#please let us dive down to like level 3 or 4 and adjust from there. fucking keep pushing me even when im getting teary eyed

[digitalvibesinfo]

15 Amazing Benefits of the OBSBOT Tiny 2 for Video Creators in 2025

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What’s the OBSBOT Tiny 2 All About?

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15 Benefits That’ll Blow Your Mind

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Next-Level Tech

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[kaitoujokerscans]

The Night the Silver Cape is Set Ablaze CH7

<7> Joker Breaks In!

Around the same time, another phantom thief — Joker — was hard at work on another caper. This particular caper was...

"Huuuh? A... recipe?" Hachi asked as a stiff breeze blew against his face. Joker, similarly buffeted by the wind, forced a smile as he answered.

"Yep, exactly! Sounds interesting, doesn't it?"

"But that's not important right nooooooooooooow!" Hachi said, screaming. They were falling rapidly. They were in the sky, several thousand meters above the ground. It was cold, and the air was extremely thin. Furthermore, the two of them were freefalling without any open parachutes. It was enough to make him envious of Hosshi, who was staying at home today. "W-What are we s-supposed to do here!?"

"We'll be fine. We've got this." Joker pointed out the thin layer of fabric between the arms and torso on the bodysuits they were wearing. "This is called a wingsuit. It's used to glide through the sky. We can land at our destination without attracting attention this way."

What Joker said reached Hachi's ears over the radio. But it was pitch black all around them, and the only things he could see were the city lights twinkling far below. The sheer terror got the better of him and he could hardly think straight. It was a far cry from how they usually flew with Balloon Gum. All Hachi knew at the moment was that they were headed somewhere Joker had sent an advance notice to.

"What's this recipe supposed to beeeeeee!?" Hachi yelled. Joker answered as he normally would.

"Hachi, you've heard of the soft drink called 'Riviera', yeah?"

"I-I know about it, but...!"

"The recipe for it is one of the world's best-kept secrets, and it's only known to a handful of people!"

"I-Is that so?"

Joker and Spade both love Riviera, the drink of choice enjoyed all over the world. It's served in restaurants everywhere and can be found in any vending machine. It tastes like a mix of sweet syrup and tangy tonic. It's excellent for chugging, and Hachi likes to drink it on occasion himself.

Hachi was quite the cook himself, but true enough, he had no idea what made Riviera taste like that.

"After all, if the recipe got out and suddenly anyone was able to make it, they wouldn't be able to sell their drinks, right? So only the top members of the company that makes Riviera know the ingredients and their ratios."

"T-That makes sense...!"

"Word is that the secret recipe is kept at the company's innermost level, strictly guarded in a safe."

"Joker-san, don't tell me the reason why you're trying to steal the recipe is because you just want to drink a limitless supply of Riviera?"

"Heh heh, it's a secret♪"

"That doesn't tell me anything!"

The duo continued to drop rapidly. Hachi took a glimpse down and saw right below — well, probably still a few hundred meters away — the lights from houses and tail lamps of cars driving on the road. The color drained from his face.

"All right, it's about time for us to start gliding. Spread your wings!"

"Okaaaaaaaay!"

Joker and Hachi unzipped their wings. While they were still falling at the same speed, suddenly they were zooming at an angle. It was like they were slipping down a playground slide. Their untethered bodies skimmed through the air like gliders, and a blast of wind hit Joker and Hachi's faces from the front this time.

"I see it! Over there!"

A large building blurred into sight. It was conspicuously distinct from the other structures around it. The whole building was curvilinear and shaped like a bottle. A bottle of Riviera, in fact. It was already nighttime, so there were no lights streaming out of the windows.

"We're gonna land on the bottlecap!"

Joker made it sound easy, but from where they were, it would've been like placing a speck of dust on the tip of a toothpick. If they weren't attentive and precise about it, they'd fall headlong into the ground instead. Even so, Joker didn't drop speed. Confidently, he plunged straight toward the Riviera bottlecap.

Joker had the courage to dive right into things without hesitation. Hachi admired that. It used to be that Hachi thought about every possible consequence and would often end up not doing anything at all because he was afraid of failing. But Joker typically took action as soon as he came up with a plan. He had once asked Joker about it before.

"Joker-san, how are you so brave?"

"Well, you never know what'll happen until you try, yeah?"

"But isn't that even scarier if you don't know how it'll turn out?"

"It's the other way around. There's only so much in the world that people can imagine. Most of what actually happens is stuff you never would have expected. So don't you think it's better to just do it?"

"You might have a point..."

"Master once told me that 'knowledge can't beat experience'. Which means that right now, I'm no match for Master. But if you flip your thinking, that means that if I get all kinds of experience, one day I'll be able to win against Master. If I'm too scared to try anything, I'll never be able to beat him," Joker said with a smile, and started writing the advance notice for his next target.

When he heard the reason why Joker had so much motivation and the things Silver Heart had taught him, Hachi felt like he understood. It was exactly because Joker didn't know what was going to happen next that he was always able to act immediately.

"Okay, we're almost there, Hachi!"

Joker's yell brought Hachi back to the present. The Riviera bottlecap roof was coming up to meet him. The rooftop seemed to function as a small heliport.

"Drop your speed on the count of one-two-three!"

"Roger!" Hachi acknowledged and gripped the cord on the side of the wing. He had been told that when he pulled it, he would slow down.

"All right, on your mark! One..."

Hachi tightened his grip on the cord and adjusted his timing.

"Two..."

Hachi was ready to pull on "three", but then Joker said:

"...and..."

"WHAT!? 'And'!?" In his surprise, Hachi pulled the cord on instinct. A tailored parachute billowed out and he slowed down dramatically. At that speed, he was going to drop down before he made it over the bottlecap.

"Oh shoot! Hachi!" Joker pulled his cord. Losing speed, he changed orientation so that he was now facing Hachi. He caught him in both arms.

"Joker-san!"

"We'll be fine! We should be able to make it, just barely!"

But Joker was just saying that to calm him down. The duo stalled in the air as they were almost to the bottlecap roof. Just out of reach, they slowly dropped down. Without anything supporting his weight, a chill ran down his spine.

"Agh, and we were so close, too~" Joker commented laxly. "That's the end of that. My Balloon Gum's in a pocket underneath my wingsuit..."

"Whaaaat!? Please, that's not funny!" Hachi exclaimed. He promptly pulled one of his ninja tools, a grappling hook, out of his pocket and tossed it up. The hook caught on the rooftop fence with a clank and the two of them stopped in midair.

"Whoa! Thanks, Hachi!"

The two of them climbed up the rope and finally made it onto the rooftop.

"What was that about!? You said to pull the cord on the count of one-two-three! What was 'one-two-and' supposed to be!? You didn't tell me there would be an 'and'!"

"Ha ha ha, it just looked like the timing wouldn't match up. But we had a pretty exciting experience thanks to that, don't you think?"

"That was an experience I didn't need to have!" Hachi exclaimed, squirming. It was important to do all sorts of things and gain experience. But there were some things that he really didn't need to experience. Hachi was sure of that now.

The duo ran silently over the empty rooftop and crouched down close to the entrance. Since Riviera HQ was home to the secret recipe, security was always strict. It didn't even overlook anyone coming from the sky. Flying in slowly would take too much time and was more likely to trigger the defense system. That was why Joker had opted for this method to get in rather than using Balloon Gum.

"Though it's strange that there aren't any security guards on the roof."

"Yeah, it might be a trap to lure us in. Sounds like fun. I'll take the bait."

Joker unlocked the door, entered, and quietly stepped into a dark stairwell. He took a look at the map on his phone and pulled up the route info. "The recipe is in the safe on the top level. Usually nobody goes on this floor. There are three obstacles standing between us and the safe."

"Three obstacles?"

Joker approached the door to the top floor. "The president of this company is a bit eccentric. The defense system's set up so that the safe won't open unless you solve three puzzles. If you can figure out the answer, then you can move on."

"Puzzles?"

"Yeah. So the obstacles are like a test for anyone who wants to open the safe," Joker said, and opened the door leading into the top floor. A long, dim corridor lay ahead. Joker and Hachi put on goggles that let them see infrared sensors and wriggled their way along. Soon enough, they reached a large door.

"All right, this is the first obstacle." Joker turned his gaze up to where a huge sign with a puzzle written on it was hanging on the door.

 [Question]

8            1            6

1            5            9

8            3            4

"Enter the number equal to the eight."

 There was a numerical keypad underneath the sign. They were probably supposed to input the correct number with it.

"So this is the puzzle..." Hachi looked at the numbers and tilted his head. "I wonder why these numbers are in such a random order? And it says 'equal to the eight', but there are nine numbers in all, so I don't get what it means by 'equal to'."

"You don't? The numbers aren't exactly random, either." Joker looked at the numbers and smiled a little.

"Joker-san, you figured it out already?"

"Of course I did."

 What does "equal to the eight" mean? Let's all think about it with Hachi!

Hint: Try adding the nine numbers up horizontally, vertically, and diagonally!

The correct answer is coming right up!

 "Hmm~ I don't get it at all!" Hachi put up his hands in resignation. He had given up.

"Yeesh, fine. This number arrangement is called a 'magic square'."

"A magic square?"

"Look closer. If you add up the three numbers in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line, they all come to the same sum."

"Huh? They do?" Hachi looked up and tried adding up the lines. 6+7+2=15, 8+1+6=15, 6+5+4=15... whichever direction he added them up in, they always came to the same total. "You're right! That's weird!"

"This magic square has 3 horizontals, 3 verticals, and 2 diagonals, which makes for 8 sums in all, right? Since they're all the same number..."

"Oh, I get it! 'Equal to the eight' is asking for the sum of the numbers, which is 15!"

"Right on!" Joker punched "15" into the keypad. The door unlocked with a clang. "Okay, let's go deeper in!"

Once they went through, the door closed behind them, and they came before the next door. There was another puzzle on this one. This was the second obstacle. The following was written on the sign.

 [Question]

Assume:

0 > 2

2 > 5

5 > 0

Given {2, 5, 5}, which one wins?

 Just like before, there was a numerical keypad underneath the sign.

"I don't get this one at all either..."

"It doesn't look like these arrow-like marks are supposed to mean that the left number is bigger. If they did, the first two expressions wouldn't be possible."

"That's true..."

"It asks 'which one wins', so maybe this mark just means that the number on the left is 'stronger'."

"Can a number be 'strong'?"

"Maybe these aren't numbers in the first place. Maybe they represent something else." Realizing something, Joker stroked his chin.

 Which one wins? Let's all think about it with Hachi!

Hint: Try counting on your fingers and see what it looks like.

The correct answer is coming right up!

 Hachi folded his arms, tilted his head, and stared at the question. It looked like he still didn't have a clue, so Joker gave him a friendly suggestion.

"Hachi, if you don't know, try counting on your fingers."

"On my fingers?"

"Yeah. Use your fingers to visualize the numbers. Try doing it with both hands, starting with the first expression."

After being told this, Hachi tried counting with his fingers. For 0, he balled up his fist into a rock-like shape, and for 2, he stuck out two fingers, forming scissors.

Wait. Rock... and scissors...?

"AAAAAAAH!" Hachi exclaimed. "I've got it, Joker-san! These numbers represent rock-paper-scissors!"

"Exactly. Now you know." Joker flashed a scissors sign.

"Yes! The numbers are the number of fingers sticking out. So 0 is rock, 2 is scissors, and 5 is paper."

"That's right. 0 wins against 2 because rock beats scissors. Likewise, when you have 3 against 5 — scissors and paper — scissors wins. And lastly, when you have 5 and 0..."

"5, which is paper, wins!"

"You see? Which brings us to the question written below. When you have 2 and 5 and 5..."

"It's scissors against paper and paper, so scissors wins! Which means 2 is the right answer!"

"Right on!" Joker said and punched "2" into the keypad. The door slowly opened. At the end of the hallway, they saw a massive door.

"Oh, that must be where the safe for the recipe is!"

"Yep. In order to get there, we'll have to clear the final obstacle."

The door leading to the safe was stout and didn't look like it could be broken through easily. This one, like the others, had a sign hanging from it with one last puzzle.

 [Question]

5            2            2            2

0            5            0            5

0            2            2            2

0            5            0            5

Push the button for the number that doesn't lose.

 Unlike the previous ones, there were buttons on the sign itself this time. This meant that one of the above numbers was correct, and when it was pressed, the door would open.

Hachi took a look at the numbers and tilted his head yet again. "Is this... rock-paper-scissors again?"

"Yep. It's only 0 and 2 and 5, just like before, so we can probably assume that's the case..."

"But I don't really understand this arrangement or what 'doesn't lose' means..."

"Hmm, maybe it's like the magic square we first encountered...?" Joker studied the numbers closely and brainstormed.

 Exactly which number is the one that "doesn't lose"?

Think about it in terms of both the "magic square" and "rock-paper-scissors" you saw before! Hint: you don't have to add up the numbers this time. Just think about it horizontally, vertically, and diagonally!

The correct answer is in the next chapter!

While Joker and Hachi were racking their brains over puzzles, Queen, Roko, and Purple were having tea at a late-night cafe. The train had arrived in town without further incident and they had the secret file in hand. Purple had some spare time before she had to turn the file over to an ally, so now she was going to talk about Noir over tea.

The three sat facing each other in the back corner of a small cafe. Purple leisurely began to speak. "Silver and Noir are complete opposites."

"Opposites?" Queen asked, taking a sip of her honey latte.

"You already know that Silver is a man as lively and bright as the sun. Everyone takes a liking to him. His roguish personality just captivates people. He has luck and natural ability. All of this made him an extremely talented spy. On the other hand, while Noir is also talented, he has to put in effort. He gathers all the intel he can before a mission, analyzes it with a cool head, and executes his plans without a single hitch. Noir goes in thoroughly prepared — that's his style. Noir stayed active even after Silver quit being a spy, and some people even call him the 'legendary spy' now..." Purple dunked a cookie in her black coffee and munched it. "But Noir has a grudge against Silver."

"Huh? Why?" Queen asked, confused. If they had gotten along as spies, there was no reason for him to hate the phantom thief Silver Heart.

"Well. Once Silver became a phantom thief, he started to get a lot flashier. He had always been a daredevil with an affinity for showing off. As ostentatious as his capers were, there were more than a few occasions where he failed spectacularly. Noir got tangled up in those spectacles quite often."

"Noir was involved with Grandpa's work?"

"It'd be more accurate to say that Silver always barged in when Noir was on covert infiltration missions and made a mess of everything."

"What...?" Queen and Roko's faces clouded over.

"The success of our spy operations hinges most of all on not being spotted. We infiltrate without alerting the enemy, do our work, and leave without attracting attention. The longer it takes them to notice that they've been breached, the more likely it is that the operation will be a success. In that sense, as soon as there's any uproar, the operation is a failure."

"Sounds like unforgiving work..."

"I can see why a spy wouldn't want their presence to be known, though," nodded Roko understandingly.

"Right. That's why Noir carries out his missions in secret, never letting anyone know he's there. But Silver Heart was completely different."

"Ah..." Queen realized something. "I get it. A phantom thief sneaks in, but not without anyone's knowledge. They send advance notice."

"Precisely. Phantom thieves boldly proclaim that they're breaking in, reveal themselves when everybody's looking, and steal the treasure dramatically while they're all in shock. Isn't that what Silver always says? He was always a showoff, so that suits him," said Purple. She exhaled and gave a shrug. "Besides, Silver tended to go after the treasure of money-grubbing crooks. Noir would receive a directive, plan everything down to the finest detail, and then once he got there, advance notice from Silver came in. What do you think would happen then?"

"The enemy would be on alert, and it'd make espionage that much harder..."

"That's exactly it. Silver was probably using the same network he had used as a spy to locate treasure. Silver threw a wrench in Noir's work on more occasions than he could count."

"That many times...?" Queen was surprised. Now she understood why Noir would be angry. But wouldn't Silver Heart have realized...? When she asked about it, Purple shook her head.

"...Unfortunately, Silver Heart is clueless about the whole thing. That's his greatest fault. Silver had no way of knowing that Noir was at work behind the scenes. Noir couldn't afford to have his mission be compromised, so he couldn't even say he was there. He had to give up, knowing that his mission had failed because of Silver..."

"So that's the story..." Now that she knew Noir's circumstances, Queen sympathized with him a little. Silver Heart's capers were indeed grandiose affairs and would definitely have interfered with any espionage going on. And since the man himself was completely oblivious and stole without a care in the world, she could understand why that behavior would incur wrath.

"I feel sorry for Noir..." Queen murmured. Purple snorted.

"Well, if you ask me, Noir's at fault too. Of course it'd annoy me to have someone get in the way of my job. But a real spy works around it. If a phantom thief appears and you take advantage of the confusion to accomplish your goals, you might be able to have an easier time of it. He could have even set it up to make his deeds look like Silver's handiwork. Noir just didn't exert himself."

"Oh, I see..."

"You've got high standards, Purple-san."

The pair voiced their respect for her.

"Oh, also, Grandpa is going after a treasure called the Lachla Crown. Apparently it's something he and Noir were looking for back when he was a spy..."

"The Lachla Crown? That explains it. You could say it ties Silver and Noir together."

"What do you mean?"

"Silver fell asleep, and because of that, the two of them weren't able to locate the hidden treasure. I remember Noir was really infuriated about it."

"Then when Noir learned that Grandpa was going after the Lachla Crown..."

"He quit being a spy and took matters into his own hands, it seems..."

"Huh? Noir quit his job?"

"Yes, just recently."

"Oh..." Queen pondered this. If Silver Heart targeting the Lachla Crown really had prompted him to quit being a spy...

Making up her mind, Queen stood up. Purple spoke to her.

"You're going? In that case..." Purple handed her a slip of paper. "Noir has been frequenting this place since he quit his job. I already looked into it."

"Thank you, Grandma." Queen took the note with gratitude.

"Don't mention it. Anyway, Queen, you were quite sensible back there. Would you be interested in doing some spy training under me?"

Then Queen answered with a little smile. "Thank you. It's not a bad offer, but I'll never be cold-blooded enough to be a spy."

"Ha ha ha, you really are Silver's disciple. And you're headstrong to boot. Just like me when I was younger."

Roko paled for a moment at this, but Purple gave a wink and smiled.

"Hee hee, thank you. Until next time, Purple-san!" Queen said. Then she and Roko ran off like the wind.

Several hours after their conversation...

Silver Heart was at a chic open-terrace cafe in Paris. The aroma of his espresso lifted his spirits. He took a hand mirror out of his pocket and fixed his appearance.

"Heheh. Hello, good-looking..." He couldn't stop grinning. Silver Heart was about to meet up with Her Majesty, the Queen of the Kingdom of Pandora for a date. She was busy with her official duties, but had a sliver of time available. The two of them had planned to take that opportunity to go on an incognito date. Her Majesty was going to escape the castle using Balloon Gum that Silver Heart had given her.

Just the words "incognito date" made Silver Heart giddy. "Heh heh heh, just like in Roman Holiday." Dropping the title of a vintage film in which a princess snuck out of her palace all alone and got to briefly enjoy the city of Rome, Silver Heart's already mellow expression melted entirely. If Queen saw how he looked now, she would probably slump down in disappointment.

But just then, his melted face hardened back up.

"..." Silver Heart's eyes were drawn to the coaster in front of him. He could see a small "N" written in the corner of the coaster.

This is... It was a familiar sign. It was how spies sent each other secret messages...

Silver Heart's mind flashed back to decades ago. He flipped over the coaster to see familiar letters that he had read often in the past.

 To my sworn enemy, Silver.

To have it out with you once and for all, I have crept out of the world of darkness.

I will steal your treasure.

 P.S. Your girlfriend isn't coming. She should be in the custody of the castle guards by now.

 "..."

Silver put the coaster down and took a breath. So Noir really does hate me... The sudden cancellation of his date with Her Majesty was a shock in and of itself, but not knowing the reason for this grudge left Silver feeling ill at ease.

What's the matter with him...? Silver Heart took another sip of his espresso, just as he heard a screeching voice come from the TV set up outside the cafe.

"This is your host, DJ Peacock! We've just received an advance notice from Phantom Thief Noir!"

"What...!?" Surprised, Silver Heart listened closely.

"I'll read Phantom Thief Noir's notice out loud. —Tonight, I'll steal the 'Lachla Crown' which Phantom Thief Silver Heart has targeted from the passenger ship Urban of the Sea. Phantom Thief Noir. —That's all! This is sure to be a heart-pounding and stimulating develop..."

Not even listening to the report till the end, Silver Heart got up. "..."

As Silver Heart faded into the bustle of Paris, he no longer had the same look in his eyes as when he was waiting for his date. His eyes were quietly ablaze, in a manner befitting the legendary phantom thief.

[what-is-your-plan-today]

Riding High Ch2: Hey Sailor

Chapter Summary: Mary is excited for her first riding lesson, and it seems that she’s not the only one…

Chapter Warnings: Bad Language words. 

Chapter Pairings:  Frank Adler x OFC Fliss Gallagher 

A/N: Again, as you will all know I’m a Brit so apologies if too much British horsey lingo slips into this…ASK away if you don’t understand. Tagging all my SSB/CSI readers…if you want in or off the list PLEASE just tell me. This chapter is a bit of a filler, things start getting a bit more interesting in the next one, and then we’ll be diving into the Gifted story line in Chapter 4. 

Thanks to my beta reader/sounding board @icanfeelastormbrewing​ for her input and her modes of transport kink...

As always I’m a ho for a REBLOG and COMMENT! 

Chapter Song:  Tomorrow  by James

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist

“Mary…” Frank sighed. “Take the boots off and get in bed.” “You told me that Miss Gallagher said I needed to wear them.” she looked at him.

“Yeah, but you can’t wear them in bed…”

Mary flopped onto the side of her bed and reached down to unzip the boots before she kicked them off and Frank picked them up and placed them out of the way. Mary shuffled down under her covers and lay her head back on the pillow. Frank gently smoothed her blonde hair back off her face and smiled at her. Times like this she really did remind him of Diane.

“Frank?”

“Yeah?” “Can I read for a little while?” she asked.

Frank rolled his eyes “Mary…”

“Please!”

“Fine, 15 minutes tops. And I’ll be in to turn the light off, ok?” With a grin she sat up and reached for her latest book- Moby Dick, and he dropped a kiss to her head and left her to it. He made his way into the kitchen, cleared the dishes and then grabbed a beer his attention turning to the table which was had clear, the other half scattered with the parts from one of the engines he had been working on. He knew he really shouldn’t bring this home with him but sometimes it was just easier. 

His phone buzzed and he reached for it, glancing down at the unknown number.

“Hi Mr Adler, just a courtesy message to remind you of Mary’s lesson tomorrow at 1. If you can’t make it please let me know ASAP so I can offer the slot to someone else. Otherwise see you then. Regards, Fliss.” Frank smiled, like he would have chance to forget. Mary had talked of nothing else since Saturday. His fingers hovered over the reply button, before he dropped the phone back down. He didn’t need to reply…did he? I mean…

Oh fuck it. He picked the phone back up and tapped in a quick response.

“Frank, please. And like I’d have chance to forget. She’s been like a broken record since Wednesday. I had to pry her boots off tonight as she was threatening to wear them in bed…”

Setting the phone down he headed back through to check on Mary, her 15 minutes was over. He found her fast asleep, book clutched to her chest. Gently taking it from her, he slipped the bookmark into the page and turned off the lights, making sure she was tucked in. When he moved back into the main part of the trailer he had a reply.

“Brilliant! That’s what I like to hear. Get used to it, you’re going to hear about nothing but horses now for the rest of your life.” “Great, I can’t wait…” he added a rolling eye emoji at the end and set down, gathering a few pieces of the engine, setting to work. About 5 minutes passed and his phone went again.

“You know I offer starter lessons for adults too, maybe you should try it, see if you understand what the fuss is all about.” “No thanks, my feet stay firmly on the ground. Unless I’m on a boat.” “A boat? I didn’t have you pegged as a sailor?” At that Frank let out a bark of a laugh. 

“I’m not, not really. I fix them. And besides, you don’t sail speedboats.” “What do you do then?” 

“I suppose you drive them.”

“Do you drive them on water?” “Dur.” “That’s called Sailing.”

His work abandoned he took a pull from his beer bottle and shook his head, smile tugging at his lips as he replied.

“But they don’t have sails…” “It’s a boat. It goes on water. It’s called Sailing.” “Alright, I bow to your superior knowledge…” “Glad we agree…even if I do detect a serious underlying tone of sarcasm in your message. See you tomorrow Sailor.” He laughed again, shaking his head. He tapped in a goodnight and placed the phone down, turning his attention to his work.

*****

“What are you grinning about?” Bill Gallagher turned his attention to his daughter as they walked across the field, Thor and his own dog, Rupert, hurtling ahead in front of them, their flashing collars keeping them located in the twilight. 

“Oh, nothing, just winding someone up.” she smiled “One of the dad’s from tomorrow’s lesson, trying to convince me you drive, not sail, a speedboat.” “Hmmm…well they don’t have sails.” Bill mused.

“Whatever, they go on water, they sail.” Fliss said, slipping her phone back into her pocket as Frank’s ‘Goodnight’ rounded off their conversation.

“So, who is he then?” Bill asked. 

“Oh, his name’s Frank.” Fliss said, nonchalantly, but her dad didn’t miss the flicker of a smile that hit her mouth.

“Is he the one that your mum said was eyeing you up in the bar?” “He was not eyeing me up.” Fliss groaned “He was just being friendly.” “Sure he was.” “Dad…” she warned him, nudging him with her elbow.

“What?” “You know what!” she laughed “Stop it.” “Alright…” he smiled, holding his hands up “I yield…it’s just nice to see you happy, that’s all.” “Well, I am.” she said after a moment, and she meant it “The last 6 months…the riding school has taken off, I’m feeling more…well, myself than I have in years. Just need to find an apartment now.” “Well, on that…” Bill said. “Me and your mum have been thinking. We thought, maybe, you might want to move into the annex. We can do it up, gives you your own space…”

Fliss paused and looked at her dad. “That’s where Steeby stays though, when he comes out with Sian and the kids…” “There’s plenty of room in the house.” Bill shrugged “And they come like what, 4 times a year? It’s stood empty the rest of the time.” Fliss bit her lip.

“It’s just an idea and your brother won’t mind. Look, I know it’s probably not what you had in mind, living in your parent’s annex but for the time being until the Yard starts to turn over more of a profit we just thought it might give you a little bit more freedom.” “Whilst still staying close.” she said, looking at him. Bill shrugged.

“I want to keep you safe Titch.” he shrugged “I didn’t do that before but…” “Dad don’t.” she said, shaking her head “None of that, it wasn’t your fault. I hid from everyone what was happening…you didn’t know.”

“I should have.” he sighed “You’re my daughter.” “He had everyone fooled, including me.” she shrugged “This is no one’s fault but his, I get that now.” Bill smiled and pulled her into a hug. “I know.”

“We should head back.” Fliss said “Mum will be wondering where we are.”

“You have anything to finish off?” he asked 

“Nope, everything is out for the night and looks reasonably settled.” she said, squinting at the various horses dotted across her land.

“Hmmm, unlike this fencing…” Bill said, looking at the broken bit of post and rail that Fliss had patched up with electric tape “This could do with replacing, love.” “Yeah, I know.” she said “I was going to mention it but forgot. The temporary fix has worked for the time being.” “I’ll stop by and do it tomorrow.” he said, “Won’t take me long. I’ll level that top field as well whilst I’m at it if you want.” “Thanks Dad” she smiled. In comfortable silence they made their way back towards the main part of the yard.

*******

Fliss grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge in her office and took a long drink. The heat was pretty intense today, and she was just wondering if really holding Mary’s lesson as advisable when she realised it wasn’t like they’d be doing anything too strenuous. She adjusted her baseball cap and head back onto the yard, shouting instructions to the 3 members of staff to go and take a water break. Just as they were passing her towards the office, she saw Frank and Mary walking onto the yard. Mary was sporting a new riding hat and Fliss couldn’t help but smile.

“Well check you out!” she said, tapping the little girl on the head “Nice hat.” “I liked the silver on it!” she grinned, pointing to the sparkly strip that ran along the front.

“Me too…” Fliss nodded. “I have the same hat but mine has blue sparkles.” she straightened up and looked at Frank. “Hey Sailor.” He gave a snort of a laugh “I told you, you don’t sail speedboats.” “They go on water.” Mary said, “Its’ sailing.” “Ha, see!” Fliss laughed 

Frank sighed “Whatever.” The corners of his mouth turned up and he handed Fliss the forms he had brought back.

“Oh great…” she thanked him “I’ll just file these and then Ruby will get Monty ready. I thought you might like to help her.” Mary nodded eagerly. Fliss excused herself and Frank heard her shouting something and a moment later a tall, wiry Hispanic girl emerged from the office with a saddle. Fliss followed, bridle slung over her shoulder and gestured for Mary to follow. Frank watched as the girl skipped off following and headed after her at a slower pace, rubbing at his neck which felt like it was burning. He’d slathered Mary in sunscreen before but of course had forgotten his own.

He stepped into the relative cool of the barn and watched as the stable hand was explaining to Mary what each piece of tack was as she began to place it onto the pony. He knew Mary would be taking all of this in, just like she did with everything, and Roberta would be hearing all about it later on.

Fliss handed over the bridle and stepped back, heading towards Frank. “I normally do have the ponies ready” she said, almost apologetically “But I thought she’d enjoy this bit.” “You thought right.” Frank laughed “I was just thinking to myself she’ll be chewing our neighbour’s ear off later.”

Fliss smiled and they both stood in silence watching until the other girl said they were ready. 

“Alright, let’s go!” Fliss grinned and they walked out into the yard. She took the pony from her staff member with a thanks, and walked with Mary following into the riding paddock. Frank leaned on the fencing outside as Fliss led Mary and Monty over to the wooden mounting block at the side.

“Ok, so…” she turned to Mary and patted the top step “Climb up here…” Mary hopped up.

“Left foot in this stirrup…” she instructed. Mary placed her foot in. “Left hand here…” she guided it to the front of the saddle “And then I want you to swing your right leg over.” Mary did as she was told, sitting down on the saddle. 

“Good stuff kiddo!” Fliss smiled as she checked the stirrups “Ok, so we need to put these up a hole so…” 

She busied herself shortening the stirrup leathers, and eventually when she was happy she nodded.

“So, what we’re gonna do for today is a bit of walking around, and stopping, and then if you’re happy with your balance we can try a bit of trot ok?” Mary grinned.

“Right…so take your reins…” Fliss showed her how to hold the reins correctly, and then she slipped the lunge line through the ponies bit and looked at the girl. “If you feel wobbly or anything you grab this…” she said, gesturing to the leather strap around the pony’s neck. “And shout to me ok?”

Mary nodded. 

Fliss began to walk besides the pony who followed her like a dog. Mary all the time concentrating on what she was doing. Fliss explained to her how her legs made the animal go, and how to make it stop, and they practiced that for 5 minutes before Fliss moved slightly further away to let Mary take a bit of control, instructing her to go, then stop, go, then stop…

Frank watched intently. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t slightly nervous about her falling off but he knew that he had to let her discover all this for herself. He leaned further over on the fence, watching and couldn’t help but smile at the look on Mary’s face, she was concentrating so hard her brow was furrowed, tongue poking out from the side of her mouth.

“Your kid?” a deep voice with a similar accent to Fliss said and he turned to his right to see a tall, stocky guy in his late 50s, early 60s maybe dressed in a white T-shirt and jeans looking at him.

“Niece.” he said, “First lesson.” “Ahh...” the man chuckled “Yeah I remember Fliss’ first lesson. I crapped myself.” Frank let out a laugh “Yeah, I’m a little nervous.” “Bill.” The man stuck his hand out “Fliss’ dad.” “Nice to meet you, I’m Frank.” Bill looked at him, nodding before his attention turned to the paddock “Hey, Titch, sorry to interrupt…” Fliss stopped the pony and turned to her dad “Hey…” “Fencing is done but I can’t get that bloody tractor started…so the field’s gonna have to wait.” “I can look at it.” Frank offered immediately “I mean, if you want…” Bill turned to him, “You a mechanic?” “No he’s a sailor…” Fliss shot back and Frank rolled his eyes.

“I fix boats. Engines…that type of thing.” “Huh.” Bill said “Well if you wouldn’t mind…” “Not a problem. Mary you ok here if I go for a minute?” Mary looked at him “Dur.” Bill let out a chuckle as Frank turned to him “Tell me raising them gets easier.” “Oh no mate.” Bill shook his head, grinning “You just get different shit to deal with.” Frank followed the man round to the back of the barn and spotted a dark green baby tractor. Bill explained what it was doing and Frank crouched closer to have a look before he headed to his truck for the jump leads.

After 10 minutes or so he’d found the problem. They could start it, but it wasn’t holding any charge. Meaning when the turned the engine off it needed jump starting again.

“I’m pretty sure it’s the alternator.” he said, stepping back “I’ll need to strip it down to see whether I can repair it or if it needs a new one but…we can get it started again you can do what you need to do for today.”

Bill nodded “So not quite ready for the scrap heap?” “Not quite.” Frank smiled, wiping his hands on his dirty jeans “Just needs a bit of a fiddle with.” “Don’t we all?” Bill quipped, making Frank laugh. They jump started it again and Bill thanked him before hopping on and heading over to the gate that led to the field.

By the time Frank returned, he was surprised to see that Mary was now riding the horse almost unaided in a circle around Fliss who was holding the end of the line attached to the pony’s bridle as it trotted around. Mary was gripping the strap round the pony’s neck and trying to rise in time to the trot. It was clumsy and she was a little bit out of balance but that didn’t matter. He could hear Fliss shouting gentle encouragement to her, counting out the rhythm and eventually Mary fell in time with her counts. 

“Good!” Fliss beamed “see, I told you you’d get it…” This continued for another 5 minutes or so before Fliss told Mary to slow Monty down to a walk and give him a good pat. They walked the pony around for a while, to give him chance to cool down a little before Fliss walked towards Mary gathering up the line as she went.

“That was awesome for a first go!” she said, smiling “Did you enjoy it?”

Mary nodded “Yeah, it was really cool!”

“Good!” Fliss said. “Now I’m gonna unclip the line and walk around for a bit. He’ll follow me but when I stop I want you to stop him yeah?”

Mary nodded eagerly and she unclipped the line and began to walk. Fliss knew Monty would stop when she did but she wanted to let Mary have a go anyway. They did a lap of the paddock and on the second she stopped by Frank.

“Look, Frank!” Mary smiled “I’m not on the line.” “Yeah, I see!” he smiled at her “Good job!”

“How’s my tractor?” Fliss asked.

“Think it’s the alternator. We got it started for your dad but I’ll need to strip it down properly…I can come back tomorrow with my tools if you want?” “Oh, I don’t wanna put you out…” Fliss started to protest but Frank shook his head

“It’s no bother, honestly.” he said, running his hand through his hair. “I can’t promise I can fix it but I’ll be able to see if I can or if you need a new one.” Fliss looked at him and then nodded “Alright, but in that case today is free.” “No, that’s not why I offered…” Frank began to protest but Fliss shook her head

“I know.” she said “But I’d like to.” Frank looked at her for a moment, her brown eyes locked onto his and he swallowed, nodding. “Ok, thanks.” “Wait am I coming back tomorrow?” Mary asked

“I’m booked up, sorry sweetie.” Fliss looked at her “But you’re welcome to come anyway, that is if Frank says its ok.” “We’ll see. “Frank looked at Mary.

“I can put her to work.” Fliss said, grinning “Nothing like a bit of child labour.” “That’s illegal.” Mary said.

“I won’t tell if you don’t.” Fliss looked at her and Frank gave a chuckle.

They made their way out of the paddock and Fliss showed Mary how to swing her leg back round the saddle and slide down. She landed on her feet and took the reins from Fliss’ hand, leading the pony back to his stable. She helped untack and then Fliss handed her the bridle to carry. They walked into the office and Fliss tapped a code into the door to the left and led them into a tidy tack room, rows of saddles and racks adorned the wall along with bridle pegs and a few shelves full of rugs and blankets for the horses. Fliss slipped the saddle onto a spare rack and then directed Mary to Monty’s bridle peg. Frank took the bridle from her as the peg was a little high and hooked it over.

“Now, you need a drink.” Fliss looked at Mary “I got water or some apple juice….”

“Apple please…”  Mary said. Fliss nodded and headed back into the office, giving her a juice box from the fridge “Frank?” “Oh, errr, water would be great thanks.” She handed him a bottle and he screwed off the tap.

“So, do you want to book in again now or do it tomorrow?” Fliss looked at him. “I think she’ll cope on the group lesson fine.” “So when do they run?”  he asked, swallowing his water.

“Saturday afternoons at 2.” Fliss said. “Or Wednesday at 6.” “Can we come Saturday?” Mary asked.

Frank hesitated “I did say you couldn’t do this every week…” “Yeah but you didn’t pay for today.” Mary shot back.

Jesus Chris Mary…

He glanced up at Fliss who was biting her lip, trying not to laugh.

“Fine, you can come this Saturday but then that’s it, we go to every other week like we agreed ok?” Mary nodded.

“Settled, I’ll book you in.” Fliss grinned. “If you get here about quarter to I’ll introduce you to the other girls before you join.” Mary frowned a little, before she recovered and nodded. “Ok.” “So do you like work here every day?” Frank asked. Fliss nodded

“Mostly. If I want a day off then I get Joanne to cover the lessons and the girls can open and close up.” she said “But it’s few and far between. Like I said, still in the early days so…”

Frank nodded “Yeah I know what it’s like, trying to get yourself established.” “I take it you’re a self-employed sailor then?” Fliss smiled and he gave a grin back and nodded. 

“He takes me for rides.” Mary said “In the boats sometimes.” “That’s really cool. I’ve never been on speedboat.” Fliss said.

“You should come with us one day, right Frank?”

Frank hesitated a little, surprised to find that he wasn’t filled with dread at the idea of her joining them. 

“I’m sure Fliss has enough to be doing without you demanding more of her time.” he shot the girl a look, his tone even.

“Yeah, I’m very busy.” Fliss smiled, offering him a way out. He shot her a thankful look.

“We can do it when you’re free…” “Mary!” Frank’s tone was exasperated as Fliss laughed.

“Maybe one day.” she said, nodding.

This placated the girl somewhat and she bounced off towards the truck.

“Sorry.” Frank turned to Fliss “She can be a little bit…” “Tenacious?” “I was gonna say pain in the ass.” Frank said, causing Fliss to laugh, her soft chuckles made him feel a little warm, or maybe it was the afternoon heat…

“She’s a good kid.” Fliss said gently.

Frank smiled and then jerked his head in the direction of the car park “I better…” “Sure.”

“I’ll drop you a message about tomorrow?” Fliss nodded “Yeah, but don’t put yourself out.” “Well I owe you now for the lesson so…” he shrugged “I’ll see you tomorrow.” “Yeah, guess you will.” Fliss smiled. There was a pause again and Frank nodded, before he turned and headed after Mary. He turned to look over his shoulder at Fliss who was now walking back towards her office before he wandered onto the car park to find Mary was now chewing Bill’s ear off.

“For the love of God…” he mumbled as he drew nearer to find her mid discussion with the man about the Olympics.

“Did you go?” she was asking.

“You bet!” Bill smiled “I’ll tell you something else as well…” “What?” “Those fences are even bigger in real life than they look on the photos.” “It said on the internet she jumped 1 meter 30…” 

“The internet?” Bill asked.

“Yeah, we googled her…” Frank groaned “Mary…” “What?” she looked at him. “I was just saying…” “Well don’t…” he said, “Truck, now…”

“It was nice to meet you Mary.” Bill said as the little girl bid him goodbye.

“Sorry…” Frank apologised to him. 

“Don’t be silly.” Bill waved his apology off “She wasn’t doing any harm.”

“I meant about the google thing.” Frank sighed “we weren’t prying, she was just curious after seeing the medal and…” Bill shook his head “Kids are nosey.” he shrugged. 

With another nod he climbed in the truck and turned to Mary with a sigh “What did I say to you about not telling Miss Gallagher we googled her?” “I didn’t.” Mary said “I told her dad.”

There was a pause as Frank contemplated what she had said, and realised technically she was right. He should have closed that particular loop hole. “Smart ass.” he grumbled back, before he clipped in her belt and they left.

*****

Fliss was surprised to see Mary wasn’t with Frank the next day. Frank explained he had come straight from the boat yard so she was busy doing some lesson work with their neighbour. “Gives me chance to work without her continually running around causing a nuisance.” he had explained, setting his tools down by the tractor. 

Fliss chuckled, “Ok, well, I got another client due in a second so just give me a shout if you need anything…” He nodded. It didn’t take him long to realise he had been right. It was the alternator. He took the engine apart and was leaning over it on the flat bed of his truck when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned to look at Fliss.

“It is the alternator, but it looks like it’s the brushes inside.” he said, “I can fix this…” She nodded, the movement almost imperceptible, and he frowned at the look on her face. She glazed over in front of him, eyes were widened, almost like she was stuck in a memory.

And she was. Something about the fact he’d been leaning over the back of a truck, his grubby t-shirt riding up slightly, dirt on his hands and arms had stirred a really inappropriate thought in her head…which in turn had triggered another flashback.

“He was fixing the car.” Fliss looked at John “I offered him a drink, that’s all…” “He was in our kitchen.” John advanced “I saw you looking at him. Admiring him…” “I wasn’t…”

“Don’t LIE TO ME…” John’s voice as loud and then there was a stinging slap to the side of her face, which sent her reeling. As she recovered, the ringing in her ear still loud from the blow, she gently reached up to her cheek, tears stinging her eyes. John’s face was immediately apologetic, and he reached out for her, causing her to shrink back against the counter.

“You hit me…” she gasped.

“Sugar, I’m so sorry…” John said, his eyes filing with tears “I didn’t…you just made me so jealous…I…” He held his arms out and pulled her to him, his hands on her back as he dropped a kiss to her head “I will never do that again, I’m sorry…” “Fliss?” 

She started slightly and looked at Frank. “Yeah, sorry, I was…” “Miles away?” he frowned.

“Something like that.” she nodded, shaking her head “Sorry, you said you could fix it?”

“Yeah.” he said “I can take it with me and then I can bring it back Saturday unless you need it before that?”

“No, Saturday’s fine.” she said gently.

“Look, I don’t mean to pry but are you sure you’re ok?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” she said quickly. “Look, I gotta get on and…” “Sure.” he nodded, “I should be going anyway…” She smiled at him, and turned and headed back to the yard.

“You clearly triggered something.” Roberta said to him wisely as they both sat in his living room later that evening. He’d just finished telling her about the afternoon. “Some kind of memory.”

Frank hmmed his response. “Question is why are you so bothered?” Roberta asked.

“I’m not, I just…well it wasn’t nice seeing. She looked so scared.” “Well you said her husband was sent down for assaulting her…” Roberta shrugged “She’s clearly had a lot of trauma. Maybe she just needs a friend.” “Yeah, maybe.”

“Could be good for both of you.” “I know what you’re doing.” Frank looked at her sternly 

“I’m not trying to do anything!” Roberta chuckled.

“Course you’re not.” he rolled his eyes before he changed the subject. 

It wasn’t until he was alone later, that he pulled his phone out to text Fliss. He’d typed out his message, just a perfectly innocent one to check she was ok before he deleted it, shaking his head. 

Whatever it was, it really was none of his business. He had enough of his own past demons to live with as it was.

But the more he lay there the more it wound him up.

“Fucks sake…” he grumbled, before he retyped the message and sent it.

*******

Fliss was curled up on the sofa watching TV with a glass of wine. Her parents were out for the evening so she was making the most of enjoying the space. Her phone went and she leaned over to grab it from the coffee table, unable to stop smiling as she saw who it was from.

“Hey, just wanted to check you were ok after before. I hope I didn’t do anything or say anything that upset or scared you.” The last line made her heart sink. He clearly knew about her past. Her dad had mentioned something about them googling her, and the case had been fairly big news amongst the equestrian circuit so she knew that the story was out there to read. Well, most of it was anyway. She rubbed at her eyes, thinking of how to respond. She hated that even after almost a year of him being out of her life John was till effectively a shadow from which she couldn’t seem to emerge.

“It’s not your fault. I get flashbacks sometimes, nothing I can’t handle.”

“Well the past has a way of doing that. Trust me, I know.”

Fliss smiled gently as she tapped out her response.

“Yeah, what is it Rafiki says on the Lion King? You can either run from your past or learn from it?”

Little over 30 seconds later he responded.

“Sound advice from a cartoon monkey…not always that easy in real life. If you ever want a non-judgmental ear to talk to, I’m a pretty good listener if you fancy a beer and a chat. Just as friends.” There was just something about this man, something that Fliss couldn’t help but warm to. She wasn’t stupid, the girls at the yard had told her a bit about him, his reputation amongst the ladies…he was a bit of a player from all accounts, but there was something there, something buried deeper, she could just tell. And what’s more, for the first time in years, she felt like she could trust another person other than her family.

It was for that reason she found it so easy to almost, sort of, maybe, possibly accept his invitation.

“I might just hold you to that Sailor.” 

 @the-omni-princess​​  @momobaby227​​ @geekofmanythings16​​ @angelofhell-666​​ @thewackywriter​​ @marvelfansworld​​​  @cobalt-gear​​  @asgardlover75​​ @jennmurawski13​​​​  @jtargaryen18​​​ @saiyanprincessswanie​​​  @navispalace​​​ @patzammit​​​  @joannaliceevans-fanficblog​​​ ​​ @djeniiscorner​​​  @ayamenimthiriel​​​  @coldmuffinbanditshoe​​​  @disneylovingal​​​ @madzmilllz​​  @sgtjaamesbaarnes​​ @sweater-daddiesdumbdork​​  @southerngracela​ @goldenfightergir​ @kellymat​ @official-and-unstable-satan​

[melwritesbadly]

With Wings in All Black

After a tragic turn of events,  Kazama Kaori , AKA Hex, has her investigation swept out from under her by the #2 Pro Hero. Reluctantly she joins Hawks in the pursuit of justice. On top of trying to solve the biggest case of her career, Kaori is still a young woman struggling to find her place in the world. Life is turned upside down as her professional and personal lives start to blend.

Rating: T (subject to change)

Content Warnings: slight language, implied violence/death

________________________________________________________

Assistance Requested: Information and surveillance details urgently needed regarding reported missing persons. Suspected Vigilante involvement, or other syndicates. Please respond for additional details.

Status of current investigation: Ongoing

__________ 

A Murder of One                        

Hex adjusted the dial on the receiver on her headgear tuning in to the frequency of the microphone planted in the bar below her. She hoped the ungodly amount of paperwork she traded for the device was worth it.  The other detectives at the station simply shrugged at her evidence- or rather, her lack-thereof.

Still it didn’t change the facts.

Fact 1- Low level criminals are disappearing.

Fact 2- People are disappearing

Fact 3- No one cared- but her.

Fact 4- Takei Kenji, one of the missing, had recently been seen in the area and was seemingly ‘not himself’ as described by the anonymous tip that was forwarded to her.

Takei Kenji, age 27. Minor invulnerability quirk. Last known occupation: ‘Nightwatchman’ for a warehouse commonly used for clandestine meetings for the local riff-raff. Reported missing by his mother 3 weeks ago.

After speaking with Mrs. Takei, she pieced together Kenji’s new schedule. After tailing him a few days he truly seemed like a new man, reformed. 

His dress was proper and pristine, clean shaven and hair combed and presentable. It was a stark contrast to the photo used on the missing person flier taped to her pinboard (along with all the other missing persons). With no discernible pattern, at least not to her, about the next victim(?) or the whereabouts of any of the others, Kenji was her best, and only lead.

Tonight, she could expect him to show at one of his usual haunts.  The bar below her. Not to her personal taste, the clientele of the more stabby nature. 

Earlier that week she managed to convince the bartender to spill a few snippets of the conversations between Kenji and the other patrons.

“The Bard this, The Bard that.” griped the bartender as he dumped the trash into the alley dumpster. “It’s pissing off my regulars and they’re pissy enough as it is.” 

He should have been here an hour ago though. Hex sucked on her lower lip, displeased as she scanned the road leading to and from the bar entrance. She’d give it another half hour then try and regroup on his trail in the morning.

“Cheers to another late night.” she muttered to herself listening in to the chatter and ambiance of the dive bar. 

________

Her 30 minutes go by and she huffs before finally switching the receiver off.  She’d go by tomorrow to get the mic back.  Just as she was about to stand from her perch Hex heard the unmistakable beat of wings above her, large ones, judging by the sound. 

It reminded her of her father. Probably one of the last people she wanted to see right now. Especially since her only lead ditched her for the night.

This night sucks.

 Hex thinks to herself, finally looking up intending to see the dark wings of King Crow finally come to drag her home but instead, she sees red.

This has to be the reason Kenji never showed. The thought bounces around her head angrily as none other than the number 2 Hero in Japan descended from the nightly heavens and landed on her rooftop.

This night really sucks.

“Yo!” Hawks held up a hand in greeting neatly folding his very noticeable wings against his back, shoving the other hand into his pocket.

“Will you get down!” Hex harshly whispers, gesturing him to stoop down and out of sight.

“Jeesh, hi, hello how are you? I’m fine, thanks for asking.” he jokes casually but still squats down feet planted on the ground resting his arms on his knees. Hex shakes her head and resumes her post looking up and down the street despite her previous resignation.

“You’re Hex right?” he starts “I’m-” She cuts him off not taking her eyes off the street.

“Obviously I know who you are. Everyone knows who you are. Especially every lowlife in the area who’ve probably fled after seeing your chicken legs flailing in the wind.”

“Ooo, ah, that’s my physical appearance. That hurts you know.” Feigning  being wounded, Hawks placed a hand over his heart but still kept the jovial tone. A smart smirk inching up his cheek continuing. 

“But you’re not after ‘every lowlife’, though right? Just the one. Takei Kenji?'' 

She turned to him and tilted her head, large round eyes finally meeting his sharper, more angled ones. 

“How did you...?” she trailed off, honestly surprised. It wasn’t common knowledge on how her ‘investigation’ was going. Uncommon because, well quite frankly… no one cared. Especially other Heroes. 

“Sorry Chickadee but I got some bad news.” Hawks stood back up and crossed his arms leaning against a nearby cooling unit.

Hex rolled her eyes

“Don’t call me that. What happened?” She looked up at him.

“Well, one of my guys found your guy in… not great shape.” 

Hex cursed running a hand through the back of her head, then sighed.

“How bad?” prepping for his answer.

“Morgue bad”

“Dammit!” cursing again, pinching her brow reeling from the implications.

“Your buddies at the station said you'd might want to know as a professional courtesy” brow pinched once more, Hex felt the annoying start of a headache between them.

“Courtesy? For what...” a thought flashing through her mind and she stood eyes going wide “Don’t you dare close my case!” jabbing a finger in his direction.

 He turned his head to face her more, still calm, still leaning, still observing.

“Close it? Oh no, wouldn’t think of it Chickadee. I’m taking over the investigation.”

Hex gaped. Momentarily at a loss for words. The frustrations starting to come to a point at the back of her neck, feeling an uncomfortable bristle forming.

“What no, you can’t! Do you know how much work” gesturing wildly with her hands “How much time! The favors I had to do, the resources I scrounged for-”

“Which are no longer a problem.” He blocked one ear with a finger and shot her what would have been an award winning smile “No need to shout Hex. Obviously I want to keep you,”  He paused, throwing a wink her way  “Keep you on the investigation that is.”

Hex scoffed,her head bobbing back as she shot him an incredulous look.

“I don’t do agencies, and I’m no one's sidekick.” she threw another annoyed jab of her finger in his direction.

“Ooo touchy. Freelance then. Sound good Chickadee?” Hawks held up his hand to maybe physically shield him from her ire.

“Stop calling me that and maybe I’ll let you help”

He smiled-no smirked again pushing off of the cooling unit he was leaning on stepping towards her shrugging his shoulders.

“That doesn't sound like a mutually beneficial arrangement to me.” Hex rolled her eyes and crossed her arms haughtily with a huff.

“And how does calling me stereotyped nickname benefit you, birdbrain.” 

Hawks chuckled. He didn’t expect it to be so easy to ruffle her feathers.

This was going to be fun.

“Isn’t that how these buddy cop movies play out? One hard-ass with a secret heart of gold and their handsome, comic relief partner put aside their differences to crack the case and learn the meaning of cooperation and friendship. Roll credits”

Hex tilted her head and shot him an unamused expression, opening her mouth to speak.

“I am not a hardass-” she stopped herself holding her palm up to stop the little banter she was getting pulled into. “Can you circle back, Takei Kenji?”

“Can we circle back to this team up? After all this is my case now?” 

Hex scrunched up her nose, not pouting, she told herself, and re-crossed her arms.

“Sounds like something a hardass would say.” she snarked and he grinned again, throwing his arms up bringing them down behind his head.

“You caught me. Hawks, the hardass with a heart of gold. Guess that makes you my handsome, no wait, beautiful partner then. So how's about it Chickadee?”

“Uhg” Hex clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes again. Squaring her shoulders she placed her hands on her hips

“I want a contract. Full access and authority over any and all future developments and details about my case.” Hawks nodded but shot her a finger gun.

“Our case.”

“Whatever!” she sighed looking up at the night sky hands still on her hips. 

“The agency manager can draft up whatever you’d like tomorrow. Let’s go see what Kenji had in his pockets shall we?”

Hex nodded reaching up to her headgear. She flicked the visor portion that was pushing her hair back over her eyes. The experimental mirrored tint softening the city night lights. She switched the setting on her earpiece making sure the seal around the was snug. Hawks floated a foot above the ground looking a little bored as he waited.

 Show off

Hex activated her own quirk, the bundle of jet black feathers at the base of her hair sending a shiver down her spine causing other inky feathers to erupt from her skin. The ebony plumes forming patterned rows along her arms covering them completely. 

Letting them creep upwards to the sides of her neck but stopped them before then could go any further on her body. Just enough for her to achieve flight. She did a small jump maintaining the upward moment with a strong flap of her feather covered arms and started for the station.

Harpy Hero: Hex

Quirk: Harpy- Half human, half bird! She’s able to do most things a bird can do and then some! Most notably, she can grow enough feathers to achieve flight.

______

There is no traffic in the sky and the previously chatty #2 Hero was silent during their flight. Hex was thankful, it gave her some time, however brief, to think.

This new development was...tragic. Someone would have to tell Mrs.Takei in the morning.

It should be me...

It’s just, Kenji was small time.  So why would he turn up dead?

And more importantly...

Hex cast a look in her periphery at the Fierce Wing Hero.

How did this fall into the lap of the number 2 Hero?

______

Hawks landed first. Not bothering to tame his windswept hair but did look up to observe Hex’s descent. She wasn’t quite as fast as him, well, then again, no one was. But she was graceful and skilled as she navigated the air currents. 

Fanning her wings wide Hex slowed her movements getting ready to land. A few more well practiced flutters and she also touched back down. Before she can remove her headgear she dispels her feathers. Casting them off with a quick flick of her arms. She hardened them into slivers then ground them to sand with another flick to minimize the mess and general rudeness of not picking up after your quirk.

She adjusted her headgear and hair and blatantly ignored the cheeky claps and nods of approval from the man besides her. She strode past him and up into the station. The night reception paid her no mind but did double take when they saw Hawks’s crimson wings engulfing their foyer.

Just outside the morgue waited a man with an impressive and well manicured mustache. He wore a white button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, suspenders and the first few buttons open.

“This her boss?” he asked in an accent indicating that he was from Australia. 

“Hex,” she offered “And you are?”

“Duke Amazing. Pleasure.” he greeted offering his hand. She was not expecting such a strong handshake.

“Given the circumstances…” she trailed off.  “You found Takei?”

“Well, what’s left that is…” Duke gestured to the door he was waiting in front of  “They’ve finished up for now. Just waiting on the bossman for the paperwork and whatnot.” He made another gesture in the direction of a door a little ways down the corridor.

“They’ve got his belongings in there”

“Perfect, cross the t’s and dot the i’s for me Duke?” before his sidekick could answer Hawks was already starting down the corridor. Hex followed close behind. 

Duke shook his head crossing his arms.

“June’s gunna pitch a fit again Hawks”

“Op, can’t hear you, the doors closing!” gently shoving Hex in the room and hastily closed the door behind them.

“Uhg paperwork” He bemoaned and leaned against the door

“Paperwork” Hex commiserated but was already looking over the items laid out on the small table.

There wasn’t much but everything was bagged, labeled and detailed on a piece of paper next to the items.

There was a small wallet, no money, a personal ID card. An older model cell phone, unusable. Most likely damaged in whatever altercation Kenji found himself in.

“Probably a burner” Hawks shrugged “Still, I'll get someone to pull the numbers.”  He made no move to examine the items himself but instead watched Hex very carefully as she examined each one. 

She cupped her chin as she looked at the final piece of evidence, brow furrowed.

“I’ve seen this before...” she commented, turning over the small business card over front to back several times examining it. 

While it was the same shape and card stock as a business card it held no information. No address, phone number, or even a business name. All that was printed was an indigo triangle.

“What is it?” He was curious because he had no idea what the shape meant either.

“I…” she started, brows still furrowed. “I have no idea, but I know I've seen this...” 

She placed the bagged card back on the table and leaned over it rubbing her hand to the back of her neck smoothing down her feathers there. The memory of where she’d seen this particular shape eluding her.

“Maybe at his apartment?” she muttered to herself, then sighed

“I’ll have to go back over my notes.” Hex leaned up from the table and unzipped her jacket pulling out her phone and snapped a quick picture on the item.

“How about we meet back up tomorrow then. Let me give you my number.” Hawks held out his palm asking for her phone. She was just about to hand it over but thought better and pulled it back causing him to catch air.

“No social calls, no memes at 3 in the morning, no unsolicited pictures.” her tone stern

“What if they’re tasteful?” he made a grabby motion with his hands and gave his brows a waggle.

“They’re never tasteful.” she quipped back but finally relented and handed over her phone.

Hawks flipped it over in his hands and quickly typed in his information jokingly setting the name for his number “Unsolicited dick pics” with an appropriate emoji next to it. He sent himself a quick text with her phone then clicked hers off and handed it back to her.

He was extremely pleased when she didn’t double check his contact info and simply zipped the phone back into her pocket. His little joke would be a fun surprise for the morning then.

“Send me where you want to meet tomorrow” She pressed her fingers to the back of her neck again “I’m heading out. Looong night” 

Hawks moved away from the door and let her pass, parting for the night.

“Well that led to a whole lotta nothing” He mused to himself finally taking his turn to look over the offending card stock.

“It’s never an easy mess to clean up is it?” He tossed the card back on the table.

_________________________________

[xrikix]

» Hiraeth Chapter 4 || Haikyuu AU

❝They will learn how to fly.�� – an AU where the kids of Haikyuu characters grow their passion for volleyball and face their problems.

Starring our OC’s Hoshi, Minami, and Leo! (don’t worry they’re as fluffy as our babies from Haikyuu but sprinkle in more angst)

Read Chapter 3 Here!  

Triple Alliance 

Minami quickly ran to the gym clutching her school bag. Making sure she didn’t trample anything behind her as she entered the gym. She was greeted with the smell of the gym floors and the team’s cheers as they warmed up.

“So…” Yumia spoke, her arms crossed as she stood at the doorway, “Do you have your papers?” Minami nodded and quickly rummaged through her bag to find the paper crumpled at the bottom. Smiling sheepishly, she handed it to her Captain. Yumia sighed and stepped away from the entrance of the gym. Minami happily strolled inside, flashing a smile at Riki and Kaori who waved back at her. 

Her eyes wandered towards the net that towered above her at the center of the court. Coach Konatsu stood at the side, with a clipboard in her hand and called out towards Minami when she saw her enter. “Hey Minami, come over here!” 

Minami jogged over as Coach pointed towards the net, “We’re gonna do a simple 3v3 today, to test your skills, and all that.” Minami’s eyes lit up, excitement flowing through her body. “So go stretch and prepare and I’ll tell you how it’s going to work.” Minami hastily nodded as she ran off towards Kaori who was stretching on the other side of the gym. Her body stretched out in a split as she twisted herself around.

 “Wow, I didn’t know you were so flexible,” Minami remarked as she plopped herself down, stretching her legs to the side. 

Kaori shrugged, “Benefits of being tall?,” giggling when Minami glared back at her. Kaori sighed as she looked towards the court. 

Minami followed her eyes, “What are you thinking about?”

“It’s just… I was never really much in my middle school team. I was just a pinch server.” 

Minami tilted her head, “So?” 

Kaori turned towards Minami, plastering a smile on her face, “It’s nothing.” 

Minami raised her eyebrow and slung her arm around Kaori’s shoulders. “Pinch servers are important too! Besides, we’re in high school now! This is our time to learn and grow!” Minami grabbed her shoulders, “We’re in Karasuno, it’s time to fly high!” 

Kaori stared at her, letting the words sink in. Kaori let out a deep sigh as she nodded, “You’re right.” 

Minami winked, “I’m always right,” as they walked towards the rest of the team near the entrance of the gym.

Soon, Coach called the team to huddle around her as she explained what was going to happen today. “Okay so, our newest members will be with Ayami and you guys will be playing against Riki, Yumia, and Ivy.” 

Riki turned towards the girls, “Aw yeah! Get ready to get plummeted! No matter how good Coach says you are, you’re no match for your upperclassmen!” 

Ayami quietly studied the other three, and turned towards Minami and Kaori, ignoring Riki, “It’s gonna be a strange game, but I think we got this.” In the background, Riki was protesting against Ayami ignoring her, while Yumia sighed. 

“Kaori, you stay up at the front, we’re gonna use your height to our advantage,” Ayami spoke as Kaori moved towards the net. Ayami turned to Minami, “Stand beside her, so either one of you can pick up the ball.” 

Riki snickered from the opposite side of the net, “Scared Ayami?” Ayami flashed a glare towards Riki who instantly shut-up. 

Ayami sneered, “Scared?” in which Riki stuck her tongue out in response. 

Coach’s whistle blew, signaling the beginning of the game. Ivy served the ball over the net and ran to her position. Kaori called out for the ball as it fell into her arms. The ball flew overhead as Ayami adjusted her position. She could see Riki waiting, her knees bent and her eyes focused. 

Ayami’s eyes flashed towards Minami who stuck a glance at her.  Minami’s thoughts were focused on the ball, noticing everyone’s movements around her. The sunlight filtered through the windows as she saw the other team waiting on the other side. Her arms flew behind her as her legs pushed off the ground. 

Ayami’s eyes grew in surprise as she hastily tossed the ball towards Minami. The ball nicely reached her place near the net, but she noticed that it was still lower than what she usually got from Leo.

It didn't matter anyways. 

The ball slammed onto the court as she saw Ivy jump in response. 

“Shit,” Riki jumped out of surprise as she tried to dive for the ball. 

The ball landed with a thud.

Minami fell back onto the ground, her hands red and stinging. The gym was silent as everyone looked towards Minami. 

Kaori was the first to break the silence, she squealed, “Nice job!” 

Minami smiled, feeling how good it was to hit the ball high in the court. Her hands clenched as she turned towards Ayami, “A little higher please.” Minami was determined to score another point.

Ayami raised an eyebrow, “I didn’t think you were ready.” 

Minami looked amused, “I’m always ready,” before returning back to her spot next to Riki. 

Riki whistled, “Damn, now I can see what Coach was talking about,” as she smiled back at Minami.

Coach was clapping her hands loudly in the background, hollering a sound of celebration. 

Ivy nodded, “But, it’s our turn now. Let’s show them what their upperclassmen got!” 

Yumia did not reply, staring down Minami with a blank expression. 

Kaori served the ball over as it slightly wobbled, flying over the net. Yumia dug for the ball slowly getting it off the ground. 

“Huh? Did that ball just-?” Riki said as Ivy yelled at her. 

“Riki! You need to set!” 

“Oh!” as she ran towards the ball. 

Kaori and Minami stood next to each other, their knees and arms slightly bent as they waited for a spike. Ivy ran up towards the net as she jumped. Kaori and Minami jumped in response. Ivy’s eyes flashed as Kaori’s arms towered above her. The ball flew in front of her hands and Ivy smashed the ball. The ball slammed into Kaori’s arms who winced, but flew off towards the side of the court. They fell to the floor and Ivy sighed in relief. 

“You okay Kaori?” Minami asked, worried looking at the bright red forming on her hands. 

Kaori smiled, “I’m fine, but it felt like my hands were going to break off.”

Riki flashed her a thumbs up, “That’s our ace for yah!” 

Ivy sheepishly smiled, "Thanks, but I forgot how incredibly tall you were." 

Kaori looked away, suddenly feeling shy at the compliment, "I'm sorry!" 

Riki laughed, "What are you apologizing for? Your height is great! It's like having another Violet around!" Upon hearing their conversation, Violet, who was cheering off at the side, waved. 

Minami slapped Kaori on the back and gave her a thumbs up, "Nice block," before returning. 

The game continued through the day, as the sun dipped lower into the horizon. The last rays of light were beginning to disappear. Everyone was panting as Minami wiped the sweat rolling down her face. The floors were slick with sweat as the girls hung around the court, tired after their games. 

Riki, who was lying on the ground remarked, "I have never felt so pooped out in my entire volleyball life," her eyes flashing towards Minami, "You certainly make people run." 

Minami looked away to the window, watching the sun’s rays poke through the glass. “‘Aim the ball to where no one is protecting it, and make them run', is what my dad taught me," reminiscing the days complaining of how exhausted she was after Hinata spiked the ball in the most random places. 

Minami sighed as she relaxed her shoulders, closing her eyes, “It’s nothing, really.” 

“Nothing?! It’s not just nothing!” Riki yelled, abruptly getting up. 

Minami slowly opened her eyes as a smirk replaced her smile. The adrenaline was rushing through her blood as her hands clenched, making her fist bright red. She could feel the drops of sweat trailing down her body and yet her mind wanted more. The euphoric feeling of jumping above everyone else, seeing the view from the other side of the court with the enemy’s arms below her. 

The feeling when her eyes lock on a spot as her body instinctively moves to slam the ball through the wall, knowing the ball would fly past was exhilarating. Maybe it was rude of her to love the sweet expressions of defeat plastered on her opponents’ faces, but she only knew what winning felt like. She raised her head and tilted it back as she watched Riki struggle to explain. 

Minami laughed when Riki shrugged signaling her defeat, “You take the title of being too random, but, hey, it’s not so bad when you apply it to volleyball.” 

Minami grinned, “Exactly.”

Yumia’s voice soon rang out throughout the gym, “Has anyone seen Haori?” 

Coach replied, “She hasn’t been here all day.” 

Riki stood up as her anger subsided, “She skipped didn’t she? That good for nothing-” 

Violet walked up to Riki, placing her hand on her shoulder and shaking her head. Riki grumbled and looked away. 

“Okay I’ve decided,” Coach said as the team gathered around her. “Kaori, you’re going to be our pinch server. We might switch out Violet for you depending on some situations. You two fine with this?” Kaori and Violet nodded. “And Minami,” Coach said as she faced her, “Congratulations, you’re a starter now!” 

Minami’s eyes flashed with delight as she let the words sink in, “Thank you!” Coach nodded, “There’s no doubt about it, your skill level is higher than Haori’s so it’ll be smarter to make you a starter.” 

Riki ruffled Minami’s hair, “Yeah, that’s our first year for you! Why give that bitch the starting position when someone way better can have it!” 

Yumia glared at Riki, “She’s still our teammate, and watch your language.” 

Riki rolled her eyes, “Once you start skipping, then I don’t consider you a teammate anymore. Besides she acts like a bitch too.” 

Ayami shushed Riki, “Language, Riki.” 

“Hmph.” 

Yumia turned towards Minami and Yumia, “Well, I trust what Coach says so congrats,” she said, a small smile gracing her lips. 

The two bowed, “We won’t let you down!” 

Coach nodded, “Well good job today girls! We’ll officially begin practice tomorrow, so get some rest.” 

Minami watched the night sky outside the window, her journey to the top was beginning.

[autvmnalsky]

4 and 24 with taehyung please <3

You got it!!

4. “Are you trying to turn me on right now or are you really just that oblivious?” and

24. “Just let me finish this level and I swear I’ll go down on you until you come at least 3 times.”

Pairing: Kim Taehyung x Reader

Genre: Smut

Word Count: 1.2k

Content/Warnings: Uhhh what do you call it when your kink is the possibility of someone walking in on you during sex?

You can read Jungkook’s side here.

Your boyfriend bit his lip in concentration. His brows were furrowed as he furiously tapped the buttons on his video game controller. He looked so sexy when he was focused like that and he had no idea how much it affected you.

“Are you trying to turn me on right now or are you really just that oblivious?”

“Hmm?” he replied, probably because he was too focused on his game to actually hear your question.

“You know why I came here, Tae, yet you’ve been playing video games for the last hour.” You’d been wet all morning thinking about all the things you wanted your boyfriend to do to you, and were so excited when he asked you to come over. Yet here you were, alone with him in his apartment, and he wasn’t even paying attention to you. You even wore a cute dress, in hopes it would get a reaction, but your boyfriend was too distracted.

“I’m trying to beat this level with Jungkook. We just need to take down this one sniper and then we’re done. Just let me finish this level and I swear I’ll go down on you until you come at least 3 times.”

You rolled your eyes. “That sounds like something Jungkook would say,” you grumbled. “You’re spending way too much time with that boy.” You picked up a magazine from Taehyung’s coffee table and flipped to a random page. It was about cars, which were nice to look at, but beyond that, you didn’t really care. Your boyfriend continued clicking away on his controller for god knows how long until he suddenly stopped. The TV screen in front of you had the words GAME OVER written across it in big red letters.

Taehyung switched on his microphone. “Jungkook? What happened? Are you still there?” There was no response. Taehyung set down his controller and his headset and turned toward you. “You still want to have sex?”

“Of course!” You might have admitted to that a little too quickly, but you didn’t care.

Taehyung stood up and began walking to his room, but you grabbed his hand and stopped him.

“Why don’t we just do it here?” You honestly didn’t want to wait. You’d been waiting all morning and felt like if you waited any longer you would combust.

He tilted his head to the side. “You know Hobi could walk in any minute, right?”

“Even better.” Your lips curled. You were up for a little challenge. You just wanted him right then and there and possibility that someone could walk in on you and Taehyung excited you.

And so, you positioned yourself so that you were lying down on the couch, and pulled Taehyung on top of you. Your boyfriend leaned over and kissed you on the mouth and you returned it hungrily.

You tugged at the hem of his shirt, urging him to let you take it off, but he shook his head. “Hobi is going to be home soon, we should just leave our clothes on.”

“Fine,” you resigned.

Taehyung lifted up the edge of your skirt and slid your panties down your thighs. He bent over, ready to dive in before your finger collided with his forehead.

“Wait, I don’t want you to go down on me.”

He pulled away and raised an eyebrow. “You don’t?”

“No. I want you to fuck me with your dick.”

“Oh.” His belt rattled as he scrambled to undo it. He undid the button on his pants and yanked down the zipper, pushing his boxers aside so he could pull out is cock. He gave it a few strokes until it was fully hard.

Watching him prepare himself made your core throb. Your knees quivered with anticipation  as Taehyung pushed them apart and leaned closer. One stroke, two stroke. He rubbed the head of his cock against your slit, using your arousal to lube him up. With every stroke, he brushed against your clitoris, driving you mad. You looked up at your boyfriend and bit your lip, urging him with your eyes to get on with it. Thankfully he got the hint.

He entered you slowly, giving you time to adjust to his size, but you’ve been with him many times before and had no problem taking him all the way in. You moaned as he thrusted his hips, and he swallowed the sound with his mouth.

Things got faster, things got sweatier, things got needier. You were grabbing onto Taehyung, trying to pull him closer. Every inch of him was pressed firmly against you, but the clothes were in the way. You wanted so badly to feel his skin on you, but you knew now was not the time. Still, you were close, so close…

Suddenly you heard the slamming of a car door and the chirping of a car alarm arming. Both of you froze. Taehyung and Hoseok’s apartment was on the second floor right above the garage. That sound meant that Hoseok was home and would walk in in a matter of minutes.

“Fuck.” Taehyung began to pull out.

“No no no! I’m so close!” You rolled your hips, trying to get him to move.

“We don’t have a lot of time!”

“I realize that! But I’m literally so close! Come on, you promised you’d make me cum!”

Instead of replying, he slammed his hips into you hard.

“Fuck, yes, keep doing that!” You grabbed his hand and pressed it against you. “Rub my clit! Yes, like that! Oh fuck!”

Taehyung kept going, pounding into you. He came first with a yelp, but you urged him not to stop, to keep going. You were so close. You weren’t going to make it this far and not cum. His thrusts were shaky as he became increasingly more sensitive, but his sporadic movements only served to help you, and you came in a blinding wave of euphoria.

Immediately, Taehyung pulled out and scrambled to put his cock back in his pants before his roommate returned. You were far too out of it to move, so your boyfriend had to help you pull your panties back on and fix your dress.

The second he sat you back up and made sure you were decent, Hoseok walked through the door.

“Hey, guys.” He juggled several overflowing grocery bags in his arms. “I have a couple more bags in the car.” He set the bags down on the floor by the door. “It would be great if you guys could help me out.” Hoseok eyed the two of you, confused by the wide-eyed expression you two had. He sniffed the air. “Did you two… Ew! Gross! In the living room? On my couch? The couch that I paid for? You know what, never mind, I don’t need your help.”

The second Hoseok leaves to get the rest of the groceries, you turned toward your boyfriend. “You think he knows?”

Taehyung simply nods his head and pulls you against him, smiling.

[callsigndreadfrost]

Quick Tips for New Players pt. 2

You can roll through roars. Each monster type has different timing and will require a bit of practice to get it right but once you do it'll make fights a cakewalk.

To be fair you actually CAN roll through some lesser attacks but it takes practice to get the frames right. No, this isn't like Dark Souls where rolling through everything makes you invulnerable. Take some time to see which attacks you can safely roll through.

Every monster attack is heavily telegraphed and if you pay attention you can completely avoid all their attacks. For example right before Rathian does her air flip to hit you with her tail she will crouch lower, her roar will be a guttural growl and then she'll jump.

Every monster except for Bazelguese and Deviljho (correct if wrong) sticks to a certain path and area. As you get familiarized with the game you'll learn where they hang out and which camps to spawn in.

Gunlance users and HBG users. For the love of all that is sane please be considerate of your partners! When a Gunlance user uses Wyvern's Fire or an HBG user fires cluster bombs it sends your partner's flying. Not only will it prevent someone from attacking a monster and doing more damage to it it will also stagger a player and will prevent them from evading an attack and that could cause them to cart. The fault is all yours. So be mindful of cluster bombs and Wyvern's Fire. Don't be that person that spams that shit without regard.

Flashpods are only effective three times during the fight on tempered monsters. It's best to save them for when the monster is limping away to its nest where things can get super risky and hectic. Looking at you, Kushala.

Make use of the training room. It's fantastic! Spend some time labbing a weapon and get a feel for it. Also any items you use there will not be consumed so go ahead and test out a build and use some demon juice or powder or what have you to see how much damage you're doing.

Every weapon is capable of inflicting status effects (poison, paralysis, sleep, blast) it's just that some have an easier time doing it and with more consistency. For ranged weapons the best option is the Light Bowgun. For bladed weapons it's the Dual Blades. But even the painfully slow Great Sword can inflict ailments.

Speaking of ailments. Every time you poison, sleep, paralyze or add blast to a monster its resistances to that ailment go up. It doesn't mean you won't be able to do it again, it just means each time it gets a status effect it'll take more hits than the last time to get the effect. There are ways to make it easier like charms or decorations or you can eat for Felyne Specialist at the canteen.

Speaking of the canteen, if you scroll all the way to page 4 you'll have 6 slots to make your own menu. This allows you to save menus that have Food Skills you wanna make use of during a quest. Oh and FYI the "daily" skills ain't daily. They change every time you spawn back into Astera. I have no idea why they chose daily.

You can cancel any healing or buffing in case you need to get the fuck outta dodge or avoid an attack. Just roll. If you do it early enough the item won't be consumed.

When you heal using a potion or mega potion your character wipes their mouth. You can cancel that animation by rolling as soon as your health bar has recovered. Ain't much but it sure as shit could save your ass.

Lance users please stop "running over" your partners when y'all are attacking a monster. See #5 for reasons why you should cut that shit out. Now!

Low Rank and early High Rank players should definitely take advantage of festivals. Not only because of the events but because during festivals, up in the Gathering Hub, the canteen will have a special platter which is guaranteed to give you more health and stamina. You can only get it up at the Gathering Hub.

Do not throw away, sell or trade decorations when you start out in High Rank. Every decoration is useful and you never know how you'll change your playstyle in the future. Some of these are extremely hard to come by so keep them. Once you've established yourself a little better and are holding about 500 Palico Rally decos then you can trade them.

Hold off on trading Gleaming Stones at the smelder. I highly suggest you augment your armor first. I know it's tempting but these are a bit of a pain to come across and you REALLY will need augmented armors for end game and especially for when Iceborne drops.

Augmentation is unlocked the very second you get you hands on a Hero Streamstone or a Sullied Streamstone. Just do some tempered investigations, either threat level 2 or 3. Chances of getting one or the other are strictly RNG based. There is no way to know if you'll get it. Just keep at it and eventually one will drop.

The Siege of Kulve Taroth is super fun and can be done as soon as you're done with the main storyline. Not only do you get some really neat weapons but you can also make KT's Alpha, Beta and Gamma armors (I suggest the Beta and Gamma). Once you crafted the armor you want I suggest selling all of her materials for Zenny (the game's currency). You always end up with a bunch of materials and they sell for high easily netting you over a million. Just don't sell her gems.

With the exception of KT you should never sell any monster materials especially hard to come by pieces like tails and gems and plates. You never know which weapon or charm or armor piece you may need in the future.

If you wanna join a quest I highly advice you avoid any that have been ongoing for more than 8 minutes. Once the quest hits 10 minutes and you join you won't get any rewards. Unless you don't care for getting rewards, in that case join whenever the heck you want.

Deviation is the recoil or kick from each trigger pull. Recoil allows you to move as you shoot. All rapid fire ammo (the ammo with a white arrow pointing up) benefits from this. 3 Recoil Suppressor mods are mandatory for rapid fire ammo. You only really wanna do this for LBG. No matter how high the Deviation is it's super quick to adjust to and frankly after a few quests you won't even notice it. The wording in this game can be frustratingly confusing.

Insect Glaive users should also upgrade their kinsects along with the Glaive. Make sure you pair up the right kinsect with the right Glaive for maximum efficiency. Imma save you a lot of time and headaches. Grancathar III, Whispervesp III, and Pseudocath III are the best ones. All the others really suck. The kinsect from the Final Fantasy questline is absolute shit until you upgrade it.

If you're looking to hunt a specific monster with other players just hit Join a Quest, Respond to SOS and scroll down to Target and choose the monster you need. Some are easier to get than others but keep trying.

If you're going to join Low Rank quests don't be that asshole that never actually helps and just wants to show off. Actually help the host. Debuffing yourself is stupid as fuck.

It may feel a little intimidating at first but the hud has all the information you need. Pay close attention to it especially during a quest.

When you hover over a quest all the information about it is laid out right in front of you. It will tell you the time limit, reward, small monsters in the area, will say if it's a slaying, hunting or capturing quest so be sure to read everything carefully so you're prepared.

As you hunt monsters your Hunter's Notes get updated. Check back every once in a while to see what new info it has to offer.

Yeah, the game autosaves frequently but it's never a bad thing to manually save. I've had the game freeze and crash on me while I tried to join a game.

I highly suggest you get very well acquainted with the dive dodge. It will save your life! Remember, it can be done while running AWAY from a monster but it has to be within reach.

Some attacks will knock you down and if you don't press any buttons you'll just lay there for a few seconds. This can be super useful to avoid a fast follow up attack as NOTHING will touch you while you lay there. As you get familiar with the monsters and their attacks you'll learn when to get up and run and when to just lay there for a few seconds longer so that the attack completely whiffs.

HBG users, yeah you can put shield mods. In fact, it's kind of a really good idea to do so because putting away that weapon is painfully slow. However, you only really need just 1. Literally 1 is enough.

There can only be three monsters per map. Every time one leaves the area it's replaced by another. Do keep an eye on this HR as the missing monster can be replaced by Deviljho or Bazelguese.

Adamant Pills cure Guard Down.

Demon Powder, Might Seed, Adamant Seed and Hardshell Powder last for 3 minutes. Adamant Pill and Might Pill last for 20 seconds. Armorskin, Mega Armorskin, Mega Demondrug and Demondrug last until quest completed or you faint. Dash Juice lasts for 4 minutes. Also Might and Adamant Seeds, Adamant and Might Pills cancel each other out so you can only consume one or the other, can't eat both a seed and a pill.

Your buffs and debuffs show up next to your name on the screen. You can tell when a buff is about to go out when it starts rapidly blinking. Same for the powered up Kinsects. When they're about to go out they'll blink rapidly.

When you mount a monster quickly avert your eyes to the top right corner of the screen the game itself will tell you when to brace, attack or move. Don't look at anything else! Eventually you'll learn when to do what but it's just safer to watch the commands.

Your character doesn't level up in the traditional sense, your gear does. A level 29 could have far better gear and builds than a level 49. Don't let the Hunter Rank fool you.

Kelbi horns are fantastic items to have. Find a Kelbi with big horns and smack it in the face with a blunt attack, for example the shield of the Sword and Shield, to make the horns fall off.

Wanna talk to one person in particular in the session. Press options, triangle, hover over their name, click on chat, open the chat option and type.

Listen, no Elder Dragon in MHW (pre Iceborne) is weak to the dragon element. None. Taking a weapon with dragon element into an ED fight is just going to prolong the fight. You can get the Elder Seal effect by the dragon pods that they drop themselves. If you have the space for it the Elderseal decoration can up the effect of these pods. Dragon element weapons against Elder Dragons = horrible idea.

[theabyssalmuses-archived]

Nessie’s F:GO profile and voice lines~

Bond Levels

Start

A strange and unique summoning that usually shouldn’t be possible, but since things have come to this- it may as well happen.  Her presence is quite low, but the throne of heroes ended up picking her up anyways. Not really an ally of humanity, but even this monster doesn’t mind helping out, either. 

This is Nessie- The Loch Ness Monster. 

Level 1

Height/Weight: 197cm・93kg Source: History / Folklore Region: Scotland Alignment: Neutral - Monster Gender: Female Nessie technically doesn’t fit into the human gender binary but allocated herself as ‘female’ because she liked how the words felt. 

Level 2

Nessie is not human. This is a fact any Master should learn quickly. While she looks human, this is where the comparison stops. She can be cold and uncaring toward humans, and she’s neutral at best toward her master. She follows orders just fine but would prefer her Master leave her to her own devices outside of combat.

Level 3

Though servants don’t require food, Nessie insists upon eating even so. Raw meat, specifically fish, seems to be her favourite. Even in this humanoid form, her teeth are sharp enough to easily rip through meat like this. Combined with her inhuman strength, isn’t she a little scary?

Level 4

Even if she’s not human, as Nessie bonds with her master, certain questions will arise. Questions like “Hm, hey, is my body okay, Master? What do you think of it?” and “Are you really okay with having a monster like me around? No, I don’t mind being a monster, I’m just...never mind, never mind.”   She will grow more thoughtful toward her master and other humans. Even if she is not human, even if she never will be, and even if she has accepted that...There’s no harm in enjoying their company, right? 

Level 5

Nathair O' Iverness Rank: C - A Type: Anit-Unti (Self) An extremely powerful reality marble that re-creates Nessie’s home- The Waters of Loch Ness.(sort of.) A thick fog rolls in and the water is still and calm. The water is shallow, just barely reaching the ankles on most people, however... In this reality marble, Nessie reverts to her true form - The Real Loch Ness Monster.  She is capable of diving into the water as if it were incredibly deep, and surface wherever she wishes, and attack the enemy with her large and powerful body. 

This noble phantasm is hard to maintain, not because of it’s power (it’s not that strong compared to some others.), but because of how much mana is needed by Nessie in her true form- as the mystery surrounding it increases the drain some great amount. 

Extra

Despite everything, Nessie is a Monster. But, still, she’s aware of human concepts, like fun, love, and heroism. Even if she doesn’t know it yet, she’s adjusting quite well. ..this time she’s spent with her master is truly precious to her...For a self-proclaimed monster to fell this way...

It’s such a sticky kind of 2-faced situation, isn’t it?

Bond LVL 10 CE:  Lake under the stars-  Gain 6 C.stars per turn and start the battle with Evade (2 times), and increase buster card effectiveness for yourself by 25%, only when equipped by Loch Ness Monster (Assassin.)

“The stars above her home shone down on those quiet lonely nights. Reflecting upon the surface, her eyes filled with some hope for the future. With such a beautiful sight before her, the monster can’t help but smile, before diving back down into the starless darkness below...”

Dialogue

Upon Summoning: “...Assassin, Loch Ness Monster, has risen. I’ll do what I can...hm? Oh, you can call me Nessie, if it’s easier.”

Level Up: “Mhmm, mhmm...Tasty~!” 1st Ascension: “Clothes....I changed my look slightly. Since you’ve paid this much attention to me, I figured it was fine...”  2nd Ascension: “...My teeth feel sharper than ever before...Ah? No, it’s nothing...!” 3rd Ascension: “ Raaaghhr!!  I’m really getting stronger now...Doesn’t it make you nervous, master? A real Monster getting this strong~?” 4th Ascension:  “ Well this is me. You might be, uhm...the first human to see me like this, like...ever... Weh? I’m not embarrassed! I don’t even know what that entails! Hey, tell me! Tell meee--!!”

Battle Start 1: “Let's go.” Battle Start 2: “Fighting on land isn’t my speciality, but...” Skill 1: “Alrighty, Master.”  Skill 2: “Look away, please...” Skill 3: “ This’ll do nicely.”

Command Card Selected 1: “Understood.” Command Card Selected 2: “I’ll do it.” Command Card Selected 3: “Command Acknowledged!” Extra Attack: “This is the true power of a Monster! ” Noble Phantasm Selected: “Time to go home, already?” Noble Phantasm Selected 2: “ Shapeshift- Go~~!”   

Regular Damage 1: “Gh-!” Regular Damage 2: “Ah-!” Regular Damage 3: “Nh~!” Damage from Noble Phantasm: “Kyaaaaaaaaaah--!!?” Defeated 1: “This was my fate all along...to be hunted like this...ahh...” Defeated 2: “Ahh...I'm sinking, I'm sinking...it’s dark..cold...no...”  Battle Finish 1: “That was fun, wasn’t it?” Battle Finish 2: “I hope I didn’t scare you, Master.” 

Bond Lvl 1: “I’m The Loch Ness Monster...you... have heard of me, right?”   Bond Lvl 2: “Master, I’m hungry. Give me some food, already...actually, could you just step a little closer...?” Bond Lvl 3: “You’re an odd one, Master. Keeping a monster around so casually. I’m not at all human, you know? So stop treating me like one! Just give me commands and leave it at that!” Bond Lvl 4: “...Eh? You want to sit next to me? I could eat you, you know! ...ah, I won’t though. I don’t fancy disappearing just yet. I’m enjoying myself. ” Bond Lvl 5:  “I get it now, Master. You weren’t treating me like a human...you kept your distance, but still tried to treat me nicely. You figured out my likes and dislikes, and how I acted...just to make sure I felt comfortable Master. You treated me like me, and that’s all there is. Well, uhm...that’s so like you!!”

Dialogue 1: “It’s really easy to get lost around here, isn’t it?”  Dialogue 2: “...Hm?” Dialogue 3: “Got any food? I like meat the best, you know.”  Dialogue 4: “I’m not too used to walking, so could you help me up if I fall?” Something You Like: “My likes? Haha! I’m not a human, so i never really developed something like that. I like food, and not dying, like any animal..did you expect something else from a Monster like me?”   Something You Hate: “...I’d say nothing in particular, but...Men in boats wielding harpoons, I suppose...If I see any, I’ll eat them immediately, so keep them away from me.”  About the Holy Grail: “Hmm? A Holy Grail? I don’t really care for it at all. I guess I’d wish for as much food as I’d ever want?”  If Gwenllian(Saber) is summoned: “That Saber...Hm? My face is red? Really? What’s that mean? Master! Master, why are you laughing!?” If Sun Wukong(Lancer) is summoned: “Lancer...He’s pretty cool....stronger than me, for sure...but it makes me think...is he even human, either?”  Birthday: “Birthday? Uhm...Enjoy it, I guess? I don’t know when mine was, but if you can enjoy yours, then...well, that’s a present enough for me, Master.” 

[edogawatranslations]

999: Alterna (2) - Part 8, Chapters 3-4

Table of Contents | Previous: Part 8, Chapters 1-2

Chapter 3

“It’s too dangerous. Stay with everyone else.” I pushed Akane back after pressing the elevator call button. The gruesome sight in the x-ray room would be too much for her to handle.

Despite my warning, Akane puffed out her chest and stared straight into my eyes. “I feel safer when I’m with you, Jumpy. I don’t want to doubt the others, but Zero could be among them... and besides...”

She paused and took a step towards me.

“And besides...?”

“There’s something I really want to tell you,” she mumbled.

“What is it?”

As soon as I asked, the elevator doors opened. After we got on, I pressed the button for C-Deck. But for some odd reason, nothing happened. The button didn’t light up like it had earlier.

“Damn. What’s going on?”

No matter how many times I pressed the button, nothing changed. I grew more impatient by the second. Giving up on C-Deck, I tried the button for D-Deck, hoping that would work instead. It properly lit up, and the elevator doors shut. The cage began its slow ascent.

I let out a sigh of relief and rested my back against the wall.

“Jumpy, you’re bleeding!” Akane shouted with concern, touching my cheek.

“Oh, that? I scraped it on the floor when I busted into the chapel.”

“Are you okay?”

“It’s just a scratch,” I said, slapping my cheek with my palm. “Ow!” The cut was deeper than than I had thought, sending intense pain signals to my brain. I winced in shock.

“Don’t push yourself. You don’t want to get an infection. Let me get a closer look.”

Akane suddenly brought her face closer to mine.

“H-Hey...”

A sweet scent drifted into my nostrils. I froze in place, unable to move a muscle.

I feel like this has happened before...

Experiencing a strange sense of déjà vu, I stared at Akane’s glossy lips in silence.

“You know, something like this happened before.” Akane smiled, as if she had read my mind. “Remember? It was right before we graduated from elementary school...”

A scene flashed into my mind.

The two of us were sitting atop a small hill. We gazed quietly at the evening sun, which slowly set beyond the distant townscape.

“Are you okay?” Akane asked, concern in her voice.

“It’s just a scratch. O-Oww!”

“You’re not okay at all. It’s because you’re too reckless. What were you thinking, going up against five middle schoolers like that?”

“Come on, what else could I do? I couldn’t let them run off.”

Memories buried deep within my brain slowly seeped out into my conscience, like a sweet melody flowing out of a music box.

The rabbit murder incident that occurred in our final year of elementary school. It happened on the last day of our first term, and I dedicated all of my free time to going around and interrogating adults about the case. Finally, at the beginning of March, mere weeks before our graduation, I had determined the likely culprits—a gang of middle schoolers.

As soon as Akane and I reached the park they were rumored to hang around, we spotted a group of middle schoolers by a bush drenching a kitten with oil.

“How cruel...” Akane said, covering her face.

“Hey, what’re you doing?! Stop it!” My body moved before I could even feel anger or fear. I scooped up the kitten and gently tossed it to Akane.

“After you threw the kitten to me, I ran to the nearest police station and called an officer over. I was really shocked. Your face was so swollen, it looked like a balloon. Even though you couldn’t stand, you were still trying to grab at those middle schoolers.”

I looked down.

“As I treated your injuries on the hill, I asked you, ‘Were you unable to run away?’ Do you remember what you said? You said, ‘Nah, I could’ve run away,’ like nothing was wrong.”

“Nah, I could’ve run away.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“I’m not good at giving up. I couldn’t forgive those bullies for killing those rabbits that were so precious to you. I wouldn’t be satisfied until they bowed down before you.”

“I guess something like that did happen.” I smiled, scratching below my nose. It was a little embarrassing to hear that old story.

“Jumpy, you haven’t changed a bit since then. You’re still clumsy, reckless, overly trusting of others...”

“Hey, none of those are good things!”

“Oh, I guess you’re right.” Akane grinned. “But I’m relieved I get to see the same old you again.”

Suddenly, she looked away as if swallowing her words.

“...Akane?”

“Um, I... I have one last thing I really want to tell you...” She hesitated.

“Don’t say ‘last’ like that.” I flashed a smile. “We’ll be able to see each other as much we want once this is over.”

“Huh?”

“I have something I want to tell you too.” I rested a hand on Akane’s shoulder and grinned. “Just not now. I’ll tell you only once we escape from this ship. So please, wait until then to tell me too.”

“...”

Akane looked up at me and nodded.

With perfect timing, as if it had patiently waited for our conversation to end, the elevator door opened.

“Let’s go.”

I rushed towards the central staircase, pulling Akane by her hand. Just as I was about to descend the stairs, I paused. The sight before me took me by surprise.

“No way...” Akane’s voice echoed out from behind me.

Small chunks of wood were adrift, swept here from somewhere else. Our shocked faces were reflected in the water before us. The water level had risen, causing C-Deck to be completely submerged. That was probably why the button for C-Deck in the elevator didn’t light up. An emergency device must have activated and sealed off the elevator doors on C-Deck.

“Why is the water all the way up to here?” I asked, even though I knew it was a pointless question.

I already knew the answer—it was Zero’s handiwork. He must have adjusted the amount of water coming into the ship so that it would sink once the time limit was reached.

This meant that it’d be impossible to retrieve the bracelet from the x-ray room... No, I shouldn’t give up. There must be some other way.

“Let’s head to the control room and look for something we can use,” I suggested.

We rushed up the stairs to A-Deck, pushed open the purple door, and stepped into the control room.

“What are you planning to do?” Akane asked.

Ignoring her question, I began scouring the drawers and shelves.

“Don’t tell me... You’re planning to dive down there?”

As always, Akane was sharp. She likely inferred the answer from my expression.

“That’s impossible! How far do you have to swim to get all the way to the x-ray room?!” Her tone grew more frantic.

“Don’t worry. I’d be stupid to dive down there with nothing,” I answered as I searched deep inside the shelves. “I’m hoping there’s an air tank or something around here...”

“Have you ever used one before?”

“Nope, never.”

“With no formal training, there’s no way you can dive that far down underwater. We should give up on the bracelet and head back to—”

Akane’s words cut off abruptly. Soon afterwards, I heard a thud.

“...?” I turned around, finding Akane lying on the cold floor. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

I rushed over to her and felt her reddened cheek. It was burning hot—her fever was back. I couldn’t abandon her to go to the x-ray room.

“Can you walk?”

“AAAAAHHHHHHHH!”

Akane convulsed. She screamed as her entire body twisted in pain. Her lips—no, her whole face—was turning purple. This was completely different from before.

“Kanny, keep it together!”

“Jumpy... I remember now.” A weak light glimmered from behind her mostly-shut eyelids. Amidst her heavy breathing, she began to mumble nonsense. “That’s right... I... I’ve been a ghost.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m sorry... Jumpy... Everything that’s happening tonight... was... because of me...” Tears streamed down Akane’s face.

“Hang in there! Kanny!”

“Please... Don’t worry about me... I’m fine... We’re approaching the singularity... so my existence is hazy...”

More nonsensical phrases came out of Akane’s mouth. Her mind had gotten muddled.

“AAAAAHHHHHHHH!”

She convulsed again. Her entire body bent backwards as she screamed in agony. Her wide-open eyes were locked in place, like those of a corpse. She was foaming at the mouth, with an unnatural amount of bubbles covering the edges of her lips.

It would be dangerous if she bit her tongue. I looked around for something that could help keep her mouth open.

In the next instant, the sound of a small explosion—like that of a balloon bursting—echoed out.

“...Kanny?”

I turned around with great hesitation.

Akane’s body, which was lying on the ground just a moment ago, was now nowhere to be seen.

Chapter 4

I threw myself onto the spot where Akane had just been and groped around the floor with my palms. I couldn’t feel any warmth, just like the time she disappeared from the second-class cabin.

“Kanny!” I shouted. No response. I leapt out of the control room and into the chart room. Also empty.

What in the world happened to her?

Nothing made sense anymore. I only took my eyes off Akane for one or two seconds. It didn’t matter how fast she moved. Even if there was a hidden door nearby, there wasn’t nearly enough time for her to disappear from the control room.

I crossed the chart room and pushed open the door to the captain’s cabin. Nothing had changed; the man was still lying on the ground, with an axe protruding from his back.

The bracelet on his left wrist caught my eye. Retrieving the bracelet in the x-ray room was now an impossible task—but could this one be of some use?

—If you wish to save her...

“...Huh?”

I glanced around, reacting to the voice I thought I heard a second ago. But all I saw was the bloodied corpse on the ground. He couldn’t have spoken just now, right?

—If you wish to save her, bring the bracelet to the chapel...

It wasn’t just my imagination. The voice resounded clearly in my ears.

“Who are you?” I held my breath for a second, shifting only my eyes left and right. Was Zero in the vicinity?

—There’s no time. Hurry...

The voice didn’t come from anywhere in particular. It echoed directly in my mind.

“...This can’t be real.”

I covered both ears and scanned my surroundings again.

—Hurry...

Even with my ears covered, the voice didn’t sound muffled. There was no mistaking it. I couldn’t believe it, but the voice was coming from my head. Or could it be that my mind was going crazy?

—Hurry... Time is running out...

I felt compelled to listen to the voice. I picked up the axe by my feet, and...

“HRAAAH!”

I swung it at the corpse’s left wrist with all my might. There was a sharp squelch of chopped flesh. A warm liquid splattered onto my cheeks, but I couldn’t let that faze me. The corpse’s wrist was still connected to its arm. I raised the axe once again and swung it down, aiming at the same place. This time, I felt it cut all the way through. The severed hand floated on the growing pool of blood.

After removing the bracelet from the hand, I rushed out of the room and towards the elevator. I clenched my teeth, staring straight ahead.

I decided not to occupy my mind with unnecessary thoughts.

Because I knew that unless I remained detached, my sense of self would crumble in the blink of an eye.

Next: Part 8, Chapter 5

[tonkivino]

Sonic visualiser export video

mediaInfo -> same as exiftool (use one or another).strings -> strings audio.wav | awk ‘length($0)>8’ -> nothing interesting.Other tools include Audacity or Sonic Visualiser, which might give some information about encoded text in the audio waveforms or spectogram.īased on above hexdump, it is clear, that the file format is correct and there is no manipulation as to the file type. Solving the challengeĪs with image files, stegonagraphy might be used to embed a secret message/flag in the (meta-) data, thus a quick win is to use tools like exifool, strings, mediaInfo, file and binwalk. The sample has 48000 samples per seconds, which means that 48'000 samples are used to create 1 second of sound. The sample rate gives information about the samples/frames that exists for each second of data. One sound wave goes to the left speaker, the other to the right speaker. The above sample has two channels, which stands for “Stereo”, meaning that it consists of two different sound waves that are played at the same time. Please refer to one of the references below for a deeper insight. There might be optional chunk types included in a wave format. As we will see below it is based on chunks and sub chunks.Ī left and right channel form a sample frame The file format can store many kinds of data, formost multimedia data like audio and video. What one can see from the below hexdump (default order is little-endian), is that RIFF (Resource Interchange File Format) acts as a wrapper for the wav format. If someone wants to have a look at the hexdump: To extract the metadata one can use various commands, such as exiftool, file, mediainfo or others # file audio.wav audio.wav: RIFF (little-endian) data, WAVE audio, Microsoft PCM, 16 bit, stereo 48000 Hz # exiftool audio.wav ExifTool Version Number : 11.65 File Name : audio.wav File Size : 1183 kB File Type : WAV MIME Type : audio/x-wav Encoding : Microsoft PCM Num Channels : 2 Sample Rate : 48000 Avg Bytes Per Sec : 192000 Bits Per Sample : 16 Duration : 6.31 s Furthermore, there is a sequence of data bytes. I will not go much into detail, but out of curiosity I wanted to understand more about the wav file format and found a great source.Ī wave file contains a header containing important information for playing the audio file (such as frames per second, bits per sample, num of channels, etc.). Wohoo yes that sounds very easy, but doing it for the first time, it can get very interesting.īefore I dive into the challenge itself let’s see how the wav format looks like. It comes with a broad tool set and options for managing spectrum data and layers, allowing audio playback and signal comparison.When I googled for flags or secret texts in audio files, I mostly found recommendations as: (1) Use Audacity or Sonic Visualiser, (2) check the waveform and spectrum for hints, (3) LSB might have been used to hide text or (4) maybe infra- or ultrasound range is used to transmit a secret text. Sonic Visualiser enables you to explore and get close-ups on the structure of an audio file, providing advanced annotation options to help you write down your findings. Furthermore, it comes with a set of integrated plugins that allow automatic calculations of annotations, taking into account tuning and sound pitch. One of the worth-mentioning features is the possibility to import and overlay annotation layers (CSV, LAB, MID, TXT) on top of waveform representations. For your convenience, Sonic Visualiser can also slow down the playback to such an extent that it reaches 10% of the initial speed. The selection tools enable you to define waveform sections and compare them much easier. As such, you can freely adjust the zoom level both horizontally and vertically, so as to focus on any area of the waveform and analyze it in detail. The application features options for modifying the way data is displayed. Moreover, it enables you to import musical note data from locally stored MIDI files and display it alongside the waveform. It aims to provide a user-friendly tool for displaying spectograms and audio waveforms, ensuring compatibility with some of the most common audio formats (such as WAV, MP3, AIFF, AVR, FLAC, OGG, RAW), as well as less popular file types (AU, CAF, HTK, IFF, MAR, MPC, PVR, RF64, SDS, W64, WVE, XI). Mainly addressed to music technicians, it can display a graphical representation of the audio signal for each channel and annotate loaded data for easier identification of segments. Variate format support and importing capabilities Sonic Visualiser is an open-source audio analysis and annotation utility that displays the waveform of a music file, enabling you to get an insight of what is behind the output sound.

[lindafrancois]

The Ultimate Guide to Dry January (How to Crush a Month of “No Alcohol”)

So you want to learn all about Dry January?

Giving up alcohol for the first month of the year is a growing health trend and something we’ve seen many of our Online Coaching Clients partake in. Today, we’ll share with you the same tips and tricks we provide them when abstaining from alcohol.

Is drinking hindering your progress? Let a NF Coach help you decide!

Here’s what we’ll cover in today’s guide:

What is Dry January?

What happens when you do Dry January? (Why take a month off drinking?)

What are the benefits of Dry January?

Who SHOULDN’T do Dry January? (The risks of cold turkey)

How to start Dry January

Tools to help you with Dry January (Additional resources)

What to do in February (Next steps)

Pour yourself a tall one (of water) and let’s do this.

What Is Dry January?

Dry January, simply put, is the tradition of abstaining from alcohol for the month of January. You might also hear it called “Drynuary.”

While it’s gotten a lot of buzz (pun intended) in recent years, it actually dates back to 1942. The Finnish government launched a campaign called “Raitis tammikuu” or “Sober January” as a post-war effort to drink less.

Undoubtedly though, it’s been practiced by people in other places and times before that – as a way to focus and reset after the holiday season.

January doesn’t have a monopoly on sobriety though. 

You’ll also come across:

Dry Feb, which started as a fundraiser in Canada to support those affected by cancer.

Sober September, to mark the end of summer festivities.

Go Sober for October (or Sober October).

Dry July, an Australian charity similar to Dry Feb.

No matter what you call it, it’s all more or less the same goal: don’t drink for the month. 

What Happens When You Do Dry January? (Why Take a Month off Drinking?)

Here at Nerd Fitness, we’re really, really big fans of your “BIG Why” – the reason you start anything. 

Digging into your BIG Why can be incredibly helpful for you when you start any sort of health or fitness habit, and especially when you come up against challenges along the way (which WILL happen).

“Those who have a ‘why’ can bear with almost any ‘how.’”

-Victor Frankl

So before you dive further into Dry January, ask yourself “Why do you want to do it?”

Then dig deeper into that. Try to go three levels down! 

For example:

“I want to do Dry January so that I drink less.”

Deeper…

“I want to drink less because alcohol is really affecting my ability to get up early and workout.”

Deeper……

“Since I haven’t been able to work out regularly, I move terribly, and have a hard time keeping up with my kids. Drinking less will help me be there for them.”

Now we’re getting somewhere.

Make. It. Personal. 

You may tell your friends and family about Dry January, but at the heart of it all, it’s your journey.

Naturally, the more you can personalize your BIG Why, the more it will uplift you during difficult times this month (and beyond).

What Are the Benefits of Dry January?

Here are some of the positives of abstaining from alcohol for a month:

#1) Better Sleep

The negative effects of alcohol on sleep have been well documented.[1]

However, with even just one night of heavy drinking, it doesn’t take a pile of scientific papers to let you know your sleep is affected.

Good sleep is one of those “domino habits” that affects so many other things in our day.

A good night of sleep can help you get up and workout in the morning (or just start the day sooner and get more done!). 

You’ll likely be better focused at any tasks you have. There have even been studies correlating lower amounts of sleep to obesity.[2]

#2) Improved Mood

No doubt, better (and longer) sleep will improve your frame of mind. Not only that, but there is some evidence to suggest that reducing alcohol consumption might improve your mood in general.[3]

#3) Money Saved

Booze is expensive! Especially if you’re going out for it! 

Many people’s New Year’s resolutions include seeking financial improvement. An easy target to reduce spending could be to cut out alcohol.

#4) Losing Weight

As we discuss in The Nerd’s Guide to Alcohol, booze is pretty much void of any nutrients.

Sure, wine and some other beverages might have some antioxidants here and there.[4] But other than that, it’s more or less just alcohol, water, and calories.

That’s why you’ll often hear booze referred to as “empty calories.” Cutting back on alcohol will reduce your “calories in,” essential for weight loss. 

Not only will you cut the calories from the booze itself, but there’s another insidious effect alcohol can have on our weight loss efforts: the choices we make after a few drinks.

After a few cocktails, we may find our cravings increasing and our willpower decreasing. Avoiding this situation, by avoiding alcohol, can help support healthy habits.

At this point, we should note that not everyone will benefit from taking a month off drinking.

Who Shouldn’t Do Dry January? (The Risks of Cold Turkey)

We’ve just spent some time going over the benefits of a Dry January – and there are a lot! 

But we also need to give the very real warning that this is NOT for everyone. 

We’ll go over a few possible scenarios, but if there is ANY apprehension to starting Dry January for any reason, then please consult your doctor first.

#1) Alcohol Dependency

If you currently have a strong alcohol dependency, then going cold turkey can be potentially life-threatening. There are numerous withdrawal symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, increase in potential for seizures, and even hallucinations.[5]

Again – and it bears repeating – if you believe you have any sort of dependency, please talk to your doctor before making dramatic changes in your alcohol consumption.

 #2) Predisposition to Seizures

As mentioned above, alcohol withdrawal can cause an increase in potential for seizures (due to an increase in your central nervous activity). 

If you are already knowingly prone to seizures for any reason, then a rapid swing in your drinking habits may exacerbate the situation.

 #3) Depression and Anxiety Issues

If you have been diagnosed, or suspect depression or anxiety issues, then sudden removal of alcohol as a possible coping mechanism may have detrimental effects. 

We recommend, as always, to reach out for professional support in these cases! 

You can find tons of outside resources in our guide, A Nerd’s Introduction to Mental Health.

In addition, if you feel like you want to start Dry January to absolve yourself of dietary “sins” from December, (“I can’t believe I ate and drank so much”), we’d also recommend that you revisit your BIG Why for starting.

We want this experiment to be beneficial to your health, not something that triggers a big swing in the opposite direction.

How to Start Dry January

“Alright Jim, I’ve gotten this far and I’m ready to start! I just stop drinking…right?”

Sure, sure – that’s the core of Dry January. But there are a few things to consider, to really personalize it and get even more out of it.

#1) Dry or Semi-Dry?

While the more popularly discussed variation of Dry January involves cutting out alcohol completely, perhaps you just use the month to do an alcoholic audit. You might just decide to reduce your consumption a bit. 

This may end up looking like one or more of the following:

Eliminating weekday drinks only.

Having drinks only on special occasions.

Reducing the amount of drinks you have in one sitting.

The point is that this “Dry” January may look different to everyone, and that’s ok. As far as we know, there’s no “Dry January” police that are going to bust in your doors for any dietary infractions.

This was a much better reference than The Untouchables.

#2) Are You Stuck in “All or Nothing” Thinking?

On a similar note, Dry January presents the challenge of having absolutely NO alcohol for the entire month. So maybe you start the month off with the best of intentions – no alcohol for me! – and then something happens and you have a drink.

Then it’s time to give up the rest of the month and return to old habits!

Also, whenever I get a flat – I make sure to slash the other three tires!

Jokes aside, if you start with one plan and things don’t quite go how you expected – that’s fine. 

Get right back to it. You are still making changes and focusing attention on improving your health.

And again, no Dry January police.

#3) What Are Your Triggers?

With any behavior you’re looking to change, it helps to identify what triggers that behavior in the first place.

Charles Duhigg, in his New York Times bestselling book The Power of Habit, talks about cues that lead to routines, that lead to rewards (note: the rewards may not always be healthy)

If you’re able to identify triggers, you have a better chance of avoiding or adjusting them to support your new behaviors. 

In regards to alcohol, look for triggers related to:

Time: Are you always drinking during a certain time of day, or day of the week?

Location: How about always drinking in a certain place?

Preceding Event: Is there something that always seems to happen beforehand, that then leads to having a drink?

Emotional State: How do you usually feel before having a drink? Or even just having a craving to drink?

Other People: Are you interacting with certain individuals before drinking?

Asking yourself these questions will help get to the root cause of your drinking habits. 

The other thing to consider here is “friction.”

James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, talks about habit change and the importance of “friction” – or how easy or hard you make an action. 

Specifically, we should look for ways to change our environment to increase or decrease friction. If you change your environment to reduce friction, you won’t have as many decisions to make to take the action you want. Then things start becoming automatic. 

For example, let’s say you want to “work out more.” Reduction friction might include putting your gym bag where you’ll always run into it, or setting a phone alarm to train.

Around here, we call these strategies “Hacking Your Batcave,” because of course that’s what we’d call it.

On the flipside, increasing friction for a habit we want to reduce (e.g., drinking) would mean we want to make that habit invisible. 

We can increase the friction with drinking by:

#1) Getting rid of all the booze in your house.

Dr. Berardi of Precision Nutrition often says:

If a food is in your possession or located in your residence, either you, someone you love, or someone you marginally tolerate will eventually eat it. 

That means if you don’t want to drink it, don’t keep it at home! 

#2) Avoiding areas where you can buy alcohol. 

If you have a beer and wine aisle at your regular supermarket, consider if you can shop without going near it.

You could also opt for grocery delivery, so you don’t even have to set foot inside a store with a beer/wine aisle.

Change your routes – if you walk or drive by a bar or liquor store regularly, look for new ways to go. Out of sight goes a long way for out of mind. 

Strategically increasing and decreasing friction will go a long way towards reducing the habit of drinking. 

If you want more tips and tricks for habit change, I’ve got two great resources for you:

How to Build Healthy Habits: read this guide for 5 hacks to build habits that will STICK.

The 3 Layers of Habit Change: most people go about habit change backwards – here’s exactly how to flip it.

Tools to Help You With Dry January (Additional Resources)

Let’s chat about some additional resources that may help as you begin your month-long journey.

#1) Community and Apps

Some find community and social accountability really helpful during Dry January. Others just like to see a visual streak of their success.

Nerd Fitness Prime provides social support through Facebook and Discord to hundreds of other Rebels. We’ve already used that community to tackle other challenges like running 5Ks: 

And rocking chin-ups!

For seeing a visual streak of progression, we have our NF Journey App (which is part of your NF Prime membership). 

We’re actually rolling out a 31-day habit challenge this January (boy, what excellent timing!). So jump on in and let it help your Dry January too! 

You can try a 7-day free trial of NF Journey right here:

#2) Non-Alcoholic Drinks

When reducing or eliminating alcohol in your routine, it can sometimes help to have a substitute that gives you a similar experience as alcohol, without the depressive effects. These options have come a LONG way from the days of watery, tasteless non-alcoholic beers.

For NA beers, I’ve personally tried the following:

Athletic Brewing Company: they make a great NA stout!

Brooklyn Special Effects: hoppy and very tasty!

Hop Tea: not quite beer, but the hop flavor gives a similar taste. (Caveat – many of these have caffeine.)

Partake Brewery: offers a wide variety of styles, plus a small “discovery pack” – where you can try one of each brew.

Wellbeing Brewery: the Victory Wheat is amazing!

For NA spirits, there are a couple good options here too:

Ritual Zero Proof: the “whiskey” won’t fool anyone, but having a glass of it still satisfied a lot of the “ritual” of sitting down for a drink.

Seedlip: it’s less of a stand-in, like Ritual Zero Proof, and more of their own distinct tastes. The Garden 108 was my favorite and a decent gin substitute.

They even make some non-alcoholic wine now, although admittedly I haven’t tried any yet:

Aerial

Tero

#3) Outside Help

As previously mentioned, if you do suspect you have an alcohol dependency issue – please talk to your doctor, your therapist, and/or social resources like Alcoholics Anonymous.

What to Do in February (Next Steps)

As you go through Dry January, it can be easy to focus on the end date. 

You just need to hold out a little longer, then you can get “back to normal!”

Instead, I’d recommend using the month of “no alcohol” to think about what February 1st will look like. 

This should be about introspection, not just avoidance. Use it as a time to look into your relationship with alcohol.

Ask yourself:

What adjustments have you made during January that feel sustainable?

What adjustments don’t feel sustainable?

What had you been using alcohol for in the past? (Boredom? Coping? Anxiety?)

Studies have shown that Dry January can become a foundation for continued and long-lasting changes to your health.[6]

However, for you to really see the benefits, you need to do the extra work here.[7]

Well, we hope to have provided enough information about Dry January that you can make the best decisions for yourself.

There is no shame if you’re not ready for this challenge (just as there’s no shame if your friend doesn’t participate while you do).

Whatever you’re going to embark on, we are here to support! 

If you want to continue your journey with Nerd Fitness, you can check out:

#1) Our Online Coaching Program: we work hand in hand with our clients for all sorts of nutritional changes, including drinking less. 

You can schedule a free call with our team so we can get to know you and see if our coaching program is right for you. Just click on the image below for more details:

Our coaching program changes lives. Learn how!

#2) If you like the idea of doing challenges with a group of others, check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally).

Try your free trial right here:

#3) Join the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion. You’ll meet all sorts of individuals who are trying to better themselves, by drinking less, eating more vegetables, or lacing up to go for a run. 

Sign up in the box below to enlist and get our Diet Cheat Sheet, which will show you where certain alcoholic drinks fall on the “healthy or less-healthy” spectrum. 

Download our free weight loss guide

THE NERD FITNESS DIET: 10 Levels to Change Your Life

Follow our 10-level nutrition system at your own pace

What you need to know about weight loss and healthy eating

3 Simple rules we follow every day to stay on target

Let’s go!

-Jim

PS: Make sure you check out A Nerd’s Guide to Drinking for more thoughts on how to drink while still being a healthy individual.

###

Photo source: Talk like a pirate day, boule13 © 123RF.com, Brian Jackson © 123RF.com, Dmytro Sidelnikov  © 123RF.com, The Pirates are coming, Jaromir Chalabala © 123RF.com; Ready to plunder the Californian Beaches…, Let’s quench our thirst. 

Footnotes    ( returns to text)

Read, “The Effects of Alcohol on Quality of Sleep.” Souce, PubMed.

You can read this study or this study for more.

Psychologies has an interesting article exploring this. This interview from NPR also talks about an improved mood from drinking less.

Read, “Contribution of Red Wine Consumption to Human Health Protection.” Source, PubMed.

Read, “Alcohol Dependence, Withdrawal, and Relapse.” Source, PubMed.

Read, “Voluntary temporary abstinence from alcohol during “Dry January” and subsequent alcohol use.” Source, PubMed. Also, read, “Temporary abstinence during Dry January: predictors of success; impact on well-being and self-efficacy.” Source, PubMed.

Read, “Drink refusal self-efficacy and implicit drinking identity: an evaluation of moderators of the relationship between self-awareness and drinking behavior.” Source, PubMed.

The Ultimate Guide to Dry January (How to Crush a Month of “No Alcohol”) published first on https://dietariouspage.tumblr.com/

[irrevocably-delicious]

Writing request. Klance. Mutual pining. Supportive mechanical telepathic cat-parents.

man i feel like I could easily write 15 000 words about this haha. Trying to make this idea small is hard, but let’s give it a go. 

“So what do we do? We’re a paladin down now.” Pidge states. It’s a topic they’ve been dancing around. Shiro is gone, and yes of course they will find him again, but until then they can’t just… not form Voltron. 

“Keith takes black. Yeah ok, so that’s resolved.” Pidge continues.

“Are we honestly…” Lance starts to interrupt.

“But there’s STILL five lions.” Pidge shoots Lance a look. She knows he wants to argue the leader Keith point, but that’s another discussion. 

“We need another paladin.” She concludes. The group all stare at each other, not sure of what to suggest. The air is stale. 

“I….” Allura starts. Coran grabs her arm protectively. She turns to him with an understanding smile, pats his hand, and steps out of his grip.

“I will fill in.” Her commanding voice rings in the Lion’s hangar. Hunk nervously wrings his hands. Keith looks skeptical. 

“Princess, we need you to…”

“Who else do we have?!” Allura implores. “No one knows the lions like I do. I’m already a part of this team, so it’ll be easier for me to bond than some outsider!”  

The others all share a look. It had to be Allura. Of course it did. But it was a shame that it had to come to this. 

“Who will you pilot?” Hunk moves the discussion forward. Allura smiles and taps her chin thoughtfully. Her eyes move around to look at all the lions. She sighs at a fond memory. 

“My father was the red paladin, and if Keith is piloting black then…” Allura steps towards the red lion. She smiles and places her hand on its barrier. It vibrates under her touch, but does not break.

“It just seems logical.” There’s fondness in her blue eyes. She leans forward and places both palms on the barrier.

“Of course there is the issue of the red lion being the most temperamental so…” Allura laughs. The barrier doesn’t budge under her. Still keeping her out. Keith shakes his head. 

“She doesn’t like it when you call her that.” He sings.

Allura winces. She pats the barrier gently. 

“Ah, sorry girl. I didn’t mean it.” She coos. “I understand how important your paladin is. I know how much you need to trust them. I don’t want to push, but please… please I need you to…” Allura pauses. Her mouth goes taut. She stares at the giant beast in front of her trying to sense it. She leans against the barrier with a frustrated sigh. 

“How did you do this, Keith? I can tell this isn’t working at all.”

“I blasted myself out of an airlock if you must know.”

“Guys, guys,” Lance holds up his hands. “You’re going about this all wrong. For blue and I…. it was like love at first sight!” Lance saunters over to where Allura stands. 

“Your lion is your lady, and she has to know that you are going to love and respect her. You can’t grovel, you gotta woo her.” Lance stands next to Allura. 

“Mind if I show you?” He grins. Allura rolls her eyes.

“Oh yes please. Demonstrate for all of us.” 

Lance rises to the bait. He clears his throat. 

“Hello Red, you look radiant as always. Would it be ok if I spent the evening with you?” He raises his hand to knock on the barrier. 

He immediately falls through. With a vibration and a crackle, he stumbles into the red lions perimeter. He catches himself before he eats cement. He turns to beam at everyone. They look on with disbelief. Particularly Keith.

“See!” Lance exclaims happily. His voice sounds distant and crackly inside the barrier. “Just like that!” He turns to shoot finger guns at the red lion. “Thanks red, you’re beautiful. i love you. Ok Allura, if you just want to…”

Lance bumps against the barrier.

He stares at it in confusion. He tries to step forward and bumps against it once more.

‘What…?” He whispers. 

“Oh no…” Allura stares. Pidge’s eyes widen. Keith starts to look manic. 

Allura, Hunk and Pidge all touch the barrier. None of them can get in.

And Lance can’t get out.

Lance starts to push harder against the barrier. 

“Guys, I can’t…. how do I…?”

“Lance, Lance…” Allura shakes her head. She holds his gaze through the barrier. 

“She’s chosen you.”

Lance’s chest goes cold. He turns over his shoulder to look at the monstrous lion. The red glow around him is bright and hurts his eyes. Nothing like the soothing aura of Blue.

“What?! No! No! Nononono! Blue’s my lion! I’m not giving her up!” Lance beats on the barrier. it flickers underneath his fists. 

“Let me out! Keith! Come talk to your lion! Get me out of here! Tell her I can’t do this! I WON’T do this!”

“Lance, it’s ok. I’m coming I’ll…” Keith smacks into the barrier. So confident that it would peel away for him, that he hadn’t even tried to slow down. He rubs his knee that collided and hisses. He raises his hand to the barrier and pushes. It firmly pushes back. 

“Lance…” He breathily whispers. Lance places his palm opposite Keith’s, so they look like they are touching, but the barrier crackles firmly between them.

“I can’t get in.” His breath shakes with emotion. “She wants you. She’s chosen you.”

Lance blinks away tears. 

“B…but Blue. Blue’s mine. No one can….”

Soft footfalls echo across the hangar. Allura has taken off and runs towards where Blue stands. At a full sprint, she charges forwards and Blue’s barrier easily dissolves around her.

“Alright!” Alurra gives a victorious cheer. Blue lurches forward, opening its mouth ready for Allura to board. 

Lance’s heart breaks. He falls forward. Keith worries his lip and presses himself as close to Lance as he can. Hunk and Pidge wisely walk away. 

“Lance. Lance, I’m so sorry.” Keith whispers. His voice rattles in the comms of Lance’s helmet. 

“But out of everyone here…Red has chosen you. She needs you. Can’t you feel her?”

“But she’s yours, Keith. She’s yours and you’re hers.” Lance’s voice trembles. He looks up into Keith’s face. 

“I know. And she’ll always be mine so….” Keith swallows. “I’ll need you to take really good care of her. She’s trusting you, Lance. I’m trusting you.” Keith looks up with glassy eyes. Blue may have let Allura in, but here Red was actively locking her own paladin out. A surge of sympathy courses through Lance.

“Keith, I’ll…”

Metallic whirring causes lance to turn. Red has bowed down and opened her mouth wide, inviting Lance in.

“You have to go.” Keith states and turns to leave. Lance goes to grab him, but his hand smacks painfully against the barrier.

“Keith wait!” He calls. Keith pauses. His eyebrows knit together and he waits. Lance steps back from the barrier with a frustrated sigh. 

“If I…If I could hug you I would.” He announces. Keith’s eyes widen. 

Inside the red lion the controls look the same. The cock pit is the same layout. The controls are in the same place. The chair adjusts its heights with the same toggles…. but it still feels foreign. There’s that harsh red glare, the space is smaller, and it smells…. well… Lance tries not to focus too much on that.

Lance tentatively takes hold of the controls.

“I’m sorry girl. I don’t wanna insult you or anything. This is just… hard.” he sighs. “And you don’t know this, but I’ve kind of always been Keith’s replacement so… this feels painfully familiar.” Lance sinks into his chair. “Sorry, I’m not bad mouthing your paladin I promise. My feelings for Keith are…”

Lance grips harder onto the controls. He stares up at the ceiling. 

5… 4… 3… 2…

He lets out a frustrated roar.

“AUUUGH Fuck it! You know what, red? Fuck it! Let’s fly! Let’s just go fly! You’re fast right? Show me how fast you can go!” Lights turn on and something excitedly hums. 

“You’ve lost your paladin! I’ve lost my lion! Let’s just fucking fly and bond over how pissed off we are! Sound good?!” Lance grabs the controls and throws them forward. 

With a brutal leap, Red launches up and out of the hangar. With blinding speed she soars into the atmosphere. G forces pound on Lance’s chest and pull tears from his eyes. 

“HOLY FUCK!” He yells. He white knuckles the controls and begins to level Red out. He pushes her into a dive and then sling shots around a meteor. Terrified screams turn into excited whoops. 

“Shit, Red, they weren’t lying about you.” Lance laughs manically. He barrel rolls and soars upside through some sparkling space dust. Another roller coaster dive, and Lance elegantly pirouettes Red through open space.

“Alright! Can Keith do that?” Lance throws his head back and hollers. When he opens his eyes he sees that they are approaching a meteor fast. He abruptly pulls Red up. Her back claws knock against it. 

“Don’t laugh, don’t fucking laugh at me.” But Red does anyway. Lance sighs. His helmet crackles.

“Lance? Lance?” Keith’s worried voice comes on the comms.

“I’m here.”

“Where did you go? You just left?”

“Aw did you miss me?” Lance laughs. Red seems to like that joke.

“No, I just didn’t…”

“Ah, Red says you’re lying.” Lance smirks. Red seems to like that even more. Lance chuckles to himself. So this lion had some snark, huh?

“It’s ok, Keith. I’m just flying around you guys. I just wanted to get a feel for her.”

“How is it?”

“Good. Fast.” Lance laughs. “I’m worried I’m gonna put her through a comet.”

“Please don’t.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Lance pauses. He hears Keith breathe on the other end. 

“Lance…” Lance reacts to the way keith says his name. He grips slightly tighter to the controls. Then his eyes narrow. 

“Are you making fun of me?” He whispers to the lion around him.

“What? Lance, I’m not…”

“No, no, not you. I think Red is…”

“Oh yeah…” Keith darkly laughs. It sends shivers down Lance’s spine. “She’s uh… she can get talking.”

“I’m seeing that.” Lance pouts.

“Anyway, sorry lance, but could you just come land again? We just kind of rushed into this and we need to sort some things out. Sorry. I know you probably want to be alone.”

“No, no, Keith it’s fine. I understand. I’m just circling now. I’ll be back there in a minute.”

Lance hears Keith’s comms click off. He rolls his shoulders and grips onto Red’s controls, sending her hurtling back towards the castle. 

“Red… how much do you know?” lance asks. But Red is silent. 

Keith watches Red gently touch down back in the hangar. It’s weird to watch her like this. It almost feels like an out of body experience for Keith.

Red’s barrier goes up quickly, keeping everyone else at bay. Keith feels a twinge of betrayal, but tries to push it down. It’s for the good of Voltron.

“How was landing?” He asks Lance through their helmets.

“Like a feather.” Comes Lance’s cheery reply. It’s good that he sounds more himself. 

Keith slowly approaches Red. He waits at the edge of the barrier for Lance to exit. But Red doesn’t move forward for Lance to disembark. Keith moves to lean against the barrier, but feels no resistance. He’s able to move through.

“Oh my god, now you let me in??” He grumbles and approaches the Red lion. She opens her mouth to let him enter. Keith walks into the familiar space and smiles at the strange face that looks up at him from his usual chair. Lance has taken off his helmet and beams. 

“Hey! She let you in!” He laughs. The cockpit closes behind Keith as he moves into the space.

“Seems so. I guess she figures she made her point.” He glares at the ceiling, hoping she can feel it. He moves to the dashboard and plats it. 

“How was it?”

“Yeah great!” Lance sniffles. “I mean… she didn’t eject me into space, so that’s good.”

“Nah, she’d never.” Keith tenderly brushes his hand over the dashboard. He shakes his head and smiles to himself. 

“She likes you.” He says quietly. “She really likes you.”

Lance moves forward. He nervously grabs a hold of Keith’s free hand.

“Sit with me?” He asks. Keith stares. His mouth begins to move before he knows what’s going to fall out of it.

“Oh… okay.” He nervously clambers onto the large chair in front of Lance, so he’s practically sitting in Lance’s lap. There’s warmth on his back and around his legs. He takes off his helmet and throws it to the floor, feeling like he’ll overheat. 

“Can you show me through the controls?” Lance asks. Keith wordlessly nods. 

“Uh… ok so….” He points with his right hand. “This is where you put your bayard, oh shit yeah guess I have to give you that, for when you want to activate Voltron’s sword.” His voice shakes a little bit. 

“Oh cool, okay.” Lance politely listens.

“And this…” Keith gestures to a different place. “This is where you can use her fire power.”

“That’s the same as Blue.”

“Is it?”

“Yeah. Funny that.”

“Mmmm.” Keith hums. His voice lowers. “Sometimes if you grab this lever here, and if she’s really energetic that day, she’ll do a complete flip.” Keith laughs.

“Really?”

“Uh huh. But only if she’s feeling up for it. I think it’s really hard on her.”

“Ok uh… tell me more…. about her I mean.” Lance leans forward. His hands hover nervously around Keith’s hips. 

“I’d love to.” And Keith leans back into Lance’s chest. Lance stops breathing as he wraps his arms around Keith’s middle. He gasps for air when Keith appears to melt into him. He rests his head against Lance’s shoulder. 

“See that dial there? When it’s in the red zone that means you better have plenty of breaking room. Otherwise you’ll be picking dashboard out of your teeth.” Keith recounts. Lance laughs and wraps his arms tighter around him.

“Perfect. What else?”

“She really does like it if you praise her.”

“Really?”

“Of course. And she thinks it’s cute how you call her beautiful.”

“Like in a patronising way?”

“No, no. She just like your boldness. Be bold. She’ll respect you more.”

“Well in that case…” Lance actively pulls Keith flush against his chest. He leans forward so he can prop his chin on Keith’s shoulder, and speaks softly against his ear. 

“Guess I’ll have to be more courageous then.” 

Keith chuckles. He takes one of Lance’s hands in his and entwines their fingers. 

“Guess so.”

Was this your plan? Is this what you wanted?

Are you happy, child?

… yes.

That is all I wanted. 

[mavda]

Melted

Ch.1 | Ch.2 | Ch.3 | Ch.4 | Ch.5 | Ch.6 |

Ch. 7: Hawks are faster than postmen

Link had appeared on Illia's door the next morning, children in tow. They were talking and laughing and Link looked at her in the eye; while she chuckled at the sight he invited her to practice the bow. She didn't have time to think before Beth had grabbed her hand and asked her with fluttery eyes to please, please come with them.

She was sitting on grass a while later, Colin was devouring every word and movement that Link made, Beth was cheering and mocking Talo, and Malo was sitting, far and aloof.

"That is not fair," screamed Talo, as Link effortlesly pierced a pumpkin that served as target.

"You'll be able to do it, too, you just gotta practice."

Talo tried the bow but failed to shoot the arrow very far. Frustrated, he let out a cry and looked at Link. He smiled.

"Practice," he repeated, and as he got down to Talo's level he adjusted his posture, "and fixing your posture will make you better at this, I promise."

Colin waited paitently for his turn, with Beth talking to Talo. Malo was muttering beside Illia, something about having better things to do, when she noticed Link tense and rise to his height.

She sit straight, nervous at his change in attitude when she heard sound coming from the road that linked Ordon to Hyrule Field. Nobody else noticed, as Beth and Talo started to bicker about his skills. Link turned, his front facing the newcomer. From the rustling of grass appeared a man, jogging and controlling his breath audibly, dressed in white with a sleveless shirt and pants that showed his legs to the world. The postman.

The postman stopped away from them, still jogging in place. Recognizing them as villagers, he greeted.

"Hey!"

He was rewarded with low 'heys' in return.

"May I ask where can I find Sir Malo, Sir Bo, Misses Sera and..." he squinted his eyes as he read a piece of parchment, "Sir Link."

Link was by his side in an instant, Malo walked towards the postman while calling on Talo.

"I'm Link."

The postman smiled and handed him a bundle of letters. Illia cleaned her pants as she got up.

"Malo," the boy looked uninterested and as the postman gave him a box he motioned towards his brother to take it.

Talo had his face painted with puzzlement but took the box. He lost his footing, looked alarmed, and stared at Malo for answers.

"We have better things to do now," Malo said to the air, and started walking towards the village.

Talo followed, not before offering the postman to help him find the people he had asked for. Beth had looked interested in Link's letters, but the boy had secured them inside his clothes and was smiling to her.

Illia decided to go with the others back to the village, remembering her conversation with Link, and took Beth's hand before the girl could argue.

Colin followed behind; as soon as Link had promised to practice with him afterwards.

Link's heart was beating wildly. He had been writing letters, too many perhaps, but he had wanted to make sure that Zelda didn't feel even an inkling of doubt about his friendship.

And now he had letters from her on his clothes. From Zelda. She had taken the effort to write back.

As soon as Colin's back dissapeared from his sights, he grabbed the ladder to his house and got up in two swift motions. He was opening the first letter as he went through the theshold.

She had written it the same day he had left, wanting to make sure that he understood she had asked him to leave because she thought it was the right thing for him, and that she wanted him to know that that didn't change the fact that she wanted him back.

Link was smiling as he realized his first letter to her would alleviate her worries; he had thanked her for making him go to Ordon, and that he was still planning on going back to receive the rewards she had promised.

He sit, opened the second letter and couldn't help the hand that tried to supress a grin.

She asked him to feel free to tell her to stop sending letters if it made him uncomfortable in any way - he decidedly shook his head no - and started telling him about the frustration that followed her within the castle. She had had to face a decaying morale. There were nobles that questioned the very invasion she had just fended. She felt horrible for feeling gratitude at the reports from affected citizens, but they had been proof enough to most.

Link was frowning when he opened the third one.

She was thanking him for his work, talked some more about lack of discipline, lack of trustworthy people, lack of strenght, lack of endurance, lack of wisdom. She had asked him to forgive such sour mood, and hoped he was faring well.

She hadn't received a single one of his letters, he realized. He reclined on his chair, grabbed the hair that fell on his forehead. She had surely paid for the best postman, probably bribed someone. He hadn't done that, and everyone knew that the postmen from the provinces were slow and not as prestigious. Should he bribe the next one?

He had decided to go back to Castle Town after Uli gave birth, that meant a couple of days, two weeks at most. He took paper and pen, but knew that it wouldn't arrive on time so he sighed in frustration and got up.

He kicked a rock on the road to the village and frowned; if only they had a more convenient means of speaking.

He perked his head up before he could realise something was coming his way. A hawk dived towards him and he prepared to jump out of the way when he saw parchment tied to its leg.

... A messenger... hawk?

The animal cried before setting on a nearby branch, Link raised his hands, trying to protect his eyes from the wind.

The animal screeched once more, but remained on its spot and looked at Link. Link got closer and could've sworn that the bird was looking bored.

"Is that for me?" the bird cocked its head, let out a weak cry. Link gave one step forward, slowly raised his hand, decided that the hawk was not going to hurt him, and nimbly took the message from the bird.

It was Zelda's.

'Dearest Link:

Have you received all my letters? There were eight in total. I have to know, since I bribed considerable for them to get on time.

I have received two from you, thank you for sending them; It is thanks to that that I have let Auru lend me his hawk. I have prepared already a sizeable plot of land and a lord title for you. Did you know that Auru worked for my father and was my tutor till I was four? I would have loved for you to be here and see the faces in the council when he greeted them.

Ashei has already - and rather straightforwardly - told me that she could make disappear anybody I wanted with nothing to be tracked back to me.

Shad has been using his title to make me look good.

Have I already told you that I have the whole castle to your name?

I can't thank you enough, Link. I hope you are enjoying your time with your family.

I'll be waiting, Zelda.'

Illia opened the door and was greeted by Link's shining smile.

"Would you like to have some tea?"

She frowned, "Are you asking me to feed you?"

He shook his head, never losing his smile.

"No, I meant at my house. We can buy a cake at Sera's."

Illia looked at him with half-closed eyes, Link smiled.

"Come on, I'll let you choose."

He had started to talk about his letters as he moved about preparing everything for their meal. Midna had started as a partner on his adventure and had ended up becoming a close friend who sacrificed herself to help him and the princess. He had spoken with pain, but with the numb understanding of anyone that knew there was nothing to be done.

He had put the water to boil when princess Zelda's name had come out.

He had been writing to princess Zelda. The Princess Zelda.

Illia had thought it a lie - with reason. The princess was known as regal, and just; beautiful, and hardworking; lovely, and a force to be feared, but cold to the point of being nicknamed after it, and manipulative to the point of being feared by all - but Link had assured her that, yes, they were friends, and that though he couldn't refute every rumor Illia had ever heard about the princess, he was willing to see for himself rather than trust faceless and nameless people's judgements.

Illia could feel the pangs of jealousy coursing through her, but controlled her feelings. Link looked hopeful, and for once Illia did not see the swirling behind his eyes when talking about his adventures. What he had with the princess - or thought he had - was still untainted.

She had teased him about it, - because of course she was going to - but he remained calm and happy. Illia decided to bite down all of her fears, and encouraged his friendship with the heir. He was happy.

The kettle let out a high pitched shrill when the hawk decided to join in the singing.

Illia's eyes grew wide, "She sent you a hawk?"

Link snickered at her tone but nodded.

"She did. I'm sending it back soon, It's already recovered."

As if to confirm what he said the hawk cried again. Link turned off the kettle, took a parchment from a nearby table and attached it to the hawk's leg. He had been swift before, strong, but now everything seemed to carry something else, a choice, as if every movement was thought upon.

And the way he maneuvered his message made her feel a chill down her spine.

"You're leaving."

And as it wasn't a question he just gave her a glance and smiled.

"I am," he breathed.

[privateplates4u]

Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE: 4th Place – 2017 Motor Trend Best Driver’s Car

We’ve all heard about the bad old days at GM when no car was allowed to challenge the Corvette’s performance supremacy. Those days are long dead. Team Camaro has applied its 1LE handling philosophy to the monstrously powerful ZL1, and the resulting monster is the most track-capable road car GM has ever sold. Up front, the standard Camaro ZL1’s 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 still makes 650 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque because frankly it didn’t need to make more. Being an enthusiast’s car, a six-speed manual is the only transmission on offer. An electronically controlled differential rounds out the powertrain. Out at the corners, magnetic shocks are replaced with Multimatic spool-valve shocks, and like the rest of the suspension, they’re hard-mounted with metal bushings, not rubber. The ride height, front camber, and rear anti-roll bar are all manually adjustable. A bigger grille improves cooling, and dive planes on the front corners and a massive rear wing provide downforce across the car. Equally massive carbon-ceramic brakes do the stopping. It’s Best Driver’s Car week! Don’t miss the incredible story of how we chose the 2017 Best Driver’s Car right here, and stay tuned for the World’s Greatest Drag Race, coming soon. Put it all together, nail the launch, and you’ll see 60 mph in 3.6 seconds and an 11.7-second quarter mile at 123 mph flat. Going the other way, the 3,837-pound ZL1 1LE will stop from 60 mph in a scant 91 feet. Put it on a skidpad, and it’ll pull 1.11 average g. Fling it at the figure eight, and you’ll get a 23.0-second lap at 0.93 average g. We Say “This car needs five-point harnesses because the dampers are so unforgiving. It’s true this 1LE has incredible grip; however, the compression damping is way too harsh while the rebound damping is just right. I’m not sure where they tuned this, but it clearly did not have a lot of bumps and jumps. The steering is freakishly quick. It took me three corners to calm my hands down, so I didn’t steer into and across the apex. The power seems to be well matched for the chassis, for a change, unlike the Z06. Third gear seemed very tractable and had a wide bandwidth. This feels like what I imagine a ’60s-’70s Trans Am car would be like.” – Chris Walton “I know Jonny loves this car, but I just can’t warm to it. Probably because I’ve lost all my fillings, and my kidneys are bruised. With the exception of the best roads, the ride in this Camaro is punishing. I’ve encountered smoother paint mixers. I had to remind myself that based on the numbers, this car is fantastic. Endless grip, fade-free brakes, abundant horsepower. But the thing is, I didn’t care. The bouncing was so bad that I found myself reacting to that instead of focusing on sheer act of driving. The Camaro might be brilliant on the track, but I wouldn’t want to drive this to get there.” – Derek Powell Read about other 2017 Best Driver’s Car contenders: Ferrari 488 GTB Porsche 911 Turbo S Porsche 718 Cayman S Lexus LC 500 Mercedes-AMG GT R Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Aston Martin DB11 Nissan GT-R NISMO Mazda MX-5 Miata RF McLaren 570GT “Simply tremendous … tremendous grip, tremendous brakes, and tremendous power. And how about that third pedal? This added that special connection to the vehicle that the Ferrari or 911 Turbo simply can’t match, which is why I ranked it higher than those two fancy (and expensive) machines. With the Camaro, I felt like I—not some fancy software—had a big part in conquering 198.” – Erick Ayapana “That’s a driver’s car! When the aero and the tires shake hands, it’s a moment of revelation. You are suddenly driving a hard-mounted race car. Unreal. So much power, so much control, so much stopping ability. An absolute monster of a machine. This is an uncaged race car. Being able to actually use all 650 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque is mind-boggling. I’m not sure how this car isn’t a podium finisher.” – Jonny Lieberman “Long name, amazing results! Everywhere a competitor put a wheel in the air, the Camaro stuck like glue. There’s a lot of vertical movement in the cabin, but the car just sticks no matter what. It never jumps sideways a foot when it hits a mid-corner bump, never moves around laterally at all. Even when it feels like you’ve carried too much speed into a corner, it sticks. I can’t count how many times I put the throttle flat on the floor. In a 650-hp car this stiff on this bumpy road, that’s seriously impressive. The eLSD takes a little getting used to. If you start to feed in power mid-corner, the car turns in more as the diff gets to work. Steer with the throttle? Yes, please! “Brakes have huge stopping power and great pedal feel. Squeeze, don’t stomp, and get exactly what you want. “I thought this car would be too stiff for the road, and that’s coming from someone who drove the Z/28 for a year. I was wrong.” – Scott Evans Randy Says “It was not perfectly balanced for me. I’m really trying to smear a little lipstick from the perfection here, but it would go from a little teeny bit of understeer, which was perfect, to a little bit of oversteer, which is almost perfect. But when we put it in the context of what it is, which is a front-engine rear-drive car with 650 horsepower, the traction was incredible. It put down power extremely well, I could drive it with everything turned off, and for me, that’s just so much more satisfying. “The dampers felt great. Basically I never thought about it. Which means nothing came into my awareness as being, oh, this is too stiff. Or that is too soft. I don’t sense roll. So when I just turn for the corner, it just lies over there. That’s not good terminology because I don’t feel it roll. I’m sure it does, but I don’t feel it. Which means it’s got good damping. When I’m down in the corner, in the middle, I still have a steering response, and I can still tighten it up. “It was happy coming out of the corkscrew. That’s always hard in a powerful rear drive car. Put the power down. When you’re in a low gear and it’s a hard right. It wants to power oversteer. But this one was pretty damn good. Especially at that power level. See, we have to keep this in context. “The car generated a tremendous amount of braking force, but for the first time in any high-performance Camaro, it had a long pedal. I was pumping it a little bit, and I remember going up that Corkscrew thinking, ‘Jesus and Heaven above, let these work.’ And boy did they work. It stopped so well. It was very, very pleasing and satisfying how late I could brake in this—what is a relatively heavy car. It’s light for a Camaro, a supercharged Camaro. A bad driver could crash it immediately, but for a reasonable guy who can drive really fast and doesn’t need stability control, this is the ultimate pony car right now.” 2018 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 (1LE) POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT Front-engine, RWD ENGINE TYPE Supercharged 90-deg V-8, alum block/heads VALVETRAIN OHV, 2 valves/cyl DISPLACEMENT 376.1 cu in/6,162 cc COMPRESSION RATIO 10.0:1 POWER (SAE NET) 650 hp @ 6,400 rpm* TORQUE (SAE NET) 650 lb-ft @ 3,600 rpm* REDLINE 6,500 rpm WEIGHT TO POWER 5.9 lb/hp TRANSMISSION 6-speed manual AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO 3.73:1/2.00:1 SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, adj anti-roll bar STEERING RATIO 11.1:1-15.1:1 TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK 2.3 BRAKES, F; R 15.4-in vented, 2-pc disc; 14.4-in vented, 2-pc disc, ABS WHEELS 11.0 x 20-in; 12.0 x 20-in, forged aluminum TIRES 305/30R19 98Y; 325/30R19 101Y Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3R (Tread 100) DIMENSIONS WHEELBASE 110.7 in TRACK, F/R 64.1/62.8 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 188.3 x 74.7 x 52.0 in TURNING CIRCLE 38.7 ft CURB WEIGHT 3,837 lb WEIGHT DIST, F/R 55/45% SEATING CAPACITY 4 HEADROOM, F/R 38.5/33.5 in LEGROOM, F/R 43.9/29.9 in SHOULDER ROOM, F/R 55.0/50.4 in CARGO VOLUME 9.1 cu ft TEST DATA ACCELERATION TO MPH 0-30 1.6 sec 0-40 2.2 0-50 2.8 0-60 3.6 0-70 4.4 0-80 5.3 0-90 6.6 0-100 7.9 0-100-0 11.3 PASSING, 45-65 MPH 1.5 QUARTER MILE 11.7 sec @ 123.0 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 91 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 1.11 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 23.0 sec @ 0.93 g (avg) 2.2-MI ROAD COURSE LAP 1:34.30 sec TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH 1,900 rpm CONSUMER INFO BASE PRICE $71,295 PRICE AS TESTED $73,090 STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL Yes/Yes AIRBAGS 8: Dual front, front side, f/r curtain, front knee BASIC WARRANTY 3 yrs/36,000 miles POWERTRAIN WARRANTY 5 yrs/60,000 miles ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE 5 yrs/60,000 miles FUEL CAPACITY 19.0 gal EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON 14/20/16 mpg ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY 241/169 kW-hrs/100 miles CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 1.20 lb/mile RECOMMENDED FUEL Unleaded premium The post Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE: 4th Place – 2017 Motor Trend Best Driver’s Car appeared first on Motor Trend.

http://www.motortrend.com/news/chevrolet-camaro-zl1-1le-4th-place-2017-best-drivers-car/

[sjnm3217]

⊹╰(⌣ʟ⌣)╯⊹ Reflections: Final Project

It is said that the author of this post has achieved Nirvana after working on the final project. It is currently 3.30am in the morning, after wrapping up perhaps the final group call of this project. Kind of happy, but also kind of sad that it’s all over.

First of all, I would like to say that I am immensely proud of my group and of the final work. Perhaps one of my most efficient and hard working project groups this semester!! Out of the 4 of us, we delegated the workload according to our strengths and preferences - Stacey, Zhuo Ting and I was in charge of conceptualising the magazine and doing the layouts, while we put our strongest artist Sharmaine solely in charge of illustrations. For the final lap, Stacey and Zhuo Ting continued to work on refining the layouts while I did the design document together with Sharmaine. Thus I’m afraid that some of the reflections I wrote in the group document echoes mine, but here they are anyways.

Lets dive deeper into the reflections:

Being more conscious and critical about design elements

The 4 iterations of the Venue spread that I was in charge of. Tumblr, stop resizing my images omg...

The flowchart was first conceptualised on an A4 page, with no lines or shapes enclosing the words. This however made the information look messy, with constraints on how close we can place elements together whilst maintaining breathing space and enough space to tell the separate elements apart. The second iteration was done with lines enclosing the various options, which made the overall flowchart look much neater. It draws upon the Gestalt concept of similarity - closed lines for questions, and open lines for decisions and to guide direction.

After the first consultation, and through internal deliberation, I changed the A4 layout to a spread to allow for more liberal arrangement of content. Again, bearing in mind the hierarchy of information, I used height as the main signifier to distinguish the hierarchy of steps the reader should take. I made several mishaps at first unknowingly, such as this:

The reader was probably like, oh so which way should I go

Putting the “Don’t Lie” on the same level as the “Are you expecting a large crowd” shows that it can be a possible option, when “Don’t Lie” was actually a consequence of the previous budget conscious question. 

I had to take extra care to rearrange the elements bearing in mind the mental frame and approach the reader would take.

Even then, due to the greater negative space around the options that I had, since I wasn’t using an A4 portrait layout now, the flowchart looked bland and flat against a larger spread. I had to think about how best to make the flowchart “pop” - perhaps lines wasn’t the most effective? I listed my options and decided to try shapes or solid colours out instead. Which leads to this design

It was just a minor change, but I thought switching around the colours for the “Yes” and “No” icons were better, as I usually associate warmer colours with more positive feelings and vice versa.

Sometimes, you really have to hunker down and think if the element or principle used is the best one available to present the information. Shapes? Lines? Or shapes with lines? Which leads me to my second learning points...

How to best present and communicate a huge amount of information

I remember that when we first started out, we struggled to deal with the huge amount of information we had with the planning page. We had many different ideas like representing total costs as a pie chart (of a ring) but we scrapped that because the page might look too cluttered.

For the tips page, we eventually narrowed the information down to 3 key tips. Although receipts and invoices were the final choice, we also went bounced many different ideas around, for instance using

Sugar Hearts and wedding invitations (what we presented for the first critique).

But beyond being aesthetically pleasing, its important to ask ourselves if the medium really fit the message. As we were talking about financial tips, it would make more intuitive sense to use receipts, cheques, and invoices, borrowing existing semiotics shared between us and the reader to convey information more directly.

Pushing beyond design rules (and comfort zones)

At first, I stuck to a very safe rendition of the contents page.

But safe is boring - it didn’t even covey the dynamism and unfettered nature of the topic. Besides, there’s literally no hierarchy in contents page at all, just pure listing.

From a reflective process of design, I slowly got feedback from tutors and peers and made edits to the contents page as I went along. It made me think more about anchoring, hierarchy matters and colour combinations. Here are some of the other iterations - I was trying to play around with pushing design rules here, hence the “popping” out of numbers from the usual grids and margins.

And the final contents page!!

For me, I’ve also never used inDesign before this class, so it was really - I’m running out of vocabulary at 3am - an eye-opening experience.

Learning to let go.

And most importantly, sometimes you really need to just take a leap of faith. And tell yourself that it’s good enough, and time to set the work free ⊹╰(⌣ʟ⌣)╯⊹  We spent the night before submission poring through the magazine spread over and over again, to adjust the most minute of phrases and alignments. At the end we decided that it was enough, and ok, we really need to learn how to just let go. Because sometimes, when it comes to the real world - besides churning out a piece of quality work, it’s also about learning how to do things fast.

P.S. I can’t imagine the work and consideration that would go into doing a design meant for print, with all the different paper types and print types and print checks one has to go through. Man...

[suzanneshannon]

How to Make a Media Query-less Card Component

Fun fact: it’s possible to create responsive components without any media queries at all. Certainly, if we had container queries, those would be very useful for responsive design at the component level. But we don’t. Still, with or without container queries, we can do things to make our components surprisingly responsive. We’ll use concepts from Intrinsic Web Design, brought to us by Jen Simmons.

Let’s dive together into the use case described below, the solutions regarding the actual state of CSS, and some other tricks I’ll give you.

A responsive “Cooking Recipe” card

I recently tweeted a video and Pen of a responsive card demo I built using a recipe for pizza as an example. (It’s not important to the technology here, but I dropped the recipe at the end because it’s delicious and gluten free.)

Responsive Pizza Recipe Component without Media Queries.https://t.co/upft4Vpkp1 Work in progress based on a design by @WalterStephanie. Have fun resizing your browser window 😊 pic.twitter.com/FHK2ghMb91

— Geoffrey Crofte 🔥 (@geoffreycrofte) July 18, 2020

The demo here was a first attempt based on a concept from one of Stéphanie Walter’s talks. Here is a video to show you how the card will behave:

And if you want to play with it right now, here’s the Pen.

Let’s define the responsive layout

A key to planning is knowing the actual content you are working, and the importance of those details. Not that we should be hiding content at any point, but for layout and design reasons, it’s good to know what needs to be communicated first and so forth. We’ll be displaying the same content no matter the size or shape of the layout.

Let’s imagine the content with a mobile-first mindset to help us focus on what’s most important. Then when the screen is larger, like on a desktop, we can use the additional space for things like glorious whitespace and larger typography. Usually, a little prioritization like this is enough to be sure of what content is needed for the cards at any and all viewport sizes.

Let’s take the example of a cooking recipe teaser:

In her talk, Stéphanie had already did the job and prioritized the content for our cards. Here’s what she outlined, in order of importance:

Image: because it’s a recipe, you eat with your eyes!

Title: to be sure what you’re going to cook.

Keywords: to catch key info at the first glance.

Rating info: for social proof.

Short description: for the people who read.

Call to action: what you expect the user to do on this card.

This may seem like a lot, but we can get all of that into a single smart card layout!

Non-scalable typography

One of the constraints with the technique I’m going to show you is that you won’t be able to get scalable typography based on container width. Scalable typography (e.g. “fluid type”) is commonly done with the with viewport width (vw) unit, which is based on the viewport, not the parent element.

So, while we might be tempted to reach for fluid type as a non-media query solution for the content in our cards, we won’t be able to use fluid type based on some percentage of the container width nor element width itself, unfortunately. That won’t stop us from our goal, however!

A quick note on “pixel perfection”

Let’s talk to both sides here…

Designers: Pixel perfect is super ideal, and we can certainly be precise at a component level. But there has to be some trade-off at the layout level. Meaning you will have to provide some variations, but allow the in-betweens to be flexible. Things shift in responsive layouts and precision at every possible screen width is a tough ask. We can still make things look great at every scale though!

Developers: You’ll have to be able to fill the gaps between the layouts that have prescribed designs to allow content to be readable and consistent between those states. As a good practice, I also recommend trying to keep as much of a natural flow as possible.

You can also read the Ahmad’s excellent article on the state of pixel perfection.

A recipe for zero media queries

Remember, what we’re striving for is not just a responsive card, but one that doesn’t rely on any media queries. It’s not that media queries should be avoided; it’s more about CSS being powerful and flexible enough for us to have other options available.

To build our responsive card, I was wondering if flexbox would be enough or if I would need to do it with CSS grid instead. Turns out flexbox in indeed enough for us this time, using the behavior and magic of the flex-wrap and flex-basis properties in CSS.

The gist of flex-wrap is that it allows elements to break onto a new line when the space for content gets too tight. You can see the difference between flex with a no-wrap value and with wrapping in this demo:

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The flex-basis value of 200px is more of an instruction than a suggestion for the browser, but if the container doesn’t offer enough space for it, the elements move down onto a new line. The margin between columns even force the initial wrapping.

I used this wrapping logic to create the base of my card. Adam Argyle also used it on the following demo features four form layouts with a mere 10 lines of CSS:

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In his example, Adam uses flex-basis and flex-grow (used together in flex shorthand property) )to allow the email input to take three times the space occupied by the name input or the button. When the browser estimates there is not enough rooms to display everything on the same row, the layout breaks itself into multiple lines by itself, without us having to manage the changes in media queries.

I also used clamp() function to add even more flexibility. This function is kind of magical. It allows us to resolve a min() and a max() calculation in a single function. The syntax goes like this:

clamp(MIN, VALUE, MAX)

It’s like resolving a combination of the max() and min() functions:

max(MIN, min(VAL, MAX))

You can use it for all kind of properties that cover:  <length>, <frequency>, <angle>, <time>, <percentage>, <number>, or <integer>.

The “No-Media Query Responsive Card” demo

With all of these new-fangled CSS powers, I created a flexible responsive card without any media queries. It might be best to view this demo in a new tab, or with a 0.5x option in the embed below.

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Something you want to note right away is that the HTML code for the 2 cards are exactly the same, the only difference is that the first card is within a 65% wide container, and the second one within a 35% wide container. You can also play with the dimension of your window to test its responsiveness.

The important part of the code in that demo is on these selectors:

.recipe is the parent flex container.

.pizza-box is a flex item that is the container for the card image.

.recipe-content is a second flex item and is the container for the card content. 

Now that we know how flex-wrap works, and how flex-basis and flex-grow  influence the element sizing, we just need to quickly explain the clamp() function because I used it for responsive font sizing in place of where we may have normally reached for fluid type.

I wanted to use calc() and custom properties to calculate font sizes based on the width of the parent container, but I couldn’t find a way, as a 100% value has a different interpretation depending on the context. I kept it for the middle value of my clamp() function, but the end result was over-engineered and didn’t wind up working as I’d hoped or expected.

/* No need, really */ font-size: clamp(1.4em, calc(.5em * 2.1vw), 2.1em);

Here’s where I landed instead:

font-size: clamp(1.4em, 2.1vw, 2.1em);

That’s what I did to make the card title’s size adjust against the screen size but, like we discussed much earlier when talking about fluid type, we won’t be able to size the text by the parent container’s width.

Instead, we’re basically saying this with that one line of CSS:

I want the font-size to equal to 2.1vw (2.1% of the viewport width), but please don’t let it go below 1.4em or above 2.1em.

This maintains the title’s prioritized importance by allowing it to stay larger than the rest of the content, while keeping it readable. And, hey, it still makes grows and shrinks on the screen size!

And let’s not forget about responsive images, The content requirements say the image is the most important piece in the bunch, so we definitely need to account for it and make sure it looks great at all screen sizes. Now, you may want to do something like this and call it a day:

max-width: 100%; height: auto;

But that’s doesnt always result in the best rendering of an image. Instead, we have the object-fit property, which not only responds to the height and width of the image’s content-box, but allows us to crop the image and control how it stretches inside the box when used with the object-position property.

img {   max-width: 100%;   min-height: 100%;   width: auto;   height: auto;   object-fit: cover;   object-position: 50% 50%; }

As you can see, that is a lot of properties to write down. It’s mandatory because of the explicit width and height properties in the HTML <img> code. If you remove the HTML part (which I don’t recommend for performance reason) you can keep the object-* properties in CSS and remove the others.

An alternative recipe for no media queries

Another technique is to use flex-grow as a unit-based growing value, with an absurdly enormous value for flex-basis. The idea is stolen straight from the Heydon Pickering’s great “Holy Albatross” demo.

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The interesting part of the code is this:

/* Container */ .recipe {   --modifier: calc(70ch - 100%); 
   display: flex;   flex-wrap: wrap; } 
 /* Image dimension */ .pizza-box {   flex-grow: 3;   flex-shrink: 1;   flex-basis: calc(var(--modifier) * 999); } 
 /* Text content dimension */ .recipe-content {   flex-grow: 4;   flex-shrink: 1;   flex-basis: calc(var(--modifier) * 999); }

Proportional dimensions are created by flex-grow while the flex-basis dimension can be either invalid or extremely high. The value gets extremely high when calc(70ch - 100%), the value of  --modifier, reaches a positive value. When the values are extremely high each of them fills the space creating a column layout; when the values are invalid, they lay out inline.

The value of 70ch acts like the breakpoint in the recipe component (almost like a container query). Change it depending on your needs.

Let’s break down the ingredients once again

Here are the CSS ingredients we used for a media-query-less card component:

The clamp() function helps resolve a “preferred” vs. “minimum” vs. “maximum” value.

The flex-basis property with a negative value decides when the layout breaks into multiple lines.

The flex-grow property is used as a unit value for proportional growth.

The vw unit helps with responsive typography.

The  object-fit property provides finer responsiveness for the card image, as it allows us to alter the dimensions of the image without distorting it.

Going further with quantity queries

I’ve got another trick for you: we can adjust the layout depending on the number of items in the container. That’s not really a responsiveness brought by the dimension of a container, but more by the context where the content lays.

There is no actual media query for number of items. It’s a little CSS trick to reverse-count the number of items and apply style modifications accordingly.

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The demo uses the following selector:

.container > :nth-last-child(n+3), .container > :nth-last-child(n+3) ~ * {   flex-direction: column; }

Looks tricky, right? This selector allows us to apply styles from the last-child and all it’s siblings. Neat! 

Una Kravets explains this concept really well. We can translate this specific usage like this:

.container > :nth-last-child(n+3): The third .container element or greater from the last .container in the group.

.container > :nth-last-child(n+3) ~ *: The same exact thing, but selects any .container element after the last one. This helps account for any other cards we add.

Hugo Giraudel’s “Selectors Explained” tool really helps translate complex selectors into plain English, if you’d like another translation of how these selectors work.

Another way to get “quantity” containers in CSS is to use binary conditions. But the syntax is not easy and seems a bit hacky. You can reach me on Twitter if you need to talk about that — or any other tricks and tips about CSS or design.

Is this future proof?

All the techniques I presented you here can be used today in a production environment. They’re well supported and offer opportunities for graceful degradation.

Worst case scenario? Some unsupported browser, say Internet Explorer 9, won’t change the layout based on the conditions we specify, but the content will still be readable. So, it’s supported, but might not be “optimized” for the ideal experience.

Maybe one day we will finally get see the holy grail of container queries in the wild. Hopefully the Intrinsic Web Design patterns we’ve used here resonate with you and help you build flexible and “intrinsicly-responsive” components in the meantime.

Let’s get to the “rea” reason for this post… the pizza! 🍕

Gluten free pan pizza recipe

You can pick the toppings. The important part is the dough, and here is that:

Ingredients

3¼ cups (455g) gluten free flour

1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon (29g) brown sugar

2 teaspoons of kosher salt

1/2 cube of yeast

2½ cups (400 ml) whole almond milk

4 tablespoons of melted margarine

1 tablespoon of maizena

Instructions

Mix all the dry ingredients together.

Add the liquids.

Let it double size for 2 hours. I’d recommend putting a wet dish towel over your bowl where the dough is, and place the dish close to a hot area (but not too hot because we don’t want it to cook right this second).

Put it in the pan with oil. Let it double size for approximately 1 hour.

Cook in the oven at 250 degrees for 20 minutes.

Thanks Stéphanie for the recipe 😁

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