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dsandrvk · 10 months ago

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Sunday, February 18 - Polar Plunge and Skontorp Cove (Paradise Harbor)

What a day! We were supposed to scenic cruise down the Neumayer Channel but we were awakened to an announcement of Orcas off of the port bow, and we were dressed and on the deck in less than five minutes. We spent at least an hour following them from a respectable distance taking lots of photographs and watching with binoculars. Our resident expert later explained about all the different ecotypes of Orcas, and thought our pod was a "B" type. There are southern and northern Orcas and they don't mix, and the different ecotypes are different sizes and slightly different body styles and also eat different prey. For some, penguins are on the menu, while others prefer seals, although I'm sure none will pass up an easy meal.

We never did get to the Neumayer Channel, but slowly cruised into one arm of Paradise Harbor (which is not a harbor, but an area where three channels come together), and the wind completely died down for a while, so the glaciers and mountains were perfectly reflected in the sea. A touch of sun highlighted a couple of ridges, and then disappeared into a little light rain and snow flurries.

An announcement was made that today we would have the Polar Plunge for anyone who wanted to participate. As it was described, it can be a few seconds of agony for a lifetime of bragging, so of course we had to do it. The ship had stopped by then, and a Zodiac was positioned just like when we leave the ship, but this time was set up for two jumpers at a time. We were called down by color group, and the Landing Zone (the place where we change our boots, clean our items after landings, etc.) was full of folks in robes and our cruise director, James in a penguin suit, grooving to some music. A bar was set up (shots for courage - my choice was tequila), and we waited our turn to disrobe down to our swimsuits, go down the stairs and get ready. They put a weight belt around us (this was probably the worst part, because it was cold and wet on my bare back), but we quickly stepped onto the Zodiac, were clipped into a rope, stepped up onto the tube and jumped! One of the crew filmed us with my phone and the ship photographer took pictures from in front of us (I haven't seen those shots yet - I wonder what my expression was). The water was cold, but by the time I climbed back up the ladder, the adrenaline was pumping and I no longer was chilled. Just putting the robe back on kept me warm, along with another shot for celebration. Turns out there are two kinds of people on the ship - those that wouldn't miss this experience for the world, and those who would never consider it an option. 100 of us were in the first group - a fairly common percentage.

Since we were already wet and in our swimsuits, it seemed like a good idea to head to one of the hot tubs and swap stories with our fellow passengers. We have met a lot of really nice people on this cruise - because of the expedition nature of it, the passengers seem to skew younger and considerably more active than the usual cruise type. Most of the folks here take the stairs rather than the elevators - on other trips we have often felt like we were the only ones walking up and down. And this crowd is far more casual than on standard cruises - not sloppy, but most folks wear slacks and sweaters or flannel shirts and puffy vests rather than more formal outfits, even to dinner.

During lunch we sailed further into Paradise Harbor to an area called Skontorp Cove, and did a wonderful Zodiac cruise past another summertime Argentinian base (unoccupied this year) to an Antarctic Shag nesting area, and past some really great ice bergs. The Shags have pretty much fledged, so mostly there were just youngsters left, but they were also intermingled with Antarctic Terns. The cliffs here show blue-green streaks of copper, and a lot of vegetative growth - probably encouraged by all the natural fertilizer.

On the way back to the ship, there was a Zodiac with a Seabourn flag (and James the penguin), and when we got near they were handing out glasses of champagne! We toasted being in Paradise, and headed back to the ship, while the next few groups took their tours.

Then before dinner, we had a "sail-away" with more champagne and caviar on the back main deck. By now, everyone knows that events scheduled for outside will be happening outside, barring a major storm, so we all dress warmly. And although it is Antarctica, it's a lot warmer than the average Chicago winter!

Tomorrow we will hit our southernmost point, and it will be our last day down here. We're hoping to do one last Zodiac cruise in the morning and one last landing in the afternoon before turning west and then north towards the Drake Passage. We headed down through the Lemaire Channel this evening, but the clouds came down, so it was hard to see the spectacular mountains surrounding us, but it is starting to really feel like Antarctica.

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wyvunn · 1 year ago

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Inktober day 2 - Spiders

Black widow, copper-sun jumper, crab spider

#intkober 2023 #spider #traditional art #indian ink #wyvunn art

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splodge04 · 2 years ago

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7. "No one has ever done that for me before." please? 🥺

When I started this one, I had no idea that it was going to be this long. I’ve had to split it into two parts! :) I’ve not finished the other one, actually, but I will at some point when I’m not busy.

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New Caprica was a funny place. It felt like a strange and diluted version of home, a muted cacophony of hopes and dreams gone awry. People were trying to make it a place to live, they were trying to build themselves up from nothing, attempting to mould the relatively barren land into something of comfort. It just didn't feel right, though, didn't seem to have the potentials that they'd all hoped for once they'd jumped into orbit around the planet, and it left a sour expression on so many people's faces. The disappointment was as suffocating as fog, and it fingered its way through the small settlement, tainting anything in its path.

There was one person who seemed to be able to see the land for more than what it was or at least made it seem that way when she spoke about it, and that was the woman who he'd been looking forward to seeing for weeks.

"Are you just going to stand there staring? Or are you going to pick something up?" Laura chided playfully, scooping a strand of her auburn hair out of the way of her face as she gave him a toothless grin.

Bill smiled at her, admiring the way that her copper hair seemed to make everything around her so much duller than what it was. It was even better that she was dressed in green, a dark pine green in fact, that not only brought out the colour in her eyes but also made her hair look like fire.

"I've got it, don't worry," he responded, smirking as he picked up a small backpack and flung it over his shoulder, catching another sneaky glance in her direction, not being able to keep his eyes off of her for more than a few minutes. Initially, he hadn’t anticipated how much he would miss her. Those sparkling green eyes that he would meet over a table, the light chuckle she’d offer him when they were alone, the companionship she’d given him unintentionally. There was so much about her that he hadn’t realised had become a part of his environment, not at least until she wasn’t around anymore.

"I was glad that you made it down as early as you did," Laura offered, settling a backpack on her own shoulders, and adjusting the straps so they were tighter. "I know it's grim right now, and it's quite a regular occurrence to have this misty sort of rain at this time of day, but as you break through over the hill, past the mist, you'll get to see the morning sun rising up."

"I'm looking forward to it," Bill replied truthfully, adjusting the straps on his own backpack, making it a little looser over his broad shoulders. The truth was, she could be taking him to a mud hole in the middle of a field and he would enjoy it just the same because it was time he was getting to spend with her. What he loved about this current topic of conversation, was how animated she was about it, how it excited her, energised her, and made her seem hopeful for her future.

"You'll really love it. Honestly, when I say that the water is like looking through glass, I might not be emphasising it enough." Laura did the zipper up of her jumper until he stopped just below her chin before grabbing something on her wrist and bundling up her hair at the back of her head.

Bill watched, slightly fascinated, slightly enamoured by the way she allowed a strand on either side of her face to hang loose. He liked it, really liked it. "Shall we then?" He replied quickly, swallowing hard when he realised that she’d caught him staring again. Perhaps she was going to get paranoid she had something on her face if he carried on, or worse, realise that he had it bad.

At first, as they navigated through the tents, Bill followed behind Laura who seemed to know the rows as if they were streets, stopping every now and again to make sure that he was behind her, occasionally stopping to say hello to people. It surprised him how early people got up on the planet, half expecting people to fall into a routine, but then, they’d all adjusted to space, and that would take time to come back from. Perhaps it was the natural light, which was most definitely increasing, that had people waking up.

They walked for a while, both of them casting idle conversation at each other to fill the time. It was nice, sort of, to talk about simple things, things that held no real consequence. It wasn't like before when they often had to talk about their next strategic move, next crisis or drama. The chatter was navigated based on the desire for conversation versus the necessity for work. What Bill loved about it, was just how relaxed she seemed, and even though she should never have lost the Presidency, she was still taking everything in her stride.

"Just up here is a nice crop of weed," Laura pointed, turning her head to offer Bill a knowing gaze, her eyes sparkling beneath the haze of morning, smirking playfully.

Fond memories passed between them without the need for words. Bill remembered the first time he’d come down to the surface to spend some time with her. Regardless of what he’d said was the reason for his visit, the groundbreaking ceremony, it had primarily been because he’d wanted to see how she was doing, and also to fill the hole she’d managed to leave behind when she’d decided to settle on the planet. They’d had an amazing evening, existed as people, explored the area, and each other, and it had been a heavy instigator into his need to feel land beneath his feet as often as he could allow. It had made him think about his future, their future, and how things could be better. Flashes of her laugh, her red dress, her drunken-stoned confessions, her hands, and her lips all flashed in his mind’s eye. “Do you still have a stash?” he asked, half-joking in his enquiry, blinking away the image of her lying beneath him.

“Why? Looking to get a little buzzed on your day off?” Laura half-joked, looking over her shoulder with a wide smile.

“I would if I could,” Bill offered, a tinge of sadness in his voice. It was just a day off, not enough to really let himself go long enough to entertain it like before. “I need to head back up tonight.”

Laura nodded, her facial expression souring subtly, disappointment flashing before being hidden by a forced smile. “I know.”

They remained quiet for a while after that, both of them lost in thoughts of the other, thinking about the last time they’d been able to let go in each other’s presence. It had been a wild night, well, for them at least, and they’d both been able to remove layers to the other, like onions, exposing the person beneath the facade that they’d been working with for so long. They’d gotten glimpses, little breadcrumbs, over the months in space, but it had been so nice to really experience life as a person.

"This is a lot further than I'd assumed," Bill stated flatly, ignoring the burn in his calves as he tried to maintain his pace up the hill. Perhaps he’d overestimated his fitness, utilising the gym every now and then, but not really putting in as much effort as he should.

"Is the Admiral struggling?" Laura called over her shoulder as she reached the peak of the hill they were climbing.

"No, the Admiral isn't struggling," he countered firmly like a stubborn child, hoisting the backpack on his shoulders a little higher. Even without seeing her face, he knew that she was grinning, the chiding playful tone in her voice telling him that she was teasing, and he couldn’t help but allow a smile to spread across his face in response as he shook his head.

The walk wasn’t challenging, not really, and it felt nice to be able to get his blood pumping in the fresh crisp air. Even though his legs were crying for relief, used to the artificial gravity and flat surfaces of Galactica, it was good to feel the burn of exercise, and as he broke over the top of the ridge, he could see why she’d taken him up there, his eyes growing wide as he stared out at the beautiful landscape ahead of him.

Twisting slightly to catch Laura’s smug expression, he could see the flush to her cheeks, the healthy sheen of sweat that made her glow. It made him feel a little uncomfortable, not because it was horrible, but because it was enamouring to see her looking so natural and unburdened. Flashes of their last night together filtered through again, the softness of her skin, the way her hips felt beneath his hands, and the way he’d tasted the saltiness of her sweat as he’d kissed up her neck.

“Beat you,” Laura chuckled as she temporarily removed the backpack from her shoulders, giving herself a reprieve, she could see the expression on Bill’s face change.

When Bill shifted his eyes to land ahead of him, he could see huge rugose mounds of rock in the distance, their tips reaching towards the clouds in uneven placements. From where he stood, they were like big daunting giants, splashes of white at the peaks that made them stand out against the early morning sky. This place seemed so much more vibrant and alive in comparison to the settlement, the trees a little lusher as they cascaded out in asymmetrical rows that trailed off into the distance like pointed green arrows. It was much rockier than he’d expected, and he knew that it wouldn't make a great landscape to farm on, but it didn’t make it any less brilliant.

“It’s not too much further,” Laura confirmed as she raised her finger to point to the bottom of the canyon. “If you look over there, you can see the water that I mentioned.”

Bill could see a small space at the bottom that was relatively flat in comparison to everything else, a piece of land that lay next to a moving body of water that caught the light of the rising sun and made it appear like shimmering diamonds. He could see the appeal.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

When Bill turned back to her to agree, he had to stop himself from saying anything as he looked at her. The early morning sun had shifted from muted pastels and greys to bright oranges and yellows. As she stood side-on, the light reflecting off of her face, giving her a warm glow like an ember in a fire, he couldn’t help but feel thankful for her presence in his life. Something so beautiful had come out of a tragic and horrible event that had ended their worlds. Without it, though, as bad as it may sound, he’d never have her around, and that in itself was something he could never comprehend without feeling a huge pang of sadness. Perhaps one day he’d settle down on the planet, and if he was lucky, carve out a life with her if she’d allow it. “Really beautiful,” he replied, not talking about the landscape.

When Laura connected with his eyes, she could see something flickering there that made her hold her breath. The softness in his eyes, the familiar warmth of his evaluating expression, told her everything that she needed to know. The man wasn’t talking about the landscape. It made her blush, the heat rising up from her neck to her forehead as she offered him a coy smile. “Come on,” she offered. “Let’s get going.”

They walked side by side down the hill, and Bill noted that the descent seemed to take a little longer than he’d anticipated. Perhaps it was because he was being extra careful, or because they were thoroughly enjoying each other's company, their shoulders occasionally connecting as they walked. Laura seemed less bothered by the scattered and uneven surface of the rocks beneath her feet, but she held back to walk with him, smiling at him every now and then.

“Ooft,” he heard after a thud, and when he turned his head he couldn’t see the bundle of auburn hair at his side. “Laura?” he queried, turning on his feet to look down where he could see her sitting on her backside with her hand on her ankle looking bemused.

“I didn’t pay enough attention to that last group of stones I was walking over,” she said through a grimace as she gently rubbed the edges of her ankle. “Frak,” she groaned, raising her eyes to him to see a mixture of amusement and concern.

Bill squatted down at her side and lifted her foot up by the boot so he could gently wriggle it off. “Does it really hurt?” he asked as the boot came free.

Laura shrugged at first, attempting to wiggle her foot from side to side, but quickly recoiled as the pain shot up through her leg. “You could say that,” she said through a partial laugh and yelp.

“We should get you back to Cottle so he can have a look. It’s probably just a sprain, but it’s best to be safe.” Bill got back to his feet and offered out both of his hands so he could pull her upwards.

“No. We’ve gotten this far, and it’s only just down there. I’ll manage, it might just take a little longer than usual. It’s a shame to have come this way, to make the effort, and go back just as we’ve got there. The rest will do me good down there. I can put my foot in the water. It’s cold. It’ll help reduce any swelling.”

When she grabbed his hand, Bill planted both of his feet and dug in, pulling her forward so he could gently raise her upwards. “I don’t want you to do any further damage to yourself,” he replied, not being able to help but smile when she gave him a scowl. “Ok, fine. But we won’t stay long. The last thing I want is to be stuck out here when it gets dark.”

“We have hours,” she answered coolly, grabbing his shoulder for stability as she adjusted herself on one leg so she could keep her other off of the ground. “I also,” she paused, her voice getting a little softer. “I don’t know when you’ll next be down here, and I really wanted to show it to you.”

The sadness in her words didn’t go undetected, and he nodded before scooping his arm around her back to give her some support. “So stubborn,” he joked, appreciating the way the pads of her fingers grazed over the skin of his neck as she held onto it.

“You wouldn’t want me any other way.”

Bill laughed through his nose and nodded. There was nothing that he would change about her. Nothing at all.

One step at a time, slowly at first so they could get a rhythm, they walked downwards. Laura did her best to hop over stones and rocks, using Bill as an anchor when things got a little uneven. It was slow going. On a few occasions, she nearly lost her balance, and if Bill hadn’t been there to hold onto her, his hand hooked beneath her arm, she would have landed on her backside again.

It was nice to spend time with Laura, but it hadn’t been what he’d anticipated really, and at the rate they were going, he’d have to get her back up the hill and back to camp as soon as they got to the water. As he turned to look at her, watching her scowl at the floor as she kept an eye on her footing, he suddenly had an idea. “Here,” Bill said, stopping in his tracks to take his backpack off. “I have an idea.”

“You’re not going to call for a raptor, are you?” she side-eyed him suspiciously, wondering if he had some sort of communication device in his backpack.

Waiting for her to stabilise herself on her feet before he let go, Bill shook his head and grinned. “No,” he chuckled. “I’m going to carry you.”

“What!” she exasperated with wide eyes, doing her best not to lose her balance as she glared at him with defiance. “That is not going to happen. You’re not going to carry me in your arms all the way down there,” she flicked her hand outwards for dramatic effect, but immediately regretted it when she almost fell backwards.

“I’m not going to carry you in my arms,” he shrugged, taking his backpack and putting it on the front of his body. “I’m going to carry you on my back.”

The smug smile that Bill was offering Laura had her momentarily bemused. Then, as she let the idea settle in, she thought it would be quite nice to use Bill as a horse. The idea of riding Bill made her head pop, and she almost had to stop herself from laughing out loud when she realised she’d technically already done that. “So, you’re going to be my packhorse then?”

“A packhorse?” he exclaimed with raised eyebrows and mock indignation. “You mean the President’s trusty steed?”

“Something like that,” she smirked. “Although horses neigh, don’t they?”

“Yeah, neigh do,” he offered with a deadpan tone.

“That was AWFUL,” she scoffed through a laugh, shaking her head in disbelief. “Although, no one has ever done that for me before.”

Bill loved seeing her laugh. There was something about the way that her whole face lit up, how her body bobbed as her throaty chuckle filled the air like music. It was so good to see her happy. “Come on then,” he finally said, turning around so his back was facing her. “You need to jump, but not too hard or you’ll send the pair of us flying.”

After two failed attempts, one where Laura accidentally punched him in the head as she tried to hook her hands around his neck, she managed to get on his back. It had been hard to get enough leverage with only one leg to get her up. “Am I sitting right?”

“Yeah. No sudden movement. I’ll be as careful as possible. It shouldn’t take long.”

#fanfic #writing prompts #ask me anything #battlestar galactica #laura roslin #bill adama #El Oh El #I have no idea why my brain went to THAT from a prompt #But it did

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leiainhoth · 3 years ago

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Granola Luke meta

OKAY OKAY OKAY I've been meaning to do this for a hot minute, but here's the quick and dirty Christmas AU Luke meta

He wears earth tones, high-waisted straight-leg Levi's, overalls, loose cardigans and sweaters and jumpers with embroidered flowers and trees on them

his hair is like, idk just past his shoulders and curly. He has an elaborate plopping and diffusing routine

he has a scrunchie collection

His novel is an in-universe rendition of IJADIHIM, cause why not

he moved to Victoria to live with his Aunt Sola and his cousins at 15 and went to high school in BC, which is where he met Din

Their house was a gift to Din and Luke for Luke's 21st birthday from Anakin and Padme

Luke has an in-universe tattoo of a lightsaber up his spine

But he as a few more, suns and flowers and trees all over his body

He has the Aritizia puffer, Lululemon aligns and Blundstone's and dresses like a basic BC granola bitch and I LOVE it for him

He practices yoga and has been playing with the idea of taking teachers training for years

he learnt pottery as a form of meditation, but also creating things with his hand is the easiest way for him to process the plotting for his book

They have a little studio Din built for him as an addition to the house. It's surrounded by windows and has a little fireplace in it

He plays piano, lots of improvised arpeggios and bon iver

Din and Luke have seen every Taylor Swift concert from Fearless on, their first not-quite-dates but sorta-dates

Luke and Leia grew up with wealth and privilege and both handled it differently. Since Leia lives on the farm in small-town Alberta and Luke lives in BC with Din, neither are involved directly with the family company

Luke took Padme's surname, but Leia is a Skywalker

Their house is paid for and the land is theirs, so Din's shop and Luke's books more than pay for their lifestyle

Luke isn't one for jewelry, rings and bracelets get in his way. But he has a bar necklace with his name on it that Din gave him for his birthday one year and he's yet to take it off

He drinks tea lattes and has big opinions on the correct way to brew coffee. He also exclusively drinks oat milk

both he and Din are huge foodies and are very competent cooks

which is 10000% from Padme and Sabe, who taught them before they left for university

Luke has like... ten zillion house plants

including the jade Leia got as a present from Aunt Sola that she didn't want and... didn't take home after their birthday that year. It's lived on their credenza ever since

Most of their furniture is either handmade by Din and Anakin or vintage

Their house is a modified A-frame, and the interior vibes are white panelling, sage green cabinets, brass and copper and black accents with plank wood floors

Luke writes all over the house, on the floor, in his bed, on their patio when the sun goes down in the summer and can often be found staring off into space while he looks for the word he has in mind

He has reading glasses that have... gigantic frames

all of the cups they cast for Luke's 25th birthday have Din and Luke's thumbprints on the cup handle designating the cups they made

...I could truly go on and on

#luke skywalker meta #luke skywalker #dinluke #din djarin/luke skywalker #alberta dinluke christmas au

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phidippusregius · 4 years ago

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I read your post about jumping spiders ability to hear and found it really interesting. Now I'm wondering about jumping spider sight and light sensitivity. Do bright lights affect them in a dark room? I have a spider housemate that I might be bothering by observing closely and I rather not be on his bad side

i’ve been waiting for another ask like this! let’s talk about jumping spider vision, how they see colour, and whether bright lights harm them.

- being tiny creatures, jumping spiders have a narrow field of vision, between 2 and 5°. in response to this, a jumping spider may physically move their body to look around, but they can also move their retinas too. you might see this happening in species with translucent carapaces in particular.

- colour vision in the eyes of jumping spiders is based on two photosensitive pigments - UV and green. this is important not only for seeing colour, but for navigating the world too. their eyes are too close together to get the same depth perception abilities as us, and instead, they use a nifty thing called image defocus. to facilitate this, the photoreceptor layers that are closest to the surface in the eyes contain UV-sensitive pigments. the deepest layers, in contrast, are green-sensitive. any incoming green light is focused on the deepest layer, while the first layer receives defocused, or fuzzy, images. by measuring the amount of defocus in the fuzzy layer, a jumping spider can calculate the distance to the objects in front of them. neat!

- habronattus jumpers in particular are also sensitive to the colour red, thanks to their ability to shift their deeper photoreceptors from green to red using a long-pass filter. because of this, many habronattus species use bright reds, oranges, and yellows in their courtship displays! phidippus species lack this attunement to red, as they don't use red colour ornaments during courtship. instead, they use their sensitivity to greens and blues to display their metallic green/blue chelicerae to rivals and potential partners.

(wayne p. maddison <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>)

- in fact, red light is disruptive to jumping spiders who lack this adaptation. one study on hasarius jumpers found that, in green lighting, jumpers made very accurate jumps. however, under red light, they consistently missed their mark. this is because the jumping spider can’t use efficient image defocus with red light, as they don’t have the photoreceptors to make any use of it.

- jumping spiders are actually huge fans of sunlight, but none come close to the himalayan jumping spider (euophrys omnisuperstes). these tiny jumpers live at elevations of 22,000ft high on mount everest, where some of the most intense sunlight on the planet reaches. on bright days, these jumpers will bask on the surface of a rock to soak up the sun. other species, like the copper sun jumper (heliophanus cupreus) seem to need sunny conditions to thrive.

- the harmfulness of bright lights is not yet well studied in jumpers. however, there doesn’t seem to be any evidence to suggest that temporarily shining a light on a jumper in the dark would cause any damage that goes past brief confusion or being startled. generally speaking, the light would have to be a laser or extremely bright to cause permanent damage to the spider. however, as always, our understanding of these little creatures is always evolving so just be courteous with very bright lights in case we do find out that they cause harm.

#info #vision #jumping spider #spiders

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unsaidholland · 4 years ago

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we’ll be alright | h. holland

surprise?

was this inspired by still by niall horan? yes, yes it was. stream heartbreak weather.

warnings: sad (we been knew)

somehow everything had gotten out of control. it was as if they were trying to guide a tornado into a mason jar. everything was destroyed, broken, and neither of them were seeing eye to eye anymore. nothing would ever be the same to them, not as she and harry were on the verge of breaking up.

there was nothing left to salvage but broken bits and pieces of a love that was once so strong and immensely passionate. maybe it was broken to begin with, a small hairline fracture being the only damage they started with, but it didn’t erase the ending. it killed the both of them to endure this fighting. the living room had turned into a warzone, and there was no ceasefire being called. there was just the two of them, on opposite sides, both physically and in battle. they were both too full of pride to apologize, but they still wanted things to end happily.

harry couldn’t believe how angry the two of them had become and how quickly everything had escalated. they were so far away from how tranquil the relationship was, so far away from the beginning. they were getting closer to the end, and both of them knew it was coming. though, neither of them wanted to escape from the pain they were inflicting on each other.

“it’s like nothing i do even matters to you anymore,” she said, voice shaking from the tears threatening to spill. she didn’t even know what they were fighting about anymore, and neither did he, but neither of them wanted to admit that maybe they both were overreacting, that maybe they miscalculated each others’ words.

“of course everything you do matters to me,” harry responded. he didn’t even know what the argument was going to leave him with, but he was hoping that he’d be left with something.

they went back and forth for hours, only giving up when they both decided they were tired. the one-bedroom apartment felt much smaller, no escape from the arguments, but with harry set to sleep in the large queen-sized bed, while she was laying on the grey couch, it felt like they were miles and miles apart. it felt like they were only getting further and further away from their destination, taking every wrong turn, leading them to the middle of nowhere.

harry’s eyes wandered across the ceiling, trying to rearrange the thoughts flowing through his mind. he wondered how he was going to make it up to her. sure it was going to be difficult, but he would find a way - he always found a way.

as harry was searching through his mind for ideas of how he was going to make it up to y/n, she was sat on the couch gazing out of the window. the midnight sky was dark and cloudless, allowing the stars to shine. she couldn’t help but notice that the stars weren’t shining as bright as they used to, maybe it was the argument bringing her mood down, or maybe they never shone as bright as she remembered. with the white sherpa blanket covering her legs, and her elbows resting along the back of the grey couch, y/n continued to wonder what she and harry had turned into. it seemed as if they were constantly fighting. maybe the house they had built was made of paper, so fragile that it was never supposed to last, or maybe they were destroying everything from the inside out. y/n couldn’t figure it out, and she supposed she wouldn’t ever figure it out.

y/n wanted so desperately for them to just go back to the basics, he loved her, and she loved him. she wanted to rid their relationship of the complications of travelling for work, their schedules, and how they just didn’t align anymore. if they loved each other, then why were they constantly fighting? y/n stayed up until the twilight adorned the sky once again as it did every morning, and she got no sleep, too stressed about what she and harry were turning into.

•••

harry woke up midday. the sun was well up at the apex of the sky, and harry’s brown eyes adjusted to the light that was shining into his bedroom through the sheer white curtains. he rubbed his eyes, blinded by the light, and immediately realized the first step he needed to take to make it up to y/n was making her food. he knew it was the key to getting time to just sit with her and spend time with her, so as soon as he was awake enough, he strolled to the kitchen and got the ingredients out for their meal. though it was midday, harry knew she would want breakfast food, so he got out their waffle maker and began on the batter.

their meal was almost done when harry realized that she would’ve wanted tea to go along with it, so he boiled water in the kettle, and making her the tea that y/n saved for special occasions. she loved tea, and their cupboards were filled with different brands and flavours, many unopened. she collected them for when she wanted to spice things up, but in this case, harry knew y/n would need something to cheer her up.

he set the dining table up so they were sitting across from one another, hoping that y/n would want to have a meal with him and pretend they were okay. maybe if they pretended hard enough, it wouldn’t feel fake and they would go back to normal.

as harry placed the cups of tea down in front of their respective place settings, he looked over to where his girlfriend was sleeping, just meters away from where he was standing, but he still felt so far away from her. how did they get there in the first place? how did they leave each other stranded on separate deserted islands, left with nothing but their love the want for each other. to harry, y/n felt so out of reach and the good parts of the relationship too felt out of reach. he wanted to get back there, but he just didn’t know how.

y/n looked at peace as she slept, and it was one of the first times harry had seen her so calm, but he also couldn’t help but notice the tear stains that adorned her cheeks. the copper, curly-haired boy couldn’t help but notice the guilt that was running through his veins. she was so calm when she didn’t notice he was around. he hoped that she was dreaming of him. harry hoped she was dreaming of the house they wanted to buy, the dog they wanted to adopt, and the life they wanted to have - but they couldn’t have that life, and harry was no stranger to that realization. in admitting that, he realized they had to have that conversation. the conversation that could either rebuild everything or destroy it further. harry hoped that the latter was just an option and not their fate, and he said a quick prayer to whoever was above that he wouldn’t lose the best person to have ever entered his life.

harry was blessed with so many opportunities. getting to travel around the world for his work, and always being away from the place he called home was one of the reasons the relationship had began to crumble in the first place, and he knew that. he just couldn’t give up his home. he knew that home wasn’t supposed to be a person, but a place where you could truly be yourself, but harry couldn’t help feeling at home wherever he was so long as he was with you.

he began to wake her up, thumb caressing her cheeks. harry watched as her eyes began to flutter open, the confused expression painting her face.

“it’s half past noon, but i made us breakfast,” he whispered for her to hear, a hopeful smile appearing on his face. she nodded and sat up. harry sat next to her, wanting to hug her, but not knowing how y/n would feel about that.

“what’d you make?” she asked as she pulled the blanket closer to her body as if it was her final layer of protection against him. the ceasefire had been called, but for all y/n knew, they were still both at war, and she wasn’t planning on taking any chances.

“made us waffles, put some fruit on the side the way you like it, and then i also made bacon and tea.” he was quick to add, “ i made you the special one you always save for special occasions because i know you would’ve wanted it if i didn’t make it.” a soft smile appeared on y/n’s face, the small gesture already seeming to make her feel better.

“well come on then.” she got up and began to make her way to the kitchen table, harry following behind her.

•••

by the time they had finished their meal, they were just sat in silence. neither of them wanted to break the calm moment they were just having, but harry just couldn’t help but ask, “where is our relationship going?”

after breaking the silence he wanted to take his words back, erase the fact that those godforsaken words had ever left his mouth. while he was tearing himself apart over his brief action, y/n was contemplating where their relationship was going. that was the only thing running through her mind through the early morning as the sun was rising, but she never found a clear destination. neither of them knew where they were going, it was as if the windows were rolled down, and the map had flown out. thought they wanted a happy destination where all that mattered was each other, it seemed the car was taking them somewhere that was quite the opposite. the relationship juxtaposed their desires, and they didn’t know how to make the two align again.

“i don’t know,” y/n mumbled quietly, pulling the sleeves down her hands so her fingertips were just peeking out, her yellow painted nails contrasting against the purple jumper she was wearing. the anxiety flowed through her veins as she was wondering where this conversation was heading. she was sick of all the yelling and screaming that constantly occurred between the two of them, she wanted it all to stop, but y/n didn’t want to lose him.

harry couldn’t help but sense the anxiety flowing through the both of them, so he reached across the table to grab her hand, silently letting y/n know it would be okay in the end, but he wasn’t just comforting her. the longer they sat there, the eerier the silence became. the unknown became more and more frightening to them, and they just didn’t want to lose everything. they had a feeling that they were soulmates, and they couldn’t bear to lose each other.

the minutes passed and turned into an hour of them sitting in silence, both trying to organize their thoughts and figure out what to do. the conversation had taken a pause, both of them knew that, but it was better than them yelling at one another and getting nowhere. this was progress, and harry was starting to be glad he had let those words leave his mouth. he was hoping his mood wouldn’t change. on the other hand, y/n sat on the other side of the table fearing the worst. she was terrified that the conversation would end with them breaking up, and she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes from just thinking about it. harry couldn’t ignore the tears that were threatening to spill down y/n’s cheeks, but he couldn’t bring himself to do anything about it. what was he supposed to do when he didn’t even know where they were heading?

they sat at the kitchen table all afternoon. the sun had begun to set when y/n decided to make herself busy by collecting the dirty plates and cutlery and started to do the dishes. harry followed suit and began to wipe down the table and the countertops, hoping that this distraction would help them figure out how to fix themselves.

•••

y/n watches as the suds swirl off the white porcelain plates and down the drain. too distracted by the thought of her and harry breaking up, she just swirled the plate around, making the water reach all edges of it. how were they supposed to fix whatever was going on when they couldn’t figure out the problem?

“should we break up?” she asked herself. y/n didn’t expect the words to come out, and truthfully, she was praying that they were just mumbled so harry couldn’t hear them, except he did.

“what?” he responded. y/n knew he was baffled that she would ever ask something like that, and she was as well. her mind was running marathons trying to figure out the right answer to their situation. though she was terrified of what harry was going to say or do next, she found the courage to look at him. all she saw was fear running through harry’s body, and she was no stranger to that fear. y/n could feel that they were terrified for the same reason - letting go - but she wanted to do anything before she had to let go of him.

“i don’t want to break up, but what if it’s the only thing that’s going to salvage this relationship? i’d rather break up now while i still love you than break up hating you.” it was a touchy subject for the both of them, but who really wanted to break up with their partner that they were still so madly in love with? maybe it was the right decision, but she couldn’t tell, blinded by how complete she felt with him.

y/n looked out the window only to notice that the twilight had left the sky and the stars were shining yet again. she hoped that the events from the previous night wouldn’t repeat, but as she focused on how bright the stars were shining, she didn’t see a difference.

“be honest with me,” she paused to look back at harry. looking into his brown eyes for some sort of sign that things would get better. “do you think the fighting is going to get better?” she hoped that he would say yes. she hoped that he would say he would do anything for things to get better, but part of her just wanted an end to the fighting, whatever that looked like, she just wanted the fighting to stop. she couldn’t take it anymore. she hated crying almost every day, she hated being so far away from him, but she mostly hated how they were together without seeing eye to eye anymore.

“you want me to tell you the truth?” harry asked, y/n just nodded, scared of what he was going to say. “i am still so madly in love with you, and it scares me because i don’t know what i’d do if we broke up.” she looked away from him, too scared of what was to come next. he cupped her face, making her look up at him, and for the first time in a long time, she had never felt such pure love from harry. “everything is going to be alright, we’ll be alright because we love each other darling,” he said softly, staring into her eyes.

“i love you haz,” y/n murmured, scared that if she spoke any louder, the tranquil moment between them would break.

“i always love you even when we fight, you know that right?” harry asked, his hands slipping down to her waist, holding her against him. his hands on her waist sent sparks up her spine and she felt the passion that they held for each other all over her body.

y/n rested her head against harry’s broad chest, eyes closed to fully savour the moment. she memorized the way he felt against her, the weight of his hands resting on her body, and the way he smelled. y/n memorized the way it felt when his thumb would rub circles onto her hip, never able to ever stay still, and as she opened her eyes to look up at him, she memorized the soft smile that appeared on his face as he looked down at her. she was terrified that this would be the last good moment they would ever have, the last moment that was argument-free, the last moment where they weren’t yelling at each other or ignoring each other.

harry leaned down to kiss the top of y/n’s head, and as he pulled away, she pulled his head back towards hers, capturing his lips with her own. the feeling of his soft lips against her own slightly chapped ones felt like home to her. he was where she belonged, and the kiss only reminded her of what home once felt like.

•••

later that night, harry and y/n were laying in bed together watching a movie on netflix. the feeling of her in his arms without any ill-feelings between the two of them felt brand new to him, and he didn’t want to ever forget how perfectly she fit in his arms. his brown eyes stared at her arm resting against his abdomen, and he wished that he could take a picture of the moment to keep it to memory forever. he knew that one day these little memories would be overwritten and wouldn’t last forever, but he was hoping that there would be more memories like this for him to keep.

y/n had quickly fallen asleep on harry’s chest and he was quick to notice her change in breathing.

“i genuinely don’t know what i would do if i’d lose you,” harry said quietly, speaking mostly to himself and not to his girlfriend laying partially on him. he continued to ramble, “it always kills me whenever we fight, you know that?” he pushed some hair out of her face and watched as she furrowed her brows at whatever was happening in her dream, y/n’s face then relaxing to one that was so peaceful.

“i was telling you the truth earlier when i told you i still loved you despite all the arguments we’ve had. i’m still madly in love with you even when i’m mad at you.” harry knew she wouldn’t hear him, but he still liked talking to her, despite her being asleep.

that night harry realized they had quickly gone back to the basics, to their love being the only thing that mattered, but harry knew in just a few months he would have to leave again, and he was terrified. he loved his job, but he knew that y/n hated being away from him. she was his home, and he had a feeling that to her, he was her home, but he needed to go on this press tour with tom. maybe he could bring her along, travel the world with her while working. harry was quick to push that thought aside, remembering that whatever ends up happening, it would be alright.

“whatever happens, we’ll be alright,” y/n murmured in her sleep and harry smiled. somehow, she knew what to say even if she was asleep.

anything and everything taglist: @hollanderfangirl @hxrryhxlland @ohmy-moonlightx @musicalkeys @notsosmexy @writertoo18 @icyhollands @in-a-lot-of-fandoms-tbh

harry holland taglist: @euphorichxlland

#harry holland #harry holland x reader #harry holland x you #harry holland x y/n #harry holland fic #harry holland imagine #harry holland imagines #harry holland fluff #harry holland angst

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captaincravatthecapricious · 4 years ago

Text

Collapse- Prompt Fill

Jon is a Dune fan. How can picking up one book change things? Idea from a tumblr prompt and a post by @roseunspindle (permission was granted for writing this)

cw all the typical episode 160 stuff and references to nausea and of course manipulation and fainting. Some dialogue from 160, and a quote from Dune, of course!

I am still accepting bingo prompts (card by @celosiaa) Pick a prompt from the card and a character and let me know if you want art of fic! (I am much faster at art). I have several outlined that I need to write, and I will get to those... Soonish? Have an excellent day and I hope 2021 treats you well!

Jon isn’t sure why he grabbed the book. He’s read it before so it doesn’t hold the same interest it once did. He had to work on that reading habit of his in school, and now he’s managed a few rereads, but he still prefers the unknown and interesting.

But he did love this book when he read it. He was too young for it, of course. But that hadn’t mattered. He sucked the whole world into his young and greedy mind.

And now that glossy, second hand cover.... makes him pause over it. He doesn’t know how it survived evictions and his absences. He must have subconsciously stored it out of the way. But he grabs it, with a few statements, and his small collection of clothes into a very battered backpack that he’s sure once belonged to Melanie.

He wishes he had more books. Maybe once he and Martin reach the train station, he can pick up something else to read. Or maybe he can borrow some books from Martin….

He stuffs Dune into his backpack. It’s on the top, distending the fabric slightly, straining the zipper as his grandmother had always reprimanded him for when he shoved too many pleasure books into his school bag, (always to read under the desk and he was always inevitably caught and reprimanded again, but what could you do with an inattentive student who still pulled good marks?).

He boards the train with Martin. Battered and aging backpacks filled with worn clothes and statements and books and granola bars. The station had been loud and busy enough to send Jon reeling with the information spilling off a crowd of people as well as the less eldritch sensory overload. His head aching dully as they settle into their seats.

Medicine for motion sickness sends him drowsy as soon as it is effective. He spends the time before it works staring queasily out the window, clammy hands holding tightly to Martin as much to sooth his uneasy stomach as to hold Martin in this plain of reality. He nods off, hands still clasped with Martin’s. Wrapped up in the elation of having Martin with him, around him, talking to him…. almost safe.

He wakes up in a storm of hurried breaths and crashing thoughts…. precarious as the crashing waves that haunted the lonely, but far closer and more oppressive. Statements tumbling with his own crashing thoughts. Fear on his breath. His fear making him Hungry in the nauseous way of autocannibleism.

He presses his face into Martin, only just then realizing that he’s been using Martin as a pillow. Martin, who is dozing. Martin, who is still a little foggy. The last of the haze burning off with the contact. Jon can see the steam rising between them, mainly and gentle. The sun burning the fog off a meadow in the early morning.

Jon sits himself up, but stays pressed against Martin. The imprint of Jon slowly thawing Martin as the train gently sways them both.

Jon doesn’t want to sleep more. He would much prefer to read, but it is still more than a bit of a gamble for him to even medicated. But…. he’s bored.

Dune.

Right on the top of his bag. Leaning over starting to make him queasy (which doesn’t bode well for reading attempts), he pulls it out and straightens up.

He turns it over in his hands a few times, until his stomach settles. He’s fine. Just a few more minutes before the medicine works… probably anyhow.

He flips through the pages, still waiting for his breathing to calm as well.

Oh.

He remembers this words… in a half remembered haze of childhood and tracing those words on his limbs and his walls. With his eyes, and markers, and pencils. On the inside of his eyelids. Carved into the air about his bed as he repeated them to himself.

‘I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.’

Reading those words again makes his hands shake like they had when he first read them… with Mr. Spider fresh in his nightmares. Still missing the life he could never have with his parents.

Jon fumbles for a pen.

He traces them again on his forearm.

Poorly written, of course. Hands far from steady with the rocking of the train and the rocking of his stomach and the rolling of his world after the day he’s had. But he is once more too tired to focus on anything much, so he tucks his book away again, and shoves the pen in his pocket.

He tucks himself up against Martin again, using an old jumper as a blanket. He knows he is taking a bit of a liberty, but he buries his face in Martin’s neck and breathes deeply. He’s asleep again in moments.

The trip isn’t eventful. Lots of track clicking past. Lots of drowsy hours. A disappointing sandwich and a tasteless cup of tea. Jostled shoulders. Cramped restrooms. Cramped necks. Jon’s bad leg protesting the seating arrangements. Then the slightly uncomfortable walk to the safe house. Weighed down with hasty shopping and their lumpy bags. Jon limping more heavily by the time they drag themselves over the threshold.

In the domestic bliss, time stretches. Lazy afternoons on the couch Jon and Martin entwined stretch into years in the golden light of afternoon. Two weeks of cups of tea. Of trips to the store. Of statements that Jon goes through way too fast, try as he does to ration them. Frantic phone calls to Basira as Jon can’t make the trip to town anymore. More cuddling on the couch. Bickering over who does the dishes, over who makes the best eggs. Over what to have for dinner. Discussions of what counts as a sandwich and whether cereal is a soup. Jon being appalled that Martin eats cereal from the box directly with a spoon. Martin being horrified that Jon eats dry cereal from a bowl with a glass of milk. Playing footsie through dinner. “Yes Martin, another soup. Means less cooking.” Sloppy kisses over glasses of wine. Jon being too dizzy to go on walks. Jon retracing Frank Herbert’s words on to his arm. Over. And over. And over again.

“I must not fear…”

Until a package arrives.

It’s unassuming and labeled in Basira’s careful penmanship. If Jon expects to see tear-staines over a lost partner, he doesn’t see them.

Martin kisses him soundly, and leaves to take pictures of good cows.

Jon has been tucked up on the couch. Under a thick blanket. Finally in better spirits now that he has statements again, ready …so ready for his limbs to feel like his again.

He tastes copper as he started to read. The words don’t sit right in his mouth. Before he can even properly start… before his mind is lost to him, he can feel the wrongness building. And when the betrayal occurs, he can’t find it in him to be surprised or hurt. All he can feel is a hollow fear…. a hungry fear. Gaping and endless. Tearing into his skin as he tears at his clothes, his skin, the statement that does not belong to Hazel Rutter and has nothing to do with a fire. Aside from the fire in his throat and in his hand, and leaping from mark to mark as Jon learns what they actually are. A map of manipulation. A tool to make the actual tool. The wood and hammer and nails that make him the door. The door that he… that he. “ Come to us in your perfection.

Bring all that is fear and all that

is terror and all that is the awful

dread that crawls and chokes and

blinds and falls and twists and

leaves and hides and weaves and

burns and hunts and rips and bleeds

and dies!

Come to us.

I-“

“I…” Jon chokes. His eyes sliding helplessly over the room. Over many tokens of a happy life that he is never going to have. Because of this…. this… he can’t even call it a betrayal. His entire life has lead to this. Every unhappy moment. Every instinct he has ever had. Every poor choice. Every step another step towards the inevitable. His eye catches on a familiar cover. Somehow still glossy. Despite Jon having carried it around like a safety blanket for the last few weeks. And he catches those smudged and traced over words on his arm and he tears at himself, trying to stop.

“I…”

He chokes again. Around those last few words. The words that will wrench the thunder from the sky and rend it asunder.

“I…”

He breathes. Possibly for the first time since his hands ghosted over the unassuming manilla folder.

“‘I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.’”

His vision cuts out. He must have stood at some point, because he is falling. Stings cut. Nothing to manipulate. The puppet is broken.

He wakes with a head full of cotton, but a heart devoid of fear. There is a clarity in his limbs. But exhaustion sits heavily on his chest. He feels… clear. And real. And… like utter shit.

But the arms around him are solid and warm and smell like tea and toast and all the good things Jon can think of in the world. And even if Jon could bring himself to move… he wouldn’t have dreamt of doing so.

There is burnt ink in the air.

“Wha’?” Marble-mouthed. Heavy with the exhaustion of years of poor sleep, of running and fearing and the adrenaline crash of something horrifying being…over.

“It’s alright, Jon. Everything’s fine. I…. I don’t know how you did it, but you stopped reading… and I burned it. It’s gone. We’re okay.”

And Jon isn’t sure he understands…. but he doesn’t care. Because he is not afraid, and Martin told him that everything is okay. And he thinks… just Maybe. Just… maybe… that it might be.

He lets himself be tucked in. He lets himself sleep.

Jon takes up calligraphy. He hates it. Utterly despises it… but he becomes decent enough to write one thing for their mantel. In the safe house. Miles away from fear and Jonah Magnus… if the bastard is even still alive…

Framed in gold, traced out in neat and flowing calligraphy:

#the magnus archives #tma #jonmartin #fic #tma fic #jonathan sims #martin blackwood #dune #cw fainting #cw nausea #cw manipulation #my words #my fic #my writing #my art

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outerbankslut · 4 years ago

Text

Empty... JJ Maybank

Summary • Soulmates were everywhere in the world and you just wanted to find your own.

Warnings • Mentions of wanting to commit suicide (essentially an allusion to it once). Underage drinking and insinuation of alcohol addiction. Mentions of abuse (from JJ). Literally wrote this in two hours today so it’s probably badly written. Swearing as well like once.

Word Count • 1.6k (Imagine)

Masterlist

(GIF by @toesure)

A WHISPY BREEZE settled over the area as you took a swig of the vodka bottle in your hand. The beach was practically empty considering it was the late hours of the night and the sun had fallen from its place in the sky leading to the peak of the moon. Whenever you needed a break from life, school or just people you can’t to the beach. It was your safe space of safe haven if you will.

You could purge your anxieties there just by screaming out into the void of the ocean with the lapping of the waves and roaring of the wind covering any evidence that you were making a sound. You could drink your sorrows away and no one would stop you. You felt like if you wanted to you could just walk into the ocean and never return. Become one with the waves.

Maybe you would feel something, anything other than emptiness. It wasn’t like that for most people. Because most people meet their soulmates before they’re 12. Those were the lucky ones.

You were the unlucky one. 18 and not one sign that anyone was out there. Not one small burst of emotion ever. When you meet your soulmate for the first time all the emotions they feel you feel. Sometimes it could be hard to decipher but you would know. To be empathetically linked to someone was the worst and the best things at the same time. Of course you didn’t know personally though. You just knew you wanted that feeling, of knowing someone was there and feeling something for once. You were the black sheep in the family having an unknown future of who you would be with.

Your parents had found each other when they were 10. The closely tied bond you hold with your soulmate comes with you through childhood into your teen years and evolves into whatever. Could end up a romantic relationship later in life or just stay a simple friendship. It could all get really confusing sometimes. But most ended up dating their soulmate even feeling pressured to do so despite not wanting to which you were glad you didn’t have to go through really.

Of course you can reject your soulmate but that comes with a lot of mental anguish even if they’re not a good person. It’ll still hurt, like the worst pain imaginable on both ends.

And yet here you were still alone in the world, your family didn’t even speak to you these days. You didn’t have any friends really apart from the girls you worked with at a small diner. Most people didn’t want to be associated with you, thinking great shame of people who didn’t have a soulmate yet. Which was stupid but it was how the world was. Especially for someone of high status in figure 8. You were lucky your parents hadn’t kicked you out yet.

But the beach was a place where you could wash away those thoughts with the the stinging of the vodka down your throat and the warm feeling erupting in the pit of your stomach. At least that made you feel something. Just a small something.

You breathed out a long sigh, just that warmth that you felt from the addictive liquid was more than enough for you. But at the same time you craved the feeling of a close connection. You wanted to feel what someone else felt. No matter the feelings you just wanted to stop feeling so empty, so absent from your own life.

JJ MAYBANK SAT a ways off in his own little area of the beach in front of a small tree that sat embedded right next to the beginning of the sandy beach. His body was scaled in small bruises from jabs and punches. The boy suddenly felt a small feeling of contentment erupt. A second ago he felt like shit. He had no clue where the feeling came from and an idea came into his head suddenly but he shook it off.

He looked around just to check but didn’t see anyone immediately so brushed it off. It was dumb of him to think that. He would probably never get close to finding his soulmate. That’s what his dad had always told him. And being that his dad lost his mum even though they were soulmates made him almost lose hope in all of it.

He rested his arms on his knees which were bought up closely to his chest holding himself tightly together and close. It was almost a defence mechanism holding himself close and making sure no one else got close enough to witness him falling apart slowly after every hit he took and insult he attempted to shake off but he always took it to heart. It was hard not to when you value your parents opinions so much.

He did have his friends to confide in but at the same time they didn’t understand how he was feeling. He felt so alone and isolated. Yet they were free with their soulmates—John B with Sarah Cameron, Kiara with Pope—and then there was him. The lone wolf. They couldn’t relate to feeling like a fuckup all the time for more reasons than one. To be a failure at something that seemed so simple, finding his own soulmate. He was looked upon as abnormal in this world and he was sick of it, sick of what he couldn’t control defining him.

Then JJ felt the feeling he got for a second fizzle out. It was just empty. There was no feeling to fill what was there. JJ frowned, it was like someone was flicking a switch on and off on his emotions. Then it returned the same feeling and then boy swivelled around on the sand again landing his eyes on a figure in the distance as he squinted.

Your figure. You were alone sitting in the sand like he was much further down the long stretch of beach with what looked like a bottle in your hand. Then you got up and walked down to the water so your feet being covered in a cool sensation as you stood there and felt so calm.

And just like a switch JJ felt calm. He felt all his worries fall away for a split second. He felt utterly euphoric sitting and watching on curiously.

JJ felt drawn to you. His body was telling him to move. Screaming in fact. Every muscle wanted to go up to you, to hug you. But there was a part of him that counteracted that. A small reservation rooted so deep he didn’t think he could shake it. He wanted to go over. He wanted to help make you feel whole, so that he could feel whole too. Maybe you’re would help each other, after all aren’t soulmates meant for that. JJ felt a spark of guilt and regret as he thought about his different options. Make someone else’s life either better or worse and same goes for his own life if he went over. Or he walks away and forgets this ever happened. Forget that he may have just found his soulmate.

While the boy debated in his head what to do you felt foreign feelings bubbles up in your stomach. You felt guilty and regretful. But for what? And then you caught sight of the figure on the beach too. He was almost just a small dot to you but you could make out that he was wearing a jumper and a red cap. He looked deep in thought. Was he it?

JJ had weighed up his options. He’d thought about it but he still felt hesitation every time he moved to walk over to you. And he understood it. He didn’t want to be rejected. He didn’t want deal with being abandoned again. He couldn’t take it one more time. It was easier to block everyone out than risk anyone getting close. JJ looked tough but really he was fragile. One more thing could break him. One more person leaving him and all hope he had would be out of the window. And if you weren’t his soulmate, though by now he could almost completely tell, he would be crushed. He couldn’t give himself false hope again. Like every time he thought his dad was proud of him it made JJ happy and then the next minute he’d be telling the boy what a disappointment he was. It was enough for JJs self worth to drop through the floor. JJ wasn’t worth it. And it wasn’t worth him the pain he’d feel at the end of it all. He sent a lingering glance in your direction and he’d made his decision. And then suddenly JJ wasn’t frozen after all.

You watched from afar as he turned your way before he stood up. Maybe this was it. Maybe you’d finally found them. You almost felt a spur of happiness at the thought. An emotion not very often experienced. And JJ felt it too, making it harder for him to walk off the beach in the opposite direction to you as the giddy feeling dissipated into the ocean air. That was the hardest part, leaving. JJ was doing to you just as people in his life had done to him. Maybe he shouldn’t be walking back home right now instead of walking down that beach towards you but he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t let someone care about him like that.

When the emptiness returned you realised it wasn’t going to happen. None of that meant anything. You would never find them. There was no one out there for you. You just weren’t meant for a soulmate.

Note • I wrote this cause I was in my sad feels and wanted something angsty. I also I just realised I write no dialogue but eh. Honestly I don’t even know what I fuckin wrote lmao <33

Join My Tag List Here • @starlightstarkey @rafecameron @starksweasleymain @jjsredhat @scandalousfemale @sguymon21 @bricksatanakinswindow @futuretaxcheat @wannabeslut @ad-infinitums @outrebanx @pit-zuh @pankowrudeth @jiaraendgame @outerbanksbro @copper-boom @alternativehp @brie-gr3y

#outer banks #jj maybank #jj maybank obx #kiara carrera #obx #pope heyward #john booker routledge #obx fanfiction #pope obx #outerbankslut #soulmate au #soulmate #jj x reader #jj x y/n #jj x you #obx kooks #obx pogues #outer banks jj maybank #jj maybank outer banks

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cknightleyart · 3 years ago

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Purple Phire Princess

Part 1

In fire there are many shades, hues, and tones. Once a pond a moment there was a princess made of the royalist of purples. She was named Phire after her father who ruled over the Flareany. One day when Princess Phire was 13 she was allowed to leave the Royal Palace on her own.

"Dearest daughter of mine be mindful that not all is fare in Flareany... Not all you meet will have your best interest at heart. Many will try to steal your light. Don't let them." Warned King Phire.

"How can one steal what is me?" Asked the Princess. "Who's out there?"

"Not all Flarens burn the same..."

"My'Light you are needed in the Skilletem." The serf said with widen eyes.

"Excuse me dearest daughter... Mind my words." The King said as he rushed to the Skilletem.

Princess Phire mind her father's warning before she left the kingdom. The Palacesgards opened the gates for her.

"When will you be coming back?" The Palacegard asked.

"Afternoon... I will be heading to Crimsunbrix

To meet a friend." Said Princess Phire. "Her name is Mesa Mora..."

"See you soon, My'Light." The Palacegrad said as she opened the castiron gates.

While Phire and Mesa walked the Boulevard of the farmers market they found a Mage doing tarot readings. A Ocean blue Flareany with silver hair came out her Witvhes booth heated. "What you mean I shall cause my own misery? I want a better future. Give back thy coin!"

"The cards had spoken! The future ain't free. You see you started the prophecy." Exclaimed the Witvh.

The boy stormed off. "Don't waste your coin on her." He told the girls.

"Come one. Come two. Let she what my cards claim for you." The Mage pointed at Phire and Mesa.

Of course they got their reading done despite the boys warning. They walked in the booth and admire the crystals dangling from the ceiling. The crystals washed over them before they sat side by side. The neon pink lights from the Witvhes deafpunk-mask characters shifted while she put the tarot in the desk-shuffler.

Phire watched the machine. The Witvh asked them to pick a type of reading off the menu. Each reading listed had an emjoi that makes her deafpunk pink. Mesa picked the 5th typed to the top. "That a reading for Romantica..." The machine handed Mesa the deck. "Pick 10 cards. You can look at them. But I suggest you don't."

Mesa laughed. She looked at each card before picking her 10. She placed the rest in the deck and handed the cards to be tempted by the Mage.

"Romantica or Love; the unlighten ones call it, is more than sexual. Transcends the physical and emotional... Your master card is the Ace of Swords." She pulled out the card with a hand emerging from a cloud holding a long sword. "You are a strong girl who will grow into a mightier woman. You will find Callers of every nation trying to romance you... However, they will not last... Now each card you picked are the lovers you will lose." She drew the other nine. "The Knight of Wishes. The Princes of Wishes. The Fool. The Joker. The Warrior. The Twin Flame. The Devil. The Mortal. And The Chibi Sun... Be careful of the Chibi Sun 'cause it's upside down."

Mesa felt the ooogies. "How do I lose them?"

"Does it matter you lost them. Just don't make that miss step thinking you found the one. The one isn't in this draw. There no card for him."

Phire felt the ooogies too. Was nervous about her turn. Since she didn't care for romance; she picked the 3rd type of reading. She loved the name Epicventura. She watched the machine shuffle. She picked 3 cards blindly. The Mage interpret them.

"Father Time. The Tower. Blooming Moonflower... Your a royalty. Real in flesh, soul and mind. I can tell by your cards you time is now... You will face new challenges past generations had not foreseen. However you will live happily enough after the wrecking." Said the Mage.

"How come her fortune is nice? All my lovers are going to die...?" Noted Mesa.

"You picked what you picked. The cards had spoken."

The friends carried on to enjoy the market buying beans till dust hit. On the way back to the Palace they came across a white cat with purple eyes being attacked buy a flock of crows. Phire scared the flock away from the white cat.

"Damn those birds... They pecked him to death. We gotta get him to the Palace." Said Princess Phire. She took the cat to the Firesages and in moments the once dead cat was living.

"Thank you for re-animating me..." Said the White cat suprising the Princess, Mesa and Firesage.

"What you can talk? How can that be" Asked the Firesage.

"Just how you learned." Replied the cat then jumped off the table onto his feet.

"You can stand?" Said Mesa.

"Well I don't know how that's so interesting. You stand every day... Now I must be going. My Major will be pissed. Which way to Sayaity?"

"Sayaity?" The Firesage said."You're from Sayaity? You're a long long way from home. Your in Flareany Palace"

"My Majors not going to like this one bit." After some further explanations they learned the cats name was Markham. He wasn't always a white cat. Do to a curse from a Warlovk in Sayaity he been turned. His Major Zir.Clarence been trying to reverse the curse but need 4 ingredients across the globe. He got issued A-shard from the liberty Bell in Decline, the blood of a vampire from Rubikity, and while he was in Rubikity going to Qiwishstone he ran into the flock of crows.

"Qiwishstone isn't that far from Flareany." Said Princess Phire. "What you need in Qiwishstone?"

"You're Father will not allow you to travel that a ways..." Said the Firesage.

"I need the feather of a Phoniex." Markham said.

" We can't just let a cat of his size travel his own. My father will understand I am of age I could it's not out of the kingdom." The Princes declared.

She asked her father when he was his sweetest. It was always after he took off his crown in his Study. Of course he didn't want his daughter to travel at-all, but he saw the fire in her eyes. That same flame he had when he was her age. If he said no he know she will do it in spite. He allowed her with the company of Mesa, The Firesage, and The Palacegard.

After the Firesmith made the party their armory they where ready to travel. Princess Phire armory was made of white gold with copper finishing. She wore cat-like claws that was made Osedon crystals that matched her booths; it kept her flame in-check.

Mesa armory was made of stainless steel. She was given two daggers that looked like a snake.

The Firesage armory was made of Rose Quarts. She was given a staff made of cherry wood with a ruby crystal; that would amplify her spell-accuraty.

The Palacesgard was made of Bismuth. Her weapon was shield with the sigil of Blue Fire with gold wings.

Markham Of'Sayaity armory was a jumper made of leather. He was also given a so thin blade it was naked to the human eye.

The met in the courtyard. After the Firesmith showed his administration for his models he told them each item work best together. "- the stone made works best in the sun. The metal made work best at night. Work as a unit and you'll do fine. And most importantly don't give my Smithin' a bad name."

"We wont." Promise Princess Phire.

The journey began in Menthol; outside Flaerity.

In Menthol the party had no trouble making there way to Newer Goldity. There they heard whispers of a bird made of fire attacking the pigs on Old Mans Jinkans farm.

"You know that Jinkans is a character. Very queer... If you ask me. Did he make bacon. Fire birds are long gone." Said the city man.

"Where is this old man Jinkans?" Markham asked.

"Which Witvh cured you? It's been years since I talked to a talking cat. Where you from? Everyone knows that Old Man Jinkans live on Old Town rd." Replied the city man.

On old town rd the party found the farmhouse of Jinkans. There liad the blacken skulls of his stock of pigs.

"No Flareany can cast such a fire. It must be the Phoenix." Mesa said in delight. "I feel sorry for the pigs tho-but you know..."

Markham was ecstatic. "Soon I'll be no more a feline. Let's see if Jinkans can tell us where it went."

"Pipe down. We can't just knock on the door of a old man demanding information. We should of thought this out." Said the Palacegaurd.

"True. He just lost his stock. Imagine how he must feel?" Princess Phire looked at the brunt farm.

"What are you doing?" Shouted a boy from the farmhouse. He ran up to them holding a hoe as a weapon. "This is private property! Not a theme park! Nothing to see here!"

Princess Phire recalled that boy from the tarot reading. His silver hair was in box-braids and he was dressed in overalls. His Ocean fire was more golden do being in a new city. His light made hers blush.

The Palaceguard shield the Princess. The boy tripped on his feet, face planting into a mug pie. The party laughed.

"Stop that's not funny..." Phire said forcing herself to stop laughing. "Are you alright?" She rushed to help.

"Perfectly fine. I don't need your pitty."

"How dare you talk to the Princess like that?" Said the Palacegard.

The boy noticed her royal fire. "I don't care if she is the Queen of Makebelieve... This is still private property. You rule over nothing here. And if you did you rule over dead pigs." Said the boy.

"We are not here to rule. We must talk to your grandfather-" Markham said.

"Old men Jinkans isn't my grandfather. He's my uncle. His name is just Jinkans. I'm Jincode. This is Jinfarms."

"I read of the Jinkin. I'm and Princess Phire daughter of King Phire and this is my party. We came to help Markham Of'Sayaity get a Phoniex feather to undo his catattitude..."

"So where is your Uncle?" Asked Mesa.

"He's away getting more pigs." Jincode explanated. He told them about the horror he witnessed on the day the Phoniex caused. "It came down like wildfire. It went east. I thought Fire birds where extinct? I thought wrong."

"They stay to themselves mostly in volcanoes. There must be one nearby." The Firesage said.

"There is no canoes to the east. That bird must be dumb... Just mountains. The Golderhills." Said Jincode.

"It must be inactived." Princess Phire said.

Jincode joined the party to seek revenge on the Phoniex. They traveled east to the Golderhills. The smell of burning bacon came from a cave. To there luck they found the Phoniex resting on top a bed of blacken skulls of pigs.

The cave was cold.

That was good for the party.

"Go get your feather so I can end it's life." Whispered Jincode to Markham.

"Jobs indeed." Said Markham. He leaped stone to stone where the resting Phoniex poached.

"That's one cool cat." Said the Palacegard.

Markham sneaked a pinch at the tail of the Fire bird. Getting the feather woke up the Phoniex and She roars. Her roar sounds like crystal cracking and embers burning. She pushed Markham away making him fall. The Firesage uses her staffs magic to catch him. The feather on the other hand was lost.

"Sugar we need another feather!" Markham said.

"No we don't it's right there!" Princess Phire said pointing at the spot. The feather was caught between a rock and a hard place. The Phoniex made the cave heat-up.

The Firesage attacked the wild beast with her magic to make it go to sleep. Each try was missed. The bird attacked them with a fireball. The Palacegard shield them all. The bird swings down to attack and Mess cut her with her snake dagger.

Unfortunately she got hit back by a blast of embers.

"Mesa!" Cried Phire. "We gotta get out of here!" The cave became too hot for even the Flareany princess. Her party left to rethink there plain.

Back at the Jinkans Farmhouse Uncle Jinkans laughed at them. "What was you thinking? It's a bird made of fire. There's no way your going to get that feather. KittyCat, get use to being a feline."

"I can't just give up. Do you know how hard it is to be a talking cat? It would be worst if I waa black." Said Markham.

"Don't fear Markham... We just need research. Do you guys have a computer with Internet?" Phire asked and Jincode showed her the house PC. It was a old model made in 2021 but Phire knew how to work it.

"Sorry for the oldness... We're not technology inclined. My grandfather grew up on this computer." Jincode said.

After serfing the world-wide-web for everything under Phoniex and Fire Bird.

Phire found out they are weakest after dust. She also learned that on the night of a new moon their fire is at its coolest.

The following day they went at dust to try for the feather. Jincode still wanted to kill the beast despite Phire telling him no one ever killed a Phoniex in the stories she researched.

He insisted that he's going to make history out of herstory. She laughed and blushed. Making Mesa feel the ooogies.

"Do they really gotta flirt? I never seen Phire like this." Mesa said.

"You sound jealous." Markham said.

"Its like I'm yesterdays news." Mesa stated.

They gone inside the cave to see the fasting Phoniex on her nest of skulls. The echo on Jincode's kicking a rock woken the Phoniex.

She roars causing the earth to shake.

"Thanks a lot Blueboy!" Mesa said drawing her daggers. "That Witvh was spot-on."

"Why bring her up." Jincode rolled his eyes.

The bird attacked with a breath of cold ash.

The Firesage blocked the attack. She spelled a rock in her control and tossed it at the beast. The beast cried as the rock hit her.

She spat green fire at the sage. The attack hit her and she fainted from the foreign flame.

The bird took flight and tossed stars at the rest of the party.

Phire added the yellow light into her. Her inner flame roared a burning berry tone. She grew inside and was able to punch the Phoniex. She got three jabs in before her power-up went out. She was drain.

Mesa blocked the starts with her daggers who ate them. They where full and grew into a two dual swords. They gave her the ability to turn invisible.

Markham hid behind a stone with Jincode from the stars. After watching Phire eat more falling stars. Jincode thought he could do the same. He let one hit him.

Feeling the light settle in him his silver hair burned Pacific blue. He felt a rush that he never felt before and his thought rushed. He started throwing fire jabs all over.

He hits Mesa making her faint. She became visible after the hit.

"Watch where you tossing those hits!" The Palacegard remarked as she dodged the stars. She used her grafuling-hook to move closer to get a feather. Next to the nest she noticed a six giant topaz egg. "Sugar Honey Ice Tea!"

The Mother Phoniex attacked her.

She fainted.

"We gotta get the Heynow-Out-of-here!" Princess Phire used the last of her flame to cast a bright light so Jincode, Markham and herself to wakeup the fallen party to evacuate.

Uncle Jinkans felt to bad to laugh at them. He gave each of them a special elixir to heal 100 percent. After they where healed fully he laughed. "-So she's a mommy. Your not getting that feather..."

"We just need to think outside the box." Princess Phire said.

"Is it really that bad being a cat?" Asked Mesa. "You can die a cat or a human. Dying a cat you might get treated better. Humanity can be messed up. Think about it... You can have a nice shoes box that coast way less than a casket."

"You might be right?" Markham the Cat said.

"Don't give up! We came this far. I am not a Quicker! We are not Quickers!" Princess Phire declared.

Her party cried.

Phire went hard at work doing more research on Phoniex. She learned of the Legend of the Queen and The Phoniex. In her study she read that by nature the bird isn't destructive by nature but brings life. The Queen in the Legend kissed the bird and let it burn her so she could become the Phoniex.

Phire found that half bizarre. "I'm not doing all that..." She said to the site. The Legend was typed in 1995 by some man named DJ Big R. Back in 95 the Humans where still leading what was Wi-Fi. So she took the story with a grain of salt.

"You need to get some sleep. Your light is dimming, girl." Mesa worried.

"Okay. I will hit the hay." Phire turned off the computer and went to sleep.

Two days later the party was ready to take on the beast. This time Princess Phire had a idea. This time they would wait for the bird to leave when the sun was rising The Phoniex left to search for stock to feed its fire. Phire knew it would need to get more food since their last encounter with her.

Once the party saw her leave the cave the rushed into the cave.

"Still want to get your revenge?" Teased Mesa.

"Shut up. Revenge is foolishness." Jincode said.

(End of part 1)

#cknightleyart #black writers #cknightleypen #writers on tumblr #Purple Phire Princess #ppp #p3

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mczenrath · 4 years ago

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aesthetic.

what are your muse’s aesthetics? bold any which apply to your muse! remember to REPOST! feel free to add to the list!

[ COLORS ] ~ burgundy. red. crimson. scarlet. maroon. mahogany. copper. amber. chocolate. brown. tawny. tan. bronze. brass. orange. gold. saffron. yellow. chartreuse. spring green. lime. mint. green. olive. forest. turquoise. teal. cerulean. blue. navy. cobalt. periwinkle. indigo. pewter. plum. purple. magenta. fuchsia. lilac. lavender. pink. coral. peach. ivory. cream. white. silver. grey. smoke. charcoal. ebony. black. pastels. vibrant. matte. metallic. muted. dark. light.

[ BODY ] ~ mutations. claws. fangs. wings. tails. feathers. webs. spikes. scales. fur. stripes. spots. freckles. acne. bruises. scars. scratches. gashes. lashes. wounds. amputations. burns. brands. teeth. gums. tongues. lips. beards. mustaches. cheeks. noses. ears. eyes. eyelashes. eyebrows. hair. heads. neck. shoulders. collar bones. arms. elbows. wrists. hands. fingers. breast. back. ribs. abs. belly. hips. curves. butts. legs. thighs. knees. shins. ankles. feet. toes. nails. sweat. spit. tears. blood. heart. stomach. lungs. liver. veins. guts. bones. spine. muscle. skin. feline. canine. masculine. feminine.

[ WEAPONS ] ~ bites. fists. kicks. sword. dagger. spear. arrow. bow. crossbow. hammer. shield. poison. guns. axes. throwing axes. whips. knives. throwing knives. pepper sprays. tasers. machine guns. slingshots. katanas. maces. staffs. wands. powers. magical items. magic. rocks. mud balls. bombs. missiles. boomerangs. lethal pets. lasers. canons.

[ MATERIALS ] ~ metal. gold. silver. platinum. pewter. titanium. iron. steel. copper. bronze. brass. tin. bismuth. diamonds. pearls. rubies. garnets. sapphires. emeralds. jade. peridots. alexandrite. opal. topaz. jasper. quartz. rose quartz. smoky quartz. amethyst. citrine. fluorite. amber. malachite. turquoise. lapis lazuli. sodalite. pyrite. labradorite. moonstone. petrified wood. wood. paper. parchment. hemp. canvas. burlap. oils skin. muslin. rayon. faux. wool. fur. lace. leather. skins. suede. corduroy. silk. satin. chiffon. velvet. denim. linen. cotton. charcoal. clay. stone. rocks. flint. asphalt. brick. granite. marble. dust. rust. glitter. sand. dirt. mud. smoke. ash. carbonate. rubber. synthetics. nylon. polyester. plastic. glass. porcelain. bone. shells. coral.

[ NATURE ] ~ grass. leaves. trees. bark. flowers. roses. daisies. forget me nots. tulips. lavender. sunflowers. petals. thorns. seeds. hay. roots. ocean. pond. river. stream. waterfall. creek. meadow. forest. desert. tundra. savanna. rain forest. tropical. jungle. marsh. moors. swamp. plains. hills. highlands. caves. underwater. coral reef. beach. waves. space. clouds. mountains. fire. lava. ice. frost. water. air. earth. rain. snow. wind. moon. stars. sun. heat. cold. steam. lightning. sunlight. moonlight. dawn. dusk. twilight. midnight. sunrise. sunset. dewdrops. shadow. tornado. hurricane. water spout. thunder. hail. twisters. humidity. dryness.

[ ANIMALS ] ~ birds. penguins. eagles. owls. falcons. vultures. hawks. swans. parrots. parakeets. doves. pigeons. ducks. robins. cardinals. blue jays. bluebirds. blackbirds. crows. ravens. magpies. mockingbirds. flamingos. ostriches. seagulls. albatross. peacocks. condors. finches. pelicans. chickens. geese. quail. bats. sheep. cows. buffalo. deer. hedgehogs. elephants. horses. giraffes. cats. lions. tigers. pumas. cheetahs. jaguars. foxes. dogs. wolves. coyotes. bunnies. mice. rats. monkeys. apes. bears. pandas. polar bears. snakes. iguanas. chameleons. alligators. crocodiles. turtles. lizards. frogs. toads. whales.dolphins. fish. sharks. stingrays. octopus. lobsters. crabs. bugs. spiders. moths. butterflies. flies. maggots. roaches. ladybugs. beetles. cicadas. dragonflies. fleas. termites. leeches. worms. snails. mosquitoes. werewolves. unicorns. pegasus. dragons. dinosaurs.

[ FOODS/DRINKS ] ~ pepper. salt. sugar. honey. syrup. caramel. candy. bubblegum. mints. candy canes. gumdrops. lollipops. chocolate. vanilla. cinnamon. ice cream. cake. cookies. brownies. biscuits. pie. tarts. lemonade. soda. champagne. wine. brandy. rum. whiskey. vodka. tequila. sake. beer. soju. gin. crema de cacao. cocoa. latte. coffee. tea. spices. herbs. fruit. apples. oranges. lemons. cherries. strawberries. blueberries. raspberries. cranberries. watermelons. cantaloupes. bananas. coconuts. grapes. kiwi. pomegranates. tomatoes. vegetables. potatoes. cucumbers. carrots. turnips. onions. leeks. celery. broccoli. cabbages. lettuces. roots. nuts. white meat. red meat. raw meat. veal. pork. chicken. beef. venison. fish. lobster. oysters. pizza. ambrosia. pasta. sandwiches. soup.

[ HOBBIES ] ~ music. piano. flute. woodwinds. whistles. drums. guitar. cello. synthesizer. violin. lute. harp. fiddle. harmonica. trumpet. brass. singing. composing. folk. classical. bluegrass. blues. jazz. big band. pop. country. rock. punk. metal. electronica. hip hop. reggae. ska. rap. vinyl records. cassettes. cds. soundcloud. itunes. spotify. art. sculpting. pottery. painting. watercolour. drawing. pastels. charcoal. sketching. graffiti. printing. inking. collecting. fighting. martial arts. self-defense. boxing. fencing. sumo. wrestling. jousting. paintball. lazer tag. duelling. hunting. fishing. climbing. weight lifting. training. sports. football. football (usa). rugby. baseball. cricket. lacrosse. volleyball. basketball. tennis. badminton. skating. cycling. sailing. swimming. rowing. hiking. running. gymnastics. dancing. ice skating. hockey. reading. writing. cooking. sewing. acting. photography. video games. horseback riding. gardening. smithing. shopping. traveling. movies. theatre, libraries. books. magazines. playing cards. poker chips. chess. dice. science.

[ STYLE ] ~ nudism. perfume. cologne. piercings. tattoos. henna. body paint. war paint. make up. lipstick. mascara. eyeliner. eye shadow. powder. beauty marks. blush. nail polish. lingerie. fishnet. pantie-hoes. socks. stockings. leggings. long johns. under armor. corsets. sports bras. bustles. camisoles. blouses. button ups. tunics. vests. waistcoats. leather jackets. ponchos. sweaters/jumpers. hoodies. skirts. jeans. kilts. breeches. scarfs. cravats. ascots. belts. sashes. gloves. heels. sandals. platforms. tennis shoes. penny loafers. jordans. slippers. boots. cowboy boots. rain boots. army boots. armor. justaucorps. trench coats. capes. cloaks. burqa. suits. tuxedos. kimonos. saris. sun dresses. gowns. jewelry. earrings. nose rings. lip rings. tongue piercings. belly rings. gauges. eyebrow rings. necklaces. pearl strings. leis. bracelets. bangles. cuffs. watches. friendship bracelets. rings. pendants. lockets. broaches. boutonnieres. pocket watches. cuff links. hats. crowns. circlets. flower crowns. helmets. hijabs. turbans. baseball caps. cowboy hats. brocade. doublet. gorget. bracers. masks. cowls. braces. glasses. sun glasses. eye contacts. pajamas.

[ MISC ] ~ balloons. bubbles. candles. battle. war. diplomacy. peace. money. power. clocks. photos. mirrors. pets. diary. fairy lights. madness. sanity. sadness. happiness. optimism. pessimism. loneliness. family. friends. assistants. co-workers. enemies. loyalty. smoking. drugs. kindness. love. sex. hugs. duality. sin. lust. greed. wrath. envy. sloth. gluttony. pride. virtue. chivalry. honor. piety. charity. diligence. chastity. gentleness. aggression. romance. hatred. grief. pity. success. bitterness. sorrow. joy. fear. anger. good. evil. relativity. vampirism. sapphism. life. birth. time. death. illusion. silence.

Tagged stole from: @ababwa Tagging: @direbcrn @sunsreign & anyone else who wants to do iiit

#✸ meme;#✸ aesthetic;#( this was enjoyable c: )

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bowieandqueen11 · 5 years ago

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Homeschooled / Stanley Barber Imagine

Request: Hi can you please do a Stan Barber x homeschooled reader who's lived in Brownsville her whole life and he's just now noticed?

Of course, I hope this is okay! <3

Comments are very, very much appreciated!

A smokey swirl of bright pink and a slightly dulled lavender transfigured the sky, as the sun began its descent over the crooked horizon of Brownsville.

In the sliver of dark orange left behind, most schoolchildren would, or perhaps should, be at home. Whether that’s watching TV, or eating dinner with tired parents, or trying to sneak out to the arcades during such early summer days. But for Stanley Barber, home was the one place he didn’t want to be at the moment, even if he had accidentally left his cassette player on - he would take his dad’s punishment for that later.

Right now, though, the streets feel the most private of public spaces, a sentiment you agreed with. If you were the sort who was used to this solitude, to spending so much time on your own, never really entering the buzz of people, there’s a vibrancy in this town that makes your stomach churn. It left you lightheaded, as if something huge was heading this way and only you could feel it.

This town wasn’t awful: there were always moments of kindness whenever you left the house, fleeting smiles from people you recognised in the shops and gestures of appreciation and familiarity from those you passed on the street. You felt separate, it’s true, but as Stanley thought, as he drove down the road you were walking up, this town made you feel together to.

Gazing straight ahead, only half aware of a world outside the claustrophobic comfort of his beat up car, of Stanley’s hands stroking the wheel, the almost soundless changing of the gears, he finally noticed your figure walking his way.

Flashing his headlights, the glare shone and stung your eyes as he rolled to a stop on the pavement next to you, waving you over.

It took him a moment, as his finger fell on the car console and he tried to open the window. A heavy silence settled over the two of you as your unsettled eyes glanced unceremoniously around and tried to avoid catching his as he smiled up at you with an unfamiliar boyish charm. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he managed to get the window down.

‘Hi’, was the only thing he could think of as he twisted to face you. You almost took a step back, the overpowering smell of the cologne that was radiating off his sky blue jumper finally reaching your nose, but you managed to steady yourself and in turn squat down by the car window.

‘...Hi?’

‘I thought I knew everyone in this place, but I haven’t seen you before, have I?’

You glanced at him suspiciously, but he only stayed deadly still.

‘...No, I’m homeschooled - I don’t go to the local high school, if that’s what you’re asking.’

‘They have a football game on today, if you’d like to join me?’

He could sense you stiffen, and so he reached out his hand cautiously, stuttering as he went on.

‘I know, I know, you don’t know me and I don’t know you. But you look interesting, and I’m already so bored of every single other person in this town. Plus, you’re the only other person my age, except for the drug dealers of course, who actually likes to be out at this time of the day. That makes you okay in my books.’

‘I have to be home by ten.’

‘Ten I can do.’

He's so much younger than you had expected. He has that almost grown-up choir boy look except the glint in his eyes as he reaches over to open the passenger side door, with a concerning groan from its hinges. There was something about the way he smiled, the way butterflies seemed to escape from the pit of his stomach and the way the sun had somehow toppled down from the sky and made a home right there in his heart. He had the kind of smile that made you feel happy to be alive and just that little bit more human. You tried to suppress a blush as you made to get into the car.

‘What’s your name, by the way, Just in case I need to tell the police.’

He laughs lightly, and it’s a sound you want to hear again and again and again.

‘Stanley. Stanley Barber. And who do I have the honour of kidnapping?’

‘Y/n. My name’s Y/n.’

Now that you’re sitting next to him it's far easier to observe him discreetly; as he drives it's natural for me to look his way while we talk and for him to keep his eyes on the street. He’s weird, but it’s a nice kind of odd. You’ve never met anyone else who likes superheroes this much and wants to become a jellyfish, but it’s refreshing, and for the first time in a while you find yourself laughing naturally.

It didn’t take you long to reach the football grounds - it would have taken less time if he hadn’t stopped off for a soda along the way.

You could feel the adrenaline from the pitch to the stands and flowing right around the stadium. It was the sort of tension people crave, because it comes right before the elation- well, hopefully. You take a seat next to him on the bleachers, folding down on the cold seat comfortably next to his jeans. His shoulder bumps against yours as you reach up to nab the sunglasses off his head, placing them on over your eyes. You thought he might be angry, but he does nothing in retaliation but smirk and place his mouth around the straw, taking a sip from the plastic cup.

The copper hues of the sun had given way to a dusty purple scattered with the occasional glitter of a faraway star. The distant skyline stood silhouetted against a velvety sky, the golden dusk enveloped by the twilight sky, and only the bright stadium lights shining on the scattered crowd could be seen.

‘I can’t believe you made me come to this. It’s so lame.’

‘It's the opposite of lame, Y/n! It's theater. It's live theater. Westinghouse Memorial High School on a Friday night. What could be more tragic? More Shakespearean? You miss a treat not coming here.’

‘You’re such a dork.’

Behind those large sunglasses your eyes could have been anywhere at all, or closed, but everything about Stanley Barber meant you were deeply immersed in his gaze.

‘Just wait until you see my comic collection.’

For once, you couldn’t find your voice. You felt your cheeks flush hot, and your heart pounding as you looked down to your feet planted firmly on the damp grass.

‘Only if you want to see them, of course.’

‘...I’d like that.’

Stanley smiled, and for the first time he could remember, he felt how happy and content people ought to be: simply lacking the tension anxiety brings. His eyes found a new softness to them, as he glanced up at you, and there was something so welcoming in the rich browns.

Something in him felt a little more put together, a little more at home, sitting next to you, and he wanted this feeling to last forever.

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blacknailpolishonguitarstrings · 4 years ago

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Forgotten in the rain

The streets were empty and quiet, devoid of life, save for the occasional passing car, rushing and hissing over the wet asphalt. Dark clouds swirled in the gray sky, pouring their sorrows on the desolate city below. Most remained in their homes far away from the endless rivers of water falling from the sky, but not Sirius. No, he most certainly did not despise the grim weather or the rain. On the contrary, he rather enjoyed it, finding it peaceful and almost…serene. He liked to hear the sound of the millions of droplets of water clattering against the windows and cars, sliding down vibrant green leaves, falling on the ground, sinking into the earth and turning it into mush, and disappearing down the drains into the cold metal pipes. It calmed him, washing away the restlessness, pain, and memories, even if it only were for a few short minutes. A light, trembling wind fought his way into his body, past his leather jacket, chilling him to the bones, ruffling his wet hair. But again, he did not mind. A dark green leaf, the colour of Aisha’s eyes, detached itself from a low hanging branch, fluttering briefly in front of his face, before titling down and falling at his feet on the gray cobblestones.

Aisha…she was lovely. A smart, funny, gorgeous woman filled to the brim with joyous life. A temperamental, but kind soul. But it was not the same. Something was still missing inside of him, a small, but important void in his chest, almost as if he had lost something he had never possessed in the first place. And it hurt. He hid it well but it pained him.

He continued walking, immersed in his thoughts and not paying attention to his surroundings. Sirius was so distracted, that he did not notice the pots full of flowers standing on the side of the sidewalk and nearly fell flat forward on his face, as he tripped, knocking them over. White petals flew in the air, and gently settled on the dirty pavement, around withered green stems. Cursing he picked the, up, stepping on one in the process and leaving behind ugly black stains on the squashed flower. They were beyond salvaging.

With a heavy sigh, he entered the little flower shop, water running down his clothes and heavily dripping on the floor. His hair lay in wet black and gray strands on his face and neck, sticking to his skin, and his blue-gray eyes shone bright with curiosity in the dim lighting as he looked around. The place was small and dark, walls covered in crackled navy blue paint, and a couple of dingy light bulbs hung from the bare ceiling, casting their flickering light on the room. Flowers of every shape, colour, and size were cramped in glass vases, broken stems and yellowed leaves were strewn here and there across the floor, and dried bundles of faded pink roses and baby breath flowers hung upside down above the counter, suspended on thin strings.

Sirius stood there, immobile, holding the damaged flowers, at loss, when the green door behind the counter opened, and an old man appeared. He was very tall and slim, dressed in a knitted cream jumper and brown corduroy pants. His hair fell on his face in a mess of graying dark copper curls stricken with white locks, casting shadows over his eyes. He seemed oblivious to Sirius’ presence, nose deep inside a large leather-bound book he cradled tightly with one hand, a steaming red mug of tea in the other. Clearing his throat, the black-haired man walked up to the counter, running a nervous hand through his dripping locks.

“Hello, sorry…I…Uhm,” he stuttered.

The shopkeeper looked up, clever green eyes meeting a confused silvery blue gaze. It was as if a bucket of ice-cold water had been poured over Sirius, filling his bones with fear, chilling every inch of his skin with anxiety. Those brown flecks swimming in pools of emerald, those sun-kissed golden curls, the millions of little freckles peppering pale, once youthful now wrinkled skin, the warm wool of knitted cardigans, the sharp scent of burning hot tea that has just been brewed, the crinkle of rapidly turned pages…he knew all of these things. He was more than familiar with them. It all belonged to Remus John Lupin. It was his Moony. His Moony, who he hadn’t seen in years. Memories washed over him, flicking in his mind like a flipbook, rushing through the years.

The first time he saw the tall, lanky boy with gangly limbs on the Hogwarts Express, the nervousness written all over his face, clear as day, as he sat on the stool, the Sorting Hat heavy on his head and insecurity dancing across his taught features as the name “Gryffindor” resonated in the Great Hall. Sirius remembered the first year, spent in nervous glances and reclusion, the bitterness and resignation when his secret came out, and they found out he was a werewolf.

He remembered Second Year, when Remus’ smiles gradually got brighter and he became more comfortable, yet he still wouldn’t change in front of his friends.

Then came Third Year, and the whole Animagus process, where he finally saw what it was like to turn into a vicious beast once a month, what it was like to tear yourself apart and wake up the next day, just a little more tired and broken than the day before. Fast forward to Fourth Year where his problems with his family truly began, Remus’ constant worried glances, and that cold, dark Christmas Eve of 1974 where he, Sirius Black, appeared at the Potter's barely breathing, beyond hurt and wrecked.

He, of course, never forgot Fifth Year and the stolen, longing stares, the minute he realized he liked boys, and the precise moment he understood that the boy in question was Remus John Lupin, his best friend. He also recalled, with regret and sorrow, the time that he gave away Remus’ condition to Snape; an idiotic, dangerous, so-called prank that near,y cost him one of the most important people in his life.

And then Sixth Year and its tension, the first drunken kiss, the secrets, the lies, and the blissful nights spent at the very top of the Astronomy Tower. Sirius kept the memories of summer 1977 dearly, reminiscing of the sweet warm nights, the bonfires, the day the rest of their friends found out about him and Remus, and the pure joy and happiness of those few weeks.

He remembered Seventh Year and the mounting fear, hanging heavy in the air, the worried whispers, and the empty, saddened stares...all things that perdured even after Hogwarts.

Then came the War, accompanied by mourning and grief, only brightened for a few moments by James’ and Lily’s wedding, and then Harry's birth. A joy that didn't last long, as Sirius’ rapidly deteriorating relationship with Remus finally broke with the death of their best friends and his unjust imprisonment.

He remembered every excruciating full moon of the twelve years spent in Azkaban, every other remaining day blurring into an unintelligible mess, slowly sinking into insanity, with no knowledge of Remus’ whereabouts.

He remembered, without doubt, the first time he saw his godson, Harry, all grown up, looking just like his father, brave and kind, having survived more than he had ought to. And then there was Remus too, looking exhausted and grayed, only a pale, faded shadow of his former self. The next few years were spent between Order missions, confrontations with Death, and the same old, familiar stolen glances. They attempted to rebuild their relationship, yet they never regained that special, magical even, bond.

And after the War, Remus disappeared. At first, they exchanged weekly letters, which then got rarer and rarer, until they stopped coming altogether and for years, Sirius knew nothing of him. Until now.

“Excuse me, sir!” said Remus waving his hand awkwardly in front of his face. “You...wanted something, right?”

The other wizard suddenly shuddered, blinking, as if he had just been roused from a trance.

“Yeah, sorry...I...um...was just, you know...thinking,” he stuttered, blushing.

His former friend raised a sarcastic, amused eyebrow.

“I just wanted to pay for these flowers I sort of...destroyed. By accident of course!” Added Sirius hastily, watching him apprehensively.

“That’s alright, I should have thought to bring them in a while ago already. It’s curious, really, you remind me of someone I used to know a long time ago. His name was Sirius Black. Quite a peculiar name, isn't it?” he replied pensively.

A flare of hope lit up inside Sirius. Maybe, just maybe, he remembered and recognized him.

“Remus?” he asked quietly.

“You know me?”

A look of surprise crossed his face.

“I…,” he hesitated. “No. I thought I knew you but I guess I was wrong. I must have mistaken you for someone else, I’m sorry.”

“Oh, that’s alright, it happens to everyone from time to time,” answered Remus lightly. “Do you want anything else?”

“Maybe white roses, for my girlfriend.”

“Excellent choice! These are my personal favourites” he said, reaching for a bouquet of snowy white roses, with soft petals and lush, dark green leaves.

“I know they are,” thought Sirius bitterly. “You told me in Third Year on a lazy summer day that white roses were your favorite flowers because your mum’s garden was full of them.”

“I’m sure she will love them,” he smiled.

#wolfstar #remus lupin #sirius black #marauders #marauders era #wolfstar fanfiction #marauders fanfiction

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taww · 3 years ago

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Review: Furutech DSS-4.1 Speaker Cable & DPS-4.1 Power Cord

Furutech DSS-4.1 Speaker Cable & DPS-4.1 Power Cord

The Audiophile Weekend Warrior (TAWW)

TAWW Rating: 5 / 5

Attainable ultra-high-end performance.

PROS: Incredibly quiet, transparent and open-sounding; powerful and resolving frequency extremes; pure and organic midrange; fast and unfettered dynamics; remarkable sense of space.

CONS: Only sold in parts form, so you'll need to figure out termination; power cord can put some strain on jacks.

My first couple decades as an audiophile were relatively frugal. I bought a pair of used Merlin TSM speakers out of college that I used for 16 years. I rolled my own DIY speaker wire and bought $400 Sony and Onkyo CD players that I modified. My amplifier was a defective review sample that I repaired and got for pennies on the dollar. But after years of self-restraint, I started to slide down the slippery slopes of system upgrades. It started innocently enough with some used pieces... an Ayre integrated here, a Cambridge Audio streamer there... then came DAC upgrades, followed by nicer amplifiers, which naturally necessitated a better preamp. But things really took a turn for the crazy last year (I blame pandemic cabin fever) when speakers were upgraded to Audiovector SR 6 Avantgarde Arreté, which then led to the Gryphon Essence preamp and amp. Along the way I picked up the excellent Audience Au24 SX cables which, combined with Audience powerChord SEi's and a hodgepodge of other wire from Cardas, DH Labs and Mogami, have held me over. But with the system now scaling new heights of resolution and realism, the cable upgrade itch needed scratching... which leads us to the Furutech DSS-4.1 speaker cables ($395/m bulk; $3,138 as tested) and DPS-4.1 power cord ($480/m bulk; $1,458 as tested). While that might seem pricey for wire, they’re positioned to deliver the kind of ultra high-end performance associated with far more extravagant products. Could they deliver on that promise in the new TAWW reference rig?

DIY Ultra High-end??

Furutech is a Japanese cable and accessory manufacturer known for their fanatical attention to material and construction quality. Their AC power components are particularly acclaimed, and the distinctive NCF-series AC plugs and outlets can be found on the finished products of many other high-end marques. Similar to how manufacturers like Dynaudio used to sell raw drivers to other manufacturers while also building complete loudspeakers, Furutech seems perfectly content with anyone in the industry using their parts while they also sell finished products. The enterprising audiophile looking to construct or upgrade their own gear can find Furutech components readily available for purchase, though be warned - there are apparently a large number of knock-offs being peddled as genuine Furutech on eBay and other online marketplaces, so you'll want to stick to an authorized distributor. Fortunately for us in the States, we can turn to reputable online stores such as Music Direct, The Cable Company, Douglas Connection or any number of authorized dealers. The very friendly Scot Markwell of Elite A/V Distribution, Furutech's US distributor, provided the units under review here.

The DSS-4.1 speaker and DPS-4.1 and power cable represent the very highest-end Furutech wire you can buy in bulk - anything fancier requires factory termination. The two are effectively the same cable design, with the DPS version adding the requisite third conductor for grounding. I got a heads up to the remarkable properties of the power cord from my late friend Marty DeWulf a couple years back. Marty had been quietly consulting with an electrical engineer specializing in high-voltage power line transmission to construct his own power cords from scratch, and had reached a point where he felt his DIY concoctions outperformed the dozens of pricey high-end cords he had tried over the years. Marty sent me a number of development prototypes and I can attest that the cord was indeed superb and elevated the performance of most every amp I had at my disposal. Marty was feeling pretty happy with his effort until Scot @ Elite AV sent him some Furutech samples to try out, including the DPS-4.1. Sure enough, the DPS-4.1 performed at a different level from anything else Marty had tried before, including his own creations, and recalibrated his expectations for power cords - it was that good.

I later picked up the DPS-4.1 cable myself, along with the Furutech e-TP80 power distributor he praised, and confirmed their high level of performance. My appetite was whetted and I got in touch with Scot about kitting out the new reference rig with Furutech speaker and power wire throughout. This includes DPS-4.1 power cords on everything save the DAC, a GTO-D2R power distributor (review forthcoming) and DSS-4.1 speaker cables. All my samples were terminated with Furutech’s top-shelf rhodium-plated connectors - NCF plugs on the power cords, locking bananas and spades on the speaker cable. For the Gryphon Essence power amp, I had a 1.5m DPS-4.1 power cable made with 20A connectors. Since the Audiovector SR 6 speakers have tri-wire terminals, Scot also provided bare-wire jumpers made from the same PCOCC copper employed in the finished cables.

Using Furutech's PCOCC wire as tri-wire jumpers

Buying the Furutech parts and assembling the cables oneself can yield a considerable savings vs. finished cables, and most enterprising DIY'ers should be able to manage the job. However proper termination is critical to performance and safety, especially for the power cord, so if you're in any doubt, ask a dealer such as Douglas Connection to terminate them for you. Excluding any such labor, the retail cost of my 2.5m set of DSS-4.1 speaker cables with CF-202 bananas and FP-201 spades is $3,138. The 1.5m DPS-4.1 power cable with the FI-50/50M NCF plugs runs $1,458. High-end prices to be sure, but as you'll see below, I'd have no hesitation using these in systems that many would kit with far more costly wire.

The massive IEC connector is gorgeous and fits surely, but will put some stress on your jacks

Handling-wise, I'd call both on the lighter end of "garden hose," neither supple nor particularly stiff. At 19mm (0.75") thick for the speaker cable and 17mm (0.67") for the power cord, they're substantial but manageable. They'll bend easily enough into gentle curves, but the power cord will put strain on the chunky plugs if not given a good amount of clearance so don't expect to cram it into tight spaces. The speaker cable comes with an attractive woven sheath; the power cord has a purple PVC jacket, but my cables were clad in a silver Techflex sleeve for a more finished look. Both have 11AWG conductors which should allow for plenty of current flow in a typical run, and the speaker cable's capacitance is rated at 51.7pF/m (15.6pF/ft) @ 1kHz. This is an exceptionally low figure - for comparison, Kimber Kable 8TC is rated at 346pF/m, while Cardas Clear is a whopping 912pF/m - nearly 18x the Furutech! The tradeoff is a higher inductance of 0.7µH/m, but at typical lengths the effect of this should be benign.

Furutech DSS-4.1 Speaker Cable

Before we begin: since it’s impossible to say what any one component sounds like in isolation, I made most of my comparisons of the Furutech DSS-4.1 to my current reference cable, the excellent Audience Au24 SX ($3,300/2m pair). I also had Cardas Clear Light, DH Labs Q-10 Signature and a few other things on hand, but given that the Audience is the best of what I had available and is closest in price to the Furutech, most of my comments are relative to the Audience.

The best way I can describe the sound of the Furutech cable is "wide open." Compared to other cables I've had at my disposal, swapping in the Furutech sounds equivalent to the visual effect of renovating your living room from normal-sized windows to floor-to-ceiling glass. Suddenly everything feels more open, airy and illuminated. Notice that I didn't say "brighter - there’s a difference. The Furutech allows more sonic light to pass into your listening room, so when the music is brilliant and luminous, your room is suitably illuminated. But once the sun sets, that wall of glass becomes as pitch black as the night sky - and so the Furutech can be quiet and dark when called for.

In less fanciful terms, the Furutech gives the feeling of extremely wide bandwidth with no attenuation of energy or dynamics across the frequency spectrum, particularly at the extreme highs and lows. This helps it unlock more of the capability of my recent system upgrades - the top-to-bottom dynamics of the Audiovector speakers and ultra-wide-bandwidth of the Gryphon separates. In the lower frequencies the Furutech is a big step up in bass energy and resolution, transmitting more of a recording's energy and tone in the bottom three octaves. Note that this is different from having “big” or “warm” bass - similar to my illumination vs. brightness comment above, those denote colorations that constantly tilt the perceived spectral balance in a certain direction. There is no lower frequency hump or resonance here that could sound favorable on first listen but get a little monotonous in the long run. The Furutech simply allows what’s present in the signal to be transmitted more unimpeded than I have heard before in my system. This gives music tremendous “surprise” factor - it can go from ethereal to thunderous in a heartbeat. And this applies not just when used on the big Audiovectors; it's also a quality I heard on a scaled-back system with the Silverline SR17 Supreme 2-way monitors.

The top end has a similar level of transparency and dynamism, revealing all sorts of harmonics and textures as well as the air and ambience of the venue with striking transparency. Triangle, cymbals, trumpet, violin, and harpsichord are a few examples of instruments with complex high-frequency structure that sound exceptionally realistic via the DSS-4.1. At first, I felt the treble of the Furutech was a bit coarser vs. the Audience, which I have always found to be notably smooth and natural. I initially ascribed this to break-in, and gave the wire a couple hundred hours with a 4 ohm dummy load to try to burn it off. It improved, but it still had a bit of lingering grain. With time, two things became apparent: this cable takes a REALLY long time to break in - things kept getting smoother and smoother over the next couple hundred hours - and the Furutech simply refuses to cover anything up. Once I made the substantial upgrade to the Gryphon Essence combo I realized that grain was mostly endemic to my previous components, which were no slouches themselves - we’re talking all Class A discrete electronics from Pass Labs and Valvet. That just shows you the level of resolution the Furutech brings into play.

Once integrated into a system of even higher caliber, the Furutech sounded close to invisible, with great openness, clarity and detail from top to bottom and little discernible artifact. That said, at some points I did adjust the top end a bit by moving the Furutech's connection to the Audiovector speakers from the tweeter terminal to the midrange terminal. When connected to the tweeter terminal as per Audiovector recommendation (and my standard practice with other cables), things could get a hair bright, and some of the aforementioned coarseness would pop up now and again. Again, the Furutech was just telling it like it was, because later after further improvements to the system (a dedicated 20A power line, IsoAcoustics Gaia feet, breaking in the latest firmware on the PS Audio DAC), the top end sweetened and I was able to return the cables to the tweeter terminal for best transparency. In my system's current state, the Furutech brings out a top end that's wonderfully sweet, extended and natural.

A few other standout aspects bear mentioning. One is the sheer size of the soundstage, both in width and depth. I'm not sure exactly how components that have no effect on actual channel separation can affect the perceived width of the stage so much. Maybe it's a phase thing, maybe it's low level resolution that helps with ambient retrieval, maybe it's dynamic capability to bring out instruments that tend to be at the edges of the stage... whatever it is, the Furutech is able to convey a stage of substantial depth, width and dynamism. Another standout is the Furutech’s ability to convey dynamic contrasts. This is a quiet and fast cable that responds adroitly to the most minute changes in dynamic character, conveying both the undulations of a quiet melody and the surge of an orchestral climax with great color and intensity. Finally, the midrange is wonderfully dense, pure and harmonically complete, with great solidity in the lower range. Unlike many audiophile cables that provide lots of detail and speed at the expense of fullness or balance, the Furutech can better most comers in the "hifi" aspects while bringing out all the natural warmth of a great acoustic recording. Baritones, grand pianos, french horns and celli have never sounded better.

By comparison, the Audience Au24 SX is still a wonderful if more midrange-centric cable. Its slightly laid-back perspective and silkier treble are appealing for a variety of systems, particularly those on the forward side of neutral. There's a roundness and sweetness to the midrange, but at the expense of sounding a hair more congealed, bunching instruments together on a narrower stage. It also isn’t quite as responsive to quick and subtle dynamic contrasts, and the top end isn't as realistic and extended. Prior to hearing the Furutech the Audience was actually one of the best cables I had heard in many of these regards, so we're already talking about a very high level of performance here. And compared to something like the Cardas Clear Light, the Furutech was far more resolving while having a warmer, purer midrange and a sweeter treble.

The DSS-4.1 is an exceptionally transparent, balanced and complete speaker cable that can bring greater levels of realism and naturalness to a commensurate system. It delivers the type of detail and energy one would expect from an ultra high-end wire, but in an honest and unforced manner that draws one to the qualities of the source material and music without distraction. The net musical result is music has wider variation in color, texture, nuance and ultimately emotional impact - or as another reviewer put it, "expressiveness is their strong point."

Furutech DPS-4.1 Power Cord

Remarkably (or perhaps not?), virtually all the qualities that the DSS-4.1 exhibits as a speaker cable also shine through with the DPS-4.1 as a power cord. My longstanding reference is also an Audience cable - the moderately priced powerChord SE-i ($930/6 ft). It’s an incredibly consistent performer that imparts greater body, dynamics and life to most any component vs. a stock cord, not to mention a good number of aftermarket ones.

Compared to the Audience powerChord, again, the Furutech felt wide-open, more transparent and better balanced. The powerChord was a bit meatier in the mid bass and slightly sweeter on the top end - certainly more forgiving, but a little filtered compared to the Furutech. The Furutech also had a much wider and better-spaced soundstage; I won't say "twice as wide and 3x as deep" or anything with such false precision, but it certainly felt significantly bigger, with a lot more air between instruments and a stage that consistently spread beyond the width of the speakers. On pop mixes, this exhibited as stereo reverb and hard-panned effects that popped much more distinctly. Compared to the Audience and anything else I had on hand, the Furutech allowed whatever was plugged into it to transmit more recorded nuance with a sense of effortless transparency, particularly at the frequency extremes.

But like any cable regardless of quality, the Furutech wasn't the best match for everything I had on hand. I found the Audience cable more competitive with the PS Audio DAC; the Valvet A4 Mk.II monoblocks have a bit of upper midrange shine that was slightly prominent with the Furutech; and with the Class D Legacy i·v2 amplifier it was actually the very affordable Audience Forte that clicked better than the rest. But otherwise, the Furutech really shone with the majority of preamps and amps I tried, especially anything Pass Labs.

With the Gryphon Essence preamp, switching from the Furutech back to the Audience wasn’t a huge let-down by any means. And at first blush, the Audience sounded a bit more dense and focused than the Furutech, particularly in the lower midrange. But a few notes into Billie Eilish's "iomilo" [Qobuz] I realized what I was hearing as density was actually a bit of congestion, and the soundstage was quite a bit narrower than with the Furutech... everything sounded a bit more congealed around the center image of Eilish's voice. With the Furutech, the Gryphon preamp was able to eerily float effects around the entire space of the front of my living room, with percussion flourishes sprinkled throughout the track twinkling in ethereal fashion. With the Audience, everything lost some luster and became more confined between the speakers, and the frequency extremes lost some speed and impact. The DPS-4.1 cable really unleashed the wide-bandwidth capabilities of my system, maximizing both the epic bass depth, power and control of the Gryphon electronics as well as the purity and extension of the Audiovector's AMT tweeters. None of this is meant to beat up on the Audience, which costs about half as much as the Furutech and remains one of my favorite cords, but rather to elucidate how a cord like the Furutech can further elevate the performance of a system. At some point, I'll have to get around to trying Audience's latest models, such as the Studio ONE powerChord (closer in price) or the FrontRow (though that one costs 3x as much as the Furutech).

Testing the DPS-4.1 with the Gryphon Essence stereo amplifier was a bit trickier due to the need for a 20 amp IEC connector, so I special-ordered one for this purpose. Once set up, the Furutech rewarded me with incredible detail, an ultra-wide and deep soundstage that extended far beyond my walls, deep and impactful bass response and a heightened sense of purity - the "blackness" between the notes. Transients were immaculate, with perfectly clean attacks and decays - not excessively sharp, not softened, but just natural and energetic. This helped create the sense of greater macro and micro dynamic range; lots of subtle shadings and nuances in the music became clearer, while sudden transients were more explosive. There was a greater sense of both calm and energy with everything, where quiet moments felt finer and more delicate, while pops of energy in the performance burst forward with an effortless impact more akin to the live event. Separation, pitch, and articulation of bass notes were made more exceptional as well. It brought out the more rarefied capabilities of ultra high-end gear like the Gryphon - that ability to hear every element of a performance distinctively, yet perfectly integrated into the overall fabric of the music. All these qualities came to the fore listening to complex, dynamic material such as Strauss Don Juan [Qobuz]. I was struck by just how much clearer a window the Furutech gave into the dense, at times cacophonous orchestration, while making tranquil moments such as the idyllic oboe solo even more delicate and nuanced. The overall performance of the Gryphon + Furutech pairing was exceptional.

One combo where the Furutech power cord worked even better than the speaker cable was with the Pass Labs XA30.5 amplifier. With the DSS-4.1 speaker cable, there was a bit of a tradeoff where the enhanced resolution revealed some of the shortcomings of the amp vs. the more refined (and expensive) Gryphon Essence. However the DPS-4.1 power cord was dynamite with the Pass, helping maximize its dynamics and balance out its midrange warmth with bottom-end impact and top-end extension. The Pass Labs XP10 line stage also never sounded better than with the Furutech cord, with improved dynamics, soundstaging and clarity. The lack of noise and grain further strengthened the quietness, purity and sweetness that many find so endearing of Class A gear. The outstanding synergy with the Pass Labs components makes the Furutech DPS-4.1 cord about as no-brainer a recommendation as I can make for any Pass owner.

Conclusion

The Furutechs were remarkably consistent in their sonic impact. Both the speaker and power cables impart a wide-open feeling, with striking resolution at the frequency extremes, powerful low-end response, highly agile dynamics, super low noise floor and no readily-discernible coloration. They are extremely fast and clean without curtailing any sweetness or richness intrinsic to the music. Both cables are a tad more forward than my Audience reference wire, the Au24 SX speaker cable and powerChord SE-i power cord. There’s a hair more upper midrange energy and treble resolution that will require care with some systems, though it’s less prominent than, say, something with silver or silver-plated conductors such as DH Labs Q-10 or Nordost Valhalla. And the power cord in particular took the extension and resolving power of my system to a different level. They both strike me as reference-caliber cables, exacting enough to round out a tweaked-out $100k system, yet balanced enough to elevate something more modest, with plenty of headroom to grow into more ambitious gear. In particular, if you have a system with significant extension at the frequency extremes, they’ll help extract the most out of those capabilities. And as well as they work with my reference Gryphon separates, I absolutely love how they elevate Pass Labs gear, enhancing their intrinsic warmth and musicality with greater clarity, dynamics and precision. They'll be staying in the system for the long haul as a TAWW reference cable. Very highly recommended!

#review #hifi #audio #audiophile #furutech #speaker cable #power cord

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