#sparks? is nevada on fire !!

[hooked-on-elvis]

"Runaway" (LIVE, 1969)

RECORDED LIVE ON STAGE ON AUGUST 25, 1969 (DINNER SHOW) AT THE INTERNATIONAL HOTEL, LAS VEGAS.

RELEASE DATE: JUNE, 1970. ALBUM: ELVIS ON STAGE.

MUSICIANS Guitar: James Burton, John Wilkinson, Elvis Presley, Charlie Hodge. Bass: Jerry Scheff, Drums: Ronnie Tutt. Piano: Larry Muhoberac. Vocals: The Sweet Inspirations, The Imperials, Bobby Morris and His Orchestra. OVERDUBS, Vocals: Mary Holladay, Mary (Jeannie) Green, Joe Babcock, Dolores Edgin, Ginger Holladay, Sandy Posey, Hurshel Wiginton, Jim Glaser, Millie Kirkham.

LYRICS As I walk along, I wonder What went wrong with our love A love that was so strong And as I still walk by, I think of The times we've had together While our hearts were young I'm a-walking in the rain Tears is falling and I feel the pain Wishing you were here by me To end this misery And I wonder (I, I, I, I wonder) yeah, baby Why (why? Why? Why? Why? Why?) You went away And I wonder where you will stay My little runaway Run, run, run, run, runaway (play it, James) I'm a-walking in the rain Tears is falling and I feel the pain Wishing you were here by me To end this misery And I wonder (I, I, I, I wonder) Why (why? Why? Why? Why? Why?) You went away And I wonder where you will stay My little runaway Run, run, run, run, runaway Run, run, run, run, runaway Run, run, run, run, runaway

--

[END OF THE SONG, ELVIS TALKING] They said to give 'em a minute, so I'll, I'll recite something Forescore, nah, forget it Everybody ready?

Lyricists: Max Crook/Del Shannon

[t1red-twilight]

through the ages

part 1

content/warnings: gn!reader, fluff, doesn’t follow cannon super closely (i’m stupid), cursing, mentions of spencelle (bc i said so)

notes: lmao finally got this out

word count: 2.0k

masterlist series masterlist s. r. masterlist

hotch opened the door and brought you in. spencer took note of everything; the curve of your lips, the way you walked. he had never been so enamored with a single person before. sure, he’d had crushes. but never once had he immediately needed to know someone.

aaron’s introduction of you was wordless; the world lagged as spencer gazed upon you but desperately tried to avoid eye contact. every spot of your face, every imperfection had him speechless.

you had just graduated, masters in criminal justice and a minor in sociology from princeton. full ride scholarship, spencer later found out. (your writing was exquisite; very insightful. he looked it up in the hotel later that evening.)

it had been a normal day in the office, as normal as it could be. then, his world stopped when he saw you. after elle had left something in him felt sort of numb; maybe, you could give him a spark.

you sat in the chair directly to his left on the opposite side of the table. one elbow leaned on the desk, and you wordlessly mouthed words he couldn’t make out as the case was described. your eyes flicked over to him, and he quickly looked back at hotch. had you caught him staring, or had you wanted to catch a glimpse of him? he knew that this could maybe mean that you were trying to look at him from the same motivations that he was, enamorment, or maybe you had just sensed him staring like a frog at a fly: quickly, insignificantly.

the only issue was that it seemed you liked morgan.

las vegas, nevada was where the team was headed. being here reminded spencer of things, memories he didn’t care to recall. he noticed how you were hesitant to speak up, a feeling he had been familiar with a few years ago when he first joined the team.

the police station was incredibly stuffy, typical for the las vegas summertime. if you looked out into the road, you could see mirages. the police station had ac, but it was not helpful by any means at all.

spencer looked over at you. your hands were in your lap, and you were intently focused on something that morgan was saying. morgan was sitting on the table in the centers of the conference room, and you were looking up at him.

the stretch of morgan’s muscles underneath his shirt made spencer’s chest pang with envy. what did you think about morgan? was morgan your type? oh, god. maybe spencer didn’t even have a chance.

he didn’t see hotch approaching. “you find anything on the geographical profile, reid?” spencer blinked rapidly in an effort to clear his mind. he turned around to face the map that he had been leaning on. “distracted?” hotch’s eyebrows raised in what spencer knew to be amusement, though he was never hyper-expressive.

“uh- no. i’m alright. all the murders were in the same police jurisdiction, and all within a mile of each other. the focal point of these suggest that the unsub might live-“

-

you couldn’t stop your hands from shaking. this introduction could make or break your relationship with the bau team. it didn’t help that you were so young and inexperienced. hell, you were still working on your phd.

aaron hotchner guided you into the room and recited your name and qualifications. however, your eyes were glued to the wall right above the shoulder of a tall man, who had a goatee.

when you peeled your eyes away from the wall, you saw him. he had light brown hair, and starry eyes that were behind thick-rimmed glasses. one of his plump lips was tucked between his teeth.

once hotchner finished, you sat down paid attention as much as you could to the case that you were being sent on. baptism by fire, you guessed.

every now and then, you’d look out of the corner of your eye to look at the man in glasses. hopefully he wouldn’t catch you trying to memorize every freckle and line on his face.

you stayed mostly silent on the jet. you figured that you could mostly shadow the other people on the team before you got the hang of things. the chairs on the jet were not super comfortable; or maybe, you were just ridiculously tense.

you had only been to las vegas one or two times, and one of those times was just driving through. the police station was crowded and full of typical police assholes. that, you were more than used to. a bead of sweat dripped down your back.

when you sat down to look at the police reports one more time, you heard the table creak as someone sat upon it. looking up, you saw the man with the goatee from earlier. “so, where’d you work before you landed this gig?”

you exhaled a breath you didn’t know you were holding. at least he was being casual. still, you dropped your hands to your lap to fiddle with your fingers. “i was an assistant at a firm up in jersey,” you said, pausing briefly. “remind me what your name was again?”

“i’m morgan.” you followed by telling him your name. he must’ve seen you glancing over at the man in glasses repeatedly. he was raptly describing the geographical profile to agent hotchner. “that’s reid, if you didn’t already know.”

“that’s good to know. this morning was a little rushed.” your eyes trailed over agent reid. the way his fingers moved across the map with intense dexterity was enticing.

morgan chuckled and rolled his eyes playfully (even though you couldn’t see it, your gaze still locked on reid). “he’s single,” morgan purred, jumping off the table to return to his previous task.

you felt like a deer caught in the headlights, but morgan was gone before you could protest to what he was alluding to.

-

the case had gone by smoothly. but spencer could hardly even focus when you were within fifty feet of him. he was inexplicably drawn to you.

the jet was much cooler than vegas had been, and the entire team felt relieved. you were the last on, spencer quickly sat upright. were you walking towards him?

you spoke in a soft tone, “can i sit here? all the other seats are taken.” you clasped your hands together, likely out of nerves.

spencer nodded vigorously before he answered. he almost forgot to respond verbally. “yeah!” he said loudly. shit. he didn’t want to seem too eager, he might embarrass himself. “yes, of course you can.” this time, he spoke as quietly and calmly as he could muster while simultaneously scooting over to make room for you on the couch.

he tried to avoid eye contact. luckily, you weren’t even looking in his direction. if you had been, you might see the red creeping up his neck. you had a light floral scent about you, one that reminded him of simpler times when life was less hectic.

“agent reid, right?” you murmured. even though it was just his last name, he loved the way you said it, rolling off your tongue so smoothly and delicately.

he shrugged and leaned back on the couch slightly, trying to relax his shoulders. “doctor, actually, but you can just call me spencer.”

your tongue swiped your bottom lip before you spoke. “spencer. that suits you.” oh god, it did sound great when you said it. it sounded downright angelic; almost as if you were the only person meant to say it.

a silence followed. while being slightly awkward, spencer wasn’t too concerned about it. at least you were sitting next to him and not derek. “did you have a job before this one?”

“yeah, i was a lawyer’s assistant.” your voice was more soft than it had been. spencer looked over at you for the first time since you sat next to him.

“you like the bau so far?”

“how long have you worked for the bau?” you both spoke over each other; you turned and met his gaze. your eyes were beautiful, the lighting of the jet illuminating your face in a perfect way. spencer gestured for you to speak first.

“yeah, it’s alright.” a small smile adorned your lips. spencer wondered what they tasted like, before shutting that thought down completely. he couldn’t be thinking that about his coworker, let alone one he met less than forty eight hours ago.

you mirrored his gesture. “i’ve worked at the bau for a couple of years now.” what a dumb response. why couldn’t he think or speak properly?

his mind kept wandering. “you like it so far?” he whispered.

“yeah, it’s pretty cool.” pretty cool? who even says that? “just let me know if you need anything.” you gave him a warm smile and nodded. the way you smiled made him giddy and filled his stomach with butterflies.

-

being last on the jet didn’t work out well for you. every seat was taken, and the few that weren’t had feet propped up on them. in the back, you could see the couch still had space. perhaps spencer wouldn’t mind?

you walked over hesitantly to the couch. he didn’t notice you right away. “can i sit here? all the other seats are taken,” you noted, rocking on your heels.

he looked up at you, responding brightly. “yeah!” he moved over and spoke more quietly. “yes, of course you can.” there was a good six inches between the two of you, but it was as if you were brushing up against him with how your nerves were treating you.

small talk sucked, but you figured it would probably benefit you in getting to know your coworkers. “agent reid, right?” you recalled morgan’s anecdote from earlier, at the police station. it would really suck if you had somehow managed to forget his name in the time it took to solve the case and fly back to quantico.

“doctor, actually but you can just call me spencer.” shit, you totally just disrespected him. if only agent hotchner had properly introduced everyone when you were introduced.

trying to hide your increasing embarrassment, you tried, again, to be casual. “spencer. that suits you.” you should have apologized. not knowing what to say, you sat in the silence that consumed the rest of the jet. your knee bobbed up and down, you pulled at your fingers, and breathed deeply.

“did you have a job before this one?” he cleared his throat. did everything he did have to be attractive?

“yeah, i was a lawyer’s assistant.”

he had been looking at you, you realized. how long had he been looking at you and you were too skittish to look at him? how could you, with his gorgeous starry eyes.

in another circumstance his ‘interrogation’ would have intimidated you but, you only felt anxious from trying to impress him. “you like the bau so far?”

“how long have you worked for the bau?” the two of you interrupted each other. a laugh was shared and you relaxed for once, your posture looking a little less like you were constipated.

the chill of the jet was setting in; that, or spencer was just giving you goosebumps. he waved his hand in a motion saying that you should respond first. “yeah, it’s alright.” you actually really liked it (despite the morbidity, but that you were used to). but, you had to seem cool. chill, not like you were analyzing every thing he did and said to see if he liked you.

copying what he did, you silently urged that he was good to respond. “i’ve worked at the bau for a couple of years now,” he nodded as he spoke.

small talk did suck, a lot, but at least you were talking to spencer and not alone with your worried thoughts. “you like it so far?” you asked.

“yeah, it’s pretty cool.” his adam’s apple bobbed. “just let me know if you need anything.” you smiled at this, his comfort proving successful. the tension in your spine finally dissipated. it was good that you were at least on good terms with the bau member closest in age with you.

next part

[rachelsquill]

His Gay Ass is NOT Stargazing!!!

Quackity and Wilbur stood atop the Las Nevadas Needle. Quackity was gazing at the beautiful night sky above them, but Wilbur’s gaze wandered elsewhere.

He found himself observing the man beside him.

How long had it been since they put aside their petty squabbles and were at peace with one another? And what’s more is that for Wilbur that peace had developed into a sort of fondness, maybe even more than a fondness.

Wilbur’s heart tugged as he stared at the man next to him. His beanie that he never seemed to leave home without was crooked on his head. His long hair was darker than the night sky. His golden wings shone brighter than all the stars in the sky. The more he observed the man before him the more his heart ached. He sucked up his pride and rested his hand upon the shorter man’s hand, an invitation for more.��

“Wilbur, have you ever danced with someone?” He asked, still gazing at the sky.

Memories flashed across Wilbur’s vision. He recalled dancing in L’manberg beside the fire with Niki, Tommy, and Fundy while Tubbo and Jack sang a song of freedom. He remembered a spark of joy amidst the sadness in Pogtopia when he and Tommy dragged Techno from his potato farm and danced to their heart's content. He thought in fondness about dancing on the beach in Logsteadshire with Tommy. He realized that dancing had always been a time when he felt alive. 

“Wil?”

Wilbur snapped from his pleasant thoughts and looked at Quackity, who was gazing at him expectantly.

“Why? Are you offering me a dance?” He asked with a grin.

“Maybe I am…” He extended a hand out to Wilbur. “Only if you’ll have me.”

Wilbur takes the hand offered to him.

The dance is slow and sweet. Wilbur rests his head on Quackity’s shoulder letting him lead the dance. 

Wilbur feels alive.

[maltmealo]

Chapter 18: enemy of my friend is my friend

Where are my people? Why can't I feel them?"

"..."

"What have you done?"

The icy chill of the settling Nevada sun was nothing compared to the icy chill you felt in your chest like pure liquid nitrogen was injected into your heart. You felt the blood in your veins freeze, or not, you couldn’t feel your arms or legs at this point. The convenient pile of rocks that Cliffjumper had hidden you by only made the chill worse, greedily taking what warmth your struggling body could provide.

Blood seeped into your clothes, the tangy irony smells stinging your nose as you stared off into the distance, you wish you hadn’t gone, it was stupid.

It’s happened once or twice before, you had wandered too far away for too long, too intent on exploring the new base.

“Your spark is leaking too much, you haven’t healed in the slightest.”

Ratchet had been calm the first time, almost too calm.

“What did I tell you? Do you have a death wish?!”

That was more like the grumpy medic, although you didn’t know which was worse, anger or the blind calm he had been in.

It was calm.

At least right now it was, the only sounds filling your ear were the faint howl of the wind, not the faint crackle and pop of the red bot you had been so attached to, not the biting safety of windchimes from Ratchet, not the faint sound of fire whenever Arcee hung around or talked to you.

Your eyes slowly closed, you took a deep breath and you remember how you got here.

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

Soft and steady breaths filled his audibles, he found it odd how humans had a need to constantly vent to survive, their bodies required so much to just… be. He couldn’t help but rest a digit on the back of the tiny being on his chest. Bump-bump, Bump-bump, Bump-bump.

He could only marvel at how something so little could make something so loud and strong, you weren’t made with schematics or intentions behind you like many of the bots had been in his world, you were just… made to be. You had no true purpose and yet humans made their own purposes.

He began to gently rub circles onto the back of the small squishy blob on his armor. He looked back up at the ceiling, simply enjoying the quiet moment of peace.

“What are you doing?” Your voice breaks him out of his thoughts and he stilled his digit.

“Nuthin’, kid, just thinking, didn’t mean to wake ya,” He replied, lifting his servo up when he felt you stirring beneath. He tilted his head down and saw you kneeling and rubbing your eyes, your mouth opening wide and a little noise coming out.

“What time is it?”

“4 PM I believe,” he answered, watching you slink off his chassis and drop onto the breath below. He chuckled lightly and sat up, amused by your lethargy and your unintentionally clumsy movements.

You groaned loudly, flopping back onto the berth, cushioned by the giant blanket. You closed your eyes again, covering your eyes with your arm.

“I can’t go back to sleep,” you state bluntly, laying beside your massive companion as he towered down at you.

“Oh poor sparkling, you can’t go back to sleep when you slept for nine hours?” he snorted, plucking you up from the blanket and standing up, looking at your dangling body with a laugh. “Come on, kid, I need to stretch my wheels and staying in the base all the time isn't good for you.”

“No, the sleep calls for me and the out does not,” You moan, hanging from his digits like a limp cat as he raises you up to plop you down on his shoulder.

“Ah but that's what's great about the out, even if you do not hear it, it still calls,” he pauses, waiting for your response before sighing when he felt you slouch against his neck cables, “You're going outside.”

“What are you, my father?” You scoff, sinking down against his neck cables until you were laying down in the divet between his neck and arm.

“No, I am not your sire,” he scoffed, walking out into the now brightly lit hallways. He almost flinched when he felt you curl up tighter against his neck cabling, “Just your guardian, and I know that being cooped up in a base isn’t good for you physically or mentally.”

“Did it in college,” You rolled your eyes playfully, cringing when you realized he probably couldn’t see you and you just rolled your eyes to the imaginary person in front of you.

“not good for you, doesn’t matter how many times you’ve done it before,” he reached up and scooted you away from his neck cable much to your disapproval.

“We’re low on energon, we need more, Optimus,” you popped your head up when you heard Ratchet’s voice, along with a variety of sounds that blended together into a beat you could only assume was the manifestation of the team.

“Sounds like a scoutin’ mission, think we can take it on?” Cliffjumper requests eagerly, jumping into the conversation as everyone turns to look at the two of you. “Need to stretch my wheels, I might get rusty if I stay like this much longer.”

Optimus nods, gesturing for Ratchet to open the groundbridge, “Cliffjumper and Bumblebee will find the source of the energon readings and Arcee will be on the lookout for any signs of Decepticons in Jasper, Bulkhead will go west and Ratchet will go north.”

“You really think the ‘cons would come all the way to Jasper? I mean, this place isn’t really party central for them,” Arcee remarks.

“With this amount of energon were picking up, the Decepticons would be more then willing to raze this little town for even a fraction of it,” Ratchet replies grimly, shaking his head, “with these new energon signals there's no doubt the Decepticons will be here, it's just a matter of when.”

“Sorry, Cee, guess your stuck on lookout,” Cliffjumper joked, nudging Arcee with his pede, “No worries, Doc, no ‘cons are going to steal energon this time. Ready Squishy?”

Before you could respond Bulkhead jumped in, anxiously stepping closer, “Cliff, I don’t think that’s a good idea, the ‘cons are already after her and she just recovered- ain’t it safer to keep her here?”

“‘S all good, Bulk, got my handy dandy shield remember? Those Decpeticons couldn’t find her energy signature even if she was under their pedes,” he pats his subspace, giving the team a reassuring smile before turning to the ground bridge.

“Cliffjumper, be careful, if there is any sign of Decepticons, call for a groundbridge immediately.” Optimus states firmly, giving both you and Cliffjumper a serious look.

“Got it, boss, let's get this show on the road, the longer we wait the closer the ‘cons get, right?” With that, Cliffjumper takes you into his palm and transforms, driving into the awaiting groundbridge with Arcee and Bumblebee following behind.

“Ever heard of the story of me first arriving in New York city?” Cliffjumper asks, you could almost hear the grin in his voice.

“No,” you say, grabbing his seatbelt and buckling into the driver’s seat, “What happened in New York?”

“You’re not going to believe this…” Cliffjumper begins with a chuckle.

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

“So there I am on a lookout when out of nowhere these high beams light up my rearview. And then it hits me, I'm illegally parked!” Cliffjumper laughs, the dirt road of Nevada kicking up dust and leaving a trail behind you.

“Another parking ticket?” Arcee’s voice crackles over the radio.

“Better, the boot,” Cliffjumper deadpans.

“Big metal tire clamp, impossible to remove.” Arcee chuckles.

“Bingo! The local police do that thing and get me all the way down by a block. That's when I kick up my new shiny shoe and BANG!”

“Off with the boot and down the street?” You laugh. After about an hour of Cliffjumper’s regaling tales of him crashing to earth for the first time and wandering the streets of New York you had finally decided to say something instead of staring out the window at the barren landscapes.

“And New York’s finest soil themselves,” Arcee says smoothly.

“You know me, mess with Cliffjumper-”

“And you get the horns, Not sure how that complies with Autobot rule number one - 'Keep a low profile'?” Arcee asks, almost sounding a little annoyed by Cliffjumper’s criminal activities.

“What can I say? - Patrolling for energon out here is dull and gets me all on lonesome. Almost makes me miss the Decepticons.” Cliffjumper laughs amused at his own antics, “Best action we got around here was when this little human decided to drop out of the sky.”

“Like Jasper Nevada's party? We're alone wherever we travel on this rock, Cliff.” Arcee sighs.

Suddenly, the small screen where you would usually see the navigation system on a regular car beeps, a small orange dot appearing on the right side of the screen.

“I’m getting a signal,” Cliffjumper states seriously, his seat belt tightening around you as he makes a sudden turn off road towards the source.

“Need backup?” Arcee asks, a tinge of concern in her voice.

“Do I ever need backup?” Cliffjumper chuckles, slowing down at the ground and starts to get a little bumpy, “Plus, if I need any heavy lifting done, got squishy here to do the work for me.”

You scoff, tapping your foot against the side of his door, “Hey, you do your own work, I'm content watching you sweat your ass off.”

“Don’t be like that, we both know you can lift at least five tons,” he jokes and suddenly skirts to a halt. You peak over the hood to see what he had stopped for and…

“Damn, that’s a whole lot of crystals,” you breathe, unbuckling yourself and hopping out of the Cliffjumper to look out over the edge of the cliff. Dozens upon dozens of dark blue crystals lay jutting out of a crater like one of those crystal caverns you would see in a fantasy book.

“Not just crystals, energon crystals,” Cliffjumper responds with a low whistle, “Arcee, I just found a whole lot of energon.”

“This is what you guys eat? And it turns into that pink liquid?” You ask with a small chuckle, a cloud blocking out the fading sun. You hear Cliffjumper transform back into his bipedal form, muttering something under his breath.

Before you could speak again, Cliffjumper scoops you up and slides down the crater to a ledge. He sets you down under an outcrop of rocks and moves a large boulder over to make a makeshift cave for you to hide in.

“Whatever you do, don’t make a sound, don’t move until I come to get you,” Cliffjumper commands seriously, reaching into his subspace and pulling out a round device. He hands it to you and it makes a couple of whirring sounds before it shrinks down to be the size of your fist.

“Cliffjumper, what's going on?” You ask nervously, looking up at the giant bot before you notice the looming shadow above you. A giant ship. “What the hell is that?!”

“Don’t worry your little head off, just stay-” before he could finish his sentence he’s blown off the ledge by a purple blast. Before you could even think of screaming, rubble falls all around you, making you scramble back to prevent getting hit.

“Cliffjumper!” You scream as a squad of purple robots land in front of Cliffjumper. They don’t take notice of you or your screams, instead pointing their blasters at him. He glances up at you winking before mouthing for you to hide.

You swallow harshly, gripping the device tightly in your hand as you shuffle back into your makeshift cave, tucking yourself into the corner as you start to hear the fight going on outside. You covered your mouth when a stray blast hit near the mouth of the cave, your eyes widening as rocks tumbled down and covered the entrance.

“Shit!” you hiss, stumbling to your feet and running to the entrance, dropping the device in the process. You scratch the rocks in a panic, the hard rock only injuring you instead of allowing you an exit.

You take a couple of steps back, swallowing back your nerves and picking the device back up. Cliffjumper would come, he wouldn’t leave you here. He’d beat the Decepticons and save you, hell he’s a giant badass robot, nothing could take him down.

Right?

It was loud, the boom felt like it had broken your ear drums, your back hits the rocks and you let out a wheeze. You slump to the ground, wheezing and trying to catch your breath, the device tightly clutched in your bloodied fingers.

The rocks that had been covering the entrance were blown to the back, and it was pure luck that they had not crushed you. You stifle a cry as you try to crawl towards the entrance, smoke filtering in through the gap now.

Before you could make your painful escape, a large purple foot steps in front of you before quickly leaving. You freeze in place, your eyes widening in despair and fear as the foot is replaced by the dirtied red metal of Cliffjumper. He glances over at you, reaching out with a shaking servo.

Sorry, he mouthed before slamming his servo against the wall, making a mock display of resistance as the entrance is covered once more and your ears are greeted with the painful screeching of metal being dragged away. Along with the crackle you had been so accustomed to.

You let out a weak cry and collapse to the ground, staring at the entrance with a desperate look. Hoping that you would see the familiar horned mech lifting the rubble up after beating the snot out of the Decepticons.

Hope was funny wasn’t it? That had been an hour ago. And now that the smoke had cleared (Both literally and figuratively), you were colder than you had ever been. The team had come and you could hear them wandering about and talking, through your brief flashes of consciousness you heard them but they couldn’t hear you.

“(Y/N)?” Ratchet’s voice had come first, he was close and you could have screamed, but you couldn’t scream back, the device in your hand beeping softly and covering any hope of them being able to track you.

Then came Optimus’ he would find you, he could hear you. He would drag you out of your rocky prison. He couldn’t.

Then came the whirring and beeps. They were quick, in rapid succession along with pounding footsteps that made the rocks above you tremble and crack. You hoped they’d stop running.

A scream of your name came from Arcee, desperate and panicked, like what you felt at the moment. She was the closest, and you were sure she would find you.

But again, that was an hour ago. And now you were laying only a few feet from the ruined entrance of freedom. Your hopes of being saved slowly diminishing along with the throbbing of your heart in your ears.

Your cheeks were wet, you didn’t know if it was from the blood or the tears but it was starting to dry now. The device in your hand crusted in your red life, beeping softly as if to mock your fluttering heart.

“Shut up…” you mutter angrily, trying to shove the device away, but you don’t let go, the harsh metal that cuts into your hand seems to meld into it from the imaginary heat your body produces. “You’re the reason I'm here.”

That might have been directed towards yourself but hey, what's wrong with a little self depreciation before death?

You closed your eyes, listening to the last fragments of your struggling heart. The ground was humming with energon, something you could only assume was from the energon crystals.

You felt bad but at the same time, you didn’t, this was just death’s way of coming back for a second round. It was just a feat of luck that you just so happened to switch realities upon your death.You could have felt bad for the gods, god did you feel bad for the bots, but it wasn’t your death that would have rocked their world. You weren’t their companion that had probably saved your life multiple times and shared countless experiences.

You didn’t feel bad for yourself though.

It was warm now, the humming so much louder. This was a far more pleasant death then the truck you realized, maybe because you were actually ready now, maybe because-

A tap touch on your face makes you open your eyes and you were greeted by a masked face.

“S-Sowa?” You crook out, staring up at him with wide eyes. He picks you up, bringing you out of the cave and hiking up the steep wall like it was nothing. “How did you find me?”

He didn't respond, laying you on the soft grass next to the tree and gently prying the round device from your hand. He sits down next to you, pulling your head into his lap.

“We need to get to the autobots- the Decepticons took Cliffjumper, he might still be alive- '' You try to sputter out but he covers your mouth with a cold hand, instead focusing his attention back to the device.

You sniffle lightly, staring up at the seemingly godlike figure before you. The soft humming enveloping your senses, it was nice the soft beat from that night continuing.

He fiddles with the device, popping open the small disk and beginning to do something, you didn't know what, or why he was doing it but you were okay. You were safe.

He stops after a moment, staring down at the device before glancing down at you. With a sweeping motion, he gathers you into his lap, your back pressed against his chest as he places the device in the middle of your chest. He covers it with his hand, keeping it sealed to your chest.

The humming spread over your body as you relaxed into him, the warm feeling tenfolding as your senses exploded. A soft citrus scent wafted over your nose, you felt like you were touching a new soft blanket, a light purple haze dancing around your eyes, and you could taste the faintest hint of rosemary and honey.

This felt… calm. This felt kind. This felt like a connection.

This felt like him.

It was him, laughter, hope, pain, fear, love, it was all bundled up and following into your senses like molten lava. Laughter of children, the clanging of swords, the ordering of an unfamiliar voice, you were hearing it, you were there, you were him.

The bombardment of your senses didn't start even as he stood up. You leaned into his chest, clinging to the fabric of his lab coat. You inhaled deeply, you listened more closely, were eyes were wide and you were licking your lips like there was wiped cream on them.

This was him. You could see his face through the haze, stoic but flickering with something. Eyes flickering from green to black to purple like one of those useless motel signs. He stopped walking, setting you down on the pavement despite your enamourment with him.

‘I’m sorry, I can’t stay,’ he signs, kneeling down with you, he reaches down and brushes your wet hair out of your face, his emotionless eyes staring down at you intently. ‘I’ll come back. And you won’t be scared.’

He pulled you into a hug, letting your body rest against his as he cradled your head against his chest. You reach up with your bloody hand, grabbing his arm and holding on like it would do something to stop him.

“Promise you’ll come back?” You whisper, closing your eyes as you feel your consciousness slowly being tugged away from you. He was herding you towards rest, towards the soft herbal blanket that enveloped you. You let yourself go, trusting in the cushion that would keep you safe from harm.

Promise.

[aqua-459]

Yesterday after the lore stream I was on face time with @ghost-likes-drawing and half hardily shuffled my Las Nevadas cards and just pulled a random one from the middle. And it was a 5 of hearts?!?!?! Read of that what you will in tarot hearts are equivalent to cups and uh-

(Transcript of the photos under the cut)

First photo:

Five of Cups

The sentimental young fairy stands at the crossroads of her life. The fire has died out; it is necessary to light a new spark. The curved tree and the flowers swept up in the wind indicate that a storm is coming. On the ground, two cups are knocked over, symbolizing her lost hope. The other three cups still stand, so all is not lost.

Divinatory meaning: A marriage without real love and joy. Regrets, frustration, and sacrifices. A painful but essential test. A desire to leave troubles far behind. Financially, the card indicates an inheritance.

Reversed meaning: New alliances, affinities, harmony in relationships. Return of a former friend, the family. Good contacts and meetings.

Second photo:

Five of Cups

Upright meaning: Unhappiness in a relationship. The sadness and disappointment you feel may be due to breaking up with a partner, you know that what is hurt cannot be healed by regret. Focus on what remains rather than dwell on what you have lost.

Reversed meaning: Worry and sadness are indicated by the appearance of five reversed. The failure of a relationship or knowing that a dream is beyond reach may be hard to deal with, but in reality you are ready to move on. This is a transitory phase, and you can now look forward to the future with renewed hope.

[myminecraftfantasy]

DSMP x RWBY AU

Introduction:

This AU seems to follow the initial RWBY storyline, but immediately steers off course because I’ll be trying to smash DSMP discourse and RWBY logic together.

While most of the settings and scenarios are the same, there won’t be any direct parallel counterparts for characters roles.

The names of the schools and most of the locations remain the same, with some differences such as the kingdoms:

Atlas = Greater Dream (XDream for short)

Mistral = Kinoko

Vale = L’Manberg

Vacuo = Las Nevadas

Menagerie = Badlands

Also while Salem may not exist, the maidens and magic still do.

Characters:

TEAM RSGD (Rose Gold)

Ranboo

Race: Faunus - ??; Grimmborn

Weapon: pair of bladed tonfa/pistols

Semblance: he can use his aura to mark a spot that he can teleport to. Marks can only be used once per teleport, and will need to be renewed. (Each teleport also cost aura)

Notes: His partner is Dream.

Allegiance: L’Manburg

Sapnap

Race: human

Weapon: assault rifle/sword + flamethrower

Semblance: can immediately consume aura for a temporary boost in all physical abilities

Notes: specializes in fire dust; animals are usually uneasy around him. His partner is George

Allegiance: Kinoko

Georgenotfound

Species: human

Weapon: crossbow/spear + small shield

Semblance: Can mark a target with aura to always track the target’s location

Notes: a true hunter. His partner is Sapnap

Allegiance: Kinoko

Dream

Race: human?

Weapon: twin axes that are also pistols. combines together to create a large battle axe that is also a sniper rifle

Semblance: ???

Notes: mask and arm guards also have practical applications. His partner is Ranboo

Allegiance: XDream

TEAM TTWT (Titan White):

Tommyinnit

Race: human

Weapon: shotgun that’s also a bat

Semblance: can use aura to strengthen/power boost allies

Notes: Youngest student in Beacon. His partner is Wilbur.

Allegiance: L’Manburg

Technoblade

Species: Faunus - pig

Weapon: rocket launcher/giant sword. Can divide into an submachine gun/short sword + fishing rod

Semblance: can steal aura from opponents that he fights. Becomes stronger per battle

Notes: He was saved by Philza when he was younger

Allegiance: L’Manberg (formerly XDream)

Wilbur Soot

Race: human

Weapon: double-edged sword. Separates into two short swords that can transform into pistols

Semblance: can ignite his aura to cause an explosion. Uses it to make landmines. The more aura is used, the bigger the explosion

Notes: Tommy’s older brother and his partner.

Allegiance: L’Manburg

Tubbo

Race: faunus - ram

Weapon: war hammer/machine gun

Semblance: Can create better shields and barriers powered by his aura

Notes: His partner is Technoblade.

Allegiance: L’Manburg

:)

Team PNFJ (Pink Flamingo):

Captain Puffy & ItsFundy

Niki Nihachu & Jack Manifold

Notes:

Puffy and Fundy are faunus (sheep & fox)

Niki is the current summer maiden

Team QFSP (Kingfisher Purple):

Quackity & Slimecicle

Foolish Gamers & Purpled

Notes:

All of them are from Las Nevadas

Team BSPA (Bright Spark)

BadBoyHalo & Skeppy

Punz & AntFrost

Notes:

2nd Year students from Beacon

Punz is from XDream. Everyone else is from Badlands

Bad is a Grimmborn. AntFrost is a cat faunus.

:)

Foreign Student Pairs:

Karl Jacobs & TinaKitten

Notes:

from Kinoko.

Karl has reincarnated many times. He was once the founding king of Kinoko.

Hannahxrose & Connoreatspants

Notes:

They’re friends with the KT pair

Connor is aware of of Karl’s past

Hannah is the current spring maiden

Eret & Eryn

Notes:

from XDream.

Eryn is an old friend of Tommy

Eret is a silver-eyed warrior

:)

Oher Characters:

L’Manburg:

Philza - Secretary, Vice-principal;

Schlatt - Principal; Ram Faunus

Ponk - Professor at Beacon;

XDream:

Michael Mcchill; Callahan;

ItsAlyssa - the current winter maiden

Kinoko: Vikkstar; LazarBeam; Hbomb

Las Nevadas: Awesamdude; Boomer

Aimseytv - the current fall maiden, whereabouts unknown

(This note was last updated April 21, 2022)

So how did Ranboo ended up with the dream team? Leader, nonetheless?! Well, I don’t know! Mind telling us, Dream?

[keirawantstocry]

🐦‍⬛ *gets a megaphone*

TNTDUO

T.N.T. DUOOOOOOO

SCREAMS INTO THE VOID

Wilbur wasn’t quite sure how he had ended up in this specific position. This specific position meaning Las Nevadas. This specific position meaning in Quackity’s office. This specific position meaning leaning over said man with a hand curled around his throat being stared at with dark slitted eyes. He tightened his hand every so slightly around the man’s throat as blood thrummed in his veins, his heart beating nearly out of his chest. Those dark eyes widened, eyebrows shifting down as a gasp escaped his lips. 

“Wil,” he said in a choked voice. 

Don’t let go, his mind whispered to him. 

He wanted to keep this moment encased in glass. A lovely burnt pink flush sat on the height of Quackity's cheekbones and Wilbur wanted to commit its exact shade to memory. He could feel the blood currently coursing through Quackity's body from where his fingertips lay over his strong beating pulse. So alive. Quackity was the most alive person he had ever met. It was a wonderful fucking reminder of how good it felt to have his beating heart back inside of his chest after those damned thirteen years in his personal hell. 

“You're in your head,” Quackity said in a whisper. “Get out of there.” 

Wilbur managed to make eye contact with him but he couldn't do much more. Thoughts swirled around in every single crevice of his brain. His mouth refused to open and his thoughts refused to formulate into sentences. Everything felt fuzzy and strange. Part of him wondered if he had been dreaming and he hadn’t been revived. Was he dead? Wilbur's hand sagged against Quackity's neck, he couldn't keep that tight grip any longer. 

Battering away the loose hand, Quackity grabbed Wilbur's face. “Out of your head, man. Get out.” 

Even the physical contact didn’t help to snap him out of it. All he could do was stare at Quackity with desperate eyes and sink back into thinking about how the man in front of him was the most perfect, lively, angelic man he had ever known in his time on this godforsaken server. He was so so alive. 

Quackity sunk his teeth into Wilbur's neck. 

It was like a rush of cold water straight to his brain bringing himself completely back to a present mental state. It stung like hell as he felt his sharp teeth sink into him. His eyes widened in surprise and instead of a yelp a moan fell from his chapped lips. 

Laughter was stifled by Wilbur's neck as Quackity licked the bite he had just left, lapping up the bits of blood pricking up. Fuck he bit hard. And fuck was Wilbur into it. “You fucking freak,” Quackity said eyes bright as he pulled back. 

“You’ve let me drink some of your blood before, I think you're the freak darling.” 

“Says the man who begged for it.” 

Wilbur scoffed, regaining himself and lunged fast to get his hand around Quackity’s throat again. The man smiled at him with eyes that were alight with fire. “What are you here for, Wil? More of my blood? Or something else this time?” 

Those words lit something up in Wilbur’s brain that hadn’t been alive in years and years. Nearly embarrassing but he couldn’t quite care. “What are you suggesting?” 

“You know damn well,” Quackity said, his face settling into something more annoyed, more him. “Don’t play coy.” 

Wilbur kissed him and the world was on fire. Everything burned. Every point of contact that their bodies made together sparked flames in him. Quackity pushed their bodies together and he had no idea what he was doing to Wilbur. Remembering suddenly the position of his hand, Wilbur squeezed. Quackity gasped and Wilbur swallowed the noise. It was delicious. He licked into the other man’s mouth as he tried to truly clear his mind. Another gasp fell from his lips as they pressed harder together. They were being senseless but that was who they were. 

Pulling back, Wilbur took another moment to tighten the grip his hand had, addicted to the way Quackity’s eyes rolled back into his skull. 

“You’re gonna bruise my throat,” Quackity said in a slightly strangled voice. 

‘“Would you be so opposed to that?” Wilbur teased. 

“Hell no,” Quackity hissed before pulling him into another rough kiss, with clacking teeth and sharp tugs on each other’s lips. 

[newstfionline]

Saturday, October 12, 2024

Florida counts cost of Hurricane Milton (Reuters) Florida on Friday was clearing downed trees and power lines and mopping up flooded neighborhoods after Hurricane Milton roared through leaving at least 16 people dead. While Milton did not trigger the catastrophic surge of seawater that was feared in Florida, the clean-up operation could take many weeks or months for some people. "It opens your eyes to what Mother Nature can do," said Chase Pierce, 25 of west St. Petersburg, who, with his girlfriend, saw transformers blow up, sparks fly and a power line fall in the back yard. The fifth-most-intense Atlantic hurricane on record, Milton could cost insurers alone up to $100 billion, analysts say.

The staggering price you’re paying for America’s nuclear makeover (NYT) The U.S. military says America’s nuclear arsenal is outdated and unable to keep up with our adversaries’ modern weapons. To replace it, the country is in the midst of a once-in-a-generation overhaul that could exceed $1.7 trillion. The spending spree, which the government began planning in 2010, is underway in at least 23 states—nearly 50 if you include subcontractors. Along with 12 new nuclear subs, the military is paying for a new fleet of bomber jets, land-based missiles and thermonuclear warheads. Tally all that spending, and the bill comes to almost $57 billion a year, or $108,000 per minute for three decades. If you don’t live where the submarines are welded or the missile silos are dug, there’s a good chance you wouldn’t know it’s happening. But each day, more than 110,000 scientists, military personnel and private contractors with high-level security clearances are scanning into facilities, putting on safety gear and piecing together a modern arsenal for a volatile new nuclear age. The money is already flowing, assembling weapons everyone hopes will never be used.

Pandering for votes (Bloomberg) Pandering for votes is standard practice in election campaigns. But the tax-policy proposals on offer during this presidential contest are setting new standards for shamelessness. The purest example of this bipartisan trait is a plan to exempt tips from income tax. Donald Trump raised the idea in June, then Kamala Harris joined him when she entered the race. Both made their pitch in Nevada, a battleground state, where about 5% of workers get some income from tips (the national average is 2%). President Joe Biden won there by 34,000 votes in 2020, so winning over some of its 350,000 hospitality workers could make the difference. Setting the electoral arithmetic aside, the idea makes no sense. Tipped workers are usually low-paid. Many would get little or no benefit because their earnings fall below IRS thresholds for tax liability. Trump also says he would end US income taxes on Americans living in other countries (though of course he can’t do that on his own since Congress would have to pass a law).

One killed as protests over high cost of living in Martinique turn violent (AP) Protests over the high cost of living in the French Caribbean island of Martinique turned violent late Wednesday, with at least one person killed as demonstrators set fire to a police station, cars and road barricades as they clashed with officers. It was one of the most violent nights yet since protests began more than a month ago, with the government issuing a statement asserting that no police officers used their weapons and that the killing was under investigation. Videos posted on social media showed protesters looting grocery stores and other businesses as they threw rocks and bottles at police, who responded with tear gas.

Migration through Darien Gap increased in September, led by Venezuelans after the election (AP) The number of migrants crossing the Darien Gap—a rugged jungle passage between Colombia and Panama—increased sharply in September, according to Panamanian government data. Venezuelans have led mass migration through the Darien since 2022, and make up much of the increase since that country’s recent controversial presidential election. More than half a million migrants, a record number, crossed the Darien in 2023. More than 65% of them were Venezuelan.

France plans to tax big business and the rich, while slashing public spending (Politico) France’s new government is laser-focused on budget cuts. Michel Barnier’s government published draft legislation last night outlining its plans to address France’s “colossal” debt issue. The main points? First, €19.4 billion in tax increases, with a focus on “exceptional” taxes on “the profits of large companies” and tax hikes on the “wealthiest” French households. Second, the spending cuts—totaling €41.3 billion overall—will cut 2,200 government jobs, shrink France’s foreign aid budget, and eliminate various tax credits. The new budget will hopefully help the country work its way out of the E.U. excessive deficit procedure it’s currently facing. Because of the Barnier government’s precarious situation—it’s made up of a patchwork coalition of centrists and right-wingers—the government might need to invoke a constitutional mechanism to get the budget passed. That maneuver would allow the government to shove through the budget without even a vote from Parliament unless lawmakers are able to scrape together a vote of no confidence within 48 hours. Maybe we’ll see another new French government sooner than expected.

September Was Deadly Month for Russian Troops in Ukraine, U.S. Says (NYT) September was the bloodiest month of the war for Russian forces in Ukraine, U.S. officials said, with the costly offensive in the east bringing the number of Russia’s dead and wounded to more than 600,000 troops since the war started. U.S. officials attribute the high number of Russian casualties to what they describe as a grinding war of attrition, with each side trying to exhaust the other by inflicting maximum losses, hoping to break the enemy’s capacity and will to continue. Russian troops have made steady but incremental gains in recent months in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, U.S. officials said. It is a style of warfare that Russians have likened to being put into a meat grinder, with commanding officers seemingly willing to send many thousands of infantry soldiers to die. According to U.S. assessments, Russian casualties in the war so far number as many as 615,000—115,000 Russians killed and 500,000 wounded. Ukrainian officials have zealously guarded their casualty figures, even from the Americans, but a U.S. official estimated that Ukraine had suffered a bit more than half of Russia’s casualties, or more than 57,500 killed and 250,000 wounded.

Airstrikes in Beirut Kill at Least 22 and Level a Building, Lebanese Officials Say (NYT) Israeli airstrikes hit two buildings in a densely populated area of central Beirut on Thursday, Lebanon said, in what appeared to be the deadliest attack in the Lebanese capital in more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. The strikes killed at least 22 people and wounded at least 117 others, Lebanese officials said. Lebanon’s state-run news agency reported that one of the strikes had targeted an eight-story building in the Ras el-Nabaa neighborhood, while the other had leveled a four-story building in the Basta neighborhood. Videos verified by The New York Times showed that the building in Basta had been destroyed and adjacent buildings had been damaged. Two plumes of thick, acrid smoke could be seen rising above the city skyline. The strikes came hours after United Nations officials said that Israeli forces had fired on U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, wounding two and touching off international criticism of the Israeli military’s offensive against Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group.

Israel steps up its battles with the United Nations (Washington Post) Israel firing on UN peacekeepers is only the latest flash point between Israel and the world’s most important international organization. A General Assembly resolution last month called on Israel to dismantle illegal settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, a withdrawal that would be unthinkable to Israel’s far-right government. Separate cases for genocide and war crimes against Israel and Israeli officials are running through the International Court of Justice, the U.N.’s top court, and the International Criminal Court. Meanwhile, in Israeli discourse, the United Nations is a frequent target of scorn, seen as a biased instrument of myriad member states angry at Israel over its occupation of Palestinian territories. When he addressed the General Assembly in New York in September, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the international body a “swamp of antisemitic bile.” Earlier this month, the country’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, declared the U.N. Secretary General António Guterres “persona non grata,” barring him from entering Israel after the latter made a statement condemning the “broadening” nature of the conflict in the Middle East without specifically decrying Iran’s rocket barrage.

‘Relentless’ Israeli Attacks on Gaza Medical Workers Are War Crime, U.N. Panel Says (NYT) United Nations investigators on Thursday accused Israel of engaging in “relentless and deliberate attacks” on health care facilities, medical workers and wounded civilians in the Gaza Strip and said the actions amounted to war crimes and extermination, a crime against humanity. A U.N. report said the Israelis had imposed “collective punishment” on Palestinians in retaliation for the Oct. 7 attacks Hamas militants led on Israel a year ago from Gaza. The Israeli siege that followed, it said, has prevented hospitals from receiving food, fuel, water and medical supplies, and has also limited the number of patients allowed to leave Gaza for treatment. Navi Pillay, the former U.N. high commissioner for human rights, said, “Israel has perpetrated a concerted policy to destroy Gaza’s health care system as part of a broader assault on Gaza, committing war crimes and the crime against humanity of extermination with relentless and deliberate attacks on medical personnel and facilities.”

After a 2-year investigation, South African president won’t be charged over $580K hidden in a couch (AP) South African President Cyril Ramaphosa won’t face criminal charges over a hidden cash scandal that was revealed more than two years ago and led to an investigation by a special police unit, prosecutors said Thursday. A former national security chief laid a criminal complaint against Ramaphosa in June 2022, accusing him of kidnapping, bribery and other crimes in relation to the theft of $580,000 in U.S. banknotes that was stashed in a couch at the president’s ranch. The former security boss, Arthur Fraser, alleged that Ramaphosa had been keeping the cash hidden in furniture at his ranch to evade South Africa’s foreign currency laws when it was stolen. Instead of reporting the theft, Ramaphosa tried to cover it up by having members of his presidential protection unit track down the thieves, kidnap them and then bribe them to keep quiet about the existence of the money, Fraser said in the affidavit filed with police. The theft happened at Ramaphosa’s game farm in rural northern South Africa in early 2020 and had been kept quiet until Fraser’s allegations. It forced Ramaphosa to admit the theft took place and threw his presidency into turmoil.

Weeds (MIT Technology Review) Weeds are winning again, with herbicide-resistant strains emerging from 273 weed species, developing resistances to any of 168 different herbicides. Water hemp, for instance, grows an inch per day or more, and is now resistant to seven classes of herbicides. That’s quite bad, as season-long water hemp can cut soybean yields by 44 percent and cut corn yields by 15 percent.

[voltrixz]

AUDITOR HC’S!!!!(other employers too and Maker ig too)

I think its about time I share a few hc’s I have about the silly fire guy (and the other funny flame guys and the Maker)

Sooooooooo here ya go

 -The Employers are all siblings and the Maker is their dad, they are FAMILY!!!!! (its canon trust me)

- When the employers were first created by the Maker, The Machine (Maker's brother) disapproved as the Maker had grown attached to them and considered them their kids instead of the original plan that was just supposed to make them controlled pawns of the Maker. But Maker hated that plan and Machine eventually just dropped the issue (Maker is very stubborn and persuasive) (traits shown in the Employers (like father, like kids )

- Auditor is the youngest of the siblings, Stygian and Conductor being the middle kids, with Deliberator being the oldest (despite being shorter than Sty and C)(they teased them a lot about this )

-  Being the youngest I think he definitely wants to prove themself to the rest, which is the whole reason they decided to interfere with Nevada, hoping to put it under his control only to screw up constantly (geek but still an idiot)

- While most of the employers show disinterest in the Nevadians, rarely caring about them. Auditor actually takes great interest in Nevadians (he’s a bit of a geek) they find Nevadians to be perplexing beings and is always (secretly) amazed about the things they do (the rest of the Employers don't really get what's so interesting however)

- Also Auditor’s whole curiosity over Nevadians is also what leads them to take an interest in Phobos no matter how annoying Auditor thought he was at the beginning (finds him strangely intriguing)

- Auditor’s flames often reflect his emotions, either fuming upward when pissed off, drooping and sparking when feeling tired, etc etc. Also their flames will give off heart shaped sparks when flustered or just being affectionate (usually happens around Phobos)

- Auditor can also change the velocity and heat of the flames, either making the flames spark violently and being absolutely painful to touch (massive burn) or flowing softly and being just warm enough to touch.

- Auditor mainly uses he/they but is also fine with any really (genderfluid icon tbh) (his siblings also usually use one set of pronouns but are fine with any as well)

-Auditor is the only Employer made of warm matter(?), making him either extremely hot to touch or just warm enough. The rest of the employers are MUCH colder to touch and will often crowd around Auditor to grow warm (they don't actually need to grow warm, they just do it to annoy Auditor)

- Auditor rarely bothers to actually eat or make proper meals for themselves since with a snap they can just have a soda appear in front of them, so yeah this guy cannot cook even if their life depended on it (the kitchen is set ablaze as soon as they step in)

[mariacallous]

Towering nearly 6,000 feet, the West Maui Mountains are a dramatic, defining feature of the Hawaiian island—verdant peaks surrounded by sparkling blue waters. But on August 8, they became deadly, helping to unleash hell on the town of Lahaina. Wind poured down the mountains like an avalanche, accelerating to 60-mile-per-hour gusts that got drier and drier as they descended. The winds sucked away the remaining moisture in already parched vegetation, turning the landscape into tinder. Then all it took was a spark.

“When you get 60-mile-an-hour winds, the fact is you're not going to stop any fire, period,” says Jack Minassian, the Fire Science program coordinator at Hawaii Community College. “The only thing that stopped that fire was when it reached the ocean and ran out of fuel. The only thing you do when you have 60-mile-an-hour winds is just get people out of the way.”

Many people couldn’t: The death toll stands at 115, with 850 still reported missing. The worst-case fire scenario that’s played out across the continental United States over recent years—the Camp Fire that destroyed the town of Paradise, killing 85, and the Tubbs Fire that tore through Santa Rosa, killing 22—is now tropical Hawaii’s problem as well. While there is no single reason why wildfires have gotten so bad, a common denominator is wind. And of all the drivers of wildfires, it’s the thing we can’t do anything about. 

Long before the winds gusted on August 8, invasive grasses had primed Maui’s landscape to burn. European colonizers brought these with them, when they established plantations on the Hawaiian islands. Those grasses have since spread out of control, covering a quarter of the state—growing across abandoned plantations, along roadsides, between houses. They grow rapidly during the rainy season, and wither quickly during the dry season, which is ongoing right now on Maui. The island is also deep in a drought.

Climate change is helping supercharge these sorts of wind-driven fires. Generally speaking, the hotter the atmosphere gets, the more moisture it can hold, and the more moisture it can remove from vegetation that acts as a fire’s fuel. Scientists are still working to figure out exactly how much climate change contributed to the blaze that destroyed Lahaina, but it’s clear that it is a factor: On a warmer planet, droughts become more common and more intense. Between the years 1920 and 2012, over 90 percent of Hawaii saw a drying trend. 

So the grass around Lahaina was ready to burn, and in a matter of hours, those dry winds evaporated what little moisture remained. Think of it like letting your hair air-dry for a while, then blasting it with a hair dryer. The same dynamic is also at play in California’s increasingly catastrophic wildfires: An already-dry landscape can be scoured by winds racing down the Sierra Nevada mountains. 

While the source of the ignition for the Lahaina wildfire is still under investigation, electrical infrastructure is the prime suspect. When winds kick up, they jostle wires and can shower dry fuels with sparks. That’s what caused both the Camp and Tubbs fires, among many others in recent years. 

Winds blowing at 60 miles an hour not only push the flames along, they also help start new fires. Wildland firefighters on the US mainland regularly struggle with embers blowing miles ahead of the main blaze, starting new ones downwind. The same likely happened across the town of Lahaina, making it impossible to stamp out all the new fires. “That's probably how most of the fires started, from embers accumulating,” says Minassian. “You can see it in some of the pictures there—they show embers all over the place.”

It is exceedingly difficult to predict where winds might drive a fire, because wind is an exceedingly complex phenomenon. It interacts with the landscape in granular ways: It moves differently over grasslands than it does through wooded areas, where it flows between trees. “How is the wind channelized in the gap between two trees? Believe it or not, that actually matters a lot,” says UC Irvine atmospheric scientist Tirtha Banerjee, who studies how wind influences wildfire. “That has an impact on how the fire burns.” And once those winds reached the town of Lahaina, they poured between buildings in complicated ways, further confounding predictions for where the fire might spread.

Climate change is clearly worsening wildfires due to hotter temperatures and gnarlier droughts, and scientists are now trying to work out how it might tweak the way winds flow. “There's a lot more uncertainty because wind is so local, and the small-scale variations on the land surface can really change the patterns,” says Banerjee. “Mountainous terrain can create this little local recirculation that can actually make your fires more unpredictable.”

Indeed, fire behavior—the dynamics of how wildfire spreads across the landscape—is getting increasingly chaotic due to the combination of climate change, accumulated fuels, and wind. That’s making wildfires increasingly difficult to fight. “We've been seeing a lot of really strong, erratic winds that can just make these fires go from something manageable to something that completely levels a town,” says Kaitlyn Trudeau, a senior research associate of climate science at Climate Central, who studies wildfires. “It's been really deadly for a lot of firefighters, who have actually gotten encircled by fire because the winds are just blowing in a way that causes a fire to burn around them into a circle.”

Part of the problem is that as supercharged wildfires get bigger and more intense, they start to create their own wind. Fire produces columns of hot air that rise into the atmosphere—sometimes so much of it that smoke thunderclouds form, creating lightning that sparks more fires. As that hot air ascends, air from surrounding areas rushes in to fill the void, creating additional wind. “It's not like the fire is only responding to the winds, but the fire itself—because of the heat—actually changes the winds,” says climate scientist Ruby Leung, of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. “All of this can be very complicated if you want to predict where the winds are blowing.”

There’s simply no controlling the wind—but there are ways to tackle the other drivers of wildfires. In the big picture, humanity needs to dramatically reduce carbon emissions to slow climate change. And in the near term, people need to get better at managing overgrown and dead vegetation, like with controlled burns, so wildfires won’t have the fuel they need to burn out of control. You might have 60-mile-per-hour winds, and you might get a spark from downed electrical lines, but there won't be enough tinder for a fire to turn into a city-obliterating conflagration.

“We're seeing fire seasons getting longer, and we're seeing fire behavior getting more extreme,” says Minassian. “That makes it more difficult to try to suppress. And we need to start thinking about evacuation plans, defensible space, things that communities and homeowners can do to minimize the threat of wildland fire.”

[pettirosso1959]

https://apnews.com/article/tesla-semi-fire-battery-crash-water-firefighters-7ff04a61e562b80b73e057cfd82b6165?fbclid=IwY2xjawFTOARleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHUCKaJ0gNUgdYSeK8y9m4mGnqHq9JeUHolcxWrX0eOcpczeGERDhTQVWBQ_aem_sW9p4t_ejHlOvpp_-yNAiA

Ci sono voluti 50.000 galloni d'acqua per spegnere l'incendio della Tesla Semi in California, afferma un'agenzia statunitense.

WASHINGTON (AP) — I vigili del fuoco della California hanno dovuto spegnere la batteria in fiamme di un Tesla Semi con circa 50.000 galloni (190.000 litri) di acqua per spegnere le fiamme dopo un incidente, ha affermato giovedì il National Transportation Safety Board.

Oltre all'enorme quantità di acqua, i vigili del fuoco hanno utilizzato un aereo per sganciare del ritardante di fiamma sulla "zona circostante" del camion elettrico come misura precauzionale, ha affermato l'agenzia in un rapporto preliminare.

I vigili del fuoco avevano dichiarato in precedenza che la batteria aveva raggiunto temperature di 1.000 gradi Fahrenheit (540 gradi Celsius) mentre era in fiamme.

L' NTSB ha inviato gli investigatori all'incidente del 19 agosto lungo l'Interstate 80 nei pressi di Emigrant Gap, circa 70 miglia (113 chilometri) a nord-est di Sacramento. L'agenzia ha affermato che avrebbe esaminato i rischi di incendio posti dalla grande batteria agli ioni di litio del camion.

L'agenzia ha anche scoperto che il camion non stava operando su uno dei sistemi di guida parzialmente automatizzati di Tesla al momento dell'incidente, afferma il rapporto. I sistemi non erano operativi e "non potevano essere attivati", secondo l'agenzia.

L'incidente è avvenuto intorno alle 3:13 del mattino mentre il trattore-rimorchio veniva guidato da un dipendente Tesla da Livermore, California, a una struttura Tesla a Sparks, Nevada. Il Semi è uscito di strada mentre percorreva una curva a destra e ha colpito un albero, secondo quanto riportato dal rapporto. È sceso lungo un pendio e si è fermato contro diversi alberi. Il conducente non è rimasto ferito.

[sa7abnews]

Democratic heavyweights to speak at party's convention; preparing for large Palestinian protests

New Post has been published on https://sa7ab.info/2024/08/13/democratic-heavyweights-to-speak-at-partys-convention-preparing-for-large-palestinian-protests/

Democratic heavyweights to speak at party's convention; preparing for large Palestinian protests

The biggest names in the Democratic Party will be center stage next week as the party’s national nominating convention kicks off in Chigago.President Biden, former Presidents Obama and Clinton and former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton have been confirmed as speakers at the Democratic National Convention, a source familiar with convention planning confirmed to Fox News.While a mostly unified and now energized Democratic Party will meet inside the United Center arena on Chicago’s West Side Aug. 19-22, outside of the security perimeter, there will likely be scenes of anger and dissent – as demonstrators protesting the Biden-Harris administration’s support for Israel in its nearly 11 month-long war with Hamas in Gaza are planning to take to the streets.HARRIS HAULS IN $12 MILLION DURING SAN FRANCISCO STOP AS PELOSI WELCOMES THE VICE PRESIDENT HOMEThe Democrats’ convention comes nearly a month after the president’s blockbuster July 21 announcement that he was suspending his re-election bid and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris following his disastrous performance against former President Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, in their late June debate.Biden’s rambling and uneven answers at the debate fueled questions over whether the 81-year-old president had the physical and mental abilities to handle another four years in the White House and sparked a chorus of calls from within his own party to end his 2024 campaign.WHAT THE LATEST POLLS IN THREE KEY BATTLEGROUND STATES SHOW IN THE HARRIS-TRUMP SHOWDOWNDemocrats desperate to keep Trump from returning to the White House quickly coalesced around Harris, who last week was formally nominated by the party in a virtual roll call. Harris has enjoyed a surge in fundraising after replacing Biden three weeks ago atop the Democrats’ 2024 ticket, and her July haul was more than double the funds raised last month by Trump. Additionally, Harris saw another spike in fundraising after naming Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate a week ago.The vice president and Walz quickly hit the campaign trail with a swing through the key battleground states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona and Nevada that drew large crowds at every stop.Even though both Harris and Walz have been officially nominated, convention organizers say there will be ceremonial roll calls next week in Chicago. The vice president and the Minnesota governor will both address the convention in nationally televised speeches next Wednesday and Thursday.Party officials are hoping to avoid any type of repeat of their 1968 convention in Chicago, when scenes of fighting among delegates and clouds of tear gas and police batons used to smash protests as divided Democrats brawled over the Vietnam War.While Democrats are divided over the U.S. response to the soaring death toll among Palestinians in the Israel-Hamas war, political pundits say comparisons to the 1968 chaos are not justifiable.However, the Coalition to March on the D.N.C., an umbrella group of organizations on the left that is helping to organize the planned protests, said in a social media posting on Sunday that Democratic Party officials “underestimate our rage, our tenacity, and our steadfast commitment to the precious life of every Palestinian person enduring this horrific genocide. We’re fighting back.”Protesters are trading fire with Chicago officials over where they will be allowed to march during the convention. The activists are aiming for a longer route which they say would better accommodate the tens of thousands of people they hope will protest. A federal judge overseeing the dispute between the protesters and city officials has yet to make a decision.Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

[weather-usa]

Dry lightning outbreak could ignite wildfires in the Northwest amid critical fire conditions

NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center forecasts a potential dry lightning outbreak on Sunday in the Critical Fire Weather area, which includes northeast California, northwest Nevada, and south-central Oregon. These regions are experiencing extreme heat this summer.

Weather Forecast For 08062 - Mullica Hill, NJ:

Rounds of thunderstorms moving across the Northwest may trigger a dry lightning outbreak in parts of Oregon, California, and Nevada, potentially sparking fires in these regions that have recently faced record-breaking temperatures and dry conditions.

Isolated thunderstorms are expected on Sunday, starting in the morning along Coastal Oregon before advancing further into the Northwest.

Climate and Average Weather Year Round in 45242-Cincinnati-OH:

https://www.behance.net/gallery/200627705/Weather-Forecast-For-45242-Cincinnati-OH

NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center forecasts a potential dry lightning outbreak on Sunday in the Critical Fire Weather area, which includes northeast California, northwest Nevada, and south-central Oregon. This area encompasses cities such as Bend, Redmond, and Winnemucca, Oregon.

"Any lightning strikes, combined with hot and dry conditions, could ignite new fires," warned the National Weather Service in Pendleton, Oregon.

On Sunday, there is a lower threat of isolated dry thunderstorms from Washington to the northeastern corner of Nevada.

The FOX Forecast Center is monitoring lightning intensity, which is expected to increase on Sunday afternoon across Oregon, Northern California, and Nevada.

Thunderstorms may persist from Sunday into the overnight hours, with an isolated risk of lightning continuing into Monday across the Northwest.

See more:

This region is facing extreme heat this summer, with Excessive Heat Warnings in effect for much of the Pacific Northwest through Monday. Temperatures are forecast to reach up to 110 degrees in parts of Oregon and Washington. With wind gusts of up to 45 mph and relative humidity around 10%, these conditions could enable fires to spread rapidly.

Firefighters across the West are grappling with fires amid extreme heat this summer.

The Falls Fire, which began on July 10 and is burning northwest of Burns, Oregon, has already consumed over 120,000 acres and led to evacuations in Grant and Harney counties. More than 20 large wildfires are currently burning across Oregon.

According to the National Interagency Fire Center, 63 large wildfires have burned over 1 million acres across the U.S. this year.

See more:

https://weatherusa.app/zip-code/weather-06021

https://weatherusa.app/zip-code/weather-06022

https://weatherusa.app/zip-code/weather-06023

https://weatherusa.app/zip-code/weather-06024

https://weatherusa.app/zip-code/weather-06025

[unitedventurez]

Biden Tells Americans To 'Cool It Down' After Trump Assassination Bid

US President Joe Biden sought to calm a divided nation Sunday after his rival Donald Trump survived an assassination bid, saying in a rare Oval Office address that it was time to lower the temperature of America’s hostile politics.

“It’s time to cool it down. We all have a responsibility to do that,” Biden said in a televised address following the attack in which Republican Trump was injured in the ear and a bystander was killed by gunfire.

As the country reeled from images of a bloodied Trump waving his fist after the gunman opened fire at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, Biden added that US politics “must never be a literal battlefield, God forbid a killing field.”

The 20-year-old shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot dead by Secret Service agents amid scenes of chaos. Authorities say his motive remains unclear.

The FBI said it was investigating the attack as a potential act of domestic terrorism and studying Crooks’s phone to discover any “ideologies” he may have had.

Biden, giving just the third Oval Office address of his presidency, also mentioned the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack by pro-Trump supporters as proof that the situation is getting out of hand.

“We can’t allow this violence to be normalized,” the 81-year-old Democrat said, adding that the November 5 election would be a “time of testing” for the United States.

The short but forceful speech went without any major hitches — bar Biden twice referring to the ballot box as a “battle box”. Democrats are closely watching the president following a disastrous debate performance renewed concerns about his age and ability to govern.

The attempt on Trump’s life has opened a dark new chapter in an already polarized election rematch with Biden, who beat him in 2020.

Despite their bitter enmity, both Biden and Trump called for calm after the most serious attack on a US president or ex-president in more than four decades.

Trump said it was “more important than ever that we stand United” and added that Americans should not allow “evil to win,” in a post on social media.

Numerous Republicans — who themselves often pose with guns in political ads — have claimed Democrats have promoted extreme rhetoric that led to the shooting.

Just before Biden’s speech, Trump landed in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention, during which he will formally be anointed the party’s nominee.

The US Secret Service insisted the agency is “fully prepared” to maintain security at the convention, as it comes under severe scrutiny over the attempt to kill Trump.

The agency faces searching questions about how the shooter was able to climb onto a rooftop around 150 meters (500 feet) from where Trump was speaking and fire multiple rounds.

The FBI was “looking at it as a potential domestic terrorism act,” the bureau’s assistant director of counterterrorism Robert Wells said.

The shooter’s father was believed to have bought the semi-automatic weapon used in the attack but it was unclear how the shooter accessed it. Investigators also found a “suspicious device” in the shooter’s car.

Crooks’s former schoolmates described him as a quiet student who often came across as lonely.

“He was quiet but he was just bullied. He was bullied so much,” Jason Kohler, who said he attended the same high school as Crooks, told reporters.

The attack threatens to further inflame tensions at an already febrile moment in the race for the White House.

Trump was recently convicted of criminal charges while Biden’s dismal debate performance sparked Democratic party fears over his age and mental acuity.

The shooting will likely now upend how both campaign.

Biden, who is behind in most polls, will meanwhile have to tone down the full-throated criticisms of Trump that he pivoted to last week to shift attention from his own woes.

But while the president canceled a trip to Texas on Monday he will continue with a visit to the battleground state of Nevada later this week.

“That’s how democracy should work,” he said in the Oval Office address. “We debate and disagree.”

[theicescorpions]

Primal Fire Chapter Ten: Creatures and Caverns

Wheeljack never escaped the Decepticons, instead he was made into Shockwave’s lab experiment and was turned into a Predacon.

Inspired by @sugarand-everythingnice And her “of Flesh and Steel” AU

Apologies for the delay in posting I had an insane month that involved a lot of scrambling because I moved houses.

Master Post

Chapter One

Previous

Wheeljack walked in silence, the weight of the alliance heavy on his spark. The full realization that he may soon be a father to Predacon whelplings made the Predacon in him proud and happy, but the part that was still the old him wanted to resist, to run. He quickly stomped out those panicked thoughts, not liking them one bit.

Once that was dealt with his mind drifted to the future, where his offspring would play a crucial role in reshaping the fate of their species. He just hoped that his faith in the Autobots wasn't misplaced.

Fablebreaker wove through the trees. She had chosen a location in Oregon for their Wheyr. It was a long way away from the desolate flat terrain of Nevada and even farther away from Shockwave's lab.

Hopefully the mountain would provide them with caves deep enough to Shield them from detection.

"Where are we?" Thunderdrum asked as he and Fidget remained on alert for any enemies.

"The humans call this place Mount St. Hilary. Long long ago when I was first sent to this planet I found a wrecked ship under the mountain. If the ship is unusable we can still use the caverns for our home. If the ship works. Power, communication and medical equipment. Then we may have the start of something to give us equal footing in this war." Fablebreaker explained. "It's also rich in Energon. We won't have to rely on the other factions or risk being caught scavenging for our food source."

Wheeljack felt a surge of relief as Fablebreaker shared her plan in more detail. The idea of setting up their base in Mount St. Hilary, with the potential resources from the wrecked ship mollified his anxiety. He'd forgotten most everything about engineering but he could still read. If this ship's database was intact he could relearn what Shockwave erased from his memory.

Fablebreaker led them to the entrance of the caverns, her movements graceful and purposeful. Thunderdrum and Fidget followed closely behind, their optics scanning the surroundings for any potential threats.

Eventually she approached a massive moss covered boulder and began forcing it out of the way. Behind it was a large Predacon sized hole and the three males quickly helped her move the huge rock aside.

A rush of musty air escaped from the opening as they revealed the entrance to the caverns. Wheeljack peered into the darkness, his optics adjusting to the dim light filtering through the rocky passageways ahead. Fablebreaker gestured for them to follow her as she led the way into the depths of Mount St. Hilary. The air grew cooler as they descended deeper, the sounds of their footsteps echoing off the walls.

After what seemed like an eternity of winding through narrow tunnels and slippery slopes, they finally reached a massive chamber bathed in a soft blue glow. Energon coated the walls, causing the illumination and buried In the far wall of the cavern lay the ancient wrecked ship, its metal hull was damaged and pockmarked from eons of space travel and subsequent neglect.

It was a haunting sight, the once-majestic ship now reduced to a mere shell of its former self. Wheeljack felt a pang of sadness at the thought of such advanced technology lying dormant and forgotten for so long. He walked over to one of the airlocks and tried to key it open and when it wouldn't budge he sunk his talons into the door and with a mighty heave he ripped the door off the ship.

The rusty door clanged to the ground, sending echoes reverberating through the chamber. Wheeljack peered inside the darkened interior of the ship, his optics scanning for any signs of life or activity. The air was stale and heavy with the scent of decay, a stark reminder of the ship's long abandonment.

Fablebreaker joined Wheeljack at the entrance, her gaze sweeping over the dilapidated interior and flickering lights. "We have our work cut out for us," she said, looking up at her mate.

"Yeah but it's a start." Wheeljack stated "Fidget, Thunderdrum. Scout out the interior. If there's any corpses inside If they look diseased don't touch them. If not, bring 'em out for burial. Fablebreaker and I are going to search the cavern more thoroughly to make sure there isn't anything lurking around down here."

As Fidget and Thunderdrum ventured deeper into the wrecked ship, their cautious footsteps echoed through the corridors. The faint hum of dormant systems reverberated around them, creating an eerie atmosphere. They carefully navigated the darkened hallways, their optics scanning for any signs of danger or life.

Meanwhile, Wheeljack and Fablebreaker explored the cavern surrounding the ship, their energon scanners sweeping the area for any hidden threats. The walls radiated a soft blue light from the energon deposits, casting long shadows across the chamber. As they delved deeper into the cavern, they began to notice the heat beginning to increase around them.

The temperature continued to rise steadily as Wheeljack and Fablebreaker ventured further into the cavern. Their cooling fans kicking into high gear as they pressed on, determined to ensure the safety of their newfound sanctuary. The soft blue glow from the energon deposits was soon overshadowed by a burning red light as they discovered the source of the heat. An underground lake of lava.

The molten lava bubbled and churned, casting a fiery glow that danced across the walls of the cavern. The intense heat radiating from the lava lake made the air shimmer, distorting their vision as they peered into the depths.

"It doesn't look unstable." Wheeljack mused.

"Don't humans have ways of creating energy from heat? Maybe we could use it here." Fablebreaker suggested.

Wheeljack's optics brightened with excitement at Fablebreaker's suggestion not only from the clever thinking but because it sparked a memory and knowledge he believed was lost to him. The potential to harness the energy from the underground lava lake could provide them with a sustainable power source for their base. As they stood on the edge of the chamber, feeling the intense heat wash over them, Wheeljack began to analyze the surroundings, his mind racing with ideas on how to tap into this newfound resource.

"We could build thermal converters to extract the heat energy and convert it into usable power," Wheeljack proposed, his gaze fixed on the glowing lava below. "It would require some intricate engineering, but If we're lucky and that ship has the parts we need... We can make it work."

Fablebreaker nodded in agreement, "let's head back and see what Thunderdrum and Fidget have discovered."

As Wheeljack and Fablebreaker made their way back to the wrecked ship, they found Thunderdrum and Fidget standing at the entrance, their expressions unreadable. Something seemed off as the two bots turned to face their leaders, their optics dimmed with hesitation.

"We found something," Thunderdrum finally spoke up, his voice laced with concern. "But it's not good."

Fablebreaker's spark clenched with a mix of dread and curiosity. "What did you find?"

Fidget stepped forward, his body twitching nervously. "We believe this was a cargo vessel transporting goods to colony worlds. We couldn't read the manifest but we found this and several others." He said before producing the atrophied skull of an ancient Predacon.

The discovery of the ancient Predacon skull sent a chill down Wheeljack's spinal strut. He reached out a clawed hand to gently take the artifact, turning it over in his servos. The skull was weathered and worn, its features frozen in a silent roar that spoke of a violent end.

Fablebreaker stepped closer, her optics narrowing as she examined the skull. "This is old, very old. It's not of a clone," she murmured, her processor whirring with the implications of their find.

Thunderdrum shifted uncomfortably, his wings twitching with unease. "But why would there be Predacon remains on this ship?"

Wheeljack grunted "Predacon Bones used to be commodities in museums before the Great War. They were extinct so the fascination of them wowed generations of younglings. These bones must have been destined for a place like that. Though now, with our agreement with the Autobots we can use these bones to make more predacons."

"Maybe some of them will be female." Fablebreaker breathed "how many skeletons did you find?" She looked to Thunderdrum and Fidget.

"About six so far, all packed into crates in the hold." Thunderdrum replied "we only found this one first because its crate was broken."

Fablebreaker hummed happily. "We will continue to explore the inside of the ship and when we have established ourselves we will make contact with our allies."

The three males nodded in agreement and got back to work in establishing their new home.

Chapter Eleven: Wheyr the Wild Things Are