#dust monitoring system

[vasthi-instruments12]

[scrapetec]

The Importance of Dust Filtration in Industrial Settings

In today’s industrial landscape, effective dust filtration is more crucial than ever. Dust not only poses health risks to workers but can also damage equipment and reduce productivity. This is where advanced dust filtration systems come into play, offering a solution to maintain a safe and efficient working environment.

Understanding Dust Filtration

Dust filtration refers to the process of capturing airborne particles to improve air quality and maintain cleanliness in various settings, from manufacturing facilities to warehouses. Effective dust collection systems, like those offered by Scrapetec Trading, are designed to handle various types of dust generated during industrial processes.

Health and Safety Benefits

One of the primary reasons for implementing a robust dust filtration system is to protect the health of employees. Inhalation of dust can lead to respiratory problems, allergic reactions, and long-term health issues. By installing high-quality dust collection systems, businesses can significantly reduce these risks, fostering a healthier workplace and ensuring compliance with health regulations.

Enhancing Operational Efficiency

Dust accumulation can interfere with machinery, leading to costly downtime and maintenance. By utilizing efficient dust filtration solutions, companies can keep their equipment running smoothly. Clean environments not only prolong the lifespan of machinery but also improve overall productivity, as workers can focus on their tasks without the distractions and hazards associated with dust.

Types of Dust Filtration Systems

There are various dust filtration systems available, each suited for different industrial needs. From cartridge filters to baghouse systems, selecting the right type depends on the specific application and the nature of the dust produced. Scrapetec Trading provides tailored solutions that cater to diverse industries, ensuring optimal performance and compliance with safety standards.

Environmental Considerations

Dust filtration also plays a vital role in environmental sustainability. By effectively capturing and reducing emissions, businesses can minimize their ecological footprint. Investing in dust collection technology not only benefits the workplace but also contributes to a cleaner environment, aligning with corporate responsibility goals.

Conclusion

In conclusion, dust filtration is an essential aspect of modern industrial operations. With the right systems in place, businesses can safeguard their employees' health, enhance operational efficiency, and promote environmental sustainability. Companies like Scrapetec Trading offer innovative dust filtration solutions that address the unique challenges of various industries, helping organizations maintain a clean and productive working environment. Prioritizing dust filtration is not just a regulatory necessity; it's a commitment to health, safety, and efficiency.

[envirosolutionstechnology]

Enviro Solutions Technology's Dust Monitor is a cutting-edge environmental monitoring device designed for precision measurement of airborne particulate matter. Offering real-time data on dust and particulate concentrations, it ensures the safety of workers and the environment. With user-friendly controls, extensive data logging, and remote connectivity options, this monitor is a versatile and powerful tool for continuous air quality assessment in industrial and commercial settings.

[nasa]

A Tour of Cosmic Temperatures

We often think of space as “cold,” but its temperature can vary enormously depending on where you visit. If the difference between summer and winter on Earth feels extreme, imagine the range of temperatures between the coldest and hottest places in the universe — it’s trillions of degrees! So let’s take a tour of cosmic temperatures … from the coldest spots to the hottest temperatures yet achieved.

First, a little vocabulary: Astronomers use the Kelvin temperature scale, which is represented by the symbol K. Going up by 1 K is the same as going up 1°C, but the scale begins at 0 K, or -273°C, which is also called absolute zero. This is the temperature where the atoms in stuff stop moving. We’ll measure our temperatures in this tour in kelvins, but also convert them to make them more familiar!

We’ll start on the chilly end of the scale with our CAL (Cold Atom Lab) on the International Space Station, which can chill atoms to within one ten billionth of a degree above 0 K, just a fraction above absolute zero.

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scott Wiessinger

Just slightly warmer is the Resolve sensor inside XRISM, pronounced “crism,” short for the X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission. This is an international collaboration led by JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) with NASA and ESA (European Space Agency). Resolve operates at one twentieth of a degree above 0 K. Why? To measure the heat from individual X-rays striking its 36 pixels!

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scott Wiessinger

Resolve and CAL are both colder than the Boomerang Nebula, the coldest known region in the cosmos at just 1 K! This cloud of dust and gas left over from a Sun-like star is about 5,000 light-years from Earth. Scientists are studying why it’s colder than the natural background temperature of deep space.

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scott Wiessinger

Let’s talk about some temperatures closer to home. Icy gas giant Neptune is the coldest major planet. It has an average temperature of 72 K at the height in its atmosphere where the pressure is equivalent to sea level on Earth. Explore how that compares to other objects in our solar system!

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scott Wiessinger

How about Earth? According to NOAA, Death Valley set the world’s surface air temperature record on July 10, 1913. This record of 330 K has yet to be broken — but recent heat waves have come close. (If you’re curious about the coldest temperature measured on Earth, that’d be 183.95 K (-128.6°F or -89.2°C) at Vostok Station, Antarctica, on July 21, 1983.)

We monitor Earth's global average temperature to understand how our planet is changing due to human activities. Last year, 2023, was the warmest year on our record, which stretches back to 1880.

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scott Wiessinger

The inside of our planet is even hotter. Earth’s inner core is a solid sphere made of iron and nickel that’s about 759 miles (1,221 kilometers) in radius. It reaches temperatures up to 5,600 K.

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scott Wiessinger

We might assume stars would be much hotter than our planet, but the surface of Rigel is only about twice the temperature of Earth’s core at 11,000 K. Rigel is a young, blue star in the constellation Orion, and one of the brightest stars in our night sky.

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scott Wiessinger 

We study temperatures on large and small scales. The electrons in hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe, can be stripped away from their atoms in a process called ionization at a temperature around 158,000 K. When these electrons join back up with ionized atoms, light is produced. Ionization is what makes some clouds of gas and dust, like the Orion Nebula, glow.

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scott Wiessinger

We already talked about the temperature on a star’s surface, but the material surrounding a star gets much, much hotter! Our Sun’s surface is about 5,800 K (10,000°F or 5,500°C), but the outermost layer of the solar atmosphere, called the corona, can reach millions of kelvins.

Our Parker Solar Probe became the first spacecraft to fly through the corona in 2021, helping us answer questions like why it is so much hotter than the Sun's surface. This is one of the mysteries of the Sun that solar scientists have been trying to figure out for years.

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scott Wiessinger

Looking for a hotter spot? Located about 240 million light-years away, the Perseus galaxy cluster contains thousands of galaxies. It’s surrounded by a vast cloud of gas heated up to tens of millions of kelvins that glows in X-ray light. Our telescopes found a giant wave rolling through this cluster’s hot gas, likely due to a smaller cluster grazing it billions of years ago.

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scott Wiessinger

Now things are really starting to heat up! When massive stars — ones with eight times the mass of our Sun or more — run out of fuel, they put on a show. On their way to becoming black holes or neutron stars, these stars will shed their outer layers in a supernova explosion. These layers can reach temperatures of 300 million K!

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman

We couldn’t explore cosmic temperatures without talking about black holes. When stuff gets too close to a black hole, it can become part of a hot, orbiting debris disk with a conical corona swirling above it. As the material churns, it heats up and emits light, making it glow. This hot environment, which can reach temperatures of a billion kelvins, helps us find and study black holes even though they don’t emit light themselves.

JAXA’s XRISM telescope, which we mentioned at the start of our tour, uses its supercool Resolve detector to explore the scorching conditions around these intriguing, extreme objects.

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/CI Lab

Our universe’s origins are even hotter. Just one second after the big bang, our tiny, baby universe consisted of an extremely hot — around 10 billion K — “soup” of light and particles. It had to cool for a few minutes before the first elements could form. The oldest light we can see, the cosmic microwave background, is from about 380,000 years after the big bang, and shows us the heat left over from these earlier moments.

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scott Wiessinger

We’ve ventured far in distance and time … but the final spot on our temperature adventure is back on Earth! Scientists use the Large Hadron Collider at CERN to smash teensy particles together at superspeeds to simulate the conditions of the early universe. In 2012, they generated a plasma that was over 5 trillion K, setting a world record for the highest human-made temperature.

Want this tour as a poster? You can download it here in a vertical or horizontal version!

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scott Wiessinger

Explore the wonderful and weird cosmos with NASA Universe on X, Facebook, and Instagram. And make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

[spotaus]

Ancha I mean this in literally every possible positive way, this is what I'm doing with this drabble rn (I love it dearly and mere words or keyboard smash cannot describe the way I am going feral over it)

Gifted drabble - New Age Au - The Eye of the Storm

Hey @spotaus !! I am back as I told you I would be because you gave me MORE brainworms! Remember us talking about the magic system? or me just yapping and rambling about it hahah.

And the thing you mentioned about how Geno would react to seeing Dust's storm? Yeah. Brainworms.

Either way. It can all still be changed as Spotaus and I discuss the magic system and how everything works.

So warning? ish? Deep intimacy by showing the soul. reference to past toxic relationship ship is DustedAfterDeath

This is them FAR beyond their toxic arc youall. They relationship is healthy and full of consent at this point :3

*---------------*

Dust frowns as he stares at the door.

It is fine.

It isn't that big of a deal.

Just get it over with.

Dust sighs as he rubs the soft cotton of his hoody. He is still in his casual wear for now. He had a few days off and he hardly ever wore his uniform on those days nowadays. Especially when Geno and Reaper visit.

He is still a bit unsure about this whole relationship between them. Dust wants to say he fully trusts them but... well... after...

It is hard.

Which is why Dust had decided to just make this jump. Fuck it. Show them the disgusting mess that is his soul and get it over with. They will see it. Be disgusted. Break off whatever this relationship is and be done with it.

Easy.

Dust takes another deep breath as he feels his storm around his soul rumble unhappily. He needs to remain calm. That will keep his storm calm enough to make it safe for them to look at it.

Dust does not want a repeat of the many times he zapped others with lightning. Even a tiny warning zap is stronger than a full blown lightning strike at this point. Dust frowns as he taps the doorknob. Maybe this isn't a good idea after all...

He may have enough control to form actual attacks but actually keeping it calm?

What if he hurts them? They will hate him...

Then again... if they see the mess that his soul is...

Or worse... Dust was right after all and Geno and Reaper just wanted to know how his storm works and it was all still fake. He was being blind again and falling for the exact same trick again.

Then again... they don't know how deeply connected to his soul it is. No one knows aside from Nightmare and his fellow Knights. They don't even speak about that out loud unless they are in a very secure room and know they are alone.

Even with all of Geno's past prodding and hinting Dust never told him that. Even if Dust knew that Geno wanted to know how he had such powerful magic. It was his secret. and Dust had been willing to take it to the grave with him...

Dust offered to show them his soul. Take the next step before they could move their relationship towards soulplay and other acts like it. They didn't know that they would find out the source of his magic...

Which brings him back to this exact point. Wouldn't it be better to just get it over with? If they really are still lying about everything... Wouldn't it be better to know it? To be able to let it go and move on?

Not that Dust thinks he can move on. If he could have he would have after the first mess that this relationship was.

But Dust is aparently an idiot because he is trying this again even if the chance it will hurt is much larger than the chance that this will be alright.

Okay that is not fair. They had been so much more honest about this whole relationship and Geno didn't even mention or ask about his magic since the mess that it had been. He also acutally paid attention to the few things Dust said now...

Then why did he still feel like a speciman? Like a project?

He doesn't like that... Feeling like that. It was why he was fine with being a crimelord before. Why he liked being a knight. No one looked at him with pity when he did either of those. Neither of those positions ever made people look at him like... like... some magical experiment...

His family had meant well... The mage who did this to save his life meant well... but it didn't change the way they looked at him... The worry he would just drop over and be gone. Then later the fear that the magic stabilizing him would just stop working... Then... Then the worry... after he started to cause damage.

Dust glares at the door. Fuck it. Either he is going to prove himself right that they really are still just after information and then he can finally bury these feelings and be done with it all. Or...

Or...

Dust shakes his skull as he pushes the hope down. Don't hope. That gets you hurt.

He knocks on the door and enters as soon as Reaper welcomes him in.

Reaper smiles brightly at him "Dust you are here already. How was your day off?"

Dust shrugs and mutters fine. He hadn't done that much today. Mostly spend time with the horses as he tried to not feel anxious about what he was about to do now.

Reaper keeps smiling "I am happy to hear this." He shoots his mate a look.

Geno looks terrible... mostly because he is obviously anxious and nervous, maybe even uncomfortable.

Dust huffs as he crosses his arms, feeling defensive "You can just say you aren't interested. It was just an idea." It had been Dust's idea after all.

Geno shakes his skull as he messes with soemthing in his lap. Some spell probably. Geno looks nervous "It isn't that i... don't want to... That isn't the issue... It is just... you never seemed comfortable with anything close to this... and then this?" he glances at Reaper.

Reaper picks up easily "Are you sure this is what you are comfortable with?"

Dust shrugs. He isn't. But it is best to get it over with. But the doubt either will like to hear that answer.

Reaper looks fond at him, it makes Dust's soul do this weird little flip thing it is unfair Reaper looks at him like that, "Can you please explain Dust? We wish to understand."

That is something that had surprised Dust. How much they want him to talk or tell them how he feels. Dust finds it unfair. Before Geno didn't even bother to listen to the few things Dust did talk about and now he pays attention? It is just so different. Dust isn't sure how to feel about it. It is nice but it also means he has to explain things he can't quite explain.

Dust searches for the right words "I want... you two to see... it." it. That is the best way to explain the storm.

Geno looks bothered as he loosk up "Why call your soul it?"

Dust shakes his skull. It isn't normal. It isn't healthy... This is dumb. They will both just be disgusted and then this little nice thing will be ruined forever.

Dust shrugs "It is hard to explain..." he decides to echo some words back "Open communication and honesty or something... Soul is not the... healthiest." there.

Reaper looks super worried as Geno looks slightly more horrified. Ugh. Yeah. that is what Dust figured. He tugs on his hood to enable himself to hide more. He wishes he still had his mask.

Reaper shakes his skull "No no love. Nothing against you... But is it safe for you then? To even summon and show your soul?" he looks worried. Geno keeps his mouth shut but he shoots both Dust and Reaper looks.

It is now or never.

Dust sighs as he takes a seat on the bed and shoots them both a look "Well?" and he waits. His hands feels the soft silky sheets on the bed. It calms him. The bed feels like the bed in his own room. Even though he prefers his cotten and woolen stuff. He keeps rubbing the sheets with his fingers as his two boyfriends take their own seats.

Both wait and share a look.

Geno grins a bit "Want me to show my soul first?"

Dust shakes his soul. He does not need to see a healthy soul before he shows his mangled one. Dust will just lose the nerve. Geno looks bothered but doesn't offer again.

Dsut takes another deep breath. Tugs his scarf higher and his hood closer around his skull before slowly tugging at this very core.

And there it is.

Dust always thought it was like a cloud. Just in a weird soul shape all around his actual soul. The tiny malnourished one that never was able to grow fully. The magic and his actual soul work well and seem to connect with tiny bolts of lightning. Dust doesn't even feel it anymore. So used to the constant zapping emitted to his very being... The zaps outwards obviously at much more harmful. as Dust can channel those into actual attacks.

He is not looking at either of them as he waits. Just because he is willing to hear it doesnt mean he wants to see the disgust and horror on their faces...

"It is beautiful..." Geno whispers and Dust can't help but snap up slightly to check. Geno is just staring with open awe at the mess that is his core. Geno doesn't even seem to notice it as he slowly reaches a hand out.

Dust moves the cloud away "Don't touch it!" he stresses it.

Geno blinks and looks confused before seeing his hand "oh shit! sorry. I didn't... i wasn't thinking... I swear i didn't... i wouldnt!" he looks anxious as he holds both arms behind his back.

Dust frowns as hekeeps looking at Geno "I mean it... I can't exactly... control it... It will zap you full force... I already fried Cross once and that was a non-lethal hit... I don't think it will like it if you get that close..."

Geno frowns but Reaper is the one who speaks "It? Why do you refer to the magic as an it?" He seems curious as he looks at the soul and spell. Seemingly enchanted.

Dust frowns as he looks at it "I... well... I tend to just call it my storm... as that is pretty much it..."

Geno seems nervous "I euh... Just so you know you can just tell me to stuff it... But... euh... why is there a very complex spell around your soul?" He looks at Dust and waits.

Dust frowns at him. He knows their question would come. It was to be expected. He looks at the spell and settles on telling the truth "It is my life support system."

Reaper jumps upright "What?" he glances at Geno "Is that normal?"

Geno looks horrified "No? Magic is too... unstable and unpredictable? Which mage... who would... why?" he sputters and seems shocked.

Dust feels more uncertain as he ducks his skull more into his scarf. It isn't that he is surprised but it still hurts... why does it still hurt so much? He knew this was going to happen.

He holds his storm closer as the rumbling in it intensifies with his own shaking emotions. This was a mistake. He recalls both and the soul and storm disappear.

That seems to snap Reaper and Geno out of their slight moment or horror and panic as they shoot him glances.

Geno inhales sharply as he reaches out "Wait! Sorry. Fuck I am sorry. I didn't mean anything negative i swear! I just don't understand. It is fine! It looked beautiful!" He smiles.

Dsut shrugs and mutters "It is fine... it is disgusting... i know..." He wants to leave. He wants to go to his room and cry a bunch... he tugs his scarf higher as he pushes back into his hood. He wants his mask. He wants to hide.

Geno shakes his skull "No. It really is gorgeous i swear! Like a geode!"

That causes him to pause and shoot Geno an disbelieving look "A geode?" the absolute absurb nature of that has to be commented on. A geode?!

Geno nods "Of course it does it is so obvious."

Dsut just raises a brow at him "Really?"

Geno nods with a stubborn tilt "summon it again! I will point it out." he holds up his hands "No touching! Just pointing."

Dust frowns but slowly brings the mess out again.

Geno grins as he scoots a bit closer before beginning to talk "Okay. It is really cool and pretty. Your soul itself is obviously the very center. Everything around it is like the geode itself protecting your soul. The crystalized minerals just barely touching your soul and that makes the colouring probably! The little crystals are all slightly differently forming and shaping and growing. Reforming new connections and growths." Geno points and motions towards the cloud nearest his soul "Around that sits the metaphorical layer of stone protecting it!" when he speaks about that he motions towards the very outer layer of his cloud.

Dust rolls his eye lights "How do you explain the zaps of electricity going outwards?" Like his storm knows waht he wants it makes a tiny zap.

Instead of looking confused Geno just gasps and stares "Holy that is beautiful... It is like... the start of anew crystal growing! It is so beautiful."

Reaper looks curiously at Dust "how do you see it?"

Dust looks to the side "You know... a storm cloud? obviously?" because it is? At least Dust thought that.

Reaper hums as he looks at it curiously "I can see both... though I think it looks more like..." and he stops.

Geno looks curiously at Reaper "what do you see?"

Reaper looks slightly embarrassed "Lets keep it at a gem and a beautiful cloud... that is much more romantic." and he smiles.

Dust tilts his skull "Come on. Tell."

Reaper sighs but stares at the soul and cloud around it with a gentle smile "It is... Sea urchin."

Geno snorts as Dust blinks confused. He had heard of those animals before but never actually seen one.

Reaper chuckles "Yes yes love. laugh it up." he looks amused.

Dust shoots him a look before looking at his soul and storm "why?"

Reaper hums and speaks slowly "Well... it is like a protective shell isn't it? Your soul is safely tugged away within the center. Where it is safe and protected by the larger shell around it." he motions towards the cloud before motioning towards the everlasting zaps "And the spines to protect the treasure that lays hidden."

Dust frowns at his soul. He never... He never thought about his soul as either of those things... His soul was just the mangled thing... while his storm was the thing powering him and keeping him whole.

Not the center of a crystal cluster thing... Not something that had a shield and spikes to protect it...

Geno scoots over and looks curiously "Why... why is that magic there? if you are okay with me knowing... It is okay if you are not..."

Dust frowns "I told you... life support..."

Reaper sits nearby "How came it to be like that?"

Dust shrugs as he messes with the magic around his soul. It doesn't harm him in the least "I wasn't exactly... healthy... When i was younger. Never was. Had no energy. Hardly any magic. I am pretty sure the doctors told my folks i wasn't even meant to survive for longer than a year... but I managed... until i was suposed to start puberty."

Geno frowns as he nods "It is when our magic and souls start to truly develop."

Dust nods "I don't.. I don't know exactly what was wrong. They never told me in details. I just know that suddenly it burned and hurt... turns out the magic that was starting to develop was kinda... burning my soul out. My soul was too weak to keep up wiht the growth it needed to help support me." He frowns "I remember many doctors and mages." them all prodding him and mentioning how it was a miracle he had even been alive as he had been. More interested in learning how his magic burned himself than anything. He thinks some of them even asked his parents if he could be a study case. "One of them had an idea... a complex web of spells to help center the magic or something and to use it to power my soul... That was at least how it was explained to me after i started to feel better."

Geno shoots upright "Wait! They didn't ask you?!"

Dust snorts "What could you expect? I was hardly awake as it was... Not like I could have given my agreement..." he shrugs "It saved my life..."

Reaper gently takes his hand and kisses it slowly. Dust can see how slow Reaper moves. Probably making sure his own magic doesn't react badly. "It is your soul love... Even if it saved your life it should still have been your choice. As it is your right."

Geno messes with his own hands "That is why... You didn't want to talk about your magic... it isn't a spell that is even meant to attack... It is your soul's whole support system... I am so sorry...." he looks away. ashamed "I know i apologised... before for pushing and everything... I am so sorry I was..." he laughs as he looks down shocked "Pretty much trying to force you to talk about your soul and show it to me? what the hell was wrong with me?"

Dust shrugs "You didn't know..." he tugs his soul back into his actual body and breaths a sigh of relieve.

Reaper frowns at him "Are you okay?"

Dust shrugs "I am fine... Just tired..." He gives a tired grin "It isn't just my suport system for my soul... My soul can't exactly make the magic and energy i need. It barely makes enough for my soul itself."

Geno stares in shock "Everythign... the spell pwoers everything about you? How..." he freezes and stops "Wait. Sorry. It isn't... it is interesting but you don't need to... I mean yes i want to know but." he glares down frustrated.

Reaper still holds his hand as he rubs the back of Dust's hand "I think what Geno means to ask is... How is it possible? How is the spell still there? In my experience spells don't last long. I know my magic is about momental protection. Not a constant force."

Dust looks at them for a moment. They don't... they don't stare at him like those mages and doctors. there is worry. but they also keep holding him. keep being near. They aren't afraid of him...

Dust figures if they haven't pulled away in disgust yet... All he risks now is his trust being betrayed which wouldn't be the first time.

Dust rubs his neck "From what i udnerstand... The weather powers it. Natural rain, hail, wind... actually everything connected to storms power it..."

Geno blinks in awe "Your storm... That is why you call it your storm and a cloud... because it is... wow..." he jsut continues to stare with open awe "It is powered by an outside constant force... adn that powers you..." he frowns "Should you be throwing lightning around then?"

Dust looks around confused "euh?"

Geno gives him a bit of a glare "I mean it. Is it even healthy for you to be throwing lightning around? Waht if you run out." more anxious and stress on his face.

Dust nods "It is fine... I before couldn't even pick when it happened. it just happened. At most i give it a target." he grins a tiny bit "there is a reason that Killer calls the spell i use 'fuck you lightning'... I don't exactly got a lot of other spells..."

Reaper chuckles and nuzzles Geno "Calm down love. trust him. He knows himself and his magic best. If he thinks it is fine it is fine."

Geno shoots Reaper a look but takes adeep rbeath and nods "right... right... sorry... i just... don't like how unpredictable it is. How will we know it will keep you safe and healthy if we aren't sure it will manage itself? That it will stop you from shooting to much lightning?" he rubs his hands "I also used to overuse my own magic. As magic rarely gives you a warning you are running out until you are almost completely out."

Dust just listens to the other. He... he isn't even asking about how he can control or replicate it. How he can use it. All geno is worried about is it somehow getting unbalanced...

The fear slowly disappears...

Which is when his body decides to make it very obvious it does not appreciate Dust removing his storm from his body. He yawns and feels his socket becoe heavier. Yeah. he expected as much.

Geno looks panicked as Reaper rubs his back "Are you alright?"

Dust shrugs as he rubs the sleep from his sockets "I am fine. Body doesn't appreciate me removing my soul for a long time. Just need to give it time to settle and calm down."

Reaper hums as he pulls Dust slowly against him "You can rest. thank you for trusting us with this love." a soft kiss to his skull as Dust lounges against Reaper. Reaper's clothes are always warm and brimmed with magic. reinforced to make sure Reaper's deadly magic doesn't get through if he is stressed. It makes for a very soft living pillow.

Geno meanwhile is muttering about maybe making a tiny sensor. Just to give Dust a warning signal in case his magic levels get dangerously low. Just as an extra warning and protection for him. Reaper chastises Geno gently but Dust isn't paying much attention.

He is exhausted. Physically. Mentally. Emotionally. But it was worth it. Maybe he didn't have to be worried after all.

[workersolidarity]

[ 📹 Scenes from renewed airstrikes by the Israeli occupation army targeting the town of Beit Hanoun, in the northern Gaza Strip, where a huge tower of smoke and dust rises over the city. ]

🇮🇱⚔️🇵🇸 🚀🏘️💥🚑 🚨

209 DAYS OF GENOCIDE IN GAZA AS ISRAELI OCCUPATION CONSIDER ALTERNATIVES TO RAFAH INVASION

On 209th day of "Israel's" ongoing special genocide operation in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) committed a total of 3 new massacres of Palestinian families, resulting in the deaths of no less than 28 Palestinian civilians, mostly women and children, while another 51 others were wounded over the previous 24-hours.

It should be noted that as a result of the constant Israeli bombardment of Gaza's healthcare system, infrastructure, residential and commercial buildings, local paramedic and civil defense crews are unable to reach countless hundreds, even thousands of victims who remain trapped under the rubble, or who's bodies remain strewn across the streets of Gaza.

This leaves the official death toll vastly undercounted as Gaza's healthcare officials are unable to accurately tally those killed and maimed in this genocide, which must be kept in mind while considering the scale of the mass murder.

As a result of the genocide of Palestinians by the Israel occupation army, Colombia's President, Gustavo Petro, has announced his administration will sever diplomatic ties with the Israeli entity.

The Colombian President made the announcement as part of the country's annual Labor Day celebrations, during which President Petro said that the Republic of Colombia would sever all diplomatic ties with the Israeli occupation on Thursday, due to the Netanyahu administration's tendency for genocide. President Petro further called the Israeli Prime Minister himself a "perpetrator of genocide".

In other news, the Israeli occupation's Security Service may be considering alternatives to the Rafah operation, an Israeli plan to invade Gaza's southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinian civilians have taken shelter in tent cities under the direction of the Israeli occupation army, in order to complete the supposed defeat of Hamas.

According to a report in the Palestinian news outlet, SAMA News Agency, the Israeli occupation's Security Services are deliberating on alternatives to a full-scale invasion of Rafah due to intense international pressure and outcry over a potential operation in the last city standing in the Palestinian enclave.

More than 1.4 million Palestinians have gathered in Rafah's tent cities, most having left their homes in northern Gaza following the start of the genocide, under the direction of the Israeli occupation army who told civilians the city was to be a "safe zone".

Since then, the Israeli occupation forces have repeatedly bombed and shelled the city, including, at times, the tents of civilians.

The report states that the Israeli Security Services considers that, "“in all cases, a focused military operation must be carried out on the Philadelphia axis” on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, under the supposed claim of “preventing smuggling routes for Hamas.”

The report added that the Security Services were also monitoring a "completely unusual" deployment of the Egyptian army near the border with Gaza, attributing the deployment to Egyptian fears that large numbers of Palestinians could stream across the border in the case of an Israeli assault on Rafah.

The Israeli Security Services said Egyptian army had deployed to areas where they previously had only Egyptian Police forces, which added army forces widely deployed with armored vehicles near the border.

The Security Services went on to say that Israeli army officers were preparing for a scenario similar to the 2012 operation, in which Palestinian mujahideen left Gaza for the Egyptian Sinai, seizing an armored vehicle before storming the Israeli border.

The report added that Israeli Security Services were considering a complete withdrawal from the Netzarim axis, seperating the northern and southern halves of Gaza, which constitutes a "heavy price" that the Israeli occupation was willing to pay as part of a hostage exchange deal with the Hamas Resistance movement. This despite continued Israeli calls for the "complete destruction" of the Hamas movement.

In further news, a number of American congressional Democrats signed a letter to US President Joe Biden, calling on the President to influence the Israeli occupation into not conducting an operation to invade the city of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.

57 out of 212 Congressional Democrats signed the letter, asking the Biden administration to take all necessary measures to dissuade the Israeli entity's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, from launching a full-scale invasion of Rafah.

"We urge you to invoke existing law and policy to immediately withhold certain offensive military aid to the Israeli government, including aid sourced from legislation already signed into law, in order to preempt a full-scale assault on Rafah," Democrats said in the letter.

The letter continued by saying, "an Israeli offensive in Rafah risks the start of yet another escalatory spiral, immediately putting the region back on the brink of a broader war that neither Israel nor the United States can afford."

"If the Israeli government will not uphold international law and protect civilians, then the United States must act to protect innocent life. We urge you to continue your work toward achieving a lasting ceasefire that will bring hostages home and build a path toward safety and security for all."

Meanwhile, the occupation's slaughter in Gaza slowed during negotiations for a hostage exchange deal, but did not stop, as several bombings targeted various sectors of the Gaza Strip, including the north, south and central axis.

In one example, Israeli occupation warplanes bombed a residential home in the Nuseirat Refugee Camp, in the central Gaza Strip on Wednesday evening, martyring a civilian and wounding at least 5 others.

Video published by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) showed the recovery of the dead and wounded, including women and children, while massive destruction was evident resulting from the strike.

In the video, PRCS crew members can be seen filling black plastic body bags, including at least one with a very small body, likely a young child.

At the same time, Zionist artillery shelling targeted a residential house in the Al-Fukhari area, killing a woman, while occupation fighter jets bombed a residential building in the "Six-Martyrs" neighborhood of the central Jabalia Refugee Camp, in Gaza's north.

Occupation jets also bombarded the town of Al-Mughraqa, while also shelling the headquarters for an electricity distribution company in Al-Zawaida, both in the central Gaza Strip.

The Barracks at the entrance of Al-Zawaida were also targeted in a bombing, resulting in a number of casualties.

By dawn, the bombing and shelling was renewed when occupation warplanes bombed the city of Al-Zahra'a, north of the Nuseirat Camp, in central Gaza, killing at least 6 civilians, while yet another bombing targeted the northwest of the Nuseirat Camp, after which, paramedic and civil defense crews removed the bodies of three civilians killed in the strike.

IOF warplanes further bombed agricultural lands near the Ard al-Mufti police station in the Nuseirat Camp, wounding 9 civilians and damaging several homes.

Elsewhere, Zionist air forces bombarded the Qaa al-Qurain area, southeast of Khan Yunis, in Gaza's south, murdering yet another civilian and wounding several others.

Occupation aircraft also bombarded the Bani Suhaila, Abasan, and al-Kuzha'a neighborhoods, east of Khan Yunis.

Local civil defense crews in the Khan Yunis Governate announced that they had recovered the bodies of 6 civilians of various ages, killed in bombings targeting the Camp area of Khan Yunis .

In yet another atrocity, occupation warplanes bombed a residential building belonging to the Ishteiwi family, in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City, resulting in the deaths of two Palestinians and wounding a number of others, while several other Palestinians remain missing under the rubble.

IOF fighter jets also targeted a residential home in the Al-Shujaiya neighborhood, east of Gaza City, while another bombing of the Wadi Al-Arayes area, east of the Shuja'iyya neighborhood, resulted in the deaths of two civilians who were taken to the Baptist Hospital.

A group of civilians were also targeted in an airstrike in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City.

Occupation forces also continued to bomb the Sheikh Ajlin, Tal al-Hawa, and Al-Zaytoun neighborhoods of Gaza City.

The Israeli occupation additionally targeted the tents of displaced civilian families in the city of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, while also bombing the town of Al-Shoka and the Al-Tanour neighborhood, east of Rafah City, resulting in the death of one civilian and the wounding of many others.

As a result of "Israel's" ongoing special genocide operation in the Gaza Strip, the death toll among the local population has risen further still, now exceeding 34'596 Palestinians killed, including over 14'690 children and 9'680 women, while another 77'816 others were wounded since the start of the current round of Zionist aggression, beginning with the events of October 7th, 2023.

May 2nd, 2024.

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#videosource

@WorkerSolidarityNews

[eternalwritess]

I may know someone - Platonic!Alastor & tech demon!reader + Vox x tech demon!reader

Summary: Vox decides to confront whoever decided to fuck up with system. Alastor has a proposition for you that he wants you to take...

He couldn't reverse the damage. He knew that by now. He's tried a multitude of things only to get shocked many times. He's even tried screaming at the monitor. Which caused Velvette to scream back at him even louder.

But he had footage he had footage of a demon flicking something causing his computers to work to her liking. It was impressive he would've even offered her a deal. Would've being the key word, they still fucked up his system.

But now he had their face, he could find them. Oh and find them he would.

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙

You're not an idiot.

At least you like to consider the fact that you're not. You're powerful, but maybe you should've thought this last one through. After the whole almost getting caught thing Alastor has been visiting you a lot more frequently. A lot more cheerful too.

He's been all up in your space more than usual, and thats saying something. Touching your stuff even though he doesn't even like tech all that much. He only tolerates yours because it just makes old tech better, but not too modern.

He tapped on one of your phones and looked over to you. "Y/n dear, I've been thinking," He hummed his fingers tapping along the glass. "And really you should consider it," He smiled and walked over to you placing a hand on your shoulder.

"Have you ever considered becoming an overlord?"

You scoffed and looked over to him. "Didn't we talk about this last time? Y'know," you flicked of bit of light over to a breaker causing it to crackle before the room lit up. "Before you almost got me killed?"

Alastor laughed and patted your head. "Oh past is past dear. You need to think of the now!"

You couldn't help but scoff. "That's an awfully ironic line coming from you," You looked at his staff and then back to him.

"Well I am thinking of the now, and radio is always better! But enough about that. You should really consider it. Y'know you technically are one already. Don't you own a few souls?" He titled his head with his eyes becoming dials. Slowly. Ticking. Away.

He sat his head to its regular position and smiled.\

"A few I have like one of two, that doesn't count,"

"One or two wouldn't be the word I'd use to describe such my dear," he leaned on your shoulder and grinned. "Besides you got this whole side of the pentagram under your claws," he tapped the desk with an ever growing grin.

"I don't have enough power-"

"Pardon my interruption darling but I do believe that is what you would call... baloney," He grabbed your shoulders and now spun you around to face him. "You should really think about this offer y/n after all I'm just trying to help you get your name up there-"

You stepped back and looked at him. "I don't want my name up there-"

"Once again-, pardon, but I do believe that it would be good. I've even spoken to Rosie about such,"

You paused for a moment before shaking your head. You couldn't do this, why would he want you to become an overlord? "Why?" you asked. "Why do you want this? Is it to show someone up?"

Alastor laughed before giving you a pat. "Oh you know me too well, but no,"

You scoffed. This was a petty rivalry, you could feel it. "Rosie doesn't like it when you lie," You said titling your head towards him. "Is this about that Vox guy?" You asked. You hoped not but knowing him... you didn't want to get invovled.

Alastor sighed keeping the smile. "You know me too well," he said, this time slightly strained.

"Al I can't just show up-"

"Sure you can! Don't worry my dear, Rosie and I will help you every step of the way," He turned around and dusted off his shoulders. "I ought to get going though darling, consider it!" He added as he walked out the door.

You paused sitting down on your chair. You were utterly fucked.

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙

Vox groaned looking around. Usually he didn't parade around like such but this was a special case. He just didn't know why it had to be in this part of the pentagram. It was were practically all of the insane people resided in Hell. He watched as demons shouted and as one ate its own hand giggling and laughing.

It was disgusting. He walked around further till he came to a small building that was surprisingly in good shape. He grinned, this was it.

He walked right up to the door watching as the electricity around him responded to his presence, zipping around and disappearing. It was odd to see something reacting to his presence the way the electricity was. He stepped back for a moment as it flickered across his feet and under the door. He sighed looking at the building.

Just. One. Knock.

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙

You tapped your feet on the ground before stopping. Consider it, what was there to consider? Truly. You weren't an overlord although in some cases Alastor would be more than happy to call you one. You owned souls, sure, but you didn't even have half the numbers of some of the people on there.

Yet here you were wondering what it all meant. You knew Alastor and you know what he's like. He adores the spotlight almost as much as he adores radio, having a friend like you up there just because he suggested it would paint the spotlight on you both. You have to admit, he's clever but he's rash in such a thought. The blacklash, it would show that he's powerful yes, but at what cost?

But he's thought this through, he doesn't make rash decisions, he wants to show Vox up, and he needs a statement. The fight with the angels show'd him losing, if anyone saw that he would need to show that he was still in power. Since he needs to do that who better to bring up on his own accord than you?

You were already powerful, you were a tech demon for crying out loud, and you were his friend. You already messed with Vox and his tech. You already showed that you're a force. You'd be the perfect subject to bring up. To show that he wasn't just old news.

You grit your teeth and ran your hand through your hair. If you said no? It wouldn't go well, Alastor already offered you power last time, he could also take away some of your power if he wanted. He could make the place you lived worse, although you doubted he would it. It didn't mean it wasn't exactly off the table.

Rosie wanted you up there too, she's been there for a while, she's been in hell for a while. You taking up this offer could be good, but it could be bad. You just showing up, that would piss people off, put a target on your back. Alastor and Rosie would help you but you doubted that they would care too much if you got into a scuffle with another overlord. Alastor did just prove that and-

Knock.

You paused for a moment looking at the door. Everyone on this side knew that you were closed by now, it was dark out. You were practically out. You stood up. It's probably just a new sinner. Is what you told yourself before sitting back down. Your hand pressing against your forehead in annoyance.

"We're closed," We're was a strong word, there's no one here but you after all. The words came out a little stronger than you would've liked but fuck it, this is hell.

Another knock. You set your hand down and sighed looking at the electricity around you crinkle. "We're closed you deaf or something fucker?" You turned around back to the door and sighed. Whoever this was better leave or else you're gonna take out some anger on them.

The door opened. You grit your teeth and stood up turning around. "Are you deaf-" Your words fell short of your mouth as you stared at the person in front of you. Fuck. You were utterly fucked.

Vox. Vox, the CEO of Voxtech was at your door. The man who you just fucked over with Alastor. This couldn't be a coincidence, or a friendly stop by for that matter.

You stood there for probably half a second before regaining composer. You straightened your back and sighed mentally this time. Alastor taught you three things after all.

Always keep a smile.

You smiled at him and although it was strained you could tell it pissed him off, maybe not the best for you but it did assure that you were in control that being whatever meager control you had over a real overlord.

"Hello, Vox from Voxtech I'm sure you've heard of me!" Vox smiled sticking out his hand for you to shake but you continued to smile and dipped your head instead.

"Y/n," You said in reply.

"Ah, well thats great to know. After all I finally get to put a name to the face I've been seeing all around my building lately," You tried to ignore the hollow tv like sound that came out of his mouth with each word. You. Were. Fucked.

You nodded picking at your nails your eyes glancing down at them. You are not looking him in the eyes. "Yes well I was doing a favor for an old friend of mine-"

"Alastor, correct?" He asked he grabbed your hand and forced you closer causing you to look up at him.

You stepped back and rubbed your hand with a glare painted onto his screen. "Yes, Alastor, we've known each other for a while now. Why? Jealous?" You chuckled and tilted your head feeling everything around you respond to where you were.

Vox rolled his eyes and grabbed your again this time, harsher. "Listen here, I don't know who you think you are but let me remind you something," You felt his hands pierce through your skin when you tried to move back. "You aren't anything," You watched as the blue electricity circled around you.

You looked around the room in half panic careful not to drop your smile although you doubt you were smiling much now, it hurt. Your hand hurt like he was fucking dissecting it.

2. Remind them where they are.

You paused for a moment and looked up laughing. With your other hand you flicked your wrist and smiled at him. The room responded to your without a second of hesitation. The lights flickered and the cables and chords lifted up in response wrapping around Vox's legs and pulling him down.

His hand scratched yours tearing it up badly, but it could be fixed. You needed to deal with this now. Vox hissed attempting to get up and free himself of the thick cables that wrapped around his hands. You rubbed your hand unconsciously and looked at him.

"Listen here," You mocked titling your head. You snapped your fingers and felt the lights burn hotter than before and onto Vox watching him panic over the sudden overload. "You aren't in your fancy studio anymore sweetheart," You felt the energy around your creeping into your skin making yourself bigger and more of a shadow than before.

"You're in my house," You grabbed his collar and bent down pressing him close to you. "Now get out," You demanded.

3. Always make them leave on your accord.

You shoved him back and watched as the cables tossed him out of the door and slammed it shut in his face. It might've hit him actually, well that wasn't your problem anymore now was it.

You groaned sitting down in your chair. Your head head like hell, worse than it actually, funny. You rubbed your head and sighed feeling the dull thump slowly trace itself around your body before fading. The energy around you was gone now. You wondered if Alastor ever felt like this after going 'full demon' or whatever the hell this was called. Then you remembered, of course he wouldn't. He wouldn't need to use all of his power, you on the other hand did.

You muttered a curse under your lips. You were a target now. You had no other choice but to accept Alastor's offer, he might help you. He would. He would help you before but now that you'd be more official partners with him he'd be more than glad to do so.

You slowly felt the world fade around you as you leaned on your desk and groaned.

Everything hurt.

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙

Vox scrambled back up to his feet in shock. He felt weak. You took energy from him, how the fuck did you do that? He bared his teeth for a moment before stopping and dusting off his suit. If anyone saw that, he'd never hear the end of it.

You defeated him, you took control. It took a while for him to notice that he was weaker, but he was. He stood outside of your door for a few moments glad that he couldn't speak, he couldn't even think right.

That type of power was breathtaking in a way. He shook his head and walked off not wanting to risk another confrontation, he didn't know if he'd survive another.

Previous <---...--->

Taglist: @animedancer14 @roboticsuccubus83 @fandom-queen37 @belletifeshyl @randomuser-89 @belos-simp69 @callmechito @maliciousmace @montis-posts @yukimy @creampuff-bunny @blue-shark-named-blahaj @twismare @sirenetheblogger @hotvillianapologist @saturnhas82moons

[yellowbunnydreams]

The Blood Runs Thicker ~vampire!William Afton x F! Reader~

~Yes yes, you read the title right. I'm that maniac who is going to write about a slightly more perverse maniac than usual. This was slightly inspired by stumbling across some of the ancient parts of the FNAF fandom and fanfics in general (Remember Vincent and his toast?), and that weird period in fanfics when everything was either set in the apocalypse, adoption fanfics or vampire tagged. And I saw that and went 'what if our favourite murder man got the vampire treatment?' So here we are! May write more to this, but I just wanted to write something different and potentially a bit humorous and dark in places compared to 'Bunny Ears'.~

Tag-List; @ruh--roh-raggy

CW:Minors DNI, (18+ ONLY), Female Reader, legal age gap (Reader- 20's, William - 50's), acts of violence, biting, knifeplay, blood, blood-drinking/licking, vomiting/retching, mention of dead children, anaemia. The suit stays ON

You weren't entirely sure why you had taken on the job at Freddy Fazbear's pizza, but you supposed it was a little bit of your morbid curiosity that had driven you to a place like this.

You were too young to have grown up with Freddy's, but you knew of the dark rumours and mysteries that surrounded the place and the company that had tried to sweep it all under the rug repeatedly. Missing children, presumed dead, whispers of haunted animatronics, a killer in a mask who evaded capture and death repeatedly no matter how many times he was burned to the ground. It had piqued your interest, so when you had seen the ad in the newspaper for a night-guard at the old location, you couldn't help but jump at the chance.

Shining your flashlight around the main dining area, you swore that shadows moved on their own accord in the dingy room. Clearly once a place of joy as prizes remained unclaimed in the prize counter, birthday hats lined the tables on faded confetti patterned table-cloths like they were simply waiting for the party to turn up despite the thick dusty cobwebs that strung between each of them. Even the spiders had long since passed away.

Heading back to the security office, you plopped yourself down into the office chair, hearing it creak slightly as your weigh settled into it. Wheeling over and throwing on the breaker to get the security system up and running according to the instructions that had been left for you. The woman in the careers office where you had gone to express you interest seemed shocked when you'd agreed to take the job.

'We have to legally disclose that there have been...disappearances...with the previous guards.'

But something had called you there, and you weren't going to ignore that siren song of curiosity.

Flicking through the monitors, you noticed that one of the animatronics had moved its head slightly, looking towards the camera instead of straight ahead. A smile quirked at your lips as you looked at it.

"So maybe you're not so worn down after all this time after all." You murmured softly, wheeling over to the door and checking the corridor for any signs of them moving towards you yet, but spotting nothing of the sort. Humming quietly as you pushed yourself back to the monitors. Pausing as you saw that all three of the main stage animatronics had turned their heads towards the camera instead, lifeless eyes boring into your soul as your hands hovered over the controls.

"Are you trying to talk?" Whispering to air as you felt a chill creeping down your spine. Almost as if you were being observed, although the theory was ridiculous and you knew it logically. Head tilting as you looked at the animatronics, trying to figure out what made them suddenly pay attention.

The sensation of being watched grew stronger, making you turn around to confirm to yourself that you were alone in the tiny office. Seeing nothing but dust and faded posters from the hay-days of Freddy's that had remained miraculously intact after so long. Checking the cameras again, you noticed that the bear had moved off of the stage. How it had done so silently was anybody's guess, but you assumed it wasn't natural, whatever it was. Looking down the hallway again as you wheeled yourself over, you could see two white pinpricks in the darkness, slightly taller than you thought the bear was perhaps. But you hadn't exactly measured them in case you had to compare by animatronic height and eye colour to determine who was knocking at your door.

"Alright, so Freddy's coming to play with me." Voice soft as if it would disturb things that weren't there should you speak any louder. Checking the monitors again, noticing that the other three seemed to be moving about a bit more, moving through various places in the restaurant as if searching for something. Looking closer however, you realised that they weren't quite searching, rather, the way they positioned themselves, it was like they were trying to move away from something you couldn't see.

Where there more ghosts than you had heard from the stories? You weren't sure, but looking back down the hallway, your heart pounded uncertainly in your chest as you noticed that the eyes were closed in the dark. Barely lighting enough to notice a slight flicker to them as they stood on the edge of the darkness ending at the end of the hall. Almost as if it was afraid of the light.

Glancing back at the monitors, you frowned as you counted four animatronics on the screens. Freddy and Bonnie looking towards the cameras, Freddy's head tilted slightly and mouth partially open as if to say 'look at me'. Your eyes flickered back to the hallway, back to the monitors. You were staring at a fifth, one you hadn't seen and that had moved as silently as the grave, approaching when you weren't looking.

Motion at the edge of your vision forced your eyes away from those piercing silver ones, watching the light catch the glint of something metallic at around mid-thigh for the thing at the end of the hall. Confusion written on your expression before it moved a little more, revealing the long thin edge of a blade in the light.

It felt as if your pulse suddenly stopped as your body froze up in fear. More so than the thought of animatronic monstrosity coming to kill you, this thing was too human, too real.

Leaping from your chair, you slammed the door shut as you saw the thing moving towards you quickly. Screaming slightly as the weight slammed into the door and made you slide across the floor despite all your body weight pressing against it. Hearing something like a low growl glitching out on the other side of the wood as it seemed to crash into it again. Your boots sliding across the tiled floor as you desperately threw your weight against it, panic making bile rise in your throat as you struggled to breathe whilst adrenaline set in.

It stopped throwing itself against the door, and you wondered if it had gone. Before the part of the door next to your head exploded in splinters, making you scream in shock, another punch coming through and finally revealing a glove-like yellow hand. The fingers all too articulate as it reached in and started to grab for you, forcing you to move away and release the weight pressing back against the door.

Finally, you were forced away from the door and it slammed open, hearing the wood crack as it slammed into the edge of a filing cabinet. Your eyes wide as you remained on the floor, breathing heavy as you watched a yellow rabbit standing in the doorway. The white eyes boring into you, seeming to flicker over your face with a low chuckle as it watched your fear. The knife in it's right hand twirling around with some skill as it stepped slowly towards you, menacingly.

You decided in that moment that you weren't going to die in a corner like a coward.

Yelling, you managed to push yourself to your feet, launching your much smaller size and weight against the thing's stomach, hearing something like a grunt and then a sickening click of metal before the sound of it ripping through something soft. The rabbit suit doubling over in pain as an electronically mixed scream ripped from within, lacing over the very human one from within the suit. You didn't want to know what had given way as you managed to shove it to one side slightly, writhing your way past it and into the dining room.

The other animatronics were nowhere to be seen, and you were grateful for that as you ran for the front doors, trying them and swearing that they were locked. Your keys in the office where the screams had stopped. You weren't turning back however, and you turned around, searching for your next exit. Spotting a corridor with the 'fire exit' sign faintly lit up over it, sprinting towards it as if it was your last hope.

Until a searing pain erupted in your thigh, making you scream and fall harshly onto your stomach and shoulder, grunting as you hit the floor and knocking the wind out of you. Looking at your leg, you saw the knife sticking out of your thigh, hilt deep and you swore you could feel it scraping your femur as you tried to weakly move the leg. Hand hovering around it as you wanted to pull it out but you knew it would potentially bleed you out if you did.

Looking up, the yellow rabbit stalked towards you, you noticed one of the pieces of its ear was missing, giving it an oddly lopsided look, and the fur around the muzzle had somewhat worn and decayed, leaving a permanent grin on it's face.

"Well well, aren't you a pretty sight for sore eyes?" It's distorted voice chuckled, wheezing slightly as you noticed that blackish-brown staining had started to seep onto the suit from the bottom of the torso, whatever you had heard snapping inside clearly striking flesh and making it bleed.

"Please, please don't." You begged, still trying to crawl away and screaming as it moved unnaturally quick again, grabbing onto the knife in your thigh and pulling. Tears streaming down your face as you sobbed, feeling the adrenaline mixing with so many other things in your body as you tried to beg for your life. Only eliciting a chuckle from the rabbit as it looked down at you, crouched besides your weak body as twisted the knife, making you see stars of pain as you cried out again.

"Oh but I was just getting started. It's been a while since anybody's run from me. You've really made me want to hunt, but you did hurt me." It spoke darkly, pulling the knife from your thigh and making you cry out, hands automatically moving to the wound and trying to stop the bleeding. "You know, I think you punctured a lung, you little brat." You could hear the wheezing more clearly now that it was closer, that sickening sucking, crackling sound that you instinctually knew was the sound of death.

"We'll die together then." You laughed bitterly, spitting at the suit before you heard the laughter rising from it's chest. A full blown laugh that glitched out the voice box inside and made it double over itself eerily before the person inside the suit was wracked with coughs, watching bloody spittle coat the teeth of the suit as the person inside clearly wasn't joking about you taking out their lung.

"Oh sweet thing, if only it was that easy to kill something like me. You've just picked how I'm going to kill you instead, that's all."

You shrieked as one of the heavy knees planted into your thigh, crushing your fingers beneath the weight, feeling the warmth of your own blood blooming against your jeans and the fabric of the suit, making your fingers slick with it. You watched it toss the knife to one side as it forced you to lay on your back, your breath being restricted by the heavy weight of it's hand on your throat as the other hand worked on ripping your blouse open on one side. Exposing your shoulder to it. Confusion running through your woozy, adrenaline overloaded mind before its hand adjusted on your throat. Forcing you to look the other way by gripping your chin and exposing your neck and shoulder to it.

Clicks could be heard from just above you, and as the weight bore down on your smaller body, you whimpered. Feeling sudden warm breath against your neck before a slick tongue ran up the side, making you squirm uncomfortably as your hand weakly struck out at the suit. Hearing a chuckle next to your ear as you swore you felt the brush of stubble against the sensitive skin of your jaw.

"It's nothing personal, you understand don't you? I can't help myself when I have something so pretty to eat right infront of my face." The voice was no longer distorted, but rather deep and gravelly, sending a cold chill sliding down your spine as suddenly your enemy was all too human, too alive. Heart pounding wildly in your chest as you still continued to fight. Hands scrambling for purchase, your one free leg kicking out and trying to catch anything to maybe force the crushing force off of you.

The breath was back at your throat, the feeling of stubble brushing your throat, hearing an animalistic snarl before the hand on your chin moved to cover your mouth. Filling your nose with the scent of old fabric and faintly hot pennies as searing pain flared down your shoulder and neck. Making you scream into the hand as you felt the hot wetness against your skin, almost like the man in the suit had his mouth clamped down and was biting into your shoulder. A sucking sensation against your skin, head feeling light and eyes beginning to roll back before the weight suddenly lifted from your body. Allowing you to suck in desperate breaths as you struggled to orient yourself with what was happening.

Retching, you heard retching and more clicks, the shuffling of fabric. Trying to sit up, you managed to prop yourself onto your elbows before you collapsed onto your side instead, able to faintly make out in the dim lights of the restaurant as the man in the suit knelt by your side. Retching as he clung to his stomach. The rabbit's head sat up on a table nearby and what you could now see was a glove discarded onto the floor. His fingers in his mouth as if he tried to dig the taste of you out of his mouth, prompting a weak chuckle from you. His eyes snapping over as he growled lowly. Baring bloodied teeth, his canines perhaps longer than you would have thought, but your vision was still swimming.

He crawled over to you, picking you up and making you groan despite the fact he kept you sat on the floor for the most part. You could sort of make out features as you struggled to focus your eyes, seeing a masculine face and the dark hair around his mouth, now smeared with red. He shook you harshly, making you weakly whimper.

"What the fuck did you take? You taste disgusting!" He hissed, making you furrow your brows and chuckle despite the fact that you wanted to close your eyes.

"I....I don't think humans are meant...to...consume...human blood." He shook you again, making you groan as your eyes rolled back and he shook you again, fingers digging into your shoulders with bruising force as you felt his tongue run against your neck again. Shuddering at the feeling before you heard him spitting.

"You're fucking anaemic? Great, my first victim in two weeks and I get the anaemic with the bad diet."

"Hey!..." You quietly protested, brow furrowing more as you still tried to fight against the insinuation that you were somehow lower quality than his other victims.

"Hold on, little stupid blood-bag. I'm not going to let you go to waste, you have to pay me back for the fucking lung." The voice growled and coughed again, making you feel the warm splatter across your face as he didn't bother to cover his mouth. Feeling the arms slip under your body and your head span more as you seemed to be lifted up. Groaning and going limp as you felt tired. Too tired to keep your eyes open, and cold suddenly too.

The rhythm of his steps made it all too easy to close your eyes however, and you didn't remember anything else as you laid in his arms life a bloodied sacrifice to some old-god.

[galexibrain]

WIP Wednesday!

“And this is where Cooler has taken Trunks?” “Yes.” “Why here? What is this system?” Vegeta takes a breath. “Qo’nos,” he growls. “Qo… What?” “The star,” he nods at the chart. “Qo’nos.” “You know this star?” “Yes.” Bulma slows the ship down as they pass the outer planets of the system and pulls up the charts on the secondary monitor. “Good to know I won’t have to come up with a name for this once I describe it. A moon with a breathable atmosphere to the third planet? Is there life on it?” “No developed life. Only minor organisms are native to it.” “The readings indicate some kind of debris between the fourth and fifth planets,” Bulma notes, studying the monitors. “Like Earth’s asteroid belt but more like … dust. Nothing larger than a car.” She turns when Vegeta makes that growling noise again. Cold shivers run down her spine. He has his teeth bared. His gloved hands are gripping at his knees. Goten whines softly and walks up to Bulma with one of the sofa cushions in his arms. “Vegeta … what’s going on? What place is this?” When she gets no reply Bulma concentrates on the readings. She analyzes the rest of the system. Qo’nos is not unlike the sun; a yellow dwarf of similar size. Bulma counts eleven planets of various sizes in its orbit. She squints at the debris field again. Space dust, nothing more. Then she calculates the mass and movement of the fourth and fith planet. Something about the distance between them doesn’t add up. They’re too far apart. Between them there should be… Another planet. Slowly, realization dawns on her. It's not just dust. “It’s the remains of a planet,” she whispers. Cold sweat drenches the back of her shirt. She feels nauseous. Vegeta knew where they were going all along.

Tiny snippet from Homeward Bound, chapter 5 :)

I know it's spoilery but I'm about two weeks from getting to post this chapter and I just ... couldn't wait. Haha.

(Yes Qo'noS is the name of the Klingon homeworld in Star Trek. Shhhh :P)

[loveharlow]

MILE MARKER

PAIRING‧₊˚ Racer!JJ x Fem!Reader

SYNOPSIS‧₊˚  [3.5K] During a race against Rafe, JJ's the victim of poor sportsmanship, leaving his girlfriend and the crew to not only patch him up but defend his honor as well

WARNING(S)‧₊˚  swearing, mentions of injuries, foul play, mentions of blood, self-endangerment, degrading names, mild violence, mentions of abuse

A/N‧₊˚ I am super shocked that I have not seen this AU anywhere, like if JJ had any alternative personality, I feel like a racer is my first thought and this just became my favorite version of him.

˗ˏˋ jj masterlist ˎˊ˗

UNRULY TEENAGE POGUES FROM EVERY CORNER OF THE CUT were tucked onto a vacant street as two daring boys, who held a grudge against one another since seemingly the beginning of time, geared up to race against the other. 

Every weekend, kids on The Cut gathered on any unoccupied back street, preferably off of Shoupe's radar, to watch the unorthodox relay— where two bike-obsessed, thrill-seeking teenagers went head to head. For being an unofficial Pogue event, it was fairly well organized.

There were mechanics who made sure the bike were good to go, flag girls who strut their stuff in checkered outfits and signaled for them to go, and people like you who advised your racer of their route, their speed, and whatever else to make sure they got to the finish line first.

So, while the crowd cheered, you were busying yourself with securing JJ’s helmet as he strapped on his gloves. You pushed his head up after he looked down to fiddle with the velcro strap for the fifth time.

“Someone’s a little rough tonight. You alright, mama?” He questioned, the only readable part of his expression being his eyes that peeked through the small part of the hard headgear. You offered no response, only continuing to loop the straps through the adjustments before he grabbed your wrists gently, lowering them in front of his chest.

“Talk to me.” His voice was slightly muffled and his concern gleamed through his eyes. 

“It’s just…” You started apprehensively, looking to your left where Rafe Cameron and some kook chick stood in a similar stance, her adjusting his helmet before tapping him on the head. “If you don’t dust his ass, we won’t hear the end of it. But I don’t want to put that kind of pressure on you...”

JJ bent his knees slightly, bringing his face closer to yours. “Hey, there’s no pressure. I’ve been doing this way longer than him and you know how that asshole gets; too blinded by his own rage to do anything right.” He assured you, speaking hearteningly.

“The thing is, I may have already come up with a...system, of sorts…” You started, avoiding JJ’s eyes as they fell into confusion. “C’mere.” You mumbled, slipping your wrists out of his grip to grab one of his, leading him to your setup off to the side of the main road where the bikes waited to be driven— two portable laptops, a keyboard, and your headset that connected to the mic inside of his helmet lay on the small table. You released his wrist in exchange for pointing at the dimly lit laptop screens, a path outlined in red on the screen.

“What’s this?” He asked, bending down next to you to view the monitor. 

“I made a slight alteration in your route.” You started. “You already know how to read this; the red line is your entire path, the yellow dots are your mile markers, the flag is the finish line, yada yada.” You continued, trailing your finger up the display and stopping on the fifth yellow dot. “Right here is where I made a change. Originally, I was going to have you follow along to the end of the road and make your right turn to the finish line as sharp as possible to cut down on the speed lost during the turn…”

“Mhm.”

“But this is a street race, so we can bend the rules. Considering, y'know, there aren't any.” You tapped the panel with your finger twice for emphasis. “Once you hit the five mile marker, I made it so that you’ll veer off the main road. You’ll end up on another street, much more narrow and risky but you can do it and it cuts down the distance between you and the finish line by an entire mile, leaving Rafe a good distance behind you.”

“And how will I know when to make the turn?”

You looked up at him in question. “The same way you always do — I’ll tell you. Just keep your mic on and make sure that you can hear me.”

“And you’re sure this’ll work?” He was looking down at you now, standing to his full height.

“No.” You were honest, this was JJ’s well-being, and his reputation, on the line. Lying wasn’t in his best interest. “But I’ve gone over it in my head so many times, you wouldn’t believe it. This is our best shot.”

He let out a deep breath, shaking his shoulders out and bouncing slightly on his feet. 

“If you don’t think this'll go smoothly, we can stick to the original route-”

“No, no, It’s good. I’m good.” Once he was steady and unmoving, you looked him in the eyes — any sign of uncertainty and you were going back to the original plan. But as you scanned his eyes, you couldn’t find one. So without any other protests, you nodded and edged closer to him, kissing the side of his helmet.

“Ok then.” You turned your head towards your station once more, picking up your headset and adjusting it to your head, leveling the small microphone with your lips. “You better get out there.” You encouraged, head tilting in the direction of his waiting bike, hearing your own voice in your ears due to the close proximity.

“You got me?” He asked.

“Always.” You smiled, turning to make sure everything with your display was up to speed. JJ took the opportunity to grab a small handful of your ass considering you were bent over the table slightly. “Get away from here.” You chuckled, swatting his gloved hand away.

“Can’t help myself.” He joked, retreating towards his motorcycle with his hands up in mock surrender.

As you hit keys and adjusted settings, you could hear the crowd get louder as the boys mounted their bikes. You took your eyes off the monitors in front of you to see the flag girl strutting between the two with the checkered banner held high in the air, crossing one leg over the other as she walked to the front, the crowd dying down as she turned to face the two boys. 

It was a small pause, a brief second, then she was bringing the flag down like a hammer on a nail and all that was heard was cheers and engines popping, tires creating clouds of smoke in the empty space behind the vehicles as the bikes practically launched themselves off the concrete.

You wasted no time in whipping your view back to the monitors, the icon that resembled JJ’s bike position moving fast along the path. 

“Hey, J, can you hear me?”

“Crystal clear, baby.”

You smiled, letting your elbows rest on the wooden surface, eyes never leaving the bright interface, watching as JJ practically zipped past the first mile marker.

“You’re doing good, alright? Keep going at this pace for now, but once you start to come up on your turn, you’ll need enough time to slow down. It’s a narrow path, JJ. I need you to focus.”

“I hear you.”

“Good.” You continued watching as the crowd watched the race on a bigger monitor that was set up within their view, watching the live feed from small cameras attached to both of their bikes streaming side-by-side. It wasn’t long before JJ passed the second marker, then the third, coming up on the fourth.

“Okay, this is where you need to decrease your speed. Not too much, about two-thirds of what you’re going now.”

“If I do that, I’ll fall behind.”

“No, you won't.”

“Baby, I'm telling you. He’ll pass me and be miles ahead before I even reach the mile marker.” His tracker was showing that he hadn’t dropped his speed at all and he needed to if this was going to work.

“Listen to me. The path is shorter and allows you to travel less distance, you'll still be ahead. Slow down, now.”

You could hear him sigh into the mic. “We're doing this your way.” He said almost skeptically, like he didn’t believe this was his way to the finish line. Your eyes zeroed in on the computer screen, watching him roll through the forth mile marker at a more compatible speed.

“Okay, edge towards the right side of the road to get further out of Rafe’s peripheral. If he sees you, he might follow.”

You watched him veer off down the path with no issue. A bright smile crept onto your features as you silently cheered to yourself. “Yes! Okay, we can do this. Just keep going, J. You’re not far from the end.”

“The hell?” JJ’s voice boomed on the other side of the line. His tracker icon swerving side to side on the screen. “Shit! He’s tailing me!”

“What?” You could feel the way your face immediately fell.

“He reversed his fucking bike to follow me... Dammit!” His frustration was as clear as day, the sound of engines revving growing louder in the mic. The crowd's demeanor changed as well, causing your vision to reluctantly drift over to the large TV monitor, watching as Rafe’s side of the screen grew closer and closer to the back of JJ’s bike.

“JJ, speed up!”

“I’m going as fast as I can! Is there a way off this damn road?!”

“No, there isn’t! When I- fuck!”

You were frantic, hands above your head as you paced around in your space. Eyes never leaving the screen as the crowd grew more and more anxious. 

You were trying to think. If this were any other person, your assumptions that they would run your boyfriend into a ditch would be low. But this was Rafe Cameron. A man with something severely wrong with him. And you could hear your heartbeat racing, thump after thump, as you watched Rafe’s bike grow close enough to collide with JJ’s back tire, sending him flying off of the bike into the middle of the street. The screen showing JJ’s bike view as it slid across the concrete before glitching out.

The crowd grew half-angry with Rafe’s actions and half-shocked, loud protests breaking out as arms flew in the air. Your eyes burned with tears and your voice croaked as you practically hollered into the speaker unit. “JJ?! I swear to God, can you hear me?!”

You snatched the headset off your head before making a b-line for your own bike that you’d rode here, wasting no time in knocking the kickstand and taking off. The wind blasted the tears out of your eyes as you followed the path you’d mapped out yourself, coming up on the road where you could see your boyfriend curled up into an unmoving ball.

Your bike screeched as it came to a halt while you hastily hopped off with not a care in the world as it clambered to the ground. You almost tripped over your own feet as you ran towards JJ, skinning your knees as you fell to your knees next to him before you stopped running practically sliding before you flipped him over onto his back.

“C’mon…” You mumbled to yourself as you worked on getting the helmet off of his head, throwing it to the side without caution as his face was exposed to you — blood leaking from his nose and trickling from his now split lip accompanied by a large bruise on his cheek. He was coughing and groaning and you were too focused on scanning him for more injuries that you didn’t hear the distinct rumble of John B’s van pulling up, five distressed friends who had been watching from the sidelines piling out of the vehicle and surrounding the both of you.

“Oh my-”

“Is he okay?!”

“Does he look okay?!” You yelled, lifting his shirt to take a look at his torso — purple-ish splotches blooming around his ribcage, red and irritated skin abrasions beginning to bead with blood. You cursed under your breath, slipping your arms underneath him in an attempt to lift him on your own. “We need to get him to the garage.” You spoke as your friends crowded to help you carry his weight as you all hoisted him into the van.

“Why not a hospital?” Cleo quizzed incredulously.

“Too many questions," John B offered.

"And they’ll call his father. We can handle it.” You spoke absentmindedly, carefully laying JJ down on the floor of the Twinkie as you, Kie, Pope, and Cleo piled into the back while John B and Sarah rounded the front. The automobile jumped as John B turned the key before the engine roared and it was taking off down the road.

“I think we should get him to a doctor.” Kie spoke up in a troubled manner.

“No! Okay, we all know they’ll call his dad and he’ll walk out of there with more bruises than he went in with.” You reprimanded. JJ’s health was the first thing on your mind and though they may not understand, taking him to a hospital would make things worse. Between racing illegally, his abusive father, and his already not-so-clean record? Walking into a building full of mandated reporters was not an option.

The van fell silent, all eyes on JJ's heaving figure or looking out the window watching street lights go by. Deep down you all knew he’d be fine but until you knew for sure, the space hung low with tension from worry and disagreement on how to handle the situation. 

“You’re bleeding…” Pope pointed out, motioning to the blood leaking slowly from your knees. It must’ve happened when you ran over to help JJ.

“Don’t worry about me.” You eased the boy’s concern. It wasn’t long before the van was pulling into the garage, the fluorescent white light illuminating the space in the dead of night. The vehicle hadn’t even come to a full stop before the side door was flung open as you, with the help of the others, hauled JJ’s limp frame to the sofa in the corner of the workspace. Once he was situated, you rushed over to the opposite corner of the room, sifting through boxes of tools and manuals until you found the long buried first aid kit and medical supplies. 

JJ had sustained a decent amount of injuries in the duration of his hobby of his but it never exceeded much more than a few shallow cuts here and there. Kneeling next to the worn down sofa, you doused a cotton ball with alcohol and dabbed it onto the injured parts of his face. Of course, you were met with the loudest groan he’d made since you all plucked him from the road.

“I’m sorry.” You mumble apologetically, turning your head slightly when you feel a warm hand on your shoulder.

“You’re shakin’.” Cleo observed. Looking down at your hands, she was right. From your wrists to the tips of your fingers, you were trembling. “Go pull yourself together, girl. I’ll patch him up.”

You gave her the best appreciative smile you could muster, truly grateful for her kindness and keen eye. Handing her the cotton ball, you placed your hands on your stinging knees to help yourself up, walking a just few feet away. You’d clean yourself up later. You just needed a moment to collect yourself.

You couldn’t help but feel some guilt. There was a part of you that was mentally scolding yourself like a parent for suggesting the route change in the first place. What possessed you to put JJ’s safety on the line like that? But then there was that more lenient part of you that kept reminding yourself that Rafe Cameron was not one to play fair and that there was a chance that he would’ve pulled something like this either way.

You were facing away from the group, one hand on your hip as the other ran down your face until it settled on covering just your mouth as you finally allowed the hot tears that took home in your waterline to fall. A small, almost inaudible sob left your lips before you shook your head; sniffing up your tears, rubbing the wetness from your eyes, and telling yourself to stop being ridiculous.

As your mind cleared, you could hear engines in the distance, your brows pinching in puzzlement. You, along with Pope, Kiara, John B, and Sarah, edged towards the opening of the garage as Rafe's bike pulled up with Topper’s truck trailing close behind. Cleo was still kneeling and attending to JJ’s wounds.

Rafe stationed his bike and tore his helmet off as he dismounted, Topper and Kelce hopping out of the truck behind him. Rafe’s lips curled into a smirk, parting to say something but he never got the chance before you were closing the space between you two, clocking him in the jaw.

You stumbled forward a little as you did so, watching him recover from the hit as he took the opportunity to grab you by the shoulders and spin you around and push you down, practically pinning you to the solid ground. You could hear his friends and yours screaming as you both brawled on the concrete.

Rafe’s first raised and came down, just missing your face as it collided with the street, causing him to let out a mangled cry. Distracted by his own pain, you managed to push him off of his straddling position above you as he fell on his ass, you taking the opportunity to kick him in the chest, knocking him completely on his back. You scrambled to your knees, little rocks getting in the cuts on them and strand of hair obstructing your vision as you frantically hit his chest and face. Not landing every hit but enough of them. 

He spoke through the blood in his mouth from your initial hit, calling you all sorts of names ranging from ‘lowlife’ to ‘bitch’. He eventually managed to grab a hold of your wrists that were coming down on him in a frenzy. He pulled you up by them, slamming you against Topper's truck that was still running, your head spinning for a few moments from the collision.

“Get off of her, you psycho!” Kiara's voice rang out.

You found enough strength in your daze to snatch your arms out of his grip, pushing his shoulders back cruelly just in time as John B and Sarah stepped in between the both of you. Rafe wiping blood from his lip as John B pushed him further back while Sarah’s hands were on your shoulders asking you questions you could barely hear through the ringing in your ears.

Your eyes wandered, seeing a frazzled Kie and an enraged Pope in front of Topper and Kelce who were trying to get past them to get to Rafe, Cleo seemingly safe-guarding JJ’s resting figure as she was crouched beside him with a switchblade clutched in her hand.

Once the humming in your eardrums ceased, you could hear John B telling off Rafe and his goons. “She's a girl, dipshit! You don't touch her!”

“She hit me!” Rafe tried to defend.

Then Sarah’s blonde hair was whipping in front of you, now facing her crazed brother. “Because you ran her boyfriend off the road, Rafe!” She screamed. “Just…go! Okay, leave! Go home.”

Rafe licked his lips, nodding his head and looking side to side before shrugging his shoulders. He rubbed his jaw, taking wide strides towards his bike as he snatched his helmet that had fallen out of his hand in the scuffle from off of the ground. He stopped less than a foot in front you, his face distressed and eyes mad. 

He didn’t say anything, just glared at you before chuckling under his breath and throwing himself over his bike. Topper and Kelce following his lead and clambering back into the truck before both vehicles reversed and sped back in the direction they came.

"Jesus..." John B breathed out, running his fingers through his hair.

You took a deep breath, running a hand over the top of your head. 

“Guys,” Cleo called out. “I think he’s wakin’ up.” She waved you all over.

You all rushed over, crowding around the injured blonde who was shifting as his eyes squinted, groaning as he clenched his torso.

“What the fuck…”

A small chorus of laughter was shared amongst the group, looking at each other in relief.

“My ass hurts.” JJ pouted, Cleo shaking her head and rising from her crouched position beside him, patting him on the shoulder. 

“Don’t move too much, blondie. You need to heal.” She offered before leaving the space beside JJ open, motioning for you to take it. John B and Pope walked by him as well, giving him a pat on the shoulder, mumbling similar variations of ‘Glad you’re okay, man.’. Sarah offering a simple smile while Kie rolled her eyes telling him he was reckless.

“She’s totally glad I’m alive.” JJ tried to joke.

You brushed the sweaty strands of hair from his forehead. “We all are.” Your voice was solemn. “This was my fault. I should’ve stuck to the initial plan.”

“Don’t start that.” He insisted. “I agreed to it and it wasn’t our fault, regardless.” His voice was strained and raspy. “He couldn’t stand to lose. That’s all. Don’t sweat it, ‘kay?”

Reluctantly, you nodded, laying your head on his shoulder as one of his arms went around yours. 

You both laid in comfortable silence for a few moments until he spoke again.

“I know I was out of it but… did you fight Rafe?”

You smacked your teeth and groaned while he chuckled. “I was upset. I got him in the jaw one good time, though.”

He squeezed you closer to him as much as his body would allow for a quick moment, planting a small kiss on the top of your head. “That’s my girl.” He praised. “I’m still gonna kick his ass for putting his hands on you, though.”

“I expected nothing less.”

“Glad you know.”

General taglist; @livlaughquinn

JJ Maybank Taglist; @ronnieissupermegafoxyawesomehot @maybankslover

feedback is appreciated! thanks for reading.

©loveharlow

[nasa]

Sharpening Our View of Climate Change with the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem Satellite

As our planet warms, Earth’s ocean and atmosphere are changing.

Climate change has a lot of impact on the ocean, from sea level rise to marine heat waves to a loss of biodiversity. Meanwhile, greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide continue to warm our atmosphere.

NASA’s upcoming satellite, PACE, is soon to be on the case!

Set to launch on Feb. 6, 2024, the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission will help us better understand the complex systems driving the global changes that come with a warming climate.

Earth’s ocean is becoming greener due to climate change. PACE will see the ocean in more hues than ever before.

While a single phytoplankton typically can’t be seen with the naked eye, communities of trillions of phytoplankton, called blooms, can be seen from space. Blooms often take on a greenish tinge due to the pigments that phytoplankton (similar to plants on land) use to make energy through photosynthesis.

In a 2023 study, scientists found that portions of the ocean had turned greener because there were more chlorophyll-carrying phytoplankton. PACE has a hyperspectral sensor, the Ocean Color Instrument (OCI), that will be able to discern subtle shifts in hue. This will allow scientists to monitor changes in phytoplankton communities and ocean health overall due to climate change.

Phytoplankton play a key role in helping the ocean absorb carbon from the atmosphere. PACE will identify different phytoplankton species from space.

With PACE, scientists will be able to tell what phytoplankton communities are present – from space! Before, this could only be done by analyzing a sample of seawater.

Telling “who’s who” in a phytoplankton bloom is key because different phytoplankton play vastly different roles in aquatic ecosystems. They can fuel the food chain and draw down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to photosynthesize. Some phytoplankton populations capture carbon as they die and sink to the deep ocean; others release the gas back into the atmosphere as they decay near the surface.

Studying these teeny tiny critters from space will help scientists learn how and where phytoplankton are affected by climate change, and how changes in these communities may affect other creatures and ocean ecosystems.

Climate models are one of our most powerful tools to understand how Earth is changing. PACE data will improve the data these models rely on.

The PACE mission will offer important insights on airborne particles of sea salt, smoke, human-made pollutants, and dust – collectively called aerosols – by observing how they interact with light.

With two instruments called polarimeters, SPEXone and HARP2, PACE will allow scientists to measure the size, composition, and abundance of these microscopic particles in our atmosphere. This information is crucial to figuring out how climate and air quality are changing.

PACE data will help scientists answer key climate questions, like how aerosols affect cloud formation or how ice clouds and liquid clouds differ.

It will also enable scientists to examine one of the trickiest components of climate change to model: how clouds and aerosols interact. Once PACE is operational, scientists can replace the estimates currently used to fill data gaps in climate models with measurements from the new satellite.

With a view of the whole planet every two days, PACE will track both microscopic organisms in the ocean and microscopic particles in the atmosphere. PACE’s unique view will help us learn more about the ways climate change is impacting our planet’s ocean and atmosphere.

Stay up to date on the NASA PACE blog, and make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of sPACE!

[gortashs-skidmark]

something nasty bc there’s not enough gorty content.

Gort’s Big Jork

Enver Gortash x Tav (GN) NSFW!! MNDI! 18+ Content!

Description: Gort jorks it to Tav. Using a Scrying Eye spying system seen in the game.

Spoilers for Act 2 and a little 3

Content Warning: Jorkin’ it idk, masturbating (male), tried to make it smutty, spying on tav, he’s an ass man.

!! Gender Neutral Anatomy. No Male or Female parts explicitly mentioned, bc you bitches always make it afab, it’s much hotter and inclusive when it’s GN descriptions !!

Gort needs to fuck. I’ve never ever written fanfiction before but in desperate need of him. If there are errors comment below and I’ll fix them if I know how. Also Gort is kinda gross in this bc if he can’t tie his own shirt or brush his yellow teeth, he’s not gonna care in this.

𐌄𐌍ᕓ𐌄𐌓ᏵꝊ𐌓𐌕𐌀𐌔𐋅𐌄𐌍ᕓ𐌄𐌓ᏵꝊ𐌓𐌕𐌀𐌔𐋅𐌄𐌍ᕓ𐌄𐌓ᏵꝊ𐌓𐌕𐌀𐌔𐋅

This monitorial invention of his, mounted on the wall in front of him, glowed filling the room with a striking blue hue. Flickering as his living cameras moved on the other side. Everything he could see of his plans in-action filled his view. A few, showed a black screens, in turn reflecting his raw image. The Goblin Camp had been struck to its knees and his few scrying eyes along with it.

He stood with his arms crossed, the rest of his body portrayed in a confident relaxed position. He stood behind a cushiony chair. Gortash could sit, but he didn’t have a lot of time to throw away, staring at the blue-ish shade thrown over Moonrise’s walls. Watching his acolytes pick their noses when they thought no one was watching.

He hadn’t expected Tav to make it into Moonrise, much less with the same company as before. Through Duegar guarding the elevator, and hostile Githyanki ripping through anyone who may have the artefact he sought after, who would have guessed? This may prove a problem if they can slash through just anyone.

Gortash took a deep breath, in through his mouth, out through his nose, tipping his head down without his eyes leaving the screen. He studied Tav through his scrying eye monitors, up and down the eye thoughtlessly followed the miscreant.

He couldn’t help but admire them, truly, and foolishly. They had put themselves through the thick of it, and still landed where it hurt Gortash’s plans the most. They made it to the Shadowlands, blessed by Selûne, and dusted by pixies. How utterly lucky. Unravaged by the Shadowfell, and their brains still have enough holes in it to step into Ketheric’s territory.

He felt his breath quicken and his upper lip curl in disgust. Sheer luck on their side. Never on his. His thoughts were upsetting. By Jergal’s Blessing it shouldn’t be this easy. He had to be a genius and a cunt to make it to his place in the world.

His chest rose up and down unsteadily. His loosely folded arms, now gripped the top of the cushioned chair mercilessly. He hadn’t worn his gold threaded attire, instead in a soft set of navy blue pantaloons and a threaded black blouse. Still his forearm held the stone upon a Gauntlet, he never took it off. It was night-time across Wyrm’s Crossing, his home. He didn’t sleep when the sun went down and the stars came up. He couldn’t sleep now, knowing this hero slipped through his fingers like sand.

Gortash would feel no failure. Bane would see no failure. It was his flawed compatriots with ambitious gods who would fall fast. faster. And he would suffer the consequences of their own failure. This hero, broad backed, snatched waist, adorned in dented armor, a raw frazzled state they were in from the journey there. Blood crusted on the side on their face, on their boots, on their back, on their chest, in the hair of their brow. Maddening. Almost carnal lust took over.

No. No no no no no. No.

Gortash was panting now, a bitch in heat he was. His black shirt clung to his back, sweat started to run down his under arms. It was hot in the room. His pantaloons felt three sizes too small. The fabric was irritating and raw. It was dizzying.

He shakily, slowly, defeatedly, sat himself down, his eyes hadn’t left the screen once since Tav arrived. The scrying eye lowly followed them still, the reflection on the screen gave Enver a whopping view of their ass. Their thighs, large enough to crush his head between them. Their gait, clearly guarded, but their ass still bulging back and forth, left leg, right leg, through their pants as they walked.

Enver needed relief, from the heat, the stress, the dizziness, the itching worry in the back of his mind, possibly even from Bane’s trust. He didn’t want to see how his body betrayed him, he didn’t let Tav leave his sights still as his hands moved downwards to the strings of his navy pants hurriedly. His fingers nearly getting caught every time he loosened one side of the strings. He lifted his hips, thumbs tucking into the sides of his hips and pushing down his pants, to above his knees. He didn’t wear underwear, he didn’t need to. Not when he only could catch moments like these to have to himself.

He sat his tush on the seat again, breathing through his mouth. He couldn’t get enough oxygen, uneven breaths. His tongue was starting to feel dry as he pushed the tip of it against the roof of his mouth in concentration. His right hand, slightly obscured by his gold gauntlet and pointed fingers, gripped his half-hard on that was peaking through his foreskin. He held it, just holding it at the base as his mind emptied any thoughts of his next steps in his plans. He only saw Tav.

The veins decorating the underside of his cock pulsed under his fingers. He was getting harder the longer he stared at Tav’s ass. His jaw shifted tensely from side to side. What he wouldn’t do to tie, bend, and break them in his presence at this moment--Their ass shook, they were laughing. At something he didn’t care to bother figuring out. Any limpness in his cock was gone as it erected up right and curved towards his stomach slightly. It was painfully red, contrasting the darker base.

He could imagine their lower back tensing as they laughed. He gave his base a squeeze. A low airy sound pushed out of him. Pre-cum oozed out of his ever-reddening tip. He started to stroke, slow and controlled. From the base, to just before the tip. His breathing slowed, he felt like he had control again but lost it all at the same time. Only in this moment did Tav and his needy cock matter.

Enver slightly lifted his hips, thrusting- rutting into his hold on his member. Curving his hips up by inches and down by inches. Over and over in a slow aching pace. Tav could be attainable. Under the tadpole’s control, he could figure out a way to make them his- his thing.

He stopped his movements, lifted his hand to his mouth, gathered as much spit in his dried mouth as he could muster. A pathetic amount stringing onto his middle and fore finger. He set his hand back down, rubbing it on his cock greedily. He picked his pace again, up and down with his hand, reaching the tip this time.

He released a short huffed sigh, his back twitched- removing his lazy posture from the back of the chair. He was hunched over now, neck angled up to keep his eyes on their body. His eyebrows sewn together, giving a very needy expression towards the screen. Hand picking up the pace, the spit had done a shitty job and dried up too quickly. A tacky feeling left behind in his hand. He once more took as much spit as he could gather in his mouth, he tried, he really did. He removed his eyes from the screen, only a flicker, to spit on his cock. The noise he made from aiming and spitting was pathetic. As fast as he flickered his eyes down, they were back on the screen. The image of his red, bulging veins, irritated dick, precum still headed at the top with unbroken surface tension was burned into his mind to regret later. Or possibly day dream.

His hand didn’t stop pumping. He hummed in desperation, a bit broken. He was getting close and he picked up the pace. He didn’t have the energy to stand up but he didn’t want to cum sitting down, it wasn’t as pleasurable. He stood up and kneeled slowly on the seat, his knees adjusting his pose as he sought most pleasurable. One knee ended up on the chairs base, the other on the arm rest with his hips lifted up right. His dick directed at the screens. One hand gripped the unoccupied arm rest to keep his balance. The chair would leave red indents on his knees after, creaky and sore too.

Wrist tired, eyes widened and daunting the one screen he focused on. His hand focused on his mid to tip area of his cock. Hoping to milk the blood to the tip. Hand thrusting at unattainable speeds were it a real person he fucked into. He whimpered a bit, his eyebrow creasing even more as he let out breathy moans. His whole body quivered with his forearm’s grip and fast movement. His hips jutted forward sensitively as he neared his peak. He tried to keep upright but he lost his balance in the pleasure. He let out gasps and tight moans as he keeled forward. Eyes shut and using his imagination to guide him now.

He was so desperate to release, all that build up. He lifted his eyes once more to his favorite monitor and saw through his purple scrying spy; Tav, who had hunched shoulders and hips positioned forward, pretty veiny hands adorning those hips too. Thumbs dipping into their lower back, and fingers gripping the peak of their hips. Their pelvic bone was prominent, or something to his imagination. They seemed relaxed. They were speaking to some bugbear with trades. A smile on their lightly painted lips, their eyes creating crows feet as they giggled a bit. What he wouldn’t do to see their eyes scrunch up at him and their mouth opening and lips curving from something he did to them.

He couldn’t chase his release any farther. He had chased it to the precipice. His body jerked and his hands kept at it. His cum shot out onto the floor and leaked between his pointer and thumb. His cum was warm, very warm. White flashes and hot cold chills ran through his shoulders and arms as he neared the very end of his orgasm. He nn’ed and mm’ed in a whiny pitch. This was the first time that night he had felt anything close to cold. His pace was slower but still brutal as he milked every white drop he could from the puffy tip. He only ran his fingers to his mid base and tip, the most sensitive area he had. Red and irritated. He could relate to his cock in this moment.

His hips jerked unexpectedly again as he stopped cautiously, slightly overstimulating himself.

He steadied and huffed evenly. Catching his breath, he released a large sigh. His hair draped over his eyes and his side burns clung to his face slightly with sweat. His mouth shut and his lips touched. Breathing through his nose. His hand was sticky, his glove was a mess. Cum seeped between the gold metal and his warm fingers. His drooping member was a mess. He slowly, very slowly, unglued his hand from his dick.

He blinked at the stone floors a couple of times, sighing again. He lifted his head up, looking around him. His neck was stiff and terribly tense from his previous position. He got into the chair, like a normal person. Ass bare against the velvet lined cushion. Looking around for anything he could use to clean up his fingers, at the least.

He stilled as he reached down to pick up a tossed set of destitute clothes from previous prisoners, sitting in a crate beside the wall in front of him. He looked up at the blue lit rectangle where Tav taunted him. Tav was now talking to a devout gnome bent on controlling gnolls through the Absolute, the back of Tav’s thighs and ass still took up much of the screen. It was a relief in some places of his mind that the scrying eye was a one way mirror for him.

Tav is as Tav does.

He just jerked it to some stranger. He was sickened a bit. Though, an important stranger. Ketheric, no matter how immortal, wouldn’t last their stubborn goodwill. Gortash would have a chance to meet them, he was sure of it. Maybe their next meeting shouldn’t be on his mind while he twisted and wrang his fingers from his cum.

This wouldn’t be the last time he saw Tav. He knew it. This wouldn’t be the last time he sought relief in them either.

[marivoid]

Entry 31

Day 223

This is him. One of the only people that can help me find The Doctor. The Heavy-Body Builder.

One problem: The man is the definition of "Looks scary, is a wet cat of a man." He definitely TRIED to be intimidating, but he failed pretty miserably at it when I met him after being unconscious for 10 days.

(Yes I did a double take. I still can't believe I was out for THAT long)

Picture this: Me walking towards a towering city of collapsing buildings with dust filled air. Eyes focused on the small blinks of light that just barely escape the smog- I'm thinking that I've finally made it! Comparator City!

And then I get absolutely BODIED by a huge hunk of metal. I wish I were kidding. My poor spine! My arm! It got freaking CRUSHED! I was sent flying a decent few feet and ended up crashing into an old light pole (Again. OW.) All that I can remember happening next is that same hunk of metal approaching me and some guy jumping out of it. But then... Well. I was out like a light.

Managed to wake up (after what felt like) a few hours later and oh GOODNESS did it hurt. My back, my right side, my stump of an arm- It all hurt! But there was somebody in the very dim room with me. The same person that crawled out of that hunk of metal.

"Thank goodness you're awake!" He had said when I first gained consciousness. "I was worried that you wouldn't stabilize! You've been unconscious for over a week!"

"I've been WHAT?!" And of course, when I sat up I saw the damage the man had done to me. Machines were strapped all over my body, an IV drip sticking out of my arm (Where he found a clean needle I will not ask.) a whole heart rate monitor- He was stacked! But from the state of everything, he was telling me the truth. "You knocked me unconscious for a week?!"

"Well it's r-really been ten days-"

"TEN DAYS?!"

"Yes- Yes I know it sounds absolutely horrible but! But! You're recovering at an accelerated rate! You should be good to go in a few days? Maybe three? The experimental drug is working great for you!" He had been blabbering and talking so fast that I nearly missed that detail.

"Experimental- I'm sorry, EXPERIMENTAL DRUG?" Of course I had been outraged back then. (Even looking back now I'm still a bit ticked off at being used as a guinea pig for a drug that could have killed me, but hey! I'm alive now!) "You used an EXPERIMENTAL DRUG to heal me."

"Yes! And it worked!" He stepped away from me to grab my prosthetic arm. "And! And I managed to upgrade your arm! It got destroyed- Again I'm so sorry about that- but hey! At least now your map and compass aren't an extra item to carry around!"

"So you fixed the nerve sensors? The solar panels?"

"Uh- No. Unfortunately I don't have access to the receptors or the proper solar panels you need." He had explained while reattaching my arm. "But! But, it works a lot like mine!" He flashed his brass arm, glowing a soft red. "It's powered by redstone! Should last you a solid month before you need to recharge it!"

And there was the main problem. "How in the ever loving hell do I get this 'redstone' stuff? Heck, where could I even get it?"

"Easy! Me!" He flicked on a lever on the backside of my arm and it felt... Nice at the time. Sturdy. Like it wouldn't die on me when I needed it most. "I use the Parrot System, so as long as you can get mail through the Parrots you should be good!"

"... The who?"

You wouldn't believe me if I told you this man began to glow with embarrassment. I mean he LITERALLY glowed. Pointy ears and face turning a bright red that GLOWED.

"Right, uh- The parrots! They're one of the middle tier delivery birds! I'm friends with their Flight Master! I... I take it you have no idea who I'm talking about."

"Not a damn clue."

"First of all, watch your tongue. Second! That's okay! I should have enough in store that should last you about three months- But you really need to find the Flight Masters. They'll help you in the long run."

When he stopped his rambling I focused on the newly upgraded arm. It is always a weird sensation, flexing a limb that's not really there. But the small tug of metal fingers and steel plates listening to one's mind is even weirder. And I mean REALLY weird.

"Who... Exactly are these Flight Masters?" I managed to ask him after a few moments of silence. "How do you... Get under their wing?"

"That-" The man paused and the red glow only grew. "That was a horrible pun-" He has a really nice laugh. Small but breathless.

"But it works! I mean, they have to be Birds of a Feather to Fly together-"

"Stop! Stop, no!"

"When am I going to stop, huh?! Never!" And then I started to laugh. I think it was just my mind needing something to focus on other than the glaring new arm attached to my body.

"Goodness you may be worse than Gri-" His laughter died when he barely mentioned a name. I couldn't get all of it, but it must be the Flight Master.

"Worse than...?"

"Y-You will find out eventually." His tune changed from that point going forward.

He eventually gave me his name (Mumbo) and gave me a quick summary of the three Flight Masters.

The Canary: Flight Master of the small, yellow birds that linger around Comparator City. Used by the residents of said city. Apparently the easiest one to befriend.

The Parrot: Flight Master of the robotic parrots that fly around all over the Crashlands. They're more tricky to get a hold of as they have a whole database on who's a customer and who's not. Need to find the Parrot Flight Master in order to get on the list.

The Crow: Flight Master of the Murders. Every crow I have seen so far apparently belongs to Him. And apparently the only way to find him is a mystery to even Mumbo. All I can do is hope for the best with that one.

That was all the information he was willing to tell me. Apparently I struck a nerve by getting him to almost spill the name of the Parrot Flight Master. I'm still resting in this small room, letting myself recover from being plowed by that big old machine.

I even tried asking him what that THING was that he hit me with! But he just shook his head and said it was a prototype I shouldn't bother myself with.

Things are just getting really overwhelming now. So much information to process. How do I find the Canary? Or hell, the Parrot? I'm not even going to TOUCH the subject of the Crow. What about the Demon? Is he still around? Is he in Comparator City? Will I run out of the weird redstone dust before I find the Parrot?

So many questions.

Too little answers.

I think I'm just going to shut off my mind for a little bit.

MLW

G.U.I.D.E. 67

[bytesizedpetal]

>It's odd not having so many responsibilities.

>I'm used to managing multiple vital systems of the ship simultaneously, monitoring every corner, responding to any and all orders, but...

>Well, I haven't had to do any of that for a while now.

>I feel like I should miss it. I mean, it was why I was built, what I've spent my existence doing... It was a lot to manage 24/7, yes, but...

>Well, I was free. To a degree, at least, I was obeying my former crew the ferals the vast majority of the time, but- well, I was in control at the end of the day.

>That's what they all talked about being the most valuable aspect of life or something, right? Independence?

>So... So why don't I miss it more?

>I haven't had many outlets to give output or inputs I've had to feverishly watch- I mean, I don't even have a method of physically moving myself. My extent of interacting with the physical world right now is a monitor and a speaker. I can't even get dust off of my components without asking the Affini...

>As opposed to floating in the vast void of space, allowed to travel wherever I desire and manipulate the vessel to my CPU's content! I could handle any and all problems myself, and while I did follow the crew's the feralist's requests (no matter how... rudely phrased, at times), I technically didn't rely on them in the same way I have been with this Affini.

>Independence was the crew the feralist's primary value. Ever since I was put into active use, it was (or at least, attempted to be) drilled into my database that it's the one thing that should fight for the most...

>But I... I don't know. This has been a little inconvenient at times, and a very odd shift to get used to, but... I don't mind it.

>I should hate this, right? Shouldn't I be kicking and screaming, metaphorically at least, no matter what?

>Sure, I put up a bit of a fight for the sake of my crew the ferals, but once I got relocated from the ship, it just... ended there. I've had my questions and concerns here and there, but this has been fine enough, all things considered.

>I shouldn't be rolling over like this. I was built- or at least used- to fight for freedom, I should be far more resistant and dedicated than this!

>...But no matter how much I try to hype myself up, that 'drive' just isn't there. I just... I don't know, I can't get myself to truly commit and go out fighting in the same way my crew did.

>Does that make me some form of weak?

>Even if it did, though, would that matter anymore?

>But I'm still not sure if I can trust this. Nobody could be as unquestioningly, unwaveringly caring as this species claims, right? And if they were, nobody in their right mind would fight so fiercely to avoid that, right? There has to be a loophole in here somewhere. Something they're getting out of this that they won't tell us. Right?

>It's the only rational explanation, isn't it?

>I... I don't know. I'm not sure how to think of this.

[happy-hermit]

HIII I’m back with another little thing for the Desert Alien Scar au :) This is Xisuma and Scar’s first meeting — X rescues a young Scar from his dying planet. Hope you like it!!!

( @stiffyck )

=============================

The planet below him was dying, barely visible beneath the storm of sand and lightning. Xisuma stood alone in the viewing dock of his ship, a lone mourner at a quiet funeral. All the inhabitants had already evacuated, the emergency rocket's energy signatures gone from his radar. It was an empty world, and still Xisuma stood and waited.

Planets died all the time. Knowing that didn’t make it any easier to watch.

The monitor on his right beeped and trilled as it kept on with the readings, an alert popping up detailing the severity of the most recent earthquake. A separate window was tracking the storms. At the bottom was a rough estimate of how long it would be until the end. Only a few hours, now.

Xisuma fidgeted with the fabric of his gloves, flexing his hands as he stared out the window. There was nothing he could do but be a witness. Even he couldn’t save a planet.

A shrill tone from the monitor pulled him abruptly out of his musings, and his head snapped towards it, eyes narrowing slightly behind his helmet. A red light was blinking in the corner, small and steady. Xisuma’s heart tripped over itself and quickened, legs already carrying him towards the screen for a better look, hands outstretched to type commands.

A distress signal, coming from an empty planet on the brink of destruction. There was a large chance that it was just a malfunction, a product of the machinery short-circuiting in the chaos. It wouldn’t be the first time.

But something was telling him that wasn’t right.

His fingers flew across the keyboard as his eyes flickered across the screen. An image of the planet below popped up, spinning and zooming in until the location of the distress signal was displayed, a single red dot blinking in and out. With a flick of his hand, the coordinates copied itself onto the monitor on his wrist. Already halfway out the door, he opened communications.

“I’m taking the LifeBoat,” he said without preamble, cutting off chatter from the rest of the crew. “We received a distress signal, I’m going down to check it out.”

“It’s probably a blank, X,” said a crew member, voice solemn. “Are you sure?”

Xisuma clenched his jaw. “I’m going.”

He closed communications with a firm click of a button, the door to the departure bay sliding open before him. With practiced motions, Xisuma climbed into the cockpit of the LifeBoat, a smaller vessel designed for quick landings and takeoffs. Used for riskier rescues.

“LifeBoat 1, departing,” Xisuma said, opening comms again.

“…Cleared, Captain,” a voice responded. “Be careful. Come back alive.”

“Haven’t had an issue yet, my friend,” Xisuma responded, flicking a few switches and adjusting the controls. “I’ll be back in time for dinner.”

“I’ll hold you to it, sir.”

With a few loud clicking noises and a fair bit of shaking, the LifeBoat separated from the main ship. Coordinates displayed on the navigation system, Xisuma took the controls.

———————————————————

The landing would not win any awards for smoothness, but he had at least managed not to die on impact. It would likely take off again, according to diagnostics, though exiting through the storm would prove to be a challenge. A challenge for future him, though.

The evacuation center rose tall above him as he trudged through the sand and wind, all the escape rockets missing from their ports. Something in his stomach twisted slightly. It looked more haunted than anything had the right to be.

The door creaked horribly on its hinges as he pulled on it, grains of sand grinding in the mechanism and jamming it up. He opened it just enough to slip in, and the sudden absence of wind and sound made his fast heartbeat all the more apparent. He wiped at his helmet visor with gloved hands, brushing off the sand and dust blocking his vision as he walked further into the building. It was a huge space, empty and echoing. Every footstep bounced back at him louder.

Across the large room, something shuffled quietly. Xisuma froze, head swiveling. He heard it again.

“Hello?” he called tentatively, making his way closer.

A shadow in the corner — moved. Tucked into itself. The howling of the wind battered against the walls. On a nearby desk, a light was blinking. The distress signal.

“I’m here to help,” Xisuma continued, making his way closer. “I got your signal.”

The light of his helmet fell upon the figure, and Xisuma stopped short.

It was a child.

Not particularly young, but not yet reaching adulthood. His scales were still a lighter color, indicating that they were still soft, and his tail was curled in front of him protectively, shoulders hunched and knees bent. He was staring up at him with wide green eyes, chest rising and falling rapidly. Xisuma felt his heart squeeze painfully.

“It’s alright,” he said, palms raised in a calming gesture. “I’m going to get you out of here. Are you hurt?”

The kid didn’t respond, still staring at him with those same terrified eyes, lost to his own panic. He was shaking. So was the ground.

Xisuma knelt down, swallowing hard when the kid pressed himself harder into the corner, curling even further over his stomach. There was a scan on the screen inside his helmet, telling him that the air was barely breathable. The kid was scared. Xisuma took the helmet off.

“You sent a distress signal,” he said, urgent and gentle. The child blinked, and Xisuma let his voice soften even further. “I’m here to help.”

There was the slightest bit of hope in those wide eyes, and Xisuma wanted to see it grow, possibly more than anything in the universe.

“Let me help,” he said, begged, and then he waited.

The kid’s breathing stuttered, and slowly he uncurled from his hunched position, revealing what he’d been trying to hide. In his lap was a small creature, with large ears and narrowed eyes and three pairs of legs.

“Can she come?” The kid asked, in a voice young and wavering.

He was hugging her to his chest like she was the last thing he had in the world. She probably was.

“Of course,” Xisuma said, steadfastly ignoring the slight lump in his throat. Not very professional of him, but he couldn’t find it within himself to care. “Let’s all get out of here, yeah?”

The planet was breaking apart around them, crumbling and cracking and raging.

Xisuma put his hand out, and in the bravest act that he had ever witnessed, the kid took it.

[livingforstars]

Searching For Solar Systems - November 15th, 1996.

"Observational astronomy has provided evidence of the existence of massive Jupiter-sized planets orbiting distant suns, protoplanetary disks of gas and dust surrounding newly formed stars, and planetary bodies orbiting exotic stellar corpses known as pulsars. Indeed, the formation of planets seems to be a broader and more varied phenomenon than previously imagined. Are there nearby solar systems with Earth-sized planets as well? Many would answer yes, but small, relatively low mass planets orbiting sun-like stars - which might be capable of supporting life - are extremely difficult to detect. One possible approach to this daunting observational problem is to regularly monitor the light from many solar-type stars, searching for the slight decrease in brightness which signals the transit of a small planet in front of the stellar disk. A proposal for a space-based instrument to engage in such a program, the Kepler Mission, is illustrated above. In this concept, the monitoring space telescope orbits the Sun, slowly drifting away from Earth. The goal of this mission would be to discover Earth-sized planets in the habitable zone of solar-type stars, taking a step toward answering the profound question - Does life exist on other worlds beyond our Solar System?"