#custom office wall graphics

[e-arc]

Custom Office Wall Graphics by ARC India: Elevate Your Space

ARC India's custom office wall graphics can transform your workspace. Stunning designs and expert branding solutions that inspire and engage are the way to elevate your space. Learn how we can improve your environment today.

[louisvillecustomsigns]

Wall graphics offer a dynamic way to refresh your business space, strengthen your brand identity, and enhance the overall customer experience. Whether you’re looking to add a pop of color to your shop or inspire your office team, vinyl graphics are a versatile solution.

[omahasignscompany]

Understanding the Difference Between Wall Stickers and Wall Decals

Wall decals, also known as wall graphics, are a fantastic way to transform your space effortlessly. These are adhesive designs or images that can be applied directly to your walls, creating a stunning visual impact. The beauty of wall decals lies in their versatility; they come in various sizes, shapes, and designs, allowing you to customize your space according to your preferences.

[blackfiresigns]

Improve Your Company's Appearance With Amazing Feature Wall Graphics

Corporations choose to present themselves in different ways. Some aim to create an impression of strength and stability, while others go for something more fun or whimsical. One appearance most companies would rather avoid is bland and boring. Using well-designed wall graphics in reception or waiting areas, boardrooms, and other key locations can turn an uninteresting lobby or room into an inviting, welcoming space for visitors and staff.

Effective feature wall creation consists of three things: Selecting the content, choosing the right materials, and employing appropriate design components.

Selecting the Content

Customized Wall graphics, while often used to break up the monotony of a dull blank space, can also serve other vital functions. They can help to reinforce your company’s brand image in the mind of visitors.

Feature walls can help create the mood you want your clients and employees to experience. Playfulness, dependability, warmth, tranquility, and well-being are all impressions that using the right graphics and materials can create.

A custom wall mural can also be informative. Imagine somewhere visitors might have to wait for a few minutes, such as a reception area or meeting room. A custom wall mural with photos depicting the development of the local area, with accompanying text providing some information about your company, gives them something interesting to read while they wait.

Choosing the Right Materials

Custom wall graphics or vinyl decals featuring photographs, landscapes, text, and abstract designs might be one of the first things we think of when considering adding a feature wall. They can be used on their own with great effect, but in many cases, they can be enhanced with other forms of signage. For example, a textured mural giving the appearance of stone, brick, or timber might make a great backdrop to an aluminum dimensional sign or an acrylic one bearing the company logo in a reception area.

Employing Appropriate Design Components

Many design components go into making a great feature wall. The following are a few:

Colors: Certain professions and industries seem drawn to particular color schemes. Many legal firms favor maroon, powder blue, and gray. Simple black and white suggests a clinical atmosphere and is popular with doctors and dentists. Bold, bright, rainbow colors are often associated with child-focused enterprises. Of course, you don’t have to adopt these color schemes; they are just examples to show that color choice is vital in creating the desired impression.

Lighting: If you combine a wall mural with a dimensional sign or other 3D design, backlighting or halo lighting can create an impressive effect. The design of the feature wall and room lighting should be considered together.

Scale: Images and components must be the right size for the space. Too big will be overpowering; too small won’t look good, either.

A wall doesn’t need to be just something to hold your office ceiling up. With imagination, it can become a great promotional asset for your corporate office. It can create the right impression for visitors and employees. If you’d like to discuss how we can help create an outstanding feature wall for your corporate office space in Atlanta, GA, contact Blackfire Signs today.

Source: Click here to know more about customized wall graphics or vinyl decals.

[michigancustomsigns]

Office Lobby Signs are the Secret to a Great First Impression

Making a good first impression on your potential clients sets the tone for your future relationship with them. What better way to impress them as they enter your office than by putting up a good office lobby sign? This is a great way to establish your brand’s identity as they walk into your place. They make your business introduce itself and what you do best.

A good lobby sign helps convert your target market to paying clients. Michigan Custom Signs will help you present your business with the right signage solutions. Continue reading as we explore different types of office signs that will make an impact on your business.

Wayfinding signs

These signs are usually used for directions but their purpose doesn’t end there. You can use them as identification, regulatory, or information signs. These signs are very customizable and design ideas can be endless. You can even design office lobby directory signs that will fit your brand and style that can help improve your customers’ experience.

ADA-compliant signs

These office lobby signs will ensure that your business is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. This is an act that ensures people with disabilities can easily navigate a public space with the help of signage. They can also be customized according to your brand’s style.

Washroom signs

The washroom is the one place in your office where most people come and go. Installing a creative sign for these rooms can help in boosting your customers’ good experience. You can use them to put hygiene reminders and other restroom rules in addition to identifying which restroom is for whom.

Wall graphics

Printed on large vinyl, these signs transform your plain office walls into something interesting. This signage can give your office a breath of fresh air to keep your team motivated and comfortable. These graphics are highly customizable and designs can vary from cityscapes, landscapes, and motivational quotes or you can design your own.

Digital displays

These custom lobby signs are becoming popular among businesses. These interactive displays can easily catch your client’s attention. They can be used to display information like your name, logo, goals, clients’ feedback, promotions, and more. When connected to the internet, you can also display real-time weather updates and social media feeds.

Fulfilling All Your Custom Lobby Sign Needs in Michigan

Upgrade your office overall look to get a great first impression from everyone who will drop by your office. Let Michigan Custom Signs help you achieve that goal. We provide high-quality sign solutions to all your signage problems. Our knowledgeable team will work with you from start to finish, ensuring that all our products and services are of the highest quality.

Contact us today and start your sign journey with us.

[torontocustomsign]

Choose Wall Graphics Printing Store Near Your Location By searching "Toronto Custom Signs"

Updating your business space always has its benefits. Especially when we are looking forward to the post-pandemic future, you may want to invest in something that your customers and employees can get excited about.

There are plenty of ways you can revamp your Toronto business space. An easy and impactful way to do this is through wall graphics.

Why Choose Wall Graphics Printing?

Wall signs and graphics are custom-made vinyl adhesives that can be applied to your wall surfaces. This is a simple yet significant way to transform any indoor and outdoor space. Through vinyl graphics, you can turn any blank wall into an exciting focal point inside your facility.

One great thing about choosing vinyl decals in Toronto is its flexibility. No matter what size your business is, there is room for vinyl graphic designs on your walls. It is a great way to refresh your establishment.

Thinking about revamping your business soon? Here are some ideas that you can consider.

Add Colourful Decal Printing in Toronto

Adding a splash of color is a simple way to give your interior space a boost. Instead of blank, white walls, you can add hints of color to make your space come alive. Better yet, to improve brand awareness, add your brand colors to your wall area.

This can be done through colored graphics, patterns, borders, and the like.

Tell a Story with Wall Graphics

Letting customers know more about your business is a great way to keep them engaged. You can use your walls to tell customers about your company story, milestones, your awesome team, and more.

You can also create a timeline that customers can follow. It can start in your lobby area and go towards different parts of your office space.

Create a Social Media Wall

Wall graphics printing can be used to make a wall feature that customers can engage with. It can be a 3D image or trendy graphics that encourage people to take pictures of or with these graphics.

When customers post these images on their social media platforms, this gives your business extended market reach. More customers will know about your business.

Inspiring Vinyl Decals in Toronto

Refreshing your space isn’t just for your customers. It’s also meant to keep your employees happy, motivated, and productive. Seeing an inspiring wall each day can make a difference in your team’s performance.

For example, you can add motivational quotes or your team’s mantra onto your walls. This can give a subtle, indirect reminder of why your team is here and what they’re working towards.

Your Trusted Sign Partner in Toronto

Elevate your business space and create a lasting impression on your customers and employees today. Trust an experienced sign maker like Toronto Custom Signs to deliver your signage needs.

We are a full-service sign company that offers high-quality decal printing in Toronto. We design, produce, and install signs designed to boost your business.

We only use premium vinyl materials. This ensures that our end product is seamless, vibrant, and will last years.

Talk to us about your wall graphics needs today and we’ll give you a free quote.

Source: How To Refresh Your Space with Wall Graphics in Toronto?

[frances-baby-houseman]

I would have bled out in the parking lot

Amber Nicole Thurman's death is on Trump's hands

Bess Kalb

Sep 17

In 2019, about six weeks after my first child was born, I found myself on the bathroom floor in a small, but nonetheless unsettling puddle of blood.

“Oh no,” I remember thinking. “I just did the laundry.”

I called out my husband’s name, but the sound caught in my throat. The pain I felt inhaling to get enough air out of my lungs to yell the two syllables in “Char-lie” jabbed my guts like a bicycle spoke to the abdomen.

So I was quiet, trying to keep breathing in a way that didn’t move anything inside me, and the pain pulsed a bit, then steadied, then dulled, then evaporated into whatever hell ether it came from.

Because there is no G-d (unless there is, in which case I abbreviated His name so as not to desecrate it, and also thank you, King of the Universe, for subscribing to this newsletter) this was the one time in my life I hadn’t brought my phone with me to the bathroom.

I decided to sort of slither-lumber to the door like a lame harbor seal, because I didn’t want to stand and loosen the spoke that had just stabbed me. I reached for the knob and let the door creak open.

The cat was there, looking at me right at eye level, keenly aware what was happening, and completely unmoved by it.

“You are dying,” he blinked, “Pity. Have a nice time.” He sashayed away.

Fortunately, our house in Los Angeles was small enough that from the bathroom door one could see everything. My husband was sitting on the couch with our infant, and I knocked on the open door to summon him. Within one one thousandth of a second, he set the baby on the (since-recalled) donut pillow and was holding my head.

I sat up. I breathed. No pain. I took a picture of the bloody mess on my husband’s phone, texted it to myself, he found my phone, then I texted the picture to my OBGYN.

Apologies for being graphic, but within the puddle there was something roughly the size and shape and color of a fig.

“Is this ok?” I said to my doctor, the bicycle spoke scraping lightly at my insides again from all the lumbering.

“Come in,” she replied.

Within two hours, I was in the waiting room of her office, accompanied by my terrified but SMILING mother, who was still, as is the Jewish custom, in town for “a few days or so” after the birth.

An ultrasound which felt like the finger of Satan himself revealed there was retained placenta in my uterus. If I hadn’t come in, there would have been more hemorrhaging, then sepsis, then whatever the cat foretold.

The next day, I was in surgery getting a Dilation and Curettage.

I went home, pumped the anesthesia milk, then fell asleep perfectly fine, my sweet newborn cooing merrily in the bassinet next to his alive mother.

Amber Nicole Thurman’s story was the same as mine, but it happened to her in Georgia in 2024, not California in 2019. She was a Black woman in a healthcare system that disproportionately kills Black women, especially postpartum. In 2021, the Black maternal mortality rate was nearly three times the rate it is for white women. Post-Roe, the toll is and will continue to be staggering.

Because post-Roe, the procedure that saved my life, the D&C, is something doctors cannot perform in states where matters of life and death have been left up to non-medical Christian-supremacist superstitions.

I know the pain Amber Thurman felt when that placenta dislodged and carved its tiny, treacherous hole in her uterine wall. I know the terror she felt when she saw the blood, and the rush of dread when she thought of what her child would do without her.

And when I vote in November for Kamala Harris and every progressive down-ballot candidate, I will do it because she can’t. And I will do it so that women in Georgia and Idaho and Texas and North Dakota and South Dakota and Utah, Arizona, Nebraska Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Florida, South Carolina, and West Virginia won’t have to meet the same completely preventable doom.

This election isn’t just about Amber Thurman. Every day of my lucky, breathing life is about Amber Thurman. Because the only thing that separates us, is one of us bled out under the right Supreme Court.

Let’s raise absolute federal hell about it.

-- From Bess Kalb's newsletter The Grudge Report. I pay for this substack -- though it's free-- and think this is a message worth sharing far beyond her newsletter.

[syntheticavenger]

Life in the Fast Lane - Part Ten

Has it really been almost a year+ since I updated this? No way...

Warnings: 18+ ONLY.  Language, Alpha/Omega dynamics, angst, violence (assault), mentions of pregnancy, a special surprise.

Life in the Fast Lane Series Masterlist

Word Count: 2K

CEO! Alpha Ari Levinson x Mechanic! Female Omega Reader

gif by @lilacevans​ | divider by @firefly-graphics​

Summary | The last thing you need is a distraction while trying to run a small auto shop. Ari Levinson is just that and more.

Todd hears the sound of a rumbling motorcycle, stilling his movements for a moment, hear the sound clearer, more distinct before the engine cuts off. It could be anyone, a lone biker needing someone to look at his bike or, as Todd scents, someone who has come back to check on a familiar stomping ground.

His pace quickens to get to the door, meeting none other than Tyler Rake at the entrance. It feels silly to get emotional, seeing the tatted Alpha, one that has been his found family since he can remember, giving him a hug as Tyler grips him tight. He lets the tears flow, knowing that it’s because the sense of his grounding is back. He’d never had an older brother but Tyler came damn close, if not going above and beyond. He’d given him a job, given him a sense of his own agency, especially as an Omega.

When he pulls away, Tyler doesn’t make any mention of the tears, merely squeezing his shoulder as he looks around the shop. He seems proud, nodding with approval at the amount of awards that are placed above on the walls.

“You’ve all turned this place into something else,” Tyler praises, pushing open a door. “Is she here?”

“Uh, no,” Todd answers him quickly, knowing you’re away for a little. He wants to text you, let you know that Tyler is back but he doesn’t know if Ari is there or if you’re doing some important pregnant Omega thing. “She’s out at the moment.”

“She didn’t answer my call so I figured as much. Wanted to surprise you all.”

“It is a surprise,” Todd insists, pushing open the door of the back of the shop.

“Well, look at this shit,” Tyler murmurs, his eyes widening at the amount of tools. “How much through put?”

“On average, twenty cars?”

“You need another shop,” Tyler notes, Todd nodding in agreement. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“We didn’t want to bother you, you know? You were out seeing the world and honestly,” Todd says with a wave of his hand. “We can manage it. We stay late, the work gets done. No unhappy customers.”

“That’s what I like to hear.” Tyler turns around, facing Todd. “You hungry? Let’s get some lunch.”

You’re supposed to meet him at his office for lunch, the security guard letting you up with a polite wave, taking the elevator up as you try to text him again to let him know you’re almost there. 

When the elevator doors open, you inhale, immediately knowing that someone else is close.

And it isn’t Ari.

Delilah is slowly putting things in a box, hidden away from Ari’s office. You see her clear as day, muttering to herself when you step out of the elevator, her eyes snapping up at you. Immediately, her gaze goes to your swollen belly in your coveralls, a slight sneer on her glossed lips.

“Do you have an appointment?” Delilah sniffs, reaching for her phone.

“Do you have a job?” you fire back, trying to temper your irritation at seeing her. Ari had told you it was done and now, seeing her as she looks at her phone as if you’re bothering her, only lends to your anger that is rising.

“Why is that any of your business?” Delilah shoots back, glaring at you while you take a step forward.

“I have an appointment, it’s always on the top of his calendar,” you reply, Delilah swallowing hard at your words when she moves away from the desk and toward you.

"Do you know who Ari Levinson truly is? He could have anyone he wants,” Delilah says quietly, looking you up and down with disgust. “You’re not mated. Do you think he’ll ever truly bond you? You’re a fling who just so happens to be having his bastard child. That’s not a win, you -”

Teeth bared, you throw her down onto the carpeted floor, her whimper of surprise falling on deaf ears as you grab the lapels of her shirt.

“What did you just call my baby?” you ask, your voice low.

“A bastard,” Delilah hisses. “He’ll leave it and you behind. It’s probably not even his.”

The blow hits her squarely in the jaw and then another, your hands in her hair, her screams not registering despite her mouth opening and you’re pulled off of her by a pair of strong arms, Delilah in hysterics as she wails, laying on her side, covering her face. Pure rage roils inside you, your heart beating rapidly when you scent Ari, his own heart thumping against your back.

“Ari!” Delilah cries, your hard pants mixing with her shouts of pain. “She hit me!”

“Let me go!” you demand, Ari’s hands cradling your belly, trying to settle you down as you lunge for her again.

“No,” Ari says firmly. “Not here.”

His voice is low in your ear, his scent calming you as tears spring to your eyes. You won’t give her the satisfaction of seeing you cry, blinking them away when Delilah stumbles to get up.

“Shit,” Ari mutters, still holding onto you. “What happened?”

“She attacked me! She’s unhinged! She jumped at me out of nowhere!” Delilah sobs.

“Bastard,” you say calmly, noticing blood on your knuckles. “She called our baby a bastard.”

Ari’s hold on you tightens as he glares at Delilah, her mouth opening and closing, struggling with what she wants to say.

“A bastard,” he repeats, Delilah wiping blood away from her mouth.

He lets you go gently, crouching down to see Delilah’s face. You managed to get in a good hit, mascara melded with her tears as she holds her jaw.

“What are you doing here, anyway?” he asks calmly, looking at the boxes. “As I recall, your access was revoked when I fired you. How did you get in?”

“Wilson let me in,” she sniffles. “I wanted to pack, to say goodbye.”

“You trespassed,” Ari says, standing up as he looks down at her. “Which, if I’m remembering correctly, is a crime.”

“She assaulted me!”

Ari nods in agreement, following with your own nod of approval.

“I can call the police if you like,” he offers, Delilah glancing between you both. “But I think we both know what the penalty is for threatening an unborn baby.”

“I didn’t threaten it!”

“That,” he says through clenched teeth. “Is my child you’re talking about.”

A flash of remembrance of what she said prior propels you take a step further, Delilah cowering as Ari puts his hand up to stop you.

“Delilah, you have less than five minutes to get out of my sight,” he orders, his tone short, nearly an Alpha command before he looks at you.

Delilah scrambles to get her purse, wiping her mouth again before running full speed out the door. Ari breathes heavily at the spots of blood on the carpet, trying to maintain his composure when you hear the elevator doors close.

“If she calls the cops,” you begin, a smirk playing on your lips. “It will have been worth it.”

“You aren’t going to jail,” Ari says, pulling you close, holding you tight as he lets out a shuddered breath. “You fucking scared me. I heard the scream and I -”

“You think she hit me?” you ask incredulously, looking up at him in disbelief. “There’s no way she would even get close.”

“Are you and the baby okay?” he asks, his hands running down the sides of your belly. “You can’t just go off and knock the ever-loving daylights out of people.”

“She deserved it,” you mutter, feeling your temper spike. “She called our baby a bastard. A bastard, Ari! Like I’d let her get away with that.”

He kisses your forehead, the fight immediately dissipating as you frown.

“You could have been hurt,” he reminds you, shaking his head when you roll your eyes. “I mean it. She could have fought dirty.”

“She would have had to know how to fight to fight dirty.”

Ari says your name as a warning, his hand raking his hair back.

“Do you think she’ll call the cops?” you ask, wondering how orange would look on you.

“She’s not calling the cops. Not with all the things I know she’s done.”

“Like what?”

“One crazy day at a time,” he reminds you, turning you back toward his office. “I’m starving.”

You smile, knowing exactly where you’re going.

“Food is that way,” you remind him, pointing toward the elevator.

“I know what I want,” Ari says, closing the door behind you both before he kisses you. “And I want it now.”

“Vision Automotive,” you answer, cleaning a tool as your hold the phone to your ear. You’re in a good mood, Todd giving you a strange look when he first saw your bandaged hand.

“Don’t we have a receptionist?” Tyler teases.

The tool clatters to the floor before you clear your throat.

“They get days off too, you know,” you reply. “Am I not doing a good job, Rake? Getting worried that you haven’t heard anything?”

“Just the opposite. I’m actually in town for a little bit. Maybe longer depending on what I have going on. Wanted to see all the great work you’ve been doing. Todd says it’s been packed with cars non-stop.”

“I wouldn’t say non-stop,” you counter, looking at the three waiting cars to be worked on. “We do close at seven.”

“Always a smartass,” Tyler muses. “Would my best mechanic want to join me for a bar hop since I’m back in town?”

“Bar hop?” you repeat, looking at the jumpsuit that is snug around your waist. “Too busy for that.”

“At least let me take you and Todd out for a nice dinner. Consider it a thank you for everything you’ve both been doing.”

“Sounds good to me. See you tomorrow.”

Todd’s back is to you and you already know that he’s aware that Tyler is back in town, tossing a rag at the middle of his back.

“When were you going to tell me he was back?” you ask Todd.

“When you realized you missed two of his phone calls,” Todd replies, your hand diving into your pocket to look at your missed calls. You smile sheepishly, putting your phone back into your pocket.

“Way to warn a girl that her boss was already here.”

Tyler finishes off a beer, flicking the bottle into the bin as it falls perfectly inside. Looking over at his ’67 Chevelle, he pops the hood to look at the shiny engine that he’s just replaced, tightening a bolt before he steps back.

He knows you’ll roll your eyes at the sight of it. It’s been his pride and joy since he bought it two years ago, finally finishing up the repairs and final touches. He’s impressed with how you’ve handled the shop, though truthfully he’s always known that you were going to do a great job, even as he’d traveled the world, randomly getting updates from Todd on how busy the shop was getting, checking on you to make sure you weren’t getting too burned out.

As it turned out, Todd’s check-ins had been vague after a while, sharing that you had been out of the office for a weekend, then a few extra days. Unlike you to take so much time off but it had been well deserved.

Tyler looks at the picture he took of you at the shop before he left, the wallpaper on his phone as you’re juggling a wrench and screwdriver in the air, a bright smile on your face with a smudge of motor oil on your cheek. It’s something that cheers him up when he needs a break, placing his phone back down as he stretches, a thought running across his mind.

Dialing Todd’s number, he picks up after the first ring.

“Hey boss,” Todd answers brightly. “Everything okay?”

“Shop closes at seven, right?”

“Sure does. Are you coming for another visit?”

“Yeah,” Tyler says with a slight pause. “But don’t tell her. Let it be a surprise.”

“Sure, you know she loves those,” Todd replies dryly. “But will do.”

“Good.”

He can’t put his finger on it but he’s sure you’re hiding something.

And he can't wait to find out.

[letteraddressedtothefire]

✨ Pre-Birthday Preparations Timeline for Xavier: A Global Celebration of Our Star Prince ✨

As Xavier's birthday draws near, the fandom is buzzing with excitement across the globe! Our community has been hard at work since May, creating memorable ways to celebrate our beloved Prince of Philos. From our CN Star Sisters to Xavier’s Little Stars, the love for our Light has transcended borders, uniting us in preparing for his special day.

Aside from our international cupsleeve events, here’s a sneak peek of some of the highlights of our preparations:

⭐️CN Star Sisters and Global Little Stars gathered heartfelt written and audio messages to be sent to a satellite in honor of Xavier.

⭐️Collaboration with the elemeo food app, where fans could collect points (wishing stars) to help fund Xavier’s birthday.

⭐️Announcement of personally-sponsored 100K boarding passes with Xavier’s image at Beijing Capital International Airport.

⭐️Donation of 2 solar street lights to rural areas.

⭐️Xavier’s Little Stars symbolically purchased and named twin stars in the sky “Starhunter and Moonchaser” in Xavier’s honor.

⭐️Another symbolic buying and naming of a star in the sky "Xavier-Lumiere" with its own star website and virtual reality access (personal project).

⭐️10+ shopping malls were rented for Xavier's birthday with giant LED screens, interactive photo walls, and decorations.

⭐️The Stellaris fan site was launched to unite Xavier’s global fanbase.

⭐️Milk tea collaboration kicked off, distributing 6,000 custom cup sleeves across 20 stores.

⭐️A personally-funded tree-planting project in Sabah, Borneo.

⭐️300+ Xavier billboards across the globe, including LED light shows, giant screen previews, sky curtain screens, LED office buildings, and LED screens on one of the most crowded subway tunnels in China.

⭐️The “Seeds of Hope” (tree-planting) and “Nourishing Hearts” (food for the needy) fundraising campaigns were launched by Xavier's Little Stars.

⭐️A personally-rented yacht where 6 other Xavier stans were invited to celebrate.

⭐️Ferris Wheel collaboration

⭐️52 movie theaters to broadcast Xavier videos before every movie on October 16th.

…and more!

This celebration is more than just a birthday party— it’s a symbol of the unity, passion, and light that Xavier has brought to all of us. Swipe through the supporting graphics for a full timeline of events and stay tuned for even more projects, events, and surprises that will make this celebration truly unforgettable! Let’s keep shining our light for Xavier. 🌟

The real countdown starts on September 16, leading up to Xavier’s birthday on October 16. Celebrate with us!

Thank you to every Star Sister, Little Star, and Global Stan for making this celebration shine as bright as Xavier himself! 🌟

Disclaimer: these projects and events are fan-hosted and not affiliated with the official Love and Deepspace game.

[stnkiconverse]

you're going to do it, and you're getting away with it. you know that.

Ch.1 - The Calm Before The Storm

Next ⇢

genre: psychological horror (in a way), creepypasta, supernatural thriller (in a way)

pairing: none. (yet ;) )

wc: 1.5k

content warnings: echoes in the static contains scenes and themes that may be disturbing or triggering to some readers, including: graphic violence and murder, mental illness and psychological distress, suicide and self-harm, domestic abuse and strong language.

Reader discretion is advised.

Yes this has to do with Creepypastas. Yes, Creepypastas wil pop up and make appearances, it's basically a reader insert into the Creepypasta word.

do not repost my work anywhere, I only post in Tumblr.

The small city of Greenville, Alabama, was waking up to another mundane day, but not you. Not today. Today was different. The peaceful façade of your life as a fresh college graduate working in a tiny flower shop was just that – a façade. Behind it lurked a storm, one that had been brewing ever since your mother’s death.

Greenville was a quaint place, where everyone knew everyone else, and secrets were hard to keep. But you had a secret, a dark one. Your mother’s tragic end had shattered your world, and the man responsible, your stepfather, continued his life unscathed. He was a police officer, respected by many, but you knew the truth. He was a monster, and you’re going to stop him.

---

The flower shop was your sanctuary. “Petals and Posies” was a small but charming establishment, filled with the fragrance of fresh blooms. You lost yourself in the simple tasks of arranging flowers and tending to customers. The shop's front area displayed packets of flower seeds, inviting customers to start their own gardens. Along the side walls, ready-made bouquets sat in neat rows, a burst of colors and fragrances that never failed to lift your spirits. Customers could choose to customize their bouquets with the help of one of the two employees, either you or your colleague, Lisa.

Lisa was a warm and friendly presence in the shop, always ready with a smile and a kind word. You appreciated her company, though you often found solace in the quiet moments when the shop was empty, and you could immerse yourself in your work. Next to the employee desk stood a stand with various bouquet wraps, allowing customers to add a personal touch to their floral arrangements. The shop was small, but it had a steady stream of clients, enough to keep it alive and provide you with a modest living.

Your apartment was just a few blocks away, a small but cozy place that you had made your own. It was a simple one-bedroom unit, but you had decorated it with care. The walls were adorned with framed prints of your favorite paintings, and the shelves were filled with books that offered an escape from reality. Your bedroom window overlooked a small park, and you often found yourself gazing out at the trees swaying gently in the breeze, finding a momentary sense of peace.

---

Weekends were spent visiting your mother, a routine you cherished. She lived with Frank in a modest home on the outskirts of Greenville. It was a place filled with memories, both good and bad. Your mother, Anna, had always been your rock, your confidant. She was a kind and cheerful woman, always seeing the good in people. You admired her strength and the joy she brought into your life. During your college years, she met Frank, a man who seemed to offer her the love and companionship she deserved. They married while you were away at school, and for a while, it seemed she had found happiness.

Your mother’s house was warm and welcoming, a stark contrast to the man who lived there with her. The living room was filled with family photos, mementos of happier times. The kitchen was Anna’s domain, where she spent hours cooking and baking, her laughter filling the air. You loved these visits, the chance to reconnect with your mother and escape the loneliness of your apartment.

But the happiness was short-lived. It was during one of these visits that you first noticed the bruises. They were faint, barely visible, but they were there. As you helped your mother prepare dinner, you noticed the slight wince as she lifted a pot, the dark shadows on her wrists that she tried to hide with long sleeves.

---

“Mom, what happened to your arm?” you asked, trying to keep your voice casual, though your heart was pounding.

Anna glanced down at the bruise and quickly pulled her sleeve down. “Oh, it’s nothing, dear. I just bumped into the doorframe,” she said with a forced smile.

Before you could press further, Frank walked into the kitchen, his presence immediately changing the atmosphere. He was a tall, imposing man with a perpetual scowl etched on his face. The air seemed to thicken with tension whenever he was around.

“Everything okay in here?” he asked, his voice gruff.

You forced a smile. “Yes, just helping Mom with dinner.”

Frank grunted and walked to the fridge, grabbing a beer before heading back to the living room. You watched him go, a knot forming in your stomach. There was something off about him, something that made your skin crawl.

You decided not to push your mother further that evening, but the image of those bruises stayed with you. Over the next few weeks, you visited more often, trying to spend as much time with her as possible. You suggested outings, hoping to get her away from Frank’s oppressive presence. Sometimes she agreed, and for a few hours, you saw glimpses of the cheerful woman you knew. But other times, she declined, her eyes filled with a sadness she couldn’t hide.

---

It wasn’t long before things took a turn for the worse. Your mother stopped answering your calls. When you did manage to see her, she looked more tired and emaciated each time. The once vibrant woman was now a hollow shell, her spirit crushed under the weight of Frank’s abuse. She had stopped eating, her clothes hanging loosely on her frail frame. Her eyes, once full of life, were now dull and lifeless.

You tried to talk to her, to get her to open up about what was happening, but she remained silent. The fear in her eyes spoke volumes, though, and you knew she was hiding something terrible. Frank’s behavior grew more erratic, his temper flaring at the slightest provocation. You witnessed him yelling at your mother, his face twisted in anger, while she stood there, her head bowed, taking the verbal abuse without a word.

One day, you arrived at her house to find it eerily quiet. Your heart raced as you searched room after room, finally finding her in the bedroom. She was lying on the bed, her face pale and lifeless. An empty bottle of pills lay on the nightstand, and a crumpled note was clutched in her hand.

With trembling hands, you unfolded the note. It was brief but devastating: “I can’t take it anymore. He’s taken everything from me. Forgive me.”

---

Your world shattered in an instant. The grief was overwhelming, but what fueled your rage was Frank’s reaction. He showed no remorse, quickly moving on as if your mother’s life had meant nothing. The day of her funeral, you saw him laughing with another woman, and something inside you snapped. The seed of revenge was planted, and it grew with each passing day.

---

The day of the funeral was overcast, fitting the somber mood. The cemetery was filled with friends and family, all gathered to pay their respects to your mother. You stood by the grave, numb with grief, as the preacher said the final words. You barely heard them, lost in your own thoughts.

You recalled the earlier years with your mother, the warmth and laughter that once filled your home. She had been your everything, the one person who understood you completely. As you stood there, the memories of her gentle touch and kind words played in your mind, a stark contrast to the cold reality of her absence.

As the service concluded, you watched the mourners drift away, leaving you alone by the freshly turned earth. Your mother’s coffin was lowered into the ground, and you felt a part of yourself go with her. The weight of your grief pressed down on you, but so did something else – a cold, calculated resolve.

You watched as Frank, dressed in his police uniform, walked towards his car. His face was a mask of indifference, as if the death of his wife meant nothing to him. A woman was waiting for him, someone you didn’t recognize. She smiled as he approached, and your stomach turned.

Frank got into the car and leaned over to kiss her. The sight was like a punch to the gut. The betrayal, the callousness, it was all too much. You clenched your fists, your nails digging into your palms as you fought to keep your composure. But inside, something snapped.

It was then that you knew, with absolute certainty, that you were going to get rid of him. He didn’t deserve to walk away unscathed. He had to pay for what he had done to your mother. And you were going to make sure of it.

As you turned away from the cemetery, a new resolve filled you. This was just the beginning. The storm was coming, and you were ready to unleash it.

banners by: @drizztdohurtin

Taglist is open, ask to be added.

🏷️: @mimmickmouse @stranger-of-the-internet

[twisted-tales-of-all]

The Enemy of My Enemy

Summary: When your home port suddenly claims a ban on pirates docking there, you and your rival are forced to join forces. Characters: Kim Hongjoong + Gender Ambiguous Reader; ft. ATEEZ members Genre: Fantasy Short Series (part 1) with a bit of Angst (and possible fluff in later parts) Tropes: pirate!AU, enemies to friends (to lovers in a later part), working together against a mutual enemy Word Count: 2.9K Contains: pirate-related violence (explosions, knives, injury, blood, etc), betrayal, cursing, mention of death and loss of limbs, homoromantic undertones for certain characters (nothing explicit or confirmed), use of 'sir' as honorific without gendered undertones

A/N: support banner by @cafekitsune ; pirate divider by @firefly-graphics 🤍

You aren't new to discrimination, not by any means. However, that didn't stop you from getting blindsided as you tied your ship to its usual post at the port.

"This ship and its crew are unwelcome in this port." A stern, deep voice booms from behind you, loud enough to gather the attention of everyone nearby - all but yours, at least.

As you finish tying the knot and stand up, you feel the figure looming directly behind you. You hadn't the slightest thought that they were speaking of your wondrous Moon Raider, not after the past three years of ensuring that your crew respected the port and its customs.

Turning, you ask the man, "What ship is unwelcome, exactly?"

Although you wanted to hide your irritation, your crew noticed. The man also must've noticed since he clears his throat harshly before responding with a tone rivaling that of an automated robot.

"Any and all pirate ships have been banned from docking on our port. Leave immediately or face the consequences."

Your irritation morphs into booming laughter, "We always pay any fines you assign us. What's with the extra formality this time around?"

As you mimic his stature, you notice another officer walking past your boat's position. You watch him announce the same rehearsed statement to the captain there as he hops out to anchor his ship to its post. However, rather than offering him a chance to leave, he grabs his arm, locking him into constraints instantly. At this point, you realize the gravity of the situation, but it's all too late. As you're focused on the Sun Howler, the officer in front of you approaches and places restraints on you. You call out to your crew, reminding them to stay calm and follow all the rules.

Dragging your rival, the other officer follows behind as you walk with your officer silently. Trying to remain calm, you attempt to calculate why this may happen. Although you may not follow all the rules perfectly, everything worked out up until now. And, although you may not enjoy competing with him, you know Captain Hongjoong plays fair just like you. For the harbor police to arrest you both, there's really only one option: new port ownership. Although this was your first time back to the dock in months, you hadn't expected such a drastic change.

Reaching the prison, the officers shove you both into a cell together. Through the bars, they remove your cuffs.

"You sure we won't kill each other in here?" You joke, screaming at their backs as they leave, entirely unfazed by your comment.

"I think they'd prefer it," Hongjoong scoffs as he taps on the sheath on his hip, "Otherwise, they'd at least remove our obvious weapons."

Cursing, you sit down with your back against the cold brick wall. Fidgeting with the frayed fabric on the thigh of your pants, you wonder if the situation could get any worse.

"What'd you do, Raider?" He prompts, using your boat as your name, somewhat of a custom between you.

"Nothing here. Not in a long time. We've been gone for three months time. What of you, Howler?"

You look up to see him leaning against the opposite wall, arms crossed and one foot laid over the other. He shakes his head, and - although his hat covers his face - you can imagine how hard the cogs turn in his head to analyze the situation.

"It wasn't like this when I left either. We've only been gone about seven weeks. How'd something happen so quickly?"

After a long period of silence, you hear footsteps approaching. Even simply seeing their shoes, everything clicks for you. You can tell Hongjoong understands as well, as you can sense him tense up.

"Hongjoong.Y/N. What an amazing situation for us to reunite."

The callous tone pricks at your skin, leaving goosebumps in its stead, but you refuse to give them the satisfaction of a reaction. Your cellmate, however, is far too quick to anger to stop himself. He leans against the bars as he curses at the person who once sailed the seas opposite you both.

"The fuck is going on, Wooyoung?! Why in hell's name are you standing there high and mighty while we're stuck in a damned cage in this cellar?!"

Hands up by his head, Wooyoung stifles a laugh, "Quite aggressive now, aren't we? I know we were rivals on the sea years ago, but it looks like I won out."

"Sell out. Traitor. Fucking turncoat."

This time, he allows his laugh to echo through the prison. Cockily, he steps closer to Hongjoong, leaning in just barely out of reach.

"Does it matter what I did if I won? You look pathetic, Captain."

With this comment, you interject, "This is why you never had a loyal crew, you know. Your ego got in the way and Topaz Shields lost out because of it. Such a gorgeous ship, too. So sad. How's the leg?"

Knowing he wanted to hit below the belt, you remind him of his greatest tragedy by asking about his leg. Due to his ego, he drove his ship directly into the sirens' call and barely escaped with his life. He lost his loyal-to-a-fault first mate that day two years ago, all because he couldn't stand the thought of the other two crews finding a sacred treasure before him.

"Don't you dare mention Shields, Raider. The leg was the least of my troubles, and you know that much."

"Right, right. Pardon my impertinence. How could I forget that you lost your boyfriend as well?"

Trying to hold his composure, he reminds you that San was only ever his first mate, nothing more. Despite what everyone knows to be true thanks to their actions and Wooyoung's immediate reaction to the man's untimely death, he has denied his feelings since the incident - something to hide behind to lessen his feelings of guilt for causing his death.

"Well, whatever the case, I've come here to alert you that we'll be charging you for crimes against the city through your illegal market dealings and disregard for the laws of the area."

Hearing a former pirate captain charge someone for essentially being a pirate feels laughable, but you simply ask for the price point of said charges.

"Oh, no price for this one, Y/N. You both have been sentenced to time in jail equal to that of your career length. For you, that's three years; Hongjoong, you have 4."

Quick to react once again, Hongjoong unsheaths his dagger and swings it through the bars. It cuts Wooyoung on the lower part of his cheek, but the sound is far more intimidating than the actual damage.

Bringing his hand up to his face, Wooyoung smirks as he sees his red-stained fingertips. You keep a hand on your weapon, worried he might lash out against you both, but he simply turns to walk out.

"Enjoy your years. Once you return, there will be no Sun Howler. No Moon Raider. No pirates." He doubles down with his irritating remarks by waving his hand nonchalantly as he turns the corner.

As soon as the click of his footsteps fades to silence, Hongjoong drops into a squat. He curses Wooyoung and grumbles about the ridiculous sentencing. Seeing him freak out like this makes you giggle. He's usually light and free, the shining sun amongst a hoard of disheveled and mangled captains. You share that commonality with him - you've never quite been one for abandoning health and presentation, even if that's what many people picture when imagining pirates. The crews from this port rarely saw those kinds of pirates, not when the three captains who called this place home were you, Hongjoong, and Wooyoung. So, seeing one of these captains falling apart on the floor while cursing and swinging at someone makes you wonder how quickly you could also fall apart.

Shaking your head to rid yourself of those thoughts, you break the silence, "What's the plan, Howler?"

He looks at you dumbfounded, "Plan?"

"The escape plan? Ain't no way I'm letting that one-legged chicken act all high and mighty like that. We aren't gonna sit here and accept years of punishment for things he once did with us."

Suddenly recognizing escape as an option, Hongjoong stands up straight. You see a fire burning in his eyes and tricks within his crooked smile. He twirls the dagger around carelessly as he paces in the small box of a cell. With his newfound joy, he examines the bars, the lock, and every crevice that might be used to thwart Wooyoung's scheme and escape from the prison.

"I think this calls for a good old-fashioned bust out. Unless you think you can pick the lock from in here."

You approach the bars, trying to find the perfect angle to see what you need on the lock. However, you can't find the necessary parts to allow you to pick it from awkward angles. Turning to your cellmate, you shake your head.

"Bust out it is. Not as quiet, but it gets the job done all the same." He reaches into the inner pocket of his coat and pulls out a small trinket about the size and shape of a pocketwatch, which confuses you. He must be able to read the confusion on your face, because he explains, "My first mate loves to tinker, and he's made some marvelous contraptions. Stand back at the bars and watch."

Listening to his advice, you stand flush against the metal bars, the cold bleeding through your clothing to leave your skin feeling fresh. He stands next to you, flips the gadget open and closed quickly, and tosses it to the opposite side of the cell. When it connects with the wall, you hear a clicking noise and instinctively close your eyes. In that short moment, you feel Hongjoong move from beside you to in front of you. With the cold on your back and the warmth from his body closely in front of you, you barely process the explosion. When you open your eyes, you see the captain boxing himself around you, framed by the outside light streaming in. You assume it's around midday from how strongly it enters the room, and you try to look anywhere that isn't directly at Hongjoong's face.

He clears his throat as he steps back, "Sorry. I didn't want debris flying into your chest or anything."

Noticing him fiddling with his shoulder, you quickly thank him before asking if he's injured. Although he blows it off, he refuses to turn around, so you know debris likely lodged itself into his upper back. You decide not to fight it until you reach the docks, so you simply make your way over the rubble and out into the sunlight, letting him follow behind to hide his injuries.

Despite the explosion, nobody seems interested when you walk past. The only looks passed your way feel like those typical for known pirates walking around. As you reach the docks again, your crew quickly catches sight of you and rushes off the ship. You're glad that they make it to you long before his crew can see you.

"Mingi, can you tend to him? We blew our way out of jail, and he got hit with debris. He's acting like he's fine, but drag him aboard anyway."

Hongjoong tries to argue, but Mingi ends up behind him and sees the injury. With your first mate yelling at him for hiding it, he can't help but walk onto the Moon Raider for medical help. As he passes you, you sneak a glance at his back and see the top left corner of his otherwise tan shirt torn and stained dark red already. Trying to figure out the trajectory of the rubble, you place your hand on your right shoulder and vow to find Hongjoong a new shirt as thanks for blocking it from hitting you.

After reassuring your crew that everything will be okay and joking that you may be fined for the massive hole in the prison wall, you make your way past your prized ship. Approaching Sun Howler, you receive a much colder reception. Bowing before the ship, you address the first mate.

"Quartermaster of Sun Howler, I wish to inform you that your captain is currently aboard the Moon Raider receiving medical care from my crew. He protected me during an explosion of his creation, so I took it as my role to aid him with our supplies. He will be fine, and we will send him to you once his wound is properly dressed."

As you raise your head, you notice an exceptionally pretty man standing about ten feet in front of you. He nods as you acknowledge him before thanking you for taking care of his captain. You weren't expecting someone who could shine in his own respect to be Hongjoong's right hand, but hearing him speak makes you understand exactly why he would be in such a position. A voice that rivals one of a siren, the grace in his speech patterns, and his subtly decorated uniform all suggest a royal background. You begin to wonder whether he was a runaway or kidnapped and assimilated.

"Stop gawking at Seonghwa, Raider. Don't go stealing someone else's first mate." Hongjoong struts up to you, shirtless other than the bandages circling his chest, back, and shoulder blade.

Although Seonghwa laughs at the comment and explains the situation, Hongjoong doesn't back down in his jests, pointing out Seonghwa's obvious beauty.

"Sometimes, even I swear you're a siren. Even royals don't typically look and sound as good as you. You sparkle, Hwa." He reaches the boy as he talks, placing a hand on his shoulder to emphasize his final sentence.

"Captain, stop with the flattery. A first mate is never as wonderful as the captain, and yet you forbid us from saying those types of comments towards you."

Feeling out of place in the interaction, you quietly excuse yourself and begin walking back to your ship, but Hongjoong calls after you, "Y/N, let's find a new port together."

You try not to react, but the comment makes you trip over the air by your feet. You hope that they don't notice while you continue walking, making your way to your ship to break the news to your crew that you need to find a new home base and likely won't be able to return. Some crew members are quick to show their anger towards Wooyoung, but you reassure everyone with one simple claim.

"If we've done everything we can and they still don't want us here, we shouldn't want to stay either."

You explain how there likely isn't any time for goodbyes since the police likely won't waste time chasing you down again, so you work towards setting sail immediately. Luckily, your crew instinctively filled up on supplies while you were stuck in the cell, so there isn't much left to do.

"Cap'n, there's someone requesting to talk to you. Should we allow him aboard?" A member screams across the ship.

"Who is it?"

"Captain Hongjoong of Sun Howler, sir."

"Let him board."

As your new companion faces you, you address him properly and lead him into your chambers. Motioning to the nearest chair at your desk, you drop the formalities in the privacy of the room. Dragging out another chair to sit in front of him, you ask about the plan. As he recounts the pirates and their known home ports, you deduce that the safest plan would be to sail north, up the coast to the city rivaling this one.

"Won't they shun us away?"

"Didn't you and I once shun each other away and brace this port together regardless? Or what of Wooyoung taking over this city to shun us away from here?"

Nodding in acknowledgment, Hongjoong confirms, "So, we head north? Stop at each port we come across?"

"We might end up too close if we do that. Does your crew have the supplies to sail safely for a week before finding a port? I don't want to taunt Shields too soon; I want to be ready to fight back."

Uncertain of Wooyoung's response to your escape, the captain agrees to meet again in a week's time. After the seventh sunrise, they will look for the closest port. In case of landing at different ports, you agree on a plan to find one another via smoke signals and a trail of coded notes. To stay one step ahead of potential enemies, you assign each other new aliases to use in the notes, basing the initials on the boats' names and their respective quartermasters: Sea Heist Sails and Mightly Reel Mast.

After agreeing on the specifics, you shake Hongjoong's hand and wish him luck on his journey. Leaving you with a quick show of comradery in smiling and claiming that he'll see you in a week, he heads back to the Sun Howler to untie her and set sail. Following his lead, you untie Moon Raider and instruct Mingi to head north, staying near the coastline if possible.

As you drift out of the port, you hear a commotion behind you. Eyes drawn towards the ruckus, you see Wooyoung red-faced and angrily yelling at his guards. As he flails his arms in the direction of your ship, he makes direct eye contact with you. With a smug smile on your face, you remove your hat in a mocking salute, signaling to the man that you've won this round without breaking a sweat.

Tags: @yourfatherlucifer @pyeonghongrie

[e-arc]

Personalized Perfection: Custom Wall Graphics

Make your walls come to life with our unique, hand-made wall graphics. Our designs are a great way to add flair to your décor and show off your originality in any setting. Our personalized wall graphics range in style from bold patterns to understated elegance, and they are simple to apply and expertly made. With our amazing custom wall graphics, you can really make your area uniquely yours.

[cassius-casim]

Despite My Despair:Chapter 1

Tommy Shelby / Autistic male reader

Word count:3182

●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

Warning this chapter will contain : graphic descriptions of sensory overload ,a hint of sexism and racism ( literally only one sentence)

This fic is as historically accurate as possible , please consult the author’s notes if there is any confusion or for your own curiosity.

●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

Fuck.My.Life.

Out of all the days I could have had, why did I have to have this one ?

Walking along the dreary road with each step, the volcano of emotions inside me slowly moved up with the increasing threat of erupting as I pondered back to what happened earlier.

“Why did you have to provoke him!?”

“ It's your job to de-escalate the situation!”

“How could you be this useless !?”

Once I finally approach my home the familiar horseshoe on the door greets me. Despite my inner turmoil , i open the door carefully,not wanting to start something that would only cause regret .Lumbering over to the tiny kitchen. Putting my now torn coat on the back of the chair lowering myself onto it as i slowly my burrowed my into my hands, releasing puffs of angry breath.

“Are you alright Cassius?”

Looking up, Polly stood in the entryway, hands on hips with her face clouded with concern .

“I'm fine Pol , just had a shit day.”

“You want to talk about it?”

“Yes , please.”

“Alright let me get some snacks , something tells me we're going to need the energy.”

Minutes pass as we set the table with biscuits and drinks . When we are done Polly turns over to me :

“So, gonna tell me what’s been bothering you?”

“Basically I was doing my job. The train arrived at the station as usual. I was pulling out a gentleman's bag to be passed on, until I felt a tug on my coat. It was the owner of the bag. The gentleman had only just gone and accused me of stealing it from the steward. When I tried to reason with him saying I was the steward and it was my job , he wouldn't believe me . So when I tried to get the station mistress involved , he pulled me back. Pulled me back so hard my coat ripped as a result it ripped. Eventually the station mistress did get involved afterwards, but now I have to pay for a new coat which is now going to come out of my wages this week. Because apparently according to my boss it was my fault it got ripped.” I felt bad for telling Polly a diluted version of the ordeal, but she wouldn't have let the issue go if she knew the truth . As Polly digests what I just said I think back to what had actually happened:

( 1 hour earlier )

I waited outside Mr Wakefield's office , the old rigidity bench I sat on creaked at the slightest bit of weight on it with my coat draped over my arm , around me the walls were covered in a frog like green paint with bits of paper layered across it . The sound of heels hitting the ground pulled me away from reading what was over there stood Ms.Jameson who wore a professional cyan garb with a matching jacket and shirt , with her fair hair styled in mid length curls and possessed an air of elegance out of place here .

“ Cassius ? Mr Wakefield is ready to see you now .”

I got up from my chair , as I walked towards my bosses’ office the walls became less cluttered the more I walked. When I finally reached his office I was greeted by his fine wooden door adorned with “Andrew Wakefield Head of Birmingham Railways”.

I knocked on the door tentatively which i heard a annoyed “Come in”

I opened the door to see a portly man with thinning black hair and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth .

“ Yes, Sir, you wanted to see me ?”

“ Yeah . I did . I heard about the incident that happened today . Care to explain why you couldn't handle it yourself ?”

“ Well Sir , the customer became violent to the point he tore a part of my uniform as you can see here.” I say I held up my torn coat .

“ So you had to involve poor Mrs Jones because you couldn't handle it yourself?”

“ I mean that is part of her job.”

“Cassius , your job is to handle it, her job is to manage the entire bloody station. Why couldn't you solve it yourself?"

“ Because he started yelling at me and got so close to me I thought he was going to hurt me. How was I meant to solve it?”

“ So you're telling me that my own steward can't do his bloody job cause customer was mean to you !? And you had to drag a woman into this !?” Red started to creep onto his face . I feel a stab of pain . I look down to see him gripping arm so hard his nails are piercing my skin.

“ HOW CAN YOU BE SO FUCKING STUPID!?”Blood starts to trickle down my arms .

“IT'S YOUR JOB TO DE-ESCALATE THE SITUATION YOU FEEBLE MINDED CRETIN !”

“ I BET YOU EVEN PROVOKED HIM DIDN'T YOU?”

“ …we-”

“ DON'T YOU DARE TALK BACK TO ME ! BECAUSE OF THIS FUCKING BEHAVIOR , YOUR REPLACEMENT COAT IS COMING OUT OF YOUR NEXT WAGES. NOW ,GET .THE .FUCK . OUT OF MY OFFICE !” He bellows while launching me out of his office leaving me to have the air knocked out of me by the concrete floor.

Coming back to the present, Polly stared at mid-space, contemplating.

“So what are you going to do now?”

“Well…I don't know . I love my job but I hate how I am treated for things I can't help.”

“So why not tell , Tommy ? I bet you would be treated better after your boss has one meeting with him.”

“Because Tommy has enough on his plate as it is and I don't want to add to his stress. After all, he's only now started to let himself heal.” And if Tommy meets Mr Wakefield he might actually kill him and I am NOT going to lose this job as I might get sent off to the colonies .

“Well it sounds like to me you need a distraction.”

“Yeah…THAT would be great.”

“Alright let's relax for a bit before we'll go.”

[ 15 minutes later ]

“Cassius, you ready to go?” Polly asked me as she passed over the last of the biscuits. The fury I once felt now subsided and I could now focus on the tea that I was having . Teatime, like Polly, was important and a break from the chaos outside. She's practically my mother as they both had to take turns to take care of me after me and the Shelby siblings growing up, which is how we grew so close over the years . She was draped in a loose navy blue dress, and a light brown belt cinched around her waist, which was a nice contrast to the grimy bricks .

“I'm not sure ,won't it be too noisy at this time, Pol?” As I reclined back in the wooden chair on the table was strewn with refreshments.

“It's going to be a quiet night .The loudest person there will be Arthur. Plus,Tommy will be there.” She said, knowing I would never turn down any opportunity to see Tommy,especially since I hadn't been able to spend time with him for the past couple of days since he's been swamped with work

“Okay , give me 5 minutes to get ready !” I yelled as I shot up the chair so fast it nearly fell over and raced upstairs to get changed .

“But you look fine !” Polly said exasperated but somewhat amused.

“I want to look amazing when I see Tommy !” I reply as I start to get change in me and Tommy's room which definitely wasn't made for 2 people as it has cramped space and a single bed , although the room wasn't the best looking with its warm yellow wallpaper and the decorations were a strange mix of mismatched mementos the Shelbys collected over the years like horseshoes and a ship hook which came from the boat they used to live in.

When I put on my outfit, I gaze into the mirror to see if it looks alright. Said outfit in question was a navy blue striped shirt which was a good contrast to my light brown skin, light gray trousers with suspenders, as I gave my black hair a quick brush to make it look acceptable . As I adjusted my matching striped pre tied bowtie (which I'm glad no one can make fun of me for ) , when I went back downstairs again on the way down I put on my coat well it's actually Tommy's since I can't wear my torn one , which is woolen charcoal gray , and turned to Polly at the door . Who changed into a ruby red dress with a translucent v neck and puffed up sleeves, and she styled her hair into a somewhat messy side braid .

We linked arms as we went out the door ,walking in sync, talking about whatever, and if Polly had any visions recently . As we approach the Garrison, its dark wood exterior, which at first looks like all the other buildings around, but the warm lights from inside, presents a tempting invitation to those approaching.

When we finally enter the Garrison, we are greeted by its warm, welcoming atmosphere , which contrasts the cold, dreary mood from outside. Its lights highlight all the mahogany furniture and present a relaxed environment . As Polly goes off to talk to Harry , I look around the pub, trying to find where Tommy is . He's looking infuriatingly handsome wearing a white shirt with a detachable collar with black stripes paired with a dark gray woolen waistcoat and black trousers , with his coat hung over his chair which makes his baby blue eyes stand out . Trust Tommy Shelby to look breathtakingly handsome without even trying. We've been together since the war ended, and at the beginning, it was tough . Tommy returned from The Great War; he came back haunted by the horrors of war, the memories of which would attack him at the most unexpected times . It wasn't as bad as it was back then, but a part of me does wonder if he has never left the war, except this one was a one in his mind that has changed him and if there is no way to help him from this torment.

Yet despite this , I try my best to support him with whatever I can whether that is to comfort him after he suffers from the horrors of his mind , create an environment where he feels safe whenever we are alone and make sure he knows he is not alone and can talk about it when he is ready . Whilst he would never get better , but then again, like my condition, this is something I hope he can learn to live with without it cutting him from the inside.

I see him talking with John who is donning a black striped jacket with matching waistcoat and a white shirt with collar like Tommy and a chocolate brown tie and Arthur ,who is adorning a woolen gray coat and waistcoat with a white shirt and the same collar as his brothers which he added a splash of colour with a red tie, to talking about something in the betting shop looking carefree, which he has been like with his family recently.

“ Princely, what are you doing over there ? Come over here !” Tommy said teasingly with a lopsided grin.

I walked over to him to sit on his lap and wrap my arms around him while nuzzling his soft neck.He brings his calloused hands to rub circles in my hair , as he does this i feel all the nerves evaporate from me as I listen to the familiar rhythm of his heart.

“How are you doing, Tomcat?”

“I'm doing great love , for once I didn't want to strangle someone.”

After he says that, he furrows his brows and looks at me concerned:

“Princely, are you alright? What happened to your coat?”

“ Oh I left it at home. I must've picked up yours by accident .”

“ Well, let me take it off of you then it's too hot to wear that in here if that's okay with you.” I nod as I shrug off the coat to give it to him , as he puts it on top of his own coat with one hand so he wouldn't have to move .

“So is there anything else I can do for you?”

“If it's no bother , can you get me a Vimto cordial with water plus some ice in it if you can ?”

“Sure , no problem, I was going to refill my glass anyway. I'll be back in a bit .”

When he returns with the drinks I got back on his lap , as I take a sip of my drink I think he made it himself as it isn't diluted as it normally is . As we drink in comfortable silence , I look around taking in our surroundings when a realisation hits me .

“Wait, where's Arthur and John ?”

“ Oh, they're just in the private booth , doing god knows what.”

“So Tommy, can I ask you something?”

“Yes ,Princely, what is it ?”

“Is it true you rode a horse across the street?”

“Yes, I did . Why do you ask ?”

“Well, I was wondering if you could do that on our next date .”

“...Why ?”

“Because I want to feel like a fairytale prince and be swept up on my feet by a handsome man on horse , and plus we can't get stuck in traffic since a horse isn't technically a vehicle.”

“ Love, I don't think that is legal .”

“Since when did you care about what is legal!?”

He smirks , ready to retort back with something “ Well, Princel-”

“ Um , Tommy?”

We both looked around to see who interrupted Tommy. It was Arthur who was looking sheepish for some reason .

“Yes, Arthur, what is it ?” Tommy said, annoyed that we were interrupted.

“ We need you to come to the private room to talk business.”

“ Which part, Arthur ?”

“Kimber ,Tom . He's being a right prick.”

Tommy signs exasperated “Oh for fuck sake , alright you go in I'll be in there in a bit .” He says whilst carefully pulling me off his lap .

He turns his attention back to me . “Sorry Princely looks like our time has been cut short , do you want me to get someone to escort you home?”

“It's fine Tommy , but I think I would like to stay here for a little while longer then I will go home with Polly when you are done .”

“ Alright but if you need me I will be in the private booth , okay ?”

“Okay , try not to kill anyone .”

“No promises love” He says as he kisses my cheek before he goes.

At first I relaxed in my chair , daydreaming about my next date with Tommy and how to make sure he will be comfortable where it will be , I am interrupted by a loud sound from the door . I snap out of my ponder to see a group of factory men loudly yelling at the barmaid to get drinks. Looking through the window, I see it's dark outside , shit I forgot about keeping track of how much time has passed since Polly must've left already . I can't leave without someone escorting me home as it's not safe for me to go home alone at night in Birmingham, and the pub is starting to get too crowded with people for me to recognise anyone I know .

What the hell do I now ?

Okay I have to get to Tommy but the pub is so full I can't see which room he is in .

As I lean back in my chair, it felt like everything around me was heightened as I could hear bits of every conversation from all the patrons merging together from all sides of the room to form a never ending incoherent mess, the volume of this mess sounds like the roars of thunder each time they spoke, my ears are straining at this combination . My chest starts to feel too tight, everything feels way too , as I feel the oxygen slowly drain from the room the madding rhythm of my heart is telling me I need to go NOW .

I rushed to the bathroom the smell of cleaner and musk hitting me in the face and as I sat on the brown wooden floor which somehow has multiple shades, I leaned against the gray wall or at least I think it is as the yellow light of the bathroom makes it hard to tell. I begin rocking forwards and backwards, thinking that this might give me some comfort from this situation as I feel myself slowly dissociate more and more as this continues .

Why is this not helping !?

I'm in a different room with no people yet despite this I am still feeling like this .

Feeling deeply distressed because of this I started desperately hitting my head repeatedly, hoping that the pain would stop this horror from happening to stop me from processing all these things at once and end this suffocating experience . As I run my fingers through my hair , trying to regain some sort of control and think of what to do best but my mind is still foggy.

Then I hear the sound of the door opening, the loud noises from outside leaking into the room for a couple of seconds into the cold isolated bathroom, and then for some reason a man hovering above me . I can't focus on his face as when I try to look up to see his face the but I can't make it out clearly as the light flickering harshly against my eyes , but from what I can see is that he is white , has brown hair judging by his arms and his white shirt has a beer stain .

“Are you okay, mate?”

He says he doesn't know what to do with me .

He sounds...younger than I thought, like he must be around my age.

At this point , I feel like talking is beyond me. As I feel like I can't even speak . Which in of itself is terrifying . . So I nod instead, not knowing what else to do. He looks confused, but I think he probably thinks I'm high on snow or something.

“Okay then , try not to wreck the place.” He says lightheartedly as he leaves .

When he leaves the contrast between the busy pub and the isolated bathroom , with my only solace being my thoughts but even then I feel them turning against me.

How can anyone help me if no one knows where I am ?

How am I going to get out of here if I can't see the exit through all those people?

Would anyone notice where I've gone ?

Would anyone care ?

I can hear the noise from outside starting to emerge in the room as I can feel it slowly suffocating me , as I can feel my body continuing slowly shutting down . The more time passes, the more overwhelmed I feel as the reality of the situation sits in . Eventually, I can't take it anymore, feeling everything at once but with no way to do anything about it , so I start to lie down on the cold floor as I stare at the ceiling, feeling utterly exhausted but restless at the same time . Hoping that being unconscious would stop the anguish I was feeling, but then the door opens again, and I hear:

“Princely, are you there ?”

Authors Notes

●Pretied bowties were laughed at in public in the UK at the time. 

●Vimto was invented in 1908 in Manchester 

●Cordial is a temperance (non-alcoholic ) drink originally,  it's a concentrated fruit syrup 

●Ice was accessible to a wide range of people through ice factories in the country from the 1900s , but I couldn't confirm how much this would've cost the average person 

●Stewards was the person who would carry your bags and put them on the carriage 

●Station master / mistress is the person who manages the train station . 

●Feebleminded Cretins was an insult used to describe disabled people of colour this tended to be used in eugenics texts 

●Andrew Wakefield is the name of the man who started the vaccines cause autism movement in the 1990’s to sell his own version of the MRR (Measles , Mumps and Rubella) vaccine 

●Stewards were open to people of colour at the time 

●Colonies were places were disabled adults and children  lived and @worked in the country separate from the rest of the population in remote villages 

Credits ( people I would like to thank):

@gay_AF_satan for writing the fic where I got the term Princely from .Here's the link for it :

@red-write-hand and @rysko for reading previous drafts of this and gimming me good feedback to help me improve this

And finally @raven-phoenix who tirelessly helped me every step of the way and helped me flesh out the chapters and certain scenes .

[mitchipedia]

Trump threatens to jail adversaries in escalating rhetoric ahead of pivotal debate.

The Associated Press, via the Las Vegas Sun:

Trump’s message represents his latest threat to use the office of the presidency to exact retribution if he wins a second term. There is no evidence of the kind of fraud he continues to insist marred the 2020 election; in fact, dozens of courts, Republican state officials and his own administration have said he lost fairly.

Just days ago, Trump himself acknowledged in a podcast interview that he had indeed “lost by a whisker.”

While Trump’s campaign aides and allies have urged him to keep his focus on Harris and make the election a referendum on issues like inflation and border security, Trump in recent days has veered far off course.

On Friday, he delivered a stunning statement to news cameras in which he brought up a string of past allegations of sexual misconduct, describing several in graphic detail, even as he denied his accusers’ allegations. Earlier, he had voluntarily appeared in court for a hearing on the appeal of a decision that found him liable for sexual abuse, turning focus to his legal woes in the campaign’s final stretch.

Earlier Saturday, Trump had leaned into familiar grievances about everything from his indictments to Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election as he campaigned in one of the most deeply Republican swaths of battleground Wisconsin.

“The Harris-Biden DOJ is trying to throw me in jail — they want me in jail — for the crime of exposing their corruption,” Trump claimed at an outdoor rally at Central Wisconsin Airport, where he spoke behind a wall of bulletproof glass due to new security protocols following his July assassination attempt.

There’s no evidence that President Joe Biden or Harris have had any influence over decisions by the Justice Department or state prosecutors to indict the former president.

…

Harris campaign spokesperson Sarafina Chitika responded to his comments with a statement warning that, if Trump is reelected, he will “use his unchecked power to prosecute his enemies and pardon insurrectionists who violently attacked our Capitol on January 6."

…

As Trump was campaigning, Harris took a short break from debate prep to visit Penzeys Spices in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, where she bought several seasoning mixes. One customer saw the Democratic nominee and began openly weeping as Harris hugged her and said, “We’re going to be fine. We’re all in this together.”

Harris said she was honored to have endorsements from two major Republicans: former Vice President Dick Cheney and his daughter, Liz Cheney, the former Wyoming congresswoman.

“People are exhausted, about the division and the attempts to kind of divide us as Americans,” she said, adding that her main message at the debate would be that the country wants to be united.

“It’s time to turn the page on the divisiveness,” she said. “It’s time to bring our country together, to chart a new way forward.”

Trump held his rally in the central Wisconsin city of Mosinee, with a population of about 4,500 people. It is within Wisconsin’s mostly rural 7th Congressional District, a reliably Republican area in a purple state.

During his speech, he railed against Harris in dark and ominous language, claiming that if the woman he calls “Comrade Kamala Harris gets four more years, you will be living (in) a full-blown Banana Republic" ruled by “anarchy” and “tyranny.”

Trump also railed against the administration’s border policies, calling the Democrats’ approach “suicidal" and accusing them of having “imported murderers, child predators and serial rapists from all over the planet."

Many studies have found immigrants, including those in the country illegally, commit fewer violent crimes than native-born citizens. Violent crime in the U.S. dropped again last year, continuing a downward trend after a pandemic-era spike.

[pinkverbena]

ੈ‧₊˚➛Pav's extra story - 1946

//CAUTION!: sensitive topics, violence, use of alcohol and cigarettes, lack of mental health, abuse, other themes, funger experience.

❝ No matter where you go, Pavel, chaos follows you everywhere, no matter where you go, the snow that you remember so much only stabs you in the heart, your hands are dirty, desperately need to get rid of that eagle that tries to devour your head, one step for the destiny prepared for yourself ❞

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

꒰ Pavel Yudin and Sho Seimei try to survive in their (now) shit neighborhood, to no one's surprise.

Well, it turns out that strange events had already happened in this neighborhood on a large scale, at the beginning the people are strangely friendly, gossipy, to the annoyance, one of few things these two guys can agree on. After a pseudo slice of life experiences...Sho's abusive boss ends up being dismembered in the office basement, the incompetent police raise over the people's ignorance, chaos looms; Pav and Sho rather endure each other until they find a way to get out of those places, it seems that there is no way out, as if now this neighborhood that was once full of life was nothing more than a rest of houses and buildings where the sounds could be heard are only...the agonizing screams within the walls, the fact that the authorities closed any exit was the least favorable.

This guy shoot everything he finds in his way and the other has a phobia of bathrooms (or nudity). A former lieutenant with vengeful shoe-picking tendencies and an office worker with possible acholism and hermit problems, the cigarette smoke is no longer enough and confusion dances between their minds, a memory held by the Kaiser who continues to torment this unfortunate protagonist and his companion between longing memories about his family in Edo, between lies that Sho disperses about his state of life.

The only option is not to succumb to fear and hunger, in this already abandoned neighborhood, where they can wander the alleys where strange aberrations and cults lurk. Where old customs return, rituals in the underground, among few lights that eat away at the mind, where time no longer matters, but rather avoiding being consumed by delirium, and horrors, the past is only on the other side, waiting to deceive again. ꒱

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

*Concepts just concepts:

-The area is smaller than Prehevil in Funger Termina, but there is still a fog effect, only some places like the alleys are darker and consume the mind percentage just like in the F&H dungeons. Generally the levels are at night, the environment gives more of a feeling of claustrophobia even if you are outdoors.

-Pav and Sho are able to investigate the building where their apartments are located, after the incident the building is left unprotected and abandoned, the structure is similar to the White mold apartments. Some doors are closed and locked, these keys are located outside throughout the neighborhood.

-There is a park in the center of the neighborhood, but it can only be accessed through the back gate. In the small park the plants are infected, some are more harmless but if you touch them, you have a limited time to heal before the infection kills you. There are bigger plants and some have merged with the neighbors in the area, these prowl and are more dangerous.

-The neighborhood includes a movie theater, there is a basement with weapons, censored movies, popcorn and other candy are also available, there is a mysterious gentleman that is manning the entrance to one of the rooms. When Pav and Sho (or one of them) die, it shows a footage of their graphic death.

-Visiting the building where the office is located guarantees you will find Sho's boss, who, similar to Needles, will chase you on any path in the building. A mass of tumor, mucus and with the face of a moth, on its sides has mixed with the dust of the basement where it was located, even as the marriage seems to have taken Sho's co-workers on its body, who seem to have...are they alive?, the only thing they can do is beg for an imminent death, it's a disaster, you can't even recognize their faces.

-All the other office workers mixed together on the floor, as if the place was consuming them. Some of them you can step on their faces (Sho would only do it with those who mistreated him, it seems strangely a selective option, you have the option of talking with the faces on the ground).

-As you progress through the days, both of these two's rooms will be full of mold on the walls, it makes a breathing effect, as if it were a diseased lung, if either of them touches it, it needs to get rid from any part of the body before the infection arrives (this includes the issue of the plants in the park but, the wall effect is faster).

-You can go to your neighbors' houses, curiously in one of them you will find a circle where you can draw.

-The underground is divided by floors, maybe 10, the structure is usually similar to the bunkers used in the war, a special floor is a blood pit, some places seem to purposely not match. You can encounter followers of Gro-goroth, Sylvian (includes a scene with rabbit masks that makes Sho panic for personal reasons, Pav jokes that he wants to join) and at the exit of everything you can summon a tree of Vinushka to go outside.

-The main enemies of Pav's story are the Yellow King/Kaiser cult who are made up of all types of people and even those who are part of the Bremen army. There are rumors that they were already involved in the neighborhood long before the events, but it seems that they have gathered more people.

The one who located Pav's whereabouts was one of the neighbors who is a spy for Bremen, apparently the new lieutenant is also involved in this cult and wants the end of Pav. The lieutenant can be confronted for the first time in one of the tunnels, in his normal form (human), with the passage of time he becomes a deformed and unrecognizable creature, with an eagle's head, overgrowth, increased muscle mass and with desire of destroying everything in his path, he has a great fondness for Pav and some jealousy for having quickly risen through the ranks in the past. He not only arrives to avenge the death of the Kaiser, it seems that he has arrived for personal reasons as well. The climax of the second battle is in this unrecognizable form.

-In the middle of these underground you will also encounter other enemies such as the Bremen Elite Trooper (two encounters, you can also find them in the neighborhood).

-Bremen soldiers, local police and other residents became ghouls (Necromancy can be used).

-There is a small amount of food, some are consumed raw (including moldy bread...) and others can be cooked when you gather necessary items.

-Special meat (it is a strange ball mixed with meat from some ghouls and other enemies in the area, it seems like it can be eaten).

-Some poisonous plants can be used to create antidotes.

-Enemy heads can be exchanged at a rarity shop for other items of need. (Even the moth head aka Sho's former boss and the eagle head aka new Bremen lieutenant).

-(Reference to: The Shining), a creature that resembles a naked, pale, purple-colored old woman with swollen skin can be found in Sho's bathtub after he returns to his apartment. Scratches from the enemy cause wounds and infections.

-Bremen snipers on the roofs near the police station.

-Safe room, with storage structure, Pav can make drinks even though it's...kind of gross, according to Sho, but then drinks them because needs alcohol. There is a radio that can be carried as an item, just like in Silent Hill, the radio emits static when enemies are nearby...unfortunately some specific enemies cannot be detected.

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

*Secret - Bonus:

-If Pav dies, Sho hears during certain periods of time some deep breathing and screams of rage from the radio, mixed with the static, the sound can barely be understood.

-If Sho dies, Pav hears Sho's distorted voice on the radio, sobbing, asking why he let him die.

At this point the radio cannot be turned off in both events.

-There are moments where to strengthen trust between the two it is necessary for Pav to start talking successively with Sho or at least not abandon him when he has certain delusions and hallucinations. Certain objects that are gifts can also be exchanged, but only when the level of trust increases.

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

❝ Where can you go if you know that you will never be welcome in this world, Sho?, if you know how much everyone despises you for being who you are and who you try to be, despite how rotten you are, do you think it will be easy to kiss the wound when it's covered in maggots?, no matter where you hide, drowning and you'll be running to go home, like the lonely child that you are in that body ❞

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

<< Another perspective, in other eyes - comments regarding their relationship: *Seimei's vision / before all horrors >>

''Are you talking to me about that guy?...of course, at midnight he invaded private property, i don't know how the hell he managed to get in through the window''

''I only remember that the bastard managed to drink my seven bottles of vodka, he turned on the television, he knows that high volume scares me and he does it on purpose''

''Seems like he wants to occupy the empty space on the couch and watch TV as if nothing had happened, i don't know whether to feel relief when he is in his drunken state or more so when he is snoring, maybe both''

''He gives me a headache, we are literally apartment neighbors...the best being the worst neighbors''

''When the neighbors are not gossiping, we usually go to the balcony to smoke and talk about any nonsense, i hate to say it, but we hide things from each other, i can't be sentimental in those cases, he is very...Pav, and i am a fucking idiot, there's nothing to add, but hey, it's certainly fun, i just wish things could get better...sometimes''

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

[Ssh...i have an excuse to show my pathetic office worker, i have more things from these two but shame gets to me, so i'll leave it at that for now].

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 10/17/2023

started explaining why this one is a little lighter than last week's gallery wall behemoth bc of a uhhhh kind of dire week, personally and professionally speaking, but then realized when fic authors do that in front of chapters i don't actually care or require an excuse from them, im just delighted to have a new chapter.

listening

this is a deeply cheesy little folk song but the lyrics "man you name it and if we ain’t got it: we’ll get it" gave me a sensible chuckle.

now for a moment to expound upon houston: they truly have imported every possible food service establishment. the two chains i miss most from jersey, jersey mikes submarine sandwiches and 7-11 gas stations, are both here. i get that this is the fifth largest metro area in the US or whatever but both of these companies are SO niche. absolutely bonkers. spotify.

i think this started autoplaying after a playlist inspired by f/allout: new v/egas came on??

-

reading

i originally had a very mean-spirited graf about the utility of a pool in northwestern massachusetts and the kind of person who can comfortably lose $31k, but it is genuinely awful that there are no rules around zelle. that money goes into a black fucking hole and there's no way to get it back, which is not the case for any other kind of recognized money except cryptocurrency

Did we confront Gary Kruglitz [the pool contractor]? Yes we did. We marched right into his office and grilled him hard until he defeated us with a simple and probing question: What's a zelle? It defied belief, we quickly realized, that a man who had been trapped in technological amber since the Nixon era was running a cyberscam designed to come between us and our money out of an AOL account.

-

watching

Van Helsing (2004, dir. Sommers). this movie is horrible. this movie is terrific. i don't have anything to say about this movie bc i was distracted by equal opportunity tits and asses the entire time. the time of the “Kate Beckinsale in a corset” movie genre is long over but GOD. watched with my sister bc it's leaving tubi soon

playing

one week i will have the energy to try New Thing but until i do it’s genshin. there's a poetry event that has terribly boring minigames, but the story quest has finally tied a bow on a piece of folkore we came across in the very first release so that was fun!

wrapping up some stuff in sumeru bc im running out of map pins, this game has done one of the things i hate most: progress-locking one extremely long and tedious collectible hunt (the music gates) behind another extremely long and tedious collectible hunt (the robots locked in the vines). the next time i see one of those little fucking budget koroks i am going to drop kick it into the sun. what the fuck is the circumference of teyvat anyway. it feels like we have explored so little of this planet's surface

i have graphics turned down pretty low bc of performance issues on my elderly laptop and this is still such a remarkably pretty game. look at this big estuary leading off into the distance

-

making

i wildly overextended myself this week, partially bc im trying to take advantage of this brief post-covid heightened immunity. lot of dinners. lot of late nights. on top of that BOTH of my siblings were in town for unrelated professional reasons this week :) no overlap so we did not have a nice fambly dinner :( but did have pretty okay separate dinners :) if they could learn to fucking communicate their trave plans and the number of peope that will be showing up at my home that would also be pretty okay >:(

one of the party games i played this week asked the question “what could you give a 40-minute PowerPoint presentation on” and i started saying facts about the downfall of the penn central railroad and they very nicely let me continue saying facts about the downfall of the penn central railroad, the largest bankruptcy in US history until ENRON, until the round timer went off.

i have some thoughts about Train Guys and how it's very easy to fall into being a Train Guy, bc there's a very easy template to follow, and there's a lot of Train Guy content, and have i been doing this bc i actually like trains, or bc it's easy to listen to Well There's Your Problem on repeat bc it's familiar and comforting, or do i just really really really fucking hate flying?

who could possibly say.

mackintosh update: allowed herself to be scooped up by my brother (who she met at christmas and loves) but did NOT allow herself to be pet by the strangers in his company. did hang out in the middle of the floor observing tho. a regular little extroverted socialite!