#mag dump into trash

[dark-falz]

PSO Timeline of the Profound Sadness (Detailed lore timeline regarding Episodes 1&2,)

There's also stuff about Phantasy Star 0 in here too because they take place in the same universe! But I'm trash and didn't beat it and it was years ago so idr shit I'll go back to it one day ok promise anyway

LONG LORE POST completely spoiler

Inhabited planet Coral is drained of natural resources. The government, organizations called "The Alliance of Nations" (includes 10) , and "Black Paper" initiate the "Pioneer Project" to find a new planet to colonize. They are gifted from a passing asteroid with Photon energy. They use it to backtrack where it came from to find a place to inhabit. After approx. 7 years, Ragol is found. Coral mentions; Shino: RAcaseal, purchased & passed down to Zoke Dr. Calus: was working on an AI, also named Calus, who developed his personality. Calus dies before the AI is completed. Dr. Jean Montague: 11 yrs. old approx, researches D-Cells brought back from probes with Dr. Osto, create MAGs* which are the beginning of the MOTHER/Delta program 7 yearsish later (travel is heavily disputed among sources apparently but w/e) The people on Pioneer 1 included; Heathcliff Flowen: Deputy Army Commander Rico Tyrell: Pupil of Flowen, Scientist, Hunter Dr. Osto Hyle: Lead researcher Mr. & Mrs. Graves: Photon Engineer, Geneticist WORKS (Government military) AI: Olga, Calus, & Vol Opt (meant to assist with Pioneer 1 research and step 2 of MOTHER) - AI Purposes: - Vol Opt: Security - Calus: Information - Olga: Contact, nearly identical specs to Calus (unsure if these two count as AI as they aren't mentioned much) - MOTHER: evolution & control - Delta: Caretaker of MOTHER Established buildings Gal Da Val Island - Research Facility (Houses Delta/MOTHER Vortex and will house Olga) Mines - Robot building plant (+All mine enemies) - Houses Calus (EPI)& Vol Opt - Dr. Osto's first lab (mines 2) Forest - Central Dome: supplies, communication center

Exploration begins followed quickly by construction. Animals are noted as friendly and docile.

Dr. Osto & Graves create a mutant life form for unmentioned reasons, it starts off small, but has the ability to self-replicate.

Ruins are discovered by Flowen. Military WORKS sends in investigation team. Everyone becomes possessed, then dies turning into the bad guys as portrayed in the quest: From the Depths. Flowen leads a second team in. Falz is unsealed and kills everyone but Flowen, leaving him wounded. When he escapes, Falz is sealed again.

Flowen's wound is infected with both D-Cells and Parasitic Gene Flow, causing them to be alive in their own. Osto calls this a "D-Type Factor". Flowen knows his time is short, and pledges his body to Dr. Osto for research under 2 conditions. - A letter is set to his family informing them of his death. - That pioneer 2 is postponed/stopped from reaching Ragol (Spoilers: Neither request are honored)

Flowen is unaware of the Central Control Area's existance until he is brought there.

Olga is moved to the SeaBed, where Osto had been working on developing a super soldier. Construction of the Cental Dome is completed. Flowen's body is merged with Olga in hopes of controlling it. In failure Olga Flow is dumped into the Testing Subject Disposal Area.

Scientists tried moving De Rol due to his size. De Rol kills the scientists and escapes through the ducts. Its tentacles that stab you during battle is what caused the mutation of the cave's dwellings'. (Barbra Ray is a speculated open or salt-water variant)

War continues on Coral and the 10 Nation Alliance is weakening. Instead of telling the Government to stop Pioneer 2, Osto calls Ragol a "Paradise World" and gets the approval to make bioweapons.* Pioneer 2 starts route.

Animals becoming violent and infected causes Rico to begin investigating. Rico activates the pillars upon investigating them, being under the impression they were built to commemorate the landing of Pioneer 1 from the government, however concluding this was a lie. Rico investigates until her demise and leaves confirming messages that: the ruins is a spaceship from the Algo star system of the Original Phantasy Star series to seal Dark Falz, the reborn Profound Darkness every 1000 years to reborn itself from hate as the seal weakens.

On Pioneer 2, Dr. Montague is working on developing Elenor/Mother 00 and Ult/Mother 01 and Elly Person begins contact with Calus.

Pioneer 2 reaches Ragol (approx 7 years)

Explosion caused by Dark Falz in Central Dome occurs when connection is attempted, everyone from Pioneer 1 is killed with the exceptions of Mutated Rico & Mutated Flowen.

Vol Opt's security system is breached due to explosion and corrupted due to unusual Photons & D Cells causing everything in the Mines to attack.

Calus reaches out to Elly for "help" but has been corrupted and craves a human body. Elly backs up & stores his data before he shuts himself down.

Military attempts to take over Ult following Dr. Osto's plans. Eleanor & Ult fuse to become MOTHER, briefly, as due to abnormal Photon energies, its too much for Eleanor.

Calus data is used by Pioneer 2 to begin development of the "CALs system." This is part of a navigation system any Hunter can access. (Like Rico's messages, the floating things that drop you info in episode 2, is part of "Calus".)

Natasha Milarose receives a message from someone on Ragol leaving the impression that someone from Pioneer 1 is still alive on Gal Da Val Island.

Going through VR testing with Elly before permission to reach the island, Calus has form of a FOmar. (techincally there are 2 one with red eyes and one with blue eyes, one loves Elly and wants to be with her aw the other is always basically on the clock doing what its suppose to. ((Assuming this is due to abnormal photons and having 2 of the same system on top of each other which is CAL system active in VR field as well as on Elly, the operator, but no info.)))

Flowen leaves messages using Olga AI through the terminals you use to unlock the Central Control Area. (all terminals in the Seabed belong to Olga)

Calus enters the MOTHER vortex in expectation of being evolved with a true physical form to be with Elly.

Delta admits Dr. Osto abandoned her and the MOTHER system. (though the "abandonment" could have been due to a multitude of reasons with how full his hands were getting.)

I think this mostly wraps up the timeline covering entirely episodes 1&2

Extra stuff:

Flowen's full dialogue

MAG* - "A mag is a core of D-Cells surrounded by metal plating. The D-Cells are kept in control by an "Emotional AI". This means any mag is actually a cyborg of some sort, because they are a fusion of living and mechanical tissue. This is also why spraying them with various medical items causes them to change their shape so drastically.

"This is also why they can do the Photon Blast. The mag is able to absorb the energy from your photonic attacks on enemies, and also to absorb the pain from hits and turn it into photon. They had mags doing PBs on Coral, where the blasts did not take on a particular shape. The things you see in your PBs on Ragol look the way they do because the abnormal photon count, and D-cell count on Ragol is really high. The PB animals look like dark enemies, but with light color bodies. This is the influence of Ragol." - Translated from The Book of Hunters (Eleanor & Ult also carry D-cells)

Bioweapons - The bioweapons scientists of Pioneer 1 were making included using D-Cells, Parasitic Gene Flow, and living beings. This extended from animals, to plants, to even the scientists themselves in efforts of creating a "super solder". The reason behind this is because Falz is seen as an eternal entity, and that's what the scientists want to harness for themselves. Montague does a similar process, but instead using monster parts and photon energy from the mutated creatures, as oppose to mutated genes, to create weapons.

Links to information that helped me accumulate all this: phantasystardynasty PScave (I have dialogue with Flowen's text linked, if you want dialogue from another quest, just change the text between "script/" and ".html" to the quest of the dialogue you want to look out without spaces) Fandom Wiki (multiple pages from this one) This Tumblr post

[the-name-is-never-was]

Uppies! Picking up and hugging precious daughter like a kitty cat. "Let's go mag dump into trash at an abandoned gravel pit."

"Aw yippee! Destruction and mayhem!"

[mistypurplespark]

THRONE-chapter14

After discovering Lucien's empty shack, the ordinary-looking man named Jackson acknowledged that even though Mag and Andre were not very helpful, they provided useful information. When Andre found only trash in the shack, Jackson identified the potential value of the items discarded by the rich in the dump site. Encouraged by the discovery, Jackson ordered his men to destroy Lucien's belongings and keep any money they found. Unwilling to waste time searching for Lucien, Jackson's gang proceeded to ransack his shack. Lucien, unable to defend himself, contemplated learning magic to protect himself. When Alisa intervened in the situation, she was attacked by the gangsters, prompting Lucien to finally take action and confront Jackson. In a physical altercation, Lucien attempted to overpower Jackson but was ultimately beaten and left bloodied on the ground. Despite his defeat, Lucien vowed to become stronger in the future. Jackson, recognizing Lucien's determination, advised him not to be too greedy and then departed with his men, leaving behind destruction and stolen money.

[cheaperthandirt]

5 Things to Know About Setting Up a Tactical Belt

Whether you’re serious about going to the range or plan on competing, chances are you need a battle belt. Also called a war belt or tactical belt, the battle belt is designed to keep essential items, like 9mm ammo, close at hand. The most common belts for competition come in two parts, with MOLLE rigging for attachments. But what should you have attached to your battle belt? Here are five essentials every shooter needs.

Extra Magazines One of the most important parts of a battle belt is extra mags. A typical configuration is two pouches for handgun ammo, such as 9mm, and a pouch for your rifle ammo of choice, such as 5.56 ammo for an AR or 7.62 ammo for an AK. Having extra mags close by is one of the main reasons battle belts are so popular among competitors. You can configure the pouches how you want, such as having all of them on your non-dominant side or having a pistol mag attached horizontally in the small of your back. Extra ammo should be the first thing to add when assembling your battle belt. Handgun Holster The second major reason for a battle belt is to secure a holster. You have different options, including in-line with the belt and a leg drop holster. It’s always best to have a holster designed for your specific handgun so you can have the best retention for your 9mm handguns or whatever you shoot. If you want to switch between different handguns but use the same belt, you might want to invest in a quick detach system. This allows you to quickly switch out one part of the holster instead of taking time to replace the whole system. Versatile Dump Pouch It may not seem like much, but a dump pouch is a valuable part of a battle belt. Whether you have empty mags, brass you want to reload, or general trash, the dump pouch can carry it. You can find different styles, from static bags to ones that roll up until needed. It’s a generic carry-all that offers plenty of utility at the range or competition. Medical Supplies for Emergencies It’s better to have medical supplies and not need them than need them and not have them. Mishaps can happen at the range, during a competition, or even while hunting. It’s a good idea to have an individual first aid kit, or IFAK, attached to your belt. Some can tear away from your belt, while others are easy to open. An IFAK should have at least one tourniquet, hemostatic combat gauze, trauma shears, gloves, pressure bandages, chest seals, a permanent marker, and a pen light. Multitool or Knife A multitool or combat knife can help get you out of a variety of situations and is a must on any battle belt. From simple fieldcraft to opening packages or field-stripping your gun, there are tons of uses. You might also want to have multitools specific to your guns, such as an AR multitool. You never know when it’ll come in handy, so make sure you have one in your kit. About Cheaper Than Dirt! High-volume shooters turn to Cheaper Than Dirt! for the ammunition, firearms, range supplies, and accessories they need to optimize range performance. Cheaper Than Dirt published its first catalog in 1994, brimming with shooting and outdoor gear. Five years later, Cheaper Than Dirt was the first company in the industry to build a website and start selling online. Cheaper Than Dirt is now recognized as the top destination online to buy ammunition, firearms, and range day essentials. The goal is simple: provide shooters with an impressive selection, excellent prices, and outstanding service, and Cheaper Than Dirt fulfills that promise with every order. Shop Cheaper Than Dirt, and shop with confidence, knowing you’ll find the products you need at unbeatable prices. Stock up on ammunition and other battle belt essentials at https://www.cheaperthandirt.com/ Original Source: https://bit.ly/4aDjmUf

[ourjapanesecarremovals]

How to Choose the Right Car Wreckers Service Provider?

Why Should You Rely On them?

Is there an old car taking up space on your property? You can rely on CarRemovals’s car wreckers Takanini to get you back on the road. Cash for junk automobiles is available from the Auto car wreckers south Auckland and car wreckers Takanini teams. Auto removal from Takanini properties in an old and broken state is free. The South Auckland Car Wreckers are everywhere in Takanini.

The company is not only a local business, but they’re also a group of people customers can rely on. They try to give customers fair and prompt payment for any make or model of vehicle. Regardless of how old it is or what the circumstances are. They offer the services and may pick up the automobile the same day and give the cash for it right away.

The Proper Choice For Car Wrecking Services

Car wreckers Takanini will offer the best price for unwanted vehicles. Car Wreckers are only a short drive away if you reside in Takanini and want to get rid of old, unwanted, or broken vehicles. Regardless of the customer’s location in Takanini, car wreckers Takanini can take it up. Additionally, they offer free automobile removals in the city of Takanini.

Get Paid For All Cars With The Best Deals

Customers may have a car of any make or model; they can count on car wreckers south Auckland to pay top dollar for it. It’s important to know whether the vehicle is running and if any parts are missing. When customers get in touch with them for a free estimate and tell them about the automobile’s make, model, age, and condition, they use that information to make a cash offer.

CarRemovals in Auckland is known for seamless services to its customers. Auckland CarRemovals are hassle-free. The Car Removals is a New Zealand-wide car relocation service. Towing away the vehicle to or from any location is free of charge. The company firmly believes this will save the consumers money in the long run. They’ll deal with the stress for customers, so they don’t have to.

Exceptional Care For Spare Parts

Many automobile parts are on the internet, including body parts (trims, doors, fenders, etc.), engine parts, batteries, mag wheels, gearboxes, and transmissions. Customers trust them to handle their vehicle’s spare parts efficiently and effectively. In addition, Automobile Removals Takanini also offers discounts from any location, including free towing of your car service, for any section of the vehicle. When it comes to getting rid of an automobile that’s broken, scraped, old, or otherwise undesired, car wreckers Takanini is the best option.

They’ll pick up the automobile for free from any place and pay them immediately in cash.

It’s always better to rely on their services. With this, Car Removals Auckland, instead of trying to manage an outdated car or simply dumping it in the yard. They are known for paying a fair price for trash automobiles, regardless of their condition. They don’t give a second thought to their value. It’s also free to tow the car from any Auckland area.

There’s no need for maintenance in Auckland because they are the best car wreckers south Auckland. Repairing an old automobile can be a waste of money. Repairing the vehicle and transforming it into a running state can cost a lot of time and money. The car’s market worth may be lower than the repair costs, which could explain this. Car Removals is the most excellent solution in situations like this, as they offer fair and immediate cash.

Source Url — https://www.businessread.co/how-to-choose-the-right-car-wreckers-service-provider/

[hato-mercenary]

Recently my Ukrainian fiancee asked me what I did with my friends for Freedom Day. I told her we would go out on BLM land to mag dump into trash and then go home to get drunk. She seemed to be the opposite of surprised by this answer.

Oh god insufferable yank day is in 48 hours

[leizyn]

Hidden Struggles

By: Lynsay Love Penuliar and Nyziel Remaldura

Smokey Mountain is a location in the center of Manila where a mountain of trash rises above the nearby slums. The area is home to approximately 5,000 families, including two young boys who are struggling to survive in the harsh conditions of the city's unofficial dumpsite.

Meet Francisco, a 7-year-old boy who lives with his family in a simple home made of waste materials. He spends his days searching through the trash heap for anything that could be traded for food or sell. Francisco's parents, who are also scavengers, struggle to sustain their family due to their poor financial situation.

"Kumusta, Francisco? Ilang taon ka na at sino ang nagturo sa ‘yo mamasura?"

“Tinuruan ako ng aking ama at nakakatandang kapatid kung paano magbenta at maghukay sa basurahan ng limang taong gulang pa lamang ako.” Francisco stated.

Besides being exposed to the dangers of the garbage dump, Francisco and his family are constantly at risk for contracting infections and having health issues due to living in a polluted environment. Despite the challenges he faces, Francisco is hopeful and determined about building a better life for his family. Francisco tried to talk to his father about their state in life.

Francisco's father sobbed, "Sa sobrang hirap ng buhay, wala akong mahanap na ibang trabaho para umunlad man lang ang ating buhay dahil hindi ko natapos ang aking pag-aaral noong ako’y bata pa lamang."

Juanita, a 9-year-old girl, lives on Smokey Mountain.

A girl who calls Smokey Mountain home is 9-year-old Juanita. Unlike Francisco, Juanita is an orphan and lives with his grandmother in a small, dilapidated shack. Juanita's parents died when he was young, and since then, she has been forced to fend for herself.

"Kumusta, Juanita? Sino ang kasama mo sa buhay at kung bakit ka namamasura?"

"Matanda na si lola kaya ang ginawa ko namamasura na lang ako para may pang kain kami kahit papaano. Si lola ang nag alaga at nagturo sakin kung paano mamasura, ang mga magulang ko naman hindi ko na sila na kita."

"Ayaw mo ba mag-aral Juanita?"

"Wala naman mag-papaaral sakin eh, sa sobrang hirap nang buhay namin hindi ko na iniisip yun, mas mabuting may laman ang sikmura namin ni lola."

Juanita spends the most of her days collecting used plastic bottles and scrap metal, which she sells to recyclers in exchange for money. But even his education is barely covered by her wages, let alone the cost of his grandmother's meals.

"Nanay kamusta ka po?"

"Ito nahihirapan na humanap ng pagkain namin ni Juanita"

"Pasensya na po sa maging tanong ko, Ano po palang nangyari sa mga magulang ni Juanita?"

"Ang anak ko si Juan at ang asawa nya si Nita, namatay sa sakit si Juan namatay sya sa Tuberculosis, si Nita naman sa Pneumonia. Wala kaming pera ng pang gamot sa kanila kaya ganyan ang kinalabasan"

"Pasensya na Nanay, ako po ay humihingi ng pasensya sa aking mga katanungan. Condolences po sa inyo pamilya."

Despite the challenges and setbacks that come with living in Smokey Mountain, Francisco and Juanita are determined and hopeful about the future. They imagine a time when they won't be struggling and will have access to things like food, clean water, and education.

Their trials serve as a reminder of the hardships that many families and low-income individuals in the Philippines go through. It is an appeal for help and a call to action to address the root causes of the nation's socioeconomic inequity, hunger, and poverty.

[lynsaylovepenuliar]

Hidden Struggles ⏐ Reportage

By: Lynsay Love Penuliar and Nyziel Remaldura

Smokey Mountain is a location in the center of Manila where a mountain of trash rises above the nearby slums. The area is home to approximately 5,000 families, including two young boys who are struggling to survive in the harsh conditions of the city's unofficial dumpsite. 

          Meet Francisco, a 7-year-old boy who lives with his family in a simple home made of waste materials. He spends his days searching through the trash heap for anything that could be traded for food or sell. Francisco's parents, who are also scavengers, struggle to sustain their family due to their poor financial situation. 

          "Kumusta, Francisco? Ilang taon ka na at sino ang nagturo sa ‘yo mamasura?"

          “Tinuruan ako ng aking ama at nakakatandang kapatid kung paano magbenta at maghukay sa basurahan ng limang taong gulang pa lamang ako.” Francisco stated.

          Besides being exposed to the dangers of the garbage dump, Francisco and his family are constantly at risk for contracting infections and having health issues due to living in a polluted environment. Despite the challenges he faces, Francisco is hopeful and determined about building a better life for his family. Francisco tried to talk to his father about their state in life.

          Francisco's father sobbed, "Sa sobrang hirap ng buhay, wala akong mahanap na ibang trabaho para umunlad man lang ang ating buhay dahil hindi ko natapos ang aking pag-aaral noong ako’y bata pa lamang."

          Juanita, a 9-year-old girl, lives on Smokey Mountain.

          A girl who calls Smokey Mountain home is 9-year-old Juanita. Unlike Francisco, Juanita is an orphan and lives with his grandmother in a small, dilapidated shack. Juanita's parents died when he was young, and since then, she has been forced to fend for herself.

          "Kumusta, Juanita? Sino ang kasama mo sa buhay at kung bakit ka namamasura?"

          "Matanda na si lola kaya ang ginawa ko namamasura na lang ako para may pang kain kami kahit papaano. Si lola ang nag alaga at nagturo sakin kung paano mamasura, ang mga magulang ko naman hindi ko na sila na kita."

          "Ayaw mo ba mag-aral Juanita?"

          "Wala naman mag-papaaral sakin eh, sa sobrang hirap nang buhay namin hindi ko na iniisip yun, mas mabuting may laman ang sikmura namin ni lola."

          Juanita spends the most of her days collecting used plastic bottles and scrap metal, which she sells to recyclers in exchange for money. But even his education is barely covered by her wages, let alone the cost of his grandmother's meals.

          "Nanay kamusta ka po?"

          "Ito nahihirapan na humanap ng pagkain namin ni Juanita"

          "Pasensya na po sa maging tanong ko, Ano po palang nangyari sa mga magulang ni Juanita?"

          "Ang anak ko si Juan at ang asawa nya si Nita, namatay sa sakit si Juan namatay sya sa Tuberculosis, si Nita naman sa Pneumonia. Wala kaming pera ng pang gamot sa kanila kaya ganyan ang kinalabasan"

          "Pasensya na Nanay, ako po ay humihingi ng pasensya sa aking mga katanungan. Condolences po sa inyo pamilya."

          Despite the challenges and setbacks that come with living in Smokey Mountain, Francisco and Juanita are determined and hopeful about the future. They imagine a time when they won't be struggling and will have access to things like food, clean water, and education.

          Their trials serve as a reminder of the hardships that many families and low-income individuals in the Philippines go through. It is an appeal for help and a call to action to address the root causes of the nation's socioeconomic inequity, hunger, and poverty.

[a-mag-a-day]

MAG 65 - Part 3 of the apple pie baking session

Lol, Tessa info-dumping and Jon is totally overwhelmed.

"Magnetic tape. Everyone thinks it’s analog, but it’s digital." - I mean, not all magnetic tapes are digital. Digital tapes came up in the 80s, but before then they were analog. Especially the kind of tape we usually associate with TMA, the "Compact Cassette", is analog. Look it up on Google pictures! And then compare it to it's digital successor, the "Digital Compact Cassette". Looks different. Mini- or microcassettes used for dictation are also analog (I think, there are digital minicasettes?). And yes, it's STILL in use for that. We use analog minicassettes and I have a tape recorder standing around, catching dust, on my desk at work in case the system's getting a service update and is not accessible for a longer period of time.

"the units of data that a computer works with are by their nature discrete and definite, while the words we use are clumsy, vague things, always at the whim of interpretation and decay." - unless you're working with a printer… They are also clumsy vague things XD

"I have a blog, actually, but I haven’t posted for almost a year. Almost too embarrassed to, now…" - info-dumping and oversharing! Jon is in for a ride…

Holy shit, she's constantly talking over Jon, it's so funny xD

"I mean, yes, there’s drug stuff on there, but it’s mostly just paranoid geeks who don’t want to be caught pirating Photoshop." - Deep Web's a bit overkill for that mumbling. If this was written in 2019 it would be "it's mostly Youtubers buying overpriced trash advertised as 'Deep Web Mystery Boxes' or faking them themselves and needing an excuse to give them a spooky backstory" xDD

I love how this is just a creepy pasta!

"Whatever version you’re told, the story goes that it actually worked, and the police found a pile of floppy disks full of impossible code next to the mutilated body of Sergey Ushanka." - Remember when floppy disks could destroy/save the world?? XD (insert Sailor Moon, Gargoyles, Street Sharks, Ninja Turtles pictures here)

"it was only for a moment, but I could have sworn I saw some of the symbols twitch?" - oh speaking of oversharing earlier - so when I'm not doing good mentally or also when I'm simply sleep-deprived I see all kinds of movement and shadows out of the corner of my eye. When I drew my fanart for "Statement Remains" in October (the dark shape of an Eldritch monster Jon with 7 green-glowing eyes in front of a tape recorder…) I saw all 7 eyes blink. I know it's just that quirk of seeing shadows/movement but it was sooo eerie and fitting.

"there’s no feeling, but the no feeling hurts" - Makes me think of the people in the Catalogue of the Trapped Dead. I don't know if they weren't able of feeling things, but they were basically just a memory (which could be seen as similar to Ushanka uploading himself) and that this existence hurt.

Jon's interaction with statement-givers back in S1 versus now in S2 is also very binary xD ("You are crazy and just imagined everything and I don't believe you" versus "I understand you have experienced something horrible and I believe you")

Tim and Jon arguing is so hurtful to hear. It was different in the intervention but now it's really personal. There is not just anger in Tim's voice I think, there is also hurt. And Jon is just so paranoid and he's right to be paranoid, he just doesn't know why and where it's coming from.

TIM "we didn’t kill Gertrude" - not including Elias, true. (cont.) "and no one wants to kill you" - not true…

TIM "No, no, you listen for once. I was fine in research. Happy. Then you asked me to be transferred here, and suddenly it’s all monsters and killers and secret passages, oh my!" - That's not Jon's fault though? I'm pretty sure, Tim could have said no to the transfer and the stuff going on with the Archives is even less Jon's fault.

TIM "like I didn’t suffer the worst right alongside you." - I really think, this is it. This is not about the actual act of stalking, it's about the betrayal of why Jon did it. Tim was there with Jon, probably also for Jon. And then he suspects him of murder and of his own betrayal against Jon.

JON "Well, excuse me if my experiences have made–" - Well, while in conflict solution and prevention it is advised to talk about yourself and how you have experiences things rather than accusing others, it is not a good idea to shuffle the conversation to yourself while the other one is pouring their heart out about their difficulties in such an angered manner. I know, a lot of people do this to show the other party that you can relate (I do this myself) and in that case it often works out, but I don't think that's what Jon's aiming for here and it seems rather dismissive of Tim's problems. It looks like both are fighting over who is the most miserable here and no one ever wins that fight. There's only losers if you make misery a competition.

TIM "Fuck you, I got eaten by worms because of you!" - And there we have it. It escalates and heavy blame get thrown around. And it's, again, not Jon's fault. How could any of them be at fault that Prentiss attacked the Archives and Elias wanted them to get hurt.

JON "Jane Prentiss was not my fault, I did not bring her to the archive–" - Tim started unfair blame, not Jon has to defend himself and getting defensive is not helping the situation.

I think Jon already suspected that they were bound to the Archives? It sounds like he already thought about offering Tim to transfer but somehow couldn't do it. Now he tests it, if Tim can leave by his own free will.

JON "I’m sorry, Tim. Truly I am. But I cannot and will not trust you." - It's hurtful, for both of them, Tim and even Jon himself. But given the situation Jon's in I think it's kind of fair. He is influenced by a Stranger's presence. He knows something is wrong, he knows the Archives are not normal. TMA is a lot about making decisions based on the knowledge you had at hand at that time and at that particular time I think it was actually best for Jon to stay wary and watch his back.

Tessa is a queen of oversharing, and I am sad for Jon.

[bjornkram]

30 dead 27 injured in craft explosion.

Had to clean up an entire sensory bucket of slime someone dumped out on the floor and SLATHERED into 18!!! T shirts!!! Had to sweep up extra fine glitter someone trailed all around my framing counter and since it's extra fine it made the floor slippery as hell and we had to put out a wet floor sign. I also had to scrape off acrylic paint that someone squirted onto the wall and write the n word and cock and balls and since it was cheap acrylic it dried stupid fast. AND THEN!!!! I had to mop up fabric paint off the floor, and fabric pain STAINS basically everything it touches so the new epoxy floor is green now in the paint section. Manager had to do a announcement asking people to please watch on their kids. And just now two unhomed people got in a fight in our dumpster so there's a huge pile of trash and broken shopping carts in the back and I had to pick up a pile of porno mags that got thrown everywhere and I can't wash my hands enough they were fucking GRODY

I don't get paid enough for this shit.

[moony221b]

umbrella? stupid idiot motherfucking umbrella goddamn fool dust collecting trash eating rat old bastard shithead idiot avatar of the dump. biggest clown in the circus laughed out of town cowboy motherfucking umbrella. stop recording me when i talk about the umbrella. i hate it so much! why does it have so many fucked up features? why did it decide that it deserved to be here? is it raining? is it sunny? thing has such a visceral effect on me not even relevant to the statement i've never held this umbrella and i know it has the worlds shittiest handle get away from me!

- Jonathan Sims, The Archivist (MAG 175)

[gymfanconfessions]

“Just weird thinking about how all the Russian nikitas I know are problematic. MAG Nikita has trashed spiri’s weight and other comments and FS Nikita Katsalapov dumped Ilinykh during competition and with Sinitsina right now, he would just blame her for mistakes in programs (blamed Ilinykh too) and he got them kicked out of zueva’s canton rink for inappropriate outbursts during training. So not here for their shit. (I know MAG Nikita is alright now but still)”

[thanksjro]

Eugenesis, Part Six Scene Four: Xenon Info-Dumps For Five-And-A-Half Pages

Alright, back to bullshit.

Galvatron is being a rude little turd to Xenon, calling his robot collection old and dusty, but Xenon’s too wrapped up in the Quintesson/Cybertronian lore to be bothered. Ultra Magnus just wants to know what the fuck he’s done with the Matrix.

You heard the man, out with it.

So, back when the Quintessons first started out, they were known as the Progenitors- yeah, I know- a quasi-organic race who went from caveman-level intelligence to full-blown hard sci-fi sons of guns at an incredibly rapid rate.  

Problem is, they didn’t get any further than that. They tried, sure. They tried real hard, for millions of years. Then, once their inspiration had run out, they started looking to other races to try and figure something out.

This just in, god is dead and James Roberts killed him by turning him into a glorified OS.

So, P.R.I.M.U.S. is encoded onto these geodes, and they become sentient. Sometimes they think they’re god.

Just like everyone else in this story.

Now that the Quintessons knew about these little god-doodads, they wanted one for themselves, to try and reverse-engineer the secret to immortality. They hired some guys called the Weavers to nab one for them.

This is some serious nerd shit, y’all. Galvatron agrees with me- he’s never even heard of any of the things Xenon’s droning on about. Neither have I- this is all Roberts at this point.

The Weavers brought back two geodes to the Quintessons, who promptly hid them away until the Masters cooled off a bit, since they were a little miffed about the thievery and whatnot. Then they noticed a couple problems: A) the geodes were encrypted to the moon and back, and B) if you so much as looked at the thing wrong it would purge the Lifecode completely.

Didn’t Optimus throw this thing at Unicron a couple times? Maybe the geode just doesn’t like you, Xenon, ever thought of that?

In order to decode the geodes, the Quintessons needed massive computers. Y’know, like God. But before they could really get a head start on that, the Masters’ nanobot enforcers showed up, blocking out the sky like a giant swarm of angry wasps. They wrecked shopped on Quintyxia- the old one, not the new one- and the Quintessons ran for it. They headed for the planet where they’d buried the other geode, but something went wrong with their hyperspace drive, and they didn’t arrive until two million years after they’d set off.

They dug for the geode, hit something metal, and that’s when the quakes started. The Quintessons left, thinking the planet was unstable.

At this point, Magnus is begging Xenon to just get on with it.

The Quintessons headed back to Quintyxia, to find that their lush, green world had been turned into one made of metal. Cybertron. Quintyxia is Cybertron. New Quintyxia is Quintyxia. It’s like that time Prince named himself the Artist Formerly Known As Prince.

Of course that leaves the question of why the nanobots didn’t just destroy the planet instead of… doing whatever they did to make Cybertron Cybertron.

So, Cybertron is a planet-sized computer, tasked with the sole purpose of decoding the meaning of life.

You know, I remember reading somewhere- and don’t quote me on this, because I can’t for the life of me remember where exactly- that Roberts has never read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Now, either he’s lying- which I don’t know why he would, the guy loves references- or this is just a weird thing the collective brain of the English population does, where they all jump to the same ideas in absurdist sci-fi.

When the Quintessons showed up on Cybertron, they were met with the results of the cracked Lifecode- the first Transformers (but they couldn’t transform, that was a thing that developed alongside the war.) They couldn’t do much of anything, really.

Well, now we know where the protoform babies in IDW come from.

The Quintessons, not ones to squander an opportunity, decide to use these fragile, helpless proto-beings as slaves.

Yeah, the Quintessons have kind of been the worst since day one.

They build brain modules, stick them in the ground- Seedlings, Xenon calls them- and watch as the planet wrapped living metal around them and built bodies.  

The Quintessons get pretty good at making the Auto-Bots, and get to a point where they’re drafting up blueprints for each solitary one. Blueprints that Xenon apparently kept, since he’s got all these copies in the pods right now.

If you couldn’t tell already, we’re going with the “the Quintessons made the Transformers” creation myth.

Of course, you make a big enough species, they’re going to need some corralling- that is, if you want to be an awful, controlling, overbearing parent. And the Quintessons definitely wanted that. So, what’s one to do?

…Look, it’s not that I necessarily disagree on a base level, but-

Xenon, you fucking neckbeard.

Because the Quintessons forgot that religion is not a one-set-outcome game, they were surprised to find that it had given their creations hope and will, things you really don’t want your enslaved masses to have.

The Covenant drove off the Quintessons, then fucked off into deep space to spread the message of Primus, with Maximo at the head of things. Maximo was the leader of the Cybertronian Empire and Megatron’s progenitor in the Marvel UK comics. They did leave someone behind to keep the masses within the faith- Primon. He’s important in the comics, just trust me on that.

Oh man, we’re finally getting some answers.

Xenon admits that the Quintessons didn’t come up with everything; there were parts that they just straight-up ripped out of the geode’s owner’s manual.

Oh. Well. That’s… underwhelming. Xenon’s really just dumping the entirety of the Cybertronian religion into the trash at this point, isn’t he? This info-dump has been going on for five pages, and we still aren’t done.

Turns out that kill switch code was pulled from the geode too- 4/11.002983712 is its serial number. That’s like if you called your dad by his first name and then immediately died afterwords.

But whatever happened to that second geode the Quintessons buried on the other planet?

Yeah, that turned into Unicron.

Turns out the virus that wipes the Lifecode from the geode messed up, and made the geode want to kill literally everything in the universe just for being alive.  

Well, isn’t that all just fine and dandy~!

Because the Quintessons didn’t realize what Unicron’s whole deal was at first- the vore-planet had learned how to lie at some point before they met up- they worked together for a time.

At this point the Quintessons had gone from being quasi-organic to something more cybernetically-dependent, so that might have also made things a little difficult in the baby-making department. Or not. I don’t fucking know, things are just happening at this point.

MOTHERFUCKER DO YOU KNOW WHAT BOOK YOU’RE IN

THERE WILL BE NO HAPPY ANYTHING

Storytime’s over, back to the present day. Xenon’s going to take these podded robots and populate New Quintyxia with them. They won’t fight, they’ll be actual, normal people who don’t wage war.

Xenon must have gotten some new glasses, because that’s one hell of a rose-tinted worldview he’s got there.

Ultra Magnus at this point just asks for the Matrix back so they can go home. Xenon says “nah, but check this out tho” and powers on the pod-bots.

Xenon, that’s gross. Don’t make Galvatron and Magnus watch you be weird with the power of granting life, man.

All the robots wake up, stand, and stare up at Xenon, who’s floated up to the ceiling on his power trip. They… aren’t supposed to do that.

Turns out the Matrix is a friggin’ liar, and only promised power because it’s actually Unicron in there. Well, damn.

Galvatron shoots Xenon. Good.

Shoulda sprung for the waterproofing on your Uggs, Mags.

Galvatron’s on a roll, now. He aims at one of the zombies and fires, and they all go down, thanks to their interlinked minds. Crisis averted, I guess.

Magnus, though not happy with Galvatron’s wanton destruction of innocents, has bigger fish to fry at present; he’s convinced that the Matrix is still inside God. Boy oh boy, is he wrong, but the narrative demands he at least tries. He sticks his hand into the computer, up to the shoulder. That’s not good heavy-duty machinery safety.

Well, shit. He’s been possessed by a higher power.

You know, now that I think about it, there’s a good chance that Xenon putting the Matrix into God messed up the killswitch code, and that’s why Prowl had to use a wasting disease to try and end it all. Not really relevant at this exact moment in the story, just a thought I had.

Galvatron, having had enough mystical bullshit for one day, shoots his arm clean off, severing the connection. Magnus drops like a stone, and Galvatron bolts as everything starts coming down around them.

Oh no, Magnus is gonna be our first victim, isn’t he?

Magnus follows after Galvatron, leaving his arm. Hope he doesn’t run into any aqua fortis on the way back to the Trident, because his Pretender shell is beat all to hell.

Then Xenon pulls himself together and stops being dead.

Sigh.

This was ONE section.

[escapistcatontheinternet]

Junoverse Reverse AU

Has this been done before? I don’t know. Do I care? Not really.

AU where Peter, instead of becoming a criminal, decides to disappear to Mars and become a PI and where Juno, after Ben’s death, quit police academy early and left Mars to become a space criminal with Rita, who accidentally stowed away in his spacecraft. Peter uses his ability to take on different personas the same way Juno uses his sharpshooting, vice versa. 

Juno returns back to Mars when he gets an offer he can’t refuse, and finds himself pretending to work for his old friend and playing a very attractive, very clever PI. (Peter thinks that the stammering and stuff is just part of Juno’s cover’s personality, but it’s just Juno’s bad acting) Not thinking he’ll see him ever again, he leaves him a note with his real name. But then he gets hired as an informant for Peter, who recruits him to help him steal the egg, recruiting meaning basically kidnapping him and driving him to the middle of the desert. Rita is left behind in Hyperion City, unaware. 

(Peter swallowed the rock in this version, which I attribute to Gay Panic)

Peter is the one to suggest stealing the car in this one, having learned about it from his days with Mag. Juno learns that nines times out of ten Peter has better ideas than him. Miasma captures them and Peter finds himself staying even if he could easily escape because they have Juno. Juno realizes his feelings for Peter while nursing him during Peter’s Psychic Fever Thing, and lets him see his past with his mother and this is when he remembers Jack Takei. They bond as Peter helps him through realizing his suppressed memories. Peter is the one to lose the eye, and he’s the one who thinks a bit faster than Juno and attempts to sacrifice himself. 

Juno wants Peter to come with him and do Space Crimes, but Peter is still scared because of that thing with Mag and walks out in the middle of the night. 

His career suffers like Juno’s because it’s kind of hard to do the disguise~ thing when every one of his personas has one eye. Ramses gives him the eye, but Peter only recognizes him from Juno’s memories right before the Promised Land thing. Ramses wins anyways, and Peter is dumped into the desert as a loose end. He’s scouted out by Jet, and helps Buddy and all that stuff. 

The mental battle he fights is against Mag. Now, this part’s interesting because of the parallels between Ramses and Mag and all that and a much better writer than I could probably write something interesting on that.

He returns to try to stop Ramses, that whole THEIA thing happens, and he decides he can’t PI anymore, at least not Mars. But when he gets to the ship, Juno’s there with the Ruby7 (also Rita, but he didn’t hang out with her as much). 

(No knees up or popped booty, Juno’s too self-conscious for that, but Peter’s probably so caught up on him that he could be wearing a trash bag and screaming at the sky and Peter would swoon)

[gretvvvnfleet]

Familiar Faces (Ch. 3)

Josh Kiszka x Fem Reader

Word Count: 2.3k

A/N: Texts sent between characters will be written between brackets [ ] Thank you for the patience with these updates and all the feedback! Much Love.

Chapter 1     Chapter 2

You realized that you had your mouth hanging open and hoped no one else around the table had noticed. Feeling the heat creep up from your neck and to the core of your cheeks, you quickly averted your eyes back to the messy crust bits upon your plate. No one else at the table seemed to pay any mind to the conversation with Jimmy, with your father returning to his paper and your mother cooing at Ollie to finish his food.

“You alright, sis?” Robert smirked while shoving a fork full of salad into his mouth. Your tension only amused him, but he was the only one who really ever seemed to pay any attention to you.

“Just gotta,” you began scooping your scraps and silverware onto the center of your plate, rising from the table and taking a final big gulp of the soda in your cup.”Gotta call Mags. See you in the morning”. You swiftly maneuvered yourself around the table, tossing the trash away and dumping the cup into the sink.

“Will you work again tomorrow, y/n?” your dad called as you started towards the front door and rounding the mast of the corner of the stairs.

“Sure thing!” you began hopping the stairs, skipping each step in between.

“Goodnight?” your mom called out.

“Night!” and with one swift motion you closed the door and hopped down on your bed, sitting at the edge and holding your phone gently within your hands. You reached into your front pocket and retrieved the crumpled scrap of notebook paper that Josh had handed to you earlier. Observing the simple little numbers, everything started to feel too surreal to you. You ran the interaction from earlier through your head over and over again until is seemed like none of it had even happened. You sent yourself into a spiral, not sure if you were even sane or completely overreacting. 

“Hey”, Robert knocked on the door twice as he opened it, not giving you much time to hide the evidence in your hands. You jumped and scrunched the paper within your sweaty palm, placing it behind you on the bed and leaning back to try your best and look naturally comfortable.

“Hey”, you smiled. Your heart pounded in your chest, so desperate to break free from your rib cage and hide away forever.

“Just wanted to make sure everything is okay. I’m sorry about the table, I was just teasing, yanno”, he only stuck his head through the crack in the door, never releasing his tight grip from the doorknob.

“I know���, you smiled again. You just wanted him to leave more than anything but the last thing you ever wanted to do was hurt Robert or give him any inclination that you were mad at him.

“Okay… just checking. Night”, he nodded with a weak smile and backed away from the door, slowly closing it. He was probably hoping you’d stop him and confess everything that had happened that day, but you didn’t. You stared at the door intensely until you heard the click of the knob and jumped up to lock it immediately. 

With a sigh, you returned to the bed and released the slip of paper from your sweaty grip. The numbers smudged slightly from the sweat mixing with the pencil markings but everything was still legible enough to type the number into your phone. 

“Shit…” you stared at the cursor blinking within the text bar, not really sure what to say. You typed out multiple versions of the same thing, but overthought every ‘hey’ and ‘hi’ and didn’t want your exclamation points to seem too overbearing. Laying back onto your bed, you held your phone over your chest, feeling it move with every rapid heartbeat pounding its way through your rib cage. 

“It’s now or never, y/n”, you sighed, lifting your phone to finally type a text to Josh.

          [ Hey Josh, it’s Y/n ]

With bated breath, you watched the blue bar scroll across the top of the screen and a small ‘delivered’ appeared just beneath your text. You watched the screen for another few minutes, hoping that maybe he’d have his read receipts on, but nothing ever changed. You threw your arms down on the bed, outstretched on either side of you in a T position. Your phone fell from your hand and onto the floor, but you didn’t care. You were exhausted. This day had been more eventful than you could have ever imagined. You closed your eyes, once again dreaming of the events that had occurred only hours before, as you lightly drifted off to sleep.

           Buzz Buzz

           Buzz Buzz

You jolted awake at the sound of your phone buzzing against the hardwood floor of your bedroom. Flipping yourself over you tried to reach for your phone from your bed but only ended up falling completely on your stomach and onto the floor, causing a loud thud to fill the house. You weren’t sure how long you had been asleep for, but the call out from your mother across the hall assured you that it wasn’t too late.

“Y/n? You alright?” you heard her call from her room, presumably sat up in bed and reading.

“Yeah mom! I’m okay!” you hastily grabbed for your phone and flipped it over, the bright light momentarily blinding you. Only 45 minutes had passed since you had first texted Josh and you fell asleep. Now, on your screen, a text notification with his name on it appeared before you. You unlocked your phone with a shaky hand and eagerly read the text.

          [ I’m sorry, I think you have the wrong number… ]

Your heart dropped and a clump formed in the back of your throat as you panicked. You got up from the floor and rushed to the scrap of paper left on your bed, scanning the number numerous times and checking the contact you had entered earlier. The numbers matched but you thought maybe the smudged 1 you had entered was actually a 7.

          [ Oh, I’m sorry to bother you. Wrong number. Sorry. ]

You replied and felt so embarrassed. You knew this person would never know who you were, but the thought of them making fun or showing the conversation to their friends or spouse made your stomach churn. You wished it had gone better than this. That you hadn’t smudged the page, that you had given Josh your number in return, or that you had called instead. Maybe you could ask Jimmy for Josh’s number, but you didn’t want to be questioned or found out.

Your phone buzzed again in your hand and a notification from “Josh” popped up again. Turning your face in confusion, you opened your phone again to read the message.

          [ Gotcha ;) Sorry, I had to ]

          [ Joshua! You had me thinking I couldn’t read numbers for a sec there. Screw you. ]

          [ Hahaha, you made it too easy y/n! ]

          [ Now how can I even trust you? I’m still not even sure it’s you. ]

          [ I can prove it ]

Instantly your phone started buzzing with an incoming Face Time call from “Josh”. Your heart jumped and you looked around your dresser for your headphones. Plugging them in, you sat against the headboard of your bed, fixing a piece of hair behind your ear before hitting accept. It took a moment for the call to connect, and you eagerly looked to your phone, hoping it was actually Josh who was calling.

“Well hello there pretty lady”, Josh appeared on your screen with a huge grin spread across his face. He appeared to be in the same position you were in, sitting up against his headboard with an arm bent and resting behind his head.

“Oh thank god”, you laughed in exhaustion. You were so glad it was actually Josh and should have known he would have pulled a joke like that.

“Well I’m glad you’re happy to see me. You seemed a little down when I first texted you”, he teased.

“Well of course! I Thought you were some random person getting an annoying text late at night. I was so embarrassed”, you covered your mouth as you laughed at yourself. Seeing you this way made Josh spread the biggest smile across his face. His laugh rang through your ears and you admired his face as his eyes scrunched in laughter. Each laugh causing his phone you bounce within his hand on his chest. 

“I know, I know. And I’m sorry for texting so late, I had to get some shit together for the trip tomorrow”.

“Oh, about that”, you hardened your face and cocked an eyebrow at him. “You didn’t tell me you were going on your trip with Gerald, Tim, your brothers, and my brother”.

“Your brother? Who the hell is your brother?” he sat up in his bed, furrowing his eyebrows.

“Well, by process of elimination, Dingus… the only member of the party I didn’t name-”

“Jimmy?!” his eyed widened as he realized who your brother was. He moved his hand from behind his head and slapped it against his forehead.

“Ding ding ding! Tell him what he’s won!” you teased, laughing at the still shocked look on his face.

“How is that even possible, he was one of the youngest in our class and you were only a year behind”. Watching his face contort in confusion was amusing to you and you only laughed more.

“We’re ten months apart, Irish twins”, you laughed. “Come on dude, we look the most alike out of any of my brothers”.

“Wait… Oh shit, you’re the L/n sister? Wow it all makes sense now. Wow I’m an idiot”, he laughed at himself. You could tell he was blushing behind his hand over his eyes.

“Yesssss”, you laughed along. You covered your mouth with your hand again and just admired his face through the screen.

“Shut up in there”, you heard Jimmy’s voice followed by pounding on your door that caused you to jump. 

“Sorry!” you called back. “Fucking snake”, you mumbled and rolled your eyes. You leaned over to the light switch by your bed and flicked it off, returning to Josh who was chuckling to himself.

“A little harsh there?” he teased.

“Me or him?” you shot back laughing. “He’s just tired and has a big adventure ahead of him tomorrow”, you teased.

“I can relate”, Josh began to stretch his arms out, letting out a loud moan. You felt heat rising in your cheeks at the mere sound of his primal noises being released from his body as he stretched and sunk deep into his bed.

“You should, uh, go to bed then”, you rolled your eyes, trying to play it off as if you hadn’t just internally lost your mind.

“Why don’t you go to bed”, he asked in a tired voice. Hearing his voice like this returned the heat to your cheeks and you shook your head to laugh and avert any gaze upon your face growing red.

“I’m not tired”, you stuck your tongue out at him. 

“Oh excuse me. I just figured the hardworking camera shop lady would have been tired after a productive day”, He returned the gesture, sticking his tongue out and laughing. His face was simply irresistible and he knew it. You chuckled and stretched your arms out, actually feeling your eyelids grow heavy in the darkness. You slumped down into bed and rested your head on a pillow and propped your phone up against the pillow next to you. He did the same, making it seem like you were each lying next to each other.

“I mean, I do have work tomorrow, I guess I should go-”

“No”, he blurted out. “No”, he chuckled, noticing how aggressively he had said it the first time. 

“Well are you just gonna lay there and stare all night?” you teased, pushing a strand of hair behind your ear that had escaped as you got comfortable in bed.

“Wouldn’t that be nice”, he winked, and immediately reached for something off screen. Fumbling for a few seconds in the dark, he pulled a small cassette player into view and began inserting a cassette into the port. “Before you go, I want you to hear this song. It’s been stuck in my head all day and, I dunno, I think you’d like it”.

He fumbled with the volume and a few buttons before a song began to play. Wild World by Yusuf/Cat Stevens began to play into your headphones. You had heard the song sometime before among the records your dad used to play throughout the house, and it brought a smile to your face.

“You know this one?” his head perked up a bit.

“Kind of. My dad used to play it, I’m sure. I like it”, you rested deep into your pillow and took one last look at Josh’s face before you felt your eyes grow heavy and you drifted off to sleep to the music and an occasional rustle of the blankets coming from Josh’s side of the call.

You woke up in the morning to your alarm. Your phone was still perched up against your pillow but the screen was black. You turned off the alarm on the clock upon your desk and took a few moments to fully wake up. Looking back down at your phone you noticed a text notification from Josh a few hours earlier.

          [ Hope I didn’t wake you with the ding… You drifted off to the song last night. I’m headed out now with the boys, super cool manly shit. Won’t have service till we get back Monday. But I'll keep you updated when I can :) ]

You smiled at the text and felt butterflies start to move around within your stomach. You thought better than to reply and run the risk of Jimmy seeing his phone or whatever other stupid scenario played out in your head at the thought of Jimmy finding you both out. 

You began to get ready for work that day and dreaded the next few days that would be empty without talking to Josh until he got back.

[cupidmarwani-archive]

Come Into the Water (2/15)

When Sarah wakes up, her whole body aches, just as she expected, and the light coming through the cracks in the blinds tells her that it must be mid-morning. The light is still coming in through the eastern kitchen window stronger than that of the slider on the west, and has a tilted slant to the way it fades into her tiles. She should really unpack her few belongings, she thinks, but instead lays on the floor for a while longer, simply watching the dust drift in the sunbeams. 

Once she finally gets to her feet, she decides to go see the neighbor, Maggie. She’s supposed to be making friends and not isolating, after all, and if she hasn’t talked to anyone by her appointment tomorrow, her therapist will be mad at her. Not really, but it’ll feel like she’s mad at her, and Sarah hates that. She stumbles on creaky muscles and pincushion legs to the bathroom to pick up yesterday’s clothes instead of trying to unpack anything new. That’s too much for her right now. Sarah pulls on the sweatpants and tank top, kicks at her dirty bandage with a distasteful expression. She should get a trash can at some point, probably. And a toothbrush. She runs her tongue along her teeth and winces, knowing her breath can’t be great. But if she goes to the store, she won’t have the energy to visit the neighbors, and visiting them is probably what her therapist wants her to do. So she should probably avoid breathing too closely to any of them, she thinks as she searches for her shoes and shoves her feet into them. Broken glass is a bitch, and even if she hasn’t seen it here like she did in Chicago, she doesn’t want to take the chance.

Just like Maggie said, she goes to the house on the left. Unlike her own, with a pale blue exterior in need of a power washing, Maggie’s house is a soft cotton candy pink with white trimming and a quaintly sloped roof. All the windows are open, filling the air with the scent of fresh cut fruit and maple syrup, helped along on the sound of off-key singing in nonsense baby talk. It doesn’t sound like Maggie, so it must be her wife. Sarah likes the sound of that phrase- her wife. She could get used to a pair of words like that. Paint them across her bedroom wall and stitch it onto embroidered pillows. It would be a good excuse to learn embroidery.

She almost doesn’t knock on the front door. Her hand moves without permission, though, drawn into the feeling of home that clouds the front step and the little herb garden beneath one of the windows and the toys clumped in one corner of the yard. The wood is solid, real beneath her fist when she knocks. 

“One minute!”

The singing stops, and in the time between knocking and the door opening, Sarah thinks long and hard about just going back home. It’d be easier, for one thing. But she should do this, no matter how hard. Right as the doorknob twists, she slaps her hand over her forearm protectively. She should’ve put on a jacket, or a long sleeved shirt.

Maggie’s wife already has a smile on her face when she opens the door, dressed comfortably in pajama pants and a loose tee shirt, a towel thrown over her shoulder, and caramel hair tied out of her face. She’s pretty the way millenium old forests are pretty. There are kind lines by her eyes, freckles where her skin is bare, and a golden eight-pointed star resting between her collarbones. She looks happy. She looks like what Sarah wants to be.

“You must be Sarah! Maggie told me you might come by,” she says, and steps out of the doorway to gesture inwards. “I’m Olivia, and this-” she points at a high chair containing a strawberry-stained toddler as Sarah comes in, “-is our son Noah.”

“Hi, Noah.”

Olivia walks back to the kitchen, in the same place as Sarah’s but much more homely, with a fruit basket on the breakfast bar, food in the middle of being prepared, and a few scribbled drawings pinned to the fridge by brightly colored magnets. Her sock-covered feet slide a little but she doesn’t slip.

“Sit down, I’ll get you a plate.”

“I don’t need-”

One of Olivia’s hands wave dismissively and she grabs two pancakes from a stack next to the fruit, depositing them on a little blue plate and setting it in front of Sarah, followed by a fork and a container of maple syrup. Noah decides at that moment to make an unhappy sound, kick his feet, and point at Sarah’s pancakes.

“You already had yours, sweet boy. Coffee?”

“That sounds nice, thank you.”

“Cream or sugar?”

“No thanks.”

A steaming mug, chipped along the rim, settles in front of Sarah in the blink of an eye. She lets herself just smell it, clear her of everything else for a moment before she thinks about eating the admittedly fluffy pancakes in front of her. Everything smells good in here. The air is warmer. There’s chaos, but it’s a good kind of chaos that she wishes she could cultivate for herself someday. As she watches and stabs at her breakfast half-heartedly, Olivia finishes cutting fruit and dumps some onto Noah’s highchair tray, some into a tupperware container, and some into a bowl which she leaves within Sarah’s reach in a silent but much appreciated gesture. 

Then she takes a seat herself and uses her fork to tear into a pancake. “You just moved in yesterday?”

“Yeah, from uh, from Chicago.”

It’s not a lie, but it’s not the whole truth, either.

“Mmm. Long way to come but I get it. It’s peaceful here,” Olivia muses. She has a little smile on her face. “Mag’s from Chicago, I’m from New York. She came for a conference I spoke at, and we hit it off. The rest is history.”

“Nnnn,” Noah adds, pointing at Sarah’s food again and making a whiny sound.

Sarah gives him a small piece to placate him, and when he smiles, she can’t help smiling back. He’s a happy looking kid. She doesn’t remember if she was, and no one has ever told her. 

“If you need help unpacking or getting essentials, need to find anything in town, or just want a friend, we’ve got you. At least one of us is usually home, and I can give you our numbers, if you want them. I know how lonely a new place can feel.”

“Thanks, I… I really appreciate that.”

Olivia just smiles at her, and a moment later, stands upright in a bit of a rush like she’s forgotten something. She dashes from the room, leaving Sarah alone with Noah, who holds a hand out for another piece of pancake she can’t resist giving him. She probably shouldn’t feed someone else’s baby, but it makes him happy. Children- babies- are so simple. Little things bring them so much joy. They don’t know what anything except happiness feels like.

The loud thunk of books on the counter stirs Sarah from her thoughts and gets her focus on the three thick spines in front of her. One is an encyclopedia of some sort, one is on the types of fish off the Northern California coast, and the third just has little shells hot glued to the spine instead of a title.

“I think you’d like these.” Olivia traces her fingers over the cover of the top book. “Just for looking at, if you want. You can take them home with you, or leave them here and come see whenever you want- I wouldn’t mind the company. It’s a good way to get acquainted with the area.”

Sarah takes the encyclopedia- old with yellowing pages, a white crease in the spine and smudges to the lettering of the front cover, clearly loved- and realizes it’s about urban legends. A bright pink sticky note emerges from the center, new and unworn. It must’ve been placed there recently. 

“That’s the part that I think is most relevant for this town is marked. The fish book is just- it’s just a good look through. And the album is uh, it’s sentimental. So be gentle with it.”

“I will. I promise.”

The smile Olivia gives her is blinding. Pure joy, excitement. It’s not like the way he smiled at Sarah before his hand cupped the back of her neck, but rather that of someone who has nothing but love to give. For the first time in a while, Sarah is almost excited. She wants to look at these books. She wants to connect. 

“You’re welcome to hang around a bit if you want. I’ll just be hanging around the house for a bit, but I’ve got a study at four- Maggie should be home by then. We’re gonna eat at around eight, if you wanna join us.”

“Thanks but I think-” she thinks it’s too much in one day. Too much energy she doesn’t have. “I think I better head home for a bit. I’ll see you later?”

“Of course.”

Olivia hugs her briefly but tightly, and wishes her a good day as Sarah carries the three books back home and sets them on the floor next to her towel. The couch is uncomfortable. Wrong. Not hers. She opens the encyclopedia first, turning to the marked section, and just stares at it for a good ten minutes. There’s a lot of text, small and dense and too much for her to process, but the picture included is mesmerizing. It’s of a woman with dark grey skin and long black hair, her lips pouting and eyes slitted like a cat’s. But it’s not a woman. It’s a mermaid, her torso melting into scales that look to have been hand painted into the book but obviously haven’t been. 

“Mermaids,” she tells the book.

The book says nothing back.

She doesn’t have it in her to read and sets aside the encyclopedia, skips over the fish book, and opens the album. In glittery capital letters, it reads “AVA” on the first page above a picture of a much younger Olivia sitting in the shallows of the ocean with a blonde little girl, smiling with gap teeth at something just above the camera. Maggie probably took the photo. Sarah slips her fingers beneath the page and turns it to reveal more photos, tucked into the stiff plastic sleeves. They’re all of the same little girl, but it becomes quickly apparent that she isn’t a little girl. Where she should have legs, her waist lengthens and trails into bright blue and gold scales. Most of the photos are similar; the girl- Ava, if Sarah had to guess- frolics in the waves, often with Olivia and/or Maggie. There’s an image of her presenting cupped hands full of pearls to the camera with an innocent smile. As the photos go on, she gets older. The photos seem to have more time between them.

Three quarters of the way through the album, there are no more photos, and the last one is dated two years ago. Ava looks to be in her early twenties, smiling and holding little black picture- an ultrasound. Sarah reads the caption on the back of the photo. 

"Baby brother on the way!"

After that, nothing. 

Sarah finds herself looking at the picture a bit longer, studying Ava's face. She's really pretty, with a stunning, genuine smile and wavy blonde hair and bright blue eyes like the ocean. Her tan skin is dotted with moles, but instead of studying it, she slams the album shut. She's not supposed to look at women like that, naked women like that.

But then two words come back to her like a gift from God. Her wife. Maybe it's something she's allowed to have. Maybe. Sarah isn't ready to think about it either way and crawls over to the couch. It'll be more comfortable than the floor, she thinks, as she imagines what it might be like to meet Ava. Does she smile as much in real life? Is she more solemn? What does her laugh sound like? The photos stick to her memory even though she shouldn't think about them.