#everything's honky dory over here

[auntie-histamine]

I'm doing great 👍

[thran-duils]

Lost In Zero Gravity (P.10)

Title: Lost In Zero Gravity (Part Ten) Summary:  Fem!Reader x Mob Boss!Tony Stark x Mob Boss!Steve Rogers.  Reader is a call girl who runs high end parties. She catches the attention of Tony Stark who invites her back to his room with his friend. She might have performed too well because she becomes their new favorite play toy and they don’t like to share. Words: 2,978 Warnings (for the fic in entirety): Smut, prostitution, infidelity, angst, domestic violence, stalking, possessive behavior

Part Nine || Part Eleven || Masterpost (mobile) || Fanfic masterpost

Daryl immediately went to the bedroom, calling out for Y/N. He did not find her in there or in the bathroom. He swore underneath his breath, taking his phone out of his pocket and dialed Steve.

Steve answered pissed off, “This better be fucking important, Daryl. I am not having a great day as you sure as hell know.”

Sighing, immediately hating the fact he had to be the one the news came from, he said, “Y/N’s gone.”

Steve’s tone immediately changed, “What do you mean gone?”

“She’s not here and neither is the cat I think because it hasn’t come out. Her key is here on the coffee table, the apartment wasn’t locked. And Terrence is here passed out drunk on the couch like a fucking idiot. Hold on.” He went to the closet and opened it, seeing a lot of clothes taken off the hangers. “Yeah, she definitely packed a bag. There’s a lot of clothes missing from her closet.” Steve was quiet on the other end of the phone and after a few moments, Daryl prodded, “Boss?”

“I don’t have the fucking time to deal with this shit!” Steve shouted, causing Daryl to pull the phone away from his ear. “How did she get past you?”

“I don’t know. She might have taken a back way since she did not have to worry about Terrence stopping her.”

“He—you said he’s drunk? In the apartment? On her couch?”

“Yeah, seems like it. There’s an alcohol bottle on the coffee table and a couple glasses. He’s passed out, still breathing though. I checked.”

Steve chuckled humorlessly, “This day just keeps getting better and better, doesn’t it, Daryl?”

“I—”

“That was a rhetorical question, shut the fuck up,” Steve snapped. “Stay there. I’m going to call Tony.”

“You got it, boss. I’ll try to get Terrence up with somehow.”

<><><>

“So, just think about that,” Tony sneered at Alessia. Tears were pooling in her eyes as he continued staring at her. He shifted back after a few moments, giving her some breathing space.

“I don’t want you here!” she said, her voice shaking.

“That’s fine, I have another place. I’m sure you saw it earlier,” Tony said, brushing her off, which only served to make her more upset. “You can stay here – and not do anything rash like I just warned you not to because remember, you are not going to win that battle – and I’ll leave for a bit. Let you settle down.”

“You’re not going to gaslight me into not being angry, Tony!” Alessia told him tearfully. “You don’t get to treat your kids like you did and then expect me to not be angry—"

“Maybe you should have been smarter about how you fucking approached me!” Tony spat back at her, cutting her off. “I tried to be nice and apologize and you were not hearing it. So, done with the nice act. You threaten me, forgetting you have no leg to stand on outside of this house or marriage without me. And I’m not gaslighting you. I’m telling you what the situation is. Just because you don’t want to hear it doesn’t mean I’m wrong. You know I’m right.”

Alessia was quiet and he threw his hands out. “That’s what I thought. So, get it, whatever it is, out of your system. I’ll make it up to the kids with a trip that I promised Olivia just now when I was downstairs with her if you didn’t hear that, and everything will pan out and we’ll be honky-dory again before we know it.”

His phone rang, cutting into the conversation. He did not pull it out of his pocket, letting it continue to ring and go to voicemail as he moved to end their argument. “I’d give you a kiss goodbye, but I’m sure you’d slap me again.”

“You’re damn right,” Alessia snapped, wiping at her eyes.

Tony snickered at that and said, “Well, baby, I’ll check in in a day or so. See where we are at.”

He turned away from her and looked down at his phone seeing it was a missed call from Steve. Dreading the reaming that Steve was probably going to give him about how mad Cecile was, Tony sighed. Still, he pressed call back.

“Look, I know—” Tony started to say but Steve cut in as Tony started descending the floating staircase towards the ground floor of his mansion.

“We have a problem,” Steve snapped. “Y/N seems to have run for the hills.”

Tony stalled on the stairs and asked, “Excuse me?”

“Daryl found the apartment unlocked, cat’s gone, clothes are gone, key was left behind for the apartment, Terrence is fucking drunk and passed out on the couch – I would like more on that story as I’m sure you would as well – and she’s nowhere to be found. She somehow got around him.”

Tony bit his bottom lip, trying to stop himself from shouting because he spotted Olivia and Forest waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. He did not want to lose it in front of them like Alessia had started to when he walked into the house and he had forced her to go upstairs away from them.

“I’m going over there right now. I told Daryl to stay put,” Steve said on the other end of the phone.

Tony shot his kids a smile and then continued down the stairs. “Well, I’ll be there as soon as I can. I’ve gotta say goodbye to the rugrats.”

<><><>

“I only had one drink. I swear it,” Terrence told Steve and Tony, looking desperate.

Daryl had tried to wake him up to no avail before Steve showed up and threw a cup of water into his face. He had sputtered awake, looking at a loss why he was there. Steve had forced him to stay on the couch until Tony got there, which did not take long.

“Why were you drinking at all?” Steve snarled.

Terrence shrugged, “I… she gave me the drink. She was super drunk and tried to leave the apartment. I stopped her from leaving and redirected her inside and then she told me she wanted to have a drink. So I thought maybe it would keep her in the apartment and hopefully pass out soon. Because she was tanked. She was having trouble standing.”

“You’re sure you only had one drink?” Natasha asked from by the island.

Terrence craned his head to look at her and he said honestly, “Yeah. I was sipping on it. It was just the one.”

Natasha’s eyes narrowed and she started searching around the kitchen.

Terrence was focused back on Tony and Steve in front of him. He pleaded, “Bosses, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to happen. I don’t know why I passed out. Please…”

He was begging for his life or to be spared from a brutal beating, that was clear.

Natasha walked over from the kitchen area and held up a small pill pocket between her fingers to them.

“Found it in the trash. Sleeping pills. Bet you run him, you’ll find some traces. Y/N isn’t stupid with that move, but she still is by leaving this in the kitchen trash.” Natasha directed at Terrence, “She probably laced your glass. That was smart.”

“I’m not sure I would refer to this as ‘smart’,” Tony said dangerously.

Natasha shrugged, “Well, I think it is if we isolate the action. If she was planning on leaving without being stopped.”

Tony still looked piqued at the comment.

“We’re not going to kill you, you blubbering idiot,” Steve snapped at Terrence who was still looking up at them in fear. “Just get out of my fucking sight before I sock you.”

Terrence stood up with some help from Daryl and left the apartment.

Steve ran his hands over his face angrily and exclaimed, “Why is everyone hell bent on pissing me the fuck off today?”

“You win some, you lose some,” Natasha commented, leaning against the counter, crossing her arms. Steve glared at her and she smiled in return. “You know I’m just trying to make you smile.”

Tony asked sincerely, “How was Cecile? Alessia said she told her.”

“She sure did.”

“Made good on that threat then. I owe you an apology for my wife taking a fat dump all over your already strained relationship just because she’s vindictive. And for setting her up to be vindictive enough to follow me around.”

“You think?” Steve returned harshly.

“You know I hate apologizing. So, can you just accept it? I’m sorry.” Steve gestured weakly in acknowledgment. “She leaving?”

“No,” Steve said immediately. “She told me she has no place to be mad and I told her I knew. She was not surprised I knew about him. It’s just… awkward.”

“I told you that prenup was a good idea though didn’t I?” Tony commented.

Steve snorted lightly, “Yeah. But I don’t like it out in the open that I’ve got someone on the side. Knowing about her was one thing but I don’t like her knowing about me.”

Tony shrugged, “Well, maybe the two of you can work past your shit now.” Steve rose his brows and Tony shrugged again, “There will be some mutual understanding. No more elephants in the room.”

Natasha nodded in agreement with Tony when Steve looked at her. “Slates cleaner.”

“I fucking suppose. What about Alessia? Did she hit you again?”

It was Tony’s turn to snort, “No. But she did start to shout at me in front of the kids and I was not going to let that happen. She started in as soon as she saw me walk into the house, yelling at me to get out. I don’t need the kids seeing that shit. I made her go upstairs.”

“So…” Steve said expectantly.

“She won’t divorce me. She won’t get anything, -- especially the kids – and she knows it. But she can be pissed off as much as she likes, and I’ll just stay here at the apartment until she stops being a colossal cunt.” Tony let out a strangled, annoyed noise. “I was hoping to make it up to Y/N but seems that’s not happening immediately. And I’m not sure I’m inclined to be nice now considering the circumstances.”

“We’re going to the brothel,” Steve said.

“That was exactly my thought.”

<><><>

Tony and Steve strolled into the brothel, a handful of men at their back.

Steve held up his hand at a woman that tried to approach him to solicit, and he shook his head. “Where’s your madam?” The girl looked put off and stammered. “Don’t stand there looking stupid. Go get her!”

The woman scurried off down the hall quickly. The security was watching the group of them warily.

“You got any brandy?” Tony asked one of them. One nodded and Tony gestured at himself and the guys, “A round then?” The man nodded and went over towards the table to get him some.

Tony took the glass from him, sipping on it. “Mhm, nice. That’s a good batch.”

Tony’s eyes fell on the girl who had just walked in holding Luna.

“That answers the question,” Tony said darkly just as Steve noticed as well. The girl noticed who it was and her eyes got wide. She held the cat closer and made to leave the room, but Tony snapped his fingers at her repeatedly, gesturing towards himself. “No, no. Come back.” She reluctantly did, coming up to him timidly. Tony’s hand came out and he scratched Luna behind the ears. “Hey, sweet girl. Where’s mommy?” He directed the last question at the girl, looking expectant.

“You can check everywhere but she’s not here,” Tatiana said firmly from the doorway to one of the halls, drawing their attention.

Tony straightened up, his hand falling from Luna. “She was though because the damn cat is here.”

“Yeah, she was,” Tatiana admitted. “Can we go to my office?”

“No, we can have the conversation right here,” Tony said, taking another sip of his brandy. “It doesn’t have to take long. So, she was here?”

Tatiana looked irritated by Tony’s refusal to move but she did not verbalize it; instead answering him, “Earlier. But she’s not here anymore.”

“She out?”

“I told her she couldn’t stay.”

“Why?” Steve questioned, waving off the man who tried to hand him brandy.

“Because I didn’t want any trouble. With you or any of your men.”

“So, your brilliant plan was to just let her go wandering off to God knows where when you could have confined her here and waited for us to come collect? Is that what I’m hearing?” Steve asked, leaning forward towards her, a dangerous look in his eyes.

Tatiana was silent, staring back at him, looking very much like a cornered animal.

“That’s what I’m hearing,” Tony chimed in when Tatiana did not speak.

“Me too,” Steve responded, his gaze burning into Tatiana.

“When you put it like that, it does sound like a viable option,” Tatiana told them, drawing a wicked smile out of Steve at her impertinent tone. “But she didn’t want to be collected, so it really seems like I may have done the proper thing in the grand scheme of things. Walking the line and keeping myself from falling on either side of it unfairly.”

“Where’d she go?” Steve snapped.

“I don’t know.”

“You wanna try racking your brain a little harder?”

Tony pointed at the girl still standing there scared with Luna. “You. Why do you have the cat?”

“I… I like her—”

“She’s got nothing to do with it. The cat’s gonna be a house cat,” Tatiana said firmly, cutting in to save the girl from questioning. “Elisha, you can go.”

Tony’s brow furrowed for a moment, his eyes snapping to Elisha. His hand shot out and gripped her arm tightly. Tatiana stiffened at it and Elisha looked at him fearfully.

“Elisha… Elisha…” Tony said. “I know your name. Y/N mentioned you.” He flashed her a toothy smile and said, “Love, where would Y/N run off to?”

“I-I don’t know,” Elisha said, her voice warbling.

“Tatiana, I really don’t want to have to get physical about this,” Steve said, raising his brows. “I’ve had a pretty shit day and if one thing could just go right, that would mean the world to me. The difference between me losing my shit and not losing my shit, if you get my drift.”

“I’m telling you the truth. I don’t know where she went. She said she couldn’t go home because she didn’t want to put her grandpa in danger and she wouldn’t tell me where she was going to go then,” Tatiana said, keeping up an even voice.

Steve stalked towards her, towering over her 5’2” frame.

He leaned in close and asked maliciously, “What would happen if the Spades were allowed back on the block?” Tatiana stiffened at that and a cruel smirk came across Steve’s face. “You don’t like that idea, do you? Who do you think keeps them clear of you and the other whorehouses around here? Hmm? Lets you run your place all on your own without pimping? You don’t think that was just ‘good ol police work’, do you?” He saw the look on her face and now he let out a low chuckle. “Tell me you didn’t, Tatiana. Really? That’s what you thought? No, we protect places we like to frequent. I don’t need to come to some dirty, drug ridden den if I wanna show up here. I want a nice place, like this. And it is a beautiful place, isn’t it?” He gestured around the room. “And I want the girls coming to our parties to be clean in every sense of the word. It would be a real shame if that protection was shattered, wouldn’t it?”

Tatiana was keeping a brave face, the room silent, watching the two of them intently.

“You’re going to put all these girls at risk for one?” she asked.

Steve looked surprised by her reaction. He recovered quickly though, laughing scornfully.

“Well, yeah. I paid for her didn’t I? Even more than she owed you if I recall. And she still owes a debt to us. You know about debts don’t you? What are all these girls doing in here for you? They’re under contract. It would be a fucking insult for one of them to break that contract, right?” His voice changed then, sounding angry. “But these women don’t need to be at risk if you would just. fucking. cooperate.”

Tatiana did not make a move.

“You think I’m bluffing?”

Tatiana still said nothing, but Steve could see she was visibly shaking. So could Tony and he decided to ramp it up because she was at her breaking point; she just needed to be pushed over the edge.

Tony sighed heavily, “I’m tired of this back and forth.” He let go of Elisha roughly and said, “Love, make sure the cat stays out of the way while my guys make work of this place. I don’t need the little shit hurt. I actually like her.”

“Wait, what?” Tatiana said, suddenly worried.

Tony threw his glass at the wall, shattering it. He gestured at it, “That’s the general gist of things, guys. Overturn the place.”

Their men started to move, breaking things and Tatiana suddenly was singing a different tune.

“Don’t!”

She went unheeded and she begged, “Please, don’t!”

Chairs were being broken, pottery shattered on the ground. The women that had been nearby were racing out of the room, with a few of the men at their backs making to go down the halls and ruin more of the place.

“Stop!” Tatiana shouted now at Steve. “I… she did go home! I lied!”

~~~

Forever tags: @coconutqueen21 @undecidedsworld

Fic tags: @icant-hangout-imdrumming @oceaniamaddness @multifandom-superlover @imsonick @holl2712 @here4thefanfics

[ilikekidsshows]

Seriously, not since Mr Pigeon has an episode's premise been so full of bird crap. And it's even coupled with the "this happening makes no sense but the plot calls for it so we won't bother explaining it, it just happened off screen" from Antibug. This episode seriously expects me to believe Adrien ‘Chugs Respect-My-Twintailed-Godesses Juice’ Agreste didn't follow Ladybug's plan and instead pulled a prank on her mid-fight? And he wasn't possessed by an Akuma when this happened? HAVE THE WRITERS OF THIS EPISODE EVEN WATCHED THE SHOW? WAS IT SOME FIRST-TIMER?

I'm feeling like this was some "mandated from above" episode, because so many western cartoons have a "walk a mile in each other's shoes" episode. The argument happens so that they can have an argument. Adrien literally did nothing wrong in this episode that we can see, so Marinette just comes off as really mean and like she’s holding a grudge because Cat Noir dared to say she has no sense of humour, which he’s shown to be right on in this episode. Every “joke” by her was her repeating something Cat Noir had said, but saying it more sarcastically, so it’s now an insult instead of a playful tease. Her playing the role of the jokester didn’t have her come up with any actualy jokes. Like, here’s the thing: Marinette can be funny on purpose, even as Ladybug. The show suddenly claiming she’s 100% serious 100% of the time doesn’t make it true, unless the show is implying Marinette is growing more serious on the job as time goes on as she becomes unable to deal with the burden of being Ladybug. Of course, if that does end up being the case, I will give this episode props for foreshadowing a Ladybug breakdown with her taking a bit of routine banter way too personally here.

However, I do appreciate how the episode ended up solving the argument. The fact that they didn’t. Marinette and Adrien simply got their heads in the game and dealt with the threat and everything was honky dory after because they’re close enough by now to survive a small disagreement with no need for apologies or figuring out who was “in the wrong”. Just like Adrien in Glaciator, Marinette held a grudge for a while, but then got over it, and that’s it. The “we all have our roles” bit was unnecessary and kinda ruined it, implying there was a lesson to be learned here, when no, Marinette has just become so sensitive that she can’t take mild banter from Cat Noir (that even includes compliments to her) without going into a tizzy for the rest of the day, because she thought he was genuinely mocking her. Marinette’s lesson of “listen to what other people are saying and don’t make assumptions of their motivations” should have applied to Cat Noir too: Marinette assumed he was being hurtful and spent the first half of their fight trying to hurt him back. As I said, she didn’t need to apologise for it, because it was a minor argument and they both got over it easily, but they didn’t really address the root of the issue, which is Marinette’s insecurity making her think her eternally supportive partner would suddenly turn on her.

Also, Cat Noir’s role is not the guy who is funny on purpose, it’s to be Ladybug’s backup and shield when necessary. And Marinette was shielding Adrien really well in this episode too, so it was right there. Like, some things in this episode imply knowledge of the show, while others are so...out of place.

[lokisasylum]

Trigger warning: homophobia, ideologically sensitive

So ya'll know how I was really excited and happy recently cause two IRL close friends of mine became Armys all on their own and everything was all honky-dory?

Well, yesterday I had the rude awakening of having to cancel one friend and for the most fucked up reason.

Homegirl was really out here manifesting her inner homophobe and was coming for BTS, ready to cancel them over some bullshit video made by an even bigger perverted, xenophobic, homophobe using "religion" to spread his hate agenda.

And even after explaining to her, with receipts in hands and all, that this person (like many others before them) was nothing but another problematic roach in the system. Trying to take down BTS due to their fame, with baseless malicious rumors and what not to try and manipulate new and younger armys to leave.

How this sort of shit happens every year, either at the very start, middle or end of year and that if she really wanted to be part of this (be an Army), that she'd needed to grow a thicker skin and learn to deal with it, move on, TRUST the boys and trust real Armys with REAL SOURCES.

But no... because in the end the problem wasn't the video, the content, ect.

It was HER and her open DISGUST/REPULSION for anything LGBT+ (or anything that may scrape around the edge of it).

....I WISH I were making this shit up, but no.... this was one of "her many reasons" for no longer wanting to deal with BTS, kpop, ect a month into "stanning them" and consuming all their content (I don't even know WHY she brought up HS or B/P into this mess either, when the conv wasn't even about them, so that was uncalled for.).

Naturally, as someone who has family members and dear close friends in the community, I was hurt in the way she continuously kept attacking and repeating how disgusted she felt (puking emojis and all). Especially someone I have known since college and we even worked together for 5 years, but this is just another sad example of what some religions (or cults/sects) do to the weakest of minds. People unable to think for themselves.

It's fine to have your beliefs, your faith, something to lean on outside of this shithole called life. And if it becomes your main source of happiness and hope then GREAT! (I myself was raised in between Catholicism and Protestanism).

But when you get to a point where you feel entitled to belittle, hate, ofend others who think, look, feel differently from you that's when its time to reevaluate your self AS A HUMAN BEING.

You can't go around preaching about "love thy neighbor as thy self", while at the same time talking shit about said neighbor.

Because THAT in itself is NOT okay just because you say or think it is. And being a hypocrite also comes with its consequences.

[thelawyerthatwaspromised]

Hey I just discovered your blog and was wondering what do you think will be the cause of Jon and Dany possibly opposing eachother? I mean it has to be after the battle. And I know that he is the heir and that's his aunt is enough to drive a wedge. But I mean what will cause dany and jon to finally tip over into opposition with one another?

Hello, I appreciate the ask! I’ve actually not written explicitly about this in awhile.

I had this meta (How and Why the Alliance Could Fall) but that was from quite some time ago so there’s some stuff in there that’s evolved a bit. (for instance, I had thought that the Golden Company betrayal by Cersei would be the spark that made Dany burn King’s Landing whereas now I think there are more moving parts)

I might make a longer post of this but if I had to reduce it to bullet points:

1) R+L=J will be the ultimate wedge that turns Jon into a bonafide political rival to Daenerys

2) Daenerys will already have a cold reception in the North - something that she’ll will be unhappy about especially give how Jon assured her it’d all be honky dory once they arrived in the North.

3) Dany’s past decisions will be catching up with her (burning the Tarlys, burning the food)

4) Dany’s own insecurities will prove self-defeating (finding Sansa a threat, doubting Tyrion - then probably judging him a traitor once Jaime arrives and they find out about the GC betrayal AND the fact that Tyrion will want Jaime protected, Gendry’s identity likely being found out which would cause Dany to find herself in the same castle as the bastards of Ned Stark and Robert Baratheon

I don’t expect the relationship between Dany and Jon/the Starks to fray gradually. I think it’ll be pretty spectacular and quick. 

There’s a confluence of things: Jon not being as devoted to Dany as she might have believed, Jon having priority in the line of succession over Dany, an overall displeasure with Dany’s new “subjects” in the North, a potential rival in influence over Jon and the realm at large in Sansa Stark, a looming betrayal from Cersei that’s bound to be found out, a realization that she’s surrounded by the children of the men that removed her family from power - everything is thrown in the mix here.

And I think the real severance will come because Dany doesn’t fulfill her end of the fight against the Night King before it’s all said and done. LIke I said, before I had believed the GC would be the spark, but now I think the GC will be a factor but it’s very possible she’ll lose her nerve when the NK atop Viserion comes into the picture. I imagine a very negative portrayal of the scene where Dany flies away from Meereen atop Drogon to escape her troubles AND because Drogon was being harmed. If she leaves the fight (and her armies suffer big losses in the battles with the dead) then her purpose to the North really disappears. 

So yeah, long story medium, that’s how I see it. I think it makes a good story!

[kiapet2]

Aperture Sides Facility, Chapter 11: Are You Dead Yet? How About Now?

Masterpost

Chapter Summary: In which Thomas has his second intense boss fight in the past, like, day. Help him.

Chapter Warnings: Death Mention, Attempted Murder, Neurotoxin

“Took you long enough!” Remus crows as you once again walk through the doors of the Control Chamber. “So which one of you dorks is going to be shoved in here next, hmm?”

If only you knew. “I don’t want to fight you, Remus,” you call up to the Core. “Just let us get you out of there, and we’ll call it good.”

“Hmm... how about, nah,” Remus says flippantly. “I’ve got a better idea.”

Panels of what look like clear plastic slide out of the ceiling, surrounding Remus’ body, while even more grabby hands pop out of the ground and wave about him like giant tentacles.

“I’ve been watching replays of your fight with old Snakes and Bad-ers, and found his performance to be just a bit lacking. Well played, didn’t quite stick the landing. So I’ve modified a few things. No portal surfaces for you, bombs and bomb-proof shields for me. Oh! And more neurotoxin, because why mess with a classic, right? I’ll be interested to see if you die in a fiery explosion or twitching on the ground!”

There’s a hissing of air as vents around you open. Even knowing what you did before coming here, you find yourself bracing for the sickly sweet smell of the neurotoxin. But it doesn’t come.

“Well that’s no fun,” Remus says petulantly. “Well, at least I still have these!”

You dodge out of the way as several small spheres are lobbed out of Remus’ mainframe. That instinct turned out to be the correct one as each sphere explodes on impact with the floor, metal shrapnel spraying and stinging your legs through your thick pants. You try to shoot a portal behind yourself in preparation for the next volley, but the portal light skids off the dark surface below you. Remus really has rigged things in his favor, this time.

“Over here!” Roman calls, and you turn to see him hanging next to a large, clear plastic tube.

A clear plastic tube with a suspiciously white substance flowing through it.

You run over to the tube, standing in front of it and watching as Remus launches the next volley of bombs, then once more dodging out of the way. The bombs hit the tube behind you, and white gel sprays out as the tube ruptures.

You shoot a portal at the puddle of white forming on the floor, and feel your face split into a grin as the portal forms. Within seconds, the room is liberally spattered in Conversion Gel and in a series of familiar maneuvers you’re using portals to send Remus’ bombs right back at him.

“Oh dear,” Remus says as he raises his shields to deflect another volley of redirected bombs. “This isn’t working out very well for me, now is it? No neurotoxin, my own bombs sent back at me. How ever will I kill you now?”

His eye narrows deviously. “Let’s try this.

Quicker than you can react, several turrets are lowered from the ceiling, forming a ring around you.

You feel the blood drain from your face. Janus warned you that, without new broken turrets being created, Remus would just use the old, working ones. Apparently he was right, and now you’re going to die because of it.

A series of red beams extend towards you as a chorus of small voices call, “Searching,” and other similar phrases.

“Target acquired.”

With nowhere to run, you close your eyes and brace for the bullets to hit.

“STOP!” a voice screams just above you. Startled, you open your eyes and look up to see Patton hanging just above you, handles flung out as if in warding.

You expect the turrets to shoot anyways, and possibly to hit Patton as well, but instead their red beams come up to examine him, their gun parts extended but not actively shooting.

“Now kiddos,” Patton says, voice chiding, “It’s not very nice to shoot people, now is it?”

You let out an incredulous bark of laughter.

“Now I know you all are just doing your jobs,” Patton continues, “but how about you take a little breather and let your dear old dad take care of things here, alright?”

There’s a tense moment where all of you remain frozen in place, then one by one the turrets retract into neutral positions, with calls of “Resting” and “Goodbye”.

Your stare at them and then at Patton, gaping. “What- how-”

“The Morality Core,” Virgil says softly. “I didn’t realize it went that far.”

“Aw, they’re some good kiddos,” Patton says. “Just needed a little nudge.”

“Oh come on!” Remus shouts. “They were supposed to riddle you full of holes! Is everything useless around here?”

As if in response, a familiar automated voice says, Warning, Central Core is 85% corrupt. To initiate a core transfer, please deposit substitute core in receptacle.

You once again thank your lucky stars for the amazing Core that is Logan. And then actually look at the receptacle rising out of the ground- the receptacle with a very prominent slot for placing Cores into- and feel your stomach drop.

There’s no getting around it, no more putting it off. One way or the other, someone new is being put in charge of this facility- and it’s up to you to decide who.

It’s a terrible decision, a decision you wish with all your heart you didn’t have to make. To choose between two of your friends, between two people who have helped you get here, who have put their trust in you and asked you to do the same. No matter who you choose, people you care about are going to get hurt, and that sucks.

And yet, if you distance yourself from the torrent of emotions about this and instead think about it in terms of who can resist whatever the facility does to its AI’s? Then there’s one answer that keeps popping into your head.

The Core who has unfalteringly trusted and supported you the entire time you’ve been awake. The Core who just defeated an entire group of turrets with kindness- the same turrets Janus had insisted were kill-or-be-killed. The Core who, even now, is frightened at the prospect of what you’re about to ask of him, but is willing to do it anyways to protect his friends.

“Patton,” you call, “Ready to go?”

Patton gives a sharp little intake of breath, then looks at you and gives you a firm nod. “Let’s do it.”

Janus’ light flashes to life for the first time since the start of the battle. “Thomas, what’s going on? What are you-”

But your hands have already closed around Patton’s handles, are already in the motion of placing Patton into the Core-shaped receptacle in the ground.

This time, after you put Patton in the receptacle you remain standing over him protectively. You don’t care if you have to slap away any grabby-arms by hand, you’re not letting him get taken away again.

Substitute Core accepted. Substitute Core, are you ready to start the procedure?

“I am,” Patton says, voice even.

Corrupted Core, are you ready to start the procedure?

Remus brandishes his grabby arms menacingly, like the tentacles of a deep-sea squid. “Not a chance.”

You remain standing over Patton as the Stalemate Resolution Button once again rises out of the floor, and when the flurry of grabby-arms come towards you you redirect the latest volley of bombs into them, sending them flying in separate directions.

“You can’t do that forever!” Remus sing-songs.

“He doesn’t need to.”

Remus whirls around, and Virgil gives him a narrow-eyed smirk as his metallic hand comes down on the red button.

Stalemate resolved. Please stand clear of the transfer bay.

Once again, both the Core at the end of the large robotic body and the receptacle lower into the floor, and once again the air is filled with screams.

“Thomas,” Janus says, quiet, horrified, “Thomas, what did you do?” You don’t have the courage to answer.

Finally, the long body of the AI mainframe rises out of the ground, a familiar blue-eyed core at its head- literally.

“Whoa!” Patton says, whirling around on his new body. “That’s a head rush!”

“Pat?” you call out worriedly. “How are you feeling? Anything abnormal? Compulsions, rushes of power?”

Patton stretches, and along the length of his body a series of colorful lights spark to life. The effect is beautiful, and you find yourself staring.

“I gotta be honest, kiddo, I don’t feel completely honky-dory,” Patton says. “There’s definitely some weird feelings in here. But I think they’re under control. I’m not going to make you do any more testing, that’s for sure!”

You laugh at that, heady with relief and adrenaline. You move forward and reach a hand up, patting the side of Patton’s Core where it hangs down. “Just let us know if it starts to get too much, okay? I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

“Aw, you’re so sweet!” Patton coos.

You start as something metallic wraps around you, realizing after a moment that it’s a grabby hand.

“Sorry kiddo,” Patton says. “I just realized I can give hugs now!”

That makes you laugh again, and you lean into Patton’s touch, relishing the comfort.

“It’s over,” you say, heady with the thought, “it’s over. We finally won.”

[camelliacats]

45 Ways to Make a Werewolf Fall for You (part 3/45)

Sirius has some funny thoughts.

Chapter 3: "A hot shower" [FFN] [AO3] | ←   → | start from the beginning

Pairings/Characters: eventual!Sirius Black/Remus Lupin

Rating: K

Words: ~480

Additional info: romance, slash, fluff, Marauder era, 3rd person POV

Summary: The Marauders, in the prime of their lives, from the last day they set foot at Hogwarts all the way to a reunion thirteen years nearly too late. *Remus/Sirius-centric, relatively canon-compliant, for all of us who would like Remmius to have their happy ending—enjoy your fluff here! Ch3: Sirius' thoughts are all muddled.

                Sirius growled to himself as he stepped into his new bathroom and slammed the door shut. He would be eternally grateful to Uncle Alphard for the money to buy this flat, but—but—!

                He shook his head. No, he couldn't let it get to him… That'd be weird, wouldn't it?

                Last night, the gang had invited a few of their other Gryffindor friends—now fellow Order of the Phoenix members—to a dinner at Remus' place. Frank and Alice had arrived together as thought, and Mary, Marlene, and Dorcas had come together soon after them. Remus had cooked along with Lily, and everything had looked honky-dory…

                …until Sirius realized Marlene was vying for the werewolf's attention.

                Sirius shook his head again. It wasn't because Remus was a werewolf; no, that wasn't it at all. It was just…just that…

                He sighed. Sorting his thoughts could be a real pain sometimes.

                He turned on the shower and stepped in, hoping the activity would ease his stress. It wasn't that Marlene had bothered Sirius…in a way. It was that she'd given her attention to Remus. No, wait, that wasn't quite right either…

                It was because Remus had enjoyed her attention…?

                HUH?

                Sirius had always cared for Remus. They were Marauders, of course. But Remus had also always had this kind of fragility to him in spite of his monthly beast, and Sirius liked protecting that side of Remus. He liked that—that only he really saw that side of Remus…

                HUH?

                He shook his head and finished up quickly, dressing and barely closing his front door before Apparating across town. He rapped three times on the door before him, his mouth set in a grim line.

                Remus opened the door. "Sirius!" he said with some shock. "Why is your hair wet?"

                "Shower," Sirius replied, smiling inwardly that it had not even occurred to Remus as strange that Sirius would pop over at such an odd time of the early evening, especially as he'd just seen him last night. He strolled into the living room and collapsed on the couch, his body still tense, though. He chocked it up to the bit of jealousy…

                "Oh, Padfoot…" Remus clucked his tongue, and Sirius glanced up to see him shake his head. "Accio towel!" A towel came flying into his hand, and he bent over the back of the couch, gently rubbing the cloth against his friend's scalp. "You always act so rashly… Didn't anyone ever tell you you'd catch a cold if you went out with wet hair?"

                Sirius snorted. "You just did, Remus."

                He heard Remus sigh—and then the hands stopped. Just slightly, he heard Remus sniff, and then the hands moved again, this time a little shaky. Perhaps Remus had just caught his scent…?

                Sirius tried his hardest to keep his smirk from Remus. That shower had been very stress-relieving, indeed.

Wow… So much could be taken out of context here… XD *LOL*

Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave an anon/unsigned review via the FFN link or comment via the AO3 link at the top of the post, especially if you enjoyed this!

~mew

2017 note: The later chapters really stick out in my mind, but this one… Man, this is just cute. :D

And if you want to support 45 Ways, please swing by its FFN and AO3 versions and consider liking and reblogging these posts on my HariPo fic tumblr!

[seven-oomen]

Okay, in the interest of avoiding drama, I will go Fanfic Questions instead of Unpopular Opinion: 8, 15, 16, 23, 35 (or any combo thereof. I know how you are, no, you do NOT have to answer them all. 😜) Hope you're feeling better, sorry it's been an off day! - B

I answered 8 here ^^

15. What’s the weirdest fandom you’ve ever written for? 

The weirdest? Uhhh lemme check but what comes to mind is either Jurassic World. (That one was fun though, it was a romance between Owen Grady and an OC.)

Babby Daddy is another contender since it’s a sitcom. 

But I think Final Fantasy X , back when I was 17. I think I shared some “wonderful” screenshots here before of that writing. Man I improved XD

16. Any guilty pleasure trope(s)?

I’m an absolute sucker for like, I don’t like you and in fact I want to punch you, but goddammit you are so cute and handsome and so damn adorable but I would never date you. And then of course they fall in love. So basically Pride and Prejudice XD. Unresolved sexual tension and Will they won’t they falls under this too. 

Also the whole Anti-hero/Loveable rogue thing. But like, he’s/she’s an ass but an ass with a heart and redeeming qualities. (Although like, I’m willing to forgive horrendous deeds if the character is compelling enough. Joel Miller (The Last of Us) is an example.)

Bittersweet happy endings. Like the characters are all together, but not everything is honky dory. (Either between the characters or in the world) Because I have to be able to write fix-its, or imagine the aftermath for myself. But I need my main people to stay alive too. Angst with a happy ending falls under this too. Last of us 1 hit so many things for me. They did them dirty in part 2. Bruh.

Marriage of convenience or soulmates. Like my boy, hell yeah. I know it’s not realistic but mmmm if done well, so good.

Also Man is head over heels with his partner ala Gomez and Morticia. Hmmmm I live for this shit. It is SOOO good.

 Uhm, also ABO is a guilty pleasure. Mpreg. Knotting. Yeah. I have no comment on that one. I am a little fucked in the head. But I know it’s fucked. So.

23. Do you prefer prompts and challenges, or completely independent ideas?

Ooh that’s a good one. I think Nanowrimo for a challenge, both camp and main event. But for like random things, it’s either Ideas or prompts that I prefer.

35. Ramble about any fic-related thing you want!

I mean it’s not fanfic related per se, but I have a few ideas for one of the WIPS. Like for my dystopian story. I want to revive the Cordyceps/Rabies infection and my trans main character who has this bionic leg, and he falls in love with the leader of the rebellion, but not before he loses just about everything. And yeah, I’ve been thinking about this story a bit again.

-

Lol and I think it was a good call to avoid further drama today XD I think I answered quite a bit of unpopular opinions. But yeah, thank you for this ask, this was fun to do and was a good distraction. <3

I’m mentally prepping myself to go vote tomorrow and have another round of therapy. Yay... but that one is necessary. So. Both actually. Don’t know 100% who I want to vote for, I have two parties/people in mind. So that’ll be interesting at least.

And yeah, my uh, I’ve had a rough day. Hopefully I’ll do better soon.

[latinalesbi]

Why do you think Teri's voice cracked like that ? Especially as well as it did , since that was acting ? It was cracked in Honeymoon when (she) woke up with Lena , but it was nothing like this time around .

I think she lost her voice due to illness or work. It just depends when during the shoot that scene was shot. I think when she raised her voice it was more noticeable.

It reminds of the first wedding episode and in HD you can see a scar on her chin but only on some scenes.

Anonymous said:                                                                      Since Ximena kissed Callie, I would like to see how she feels about it. Did she like it or feel anything ? She didn't seem to not like it but she didn't really react.

Reading the scene, Callie didn’t respond. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen but there are reasons I believe she won’t respond to her feelings. But who knows? I do feel like there’s a bit of replacing the old ladies with young ones. And you know lesbians will respond to that because they are just as ageist as anyone else. And Racist.

Anonymous said:                                                                      wow i can’t believe you know EVERYTHING that happened behind the scenes!!!! you’re just sooooooooo knowledgeable!!!!!! also teri didn’t unfollow the cast you just love drama and anything that proves your stupid points. kinda like donald trump            

I’ll just let this sit here. It speaks for itself. I also lost 2 troll post in a crash and it makes me sad.  Also, lol about Teri. Talk about fake news my friend.

Anonymous said:                                                                      Yeah I saw that too. They directly asked if Teri was in the summer series and he deflected the question. Eek!             

Are they shooting the show right now? Joanna said they are. Maybe they’re going to scatter the stars and only some people are shooting. Who knows. Cierra already said everyone would be there. Hayden is a troll, usually.

Anonymous said:                                                                      While I enjoyed the ending scene in bed, it seemed incomplete. Thoughts?           

I felt like there might have been some cuts. I mean they had really excellent screen time but most of it was apart. So they might have cut their scenes together of course. My biggest problem was how brief it was and the weird angles on it. I think it was to increase the anxiety but it left me wanting.

Anonymous said:                                                                      You said „Teri is shooting“ how do you know that?! And do they not start this week or next week with the 3 episode thing?!            

Joanna said they already did start. It might be that they are shooting all 3 eps concurrently and only some people are working right now.  I mean, I believe Joanna over Hayden. https://twitter.com/JoannaJohnson31/status/953798613703974912

and she also said that the moms would play an important part in those 3 eps so...  https://twitter.com/JoannaJohnson31/status/953828047370600449

I am honestly not worried about it. Teri will be in it.

Anonymous said:                                       ��                              I mean there was a lot of stef and lena in this episode but not together. Ugh!!  but the last scene tho. Broke my heart. Wish it was longer..             

Yes to all that. If a lesbian can’t get a nice kiss in a birthday episode. I just don’t know. I get Stef was stressed, but lena has been noticing this, it was more important that she make a nice gesture.

Anonymous said:                                                                      Maia is doing damage limitation, which I understand they got called out on their bullshit and are not enjoying the heat. It doesn’t matter when they found out they still blindsided the rest of the cast with the spin off. No one knew. Teri is obviously angry. Why did she unfollow you Maia? As for the episode i adore Stef, Teri was amazing. The scene at the end was beautiful. As for the party, awful! Finally, Callie- dear god is there anything that girl won’t experience, but it is the Calli show.             

That’s exactly it. Damage control. There was a clear blindside. Sherri is to me the fairest person. And she was still tweeting out to renew the fosters in January. Imagine thinking you had a chance when 2 of your cast mates already know it’s done and are making side deals for a spin off. Seems wrong, really wrong.

I want to know, is there anyone who won’t fall for bland ass Callie? So ridiculous.

Anonymous said:                                                                      I know people are praising Mariana for being independent and playing off the three guys at the same time...but actually, I don't think it's right. If a guy was playing me with 3 girls I would be pissed off. You don't need to play 3 guys in order to be a strong independent female             

It’s not my kind of empowerment. There are some behaviors that one shouldn’t imitate, just because those in power behave that way.

Anonymous said:                                                                      I don't understand how out of all the characters to go on the spin off, they choose Aaron?? Like transgender representation is important, but it almost feels like they just want Callie and Aaron together to be "ground breaking" despite it not being a healthy relationship. Like what about Cole??? That would have been so cute. But this whole spin off is such a sell out and it angers me!             

We don’t know for sure but I wouldn’t be surprised. Aaron is an ass. He is a canonnical controlling bf. Girls beware and stay away from guys like that. Cole would have been sooo much better.

Anonymous said:                                                                      I wish AJ had more of a part in Ximena's storyline. He was a part of it in the first half of the season as he attended one of the protests and supported Callie and Ximena in the prom episode, and the episode after that. But all of a sudden he's not a part of it and Aaron's taking his place. I have a feeling it's because they're preparing for AJ to leave, since Tom is living in England. But I like it when AJ is a part of it because his interest always seems more genuine than Aaron's.             

I think the actor chose to go with a surer type of envirornment but unfortunately we lost out. AJ should be the one involved. Aj always got callie, plus he gets that foster kid side of her.

Anonymous said:                                                                      Im starting to feel like jude will be the third star. Do u think David sold them out too? I hope not becuse i really like his personality.             

I don’t think any star signing now would be selling out. The part that hurts is that signing that spin off played directly into cancellation and we just can’t know the timing. Plus, it was done behind people’s back. That’s the selling out and betrayal. The show is happening now, no matter who else participates. So either of these two joining would not really be selling out. I wouldn’t like them for doing it, but it’s not the level of betrayal the 2 girls showed.

Anonymous said:                                                                      Clearly Stef's blow up at Jenna has to do with guilt about stupid Mike right? I don't care about that storyline one bit. Fuck Mike and that guilt. Ugh I hate this show so much.             

Yep, that’s exactly part of it. It’s also her job, that job is stress inducing. It’s too much for Stef, she has too much heart. With Lena making more money, maybe she’ll go back to being a beat cop. or maybe she can work in homicide. Stef is too much of a mom to stay in sex trafficking.

Anonymous said:                                                                      Of course Sherri and Teri work together the best but some of Maia best acting is with Teri and Sherri. Sadly we don’t really get that anymore.             

Mariana/Lena ain’t bad either.

Anonymous said:                                                                      The two older women of the cast are now out of work whilst the young folk get to continue, of course many of us are upset. They’ve been dumped without a second thought, when they were and still are the heartbeat of the show. If people do not like the comments on your page, simple just don’t come on here. Many of us are grateful to you that we can vent somewhere.             

Thank you. I am glad it’s useful and cathartic. I am not sure why they would dump these wonderful women. And I am not sure how they can go back on, there’s no the fosters without Sherri and Teri. And people can just accept that and not look back. Woo hoo, people have no integrity. I hold people to their word, even when it’s hard (I sound like Lena).

Anonymous said:                                                                      Why did Teri unfollow you Bradley, Peter, Cierra, Maia? That should be the question they get asked until the answer. Won’t be able to spin that one!!             

I wouldn’t want more drama for Teri. I think we all know what it means. And they know what it means. The ones that can’t are the ones that think everything is honky dory. You see I have someone who is still in denial about this fact. Teri unfollowed these people, this is a fact.

Anonymous said:                                                                      God it’s sad it’s all ending like this. Bradley doesn’t give a shit. Peter and Joanna I think do, I hope. As for the two girls, I hope someone asks them about Sherri and Teri. Make them address it. I’ve no problem them furthering their careers but they negotiated behind the backs of their fellow cast members, and now instead of being sensitive to the fans feelings they are talking up their new show before the old one, that made them is even over! That’s what I’m pissed about!           

Those girls are all about how stef and lena are their favorite and they have their favorite scenes. Bullshit. And yes, the worst thing is that they haven’t even buried the show and they’re already pissing on it. Every single promo from now on will be about Callie or Mariana. It’s gross. They had to take them out of the artwork for the show. Why? Just be hurtful.

Anonymous said:                                                                      okay, so i just happened to be clicking through channels and inadvertently landed on the movie that's playing on ff right now - the fosters is next. guess what? they've played two commercials for the show and both of them were *old* promos for the season premiere, saying "the farewell season begins tonight". they can't even be bothered to play the right commercial for tonight's episode, apparently. they aren't even pretending to try anymore.             

That’s really sad. They can’t bother to pay an editor to put some non spoilery scenes together.

[jobinterviewghost]

Authentication failed. No user with this email address found.

TOLGA AKMEN/AFP/Getty Images Layoffs have devastated workers at some of the buzziest US companies this year.

Former startup unicorns like WeWork and Uber announced layoffs after their business became tangled in controversy or failed to make revenues. Technological changes in how we purchase products and read the news has actually injured workers at some retail and media companies. And even relatively healthy corporations like Apple have actually shed groups that weren't working out as prepared.

Layoffs don't always mean a company remains in financial difficulty-- they might imply the company just recently combined with another business or changed methods and did away with additional personnel.

But sometimes, layoffs are just the beginning of, well, more layoffs.

If you survived a business layoff but stress over more down the line, here are 10 things career specialists state you ought to do:

Even if you made it through a layoff, constantly keep your resume upgraded and view the job market.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images Amanda Augustine, profession professional at TopResume, advises workers always make certain they are gotten ready for the worst, even if they simply weathered an initial layoff.

The finest experts, she stated, are ones that are watching on the next big opportunity even if they're not looking to instantly jump ship. Even if you don't know how your business will fare after a layoff, keep your resume upgraded and be mindful of open jobs on the market, Augustine states.

"Make sure you have a copy of your efficiency reviews, reviews, anything that you could use as fodder to help you upgrade your LinkedIn profile and your resume," Augustine stated. "It is always much better to update your resume and get ready for a task search when you do not instantly require to discover a new task."

Discover whether your boss has a prepare for how the business will bounce back after layoffs.

Getty Images The reality that a layoff took place suggests something in your company's service design failed, states Marc Cenedella, creator and CEO of Ladders task search. In turn, your business should have a plan to make changes to get back on track.

If you don't sense upper management has a strategy for how the business prepares to improve and more rewarding, you should look somewhere else, Cenedella states.

Watch out for how the company culture changes following layoffs.

Jetta Productions Inc/Getty Images When attempting to differentiate between whether a layoff will lead to renewed development or if there's more problem down the line, Lynn Taylor, office professional and author of "Tame Your Awful Office Tyrant: How to Manage Childish Employer Behaviour and Thrive in Your Job," states to take notice of company culture.

"Does it seem like your work is going undetected or unappreciated?" Taylor asks. "This may or may not be individual, however it may be part of a layoff where your manager does not wish to make you feel like everything is honky dory any longer since there's going to be [another] layoff."

Warning that might suggest your company might make more layoffs down the line consist of:

Beware if you see your boss having more closed door conferences than normal.

Getty Images If your manager is walking in a pantsuit and holding more meetings with personnels officers, experts, or higher-level executives, your company might not be out of the woods following layoffs.

"Particularly if your employer or your manager's manager is involved, that's something to watch and an ear out for," says Taylor. "Are they simply talking about how we're restructuring now that we lost a bunch of individuals, or exists more boiling down the line? You don't understand."

Have an honest conversation with your manager about whether more layoffs are on the horizon.

Getty Images If you have a great relationship with your supervisor, Augustine states simply asking what they understand can't hurt. Even if higher-ups won't permit your manager to disclose details, a conversation may assist you figure out whether your role will alter. If you sense your responsibilities are diminishing instead of resulting in growth, that might be a good indication you must look somewhere else.

"I do not believe there's anything incorrect with asking, 'Do you believe, do you believe that this may be completion of it or is this only the start?'" Augustine included. "Everyone's got leas or mortgages or college, so it is necessary to have a sense of where things are."

Compose down your observations and get some outdoors recommendations.

Thomas Barwick/Getty Images In some cases, your company may state they will end up being more lucrative, but you still have a "gut feeling" that the company may make more cuts down the line.

In this scenario, Taylor states to jot down the modifications you have actually observed considering that the layoffs and talk with a relied on mentor, friend, or former colleague. Often, a mentor will read your disappointments and recommend you to look elsewhere, however other times they may inform you to stop overthinking the scenario.

"You might go with your gut, however a great disciplined approach that the majority of people don't follow is to make a list of those feelings and memorialise it to paper," Taylor includes.

Discover if you can take over brand-new obligations from departed employees.

Getty Images Often, layoffs are an opportunity for lower-level staff members to take over responsibilities not available to them in a larger team. Entry-level or less-experienced workers sometimes get to wear numerous hats and learn new abilities when they take over from laid off employees. If you can ask your employer to get some brand-new responsibilities that can bulk up your resume, Augustine recommends staying.

"If you were ever attempting to change your function in some way or simply develop your role even more, this may be a terrific chance to raise your hand and appear like an excellent team gamer," she states.

If layoffs took place however the most gifted, accomplished individuals made it through, your business might bounce back.

Getty Images Cenedella remembered a circumstances where he connected to the finest engineers he understood at Uber following news of layoffs. The engineers informed him that not just were they safe, however all the finest workers survived.

That indicated to Cenedella that layoffs weren't necessarily suggested to cut the most expensive employees, but rather the groups that weren't producing efficiently enough.

"They simply got away with what wasn't working for them," Cenedella stated.

Know how to acknowledge whether it's simply your business that remains in hot water, or if your whole market might be on the decrease.

Shutterstock/Bridget McPherson The journalism market has seen routine layoffs for many years as companies struggle to earn a profit through online advertising. The newspaper publishing industry has downsized employment by 52% since 2007.

While ravaging for the employees, Cenedella stated it's not uncommon for industries to go belly up. From paper wholesellers to video rental shops, markets have either reduced significantly or disappeared totally due to technological developments.

If report state your whole market is on the decrease, you may not have luck finding another task at your current business's competitors-- and you might need to think about a career modification.

"If you actually know that your market is gone, then you've got to concentrate on, 'How am I recalibrating my abilities and my background for a brand-new market and a new role,'" Cenedella stated.

If you wish to leave a business after layoffs, however don't understand whether to remain up until you land a dream task, provide it four to 6 months.

Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

If you understand you wish to leave your task, however do not understand whether to hold out up until you get your dream job or wage, Cenedella says to invest four to six months job hunting. If you have actually been talking to for half a year and interested business have actually provided you comparable incomes and positions, that may be an indication that further searching might not be worthwhile.

"If you've talked with a dozen individuals, if 12 individuals have actually used you eighty grand, it's unlikely that the 13th is going to offer you $US125,000," Cenedella added.

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[waddlesdpig]

The Lego Movie Franchise Retrospective ( Or how to build Masterpieces)

The following is a opinionated review on the “ Lego Movie” franchise as a whole, spoilers and bad jokes ahead.

Its kinda crazy if we’re being honest here, in the five years since it’s creation the “ Lego Movie “ franchise has made close to a billion dollars domestically and probably more than that total internationally. All for what is essentially a series of really long commercials, albeit very entertaining and ( mostly) heartfelt commercials. No matter how you look at it however, these films on a whole have been a grand success worthy of artistic recognition ( WB has left chat).

This trend of profitably praised pictures seems sure to continue, with the soon to be released fourth installment in the “ Lego Movie” franchise “ The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.” 

( A sentence as redundant as me writing reviews on Tumblr.)

As a lover of the original “ Lego Movie” this sequel comes like the missing brick in my Lego heart set that i didn’t know existed. In that same breath however, i can’t help but feel anxious over how the movie will turn out. Early reviews have skewed favorably for the film and yet there is a disturbing trend in the Lego franchise that one cannot ignore. Each Lego Movie has had diminishing returns in terms of quality ever since the first. 

Don’t get me wrong, the animation, production, and voice work for has been ( mostly) top notch for every installment. No when i mean quality, i’m talking about the strength of each films script and the way they are constructed. This problem is far more reaching than the common “ It wasn’t as funny as the first” comment one might make concerning the latter two Lego movies. Although i would be remiss to suggest that the humor isn’t itself a issue. 

“ The Lego Movie” is filled to the brim with weird wacky comedy that still holds up five years later, but is coupled with satisfying storytelling that complements the silliness. Out of everything that could have been taken away from that original film the sequential Lego flicks focus is firmly placed on the hijinks and shenanigans. Much like a child who stacks his Legos as high as he can without any regard to building a solid foundation, Lego Batman ( to a lesser extent) and Ninjago lives or dies on the strength of it’s humor, often times tumbling because of that fact. So to help illustrate my point i would like to go back to the beginning and exam why each film worked or failed.

THE LEGO MOVIE

Out of all the things this film is praised for, the animation, the comedy, the amazing cast, i hardly ever hear anyone talking the story structure. While nothing shakespearean, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller masterfully employ the monomyth ( or hero’s journey) to lay the emotional foundation for the film, using it quite literally to a T’. 

After setting the movies conflict into motion with the “ Piece of Resistance” and the “Krangle” we flash forward 8 1/2, enter Emmet Brickowski, your average abnormally normal citizen of Lego City Bricksburg where everything is honky dory. Following him throughout his day we come to find that Emmet is so average that he has fallen into the background of the collective consciousness of those around him. Only by chance does he comes across the Piece of Resistance literally calling him to adventure.

Now melded with the piece of legend, Emmet now bears the name “ The Special” which he is hesitant to hear at first, as he faces persecution from Lord Business forces, who is H’ E’ double hockey sticks’ bent on gluing the entire universe into place. 

Through shenanigans he teams up with local DJ Wyldstyle, warms up to the idea of being, and i quote “ the most important, most talented, most interesting, most extraordinary, mostest most person in the universe.” The two escape from his capturers and crosses the threshold, by also literally crossing into another realm. 

Duding it up in the Old West, Emmet’s lie is exposed like me on Omegle, earning him the disdain of his would be love interest. Trying to decipher next with the piece, the duo finds the wizard Virtuvius ( MVP of the film) who after finding out Emmet’s quandary determines to mentor him to be a Masterbuilder. 

More shenanigans, Batman shows up, Emmet experiences cuckolding with Bat’s and Sty’s blockholding, ( seriously this is supposed to be a family film for krangle’s sake!) they all take a road trip to cloud coo coo land, group meets “ OC do not steal” and the other Masterbuilders to come up with a plan to take down Lord Business and stop his TAKOS! Surprise surprise Bad Cop rolls up to the club and the Masterbuilders aren’t ready to jam so they get sent to the slam. Emmet and crew manage to escape only by hiding in this absolute masterpiece. 

Now beaten and bruised Emmet rallies the troops, and together as a team they set to enter the dragon’s lair that is Lord Business office building. ( Nightmare of college dropouts and unpaid interns everywhere) The story comes to a head as Virtuvius loses his, the piece of resistance is thrown into the abyss that is my grandma’s purse, all the masterbuilders are captured and Lord Business has set up an overly elaborate death trap to get these dang kids off his lawn. In this moment of despair the ghost of Virtuvius appears before Emmet assuring him that cat posters hold the secrets of the universe. Motivated Emmet bids a tearful farewell as he sacrifices himself to save the other Masterbuilders.

On the other side of the abyss, Emmet haves an out of body experience and has a face to face with the pink sausaged-eagle-squid creatures that serve as the lands God’s. It is here that he finally becomes equipped with the Ultimate Treasure: believing in yourself! Now ready to face the odds Emmet is sent Homeward Bound back to the Lego world. 

He returns, Reborn as a Masterbuilder. Emmet confronts Lord Business and stops him by extending him his hand ( claw-grip thing?) in friendship, helping Lordy realize that he doesn’t have to be bad and that in reality we are all the Special. The two reconcile and the story wraps up with the world at peace until the immediate sequel bait.

There’s a reason many a tale uses this storytelling device, when done properly it works to enact growth and change in the protagonist, resulting in a compelling and satisfying character arc. The Lego Movie not content to rely on this alone also explores “ The Chosen One” trope, as well as themes about creativity vs conformity. There is quite a surprising amount of depth once you start deconstructing this film brick by brick, something that would be sorely missed in it’s spiritual sequels.

THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE

Without a doubt there is a lot to like about “ The Lego Batman Movie,” they managed to kick the already amazing animation up to 11, on a whole it is a very funny movie ( giving birth to probably one of my favorite scenes ever. Kazow!), and it joyfully revels in the Batman mythos and world. In addition to that, it’s story tackles a very interesting premise not often explored with the Caped Crusader. Yet in my mind, there is a distinct issue which holds the film back from being as solid as Batman’s ninepack, this being pacing in the third act.

Batman is one of the rare characters in pop culture that require almost no real introduction, as it can be assumed that most will in one way or another have some basic idea of his mythos. Using this to their advantage, the people filming choose to focus on a intrinsic part of the Dark Knight, that of lose and fear of losing. Building on “ The Lego Movie” interpretation of the character, we have here a extremely egotistical, selfish Batman who exhibits these qualities in order to close himself from anymore emotional pain. 

This is plainly stated in the first act by Alfred, “ Master Bruce, you live on an island figuratively, and literally.” It’s the same reason why he can’t admit to Joker being his greatest enemy, because even if the relationship is hateful in nature, it is still a connection to another person. So Batman’s gotta learn to open himself to others, great! A good premise and character arc that the film executes fairly well, up until the beginning of the third act.

See throughout the story we see Batman nudged and guided into becoming a better person by those around him, particularly Alfred and Barbara in the first act. Come the second act, Batman has stubbornly enacted his own plan to stop the seemingly harmless Joker, after succeeding he is berated by Barbara “ You can't be a hero if you only care about yourself.” Batman’s plan backfires giving Joker the means to unleash every villain from your local bar’s trivia night. As such Fatman rectify his mistakes by teaming up with his loves ones to make wrongs right. 

Though hesitant to the idea at first, Bats warms up to his new superhero buddies only for him to push them away as soon as he realizes their importance to him. This is where the problem of pacing really begins to show itself. After sending away the Bat-lites, Batman immediately confronts Joker, only for the Joker to recapitulate something that was just clearly shown to the audience “ I'm not your greatest enemy. Your greatest enemy is you.” 

Joker then banishes Batman to the doom dimension where he is greeted by a literal judge of right and wrong, who then plays a highlight reel showing just how big a betty batty’s been. The thing to note is this all occurs within a span of five minutes, stopping the story completely just to point at something that’s already solidly established in the story.

The real shame is that all this guilt dog-piling undercuts a great moment. In the doom dimension Bat’s gets a peek of the situation to find his friends returning to help him, there he sees Robin emulating Batman’s reckless attitude, and it is there where he is finally able to recognize the harm he’s bringing to others with his selfish actions. A moment i feel could’ve been the emotional pillar of the movie if it had been better builded towards and executed.

To be fair the movie from then on picks back up rather quickly, Batman learns his lesson, forms the “ savi-cide squad,” and in the end is able to save Lego Gotham by literally making connections with others and bringing everyone closer to each other. Capping what is undeniably, despite it’s flaws, a very fun movie. If only i could say the same about the last film here…

THE LEGO NINJAGO

The Lego Ninjago movie was always going to be in a peculiar situation, it’s branding and world aren’t well enough established in the minds of the average movie goer to solely create a story based on in-world lore. Nor is it enough of a clean slate that one could be free to do whatever it wanted if the story ala “ The Lego Movie.” And as such it creates this disjointed hodgepodge of elements borrowed from the two previous entries. This particularly can be seen through the journey of the protagonist Lloyd.

By the time the movie chooses to introduced Lloyd we are already informed that he as the Green Ninja along with the others have already time and again defeated and repelled the big bad Garmadon. In a way Lloyd as already undergone his own hero’s journey, meaning they’ve already skipped any satisfaction that could be gained from seeing a powerless boy becoming a hero and vanquishing that which threatens his home.

Bah whatever, origin stories are overdone and boring. Who’s with me?! Let’s get right into the good stuff. And to the films credit it does just that, right off the bat we are introduced to what will be the main conflict of the story, Lloyd and his relationship with his father. However here too “ The Lego Ninjago” movie stumbles. Lloyd as a character is defined solely by this conflict. During nearly the entire first act you will rarely find a scene, or piece of dialogue featuring Lloyd that will not involve Garmadon or the fact that he is Lloyd’s father in one way or another. 

But hey he’s also the leader of the Ninjas and does a great job of, uh, telling people what to do? Now let’s quickly compare how the “ Lego Batman Movie” handle this. In the opening moments of that film we spend time with Batman before the grand conflict is set into motion, we see he’s egotistical, a showboat, selfish and willfully ignorant to any flaws he might have. Having established his personality, ( what a notion) the story is able to show how that feeds into his fear letting people back in and colors his character arc for the film.

With the “ Lego Ninjago” movie failing to this, it leaves Lloyd as just sort of a blank slate with daddy issues. It’s probably why they have him from the start with a fully assembled team of fun personalities to bounce off of and carry the load of protaganizing, oh wait. Oh boy, we got Flame Fella the spiky hair one, Dirt Dude who is essentially Flame Fella, Wa Wa Womah ( she’s the water element cause she’s so good at retaining water), and the only two with any semblance of personality Jay and Zane. 

Without trying to disrespect fans of the original series, you know where they actually mattered, the other Ninjas here are little more than filler. Functionally they have no real role in the story except to bolster Lloyd’s in-world importance by making him leader, as well as holding him responsible after he unwittingly unleashes destruction upon Ninjago. Towards the start of the third act, our blockhead Ninjas haphazardly realize that all they to do was believe and only now is there any hint of development for the group. Way too little, way too late to have any significant impact on the story. 

Leaving us with the “ Father/Son” plot to essentially carry the whole film. To the movie’s credit it does a serviceable job in accomplishing this. While far from masterful, there is some satisfaction in two opposing fractions learn to work together and eventually reconcile. However even here the film fails to execute on this idea.  After spending the entirety of the second act building up this relationship between the two, Garmadon literally asks Lloyd to join him and rule the galaxy together. Green bean rejects the offer because what else would you expect him to do, and Gar once again pushes his son away from him. Less than five minutes later, the climax of the movie ends with Lloyd talking to his dad through a cat and the two finally reconcile as family.  

In this way “ The Lego Ninjago Movie” fizzles out, leaving a lackluster ending and Jackie Chan to close out an already underwhelming story. 

Finally some more miscellaneous criticisms. 

They reuse a lot of shots in the first act, Lloyd’s dragon cannon being of the more obvious examples. 

There isn’t as much effort to establish “ Ninjago” as a Lego world, often times you see Lego structures mixed with what is supposed to be natural foliage. This is a huge issue in the second act as the majority of the scenery is composed of non-Lego elements. And the stuff that isn’t Lego’s don’t look to hot, the water effects being the biggest offender in this case.  

Jackie Chan as Master Wu is probably the weakest performance in the movie, i don’t know if it’s  because of the voice director or because Jackie just wasn’t feeling the powah.

The movie’s live action intro and outro is just bad. 

But hey Garmadon has a “ Shark-Shooter” gun! 8/10 movie

CLOSING THOUGHTS

In conclusion, the thing that worries me most from the last two movies is the lack of thought and care into execution that the original “Lego Movie” had in spades. Pacing, strong character work for the whole cast, attention to story structure, all of these things have been mostly stepped on in favor of cramming as much hijinks as possible. And as a result leads to painful lackluster conclusions that try to be heartwarming but fail due to poor build up. 

As much as i sound like a negative nancy right now, with “ The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” being helmed by the dynamic duo which created the first, i am confidant that this will be a return to form for the Lego franchise. 

Thanks for reading this monstrous mess.

[kimberleesanity]

I often need to hear nothing but tenderness but sometimes its good to read something that really calls out what an idiot I am. I really related to Leonardo’s character in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood not that I was some body great like that but I guess I am always perceiving myself in such a it’s over I’m a loser way, Some days I feel like the way they showed Sharon Tate all excited and honky dory and that’s always there really deep- I mean if you ask me the way I look at things I’d probably give you a really everything is gonna be great answer and truly believe it but when it comes to me it’s hard for me to really feel that way inside. Sometimes I’ll hear a song and be filled with hope or see a video and be delighted. Maybe I’ll start to feel strong and beautiful and filled with possibilities but then I’ll look in the mirror and laugh in disgust and embarrassment and think what a fool I am to ever even think such a thing or feel such a way. My life is EASY. I’M A SPOILED BRAT. I HAVE NO GOOD REASON TO FEEL THESE WAYS ALL THE TIME. Things are better then ever-they really are and I have a lot of great moments but I guess I only write and share on here in particular sadder things I feel. I don’t know. 

[chihuahua-books]

POTEMKIN MEDIA

Gregor Potemkin had two great life passions: one (historically factual) was humping Catherine II, Empress of Russia, while the other (still disputed by historians) was to build carton towns to impress her majesty while showing to her the empire's Crimean dominions --from the comfort of their carriage, of course. Either way, the term Potemkin Village has come to mean any phony montage to create the appearance that everything is honky dory while, in reality, behind the veil the circus is crumbling down or there is no circus at all, mind you.

I have no hesitation, then, to assert that what we have in the West is a Potemkin Media. Let me repeat that for you: Western mainstream media is a Potemkin Media, i.e. a false, cheap carton facade which gives the impression of a nicely oiled, well staffed, and civically functional information dissemination machine; but one that, once you scratch the tinfoil surface, hides a plethora of smelly, dead raccoons, bubbling rivers of fetid sewage, and half-eaten peanuts plucked out right off Satan's feces.

Alright, I got a bit extravagant in the use of language there. Alas, the gist of it all remains. Uh, you get the idea, right?

Banana Republic News

Now, by the above I don't mean to go into the fake news song. That's a dead horse and one beaten even after it has been autopsied. It is a cold, hard fact: There is an actual battle taking place on everyone's TV, smartphone, and monitor, throughout the entire civilized world, where there is no telling off anymore fact from fiction. Once upon a time, the state-controlled screens of banana republics were the laughing stock of the refined people of the West for how crude they were in their portrayal of lies and the depiction of their glorious leaders. I recall, in my youth, seeing images of African, Asian or Latin American gorillas in military gear, their chests crisscrossed by dozens of invented medals.

Do you really think Sacha Baron Cohen is a comedic genius for portraying General Aladeen in The Dictator film? Nah, his mediocre body of work tells you that he got lucky on this one, but he did so by portraying very, very well what was a reality back in the 70s and later, and even to this day though only in some really backward countries.  But, who's laughing now? That is why Western media is just a facade: Their headquarters are impressive and sumptuous, their IT and design departments have millions-worth, state of the art equipment operated by hundreds if not thousands of flying monkeys chained to their desks, their social media departments are manned 24/7 by an army of liberal arts grads whose other employment choice was Starbucks or lecturers in gender studies or critical theory, and their anchors have paparazzi following them as they do with any other top notch celebrity raking in millions in salaries, bonuses, and sponsorships.

And yet... where are the news? There are no news. Instead of news Americans get Don Lemon acting like a freaking murderous fascist and preaching to his viewers that the biggest threat to the USA is people of a certain color and gender. Instead of news Swedes get an incestuous porking between the government and the media to literally gag their citizens from even mustering a word about immigrants raping, bombing, and killing. And Brits, just like the vermin inhabiting Brussels at our expense, don't get dispassionate and factual coverage about Brexit but instead a three layer cake of dung. And this goes on and on throughout the entire world. The masks have come off. News outlets are openly partisan and not only they blatantly hide things while overexposing others, obviously with an agenda in mind, but they partake in a cannibalistic feast of proclamations with the vigor and zeal of someone whose life depends on it.

Who's Who?

So, who's Gregor Potemkin here? Who is playing Catherine II? And what is Crimea? In a nutshell: what do we make out of this? For starters, let's get the hardest thing out of the way: You are Catherine II. Yes, you. Your eyeballs are connected to your heart and your heart moves the hand that reaches for the pocket, not your brain. Your clicks and your votes and your manufactured outrage are to the media what Catherine II's luscious body was to Señor Gregorio. And, in order to get one more slice of that sweet, sweet attention, whomever profits from the Crimea of the political industry has erected an entire phony media complex to parade it in front of you and make you believe that democracy has matured to the extent that you can just relax. The most dangerous thing about this room of mirrors and fog and trinkets is that, with the candidness of a child, millions of people sincerely believe that the world is at a stage where humans no longer will descend into the murderous ape who is willing to obliterate its fellows when synthetically frenzied to the extreme of paranoia. Nothing more far from the truth.

In order to maintain the money making merry-go-round of the political industry going on and on and on, you have to be shown the bells and whistles of a supposedly professional media that is sincerely dedicated to feeding you the facts, dedicating fair and equal time to all major events and adding a balanced color by unattached experts who can chew down for you complex topics. Instead, you get a crude, amateurish wing of whatever power group is bankrolling the circus. For me, they're paramilitary wings that use cameras and microphones instead of bombs and AK-47s. They push people into an euphoria in which it is totally a-o.k. to spit on the face of those who think differently, in a best case scenario, or, in the worst case scenario, shoot them down. By keeping everyone in a constant state of outrage and forced ignorance, the masses are malleable pieces of clay in the hands of the spectacle of an apparently existing media.

Maslow's Crutch Because Why Not?

Now, if you don't mind, please imagine in your mind a drumroll because this is the moment when you will ask: and why do people put up with that? And, now, please bring the drumroll into a grand finale because here comes the answer: It's biology and, by saying that, I also mean culture --because our culture is not infinitely malleable as the Marxists may want you to believe but it is constrained within the evolutionary limits of nature. You see, humans have been cursed with self-awareness while living in an extremely complex, dangerous, and changing world. The cheetah doesn't think about what is good or where did the cheetah come from or even where do cheetahs go when they die. The cheetah chases antelopes, tackles them, and eats them, and there's no inch of feeling in that. It's simply what the cheetah does. Then the cheetah sleeps, pees, craps, mates, chills out, licks itself like a house cat, and that goes on and on until the cheetah dies. Like a cold, perfect, and precise clock that kicks off in the womb of mama cheetah and ends when Don Cheetah hangs up the paws. You? Not so much. You are mighty as a titan because you walk erect and have an impressive brain mass with a sharp frontal cortex, and, at the same time, you are extremely vulnerable to the certainty of your own mortality and, thus, overflowing with questions about good and evil that cut through the middle of your heart. You, human, have an in-built software on top of which you code and that is called a worldview. You can read more about it here, courtesy of Leo Apostel and truly yours' interpretation of his philosophical model.

So, that matrix of questions through which you make sense of the world around (and inside) you must to glue up, you see? Otherwise, you would be like a car that instead of four identical tires it has a set made of one flat tire, one wooden cart wheel, one concrete square, and one triangular one, i.e. an utter and baffling bad circus disaster. A car that moves forward only at a great cost until it breaks down, destroys the pavement, and wreaks havoc for everyone around. Having one part of the worldview matrix inside you not gluing up causes cognitive dissonance and, thus, crippling stress. It can drive people mad or, worst, socially catatonic. In an extremely complex world, with limited lifetime, and a sacof physiological, safety, social, self esteem, and self-actualization needs, an individual has to cut corners by reaching into his satchel and grabbing pre-coded software that saves time and effort. For example, notice how at the core of the worldview model is a meta question built on tradition. We are not blank slates and any thinker worth its salt knows this --even (instinctively at least) the critical theory charlatans infesting the sociology, English, literature, and gender studies departments at universities all over the world.

When a person subscribes to a certain theology (and by that I mean it in the sense Eliade thought of man as essentiallyhomo religiosus), whether by design or chance, it brings a balsam of calmness to his heart because it makes a bit sense of the world through the lenses of piles and piles of historically compiled "certainties". However, as the individual lives, questions come up with existence that the human has to decipher and, if for some reason there's a glitch and his worldview can't tackle that question, the choices are to discard or incorporate that new bit of information, tweaking the worldview and, by definition, causing it to step one inch closer to entropy.

The Show Must Go On

This is where the Potemkin Media kicks in. It is an observable fact that the news are feeding you not a mere string of facts as they occur but, instead, highly editorialized versions of it. And, by doing so, tweak your worldview to push you into a certain direction. At its most crude, that  makes you click, and by clicking you unleash that sweet ad money into their coffers; but at its most sophisticated, that conscious herding orchestrated by the vested interests behind media allows for spotting, analyzing, categorizing, pre-programming, and, ultimately, manipulating their clientele in any way they wish.

Now, how do you spot if you're dealing with Potemkin Media? Here are the Top 10 giveaways that the media you're trusting is balderdash.

The tangible part of the media outlet in question is flashy, modern, and full of bling.

The faces delivering you the news resemble celebrities more than news professionals.

Exercising "journalism" is suddenly extremely safe and profitable for those delivering the goods to you.

One piece of news reads very differently from one outlet to the other, particularly between ideologically opposing (a.k.a. owned) sources.

When getting the news, you get emotional rather than reflective.

The analysis you get is suspiciously bombastic, full of adjectives, and poor in argumentation and supporting data.

"Gregor" shows you the "village" from the distance of the carriage, never up close.

After all collapses, you remember how different the story seemed weeks or months before.

If you're getting the news from a source you "love", you never feel discomfort but, instead, always end up confirming what you already believed.

During the news dump, while your eyes are fixed on the screen, you have that eerily feeling that "Gregor" is behind you and he's humping you.

Give it a try. Next time you open the laptop or the smartphone, or turn on the TV, take a step back and ask yourself these 10 questions. If you encounter 4 out of the 10 giveaways from the top 10, you're Catherine II looking at a Potemkin Media from the comfort of a carriage where most likely you're getting humped.

The End

P.S. Please consider supporting Chihuahua Books™ by purchasing its debut title  "The Truth About Socialism for Smart Kids", a beautifully illustrated version of The Gulag Archipelago-meets-Hicks' Explaining Postmodernism, suitable both for children and adults alike. The e-book is less than four USD and the paperback, under twenty bucks, is gorgeously printed, packaged, and would make an amazing gift. Visit your local Amazonand give it a try. Indie publishing is always swimming against the current. It's a labor of love and reading alternative stuff is so out of fashion that, by doing so, you'd be the coolest kid in town. Consider also purchasing Chihuahua Books™ merchandise. It's not only cool but it features the art of our published authors. These folks don't work for mainstream media so, trust me, the proceeds of the merch sales are a big deal for them.

[happilycrazycreator]

Adventure Begins...

Our first house guests from Texas arrived yesterday evening around 4 o’clock (ish). Before their arrival, Aaron and I made sure the house and pool were beautiful and clean.. totally ready for them to enjoy. They got here, we gave them a pretty in depth tour and let them know not to hesitate to ask for help if they needed it. Everything seemed honky dory as they say... That was until one of the guests staying in Room 3 came down to let us know that his A/C was not blowing cold air. Keep in mind that back in March, this same issue arose for Aaron and I when we stayed in Room 3. If I remember correctly, Adi (Aaron) was able to find the manual online and we were able to fix the settings just fine, with only a little trouble. Also keep in mind that this problematic A/C is the only one that wasn’t replaced for a new and improved one. The other 3 rooms and the apartment all have brand new A/Cs. Why you might ask? I do not know- if it were my house, they all would be new, BUT that is beside the point. Aaron went up with the guest to try to change the settings on the remote and figure out the issue... At any rate, no one has had any luck with it... The guest is an A/C technician- I thought that was a bit ironic myself. So, the next step is to call the tech to come check it out and see what the problem is which we will do when Adi returns home from Santa Cruz. Which is hopefully sooner rather than later... The guests came over to ask if we had figured anything out with the A/C yet... which STRESSES me out, I’m not going to lie. I didn’t really know what to say so I just kind of told them Aaron would be returning within the hour with more information (not true...oops...well, kinda true I guess...) It was his job to go with our neighbor, Pascal to the grocery store and to help him out for the day, and my job to catch Juan Carlos, the “fish truck guy” to get some meats. After about 5 minutes, I walked away from his truck after spending 36,200 colones... the equivalent to around $64 USD. HOLY MOLEY, that wasn’t on purpose. Juan Carlos did however notice I have been working on my Spanish and he said I was doing well... CLEARLY not well enough to not over buy meat though... I laugh because I know I did not completely fuck up. We are able to freeze it and use it, hopefully for the majority of our time here. 2 kilos of camarones (shrimp) is A LOT... approximately 4 lbs. 2 kilos of Merlin pescado (fish) and 1.1 kilos of pollo (chicken). I’d say we are set for a while at least with meats. Adi will be returning home with the rest of the groceries. 

Speak of the devil, that is him now!

[camelliacats]

Coming undone maybe

Another random drabble.

Fic: "Coming undone maybe" [FFN] [AO3]

Pairings/Characters: one-sided Remus Lupin/James Sirius Potter

Rating: T

Words: ~940

Additional info: romance, slash, cross gen, angst, Next Gen era, 3rd person POV

Summary: Because Remus is smart and has never been able to shut off his mind, and he really wished he could shut it off right now.

                If there's such a thing as reverse-hero worship, Remus is sure it's an illness. And he's got it.

                He considers it karma for lying to himself—he could never have loved Dora, for he could never have loved a woman—so, yeah, karma's a bitch, and Remus is no happy camper. After all, his own son is in love with a wizard, too! And, as much as Remus likes Lysander Scamander, the Lupin man can't shake the feeling that maybe this is really hereditary, and he…he made his son gay.

                A long time ago, he liked his best mates. Like-liked his best mates. Sirius was a handsome hound, and James was a devil with a beautiful angel's face…

                And here Remus stands, washed out in the background, wondering what's running through James Sirius Potter's mind.

                It's just a little gathering, Teddy wanting to have some of his mates hang out with him. Teddy invited his mates and some of the dearest wizards in his life to this makeshift, forget-reality-for-a-night party. Teddy and Lysander are good hosts, Remus muses. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. Lysander's brother, Lorcan, is getting oddly hot under the collar over some Quidditch argument with Freddie Weasley. Harry seems strangely and curtly polite with Scorpius Malfoy, but friendly enough. The two youngest there, Louis and Hugo Weasley, are quiet and near each other and look like two enemies faking being friends. But Teddy achieved what he wanted; there aren't any feuds or real arguments going on. Everything's honky-dory.

                But, if that were really the case, then Remus Lupin wouldn't be having an internal struggle about James Sirius Potter being James Sirius Potter and not James, not Sirius, not Potter. No, it's James Sirius Potter—nothing more, nothing less.

                Remus shakes his head and goes outside—Teddy won't miss his father, he visits with him nearly every day—and Remus thinks and rethinks Apparating home to get away from his stupid, teenage thoughts. Perhaps he's just missing the companionship. Maybe he's just curious about the great Harry Potter's eldest (and first) child.

                Maybe he's just gone bloody nutters for thinking James Sirius Potter has a very infectious, endearing smile unlike anything he's ever seen.

                No one comes out to retrieve him, so he goes back in to excuse himself politely for the night. Teddy half hears him, and Remus shrugs it off, not even thinking when James and Al exit the place right after him, not even listening himself when Al tells them he's off to go home to his longtime girlfriend.

                James cracks some jokes as the joker in him is wont to do, and Remus laughs where needed, but the werewolf's mind is racing and blurring together and making him unable to walk straight enough to keep James from thinking that he's had too much to drink…which of course he didn't, but James doesn't know that. James slings an arm around his shoulders and laughs as they walk—wait, wasn't Remus supposed to be Apparating home?—but James doesn't seem to be in any hurry to go home, really, despite having left the party earlier than the rest.

                "Never thought I'd see someone do something so stupid," James comments, a laugh somewhat like a bark escaping him.

                Remus disjointedly chuckles, not bothering to correct the much younger man that no, he indeed is quite sober. Too sober, in fact—if he were any more sober, he'd be afraid of just asking what's running through James Sirius Potter's mind, the mind behind that soft brown hair and those near-black eyes and that wicked grin that's not his family's but very much his own.

                James curses and rummages through his own pockets, jostling Remus' arm, but the werewolf doesn't care. Then it comes: "Shit, I left my wand and keys at Teddy's… Can I crash on your couch? You, er, do still have a couch right? Didn't sell it or destroy it or anything?"

                Remus says yes, he's got a couch like any sane person, and the quip draws a lovely grin on that face. Remus even forgives the poke at him being old and a wolf, but none of that has ever really mattered because wizards are wizards, right? And, while not immortal they sure do live a while, so thirty or forty years almost seems like a mere ten. And Remus has been able to control the wolf ninety-nine percent of the time—he subtracts one percent for that one time he forgot to take his potion…but he's sure Harry told his kids that story at some point, and Remus isn't one to harp on his condition.

                So shuffling steps and a quick Disapparition and the two wizards are there at the dingy-looking brownstone. Remus lets them in and knows he's wired, not tired, and he's wondering just how the hell he'll sleep tonight.

                James unabashedly claims the only room in the house—Remus'—and shucks some of his clothing, only to pause to wish his host a good night. Then he's easily dead asleep, and Remus can't keep his mind from wandering, his heart from pounding, his blood from rushing, and his feelings from spiraling out of control.

                The werewolf takes the couch, because that's what a good person would do. And, even though he's known James Sirius Potter for the whole younger wizard's life, Remus knows it'd be wrong to engage him in anyway. Besides, James Sirius Potter isn't like him. Remus would never tell Harry that James and Sirius had toyed with him before, but surely James Sirius Potter isn't like him.

                Because it's not hereditary, no, of course not….

Wow. This practically BEGS for a hot sequel. ;DDD *lol* B3

Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave an anon/unsigned review via the FFN link or comment via the AO3 link at the top of the post, especially if you enjoyed this!

~mew

2017 note: Ah, yes. I recall in 2011, after writing a lot of Remlilus, I indulged a friend with a couple of RemJSPs. XD Which works as an extension of my love for James/Remus/Sirius, so. Yeah. ;P