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treatian · 1 year ago

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The Chronicles of the Dark One: The Delicacies of Time

Chapter 29: An Unexpected Light Source

"This isn't over yet!"

He nearly sighed in relief when he heard David shout at the twenty-eight-minute mark. But at the sight of Emma, Regina, David, Robin Hood, and even Hook, he thought he just might cry.

About fucking time!

Though he wasn't quite sure what kind of force a girl with a bullet, two swords, one crossbow, and one magic-wielding half-sister were going to offer against Zelena with the Dark One Dagger. But...beggars couldn't be choosey. At least someone was going to make sure they went down fighting this.

"And who's going to stop me? Certainly not the Savior."

Emma looked like that comment stung. Given what he knew about their last encounter, as well as the fact that Hook stood there still very much alive, he was willing to bet that her plan had worked. Her magic was muted. But Emma was a strong woman, not easily prone to giving up or in. He watched as Emma swept her gaze over the room, landing on him and then her brother, before settling on David. "Go. Get him," Emma choked out. "We got your back."

"And I've got your heart," Robin Hood assured Regina almost romantically as both men broke ranks and began to move dangerously about the circle.

Dangerous…because of him. His magic was already beginning to come to life at Zelena's bidding. This wasn't going to be a long fight, but if just one of them was successful in rescuing either heart or child…it would all be over! And if someone could get that dagger from her hands, well...he'd be all too happy to put an end to all of this.

"Zelena! Stop, now!" Regina ordered as Hook and Emma advanced on him, and he automatically held his hand out to defend the portal. "We're not gonna let you succeed."

"Rid me of those pests!" Zelena commanded.

Freedom in his servitude…she hadn't specified how he was to rid them yet.

"Please, no more water," Hook requested as if he cared. He could fight her wishes a little for Emma and sacrifice Hook first if it had to! Anything to buy some time.

"Get the dagger. Then the Dark One will be on your side!" he pointed out as he sent Emma's gun sailing across the room when he stalled too long.

"It's easier said than done!" Emma insisted. Perhaps but there were still options, still several ways to win this even without her Light Magic, she had to see that!

"Do as I say, or I will destroy you both! I have no choice!" And then he tossed them both across the room and into some hay where the pair of them, unfortunately, would likely recover. Freedom within servitude. There! He'd incapacitated the "pest" that was the greatest threat, the magic within him was satisfied, but only for the time being. Arm still on the alert, he turned his attention now to Zelena, who was eyeing Regina with interest.

"Come for another beating, sis?"

"No. I came for some jewelry."

Jewelry. The necklace! Oh, thank the heavens they'd figured it out! But the second Regina made a step to come forward and threw out her hand as if to rip the fucking thing off her neck, Zelena angrily blasted her back and away.

With Regina down, Zelena finally noticed that David and Robin Hood were up again and moving ever closer to the baby and the heart. "Beautiful One! If you will…" Zelena called into the air.

For a moment, he prepared himself to resist again, but he didn't feel this particular command like he had the others. And then he noticed, up in the corner of the barn…there was something there, something screeching. Something his crazed mind had taken note of in the Dark Castle, but he hadn't paid any heed to until now. Something he hadn't been around until now.

The bitch actually had flying monkeys at her disposal!

One of them descended from gods knew where now, fluttering around, aiming for David and Robin.

"Remember, these creatures are our friends!" Robin yelled.

Really now?

"Don't worry, I'll use a gentle touch," David commented, reeling back with the sword.

Stop them! the command ran true in his head. Fuck!

"Unfortunately, that's not an option for me!" he lied. Just like Emma and Hook, he sent the pair tumbling back into a wall of hay. They'd get back up again, but he'd stopped them from harming whoever that thing was. And Zelena used it to her advantage to turn back to Regina. Oh, couldn't they see how carefully he was working! This could be so easy!

But in the blink of an eye, it didn't matter. Because one second, Regina stood there, ready to fight, and the next, Zelena had her suspended in the air, her magic gripping her around the throat. Oh, if Regina passed out and Zelena had the opportunity to commit all the energy she had to opening this portal-

"Only Light Magic can harm me, and you're as dark as they come," Zelena stated through gritted teeth. "It was your destiny to be this way and will also be your undoing!"

"Don't tell me what I can be!" Regina growled out despite the fact that her muscles were tense from fighting off Zelena's attack.

He held his breath, everything in him begging her to see what he saw. Robin Hood, quietly and carefully moving around the burning circle. Oh, all she had to do was fight logically, as he'd seen her fight the other night. Regina had no Light Magic, so she might not be able to win, but through logic, if she could continue to hold Zelena's attention long enough to keep her thoughts off the dagger, off of him and the portal, then she might be able to salvage the situation. She might be able to buy Robin the time he needed.

"I tried to be good once, but it wasn't in the cards," Zelena snapped as he eyed Robin, not a single bit of his magic itched to stop him. Heart, baby, dagger…if he could get his hands on any of those things, then all of this fell to pieces! If Regina could keep hold of Zelena's attention, then he could magic Robin far away to the town line where all he'd have to do would be cross, and they'd all be safe again. "This is who I am, and it's who you are!"

Oh, he thought he might cry. The magic of the portal began to die. He could feel it. And without even turning to look, he knew, just by the look on Regina's face, that Robin had done it. He'd taken something, removed it from its spot in the spell. He tried to rouse his magic, call it to him to send Robin away, but nothing budged. Her desire was blocking his will to help them. Now it was up to Regina. She was the only magic user on their side. She needed to get Robin Hood out of here and away from Zelena. Removing just one of her ingredients would stop all of this! But if she didn't do it soon enough…

"You're wrong, sis."

And then he felt it. A change in the air, something powerful and familiar, so familiar it had him glancing over at Emma. She was the only possible source of pure Light Magic in this godsforsaken barn, and it was a miracle that she'd overcome Zelena's spell but he'd-

But Emma had her wide eyes trained on Regina, in shock. When he followed her gaze, his own jaw nearly dropped as well. White light was coming out of Regina's palms, forming small little balls in the place where she might usually have called on her fire.

Light Magic.

Regina had Light Magic.

Cora's daughter, the one who had killed her own father to cast his Curse…she was their savior?

"What are you doing?" Zelena roared as Regina smiled unexpectedly.

"Changing," she responded.

The swell of magic he felt built rapidly, it grew and crested, and then-

He watched as a blast of white Light Magic flashed from Regina, slamming into Zelena with so much force he felt her breath leave her body!

He felt it...but only for a second. The connection was gone, broken.

And he realized the dagger had been knocked from her hand!

GO!

"What?!" Zelena cried as Regina stormed across the markings on the floor to the place her sister lay. He knew the feeling, he could hardly believe it either, much less tear his gaze away from what he'd seen. "How?!" she screamed.

Logic. Zelena, with her power, could have thrown a spell that would have Regina rocketing across the room, but instead, she'd been too stunned.

Because Regina was the better student.

"I make my own destiny," she explained, reaching out and pulling that emerald necklace from Zelena's neck.

For a moment, Zelena froze. Her eyes widened, and she fell backward into the floor as a green, mist-like magic flowed out of her.

He'd been right. He wasn't sure how, but somehow, she'd managed to bind her power to that necklace. It may have enhanced it while she wore it, but all magic came with a price, and now with it gone…so too was the Wicked Witch of Storybrooke. And he couldn't wait to show her the same mercy she'd shown Baelfire! Just as soon as-

With the emerald in Regina's hand, suddenly, the magical flames circling the portal died away completely. David made a beeline for the child. But the monkey who had been circling only moments ago, ready and willing to defend Zelena, was quickly falling from the sky, on a crash course with David, who pulled his sword and-

In the blink of an eye, the monkey was gone. Caught in David's arms was a giant, hairy man, looking around in confusion as David handed him his sword. "Little John, you're back!" Robin shouted as David reached his child and pulled the babe into his arms to examine it.

"David, the baby…is he okay?" Emma questioned as he held his own breath.

He. It was a he…a boy.

And he should be okay. The child had been meant to be the battery, and so while his magic might be drained for a while, the child should be intact since the spell had never gotten off the ground. Still a child that young…

"Yeah," David breathed, holding him in a way that made him cringe. He held the baby like a man who had never held an infant in all his life. But then again, he supposed, given the circumstances of Emma's arrival, this might very well have been his first time. "He can handle anything, just like his big sister."

Who's magic he'd be willing to bet was either already returned or would be in the days to come. All because…

All because the witch had been defeated.

But she wasn't yet dead.

He'd hardly noticed the way his legs had automatically carried him to the barn door entrance, as if he wanted more than anything to be out of there, but now his body turned back, the Dark Ones roared inside of him that he had to get the dagger first. They'd been screaming at him to do just that since it slipped from the witch's grasp, but all he cared for was making good on his promise, the vow he'd made for Baelfire. He wanted that witch dead!

"You failed," Regina laughed maniacally from above her sister. "You're not going anywhere."

"I beg to differ…" he knew of a wonderful town on the other side of death that would be happy to have her visit!

Finally, the Dark Ones reached out their magic to wrap around her ankle and pull her toward him, drag her through the muck and mud, the squaller she'd forced him to live in, to bounce off the holes she'd made him dig, to be just as humiliated as he'd been!

"What are you waiting for?" Zelena screamed at his feet. "Just do it!"

"With pleasure!"

"No!" Regina screamed across the room.

No!

A vise suddenly squeezed around his heart. The Dark Ones inside of him hissed as he felt his arm shoot back and away at…a command.

Foolish swine! Nimue snarled at him as he looked across the way to see Regina holding his dagger in her hands; his life and free will once more in the hands and the mercy of one of Cora's daughters. But while Nimue snarled and cursed and raged in his head, he tried to take a deep breath. Long ago, he might have felt the same way about Regina holding his dagger. Now he felt the situation was far different.

"Enough. This ends now," she ordered, though while she held the dagger, he could sense it wasn't a command. Just Regina reasoning with him for whatever reason he couldn't understand.

"After everything this witch has done…you're gonna protect her?"

"Good magic stopped her. And good magic doesn't exact vengeance."

"She killed my son!"

"How many lives have we taken trying to get what we want?"

Oh, for fuck's sake, he needed his Regina back! He needed the Villain that he'd created! One act of Light Magic, and now she was practically one of the Fairies?

"You can't be serious."

"I am. Heroes don't kill."

"So now you're a hero?"

He glanced down at the wretch who had uttered those disgusting words and sneered at just how upset she looked at the news.

"Today I am," Regina confirmed.

Villain once, villain always. It wouldn't last. And neither would all this…

"Very well…" he reached out his hand in her direction. "Give me my dagger."

"What…no!" Zelena plead.

"If you are a hero, then a hero wouldn't dare to force someone to do anything against their own will, give me my dagger."

"Regina…" Emma warned, her position clear in her voice.

"No," Zelena whined again. "He'll kill me. The first chance he gets, he'll kill me!"

"Enough!" Regina cried out, closing her eyes. After a slow, solid breath, she opened them again. She looked him in the eyes, then at Zelena, and then back at him. "You're right. A hero wouldn't force anyone to do anything against their will. But they would certainly do anything within their will to protect someone from harm."

He sneered, already sensing where this was going.

"Hey…when Zelena is safe, you'll get this back."

"When she's safe?!" he repeated. "Have you forgotten what she's just put everyone through?!"

"No, I haven't, which is why when Zelena is secure at the station, you will get this back, and we will pursue a fair punishment. I promise."

A fair punishment…his son was dead! Anything short of death would never be fair.

Unable to stand it anymore, he summoned up his magic and left the barn of his own free will.

#rumbelle #rumpelstiltskin #rumple #dark one #mr. gold #emma swan #killian jones #captain hook #david nolan #prince charming #robin hood #zelena #the wicked witch of the west #neal nolan #ouat #fanfic #ouat fanfiction

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maiz-of-light · 3 years ago

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Oh, great.

Exasperation and trepidation in turn claw at the merchant’s already-pounding skull. There’s absolutely no mistaking the green hat and tunic, stark against the wintry background; much less the black hilt protruding from beneath the knight’s fur-lined cloak. The sword itself is not an unusual accomplice to the man in green, but the cinder-skinned demon striding tall by his side…

Well, it’s not exactly a welcome sight. Nevertheless, when it comes to economics, beggars can’t afford to be choosey – and neither, for that matter, can Rupin.

Chords stiff with cold, he musters as cheery a greeting as he can manage.

“Welcome back, gentlemen!”

“You’re looking well, Rupin,” comes Link’s response, surprisingly smooth considering the way the air bites. There’s a subtle ruddiness to his cheeks.

“Thanks abound, dear boy! So tell me, will you two be buying or selling today?”

“Mostly buying, I think.”

A chill seems to catch in the merchant’s lungs, his mind grasping frantically for a tactful reply. While Mother wouldn’t dare deny the demon service so long as he remains in Link’s respected company, Rupin himself is sure to get an earful of her distaste for the creature once the pair have moved on.

“… Right,” is all he can manage. “Follow me, please…”

A bell chimes softly as the door slides inward, stray whisps of snow blowing over the threshold. Immediately beneath the entering humans, a burlap rug sits matted to the floor, its rough surface quick to catch the grime from their shoes. Several other rugs of far more lavish design catch and guide one’s eye towards a series of wooden frames and pedestals – and it’s here that Goselle’s sacred merchandise is lifted up on display, unfettered, ornately threaded glory for all in which to bask.

The woman herself, on the other hand, is somewhat less inviting.

Despite the chill, the windows remain open, and still Goselle fans herself. It’s unbelievably satirical, how someone so thoroughly insulated could exhibit so cold a glare as this shop owner now bestows upon her most recent customers. Boasting a haughty, deep-set frown, Mother glowers at their demonic patron with uninhibited contempt.

“Link,” she spits in icy acknowledgment, sunken eyes never leaving the knight’s companion. “I hope you are doing well.”

“We are,” he answers, though surely he senses the singularity of her blessings.

Goselle persists in her fanning as she speaks, ultimately favoring finance over revulsion.

“Is there something in particular that you are looking for?”

“Blankets.” Link’s boots thud lightly as he approaches the shelves built into the far wall, perusing with feigned interest. “Cushions. Maybe a rug-” he casts a glance towards his accomplice, who nods without nuance, “yes, definitely a rug.”

At the store’s opposite end roams the pale demon in his crimson mantle, perfect shoes soundless against the floorboards. It’s nothing short of eerie, how the creature carries himself. Since the last of his kind were driven out, now nearly four months ago, rumors unnumbered had been passed from ear to ear about the one who still remains, more often than not riddled with dark speculations and unflattering tales of his role in the war. Whether he had, in actuality, attempted to slay the Goddess herself seems a little farfetched, leastwise to Rupin, considering Zelda herself was the first to advocate for the demon. Even so, every time the merchant’s gaze is assaulted with that tall frame; that inhuman flesh; those dark, hate-filled eyes, part of him wonders what the creature truly isn’t capable of.

What really remains unclear, and surely not just to Rupin, is the nature of this being’s relationship with his knightly companion.

Mother’s features grow wary as that crimson-clad figure draws closer towards the doorway of her office, but he remains beyond its boundary, preferring to scrutinize a silver-trimmed tunic made of violet-dyed wool. Steadily, his gaze drifts towards a shelf lined with trousers, lingering on the darker-colored garments before eyeing the fanciful article with its matching cloak.

Arching a golden brow, Link deviates from his mission exploring rugs, hovering instead by the demon’s side.

“I thought you didn’t get cold?” he inflects with genuine curiosity.

Though his features hide behind his mantle, the demon’s tone conveys a solid lack of amusement. “Am I not allowed to look nice?” he retorts.

Link starts like a deer caught in lantern light, hand instinctively rubbing at his neck. “U-um,” he stammers, “I mean, it’s just…,” a shrug and a smile, “you always look nice.”

Almost reluctantly, Goselle emits a sharp laugh.

“That was quite a nice save, young man,” she croons, hiding her grin behind her fan.

My rough draft is done; still working on the whole ‘editing’ bit.

Almost there, loves!

Ye Who Enter Here

#ghiralink #skyward sword #legend of zelda #ghirahim #ss link #loz #tloz #what am i doing

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doberbutts · 5 years ago

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can you talk about your experiences as a poc in the dog world? do you think you've been treated differently?

The sender of this ask messaged me privately to explain what they meant, which was a little different than how I took it, so I’ll answer both;

How I took the question:

In completely honesty, either because I’m already fairly choosey about the people I willingly spend my time around or because I’ve been fairly lucky... or both, existing as a PoC in the dog world hasn’t been overly hard for me on a surface level. Basically what that means is that I’ve yet to be denied a dog, access to training or an event, mentorships, whatever due to my race(s) as a factor. Additionally, in person, there’s very little outward aggression and surprisingly little microaggression happening within earshot or to my face. I’m not saying things are or are not said behind closed doors- I’ll never know. But when it comes to face-to-face interactions, since the crowd I run with is already fairly socially aware, racially charged problems have been relatively minimal. Once again, I’m very choosey on who I choose to interact with on a regular basis, so definitely do not take this as me saying doberman people or IGP people or service dog people or whatever are all living in liberal woke paradise because that is definitely the furthest thing from the truth. I just don’t interact with those people on purpose, and keep whatever I have to do with them fairly minimal.

However... online is very different. I remember at one point I had made a negative comment on a political thread, on a forum where most people (myself included) only show photos of their dogs, not themselves or any other identifying information. I was given a long spiel about them blacks and back in my day and we used to call em negros but now that’s offensive I guess in reply, to which I simply responded saying that I was black and perhaps if the user had known that they wouldn’t have responded that way. The user then switched gears, said something about my inability to handle a working dog (note: Creed had been home with me all of a single week and I had not once complained about anything to do with him) and hoping to see me fail so they could laugh in my face... and I found out later went so far as to email both my breeder and the owner of the sire to tell them to repo my dog because they’d clearly made a mistake placing him with me. This was very eye-opening for me because prior to that exchange, that user and I had known we were on different political sides but had been fairly cordial with each other regardless.

Most people who’ve been around this blog since the beginning will remember the time I was called a card-carrying member of the KKK because I had a slave, my service dog Creed. Many will remember various interactions where my race has been used against me in an argument that had nothing to do with race. And I delete almost all of the racially insensitive to outright inflammatory asks I get on a daily basis from trolls and known problem-starters. So I can’t say everything is golden in my experience, but I would say that the anonymous nature of the internet emboldens those who would otherwise keep their racism to themselves.

And, of course, the very fact that I have to navigate life in such a way that I have to carefully curate my experience or else risk someone spewing shit out of the wrong hole, but that is less a “dog world” thing and more a “life as a PoC” thing.

How they meant it: regarding the problem of high euthanasia rates in the south-eastern US and the phenomenon of PoC commonly being afraid of dogs, as well as possible socioeconomic issues

Being that I don’t live in the South and also refuse to for a wide myriad of reasons, Maryland was close enough and it was hell tyvm, I can only answer some of this issue.

First- the assumption that it’s mostly a socioeconomic issue is absolutely there. The south-eastern US is populated mostly by farmers and the descendants of the people who worked the land in the past. Loose, roaming dogs are a common thing there, as are dogs kept intact due to either lack of funds (also why heartworm and rabies continues to be a problem) or the lucrative ability to simply make more dogs for cheap instead of going out and buying one (also where the densest overpopulation and highest euthanasia happens in this country). Add on to that the fact that to many people, dogs are a tool for a job and not a living breathing animal that actually needs care or fall under this pervasive idea that they must live out all of their natural instincts including roaming freely, breeding indiscriminately, and hunting/killing whatever’s in their path, and you have a recipe for a lot of unwanted dogs and not a lot of places to put them.

Second- I wouldn’t say that PoC being afraid of dogs is necessarily tied to high euthanasia rates in the South. Many Southern PoC have dogs, of all shapes and sizes. Many Southern PoC also fall into that socioeconomic niche in the above paragraph. I would say high euth rates are more tied to a lack of funding (you can thank governments for that), a lack of willing adopters (which is cheaper- finding a litter of puppies on the side of the road and taking one home, or paying 50-400$ for a dog at a shelter), way too many dogs being taken in vs actual space to put them (and low cost clinics only solve the "funds for neuter” problem, not the "hey I can make 8 free dogs in only 2 months and maybe sell the ones I don’t want for some extra money” problem), and broad-brush breed restrictions (even in areas without BSL, if you’re poor you might not own your own property, which means you’re renting, which is harder to do with pit bulls and far easier to do with yorkies).

Then you add the non-dog-related problems these people face (of course exacerbated for PoC)- if they can’t feed themselves, if they can’t afford their own doctors, if they can’t afford housing, if their car breaks down... all of these things cost money, and if you’re operating on limited funds, you have to make a hard choice between yourself, your family, and your dog. The dog frequently loses. Note that the highest intake and euth rates happen in already very poor communities in the South, and the more wealthy the area, the less of a problem this is. This is not accidental. I have personally gone hungry to make sure the dogs are fed and vetted when I was at my poorest. Not everyone can make that choice. There’s this hope that if you give the dog up, the shelter will find someone who will take care of it better. Things don’t always work out that way.

Then you have your regular irresponsible dog owners- the people who’s dogs are untrained, aggressive, heartworm positive, on their 8th litter, constantly loose, etc. (obviously I have no problem with accidents, responsible management of aggressive and intact dogs, ethical breeding, etc) These people exist everywhere- proof of that is that I’m in New England, in a fairly wealthy area, and I still adopted a Chihuahua from someone who couldn’t afford/be bothered to feed, vet, or care for their animal. However, in my area, loose roaming dogs are very minimal. Even in our poorest nearby cities, the ACOs find maybe 5-10 dogs per week and most are adopted out the second their stray hold and health checks are up. Someone’s irresponsible with their animals and causes a problem that rescues need to clean up? There’s plenty of space for them. Compare that to an area that gets 50 loose dogs in per day and then try to add more dogs from these irresponsible owners. You run out of space, eventually. This is where the 3-day turnaround and dogs that get euthed the second they come in the door is most common, because they frankly don’t have enough room to spare.

I talk a little about the phenomenon of PoC (predominantly black PoC) being afraid of dogs here. Personally, I don’t think it’s connected, but I could be wrong.

#Anonymous #asks

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justanoutlawfic · 5 years ago

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We Fight Together: Outlaw Queen Ficlet

Summary: Resurrected remix. What if Regina told Robin about Jefferson's threats?

Someone on CuriousCat prompted: "Here's a prompt for you: OQ moves to a different country". And while I'm sure this wasn't what they had in mind, this is all I could think of. A remix to Resurrected, where Regina tells Robin what's going on. It diverges from "Bang", when Jefferson pretends to shoot them. However, if you haven't read Resurrected, I would recommend reading the first chapter because it gives the backstory of why Zelena wants to hurt Regina.

Also on AO3/FF

Robin’s hand clasped through Regina’s as they stood on the doorstep of Jefferson’s mansion. After the gunshot the night before, Regina came clean about Jefferson’s offer. Robin’s first instinct had been to punch him in the face but she talked him down. As much as they hated it, they were going to need Jefferson’s help to get through this. Together.

The door opened and Jefferson stood on the other side, dressed dapper as always. He smiled at the sight of Regina, which made her stomach turn. As the man turned to Robin, however, he frowned.

“You told him,” he said with disgust.

“You nearly killed us last night,” Robin said, gruffly. “I had a right to know what was going on.”

Jefferson rolled his eyes and this time, Regina wanted to smack him. “Come in. The both of you, I guess.”

Regina and Robin followed Jefferson into his living room. It was meticulously decorated, but there were signs that a child lived there. Grace’s drawings were framed on the wall. Harry Potter books sat beside Jefferson’s copies of John Grisham. For a minute, Regina was reminded that he was a parent. It almost made him seem human. The way he interacted with Grace at school function was an entirely different man than the one that stood before them today. Grace, hopefully, would never know that her father was a hitman.

“For the record,” Jefferson said. “I didn’t try to kill you. I’m an expert at what I do. If I wanted you dead, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now.”

Robin growled. “Get to the point, Chapeau.”

“That was a taste of what could happen.” Jefferson grabbed some scotch from the drink cart that sat next to the off-white couch and poured himself a glass. He offered the bottle to the couple before him, but they shook their heads. “Zelena asked me because I’m one of the best, but I’m not the only hitman in a 100-mile radius.”

Regina watched Robin look away and she squeezed his hand tighter. Despite being married to a lawyer, there were times he was learning just how corrupt Storybrooke could be.

“So, I don’t do it, because you two are the parents of my daughter’s classmate. Someone else who doesn’t know you, easily will.” Jefferson swirled his glass. “And trust me, Regina. It’s not just you she’s after.”

Regina stiffened. “What do you mean?”

“That beautiful family of yours. She wants to destroy it.”

Regina was going to be sick. What in the hell had Zelena gone through to make her want to target innocent children? Go after her, sure. Henry, Roland and Margot had nothing to do with it. They didn’t even fully understand what their mother’s job was.

“We won’t let her,” Robin said. “We can get out of this town.”

“Sure. You could start over.” Jefferson shrugged. “But she’ll know as soon as you do. She’s got eyes everywhere. As soon as you open a new bank account or use a credit card to buy gas, she’ll find you.”

Regina cleared her throat. She didn’t want to break down in front of this man. “So, what are our options?”

“You die.”

Robin’s eyes narrowed. “I thought the whole point of this was you protecting Regina?”

“Relax, Locksley. I don’t mean literally. As far as Zelena knows, however, Regina will die in a car crash. You’ll be the grieving widow with three kids. With Regina gone and not trying to convict her, Miss Greene will move on.”

Regina shook her head. “I’m not going to abandon my family. Not when they need me the most.”

Margot wasn’t even a year old yet. Henry would be going through his pre-teen years soon enough. Roland was her partner in crime, he wanted to do everything with her. Not to mention, her husband of 9 years. She wasn’t about to leave Robin. How could she go on without him?

Robin nodded in agreement. “There has to be another way.”

“I’m afraid not,” Jefferson said. “This is the one way to get her off your backs.”

“What if we all…died?”

Regina looked at Robin, a bit caught off guard. He hadn’t wanted to deal with Jefferson at all. He would be willing to give up everything they knew and just leave? How would that impact the kids?

Probably better than a dead mother would.

“That’s dangerous,” Jefferson said. “Regina dying, that can look like an accident. Zelena may even view it as fate. All five of you dying? She’ll know something is up.”

“But you’re a smart man. You could make it hard.”

Regina leaned into her husband. “You’d really do this?”

“I’d do anything to protect you and the kids.”

Jefferson sighed and finished the rest of his scotch. He looked between the two of them, clearly hoping one of them would break. Regina’s hand stayed firmly within Robin’s. This was all happening so quickly but she knew one thing: if she was going to leave this town, she wasn’t doing it without him.

“You’d have to leave the United States,” Jefferson said. “She could have spies anywhere around here. I’d say England is risky too. Not only is she from there, but Robin is as well. She’ll suspect you’ve gone to stay with family.”

“So…where?” Regina asked.

“I’ll need time to think about it. Right now, I only had plans for you to go to Seattle, Washington. I wasn’t expecting you to show up with him.”

Robin didn’t look phased. “We’ll give you a day before we find someone else that can help us.”

Jefferson cocked an eyebrow. “I’m the one helping you, you can’t be too choosey.”

Regina took a step forward. “You’re the one that said we’re at risk here. And you know just as well as I do that we can’t go to the cops, she’s got support everywhere. So, find a new plan that includes my whole family or we’re going to have a problem.”

He blinked a couple of times before regaining his composure. “We’ve got a deal.”

As promised, Jefferson had a new plan within the span of 20 hours. As far as Storybrooke was concerned, the Locksley-Mills family would be killed in a house fire. Jefferson had connections to make it look like an accident. By the time anyone got word, the family would be on a plane to Andalucía. Regina had taught the boys Spanish as a second language as they were growing up and their private school required it be taught to them. Robin knew the language somewhat from Regina, but she could teach him more. With connections, Jefferson found them a farm that needed to be taken over. Robin had grown up on one in England prior to his father’s passing, so his lessons for Regina would be with agriculture and farm life.

What to tell the kids was a challenge. Margot wouldn’t remember anything about Storybrooke, but the boys would questioned being pulled out of school just after the year started. According to Jefferson, they could never talk to their old friends or family ever again. Not even Regina’s father and Henry’s namesake. They finally decided the best way to go about it was to lie. It wasn’t something they liked doing, but it was necessary in this situation. They’d tell the kids the morning of that they were going on a surprise trip to Spain. Once they were there, they’d find a way to break the news. The boys were still so young. As well meaning as they could be, Robin and Regina couldn’t risk them accidentally telling someone they were leaving.

Regina packed the things she knew her kids wouldn’t live without. Robin was in charge of sneaking momentous from over the years, such as their wedding album and baby pictures of the boys. Regina wondered if they would ever forgive them for this. She wondered if her father would, if he ever found out. She tried to put herself in his shoes. Potentially losing her kids was why she was doing this. And if she found out they had to do it to protect them, their family…she hoped she would be able to take in grace.

Sometimes it was easier to ask for forgiveness, than to ask for permission.

October 17th, the family took off on a private jet arranged by Mr. Gold, who had worked with Jefferson to plan all of it. By the time they landed, Sidney Glass would have an article out about the fire, despite no details being present. Everyone would think they were dead.

Regina’s hand went over Robin’s. The boys were asleep and Margot sat on her father’s lap, playing with a stuffed fox.

“We’re doing the right thing, aren’t we?” she asked.

Robin was quiet for a moment, staring forward stoically. Finally, he spoke. “We’re doing what we have to.”

Regina nodded and leaned into him. His arm wrapped tightly around her and they stared forward towards the cockpit. There was no going back now.

#resurrected verse #outlaw queen #outlaw queen au #regina mills #robin hood #ouat #once upon a time

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prorevenge · 6 years ago

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Aunts at war ( Long)

let me give some background:

I have a disable aunt who got a small apartment let’s call her KK and a choosey beggar aunt CC. A sweet aunty DD who is a caring soul. I was straight out of college, I suffer from depression but I normally handle it well.

Now CC asked me to live with KK because she wasn't able to be trusted alone. Now I moved from my mom’s apartment ASAP and I promised I would help keep her safe and pay any utilities, I used since I was going to be the functional adult. And one of my aunts DD would take care of her while I worked, but I could still live my life normally. It was all fine at the beginning I bought myself a futon, furniture and helped her clean the apartment, buy food, cook, bought all the house needs and entertain KK. But then a shift started to happen.

CC began to demand more money and when I asked her to justify it, she couldn't a started getting mad. She did it a couple of times and then realizing I wouldn't budge began to talk badly about me to my whole family. I didn't care and I wasn't going to let her bully me. But then she started trying to turn KK against me I only notice because my sweet aunt DD took notice at KK negative behavior. DD tried to correct it but CC was always in KK ears. So, KK started berating me telling I needed to give CC more money for toiletries and that I was being a B*****.

I forgave KK by I knew she didn't mean it and those where all words being fed to her by KK.

I started going out more with my friend and BF to get away from that house. But oh no who would have guessed it? she went around saying I was thinking I was better than everyone else and I could not be bothered with my own family. Once CC noticed that wasn't making me bend to her every whim only give her a little more money, CC was pissed and started giving me a curfew. So, I stopped helping as much around the house and planning trips out of state to see a friend of mine. This infuriated her and she insulted me to my mom. My mom basically told me to get out of that house. This was taking a toll on my mental health I would go into serious depressions, crying, screaming and even thoughts of suicide but my BF helped me so much, and let me stay with him for a whole week away from them and with the money I had saved up in a matter if 2 days I was able to rent out a room.

Revenge:

But I made sure to tell my mom and DD first. And my aunt DD and I came with a plan. I would give away all the food I bought away to anyone who needed it, and anything I bought I would take it with me and only leave them with what CC got KK. Also not pay for electric or anything else since I wasn’t there for half the month. So, when Cc took out KK, still with my boyfriend we moved everything within 3 hours. And anything I bought I destroyed or moved right into my new apartment room. At once began receiving messages on how I would never be allowed back and I was a horrible person. That there is a place in hell for me. How I was taking food away from her children’s mouths. I did not understand that at first, I ended up finding out that CC had been pocketing my aunt’s KK food stamps and disability paycheck and now since I was gone my mom found out since she had been doing it for 4 months since I basically moved in with KK. CC hadn’t bought kk any food or furniture and was using the money for her family leaving KK to suffer and the extra money she wanted from me was to take her kids out and buy them new shoes and clothes. My mom ended up being my aunt KK proxy and DD became her HHA and CC is blocked from KK accounts and had to pay back months’ worth of disability checks and food stamps bc my mom threaten her with jail.

#prorevenge #by /u/hoollyest_Hoolly #pro revenge #revenge stories #pro revenge stories #pro #revenge #last10

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petty-revenge-stories · 6 years ago

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Fine kick me out [long story]

Ok let me give some background:

Now CC asked me to live with KK because she wasn't able to be trusted alone, since she is schizophrenic. Now I moved from my mom’s apartment ASAP and I promised I would help keep her safe and pay any utilities, I used since I was going to be the functional adult. And one of my aunts DD would take care of her while I worked, but I could still live my life normally. It was all fine at the beginning I bought myself a futon and helped her clean the apartment, buy food, cook, bought all the house needs and entertain KK. But then a shift started to happen.

I forgave KK by I knew she didn't mean it and those where all words being fed to her by KK.

I started going out more with my friend and BF to get away from that house. But oh no who would have guessed it? she went around saying I was thinking I was better than everyone else and I could not be bothered with my own family. Once CC noticed that wasn't making me bend to her every whim only give her a little more money, CC was pissed and started giving me a curfew. So, I stopped helping as much around the house and planning trips out of state to see a friend of mine. This infuriated her and she insulted me to my mom. My mom basically told me CC wants more money or to just get out of that house. This was taking a toll on my mental health I would go into serious depressions, crying, screaming and even thoughts of suicide but my BF helped me so much, and let me stay with him for a whole week away from them and with the money I had saved up in a matter if 2 days I was able to rent out a room.

Revenge:

I made sure to tell my mom and DD first. And my aunt DD and I came with a plan. I would give away all the food I bought away to anyone who needed it, and anything I bought I would take it with me and only leave them with what CC got KK. Also not pay for electric or anything else since I wasn’t there for half the month. Also DD would start givin updates to the rest of the family on how Kk was living. So, when Cc took out KK, still with my boyfriend we moved everything within 3 hours. And anything I bought I destroyed. I moved right into my new apartment room. I kid you not the apartment was empty and since I felt a little bad I left KK with some soups so she would at least eat. And at once began receiving messages on how I would never be allowed back and I was a horrible person. That there is a place in hell for me. How I was taking food away from her children’s mouths. I did not understand that at first, I ended up finding out that CC had been pocketing my aunt’s KK food stamps and disability paycheck and now since I was gone my mom found out since Cc had been doing it for 4 months since I basically moved in with KK. And the apartment was in complete disarray, CC hadn't even bothered to buy toothpaste, food or furniture and was using the money for her family leaving KK to suffer and the extra money she wanted from me was to take her kids out and buy them new shoes and clothes. My mom ended up being my aunt KK proxy and DD became her HHA and CC is blocked from KK accounts and had to pay back months’ worth of disability checks and food stamps bc my mom threatened her with jail.

(source) story by (/u/hoollyest_Hoolly)

#pettyrevenge #by /u/hoollyest_Hoolly #petty revenge #revenge story #petty revenge stories #revenge stories #last10

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cryptid-jack · 7 years ago

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Once a Hero - Prologue pt 2

Title: Once a Hero Rating: T+ Genres: Action/Mystery/Romance/Comedy

Summary: In a world where super villains constantly fought for control of city-states under the protection of a world government, an alliance of heroes rose up to combat them for the sake of peace and justice. No one could have predicted that this alliance and their sworn enemies would be compelled to join forces to fight an alien invasion that threatened to wipe humanity from the face of the Earth.

They won the day, but not without suffering a tremendous loss on both sides

Ten years later, a super villain with a complicated history in heroics uncovers a conspiracy that flips the narrative of their very world on its head. To get to the source of it all, he finds help in the form of a Hero with a strange past of his own, and the key in the form of a little girl with big dreams.

AN: Thanks so much to those of you that commented/reblogged part one! Hope you enjoy this part too, and then let me know what your favorite part was! I just love hearing that from you guys <3

(< Back to Prologue pt 1)

March, 2003

(Prologue pt 2)

“This town is a shithole,” Keir declared as he pushed his way in through the front door and dropped a heavy looking duffel bag on the floor with a loud thump.

Layla turned and looked at him from where she sat curled up on the beat up sofa in front of the tv. Both her eyebrows shot up at this declaration, and she was quiet for a moment as she watched him kick the door shut behind him. The woman didn’t have to be a psychic to know he was bothered by something. The thunderous expression on his face was more than enough to tell her that.

It had been months since they’d escaped the Academy, and their travels had landed them in a large coastal city far from where they had begun. It had seemed like the promised land at first, full of people, life, and light... reality had sunk in pretty quick, though, when they both realized just how hard it was to blend in with society when society didn’t recognize that you even existed. Birth certificates, civilian identification numbers, driver’s licenses... neither of them had any of those things, making it nigh impossible to find legitimate work.

In the abstract, they had both known about these things, of course, but there was a difference between knowing something and actually applying it to the everyday sort of civilian life they both longed for.

Still, Keir hadn’t let legalities stop him from keeping them both fed and housed now that they were finally free.

“So, what did you get today?” Layla asked in an attempt to divert his attention from his general dissatisfaction with the city they lived in, turning in place so she could look over the sofa back without craning her neck.

Keir grunted, knowing full well what she was doing, but indulged her all the same. He shucked his coat, then crouched down next to the duffel he’d dropped on the floor and began pulling out stacks of money.

“Hmm, I’d say about three-thousand in cash,” he estimated, “Two AK-47s,” here he hauled out two semi-automatic rifles and placed them carefully on the floor behind him. “Five nine mils,” these too were laid out on the floor. “And about one and a half kilos of cocaine.”

Two bags of white powder were held up for her inspection for a moment before the man stood and took them into the bathroom. Layla watched him go, then got up and walked around to the now empty duffel bag. She took a few stacks of cash and put it into the small safe that they kept in their bedroom closet to be used for necessities, and the rest she put in a plastic grocery bag by the door.

When it had become apparent that neither of them would be able to get legal jobs there in the city, Keir had initially worked under the table jobs that would pay without asking too many questions. It had mostly been heavy labor on the docks and some bouncer work. After that he’d had a few offers from local gang leaders, but the man had pointedly refused. It had smacked far too much of the work he had once done for the Academy.

The city they had settled into was large, making it easy to disappear off the radar of any Blackridge remnants that might be trying to track them down. Unfortunately, it also had high crime rates, particularly in the neighborhood they had moved into. Their apartment complex was what one might call ‘shady’ if someone were inclined to being kind. One couldn’t be choosey when one didn’t have any sort of legal identification or credit record, though.

When they had first moved in, they’d been grateful just to have a roof over their heads at long last. The rest of the building’s tenants definitely left something to be desired, though. They hadn’t been there two days before someone had broken in with the intent to rob them. Unfortunately for the man waving a pistol in Keir’s face, Keir knew a great deal more about how to use it and quickly took it off him.

Word spread quickly after that. The couple on floor five, apartment C, were not to be messed with. Rumors abounded. Keir was an ex-marine in one, a former Israeli freedom fighter in another. Last week Layla had caught whispers that he was the son of a South American drug lord who’d run away from a life of extravagant wealth to marry his lover from a rival gang.

Honestly, Layla could see where people might buy into any of those rumors. Keir had the sort of dark good looks that would let him blend into any number of places in the world. He had rich, golden-brown skin, a strong nose, and full lips. His eyes were a shade of brown so dark as to appear black in all but direct light, set under heavy, expressive brows. His hair was a deep shade of mahogany with a slight curl to it, which had been news to both of them since Keir had never been allowed to wear his hair longer than a strict buzzcut for his entire life up to that point.

Layla loved his curls.

Keir’s notoriety as a man of many terrifying skills, combined with Layla’s ability to know things that she should not, had gradually resulted in many of the less savoury types clearing out of the building. The landlady might have thrown them out if not for the sudden influx of poor, but reliable and non-violent families seeking sanctuary from the rough neighborhood around them.

In fact, for a gradually expanding area around the apartment, the gangs, drug dealers, and D-Class supervillains were clearing out. Once Keir realized that he had a reputation he could capitalize on, he stopped working under the table manual labor jobs and started robbing drug dealers, making it unprofitable to work in the growing area that the man patrolled.

Together they had decided to only keep what money they needed to live a decent life, and then turned the rest over to the local police in unmarked plastic bag when no one was looking. The drugs they dumped down the toilet, though Layla was becoming increasingly concerned about what that might do to the water supply since doing some research online. The guns were mostly turned over to the police as well, though Keir kept any that happened to strike his fancy.

The toilet flushed in the other room and Keir reappeared a moment later with two empty bags, which he discarded in the trash. He seemed calmer now as he sat down on the floor and began sorting through the weapons he’d confiscated. The man pulled out clips of ammunition, then checked sights and trigger mechanisms with the deft movements of a professional.

Layla sat down next to him to eject and sort rounds of ammunition from the discarded clips. “So, what happened?” she asked

Keir continued working in silence for a moment, racking the bolt on one of the AKs a little harder than was strictly necessary, jettisoning the round therein halfway across the room. She could feel his annoyance boiling just under the surface of his mind, but she kept out, letting him tell her under his own power, as was only polite. Besides, as a low level telepath himself, Keir could always tell when she was in his head. He didn’t mind it usually. They’d both become quite accustomed to it after their initial meeting, after all, but with telepathy no longer being their only point of contact, Layla had pulled back to allow him his privacy.

Sometimes, though, like now, she missed just knowing what was bothering him. It was difficult to wait for answers when you were used to simply plucking them out of someone’s head.

“Some asshole C-Class supervillain and his minions tried to rob me today,” he answered eventually with an expressive snort that spoke volumes for how he felt on the matter.

“You didn’t hurt anyone, did you?” Layla asked as her initial amusement at the thought faded.

A vaguely guilty expression crossed Keir’s face and she shot him a sharp look. “I only broke a few arms!” he said defensively. When she continued looking at him, though, he reluctantly admitted “Alright, alright; I shot a guy in the leg too.” Her frown made him immediately say, “He shot at me first, though! Almost hit some kid just walking by...”

Layla sighed, but nodded, relieved that hadn’t relapsed into old habits. “Was the kid alright?”

“Yeah,” Keir answered, a dark look flitting across his dark features “But if it hadn’t been me there...” he said, words trailing off. He didn’t need to finish the sentence, Layla knew what he meant. If it had been someone who didn’t happen to be telekinetic, a mother might have been without her child tonight.

“Layla, lets get out of here,” Keir said out of the blue as he turned and fixed her with an intense look.

Confused, the woman blinked and asked “Where do you want to go? Are you hungry?”

“No,” the man replied with a huff, “I mean let’s go. Let’s get out of this shithole of a town and go somewhere new, somewhere little kids don’t get gunned down in the fuckin’ street.”

Eyes wide, Layla stared at him for a moment as he waited for her answer.

When she hesitated, he pushed on. “I found a guy that can get us papers. Birth certificates, I.D. numbers... everything,” Keir said and grabbed her pale, slender hand with his dark, calloused one. “We could go legit, Layla. I’d get a job and work to support us. You could go to school like I know you want to-” the woman looked at him in surprise, and he just flashed her a grin. “All that time in my head... it went both ways, you know.”

Layla flushed in embarrassment, but smiled as he pulled her in against his chest. At eighteen, it was unlikely Keir would grow the three inches needed to match her own six foot, but seated there on the floor, they were nose to nose.

“Keir,” she murmured, feeling overwhelmed with love for the man before her in the face of his offer. She knew he felt it too, and when she dropped her head against his shoulder, he turned and pressed a kiss into her hair.

“We could do it, Layla. I’d do whatever it took...”

Tears sprang to the woman’s eyes and she turned her head so she could wipe them away on her shirtsleeve. In doing so, she caught sight of the tv again.

“Sounds like a dream come true,” she murmured against the fabric of his shirt. The cotton of it was soft against her skin and smelled vaguely of sweat, gunpowder, and Keir.

“We’ll go first thing tomorrow, then,” he said, and she could practically hear him making plans already. “It won’t take long to pack, we can leave most of this stuff-”

“It sounds like a dream come true, but we can’t go, Keir,” Layla said and straightened so she could look him in the eye. He appeared startled, then his brow furrowed in confusion. Before he could open his mouth to speak, the woman took his hand and got to her feet, tugging him after her.

Keir followed reluctantly as she lead them both around to the front of the sofa and sat again. He didn’t seem inclined to do so, but she tugged on his hand again, and he complied. On a less dangerous man, the expression he wore might have been called a pout.

“We can’t leave now, Keir. Haven’t you seen the difference we’ve made since coming here?” she asked him gently as she brushed her fingertips along his stubbled jaw, coaxing him to look at her. “When we got here it was nothing but drugs and violence choking the life out of this neighborhood. Now there’s families in this complex, Keir. We made that possible. If we left now, what would happen to everyone here?”

“I don’t know everyone here,” the man replied skeptically. “And I sure as hell didn’t do any of this for them. I did it for you, Layla,” he insisted. “Besides, getting a few small time super villains off the streets is hardly going to fix what’s wrong with this damn city. It’s all just a vicious cycle that-”

“I know, but it’s a start,” Layla said emphatically. “You’re right, we can’t fix the system by going out and-and, oh I don’t know, punching people in the face,” a snort of amusement escaped the man next to her in spite of himself, and she smiled a little at her own fumbling before continuing. “But there are good people here; I’ve met them. If we could give them a chance to thrive without the threat of violence constantly hanging over their heads, then maybe they could go on to fix this city. They could make it someplace worth living.”

They watched one another for a long moment, but a minute twitch of Keir’s lips and Layla knew she’d won. She smiled at him and he groaned in disgust as he flopped back into the cushions of the sofa.

“God, you are insufferable when you go all ‘light of humanity’ on me,” he said with an expressive sigh and roll of his eyes.

She giggled, then flopped down as well, curling up against his side and wiggling into the cushions until he relented and looped his arm around her shoulders. “I know,” Layla said, allowing just a little smugness to color her tone. “You put up a valiant effort, though. I’ll give you that.”

“Shut up,” he grumbled without venom as they let the soft, blue light of the television lull them into a peaceful quiet. The newscast Layla had been watching was repeating now. Something about a travesty averted thanks to members of the Heroes Association.

“We could do it, Keir. We could be just like them,” Layla said as the camera zoomed in on a woman in a brightly colored costume.

“I will burn this city to the ground before I wear spandex.”

Layla chuckled.

(Prologue pt 3 coming soon)

(( Buy me a ko-fi?))

#Once a Hero #fiction #super heroes #original story #jolie writes

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foodnerdpk · 4 years ago

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Reasons Why Pakistani Cuisine is Superior to Others!

Food is the language of love and passion for many. There’s even a debate about whether we are born to eat or eat to live. The very first thing we do we the money we earn is, buy food. Until and unless our food requirements are fulfilled, we cannot think of anything else. Don’t believe me? Okay, imagine you had a long, hard day at work. You haven’t had any food all day. What is is that you will crave when you get back home? Is it some movie, a new book or sleeping? None. All you will be thinking about will be food! Good thing that it is so easy to order food online now, so as you can satisfy your hunger whenever you want to!

Coming back to the debate I mentioned earlier, if you have tasted Pakistani food, there is a high chance you might feel that you are born to eat because of how delicious it tastes! I mean, I can sit in solitarily and happily think about Tikka, karahi, nihari, etc. I should add that not only is Pakistani food delicious, it also looks and smells great too! All in all, I’ve concluded that Pakistani cuisine is superior to any other. To prove my point, I am going to list some of the most mouthwateringly delicious dishes, and then you can decide whether I am right or absolutely right!

Biryani:

Yes, of course, this traditional, world-wide famous dish deserves the top spot on our list! Biryani is so popular that foreigners from all over the world know it and love it. There are many varieties of biryani and I personally love them all. But if you are choosey, then I assure you, there is at least one kind of biryani that is specific to your taste and you won’t be able to stop your hand from getting seconds and thirds of the dish. The enticing aroma and the beautiful outlook of the dish make it even more appealing!

Chapli Kabab:

Chapli Kabab, also known as Peshawari Kabab is one of those dishes that is simple yet very tasty. The kebabs are made up of minced meat mixed together with onions, tomatoes and other spices and then fried. Chapli kababs are so flavour some that it is impossible to resist them. You don’t need anything else on the table when you have chapli kabab. Chapli Kabab paired with hot tandoori naan and green/mint chutney is a to-die-for combination!

Haleem:

Unlike most of our traditional dishes, this dish is a very healthy one! It has pulses, rice, meat and thus, is a great source of carbohydrates and protein. It’s in fact the perfect post-workout snack because it is very helpful in rebuilding muscles and tissues! With the high carbohydrates level, it helps in maintaining a high energy level and aids your mind is staying alert and focused. And of course, it tastes amazing! It should be noted that you need to have fried onions, lemon and green masala to enjoy its taste to the fullest!

Tikka:

BBQ parties are very common in Pakistan, especially on special occasions like Eid. The reason for it is simple; the recipes used to make these BBQs are just amazing. Be it lamb, chicken or meat, every kind of tikka tastes outstanding if cooked in a desi way! You might cook more than you think, but find the plate empty within minutes because...you guessed it! It is delicious! The marination of tikka is the main thing, and every good recipe recommends at least a 5-hour marination (in case of meat)! So, never compromise on it!

You can easily order all these dishes online if you don’t have time to cook them. Just use foodnerd’s app or website and order them online. You’ll find your delivery in front of your door in minimal time!

#order food online #food delivery #foodnerdapp

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slimegalaxies · 7 years ago

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So one day I received a message on Instagram asking about the prices of my slime. Now I’m already going to stop right here and say that there were two red flags here I probably shouldn’t have ignored. One, the person wasn’t even following me. Now usually I’d be fine with that, but it was also coupled with the fact that my etsy link is IN MY BIO. If you want to know my prices, you can literally design your own slime and see how much it’ll be. Now, I made the biggest mistake that I urge you all not to do. In fact, just about every action was a huge mistake and I insist that if any of you are ever in this situation, you don’t deal with it the way I did. I gave what I THOUGHT the price was. Didn’t look it up, in part because this brat would spam me with whiny messages if I was gone for more than 10 seconds. I WAY underpriced my slime, and I couldn’t just go back on what I said the price was. Plus, it was 1.5 ounces more than usual. So not only was it at LEAST a dollar under my normal price for a 4 oz container of that slime, it was waaaaay underpriced for the size it actually turned out being. And here’s where I should’ve stopped altogether and not sold them anything. (Again, desperate for money.) I decided to be nice and just accept that I had screwed myself out of money, and I made them a custom etsy listing. Well they sent me messages and tried to scam me in the most ridiculous and unintelligent way possible; telling me they had already paid for it and asking when it’d be shipped. (In two different messages.) Like man, you know I can SEE when you order something, right????? I pointed out in a quite overly sweet and borderline passive aggressive way that I hadn’t gotten anything saying the order was paid for, and that it wouldn’t be shipped until I did. At that point they backtracked and insisted they had meant to send that first message to their cousin. (Yeah, sure. At this point I very highly doubt that cousin even exists.) They supposedly then went to go ask for money, and then came back saying they couldn’t buy it because they’re poor and asking if I could send it for free. Bitch I’m poor too that’s why I don’t just give slime away. I said at the most I could possibly send a very small slime (mistake 2). They then ended up saying their “cousin” wanted to buy the slime they’d asked for in the first place. Which I’d already made, so that’s fi- … but in white. So I ended up having to make more. Plus buy more clay to make it with since I didn’t have white. Now another thing to note. They asked for a picture CONSTANTLY. Every slime I made, they wanted a picture of- in the container, out of the container, even pictures of all my containers themselves. They kept asking if I had certain containers in different sizes- like man I just sent you pictures of all my containers obviously not. Plus you don’t get to be choosey when it comes to containers. (Especially when I don’t have them???) My slime, I package it the way I want. It’s a 5.5 oz thing of slime for like 2/3 of the price it should be, why the hell are you complaining. Anyway, they also CONSTANTLY asked about EVERYTHING. Like if you have questions that’s fine, but they were already on my nerves and just infuriating me. Every 5 seconds: Hey, what do you use to make sure the slime doesn’t arrive sticky? (Nothing??? That’s literally impossible it’s hot as heck out it’s gonna get sticky no matter what you do. Unless you overactivate it at first but that’s a risk I am not willing to take.) Where do you get your containers? What do you include in your orders? (They asked that at least twice, possibly three times) What does your note say? What candy do you include? (Like man it’s supposed to be a cute surprise stop) How do you make butter slime? It stressed me out more than anything else id ever encountered. Oh, and like I mentioned, if I was gone for more than like 10 seconds I’d get bombarded with messages. “Are you done with the slime yet?” “?” “Slimegalaxies” “??” LIKE NO I’M NOT AND I’M NOT RESPONDING BECSUSE MY HANDS ARE COVERED IN GLUE

I included an extra slime out of the goodness of my heart (mistake 3) They then asked if I could include two free slimes Oh but wait! Actually can you just send samples of every slime you have? I’m poor and I’ve never had slime before

Quit it with the “I’m poor” bullshit. So am i. That’s why I’m selling slime. SELLING. IT. NOT GIVING IT AWAY.

I said no to that one and they decided to be a picky little shit and make me change the type of extra slime to send. I did it (mistake 4)

When I was finally done, they asked about the candy, then literally asked if I could send a bag of cheetos. Kid I’m not your damn parent go ask them.

Obviously I said no. So I finally got it all together, they asked for pictures of the package and even asked if I could include something else that I don’t remember rn because I’m sleepy

Finally sent it, thought my hell was over with. Well apparently once they received it, they added too much activator at once to the fishbowl slime. And some of you probably know what happens then. It falls apart. Honestly, good lmao

They also told me it’s expensive for a “lil slime” Bitch???? That’s literally 2/3 of what the price should be???? I need to actually make money here???? Plus 5.5 oz is not “lil”

So I finally thought that was done. Then just a few days ago I get a message that they somehow broke the 5.5 oz container. Just straight up told them to go get Tupperware or a sandwich bag, which they conveniently didn’t have because “I’m pooooooor!!!!!!!!” I think they just wanted a free container. Also I trusted them even less because it was now obvious the cousin didn’t exist because they had the slime.

And there’s the story of the word thing ever

#text #the slime queen speaks #cursing #long post

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doodoodloo · 8 years ago

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How do you live life, Freya? How do you squash the hopeles negative feelings when they creep up?

Hi,gosh! Such a big question! Thanks for asking ~

Ihad to really reflect on this in order to find words for such a complex andopen-ended question. Like, how do Ilive life?

Iguess I can’t really explain how I live life now without reference to anearlier process of growth and reflection. My ‘state of being’ if you will beganwith the early teenage desire to arrive at a place /version of myself that feltcomfortable. At that time elements of my life were somewhat out of my control,for example my home life, my school situation and to some extent my socialcircle, so in order to figure out if experiences suited the version of myself Iwanted to be, I would just ask myself in new situations Do I like this?

I have a side of myself that is very stubborn, and another side that is very freeand curious, so usually I would try something (not if I had been pressuredthough, only if I had decided in the moment that I wanted to try it) and thenafterwards I would decide if it was for me. My curiosity would be satisfied,and my stubbornness would then categorise the experience into a yes or no file.It sounds very straightforward but it was of course much more subtle than that.I’ve always had a very strong core from where a ‘yes or no’ arises from. Iremember in early childhood being put into situations that I didn’t like andfeeling this all encompassing ‘NO’ rise in me, but I didn’t have the words orauthority to tap out. The adults in my life that knew me back then still jokeabout my tantrums, where my body would stiffen into an embodied state ofrefusal. In this process of discovery my stubbornness was extremely useful Ithink, and saved me from some of the pain others experience in teenagehood,since I was never swayed by peer pressure. At some point though that traitserves it’s purpose and needs to be loosened a little, I think.

Ican imagine for people with a quiet or as of yet undeveloped intuitive ‘yes orno’ voice it means that choosing what you want in your life and what you don’t isa bit more challenging. I mean, you don’t always need to know what you aregoing to become, but I think most people have a secret or not so secret imageof the best version of themselves in mind. That version is 100% accessible, andyou should have the intention of becoming her, and giving yourself permissionto become her. If that seems all vaguey-vague, why not make a list of literalthings you want (and know you will) be. For example, I want to be 1) Centred instressful situations 2) Generous but not to the extent that people takeadvantage of me 3) Non judgemental but have boundaries with people that don’tsuit the vibe I want in my life 4) In touch with my emotions but not undertheir control etc etc. Coaching language seems to always use words like goals, reaching for, aiming for but thatkind of bothers me because it suggests that this higher you is outside ofyourself, if only you would dislocate your shoulder to reach for her! Whenactually it is a slow unfolding of the petals of your truest self blossomingoutwards, calling on what was already there, laying patient and dormant untilyou asked for it to wake up. That’s how I see it, anyway.

Atsome point I arrived at a place where I felt comfy and incredibly safe with whoI had become, and realised that it was a foundation that if maintained, wouldkeep me happy…maybe for the rest of my life? Honestly that experience is kindof hard to explain since it involved a week long series of aligned coincidencesand then some weird esoteric things like maybe an angel and some dreams, Idon’t really have words. But it could be said that something ‘clicked’ andsince then (three years ago) I’ve been ‘ok’ every day.

Aftera lil while it became clear that maintaining that level of ok-ness came withthe need for a lot of intention and boundaries. Those words are relatively newto my vocab but explain everything I’d never had words for before. I think thatwhen you arrive at a place that feels good, it also leaves you very vulnerable.And supposing that you arrived there by discerning what did and didn’t feelright for you, you can become very sensitive to vibes and atmospheres andenergies, from both locations and people, and the things that you said ‘no’ toa while back act as triggers that can feel like a real threat to your safeplace. So from within my being I birthed a jewel that is my truest self that isalways improving ~ how do I keep it safe?! Or as you put it, how do you squashthe hopeless negative feelings when they creep up?

WhatI would have previously called a bubble I’ve heard others call boundaries, or acontainer. The word ‘boundaries’ works well for me, so I’m going to use thatfrom now on. You can imagine your boundaries as a space around your physicalbeing which deters all that is not right for you, and you get to choose whichenergies move through that wall. Boundaries could also be a code of morals thatyou adhere to, and do not cross yourself, or let others cross in your presence(I mean, they can do whatever the heck they want, but you can maybe tell themthat they have crossed your boundary, that behaviour doesn’t suit you etc. Ithink most reasonable people will respect another’s boundaries once you make itclear why it’s not ok with you. Remember to listen to them also, since theywill have some also!). I think of boundaries in two sorts of forms. Like oneversion is more inclined to ‘avoid’ situations. For example, I do not want tosupport fast fashion, cheap labour, environmentally toxic brands or largecorporations. I also do not like bright lights, loud music or air conditioning.Those are some boundaries. Sounds really picky-choosey, but my intuition says‘no’ when I think about them. So a boundary of mine is that when it is in mycontrol, I will not go to a shopping mall pretty much ever.

Supposeit is a little less out of my control though, and my family needs to stop atK-mart on the way to the beach on a family holiday to buy my bro some flipflops and I don’t want to make a scene like I would have when I was a kid. Inthis situation I do my best to strengthen a different sort of boundary where Icreate an circle of intention around myself like an invisible protective shieldmuch like the protective shield over Hogwarts when Voldy and the dementors ndeath eaters are coming to get Harry in the last book! In my opinion this formof boundary is much stronger and more useful overall, since you can’tperpetually avoid all situations with annoying people or negative vibes. Thisboundary says ‘I will not be swayed by others emotions, I will not let thesethings ‘get’ to me (like literally, they will not get through my shield), Iwill leave this situation as clean and whole as when I entered it’. I believe thatif this sort of power is developed there are huge rewards. Like a master ofthis could probably accept the neg vibes through the shield, transform it andthrow it back in the other persons face in the form of love.

I’mbeing kind of bias towards external negativity rather than negative feelingsthat arise from within, as you asked ~ sorry. Those feelings are probablyrelated to self worth and fear. When those doubty, sad feelings arise for me, Istare them in the face and ask where they have come from, and go as far back tothe root as I can. Then I try to fix them from the ground up. If youacknowledge that there is both dark and light in the universe, and that you arejust visiting the dark for a while, with intention of returning to the light,negative feelings and emotions become less scary. I don’t think there is anyshame in exploring darkness, but don’t make it your default hangout spot! Like,I’d encourage you to go on a little field trip into fear and see what you find.Pack a light lunch and come home to the light when you’re ready.

OkI just realised that I have written you a literal 1500 word essay so I’m goingto sign off. Just a quick disclosure: I don’t really have any authority overthese topics other than my own experience. I feel a connection to what might besome universal truths that have found me, but I can’t confirm which are true ornot, so I just speak from a place that feels right. Just as you asked how I live my life ~ I justlive from a place of feeling ‘right’. My actions flow from that place throughactive choice. You got the power to design your reality ~ have fun!

Muchlove, Freya Xo

#advice

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ginnyzero · 5 years ago

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Confession, I’m a Gamer/Nerd

When I first started looking at colleges I really wanted to go into game design. I ended up studying fashion for reasons that are a bit too long to go into. However, I never hung out with fellow fashion students. I wasn’t a barista or a bar tender. I didn’t like partying. I hung out with the game design and animation majors. We played video games. We talked about video games. We did role playing. We were into stuff coming out of Japan. The Academy didn’t really have an English major so I couldn’t hang out with those people. Once again, my life choices really should have told me something.

I love video games. I loved watching the behind the scenes stuff of animation and how they came up with the original Myst and I would watch my roommate use Zbrush and Maya with fascination. (But by then I was in too deep with fashion classes to change majors and nothing would have switched.) And when it came to choosing my first MMO, I was really choosey and demoed a LOT of them before choosing Guild Wars. And over the years, as I’ve dabbled into different types of games, I’ve come to realize that MMOs (and honestly most RPGs) should have some differing priorities than other games.

First off, have the hardware to run the game. If the company doesn’t have enough servers, then the game isn’t going to get anywhere. Even big companies have run into this, EA and Spore? No one likes a game that constantly crashes.

But the second biggest priority and honestly the thing that should be settled long before servers are an issue is story. Story. Story. Story. I cannot repeat this enough. Have a story. Have it completed or at least to a first good “pause.” Make sure it has the ability to be expanded upon. An MMO is usually on an epic scale, so there should be heroes and villains and betrayals and things that make you laugh and things that make you cry and things that make you mad.

There are eight types of MMO players. Five of those types depend in some way shape or form on story. Points and leveling come through quests, and quests come through story. Exclusive and Unlockable content, tends to come through story. There are three types of the eight MMO players who rely on social connections. A lot of times these social connections are through helping other players with quests, so thus, story. So, let’s just break it down and say that 2/3 of the people who play an MMO are in it for story content even if it is because they want the highest level toon with the best gear. They usually have to go through story to get that toon and gear.

Only half of the players are there for virtual goods. One quarter for exclusive content and sadly, 1/8 for unlockable content. (Yes, to be fair, a lot of players do not want to put in the time and effort to “unlock” areas or items.) Unless, unlockable content is the stuff you have to pay to get to. And there are plenty of players (myself included) who don’t want to “unlock” things with real world money either. Expansions are different, expansions are like entire games of themselves. (Or should be.)

Story drives the game. An awesome world or cool concept can get players to the game to check it out, but unless there is a story that gets them involved right off the bat, 2/3 of them aren’t going to stick around.

Look, for decent story, players don’t even need graphics. There are plenty of text driven games that were fairly popular. These were the origins of MMOs, the Multi-User-Dungeons or MUDS. The computer version of a ‘choose your own adventure story!’

Have a story. Have a good story. Have it relatively completed. And for God’s sake, put it out in a steady manner. I don’t care if your model is the WoW/GW model or a weekly update model or whatever. Don’t leave the player’s hanging for story.

Though, now a days, decent graphics are almost a must. And I say “Decent” because you can’t have them so high resolution that the game lags to load, but so low resolution that the player feels like they are either a cartoon or a bunch of mashed together flat textured polygons. By all rights, most MMOs cannot afford to do game console quality graphics and they shouldn’t have to. WoW has a certain cartoonish style. Guild Wars went slightly more realistic. Those are now the standards. Three dimensionality, a bare minimum of shadowing and a certain art style that is cohesive throughout the game.

Yes. Please. Have one art direction and stick to it. Please. Please. PLEASE. Things start looking horrible if you’ve got 3 art styles right next to each other in the game. It doesn’t work. Choose one. ONE!

And yes, it does take time to create more story, especially since you’re working with 3D graphics and adding stuff into a huge world. So, give the players the ability to go back and replay what they’ve done. That way the story remains fresh in the player’s mind and there is a lot less complaining about getting new story.

The players should also have more things to do. Things like fishing or crafting or mining or farming. There are certain types of players that will do nothing but grind for drops and create things for themselves and other players. They like doing this. It takes up more time and keeps players around longer. It’s become part of an accepted MMORPG experience.

However, this whole farming, crafting and lots of items and gear can lead to what I think is one of the worst additions to MMOs outside of an in game trade system, microtransactions. Sometime in the last ten years the internet has evolved enough that companies realized that people are almost constantly connected to their credit cards and/or paypal. So, they’ve put items in games that have no real world intrinsic value and slapped real money values on them! You want that super mount, pay .99 cents to 50 dollars for it. You want this exclusive item, pay money for it. You don’t want ads, pay money for it. You want to speed up time, pay money for it! This really, really begins to add up and call me old fashioned. I find it really annoying.

I understand that a certain amount of microtransactions are de rigeour today. However, if your microtransaction content starts eclipsing your regular content (meaning quests aka story) then your game has a major problem. Limit the microtransactions!

And you know what, I don’t even mind merchandise. Tie in books. Action Figures. Clothes. Coffee Mugs. Whatever. People will buy that stuff if they are into the game. They’ll buy it even if they aren’t into the game because they have children or people they know who like action figures or reading in whatever genre that game is in.

I draw the line at codes attached to these products that are redeemable for in game content. That is a road paved to hell. That is when more hacking starts. That’s when people start trying to sell the codes. That’s when people stop buying period.

And lastly, have an easy battle system if you must include a battle system. I’m not really fond of combat anymore in my MMOs, that’s why I was playing Star Stable. However, so many combat systems are very cluttered. I liked GWs, as long as you were the proper level, had bought or taken the quest to get the spell and had the mana, you could USE said spell. They limited you to so many spells, so players were forced to create “builds.” But you know what, it was easy to use, press 1 through 0, you cast a spell. End of discussion.

Honestly, I want a MMO that is more like Okami without the battles. Go around, heal the land and let me farm, craft, mine my weasely black guts out, with story, lots and lots of story. Of course, if you want something done. You’ve got to do it yourself.

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729renegades · 5 years ago

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BUILDING A BUSINESS FROM SCRATCH. . . CHAPTER 9

Marketing has become much easier than in the past. A lot of marketing campaigns can be automated once initially set up. Yes, this will cost money and time. But don’t look at it as a cost, more of an investment.

There are 2 types of online marketing: – Interruption marketing and attraction marketing.

Interruption for example is a Facebook ad targeted to you while you are browsing the newsfeeds. Whilst attraction marketing for example is Google pay per click where the customer is actively looking to buy/research your product or service.

If you’re not marketing your business, then you’re losing out on a huge number of potential customers. In this article I want to talk into 2 different avenues of marketing. Marketing for new customers and Marketing for recruiting.

Marketing for new customers: When a typical business owner thinks of marketing, his limiting belief system says to him, “oh no, this means I have to spend money”, which is true, but we have to change our belief and mind set. A mind set of investment. We’re in the business of buying customers.

Not only do we have to spend money, but also give away information for free to help educate and build the trust to develop a relationship with a potential customer. We can target our potential customers by both online and offline marketing. Yes, we live in a world where the internet is a very powerful and easy way to target your audience, but there’s also an audience waiting off line.

While everyone else is focused on online marketing there’s a large proportion of customers waiting to have something delivered through the door. This is where the lumpy mail comes in. People still love getting things in the post that they can touch and feel. But like with any marketing we need to test and measure to see what the results are telling us.

How many marketing strategies do you currently have in place? Any business, should have at least 8 different forms of marketing.

Here are just a few:

Pay per click

Direct response marketing

Social media marketing

Telephone marketing

Direct lumpy mail marketing through the post

TV & Radio advertising

The aim, is to get started. Test everything and see what gives you the best returns. However, marketing is changing at a fast speed. So be open minded for new and different ways to market to your potential customers.

For me, Google pay per click is by far the most effective for the wet leisure industry. However, we should always test and measure to see what works and what doesn’t.

Along the way to finding out what works, we have spent a lot of time and money, but this hasn’t been in vain as we now know our best ways to reach our customers. Google pay per click works brilliantly for my ecommerce business, however, many others use the power of Facebook marketing which can also produce extraordinary results. Do some research within your industry and model what others are doing well and decide what strategy will work best for your business.

It’s very important to get the marketing right but we also need to make sure that our website is mobile responsive? 60% of internet usage is now done via mobile/tablet rather than desk tops and it’s on the rise. Your website needs to be easily readable via a mobile without having to zoom in and out. Remember the 8 second rule. Customers will stay on your website for 8 seconds unless they are engaged.

Marketing for recruiting: Not only is it important to market for new customers, but also to market for new potential employees. In my companies we are constantly marketing for new talent.

In my last article I spoke about how important employees are for growth. Be strategic and anticipate who and when you’ll require new people to drive your business forward. Marketing for future employees can put you one step ahead of not only yourself, but also your competitors. You’ll already have a pool of talent to choose from when positions become available in your company.

Being one step ahead in business is essential if you want to reduce making wrong decisions. A wrong decision can cost you a lot of time and money. I’ve seen this first hand when businesses have to put bums on seats and square pegs in round holes because they’re ill prepared for either growth or departures. And it just doesn’t work, not if you want to be the best. And when you are the best, you attract the best.

To attract the best people, they need to know that you’re recruiting. One advert might just catch someone’s attention and give them something to think about. Our best recruits have come from platforms like LinkedIn and Indeed.

You can choose to advertise on these platforms both organically with a post or pay per click with sponsored ads.

The good thing about pay per click is that you’re in control. You can target specific people and also control your spending.

You can control your spending by setting a daily/weekly budget and can stop a campaign at any time. We get approached by agencies pretty much every day. Personally, I’m not a fan. The fees they charge can be extortionate to say the least and who’s to say they won’t come back for your employee in the future when another company is looking to fill a similar position. Hence my scepticism with recruitment agencies. Be very choosey where you market for your future employees, especially if you want to attract the best.

The whole marketing game can be a mine field, but don’t let this put you off. It’s all about thinking and planning a strategy and then getting started and executing it.

As the marketing world evolves, so will your business, if you’re actively participating.

There are a lot of ways to market so be mindful that it’s impossible to do them all at once. Like everything in business, it’s a process.

Personally, if you’re not doing Google pay per click, you’re missing out on a huge number of customers actively looking to spend money on your products or service.

Marketing experts are calling this the gold rush era. Similar to when Google Ads was first launched nearly 15 years ago when a lot of smart businesses got cash rich.

Marketing is a smart and fast way to financial freedom.

If you do anything today in your business, make sure marketing is the number one priority and don’t be afraid to invest some of that hard-earned money.

To be continued……

from Blog | 729renegades http://bit.ly/2YZNvHt

#Blog | 729renegades

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