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gloomwitchwrites · 7 months ago

Text

Tattoo Artist Simon "Ghost" Riley x Female Reader

Chapter Specific Warnings (per the warnings MDNI): canon-typical violence, flashback, blood and injury, swearing

Word Count: 3.2k

A/N: Part Twenty-Two of Ink & Needle

Simon relives the past. Evie goes to Simon for help. Price and 141 come for another visit.

Chapter Twenty-One // Chapter Twenty-Three

ao3 // taglist // main masterlist // ink & needle masterlist

It’s raining.

Simon can hear it pattering against the steel roof. He stands on the edge of a fracted concrete slab, staring down into darkness. Even the rain collects here, falling from the opening in the roof several stories up.

This is the only light Simon has. The rest of the building is utterly dark.

Walsh is here. Somewhere. Slinking through the inky blackness like a tentacled beast awaiting its next meal.

The fucker is cornered, and he knows it. Walsh blew the goddamn fuse box, shoving the abandoned construction site into complete darkness. It’s not ideal—but Simon has worked in far harsher conditions.

Simon had the advantage—the element of surprise. He seized it, only for Walsh to run when one of his conspirators shot off at Simon suddenly and without warning. The bullet only grazed Simon’s upper arm. Nothing more.

They’re all dead now.

All but Walsh.

Simon made sure of it. He did it slowly, using the shadows to his advantage, becoming a violent mist that struck with sharpened blade. Those men are just puddles of blood and vacant eyes.

Twirling his knife end-over-end, Simon considers his next move. Walsh’s only escape is on foot, and even in that the man is fucked. Simon managed to nick the back of Walsh’s leg just before he disappeared. Best case scenario, Simon struck a tendon. Unlikely—but Walsh isn’t going to make it far on foot, not with this rain and an injured leg.

Simon’s cold gaze surveys the building around him.

It’s just one of many properties Walsh owns, but knowing which was always the hard part. The man hides behind fake companies and even faker names. Connecting them back to him took the most effort. This place is just storage—a building to conceal what you don’t want found.

“Where are you?” murmurs Simon, cleaning the blood off his blade against his pant leg.

Walsh is unpredictable when he’s cornered. The man turns into a wild animal. All raised fur and sharpened teeth. This is the Walsh that’s dangerous. The one that will do anything to escape.

Stepping away from the edge, Simon submerges himself into the shadows. He backtracks, stepping over bodies along the way, boots silent as he walks. The rain picks up as Simon enters a partially completed stairwell. There are walls and stairs, but no roof or railings.

He is unprotected from the rain, and the water soaks into his clothes, the fabric sticking to his skin. Most of his body is unprotected, but this isn’t an infiltration, and backup is far away. The opportunity appeared suddenly, and Simon seized it with both hands, ready to choke. Simon made himself a false friend to Walsh, and that is the only reason Simon is this close to victory.

Three years.

Three fucking years since Simon started tracking this fucker.

Three years of endless searching. Endless infiltrations. Endless missions. Simon got close. Moved in. And now he’s fucking here, ready to finish the job.

And he will.

He fucking will.

Simon exits the stairwell and returns to the slim light trailing in from the hole in the roof. There’s a sharp illumination, a flash of white, followed by the cracking boom of thunder. The metal around him lights up, soaking up and reflecting the lightning.

Simon inhales, the scent of rain seeping through the soaked balaclava.

He glances upward, and squints just as another flash of lightning illuminates the space.

Above him—four levels up—is a shadow of a man.

Simon doesn’t wait for the next bolt of lightning. He turns back into the stairwell, taking the steps two at a time. His heart pounds in his chest—adrenaline spiking. Blood rushes through his limbs, muscles tense and poised for action.

The next flash of lightning comes, but—no. Not white. Not bright.

This is hot. This is heat.

This is flame.

The building shakes and Simon slips, sliding down the stairs, eventually landing on his knee as a resounding boom vibrates his bones.

“Fuck!” cries Simon as his knee strikes concrete. It’s a sharp crack that shoots up his leg and goes right to his head.

Rolling to the side, Simon presses himself against the wall, protecting his head as everything shudders around him. The rattling tapers out—and the moment Simon’s teeth aren’t rattling around in his head—he pushes to an upright position.

The first step is agony. He can hardly bend his fucking knee.

Hissing sharply with every step, Simon continues to climb, emerging onto the fourth level as a rising wave of nausea hits him.

The wispy tendrils of smoke come first before the heat. Simon cautiously walks forward, circumventing a slab of slanted concrete.

Behind it is fire. There is so much of it. Climbing the walls, complete undampened by the rain.

What the fuck did Walsh set off?

Simon’s intelligence said that this place might be storing chemicals, not weapons. But it didn’t say what kinds of chemicals.

A nearby beam falls from its mooring and crashes to the floor. Simon takes a step back, and then the world is tipping. Spinning.

Simon didn’t hear him. Didn’t see Walsh coming.

There are strong arms around him, shoving him down.

Simon’s training clicks into place, and he surrenders to the push, falling into it. When Simon’s back hits the ground, he rolls with the momentum, shoving Walsh off of him. Walsh tumbles away, rolling through a small patch of fire, before skidding to a stop on his side.

Simon pushes up to standing just as Walsh regains his footing. His black hair is a soaked mess, lips a snarl. Simon always thought that Walsh looked like a crow. All sharpness and talon.

“You fucking betrayed me,” screams Walsh, spittle flying from his lips.

He takes a step, staggering slightly. The sleeve of Walsh’s jacket smokes. In his right fist is a crowbar.

“Always planned on it,” replies Simon coldly.

The crowbar gently swings with Walsh’s swaying form. He hefts the metal up, pointing the bent end at Simon. “I’m gonna kill you. Take your eyes. Feed them to my fucking dogs.”

Simon says nothing. He remains still, knife clutched in his fist. It’s the only true protection he has.

“And then I’m going to kill every person you love,” continues Walsh, eyes widening slightly as he talks. “Everyone you’ve ever cared about.” Walsh lowers the crowbar. “Even the dead ones.” He laughs, the sound manic and high. “What’s a bit of graverobbing, yeah?” Walsh grins. “You can add it to the fucking list of grievances.”

“You’re not walking out of here alive,” says Simon, keeping his tone calm.

Price and the rest of the team are on their way with additional forces. Simon can kill the man, but it’ll be much easier once everyone else arrives. He just needs to play this right, to keep Walsh occupied for a bit or until the wanker tires himself out.

Either way, Walsh is a dead man.

Walsh shakes his head. “That’s where you’re wrong, mate.” He starts walking forward, the crowbar swinging. Walsh twists his wrist and the metal bar comes upward for him to grasp it like a bat. “I always fucking win.”

Simon steps to the side as Walsh brings the bar down. The man grunts. Staggers. Turns back in Simon’s direction.

Pushing the advantage, Simon shoves the knife forward with a quick slashing gesture. Walsh dodges, the metal of the blade harshly sliding against the crowbar. Sparks fly as the two metals meet.

Walsh swings again. Simon grabs the crowbar just above Walsh’s hands, holding it at bay.

“Fuck you!” screams Walsh, kicking out.

He connects with Simon’s injured knee. Simon staggers. His hand slips a bit on the crowbar.

“Fucking bastard,” spits Walsh, kicking out again, striking Simon in the chest.

Simon’s hold on the crowbar remains but he goes down, the two men stumbling to the concrete floor.

They are a tangle of limbs. Walsh gnashes his teeth, chomping at Simon as if to tear away flesh. Simon’s elbow connects with Walsh’s jaw. The man’s head snaps back and Simon slices the knife through the air.

The blade tears up Walsh’s neck, drawing blood. It isn’t much. Not nearly enough.

Walsh pushes off Simon, clutching his throat as he takes up the crowbar and swings again.

This time, the bent end connects, digging into Simon’s leg. Screaming, Simon lunges for it, intending to rip it out of his leg.

“No you fucking don’t,” snarls Walsh, yanking on the crowbar.

Simon scream again. Muscle and tendon are tearing. Nerves severing as Walsh drags Simon’s by his leg across the floor.

“I’m not done with you,” growls Walsh, yanking again.

Simon growls and lunges forward, grabbing onto the crowbar. The two men fight for dominance and control.

Walsh lashes out with his fist. Simon jerks to the side, and then thrusts his head forward, cracking his forehead against Walsh’s nose.

Blood bursts across Walsh’s face. The man stumbles back, falling on his ass.

With a guttural cry, Simon changes his angle on the crowbar, tugging it free. A black pool begins to form beneath Simon’s leg.

Groaning, Simon turns onto his side, pushes up to sitting with both hands. Grabbing his knife, Simon staggers to his feet just as Walsh steadies himself.

Simon charges, knocking into Walsh, blade pointed forward.

The knife goes in clean. Perfectly slips between ribs, missing bone, and meeting tender flesh.

Walsh screams, and then laughs—fucking laughs. The sound is choked. Garbled. But it’s not just Walsh who screams. They’re both screaming, staring into each other’s eyes as all that pent up rage and anger emerges like a storm.

A knee shoves into Simon’s stomach, and then the two men are up again. Simon’s knife is still lodged in Walsh’s chest.

The rest is all fists. Blurry. Bloody.

At some point Simon’s back and arms burn, the clothes singed and partially melted. He’s not sure when it happens. Everything is growing fuzzy, and his leg doesn’t want to move. It drags behind Simon with every swing of his fist.

Walsh’s hands slide around Simon’s throat. Using his weight, Simon drives forward, moving like a rugby player, pushing Walsh closer and closer to the edge.

Walsh’s mouth is moving, but there are no words.

It’s a buzzing. Like an alarm.

Like—

Simon’s eyes snap open. He’s greeted by the ceiling. The burns beneath the tattoos are warm as if the dream renewed the long-forgotten pain.

And that buzzing.

“Fucking hell,” groans Simon, sitting up, and grabbing his phone off the bedside table.

Bravo whines and places his head on Simon’s leg, his large dark eyes tinged with worry.

Simon opens up the doorbell app on his phone, checking to see who is out on the street wanting entrance. He checks the time and balks.

“Shit,” mutters Simon, swinging his legs out of bed. Bravo grumbles his annoyance but doesn’t move from his spot.

The quality isn’t great but there’s a woman standing outside. All he can see is a coat and her figure. He can’t tell if it’s you, but it might be.

Simon hits the button that unlocks the downstairs door and shuts off his phone. Standing, his bad knee stretches, resisting movement. He stretches a bit, and then heads for the front door.

Someone is banging on it before Simon even makes it across the living room.

He unlocks the deadbolts, and swings the door wide, expecting that it might be you and you’ve simply lost your key.

But it’s not you. It’s—

“Evie?” breathes Simon, his sudden excitement dimming to an extinguished flame.

She is rain-soaked. Trembling. Her brown eyes are large and round. Simon tastes fear and desperation in the air.

Something is wrong.

“I’m sorry,” she says quickly. “I know it’s late. But I have no one else to turn to. The police aren’t doing anything and I—”

“Come inside,” says Simon, softly, taking a step back.

Evie swallows hard, her hands clasped in front of her chest as she takes a hesitant step into Simon’s flat. He shuts the door behind her, locking the deadbolts.

“Sit here,” he instructs, gesturing toward the kitchen table. “I’ll make tea.”

“Simon,” she starts.

“Tea first, and then we’ll talk.”

Evie only nods, removing her coat to hang on the back of the chair. Simon fills the electric kettle and turns it on. Striding into the living room, he snags a blanket off the couch, and offers it to Evie.

“Thank you,” she murmurs, unfolding it slowly to drape over her shoulders.

Simon returns to the kitchen, preparing what he can for the tea. This concerns you. He knows it deep in his bones. But as much as Simon wants answers—craves them like a cigarette after sex—he needs to be fucking calm about this. He needs to be the clear-headed one.

When the kettle goes off, Simon makes each of them tea, spooning the perfect amount of milk and sugar into both. Simon sets a mug down in front of Evie and then decides to settle in the seat across from her.

“What happened?” he asks.

Evie’s mouth opens. Closes. She bites her lips and stares down into her cup.

“Start wherever you need,” says Simon. “Take your time.”

Time is never on anyone’s side. He is fully aware that time is your greatest friend and enemy. Even a few seconds are crucial.

Evie takes a deep, shuddering breath. “She should have been home yesterday. It’s not like her to not call if she’s running late.” She pauses, taking a moment to drink some tea. “I called. Texted. Nothing. Would go out to the house but I have Lillian to think of.”

“What time was she supposed to be home?”

“Around dinner,” answers Evie after a few seconds. “Still no word. No phone calls. No texts.” Evie sighs. “I went to the police station this morning but they shrugged it off. Said it’s too soon to file a missing person’s report.”

“Have you tried contacting anyone else?” asks Simon. His grip on his cup is the only thing grounding him right now.

Evie nods. “I contacted the estate agent. She said she’s go out there and check.” Tears begin to form in the corners of Evie’s eyes. “Haven’t heard anything. When I call her it goes straight to voicemail.”

Evie glances up from staring into her mug. “I’m worried. That’s why I came.”

“You did the right thing,” replies Simon. “I’ll go check.”

Her sigh of relief is palpable, as if the burden of it is a physical thing. “Thank you, Simon. I—”

“Finish your tea,” interrupts Simon. “I need to make a few calls.”

Glass crunches under Simon’s boots. Some of it shines in the morning light. Other pieces shine red.

The patio door is completely shattered, the glass strewn over the living room and lawn. In the middle of the floor is a deep pool of dark red liquid. And in that pool are two bodies.

Neither of them is you—thank fuck, but it’s hardly reassuring.

You are not here. You are—wherever you are.

Simon stares down at the two dead women. There’s a hammer near the blonde, the bludgeoning end covered in brain matter and gore. This is the estate agent and her assistant. They came to check after all at Evie’s request.

And they walked right into their deaths.

“Fucking hell,” mutters Captain Price, bending at the knees, observing the two lifeless women.

Kyle and Johnny are near the kitchen. Gaz is slowly shuffling through the paperwork on the kitchen counter while Johnny slowly walks the entryway with a torch. Simon doesn’t think they’ll find anything important.

This doesn’t have to do with Evie at all. Or Archie.

Not at the moment anyway.

This is about Simon. This is about Walsh.

It is about revenge, and the spirit of the chase in pursuit of that excellent vengeance.

Simon walks the perimeter of the dark pool, coming to a stop next to Price. He crosses his arms over his chest, gaze downward.

“Good thing you called us,” says Price, voice gruff. He comes to a standing position, a frown on his face. He turns to Gaz and Johnny. “Found anything?”

“Nope,” comes Soap’s response as he shines his torch up and down the staircase.

Gaz shrugs. “Not sure,” he replies. “This is mostly paperwork about selling the house. Don’t think Walsh is after that.”

“He’s not after the house,” growls Simon.

Price glances at him. “Simon.”

He’s trying to remind Simon to be calm—to chill the fuck out. But Simon is anything but calm. He’s fucking fuming.

“Walsh is after me,” says Simon, gaze locking with Price’s.

“Then why didn’t he come after you?” counters Price, shrugging. “You’re a civilian now. Why not surprise you in your home?”

Simon snorts but it’s not with amusement. “Think Walsh wants to make this quick?” He gestures toward the dead women.

Price doesn’t even glance at them. “These two were in the way. Likely surprised them.”

“Sure,” agrees Simon. “But he wants to hurt me first. To cause pain before he strikes.”

“We’ll find her,” sighs Price. “Maybe she escaped?”

“She would have turned up somewhere. Made contact with someone.” Simon shakes his head. “Walsh has her.”

“We don’t know that, Simon.”

Simon is ready to snap a reply, to show some teeth. This is about him, but it’s also about you. Walsh can have anything, but he can’t have you. You are the only thing Simon has ever truly wanted. The only person he’s craved to the point of obsession.

Life does not seem complete without you.

Letting you go is not an option.

“Captain!” calls Johnny.

Simon and Price snap to attention, their bodies shifting in Soap’s direction. There are solid footsteps, and then Johnny appears around the corner, coming to a stop next to Kyle. He clicks off the torch and places it on the kitchen counter. In his other hand is a large stack of mail. He gently sets the mail down, and spreads them out, making sure each envelope is on full display.

Simon takes a step forward. He’s not sure why he’s moving. Something is telling him to, wrapping around him like a string, and tugging.

Johnny lifts an envelope and holds it up. Frowning, he turns it around. “It’s addressed to Simon.”

He closes the distance in seconds, snatching the letter out of Johnny’s hand. It’s simple parchment. Slightly faded and weather-worn. There is no postage. No address. Just Simon’s full name.

“Simon,” says Price, almost cautiously, as if he doesn’t want Simon to open it.

He ignores Price, tearing it open.

There is a single piece of paper inside. It’s thin—nearly translucent. With slightly shaking fingers, Simon withdraws it from the envelope.

Come and find her. – KW.

taglist:

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@kylies-love-letter @saoirse06 @ferns-fics @lialacleaf @unhinged-reader-36

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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 1 month ago

Note

(since there was a collab ask recently) so if Twisted Wonderland likely wouldn't collaborate with anything that's not under the Disney company label, does that potentially stop them from having their content in other games?? Mostly asking cos I saw that Identity V had "disney villains" as a relevant option for crossovers, which means they can get disney licencing I guess???

But for example, twst won't do anything in their game, but IDV can still run an event with costumes of the twst characters.

Just wanted a second opinion because I don't know much on the patterns of twst's events, especially since it's up to the devs at the end of the day if they want to suddenly change how they do their collabs!

[Referencing this post!]

I'm not exactly sure how game collabs work (especially since we're looking at this from the standpoint of Japanese law, which I'm not acquainted with at all), but I think that having Twst feature in other games is a separate matter from having other games feature in Twst. However, it's unlikely that something like this would only go in one direction; the point of these kinds of agreements is so both games get cross-promotion, not just one of them. If, for example, IDV introduces costumes of Twst characters but Twst has no IDV content in their own game, then IDV might attract new players (ie Twst fans) but Twst itself clearly isn't benefitting as much from the collab--so what's the point of collabing in the first place? I'd like to point out that Disney Villains is considered a separate IP from Twisted Wonderland, even if both belong to Disney or Disney Villains is a strong influence on Twst. I don't think picking Disney Villains in that survey you mentioned would mean it extends to licensing for Twisted Wonderland as well.

So far, Twst has only really collaborated with other Disney properties. For example:

The LINE Disney Tsum Tsum mobile game; this resulted in the Tsumsitter line of cards and three installments of the story event Tsumsted Wonderland. Additionally, the Tsum Tsum game itself featured limited time Tsums of Twst characters and ran Twst-themed missions and events.

Disney films themselves; this resulted in the Lost in the Book story events, which feature the Twst characters actually meeting and interacting with Disney characters from the films. So far, we've met Stitch + Gantu, as well as Jack Skellington + the residents of Halloween Town. A large selling point of these events is nostalgia and attachment that players have to the Disney characters and movies featured.

Disney live-action remake films; this resulted in a few log=in campaigns where players were granted free materials. These periods would typically run close to the release dates of new live action films (such as The Little Mermaid) to serve as promotion for them.

The only other Twst collabs I can think of are outside of the game itself and stretch into other industries. For example, Twst often collabs with jewelry, lifestyle, and clothing brands to make merchandise, They also collab with Disney establishments or other companies to run events such as cafe collabs or special themed menus at preestablished restaurants.

Based on this history, I'd say there's a pretty low chance of Twst collaborating with anything that doesn't already have the Disney name already stamped onto it.

#disney twisted wonderland #twst #twisted wonderland #disney twst #notes from the writing raven #question #identity v #idv #Stitch #Gantu #Jack Skellington #the little mermaid #twst merch #twisted wonderland merch #twst tsumtsum #twst tsumtsumts #twisted wonderland tsumtsums #twisted wonderland tsumtsum

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tinydefector · 9 months ago

Note

Was wondering if you could do some earth spark Megatron x reader, there isn't alot of them and I'd love to see what you could come up with.

The Malto's Neighbour

Megatron x human

Warning: none.

Wordcount: 1.6k

Megatron masterlist

Really hope you guys like this, and woo first piece for earthspark since I've started watching the series. Hope you guys enjoy the chaos which is to come.

________________________

The Malto's property is a busy one, Twitch yelling at the others as they practise. "Keep up slow poke Twitch's madly zips between the hay bales strewn across the yard, chassis buzzing with energy. "Gotta be faster than that, Jawbreaker!" She shouted gleefully, panels flared and fans roaring.

Hashtag revved her engine competitively, darting around the yard in tight circles as she sought an opening to knock Thrust off his pedes laughter echoing from all of them. Nearby, Nightshade sculpted away as they planned out new projects.

Dot smiles as she watches her kids run around the yard, and back and forth from the barn. "Play nice you lot!" She calls out while finishing her coffee. The sound of propellers alerts her to Megatron's arrival. She looks out the other side of the widow with a smile as Megatron touches down. "Megs wasn't expecting to see you today" she calls out while walking out to meet him.

His optics scans the surrounding farmland, ensuring all remains secure within guarded borders, before his powerful lip components peel back in a fierce yet weary grin. "And risk missing the sparklings?" he retorts, striding over rust coloured soil towards the porch Dorothy stood on.

His field pulses warmth upon seeing his friend, soaking in her calming company. “It is good to see you Dorothy” A gruff hum rumbles his massive frame, relaxing further.

"so optimus, has you playing babysitter today?" She asked with a smirk, trying to ruffle his plating. A scoffing snort bellows from Megatron's vents at the insinuation of playing nursemaid.

Twitch's laughter makes Megatron look up to watch as she flies around with Mo before their eyes and optics land on the ex-warlord. "Hi Mr Megatron!" A collection of voices call out, Dot laughs at her kids. "Believe it or not they seem to enjoy having you around, think they like you better than OP '' she states smugly. A rare soft chuckle rumbles from Megatron's frame. "Well if the Prime cannot appease youthful tastes, it seems his title means less than once assumed," he replies loftily, it earns him a small slap to his plating from Dorothy.

Beside him, her own amusement rings sweet as Terran continues with their Shenanigans. Megatron's optics glint fondly. He didn't know how to voice his appreciation to the soldier turned ranger, she trusted him so willingly with her family and he would forever be thankful for that.

Dot walks towards her work vehicle. "You gonna be alright dealing with all of them by yourself?. Alex shouldn't be far away" she replies while getting into the driver's seat and ready to head off to work.

"Twitch Not fair only you and Nightshade can fly!" Hashtag calls out.

"Too bad bozo should have picked a better alt mode instead of a Ghost Van '' Twitch calls back as she takes off with their basketball before throwing in through the hoop.

This handful of newsparks posed no threat whatsoever, and he'd make sure they were protected while she was away.

"Worry not, I shall keep them entertained and out of trouble until your return" he rumbles, His massive frame shifts casually aside as Dot's vehicle rumbles past, optics following until taillights fade into rural tree line. Massive peds crunch soil as Megatron straightens, surveying once more.

It's only once the kids mother has left do they go about doing their own things.

Nightshade and Hashtag with little projects together. “Can you give me a tutorial on renovating?” Nightshade ask Hashtag as the two work away

Jawbreaker finds himself sitting beside Megatron with Mo sitting in his lap. “But I never thought you had a grounded alt” Jawbreaker states while watching the ex Decepticon. “Much has changed since my time on cybertron and even while here on earth.” He starts. “I was once a miner, my Alt was that of a Mining Drill, it's only as of recently I've taken an alt mode of a flying type” he replies, a sad smile on his lips as he remembers. He's broken out of his memory when Twitch flies back in a panic.

"There is someone on the property!, they didn't see me but i didn't stick around to get seen" She states and it makes all the young ones tense up.

"You don't think it's GHOST again?"

"It could be the neighbour!" Robbie states trying to calm everyone.

"Show me," he rumbles curtly to Twitch, striding toward the perimeter of the woodlands. His engine rumbles a warning growl. "Remain here. Stay out of sight, Little bird stay in drone mode in case it is GHOST." The young terrans all retreat back into the barn watching. The wind whispers against his armour as he and Twitch move through the woods, Twitch stays close to Megatron's side hovering as they slowly scan the area.

A loud whistle leaves a human as they move throughout the woodlands. "Bluey!" They call out while looking through the woods. "Blue! Come on!" They call before their eyes catch movements, they huff to themself moving closer hoping to find their dog.

As they turn down another track they freeze when Scarlet optics linger on them, their body goes into fight or flight mode but instead of either they sand frozen to the spot hoping they hadn't been seen. Megatron freezes as well, optics narrowing to analyse the stranger before him. No weapon was drawn, but their presence alone was alarming. A low menacing growl rumbles leaves his intake, Twitch hovers over his shoulder plate quick to hide behind his back as she transformers, ember optics watching the human from behind Megatron as she clings to the large Mech.

"Explain your business here, human," he demands. "You trespass" Twitch's faint glow flickers beside him, awaiting the answer that could mean swift action, depending on what the human said would decide how quickly she would fly back to the barn.

They fall to the ground moving backwards quickly. "BLUE!!" They shout loudly. The sound of heavy footsteps crunching against branches, leaf litter and rocks follow before a large cybernetic Dog stands in front of the human growling at Megatron. Its ears are pinned back as it barks loudly at the large Mech, guarding their human.

Twitch's optics widen in shock. “No way you have a Robodog!” she squeals out in delight only for Megatron to make sure she stays behind him.

Megatron's optics narrow as he watches the Metal dog and vice versa. Bright blue optics watch his every move, the creature looked like a merge of cybertronian tech yet at the same time his scans said it was something different.

"Explain," he rumbles again, optics narrowing upon the trespassers. Loyalty to one's charge he respected, if nothing else. But his main concern was his charges and their safety. More footfall alerts Megatron to one of the children running towards them. Robbie pants as he catches up to Megatron, his eyes going wide when he sees his neighbour. “DON'T BLAST OUT NEIGHBOUR!" He yells loudly.

"You know them?" he asked Robbie who nodded. "Yea they leave across the woods, their another one of my Parents friend's!" He states only to flinch as the cyberdog sniffs him. its ears perk up and whines at the young man waiting for a pat. "Robbie?" The other human calls out in shock.

“Um Hey!, sorry about him” Robbie says sheepishly while patting the dog's face. "Um... when did you get a robot dog?" He asked his neighbour, they let out a groan as they continued laying on the ground. Crimson optics scan the pair, A rumbling purr vibrates his massive chassis, posture shifting from confrontational to watchful. "You seem acquainted. Explain yourselves further - why have these 'neighbours' not been introduced before now?" He asked Robbie.

The young man turns back to Megatron. "Because the terrans are hiding from GHOST, Megatron," He states, but the shock of reality finally kicks in after he says those words. "We are all gonna be in deep shit when mom gets home," he says in a panic. Twitch perks up. "Ohhhhh, Robbie said a bad word! I'm telling mom!!" She shouts while flying out from behind Megatron's shoulder.

"Troubles abound it seems," he finally replies, his tone modulated into something approaching conciliatory. "Explanations are due. But not here, it isn't safe out here." Crimson optics scan the forest shadows.

That's how they end up sitting in the Kitchen of the Malto's house with both Robbie and Mo, along with the Terrans watching them from windows and Megatron sitting on the ground beside the house watching. They slowly sip on their drink as the kids look at them with worry. "You're not going to tell anyone about the bots right?" Mo asked.

"What!, no, no! That would put Blue in more danger, I'm out here hiding him for the Government" they state. It makes all the terrans relax before questions fly about themself and their cyberdog.

Megatron scans Blue appraisingly where the cyber-hound lies on the Doorstep near his Pede. He had never seen anything like this creature. He had his run in with turbofoxs and other creatures like on cybertron, but this one almost reminded him of Ravage in how protective they were of their human.

A sigh vents softly from Megatron's frame, he reaches out slowly running a servos over the dog's back which makes the mutt huff, before it rolls over in delight, soft chafing noises leave them.

It's only when Alex returns that he realises something is up. "Kids... what's going on?" He asked his children. The older of the collect waves. "Um Hey Alex, you might wanna sit down" they call out to him. He nearly drops his shopping bags when he sees the Metallic Dog.

Enjoy the Art of Blue.

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#transformers #transformers x human #transformers x reader #megatron idw #megatron transformers #transformers megatron #megatron #transformers megatron x reader #megatron x human #megatron x reader #transformers earthspark #earthspark megatron #twitch malto #transformers twitch #transformers thrash #transformers jawbreaker #transformers hashtag

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justheretodump · 4 months ago

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this is going to be dc x danny phantom x miraculous ladybug x spiderman

pt 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

for those who aren't familiar with every show, here's a lore explanation

---

jazz fenton and constantine had met, of course, on a dreary december night, when rain had poured ominously. with thundering clouds above, constantine had blinked awake from a coma-like nap to the sound of knocking on his apartment door.

a wet and scowling jazz had stood on the other side, orange hair stuck to her skin and shaking hands gripping a leather tome to her chest. despite her shaky appearance, she spoke clearly, southern drawl shaping the vowels uniquely, "john constantine? my name's jazz fenton, may i come in?"

"no."

trying to slam the door shut had no affect, as she had simply shoved the book in the way.

"i really need your help."

"fuck off."

constantine blocked the open slit with his body as she shimmied her knee in for more leverage.

"i'm a history student at gotham u." another mini scuffle as both pushed against the door. "i'm looking for information on an old myth." constantine tried using his hip to push the tome out of the way. "do you know about lazarus pits?"

constantine rebooted his brain to shake away the shock. clearing his throat, he backed away, the door squeaking on its hinges to show the smirking girl. "may i come in?"

the australian man scoffed and drifted away to the kitchen table. the student surveyed the crappy apartment as she followed, sitting down across from him with a relieved grunt. she put the book on the table.

he eyed the girl warily, "what's this about lazarus pits? where'd you hear it?"

she cleared her throat, back straight and hands crossed on her lap. if it wasn't for her sorry state, she would be the image of professional.

"i'm not in a position to discuss my sources. however, from what i've heard, there's one underneath this city." her eyes glinted a steely aquamarine. "i need to see it."

constantine barked a gruff laugh. "you're crazy. there isn't a chance in hell ranga." he jerked his head at the book on the table. "what's with that then?"

her hands flipped its pages, stopping at a detailed drawing of a bubbling pit. upside down, it was hard for constantine to decipher. "it says in here that long ago, bubbling pits of green water were used by witches to speak with the dead. they could only be found in places with a strong lack of godly devotion, invoking satan's forces." she huffed, a sad smile lifting her face. "if i can confirm gotham's lazarus pit and what it consists of, i can further argue the existence of gotham's own witch coven in the 1600s before the salem trials. for my thesis, of course."

"for your thesis," constantine echoed, a bit mockingly.

"of course." repeated jazz pleasantly. "if you're so unwilling to come along, a few directions would suffice."

the man snarled, "no dice kiddo, scram."

jazz seemed unfazed, gathering herself up with the grace of a dancer. sweeping the book back into her hands, she walked towards the doorway. under the frame, she turned to tutt at him, "i'd spray some air freshner in here. cigarrette smoke attracts unfavorable forces."

---

jazz fenton did not disappear nor fade into obscurity. constantine had the pleasure of her company the following wednesday, where both had escaped certain death at the hands of a cursed portrait pulling unassuming tourists into its french landscape.

sat in the ruins of a crumbling mansion, constantine lit his cigarrette and studied the girl across from him. "so, how did your research lead you here?"

jazz snorted, decorative mace still in hand even after the fight had ended, "property records were transferred to the gotham government after the trials. just had to figure out what victim it was connected to and, voila, witch mansion."

---

after much persuasion and conversation, constantine decided that this girl, with the smarts for battle and a deep intuision for the magical, would be his prodigy. and if her company included good banter, fatherly worries and emotional attachment, that was neither here nor there.

---

two years later, jazz fenton was a doctor in historical studies of gotham folklore, a museum consultator and a justice league dark probationary member.

batman and zatanna, both well aware of the orphan constantine had taken under his wing, had not been surprised to greet her at the door of the australian's apartment.

"sorry for the mess guys, we've been drawing all night." they shimmied across the paper covered floor into the kitchen where the blonde was eating a bowl of cereal. "we've narrowed down the source of the problem somewhat. last thursday, what you saw on that hill, we think it might be an old gaelic deity, cailleach."

zatanna frowned at the idea, "a gaelic deity? deities don't leave their countries."

constantine spoke through a garble of cheerios, "yes but what if they weren't this earth's deity?"

batman remained silent and jazz spoke to him, "when a deity is borne from worship or belief, they tend to only exist there."

"something only exists if it is observed." the bat mused.

jazz brightened, "yes! deities only exist in the countries that they're observed in. however, we believe this cailleach is not our scotland's deity but rather doesn't exist tied to a reality at all."

"but a deity can't exist without a belief well," zatanna replied.

"well, yes," constantine stood up and dragged over a vintage drawing of an old woman in a cloak, her hand wielding a hammer, "but what if someone could die and leave their reality's vibrations? go neither to their hell or heaven or hades' underworld or valhalla or whatever else, and take their beliefs with them?"

"you're talking about the infinite realms."

"the infinite realms?" intoned batman.

jazz showed the caped man a note, this time a depiction of a vast land with floating islands and starry skies. "the infinite realms is a different dimension. it exists on another plane, like icthultu's realm. when we talk about the afterlife, bad or good, every reality has their own. however, the infinite realms can sometimes bleed into every reality. because of this, souls touched by its essence can slip the afterlife and go on to exist in the infinite realms."

"if you were to die bats," constantine leaned back, "there would only be one batman wherever we go after death. but in the infinite realms, you could have 2 or 5 or 10, all dead and from different worlds."

zatanna hummed at all this and looked closer at the runes they'd compiled, "so if a hardcore cailleach believer passed on to the infinite realms, cailleach could come to life there."

constantine snapped his finger, "exactly! that's the theory, but really, it only works if the ghost monster that attacked the park next to the hill is the belief well. not really human-like but a possibiliy. the infinite realms has a bad habit of creating weird shit."

"can we expect more creatures to come from the infinite realms?" asked batman.

"no." "maybe."

jazz and constantine whipped their heads to exchange irritated stares. the australian man got up roughly, chair scraping the floor, and took his bowl to the sink, the faucet water breaking the silence.

jazz sat down, gesturing for their two guests to finally sit. she reached underneath the table towards a purple backbag, and pulled out her old book tome. flipping it open, she showed the pit drawing to the other two heroes.

"what if the lazarus pits were connected to the infinite realms?"

zatanna leaned in, intrigued, batman remained stone faced, and constantine scoffed loudly. the blonde began muttering but jazz continued on. "i believe ra's tried to erase all records of the pits, but mentions of reviving waters can be found all across cult scripts and witch coven writings. waters that could bring back the dead, that whispered with human voices, that sometimes held goulish creatures underneath its waters. a material thick and glowing green penetrating the soil around it. the only evidence of the infinite realms is a page from doctor fate, and he mentioned a green, jelly-like substance!"

constantine huffed again, like an angry boar, and turned, hands covered in soap suds. "i swear to god, you're making connections where they don't exist! if the pits had anything to do with the infinite realms, that would've been the first thing doctor fate told us!"

jazz stood, hands planted on the table, "if you would just trust me, we could go check and rule it out, but ancients forbid i'm right! you're just scared about wha-"

constantine got close to her and pointed in her face, "you've been obsessed with those pits since you stepped into my goddamn apartment two years ago, let it go jazz or i swear i'll pull you off this case."

a thousand emotions flickered across jazz's face before, with teary eyes and a thunderous scowl, she stomped away, figure disappearing into the living room. faintly, the sound of the balcony doors sliding open echoed before a soft click followed.

zatanna, who had witnissed many of jazz and constantine's fights before, and knew how deeply the man cared for the girl, heaved a sigh. both were stubborn and it would take a bit before things settled. she decided to keep quiet, reaching for jazz's tome to keep occupied. as she reached across, a soapy hand impeded her. looking at constantine, he wore a frown, "she doesn't like others touching it. go look at the runes, see if you recognize anything."

zatanna smiled a small thing at the man she was so fond of, and got up to do so.

batman, who had watched everything with mixed feelings, watched the australian go back to the sink. faced with his back, he spoke lowly, "the pit's too far away from the park."

constantine sighed, shoulders drooping, "no, it wouldn't work like that. if it did, anyone revived by the pit would have to stay close to it. and if you destroy some of them, the undead might go back to being dead."

batman mulled this over in silence. he was undecided on the matter, too concerned about what it meant that the pits might be doors to another dimension. he conveyed his worries then, "if the pits are connected to the realms, how were we able to destroy them before?"

"if, and that's a big fucking if, they are connected to the realms, the essence can't be destroyed. it's all around us, all the time. the important bit is stacking it in one place to create a way through. like a stone bridge. when you destroy the pits, all you're doing is breaking up the stone, but the stone crumbles to the bottom, and you could, hypothetically, pick up each stone and put it together again. i guess the only things that works as a glue for it in our world is water."

"you're pretty calm discussing it now."

"one of these days that girl's gonna end up digging a hole she'll die in."

"kids are like that."

---

later on, when the apartment meeting had ended with no new leads and batman had debriefed the other bats, it was decided, unknown to constantine, that red robin and batman would look into the current state of the gotham lazarus pit. zatanna and martian manhunter would visit arabia to check the other naturally formed pit.

constantine and jazz were still on the fritz, but one evening, to constantine's concern, the girl had called to say she would be in illinois for a few days, "visiting the orphanage". the redhead had never done so before, but who was the australian to interrogate her? he wished her a good trip and that was that.

---

jazz had been missing for two weeks, calls unanswered, phone untrackable. gotham had witnessed two more ghost-like monster attacks, and all three of them had been untouchable, disappearing on their own in 30 minutes. the bats were too concerned with uncovering the source, justice league dark had been put on the case and too was scrambling for clues, and constantine was ready to rip his hair out in concern for his prodigy.

on his way to the airport, in the backseat of a taxi, ready to fly to springfield, his phone rang, lighting up with a smiling graduation picture of jazz fenton.

he rushed to answer it, "hello?! ranga?! jazz!"

crackling came through, the mic rustling before a breathless voice called back, "cons---tine! we ne--- help! i'm outs--- f amity park, th--- a sig---al blo---. you n---d to come! the hou--- a portal! --- stantine?! hello?!"

the line cut off. constantine told the taxi driver to floor it.

#dc x dp #dc x dp crossover #dp x dc #dp x dc crossover #miraculous ladybug au #peter parker in gotham #batman #dc #danny phantom

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smithmariam298 · 25 days ago

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The Part of 3D land Surveying

Technological progressions have revolutionized the field of land surveying, with 3D land surveying at the bleeding edge. This strategy employed advanced instruments like rambles, and GPS to make exceedingly precise computerized models of the land. Learn more: https://metageomatics.com/precision-mapping-surveying-your-local-experts-in-3d-land-surveys-and-laser/

#licensed land surveyor #local land surveyors #construction layout #residential surveyor #property survey company #residential surveying #3d property survey

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harrison-armory-incorporated · 3 months ago

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11/25/5016u

Yesterday, one of our most prized ships was savagely attacked while conducting important maintenance checks during the transport of sensitive research materials by the moon of Bari 4M91. Deep Space Freighter EREBUS was heavily damaged and partially destroyed by forces aligning themselves with @corsair-mc-official , these vile mercenaries killed many good men and women who were doing nothing but repairing systems and making sure that surveys and important samples mined from a nearby asteroid field made it back home safely - Many of the people who had died had families back on their home planets, who will now have to live without husbands, wives, partners, some without parents. In a truly disgraceful attempt at complete destruction, the mercenaries detonated a dirty-bomb placed by them inside the ship, managing to kill the entirety of the security forces commanded by Major Silas Rhodes and Lieutenant Lydia Jensen, who were not prepared nor equipped to face such a vile attack at their forces. These security forces had merely a handful of mechanized chassis equipped for anti-piracy defense operations and only a few dozen subaltern squads for routine sentry and patrol duties. Harrison Armory hereby demands full reparations, seeking two-hundred-and-fifty thousand (250,000) units of Manna for distribution among affected families and an additional three-hundred thousand (300,000) units of Manna in reparations for the destruction of company property and important mineral research data from the CORSAIR Mercenary Company. If this payment is not met within two (2) Cradle Cycles; There will be Consequences. [Several images are attached to the statement, depicting a brutal aftermath of a clearly unfair battle; Bodies of researchers and inadequately armed security subalterns litter the images alongside wanton destruction of things like life-support systems and safety equipment. Several videos of the engagement are attached as well, recorded by security subalterns.]

#lancer rpg #lancer #lancerrpg #harrison armory #mecha #lancer pilot #lancer ttrpg #cycle your agnis #lancer nhp #lancer rp #lancer oc

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fowlerblogs1 · 10 months ago

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Meta Geometics Land Surveying Company

Lidar, short for Light Detection and Ranging, is a cutting-edge technology that utilizes laser beams to create detailed three-dimensional representations of the environment. This innovative technique has revolutionized various industries by offering a highly accurate and efficient way to capture complex shapes, objects, and landscapes.

The operation of lidar is based on the principle of time-of-flight measurement. Initially, laser scanning projects a concentrated beam of light, typically in the near-infrared spectrum, onto the surface of interest. The scanner then calculates the time it takes for the laser pulse to bounce back to the sensor. By leveraging the speed of light, the scanner can precisely determine the exact distance between itself and each point on the surface it scans.

#land survey company #land surveying company #Laser Scanning #Scan to BIM #3D Mapping #property survey company

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mariacallous · 26 days ago

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Throughout the 2024 U.S. presidential election campaign, observers spent much time puzzling over why voters seemed to be so unhappy with the economy, even when macroeconomic data—and most economists—suggested that the economy was historically strong.

The United States was growing at nearly 3 percent (faster than it had for decades); unemployment (at under 4 percent) was at historic lows; the stock market was at a record high after the best two consecutive years this century; manufacturing jobs were coming back, and inflation—which had surged during the COVID-19 pandemic—was back down to near target levels. The U.S. economy was in many ways the envy of the world, and yet 77 percent of the public believed it was “poor” or “only fair,” which now-President Donald Trump both encouraged and took advantage of.

While there were many reasons for this striking perception gap, the best explanation seems to be the unique role of inflation: Unlike broad macroeconomic trends that show up mainly in headlines, people experience inflation directly and several times every day, when filling up the gas tank or buying a sandwich causes sticker shock and anger for which political leaders must be to blame.

Whatever the reason, what got less attention during the campaign was the fact that a similarly striking gap existed between the United States’ actual strength and standing in the world and the perception that voters had of it.

Trump told voters a story of U.S. weakness and global decline, and Americans seemed to buy it, with just 33 percent of those polled in a February 2024 Gallup survey saying they were “satisfied” with the position of the United States in the world today—a level 20 points below what it had been four years previously..

What they apparently failed to see was that notwithstanding the wars in Ukraine and Gaza—and indeed, in some ways because of them—the United States was in a stronger geopolitical position than it had been for many years or even decades, in stark contrast with the perception of weakness and decline.

Compared with both its allies and its adversaries, the U.S. economy is in anything but decline. U.S. economic growth over the past 20 years has dwarfed that of other wealthy countries, a gap that has grown over the past few years to the point that the U.S. economy is now nearly twice the size of the eurozone and almost seven times that of Japan. Meanwhile, China’s 30-year run of meteoric growth seems to be ending with its economy bogged down by low consumption and a bloated property market, while Russia’s economy has been devasted by sanctions, export controls, and war.

The United States has real economic problems—including debt, stubborn inflation, and inequality—but its share of the global GDP, at around 26 percent, is higher than it has been for nearly two decades and similar to where it was at the end of the Reagan administration. That economic power remains the basis for exercising unparalleled global influence.

Virtually every other measure of relative power underscores U.S. global strength. Far from artificially constrained in the name of climate change, as alleged by critics, U.S. energy production is at an all-time high, with the country leading the world in production of both oil (20 percent of global production) and natural gas (25 percent). U.S. technology companies—such as Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, and Tesla—dominate global markets, and the country remains well ahead of its allies and competitors in the field of artificial intelligence. The U.S. dollar remains the currency of choice for nearly 60 percent of international transactions and currency reserves—giving Washington unique power to leverage sanctions, freeze assets, and take advantage of deficit spending. Demographically, the United States is also better positioned than competitors, with a higher birthrate than any other advanced industrialized economy or adversaries such as China or Russia.

American voters in 2024 may not have been feeling good about the country’s standing in the world, but people elsewhere were: Even in summer 2024, amid rising global criticism of U.S. policy in the Middle East, a Pew poll of 34 countries from all over the world showed that international views of the United States were still strongly favorable (54 percent favorable vs. 31 percent unfavorable) and that twice as many people surveyed had confidence in President Joe Biden to do the right thing than they did in Chinese President Xi Jinping or Russian President Vladimir Putin—or Trump.

In other words, Americans had the impression that a strong majority of people around the world (57 percent vs. 42 percent, according to a February 2024 Gallup survey) viewed the United States unfavorably, when the reality was the other way around.

The U.S. geopolitical position in key regions of the world also belies the notion of decline. In Europe, the war in Ukraine has certainly been costly and has no doubt contributed to the American perception of foreign-policy failure. In fact, the response to Putin’s invasion was a remarkable demonstration of U.S. power. In February 2022, virtually all observers thought Russia would take Kyiv in weeks. Instead, finances and weapons from the United States and other allies helped Ukraine thwart the invasion, and the country remains free and independent, while Russia has lost some 700,000 dead and wounded on the battlefield and is forced to rely on North Korea for reinforcements.

With the addition of Finland and Sweden—and European defense spending rising considerably since the Russian invasion—a U.S.-led NATO is now bigger and more unified than ever. If Trump ends U.S. military support for Ukraine, alienates NATO allies (with initiatives such as unilateral tariffs or his threatened attempt to acquire Greenland), or pulls out of the NATO alliance altogether, U.S. influence there will obviously diminish; but he inherited a position of strength.

The United States’ strength and standing in Asia is also enviable. When the Biden administration took office, it seemed to be a matter of “when,” not “if,” China’s economy would surpass that of the United States, and fears about Beijing’s domination of the South China Sea or a military takeover of Taiwan were high.

Instead, China’s post-COVID-19 recovery has been anemic—leading Beijing to seek more stability in relations with the United States—and Washington has bolstered its extensive network of alliances around the region. Targeted U.S. export controls, tariffs, and investment restrictions have constrained China’s military rise while Washington has bolstered political and security ties with Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Australia, Taiwan, and others.

Trump could, of course, squander Washington’s leverage and influence if he repeats calls to pull U.S. troops out of South Korea or questions the country’s willingness to defend Taiwan, but those would be self-inflicted wounds.

Finally, for all the chaos in the Middle East—no doubt itself responsible for the impression of U.S. weakness—Washington’s geopolitical position in the region is now stronger than it has been for decades. The war between Israel and Hamas, which has caused mass civilian casualties and destruction, has been painfully tragic, and strong U.S. support for Israel has alienated Arab populations across the region.

At the same time—and in part thanks to that support—the strategic situation in the neighborhood has been positively transformed. The United States’ main regional adversary, Iran, is now believed by many to be weaker than it has been since its 1979 revolution, and its proxies—including Hamas and Hezbollah—have been decimated. Iran’s ballistic missile program, once a core element of its deterrent, has proved to be ineffective and its air defenses have been revealed as weak. Tehran also lost its main regional partner with the fall of the Assad regime in Syria.

The U.S. military’s demonstration in April 2024 and October 2024 that it—along with a coalition of regional partners—could shoot down hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones launched from Iran toward Israel was a powerful reminder to the entire region and beyond of the benefits of having the United States on your side. Trump is certainly inheriting a complicated regional picture in the Middle East, but he is also inheriting a historic opportunity.

None of this is to say that the United States does not face enormous challenges or rivalries on the world stage, including China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. But the notion that the past four years revealed the United States to be a paper tiger—or that it is now in a weakened global position compared with any of its rivals—is absurd.

If Trump reverses the bipartisan policies that led to this position of strength—the creation and maintenance of alliances; an open U.S. economy; an investment in soft power (including through development assistance); upholding defense commitments; and a willingness to confront international aggressors and stand up for global rules and norms—then he could end up producing the very decline and insecurity that he falsely claims to have inherited.

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conspectie · 10 months ago

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Conspect Engineering - Surveyors - Snag lists - pre purchase surveys

New home snag lists & Pre purchase surveys Buying a new home or house is not an everyday purchase for most of us, even when you find 'the perfect' property that ticks all the boxes on your must have list & of course within budget! New home snag list inspections, snagging of new build and pre purchase surveys of existing buildings both residential and commercial are paramount when making an informed decision.

#snag list Dublin #snagging list #snag list company #house snag lists #pre purchase survey #building surveyor #structural survey #home surveyor #pv solar company #pv solar prices #PV solar panels Ireland #Building Surveyors Dublin #Property Inspection Services Dublin #Property Inspection Services Rochfortbridge #Construction Consultancy Rochfortbridge #Residential Property Evaluation Rochfortbridge #Residential Surveyor Services Westmeath #Pre-Purchase Property Evaluation Westmeath

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rahleeyah · 1 month ago

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One of the things I do in my job is title work. I do research to see who owns a property. But it's a lot more than just finding the deed for the current owner. Where did the current owner get it? Where did the last guy get it? Were there any errors in the chain, did they describe the property correctly, did everybody who had an interest in the property sign that deed, or did somebody get left out? Did the property pass through an estate, and was that estate executed properly? Is there any chance an angry heir is gonna come out of the woodwork? Are there bank loans on the property? UCCs? Are the property taxes paid? Are there any federal tax liens against the owner? Are there any contractors? Is anybody suing the owner and if they are is the property involved? What companies have utility easements on the property, where are the easements? Does anybody else have an access easement? Are there dirt roads, or God forbid a grave on the property? Are there any tenants, is anybody farming it? If there are structures, houses or sheds or driveways or fences, are they all contained within the property? Do any of the neighbors' fences or what have you encroach on the property? Does the property have access to a road? Are there any declarations or restrictions, and what do they restrict, and are we cool with that?

Surveys are a hell of a lot more exact and reliable now than they were in the 50s, when my great grandfather walked off his property and subdivided it to give it to his children. He used his feet and some string. I've seen a property description that used the rotting bumper of an abandoned Chevy as a marker. If you start digging back into a chain you may find out the property you think you have isn't the shape or size you expected at all.

It's a lot!

So anyway for a long time the standard on title work was 30 years. You'd search the property back for thirty years, and the title company would say ok that's sufficient, we'll issue title insurance based on thirty years. Thirty is enough.

In the last decade, though, we've encountered a new problem.

30 years isn't enough anymore.

30 years ago today was Feb 1, 1995.

1995.

The vast majority of infrastructure work in this country - roads, telephone lines, power lines, water lines - was initially done from like the 1930s-1960s. The new deal, and then the post WW2 boom as we invested in our country and made way for the biggest generation in modern history.

Used to be, if you went 30 years back, you'd capture all that stuff. The easements from the DOT taking land to make highways. The utility easements.

Now 30 years barely gets you anything. In the wake of the civil rights movement, the old covenants people used to put in their deeds saying the property could never ever be sold to anyone who wasn't white weren't enforceable anymore and people started to get creative with their hate. The 80s and 90s started the HOA boom, all these carefully curated neighborhoods with their well drawn out restrictions that weren't explicitly racist but made it easy to chase out "undesirables" by fining them until they got tired of the harassment and left. There was a development boom, until the bubble burst in 2008. It's ramped back up, sort of, but a lot of the development work has already been done.

We have to go 60 years back now, to great grandaddy's estate, to when the city laid the water lines.

60 years ago was 1965. In another 5 years, a 60 year search will only go to 1970. That won't be enough, either. It won't be long until 80 is the standard.

The passage of time is a hell of a thing.

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mbta-unofficial · 1 year ago

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If your city is a Brand, it’s already too late

Long post time. What is it that drives gentrification? Also, what is gentrification? Is it when a city gets blue hair and pronouns? No, it probably already had those.

Gentrification is the result of concentration of wealth in the hands of business owners, including landlords, over and above the hands of residents.

Let’s start with rent. Rent, like any good, is priced according to the laws of supply and demand. Supply of available rental housing is primarily determined by construction costs and estimated return on investment for new construction, and property management costs and estimated return on investment for existing units.

Breaking that down a bit, the higher construction costs get the higher the rent needs to be to break even on new construction. Construction costs include labor (which can always go down but you want it high for moral and practical reasons), materials (highly variable depending on the project) and bureaucratic costs. A bureaucratic cost is a cost that is based on how projects fit into the legal and practical environment, and are usually non-negotiable. Dig Safe, a program which requires three days of surveying local records before breaking ground, is an example where the function is to prevent crews from flattening a neighborhood by puncturing a gas main. Environmental Impact Statements, Fire Codes, Habitability Guidelines, and other regulations increase costs to projects. These programs are good and need to exist, but do stop smaller projects from happening at all because the capital investment required just to actually break ground on a new house might cost as much as the land and materials put together at which point you might as well build another 120$/sqft luxury midrise.

Property management costs for existing units are largely dependent on age and wear. A unit with no occupant is going to depreciate little, and may also appreciate in value. Depreciation and appreciation here are sort of unintuitive because they can happen at the same time. Imagine an old luxury sports car with a high resale price. Driving depreciates the value because it’s literal condition is poorer, even as the resale value goes up over time. The appreciation needs to beat both inflation and the value of depreciation for it to go up in real value. For companies with large capital holdings however, losses such as through the upkeep of empty apartment buildings are useful to a point because they reduce these organizations’s tax burdens. A company that makes a killing on the stock market only has to pay taxes if they keep it: if they buy houses they then don’t rent, they can claim they “lost” their stock market earnings with “bad investments” and then pay no tax while saving the real estate to rent later. Again, this favors the largest possible projects and the largest possible operators because small companies can be killed by an unprofitable quarter or 4 while large ones explicitly benefit from unprofitability in reducing their tax burden.

Expected ROI is the final piece of this, which affects both new and existing units. Every private developer and landlord wants to make as much money as they can, unless they are explicitly are renting as a service. An example of renting as a service would be families, who will rent to each other at favorable rates or for free, privileging people with large and/or wealthy families that are friendly with each other. Now, ROI is also subject to supply and demand. Everyone wants to build 120$/sqft luxury apartments but once everybody does nobody can sell/rent for those prices without setting a price floor and waiting for buyers to catch up. If you are a small developer, you can’t afford to do this. Your expenses will eat you alive. If you are a big developer, though, those expenses are offsetting the gains you make and serving to reduce you tax bill. Units at prices nobody can pay are effectively furloughed, meaning off the market, and, so long as they remain cheap to maintain, will remain that way, artificially restricting supply. It doesn’t matter if it’s for sale or not when it’s at a price you can’t afford. (Sidebar, anyone who tells you that the minimum wage depresses hiring because it artificially restricts demand is lying to you. It’s not strictly false, but like the above it’s a multi-variable equation and blanket statements about cost of labor are aimed at killing wages.)

What this alludes to also is a need for greater income equality. In order for rental to be a competitive option with furlough, not only does the price of furlough have to be increased, the real value of wages have to be increased in order to create opportunities for people to splurge. This is a twofold strategy, of both increasing the rewards of putting units on the market and increasing the costs of keeping them off. If real wages barely cover cost of living, or don’t cover cost of living, nobody can realistically spend more real wages on rent regardless of the percentage of their income it is. (Real wages here refers to the political power implied by dollar wages. A dollar is really worth whatever it can be exchanged for, whether that is a candy bar or a square inch of a 144$/sqft condo) The real value of everything except time and land are also constantly going down because of constant improvements in manufacturing. The cost in acres of land and hours of labor of a pound of beef, a bolt of cloth, or a pint of beer have dropped dramatically in the last century. Unfortunately, land is one of the few things that remains in marxist terms uncommodifiable, because it cannot be fully abstracted from the physical properties that make it valuable and we can’t make more of it just by making a better machine. This means that as the real value of things goes down because of supply and demand, the value of land only goes up because the supply is hard capped. If the value of everything under capitalism must go down because of increased production, while the value of capitalist assets must go up, or the system collapses, it makes sense that land would become a fixed point in that equation, the marxist speed of light observable from all reference points. The best approximation of land as commodity is, what else, apartments, which make available as living space the empty air above us. Because production never stops, the value of everything but land must go down. Therefore, as time passes, the price of land, and hence the price of housing, must tend upwards. Therefore, in order for housing to remain affordable, real wages must grow. This is the opposite of what is currently happening, as real wages have gone down for decades.

This income inequality which is one facet of capitalism is not new. For as long as people have lived in urban areas there have been issues between the abject class, the working class, the ruling class, and the professional class, a four part distinction I will seriously argue for in opposition to a lot of marxist theorists. The ruling and working classes ought to be familiar, or at least self explanatory. However, the other two classes I identify, the professionals and the abject, are useful to this analysis because they fill both a racial gap in the primarily marxist analysis I put forward and identify the two most likely groups to rent, which is to say the worker who works to produce but owns without governing and the professional who works to govern but does not own. The ruling class both governs and owns, but its court is full of courtiers who are there to push various agendas from within the rule of law without per se producing. Likewise, the working class pensioner exists in opposition to the abject who is denied the opportunity or the resources to be productive explicitly as a means to manufacture a threat against which inter-class solidarity between the workers and the rulers is developed. The textbook nazi conspiracy theory about “elites” doing a great racial replacement picks out perfectly what I mean by both the racial character of the professional and the abject and their utilization to foster solidarity between your plumber uncle and Elon Musk. This is relevant to both the broad theme of gentrification and the narrow theme of rent because gentrification is a wedge issue that divides the working class and the professional class far more than its impact on any other. The working class’ disidentification with doctors, lawyers, PMCs and other yuppie types, as well as the professional class’ disidentification with union politics, illegalism, and radicalism in general is brought to firecrackers in virtually any conversation about gentrification which seems in passing to be more about tapas bars than about real politics. Likewise, these groups shared distrust of and disdain for the abject, who are explicitly labeled by the state as constitutionally guilty, is the basis for the very broken windows policing strategy that empties neighborhoods of minorities regardless of class. The Rent is Too Damn High, and excluding homeless people from the “working” working class is a big part of how we got here specifically because the interests of small time owners and small time government functionaries, carried to their conclusions, are necessarily self defeating. These two groups eliminate the presence of the abject from their spaces at their own financial peril.

In addition to class, there is also a specific historical movement that is crucial to the understanding of gentrification as it exists, which is the movement of factories in search of cheap labor. The United States is not a good place to find cheap urban labor. You build a factory and suddenly everyone complains about air quality and labor violations and you can’t just kill them because everyone has lawyers. You kill one (us citizen) organizer and the NLRB is trying to get you in court for intimidation. What’s the country come to? But a shipping container costs a quarter cent per mile and the goods aren’t perishable so you go to Guangzhou or Cape Town where you can kill union bosses in peace. But for the American city, that’s a loss of what once made land prime real estate. What jobs can replace the insatiable demand for labor that a 24 hour paper mill once produced? Service labor, which crucially is site specific and therefore not outsourceable, is what the US has predominantly turned to. (and arms manufacturing which is not outsourced for very different reasons) However, service labor is only in demand if there is already a stable population that can be served, which requires a constant influx of capital holders in demand of service. This is why Airbnb exists and is hollowing out rental availability, why Boston as a college town is the way it is, and why there are in fact so many damn tapas bars. Fred Salveucci talked about being able to go north of the expressway in the 70s and being able to get a plate of mac and beans for half a buck. I went looking for a 5$ slice of pizza on my lunch break today around Government Center and found two places that were boarded up and ended up spending 20$ at Chilacates. Cities are being slowly turned into Cancun, complete with the fences to keep out the homeless.

What can be done about this? Obviously the factors we’ve discussed that favor consolidation of housing are mostly either contained within a gordion’s knot of tax policy or intrinsic to capitalism/goods as commodities. But, given that we narrow our objectives to making the rent lower, some obvious weaknesses jump out: increasing the cost of vacancy forces units out of furlough, because companies are no longer able to justify the losses, and increasing real wages increases the availability of capital for workers to spend on rent. These are the prongs I talked about earlier.

Legal means to pursue each prong exist. Both a minimum wage and a maximum wage, depending on their implementation, can potentially increase real wages, and vacancy taxes directly increase the costs of vacancy. The government can also ignore the market and directly mandate maximum rents within certain parameters. This tends to decrease the long term supply of housing for the reasons discussed at the outset, given that if the revenues from house building don’t cover the costs of building, less gets built. However, any political movement that exists exclusively within the white lines of the law fails to genuinely threaten change. Landlords, like bosses, break the law constantly with the impunity that a lawyer provides them against consequence. This is why a healthy dose of illegalism is an important part of any effective political movement. The most direct action one can take is property occupation, or squatting. Squatter’s rights are nearly non-existent in the United States. The most leeway that any state grants to any unknown persons occupying a dwelling is 60 days notice to vacate the property, and there are states that allow no notice evictions or lack statutes governing squatting at all. Every single state regards the occupation of owned property as trespassing, meaning most kinds of squatting are prosecutable offenses. However, squatting, even temporarily in ways that don’t expose the squatter to liability provided they don’t get caught, can seriously impact the value of properties. You have heard of rent lowering gunshots. This is the serious version of that. At the same time, illegal action needs legal defense, both in terms of non-compliance with police to protect those willing to take illegal actions from arrest and in terms of legal, 1st amendment protected disruption to keep focus on the issue. The most effective movements have a radical wing and a institutionalist wing who do not acknowledge each other but share the same tactics and objectives.

If you are housed, you need to be willing to protect and support homeless people because they are your front line. Start or join an Occupy movement, where they are your peers in occupying a public space illegally in a way that is too public to prosecute. Give to people on the street, and smash anti-homeless architecture if nobody is watching. Be willing to distract cops if you see someone doing something dodgy so they can get away. Remember that following the law is a tactic, and so is breaking it.

The case for this being on my transit blog is arguably weak, but I felt compelled after a particularly hateful experience looking at facebook memes about homeless people on the T. You should want those people there. You should want those people breaking down the doors of luxury apartments and setting up shop. You should want them keeping your city safe because the cops you hire to separate you from them will train their guns on you next.

And for gods sake, don’t let your city become a brand. Branding is marketing. Branding is clean, and bloodless, and a gloved hand around your throat that leaves no fingerprints.

#long post

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