#inflexible ch

[jackiemoonshine]

Ok I have to rant about Easthies because he gets so much hate but I love the character so much! I posted about this a minute ago on Reddit but he's such a fascinating character to me, from the start. I just have a thing about dark haired men with an inflexible moral code, ok? And after the last chapter, I FEEL AN EASTHIES BACKSTORY and like,

I am DYING for it. I feel like I'm the only Easthies lover in the world -- not because I agree with him or his actions, or because I find him likable. But he's obviously has strong convictions, strong enough to make him scary and unshakeable in his stances and I find that intriguing in a character.

He's a true lawful neutral in my view. Some people clearly see him as just a power hungry jackass who likes to bully people, but I think the author has clearly set up some kind of backstory explanation and I'm SO HERE FOR IT. I'm hoping for major trauma, angst etc regarding forbidden magic and/or memory erasure. Maybe somebody close to him used forbidden magic and had their memory erased? Maybe he lost a loved one who had their memory erased as a result of forbidden magic? Ugh I'm dying!! I can't wait!

Also- It's really interesting to examine the difference in the fan culture between how fans talk about Easthies vs Qifrey. Yes, Easthies is often too quick to erase memories, but it IS his job and is done in service to what he considers the greater good of the world and society as a whole, often without consideration of his personal goals. Our king Qifrey on the other hand, has been shown to erase memories of those he LOVES in order to pursue his individual desires unhindered, and yet has not received even a fraction of the backlash Easthies has. For me personally, I had a much stronger reaction to Qifrey's action in ch. 40 vs anything Easthies has done, because even though Easthies is an overreactive zealot, he at least seems to truly believe he's acting for the greater good. Qifrey knew he was being selfish and manipulative -- and did it anyways. Maybe has done it multiple times.

TLDR; it just fascinates me to think about how different people interact with these characters and their actions and also I love Easthies

[saintsenara]

my kingdom for your thoughts on george weasley/hermione

thank you very much for the ask, anon!

i know that there's a rumour that jkr once said that she intended to have fred and hermione get together - which i can find no actual evidence of, and i highly suspect fredmione nation might just have made up - but i personally think that, when it comes to pairing her with one of the twins, george is probably the better bet...

george is certainly the twin that i think it would be easier to be in a long-term relationship [romantic or platonic] with, because he's the one who seems to better at relating to other people.

fred is demonstrably the crueller of the two, in ways which often suggest that he doesn't possess a particularly great capacity for empathy - it's very striking that three of the more disturbing things we learn happened to ron as a child [his teddy bear being turned into a spider; his puffskein being killed when it was used for "bludger practice" - that is, when his pet was beaten to death with a bat; and him being tricked into almost making an unbreakable vow] are attributed to fred, with george implied to be involved, but not to be the ringleader of the scheme.

we see this elsewhere in canon - fred is the person who arranges their bet with ludo bagman, and then the person who takes the lead in their attempts to threaten him into paying them their winnings; fred is the person who takes the lead when they're negotiating prices for stolen goods with mundungus - and i think we can certainly say that, while both twins are clearly broadly equal in terms of certain personality traits [they're both funny, cheeky, irreverent, loyal, creative, clever-but-only-on-their-terms, and so on], george is less domineering and - potentially - more insecure than his brother.

which is to say... he's quite a lot like ron. in a way that fred - since ron lacks his crueller elements - isn't.

and - therefore - he's got the right personality to gel with hermione as she is in canon.

he's clearly going to be able to handle the fact that hermione expresses her affection by meddling and nagging - since this is exactly what his mother is like - and he's also - like ron [and unlike harry] - canonically at ease with the fact that she likes to work through her thoughts and feelings by debating [we see this in goblet of fire - george gets into a debate about house elf rights with hermione, and doesn't take her popping off about him being wrong as something to be offended by]. nor is either twin ever shown to react negatively to hermione's fondness for following rules and working hard at school - they think of her inflexibility as a benign-and-therefore-easy-to-accept, if faintly amusing, character quirk.

hermione, for her part, also sees the twins' rule-breaking and academic laziness as quirks she can accept.

[this point about acceptance is a key one, i think. i never vibe with the idea that hermione is intellectually compatible with characters like snape, voldemort and sirius, not because i think she has a lower level of intelligence than them - she doesn't - but because she has a different one (one which is based in the constant retention and repetition of empirical information, whereas snape and voldemort's intellectual expression is based in rejecting disciplinary boundaries and sirius' is based in rejecting the idea of repeating and revising knowledge) and because the men in question would, given what we see of them in canon, treat her way of expressing her intelligence with contempt. but ron and harry are intelligent in very different ways than hermione too, and this is something all three members of the trio understand as a good thing which only serves to strengthen their relationship, because ron and harry treat hermione's intellect with respect and she does the same. her relationship with the twins is similar.]

but with this said... i think there's the potential for some extremely thorny clashes between george and hermione, which take a bit of character wrangling to come through compellingly.

the first is fred's influence when he's alive - particularly since hermione's incredible capacity for loyalty [one of her best traits] comes with the negative that she's often far more willing than either harry or ron to put up with being ill-treated by people she likes or respects [i.e. how she just takes snape's cruelty towards her, because he's clearly a teacher she looks up to from an academic perspective]. i think we have to assume that fred would remain george's priority even if he was in a relationship, and to ask what impact this would have on his partner - especially if george made promises ["we'll hang out tonight"] which he then broke in order to do something nefarious with his brother.

[that is, would hermione remain as chill with the twins' rule-breaking as she is if their rule-breaking happened because her boyfriend treated her with disdain?]

the second is fred's influence after his death. another of hermione's really impressive traits is that she's phenomenally resilient [she's a fifteen-year-old girl who doesn't give a fuck that she's being slandered in a national paper, it's legitimately iconic], but this is accompanied by the negative that she has a canonically low tolerance for moping [hence her belief in order of the phoenix that sirius could get over his depression if he just tried hard enough] and a tendency to want to respond to negative emotions by fixing them [which we see in her determination to get harry to talk about sirius at the start of half-blood prince], rather than just letting them run their course.

this isn't a fault, per se - many people approach grief in this way; it's a coping mechanism - but i think it wouldn't align in the slightest with the way george's grief over fred would manifest itself. and i think this could - without either one of them ever being demonstrably in the wrong - cause some real, real mess in a relationship which might turn it into something properly toxic.

[madarasgirl]

A Night for Hunting Ch 12 -The Feeling of Safety

T/W: Alucard (Ultimate) x F!Reader, Vladcard (that’s right, daddy makes his appearance), predator/prey, hunting, ruthless vampire king, romance, Romanian translations Words: 4855 On AO3

I am so excited to finally present this chapter! The premise was planned from the beginning and living rent-free in my head (happy to evict it at last) since I decided to extend this series months ago. I hope you like it! I am no history buff, but I did some light reading on Vlad and the contents of this chapter are also based on how Alucard behaves in Ultimate. A bit nervous, but I hope I got the feels right.

Happy belated Mid-Autumn Festival, fellow Chinese and (other nationalities) who celebrate this occasion! The full moon was beautiful.

Many thanks to @michi-tala for helping me with fine-tuning the Romanian phrases!  @alastorhazbin

“You really are a king?" You asked, incredulous. 

How could this be? A king should be the inspirational leader who guides his nation through strife and peace to glory, the shining star who navigates the tumultuous waters of diplomacy and the horrors of battlefields. A ruler with the intellect to create and uphold the laws, social institutions, and infrastructure to bring about prosperity. He should be someone well-versed in the art of war, yet mannered and cultured to mingle with others in his high society of privilege. 

In other words, someone not quite like Alucard The Boor, who was inflexible about negotiations, poorly socialized, and a stalker to boot. What kind of king had the time to stalk some peasant woman for two years just for fun?

You however had to reconsider your conclusions. The longer you stared at that cocky profile, the more obvious it became that if you squinted, there perhaps was something a little regal about him. He was certainly not lacking in intelligence. And sometimes he demonstrated highly sophisticated mannerisms when he felt like playing the gentleman. He even spoke like a snobby British aristocrat.

Alucard chuckled to himself quietly at your racing thoughts. His eyes closed at the distant recollection of his past. At nearly six centuries of age, he found himself often ruminating about the past, whether as a human or vampire, but when pondering his first life, it was like reliving someone else’s. He remembered the anger, pain, and humiliation vividly. There was regret about his upbringing and later decisions as voivode, even if there were those actions during his reign that were necessary for the survival of his country and Christianity, and parts of Europe continued to view him as a hero to this day. But it all happened so long ago, he barely felt anything anymore, except a faraway, numb regret. 

He was silent when recalling the fresh woodsy scent of the fir trees in his mountains. How he loved to ride through their forests with the wind in his face when he went hunting. His city Târgoviște possessed beauty beyond imagination, before he burnt it down and turned it into a desolate forest of corpses. Perhaps there was some melancholy when reminiscing about his homeland.

Warm fingers landed lightly on the sigils adorning the back of his gloves. Feline eyes opened to narrow slits to watch you looking at him with a questioning stare. It seemed you were finished with mocking his ways in your head.

Flattering child. Innocent little human. You know not of the monster you have involved yourself with, he thought.

“Cetatea (Citadel) Poenari sat atop the mountains. In its prime, it was an impregnable fortress with steep walls that offered a spectacular view of the forested canyon on the Argeș River. You would have appreciated its beauty.”

“Was that your home?” You asked.

“One of them. Its ruins are in what is now known as Romania.”

Wide eyes stayed on him before curving with merriment. “I think I would love to visit your old home one day.” Your wrist flicked in his direction to gesture at his dress clothes. “Did you look like this back then too? There’s no way you dressed this loudly then, right, Your Majesty?” You snickered while putting emphasis on his royal title.

He turned his hand over to grasp your fingers in his. “You wish to see me? All of me?" His brow rose as he evaluated you.

The room chilled suddenly and you hesitated. His shadow was facing toward the light, reaching for you, and the silhouette was wrong. You’ve already seen his flowing shadows, extra eyes, and bats, as well as when he assumed the face of another man. Was there more? Something forbidding was in the air.

“Umm…not the bugs. Please never the bugs again,” you whispered, trying to keep the mood easy tonight.

The orangey-yellow in his eyes spun like molten gold as he petted your fingers before lacing your hands together. Alucard leaned towards you, and as he did, he changed. This was important. Somehow you knew what Alucard was about to show you was intimate, a secret he did not carelessly share with others. You stopped breathing as you watched his transformation happen before your eyes.

Raven locks lengthened until his hair was past his thighs, phantom wind making the ends billow in the air like they were alive. Gangly arms filled out, his chest growing broad and putting on hard muscle in seconds. His red duster turned liquid and flowed over the heavy armour that materialized, settling into a black cape that was as intangible as his tresses at the frayed, surging ends.  

His angular features grew wider at the cheeks, jawline becoming chiselled and covered with coarse stubble. The fiery gaze burned with wisdom and life experience. You had no words as you got a better look at this imposing man who now stood towering over you with his arms at his side.

"This was how I appeared as a human when I perished."

You stared at him from the couch, sitting with your legs in front of you in a “W.” Your mouth was parted as your eyes slid sluggishly over this dark warrior with disbelief. Power rolled off of him. It was in his bearing, the deadly grace with which he conducted himself, and the way the air was not quite right around him.

"You really are breathtakingly beautiful," you told him. 

Alucard purred at your praise and your skin tingled. His rumblings were deeper than normal and it was so unexpected despite his now stockier build. 

“...May I… touch you?” 

Golden-orange glinted with warmth as this stranger stooped down for you to inspect his new body. You tentatively brought your hand up to his face and stroked his cheek. Cold. This Alucard’s skin was still cool to touch. The texture though, that beard was so scratchy. You ran your fingers through his hair, which was as soft as you remembered, but now so long you didn’t even reach the ends with your arm fully extended. 

His name was an anagram. Alucard was a Romanian vampire. Your idiot brain finally made the connection that was in front of you this whole time.

“...You actually are Dracula?” The Son of the Dragon, a king and warlord from the Middle Ages. Probably one of the oldest –and strongest– of vampires.

“You are speaking to Count Dracula of Wallachia.”

You shivered at his voice. Even his accent was different, so foreign and exotic. It did things to you, but your mind had always been stronger.

If memory served you correctly, history did not have favourable things to say about the real Dracula. The Sir Impaler staked people, including women and children, for all sorts of reasons and no reason as well –as a gruesomely effective warfare tactic, for sport, and petty offences alike. He was the king who invited the sick and homeless to his keep for a feast and burnt them alive as a way to empty the streets.

“Yes, I commanded all of those acts in my past life.”

Fright blemished your features and you jerked away until Dracula’s gauntlet shot out to catch you and bring your palm back to his face. He took in the thin line your lips formed and the furrowed brows around your spooked gaze. 

“But that will not be a fate reserved for you,” he promised with a sombre expression. Your eyes searched his face to judge his sincerity, wanting more than anything to continue trusting him after learning his identity, even when forced to confront the reality of the nature of your relationship. 

It was wrong.

The king before you stood tall, his dignified comportment unwavering after the passage of centuries of grim tales told about him. He did not lie to you, nor did he offer excuses for himself. His noble features, proud and uncompromising, were solemn as you contemplated him. 

Alucard never lifted a finger against you.

The warlord’s wicked piety preceded him, his prestige vicious and calculated. Any means to achieve his ends, which left ruination in his wake. Everywhere he went, he sowed destruction and instilled fear, even amongst his own people. 

He was not mentally well.

If Alucard did not care for you, you would be worse off than dead. 

Yes, by showing how he was a murderous vampire, an undead hellspawn who didn't die when he was supposed to.

He was violent and dangerous. What in the world were you doing with him?

You had your wellbeing and that of your family to worry about. What if entwining your fate with his ended in trouble that somehow found its way to them? Even as Alucard, he could be sadistic, harassing and nearly driving you to madness long ago. He continued to enjoy aggravating you and at times made you angry beyond belief.

You should not be with him. Tears came to your eyes.

But time and time again, Alucard came to protect you and went out of his way to take steps ensuring your safety and comfort. He looked after you when you were incapable and let you in on secrets about himself.

You fought with yourself. Alucard and this stranger before you were in fact one and the same. For all his nefarious ways, he did have honour, in his own twisted way. 

You were past the point of right or wrong.

The heart was never rational. You wanted to remain with him. So with an uncertain quivering heart, you chose him too. You got on your knees and went up to this infamous veteran to huddle against his chest, needing to see if the sense of security you felt whenever Alucard was near was present with this form of his too. You couldn’t even look at him.

Vermilion flames smouldered gently without your notice.

A hand went delicately across your back to hold you close for several moments before tracing along your shoulder blades. An arm went around you and settled at your waist. Then multiple shadow tendrils wrapped you loosely around the ankles, thighs, and biceps. You shuddered at the electric contact with his darkness. Prickly stubble dug into your chin as this king claimed your lips for his own. He was as gentle as Alucard. It was comforting and eased your unsettled thoughts.

You finally pulled apart.

“You are timid with me,” he announced, breastplate vibrating with the bass of his voice. 

“Everything we do is new,” you said as you put your arms around an icy plated torso and watched the end of his cape twirl. His lips chased yours as you looked away again. Relaxing into his embrace, you whispered, ”I can’t believe you are real,” as if speaking louder would make him disappear like a mirage.

“The legends have a basis.”

He ran the backside of an armoured finger across your cheek. His expression was soft as you met his gaze again, nothing as severe as his rugged appearance suggested. The shadows enveloping your limbs flared.

“What say you? Would you like to be one of my kind?"

Huh? He meant…he meant turning you into a vampire? And offering you eternity?

Again you tensed. He was serious. The weight of his question hung in the air between you until you gulped and averted your eyes, nervousness tainting the air thickly.

"I suppose it is too soon to ask you this." The hand came to rest on your head where he ruffled your hair. You glanced up at him in surprise.

Dracula smiled at you. "My Darling."

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

The gleaming silver orb above loomed large, illuminating the navy skies with an ethereal haze. The moon was full, just like that first night, so clear you could see every crater on her surface. Your anxiety around Dracula gradually dissipated. He had a much quieter disposition than the normal him, but honestly, a break from his usual provocative ways was appreciated. He was still the same person, you reminded yourself. You began to close the distance between you incrementally and walk closer until you brushed his side with every stride.

It was not yet Halloween. Actually, it was nowhere near that month of haunting. Anyone who happened upon the pair of you would find his full body armour odd. It was mildly ironic for you to comment about Alucard’s unconventional clothing, only for his ‘true’ appearance to be just as outlandish for these modern times. What did you expect? It seemed the king captured people’s attention no matter what he did in whichever era.

The relaxing stroll was picturesque. For once, the streetlights functioned as they should and lit up the quaint storefronts without Alucard’s interference. The boulevards were clean and the summer air fresh, but clamorous with singing crickets. The engines of the occasional car rumbled in the distance and punctured the tranquility. The first vampire let you lead the walk, wordlessly following you through every turn as he sensed your worries ebb with each passing minute, enjoying the way you eventually bumped against him with each step. 

A warm breeze brought the perfume of the faint sweat trailing behind you into his sinuses. His vampiric senses were hyper-aware of your presence, such as how your little heart pumped hot blood through your veins with each thud while you continued to wander.

How he missed roaming the nights together.

Vampires were natural hunters. It couldn’t be helped. Orange gold deepened into a lustrous crimson as his pupils narrowed into predatory slits.

Alucard was no longer beside you. There was only empty space and silence when even the insects fell quiet. Spinning around to seek him, you heard heavy purring in your head as fallen leaves rustled about in a swirling circle around you. 

"What are you waiting for Dear? RUN." A pointy nose poked your ear.

Jumping at the familiar voice, you felt the solid presence of him sighing into your ear from behind as he purred and nudged you.

Oh? He wanted to play? You unfroze with a smile, not needing to be instructed again. You took off, but it was different this time. You were able to see your path well enough to not trip over yourself, rapidly finding a way from the streets where the stray vehicle still roved and into pedestrian side roads.

Unlike past chases, there was no panic or fear. Despite your earlier misgivings, you could barely even remember why you were terrified of Alucard stalking you after all this time together. As you zipped through the desolate night streets, your heart pounded with exhilaration the longer you ran. It felt good to set aside your worries for now and just enjoy your time together. 

Alucard, you are here?

The shadows followed you with ease in the corners of your eyes. The rich, sanguine glow to their edges was a dead giveaway. You laughed as you took a turn leading you someplace you've never been before in the dead of night. With the knowledge that Alucard was with you, the night became a game full of mystery and adventure. 

He caught you by the waist, hauling you back to his chest while the arm that held you slowly slipped up your torso until he seized your breasts. The wandering hands were metallic and frigid against your skin. 

“If this was a real hunt, it would have concluded. It'd be sensible to surrender yourself to me now.” 

You squirmed in his hold with a breathless titter, earning a hiss in your ear and a lick to your cheek before he let you go. You giggled and used the opportunity to slither away and scamper off.

You ran and ran from his harrying; repeatedly he would catch and wrestle with you before you were released. The most brazen event was when he suddenly appeared and let you run face first into him, then stroked languidly down your rear until you found your bearings and escaped. How he taunted you.

Eventually you came to a stop when your breath escaped in soft pants, shirt clinging with your exertion. You looked around for somewhere else to go and perhaps hide so your vampire had to search before bolting again when you didn’t find a spot to your satisfaction. You didn't know where you were going at all, just making turn after turn wherever you could –through unlit alleys and parks and crossing under bridges, until you arrived at a ravine to recover. 

The vampire was nowhere to be seen. You snickered upon hearing something drop and a crackle in the dark. "Y–you don't scare me anymore. Just come out," you gasped out. 

Words that were spoken too soon. Trouble slid out of the shadows as several ruffians leered at you. Forcibly exhaling, you inched back at their appearances, ready to dash away in the direction you came from. Needles, used condoms, and other garbage littered the ground and the air was dank with the stench of old urine and vomit. So you stumbled into the derelict quarters of society’s undesirables, but you did not want their acquaintance.

"Leaving so soon, pretty bird?" One of the skinnier blokes sneered. He was covered in ugly tattoos.

“Why don’t you stay awhile and keep us company?” Another said. He was just as ratty as the first, but smiled as he approached. Their sinister intentions were clear as day, despite the false nicety.

“Yeah, we don’t often have the pleasure of such lovely companionship.” The third stood back where it was too dark to distinguish his features.

I do not appreciate others interrupting my hunt. Leave. 

The muted voice simultaneously thundered and the brutes shouted at the vacant surroundings.

“Who’s there?” 

“Piss off, wanker!” Tough words from the men, but you were already apprehensive not for yourself, but them.

The shadows at your feet bubbled up. 

“What the fuck?!” One of the hooligans hollered in shock at the mass of darkness that grew from the ground in front of you. He glanced back at his friends before squaring his shoulders.

The man crashed into an ancient conifer and was held there several feet off the ground, gasping for breath as he was slowly flattened –his face gave in first, the nose and lips crumbling inwards. It was as if he was submitted to the work of a hydraulic press. He heaved with effort to break free as his eyes bulged and his chest squeezed tight, unable to even scream under the crushing compression.

As you watched in shock, the death happened too quickly to process, yet like time slowed for you as well. His head popped like a gusher with blood jetting from both ears. You saw every detail as the ruffian's body was squashed by an invisible force until even his bones gave out and he became a splatter of viscera decorating the bark. Only a hand remained intact, but even that snapped at the wrist without a surface behind it to counteract the pressure.

You screamed at the crunching horror when it finally ended with a wet splat. 

Alucard rescued you yet again. He appeared nonchalant about his victim's barbaric demise, his stance at complete ease.

“!!!” Your would-be assailants were initially speechless as they jittered back at the supernatural display of violence.

One of the remaining men sniffled, swiping his nose as he howled,  “Arsehole!”

There was white powder dusting the ground and around their nostrils. They were high, which explained the ongoing aggression and bravado as knives came out. Your gaze flickered up to Alucard’s face.

You knew that maniacal grin, the one that reminded you of when you first saw him at work. No. All your fears about him resurfaced. You forgot how to breathe as you darted in front of him to cling to his arm. 

"You can't kill them!" You yelled.

Being with him was wrong.

He paused, the king's gaze sliding to yours with a bored expression. "Why?" He drawled callously.

He was violent and dangerous.

“Because you can't just go around killing people!"

"Why?"

Omfg did Alucard think he was the Terminator? As ridiculous as the exchange was, this was no movie. Alucard’s eyes narrowed as a savage aura flared and pulsed with danger when the remaining two men floundered backwards in jerky movements. Perhaps their sense of self-preservation was still existent.

Dracula’s baleful glare did not conceal his wrath. These worthless lowlives dared not only threaten you, but if it weren't for his presence, they would have violated you in the most disgusting of ways in this dirty scum hole. He knew it, because he could sense their base desires and the opportunistic evil that lay dormant within them. He too was a creature of the abyss who knew darkness when he encountered it. 

Unspeakable rage tainted his thoughts with promised violence. Their perverted longings were the ultimate transgression against you. It was unforgivable. You may be soft and kind, but he was not known for mercy. Rapists should be staked and displayed for others as a warning. 

There were millions of other ways he could end them and The Impaler started listing them. He could telepathically wipe their memories and order them gone, which was always the simplest solution when it came to nosy humans, but he wanted these ones dead.

He lifted his hand before you desperately caught it between both of yours and pushed it down, hoping to hold him back. Your stomach churned from his glower as you imagined what he was going to do to them. How many times was he going to shoot them? Or was he going to rip them apart with his bare hands instead? Would there even be anything left of them when he was satisfied with the mutilation?

“They didn’t do anything to me, I’m okay! Let’s just go home!” You pleaded.

“You do not get to decide who must die, draga mea."

"ALUCARD!"

"Alucard is not here right now." 

Wha-

The crimson gaze flicked back up at the interlopers and blazed with fury as the pair of imbeciles decided it was prudent to use your interference with his punishment as a means to flee. Their human movements were sluggish to his vision and reflexes anyways. He knew their intentions the moment they thought it, caught the twitching of muscles as they began to turn and run in slow motion. Cowards who could not even face their well-deserved execution.

So they should lose their legs first. 

They froze after mistakenly meeting Death’s gaze and receiving the order to remain motionless. The shadows licked at his feet and twisted, rising to whip about in the air. 

Shit. But –this was your vampire. At the same time, this was evidently someone else, a warrior. A king. How were you supposed to address him? Your Majesty? Dracula? That was his title and name. But what was his name? You were frantic. Think! What was it again?! 

"...Vlad…Please don't do this, I beg you…" Hauling all your weight, you threw yourself at him, the tears now falling freely as his tendrils stretched and lashed towards his latest quarries. How did it go from a beautiful moonlit walk together to this bloodbath?!

Through the fog of his ire drifted another scent beyond the putrid fear of his prey. Your fear. He saw the dread in your eyes. Countless others have made the same face while grovelling at his feet for mercy. You however, were not begging for yourself, but the remaining rotten swine behind you. He growled with displeasure at what you asked of him, the mind running feral with imagery of what he wanted to do, waiting impatiently for the miscreants to give him another reason to end them.

The Nosferatu glanced back at you. Your face was the same as that time, when he vanquished the undead that hunted you. He really was a monster. You were afraid of him. 

Upon realizing you had your vampire’s attention, you tried to reach him further. “Just…just take the blood of the one who's already dead. And then…" your voice cracked and dropped to a whisper. "Let's go home. Please."

He focused on everything that was you, on the salt of your tears and sweat overlying body lotion. Your desperation. In the background were the pungent stench of gore and the unwashed bodies of men. The king growled as he stared at you again. It was your second thoughts about what you were getting yourself into by being with him that did it. He snuffed out his need to kill as he came back to himself.

You were petrified about what was next, but Dracula won’t let you regret your decision to stay. He did not wish to prove your trust in him was misplaced or that your reservations about him were well-founded. 

“Since this is one of the only requests my darling little human has ever made of me, I shall grant clemency this time,” he snarled through razor teeth. The paralyzed men cowered at the demon in front of them, at last recognizing how close to Death’s door they came. 

"Vermin such as yourselves aren't worth the effort anyways." The unholy king’s eyes glowed with a hellish light. "Leave," he commanded. 

Under hypnotism, a ring of scarlet surrounded their irises and the thugs slunk away with a dazed expression. They were at last permitted to go through with their flight and disappear back into the bowels of London as his gaze bore holes through the backs of their skulls.

The danger passed. You were hiding behind the vampire, who felt your anxiety when his attention turned back to you. He could not fault your distaste for brutality and death. Despite his blinding fury moments ago, he was unable to maintain his anger with you. His expression lightened.

Silence. 

You licked your lips, trembling with a bone-deep fear you hadn't felt in a long time. “Are you not going to drink his blood?" Staring everywhere except at your saviour, you eyed the corpse of squished organs, bones, and flesh painting the vegetation.

"Do you seek your meals from the gutter?" He snorted, eying the pile with disdain. "Besides… you are more than enough." The vampire grinned, a single fang glinting in the gloom like he just told you the best inside joke.

Your eyes widened at the unexpected change in atmosphere from the offhand comment. Alucard and his mood swings. 

Taking a deep breath to soothe yourself, the tension was slow to leave you. You looked at him again. "Thank you for stopping," you told him with honest relief.

"Little one, you are safe when you walk the night with me. Nothing will harm you," he said as he faced you fully and brushed your cheeks gently.

You held his hand to your face, opening it up and leaning your cheek into the icy steel. He took a step to his right to block the view when you tried to examine the remains of the body turned into slush. A layer of clouds blocked the meager light of the moon so you couldn’t see it anyways. All you saw was the sunset in your vampire’s eyes.

You gulped. The eldritch power surrounding the vampire wrapped around you, and instinctively you knew it was cold, but you felt warm and safe on the inside. It felt like you were home. 

"I believe you." You took the single step to close the distance between you and pressed up flush against the vampire.

Affection kindled in those stunning eyes. There it was, behind the face of another man, this ruthless king, was the Alucard you knew and fell for. Your expression broke as you buried your face in his chest, needing reassurance as the mess that came to pass tonight caught up with you.

He was caressing your head again, tousling it to the beat of your heart when you peeked up at him with dewy-eyed innocence. Resplendent little human, he will shelter you from the horrors of the world.

"Luna vieții mele."

"Pardon?"

"Tu ești luna vieții mele."

You blinked in confusion, straining to try catching the gist of his words, but it was hopeless. Fortunately many Latin languages share some similarities. You were reasonably sure he mentioned the moon.

"Și fără tine, nu există lumină."

How infuriating. If there was something Vlad wanted to say to you, he could just do so directly instead of using a foreign language you didn’t understand for dramatic effect.

"What does that mean?"

He gave you a cryptic smile and offered his arm. “It is time to return." 

Yeah right, like hell it did. He said a lot more words than if he was just talking about going home. You stared at the outstretched arm of a gallant Medieval man, brows crinkling when he did not elaborate. It seemed you would have to figure out the meaning yourself.

You curled in to stay close to him, placing your hand on his arm and weaving your fingers around the crook of Dracula’s elbow so he could lead you home through the dark of night.

~To be Continued~

Ch. 13- TBD? "Stargazers in Romania"

Notes: Alucard really doesn’t like rapists.

Even knowing Alucard shapeshifts, it’ll take getting used to his other forms. It’d be weird if someone just accepts another body/face/voice/personality as their SO upon the first time meeting them, right? At least I think so. The Count is ‘her’ Alucard, for now at least.

This chapter isn't meant to be a character analysis of the historical person's actions, but more the reservations a rational person should have when deciding whether to stay as freaking Vlad III Dracula's SO.

It is admittedly a bit cliche that Alucard is always just in time to save the Reader from her demise, but in my other Hellsing work, she names him her “guide and guardian (angel).” The title is well-deserved.

*The next chapter will be delayed because I will be going on my honeymoon for several weeks. I’ll likely be able to fit in some writing time as we travel between countries. I’ll probably also be using that time to continue planning Part 2 of this story (we aren’t there yet). Yes that’s right, Millennium will feature in this fic, although I will only loosely follow the canon Ultimate events and be taking some liberties with how vampire things work.*

Buckle up, we’re only about half-way. I estimate there to be around 23-26 or so chapters in total to complete this fic, although later chapters will likely be shorter.

[lloydfrontera]

Is Berkis (or dragons) the most powerful being in tged? Or is it the angels? I can't remember it correctly but i think when lloyd fought with Raphael Berkis implied he won't win against an angel?

errr not really?

ok first things first, yes dragons are very powerful, but berkis is,, especially so.

you might be misremembering a comment solitas' made about something his mother told him when he was younger

High-ranking angels. Even though Solitas was young, he had heard about them. And he knew one thing for sure. He'd be stronger than me. His mother's teaching came to his mind. She taught me that angels were strong. She told me how difficult it is to against them because it's not easy to leave damage on their body. It's better to fight three or four low-ranking angels or one mid-ranking angel if you're an ordinary dragon.

later that chapter berkis does stop him from fighting raphael but it's not really cause he's worried he's too strong for even berkis to defeat him. he just thinks it's bothersome. fighting with angels makes life too complicated.

"You don't want to get involved with an angel. It's only going to complicate your life as a dragon." "What?" Solitas stopped. Berkis grinned mysteriously. "The devils in Hell pretend to obey you if you overpower them, but the angels are different. They're a terrible bunch of inflexible folks who play it exactly by the books and never back off on a decision unless they agree with it. They're as flexible as a piece of iron." "I do not get what you mean..." "And now," Berkis kindly went on, "an angel, a high-ranking angel at that, made a direct appearance in our world. What does that tell you? It shows that he's here to implement a decision that was already made. So, stay out of this, kid. You can't bend an angel's dogged will with your powers, and even if you do, you'll only leave a bad impression and make your life miserable."

again, none of this indicates that berkis thinks he won't win against an angel, just that he thinks solitas can't or that even if he can it will only make things worse because then they'll have a bunch of pissed off angels to deal with.

furthermore! the sequel very strongly implies that berkis is at the same level as the rulers of the other realms, like the king of hell and the archangel.

there's a line in ch 563 that makes me go crazy when i think too hard about the implications of it but we're gonna ignore them for now and focus on the important bit.

so while they're both getting scammed by rakiel, lloyd talks to javier telepathically on a 'channel dedicated to the Absolutes'. and then. they start talking to berkis through it too, telling him that 'wouldn't it be better to have three absolutes rather two?' while they practice how to defeat the demon king. which. means that just as javier and lloyd are the absolutes of hell and heaven respectively, berkis is an absolute of the mortal realm. if not thee absolute of the mortal realm.

so like. yeah. berkis is in a completely different level than any other dragons. in fact he's strong enough that when he was barely an adult he defeated in one hit a dragon who destroyed half the world by himself. so imagine how strong he is now that he's had plenty to grow up.

also fun fact he's only the dragon king because chayoung said he was? like?? he didn't think he was before she arrived but she'd been told a dragon king existed (maybe a fairytale?) so when she saw berkis she just?? kinda assumed it was him?? and much to his horror it stuck aaksjkldsf

so uhm,,, yeah asjkhdjks

[yuri-is-online]

Saturday Night Question (MMO AU)

a/n: Inspired by Recovery of an MMO Junkie and that bit of Ch. 6 where Idia assigns all the OB Boys rpg classes. Title comes from the op track which I highly recommend. (x) Loose modern au, NRC is an actual college everyone attends and Grim is still a talking cat-weasel-monster. Not everyone knows each other IRL so expect some minor catfishing. The MMO is based off of Final Fantasy XIV and will contain references to class and game mechanics but no spoilers.

For those unfamiliar with FFXIV chats

[FC] <Tempura Kun> this is the guild chat. Everyone in the guild can see this.

Tempura Kun >> this is a whisper, only two people can see this

[NOVICE] Tempura Kun: this is the novice network for mentors, only Riddle can see this

[Tempura Kun] if someone is texting it will be portrayed like this.

LFM- STYX (FC) recruiting, static needs a pure healer/off tank. Serious offers only.

Your buddy Epel talks you into trying critically acclaimed mmo First Fantasia because it has a thirty day free trial with unlimited game time and includes the first expansion as a joke but as college gets more stressful and you struggle to make irl connections it becomes your personal safe haven. You finally work up the nerve to join a guild and find yourself stuck in the middle of a really familiar set of egos. At least you're having fun.

Tempura Kun| lalafell| white mage/omni-crafter| Yu (you)

A college student living in a haunted mansion their dead beat dad's "renovating." You are only really interested in crafting after being really burned out on hardcore raiding from your last MMO, but agree to sub for heals so Epel can replace the group's usual off tank who's taking a hiatus. That and Gloomurai agreed to let you decorate the FC house, how could you refuse?

Granny Smith| male roegadyn| dark knight| Epel Felmier

One of your friends from class. Mannon keeps mailing him fantasia and insisting he change his race but he's really attached to how muscular this lets him be. He really just wants to play for fun, but he's super competitive and is super eager to try out harder content to "prove how manly he is."

Gloomy Samurai| female miqo'te| samurai| Idia Shroud

The leader of the fc and the person who runs the discord. Extreeeeeemely blunt to the point of being a bit unpleasant and downright scary. You're pretty sure they only let you join to get access to more pictures of Grim and because Epel's friends with the main tank. Super funny for someone so terminally online, but you are beginning to suspect they just- don't have a life outside of gaming.

Jude Bellerose| male hyur| black mage| Riddle Rosehearts

Knows the mechanics for every single fight in game and is scarily efficient at his rotation. Also extremely inflexible and refuses to adjust for a n y o n e, but blames the wipe on everyone else because he knew the mechanics so why don't you? Pretty sure he broke a keyboard while trying to clear the last raid tier.

Vivat Rex| male miqo'te| reaper| Leona Kingscholar

Rex plays this game for triple triad like a true king and is only kept on the static for his consistent dps. Claims that he doesn't pay attention to the discord but he knows everything everyone says in there anyway and responds any time someone vaguely mentions him. Likes to mess with Jude and is not above causing a wipe to out dps him.

Snake Whisper| male au ra| dancer| Jamil Viper

He has every single non-crafter class leveled and knows their rotation. Refuses to play anything other than dancer because he hates people pulling logs and enjoys holding dance partner over the other dps's heads. Likes to post pictures of his cooking in the discord and has his spotify linked to his account. Surprisingly willing to swap recipes if you ask, provided you promise to not give them to Nautilus.

Mannon Du Luc| male elezen| paladin| Vil Schoenheit

Epel's online friend who he says he hates but you're pretty sure he admires a whole lot. He's playing this game for glam, his dresser is maxed out with almost every limited piece ever added. He has completed every single piece of extreme content for the glam without being carried and expects the same level of competence from his off tank. Super nice to you though, he always coms his healers.

Nautilus Noise| male viera| sage| Azul Ashengrotto

Raid leader who does the call outs with Snake Whisper. Claims to be irl friends with Gloomurai but neither of them ever talk about their personal lives so who knows. Has ff logs installed and will pull them to... critique the other static members. You are 99.9999% sure he's playing the market board with 8 retainers but lack concrete proof. At least you can make him shut up if you compliment him.

[rozaceous]

I really want Itachi to get his comeuppance...

once again, spoilers for ch 20

you don't think the fact that he's being forced to live with his failures is comeuppance enough? or the fact that sasuke literally beat his face in lol?

sasuke knows the truth abt the massacre now, and unlike in canon, itachi actually has to deal w sasuke's feelings abt it. in fact, itachi has to deal w sasuke, just in general. (lmao that makes sasuke sound like a punishment, but that wasn't my point.) in canon itachi has this very distinct yet inflexible, stagnant and flawed view of sasuke's nature/heart, and that's what he centers all of his actions around.

now he's forced to confront all the ways that his decisions have hurt sasuke, the one guy he's supposed to care abt above all others, and the way that sasuke's ideals and desires are his own, not what itachi has projected onto him. itachi is going to have to live w all the ways sasuke forgives him or doesn't forgive him. dying is no longer an option, and since this dude is straight-up suicidal in my take, i think that this is basically telling him there's no easy way out of his choices, he has to contend w the consequences of them.

to continue being alive, indeed.

[stiricidewrites]

The Damage You Do: ch 23, pt 11

I really hope the movement happening here is moderately intelligible

Previously

~

He followed lwj’s moves, bringing his leg to his chest, extending it back over his head. Under, over, under, over, his arms beginning to ache from the added weight. “This is horrible,” he mumbled as they held their knees to their chest.

“Mn…” lwj hummed with far too much amusement. “You may put your knee down now, like this,” he said, twisting his leg into a right angle and pressing it to the ground, right knee to right hand, right heel to left hand.

wwx grumbled as he attempted to position, his ankle making it nowhere near his wrist. He glared at it, as though that would make him suddenly more flexible. No go.

“Apologies, you may set it down like that,” his dom said, frowning slightly.

“What? Surprised I’m so inflexible, sir?” he didn’t quite spit out, although his tone was definitely edging towards annoyed. He hadn’t exactly made a secret about being a slightly out of shape parent! He didn’t appreciate being judged for it!

lwj shook his head, bringing his elbows to the floor in order to lengthen the stretch. “I have heard people say they had difficultly with Eka Pāda Rājakapotāsana at first. However, I never did, nor have I ever actually witnessed someone having difficultly.”

“So… you just thought people were, what? Lying about it?” He blinked at his dom, the man blinked back, and to wwx’s unfathomable delight, his ears began to turn pink. Adorable.

“Mr. Lan~” he teased, flopping forward and moaning at the stretch through his back and quads. Fuck, that felt good, his hips wiggling into the sensation of the slightly painful pull. “How very scandalous of you, to judge people so harshly~”

lwj hummed an agreement, torso rising up and back, arms flowing over his head to grab the toes of his left foot, as his knee bent, bringing his foot towards the sky. “I will have to offer apologies, the next time I see Kathy and the others.”

“Who’re they?” wwx asked as he scrambled to catch up, first to lwj’s arch—which the man mercifully told him to keep his left leg extended behind him for—then through his return to standing and something he referred to in English as “scorpioning his dog.” Asshole didn’t even have to put his damn leg back down to right his balance.

“I occasionally do yoga and meditation retreats,” lwj told him as they continued through the sequence to standing and began it anew.

[orchidvioletindigo]

That last post did a really good job of outlining the core symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder, but did you know that OCD can also sometimes cause cognitive impairments? I didn't for a really long time and definitely suffered for thinking that I just sucked at certain things for no reason. Here's a list of ways that OCD can potentially make your brain work bad, taken from sources found on the Wikipedia page for OCD:

Cognitive inflexibility. There is a lot that goes into this one. It can mean struggling to get your brain to switch tracks when asked to do a different task or to do the same task in a different way. It can mean you adapt poorly or slowly to new situations which demand changes in your thinking and/or routine. It can mean you have a hard time keeping in mind multiple aspects of something simultaneously (e.g.: you need to perform a task quickly and quietly, but you keep doing one and forgetting the other).

Executive dysfunction. We know this one, right, Tumblr? Can be generalized as having difficulty getting yourself to do things, even when you want to/know you really need to. A cause of chronic procrastination. Example: You have an assignment due for school or work in a few hours, you're screaming at yourself internally to go do it, but you're instead just lying on the floor staring at the ceiling.

Poor cognitive inhibition. This means that your brain doesn't do a good job of screening out irrelevant information. You get lost in the weeds a lot. You may find yourself easily distracted, overwhelmed, or overstimulated. Your reaction times may be poor because you need an extra moment to sort through all of the information in front of you and determine if you need to respond, what you need to respond to, and how. Goes hand-in-hand with the next potential cognitive impairment.

Slower mental processing speed. Your brain takes longer to absorb and make sense of information. One of the clearest indicators of this is if you always struggle to keep up with notetaking during lessons/presentations; you're consistently the only person in the room who has to ask the instructor/presenter to slow down.

Weaker fluency. This is one I admittedly don't understand too well. It's tested by asking a person to name as many things that they can think of within a certain category (e.g. fruits or words that start with "ch") and within a time limit. If you have poor fluency, you don't recall and name as many things within the time limit as most people do.

Weaker spacial memory. You struggle with remembering the layout of locations/where things are in relation to each other. Very easy for you to get lost or to lose things. Example: You've lived in your town for years and yet you still need GPS to help you navigate to places you've been to repeatedly.

Weaker verbal memory. You struggle to remember spoken words, to the degree that it's extremely unlikely you could repeat word for word what someone said later. When you hear about people doing this in stories, you may think that's completely made up because surely that kind of recall just isn't possible, right?

I am not a neuroscientist and so may not have explained everything here exactly right. This may not be a complete list of potential OCD cognitive impairments. Not everything on this list is an exclusive symptom of OCD (there are quite a few that are shared with ADHD and autism!). And of course just because someone has OCD, does not mean that they have all or even any of these cognitive impairments.

[rajabcomng-blog]

HOW TEALPOT BLUE-COLLAR FREELANCER PLATFORM CAN BUILD THRIVING BUSINESSES

By Isa Akharume 

SEO Specialist at Tealpot

August 23, 2024

In the fast-changing world of the gig economy, the rise of platforms for blue-collar freelancers has captured a lot of interest. These platforms are different from the usual freelancing sites that mainly serve white-collar jobs, focusing instead on skilled trades and practical job areas. In this article, we'll look into how Tealpot blue-collar freelancer platform can play a key role in fostering successful businesses, the obstacles they tackle, the chances they offer, and their influence on the economy.

The gig economy has transformed our views on work, largely due to technological progress and shifts in how we view employment. More people are looking for flexibility and independence in their careers, along with the chance to earn extra money. This trend has led to an increase in the number of platforms aimed at connecting skilled professionals across various fields with those in need of their services.

Blue-collar websites like Tealpot blue-collar freelancer platform have filled the gap between skilled workers and potential customers, making it easier for skilled individuals to promote their services effectively. Making Tealpot on of the best blue-collar freelancer platform to hire blue-collar workers. Tealpot platform cover a wide range of jobs, from electricians and plumbers to gardeners and repair services.

The world of blue-collar freelancing has grown and changed significantly, allowing many people to create successful businesses.

Here's a summary of how Tealpot blue-collar freelancer platform can contribute to this success:

Success Stories

1. Imohi the Carpenter: Imohi started his own woodworking business focusing on custom furniture. By using blue-collar freelancer platform and relying on recommendations from others, he built a dedicated customer base and became a respected craftsman. His example shows the potential for blue-collar freelancers to succeed by effectively marketing their skills and delivering outstanding service.

2. Mary the Plumber: Mary saw the demand for eco-friendly plumbing solutions growing. By positioning herself as an expert in green practices, she attracted clients who cared about the environment and won high-value projects. Her story underscores the importance of identifying specific markets and tailoring services to meet client demands.

Tips for Success as a Blue-Collar Freelancer

To thrive in the blue-collar freelance market, consider the following advice:

Improve Your Skills: Keep enhancing your abilities through workshops and certifications to stay competitive in your area.

Build a Strong Network: Create a robust network of contacts, including other tradespeople and potential clients, to open up opportunities for working together and getting referrals.

Use Online Platforms: Make use of Tealpot blue-collar freelancer platform and social media to display your work, attract new clients, and establish your expertise.

Focus on Customer Satisfaction: Make sure to prioritize making your clients happy to build a good reputation and encourage repeat business.

Form Partnerships: Work together with other professionals in related fields to broaden your service range and reach a larger audience.

Overcoming the Obstacles of Conventional Employment

A key factor contributing to the success Tealpot blue-collar freelancer platform is the inherent difficulties found in conventional employment models. 

Numerous professionals in skilled trades face obstacles such as:

1. Unpredictable Work Hours: The inflexibility of permanent jobs often means that many tradespeople experience long stretches without work, leading to unstable income. Tealpot blue-collar freelancer platform give blue-collar workers the freedom to select their projects and working hours, ensuring a more consistent income flow.

2. Marketing and Promotion: For those in skilled trades, promoting their services can be a challenging task, particularly for those lacking business knowledge. Teaslpot blue-collar freelancer platform address this issue by providing an easily accessible platform where blue-collar workers can display their abilities and connect with potential customers, easing the marketing workload.

3. Delayed Payments: In the blue-collar industry, collecting payments can be a hassle. Many tradespeople deal with slow payments from customers or struggle with negotiating fees. Tealpot blue-collar freelancer platform typically offer secure payment methods and quick processing, ensuring tradespeople receive their payments on time.

4. Expanding Customer Base: For many tradespeople, working locally can limit their customer reach, affecting their earning potential. Tealpot blue-collar freelancer platform help workers expand their clientele, increasing their chances of higher earnings.

Advantages Offered by Tealpot Blue-Collar Freelancer Platform

As platform like Tealpot have evolved, they have created numerous advantages:

1. Empowering Self-Starters: Tealpot platform enable blue-collar workers to become their own bosses, allowing them to manage their schedules, pricing, and workload as they see fit. This independence is especially appealing for those seeking a more flexible work environment.

2. Skill Enhancement: Tealpot blue-collar freelancer platform often provide tools and community support that aid in the development of skills and business knowledge. Workshops, webinars, and access to customer feedback all contribute to professional growth, improving the quality of services offered..

3. Establishing Reputation: Through user reviews and ratings, blue-collar freelancers on Tealpot can build a strong reputation in the market. Positive feedback serves as a self-promotion tool, helping skilled tradespeople attract more clients and gain trust within their communities. As their reputation grows, so does their demand.

The Economic Influence

Tealpot's platform for blue-collar freelance work not only supports the earning potential of individual contributors but also plays a crucial role in the overall economic expansion. 

By efficiently linking contributors with job opportunities, they:

1. Boost Local Economies: As blue-collar workers earn through Tealpot jobs for blue-collar workers, they reinvest in their local communities. This reinvestment can drive demand for materials, additional services, and other local enterprises, creating a positive economic cycle.

2. Encourage Mobility in the Workforce: By making it easier for blue-collar workers to find and secure projects across different locations, these platforms promote greater mobility within the workforce. Workers are less confined to specific areas and can meet market demands wherever they are, efficiently addressing labor shortages.

3. Tackle Skills Shortages: In numerous areas, there are significant shortages of skilled workers in the blue-collar sector. Tealpot platform that connect skilled individuals with job openings can assist businesses in finding qualified workers more easily, contributing to a stronger job market and targeted workforce development efforts.

Challenges and Future Developments

While Tealpot platform for blue-collar freelance work have opened up numerous opportunities, they are not without obstacles. Issues such as adhering to regulations, ensuring fair compensation, and managing the competitive nature of freelance work demand continuous innovation and attention.

As the gig economy continues to expand, opportunities for blue-collar freelancers are expected to increase. The demand for skilled labor will remain high, and those who are adaptable to changing market conditions, embrace technological advancements, and consistently enhance their skills will succeed.

Moreover, as blue-collar freelance work becomes more mainstream, Tealpot will need to adjust to the changing demographics of the workforce and advancements in technology. For instance, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning could make operations more efficient and improve matching algorithms, enhancing the experiences for both freelancers and clients.

Conclusion

Tealpot hope to emerge as a catalyst in the labor market, creating successful businesses and transforming the landscape of skilled trades. By addressing the challenges of traditional employment, Tealpot empower workers, stimulate local economies, and foster a more adaptable workforce. As Tealpot evolve, their influence on the economy and the lives of blue-collar workers is set to make a significant impact on how we view and engage with the labor market. Tealpot platform represent more than just transactions; it symbolize a broader movement.

Tealpot will enable many blue-collar workers to turn their trades into thriving businesses. By leveraging their skills, building robust networks, and delivering outstanding service, blue-collar freelancers can thrive in the changing job market.

Join Tealpot today to become a blue-collar worker or a client. By strategically using the Tealpot platform, blue-collar freelancers can turn gig work into a sustainable and scalable business venture.

[maclee547832]

What are the types of brain bleeds?

Understanding Types of Brain Bleeds Expert perceptivity by Dr. Shrey Jain

Brain bleeds, known as intracerebral hemorrhages, encompass colorful types, each posing unique challenges and taking technical care. Dr. Shrey Jain, Best doctor for Brain bleed a distinguished neurologist famed for his moxie in neurological conditions, sheds light on the types of brain bleeds and the unequaled care he provides for cases affected by this critical condition.

Types of Brain Bleeds

1. ** Intracerebral Hemorrhage (CH) ** This type occurs within the brain towel itself due to a rupture of small blood vessels, leading to bleeding and pressure buildup within the brain.

2. ** Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (SAH) ** SAH occurs in the space between the brain and the cranium, frequently caused by the rupturing of an aneurysm or head injury.

3. ** Subdural Hematoma (SDH) ** Performing from the collection of blood between the brain and its remotest covering, the dura mammy, SDH is generally due to head trauma.

Expert Care by Dr. Shrey Jain Best doctor for Brain bleed

Shrey Jain's moxie in managing brain bleeds encompasses comprehensive diagnostics, substantiated treatment plans, and scrupulous monitoring acclimatized to the specific type and inflexibility of the condition.

Jain's approach prioritizes patient well- being and involves clear communication, compassionate care, and a commitment to icing the stylish possible issues for cases affected by brain bleeds

Conclusion

Brain bleeds encompass colorful types, each taking technical care and moxie. With Dr. Shrey Jain's unequaled proficiency in neurology and a case- centric approach, individualities affected by brain bleeds admit comprehensive, compassionate, and expert care. Trust in Dr. Jain's guidance and technical treatments for superior operation and recovery from brain bleeds, icing the stylish possible path to bettered neurological health and well- being.

[wagnis-trip]

Cheap Airline Tickets Deals | Wagnistrip

Chancing Cheap Airline Tickets Deals A Comprehensive Guide

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trip in the Off- Peak Hours Early morning or late- night breakouts are generally cheaper than noon or eveningones.However, these breakouts can help you save plutocrat, If you can handle the vexation.

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Negotiate and deal If you are reserving through a trip agency, do not vacillate to negotiate for a better deal. occasionally, they can offer exclusive abatements.

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In conclusion, chancing Cheap Airline Tickets Deals requires a combination of careful planning, inflexibility, and staying informed about available options. By exercising the strategies mentioned over, you can maximize your chances of securing affordable airfare and make your trip dreams a reality without breaking the bank.

#Wagnistrip #CheapAirlineTicketsDeals

[dalleyan]

Elfwine Chronicles (new LoTR stories, Adventures of Theodred, Son of Eomer, ch 12 posted, 6-3-23)

Theodred's adventures as he travels with Freahelm, trying to find a direction for his life.  (Adventure, Drama, Angst, Romance, Family, Humor) (19 chapter story)

 Chapter 12  -  (begins Mettare, 44 IV)

“What of this Theodred of Rohan?” her brother asked, almost the instant Esgalmir walked in the door. He had been waiting in the parlor, but now stepped into the hallway after the door had closed behind Theodred, and she had not yet removed her cloak.  He made no move to help her.

She knew where this was leading, but she had no intention of helping it along.  “What of him?” she replied mildly, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on her gloves as she pulled them off.

“Is he interested in you?” Anbarad persisted bluntly, watching disinterestedly as she undid the cloak and pulled it free, folding it neatly over her arm, and shuffling stiffly past him into the parlor.  The chill air always made her foot and leg more rigid and inflexible, and movement was more awkward.

“I have no reason to suppose he has any particular regard for me.  He is pleasant and agreeable when he comes into the shop to do business. That is all.”

With a sigh, her brother fixed her with a stern look.  “Esgalmir, how can you ever hope to secure a man if you will make no effort.  Your prospects are limited enough, but if you will not even try there is little chance of your ever marrying.  I am only interested in your welfare.”

Her jaw tightened as she stared toward the window.  You are only interested in ridding yourself of this thorn in your side; of finding someone else to take care of me so you will not feel obligated to do so, she thought bitterly. Steeling herself against the pain of this familiar argument, she turned with a strained smile and said, “I appreciate your concern, brother, and I will do all I can to encourage the young man if it will please you.”

Before he could respond, she hobbled quickly from the room, almost in danger of falling due to her rush, and hurried to the solitude of her bedchamber.  She hated this; hated being a woman at the mercy of men, especially someone so insensitive as her brother.  He had become haughty, and proud of his position in society; and his disabled, unmarried sister was a vexation to him.  What little help her work in the shop provided was not enough to compensate his feeling put upon for having to house, clothe and feed her, and he would gladly marry her off to any man who would have her, regardless of whether she even liked the man the tiniest bit.

She must be cautious; Theodred was an engaging person, and she must not allow Anbarad to corner him and pressure him into anything regarding her.  She enjoyed his company, and in time she might even come to feel affection for him, but she would not allow her brother to force her upon anyone just so he could be rid of her.  She had not told Theodred so, but she very well understood the inclination to find convenient, simple solutions to one’s problems.

 continue reading on AO3:

              https://archiveofourown.org/works/46771651/chapters/120044896

[dsolenbergerarts246-01]

2.2.23

Ch 3: Typographic Design

This chapter offered a lot of tools and suggestions to apply to the type zine. As the zine is being produced for print, understanding the standards for legibility are important. However, an understanding of these standards can be used to experiment and push the boundaries of legibility, word forms, and the meaning of typography. Characteristics of type, such as letterspacing, word spacing, and color (both contrast and hue) can be played with to achieve and emphasize the intended meaning of the words. Some of these factors I had already explored before reading the chapter, and the text’s explanation helps to further these studies. For instance, I have been considering what parts of the selected text to make capital versus lowercase, and how that choice affects the experience of the reader. 

I began my brainstorming with the end experience for the reader of my zine. The reader’s experience, outside of purely textual design, should contribute to the overall tone and comprehension of the story. In the Zaks, two zaks are faced at a stand-still, where neither chooses to budge until they both die. Some aspects I want to communicate through my design choices are inflexibility, back and forth motion, increasing tension and frustration, miscommunication, and directionality. While the story begins innocently, there is quite the dramatic ending. I am planning to use type and placement to emphasize this curved story arc, ending in a dramatic climax. 

I also plan to use typographic color to express the heightening emotions as the story progresses. The Zaks go from speaking amicably to shouting at each other, and the relative loudness of the type can be used to express this, through weight, size, and placement on the page. In a sense, I plan for the reading of my zine to be uncomfortable for the reader, stir negative emotions regarding conflict, to help understanding the dangers of an inability to compromise.  

I plan to have blocks of text that continue to the next page, forcing the reader to flip pages back and forth as they digest the content. The reading of my zine will be far from seamless. I plan to have text set on perpendicular lines, also forcing the reader to either shift their head position or the booklet to continue reading. 

Early mock-ups show some of these intentions and experimentation:

[notbryanray]

Quote re: Mindless America

[The following is from a book published in 1956: THE POWER ELITE (ch. 15 "The Higher Immorality"; p.355-356) by C. Wright Mills.]

More and more the area of the official secret expands, as well as the area of the secret listening in on those who might divulge in public what the public, not being composed of experts with Q clearance, is not to know. The entire sequence of decisions concerning the production and the use of atomic weaponry has been made without any genuine public debate, and the facts needed to engage in that debate intelligently have been officially hidden, distorted, and even lied about. As the decisions become more fateful, not only for Americans but literally for mankind, the sources of information are closed up, and the relevant facts needed for decision (even the decisions made!) are, as politically convenient 'official secrets,' withheld from the heavily laden channels of information.

In those channels, meanwhile, political rhetoric seems to slide lower and lower down the scale of cultivation and sensibility. The height of such mindless communications to masses, or what are thought to be masses, is probably the demagogic assumption that suspicion and accusation, if repeated often enough, somehow equal proof of guilt—just as repeated claims about toothpaste or brands of cigarettes are assumed to equal facts. The greatest kind of propaganda with which America is beset, the greatest at least in terms of volume and loudness, is commercial propaganda for soap and cigarettes and automobiles; it is to such things, or rather to Their Names, that this society most frequently sings its loudest praises. What is important about this is that by implication and ommission, by emphasis and sometimes by flat statement, this astounding volume of propaganda for commodities is often untruthful and misleading; and is addressed more often to the belly or to the groin than to the head or to the heart. Public communications from those who make powerful decisions, or who would have us vote them into such decision-making places, more and more take on those qualities of mindlessness and myth which commercial propaganda and advertising have come to exemplify.

In America today, men of affairs are not so much dogmatic as they are mindless. Dogma has usually meant some more or less elaborated justification of ideas and values, and thus has had some features (however inflexible and closed) of mind, of intellect, of reason. Nowadays what we are up against is precisely the absence of mind of any sort as a public force; what we are up against is a disinterest in and a fear of knowledge that might have liberating public relevance. What this makes possible are decisions having no rational justifications which the intellect could confront and engage in debate.

It is not the barbarous irrationality of dour political primitives that is the American danger; it is the respected judgments of Secretaries of State, the earnest platitudes of Presidents, the fearful self-righteousness of sincere young American politicians from sunny California. These men have replaced mind with platitude, and the dogmas by which they are legitimated are so widely accepted that no counter-balance of mind prevails against them. Such men as these are crackpot realists: in the name of realism they have constructed a paranoid reality all their own; in the name of practicality they have projected a utopian image of capitalism. They have replaced the responsible interpretation of events with the disguise of events by a maze of public relations; respect for public debate with unshrewd notions of psychological warfare; intellectual ability with agility of the sound, mediocre judgment; the capacity to elaborate alternatives and gauge their consequences with the executive stance.

[babyawacs]

was maximum practically available thrust at launch above launchweight fuelledup: or was maximumpracticalthrustonly reachable afte rwhichfuel burned #rocketscience #baby  @elonmusk .@elonmusk .@spacex @spacex @esa @jaxa @nasa hey #elonmusk some engineeringstudent attentionshaked me ontwitter over saturnV thrust to weight debate by maximumthrust is above mass ofrocket soooooo youre wrong deadwrong and texan noway hellno wrong ‎ isay: it was more than 4-5seconds firing onlaunch because they couldnt speedup turbothrusters to max thrust and or oxdiser weigh t : to hydrogen weight not optimum inthese early stages  andor material duress start up and delay ie took off indeed only by consumed fuel+oxidiser  itis inflexible engineering to asusme max thrust principally and imminently instead of dynamic curves of consumptions and other mo tives to takeit easy on start  most stressed component turbopump best materials backthen: ?!?!?!?! nickel superalloys? itwouldbe cool how the pro s seethis whatever with ego ******** #keypoint was maximum practically available thrust at laun ch above launchweight fuelledup: or was maximumpracticalthrustonly reachable afterwhichfuel burned #rocketscience #baby   ********

was maximum practically available thrust at launch above launchweight fuelledup: or was maximumpracticalthrustonly reachable afte rwhichfuel burned #rocketscience #baby  @elonmusk .@elonmusk .@spacex @spacex @esa @jaxa @nasa hey #elonmusk some engineeringstudent attentionshaked me ontwitter over saturnV thrust to weight debate by maximumthrust is above mass ofrocket soooooo youre wrong deadwrong and texan noway hellno wrong ‎ isay: it was more than 4-5seconds firing onlaunch because they couldnt speedup turbothrusters to max thrust and or oxdiser weigh t : to hydrogen weight not optimum inthese early stages  andor material duress start up and delay ie took off indeed only by consumed fuel+oxidiser  itis inflexible engineering to asusme max thrust principally and imminently instead of dynamic curves of consumptions and other mo tives to takeit easy on start  most stressed component turbopump best materials backthen: ?!?!?!?! nickel superalloys? itwouldbe cool how the pro s seethis whatever with ego ******** #keypoint was maximum practically available thrust at laun ch above launchweight fuelledup: or was maximumpracticalthrustonly reachable afterwhichfuel burned #rocketscience #baby ********

was maximum practically available thrust at launch above launchweight fuelledup: or was maximumpracticalthrustonly reachable afterwhichfuel burned #rocketscience #baby @elonmusk .@elonmusk .@spacex @spacex @esa @jaxa @nasa hey #elonmusk some engineeringstudent attentionshaked me ontwitter over saturnV thrust to weight debate by maximumthrust is above mass ofrocket soooooo youre wrong deadwrong…

[eldritchesrpg]

Name: Monique Ford ✖ Age: 30 ✖ Lives On: 9th Floor ✖ Flexibility: Inflexible ✖ Plot: Their Eyes Were Watching ✖ Status: Open ✖ FC: Pearl Mackie

somethin’ ‘bout the city / don’t know what it is / it makes my head get crazy — heroin, lana del rey

personality

❝ Somethin’ ‘bout this weather got these kids goin’ crazy, and I think I might be one of them. Before this, before the lights, I like to think I knew myself. I was bubbly and chipper. I believed in good tomorrows and happy endings. I thought that everything in life could be planned for. Now I see that’s not the case, and I have nothing left to lean on. I’m not that happy girl from before. I’m serious, sharpened; honed. Still, I’m crafty, clever as a fox. In another life, long ago, this would’ve been a sign of my intelligence, but now it’s proof that I’ve changed. Manipulative, calculating ... I play mind games with people because it’s what I’m good at. I can take one look at somebody, at something, and know it. Her hobbies, his misdeeds. It’s good for building relationships, but it’s also good for destroying them. Not that I would ever let myself get caught. As good as I am at seeing people, I’m even better at planning. I may not be able to read leaves like Valentine, but the future is easy to know if you just think on it. The world’s in redundant —people, places —it repeats itself. All patterns are predictable, if you know what to look for. ❞

❝ I don’t worry. There’s no time for that, not anymore. I used to work myself up thinking about deadlines, but that’s pointless. And it’s pointless trying to think for four other people. I used to do well in group projects because I was good at sharing ideas. That’s still somewhere inside of me, but it’s not easy to share with people who are afraid and volatile. Being in the dark has made me selfish, sneaky. I feel like I rat when I run around the halls, making plans for myself and nobody else. I’m not thinking straight; I know that. I get angry because they’re afraid, but I’m afraid too. God, I’m so scared, and it makes me dizzy and frustrated. Mostly with myself, but I take it out on the others. I snap and bite and fight everyone all because I have no control. I like to plan, and there’s nothing to plan for. I wake to total darkness. What next day? What tomorrow? How am I supposed to see patterns when it’s too dark to see my hands? ❞

❝ Can we stop this? Please? Because all I can think about is that girl I used to be, satisfied with life and cheerful. I’m not cheerful, I’m not satisfied. I’m scared and hungry. I’m resistant to change, hate anything that’s too new. I ruin things that are good so I can stay in one familiar place. But I have no control now, no say in what stays the same and what changes. Then I’m not a fox at all; I’m a wolf, and I can feel the beast panting beneath my skin. Everyday it gets angrier and angrier. I’m terrified of what it might do — what I might do; I get frantic. I can’t plan for what I don’t know, and my anxieties get the best of me. They eat me up, the wolf and my fears, and all that’s left is the screaming, blubbering remains of Monique. And when I get like that, there’s no telling and no emotion. There’s only red, and no future and no apartment and no light, but no darkness either. I don’t know who I am when I go there, and I don’t know how to pull myself out. I’m afraid that if I go back into the red place, I won’t come out. ❞

about character

one. My fiancé holds hold my face in his hands. They’re warm, slightly sweaty but scented with citrus. His father, I think, his father has an orange grove. He took me there once, before all of this and before he proposed, and we peeled oranges and tangerines. Long strips of orange and yellow curling in our hands, long strips down to our feet. I sucked the juice off his fingers and fell in love with his darkening eyes. He sucked the juice of my lips and fell in love with my laugh. But now, he holds my face in his hands, and I fear that he is nothing more than a dream. Specter beautiful, specter mine, I search his hands for curls of orange, for white string or pulp beneath his nails. There is none, I know, but I search them anyway. And I search his eyes and mouth, examine his too-pink tongue and too-straight teeth. He is not mine. Too perfect, too lovely. No gap in his teeth, no wrinkle around his eyes. Specter beautiful, specter ... So I let him go, unravel him from my arms in long curling peels. When I wake my dreaming, my mouth is bruised from kisses and my tongue swells with the taste of oranges.

two. Are you happy? I asked this of my mother once while she stood in the kitchen up to her elbows in suds. Her brow furrowed, she licked at her lips. She raised one wet hand and rubbed at the space just above her eyebrow. Mother was silent, wordlessly scrubbing breakfast off the plates. Clumps of pancake, sticky syrup caked on. She licked her lips, rubbed her face with the bone of her wrist. I thought, ridiculously and prophetic, that she was Mommy, but she didn’t look anyone I knew. A stranger, a person with parents and lovers and dreams. A stranger who, in some other time, washed dishes only for herself, that kissed men other than my father. A stranger who had sisters, a brother, who had seen things I hadn’t. And I regretted asking mother if she was happy, hated that she was someone else without me. Distant eyes came to me, taut almost real smile crossed her spit-wet lips. She rubbed her face. Of course, I’m happy.

three. When I was young, I drew maps of the little town where we lived. My mother thought it charming, my father thought it sweet. I thought it complex, exciting. I liked lines, like to measure and draw and paint. Whatever I made, I babied, petted. The walls of my bedroom were lined with maps, and when my walls were full I used my parents’ room, the living room. And all my maps were of our town and the things I knew, and all my maps were the same. But they weren’t, not really, because they changed. On Sunday, Yellow Tree Road was on the left and led into town square. On Tuesday, Yellow Tree Road was short and wandered into a creek. The creeks, tricksters, grew into rivers and lakes, and even those could not stay in place. They jumped, leapt from behind the school to deep in the forest. Water, dirt, everything not made by man (and some things that were) were not permanent. So I learned how to follow, how to trace the changes and take each detail as a lesson. The earth is and it isn’t. Adjustments. It’s all about adjustments.

four. A thought while scavenging for food, a thought about my aunt. About my distinguish aunt, important and high-headed, looking low and smiling with no teeth. I went to see her because I loved her and her garden and her house that smelled like fresh-cut flowers. I went threw the front door open and called her name. No answer. I walked up the stairs, peeked into the rooms, calling. No answer. I went out to her garden, green and glorious, and I saw her. Hunched over, fingers deep in the soil. Chewing. My aunt, my distinguished aunt, with dirt up to her arms and ants crawling on her skin and worms wriggling in her grasp. Her eyes were closed so she did not see that I saw. She didn’t know that I was there, watching as she chewed on roses, sucked the color out of the stems. Her mouth, red. Her hands, red too, but I didn’t know if it was from the flower or the thorns. Her teeth were stained and grassy, disgusting tongue laving at the petals, the buds. She hummed, she hummed and murmured. My aunt, my distinguished aunt, who I visited because I loved her did not see as I walked away, as I left her house. I did not tell, I did not tell anyone, but I never loved her garden the same.

lore

one. I didn’t stop him. I saw him killing that man, but I didn’t stop him. And I wasn’t afraid, it wasn’t because I was afraid, but I watched a man go blue and cold, and I didn’t stop his killer. He let me have the leg and the spleen and the kidney. 

two. The phone rang in Valentine’s apartment. He was fast asleep, smelled faintly of liquor. I picked up the phone and listened. The soft, teary voice asking for her father. Please, please. I told her that he was dead, that something took him too. She cries, but I — click.

three. On the first night, I stay in my apartment and pace. On the second night, I sleep in Anansi’s apartment and talk until I’m tired enough to drop. On the fifth night I watch Anansi flick the flashlight on and off, on and off, rabidly and then slowly. On and off and ... I pretend to sleep. She flicks the flashlight.