#investing in a new hi res player

[smute]

ive started ripping cds again and i love it. at first it was bc of my recent audiophile hyperfixation and wanting to experiment with different quality levels but theres something about the process of picking and choosing and not having everything available instantly that makes me listen to music much more consciously idk. its like the difference between chugging a cup of drip coffee in the break room vs. like taking 15 minutes out of your day to make a cappuccino for breakfast. (btw the "process" is so much easier today, i rarely (if ever) have to name/rename tracks like. it even finds the right cover art and lyrics? all by itself? insane.) also, something ive been noticing for a while is that despite having access to a huge streaming library i tend to listen to the same 3 playlists and 5 albums over and over and over and over and.... idk i rarely try out new stuff anymore (see the 271 poasts i made about my constant back and forth between apple music and spotify). actually, ive recently been going entire DAYS without listening to music?? which is a) a terrifying development and b) likely another early warning sign of post-30 conservative brainrot, next to the avoidance strategies my subconscious now employs when it comes to trying out new stuff. and anyway, i think curating my music library a little more deliberately instead of relying on an algorithm that only ever sees me listening to 2015 pop songs is a fantastic idea regardless of my motivation. but yeah. carefully picking out a cd and bringing it home and putting it on my puter and finally listening to it without distractions is an experience that a discover weekly playlist simply cannot recreate

[milaisreading]

🌱🩷: So here is one of the first stories I promised to write for my birthday... week? Idk, these are more of a treat for myself 😋 hope u like it!

Warnings: Reader uses a mix of she/her and he/him, since she is crossdressing. Requests are open! It's a yandere story, so be warned. If u don't like yandere stories, please skip this one

⚽️Blue lock belongs to Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura⚽️

"Hm? What's up with those two?" Hiori's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at the scene unfolding in front of him. Yukimiya, who was sitting right next to him cleaned his glasses and put them on again, inspecting the two Bastard players in equal shock.

"Did I go completely insane?"

"No, you didn't. Or, all 4 of us went insane along with you." Isagi gulped, his grip around his chopsticks tightening.

"Since when is (Y/n) so friendly with that German guy?" Kurona gulped as the four watched (Y/n) and Gesner laugh over God knows what. They were both speaking in English and were a little bit away from them, so they couldn't quite understand what was so funny.

'Why are you so comfortable with him?! I am literally here!' Yukimiya thought as he fixed his glasses, trying to distract himself. Hiori had a smile and empty look in his eyes as he watched Gesner ruffle (Y/n)'s hair.

'Don't touch him with your dirty hands. Get away. Get away.'Kurona felt a unfamiliar rage take over him, but tried to keep himself calm. He can't lose his cool now.

'Why him? Please get away from him!' Isagi screamed on the inside.

As the 4 kept having their inner turmoil, (Y/n) was obliviously talking with Gesner.

"Thanks for those German lessons, they really helped me when communicating with the rest when we didn't have those translators."

"Nothing to thank me for. So, same thing tonight?" Gesner raised an eyebrow as she nodded her head.

"Sure. Now that NEL is finally over we have a lot more time to study." (Y/n) agreed as Gesner hummed.

"So, will you be picking Bastard as your team or Re Al? Just curious since you are invested in learning the language."

"I still didn't decide. But, knowing basics in a language is a good thing regardless." She answered as Gesner nodded in understanding.

The next day...

Now, Kunigami wasn't someone who felt jealousy often, after the whole Wild card thing he doubted he could feel anything. He was just tired, but surprisingly enough (Y/n) was not turned off by his new attitude. Kunigami was surprised, but a part of him felt happy that someone wanted to be around him, despite his more moody attitude. He, liked it. Along the way, he ended up developing feelings for the other player, and would always be nearby to help her with things or pull her away when Kaiser or Ness were annoying her. Of course, Kunigami never expected (Y/n) to fall for him, but he thought as long as she was his friend, he would be happy. But, today he was proven wrong with the way he viewed things.

'Why is that bastard so casually talking to him?!' Kunigami clenched his fists as he watched Gesner pinch (Y/n)'s cheek while saying something to her. Although he couldn't understand what it was the German was saying, the blush (Y/n) had on her face was enough to piss him off and set him into action. Kunigami quickly walked over to them and grabbed Gesner's wrist, pulling his hand away from (Y/n)'s face.

"Huh? Kunigami?" The girl blinked, but the boy spared her no attention as he kept on glaring at the confused German.

"Piss off."

'Scary!' She shivered and tried to separate the two while speaking.

"He wasn't hurting me, Kunigami. He just gave me back the pillow I forgot last night." Just as she said that, she immediately regretted it, as the look Kunigami gave her was full of anger, confusion, and sadness.

'Why was he sad?' (Y/n) thought as Kunigami cleared his throat.

"Can you let go, man?" Gesner said agitated as he tried to pull his hand away.

"What do you mean by last night?"

"I spent the night with Gesner in the monitor room and forgot it there."

'You... why him?!' Kunigami gulped, looking at (Y/n) in horror as he let go of Gesner's hand.

'Did... did I say something wrong?' She thought as she watched the whole ordeal.

Later that day...

Gagamaru was someone who could be perceived as different than the rest, not weird, just different. He was more of a guy who enjoyed nature, fighting with bears, and eating everything with his hands, even if they left messes afterwards. Gagamaru was aware he received weird looks, but one of the people he could count on to not perceive him weirdly was (Y/n). He always looked at her as a reliable captain, a talented player, and a great friend. Whenever he had issues or wanted someone to talk to, he knew (Y/n) would be there. And she was, and Gagamaru was always greatful for that. Along the way, Gagamaru ended up catching weird feelings, nervousness, happiness, anxiety whenever he was near her. It took him a while to understand he fell in love, to the point that he tried to keep her attention on him all the time.

'I wonder where he is...' Gagamaru sighed as he looked around the hallway. He really needed to talk to her, but the girl was nowhere to be found. Not in her room, not in the dining hall, not even in the monitor room!

Just as he was about to give up, he heard voices from down the hallway.

'(Y/n)...' The goalkeeper excitedly looked in her direction, only for the smile to drop when he saw Gesner next to her. They were way too close for his liking.

'Since when are they on talking terms?' The boy thought, weirded out by this.

"Hm? Gagamaru? Why aren't you asleep? It's pretty late." (Y/n) stopped conversing with Gesner and looked at Gagamaru in worry as they reached him. The goalkeeper stopped for a moment, then finally spoke up as he eyed Gesner weirdly.

"I... I couldn't sleep. So I took a walk. Why... why aren't you asleep?"

'And why are you with him so late?' Gagamaru wanted to add in, but stopped himself.

"I was telling Gesner what we can visit in Tokyo. Since we will have a few days off, he wanted to see some places before going to Germany." Gagamaru's eyes widened for a second, a unfamiliar pain hitting him when he looked between the two. (Y/n) having her usual smile while Gesner looked bored and confused due to him not having the translators.

"But..."

"Hm?"

"It's.... It's nothing." Gagamaru bit back his tongue as (Y/n) tried to question him again, but he completely blocked her out.

'Why him? We are your team! Not him!'

Gagamaru waisted no time to run to Isagi's room after (Y/n) and Gesner left. If there was one person who knew the midfielder well, it was Isagi. They needed to stop whatever was going on. But, to Gagamaru's surprise when he entered the room, he already saw Isagi and the other three deep in their own thoughts while Kunigami looked stressed.

"Isagi! We have an issue!"

The boy jumped up in his spot, then turned to look at the panicked goalkeeper.

"What happened?"

"Gesner... Him and (Y/n) plan on going together to Tokyo... Just the two of them."

Isagi quickly turned to look at Gagamaru, the speed made Gagamaru worry that he broke his neck for a moment.

"You... you are joking, right? (Y/n) wouldn't... Gesner and him-"

"Hiori, please don't say it put loud like that. God abandoned us today." Yukimiya sobbed and fell on his knees as Kurona looked at a pale Kunigami.

"What do we do? What do we do?"

Kunigami kept quiet as the boy kept on tugging on his sleeve, but he couldn't answer anything. The only answer he saw fit was bash Gesner's head into the wall for corrupting their captain, but that wouldn't be appropriate. (Y/n) would hate him of he did that.

"We need to call in the rest. It's an emergency meeting."

The players looked over at Isagi, who looked both annoyed and panicked.

Later...

Now that NEL was over, the other players were free to roam around without having to answer to the coaches. The BM players were more than greatful for that, even if the room was crowded for now. They had to think of a way to keep Gesenr away permanently. They seriously needed to do something about this development.

"Why are we here? I wanted to sleep." Otoya yawned, looking as annoyed as Rin did.

"Yeah, and why are we cramped up in this room?"

"Why are there clothes on the floor?" Barou looked at the discarded pants near one of the beds as Hiori facepalmed.

"That's not important now, Barou-"

"If the maid is so annoyed with it, he should clean it up. But for real, why did you call us here?" Chigiri questioned, ignoring Barou's annoyed yell.

"Calm down you both." Kunigami commented, looking for once worried.

"Huh? Kunigami, what happened to you? You are not moody anymore?" Bachira raised an eyebrow as Reo looked at the former hero in confusion as well.

"Yeah. Must be pretty serious if even you are invested in this. And why isn't (Y/n) here?"

"That's the thing. This is about him-"

"Damn, your beds are so much softer than ours. Can I sleep here instead?" Kurona held himself back as he got interrupted by Nagi, and he was about to say something but Isagi quickly stepped in.

"Please, this is serious. (Y/n)-"

"Couldn't it have waited after my nighttime routine? And you could have at least invited (Y/n) over to make the trip over here worth it." Aryu said, looking in annoyance at the 6 Bastard players while combing his hair.

"Can you let us finish speaking? This is about (Y/n)!" Gagamaru yelled, finally fed up with everyone's yelling and interrupting. The Blue lock team stopped dead in their tracks and looked at the 6.

"What do you mean about that? What happened? Is he sick?" Niko was the first one to speak up, followed by Tokimitsu who looked composed and calm for once.

"Is there something we need to know? Just tell us."

"I swear I will skin you all alive if you let him get hurt-"

"Calm down, king. This one isn't even our fault. Can you let us finish?" Yukimiya glared at the red-eyed boy as Karasu chimed in.

"Let's all calm down and let them finish. This isn't helping anyone." Although the crow boy said it calmly, they all could see he wasn't calm, at all.

"Thank you, as we said (Y/n) is the one we called you all over for." Hiori started, but stopped as he looked at Isagi for some support.

"He... well, Gagamaru saw him earlier and it looks like him and a German player are having a.... a date." Isagi cringed at the word and so did the others, who then looked back at the rest of the team. The reactions were a mix of everything. Otoya and Karasu looked stunned at each other and then back at Isagi, their expressions clearly giving away that they didn't believe them. Others like Bachira and Niko shrieked at the news and immediately jumped on Isagi, shaking the boy to repeat what he said, which caused Yukimiya and Kurona to step in and pull them away from him.

"You... you guys have to be joking. There is no way (Y/n) would date that guy... He isn't his type. Right, Reo?" Nagi said nervously as he quickly sat up on the bed, looking from Kunigami to Reo.

"That's right, I know him. He likes soft spoken people more. I am sure you misunderstood-"

"He told me that himself. You think I would make up such a horror scenario because I have nothing better to do?" Gagamaru interjected, causing Reo to shut his mouth, eyes widening in fear.

"This can't be... He wouldn't leave me like that...." The heir murmured as he slowly sat down on the bed. Chigiri and Aryu decided to approach this more rationally, there was no way they lost to that blonde guy.

"There must be something else behind it. Why would he pick some guy he just met when he has us?" Chigiri tried to stay calm as he nervously smiled at Hiori.

"You guys must be joking-" Aryu started but Kunigami interrupted him.

"We are not. And, I do find it believable after what I found out."

"Which is? What did you find out?" Tokimitsu spoke up as an eerie calmness took over the room.

"Him and Gesner spent the night together in the monitoring room. (Y/n) told me so himself." Kunigami finally said, looking as disgusted as he did when her told Isagi and his friends earlier. Yukimiya looked at everyone, as expected, none of them looked well, faces pale and looking at them like they were ghosts. He bit his lips and quickly sprung into action along with Kunigami as they heard Barou and Rin scream.

"That nobody, lukewarm player! I will kill him for trying to take him away from me!"

"Not if I do that first. I will make his death as painful as possible."

Yukimiya and Kunigami quickly ran over to them to hold them back from leaving as Hiori yelled at them, looking at Karasu's calm demeanor suspiciously.

"Wait! We need to watch our next actions. If (Y/n) finds out we even had this meeting, we are done for!"

"Are you stupid?! I am not letting some no-name player take him from me!" Rin glared back at Hiori.

"This is all your fault, Isagi! You should have watched over him!" Barou yelled at the blue-eyed boy, who tried to keep his cool after the whole room went into a panic mode.

"I will break that Gesner guy's bones." Karasu declared as he cracked his knuckles, earning a nod from Otoya.

"I will join you there. Leave some for me."

"Hey! I am in this picture as well. I want to see him suffer as well!" Bachira said in a happy demeanor, so happy that it was creepy.

"I want blood, a lot of it. There is no way I will let him go unpunished for trying to take (Y/n) away." Chigiri cleared his throat.

"Is murder legal, Reo? Please tell me it is." Nagi said as he tugged on the boy's sleeve.

"I will bail you out of jail regardless if it is or isn't."

"I just want (Y/n). Where is he?" Niko asked as he held back a few sobs while Aryu glanced back at Gagamaru.

"Where is his room? I know we can talk him out of this."

"So you don't want that Gesner guy to pay?" Tokimitsu wondered as Aryu raised an eyebrow.

"I never said that."

Isagi looked at the whole chaos in front of him as an idea popped into his head. He knew exactly what they can do! Gesner was just one, while the rest of them were a team. Sure, they might not get along, but the do agree on one thing. (Y/n) was meant for the Blue Lock team, and the Blue Lock team only. And the common enemy will make it a lot easier for all of them to get along.

"I have an idea! For that though, we all have to work together. If we want (Y/n) to just focus on us, that is."

The whole room stopped and looked over at Isagi, who had that same expression he would wear when he finally figured out where he could score the next goal.

"Go on." Rin demanded as the rest kept quiet.

2 days later...

(Y/n) was standing near the Shibuya station, waiting for Gesner for the past 30 minutes. The girl was a little worried, and she would have rather picked him up from the facility than let him come here alone, but her parents were insisting on her coming home because of some family meeting.

'It was absolutely worthless, anyway. Where is he even? Did he get lost?' She thought in a worried manner as she dialed his number again, only for it to go to voice-mail immediately.

"How annoying..." She muttered while fixing up her mask, deciding to scroll through her phone while observing some of the people that were passing by.

'The girls are so lucky they can wear those cute dresses... Meanwhile, I am stuck with a boring shirt and pants.' (Y/n) pouted and looked down at her clothes.

"(Y/n)!" The girl's eyes widened in surprise as she heard three familiar voices yells her name while she got tackled to the ground. The passerbys looked at the group in surprise and whispered as they slowly started recognizing the players. But, Bachira, Kurona and Niko paid them no mind as they looked down at the girl.

"Guys, what are you doing here? And, can you get off of me?" (Y/n) asked calmly as the trio agreed and got off her and then helped her up.

"We were roaming around the place and saw you. Why are you here alone?" Niko explained in an innocent manner, trying not to give away that all three of them knew the answers already.

"Yeah, it's kind of weird to be standing alone here of all places." Bachira giggled.

"You are the one to talk." Kurona said in a more defensive manner as he stood in front of (Y/n), to which the girl chuckled a little.

"It's ok, and I was just waiting for Gesner to arrive. He is pretty late and won't answer any calls." She said in a worried tone, but neither of the boys paid it any mind.

'You don't need him.'

'We are all you need.'

'So stop thinking of him, please.' The trio thought as Bachira cleared his throat.

"Well, if he is leaving you stranded like this, Isagi, Chigiri, Otoya, Yikimiya, and Aryu are outside waiting for us. Join us instead."

"I can't just leave him with no warning, Bachira. That's rude." (Y/n) scolded the boy a little.

"And where is the rest? They didn't want to come?"

"No, they did. They are just looking around some malls and will join us as well." Niko quickly added in as Kurona nodded along. But, before (Y/n) could say anything her phone went off. A message! She quickly looked at the sender, relieved it was Gesner who sent it to her. The trio watched her expression slowly drop, and they felt guilty for assisting in making her upset, but that slowly faded as they remembered they could lose her otherwise.

'Sorry,(Y/n). This was necessary...' Kurona gulped.

"Huh..."

"Everything ok?" Niko asked obliviously as (Y/n) looked up at him.

"Gesner said he won't be able to come. Noa-san called them in for a last minute meeting..."

"That's sad, but you can now join us instead. What do you say?" Bachira said, not even bothering to hide his excitement as (Y/n) sighed and put her phone away.

"I guess. You won't mind if I joined you out of the blue?"

"Absolutely not!" Niko smiledand grabbed one of ther arms while Bachira grabbed the other.

"Come on! We have so many fun activities planned!"

The two started pulling her towards the station's exit while Kurona was behind and pushing her.

"Hey! No need to do all that! I will follow you three." (Y/n) said I an amused manner, used to their demeanor.

'That's right. Just laugh around us.' Bachira thought as he slowly tightened his grip around her hand.

'Just pay attention to us.' Niko thought, glancing at the girl.

'We will keep you safe from outsiders. Like every teammate would.' Kurona mused to himself as they finally exited the station and saw their group of friends eagerly waiting for them.

"Yoo-hoo! We found (Y/n) on our way here!" Bachira yelled as the group smiled excitedly at the captain.

"We didn't expectvyou here. How was meeting up with your family again?" Isagi wondered.

"It was the usual. Nothing notable." (Y/n) shrugged as the three boys finally let go of her.

"Now that we have (Y/n) here, we should go and eat!" Otoya exclaimed as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Shouldn't we wait for the others?" (Y/n) raised an eyebrow as Yukimiya and Chigiri shook their heads.

"They are taking their time, and I am hungry as well."

"Yeah. The slow pokes will catch up to us, anyway."

"Let's go then." Aryu exclaimed as they finally started walking towards a local restaurant. The initial sadness (Y/n) was feeling slowly faded away, enjoying the company of her friends and teammates now.

'That's right. We are all you need. I am all you need.' Aryu thought as je watched (Y/n) laugh at something Yukimiya said.

'This is how it should be. Just him and us... and no outsiders.' Chigiri hummed.

'I wonder when they will arrive. Hopefully soon.' Isagi thought as he remembered the rest of his team that was missing.

'I wanted to bash his head into the wall in, but noo Karasu had to part us like this.' Otoya thought, still salty that he couldn't take part in the other group.

Meanwhile...

"This is quite a mess. It's a good thing barely anyone is here today." Tokimitsu thought as he looked at all the blood in the shower room. Karasu shrugged his shoulders as he pointed at Barou and Rin.

"Blame them. They went mayhem on Gesner."

"You guys really did the most on him. I can barely recognize his face." Hiori giggled, earning eyerolls from Rin and Barou.

"Of course I will when he tried to steal what's mine." Barou rolled his eyes as Rin sneered at Gesner's body.

"Ours, maid Barou, ours. We said we would share him." Nagi yawned as him and Reo cleaned their hands.

"Reo, for how long will the cameras be defect again?" Kunigami wondered as Gagamaru leaned against one of the walls, staring as Gesner's bloody form with a blank expression.

"You deserved this." The goalkeeper whispered, growing more and more irritated.

"We have still an hour left till the maintenance is done, they will reactivated then. Let's quickly change and leave while nobody is around." The heir smirked as Rin started walking towards the exit of the shower rooms.

'Finally. I have nothing to fear now. He won't leave me for a no name player.' Rin thought, finally letting out a sigh of relief.

"I really wish there was a cleaner way..." Barou groaned as he followed after the younger Itoshi.

"This was as clean as it could get. Now lets hurry up! I want to see (Y/n) again. I didn't see him yesterday or today." Hiori hummed with a smile.

"It was either this or nothing. Intimidating him wouldn't have worked." Kunigami shrugged.

"What's done is done. We just need to make sure (Y/n) doesn't find him like that. I don't  want him to be traumatized by some pest." Reo commented as Gagamaru nodded.

"I am sure someone will find him before he does, and if not, we will keep him away from the shower room."

"You better." Nagi side eyed as Karasu yawned.

"Do you all think they started eating without us?"

"Probably. (Y/n) loves food, so I am sure he is eating at least." Barou nodded his head at Tokimitsu's statement and spoke up again.

"Let's just hurry up now! I miss (Y/n)."

The rest nodded their heads and quickly changed their clothes and packed the dirty one away to get rid of it. After all, they can't have their captain see blood of a no name guy.

[zvaigzdelasas]

With a history of short-term governments in Nepal’s 15 years of democratic progression, the current reconfiguration is no surprise, and it will be no surprise if the Maoists get back again with the Nepali Congress in months and years to come.

Power sharing, political discontent, ideological differences, underperformance, and pressure to restore Nepal to a Hindu state – a long list of reasons reportedly forced the Maoists to sever ties with the Nepali Congress. While the Nepali Congress expected the Maoist leader and current prime minister, Pushpa Kamal Dahal (also known by his nom de guerre, Prachanda) to leave the alliance, it did not expect an overnight turnaround. [...]

Dahal reportedly conveyed to the Nepali Congress chair, former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, that external pressure forced him to join hands with CPN-UML and form a new government.

If this assertion is true, China emerges as a plausible factor, given its historical inclination toward forging alliances with leftist parties in Nepal. This notion gains credence in light of China’s past efforts, such as its unsuccessful attempt in 2020 to mediate the conflict between Oli and Dahal.

On the other hand, India has enjoyed a comfortable working relationship with the Nepali Congress and the Maoists. Although Maoists were a challenging party for New Delhi to get along with when Dahal first gained the prime minister’s seat in 2008, the two have come a long way in working together. However, the CPN-UML has advocated closer ties with the northern neighbor China; Beijing suits both their ideological requirements and their ultra-nationalistic outlook – which is primarily anti-India. [...]

India faces challenges in aligning with the Left Alliance for two key reasons. First, the energy trade between Nepal and India has grown crucial over the past couple of years. However, India strictly purchases power generated through its own investments in Nepal, refusing any power produced with Chinese involvement. With the CPN-UML now in government, Nepal may seek alterations in this arrangement despite the benefits of power trade in reducing its trade deficit with India.

Second, India stands to lose the smooth cooperation it enjoyed with the recently dissolved Maoist-Congress coalition. During the dissolved government, the Nepali Congress held the Foreign Ministry, fostering a favorable equation for India. Just last month, Foreign Minister N.P. Saud visited India for the 9th Raisina Dialogue, engaging with top Indian officials, including his counterpart, S. Jaishankar.

As concerns arise for India regarding the Left Alliance, there is also potential for shifts in the partnership between Nepal and the United States, a significant development ally. Particularly, there may be a slowdown in the implementation of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) projects. Despite facing domestic and Chinese opposition, the Nepali Parliament finally approved a $500 million MCC grant from the United States in 2022, following a five-year delay.

China perceives the MCC as a component of the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific strategy, countering its BRI. Hence Beijing aims to increase Chinese loans and subsidies to Nepal to enhance its influence.

To conclude, the re-emergence of Nepal’s Left Alliance signals a shift in power dynamics, impacting domestic politics and regional geopolitics. With China’s influence growing, Nepal’s foreign policy may tilt further toward Beijing, challenging India’s interests. This shift poses challenges for India, particularly in trade and diplomatic relations, while also affecting Nepal’s partnerships with other key players like the United States.

[[The Author,] Dr. Rishi Gupta is the assistant director of the Asia Society Policy Institute, Delhi]

6 Mar 24

[goldenseresinretriever]

False Confidence: Prologue

Pairing: Javy “Coyote” Machado x Reader

Part of the San Diego Dogfighters universe

Summary: The Athletic named Javy Machado the fifth sluttiest player in the NHL last year. He’s a known playboy who leaves every game with a different girl. As far as he’s concerned he’s living the dream, playing his dream job with the dream lifestyle. Unfortunately his friends and bosses don’t agree. At 33, they think it’s time for him to settle down. You’re a kindergarten teacher at an esteemed private school. You don't expect much when you finally accept your colleague’s invitation to attend her husband’s hockey game but when you accidentally get separated in the post-game rush, you find yourself in a compromising situation with the last person you’d ever expected to meet. When his PR rep suggests a mutually beneficial agreement, your hands are tied. How long will you have to keep up the act? And how long will you be able to?

Series CW: 18+ ONLY, swearing, angst, fluff, fake relationship, suggestive language, anxiety, school system inaccuracies, hockey inaccuracies etc. There will be individual chapter warnings. No use of Y/N.

Word Count: 2.1k

A/N: This is a repost from my series, False Confidence. It was originally posted in March 2023, and was lost when my blog was deleted.

Series Masterlist // Next Chapter

You stare at the event on your calendar, willing it to disappear into the void. The words “staff meeting” glare back at you as you glance at the clock. Five more minutes. Maybe they’ll cancel. Maybe the sun will fall out of the sky. You nibble your lower lip before you can catch yourself. Your fingers worry the hem of your sweater, keeping time with the thundering of your heart. It’s fine. You’re okay. It’s just a staff meeting. After three years working at Acacia Academy, you’re more comfortable here than you’ve been in any job before, the product of time invested and the aid of a stable schedule, but sometimes you have days like this. Days when the pounding in your heart reaches your ears, echoing like the drum of an executioner signaling your imminent demise.

“Roadie?” Three minutes left and a familiar voice calls out your nickname. You force your lips to curl into a smile as you turn to the door of your currently empty classroom. Your colleague and perhaps your only work friend, Josie Fitch is leaning against the doorframe. She’s wearing the patient, sweet smile she’s always using on her rowdy fourth-grade class. “You ready to go? We have that staff meeting today, remember?” You nod, finding it harder to keep the smile on your face at the reminder of the meeting. Nevertheless, you force yourself to stand, smoothing a hand over your slacks before crossing the room to where Josie’s waiting. She slides her hand into yours, pulling you along after her to the teacher’s lounge and staff conference room.

When you reach the room, it’s already at least half full. Thankfully, Josie takes pity on you and slides into the last pair of chairs in the back of the room, leaving the seats at the front for the stragglers. Dan Jackson, the principal, is standing at the front of the room, hands clasped in front of him and a firm look on his face that makes you struggle not to fidget. Principal Jackson’s gaze drags over the room as the clock strikes three thirty and heaves a heavy sigh before clearing his throat.

“Regardless of attendance, let’s get started. After thoughtful consideration, the school will be implementing a new soft policy. In the face of our upcoming contract renewals and an effort to combat employee fraternization, we’ll be looking at relationship status as a qualification when deciding which contracts get renewed. While a stable relationship is not a hard requirement, as that’s not enforceable under the law, it will greatly help your case for re-employment. Your heart is beating so loudly in your ears that you can barely hear Principal Jackson as he continues. Josie seems to notice your distress and squeezes your hand gently. She doesn’t have anything to worry about since she’s been happily married for twelve years and she’s the mother of two beautiful children who are currently students at Acadia. Not for the first time, you wonder why you didn’t just take a job at a public school. You wouldn’t have to deal with these borderline illegal policies and all the politics that come with working for a private school that’s unregulated by a school board. Unfortunately, public schools are a nightmare for you. Hundreds of students, dozens of teachers, and large buildings make any kind of familiarity almost impossible. During your student teaching years, you worked in a public school and you were constantly on edge leading to your pivot into private schools. Sure the administration is almost always corrupt and the parents are entitled, but at least you know every one of your students and colleagues by name, and as long as you keep your head down, you stay out of trouble. And you’ve done exactly that. Despite the issues Principal Jackson’s speaking about regarding employee fraternization, you’ve been removed from that. No one pays you much attention. Well aside from Jeremy Dickinson.

Jeremy came to Acacia Academy the same year that you did and while you tend towards the fringes of social circles, he’s magnetic and constantly the center of attention. You have a sneaking suspicion that this meeting and new policy is actually a direct response to the negative side effects of said magnetism. Jeremy’s the one that gave you your nickname, Roadrunner or Roadie for short. You’re always dashing from place to place, trying to stay out of people’s way and he joked that you resembled the speedy cartoon character. Now more teachers refer to you by the nickname than by your real name and while it used to annoy you, you’ve taken to appreciating the kind of anonymity that the nickname gives you. If people want to see you as a caricature rather than a person, you’re alright with that as long as their eyes slide over you instead of lingering.

While you’ve been lost in your thoughts, the meeting has come to a close and you slump into your seat as the reality of your situation comes crashing down onto you. Josie’s giving you a concerned look that you do your best to ignore as you stand and head into the mass of people squeezing through the doorway, eager to head home for the day. Josie follows you but doesn’t speak up until you’re back in your classroom. “So, Roadie, what are your plans for the evening?” She’s deflecting, giving you the option to bring up the meeting yourself. You sigh heavily as you start to pack your belongings.

“Looking for a new job, apparently.” You answer with a hollow laugh. She frowns at that.

“You know that policy isn’t about you, right? That’s for people like Jeremy who can’t keep it in their pants. You’ve never dated anyone at school.” You’ve never dated anyone but that’s beside the point. Andrew St. James doesn’t count or so your high school therapist had assured you.

You shrug as you slide your laptop into your tote bag. “You heard Principal Jackson. He wants people in relationships working here. I’m not in a relationship, so I’m at a disadvantage.”

“So maybe you should get a boyfriend,” Josie suggests like it’s the easiest thing in the world and you feel a twinge of bitter jealousy in your chest. As if it’s that simple.

“That’s not going to happen.” You say with a tired shake of your head as you slide the bag onto your shoulder. Josie shrugs but lets the conversation drop.

“If you’re free tonight, you should come with us to the game.” Josie’s been trying to invite you to one of her husband’s games all season. Reuben Fitch is a winger for the newly formed San Diego Dogfighters hockey team here in San Diego. You don’t know the first thing about hockey and sports games are the last place you’d rather be so you’ve casually dodged the invitations over and over but today you’re simply too tired to keep shutting Josie down.

“Sure, why not.” You relent and Josie’s face lights up with excitement.

“Really?! Oh, that’s great, Roadie, the kids will be so excited that you’re coming! They keep begging me to bring you!” The Fitch kids, Jamie and Skylar attend Acacia Academy and thanks to your friendship with Josie and the fact that you’re Skylar’s teacher, you’re all thick as thieves. You’ve babysat for Reuben and Josie plenty of times, giving them some well-deserved time to themselves. As a hockey player, Reuben’s traveling for work almost as much as he’s home, and between that and wanting to be as present of a parent as possible he doesn’t have a lot of time to spend with his wife. Thankfully, Josie takes it in stride, leading her family with a poise you’re constantly impressed by while her husband is away and you’re more than willing to help where you can. While you’ve never been comfortable with your peers, you’ve always been comfortable with children. You think maybe it’s because they don’t expect you to be anything more than yourself. The younger the better in that respect and that’s why you teach kindergarten. Josie gives you the details for this evening, offering to drive you to the arena with them so you don’t have to bother with parking and you swallow hard as you make your way to your car trying to convince yourself that you haven’t just made a huge mistake.

***

You’re starting to wish you hadn’t taken up Josie on her offer. You’re sitting next to Skylar at the end of the row in case you need to make a quick escape. You’re up by the glass and the people in the next section are banging on it as the players zip around on the ice. The kids are caught up in the infectious energy buzzing through the Hard Deck arena. It’s got you dizzy with nerves. One of the Dogfighters slams one of the opposing team against the glass in front of you and you jump, stomach queasy. How anyone could enjoy watching let alone playing this sport is beyond you. You fiddle with the hem of your new sweater that Josie insisted on getting you after the slightly chilly air in the arena was adding to your shivers. The Dogfighters logo is emblazoned on the olive green fabric and it’s ridiculously soft but that’s to be expected given its hefty price tag. You protested but Josie pointed out that she could probably get it discounted and maybe even reimbursed afterward due to her husband’s role on the team. The score is in the Dogfighters’ favor as the other team can’t seem to get on the board. Another player slams into the glass and you jump all over again, realizing this time it’s one of the opposing team shoving a Dogfighter. Despite the fact that he’s most likely going to wake up with an array of bruises you notice that he’s got a fierce grin on his face, dark eyes dancing dangerously as he pushes off the wall and giving chase to his assailant. You suppose you have to love the sport to play it for a living but you’re still struck by his expression long after the game has moved on.

***

The game ends with the Dogfighters shutting out Los Vegas 5-0 and the crowd is in good spirits pushing and shoving as they all try to exit the arena at once. You feel your body get shoved and jostled by a stray elbow and you stumble, righting yourself and realizing you’ve lost track of Josie and the kids. Panic climbs up your throat as you’re carried forward by the crowd as you whip your head from side to side, trying to find your group. You make it through the door and people jostle you every which way as you try and escape the crowd and find somewhere quiet to call Josie. You try to dull the panic as you fight against the stream of people, ducking down hallways, anything to get away from the crowds that are causing your heartbeat to echo in your ears yet again. Finally, you find yourself in some abandoned hallway and fish out your phone, cursing as you realize you don’t have service. You’re about to head back the way you came, anxiety pulsing through your veins when a voice startles you.

“Well, well, you’re definitely not supposed to be here.” You whip around, fear clenching your chest as you spot the man leaning against the wall. His posture is casual but his gaze is electric, curiosity dancing in dark brown eyes. You recognize him as the player you noticed earlier, the one who’d been thrown into the glass. He’s still in his equipment but he’s ditched the helmet, and now you have an unrestricted view of his face. He’s handsome, with a strong jaw and full lips that are currently pulled into a playful smirk. You stammer as you try to find your voice to explain what you’re doing here but he just chuckles, pushing off the wall and stalking towards you like a wolf approaching its prey. You’re pinned to the spot as he comes up, invading your personal space and you can smell the sweat on his skin and something else, a heady, spicier scent that tickles your nose. You’re sure you’re shaking like a leaf as he takes your chin in his hand, frozen from his brazen actions and unable to step away. His eyes search yours before his smirk widens.

“Lucky for you, beautiful, I like a girl who knows what she wants.” His eyes darken and you barely catch the glint in them before his mouth is on yours.

[tellmeallaboutit]

knock knock (Raphael x Player)

Chapter 16, In Which You Take The Pills and Stop Seeing Things

Read on AO3

Apollonia Saintclair - La paix des profondeurs

"How bad?" you asked, rolling a cigarette between your fingers.

Angus sighed and adjusted his round glasses. 

"How bad, Dr Bambauer?" you repeated, your eyes drawn to the rhythmic chiming of the antique clock on his desk.

Tick-tock, tick-tock.

He cleared his throat, fingers intertwined on the polished wooden surface of his desk. "Well, in our line of work, there isn't really a benchmark for such severe cognitive turmoil, Mr. D'Avergni."

Translation: it's bad. You sank back into the plush upholstery of the guest chair, running a hand over your face.

"Ms Berger is suffering from an intense case of delusional psychosis. She's heavily invested in her fantasies, I am afraid," Dr Bambauer began, his voice as dull as a lullaby. "She has invented her own elaborate universe centred around your alter ego - you might know him as Raphael".

At first, you found it strangely endearing - flattering - that Anya saw you as the literal devil. Less so when you found out the character who she was actually referring to.

"Not only him, though. Other characters include a certain being she refers to as Mr Goat - possibly a manifestation of her Catholic guilt - as well as Agent Cooper and the dwarf from Twin Peaks..."

"The TV show?" You raised an eyebrow. "Anya genuinely believes Twin Peaks is real?"

The office was dimly lit despite the midday hour, the walls lined with bookshelves and framed pictures of Bacon-esque paintings that were clearly meant to unsettle rather than reassure. 

"Ms. Berger's understanding of the concept of "real" seemed tenuous at best," Angus nodded. "And I too seem to have been cast as a character known as 'The Dollmaker'. According to Ms Berger, I perform lobotomies on children and sell them to sex trafficking rings”.

"And you've done nothing of the sort, I trust?" You gave him a wry smile.

You had always found Angus a little eerie, but the family would never associate with someone who fiddled with children. Plus, he did manage to keep Uncle Giovanni off the bottle. 

"Do you find it appropriate to joke about this, Mr. D'Avergni?"

There was probably no scenario on Earth that Angus would deem appropriate to joke about.

"I don't know what's appropriate in such situations," you said. 

Dr Bambauer rose from his chair, his hands clasped behind his back. He was skinny as a rake, not a muscle on him. You could learn anatomy on him, the outlines of his skull very visible through his gaunt cheeks.

"What would be appropriate is a daily regimen of olanzapine, under my strict supervision. Ms. Berger will have to stay here for at least a month”.

A month?..

How are you supposed to go a month without Anya?

“There is an issue we need to discuss, however”, he continued.

A month.

Dr Bambauer's eyes drifted across the clinic courtyard. "Mrs Berger is expecting a child. I'd say she's in her first few weeks of pregnancy; her hCG levels are just beginning to indicate implantation."

You re-played his phrase three times in your mind before it finally registered.

"Are you serious?" you asked, sounding more choked than you intended.

Could this really happen? Anya had made some casual remarks... You hadn't bothered with condoms, true... But she never seemed worried, or even to mention it; you assumed she must have been taking birth control pills, and if she wasn't, well, that didn't bother you either.

"Why would I joke about such a thing?" said Dr Bambauer. 

Then it's true. It's true. Anya was with a child; your child. Your firstborn.

"I mean..." you laughed, your hands spreading with joy. “This is brilliant news! The best bloody news I've heard in ages! That’s what you should have started with, doc!"

If only your father would have killed himself half a year later to live to hear the news. 

Angus did not smile back.

"I'm not sure you're following me, Mr D'Avergni," he said. "Mrs Berger needs to be heavily medicated with antipsychotic drugs in the first trimester of her pregnancy. Do you follow me now? There is an imminent risk of serious birth defects. I recommend a pill-induced abortion”.

The urge to grab this man by his collar and slam him against the wooden desk until his skull cracked suddenly became absolutely irresistible.

"Dr Bambauer," you said, rising from your chair, "you are talking to a Catholic man about his firstborn. Choose. Your. Words. Carefully. Anya and I will make the decision, and I can already tell you what our decision will be. We are keeping this child.”

You drummed your fingers on the table.

"I'm afraid Mrs Berger is not in a position to make a rational decision at the moment," Angus interjected. "She's unaware of her condition, and given her current psychological state, informing her could trigger catastrophic delusions. Carrying the Antichrist, for example."

He went on, seemingly unaware of the thinly veiled threat in your eyes.

"So, without an appointed guardian - and as a lawyer you are well aware what a long and complicated process that can be..."

Well, he was right. 

It is a long and complicated process unless you have a psychiatrist with the right connections behind you.

"Let's say that would be me," you interrupted.

Dr Bambauer visibly stiffened (a feat considering his already rigid posture) and gave you a long, hard look.

"Mr D'Avergni, I have to say…"

“Let me have my say first”, you interrupted.

You snatched up his notebook and pen, scribbling across the next page - two million Swiss francs in cash.

"A small donation to one of the most prestigious mental health institutions in the world," you said as you pushed the note towards him. “God knows the world needs sanity now more than ever”. 

His expression barely changed.

"Your generosity is truly boundless”, he said. “I suppose we could speed up certain procedures. I have no doubts you act in good faith and Mrs Berger's welfare is your priority."

"Seeing right through people is your job description," you replied. "Listen, Dr Bambauer... I need to get Anya out of here immediately. She can't be cooped up in this hospital all alone while she's pregnant. She needs to be with me. I can keep an eye on her."

"You cannot be serious, Mr D'Avergni. You are still taking your medication, aren’t you?"

Your muscles tensed at his comment as you gave him a stiff nod. You watched these videos from Davos over and over again. You fiddled with the cross on your chest, your mother’s; the night Anya was hospitalised, you pulled one out of the old jewellery box.

It wouldn’t hurt, you thought.

And it didn’t.

"Mrs Berger is not well. At all. She has to stay under my direct supervision," you tapped on the paper you promised money on, so that Angus corrected himself: "Mr. D’Avergni, at least until she somewhat stabilises. We are still keeping her restrained in case of another attempt at self-harm".

"Well then, do everything in your power to give her the best treatment”, you said. “I expect quick results".

"Mr D'Avergni," Dr Bambauer sighed. "I don’t think you realise… Let’s put it this way: I don't think Mrs Berger even knows what you look like".

"I beg your pardon?" 

He shrugged his shoulders and said, "One of the nurses overheard Ms. Berger describing her fiancé. Let me say, I was surprised with certain… deviations… from reality”.

***

They said if you behaved better, they would stop strapping you to the bed.

Which, of course, turned out to be complete bullshit.

"We are so sorry that we have to restrain you, Mrs Berger”.

Like hell they were. They were not sorry at all when they tied your ankles and wrists to the bed in your solitary confinement suite, a postcard view of the Matterhorn through the window. They were not sorry at all when they forced more pills down your throat, as if you were a cat fighting against its bitter medicine, and when you spit them out, they actually stripped down your trousers and injected something in your asscheek.

How disgustingly polite they were about it only made things worse; people are only polite like that to fucking crazies, and you were not crazy. You would definitely cooperate if they stopped treating you like one. It was a mistake, you told them, a terrible fucking mistake and misunderstanding, and it should not be happening to you.

No way Raphael would allow that. 

He won’t treat his little mouse this way. You know him. They do not know him, so they would regret what they are doing very, very much. You did what he wanted. You killed that woman. You deserved a treat, not a punishment. You did what he…

"You didn’t kill anyone, Ms. Berger, please, calm down. We don't want you cutting your wrists again, Ms. Berger."

Fuck you, was your eloquent reply, fuck you, and where the fuck was Raphael? 

I wish he was here. 

I wish you all would die. I wish, I wish, I wish.

You passed out before you could see if your wish had come true.

***

You were half asleep when it came true and you saw Raphael again. Black waistcoat over a crisp white shirt, a bunch of roses in his hand. He looked so sorry, as if he hadn't been the one who had thrown you into this madhouse in the first place.

"You're here at last," you murmured from your sleep. "Now tell me why I've been trapped in this hellhole."

Next you tried to reach out to him, only to be held back by your restraints. He glanced at them, clearly torn between freeing you or leaving you trussed up like a Christmas turkey, and chose the latter, gently stroking your shoulder as if that would make you feel any better.

"You have too much faith in my bondage kink," you tried to joke. Didn't really land.

"Anya, mia piccola," he said softly. "I'm so sorry this is happening to you."

No, not Raul. Not him, not now. 

Where...in...the...bloody...hell...is...Raphael!?

"I never wanted to kill myself," you said. "I swear, I only cut myself with broken glass because I panicked and wanted to snap back to reality. Not because I wanted to die. Please tell them to stop strapping me to this bed, it's ridiculous. You believe me, right? You don't think I'm crazy?" 

There was a very long pause. 

Much too long a pause.

What the hell have you done to deserve such treatment? Yes, you cut yourself, yes, you wanted with him to talk about Mr Goat (you still do), you... Oh no. Was this Raphael's twisted form of revenge for fondling Mr Goat's horns? It seemed the only explanation for why he'd thrown you into this five star prison.

"Anya," Raul finally said, "what colour are my eyes?"

This is a trick question, Anya, don’t trust him. This is a trick question. He is trying to set you up and make you think you are crazy. Go for something noncommittal.

"Hazel? Honey?" Raul’s expression twisted painfully and shit - what colour were Italian men’s eyes supposed to be? You quickly corrected yourself: "Brown! Definitely brown!".

He looked at you as if you'd slapped him across the face, and not in a sexy way.

"Light. Blue." He spoke every word as if he had difficulty breathing. "Quite unusual, I know. People have been complimenting my eyes all my life. Can't you see that?"

You could not see that. You didn’t want to see that either.

Damn, of all the Italians in Italy, why did you have to end up with the one who had blue eyes? What were the chances?

"Shit," was all you could say.

"I thought you were in love with me," Raul said. "you didn't even know what I looked like." 

Damn. What were you supposed to say to that?

He got up from the chair next to your bed and repeated, his voice hollow: "You still don't know what I look like. You still… CAZZO!"

He slammed his fist against the window frame so hard that you flinched, but the glass held steady. 

He looked on the verge of tears. Please don't cry. How were you supposed to handle a grown Italian man crying? You are the one who should be crying right now!

"CAZZO MALEDIZIONE!" Raul shouted again, his voice shaking. “MERDA, MERDA, MERDA!”

Great, keep screaming and we'll have nurses rushing in here, and you bet your ass it’s not him they would be sedating.

"I'm sorry, Raul." You said as you watched him try to regain control of himself. "It doesn't mean... Doesn't mean... Just because I see you differently doesn't change how I feel about you. Looks aren't everything, right? Who cares?"

That didn’t sound right. 

He must have thought the same, because he did not say anything for a good minute and then gave you a very formal smile, all business nothing personal, which was way scarier than his outburst. 

“I am sorry…”, you tried again.

"You don’t need to feel sorry for anything, Anya”, he interrupted. “You're sick, that much is clear. It's my…. responsibility to do everything I can to help you heal”.

You don’t need to heal, you opened your mouth to say, but he cut you off YET AGAIN:

“But I do think now it would be best if you stayed under Dr. Bambauer’s supervision for now."

Holy fuck no not the Dollmaker you are not stepping into his therapy room never

“No-no-no, baby, please”, you pleaded, struggling against the restraints. “Angus is… not a good man. At all. I swear he isn’t. And not because he lobotomies children or something. He just… isn’t. Don’t leave me alone with him. Baby, please. He will fuck me up”.

“I believe Angus to be a competent specialist”, Raul said, arms crossed over his chest. “Whether he is a good man is a different matter. I will have my people monitor this place - and your state - at all times, don’t worry. I won’t let anyone harm you”.

He placed a very chaste kiss on your forehead. 

“I wish you all the best and pray for your swift recovery, Anya”.

FUCK YOU AND YOUR PRAYERS YOU PASTA-GOBBLING ASSHOLE!

That’s not what you said, no. What you did was put all your most “baby please” face and plead:

“Raul…”

“Don't argue with me, Anya,” He interrupted. “I know what’s best for you.”

read the rest of the chapter on ao3

[coffee-at-annies]

So you’re new to hockey and ppl keep mentioning this big scary thing called the Trade Deadline (TDL).

What is it? It’s the last day of the regular season that teams can make trades and the traded players are eligible to play for their new teams. Trades can still happen but the players can’t play so you only really see it for AHL players.

What are trades? When two teams trade resources between then during off-season, preseason, and regular season.

Resources? Those are human people! You are correct and wrong. Trades come in a lot of shapes in sizes but will usually include one of four things:

the contract for a major league (NHL) player

the contract for a minor league (AHL) player

the rights for non-NHL/AHL players (sometimes considered prospects tho that can apply to any NHL-hopeful players still considered developing)

(prospects include college players under contract, players in lower leagues like the WHL or QMJHL who have been drafted but aren’t old enough for the AHL, players still playing over seas, etc) (and yes usually ahl players but I wanted to be specific)

Draft picks for the upcoming draft(s) (ie eventually a shiny new boy)

There’s a bunch of stuff that goes into trades beyond just “I give you all of our bad players you give us all of your best players” despite the way fans and the media talk about trades. Stuff like roster limits, the salary cap, no trade clauses, etc and this is where you get things like salary retention or conditional picks. I don’t understand all of it. I am not a contract lawyer.

Why trade players? To make your team better or to set up your team for the future.

To make your team better: obviously adding more good players will help push your team from good to great. Especially if you’re trying to make a deep run in the playoffs and need depth scoring or are worried about injuries.

Set your team up for the future: there’s 32 teams and not 32 playoff spots. Many teams won’t make it. Team that think they won’t make it will trade their good players, usually those on an expiring contract to teams that are looking to make a playoff push because they can get a lot of stuff in return. That stuff could be other players that may fit better on their team, but it’s usually also draft picks so the team can draft shiny new boys that could grow up into being the best player on their team.

But wait! Some trades make my team worse! Yeah that’s because of a thing called the salary cap. Sometimes you have to get rid of a player to be able to afford a new player. That’s why trades usually include players going each way, money out and money in. Sometimes this means you make a trade with a second team to make cap space before making that trade with the first team.

What do you mean by expiring contracts? Contracts have limits. They end. At the end of them you have to get the player to agree to sign another contract with you, usually considered an extension of their current contract, especially if they sign the new one before the official end date. This is what a contract extension is. If you don’t think they will sign, then it makes sense to trade them during the season to get a return on investment because otherwise they can say no thanks to any contract you offer and they’re gone during free agency and you have nothing to show for it. (That is if they’re a UFA - unrestricted free agent. RFA - restricted free agent - is a status for new/young players in the league and it means there’s more nonsense around what a team is required to do before you can just walk away).

(Gonna get into pens specific stuff now sorry if you’re on another team and were finding this helpful).

This is why everyone thinks we’re going to trade Jake Guentzel btw. A) he’s a very good player. B) he’s in an expiring contract (1UFA). C) if he doesn’t want to re-sign with us (aka extend his current contract) then we can’t stop him from leaving and there’s 7 years down the drain with nothing to show for it. (that’s a lie he has a cup ring). D) people like to speculate about trades. E) people love to be like what if you gave us your good player and we gave you our bad player and remember Jake is a very good player. F) the pens kind of suck right now. we aren’t playing well enough to guarantee the playoffs. we don’t have a lot of trade capital (prospects and draft picks) to go out and get better players (plus we’re up against the salary cap). and we don’t have a lot of boys who are good that it makes sense to trade away. G) enter Jake Guentzel.

I’m not saying we will trade Jake, just trying to give an explanation of people think we might. There’s as many reasons not to trade him as there are reasons to trade him. A) he’s Sidney Crosby’s favorite winger. B) he’s one of our top goal scorers. C) the modified no-trade-list (m-ntc) means he has a list of 12 teams we can’t trade him to. he can be traded but if the top team that wants him is the top of his no trade list, well that trade isn’t going to happen. D) he’s injured. he’s eligible to come off ltir immediately after the trade deadline but that could discourage interested teams. E) he may cost too much to trade. Dubas may not get a price that he thinks is worth trading Jake for. not every trade is guaranteed. F) finally, we don’t actually know how contract talk is going with his agent. he loves the city. he’s one of the faces of our team. he loves playing with Sid. the reason to trade him is if Dubas doesn’t think we can re-sign him and we don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors.

Hope this helps! Let me know if I can answer any questions

[blueberry-ash]

Accidentally re-read Chapter 400-403 of the TKA novel, and now I'm invested in the idea of Ye Qiu finally getting to just... have his turn at stepping away from Ye family obligations.

(Random segue: this section of Ye Xiu backstory is absolutely one of those areas where I really feel Ye Xiu is an unreliable narrator when it comes to talking about himself. Yes, sure, he definitely saw his brother's Running Away Suitcase and nicked it, taking the chance to run away himself. But the stuff implying that he, in that moment, had a reasonable plan about going pro as a gamer, with a baked-in end date, etc etc, whereas all Ye Qiu wanted was to leave...? I don't really buy that. Nobody was going pro with Glory at that point, okay? And even if he really did leave to go play video games, doesn't that also sound just like a little boy (same as his brother), eager to jettison himself from their family situation? Maybe I have the timelines wrong, but I'm really pretty sure that Glory, and being a pro-gamer, and all that really only came along with Su Muqiu, by which point Ye Xiu is implied to have been basically living in internet cafes. That does not really sound like a kid with a plan significantly crafted beyond Opportunistically Leave and Do Frowned-Upon Hobby, okay?)

But. Uh. That aside. What I now want is the story where Ye Qiu finally does get his chance to just... fuck off for a while. To just leave. Not shoulder his parents' expectations, or even his own, just... go away, and maybe en route figure out what his dream actually is?

Except, I think you'd have to machinate an external excuse to allow him to do that, at this point. He's spent too long being The Good Son, y'know? That's not an easy habit to break. And it probably won't be made any easier even if/when Ye Xiu does actually return to co-shoulder the Ye family business or whatever, because even in a scenario where Ye Xiu does genuinely decide to invest himself in that in a wholehearted way, Ye Xiu is still never going to do it in a Ye Qiu Would Do It This Way kind of way.

Actually, I think watching Ye Xiu very successfully "Ye Xiu"ing his way through the tasks and expectations, which Ye Qiu has been making such a point of doing so dutifully and correctly all this time, would probably be a whole new kind of hell for Ye Qiu, ngl.

All of which somehow leads me to the wacky crack-y suggestion of: Local Pro Players Realise The Existence Of Ye Qiu Is Ultimately The Fundamental Reason God Ye Has Been Able To Be Their Great Goal And/Or Rival All These Years; They Reward The Guy By Kidnapping Him From His Corporate Life Of Responsibilities and Showing Him A Good Time. Which would, of course, lead to chaotic shenanigans all around, surely, since I truly believe he has ZERO interest in video games, and most of them probably aren't all that experienced at a huuuuge amount of stuff outside of them. The hell do they even end up? Dragging him off on a holiday that goes impossibly wrong, but somehow in a fun way--? I Have No Idea!

Of course, that or... Chen Guo just randomly tells him he's doing a direct swap with Ye Xiu, cheers, meaning he's now hired at the Internet Cafe/some administrative part of Team Happy, please and thank you, enjoy your newfound levels of relatively low pressure work, questionable pay, and excellent socialisation opportunities as we plunge you face-first into geek culture, sorry not sorry. Also, btw, this girl(boy)(whoever) from the front desk seems to have taken a fancy to you, have fun.

[utilitycaster]

As someone who has expressed that creators should be more hostile to fans (agreed), I am curious about your thoughts on this EXU interlude, now that it’s complete, as a creative move for the campaign. I was also disappointed in the timing, for sure, but I am also deeply annoyed at the fans who are still out here expecting significant changes to CR’s clear strategy of highlighting content outside of the main campaign and diversifying their programming. That this is being lumped in with “everything CR is doing outside of the main campaign like Candela and Midst and EXU is boring and bad" and seeing people be so incredibly frustrated that they dared bring in EXU stuff into the sacred space of the main campaign (something that should've been clear from ep 1 when three of the crown keepers were there) makes me want to defend the decision on principal, but I am torn on if this actually worked or not. Perhaps a few more episodes with Dorian back are needed to solidify an opinion, idk.

(And, FWIW, I don't care if this was a production need or not, nor do I buy that this was to give Sam more time on character creation, I think it was a very deliberate creative choice and should be judged as such).

Hi anon,

I find myself in a similar position:

I think people who act like every off week from the main campaign is an affront (especially when Critical Role usually is very clear in saying so, whether it's for Candela, for a one-shot, or for interruptions like the sick day character creation q&a) fucking suck. It's fine if Midst and Candela aren't your thing - I think they're both excellent but if you don't care for horror or if you have difficulty following podcasts, that's valid - but this is part of Critical Role's programming! I also agree that people who were salty that Fearne and Orym came from EXU are annoying, and I agree that this was a deliberate creative choice and should be judged as such.

I still think, ultimately, this wasn't very well done. The timing was particularly bad as I discussed before, but also, even if the timing were great, I don't like that it was a surprise. Not so much because I hate surprises, but actually I would have really appreciated some time to review the (non-Orym and Fearne) Crown Keepers, who, as a group in some capacity, last were the PCs of an adventure 2 years ago in real time. It's been a hot second. I personally have some difficulty re: investment in the Crown Keepers that I'm going to throw onto a different ask I received and to be honest I wonder if I'm not alone and this was something they anticipated and so did this specifically so that it was unavoidable (or at least, would require effort to avoid). So yeah I don't want to say that experimentation with the format is a bad thing - I want Critical Role to do new and different stuff - but I think as long as you're not shooting down every new choice it is okay to dislike elements of this one.

As for whether it worked: what I can say is I enjoy where the Crown Keepers' story ended but I'm also pretty okay with this being the end of them as a party and only seeing them as NPCs or in unrelated scenarios (eg: Fy'ra popping up in a guest battle royale). If they show up as guests in the main campaign, that could be good too, but I'm honestly like...could we get Erica and Aabria on Candela as players and could we get more Anjali in everything always and could we do another totally unrelated EXU sometime soon?

[rallamajoop]

Lab Photos and Documents from Resident Evils 7 & 8

Near the end of both Resis 7 and 8, the player character gets to explore a laboratory full of significant documents and interesting photos, textured and angled such that it’s very hard to get a good screencap. So here’s a huge dump of all the relevant image assets I could find to extract from both game files (plus some rambling about everything that got recycled between them, because spot-the-reused-asset is still my favourite game right now).

Photos from Lucas' lab in Resident Evil 7

The photo of Mia with Eveline in front of the tanker can be found at the end of the Mia video tape, though it also shows up again in Lucas' other lab in the Not A Hero DLC. That DLC also throws in a few new photos of Lucas' creations.

And moving on a game...

Photos from Miranda's Lab in Resident Evil 8

(Apologies for the long post above the cut, but tumblr doesn't seem to let you tile images below a 'Read more', unfortunately.)

What’s interesting is that most do seem to be legitimate photos of the characters’ real-life face models, not just renders of their 3D game models. Whether the human models themselves posed for these or whether their likeness was simply photoshopped onto scenes composed without them I haven’t been able to find out (though the latter seems more likely to me, given that most face models don't even seem to have known what character their likeness would be used for). Either way, there’s an eerie realism to these that doesn’t occur in many other parts of the game, and it’s effective in its own uncanny way.

Since both games refer to the same research at the same lab, it's probably reasonable that some of RE8 photos are just slightly-adjusted copies of those from RE7 ‒ those two shots of Eveline in the lab most obviously. And we're probably just supposed to politely ignore how obviously Miranda's just been selectively edited into that original pic of Eveline with the scientists. *cough*

In fact, if you look closely, even that big group photo of Eveline with the research team and transport operatives has actually patched in both Mia and Eveline from that earlier photo of them standing in front of the tanker. In fact, Alan (Mia's partner in RE7) isn't even from a photo at all: that's a drawing from a piece concept art (no wonder they've got him standing at the back!) As a minor role who appeared in no photos in RE7, I assume they just didn't have any good shots of his face model available.

I'm a little suspicious even Miranda's face in the group shot has been edited in from one of her other photos, but the match isn't quite perfect enough for me to be sure.

Even that photo of the needle going into the egg and the developing foetus isn't new: you can see the same needle shot in some of the RE7 documents, and even the foetus development series gets an angled scan-over in the RE7 ending sequence.

Mind you, some of those "photos of Eveline" may actually not be Eveline herself ‒ text on them in the lab itself suggests they're photos of other members of the E-series, sacrificed during necrotoxin tests. Which makes it rather odd that the figure in the second photo is an adult man who looks nothing like Eveline, so I can only assume some wires got crossed somewhere in the dev team.

(Also odd: the suggestion that there were multiple E-series subjects, some of whom were put down for experimental purposes, even though Eveline herself is labeled E-001. But let's not pretend RE lore has ever been super-consistent at the best of times.)

RE8's "lab photos" also include a couple of shots of a man in snow gear who's apparently Spencer of Umbrella-fame, presumably for all those fans who don't feel it's a proper Resident Evil game if there's not an Umbrella in it somewhere. They're both about as rough as that one piece of concept art of Alan, so I'm guessing whoever created them was about as invested in that topic as I am.

Somewhat more interesting to me are the two shots of Miranda with babies. The second obvious Eveline, but the first is presumably of Miranda with Eva, way back in 1920 or so ‒ demonstrating nothing so much much as that in a full 100 years, Miranda hasn't even slightly changed how she does her eyebrows. /s

[yeyinde]

Haha, I also spoil myself intentionally, but for the plot of movies, tv shows, and games I’m not super invested in. If I accidentally spoil myself (especially if I learn a character dies) I’ll cope by telling myself “I don’t know how/when it happened though”

Anyways Major Character Death!!

I’m SO disappointed in them killing off Soap and especially in how they did it! No buildup or anything! To me it was disrespectful to the character and to Neil Ellice. And then the 141 don’t even say anything and it cuts to them spreading his ashes with a simple goodbye! They could have at least made them a little more upset 🥲 also I hate how abruptly the game ended. Makarov gets away, but no mention to that at the end.

I had also initially requested what would become infinity in the palm of your hand (eternity in an hour) as a way to “cope” with 2009 Soap’s death because it’s always been on the back of my mind for years (weird, I know). But now after playing the new MW3 campaign I look like boo boo the fool because of who went and got killed off 😭 now every time I go back to reread it, it will be painful knowing what’s in store for reader for their current reincarnation of Soap.

Tldr I’m kinda not okay with MW3.

From what I've seen, it feels like they pulled it out of a hat. All names went in, but his (amongst others) came out. And I guess it's safe because he died in the OG, so the backlash can easily be deflected from within their own community when other fans come to their defence over this choice. But idk.

I agree with everything you said. It doesn't make any sense. It's jarring and misplaced, and canonically pointless. I'm not against character death. Grief is a powerful thing. But I just hate when it's so contrived and needless. It was definitely done for shock value over plot/character growth and I think they were trying to re-create the massive storm that happened when OG Soap died because they know they don't have much else going for them. It just massively missed the mark because: a) Price and Gaz had no tangible in-game relationship with Soap the same way Ghost did; and b) what does his death really amount to in the end? Nothing. It feels cobbled together and poorly thought out. It's sad when Portal 2 has better writing than your whole remake combined. Honestly, it's kind of impressive how little thought they put into this. I'm getting flash backs to DGG's Halloween.

If it's any consolation, the mythology I based the reincarnation off of in infinity would essentially just be neverending. An ouroboros. The events would happen much the same way. A knock on the door. Spiral of grief. A bog. A deal. Restart. So, you'd just wake up again and live life until whatever the old you made a deal with decides it's time to collect. You're forever stuck in a loop with your soulmate until you get it right.

The rest is just how I kinda wish it went, but this was getting very long because I have more thoughts on this than I anticipated lmao 😅

Personally, I think it would have been much more interesting if they brought in a new passel of characters and slowly chipped off the main cast in a series of horrible decisions that slowly begin to feel hollow and empty. That leave you, the player, feeling emotionally gutted with each new chapter because the choices previously are absolutely impacting the way they move forward, but they're too deep into their own revenge fantasy to see it until the very end when it's too late. Give me actions have consequences and every choice you make is directly responsible for someone's death. The realities of war. And what happens when you give a group of people the power to play god in countries they know nothing about. It would have matched the gritty tone they tried to go for with the trailers and actually served as an interesting conversation about war and how we tend to deify the military when they're just men with too much power in their hands. Instead, we have a death that means nothing. That arguably happened much too early in the series so the payoff is solely meant for clicks and reaction channels. Pointless.

And Makarov. A Russian Ultra Nationalist. I feel like that title alone says everything for me, and yet. They still somehow managed to give a Russian War Criminal so many wins. I'm just so irritated by it all.

[lemotmo]

Help 😂 the way this family feud episode just keeps getting more side eye worthy is astounding 😂😂

We all know the side eye it got for the cast they picked to do it 👀. And how they all fit a certain theme in the show which caused the side eye to then be like whys Ryan there 👀

Which then caused the side eye of did family feud just accidentally out Eddie Diaz 👀👀 which got further side eye as they moved the episode and kept it super secret in terms of info in it 👀 which then in turn after the air date was announced shifted to more side eye when they also announced it would already be RE airing the night before the new season starts.

Which brings us to today/tonight with us getting actual stills of the line ups which caused people to be like wait a minute..why does the 911 team having one less player compared to their competition from Jury Duty who have 6 players while 911 has 5 causing the side eye of people saying there’s only 5 from 911 because there’s no other queer characters from the cast to send 👀👀 (and I admit I did have to stop when I read this because I A) didn’t even realize they were in fact short 1 person compared to jury duty until today, and B) the only other person I could think of them maybe sending would have been Lou since Tommy is queer, so the fact they didn’t definitely makes me go 👀👀 both because hes not a main/regular cast and it also shows they again had a chance to show investment in his character and again chose not to, while also acknowledging yeah there really isn’t anyone else they could have sent to match the vibe lol)

Then the other side of tonight that the stills/line up brought up that caused side eye was how they have them lined up. People were like why didn’t they have them go boy girl boy girl boy, instead they had them go with Bryan(Josh) on the end, and then they put the two character couples together with Aisha and Karen (Hen and Karen aka Henren) together and then Oliver and Ryan (Buck and Eddie aka Buddie) together which caused some 👀👀👀.

Now ultimately and truthfully does any of it actually mean anything? Who knows at this point 😂 I certainly don’t anymore. Maybe some of it does, maybe none of it does, I know I’ve definitely side eyed it ever since they originally announced which cast members were going, but I love family feud and I can def say I’ve never seen so many eye brow raising things generated from an upcoming episode before and I find it hilarious just how much has been now lmao.

To be honest, I do think FF will tell us nothing 911 related, but it will be one hell of a fun ride. I'm looking forward to seeing the cast in this setting and I want to see them get competitive. :)

But I love all the analyzing and theorising though. I'm a sucker for a good FF theory. 😋

Have a good day Nonny!

[lewis-winters]

3 and 6 for the positivity meme?

I'll answer this backwards because my answer to no. 3 got long.

6 - what's a headcanon that you'll die on that hill?

Lewis Nixon III was a theater kid and has done drag in his life. This is forreal. The ghost of Dick Winters revealed this to me in a dream.

3 - what are some fics you go back and read again and again?

oh I love this question. in the last ask I did say I left out some creators and now is my time to redeem myself! (also another reminder that I desperately need to finish this massive fic rec post I have been steadily adding fics to since January BUT ANYWAY)

under the cut!

all of @churchkey's Winnix and ToyeMalarkey fics! god do I love them so much. I re-read A Spell of Riot once a year since it was completed.

and of course @anthrobrat's Bob, TP, and Gen Kill fics!

all of BristlingBassoon's Winnix fics - Queen for a Day inspired my "Lewis has done drag" conviction and When we met, you'd never expect this series is just. divine.

@marycontraire's Contact Tracing. of course.

make it up as we go along - Joe drives his cab, Chuck plays Call of Duty, and Babe just wants to pass Biochem; their apartment is like Grand Central at the best of times and that’s without the two possible fugitives they decided to harbor in the guest room; Luz’s life is turning into a terrible romcom about a coffee shop; Harry’s friends are bad at running a bar but they’re trying their best; somebody got punched in the face; and someday there will be a New York Times Bestseller about all of it.

Or, the interlinked soap opera-worthy drama of a group of millennials in Philadelphia, told day by day.

Lie if God is Sleeping - Gene flipped the puzzle over to read the back. “My name is Edward Heffron,” he read aloud. “I killed a man, and now I’m paying the price. 18,000 pieces. It will take approximately seven days to complete me. For experienced players only.”

What the fuck was a curse this nasty doing in a Philadelphia used bookstore?

rivers always reach the sea - my favorite webgott canon era series fic ever

Situation Normal - Winters and Nixon move to the city, reunite with some old friends and find themselves adopting a new, four-legged one.

By Small and Small - Babe wants to keep talking with Gene, but he doesn’t really know what to say. He feels like, in the past, he never would’ve shut up, but now, since Julian, he’s just got nothing. Maybe that’s grieving; Bill says that’s grieving, anyway, but Bill uses the term like a Band-Aid to put over every aspect of Babe that has changed.

Or: The one where Gene is in med school and Babe's messed up over Julian.

Dear Lover - A group of friends who supervise soldiers' mail are secretly very invested in one Major Winters' letters to a woman he seems to be having a secret affair with.

all or SJtrinity's Band of Brothers (webgott) fics and The Pacific (sledgefu and andyeddie) fics

Green and Gold - Merriell has dark magic and a guilty conscious. He never considered how the war would change them.

The American Sublime - "Tactician that he is, he finds the likelihood of still being loved by someone who, thanks to him, has just awakened to a wicked hangover and a face full of cold piss next to nil."

Dick Winters and Lewis Nixon billet together at a farmhouse in Holland for a rare few weeks of peace and privacy, while Dick struggles to process his promotion and his time away from Easy Company. Set during the first minutes of Episode 5, "Crossroads."

Cows. Wildflowers. Feelings. Handjobs.

Black Ink on Some Blue Lines - It’s been sixteen years since the letter was written, but it never found its way to the one it was intended for. The thing about secrets is they eat away at you, not all at once but slowly over the years, and you begin to wonder, to play out the what if scenarios in your mind. Instead, David buried it away and pretended like it never existed. He should have killed it, he thinks to himself, not buried it while it still had breath in its lungs.

In which David remembers his evolving relationship with Joe over the course of the war and decides to deliver a letter.

Baby You Can Drive My Car - Everyone has their thing. Perco takes watches. Nix scrounges for liquor. Welsh continues his never-ending quest for anything that will please Kitty Grogan. Even Eugene robs abandoned apothecaries with only a touch of guilt, making off with as many bandages and sulfa packets as he can carry. And then there’s Speirs, sweeping behind them like a shadow and carrying away anything they leave behind that sparkles or shines.

Babe steals cars. He’s getting pretty good at it.

Come in From the Cold - In which Smokey Gordon's coffee shop 'Bastogne' saves lives by lending cutting instruments and offering a steady supply of caffeine and sugary goodness. The shenanigans are just a by-product.

Call me 'sweetheart', Please? by @mariamegale - A not-relationship in the making. (baberoe)

anthroposcene, interrupted - Three months ago, Ray Person was a Philosophy major at Harvard. Now, he's dodging Runners trying to get from St. Louis to Cambridge without a) starving, b) dying by accident or c) offing himself. However, three's company, and it comes in the form of a dog with no bark and a taciturn Marine Staff Sergeant who's last name is Not-Pitt, which has gotta count for something.

[moldybonessmell]

So.. There are some of my genshin characters' builds I'm kinda proud of + team comps as AR 60 playing for 3,5 years

(esp proud as f2p except for Shenhe skin)

______________________

Tartaglia main since year one he's my absolute babygirl

And I wasn't even simping for him, I liked him bc of the gameplay in the first Hyakunin Ikki event

Farmed hydro set for him, then the nymph set and then RE-BUILT him by farming the whole new nymph set the dedication is proved I think ahah

Childe C2 was a double accident trying to pull for Heizou and Freminet (I haven't got them btw lol)

The fact that his best team is still the International is vile but also incredibly based

______________________

Arlecchino enjoyer

Ngl I also wasn't really simping for her but for her gameplay and animations and ESPECIALLY SCYTCHE yes I did end up spending 100 f2p pulls for her weapon and I have no regrets

I use to play her in Overload team (with attack sands) but recently only been playing Vape

______________________

Neuvillette yes I'm a meta player

He's pretty straightforward and thankfully low-investment and he's been carrying me easily since release

I play him in few different teams, including double geo with Albedo, but teams other than Hypercarry are only for overworld

______________________

Fischl appreciator

Ngl I was pretty annoyed by her before this one summer event where we got to know her story and since then she easily became a top character for me (including damage-vise)

She's a sub-dps so I literally put her in every team I can lol

______________________

Proud Kaeya main

C6 Triple-crowed

Kaeya main day one. Literally the reason I started to play genshin. I didn't even know it's gatcha at the time imagine that. Just saw a pretty character on twitter and decided to try. I'm like super lucky he's standard chara lol

I've tried a few different builds over the years (physical, freeze, melt) and end up stopping at melt one

Yes, he's in his og outfit even tho I have the skin, I just like it more

Even pulled Shenhe for him (even tho she ended up being my absolute favourite female chara in genshin) I even got the skin for her and broke my f2p journey

Her build is hybrid, support noblesse but also cryo goblet for some damage

And yes, she has her signature, but to be honest I was trying to pull for Mistsplitter for Kaeya

I play them both in Melt comp

______________________

Alhaitham autism bonding /j unless

He's just that bitch you know. Plus I'm a meta player once again.

He's rocking 3* weapon because he's a low-investment king definitely not bc I'm broke

Hyperbloom team is my favourite yes I put him with 2 archons and what about it

Kuki is my queen btw but she's low-investment support so there's no need to show her build. I actually liked her since release and KNEW she's gonna get better over time.

______________________

Traumatised like Xiao

I was saving the entire first year I played just to get him (I started to play on his banner but couldn't get him), I never got any Inazuma 5* except for Kazuha just to get Xiao.

..And then devs decided to rerun him every 3 months FUCK

I was definitely hurt but oh well

Tried many different builds and teams for him (even pulled Albedo for double geo). Every time he was getting buffed, I got this chara/artifact.

Is my build doing enough damage? Still no. But he's still my favourite deadly little meow meow and I'm not ashamed to admit it (I kinda do cringe writing this please know it's meta ironic)

______________________

Last but not least Tighnari

Liked him since beginning and yes I did pull on his banner instead of waiting for standard and I don't regret it. He's a good dps and best standard chara

Tighnari's is a day-one build btw I haven't changed it since he came out I think it's still good.

______________________

That's it, thank you for reading if you did haha!!

[rurcbog00]

Rutgers–Camden and Rowan University: Shaping Camden’s Future Through an Innovative Partnership

In Camden, New Jersey, a dynamic partnership between Rutgers–Camden and Rowan University is driving significant transformation. This collaboration, overseen by the Rowan University/Rutgers–Camden Board of Governors (RURCBOG), is focused on expanding medical research, education, workforce training, and economic development. Under the leadership of Jeff Nash, RURCBOG is enhancing healthcare capacity, fostering innovation in health research, and developing a robust health sciences corridor in downtown Camden.

The Power of the Rutgers–Camden and Rowan University Partnership The RURCBOG was established to unite the strengths of Rutgers–Camden and Rowan University, two prestigious institutions in New Jersey. By pooling their expertise, these universities are creating a powerful force for change in Camden, particularly in the areas of medical research, education, and economic development. This innovative partnership aims to address critical challenges in healthcare, while also providing educational opportunities that lead to job creation and workforce development.

Healthcare and the Health Sciences Corridor One of the standout initiatives of RURCBOG is the development of the health sciences corridor in downtown Camden. This project is transforming the area into a cutting-edge hub for medical research, healthcare services, and education. The health sciences corridor will host top-tier research institutions, healthcare providers, and educational facilities, making Camden a central player in New Jersey’s healthcare landscape.

This focus on health research and education is not just about improving medical infrastructure but also about driving innovation. With increased healthcare capacity, Camden will not only offer residents improved access to healthcare services but also become a destination for health professionals, researchers, and students eager to contribute to advancements in the medical field.

Workforce Training and Educational Growth At the heart of the Rutgers–Camden and Rowan University collaboration is a commitment to education and workforce training. Both universities are renowned for their health sciences programs, which equip students with the skills they need to excel in high-demand healthcare careers. RURCBOG plays a crucial role in expanding these programs, ensuring that Camden becomes a center for training the next generation of healthcare professionals.

Through targeted workforce training initiatives, RURCBOG is addressing the region’s need for skilled workers in the healthcare and research sectors. By fostering educational growth, the board is not only preparing students for successful careers but also fueling Camden’s economic recovery. Graduates from these programs are poised to fill critical roles in the local healthcare system, strengthening the city’s capacity to provide quality medical services.

Economic Development in Downtown Camden Economic development projects are a cornerstone of RURCBOG’s strategy for Camden’s revitalization. By creating a thriving health sciences corridor and expanding educational opportunities, the board is attracting businesses and investment to downtown Camden. This has a ripple effect on the local economy, creating jobs, encouraging entrepreneurship, and driving long-term growth.

The healthcare and education sectors are particularly well-positioned to lead this charge, as they provide stable, high-paying jobs. As Camden continues to develop, these economic development projects are helping to re-establish the city as a place where businesses and individuals can thrive.

Jeff Nash: Leading the Charge for Camden’s Growth Jeff Nash, a key member of the RURCBOG, has been instrumental in guiding the board’s efforts to transform Camden. His leadership has helped shape RURCBOG’s initiatives in healthcare, education, and economic development. Nash’s vision for Camden includes not only creating opportunities for residents but also attracting investment and innovation to the city. Through his work, Camden is becoming a model for how partnerships between educational institutions and local government can drive meaningful change.

Stay Connected with RURCBOG For updates on the latest developments and initiatives from RURCBOG, be sure to follow their social media channels. Visit their Facebook page at Facebook.com/rurcbog and follow them on Twitter at twitter.com/rurcbog. To learn more about their projects and goals, explore their website at rurcbog.com.

A Bright Future for Camden The innovative partnership between Rutgers–Camden and Rowan University, facilitated by RURCBOG, is positioning Camden for a brighter future. With a focus on healthcare, education, and economic development, this collaboration is helping to transform downtown Camden into a thriving hub of innovation and opportunity. Through these efforts, Camden is set to become a leader in health research, workforce training, and economic growth.

[childlikegoblinqueen]

Some more previews for Chapter 71! (Plus writing notes!)

You're gonna get.

More Drunk Hunter.

More Drunk Lilith.

Some interaction between Edric - Josh - Hunter.

And ... Some context about the lost night.

Now on to notes! Below the "veil".

Hey there readers!

So for some context

FIRST!

Re: Josh and Hunter... in my previous fic Stranger Tides, the Hexsquad met Vee's Cabin 7 friends and eventually began to hang out with them along with Vee as she re-established her identity not as Luz's stand in.

I've mentioned this before, but Sweet Child is NOT a sequel to Stranger Tides -- but it does share the root that the Hexsquad became friendly with Cabin 7 over their summer and bonded over pop-culture and music etc.

In Stranger Tides, Josh had a massive crush on Hunter -- who was mostly clueless until the end where he had already established budding relationship with Willow -- and anyway, Josh was a player, which doesn't strike me as Hunters type.

I loved writing Josh so much that the concept of him dating Edric was a fun one I wanted to play with. First, I am aware of the fans who ship Ed and Hunter. The character I call Josh (Joshua Chhibber -- a nod to one of my favorite Desi Geek Girls, Preeti Chhibber. ) is voiced by Zeno Robinson as well. So first, I thought the concept of Hunter's V.O. technically hitting on himself was funny. And then I just kinda wanted to play with the concept of Josh dating Edric -- whom I adore and wanted more of in canon.

in Stranger Tides, when Josh met Hunter, he gave him a cafe drink with his (Josh's) number written on the side, instead of Hunter's name and teased Vee (disguised as Luz at that point) for bringing him a Targaryen Prince to date (Hunter's eyes would have still been magenta at that point).

Josh was never that aggressive. He was aware that Hunter was a hot mess and had another love interest -- but he still flirted a lot -- and in spite of this Josh always seemed to be dating someone new and forgetting to break up with the last one.

Second:

Re: Gavin.

It's difficult for me to write Gavin's character as awful as he is -- because without too much info about my personal life, Gavin is also the name of a very sweet kid in my life. Either way, his character works best in this context.

We've already seen Gavin's father (whom he was desperate to impress in canon) as an antagonist in Sweet Child. Gawain Tripe was scoffing at Alador's proposal to have Tripe Corp invest in tech that removes sigils. Gawain also made comments against basilisks, grimwalkers, and to a lesser degree, humans.

Gavin hints that his father's company has a common interest with Tibble's campaign.

Third:

Re: Darius' Arrival and Hunter's push to stand up for himself.

Yeah, so Darius HAS arrived ... finally. This is as Gavin makes comments (jokes?) suggesting that Tibbles would like to see Hunter executed for (supposedly) targeting Bonesborough businesses that displayed support for his very speciesist campaign.

Hunter is finally allowing himself to express anger for what is being done to him by the tabloids -- AND by Tibbles who had run a tabloid (acquired by Odalia) and is now running for a major office that could have dire consequences not only for Hunter as the last grimwalker, but for his and Willow's child.

With this, Gavin drops some of that propaganda from the so-called history books which Flora lauds. Historically, he claims that the sentence for a "disobedient grimwalker" was death -- so there's a precedent -- and that brings us to Belos' pit.

While Darius has shown up, Hunter is remembering the press conferences he was propped up at -- by Darius' suggestion. He'd never told Darius "no", but at the time he would never have stood up for himself. He trusted Darius that these conferences were for the best -- even though each one ripped him apart.

Darius has arrived... but is his presence actually helping? Or is it digging up more anger?

Last:

Re: A possible incarceration or execution?

The idea that Hunter could be imprisoned or executed for any reason is literally what Vee had been afraid of happening to him.

But in this case, who benefits most from this?

Questions welcome, but answers will only be non-spoilery!

For Chapter 71 we're returning to BACHELOR PARTY FOR STEVE to get a better picture as to what happened the night in question.

See you all tomorrow. I hope!

[comicsofthecaribbean]

The Brethren Court's war with the EITC has drawn the ire of all major European powers against Shipwreck Cove. The future of piracy itself lies on the shoulders of the newly elected Pirate King--a woman seemingly married to death itself. But armadas of empires and trading companies aren't the only threat she faces: after all, pirates will always be pirates. And when the sea's most ancient powers start coming back from the dead near whispers of the Fountain of Youth, it seems even the underworld has been thrown into commotion. Will the quest for immortality unveil the pirates' key to victory or the final kiss of their demise?

Tides of Eternity is an upcoming fan comic providing another canon-divergent sequel following the events of the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. It'll feature all of the trilogy's most familiar faces alongside re-imagined major players from On Stranger Tides and Dead Man Tell No Tales in a totally new story that attempts to embody the spirit of the first three movies.

I will be posting the comic on Pixiv, and will try to cross-post it on AO3 and this blog, along with updates and such.

In a less flowery summary: While Jack and Barbossa's quest for the Fountain of Youth draws the eyes of the entire world, Elizabeth attempts to lead the fight for freedom as Pirate King on the seas of the living, and Will endeavors to rebuild the seas of the dead and save its lost souls, including his own, from the ramifications of Davy Jones' reign of terror.

It's basically me making the Part 4 I would have wanted, taking an approach similar to Dead Man's Chest's ambitious three-pronged storyline with Elizabeth maintaining her role as the series protagonist--because that's what it should have been to me. I just am choosing to share it in hopes that others enjoy it too.

Fix-it fics that deal with this part of the PotC timeline are a dime a dozen, so I don't want to claim that this is anything "more special" than any other attempt out there. But it is an undertaking I don't think has been attempted before, being a comic. A fic would be much easier, but especially after DMTNT I've been craving something more similar to a cinematic experience, and this is the closest I have the ability to produce.

Not only will it be a comic instead of a fic, it features an expansive story that has been years in the making. While the main development began in earnest over lockdown in 2020, many aspects of the story comes from ideas I've stewed over since 2007--with @victorianoir, @nerdofmanytalents and other old fandom friends indulging me with being my main sounding boards over the years, and newer friends like @kickingthepirate, @flameandignite and others listening to my vague musings over the past few months.

(Thanks to all of you for indulging me, by the way!)

This is very much a passion project that has taken years for me to start and will take years for me to complete. I'm eying to begin posting hopefully this month, and we'll see how things go. Even if I don't end up finishing the entire comic, I have the story plotted out and will try to make sure it gets posted in one for or another, so if anyone gets invested it doesn't end up an unfinished tale.

Here's hoping for a fun ride!