to him like a little eternity. When she broke away from him and looked at him, she tried to say something, but she could only sob and again a stream of hot tears poured down her face. Carefully, Jamie dried her face with the hem of his dressing gown. Bismarck had come running when Claire started to cry. He had looked at her with wide eyes and then carefully teased her knee with his long nose. When she saw him, she started to sob again. Jamie looked at the dog and then pointed it back to his dog pillow with one hand. The animal went away but lay down on the big cushions so that he could keep an eye on what was happening in front of the fireplace. Jamie had noticed that the little body was tense. Bismarck would immediately be ready to jump up and run back to Claire to console or defend her. But as much as the dog's reaction pleased him, now it was time to focus solely on Claire. When she looked at him again, she seemed to have calmed down a bit.

         "Jamie," she began, her voice still uncertain, "it was such a wonderful day. I enjoyed every minute, every moment with you. But tomorrow we have to go back and ... I'm scared ... afraid that this is just a nice dream that will burst like a bubble when we get back to Berlin."

          Before he could answer, she went on:

          "And I'm scared ... I'm scared that I am not good for you ..."

          "What? Who says you are not good enough for me?" he asked in surprise.

          "No, I said I'm afraid that I will not do you good. My whole life is like that ... so dysfunctional, so out of order, so in confusion ... your life ... is just the contrary ..."

          Jamie laughed out loud and Claire looked at him in surprise.

          "Oh, Claire, my life has not always been so and even now not all is in order."

          He looked at her thoughtfully for a moment.

          "I think it's time I tell you more about me. But not now. We will do that tomorrow. Now we go to bed and rest. Only one thing I’ll tell you: If you don’t want to go home, that's no problem. I emailed Tessa and asked if we could have the house for the rest of the week, and she said it was okay."

          Claire's eyes widened and a little smile became recognizable on her face. Jamie kissed her on her forehead. Then he turned to the coffee table and blew out the candles. Claire had gotten up, but before she knew it, Jamie had taken her into his arms and carried her to the first floor. Bismarck and Adso followed