#sometimes burning an entire island to the ground might be ok I think

[hannahbarberra162]

Snow Fall, Part 2 (Alpha!Izou x Omega!Reader)

18+ MDNI | on Ao3

The other chapters

***SPOILERS FOR WANO***

Thanks for being patient, I got kinda stuck but I'm back into the groove of this fic. Thank you to @gouraminnow for beta-ing this <3

“ Commander Izou, my h-home is to the right,” you stated with uncertainty as Izou carried you in his arms to your residence. You were wearing flimsy cloth shoes that were unsuitable for the winter climate on the island. By the rips on the sides and wear on the soles, you’d been wearing them a long time. Izou had determined he needed to carry you to the next destination to avoid having you freeze to death. Yet another reason Izou wasn’t upset by the destruction his brothers were wreaking on your employer. 

Izou also told you to pack up whatever you needed and that you'd be coming with him to the ship. He told you that he was taking you away from your adopted family and you hadn’t protested. You weren’t looking at him directly as he’d informed you but staring off into the distance. You’d protested initially but he had left no room for argument. He could scent your fear and felt your trembling fingers wrapping themselves around his neck as he carried you through the snowy town. He’d have more time to explain later that you’d be safe, that nothing bad was going to happen to you ever again. But for now he wanted to put as much space as he could between you and the horrible people to dare call themselves your family. 

“B-but Commander, you don’t need to hold me, I can -” you’d been trying to get him to put you down since he’d first swept you off your feet; he'd plucked you off the ground you’d even made contact with the snowy sidewalk.

“Carrying you pleases me,” Izou said simply. Given your reserved nature as well as the strict social hierarchy you were raised with, he knew you’d defer to him.  It was a dance he hadn’t done in a long time, playing along with the social cues and mores of Wanese culture but in this case it worked to his advantage. If he tried to explain that you were under dressed for the weather or that he felt the need to feel your meager weight in his arms, you’d protest further to prevent inconveniencing him. Truthfully, it did please him to carry you, to have your scent so close to his own, to feel the reassurance of you in his arms. He’d carry you forever if you let him. 

“Ah, this is it,” you indicated, pointing to a large, solid brick house with smoke coming out the chimney. At least they’d given you a proper place to live, he thought to himself. As Izou stepped on the cleared path to the house, you shook your head. 

“N-no, sorry. The house behind this one,” you said quietly, pointing to a shack set back in the snowy woods.

Of course.

Izou noted the rickety shack and the rags covering the windows - either to keep in heat or to keep prying eyes out. Swiftly walking towards the hut, he opened the door and set you down inside.

“Gather your things,” Izou said softly, putting his hand on the small of your back to encourage you. The inside of the single room hut was as dismal as Izou imagined it would be. There were gaps in the thin wood walls, letting in the harsh winter air. Your tiny bed was crammed into the corner, leaving enough room for a table and a broken chair. There was a small chest, he assumed for your clothes and other necessities. There was a tiny stove, barely large enough to boil a kettle of water. Your home, if it could be called that, was tidy and clean. You'd tried to brighten the space with pictures and dried flowers but it hadn't helped the dismal feeling inside the shack.

“I apologize for the state of my house, Commander. If I had known someone like you would be joining -” you were already bowing to him again, your hands stiff at your side balled into fists. Izou bent down to put his hands on your shoulders and righted you to an upright position.

“Do not apologize. Collect your things,” Izou ordered in a gentle tone. You frowned but nodded and walked over to the small bookshelf on the wall. You grabbed an old, battered tome, wrapping it like you were swaddling a baby in one of the few blankets on your bed. Holding it to your chest, you put it in a basket and saw Izou watching you.

“Ah, the cookbook my father gave me before I left Wano,” you said in answer to Izou’s unasked question. You’d mentioned leaving Wano a few times but Izou hadn’t heard of many people leaving the country in recent years. He’d have to get the full story out of you on the Moby. Moving towards you, he noted a picture of himself tacked onto the wall.  It was from his most recent Wanted Poster (an attractive photo, if he did say so himself). You had cut off the bottom portion with his bounty and wanted status so it looked more like a photograph of a friend - or lover. You followed Izou’s eyes towards the picture and hung your head.

“This is embarrassing. Please do not take offense, Commander,” you begged while looking down at your feet. Izou laughed softly into the sleeve of his winter yukata. 

“What man would take offense at a beautiful woman having his picture on the wall? Please, continue to gather your things. I would like to take you away from here. This building offends me,” Izou said. You were spurred into action from his words. You gathered a few clothing items and a lacquer hair comb, likely also from Wano based on the style. 

“I am finished, Commander. I await your next instruction,” you replied seriously, like you were one of the men under his command. He’d have to get you to relax eventually, to accept help and seek it out from him. The Alpha in him wanted to grab you and take you back to his rooms, to show you he could protect you. But Izou knew you were traumatized and nervous, unsure what to do with yourself while you navigated the relationship between them. He’d give you the time and space you needed to recover before making any large moves. Well, larger than taking you to the Moby Dick and away from the island you called home.

“That is all? Do you have more winter clothes? You are not returning to this residence,” Izou stated, nearing you once more. You shook your head and took a step back, making him scowl at your learned muscle memory. Maybe he should return to the shop and teach your family some lessons in proper manners towards women.

“You will come to no harm under my hand, either from myself or any other,” Izou said softly, cornering you against the wall. You cowered away from him, increasing his anger towards those who had harmed you. Without warning he picked you up again, making you squeak in surprise. The scent of fear was strong in the air, souring your perfect snowy smell. Izou detected the scent of his own anger joining your fear, a potent but unpleasant combination.

“I apolog -”

“Do not apologize to me. None of this is your fault,” Izou said, cutting you off. He wished he had met you in Wano, perhaps before you’d become so averse to any kind of conflict.

“Where are you taking me, Commander -”

“ Izou. Just Izou,” he corrected. If he was going to be your Alpha, you needed to get used to calling him by his first name without any honorifics. He didn’t want to force you to be his mate but he was going to do everything in his power to make it so.

“I-izou, where are we going? To another island? Are you taking me back to Wano?” you asked, your hands kneading together as your legs dangled over his arm. Izou frowned at your question. You were agreeable to leaving the island to get away from the people who had been abusing you but he wasn’t so sure how happy you’d be sailing the seas with pirates, especially ones as notorious as the Whitebeard Pirates.

“Would you like to go back to Wano?” Izou couldn’t take you but Kiku was likely still there. Perhaps he could find a way…you paused, considering his question in silence before speaking in a tone so soft he almost couldn’t hear.

“No, there’s nothing for me there. I - my - there’s no one there I don't think,” you said softly. You didn’t say anything further and neither did he as he felt your warm breath on his neck. Afterwards the only sound was Izou’s boots crunching on the icy path as he continued to walk towards the ship. He didn’t want to pry, it was your story to tell, but he was burning to hear how you’d escaped Wano. 

“You’ll come with me on the Moby Dick, Whitebeard’s ship. We will figure out next steps from there,” Izou stated less as a suggestion and more a demand. You looked up at him through your lashes and gave a short nod of your head. That was all it took for Izou to leave the hovel you’d been calling home, reminding himself to have Ace torch the family home later.

“Should I - is my debt transferring to you?” you asked, your hands gripping his clothes as he walked through the wintry terrain. The closer you were to him, the sharper your snowy scent in his nose. He pulled you closer to his chest to smell you further but resisted from burying his head in your uncovered neck. 

“Yes, you’ve mentioned this debt. To what does it refer? Your…adopted family mentioned it briefly,” Izou asked, as if he was completely unconcerned. 

“Ah, it’s kind of a long story,” you hedged nervously, avoiding his gaze. Izou smelled smoke coming from the other side of the island.

“Is there anyone you’d like to say goodbye to -” Izou began to say before you interrupted him for the first time. He assumed you didn’t want to see your abusers again but perhaps there was someone on the island who had shown you kindness.

“No,” you replied without hesitation. Good, they could wreck and raid the island. Made things easier for Ace to remember. With Ace on his mind, Izou smelled smoke and saw the plume rising from town so Izou decided to take the path away from the center of town on his way to the Marina. He didn’t think it would bother you to see the bakery burning to the ground but he didn’t want to distress you any further. To distract you from the destruction he tried a new avenue of conversation.

“And you are Tasuke, yes? Or is there another name you’d prefer to be called? ’ he continued. He wanted to make sure you felt as comfortable as possible with him. He had heard of other Wanese people taking more “common” names after they defected because their given names were difficult for most people to pronounce.

“Oh, Tasuke isn’t actually my name. It kind of ties into how I came here. About ten years ago, Father - ah, my adopted father - came with the Marines to Wano to trade resources with Kaido -”

“How? The borders are closed and Wano isn’t under the jurisdiction of the World Government, Marines can’t trade there,” Izou asked quietly. He didn’t want to interrupt the flow of your story but he hadn’t heard of Marines on Wano. Not that he’d heard anything out of Wano in 20 years but it was interesting information to know.

“ Ah, my parents owned property along the seashore. Seastone was discovered along the cliffs of their property and Marines paid Kaido for the rights to mine it out,” you explained. Ah, that was the connection. Seastone was known to only come from Wano and given that it was being used by Marines across the Grand Line it made sense they were trading with Kaido. Izou idly wondered how much money Kaido had amassed from seastone mining.

“They spent their life savings to bribe a Captain - Father - to smuggle me out of Wano. I was much younger at the time but still hadn’t presented as anything. Well, I was supposed to be an Omega but my scent never developed. They thought I would have a better life outside of the country, or maybe could find a doctor to tell me what’s wrong with me,” you continued. Izou wasn’t going to interrupt your story again but he wanted to tell you that there wasn’t anything wrong with you, that you were the most perfect Omega he’d ever met. 

“The Captain brought me out of Wano and brought me here, saying that the amount of danger he had risked increased the cost of my trip. He said that the amount of money my parents paid was not sufficient and that I would need to work for him to pay off my debt. So I cleaned his house, tended to his bakery, cooked for his family, did the family’s laundry, anything they needed. He said that my wages were going towards my debt but the amount I owed only ever seemed to increase. They would charge me for anything that I needed, any time I took off for being sick, any food I consumed, anything,” you continued. No wonder you were wearing shoddy clothing, Izou thought, you were paying for it in sweat and blood.

 “So after a few years on the island, I realized Father had no intention of letting me go. And Wido, my brother…well, you saw. He’s always like that - or, um, worse. I kept asking for people to help me - tasukete. I wanted to, ah, leave those people, maybe escape the island and go back to Wano. I didn’t have any concrete plans, I just wanted to leave here,” you said, rubbing your arms where the bruises lingered. Izou fought the urge to scowl at the memory of Wido harming you but settled on holding you tighter in his arms. You needed comfort from him, not aggression. He wanted to show you that he wasn’t a mindless alpha like some, ready to tear off your clothes and sink into you. He wanted you to see that he would wait until you were ready.

“After a while everyone assumed Tasuke was my name and that’s what they called me. I don’t mind anymore,” you said with a small smile as your story concluded. Izou reflected your own mannerism back to you though he felt like murdering everyone on this godforsaken island and leaving nothing standing. Unfortunately he’d have to trust in his brothers to wreak havoc on the island and not partake in this particular adventure.

“ And your parents?” Izou prompted. 

“I haven’t heard anything from them in ten years so I don't know anything for certain. Father’s missions changed and he stopped going to Wano shortly after I came to the island. I can only hope they are alive and well, though they were quite elderly when I left,” you said wistfully, staring at the water he was now approaching by the docks. Izou knew that longing, twisting, yearning. He felt the same for his own sister who he hadn’t been in communication with for decades, since he'd left with Oden. He had written hundreds of letters and saved them all with the intention of somehow getting them to her eventually. His brothers, though sympathetic, didn’t understand what it was like to be completely and irrevocably cut off from home. He wanted to continue the conversation but was now at the dinghy that would take you to the massive ship moored father into the icy ocean.

“Hey! What gives?!” Thatch complained from inside the boat. There was some soot on his winter coat and gloves but Izou didn’t mention it.

“What do you mean?” Izou replied coolly, still cradling you in his arms.

“You’ve never carried me before. Not even when I broke my leg! You made me walk to the beach and Marco had to come get me!” Thatch huffed. 

“.....and?” 

“AND you’ve been carrying her this whole way! S’not fair,” Thatch pouted, crossing his arms like a petulant child. Thatch broke into a soft smile when he saw the confusion on your face, looking between them rapidly while trying to determine if there was true anger between him and Thatch. Izou guessed you spent the last decade walking on eggshells, attempting to maintain peace between your “family” members and avoid being beaten as a consequence.

“S’alright. Come on, let’s head back before we’re barbecued,” Thatch said, grabbing the oars to the boat. Izou stepped into the dinghy, still holding you and your meager belongings. He settled you into his lap as Thatch shot him a dirty look you couldn’t see and began rowing the three of you back to the Moby. Izou rolled his eyes and pursed his lips, his brothers liked to claim he was dramatic but really, Thatch was the biggest drama queen on the ship. You were busy burying your head and hands into Izou’s chest to avoid the freezing winter winds blowing off the seas. Thatch eyed you sympathetically and grabbed the warm winter hat off his own head.

“Ask her if she wants it,” Thatch suggested, holding the gaudy orange hat outstretched in his hand. Izou didn't wear winter hats, they mussed his hair and he didn't often feel cold. But now he wished he did so he could give you his own.

“My brother Thatch is offering you his hat to keep you warm. You may remember him from the bakery. Would you like it?” Izou asked you softly, patting your hair while he spoke. You picked your head up and looked at it longingly.

“How much does it cost? If I just wear it once?” you asked, biting your lip. 

“Nothing. Your debt has been paid off. For good,” Izou said, his voice a little tighter than he intended. Your eyes flicked to his, trying to read his face to determine if he was lying or not. Izou kept his face impassive to let you make your own choices. You turned to face Thatch in the boat and did a bow as large as your limited positioning allowed.

“Thank you,” you said simply, reaching for the hat with shaking fingers. You sniffed the hat as politely as you could and must have found it not repulsive because you put it on your head. Izou was pleased you were warm but was a little annoyed you weren’t wearing anything with his scent on it. He would make some Wanese winter clothes for you like he did for himself once you settled in on the ship. Izou decided to give you some general ideas of who the siblings you had met were.

“Thatch is in charge of the Culinary Division of the crew, Ace - the dark haired young man who ate the most in the bakery - is in charge of Navigation. Marco - the tall blond - is the doctor of the ship and in charge of the Medical Division,” Izou explained. Thatch waved when he heard his name, he probably assumed that Izou was doing introductions. You gave a smile and waved back.

“Nice to meet you,” you said in your beautifully accented voice. Clearly you had learned some Common but your family had likely prevented you from learning enough to make an escape. Language barriers were an easy way to keep you on the island in perpetuity. 

“I would be overjoyed to work in the kitchens if Thatch would have me. I am best at baking but I am also competent at food preparation and stocking, dishes, cleaning, and knowledgeable in cooking most types of standard fare. I would be thrilled to learn anything that is needed to -” Izou took your cold hands in his own, partially to warm them and partially to stop your speech.

“ It would be our pleasure to learn from your expertise in the kitchens. But let me make something clear before we proceed - you do not need to earn your keep. You have no debt to settle and no need to prove your worth. You are free.”

Taglist: @mfreedomstuff @animefreak818

[reviewinghiccup]

DEFENDERS OF BERK | HTTYD SERIES | BREAKING DOWN HICCUP

Blog Post Series: Breaking Down Hiccup

Title: The Night and the Fury

Ep/Season: Episode 3, Season 2 (Defenders of Berk)

Premise:

Hiccup and gang set out on a training exercise on Dragon Island in hopes to train their stealth / combat skills without help from their dragons. Unfortunately, they run into a very, very unlikely "friend"...

IN ASTRID WE TRUST

It's no secret that the team needs some polishing. And we're hoping, Astrid's obstacles could do the trick. I love how they groaned, knowing that her tests is going to be difficult. It's very like them to do that and very like her to make things tough.

This exercise is fertile ground for individual members of the team to grow. For example:

(1) TUFFNUT TAKES ON THE RESPONSIBILITY OF WATCHING THE DRAGONS

(2) RUFFNUT GOES OUT ON HER OWN

(3) FISHLEGS, WELL, IT'S JUST ANOTHER DAY FOR HIM REALLY. I.E., DOING SOMETHING HE'S SCARED TO DO

(4) HICCUP, DEALING W DAGUR

(Can we also take a moment to appreciate the little confidence boost Hiccup gives to Fishlegs? We can? Ok. Here you go.)

If you started watching RTTE without first seeing ROB/DOB, you might wonder why Dagur calls him brother. Well, to be fair, I still don't know why he does, but at least from this episode, you'll know when the supposed familial relationship began.

P/S: Look at how small & cute baby is.

It's also really cute that Hiccup tries, for the most part, to keep the peace with Dagur, though for the most part, I hate to watch them pandering to him.

THE DAGUR FIASCO

This episode is where I feel DOB kicks off. Hiccup's in a very precarious position. The last time Dagur showed up, Stoick lied that Berk was still at war w dragons and that they still killed them. For the sake of peace, Hiccup didn't have much of a choice but to play along and reassert the lie.

This episode is definitely one of my favourites, especially in terms of the Hiccup-Dagur dialogue.

It's hard to not enjoy the "bro-mance" sequences. Just look at this one:

In fact, if you only watched RTTE, you might've missed where the Dagur v Snotlout situation also began. And it might surprise you to realise, that Snotlout was very much, a fan of Monsieur Deranged here.

HICCUP'S STAND

But nothing beats, that moment when Hiccup takes his stand.

It was such a DEFINING MOMENT, because Dagur has been looking down on Hiccup for years and NOW, NOW?! He realises what a genuine threat Hiccup could be. And more importantly, how easily his pride is wounded.

I'm all here for HEROIC HICCUP. And what an artistic way to show how much Dagur underestimated him. He even underestimate his shield! Much to his lost...

Also, don't you think that it is very Captain America of Hiccup sometimes, when he's wielding the shield?

And let's not forget, Hiccup is one sassy protagonist. I mean, you know you're an enemy when he burns you.

This episode is way more significant than I realised it at first. This whole time, Alvin was Berk's only viable threat. But his beef was with Stoick, initially at least.

But now, Dagur is another. And the person he's going after is Hiccup. Dagur is Hiccup's first archenemy.

And it doesn't help that he's insane.

So, what I loved about this episode was, it heightened the stakes of the entire show AND also, showcased how Hiccup can out-wit, out-smart and challenge Dagur, who I think, must've been a pretty tough contender to command the massive armada he ends up leading.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAY BARUCHEL (9.4.2023)

I know this may come off super random, but it is Jay Baruchel's birthday today. I think we can all agree that Jay is the life and soul of Hiccup. If you follow me on twitter @reviewinghiccup, you should know that I am down the rabbit hole of Jay Baruchel movies, interviews and podcasts.

And what I love so much about this guy is the respect and reverence he has for the show. I mean, he constantly praises it and not just because of his role, which he believes pales in comparison to the artists designing and working the animation, but its obvious that he's a HTTYD superfan.

I love it when an actor pays their respects to the franchise and I do enjoy his take on the work and how much the line between who Hiccup is and who he is, as a person, is blurred.

He's an eloquent speaker and tries to produce, write and direct movies now, instead of act in them. He's based in Canada.

Anyways, something interesting I learned about him was, in an interview w Tom Power, he talks about the book he wrote and what being a fan means to him. Him being a fan of hockey and how precious it can be to live within a franchise or something as massive as indulging interests. It sorta validates me a little, specially since I've dived deep into HTTYD fandom since changing careers.

And just like Hiccup, there is way more to this guy than it seems. He's funny, humble, kind and generous with his time. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and he's pretty jittery in real life too. But what kind of broke me, was finding out that even with his own father, he felt like he wasn't the kind of son his dad wanted.

Apparently, he had a complicated relationship with his dad which I believe may have bled into his work.

If you've watched enough of his interviews you'll know that he's had to support his mom and sister at 14-years-old with acting gigs because his father left and passed away when Jay was 21 following a drug overdose. Yet, he still remains so kind. I mean, his upbringing was tough, poor and difficult, yet you can still see him trudging through humbly, not wanting to draw attention to himself as much as he can help it.

In an interview article I read this morning, he explained that he wanted to continue being a good husband, son, brother, friend and I thought that was such a genuine Hiccup thing to say. He shoulders all these responsibilities and have been since he was a kid. Look, I don't know the guy personally, but from the expansive notes and recordings I've looked into, he seems pretty decent and I am such a huge fan.

As I grow older, I understand people on a different level. I accord respect so differently from how I would've years ago. And right now, I think what makes Jay Baruchel interesting is his sheer promise to do better for his family. And I think, in the absence of chiefing, running a village and saving the world, Hiccup is very much the same in that aspect too. A chief protects his own, which seems to be the mantra ringing in my head as I listen to Jay talk about his life.

You guys have no idea how much I know about this dude. I have possibly stalked him silly right now. And am a little embarrass as I admit this. Anyways, all I want is for him to succeed, in his work, life and family.

[itbethatwaysometime]

Uncharted - Chapter 3

Warnings: Nothing in particular

Word Count: about 2.4k

A\N: Hey guys! I’m back with a new one :) This is definitely a filler chapter. The plot doesn’t really move forward, but there’s a lot of details and descriptions of your surroundings. I really want you guys to have an image in your head, since i am quite visual. I am currently working on a few things so stay tuned !

Part One

https://myfandomsbeatcancersass.tumblr.com/post/164836616473/uncharted-chapter-1

Part Two

https://myfandomsbeatcancersass.tumblr.com/post/164981543348/uncharted-part-2

The floor was made out of grey tiles that glinted in the iridescent moonlight, the walls were white and gorgeous light fixtures were emanating a soft glow. You entered a wide hallway that opened up to a kitchen and a living room to the side. The kitchen itself left you speechless. The counters were dark grey granite with cabinets a sleek cold light grey colour. Appliances lined the far wall with beautiful ovens and stoves, a built-in microwave and a fridge that could store enough food for a restaurant. There was an island with a sink and a dishwasher, a wine cellar, a mini-fridge and so many drawers with what you could only guess was every single culinary gadget on the face of the planet. Bar stools lined the exterior side of the island and a modern french mahogany dining table stood to the left. You felt like a kid on Christmas day. You turned to your right and found the living room. An enormous L shaped couch that probably costed a fortune was placed in front of a giant flat screen TV with an over the top sound system that was placed strategically around the room to have a certain in-theatre feel. “This is absolutely crazy.” you huff to yourself. This entire apartment screams rich, but that’s one of the things you get when you live with a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. You make your way out of the living room and into the bedro— Holy shit THis iS nOt a bedROOM. This ‘bedroom’ is twice the size of your old apartment. The window at the far end of the room was ceiling height and lined the entire wall. The bed was a king sized with crisp white expensive silk and a mountain of well placed pillows. A fireplace was placed off to the side lighting up the room in a warm glow. It looked thoroughly inviting but you weren’t done exploring the premises. To the far end of the bedroom there was a beautiful glass desk with a chrome chair. On the desk there was a Macbook and an Ipad. Was he nuts? You had just moved in and your net worth just went up a couple thousand dollars. There’s a door about ten feet to the left of the bed, one that you could only assume was the closet. You opened it and it was just… wow. It wasn’t just the grandness of it all, it was the sheer elegance of it. It was a long corridor with cabinets and closets lining each side. The materiel was a warm toned brown that was sleek. Each storage compartment seemed to have it’s own purpose. I don’t even have enough clothes to fill one of these! The closet opened to the bathroom and that really just blew your mind. The floor was an immaculate white. Straight in front of you was a bath large enough for more than one person. (A/N: obvious foreshadowing for something in the future) You turned to your left and there was a counter that reached from wall to wall. Large mirror panels were placed right over the sink that had a faucet made out of a circular piece of glass and a lever to turn it on and off.  On the counter was numerous beauty products that were probably way too expensive, cotton pads, q-tips etc. The shower to the right was a cubicle made purely out of glass and the hose was a spotless chrome stainless steel with beige tiles that lined the floor. This really was over the top. You walk back to the kitchen, dropping your bag next to your bed, you’ll get back to that later. Ah, yes, the kitchen. Probably your favourite part in every house. You could make things, bake things, cook things. You opened the enormous fridge and see it empty except for a couple of water bottles and sodas. You’ll have to go to the grocery store. Again. The last time you got a bit interrupted. Miss (y/n), may I suggest I order some groceries for you. I can have them delivered in an hour, F.R.I.D.A.Y says. You jump at the sudden intrusion, almost hitting your head on the shelf. “Um, yes, thank you?” you respond, not sure how long it’ll take to get used to speaking to nothing. She was an artificial intelligence, but it still was very… different. You started listing items that you’d like to have in your fridge and pantry. It took you a good half hour seeing as you have ten times more storage than you had before. And then, you realized something, how the hell are you supposed to pay for all of this. You walk over to your jacket and pull out your wallet. You see the pathetic couple of five dollar bills and coins, including a credit card you didn’t dare use unless an emergency was to occur. No one wanted debts. You sigh. Miss (y/n), Tony left a message for you, he says,: “Hey kiddo, I bet right now you’re thinking about the whole money thing. Haven’t you noticed who you’re staying with baby cakes? I’m Tony Stark, go crazy, I don’t mind. Have fun, kid.” “F.R.I.D.A.Y, could you help me get to Tony’s lab?” You asked ‘the air’, this is so weird. Of course, Miss (y/n), follow the illuminated arrows on the floor, they will lead you to his lab. I am afraid Tony might be a little busy, so give him some time, she responds. Alrighty, then. You walk out of your apartment, taking your phone and your keycard. (a freaking keycard). Soft white lights shaped in arrows start showing up on the floors, you follow them and find yourself in front of the elevator once again. You slide in wondering what to do now. The number 62 illuminates and the contraptions started moving up. I’m glad I didn’t have to guess that, imagine if you ended up on Clint’s floor, or Sam’s? You pinch your nose imagining the embarrassment. Before you know it, a familiar mechanical ding echoes in the metal box. You exit, following the arrows until they just disappear. You look around, black tiles following the expanse of the room. You see a large staircase surrounded by glass fixtures. You walk towards it and open the surprisingly light glass door. You walked up the beige granite stairs holding onto the metal rail, the walls were surrounded by beautiful paintings that you mentally reminded yourself to ask about later. Once you hit the top, you walked through two glass sliding doors to be greeted with quite a sight. Four large and long tables surrounded one main square table. The entire lab was littered with metal contraptions, advanced machines, a considerable amount of blueprints and a metal arm that seemed to be moving at it’s own free will. To your right, there was another lab, from the outside, looked pristine clean. Inside there was Bruce who looked extremely concentrated on whatever formula he was inspecting under the microscope. You turned your attention back towards Tony who was… well, gently put, a mess. Streaks of grease were on his face, his arms and his clothes. He was wearing a dark grey tank top with a pair of comfortable looking pants. Sweat dripped off his forehead and his neck was glistening. “Dum-E, I swear to God, if you break the blender again I’m going to sell you to the local science fair.” he says pointing at the mechanic arm that was just quietly waving around. He looks up. “Oh, hey kid, what’s got you up at this hour?” Obviously surprised to see you here. You can tell he’s starting to treat you more as a daughter, but you didn’t mind. You never really had a father figure in your life. Your biological dad died when you were really young, you loved him with everything you had.. (Also, note the fact that it’s not even midnight yet and he’s acting as if you had a curfew on your first day here) “Uh, ya. F.R.I.D.A.Y suggested that I fill up my pantry, and I saw the total,” He looks at you with his arms crossed,” and I know you left me a message, but I just wanted to make sure it was ok? Since I am new and stuff, I didn’t want to look like I was taking advantage of you, or the Avengers in general…” you trail off and reddening realizing that you were rambling. Great, you’ve made a fool of yourself. “(Y/n), come sit here for a second.” He pats a small chair beside him. You hesitantly pace your way behind the desks and onto the chair he pulled up. You were now surrounded by incredibly advanced equipment and you were scared to move because you didn’t want to knock anything over. “It’s ok, you can take a look.” he says kindly from behind you. You turn your head around, with your brows furrowed. Is he serious? “Ya, go ahead.” Tony’s POV God, her brows were scrunched up in the most adorable way. He honestly couldn't believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. He’d never, ever let anyone in his lab, unless it was Bruce or Pepper, or there was some incredible rare, unfortunate, life-threatening situation. Then, he would maybe let them in. This was his private play-ground, he knew what the majority of these things did, well, he knew enough, sometimes things don’t always tend to go as planned. His gaze turns towards (y/n) once again. Her wide (e/c) eyes roaming over every inch of the tables, her hands itching to touch something, but remaining firmly by her sides. He could see the curiosity ooze out of her, finally, someone who understands. (Except for Bruce) Someone who understands the burning need to know more, see more and learn more. Her gaze hungrily eating up all this new information, it’s quite amazing to watch. “F.R.I.D.A.Y, would you kindly Vac U Form a digital wire frame, I want her to have a manipulatable projection.” He told the AI. She tears her gaze from the arc reactor prototype and turns to him. A blue light scans over all five tables and lifts up into the air, showing an exact replica of everything that was on display. “Woah” She gasps, that was cute too. “Can I?” She asks pointing at the floating blueprint. He nods his consent. She waves her hand around and makes it turn, pinches her fingers together to minimize it and flings her arms wide open to zoom in. She starts giggling, like actually giggling, like a schoolgirl in kindergarten who just sold girl scout cookies for the first time. “This is SO cool.” She zooms into one thing in particular, the new arc reactor prototype. “Is that the thing in your chest?” she asks bluntly. She pauses, and then covers her mouth realizing how blunt she was. “Oh my, I’m sorry Mr.Stark, I didn’t mean to say it like that, I read about it in the papers and I may or may not have hacked into your mainframe and found some plans. Wait- I’m not supposed to tell you that.” She stares at him with wide eyes. He just starts laughing, an honest chortle rumbles his chest. God, it’s been a long time since he's laughed like that. “God, that’s funny, and cute. Hahahaha, I can’t believe this,” he keeps laughing, he’s not sure if she’s terrified, but she certainly looks like it. “HEY, BRuce! She hacked into F.R.I.D.A.Y and she doesn’t speak to me like I’m a ticking time bomb, I think she’s a keeper.” He shouts towards the other side of the lab. Bruce just looks at him unimpressed, but with a small smile on his face. “Ok, first of all, stop calling Mr. Stark, that was my dad. Call me Tony,” she nods furiously,” and second of all, do you see all of this?,” he opens his arms wide, “this costs more money then you can imagine, so what I’m trying to say is, go crazy. I don’t care. Spend a thousand dollars on food, go ahead.”. And.. Wait a minute. How did you hack into F.R.I.D.A.Y?” Your POV I mean at this point you could start crying. You were never rich, you’ve been poor before, you know what it feels like to be hungry, thus your appreciation for cooking. “Thank you.” Was all you said. He smiles sweetly at you and pulls you into a hug. At first you aren’t sure what to do, but slowly you relax into his embrace. He pushes you away and holds you in front of him at arms length, starring at your shirt. “So you like AC/DC and Black Sabbath?” An infectious grin spreads across his face as you nod vigorously. You ask F.R.I.D.A.Y to go through with your grocery list. For the next two hours, all you do is listen to music, occasionally go full on karaoke, have Tony discover your singing ‘talent’, (as he likes to call it) and discuss some science stuff. He kindly walks you back to your apartment at around one in the morning and apologizes for keeping you up. How sweet of him? You never thought he could be so nice, most rumours involving him depict him as a rude, arrogant and incredibly egotistical person. Maybe he was, just not with you. The groceries were neatly organized in your kitchen, by who? It didn’t matter, you were too tired to care. You fell swiftly onto the crazy soft bed and succumbed to sleep like candles being blown out on a birthday cake. 

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

Tag List 

@wantingtobekorra @the-avengers-initiative99 @i-love-superhero @carefullyawake @ipaintmelodies @bexboo616 @sophiealiice

[sapphirestream]

So I’ve been watching Thrilling Intent and I just need to get a rant out or I’m going to stay mad at Gregor forever. I know that’s not a valid solution because he’s a lovable character most of the time and he sticks around and needs to be forgiven if I still want to continue to enjoy watching the show. I don’t really trust the formatting to give the issue space to breath and be properly addressed rather than just falling into the background due to the serialized nature, so I’m going to get out all my feelings here and hopefully get some catharsis doing so.  I WILL acknowledge that I am a bit biased, because Ashe is my favorite character so far, and she’s the one who has the most conflict with Gregor on these issues. I still think I would hold these same opinions if the positions were flipped though. The first big conflict between Ashe and Gregor was, of course, the Charoth issue. At first, I agreed with Gregor’s stance. “Cool motive, still murder” and all that. And sometimes the only option to stop the killing IS to slay the monster even if it is hungry or just being itself.  And if regular slaying would have done anything, I would have agreed that it was the right thing to do, especially since we couldn’t fully gauge Charoth’s mental state at the time and had no way to know of its childlike understanding of the world. 

HOWEVER. However. Killing Charoth would not have done anything productive, and the only way to permanently slay it was to destroy it’s literally immortal soul. Just on an ethical level, that is a step so extreme it SHOULD be a last resort, as Markus stated. Even with all the monsters and even people they have killed before, this is not a step that they had taken. It is striking it beyond all chance of redemption, even after a complete wipe of identity. Other methods should be tried before it, even if they don’t ‘punish’ the creature for its wrongdoings or are risky. Fighting it is risky anyway. You don’t slay a creature because you want to punish them, you slay them to STOP them. Ideally, in the real world you relocate them before they hurt somebody, but even if a bear or something is put down, it's because you can’t control the risk, not because the bear is inherently evil and need to be punished for its sins. The goal is to STOP the monster, not get vengeance for those lost.  It also bothers me on a practical level as well. Gregor did have a point that this could lead to future troubles if something happens to Ashe, but honestly, it was the option that mitigated the consequences the most. Especially after they had already talked him down! Kylil even said she had experience coaxing spirit folk back from their wispy state, and Charoth had an entire island to socialize with now that he wasn’t locked in the temple by a short-sighted father figure. Even before they decided to set up shop in the Nine Shrines bar, Charoth had the beginnings of a loving childhood and a budding support network to help him work through his grief. Also, if you ever wanted justice or remorse for those who died, this would be the only option. Charoth will eventually have to face what he did during these times, but if you kill him he will truly be a new person. Some of the spirit folk will surely still blame him and be scared of him, but as it is now he has the framework to deal with that guilt and would deserve it. He could come to regret what he did during this time and work through that fear and try to earn forgiveness, rather than being unfairly blamed for a previous incarnation. If he has to grow up surrounded by fear for something he no longer is responsible for, that can only breed resentment rather than healing.  Killing him would have only put the danger off into the future, and erased whatever ground they had gained. He MIGHT have been ok, if Kylil had still taken a hand in his raising and the spirit folk had a good handle on separating out previous incarnation’s misdeeds. But you would have erased whatever good work and morals his father had managed to instill in him for twenty years. And he certainly would no longer have any love for humans and would take his cue of humanity from the clearly biased (rightly so! they’ve been burned before and we can be pretty awful) spirit folk. No way would Ashe have wanted to stick around on the island after that (nor would I blame her considering her backstory), so Charoth would have grown up with no human influence at all. Which doesn’t sound too great for humanity later, does it, if later it decides to continue wrecking ships, this time on behalf of the spirit folk? They might not have the temperament to do so, but Charoth would certainly have no qualms about it if they asked him in this scenario. This would not have helped the spirit folks goodwill toward humanity either, ESPECIALLY if Gregor had killed Charoth after a peaceful solution had been reached.  And destroying him utterly? Besides it being the most morally dubious way to go, it would also have potentially the worst consequences! Charoth is a GOD. He is the line between life and death! What happens when you erase that!? Does anyone even know? BEST CASE you just get a new one forming anyway, with an entirely unknown temperament. Alternatively, everyone could be stuck on the island forever, metaphysics fucked from the missing death god. There’s no saying that death itself wouldn’t be royally fucked in the localized area, and we already saw that even just Charoth stoppering it was causing problems. That’s not even mentioning if an unfriendly death god neighbor saw that the Shrouded Isles were undefended and decided to take over! This is only an option if you care about no one and nothing on the island, because this fucks them over hard. This is NOT a good deed, nor does it save anyone but humans. The party would just be one in a long line of people who have screwed over the natives and left them the worse for wear.   Legen’s Eye is actually what prompted this rant, as I had to take a break after watching the conclusion of Wizard Highschool. I have a lot less to say about it because it’s been percolating in my mind for a lot less long, but it was HIGHLY frustrating to watch Gregor shut down all discussion and go straight for destroying it. I’m still not sure whether they should have kept the artifact, but they CERTAINLY should have had a thorough talk about it without Inian and taken more than two seconds to decide. Inian should have been excluded not because she wasn’t part of the group or whatever, but because she was *actively shutting down discussion as well* If she had been willing to sit down and actually talk through everything then I would have been fine with her participating. If they felt that strongly in their convictions, they should have trusted them to shine through and convince the others. The group honestly probably would not have been able to put it to good use, but even if they had shoved it in a corner and let no one know they had it, it would have been a better option. Even setting aside if more magic would be better for equality, you never know if humanity+ is going to face some kind of natural or supernatural disaster down the line where that artifact could make a difference. You can never un-destroy something, and that's a decision that should at least have been talked about rather than decided by one person. They talk about not having the right to make those kinds of decisions, but they made a decision not just against their own party, but humanities(+) entire future, and banked against them EVER figuring out a way to use it wisely, or even the possibility of the necessity of its use.  As an example, I once had a dnd game where the players went into a timestop for hundreds of years and emerged in a world overrun by demons. The gates of hell had busted open and there was a war between the celestial and hellish planes with humanity being the unfortunate battleground.  Do they think such things are impossible? Do they think cataclysmic events will never happen where something like Legen’s Eye could make a difference in the material plane’s survival? No, it might not be the answer to all the world’s social ills, nothing simple will be. There is no magic bullet for our own weakness and greed. But this is the kind of artifact that should have been entrusted to future generations, as an ace in the hole if nothing else.  Overall I am just extremely disappointed in Gregor’s unwillingness to talk things out and his black and white thinking. I know it comes with the territory of a Lawful Good character, and kudos to his player for a doing a good job with him, but damn is it frustrating to watch. This show is so good and so investing that I just want to reach into the screen and argue my own viewpoints with the characters, and I’m glad they cover these hard issues that other shows would skip over entirely. I really appreciate how willing they are to tackle things like this, and we wouldn’t even have had a discussion without varying viewpoints. I know Gregor’s in the hard spot of being devil’s advocate a lot of the time. (ironically it’s not Markus! Isn't he a Demon AND a ‘lawyer’?). Still. Still. I guess the counterpoint to being so invested and tackling hard moral issues is sometimes your viewers are just going to have to go rant on social media to get in their own two cents. God damn do I need a friend who watches this show. 

[ecotone99]

[SF] Not My Reality

RECOVERY DATE 23 May 2019 - Case 015A Mr McFarrow - Age 28

The gaps between reality are all so very thin. I say that as though there is just one reality. But there are many. There are oh so many. Too many to possibly list. With every decision you make, a new reality is created. Simply choosing between apples or pears results in a new reality. One where you chose the pear; one where you chose the apple. Sometimes I barely notice the difference.

Today a friend asked me what I would like to drink. He left the room. I slipped on a wet patch on his tiled kitchen. I came crashing down on my ass. A white flash seemed to surround me just before I hit the floor. I got back up and sat down on the barstool by the kitchen island. He came back into the room.

“There’s your coke”, he said as he placed a glass full of the cold black liquid next to me.

“Oh, thanks.”, I looked down at the drink and felt confused. “I don’t mean to be rude but I thought I asked for lemonade?”, I had 100% asked for lemonade.

“Nope, you 100% asked for a coke, I can go get you a lemonade though if you’ve changed your mind”, he looked as confused as I felt.

“No no. It’s ok”. I was fighting back tears. I had slipped into an alternate reality when I hit the kitchen floor. I did not want to slip. It had just happened. I didn’t want to be able to do this. Some realities were worse than others. I didn’t just fall through realities caused by my actions. I slipped through all of them. I also stayed in some longer than others. I’m documenting this now because I don’t think I’m going to live through this one.

I should start this story somewhere more sensible. I will start at the beginning. That would make sense. I started ‘slipping’ when I was in my early twenties. So about seven years ago now. That was a fucking big slip. I was coming home from work. It was late. I had been working till about two in the morning at a McDonalds. It was shit work and I was feeling shit. It was cold. It was raining. It was dark. I had been walking towards home for about fifteen minutes. My headphones were in. My music was loud. I lived along the main road in a small apartment that was just one of many in the giant block that stood in the city centre. It was two in the morning and usually, there's no one around. I stepped out into the road to cross the street. Something glittered in the corner of my eye. I turned slightly. I felt something hit me and a white light suddenly surrounded my view. I closed my eyes. I don’t know how long they were closed for but when I opened them I was stood in the middle of a park.

“Sorry, I didn’t see you there”, A boy no older than ten stood in front of me.

“It’s fine. Um. yeah. No worries” I smiled slightly despite confusion beginning to cloud my mind. The boy still stood there staring at me. He looked down at my feet.

“Could I have my ball back?”, I looked down by my feet and a small white football laid there covered in mud. I bent over slightly and picked it up. I held it for a minute and just stared at it. I looked up and started to take in my surroundings.

“Yeah of course, can you just tell me where I am quick? I went for a walk and I think I’ve gotten lost”, I smiled weakly hoping he wouldn't see how nervous and confused I was.

“You're in Winston Churchill's Memorial Park, I don’t know the area too well but there's a Tesco if you cross the road. One of the adults in there might be able to help a bit more”, his eyes kept switching between looking at me and looking at his ball.

“Um, yeah, thanks, here’s your ball”, I watched the kid scurry off with his ball back to his friends. I remember looking around. It was just the most stereotypical park. Like one straight out a movie. Big open spaces. Green healthy grass for miles. Oak trees were scattered everywhere. I remember walking over to a small plaque that was sticking out of the ground. Golden writing had been printed onto a small bronze rectangle.

“In Memory of our once-great leader Winston Churchill. Born 1874 - Assassinated 1955.”

I remember thinking how wrong that sounded. I was never big on history but I never remembered hearing about Churchill dying by assassination. I think that would’ve been quite a big thing they would’ve told you in school. I started to notice more things that seemed off. There was a lot of police. One on almost every street corner. I noticed them stopping people seemingly at random. I could never make out what they were saying but I could see the little cards people were pulling out and showing them. They would talk for a moment then move on. They stopped mainly caucasian people. I decided to eavesdrop. I walked over to an officer I could see talking to someone. I stood close enough to hear but not close enough to be thought of as suspicious. I pulled out my iPhone and pretended to be on the phone to someone.

“Do you have identification?”, the officer asked in a calm monotone voice. The citizen didn't reply. She simply pulled out her purse and handed over a little white card.

“I see you come from outside of the United Reach. You are due to go home today. You better leave soon, you are dirt on this country.”, the officer spat at her. The derogatory comment didn’t seem to phase her too much. He handed her back the little white card and she walked quickly across the street and away from the eyesight of the officers. I remember feeling confused and was considering asking the officer for help. After seeing how he had treated the woman I really didn’t want to approach him; who knows how he would’ve responded to being told by someone that they had no idea where they were or even what year it was.

“DO NOT MOVE”

A voice had barked from directly behind me. My ear rang slightly from the volume at which he screamed. I turned my neck slightly to see two men marching towards me. Two rifles aimed at me. They wore what looked like heavy black bulletproof armour with large black helmets. There wasn’t an inch of them that wasn’t covered.

“PUT THE PHONE DOWN. WE ARE ARRESTING YOU FOR POSSESSION OF TECHNOLOGY FROM OUTSIDE OF UNITED REACH. WE ARE ARRESTING YOU UNDER LAW 499 PROHIBITING ANY AMERICAN TECHNOLOGY IN THE COUNTRY. WE WILL NOW HANDCUFF YOU AND STRIP YOU OF YOUR RIGHTS”

I could not be arrested. Not here. I just wanted to go home. I didn’t want to die. My heart was going at triple the speed it should’ve been. I couldn’t think clearly. Thoughts were rapidly firing through my mind at an incomprehensible speed. I made a stupid choice. I ran. I began running as fast as I could straight forward. I didn’t think. I couldn’t think. I could hear people shouting behind me. I could hear the footsteps of the two armed men getting closer. After chasing me through the streets for about a minute I heard them stop running. I thought I’d lost them. I slowed down. Another stupid choice. I spun on my heel slightly to the sound of a muffled bang. I saw a small circular object spiralling right towards my left eye. I felt something tap my eyeball then the white light encompassed my sight.

I was right back where I was earlier that night. I was just sat in the middle of an empty road. I checked my phone. 23 May 02:05 am. I was back in my reality. Or it was a reality that was close enough to the one I knew. I ran home. I already had a stitch from running from the armoured men but I just ignored it till I got home. I don’t remember much more. I know I woke up in bed the next morning in my pyjamas. I don’t remember putting them on though.

From then on the trips were quite random and not too bad. Sometimes I would slip into a reality where the colour blue was called green and green was called blue. Sometimes there were random ones where motorbikes were more common than cars. There was one where the world was governed by the six smartest people in the world. I liked that one. Everyone would get a free meal on a Saturday night from a restaurant of their choosing. There were also people living on other planets thanks to Elon Musk. That was the best one I think. I had lived there for about a month.

Sometimes they, the slips, would interrupt important moments. I remember I was at a job interview and everything was going great! But then I felt a sort of pain in my chest and I looked down at my chest quickly. When I looked up again the white had surrounded me. When my vision returned I was sat in an abandoned building with a man in construction uniform shouting at me in another language. Then there was another time I was on a date and I dropped a steak knife on my foot. It didn’t actually hit my foot though. Just before it did the white surrounded me. I reappeared in a reality where the only food was a grey slop and the person opposite me was dressed in an orange jumpsuit. They then followed to try and attack me. That lasted for about five minutes. The white surrounded me again and I was back on my date. But my date had left. So had most people in the restaurant.

I’m not sure what happens when I slip. Of course, I’ve never seen. It’s not like I can just watch myself. Before you ask, yes I have attempted cameras. I sat in a room and hooked up a camera to record me the entire time. I did slip within that time but the camera turned itself off ten seconds before I vanished.

But that's talking about the past. I would like to talk about now. I think I slipped too many times. Or reality has become corrupted. I do not know what will happen to this message. I do not know if it will exist after this.

I was in my attic. I lost my footing and fell out of the small entrance hole in the floor and I felt something touch the back of my head then the white surrounded me. Then I was laid on a bed of sand and dirt. I was staring up at the sky. The sky was red. I was boiling. I looked around me. The smell of burning meat filled the air as I saw rubble for as far as I could see. Some buildings were collapsing. Fires were roaring all around me. Despite all of this, there was almost no sound. Only a very quiet sound of tearing. No matter where I looked I couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. A white shimmer in the corner of my caught my attention. It looked as if things were disintegrating and where they once existed now played home to just patches of white. The same white that flashes before me when I slip. I went out to touch one. As soon as I came close to it, the edges of the patch rippled slightly before expanding. I may have touched a few. I can’t actually make out much of the land now. It’s mainly white. I seem to be sat on the last remaining island of this reality. I’ve tried to force myself to slip. I really really did try but I can’t get it to work. So I think I’m just going to die here. If I get erased from reality it might be ok, no one will remember me. Or maybe I will just float through the white for eternity, I don’t know. I’ve been writing this to give me something to concentrate on whilst this reality wipes away. It’s nearly over though. I’m just going to send this to a random number. I don’t know who is going to receive this but I am sorry for the confusion it must cause. I’m sat on a 1 metre by one metre square of red dirt. In case anyone does ask, my name is James McFarrow. I didn’t ask for this but at least I’ve had an interesting life. A life that no one will probably ever know about.

​

written by harry titley

https://htstoriesandtales.wordpress.com/

submitted by /u/Stormix1357 [link] [comments] via Blogger https://ift.tt/2yvh3BS

[kansascityhappenings]

Joe’s Weather Blog: A lot of you are getting grumpy about the winter (TUE-2/19)

So much winter. I remember back in January sometime…I think it was towards the early part of the month when I was randomly speculating IF the warmer weather we were enjoying was, in fact, our somewhat typical January thaw, except it was about 2-3 weeks early. It feels like that now. We have been persistently chilly…the snow on the ground isn’t helping and we’re about to add more snow on top of the snow on the ground. There should be some big-time melting heading into the weekend associated with storm #4 but the longer term trends are colder than average…there won’t be an early spring it appears and that darn groundhog failed the Plains this year.

Forecast:

Today: Increasing and lowering clouds but overall we should be fine through the middle of the afternoon. No issues to get around through 4PM (at least). Highs near 30°

Tonight: Snow quickly arrives from the south…there might be a little melting on the pavement at first but the snow should fall quick and hard for many areas for a few hours tonight. It appears most of our accumulations will have to happen by about 1-2AM or so tomorrow morning. Accumulations will be in the 3-6″ range. 6″ does seem to be a bit on the high side of the totals to me this morning…so I would count on 3-4″ for the KC Metro area…some 5″ers perhaps on the northern side of the Metro and some 2-3″ers on the farther south side of the KC Metro area. There will be a conversion to some freezing rain/drizzle/mist overnight. IF that conversion doesn’t take place…we could see an extra inch of snow.

Wednesday: Lots of clouds with hopefully some PM sunshine at some point. SW winds will help to start the melting process. This will be a wetter snow compared to last Friday. Better snowman making snow for the kids at least. Highs near 32°

Thursday: Not too bad with highs in the 30s. Average is near 45° though.

Discussion:

We’ll get to the snow situation towards the back half of the blog.

Let’s sort of put all this snow into perspective since I’ve been showing these stats on the air and some of you don’t read the weather blog day in and day out.

So far this winter we’re up to 23.3″ of snow.

Average for an entire winter in the KC area is 18.8″

For the winter season to date (that’s important) we’ve had the 21st fastest start to the snow season.

We will be going up that ranking after tonight and tomorrow early morning.

4. Overall though when you look at the previous winter snows…and put the current 23.3″ into that…this ranks as the 46th snowiest winter in KC weather history going back to the 1880s. Obviously after tonight we’ll go up that list a few more notches. Heck if KCI gets 4″ or so…we’ll vault into the Top 30!

If you’re wondering about the Top 10 in KC…

You can see the standout winters of 09-10 and 10-11 in the top 10 rankings.

2012-13 was another big winter with over 31″ of snow.

So it’s been awhile.

Something else that is sort of interesting is the track of these systems during FEB…at least at the surface…courtesy Ralphs Weather OBS (@WeatherNut27)

Let’s go back another month to January…

The 1/11-13 storm was the one that nailed us pretty good…and for the month we had over 9″ of snow @ KCI.

Most of those tracks are good ones for snow in the region. There have been some hybrid tracks too. For example the system coming through tonight…it’s a weird one…if you were to show me this forecast map for most winters (this map is valid Wednesday morning) I would probably tell you we wouldn’t get much, if any, snow.

Mother Nature doesn’t like being boxed in though…and that is the case tonight.

Another thing before the snow talk…that is the crazy fast jet stream that is above the USA right now. Let’s go up to about 35,000 feet or so or around the 200 mb level…and look at the river of air flowing through the USA. This is from last night.

Remember last week when we talked about the various weather balloon launches around North America…some 100 or so. That data is on the above map. The winds are measured in knots. 100 kts=115 MPH. Each bold “flag” above is a 50 kt flag…2 of them would be 100 kts and 3 would be 150 kts.

So the air way up there above the KC area is flying along…like the water in a fast moving and funneled river of water at close to 150 kts or close to 175 mph!

What’s fascinating is that when they launched the weather balloon yesterday in Dodge City, KS…it flew towards the ENE. It rises to around 100,000 feet and then pops and falls down. Odds are it’s somewhere in a field in central KS.

…Our weather balloon is going to get the heck out of Dodge tonight… This is a forecast flight trajectory of tonight's weather balloon/radiosonde journey. Starts right here in Dodge, whisked away by a 170-180 mph jet, finally lands SE of Salina/middle of the state of KS. #kswx pic.twitter.com/IXE0PV9pHs

— NWS Dodge City (@NWSDodgeCity) February 18, 2019

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So IF a plane catches that jet stream…let’s say it’s flying from LA to London…

Virgin Galactic flight 8 was clocked earlier heading NE at 801mph (GPS based ground speed) as a result of an anomalous jet stream core located over the E US – https://t.co/ut6ENOHI5A pic.twitter.com/ROC3bw5Omg

— Steve Hallett (@hallettwx) February 19, 2019

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Why do airlines love flying with a tailwind…because 1) it gets people to their destination faster and 2) it saves them a LOT of money.

How crucial is weather information for airlines? Take this Boeing 747. It burns about 5,700lbs of fuel per hr at cruise. By catching this intense jet stream, it could cut 1-2hrs off the trip which would save BA 1,700 gallons of Jet-A @ 4-5 bucks per gallon. On this one flight. pic.twitter.com/fp6NvC4jrs

— Chris Jackson (@ChrisJacksonSC) February 19, 2019

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$4/gallon of jet fuel x’s 1700 gallons = about $7000 in savings!

Last night the air was flowing at around 230 MPH over Long Island, NY…the strongest winds EVER observed up there since balloons have been launched…that’s pretty amazing!

201 knots on the evening weather balloon launch appears to be a record for OKX at 250 hPa. Records go back to 1957 (when balloons were launched at Idlewild Airport). pic.twitter.com/kQqprM3qkY

— Ryan Hanrahan (@ryanhanrahan) February 19, 2019

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Amazing stuff really.

Onwards to the situation for tonight.

3-6″ is still a good forecast. Again that 6″ highside number may be tough to reach in the Metro but odds are it will get close towards NW MO and parts of NE KS.

A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for the region with Winter Storm Warnings towards the north of KC into NW MO and NE KS.

Here is a look at radar. You may see activity out there on radar through early this afternoon but most, if not all of the returns will be evaporating before they reach the ground…let’s call it “snirga” instead of virga (the real word to use). Heck if I can talk about dippin’ dots as much as I talked about dippin’ dots over the weekend because of what happened on Saturday…

The key time to watch is around 4-7 PM or so..we’d love for the snow to hold off and get us through rush hour without too many issues. IF the snow arrives early…there may be some wet roads (some melting) then slushy to slick roads…so IF we can have this hold off till after rush that would be a positive.

Once it really gets going we should have several hours of moderate to at times heavy snow bursts moving through the region through the 1AM hour…so the bulk of the accumulation will have to happen before that time I think. That’s about 6 hours or so of 1/2″/hour (average) snow rates…and maybe an 1-2 hour of 1″/hour rates. That should get us an easy 3″ of snow for many areas.

Here is the HRRR model indicating the snow timing…hopefully this will auto-update for you through the day/night.

From there let’s see what happens with the dreaded and fast moving dry slot, that while not shutting down ALL the snow, will remove the better moisture in the more favored area of the atmosphere where snow likes to form. When that moisture is removed you can get areas of freezing drizzle/mist/rain to move through, perhaps adding to a light glaze on top of the snow. This dry slot may cut the amounts towards the SE of KC especially and also farther south.

Areas farther north though won’t get into that dry slot till sometime after 3AM Wednesday..more snow production=higher totals up to the north and perhaps northwest of KC.

Confidence levels…average totals

Dusting to 2″: 100%

2-4″: 100%

4-6″: 60% (towards the lower side of that)

Over 6″: 10%

Over 10″: 0%

Again widespread 3-6″ seems to be a good forecast with lower towards SE and higher towards the NW part of the state…5-7″ or so up there. I do think that 6″ is a real push for the KC Metro.

More or less a system that will be similar in amounts to what happened this past Friday. The snow characteristics will be wetter and not as dry as what happened this past Friday too…so that is better snowman and snowball type snow I think.

Our feature photo comes from Tedd Scofield

OK that’s it. Feel free to follow me on Twitter @fox4wx and also on FB (Joe Lauria Fox 4 Meteorologist) for more updates. I’ll do a FB live this evening…sometime around 8 or 8:15 or so like last night. It should be going pretty good by then.

Joe

  from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports https://fox4kc.com/2019/02/19/joes-weather-blog-a-lot-of-you-are-getting-grumpy-about-the-winter-tue-2-19/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2019/02/19/joes-weather-blog-a-lot-of-you-are-getting-grumpy-about-the-winter-tue-2-19/

[wayneooverton]

Everything you need to know about surviving winter in New Zealand

Listen up, everyone! It’s the first week of June. Winter has officially arrived. Grab your woolen sweaters! Raid the supermarkets for supplies! Gather your loved ones inside. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

You may think I’m being dramatic because New Zealand actually has a relatively mild climate year-round compared to say, Canada or Siberia, but trust me on this: winter in New Zealand is next level.

No, the temperatures don’t get below -5 Celsius very frequently and it often doesn’t snow to ground level, usually remains just in the mountains, but don’t let that trick you. Yes, if the sun’s out the days can be quite pleasant but if you’re heading into your first winter in New Zealand, there are some things you need to know.

Here���s everything you need to know about surviving New Zealand’s winters.

10 Reasons Why New Zealand in Winter Rocks

Our friend the hoar frost, a frequent visitor in winter in New Zealand

Winter is opposite, obviously

The seasons are opposite in New Zealand from what many of us might experience in the Northern Hemisphere.

Winter officially runs from June to September, with usually the best skiing and snowboarding in July and August. The autumn colors usually are finished in the South Island by mid-May and so from May to June is the sort of ugly in-between season where it’s cold and damp but the mountains aren’t open yet for all the winter fun. Wanaka is usually blessed with an inversion layer around this time as well, but more on that in a bit.

May and June are when most locals go overseas on holiday but can be a great time to travel here and get good deals and its certainly quiet.

The night is dark and full of terrors

And by terrors, of course, I’m referring to poorly-built wooden houses with little to no insulation.

New Zealand went through a radical century of minimal building regulations for homes which resulted in little-to-no understanding of insulation and therefore pretty terrible design flaws for New Zealand homes.

Many homes have very little insulation and no double-glazing on the windows. Central heating and radiators don’t exist (as far as I can tell) and down in Wanaka where we live, you heat your house with a fire. Yes you read that right. A fire.

A study done in 2010 showed the average evening temperature of a New Zealand living room was 17.8 degrees Celsius. For my American friends keeping track at home, that’s a balmy 64 degrees. Some homes were as chilly as 10 degrees in the evenings (50F), well below the World Health Organization’s recommended minimum 18 degrees.

Of course, Kiwis will hear this and give a solemn nod and perhaps say, “She’ll be right,” 
(ehhh, not ideal but oh well what can you do?) But Kiwis are built tough and are a hardy folk. Much tougher than me. They basically come out of the womb ready to be submerged in an ice bath. They see ice on the *inside* of their bedroom window and don’t even flinch.

Just put on your puffer jacket and beanie and you’ll be fine. Harden up.

This is only a *slight* exaggeration on what New Zealand homes feel like.

I thought I was ok with the cold. I survived seven Chicago winters where the temperatures rarely reached above -5C but in Chicago, the inside of places are usually warm and inviting.

I’m used to central heating. You know, a heating system that circulates warm air throughout the home to ward off the cold and dampness. I’m not used to wearing six layers and sleeping under 14 blankets. I’m not used to only heating one room in the house (sidenote: am I alone in thinking sitting on an ice cold toilet seat has to be one of the most unsettling feelings on the planet?) All I’m saying is I shouldn’t see my breath in the morning as I roll out of bed. Is that too much to ask?

Look, I’m not telling this to scare you or dissuade you. I’m just giving you the hard words because you should know exactly what you’re heading into. No one told me these things when I moved here so you’ll be miles ahead of me. Your mental preparation starts now.

I reckon it takes three winters here before you get used to it.

Invest in your heating sources

Part of why New Zealand houses are so cold is because it can be very expensive to heat them.

Most older homes will have a wood burning stove which will heat up the common area. If you’re lucky, you might have a heat transfer system that pretends to transfer that warm air to the bedrooms (spoiler: it doesn’t).

Many of us Americans grow up without solid fire-building skills, but trust me, it only takes one winter in Wanaka with a wood burner for heating and you’ll learn to build a good fire fast.

If you’re planning to heat your house with wood, buy early.

Seriously, you can never be too early to buy your winter supply of wood. Not only will it be cheaper the earlier you buy it but there’s also a good chance the entire region will run out of wood if you leave it too long. You also want it really early because often it’s wet and not completely dried out and you need time to get it to dry.

If you’re nearing the end of May and haven’t figured out your wood supply yet, be ready to shell out big bucks for a few meters or be prepared to tough it without a fire.

If you’re a giant baby like me, you’ll also probably want to figure out how you can have a heater in your room without blowing your life savings. I use an oil heater and I’ve read if you let it run for 3 hours a day for 30 days, your monthly power bill will go up by about $50. Since I leave mine on almost all night, I’d triple this.

Some houses are heated with heat pumps which can be more economical.

If you’re heating your water with electric power, your bill will be even higher. In my opinion, there’s really no way around it. I’m past the point in my life where I’m too cheap to pay to be warm so I try to budget through the year. I’m conscious when I get my cheap summer bills to set some extra aside for winter.

Bite the bullet and pay up. It’s so worth it to be warm.

The sun is there. Learn how to find it

It’s no secret that winters are dark. We’re not special here, I know.

This isn’t a fact solely synonymous with New Zealand. Unless you’re on the equator, every country gets dark earlier and earlier as winter creeps up. But in many parts of the South Island (especially our beloved Wanaka home) we are also treated to the infamous inversion layer in the early winter day smothering the town in a layer of grey gloom for days on end.

8 reasons to visit the South Island in winter

Without getting too science-y here, inversion layers develop when the ground cools off rapidly making the air closest to the ground much cooler than the atmosphere layers above. This produces a dense, low hanging cloud that blankets the town. Sometimes it burns off by the afternoon and othertimes you’re stuck with it.

If you’re planning to enjoy a Wanaka winter, you’ll most likely be introduced to the inversion and be left wondering when the sun will come out again. But don’t worry, it usually ends by July and August and then we have many bluebird winter days, great for skiing.

Here’s the secret: get above the sun.

It can be so deceiving when you’re the town, huddled beneath the dark clouds to think you’ll never see the sun again but a quick drive up Cardrona Valley or up the ski field access roads will catapult you into that bright and warm sunshine you’ve been craving.

If you don’t want to drive, just start walking up a hill. Any mountain reaching 1,000m is likely to be above the inversion layer and there’s really nothing quite like popping out the other side of the inversion layer, basking in the sun and looking down to the sea of clouds below you.

Pretty tough to not feel very smug for all those poor people still in town hiding under the clouds. Go ahead, let that smirk slip. No one’s going to know when you’re 1,000m in the air.

And before you know it, the ski fields are open and winter New Zealand is in full swing.

Powder days are the best!

If you find yourself living near one of the many mountains in New Zealand or even just visiting in winter. Learn to ski or get up the hills.

Skiing and snowboarding is a big part of the winter culture in New Zealand, and it’s really fun to embrace it. Everyone gets excited for storms and powder days, and being such small communities you often see people you know up the mountains.

You’ll find us riding up at our local mountain, Cardrona, this winter, we have season passes and are especially excited as there is already so much snow!

Since major hikes are often off the cards in winter due to avalanche dangers, zipping around on skis is the next best thing. And there is great backcountry exploring and even heli-skiing options to be had for the bold and adventurous.

Winter is the perfect time to accessorize!

No, I’m not talking about a new necklace or a dope new scarf (although that actually might be a good investment tbh). I’m talking about home accessorizing!

There are few old tricks of the trade to pull out from the archives on how to keep warm in the house, without lighting the fire or putting the heater on.

First things first, you’re going to need to get yourself about five hot water bottles.

Yes, the ones your mom would give you when you had terrible cramps. Stock up on those babies and fill them to the brim every night with boiling hot water. Hug one while you’re watching a movie in the lounge. Strategically put them in different corners of your bed to make it nice and toasty before going to sleep. Take one with you to meet a friend for brunch. Whatever. I’m not here to judge you.

Get a nice wooley cover for them, or if you’re feeling particularly kiwi, a possum fur cover.

Next, stock up on merino wool clothing. I know it can be expensive but it’s worth it. You’ll be much warmer in wool than in cotton and you’re body will be thanking you for not having to work so hard to keep you warm. Long sleeve shirts, leggings, hats, gloves. You really can’t have too much merino.

Often heating is such a luxury in the States and I can remember living in places with radiators where it was so hot inside in winter you’d be in a t-shirt. Well let me be the first to tell you, you won’t even be looking at t-shirts in winter in New Zealand. Bundle. Up.

Finally, you’re going to want to get yourself some flannel sheets. There’s nothing worse than crawling into an icebox of a bed thanks to your cotton sheets. Flannel sheets will change your life and will make getting out of bed in the morning 10 times harder.

(Hot take: Many people in New Zealand use electric blankets to heat their bed. I’m not advocating for this because there’s tons of research showing they are extremely dangerous, emitting an electromagnetic field that is directly linked to an increased risk of cancer. Google it!)

Learn to eat seasonally

If you’re staying for winter you’re going to find out very quickly that a lot of produce is simply not available in the winter.

Yes, hi, privileged American girl over here, I know.

I guess I took for granted the plethora of tropical fruit and exotic vegetables offered year-round in American grocery stores. I quickly changed my tune when I moved here and saw that limes are $30/kilo here ($13/lb). Don’t even get me started on avocados.

Most people who live here know avocados are strictly off limits until summer unless you’re a millionaire.

See ya later produce!

The good news is you’re quickly going to learn how to eat seasonally.

Things like broccoli, parsnips, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, sweet potato and carrots get a lot cheaper.

At first, you might miss your watermelon and pineapple and bell peppers but it will just make them taste that much sweeter when they finally come back in season.

Indulge in your hobbies

Winter is a great time to finally devote some time to that hobby you’ve been meaning to pick up.

The daylight hours are limited, the weather outside is frightful, etc. etc. Maybe take that pottery class you’ve been scoping out. Perhaps you’re finally going to learn how to crochet a pair of socks. Take a cheese making course. Learn to bake really dope bread.

Even better, learn how to make the perfect American doughnut because there’s a shockingly low standards for good doughnuts in New Zealand (what’s a girl gotta do to get an old-fashioned cake doughnut around here??)

Also get outside and indulge in some of those epic winter adventures available around New Zealand. My favorite is snowshoeing on the Tasman Glacier.

There are a lot of cool things happening in winter

It’s not surprising that a lot of the really cool events happen in winter when people really need a boost of spirits. There are plenty of winter events to keep you happy.

Starting in late May, get tickets to the world-renowned Banff Mountain Film Festival which hits locations (including Queenstown) around the country. Hit up another film festival, this time the New Zealand Mountain Film Festival which is a super fun event celebrating all things adventure in Queenstown and Wanaka for a few days.

Winter Photography Tips for Snow Bunnies (and Bears)

Check out Luma, a lights festival focusing on arts and culture in Queenstown. Don’t forget to partake in your local Matariki (Māori New Year) celebration.

Winterfest in Queenstown is also a big hit, and this year the host mountain is my local hill, Cardrona Alpine Resort! The southern hemisphere’s biggest celebration of winter, it is such a fun way to kick off the winter season if you find yourself around the South Island at the time.

Embrace the cold

What’s that saying? If you can’t beat them, curl up in a ball and cry until you finally generate some body heat? No?

Despite my complaining and moaning, there’s a reason I’ve weathered three winters in Wanaka.

Yes it’s cold and somedays I feel like my toes won’t have feeling in them again until October but there’s no denying winter is a special time in New Zealand. The mountains that are already spectacularly grand somehow look even more massive and majestic with half a coat of snow.

Embrace that snow and do as the locals do.

Get up the hill and learn to ski/board. If you already know how bite the bullet and buy a ski pass so you can enjoy the winter sun guilt free whenever you please. Go for a walk on a lower altitude track (there are TONS!). Find some snowshoes and go from a tramp around the gentle slowing Pisa Range.

If nothing else, find some snow and throw a snowball in your best friend’s face. It’s bound to make you laugh and break out of that seasonal depression disorder.

It can be tough weathering New Zealand’s winter but just remember, each day you’re that much closer to summer and when it’s all said and done, you’re going to be a lot tougher on the other side of winter than when you started.

Welcome to the Kiwi lifestyle. Time to harden up!

Do you travel in winter? Have you ever been to New Zealand in winter? Share!

The post Everything you need to know about surviving winter in New Zealand appeared first on Young Adventuress.

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