#or magically win the lottery without buying a ticket

[riccissance]

i can't believe i'm already starting to write multiple oneshots in the same universe as the multichapter i'm currently working on lmao this brainrot is gonna kill me at some point

[waffliesinyoface]

Re: that ask game post i just reblogged

under a readmore because it's gonna be long. it's about Hasami, obviously.

1: she does have a big one, but she can only sleep with it at home, because, you know. you can't really bring a big stuffed wolf plushie on a mission. (Yes, it's a wolf. She didn't buy it herself, it was a present when she was younger, because giving wolf-related items as presents to an inuzuka is just like. The thing to do. Obviously the wolf-clan girl likes dogs.)

2: plant: no. pet: yes, but only because most childhood chores were some variation of "go take care of puppies". child: absolutely not. please do not attempt to make her hold a baby.

3: this isn't a problem until she's been working as a ninja for several years but one day she realizes that the majority of her friends are incredibly strong, lethal women who are occasionally covered in sweat and blood, and now she has to be. normal. about this.

4: does red facepaint/magical seal tattoos count? if so, yes. if not... maybe? I'm not sure.

5: she's not exactly prone to giving speeches but also. she's based on me and I have exactly zero issues with public speaking, so. She could do it? It's just not exactly the kind of thing that comes up.

6: I'm not sure about who she'd take advice from, because like. It depends on the subject. But if her first impression of you is that you're annoying, she will probably never listen to anything you say, ever. If someone else comes along and agrees with them, she might listen. To them. But she won't be happy about it.

7: im not doing this one because i am incapable of being concise :)

8: Frustrate. She is. She can be smart. But also. She is mostly built for stabbing things. She tried to ask Tenten about fuinjutsu one (1) time to save money on exploding seals and the barest simplest most stripped down fuinjutsu felt like trying to do trigonometry without a calculator. Please do not give this girl a puzzle that cannot be solved with some form of violence.

9: Yes, because I do too. But it's not such a big deal to her because there's more important things, like not dying.

10: She's just fine at the age she is now.

11: Save most of it, but like. Maybe a couple impulse purchases. (Does konoha even HAVE a lottery? Also how would she win, she wouldn't buy a ticket.)

12: Give her a few years.

13: She gets taught lots of life skills, because Ninja Mom. But maybe the most important thing she learned is the fact that sometimes very scary things will just happen and it will be awful and people will lie to you and everyone will just treat it as completely normal!! Thanks!!

14: She would, but also, I haven't thought of any she has. Hrm.

15: Hates cleaning things because they're just going to get dirty again ANYWAYS.

16: I'm going to assume this is for like. Fancy occasion type stuff. Because ninja wear the cost is less important than "will this be a hindrance in a fight y/n". So for NON-mission related clothes. She would like to wear an extremely fancy layered kimono at some point.

17: She IS a children, but even so: not really!! Kids konohamaru's age and younger are mentally classified as "annoying brats"

18: Give her a few years.

19: Studying is hard but if you get good points on the practical that makes up for it!! Also what is a "job interview" she signed up to be a child soldier at age six, and as such never has to worry about them. Because she is already a tool of the state.

20: At some point on a C-rank her team is going to eat at a restaurant that sells food which is like. The naruto-equivalent of western food. Hasami is the ONLY person who likes it, and is SO ANNOYED that she can't get any in konoha. I would say something cheese-based, but I'm not sure if that's common in the elemental nations or not. I know they have cows. But I don't know if cheese is popular.

21: please stop asking about dating questions she is twelve and an idiot

22: no, they're LAME

23: Stability. Novelty is nice but she gets a lot of that in just normal missions. "Stability" is good, when your chosen profession is violence. Unfortunately she lives in konoha, and *looks at orochimaru. and pein. and obito.* uh oh!!!

24: Honesty. Yes she knows there's lots of lies involved in ninja society, but that does not mean she has to Like It.

25: She would probably prefer safety for some stuff, but also: sometimes it is literally not on the table. Unfortunately you do have to take risks as a ninja. A lot. All the time.

26: They are not mutually exclusive even talented people have to put in effort and even people who have to work hard are better at some things than others.

27: Vengeance : )

28: please stop asking about dating questions she is twelve and an idiot

29: She very occasionally dreams about non-narutoland stuff and it is frustrating because that's not her life anymore. Especially annoying when she dreams about traffic because not only should she not have to deal with that anymore, but: she can't even complain about it to other people.

30: The only people who she would care enough to want forgiveness from she wouldn't want to do anything bad to them. She would feel guilty!!! But also, like, she could kill an enemy ninja and Not Really Care because, uh. That's life!! She reincarnated just fine so really if death is the end for you thats a skill issue. Also edo tensei exists so there is SOME form of ninja heaven, clearly.

[wishful-seeker]

Why you can't cure disease with magic

Now this is just my own theory, NOT FACT, im literally just brainstorming, but I think it explains things pretty well

One of the most basic rules of magic is:

"Magic will always follow the path of least resistance"

So the more resistance that is met to achieve your goal, the less likely magic will help.

If the goal can happen on its magic on its own, that means it might be able to happen with magic

If the goal cannot happen without magic, it also can't happen WITH magic

For example:

Likelihood of increasing your chances to get a promotion without magic- possible!

With magic?- also possible!

Likelihood of winning the lottery without magic?- possible but highly unlikely

With magic?- same thing

Likelihood of shooting a fireball out of your hands with or without magic?- impossible

Let's visualize this, let's say your magic is a  reservoir, and when you cast a spell you open flood gates for the water to flow, and it moves down the path of least resistance.

Let's imagine the resistance is the terrain of the land:

Getting a job promotion may follow the path of least resistance but what about winning 10k in the lottery?

Well something would have to change in the terrain to make the path shift, so how do we do that?

Well, this is when we put in the physical work in the spell, in this case it'd be buying a bunch of lottery tickets, but that's not enough. The rest is kinda up to the universe, only they can really decide to change the terrain so let's say they do:

If this spell was health related that new path might be new helpful medicine.

So where does curing something like arthritis fall?

It's not possible to get the magic to naturally flow up there, because it's not possible without magic.

You could bring a bucket of water up there and get a joint replacement surgery but that's not a cure.

This is why it's harmful to tell people magic is a cure all, it's not, it gives false hope. What disabled people need is not a cure, but support to live their current lives.

I hope this helps people understand things.

[starseedfxofficial]

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[harbingrs]

And my whole situation is in context of Working While Disabled. Coming up on five years where all of my energy is eaten up by work-eat-sleep-repeat and still never, ever doing enough. I pour everything I have into working and I still don't earn enough to cover my bills, let alone pay off my debts, let alone have any semblance of a better life.

I don't go out, unless it's an essential appointment or to pick up medication. Not because I'm otherwise housebound, but because I can't spare the time or energy, let alone the funds to do things for pleasure. What I do for pleasure is a video or podcast during chores, or in the space between when I can't work any more that day and when I fall asleep.

ETA: And I was feeling really satisfied becsuse I've been trying to utilise that time a little better and listen to/watch stuff that is going to educate me a bit more when I'm able to take it in. But then I realised that it is sad that something like that was taking on outsized significance because it is one of the few places where I have choices. Like... watching videos is not activism but it's only scope I have to feel like I'm Doing Something (anything) at all.

And the way I feel about my life is treated like a mental illness, like it's my brain chemistry, like it's my negative thinking. That what I need is antidepressants and CBT and not a change in material circumstances that make experiencing any kind of joy impossible, and when that goes on for long enough then 'hope' ends up out of reach too.

Because there is no magical cure that will come along and change what my body can do. There is no alternative to working for a living, unless I end up significantly more disabled than I am now. As long as I'm capable of working one day a week, I have to work all of them. And I would not call the prospect of getting even sicker 'hope', especially when being on disability would hardly set me up for a life of luxury.

It's been five years and things have not gotten better. The horizon ahead of me just stretches on and on like this.

And when people talk about 'doing what you can to help' it's always conditional. Someone will say 'don't burn yourself out! put on your own oxygen mask first! it's okay to take a step back and only do xyz' - and xyz is stuff that's out of reach to so many people on their best days. And that's meant to be what 'taking a step back' means - temporarily. But there's still a bar to meet to prove you care enough, to make sure you're not slacking off /too/ much.

And it feels so cruel because I don't want to live this way. I'd do anything for it to change. I don't feel like I've even been a person for five years. I used to have choices - to invest time in things I cared about, as well as to enjoy things.

Even the posts about how to organise and build community if you're housebound - it doesn't help when you're too exhausted to hold a conversation with another human being. Anything about 'easy accessible activism' banks on the fact that you can literally just... do /something/. That you can want to do something and act on it, anything. That you could join a group chat or keep up with a newsfeed or hold a conversation with another human being.

All I do is work and eat and sleep and survive and it's not enough - I need to be working /more/, not less. I need to keep squeezing out every drop of usable time and energy to put towards surviving. And when I need to be striving for more always and pushing myself more than ever there's no hope because there is only ever more of the same.

There's no rest or relief to hold out for and no point where it finally stops. There's only more of the same, forever, barring a miracle cure that will not come in my lifetime or winning the lottery despite never buying a ticket. Or some kind of political or economic revolution that means I finally have options other than working myself to death, without starving or losing my home.

Or the other option is that I keep working myself to death, or the point where I've depleted my body so much that I finally qualify for disability - at which point I have to survive on next to nothing forever (with the same expenses and debts I can't manage now) and know I sacrificed years of my life and my health working for mere survival, never to get ahead, just for things to get worse.

Because that's the hardest part. There's no pay-off, besides still waking up every morning. No matter how hard I work I never get ahead, I only fall further behind. I only ever see how much more I need to put in, that somehow I need to keep extracting more from my mind and body to see any return at all, rather than just breaking even on the expense of keeping myself alive.

I dream of just being able to read a book. Or hang out with a friend, or HAVE a friend - to have social conversations on a semi-regular basis. I can't do that now, I can't spare any scrap of energy to be social. I can't spare the time and energy to take a walk - or walk to a cafe to work - if it costs me a sliver of my ability to work that day. I can't spare any of it. I'm battling to do enough to survive, all day every day.

And the cruellest part is that there's no pay-off. I don't earn enough to cover my bills, let alone enough to d*nate, even in lieu of having time and energy to help other people. I don't earn enough to treat myself, to have nice things that bring me comfort or pleasure. I don't even earn enough to feed myself well - in terms of nutrition and quality and enjoyment.

I pour everything I have into working and still deal with food insecurity, still struggle with rent, still haven't been able to see a dentist for years despite major problems. I can't afford to eat well or care for my body and I get sicker and it only gets harder.

And the cruellest part is that this is not organic - as in, these limitations and this life is not the inherent consequence of my physical health. I have the ability to do things and go out and work and socialise and do activism and participate in community and all of it - but I can't do it and still work enough to support myself. So it all has to go and everything I give up gets tossed onto the pyre of 'full time work' and it's all burnt up and I still get nothing. Other than waking up every morning to do it all again. I've been giving it everything I have for five years and I'm no better off than when I started. I can never do enough.

(And I know the shittiness of the 40-hour work week is something most people reckon with. My work hours are normal but the inability to even hold a conversation outside work, to be thst depleted and exhausted, to do nothing but work and it's still not enough, that is not normal. The level to which it affects me is related to my disability.)

[richeswithm]

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[honestproductreviews]

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[castle-dominion]

castle 6x10 the good the bad & the baby

the baby lotto episode liveblog

heheheh I actually missed this one on my family watch & we had to go back afterwards to watch it.

I'm so stoked.

Loooove a good bit of christianity. The aesthetics, the folk-catholic, the goth/emo, the religious trauma, I love it sm. *dies immediately after handing a baby to the priest*

Very Castle of him. But he's right leftovers are important. Oh yeah, Pi. (Ooh audio commentary... which I've seen) lol mom Oh her dad is joining them! ... Costume? (take it in the context of the times Dom, period typical homophobia tagged on ao3 as 2007, it's ok, well it is not ok but it's fine it's fine you don't need to do anything, just be quiet, it's fine, everyone in 2023 knows that this is racist it's fine just keep watching)

Should I clip this? KB: Uh … you guys – you guys dress up for Thanksgiving? RC: (pause) Doesn’t everybody? KB: (low) No, I think that’s pretty special to you. (to CASTLE) Um … so, is there anything else I need to know about you before we get married? RC: So many, many things.

lol beckett & becket

RC: When we do this, let’s not do the dead body in the middle of the aisle.

6.30 mass? that's early af. "at the buttcrack of dawn" said my lil bro

JE: a little something something. LP *turns around with a smile & a baby* RC: A BABY!!!!? LP: A boy. I’m guessing he’s about three months. (lol no.) And he’s hungry because he keeps going after the girls. RC: Oh, who can blame him? Hi, buddy. What’s your name, little man?

rysposito arguing over lottery lol (yk what? I'll quote.) JE: his name is Cameron Ducane, 30, lived in the Bronx. There’s no baby pictures in his wallet, he’s got a commercial driver’s license, probably drives for a living. He’s got a car wash coupon– (he scoffs) – and like Ryan, spent his hard earned money on a lottery ticket. KR: (sighs) That is the Five State Magic Ball Jackpot. At $247 million you’re crazy not buying a ticket. JE: Yeah, one or two. Not fifty. KR: I’m just increasing my odds of winning. JE: You’re increasing your odds of being broke. KR: Listen, do you have any idea what it costs raising a child in New York City? JE: (shrugs) I don’t know how much it costs. I mean - KR: Of course you don’t, ‘cause you don’t - JE: I’m – RC: Guys! How about we don’t fight in front of the baby? Beckett smiles and rolls her eyes all at once.

He does call himself ruggedly handsome more than once lol. Castle is also such a dad! He sees a baby & immediately he goes from "12-year-old humour" & "15 year old who thinks he can seduce his teacher" to "DAD MODE ENABLED. OBJECTIVES: PROTECT CHILD, CLICK TONGS, MAKE JOKES."

What's his name? Julian? Love how Castle just steals him(*shrugs at beckett*) & gets ice cream. I am so glad that in the bonus features of at least one of the seasons we got to meet the "cast behind the cast" clipping

Yes he does drive for a living THAT IS A HORRIBLE SHIFT IMO. I used to work 11-19 but it was always that not 23-6...

Maybe he was thinking abt having a baby & put locks on the doors for that

I loooove this scene. They just filmed it in a car elevator. soo goood. (no-show or call in sick or smth?) (roman is very... artiulate if you know what I'm thinking about. Which you do. Why would you read my liveblog without having seen the show? unless you're reading my liveblog WHILE watching the ep but who would be doing that? I am not that popular.) Love the whistle

Ok so Roman the car service owner said that since Werid Prison Dude showed up, Cameron had been staying out all not, not coming in for his 3.00 lunch break.

That's an awesome tattoo but also it sounds like literally every tattoo. apparently this individual messed up their lines, it was supposed to be "howling at THE moon" but he said "It was pretty spectacular. It was a wolf, teeth bared, howling at a moon." & they kept it bc it was awesome beckt it is NOT specific. LOVE the outfits for ryckett, but I liked beckett's outdoor outfit better than her indoor one. Oh & esposito has bisexual clothes on (even tho it's supposed to be a classic case of dark haired gay x light haired bisexual)

If speeding tickets are on your criminal record then these detectives should get A Lot more "no record except for speeding tickets" rather than "no record"

KR: A guy takes off for work at 10PM and never arrives. And then at 6:45 the next morning he shows up shot to death at a church, holding someone else’s baby. What the hell happened in those 8 hours? That's the point of the episode babe

BECKETT shakes her head. The elevators dings and they turn to see CASTLE walking in, the baby in this arms. A UNIFORM (Julian?) follows him, his hands FULL of baby stuff. CASTLE waves. KB: Hey. So … that’s a couple of things? (ryan's big smile when castle comes in) RC: Yeah. I just grabbed the essentials. You know, diapers, a carrier, wipes, blankies, bottles, formula. Didn’t want little Cosmo going hungry. (Older brother's horror game player: B'by!! Baby! ... The ba,bey!) uwu castle dressed him up like a turkey! KB: I’m suddenly getting a clear and frightening visual as to what my future will look like. so she is planning on having kids.

KR: Hey, Castle. …um, mind if I hold him? It’ll be good experience for me. RC: Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Ready? KR: Yeah He passes RYAN the baby. As soon as the baby leaves CASTLE’S arms, he starts to fuss. (because the film team had quadruplets & each baby had a different specialty. This baby hated being on their back so they would start crying. Coincidentally, Seamus Dever was holding them so the camera could see them which just so happened to be a position that the baby hated so they started to cry as soon as he held them.) RC: Hold his head, there. KR: I know. RC: Hold him up under his – KR: I know. The baby keeps fussing. KR: Um… he’s crying. What am I doing wrong? RC: Just try to remain calm. They can sense fear. (like bees, dogs, & bread dough) KR: This is not at all like the practice doll. The baby continues to cry and CASTLE makes a face. Finally RYAN breaks and hands him back to CASTLE. KR: I thought I was ready. Clearly I am not. (aside) Oh God, I’m not ready. Poor man XD, but also NOBODY is ready for a baby. (clipping)

I'm the baby whisperer!!!

RC: Want to hold him? Her smile falls. KB: Uh, no. I’d rather figure out where he came from. RC: Well, when a man – (Sex? I’ll explain how that works later.) KB: Stop. Stop. I know where babies come from, Castle. Just not this one. She heads for her desk. RC: I can’t believe you don’t want to hold the baby. Everyone wants to hold the baby. JE: I don’t want to hold that baby. (THAT baby XD) (tbh I could clip that one phrase) RC: shrugs.

Jimmy Wolfinsky, aka Jimmy the Wolf. Good name, good tat. That sketch has a slightly too strong chin

RC: So it’s a tale of betrayal and revenge. Cameron abandons his partner Jimmy he comes down, leaving him to take the fall. Ridden with remorse, Cameron tries to put it all behind him, start life anew. But surprise, surprise. *cameral looking at ryan from the baby's POV* RC: Jimmy made parole after spending seven long years thinking of ways to make his partner pay. I like the "chorus" shakespeare bonvolio moments where people recap what has been going on in hte ep. Makes it make sense for me. But I thought cam told his wife everything & wouldn't keep secrets like extra marital babies & presumably bank robbery

Clip the jacket toss? Maybe they don't know he's gone, just like the lightbulb len episode (not relevant to anything but remember when castle was like "alexis doesn't think loving ashley at college is practical but she needs to love him anyway" & now with pi he's like "don't you dare effing move out") clipping lanie baby talk to for sure

LP: Well, whatever happened happened near that church. She drops her jacket on a chair. KB: Lanie, what are you doing here? LP: I had some information and I thought I’d come by and check on my little patient. (she bypasses them completely and picks the baby up from the pack and play) Hey little doodlebug. How’re you doing? KB: What makes you think Cameron was shot near the church? LP: Well, based on the nature and the severity of the wounds, your victim maybe had only five or ten minutes before he bled out. RC: He couldn’t have driven that far. LP: Twenty blocks at most. I also found something unusual under his fingernails. [In baby voice] Wax residue, charred nitrocellulose, and camphor. Despite her rundown of the facts, she more interested in the baby. KB: Nitrocellulose? LP: Yes. It’s used to make celluloid. You can find it in old filmstock, certain kinds of plastic, but it’s highly flammable. (she goes back to the baby) Isn’t it? RC: Charred celluloid? Where would that come from? LP: Beats me. That’s your job. Right now my job is to play with the little baby. Yes it is. LP continues to bounce the baby. KB smiles.

Ryan no you are embarrassing me & I'm just watching the show. JE: Yeah, this is Detective Esposito. I need to put out a BOLO on a Jimmy Wolfins- (he pauses when he sees a man walking toward him) Never mind. I think I found him. should I clip the oblivious ryan + fight scene esposito? lil bro said yes

INT – TWELFTH PRECINCT OBSERVATION ROOM RC: is in the room, holding the baby. They’re watching JIMMY through the glass. RC: See that man? That is a bad man. He’s gonna confess and we’re going to know just who you are. The baby coos in his arms. KR: walks in. KR: Castle? Mind if I try again? RC: Course. Here you go. He hands the baby over, and just like last time the baby immediately starts to fuss. RC: makes a face and KR: starts to panic. He hands the baby back. KR: I’ll just … wait outside. RC: No problem. KR: sighs as he backs out the door. He can’t even come up with an excuse. RC: (low, to the baby) You did that on purpose, didn’t you? High five. (the baby hits his palm) Good job.

RC: That’s a grownup lying. (low) Get used to that.

I like the wolf. Not ratting on his partner even tho the man abandoned him in the bank job.

JW: Because … I don’t know, when I was convicted I may have told some folks that Cam would pay. But that was years ago. (they’re silent) Look, the truth is, I was the one who messed up that day. I got hung up inside. Cam waited as long as he could. Longer than he should’ve. I told him that. He knew we were square. Good on them tbh

You're out of the house before 7? I mean I used to have to catch my bus for culinary school at 6.00...

Love seeing Gates be normal Gates not "iron gates".

KB: Castle, we were strangers until this morning. but you were only strangers until this morning! Consistency is important for kids! In the face of that face XD

One of our own sjfhdsjksdjklj

lunch HOUR? He works 7 hours & one of those hours is his lunch?

I had never heard the term blotter in this context before this fandom. KR: Nope, only three men and a mustang.

Wait how do-- right the footage. We saw the footage at 4.12 & mass was at 6.30.

Files, information, bank transfer numbers... they don't need to physically steal stuff b'y. Yeah bro if they got in you need to know how they did & where your security failed.

RC: A heist where nothing was taken. Maybe this is a classic ‘no honor among thieves’ situation. You know, a heist goes wrong, they fight. (reminds me of 2x21) RC: A not-so-classic no honor among thieves situation? KB: Where someone gets shot running away with a baby?

aaaaaaaaah def clipping

KR: I mean, earlier just got me thinking. Our baby’s due in a month and I can’t stop it. What if I’m really not ready? JE: Well, you’re not ready. KR: What?? JE: (shrugs) Nobody is. Look, being a dad is like being a cop. No matter what they teach you in the academy, you learn on the streets. You did okay with that, right? KR: Uh :| …my first day I was so nervous I rear ended the spot man and the guys in vests poured out ready to take me out with extreme prejudice. JE: JE: Well … you care. That already makes you a hundred times better than the dad I had. KR: [watches him for a second] (the man took you to baseball games between the ages of 3 & 5 at least...) also wow a month! The next episode is when the baby is born btw.

Typically I hear Beckett call him Espo the most. love his scarf btw

Castle can tell by the smell it was recent? A DIAPER!!! Poor baby, possibly witnessed someone get shot

I love rysposito just chatting in the background (saying goodnight & leaving in "we"s bc caskett are going home together but girl that also implies rysposito are going home together)

You are correct, he is NOT a bad guy. My man used to be a getaway driver but then he got out of the life bro. He's trying to save this baby from whoever is out there shooting ppl! actually that makes me think. Why didn't cosmo cry when cameron handed him to the priest?

Lol he's the baby whisperer. I mean yeah! Castle raised Alexis! "officially remains custody of the nypd" I used to dislike self-insert fanfiction but uh heheh technically custody of the nypd babes. & he's right! He DOES have all the stuff!

"wanna have a baby with me?" XD It'll be fun! cut to: this is SO not fun!

I love how Baby Whisperer is capitalized Them is so much faster to say but at least the book didn't say "it" (also heck yeah caskett moments) just has an exercise ball cream of mushroom soup babes HAS SHE STILL NOT HELD THE BABY? *holding him at arms length* "I hate that blanket" KB: We’re going on the nasty blanket. Yeah. Like a surgery lol. Castle really is a dad. Love the music *just not showing anything lol, rly good for filming bc they don't need to be in front of the camera* (the music heehee)

RC: All right. Now all we have to do is get him to sleep. Oh no

Martha was ALSO a single parent! The door opens and ALEXIS CASTLE walks in. Her eyes widen when she sees CASTLE and BECKETT rumpled on the couch and MARTHA happily feeding a baby. AC: How long have I been gone?

The elevator dings and CASTLE and BECKETT step off. They both have coffee but they both look bone tired. KB: Coffee’s not even helping. RC: I’d forgotten about this part. They sluggishly head for her desk. KR: Whoa. (really good "woah" from him) You two look like you got hit by the milk truck. CASTLE gestures to his face. RC: You see this face? This is the face of your future. (not clipping) JE: That bad, huh? RC: No, no, no. We slept like babies. KB: Yeah, up every hour. KR: Where is the little guy? KB: Martha and Alexis offered to babysit him. (Is that allowed? they r not the nypd?) KB: They said they were going to make a day out of it. (she tries to focus on work) So .. where are we on … um … JE, who has also basically adopted people: Child services? KB: … child services.

Nooooo did the baby's relative DIE???

KB: Uh, given how much baby garbage we generated in just one night and given how quickly they cleaned and vacated that apartment after the shooting, I’m wondering where all their garbage went. JE: raises his eyebrows. It’s a new angle. EXT – NEW YORK CITY ALLEYWAY (they've filmed in this alley before /neu) RC is digging through a dumpster. KB pops up next to him. (nice jackett btw) RC: You always take me to the most exotic places. KB: If you didn’t want to jump in your could have waited on the side like you usually do. Her teasing is good-natured. RC: What? After the puke storm I put you through last night? It felt wrong not to participate. KB: Yeah. RC: Which, by the way, you were great last night. KB: (smiles) Thank you. You weren’t so bad yourself. RC: Well, I was no baby whisperer. (she laughs) You know, I’ve gotta say, when I volunteered to take Cosmo I – I thought I was doing it for his benefit, but … I realized I was doing it more for mine. I – when Alexis was little Meredith wasn’t really around, so I – I did it all on my own. And … when you said you weren’t a baby person … KB: Ah, okay. Okay, I get it. You were thinking that … RC: (nods) Yeah. KB: Well, tell you what. When the time comes, there’s no way I’m going to let you take care of our baby on your own. She smiles and he smiles back. They lean in for a kiss. (“it’s just weird” -rc in reference to kissing in front of a dead body) KR: Hey guys! They pull back. KR holds up a bag triumphantly. (also if u look in the background esposito is peeing against the wall. Remember s1 with the nanny when castle asked where detectives go to the washroom?) KR: I’ve got something. (lil bro: "it's a couch! for my apartment!" dumpster divin', dumpster kevin...) He jumps out and runs to show them. KR: Diapers. The same kind that Cosmo was wearing when we found him. RC: The cheap, un-biodegradable kind? Now that’s just criminal.

Ryan canonically knows abt wine then? he mentioned if he won the lottery (before he had a baby) thet he'd buy a winery & farm, he's impressed by argon canisters... JE: They were lighting pin opng balls on fire??? RC: *you're right that's a college party trick*

KB: Okay, a wine preservation kit, a missing baby, and a heist where nothing was taken. I mean, each time we find a piece of this puzzle it makes less and less sense.

ryan embarrassing moments:

RC: There’s something we’re missing. Something that – There’s commotion from out in the bullpen. KR pulls a chair over to the TV. KR: It’s time! It’s time! RC: - something that’ll make the pieces fit. They head out to see what’s really going on. JE shakes his head. INT – TWELFTH PRECINCT BULLPEN KR: Quiet everyone. It’s starting! KR hands a few tickets to his coworkers. (BRO???) JE: Wow man, how many of these things did you buy – KR pushes his finger against JE’S lips to get him to stop talking. KR: Shhh. Baby needs an education. Officer Harrison.

RC: Right. The break in where nothing was stolen? Ping pong balls, wax, gas? You guys, it makes perfect sense. They fixed the lottery. The crowd mumbles. RYAN looks at the TV in disbelief before ripping his tickets in half and tossing them in the air. (at the desks now) RYAN groans, his head in his hands, shaking, BECKETT'S hand rests on his shoulder. Except how would they get them in ORDER?

the winning the lottery joke was not good

Oh no the husband is probably the one who got shot!

ok but is that the third briefcase from the end or the third briefcase from the leftmost one? what if you're doing double inclusive counting? double exclusive counting? I'm really bad at this sort of thing Benny was crying? Benny was there? no wait that was yesterday not today Why would gates ask beckett what would happen to Paul Vail? She's the captain here babes

Corner after corner walk & talk

Caskett finishing each other's sentences lol RC: They’re not leveraging him. He’s in on it. Yeah lol acab

Ooh the way the music stopped when she put down the phone? so good

They just have him in the car service location? Ok so sometimes they show up & start yelling from a distance, other times they sneak up on em. What's the difference?

Oh the reunion!

VG: Nicely done. KB: Thanks. But uh … Cam is the real hero here. VG: The getaway driver? RC: Yeah. Turns out it was a case of honor among thieves. JE: Yeah. Paul told us the whole story. KB: When Cam’s boss, Roman, found out about his past, he pressured Cam into the job and threatened to fire him if he didn’t go along. RC: It was going to destroy everything he and his wife were trying to build. (all four of them are doing the finishing sentences thing) JE: Roman promised no one would get hurt, but then after the ball exchange at the TV station, Cam overheard Roman and Walter Dennis talking. They whole leaving the country thing was bull. They never had any intention of letting the Vails live. KR: Yeah. After collecting the winnings, they were going to stage an accident, killing them all. VG: Silencing the only witnesses to their crime. KB: nods. RC: When Cam found out, he couldn’t live with that. PAUL: He tried to save us both, but they caught him. So he grabbed Benny and ran. (to MIRANDA) He gave up his life for us.

Baby! Love his hat btw

KR: Well, the good news is, I mean, besides saving that family, they are rolling over the lottery. So I’ve got another shot at that $247 million. All I’ve got to do is tape my tickets back together. JE: Oh … dude. (KR stops) They uh … they already took out the trash. KR stops for a seconds, then turns and bolts out the door, almost running into someone in the process. After he’s gone, JE starts to laugh. He pulls KR's tickets from his pocket. JE: It’s– I’m just going to let him swim around in a dumpster for like a hour, then I’m going to pull him out. XD what a dick but it's funny

AC: Hey, if you guys have kids in a few years, and I have kids in a few years, they can grow up together. RC: RC: And … it’s ruined. Bestie the turkey should have already been out of the freezer those things take forever to thaw. I missed a day of culinary school. & was screwed. Also, like??? just break it down? Different parts of the carcass have different cooking times. Break it down & then cook them so that you have them all perfectly done instead of some overcooked some still half-raw

Love Martha's outfit (her braids are not nearly tight enough tho) *don't talk about it don't talk about it don't talk about it don't talk about it hhhhhhhhhhhh* where's Jim? I'm glad that thought distracted me. Also yeah I totally believed the castle family would do that. but why did SHE get castle's outfit? if she thought castle was being srs & would have his own?

So yeah I really really loved this episode! Minus the fact that I'm FNMI ofc.

So there IS an audio commentary of this but idk if it would be worth liveblogging.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

Apologies in anything like this was asked before, but I’m genuinely interested in your opinion: would the Weasleys have been better off financially, emotionally, etcetera if Percy was been born the long-awaited daughter instead of Arthur and Molly trying and trying again until they got to Ginny? (Assuming Molly was just THAT desperate for a little girl as opposed to single-handedly making up for the war’s magical population losses.)

No.

First, why Percy? Percy's somewhere in the middle. There's still Fred, George, and Ron after him. I don't think Percy was the child that made or broke their finances.

As for their emotional issues with Percy. Well, sure, if Percy didn't exist then Arthur wouldn't have had to deal with his son getting promoted over him in the ministry and they wouldn't have their one child who didn't believe everything Dumbledore said. This would have saved them some existential angst.

Ron, Fred, and George wouldn't have the brother that none of them even like.

But whose to say Percette, the daughter that might have been, wouldn't have done these same things?

I don't think Percy's singlehandedly responsible for the Weasley's myriad of issues. He's symptomatic of a much greater problem with this family.

As for the money, yes, having seven kids did not help the Weasley finances. But there's other factors. Molly herself does not work, they're a single income household. And yes, this isn't a bad thing, but it does put a strain on their family's finances.

More, they're very fiscally irresponsible. The second Arthur gets money, he spends it. We see this many many times.

In Harry's first year, Ron has to stay at Hogwarts, because Arthur, Molly, and Ginny are going to Egypt to visit Bill. Ron doesn't have a new wand because his parents could not afford one. Now, alright, maybe Bill was able to pay for the trip through work. Except... why then were Ron, Percy, Fred, and George not allowed to come? True, maybe work was only willing to pay up to three and Ginny has nowhere to go but... all of this makes it seem like the Weasleys paid for that out of pocket.

In Harry's second year, Ron's wand breaks and the family does not get him a new one, for an entire year. This is Ron's entire livelihood, without a functioning wand, he is essentially a squib. This implies that the Weasley's have 0 emergency funds.

Ron does eventually get that wand but the very next year, when Arthur wins the lottery, rather than save the money he takes the entire family to Egypt. That money is gone. Instantly.

We then see the Weasleys with things like tickets to the Quidditch World Cup, which I imagine are insanely expensive. They have a very decked out tent that seems to be pretty top of the line.

The point being: The Weasleys are bad with money.

This isn’t a good thing or a bad thing, necessarily, but it means I don’t think things would change for them with less kids.

The Weasleys only having three children, as opposed to seven, wouldn't change this. Sure, they don't have to buy as many school supplies, feed as many mouths, or just have as many expenses. But that money would still probably go to other things.

I don't see Percy having been a girl changing this.

EDIT:

Correction! Arthur got the World Cup tickets through work and borrowed the tent. We can take those off the table.

[anonymouslyangsty]

Ultimate clairvoyant!Taka

Wow congrats. You just found the worst possible talent for Kiyotaka Ishimaru. I'm impressed.

Fair warning this is very long. I got excited.

Listen It's the worst talent for him and I adore that. He's all about hard work and effort, working hard instead of relying on 'talent'. And yet he has a supernatural ability that he neither earned nor can really work hard at.

Taka would definitely feel guilt or shame over his ability, because what has he done to earn it? Why should he have some magic ability that gives him an unfair advantage? And even if he rarely used the ability, he'd always feel like a cheater, just some genius.

I can absolutely see Toranosuke being the first to catch onto Taka's ability. Like maybe he's watching a local election on TV while Taka's in the room, and jokingly asks the 5 year old who he thinks will win. Taka pauses for a moment, before very confidently picking one of the candidates. And...he's right.

And if it were a one time thing, you could easily write it off. He had a 50% chance to be right after all. But Toranosuke's interest is peaked. So he tries again, maybe lets Taka guess the winning numbers on a lottery ticket. The boy is right again.

Maybe this is what causes the scandal in this au? Toranosuke starts making perfect investments, so perfect that people suspect his abusing his position to get insider information. After all, how can he so perfectly predict when to invest, or when to sell his stock?

At this point, he can either claim to just be very good at what he does, which won't convince anyone...or he can tell the truth about his grandson. And really, what's the downside of doing that? It proves he isn't abusing his power (at least not in the way they're accusing him of), and it GIVES him more power. Because if Kiyotaka really does have this ability, then everyone is going to want to talk to the boy.

So Toranosuke proves without a shadow of a doubt that Taka can predict things, likely on national television. It's...a pretty big freaking deal, because it straight up proves that supernatural things are real.

Takaaki is very much out of the loop on this whole thing. The first he hears about Taka's ability is when his father's is dragging the boy on television to prove it. Takaaki is...unhappy that his father would do that without warning him, to say the least.

So Taka basically becomes a child god to some people. Politicians pay ridiculous amounts of money to get predictions and advice from this 7 year old boy. There's a legit cult that worships Taka. Maybe even a few kidnapping attempts, because who wouldn't want the boy who can predict the future?

Takaaki doesn't like that such a young boy is getting dragged into this kind of stuff. It's unhealthy, and some of Taka's 'followers' are obsessive and extreme in what they'll do. A 7 year old shouldn't have worshipers.

But even as his father, Takaaki has very little power to stop what's happening. It's an entire movement, with billions of yen involved and millions of people. The fact that Taka is his son doesn't have much sway at that point. The best he can do is make sure Toranosuke doesn't exhaust his son by keeping him up all night making predictions.

As for Taka, I'm sure he loves it at first. He's helping his grandfather! He's making so many people happy! And people like him and give him things! What little kid wouldn't like it?

But as he gets older, Taka begins to question if it's really a good thing. Because some of the people he's helping don't seem to be good people. They're politicians who aren't helping people, or businessmen who are abusing the information he gave them. And the older Taka gets the more he questions if what he's doing is right.

I definitely want this Kiyotaka empire to fall somehow. Maybe the stress of the position, the fear that he's doing the wrong thing, finally gets to Taka. And his dad knows that Toranosuke won't do what's best for the boy's mental health. So he takes Taka and runs, moving into some small run down town in the middle of nowhere, praying that nobody will recognize them.

Once they've escaped the spotlight, Taka starts doing what you'd expect from him. Working hard at school, joining the morals committee, generally being a teacher's pet, ect. Perhaps he feels like he has to make up for being a tool for corrupt politicians, for having a special edge up on others that he didn't earn.

He tries his best to ignore his powers, but the fact that he doesn't want to be a clairvoyant doesn't mean he isn't one. And going from using his powers constantly to never using them does have its consequences.

Taka doesn't want to magically know which student was going to run in the hall, or who was going to try to sneak out and smoke during lunch. It's immoral of him to abuse his powers like that, even if he is right! But he does know, and he can't just sit by and let the rules be broken, even if he got to information through unjust means.

I can also see him starting to sleepwalk at some point, because all that magical energy isn't just going to stay dormant. Takaaki is very used to his son walking into his room at 3 am, and telling him to invest in some company or another. Then just...flopping on the ground like a puppet whose strings were cut. Takaaki’s gotten very good at catching him before that happens, though he’s considering buying his son a helmet to sleep in just in case.

But even for all their hiding, Taka's absolutely going to be found sooner or later. He was known as the most powerful boy in Japan, he can't just disappear without people hunting him down. Plus Taka has a very distinctive face, with the bright red eyes and huge eyebrows.

Maybe that's why he accepted a position at HP. Not because he wants anything to do with his power, but because he wants his father not to have to deal with all of the madness surrounding it. If Taka leaves, the cult following, the constant hounding, the pursuit, goes with him. Takaaki can have a normal life.

(Also, imagine how heartbreaking and infuriating it would be for Taka to get that invitation. Because this Taka has worked just as hard as canon Taka. He got perfect grades through hard work, because he knows that magically knowing the answers isn't the same as understanding the material. He's just as hard working, just as qualified for the role of Ultimate Moral Compass. And yet he's recognized for something that he can't control. He's recognized for genius rather than effort.)

Final few statements, because golly this has gotten long. I do think Taka's powers work differently than Hiro's. Taka doesn't get quite as many predictions as Hiro, but when he does get them, they're 100% accurate.

While Taka probably can predict anything, most of his predictions specifically involve politics, economic trends, and things involving breaking rules. It's likely because that's what he's interested in, so that's where his predictions focus.

Now I'm thinking about Kiyotaka and Kyoko working together on a case. Taka can predict what'll happen before it does happen, and Kyoko has the ability to solve the case with the help of Taka's predictions.

[risukadarlin]

[yuugen romantica] vol. 2: zakuro - track three

3; enchantments are in a foxes’ nature.

listen along (ends 9:45)・masterpost

                                                                            ���

Is this everyone then?

Four guys, three girls.

Let’s just wait and see if one of them slips up for now.

Oi, don’t pull anything funny.

Do you hate people whispering in your ear that much?

I have to possess people when I go outside.

And being inside you makes this easier.

Listen here.

Do as I tell you.

If you try anything stupid--

You know what’ll happen…

So where do you lowly humans usually hang out?

Huh?

Animate?

What’s that?

A shop that sells anime stuff?

I don’t get it but it’s popular, right?

Then go there.

                                                                              ✿

This is animate?

It’s so flashy.

How noisy…

What are they shouting for?

A lottery for merch of famous characters?

Are you going to buy one too?

Show me.

What’s this?

Prize T?

A plastic sleeve?

It’s not very cool, is it?

What’s the best thing you can get?

Huh… A cushion of the character?

I didn’t know people got so excited about lotteries.

It would be easier just to use magic.

Give me one of those leaves.

One from the potted plant.

Now shut up and watch.

See.

If you use magic, you can easily turn a leaf into a winning ticket.

Go get your prize.

What do you mean “no”?

Did you not pick one because you wanted to win?

The method doesn’t matter.

Stop making a fuss about some damn lottery ticket.

Look, you were too busy spacing out and now one of the guys is here.

What’s wrong with this guy?

Grabbing your shoulder like that…

Isn’t he a bit too touchy-feely?

Is he your boyfriend?

No, I guess not.

God, he’s touching you a lot.

What an annoying dude.

The bastard.

He took your ticket.

Oh, look how nice he is~

How kind of him to take that ticket to the counter for you.

Don’t panic.

Just shut up and take the cushion.

They’ll never know it's fake.

What are you getting seriously angry about?

You really think you can speak like that to me?

Fine!

God, you’re annoying.

Then I’ll just burn that ticket.

What?

I’m destroying the evidence.

If I burn it, they’ll never know the truth.

What’s that!?

A fire alarm!?

I’ve never heard of one.

I can’t just put out the first like tha-

It’s raining inside the building!

Sprinklers?

Shit, what the hell is this?!

                                                                              ✿

I’m sorry.

I didn’t realise it would end up like that…

Aren’t you going to blame me?

You got all wet because of me.

You’re so kind it’s almost stupid.

I get it, I get it.

I won’t cheat like that again.

I hate causing a fuss.

But you can’t carry on if you’re this wet.

We never did find out who the culprit was…

We just have to wait until they let it slip.

                                                                              ✿

You good?

What are you so shocked for?

It’s me.

Does it matter?

Am I not allowed to come here?

More importantly, are you okay?

You were sneezing.

Did you catch a cold?

You got really wet yesterday.

What?

You just breathed in too much dust?

Stop misleading me.

Do you have to clean this whole hallway yourself?

The other person had a student council meeting, huh?

You’re so unlucky.

Shall I help you?

I’m trying to make up for yesterday.

I don’t like owing human’s favours.

Let’s make it even.

Places that get cleaned well like this are so nice.

No one even tries to clean the science lab properly.

It’s so dusty.

Yes. I’ve been there for over 100 years.

I don’t live there because I want to.

I was just bound there without my knowledge and made into one of the “seven wonders”.

Some people say it’s the curse of a fox who lost their shrine.

Or that it’s the revenge of a fox who lost their home when the school was built.

Rumours don’t care about anyone.

I don’t know who bound me there or for what.

But if I try to leave the school my magic is limited and I can’t stay in this form.

Apparently the curse will be broken if we find the 7th wonder, but…

I don’t care anymore.

Not really.

I haven’t got anywhere to go even if I am freed.

I’m not lonely or anything.

I prefer it when no one comes and bothers me.

I’m sick of people making a fuss in my bedroom, y’know?

This should be fine.

Bye then.

Now we’re even.

[shadowdianne]

A friend who is actually starting to write her own book sent me a little thing back at instagram which was a cute version of inktober. For each day of august a prompt of word. She asked me to do it with her, as a way of making her write even a short paragraph each day and motivate her. I said yes, but since I'm quite the overachiever I did all previous days plus today and my plan is to do them all now that I'm up to date with the ones I was "supposed" to have done. Anyway, the rules we set for this were no tailoring afterward, no editing, and a max of 15 lines. It's not fanfic but if anyone wants to read them...

1.- Circle

The grass was dry beneath their feet as they moved, the nighttime air filled with the chants of those who hold the candles as they moved, shadows undulating, changing, as they rose their arms. However, If anyone would have dared to peek from beyond the trees that surrounded the clearing, they would have only seen the blue formations of the will-o-wisps as they moved and created the never-ending circle and yet, however, if any bystander clever enough, magical enough, interested enough, would have kept on watching, battling against the feeling of being watched that would have crept out on their back, they would have seen the figures, the lights, form and change and transform until the will-o-wisps were gone and, on their wake, the circle would have led to the wings of those departed, waiting for their time to come so they could traverse to the place beyond.

2.- Changeling

Their eyes are never the right color, their mouths form words no-one should speak outload, they teach us to never share our meals, our names with them, for they do not belong to us anymore that they do belong to what lies beyond the veil that permeates magic and secrets. Their souls were sold, way beyond they were formed, even if they wear lead and silver like any mortal would. They can touch salt, and eat it as well, but their redemption lies beyond the crosses and symbols of the religion that they were brought up into. You can make deals with them, they teach us, you can peer into those eyes and try not to lose yourself if you are willing, but remember that their bodies are borrowings, copies of imperfect molds. They exist and they can bring gifts, for they can step into said veil, but there’s nothing that will make them human, or mortal, even if they think of themselves as such.

3.-Lottery

The numbers bled ink onto her palm as she brought it closer to her eyes, the rain around her turning ice-cold as she tried to peer beyond it. The air freezing as she rose her free hand and moved a few stray hairs out of her eyes. She could feel the chill on her back and neck, the razor sting of the water turning to hail. “Is someone there?” She wanted to ask, the silhouette she had seen -she had thought she had seen- walking down the road now nowhere to be found. The lottery ticket kept flapping against the wind, the numbers beginning to smear as she brought it closer to her chest. Numbers, she would soon find out when she entered into one of the few shops down her street that would take it, that changed with notable pace. There was never a wrong one, she would realize, for each number would always be the correct one, would always give the answer that would need to be given in order to win. Then, she would ask, why the ticket was also stained with blood?

4.-Officiate

The bold man rose his arms and looked at us with a grave look, the shadows within the chapel seeming to grow and wreathe as we all stood, waiting. There was very little to do, beyond keeping up with his stare as he repeated the old mantra I’ve known by heart for longer than my years would have said. I let my mind wander when he didn’t stare at me, trying to catch the sins off our memories, the reason why we have been brought up here. I looked at the stained glass at his back, at the stories that were told with jaded crystals that our memories had conjured. With each night, the stained glass seemed brighter, our souls, according to him, purer. And yet, I felt light-headed, weak, as my eyes were captured once more, distant screams scurrying through the floor as we fell, knees first. Again, and again, and again.

5.-Enchant

He eyed the pendant that hung from between their intertwined fingers, the jewel encased in the middle of the brass and silver lines glinting under the electric light that hung above them. He was still able to taste the wine he had consumed a few minutes prior, the tanginess of it, the way it had stained his teeth. The light within the pendant glowed stronger as it beckoned them, their breath halting and then speeding up as their feet rose from carpeted floors, the wood panels that covered the room’s walls seemingly to throb as they kept on grabbing the pendant, the magic, scribbled beyond the details the artisan had created for them both. “A promise trapped in glass” The old man has whispered as he had given it to him. “A secret written within it.” He had replied, the words strange but expected, such was the way of the saying. He now was able to fear the heat radiating from the pendant, the magic, and he knew he had been lied to.

6.-Science

Beakers tinkled as she looked around the room, the papers, scattered around the body, the last strength of the dead man’s hand thrown over one small portion of white paper that was now marred with words she wasn’t able to understand. The inspector knelt next to the body, not bothering to check the man’s pulse as she knew him dead; the trail of blood pooling on his back enough proof of that, alongside with the scalpel, the broken pieces, of what could have been his latest experiment. Outside, beyond the sea of voices so normal in an investigation site, she could almost listen to the crows she had seen upon entering the building, their beaks open in a sempiternal smirk. She frowned and stood, fingers ironing her clothing reflexively as she took into the laboratory, the slight stench of fluids that had been spilled. And then she winced as her finger opened, sliced by one of the speckles of glass that covered her pants. Stupid, noob, she could listen to the scornful remarks others would tell her, if only the heat that now seemed to burn from her insides would end.

7.- Basket

It was sturdy, the old woman would often say when trying to sell the ones she made in front of her home, the porch worn and slanted but still giving her enough shade for her hands to work without breaking a sweat. It was sturdy and practical and all new-commers should buy one. What would you do, she would say with eyes so clouded they looked like the sky in a stormy day, with the things one was supposed to carry for long travels? What would you do with your food and waterskins? Where would you carry them? She would scoff at the words of those who politely told her that they had their backpacks. “They are not as reliable” She would reply, but she would shoo them away nevertheless, her interest depleted the moment they told her that they were supposed to go for the distant mountains, the ones that seemed blue from where they stood. She would insist more, sometimes, if they seemed hesitant to say not to her, toothless smile and quick tongue quickly lifting a few coins from their purses. It was sturdy, she would say to them, as she gave them the promised basket, the sigils woven into it blinking once, twice, beyond their eyes. She would smile then, promising them good travels, safe travels. She was rarely wrong.

8.- Ensnare

The gardener looked at yet another vine, sweat rolling down his brow, he could feel the dirt slowly resettling itself as he watched, the steps of the poor unfortunate who had ended up being trapped, ensnared, by the vines already beginning to disappear. There was very little he was able to do now, the body mangled beyond recognition, and so he brought a clean cloth and his sears and began the process of recollecting what little he was able to get, at least for the ones who had lost another family member, for the dead to be tolled, he didn’t quite hate his job, it paid well, as long as he himself kept away from the vines covering the mausoleum’s door. But there were days like this one, days in where the heat bothered and the vines were more playful than usual and their teeth nipped at his fingers, that he wondered about taking that final step, devoid of the protections the pendant around his neck gave him. If only to see if there was actually a way of getting lose from them all.

9.-Sky

Their wings fluttered, moved by the breeze that only they could see, and as the night covered everything in velvety black, the wings of the creatures grew in size, changing the sun with the moon, their eyes black holes that blossomed into galaxies only those keen eyed, where able to distinguish on the earth below. They danced around each other, the aurora borealis a stamp of colors their tails created their flight erratic for every night is different and every sky varies, even with the matted imperfections of their plumage -the constellations, those mortals would call them- The planets aligned as the sun disappeared, one last bite of fire hanging low on the horizon, and they kept on dancing, on transforming day to night, and then back and back again.

10.-Box

The box was engraved, numbers of family members so old it was difficult to remember them any longer. It was also covered in dirt, from the grave they had dug it up, their secrets locked away with a lock as well crafted as it was gorgeous; rust not seeming able to corrode the details of the metal parts that surrounded the names. Cold to the touch, permanently, it seemed to leave a thin layer of frost no matter what object it touched, and she bit down her bottom lip as she tried to remember the old nursery rhymes her grandmother used to sing to her, about the secrets she was supposed to inherit, the clues she was supposed to recall. Nothing, however, came forth, her own fingers felt cold and detached and her vision blurred and gone, the will-o-wisp lights that had seemed to grow stronger the last time she checked into the forest that surrounded the home coming closer and closer to her now, asking for a permission they didn’t need as her own soul had granted such.

11.- Catapult

He run, almost slipping over a pool of oil as the noise of the fighters and soldiers below reached him, the sweat on his brow getting heavier with every passing second. He had been tasked with one thing and one thing only: being a novice there was only so much he could do with a sword after all. And so, he run, run towards the catapults waiting outside the castle, beyond the riverbank. All the careful planning had been for naught as they had found a way into the place using the old catacombs, the ones in where numbers appeared written in blood, passages of a bible so cursed there were only a few that could remember the name of the book itself. He hadn’t dared to ask how the enemies had found a way in; the eyes full of fear of his sergeant had been telling enough. And so, he willed his legs to carry him further as he kept on descending the stairs, moving between bodies, and propelling himself in-between those who fought. He had one job and one job only and he needed to reach the riverbank. Or else.

12.-Ladder

The wood of the ladder splintered beneath her fingertips, but she didn’t pay any mind to the pain on her flesh. There was no point to it, after all, for everything she had tried lied dead at her feet, the eyes of the multitude stuck on her as she felt stricken by fear. She had been propped up the unlit bonfire, read her sins, what she had been accused off, and called forth a blessing from the mute skies. She had looked up then, narrowing her eyes as she searched for the birds that changed as the seasons did; she had been taught, instructed, to find those in the case she was found. Yet, nothing came forth on that starless night, not even when she began to feel the stench of fog and fire about to reach her feet. For that, for fear, she transported herself as far as her powers allowed her; to the silo next to the old road; the one in where Old Granny used to sell her baskets to those stupid enough to transverse to the mountains. The silo was closed now, rot settling in of what had been a small hut back when she had been a child, and so she had waited and waited for the screams outside to disappear, her legs around the end of the ladder, her arms, and hands clutching the top of it. A mere second longer, she thought, she prayed, and she would be able to escape, to flee, to those blue mountains she still could see on her mind’s eye.

13.-Carnivorous

The wolf is not evil, despite its large smile and piercing teeth, its tongue as red as the blood it consumes. The wolf is not evil but a warning, one created by the path that moves and curls around the forest, a way of keeping you focused and not dead. The wolf is not evil, it eats what you eat, it grows from what you learn. The wolf is not evil but a companion, one to listen to when you are traveling, hoping for the next curve of the trail to show the shadows of a town nearby. The wolf is not evil, but a guide, a mortal one, that can travel between what you know and what you definitely shouldn’t pry about. The wolf is not evil. Merely carnivorous.

[raven-witchyshop]

3 reasons why your spells aren’t working

Have you ever performed a spell and didn’t see any results? Of course, everyone has been there at some point in time. There are many different circumstances that may cause a spell not to work and I will be discussing the top 3!

Number 1 is simple. You shouldn’t be doing that spell. Easy enough right? Let me give you an example, say you want to play the lottery but you just simple can’t win. Do you decide to do a spell to help show you want the winning numbers will be or what the next winning lottery ticket is. You perform your spell and you may wait a few days to buy your ticket or you may go right away. And to your surprise the spell doesn’t work. That’s because a spell simply can’t help you win the lottery. It’s a game of chance and you simply just have to keep playing until, hopefully you win. Another example is love spells. Although some spells work wonders, a spell to simply get your crush to talk to you may not work. This is something you can do on your own, without any extra help. So next time you perform a spell, ask yourself if you can get these same results on you own with simple action!

Number 2 is your ashamed. Shame is the ultimate confidence killer. It causes you to deny and repress anything that you think is wrong or weird. This can be caused by an underlying problem that you hold within yourself. Don’t be ashamed of your true desires and wants. Be confident in your work and you will reap the benefits of your spell work. For example, let’s say you want to do sex Magic to better strengthen your relationship with your significant other. But in the pit of your stomach you feel as if it is wrong(even with your partners consent) and that the passion should come natural. You perform the spell anyways and you guessed it...it doesn’t work. Let go of being ashamed. Mediate beforehand if needed.

Number 3 is not doing your follow up work. I love the saying dreams without action are simply just dreams. The same goes for spell work, spell work without the actually work is just spells. Every spell you do requires additionally work, rather it’s subconsciously or consciously. So you can perform a spell to get a better job, but if you aren’t putting in applications, your spell will not work. You can do a spell to meet the love of your life, but if you aren’t putting in the effort it won’t work. I recommend before and after you do a spell to sit down and run through every action your have and will work towards your intention of your spell.

Sign up for my newsletter to read more!

www.ravenwitchy.com

[starseedfxofficial]

XAUUSD & GDP: Hidden Opportunities You Can't Afford to Miss in 2024 Picture this: You’re trading XAUUSD, feeling confident, until the market flips faster than a pancake at Sunday brunch. And why? Because GDP data came out, and you hadn’t quite connected the dots yet. Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen again. In this deep-dive, we’ll uncover how Gross Domestic Product (GDP) movements can be a golden key to mastering XAUUSD, highlighting some unexpected strategies that only the sharpest traders know about. Grab your coffee, because we’re about to unlock some ninja-level secrets. The XAUUSD-GDP Connection: Why Most Traders Miss It If you think XAUUSD is just another trading pair driven purely by interest rates, you’re missing a hidden half of the equation. GDP—a country’s economic health scoreboard—can be just as critical. When GDP reports come in lower than expected, it creates a ripple effect that could push gold prices up like a poorly inflated hot air balloon. Why? It’s all about uncertainty. A slowing economy drives investors to seek a safe haven, and what better haven than the shiny stuff? Let me put it in a fun way: Ignoring GDP data when trading XAUUSD is like going out in the rain without an umbrella because you thought, “I’ll just run between the raindrops”—spoiler alert: you’re still gonna get drenched. Gross Domestic Product Reports: The Secret Sauce Behind XAUUSD Moves Alright, here's where the magic happens. The release of GDP data, whether from the United States or a significant trading partner, often determines the mood of the entire Forex market. Picture this scenario: A disappointing U.S. GDP report is like finding out the family dog ate your winning lottery ticket—it’s a swift mood killer, which makes everyone want to flee to safety, in this case, gold (XAUUSD). But here’s where we dig deeper. Advanced traders take into account forecast differentials. That is, they look not only at the actual GDP release but how that data compares to previous forecasts. If GDP drops below expectations, savvy XAUUSD traders hop aboard the golden train early—a train that’s usually headed up. Underground Trend Alert: GDP Trends as Gold Price Drivers Ever notice how everyone’s eyes are glued to employment numbers, but GDP trends often fly under the radar? Here’s a little-known secret: GDP reports have a sneaky way of building momentum for XAUUSD. It’s not just about the surprise numbers; it’s about whether the market thinks those numbers will keep on being disappointing. When GDP reports point to long-term economic stagnation, gold tends to rise not just for a day, but it sets a longer-term upward trend. And here’s a fun comparison: Trading without considering GDP trends is like buying a gadget without reading any reviews—sure, it might work, but you’re also risking it being a total flop. GDP Report Dates: The Unofficial Gold Season Let’s talk about timing. Every quarter, GDP reports are like the unofficial kick-off for what we call "gold season" in the XAUUSD market. The trick isn’t just to know when they’re released—it’s knowing how to prepare. An advanced (but simple!) technique is to enter a straddle position before GDP release days. This ensures you have a trade set up in either direction—if GDP numbers are worse than expected, gold takes off; if better, well, there’s your escape hatch. The real Jedi trick, though, is to not close those positions immediately. GDP reports are usually accompanied by a market overreaction. The following correction—a few days later—is where your true profit lies, like digging for extra fries at the bottom of the fast-food bag. It’s about playing the correction. Why Most Traders Fail at This Let’s be real—the average trader doesn’t even think about GDP numbers when dealing with XAUUSD. That’s because they fall for the misconception that gold only reacts to direct U.S. dollar movements or inflation. But the secret sauce? GDP influences both of these indirectly and in powerful ways. Think of it this way: Ignoring GDP when trading XAUUSD is like not looking at your GPS before going on a road trip. Sure, you might get there eventually, but you're probably taking the scenic route—and losing a lot of time (and money) along the way. Empathetic Moment: That One Trade Gone Wrong If you’ve ever experienced a catastrophic XAUUSD move because you didn't understand why the market moved (hint: GDP announcement you missed!), don’t sweat it. We've all been there—like that time I sold XAUUSD right before the U.S. GDP dropped to its lowest in two years. Yep, gold soared, and I was left holding a rapidly deflating bag. This isn’t about perfection; it’s about learning, adapting, and not making that same mistake twice. Expert Insight: The Economic Ninja Approach John Smithson, a seasoned economist from TradeSmart Analytics, puts it best: “The relationship between GDP and safe-haven assets like gold is not new, but most traders ignore its importance in timing their entries. Remember, when economic confidence falls, gold becomes more attractive.” Smithson isn’t alone. According to the World Gold Council, periods of negative GDP growth have historically correlated with surges in gold demand—especially during extended slowdowns. And here's where we take it up a notch—let's apply the Ninja Trader approach: anticipate those GDP disappointments before everyone else. What does that mean? Keeping a close eye on pre-release indicators like manufacturing indexes or employment data that give you an early hint of where GDP might head. Gold, GDP, and Finding Hidden Opportunities By now, you should be starting to see how these elements come together. It’s about connecting those seemingly invisible dots to make smarter, better-timed trades. When traders recognize that economic slowdowns aren’t just about central banks printing money but reflect a chain reaction in multiple markets—gold being the final link—they begin to see opportunities no one else does. Elite Tactic: The Double Whammy Setup Here's one to put in your trading playbook—I call it the Double Whammy. Enter an XAUUSD trade when GDP data disappoints and then watch closely for additional confirmation from central bank comments. When central bankers acknowledge weak GDP growth—bam—that’s your cue to double down. This is like buying extra lottery tickets when you know your lucky number is up, except here, your “luck” is driven by cold, hard economic data. Takeaways for Your Next XAUUSD Trade - Understand GDP’s Role: Remember that GDP isn’t just for economists—it's a leading signal for XAUUSD. - Prepare Before Report Days: Set up your trades to cover potential whipsaws and corrections. Straddle positions could save you from taking an emotional beating. - Look for Double Confirmations: Keep an eye on central bank commentary after GDP releases. Don’t be the trader who ignores the rain until they’re soaking wet. Stay ahead by embracing the connections others overlook. And as always, if you’re ready for more advanced insights or want help crafting that killer trading plan, check out our resources below. Ready to take your XAUUSD trades to the next level? Join the StarseedFX community for live trading insights and more behind-the-scenes tips and tactics that can skyrocket your Forex journey. Let’s turn that hidden knowledge into your advantage. —————– Image Credits: Cover image at the top is AI-generated Read the full article

[werezmastarbucks]

Whitmore Guy - the ghost

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Kai Parker x fem!Reader slowburn

whatever gifs I’m going to use on this one, I hope the creators are okay with that

word count: 2044

warnings: none

“Have you seen the new IT guy yet?”

“The uh- what?” Ric was trying to consume a chocolate bar without taking his eyes or hands off the paper he was grading. Y/N sighed patiently – or, rather, to gain some patience. Every time she felt like yelling at Saltzman she took a deep breath and travelled down the memory lane back to the times when he was just a history teacher at school. Back when they were all teens with awkwardly round faces and acne, trying really hard to impress each other, and survive ‘animal attacks’ that just started happening in the town. She recalled thinking the new teacher was actually a vampire. The sheer stupidity of her, while Stefan Salvatore was literally sitting next to her.

Back then, Ric was still youthful, energetic, even handsome, as some girls claimed. Y/N always perceived him as a parent figure, the uncle you may bump into in a bar you go to with your mates to pretend you’re old enough. To think that this grumpy, scruffy grandpa thirty-hundred years old used to be that energetic, bopping teacher they could all trust…

“I’m saying, have-you-met-Mal-yet?”

“Huh?” Ric looked up to her, and his hand inserted the bar into his mouth quickly, so that he could start chewing.

“Are you doing okay, mister Saltzman?”

Y/N called him that when she was trying to be ironic.

“We got a new IT guy? Where the hell is he? I’ve been struggling with this thing for ages”, Alaric pointed at his laptop, safely shut, after it had vomited a siren-like crackling earlier that morning. God only knows what kind of websites Ric has been visiting.

“He’s been in for like, couple of days”.

“Yeah, that’s when the password changed, I saw that”, Saltzman frowned, “that note on the first floor, on the notice board, said that there was a treasure map or crap like this. The whole place has been running on mobile since Monday. Is he toying with us? Who hired him?”

“It’s ‘revenant94’.

“What?”

“The password”.

Y/N settled her coffee mug on the desk and stretched her back, checking the room for people simultaneously. They were alone in the teacher’s space; Y/N liked sneaking in here for lunch breaks or when she just felt overwhelmed, to socialize, bizarrely.

“Anyway, I’ve met him the other day. And he’s weird”.

There it is. The magical spot to hit, to light that hunting spark in Alaric Saltzman’s light green eyes. He has always been an adventurer first and everything else second. Vampire hunting was just a necessary measure in the dire conditions given to him at the point of his life.

“Bad-weird?”

“Weird-weird”, she still wasn’t sure they were completely safe chatting about this in here. She got up and closed the door gently. Then Y/N started pacing lazily between the unevenly placed desks, standing checkers to chess, in a mysterious pattern.

“He looks too good, and he acts too friendly. He is…” she tried to find the word, it was on the tip of her tongue, and yet, it escaped.

“Weird”.

“Your notoriously inaccurate gut feeling once placed an innocent man among monsters”, Ric reminded her.

She recalled that. That one time she was completely sure her neighbor Bruce killed her father, for reasons she wouldn’t be able to awaken anymore. In reality, they still didn’t know who did it, but it wasn’t Bruce as the man was away from the town the night it happened.

“Don ‘t you allow that maybe you think he’s weird because he’s cute? Sometimes you say weird when you mean adorable. Or angry. Or upset. You just generally like labeling people freaks”.

“Okay, you’re not taking it seriously”.

Ric threw himself back in the chair and sighed noisily. He studied the ceiling for some time.

“In our life, Y/N, we have every right to be paranoid about good things. After everything that’s happened every nice thing comes across as a warning. That’s a normal reaction. But if you think he’s off, I’ll check on him, sure. I mean, I will meet him inevitably, right?”

They looked at each other. Y/N shrugged.

 ______________________________________________________________

Ric wasn’t able to get ahold of Mal for the whole of next week, in fact, and it was strange how for the first seven days of Mal’s working Y/N was the only person who’s been talking to him. The guy even complained once that he felt like a ghost, which sparkled the whole new package of fiery theories in her. Then, the next day, she saw Mal chat with the English major student. In a rather flirtatious way, mind you; but it at least proved he was real.

Alaric was left a little puzzled after Mal had fixed his barely breathing laptop; but mostly annoyed.

‘How fast is this guy talking? Does he ever breathe or something?’

To her question, whether he was able to place Mal among any species of supernatural creatures, Saltzman replied something along the lines of yeah, a sickeningly energetic young man with ego, which in his language usually meant abnormal, but not alarming. Y/N was more than sure that Ric gave up on life and just tried to get away from the IT guy as far as possible. What happened to the previous one anyway? Some people said he’d left. Others claimed he just disappeared after Friday’s party at the Craze, a new bar opened almost on the border with Mystic Falls. Nobody really cared. Mal managed to charm just about everybody – that is, when people finally started seeing him – except a few very exhausted individuals who refused to enjoy life.

The feeling Y/N was getting about Mal was inexplicable, good, too good, in fact. She was torn between enthusiastic and careful; one feels that way when a person calls you in the middle of the night and tells you that you have won a billion dollars. How come you don’t remember buying the lottery ticket?

The fact that he had a girlfriend wasn’t all that important – Y/N craved companionship, not romance; her friends were enough but they were all carrying weight of, well, ten years of fighting this damn town. Mal didn’t have all that. He blasted music in the basement where he had built himself a mancave using old boxes and discarded cupboards from the science floors. He always smiled. He was smart. He didn’t take any shit from anybody. And for some uneven reason, he treated Y/N like she was his partner in crime. Maybe that was the most suspicious thing. Y/N always wanted an older brother, and all male figures she chose to act in that character, pushed back.

 _____________________________________________________________

Damon weighed the glass in his hand lazily.

“Caroline’s been livid with you about the dance party?”

Y/N sighed, rubbing her knee. Ever since Caroline graduated, she’s been delegating her tasks to Y/N, who apparently had nothing better to do than organize two celebrations every month. No wonder she completely forgot about the selection of music for that one party that was supposed to happen at the end of the month, vaguely described as a nostalgia flick. Many times Y/N got ready to say, hey, Caroline. I have my own shit to do. If you want these events, come back to the college, get a job and do it yourself. I have tons of crying young adults every day whimpering over their dead dogs and burnt deadlines, and frankly, I deserve four holidays a year.

But she never said it, somehow.

“I am turning into a pusharound”, she realized, as she stood up, walking to the Damon’s sacred alcohol table. She took a glass which burst in a welcoming ringing, and poured herself a little of smelly golden liquid.

“I thought you liked organizing things. Whatever happened to ‘I’ll make them all dance to Stevie Nicks until their butts fall off?”

“It faded, Damon, it went down into my shit storm of a work. I am drained. I’ve been feeling completely lost for the last six months”.

The vampire’s sharp eyebrows made a gracious swing. Every time Damon did his trademark face of an Italian statue Y/N couldn’t help but remember the years when she’d been helplessly in love with him. She and her knee-length socks, and lots of jewellery, and bravery of a suicidal teenager, she thought that was enough to win his love. The disappointment was bitter.

“Why’s that?”

“Eh”, she brushed it off, relaxing deep in the sofa, outstretching her feet, “autumn was nasty, you know that kind of seasonal decline, and then, no snow in winter, and bang, it’s cold spring, and you gotta not eat again because nervous… and it felt like it’s been two days since Matt died, but when I look at the clock, it’s already mid May, and I can’t believe it. I feel like I haven’t processed his death properly, and it’s tugging on me. But I don’t really know what to do at this point. Everybody’s moved on”.

Damon drowned his face into his glass with that preoccupied look he wore when he couldn’t cope with what he started. Sometimes, he could only listen. That was the least he could do for the girl. Listen to her babbling away, and remember that it could have been much worse, she could have been much further away from him.

“Thank God I have my buddy now and I even almost figured out what to do with this shit faced party. No more parties after this one… I’ll tell her I won’t organize stuff people don’t appreciate, I mean…”

“What buddy?” Damon intervened passively.

Y/N jumped up, balancing the glass in her hand, and decided it would be best to down it until she poured it all on Damon’s couch, and he tore all her hair out. She gulped whiskey in two breaths, trying to clench her teeth so that she doesn’t puke it all back. As soon as the drink flows down and reaches whatever cells there are, it will soothe her, and clear her head. She sat on her legs, piercing Damon with a concerned look.

“There’s this new IT guy at Whitmore. He’s too cool to be true, and everybody loves him, except for Ric, and I’m sure you’ll absolutely hate him, too”.

“Why’s that?”

“He’s very chatty and charming, like a complete psychopath. He’s got dead eyes but he’s incredibly funny, and we listen to the same music. He’s always up for anything. He’s too…”

The look on Salvatore’s face said he understood exactly the type of person this guy was. Damon met many a folk like that; take Kol, that idiotic creature that was draining life of every party of people. Or early version of Jeremy, depressed yet too loud, craving attention. Or even Forbes herself; now she’s a friend, but back in the times, she was unbearable. Damon still had vague nightmares in which Caroline was trying to get him to go on a picnic in her usual commanding squeaky voice.

“So, steer his energy in doing this dance for you. And go easy on yourself, little one”.

When Damon called her that, Y/N felt like she was sixteen again, laying at the den of a tiger, if tigers dug caves or, like, very complicated dungeons, with skulls of their enemies scattered and the suggestive fires blazing along the walls. She shivered internally, asking herself, how she had managed to finally escape Damon’s glamor. She remembered being completely heartbroken, and then suddenly, she wasn’t. Good for her.

“Yeah, I’ll get him to help me. But I would be stoked if you could examine him. Ric couldn’t take him, the guy’s too colorful. I have a weird feeling about him”.

“What kind?”

She was tired of shrugging with confusion.

“Just do it. You’ll see. There’s something wrong about him”.

“Do you always hang out with people you deem suspicious?” Damon sounded painfully familiar. Ric and him, they became almost like a married couple over the years. Same old narrative, sung in slightly different tempos.

“Okay”, he gave up. “I’ll come to your nostalgia flick dance thing, and I’ll take a look at him. Will that make you happy?”

She looked at the alcohol sanctuary again.

[eddyblaze04]

Ask Yourself Tough Questions

While you don’t want to dwell on your mistakes, reflecting on them can be productive. Ask yourself a few tough questions:

• What went wrong?

• What could I do better next time?

• What did I learn from this?

Write down your responses and you’ll see the situation a little more clearly. Seeing your answers on paper can help you think more logically about an irrational or emotional experience.

Make A Plan

Beating yourself up for your mistakes won’t help you down the road. It’s important to spend the bulk of your time thinking about how to do better in the future.

Make a plan that will help you avoid making a similar mistake. Be as detailed as possible but remain flexible since your plan may need to change.

Whether you find an accountability partner or you track your progress on a calendar, find a way to hold yourself accountable. Keep in mind that what works for one person might not work with someone else.

But..

Expect good things to happen."Optimism isn't magical, it keeps us pointed in the direction of our goals in life. A negative, pessimistic attitude generally repels opportunity."

Do more good and more good will come your way."By giving back to organizations that are important to you and your employees, you will naturally build respect and a good reputation in the community.

Invest in tomorrow.

"Just as you can't get lucky in a lottery without buying a ticket, you can't win at business without risking an investment. If you speak to successful business people, they'll tell you about how many times they failed or how close they were before things turned around. Business isn't just delivering on your product or service, it's investing in your network, investing in tomorrow, and surrounding yourself with the right team. If you want to succeed, you need to ensure you're pushing, pulling, and dragging that team. It requires focus, discipline, and an unapologetic resolve."

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