#finally got ios 7 done

[alcatrazlocksmith]

10 Benefits of Having a Camera Doorbell

Many people consider having a camera doorbell luxurious. But is it really?

On social media, it seems everyone has it but when it comes to you, why does it seem so out of reach? It’s because you need more information about camera doorbells. When you know more you’ll see why you need it for your home security in today’s world and what you can do to get yours.

What is a Camera Doorbell?

A camera doorbell is a smart device that consists of a camera, Wi-Fi, microphone, and speaker. With the use of IOS or android apps, you can communicate with someone at the front of your door via a video chat. In this 21st century, as technology progresses, people see more reasons to evolve at the pace of technology’s evolution. Buying a camera doorbell is beyond evolving, and shows off. It has numerous advantages attached. Let’s show them to you.

Source

Benefits of Buying a Camera Doorbell

1. It helps you screen your visitors

Perhaps you are expecting a good friend to come over today. But you got caught up with work activities, or you are watching your best series as you wait. In this state, you wouldn’t want a single distraction from anyone but your expected visitor. You finally hear a knock at the door, in a rush you went to confirm who’s at the door just to see someone else (maybe that one freeloading neighbor). Good luck tiptoeing back to the couch like you are not at home.

Now with a camera doorbell, you don’t have to walk up to the door. Wherever you are seated, you can always see who’s at the door with your phone.

2. Convenience

With a camera doorbell, going to check who’s at the door will be a thing of the old. You don’t have to stop what you are doing before you attend to your visitors. That’s a lot of conveniences it brings to the table.

3. Have a conversation in your absence

Nobody loves the feeling of rushing a bath because of someone at the door. With a camera doorbell, if a visitor is at the door and you are in the bathroom, you don’t have to rush or leave the bathroom when you aren’t done. With your phone, you can have a conversation with your visitor outside telling him/her to give you X minutes to be done in the bathroom. That’s far better.

You can do this even if you are completely away from home. You can tell your visitor to come back in X minutes’ time as you are not home. A lot of people will admire that and find it polite.

4. Best way to avoid package theft

Package theft is becoming so common in the U.S and it’s even becoming more rampant. Research has it that 1 out of every 4 people in the U.S. has been victims of package theft. 

As you are not always at home, chances are that you won’t be at home when a package is delivered to your home. You can easily add to the terrific statistics of package theft victims if you don’t have an extra eye to watch over your package. 

This is how it works. When your package is delivered at the front of your house, the camera doorbell senses motion and alerts you. When another person approaches your door, it senses the motion and detects you again. If it’s a thief, you can always make the person know you are watching through the speaker. That’s enough to scare them away. And even if it isn’t, your camera has captured the footage you need for investigation and evidence. Same goes for invasion and robbery.

5. Keep an eye on your family

As members of your family go in and out of your home, you can use your camera doorbell to be sure that they dropped them off from school at the right time. Also, if you are far from home, you can make sure your teen isn’t going out late, or inviting friends to the house during late hours. You can be sure your entire family is at home before you go to bed. This keeps your mind at rest even when far from home.

6. Night vision

All you have to do is keep your camera clean. And it gives you clear images and videos at night as though it was day. You can get a clear visual of the person in front of your home, even at an eclipse. 

7. It serves as a deterrent

Seeing a camera doorbell around a home gives the presence of the law. A thief that knows he is watched won’t steal. A camera doorbell provides the extra eye you need to scare burglars away in your absence. It’s almost like you are always home. Let’s show you how your CCTV can deter burglars. If there are to be two houses seated side-by-side to each other. And one has a camera doorbell while the other doesn’t, the one without one will be an easy choice for burglars to take. 

8. They provide criminal evidence when needed

Should someone break into your home without noticing or intentionally your doorbell, you have all evidence you need to break the lawbreaker to book. The evidence you can create with your doorbell camera has more legal weight than even an eyewitness. It won’t only create the evidence you need, it will help as a piece of investigative information to capture the criminals involved. 

Key Takeaways

Keeping your loved ones and properties safe is essential to every human and being able to do so with the help of a camera doorbell and your phone makes it much easier. This will provide you with peace of mind even in your absence.

Here at Alcatrazlock, our goal is to assist you in ensuring that you’re able to keep the lives of your loved ones and properties at home or the office safe with ease.

If you still have some unattended questions, feel free to contact us. We will be glad to respond to you quickly.

from Locksmith | Locksmith Phoenix AZ | Auto Locksmith | Locksmith Near By | Alcatraz Lock https://ift.tt/5REp0bQ

[crwr-213-3]

CRWR-213 Assignment #3

Part One: An unnecessary urge to Facetime

I was homesick. It had been two hours since I landed in Canada. Immigration was slow and tiring. I finally got a yellow cab which took me to Totem Park. I came on a 14-hour flight from India, and this was my first time traveling alone. I was anxious. My heart was palpitating at a speed that would’ve probably broken the World Record.

Life was changing. I was becoming more and more independent by the minute. I missed the yelling of my mother and the calmness of my father. My One Plus needed power and I had forgotten my universal plug back home. I had no friends and no family in Vancouver. My nervous system had gone for a toss. I didn’t know what to do or how to go about this situation. It was snowing and I had just reached my dorm room. I need to think on my feet. I needed a solution. I needed to call back home. I needed comfort, support, and affection from my parents. My mental health urged me to do it the Canadian way by Facetiming them. But poor me, I didn’t have Facetime. I had about $3000 of cash and my Foreign Exchange credit card. I always planned on getting an iPhone once I reached UBC. So, with the help of the prettiest women at the Orchard Commons front desk, I managed to reach the bus stop. She told me to get off at Granville Street and to my left would be Pacific Centre which had the nearest Apple Store.

With just $100 bills, I had an awkward conversation with my bus driver who let me travel in the bus for free. It took me about 45 minutes to reach the Apple Store. Walking through Downtown on a sunny day is a sublime feeling. The fresh and cold winds of January are breathtaking and rejuvenating. Walking through the streets of downtown, the experience was surreal. It was completely different from the streets of Delhi where everything was dirty and unhygienic. But finally, I had reached the Apple Store. There was just one thing running through my mind that I wanted to Facetime my parents.

 It was only a matter of time once I get my new tech device. It took me about 25 minutes and about 6 death stares from Apple employees as they saw my thirty $100 bills. I had it, I had done the impossible. My first purchase in Vancouver was the most North American purchase ever. I had gotten my iPhone 13 pro. Transferring data from android to iOS is a pain in the ass, but I was persistent.

Another 30 minutes, and I was all set. I swiftly connected to the free WiFi and bang, I opened my desired Facetime App. I called my mother thrice, and she didn’t pick up. On the second time that I rang my father, it was the last ring and I had lost all hope. The paranoia and anxiousness were starting to kick-in again. But God, is he a beautiful man, he picked it up. I had never felt so excited to talk to my parents. And when my parents heard that, all they said was that I could’ve Google Duo called them, and I wasted $2000 just to satisfy my inner shopper.

Part Two: I am inevitable!

Humans usually have about two godparents and two parents. In my case, I just had a father, Steve Jobs. I was born on 7 June 2010 and within about 6 months of my birth, I lost my father. In 2011, I was adopted by my stepfather, Tim Cook. I have a great affection for my stepfather. He has provided for me, made me a better app, and continues to invest in me. I have a lot of servants or as he calls them “Software Developers”. I am usually found on the home page of all Apple products but can be dragged to any of the pages on your devices.

 I offer the best video-calling quality and always try my best to offer an uninterrupted connection. I can be used in two different ways, by video or audio calling. My primary source of energy is the iPhone lithium battery and the key that enables me to perform at a good pace is smooth WiFi.

In our app culture, 11 years is a long age since our general lifespan is about 6 months to a year. Considering that along with me not having a personal income, my stepfather does a lot for me. As of today, about 125 million people are using me. That sounds wrong for you humans, but for us apps, it’s a compliment. I’m sure you must know about my “app friend”, iMessage. That’s girlfriend in our lingo. We’re about the same age and we have been dating for a long time now. For us, marriage isn’t the same as humans. Us apps just date and die out or are deleted from the backend software.

 It’s a sad journey but I am currently enjoying my peak. More about me, I have some archnemeses: Google Duo, WhatsApp Video Calling, Zoom, just to name a few. They have been trying to steal the limelight from me, but I have the blessings of my stepfather and father. But all of us together bring humans closer.

 I create a bond between groups of about two to thirty-two people at once, across the globe. When I see parents talking to their children about 14,000 km away from each other, it makes me warm and fuzzy. I’ve seen people experience all sorts of emotions: anger, love, laughter, and many more. It reminds me of my importance and not to lie, kind of boosts my value as an app. I know every app must die or get deleted, just like every human, but till the time I can enjoy my peak, I look forward to it. Now to show you my egoistic side, I am the epitome of video calling. I started connecting people from opposite ends of the world and I will be the last app to do so. I am, INEVITABLE! I am Facetime!

Part Three: Importance of Facetime during a pandemic

It’s not every year that we face a pandemic. But when you live in a joint family, the risk of contracting deathly virus-like COVID-19 increases multiple folds. I was privileged enough to not have gotten COVID-19 but I always had an advantage since I was 19. My grandfather, Niamat Rai, on the other hand, who had just turned 76, had contracted it. I had a special and tight-knit bond with my grandfather. He always asked me for help with tech. That was our quality time together.

Initially, we placed him in quarantine within our house with a personal nurse, but his health slowly started declining. What began with a light fever had turned into a high fever with constant coughing. We had no option than to transfer him to the hospital where he could be treated more professionally.

The worst part about having COVID-19 is the isolation or quarantine that comes along with it. When I am ill, all I want is support and affection from my family. But when one contracts COVID-19, you are completely locked out from the outside reality.

My grandfather had quiet few days in the COVID isolation center of the hospital. He was responding to the medications and had started making good progress to being back to one hundred percent. Once he had recovered a bit, he started Facetiming us twice a day. He had his phone that the nurse gave to him very sneakily as mobile phones are not allowed in the ward. For the first five days, it was the time I looked forward to most during the day. I used to get up at 8 in the morning to talk to him on Facetime for 30 minutes. I used to get done with all my tuition and school by 4:30 pm so that I could chat with him again at 5:00 pm. During those days, I realized the importance of Facetime in my life. The crisp video quality and uninterrupted connection made me feel like I was sitting next to him.

On the morning of the sixth day, we received a call from the hospital telling us that my grandfather had contracted pneumonia. There was a sense of panic in the house. We knew since age wasn’t on his side and collapse can be fatal. My grandmother was inconsolable, and my dad and uncle were trying to stay strong. We were constantly praying and staying in touch with the doctors. I kept peaking at my phone in the hope that he would Facetime me.

In the evening, we got the news that he had passed away. He had a heart attack due to his body being unable to handle the combination of pneumonia and COVID-19. All I remembered about him was those ten Facetime calls and how much they meant to me. I understood the importance of an app like Facetime that day. It brought me closer to my grandfather even though we were so far away that we couldn’t even stand in the same room with him.

[theophagie]

Live Reaction™ to the 10 episodes released so far time!!! Hopefully this season's dialogues were spared from weird translations and tv censorship since crunchyroll got to it instead of mediaset 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

Ep 1

SIMONEEE (Deku's va) I MISSED YOU SIMOOOONEEEEE

"... questa è la nostra prima primavera..." ed è subito Maledetta Primavera.mp3

I will never not be weirded out by how young Hawks sounds in ita... he's literally some guy in his 20s.......

Sayonara.......... Giorgio Vanni's original op used by mediaset................

Paolo Sesana ie Twice I love you!!!!!!!!!!! He's great, I just know The Episode will make me suffer like a dog

Mhhh Hawks' va really isn't bad but he's putting a little too much malice in his words. Where's the guilt sir!!!!!!!!!

I DIDN'T REMEMBER THAT TSUKAUCHI SOUNDED SO YOUNG TOO OMG

"Dark scedov" è un qualcosa di spettacolare

KACCHAN CAN SAY CAZZO LET'S GOOOOOO LET'S GOOOOOOO SWEARING LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOO CAZZO E COGLIONI. HE'S FREE. HE'S FREEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MIRKO CAN SAY BASTARDO LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOO

How I feel knowing that this season's rights weren't bought by mediaset

Ep 2

In tutto questo Federico Viola non ha ancora imparato a urlare senza sembrare vagamente pugliese

I'm so stupidly happy that they can finally casually say "kill", "die" and stuff like that akdjfkgjg

"CIARGIBOLT" MI PISCIO SOTTO AKAJDFIGJGIVIGJ

Ep 3

PAOLOOOOO PAOOOOOOOOOLOOOOOOOOOOO 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 his Twice is so good MWAH

Tokoyami che dà del lei a Hawks mi fa sentire abbastanza 🥺🥺

Hearing what they're saying in italian for the first time is leaving me in A State

Dabi sounds kinda different? I don't think his va changed though

Stuff really hits different in your native language it really really does 😭😭😭😭

Ep 4

Not much to say about this one. But I'm just happy to be here and that the dialogues have been good so far, like the voice acting. Garaki's va is slaying but that was a given

RUGGERO FACCI SOGNAREEEEEEE (Tomura's va!!!!!!! He's great!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Ep 5

RUGGEROOOOOOOOOOOO

"Piccoli polli arrosto" se lo potevano risparmiare mesà

"Tokoyami dà del lei a Hawks" è durata una puntata lmao

ORA GLIEL'HA DATO DI NUOVO INVECE ANDKCKGGJ

Yoichi has such a "strong"-sounding voice in italian. Rip to his ethereal swag 😔

"Bla bla bla e in pochi secondi sarai un lontano ricordo" omg Riku kh reference

THEY TRANSLATED AFO'S "ONE FOR ALL" AS IN HE DOESN'T SAY THE QUIRK'S NAME BUT "TUTTO MIO" NOOOOOOOO

Ep 6

TOGAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😭 I can't wait for her moment with Uraraka.....

Aaaaaand now AFO is saying "one for all"

WHY DID THEY MAKE BAKUGOU CALL HIM MIDORIYAAAAAAAAAAA

"Non posso continuare a restare indietro" and I? Cried, yes

Ep 7

"Deika, un anno fa" whaaaaaaat???

Aaaaa Aizawa's moment with the dynamic duo T-T professore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

INCEST LOSES THEY MISTRANSLATED THE "YOU SHALL BE MINE, LITTLE BROTHER" LINE

Mr Ruggero's putting his whole pussy into this, as usual

Midnight's va did her scene do well ;_; also she straight up told Momo to make a narcotic in italian asmdnfjf

Ep 8

Nothing to say about the first half of the episode other than it was well done 🫡 I think they got Tetsutetsu's words switched up though

SLAY RUGGERO. I wish he had sounded more desperate though

"Io non ho figli, Sorahiko. Io non ho mai avuto un figlio" AND I KILLED MYSELF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MAMA!!!!!!! 😭😭😭😭

Ep 9

I CONFINATI BOYS????????????

Simone's slayinggggg

KACCHAN FLASHBACK TIME FEDERICOOOOOO FEDERIIIIIIIICOOOOO

FEDERICOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

FEDERICOOOOOOOOO 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Ep 10

"Non provare a vincere questa guerra senza di me" HELLO????????????

"Tomura caro" oh he's going to hell [appreciative]

Iida calling Midoriya and Todoroki his best friends 🥺

THEY MADE YOICHI SOUND ANGRY NOOOOOOOO

TOGA TIME !!!!!!!!!!!!!

HER VA IS SLAYINGGGGG

And that was it for now 😔

You stop compulsively looking up news and bnha s6 finally starts getting an ita dub when you're not looking

[whats-ahead]

End’s Ahead

Hey everyone! It’s been awhile since we last update here! 

The next update post we were going to make was on how we finally cracked the code on Len and the whole reason on how he was not working was the fact that he was always suppose to be close to his dad but Adele was always closer to his dad than him so we were  scrapped Len AND Gale and made them into two entirely different characters, swapping their roles.

Having Roman, Brendan’s son, be Adele’s mentor figure who’s a bit older. Pokemon ranger who gets sent into the distortion world that everyone needs to go save. Adele is close with the Birch’s and since Roman is older it’s not that she was competing for Brendan’s attention and was more of an unofficial younger sibling. 

Matchi, Wally’s nibling (genderfluid) he got custody of (intentionally Io parallels). Coordinator, Adele’s best friend. Fit the slot Len used to fit. And we worked everything out, we had to scrap Larentia entirely, change Ber’s trainer class, and so much other plot stuff but it doesn’t matter. 

Because neither of us really care for having pokeani fankids.

For some this might seem it’s coming out of no where but honestly for me, I feel it’s been a long time coming. We haven’t really cared about the anime in years. I think you can tell because the only anime ships we have really only fit in gen 4 and before. Even then, the only anime ships we ever actually really liked we used on this were Ash & May and Dawn & Gary. Everything else was just checking off a checklist.

Like ‘oh we need a Misty Kid, let’s make Bridge’ ‘We need a Cilan kid, we’ll make Eclair’. It wasn’t actually because we cared about the ships those kids are attached to.

But we liked the kids we had and we liked making them so we didn’t really see the point in changing anything. I stand by that a lot of these kids mean so much to me. We’ve had them for over 7 years (they’ve been a thing longer than this blog has been) I wouldn’t trade them for the world.

As some of you know I recently (without Craig) made some game verse kids and it made me realize that I actually like having fankids for the sake of them being fankids. Which I know sounds self explanatory, that’s what it should be. I like thinking about them with their parents, how that effects them. How they act when they’re little all the good stuff. Their relationship with their parents is a key factor of part of the reason I like the game verse kids. I could take away the parental relationship with literally all of the kids on this blog and still feel the exact same amount them.

So that’s exactly what I pitched to Craig what we do. Take all of the kids we like/want to keep around, redesign them, and make them ocs. And it’s been great! We’ve only done Adele, Jean, Axel and Ike so far but honestly, it makes me feel so much more excited to work on this stuff than I have been in years. 

We’re no longer restricted to the anime canon neither of us really care about, we can make as many or as little characters as we want. Characters don’t need to make “sense” to be in certain places in certain times because they’re ocs and we decide everything. It’s great.

As for this blog, I plan to keep it up for archive purposes but don’t plan on updating it. I am taking a few adult designs for my game verse if it works out but some will be lost in time (sadly Submas Hilbert Hilda does not work in my game verse which is the worst that is the worst thing about the blog going down in my opinion).

If anyone’s curious about the current version of the kids I’m likely only going to post them on my art twitter. We might change names for everyone we want to talk it (except Axel it still fits him) but if see me tweeting them under any name (with more to be added later but not on this account) they’re probably kids from here)

In order left to Right Top Bottom: Ike, Matchi (who no we didn’t redesign bc they only existed for a week before we started this), Axel, Jean, Adele 

[ernmark]

Juno Steel's Season 3 Finale Thoughts

Whoooooo boy.

Lots of thoughts. Lots of questions.

(spoilers under the cut)

A lot of this might be cleared up when I get my hands on that script, but until then:

Why was Sasha willing to destroy the Curemother Prime in order to kill Juno? That is a specific shot she made, and an incredibly valuable asset to destroy in the meantime. If killing him was more important than preserving the Curemother Prime, why did she attempt to spare him earlier-- or was it one of those 'bring him in alive' situations?

Is the Curemother Prime dead? Dead-dead? Or might some of it have splashed into Juno's open wound and hitched a ride in that weirdo blood of his?

Ruby is a Transformer now??? Like a T-2/Transformer hybrid? Is Juno gonna park on Io and then have the Ruby turn into like a necklace or a belt and just hang out with him so he has someone to monologue to? (Please!!!)

Who's waiting for him on Io (not waiting for him, per se, but he knows that somebody is going to be there)? Alessandra and her wife? Khan and family? Falco? Diamond?

Who set off the signal that lured Dark Matters to them? Right now the implication seems to be Peter, but I'm always up for a twist in the plot. (Peter's collector wanting to push him to actually get his ass in gear, perhaps?)

Who's side is Peter on, really? Was his preemptive escape him going along with that initial deal, or an act of cowardice and betrayal?

-------

Beyond that:

Alien road trip!

Seriously, though: we've seen Juno brought to his absolute lowest when he went out into the desert. We've seen him built back up again surrounded by support and loved ones and learn solid coping mechanisms. Now the scaffolding of that positive environment has been ripped away, and he's left to fend (almost) for himself. But this Juno Steel isn't the same one who came back from Miasma's tomb. He's taking the idea of Peter's betrayal in stride and then setting it aside-- not locking it away, but agreeing to deal with it when the circumstances permit. He's not resorting to self-blame or self-destruction, but taking an active role in getting out of there. He's trusting in himself and his family. And yes, he lashes out at the Ruby 7 for a moment, but it's a fairly brief moment, and then he calms down and they set out to work together.

Holy shit, you all. It's so amazing to see how he's grown.

-----

And really seeing the extent of that growth does in fact require pulling away those supports he's been holding onto. It's the real test, and that means he can't rely on Rita's ingenuity or Jet's wisdom, etc. This is going to be the larger, more extensive version of what we saw in the sewer with Small Fry, and I am so here for it.

But oh god, I hope the others are gonna be okay. Jet has the kind of faith that moves mountain ranges, but he's the one I most fear won't survive this.

Rita... I nearly cried when Rita admitted that she wasn't going to come with them. And of course she made out like it was no big deal, she just needed to take a detour, and of course Juno saw right through it and fought against her plan. But he trusts her, as much as she trusts him. It's a heartbreaking inversion of what we saw in Soul of the People.

And you'll notice that I keep circling around back to the end of the previous season, because there's a lot of parallelism going on. With the vibe I'm getting, this next season might just be the penultimate, if not the last season. It depends on how this next season is going to play out.

We've got this neighboring galaxy thing going on, with the Curemother Prime's origins, the memetic plague, and the Ruby 7-- all of which hearkens back to Season 1 with the Ancient Martians and Miasma.

We've also got a lot of untied strings involving the past. Peter's past, with his first love and his unspeakable debt; but also Diamond, Falco, and Hijikata; we've got the severing of Juno's relationship with Sasha, and what exactly happened that made their paths diverge. We've got Annie Wire-- I don't think we're done with her yet. And I'm still not about to let go of Marcus (aka, the mystery of the person who was mentioned in a S1 throwaway line that you can't even actually hear unless you're holding the script in front of you).

That's a lot of material to pack into a single season, but who knows?

[melancholiaenthroned]

dc pride ratings

Super Pride (Jon Kent): 2/10

it sucked so bad… no idea why it was the first in the book bc it definitely prepares you for disappointment. damian came across as homophobic, jon wore a straight pride flag, and jay barely did anything. the art was lovely but overall it just sucked.

Confessions (Nubia): 8/10

frankly i dont read a lot of nubia stuff so i cant speak to characterization but i really enjoyed this one! gorgeous art and very fun and silly story, i so wish there had been just a bit less action and more of her and and Io. will probably read some of her solo stuff after this because she seems great.

Think of Me (Connor Hawke): 10/10

im not a connor hawke fan or arrow fan in general, but oh my god this comic was so good. actually about the characters relationship to his sexuality! fun action scenes and villain! i really liked the music metaphor i thought it was well done. and damian wasnt homophobic in this one! also loved the art style a lot.

Up At Bat (Alysia Yeoh): 9/10

you love to see her again! hope dc actually commits to using her in more stuff now. the story was fun and i like that theyre setting her up as a vigilante. my only issue is a bit of a nitpick with the art, i just dont really like how the bat moves when she uses it haha. it looked curved and therefore looked like it hit weaker. i really liked the message tho and related to the feeling of just. fighting the same battles forever and never getting anywhere. dont know how much i relate to the “beat up supervillains instead” solution but its comics so. duh.

A World Kept Just For Me (Jackson Hyde): 9/10

i dont read a lot of aquaman, but ive heard that they drew his boyfriend skinner in this comic than he normally is, which, upon googling him. yeah. so point off for that. other than that is has got to be one of my favorites. the art and atmosphere is gorgeous and i love the different color palettes between the underwater scenes and the above water ones. i think the story was very very cute and nice and the ending was sweet.

The Gumshoe In Green (Jo Mullein): 8/10

LOVE the noir detective vibes. possibly the funniest instance of biphobia in the world. unfortunately also the most confusing. were they planning to eat her or fuck her? were they bisexual? not really being clear on that sort of lessened the punch of the story for me but frankly it doesnt really matter when the art and vibes are this good.

Public Display of Electromagnetism (Ray Terrill): 7/10

i have no idea who this guy is so that probably effects my ranking. i was bored! who are these people? for ray fans this was probably a big win but i literally have never even heard of him before reading this. i liked his internalized homophobia. that was different from the rest of the stories in this book where it seemed like everyone already was completely happy and secure in themselves. but unfortunately he got over in like a minute so i didnt really feel like it was anything other than cheap conflict. however maybe if ur a ray fan this is like, really deep for him. idk. the art was fine but i didnt love it either. very good light/magic effects but the ppl looked a bit odd. not to pit gay ppl against each other but they couldve put a midnighter and apollo story here instead.

Bats in the Cradle (Kate Kane): 6/10

literally the opposite of the last one. i love kate i read a ton kate so this… like ive heard it all before. this is nothing new. also i hate her dad so i dont care that hes proud of her. i wish it was more kate and her own self acceptance rather than her fathers but i guess they did that last year. and god last years kate story was so fucking good. art was fine and kate looked rlly good when she finally showed up.

INTERMISSION: Ghostmaker splash page: 10/10

is he kidnapping that guy? ok. sure. so confusing bc it genuinely looks like he just swooped in and stole this dude but thats also hilarious so.

Special Delivery (Tim Drake): 9/10

ok as tumblr user bernarddowd you can all guess by stance on comic character bernard dowd. hes perfect to me. i love that he acts and looks more like his 2004 self. i wish he had scars from his pain cult but when have comics remembered scars. i wish he had been there more! less tim. get ur bf on page. tim was fine tho ig. they can get away w not kissing in this story bc i figure they will in the tim drake pride special.

The Hunt (Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn): 10/10

very sweet and funny story. love their insane sex life. i love love love the romance manga art style and the color palette. surprised that it doesnt seem related at all to poison ivys new series but i guess theyre broken up in that so it makes sense. and i will always love to see jester harley even if shes an evil hallucination or whatever.

Are You Ready For This (Jesse Quick): 7/10

too much happened in too few pages, but that could be seen as a meta commentary on their powers? no i idea what goes on in teen justice so just reading this it seems like raven gets hit on and then gets so embarrassed hes like “i can NEVER join teen justice” but im sure he must be talking about something else. felt less like a pride story and more like pride as a setting which isnt a bad thing but it also felt less like a jesse quick story and more like a story where jesse quick was there, which, again, i think is just cause too much stuff was going on. still had fun w it.

INTERMISSION 2: Galaxy and Dreamer splash page: 10/10

WOOOO cheering forever. literally just read Galaxy last night and i LOVED it. never saw supergirl but Dreamer’s actress’s foreword was very nice so im a fan. they look very cute here together.

Finding Batman: 10/10

save the best for last. very touching and upsetting and real. glad for the more nonfiction stuff in this and im so glad that he was able to tell his story through dc. definitely deserves to be the most talked about part of the anthology and it is (other than homophobic damian).

[eerna]

hi! may i ask what you mean by ‘the hole sjm left in your heart’? i was just wondering what history you have with her and/or her books! sorry if this is personal, you don’t have to answer! i remember you saying that you used to like throne of glass, so i was wondering if there was any specific reason why you don’t like her books anymore? does it have to do with her as a person (cause ik she’s had a bit of controversy before i think) or with her books?

Sure, I love whining about it! Here is a dramatic flashback.

I was reaaaaaaally into ToG as a teen, even after it took a nosedive. It was a guilty pleasure, but along the way I got legit invested in some characters. Book 4 was a vibe. I still read book 5 ignoring the cringe and being loudly optimistic (looking back, getting jumped by graphic smut should have been my sign to dip, but alas) . Book 6 was a pleasant surprise. But then those 900 pages of book 7 utterly broke me. I cried angry tears multiple times at the bullshit that happened. I haven't yet known why or how tbings got so bad since I wasn't informed on ACOTAR. My feelings when I finished it were "Thank Everything That Is Done, I Am Finally Free". But the worst thing is, there were still things I loved about it!!!!! I still do!!!!!!! These books are a ball and chain around my mind even still!!!!!!

Fast forward 2 years to this spring. I decided to reread the books and relive the nostalgia and also make fun of SJM. Once again I was really into the stuff I loved.......... But the stuff I disliked now seemed so much larger now that I had finished the series and knew it is all pointless and it never gets better. But ok. I soldiered on. I can do this. I have done this before. Cue me getting so disgusted midway through book 5 that I legit spent the rest of the day crying at random intervals. I asked myself if a breakdown is worth it. And that was the last time I will ever pick up a SJM book.

One could ask, Io, you were aware of the weird imperialistic and sexist undertones, why were you so surprised? To which I say I know!!!!! I was an idiot!!!!!!!!! I was enchanted by women with dragons!!!!! I delibarately supressed horrible horrible things in order to enjoy the story, and seeing them again knowing I LIKED it was way too much. It sucks to see something I have fond memories of in such a bad light. SJM is a bad writer and only getting worse with time. End Flashback

[itsadamcole]

last christmas

fem!reader x finn balor

reader and Finn have been broken up for almost a year. they haven't seen or spoken to each other since Finn ended the relationship. it's now Christmastime, and they come face-to-face at the NXT Christmas party for the first time since the breakup ... "i loved you. i loved you so much that it hurt me"

word count: 2.5k+

warnings: angsty, mentions & actions involving cheating, drinking, implied sex, kinda nsfw

— day 7 out of 25. let’s gooo —

masterlist || request an imagine here

part 2

~ some 18+ content below - read at your own risk ~

You stand outside of BelaRosa Banquet Hall and stare up at the building. You know what's waiting for you inside.

While you've managed to avoid him at Full Sail, it won't be as easy to avoid him here. At least at Full Sail, you can hide in your dressing room. At BelaRosa Banquet Hall, there's nowhere to hide. Except maybe the bathroom. He's too much of a gentleman to walk into a women's restroom.

"Hey, girlie," you hear Candice LeRae say behind you. You glance back to see her walking up to the door with Johnny Gargano by her side. "Why are you still out here? You should be inside."

You say, "I'm trying to talk myself into going in. It's taking me longer than I thought."

Candice hooks her arm with yours and she says, "You know he doesn't like coming to these events. He probably won't even be here."

Anxiety hits you like a train as you say, "He's NXT Champion, Candice. There's no way that he's not here."

"That's a good point," she says. "I used to wrestle men so I won't be afraid to hit him or hurricanrana him so please come inside and sit with me and Johnny."

That gets a light laugh out of you. You give in and say, "Fine. You better hold your promise to hurrincanrana him if he comes near me."

Candice laughs and the three of you walk inside. "I promise," she says.

The banquet hall is huge and already full of NXT wrestlers and staff members. William Regal is even here. So is Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, and Shawn Michaels. If they're here then he definitely is.

You join Candice at a table with Tegan Nox, Dakota Kai, Raquel Gonzalez, Tommaso Ciampa, Tyler Breeze, and Fandango.

"Hey, Y/N!" Tegan says, patting the seat beside her. "Sit here. I didn't think we'd be seeing you."

Laughing, you say, "I decided to show up and not let a breakup dictate my life anymore."

Candice says, "She was standing outside the building for who knows how long when I showed up. Who knows if she would have walked in if it wasn't for me."

Everyone at the table kind of laughs.

The banquet hall is full of Christmas and holiday themed decorations. Garland hands all over the place with a large Christmas tree in one of the corners of the room. Wreaths are scattered throughout the room. The tables all have little Santa or snowman figurines as decoration.

"I love that dress, Y/N," Dakota compliments. "Very pretty."

The decision to come to this party was so last minute that you had to grab a dress from your closet instead of buying something new like most people did. The dress you're wearing is a short satin silver dress with spaghetti straps that crisscross each other on your back. The neck dips a little low, revealing a small amount of cleavage. You wear matching silver heels. Your Y/H/C colored hair is up in a messy bun on top of your head.

"Thank you, Kota," you say, smiling kindly at her.

The party goes well until dinner is served in buffet form. You're making your way down the line when someone says, "It's nice to see ya, Y/N. It's been a while."

You'd know that accent anywhere. That Irish accent that made you weak in the knees every time you heard it. Your suspicions are confirmed when you look to your left to see Finn Balor grabbing some mashed potatoes.

"Wish I could say the same," is all you say before grabbing a roll and some butter before walking off.

You sigh as you sit down, angry and frustrated that he even had the nerve to come up to you and say that it's nice to see you. You eat angrily.

Candice notices you and asks, "What's going on? You seem angry."

"I'm not," you snap. "Angry. I'm not angry."

Johnny chimes in and says, "Your vegetables say differently. Did he say something to you? I saw him standing next to you."

You look up at Johnny and say, "He said it was nice to see me, as if he didn't cheat on me several times then play victim every time I would find out."

Candice looks at you, upset that he even talked to you.

Tegan gives you a hug and says, "We won't let him talk to you again, Y/N. That was the first and last time he will talk to you tonight."

Dinner and dessert go by pretty much quickly and easily. Finn doesn't approach you while you eat.

After dinner and dessert, Candice and Johnny go off to dance. Raquel and Dakota go talk to Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley. Tyler and Dango go talk to Adam Cole and the Undisputed Era. Tommaso goes and mingles. That leaves you and Tegan at the table.

Tegan is in the middle of telling you a story about her dog as the two of you sip off your alcoholic drink when Finn approaches you again.

"I'd really like to talk with ya for a second, Y/N," he says. "Please."

You sigh and ask, "What part of 'I never want to talk to you again' didn't you understand?"

Tegan jumps in and says, "Take a hint, Finn. She doesn't want to talk."

Finn looks at you and says, "Just for a few minutes. Then ya can go back to hating my guts."

You turn and look up at Finn, meeting his eyes. "When I said to never talk to me again, I meant it, Finn," you say, growing more and more frustrated.

"It's just a two-minute long conversation, Y/N," he says. "Come on."

Tegan looks at you and you look at her. She says, "Get it out of the way that way you can enjoy the rest of your night."

Sighing, you look back up at Finn and say, "Fine. You have only two minutes."

He looks at Tegan before saying, "Alone. I want to talk to ya alone."

Rolling your eyes, you get out of your seat. Finn walks off to a more private and quieter part of the banquet hall.

"What do you want, Finn?" you ask. "Here to tell me how much you want me back and wish you never cheated?"

He says, "I'm getting married." You're surprised by these three words. "I wanted to make peace with the people I've hurt the most before I got married. Starting with ya."

You look up at Finn and say, "I'm not forgiving you any time soon, Finn. You hurt me so many times."

Finn says, "I don't expect ya to forgive me, Y/N. I'm just trying to make peace with ya so ya stop being smart when I talk to ya at work. I understand that I hurt ya and are mad at me-"

You cut him off and say, "You don't understand. If you understood then you wouldn't have cheated on me multiple times. I'm not just mad, I'm furious. I feel like the past six years were a waste of my time because of you. I loved you. I loved you so much that it hurt me. I took you back when you begged and pleaded because I believed you when you told me you wouldn't cheat again. I gave you chance after chance to make it up to me and just when you did, I'd find out that you cheated again. So no, you don't understand, Finn."

He hangs his head in shame as you speak. He knows that what he did was wrong. Now he's trying to right this wrong.

Finn waits until you're done talking before he says, "I understand what I did was wrong. I've grown and reflected in the past year, Y/N. I've met someone I'm happy with. I've met someone who's kind and beautiful and hasn't judged me because of my past. I've met someone who is nothing compared to ya. I know ya won't forgive me but I want ya back in my life because this whole ignoring me then being smart when we've talked sucks."

You squint your eyes at Finn and say, "Then maybe you shouldn't have cheated."

"I wish I didn't, Y/N!" Finn says, raising his voice. "Believe it or not but I did regret it every time. I hid it because I didn't want us to be in this exact situation."

You raise your voice and say, "Then maybe you should have just told me if you regretted it instead of hiding it! Hiding it did nothing but fuel my anger and hatred toward you. For the past year I have hated you, I have been angry at you, but most of all, I have loved you every second. It's frustrating, Finn! It's frustrating loving you when all you did was hurt me. Last Christmas, when you told me you cheated again, it broke my heart breaking up with you and honestly, I waited to see if you would come back but you never did. Instead you went out and got engaged, and it's not to me."

You've started crying by this point as you let out everything you've been feeling toward Finn for the past year. Everything comes spilling out as you talk.

Meanwhile, Finn's quiet. He's listening and taking it every single word you're saying. He wants to understand.

After sighing and wiping the tears away, you say, "All I wanted was for you to grown and think about your actions. That's all I wanted. Maybe I would have taken you back or tried again at a relationship with you if you came to me and talked to me instead of getting engaged. Now you're getting married and all I can think about is how proud I am of you and happy I am for you while being upset and angry with you."

A wave of sadness comes over Finn after you're done speaking. He finally realizes how much he's hurt you. He realizes his choices haven't been the best over the past few years.

Hesitantly, he reaches out and wipes away your mascara stained tears. Subconsciously, you lean into his touch and close your eyes.

Finn says softly, "I wanted to go back to ya, Y/N. I truly did, but I thought that I'd hurt ya too much and that ya wouldn't even listen to what I had to say. I've loved ya from afar this past year. There's always been a spot for ya in my heart, Y/N."

You look up at Finn, meeting his eyes. You cry, "If I had seen that you had grown and reflected and thought about everything then I would have listened. I'm listening now and I can see how much you've changed, Finn. I can see how genuine and sincere you are."

He looks down at you with a sad expression on his face. He tucks a loose strand of hair behind your ear as he says, "I'm so sorry, Y/N. I truly am."

Eye contact remains as you say the words Finn's been wanting to hear for months. "I forgive you, Finn," is what you say.

He brings his forehead down to yours and he whispers, "I want one thing."

"What's that?" you ask, your voice quiet.

Finn says, "I want a last kiss. Just so we can both move on from this and grow as friends."

You stare up at Finn and say, "I can't do that. You have a fiancée, Finn. Don't do to her what you've done to me."

He nods and looks away, clearly upset.

You would do anything to kiss him again. His kisses always gave you butterflies, no matter where the kisses were on your body. His mustache would always tickle your lip when you kissed him.

You know what, you think to yourself. One last kiss won't be the end of the world.

"Finn," you say, getting his attention.

The Irishman looks at you. You wait a second before hesitantly kissing Finn softly. You squeeze your eyes so the last few years escape and roll down your cheeks as Finn kisses you back.

This is it. The official end of a six year relationship. You're both finally moving on. Finn's getting married and you finally have the closure you never thought you needed as your lips move more and more passionately against Finn's.

Both of you suddenly find yourselves not wanting to pull away from the kiss. Your hands slide up and rest on the back of Finn's neck as you continue kissing him. His hands rest on your waist.

Finn walks so he's pressing you against the wall in the hallway. His large frame pins you against the cream colored wall.

He leans down and picks you up by your thighs, pressing your back against the wall as you wrap your legs around his waist.

It's when his lips leave yours and attach to your neck that you say, "Finn. This isn't just a kiss anymore."

He looks at you and says, "I don't want it to be just a kiss."

"I don't want it either but it has to be," you say. "That's all it can be."

Finn kisses your lips again, this time more passionately and intensely than before. "Stay the night with me," he mumble against your lips. "Please."

In between kisses, you say, "You're getting married, Finn. I can't."

He says, "Ya can. Ya just don't want to."

You pull back and put your hands on Finn's face, holding him there. "Trust me, I want to," you say. "You have no idea how much I want to."

Finn pleads, "Then come home with me. I still live in that tiny apartment. My fiancée doesn't live with me. One last night together won't be the end of the world. If my fiancée finds out and leaves then we get what we both want in the end. Each other."

"That's a toxic way to think, Finn," you point out.

He says, "I know, but I love ya more than I'll ever love her. It's always been ya for me, Y/N."

Your mind begins to race. Do you go back to Finn's and get what you both want? Do you call it a night and maybe regret not going back to Finn's?

No matter what you choose, you'll probably regret in the future. Plus the hope of one day being with him again is the reason you say, "One last night. That's it. That's all you get from me."

Finn pecks your lips and smiles before putting you down and taking you back to his apartment.

As soon as you're back in his apartment, the clothes come off and they stay off until sunrise the next day. You spend all of Christmas Eve mending a broken relationship between you and Finn.

It's a terrible way to fix a broken relationship but you hope it works because you want Finn back in your life. No, you need Finn back in your life.

You just hope things don't get more complicated than they already are after the one last night with Finn.

[coralstudiies]

hello everyone! I got an ask from an anon asking for tips on time management so i decided to type this out before school starts heheh…

poor time management and procrastination, unfortunately, plague just about all of us lol. people with a short attention span (like me) and who are pretty much always on their phone (me again) and who hate scheduling are the most susceptible to these.

over the years i struggled with time management(studying the night before the exam 🤙🏼) but! these are some tips that have helped me in scheduling, avoiding procrastination and improving time management.

1. Write it down

as always, we’re starting with BEFORE the actual task. write all tasks, assignments, projects and homework, test dates down somewhere (notebook preferably so that you dont lose it. it doesn’t have to be your bujo and you do not have to start a bujo for this specific reason!!!) and write the deadlines. this is subconscious pressure to do work once you get home. also, since you can see everything, it’s easier to schedule it out later

2. Use travel time

i cannot stress this enough!!!! sorry that it appears in all my tips posts but it truly is very useful. for short commutes, review the content you’ve learnt so that when you start on your homework, you’ve already got the hang of it. ie you dont struggle to understand the chapter and be put off from finishing your work because you hate it. long commutes can be used to complete work itself. i like to place some books and a file under my worksheet while i write (if i have a seat lol) or you can take this time to plan your time in greater detail

3. Actually plan your time

you dont have to fancy it up with like, brush pens and highlighters. just do something on google sheets or excel. divide the day into appropriate blocks of time.

for me, since i use a focus timer (50+10 or 100+20, rare cases i do 120 with a long break after that) i keep my days in 1hr blocks. so i’d block in about 1hour after i reach home to chill, clean up and so on, 2hrs for homework and the remaining time can be divided by hour/2hours to complete my work. you can tweak the timings to work for you but so far this one suits me pretty well.

4. NEVER RUSH YOUR HOMEWORK AND REVISION WHEN PLANNING!!!!

i repeat, never rush. because when you give only, say, one hour to review 3 chapters and you fail to do so within that time limit, you feel demoralised and hence, will not want to work more. this is a very common issue i believe. sometimes i would rush revise and when i couldnt stick to the timelines, i’ll feel so defeated that i’ll probably binge watch youtube to cure my self-pity LOL

give yourself an ample amount of time. Assign one or two hours a day as ‘delay time’ (this was my free time) so that you can catch up on anything that unfortunately, you couldn’t finish. Assign one day of the week to be the ‘delay day’ -- anything that you cant finish the week before, do it now. this means that you can still ‘save’ your plan even if it screwed up somewhere along the way. it works wonders, believe me! i used to have ‘delay hours’ after training where i would (ahem sadly) study from 2330-0030 if i needed to. while i was tired, i always got my work done.

5. Prioritise

this one needs no explanation. i usually choose which task to start on based on a combination of deadline+importance+graded/non-graded. i start early for graded assignments because they count towards my semester’s final grade and i want to hand up the best quality work i can. find a system which works for you! note: start project work and large assignments early.

you can assign simple tasks first to start the ball rolling, and proceed with harder tasks.

alternatively, if you’re at your prime focus, start with the hardest and scale down to the simple.

6. Make good use of holidays + Wake up early

ok i used to game a LOT and go to training a LOT (still happens now lol) during holidays but i wouldnt get any of my holiday work done.

do your holiday homework first. schedule your time well, and maybe stay home and resist the urge to go out for the first 5 days. finish all your work (again, schedule well) with breaks in between.

thereafter, schedule maybe 3-5 hours a day to revise. if you’re going out with friends, i’d suggest you wake up early to study because once you come home you’re usually dead tired HAHA

so how early is early?? during my o levels study break i would wake up at 0330 (yes, for real) but i slept at 2130 every night. so thats 6 hours of sleep wew but AT LEAST i was very productive. think about it this way: waking up early to study at 0330 makes you more productive than studying till 0330. you don’t have to wake up THIS early, but preferably early enough when the sky’s still dark so that you can fit in those extra hours. DO NOT sacrifice sleep. that’s why you can see i’m still sleeping my usual amount, albeit sleeping and waking earlier.

more perks of waking up early: its quiet outside, the air is cool, your mind gets into the ‘get shit done’ mode, and if you absolutely have to use your phone to search something up, your social media probably won’t be pinging. in other words, early mornings are actually a great time to study! remember to eat something though :>

7. Remove all distractions to prevent possible procrastination

YES i know this is the dreaded one. lock your phone somewhere inconvenient and put the key outside your room. or if you don’t lock it make sure your phone is far away from you as possible. please i know how deadly your phone can get so just put it away.

if you find yourself drifting away and looking at something else, remove that.

alternatively, change up your study environment. you don’t have to go to the library or something (you can if you want to). this is as simple as studying in a different part of the house. a new environment helps to ‘prick’ my mind and help me ignore distractions. i dont know if this is scientifically proven but oh well, worth a try.

8. 2-minute rule

this is something i picked up from @studyquill! it’s pretty helpful (although i was skeptical at first). Tell yourself you’re only going to work for 2 minutes, which helps you get into the workflow. chances are you’ll get so into it (ok not in an excited but rather in a determined way) that you don’t feel like stopping.

if you’ve had a long day and after 2 mins you still don’t get any momentum, just stop and take a 15 min break. that means you’re really too tired and there’s no point in forcing yourself to complete your work.

9. Use reminders

set reminders on your phone for the tasks you need to do. for example, if you’ve planned to start work at 1500, set the reminder to ring 5 minutes before so you have time to gather all your stuff and ready yourself to do work. no excuses!!

set reminders for your breaks as well! those are equally important.

10. Reward yourself

if everything you need to do is done, give yourself a pat on the back. have you been extremely productive? great, treat yourself to your favourite drink/snack. honestly i feel like many of our brains function on the ‘reward’ system. if we reward ourselves for a job well done, we’ll be more willing to complete tasks and stay on time in the future (the brain thinks there’s a reward coming)

remember to take care of your mental health as well! this is one good way to ensure you don’t end up mentally exhausted.

Apps to help with time management

1. Tide - focus timer, meditation, beautiful and calming soundtracks (my fav!)

2. Pendo - everything in one tbh, schedule, to-do list, journal etc. (my fav too!)

3. Forest - focus timer $$$ (free alternative: flora)

4. Donut Dog - focus timer

5. Todoist - minimalist to-do list

6. Minimalist - minimalist to-do list

7. Google Calender - your entire schedule

8. Todait - smart study planner

a quick search will bring out many more! note these are all available on iOS but i’m not sure about google play. you don’t need everything to be productive. i rely only on Tide, Pendo and my iPhone calender and reminders. It’s less about having many ‘tools’ and more about how you properly and wisely utilise them to boost your productivity and manage your time.

also i don't think pendo is very well-known?? so this is how its interface looks like for 'Notes':

it's pretty, simple and clean and there are several themes to choose from! i rly like it omg HAHA (not a promo)

alright that's all! hope it helped :>

[houndin-around]

Covenant | Maul

warnings; slight age gap? I guess, can’t remember if there’s cursing oops, boss-employee relationship

a/n; First ofF I’M DROPPING THIS BC IT’S A SPECIAL SOMEONE’S BIRTHDAYYYYY!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY KENNA ILY<3 @hxldmxdxwn 

- I’ve been avoiding dropping this because I’m super self conscious about my writing but oh well here we goooo! This is a more modern AU even though I use a lot of SW terms/lore but i’ll probably branch out as we go on throught he chapters. Takes place in coruscant and reader is 23! Maul ios around 30-31 haven’t fully decided yet. Uh hope everyone enjoys this!!

Summary; Getting an opportunity at a reputable company, you’re eager to show everyone what you’re made of. The only odd part is...no one knows who the owner is. 

not my gif

Curses rolled off your tongue as the silence was disturbed by the raucous alarm emitting from your phone. Hurriedly you tried to silence it, avoiding waking up your partner that is sleeping next to you. The clock read 4:55 am and the sky was still pitch black. Yet the lights of Galactic City never died, it was hard to get rid of the illumination in your room. Even some curtains weren’t enough to block the livelihood, something you still have yet to get used to. Staring up at the ceiling, the dread of leaving the warmth that consumed you whole was winning the battle lulling you back to sleep. Another ear-piercing song flowed out of your phone causing you to jolt upright. Rubbing the back of your neck, a sigh escaped your lips before you tossed your legs over the side of the mattress. From the second alarm, your boyfriend grumbled before turning over, aggressively pulling the sheets over himself.

Today was the day of your brand new job. Anxiety nestled in your gut the more you thought about it so you tried not to. Two years ago you were leaving Naboo and your family after school. It was one of the hardest things that you had to do, and being an adult wasn’t easy or all that it was chalked up to be. Living on Coruscant was a totally new experience. Everyone dressed so differently-- obsessing over the latest fashions, erasing the idea of modesty as well. Luckily for you, that’s when you met Kenth Madon. Upon arriving, your ship was having difficulties, and you needed a mechanic. Out of all the shops around you, you chose his almost as if it were fate. Due to frequenting his shop, Kenth got the courage to ask to see you outside of the permanently grungy, gas smelling establishment. It wasn’t your first relationship, although it has been quite a while. It was nice to have someone give you the type of attention Kenth did.

Since he grew up on Coruscant, your boyfriend claimed to know what real fashion was. Hinting at the fact yours was a little outdated. So,  he helped you restyle your wardrobe as you lacked any type of pizazz when it came to fitting in. At least according to him. During your outing, you still were drawn to rather lackluster choices of apparel, but at least it was slightly updated. Slipping on a white puff-sleeve shirt, you quickly tucked it into the black dress pants you were insistent on getting. The reality of putting on this outfit made your palms sweaty, your heart lurch up in your throat. with the realization of starting this new chapter in your life. Grabbing your white one-button jacket, you scanned your room one last time before placing a feathery kiss on Kenth’s stubbled cheek.  

—————————

“Next stop: Galactic Square. Please, refrain from getting up early and blocking the exits. Thank you.” the feminine voice echoed throughout the subway train.

You rubbed your hands up and down your thighs, staring out of the viewport of the train. The job itself was competitive and the position wasn’t guaranteed. Nineteen other candidates were presenting their brand new prototypes for QuanCom, as well. The business that created the HoloNet, the Holocomms, comlinks, and much more. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This job could start you down a successful track, but you didn’t care. It was honestly only for the good-paying credits, since it was hard to find a job degree or not.

With a sudden stop shoving you against the seat, you quickly checked the time on your iPhone. 6:00 am. “Kriff!” you hissed to yourself. You were told work began at 8:00 am, so what in the hell were you going to do for an hour and a half? Being early helped ease your anxiety, though being this early only fueled it-- making it a lose-lose battle. Waiting for the other passengers to exit, you soon rose to your feet, swiftly leaping off the train. Examining the underground tunnels, your eyes shifted all over trying to locate the staircase leading upwards. It was crowded in the subway, yet it didn’t compare to the hustle and bustle that hurried by on the streets of Galactic City.

Humans, Rodians, Twi’leks, and species that you could swear you’ve never encountered before shouldered past you, as if you didn’t even exist. One long blink and an exasperated sigh later, you began to move your feet in the direction of QuanCom. The directions on your phone were confusing. The arrow rotating every once in a while was unable to read your location. Regardless, you continued hoping it was the correct way. The sudden smell of caf penetrated your nostrils, causing you to scrunch up your nose.

“If they sell caf, they probably have some deychin tea and maybe some food…” you trailed off hurriedly toward the small shop named “Caf Project ''.

Inside, it was cozy, brick-lined walls with a large sign hanging over the counter. Swallowing thickly, you stood back just far enough to show you were thinking of what you wanted, but really you were trying to stifle the anxiety welling back up as your mind kept going blank. A jingling sound interrupted your inner battles, and so did the voice of who was walking in.

“I don’t care. I told you to get this done yesterday. Not an hour before I arrived at the office. Is it really that hard to follow through? Do you not realize the utmost significance of this report? I swear I’m dealing with a bunch of imbeciles. Sith give me strength…'' Sucking in a breath, he glanced at you, brow raised. “Shut up for a second, Tannis.” He demanded before turning to you. “Are you in line?”

Your face went completely blank, just a second ago it sounded like he was about to murder whoever he was speaking to. But while speaking to you…his voice was smooth like silk, endearing actually. Swiftly shaking your head “no,” he stepped forward and flashed a warm grin at you, incisors slightly visible. Once again he continued yelling at someone, the barista not even batting an eye. His order was briskly made, though he didn’t even give any notion to what he had wanted. You couldn’t help but examine this stranger before you, attired in a charcoal grey suit that was paired with a very light grey dress shirt with two buttons undone. On his feet were freshly polished black Oxfords, his outfit so simple yet so suave. Once he handed the cashier some credits, you noticed a glimmer on his wrist, by the looks of it one kriffing expensive watch.

Adjusting the lanyard around your neck that holds your ID for QuanCom, the stranger with geometric tattoos all over his face turned to face you. You noticed a shiny stud piercing on the upper cartilage of his left ear. Maintaining some eye contact, you couldn’t help but feel a knot in your stomach. He was quite handsome, and his ivory horns…wow, you thought to yourself, cheeks running hot. “Get yourself together...you’re with someone,” You reminded yourself.

Lips parting, he studied you up and down.

“Good luck.” The words were quietly mumbled as he continued listening to what you assumed to be an employee, on the other line.

“Thank you,” you mouthed back, a sheepish smile tugging at your lips as you continue to fidget with the lanyard.

Maybe, he had heard of the big job offer at QuanCom? Advertisements were flaunted everywhere; it was hard to miss them. Shaking your head lightly, you step forward, showing that you’re ready to order.

“I’ll have a small deychin tea please and…uh- um..a croissant?” Everything on the menu food-wise wasn’t too appealing, but you needed something in your stomach to satisfy the beast. “Uh..how much, sir?” you inquired, pulling some credits from your spotless white jacket.

Shaking his head, the cashier's lips opened to a wide grin, “No need, miss, the man before you covered your order. You’re all set!”

There was that wave of nausea again. Why would he do that? Who even was he? Was it just his generosity for the day? Or did he think you couldn’t afford much based on your attire? Sighing, you frantically think about what you’ll be expecting for this job, continuing on your path toward the QuanCom headquarters. Getting closer to your destination, you glance over your phone, once more checking the time. 7:50 am. Finally, what felt like forever was finally here, and you were so eager to start on a positive foot.

Entering the monstrous building, people were hustling all around you-- confused, lost, and eager to get their days going, as well. You had to remind yourself that you were here as competition and not as a friend for anyone. Though right now, you could really use a friend and some directions as this place was large and filled to the brim. Inspecting the environment, you noticed a few flimsies posted. Maker’s sake, it made things easier by telling you where to go. Padding toward the nearest elevator, you crammed yourself in amongst the other bodies seemingly all going to the same exact floor. Not being able to help it, you held your breath midway until the doors opened on floor 18. Exiting, you followed the tall, skinny woman down the hall to meeting room 1804. To your amazement, it was already quite full, so you took a seat nearest to the door, pulling out some flimsy and a stylus so that you’re ready to jot down any information. The room was white-walled with very little decor besides a large glass table in the center. This is where the fun begins, the long drawn out rules and regulations.

“Alright! Now that we’ve gone over the workplace protocol and the prototype expectations, I will pair you up into four groups of five.” Her voice was raspy, though flat enough to make your eyelids heavy. Everyone around you was also struggling to fight the sleep that tried overpowering them. Names being called brought you back to attention every now and then, but you couldn’t stop thinking about him. “I’m sure Kenth sees more attractive women daily anyway…” you try to convince yourself.

“(Y/N), Fox, Steela, Hardcase, and…Finn. You five will make up group three.” The grouping continued slowly, but the names rang in your mind over and over. “Alright, now that groups are established, get to know one another and start some planning. Each member in your group has a very different degree path; this will help you all utilize one another's skills to create the best results for QuanCom. You have three weeks until you pitch your prototypes to Dooku, the COO.. Remember, 5 pm concludes your workday, so get to it.”

Sitting around your new coworkers, you fumbled around with your stylus, afraid to make the first move for introductions. It seems that you weren’t the only one being fidgety;  the gentleman named Hardcase was bouncing his leg vigorously. If you were correct, he and Fox were clones. After the bill was granted clones rights and citizenship, they ended up all over the system. So many felt that cloning was unethical, especially for the fact they were treated similarly to droids. Though it was nice to see the two making something of themselves.

“Guess I’ll start! The name’s Hardcase. Yes I’m a clone, and--yes--I’m perfectly capable of thinking for myself. I’m great with my hands and can assemble anything together. For a short while, I was working as a mechanical engineer for the GAR.” The clone oozed with excitement and enthusiasm, which was quite entertaining. Clad in a pink-hued dress shirt and a blue suit, which matched his facial tattoos. On his feet were freshly polished loafers still tapping the ground.

“Well, I’m Fox. My skills are geared toward CAD and any type of 3D rendering. Once I devote myself to something, I see it through. You can trust me on this project; I assure you that,” he barely showed any type of emotions compared to his counterpart. His attire was dark-- suit, shoes, everything. It said a lot about him and which made you anxious.

“Well, I’m Steela! Researching is my speciality. Problem-solving is also a breeze. I’ll be able to find the answers in order to help us advance to a whole other level! I enjoy leading projects like this, since I know I can keep us on track one hundred percent!” The excitement radiating from her was encouraging. She seemed like a strong woman ready to lead this team to success. She wore brown high waisted dress pants with a matching blazer, and white blouse. On her feet were suede, caramel heel booties.

“I’ll go next…” the young Twi’lek’s voice was soft and elegant, soothing to everyone in the group. Just as she was about to speak the double-doors swung open.

“Asajj, we have a problem,” her voice hushed but full of urgency as she glanced around the room. “Tannis was fired. We need to fill her position. Now!”

“Gods, I knew this was going to happen. I told her she wasn’t ready for this position. Now he’s going to take it out on me,” Asajj let out a long sigh, arms folding across her body. The woman that just emerged looked similar to her, though her face was more relaxed.

“(Y/N), can you come over here for a second please?”

Everyone in the room glanced up at you before continuing their tasks.. Rising from your chair, you crossed the room sliding past everyone with ease. Asajj acted like she was presenting the finest delicacy in the galaxy; arms held out at you.

“I think she’ll do. A tad on the quiet side, but I’m sure Mr. Crimson can work with it,” Her response was more of a question, as both women had their eyes upon you.

“It’s not like we have much of a choice. You cannot run this and take on two secretary positions. You’re going to need the help,” The woman’s pale grey eyes burned into you.  

“Fine. Take her to Mr. Crimson. You better hope he approves,” Asajj warned, giving you one last glance.

Quickly grabbing your belongings, the conversation you just had replays in your mind.

“Tannis,”

Why did that name sound so familiar? Who’s Mr. Crimson and why did you have to go see him.  Your mind whirled around, anxiety eating away as you set foot in the elevator. It felt like a full rotation cycle before reaching floor twenty. Being led out you walked down a hallway that was decorated lavishly. The flooring was a beautiful dark marble. Each step you took echoed off the walls. Nearing the end of the hall, both of you walked through another set of tall glass double doors. Entering the spacious room, you can’t help but notice the viewport walls. Also catching your attention were two long black desks. They were set across from one another stacked with datapads and pieces of flimsy. Towards the middle was a closed black door that had a frosted glass panel. Without a doubt this room was breathtaking and even though it lacked decor compared to the hallway, the view of Galactic City made up for it. Light knuckles hit against the panel three times, waiting for a response.

“What is it now?” The aggressive tone was enough to send a chill down your spine.

Slowly opening the door to peek her head in. A few words were exchanged before she fully opened the door, motioning for you to follow right behind. Inside was a long glass desk, the legs were black; matching some of the furnishings or complimenting them. In front were two rounded leather chairs, the area rug underneath a bright white. Paintings and picture frames hung on the right side of the room, though you were too afraid to really gawk at them as a gruff voice began erupting again. There he sat, his black leather chair facing the viewports behind his desk seeming to be amidst another phone call.  Something about his voice was all too familiar but the fear bubbling inside you made it difficult to pinpoint. Soon enough he swung his chair around slamming the phone down, right hand pinching the bridge of his nose.

“What was so important that you had to interrupt yet another phone call, Leys. If it’s not about numbers, you know, the job I pay you to do? Then leave. I’ll fire you too. I’ve had it with everyone’s complacent behavior. Any fool could be my financial officer, so if you as so step out of line again, you’re done,” The snarl erupting from this man was horrifying, bringing you back to the Caf shop.

It was him! The same eerie tone used then too, and yet he was able to turn it off so quickly when addressing you. Your hands began to clam up, eyes not even daring to meet his.

“Yes sir, I understand I’m very sorry. I just wanted to bring you Tannis’ replacement,” voice quivering, Leys bowed her head and hurriedly left Mr. Crimson’s office leaving you behind, alone and defenseless.

A satisfied chuckle was released from Mr. Crimson as he watched his employee scatter from his office. Brow raised in your direction, his stare intense, a sneer presenting itself. “Well. Take a seat.”

His hand motioned to the smaller round chairs, eyes never leaving you. Pushing his seat back just a smidge, a polished shoe crosses over his left thigh and his hands fold against his stomach. Releasing the breath you were holding in, you padded over to the seat in front of his desk sitting as straight as humanly possible.

“It seems I’m in need of another secretary. But it’s not an easy job-- I need someone reliable, someone organized, and to understand the urgency of when I say to do something, they do it,” Towards the end of the sentence, his voice dropped a little lower, eyes narrowing. “It is a permanent job that is until mistakes are made. Pays reasonably well especially for dealing with...someone like me. Seems Asajj and Leys picked you and they’re typically alright when it comes to the judgment of character.”

Something about the way he spoke to you made your heart skip a beat. Even the way he stared at you had your arms lined with goosebumps. Trying to compile a coherent sentence was no easy feat with his eyes burning into you.

 “I-I, um..” fumbling over your words caused your cheeks to run hot. “Well...first off I wanted to thank you for this morning. You really didn’t have to pay for me...but I greatly appreciate it. As for my work, I am quite organized and pay attention to directions given, but I don’t exactly have the experience in being a secretary, which would probably be important…” trailing off, you broke eye contact with him to glance at a red light blinking on his phone.

He barely acknowledged your thanks, just giving a small nod. A deep hearty laugh left his lips, “Any fool could be a secretary, but you don’t seem like a fool. No, just the way you speak and hold yourself exudes intelligence. Normally a secretary is chosen from within the company, as an outsider could be one that would leak vital information about QuanCom to its competitors. Someone that has worked their way up the ranks, whom I could trust. However, due to obvious circumstances here we are. If you so choose to take this job you will have limited access to certain databases as I need you to earn that trust. Understood?” The sneer plastered itself once more upon his face, incisors visible this time.

“Yes sir, I understand. I’ll make sure I do this right Mr. Crimson!” a little bit of enthusiasm worked its way to you, eyes lighting up like Coruscant itself.

“Please, call me Maul.” he pleaded, followed by a half-smirk.

Rising to his feet, he outstretched a hand that you mirrored. His callused hand engulfing yours in a gentle embrace. Just this morning you were going in ready to compete against nineteen other candidates, and here you are sealing a deal with the CEO of QuanCom to be his second secretary. Breaking the handshake, he opens up his desk drawer pulling out a datapad, handing it to you.

“That will be yours. You’ll need it for all the paperwork and emails. You’re free to take it home, just don’t lose it. Asajj will send you some emails tonight that will need to be completed before you come in tomorrow morning at 6 sharp. Once you do that you’ll be set up in our system and able to begin your duties. You’re dismissed for the day, but you will be paid for a full day. Just a small token of gratitude.”

Taking the datapad in your hands, you gave a curt nod, ensuring you understood the importance that was just given to you. Getting yourself together along with your things, you exchanged a few words expressing how grateful you are for this new position. Heading toward the door, you outstretch a hand to grab the handle. Just as you’re about to open the black door, his voice cuts the silence.

“Oh, one last thing, don’t mention our little encounter this morning to anyone. Some may think... I’m beginning to play favorites.” his voice honeyed paired with a smirk and eyes ogling you, trying to take in one last visual before you leave.

---------

taglist: @maulfrk​ @honestlystop​ @pinkiemme​ @idiotonastar​ @nawpitynopenope @maulieber​ @rishi-moon​ 

[rigelmejo]

My dudes wasabi Japanese is so cool this site is so cool literally my dream site ToT (thank u @yue-muffin for all those free reading links <3 which is what included wasabi Japanese)

I know what I’m doing after I finish reading Japanese in 30 Hours! (I might keep reading Reading Japanese for fun too just cause... I might as well we will See).

So like curse me if, when I say I will, it makes me not lol. I hope I DO actually do this. Because it sounds so much more clicks-with-me right now than my alternate study plan (which was Nukemarine memrise - which I WILL eventually do ToT I plan it ok, and tae Kim’s grammar guide - which I’m happy to replace with any grammar guide I’ll finish fucking reading tbh).

1. Remembered bilingualmanga exists and I am making no commitments to read anything (tho I have 4 mangas open and an urge to read them for the first time in years since I read yotsuba earlier and followed it). But I will say it’s quite cool I could um read and look words up (ditto for just regular iOS word lookup and Japanese scripts... I’d say ditto for Animelon too and I DO recommend it but I’m just not really an anime watcher).

2. Wasabi Japanese has a: a grammar guide. So my ass is gonna try reading it (in my defense it has audio which I find marginally nicer than the other sources I’ve been looking at... like I literally read Japanese in 30 Hours aloud audio helps me... also why I suspect in part Nukemarine’s decks help they make me listen a lot). https://www.wasabi-jpn.com/japanese-grammar/wasabis-online-japanese-grammar-reference/

3. Even better (to me) wasabi Japanese has b. A grammar drills lesson course that has you shadow and practice SENTENCE PATTERNS AND GRAMMAR. I was literally considering buying a Japanese shadowing textbook for just this purpose (but that textbook was random phrases whereas this is targeted sentence patterns). Also I learn best by just fucking seeing sentence patterns so I kind of suspect an activity like this would click with my brain better than actual grammar guide reading (tho grammar guide reading gives me a useful overview of what to start noticing). Like I literally own the book Japanese Sentence Patterns just cause it was the only thing that clicked... Bonuses about this lesson course wasabi Japanese has: it’s me Doing stuff, I learn best just Doing tbh (it’s why just brute force reading clicks well with me lol). And better, Doing stuff in a streamlined way so I can not bumble as long lol and I have reference if I’m confused (Also why I like graded readers). Info: https://www.wasabi-jpn.com/japanese-lessons/how-to-proceed-with-the-instantaneous-composition-method/ The lessons: https://www.wasabi-jpn.com/japanese-lessons/materials-for-japanese-lessons-intensive-reading/

4. Wasabi Japanese has lessons through stories, listening reading and shadowing. Phenomenal. Both the perfect chance to test if Listening Reading works some more (which I’m currently into), and to actually DO some things I wanna do like read and practice listening (versus Nukemarines memrise courses which are just flashcards, or playing Japanese video games which is... doable but too draining to be enjoyable or efficient yet). I’m excited. How to use: https://www.wasabi-jpn.com/japanese-lessons/japanese-lessons-how-to-proceed-with-read-aloud-method/ Actual lessons:. https://www.wasabi-jpn.com/japanese-lessons/fairy-tales-and-short-stories-with-easy-japanese/

5. Assuming you’re better at Japanese than me - wonderfully wasabi Japanese has a course I could use, right after finishing that last one, at a slightly more difficult level, with manga: https://www.wasabi-jpn.com/japanese-lessons/materials-for-japanese-lessons-intensive-reading/

6. Alternatively, want a different N3 course that’s radio program based? Here it is: https://www.wasabi-jpn.com/japanese-lessons/materials-for-japanese-lessons-read-aloud-method/ so yeah, wasabi Japanese looks like a quite nice alternative to flashcards or a textbook if a babe just wants to learn from stories with audio for a while ToT

7. Also I am again contemplating the benefit of just playing audio in the background more. Will I do it? I don’t know. I’d love to play SpoonFed Chinese audio, Japaneseaudiolessons, and Japanese core 2k audio on in the background. As it’s all comprehensible input I know I’d mostly pickup if I just heard it enough to Review it (whereas rn I just hear each audio file once ever on a walk then never again cause I have little time for focused audio only listening). But I feel bad when I play them in the bg and don’t fully listen ;-;. Ah the dilemma. Truly though they’d help so much if I played them in the background I know it... as of this month as an experiment since reading The Word Brain, I’ve been listening to SOME Chinese audio more. Specifically Guardians audiobook, a random Chinese hp audiobook, Alice in wonderland audiobook, silent reading audiobook. You would not believe how much it’s been noticeably helping. Usually it’s avenuex’s Guardian audiobook and every time I catch a bit of it casually in the bg while working, I’m blown away I understand clearly what I didn’t the time before. In particular I’m probably having the most improvements in this novels comprehension, since I’m Listen Reading Method with it too. But like... the first time I focused listened to it during L R? I caught everything with difficulty during the only-chinese audio but English text step 3. And then listening alone only caught the main story beats/scenes (which was already a major improvement for me). Now when working I can actually catch the paragraphs about Guo Changcheng’s family, his uncle, going to McDonald’s - these are details I very specifically remember being the ones I could NOT catch doing listening only the first time post L R. So after idk 3-6 listening of this chapter, just listening again in the background (since L R takes too much time I’m lazy I only do L R once), I’ve made this much progress. I only saw the full definition of everything ONCE one time during L R step 3 once. But just listening more I catch more and more. And of course, as I catch more the unclear parts become easier and easier to maybe figure out. All I know is I severely underestimated the benefit of repeated listening - at least when (at one point once) you comprehended the material. So considering this... I think now with hindsight, yes listening to condensed audio of a show or just a show, that you’ve seen before with English subs/dual subs/in target language and looked unknown words up, in the background probably could help. If at one point you comprehended it before. (So for me Guardian cdrama is hella on this list lol). With hindsight yeah, repeated audio of an audiobook chapter or audio drama you followed the target language subs for before, or that you could read but not hear alone, would probably help listening skills. Definitely my audio flashcard files where they’re literally Built to be comprehensible since it’s English then target language each line. So... yeah in hindsight more audio, even background audio, can help. Guarantee when I’m not L R with the guardian audiobook I’m barely even listening. And still I find myself catching parts of it.

8. My roommate got too excited about Final Fantasy 14 and informed me it’s free to play now.. which I didn’t know. So of course I foolishly looked up if I could play it in Japanese on a PlayStation and looks like answer is probably yes and I am sorely tempted...

9. It’s gonna be wild for me looking back on may progress at the end of the month because: I did almost nothing I planned, I got demotivated then intensely motivated, I’ve done a ton ToT, I also did a ton of Japanese immersion which?? I’m not even counting?? I don’t track my Japanese immersion yet because like... it’s not my priority right now. I read a ton of manhua the other day and just forgot to log it. I watched some of the woh concert and just did not count it, I read a surprising amount of Japanese this month for someone “not studying it much” yet (aka maybe more than I read last time I studied Japanese??). I did a lot of L R method I didn’t even track, I did a ton of background listening and I’m not tracking just hoping for the best. Did I finish 小王子 this month or last month? Whatever month that was I read like 4 Chinese books. I just remembered I read like 3 Japanese graded readers but didn’t count them cause they felt too simple to count (only 28 pages each). I watched 10 Cure Dolly Japanese grammar vids tho not sure how much help it is long term. Whatever time I did the Japanese video games had to count for something even tho it was draining af. Anyway my point is just... count on me to not do what I planned but be more productive when I do that. All that said: I’m more productive when I set plans even if they aren’t always followed, so I’ll keep making them lol. I think I just needed to hit that turning point of “do anything you want, just continue to do something” instead of “complete this first!” (Although I’m still aiming to complete things - or at least go for progressively challenging things). I dunno... I want to say I want to consider just trying to finish things imperfectly just finish them (to motivate me to finish my Hanzi books, Japanese books, courses I find). But knowing me.. I have no idea what will get me to keep going. Just need to remember it’s ok to do it imperfectly. Just need to remember to place what I will care about and actually do, as priority over what it is I think “must be fully done.”

[thestanceyg]

Time for some more Darcyland Drabbles

A little drabble racing on the Discord server. Here’s all 4 of my sprints, so they’re below the cut because it’s kinda a lot. (Keep in mind all of these are a one and done sort of deal.)

Magnetism 1 She was drawn to him. That was certain. She hadn’t felt this way about anyone in a long time, and wasn’t that the funniest thing? She would have thought that she would never feel this way again after…. Well. After.

But now she did. Of course, it couldn’t have been a worse time to suddenly feel this animal magnetism toward someone. 

“Err, I suppose this isn’t the best time to say anything, but since we might die anyway, how about if we live we get coffee?”

The man shot her an amused look. “We’ll survive,” he said matter of factly. “I want that coffee.”

2 I’m just saying it’s super cute,” she smiled. “C’mon. You can’t tell me you don’t like it!”

He looked at the refrigerator speculatively. “I suppose you’re right,” he agreed, his hands wrapping around her waist from behind, his chest pressed against her back as he kissed the top of her head. “But for the record, I still think it’s a kinda weird idea.”

“Weird, but still cute,” she argued. 

“Yeah,” he agreed. 

She laughed a little as his fingers dug into her sides, tickling. Making pictures of their friends into magnets was her best craft idea yet.

3 “It shouldn’t work like this,” she said, pulling her glasses from her face and pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Well, it’s not like there’s a lot of precedent here,” Bruce sighed. “I agree that the magnetism in this instance doesn’t quite make sense, but it is sort of fascinating.”

She had to agree. They had definitely stumbled upon something new. “This could take us years to fully explore,” she said. “Not that I’m complaining, but this was supposed to be a fun side project and not the seminal work of my life.”

“Sorry,” Bruce said, even though he wasn’t. “That’s just how science goes.”

4 She felt drawn to this place like there was a magnet pulling her. It was an insistent urge. It wouldn’t let up, and she didn’t know why the thought of ignoring it left her breathless with panic. 

But following it? Following it left her breathless with anticipation.

It made no logical sense. Where was she going, and more importantly, why? But as soon as the thought entered her head, she remembered her grandmother who used to sit her down on her knee and tell her about the hope. How the hope would draw you to where you needed to be. Suddenly it all made a lot more sense.

5 “Watch closely,” Darcy commanded to the little one whose eyes were wide with wonder. She carefully dropped the magnet on the other side of the tank and the iron filings started to pull over to it, and the little girl’s eyes got impossibly wider.

“Wow,” she breathed. When the movement finally stopped, she turned her head. “Aunt Darcy, how does it work?”

“Science, which is magic that we study.”

The girl’s eyes lit up. Gotcha, Darcy thought. She’d be damned if another little girl thought that sciences weren’t for women. No little girl would have the rough relationship she had if she had anything to say about it.

6 She gripped his hand firmly and swung their arms back and forth a bit, trying to make it seem more like a joke than the desperate need it was, clawing deep in her gut. She tried to look at him out of the corner of her eye, but he was so damn tall that it didn’t give her anything to work with.

She pulled him along toward the ice cream cart. “You want a cone?” she asked.

Finally she looked up at him, and his smile was blinding. “Of course.” He squeezed her hand, and she realized that there would be no pulling them apart.

7 “Where are my damn fabric scissors?” she all be growled as she lifted everything off her countertop and threw it back down. The scissors were nowhere to be found. She lifted her eyes heavenward. So help her if someone had taken them and used them to cute anything that wasn’t fabric.

Just as she was starting to wonder if she would be murdering a housemate, Clint dropped her scissors down in front of her.

“So help me if…”

“I used them because they’re magnetic,” he said sheepishly. “I dropped my lucky paperclip and couldn’t reach it, but it came right to the scissors.”

Luminous 1 She was radiant, he thought. He had never seen someone who seemed to just glow with happiness like she did.

And she was his.

Officially and legally as of fifteen minutes ago. She had said he vows and he had said his, and they had signed the paper.

She was his sun, and now everyone would know it. He couldn’t wait to introduce her to everyone as his wife.

His entire body tracked her like he was a flower seeking her warmth. She was luminous and she was all his. Though, for tonight, he still had to share her with the people at the reception.

2 Jane couldn’t stop laughing. “Are you sure you’re using that right?” she asked through laughs that had turned into hiccups.

“Of course I’m not. I don’t know shit about how to use highlighter, but let me tell you, even if I’m totally wrong, this is how I’m doing it from now on. Look at me Jane! I’m luminous!”

Jane couldn’t disagree. She certainly looked like she was radiating some sort of ethereal light. Though she had moved from dew kissed fairy into something slightly more alienlike.

“Well budge over,” Jane said. “I need to get in on this.”

3 “This flashlight is garbage,” she harshly whispered to him. “We can’t see anywhere. How many lumens is this damn thing?”

He didn’t answer at first and she tried not to be upset about that. It wasn’t his fault they were now lurking through the abandoned hospital trying to find their friends and get out of there before the killer on the loose found them.

“I don’t know,” he said with a frown. “Whatever the bureau’s standard issue is. Maybe the batteries are running down.”

“We’re going to die,” she groaned.

“We won’t,” he argued. “You own me a Scrabble rematch.”

She couldn’t help but laugh.

4 “Look,” she breathed reverently as she pulled away from the telescope display. Everything was electronic now, and she had missed looking through the eyepiece in her backyard, so this was quite the treat. She waved him closer to the equipment.

Leo bend over and looked for himself. “Wow,” he breathed. You’re not wrong.” “Right?” she said. “There’s just something about being able to see the moon in your own backyard with such detail. How it illuminates the entire piece. It’s something that no modern display can replicate.” Her voice was soft.

He hummed his agreement.

5 “I can’t believe this is the bridesmaid dress you picked,” Darcy huffed. “Please tell me this is a joke and the real dress is totally different. Or it’s at least a different color.”

“Nope,” Simmons said with a soft smile. “I always imagined a bright bridal party.”

Darcy looked down at the offending fabric wrapping her body. It was like she was wrapped in some sort of tin foil that reflected yellow light instead of a rainbow of colors. It was highly disconcerting.

“Well we’ll all certainly be…luminous,” Jane said, trying to smooth over both of their feelings about the garment.

6 “I can’t believe someone tried to say that this book was some sort of ‘luminous beacon for book clubs everywhere. That it’s the quintessential read of the century’.”

“Agreed,” Pepper said with a curl of her nose. “This was…not good.”

“Don’t sugar coat it,” Maria argued. “This book was garbage.”

“The only way that this is luminous,” Darcy added, “is if we set it on fire.”

“I’ve definitely read fanfiction that was better,” Jane agreed, dropping her book on the coffee table.

“That’s not even hard,” Darcy snorted. “I’ve read Wattpad fic written by a 12 year old better than this.”

7 He had never seen her before, he was sure of it, but he couldn’t stop looking at her once he saw her. She was luminous. She radiated this softness and beauty, but also this intellectual and academic integrity that practically seeped from her pores. He hoped to introduce himself to her, but he wasn’t the only one that he noticed her beauty. She was surrounded by so many others.

But then.

Her eyes lifted up and met his. Suddenly she was smiling and walking his way. “Dr. Fitz?” she asked, her cheeks coloring. “I’m Dr. Darcy Lewis. I’d been hoping to meet you today.”

Gravity 1 She was on the ground. That wasn’t normally a problem, but it seemed she couldn’t get off the ground.

“Not so high and mighty now, are you Dr. Lewis?”

Her eyes scrunched as she felt the pressure pulling her down and keeping her there.

“What did you do.”

His smile was practically feral. “I finally figured out how to change localized gravity. It wasn’t even that hard. And you just walked into the field and got stuck in it. Now you’ll have to do what I say or I’ll turn it up until the force crushes you.”

She turned her head away. “I guess I’ll die then.”

2 “I don’t think the gravity of this situation is really hitting you,” Tony said with a pinched look on his face.

“Oh, I get it all right,” Steve argued back “IO just think that you don’t have any idea what you’re doing. Your solution is asinine.”

Darcy’s eyes bounced back and forth as she watched both of them argue back and forth,

“I’d kill for some popcorn,” she said, before inserting herself into the building argument that was now mostly about disparaging the other’s character.

She let out a loud whistle. “Listen up asshats. You’re both wrong.”

3 He was her gravity. He kept her grounded and secure. She had always expected love to be more like floating, but it wasn’t. At least not the way he loved her. He loved her exactly how she was. It made her feel more secure in who she was and what she was doing. His devotion to her was absolute, and he kept her from second guessing herself. She had never realized that feeling grounded could feel so liberating. Sure, there had been a bit of floatyness when they started, but if she was a balloon, he was holding her string, and she had never been happier.

4 “Maybe before we step out we should, I don’t know, check things like the air and gravity situation? Not to second guess anyone since I’m just the astrophysicist here, but, ya know, that environment might affect what we do when we get out there.”

The leader whose name she knew but refused to use, glowered at her. “You’re not in charge here Miss Lewis. Besides, you’re not here as a scientist. You're here for your social media expertise.” He practically spat the last words.

“It’s Doctor,” she countered. “And I’m here for both you absolute fuckwit.”

5 The situation was grave, but it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Of course, as soon as the thought entered her head, an explosion rocked the wall, blowing debris at her and pinning her down.

She came to unable to feel her legs. Well, that probably wasn’t good, but it also wasn’t the worst thing. She was pretty sure if she could feel them, she wouldn’t be able to think at all for the pain. Okay, the gravity of the situation had gone up. Well, nothing to do for it but get to work on a solution.

6 “Try defuyyyyinnnggg gravity!” she sang at the top of her lungs. She was singing so loud that she didn’t hear the door open and close.

“Oh Darcy,” Jane said as she turned the volume of the music down. “I realized it was a bad breakup, but I didn’t think you were this bad.”

Darcy snorted. “It wasn’t bad at all. This,” she gestured to the room that Jane noticed was covered in comfort foods and blankets, “has nothing to do with that. The breakup was unfortunately timed with my dissertation being denied.”

“What?” Jane said, the color draining out of her face before she turned the volume back up.

7 “Like, what even is gravity?” she asked, slurring her words.

Her companions stared at her. “Do you mean like in science?” Helen asked, her own words not fully enunciated.

“No,” Darcy said, shaking her head and immediately regretting it as the room seemed to tilt around her. “I mean, the drink,” she held up her glass and shook it in emphasis. It was luckily mostly empty and didn’t spill.

“I don’t think that’s the name of it,” Jane said. “It’s g something else.”

“Galaxy,” Maria said, put upon by her own sobriety. “It’s called a galaxy, not a gravity.”

8 “I don’t think you understand the gravity of this situation,” Jane said with a cruel smile. “You denied my best friend her PhD, and now no one can help you. No one will save you from the single stupidest thing you’ve done this decade.”

The man sneered at her. “That’s mighty presumptuous of you,” he said arrogantly. “You might have won a Nobel Prize, but everyone knows that had more to do with Thor than you.”

Jane just laughed. “You have no idea.”

Darcy pulled at Jane’s arm. “Come on. He’s not worth it. Stark’s already almost done ruining him. We need to prepare for my new presentation.”

The man paled and Jane’s smile widened. “Now you get it.”

Radiation 1 “Ummm, that was not a result I was prepared for,” Bruce admitted as he looked over at Helen and Darcy.

“Yeah, I can’t imagine any of us were expecting this,” Darcy agreed from where her skin seemed to have fused to his hip. “This isn’t really how radiation works.”

“Errr,” Helen said from the consul where she had moved a soon as the problem had arisen. “Which one of you recently had contact with an Asgardian?”

The looked at each other and Bruce said, “Last night? We were in New Asgard for a party.”

Helen sighed. “Well that’s a start,” she sighed.

2 The pain was radiating from her legs now and she didn’t like this new development. Sure, it meant that they probably weren’t a lost cause, but it was seriously interfering with her ability to think.

“Darcy?” a voice yelled before coughing. There was still dust heavy in in the air.

“Over here!” she yelled back after covering her face with her shirt.

There was a scrambling sound and then a soft curse and Sam Wilson was in front of her.

“A bit not good,” he said, looking from her legs to her face.

“Really? John Watson now?”

He smiled.

3 “Radiation therapy is my suggested course of action,” he said looking at her from across the desk. She wondered how many times he had had similar conversations across this desk. Probably a lot. It was kind of his job. She wondered if he had all the beats of talking someone through cancer treatment down. If his head was just a giant decision tree that took her answers and gave her the response he had given every time someone asked this question or made that comment.

“Okay,” she said after a deep calming breath. “I know what that means. Do I start scheduling with you now or is that later?”

4 The radiation the planet was emitting was fascinating. It wasn’t what she had been looking for, but she was glad to have found it anyway. “Move one quarter of a degree south,” she said to her tech that was running the telescope. “Read again and then change the spectrum. I want to see what else is going on with this plant.”

“That isn’t our mission, Dr. Lewis,” the intern argued.

She closed her eyes and counted to ten. She was over snot nosed male interns thinking they dictated her research simply because of their genitalia.

“Not our mission. Mine. Do as I say,” she ordered.

5 The radiation fallout had been less than they had expected, but no less impactful. Coulson looked over at her. “You’re glowing” he said. 

She frowned. When she looked at herself she didn’t see a glow. She looked back up at him. “I don’t see a glow,” she argued. “Maybe it’s something only you can see? Try looking at yourself or someone else. Maybe your eyes were changed. Something that wasn’t visible before now is?”

He did as she said. “Maybe,” he agreed, looking around, “but you’re the only one I see glowing, and I don’t know what that means.”

6 Darcy’s tears were bitter and she didn’t feel like she had earned the right to cry them. She had known that radiation therapy was a last resort. She knew that the odds were against them. But knowing that and living the results were two different things. It had been just her and her dad as long as she could remember, and now it was about to be just her. The treatment had failed to bring about results. She knew it was just a matter of time now. It had always been just a matter of time, but that hadn’t stopped her from hoping. Now it looked like hope had run out.

7 “That color looks like it belongs on a door warning of radiation,” Jane said flipping her sunglasses down before looking at the dress again.

“Right?” Darcy said gleefully. “Isn’t it perfect?”

“I don’t know why you’re going out of your way to have a bad date. Just tell him no.”

Darcy frowned at her friend. “I can’t just tell him no. He’s a supremely arrogant asshole. He’ll keep bothering me until I say yes. This is much better. I’m going to make him think it’s his idea to never see me again.”

[genshinadvice]

How do you get free Primogems in Genshin Impact?

Genshin Impact codes: Free gems, giveaways and more

Click here: Genshin Impact Free Primogems

One of the easiest ways to get free Primogems is by participating in various Genshin Impact events! Accomplishing event quests and seeing an event through rewards …Primogems - How To Farm & Use Guide | Genshin Impact ...You get up to 250 Primogems for simply logging in to Genshin Impact for 7 days. This doesn't have to be a continuous 7 days, you will receive the rewards even if …Genshin Impact Hack | Unlimited Crystal Generator 2021 About Genshin Impact Hacks Generator "Genshin Impact" is a free-to-play game, but its gacha element is among its greatly done not like features. Good idea …Are Primogems Worth It? Evaluating Genshin Impact's.Genshin Impact is a free-to-play, open-world game featuring adorable anime characters that can be obtained using a gacha system. The gacha system uses a premium …Is it finally time to use my Primogems... ? HOW TO GET FREE PRIMOGEMS! RIGHT NOW!

Genshin Impact: How to Get Free PrimoGems in Genshin Impact Right Now Right this second! Use these Free Primogems to Make Wishes and possibly get a 5 Star …Genshin Impact Hack - Get Genshin Impact for free!Genshin Impact Hack and Cheats Online Generator get you an unlimited number of Genshin Impact Genesis Crystals, Primogems and Mora for free. Warning! It seems …I spent 14400 Primogems and got C12 Noelle. :This is the official community for Genshin Impact , the latest open-world action RPG develoed by miHoYo. The game features a massive, gorgeous map, an elaborate …How to farm Primogems fast in Genshin Impact? Primogems are easily the most sought-after resource in the Genshin Impact, as it is what allows players to pull from the Wish banners other than Fates.Genshin Impact Codes List - Free Primogems.

Score free Primogems and Mora with these Genshin Impact codes. Genshin Impact is one of the biggest free-to-play games out there …Genshin Impact 50 Primogems (v1.3) Key Giveaway ...Celebrate Genshin Impact's v1.3 update with 50 primogems to help you on your adventures.* In the game's first update of 2021, the world of Teyvat will also be …Genshin Impact: All Free Primogem Sources.Primogems are the primary currency for acquiring characters and weapons in Genshin Impact, and whether you're free-to-play or a serious spender you'll want to pay …CODE FOR PRIMOGEMS : Genshin_Impact.Genshin_Impact This is the official community for Genshin Impact , the latest open-world action RPG developed by miHoYo. The game features a massive …Genshin Impact Codes June 2021 (Working).If you have any questions regarding Genshin Impact, feel free to ask in the comments below. For more content related to Genshin Impact, stay with us, here at …Genshin Impact Free Primogems Hack Genesis Crystals Codes ...Genshin Impact Free Primogems Hack Genesis Crystals Codes PC/PS4/iOS/Android 2021.If you are interested in acquiring free Primogems.

[royaleclown]

sOo i finally messed around with the new ios 14 update hehe i just got a new phone yesterday i got a iphone XS max my old one was a iphone 7 plus and it was acting up but anyways i wanted to wait till i got my new phone i’m still not done lmao this is just the first page i’m working on the other two tomorrow because this was tiring to do but it’s my hubby eric and i’m very happy with how it turned out 🥰

[natsumebookss]

Io Asteria Voice Lines

Next up's Io, the last member of my main three Nebula girls! Let me know if you want to see lines for the others! (I can't promise all nine for fear of clogging this blog with Nebula content, but Stelle and Phea are definitely priority ones.). Enjoy!

Self-Introduction 1: The name's Io Asteria. I just came here for intel, so don't get too used to me. With any luck, I'll be outta here before you know it, so don't you dare give me a reason to miss this place, okay?

Self-Introduction 2: Hello, honored citizen. I am Io Asteria and I am most pleased to meet your--gyah, don't you dare walk in on me when I'm trying to practice my professional introductions! I swear I'll fucking kill you if this happens again!

(Note: Io is the daughter of the Manufacturer and one of Olympia's three current presidents. Since the Manufacturer kidnapped her and faked her death when she was very young, she wasn't really raised in a presidential household and...it shows. Hence why she works on looking more "polished" to the public now that they know she's alive.)

Personal Story

Story Chapter End 1: The Firebrands...they've gotta be the best path to my revenge, right?

Story Chapter End 2: If I'm a mad princess who kills for what she wants...what stopped me from killing her?

(Note: Io did not take the Actress revelation well at all and it was frankly a miracle she didn't Witch out then and there. She did, however, mercilessly attack the Manufacturer, and since he's her father and people didn't know the full story, the Actresses at Star Corporations assume she's some kind of madwoman. She starts to assume this herself until another magical girl, Xing, confronts her for trying to join the Firebrands. Xing asks Io if she can really kill her, since she's one of the Firebrands' biggest enemies. Io doesn't, which makes her question if she really is who the rumors make her out to be.)

Story Chapter End 3: Valvi-nee's the only family I've got now, so I've gotta fight for us to stay together!

Story Select 1: How the hell can I not hate my father? He started all this!

Story Select 2: I'll do whatever it takes to get back to them.

Story Select 3: If it's for the ones I love, I don't care what I've gotta do!

Story Select 4: I'm sorry, Xing. I guess I can't be a Firebrand after all.

Story Select 5: Is it normal to hate someone enough to try to kill them?

Story Select 6: Your gang captured my friend, so you ain't getting off that easy!

Stats

Strengthening Complete: My lasers are all fired up and ready for action!

Strengthening Max: I'm so strong now, I could vaporize a Firebrand just for lookin' at me! Relax, I'm kidding!

Episode Level Up: I'm Nebula through and through, past alliances be damned!

Magia Level Up: If only my father could see how strong I am now. I bet I could almost convince him to put a stop to all this with enough magic.

Magical Release 1: I'll never stop bein' amazed at how generous Valvi-nee is. She should hate me after everything my family's done to hers.

Magical Release 2: Back when I was out on the streets homeless, she took care of me. Even once she found out I was a dirty Tsukimura...

Magical Release 3: God knows I couldn't forgive like that. That's why she deserves a happy life more than any of us. Certainly more than me.

Awaken 1: This is where the Manufacturer came from. These magical girls inspired him to make us. That's why I gotta fight for them!

Home Screen

Login (first login): The Actress name my father gave me was "Altesse," or "highness" to you. I ditched it and became Chevalier as soon as I found out I didn't wanna be the one being saved. I might not be a kind knight, but I'll protect ya all the same.

Login (morning): School is so pointless when you're an Actress like me. I mean, what're they gonna do, make me write 2000 words on the horrors of war when I was made to be part of all that? Valvi-nee'll kill me if I skip, though.

Login (noon): Why aren't I sitting with anyone? All the rich girls at Mizuna are way outta my wheelhouse 'cause I was raised to be a warrior instead of an heiress. Maybe I should try some of the regular gals who tested in instead.

Login (evening): Wait, is that actually a video store over there? I should probably be getting back, but I gotta check it out. These things all closed by the time I escaped Star Corporations, and 'sides, I still haven't decided what movie I'm gonna watch tonight.

Login (night): Hey, you goin' to the midnight premiere of that horror movie in a few hours? I swear, the franchise is so bad, but I've always gotta be the first to see them. Even a student director like me could do better than that!

Login (other): Leo-nii volunteers at a hospital and was born with healing magic, so he helps us out a lot on cases. I get that both presidential kids couldn't up and leave the country, but I miss him so much already.

Login (AP full): I might be neutral, but I ain't sitting out when it comes to Actress work. Stelle and Valvi-nee need all the Soul Gems they can get, and I like takin' out Witches anyway. Anything to keep me from going at some of the shady magical girls in town.

NOTE: Io really, really hates Promised Blood and Neo-Magius due to the former's status as a Firebrand-like magical girl gang and the latter's association with the Wings of the Magius (whose brainwashing techniques she opposes most of all since her friend Stelle was brainwashed for many years). Of the Nebula members, Io has come the closest to breaching the neutrality contract, since her and Juri being in the same room together practically guarantees that a fight will break out between them.

Login (BP full): Can the Mirror Witch really make copies of anything? Even your past selves? 'Cause when I think about the girl I was back then and how I believed all my father's lies, I just wanna throttle her! Maybe I'll finally get the chance!

Tap 1: There's that cheesecake shop they were talking about... Valvi-nee wanted caramel and Koto wanted mint. I told Koto I didn't want anything to do with that nasty stuff, but whatever. I'm feeling nice today.

Tap 2: People always tell me I get mad real easy, but that ain't the case. Just don't hurt my friends or call me by my father's name, and you're good. Can't say what'll happen to you if you call me Io Tsukimura, though.

Tap 3: Surprised to see me in a Mizuna uniform? I pulled some strings to get in. Mizuna can brag about havin' a president's daughter, and they'll write me one hell of a reference letter for film school. I ain't proud of it, but that's how it's done, y'know?

Tap 4: Mom and Leo-nii just found out about me a few months ago, and it's already leaked all over. The lost First Daughter, alive all this time and all that. Don't get me wrong, having them back is awesome but...I'm just glad the paparazzi aren't breathing down my neck here.

Tap 5: Every rebel leader from the movies gotta have a bruiser to back him up, and I don't mind playing that role. If it's what I have to do to keep Valka and Omega out of trouble, then consider it done.

Tap 6: My wings retract when I'm not in Actress form, so looking human is super annoying. I wanna stretch them out all the time, but all the "out" Actresses at my old school went Firebrand. They kept pestering me so damn much that I just go to school like this now.

Tap 7: "You're a light Actress like her. If you killed the Valkaine Project, you'd be at the top of the food chain." That was the last thing that Firebrand said to me before she hit the pavement. Just hearing that made my blood boil so hard, the other Nebula girls had to tear me off her.

Tap 8: Tsukuyo and I hang out sometimes. I never thought I'd find someone in Kamihama who went through the same stuff as me, so it's nice getting tips from her on the whole estranged twin thing. I'm still gonna make sure she loosens up a ton by the time I leave, though!

NOTE: I have a whole semi-event planned in my head where Io finds out about Tsukuyo's secret and asks her for advice. She kinda intimidates Tsukuyo a bit at first (a callback to her interrogation in the Endless Solitude arc), but they eventually become odd friends. The rest of the event consists of Io taking Tsukuyo out of her comfort zone, trying to get her to rebel more, etcetera. I also feel like she'd be good friends with Kyoko.

Tap 9: I--I can't go over there...there are too many people. You have to get me out of here! *clears throat and attempts to return to her normal personality*. You gotta understand, I don't do crowds. Back at Star Corporations, I was a special experiment kept under complete isolation and...God, you gotta get me outta here right now!

Battle Start: Oh, they're askin' for it now! C'mon!

Battle Victory 1: Ha! They were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't even stop to think if they should!

NOTE: Yes, this is meant to be a Jurassic Park reference. Io is that much of a movie nerd, and fully intends on screaming the actual quote at her father the minute they meet again.

Battle Victory 2: All right, everyone's safe! Now I just gotta make sure the enemy's completely withdrawn.

Battle Victory 3: If you can't do the time, don't do the crime.

Doppel: We're finally together, Mom.

Dying: You'll never win in the end!

NOTE: I spent a long time trying to phrase this before remembering the She-Ra theme and figuring a negative version of it would flow best.