#data center park

[santaclaralocalnews]

A light agenda for the Planning Commission to start 2024 cleared the way for a deeper discussion about the Commission’s goals and what it would like to relay to the City Council about the future of Santa Clara. The Planning Commission is set to have a joint session with the Council on Jan. 30. To prepare for the meeting, commissioners discussed items they believe are important to Santa Clara. Read complete news at svvoice.com.

[reasonsforhope]

"For over a decade, the Yosemite toad has been recognized as a federally threatened species, after experiencing a 50% population decline during the Rim Fire of 2013.

The wildfire, which encompassed a mass of land near Yosemite National Park, made the amphibian species especially vulnerable in its home habitat. 

Native to the Sierra Nevada, the toads play a key role in the area’s ecosystem — and conservationists stepped in to secure their future.

In 2017, the San Francisco Zoo’s conservation team began working with the National Park Service, Yosemite Conservancy, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish & Wildlife, and the U.S. Geological Survey. 

The goal of all of these stakeholders? To raise their own Yosemite toads, re-establishing a self-sustaining population in the wild. 

“Over the past several years, SF Zoo’s conservation team has been busily raising hundreds of these small but significant amphibians from tadpole stage, a species found only in the Sierra Nevada, for the purpose of reintroducing them to an area of Yosemite National Park where it was last seen 11 years ago,” the zoo shared on social media. 

By 2022, a group of toads were deemed ready for release — and at the end of June of this year [2024], 118 toads were flown via helicopter back to their habitat.

“It’s the first time anyone has ever raised this species in captivity and released them to the wild,” Rochelle Stiles, field conservation manager at the San Francisco Zoo, told SFGATE. “It’s just incredible. It makes what we do at the zoo every day worthwhile.”

Over the past two years, these toads were fed a diet of crickets and vitamin supplements and were examined individually to ensure they were ready for wildlife release.

Zoo team members inserted a microchip into each toad to identify and monitor its health. In addition, 30 of the toads were equipped with radio transmitters, allowing their movements to be tracked using a radio receiver and antenna.

The project doesn’t end with this single wildlife release; it’s slated to take place over the next five years, as conservationists continue to collect data about the toads’ breeding conditions and survivability in an ever-changing climate. They will also continue to raise future toad groups at the zoo’s wellness and conservation center...

While the future of the Yosemite toad is still up in the air — and the uncertainty of climate change makes this a particularly audacious leap of faith — the reintroduction of these amphibians could have positive ripple effects for all of Yosemite.

Their re-entry could restore the population balance of invertebrates and small vertebrates that the toads consume, as well as balance the food web, serving as prey for snakes, birds, and other local predators.

“Zoo-reared toads can restore historic populations,” Nancy Chan, director of communications at the San Francisco Zoo, told SFGATE. 

Stiles continued: “This is our backyard, our home, and we want to bring native species back to where they belong.”

-via GoodGoodGood, July 11, 2024

[wild-west-wind]

For anyone who may be interested, Summer 2025 Park Service jobs start opening on September 9th this year!

On September 9th, Recreation Fee Clerk and Technician jobs go live! These are fee focused jobs, usually at entry stations. If you have a high school diploma, and can work a cash register, you can get this job! The pay is usually not excellent (but much more than minimum wage in most states), but it has health insurance, and can take you to new and interesting places!

EMTs may also go live on that day.

On October 21, Interpretive Park Rangers and Park Guides will go live! These are educational and informational jobs, teaching people about parks, working visitor center desks, etc.

Around this time, Facilities/Maintenance, Backcountry, Resource Technician and Fire Jobs should go live as well.

Facilities/Maintenance jobs cover the gamut from running wastewater treatment plants, to custodial work, to repair to electricians. Pay is usually pretty good.

Backcountry jobs include trail work, checking permits, wilderness EMT stuff, Search and Rescue, etc.

Resource Technician type jobs generally do field work and research. Spraying for invasive plants, treating trees for parasites, collecting data, assisting researchers from around the world.

Fire jobs are pretty straightforward: fight fires, look for fires, initiate controlled burns. NGL you need to be kinda ripped for these, and able to complete a lot of training.

Park Service is weird, but if you have some time on your hands and you want an okay job in a cool place meeting lots of new people and doing stuff that will make you sound cool at parties for the rest of your life, it's a cool seasonal gig!

Also if you have any questions about being a park ranger my ask box is there! And I answer most of the asks I get that are normal, and I think really hard about it every time someone asks me to weight in on a major global issue, and sometimes respond to those too.

[nasa]

5 Years, 8 Discoveries: NASA Exoplanet Explorer Sees Dancing Stars & a Star-Shredding Black Hole

This all-sky mosaic was constructed from 912 Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) images. Prominent features include the Milky Way, a glowing arc that represents the bright central plane of our galaxy, and the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds – satellite galaxies of our own located, respectively, 160,000 and 200,000 light-years away. In the northern sky, look for the small, oblong shape of the Andromeda galaxy (M 31), the closest big spiral galaxy, located 2.5 million light-years away. The black regions are areas of sky that TESS didn’t image. Credit: NASA/MIT/TESS and Ethan Kruse (University of Maryland College Park)

On April 18, 2018, we launched the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, better known as TESS. It was designed to search for planets beyond our solar system – exoplanets – and to discover worlds for our James Webb Space Telescope, which launched three years later, to further explore. TESS images sections of sky, one hemisphere at a time. When we put all the images together, we get a great look at Earth’s sky!

In its five years in space, TESS has discovered 326 planets and more than 4,300 planet candidates. Along the way, the spacecraft has observed a plethora of other objects in space, including watching as a black hole devoured a star and seeing six stars dancing in space. Here are some notable results from TESS so far:

During its first five years in space, our Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite has discovered exoplanets and identified worlds that can be further explored by the James Webb Space Telescope. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

1. TESS’ first discovery was a world called Pi Mensae c. It orbits the star Pi Mensae, about 60 light-years away from Earth and visible to the unaided eye in the Southern Hemisphere. This discovery kicked off NASA's new era of planet hunting.

2. Studying planets often helps us learn about stars too! Data from TESS & Spitzer helped scientists detect a planet around the young, flaring star AU Mic, providing a unique way to study how planets form, evolve, and interact with active stars.

Located less than 32 light-years from Earth, AU Microscopii is among the youngest planetary systems ever observed by astronomers, and its star throws vicious temper tantrums. This devilish young system holds planet AU Mic b captive inside a looming disk of ghostly dust and ceaselessly torments it with deadly blasts of X-rays and other radiation, thwarting any chance of life… as we know it! Beware! There is no escaping the stellar fury of this system. The monstrous flares of AU Mic will have you begging for eternal darkness. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

3. In addition to finding exoplanets on its own, TESS serves as a pathfinder for the James Webb Space Telescope. TESS discovered the rocky world LHS 3844 b, but Webb will tell us more about its composition. Our telescopes, much like our scientists, work together.

4. Though TESS may be a planet-hunter, it also helps us study black holes! In 2019, TESS saw a ‘‘tidal disruption event,’’ otherwise known as a black hole shredding a star.

When a star strays too close to a black hole, intense tides break it apart into a stream of gas. The tail of the stream escapes the system, while the rest of it swings back around, surrounding the black hole with a disk of debris. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

5. In 2020, TESS discovered its first Earth-size world in the habitable zone of its star – the distance from a star at which liquid water could exist on a planet’s surface. Earlier this year, a second rocky planet was discovered in the system.

You can see the exoplanets that orbit the star TOI 700 moving within two marked habitable zones, a conservative habitable zone, and an optimistic habitable zone. Planet d orbits within the conservative habitable zone, while planet e moves within an optimistic habitable zone, the range of distances from a star where liquid surface water could be present at some point in a planet’s history. Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

6. Astronomers used TESS to find a six-star system where all stars undergo eclipses. Three binary pairs orbit each other, and, in turn, the pairs are engaged in an elaborate gravitational dance in a cosmic ballroom 1,900 light-years away in the constellation Eridanus.

7. Thanks to TESS, we learned that Delta Scuti stars pulse to the beat of their own drummer. Most seem to oscillate randomly, but we now know HD 31901 taps out a beat that merges 55 pulsation patterns.

Sound waves bouncing around inside a star cause it to expand and contract, which results in detectable brightness changes. This animation depicts one type of Delta Scuti pulsation — called a radial mode — that is driven by waves (blue arrows) traveling between the star's core and surface. In reality, a star may pulsate in many different modes, creating complicated patterns that enable scientists to learn about its interior. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

8. Last is a galaxy that flares like clockwork! With TESS and Swift, astronomers identified the most predictably and frequently flaring active galaxy yet. ASASSN-14ko, which is 570 million light-years away, brightens every 114 days!

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

[andrevasims]

Pretersolaria Institute: CC-Free Uni & Individual Lots

Eventually I want to share the entirety of Rhyolite Valley, but it's a bit hairy with the 47 sims & CC hood deco & the garbage data I let seep in while playing (so I'd have to remake all of that before sharing).

I thought I'd "practice" the process of remaking the hood by starting a little smaller: The uni subhood. Since I only made a handful of sims for it (which are not included... yet) and it works aesthetically without CC hood deco. Sounds simple, right? Weelllll it took about a week of near daily effort to actually do. Makes the prospect of doing the actual hood soooo much more exciting lol /s

Anyway, that's what this is: A new university subhood template that's CLEAN & EMPTY. As a bonus (or if you just don't like the subhood), I've also included individual lot packages for every lot in the subhood to use wherever you want.

The "gimmick" of this hood is that Rhyolite Valley, and by extension Pretersolaria Institute, is entirely self-sufficient & cobbled together by the local residents. Which means there's no indoor plumbing lol.

That also means simply sitting down at a computer to write a term paper isn't as easy as a regular uni. Students have to go to THE BOOKMOBILE to access computers. Same goes for the skill building required for each semester/major. You have to venture out to the relevant community lot to find the means for skill building.

I've included in the uni's photo album & the lot descriptions which skills are available to build on each lot. It'll say "+Cooking" or whatever skill(s) the lot can provide based on the objects it has.

— WHERE/HOW TO INSTALL: —————————

Place the "PRTR" folder in its entirety in the "Program Files > EA GAMES > The Sims 2 University > TSData > Res > NeighborhoodTemplate" directory. Or whatever equivalent location you have for a TS2 University folder in the Program Files section.

Mootilda's Subhood Selection Mod is required to see additional universities below the main 3 pre-made ones.

You can then select Pretersolaria Institute in the list of options when creating a new uni subhood in a neighborhood.

— UNI SUBHOOD LOT INFO: ——————————

• Dorms: 1 (Klaatu Mobile Park)

6br / 5ba | Value: §20,444 | Size: 30 x 20

• Residential: 3 (Fulquard, Mushnick, & Burson Shack)

1br / 1ba | Value: §3,816-§3,862 | Size: 10 x 10

• Greek House: 1 (Tobor Testing Bureau)

10br / 10ba | Value: §30,363 | Size: 30 x 20

• Community: 6 (Wiploc Amphitheatre, THE BOOKMOBILE, Ikron Confectioneries, Zarkov Training Center, Big Heart Dude, Krelboined Horticulture)

• Secret Society: 1 (Temple of Laganaphyllis)

Value: §56,035 | Size: 20 x 20 | Zone: Community (individual version)

— NOTES: ———————————————————

• On 2 lots (Big Heart Dude & Wiploc Amphitheatre), I used the Seasons Music career reward The Rock Hammer for speaker deco. I used MoveObjects to delete the guitar but keep the speakers.

It's possible that either A. The guitars will respawn when you move the lot in the hood, or B. Sims will attempt to play the guitar and complain about being blocked (because I purposely blocked them).

If the guitars respawn, open the lot in Buy/Build mode and with MoveObjects On use the sledgehammer tool to remove the guitar.

If sims are complaining about not being able to reach the guitar, well they're not supposed to be able to lol. If hearing them complain is annoying, you can either use this mod that makes them stop yelling when something blocks them and leaves only the thought bubble, or delete the whole object.

• The Wiploc Amphitheatre may also have some glitchy-looking ground that you can see in neighborhood view when the camera moves. This is because I shortened the lot with Lot Adjuster. I don't know how to make it stop doing that, because I've transferred the lot to other hoods, packaged the lot, Lot Cleaner'd it, Lot Compressor'd it, moved it to the Lots & Houses Bin, etc. and it has never stopped looking like that. So again if that annoys you, remove the lot I guess?

• Please let me know if there are any additional problems.

I've never done this before specifically with a uni subhood, so it's very likely I messed up somewhere.

Additional Interior/Detail Pictures

DOWNLOAD UNI SUBHOOD: SFS | MF

DOWNLOAD INDIVIDUAL LOTS: SFS | MF

[ray935sworld]

I wonder what the retired riders think about Marc at the moment.

Like imagine, Dani Pedrosa sitting in the KtM facility working, analyzing how Pols bike is doing, keeping an eye on Acosta, Fernandez, Binder and Miller, comparing the data when he sees Marc overtaking Pecco, like he was overtaken by the Spaniard so many times before. He watches him fight his way up the standing and his celebration. He watches Alex pulling up next to him, to congratulate him, like he had congratulated when they were teammates. Does he remember their best races? Their shared podiums? Is he happy for him? Is he getting nostalgic?

Or Jorge Lorenzo being able to actually enjoy Marc's wins and podiums. There is no underlying jealousy that he manged to win instead of him or that he is on the podium when they are fighting over the championship lead. No nagging feeling that maybe one of that risky moved could have caused Marc going wide and losing points. He watches the Spanish hero, the man that has gotten up from a terrible injury, without a worry about his own racing career. He can interview him and finally mean his congratulations. He can finally actually enjoy seeing his home country on top. Especially in Misano of all places.

In Misano where it has always been a home race for Andrea Dovizioso. Did he watch Marc crossing the line and excitingly shaking his head? Did he laugh about him? "After all those years not a thing has changed" Does he remember the pain he used to feel at the sight of Marc's bike being parked at the P1 sign when it could have been him? Or does he forgot about it and moved on and now only focuses on texting Marc a quick 'congratulations 🎉 that was an amazing ride. Truly sick. You deserve it' because he think that he and Marc won't find each other in the chaos of the circuit.

And Casey... Does he watch the races? Some of them are in the middle of the night for Australia. Does he stay awake? Maybe not. So he wakes up, makes breakfast for his wife and children and suddenly the news reporter is at the sport part and he hears that Marc Marquez has won a race after 1043 days and then only took 7 days to secure his 2nd Ducati win. When he was new in retirement, had he been angry? Watching a rookie win races and a championship on a bike that could have been his. And now that Marc is 5 years older than he was when he won his last championship, does he wonder whatelse the used to be golden Honda rookie has up his sleeves at Ducati? Do they all? Or do they not care?

And when Valentino Rossi stands infront of the podium in Misano, trying to only look at the success of his academy, can he really ignore the dancing man who is the focus of the attention? Can he ignore the sun shining as bright as he used to do more than a decade ago? Can he really deny himself to remember the little bit of memory left of from the 2013/2014 Marc, when he was just a happy and successful rookie and Vale could still handle it? Can he really forget the feeling of happiness a shared podium bought them? Does he remember what it was like to stand up there, watching a smiling Marc, hearing his giggle while being the center of their world for just a few minutes? Or is all he feels the rage and betrayal he went through? Maybe he sees the darkness and demons that's hidden in the lights shadow.

[sweetlikesummerhoney]

rather die

human optimus prime x afab reader

implied mafia! autobots. sex pollen. dubious consent. multiple orgasms. overstimulation. creampie (be safe in rl folks)

the roar of the engine rumbles beneath you as you come to a stop, a small smile gracing your face at the large building before you. finally, you were home.

after a long week of gathering data and running from decepticon agents, you could finally relax and wind down.

parking your bike close to the exterior of the building, you gently take your helmet off and begin the process of slowly peeling leather gloves off your hands.

a loud slam has you perking to attention, peaking around the corner to see optimus angrily storming to the black SUV sitting in the driveway. your eyebrows furrow as you hear a shout behind you.

"and don't come back until you've fucked an escort or two!" jazz's voice cuts through the silence as you see optimus turn around and flip him off.

you slowly walk back to the driveway, feeling confused at the way optimus was acting. you open your mouth for a moment before you see him sharply turn towards you.

his eyes are narrowed as he looks you up and down before quickly striding towards you.

"hey... whats up?" you nervously stutter, taking in his rough demeanor as he roughly grasps your arm and pulls you towards the car.

"i literally just got back where the fuck are you taking me?" you shriek, struggling helplessly as his grip tightens against your arm.

"shut up." a shiver goes up your spine at the way his voice rasps, deep and heavy against your back as he shoves you into the passenger seat and slams the door shut. something dark in his voice makes you gulp as you obediently sit.

you're left to wonder what jazz was talking about as Optimus starts the car. he sits for a moment in silence before turning towards you as you jump. his gaze sears your skin and makes you shudder at his attention.

his movements are rough as he grasps the collar of your jacket and leans you over the center console. you have no time to question him as his lips slam against yours.

there's a split moment before your body is melding into the kiss, one of his hands grasping the back of your hair as he nips and sucks swollen lips.

your heart jumps in your chest as you lean into it, letting him open your mouth and roughly suck on your tongue. your eyes flutter open to look at optimus for what feels like the first time in forever.

his tan skin is covered in a thin sheet of sweat, his usually neat hair sweaty and sticking to his forehead. his eyes are striking as they stare straight back at you, almost daring you to stop.

you gasp for air when he finally releases his hold on the back of your head, your voice caught in your throat as he invades the limited space of the passengers seat.

deft fingers quickly slip past the waistband of your pants as you jump. his cold fingers dip into your slit and roughly rub against your clit.

your confusion is quickly melded away by the way optimus is acting. a low simmer fills your stomach as he swipes at your folds, dipping his fingers into your entrance before returning to your bud.

your eyes dart up to him, watching the way he clenches his jaw, his eyes furrowed in concentration.

"what's wrong with-" you're quickly cut off with the way he shoves two fingers into your entrance, his palm roughly slapping against your clit as he quickens his pace.

you've got no choice but to clutch his forearm in desperation as he makes a mess of your cunt. your walls flutter against his rough treatment as he curls his fingers.

the sound of skin slapping against skin is echoing through the car, and your body runs hot as your filled with embarrassment. sticky squelches fill the car, slick slowly running down your thighs as you clench.

your jacket is unzipped as he leans closer, his mouth hot and heavy as he nips at exposed skin. you can feel the way he smirks when your hips jump when he hits the spongey spot in your cunt.

you clench and mewl helplessly, desperately dripping against your underwear as he abuses your clit. pain radiates through your collarbone as he bites down, just as you clench and keen.

your back arches as something snaps in your stomach, shuddering and trying to wiggle your hips away as you cum. optimus is relentless in the way he fingers you through your orgasm, palm roughly slapping against your sensitive bud as you writher.

he doesn't stop as you squirm, trying to get away from his rough grasp as you keen. there's no pause, sensitive walls clenching against thick fingers as he fucks you through another orgasm. your stomach clenches as tears fill your eyes.

the heat makes you want more, but your sensitive clit and cunt is overloading with his rough treatment.

one last clench has him slipping his hand out of your pants and straight into his mouth. you watch with your mouth agape as he sucks thick fingers clean, shamelessly licking up the palm of his hand as he makes eye contact with you.

the two of you sit in silence as tires screech against the pavement, tearing out of the driveway and straight into the dirt pathway. you gulp as you continue to glance at optimus.

his hands are clenching the steering wheel as you see him grind his teeth the slightest. your eyes dart down as you shamelessly stare at him, another spark rolling up your spine at the way he's chubbed against his jeans.

the bulge is obvious as you press your lips together, watching as the forest around you slowly thins out and the car enters the highway.

"so. what was jazz talking about?" you question. optimus doesn't even react to your question, eyes focused on the road ahead of him as the engine roars.

he's skillful in the way he weaves through traffic, his chest heaving as sweat beads down his forehead.

"are you sick or something?" you utter again, tilting your head and watching the way his body heats up. you yelp as he suddenly turns, slamming you against the central console as you swear at him.

he pays you no mind as he parks the car and demands that you follow him.

you quickly shuffle out of the car and eye him as he struts up to a fucking motel. what the hell.

you enter the front just to hear optimus talking to the front counter, flashing a sleek black card before nodding at something the employee says to him.

you fiddle behind him, fingers nervously clenching each other as you shift. the uncomfortable feeling of your spend against your wet underwear and thighs has you gulping at the mere memory of what ocurred in the car.

you watch his figure as he turns around you, jerking his head in an unsaid demand to follow him. like a lost, confused puppy, you trail behind him until he stops at a door and unlocks it with a keycard.

he ushers you in before slamming the door shut. the lights are still off as he corners you against the bed.

"i need you." for once, he actually speaks. your eyebrows furrow as your back hits the bed, one of his thick legs pressing your thighs open as he crawls over you.

his form is heavy against you as you bring your hands to caress his face, watching his lean desperately against your touch.

"bee and jazz were messing around in ratchet's lab." he gasps for air as he catches your lips into another searing kiss. he nips at your lips as he continues.

"went in to yell at them when they broke a sample against the floor."

his thigh flexes against yours as his hands settle against your hips, slowly forcing you to grind down as you shudder.

"ratchet said it was an aphrodisiac. told me to cool my head and take care of it." his thumb lovingly rubs against your skin, smiling at the way goosebumps race across exposed skin.

"and there you were." his moves are sensual as he removes his thigh, eagerly grinding his clothed cock against you. a small moan escapes his lips as he swivels against you. you can feel him twitch beneath his jeans as he grunts.

"always wanted you." he growls, taking his sweet time to remove your jacket as you shove your shirt over your head. his eyes darken as he stares, eyes drinking in the flawless expanse of your skin.

you arch your back, pressing against his chest as he unclips your bra. he's careless in the way he throws your clothing off the bed, one of his hands coming to cup your breast.

his fingers brush up against your nipple as you whine.

"desperate for me?" you ask, and you feel his hips stutter against you.

"always." its a flurry of motion to get each other undressed. you lift your hips as he rips your pants from you. the clink of his belt rings in the room as he shoves off his jacket, eagerly pulling the tight white shirt from his torso.

your mouth fills with saliva as you look at him, grasping his hand against his cock as he strokes it. the heavy tip is red and flushed, beading with pre cum as he grunts.

"all this for me?" you question, watching as he thrusts into his calloused hand, his eyes half lidded as you gently swipe your fingers against the throbbing tip.

he utters your name, flashing you sharp canines as he speaks.

"stop teasing." you yelp as his hands find purchase against your waist, flipping you over and making you arch your back against his chest. he shoves a pillow underneath your hips as he traces your back.

you mewl as you grind against him, feeling his cock settle against the space between your thighs. he hikes up one of your legs, nipping and sucking hickeys into perfect shoulders.

the thick tip of his member brushes against your entrance, tapping against your swollen clit before tracing back. "easy." he mutters, kissing your shoulder as he slowly sheaths himself into you. the two of you groan in sync at the feeling.

he slowly grinds closer, heavy, brutal thrusts hitting close to home. each thrust as you arching and pressing against the rough fabric of the pillow, catching against your swollen bud as you keen.

his heat encompasses you as he presses firmly against your back, lowering his hips and snapping relentlessly. his pace is harsh and quick as he fucks into you.

your hips meld against his as wet sounds fill the air as his thick veins rub against untouched parts of your walls. his cock reaches places you couldn't have reached with your fingers as you clench around him.

each rub drives you crazy as your hands tightly grip the sheets beneath you, knuckles white as small moans escape tight lips.

"sing for me." he brushes his lips against your ear, nibbling and nipping against your jaw.

you can feel him pulse as his pace quickens, the room filled with his grunts and keening moans from your lips. each thrust has you tightening and squirming away, sensitive walls clenching.

"just like that babe." he praises, two fingers dipping against your hip and swirling your abused clit. your hits jolt as he fucks you, feeling him smirk against you as you cum.

there is no rest as he fucks you through your orgasm, hands gripping against your hip as he grinds with power.

"one more. you can do it." you feel drool dripping down the corner of your mouth as you grind against him, the never ending heat washing over you in waves.

his teeth dig into sensitive skin as he sucks, his hips stuttering against you before you feel him spent fill you.

its like molten lava, filling you and dripping out of your folds as he pulls away. his chest heaves as he looks down at you, bruised and marked up.

all for him.

he gently smooths his fingers against your swollen folds, smearing his cum against your twitching cunt as you jerk away.

you heave as you look back, watching his cock twitch with interest as it slowly fills out.

he smirks at you.

"think you can endure?" you nod eagerly as he flips you over, pressing eagerly against you as he grunts.

"let's find out."

-

jazz watches as bee angrily signs at him.

don't fuck around! did you see how angry optimus was? jazz laughs, his head thrown back as his dreads fall against his back.

"he's about to get laid. he should be thanking us. fuckin' hardass."

bee glares at him as his hands quickly sign, a flurry of anger and blame.

fuck you. it was your idea.

"don't act like you weren't interested in what ratchet was cooking up in that lab too."

he could be cooking meth in there and we wouldn't know

the two step outside to see the blackened tire marks woven into the pavement.

jazz whistles at the sight. bee is silent for a moment as he leaves jazz's side, just as they hear something clatter against the concrete.

they both jump, whipping their head around to see where the noise came from.

a frown flitters onto bee's face as he sees a black helmet slowly roll closer to them.

isn't that... bee trails off as his hands come to a stop.

jazz and bee freeze as it dawns upon them. your name is uttered at they stare at your motorcycle tucked against the brick wall.

"we're fucked aren't we." bee nods in agreement as one of their phones ding.

jazz fumbles for his phone in his pocket and grimaces at the single text message from optimus.

be prepared.

"fuck."

[newwritergirl]

Starting over | Part 20

Masterlist

Summary: Bradley and Jake are back in Miramar and are happy to surprise their girlfriend at the base. But when they enter her office they're not greeted with their girl but with an unusual chaos. Where is y/n?

Trigger warnings: 18+, Minors DNI, attempt SA, violence against women, blood, injuries, hospital, language

A/N: Here is the next part of my little TopGun fic. Finally we have our pilots back *.* Thanks for reading =)

Word Count:4.1k +

Jake and Bradley make their way over to y/n's office, when Bob leads Nat into Javy's teaching room, since the recruits have a short coffee break.

A soft knock is the only thing which can be heard in the empty office when both pilots enter the room. Their gazes land on the empty chair behind the desk.

"Where is she?" Jake asks confused when he turns to the other pilot who also looks surprised to see the office being empty.

"Maybe on a coffee run?" Bradley suggests and starts to make his way out of the office to search their girlfriend in the mass, where she probably gets herself a hot coffee.

"Hey, Rooster. Look…" Jake points to y/n's desk and on the floor. Papers and other items are spread across the floor. He takes a step closer to the wooden furniture when a shiny object catches his eyes. He bends down and picks up the plane shaped paperweight.

"What the fuck…" He mumbles when he sees that there's blood smeared on the front of the plane.

Bradley takes a closer on y/n's desk and immediately sees the puddle of dried up blood in the center of the table.

She must've hurt herself. But it's too much blood for a papercut or a cut from her scissors. He holds his breath and his whole body stiffens. Still confused from the bloody statue Jake notices the change in his boyfriend and turns around to see what Bradley just discovered.

"What happened here? Where is y/n?" The blonde whispers to Rooster.

Like two men on a mission they hurry out of the office, searching for someone who can explain what the freaking Hell happened there.

"Where's y/n?" Bradley shouts when he sees Maverick in the hallway on his way over to them.

Pete is more than confused, both aviators look panicked, almost out of their minds.

"She's not there. Her office is a mess, there's blood on her desk…" Jake rambles.

"Hey, slow down slow down. What's wrong?" Pete asks more confused than ever.

Bradley takes a deep breath and explains the situation to their superior. He knows that he has to calm down, the same way when they're on a mission or flying their jets. The three men make their way back to y/n's office.

"I didn't see her today and the Bronco wasn't in the parking lot when I came some minutes ago. I thought she starts later today, we had a big sever breakdown yesterday and she stayed until late in the evening to save some of the data." Maverick explains to the men in front of him.

They have to find her and when the Bronco isn't in the parking lot she's probably still at home. There has to be a logical explanation for the mess and the blood in her office. Maybe she just cut herself and searched for a band aid and just left her office in this mess because it was just too late and she was exhausted. But her office wasn't locked and the blood on the paperweight is also unsettling.

---

Jake drives as fast as he can to their shared home. Despite both men trying to keep calm and find logical explanation for the situation they can't help themselves and have a bad feeling which only increases when they finally made it to their house seeing the Bronco in the drive way with one tire parked in the rose bed.

Not waiting another minute Jake and Bradley jump out of the SUV and both sprint to the front door of their cozy home.

"Fuck, where are my keys." The blonde curses when he searches his pockets for the keys.

"Here let me…" Bradley steps around his nervous boyfriend and opens the door.

Finally entering their home they start to search for their girlfriend frantically. Jake stands in front of her closed bedroom door, ready to enter the room.

"Bradley, her door is locked, she has to be here." Jake says before he starts to knock at the locked door and shouts the name of their girlfriend. With one last verbal warning he kicks down the door but is greeted with an empty bed.

"Bathroom!" The brunette pilot sprints into the direction of said room, the last possibility where the young woman could be.

"Y/n? You in there? Please say something…" But both are confronted with silence.

"Baby, we're coming in…" Jake warns before he kicked down the second door for today.

---

The sight they're greeted with is nothing both could've been prepared for. Before them is laying their girlfriend curled into a ball under her fluffy towel. Ghostly pale, she almost looks dead.

"No! Baby…" Jake is the first one to kneel beside the still body of their girlfriend. The blue tinged lips of the young woman are just another catalyst to spiral further into panic. With trembling fingers he touches her carotid searching for a pulse. Bradley is still standing behind his boyfriend towering above both his partners too shocked to get into action.

"Pulse is steady, but she's extremely cold." The blonde talks into the quiet room.

"Babygirl? Can you hear me?" He softly turns her onto her back to access her body and looking for possible injuries. He gasps when he sees her head laceration and the small blood puddle where her head was positioned before he turned her on her back. The bruise on her delicate cheek and her black eye are a stark contrast to her ghostly pale face. He looks further down and his heart nearly stops when he sees the black and blue hand prints on their girlfriend's neck. Someone has beaten her and chocked her so heavy to leave these prominent hand shaped marks.

"No…" Jake's gasp brings the other pilot finally out of his shock and he also kneels down beside the blonde. Reaching for one of y/n's cold hands.

Hangman pulls the towel which is still hiding the small woman's body further down.

A turmoil of emotions is bubbling in his chest when he sees the full damage. Hand shaped bruises on her shoulders and arms, a dark purple bruise on her side, the blood on her head.

Rage, hate, helplessness and a huge emptiness is squeezing Jake's ribcage.

"Who did this?" Rooster growled when he sees their girlfriend's injuries, clearly inflicted by a human being. He feels y/n's hand switching in his big warm one. "Princess? We're here now, we're back. Can you hear me?" He soothingly whispers rubbing soft circles on her ice cold hand.

"P-p-please not… No…" The woman mumbles when she slowly opens her eyes.

---

She's cold, so cold. The underground she's laying on is also cold and very uncomfortable. Why is she so tired but is not engulfed in the cozy sheets of one of their beds? Y/n hears voices, a familiar mumbling but she can't comprehend where she is. Images of last night blend into her thoughts. Welsh grabbing her, hitting her, trying to sexual assault her. Is he still there? Is he back to finish what Michael once started and he continued? She knows that she needs to fight, for herself and for her future with her partners. Y/n tries to get rid of the warm hand that has her smaller one in a tight but not painful grip. Her other hand balls into a fist in an attempt to catch her attacker. But her whole body feels like it is made of cold unmoving granite. Pain rushes through every fiber of her body and she feels like it doesn't belong to her anymore. She has no control over her shaking and aching limbs. The young woman lets out mumbling noises, she can hear herself whimper but can't stop the sounds that are coming out of her mouth. The pain and the fear have fully taken control over her body and she knows that she stands no chance in case Welsh is back.

"Noo.." is the only word she form. She feels her heart beating furiously in her ribcage, panic bubbling further up in her lungs.

"Babygirl, you're safe. It's Roo-y and Jakey. Come on, show us your beautiful eyes." Jake coaxed her to open her eyes fully.

She knows this voice. It's Jake's warm voice and his signature nickname for her. But it has to be a dream, they're deployed. Maybe she's already dead or she is hallucinating.

It takes her some minutes to be somewhat coherent and register that her two boyfriends are really with her in the bathroom. She feels two warm hands enveloping her right one and she starts to squeeze as hard as she can as if she is afraid that the both men will disappear any second. A heart wrenching sob escapes her parted lips. She tries to sit up, she needs the physical contact of her boyfriends but her broken ribs and her other injuries are making it difficult for her to move her upper body.

"Hey, hey stay still okay." Jake tries to bring her back in the laying position but she grabs one of his arms and gives it another painful attempt to bring herself closer to one of her boyfriends.

Jake finally understands her actions and slowly sits her up. When y/n is finally cradled into the warm chest of the blonde aviator she lets out a painful sob. She survived. Welsh was not able to break her. He hurt her, he traumatized her, but he didn't get the chance to break her fully. She fought for her life and she escaped. Without help.

"Shhh… shhhh. Baby, we're here now, It's going to be okay." Jake says with a thick voice full of emotions.

"Gonna call an ambulance." Rooster says when he softly strokes y/n's bare back cautious of her injuries and painful looking bruising.

"No, no ambulance…please." Y/n throws herself into Bradley arms, fortunately he is able to catch her before she can hit the floor. Her eyes are open wide, full of panic and pain. She knows that she is in need of medical attention, but strangers intruding their privacy, seeing her half naked, bruised and panicked is the last thing she can handle right now.

"It's okay, Princess." Bradley whispers into the shell of her ear when she nuzzles her head into his chest breathing in his familiar scent.

"What did you say, Princess?" The brunette asks when he hears her mumble something into his chest. He feels her shaking so badly and her body is still ice cold. God knows how long she was wet and naked on the cold tiles. "Talk to us, baby." Jake encourages her to talk to both of them.

Y/n lifts her head, pinching her eyes shut when a wave of dizziness overcomes her and her vision turns black for some seconds. Bradley feels her wavering in his arms and cages her trembling body further into his arms.

"I- I fought back. He didn't... He wanted to, but I hit him…" Y/n stammers and squeezes Jake's thigh to ground herself against the strong dizziness which is still makes her head swim.

Bradley feels himself tearing up. Someone tried to sexually assault their girlfriend? He hopes he interprets her words wrong. But his gaze lands on her ripped and bloody blouse which Jake has in his hands now. The blonde aviator lets out an animalistic growl. Y/n shrieks into Bradley's chest afraid that Jake is mad at her.

"…not a slut…I'm not…" She starts to weep desperately, fisting Rooster's uniform shirt into her trembling hands.

"Princess, who did this to you? Do you know who attacked you?" Bradley whispers as calm as possible. They need to know who did this to their girl. Is her ex out of prison and found her? That's nearly impossible. Was it someone they know or just a random attack and y/n an accidental victim?

The young woman in his warm arms starts to weep harder, wet tracks of her tears are marking his uniform. It takes a minute or two before y/n can talk again. She takes a deep breath but whimpers when the pain in her ribcage reminds her of her severe injuries.

"…came into my o-office," she painfully breathes out, "W-Welsh…"

The last thing Jake wants is to scare y/n any further but he has so much rage in him that he has to storm out of the bathroom to cool off.

---

Welsh attacked their girlfriend, hurt her that bad that they have to take to the hospital rather sooner than later. He choked her, beat her and he tried to rape her. Jake had never felt this much hate and rage in his bones. The guy developed from an annoying blighter to a sexual offender. Welsh is now his greatest enemy. The urge to kill that bastard with his bare hands nearly overshadows all of his thoughts. To calm his nerves and not going off the deep end into something stupid he paced around the living room, still hearing the faint weeping and Rooster's muttering out of the bathroom.

He fumbles with the pockets of his now crumbled uniform, searching for his mobile. He needs to call the base and inform Maverick about the whereabouts of y/n. Jake has several missed calls from Pete, Bob and Nat. All probably worried about their female friend. After taking a deep breath to calm his nerves he hit the call button, almost immediately hearing the Captain's greetings.

---

"Princess…shhh." The brunette pilot absolutely understands his partner’s reaction to y/n's words. He has the same rage and hatred in his bones by now, but he has to stay calm. He needs to support the weeping woman in his arms and not let his emotions take over.

"…h-he ripped…blouse…" Y/n's breathing gets more laboured by every word but she needs to tell Bradley her thoughts, she feels like her emotions are going to suffocate her. "…I hit him…"

"You did so good, Princess. So good…" He places a soft kiss to her head, feeling her still wet hair. He knows that they have to take to the hospital, even if she is somewhat coherent now that she even could tell him pieces of the previous events she is far from being okay. When he cradles her deeper into his warm chest he strokes up and down her back to give her even more warmth. A painful cry of the woman in his arms brings him out of his raging thoughts. She's in pain. When he looks down her back he sees the angry bruise on her kidney area. This bastard kicked or punched her in her most sensitive area and hurt her weak kidney further.

"I'm sorry, Princess. I'm sorry. We- we have to get you up okay? You're shivering, we need to put on some dry clothes and we have to take you to the hospital." Her faint nodding against his chest is concerning him. In any other situation, high fever or pain, y/n would've fight tooth and nail to not go to the hospital. Her being content with seeing a doctor is a clear sign how much she has to suffer right now. His heart is breaking even more, if it's even possible.

"I'm going to pick you up, Princess. Gonna change in your bedroom, okay?" Bradley is determined to give her as much control over the situation as possible, even if he is well aware that she is nowhere near to walk into her bedroom or change herself into something dry.

When the pair finally made it into the bedroom he sits y/n down onto her bed. Her small shivering frame leaning heavily against his body as he sits beside her, contemplating his next moves.

"Roo-y…," he hears her saying in a small nearly inaudible voice, "is Jakey disgusted by me?" Y/n's voice quivers as she looks up at the brunette pilot with unfocused glassy eyes.

"Hey, hey, Princess. Don't you ever think one of us could ever be disgusted by you. We love you!" Bradley pulls her into his chest as cautious as possible, hoping that Jake would make an appearance as soon as possible to help him and more important to take care of their girlfriend. It's clear that y/n needs both of them right now.

"He… W-Welsh…" Y/n shivers when the name of her attacker goes over her lips, "he called me a-a s-s-slut…"

"Sweetcakes, you're far from that. You're kind, beautiful, loveable and so much more. We love you." Fortunately Jake finished calling Mav seconds ago and calmed down enough to join his partners and help Bradley with attending y/n's wounds and taking her to the hospital.

Both aviators have a silent conversation and Jake doesn't waste another second and starts to rummage for some dry clothes.

With y/n's favorite leggings and one of his Navy Academy shirts he crouches in front of his partners.

"Y/n, I need to take off your underwear, is this okay?" His cautious question is answered with a slight nod of the woman in front of him.

The whole process of dressing their girlfriend takes a lot more time than both of them would have anticipated. But when she is finally clothed the pain and the shock are back full force. Her eyes are more unfocused than before and she starts to mumble unintelligibly, no longer able to sit up even when most of her weight is propped up against Bradley.

"I called Mav, he enrolled us already in the military hospital. We have to take her in now, she seems to deteriorate. "

---

When y/n is settled in the backseat with her head in Jake's lap, Bradley jumps into the driver's side of Jake's truck. The brunette knows that Jake needs the physical contact of their girlfriend now, he needs to see her breathing and being alive in his lap to keep his calm on the drive to the hospital.

"I think she's burning up, Roo." The blonde aviator notes when he brushes his hands over the clammy forehead of the woman in his lap.

Rooster has the steering wheel in a vice grip, his knuckles already turned white. Images play in his head from the bits and pieces y/n told him earlier. He sees Welsh hitting her, slamming her head against the wall or the desk. He sees this disgusting man ripping her blouse. But Bradley also sees y/n fighting. Fighting against this monster that is much bigger than her. But she made it. He thanks his parents, he thanks God that Jake and he are already back and he prays that this trauma is not going to break her. He knows that he and Jake will be there for her no matter what but he just prays that she still has trust in them. He doesn't know what he is going to do if she is slipping into that shell of a woman she was two years before.

No he KNOWS what they're going to do in this worst case scenario: They will get her out of this and they will be her support system. They love her and this alone is enough to move mountains. A tear slips down his cheek. He's never been so emotional over a woman except for his mother. But y/n is special and nothing can ever change his and Jake's love for her.

---

Y/n's shaking seems to increase during the drive to the hospital. Jake occasionally checks her pulse at her carotid even if she's trembling and whimpering from pain he is afraid that she slips between his fingers. When they stormed into the bathroom earlier she looks so pale and with her blue lips Jake's first thought was that they're too late. That their love is already dead. Even now that he knows she's alive that moment killed something in him. He will never forget these seconds of pain in his heart.

"Babygirl, I got you. You're safe." Jake whispers in y/n's direction when she starts to mumble something he cannot make out.

---

Mav pulled some strings at the Navy hospital that one of the aviators could stay with her in the small cubical of the ER. So Bradley, the calmer one of them, is now looking at the several nurses and the two doctors working on his girlfriend. He already informed them about her previous medical conditions and the previous events, as much as he knows.

Behind the huge glass door of the ER a nervous Jake Seresin is pacing the waiting area up and down. Mav informed him minutes ago that the military police is out there in search of Welsh. But so far there's no sign of the disgusting piece of shit. As much as Jake wants to put his hands on that guy he knows that y/n needs him more than ever. So he tries to work on his rage to be calm for her when he can finally see her again.

A hand on his shoulder stops him to pace another round in the waiting room.

"Hangman…Jake, I'm sorry. I said I will keep an eye on her…" Bob's eyes are bloodshot when he looks up at his blonde colleague. The sudden movement of Jake's arm makes him flinch but instead of knocking him on his ass Jake envelopes his friend into a tight hug. The situation is taking a toll on all of them. They're friends, hell they are family and y/n is a member of that family since she first stepped foot on the base.

"There's no other to blame than that bastard and I need to restrain myself really hard not to go out there and find him myself" Jake growls.

The double door of the ER slides open and Bradley enters the waiting area, looking clearly exhausted.

The blonde aviator doesn't waste a second and hurries over to his partner hugging him into his chest, totally aware that now the cat is probably out of the sack for the other members. But he doesn't care that their poly relationship is no longer a secret between the three of them and Nat.

Slowly the other aviators make their way towards Bradley and Jake hoping for some good news.

When both release the comforting hug Bradley starts to speak not breaking the eye contact with his partner.

"Ehm, where should I start…" he pinches the bridge of his nose, his head hammering with a headache from stress and concern. "They glued her head wound and made a CT which was without noticeable problems, but she has a concussion. Her upper back, the side of her weak kidney is severely bruised, she has three broken ribs on the other side of her ribcage, fortunately they didn't injure her lungs. They put her on a broad-spectrum antibiotic because of her fever and her inflamed kidney. She's sleeping now, which is good." Bradley looks behind Jake to their friends to engage them in the conversation after all they're just as concerned as Jake and him.

Jake knows that there's more. Something must've happened, he can see it in his partners eyes.

Nat is the first one to speak up. "I think it's time for us to go home. Please tell her we said 'hi' and we're here for her and for you two." She hugs both her friends and waits for the other to say their good byes.

---

When their friends finally made their way home or back to the base to help find Welsh Bradley leads Jake to y/n's room. Even if the blonde can't wait to see for himself that their girlfriend is resting and was properly attended to he needs to investigate what has happened during the examination.

"What happened?" He stops his boyfriend by squeezing his shoulder. "You can't tell me shit, man. I know you." He softly strokes Bradley's back, his words came out harsher as he intended to.

"I told them the bits and pieces of what y/n told us what happened. And due to the accusation of SA, they did a rape kid." Bradley grabs Jake's hand to ground himself. He sees pure rage in Jake's eyes. "Hey, Jake calm down. They did it as a precaution, cause she was so out of it and not coherent. I told them that she said she fought him off before he got the chance but they told me it would've been safer when they do the kit. She freaked out. Her high fever… I guess she was back in her office. I heard her screaming and crying. They told me to wait outside during the rape kit… but when I heard her screaming and crying, Hell she begged them to stop I barged into the room. I was able to calm her down, but it was hard to see her in such a state." The brunette aviator is still under the impression of the events. Jake envelopes him in a bone crushing hug. "She was right though. The kit was negative." He breathes out, into his boyfriends shoulder.

"She's our fighter." Jake mumbles before they make their into y/n's hospital room.

@djs8891

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[multi-fan-dom-madness]

hi there!!! I love all these kiss prompts floating about. may I please request

a kiss to prove a point with Crosshair? 💙💙

Sev, dearest!! thank you so much for this ask <3 it got away from me (as these always do) and it's a little lot filthier than I intended lol enjoy!

Bet

Summary: Crosshair makes you a bet, and you can't say no.

Warnings: 18+ minors scram; tbb!Crosshair x f!reader; Cross being a smug bastard, oral (f receiving)

Word Count: 1k

In hindsight, you shouldn’t have ever taken this bet. Crosshair has more patience than anyone you’ve met in your entire life—a byproduct of his training, of his position as a scout and sniper. And he’s the most stubborn nerfherder in the galaxy, to boot. Maybe that’s why you like him so much. 

When he’d propositioned you last night, several drinks in, feet propped up on one of the Marauder’s data centers, you’d rolled your eyes. Sure, the lingering looks you trailed over his form when you thought he wasn’t looking and the butterflies in your stomach when he included you in the squad’s inside jokes were nice, but you know better. He’s not a man of commitment. But he had such a smug look on his face last night, and you just had to prove him wrong. 

“Bet I can make you cum in less than five minutes.” 

You’d choked on your drink, Hunter and Tech laughing at the outraged look on your face as Wrecker thumped your back. 

“And why in the everloving Force would I take that bet?” 

Crosshair had shrugged, thin, capable fingers twirling his glass. “Your loss.” 

“What do I win if I don’t cum that fast?” you’d said, eyes narrowed. 

“My respect,” he quipped. “But don’t worry, that won’t happen.”

“Bet.”

So here you are, sober once more, the Marauder parked on some Mid Rim planet far enough from civilization to not be noticed. The others vacated the ship a bit ago, leaving you and Crosshair to figure out the rules of this stupid little wager. You’ve agreed that the timer won’t start until he touches you, and it stops when you start to orgasm. Stripping, you settle into one of the data center seats without embarrassment, legs draped open.

Raising an expectant eyebrow at him, you smirk at the way he shifts his codpiece. “Not too late to back out of this, Cross.” 

“No chance in hell, doll.” 

He lowers himself to his knees before you, the plastoid armor clanking against the durasteel deck. Face remaining impassive, you watch as his darkening gaze trails over your bare center. His tongue darts out to wet his lips. Something in you shudders, something needy and primal. 

Pursing his lips, you nearly hold your breath in anticipation of his touch on you. Instead, he blows a stream of cold air over your heated center. 

You groan, pleasure tingling up your spine at the sensation. “Th-That’s cheating.” 

The grin he shoots you is self-satisfied, and entirely too hot. “If you wanted better rules, you shoulda asked for ’em, doll.” 

You bite back the scathing fuck you that dances on the tip of your tongue, not wanting him to take that as a form of begging. Leveling him with a hard glare, you do your best to ignore the way that your body has already begun to react to him, despite the fact that he’s still fully clothed and hasn’t touched you at all. 

Cross smirks like he knows what you’re refraining from saying. “You really have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into, do you?” 

“If you don’t karking hold up your end of this bet, I’m going to—oh.” A heady groan pulls from your chest as he suddenly shifts forward and licks a flat stripe up your pussy. You have just enough wherewithal to smack the timer button on the computer. “Fuck, Crosshair!” 

He hums, peering up at you from under his eyelashes, as he simply continues to lave his tongue against you. Hot pleasure bleeds into your veins. Kark, he looks good between your thighs like this. Scooting forward in the seat a bit, you reach down to tangle your fingers in his short silver hair, pressing his mouth more firmly against your cunt. Cross groans, the noise vibrating up your core in a way that has your hips jerking.

“S-stars,” you pant. A glance reveals he’s still got four and a half minutes left. “W-Where did you learn—?” 

“HoloNet,” he grunts, pulling back from your now-dampening folds just enough to answer you. Then he dives back in, dragging the tip of his nose through your slick. His lips seal around your clit as he gently flicks his tongue over the bundle of nerves. Your toes curl as you thud your head back, moaning unabashedly. 

It almost surprises you how fast he winds you up—almost. But you know how sharp his eyes are; he drinks in every minute twitch of your body, every tiny hitch in your breathing, every spasm of your fingers in his hair. All of your reactions add fuel to his fire. The louder you moan, the more insistent he becomes, eating your pussy for all he’s worth. 

The timer reaches thirty seconds remaining and you can feel yourself approaching the edge of bliss rapidly. Your orgasm builds within you, pressure growing steadily higher in your throbbing cunt as Crosshair continues to suckle at your clit. 

Fifteen seconds. Your teeth are probably going to leave indents where they bite into your lower lip.

Ten seconds. You squeeze your eyes shut, praying you can hold out just another ten karking seconds. But his mouth feels so good on your pussy, and you’re right there. And when you realize that the soft skin-on-skin sound you’re hearing his Cross jerking his cock, a wail claws out of your chest. 

Five seconds. Cross grins against your slick folds, never letting up his ministrations. 

One second. You cum with a broken scream. 

Molten pleasure floods your system, vision whiting out for a moment as the pressure releases all at once. Crosshair continues to eat you out through the entire thing, drawing out your pleasure for far longer than you’re used to. You push with weak hands on his forehead until he pulls off you with a wet pop! 

It’s all you can do to remain in place, chest heaving with every breath. Cross stands and, not bothering to wipe your juices from his face, leans over you. He captures your mouth in a searing kiss. Swiping his tongue over your bottom lip, he tilts your head and licks into your mouth when you open up to him. You moan, the taste of yourself exploding over your tongue. 

All too soon, he pulls back. You whine softly, chasing his mouth. 

He smirks at you, eyes alight with victory and lust. “I win.” 

You’ve never been more happy to lose a bet in your life.

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[flyinghassassin]

Web of Lies

Summary: You arrived Westview searching for a happy life,but Wanda realized your plans.

Word count: 2400ish

Warnings: Angst,Hurt/Comfort,fluff,Agatha being a flirty menace.

Masterlist

A cheerful voice brought you out of your thoughts.

"Hello,Y/N, How are you?"

"Hi,Mrs. Maximoff, I'm fine. Thanks for asking. How are you?"

"I'm fine,thanks sweetie,but please call me Wanda; Mrs. Maximoff is too serious; we are next door neighbors; you have stayed at my house to eat or watch my children when I was busy," she replied smiling.

"Oh, sorry, Mrs. Maxi—I mean Wanda," you said.

"Don't worry, sweetie," she smiled. "This afternoon, Vis and I are going to organize the neighborhood meal; would you like to come? You just got to Westview a little while ago; I guess you don't know everyone yet. If you want to go, it's at 5:00 p.m."

"I'll try to come,but I'm not sure if—"

You were interrupted by the voice of a black-haired woman.

"Wanda,look at that pretty dress," said the raven-haired woman, pointing at the purple dress with gold ribbons.

You had seen her before, walking with Wanda or near the park. Her name was Agape, or something like that.

"My name is Agatha Harkness,hun. And yours?" She said it almost as if she had read your mind.

"Y/N, Miss Harkness. Pleased to meet you," you replied.

"Wanda,you never told me you had such a good-looking and well-mannered friend," said Agatha,nudging Wanda lightly with her elbow.

Wanda sighed and resumed talking to you.

"You're going to the neighborhood meal, then?" asked Wanda. "I'd love to have you there."

"Hun,you totally have to come. The food Wanda makes seems almost magical," she smiled. "Plus, I'd love to have you there too." she winked.

"Well, if you put it that way, I'll have to go." You smiled back.

"I'm glad, Y/N; the twins will be very happy to see you," Wanda said.

"I'll be glad to see you too, hun," said Agatha, winking. "See you later," she added, giving you two effusive kisses on the cheek, making you smell her perfume.

After saying goodbye to both women, you went to your house, and after looking left and right and checking that no one was looking at you, you opened the door.

You left your keys on a table in the hall, took off your shoes, and went to your room.

You took your phone out of your pocket and called the only number you had on that cell phone.

"Agent Y/LN speaking. I need to contact Tyler Hayward."

"Right away, agent," replied the voice on the other end of the line.

"Agent Y/L/N,I was told you wanted to talk to me."

"Yes, director,I have news about the mission at the Westview anomaly."

"Oh yeah? Good work, agent. Add the information to the device created to do the investigation. Any more information you want to disclose?"

"Yes director. I've been invited by Maximoff to the neighborhood potluck."

"Excellent. It will be a good opportunity to gather more information."

"Yes, Director."

"Don't make contact until absolutely necessary, agent. Things are tense, and we can't allow her to suspect you. Our other agent may be in danger of being discovered."

"Should I inform her?"

"No agent. Continue with the investigation," Hayward said before hanging up.

After Hayward hung up, you pulled out a small rectangular device with a button in the center.

From it emerged a hologram that displayed all the information you had gathered about Wanda and the anomaly, along with photos of her and other Westview locations and advertisements, connected to holographic threads with other information, creating a maze of threads, photos, and notes.

You added some more information that you had gotten, creating a data entry for Agatha Harkness and the meal you were going to attend.

After this, you rested for a while and prepared to attend the meal.

You got dressed, grabbed a couple of bottles of booze from the fridge, and headed towards the place where the neighborhood parties were being held.

You greeted the neighbors you met and went to Wanda, who smiled broadly when she saw you arrive.

"There was no need to have brought those drinks,honey."

"Don't worry, Wanda; you invited me, so it seemed like the right thing to do," you replied, smiling. "Where do you want me to leave them?"

"Put them in that cooler over there, along with the rest of the drinks".

You nodded, and after leaving the bottles, you went back to Wanda.

"I'm so glad you were encouraged to come, Y/N."

"Thanks, Wanda. Anyhow, I didn't have much to do this afternoon."

"Enjoy the food,honey. It's on that table over there."

"If you need help,let me know, Wanda." You smiled,trying to hide your true intentions as a S.W.O.R.D. agent. By talking to Wanda,she might relax and inadvertently reveal some secrets that could be useful.

"Don't worry, sweetie, enjoy."

You smiled and headed to the table,grabbing some food and pouring yourself a glass of your favorite drink.

You were talking to some of your neighbors and Wanda until a woman interrupted the conversation you were having with some neighbors.

"I'm so glad you could make it,hun," said Agatha. "Allow me to steal this extremely good-looking neighbor," she added, dragging you out of the conversation.

You let Agatha drag you to one of the tables in the corner and started talking with an abundance of flirting on her part, sometimes making you blush and stumble with your words.

However, thanks to the conversation, you managed to get important information about Wanda: she and her husband, Vision, had had a strong argument, which culminated with him leaving the house to go to sleep somewhere else.

After lunch, you went home and added the new information you had obtained to the information you already had.

After that, you went back to contact Hayward.

"Agent Y/L/N, I told you not to contact me again. This is the second time you have called me today."

"Director, I have important information."

"Release it right now, agent. If it's not good enough, I'm going to relegate you to desk duty."

You rolled your eyes when you heard this. You were one of the best agents S.W.O.R.D. had, and both Hayward and you knew it.

"Vision, the android synthroid, has had a falling out with Maximoff. They're not together right now."

"Great time to strike. I'll get the troops ready then and warn the agent we have there. Too bad Maximoff found out; now you're the only one there."

"This information had not been communicated to me."

"It was not deemed necessary."

"My safety is important. I believe that-"

"Silence, agent. Prepare for attack."

"Director, one last thing. I don't think Wanda is aware of the damage she causes people in the hex."

"I don't care about that. We're going on tonight. Grab your gear and get ready," Hayward replied dryly before hanging up.

"What an asshole!" you muttered.

You prepared your equipment and weapons and waited for nightfall so you could carefully escape from your house and join the rest of the agents.

"Agent Y/L/N, you finally arrived," said Hayward sarcastically.

"I live in Westview; I have to be careful not to be suspected."

"Nonsense. Get ready. Maximoff is coming."

You nodded, rolling your eyes, and after girding your helmet on your head, you waited for Wanda to arrive.

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

The mission had not gone as expected.

Wanda had controlled the soldiers to target Hayward, and after a tense discussion, she returned to the hex, but not before taking an agent hostage.

She dragged you to her house without saying a word to you,and after arriving at her house, she took you to her basement and, with a snap of her fingers,chained you to a chair.

"Trying to attack my house doesn't seem like a good idea," she said, her voice marked by her Sokovian accent and anger.

You didn't respond, so she wouldn't recognize your voice.

"Oh, so the agent doesn't respond? Let's see who's behind this helmet, shall we?" She said, pulling the helmet off your head.

When she saw your face, it fell to the ground.

"You," she said, her voice marked by surprise and anger.

"Wanda,I'm sorry,I-"

"Shut up!" she snarled,her eyes glowing red. "Really Y/N? You've been in my house, you've been taking care of my kids,and it turns out that all this time,you were working for S.W.O.R.D."

"Wanda, I-"

She held up her hand, shushing you using her magic.

"You lied to me, Y/N. I let you into my house,I talked to you about my family,everything I lost,and this is how you repay me?" she said,tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"Wanda, I'm sorry; I never meant to hurt you!"

"You never meant any harm." Wanda laughed dryly. "Lies. You took advantage of me,just like Monica! All S.W.O.R.D. is the same!"

"Is Monica okay?" you asked,with a lump in your throat.

"Yes. But I don't think she's going to be able to say the same about you. You're going to stay here,in chains,watching me destroy your beloved S.W.O.R.D.," he said menacingly,his eyes glowing red.

"Wanda, please,if you surrender peacefully, you can get a deal,but if you attack, you will lose all your chances."

Wanda walked up to you and grabbed your chin hard.

"Shut up before I send you back to S.W.O.R.D. so they can finish you off. For the hostage to come back safe and sound from a person as dangerous as me is not a good sign, is it?"

You nodded in fear.

"Wanda, please don't do anything you might regret."

"Do you regret all the harm you have done to me?" she replied hatefully. "Surely every time you spoke to me it was to get information out of me. Every smile,every joke, and every day taking care of my children was just one more opportunity for you. More information,more ideas on how to steal everything from me."

You didn't respond.

"Answer me Y/N!"

"I'm sorry, Wanda. I really am."

Wanda scoffed and turned away before glaring hatefully at you once again.

Then she went to your house, and with a flick of her wrist, the door opened, and she entered your house.

She walked to your room, looking for something you could gather information on.

After a few minutes, she found a cell phone and checked the contacts; there was only one: Tyler Hayward.

She called, and a male voice answered.

"Agent Y/LN,are you okay?"

"Your beloved agent can't come to the phone right now, Hayward. You've tried to trash everything I cared about,so now I'll return the favor."

"Wanda-"

The call was cut short when Wanda hung up and threw the cell phone on the floor,walking out of your house.

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

Hayward's face denoted anger.

"Get a team ready. Now. The witch is going down."

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

Your mind was racing, looking for ways to get out of the chains that were trapping you.

After trying but not succeeding, you decided to take the last decision you had left: dislocate your thumbs so you could remove your hands and try to get the chains away from your body.

With a grunt of pain, you succeeded and pulled the chains away from your body.

You stood up, put your thumbs back in place, and grabbed your helmet.

You looked around the basement you were in to see if you could find any weapons, and after a while, you found your gun.

You checked and saw that you only had three bullets left.

You put on your helmet, and after putting on your bulletproof vest, you left Wanda's house to prevent her from dying.

After walking for a while, you reached the edge of the hex and got out.

You could hear the screams of agents, the sound of bullets, and the smell of gunpowder in the air, so you quickly went there.

You found Wanda, with a couple of cuts and a bloody nose, surrounded by several agents with some kind of electric gun that prevented her powers from working properly.

Your gaze met Hayward's, and at that moment, you made a decision. S.W.O.R.D. or Wanda The decision was easy.

You raised your gun and pointed it at one of your former comrades' weapons, causing an explosion of sparks to fly out of it and knock him out.

Wanda used that moment of surprise to knock out more agents while you ran to one of the cars, knocking out the driver with the butt of your gun and starting the car's engine.

A mixture of surprise and hatred crossed Wanda's face, and it was in that moment of distraction that a bullet pierced her shoulder, causing her to fall to the ground in pain.

You went to her aid, firing the two bullets that you had left and quickly pulling Wanda into the "borrowed" car.

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

When Wanda opened her eyes again, the first thing she saw was your worried face.

She tried to get up, but a piercing pain shot through her shoulder.

"Careful, even if I took the bullet out of you, you're still hurt."

"Where the hell are we?" asked Wanda.

"My house. We'll be safe here for the time being."

"Why?

"Why what?

"Why did you save me?"

You sighed.

"Wanda, I really care about you. It may have been a mission for S.W.O.R.D., but it wasn't for me. I really cared about you. You were someone I could trust."

"Where are my children?"

"I left them my movies and food and told them you were with me to prepare a meal and discuss some stuff so you'll sleep here this night."

"Thank you."

You nodded and stood up.

"I'll bring you the food."

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

You were awakened by a cry of pain.

You quickly ran to the room where Wanda was and found her sitting up in bed, wincing in pain.

"Have your stitches opened up?"

"N-No, it was just a bad dream."

"Do you want me to stay here just in case?"

Wanda hesitated, but after a few seconds, she nodded.

You pulled up a chair and stood next to the bed.

In a moment of boldness, you grabbed her hand.

"I'm going to show you that I really care about you, Wanda. I promise."

A smile bloomed on Wanda's lips.

"If you give me a dish this good again, I might start to believe it."

"Rest assured," you said. "Sleep," you said, giving Wanda a kiss on her forehead. "I'll be here for you."

[john-macnamara]

PEIP Incident Report Released by ███████ to Tumblr Blog "john-macnamara" 03/13/2024. Subject: General John MacNamara; Elimination of Enemies

Incident #1: December █, 20██. Persons Involved: Colonel Wilbur R. Cross; Major Johnathan S. MacNamara; Lt. Colonel Rosalind B. Schaffer; Agent Xander P. Lee. Location: █████████, NM

At approximately 20:35, a standard mission update was sent in by Col. Cross. Team was instructed to stay put and wait for further instructions. The next two mission updates were unreported. At 22:14, a transmission was sent to Col. Cross. Was picked up by Lt. Schaffer, quote: "Cross is in unstable condition, Lee providing medical assistance. MacNamara in a fire fight with ██████, ███████, and █████. Prepared for further instruction."

The team was left without further instruction. At approximately 1:00, a final transmission was sent. Quote: " ██████, ███████, and █████ incapacitated. MacNamara defied orders under extenuating circumstances, ████ ████████ has been eliminated. Cross has been stabilized. Prepared for extraction. We are sorry."

Post-Incident: Col. Cross was sent to the New Mexico center for emergency medical aid, recovered within one week. Lt. Schaffer given the chance to explain the circumstances, Maj. MacNamara unpunished. Maj. MacNamra also required to take a two-week leave of absence due to his mental state post mission. Viewed this as a punishment.

Incident #2: August ██, 20██. Persons Involved: Brigandine General Johnathan S. MacNamara; ████ ███████; ████ █████████; ███████ ████; █████ ██████; Major General Truman E. Youngerman; Colonel Rosalind B. Schaffer; Lieutenant Colonel Harriet Y. Smith. Location: ███████, ██.

On ████ ██, ████, Brig. Gen. MacNamara disappeared from his station in Point Pleasant, WV. Unresponsive, filed as MIA 48 hours later. On ██████ ██, ████, a message sent to Maj. Gen. Youngerman. Read: "A little birdie told me you were missing a general. Give us the information before he does. You have 72 hours before your general dies."

Maj. Gen. Youngerman provided Col. Schaffer with a hard drive filled with falsified and/or outdated information. She was instructed to swap it for Brig. Gen. MacNamara. Took Lt. Smith as backup. Backup was needed. ████ ███████, ████ █████████, █████ ██████ pulled weapons on the two agents, resulting in a short firefight with all three adversaries eliminated.

Brig. Gen. MacNamara found in a state of half-consciousness, showing signs of heavy torture. Dead body of ███████ ████ found in corner of room. Brig. Gen. MacNamara found clutching the knife. Was sedated and taken to the intensive care unit at MSHS.

Post-Incident: No more information could be found on kidnappers. Brig. Gen. MacNamara made a recovery within 54 days. Retains minor hand tremors, ensure he is still able to consistently aim. Promoted to Maj. Gen. upon his return.

Incident #3: June ██, 20██. Persons Involved: Major Chunhua N. Shào; Major General Johnathan S. MacNamara; Lieutenant Colonel Harriet Y. Smith; Major Ishaan D. Bhavsar; Private Reese G. Dobler. Location: Yellowstone National Park, WY.

Team instructed to remain in cabin and observe impacts of extraterrestrial substances on biological organisms. On May ██, 20██, the escape of a presumed non-sentient substance was reported by Maj. Gen. MacNamara. Previous data had proven a possession of both living and dead organisms. The substance would slowly replace the original matter with it's own. Only able to spread via fluid, however.

Maj. Gen. MacNamara prevented his team from becoming infected in quarantine for twenty days. On June ██, 20██, Maj. Shào reported feelings of dizziness. Throughout the next few days, Maj. Shào showed more signs of infection until it was undeniable. Maj. Shào was a host for the substance. Maj. Gen. MacNamara was given the order to eliminate her. After 17 hours of deliberation, a report was sent in. Quote: "I... I killed her. Chunhua's dead. It was quick, I shot her in the head when *sob* she was sleeping. We burnt her body. There's nothing- *sob* there's nothing left. The threat has been eliminated. Extraction is no longer a risk. *hic* Over."

Post-Incident Report: Maj. Gen. MacNamara and his remaining team members were extracted the next day and given proper medical treatment for minor malnutrition and dehydration. Maj. Shào promoted to Lt. Col. postmortem. Her stipend will be sent to her family, and a funeral will be held on June 24, 20██. For his skills in handling the situation, and following of orders, plans have been made to promote Maj. Gen, MacNamara to four-star general.

[reasonsforhope]

"Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo has a lot to celebrate.

The park, which celebrated its 30th anniversary on December 31 of 2023, also shared an exciting conservation milestone: 2023 was the first year without any elephant poaching detected.

“We didn’t detect any elephants killed in the Park this year, a first for the Park since [we] began collecting data. This success comes after nearly a decade of concerted efforts to protect forest elephants from armed poaching in the Park,” Ben Evans, the Park’s management unit director, said in a press release.

Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park was developed by the government of Congo in 1993 to maintain biodiversity conservation in the region, and since 2014, has been cared for through a public-private partnership between Congo’s Ministry of Forest Economy and the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Pictured: Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park. Photo courtesy of Scott Ramsay/Wildlife Conservation Society

Evans credits the ongoing collaboration with this milestone, as the MEF and WCS have helped address escalating threats to wildlife in the region. 

This specifically includes investments in the ranger force, which has increased training and self-defense capabilities, making the force more effective in upholding the law — and the rights of humans and animals.

“Thanks to the strengthening of our anti-poaching teams and new communication technologies, we have been able to reduce poaching considerably,” Max Mviri, a park warden for the Congolese government, said in a video for the Park’s anniversary. 

“Today, we have more than 90 eco-guards, all of whom have received extensive training and undergo refresher courses,” Mviri continued. “What makes a difference is that 90% of our eco-guards come from villages close to the Park. This gives them extra motivation, as they are protecting their forest.”

As other threats such as logging and road infrastructure development impact the area’s wildlife, the Park’s partnerships with local communities and Indigenous populations in the neighboring villages of Bomassa and Makao are increasingly vital.

“We’ve seen great changes, great progress. We’ve seen the abundance of elephants, large mammals in the village,” Gabriel Mobolambi, chief of Bomassa village, said in the same video. “And also on our side, we benefit from conservation.”

Coinciding with the Park’s anniversary is the roll-out of a tourism-focused website, aiming to generate 15% of its revenue from visitors, which contributes significantly to the local economy...

Nouabalé-Ndoki also recently became the world’s first certified Gorilla Friendly National Park, ensuring best practices are in place for all gorilla-related operations, from tourism to research.

But gorillas and elephants — of which there are over 2,000 and 3,000, respectively — aren’t the only species visitors can admire in the 4,334-square-kilometer protected area.

The Park is also home to large populations of mammals such as chimpanzees and bongos, as well as a diverse range of reptiles, birds, and insects. For the flora fans, Nouabalé-Ndoki also boasts a century-old mahogany tree, and a massive forest of large-diameter trees.

Beyond the beauty of the Park, these tourism opportunities pave the way for major developments for local communities.

“The Park has created long-term jobs, which are rare in the region, and has brought substantial benefits to neighboring communities. Tourism is also emerging as a promising avenue for economic growth,” Mobolambi, the chief of Bomassa village, said in a press release.

The Park and its partners also work to provide education, health centers, agricultural opportunities, and access to clean water, as well, helping to create a safe environment for the people who share the land with these protected animals. 

In fact, the Makao and Bomassa health centers receive up to 250 patients a month, and Nouabalé-Ndoki provides continuous access to primary education for nearly 300 students in neighboring villages. 

It is this intersectional approach that maintains a mutual respect between humans and wildlife and encourages the investment in conservation programs, which lead to successes like 2023’s poaching-free milestone...

Evans, of the Park’s management, added in the anniversary video: “Thanks to the trust that has been built up between all those involved in conservation, we know that Nouabalé-Ndoki will remain a crucial refuge for wildlife for the generations to come.”"

-via Good Good Good, February 15, 2024

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 8/6/2024

people mad at a video game for being woke, i'm mad at it for not being woke enough. so it goes.

also i wrote a yeehawgust fic

listening

another addition to the "SOMEBODY COME FUCK THIS (GAY)" playlist, thank u charli xcx and billie eilish

-

reading

im still really annoyed with Retraction Watch for platforming a terf last year and then not doing any sort of sockpuppet damage control in the comments. since they got acquired by crossref they've done way less guest editorials. not to be all "stick to sports!" but stick to sports, retraction watch.

they did introduce me to this substack series i will be following with great interest about the rise and fall of hindawi. wiley acquired a paper mill a few years back, bc they seemingly did zero diligence, and then blithely ignored the problem for two years before being forced to do the single largest retraction of papers in scientific publishing history, somewhere above ten thousand articles because it is STILL ONGOING.

i do love following various retractions bc i like seeing what finally made someone go "wait a minute", and, as i have just written in a cover letter, "I studied astronomy and have held several data jobs because I’m fascinated with how and why systems work and fail..."

-

watching

my best friend has decided while i'm at her home in the evenings eating her food and bothering her children (for my mental health, it is very important i am fed tiny bits of mushed up banana by hand by her one-year-old), our new project is watching all the xmen movies. i have no particular desire to do this or special affinity for the xmen, and i would like to keep eating very good texmex and bothering her children (for my mental health, it is very important i play hot wheels with the five-year-old). this sounds so super bitchy of me but it's hard to convey that these are essentially on for background noise.

saw the first two. the two things i know about them are that hugh jackman is in them and they're at the statue of liberty in one

-

playing

an ideologically baffling little environmental game free in the epic store this week, LumberJack. this is on PC and Switch for $13, which is far more money than the playtime anyone can get out of this game. tiny tiny tiny little Spain-headquartered studio without an active website, it looks like one guy hired out to make this and two more games and then went back to single-dev projects. i can respect that!

steam reviewers are mad at this game for being woke, and i'm mad at it for being woke in a very strange way. your one mechanic, as a bear, is swinging a big axe to remove cars and trailer offices and portapotties and various garbage from the landscape.

i wish the movement and look controls are inverted, and i wish they weren't, or at least had an option to make them normal. i know Why this isn't a mobile game (can't monetize something with twoish hours of gameplay and twenty levels) but it's a very straightforward and simple game that would translate very well to mobile. much like donut county.

now for being picky about the political mindset of the developers: as much fun as it is to be a bear swinging an axe around, lumberjacks are not the people i associate with wild preservation movements.

saving the land and turning it back into pristine and perfect land for wild animals in this game looks like erasing every hint of human activity from a site and turning it into sheer recreational use. many levels are heavily polluted, but some can definitely be read as recycling centers. im confused by the erasing every hint of humans in early levels, and then this level where you break down a radio station, slap the host with your axe, and she turns into a park ranger who starts gardening and taking care of chickens?

i don't think that removing all the traces of people from the landscape will magically fix everything, nor do i think simply being in unspoiled wilderness will magically fix me.

there's a golfing level where you whack bombs into various small buildings. i think golfing to save the environment is a strange choice to make for designing a game.

i also briefly thought this bird in every level was an extinct ivory-billed woodpecker, which was a little alarming bc there are some real nutjobs out there with very strong beliefs about this bird and government overreach and how much the government is lying to you about the extinctness of various animals.

i stopped playing about halfway through bc i was not having fun and found the underlying environmental message a little confused. they've managed to sell at least 10k units which is...not very good. i am not surprised this is free on epic, and i wonder what their payout for that was. would not be surprised if they negotiated a payment to their nonprofit partner ecologi as part of that.

-

making

yeehawgust fill! i have another bitchy blond babygirl!

what the fuck is the prisoner? cult 60s british spy tv. with all the surreality and anxieties about the cold war and midcentury psychological horror you could possibly want

He’d been drugged enough times to recognize the splitting migraine rapidly galloping down his neurons. “Where am I?” He fought down the taste of bile (ketamine? xylazine, by the aftertaste) and the rising panic. Oddly enough, the migraine was always worse with veterinary sedatives. One would think a mind would adapt to nearly three hundred years of irregular drugging and constant experiments. One’s body had adapted and ghoulified, but in equally unhelpful ways. The tycoon flickered, approximating an appraising blink. “This meeting has been a long time coming, hasn't it? You've come a long ways, literally and, I suspect, figuratively as well. You’re in the Free Economic Zone of New Vegas.” They’d pretended the prisons were so many different places: across the Continent, in various parts of London, up and down and all around the East Coast of these wretched States. Rarely this far west, aside from the awful escapade in the faux pre-War Western town. “What do you want?” He managed to swing his ankles off the saddle (also pre-War? Heavily used. It certainly wasn’t his, the equestrian event had always been his worst event in the pentathalon) and jolted what felt like every half-dead nerve in his half-dead body.

[kp777]

By Miles Parks

NPR

June 7, 2023

Why are Republicans abandoning one of the best tools the government has to catch voter fraud? That simple question is the focus of a new NPR investigation, published Sunday.

The tool is the Electronic Registration Information Center, better known as ERIC. It was created almost a decade ago as a way for states to share government data, in an effort to keep their voter rolls up to date. It allows election officials better insight into when their voters move and die and the rare times when they vote twice in different states, which is illegal.

"The little secret is that maybe more than 10 years ago, if somebody voted in Ohio, in Florida, in Arizona and Texas, you would have never known," Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, said in an interview with NPR in February. "With ERIC, we can compare our voter rolls to those states."

Eight Republican states have now pulled out of ERIC, including many with voting officials who are on the record as praising the partnership as recently as a few months ago. Ohio pulled out a month after LaRose spoke to NPR.

J. Christian Adams, a conservative elections attorney, has long been a critic of how ERIC operates. But he told NPR: "It's this crazy zeal to get out of ERIC ... that is going to cause voter fraud to flourish."

So what happened? Here are five takeaways from NPR's investigation:

1. A far-right website kicked things off

The story starts in January 2022, when a far-right website called the Gateway Pundit, which has pushed conspiracy theories in the past, began writing about ERIC. Up until then, the partnership was considered a quiet bipartisan success story, with member states that spanned the political spectrum.

NPR's investigations team analyzed hundreds of thousands of social media posts on a handful of social media sites frequented by election deniers. We found the Gateway Pundit's coverage started the far right's fixation on the program:

See Chart.

Roughly a week after the first Gateway Pundit article, Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin, a Republican, announced his state would become the first to pull out of ERIC, citing "concerns raised by citizens, government watchdog organizations and media reports."

2. Local "election integrity" groups are a political force

NPR found that while Ardoin did not make a big public show out of pulling out of ERIC, he did bring the announcement to maybe the only constituents at that time who would even care: a local group of conservative activists gathered in Houma, La.

The crowd, assembled for an "election integrity town hall," applauded for 15 seconds when Ardoin announced he was pulling the state out of ERIC. The event was publicized less than 24 hours before Ardoin's office released its statement on ERIC.

NPR's investigation also found these sorts of community election integrity groups to be critical in the effort to discredit ERIC across the country.

A group called Protect Your Vote Florida published a page on its website called "How to Influence Florida Legislators to Suspend Contract with ERIC!"

"The STRATEGY is to run a campaign directed at key Florida legislators," the group wrote in the post, which included a list of the state's lawmakers and contact information. "Hand delivered letters, emails, phone calls, and social media activity will all be utilized to maximize impact."

Emails acquired by NPR through public records requests showed election officials began to field questions from voters and state lawmakers shortly after these calls went out.

3. A Trump ally has coordinated an election denial machine

Cleta Mitchell is known by many for working with former President Donald Trump to try to overturn the 2020 election. The attorney was on the infamous call where Trump asked Georgia election officials to "find votes."

In the time since, she's been building an election denial infrastructure.

Her podcast, "Who's Counting," has become a central hub for stolen election narratives, and she's also started a coalition of grassroots groups across the country called the Election Integrity Network.

NPR's investigation found Mitchell to be a ringleader of sorts for the effort to dismantle ERIC.

She even hosted a secret ERIC summit with red state lawmakers last summer, according to documents shared with NPR by a nonprofit watchdog group called Documented.

Secretaries of state from the first five states to withdraw from ERIC attended the event, according to one attendee.

See chart.

4. Republican primaries are a driving force behind the ERIC exodus

In Louisiana, when Ardoin made the decision to leave ERIC, he was gearing up to run for reelection in a state Trump won by almost 20 percentage points. He was facing numerous challenges on his right. And ERIC was becoming a priority for Republican voters.

"We started hearing it on the campaign trail," added Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen in an interview with NPR.

Allen ran for his office last year, and shortly after the Gateway Pundit published its first article, he made a campaign promise to pull out of ERIC if he won. This January, he followed through, and Alabama became the second state to withdraw.

Secretaries of state in Missouri, West Virginia and Ohio — all states that have pulled out — have announced campaigns for higher office next year, or are expected to run.

In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis is a candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. DeSantis appointed Cord Byrd as his secretary of state last year, and the state's stance on ERIC shifted almost immediately.

NPR's investigation found that before he was secretary, Byrd regularly joined election integrity calls hosted by Mitchell.

5. ERIC withdrawals will make for "dirtier voter rolls" and an emboldened far right

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, put it simply in an interview with NPR: The states that have left ERIC "indirectly said, 'We're going to have dirtier voter rolls.' "

Brianna Lennon, a Democrat who oversees voting in Boone County, Mo., told NPR that will surely be the case in her county.

Before Missouri joined ERIC, the elections office relied on returned mail to find out if a voter moved to another state.

"That's what we'll have to go back to using," she said.

Election experts say less accurate voter rolls have a direct impact on voters, from longer lines at precincts to mail ballots and information getting sent to the wrong places.

Lennon told NPR she's worried about what the ERIC saga means for the 2024 election cycle. She had gotten a sense recently that community election integrity groups were gaining more traction in her state, but she says the secretary of state's decision was the first major policy decision she's seen that lined up so directly with their goals.

"I'm sure there are going to be ripples that come from this particular move and I'm not exactly sure what the end will be," she said. "I don't think this is an isolated thing."

Read or listen to the full investigation here.

[radiance1]

Amity Park is an unusual place. Home to the ghost crazed inventors Jack and Maddie Fenton and their two children, Jasmine and Daniel Fenton.

It is a peaceful town, if only when the Fenton's aren't up to their shenanigans, besides that it was a town were nothing to significant happened.

Which is why it was so weird how the town was built right next to a magical leyline.

(His parents are actually weirdly connected now that he thinks of it.)

Now you see, Danny never cared about his parents' obsession with ghosts, nor their apparent 'portal to hell' that's a work in progress.

(Danny is 12 here AGAIN because I'm just built like that)

He did like to invent small versions of the Chaos Emeralds from the sonic comics he asked his parents for. He was honestly completely surprised they managed to get him actual real-life copies of the comics, considering they ceased productions years before he was born.

He isn't even going to ask any questions about the where and how.

So, he read through the books, told his two friends about it and they came over then they read together. Sam was a bit surprised, since even her parents didn't know where to source them from.

So, you give a twelve-year-old access to discontinued comics about a hedgehog who can run faster than the speed of soun and he sees these super powerful gems and has access to highly advanced tech made his parents (mostly ghost centered but eh) and you expect him not to do anything?

So, he, Tucker and Sam came together and sketched out a design for what they wanted this machine to look like to (hopefully) make their own versions of the Chaos Emeralds.

It wouldn't be the real thing, but they just want something close enough that they can look at.

So, they drew the machine, trying to see which parts would be needed in the actual building part of it. To which they kinda grew to a stump at, Tucker is insanely good with computers, Danny is insanely good at building things and Sam has extensive knowledge of the occult and money.

But they weren't good with the actual designing part. The drawing was pretty crude, not as good as his parents' blueprints, but it was good enough. They just couldn't figure out what materials would go where and which they would even need.

Then his parents caught a glance at what they were working on and extended their help, surprising all three of them since this wasn't anything ghost related. With their help the actual parts for the machine came together, and sure the design had to be changed a bit here and there, but it was worth it!

They didn't know where exactly to build said machine though. Until Sam mentioned the nearby forest, and really, it just went on from there.

So there they were, walking through the forest, looking for the perfect spot to build their machine. Finally coming to at a small hill, Danny decided to build the machine here!

It was the perfect spot for a replica of a super powerful, mega awesome giant emerald!

The spot did however feel really weird, like there was something living in the area. Not that Danny minded though, he wouldn't be a Fenton if he didn't ignore something crazy like this!

Sam was honestly just there for the vibe to be honest.

Tucker was persuaded to be here with the newest PDA that came out and practically unlimited data (He was going to be there anyways but who could pass up that.)

So it took a while, having to carry the materials out there (or carrying them in a cart, for the bigger pieces) and then having Danny putting it all together with his friends handing him some pieces here and there, and then Sam and Tucker having to goddamn drag Danny away from the unfinished machine to take a break and play a game.

Most of the time, Sam would distract herself with reading some occult books, while Tucker would surf the internet while Danny built his machine.

After about a week Danny finally managed to bring the machine to life, a giant mold in the middle of it in the shape of the Master Emerald when it came together and 21 smaller molds.

Coincidently, that was also the time his parents finished their 'portal to hell'.

So, Danny closed the machine, pouring the resin for the master emerald into the machine while his friend poured in resin of different colors into the other molds.

White for Danny.

Black for Sam.

Red for Tucker.

And green for the Master Emerald.

After that, well. All that was left was to turn it on, so they did.

At the exact moment the Fenton's turned on their ghost portal.

The magical energies of the leyline flooded into the molds of the gems, it was extremely chaotic and unfocused, its magical energies unable to be controlled.

For there to then be what is basically the perfect vessels for its excess power?

Well, safe to say it took the opportunity as it was.

At the exact same time Ectoplasm flooded into the world from the portal, and the door to the other side was opened.

The world, tilted off the combined events of the portal opening and the leyline finding a vessel for its power.

Shifted.

Then it and another world became one, a relatively smooth transition as barely anyone noticed.

Barely.

But that isn't what we're going to focus on right now. ;)

The entirety of Amity Park experienced city-wide electronic mayhem. Basic household appliances started going wack, as did their phones or anything electronic. Then the power went out as an earthquake ran through the city.

It stopped as suddenly as it began, everything was normal. So the Amity parkers went on about their day as normal too.

Danny, Sam and Tucker were knocked unconscious by the event, to which they then awoke about an hour later and saw the sight of their machine broken beyond repair. Danny ran forward and cried over the loss of his hard work, then Sam and Tucker got him to look up a bit higher to see it.

The Master Emerald in all of its beautiful, rainbow glory, and floating around was 21 gems made alongside it.

At first, Danny was stunned, unable to figure out how the hell the gem replicas are floating when they were made to be just that, replicas and not anything else.

They then floated down to each of them, the reds circling Tucker, the blacks circling Sam and the whites circling Danny.

And Danny, being 12 years old forgot all about that and went fuck it.

They stayed there for a while, playing with their new gems. They tried to be responsible, they swear! But they just couldn't help but test what they could do...

They found out that, while they aren't as powerful as the originals in the comics. They were still pretty damn strong, so then Sam had the great idea to train themselves in the usage of the gems like responsible people would.

(Which is basically just an excuse to run over to her books and try out each and every spell she could see.)

Which is how they also found out that the Master Emerald replica also had the ability to render their own gems inert like in the comics after they went a bit overboard with them.

Then they came back home and apparently ghosts are a thing now. They politely kept their new gems and the existence of the giant one a secret.

And like that, two years passed by. All of them now 14 and having very good control over the gems, with the help of the Master Emerald that somehow became semi-sentient and finding out that the reason why it happened is because they literally built the machine on top of a magical leyline.

They took on the role of guarding the gem, just like Knuckles the Echidna. Which also doubles as their hangout spot too, so there's that.

They had super-secret personas and totally cool outfits for when they're guarding it too. Which isn't really necessary since nothing happens, but they don't really care about that too be honest.

Amity Park is a relatively closed off town, new faces only being there in the ways of tourists. It is a peaceful town, minus all the ghosts and the Fenton's in their battles, it is a nice town where nothing too big happens.

Danny, Sam, and Tucker thought so as well. Thought that nobody would find out about their little secret.

They were not pleased when they found some old British guy was walking around the Master Emerald.

The Fenton parents were very pleased when three of earth's greatest heroes, batguy, supersomething and Wondergirl pulled up at their doorstep asking to see their inventions. (They swear they could never quite remember those three's names, what with all the ghost fighting, realizing they weren't quite right in their research and renouncing everything they ever said about ghosts as a whole while also trying to reconnect with their kids after realizing how neglectful they've been over the years.)

[charmwasjess]

This unstable spring weather is reminding me of when I was a teenager, I had a massive, irrational phobia of tornadoes, despite growing up in an area with little to no chance of them. It was so bad that my mom took me to a psychologist because I'd do irrational things like hide in the bathtub instead of going to school if there was any chance of severe weather. It didn't help. Every time the sky got dark, I'd get that weird, frantic, achy-itchy feeling.

And then, one day, I'm sixteen, working my first job at a coffee shop and I get a panicked call from my boss. I look out the window and almost comically, like it showed up just for me, to make some point, there's this beautiful white tornado dancing right towards us. I remember thinking it looked like the skinny part of an hour glass. It's true what they say about them appearing to hold still when they're heading for you, so I got a very good look at it. The trees were bending flat to the ground and the double doors of the shop were getting sucked open. Me and the other teenaged employee crowded the kids (we were also an ice cream shop, there was a birthday going on) into the center room, and we sang "happy birthday" over and over again to drown out the sound of it hitting the building. We were okay, but it took off several adjacent roofs and smashed up cars in the parking lot.

This was a weird way to start loving tornadoes. (cut for weather geekery)

They are like dreams - for all the data, we know relatively little about why they happen. We can see their ingredients: moisture, atmospheric instability, wind sheer, but sometimes all those pieces are in place and a tornado won't form. In fact, most often, it doesn't. They're still rare. The language we use to talk about them endlessly fascinates me: they are born out of thunderstorms called super cells, which have a 'lifecycle.' One thunderstorm can birth a single tornado, or many that live and die along the greater lifespan of the thunderstorm. The way they multiply is fascinating, one tornado can be circled by wispy, smaller, satellite tornadoes, or more rarely, two full-sized tornadoes side by side, a pair of twins. A group of tornados is a "family."

They come in all shapes and sizes. Mine was a skinny rope funnel, and a relatively weak example - F1 on the scale. The 1925 Tri-State tornado, F5, the strongest on the scale, was the longest recorded tornado in history with a 219-mile track. Part of the danger of that storm was that nobody even realized it was a tornado until it was right on top of them because it was so huge: it was said to look like a red, boiling fog from horizon to horizon because it was rain-wrapped, and had sucked up a lot of red river mud. Water tornadoes and fire tornadoes are both a thing.

They behave inconsistently too. The El Reno tornado that killed the storm chaser and scientist Tim Samaras in 2013 is often personified as evil, a storm set out to kill storm chasers, because it seemed to behave with particular, intentional nastiness. In 30 seconds, it went from a small tornado to a 2.6 mile wedge. It's hard to even imagine the scale of something like that: someone observing from a safe distance miles away is suddenly inside the literal tornado within less than a minute. Most tornadoes move in a more or less straight trajectory - this one repeatedly changed directions. But this is just another example of how even when scientists know how tornadoes generally behave, we're still figuring them out.

Of course, all of this is not about overly romanticizing a phenomenon that kills a ton of people each year, a fact that is only going to get worse with climate change. And certainly research funding and money for early warning systems or national weather services being less prioritized in the politicization of climate change.

I still have tornado nightmares a lot. I had one last night, which is I guess why I'm still thinking about the shapes. It's always the same: I'm standing in a house, usually my childhood home, and there are families of tornadoes that go right past it, but never hit. I still think they're so interesting. And it's funny the way anxiety can turn into fascination under the right circumstances.