#just a regular plain little shell

[vinceaddams]

it's required by law that all jumbled up old button collections must have at least 1 seashell in them

[rxsilabeth--er]

You really had with that fic (gorgeously written)..like what about detective!reg and partner reader who is also secretly the killer they are assigned for?

(Nsfw, degrading kink, trans!Regulus, murder, blood, knife kink, male!reader, alright!!! I love this, enjoy this drabble!! minors dni...pretty long, sorry about that..)

Detective! Regulus who is on the top of his field, his smart brains, cunning personality, charisma and more helps him get criminals out of him easily. He is quite surprised to be with you for a case over a murderer. You, a pretty little intern, following him behind like a little puppy, how cute!~

Detective! Regulus who is always happy to make you understand things you don't understand or accompany you to question witness and people if you find it hard..

Detective! Regulus who softly falls in love with you as you open up your shy and nervous shell to show your extreme intelligence, critical and logical way of thinking along with your amazing communication skills making you quickly rise in the place for being a good detective.

Detective! Regulus who starts to fall in love with you, not knowing your real identity. Who softly tries to keep you at arms length to make sure some other girl or guy doesn't steal you away, you're so close with him!

Detective! Regulus who gets so close to finding the person behind the murders, but slips at the last moment and you offered to help him release stress, you're a virgin but you're eager to help your seniors!

Detective! Regulus who rides you as roughly as he want, letting him release his anger, you're always so happy to help other people, especially your senior who is so stress from looking for the murderer and looses him at the last minute...

Detective! Regulus who of-course finds riding you will be the only way to relax, he'll feel better now, bouncing on top of you, his head thrown back, his pussy squelching around your dick and make obscenely loud noises through his office which makes it blatantly obvious to all his co-workers...

Detective! Regulus who now finds it a regular occurrence to get fucked by you after work whenever he needs you, you're so soft, holding his waist as you thrust in him, praising him and worshiping him as you cry out and whimpers from when his pussy clenches around you, sending waves of shock through your body...

Detective! Regulus who shoves his nimble fingers in your mouth to shut you up. His fingers will be in your mouth as you gag around them, tears down your cheeks sometimes, not that he cares, you look better with your mouth shut and if he can't use his fingers, his panties will work the same!

Detective! Regulus who one day goes to your house, just to surprise you, as he stands beside the long plains where you house is located, looking inside the window to find a scene he didn't think he would see...you with a bloody hammer in your hand as you cleaned up a pool of blood from the floor, before your eyes caught his...fuck, you caught him..

Detective! Regulus who tries to run away, but can't cause he didn't prepare well enough and is tied up in your house as you straddled his waist and before he knows it, he's choking on your dick as fuck his throat, laughs and moans and mocks leaving your mouth as you look down at him...

Detective! Regulus who finds a whole another side of you as your fuck him against a wall, filthy degrading words leaving your mouth which make him all the more wet on your dick, "Fuck slut...are you seriously my senior? What type of senior cries and whines and chokes on their intern's cock?.....Oh? dripping wet as well...tch, you're such a slut..." you said sighing as a hand wrapped around his throat tightens before you pull just as he was about to cum...

Detective! Regulus Whom you edge or overstimulate for hours on end, he's basically your sex toy now! your stupid, little, whorish pet who turns wet simply when you yell at him...a bit of a cheap slut, but he's a good boy, so who are you to say anything?

Detective! Regulus who gets more turned on when you hold a knife to his neck or a gun against his head or when you use the gun to rub against his clit..this is messed up! "Stop..what the fuck...this is messed up, Y/N!", "Then why is he getting more wet if it's so bad...just admit it Regulus, you like being a whore...my personal whore~♡"

Detective! Regulus who refuses to go to the police because he's fallen for you, that's completely wrong and goes against his morals! But you promised him to stop killing, so you will listen right? Well....maybe after a few more kills...

© This writing work belongs to me, rxsilabeth--er, Aurelia, Rosilabeth, Cerine. Reblogging is appreciated, but plagiarizing or copying my works is forbidden, thank you for reading this and if you like this check out my blog!

[godesssiri]

10 Thrifting Tips – Part ? I lost count just check my thrifting tag

1) Make friends with the staff. If you go into a particular thrift store frequently it’s well worth it to get friendly with the staff. Ask them about their day, chat with them about what you’re buying, infodump if you’ve found something exciting and unusual. When the staff get to know you and know what you buy they’ll start pointing out things in the store that have come in since the last time you were there, that fit your interests. They may even start putting things aside for you. Recently I walked into my favorite thrift store and had 2 separate staff members say ‘Oh I’ve got something for you’. Plus having the staff greet you by name and having little inside jokes with them just makes the whole experience more fun.

2) Brita jugs turn up at the thrift store frequently. If tap water in your area is safe but has A Taste, keep an eye out at the thrift store.

3) Coffee making equipment. Capsule coffee makers, the wire racks that hold the capsules, French presses, these all get donated frequently. The occasional espresso machine comes in – and goes out very quickly. Now and then you’ll find pour-over coffee equipment. If you like your bean juice you can get the equipment you need to make fancy bean juice at the thrift store.

4) Handmade pottery mugs. Story time: About 6 or 7 years ago I went into a thrift store and someone had obviously just cleaned out their mug cupboard and donated a pile of handmade pottery. I bought 4 because I thought they were cool, very tactile, nice to hold. This AWOKE something in me. Humans have used handmade pottery for thousands of years and there’s something about holding a handmade mug that sparks a genetic memory of warmth and comfort. Pottery also has much better thermal properties than mass produced ceramic, hot stays hot longer and vice versa with cold. Build up a little collection of handmade pottery mugs from the thrift store, each one has its own personality and it brings joy using them.

5) In the same vein: teaspoons. Build up a collection of fun teaspoons and take joy from using different ones depending on your mood. I have one with an owl on the end and another with a rose, a brass one with a wiggly handle in the shape of a snake, one that has the branding of an airline that now only uses wooden stirrers - probably because people kept pocketing the stainless-steel teaspoons (I always wanted to steal one as a child but never had the nerve). Whenever I need a teaspoon it’s always a little endorphin boost to open the drawer and select the perfect one for today.

6) If you need something to do a specific job, be patient, you will find the perfect thing eventually. I switched to solid shampoo and my old soap dish wasn’t big enough to hold my shampoo bar and my regular soap, so I waited and watched and found the perfect little glass tray that was exactly the right size and fits perfectly on the shelf in my shower. I could have bought a brand new made-for-that-purpose multi soap holder, but it wouldn’t have been as cool looking and when I’m done with it, it wouldn’t necessarily get another life.

7) Gift supplies. Thrift stores often have a selection of unused gift wrap, bags, bows, cards. It’s worth it to sift through what they’ve got and buy any you think you might use – even if you don’t have an immediate use for it. That stuff can get expensive so if you can create a small stash then, when you need it, you won’t have to shell out $$.

8) Look for things that can be made over – or thrift flipped as the DIY content creators like to say. There’s so much satisfaction from looking at something that was plain ugly when you bought it and you’ve turned it into something pretty. It doesn’t need to be a major transformation that requires 5 different power-tools and 100 bucks worth of supplies. It can be as simple as a lick of paint, but every time you look at you will feel good about it.

9) Sometimes it’s worth buying something that’s just really cool and figuring out a use for it later. I bought the coolest little silver plated mustard pot; it has 3 legs and at the top of each leg is a lion head. Do I eat mustard much? No. Did I know what the heck I would use it for? No. I get bad indigestion and keep antacids on hand, I hate how once you tear open the roll, they tend to spill everywhere so I like to put them in something. Guess what holds exactly one roll of antacids? If something is just freaking awesome but you don’t know what you’d use it for, you will find a use (and it will be so much cooler than anything else you might have bought for that purpose).

10) Use the fancy stuff. Don’t ever look at something in a thrift store and think: that’s too fancy, I’ll never use it. If it’s not bought and used it ends up in landfill. Save it from the landfill and use it. Today I bought the most OTT fancy silver pepper shaker to sit next to my stove and hold ground pepper for cooking with, one of my housemates never puts the damn pepper back in the cupboard when he’s finished with it, so now we have this ostentatious silver shaker next to the stove top. One of my dogs can be relied upon to get half of his food on the floor before he hoovers it up, I could have got a plastic mat to feed him on but I had a spare thrifted marble cutting/serving board (I have a problem, I own 3, I have so much trouble resisting them), and another plus - he can’t destroy it like he would a plastic mat. I keep my toothbrush in a crystal bud vase. I decant my micellar water into a bottle shaped like a seahorse. I eat off pretty vintage pink glass plates. Using the fancy stuff from thrift stores both helps you romanticize your own life and it gives these items another life. Do be sensible though, some items made before the early 1970s including glassware and dinnerware contain lead in the decoration so do your due diligence and be safe.

[dexnola]

How to cut costs on a gluten-free diet

Actually several of these principles work on anyone's diet, or another type of allergen diet, but gluten free is what I know and what I serve.

My household consists of me and my partner; she's gluten intolerant and I am not. Our grocery budget is $120 a week (including standard household consumables like soap, paper towels, etc. that I also buy at the grocery store) and we could actually tighten that up more if we worked even a little harder at it. I do most of the cooking and shopping for our household so I thought I would share what it is I'm doing.

Eat as many "regular" items as possible

If there is a gluten free version of an item and a "regular" one that contains wheat, normally the gluten free version is twice the price. So one simple way to cut costs is to buy fewer of them. Some examples are packaged GF cookies and crackers, frozen prepared dinners, canned soups that say gluten free in big letters... basically anything that is marketed as GLUTEN FREE and says GLUTEN FREE in great big letters on the front of the package.

There are lots of items that are labeled "gluten free" but aren't marketed as such. Ketchup is often labeled gluten free somewhere on the package, but there's no such thing as "regular" ketchup that normally contains gluten. Those are fine to buy.

The worst offenders are bread and baked goods in general. Gluten free bread is very expensive. Don't buy things like frozen prepared cakes; gluten free cake mix or brownie mix is the better buy.

Here are some "regular"/inexpensive foods that are naturally gluten free:

rice; avoid pre-seasoned rice mix things

potatoes [regular and sweet potatoes]

corn tortillas (plain corn taco shells and tortilla chips are also easy to get GF)

all manner of fruits and vegetables [fresh, canned, frozen w/o sauce/other extras]

peanut butter

milk and dairy products in general

beans; dry or in cans

meat, especially plain fresh or frozen meat without extra marinades, seasoning, or obviously breading

fish [frozen and canned are least expensive]

I still buy special gluten-free stuff, but

it isn't the bulk of our diet

when reasonable, I let my partner eat them and I eat the regular version (e.g. I still buy wheat sandwich bread for myself)

i put in extra work to find the lowest price; comparing different stores, couponing, stocking up when I find a deal, etc.

Speaking of which,

Figure out what stores are the cheapest near you

A key part of this sentence is "near you." I do most of my grocery shopping at two stores that are 10 or 15 minutes away from my house. They are on the same street and in close proximity of each other. As you compare prices, keep in mind which places are realistically convenient enough to shop at based on where you live, work, and spend time.

I prefer a data driven approach and so have a spreadsheet with the prices of lots of items I buy. Doing it this way, you find that while no store has the lowest price on everything, it's easy to find a store that has an overall lower price on most items.

When comparing prices, remember to compare based on the cost per ounce or cost per pound or similar, not just the package.

In my experience, shopping at more than one store is the easiest way to balance many factors including price, selection, convenience, and quality. Most weeks I go to these two stores:

Wegmans: huge selection of items, low prices on some things, but higher to middling on others; lots of choices for GF items and things like special spices or vegetables that I need just once in a while

Aldi: smaller selection, but easily the least expensive on most regular groceries

I used to live near Publix, which is expensive overall but had a big selection and lots of BOGO sales where they would sell certain items at a loss. I would stalk the sale paper online every week and if they had something I ate at a low cost, I would go to Publix just to buy those items in quantity and then leave to go get the rest of my groceries at Aldi or somewhere else cheaper.

Use sales to stock up on stuff you eat when it's cheaper

For example, If I read the sale paper for the Aldi and I notice butter is $3/lb or less, when it's usually more like $4, I'm buying at least two if not three or four packages and putting some in the freezer, even if we're not low on butter.

This goes double and triple for any special gluten free item. Stock up.

Don't stock beyond your means. Start small as you study your household's patterns of consumption. Start with items that are not perishable: things in cans and boxes, already-frozen items. Also, only stock up on stuff that you know your family already likes.

When you are planning meals to eat, choose based on what you have stocked; shop your house first! Then go to the store to fill in the gaps.

Be prepared to eat at home on days you don't want to cook.

There are always going to be some days when you can't or don't want to cook. You get sick, you're too tired, whatever.

Eating restaurant food (takeout, delivery, or dine in) is extremely expensive and comes with a lot of risks regarding gluten. This is best avoided. Eating out will kill your budget faster than anything else you could do.

This is one time when I don't mind buying a specialty GF item, because while they do cost more than the meals I normally make, they are cheaper than eating out and also safer from a gluten standpoint. I don't mind spending an extra dollar at the store to insulate me from spending ten dollars later.

Some ideas for solving this problem:

naturally GF convenience food that can be tossed in the oven or microwave (at Aldi I have found GF frozen shepherd's pie, sometimes can get frozen tamales, instant mashed potatoes, canned soup etc.)

build a repertoire of meals that are made from "ingredients" but are less work than whatever you normally do; what this means is up to you, for some people it's a dump-in-instant-pot type meal, or maybe a microwaved baked potato and a bag of frozen veggies... at my place I make nachos once a week because they're extra easy.

special GF convenience items like frozen pizza or lasagna

Cheapest of all: make a lot of something on purpose and freeze meal-size portions for later. Soups, stews, and casseroles are all top choices. You can also do things like brown a lot of ground beef and then freeze it; later, you can make something like spaghetti sauce or sloppy joes and skip that first step. (Note that some people do ALL their cooking with this in mind and cook just once or twice a week, or even just once or twice per month, and eat out of the freezer the rest of the time.)

Keep a growth mindset. It might be that right now you are eating out a lot and your skills in the kitchen aren't great. Buying more convenience foods and assembling them at home still saves a lot of money. Once that's comfortable and you're used to the routine of getting food from the store then you can expand your repertoire of simple meals from normal ingredients, which builds your confidence so you can try making more things from scratch. Eating is complicated and eating with allergies/intolerances doesn't help. But it's doable. It can be done.

If I wanted to cut costs in my own household and reduce that $120 budget, I would...

buy fewer sodas and drinks in general.

set strict limits on GF bread. (like I'll only buy 1 loaf a month or something) work with partner to make sure she always has food for lunch and therefore doesn't care to make a sandwich.

Try reducing partner's cereal consumption; make other equally easy breakfast choices available; cereal is expensive

cook and freeze more homemade food and buy less convenience food.

prioritize cheaper fruits and vegetables. Decide on a price per lb limit that I want to stay within and stop buying stuff that is more than that (or buy them very infrequently). Things like apples, carrots, onions, bananas, cabbage, and broccoli tend to be cheaper

do the same thing for meat and also eat significantly less meat.

Hope I helped :)

[spectres-fulcrum]

I did a thing today! I made the Isaac Potts House in the Sims 4. This was the house that was George Washington's headquarters at Valley Forge in winter of 1777-1778. I've been wanting to build it for ages and it's Gwash's birthday so I finally did. I like to think, sometimes about all the things the walls of this house saw. Hamilton and Laurens kissing, probably. Maybe more. A hundred mornings of the aides laughing. Lafayette coming to talk endlessly with Washington. The boys meeting Martha and everyone welcoming Von Steuben.

I'm actually SUPER proud of the recreation. From the front it looks really good. But pure honesty, things don't translate perfectly in the Sims. Some things you have to go "this doesn't look good in the Sims. Am I going for accuracy or prettiness or the vibes?" Or some things just don't work(More on that under the cut). (Oh and the small bedroom is the bedroom Lams shared in Duty and Inclination I know it's not official but like. Lams bedroom sharing)

This shell is CC free but does use a fair amount of packs cause I was going for accuracy. It's up on my gallery, ID Minimoon46, though. I can say Castle Estates is just for outdoor stair railings on the back and sides of the house so super easy to download without CE

Like the kitchen. If I wanted to attach it, I couldn't put it on the ground, it had to be on the same foundation level and tbh I LOVE the look of the stone archway tunnel so we had to deal with a raised kitchen and stairs. (or the entire house could've been on a platform but that would've been ASKING for bugs)

Also the windows of the Aide-de-camp's office are so off. But the other shuttered windows seem so small and I wanted to go larger windows so we lost the traditional panes and white shutters but the vibes fit better. The little hanging over the front door looked horrible so I was like nope you're not getting included. It would've needed to be an actual porch to get included.

Inside it's mostly a shell but what details are there I got from the virtual tours online. I took liberties with a wallpaper that I liked better that purely plain white walls but the floor should be decent. I gave each room a door and a fireplace of a semi accurate color(I wanted to make them uniform) in appearance. I cut the attic bedroom though.

I kinda want to furnish it but also not sure HOW. Do I furnish it like the current one? Do I just do it for fun? A regular home? A big shared study and a dining room? It would be a waste to furnish TWO studies. What about bathrooms? The kitchen would be more modern though ngl. (Would people be interested in a furnished version? Any ideas?)

There's something about this house that I just want to see in person and feel the air knowing that... they were there. Like in that tiny house, they lived and loved and were real people. And there's no place where that feeling fills me more than the IPH. Maybe one day.

[devastator1775]

"Her name is Anne. Please love her like we would have loved her."

Summary: When you are immortal, there are rules you need to follow. Hide in plain sight. Be unassuming. When the time comes, vanish and start anew. V and Uzi have lived their many lives with these rules. An unspoken rule between them: never have children. It's better that way. Then, on the eve of the start of a new life together, something goes wrong …and now they have to decide how to deal with this accidental baby.

Immortality.

Eternal youth.

Not even for Drones, this was a thing. Drones aged: in programming, in mentality, their personality matrix – basically what housed what one could call a Drone’s ‘soul’ – matured and thus did the Drone in question. Their bodies would age as well, to the point where regular repairs wouldn’t suffice anymore. The outer shell would lose their shine and become weathered, joints and servos would lose their flexibility, programs would malfunction over time and hardware would wear out. A Drone would grow old, fade away …and die. They weren’t designed to last forever. Even sentient machines have their natural lifespan.

Unless you were Worker Drone Uzi Doorman and former Disassembly Drone Serial Designation V – just going by V these days. Their victory after the final encounter with the Absolute Solver had left both of them changed. It wasn’t enough that the Solver had killed N, taking him away from Uzi and V. No, it had a final card to play. A last curse, a vengeful courtesy of a dying eldritch abomination unwilling to let its enemies have the last laugh. Replacing old ‘gifts’ with new ones.

Uzi and V were immortal. Their bodies ever young, never aging, never malfunctioning, always healing, unable to let them die. Cursed to see their loved ones wither away while they remained.

More things changed over time for the two. They grew closer, as there were no others who knew what they were going through. In the face of eternity they found solace with each other. A close bond formed between them; a friendship which eventually turned to love.

As time went on, people around them were changing at how they looked at them. There were whispers in the streets, curious glances when they thought it wasn’t noticed. Uzi and V knew that something bad would happen if they didn’t do something. And thus, during a stormy night, the two immortal lovers packed up everything …and left. They vanished out of Drone society. They found a place for themselves, far away from prying eyes and potentially harmful intentions. Hide away until history became legend. Until the events of the past just became a scary story to tell young Dronelings.

And for a hundred years, it was enough.

Until the moment that it wasn’t.

When their shared loneliness became too much, they took a new step out of the shadows. They slowly returned into the light and into this new world the Drones had built for themselves. Even from their little hideaway, they had seen the expansion of the Drone population and the subsequent rise of town and cities around the Planet. In this New Age of Dronekind, they could hide in plain sight. Disappear into the masses and become just another face in the crowd.

But they knew they had to be careful. Their unique condition made them an oddity in this new world. If they were found out, who knew how people would react? With fear? Animosity? Someone with less than amicable intentions would be inclined to destroy them, or worse: capture them and try to copy their …affliction.

All that Uzi and V wanted was to live their lives, in peace and with each other. So they renewed their vows to look after each other. They would take every precaution they could think off. They created dozens, if not hundreds, of different backstories. Countless variations of where they were from, how they met and so on.

Uzi already had some self-taught knowledge about hacking, coding and other computer skills, but in the years leading up to the moment that they would start their lives anew, she learned everything possible in order to become a true master. She studied for years to collect every other tool and skill they would need to adapt.

V had to adapt in other, more permanent ways. Since every trace of Disassembly Drones had vanished over time, her appearance stuck out like a sore thumb drive and people would take notice if a Drone looked exactly like something that in the new world was considered an urban legend. So, despite Uzi urging that they would find another way; V did what she deemed necessary …and made several modifications to herself. She amputated her tail, removed more than a few weapons – keeping a few ‘just in case -  and altered her body so she would appear more like a regular – though, still taller than Uzi – Drone. Uzi insisted on V keeping her wings, though. Uzi even designed a pair of prosthetic boots for her, so they would appear more those of a common Drone. V still needed to walk with a cane, since her legs never fully recovered from the Sentinel attack all those years ago. 

And thus, once they felt like they were properly prepare, Uzi implemented the final touch: new identities for the both of them. And with new names, new skills and an entire world for them to travel, they ventured out.

They settled their first new home in a quaint little place in the mountains named Sparc Village, where they took residence in a house in a quiet neighbourhood. To their neighbours, they introduced themselves as ‘Iza and Violet Hatchway’. Keeping their background simple: Iza and Violet met in high school, where they didn’t see eye to eye at first but eventually found common ground with each other after ‘‘Violet’ had an accident, which had severely and permanently damaged her legs.

After school, they didn’t see each other for a long while, but met again some years ago and decided to pick up where they left off and started going out together. From there, ‘‘Violet’ and ‘Iza’s’ started relationship bloomed and they recently got married – with Violet teasing that ‘Iza’ was bawling like a Droneling when she asked, albeit ‘Iza’ insisting that it was the other way around.

‘Iza’ started working for the local administration as a software engineer – which gave Uzi the opening to lay the seeds for a new program that would help them in the future – albeit working remotely from home, because she was also ‘‘Violet’s’ primary caretaker. ‘Violet’, on the other hand, was an artist-  a little hobby V had picked up in their first century living away’ – and made her living selling her paintings and sculptures from their home. In the years that followed, they were known as a friendly, sociable couple that also tended to keep to themselves just as much.

For almost 4 decades, ‘Iza’ and ‘Violet’ truly had a great life, filled with friends and happiness. But then came the day that the ‘old couple of the neighbourhood’ wanted something new and decided to move away to a new town, saying that a change of scenery might be good for ‘Violet’s’ deteriorating health . A few weeks after the move, friends in Sparc Village would receive the heartbreaking message that Violet had passed away and Iza – sick with grief – followed soon. The small group of friend the couple had made over the years held a private and intimate funeral for them, bringing up happy memories and funny anecdotes.

In the meantime, in a city far away from the mountain village, some helpful neighbours helped a young couple move into their new apartment. As their identity chips indicated, their names were Nicky ‘Nix’ Vanderpoort, an aspiring writer who mainly wrote horror sci-fi with an eldritch touch, and her girlfriend Vicky Razborka, a former athlete who had to throw in the towel after an injury permanently damaged her legs and had decided to pass on her knowledge become a trainer instead. They were childhood sweethearts and had left their quiet town to make a life in the big city.

And this is how Uzi and V kept moving through the years. They lived their life through their chosen identities to the fullest and then …moved on, starting fresh in another place, with new identities and new lives. ‘New Chapters’, as they would come to call it.

More than often, they were already together when starting a new chapter. Sometimes, they mixed things up. One chapter, they were merely roommates and dated other people. But V and Uzi didn’t use this scenario often, finding that things were too complicated between them and it was impossible to have a full relationship with a partner if they couldn’t tell them the whole truth.

Another chapter, they were neighbours who couldn’t stand the sight of each other and fought almost every day, but tried to keep things as amicable as possible because they shared friends. Until during a friend’s wedding ‘Karen’ and ‘Vanessa’ got way too drunk and confessed that they had a crush on each other but were both too shy to admit it. A couple of month after that wedding, they moved in together.

There were Chapters that they spend living separate lives, living in different places but keeping contact with each other and meeting up from time to …passionately reconnect.

No matter which identity they were currently going through; every year, Uzi and V made the journey to the town that formerly housed the old Colony-3, to visit the graves of their old friends, Uzi’s parents …and N’s grave-site. It brought a form of solace for them, making sure they lived their lives to the fullest in their memory. And this is how it went for many decades, moving from one Chapter to the next.

Just the two of them.

Forever.

***

Every Drone City housed a Cradle Facility, where Drones couples went to combine their codes into a Untrained Neural Network – UNN for short - and create an infant Droneling that would over time form its own personality with minor influences of the parents’ ones. For practical reasons, these facilities were connected to the planet wide network that contained the residential data of every Drone on the planet. The systems these facilities houses – due to Uzi in another chapter having worked with the team that globally upgraded them – had a backdoor that allowed the immortal Drone to create new identities for them.

The only downside was they needed to be physically there for  the process, because Uzi believed that a hardwire connection would be the safest option for them. And this was why Uzi and V, on the twilight of their current lives, were there, in the middle of the night while everyone else was asleep, to make the final preparations to start anew. It was also a lengthy process, which meant that one certain Drone was losing her patience while her partner was working.

“Uzi, I don’t want to rush you-“

“Which you are doing right now.”

“But-“

“Don’t you dare...”

“Is this going to take long?”

Uzi looked up from her laptop and scowled at her eternal partner. “V, I am making extremely difficult alterations to the hardcoded information on our internal identity chips, while running the program that will covertly transfer our funds and assets to our new accounts, unless you want to start our savings account from scratch?” When her girlfriend didn’t answer, she turned back to the laptop. “Didn’t think so. I am also installing a virus that will silently erase any info about our current lives over time, so that we won’t have overlapping data wherever we make our new lives.”

Uzi really didn’t like he grin that was forming on V’s face. “So …about 5 minutes?”

“Keep this up and I’ll make us sisters in our next Chapter.”

V gasped theatrically, dramatically holding her hand to her chest. “Not even suspiciously intimate stepsisters?”

“And I’ll make you the straightest, most boring sister ever.” Uzi grinned as she kept on typing. “A real study bug, doesn’t like to party, likes boys but is way too shy to talk to them, really into polka and-“

“Okay, okay, I’ll zip it.” V grinned. “Man, even after centuries you are still so easy to rile up, Purple thing.”

“And you’re still a psycho, psycho.” Uzi countered, glancing over at V to give her a teasing wink. She let out a deep sigh as V let her arms drape over her shoulders, giggling as V planted a kiss on her cheek. “V, I have done this hundreds of times. Why are you so nervous today?”

“Dunno…” V answered, nuzzling against Uzi’s cheek as she watched her beloved’s fingers fly over the keyboard, the sound of the keys clicking filling the control room of the deserted Facility. “It’s …like a feeling in my core. I’m expecting something to happen.”

Uzi just shrugged. “Well, there’s no need to think that. I have it covered. Security footage shows a loop of an empty building, the system in completely under my control and in a couple of minutes, we’ll be starting our new identities.” She could understand why V was a tad anxious, since she was feeling it too despite not showing it. It was always like this on the eve of their new lives. Neither of them really enjoyed doing this. It meant ending and starting another Chapter of their lives and leaving people they’ve formed a bond with behind. It never got any easier, only smoother.

Uzi’s words seemed to put V somewhat at ease. “Yeah, you got this.” She took a deep breath. “Sorry, Uzi. I’m not doubting you, it’s just… ”

“It’s okay, I know.” Uzi replied, putting in the final command before handing over a cable to V, as she plugged another one into the data port on the back on her neck. “Program is ready, plug in.”

V grabbed the cable and plugged int, unwillingly making a soft moan as it made the connection with the surprisingly sensitive data port, making her blush. She tried to ignore Uzi’s teasing – incredibly cute, though, smirk. “Not a word.”

Uzi just snickered as she initiated the program. Lines of codes started to run down their visor, with a progress bar slowly filling up. All seemed to go smoothly, until the computer that Uzi’s laptop was hooked on started to flicker.

“Uh, Uzi …is that normal?” V asked.

Uzi quickly looked at her screen. “I think that-“

Suddenly, the screens of the laptop, the Facility computer and the Drones’ visors lit up and the two immortals let out a pained yell as they both seized up. Sparks flew up from their bodies as their internal circuitry started to melt but simultaneously healed at the same time. Pain flew through their entire body, leaving them almost immobilized.

“U-U-Uziiii, doooo somethiiing.” V choked out.

With immense difficulty, Uzi reached out to her laptop and managed to slam her hand on it. With a loud pang, both drones got thrown on the floor, their wounds immediately healing as smoke still rose up from their visors.

With a frustrated groan, V managed to scramble up, rubbing her bad leg as she threw an angry scowl at Uzi. “WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT, MRS. ‘HUNDREDS OF TIME’?”

“Are you blaming me?!” Uzi yelled back as she popped up from the crates that she got blown into.

“You must’ve done something!” V bit back as she stomped her way towards Uzi.

Uzi jumped up and ran up the V, shoving her face inches away from V’s visor. “Well, maybe if someone didn’t rush me!”

“Screw-up!”

“Bite me!”

Panting heavily, they kept their angry staring session up for a few moments …and then threw themselves into each other’s arms, pulling each other closely against one another, relieved that their respective beloved seemed unharmed. Their lips met and immediately they latched onto each other, running their hands through the other’s hair and kissing with such a passion one would think they had been apart for years.

“Oh, my robo-God, are you okay?” V asked as she eventually parted her lips from Uzi’s.

“I …I think?” Uzi’s breathing shuddered, tightening her grip around her partner. “That …hurt.”

“I was so scared that-“ V pulled Uzi against her chest. “I’m so sorry for yelling at you, Uzi.“

“I know, V. Me too, me too.” Uzi released her grip and wiped away a digital tear. “I didn’t mean to accuse you either. I just-”

“I know. I know, no apologies needed.” V placed a hand on Uzi’s cheek and rubbed her thumb over her visor, before planting another prolonged kiss on Uzi’s lips. “I did try to rush you, after all…” She took a deep breath and – reluctantly for both sides – released Uzi from her grip. She groaned as she buried her face in her hands. Everything was still tingling from …whatever they just experienced. “So …what in the Solver’s soiled britches just happened?”

“I’ll find out.” Uzi ran to her laptop, which was slightly smoked but still functioning – for the time being – and checked her logs. After a few minutes of checking every line of her logs and running every analytical program she had in her arsenal, Uzi let out a surprised gasp. “So …good news, bad news.”

“Don’t tell me that we’ve triggered an alarm or something?” V groaned.

“No, we’re still in the clear.” Uzi began, but her expression betrayed something had gone amiss. “Good news: my program did its work. Our new identities are compiled and installed into our ID chips. Same goes for my virus, which is going to start its work in a couple of days. Our saving accounts have been transferred successfully as well.”

“So, what messed up?” V asked, she ran her hands through her hair to place it back in shape. Their little …malfunction – and their fiery make-out session – had really messed up her hairdo. “Seems to me that everything – mostly everything – went as planned.”

“N-not exactly ….It seems some employee here got sloppy and didn’t follow the proper protocol at the end of their work shift.” Uzi started to explain, looking very nervous all of the sudden. “They didn’t shut down the system as it should and left a …certain program running in the background while I was hacking. The two programs collided midway and caused a feedback loop, which …well, you felt what happened.”

“What kind of program?” V asked. She cocked her head when she saw the blush forming on Uzi’s visor. It suddenly dawned on her. They were in a Cradle Facility. What kind of program did Cradle Facilities primarily use? “Ooh, no. No, don’t tell me…?”

“Maybe nothing happened.” Uzi tried to reassure with a small voice, albeit sounding like she was trying to convince herself more than she was trying to convince V. “I mean, the people working here wouldn’t be dumb enough to leave a blank connected and-“

Suddenly, crying could be heard from the Facility’s main floor. V and Uzi stared at each other for a few moments, after which they both ran out of the control room and towards the crying. They ran through Cradle Stations, which were used to upload new codes compiled with the data of two parents into blank Untrained Neural Networks.

“Uzi…”

“Maybe it’s just a demo that got activated?” Uzi tried sheepishly. They ran, following the sound of the crying.

“It’s this way.” V called out, grabbing Uzi’s hand to pull her into the right direction.

“Maybe it’s not so bad?” Uzi tried again as they reached the source of the noise. They both froze in place. “Oh no …”

“Uzi…”

“This is bad.”

“Is that…?”

“This is so bad.”

Out of the various Cradle Stations that were in the facility, only one seemed to have turned online. In that one, someone had left a blank Untrained Neural Network; but now … Plugged into the Cradle, crying softly, was a small baby Drone. It opened its eyes when it noticed Uzi and V staring, revealing eyes who’s colors looked like swirling pools of purple and yellow.

“Uzi, please don’t say that-“

“We made a baby.” Uzi squeaked out, her eyes hollow and beaming pure panic. “V. We. Made. A. Baby!

“I see that!” V grabbed Uzi’s shoulder and shook her gently to snap her back into focus. “What are we gonna do with it?”

“Why ask me?” Uzi blurted.

“Uzi, if we leave it, someone is going to find it and –“

“And they will check her coding to find out who her parents are, I know!”

“’Her’?” V questioned. “How do you-“

“I just know and you do too, don’t tell me otherwise!”

Staring down at this accidental creation of new life, Uzi had only one thought: ‘this was bad’. While they could rewrite their ID Chips over and over again without problems; the coding that made up the Personality Matrix was a whole other thing. Not even Uzi had found a way to alter them. Those codes were permanent and unchanging, as it made up who a Drone was. And they could easily filter through those codes to find the parental donors and run those through the system to find them. And then they would find multiple identical matches, spanning throughout decades, even centuries. And then people would start asking questions, investigating things and there would be a strong possibility that the truth about two immortal Drones walking Copper-9’s surface would come out and then …who knew how people would react. Or how they would react towards this innocent infant. Its mere existence possibly put its life at risk.

Uzi’s eyes narrowed as she came to the conclusion that there was only one possible solution. “We’ll have to take her with us.”

“What?” V asked, taken aback. “No way, Doorman! We’ve talked about this!”

“Do you have any better idea?” Uzi asked as she unplugged the pill baby from her Cradle, the latter making happy chirps as it was being picked up. She ignored V’s sputtering when she handed the Droneling over to her. “You wait outside while I’ll cover our tracks. I need to make sure nothing in their systems can be traced back to us!”

Before V could object, the pintsized she-Drone had already run and left the former with a happily buzzing baby in her arms. She looked down at the infant with a scowl, who returned the gaze with a happy expression. “Don’t look at me like that, I’m not happy with this. I don’t like you.”

The infant just chirped cheerily in response, and something tugged at the corner of V’s lips, almost a soft smile. V shook her head and scowled again, getting a happy tune back again.

***

It had been some hours after Uzi, V and their accidental third member had left the Cradle Facility and made their way to a forest far away from any City. They’ve had been discussing on what to do with the baby, who had fallen asleep in the meantime.

“We can’t keep it.” V was pacing around, getting more and more annoyed by the situation. She had been very adamant about her opinion on the matter, while Uzi…

“I know, you keep repeating that, and keep your voice down, you’ll wake her up.” Uzi was sitting on the ground with the baby in her arms, wrapped in V’s scarf and rocking her gently back and forth to keep her asleep. “And what do you suggest we do? We’ve been at this for hours and we’ve been through all our possible options.”

V buried her face in her hands, more to muffle her groan than anything else. Uzi was right, they’ve had exhausted all possibilities. They couldn’t just leave it behind in the woods, that would be too cruel. If they left just left it with someone, they would likely run into the very same problems as if they would have left it in the Facility. And they couldn’t-

“Is there really no possibility we can keep her?” Uzi asked, jolting V out of her thought process. “I mean …it’s our-“

“No!” V snapped, making a startled Uzi recoil. V took a deep breath and smiled apologetically at her girlfriend. She knelt down in front of Uzi and held her face, rubbing her cheek with her thumb. “Uzi, we’ve had this discussion before, remember?”

Uzi sighed deeply. “I know.”

“We decided that we can’t have kids, no matter what.” V took a deep breath. “For one: we don’t know if it would have our …affliction. If she has, she’ll have to make the same sacrifices we have to make over and over again. Even after numerous decades, that is already hard on us; so, who knows what would it do to them? Leaving friends behind and starting over again? Living with the knowledge that they would live on, while the others around them fade away.”

Uzi nodded, digital tears forming in her eyes. She knew how their child would feel, because both Uzi and V had gone through those emotions throughout the years. That longing for an end that never would come. “It would destroy them….”

“And we have each other, but they …” V hesitated to finish her sentence.

“She would be forever alone.” Uzi sighed, tears rolling down her visor. “And if she doesn’t have our immortality …we’ll see her grow up, but one day she’ll grow old and …”

“And I’m not letting you experience that heartbreak.” V insisted. “Because that paint would be worse than what we felt with everyone else we have lost over our immortal life.”

Uzi looked down at the sleeping Droneling in her arms and took a deep breath, eventually looking up at V. “What are we doing to do?”

V started pacing around again, letting every possible route they could take run around in her mind. They couldn’t keep it. They couldn’t leave it with someone. It never was supposed to have happened in the first place. She was feeling more and more frustrated by the minute. This should never have happened. This …infant never should have been –

The former Disassembly Drone froze in her tracks when the thought made her realize what they – she – had to do. She slowly turned around to face Uzi, her gaze to the ground made her expression dark and foreboding. “Uzi, we …we have to get rid of it.”

Her eyes hollowed in shock as Uzi immediately realized what V was suggesting. She pulled the infant Drone tightly against her chest. “No, V, no-no-no, we can’t …you can’t just ….there must be another way!”

“If there was, we would have thought of it, Uzi.” V insisted. She walked over to Uzi and placed her hands on her shoulders. “And ‘we’ don’t have to do anything. I’ll do it.”

Uzi shrugged V off her, pulling the baby away from her. “But …your vow? It’s been centuries since you’ve …You …you aren’t that person anymore.”

V produced a fang-filled grin. “Hey, didn’t you say I’m still a psycho?”

“Yeah, as a joke!” Uzi objected, shaking her head frantically. “V, you can’t kill her!”

V took a deep breath. “Uzi! It’s the only way. This child never should have been born. Our curse, whether or not it will have it, will be nothing but pain for it. Think about it: all it will know is that either it will keep losing loved ones, or that one day we’ll lose them.” She placed a hand on Uzi’s shoulder. “And if it has our immortality, we’ll have to assume the worst case scenario: that there will be a greater chance that someone will find out. We’ll be hunted down for our abilities. We can’t let it live that life. Killing it …is the kindest thing we can do.”

Uzi closer her eyes, tear running down her visor.

“Right now, it’s asleep.” V pointed out softly. “I’ll make sure it won’t feel a thing. It’ll sleep through and just …never wake up. Fast, painless and merciful. It’s the only way.”

Uzi didn’t reply for several moments, breathing heavily while tears kept running. Eventually …she nodded. She whimpered as V gently placed her hands on the infant, unwittingly pulling it closer to herself. V eventually managed to gently pull the baby out of Uzi’s hands.

“Don’t follow me.” V instructed as she turned around and made her way towards the denser parts of the woods. She stopped for a moment to look over her shoulder. Her expression was sorrowful, her eyes screaming pain despite the words she had spoken earlier. “I’m sorry.”

With that, V deployed her wings and flew up in the air; leaving Uzi to sob alone.

***

V didn’t need to fly very far to find a nice open clearing. The stars were out at full force tonight, the sky littered with sparkles and light. The snowy terrain was filled with flowers, as nature had found its way back on Copper-9 in the centuries following the core collapse. It was a beautiful sight.

“At least your final resting place will be pretty, little one.” V stated softly as she gently placed the infant on the ground, making sure it was wrapped up comfortably in her scarf. She gazed down at the little one for a few moments, mentally preparing herself for the thing she hadn’t done in such a long time.

With a heavy sigh, she stood up and deployed her EMP Rifle. V had long ago made the vow that she’d never take a life again and got rid of most of her weapons, but she still kept a few in case they needed to defend themselves. She had kept her claws and swords, but her rifle she had modified that it would fire EMP bolts. An adult Drone would just be knocked down until its system rebooted, leaving them with a few missing hours of memories. But an Untrained Neural Network’s body was weak and very vulnerable. One shot of her EMP rifle would be enough. Fast. Painless. Merciful.

She took a deep breath and aimed her rifle at the sleeping baby.

‘I need to do this. It’s the only way.’

Her rifle hummed as it charged.

‘Just one quick fleeting moment and …done.’

The infant made a soft noise in its sleep. V felt her arm starting to tremble as her expression softened. She shook her head with a scoff and tried to look as resolute as she could.

“Stop acting like you’ve never done this before, V.” She whispered to herself. ‘It’s not the first baby you’ve …disassembled. Just …pull the trigger.”

V’s arm was really trembling and she used her other hand to keep it steady. Her scope was aimed directly at the sleeping baby.

‘It’s easy…’

Uzi’s baby.

‘Take the shot.’

Her baby.

‘Stop crying, V.’

Their daughter!

With a yell, V fell to her knees as tears started to roll down her visor. She couldn’t do it. How could she do it? This was their daughter. Their baby. She and Uzi had longed for a child for years, but they had convinced themselves they couldn’t, because of the very reasons V had given Uzi. And now …they had a baby. And she just attempted to kill her? Was she still the same monster that the Absolute Solver had turned her into back then?

Soft crying jolted V back to reality with a startled gasp. The baby Drone was crying loudly, sounding like it was in deep distress. She must’ve woken the baby with her scream. She frantically scrambled over to her daughter and scooped her up, pulling her tightly against her chest. “Shh-shh-shh, it’s okay. Don’t cry.” She planted a kiss on the top of her head, rocking back and forth as her tears never seemed to stop. “Momma is here. See? Momma is here.”

V lost track of time while she sat there, crying while she was comforting her infant daughter. But when she suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around her and the baby, she wasn’t even surprised that Uzi had ignored her instructions and still had followed her.

Uzi nuzzled V’s cheek. “Oh, sweetheart.”

“I couldn’t do it, Uzi.” V eventually confessed as she caressed the Droneling’s head. “I couldn’t …I couldn’t do it.”

“I’m happy you couldn’t.”

“I wanted to kill your child, our child.” V sobbed softly as she nuzzled the baby against her cheek. “I’m a monster.”

“No, you’re not. You are absolutely not a monster, V.” Uzi denied softly, planting a kiss on V’s cheek. “You haven’t been that person in a long, long time. You just wanted to protect us. You wanted to protect her.” She paused for a moment. “But this is not the way to do so, V.”

V shook her head in agreement, sniffling. She smiled softly as she saw that the infant had fallen asleep again. She took a deep breath and looked over at her eternal partner. “Uzi …we still can’t keep her.”

“I know.”

“Everything I said …it’s still true.” V stated, sounding like she was trying to convince herself more than Uzi. “It wouldn’t be fair to her. We need to do something for her, but …I don’t know what.”

“I agree that we have to do something.” She smiled as V handed over their daughter to her, positioning her in her arms so she could sleep comfortably. They sat in silence for Robo-God knows how long, just staring down at their child as it blissfully slept. Eventually, Uzi spoke up, her tone cautious. “I …I think I have an idea.”

“You do?” V asked, a hint of hope in her voice.

“Yes …but it’s going to take time.” Uzi smiled, but it was sorrowful one. “-and my computer.”

***

Everyone who knew Hazel and Naomi knew how much of an odd couple those two were. When they met in Sprocketon High School, something instantaneously clicked between them. However, it was a fiery rivalry instead of friendship. While neither of the two treated the other with much animosity, there nevertheless was a tension around them. They always felt like they had to compete to outdo the other.

They went to the same sport teams. They tied as top of their classes. They often went after the same boys. They had the same taste in clothing, music and other forms of entertainment. One could argue that would have made them great friends.

Still, they couldn’t stand each other.

After High School, Noami and Hazel  both enrolled in Cogniton University for Medical learning – somehow never ending up as roommates – got their medical degree and both ended up– at different times – in Rivetdale Medical Hospital, ending up living in the same street.

There, to no-one’s surprise, they both developed a crush on the same doctor and competed for his attention. However, after a series of incidents where they both realized how much of an arrogant, misogynistic and egotistical blowhard that guy was, they decided to burry the hatchet and go out for drinks.

From that moment on, their rivalry turned to friendship and it didn’t take them both to realize how much alike they actually were …and how much they actually liked the other. When Naomi got thrown out of her house, it was Hazel that took her in, making their friendship even greater. And as their bond grew closer, it only took one kiss during a party for their latent feelings to emerge and swiftly rise to full bloom.

The very next year, they were married and they talked about extending their family. But tragedy struck as it turned out that an undiagnosed fault in Hazel’s coding made it impossible for her to have children of her own. No matter how much they tried, it would never succeed.

Unwilling to let their wish for children just die out, they turned to other options and applied for adoption. The progress was slow and it never seemed to go anywhere, but neither of them gave up hope. Even now, almost two years after they first applied, as they were watching tv as a massive storm raged outside their house, they talked about their possible future Dronelings. Until lightning struck and thunder roared, making Hazel yelp and drop her bowl of popped button cells.

Hazel scowled at her laughing wife as she started to pick up the tasty snacks. “Don’t laugh, I was focused on the movie.”

“I’m sorry, Haze. It’s just …that sounded so cute.” Naomi confessed with a giggle and a saucy wink, making her wife blush. She got up and knelt down. “Here, let me help you.”

Outside, the world lit up with a flash and soon thunder rolled over their house.

“Wow, it’s really going hard out there.” Hazel muttered. Storms always made her nervous. She gasped as lightning flashed again.

“Aww, I’ll protect you.” Naomi cooed as she pulled Hazel and her bowl of Pop-cells back to her feet.

Hazel placed the bowl on the coffee table and closed the distance between her and her wife, their visors almost touching as she gave her a seductive look. “You know what would make me feel better, Dr. Naomi?”

Naomi hummed as she wrapped her arms around her Hazel’s hips, pulling her tightly against her own hips. “Tell me, Dr. Hazel.”

“If we’d go to bed early ….”

“Good start.”

“We’d get very comfortable…”

Noami planted a few tender kisses on Hazel’s cheek. “Go on…”

“Then I’ll-“

They both screamed when the lights and the tv suddenly powered down, shrouding them both in darkness. They instantaneously started laughing hysterically.

“Well, call about a mood breaker!” Hazel laughed. “Gosh, your scream….”

“You screamed too!” Naomi objected with a giggle. She planted a kiss on her wife’s head and looked around. “Looks like we’ve blown a circuit. I’ll better check the fuse box.”

“Don’t bother. It’s not just us.” Hazel interjected. She pointed out to the side window, where they could partially see their neighbors’ house. The lights at Mrs. Mcdonavan’s were out as well and judging by the absolute darkness out every window, the streetlights weren’t functioning as well.

“Looks like a power outage.” Naomi concluded. “Well, I’m sure that-“

A loud knock on the door startled them both.

Naomi sighed and walked to their front door. “Who’d be brave – or stupid – enough to wander through a storm like this?”

“Maybe one of the neighbors checking in one us.” Hazel guessed. “Just tell ‘em we’re fine and send them-“

“HAZEL, COME QUICK!”

Hazel nearly stumbled over her own feet as she ran over the hallway. “Naomi! Are you-?” She gasped when she saw her stupefied wife down on her knees, holding an infant drone in her arms. “Is that-? How? What?”

“Someone left this baby at our doorstep, Hazel.” Naomi stated in a dazed tone. She pointed at a basket that probably held the infant. “In that…”

Hazel ran out the door and tried to spot whoever had left this child at their home. No-one as far she could see, which was strange. The streets were deserted. There was no way anyone could have left the area without a trace that quickly. They hadn’t even heard a car or anything. “I don’t see anyone.”

“Come back inside!” Naomi called out, as she quickly took the child into the house. She plopped down on the couch, wrapping a blanket around the pill baby. “Poor thing must be freezing.”

Hazel grabbed the basket and closed the door behind her, looking inside the thing to spot any clues about their mystery Untrained Neural Network foundling. There was an old red scarf, an old beanie, a choker where the engraving had been worn out so much she couldn’t make anything out of it, a pair of black rimmed and yellow tinted glasses, and … a note.

“Got some things and  a note here.” Hazel announced as she walked in, smiling softly as she noticed how her wife was making silly noises at the baby, which were evidently greatly appreciated, judging by the happy chirps they were making. She sat down next to Naomi and smiled at the little one. “Hi there, little stowaway. How did you get here?”

The baby chirped cheerily, looking around to scan its new environment.

“Such beautiful eyes you’ve got, darling.” Naomi cooed. “Aren’t they, Hazel?”

Hazel had to agree. Two-toned eyes like that weren’t too common, not without any sort of modifications anyway. Hazel unfolded the note and cleared her throat. “’Her name is Anne. Please love her like we have loved her.’ …nothing else.”

“’Anne’, huh?” Naomi mumbled as she tickled Anne’s visor. “Pretty name for a pretty girl, yes it is.”

Hazel giggled and held out her arms, smiling as her wife handed over the infant girl. Her smile grew wider as Anne’s eyes started to droop and suddenly closed, with little ‘ZZZ’s appearing on her visor. She turned to Naomi with a heavy sigh. “What just happened?”

“I think …we’ve been chosen to be …this girl’s parents.” Naomi stated quietly, not wanting to wake up the baby.

“Are you for real?” Hazel asked. “I mean, it’s a cute baby, but …I thought we were going to adopt?”

“Honey, we’ve been waiting two years, and we only recently got on the list to get on the list.” Naomi let out a heavy breath. “Hazel, from the moment we’ve first became a couple, we’ve talked about having children and becoming parents. We’ve endured so much hardship. We’ve been waiting so long; hold on to hope for so long. Our baby room has been ready for 16 months without any use. This little one is a gift.”

“I don’t know …” Hazel groaned. “It’s all so …unorthodox. I mean, we’re going to have to report this. Have her checked out by tech-medics. We’re going to have to deal with a lot of administration and red tape. There’s no guarantee they’re going to let us keep Anne.”

“So, you wanna keep her?”

“Of course, I wanna keep her!” Hazel whisper-shouted as she planted a kiss on her wife’s cheek. “Are you kidding me? She’s perfect!”

“In that case, we’re going to fight for her.” Naomi stated. “We’re not going to rest until we can call ourselves little Anne’s parents. But for now ….” She smiled softly as she looked down at the sleeping Anne. “I believe we have a perfectly good baby room for little Anne to sleep in.” She stood up and gestured Hazel to follow her. “And we better get to bed too. I have this feeling that we are going to have some pretty exciting weeks ahead of us.”

Hazel started to follow her wife up the stairs, but stopped when she set her foot on the first step. She looked over her shoulders to the note on their coffee table. She smiled. “Whoever you are, I promise we’ll love her like you would have loved her, and …thank you for trusting us with her. We’ll take good care of your little girl, our little girl.”

“Hazel?”

“Coming.” She rushed up the stairs, not wanting to miss putting their little Anne to bed.

***

Outside the house, two figures gazed down at Hazel and Naomi’s house. A few minutes earlier, V had deployed her EMP generator, knocking out the entire grid in the street and, with the cover of darkness shrouding her and Uzi, left their sleeping daughter at the door, knocked on the door …and flew out of sight. They had been hiding in the clouds, only landing down at the roof opposite of the young couple’s house after they were certain that these two Drones were going to take their baby daughter inside.

“So, …no-one is going to find out?” V asked with a trembling voice, holding on to a distraught Uzi, who was at the verge of crying.

“I-“ Uzi took a deep breath. “I’ve installed a program that’ll redirect any scanner to a dummy personality matrix with fake coding. If they’re going to try to trace back her parents, they’ll end up at a young couple who will have died a few days from now. As far as anyone will know …we aren’t around anymore.”

“I love the name we’ve chosen….” V stated, her voice small and broken. “Anne …N would’ve loved that.”

“That’s why I chose that.” Uzi whimpered, tightening her grip on V’s hand. “She’ll be alright here, right?”

“We’ve observed this couple from afar for days. They’re a kind, loving couple of Drones. Really involved with their community. They’re great with children. “They …they’re perfect. They’ll love Anne like she’s their own. This …this was for the best.”

“And what if she has our …affliction?” V asked.

“I guess …we must have faith in her that she’ll figure out things on her own.” Uzi answered. “Maybe …maybe, by some small miracle, she’ll find her way back to us.”

“Yeah …maybe.” V choked out.

A sob escaped Uzi’s throat as she threw herself in V’s arms, who couldn’t stop herself from crying as well. They stood there for who knows how long, just sobbing softly in each other’s arms. Eventually, V broke away from the embrace, wiping away a digital tear.

“Uzi …”

“No…”

“We have to leave now.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Me neither, but …”

“I know.” Uzi sighed, wiping away a digital tear. “Just …a few more minutes?”

V smiled softly and pulled Uzi against her. “Okay …a few more minutes.”

***

EPILOGUE: 16 years later

“Okay, where the flipping heck did my moms hide my snack stash this time?” 16-year old Anne asked herself as she rummaged around her parents’ closet in search of the box of Battery Bites that her parents had confiscated earlier that day. Something about ‘not wanting to ruin her appetite’. Nothing in this cabinet either. With a sigh, Anne stood up, smiling as she saw her own reflection in the mirror. She had to beg her parents so much to dye her hair, but it had been so worth it. Jet black with crimson red ends. So glitching rad. It went so well with her bright red jacket.

“Maybe they’ve hidden in on top of the closet again.” She told herself as she grabbed a chair. Even then, she had to tiptoe to reach the top of the closet. Curse her short stature that made her insanely cute also.

As she reached out her arms as far as she could, she suddenly felt her fingers brush against something. A basket or something? Her curiosity awakened, she stretched out herself as much as possible until she managed to get a good grip on it. She nearly tumbled off the chair as she pulled it towards her.

As she hopped of the chair, she confirmed it was indeed a basket. She walked over the cabinet with the mirror and put down the basket. There was something about this basket that drew her to it. Like …and old memory.

Curious, she pulled the first item out: a red scarf. An old scarf, by the look of it. She ran the fabric between her fingers. Why did it feel so …familiar. She held the scarf to her face and rubbed it against her cheeks. It felt so …comfortable. It brought out feelings of safety …and sadness?

She threw the scarf on her parents bed behind her and took out another item. An old grey beanie. She placed the beanie on her head, smiling at how good it looked on her. It felt …right to wear it.

The next item made her grin. It was an old black choker. “Wow, never knew my parents were into this fashion choice. Retro.” She chuckled as she put on the choker. Like with the beanie, it just felt right. It was weird, she never really had the urge to accessorize before, but these things were just calling out to her.

A pair of yellow tinted glasses were the last item she pulled out the basket, and she just put them on to try them out when she saw something at the bottom of the basket. A note? Perhaps an old love letter from her parents? She grabbed the note and opened it.

Her name is Anne. Please love her like we have loved her.

Anne felt her core freeze as she read the message. What was this? This was not her parents’ handwriting. She read the message again. As she felt all strength leave her legs, she stumbled backward until the back of her knees hit her parents’ bed and she plopped down.

“Anne? Anne, where are you?” Her mom Hazel called out. She appeared in the master bedroom doorway, her expression a mixture of stern and amused. “Are you trying to find your snacks, because …” She froze when she saw what her daughter was wearing and the note she holding in her hand. “Anne, where did you…?”

Anne’s voice was soft as she held out the note. “Mom …what is this?”

“Oh no.” Hazel eyes started to tear up. “Noami! Naomi, come here, quick!”

The sound of footsteps rushing up the stairs and soon her momma Naomi appeared next to her wife. She gasped when she saw her daughter.

“She found it?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“She always was one to snoop around.”

“What have told her?”

“Nothing, I just got here.”

“I am not ready for this.”

“Neither am I.”

“Can someone please tell me what this is about?” Anne asked loudly, her tone a bit sharper than she intended it to be. Tears were welling up in her eyes. “Sorry, it’s just ….all these things, this letter. What are these things and why did you hide them from me? What does it all mean? Who wrote this letter?”

Hazel and Naomi gave each other a look. The latter sighed and nodded at the former. Hazel cautiously approached her daughter and sat next to her. Naomi placed herself on the other side of their daughter.

“Anne, honey, I believe it’s time that we’ve told you something.” Hazel began.

“Something that, maybe, we’ve should have told you a long time ago.”

Anne’s grip around the letter tightened as she readied herself for her mothers’ story.

To be continued?

[loosesodamarble]

Welcome to the Black Bird Part 2: Alexander the Bodyguard

Summary: Introducing Sukehiro as Alexander, the strong and stalwart bodyguard butler of the Black Bird. Genre: general Word count: ~800 A/N: I commissioned the art of Yami from @cringeyvanillamilk.

..........

“We just don’t think you can bring what our business is looking for.”

“There aren’t any open positions, sorry.”

“Sorry, kid, given your record, we’ve decided against hiring you.”

Sukehiro threw his phone onto his bed before flopping down on the mattress.

What was the fucking point of applying to every job he could find only to get turned down by every place? He was starting to believe that there wasn’t a point. He’d be stuck going nowhere. He’d spend the last of his savings on renting out a shithole apartment and once he was out, he’d be on the streets.

He’d probably wind up dead in a ditch soon after.

Because no one would bother caring for someone like him.

And then one day, when Sukehiro was walking to the convenience store for some cheap shopping, he ran into a man.

Short blond hair. Dark purple eyes that seemed wise beyond their years. The oddest name Sukehiro had ever heard, Julius Novachrono.

“The moving crew I hired is a little overwhelmed by how much I have,” he explained with an awkward laugh. “Would you mind lending a hand? It’s just at the apartment building next door. I’ll even pay in cash if you’d like.”

The money was a hundred dollars an hour at minimum. Of course Sukehiro took the chance.

And one chance encounter was all it took…

…..

“My lady, I humbly offer my arm to you so that you may walk without fear of falling on your way to your table,” Sukehiro said as he slightly bowed from his waist.

“No need today, Alexander,” replied Charlotte Roselei, one of the regulars at the Black Bird. She was also a regular to Sukehiro’s butler persona, asking for him whenever he was available.

“I shall still guide you, and I will take care to watch for anything that might endanger you.”

Charlotte laughed softly then replied, “Fine by me.”

On the way to the table, Sukehiro made a bit of a show of himself. He put his arm out, stopping fellow waiter “Flynn” from crossing in front of Charlotte.

“Watch your step, Flynn. You could’ve bumped into my mistress and done her harm,” Sukehiro said sternly, glaring into his coworker’s eyes.

“Flynn” clicked his tongue and replied, “You gotta be a real loser to be so protective.”

Sukehiro scoffed. In the corner of his eye, he saw Charlotte pass by, and so he put his arm down and let “Flynn” by. He hurried back to Charlotte’s side, guiding her. No words were exchanged, not until Charlotte was seated and had the menu in hand.

“I don’t find it lame at all,” she muttered.

“Hm? Whatever do you mean, my lady?” Sukehiro asked, already knowing but feeling the need to entertain a brief conversation.

“Being protective of others, whether it be as intimate as family or casually for a customer, is noble in my opinion. Although…” She turned the page of the menu and stared at the entree selection. “I feel like your effort is wasted on someone like me. Since well…” Charlotte lifted her arm and flexed, showing the lean muscle of her bicep.

Against his better judgment, Sukehiro chuckled. “I would only consider it wasted effort if you didn’t appreciate it.”

…..

Shielded Sea Fry. One of the pricier dishes on the specialty menu, but only because it so heavily relied on seafood.

Sukehiro grew up in a coastal town, eating more fish than beef or pork. So of course a dish based on who he was would have to involve seafood. He preferred cracking a crab open and eating it plain but for the sake of the cafe’s aesthetic, he agreed that a crab salad served in a cleaned out shell would suffice. The entree also had seared scallops, a boiled lobster tail, and an acidic seaweed salad to balance the richness of the crustaceans.

The seafood was plated within the shells, reflecting the protective persona that Sukehiro put on for his customers.

Reflecting the shield that Sukehiro had hidden himself behind for years before. Because, back then, no one was going to protect him except himself.

That was then. In the present though, he was at the Black Bird.

Where everything was clean and polished, even himself. Where the customers would admire his physique rather than take his appearance alone as a threat to be mugged. And where he met some weirdos and made some wonderful friends too.

Never did Sukehiro believe he’d end up where he was. But he was there and he didn’t plan on leaving any time soon.

“One Shielded Sea Fry for Table #10!” the head chef yelled.

“Picking it up!” Sukehiro called back.

.....

[thekingbiscuit]

I've been reading a bit of Minecraft fics and it's got me thinking about the chain in linked universe a little bit so I'm gonna share what I've been cooking.

Linked universe Minecraft au where they all have very similar code, so when all nine of them just happen to enter a portal at the same time, something goes horribly wrong and they all get trapped in a new empty world together.

In order to escape they have to make it to the end and defeat the dragon, but that's only if they can figure out how to get along and stop sabotaging each other.

All the player ideas I have so far, this might make a little more sense if you're familiar with Evo, hermit craft and origins/mob hybrid lore but I kinda made up some watcher society stuff-

Sky is all fish out of water with the whole thing. He spends most of his time in the end on an island with other watchers. He essentially never switched out of creative mode.

The world he lives in is also legacy, it has the islands but he's never seen chorus or shulkers, essentially it's a wasteland with some obsidian watcher structures. Even if he knew everything about the blocks he did have, he's still entirely held back by having no clue what all the new stuff is.

In fact, his girlfriend oversees an entire cluster of the last remaining legacy worlds, and he is very proud of her. His player form is a parrot hybrid because the one time he went to a different world to get some nice bright blue flowers for her that he heard about from a passing mobile watcher, he saw a parrot and thought they were cooler than bats.

___________

Four is a shulker because you can dye them in bedrock and they literally just multiply by beating themselves up. They are also just tiny little guys so it all falls into place.

Four's shell has each color and he shoots himself to split. Essentially he's four little guys living in the same shell. It gets cramped in there.

The colours are the ones forging gear and hiding them in random end cities. That's how they spend their time at least.

They are researching a way to help out their brother who was cursed by a blighted watcher, vio also holds this curse but shadow took the brunt of it. They still have shadow's empty shell, and it no longer comes with them when they combine into four.

________________

Time is a risen watcher, apparently he beat the hell out of a watcher that was tormenting a small world, messing with the moon and time and such, and once he did that he told off the super ancient watcher that only helped him at the last second, despite having the ability to fix it all along.

This fierce deity watcher was impressed with him in general, and marked him as his own son, making Time a watcher himself.

Watchers can choose what their player form presents as, and Time chooses to come across as a non-hybrid regular player. This is strange, because non-hybrids are famously plain and lack any sort of basic adaptability, but Time just swaps origin when the situation calls for it, so it's not a problem for him.

Time was also involved in an incident that affected the history of a lot of newer worlds, even before he became a watcher himself, but whatever this was is largely covered up and he can't speak about it.

_________________

Legend hops worlds. A lot. Like a bunny (he's a bunny). He goes to worlds that have problems and helps solve them to avoid his own.

He's been to so many corrupted worlds and spent so long in them that his code is soup basically. He can run commands and use magic despite literally being some random rabbit.

He can't turn off keep inventory, his stuff also comes with him when he hops worlds, so naturally he has a lot of things.

He has the direct favour of all three watchers in the second highest circle of power, so is largely left unchecked in his shenanigans. Occasionally they come to coo over him like doting wine aunts and it terrifies anyone in radius.

If he's submerged in water he completely glitches out and becomes a mer tropical fish type hybrid, one of them blue and pink ones.

Switching back involves beaching himself so he'd rather avoid it.

He can split into three types of parrot hybrids. Chooses not to as it just summons two rabbits to possess the green and blue parrot. The other two like him and will help out, but they find it uprooting.

There's a huge part of his personal player log that's just missing. It's from the one world he couldn't save, and he's the only one left to mourn it.

_______________________

Hyrule is an allay trapped in an ultra hardcore world where nobody beat the first guardian dragon. A fate worse than death basically.

The entire world is one biome. Mesa.

No one in the world knows why, but not a single soul has any memory of a life before this particular world and for some reason killing the dragon didn't open it up, so everyone is really just waiting around to starve to death.

Hyrule himself beat the dragon twice on his own, though it was futile, but other expeditions resulted in massive casualties, so why did this dinky allay survive two whole times? With no witnesses except the server wide dying cry?

Through a series of conspiracies and nothing better to do, a cult of haters formed, convinced that if they kill Hyrule, not the dragon, that the world would finally open up. As you can imagine, scarce resources, a hoard of mobs by night and fanatical players by day can really wear a guy down.

He hasn't told anyone, but he really thinks he broke everything, he has access to commands and has been using them to cast fire, lightning, heal himself despite the hardcore status and other such small things, but he doesn't know any command that can make things better, and blames himself.

___________________

I have a pretty good idea of what the background is for those five of the chain members, but I haven't played any of the switch games yet so I haven't a clue what to do with wild. Maybe a fox but I'm not sure, I do know that I want him to tie in with twilight.

Wind could be a breeze, but I'm not sure how to tie that in with pirating so maybe a dolphin? And I'm also completely lost with wars. Happy to take suggestions, or really just get this idea out of my head and into the void lol

[glubby-guppiez]

*I MADE A TMNT AU [WIP]

*cw: typing quirk

*Oroku family info

*Basic synopsis

*Turtles are from a zoo in Guatemala

*The turtles are Central American Snapping Turtles

*They were stolen and mutated by Baxter Stockman

*Baxter Stockman is the main villain and the turtles work to stop him because he is too far gone and has hurt so many people and creatures in his quest for vast knowledge and is completely apathetic

*)(amato + Foot clan does not affect the story

*The turtles + Splinter lived in Guatemala until they met April and then they moved to New York to go after Stockman

*The turtles start off as regular mutant turtles, but early on during the events of the AU, get mutated further into dragons (friends idea)

*Character Info

*Shared info about the turtles

*Central American Snapping Turtles *All were originally named by the zoo *When they are mutated into dragons, their heights increased *The mutation process was very painful *Wings grew out of their backs and broke their shells at the top where the wings grew *Knows/speaks/writes in Spanish and English *Keeps their original weapons *Learned ninjitsu and self defense similarly to Mutant Mayhem and Bayverse via books and videos but also by watching humans at the dojo that is right above where they live

*Michelangelo

*)(e/)(im Cis male *5'11" (Pre-Dragon) *7'2" (Post-Dragon) *Very muscular build *Lost one of his right toes *Wears cheap gym shorts and an orange sweater around his shoulders that soon turns into his mask after he mutates into a dragon (tears off a sleeve) *Nunchaku on belt *Stickers on shell, including an anime sticker Raphael put on as a joke that won't come off *Old mask had the iconic Mikey short tails *Gay *The Leader *Optimist *Actually good at strategizing *Tries to stay energetic and joyful even when it's inappropriate *A little bit insensitive tbh *Not entirely on purpose he just doesn't understand why everyone isn't happy-go-lucky and constantly optimistic like he is *#1 Cheerleader *Tries to keep good relationships with his family *Very loving and supportive of them *Learning empathy is part of his character development *Mondo Gecko becomes a love interest for him later on

*Madonna (Donatello)

*She/)(er Transfem changed name *6'4" (Pre-Dragon) *7'6" (Post-Dragon) *Largest and most muscular turtle because of her Bo training and mechanical handling *Wears skirts and an apron with lots of storage, including a large tool belt *Steal's Raph's clothes even though they are small on her *Paint splats on shell *Braided mask tails *When everyone's masks broke because of the second mutation, she made everyone but Mikey new ones (Mikey immediately tore up his sweater and made a new mask) *Straight *Group inventor *Not very good at organizing her thoughts and explaining her inventions, and tech is always very messy and hard to follow *Personality is like Rise!Donnie but toned down *Doesn't really get mad but sulky *Very bad grammar *Often butts heads with 'Nardo *)(as a large bo collection and only uses her least favorites and never the ones she really likes unless she has to *Small crush on CJ in the beginning (purely one-sided and goes away after a while)

Leonardo

*)(e/)(im Cis male *5'8" (Pre-Dragon) *6'7" (Post-Dragon) *More scrawny and lanky than the rest of the group *Was effected the most by the second mutation out of the group appearance wise *Wears comfortable loose clothes like hoodies and sweatpants *Plain, long tail mask *Wore glasses before second mutation *)(as a dragon carved onto his lower shell (he begged asked Madonna to do it) *AroAce *Main intel of the group *Very observant *Non verbal and writes everything that comes to mind in these journals called: "Big Book of 'Nardo Thoughts" and hopes to publish them one day. *Thinks he should've been the leader *Geography nerd *Otaku

Raphael

*She/)(er Cis female *5'4" (Pre-Dragon) *7'4" (Post-Dragon) *Muscular but chubby build *Wears feminine clothing mainly jeans and crop tops but also skirts and dresses *Mask tied into a nice bow *Madonna put nail polish drawings on her shell *Paints hers and Mikey's nails *Lesbian *Sassy like 1987 Raphael *Very girly and feminine *Very protective of her family *Does have rage strength *A voice of wisdom/reason *Still kind of childish *)(angs out with Splinter a lot *Gets a girlfriend named Marilyn

Splinter

*)(e/)(im Cis male *5'6" *47 *Bushy-tailed Woodrat *Wears a dirty ass expensive silk bathrobe that he stole from a human that he WILL NOT take off *Raph likes to style his fur *Straight ally *Only knows Spanish *Reads a lot and taught the turtles how to read *Great cook *Mediocre dad *Was taken from his own parents at an early age so he has no clue how to parent outside of instinct and books *He's trying he goes to the PTA meetings he goes to them/ref *Brought home a whole bunch of girl books for Madonna when she came out to him *Praises Mikey for his optimism *Adores 'Nardo's writing *Wants a wife so bad

Baxter Stockman

*TW FOR MENTIONS OF ABUSE *)(e/)(im Cis Male *5'5" (Pre mutation) *6'4" (Post mutation) *56 *Black and Brazilian *Buzz cut (Pre mutation) *Skinny build (Pre mutation) *Becomes a fly mutant *Much more muscular post mutation *)(air grows out *Kind of looks like Super Fly *Wears stereotypical lab gear *Questioning AroAce *Very devoted to his work *Abused and neglected his wife (April's mom) and daughter (April O'Neil) *Made the turtles, Shredder, Splinter, and other mutants *Everyone )(ATES him *Rightfully so *)(e uses mech suits to fight like 2012 him in season 1 *CJ is his pupil early on *Kind of a bitch to CJ *Sadistic *This man gets very uncomfortable to be around after he's mutated *Like bro wanting disect and study every living thing he comes across after the mutation *Throws a fit when he's wrong about something *Has a deep desire to be all knowing

April O'Neil

*She/They/It Demigirl *5'8" *19 *Afro Latina *She has dark brown hair styled in afro puffs *Skinny but athletic build *Sports a black and yellow track suit with a white undershirt *Bisexual *Daughter of Baxter Stockman *Tech whiz *Madonna's best friend *Big sister figure to the turtles *Grew up in Guatemala and moved to New York with the turtles and Splinter shortly after meeting them *)(er dad's #1 hater *Fluent in Spanish *Knows English, but it's rough *Uses a gun *Dating Karai

Casey Jones (CJ)

*They/)(e/It Nonbinary (fine with gender neutral or masculine terms) *5'2" *17 *White *)(as that 2000's mid length emo boy haircut *Wears Jeans + Band tee and a lab coat *Main inspo from 2012 Casey design wise *Omniromantic (pref for men) Asexual *Kind of wimpy and doesn't fight *Mainly uses mousers and other robots *Stockman's pupil until he joins up with the turtles *Works alongside 'Nardo and Madonna *Genuinely scared of Mikey *Grew up in New York *Failed Art Class and will have to repeat highschool they are so salty about this it is not even *Geek loser *Main personality inspo from '87 and 2012 Stockman

*I will write about more characters later and more lore but rn this is all you get. If you wanna see specific characters or if you have any questions, feel free to ask me my ask box is open!

[kamy2425]

(Discworld Fanfic) "The Meaning of Death"

Chapter 1- An Introduction

Through the vastness of the cosmic. Between the infinite and everlasting universe, a turtle passes. 

And upon its immense hard shell, stood four elephants. 

Swimming through infinite galaxies, they go onward into the unknown. 

But this story is not about giant turtles and elephants from the stars. 

...

This story takes place on the disc carried by the elephants that stand on the back of the Great A’Tuin, the star turtle. In this Discworld, across the sky and endless mountains... Through the plains and extensiveness of the forests and into a network of forgotten ruins, RINCEWIND, the self-proclaimed WIZZARD…

Was a bit tied up at the moment. 

Just a simple errand, they said. Mumbled Rincewind in the solitude of his mind, Anyone could do it, they said.

He guessed it was his own fault in accepting just another request from the senior wizards of the Unseen University. Just when it feels like it could be just a regular and non-dangerous errand, it appears. He should have been used to it by now. Rincewind always finds trouble and IT always finds him. 

There’s that feeling on the back of his neck again.  

The cold chills of being dragged as a small chess piece across the room and being put onto a checkered surface. The rattling of dice buzzing around his head as if Fate was gambling against the Lady once more. No one could really understand what Rincewind goes through. Not even himself could answer as to why things are the way they are.

Though, maybe he never really gave the time to think about it. He was always busy running.

Speaking of which, Rincewind wiggled to try to loosen the grip of the ropes that tied around his arms. 

He immediately decided to stop.

What if it works and he is set free? Then what? Rincewind will tell you. He’ll probably go about looking for an exit. Just to mysteriously find a particular lever. Then, walls would open up and reveal a secret escape route. Only for him to get ambushed by the enemy waiting on the other side and asking him:

How did you manage to escape?

or

Look at our swords, they’re very sharp aren’t they? Let’s test it out, shall we?

Frankly, Rincewind didn’t want to find out. So he bravely decided to just stay put. After all, some solitude and a bit of bread everyday seemed like his regular times back in UU. Only, there’s no potatoes lying around.

HELLO, RINCEWIND.

“Oh, sh-”

HOW'S IT HANGING?

Rincewind went back to the escaping part of his plans as he shook the ropes at great speed.

“Um...it's-it's not my time yet, is it?” asked Rincewind nervously at the black-robed figure.

UNFORTUNATELY. Death replied.

Rincewind’s pacing slowed down, just a bit. Escaping was still in motion.

“So, why are you here?”

THERE'S A MAN I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT WITH. IT'’S ON IN 5 MINUTES.

“N-no I mean, why are you HERE?” The wizard pointed. At the fact, considering that he had no hands in which to point at the moment.

Rincewind had no idea that Death itself could sigh. Actually, don’t think there would be anyone that knew the fact and survived in order to tell this little info.  Still, Death did a great impression of a sigh, as Rincewind saw him crouch down and sat next to him. Death placed his scythe resting on his skeletal lap. The reflection of Rincewind’s face against the blade, caused him to try to pick up the pace once again.

The struggles of the wizard caused some crates above the shelf behind him to fall down on the floor. Some wood debris, ropes, bottles, and a mace spread all over the room.

ALBERT SAYS I SHOULD MAKE FRIENDS.

"Did he now?" Rincewind replied without really paying much attention. His mouth let him auto-pilot the conversation due to the fact that it would be considered rude not to answer back to Death. The other however, went silent for a moment. Rincewind looked back curiously.

Death was tapping his fingers on the handle of his scythe numerous times. It felt like something was biting an imaginary tongue within his skull.

I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO MAKE THINGS. LET ALONE, FRIENDS. 

"I...figured as much."

SO I GOT TO THINKING…

Very dangerous. Rincewind said in the back of mind as he nodded.

A FRIEND IS SOMEONE YOU SEE VERY OFTEN. 

Rincewind gulped.

He tried to pop his head back and forth against the wooden furniture behind him. Maybe he could make himself unconscious and wake up to a different type of unplanned-adventure. Gods knows he won’t be lucky enough to go back to Ankh-Morpork, but anywhere seemed to be a better choice than staying here.

BUT ANYONE I HAPPEN TO MEET, WILL ONLY SEE ME ONCE.

"Once is plenty, I'll say." Rincewind groaned as his head was hurting from all the popping.

AND YET. THIS ISN'T THE LAST TIME I'VE SEEN YOU.

"Oh...Gods." Rincewind whimpered as the conclusion was getting closed at hand.

RINCEWIND, WILL YOU HAPPEN TO BE MY FRIEN-

"HIPPOS!” Rincewind yelled through his lungs, “BANANAS! Uh….MARMALADE! PNEUMONOULTRAMICROSCOPICSILICOVOLCANOCONIOSIS!”

“Hey!” Shouted a voice from the other room, “Quiet in there!”

Oh goods, an interruption! Rincewind cheered in his mind as the door opened to reveal the man who caused the wizard’s entrapment in the first place. 

“Look, how was I supposed to know that you were after that thing ?” Rincewind asked in utter annoyance.

As a form of intimidation, the man took out his sword from the scabbard around his waist. The wizard coiled his head in return. 

“That thing is said to grant wishes!” The man yelled with a passion, “It is what our organization has stood for 100 years! It grants us the ultimate answer of the universe! It is...the ORB OF KNOWLEDGE!”

“It’s just a ball with notes stuck inside!” Rincewind pleaded, “You shake it and it tells you things that are already written! We use it for parties!”*

“Blasphemy!” The man swung his sword in the air, “I’ll curse you and send you to hell myself!”

The guy launched forwards, his foot caught in a crack on the floor. His other foot landed on a piece of slippery broken wood as his body flew up. The last thing he saw was several pointing bits of a mace.

*The only banned questions the wizards of the Unseen University listed as to not ask the Orb of Knowledge are as follows: Will I get a girlfriend? What about a boyfriend? I’m not picky, just want to cover all bases. Am I a good wizard? And...Am I dead? Most of these questions were banned by majority vote just because it made the whole party vibes to be rather depressing. Apparently, not everyone got the picture and started asking only these questions. It was up to the senior wizards to get rid of the object for good. Being the causers of this predicament in the first place, it was their responsibility that the orb should have been destroyed.

“I died? Just like that?” Asked the ghost as he saw his own body lying on the floor.

YES. MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE WATCHED WHERE YOU WERE GOING.

“Well, now I don't have to do that anymore!”

“YES, ISN'T IT GRAND?” Death’s bony jaw cracked into a smile.

“That was sarcasm! What am I going to do now?!”

Death stood back. 

Rincewind leaned into the 1-sided conversation closely. It did not sound good, by the looks of it. Death pondered for a moment in order to find the answer for the ghost’s aching question. His eye sockets shined brightly blue as he became quite pleased with himself. He could not wait to share his discovery with the dead man.

WALK FORWARDS.

Death opened up a portal that led to an infinite gray desert with black darkened skies. He held out his hand on the back of the ghost and led the way in.

Almost half-way inside, Death’s head popped right back for one last time.

I'LL SEE YOU AGAIN, RINCEWIND.

"How much later?" The wizard asked anxiously.

Death chuckled. Chuckled? As he closed the portal behind him, leaving Rincewind alone, confused, and startled. A regular day for Rincewind actually, so back to status quo!

Rincewind looked down at the now diseased corpse and then quickly stared at the sharpness of the blade that the man had dropped. It was exactly in the right distance for him to reach. And exactly the exact sharpness needed for these exact ropes. 

“Fine. Fine alright! I'll escape!” Rincewind yelled out to the universe. He proceeded to brush the ropes against the sword as the grip loosened. The ropes fell down onto the floor. "Are you happy now? Are you entertained?!"

The universe didn't answer back.

Not even chuckled.

CHAPTER 1 / 2 / 3 / ???

[l-sincline]

Cybernetics - Chapter 29

Amy Rose is a mechanic, plain and simple. But aside from that, she feels utterly alone in a cruel world where she makes just enough to scrape by. One night she’s visited by a mysterious Cyborg that needs his arm fixed, little does she know this repair will change her life.

Flung from the confines of her normal life, Amy finds herself working with Anarchists set on creating a new life for themselves and the poor people of Mobius. The only downside? Seeing who she thought was her best friend fight against her.

AO3 Tags:  Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Amy Rose/Shadow the Hedgehog, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Amy Rose (Sonic the Hedgehog), Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles “Tails” Prower, Dr. Eggman | Dr. Robotnik, Rouge the Bat, Whisper the Wolf, Cream the Rabbit, Knuckles the Echidna, Badnik (Sonic the Hedgehog), E-123 Omega, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Cyberpunk, Angst, Slow Burn, Partners in Crime

AO3 Link

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The flight suit Blaze had handed him was one he was initially okay with. Before he’d walked away to change, Blaze had sternly told him no cloak, and this made him grumble a bit. 

The tank he usually wore under his cloak was made of the same material as the flight suit- this tight fitting kevlar like armor that passed for regular clothing. He typically added some extra armor around the midriff to protect his most vulnerable organs. Though, the truth was he had no idea how much of it was organs and how much of it was cybernetics in the place of organs. 

Regardless, he liked the anonymity the cloak offered. He liked the hood he could pull up and cover his face with, he liked the way it hid his arms and the rest of his body. Now he was all on display. Shadow sighed and shook his head, it was all for the mission. For the mission. 

Walking out of the men’s locker room, Shadow spotted Rouge and Amy right away. They seemed quite happy, Rouge ruffled Amy’s quills and the two shared a laugh. He was glad they were getting along closely now. He supposed all the shit they’d been through together had really bonded them. 

Though Rouge had been eager at the first appearance of Amy, he had always been able to tell that the android was at least somewhat guarded. After all, this was the first Mobian he’d ever really brought into their home (even Blaze didn’t know exactly where it was) and it’d been with very little warning. For a moment he’d felt Rouge withdraw, but he thought she saw the same potential in Amy that he did, and Rouge made her way back. 

Amy had been very nervous in her first few days at the base. Admittedly it’d been a bit off putting to watch her slink back into her shell after witnessing her at her mechanic booth. Back then she’d put on quite the show of being a helpful, independent mechanic, and she’d been quite fun when they went to dinner together. But those first days… she was quiet. She was careful and withdrawn and nervous. Shadow couldn’t blame her, but he was happy to see her personality return. 

Now there she stood, turned to look at Omega with Rouge. A smile turned up the corners of her mouth ever so slightly, and her bright green eyes looked at the robot with a sort of affection. 

When he realized a small smile had crept onto his face he shoved it down, maintaining the stoic facade he and everyone else was used to. 

“Blaze said your flight suits are in the locker room down to the right.” He spoke to get their attention. 

Both of them turned and made eye contact and then immediately glanced down to look at his outfit. Inwardly he cringed, but the feeling didn’t last long as Rouge started moving towards him with a mischievous grin. 

“Wooow, outfit change for the big guy.” As the bat reached towards him he dodged and turned on his heel, back to Amy. He reached out and shoved Rouge away with a huff- the bat only giggled at him. 

When he turned once more to face Amy he was struck with the fact that she seemed to, once again, be observing him. Similarly to the meeting room, though this time she had seemed to have run a thorough scan of his body. The moment of recognition didn’t last long, however, as she quickly looked up once more and made eye contact.

“Did Blaze colorcode everyone?” She said with a smile.

“Yes.” He responded bluntly, though unintended. He had been caught off guard by her gaze. 

“Oooh, I wonder what color I got.” Rouge exclaimed as she moved past him, grabbing on to Amy and tugging her towards their destination. 

As he saw Rouge leaning over to mutter in Amy’s ear, his own ears pricked. Very faintly as the pair moved away, he made out;

“Stop looking at the eyecandy and get changed, would you?”

Rouge’s loud laugh fell on deaf ears as he reached up to cover his muzzle and turned to face the hanger wall, once again craving his cloak to throw the hood over his head as he felt heat rush to his face and the tips of his ears. That bat… she was crazy. But what was more than that, he couldn’t get the feeling of Amy’s gaze out of his mind. Theoretically, she’d looked over him carefully, her eyes were gentle and sweet, their green shine quite unlike any bit of nature or neon he’d seen before. Furthermore, despite his initial dislike of the tight fitted flight suit, he hadn’t minded that she looked at him. In fact, there was a part of him that wished he had seen her do it instead of being distracted by Rouge most of the time. 

Suddenly he shouted, an incomprehensible noise, and kicked the wall in front of him with a clang. 

He panted slightly and slouched down into a squat. This feeling was too unfamiliar to him- it was making him irrational. Shadow groaned and stayed in his current position for what felt like an eternity until he heard the pair of footsteps headed back his way. He stood and turned. 

Immediately his eyes were drawn to Amy, whose flight suit was just as tight fitting as his. A key difference was that hers had sleeves instead of being a tank top, but it still hugged her body and offered some protective padding. 

The worst part about it? Probably the fact that it matched his. 

[discountalien-pancake]

Kay this is why you don’t post things at 1am, I realized the diagram and instructions required a lot of edits so I’m just taking down that post for now. I’ll make up for it by giving y’all a materials list for the Sea Guard Cadet Tunic:

So. You want to make the Sea Guard Tunic. You will need:

2 yards of teal medium-weight linen or wool. All pattern pieces, excluding the cuff interlining, will be cut from this. I used linen from fabrics-store.com in the color “Sphinx.” For a fully screen-accurate wool tunic, use this wool from renaissancefabrics.net (currently sold out, but will probably be restocked)

1”x22” of a lightweight but stable fabric for interlining the cuffs. I used a different linen I had lying around. A plain cotton or something similar will work just as well. Silk organza is bizarrely good as an interlining but it is also ass to work with, so I don’t recommend it for this project.

Sewing thread. I used 50wt Kinkame silk thread from britexfabrics.com, color 47. You can use whatever regular sewing thread you have on hand, but you will have to wax your thread if hand-sewing with something other than a high-quality silk thread. Treat Gutermann silk sewing thread like it’s cotton.

4 small buttons (2 on each cuff). Mine were 1/4” diameter vintage shell buttons. You can also substitute these for 2 larger 1/2” diameter buttons, 1 for each cuff.

Size 8 or 9 quilting “betweens” (or whatever you prefer). These are shorter than regular sharps. Nicole Rudolph, who is an excellent historical costumer, uses embroidery needles, which are thicker and longer than sharps. This all comes down to personal preference and comfort. Betweens work for me, but they may not work fo you. Test out different needle types and invest in them when you find a good fit. I used the size 9 betweens from Clover.

Size 28 tapestry needles, if sewing linen. Just trust me on this. The blunt point will make all the seams so much less annoying, and you will need them if you want to do any embroidery. You may still find it necessary to fell the seam allowances using a smaller sharp needle. I use the ones from Piecemaker’s. Note: you can find these at a cheaper price from other online shops, and I can’t vouch for their shipping because I didn’t order mine from them, but I want to link to their shop directly.

Fabric scissors. I used embroidery scissors for everything. This is stupid. Do not do that, it takes forever and is deeply unnecessary. Use regular fabric sheers unless you’re a masochist like me and need everything to be perfectly on grain or you’ll go bonkers.

Beeswax, for waxing your thread. You don’t need this if you are using a smooth silk thread like Kinkame or Tire silk threads. You can get it from Burnley and Trowbridge. One thing of wax will last you forever and is a good investment even if you use silk for this project. I got mine many years ago from Whole Foods, in the…health and beauty aisle? The one with all the essential oils. It is also sold by various Indigenous-owned small businesses!

Optional:

Embroidery thread of your choice. I used a size 12 perle cotton from Valdani in shade 152, and a size 16 perle cotton from Finca in shade 4074. Valdani perle cottons can be found on etsy, and I got my Finca perle cotton from roseground.com, a UK-based lacemaking supplier.

Beads, if you want some sparkle. Size 11 and 8 seed beads would work well, especially if trying to emulate the show’s aesthetic. I get beads from direct.auntiesbeads.com which sells them in little bulk-quantity baggies. I didn’t bead my tunic, but I may bead future TROP cosplays.

You may want to have a 0.65mm (very small!) crochet hook, if sewing with silk thread. Instead of using a seam ripper, I pull my stitches out and reuse the thread. You can do this with other threads but they will start to fray and fall apart very quickly. Kinkame and similar silks will not. The crochet hook helps speed up the process. Always remove stitches in reverse of the direction you put them in, on the chance you pierced your thread on the backside. This allows you to maintain the longest possible usable length of thread.

[vartouhix]

Diamond kiss + opal wonder

stonework headcanons ; accepting

Diamond Kiss: What kind of clothing and accessories do they prefer to wear? Are there are any particular reasons outside of general comfort that they like wearing these?

I answered this here, and I made a little moodboard about it, too! But as for the second part of the prompt, I'll answer that now. She prefers to wear regular clothes rather than a teacher's Jujutsu High uniform for a few reasons. The primary reason is that she often has law school classes, and she doesn't have time to change out of the Jujutech uniform into casual clothes. It would raise questions from her fellow law school students if she constantly showed up in another school's uniform, and it's not believable to claim that a school she's only volunteering at would require her to wear a uniform.

Another reason is that she spent her adolescence constantly in school uniforms, and was so bullied that she didn't really explore her tastes in fashion even outside of school. (She would wear plain T-shirts and solid-color skirts, or jeans.) It was while she was a student at Jujutsu High that she started to come out of her shell and experiment to try to find her style. By the time she got to university, she had settled on the style that she prefers today. Jangmi likes to dress well whenever she goes out because it feels freeing to be able to wear whatever she wants.

Opal Wonder: How big is their imagination? Do they tend to share these ideas or keep them to themselves?

Jangmi has a pretty big imagination! As a middle schooler, when she found out she enjoyed dance, she would sometimes lie down in her room at home with her eyes closed and imagine whole music videos complete with choreography. In addition, all her reading gives her a very active imagination. She doesn't always keep her imaginings to herself; sometimes she'll share them with others, if the topic of conversation lends to doing so. But mostly she just writes them in one of her many journals.

[zinogirl]

Here's a challenge I'd consider

Can you play skyrim as a regular citizen?

Basically, you're restricted to any clothing set worn by regular civilians, iron or steel daggers of swords. Let's say you're going to ape off Ysolda. That's a set of Clothes, and an Iron Dagger, with i think a ring or two, likely a bottle of mead, and maybe some bread.

No potions, no looting (EXCEPT FOR ANIMALS), no real adventuring. you must return to homebase after, we'll say a 6-13 hour day of working.

Find a city you can live in, live in that city. You may use console commands to make the player homes in your chosen city your own, though if you do this you will be subject to the Bills and Rent.

Do menial labor, ie fishing, cutting wood, farming crops, hunting for animals meat and pelts, and sell those crops to either the "I'll pay you for any vegetables/firewood you bring me" type npc like Hulda at the bannered mare who pays you for firewood, or to merchants. You MUST choose ONE as your profession. You can't be both a woodcutter and a fisherman.

Every day you must purchase or make 3 meals, full meals. That could be bread meat and apples, or bowls of vegetable soup. Whatever you would consider an actual full meal, you gotta get three a day somehow.

Every month you must shell money out for rent or bills. If you have chosen to rent a bed instead of having a house, then you're already shelling out rent every day, and thus are exempt.

You can only complete quests that are available in the city you've chosen, or the surrounding area.

That means the central plains around whiterun, for example. Since NO NPC from whiterun will leave whiteruns immediate vicinity, we'll say your limits here are a circle around Whiterun going from the Western Watchtower to Honningbrew Meadery, the road passing White River Watch, down to Valthiem Towers, doubling back and passing Shimmermist Cave, Up to the Loreius Farm, to Halted Stream Camp, to Bleakwind Basin, and back around to the Western Watchtower. Basically, the eastern portion of the Whiterun Hold. It'll be a similar situation for any city you choose. Based on location that radius can change significantly, with Solitude and Markarth for example having the smallest possible immediate areas for exploration, and very few opportunities for hunting within them.

Just how much could you get out of this, what little interactions and stories could you find.

[drdunev]

Can Eggs Really Help With Depression?

I have written about eggs before. It used to be just the animal varieties to choose from. You know; duck eggs, chicken eggs, quail eggs, etc. Now there must be eight or so variations at the markets, ranging from plain old white eggs to free range (the chicken gets to stick it’s feathery neck outside the roost for a few minutes) to pasture-raised organic. This means the chickens are supposed to be able to grub around in the grass and dirt to find worms and insects, since birds tend to be carnivores. Chickens in the wild eat an omnivorous diet, meaning they eat anything they can forage in the grasses where they can find beetles. worms and other insects.i

Eggs are pretty amazing nutritionally. Yes, the yolks do contain cholesterol. But they also contain lecithin which breaks down fat and cholesterol. They also contain choline, which is necessary for fat metabolism, and is good for the brain.

Now there is evidence that eggs decrease the risk of depression. The study was a 6- year study of elderly people. Those who ate three eggs a week had a 38% decrease in the risk of depressive symptoms compared to non-egg eaters. And with each additional egg consumed per week, the risk decreased by an additional 4%.ii

This wasn’t a double-blind study. It was self-reported by the participants, but there probably isn’t too much reason to falsely report. So, this indicates that eggs are probably even better for us than was previously known. Happily, this also indicates that there is more interest in prevention and dietary influences of mental problems, rather than just prescribing drugs.

Although the study wasn’t performed on children or teenagers, eggs may prove beneficial to them, as well. Studies are showing that more young people are suffering from mental and emotional difficulties since the pandemic. It’s probably hard for adults to understand what an impact this pandemic event had on development, and it went on far too long. In the life of a young person, this would have an enormous impact, almost like the impact that periods of war or economic depression had on earlier generations. So, simple dietary improvements may help.

No time to fix eggs in the morning? Try this “Egg Pancakes” recipe. Mash a small banana with two raw eggs to make a batter. Cook the pancakes on a griddle until firm and light brown. These can be made ahead, frozen and thawed as needed, for a quick breakfast or snack. Spread with favorite nut butter, roll them up, and they can be eaten on the run. They are sweet enough on their own, or can be enjoyed with a fruit puree or syrup like a regular pancake.iii

I always suggest spending money on the best eggs. The health benefits are substantially improved when the yolk is orange and the shells are strong. Eggs keep several weeks after the date on the carton. You can tell if an egg is fresh by putting it in a glass of water. If it sinks to the bottom and lays flat on its side, the egg is fresh. It is floats, toss it out.

Freshly laid eggs do not need to be refrigerated, and often aren’t in other countries. But once eggs are refrigerated, they must remain refrigerated because they “sweat” when returning to room-temperature and that liquid may be a breeding ground for bacteria. It’s okay to leave eggs out for baking, as many recipes suggest, as long as you use them quickly.

I love eggs and eat them most days for breakfast. I find that the protein keeps my blood sugar stable until lunch. My cholesterol was just checked and it is actually lower than I really want it! I have been eating very little sugar in this past year, and cholesterol is made mainly from dietary sugar, so it is not surprising. But cholesterol is very important for brain health and cognition, so I am going to keep on eating those eggs!

If you want more egg-y inspiration, here is a downloadable or purchasable cookbook called, “Too Many Eggs” by Mimi Dvorak. https://www.toomanyeggs.com

[carlosbakery]

10 Cake Decorating Tips for Stunning Confectionery Creations

Decorating cakes is both fun and a form of art. It can change plain cakes into amazing works of art. No matter if you are just beginning or already skilled, improving your cake decorating can make your cakes stand out. All you need are the right tools, some good methods, and a bit of a creative touch. Here are ten tips for decorating cakes.

Start with a Smooth Canvas:

First thing's first, you will need a clean slate, a smooth cake surface. A trick to do this? Crumb coats your cake and tiny bits of frosting help. Chill your frosted cake for about 15 minutes and you get a smooth perfect base, ready for decorations.

Invest in Quality Tools:

Getting good cake decorating tools is key for getting a pro look. Buy some piping tips, a strong turntable, offset spatulas, and a bench scraper. These items help you put frosting on, make detailed designs, and get your cakes looking super smooth.

Master the Art of Piping:

Crafting a cake isn't just about the baking, it's also about the decorating. Piping, is a key skill, that can turn your cake from plain to fabulous. By learning various techniques like rose, shells, leaves you open a world of cake decor possibilities. But, like any skill, piping takes practice and time.

Play with Colors:

Try using various food coloring gels to brighten up your icing and make unique color combinations to match your cake. You can go for lighter tones for baby parties or stronger ones for birthday celebrations. The options are limitless.

Texture and Dimension:

Make your cakes pop with special decorating methods. You can use food safe stencils for detailed designs, or add edible glitter to give it a sparkle. Fondant can help you shape fun 3D figures or craft fine touches like flowers or lace.

Use of Fondant:

Fondant is like clay for cakes. It lets you decorate smoothly and perfectly. You roll it out, put it over your cake, can also cut shapes out of it flowers, ribbons, or whatever you like. Fondant makes cake decorating easy and fun.

Add Edible Embellishments:

Make your cakes appealing with tasty extras like fresh fruit, chocolate shavings, or edible flowers. Such decoration boosts flavor and texture and also gives the cake a beautiful look.

Practice Patience:

Decorating a cake is a task that asks for calmness and exactness, so go slow. Let each icing layer to harden before putting more decorations, and avoid hurrying the task.

Pay Attention to Detail:

Little things count a lot in cake design, look at all parts of your creation. Iron out any faults, shift decorations around, and improve your icing skills till you are happy with the outcome.

Let Your Creativity Shine:

Never hold back on showing your creative side while icing cakes. Try varied methods, blend various colors, and venture beyond regular cake decoration norms.

Conclusion:

Making a cake, especially Rainbow Birthday Cakes or Chocolate Rainbow Cake, is fun and enjoyable. It lets you show off your creative side and makes others happy with your yummy creations. These ten tips for cake decoration will help you make amazing cakes that look good and tasty.