#space travel wristband

[smsgift]

Space Travel Wristband - Wristband Depicting Outer Space - Faux Leather Wristband - Men's or Women's Wristband

[eileen-crys]

Freddie Mercury

Rarity: 5☆

Weapon: Sword

Vision: Pyro

Nation: Sumeru

Constellation: Cantor Phoenix

Here's Freddie from my Genshin Impact x Queen crossover!

Freddie is a famous singer from Sumeru, who has also traveled to Fontaine with Xinyan to learn rock music and share it with the rest of Teyvat, aiming to get in his own band. He uses his Pyro energy to heat the audience up and unleash his powerful voice. He loves to use his very own custom-built microphone/sword to fight enemies and sing on stage. However, Freddie has a soft and loving side to him, he's very loyal, selfless and determined to bring a smile to everyone!

Freddie was so much fun to design and -while keeping in mind his Pyro element and the Sumeru region- I mixed a ton of Freddie's outfits together to make it as flamboyant and royal as possible! Zhandra Rhodes, the feathers from his Hard Life outfit, his sequined and harlequin leotards, a red scarf directly from Hot Space, gloves and wristbands, the iconic black nail polish, obviously an exposed chest... And lots of wings to recall both the phoenix and the god Mercury! His microphone/sword recalls the red Q ribbon and the rose thorns in the Queen logo, while the rose in the middle is the Freddie Mercury rose.

Here you can see all the sketches with very early studies for all their designs and Here is a little overview of them as characters, with aesthetics and quick summaries. ROGER | JOHN | BRIAN

Hairless version (more aligned with Genshin's aesthetic):

Please do not repost! Reblogs and comments are always welcomed! 💜

[biscuits-of-bagend]

DnDoc, Space Band #5 - Exploring the SECC

Part 1 Part 4

Previous story: DnDoc, Coming Home

---

Half an hour in front of the dressing table and a trawl through the accessory box later, Rogue looked in the mirror and saw someone who could pass for at least a singer-songwriter touring his debut album, even if not a full on rockstar. His eyes were shadowy, his hair in wavy curls tumbling down his forehead, his wrists decked out in leather wristbands, and the Doctor had even found some cool boots like his own for him. He snuck a little air guitar in front of the full-length mirror when nobody was looking. Ruby had by this point found a crop top she was happy with and the Doctor had done some rockstar makeup for her too, so all three of them were ready to hit the streets of the SECC.

   Stardust City, as it turned out it was called by inhabitants, was surprisingly quiet for the night of an Earthlings concert. Rogue supposed it was possible that they weren't quite as popular these days, what with their core demographic growing up. Although, he hadn't actually asked what year they were in. Maybe there was a ten-year-old Rogue out there somewhere wishing he was here, with no idea that he actually was!

   "Oops, that explains a lot," said the Doctor. He pointed at a clock tower which said it was only 5PM. It looked like they were going to have a lot of time to kill before the gig, and they'd already eaten dinner on the TARDIS while they got ready.

   "The portal must have been that excited," said Ruby.

   "I've definitely seen better drivers, yes," said the Doctor. "Oh well, I guess if we're here super early we can get right down the front so that's exciting."

   The Doctor led the way through wide streets with large, blocky conference centres on each side, past a park with a giant gazebo, then down into a long, gently curving boulevard. Across the boulevard the standing area for an utterly enormous outdoor stage began, and as Rogue looked from left to right he saw that the curve of the street hugged its boundary the whole way round.

   "Uhoh, someone looks like they were out a little late last night," said the Doctor, nodding his head forwards.

   Someone was staggering along the boulevard on the other side of the road, their hand juddering along the black metal railing. The Doctor and Ruby rushed forward to give them a hand and hold them up. Rogue started, then realised that right, yes, this was what they did. No observation or evaluation, just straight in there.

   "Hey, what's the matter?" the Doctor was saying as Rogue joined them.

   The person seemed to be human, with worryingly pale skin and brightly coloured dots breaking out all over their face. Their hair was lanky and hung forward over the front of their shirt, but Rogue had a feeling this wasn't the fashionable sort of grunge. They looked seriously ill.

   "Stardust," they mumbled. Their saliva collected on their lips and dribbled down - also a strange colour, or at least a strange pattern. Really saliva having a pattern at all was quite strange.

   "Stardust City, yeah, that's where you are, mate," said Ruby. She and the Doctor let the person lean on them the way they had helped Rogue yesterday. They lowered them down to the pavement and leaned them against the railing.

   "No, stardust. Sickness. Call help. Please," said the person, rubbing at their eyes. Their hands came away blotchy, bright yellows and greens and blues and reds streaking across their palms.

   The Doctor got the sonic out and pressed it in the same spot three times. "Okay, that should call the emergency services."

   Rogue helped the Doctor and Ruby keep the person conscious until the ambulance got there and two paramedics jumped out to help.

   "Good job getting the call in," said the first paramedic as she brushed the three travellers out the way and started some examinations of the person. "Stardust overload isn't deadly, but it can knock you right out without much warning. Nobody wants to wake up alone on the street after that."

   "Stardust overload?" the Doctor asked.

   "They named it after this city, yes," said the paramedic, a short woman with curt blonde hair. "It can happen when you're constantly surrounded by music, art, ideas. Like trying to fit too much excitement in one person."

   "Will they be okay?" asked Rogue.

   "Now that we've got them, yes," said the paramedic. Her colleague was loading the patient in on a stretcher. Rogue was standing closest to them as they passed and the patient managed to reach up one hand and give his arm a quick squeeze in thanks. The paramedic went on, "Don't you folks worry. Go enjoy your night, but if you start to see multi-coloured spots that aren't part of any light show, do seek medical attention."

   The paramedics sped away with their patient and left them standing at the barrier.

   "Maybe that explains the empty streets," said Rogue. "An epidemic of some sort."

   "We can go back to the TARDIS any time, you know," said the Doctor.

   "No, no, it's fine," said Rogue. "Like she said, if anyone starts to feel ill, we can go see a doctor. I mean hey, we have you. As long as you two are okay with that?"

   "I'm good," said the Doctor. "Ruby?"

   "Hell yeah." Ruby did the rock-horns with her right hand, though with a slightly sheepish smile which suggested this wasn't quite her genre.

   "Alright, let's go," said Rogue.

---

Part 6

@off-traveling-in-the-stars @casavanse @monster-donut @letsargueacrossthestars (let me know at any point if you no longer wish to be tagged in each post)

[siodium]

last con haul for a while!! (famous last words 🤡) no but fr i'm running out of cash, stamina, and sanity. 💸

doki doki anime market (DDAM) and konbini 3.0 loots ↓↓

chainsaw man mini acrylic standees (@kabanokii)

"go for it, jinshi!" print (@xuanllli) - it's a parody of the series "go for it, nakamura!" which i haven't seen bUT same, jinshi.... maomao is beautiful....

kim dokja birthday print + freebie sticker (@del_lwl)

shibuya incident gojo print (@thisiskeets) - i haven't caught up to the series but the vibes of this print?? so good.

dungeon meshi print (@aznpew) - i finished the anime!!! it's so good!! waiting for the second season now.

AA:DGS asogi kazuma print + dunmeshi and persona 5 stickers (@jaayes_)

acrylic omamori charm for safe travels (@barelybreathingbunny) - this was from mercury fest but koko was holding on to it for the haul pics.

sandalphon keychain (@pomokat) - FINALLY GOT SANDALPHON HEHE

rowlet phone strap (@lime.artz)

custom biyoo linked keychain - idk who the artist is!! should be one of the booths at the end of row J iirc. the biyoos look so tasty~

biyoo stickers + phone strap set (@yishyre)

pink star-shaped crystal bracelet (@lyrasflair)

aquarium stickers + pokemon cafe stickers + washi tapes (@mochigardens)

puffy sushi linked charms (@thebunmeo) - i didn't get the chef charm bc i wanted to put my biyoo puffy charm on this?? maybe??

ivantill phone strap (@akinerui) - managed to get the display piece!!

ivantill photocards + stickers + keychain set (@del_lwl) - made a beeline for this booth bc i need that keychain!! it looks like hard candy.

"no brain cells" socks (@vensroom) - same.

kitsune gacha plush keychain + freebie sticker (@shermstan) - yO we figured out the trick to getting kitsune/nekomata!! if you shake the ball and hear a bell sound, it's probably one of them. and so the both of us acquired a kitsune each!! the ones i wanted were kappa and tanuki tho, but i had enough of the oni curse to try for them....

radish outfit (@labutori) - super cute and fits kitsune!! also fits the smol chiikawa plushies.

and a bunch of freebies. the oc cards and the smiski stuff were from koko's dachi (@dachi_duck) art polaroid trades~ the smiski fighting for his life on the toilet is me..... after downing one cup of milk tea.

⋅˚₊‧ ଳ ‧₊˚ ⋅

pretty sure it's DDAM's first event?? bc i've never heard of it. the entrance fee ($5) was surprisingly ok so i wanted to go check it out. we went on a sunday which means the wristband collection queue was pretty much nonexistent (according to koko), and we also didn't have to queue to enter the venue!! i heard some concerns regarding the safety of the event bc there were quite a lot of booths packed into just oNE hall (compared to three halls for doujima??), but i thought the walking space was ok. the crowd started pouring in at 3 pm+ and i was getting shoved around by shoulders and bags so umM maybe they need better crowd control idk.

konbini is an event similar to mercury fest, with a focus on handmade crafts and vintage/j-fashion clothes. i didn't see a lot of things i wanted?? i think bc it was the last day and almost closing time, a lot of stuffs were already sold out. i bought a pair of socks and a bracelet, and yeeted myself out of there before something else could tempt me.

[rj-drive-in]

Time and Tide Department:

"Age and Guile Beat Youth, Innocence, and a Bad Haircut." -- P. J. O'Rourke

THE GRANDFATHER PARADOX © 2023 by Rick Hutchins

“I’ve decided not to kill you after all, Grampa,” said Nilson. He pulled a Saturday Night Special out of his coat pocket and laid it beside himself on the bare ground.

We were sitting under a couple of trees about ten feet apart, deep in Nowell Park, on a beautiful Autumn day. Afternoon sunshine streamed through the bright orange foliage above us and the air was crisp. Nilson and I used to do this a lot when we were both much younger.

“Then I guess my first question is, why were you going to kill me to begin with?”

“Because of this.”

He reached inside his overcoat and produced a small beige plastic device with a digital display and a Velcro wristband.

“A blood pressure cuff?”

“Not exactly.”

He tossed it over to me. The shell had indeed begun life as a blood pressure cuff, but Nilson had Frankensteined it up with an iPhone display, some additional memory chips, some kind of new lithium battery that I had never seen before, and some mini transmitters set in an array to increase range or power.

“It’s a time machine,” he told me.

“No way,” I said. There was one app on the screen. I touched it and it opened.

“Way,” said Nilson.

The interface on the time travel app was very intuitive and user friendly. My grandson was a smart guy. I played with the settings a bit.

“Whoa, Grampa!” Nilson said urgently, holding up a hand. “Don’t mess with that until I give you a chalk talk. You blinked out for a second there. Did you time travel?”

“Just a few hours,” I replied. I closed the app and tossed it back to him. “How can something that small bend time and space?”

“Well, technically, this isn’t the time machine. The actual time machine is the size of a bus and sitting in a rented warehouse in Abington. But as long as you’ve got this and an active wifi connection, you can do time travel.”

“So you were going to test the Grandfather Paradox.”

He shrugged. “Sure, why not? It’s a classic. If I go back in time and kill you, I would never have been born and couldn’t go back to kill you. Unless time is adaptable somehow. My mathematical models suggest that a change in the past creates a wave function that collapses at the instant the time traveler departed.”

“So you kill me fifty years ago and I vanish into thin air today.”

“Something like that.”

“So what made you change your mind?”

“I’m not a complete egomaniac,” he laughed. “There’s the possibility that I’m wrong. The universe could adapt by letting you die and then I’m the one who vanishes into thin air.”

“Damn, kid.”

“Don’t worry,” he said with a grin. “I told you, plan’s off.”

“Unless you change your mind. Or perfect your equations. Or get drunk.”

Nilson caught the look in my eye and made a desperate grab for the gun beside him. It wasn’t there. It was in my coat. I pulled it out and aimed it right between his eyes.

“Sorry, kid,” I said. “But I just can’t take the chance.”

[giantimpex]

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[monstershearts]

Fausto Damiano

Species: Dhampir (formerly human)

Age: 100 (turned at 21 in 1942)

Nationality: Italian

Ethnicity: Greek, Italian, unknown

Gender: Cis Male

Sexuality: Biromantic, Demisexual

Alignment: Neutral Evil or Lawful Neutral

Occupation: Army Field Medic (formerly), Antique Dealer (current)

FC: Damiano David

Appearance: Dark hair, brown(occasionally red) eyes, pale skin, several tattoos, 5'11", medium build. Usually wears a leather motorcycle jacket that he’s had since the ‘40s with several pins, patches, and enchantments on it(functions as +1 armor and a Cloak of the Bat), as well as ripped jeans, black biker boots, a studded black belt, several rings, bracelets, wristbands, tied handkerchiefs, and occasionally chokers. Also tends to wear eyeliner and smudged black eyeshadow.

Personality: Snarky, self-serving, a bit of a coward but for very good reason, flirtatious, clever, sharp wit, devoted to Hades and Persephone, cares deeply for humans but pretends he doesn’t, refuses to leave his humanity behind, deeply loyal, family is incredibly important to him, highly charismatic, somewhat socially awkward, high anxiety.

Powers/Abilities: doesn’t age, can walk on walls and ceilings, can cast healing and necromantic spells given to him by his gods, inhumanly fast and agile, vampiric bite, can transform into a bat because of an enchanted pin he always wears, will become a full vampire once he finally kills a human, immune to disease, talented cook, fashion designer, musician, and seamstress.

Weaknesses: Mortality, emotional manipulation

Mental Health: PTSD, anxiety, depression

Likes: Cooking for his partner, pomegranates, designing and making his own clothes, flirting, singing, dancing, guitar, bats, black cats, traveling the world, D&D.

Dislikes: Guns, fireworks, rich assholes, being used and manipulated, small spaces, fascists, bigots, most vampires.

Languages: Italian, Latin, Greek, English

Background:

Fausto Damiano was a soldier on the wrong side of a war that had no right side. A field medic with no love for violence and an outright hatred for those who used it to gain power over others, he did his best to help his fellow soldiers after getting drafted, but he could not find it within himself to truly believe in the cause they were fighting for. It wasn’t long before he made a plan to desert. His escape from the battlefield was nearly flawless; no one noticed him slinking away amidst the chaos and bloodshed, and he made it out unscathed.

He spent the next year hopping from town to town, village to village, stealing whatever he had to in order to survive and romancing every beautiful, naïve young lady he came across. He enjoyed the freedom he’d earned for himself without a care for what it might have cost others. However, in time, there was a girl he met who managed to catch more than just his eye. She was the daughter of a nobleman, already betrothed to marry another of her station, but she was far too good for that. To Fausto, she was every bit as radiant as Juliet was to Romeo, though she was equally as cunning as she was beautiful. As these stories are wont to turn out, she gripped his heart and became his downfall. He began to court her in secret, walking the streets by moonlight and sharing stolen kisses and secrets. It only took a month for Fausto to propose, and after careful consideration, she accepted…on one condition. The man to whom she had been betrothed had a mysterious yet incredibly wealthy benefactor who was rumored to be in possession of a very powerful amulet. She so coveted it, stating that it would make her happier than any engagement ring.

Naturally, Fausto set out to steal it for her, using all of his wile and guile to infiltrate the ancient mansion of the benefactor. He’d managed to get the amulet in hand when he was finally caught, though the fate that befell him was much worse, in his mind, than any prison sentence or death penalty. The benefactor and owner of the mansion was deceptively youthful and beautiful, appearing to only be a decade older than him at the most. Rather than calling for guards or law enforcement, the man gave him a crooked and disarming smile that made him question a lot of things about himself, then politely informed Fausto that his lady love had tricked the boy in order to make good on a deal they’d made. He then explained that he was a Vampire Lord by the name of Count Mortimer Ambrose, and that he desired to turn Fausto rather than kill him because of his inhuman beauty. Fausto tried to run, almost refusing to believe any of it, but the Count caught him easily, seducing and bedding him before feasting on his blood and transforming him into a vampire. A part of him died that night that he thought could never be reborn.

The half-century that followed was miserable for Fausto. He tried several times to escape, but was never successful, even after the Count moved his coven to America following the end of the Second World War. Forced to comply and watch as countless innocents were slaughtered by his coven, he eventually concluded that it would be best for him to simply play his part until the perfect opportunity finally came along. He devoted himself to learning magic in the meantime, leaning on the guidance of Hades and Persephone to aid him and give him at least some shred of hope.

Finally, on Halloween of 1985, Fausto managed to manipulate a group of college kids who were dared to stay the night in the manor into helping him escape, framing it as him helping them to survive his Maker’s dark machinations and escape with their lives. The group fought hard, having raided the armory with Fausto’s help, and the desperate Dhampir took the opportunity to extricate himself from the manor amongst them before disappearing into the night. He’s spent the last few decades roaming up and down the Eastern Seaboard, staying in certain places long enough to either grab a quick meal and a bit of a rest or blend in and lay low. New York is by far his favorite haunt.

[dhufflebee]

pressure points (a HSMTMTS fanfiction)

One-shot Fandom: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: E.J. Caswell/Val Characters: E.J. Caswell; Val  Additional Tags: Feelings Realization; discussions of motion sickness; Future Fic; but like a couple of years - they're in college together

Also read on: ao3

Summary: “Wait. You want to go back home… by car?” “Uhm, yeah?” “Not that I don’t like the idea of a road-trip, mind you, but it’s what? 12 hours? Why won’t we take a plane?” “Well, it’s kind of embarrassing.”

this fic is silly and very self-indulgent, mostly because I needed to give at least a smidge of happiness to my boy EJ after the enraging, horrible choices the show made re: him it is also a love letter to my faithful acupressure wristbands, which have accompanied me on countless travels (including two transoceanic italy-australia flights) — thanks, and onto our next adventures!

“Hiya, theater boy!” Val greeted, plopping down unceremoniously on EJ’s bed.

“Hi Val,” he answered from behind the wardrobe door, before reemerging with a stack of jeans in his arms. He reached for the duffel bag at the end of the bed and put the clothes inside. “How’s packing going?”

“I’m almost done. Any idea what the timetable is?”

“Yeah, so,” EJ straightened up, counting with his fingers. “Tomorrow’s the last day of class for us both, then I have a costume fitting mid-afternoon and the last training before the break.” He glanced at Val, who spurred him on with a gesture. “Then I’d say the next morning we get in the car at 8 sharp and head on eastward.”

“Wait. You want to go back home… by car?”

“Uhm, yeah?”

“To Salt Lake City?” Val sounded more incredulous than EJ expected.

“I mean, yeah! I thought that was clear by now? We’re off in two days and we’ve never mentioned other means of transportation, what did you expect?” EJ added with a half-laugh.

“I don’t know, I thought you had it taken care of!” Val answered, her eyes wide. “Maybe you’d come knocking the day after tomorrow with, I don’t know, last-minute plane tickets you’d obtained through mysterious, high-fidelity-airline-members-only ways…”

“Oh,” EJ squeaked, scratching his neck. “Sorry, I should have been clearer. I should have asked you beforehand, actually.”

“Not that I don’t like the idea of a road-trip, mind you, but it’s what? 12 hours?” Val said, and EJ nodded reluctantly at her questioning eyes. “Why won’t we take a plane?”

“Ah, mh. It’s… well, it’s kind of embarrassing,” EJ mumbled, busying himself with the half-full duffel bag on the bed to avoid Val’s waiting expression. She would have to wrench the information out of him, no way he was sharing that willingly.

“EJ,” Val said after a little while, in her psych-major voice.

“Oh alright, I'll tell you.” Wow. So much for being a tough nut to crack. “It’s just… I don’t exactly have a good track record with airplanes. We used to fly – as a family, I mean – back when I was a kid, but I remember it was always terrible for me.”

“Mh.”

“And then, when I was 8 I was sick on the plane, and it was absolutely horrible and one the most embarrassing moments of my life,” EJ confessed, feeling a blush creep up his neck. “After that I never wanted to get back on a plane again, and I still don’t, I guess. Hence, car.” He shrugged and glanced at Val, fully expecting her to start laughing.

When their eyes met, however, EJ found only a hint of amusement, drowning in a sea of fondness. He was taken aback, so used as he was to being made fun of by his dad about the whole ordeal.

“Oh EJ,” Val smiled, scooting closer. “It’s been a dozen years… you’ve never tried anything for this motion sickness of yours?”

“It’s not even motion sickness, really,” EJ shook his head. “I have no problems with trains or cars – not even with boats, if you can believe it! It’s truly just planes that make my stomach lurch,” he added, forlornly.

Val stood up and closed the space between them, rubbing a hand comfortingly on EJ’s arm. “Don’t hate me for saying this,” she said, while EJ stared a bit stupidly at her hand smoothing the fabric of his sweater. “But I think maybe you could like, try again? Perhaps growing up helped, and you might never know!”

EJ scoffed, focusing once again on his duffel bag and zipping it close with a bit too much force. “You know what the funny thing is? I was actually dead set on overcoming this particular problem a few years ago,” he said in a clipped tone, picking up the bag and brusquely shoving it into the wardrobe. “I had a whole vacation in Hawaii booked and planned, and you can’t get there by car, can you? No, you gotta take a plane,” he rambled, pacing in the middle of the room. “And I was ready to take that plane, because come on, at 18 one can expect to be able to face a bit of airsickness, no? Especially if you’re traveling with your girlfriend--”

At that, EJ’s voice cracked and he stopped abruptly, a pained expression on his face and his hands slightly trembling. Had he looked up even for a second, he would have seen Val’s eyes glistening with unshed tears. His slumped shoulders gave her the time to blink them away, though, and she schooled her sad, knowing expression into a more lighthearted one.

“Well,” she chirped, drawing EJ’s attention. “I think avoiding a 12-hour ride might be a good reason to try again, don’t you think?”

“I guess?”

“Excellent! So, if you somehow manage to locate plane tickets in these two days…”

“What was it you said? ‘high-fidelity-members’?” EJ replied, his frown lines smoothing. “We Caswells actually are, even with me never flying. I can get us last minute tickets, sure thing.”

“I think I might have a solution to your problem, then,” Val grinned, standing closer to EJ. “I'll lend you my old acupressure wristbands, you know the ones to combat motion sickness?”

“How old, exactly?”

“‘You’ll look like a child’ old, I'm afraid,” she answered sheepishly. “At least they’re grey and not some weird garish color, though.”

“That wouldn’t have been a problem, but thank you,” EJ said sincerely, warmth spreading in his chest and a smile blooming on his face.

“I’ll also get you some ginger sour gummies to help settle the nausea.”

“Not too many of those, though – gotta stay fit for water polo,” EJ replied, with a chuckle and a wink.

“Zero chance you’ll lose form over those,” Val teased him, poking him in the abs and looking up at him from under her eyelashes.

EJ hadn’t realized just how close they’d ended up standing, lost in the familiarity of their banter. He felt the overwhelming urge to cup Val’s cheek, and was struck so dumb by the unusual sensation that he barely registered his arm moving.

He managed to stop before doing anything he might regret, his hand grasping at nothing. He couldn’t tell if Val had noticed, however, because she had been staring at his face for so long that his cheeks were starting to burn.

EJ averted his eyes after a beat and stepped back, busying himself with his backpack and blabbering about classes, unable to look at Val to gauge her reaction. For some reason, his mind supplied him with a single, scathing thought. Coward.

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

EJ squirmed for the umpteenth time, his knees hitting the seat in front of him, as sleep eluded him once again. He tried to find a comfortable position, but between his mild anxiety and his height being ill-suited for the flying monstrosity they were currently in, he only got more frustrated. Almost subconsciously, he fiddled with the tight grey bands on his wrists, dreading a repetition of his past plane-related embarrassment.

Suddenly, a small hand caught his, and EJ’s eyes snapped open at the contact. Val leaned into him, her weight on his shoulder familiar and grounding. “Stop worrying about the wristbands,” she said softly. “You put them on properly, believe me. The more you think about it, the worse it’s going to feel.”

EJ turned his head slightly, and saw the half smile on Val’s face. She had taken off her shoes as soon as the plane had started moving, and with her feet tucked under her on the seat she looked relaxed and very endearing. EJ envied her – but he also felt a bunch of other things happening in the space between his stomach and chest, which he didn’t have the strength ( nor the courage, really) to dwell on.

“Try to sleep a bit, EJ. It actually helps with motion sickness,” Val continued, poking him in the shoulder. “Unclench,” she chuckled.

EJ was trying to, really. “I know that, yeah… I guess I'm just on edge. Also I reckon I don’t want to leave you alone the whole flight,” he explained, frowning.

“Not much company you are if you’re feeling unwell,” Val answered. “Thank you for the kind thought, but I mean it: sleep. I’ll be here,” and smiled encouragingly.

EJ took a moment to just look at her, trying to commit to memory the way she looked in the low light of the plane, sitting by his side. Then he nodded, settled in his seat and closed his eyes – Val still holding onto his hand the last thought in his mind before he finally drifted off to sleep.

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

EJ was lying on the bed, an arm over his face to shield his eyes from the sunlight. He had started unpacking, but the flight had left him with the beginning of a headache, and for now being comfortable was more important than being tidy. It was his childhood bedroom, after all.

A little while later, Val came knocking at his door. “How’re you feeling?”

EJ hummed, moving the arm from his face and trying to smile, only managing a half-wince. “I guess better than I would in similar circumstances if you hadn’t helped me, but still… not great.”

He looked at Val, once again expecting derision but finding nothing but softness. And maybe the hint of something more that he was feeling too unwell ( afraid) to actually address.

He scooted up the bed, sitting upright and leaving more space for Val, who immediately crossed the room and sat cross-legged beside him, the mattress dipping under their weight.

“Thanks for the hospitality, by the way,” Val said. “I haven’t had the chance to tell you yet.”

EJ matched her grin with one of his own. “Don’t even mention it – if anything I’m sorry I feel so wobbly that I left you alone to settle in. And to fend for yourself,” he added, his smile turning into a grimace. “Hopefully my dad wasn’t too unpleasant?”

“Oh, no worries,” she shrugged. “He barely acknowledged me and then got out, actually.”

“Mh. Typical.”

“Besides, it’s not like I have anywhere to be… not without you, that is.” Val picked shyly at the hem of her jeans, then looked up with a lopsided smile. “I’m the one who’s sorry, though, since I forced you to take a plane and all.”

“No no no,” EJ replied, shaking his head quite vigorously. “It was high time I found a way to get past my block. That psych major is really paying off, huh?” he added with a wink.

Val laughed, a short and humorless thing, before turning to look warily outside the window.

EJ straightened up, concern painted on his features. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

Val’s shoulders sagged, a sigh pushing past her lips as she stared at the pale blue sky to her right. “It’s just--” she began with an unsteady voice. “This is the last break before graduation and then I am a proper adult and I’m not sure if I'm ready to actually be a proper adult, you know?”

Val’s hands were trembling in her lap – something that hadn’t escaped EJ’s notice, who was fighting the urge to grab them and hold them and steady them. He didn’t want to startle Val, though (meaning he didn’t have the guts to do it), and forced himself to stay put, focusing on the light reflecting on her profile instead.

“I guess I'm scared of what’s coming after this chapter of my life ends.” Val deflated, closing her eyes as if to stop tears from falling down. “I don’t wanna fail.”

EJ’s heart all but cracked. He wasn’t sure what hurt him the most, though – whether Val’s self doubt or the fact she couldn’t stand to look at him while admitting it. He was devastated she wasn’t feeling her usual confident self, and he silently willed her to just look at him so she could see his encouraging smile. Instead, a tear rolled down Val’s cheek and she hastily wiped it away, her trembling hand opening a door into the part of EJ’s heart he hadn’t been brave enough to acknowledge until now.

He surged forward, eyes blazing. “Hey, look at me,” he urged, getting no answer from Val, who kept still and crumpled in front of him. Then he figured he had to just spell everything out that he would’ve tried to communicate with an understanding smile – and, well, it was now or never, wasn’t it? No more being chicken.

“Val,” EJ said, softly, and she let her eyes meet his, at last. “You’ll do great. You’ll ace your last semester and you’re going to be a psychologist so good people’s socks will be blown off. You won’t fail, I believe that. But even in the remote possibility that you do --” Val’s breath caught in her throat, but EJ couldn’t stop – didn’t want to stop – now that the dam had broken. “Let me tell you this: you are a wonderful woman and an even more wonderful friend, and that’s far from a failure in my book. I'd be damn lucky to have someone special like you in my corner forever, psych or no psych.”

EJ’s heart was beating like crazy. He’d been looking into Val’s eyes the whole time, but it only hit him when her cheeks flushed deep red. Oh god, was I too intense? He panicked, scrambling to apologize, to retract, to laugh it off – anything to put a damper on the feelings threatening to burst out, scary and too real.

It all came to a halt, though, when Val’s face softened and she grabbed EJ’s arm. His gaze dropped to where their skin touched, warmth spreading in his body as if Val’s fingers were burning him. His breath hitched the moment she began massaging the inside of his wrist, delicately rubbing over the pressure marks the wristbands had left on his skin.

EJ was breathing somewhat raggedly, sparks dancing in his brain at the prolonged, soft contact, his hands itching to reach for Val’s face and touch her hair, her neck, her cheek. And yet, he forced himself to be as still as possible, terrified of bursting that little bubble of intimacy, of losing the physical connection that was making him rethink and rediscover and reassess his feelings while sitting on his childhood bed alongside his best friend. (Maybe something more than that.)

EJ knew then that something had ineluctably, finally shifted between them. He lifted his head to look at Val, and she closely matched his movement, looking back with a small smile – fond and familiar, yet so splendidly new.

Well, fuck.

[shiningdesignersreflections]

Chapter 1: Recruiting

Narrated by no one.

Narrator: "Ping"... no one remembers when the computer was last shut down, but a huge pop-up window just appeared on the screen, blocking all the dice and cards on the page behind it.

Narrator: Neat and stylish, the pop-up window looks out of place juxtaposed with the messy page... which is exactly what makes the pop-up screen so eye-catching.

Narrator: What's more eye-catching, though, is the message on it...

Narrator: Mercury Group is recruiting. Location: To be disclosed. Job Description: To be disclosed. Remuneration: You shall not be disappointed.

Narrator: G - or so people call him - the hacker data vendor tosses the empty alcohol bottle out of his hand.

Narrator: He rubs his eyes, which have grown a little blurry from staring at the chips and dice the entire night.

Narrator: He looks at the logo on the message to make sure it really is Mercury Group's.

G: Boy, are they seriously looking for people to work with them on a site like this...

Narrator: Then, G stops in his tracks, his eyes going back and forth between "Remuneration: You shall not be disappointed" and his account's balance.

G: To be disclosed? Damn it, I bet they're up to no good trying to find people to work with them here... Tsk tsk, I can hear the storm that's cooking up.

Narrator: G keeps his gaze on his account balance for a good few seconds. Then, making up his mind, he opens up his inbox and, from the long list of contacts, picks a grayed-out name... Caprico.

G: "Hey, bud, I'm going big. Will pay you the rest of what I owe you in no time."

Narrator: A data vendor doesn't just work in the virtual world. If need be, they need to take physical action to get what they need, which is why they need to prepare themselves ahead of time.

Narrator: All worked up, G sits up straight and starts coming up with a list of what he will need...

Narrator: Two weeks later, with a group of laborers who have also been hired, G travels for days on end... before finally arriving at the worksite.

Narrator: Mercury Group really goes all out to keep confidentiality. When the group arrives, they're all blindfolded and then escorted into a brightly lit lab.

Narrator: These laborers are all very obedient because they came for the money. Once they're in the lab, they each receive a wristband and line up as instructed.

Narrator: Then, in the bright, neat open space that's the lab, they hear a gentle female voice. Moments later, they see a hologram of the voice.

Glow: My name is Glow, and I'm Ruins' Administration AI. I would like to welcome all of you to be part of the New World alpha experiment.

Narrator: The short greeting sends a jolt of exhilaration through the crowd. Though his eyes brim with greed and excitement, G tries to stay calm.

G: Ruins, huh... I knew Mercury Group was up to something. Now, any information about this place can earn me a crazy amount of money in the black market.

Narrator: G licks his lips in excitement. He needs money. Besides, what caught his eye about this experiment in the first place was never the remuneration.

Glow: Everybody must strictly observe the contract you've signed. You may report any issue you might have later.

Narrator: "Later"? This immediately hits G as an empty promise.

Narrator: Without any warning, the laborers undergo a series of tests. After being administered an injection, everybody's excitement slowly fades into an eerie calm.

Narrator: Except for G, who managed to pass with the bionic subcutaneous tissues and injection sample he procured from Caprico before coming here.

Narrator: G works hard to put on the same calm expression as everyone else. Then, like everyone else, he gets inside a sleeping capsule and lies down.

Narrator: Caprico's works are perfect... with them, G manages to fool the device that is meant to test whether their brainwaves function normally.

Narrator: With his consciousness intact, G finally enters their actual "worksite."

Narrator: G's instinct is telling him that something is just not right about the place, yet the gambler in him is telling him to keep going.

Narrator: Aside from being anxious, G is glad that he reached out to Caprico beforehand - he retains full control of his consciousness, and the information he will eventually walk out of this place with is going to make him dirty rich.

Narrator: Standing before a row of monitors in the central control room that he can't see, he can feel that someone has been watching him.

System: Trajectory of Polluter 1 captured. Reverse experiment initiated. Data recording in progress.

Glow: Reverse experiment continues with the retrieval of data from before Polluter 1 entered the capsule.

Narrator: The screen floating overhead suddenly cuts to a scene... in which G snuck in using the bionic tissue he got from Caprico. With a light tap on the screen, Glow immediately finds the tissue's blueprint.

Narrator: Keeping her gaze on the blueprint, she immediately recognizes that, while the tissue isn't from Ruins, it works surprisingly well all the same.

Narrator: Still generating new data and information, the screen shows everything G has done so far... and Caprico, the source from which G has procured his gadgets.

Glow: I knew it's you, Code-219.

Narrator: The flow of codes forms a most mysterious smile that shows up on Glow's face.

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

[eileen-crys]

Very messy sketches of Queen as Genshin Impact characters for my AU, you can read more infos about them here! I designed them being inspired by 70s Queen, their elements and regions they come from, and keeping in mind that most of Genshin characters must have "flowy" accessories or clothing that sometimes don't make much sense byt they have to be pretty and flowy as they move.

For John, I used his Japanese kimono photoshoot as main visual inspiration, given that he's from Inazuma (based on Japan) and on classic Japanese male wedding outfits. He's a Cryo character and I decided for a misty and earthy aesthetic, giving him a double pair of trousers with the exterior being an Hakama open on the legs. Since he works with the electric devices around Inazuma, he wears gloves and has various crystals around his outfit. He has a few braids in his hair.

For Roger, I've drawn inspiration from his Lion zodiac sign and the furcoats he used to wear, the open shirts that show his chest, and he also has wristbands and multicolored suspenders. He's from Mondstadt, but travelled a lot and learned his drumming skills in Liyue, that's also the land of Geo . He is a drummer and I made him fight with fists, so his design is heavy on the shoulders and hands.

Brian was the hardest to design and I tried my best to mix the Dendro "natural" theme with a starry theme, using a foliage pattern and adding some stars all around. I'm still unsure about his design tbh and might change it later. He was born and got his Vision in Fontaine, but moved to Sumeru to study at the Akademyia so I tried to dress him like a person who found himself in a hotter environment, his clothes are thin and airy. I was inspired by one of his Zhandra Rhodes jackets, he has obviously clogs, and is surrounded by kind of steampunky astronomic jewels and belts much like Mona or Layla. He also has his iconic Star pin at his neck.

Last but not least, Freddie was so much fun to design and -while keeping in mind his Pyro element and the Sumeru region- I mixed a ton of Freddie's outfits together to make it as flamboyant and royal as possible! Zhandra Rhodes, the feathers from his Hard Life outfit, black and white leotards, a pair of winged shoes, a red scarf directly from Hot Space, gloves and wristbands, obviously an exposed chest... he really looks like a phoenix and I'm proud of his design ahha 🥰

I hope you'll like them! Please stay tuned for better artworks! ✨️💕 Do not repost!!!

[heaven-s-black-box]

Saturday- cafe Recht Chpt.6

Return to File

Recovery date: September 7th, 2020

Description: Miles owns a cafe with Franziska, and Phoenix and Maya are famous actors. Their daughters go to school together, so what happens when they want a sleepover?

Notes: A entry series involving a descendant of a traveler, following the death of her mother it was determined Sky would be better off staying with Miles Edgeworth. This is an OC insert, the fantastical technobabble is just for looks

Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Word count: 1 318

Back to directory

The rest of the week had been rather uneventful for everyone. Aside from the mini heart attacks Franziska had whenever Maya stopped by for coffee, the only other thing of interest was Klavier’s announcement of a Gavineer’s concert. Athena had gone to school one other day that week, Thursday, and had gone to the cafe after school with everyone else. It had become a daily occurrence to see Sky enter, followed by a group of high schoolers.

Saturday came quickly, and while Trucy was more than excited for her first “ real” sleepover (no, the times her and Pearl slept over at whoever’s didn’t count, they were practically cousins), the astronomy club’s fair came first. 

“Wow!” Trucy said, as they entered the gym.

It was set up a lot like a science fair, each table had a model or poster board. But there was a scale model of the solar system, hanging from the ceiling, and the lights were out. There was glow in the dark tape, marking the path, and everyone got a glow stick wristband. Each station was lit up in it’s own fun way so you could see it clearly.

“So, where do you two wanna start?” Apollo asked. Pearl and Trucy were holding both his hands, so they wouldn’t get lost. 

“Clay’s station!”

“Okay,” he looked down at the map, and just like everything else, it glowed in the dark. “It should be this way.” He pulled the girls off to the right.

“So, what is his on?” Pearl asked.

“It says he did an interview.” Once they were in view of Clay, Apollo let the girls run off towards him. He already had a small crowd around him, but once they arrived he started.

“Hello ladies and gentlemen, fellow space nerds. My name is Clay Terran, and I’m the vice-president of the astronomy club. For my presentation, I did something a bit different than everyone else, I went and got an interview with an astronaut.” There were a few murmurs from the crowd, but it quickly fell quiet again. “I was lucky enough to get an interview with astronaut Solomon Starbuck, who will be going into space on the HAT-1 mission this october. But I’m sure you don’t want to listen to me read his answers, so I recorded the interview. I was also able to ask some of the other employees questions. So, please enjoy it.”

*Beep*

”Hello, I’m Clay Terran, vice-president of Watson highschool’s Astronomy club, and I’m here today with astronaut Solomon Starbuck, Psychologist Metis Cykes, and robotist Aura Blackquill.”

“Hello, I’m Solomon Starbuck, and I’ll be one of the astronauts on the HAT-1 mission.”

“Hello, I’m Metis Cykes, and I’m a psychologist collaborating with the space center on a robotics project.”

“Hello, I’m Aura Blackquill, and I’m a robotist working with Dr. Cykes on a robotics project for the space center.”

“Alright, so the first question is for Mr. Starbuck…”

Throughout the interview, they discussed astronaut training, the psychological impact going to space has on astronauts, and some of the technical behind the scenes stuff. Clay even had a few pictures to share, and his own space center jacket. It was obvious to everyone watching that Clay had enjoyed his work.

By the time they had thoroughly explored the stations, and taken part in some silly space themed activities and trivia, it was six thirty. While the event had started around eleven thirty, they had arrived near the end so they didn’t have to wait around for Clay. 

“That was so cool!” Pearl exclaimed when Clay met them outside the school. 

“It looked like you had a lot of fun,” Apollo smiled. He didn’t think he’d ever seen Clay this excited.

“Thank you Pearly, and I did. It was a nice break from exam prep.”

“Polly’s been studying wayyy too much! Daddy has to keep reminding him to sleep, and that he still has a week,” Trucy laughed, as they made their way back to the Wright’s apartment.

“I just want to be sure I remember everything,” Apollo huffed.

“Working yourself into the ground won’t help that,” Clay laughed, as he slung an arm around Apollo’s shoulders. “I got an idea! Some of the club members were talking about an upcoming Gavineer’s concert, you and I are going.”

“Gavineer’s? Isn’t that that weird law band?” Clay turned to him with a look of offence.

“How dare you call the Gavineer’s weird! But yes, they are the band that sings about law. Besides, just think of it like my early birthday present.”

“First, what they sing about doesn't count as law, it’s at best, thinly veiled innuendos. Secondly, your birthday isn’t for almost three months.”

“He said early present though,” Pearl said.

“Ya Polly, weren’t you listening,” Trucy giggled, sticking her tongue out.

“Three months is too early for an early birthday present!”

---

“Hi papa,” Sky sighed, as she closed the door and buckled herself in.

“Hello, how was dance?” Miles looked up at her through the rear view mirror. She let out a long groan.

“My body wants to die!” 

He chuckled before saying, “Well, cheer up. You have your sleepover tonight don’t forget, and aunt Kath gave me a cupcake recipe for you girls to make.” Her eyes lit up immediately. “They should get there a bit after us. So when we get home, go change.”

“Yay!”

---

“Athena!” Sky yelled, as she got out of her car. She ran at the girl, and tackled her in a hug. “Hi Junnie!”

“Hi Sky, how have you been?”

“Good! What about you? I didn’t see you all week,” Sky said, hugging her. Both Athena and Juniper were slightly taller than her.

“Where were you?” Athena asked. “And what’s with your hair, it’s never up.”

“Oh, I had dance. Come on, let’s head in. Papa said he got a cupcake recipe we can make once the others get here.”

Athena and Juniper sat downstairs, while Sky went to put her pajamas on. While she was gone, Pearl and Trucy arrived.

“Hi, I’m Phoenix Wright. You must be Mr. Edgeworth,” Phoenix said, and shook Miles’s hand, while Trucy and Pearl went to sit with Athena and Juniper.

“Yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you. My daughter is a big fan of yours, I was quite surprised when I found out you were Trucy’s father.”

“Ya, well. We try to keep that on the down low so her and Apollo can have a normal time at school.”

“Understandable. Would you like to have a cup of coffee, or do you need to be getting back?”

“Uh, I would love to, but I need t-”

“Eeee!” Came a squeal, before Sky clamped her hands around her mouth and apologized to Athena with a quick, “Sorry.” But she wasn't down for long as she ran up to Phoenix with a beaming smile. “You’re Phoenix Wright. Phoenix Wright is in our cafe. Papa, Phoenix Wright is in our cafe!” She turned to her father who was trying hard not to laugh.

“Yes, he is. But you need to keep it down, and apologize to Athena properly.” Her smile dropped, and she ran over to her friend.

“I’m sorry Thena,” she mumbled, giving her a big hug. “I just got really excited.”

“It’s okay, it wasn’t too bad.” Athena smiled, even though it had caused her quite a bit of pain. “But, why did you two come with Phoenix Wright?” Athena asked, turning to Pearl and Trucy.

Trucy tilted her head and frowned slightly, before saying, “He’s my daddy.” The room fell silent, as Athena, Sky, and Juniper stared in shock.

“Well, I need to be getting back. Maya’s picking you guys up tomorrow. Bye Mr. Edgeworth, it was nice meeting you!” The bell chimed as the door closed, then the room fell back into silence.

“Well then,” Miles said, clasping his hands, “who wants to make cupcakes.”

[alloftimeandspacetosee]

Overprotective Siblings, Part1

Another rewritten part of the roleplay! Warren had... I can't remember why he'd dipped out, exactly, but he's an overprotective boyfriend and asked Zlata and Ryun to keep an eye on Nyx while Merwin (her old friend and prince of Hoenn) was travelling with them, which was. justified. apparently? Man kissed her, she wolfed out, he panicked and drew a sword on her.

Which was the first the twins knew, because no one bothered to tell them (which is a running theme with this group actually). And they are extremely overprotective and maybe slightly unhinged. I never claimed they were all good, alright

[2]

~

 The twins eyed up the queue waiting to get into the park. It was big – curling round the block and back into the car park – and moving slowly.

 “And that’s what happens when you don’t book the tickets.” Aurora grinned, leading the way past it to the gates.

 “This is one of the perks about travelling with the twins.” Nyx smiled at Merwin. “Are you ok?” She moved a little closer to him, frowning a little.

 “I’m fine,” he said, looking around at the rides and all the tourists. “It’s just a bit loud here, that’s all.”

 Nyx smiled at him gently. “Tell me if it gets a bit too much, ok? It’s no wonder, you’ve probably not had much experience with things like this.” She looked around. “It’s a little much for me as well!”

 “We can all go somewhere a bit quieter once we’re through,” Zlata said. “They should have places like a café, at least.”

 “Get back in the queue,” Dominic glared down at them frowning.

 “I’d love to, but sadly, we have tickets reserved. For the NightGales?” Aurora tilted her head. “C’mon Dom, you remember us?”

 “They do, Dom, it’s alright.” Jade stepped out of the door to his side, placing a hand on his arm. “I expected you earlier, though.”

 “Travelling by foot this time.” Aurora shrugged. “Nimbasa’s a busy city to get through.”

 Jade smiled. “Well, right this way.” She beckoned them into the building.

 “Is she another friend of yours? You should introduce us,” Zlata said as Hohenheim ran after Jade, shivering a little.

 “They really should, shouldn’t they?”

 “But we’re terribly bad mannered.” Aurora grinned. “Guys, Jade. Jade, guys.”

 “Nyx, Zlata, Ryun, Hohen, and Merwin,” Arlette said, pointing them out.

 “Pleasure to meet you.” Jade inclined her head, not actually paying attention as she picked up a folder from the desk. “Here are your tickets.” She passed out wristbands. “They will get you onto any of the rides ahead of the main queues.”

 “It is a pleasure to meet you too. Thank you for this.”

 Ryun bowed as well and glanced at Nyx and Merwin before stepping to Zlata’s side, murmuring something to her. Aurora watched them, frowning.

 “Where’s Mark?” Arlette slipped one onto her wrist.

 “Watching the battles, I expect.”

 Nyx smiled, nodding to Jade. “Thank you for getting us these tickets.”

 Merwin glanced at Jade and nodded as well. “It is very kind of you, thank you.”

 “Well, properly speaking it was Mark that got them, but… it’s quite alright.”

 “Oh, do they let pokémon onto the rides? Hohenheim wants to know,” Zlata gestured to the Ho-oh.

 Jade cast an amused glance at Hohen. “They are let on most rides, but on some the seating arrangements simply aren’t suited for them. There are signs to let you know in most cases, and in others the attendants will be happy to inform you.” She opened the door to the park.

 “Thank you. I think he’ll be fine then.”

 The twins grinned and nodded to Jade. “And if we want to perform a little?”

 “Keep it small, on the walkways as long as people can get past. You can keep any money you make.”

 “Sweet.” Aurora nodded. “Thanks.”

 “Enjoy your time.” Jade gestured for them to enter the park, holding the door for them.

 The twins led the way out into the space beyond the gates.

 Nyx fixed her wristband on and turned to the twins. “Me and Merwin were going to check out the ferris wheel shall we meet up somewhere in a little while?”

 “That sounds like a good idea to me.” Merwin nodded, fixing his own wristband on. “We don’t have to hang around all day as a group.”

 Aurora blinked at Merwin’s quick agreement, but shrugged. “Works for us.”

 “Need to rake some cash out of the hapless tourists, after all.”

 “It’s nice to be in a group, though,” Zlata said. “We travel as a group, we might as well stick together.” She stepped nearer to Nyx and Merwin. “I can’t think of any other ride I’d like to go on, anyway.”

 “Sure, I’m guessing you aren’t one for rollercoasters either?”

 “Well… we’ll meet up for lunch or something?” Arlette rubbed her head. “Or see when Elesa’s next battle starts, they’re always good to watch.”

 “We’ll be sure to catch your show from the ferris wheel,” Nyx said, laughing. “I wouldn’t want to miss that!”

 Merwin shot Zlata a glare, moving even closer to Nyx to whisper something to her.

 “Sure, we can then. We’ll find you or you can find us, whichever.”

 “And if you get tonnes of money, you’re paying for lunch!”

 “Deal, then.” The twins grinned, waving back at the rest of the group as they disappeared into the crowd.

 “Nothing too fancy, I’m guessing?” Aurora asked, looking for a good place to set up.

 “Wouldn’t want to upstage the actual attractions, after all. Might get thrown out for that.” Arlette pulled her bag round to look through it.

 “Or offered a job.” Aurora grinned. “That’d be interesting.”

 “Could be, yeah… wonder how much they pay.”

 They slipped through the crowds to the edge of a ride that everyone was giving a wide berth to.

 “Here work?” Arlette asked.

 Aurora frowned at the water ride. “We’ll get soaked.”

 “Got that covered.” Arlette set her bag down and released Sargeras, Flicker and Shyran. “Keep the water off, will you?”

 The three water types nodded and took up their places along the railings. Aurora shrugged and pulled a tightly rolled mat from her bag, unrolling it with a snap and laying it on the ground before them.

 The crowd slowed down, giving them more space as they set up.

 Arlette pulled off her jacket and hung it on a spike, bringing out a few sashes to tie around her waist.

 “Ready?” Aurora asked, copying her sister.

 Water splashed up behind them as a log came careening round the bend, and flew up into the air as the water types deflected it, catching the sun and sending rainbows sparkling.

 “Pretty much.” Arlette set out the three boxes of juggling balls they have, unlatched, and placed knives behind them.

 Aurora palmed several chunks of green ice and jumped back as Arlette flicked three balls – one from each box – into the air with a ripple of chiming bells. With the splashing water being redirected into flurries and spouts around and above them, the twins pass the balls back and forth. The crowd slows to a halt, watching. Arlette flicked the switch on one of the balls to make it glow a soft blue. The bells on their sashes are soft, almost lost in the sounds of the theme park.

 A few people in the crowd flicked coins onto the mat, and Aurora nudged Mischief. The aipom bounced down from her shoulder and grabbed balls from the boxes with his tail, throwing them into the air for the twins to catch.

 As they pass them back and forth, they get faster and faster, more colours appearing and leaving faint glowing trails in the air. Mischief giggled and tossed a knife into the mix. Some of the crowd caught the glint of metal as it reflected the water, the lights, and gasped. Aurora laughed and snatched the knife, sending it spinning back towards her sister.

 When the second knife span into the air, Arlette caught it and took a step to the left, sending it back into play as the balls flew around it and water glittered like diamonds. Aurora mimicked her step and they start to circle carefully, still letting everything fly.

 Sargeras watched, sitting up, and with the next splash that happened she took the water and spun it, wielding it in spirals above and around them.

 A soft wind picked up, chiming their bells louder. Arlette shook her head in a quick gesture to get hair out of her eyes. Xenos whistled as the crowd hissed, one of the canvas balls flying past her. She snapped out a hand and caught it, grinning, and crushed it quickly before sending it back into play. The crowd gasped again as it burst into green flames and they still pass it back and forth, apparently not harmed by the fire.

 Then they stumbled, and Mischief leapt to catch a ball with his tail before it slammed into the ground. Xenos whistled, pressing his hands into Arlette’s neck, but she shook her head. They caught the knives – one each – and slammed them into the ground, handles quivering a little with the force, before fixing their juggling, no longer circling.

 They caught each other’s eyes and Aurora raised an eyebrow. Arlette glanced towards the mat – seeing the slowly growing scattering of coins – and shook her head, executing a quick spin with the movement before reaching to throw the balls back.

 Mischief looked up, caught Aurora’s nod, and tossed the knife beside Arlette up to his trainer. She caught it and sent it back to her sister, now that they were back in command of the balls. Xenos whistled and beckoned for the other one, and Mischief obliged, scampering across to tug it from the ground and toss it into the air.

 The twins laughed with delight, grinning as knives flashed and water sparkled.

 {NightGales!} Lairisse shrieked through the park, ripping through everyone’s mind. {NightGales, heed the call!}

 They looked up as the latias appeared in a burst of light above them, frowning.

 “Keep guard,” Arlette snapped, catching the knives from the air. “Lairisse, on your mark!” She nodded to her sister, tossing a knife back.

 They jumped together, into the centre of their arc as the balls fall around them. Arlette raised a hand, throwing green ice to the ground. As it cracked, fire flared up around them, eclipsing them from view. Sargeras spun water forward, around their circle and the mat as the fire died down, the twins no longer in sight.

 They hit the ground with a thud in the forest, interrupting Soise in the middle of a sentence.

 “What happened?” Arlette took in the scene, nearly dropping the knife in her hand.

 Soise and Nyx were alone in the clearing, Soise pressing a paw to Nyx’s arm.

 “Bandages, in my bag, it’ll need some oran as well.” Nyx sniffed. “How can I not worry? Everything’s ruined!”

 Aurora hissed, untying one of her plainer sashes and passing it to Soise.

 “Merwin kissed me, and I wolfed in panic, Kat cut me…”

 Lairisse pulled the bandages and oran berries from Nyx’s bag, bringing them over as Nyx and Ryun entered the clearing. Soise looked up, pressing the sash to Nyx’s arm.

 “Thank goodness you’re all here!” Zlata slid from Xerxes’ back, running over to Nyx. “It is not your fault. You clearly did not look willing. It was his fault for assuming things, so don’t blame yourself.”

 The twins traded a glance, and Arlette lifted Rem away from her shoulder. “It’s not your fault, Phoe.”

 “No, Merwin was well out of bounds with that,” Soise muttered, shifting her paws to let Lairisse work.

 The twins stripped down to sleek and shimmering coal black outfits, fully identical now that there was nothing to tell them apart.

 “What are you planning?” Soise glanced up at them.

 “We’re just – we’re just going to have a word with the prince.”

 “Wait here.” Aurora reached out for her sister’s hand.

 “This shouldn’t take too long.” Arlette grinned darkly and took Aurora’s hand, and the two of them disappeared.

 They appeared behind Merwin as he shoved Hohenheim off himself and got back to his feet.

 “Hey Merwin!” they called, blending their voices perfectly into one. “We’ve been looking for you.”

 The kangaskhan snarled and focused on Arlette, Merwin watching Aurora.

 “I don’t have time for this. Where is Nyx?” He put a hand on his sword. “Is she alright?”

 Hohenheim looked up at the twins, eyes glittering viciously as he stepped to the side.

 “Oh, he doesn’t have the time,” Aurora said, meeting her sister’s eyes as they let go of each other’s hands. “Well how about that?”

 “We don’t know where Nyx is,” Arlette replied. “But we’re glad you brought her up…”

 Merwin yanked his hand from his sword, wincing and glaring at Hohenheim. “Don’t get involved in this.” He stood up straight, taking out two more pokéballs. “I have no time for your games. If she is hurt, I have to see to her.”

 Hohenheim hissed at Merwin, but turned to run and take off.

 “Why would she be hurt?”

 “You haven’t done anything rash, have you?”

 Merwin released Minos to stand at his other side. “Let me go and see her!”

 The twins flung their knives, pinning him to the ground with them. Merwin gasped, George roaring as he moved to fend off both twins.

 “She is the least of your worries,” Arlette hissed, dropping her smile. “If you are that worried, perhaps you should have thought.”

 They started to circle him, paying no attention to the pokémon that watched them.

 “Perhaps you shouldn’t have pressed her.”

 “Perhaps you should have acted like a decent person, and not like everyone shares your feelings.”

 “The world is not your due, little prince,” they said together.

 Merwin unpinned his legs, throwing the knives to the side. “I tried to be decent, but you all saw to it that she was watched over. I hardly think she’ll appreciate you all spying on her like you have been!”

 “There was nothing decent in kissing her against her will,” the twins snarled. “Don’t throw accusations when you aren’t blameless yourself.” They started to circle the other way.

 Hohenheim – in a tree above them – screeched down at Merwin and his pokémon, spreading his wings and flaring his tail. Merwin’s pokémon glanced up at him but kept focused on the twins.

 “Maybe I am not, but I wasn’t able to be decent with you creeping over her shoulder constantly.” Merwin narrowed his eyes. “Stop circling me! I will not fight you, or be tricked by you, understand?”

 Hohenheim swooped down from his perch and dived for Minos, hitting his head with his wings and pecking at his eyes.

 “How about you put away the pokémon, then, if you do not wish to fight?” The twins stopped, narrowing their eyes. “We aren’t here to trick you. We just wanted to talk.”

 Minos groaned and swung his head, trying to shrug off Hohenheim. He opened his mouth and managed to catch the bird’s foot, then twisted around to slam Hohenheim into the tree. Hohenheim screamed and breathed fire into Minos’ eyes, twisting his foot free.

 “They are not out to fight, they are out to defend.”

 Eerie cackling filled the air as Ferkay made his presence known, rising up above Arlette.

 “Stop with these games, and then I shall consider recovering my pokémon.” Merwin glanced up at the looming face.

 “Oh?” The twins smirked. “Which games?”

 “The ones where you kiss Nyx without her permission?” Arlette blinked forward to pick up their knives.

 “The ones where you attack our sister because it’s not going well for you?”

 “Or the ones where you are treated like a normal person, where you’re nothing but another boy who doesn’t understand he can’t have the girl just because her boyfriend isn’t here?” Arlette stepped back, flicking to where she had been.

 “I know of your tricks, I’ve seen them before!” Merwin shouted, sidling closer to George.

 Arlette tossed a knife to Aurora and she caught it. He watched the knives carefully, and seemed relieved when all they did was put them away, pushing them through the backs of their tops.

 “Is this anything like you thought it would be?”

 “Is this what you imagined, when you left your palace?”

 They laughed, the sound eerie and childlike. Ferkay laughed with them as they twisted their feet on the grass, and green fire flared up in a circle around Merwin.

 “Tell us, do!”

 Merwin gasped as the fire circled him. “Stop this! Talk to me properly, and stop resorting to childish pranks like this!” He glanced down at the fire, panic beginning to show on his face. “I’ve seen one of my oldest friends transform into a ferocious beast, I’m sure I can handle this!” He pulled out more pokéballs. “I may not have any such powers, but I have a well-trained team.”

 Minos turned to challenge the twins now that Hohenheim was out of reach.

 The twins cackled, skipping through the fire. “Are you really challenging us?”

 “So brave, using your pokémon as shields!”

 “Are we really that much of a threat?”

 They stopped and bowed to him.

 “How about you set us an example for talking normally?”

 “I’m sure you have so much more experience than we do, your highness.”

 “My team will defend me, it is how they have been trained. If you are planning to attack me, that is.” Merwin watched the fire carefully. “I wish to see Nyx, to apologise for hurting her.” He moved over to Minos, climbing onto the taurus’ back. “So I will leave you to carry on your games in peace.”

 The twins rolled their eyes.

 “You still don’t quite get it, do you?” Arlette clicked her fingers and the fire disappeared. “Talking implies longer’n that, and you listening to us as well.”

 “If we were playing, people would be laughing. We don’t play when people have been hurt.”

 “It’s nice that you want to apologise and all that, though. But… what exactly are you apologising for? She wasn’t too clear when we were talking.”

 “Mildly incoherent with the shock and all that.”

 “Probably not quite believing someone she figured as her friend would do that.”

 Minos snorted, stamping a hoof on the ground.

 Merwin scowled, directing him forward. “For being too forward, it was obviously quite a shock to her. If she’s been hurt, then I shall go apologise to her,” he said, glaring at the twins. “I do not listen to children who try and intimidate using fancy games. I will explain to her how I fell, and then we can talk properly, without all of you listening in.”

 “Oh! He still thinks we’re playing. How cute!” Arlette laughed.

 “Shall we show him how we really play?” Aurora skipped over, pink and silver armour shimmering into place on top of her black clothes.

 “Oh, please let’s.” Arlette took her sister’s hand as blue and silver armour plated in across her body.

 Merwin’s face paled as he sees the armour. He took a breath and shook his head. “Stop, there is no need for this,” he said, a tremor evident in his voice. “Nyx could be hurt, and instead of helping her you are here, terrorising me!”

 “Oh, she is hurt. Isn’t that what you intended, when you drew a sword and a honedge on her?”

 They flicked their heads, looking up at him as they moved in front of him. The armour continued to crawl across their bodies, leaving only their eyes free to glare at him through slits in helmets.

 “But don’t worry. She’s being looked after by people far better than the three of us.”

 “I never meant to hurt her, Kat was only defending me… I didn’t realise what Nyx was, that it was her I was attacking.” He watched the armour carefully, suppressing a shiver. “That’s no illusion, is it? You are… like her?”

 “Oh, well… I’m sure it’s all so much better now that’s cleared up.” Arlette narrowed her glowing eyes.

 “We’re worse, in a way.”

 “We’re the good guys.”

 They raised their joint hands up.

 “And just look what we’ll do for our sister!”

 A rip opened in the air under their hands and they stepped apart, pulling it wider.

 “Now how about we fix your mistake, hm?”

 Merwin glanced at the portal, nudging Minos to step back. “You think I would happily walk into that? How stupid do you think I am?” He turned Minos away. “I’ll find Nyx myself, so if you’ll excuse me.”

 “Not all that stupid.”

 “You know not to trust us, at least.”

 The portal was wide enough to see through now, wide enough to walk through. The dull orange flicker of fire was glowing out of it, along with screams of both pokémon and human.

 “What is that?”

 “Well… I don’t suppose it’s quite a way through to Nyx,” Arlette said, glancing at the portal.

 “Funny that. You’d almost think we didn’t want to see our sister again.”

 “Not until she comes looking for you of her own choice.”

 “But until then–”

 “We’ll have our fun.”

 “No, I’m not going in there. Better I lose myself trying to find her than step into–” His eyes widened as he slipped down from Minos’ back. “What is… how are you doing this?”

 A figure is visible through the portal, a dark silhouette against the scorched sky. He looked up as a salamence landed nearby, roaring at him. He climbed onto its back as he yelled a command.

 “No! Don’t go!” Merwin shook his head and ran forward, stepping into the portal.

 Yangtze swooped from the sky and grabbed Merwin by the jacket, pulling him out of the portal.

 “What were you planning to do with him?” Zlata asked, turning to the twins as she climbed from the dragonite’s back. “How would this help Nyx?”

 The twins stood as sentinels to either side of the portal. “We gave him more choice than he gave her,” they hissed, turning their glowing eyes – Arlette’s blue, Aurora’s pink – on Zlata. “He chose what to see there, not us. If he is foolish enough to run towards the past, then let him.”

 The kangaskhan lifted Merwin from the ground. His eyes were red and he was panting, sweat slicking his hair. He bowed his head, trying to calm himself down.

 Zlata met the twins’ gazes without flinching. “Nevertheless, two wrongs do not make a right. He could have been hurt, badly, inside that portal. What would you have done then? Would you be the ones explaining that to Queen Ilene?” She turned away, to Merwin. “Are you alright? What did you see?”

 “You think we would become murderers so easily?” The twins laughed, the portal collapsing between them. “You think we could not rewrite that history, if it did not suit us?” They shared a glance, stepping together to hold hands again, using that to strengthen themselves. “But then, trust always did lack where we are concerned.”

 Merwin backed away, not meeting Zlata’s eyes. “Stay away from me.” He glared at the twins, shivering. “I’m sorry, ok, I’m sorry for what I did and said… but just please tell me Nyx is ok.”

 “It isn’t you I don’t trust, it’s the dragons. You tend to go crazy when you call on their powers, as you are doing now. The armour and the glowing in your eyes make it clear.” Zlata nodded. “History is not there for you to rewrite, and there are worse things you can do to a person than murder. Look at him and tell me you’ve not gotten your revenge.” She turned to Merwin. “Nyx is fine. But, with all due respect, she does not want to see you. You’ve already caused her enough distress.”

 “I don’t think it is just the dragons.” The twins eye Zlata, cutting off Merwin before he could say anything else. “Because not a single word about this was said to us before today. You don’t think we could have helped? You don’t think just something to explain would have gone amiss?” They narrowed their eyes, gripping their hands. “This isn’t just about our sister. This isn’t just about today.”

 Lairisse reappeared in a flash of light, Jade with her. She gasped, and the sigilyph beside her moved quickly to nullify the threat. The twins were slammed back into trees, their grasp on each other ripped apart. Before they could collapse to the ground, they were frozen to the trees they’d slammed into.

 “Just what,” Jade said, voice dangerous but steady, “Is going on here?”

 Merwin glanced towards her gratefully, using George to shield himself from the twins. “Nothing. I provoked them, it isn’t their fault.” He took a breath, calming himself down.

 Zlata bowed to Jade. “I apologise. It is a long story, and what Merwin said is part of it. We did not intend to cause you any trouble.”

 “You have a very strange definition of ‘nothing’.” Jade pursed her lips. “But I don’t much care for the details.” She gripped the pokéball in her hand tightly. “But I think you had better break up this little gathering and either leave my property, or not disturb it in such a way.”

 Merwin bowed his head to Jade. “Alright, it wasn’t nothing,” he sighed. “But we won’t be causing any more trouble, I promise. I’m sorry to have caused it in the first place.”

 “I offer you my deepest apologies.” Zlata bowed deeply to Jade. “We will be going shortly, if that is what you wish. Please have your sigilyph put Aurora and Arlette onto my dragonite.” She glanced towards Merwin. “Will you be coming with us? I understand if you don’t want to. A lot of people wouldn’t, not after seeing all that.”

 “I wish for peace in my park, right now,” Jade said. “Whether you stay or go is no concern of mine, so long as you do it quietly.” She gestured to her sigilyph. “Halvor.”

 The ice around the twins melted and fell with them. Halvor caught them in a psychic grip and set them on their feet before pulling them towards Yangtze.

 Arlette opened her eyes and dug her heels in, stopping her movement. “Fuck that,” she rasped out, catching her sister. “You are not carting us around like baggage, not now.” She flicked her head, the armour falling away into messy hair, eyes still glimmering blue as she glared at Zlata.

 “In any case,” Aurora shook herself out, pulling against the sigilyph as well. “We need to pick up our things.”

 {You will not!} Lairisse cried out, stopping them in their tracks as they walked away. {You will come with us, now}

 The twins glanced back at her. “Try again.” They took another step and disappeared.

[alarmfordeafpeople]

Embracing Tranquility: The Silent Wake Yourself Up Wristband Vibrating Alarm

In a world filled with bustling alarms and noisy wake-up calls, the Silent Wake Yourself Up Wristband Vibrating Alarm emerges as a revolutionary solution for those who seek a gentle and peaceful start to their day. This innovative wearable device offers an alternative to traditional audible alarms, utilizing the power of touch to awaken users without disrupting their surroundings. Let's explore the features, benefits, and transformative impact of the Silent Wake Yourself Up Wristband Vibrating Alarm.

The Need for Tranquil Wake-Up Solutions

Traditional alarm clocks, while effective, often generate loud sounds that can startle sleepers and even disturb others in the vicinity. Additionally, those with hearing impairments, shared living spaces, or a preference for a more gradual wake-up experience seek alternatives that honor their need for tranquility. The Silent Wake Yourself Up Wristband Vibrating Alarm addresses these concerns by leveraging the sense of touch to gently rouse individuals from their slumber.

The Silent Wake Yourself Up Wristband Vibrating Alarm: A Touch of Innovation

This wristband vibrating alarm is designed with user comfort and convenience in mind. Here's how it works:

User-Friendly Design

The wristband alarm is worn like a comfortable bracelet on the wrist. It is lightweight, adjustable, and designed to ensure a secure fit throughout the night.

Vibration-Based Alerts

At the predetermined wake-up time, the wristband delivers gentle vibrations to the wearer's wrist. These vibrations serve as a subtle and effective wake-up signal without disturbing others nearby.

Customizable Experience

Many models of the wristband vibrating alarm offer customizable settings, allowing users to adjust the intensity and duration of the vibrations according to their preferences.

Smart Features

Some versions of the wristband alarm are equipped with smart features, such as Bluetooth connectivity to mobile devices. This allows users to sync their wake-up times with their smartphones and personalize their wake-up experience.

Benefits and Transformative Impact

The Silent Wake Yourself Up Wristband Vibrating Alarm offers a range of benefits that enhance the wake-up experience and overall well-being:

Stress-Free Mornings

The gentle vibrations offer a peaceful way to wake up, reducing the stress associated with abrupt audible alarms. This results in a more serene and positive start to the day.

Considerate for Shared Spaces

For individuals living in shared spaces, such as dormitories or apartments, the wristband alarm ensures that only the wearer is awakened, respecting the privacy and sleep of others.

Hearing Impairment Accessibility

The wristband vibrating alarm is an inclusive solution for those with hearing impairments who may not respond effectively to traditional audible alarms.

Improved Sleep Quality

By awakening users gradually and peacefully, the wristband alarm contributes to better sleep quality and a healthier sleep routine.

Consistent Wake-Up Routine

The portability of the device allows users to maintain a consistent wake-up routine even when traveling or sleeping in unfamiliar environments.

Embracing Calm Innovation

The Silent Wake Yourself Up Wristband Vibrating Alarm exemplifies how innovation can cater to diverse needs while promoting a sense of calm and tranquility. In a fast-paced world where technology often contributes to noise pollution, this device stands out as a solution that encourages a more harmonious relationship with technology and sleep.

Future Possibilities

As technology continues to evolve, the potential for even more sophisticated and intuitive features in wristband vibrating alarms is exciting. Integration with sleep tracking apps, personalized vibration patterns, and compatibility with smart home devices could further enhance the user experience and offer comprehensive sleep solutions.

For More Info:-

Wrist Shock Alarm Clock

Silent Wake Yourself Up Wristband

Wristband Vibrating Alarm Watch

Wake-up wristband with silent vibration alarm watch

[aghotel]

All-Inclusive Offer: Sea, Sand, and Savings

Are you in search of the finest hotel deal for your vacation in Blackpool? Look no further, as we have the perfect solution for you. Reserve your upcoming stay with our ‘All-Inclusive Offer’ and indulge in a complimentary full-English breakfast, a delightful 3-course dinner, beverages, free parking, complimentary access to the swimming pool, and a host of additional perks. Blackpool, renowned for its captivating seaside attractions and vibrant nightlife, is your gateway to unforgettable moments in the Northwest. Count on Bluewaters Hotel to ensure that your travel plans are nothing short of extraordinary. Book Now: www.bluewatersblackpool.com

ALL-INCLUSIVE OFFER: From £75 Per Person/Night Sun – Thu

From £85 Per Person/Night Fri – Sat

The offer includes:

​Fabulous room

3-course dinner

Full-English breakfast

Lunch

Unlimited soft drinks, 1 bottle of house wine or 2 alcoholic drinks*

Entertainment (on selected days)

Pool and park free with us

* LIST OF DRINKS INCLUDES:

House Spirits (25ml) + Draught Mixer and/or Cordial Vodka, Gin, Whisky, White Rum, Dark Rum, Brandy, Martini Extra Dry, Martini Bianco, Martini Rosso, Sherry

House Draught Bud Light, Boddingtons

House Wines (125ml) or a Bottle of House Red, White, Rose

Soft Drinks Draught Cola, Diet Cola, Lemonade, Orange, Soda – All by Half Pint. Dash of Cordial – 25ml

Hot Drinks Tea, Coffee, Latte, Cappuccino, Espresso

TIMING:

Buffet Breakfast: Mon – Fri 08.00 – 09.30am | Sat & Sun 08:30 – 10.00am Lunch: Served between 13:00 – 13:30 only (Order for lunch must be placed by 11am on that same day) Dinner: Served between 17:30 – 19:00 daily (Order for dinner must be placed by 11am on that same day)

BOOK DIRECT ON WEBSITE: www.bluewatersblackpool.com Or call our team on 01253 272486 or email us at reception@bluewatersblackpool.com to book today!

Terms & Conditions:

The offer is subject to availability.

The offer starts at 15:00 on the day of Arrival (not included earlier if checked in prior to 15:00).

The offer is not available on the day of departure.

All guests must always wear their wristbands to qualify for the all-inclusive.

It is mandatory to show the wristband to staff members before placing any food or drink order.

If the order is made without showing your wristband, the full amount will be chargeable. If this happens this cannot be altered.

Only 1 drink per person may be ordered at a time. Drink upgrades to brands are charged at £1.50.

Any disputes will only be dealt with by the Manager during the hours of 09:00 – 17:00.

The all-inclusive package Is not to be misused, anyone caught misusing this scheme, could have their facility revoked. This includes purchasing drinks using your all-inclusive rights to non-inclusive guests.

Lost wristbands will be charged at £10pp.

Wristbands are only valid on the date shown on the band.

The hotel reserves the right to curtail, alter, amend, or remove the facility without prior notice subject to all relevant guidelines.

Bluewaters Hotel, Blackpool

Situated on Blackpool’s North Promenade, Bluewaters Hotel is the ideal base for your holiday, just a short walk away from the Town Centre, North Pier, Blackpool Tower and within easy reach of Blackpool Pleasure Beach. The hotel has sea-view rooms, a luxury sea-view lounge and a well-stocked bar that plays live entertainment throughout the main season. Enjoy the delicious breakfast and dinner at the in-house restaurant or play games in the games room. Whether you are in Blackpool for leisure or business, book our indoor swimming pool, sauna and spa to top off your stay. Parking is free if you book directly with us. We have limited parking spaces available on a first-come, first-served basis. Learn More: www.aghotels.co.uk/bluewaters-hotel

📍 14-minute walk to Blackpool Tower 📍 6-minute drive to Blackpool Pleasure Beach 📍 10-minute drive to Blackpool Zoo

GET IN TOUCH

[giantimpex]

GIANT IMPEX Travel passport holder (#Polyester, #Waterproof, #Travel)

Perfect passport holder case for Travel Fits Easily in your Backpack, #Purse, Briefcase, #Travel bag.

Passport holder case with Zip Closure Securely Store Your Belongings With A Smooth Closure.

Made with durable rip-stop oxford fabric, Waterproof material. The light durable nylon material makes it easy to carry, and the well-designed wristband.

The zipper is made of a strong zinc alloy making it even more durable. Interior offers secure storage space and prevents scratches, sleek and lightweight.

Available in #Amazon, #Meesho and #Flipkart

Order now: https://www.amazon.in/GIANT-IMPEX-Passport-Currency-Colur-Maroon/dp/B0B51WQ9PZ/ref=sr_1_29?crid=10KBI9QDN6VYI&keywords=giant+impex&qid=1676446685&sprefix=giant+impex%2Caps%2C279&sr=8-29

[gravityknife]

Adventures of The 144p Progenitor

Story #7

Ka'eo, Mana, and Peter were all on the bridge of The 144p Progenitor, enjoying some studying time while they set their course on cruise, from the MacKalla asteroid to the nearby solar system. Mana chose space coordinates for another space station named G&H Diamond Drillers Corp. It looked, from the images, to be a larger space station more dedicated to asteroid mining operations, something everyone onboard was more familiar with.

Mana said, "We lucked out finding this station, Peter. Ka'el. You guys should be thanking me!"

"I'm... tired," said Ka'eo, bypassing Mana's statement.

"Tired, huh?" Peter replied, ignoring Mana's joking demand. "You should go up to your quarter and check out the stars from there, man. The view from living quarters is as beautiful as from the cockpit, and it helps me go to sleep."

Ka'eo felt dehydrated and could feel a headache pushing on his cranium, drowning out Peter's hopeful pitch. He droned out, "Yeah," as though to placate Peter.

Peter inquired, "Ka'eo, did you hear about that new thing they're trying? Where they give you a wristband and it locks onto your wrist for five minutes, then releases, and after that, any pressure build-ups in the spinal cord and brain are all gone? They said if you use it, the result is instant. No more headaches, no more migraines. I want to get one of those because I used to suffer from migraines. Did you read about it?"

"No," Ka'eo replied. "Why don't we have those here already?"

Peter chuckled loudly and answered, "I don't know. You know how the government is. But, they have a video up about it, too, you just have to go to the Space Force main page and search up 'wristband.'"

"You figure it would all be different after we got into space," Ka'eo complained. "Things being made faster, delivery aside."

"I know," Peter agreed, hissing a laugh. "Unfortunately, this is how it is, for now, but at least they're actually taking all the useful things from movies and games we've played and turning it into real things."

Ka'eo placed his head on the computer console and closed his eyes, truly tired enough to forget he was even on a space ship. He fell into a deep, quick nap for 15-minutes, snoring and drooling on the area in front of the keyboard panel. He could still hear the humming frequency of the warp core, engine, and thrusters, but he was able to quickly dream about Stavros and Mana shooting at the alien anomaly back at MacKalla. In his dream, it was revealed to be a shadow-like bubble, and it was able to make noises similar to the crew's wettish onomatapoieas. Then, Mana was standing at the entrance of the molecular research room, where he had been cocking his shotgun while USF patrol and agents walked in. He couldn't determine if they were arresting Mana, removing the anomaly's corpse, or both. Stavros simply disappeared and Peter wasn't present in the dream.

"Dude. Wake up," Mana alarmed. "Ka'el."

Ka'eo jolted himself awake and looked around, refreshing his eyes. He breathed in deeply, triggering a yawn. "I've got a headache, still, man. F$ck!" He felt comfortable and safe, seeing Peter at the computer watching a USF news channel while eating a bowl of cranberries and oats, and Mana sitting in his own mobile seat looking at a star chart and sifting the planetary data. He alerted them about his headache out of habit, giving them a status report, while also realizing he wasn't pleased entirely no matter how comfortable he felt.

"How long was I out for?" Ka'eo asked, stretching his arms up.

"Mana," Peter rasped, ignoring Ka'eo's question.

"What? No. Wait. Peter. I want Ka'el to see this... planet I just found on here. It's kind of close to where we are right now, but there's some kind of conflict going on between two warring humanoid tribes," informed Mana.

Peter and Ka'eo, hearing that, were both mesmerized by the reality, that they were actually traveling through space together. It was literally a dream come true for them.

Peter's inner excitement was steamrolled by the same realization. He went serious, asking, "Wait, Mana, are you serious? That means—"

"Yeah," Mana replied.

"That means command should be aware of this, because it would have already grabbed their attention in their own scans," Peter reasoned, then took another giant bite from his bowl of cranberries and oats.

Mana said, "Yeah, uhh, I know... Peter. It was already colored red when I found it, but I had to look for it, otherwise they all look the same. All the uhh, solar systems. Planets."

Peter looked at Ka'eo, all lit up and eager. "Ka'eo. You think we should fly there?"

Ka'eo said, "Yeah, sure. I kind of want to go to medbay first and see about this f$cking headache, though."

Peter chuckled, "Oh, alright." He sealed his lips tight, leaned forward in his seat, and bounced his leg. He was sitting right next to Mana, where they were both reading from the same monitor. Peter took another big scoop of food and ate.

Mana burped, backing Peter away slightly. Peter went AHHT! He pushed his chair back and dropped his bowl onto the flat surface of his computer console. Mana giggled at that sound and action.

Peter covered his mouth with his arm, being dramatic though extra careful about hygiene. He stared at Mana, still antsy, waiting for Mana to say something. Peter complained mockingly, "You're not even going to say excuse me?"

"Noooo," Mana answered uncaringly, to which Peter cackled. He didn't care much who would get mad about his rudeness, especially with his closest friends, however. There were more important things to care about, amongst men, Mana supposed. He thought to himself Peter can get over it.

Peter chortled again, replaying Mana's response in his head. He said, "Alright."

Ka'eo was sitting at his computer console still, holding his forehead with one hand while the thumb was lifting his eyelid to look unsightly. He looked miserable, and both Peter and Mana took notice.

"Yeeeaaah..." Mana replied to Peter. He looked at Ka'eo, turned his seat around to face him. "Ka'el, go to the medbay already, man," Mana commanded, serious in tone.

Ka'eo sighed and moved his head into his crossed arms, closing his eyes again. He mumbled to himself and moaned disapproval at everything, feeling annoyed by the light ailment. "I don't want to mooove," Ka'eo complained.

"Ka'el, go... to medbay, and get raped by an alien!" Mana joked.

"Nooo, I can't allow that," Ka'eo responded stoically, trying to hide the severity of his head pain.

Peter chuckled loudly, mimicking Ka'eo, "I can't allow that."

Mana got serious again suggesting, "Ka'el, they actually have... better medicine there, than back on Earth. If you go to the vending thing, it'll tell you what there is, and if you check the boxes when it asks you, the thing that shows what you could have... like, you would say headache? It instantly gives you a dose of whatever it is that takes care of your ailment, or disease, or whatever."

Mana's explanations of things were typically vague and sometimes misleading. He enjoyed the idea of helping others with intelligence more than having the right words to support his aim, something he was used to slacking in. Ka'eo, Peter, and Stavros were all used to it, and they didn't give a sh$t.

Peter slid his bowl of food into the garbage incinerator at the edge of the computer console lineup. You could hear the incinerator turn on and make a humming noise, and then a tiny door sliding closed sound.

"Alright. I'll be right back, guys," Ka'eo said, lazily getting up from his seat and exiting the bridge.

"Yeah! And make sure you choose the methamphetamine brownies!" Mana joked, heavily mocking.

Ka'eo ignored what Mana said, truly feeling like sh$t, and continued to the exit.

"Methamphetamine brownies, huh?" Peter inquired, focused on his own monitor. He cackled and mocked, "Sounds like something we all need!"

Mana replied harshly and chortled, "Yeaahh!"

Peter and Mana continued to study their own monitors, reading over different material presented from the USF guidebooks and manuals. Peter detoured his focus on a whim, deciding to look into the warring planet that Mana located in the star charts. "Mana, what's the name of the planet that you found?"

Mana was caught by surprise with the inquiry and answered, "Planet?! Oh. Peter... it's uhhh... just... go into the Corey's Constellation app right there in the computer. It's easy to find from there, if you click on the side, and there's this thing that shows you solar systems that observation posts have... pinpointed as... uhhh, you know."

There was a pause, and then a few finger-sliding sounds on touch screens. Peter was amused by Mana's misread of Core Constellation but didn't care to bring it up. Peter complained, "I don't see it on here. What thing are you talking about where it shows—"

"Ka'el, uhh, Peter, it's... as soon as you open the app, and you go into the navigation thing, it's on the side like a bar or something," Mana instructed. "It's like... a circle button, or something."

Peter said, "Yeah, I found it. And then?"

Mana sighed exasperatedly, causing Peter to laugh. "Peter, it's going to show a thing... for the solar systems... where the planets are listed, and you can see the planet highlighted in red."

"Mana, there are like... a million of these. How did you find that specific planet?" Peter begged on.

"Oh yeah, you have to set the... lightyear radius thing, in the uhh... you know what? Let me see your computer... real fast. I'll show you," Mana said, getting up from his seat and fixing the back of his space suit, walking over toward Peter.

Peter declined Mana's movement without saying. "No, no-I-uh... no, I got it, Mana. And now it's set to... within ship range. And then... is this the one you're talking about?"

"Yeah, it's... let me see the computer, Ka'el, uh, Peter," Mana answered, sighing. He stood above Peter's monitor to evaluate Peter's progress in finding the planet. "Yeah, it's that one right there," Mana pointed. "Darlene, or whatever."

"Got it. Now, let's zoom into it aaand... details... planet details. There," Peter guided rhetorically in his low rasp.

"Yeah, there, you found it," Mana said, disengaging from Peter's side, sounding somewhat discouraged.

"Holy sh$t. Mana. It says that these tribes are thirty... years ahead of the Earth in technological advancements," Peter gulped.

Mana related, "Yeah, I know, Peter, Ka, ah! FaaaAAWK!" Mana chuckled along with Peter's cackle. "Peter! God dammit. That's what I was trying to tell you. I already read all of it."

"Why isn't the USF doing something about this, man? I didn't see anything come up in the news... about this? On their page, or... anywhere else in the online database," Peter whined.

"Yeah. I don't know," Mana replied. "They probably haven't said anything about it because they don't want everyone panicking or it's not important enough or something."

"That's stupid," Stavros said, entering the bridge and walking into their conversation.

Mana greeted, "Oh, sup Stavro."

Stavros stoically cut into the meat saying, "Yeah, I heard you guys talking about war planets. Why do we not know about war planets? Why is the government lying to us?"

"Stavro, it's not multiple planets at war. It's just one planet that has a war going on, on its surface," Peter corrected.

Stavros recalibrated his thinking instantly. He responded, "Oh. So does that mean we don't have to do anything to help? Because I get the feeling that... just like how Ka'eo does, you guys are going to suggest that we fly over there to observe or whatever it is you guys like doing, and I don't want to almost die again."

Mana chuckled.

Peter answered in detail, "I'm not sure we would even be able to do that, Stavro, because even though we technically have USF backing us on any exploration mission, there are special rules they made where we can't engage with anything combative, and we can't get into firing range of any hostile ship, even if it's a pirate that's—"

Mana completed Peter's explanation, saying, "A pirate that's blowing up another one of our ships."

"That's dumb," Stavros said.

Mana agreed, "Yeah, it's b$llsh$t. Like, even if we're getting attacked... didn't they say that we have to like... get in contact with them first and then they'll send... another ship, or something? Like, I'm not going to wait... for some ship to show up while we just sit here watching our ship blow up like aaaaaaahhhh!!"

Stavros chuckled.

Peter debated, "No, we're allowed to fire at incoming ships that are hostile, but we aren't allowed to engage in combat if they aren't doing anything towards us. I think it's b$llsh$t too, but it saves us from having to deal with a lot of sh$t that could potentially kill us."

"Yeah, and after that space station sh$t, I'm good, Peter," Mana said.

Stavros and Peter laughed.

Peter raspily mimicked and cackled, "Yeah, I'm good!"

Stavros added, "No, we almost died, and that's why I don't want to fly to some place... that could f$cking blow our ship up before we even have a chance to land."

They all laughed.

"No, Stavro, don't worry. Command hasn't even said anything, yet, so we're good here for now. And that space station we just left? We marked it for command, and now they're going to see it... so they're going to go and do something to it," Peter informed.

"Yeah, because that's— them not even monitoring it, and just leaving it there with nobody in it— that's not very professional," Stavros offered, trying not to laugh himself. "They didn't even leave a note. They just fed themselves to the alien or took off to go somewhere else instead."

Mana and Peter laughed with him.

Mana was gut laughing, trying to breathe. He tried to keep on, laughing with every word spoken, "Yeah! Exactly! Like, who the f$ck just leaves a whole f$cking space station on an asteroid... in the middle of basically nowhere?"

"I don't know. Why don't we look it up in the USF database and see why it's even there? Maybe Ka'eo was right, and some guy, probably some meth head stole a ship and just built the station there and the USF had no choice but to go along with it," Stavros suggested.

"We should just go back and blow it up!" Mana crudely suggested, still cracking up.

"Why didn't I think to do that? We should look the station up," Peter guffawed. "Mana, you should do it," he suggested, picking up and taking a bite from a space candy bar made by Tarantula. He didn't mean to say he wanted to blow up the station, as he intended to say they should look it up in the database.

Mana exhaled, coughing, trying to calm down from his laughter. "Aw, God... I'm f$cking hungry, actually. I think I'm going to get something to eat... and I'm going to check on Ka'el," he declared.

Stavros inquired, "Where is he?"

"He went to med-bay," Mana answered.

Peter supported, "Yeah, he's in medbay."

"Why? What is Ka'eo doing in the medbay?" Chuckled Stavros. "Did he die?"

"Ka'el has a headache or something," Mana replied, chuckling at Stavros's joke. "He wasn't looking too good."

"Yeah, there was an alien egg in the space station that hatched, and it latched onto his face and laid an egg in his mouth," Peter joked in his usual, spicy intonation.

Mana and Stavros laughed.

Peter added, "Yeah, and it gave him a headache, so now he has to go and get his chest burst open in the med-bay to fix it."

"Yeah! That'll work!" Stavros mockingly fueled, referencing Aqua Teen Hunger Force's Easter Bunny episode.

Mana broke into a loud, hearty crack up. Peter cackled a loud ha-hah!

Stavros continued the joke, "And I'm the Easter Bunny's twin brother! ... Darryl!" He giggled at himself.

"Alright, I'm going to get a snack or something. I'll be right back, you guys," Mana stated, letting out a small, lazily fake laugh. He got up from his seat and slowly began exiting the bridge. He left them with a mocking, "Don't die!"

"Oh yeah, don't worry. The only person dying is going to be you when the xenomorph charges into the cafeteria wearing Ka'eo's skin," Peter spiced back.

Stavros and Mana laughed. Mana choked in his laugh, exiting the bridge.

Stavros resumed conversation with Peter, "Alright, now I want to know more about this planet that... somehow, USF decided to ignore, or just decided hey, f$ck them, they're killing each other, not us, so who cares!"

"Uhhh. If you want to look it up, the name of it is Darena, and the tags are... S-3, R-3, P-2, T-3," Peter revealed. "That means the planet is bigger than Earth, has a lot of resources, an Earth sized population, and a tech level that is higher than what we're capable of, Stavro."

"Yeah, I know, that's what I heard you telling Mana," Stavros affirmed. After a long pause of Stavros thinking and casually scrolling his social network feed while Peter was scrolling through the planet details, Stavros went, "Ohhh, that's what the tags stand for."

Peter rebuked Stavros's seeming memory discrepancy. "Uhhh, yeah? We learned that in Space Force academy, Stavro. You don't remember that?"

"No, I remember. There's just a lot of numbers and letters and sh$t that I don't want to remember," Stavros whined in monotone. "We don't need to remember all of that, Peter. We have, basically, a history book for every planet discovered. Better yet, a Wikipedia."

"Yeah, well," Peter concurred half-heartedly. He didn't share with his brother how proud he was of himself for having memorized a lot of the abbreviations—albeit, he would sometimes mistakenly call them initials. He knew his brother didn't care one way or another about all the sophisticated, glorified jargon. However, he also knew that his brother wanted to expand his knowledge and skills in space and mechanical engineering, and what better way to show gratitude to his father—a radiant commercial pilot—than to follow him into and above the sky limits.