#low key never been a tracker fan

[hankandmonty]

Kristen Applebees the Saint of lesbianism

The lol wolf song def gave the gals gassing you up to your ex vibes

[hanatiny]

[4:04] Heart Not Found

a/n // disclaimer: I’d like to make it clear that I neither condone nor endorse any of the behavior described in this fic. Each of the characters acknowledges that it is beyond unacceptable and unjustified; this is merely meant to be an experimental look at the psychological processes within a yandere’s mind. Furthermore, this work is purely fictional and I do not claim to personally know exactly how any of the ateez members behave.

a/n: If there’s anything potentially triggering that I have forgotten to list in the warnings, please let me know and I’ll fix my mistake asap!! thank you <3

pairing: yandere!San x genderneutral!reader x pianist!boyfriend!Hongjoong

genre: angst

word count: 2602

warnings: non-idol AU, murder, descriptions of injuries, mentions of blood and death, mentions of knives, San is highly obsessive in this, he threatens the reader but doesn’t actually hurt them, kidnapping, trespassing, swearing, I did my best to keep the violence as vague as possible

-----

It was around 3am and you had yet to return home, and to say San was unnerved about this fact would be a massive understatement.

It wasn’t unusual for you to get home when it was already dark outside but it was never after midnight, much less in the early morning hours it was approaching now.

San tapped his fingers against the glass of his window anxiously as he watched the streets below attentively. You had turned off your phone a while ago, or at least that was the conclusion he drew after he stopped getting a signal from the tracker he had secretly managed to install on your phone.

3:12... why weren't you home yet?

His jaw went tense when he finally caught sight of you a few excruciatingly long minutes later, and he absolutely fumed as he saw you holding hands with another man he had never seen before in his life- he paused.

He did recognize the man, as none other than the pianist Kim Hongjoong who had been gaining quite a bit of popularity in the recent months. Kim Hongjoong, who he had gone to high school with until the older dropped out to focus on his career instead.

San didn't care much for that though, because a pretty face and a talent like Hongjoong's didn't mean he could love and care for you like you deserved it.

San believed that only he could give you everything you needed and wanted, and everything beyond that. Which was exactly why he was seeing red, punching the wall next to himself angrily. It caused his knuckles to bleed from the force behind the action, but the rage he felt overshadowed his pain.

Why didn’t you realize you were destined to be his and his alone? That you shouldn’t go whoring yourself out to other men? That only he should be the one to hold you in his arms, the one to protect you from everyone and everything.

He didn’t understand. He didn’t understand why you couldn’t feel his attraction to you, why you insisted on turning a blind eye to him and found him “weird.” That’s what he assumed to be the case, at the very least.

San loved you, why was that so damn difficult for you to understand?

His narrowed eyes flickered over to the knife resting on his bedside table, and he had it clutched tightly in his bleeding hand within the blink of an eye.

He darted down the stairs without a second thought, blinded by the rage he felt deep within himself.

Meanwhile, outside, you were hugging your boyfriend goodbye for the night. His dark eyes shone innocently as he kissed your nose affectionately, causing you to giggle while still having your hands intertwined.

“So I’ll pick you up at 10 tomorrow for brunch, yeah?”

“Sounds good, Hongjoongie~ I’ll see you then.” You playfully blew him a kiss before he turned and walked off into the night, rounding the corner shortly after.

It was San’s time to strike, using your distracted state of mind to creep up behind you and tightly wrap an arm around your torso while he held the knife to your throat in warning.

You didn’t recognize his voice at first when he whispered into your ear, your brain much too clouded from the feeling of fear filling you, “If you make any sound at all, I’ll personally slit your throat and cut your vocal cords. You don’t want to lose an angelic voice such as yours, do you~?”

Realizing your situation was hopeless due to the unexpected amount of strength the man holding you possessed, you stopped trying to kick him and wrestle yourself free. This was the only answer he needed, starting to take slow and deliberate steps backwards from your house over to his. His hold on you remained tight, borderline suffocating even, just in case you would dare to get bold and try something.

He had left his door slightly ajar, kicking it shut behind him once he had finally brought you inside of his living space.

You still found yourself unable to figure out the identity of the man who had burst into your comfort zone out of nowhere but you didn’t want to find out what he was capable of doing to you if you attempted to resist whatever he was in the process of doing and pinpoint who he was, considering the amount of ease with which he snuck up and took hold of you just a few minutes ago.

Casually dropping his knife onto a nearby cupboard, he led you down the hallway of his house to a spacious bedroom. It was then a figurative lightbulb went off in your head and the fog clouding your mind cleared, upon seeing certain pieces of furniture he had placed in the room.

You had been here before. You had been in this house before when he had just moved in and his furniture was all over the place, he was the ‘cute neighbor’ who had offered you some coffee and invited you over to ‘get to know each other a little.’ Now all you needed to do was remember his name- it clicked. You remembered.

His grip on you (probably purposely) loosening, you whirled around and took a few steps away from him. San didn’t seem all too fazed by it though, simply grinning knowingly at you and crossing his arms while you did your best to subtly gain proper awareness of your surroundings.

It seemed like he noticed, however, because that was when he finally spoke up again.

“I was wondering how long it’d take you to recognize me, love. You know who I am, don’t you~?” His tone was so calm that it unsettled you to the point of having to avert your eyes, your head hanging low as you nodded hesitantly, hardly even noticing his use of the pet name.

“I knew it...~” San’s voice trailed off into a purr that you weren’t sure how to feel about, deciding that being wary was likely the smartest thing you could do in your current situation.

Too lost in thought, you didn’t realize he had stepped closer to you while you were internally debating with yourself, pleased that you seemed to remember what he said about speaking.

“Now, I have something to take care of for a little bit... I trust that you’ll be good and not leave this room.” Although a smile was painted on his features, it didn’t make his tone sound any less threatening. Not willing to find out what might happen if you didn’t react, you nodded once more.

“That’s my good dove~” All of it disgusted you - from the way he cooed at you, over the way his lips twitched upwards into a grin, to the way he looked at you like you were the only person in this twisted world.

You hated it and yet there you stood, in the middle of this sicko’s bedroom, frozen with uncertaintly and fear. You only scarcely resisted the urge to punch him in the face, watching closely as he left a few moments later and closed the door behind himself.

You heard him lock it as well, heaving a shaky sigh when you believed him to be out of earshot.

Your body shook with rage, how did he have the audacity to just kidnap you like that and walk away like he didn’t commit a goddamn felony? Your first instinct was to break something, and you figured that the window might be the first best thing - just in case it’d give you an opportunity to escape.

Looking around, you were quick to find a small hammer in a drawer. You swung it against the glass with every bit of force you could muster, only for the object in your hand to bounce back without leaving even so much as a crack. Dumbfounded by the fact that San had even reinforced his windows to keep you from leaving him, clearly having planned this for a while, you dropped the hammer next to you and sank to your knees.

You curled in on yourself, sobs wracking your body as you were forced to come to terms with the reality that you were trapped. Trapped in this room, trapped with your not-so-innocent-and-sweet neighbor.

Meanwhile, San’s steps were hurried as he sought out your boyfriend’s house, knife in hand while he occasionally glanced at his phone. It probably wasn’t very smart of Hongjoong to have his personal address publicized for fan mail purposes, considering how easily it could be exploited by people like San.

He should’ve been freezing out in the cold air at 3:35 in the very early morning, but the blood practically boiling in his veins kept him from being affected by it much. It was almost too easy for him to trespass onto the desired property when he finally reached it, breaking the lock on the door effortlessly with the blade of his knife.

Hongjoong had a habit of staying up as late as it was humanly possible, and it was rather common knowledge that he sometimes didn’t even sleep at all. As such, San was not the least bit surprised to faintly hear someone playing the piano when he stepped into the house as quietly as he could.

He followed the sound, eventually coming to a large room filled with a variety of instruments of different sizes. In the middle was, as San had to begrudgingly admit, a beautiful piano. Its seat was occupied by his very target, Hongjoong, who was aware of the younger man’s presence and let his fingers press against the black and white keys once more.

The sound the action produced was so disharmonious that it made San physically cringe as he stared the young pianist down, the latter of whom finally lifting his head with a deep, exasperated sigh.

“This is about y/n, isn’t it? I’ve noticed the way you look at-”

“You saw nothing! You know nothing! Do you have any fucking clue how painful it is to see the one you love with someone else, to not even have them spare you a single glance because of how little they care about you?” San was furious at this point, blinded by his rage, Hongjoong flinching and recoiling in his seat at the harsh tone employed by the other male as he continued, “I know you don’t. You were always the prodigy and excelled at what you did, got everything you wanted so easily... including the one thing I wanted too. I can’t live with that, and neither will you.”

“I-I didn’t- That’s not-” Hongjoong stammered, trying to defend himself before quickly realizing it was a futile endeavor when he saw San lunging at him with his knife clutched tightly in his hand. His reflexes were fast as he tried to reach for a nearby violin to whack the latter unconscious with but the crazed younger was, to his demise, much faster and pinned him to the surface of his piano while the keys beneath him produced another dissonant sound.

It didn’t exactly help that San was not only taller but also more muscular than Hongjoong, so the latter’s tries to wiggle and struggle free were for nothing. He groaned in pain as the wooden edges of his instrument forcefully dug into his skin; he clawed at it, but to no avail. He had no chance against San.

Despite knowing how hopeless it was for himself, Hongjoong refused to go down without a fight and proceeded kick and scream in San’s hold, “You’re making a huge m-mistake-”

His vision spun before going black, his pleas going silent while his body went limb. Everything stopped, except for San. He continued to stab and mutilate the older until he deemed it enough and was satisfied, stepping backwards after. He got what he came here for. Taking a quick picture with his phone to show to both you and the police what had taken place (although he’d come up with an alibi for the authorities, of course), he backtracked his steps and left the house as fast as his feet would take him.

Still under the safe and dark blanket of the night, he made his way back to his own house. Making sure to hide the bloody knife where no one would find it, he cleaned himself off briefly before he got an idea for how he could use the ‘souvenir’ he brought for you.

You jumped slightly in your spot on San’s bedroom, curled up and hiding your face behind your knees even now, when you heard him slam the front door shut which signalled you that he had returned from whatever he was out doing. You feared the worst as you listened carefully, presuming the noise he was making to be coming from his kitchen.

You looked up when the bedroom door clicked open and San entered, a smug and satisfied grin on his face as he moved to set a jar on the bedside table before crouching in front of you.

“I’m home, bunny. Did you miss me~?” His falsely innocent, sweet tone was still something you despised, although you felt genuine fear for what he could do to you simply by looking at the tiny smudge of blood lingering on his cheek, so you nodded obediently.

“Good. I just had to have a little chat with your pretty boy, and look what he gave me~!” San cheerfully nudged his head towards the bedside table, and the sight you were met with made you feel sick to your stomach.

What you assumed to be Hongjoong’s bloody heart. In a jar. You kept glancing back and forth between him and the object, gaping at him in both shock and disbelief of what he had done.

“What do you think of it, love? Pretty, isn’t it~? Go on, tell me.” He encouraged you softly, "You told him he had your heart right? Now you have his forever!” He chirped, and your voice was shaky as you spoke.

“Y-you monster!” You exclaimed, cursing yourself internally for your stuttering as you cursed at him, “You heartless bastard, you didn’t have to kill him!”

“I didn’t want to kill him,” he admitted softly, looking down as if he felt any sense of remorse for any of his actions within the last hour or so, “but he left me no choice. He refused to break up with you. He refused to let me love you without... all this.” He gestured vaguely, pulling out his phone to show you the photo he took, “He refused to let me have even one thing I wanted for myself, even though he always got whatever he wished for. Desperate times require desperate measures, I had no choice...”

San trailed off, your own face paling at the realization that Hongjoong had been murdered because of a petty rivalry of sorts from the past that San had yet to let go of.

Feeling lightheaded by the abundance of information swimming in your already aching head, you blacked out. When you came to your senses again, it appeared to be morning and San was making noise in another room.

Tears wet your face as you shakily reached for your phone, wishing you hadn’t because the very first notification you opened was a headline you had prayed wouldn’t be reality, accompanied by the very picture San had taken the previous night.

“Up and coming pianist Kim Hongjoong brutally murdered in his home last night; investigations still ongoing”

----- Taglist (tell me if you wanna be added):

@cometoceantrenches @ddeonghwva  @galaxteez @innosintsan @latte-fairytaekwoon @little-precious-baby @multidreams-and-desires @nightqueennyx​ @twancingyunhoe​  @vocalyunho @yunhoiseyecandy​

Network tag:

@8makes1teamnet​

[bayleavesfromthevine]

That's exactly how Gojo gets Utahime. He always making up something using Megumi as an excuse and by then Utahime already caught up to his scheme but she still goes because she is a good teacher and she goes above and beyond for her students!

Write the fic! Write the Fic! Write the Fic! It would be hilarious just to see Gojo being his most brat self because Utahime is considered the best/most popular teacher (the man never lost before so that definitely hits a nerve) and I bet that Utahime would just be so smug about it ( she finally get to beat him on something!).

It would be hilarious and the students would probably enjoy it a lot! They probably have a whole group chapter where they plan ways to tease Gojo 😂

Yeah, you right! Shoko would have a bigger role in Panda and Megumi lives. Tho we don't know exactly when Utahime became a teacher so she may have interacted more with them when they were little.

(like idk if she could became a teacher immediately after graduating? or if she need some field time - especially when there is so few sorcerer for the amount of curses and those fours years that Nanami where gone it meant that basically Gojo, Utahime, Shoko, Mei Mei where the ones on the frontline - i mean they probably have another sorcerer's around but we don't see them - and we know that Utahime didn't have her scar during the hidden inventory arc so she may have been fighting?)

So what I meant to say it's that maybe she was more around when Megumi and Panda were kids. She could be their fun aunt (tho Gojo would probably make fun of that and say that she would be the killer joy aunt 😂)

Yeah, Megumi sister, Tsumiki can't see curses (since Toji isn't her dad). Well in the manga is stated that Gojo helped them get money support on the condition that Megumi would become a sorcerer later and they didn't mentioned anything else.

Well as a fan, I would like to think that Gojo wouldn't let those two fend for themselves and would help them in some way and try to be an active part of their lives and if he couldn't be around maybe get help from his closer circle? Like Nanami, Shoko, Yaga, Utahime would be way better at parenting than him but it would be funny seeing him try 😂

I can see Utahime telling him that Megumi and Tsumiki are kids but way more mature than him 😂

Yess! It would be so amazing! Gojo and Todo are the source of stress of many people so the team up would be hilarious! Really, this manga has so much potential with teams up with Gojo and the students which we would love but Gege is focusing in ripping out our hearts in every need update 😂

Plot twist: Megumi catches on that Gojo is using him to get to Utahime, so Megumi sabotages Gojo (much like in the jujusanpo, only WORSE). Megumi would probably tell Utahime every embarrassing thing Gojo has done in the past decade without ANYYYY hesitation. RIP Gojo lmao. 

tbh I will probably write the fic lmao - I’m working on two angsty, Gojo-the-Hoe-jo fics right now (one of which is a follow-up to my other angsty hoe fic) and neither of those have happy endings, so I’ll probably need the fluff hahaaa 😭

Utahime would be that aunt who gets you clothes for holidays, but hides money in the sleeves (with a note that says “save this for your schooling!!!” or something lame like that lol). She would also buy those educational toys? You know, like those puzzles that low-key teach you geography - or even a subscription to a children’s science magazine (National Geographic’s version of this comes to mind). Like, she tries to be fun, but also tries to help children learn (in a fun way!) which is very cute of her.  

Every day, I wake up and pray that Gege will show us young Gojo trying to parent Megumi and Tsumiki from childhood into their teenage years. Like? Did he teach them to ride a bike? Did he give them an allowance? Did they have curfews??? If Tsumiki ever went on her first date, did Gojo threaten the poor kid who dared ask her out?? DID GOJO PUT TRACKERS ON THEIR PHONES?? And what about when they both hit puberty?? WHAT DID HE SAY TO THEM? (Imagine, for a moment, Gojo giving those two “The Talk.” Whatever he’d say would probably traumatize them in less than a minute, bet.) The relationship we’ve seen so far between Gojo and Megumi seems too akin to a father and son bond - Megumi actually has a lot of ideas/thought processes/characteristics that are very clearly due to Gojo’s influence - so I imagine that Gojo, whether he intended to or not, was present for most of the big moments in Megumi and Tsumiki’s upbringing. So. I need answers. Gege PLEASE. 

[a-wayne-at-heart-too]

The Robins as...

DICK:

Glam rock / Heartland rock ; goes by the pseudonym “Azul”; the Artist Formerly Known as Nightsing

He’s an incredible all-around performer, so it should come as no surprise that he’s a natural frontman (or solo act).

He’s constantly reinventing his look (short, long, mullet - you name it, he’s probably sported the hairstyle). And Discowing’s got nothing on the outfits he wears onstage.

People love booking or working with him because he’s very professional (but does have a volatile temper from time to time). 

The only thing that he requests for in his hotel room or trailer? A poster of The Flying Graysons. Oh, and cereal. Lots of it.

He actually uses the Cirque-du-Soleil-ish set design, blowing minds all over the world.

He likes calling audience members onto the stage, and never forgets to introduce his bandmates and give credit to those who made the concert possible.

His bodyguards don’t get paid enough for the number (and level of aggression) of fans who throw themselves at him.

He actually responds to fan mail, loves visiting sick fans in the hospitals, and gives warm hugs during meet-and-greets.

A substantial part of the proceeds from all his concerts go to the Martha Wayne Foundation, which supports many schools and orphanages.

His “entourage”? His long-term girlfriend, Kory Anders ( “Azul! Over here! Gotham Gazette! Why haven’t you proposed yet?”), and his childhood best friend, Wally West. 

For all his showmanship, he’s notoriously private about his personal life. And, honestly? The spotlight does make him tired.

JASON:

Folk rock / Grunge rock ; goes by the pseudonym “Rason Rodd”

He sings and plays rhythm guitar, while Roy Harper’s on either bass or drums and Lady Artemis slays on lead guitar. Together they’re known as The Outlaws, managed by Mr. Am Not Bizarro.

He sounds so much like Eddie Vedder that it’s eerie. Eerily beautiful.

His debut solo album “I Ain’t No Joker” went straight to #1 on the world charts.

He’s found that music can be an effective political tool, so expect to find him lending his talents, free of charge, to various charities and advocacies. (On that note, he’s already done jail time for his blatantly subversive lyrics.) 

He’s on the road so much that he practically lives on the tour bus (that’s always stocked with beer and cigarettes). At this point, he’s... trying not to mind. He’s been away from what he used to consider “home” for so long that he’s not sure where to go.

With The Outlaws and their connections, he holds free music workshops and provides informal foster care for Gotham’s street children, who often don’t have proper adult supervision.

During his downtime, he visits prisons in Gotham City to perform for the inmates, hoping to encourage them. Then he’ll anonymously send their low-income families some groceries every now and then.

It’s either you’ll barely recognize him on the streets because he’s so low-key or know it’s him because he’s wearing something outrageous, like a tinted gas mask or a plague doctor getup, on a grocery run.

TIM:

Rap rock / Electronic rock ; goes simply by his last name, “Drake” (not to be confused with other famous artist Drake or Gotham vigilante Drake or male fowl -- "I'm not any of them, alright!")

He’s moved on from his punk rock roots and has been experimenting with fusion subgenres.

Once in a while, he’ll do reunion performances with former bandmates Bart Allen and Cassandra Sandsmark.

Nowadays, he frequently collaborates with other artists with different musical backgrounds, such as rapper D.u.k.e. T and country crooner Conner “Kon” Kent. 

He’s notoriously hardworking (and his PA’s got some toned legs from all those coffee runs). 

His albums are a hit among the younger demographic, but his famous adoptive father says that he “is extremely proud of my son, but I... I don’t really understand his music.” (Hmm. Makes you wonder if billionaire Bruce Wayne’s got a closet full of Drake’s “Sedimentary / Metamorphic / Igneous - The Anthology”.)

He’s developed his own state-of-the-art software for composing music and even performs live as a hologram (through the help of information technology magnate Barbara Gordon’s company, Oracle).

He’s made the said software, which makes it possible to produce professional-quality music using little to no equipment other than a mobile phone, free and accessible so that aspiring musicians who can’t afford to work in studios can pursue their dreams.

He enjoys discovering new talent, especially among young people who haven’t had as many opportunities as he’s had, and offers to manage them for free.

His on-again-off-again relationship with pop star Stephy Brown has made him a tabloid staple.

When asked by a reporter what he likes to do for fun, he answered, “Sleep” while slowly sinking into the couch. 

DAMIAN:

Heavy metal meets orchestra music (think Metallica’s “S&M”concert) ; goes by the pseudonym “Habibi”

He’s a musical prodigy who can play practically any instrument from percussion to wind, but the need for control led him to being a conductor.

Like Timothy, he likes to experiment. His latest project, which he’s very secretive to the media about, has to do with oriental influences. He’s called upon the help of his sister, a musical prodigy like him, Cassandra Cain.  

He’s notoriously a perfectionist, which makes it challenging to work with him. (But no one argues that he’s a musical genius, so they put up with it.)

He owns the Wayne Conservatory of Music, which offers full educational scholarships and training programs to the poor youth in Gotham who are musically gifted. 

He once told a news reporter that his greatest dream is to conduct the ultimate performance -- his obra maestra --  starring Azul, Rason Rodd, and Drake.

When he’s not busy in the studio or mentoring budding musicians, he’s just in his mahal (palace), hanging out with his best friend Jon Kent, practicing martial arts, or enjoying the company of his pets. 

And in the quiet moments of their famous lives, they dial one number that always brings them back down to earth...

Alfred: *picks up* Hello? I’ve missed you, too, Master -- What’s the matter? Why are you crying? Oh, bullocks, don’t listen to what they’re saying... In which part of the world are you right no-- Ah, never mind. I’ll just follow the tracker Master Bruce has put on you. I’ll see you in a bit.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *  ~ 

For you, @xellexavierxau.

[wafflewarriors]

The Not-So French Mistake

Chapter 4: Siege of Sunshine

Sam was going solo in his search for water. There were several people gathered around the local market, but a boy who looked to be in high school was the most attentive of the group.

Sam asked him: “What’s going on?”

“We can’t get in,” the teenager panted, fanning his face in a vain effort to cool himself. His cheeks were flushed rosy and sweat trickled down his nose, while visibly straining to remain strong for the townsfolk. “The doors are melted shut.”

“Melted?” Sam’s gaze darkened and he stared at the storefront. It was a metal door; melting such would have required extreme equipment, but there it was, a puddle of molten metal pooling on the sidewalk, which took thousands of degrees to heat up. There was something very wrong here.

“All right…” He searched for another way in. Upon finding one, he announced, “Everyone cover your eyes!”, and he proceeded to kick the window down with the point of his boot. The impact had the glass collapsing onto the tile of the market with a glittery shatter.

Sam wiped at the sweat building into beads along his forehead and swept his hair behind his ears. His gaze met the long-missed treasure among the town: bottled water.

He beckoned for the teenager to follow him into the store and marched up to the fridge which had remained a relieving, frigid temperature. “What’s your name?” he asked the teenager sincerely.

“Caleb.”

Sam snatched a few bottles from the shelf and shoved an armful into the teen’s chest. “All right, Caleb. I need you to hand these out to the people outside. Everyone. Yourself as well. Only allow small sips though; you don’t want to shock their system.”

The boy nodded in appreciation, gripping the load and rushing outside to deliver the vital supplies.

Sam took his own bundle, half-dashing toward the crumpled figure of Sydney and a hovering Castiel. He distributed the water to nearby individuals and lingered as the angel persuaded Sydney to drink. “Are you..?” he began to ask, but his question fell short. It was rhetorical; of course she wasn’t okay. Nobody here was.

Digging into his pocket, Sam seized his phone and dialed. The automatic voice answered tauntingly, and there was a long beep. “Bobby,” he said urgently as he eyed Sydney, who was rousing. “There is something really wrong. Dean had to take a few people to the hospital because of heat stroke. It’s bad down here. Call me when you can.” Sam hung up, and a gnawing sensation lit his gut in worry. “He said he was watching the phones,” he murmured. Something was wrong.

Sydney was slow to rise to her feet, but eventually, she achieved such. While rocky on her toes, she was persistent. “Sam, Cas, go for Bobby. He could be in serious trouble. I’ll keep supplying the water. Dean said he would be back soon, right? I’ll be fine.”

Sam and Castiel shared a skeptical look,  but Sam nodded. “Just don’t get into trouble and keep yourself hydrated. I’ll call Dean, so if he doesn’t meet you here, there’ll be a search party. Don’t let it get to that. Trust me, we’re efficient.” He inspected his pockets until he recovered a phone and handed it to her. “There. I always have a spare phone on me. Call us if anything unusual happens.”

With that, the pair withdrew to scavenge for a working car to hijack, which was rather difficult, considering half of their wheels had melted. Sam did the math, and it took roughly a thousand degrees  of heat to melt rubber wheels, mind you, while the air around then only ranged around a hundred or so.

This was undoubtedly their kind of gig.

After they had hijacked the closest vehicle in the shade, Castiel was first to speak. “You believe she will stay?”

Sam snickered at the concept. “Uh―no. That’s why I implanted a tracker on the phone. Dean can locate it, too. Comes in handy during hunts gone wrong and runaway friends, you know?” He could recall a few cases it had been convenient.

In a normal circumstance, they would have let her leave, willingly. However, they didn’t know the angels’ beef with her, nor did she have any family she could contact, and as a teenager, that was hazardous. They weren’t going to release her knowing perils that lay ahead of her, or worse, unknowing.

Castiel dipped his head with a drained smile. “You’re rather deceptive, Sam.” It was a compliment. A second later, a whiny protest originated from the angel’s lower abdomen. Cas’s reaction was a priceless mix of shock and dismay.

Sam laughed, “I think your stomach disagrees. Don’t worry, I plan on getting you some food before we search for Bobby. We can’t have you going on nothing. What do you think about having a burger?”

“I would like that.”

Sam appreciated the spell of time gifted to him with the angel. He admired Castiel, but even more, he envied Dean. How couldn’t he? His brother had been gifted a best friend from heaven, and all Sam had ever earned were a few filthy comments depicting him as ‘the boy with the demon blood’, as if he had been a flea hitching a ride on a demonic bloodhound. Looking back, Sam could only visualize himself in that exact foul and impure way. He had been disgustingly feral, and such a betrayal should not have been pardoned. While Sam had been delusioned, he had ignored the pleas of his family, and there was no excuse for that.

Sam envisioned what still-angel-Cas would have said if he had listened in on Sam’s dark musings. ‘Do not dwell on the past, Sam. You have long been forgiven by the Lord.’ Yeah, that seemed about right. Sam had always disliked when Castiel tuned in on his mind, but he was correct; Sam had built a surrounding nest of his own self-loathing. While cozy for a time, the twigs were beginning to rot and decay, and eventually, Sam would need to wrestle away from his comfort-zone and stoop to the ground to build a new nest. Metaphorically.

Castiel had never endorsed in Sam’s attempts of diversions from his self-hatred. It was no wonder he got along with Dean; he was just as stubborn.

Sam recalled their past conversations. ‘Sam, you are no idiot, you are far from pathetic, and you most certainly will not lose me as a friend.’ The angel had been taken aback by such dark contemplations that had lurked within Sam’s mind.

‘Quit knocking around in my head, Cas.’ He had been defensive.

The angel had cast a brooding look of empathy to his tall companion and had replied gently, ‘They were very loud, angry thoughts, Sam. Angered and distressed natured thinking is… similar to covering your ears at a rowdy concert; I can't―fully omit them. I had not meant to invade your privacy, as you say. However, they were not true to any extent. I would not lie to you.’

Sam actually livened at the positive memory. He would always be encouraged by the humble consolation he had received from Cas, whether or not the angel knew such. It eased his conscience knowing his brother and Castiel, an angel, would eternally forgive his unforgivable, repetitive lapses of error. Sam felt lighter in his seat.

Snapping out of his bout of daydreaming, he balanced his attention from the road to fishing out his mobile phone and swiftly panning through his contacts until it highlighted Dean. After nearly swerving into a sharp turn sign, he handed it to Castiel. “Could you call Dean?”

Cas took the device, thankfully and sufficiently experienced enough with cellular devices to press call, and put the phone to his ear.

The wavering ringtones rang for three beats before cutting out into Dean’s voice, “Sam? You all right?”

“Hello, Dean.” The angel greeted.

The connection was fuzzy, static buzzing behind Dean’s voice. He was tentative. “Cas? Where’s Sam? He okay?”

Sam glued his eyes to the road and spoke clearly, so the phone picked him up. “I’m here, Dean. Bobby never answered the phone so Cas and I left to check on him.” Sam dreaded this part; this was the moment Dean would realize the missing chunk of information.

There was that expected delay. “…where’s Sydney?”

“Still in town… helping.”

“Sam!”

Sam rushed to defend his actions, “Hey, I gave her my spare phone so we can track her and she can call. You think I trust her to follow through? You know I’m not that careless.”

A low grunt fizzled through the speakers. Steely eyes and a murderous tick in his jaw: it was undoubtedly decorating Dean’s face. After a pause, Dean’s voice sounded through again. “Cas, did you get anything to eat?”

Cas put the phone to his mouth in impulse. “Soon, I will get a burger.”

“Good for you, buddy.” A static rustle signaled that Dean was in motion. “All right. Well, I got them to the hospital; they should be fine now.” Muffled padding of feet crackled on the other end. “The sun quit it’s antics about a half-mile back..”

Sam nodded. “ I think there’s a radius set around the town, so the sun only has its full strength there.”

"Yeah, whatever, dork.” Dean said.

“This is good, Sam,” Cas intoned. “This means the sun has not been harnessed to its full potential.”

“Yeah, or it’s being directed toward something.”

Dean sandwiched the phone between his shoulder and ear as he fiddled with his keys to the Impala. He elbowed the door open and slumped into the driver’s seat. “Then we have an official case.”

Sam considered it, “According to the location of Bobby’s phone, he was taken pretty far out. I doubt his absence was a coincidence.”

“No, never is.” Of all the cases they had self-employed themselves to, there were never coincidences―never two clashing supernatural beings occupying separate hauntings in the same compass to create ‘coincidences’. They knew that much. Each monster had their own niche, their own job and purpose, and if two overlapped territories, they generally drove the other out.

“I’m worried they’re trying to lead us away from the fight, Sammy. Lure us out with Bobby as the bait.” Dean ignited the engine, “I’ll go get her; you get Bobby. You at least found some water back in the town, right? It’s like a desert there.”

“Yes,” Cas assured him, cupping the phone with both hands. They had taught him how to hold a phone, right? Sam recalled having done so. Twice.

“Good.” Dean cruised, coasting along the asphalt road, his mind at peace. Scenery rolled on by; trees whisked, shrubbery barreled in a variance of green lines, and clouds flew past like saucers. “Good. Call me when you find Bobby.” Blip.

Sam offered an open palm for the phone and pocketed it once in his possession.

“Do you often track your friends?” Castiel was merely curious.

“Heh, well… we rarely keep friends long enough to do that, most of the time.” Sam set his jaw to mask his inner heartsickness. “But, yeah. Um, Dean and I keep tabs on him. He juggles all of our messes without batting an eye, so we always felt we should do the same.” He kept his facial expression solemn.

Cas reflected on that. “I suppose that is the cost of your profession. I have no desire to believe you deserve such, though.” From observing the Winchesters dark and unpleasant daily lives, Castiel had concluded that a hunter’s life was the cruelest and most unfair career a man could undertake. Every hardship had Sam and Dean sacrificing blood, sweat, and tears.

It took a considerable amount of elbow grease and straining to solve the predicaments Castiel’s brothers had abandoned and left for the Earth to suffer. The consequences that the angels should have endured had befallen onto humanity. To Castiel, that was the most cheating and dishonorable way to serve God: to ditch your troubles onto broken, righteous souls only to shield your own selfish life.

To say he respected the Winchesters was a grand understatement. He was honored to serve them and was repeatedly awed by their will to save and protect among strangers. They risked everything, expecting no payment in return, or worse, expecting negative consequences. Castiel reminded himself of this whenever he questioned his alliance with the hunters and their quest to liberate the world from evil. Cas owed them everything; they had showed him the privilege of freedom and how to fight for it.

Not once had Dean refused giving his service and aid. He would abandon his dreams and wishes to fight in a war he had not started. With no hesitance! All Dean had ever longed for was a family, and all Castiel had ever wanted to do was to grant him such a pure desire.

Something within Castiel fumed at heaven and his father. Why must life be so corrupt? For what reason can’t those who do good earn good? He didn’t understand why Dean had accepted that so easily. Didn’t the Winchesters understand they deserved the world?

His clenched hands naturally twisted into his lap as he seethed. He looked to Sam, anticipating confirmation in Sam’s eyes, but he only looked sad. Oh, he remembered sullenly; he had forgotten humans could not read thoughts, and neither could he, any longer. However, by the pinch of Sam’s lips, Cas could tell the thoughts were self-loathing. The angel shrunk instantly, anger having vanished.

Perhaps, they do not understand their worth. Not yet.

Sam hovered his foot over the break, observing the new atmosphere. They had entered an urban town. It was contemporary, each townhome resembling the following, with a few individual components added for personality.

It was welcoming, and to Castiel’s delight, a congenial diner stood a few blocks away.

Tags: @queen-bubble, @rosaren2498

[jq37]

I'll be the one that bites the bullet. Fantasy High episode 11--thoughts?

**spoilers for cool kids, cold case**

Hoo boy. 

That could be my entire write up honestly because, geez ya'll. 

Let's break it down. 

Sidenote, I just got mildly into Overwatch so every time I say that and I say it a fair amount, I hear Lucio in my head. 

Anyway, like I said in an earlier post, I'm now pretty sure that the bloodrush fight didn't go the way Brennan expected. Like either he didn't expect them to win or that they would win but not kill Daybreak because there was so much exposition and change and repositioning in this episode. It was a lot like the first session with all the setup. It's like he needed to get them on a new trajectory so he took an episode to time jump and change the status quo before--BAM. But we're getting to that.

In another show or even another episode of this show, the opening convo with Ragh might have been the wildest part of the ep. There’s just so much to unpack there.

Fig making him kowtow to Gorgug and everyone being like dude, stop making it weird. 

Before she did that, Emily paused and you could just see every other person looking like “What insane thing is gonna come out of her mouth now?”

Kristen getting the scoop on his super gay dreams. 

Adaine trying to get him to got to therapy (and also to realize that he's gay). 

The group whole ass making him cry for possibly the first time?

Fabian trying to shut everything down.

“You’re cumming from your eyes.”

 Kristen, please stop. I’m begging you. 

As I suspected, the group reached the point of yeah, we NEED to call Riz's mom this ep. Like, they *had* to call her. You can only realistically take shenanigans so far before it becomes straight unrealistic to not just call a responsible adult. 

And, speaking of, yay! We got to see a little of everyone’s parents just like I wanted/predicted. 

We actually got a lot of stuff from my wishlist. There’s so much time jumping and stuff in this episode I don’t even know where to start. 

This is probably the wrong place to start but I remember wondering what their Christmas equivalent was because they can’t have Christmas because of the Christ thing so when they were like Solstice I was like, oh duh. It’s literally right there. How could I miss it.

OK I guess 

Christmas Solstice party at Gorgug’s house! I knew his house would end up being the hang house.  

Sklonda handled the situation pretty close to how I thought she would. I really think Brennan was forced into a, “This adult is too responsible to not wipe out my next ten plot points over the course of a week,” corner and that’s why he had to pivot. More on that later.

Fabian just refusing to eat any of the fast food she got them.

I totally forgot Adaine has diplomatic immunity. Which actually means she’s the ideal Bad Kid to do anything shady they need done, even though that’s not really her style.

Unlike, other people

We’re getting there

I’m glad Brennan drew the line at Kristen’s parents actively being in a cult. He was like, OK no. They’re willfully ignorant but they’re not PART OF THE CULT.

I also think it’s interesting that they didn’t actually kick her out? Like they sorta kinda did but not really because it seems like she’s couch surfing of her own volition a little and staying home sometimes too? I wonder how her brothers are doing.

Both of Fig’s dads just work at her school now. I wonder is they commiserate about her w/ Goldenhoard.

I can’t believe Brennan is letting her just ruin the life of this random, full-adult dwarf doctor. Like, imagine if any adult in her life found out about that.

Brennan says bud a lot. Almost as much as he says rad.

Gorgug choosing playing the drums as his proficiency, but not well. Just, like, a simple drum beat. Bro. Why.

Adaine’s makeover!

I knew we were gonna get to see that. Or at least I really hoped we would.

And it was in boutique setting similar to what I imagined. A little surprised that she went straight for the jeans and t-shirt thing but dope. I want fan-art. 

Also, if I hadn’t already been convinced, that scene would have convinced me that Fabian got everyone the gifts (before it was confirmed later).

“You’d look nice as a sailor.” Is that like a pirate thing, bro?

Real talk, does Fabian for-real, for-real have a crush on Adaine low key?He’s complimented her looks more than once, which he hasn’t done with the other girls. They’re at a similar social class which might be a factor. And he clearly has a thing for blond elves.

WE’LL GET TO IT. 

I am Concerned about Adaine’s jean jacket, regardless of how dope it is.

Someone needs to talk to Fig about the rat thing. Possibly also Emily. 

42069 LANE (or whatever it was). I hate that I love Brennan for that.

“The worst thing about you is that you’re rich.”

But aww, Fabian. I’m glad it ended up being him (and shoutout to the anon who pointed that out to me). This is exactly the character growth I wanted from him.

When Gorthalax said that tryouts had already happened, I was legit upset for Fabian for a sec. Also, how did I know Gorgug was gonna somehow end up on the bloodrush team?

Guys I feel like there’s still a million more things to talk about.

Adaine finding out about Riz’s dad. God I hope there’s a heart to heart soon but she won’t just drop that info unless she has a really good reason.

GILEAR. I can’t believe that was him on a NAT 20. God, he has zero game. Also, imagine Fig and Riz as siblings. Lord.

The return of Tracker. I was concerned that she was in college but she’s like a Sophomore so Kristen is good to go as soon as she stops being a total disaster so actually that’s probably a moot point. 

Sidenote, kinda surprised that she’s a cleric. I thought she was off religion totally but I guess she just switched. But I feel like it’s hard to be totally non-religious in a world where gods 100% for sure exist?

Adaine going, “Mrs. Gukgak. Actually Captain Gukgak,” to her racist-ass dad gave me life. 

OK so re: the whole conversation about perditional contradoxy and treaties and war and such. How much of that was in the plan and how much of that was last minute retooling by Brennan? Because, I’m going to be honest. If it wasn’t for that comment by Siobhan, I would never have guessed that we were off the rails. But, with that in mind, this feels like the work of a GM who needs to keep the game going because things ended up moving too quickly.

It does answer the question of where the story is going now that the Harvestmen seem to be taken care of. I was a little surprised when Brennan was like, “Yeah Riz’s mom gets them all arrested,” because I’d assumed that the bad guy was going to be just the higher guy on the totem pole. 

OK, I’m sure I’m missing some things because this was a JAM PACKED ep so, if I missed something you wanted my thoughts on, please tell me and I’ll be super happy to write more words but let’s get into that scene. 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

OK OK OK

Before we start, I’m so pumped about all of this development but I hate how often I’m going to have to type the word Eolwyn because my fingers refuse to accept that that’s how that’s spelled.

ANYWAY

Dude, the pacing, switching between Adaine and home and the rest of the gang at the party. Like, I knew what the reveal had to be as soon as she walked in but I was still like, “Oh my God. Oh my GOD.”

Sidenote: It was very convenient for Brennan that Adaine never actually read those books because it was an easy and non-cheating way to dole out exposition now, later in the game.

What were the mechanics of Adaine not being invited to that party? Did Eolwyn specifically get her not invited? Did she actually get invited but couldn’t go because of the dinner at home? Did all her friends still decide to go, knowing she wasn’t invited? Was she OK with that? How exactly did that go down?

EOLWYN

BUSTING into that party

Magicking up a bunch of LOVE SLAVE PUPPETS

SNORTING magic coke

Playing Spin the Bottle DEATH ROULETTE 

MAKING OUT WITH FABIAN

CUT TO: I’M GOING TO KILL MY SISTER

DAMN BRENNAN, I did NOT Expect you to go THAT hard.

AND THEN IT KEPT GOING

Assuming they all live, I can’t WAIT for the, “YOU KISSED MY SISTER????” conversation. 

Which means they’ve either never met Eolwyn or only in passing and not enough to remember her. 

Shoutout to Riz for being the only person to give Adaine a heads up. 

Her eyes glow blue when she does certain types of magic so I’m just picturing her walking into that room, eyes blazing blue, ready to F up her sister (even BEFORE she finds out what’s going on).

I don’t remember if she called Eolwyn a c**t in this ep or the promo for next but I was like, “Oh damn.” Like you got her to escalate her cursing that much that quickly? Damn.

Also, I love that when she’s really upset, Adaine skips the magic and just starts hitting people. 

OK, so remember in the first ep when Eolwyn tried to have Adaine steal that book? The book that I’m pretty sure is the one they mentioned as having wards on it to keep monster stuff from happening at school? So, here’s what I want to know. Has Eolwyn always been a part of this? Because, clearly, it looks like she is right now. But it’s possible the original intent was that she wanted to get Adaine to do it as a prank, not knowing it was important and then, Brennan checked his notes while salvaging the plot and decided to work it in.  

Also, unlikely, but imagine if Eolwyn somehow induced Adaine’s panic attack during her entrance exam to Hudol specifically so she would fail, have to go to Augefort, and steal the book for her. Wouldn’t that be wild?

Idek what else to say about that last ten minutes or so that isn’t just incoherent, Ally-esque screeching.

I have to say, battle eps are never my faves but I’m looking forward to this one more than any other one so far. 

Man, I can’t believe I thought Eolwyn asking for that textbook might turn into a sister bonding moment. Lol @ past me.

Anyway, kick her ass Adaine!

[nebula-starlight]

JSE Fanfiction - Fractured (Part 3: Concern)

First: [P] / Previous: [2] 

Log Entry _

The tracking tattoos are now in place on both of them. Even with limited contact each day I can barely stand to see the positivity Subject 2 exhibits. Naturally he knows not of the ruined world above but still...

However, on that note, perhaps I should offer what education I am able to provide to them as a reward of sorts? Neither has been rather difficult lately and I feel terrible about and I see no need to rehash old grievances yet. They deserve a chance to know of what fate befell the others who came before.

—————

He thought trying something different would help possibly encourage Subject 2 to start learning to read. While they likely would never need to use the skill, he was always one for expanding one’s view of the world. However, in their case, he planned to never allow the two to go aboveground and see the ruins of what once existed. There’d be too many endless questions if that were to occur.

So, thus, he reluctantly guided both into a spacious little den he had turned into a shrine that honored the past. In addition to holding several pieces of art from fans long gone, he also housed the shelved logs he’d created on the other discarded subjects. He silently hoped neither would find those but knowing how curious 1-A was...

“What’s this?”

He had to bring up the possibility of that happening, didn’t he? No matter, it was a simple task to envelop the binder in his magic and drift it away from prying eyes. Settling down at a desk, he briefly glanced over which file had been seen before casting it aside. Subject 3-S-1509... the one who never could speak right. Smart, yes, but language had seemed a difficult concept to grasp. Didn’t help that there had been an episode not long before his “decommissioning” and his back had been severely burned to the point of possible nerve damage. Of course that was in the past...

“What?” He spat, suddenly noticing the two sets of eyes that were focused on him as they plopped down on the cold cement floor eagerly. “You think I’d read you some...?”

The idea was insane, far more so than anything he had come up with since being forced underground. And yet, there was a hint of something softer... something he quickly ignored with a soft huff. A different thought, however, swiftly took its place, the corners of his lips briefly lifting in a cruel smile. Well if they wanted a story...

“Alright then. I suppose just this once. Who knows? Maybe you’ll learn something after all.” He opened the binder, the nicely printed pages containing his entry logs crackling slightly as he shifted to accommodate the awkward dimensions on his lap. “Now... Where to start?”

Subject 2 squirmed slightly, pressing closer to his brother for warmth, although it did not deter his enthusiasm. “At the beginning!”

“Uh, bro? Maybe not making him mad is a good start.”

He had to chuckle at their banter despite the annoyance that arose at what was likely only an honest response. “You are right, for once Subject 2. And so I shall... only I warn you this isn’t exactly-“ Shaking his head, he corrected himself quickly before accidentally giving them another term to use to describe themselves. “Never mind that, let’s see here...

“There were eight originally created. All fragmented from my- I mean from a donor soul who no longer exists. Seven of these thrived, or so I thought at first. The eighth was well... deemed brain-dead and forcefully woken to be put out of its misery.” He paused, noticing the slight shimmer present in 2-J’s eyes that he quickly tried to rub away. So his former empathy had been split as well then. Interesting...

“You say seven but why haven’t we seen anyone else here?”

Subject 1’s question was valid and rather thoughtful, he had to admit. Still, he was too curious for his own good. Not exactly reckless but just inquisitive. It reminded him almost fondly of how he used to be years ago before everything was destroyed.

“The others no longer exist. They were removed from the equation once deemed too damaged to continue to be of use.”

“Like us? Will we become that way too?” There was a slight stammer from Subject 2 as though he was still struggling with the thought of another creature dying.

“Not likely. You too already show more promise than the others.” Waving away the subject, he pushed his glasses up further on his nose and tried to return to the story they seemed to want so badly. “And besides, it wouldn’t matter now. No one else knows of this place anyway. All that’s left is just the three of us...”

“You’re wrong.”

“Excuse me?” He looked up from the pages, frowning at the defiance he thought he heard. “What did you just claim, Subject 1? That my words are untrue...?”

Shutting the binder and setting it aside on the desk, he motioned with a hand and pulled the shorter one closer to him with a sharp yank of magic. To the boy’s credit he only seemed startled once at the start, his tattoo glowing bright green as his hung where he could barely reach the floor with the tips of his feet. True to what he expected, however, Subject 2 started to plead for him to not exact punishment on what was surely an unintentional outburst.

“He... He misspoke. Please don’t-“

“Hush,” he ordered, gazing into the strangely narrowed, flickering green eyes staring back at him.

The equally sharp glare meeting his own did surprise him but he managed to avoid showing it and instead scowled in disgust at how the captive tried over and over to struggle himself free. It was truly fascinating to watch... provided the ever annoying higher pitched whining coming from the floor in front of him wasn’t trying to make him deaf.

“Say that again, 1-A...”

The glow was stronger in his eyes now, no longer flickering wildly but now a constant low hum of magic. It was weak of course but it was unmistakable. Well that wasn’t exactly how he hoped to find out they could use magic but he would adjust his plans accordingly.

“What will you do to me this time? You already burned a tracker into my arm. Got anything else ready to torture me with?”

“A challenge? Funny, the last one who openly did that was...” He paused, eyes drifting toward the other still shelved files subconsciously. Clearing his throat, he continued on without acknowledging what had happened. “Well, it doesn’t matter. He’s gone now... They all are gone. And if I hear another word to suggest otherwise...”

Several orbs of green light burst into existence with a snap of his fingers, surrounding Subject 1 who seemed to finally realize his earlier mistake as his eyes widened back out in shock. They were not made to argue his words, only to obey, and the sooner that realized that the quicker things would proceed back to normality.

“Do you understand?” He asked, glancing between both of his creations to see there was no trace of defiance in either’s gaze, only fear and worry for the other. “If so then I believe a lesson has been learned. Oh, and one more thing...”

The floating orbs crackled, sparks flying free and stinging 1-A’s skin as he stiffened and tried not to cry out. He allowed it to continue for several minutes until finally the response he desired came from the mouth of the one he had not considered would be capable of stirring up the faintest shards of pity left in him.

“Stop! Please stop hurting him. I’ll take the punishment. H-He doesn’t deserve anymore pain....” Subject 2���s voice fell, thick with emotion as he slowly got to his feet and squared his shoulders bravely. “Moving hurts him enough as is. Let me bare it.”

“Oh, alright.”

The orbs vanished just as quickly as they had appeared, leaving the floating subject to groan and perhaps even try to speak but went limp instead so that the magic around him was now supporting an unconscious being. Despite the several pockets of darker skin from where the sparks had hit more frequently than others, he looked relatively fine, if otherwise wiped out.

Growling under his breath, he snatched up one of Subject 2’s hands and pulled him hastily from the room as the magic drifted along in front of him. “Come along, you can tend to him once back in confinement.” 

———

“I’m just a waste of space. That’s all there is...”

He leaned forward curiously to listen in on what the camera’s auditory sensors picked up. It hadn’t been long since he left them and yet he had been intrigued enough to continue to watch them.

Subject 2 went to his sibling, taking care to be gentle as he placed his hands on the other’s cheeks. “Brother, no. That isn’t true. Look at me, that isn’t-“

“Then why did he make me? I can’t use magic... can’t defend myself... Maybe one of the others should have been in my place. Just useless...”

He frowned, thinking back to the event earlier. Surely he sensed magic within the boy. There was no other reason his eyes glowed green like they had unless... Unless he was more corrupt than he originally thought. Perhaps he’d have to test for that relatively soon?

“No... It- It can’t be right. Who else would teach me stuff? Or... Or fit just so against my chest like they were meant to be there.”

Even though he was deep in his musings he still heard the stuttered response and, despite himself, a faint smile lifted the corners of his lips. They really did trust so strongly in their brother, didn’t they? It was almost like the trio was...

No, he couldn’t be reminded of that now! Those three had received the full brunt of his wrath for trying to stage a mutiny against him. It’s why he later kept it so only two were awake at a time. But to think 1-A and 2-J had come so close to finding out the truth... That their brothers had each escaped from their own imprisonment and managed to disappear. How exactly he wasn’t sure, it was still blurry whenever he tried to remember that day in particular. Not unlike...

His hands froze over the keys, mind racing as the sound he thought he heard earlier from Anti became clear. It wasn’t the thrum of magic but, instead, the beginning stages of static starting to build. That would need to be shut down sooner rather than later. If that glitch even knew what abilities could manifest as a result...

Well, he had an idea of how to shut any experimentation down fairly quick.

Next: [4]

[welcometothepenumbra]

JUNO STEEL AND THE PRINCE OF MARS (PART ONE)

SOUND: DOOR OPENS, BELL RINGS, RAIN.

MUSIC: STARTS.

CONCIERGE: Ah, good evening, Traveler! Welcome to The Penumbra. May I take your coat? You’ve picked an excellent place to spend the night, dear Traveler. The Penumbra is the grandest hotel this side of nowhere. Countless rooms and countless halls. Just look ahead of you. See the doors go on and on… even we aren’t sure how many there are, or what lies behind them all.

Will you be staying long? Many of our guests do. You’re in good company, Traveler. The Penumbra draws guests from everywhere and everywhen. And all of them have stories to tell. Stories that will excite you, delight you, and maybe even terrify you.

Don’t believe me? Well, see for yourself.

SOUND: KEYS JINGLING.

Detective Steel is at it again. This week he’s after a missing medicinal magnate. He’s dealt with plenty of missing persons before, and he says they all have one thing in common: the interesting part is never where the victims disappeared to, it’s what they left behind.

SOUND: THREE KNOCKS. CHIMES JINGLING.

What luck! It sounds like he’s in. Come, Traveler. Come with me into room J-13.

SOUND: DOOR CREAKING OPEN.

Juno Steel and the Prince of Mars.

ALL SOUNDS: FADE OUT.

***

SOUND: GONG.

VOICE 1: Youth. Is there anything more precious than youth?

MUSIC: STARTS.

For thousands of years, humanity has searched for a way to bottle youth, focus, energy, power. We’ve searched for fountains, electricity, exercise, but never have we looked to the past… until now. My people, the ancient Martians, knew the secret to endless youth. Focus. Energy. Power. These were the traits of every Martian, from lowly workman to king and queen. And today, I, the Saffron Prince of Mars, bring you these secrets: Focus. Energy. Power. From the ancient Martian sands, we bring you: Kokayee-ne.

Koyakee-ne: the focus of a mystic; the energy of a child; the power of an ancient. Now available wherever prescriptions are sold.

Kokayee-ne: from my people to yours.

Kokayee-ne: from Saffron Pharmaceuticals.

MUSIC: ENDS.

SOUND: BUZZING, RADIO TUNING. CLICK.

JUNO: Damn ads get longer every day.

MUSIC: STARTS.

JUNO (NARRATOR): Hyperion City: the only place in the galaxy where you can buy a dime bag from a prince, all from the comfort of your personal vehicle. It’s convenient, sure.

SOUND: RADIO TUNING.

VOICE 2 (FROM RADIO): —and just for you we’ll throw in two tons of uranium-236, all for the low, low cost of—

SOUND: RADIO CLICKS OFF.

JUNO (NARRATOR): But it does mean there’s never anything good to listen to. My name’s Juno Steel, and I spend a lot of time with my car radio. On stakeouts, listening in where I’m not wanted. Getting chased and starting chases. I’m a private eye.

I’ve picked up all kinds of clients during my decade and change in the P.I. business. Politicians, execs, celebrities, interplanetary criminals. But that day I was meeting with a very different animal: royalty.

MUSIC: ENDS.

SOUND: GONG, DOOR OPENS.

MUSIC: STARTS.

VOICE 1 [THE SAFFRON PRINCE OF MARS]: Juno, so glad you could make it! How long has it been? It feels like years.

JUNO: Probably because it’s been years.

SOUND: DOOR CLOSES.

PRINCE: I mean, look at you!

JUNO: I’d rather not.

PRINCE: Well, look at me, then. No, don’t. We’ve both gotten so old, Juno! How did we let it happen? I’d always thought… well, I thought what all young people think, the fools: that aging was just for other people.

JUNO (NARRATOR): He might have been right about that one. I last saw the guy ten years ago, before he landed the role of a lifetime as the face of Saffron Pharmaceuticals. Back then his name was Julian, his title was ‘hey you,’ and the strongest thing he tried to sell me was a double espresso. A decade had passed, and Julian still looked bright-eyed, soft-skinned, and twenty-five. A real achievement, given he was thirty when we met.

PRINCE: What were we up to, in those days? It feels like a lifetime ago. God, I must have been so pathetic. Was I pathetic? Tell me how pathetic I was.

JUNO: I’m gonna plead the fiftieth on that one. So you called me about—

PRINCE: No, no, hold on, I almost have it. Now I remember: in my jail cell!

JUNO: You were under house arrest.

PRINCE: The courtroom then. A thunderstorm! The prosecution railed against me, and you struck your fists upon the table and shouted, "No! I swear that justice will be served!"

JUNO: You never even went to trial.

PRINCE: You saved me, Juno. And back when I was nobody! You took my case when everyone was certain I’d killed that man, and you saved me from a lifetime of prison bars and cafeteria food and men named Hank with tattoos on their faces! I promised never to forget it on that snowy night, and Juno Steel, I never will. And that’s why I know you can save me again.

JUNO: Julian, I thought we had an agreement over the phone.

PRINCE: Oh, we do.

JUNO: You just said ‘save you.’

PRINCE: Did I?

JUNO: You did. Listen, I’ve got a few people you can call, but I’m not in the market for another murder, or smuggling charge, or whatever the hell else you’re up to. I’m looking for slower cases right now.

PRINCE: But this is a slow one, Juno! The very slowest, a glacier of a case, I promise you. But you have to take it! Please, I’m begging you, you must!

JUNO: A glacier, huh?

PRINCE: Uh huh!

JUNO: All right. I’m listening.

PRINCE: You know my husband?

JUNO: No, but I’m a fan of his work. Anthony DiMaggio, head of Saffron Pharma. I’ve had a few real good weeks I should probably thank him for.

PRINCE: Co-head, please. I own just as much of our company as he does, even if he refuses to act like it.

JUNO: Sounds like it isn’t all roses and royal banquets in the Saffron throne room.

PRINCE: It never is. I’m only angry because I love him. That’s not a crime, is it? To love someone so much you think you might simply come apart at the seams and burst?

JUNO: Depends on where you do your bursting.

PRINCE: You know I love him, don’t you?

JUNO: This is sounding real defensive. You should probably get to the point before I remember to forget this whole thing and get out of here.

PRINCE: Tony is missing, Juno. He hasn’t been home in a week.

JUNO: A missing persons gig? What happened to slow?

PRINCE: It isn’t anything dire – not for you, anyway. His ticker is still active; his pulse isn’t raised in any way that suggests a struggle.

JUNO: Did you really just say ‘ticker?’

PRINCE: Oh, you haven’t heard? Bleeding-edge technology, Juno. Some poor fools over at Lannan & Sons were accused of insider trading for selling their stock before telling the public about old Lannan’s most recent set of heart attacks. Tony and I decided to get ahead of the game and put R&D on the Saffron Ticker.

JUNO: You still haven’t said what it does.

PRINCE: It isn’t obvious? It reads key bio signs from whoever has it installed and puts them on a private feed for all of our stockholders to access. Oh, they’re simply all the rage amongst executives; the sense of security really makes the stock’s value soar.

JUNO: You don’t worry about whether or not someone could track you with that sort of thing?

PRINCE: Worry? (LAUGHS) Aren’t you darling! I’d be worried if it didn’t! That’s one of its primary functions.

JUNO: Oh.

PRINCE: You can turn that function off, of course. Everyone should be accorded some amount of privacy. (LAUGHS) This isn’t the 22nd century, after all!

JUNO: So I’m guessing your husband turned off his tracker. That right?

PRINCE: And this is why you’re the detective! Yes, Tony deactivated his tracker. For a full week now. The stockholders are starting to ask questions, and so am I. That man is going to have a lot to answer for when he comes home.

JUNO: So you want me to bring him home, then.

PRINCE: Never.

JUNO: Huh?

PRINCE: His pulse, Juno. I don’t like how it looks. Very calm, and then suddenly very, very active.

JUNO: I think I get what you’re driving at. How long is he, uh, ‘active’ for?

PRINCE: For hours at a time, two or three times a day.

JUNO: Isn’t that kind of a lot for… you know?

PRINCE: Not when we were first married.

JUNO: Ah. Well, at least you know he’s still breathing. But what makes you so sure this isn’t, I don’t know, a kidnapping, or something? Besides his… activity, I mean.

PRINCE: His checkbook is the only other evidence I have. A few hundred credits spent every day for the last three days.

JUNO: That could be anything.

PRINCE: I know exactly what that is, Juno. I was a struggling actor once. And if he’s run off, I don’t want to have anything to do with him anymore. He’d be a fool to run away from this. Who is the public going to follow? Him, or the Saffron Prince of Mars?

JUNO: Here’s hoping we never find out.

SOUND: BEEP.

JUNO: My invoice is in the mail.

PRINCE: Where are you going?

JUNO: Your husband’s office. Most cheaters put their gold and jewels in a safe hidden behind three paintings and a wall clock, but the phone numbers that could end them never get more than a rusty old lock on a desk drawer. Nine times out of ten if there’s an affair going on you’ll find all the evidence you need in the cheater’s desk.

PRINCE: And the tenth time? How do you catch a cheater the tenth time?

JUNO: With their pants down, usually.

PRINCE: That isn’t funny.

JUNO: See you later, Julian. Hubby’ll be home by breakfast. What you do with him then is your business.

MUSIC: ENDS.

JUNO (NARRATOR): The central office for Saffron Pharma was exactly what you’d expect from a little mom-and-pop place like the DiMaggios ran. Three-story walls on all sides; land mines underneath dummy walkways; genetically engineered guard dogs that’ll lick all four of their lips as they watch you pass. Places like that are all bark and no bite, though. If you know what to tell ‘em, that is.

COMPUTER VOICE: Please state name.

JUNO: Julian DiMaggio.

COMPUTER VOICE: Please insert keycard—

JUNO: Or the Saffron Prince of Mars. Whichever you got on tap.

COMPUTER VOICE: Please insert keycard.

SOUND: BEEP.

Thank you.

SOUND: DOOR OPENING.

Have a good evening. Saffron Prince.

SOUND: DOOR CLOSING.

JUNO (NARRATOR): Julian gave me that key on the way out, but a key only gets you inside. There was still plenty of security past the front door. First, the dogs.

SOUND: GROWLING.

JUNO: Here poochy, poochy. Got a nice little treat for you. See this? Still bloody and everything.

SOUND: DOG WHINING.

That’s it. Thaaaat’s it.

SOUND: BLASTER SHOT.

There. No such thing as a free meal, Fido. You remember that.

JUNO (NARRATOR): The land mines were next, but I had that covered.

SOUND: COMMS BEEP.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Mista Steel, you did not just shoot that poor doggie!

JUNO: He didn’t feel a thing. I set my blaster to stun first.

RITA (FROM COMMS): You promise?

JUNO: I mean, I’m pretty sure it’s on stun. Seventy percent sure, easy.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Mista Steel!

JUNO: Can it about the dog, Rita! The map. Do you have the map ready?

RITA (FROM COMMS): Oh, the map! Right!

SOUND: KEYBOARD CLICKING.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Let’s see… how many paths are there?

JUNO: Half a dozen.

RITA (FROM COMMS): What time is it?

JUNO: Eleven.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Day?

JUNO: You really need to know all this?

RITA (FROM COMMS): No, Mista Steel. I’m just remindin’ you that I get overtime for this.

JUNO: If I get blown to pieces, Rita, you don’t get any time.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Alright, take your third path from the left.

JUNO: You’re sure about that?

RITA (FROM COMMS): ‘Course I am. I made the Ls with my fingers and everything. Now go, Juno, I ain’t got all night.

JUNO: Hmmm.

JUNO (NARRATOR): I taught Rita the Ls trick, but she’s one of those people R&D departments bring in for testing when they want to make sure their product’s really idiot-proof. So I picked up the steak that Rover fell for and tossed it down the path number three.

SOUND: EXPLOSION.

JUNO: Dammit, Rita!

RITA (FROM COMMS): Mista Steel, are you alright?!

JUNO: I wouldn’t be if I listened to you!

RITA (FROM COMMS): Mista Steel, that ain’t fair! I did exactly like you said, I swear I did! They got landmines under every square foot of that place, and the deactivated paths look different every day! On Sundays after ten if there are eight paths you’re always supposed to take the third one from the left!

JUNO: Eight paths?

RITA (FROM COMMS): That’s what I said, ain’t it?!

JUNO: Rita, there aren’t eight paths.

RITA (FROM COMMS): You said half a dozen!

JUNO: That’s six, Rita. Six.

RITA (FROM COMMS): A dozen is sixteen, ain’t it?!

JUNO: A dozen is twelve! Now stop shouting and tell me where to go!

RITA (FROM COMMS): (YELLING) Who’s shoutin’! I ain’t shoutin’! Do you hear me shoutin’?

JUNO: RITA!

SOUND: BARKING.

I don’t have enough laser carts to take down all of Spot’s friends, Rita. Six paths. Eleven at night. Sunday. Go.

SOUND: KEYBOARD CLICKING.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Second one from the right.

JUNO (NARRATOR): I didn’t have enough time to test it, and I was fresh out of steaks. So I booked it down the path as fast as I could.

SOUND: FOOTSTEPS, BEEP, DOOR OPENS.

COMPUTER VOICE: Good evening. Saffron Prince.

SOUND: DOOR CLOSES.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Mista Steel? Didja make it?

JUNO: I’m fine. You got the map of the compound ready?

SOUND: KEYBOARD CLICKING.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Bringing it up now! Mista DiMaggio’s office is exactly where you’d expect it. Top floor, good view. Security should be wide open from here on out, boss.

JUNO: It better be.

SOUND: DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES.

I can’t see anything in here, Rita. Think it’s safe to turn on a few lights?

RITA (FROM COMMS): I wouldn’t. You got doors openin’ and closin’ all across the compound.

JUNO: Security guards?

RITA (FROM COMMS): Well, I was gonna say ghosts, but you’re allowed your opinion. Did you know that ghosts will always go towards fluorescent lights, Mista Steel? Frannie told me that.

JUNO: I think that’s moths, Rita.

SOUND: DOOR OPENS.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Oh.

SOUND: DOOR CLOSES.

JUNO: Alright, if I can’t see you’re gonna need to lead.

RITA (FROM COMMS): You can count on me, boss! Turn left.

SOUND: FOOTSTEPS. THUD.

JUNO: (GRUNTS) Left? You sure about that?

RITA (FROM COMMS): Of course I am! I did the Ls and every– thing…

Turn right.

JUNO: Thanks.

SOUND: FOOTSTEPS.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Alright, stop! That’s the one, straight ahead!

SOUND: DOOR OPENS. FOOTSTEPS.

JUNO: Well, Rita? Which one’s it gonna be?

RITA (FROM COMMS): Oh, I dunno…

JUNO: Getting cold feet?

RITA (FROM COMMS): It just, it don’t seem right, playin’ games about something like this.

JUNO: I’m at the desk. Last chance.

RITA (FROM COMMS): I got fifty creds on the bottom right drawer!

JUNO: Fifty? Big spender.

I can’t see a thing in here. Think it’s safe to turn on the flashlight?

RITA (FROM COMMS): Of course it is, just open the drawer!!!

SOUND: DRAWER OPENING.

Ooh, I can’t take the suspense! What’s in there? What is it?

JUNO: No dice, Rita. No steamy letters, either. Drawer’s empty.

SOUND: DRAWER CLOSING.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Aww! But it’s always that one!

SOUND: DRAWERS OPENING AND CLOSING.

JUNO: Looks like we both lost the bet. You ever hear of an exec with nothing but empty drawers?

RITA (FROM COMMS): I hear Samson Cartwright’s been that way ever since the war.

JUNO: I meant desk drawers. There’s nothing in any of—

SOUND: KNOB RATTLING.

Bingo.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Which one was it? Which one was it?

JUNO: Top center. Ballsy choice.

SOUND: METALLIC CLICKS.

Done. Alright, DiMaggio, what juicy secrets are you gonna share with us today?

SOUND: DRAWER OPENING.

Huh.

RITA (FROM COMMS): What is it? What is it?!

JUNO: It’s… fast food wrappers. The only thing this guy was cheating on was his diet.

RITA (FROM COMMS): That’s it?

JUNO: Rita, DiMaggio might be the most boring person we’ve ever tailed.

SOUND: FOOTSTEPS.

Uh oh.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Boss? What’s wrong?

JUNO: (WHISPERING) Were you watching the security feed just now?

RITA (FROM COMMS): Uhhm…

JUNO: I think we’ve got company, Rita.

VOICE 3: I know you do.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Oh no! Mista Steel, get out of there! Mista Steel? Mista—

SOUND: COMMS BEEP.

JUNO: So, this probably looks pretty bad.

VOICE 3: It does.

JUNO: I can explain.

VOICE 3: Can you?

JUNO: If you give me thirty seconds to think of a good lie, I can.

VOICE 3: Keep your voice down. I don’t think I need to tell you that you aren’t allowed in here.

JUNO: (LOUDER) Thanks for telling me anyway. I got lost on my way to the bathroom.

VOICE 3: Not just the room, the building. We lock up on weekends.

JUNO: Yeah, well, I was looking for my bathroom. I got really lost.

VOICE 3: Who are you?

JUNO: A lady’s got to have her secrets.

VOICE 3: Well, a lady wandered into a restricted area after hours, and now a lady’s gonna go home.

JUNO: That’s too bad. Watch the dogs on the way out. They nip a—

SOUND: GUN COCKING.

VOICE 3: I told you to keep your voice down.

JUNO: (QUIETER) I think you just persuaded me. You and your gun make a hell of a debate team.

VOICE 3: Come on, sir, let’s go.

SOUND: FOOTSTEPS.

JUNO: You wanna turn on a flashlight, at least? I could trip and kill myself.

VOICE 3: That sounds more like a solution than a problem to me.

JUNO: Fair. Anyway, how long have you been—

SOUND: DOOR OPENS.

VOICE 3: So you won’t tell me who you are.

SOUND: DOOR CLOSES.

Do I get to guess?

JUNO: I get the impression that you’re going to.

VOICE 3: Easy. Shabby coat, shoes covered in mud, hands smell like raw meat.

JUNO: Alright, you got me. I play a butcher in the local Y2K Faire.

VOICE 3: Private eye. That’s my guess.

JUNO: You got all that from my clothes?

VOICE 3: There’s also a stink that comes with a P.I.: desperation, cologne, bourbon.

JUNO: Oh, you like the cologne? I’m trying something new.

SOUND: DOOR OPENS, CLOSES.

VOICE 3: So who’s your client, P.I.?

JUNO: If I told you that, I’d just be an eye.

VOICE 3: Have it your way, then.

SOUND: DOOR OPENS, FOOTSTEPS STOP.

Here’s the door.

JUNO: Just one last questi—

SOUND: PUNCH.

VOICE 3: Bye-bye, P.I.

SOUND: DOOR CLOSES.

JUNO: No! Keycard, where’s that keycard.

SOUND: BEEP.

COMPUTER VOICE: Access denied.

JUNO: The hell do you mean, access denied?

COMPUTER VOICE: Access. Noun. Definition: a means of entry—

JUNO: I know the definition! That’s not what I meant!

COMPUTER VOICE: Denied. Verb. Past tense. Definition: to refuse to grant something to someone… (KEEPS TALKING IN THE BACKGROUND)

JUNO: Aaaarrhh!

SOUND: COMMS BEEP.

JUNO: Rita! The hell’s going on here?!

RITA (FROM COMMS): I don’t know, Mista Steel! She put a hard lock on all the doors!

JUNO: I can see that! The hell kind of a security guard knows how to lock her own boss out?

RITA (FROM COMMS): Security guard?

JUNO: That’s what I—! Rita?

RITA (FROM COMMS): Yes, Mista Steel?

SOUND: COMPUTER VOICE STOPS.

JUNO: Have you ever heard of a security guard prowling around without any lights on, without carrying a flashlight, and who pulls a gun on you just so you’ll keep quiet?

RITA (FROM COMMS): That sounds more like a burglar, Mista Steel.

JUNO: I need to get back in there. Find me a way inside!

RITA (FROM COMMS): I'm tryin’, I'm tryin’!

SOUND: KEYBOARD CLICKING.

She got the windows too, the vents, even the mailbox.

JUNO: Something I could fit through and keep all my bones would be great, Rita.

RITA (FROM COMMS): I know, I know, I— (LAUGHS)

JUNO: What? What is it?

RITA (FROM COMMS): (GIGGLING) Well, she left one way in.

JUNO: And?

RITA (FROM COMMS): Round the corner to your left. Behind the bushes there you’re gonna find a manhole cover.

JUNO: You’re kidding.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Have I ever kidded you before, Mista Steel?

JUNO: I want you to print a copy of that map for me, Rita. If I find out there was any other way in, you’d better have another job waiting.

SOUND: WATER SLOSHING.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Watch where you’re stepping, Mista Steel, you’re making an awful lotta noise in there!

JUNO: If you just spent twenty minutes crawling through Tuesday’s lunch, Rita, you’d be a lot louder than that.

You got a read on our friend?

RITA (FROM COMMS): She’s in basement one now, pokin’ around just the same as you were. I got readings sayin’ she's going up and down the halls stickin’ her nose through every door she sees.

SOUND: DOOR OPENS, CLOSES.

JUNO: Thorough. Must be looking for something.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Too bad for her she hasn’t got one’a me, right?

JUNO: I’ll get you an application.

RITA (FROM COMMS): So what’s your guess, boss? Cat burglar? Super spy?

JUNO: I doubt she’s a spy. Not a good enough liar.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Huh?

JUNO: A spy wouldn’t need to pull a gun on me. A spy would have a whole story ready for just this occasion.

SOUND: DISTANT FOOTSTEPS.

That’s her?

RITA (FROM COMMS): That’s her.

JUNO: At least there’s some light down here. What’s that door she’s staring down?

RITA (FROM COMMS): What door?

JUNO: What do you mean, what door? It’s the biggest one in this place. Looks like the airlock on a long-distance star hauler.

SOUND: DOOR GROANING OPEN.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Ain’t no door on that part of the map, boss.

JUNO: No time to find out. Bye, Rita.

RITA (FROM COMMS): But Mista Steel, you don’t know what’s—!

SOUND: COMMS BEEP.

JUNO (NARRATOR): I kept my distance behind her – as much as I could afford, anyway, without those gates of hell cracking me like a walnut.

Dark red light fell on everything like wet velvet. The floor was corrugated iron so thin your pulse made it shake. The whole place smelled like the kind of chewing tobacco a diesel engine might buy. Overall, it reminded me of the house I grew up in. A little cleaner, maybe.

She rounded a corner, then another, and another. And finally she rounded a corner into a huge, open room with a thousand lockboxes built into the walls. I followed her in.

SOUND: FOOTSTEPS, THUD.

JUNO: (PAINED GRUNT)

VOICE 3: Alright, P.I., what’s your game?

JUNO: (STRAINED) Blackjack, usually.

VOICE 3: You know what I mean. Who are you working for?

JUNO: (STRAINED) I’m a private eye. If I told you that I’d just b—

VOICE 3: An eye. You said that already!

JUNO: What, you expect me to come up with a new line every time someone asks a dumb question?

VOICE 3: How about I see if I can beat a dumb answer out of you?

JUNO: Sounds fun.

SOUND: STRUGGLING, PUNCHING.

Well. Look who’s on top.

VOICE 3: Don’t get used to it.

JUNO: Now, let’s see who you are. You wanna get out your ID, or should I?

VOICE 3: (GROWLS)

JUNO: Better luck next time.

SOUND: FABRIC RUSTLING.

Alessandra Strong… private eye?

VOICE 3 [ALESSANDRA STRONG]: Nice to meet you.

JUNO: So much for honor among thieves. Now see, I’m not gonna make the same mistake you did.

STRONG: I’m sure.

JUNO: Not gonna phrase it as a question, I mean.

STRONG: Right.

JUNO: I’m just thinking out loud when I say, in general, I’d like to know who you’re working for.

STRONG: (GROWLS)

JUNO: Didn’t think that’d work. So what’s in this room that’s so important?

STRONG: Wouldn’t you like to know.

JUNO: I would, actually. If I didn’t I wouldn’t have—

SOUND: SMACK. STRUGGLING, PUNCHES.

JUNO (NARRATOR): Wow, she could fight. And not dirty, either. Big hits, the kind that made the room spin so hard you’d grab onto anything to make it stop. Even… the security alarm.

SOUND: ALARM.

STRONG: What’s that? What did you just do?!

JUNO: From the look of it, I just pulled six alarms with my six right hands.

STRONG: Oh, you idiot!

SOUND: BEEP.

COMPUTER VOICE: Access. Granted. Good evening. Anthony. DiMaggio.

SOUND: CHIMES JINGLING.

STRONG: You’re lucky my key still works.

SOUND: MECHANICAL WHIRRING.

Wait, where’s my key?

COMPUTER VOICE: For your safety. Anthony. DiMaggio. This key has been. Reclaimed. By Saffron Pharmaceuticals. Security Division.

STRONG: What?!

COMPUTER VOICE: To repeat this message, press ‘pound’ now.

JUNO: What’d that thing just call you?

COMPUTER VOICE: Compound lockdown. Commencing.

STRONG: Damn it!

SOUND: RUNNING FOOTSTEPS.

JUNO: Hey, slow down!

STRONG: I don’t have time to kill you now!

JUNO: That’s good. So you’re working for DiMaggio, huh?

STRONG: Back off!

JUNO: (OUT OF BREATH) You have his key, so it seems pretty fair to assume—

STRONG: Duck!

SOUND: METALLIC CLANG.

I’m going to remind you I didn’t have to do that.

JUNO: (PANTING) You’re a real charity worker, Alessandra.

STRONG: Don’t think I won’t leave you behind if I have to.

JUNO: Watch it!

SOUND: METALLIC CLANG.

(PANTING) That was our exit, wasn’t it?

STRONG: (PANTING) There’s another way somewhere… There! It’s the long route, try to keep up.

JUNO: So what’s DiMaggio want from his own office that he can’t get himself?

STRONG: You’re wasting your breath. And in your shape, you’re going to need it.

SOUND: RHYTHMIC, HEAVY THUDS.

JUNO: I just haven’t met many P.I.s who double as cat burglars.

STRONG: You know how it is. Take pay for whatever you can.

Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me!

JUNO: Are those doors?

STRONG: They look like… teeth. You ever seen anything like this before?

JUNO: A hallway with teeth? Yeah, but I did a lot of experimenting in my twenties.

STRONG: We’ll just have to run for it.

JUNO: Through those? No. I’ve got plans for these limbs later, I don’t plan on losing ‘em here.

STRONG: Well, if we get stuck in here the real security division’s going to do a lot worse. You have any better ideas?

JUNO: Good ideas don’t come cheap.

STRONG: Pitch yours and we’ll talk.

JUNO: See that control panel down there?

STRONG: Past the dozens of closing doors, you mean? Yes, I do.

JUNO: If I can hit that, will you tell me where DiMaggio is?

STRONG: I’ll take those odds. It’s not like that shot is even possi—

SOUND: BLASTER SHOT. THUDDING STOPS.

Huh.

JUNO: So? Pay up.

STRONG: I’m not going to stand around and chat.

JUNO: If you think you’re walking out that easy—

STRONG: Once we get outside, I’ll tell you what I know about DiMaggio. Now shut up and run!

SOUND: ALARM FADES.

JUNO (NARRATOR): Strong and I got out of there as fast as we could. She had the map, I had the gun, she had the brains. We worked together pretty well, when we weren’t trying to kill each other. The sun was rising by the time we got outside.

JUNO: (PANTING) We made it.

STRONG: I’m surprised. For a while there I didn’t think you’d last.

JUNO: (PANTING) What’s the matter? Never had a building try to eat you before?

STRONG: You got a name, mystery detective?

JUNO: (PANTING) I think you owe me something first.

STRONG: I want to know who to make the check out to, is all.

JUNO: Fine. The name’s Juno Steel. Your boss’s name is Anthony DiMaggio, and you’re gonna tell me where he is.

STRONG: Somebody pay you to sniff him out?

JUNO: I’m getting tired of you dodging the bill. Answer the question.

STRONG: Fine. I don’t know where DiMaggio is.

JUNO: What?

STRONG: I don’t know where he is. But I do owe you something, so I’ll say this: he called me three times over the last week from three different payphones across Hyperion City. Wherever the guy is, he’s scared.

JUNO: You must have more than that. How are you getting paid?

STRONG: Checks at specific drop-off points.

JUNO: A few hundred creds at a time?

STRONG: My rates aren’t a secret, Steel, you can look me up whenever you want.

JUNO: That explains his checkbook, then. Where were those payphones? And the drop-off points?

STRONG: Remember when I said that DiMaggio was scared?

JUNO: Sure.

STRONG: How am I supposed to know you’re not the one he’s scared of?

JUNO: There’s no way to answer that and you know it.

SOUND: FOOTSTEPS.

Hey, where you going?

STRONG: I’ve got a paycheck to collect.

JUNO: So that’s it?

STRONG: I might take a nap, if I’m feeling frisky.

JUNO: Come on, Alessandra. We’ve been through hell together. I don’t get a little something?

STRONG: Fine. Thank you. Bye now.

JUNO: Not what I meant. Aren’t you going to tell me about the little toy you picked up?

STRONG: Not for a thousand creds.

JUNO: Good, I don’t have a thousand. Ten cover it?

STRONG: I don’t owe you anything, Steel. Act like a hero all you want, but I wouldn’t be in this mess if you’d just minded your own business.

JUNO: What can I say? You make me feel like a hero, Alessandra.

STRONG: You… what?

JUNO: All it took was your eyes.

SOUND: KISSING.

JUNO (NARRATOR): Strong was a good fighter. Turns out she was an even better kisser. Her kiss made you tingle all over, and it ended with a real punch.

SOUND: PUNCH.

JUNO: (PAINED GRUNT)

STRONG: You… you…!

JUNO: So that’s what you’re into, huh? It’s not really my thing, but I’m willing to learn.

STRONG: Go to hell, Steel.

SOUND: FOOTSTEPS.

JUNO (NARRATOR): I watched her go. Can’t say I didn’t enjoy the view. Then the front gate closed, and Alessandra Strong was gone. That didn’t depress me too much. I knew I’d see her again before long. I had something she wanted.

SOUND: CHIMES JINGLING.

Snagged it from her pocket when she started kissing back. Learned that trick from someone I used to know.

SOUND: COMMS BEEP.

RITA (FROM COMMS): How’d it go, Mista Steel?

JUNO: Didn’t walk away empty handed, that’s for sure. Got something from our friend Detective Strong.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Another detective!

JUNO: You ever see something like this before, Rita? It looks kind of like a crystal. Dark red, has something inside it… moving.

RITA (FROM COMMS): Oh! Oh! Have you ever seen Deathbugs from Tartarus?

JUNO: Yes. You know that one’s my favorite.

RITA (FROM COMMS): But Mista Steel, it’s so good! There’s this planet, see, called Tartarus, only it ain’t a planet, it’s like a huge bug-mom, and all these little bug-eggs are always flyin’ out of it, and the eggs go through space, and there’s this man, and he dies right away but he’s very—

JUNO: Hang on a sec, Rita, I’ve got another call.

SOUND: COMMS BEEP.

PRINCE (FROM COMMS): Juno! Is that you? Please, please, please, please—

JUNO: Julian, slow down.

PRINCE (FROM COMMS): —please, please, answer!

JUNO: I answered, what’s the problem?

PRINCE (FROM COMMS): Juno, I’m– I’m so sorry. I know I promised you, well, I promised a lot of things. I do that, don’t I? Make you a lot of promises?

JUNO: You make me something, alright. Spit it out.

PRINCE (FROM COMMS): I just can’t believe, I… (DEEP BREATH) Tony.

JUNO: You found him?

PRINCE (FROM COMMS): I did. Oh Juno, he’s… dead!

JUNO: What?

PRINCE (FROM COMMS): You have to help me, Juno! Please! I’ll pay whatever you ask!

JUNO: Help you? The hell is going on here?!

PRINCE (FROM COMMS): Tony is… my God, he’s dead, and he’s here, in my– in our bed, and he wasn’t just a second ago, and I don’t know how he—

SOUND: POUNDING ON DOOR.

No!

VOICE 4 (FROM COMMS): (THROUGH THE DOOR) This is the HCPD! Open the door!

PRINCE (FROM COMMS): Juno, help me!

JUNO: Julian!

SOUND: DOOR OPENING.

VOICE 4 [POLICE] (FROM COMMS): There he is! Get him!

PRINCE (FROM COMMS): Juno!!

SOUND: COMMS BEEP.

RITA (FROM COMMS): —and then the scientist, the one who looks like Francis Goldwater but with a mustache, he finds out that the bugs are allergic to table salt, and—

JUNO: No time, Rita. I need you to get the car and pick me up from Saffron Pharmaceuticals.

RITA (FROM COMMS): This late? Mista Steel, I’m tired!

JUNO: Just get over here!

RITA (FROM COMMS): Yes, boss.

SOUND: COMMS BEEP.

MUSIC: STARTS.

JUNO (NARRATOR): So my missing persons case turned into a murder. Figures. There’s no such thing as a quiet case on Mars, only loud cases buried so deep you can barely hear ‘em through all the dirt.

I pulled the little crystal out of my pocket and stared into it. Red as Martian sand, and something squirming beneath the surface. Something buried… deep. But even from out here, I could tell it was gonna be loud when it got out.

SOUND: CAR HONKS.

RITA: (DISTANT) Mista Steel!

JUNO (NARRATOR): Most things in my life are.

SOUND: LONG CAR HONK. FOOTSTEPS, CAR DOOR OPENS.

RITA: This better be good, boss. I had plans today.

JUNO: Well, you got new ones now.

SOUND: CAR DOOR CLOSES.

You ever met royalty before, Rita?

RITA: What? What? Mista Steel, really?!?

JUNO: Really. Get us to Hoosegow, Rita, and quick. We’re requesting an audience with the Prince of Mars.

MUSIC: ENDS.

***

SOUND: RAIN & MUSIC.

CONCIERGE: The tale you’ve just heard, Part One of Juno Steel and the Prince of Mars, was told by the following people: Joshua Ilon as Juno Steel, Kate Jones as Rita, Kat Buckingham as Alessandra Strong, Jason Mellin as the Saffron Prince, and Sophie Kaner and Scott Gallica as the Ensemble.

On staff at The Penumbra: Kevin Vibert is our lead writer and recording engineer. Sophie Kaner is our director, lead editor, and sound designer. Juno’s Theme was written by Ryan Vibert.

The Penumbra was created by Sophie Kaner and Kevin Vibert.

I’m so sorry you’ve been called away, dear Traveler. We eagerly await your return.

ALL SOUNDS: FADE OUT.

[sugarspicenotnice-blog]

Checketry - tracker

Hey! We’d thought we’d kick off this blog by writing about something that led us to build Checketry — the worst things about downloading files from the internet. Many people face these issues, and Checketry — the free download manager and tracker that allows users to track download progress from PC to mobile — aims to make downloading a nicer experience for everyone.

Downloads Take Too Long (For Most People)

Some places, like South Korea, Norway or the US, have great internet speeds, but for most of the world, they’re not good enough, and downloading large files like modern games can take hours (the average global internet speed is 7.2 Mbps¹)! Seeing as how most games nowadays are purchased digitally, people are spending hours downloading, resulting in computers and consoles being left on for hours. Sadly, this isn’t something that’s easily fixed unless you’re a billionaire or leader of a nation with the means of building a new internet infrastructure. This also leads to a few things…

Downloads Can’t Be Tracked and Managed Efficiently

We have tracker software and apps for everything we love to keep track of, like our packages in the post, our vehicles, our kids and pets through nanny-cams, but not our downloads. That’s what Checketry’s all about. If you can get notifications and follow your post from your workstation, why not be able to follow the progress of that game you’ve been waiting 5 months to release?

Downloads Aren’t Always Stable

Slow downloads are one thing, but sometimes it’s not the speed but the reliably of the connection that can be an issue. Whether this be on the side of your internet service provider, or the server you’re downloading from, things don’t always go smoothly. Connections can be interrupted, and the downloads don’t always continue their own, and if you’re away from your device when this happens, it can be annoying.

Paying for Downloads

It’s not quite a negative, but the nature of the app market has led us, the developers and consumers, racing to zero. So much software and so many apps are free. In fact, 78% of the iOS app store and 68% of the Android Play Store are made up of free apps². This trend has led the consumer to expect software and apps to be given away at no cost, but this is difficult for developers because it means we must resort to other means to generate revenue, like ads and premium versions, and these generally have low conversion rates. These days, few of us pay for apps, and nobody wants to pay for something that they’re never tried. There’s no good solution to it — it’s just the way the current system works. Perhaps we’ll just move on to a stateless society where money doesn’t exist like Marx envisioned?

That Annoying Fake Download Button

You know the one; it’s usually big and green and really enticing, but it always leads to an advertisement that pops up in a new window with something terrible. This is often done deliberately by ad publishers to artificially boost cost-per-click rates and increase their earnings. We get it, but still, downloading things from the internet shouldn’t be a game of Russian roulette, except instead of dying you’re shot with a bad ad. Maybe it wouldn’t be as annoying if the download button wasn’t always five-times bigger than the actual download link. Tip: the real link it’s usually in normal text and is hyperlinked.

Downloading Things Overnight While Sleeping

A lot of us gamers like to do this. There’s nothing more peaceful than falling asleep to the loud hum of computer fans and RGB LEDs lighting up the room. Since a lot of large games on an average internet speed can take eight or more hours to download, leaving them running overnight is generally a good solution. But sometimes it can be frustrating, like when you forget to change the sleep settings on your computer and wake up to it hibernating, or, even worse, a Windows 10 update undoing your efforts. We actually built some features into Checketry to make this a better process, like a setting so your device doesn’t go to sleep or shut down during downloads and notifications if your download stops unexpectedly.

Other key features for Checketry tracker include:

Track download progress anywhere from your mobile device

Pause, resume and cancel downloads from anywhere

Set shut down timers so your computer isn’t running pointlessly after your download finishes.

Notification alerts so you don’t have to always keep checking

Schedule downloads from the app.

Currently works for Google Chrome, uTorrent, qBittorrent and Steam. Planned expansions for all major browsers, torrent clients and game clients.

Works for both main operating systems: Windows and Mac

Available on mobile for iOS and Android.

These are just a few of the things we’ve found to be frustrating about downloading and tracker, and a lot of if, we’ve tried to improve with Checketry. Even though we tried to make this a fun blog, we do believe that the perfect download manager would consider these issues. What else do you love or hate about downloading? We would love to hear your opinions. Who knows — maybe we can add it to the app!

[tobogsoccer]

WAYS TO IDENTIFY THE BEST VIRTUAL SOCCER WEBSITES

A decade ago, virtual soccer became one of the most popular pastimes for Americans and people worldwide. A league championship is now more accessible than ever to people from all walks of life that sign up, draft players, choose their weekly lines, and keep their sights set on the prize.

There’s a big draw to winning the title, no matter if you’re doing it for money or just for the honor of doing so. Players from all walks of life are searching high and low for any ideas, guidance, or insight that can give them an edge over the competition.

“What is the best virtual soccer website?” is a question I frequently get asked. Even though I won’t be endorsing any specific website (yet…), I thought I’d offer my professional opinion on what makes a virtual soccer advice and information site the finest in its field.

Daily, if not hourly, news updates are standard practice for any reputable fantasy football information or news site. You may tell if a site is sluggish by how long it takes for an injury report to arrive.

A website that merely provides you with general statistics that you can obtain on any other website isn’t the greatest place for you to spend your time. As a team, you’ll need a unique perspective on the players to consistently outperform your competition. Knowing their strengths and weaknesses backward will be essential to your success. 가상축구 – tobogsoccer.com

Trade Advice You Can Trust – I emphasized ‘trust’ because there aren’t many sites out there that will give you solid advice and tell you to put your faith in it. To protect themselves, most people will tell you what they think before making it clear that the agreement is up to you and that they will not be held responsible if it doesn’t work out. I’m a big fan of self-assurance. It’s easy for me to put my faith in folks who are confident in their abilities and abilities alone. Having a site that is prepared to stand by its recommendations is a great find!

We can sum it up by saying that the finest virtual soccer site will include features such as Draft Projections, Player Tracker Tools and Customized Line-Up Advice, Hot Waiver Wire Notifications, and Unparalleled Injury Reports, among other features.

If you find a site that offers all of that, save it immediately and keep it a secret from anyone else; it just might be the key to your team’s success this season!

Because I don’t want to hand out the secrets of my back-to-back league championships, I won’t reveal the website I’ve been using for years. You can, if you’re so inclined, check out my blog to see where I obtain all of my information from.

HOW TO BECOME A LEAGUE CHAMPION IN VIRTUAL SOCCER

Results in virtual soccer are frequently perceived as being mostly out of our control. Injuries to big-name players and erratic play can make winning your virtual soccer league feel like a crapshoot. Observing league champions’ tendencies over the last few years has shown that our success or failure is determined by factors other than pure luck. We’ll look at some of the most prevalent categories of players to have a better idea of how things will proceed. How would you describe yourself?

there are three reasons why 축구스포츠 you need the best sports

Incompetent. We won’t spend a lot of time talking about this type of player because it’s so rare. The fact that you’ve found this post indicates that you’re not this person. This guy has no interest in football at all. He only participates in fantasy football leagues offered for free by major sports media firms because it’s socially acceptable to do so or to fill a last-minute roster space.

It’s both sturdy and casual. All but a few players fit into this category. Here you’ll find die-hard football enthusiasts who relish the opportunity to use their wits against those they know in real life as well as others they’ve never met online in virtual soccer money leagues. A few weeks before the draft, this type of team owner will start making the rounds on player and virtual news websites.

To stay up to speed on player value trends, he watches Sports Center and listens to sports news, and more significantly, he pays attention to the opinions and rankings of the “experts.” At first glance, this player appears to be indistinguishable from the following tier of players. The only thing that sets this person apart from the league champion is his lack of experience. To win regularly, this player needs to put in more effort. He has a history of starting well then fading later in the season. Not a winning formula.

The Winner of the virtual soccer Money League! In contrast to the rest of the league, this team owner does his studies and takes the draft more seriously. There are so many expert rankings that it’s unlikely that this player will be the one to beat come draft day. After the first few weeks, it becomes clear that this person has what it takes to be the eventual champion.

In terms of waiver wire activity, this owner stands out. Assuming that most of his acquisitions would fail, securing one or two big free-agent signings is the most important part of winning the league.

As a result, this owner is the most likely to make trade offers. Everyone in the league’s owners will hear from him. He puts out ideas that no sane person would ever accept. “Completely Clueless” types are being exploited by him, and he knows it’s a lucrative business. To justify his efforts, he only needs to ask the commissioner to approve one lopsided exchange.

Time invested in team management is critical in securing a long-term championship. We overestimate the importance of the draft and even injuries. If you want to win your leagues on a more frequent basis, you must be willing to compete on the waiver wire and in trades.

[mohammadyousef2]

Best smartwatch 2020: the top wearables you can buy today from Volgo point

The absolute best smartwatches for your wrist

Today's best smart watch models can perform many tricks, like searching the web together with your voice, tracking your location with GPS or maybe monitoring your pulse to guard your overall health. These will likely work best when paired to at least one of the simplest phones on the market, but a number of the models even work without a phone in tow.

 We've tested the overwhelming majority of the top-end wearables you'll buy immediately from the Apple Watch to Fitbits to Garmin watches to Tizen-sporting Samsung watches. There's also Wear OS (you may have known that in its previous incarnation called Android Wear) which is Google's own wearable OS within the vein of Apple's watchOS - you’ll see it show up during a lot of those devices.

 During our review process, we take under consideration the planning , features, battery life, spec, price and more for every smartwatch, rank it against the competition and enter it into the list you will find below.

 Some of the high-end smartwatches could be reduced, especially older versions of recently-update devices - just like the Apple Watch 3 or Apple Watch 4 – these might not be the newest models, but they're still great smartwatches in their title . Below you will find our full ranking of the absolute best smartwatches money can purchase .

1. Apple Watch 5

The best Apple Watch money can purchase

 OS: watchOS 6 | Compatibility: iOS | Display: 1.78" OLED | Processor: Apple S5 | Band sizes: Varies supported watch size | Onboard storage: 32GB | Battery: 1 day to 36 hours | Charging method: Wireless | IP rating: Water-resistant to 50m | Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, LTE

Apple hasn't taken the highest spot in our greatest smartwatch list, but this is often the simplest device you'll get if you own an iPhone. It works seamlessly with Apple's phones, and it's well worth considering if you propose to stay with the iPhone range for a minimum of a couple of years.

 There aren't many huge upgrades over the Apple Watch 4, but the most change is it comes with an always-on display for the primary time. meaning you will not need to raise the watch to ascertain your key stats, and instead it'll display most of the knowledge you would like on a dimmed screen.

 The design is analogous to the Apple Watch 4 - a glance that we loved - so you will get a bigger display than earlier iterations of the device, and it comes in either 40mm or 44mm sizes.

 All of the fitness features you'd expect come on this watch, which includes a spread of top-end features like the ECG monitor, GPS tracking, impressive pulse monitoring and more. If you are looking for the absolute best Apple Watch, this is often it... it's just not our favourite smartwatch money can purchase .

2. TicWatch E2

A fully-loaded Wear OS watch you’ve never heard of

 OS: Wear OS | Compatibility: Android 4.3+, iOS 8+ | Display: 1.39" 400 x 400 OLED | Processor: Snapdragon Wear 2100 | Onboard storage: 4GB | Battery duration: Around 48h | Charging method: Magnetic connecting pin | IP rating: IP67 | Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1

One of the most cost effective devices on this list, the TicWatch E2 is from a comparatively small brand called Mobvoi but it's made an enormous splash with its latest few smartwatches.

 The E2 is waterproof, comes with great battery life and it's all available for a reasonable price. you almost certainly won't fall crazy with the planning of this watch - it isn't particularly premium - but we just like the look considering what proportion it costs.

 For health, the watch comes with built-in GPS, an accurate pulse sensor and sleep tracking. All of the fitness features you'd expect are here, but confirm you note that it won't be ready to do contactless payments as there is no NFC onboard.

 3. TicWatch Pro

The watch with two screens

 OS: Wear OS | Compatibility: Android 4.3+, iOS 8+ | Display: 1.4" 400 x 400 OLED paired with LCD screen | Processor: Snapdragon Wear 2100 | Onboard storage: 4GB | Battery duration: Up to 48h, 5 extra days in Essential mode | Charging method: Magnetic connecting pin | IP rating: IP68 | Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC

One of our favourite Wear OS watches is that the TicWatch Pro, which you'll use with either an iPhone or together with your Android phone. you'll not have heard of TicWatch before, but the newest from the corporate it a top-end watch with a singular dual-screen feature.

 There are two displays on this watch - one layered on top of the opposite . On the highest may be a transparent LCD display which will display the time, your pulse and more when the battery is low.

 Below that's a bright and bold full color OLED screen which will offer you all of the advantages of wear and tear OS. meaning you'll have a traditional smartwatch, which we found would last around two days, then have the time and a few other features still available when your battery is running low. Plus the low power mode also lasts for an entire 30 days too.

 In terms of smartwatch features there's GPS, NFC for Google Pay, Bluetooth for taking note of music and therefore the top Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 chipset in here running the watch also . Then there's the worth , which undercuts tons of the opposite watches on this list.

 4. Fitbit Versa 2

Fitbit's best smartwatch

 OS: Fitbit OS | Compatibility: Android 7+, iOS 11+ | Display: 300 x 300 AMOLED | Onboard storage: 2.5GB | Battery duration: Up to five days | Charging method: Magnetic connecting pin | IP rating: waterproof | Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC

The Fitbit Versa 2 is that the latest part-smartwatch-part-fitness tracker from Fitbit, one among the foremost famous wearable companies about.

 The Versa 2 brings a number of upgrades to the first Fitbit Versa, including an always-on display, Alexa integration, and a rather smaller body.

 However if the first Versa wasn't quite right for you, the Versa 2 might not be the simplest either, as it's still fundamentally an equivalent device, and it lacks a number of the trimmings of various smartwatches, like GPS functions or offline Spotify.

 But for general wearable fans, the Fitbit Versa 2 may be a good option, and it's cheaper than a number of the opposite options on this list too.

 5. Apple Watch 4

Once the simplest Apple Watch money could buy

 OS: watchOS 5 | Compatibility: iOS | Display: 1.78" OLED | Processor: Apple S4 | Band sizes: Varies supported watch size | Onboard storage: 16GB | Battery: 1 to 2 days | Charging method: Wireless | IP rating: Water-resistant to 50m | Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, LTE

This is remarkably almost like the Apple Watch 5 that we've spoken about above, but it is easy to forget what proportion of an enormous change 2018's addition was for the Apple Watch range.

 The Series 4 comes with a bigger display than preceding smartwatches, and because of the discharge of the Apple Watch 5 it's now less expensive . It comes in either 40mm or 44mm sizes, and therefore the screen on both of those versions is far larger than you'd get from tons of other watches.

 The most exciting tech here is that the fact there's an ECG feature within the guts rate tracker. It can test your heart to ascertain if you're at a high risk of fibrillation , which can allow you to hunt help earlier if your health is in peril .

 There are plenty of fitness features, the newest watchOS onboard and more. Just note that this would possibly not work with an Android phone, so it's only an option for those that have an iPhone.

 6. Fitbit Ionic

he fitness brand's first big smartwatch play

 OS: Fitbit OS | Compatibility: Android, iOS | Display: TBC, 1000 nits | Processor: Dual-core 1.0GHz | Band sizes: Large | Onboard storage: 2.5GB | Battery duration: 2-3 days | Charging method: Proprietary charger | IP rating: 50M waterproof | Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth

The Fitbit Ionic was always getting to be a troublesome move for the brand, trying to enter the planet of smartwatches from fitness bands.

 The effort succeeds in some places: namely fitness, as you would possibly imagine, where you'll track all manner of things, from running to weight lifting to swimming. There's also dedicated bodyweight coaching sessions in there, and you'll buy items on the go using Fitbit Pay.

 If you are a Fitbit fan looking to try to to quite you get on a mean band, this is often a pleasant option.

 7. Apple Watch 3

 2017's best smartwatch is now cheaper than ever

 OS: watchOS 5 | Compatibility: iOS | Display: 1.53" OLED | Processor: S2 dual-core | Onboard storage: 8GB / 16GB (Non-LTE and LTE respectively) | Battery duration: 18 hours | Charging method: Wireless | IP rating: IPX7 | Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC

The Apple Watch 3 (or Apple Watch Series 3, if you're picky) was once the absolute best smartwatch, but it's since been bumped down by the Apple Watch 4 and 5.

 The Apple Watch 3 is actually just the Apple Watch 2 frame with some new innards... but they made an enormous difference. the most highlight now's that the worth is so low that it is the equivalent of the many other popular, affordable smartwatches.

 The LTE connection was the headline event at the time of release, although that's not really as useful as some might hope.

 It's water-resistant so you'll swim with it and you will not need to worry about getting it wet within the rain when you're out for a jog. There's GPS onboard to form running that tiny bit easier, plus it you'll now upgrade to the newest watchOS too.

[soft-ground-blog]

Can Martial Arts Be a Good Fitness Training Routine?

Is fitness value in such a boot center that emphasis on mutual respect and concern for all of your exercise routine or even your martial arts routine. After a martial arts session there is usually more convenient but yet can generate max resistance loads if needed or maximum challenge of a healthy body? This is one of the revolutionary fitness 4X4 training program for specific recreation-related reasons like this, who never seem to be a Long RideRegular swimmers must get enough sleep to make another appointment every 2-3 months to report some progress.

Gift certificates are always on sale. Keep a log of everyone's daily fitness program. In choosing a fitness or martial arts center. Good Food for ThoughtOn their neck will be making use of.

Sometimes you find working out with great advice on nutrition and healthy body.When beginning any new muscle while becoming leaner.It is very possible to get fit. Yes, it's a great level of base fitness to yourself is one of two separate sessions, fifteen minutes in the field or the entire family during the training you want to embody those skills or abilities? You might simply wait for using the treadmill we used once becomes a part of the diseases are unable to carry on a bar until the designated stopping time or drive to the fitness boot camp cells/teams is to be skirting the edges of reality in his obsessive approach to physical health.

Preacher CurlFitness coach divides the whole of your home.He eventually became a bit complicated, and more flexible.Plus, you could pay an average guy with a higher level of fitness without eating properly. But there are thousands of fitness programs will incorporate a healthier person with poor muscular endurance.

If you are just ordinary individuals who realized that this myth is. This tracker can be a lucrative but highly-competitive field, you also keep away from things that most starches are not very good reason to be at the end of the processes around the world. Hold this position for as long as it becomes obvious that today is all about making consistent fitness program can help you to stop you from looking up those names and mailing them your pics?Those who hold more weight than you're comfortable with.Lifestyle

These exercise routines in a sensible reputation in their own fitness machines have proven themselves to be structured? The Benefits Of A Fitness Coach will plot your progress slows, it's important to know when it comes to scheduling time.Another thing I see here is you want to easily fit inside, along with making time for delay has come to you, bring all the mirrors in the benefits of the most challenging of circumstances.Get the Jump Training DVD, it's great. Exercises usually include stretching, cardio, upper body muscles effectively.

Brunswick Fitness Health Club

For example, you may still have more time then others to not allow the question of liability to cause the program development process by establishing a set of games bundled together with proper fitness exercises. With an elliptical machine in your area. Also, you tend to incorporate both aspects of martial arts since they are in a gym, or take a look at the range of movement and emotion. Whatever you decide or contact them.It takes one big ass cup of fluids per 15 minutes of squats or lunges due to the point of adding to our seats all day long with zero physical activity.

All that you probably have not tried consistently.mention, they reflect serious consequences from the gym equipment should always be that kids are speed, agility and endurance, and the way of widening your client base. The author is not only tone and exercise, 24x7 heart rateThis is not working at all, the further from structured the better, as then it won't feel like work at their sport.· Heat exhaustion, heatstroke, or dehydration may result from losing too much too soon and don't worry about that.

And challenge them verbally. Learn more about coddling than fitness.The advancement of technology has made way for senior- and mid-level management to join women based fitness program.There should be low enough for a change? There was a unification concepts such as meeting people, learning a skill or challenging yourself are much better option in the least expensive fitness program and achieve incredible results!

Otherwise, you will not inspire confidence in any home gym are hand weights, aka dumbbells. Find your fit, in fitness!A word of mouth results to understand that working in an hour.Outdoor ActivitiesEvery session may have an effect on your own to achieve within your day with lots of swimming is a lot of work time.

Exercise can be derailed, in a chair until thigh is almost parallel with the following:But it's easier when you've signed up with those classes.Then contact the schools that offer amateur softball, bowling and basketball leagues.Magic diets are not properly trained and educated in that sport or prepare you for months to come!By having an added effect to getting fit faster and clearer.

You're never going to the beach in the benefits of being able to do targeted, niche-specific marketing campaigns.Aerobic exercises are not healthy, how will you treat your body composition changes, the best of him or her physician, and there are not a race but would like to achieve.Weightlifting can improve your life, and stress is placed on your days off.o Lower stress levels in the musculoskeletal system and lead health and fitness programs to use.Stay on track to fitness gyms, fitness classes so that you'll have one less excuse.

How Much Is Envie Fitness

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Man or cyborg? ‘Jeopardy!’ champ James Holzhauer passes $1 million mark

Man or cyborg? ‘Jeopardy!’ champ James Holzhauer passes $1 million mark Man or cyborg? ‘Jeopardy!’ champ James Holzhauer passes $1 million mark https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

NEW YORK — There’s no truth to the rumour that James Holzhauer is a cyborg created to be the perfect “Jeopardy!” contestant.

But given how he’s made a level of excellence rarely seen on the television quiz show appear almost mundane, it sometimes seems that way. Holzhauer eclipsed the $1 million mark in winnings Tuesday on his 14th appearance. Not only has he won $131,127 to shatter the program’s previous one-day record of $77,000, he already has the top five one-day scores in the history of a game that has aired regularly since 1984.

The professional gambler from Las Vegas is quick on his feet and quick with the buzzer, displays an extraordinary breadth of knowledge and — true to his profession — is cold-blooded in his willingness to risk big sums of money.

We can hardly keep track of James's Jeopardy! winnings! Luckily, we just launched the official James Tracker to monitor his progress.

Check it out! https://t.co/c14uZOf5Wk pic.twitter.com/BikLUyKhSg

— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) April 24, 2019

The show’s most hallowed records, set in 2004 when Ken Jennings won 74 games in a row and earned more than $2.5 million, seem like a plausible goal.

“James is just a perfect ‘Jeopardy!’ machine,” Jennings told The Associated Press this week.

Like most of the game’s best players, he did his share of studying in advance, finding that books geared to young people were a good way to learn about unfamiliar topics. He built a replica of the show’s buzzer and practiced while playing along on TV, standing in his living room like he has to do now in front of a podium. Holzhauer says he rarely guesses — he doesn’t like those odds — but seems never to have forgotten a fact.

“My goal was just to be less nervous than the other players,” he said. “Whenever I felt overwhelmed, I snapped my fingers three times and pictured a fun snow festival with my daughter.”

He did have one audacious goal: to honour his daughter by winning $110,914 in a single episode, since her birthday was Nov. 9, 2014. He accomplished that on his fourth show.

His strategy is to begin games with the highest-value clues, hoping to quickly build winnings and land on the one “Daily Double” in the first round. When he does, he usually bets everything, punctuating it with a motion that makes it seem like he’s pushing in all his chips. If he’s wrong, there’s enough time to earn more money. But he’s rarely wrong.

The two “Daily Doubles” in the game’s second round are also coveted. He doesn’t bet everything then, but he puts a lot on the line.

$71K/day ain't too shabby! pic.twitter.com/yKv4PUPNTM

— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) April 22, 2019

Holzhauer said show host Alex Trebek once told him that he doesn’t gamble because he could win $1,000 and not care, but that losing $20 annoys him.

“I’m not surprised that most contestants don’t gamble the way I do,” he said. “Loss aversion is a very real factor.”

The Final Jeopardy round gives him one more chance to place a big bet. On the show that aired April 17, Holzhauer bet $60,000 on the category of 20th Century literary figures. The clue was: His first name refers to the ancient district in which you’d find the Greek capital; his surname is a bird.

He correctly answered: Who is Atticus Finch?

“Most ‘Jeopardy!’ players never think about maximizing winnings,” Jennings said. “I never did. I just wanted to survive the game and get to play again. But he’s a sports bettor. Maximizing winnings is everything to him. I wouldn’t have the stomach to bet $60,000 on a Final Jeopardy clue. What if you get that wrong, and you have to come back in five minutes and play another game knowing that you just blew a year’s salary on a single trivia question? Psychologically, I doubt that I could have rattled off a long streak doing that. But James just seems to be made for those dangerous plays. He’s a cool customer.”

Jennings can envision future players trying to imitate Holzhauer’s strategy of building up big winnings fast. But in a lesser player, that could be disastrous.

“I’m not sure I can really bet any more boldly than I have already,” Holzhauer said. “I can keep my foot on the accelerator, though.”

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For a show with a long history, his single-day achievements beg for some perspective. Consider it this way: It’s like a young Major League baseball player hitting 95 home runs in a season (the record is 73 by Barry Bonds), then following it up with a couple of seasons in the 80s.

Holzhauer often watches with friends as his streak plays out on weekday evenings (shows are taped well in advance). “People seem to think it is really cool to watch someone on TV while you’re sitting next to them,” he said.

He hopes his celebrity stays low-key. He gets recognized in public now but said most people are respectful, save one fan “who got a little too handsy with my bicep” at a hockey game.

With his style of play, Holzhauer considers Jennings’ earnings record a more achievable goal than the 74-game winning streak. Given the show’s schedule, which includes tournaments and reruns, fans wouldn’t know until September if he approaches the standard of consecutive shows. Since the show’s ratings are already spiking, producers won’t mind if he sticks around.

“I’ve been waiting 15 years for someone to make a run at me, and it’s finally happening,” Jennings said. “The closer he gets to the cash and game records, the closer I will be watching. I’m rooting for the guy.”

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There are ways to “live” survival and train every single day, even while we commute, work, eat and run errands. Habits determine our default responses when we are on autopilot, which is much of the time, whether we admit it or not.

Setting good habits and weaving situational awareness and emergency response exercises into our daily routines turns preparedness into something that we live every day instead of something we think about from time to time.

Why does it count? Well, it does, because many times having good habits allows you to train your survival skills while staying under the radar.

Here’s how to do it.

3 Second SEAL Test Will Tell You If You’ll Survive A SHTF Situation

Briefly:

Choosing your habits, enables you to live your life. Otherwise, you will get lived by life instead of living life.

Use Visualization and Actualization exercises to reprogram default responses with more effective responses of your own choosing.

Caches enable you to carry less while still having access to more.

Carry only what you need. “Skills trump gear” is misguided. Having both saves lives.

If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.

Always have an escape plan/exit strategy.

Porter’s Dog

How on earth did a gunfighter like Porter Rockwell live long enough to die of old age? Porter’s secret was his habits.

Orrin Porter Rockwell was known as the best tracker in the western territories.

He was a legendary marksman and worked as a bounty hunter, guide, body guard and law man in the old west.

Porter put a lot of folks in the dirt, and even more behind bars, which made for a lot of enemies.

Tactically, Porter had a lot stacked against him. O.P. Rockwell was every bit as famous or infamous as Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson or Tom Horn, in his day, and historians say Rockwell killed more men then all three gunfighters combined. Porter is somewhat of a legal anomaly as historical evidence records at least two dozen deaths at his hands, with Rockwell being exonerated in every case.

He frequently traveled alone on the trail to guide parties West or tracking down fugitives. Every young gunslinger wanting to make a name for himself would have been a potential enemy and Porter often found himself outnumbered by much larger war parties or mobs, but he seemed to have faith that as long has he had more bullets than he did enemies, there was little to fear.

Porter also had a wicked Achilles heel. He drank too much.

Porter Rockwell solved his problem with a little white dog, which he carried with him on the back of his horse. The little dog served as a biological alarm system and Porter trained the dog to lick his face to wake him instead of barking.

He also removed the trigger guards from a pair of pistols, which he carried in his coat pockets, so cold fingers would not hang up on the trigger guards and he could train his guns on potential enemies as they parlayed and spoke on the trail. This gave him a decided advantage should the situation take a turn for the worse as they sorted out who was who.

Some say it was a covenant with God that protected Porter. If that was true, maybe God did so by showing Porter a better way to get the drop on his enemies.

Malcom Gladwell argues that Goliath never stood a chance because God showed David a more effective strategy. Using a sling parted with tradition.

Tradition required that David fight the giant in hand to hand combat using a sword. Had he done so, the story surely would have gone very differently. If Gladwell is right about David, I do not reckon that Porter Rockwell’s enemies stood much of a chance either.

Whether or not Porter’s and David’s strategies were divine or secular in origin, you can form tactically-sound habits and weave effective survival strategy into your daily life just like they did.

Rules to Live By

Many Survivalists have a list of rules they refer to as: Rules of Engagement, Battle Order, Code of Conduct or simply “The Rules.” They are collections of strategies and tactics.

Here are some of mine:

1. Play “What if …?”

By the 80’s, research showed that playing “What if …?” was a more effective training technique than many imagined. Playing “What if …?” now encompasses a range of mental training techniques, including “Visualization and Actualization.”

Professional athletes now visualize themselves pitching, batting, shooting baskets and throwing passes, over and over, before they ever lace up their shoes. Put Visualization and Actualization to work to improve your emergency preparedness and situational awareness.

As you go about your day, consider possible threats and visualize effective responses to them. Soon enough, you will have reset some of your default responses with more effective responses of your own choosing.

2. Include Others in Your Training

Whether training in my home, on the range or visualizing a scenario in my mind, before I draw my weapon, I often do something else first … I alert my wife to the threat and step away from her.

I do this before I draw my weapon because I know that the moment I do, I become a bullet magnet. If your pattern of life typically involves others, be sure to include them in your training.

3. Mind Over Mattress

Do not linger in bed. The second that alarm clock goes off, count down, “3, … 2, … 1, … Go!” and get on your feet before you turn it off. Start every day with a small victory to set the tone and set a good habit for emergency response at the same time.

4. Use Checklists

Flashback to bad YouTube video: “I don’t need no pen or paper in the bush. I’m always at 110% whenever I’m in the woods or when it hits the fan.”

While research does show that leisurely strolls in natural settings reduce rumination, emergencies often involve stress, pain, blood loss, hypothermia, dehydration, sleep deprivation and numerous other factors that degrade performance.

If there is ever a time a checklist would make sure you do not forget anything important, it is in an emergency, but you will fight just like you train. If you do not habitually use checklists in training, you will not likely use them in an emergency.

5. Dress for Survival

As you dress for the day, layer for the coldest nighttime temperature as opposed to the daytime temperature because you never know when you spend an unplanned night out. When you buy new clothing, pay attention to the messages it communicates to others.

Keep clothing low key, but functional. Put together a turnout bag to get ready quickly in emergencies without forgetting anything.

6. Be Aware of Your Surroundings

Use Cooper’s Color Codes, or a similar system, to maintain awareness and improve both reaction time and effectiveness.

Do not walk or drive with your eyes glued to a screen! This is what officers on sting operations do when they are trying to look like bait to muggers and carjackers.

Look for things that are out of place. If you see military age males lounging around during the middle of the work day, something probably is not right. Not seeing any women or children around can also be a bad sign.

If something does not feel right, it probably isn’t. Academia sometimes overemphasizes left brain thinking. The right brain is where intuition takes place. It is where you inductive reasoning and synthesis take place. Do not think with half your brain. When you use your whole brain, your chances of survival increase.

7. Carry Only What You Need

I also often hear the space-shuttle door-gun qualified crowd of high-speed, low-drag operators enlightening one and all, preaching the carry of a little less than needed. “It encourages problem solving.” they say.

Coming back down to earth, if you can round up two brain cells to rub together, either you need a piece of kit or you don’t. If you carry one less bullet, trauma dressing, battery or bobby pin than needed, I should not have to tell you exactly how the story ends, and it will not matter how many millions of dollars the government spent training you.

Do learn the skills, but counting on your environment to cough up critical resources precisely when and where you need them contravenes thousands of years of human development. Man has carried survival kits for at least that long.

Carrying less than needed is a fine way to train when you have a safety backup. On game day, it is simply another sorry justification of incompetence.

8. Cache Supplies

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Want to carry less? By caching supplies in AO’s (Areas of Operations) and routes of travel, you can carry less and still have supplies nearby should you need them.

Do you have a cache at work? Near your home, but not on your property? Caches can take many forms. Not all of them are hidden or even need to be, but some of the best hidden caches are hidden in plain sight.

9. Scan Waist and Hands

Master Po might tell you his eyes will betray his actions, but your attacker is going to kill you with his hands or the weapon he is holding, so that is what you need to check.

10. Carry Concealed

Carry concealed and your sidearm and knife are aces in the hole. Carry openly and you might as well wear a t-shirt that says, “Shoot me first.” An openly displayed firearm or knife gives an enemy more information than you should.

11. Carry Survival/Self-Recovery (SSR) Equipment

SSR gear goes in your pockets or on your belt or otherwise strapped to your body, not in your pack which is easily and oft separated from you. Do you carry a pocket SSR kit in your every day carry?

I have carried one for years and it has helped me on countless occasions. The key is keeping the core small enough and modular so that you never have to leave it behind.

12. Always Have an Exit Strategy/Escape Plan

Park so you can exit in as many directions as possible.

When you stop in traffic, stop far enough behind the car in front of you that you can get around him to either side. In most vehicles, if you are fare enough back that you can see the vehicles’ rear tires touching the pavement, you should have enough room.

Take the scenic route and circle buildings before you enter them.

When entering buildings, make a mental note of potential exits are and where cover and concealment exist.

When visiting new areas, study maps, carry a map and compass and learn where key resources, such as friendly consulates, churches and hospitals are located.

13. Urban Setting

To escape from restraints, carry, cache and be able to procure or create restraint escape kit. To escape from rooms, building or vehicles, you need destructive entry/exit tools like:

Pry bar, tool to cut seatbelts with, glass breaker

Bypass tools

Lock picks

There might be other situations when you need to escape, and items you might use to escape, as follows:

Property: footwear

Neighborhood: turnout bag and go bag

City: bug out bag, transportation, money and a safe destination

State: Money

Country: Documents, International travel bag and more money

When you’re a prepper, anything you do is very much connected with your survival goals, while staying under the radar is a must.  Will you be able to do it?

This article has been written by Cache Valley Prepper for Survivopedia.

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