#no hp logo in sight

[petit-papillion]

Charles's helmet for the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix 😍

🎥 Cl16__FanpageFr

[avatarrecom]

Hi, have you read HP? If so, could you please write a one shot from Custody AU in which Spider is a wizard (muggleborn or from his bio dad's side, he could be a student of Hogwart, preferably Huffelpuff or Gryffindor), like Quaritch's reaction or magic escape attempt, or whatever you want 🙏🙏

Expecto Patronum

Custody AU (Original story by @ao3gobi17)

Word count: 1.2k

A/N: It's shorter than I was going for, but I wanted to get it out since I've haven't been posting much. It's also not up to my normal standard, so just ignore alls the shitty parts.

I've gotten some questions about whether Spider got his magical abilities from his mom, bio dad or if he's a muggleborn or pureblood and about his wand. I've decided to not specify any of that so you can imagine whatever you want!

Hope you guys still enjoy it!

Spider was stressed. He hadn't yet been able to escape his crazy stepfather and to make matters worse, it was already January and he only had a few days left to escape, get 'home', pack his stuff for school so he can catch the train back to Hogwarts after Christmas break.

Sighing, Spider throws his head back on the back of the couch. It was a miracle his stepfather's goonies didn't take his wand. They were planning to, but Spider assured them that it was a gift, that it was a fidget toy that he could spin in his fingers, because he likes to always have something in his hands to play with. After thorough investigation, they let him keep his wand (without discovering what it really was, of course).

Spider thinks absently about the D.A and how much trouble he's having with the patronus charm during the (illegal, if he is to believe the placards in the main hall) classes, turning his wand in his hand and slowly muttering the charm, hoping it will help him eventually manage to pronounce it correctly.

Suddenly, Spider hears shocked cries from his captors and a loud "WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!" from Lyle. Spider looks up in alarm and sees Lyle standing on a chair, following his eye of sight, Spider sees a white glowing beagle jumping around enthusiastically. Spider looks at the patronus, his patronus, with wide eyes.

Before the joy that he has finally succeeded can take over, he freezes and the beagle disappears. He just used magic. Outside school. And since he is still underage, the ministry undoubtedly already knows what he has done.

It's as if the ministry has heard him, when a white envelope flies in through the open window.

Spider approaches the envelope carefully and sees the Ministry of Magic logo on the purple seal. He vaguely hears the Recoms talking in the background and he jumps when a hand is placed on his shoulder.

“Calm down son,” Quaritch says, “I get the feeling you know what the fuck that just was, don't you?” he asks with narrowed eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Spider claims nervously, he's always been a shit liar.

Before Quaritch can respond, clearly not believing what Spider is saying, judging by the look on his face, the white envelope with the purple seal comes to life.

The seal forms into a mouth and eyes appear in the envelope. Spider hears the shocked cries of the Recoms, as a feminine voice comes from the mouth-seal thingy.

- Dear Mr. Socorro, 

The ministry has received intelligence that at 11:28 this morning, you performed the Patronus charm in the presence of a muggle. As a clear violation of the decree for the reasonable restriction of underage sorcery you are hereby expelled from Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Hoping you are well,

Mafalda Hopkirk. -

Spider freezes completely. He got expelled from Hogwarts? He didn't do the Patronus charm on purpose, he didn't even know it was capable of wandless magic!

What in Merlin's name is he supposed to do now?! Back to the McCoskers? or worse, stay with his psychopathic stepfather and his brainless goonies?!

Spider is pulled out of his panicked thoughts when he hears another loud "WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK," from Lyle. Spider sees the confused and suspicious looks of his captors. "What the fuck did that envelope mean 'Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry'?" Quaritch asks.

Before Spider can answer, another envelope flies in, this time a red envelope. Spider stares horrified at the envelope.

He still remembers his second year. When he, Harry and Ron stole the flying family car and then flew into an aggressive tree.

Errol had delivered the howler to Ron in the main hall during breakfast. After Seamus loudly indicated that Ron had been given a howler, the entire main hall burst into laughter, and of course the Slytherins laughed the loudest. Neville had warned Ron not to ignore the howler, as he had once done to one of his grandmother's howlers.

Spider carefully picks up the howler, Quaritch and the Recoms staring suspiciously. Quaritch turns Spider to him, the look in his eyes demanding answers. “If I were you, I'd take a few steps back.”

Quaritch shakes his head and opens his mouth, but is interrupted by the screaming voice of Molly Weasley.

- MILES SOCORRO!

HOW DARE YOU USE MAGIC OUTSIDE OF HOGWARTS! I AM ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED! YOUR FATHER'S NOW FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK AND IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT! IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE, WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME TO THE BURROW! -

The envelope, in some way Spider still hasn't figured out, sticks out its tongue before tearing itself into pieces.

Despite having just been shouted at by Howler Molly, Spider smiles slightly. The Weasleys have taken him in, just like Harry.

And even more than they did with Harry, the Weasleys act as if he has been part of their family since birth.

"What are you, a fucking wizard or something?" Lyle laughs. But his laughter soon dies down as Spider nods awkwardly in agreement.

"If you're a fucking wizard, why didn't you magic yourself away?" Mansk asks suspiciously. Spider decides not to tell the whole truth and shrugs his shoulders as nonchalantly as possible. "I was bored and wanted to know what would happen."

The Recoms' jaws drop and Quaritch asks suspiciously, "why did that first envelope say-" "Howler." "-whatever, that you were expelled from magic school because you're underage?"

"Because only people of that age are allowed to use magic in front of muggle," Spider lies.

“A muggle?” Lyle echoes in disbelief. Spider nods, “someone who can't use magic.”

Suddenly, Spider's captors are startled by magic for the fourth time in an hour. This time in the form of green fire that suddenly bursts from the hearth.

Sirius Black steps out of the fireplace, greets Spider warmly and explains that he is coming to pick up Spider and take him to the Burrow, so that Arthur can take him to the Ministry for a hearing, just like he had done with Harry.

Quaritch and the Recoms protest and stand up, probably trying to imitate Sirius. Sirius gives Spider a gentle push towards the fireplace.

"You're not going anywhere with my son, especially since I don't know you," Quaritch threatens.

Spider turns around, strangely excited. "This is Sirius Black, he is my friend Harry's godfather," Spider introduces him to his captors. "He spent thirteen years unjustly in Azkaban for murder, Azkaban is the most dangerous and inescapable wizard prison by the way, and he escaped and now he is a fugitive."

"If you're telling the truth and you really didn't kill my mother, you could start a support group like that for people who were wrongly convicted of murder, escaped from their prisons and are now on the run I guess," Spider adds after a few seconds , before stepping into the hearth and disappearing into the Burrow in green flames.

[monterraverde]

Area Zero: Notable Pokemon and Operations

Area Zero is structured like a giant spiral around a great chasm in the center which leads directly to the bottom. The safest path is around this spiral. There is also difficult terrain in the form of sharp inclines of loose mud, rock and dirt from landslides, which cannot be scaled again by a human alone, a pokemons help will be needed.

Zero lab, where we are headed, is held shut by four locks that are remotely accessed from the four research stations along this spiral path. We will need to stop at each of these and access the computers within to proceed, the RFID chip in my logo glove only gives me access to these research stations and their limited systems. They also serve as safehouses, with beds and a basic stock of medical equipment, more then the first-aid kits I gave to you, we can restock here if necessary.

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

Dangerous pokemon feed off the radiation from the crystals down here. We'll be in the heart of the paradox pokemons home, so expect to be seen as prey and jumped at any moment.

Species we've seen down here include:

Farigiraf line

Coviknight

Braviary

Volcarona

Pawmot line

Medicham line

Raichu

Espeon

Garganacl line

Donphan line

Lycanroc

Copperahja line

Hawlucha

Honchkrow line

Gogoat

Talonflame

Lokix

Floatzle line

Golduck line

Altaria line

Masquerain

Bisharp

Vaporeon

Bellibolt line

Weavile line

Sableye

Zweilous and Deino

Dudunsparce line

Espathra

Garchomp line

Dugtrio

Glimmora line

Umbreon

Chansey

On top of these, seven species of paradox pokémon have been identified appearing in relatively great numbers. They all share a similar trait or ability of being supercharged in intense sunlight- manifested as scarlet energy crackling over their bodies like electricity- that enhances one of their highest attributes.

We call this ability "Protosynthesis."

Species listed here by code name first, like species second.

Scream Tail (Jigglypuff): Psychic/Fairy type. Very Defensive and fast, but lacking in raw power. Usually attacks with Psychic Fangs and Play Rough.

Great Tusk (Donphan): Ground/Fighting type. Extremely aggressive, Strong attack and physical defense, prone to Headlong Rush and Close combat.

Brute Bonnet (Amoongus): Grass/Dark type. Extremely physically powerful, high defenses and HP, but lacking in speed. Seed Bomb and Sucker Punch are its most common moves.

Flutter Mane (Misdreavus): Ghost/Fairy type. Extremely fast special attacker with matching special defenses, but strongly lacking in physical defenses and HP. Usually attacks with Mystical Fire and Moonblast.

Slither Wing (Volcarona): Bug/Fighting type. Extremely high physical attack, specially defensive, and fast, but lacking in other areas. Lunge, Leech Life and Superpower are its preferred moves.

Sandy Shocks (Magneton): Electric/Ground type. Very fast special attacker, physically sturdy, Discharge and Earth Power are its preferred moves.

Roaring Moon (Salamence): Dragon/Dark type. Highly aggressive and will always strike to kill. Do not engage. Highly recommended to flee unless fighting is the only option. Very physically strong, specially defensive and fast, capable of flight. Roaring moon have been documented finding canisters of booster energy, which activates Protosynthesis without the presence of intense sunlight, and given this Pokemons preference for living in caves, makes it highly formidable. Dragon Rush and Throat chop are its preferred moves.

Apex Koraidon (Cyclizar): Dragon/Fighting type. The first paradox pokemon ever pulled through the time machine- and the one who killed Sada. Conjures its own sunlight when entering battle, Extremely strong, fast and physically defensive. Legendary pokemon level threat. Only one currently exists in the depths. Will hunt and kill humans on sight. Avoid at all costs.

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

ZERO LAB.

Zero lab is a gargantuan research facility at the bottom of Area zero, almost completely encased in tera crystals outside of the main entrance door. According to the most recent expedition notes, the facility is built mainly into the ground below, several stories connected by a single elevator, at the very bottom of which houses the time machine. The computers on the higher levels will likely house what we need. Sada's AI body is gone, thus rendering the Time machine inoperable... At least according to our research, that's the case.

[spinoskingdom875]

Nothing like a having a good snack, listening to the tunes while studying in your room on a quiet sunny day.

Cream is in her room doing some writing, as her mother walks in with a teacup and a plate of scones. She thanked her as Vanilla walks away. She continues to study while humming to some music on her mom's laptop. Cheese grabs a scone from the plate and fly towards Trikey, who's lounging by the window, viewing the small, but beautiful neighborhood, the bustling city in the background, and the Green Hill island faraway.

Trikey: Wow, what an amazing view. The trees, these big houses, those tall buildings, and that island with the funny checkered pattern that's faraway from here. *Sighs* Such a great view. They both gaze at the sight as Cream looks at them for a moment, smiles, then resumes studying.

Just another quiet time with the friends.

Based on Lo-Fi Girl, which was inspired by a scene of Shizuku Tsukishima studying from Studio Ghibli's 1995 film, Whisper of the Heart.

Cream & Cheese: (c) SEGA & Sonic Team.

Trikey: SpinosKingdom875. Logo made by: ShadowNinjaMaster. --------------------------------------- (Stage: Empire City: SpinosKingdom875.

Green HIll Zone in the Background: BrutalSurge402X.

--------------------------------------- (Characters: Cream: SpinosKingdom875. Cheese: FatalitySonic2. Their account has been deactivated.

--------------------------------------- (Prop(s): Teacup, and Scones: SpinosKingdom875.

Pencil, window, chair, table, and Pencil cup: Archive3d.net. Notebook: KoDraCan.

Laptop: free3d.com/3d-model/hp-pavilio….

Earbuds, and lamp: CGTrader website.

Steam effect: dasliebesverbot.

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

[sbknews]

New Black on Black Livery for the Panigale V2

New Black on Black Livery for the Panigale V2: when boldness meets performance. A refined combination of sportiness and elegance, the Panigale V2 moto compact transmits power at first sight. The super sports bike from Borgo Panigale is ready to give track riding enthusiasts unique emotions, thanks to its high performance, the result of intense research by Ducati technicians. The Panigale V2, characterised by compact and muscular lines, is equipped with sophisticated electronics, designed to let the rider exploit its performance in total safety. The true sports bike DNA is also confirmed by the new standard Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV Corsa tyres.

For 2024, Ducati updates the colour range of the Panigale V2 with a new Black on Black Livery, which accompanies the classic Ducati Red. The new livery enhances the bold character of the Panigale V2. The predominance of dark matt grey is intercut with the presence of glossy black elements, for a refined final combination. The livery is completed by the Panigale V2 logo and the red details on the tank, fairings and wheels. Another new feature introduced by the Black on Black Livery is the saddle, with renewed graphics and materials. The Panigale V2 is a muscular but compact bike, with essential design and decisive profiles which transmit power without losing the typical elegance of Ducati sports bikes. The surfaces of the bike, tailored around the Monocoque frame, highlight the shapes of the Superquadro twin-cylinder, while the front is dominated by the two air intakes that integrate the full-LED headlamp. The "double layer" fairing - which sees a main fairing extending upwards to ideally embrace the tank and a secondary one with the function of an air extractor - offers the typical essentiality of Ducati sports bikes, emphasising elegance and uniqueness.

A sporty style that integrates fully with the power expressed by the Panigale V2 engine, the 955 cc Superquadro twin-cylinder. Euro 5 approved, the Superquadro is as enjoyable to ride on the road as it is powerful and responsive on the track, with its 155 hp at 10,750 rpm and a torque value of 104 Nm at 9,000 rpm. Safety and total bike control are always guaranteed by the electronic equipment of the Panigale V2, based on the use of the 6-axis inertial platform. The electronic package includes ABS Cornering EVO, Ducati Traction Control (DTC) EVO 2, Ducati Wheelie Control (DWC) EVO, Ducati Quick Shift up/down (DQS) EVO 2 and finally Engine Brake Control (EBC) EVO, which helps the rider to optimise the stability of his or her Ducati in extreme cornering conditions. Together with the celebratory Panigale V2 Bayliss, the Panigale V2 is the only twin-cylinder in Ducati's Panigale range. Every Ducatista can make their Panigale V2 unique thanks to a wide range of accessories in the "Configurator" section  of the Ducati.com website, where all the components of the Sport package are available, designed to enhance the racing spirit of the bike. An entire line of Ducati's 2023 apparel collection is dedicated to the rider, including the Ducati Corse C6 suit and the top-of-the-range Ducati Corse V6 helmet among the new models, all available on the shop Shop.Ducati.com website.

The Panigale V2 is the protagonist of the DRE Racetrack Academy, which allows you to experience all the thrills of track riding, and of the DRE Track Warm Up Academy, the new-for-2023 course of the Ducati Academy dedicated to all amateur motorcyclists who want to learn the basics for the right approach to circuit riding. Both courses include the exclusive participation of Dario Marchetti, rider, instructor and DRE Technical Director. For more Ducati news check out our dedicated page Ducati UK News or head to the official Ducati UK website ducati.com/gb/en/home Read the full article

[loquaciousquark]

Scrambled, manic thoughts after that episode:

Fearne is the MVP by a million miles. Brilliant play, great smart spell choices, didn't take a single hit to compromise that Earthbind. I laughed out loud when Ashley was making stupendous call after stupendous call and then had to ask if she could concentrate on two spells at once. Mister mattered! Like, a lot! Amazing! I've been rewatching C1 very intermittently, and seeing Ashley grow from being so unsure in the Kevdak fight (and falling off like three roofs, not understanding opportunity attacks and just about getting herself killed, etc.) that to this confident, smart, tactical player tonight was awesome. She asked great questions and knew her spell effects. I think the only thing she missed was that when Mister's out, she should do a little extra fire damage. Awesome job.

Getting a moment's taste of Laudna made my heart hurt. I miss her so much! Assuming all goes well, I'm going to LOVE coming back to this arc and rewatching it, but right now I'm still so stressed.

Imogen's call to Ruidus is a really cool idea, but it really put her in a tough spot HP-wise. Those 12hp sure came close to mattering (it looks like she can wound herself with her own hit dice to make an attack as a free action? Unclear). I don't think the Blindness was the right call in the moment, but one mediocre choice in a sea of otherwise REALLY optimal party choices is a non-issue.

The usages of motes was INCREDIBLE. Negating that nat 20 on Ashton, turning that last Delilah attack into a natural 1--Matt must be bursting at the seams to see them using the tools he gave them so effectively. Absolutely clutch. The only bust was that Travis reroll to a 1 on the Inflict Wounds, but them's the breaks.

New Bells Hells logo is gorgeous.

Incredible fight design by Matt start to finish. A reduction to 0 making them pop back to the real world is so smart; it gives his sole villain increasing odds against an otherwise terrible action economy as the fight continues and makes her heavy hitting spellpower matter that much more. She's easy to hit, so she needs the spellcasting advantage and the lair actions to make it an even battle, but he still managed to create an amazing tradeoff between likely losing her lair actions as the fight went on with the tree getting damaged, but increasing her own odds against likely fewer and fewer PCs. It was incredibly effective to have the players leave the table as they poofed out.

I get what Orym was trying to do, but the dice weren't having it. Sucks that he didn't get to do much that battle. Still, Delilah using that attack on him likely saved Imogen's life. Good to see Ashton being SIGNIFICANTLY more effective here than against Otohan.

I could be wrong, but I think Matt is scripting this as the resurrection ritual. He said three successes and one failure as they moved through the shadows, and he was making them roll persuasion, etc. He's changed the rules for his resurrection rituals every campaign, but if this is similar to C1, ritual successes lowered the DC by 2 and failures upped it by 1. Assuming Laudna starts at a DC of 10 (or 11, depending on how he rules the Delilife), that drops the DC for Pike's straight roll to potentially 5 or 6. Good odds. Not foolproof. Maybe Sarenrae will give her advantage.

What a beautiful Destroy Undead. Again! Manipulating the action economy in the party's favor! So good!

Edit: coming back to add that I can't get over that Earthbind. While she could still move on the ground, it prevented tons of line of sight options Delilah might have had otherwise--Fearne & Imogen were able to duck behind the rock, Orym had cover in the tree. It also meant that Chet & Ashton were able to get right up on her with flanking, and Chet in particular being in melee with her forced disadvantage on one of her attacks that might have otherwise knocked Imogen out. It also meant she had to care about the melee fighters on the ground because she couldn't get away, and she's so eminently hittable as a spellcaster.

Man. This entire episode was great and when he ended it, I still threw myself back into the couch and yelled, "No!" Thank goodness there's no break next week.

One more edit: There is something beautifully poetic about Imogen using lightning to split right down the middle the tree that Laudna died in, the tree that was still holding her captive after all this time.

[bonny-kookoo]

Jungkook:

Don't Play With Your Food 2 (2k)

Jungkook lives a comfortable life, without worries and full of love. But sometimes life turns around when you least expect it- and the best things happen during our darkest times.

Tags/Warnings: violence, angst, abuse, mentions of malnourishment, wounds, blood, fluff, Black Panther Hybrid!Jungkook, Bunny!Reader, hybrid trafficking, trauma, panic attacks, romance, strangers to lovers, smut, Dead Dove Do Not Eat

"My god Jungkook." Namjoon says, carefully placing his hand on the hybrid's shoulder to wake him.

"Hey." He smiles towards him, glad to see him in a relatively unharmed state. Jungkook sits up instantly, hugging his owner tightly as if to check that he's real. He smells like home Jungkook notices, nerves finally calming down- before he remembers something.

"Bunny-" He suddenly says, eyes wide open as he looks at the officer close by, who cocks his head to the side in question. "There- there was someone next to my cage. She was picked up before me- where is she?" He asks, standing up together with Namjoon who's now looking at the officer as well, who leads them out the cell and to the front desk where they can see some people standing; most of them wearing the same shirt with the logo of a well known hybrid-activism-group on it. He can also clearly smell other hybrids still; panic, fear, confusion all bitter in the air as Jungkook swallows tightly.

"Can you check for the Bunny Park? Either Cage 34 or 36." The officer asks the young man behind the desk, who perks up at the mention.

"Oh?" He wonders. "I know where she is. Do you need something from her?" He asks, as Jungkook goes to stand closer, hands tightly gripping the edge of the front desk.

"I need to see her!" He almost beg, and Namjoon notices immediately. "She's okay right?" He asks, as the officer- Park- nods before he stands up.

"She's still scared, so we gave her a more secluded cell. She's in a cage, but don't worry-" Park explains as they walk down a hallway, Jungkook tensing up at the mention of a cage where you're supposedly in. You've just been saved out of one- why would they put you inside one again? "She's very scared of open spaces and wouldn't settle down in the cell by itself. That's why the people from HPS decided that its best to give her something similar to a hiding space." He says, before he opens a cell where a cage stands, a blanket over it to give a certain sense of privacy- and preserve warmth. "Careful, please.." Park mumbles to Jungkook, who almost squeezes himself between the officer's arm and the gate, slipping in immediately.

"Bunny?" He asks, falling down to his knees as he peeks inside the darkness of the cage.

And there you were; curled up in the corner on a large pillow, hood from his jacket over your head as you seem to try and hide in it. The sight of you dressed in a piece of his clothes makes him feel oddly protective- as he reaches out, gently touching your hand to not scare you.

You wake up slowly, opening your eyes to see his signature panther eyes staring at you. And instead of being scared of a predator hybrid in your space, you realize that there's no more bars keeping you apart from another. So slowly, your bones still aching and muscles still tired, you make your way over to him, carefully climbing into his lap where he instantly wraps his arms around you, holding you tightly. He can feel the cold tip of your nose against his neck, shyly scenting him as a form of comfort, and he couldn't be happier about the feeling of it, gently purring when he feels you start to shiver a little. He knows by now its not from being cold- but more so from the amount of emotions going through you.

"Is there a way to take her with me?" Namjoon asks from a little further away, looking at the officer who smiles gently at the scene.

"Hm, not right away, I'm afraid." He says. "HPS needs to do a general check of your home before she's allowed to. Meaning they'll give you a general list today if you apply for her now, and will do a check at a random point in time next week or so."

"Is there no other way?" Jungkook asks, eyes wide and upset as they look over to them. "I- then I'll stay here until she's allowed to go. Is that okay?" He asks, and officer Park shrugs.

"I'm not sure. She's supposed to be taken to a Care Center today.." He mumbles, as Namjoon clicks his tongue, trying to find a solution. He hasn't seen much of you yet, but he's not stupid. What he's looking at is dependancy- and Jungkook would also scratch all wallpaper from the walls if he was to just deny you his home.

"maybe we can arrange for him to be housed there alongside her if we apply for an emotional support case." He says. "She's clearly dependant on him at the moment. I'll go and check with them what we can do, alright Jungkook?" He asks, and Jungkook nods, before he leans down again, rubbing his cheek against the top of your head.

"I won't let you go Bunny." He mumbles into your hair. "I'll keep you safe."

-------

At the end of it, Jungkook was not allowed to go with you.

At home with Namjoon instead, he practically studies the List provided like the bible, checking everything every day from top to bottom, expecially your little den, as he calls it instead of a cage. Jungkook had gone out of his way to make it absolutely perfect for you; Namjoon had bought a cage big enough to fit you and Jungkook inside as well, and inside, the panther Hybrid had made sure it was absolutely perfect. Blankets, pillows, strings of fairy lights on the top of it, and a thick blanket over the entirety of the cage to give it the last finishing touches. Its placed in his room- now with furniture moved and other stuff added to make sure you'd feel right at home with him.

He feels nervous every day.

Until HPS finally visits, and he proudly shows off everything; from the den, to his room, to the fact that they've turned down all volume of any devices that could suddenly make noise that could scare you. Anything potentially dangerous had been placed somewhere you couldn't reach, a therapist had already been informed, a meal plan established to make sure you'd be fed well.

He practically glowed at the praise, constantly looking at Namjoon with boyish excitement with every nod of the Lady checking the house.

"Great!" She says. "It's refreshing to see a household so organized for a future hybrid. And considering you already own a predator hybrid, we've been a bit cautious." She says to Namjoon. "But it also helped you, since we know you already know the basics of ownership. So I'd say there's no reason not to go along with the process." She says, and Jungkook can't help but jump a little in happiness, Namjoon carefully holding onto the hybrid's shoulder to calm him down.

"I believe the background check has already been received as well, yeah?" Namjoon asks, as they walk the lady to the door again.

"Yes, its been checked already. I'll call you later today to give you a specific timeframe on when we will bring her over if that's okay with you." She says, unable to stop grinning at Jungkook in the background, who's unable to stare at some birds outside on their backyard, hybrid instincts sometimes forcing him into amusing antics. "She's gonna have it good here, I can feel it." She says, and Namjoon nods.

"We'll do our best, that's for sure." He promises.

------

"Sorry-!" Jungkook apologizes after his tail accidentally smacks against Namjoon- his excitement just way too big to stay cool.

"Remember, she's still scared. It won't help her if you're too wild." Namjoon calmly says, and Jungkook nods, taking a few deep breaths before his owner finally opens the door. They've been told to come get you from the van, since you refused to leave it- still terrified of everything to the point of being practically paralyzed at the prospect of leaving any confined space.

"Bunny!" Jungkook chimes, carefully leaning into the back of the van where you've squeezed yourself into one of the corners. You're wearing a soft sweater and Jungkook instantly cooes at you, holding out a blanket like Namjoon had advised him too. You crawl into his arms instantly, craving comfort in this situation as well as some sense of familiarity, while Jungkook carefully folds the blanket over your head, shielding you from seeing anything of the outside world for now. He walks straight inside, Namjoon nodding towards the driver of the hybrid center's van, before he closes the door.

"There we go, I hope you like it." Jungkook says, as he sets you down, leading you to the den he's prepared for you. It's so much more inviting, so much more comfortable and positive that you can't help but look around first, noticing all the little details. Jungkook simply sits in front of the cage, smiling encouragingly so as you turn around to face him.

"Thank you.." You say, making his grin grow. "I.. It's really nice. I'm sorry I'm so weird-" You apologize, but Jungkook shakes his head.

"If you're worried about Namjoon, he doesn't mind, really!" He says. "He understands the situation way better than I do probably, so don't worry about it." He promises as you nod, before you can hear someone's footsteps- your ears slowly rising to turn towards the noise- a sight that Jungkook wants to scream at, simply because its so adorable to see them move around so much. You're already a lot more active and energetic- he can't wait to see you flourish under his and his owner's care.

"I'll warm up some food. Can you ask her if some sweet rice porridge is okay?" Namjoon asks, and to everyone's surprise, its your hesitant but sweet voice that answers.

"That'd be lovely."

------

Namjoon sits a little further away from you, but he's fascinated at how much confidence Jungkook's presence seems to give you.

While he's visited the center before by himself to familiarize himself with what he'd be facing, you've been justifiably shy and withdrawn- now, sitting barely inside your cage with one foot outside already, you seem relatively calm with him in the room. He notices however how much you look for any signs of danger in Jungkook's behavior- instantly perking up if he does something that could be considered a sign of distress.

"What?" Jungkook questions, as he notices Namjoon looking at you for a bit, your ears now as well turning towards him; they're a bit small, but he's been informed that your hybrid features are a little malformed due to malnutrition as a small kit- explaining why you've never been sold in the first place. It had pained him to hear all the stories about you- making him weirdly energetic about providing a good life for you from now on. He's managed to tame a Jungkook after all; the panther having been given in his care back then as a last resort after he'd bitten his past owners. It only later had been revealed that he'd been held inside all day, no exercise given whatsoever, leading in him just becoming overly frustrated over his situation. In Namjoons home he'd never been anything but a gentle sweetheart- a little over the top sometimes, but nothing he couldn't handle.

All it took was some trial and error, finding what worked and what didn't.

And so Namjoon shakes his head simply, continuing to eat as well as you look at him curiously. "Nothing." He says. "You're just very cute." He comments gently, and your ears droop down a little in shyness, discreetly scooting a bit closer to Jungkook, who just smiles brightly before tapping the underside of your chin.

"That she is." He says, grinning.

[midgardianweasley]

hello! welcome to fanfic writing for hp and mcu! I was wondering if I could make a request for Freddie! Maybe something fluffy where he’s becomes familiar with the muggle world bc of work and takes his pureblood gf to London for the first time and just gushes over how cute she is experiencing all the muggle stuff for the first time? Thank you!

hello my lovely! I had so much fun with this request. I hope you like it!<3

Seeing the sights

Fred Weasley x fem!reader

Summary: Fred takes a week holiday from work, he’s been doing some travel over the last few months to muggle London and decides to take Y/N, who’s never experienced the muggle world, to see some of the popular sights.

Warnings: none :)

Word count: 1864 words

Message/ask if you want to be on the taglist <33

“Hey sweetheart! I’m home!” Fred announced to the quiet home, hanging up his coat and putting his wand down on the unit beside the front door. He briefly thought that maybe his girlfriend was out somewhere, however, that thought was quickly discarded when he heard footsteps running towards him and before he knew it, a body collided with his chest. After recovering from his stumble from the collision, he looked down to see a mop of Y/H/C hair just below his chin. He went to speak, before hearing a slight mumble.

“Sorry Darling, what was that?” He chuckled, holding her arms as she gently pulled away, looking up at him, she smiles before responding

“I missed you”

“I missed you too sweetheart, but, I come with good news!”

“Ooooh, I like good news! Tell me, tell me, tell me!” She claps her hands, excited for what Fred was about to reveal.

“Georgie and I have closed the shop for the next few days, he and Angelina are gonna be heading off to Scotland on holiday, so, I was thinking that you and I could take a trip to muggle London!” He spoke, excitement in his voice clear as day. He’d been going to muggle London on business with his brother a few times over the last couple of months and he’d seen some places he wanted to share with his girlfriend, a pureblood like himself, as she’s never experienced anything muggle related before that wasn’t taught in a classroom. He wanted to show her firsthand to let her have an insight on some of the things he’d seen.

“The place you’ve been telling me about?”

“Yeah! The place that has the awesome cake I was telling you about!”

“There’s gonna be cake?”

“There will be cake”

And those were the last words spoken before she ran off in a hurry again, reaching the cupboard in the hall of their shared home, to pull a suitcase down and beginning packing. Fred smiled, happy to see that the excitement he was feeling, was mutual.  

~Timeskip~

The couple had just arrived and settled themselves into their hotel in the heart of London when Y/N bounced over to the windows in their bedroom and opened the door of their balcony, giving them a full view of the city.

“Wow, it’s beautiful!” Y/N spoke, wrapping her hands around the new pair of arms that had found themselves around her waist. Fred gently kissed below her ear, enjoying the slight breeze outside, glad they had worn their jumpers as it was starting to become fall season.

“So I was thinking” He began, still giving her quick pecks, moving between her neck and her jawline. “We could either chill out for today and see the sights tomorrow, or, we could spend the rest of today out and about and just choose what to do tomorrow depending on how you feel today goes.”

She thought it over for a few minutes, trying to decide whether she wanted to save the tourist stuff for later in the trip or start exploring today, when looking out at the busy city, it was suddenly really obvious what she wanted to do.

“I wanna go and see what that thing is!” She jumped, struggling to contain how eager she was.

“The big circle thing over there?” He spoke, following where she was pointing.

“Yeah!”

“Ahh, that’s called the London Eye” Leading her inside and helping her put her coat back on

“Wait, what? But there’s no eyes? Can that thing see?!” She exclaimed. He laughed before explaining that it wasn’t a literal eye, before leading her out of the door and smiling at how clueless she was, almost forgetting that it was exactly how he and George were when they first visited. Thankfully this time, Fred remembered the key card to their room, learning from an unfortunate mistake he and his twin brother made that resulted in the pair sitting outside in the hall for forty minutes, waiting for someone to let them back in. Y/N watched Fred put the key into their door, confused as to what he was doing as she pulled out her wand. Upon turning and seeing her eyes flutter between her wand and the rectangular thing in his hand, he started to explain again.

“This is a little card we put in this machine attached to the door handle, it locks and opens the door for us whenever we swipe it in this little slot here.” He explains while demonstrating, taking great joy in her face morphing as she tries to understand.

“We can’t just use ‘Alohamora’?”

“No Love, it’s all done the muggle way here, remember?”

Not entirely sure of herself, Y/N puts her wand back into her coat pocket and watches as Fred does the same with the muggle key card.

After a walk in Hyde park and hearing Big Ben ring out, scaring Y/N almost half to death ultimately causing Fred to practically fall over from laughing so much, the pair found themselves in Trafalgar Square, a soon to be favourite of Y/N’s.

“Can you guess why we’re here?”

“Uhm, to look at the fountain?”

“Well, yes, that, but, look up and to your left”

Y/N did as Fred had told her and gasped in excitement, for what felt like the thousandth time, when spotting the big cake logo above the doorway. Putting the pieces together, she knew that this was the place where Fred had kept bringing back Y/F/C from his trips. Fred took his hands from his back, to reveal two boxes of her favourite cake that she had been craving since it was first mentioned. Y/N wasted no time in taking the box from his hand, thanking him and opening it up, not stopping to wonder how the hell he’d managed to go and get it when she could’ve sworn she was with him the whole time. Her attention was brought back to Fred when he held a plastic, wrapped fork in front of her face, saving her from getting any crumbs or icing on her outfit. She took it from his hands gently and the two of them started to eat their cakes, occasionally taking some from the other person with large smiles painted across their face.

~Timeskip~

The sun had almost set now, the city now starting to light up with rows of street lights, headlights from the cars of people returning home from work to their loved ones, further accompanied by the lights from overlooking apartments. Y/N stood in the middle of the streets that had started to calm, but not by much, and spun slowly on the spot, taking in the beauty of the night atmosphere. What she had failed to notice, was that all throughout the day, Fred had been giving her the same look. He was completely in awe of her fascination and how she thought everything was the most wonderful thing she had ever seen. He knew that the muggle world would be a new environment for her, causing him to feel slightly anxious when first raising the idea, but seeing her be so absorbed by everything, made him feel like his heart had grown double the size. Stopping on the spot, Y/N saw her boyfriend look like he was in a trance, making her shy under his gaze when realising he was staring at her.

“You okay Freddie?” She spoke, watching him blink a few times before stepping forward and hugging him, feeling slightly colder now that it was darkening. He noticed her shiver slightly, unwrapping his scarf from his neck and gently wrapping around hers, before holding her face in his hands, a soft smile on their faces.

“Never better, my love.” They pulled away from their hug, taking each other's hand, and walked towards the main event of the day, well, night time now. Waiting in line to hop on the ride, the two of them swung their arms back forth. ‘The eye looks so much bigger from down here’, Y/N thought, craning her neck to look at the top of the wheel, Fred not having to strain too much due to his height, but is still taken aback everytime he sees how tall it is, he chuckles to himself thinking that this must be how Y/N feels when looking up at him, not daring to voice his thought, knowing it would result in a slap to the chest, a light-hearted one, but it was better safe than sorry.

The line moved quickly until it was eventually the couple’s turn to walk into the pod-like thing, managing to have it all to themselves, the line not being as busy as it was during the day. When it started to move again, Y/N stumbled, holding onto Fred as she lost her balance slightly, not prepared for it to move so suddenly, causing the both of them to laugh at her clumsiness. Everytime they feel that they can’t possibly be happier than what they are or smile anymore than what they have, they’re proven wrong.

When they got to the top, an audible gasp fell from Y/N’s lips, if she thought that the views were pretty from the ground, seeing them from the top of this wheel was a whole other level. She walked closer to the glass, looking at all of the lights and tiny figures walking the streets. Sure, she’d gone flying on her Firebolt before and playing quidditch had given her a high view of a crowd before, but when flying, you can never really appreciate the views, especially not if you have a bludger flying towards you, something Fred had always made sure wouldn’t happen, knowing how painful it can be to be hit with one of those things. But with everything so still from where she was, there was no crowd screaming, no breeze whipping her hair in 50 directions, there was just serenity.

“Do you like it?” Fred broke the silence, eyes still focused on the girl beside him, watching her eyes go back and forth. He thought she hadn’t heard him she was so entranced, before she whispered a short “It’s incredible.” Another minute went by until she was pulling her eyes away and meeting with his, having to look up slightly. “I love it Fred. I love it all, today has been absolutely insane. Thank you so much.” She spoke softly, wrapping her arms around his torso and hugging him tight, but careful not to squeeze him. He returned the hug, arms wrapping around her shoulders and chin placed upon her head. A soft “you’re welcome darling” escaping him, careful to not break the peaceful silence they had.

And while Y/N was peacefully looking at the view, still wrapped up in Fred's scarf and his arms, her head felt empty with how peaceful the moment was, Fred felt the same, however, his head didn’t feel empty as he had one thought running through his head.

‘I’m going to marry this girl’

And thankfully, he had the ring in his back pocket ready to act on it.

Taglist: @horrorxweasley @dracofknmalfoy @gaycatlord-stuff

[vividracing]

New Post has been published on https://www.vividracing.com/blog/top-5-best-intake-systems-for-the-toyota-tundra/

Top 5 Best Intake Systems for the Toyota Tundra

The Toyota Tundra has mastered the familiar motto of “work hard, play hard.” Built in the heart of truck country (San Antonio, Texas), the Tundra can handle everything from a tedious daily commute to long road trips and trail adventures. Led by its available 5.7-liter i-FORCE V8 engine that has a towing capacity of up to 10,200 pounds and a max payload of 1,730 pounds, Toyota’s full-size pickup truck is ready and able to tackle anything that comes its way. The standard 4.6-liter i-Force V8 has an output of 310 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 327 pound-feet of peak torque at 3,400 rpm. The popular 5.7-liter version delivers 381 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 401 pound-feet of peak torque at 3,600 rpm.

If you are looking to amp up those numbers a bit without breaking the bank, upgrading the stock air intake system may be on your radar. Swapping out your truck’s stock restrictive air intake system will help your Tundra breathe in more air at cooler temperatures to have it running even better. Aside from improved airflow, you will also experience power gains, an enhanced soundtrack, and added underhood styling to boot. For the price point, you certainly cannot beat it and it’s no wonder why so many enthusiasts look to the aftermarket for a new air intake system as one of their first mods. 

We have compiled the following list of the top 5 best intake systems for your Tundra to help you along. Keep in mind that these are in no particular order but are based on factors like power gains, filtration properties, overall construction, and ease of installation. You can also browse our entire inventory of air intakes right here to see which may be the best fit for you. If you have any further questions, please reach out to us by phone at 1-480-966-3040 or via email at sales@vividracing.com. 

1. aFe Momentum GT Cold Air Intake System

·        

  The air induction experts over at aFe (advanced FLOW engineering) know what it takes to manufacture a high-quality, high-performing air intake system. aFe’s Momentum GT series are designed and tested around the specific performance needs of gas vehicle applications. The Momentum GT series focuses on specially engineered intake systems that utilize a smooth one-piece housing that keeps hot engine air out for maximum performance. The system uses a unique patent-pending filter-to-housing interface that enables the use of the largest filter possible for optimal results. The housing is constructed of heat-resistant cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) with an innovative design that minimizes the number of parts used to streamline the installation process.

This system also features a computer-designed, dyno-tuned intake tube that has been tested and proven to achieve maximum power gains while maintaining a perfect fit. Its XLPE material is heat soak resistant and extremely durable to stand up to the elements of both daily driving and off-road driving. The CAD-designed intake tube provides the largest cross-section possible to reach maximum volumetric flow rate and unleash the potential horsepower and torque of your Toyota Tundra. This cold air intake includes a 9-inch tall 360-degree radial flow air filter featuring aFe’s pre-oiled Pro 5R media with five layers of progressively finer cotton gauze media to provide your Tundra engine with the biggest amount of high-flowing air to deliver up to 20 horsepower and 33 pound-feet of torque.

Features: 

Dyno-Proven Gains up to 20 hp and 33 lb.-ft. of Torque

Outflows Factory Intake by 38%

Measured Flow: 241 CFM @ 1.5″ H2O

Durable XLPE Construction and Sealed Housing

CAD-Designed Roto-Molded Intake Tube

One-Piece Sealed Housing with Auxiliary Air Scoop

Protects from Impact, Extreme Temperatures, and Other Elements

Unique (Patent Pending) Housing-to-Filter Interface for Easy Installation

Washable and Reusable Pro 5R Air Filter for Maximum Performance

Clear Sight Window for Convenient Filter Inspection Without Disassembly

Learn More and Get It Here.

2. K&N Performance Cold Air Intake System

K&N’s Series 77 Cold Air Intake Systems eliminates air path restriction from the stock system by replacing the air filter and entire path to the engine with a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) roto-molded intake tube. The aerodynamically engineered intake tube drives a larger volume of air into your Tundra’s engine to deliver enhanced performance in addition to horsepower and torque gains. Each system is paired with a washable, reusable high-flow air filter featuring oiled cotton media. The oversized conical filter is composed of red cotton gauze media that captures more dirt and lets drivers go up to 100,000 miles between filter maintenance under normal highway driving conditions. What’s more, a custom heat shield or airbox is incorporated to help protect your vehicle’s air intake from the high temperatures of the engine bay.

Be it on the streets or the trails, the K&N Performance Cold Air Intake will deliver a boost in your truck’s overall power figures, while also providing better throttle response, added underhood styling, and an attractive sound to go along with it. Crafted from the highest-quality materials for ultimate longevity, you can count on K&N to offer a system that is meant to last. Mandrel-bent tubing allows for less restrictive airflow so your Tundra can breathe better and perform to its potential. With a solid aluminum intake tube, this CAI is able to withstand extreme underhood conditions without failing or breaking. This system offers a full bolt-on installation so you can easily and directly mount this cold air intake onto your vehicle’s factory mounting points in place of the restrictive factory one.

Features: 

Guaranteed to Increase Horsepower and Torque

Mandrel-Bent Aluminum Intake Tubing

Oversized Oiled Red Cotton Gauze Air Filter

Provides Improved Airflow and Exceptional Filtration

Improved Engine Sound for a Sportier Appeal

Replaces Factory Air Filter and Intake Tube

Filter Only Requires Cleaning Every 100,000 Miles

Straightforward Installation Process

10-Year/Million Mile Limited Warranty

Learn More and Get It Here.

3. Injen EVOLUTION Cold Air Intake System

The EVOLUTION cold air intake system from Injen will crank up the power of your Toyota Tundra in a complete, easy-to-install package that will deliver exceptional power figures, added underhood styling, and an aggressive growl to boot. Injen’s EVOLUTION sealed air intake systems were designed using the latest state-of-the-art engineering tools and methods to build the finest-quality kit that is unmatched on the aftermarket. In fact, Injen Technology designed and produced the world’s first tuned air intake system and holds four patents on the tuning process of an intake system – something no other manufacturer can claim. Such allows all of its air intakes to deliver proven horsepower and torque gains right out of the box without the need for expensive tuning. What’s more, the dyno-tuned intake tube funnels air at a precise rate past the MAF sensor so you don’t have to worry about check engine lights. 

The EVOLUTION Cold Air Intake System features a one-piece sealed housing that utilizes Injen’s patent-pending Twist-Lock technology to securely fasten the 8-layer oiled cotton gauze air filter in place. It also features a clear-view window so you can seamlessly inspect the air filter in between trips. The clear-view badge has a bold red stripe on it with a white Injen logo that really pops when you open your Tundra’s hood. Injen’s special technology has allowed its technicians to use the largest air filter available, which enhances the air volume and consequently results in increased power gains. Dyno tests show that this cold air intake will deliver an additional 14 horsepower and 13 pound-feet of torque for your Toyota truck. Installation is super simple as this system offers a reliable fit and was designed with fewer parts to provide the end-user with one of the swiftest, most manageable installations on the market.

Features: 

Dyno Proven Gains of up to 14 hp and 13 lb-ft. of Torque

Designed to Work with the Stock Calibration

Aggressive Intake Growl under Acceleration

Injen Clear-View badge for Simple Air Filter Inspection

Durable Roto-Molded Polyethylene Housing and Intake Tube

Reinforced Automotive-Grade Silicone Souplers

Fully Serviceable Injen 8-Layer Oiled Cotton Gauze Air Filter

Stainless Steel Band Clamps with Inner Protective Liner

Aggressive Underhood Appearance while Maintaining OE Fitment

Learn More and Get It Here.

4. Flowmaster Delta Force Performance Air Intake

Amp up your Toyota Tundra’s power figures with the Flowmaster Delta Force Performance Cold Air Intake.  Flowmaster is well-known for offering air intakes that not only provide proven results, but also spotlight a sleek streamlined design that adds styling to your engine bay for a more customized look. The Delta Force system features custom roto-molded black cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) high-flow intake tubing with black anodized fittings (when applicable), high-quality reinforced silicone couplers, and all stainless-steel hardware. Each and every component was strategically engineered to benefit “operation cool” and ensure your truck gets better airflow at lower temps. Installation is super simple, as no cutting or drilling is required, and there is no need for any tuning once it’s on. 

Flowmaster’s Delta Force series delivers the next step in attaining maximum performance and efficiency for your truck. This air intake system will provide your Tundra with up to five percent more horsepower and torque over stock while also reducing any heat soak. It features a large diameter high-flow conical-shaped 8-layer cotton gauze air filter, which captures more dirt than typical 6-layer designs. This intake also has a custom-fit black powder-coated air dam with attachment brackets to securely mount the system in place with soft bumpers to eliminate any metal-to-metal contact under the hood. If you are serious about quality and performance, then the Flowmaster air intake system will check all the boxes while looking good doing so.

Features:

Serviceable Lifetime High-Flow 8 Layer Cotton Gauze Filter

Cross-Linked Polyethylene (XLPE) High-Flow Intake Tube

Serviceable with our Delta Force Cleaning Kit

High-Quality Components with Custom Look

Includes All Necessary Mounting Hardware

No Cutting or Drilling for Easy Installation

Power Gains of Up to 5 Percent HP and TQ

XLPE Intake Tube Resists Heat Soak

No Special Tuning Required

Learn More and Get It Here.

5.  AIRAID Performance Air Intake System

  The AIRAID Performance Cold Air Dam (CAD) Air Intake System is specifically engineered to give your truck’s engine larger amounts of cooler air. By letting your engine breathe in better, cooler, and larger amounts of air, you are simultaneously unleashing its potential power in the form of increased horsepower and torque figures. AIRAID performance air intake systems feature an aerodynamically designed intake tube that accelerates airflow to your engine and reduces turbulence, thus helping increase your vehicle’s overall performance. This intake system retains the original location of your Tundra’s stock air filter but delivers a big boost with the addition of an open-element air inlet protected by the Cold Air Dam panels, which act as a heat shield to protect intake air from engine bay heat. This provides a steady free-flowing supply of cooler air from outside into your engine so that your truck gets the coolest air possible for optimal results. 

The AIRAID CAD-designed intake system for the Toyota Tundra utilizes a replacement low-restriction intake tube with a 360-degree conical premium air filter. This high-performance air filter is both washable and reusable as well as less restrictive than traditional paper filters and better at filtering the elements. The dry synthetic SYNTHAMAX air filter captures contaminants better than the stock Tundra filter and provides top-quality protection to keep your ride running healthier than before. AIRAID performance intake systems are engineered to provide a smooth, unimpeded path for airflow to your engine in a simple-to-install package that helps maintain proper air-to-fuel ratios. There is no need for any recalibration. Just bolt it on and be on your way!

Features: 

Increased Horsepower and Torque

Provides Super Filtration Properties

High-Performance Reusable Filter

Cold Air Dam Panels Block Out Hot Engine Air

Easy-to-Clean Oil-Free Synthetic Air Filter

Replaces Stock Air Box, Filter, and Tubing

Simple Installation Process Using Basic Tools

Washable and Reusable Air Filter Media

No Hassle Lifetime Warranty

Learn More and Get It Here. 

[keelywolfe]

FIC: A Skele-ton of Tricks and Treats (baon)

Summary: It’s Halloween and Stretch is playing chaperone for the neighborhood kiddos....help?

Tags: Spicyhoney, Established Relationship, Humor, Fluff, Neighborhood Kiddos

Notes: Like I couldn’t have Stretch trick or treating? October has to wrap up with a bang!

Part of the ‘by any other name’ series.

~~*~~

Read it on AO3

or

Read it here!

~~*~~

If Stretch had any complaints about his less than traditional years of schooling, they were all canceled out by the simple fact that he’d never had to ride a school bus.

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, wincing at they hit yet another bump that the shocks completely failed to absorb. Less shocks and more like vaguely startleds at this point, and they sure as hell weren’t keeping any of it to themselves.

The seats were their own nightmare and yeah, okay, it was a fair guess that there weren’t many school grade kids at his height. Which was a damn good thing because the only way Stretch fit was cramming in sideways and letting his legs dangle out into the aisle.

When he’d agreed to chaperone this trip into Ebott, he’d kinda thought his years of bus riding would serve him well here. Not so much; the city buses weren’t first class or anything and he was still waiting on a steward to offer to fluff his pillow, but at least on those he wasn’t worried about knocking himself out with his own knees.

But eh, all of that was a me-problem. A glance back into the bus showed nothing but the excited faces of ghosts and ghoulies, along with maybe a few characters from Fortnight.

The parents that came along had a dash of apprehension thrown in to their excitement. Not that Stretch blamed ‘em. Last year they’d planned to take the kiddos into Ebott and after the fire at the Beanery, that little jaunt was canceled. The kids still got in their trick or treats in New New Home, but they’d been pretty damn disappointed to miss their chance at showing off their costumes to an all new audience.

This year, Edge stepped in to help with the planning, started laying in the foundation way back in the summertime. Thinking about it made Stretch smile a little, cause wasn’t that his baby through and through? Busy as he was, he’d helped the school administrators connect with their local Ebott counterparts to introduce Monster kids to Human ones. They’d all had assemblies together in both Ebott and New New Home and it must’ve gone okay, because they’d started planning this whole ‘trunk or treat’ event back at the beginning of the month. Knowing Edge, he’d gone over all of their proposals with a fine-tooth comb and then checked it again, just in case it changed when he wasn’t looking.

Couldn’t really blame anyone for being paranoid about this one. They needed everything to go smoothly on both sides, for plenty of reasons.

Him playing chaperone to the kids who came over for his weekend experiments was a little unexpected, and that was the truth. Stretch wasn’t exactly convinced it was the best idea considering a lot of people probably assumed he needed constant adult supervision himself, his bro included. But the kiddos were excited and two of them had asked for him to paint their faces as skeletons again. Like he could say no to that?

His own costume was Jack Skellington, the same one Edge gave him last year. Damn shame that he hadn’t really worn it since then; his argument that Jack Skellington existed 365 and therefore was perfectly appropriate for grocery shopping didn’t go far with Edge and sitting around the house in it only meant he got left behind.

Spoilsport.

Another bump in the road almost sent Stretch to the floor. He managed to catch himself, settling back on the hard cushion masquerading as a seat, and wondered ruefully how Edge was doing with his ride.

Edge was bringing in his group from the Y for the event and Stretch wasn’t gonna lie, he was a little nervous about meeting them. Edge didn’t really offer to bring him along on Wednesdays and Stretch wasn’t sure why that was, but it also wasn’t a question Stretch really wanted answered. Could be a hundred different reasons, really. Humans could be weird about what they saw as same-sex relationships, or maybe Edge was fussed over his HP. Maybe there was paperwork and shit they’d have to do for him to be allowed and Edge hadn’t gotten around to it.

Maybe Edge thought they wouldn’t like him.

Whatever, he was gonna meet them today. He’d even made candy bags like last year to add in to the rest of the treats, so all the kids would be plenty sugared up by the end of the night. Kids liked candy, they’d probably like the people who gave it to them too, right?

The bus jolted to a stop with enough force that a loud chorus of yelps and groans went around. By the time Stretch untangled his limbs enough to stand, all the kids were crowding into the aisle, the siren call of candy irresistible.

“Hold on a second!” One of the teachers at the front called and reluctant silence fell. Even Stretch quailed a little under that stern look, even if Teach up there was about a foot shorter than him. “What are the rules?”

“Stay with your chaperone.” Came an uneven recitation and she nodded.

“That’s right. Can I get chaperones to raise their hands?”

There was a title Stretch never expected to have. Hands rose overhead. Stretch shrugged and raised his too, pressing his palm to the roof of the bus. His kiddos giggled and, yeah, he was pretty sure he was hard to miss. But hey, he had be a team player or he wouldn’t get invited to prom.

“Very good. And the second rule?”

“Be on your best behavior!”

“Be on your best behavior, right!” She nodded, pleased. “We are here representing all Monsters, and we need to be on our best behaviors. Now, let’s go, single file, no pushing, and you will all stand with your chaperone when we get off the bus.”

“hear that, guys?” Stretch muttered to his group. “try not to lose me in the crowd.”

They all giggled softly, earning a look from the teacher that Stretch returned with pure innocence. He didn’t think she bought it, but that was fair. He hadn’t really been able to pull innocent off since he’d lost his stripes, probably not even before that.

His first step off the bus was met with a flurry of flashes and shouts. Stretch blinked at the various people standing around with cameras, trying to cram in closer to get a picture and calling his name. Humans in uniforms were standing in front of the wooden barricades holding them back and that was the only thing keeping them from scrambling over and probably right into his lap.

Oh, great, the press’d caught wind. Lovely. Probably even been invited but a reminder would’ve been nice, especially since Stretch was gonna end up with his picture in the paper again.

Stretch plastered on his cheeky public grin and waved, holding his kiddos back with one arm. He leaned it and said to them, low, “big smiles, okay, guys? we got this, just follow me around to the other side of the bus.”

Oscar was in the lead, his eyes wide beneath his mask, and he nodded, pinning on a wide grin that didn’t quite meet those anxious eyes. Stretch kept up his own smile as they filed off the bus, guiding them around the front of the bus and out of sight.

“good job,” Stretch told them, heaving an exaggerated sigh of relief and wiping away imaginary sweat. “when it comes to the press, you gotta keep smiling and keep walking, got it?”

“Yes, Mister Stretch Papyrus Sir,” came in a chorus and Stretch shook his head, scruffing a rough hand over a couple costumed heads.

“you’re all brats,” Stretch told them affectionately and they giggled, empty candy bags rustling.

The parking lot was closed off on the other sides, the press could only look in from the entrance. That had Edge’s influence all over it; enough of this would hit the news and social media to make the higher ups happy, but without stressing the kids out with too much attention.

Directly in front of them were rows of cars parked around in a sort of maze, their trunks open and even from here Stretch could see the buckets of candy, the decoration and lights, and the faint sound of ‘thriller’ playing out from an open window.

The kids were already shuffling their feet, eyes on the prize. “soon, guys, let everyone get here first.”

Even as he spoke from around the bus came a roar from the gathered crowd and another vehicle pulled in through the gate. This one was more of a van and was painted with the happy faces of children and the YMCA logo.

That’d be Edge’s group then and Stretch was shuffling as much as the kids by the time the door opened. Edge came out first, dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, which was practically a costume for him, anyway. Despite Stretch’s well-thought out Powerpoint on why Edge should dress as Santa, (since he wouldn’t do Sally, seriously, total spoilsport), in the end, Edge pointed out he’d be a skeleton dressed as Santa, which would technically make them both Jack Skellington and that was more cliché than he could stomach in one serving.

Meh, whatever, and Stretch had to admit, this was the first time he’d ever seen Edge in a YMCA volunteer sweatshirt. Not a bad look on him, especially since he wore those jeans tight, damn, baby.

He caught sight of Stretch almost immediately, but his attention was focused inside the van. Lip reading wasn’t exactly workable for skeletons, but Stretch didn’t need to hear what he was saying to his group to know exactly what it was. Stay with your group, best behavior, yadda yadda. Been there, heard it, keep the t-shirt, he had plenty.

Edge backed away from the door and kids started coming out like the ghoulish version of a clown car. Not that Stretch knew what to expect from Edge’s kids, despite hearing about them often. They looked pretty much like the Human-flavor of his own group. Ghosties, ghoulies, a couple skeletons and Stretch was pretty sure he recognized Edge’s hand with their makeup.

They followed Edge across the lot with the same uncomfortable smiles as Stretch’s minions, until both groups stood face to face.

There was a moment of silence, each group eying the other warily. Stretch swallowed, a certain tightness surrounding his soul. Press he could handle with a careless smile and keeping the language to PG-13. But these kids meant something to Edge; he spent time with them every week, sometimes helped their families with paperwork for different kinds of assistance, got the boys into special programs. He knew every one of them by name, their parents’ names, and whoever was listed on their pickup cards. A couple of them he’d known longer than Stretch and Edge had been together, they were important to him and—

“You gonna say hi to your boyfriend or what?” From the shortest kid in Edge’s the group, one of the skeletons. His grin was far more honest now than he’d worn walking past the press.

Edge ignored the rising laughter. “Excuse you, he is my husband, and yes, I am. Hello, love.”

“heya.” Stretch waggled his fingers at them all, “how’s it going, guys.”

“He’s real tall.” From one of the other Human children, this one dressed as a robot, if you assumed that scientists decided aluminum foil was suitable construction material.

“So am I,” Edge said, pointed out.

“Not as tall as Stretch,” Oscar said doubtfully and a murmur of agreement went through both groups.

Stretch only grinned smugly at Edge’s exasperated sigh. “Yes, thank you, Stretch does have height superiority over me, and little else.”

A gleeful ‘oooooooh’ went through their miniature crowd and Stretch barked a laugh. “i do love to hear your sweet-talk, babe.”

But he couldn’t help tensing as the small skeleton in Edge’s group stepped closer, peering at Oscar. All of these children had enough HP to withstand some force or they wouldn’t have been allowed to come, but Humans often didn’t understand how easily their intent could hurt. Oscar knew firsthand, knew from his mother being in the hospital, and he was familiar with Antwan and Jeff, and yet—

Oscar’s skeleton mask didn’t quite conceal all his fur and his ears poked through his hood, far too sensitive to be pinned down for any length of time. He stood wide-eyed as the Human skeleton gave him a thorough once-over.

“Cool costume,” said the Human child, finally and his painted grin widened. “Wanna get some candy?”

“Yeah!” Oscar said excitedly, and both of them dashed towards the open trunks, the others trailing behind with hoots of laughter.

“No running, you’ll trip!” Edge called after them. They slowed to what might arguably be called a fast trot, candy bags raised as the treat givers started passing out handfuls. “Come on, let’s catch them before they get too far ahead.”

“I love you,” Stretch said abruptly. Because it was true. Because Edge worked so hard for this to make all these kids happy. Because he needed to hear Edge say it back and he did, with a soft smile of his own.

“I love you, too.” Edge started to take his hand and blinked when Stretch drew away.

“yeah, okay, love and hugs, let’s catch up, i need to get my own treats.”

Edge’s confusion morphed into a pretty amazing amount of horror. “You are not.”

Stretch blew a raspberry at him and hurried after the kids. “heck yeah, i am! brought a bag and everything!”

Edge closed his sockets, pained, but he didn’t say a word as Stretch shook out a bright orange plastic bag decorated with grinning jack o’lanterns.

The line went pretty quick, a Human dropping generous handfuls of candy into every bag, exclaiming over costumes as each child chirped a thank you.

She paused as Stretch stepped up.

“trick or treat!” Stretch offered with what he was positive was a winsome smile, giving his empty bag a little shake.

Winsome didn’t seem to be winning today. She eyed him up and down and said, dryly, “You’re pretty tall for a kid.”

“He is, indeed,” Edge agreed and Stretch could feel his grin going a little strained, hopeful imaginings of candy winging away. “But he’s never been trick or treating before.”

It was like turning on her sympathy switch. Instantly, the woman softened, and her smile was filled with same compassion that likely filled her soul, “Of course. Well, then, let me give you your first trick or treat candy.”

Into his bag went the same generous handful that the other kids got. Stretch beamed at her and hopefully his greedy delight was to be expected, “thanks!”

“Wonderful costume,” she called as they followed the kiddos to the next car.

After that, it was damn easy. A couple pieces of candy always called for their brethren to join them and despite the double-takes and a couple bemused smiles from the Monster volunteers, no one questioned Stretch’s trick or treats. By the last car, all the kids had bulging sacks, with guilty chocolate smears on their faces or sucker sticks poking from their mouths.

Most of them were digging through their bags for more and Stretch crouched down to join them, pawing through the brightly colored wrappers like Scrooge checking his gold.

A presence at his side made Stretch look over to see the short skeleton peering into his bag. “Aw, you got a full size Reese’s! Peanut butter cups are the best!”

Hmmm. “i’ll trade you for two charms suckers,” Stretch offered. The kid goggled at him and immediately began digging through his bag. That was all it took for other kids to crowd in and the trade wars to begin. Negotiations were fierce and while Stretch had grown up bartering on the streets of New New home for all kind of stuff, these kids proved to be shrewd dealers. In no time, most of his chocolate was traded away for suckers and Stretch was pretty sure he’d earned that title for himself.

Eh, that was fine. Those caramel apple ones were worth the price.

That was Edge’s cue to step up and announce, “If you’re all quite finished, it’s time to get back on the buses.”

The cool night air was filled with disappointed groans. Monster and Human children alike hastily exchanged phone numbers and online handles, getting a last few selfies in while Edge and Stretch watched.

Stretch was blinking pretty damn hard by the end, watching all that friendship in the making. Looked like costumes and candy were a universal language.

As Edge began herding his group back to the van, Stretch remembered that snark about his height and called out to him, “see you at home, mama bear!”

The explosion of laughter from his group was as sweet as the sucker in his mouth, and Stretch grinned smugly around the stick as Edge turned back to him and said with dark promise, “You certainly will.”

Oh, yeah, that could mean so many terrible, wonderful things. Worth it.

His own group began to wander forlornly in the direction of the bus, lugging their bags along.

“Mister Stretch Papyrus Sir?”

He looked down at Oscar. “yeah, kiddo? did you have fun?”

The kid’s mask was tucked into his bag with his candy, those huge damn eyes of his hopeful. He nodded solemnly. “Yes. Will we get to play with them again?”

That was the dream, wasn’t it? Humans and Monsters together, having fun and being friends, and kids who cared more about the costume than underneath it.

Felt like it was taking a long damn time to get there, but this seemed like a pretty decent start.

Stretch lightly tweaked the end of one long ear. “i hope so, kiddo. c’mon, let’s head out.”

Both of them paused and smiled gamely for the press before climbing on the bus, Stretch struggling to lower himself back into his torture cube for the ride home.

It was all good, the drive was pretty short and Edge would be heading home as soon as he dropped off his group.

That gave Stretch a little time to prep before his honey arrived. Edge was probably thinking of a trick right now as payback, but the first one home was the one who had a chance to bait the trap.

Stretch settled into his seat with a sigh, his full candy bag nestled into his lap. There were plans to be made and Edge might be better at designing traps, but Stretch also had a claim to the name Papyrus; he knew a thing or three.

Besides, he was the damn Pumpkin King. Tonight was his night and by the end of it, they were both gonna have a treat.

-finis-

[wheremytwinwatches]

[Where My Twin Watches]: Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood Episode 1

All right, time for a new show! Tephi’s been pushing me to watch Fullmetal Alchemist for a while now, and now that I’ve finally moved into my apartment I can sit down and watch this show. I understand that there are two versions, one original that outpaced the manga and another that was made after, and based on recommendations I’m going with the second, Brotherhood. For those following along at home I’m going with the iTunes version of Brotherhood, as this lets me watch on my phone and type at the same time, and frankly at my pace of reviewing any subscription way of watching Brotherhood would probably be more expensive than just getting the series. Here’s what I know starting out: -The main characters are Edward and his brother. -Due to Reasons, Bad Things happened which resulted in Edward getting a robot arm and his brother(‘s soul?) getting put in a giant suit of armor. -The magic of this setting is Alchemy, with all sorts of rules and laws. -The phrase “Equivalent Exchange” is something that comes up a lot, and whenever I say those words where Tephi can hear she starts cackling. And that’s it! So Tephi’s highly recommended this show, I’ve got the first episode downloaded, and some spare time this afternoon. Let’s do this!

Familiar little Aniplex jingle… Funimation logo… Overhead shot of a city at night. Interesting layout, what looks like a castle in the center, with brightly lit lines tracing away from it. And a hexagon street layout? Suddenly I’m getting the biggest Lumiose City vibe right now. But the screen fades to someone drawing a circly-chalk thing, while a bunch of string instruments make it clear that This Is Not A Good Thing. The amateur artist is some dude with dark hair and stubble, looking grim as the camera pans out of the dark alley to the brightly-lit castle. “The Freezing Alchemist?” says someone who the subtitles have helpfully named Roy. Another guy, apparently Bradley shows a file with a picture of yup that’s the guy trying to set up hopscotch. Seems he snuck into ‘Central’ a few days ago, and now Bradley (who has an awesome eyepatch, and I will now call Fury) is making it Roy’s problem. Wait wait wait, “Mustang”? This character is named Colonel ‘Roy Mustang’? Damn but that’s a manly name. Mustang’s ready to go catch Mr. Freeze, but it seems Bradley has one last thing: a certain ‘rising star’ is here as well. Hmmmm, my Protagonist senses are tingling. And Fuhrer Bradley- Wait. What? ‘Fuhrer’? Um. I am torn between the unfortunate connotations, and glee that I get to call this character Fuhrer Fury. But no time to think about that, because Fuhrer Fury confirms that he’s talking about The Fullmetal Alchemist. Edward Elric. “Aw damnit. The colonel’s never gonna let us get outta here, is he?” What’s this? Anyways, I can recognize this guy as Edward, our special little star. Wonder what this is about. “We already got our tickets to Liore, too. Does this mean we’re not going?” And this is…Alphonse? Not gonna lie, a little thrown by the voice here. I look at this metal helmet, with glowing eyes and stylized fangs, and it just seems… young… oooh, I just realized. Whatever caused Alphonse to end up in that suit, if it’s just his soul he wouldn’t technically age, would he? How young was he when whatever happened? And holy crap that’s a really big suit of armor, like Edward looks tiny next to it. What’s the story with this armor anyway, how did all this stuff happen? Eh, maybe I should stop wondering and just keep watching. Intro! Edward with a ponytail and ragged shirt? And I thought he had a robot arm? Lady smiling with leaves blowing around, then AAAAAWWWWW lookit the widdle babies, widdle Edward and Al ooooh so cute wait why do you look scared and the door’s closing? Sudden Shiny Glasses on frowning man with strands of blond hair. Explosion! Edward and Al facing a wall of fire as the title comes up. Burning tree/house? Shot of Determined Edward scowling at wind that’s mussing up his hair before throwing his hands out. Casting? Shot of what I believe to be the Shiny Glasses man from before, has a ponytail and epic beard along with those unruly hair strands. And the glasses are remaining Shiny. Is he their dad? Guessing at family connection here. Turns away. Absent dad? Back to cute widdle kids taking a nap, along with a blonde girl. Sibling? Now they’re walking along a country road. Al’s armor? Running through a field. Shot of Colonel Roy Mustang (so manly!) also with the Shiny Glasses until they fade so he can glare directly at us. Then another black-haired man? Wait, was the second one Mustang, because I don’t remember seeing him wearing glasses. Who was the first person? Then someone singing? Then what the heck Kid Edward just lost an arm and a leg. And then Kid Al completely vanishes. And Kid Blond Girl looking shocked and stumbling. Flashes of people dressed in black against a red background, I have the sneaking suspicion that they are Not Good People. Shots of scowling people in blue uniforms like Fuhrer Fury and Colonel Mustang, the good guys? Smug looking guy with sunglasses and a fur coat, who just turned into a Terminator? Shot of Terminator running towards the Castle, where a Disapproving Fuhrer Fury is glaring. Lots of glaring in this intro. Edward running along a vent of some sort, fighting people in black clothes before EXPLOSION. Guy in white jacket sitting in the rain until it passes and he rushes off, white hair and some sort of facial tattoo? Small smoking lady with a barking dog. Edward running along and Earthbending to fight the Goth Villains. Then another shot of someone singing, I think this might be the Blond Girl grown up. Edward dressed in a black uniform (noo, don’t join the Goths! ) and a metal arm breaking. Foreshadowing? Final shot of two people standing against a setting sun. So… fairly standard anime intro. Granted, after PMMM’s Intro of LIES I will take all of this with a grain of salt. Back to the dark alleys of the city, what sounds like a cop’s whistle. Seems the police are trying to catch Mr. Freeze, but yup he’s a Waterbender and is knocks them aside with some painful-looking ice spikes. Two more cops try to stop him but...oh. Oh my. “Water freezes, water boils. Either way you’re just as dead.” Um. Wow, ok. That’s legitimately terrifying. Sudden spear from the sky, Mr. Freeze remarks that it was Alchemy before oh ew ew ew they showed the hand of the guy who got boiled please don’t show that again. Newcomer (probably our Protagonist) remarks that it was a nasty thing to do, but Mr. Freeze spouts out about great deeds requiring sacrifice. “Isn’t that the Law of Equivalent Exchange?” Oh hey, there’s that phrase. You know, I feel like this deserves some recognition, and Tephi finds it quite funny. So I’ve decided I’ll keep track of each time this phrase is said. Equivalent Exchange Count: 1 Regardless of whatever the rules of Alchemy are (and believe me, I wanna know these rules soon so I can try and figure out ways to minmax them), Edward says they don’t justify killing people. Edward grabs the spear and electricity sparks as he reforms it as a spiky club- pffffahahaha! That- that face! He put his freaking face on the tip! He put his freaking hair! Mr. Freeze’s all shocked about “no transmutation circle” but come on! That face! Sudden attack from behind by a surprisingly stealthy giant suit of armor, but Mr. Freeze dodges that and blocks the Face Mace, before shocking Edward and throwing Al. But he’s surprised? Oh, I get it. He tried to one-hit kill Edward like the cops, but grabbed his metal arm instead. Edwards mostly ticked that his coat got ruined. “An automail arm…” Dramatic cloak swoosh and oh good he just wears dark clothes below the red coat, he didn’t turn to the Goths in the intro. That’s a relief. Young talented alchemist, who doesn’t use transmutation circles (is that like HP wandless magic?) and who has an automail right arm. The Fullmetal Alchemist: Edward Elric! Episode 01 - “Fullmetal Alchemist” Now Mr. Freeze is pointing at Al?... Ah! Ha! Mr. Freeze is confused by the giant suit of armor being the younger brother of the “runt”. Edward take offense to that. Caught in an Earthbending prison, Mr. Freeze mumbles about the Fullmetal Alchemist being just a kid, and *wham*. Yeah, I’m guessing Edward being called little is a peeve of his. But come on, man. You travel with a giant suit of armor, you really do look tiny compared to that. Well, regardless of height complexes, Edward has caught the guy, and the NPC cops are suitably grateful… to the giant suit of armor. Yyyyep, I think this’ll be a running gag. Oh hey, so Alchemy can fix clothes too! That’s handy. Edwards all set to catch their train, now the cops have Mr. Freeze cuffed. They should be able to handle- nnnope. Just a few seconds out of their sight, and Mr. Freeze has split the scene. Colonel Roy Mustang’s snarking at Edward now. I like this guy! And looks like we’re starting with the Overconfident Non-Team Player Protagonist Model #17 with this show, looking foward to his character arc. Ooh, who’s that blonde officer standing next to Roy? The third of the Blonde Kid Trio? To recap the ignored briefing: Mr. Freeze is Isaac McDougal, aka “Isacc the Freezer.” Former State Alchemist (like these guys in blue? Government mages?), served in the ‘Ishvalan War’, never gave any signs of turning, but resigned immediately afterwards and has been working with the “antiestablishment movement” ever since. Capturing him is top priority… dead or alive. Hmmm. Ok, so I gotta be blunt. I’m obviously not going to cut slack on the whole ‘boiling a person alive’ thing, but… State Magicians? Their leader is ‘Fuhrer’? Pursuing a Rebel with little concern about their vital status? Maybe I’m still in a mindset after seeing the movie, but I could see this being replaced with ‘Sith’, ‘Emperor’, and… well, ‘Rebel’ can stay… and we’ve got The Empire. Maybe I’m reading too much into this? Anyways, back to hunting the Rebels. Edward resolutely states that he’s not going to kill for them, and Roy seems to respect that. Edward just has orders to help them contain Mr. Freeze. “Off topic…” Roy asks if they’ve got any leads for getting their bodies back to normal. Ah, so they’re trying to fix their bodies? ...why? I mean, if my guess about Al being soulbound to the armor is right that’s probably something you’d want to fix. Although, maybe the process can be used for older people? Like, immortal bodies and all that? Sorry sorry, off topic and way too early in the series for big transhumanist discussions. But, does Edward want to get a flesh-and-blood arm back, presumably a leg too based on the intro? Why? You have a robot arm, dude. I want a robot arm, and you want to get rid of yours? Heck, it saved your life just a few minutes ago! If you had a flesh-and-blood arm, then when Mr. Freeze grabbed you we’d get a Boiled Protagonist and an exceedingly short show. Anyways, Edward goes into yelling mode about ‘if they ever gave them time to look’. Sorry Ed, them’s the breaks of being the Protagonist. Every NPC’s got a quest for you to do, not much time to study. Door bursts open and a guy with square glasses and a cheerful greeting bursts through… with an upraised arm (damnit show, stop making me draw parallels). Roy… does not seem pleased with the interruption. “Here comes that pest.” I like this guy! And yup, Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes immediately goes to the Giant Suit of Armor to introduce himself. “What?!.. You’re the Fullmetal Alchemist?” What’s up with that name, anyway? Totally misleading, Edward’s only about ¼ metal with the arm and presumably leg. Anyone hearing ‘Fullmetal’ would obviously assume that the guy who’s, y’know, made entirely of metal would be the Fullmetal Alchemist. But Hughes isn’t just fanboying, he’s here on Official Business. Since the Elric’s don’t have a place to stay, they’ll *Sudden Shiny Glasses* have to go with him. He pulls out… a picture of his wife and daughter. Nevermind, let the fanboying continue. Pffft, I’m loving these subtitles. [Wholesome Laughing Continues] as Hughes hugs his daughter. The daughter points… “Big Brother! Little Brother!” Ok, do I need to start keeping a count for this too? Off to supper they go, and man am I glad I made my own food before watching this, it all looks delicious. Hughes is smiling at his guests, and then… uh oh. He asks why Al’s wearing all the armor at the dinner table, suggests he take it off and relax. Um. Awkward. Edward starts claiming that he’s not “allowed” to take it off, says it’s part of his training. What, is it a secret that he’s soulbound? Later that night… [Evil Laughter] at “Central Prison”. Somebody named Kimblee is laughing that the Freezing Alchemist wants him to play sidekick. But the Crimson Alchemist works Alone! Mr. Freeze appeals to Kimblee, mentions the horrors of the Ishvalan War, the things that Bradley ordered them to do… coming from the guy who BOILED SOMEBODY (I am still not over that), my concerns about this government continue to grow. But Kimblee just laughs, says he killed people not because of “honor” or “revenge”, or anything like that. “The reason I killed all those men, was because I could. It’s that simple.” Damn, but this show’s proving great for the villain lines. Mr. Freeze leaves in disappointment… pushing over a frozen guard with the sound effect [crash and shatter]. Guh. Back at Hughes’ place, he’s having a Late Night Thought in the living room when his wife Gracie comes to ask what’s wrong. She says he’s worrying about the Elric brothers. Hughes talks about how State Alchemists are called “the dogs of the military”, not exactly popular. Being referred to like that at their young age… what made them take that path? Edward’s lying in bed staring at the camera- I mean, ceiling, when Al asks if he’s awake. He asks about Mrs. Gracie’s quiche, how it looked like their Mom’s… aw damnit, they’re orphans, aren’t they? What the heck is with anime and killing off mothers?! Heh! Hearing it was almost as good as their mother’s, Al immediately adds it to his Book Of Things To Eat Once I Get My Body Back. And then… hurk! Nope! Nopenopenope, I do not need to hear that young voice quietly say “I sure would like to get our old bodies back soon…” Right in the feels! I’ve known this kid for all of ten minutes, and already I wanna punch whoever stuck him in that armor. And aaargh Mr. Freeze is back at it, setting up hopscotch. What’s with the Transmutation Circle? I’ve gathered that (most) alchemists need one to do their stuff, but the powers I’ve seen worked from emblems on their armor or skin. What does drawing the Circle on the ground do? “One more… one more and ‘Fuhrer’ Bradley’s on his way to hell.” Yeah, I get it orchestra, probably not a Good Thing that Mr. Freeze is doing whatever this is. Intermission! Cards of Edward and Alphonse Elric. The next day, Roy’s reporting that Mr. Freeze broke into Central Prison. He orders all roads be closed, the city searched. “When you find him, shoot on sight. That is an order from the Fuhrer himself.” So much for ‘Alive or Dead’. Yes, I know he’s killed quite a few people already, but still, you’re Alchemists, right? Can’t you Alchemy some way to catch him without killing? Edward did it quickly enough… Man down! With a lot of steam coming off him, guh… and another soldier reporting five men dead. Edward remarks how it looks like a steam blast, how if water’s heated fast enough it explodes, and the human body’s 70% water… guh guh guh, Mr. Freeze is freaky. Mr. Freeze is in yet another alley, says he’s finished, when there’s a spark on the wall… he leaps back to avoid a burst of spikes. Somebody named Armstrong sounds amused that he dodged? Did… did this guy just punch through a wall? Caption [Adventure Strings]? “It is I! The Strong Arm Alchemist… Alex Louis Armstrong, in the flesh!” ...I am in love. This guy just punched through a wall, he’s got [Adventure Strings] as his theme music, the screen is shaking as he walks, and dat mustache. And… that tiny little spring of blonde hair… All Hail Armstrong! Mr. Freeze DARES to attack The Mighty Alex Louis Armstrong?! But The Mighty Armstrong dodges your feeble attack! And such a feeble foe will need far more than water to quench his fists! *EXPLOSIONS* Ohmygod there are busts of The Mighty Armstrong’s head flying out from the explosion. Yessss. Edward and Al arrive, but Mr. Freeze explodes his canteen and makes a break for it in the steamcloud. The Elrics follow The Mighty Armstrong in pursuit. Wait, it’s night now? How did Mr. Freeze manage to avoid them for so long? Anyways, he’s standing on a building, when… “It’s been a long time, Freezer.” Roy has arrived! And the Flame Alchemist has brought a bunch of guns with him. He tries to appeal to Mr. Freeze about being old ‘war buddies’, but Mr. Freeze takes offense to that, blocks a burst of flame, and then drenches the State Alchemist and soldiers before making yet another escape. Getting back to the alleyway where the last circle was made, he… … … Ok, that settles it. This is the best show ever, if only for the subtitles alone. The alleyway where The Mighty Armstrong confronted him? With lots of busts of his head still lying around, and scattered stones on the circle? Mr. Freeze started moving all of this, and the subtitle is, I kid you not, [Moving Stones and Happiness]. 10/10. Well, after that, Mr. Freeze is happy to see the circle is still intact… why is it still intact? Like, if you know that a Bad Guy is Up To Something, and is sulking around alleyways, wouldn’t you want to look for whatever they’ve been doing? And a white chalk Alchemy Circle isn’t exactly hard to spot. And seeing something used for Alchemy created by a rogue Alchemist, why would you not get rid of it? Anyways, Edward appears in the alley, and Al blocks the other end. Nowhere left for Mr. Freeze to run! “Clearly… but who’s running?” Um, what’s with the Red Glow of Evil? All the Alchemy Circles appear to have activated all over the city. Edward and Al are shocked at the scale of it, impossible unless he- “A Philosopher’s Stone!” Wait, what? Like, the Philosopher’s Stone of historical alchemy? The rock that turns base metals to gold and grant immortality? Interesting! With Alchemy being general magic in this setting, what’s their version of the Philosopher’s Stone capable of? Amplification of Alchemy to cover a city? Regardless, probably not the best idea to let him keep doing whatever he’s doing. But Mr. Freeze starts monologuing about how Edward’s a Dog of the Military, how his bosses have Sinister Plans- Edward cuts him off, says he doesn’t care and it’s Not His Problem. Um. What? Do… do you really not care if you’re actually working for Bad Guys? Al jumps in and kicks Mr. Freeze to the railing, says that they still need to stop the Alchemy. Edward asks where the Philosopher’s Stone is that’s powering it all. But… yup, they went and knocked the Waterbender right next to a canal. Brace for [wrathful water]! And Mr. Freeze rises up on the frozen wave with a [bad guy laugh]. I kid you not, these are actual captions. Things look grim… but lo! He has arrived! “Stand back and prepare for a display of Armstrong alchemy! Witness the alchemic arts passed down the Armstrong line for generations!” And then he punched the frozen wave… and redirected it into a nearby building. Um. Sorry, innocent bystanders! Whoops. Now the Ice Walls are merging on Central Command! Mr. Freeze is gonna freeze it over! The Mighty Armstrong, redeem yourself! Target the transmutation circles while the Elrics slow him down! “Fuhrer King Bradley…! For your cold-blooded (boo, that’s a terrible pun) crimes in Ishval, I condemn you to a frozen hell!” But not so fast! To [fightin’ strings music], Edward and Elric (ah, so Elcric can do Alchemy too, he’s not just muscle) jump to the frozen wave Mr. Freeze is riding. They trade blows for a bit, and then… no! Alphonse got grabbed by the helmet! And… confirmed for being soulbound, as he’s back up and fighting. Mr. Freeze is shocked- “You fools committed the ultimate taboo!” Wait what. “You attempted human transmutation, didn’t you?!” Wait WHAT. You mean to say that the Elrics are the way they are because of something they did? I was thinking they got attacked by an Alchemist or something, but it’s because they tried ‘human transmutation’?... What did they do? “Alchemy’s one and only unforgivable sin!” Flashback? A scream of “Al!”. Edward yelling and gah yup he lost a leg. A suit of armor falling over and Edward drawing a sigil in blood. Crying that his little brother was all he had left… Back to present, Edward looking down, background chanting starts up. “You know… there are some lines you really shouldn’t cross.” *braces for asskicking* Edward and Al lay the smackdown, knock Mr. Freeze to the ground. Says there’s no water for him to use… while standing maybe ten feet away from a giant iceberg, but whatever… 70% of Mr. Freeze’s body will be enough! And oh god he’s bloodbending now. “Why can’t you fools understand? I’m trying to save this country!” Dude, you’ve attacking the main keep of the city to the caption of [mad laughter]. Maybe if you stopped acting so Evil I might have more sympathy for you. NPC Soldiers are trying to blast the ice, but it keeps reforming. But here comes a drenched and ticked-off Roy! Down goes the ice, as Roy rants. Blonde lady with a case of alchemy-circle gloves complains that he’s bad enough on rainy days… so what, Colonel Roy Mustang is dead weight in a drizzle, always needs dry gloves to do his Alchemy? Interesting weakness. Mr. Freeze is stumbling through an alley, when… Fuhrer Fury. Not looking too happy. Screens gone black and white with Mr. Freeze’s blood standing out as a bright red, he laughs and transmutes a Blood Spear and charges… and Fuhrer Fury isn’t moving? Still not moving. Still not moving… he drew his sword and sidestepped? Oh. Damn. Note to self: don’t piss off <<The Flash>> Fuhrer Fury. Roy’s keeping up the blasting of the ice walls, calls out for the Major wHO BURSTS OUT OF HIS UNIFORM WITH A GLARE AND EYEBEAMS OF DETERMINATION YES. “Leave it to me! The Armstrong fists will not fail!” MANLY GLEAM, AND PUNCH THE GROUND. TAKE THAT, CHALK CIRCLE! Image of white-haired person looking down? Who dis? Edward and Al arrive in the aftermath, see Fuhrer Fury looking down at the covered form of Mr. Freeze. And back to the cheerful attitude from his talking to Roy, complimenting Fullmetal. He came out to “see if I could lend a hand”... sure, ok. Makes sense that the boss of a bunch of reality warpers would be fairly strong. He just seems happy that he’ll have an exciting story for his son. He has a son? Have we met him yet? Next day, the ever-cheerful Hughes jokes about Roy having a cold, and congratulates him for taking down Mr. Freeze. Apparently Fuhrer Fury is going around saying it was Roy who beat him? “Oh, it’s like that, huh? Suit yourself. But some friendly advice- next time a superior tells you to take credit for something you didn’t do, you might try it for once.” In the hospital, Edward and Al are talking about how they never found out about the Philosopher’s Stone. Maybe in the official report- what, flowers? WHAT. “Greetings, Edward Elric.” ARMSTRONG WHAT. “When I heard you were here in the hospital…” WHAT ARE YOU OH MY GOD DETERMINED EYES. “I DASHED RIGHT OVER!” *Edward and Al sharing my reaction* “And as I suspected, you are in desperate need of my assistance!” WHY DID YOU TAKE OFF YOUR SHIRT. “You need the example of a perfect physical specimen to inspire your recovery! You see? You’re looking livelier already! Hahaha!” “Will you get out!” Scene transition to a lady in a red light, talking on a phone? “Ah… I see, so Isaac’s dead, is he? That’s a shame, I had such high hopes for him, too… But- the Philosopher’s Stone? Heh. Sounds like he overused it.” What the heck what’s with this pudgy guy with red eyes eating something, [disgusting chewing]. Wait, I recognize you from the intro. It’s the Goths! Lady tells Gluttony to eat quietly, she’s on the phone. Ah, so they’re naming themselves after the Seven Deadly Sins? Lady (who I’m making a wild guess and naming Lust) says that things are going well in Liore (hey, isn’t that where the Elrics were going to go before Mr. Freeze delayed them?), ominously says it all beings very soon as the string orchestra once again tell us that Bad Things are going down. End credits! Crayonish, drawing of Edward and Elric, taking a nap under a tree, blonde girl playing with a dog, the Elrics sparing, Edward flying past the State Alchemists until he bumps into The Mighty Armstrong, who throws him back and proves his Manly Spirit is bound by no medium. Shots of Edward talking with the blonde girl… and running off a cliff? Story? Workshop at night, blonde chick who I will now call Mechanic petting her dog and thinking. Al sitting in a dark room, Edward resting on a bed, then Earthbending and running along the pilliars with Al past the Goths (only three?), then closing a pocketwatch and the Elrics walking along a train track… and camera pans to show the Elric Kids were drawing all of this. After credits: Shot of the Blonde Kids, before the apparent botched Human Transmuation. Backstory episode? “Resembool. A quiet town.” The Elric Kids talking to a brownhaired woman in an apron. Their mother? Did… did she get caught in the Human Transmutation botch? “The place where Edward and Alphonse were born. The home they once shared with their mother.” Wait no, there’s both boys sitting at a grave. Wait. Um. Oh dear, I think I just realized. “In the hopes of returning to happier times, the boys commit the ultimate taboo, and are forced to confront the truth. Next time, on Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood- ” Episode 2: The First Day “The day they resolved their hearts to begin their journey.” Well. Initial thoughts are I am very impressed with what I’ve seen so far. Animation is smooth, humor is topnotch, and my compliments on making this setting so that I can see the episode’s Bad Guy literally boil a person, but still be very uneasy about the System that the Protagonists are working for. Definitely going to get some mileage out of this.

[rpgsandbox]

5e + OSR

Layout designed for utility

Streamlined gameplay

Highly compatible

Five Torches Deep (FTD) is a streamlined adventure game combining the best mechanics and principles of 5e, the OSR, and modern game design. The core of the game is familiar to anyone who has played 5e or previous editions of the game, but every mechanic has been pared down, modified, or expanded upon to create a coherently gritty, resource-focused, roguelike, old-school experience.

The game’s about tough choices, risk vs reward, and using as much out of character smarts as in-character mechanics. It’s just about everything we (Ben and Jess) have come to expect from an OSR adventure game: brutal, challenging, streamlined, and accessible.

Introduce 5e players to OSR

Modular design and layout

FTD is meant to ease the introduction of OSR mechanics and principles to those already familiar with 5e. The core is largely compatible with the current edition, but the more FTD mechanics and subsystems you add, the more “OSR” it feels. As such, you can plug and play to hack up your own amalgam of FTD and other systems.

5e skeleton, OSR meat

Succinct but complete

Modern layout for ease of reference

FTD is a blend of old and new, digital and tabletop. It loots the corpses of four decades of gaming in just 48 packed pages. It’s able to comprehensively recreate an authentic OSR experience while bringing plenty of new subsystems to the table. Heavier than Knave or Into the Odd, more concrete than the Black Hack, less epic than 5e, more familiar than the White Hack, and less “edgy” than LotFP. It hits the sweet spot between post-clone ultra-light rules and burdensome mechanics.

Familiar but fresh

Comprehensive adventure play

Favors cleverness over crunch

FTD strips 5e down to its skeleton and fleshes it out with mechanics focused on resource management, clever problem solving, and streamlined OSR gameplay. Combat is a last resort, magic is dangerous and wild, and every ability matters.

Character Creation: there’s only four classic races, each with a distinct method for generating ability scores and class restrictions.

Character Classes: warrior, thief, mage, or zealot. Classes follow the design structure of 5e (scaling proficiency bonus, class features at set levels, etc) with more specialized “archetypes” unlockable at level 3. These archetypes bring in classics like the Barbarian, Warlock, and Druid without completely reconfiguring the class itself. And with only four starting classes, it’s easy to roll up a random character at level 1.

                                    The Zealot class, all on one page

Level 9 Cap: PC play beyond level 9 is a different type of game. FTD focuses on dungeons and adventure, not domains, strongholds, and cataclysms. This makes a tighter gameplay loop: delve into dungeons, fight monsters, learn spells, acquire loot, repeat.

Ability Scores: the classic six abilities return, but special attention has been paid to ensure that ability scores and modifiers have a mechanical impact. Your STR score defines how much Load you can carry; your CON how many hours you can go without rest; your CHA the number of retainers you can command, and so forth.

Default DC: the assumption is that (almost) all tasks and checks are DC 11. This expedites gameplay and helps make it more predictable and transparent for the players.

Advantage / Disadvantage: easily the most elegant bit of tech from 5e (and the games that they took it from). Enough said.

Inventory and Resource Management: a system to track carried load and supplies. Should you bring heavy weapons and armor or leave enough room to abscond with more loot? Equipment can be used, damaged, foraged, crafted, and repaired. The system adheres to quick but logical gameplay (no dice, no bean counting, but very light abstraction).

                 The rules on "Supply" and replenishing consumed items

Retainers and Hench: in proper old-school style, PCs are expected to travel with a retinue of retainers and loyal followers, called “hench.” There’re rules for specific types of retainers and the commands you can give them in battle.

Wilderness Travel: distances traveled and resources consumed depending on terrain, light, and weather. The interplay between Travel Turns, supply, and resilience makes for difficult choices.

Travel Turns: a simple system in which the GM regularly rolls on a table every hour in a dungeon or day in the wilderness. Travel Turns create a cyclical ritual: mark spent torches, reduce supply, note hours traveled (make a Resilience check as necessary), and track if monsters spring an ambush or stumble into the party.

Volatile Spellcasting: all spells can be cast quickly - demanding a spellcasting check with potentially calamitous results - or over the course of hours, which necessitates no such check. Casters then must decide if they are willing to risk wandering monsters or a potentially high DC that could result in loss of limb or sight.

                                      Spellcasting is simple but harsh

Rest and Healing: rests have been broken into “safe” and “unsafe,” which have different mechanical effects on healing and exhaustion. There are few quick ways to restore HP, encouraging the need for consumables and cautious rest. High-level characters need days to rest sufficiently and heal back to full.  

Debilitating Injuries: any time a PC is reduced to 0 HP, they will die unless an ally resuscitates them. After being stabilized, the incapacitated adventurer must roll on an injury table; many of which have consequences that result in permanent Ability Score damage. Parties beyond level 1 usually comprise of mangled adventurers that bear the scars of their past mistakes.

Monster Generation: Quick monster generation: refer to monster category, HD, add any relevant techniques, and done! Techniques and tactics allow for enormous flexibility in only a few pages. FTD makes monster creation or conversion a cinch, and can be done on the fly.

Tools and Principles: guidelines on how to get into the mindset for OSR play, an adventure framework, and even generators for charged situations and dungeon layouts (including a novel technique leveraging a classic six-color puzzle cube).

Written, designed, and laid out by Ben and Jessica Dutter

Game design consulting by Ben Milton

Art by Sebastian Rodriguez and Per Folmer

Graphic design consultation by Jean Adaser

Graphic and logo design by Sam Mameli

Every page and spread has been meticulously edited and organized to make reference at the table as easy as possible. Information has been contained to a single column or page or spread, and every sentence is concise and without fluff. The double-wide layout makes it ideal for planting on the table and being able to quickly reference the right section.

Careful consideration was paid to the legibility of the fonts, tables, and flow of information on the page. There are as few "widows" and "orphans" as possible, no paragraphs flow across two pages, and everything is internally hyperlinked and referenced.

Since the format is US letter paper (11” x 8.5”) it prints easily enough at home; perfect for group handouts. While we're going with a glued binding, the book still lays pretty flat due to its extra wide format and softcover. The book is being printed on the heaviest paper and highest quality color available from DriveThru, making it both beautiful and sturdy.

Kickstarter campaign ends: Thu, June 6 2019 6:00 PM BST

Website: Sigil Stone Publishing

[acevedo55marcussen-blog]

15 Best download png Bloggers You Need to Follow

Photoshop offers us overall flexibility to complete selection of things such as building animations for article-production designers and artists. Logos, frames, wallpapers, flyers, ebook addresses, brochures and packaging structure for deal designers. Mockup types, wireframes, rough sketches for World-wide-web designers. Graphic modifying, colour correction, smoothening - eliminating blemishes, electronic paintings, banners, user interfaces and so on to some extent. We might make right before-soon after photographs, working day - night time scenes, rendering and so forth, that means we are able to transform an image into a very diverse theme, colour scheme and temper. 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We've numerous types of applications, functions and conserving pre-sets with which we can produce a special world brimming with creation and innovation - beautiful types. Summary As a result, in each and each way photoshop is self-enough, entire and multi- disciplined coming up with program. Retrieval program for electronic shots features showcased package deal to mend and repair all formatted, mistakenly deleted and inaccessible Image data files from Windows really hard disk push, electronic camera of any mega pixel resolution, memory cards (like MMC, Compact Flash, xD card and many others.) or other external storage equipment in different capacities. Digital illustrations or photos backup program facilitates with Highly developed Image restoration algorithms that enables you to easily retrieve corrupted photos from all key models of storage equipment like Toshiba, HP, Sony, Samsung, Nikon, PRETEC, Olympus and various manufacturers. 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[killprettymagazine]

How To Live Like Your Life Is A Video Game

Modern life is the pits. People go to work. They go to school. They drive home. They eat. They shit. They go to sleep. Where are the boss battles? The robot friends who want to find a soul? The giant dragons flying through the sky as a mind throbbing score swells over the scene? These are just a few of the things that you’re missing out on by refusing to live like you’re in a video game. It’s time to reframe your life into something far more interesting than your regular day to day.

The most important step to living like you’re the main character of a video game is to decide what kind of game you’re inside. Is this an MMORPG with an open world where multiple players can come and go as they please? Or are you the only free thinker in a world of NPCs?

1 Smash Everything In Sight

It doesn’t matter if you’re side scrolling through life or on a fabled journey to stop a great evil destroying the land, you never know what treasures are just sitting in a pot or in some bricks hanging precariously in the air. Smash that shit and find out what’s inside.

2 Sleep Primarily In Inns

Any self ascribed button-smasher knows that homes are for storing things like money, giant hammers, and loot claimed in far off realms, not for sleeping. Rest only comes to those who seek out a kindly innkeeper who brings comfort in the form of a bed for a modest fee. Replenish your hearts, meet new people, and discover side quests in these bastions of comfort. Keep in mind that you don’t have to hole up in a Best Western or a Ramada, you can fight your way into the Four Seasons if you have enough HP. And remember, smash everything in sight.

3 Don’t Accept Your Original Design

In video games as well as in IRL there’s nothing more boring than playing with a stock character. You may have to stick with the basic skins that you’re saddled with upon birth to learn game mechanics and what have you for a few years, but once you have a handle on how to move through the world it’s time to change things up. Add a blue mohawk to your look. Grow a giant dick. Grow a tiny dick. What about one big arm that’s actually a sword and a tattoo of the Konami logo on your face? The sky’s the limit when it comes to your personal design. Who do you see when you think about yourself? Become that character. It’s okay if your character changes over time, there’s no point in life being repetitious especially when it comes to your ideal self.

4 Never Travel Linearly

Why walk/ride a horse/pilot a hover craft from one destination to another when you can transport between saved destinations? 

5 Keep An Eye Out For Save Points

This is probably the most important part of living like you’re in a video game. We live in a world of random shooters, disease, war, and microplastics – at some point you’ll need a save point to pick up where you left off. Some save points are automatic (sleeping in an inn for instance), but others have to be sought out. That large floating diamond in the middle of the arcade you used to go to all the time in junior high? That’s a save point. The birthday party where you watched TMNT 2 and threw up after eating too much cheese pizza? The Orange Nickelodeon VHS is a definitely a save point. Find enough of these bad boys and you’ll find infinite replay value in this game called life.

[honestgrins]

Delayed Effects || Klaroline

Klaroline AU Week Day 7: Trope x Trope

Caroline loved magic and the puzzles it presented, and she was never one to turn down a challenge. As she learns while attending the Magical Alliance Conference, Klaus Mikaelson is nothing but a challenge. (HP x Soulmates AU)

Intent on making some sort of progress, Caroline stared at her brainstorming list, hoping for any spark of inspiration. A quiet Sunday in Ilvermorny's library was usually enough for her to focus, the only distraction was half of her study group being annoyingly productive.

Bonnie pointed her wand toward her notebook, the open page swathed in multicolored patches of highlighter ink. Mumbling softly, she smiled as an overwhelming scent of blueberries surrounded their table.

As uncomfortable as the intense smell was, Caroline's eyes didn't water until the blueberries were abruptly replaced by a sour pinch of lemon. "Bonnie!"

She had already moved from yellow to pink, a sickeningly sweet rosewater taking over. "Sorry," Bonnie winced. "Too strong?"

"Just a bit." Huffing out her own disappointment, Caroline faked an encouraging smile. "At least your charm is working, I can't even think of an idea for my final project."

"You just need a problem to solve," Bonnie shrugged. "That's how I found mine. I used to trick myself into remembering algebra by studying with peppermints, then eating them during the test. With my scented highlighter spell, I can associate each subject with a particular smell. Maybe I'll actually pass Arithmancy with better than an Ordinary."

Caroline frowned. "You really hate numbers, don't you?"

Nodding gravely, Bonnie focused again on her work. "So much."

They both laughed quietly, though Mr. Bingham still shushed them from behind the reference desk. His stern glare deepened when the library doors burst open and Katherine Pierce strolled in without a care for the noise.

"What's wrong with you?" Bonnie asked when she dropped next to her with a dramatic sigh.

"Can twins get divorced? Elena's whining again, and I want my genes back."

"She stole your jeans?"

Katherine rolled her eyes and threw a highlighter at Caroline. "Not funny, Care. I can't believe I shared a womb with her without taking the opportunity to absorb her."

Grimacing at the thought, Bonnie dug an elbow into her side. "Don't be mean."

Eyes wide and near to tears, Katherine adopted the breathy tone she called Elena Voice. "I don't know what to do," she pouted. "Stefan is so nice, but Damon…" She let out an exaggeratedly mournful sigh. "Is it wrong I can't decide?" Scoffing, her own catlike smirk appeared again. "I guess not, because I definitely fucked them both."

"Kat!"

Both girls wilted under Mr. Bingham's withering look at their outburst. "Sorry!" Caroline called out in a softer voice as Bonnie waved.

Katherine shrugged, unconcerned. "I don't know why she's so conflicted when Stefan's the better lay, by far."

"Nice," Bonnie chided before her eyes lit up with an idea. "Care, maybe that should be your project!"

Narrowing her eyes, Caroline shook her head. "Which Salvawhore is better in bed? A spell seems wasteful when you can apparently just ask Kat."

While Katherine sniggered, Bonnie rushed to explain. "No, Elena's problem of who she's supposed to be with. Maybe you could create a soulmate charm."

"Who finds their soulmate in high school?" Katherine snorted, but Caroline pursed her mouth in intrigued thought.

"The Sorting Ceremony," she mused. "The statues choose us somehow, right? And Hogwarts has that hat." Scribbling down some notes, Caroline kept thinking aloud. "The enchantments are probably stronger than anything I could come up with, but maybe I should think smaller. A spell that has to be customized to each person, rather than anyone who comes along."

With a crooked scowl, Katherine murmured her discontent. "Sounds like an awful lot of work for just one person. And good luck getting Elena to agree, I think she enjoys having her boys work for it."

Caroline rolled her eyes, already set on her path. Her brainstorm list was quickly replaced by potential research topics. "Then I'll just have to test it on myself and see what happens. There might be a soulmate out there waiting for me to find them."

After weeks of working with both Bonnie and their Charms teacher, though, Caroline was disappointed when her spell produced no results. Her theoretical groundwork and lack of adverse effects ensured her final grade, especially considering the lofty goal; still, it irked her to no end that it didn't work. On the bright side, there was no pressure to find whatever person the spell might have led her to.

Soulmates just didn't exist.

"Yes, Mom," Caroline promised, pressing the phone more tightly to her ear upon entering the crowded lobby. "I made it safely to the hotel and need to check into the conference. Uh huh, I love you, too. I'll bring you back an 'I heart London' shirt."

Hanging up, Caroline approached the table emblazoned with MAC in gold filigree, the simple logo blending in well to the no-Ma- muggle world. A no-nonsense witch watched her with suspicion, tapping a pen against a clipboard. "Name and identification?"

"Caroline Forbes." She handed over her passport and waited on bouncing toes as the witch scanned her list. The Magical Alliance Conference was the annual professional development event for wizards and witches working in various state bureaucracies; Caroline had been dreaming about it since graduating from Ilvermorny five years earlier. Her Charms and Potions proficiencies suited her well to Accidental Magic Response, and she was eager to learn what her counterparts faced around the world.

And all that stood between her and networking glory was a prim woman who did not look at all impressed by her bright pink suit, despite being perfectly tailored and cute to boot.

Finally, a check mark and severe nod was all the process entailed, until the woman cleared her throat expectantly. "The password is 'stardust.'"

With an excited smile, Caroline smoothly walked to the door, pulling her suitcase behind her. She whispered the password, only to frown when the handle still didn't budge.

"Americans," the witch scoffed.

Turning to defend herself from this bitch witch, Caroline gave a small shriek when her shoulder didn't hit the door as expected. The lack of sensation threw her off balance and she fell through what she had thought was a solid door. Raucous noise filled her ears, but it was the sturdy pair of arms catching her before she could crash to the floor she was focused on.

"Whoa, gorgeous," an affable British voice chuckled. Caroline glanced up to see a very attractive man helping to stand her upright. "Let me guess...American?"

Momentarily distracted by the enormous room littered with tables of vendors and crowds of people mingling, Caroline scoffed as she processed his words. "What?" she snapped. "Do I have a Made in the USA stamp on my forehead?"

"Well, now you do," he teased with a wink. "No, you're not the first to fall through the door, it's become a bit of a running joke. Rumor is you all have more space in the colonies, don't have to rely on the same standard of secrecy. Hiding in plain sight is old hat for us. Our train to Hogwarts boards in King's Cross-"

"Hence the secret doors, gotcha." Caroline huffed, reaching for the handle of the suitcase she had dropped in her fall. "Know where this brazen American can check into the conference?"

He nodded his head to the nearest table, dripping with purple and gold. "With London playing host, our Ministry of Magic is handling the welcome," he explained, holding out his hand. "Enzo St. John, Obliviator."

"Oh!" Caroline perked up, eagerly shaking his hand. "I'm in Accidental Magic Response, we work with Obliviators all the time. Caroline Forbes, I work out of Washington, D.C. This is my first time out of the country, let alone attending MAC."

Chuckling at her enthusiasm, Enzo led her to the registration table. "Well then, welcome to London, Caroline." With a joking bow, he drifted into the crowd. She watched him go, wondering if she had made her first conference friend, when her eyes landed on another man chatting with an enchanted items vendor.

Brassy curls artfully disheveled and dimples deep in his cheeks, Caroline couldn't get over how pretty he was. Handsome men caught her attention all the time, but something about the leather necklaces dipping into the open collar of his Henley drew her in. She hadn't noticed she was staring, though, until someone behind her cleared their throat. "Miss?"

Shaking her head, Caroline whirled around to face the witch who called for her. After a quick wand check and picking up her welcome packet, she really wanted to melt off the ickiness of her long flight in hot shower. As she wound her way to the elevators, though, it was hard not to get distracted by the sheer number of people in the room.

Caroline had never seen such a collection of magical beings in one place, let alone somewhere as mundane as a hotel conference center. Goblins from Gringotts were offering financial advice; a dragon protection group was handing out flyers against illegal harvesting practices for potion ingredients; Hogwarts students even had their own table to present innovative magic projects. It reminded Caroline of her own project back in the day.

A few minutes into listening to a precocious young wizard explain the wastefulness of vanishing spoiled potions, an odd awareness warmed the back of Caroline's neck. She subtly turned to glance around the room.

The pretty man was watching her, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. Caroline blinked in surprise, but a flattered smile fought to make itself known. He seemed about to approach when a similarly pretty woman grabbed his elbow, all but dragging him to some other corner of the massive hall.

Whether it was his girlfriend or his wife, Caroline had no desire to flirt with a taken man. Her colleagues had warned about MAC affairs; while a random hookup didn't sound terrible, ruining her first conference with complicated dimples wasn't worth it. Rolling her eyes, she tried to bring her focus back to the student eagerly detailing their project theory.

But she couldn't resist the pull of watching him cross the room. A strong burn of attraction fizzled under her skin when she realized he was looking back at her.

A bluebell flame danced in the center of the table, and Caroline smiled as Enzo kept changing its color nonverbally. "You're good at that."

"Charms not your thing, gorgeous?" he teased.

She nudged him playfully with her shoulder, glad to have found him in the crowded Welcome Mixer. Enzo was a friendly face, and it was surprisingly easy for Caroline to let him entertain her. "I was talking about the silent incantation," she explained, "but thanks for the vote of confidence. Charms was actually my favorite subject at Ilvermorny."

Enzo shrugged. "I preferred Quidditch myself, but not everyone can make a living of it."

Nursing her firewhiskey cocktail, Caroline squinted her eyes in curiosity. "How did you fall into Obliviating? That can be a tricky business."

"I worked at a pub right out of Hogwarts, a muggle neighborhood but with a fair number of witchy patrons," he explained. "On occasion, one of the muggles would see something they shouldn't remember, lest the Ministry were to shut us down. With practice, my precision improved until I could remove the memory of magic without touching the rest of their evening. A bloke from the Ministry noticed, insisted I interview with his department."

"And the rest is history." Caroline clinked her glass with his. "It's a better story than mine. My friend Katherine accidentally grew horns courtesy of an ex-boyfriend's rotten jinx.

Enzo let out a booming laugh. "I have to disagree, gorgeous, that sounds like an excellent story."

"No," she drawled, gravely shaking her head, "because my counterspell before we called Accidental Magic just made it worse by adding a tail. The responders glared at me the whole time they examined Kat, muttering about how stupid it was for wizards under twenty-one to be given wands."

Stifling more chuckles, Enzo eyed her suspiciously. "You joined out of spite, didn't you?"

"Hell, yes. And I beat one of those guys for my current position," she answered, preening in her triumph. Before she could add the entertaining details, however, a perfectly manicured hand slid up Enzo's arm. Caroline glanced up to see a woman with a giant engagement ring and murder in her eyes. "Hi," she greeted kindly, even if the blatant suspicion put Caroline on edge. "You must be Rebekah, Enzo has told me so much about you."

"My fiance," Rebekah bit out in a possessive tone, "always making friends. How did you two latch onto each other?"

With an exaggerated wink, Enzo gave her a roguish smile. "Gorgeous here works in Accidental Magic Response," he answered. "She actually enjoys hearing about Obliviation, unlike some I could mention."

Rebekah rolled her eyes, though she all but melted into Enzo's side as she stole a drink from his glass. "Your whole career is one spell."

The barb sounded like an old fight the couple revisited time and again; Caroline smiled at their easy affection, but something niggled in the back of her mind. "You look familiar," she realized, confused as to where she would have seen Rebekah before.

"I can't imagine why," the other woman dismissed easily, instead waving toward someone at the bar. "Nik!"

Caroline turned to find a familiar pair of dimples walking toward them, a scotch and a violently pink cocktail in each hand. The connection clicked in her mind that Rebekah was the woman who had dragged the handsome guy away earlier, but obviously not his girlfriend if she was engaged to Enzo, she was pleased to note.

"Sister," the mystery man greeted as he slid the martini glass in front of Rebekah. He raised his own to Enzo before his eyes slid to Caroline. "Hello, love. Klaus Mikaelson. And who might you be?"

Her eyes rolled on instinct, of course someone as pretty as him came with sleazy pick-up tactics. But she liked Enzo, and even Rebekah didn't seem completely awful, so she reined in the worst of her bitchiness. "Caroline Forbes," she introduced herself, her voice only a little snippy. "Accidental Magic Response in D.C."

Klaus chuckled into his tumbler. "I didn't realize Americans cared enough to fix their mistakes, let alone hire people to do it for them."

Mouth twisting into an offended grimace, Caroline crossed her arms defiantly. "Excuse me?"

"Klaus is a Curse-Breaker," Enzo explained in a resigned sigh. "Tends to look down on anyone else who doesn't meet the smarmy requirements of his field."

Rather than looking just as offended, though, Klaus smirked in amusement. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something about him just pushed her buttons. "Says the Obliviator."

The freaking superiority complex didn't help.

"Put your willies away, boys," Rebekah said, clearly bored. "You're both pretty."

Caroline scoffed and drained the last of her firewhiskey. "I think I'm going to call it a night, there's a panel on the effect of certain wand components on spells early tomorrow." Pinning Klaus with her best mean girl smile, she oozed genteel disdain. "After all, us non-Curse-Breakers need all the help we can get to justify our pitiful careers."

Surprisingly, Rebekah favored her with an impressed smile as Enzo nodded. "We'll see you around, gorgeous," he waved.

Nodding, Caroline spun on her heel, still buzzing with irritation. She hadn't noticed anyone following her until a large hand hit the elevator call button before she could. Her eyes traced up the Henley-clad arm until she found Klaus with a mildly chagrined expression. "What, did you have a few more insults for my profession?"

"Always," he shrugged, grinning when she snorted indelicately. "Kidding, love. I feel like we got off on the wrong foot."

She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Gee, I wonder why."

Klaus laughed, a hoarse sound that struck Caroline to her core - he really was too attractive. "A fresh start, then, perhaps?" He held out a hand, just as the elevator doors opened. "Klaus Mikaelson, Curse-Breaker and occasional arse."

Though Caroline did look longingly to the waiting elevator, she couldn't help but feel drawn back to him. "Caroline Forbes, with the American temper," she sighed, reaching out to shake his hand.

As soon as they made contact, though, a new awareness made itself known within her. By the sudden confusion in his eyes, Klaus must have felt it, too. Blinking, Caroline struggled to find any words, but her grip on his hand never wavered. "I- Uh-"

He pulled her closer, almost unconsciously. "Um, you haven't imbibed in any of the aphrodisiac potions that tend to float around these mixers, have you?" His voice had lowered, somehow more intimate in a way that Caroline found herself enjoying. "This doesn't feel like anything I've tried before, but it seems like an after-effect of some elixir or spell or-"

"Charm." The answer echoed from her heart, a memory embedded with the scent of blueberries wafting from deep within her brain. "I don't believe this."

"What, love?"

Her head shook, frantic even if his close proximity held a strange sense of calming. "You're going to think I'm crazy."

Tongue swiping greedily along his lower lip, Klaus carded his fingers through her loose curls, further closing the distance between them. "Try me." It was an entreaty, a temptation.

Caroline sucked in a breath, hoping to break through the heady urge to press against this total stranger. Her shoulders raised uncertainly as she considered an appropriate way to broach her prevailing theory. "Do you believe in soulmates? Because I might have accidentally underestimated high school me in being able to identify them."

With an intrigued arch of his eyebrow, Klaus smirked as a hand possessively landed on her waist. "This sounds like a conversation best held over drinks." His eyes narrowed in a challenge Caroline felt no inclination to refuse. "Shall we?"

Links: FFnet and AO3

[adrenalineguide]

VW Beetle: A Fond Farewell

Text and Photos by Michael Hozjan

Cruising around in the 2019 Beetle – because that’s what you do in a Beetle, you cruise, you don’t drive, I began reminiscing about all my days, nay years, behind the wheel of a Beetle. Maybe it’s because this will probably be the last time I’ll be behind the wheel of a new Beetle for quite some time. Unless you’ve been living on a mountaintop in Tibet for the last year or a cave in Afghanistan I’m sure you know that Volkswagen is again ceasing production of the Beetle.

And so it was that as I looked at the road ahead through the Beetle’s curvaceous windshield my mind went back and forth from old to new. My first Beetle was a ’64 that I purchased for $200 when I was 16 and couldn’t bring home for two weeks until I turned 17 so I didn’t need my father’s signature on the regi. Which he wouldn’t have signed anyway. A few months later I bought my “winter car” a ’63 for $50. As fate would have it the ’63 would prove to be my main ride well into the following summer as the ’64 went into project mode. Numerous other VWs followed in short succession, including a ’61 convertible, a ’56 combi van, a 68 bus. Two of my favorites were a black ’57 and a black ’56, commonly know as an oval window. Neither however were mine. One I found for a friend who clearly was not meant to drive a 36 horsepower vehicle, especially when only a few years earlier he was running a 300+ hp ’69 Camaro. He burnt the motor within weeks. The ’56 car was luckier it went to another friend who customized it over the years to a head turning, show stopper. I drove both cars before their owners did and must admit I was jealous that I hadn’t picked them up for myself. Both cars were bought for under a hundred and were pristine.

If cars have souls then the ’56 certainly felt me yearning for her that fateful day that we were towing it with a long rope to a storage garage on Montreal’s Plateau.

It’s all in the windshield

And so it came to be that as I gazed out the windshield of my tester I went back to looking out the tiny windshield of that black ’56 and realized how far the Beetle has come. Yet I still can’t help but feel some sadness, not for the Beetle’s latest demise but it’s failure to rise to the stature it once held when the Mays & Thomas designed New Beetle debuted back in 1997. Has it been 22 years already!? Over styled, overly cute and who wants a flower vase? The New Beetle proved that design and marketing fowl ups were not limited to Edsel. Even with my long arms I couldn’t clean the base of the windshield on the inside or the dash.  Of course that has all changed with the latest version. How I wish that this car had been released in 1997 and wonder if it would have brought the Beetle phenomenon back? At least one thing is certain sales would have been better, with even the most die-hard macho male attesting that this is by far a more masculine looking Beetle.

An inviting interior

The latest car features just enough retro touches to make the old Beetllephiles like myself fall in love all over again. VW has chosen some odd stich patterns for their seats but they seem to work in providing a merry interior. You can’t be serious with the Beetle after all. The suitcase storage bin behind the rear seat backs, where many of us kids rode in on the way to the beach is gone. Yes the trunk space is still limited when compared to other compacts but you can still fold down the seats. Foot leg and headroom are paramount in the Beetle, at least if your in the front, the back bench is another story and depends wholly on how tall the front seat occupants are if you’re hoping for lots of leg room.

Power  

Whether I was going down Decarie Expressway in my ‘64’s forty horsepower mill or my buddy’s 36 horse, it didn’t make a whole lot of difference, making it to 60 mph was a feat celebrated and depended on whether there was a back draft pushing you or not and if you were going downhill or uphill. Thankfully with 174 horses on tap from the 2.0 TSI Turbocharged four that isn’t a problem anymore, scooting my tester to 100kph in just under 7.5 seconds and reaching the 200 k mark in 32 seconds. Sadly VW has eliminated the manual transmission from the package, vowing instead to give us the Tiptronic with paddle shifters for the six-speed. Oh and the tiny four wheel drum brakes have been replaced by discs.

A lot to like, but…

I won’t go into all the infotainment mumbo jumbo as most cars in 2019 feature all the same gizmos. Nothing revolutionary just a lot easier to circumnavigate the various buttons and functions than some of the competition. One thing that stands out that I have repeatedly praised is the Beetle’s back up camera smartly hidden from the elements behind the large VW logo. Oddly enough the high end Atlas keeps the camera in plain sight like the competitors make its camera prone to road dirt. Go figure. My tester the, Wolfsburg trim, also came with the swivel cornering lights, standard equipment on the Dune but an option well worth considering if you’re going with the entry level trim.  They’re wonderful and a must in lighting up country lanes at night.

One thing that has puzzled me for years is Volkswagens refusal or absence of foresight to release a GTI version of the Beetle.  Undoubtedly it would have been a huge success particularly in the VW racing/hot rodding community without taking anything away from the Golf, especially seeing as how in recent years that has been alienated to a four-door iteration.

Prices start at a measly $24,475 for the base Wolfsburg sedan and $28,475 for the convertible, not bad for an instant classic. I can see the classic car auctions in a few years; “The last production gas Beetle ever made of which only 30,000 were made and this is serial number …”

If you read between the lines you’ll see that I’m betting that the sun has still not completely set on the Beetle and an all-new Beetle will be rolling out of Wolfsburg in a few years…an electric Beetle. Now that would truly make it a People’s Car, but please no flower vase.

Oh and if you think a car doesn’t have soul, that black ’56 found it’s way to my garage almost forty years later, but that’s another story.