#switching my headphones between devices is such a pain

[mpc-unofficial]

A video is attached.

[it shows what looks to be a hospital room. The guy who had materialised from the door in the earlier video could be seen sleeping on the bed. Kalani, Irene and Asif are whispering beside the bed.

“so, we have no need to return him to the door… right?!” Asif questions. “I mean, if the rest of the universe cluster is already dead, then putting him back isn’t likely to do much…”

“I agree with that but… is this really ok? We did kind of steal him from the door…” Irene appeared conflicted as well.

“But… is there even a point for him to return?” Kalani asks.

“Probably not? Though I’m not entirely sure. I think I’ll have to look into his universe cluster a little more just to make sure that there’s actually nothing left. That may take a few days though…” Irene types something into her device.

“Yea, I think we should look into it a little more.” Kalani agrees. “This is probably more pressing than finding the next part of Crossroads.”

“Agreed.” Asif nods. “Besides, perhaps we could—“

The boy on the bed shifts slightly, grabbing everyone’s attention. His eyes opened, before he recoils slightly and instantly shuts them once more. Asif makes a run for the lights, switching them off entirely.

The boy’s eyes opened once more. He could still be seen squinting slightly, even with the room significantly darker than it had been earlier. He slowly pulls himself into a sitting position, looking over at the other 3 people in the room in slight confusion.

“How are you?” Irene finally whispers after a bit. The boy looked as though he were trying very hard not to grimace.

“I… where…?” his voice was hoarse and even quieter than Irene’s, but it was still enough for him to subconsciously reach towards his ears. The MPC trio share a look, before Kalani gives Asif a nod and gestures to the right. Asif nods back.

“Hold on.” He pretty much mouths, before running out of the room.

A while passes in silence, during which Irene gestures to a cup of water on the table beside the bed. The boy takes a couple of sips, before looking to the door, Asif reentering a second later and handing a pair of blue headphones over to him. The boy visibly reacts to the headphones, something akin to recognition in his eyes. That being said, it fades to a slight confusion in the span of a second, almost as though he was trying to figure out what he was supposed to do with it.

Visibly concerned, Irene does the motion of sliding a pair of invisible headphones over her ears. The boy’s eyes lit up again before he follows, sliding the headphones on. He let’s out an audible sigh right after, already looking just a slight bit more at ease.

“Is that… slightly better?” Irene asks again, still whispering. The boy nods in return, before grimacing in slight pain and grabbing his head.

“Maybe keep the head movements to a minimum…” Kalani suggests.

“Y-yea.” The boy responds.

“So, let’s start over. I’m Kalani, and this is Irene and Asif.”

“Sup!” Asif greets.

“You’re… Makoto, right?” Kalani enquirers.

“Mako—“ the boy appeared confused. “Makoto?”

“Oh…” Kalani seemed a little hesitant. “Do… do you not…”

“…remember?” The boy finishes. “My memories are admittedly fuzzy... However I’m pretty sure my name’s not Makoto…”

“Huh…?” Kalani appeared confused for a moment, before recognition entered their features. “Oh… oh shit… I forgot about the multiversal differences.”

“Ohhhh…” Irene groans as softly as she could. “I can’t believe I forgot—“

“Um… apologies for assuming your name. A lot of weird stuff happens around here...” Kalani sighs.

“What’s your actual name?” Asif continues.

The boy blinks, zoning out for a bit. “…Minato? I…I think it’s Minato…”

The video footage starts flickering slightly, before it becomes stable again.

“M-might I ask where…?”

“You’re at the MPC, it’s a center located in-between universes.” Kalani explains. “We know it’s a little hard to believe, but the multiverse kind of exists...”

“How… how did I get here…?”

“We honestly don’t quite know ourselves,” Asif continues, “but there was this door and…”

“A door…” Minato’s eyes widened in panic. The video footage starts flickering once more.

“N-Nyx…”]

The footage gets cut off entirely.

######… ### #### # #####

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[dragonsareourfuture]

Death Note/GN!Reader — Pick Up Lines

A quick little scenario in which your Death Note sweetheart uses a terrible pick up line on you! I feel as though these all kinda suck since I write this a while ago but it’s fine. It’s fine.

Mello

Staying up late every night and watching security footage was not fairing well for Mello. Dark circles started to form underneath his eyes, and you pointed out that he was turning into L, all he needed was black hair and a haircut. He simply responded “The day I cut my hair short is the day the world ends.”

Usually when Mello got tired he would turn into a grumpy, adorable gremlin but, mixed with the excessive amount of chocolate he consumed due to boredom, he had turned loopy. Matt had relied on his headphones to keep him sane, whereas you were left with no escape from the babbling blond.

Mello rambled on and on about how he was going to beat Near with every fiber of his being, slowly getting sidetracked into a conversation about sheep.

“They’re so fucking fluffy. Standing around, eating grass, taunting me.” The blond mumbled, his head resting on your lap as you stroked his hair, listening with genuine interest.

“Mhmm, how do they taunt you?” you inquired, wanting to know more before your boyfriend fell asleep and you never got to find out why he felt so threatened by white, fluffy animals.

“They just...do  .”

“Well, I’ll always keep you safe from the mean, mean sheep.”

Mello shifted so that he was gazing up at you. He lifted his hand to your face and gently smacked your cheek with his palm, rubbing his tired eyes with the other hand.

“Aw, babe you’re so sweet when you talk like that... You make me melt like chocolate in the summer~ ”

“I do what?”

Before Mello could answer, unconsciousness grasped him and pulled him down into the dimension of sleep. You sighed, disappointed that you wouldn’t get to hear more, yet also relieved that Mello could finally get the sleep that he needed.

“G’night, Mels,” You whispered, brushing his bangs to the side and kissing his forehead, “You make me melt, too.”

Matt

Matt’s been acting strangely clingy all day. As soon as you noticed this fact, you immediately figured that it was an anniversary or either one of your birthdays and it had slipped your mind. However, upon further inspection of your phone calendar, today appeared to be nothing special.

You were seated on the couch, watching a bit of television while Matt washed the dishes. You had insisted that you could handle that task yourself, but the goggle-wearing sweetheart had insisted that you relax.

Suddenly you heard the sink turn off and footsteps lead up to the couch. You turned around to see the redhead wrapping his arms around your shoulders from behind.

“Hey, I lost my phone number...can I have yours? ” He asked with a sly smile.

“Matt, you have my number. Is that a pickup line? You know we’re already dating, right? Is my number not working?” You interrogated, grabbing his phone from the coffee table and calling your cell from it to ensure that your phone number still worked.

“No- it’s... you’re supposed to go along with it!”

“Well, come up with a better one next time, dumb ass,” You tossed Matt’s phone back at him, the device landing in his lap. He pouted and shoved it into his jacket pocket, getting up to return to the kitchen.

“You’re no fun.”

L

The room grew dim and increasingly empty as the hours ran further into the day, eventually turning to night. Despite the signs that you should be on your way home, you stayed with the only detective who thought it appropriate to work into the ungodly hours of the night.

You glanced over at L, back turned to you with his nose practically pressed against the computer screen. You rolled your eyes and switched on the main light of the room, saying, “You’re gonna ruin your eyes reading in the dark like that.”

L did not respond but, at the looks of it, kept on reading the minuscule words on his screen with intent.

“Do you need anything? Water? Maybe some cake?” You asked, giggling at the end of your words for no other reason than the tiredness getting to your brain.

“No, thank you.  I already have you, and you’re sweeter than cake, anyway,” L droned matter of factly, not even tearing his eyes away from the luminescent screen.

“Awww! Oh my god, L!” You squealed, running up to L and enveloping him in a bone-crushing hug.

“Ah...(name), I c-can’t breathe...”

Near

You could practically hear the blood flow to your brain as you spun around in a desk chair at painful hours of the night. The screens that filled the SPK headquarters shone in your eyes, keeping you awake along with the unhealthy amounts of caffeine you had consumed.

Your white haired boyfriend sat crouched on the floor by your feet. The clicking of building blocks rang throughout the otherwise empty room as he stacked them on top of one another, paying no mind to anything else.

You sighed, placing your chin on the palm of your hand and deflating on the spot. No amount of caffeine could keep you here as late as Near always stayed, no matter how much you wanted it to. You hated that he was here alone all the time and, even though he always tried to convince you that he didn’t care, you knew it took a toll on his mental state.

You shifted in your chair, about to heave your body up when Near’s monotonous voice kept you still.

“(Name).”

You waited for him to continue, and spoke up when he stayed silent, “What’s up, babe?”

“Do you like LEGO ?” Near inquired. His eyes finally met yours as he twirled a LEGO piece in between his fingers.

“Uh, I guess—“

“Because I want to build a world with you... ”

You froze, wondering if the caffeine was getting to your head or if Near had actually used a pickup line on you — and a goddamn adorable one at that.

A weak smile tugged at your lips. You slid off the office chair and dropped to your knees on the cold tile beside Near, throwing your arms around the boy without another word.

Though he stiffened at first, Near melted under your embrace. He buried his face into your shoulder and wrapped his noodle arms around your torso. You stayed like this for either a minute, or an hour. It was so quiet that you could hear your hearts beating in sync. Everything was so perfect, so loving, so-

“ARE YOU GUYS STILL HERE!?”

Your heart nearly burst from your chest at the sound of a door banging against metal and the rough tone of Rester calling out to you.

Near grumbled and shoved his face into your neck, trying and failing to escape the booming echo of footsteps that approached your little heap on the floor.

“Yeah,” your voice came out ragged and small, but enough for Rester to hear and follow, “right here.”

“You both look exhausted! Come on, let’s get you to sleep.”

When Near barely moved a muscle, you took it upon yourself to pick up his limp body from the floor bridal style and carry him to bed. Though you almost dropped the poor boy more than once, you’d say you did a fairly good job. And, once you were both snuggled up in bed, you got a good nights rest of a solid three hours of sleep. It was the most Near’s gotten in weeks, so you were not complaining.

Light

Though you were already in a relationship with Light, the cheesy lines and swooning from him never ceased. You wouldn’t have to fend him off with a stick but he loved to be all over you even when he already won you over, and you loved that about him.

This was mainly exhibited when you two were alone together, him finding public displays of affection to be childish and overall unnecessary as everyone you hung around with at school respected your relationship quite nicely.

The two of you were strolling on the sidewalk after a headache inducing day of school. His arm was resting lazily over your neck as you walked while all attention was focused on you and you alone. You ranted about the difficulties of the day and, although they were mostly all minor inconveniences, they really got under your skin once all added up.

When you had finished, you huffed and rubbed at your temple.

Breaking the silence that followed, Light blurted,  “How would you like to be the goddess of the new world?  You wouldn’t have to deal with that crap anymore.”

You laughed, reaching up to lace your fingers with the hand that dangled by your shoulder. “Dude, I barely know what taxes are. I don’t think I can handle being a goddess.”

“Aw, that’s a shame,” Light pouted jokingly.

The two of you came to a stop in front of his house, him pulling you flush against him and just staring wistfully (up/down) at you. “Do you want to come in? I’m sure Sayu will be delighted to see you.”

“Oh, I’d love to but I don’t want to intrude—“

“Nonsense. Come on.”

And so, Light guided you into his home, his mother and Sayu cheerfully greeting you at the door and whisking you away into a night of wonderful conversation and a lovely dinner.

Matsuda

You took advantage of the daylight, working nonstop so that you wouldn’t have to stay after hours to get your unfinished work done.

Through your tireless efforts, you failed to notice a pair of familiar eyes glancing back at you every so often. You only noticed a change in your boyfriend’s behavior when he came rolling up to your desk in his wheely chair, resting his chin on his elbows and looking at you expectantly.

“Hey, what’s up, Teddy Bear?” You greeted, barely tearing your eyes from the papers splayed out all across your desk.

Matsuda grinned from ear to ear every time he heard that nickname. It made him feel wanted and loved whenever he was around you. Sometimes, this caused the filter between his brain and his mouth to thin, allowing whatever he’s thinking in that moment to slip out.

“Do you have a map? Because I’m getting lost in your eyes... ” he said dreamily.

Your head shot up in an instant, puzzled by the seemingly random affection, only to see Matsuda covering his lips as a dark blush began to rise on his cheeks and the tips of his ears. “Th-that’s not...I-“

“Honey...” you shook your head and sighed, placing your pen down flat on the desk, “That is the literal worst line ever but it sounds wonderful coming from you.”

“O-oh. Thanks?” He chuckled nervously, massaging the back of his neck as his skin became slick with sweat.

You leaned over the desk and pecked his lips before collecting your paperwork in a neat stack, placing it all carefully in your shoulder bag, careful not to bend any corners. “Why don’t I finish my work in that nice little coffee shop across the street. Join me?”

“Y-yes! I’d love to. It’s getting a little stuffy in here, anyway.”

Misa

“Ughhhhh I’m so tired! What a day!” Misa exclaimed, stretching out her arms above her head as she walked over to her folding chair. The white, feathery wings fastened to her back smacked people and equipment as she passed them, but you saw her as nothing but elegant.

Your girlfriend plopped her butt down into the fragile chair, giving Matsuda a scare when it nearly toppled over. With beads of sweat trickling down his forehead, he handed the girl her coffee.

“Aw, thanks, Matsu! And you too, (Name)! I wouldn’t be able to do any of my scenes without you guys cheering me on!”

You chuckled, cheeks turning a dusted shade of pink at Misa’s praise. “Dont give us all the credit, babe. You’re the one giving your all up there.”

Misa twisted in her chair to grab at your hand and intertwine her fingers with yours. “You’re too sweet, honey! Y’know, if it were up to me, you’d be the one wearing these wings!”

“Oh, I don’t know, I couldn’t take your place!” You said, gesturing to the fountain where Misa’s scene had just been filmed.

The blonde giggled and brought your fingers to her lips, giving them a couple kisses before shaking her head. “I meant I’d have you in these wings because you’re an absolute Angel , silly!”

Before you could even begin to respond, Matsuda beat you to it. “Aww my gosh, you guys! Could I be the best man at your wedding?”

“Hmm...” you pretended to ponder while tapping your chin with your index finger. “How do you feel about being the flower boy?”

“Done!”

[daisukissed]

【 Okay, Gamer 】

❧ pairing: kozume kenma x gn!reader, slight kuroo x reader if you squint hard enough

❧ synopsis: who would've thought you'd meet the love of your life through fortnite?

❧ genres: fluff, e2l (the enemy phase being 5 seconds lMFAO), one-shot

❧ warnings: guns, shootings, violence all the stuff you do in a battle royale if that needs a warning???? oh, and cursing.

❧ word count: 2k-ish

❧ a/n: purely self indulgent hehe the things i'd do to game with this guy 🥴

Your fingers move swiftly across your controller, pressing the combinations of buttons that have been ingrained in your brain from muscle memory. Your eyes shift from left to right, focusing solely on the screen of your TV as you scan the large platform for the person who shot you earlier.

Gaining another shot from the right, you immediately toggle your left stick towards the sound of the gunshot, aiming for the pink haired player not far from you.

"SHIT!" You throw your controller out of frustration, seeing it bounce a few times on your bed before making its way onto the floor with a large thud.

"I'm knocked down by the tree, the enemy's literally at 15 health." You groaned through the microphone, picking up the controller back up as you hear a soft hum in reply.

You could see your partner making his way towards you, building up floors and ramps skillfully as he avoid the shots made by the other player earlier.

It doesn't take much time for your teammate to kill off the female character, various items of different colors dropping from her death to which he gathers immediately.

"Oh my God, you're really out here looting and healing first when your teammate is literally seconds away from dying?!" You yell, feeling more and more frustration pile up as you see your health bar becoming shorter and shorter.

"It's your fault that you got knocked down."

Your grip on the controller got tighter than before as you take a deep breath, holding in all the numerous curses plagued on your mind as of now.

"Username 'applepi', I swear to God if you don't get your ass back here and revive me, I'll come and haunt you in real life."

You hear a exasperated sigh from the other side of the call before seeing a purple and black skeleton running his way to the tree you're currently residing in.

The rest of the game went out just as bad as the start of it. He would fire shots aimlessly and pointlessly to attract enemies nearby, solely because he knows it'll piss you off. Of course, you can't just back down from his childish antics so you pay him back by following him everywhere and anywhere, stealing any weapons and materials he got on his sight.

"Hey, there's someone coming over towards your left."

"You already did that trick, try again next time."

"No, I'm serious-"

Bam!

And he's down.

"What the fuck?"

You couldn't help but obnoxiously snort at the sight of your teammate falling down to his knees, only being able to crawl and nothing else as he watches his health bar dwindling into nothing.

"Pfft- See! I-I fucking t-told you but you wouldn't even l-listen!" You stammer in laughter, clutching your stomach in pain. Tears are starting to form in the uppermost corner of your eye, your cheeks beginning to feel sore and chest heaving up and down uncontrollably.

"Shut up and revive me." The player behind your laughter said in an unamused tone. You could hear the aggravation behind his sighs, the sound of what seemed like a device or some sort being put down forcefully followed behind, leaving you in fits of blissful giggles.

Oh, how sweet that karma is by your side.

Top 3.

That's all it takes for the endless banter between you two to cease.

Your body is tense, not wanting to move a single inch from your spot, afraid that it'll wreck the whole game if you put any attention to anything else besides the ongoing match. Your hands are clammy, layered with sheets of sweat between your palm and the black controller you're gripping at, holding it tight as if it's your only hope in winning the game.

You rapidly toggle the small joystick, trying to aim for the player in front of you as you furiously press buttons to shoot and evade at the same time, taking a few shots in the process.

Pressing the R2 button a few more times, you finally knocked your enemy down, shooting them in the head to truly end them.

The green health bar located on the bottom side of your television has about a quarter of it left, causing you to move away from the enemy's sight, searching for a secluded place to refuge in.

Switching your shotgun into a red and white bandage, you heal yourself up, anxiously waiting for the timer to count down to zero to finish healing, hoping that no one comes to ambush you in the meantime.

Your heart thumps against your chest, caused by the surge of adrenaline through your body.

The timer ticks down to six when you get shot, all your remaining health diminishing in one go along with your energy and enthusiasm.

You see your shooter immediately make his way to your teammate, greedy for kills, leaving you to watch your character slowly die in all fours. You think it's a stupid mistake that they didn't finish you off but you're thankful for the chance given.

"Applepi, revive me!" You order frantically, your hope of winning the game slowly decreases as you see your fellow teammate's health at half, the sight of him frantically moving backwards to create distance between his two opponent tells you that he's having a hard time.

"We'll both die before I have the chance to revive you."

An aggravated sigh left your chapped lips as you watch one of the players close in on him.

"Well, you can't beat two players all on your-"

Before you can finish your sentence, soft party music suddenly booms from your speakers, a large blue banner with the writing 'Victory Royale' displaying on your screen. It is as if the gods above and he himself are playing with you, proving you wrong before you could even try.

"What did you say?" The male asks in fake innocence and you might be dreaming but you think that you can hear the slight smile in his husky voice.

You let out a small groan as the game cuts off to its loading screen, the voice chat between you and the quiet male ending.

Trying to fight off the disappointment growing in your heart, you take off your blue headphones, finally setting your controller down after what seems like hours.

Blinking the tiredness of your strained eyes, you give the in game menu a final scan.

As if all the negative emotions that you felt were never there, you hold back a smile, feeling a budding hope when you make out the words in front of you.

Applepi sent you a friend request!

You learned a lot of new things about your new friend.

You learned that his real name is Kozume Kenma, he's a year older than you and goes to Nekoma High, the school a few stops before yours.

You learned that he has blonde hair and ebony roots, along with gold slit eyes and small pupils that makes him resemble a cat.

You also learned that he uses the username 'applepi' because he loves apple pies, he's a quiet person in general, not just in game but in texts as well. Sometimes he surprises you, getting chatty and affectionate at rare times.

You screech out his name, the boy being mentioned having to wince at the loud sound from his headphones. You run around the grassy platform, avoiding the player coming for you at all cost due to your lack of good weapons.

Kenma watches you for a while, contemplating whether he should just leave you or actually save you.

He opts for the latter, he always does.

Rushing in with a stronger weapon than yours, he jumps through bushes and cars, avoiding anything that seems to block him. Turning left from the rocky road, the blonde male immediately shoots at a purple character near yours, focusing on aiming at the small figure faraway.

"You suck, Y/N." He points out, controlling his skeleton-like character to run towards you after finishing the last blow.

"Yet you always play with me anyways." You argue.

You know you hit the mark when he doesn't give you any sort of response.

Your lips curl up into a soft smile as you hear the boy you grow more and more fond of talk about today's practice.

You don't know how or when it happened but the hectic calls while gaming are slowly replaced by a more ordinary and intimate one instead. Insults about the other party's skills turns to subtle compliments and childish banters turn into curious questions about one's life.

You would be lying if you said you didn't like the change.

"So this Hinata guy just spikes without even looking at the ball?" You ask intriguingly, genuinely interested at the dynamic duo he had been telling you about.

"Uh-huh, he's amazing."

You let out a small giggle at his response.

He doesn't notice but the tone of his voice always seems to change when he's talking about the things he's passionate about. Whether it be the new game he started playing or even volleyball, when he played an intense match. It's a minuscule change but you notice it anyways.

A slight click of the door opening followed by one or two footsteps can be heard from Kenma's room, a sly voice resonating throughout the walls.

"Ah, is that your Fortnite girlfriend you're calling again?"

You can vaguely recall the voice belonging to Kuroo Tetsurou, one of Kenma's teammate whom you shared a few conversations with before, much to the blonde's dismay. Feeling a slight cringe upon hearing the tall athlete's words, along with a hint of envy, you choose to stay quiet as they talk.

"It's not. Get out of my room, Kuroo." The cat-like male spit out, black eyebrows furrowing in annoyance.

Kuroo's lips twitches up into a infuriating smirk, knowing full well of the ticking time bomb in front of him. He does as he was ordered to, stepping his foot out of his childhood friend's door.

Not before dealing a blow though.

"If you don't ask her out soon, I might just go and steal her, you know~?" The clever male goads before escaping out of the room.

Upon hearing those words, Kenma's mind goes into a havoc, his heart dropping down into his stomach.

He knows that you and Kuroo have been texting as well lately, the said man mentioning that he is in fact, quiet interested in you.

What are you bothered of anyways? People can get close to her however they'd like, he thinks, yet he feels all these negative emotions swirling around his head when he imagines you going out with the suave boy.

"Fortnite girlfriend?" You inquire, breaking his train of thoughts. You can't help the slight bitterness in your tone when you speak, though you're sure it goes unnoticed by the person you're speaking to.

"It's nothing, just ignore what he said."

Not satisfied with his answer, you push more, "Well, shouldn't you really ask her out? We can't let Kuroo be a step ahead of you, can't we?"

You try your hardest to play it as a joke, masking your jealousy with a cheerful and joking tone.

It is exactly this that gives Kenma the final push, giving him the last ounce of courage and guts that are needed to say his next line.

"Then Y/N, would you like to go to the cat café I mentioned about together this Saturday?"

Your mind short circuits, incompetent to form words and your eyes widen by a tenfold. To say that you are shocked would be an understatement

You can hear Kenma beginning to take back his words, scared that he's putting you in a difficult place or making you feel uncomfortable but before he can finish his words, you cut him off with a stuttered and loud 'yes!'

The Pudding Head smiles slightly at your agreement and before arranging his plans with you, he opens the messaging app on his phone, immediately texting the number one contact.

Kozume Kenma

I did it.

Kuroo Tetsurou

Took you long enough.

[natasha-romanoff-deserved-better]

But Even The Strong Can Fall- Part 2

Hey guys!  Please be careful with this chapter! It contains Natasha minimizing the seriousness of sexual assault, so if that is upsetting to you, read with caution! Other than that, sorry for any mistakes and I hope you enjoy!

Words: 2,270

Part One Here

.

It turns out Natasha had sustained more damage than she had initially let on. While helping her change into one of his shirts, he had seen the telltale bruising indicating at least two broken ribs. And although he had cleaned up the cuts on her back as much as he could, He could see the redness around them indicting an infection. He also wouldn’t be surprised if the larger one needed stitches, which she wouldn’t allow the night before.

And so they ended up here- Natasha standing against the wall of his bedroom with her arms crossed over her chest as she stared down Clint.

“Nat. You need to go to medical.”

“No.”

Clint knew this would happen. Natasha hated medical with a passion, and it was always a struggle with her. He couldn’t blame her- he knows this phobia of hers had stemmed from her childhood in the Red Room, and he tries his best not to push her if he didn’t think it was necessary.

“Then at least let me or Bruce wrap your ribs. You remember that last time you broke a rib and it punctured your lung, right? I know you remember that.”

Natasha stared at him. “I’m fine, Clint.”

“You’re not fine, Natasha. I know you want to pretend nothing happened, but we need to deal with this. This isn’t something you can just brush off again.”

“You have no right to tell me what I can and cannot do.”

“I have the right to care about my partner and her wellbeing.”

“Just leave it.”

Natasha turns from him and stomps into the kitchen. He follows, only to find her standing at the counter and popping the top off a bottle of pain pills, left over from a former mission seven months ago.

“Nope.” He reaches over and swipes the pills out of her palm. “You have to let someone look at you first.”

Natasha glares at him but doesn’t verbally respond. She takes measured breaths through her nose, teeth clenched. She makes a move towards the door, and Clint reaches out to grab her elbow to stop her, but she quickly twists her arm out of his grasp and is gone.

.

Tony holds up a hand as he spits out his mouth guard, signaling to Steve the round was over as he leans against the edges of the boxing ring. Bruce clicks the timer off from where he was watching, safely outside the box.

“Ya’ know, Tony, you’re never gunna beat him if you keep stopping like that. This is the third round and-“ Bruce is cut off from the door to the gym being yanked open.

Natasha stumbles in, dressed in a too large T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, a switch from her tank top and leggings she normally opted to work out in. She pauses for a second, catching sight of the three men in the gym. Giving them a tight lipped, forced smile and a tiny nod before turning her back to them in favor of climbing onto the leg curl extension machine. She pops in her headphones, and a second later they can hear the small hum of her music through them, the volume turned up to the max.

Steve frowns in concern and turns to say something to Bruce, but Bruce is already wearing an expression matching his. Tony doesn’t look bothered as he takes a swig from his water bottle, but Steve catches him side eyeing her. They all remember the ride back to the compound the day before. The way Natasha had clung to Clint, how Clint had refused to let her go. They had never seen Natasha in such a state before, and none of them had known how to react to this new side of their youngest teammate. Tony had pressed Steve for details, even bribing him with a few million dollars, but Steve himself couldn’t even tell them what exactly had happened for sure. All he had been able to provide was that she had been left in bad shape after an obvious fight of some kind. But they’d all come to their own conclusions. They’d each heard the call for spare clothes over the comms line, seen the way she’d limped onto the jet.

In the corner of the room, they can hear the small gasps coming from the redhead. It was clear she was trying to stifle them as she struggled to breath.

“Uh,” Steve whispers. “Should we… do something?” The images of Natasha covered in blood just over 24 hours ago fill his head.

Bruce frowns. “I mean, I’d say yes. She definitely had a concussion the other day.” He sneaks another look over towards her. “Also, she’s really struggling with that weight and she usually does double that with no problem.”

Neither of them makes any moves though, not sure how to go about the situation. It was easy to tell Natasha was not in a good mood right now. She didn’t like being disturbed while working out even on her best days.

Tony rolls his eyes at their caution. He sets his water bottle filled with something distinctly not-water down and marches over to the machine as he calls out her name.

“Natasha.” He calls again after she doesn’t respond to his first call. He reaches out and lays a hand on her shoulder.

Natasha is off the machine in a second, twirling around to face Tony. Before he even as the chance to process the situation, he is caught in a headlock as Natasha holds onto him.

“Nat!” He yells, throwing his hands up to claw at her arm, desperately attempting to put space between the crock of her elbow and his throat. The thought of flipping her occurs to him, but he knows she is already injured and isn’t willing to make anything worse.

Another set of hands was on them then, Steve gripping her arm as he pries her off Tony.

“Get off me!” Natasha yells as Steve backs up with Natasha, his arms wrapped around her and holding her against him. She kicks her heels back into his shins and slams a fist down on his hands where he holds her, but he knows if she really wanted to get away from him, she could. Half of him wondered if she just needed to hit something. Someone.

“Natasha! Calm down!”

“Friday, tell Clint to get down here, now, please.” Tony says as he watches Steve lower himself and the redhead down to the floor. Bruce is there now too, hovering over the pair worriedly.

“Let go of me, Steve.” Natasha growls out, pushing at his hands.

“You’re hurting yourself, Nat.”

“I don’t care.”

“We do.”

The doors slam open, revealing a flustered Clint. “What’s going on?” He asks to no one in particular as he eyes land on the scene taking place on the gym’s floor. He frowns and stalks over to the four avengers. Clint grabs Natasha’s hands, holding them still to stop her assault on Steve.

“Stop it, ‘Tasha.” He grounds out between clinched teeth. Natasha stops struggling, but she doesn’t relax. Her breathing is still labored, and Clint can tell she is having a hard time focusing her eyes. “Bruce, she needs medical attention. Her ribs are broken, and I’d appreciate a scan on her head, just to name a few things.”  

Natasha makes a noise of protest, but a quick glance at her face tells him she is still there with them, in the present. Pissed off, yes. he could handle pissed off. He didn’t, however, want a flashback.

With her squirming creased, Steve loosens his grip on her, letting his arms fall to his side.

“Uh, Steve?” Tony starts, and gives a nod towards one of his arms once their attention is on him. All eyes follow his gesture. There’s blood smeared onto his arm.

“Shit.” Clint says. “Her cut opened back up.”

“I’m fine.”

“You need stitches, Nat. Stop. Bruce?”

Bruce nods in agreement, standing up from his position. “You’re the one who has to get her to the medbay, though.”

Clint shrugs, slipping an arm under her back and another under her knees, careful to make sure not to disturb her cut or put too much pressure on her ribs.

Clint carries her to the medbay, Bruce several steps ahead of them to open doors and points at a gurney. “Set her there.” Clint does, depositing her onto the gurney softly. She does nothing to help him, keeping her arms crossed.

Bruce examines her quickly, trying not to waste any time. The title of doctor had been placed upon him by the team enough times now that he had long ago stopped trying to argue with them. The brain scan is the easiest part- thanks to a new device he and Cho were testing. It wasn’t as good as an MRI, but it would do the trick when dealing with stubborn teammates. Her concussion was on the severe side, but showed signs of healing.

“Natasha, I’m going to need to examine your back and your ribs. Can you remove the T-shirt?” She glares at Clint, who is sitting across the room on a rolling stool and gives her a sympathetic look. With a roll of her eyes, she grabs the hem of her shirt and tugs it over her head, revealing her bruised torso. Bruce doesn’t linger on it, keeping a professional composure throughout.

It takes several tissues to clean away the blood leaking from the laceration, and Bruce quickly begins lacing it shut with a needle. It takes eight stitches to close it completely. Natasha doesn’t flinch.

“Okay, that’s done.” He tosses the needle into the trashcan. “And you said two broken ribs, right?”

“No.”

“Yes.” Clint refutes. “On her left side.”

Bruce doesn’t comment on her lie, just methodically sticking the strips of kinesiology tape over her ribs. They have several braces for this exact situation, but they’d never been successful in getting Natasha to wear them.

“I’d tell you how long to keep those on for and what to do, but I know you guys are all pros at this point.” Bruce says to her as he pulls his gloves off, signaling he was done examining her.

Clint stands up and thanks Bruce but doesn’t make a move to leave. Bruce can tense the tension between the pair and takes his cue to head out.  

Clint closes the door behind Bruce, turning and leaning his body against the door, signaling they weren’t done yet.

“Was that so painful?” He asks, raising an eyebrow. “Damn, Nat. I know you hate medical stuff, but you can’t do that to yourself.” He gives Natasha a few moments of silence to respond, but she never does. “You scared me, Nat. And we’re all worried about you.”

“You shouldn’t be. I should have been stronger. I’m the Black Widow for fuck’s sake. This should have never happened in the first place and even if it did, I shouldn’t care.”

“You had a head injury, Nat. No one blames you-”

“This is hardly the first time, Clint. I’ve been an assassin since the age ten. These things happen. I was trained to not let this kind of stupid stuff bother me so much.”

“It’s not stupid, Tasha.”

“Yes, yes, it is, Clint! This is ridiculous! I tried to take a shower earlier and I couldn’t even look in the mirror at myself. I used about half a bottle of soap and still don’t feel clean. I can’t close my eyes without being back in that goddamn warehouse or back in the red room or wherever the hell else. And why? Why do I care so fucking much? It’s just sex. It doesn’t really matter. I use sex all the time on missions and it doesn’t do this to me.”

“That wasn’t ‘just sex’, Natasha. And all those other missions, you choose to do that- You still had control. This was-“ He can’t bring himself to say the actual word. “God, Nat. Your whole life has been based around constantly having control, having the upper hand. Of course it hurts having that control ripped away liked that.”

He’s making sense, he can tell by her refusal to respond back to him, instead shifting her eyes away from him. “Would you be saying the same thing if it had happened to me?”

Natasha’s eyes snap back to him, the anger returned. “No, of course not.”

“So why are you any different? And don’t give me the “I was trained for this” or any other excuses because it doesn’t matter. What matters is we are both human beings with thoughts and emotions and feelings and the right to have control over what happens to our bodies.”

Natasha turns her head away from him then, choosing to stare at the wall to her right instead. She takes a deep breath, but Clint can hear the shakiness hidden beneath her too careful exhale. Clint takes this as a sign he’s finally gotten through to her, and moves away from the door to come perch next to her, his arm brushing hers lightly.

“I know that growing up you didn’t have anyone. But you don’t have to go through this alone, Natasha. Not again.”

The woman turns her gaze to him and gives him a small, watery smile. Clint smiles back and holds out his pinky finger to her. “Pinky promise me you’ll let me help you?” Natasha rolls her eyes for the second time that day, but wraps her own pinky around his nonetheless.

[alma-berry]

Kit’s Secret Fire Message # 13

Masterlist   1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

When the morning came, it was a sudden blow. The darkness seemed to cling to the stone walls until the very last second, absorbing the soft glow of the witchlight into an almost blinding black void. And then, like with a switch turned on, and it was gone. 

Ty stared at his plate, still a bit groggy after a long night of research and frustrated speculations with Livvy. He felt no closer to understanding the meaning of Jem’s warnings, and the thought of Kit, endangered by this unknown threat, sent cold shivers down his spine. He forced his attention back into the current conversation before anyone noticed his uncharacteristic lack of interest. 

“We can’t just wait for them to reappear, there has to be a logical pattern that we can find and trace.” Said Adam Townsend, the third centurion in their group. His thick brows furrowed in concentration as he loomed over the old London map that lay across the dining table. 

“Only if you assume they have enough brains for logics or patterns, Adam. They’re demons, not masterminds serial killers.” Carl said with his mouth full of potatoes. 

Ty averted his gaze from him, slightly nauseated. 

“Don’t underestimate them. They’re minions. Even if they’re not highly intelligent, they could be-“

“Hi” 

The voice that interrupted him was as familiar to Ty as his dreams. Kit.

He stood in the dining room’s entrance, leaning casually on the wooden door, surveying them with a guarded expression. He wore dark jeans, and the soft material of his grey shirt hung loosely on his frame, revealing bits of the fine golden skin of his collar bones. His eyes flickered towards Ty, and something about his posture seemed to soften by just a fraction. Ty could feel his own heartbeats, thumping loud in his ears, the sound nearly drowning Kit’s words.

“What are you talking about?”

Kit took a seat next to Adam, as far from Ty as the table offered. Ty felt a pang in his chest but quickly chased it away while Adam explained.

“We’re trying to figure out the meaning of the increased Moloch demon activity throughout London. We received plenty of reports but there seemed to be no apparent pattern, they’re not even killing anyone. Not as far we know, at least. It’s like they’re looking for something, but we don’t know what.” 

Kit leaned back in his chair, and looked directly at Ty. It startled him, the stark contrast between his physical distance and the familiarity in his eyes. When he spoke, it was to Ty.

“Um.. did you try looking for missing children?”

Carl burst out laughing, cutting Ty’s train of thoughts. “Are you still high on demon poison, Herondale? Why would we look for missing kids?”

Kit tore his gaze away from Ty with apparent difficulty, and focused on Carl, a sweet, dangerous smile fixed on his lips.

“Because, dung face, it’s basic knowledge that human children sacrifices were made to the Moloch greater demon. Don’t you have WiFi at the Scholomance?”

Carl seemed to almost spit fire at him, “It’s pagan mundane crap, completely irrelevant. You’re not even part of this investigation-”

Ty concentrated at the faint hum of music from where his headphones lay. He examined his knowledge of the demon while Carl kept ranting at Kit. A distant memory trying to resurface to the front of his consciousness, a quote.. and suddenly, he remembered. He realized, with a just of surprise that Kit was, in fact, right. 

“No,” he rose to his feet, cutting Carl in whatever rude comment he was about to make. 

“It’s not just pagan, it’s biblical. ‘There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire’. Humans used to sacrifice children, babies, to what they called a god, the Moloch. They burned them, just like the demons. Kit is right.” 

He looked at him, cobalt blue shimmering like a secret island in the middle of the sea. Once again, Ty felt that pull, planted deep inside his ribcage.. as if a rubber band was stretched between them, and the furthest he was from him, the harder it was to breath. 

He pressed his hands hard on the table, forcing clarity onto his body, diverting his mind into the present, into this possible new lead. A lead that Kit figured out. Ty was equally impressed and annoyed that he didn’t figure it out himself. 

“You should look through the missing persons reports for missing children, and try to compare their locations to those in which the demons appeared. Maybe that’s the pattern.” The two centurions gaped at Kit with astonishment. 

The careful smile that clung to his lips tug at Ty’s heart. Kit almost seemed reluctant to acknowledge his own accomplishment, which made no sense and only made Ty feel furiously proud of him.

“Don’t feel bad, you couldn’t have noticed it.. it’s not like you watch mundane news or read the papers.” Kit gave a disturbed looking Adam a sympathetic smile.

“I read the papers!” Carl called, but Kit only laughed. 

“Sure you do, dunghill. I bet you have The Guardian mailed to the Carpathian mountains daily”.

Ty pushed back his chair before Carl could respond. 

“I need a computer, do you know where-“

“I have my laptop here”, Kit replied with a small voice, and something passed between them.

Ty nodded, and they left the dining room together, walking in silence towards Kit’s room.

**

Kit opened the door to his room and cursed himself wordlessly. He was supposed to keep a safe distance from Ty, to keep him safe. How was he to do that if they were alone in a room, together? The memory of Ty’s hand on his felt like a newly drawn rune, stinging his skin, and he shuddered from how much he longed for it. 

“Are you cold?” Ty sounded concerned.

“No.. it’s just chilly.” He shrugged off the discomfort and reached for his duffle bag.

“Here”, he handed him the computer and shoved his hands hard into his pockets. 

Ty sat down on Kit’s bed and opened the silvery device. The dimmed light of the screen made his long lashes cast soft shadows under them. Suddenly, his eyes widened and a blush painted his pale cheeks.

“What is it?” Kit asked in alarm. 

Without uttering a word, Ty turned the thin screen towards him, and the familiar view of an endlessly blue sky reflecting on a glistening sheen of water greeted him. The beach on the foot of the Los Angeles institute.

“It’s your wallpaper.” Ty’s eyes searched Kit’s face. He didn’t know for what.. for answers? for the memory of a shared past? or was it for the knowledge that Kit still remembered the unspoken promises they made for each other, so long ago. And broken.

He nodded, unable to say what’s on his heart. 

“Why?” Ty’s question was a mere whisper, but it enveloped so much emotion. Loss and hope were just hidden underneath it, touching the bare surface of his voice. 

The words came out of Kit’s mouth before he could restrain them. 

“Because it reminds me of home, of friends. Because it hurt, and I never want to forget it. Because you were standing just outside the frame.. and if I try hard, sometimes I can even see you in it.”

Ty’s lips shaped a surprised oh and his eyes found Kit’s, naked emotion on his sharp, beautiful face. Kit tried to steady himself, and failed miserably.

“But.. but you left. You said that- you said that you wished you had never known me, and left.”

Ty’s words burned a hole in Kit’s heart like branding iron. Raw pain and shame suffocated him to a point that his voice sounded like broken glass.

“Ty.. I didn’t mean that. You know I didn’t. I told you, so many times, in so many letters.”

“So why-“

Kit wanted to scream, his own memories felt like acid coursing through his veins. 

“Because you said I was nothing, Ty!” he was practically shouting, but it didn’t matter. He waited so long to rid himself of these words that he didn’t even care if someone overheard him. Only the sight of Ty’s earphones, the echo of his hushed whispers to the night’s sky and how he flinched involuntarily made him lower his voice.

“When you tried to raise Livvy, you said ‘there’s nothing if you aren’t there’, and I knew I could never matter to you. Not really. But then you sent me that letter, and it had those words, again. And I don’t know if you meant to tell me I’m still that nothing, or that I’m.. and when you didn’t came to see me last night I thought-“

Ty flew to his feet, a shattered look on his face, his hands clenching and unclenching on his side.. Kit realized he was crying. Ty was crying, because of him.

“No! Kit, I-“ as he stepped closer to him, Kit lifted his shaking hands, signaling him to stop. He couldn’t have him so near, he couldn’t. He already felt the buzzing electricity, charged and ready to explode.

Hurt clouded Ty’s eyes like dark shadows on a stormy sea, and Kit desperately wanted to fix it, but didn’t know how.

“You were never nothing to me, Kit. Never. you were my-“

A soft knock on the door made Ty leap backwards to Kit’s bed, and by the time it cracked open, his eyes were hidden deep under the black veil of his hair. 

“Did you find anything?” Adams head peeked inside, making Kit sigh in frustration mingled with relief. 

I was his what? He wanted to shove the centurion out of his room and make Ty complete his sentence. 

Instead, he cleared his voice and said “I’d better leave you to it.” 

He turned and left the room without looking back, his legs carried him towards the safety of the roof as the palms of his hands started to glow a bright, ominous white.

**

The study was a buzz of excitement. As it turned out, Kit theory was accurate.

There were numerous disappearances of young mundane children all over London, exactly where the demons were last reported to be seen.

A knot of fear tangled itself in Ty’s stomach. They still didn’t know if the children were simply missing, or gone. 

The information they had gathered indicated that the sacrifice itself was the last stage of the ritual, which meant there was a good chance the children were still alive, if they could only reach them in time. 

Ty and the others were discussing the possibility of mundane involvement, when muffled voices came from just outside the door.

“Come on, Bridget.. I know I’m late for dinner and that I’m not a sexually charismatic Lightwood but can you at least let me have some leftovers?”

Kit’s voice were drowned by a loud thump and a yell. “Ouch! Fine! I’ll get it myself!”

Two minutes later, Kit entered the study holding a plate of something that looked like mashed potatoes under a pile of sausages. 

He was dressed in gear and traces of blood and ichor smeared the knuckles of his hands, but his smile was radiant. 

“What happened?” Ty called and sprang to his feet on the sight of him.

“Just a couple of Dahak demons down at Lambeth Bridge, it was quick.”

Kit walked towards the table and sat right next to an annoyed looking Carl.

“Do you want one, Carl? You look like you could use a sausage right about no-”

“Why didn’t you tell m-, us? are you okay?” Ty demanded.

“I’m fine, really.. I didn’t want to interrupt your work. The walk back took longer than getting rid of them.” Kit waved his fork and speared a sausage, as if to indicate the poor demon’s fate.

Ty looked at him critically, searching for hidden injuries. He didn’t trust Kit’s perky attitude, not after how he left his room earlier today.

“Ty..” his voice was warm and reassuring, “I’m fine, I promise.”

Kit looked at Adam and asked, “So what did you find out?”

As they talked, Ty couldn’t help but notice that Kit still sat the farthest he could from him, though his body seemed to always turn itself towards him, and his gaze barely left him for long. He could feel it, like traces of fire licking his skin, like the spots imprinted on the back of your eyelids after you stared right into the sun. 

He couldn’t understand Kit’s distance, none of it made sense to him. whenever Ty got close to him, Kit found a reason to move away, though it looked like it hurt him every time he did. 

There was something drawing them closer, and Kit was fighting it with all his might. But Ty knew how magnets worked, all you had to do was flip one, and the reaction, the attraction, grew. 

Something was keeping Kit away, and Ty had to understand if it was something he had done or said. Their earlier conversation still sat like a weight on his chest. 

Did Kit actually believe Ty didn’t care about him? That he was nothing for him? Ty couldn’t wrap his mind around the amount of pain Kit must have felt all this time. The thought pierced him violently every time he got near it.

Kit was with his back to him, still talking to Adam, and Ty took advantage of that to study him. 

His back was broad, the sharp daggers of his shoulder blades pointing out. The boy Ty remembered lingered on his features only slightly, in the arch of his neck, in the delicacy of cheek bones. Now, Kit was.. a man. 

He turned half way and Ty caught a hint of a smile on his face. A warm sensation spread through his stomach, and he fought the urge to get up and stand near him, knowing without any logic explanation that he would soon find an excuse to move from his side. 

When he looked at him again, Adam’s hand touched Kit’s arm casually as they laughed at an unknown joke. 

And Ty’s insides were on fire. 

Ty, who hid his feelings about Kit for so long, who hardly ever talked about the pain he felt after he left, was flabbergasted by the amount of emotion he couldn’t suppress.. and nothing helped. Not his toys or Livvy’s soothing words. He couldn’t contain them or knew what to make of them, and it frightened him.

He felt, he always felt so much. He loved his family, his Livvy. He loved his work and Irene, and he cared deeply for the few friends he had. But it was something he never gave a name to, a voice. He never said the word Love out loud, though he was wrapped in it his entire life.

It was his own walk of shame, his punishment, because Kit had loved him and Ty made him leave. Because he didn’t know how he had loved him, and not knowing or understanding drove him mad. 

Every time he touched or kissed, every time he let his body take the reins over his mind, his heart was left locked away. Because if he didn’t know how to answer the love of the only person outside his family that he ever truly cared for, perhaps he shouldn’t try. He was already different from others in so many ways, but it never bothered him until now. Love wasn’t something he knew how to verbalize or explain, it was a hidden thing, a whisper in the darkest of nights, when he was on the verge of sleep, half conscious, and entirely alone.

But in front of the clear view of kit’s eyes, he felt, for the first time in his life, that some questions didn’t need to be answered. 

Their eyes met, silver colliding into blue, and it was like Kit had picked the lock that kept Ty’s heart hidden away with a single bright smile. 

[glee-dsm-events2]

Sub/Dom Wide

Well, well, looks like you’ve been naughty. I’ve got liars, students breaking and entering, sassy pants and only ONE student in the entire group of you trying to do anything about it. And no to mention all the sass I see from subs every day when they think no one’s watching. Time we all remembered our roles. You succeed together and fail together but I think some of you think you can just slide through- ignore everyone else, stick to yourself and just skim through. NO. You are a team. If one sub steps out of line, there should be a response, not just from one person but from a team of people. You all disappoint me. The sub/dom wide will be issued this week Tuesday.

The good news is, my guards have been oh so bored lately. I thought I’d reward them with a Easter egg hunt. OR rather a Submissive hunt. I sure hope your Doms are team players.

OOC information: None of this is known by characters until it actually happens.

Okay so this is a wide for subs and Doms. The Switches will also have a role to play, but it isn’t a punishment directed them.

At 6 pm, all submissives and Doms will be picked up by the Doms and taken to their respective areas. Switches will all be given communicators and told to remain in a dorm room until 10 pm.

(This is will actually start around 4 pm Tuesday OOC to give us all time to play. There will be a time stop, similar to when we do the masquerade. We will play out Tuesday night, over the course of two days. OOC the time frame is Tuesday 4pm CST until Wednesday night. IC this goes from 6pm Tuesday until Wednesday morning)

It will be dark, around 50 degrees. All students phones will be taken away.

SUBMISSIVES: Subs will be stripped, blindfolded, fitted with a shock collar, and handcuffed. (blindfolds can’t be removed) They will be placed throughout campus. (Your sub’s location is on this list). A 6 foot chain will connect their collar to a metal hook in a near by floor or wall.  Each sub will be alone in their spot. They were taken to this spot blindfolded, so they do not know exactly where they are. Guards will be hunting these submissives, trying to find them. If they are found they will have to endure a physical punishment before being put back in their spot. (It’s up to you as a writer if your sub is found by guards at all, once or twice. ) So, they’d be smart to stay quiet. They will have a communicator device. Switches will be sending them questions to help figure out where they are. They can only answer the question, not offer up any additional information.  Questions come in on a communicator. There are headphone with a mic so the subs can hear and respond. Subs can figure out where they are by feeling around, smell, feeling of outside or inside, etc.   (Example: A sub might feel around and feel that they’re in a desk, so assume a classroom. Then smell sweetness and also chemicals and deduce they might be in the home ec room.).  Once a sub has been located by a Switch, they will remain in place until a Dom with a key shows up to let them loose and escort them back to the dorms.

Each time a sub’s collar is unlocked it sends a shock to all other still locked subs. Shocks will be annoyingly painful, but not harmful. Think dog shock collar level.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Switches: You are not being punished, but you can help your less wise friends out. Guards will make sure you stay in your room until 10 pm. You will each be given a communicator which only communicates with subs. You are allowed to message three questions PER sub to try and figure out their location. Once they’ve asked their three questions they can offer a guess where the sub is and ooc the writer can confirm or deny. The switches  can share the information with other switches, but cannot ask that sub anything else about where they are. If they do determine the location of a sub they enter that information into a spreadsheet that the Doms will be able to see. Switches cannot release subs they can only locate them.  Switches are to remain in the switch building. They do not go out to find the subs physically. They also will be in charge of taking care of subs as they’re released and brought to the switch building.

Example Questions: “Are you outside?” “What can you feel?” “What can you smell?” “Can you hear anything?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Doms: Doms will be taken by guards to their spot. (Most are in the dungeons). They will not be aware of what else is going on until 10 pm. At 10 a video message will play to each Dom explaining that they need to get a key to release a sub they care about.  Each Dom will have to make a choice. Once they’ve accomplished their task/made their choice, they will get the key they need to release any one submissive. As they leave the dungeons, there is a big screen showing the names and locations of subs that the switches have located thus far. They can pick anyone who’s been located to physically go to and release with the key. Then, they have two choices: 1. they can choose a second dungeon room to enter and accomplish the task in to get a second key and release a second submissive. OR they can grab a communicator and join the switches asking questions to locate more subs. Doms can yell back and forth between their dungeon cells, but cannot communicate with the subs or switches (unless its specifically part of their choice/task), until they get the key and get out of the dungeons.

If a Dom gets a key, they have to use that key before attempting to get a second key. Doms can only get two keys total.  If they choose the second room: IC a guard would take them to a specific room designed to be terrifying for them. OOC just pick whichever of the “generic” rooms at the bottom of the list that your character would be most terrified of. DO NOT choose an easy room for your character. It wouldn’t happen.

If you have any questions, direct them at J on discord. Thank you :)

[snowrubies]

Vibrations

MomoxSana

You know there are just some things that Momo thought she would never do like go to space, suddenly combust, or step foot in an adult store. There's a first for everything it seems because Momo was standing right outside of "Eve's Paradise" an exclusively female sex shop.

She wasn't dared to do this or just happened upon it. No, she was here of her own free will, and for a reason. Her career has been largely successful over the last few years. She was swimming in popularity, but her love life was seriously lacking. Not a single person man or woman had asked her out even, on account of the fear of being attacked by the fans for 'taking their precious baby Momo away'

So, that's why she was here. Screw love life. She hadn't been able to have an orgasm in months. She was literally rotting away because of the largest drought ever. No, drought doesn't even cut it anymore. It is like being in the Sahara Desert for five years without water. She needed an orgasm, or twelve, and she needed it yesterday

She walked through the door a little nervous that someone would recognize her through the contacts and wig. What a mess that would be. 'Pop Star seen in a lesbian sex shop'. The lighting was scarce at best. There were a few rooms at the back labeled 'Private, see associate for entry'. An accurate description of the walls would be like a candy shop that only sold suckers. The walls were labeled with things like Venus butterflies, vibrators, strap-ons, BDSM accessories, and not your average sex toys. A sales women came up to her, quite enthusiastically, and said "Welcome to Eve's Paradise is there anything specific that you are looking for".

Once Momo gathered her pride and smashed it with a hammer, she said "I just...nnneed something."

The sales women looked like she pitied her. "Oh, honey. Tell Moonbyul what's wrong."

She couldn't find what to say to her. She couldn’t just say 'I'm a famous pop star that hasn't been on a date in years and really needs a good orgazm.' "I'm in a drought." She settled on telling her.

Oh, ok. Do you have any preferences?"

She did and that was the problem. She needed something different. Something that she didn't already have in her growing collection of sex toys. " I need something different."

Moonbyul immediately steered her toward the section labeled 'not your average sex toys.' She pulled out a box and asked "How do you feel about pain?" The box was full of clamps.

Momo was appalled that someone could like such a thing. She shook her head no."Alright then. How do you feel about giving up control? "

Momo's eyes popped up at the suggestion. She wondered how that could work since she had to do it herself. " Oh, yes. You like that idea. So, now the question is how...OH! That'll work. How about phone sex?"

Momo was unamused, "I don't think that will solve my problem." She could just do that herself for free. Millions of people would give there lives for such an experience with her.

"No, dear. This is no ordinary vibrator. It will definitely work." She handed Momo the box.

The title read 'magic act'. She read the back of the box,'Do you want that magical moment? Are you tired of the ordinary? The the magic act vibrator and headset is for you. This device comes in two parts, a six inch silicone vibrator and a wireless headset. This device has no controls or an on switch. You have no control over it, but someone else does. You simply have to put on the headset, push the button below the left ear, and wait.' Momo was intrigued by this. She smiled a little, and Moonbyul steered her over to the cash register. "That'll be 159.96. And thank you for shopping at Eve's Paradise. May all your endings be pleasure filled."

And that is how she ended up here. Momo was sitting on her bed cross-legged staring at the box. 'why did I even do this? This a new low even for me... But it can't be that bad right? I'm kinda desperate.' She grabbed the box and opened it. She pulled out the headset first, which looked surprisingly exactly like her head microphone she would wear for performances sometimes mixed with headphones. She pulled out the vibrator next. It was no different than any of her others except for a small wire running down the middle.'That's probably how it's controlled.' She then pulled out a very little piece of paper labeled directions. She read, "1. Put on headset. 2. Get comfortable. 3. Push the button under the left ear. 4. Wait. Well that seems simple enough." She grabbed the headset. Put it on. Laid down on her bed. Pushed the button and waited. It only took a few seconds..

"Hello." A very confident, feminine voice sounded through the headset.

" Umm...hi?" Momo was terribly nervous. She'd done it by herself many times, but adding a different person was nerve-wracking.

She heard a little restrained giggle. " You sound nervous."

" I've nnnever done this before." Oh great now I am stuttering. She probably thinks I'm a little virginal girl sitting here in white who just mistakenly turned this thing on.

" Really? Not even with a girlfriend?"

"wha - girlfriend?! Why would I..." This woman was obviously very blunt. I suppose you would have to be in her line of work.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you would have been into girls given the circumstances."

" That's not... No I mean I really do...But just so bluntly...I.."

She giggled again."You sound so cute. So, in the interest of getting to know you, how about we play a game? She you don't feel so awkward hmm?"

Relived for a change in subject Momo said, "That sounds like a great idea. What do you-"

The woman interupted her. "Let's play truth or dare. I'll go first. Let's start with something harmless. How do you like to be touched?"

Momo's eyes went wide, "That doesn't seem harmless to me."

"It'll be very useful for me later, but you could always go with a dare."

This woman had such arogance in her voice it made Momo shiver. "I think that would be much worse. Hmm...let's see. I guess...I like...light teasing touches." This was quite possibly the most embarrassing thing she had ever done. She was just waiting for her to laugh.

"hmm...so you like being teased. I'll remember that."

That shocked the embarrassment right out of Momo. This woman was positively wicked. "I guess it's my turn. What would you do i-"

"I choose dare."

"But I didn't even finish my question. Hmf." She pouted.

"Now, now. Good girls don't pout and whine darling."

"How do you know I was pouting? Fine. I dare you to tell me where you are."

There was a short pause,"I'm not supposed to tell you that, but my house in Korea." She wispered the last part. "Now, as for light touches, might I ask where you like thoes touches?"

"You may not."

She clicked her tongue a few times." How am I supposed to help you darling if I don't know where to touch."

" I'm sure you could figure it out." She sure as hell wasn't going to tell this woman specifics.

" Is that a challenge?"

You could almost be certain that she was smirking. Momo didn't respond to her.

"Challenge accepted. Lay down, close your eyes and let me do all the work. Don't be afraid to tell me what you like."

Momo did as she was told. She heard rather than saw the vibrator move towards her face. She breathed in and out feeling like a nervous child. Her earlier nervousness had been replaced with a new sensation. She couldn’t focus on anything other than the anticipation.

She wondered what this woman looked like. She seemed young, fairly cocky, but somehow graceful.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the feeling of circles being drawn on her stomach. "How does that feel?"

Momo unconsciously opened her legs a bit. The rod slowly made it's way up her body between her breasts. She wanted to rip her clothes off and feel these delicious little vibrations right on her skin, but she was left immobile after the first touch.

The rod moved past her breasts and rested on her pulse point for a while. "That feels good."

A smug laugh, "See, now was that so hard?"

Momo could picture this phantom woman above her now. Her soft hands in her hair while she sucked on her pulse point and collar bone. She wished she would go lower, even just a little bit.

"Take off your top darling, if it is still on. You might as well get rid of the bottoms as well. Save us some time." You could hear the shuffling on the other end of the line.

Momo was quite glad at the moment that she didn't wear a bra today. It just made it that much easier and faster. The cool air pricked at her overheated skin. She felt that just a single touch could make her explode. The rod moved slowly over to her mouth. Momo didn't and still doesn't know why, but she took that rod right into her mouth.

"You are beautiful." the woman said almost as if she knew what she'd done.

The rod moved down to her collar bone. She let out a strangled little moan. She felt like she was going to die and they hadn't even gotten to the sensitive bits yet.

"No. If you are going to moan, let me hear it. Don't restrain yourself."

When that rod made it's way down to her breasts, she didn't restrain herself. She would only draw cirles around them. She started pleading the woman to touch her nipples. "Hmg...please." She couldn’t bring herself to actually say it.

"Now darling, how am I supposed to know what you are pleading for if you don't tell me? You must tell me clearly and extra points if it's done dirtily."

She didn't want to, but she couldn't take it. " I want you to touch me."

"But where and how, my darling?"

Darn. She couldn’t get away with just that. " I...I want...I want you to...touch...my-"

" Your what darling?" She moved the rod dangerously close to her nipple then pulled it away.

She exploded. " Damn it! I want you to touch my nipples! I want you to touch me, fuck me, just do it for the love of God!"

" I give that answer a solid 6. You can do better than that." She ran the rod so lightly over Momo's nipple, so she could hardly feel it.

Looks like she'll have to bring out the big guns. " Ohhh god. Please touch my nipples. Make them red and raw. Don't stop there though. I want you to feel how wet I am for you. I want you to fuck me hard. I need you to." Momo could hear heavy breathing on the other end of the line.

Pant "You are" Pant " doing this wrong. I am supposed to be arousing you." She swallowed hard. " 10 dear. A solid 10."

"hmm!" She could finally feel those glorious vibrations on her nipples.

" I want you to imagine my lips. Right there."

Oh and she could. Just imagining her tongue rapping around her stiff rosy nipples was turning her into a moaning mess. She couldn’t stop the waves of euphoria traveling straight to her core. She wanted to see this woman desperately.

The vibrator abandoned her nipples and went down to where her panties should have been, if they hadn't have been violently torn off earlier. Momo shuddered at the fact that soon she would be feeling these vibrations in criminal places.

"Should I do it? Are you ready to be fucked?"

She didn't answer. It slowly, agonizingly kept going down.

" I would positively love to run my tongue over your gorgeous pussy. Sing for me angle." She just barely touched her clit a pulled away.

"Ahhh? Why did you stop?"

"I plan to stick to what I said . Remember? You like being teased." She ran it over her clit a little harder this time.

"Ahhh! Please more." She greatly regretted tell her she liked to be teased.

She moved the rod in a line from the bottom of her slit all the way up to her clit. " Oh darling surely you didn't lie to me, but it seems like you want things a little rougher." To further prove her point she pushed down on her clit hard.

Momo let out an ear shattering scream. Surely the neighbors heard her. Thank God the members weren't home. "What whould you do if I said I did?"

"It is my job to pleasure you princess. I would do whatever it is that will make you scream."

The tip just barley lined her entrance. She moaned loudly, and then it slipped inside her, easily, dripping with her natural lubricant. She heard a rather feminine squeal from the other side of the line. At least she knew she wasn't alone.

She wonered if this was a regular occurrence or something reserved solely for this particular call, something that had never happened before.

"You're beautiful."

Momo exhaled. "You – You don't know that."

"You're beautiful," she repeated.

She had neither the time nor the focus to argue her point. She could feel the vibrations deep inside her. She grabbed the corners of her bed with both hands, steadying herself as the device surged in and out. The first few times, it went all the way in and then all the way out, teasing her and testing her. She was grinding her teeth, aching for release, aching for the moment her senses would come together and then fall apart.

The device move around inside her. Hitting her at different angles until Momo let out a high pitched squeal.

" There it is." Her mystery woman said.

Once she found that spot within her it was all over. She pounder her hard making sure to hit that spot every time. She knew exactly what she was doing. She knew she needed something harder, darker, and faster, and lord she was giving it to her.

Momo dug her nails into the bed as she slid in and out of her. The force combined with the second-by-second collision of what was happening and the possibility of more, had her delirious. There was only the growing chance that one of these thrusts would eventually unravel her from the bottom up.

She breathed out, moaning and gasping for dear life.

She hoped these sounds turned her on. She hoped these sounds drove her over the edge of no return.

She hoped these sounds would ingrain themselves into the depths of her memory, where she'd be forced to remember this night, where she'd be forced to remember her.

In the mist of all of this, she felt a little glimmer in her stomach. A little ember that was being fanned into a wildfire that exploded every nerve in her body.

Momo tossed her head back, knocking the daylights out of her as she slammed it against her bed. She cried out – chest heaving and heart racing – caught in wave after wave of rapturous triumph. Her face and hair was covered in sweat. She shook and quivered and practically bit a hole through her bottom lip.

The feeling consumed her wholly, so much so that she barely registered her partner's mirroring reaction.

The world came crashing down moments latter. She was still Momo the famous pop idol. She was still in her room. She was still in a call with a stranger that turned her inside out.

She could hear the woman's breathing calm down. This stranger. She could easily be a stalker, or a murderer. The thought scared her but excited her all the same.

"It's technically against the rules to ask this, but I would love to do this again. My darling baby Momo."

That's it. Her life was over. Might as well hand in her resignation now. She knew, and there is no way anyone would keep quiet about this. " I beg you. Please don't say anything about this."

She laughed a little. " Momo you are so dense. This could ruin me to. Actually, I am quite surprised that you don't recognize my voice. Goodnight my little song bird."

"WAIT!!!" She had already ended the call. "Shoot, I didn't even get her name. How could this ruin her? I'm the famous pop star here. Oh, the headlines tomorrow will be atrocious."

Momo was interrupted from her panic by her cell phone ringing. "Oh a text."

Sana:

Momo, make sure you turn off the headset to save battery life.

" There is no fucking way."

[scullyy]

Two Sides of the Same Street / Chapter Two

Title: Two Sides of the Same Street  Chapter One / Chapter Two

Pairing: Clementine x Louis

Word Count: 1935

Summary: Clementine and Louis catch the same bus home and take the chance to get to know each other.

A/N: Wow this is finally out ha

Also @goofy-gomez here is your tag as you asked

-

“What time does the bus usually get here?”

“Let’s see, about ten minutes ago.”

“Oh.”

Of course, the damn bus was late. On most days it was on time, right to the minute. Louis broke his attention from the setting sun onto his cracked watch, checking it for the third time. Had the damn thing finally broken?

Clementine threw her empty Coke can into the bin beside her, smiling at her successful shot. All that time spent playing Paper Toss came in handy. “I hope there wasn’t an accident.” The torrential rainfall the town had been receiving the past few days had resulted in a couple collisions, arrogant assholes who thought they could make the green light in time.

Louis popped a piece of gum into his mouth, trying to keep his obnoxious chewing to a minimum. “Wilson is a safe driver, probably just some traffic build up.”

Of course, this damn bus runs late the day Clementine has to catch it. Lee needed to stay behind, finish some tidying and organise the days' wages, he let Clementine go home early after her fourth yawn within three minutes.

Normally Louis would chuck his headphones on and shuffle through whatever playlist appealed to him, maybe even make up a little dance. But that seems rude in the presence of an acquaintance. And a pretty one at that.

“Do you want to play a game to pass the time?”

Wow, what a unique way to get to know this girl. Dickhead.

“Why not. What game were you thinking?”

Louis straightened his fingerless gloves like the showman he was, a chance to impress someone was a chance taken. “Well, it’s not technically a game,”

She scoffed. “Liar.”

“It’s basically Truth or Dare but without the dares. Usually, it’s played with cards, but I left my pack at home.” Louis turned his pockets inside to show her. "Fine,” Clem sighed, her warm breath creating smoke that flowed out of her mouth like a dragon. “You go first.”

Louis considered this a win. “Do you usually catch the bus? I just want to know if your presence will be around in the future to delight me.” He sent a dramatic wink her way, his signature move.

“Not really. It's a twenty-minute drive to the shop but my car is a wreck right now, so bus it is," She shuddered at the thought of walking home alone at night. Once was enough. "My turn. How long have you been working at that music shop for?" "Since it first opened about a year ago. I was so excited to be working there but now there's a new manager and he's making life shit." Louis remembered the day he saw an ad in the paper for a new music shop opening on the corner, his screams almost burst Marlon’s eardrums. "Ouch. I'm lucky then, my boss is actually my dad. Well, adoptive dad technically. He always wanted a family business, that’s why we moved down here.” Louis leaned against the telegraph pole, his coat doing nothing to stop the cold from seeping through. "Damn, you are lucky. He seems cool.”

Clementine smiled fondly. “Yeah, he is. He took me in when I was eight,” She swallowed the lump in her throat at the thought of her time without Lee. “What about you? What’s your family like?" "We’re not that closely knit. I moved away about a year ago with my friend Marlon, been here ever since." Now that was an exciting day. He and Marlon had been planning to live together since they were fourteen, to have the freedom to do whatever they wanted. Adulthood had taken a turn for the worse, the sore reality of work and living expenses punched them both in the gut. "Is that our bus?" Clementine pointed to two white lights merging from the horizon, realising her suspicions were correct when she saw the elderly driver through the window. “Finally.”

Louis dug around in his back pocket for his trusty bus pass. “My lazy ass is ready to sit down,” The bus screeched to a halt beside them, spraying murky rainwater onto their ankles. “Good evening Wilson.” Louis tipped an imaginary hat to the bus driver, who smiled back gratefully.

He and Clementine sat towards the back of the bus behind a young man and what appeared to be his son. Clementine nabbed the window seat, creating patterns between the raindrops left behind on the glass.

Louis set himself down beside her, shaking his boots dry. “Favourite colour?”

“Red. You?’

“Blue,” His eyes lit up at the coincidence. “Maybe one day we’ll make the colour purple. Get it? Cause red and blue makes purple-”

Clementine raised her hand, shushing Louis. “Yeah, I get it. What are you insinuating?”

“I don’t even know. Your turn.”

She couldn’t stay annoyed at him, not with that childish grin he always seemed to have switched on. “Favourite cafe in town?”

Louis slapped his knee, making the little boy sitting in front of him jump. “Oh my god-okay so my friend Omar owns this amazing cafe down the street, he is seriously the best chef. His stew is to die for. I tried to convince him to call it ‘Stew with Lou’ but he didn’t seem too impressed.”

“Sounds nice, I’ll have to give it a go sometime.” Clementine looked out onto the street, the lights illuminating the small houses and shops. How her, Lee and her little brother were able to uncover this little corner of the world was beyond her.

“Maybe I’ll take you someday,” He mumbled under his breath, his own special promise. “What are some small things that make your day better?”

Clementine chuckled. “Whenever my little brother grabs my hand. Even if he doesn’t want anything, just makes me feel good.” Her fingers traced her palms lightly, giving herself a gentle shiver. Seeing his beaming smile whenever she got homemade the dull ache in her chest disappear.

“Well that’s really sweet,” Louis hung his head low. He hadn’t seen his little brother since he left home, his small face and gapped teeth brought on a sombre smile.

“So, what shows are you into?” She noticed the way his smile fell, how his glowing eyes melted into a stale form, what mystery was this boy hiding?

There’s the historian again, wanting to unearth the past.

Louis presented his best artificial smile, it had gotten him out of many challenges before. “Doctor Who.”

“Seriously?”

“Hey don’t knock it till you’ve tried it-”

“I have, it’s okay.” Clementine rolled her eyes. Lee loved it, that show is the most relaxing twenty-five minutes of his day.

Louis rested his feet against the seat in front of him. “Really? You seem like the type to watch slow ass shows like Downton Abbey, then again it could be worse.”

“Oi, watch it spaceman.”

“Oi, watch it earth girl.”

Silence fell over them for a brief second, their smiles only growing bigger and bigger before immediately cackling like little kids at a birthday party, their shared knowledge going over the heads of the two people in front of them. Luckily it was their stop, they eagerly left Louis and Clem to their own mad devices.

“I think we scared them away,” Clementine spat between bursts of laughter. Her body had moved closer to Louis, their elbows and knees hitting each other as their bodies trembled. Not that either party was complaining, not one bit.

Louis wiped the tears from his eyes. “They’re fine. Which stop do you get off at?”

“It’s the next one I’m pretty sure,” Clementine straightened out her denim jacket, enjoying the pain either side of her stomach. It had been too long since she had a hearty laugh, it was therapeutic. “Which stop are you?”

Louis eyed down the road in front of them. His stop wasn’t for another ten minutes...

“It’s the next one too!”

A little lie never hurt anyone, right?

It was certainly worth it by how Clem’s eyes lit up.

“Cool. Would it be okay if you walked me home? I don’t like walking alone in the dark-”

“-Yes!”

His answer was more enthusiastic than he liked it to be. It was supposed to be calm, suave and sophisticated. But no his heart jumped the gun as always.

Clementine settled down her nerves. “Thanks.” She muttered, biting her tongue to bury the laughter from coming back. She twiddled her thumbs as the bus came to a slow halt, the rain suddenly hammering down like bullets. “Shit, you don’t happen to have an umbrella do you?”

His hand flew into his satchel and revealed a large black umbrella. “I have been waiting for this moment my whole life.”

Clem gave him a hesitant smile. “And by that you mean…”

“Well, I carry this thing everywhere with me and my friends laugh at that since I haven’t ever used it. But guess who’s laughing now.” Louis threw the umbrella over his shoulder, brandishing it like a weapon.

“Does that one have a name too?” Clementine and Louis both stood from their seat, making their way towards the front of the bus.

“How about Ursula? My favourite Disney villain,” Louis waved goodbye to Wilson as he opened the umbrella, jumping into a puddle by the lamppost. “I’ll never get too old for that. Disney and puddle jumping.”

Clementine hurried under the umbrella, sticking close to Louis. “I live right down the street, it’s the house with the green roof.” She gestured to a house towards the far end of the street, the only house with the front light on. Louis took smaller strides so Clem could keep up with him, one step to him was two for her. 

And it was absolutely adorable.

“How’s the guitar going?” With every step they took Louis dreaded having to part ways with Clem, even if he was going to see her the very next day at their work. The rain blanketed them in a fantasy world where nothing could reach them, the outside world was a distant land. No pressures of work, no demanding customers. Just peace and shared knowledge.

“I’m really liking it. Thanks for your help by the way, when I came into the shop.” Clementine enjoyed this cacoon, thanking her past self for leaving her umbrella at home.

Louis bowed graciously. “Anytime my darling.”

“Oh my god, seriously?” She scoffed. If this boy was going where she thought he was...

“Oh my darlin’, oh my darlin’, oh my daaarlin-”

The punch to the forearm was enough to put the singing to an end. “Do you know how many times people have sung that to me?”

Louis rubbed his aching arm, trying to figure out how a girl of her stature could deliver such a blow. “Not enough?”

Clementine ignored him, silence seemed to be the only way he’d understand how serious she was. “And here is my final stop,” Her fingertips danced along the black fence surrounding her house. The kitchen light was on, most likely her brother finishing his homework. “Thanks for walking me home.”

“No problem. I’ll always be here to help guide you through the night,” Louis winked. He opened the gate for Clementine, chivalry wasn’t dead yet. “Goodnight Clemster, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She gave him a slow wave. “Sleep tight Louis.” She jogged up to her front door, fumbling with the door keys for longer than necessary.

Louis waited till she was inside before continuing down the street, laughing into the cold and dreary night. “Right, now how the hell am I going to get home.”

[elligames]

emulating on the psp: a review

I initially bought a psp because i am obsessed with kingdom hearts, and knew that birth by sleep was an incredible installment. (spoiler alert: I was right. totally worth it to buy the psp just for that.) but when I bought it, i was surprised the psp held it’s value. my friend informed me that it’s because the modding community for the psp is incredibly strong, and emulation is really easy. needless to say, my almonds activated. so, that was a couple of years ago now. and I’ve had a lot of experience with the handheld since then, so i wanna share what I’ve come to know as someone who uses their psp for retro gaming.

The System Itself

whether you’re emulating on the system or not, there’s a couple of things to note about the system. it’s roughly the same size as the largest iPhones, so it is a pretty good size for a handheld. it’s quite thick, and not exactly pocket-sized, but it’s definitely portable. I keep mine in a 3DS case, and you can find those anywhere. the handheld doesn’t fold, so you might want a screen protector. I’m personally a fan of the screen, which is quite large for any emulation needs. it’s 16:9 though, so it can get annoying to have to change emulation settings back to 4:3. fortunately, though, this is usually a 1 time deal, and i think most emulators for any system are going to require tweaking for personal taste. the sound has decent volume scale, and the system includes a headphone jack. 

what weirds me out the most is that it’s kind of difficult to turn completely off. you can put it to sleep with the power slider, and the battery holds pretty well. but i never feel like i’ve turned my system all the way down. it’s also the only handheld i know of that runs games from a disk drive, in case that means anything to you. the SD cards are also not proprietary like the vita’s are, which is nice.

Library

the first thing to understand is what the psp can actually do. it is a smooth ride up to the 32-bit ps1 system. there are emulators for n64 and sega saturn, but i admit i have not tried them. i have heard everything from “it’s sketchy at best” to “it totally runs smoothly!” so i’ve been wary. the psp can sideload ps1 and native psp games, and emulators from the 16-bit era and below have a huge following behind them.

sideloaded psp games run just as smoothly as games running from disks, which is really nice. 

emulators vary in quality. the great thing is, though, if you don’t like an emulator, there’s almost always a different one for the same system. and most of them have been worked on thoroughly. i recommend snes9x tyl, gpSP, and masterboy. i had huge issues with snes9x euphoria, but made the switch like a week ago to tyl and i’m never going back - the sound and game stability are both fantastic. i admit i’m a stupid nintendo fangirl, so that’s what i use the most. i noticed that my genesis emulator doesn’t use the psp’s joystick, and i’m not sure if i avoid sega because i’m uninterested, or if i dislike the controls. more on that in a minute.

to note, i am running on a psp 1000, which is the first model - so really all models are powerful enough for most emulators. (though this might change if you really are going to research n64 emulators)

Setup

holy crap, it’s stupidly easy. and there’s a lot of guides out there. i used one that was literally just like, “alright, you’re going to put these files in this folder on your system” and that was about all it took. and once you have that file system setup, adding new emulators and roms is really just a matter of moving things over whenever you want. it’s fantastic.

i really recommend using a guide that installs a recovery option. for the setup i used, i need to run this recovery option when the system loses battery. it’s not a huge deal, and doesn’t affect the game saves, but it’s like the system forgot about my files or something. 

Controls

okay, this is the part that really surprised me the most. emulation in general takes you away from the native experience, so some difference in controls is to be expected. so i didn’t really ever expect that to bother me. 

but this is the kicker: there’s no dedicated d-pad. the arrows on the left side are all individual buttons, which means the handheld does not support diagonal directions. i didn’t even consider this on purchase. i had heard other gamers talk about how important a good d-pad is, but i kind of brushed it off. for the most part, i still think i am pretty casual gamer, and i think a low-quality d-pad would not bother me. at least it would still be there.

but the setup of the psp kind of requires you to use the joystick for all games, which really takes you out of the moment for GBA and SNES games. it’s also slightly uncomfortable because of the location of the joystick, and the fact that the joystick is a similar rubber-band-y setup to the 3DS, and not a true stick. if you’re looking to emulate games that require lots of precision, this is an even bigger consideration. i don’t play a lot of games like that (i’m mostly doing adventure-style and jrpgs personally, no intense shooters or anything) but i will say, the 15-second game in LTTP is a bitch and a half on this thing. it is immensely easier on a setup with a real d-pad. moving around corners with a time limit is a real pain in the ass with this rubber-band joystick. and, i will also note that when looking at psp models, i personally think the joystick on the psp go looks awkward, but that’s just something to consider.

it’s honestly annoying enough at certain times like that, that i recommend moving save files back and forth. or at least for that one mini game. 

this also means that, like i said, because my genesis emulator doesn’t support the joystick, controlling sonic feels jilted and unnatural. so if i ever develop an interest in sega, i’ll have to post some updates.

for what it’s worth, the psp includes L & R shoulder buttons, the four shape buttons you see on dualshock controllers, and the aforementioned arrow buttons and joystick. so, in theory, there’s plenty of input for the majority of emulation. 

i will say the controls can also be confusing because the psp has opposite controls of nintendo consoles, and switching your brain between the two can take some getting used to. most emulators use the playstation controls in their settings menus, though i remember snes9x euphoria would use the nintendo controls - which i constantly forgot and found confusing, so there’s another point for snes9x tyl. 

Conclusions

even though the psp has held a value, it still remains to be one of the cheapest options for the library available to it and the quality of emulation. it’s got a great screen, great sound, and a community behind the emulators that ensure you’re likely going to find something stable and worth playing. while the controls severely hold the handheld back, i find myself really, really fond of my psp. i notice cheaper emulation options that pop up, and there’s almost always issues reviewers bring up such as screen tearing or poor sound. more expensive options might fix issues the psp has, but i almost always see them at least double the price of what i paid for my psp. 

of course, the value is going to depend on your local retro gaming store, so it might be comparable to other emulation options. and it might not even be worth it if you’ve got a device, such as a tablet or phone, that can do emulation. you might want to consider bluetooth controllers instead! but as a dedicated machine for gaming, i’d recommend it. i have to say that the psp is a very smooth experience and definitely worth checking out. 

[horaciocustance-blog]

Obtain FLAC To ALAC V1.zero (Freeware)

Assume you may inform the difference between CD high quality music and compressed MP3s? Even be mindful that lots of trendy music is mastered in a way meaning quite a lot of nuance has been misplaced, whatever the technology you throw at it. (Do an internet search for 'loudness conflict' for extra info.) Issues are slowly changing, however no quantity of careful ripping and excellent headphones will save recorded audio designed to punch your ears in. Now that you just perceive the difference between each format, what should you use for ripping or downloading music? Normally, we suggest utilizing MP3 or AAC. They're appropriate with practically each participant on the market, and each are indistinguishable from the unique source if encoded at a high bitrate. Except you've particular needs that counsel otherwise, MP3 and AAC are clear selections. To transform songs presently in your iTunes library, open the software and discover the Preferences menu from the iTunes dropdown on a Mac or Edit dropdown on a Home windows pc. Next, click on the Normal tab, then discover the Import Settings within the lower part of the Preferences window. After that, click on the dropdown subsequent to Import Utilizing, choose the format and click on OK to avoid wasting that import format because the default setting. iTunes permits for batch changing, so the ultimate step is to pick out all the information you wish to convert, click the File menu, then select Convert and click on Create MP3 Version. In the event you chose a special output format, it displays that format reasonably than MP3. Some of the superior settings in Switch embody deleting the supply audio file after a conversion, routinely normalizing audio, leiflittler842.tumblr.com enhancing tags, and downloading CD album details from the internet. I store my music each on bodily storage and on the cloud, they both give me constraints concerning the file format. As an illustration, I will play my complete collection on-line if I'm using WMA lossless format. In other words, this let me play my bought and digitalized records from my smartphone or from work. Nonetheless, while it is supported by majority of devices, it isn't suitable with Apple gadgets. This means it's a must to undergo through all of the painful conversion from FLAC to Apple Lossless. Additionally, you'll be able to convert FLAC to MP3 with no hustle. There could be a loss of high quality, but the distinction can be negligible to most listeners using commonplace speakers or headphones. For those who're an audiophile, then in addition to having costly audio tools, you're probably by no means going to make use of the MP3 format anyway. Although Apple at least allowed MP3s to be performed on their units, like MS with WMA, they insisted on having their own version, AAC, (after which charging CD-quality costs for it). The same goes for CD-quality music. As an alternative of allowing FLAC to be played natively on iPods, Apple had to have ALAC, which appears to be so little different from FLAC as to be pointless. Once the recordsdata have been converted, you may download them individually or collectively in a ZIP file There's also an choice to save lots of them to your Dropbox account. You may obtain FLAC format information from the website or load the recordsdata that store on your disk. paths: The directory construction and naming scheme for the converted information. Makes use of the identical format as the highest-level paths part (see Path Format Configuration ). Default: Reuse your prime-stage path format settings. Initially created by Apple, Audio Interchange File Format, or AIFF, is an audio file that's utterly uncompressed and may be performed on each Macs and PCs. AIFF is identical to CD-quality audio, however its massive files increase obtain time and take up significant house, making the format lower than very best for transportable units. Streaming is feasible in AIFF, but it surely's not generally used. AIMP is one other FLAC player on Android that isn't as properly-often known as among the others, but which can be available without spending a dime. This app does not attempt to supply all the bells and whistles or present a lot of options. As an alternative, it focuses on offering a very mild and quick method to play flac alac converter download audio information on an Android machine. This will probably be a significant benefit for people who use gadgets that do not have essentially the most highly effective specs. That is additionally nice for individuals who simply want an app that works, as opposed to having to cope with all sorts of menus, buttons and preferences cluttering up the display screen. That additionally leads to this app's fundamental downside though. It's designed to look and performance in a simple method, and a few individuals would possibly get turned off by that, in the event that they'd fairly have a FLAC participant on Android that appears more polished, fancy and which offers more functionality.

In the event you've purchased and downloaded FLAC or DSD files from one of the websites listed above, or indeed some other you find, you may must import them into iTunes earlier than Apple's Music app can see them. But as a result of iTunes does not like FLAC files, they will should be converted first. When you finished including FLAC recordsdata it is time now to convert them. Click on the format choice dropdown on the toolbar to deliver up the format choice dialog. Choose ALAC there as proven under.

[dprwolfgang]

So Simple // DPR LIVE

DPR LIVE x Reader (Ariella)

RATED : Fluff

“Hey,you at home?” Dabin asked as soon as I picked up the phone.

“Well hello to you too and no, I picked up an extra shift.I should be finished at around one.” Working as a bartender/waitress in Seoul wasn’t the ideal job but it paid well and with the flexibility I could go to my classes during the day and work at night.

“Come over after?” He asked.It wasn’t unnatural for this to happen.Being friends with Dabin for almost ten years this was the norm between us as our friendship grew.

“I’ve got a 9am exam tomorrow though. I should probably go home and study.” I teased him lightly.They just got back from Greece after filming something for his upcoming project and he has the next couple of days off.I had my final exam tomorrow and even though I studied I knew getting out of bed would be a hassle if I stayed over at Dabin’s.

We aren’t dating or anything-not that I’d mind- but we are best friends who occasionally use the other as a pillow.To others we seem like a couple but it was just something that felt natural between us and no matter how much we denied it they never believe us.

“All the more reason for you to come over.” I could feel him smiling even though I wasn’t near him. “I’ll drop you off on my way to Scott’s and I’ll pick you up after and we could go get lunch.” He spoke almost as if he’d thought this out beforehand.

“Dabin we live in the same building,directly across the hall from each other,you know my passcode.Why don’t you just go chill until I get home?”  

“Because I just got home and crawled into bed.The amount of effort it’s going to take me to get up and go across the hall really isn’t making sense to me right now.C’mon, please? I haven’t seen my best friend in a month.”

“Stop trying to guilt trip me.” I sighed. I had been swamped with exams and assignments that the only time I saw him was when he FaceTime me from the airport before they left.

“Depends,is it working?” He laughed.

“Yessss,ughh hanging with you and Ian has made me soft. I’m going to hang with Scott from now on.” I mumble the last part hoping that he doesn’t catch on.

“Go ahead,see if he gives you cuddles and food.”  

“I’ll see you later D,go get some sleep.” I told him fixing my skirt.He mumbled something about me behaving like his mom before hanging up.

My shift soon came to an end as the last remnants of patrons in the bar filtered out.Gathering my bag and slipping into my jacket I made my way out into the cold Seoul weather and started the twenty minute walk towards the apartment complex.

Taking the elevator up instead of my usual use of the steps I made to small journey down the hall to both mine and Dabin’s apartment.Typing  in his passcode I pushed the door open and made my way into his apartment.His suitcases sat by the couch letting me know that he didn’t unpack.

“Dabin,” I call out. I didn’t get a reply but the sound vibrating against the floors led me to small home studio he had set up.The door was opened but with his headphones over his head I knew he didn’t hear me come in.

“Hey,” I draped my arms over his shoulders from behind after removing one side from over his ear.His head tilted back to look up at me.

“Hey you,” He smiled brightly instantly bringing a smile to my face. “How long you been here?”  

“Just got here, you would have known if you weren’t lost in work again.” I moved some of his hair out of his face. “Have you eaten as yet?” I question pulling away from him.

“Yeah,I left you some in the microwave.”

“That’s why we’re best friends.” I smiled and kissed his cheek.Leaving Dabin to his own devices I made my way into his bedroom pulling one of his T-shirts out his closet heading into the bathroom for a much needed shower.

Dabin

I looked as her as she walked out of the room,my eyes glued to her figure as she left out the room.Turning my attention back to what I was doing I caught sight of my phone that was still live on Instagram with Rome,the comment section blowing up.

Who’s that?

Do you have a girlfriend now?

Damn she’s pretty,she single?

Christian was laughing and trying to draw the attention away from me but they weren’t having that.

“That’s my best friend,well she’s actually mine and Rome’s best friend,she isn’t my girlfriend and yes I know she’s beautiful.” I smiled at my screen.

Rome and I answered whatever questions they asked ignoring the disrespectful ones before Rome said he had to go.

“And then there was one.” Getting up I made my way into my  bedroom where Ariella sat on in the middle with a couple of books surrounding her and her glasses on.

Sitting opposite her I switched my camera to her before taking her glasses off.

“Dabin,c’mon I’ve got two more to finish and then we can play fifa.” She complains pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Then go ahead and finish.” I smiled.

“Then gimme back my glasses,you know I can’t see shit without them.” She whined reaching out for her glasses.

Aww she’s so cute!!

Dabin stop being mean and give the girl her glasses.

Friendship goals!!  

She said lemme finish and we’ll play fifa after 👀👀 brooo wife her or I will. What’s her insta?

Laughing at the comments I pass her back her glasses. “What happened to your contacts?”

“I ran out and they don’t have any in my prescription.” I watched as she finished up her work,loose tendrils of her wild curls falling out of the messy bun she was sporting.

She stood after finishing what she was doing and exited my bedroom.Sitting up against the headboard I switched the camera back to me.She had some music playing so I just sat there reading comments and vibing until she came back in and got on the bed with staying out of the cameras view.

“Why is you all the way over there?”  

“Because you’re live and I look a hot ass mess.They don’t needa see that.” She sassed lying on her stomach.

“A bit too late for that.They saw you when you arrived and a couple minutes ago,so much so they’re asking for you.”

“They came on live to see you not me.Give them some of your attention and lemme sleep.” She whined covering her face when I angled my phone so that both of us showed.

“Dabinnnnn,lemme sleep.” I laugh pulling her arm from over her face.

“I haven’t seen you in a month,gimme cuddles.” I open my arms widely,smiling at her. I knew she couldn’t sleep without using me as a pillow only because I was the same way.We had gotten so used to being under each other that sleep took a lot longer to come when the other wasn’t around.

She didn’t make a sound but gradually slid her body into my arms.A leg entangled with mine and an arm wrapped around my waist as she cuddled into my chest.My fingers playing in her hair under the hood.

Y’all are soooo cute!

I’m suddenly soft!

I don’t know why y’all just don’t date already!  

I laugh at Dean’s comment.It wasn’t the first time the suggestion was made but we never necessarily felt the need to put a title to what we had.What was understood between us didn’t need to be explained.Right?

“You still up?”

“Mhmm,” she mumbled snuggling closer to me.

“Sleep.”

She shook her head.Wasn’t she just asking me to let her sleep?

“And why not?”

“Because as soon as I fall asleep you gon leave me and go tryna get work done.” She replies not opening her eyes.I chuckle lightly because I know she’s right.Even when I’m not working I’m always working if that makes sense. “The whole point of a break is to relax and ease your mind D,so you’re gonna keep ya behind in this bed.” Her grip tightened around me and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Fine,fine no work tonight you munchkin.” I tease.

“Who you calling munchkin? I’m taller than you.” She states with one eye open.At this point I wasn't even paying attention to the live anymore.I didn’t reply to her seeing as she’s right. I just laugh.A comfortable silence came over us and by the way her breathing began to even out I could tell that the lack of sleep was catching up to her.

“Dabin,”

“Hmm?” I question looking down at her.

“Thank you.” She said.

“What for?”

“Everything but mainly for always being there when I need someone,for keeping me sane I guess.”

“You know I should be the one thanking you. I mean you stuck with Rome and I through everything.You keep us grounded and I know we can be pains and you probably wanna beat our asses at times but you stuck around so don’t thank me.It’s what friends do for each other.” I reply to her placing a kiss on her forehead.

“One day..you’re gonna make some lucky girl really happy.” She whispers so softly I almost didn’t hear her.

“Oh really,” I smirk looking at her knowing fully well that she was in between wake and sleep and that she probably won’t remember our conversation in the morning.

“Mhmm, and..and she better treat you right too or else there’s gonna be problems but until then keep making me happy.” I smile at her watching as she finally let go and let sleep consume her.The comment section was on overdrive and with only a few minutes left,I said goodbye and good night to the viewers before ending it and placing my phone on the bedside table after plugging in the charger.

“You’re the only girl I wanna make happy.”I like what we have.Being with her was always so simple that I didn’t have to worry about fucking up or trying to be someone I’m not because I have my best friend by my side.I place another kiss on her forehead smiling to myself and I let her snuggle further into me as I pull the covers over us. I’m not sleepy but I know she’ll wake up as soon as I move so I laid there until sleep finally came and consumed me as well.

I don’t know what this means for us but I guess the best things are sometimes found in the unplanned and the unknown.

[droneseco]

Creative Soundstage V2: Fantastic Budget Soundbar With One Killer Feature

Creative Stage V2

9.00 / 10

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For the price, the Creative Stage V2 is much better than it has any right to be. The separate subwoofer ensures a more full sound stage that's far better than any built-in TV speaker efforts. The killer feature for me is Clear Dialog, and I suspect it'll be hard to go back to one without it. Imagine, finally being able to hear what they're saying!

Specifications

Brand: Creative

Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0

Ports: HDMI-ARC, TOS Optical, USB, 3.5mm AUX

Power: 80W total

Subwoofer Output: 40W

Speaker Arrangement: 2.1, from dual 20W mid-range drivers

Pros

Clear Dialog feature is superb for hard to hear movies and TV shows

Performance for the price is superb

Cons

It's short, meaning little stereo separation from further away

Volume buttons aren't sticky (so you have to click multiple times)

Buy This Product

Creative Stage V2 amazon

Shop

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I was an excitable young boy in the early days of computing when my father brought home a Creative Soundblaster Multimedia Upgrade kit. With two desktop speakers, a CD-ROM drive, and a soundcard—what a glorious thing that was, as we ushered in the new "multimedia" revolution on Windows 3.1.

Nowadays we take it for granted that a motherboard should have 5.1 surround sound built-in, but I'm glad that the Creative brand has managed to stick around and continued to innovate beyond simply providing good quality sound for everyone.

The Creative Stage V2 is an affordable ($110/£99) 2.1 stereo 80W soundbar that performs far better than it has any right to at that price. It features a separate subwoofer, and one killer feature that I love: a Clear Dialog setting to enhance vocals in difficult-to-hear or badly balanced TV shows and movies.

Thanks to Creative, we're also giving one lucky reader the chance to win a Creative Stage V2. Just pop your details in the competition widget at the end of this review, and be sure to check out the review video for some bonus entries.

Creative Stage V2 Design

Among soundbars, the Creative Stage V2 is unique for an unusual reason: it's incredibly compact. In fact, I wasn't sure what the mysterious package was when it arrived at the door, because the box was unlike any soundbars I've tested before.

At just 27 inches long, the main body is made from shiny black plastic. It feels a little cheap and tends to attract dust and fingerprints, but since it's is likely to be hidden away under your TV or monitor, the looks shouldn't be a big deal. At this price point, I don't expect brushed chrome and real wood. Internally, there are dual 20W 2.25" full-range drivers.

In addition to hiding it under your TV (and at just over three inches high, this shouldn't be an issue), you'll also find screw holes for wall mounting it. The power plug and various ports are inset on the rear panel to accommodate this.

The front of the Creative Stage V2 is a black metal grill, with the only discernible features being the Creative brand badge and a simple two-digit LCD panel hidden in the center. When on, this usually shows the current input, but changes to reflect the volume as you adjust it, or as you turn on or off Surround Sound and Clear Dialog.

On the right-hand side of the main soundbar are a few rubber-covered buttons for volume, power, and Bluetooth pairing. You can't adjust the EQ or activate the Clear Dialog and Surround features from here though, so you'll need to keep the included remote safe.

The separate subwoofer doesn't require its own power, drawing instead from the single cable connection to the soundbar. It too is unashamedly compact, at a slim-but-tall 4.57 inches (116mm) wide, 16.65 inches (423mm) high, and 9.84inches (250mm) deep. The main body is laminated MDF, with a fabric mesh covering the 5 1/4-inch 40W bass driver on the right-hand side, and a reflex port of the bottom of the front panel.

Connections For Anything

As a soundbar, the primary connection will be to your TV; through either HDMI ARC or a TOS Optical link.

Intriguingly, there's also a USB-A port, which you can use with PC or PlayStation 4 for a direct digital output. Bluetooth 5.0 provides connectivity to mobile devices, while a standard 3.5mm stereo AUX rounds off the selection as a default for everything else.

Included in the package is both a UK and US power plug, as well as a USB and stereo audio cable.

An optional extra provides further connectivity for wireless audio when it wouldn't otherwise be possible: the BT-W3 adaptor plugs into USB-C (such as from the Nintendo Switch), then streams wirelessly with aptX LL HJD, AptX, or SBC protocol.

Using the Creative Stage V2

Operation is simple and responsive. One thing I've found on other soundbars is that the remote control can be sluggish,  often taking a few button presses to actually switch inputs or change the volume. With the Creative Stage V2, the remote was very responsive, and not once did I have to do a dance trying to find the optimal line or sight, or jiggle the batteries because it felt like they were running out. Switching inputs was immediate, and Bluetooth connected promptly and without issue.

On the downside, the volume buttons don't repeat when you hold them, which means if your input levels or media varies a lot, it can be a pain to press the buttons through the 35 different volume levels. For me, this meant 15-20 button presses to normalize between some old TV shows we watch through Plex which are far too quiet, and YouTube. If you forget to normalize the volume back, you're in for an auditory bomb. If I had one feature request, it would be a set of programmable buttons to store all current settings, such that with one button press I could swap to a specific input, change the volume to a favorite level, and adjust my EQ. That's probably a bit much to ask from a soundbar that already offers so much at such a great price point, but one can dream.

One other point worth noting is that if you've set a custom EQ, you lose it when power is off. This isn't a problem for most people, but if you believe that "phantom power" from small LEDs and standby modes eats a significant amount of electricity (it doesn't), then this might frustrate you.

Clear Dialog and Surround Sound

The Creative Stage V2 a 2.1 speaker system, which means it has two main speakers for stereo output, plus a subwoofer to enhance the bass.

It also has a "virtual" Surround Sound feature that you can enable to emulate a more full sound stage, but like most virtual surround sound systems, I found this element disappointing. It does fill the environment a little, but these systems tend to also introduce a sort of ethereal quality to the sound, a floatiness that never quite sounds right to me. The Creative Stage V2 is no different, and after some initial tests, I left the virtual surround feature off. This is perhaps down to individual taste, and if you've experienced this sort of virtual surround before and know you like the outcome, you'll appreciate the inclusion of this feature.

Ultimately even a budget 5.1 surround sound speaker setup will be superior to any emulated attempt from two speakers, whether that's in a soundbar or high-end pair of headphones.

Clear Dialog is the real killer feature here. With this activated, the Creative Stage attempts to identify voices and boost them. I don't know if it's just because I'm aging and spent my youth in clubs, or if sound engineers are genuinely making dialog harder to hear in movies and TV shows (so I'll assume the latter), but I'll tell you this: I turned on the Clear Dialog feature when I first started testing the Creative Stage V2, and can't turn it off.

I don't mean the button is broken; I have tried turning it off multiple times to see if it was just my imagination. But every time I've thought "nope, now I can't hear what they're saying".

Is Clear Dialog just an EQ setting to boost the mid-range? I don't think so. At least, I didn't notice other abnormally loud sounds in the mid-range with the feature enabled, which you would expect if it was just a blind EQ boost. There does appear to be some sort of processing going on, as with the faux-surround feature.

Sound Quality and Stereo Separation

I ran the Creative Stage through a variety of audio tests from audiocheck.net, and while there's nothing major to report, frequent parts of the low-frequency spectrum sweep seemed to dip in volume noticeably, even with the subwoofer plugged in. In normal use, I didn't notice anything unusual.

The overall range was good however and more importantly, playing some of my favorite tracks over Bluetooth resulted in a pleasingly crisp sound stage, with booming bass and clear, crisp vocals. Even at higher volumes, there was little distortion. It sounded great overall; not remarkable by any means, but good. It's also been plugged into our kitchen TV for a month or so, and provides much clearer dialog than the previous budget soundbar we'd been using. This one's a keeper, for sure.

But the Creative Stage V2 won't be right for every use case. Soundbars tend to be extremely long so as to accommodate stereo speakers, directing distinct sounds to each ear in clearly separated left and right channels.

The problem with the Creative Stage V2 is that it's just a little too short. If you're sitting close to it, this isn't a problem. But from about 6 feet away, the stereo separation is difficult to discern. I tried a blind test, in which I had someone play a sound from either the left or right channel, and sat about 6 feet back. I couldn't tell which was which unless I heard the opposite channel shortly after for comparison. This isn't a huge problem for a lot of TV content, nor for music, but you wouldn't be getting an ideal movie experience. At a normal distance from the TV, it's more like a 1.1 speaker system, than 2.1. On larger TVs, the stereo separation may even be worse than the built-in system.

Should You Buy the Creative Stage V2

For the price, the Creative Stage V2 is much better than it has any right to be. The separate subwoofer ensures a more full sound stage that's far better than any built-in TV speaker efforts. The killer feature for me is Clear Dialog, and I suspect it'll be hard to go back to one without it. Imagine, finally being able to hear what they're saying!

But while it's certainly better than any built-in speaker solution, set your expectations appropriately: it is a budget soundbar, even if it's a really good one. You can't get stunningly good sound from two mid-range 20W speakers and a small subwoofer. It's also on the short side, so stereo separation is not ideal. Personally, I wouldn't put this in my home cinema; it's worth saving up for a full surround system there. It is, however, perfect for a secondary display (I've been using it with a smaller TV in the kitchen), where you want decent sound but without spending hundreds.

    Creative Soundstage V2: Fantastic Budget Soundbar With One Killer Feature published first on http://droneseco.tumblr.com/

[joegeek]

Recently I had an opportunity to be fitted with Signia’s Pure 13 Nx hearing aids thanks to the help of Ron McVeigh at Nutech Health and Hearing and Signia’s Bridget Covey. Those that follow this blog know that I previously used Signia Pure Primax 5’s as my first foray into hearing aids. That experience was both eye-opening and very positive. It brought clarity to conversations and a broader range of detail to music at reasonable volumes. (For more on my initial experience as well as more details on the importance of getting your hearing checked, see here ) So, what’s new with the Pure 13 Nx? Quite a bit actually. The main new feature presented in the Nx series is what Signia is calling Own Voice Processing (OVP). It will be helpful to step back before I try to describe the problem they’re solving. Have you ever heard your voice recorded? Typically, it sounds like a slightly higher pitched you. When you hear your voice without any hearing aid, you hear it through the resonating cavities of your bone structure which typically presents it at a lower pitch, especially for men. So imagine that higher-pitch you being magnified in your ears through hearing aid mics. Now you’ll recognize the problem they’re solving: your voice sounds artificially high and loud to you in conversation (and usually with a bit of echo). It’s as if you were listening to yourself recorded in a cave. To reduce this artificial sound of your voice, people would turn down the volume of the mics, but that also reduced your ability to hear others. So, Signia built in the ability to essentially detect and filter your own voice without having to suppress the sound of other voices. In other words, your own voice is filtered down to a natural level while continuing to elevate other voices in the conversation so that you can hear them better and with less strain. Signia, ironically, packs a ton of high tech into the device so you hear your conversations (especially your part in them) as completely natural as if you had no need of hearing aids and weren’t wearing any.  But then that’s the ultimate goal, isn’t it? Hearing at its best where the technology vanishes into the background.This would be called a nontrivial upgrade. So if you tried hearing aids (or were afraid to try hearing aids) because of things sounding “weird”, you ought to give these a try.

Courtesy SigniaUSA.com

My own experience of OVP is that it essentially eliminates any artificial flavor to the sound of your own voice. That echoey nature of your own voice vanishes. Moreover, with the directional nature of the mics, your overall perception of sound direction seems enhanced. Note: the artificialness of your voice is mitigated immediately but, over time, essentially vanishes. The hearing aids learn your sound more over time and your voice sounds completely natural after a week or so (except in under some profiles like “Recorded Music” where that processing is turned off; I’ll dive into that later).

[Full disclosure: Signia has supplied Pure 13 Nx, StreamLine TV and StreamLine Mic for review. While this does influence what I review, I do not believe it influenced my evaluation.]

There are other additional features as well. The app, now called myControl, has many more features including the ability to control the tinnitus therapy signal in the Universal program, better management of automatic spatial configuration, the ability to capture sound exposure data, the ability to change programs and mic direction based on motion and a much smaller StreamLine Mic (compared to EasyTec) for Android users (Apple phone users don’t require it). Along with new features, they also fixed some nagging inconveniences, foremost among which is the ability to change profiles (programs) without having to detach from a Bluetooth or headphone connection. So much easier!

The myControl app works well, overall, with my LG V30 Android phone. Switching and staying between programs works really well. I don’t have any issues with it dynamically switching programs on me or switching out of a spatial configuration after some period of time (e.g., I have the mics pointing forward, then after some time they used just revert to the default setting). Roughly once a day during very heavy use (especially during this review period), it crashes and restarts, but everything works well. Finally, sometimes it’s slow to initially bring up the app, but now I’m nit-picking. I will say that this app shows Signia’s dedication to improvement. There are lots of fixes and features tied into the app such as reviewing your sonic history:

        I’ve also had an opportunity to use the StreamLine TV. I can’t imagine how amazing this would be for somebody who has a severe hearing loss. Even for myself, who has a relatively moderate hearing loss, it simply sounds great. Certainly, movies or TV is fabulously crisp and clear with no need to crank up the volume. With my preferred ear domes, you don’t get a ton of bass (explosions or cannons won’t have the oomph you might expect) but Signia even has an answer for that: double closed domes. For me, they’re a bit too warm of a sound signature, so I’ll settle for a less strong bass. Listening to music via CDs or Blueray is great.

Courtesy SigniaUSA.com

So let me dive into the music aspect. I love music. In fact, my initial desire for hearing aids was the fact that my upper register (and some lower register) sound had significantly diminished and to mitigate my tinnitus through the tinnitus therapy signal. I would have to crank the sound to harmful levels to hear some detail. It turns out, as my wife and children have been telling me, my ability to hear conversation was degraded as well. So, I was pretty excited to test out music heard directly through the hearing aids. What an experience! The spatial awareness, as well as the clarity and detail of music, is simply amazing. I listened to Diana Krall’s Turn Up the Quiet, Itzhak Pearlman’s Concert in Moscow which includes a Tchaikovsky piece and Dave Brubeck Quartet’s Take Five. In each case, the detail, clarity, and richness of the mids and treble are fabulous. Moreover, the range of StreamLine TV is just sick. I was listening downstairs in my den, had to a go do something, walked upstairs into the master bedroom and there was no a hesitation, let alone a break, in the sound. It was not until I walked outside the house, opened up my car, and started to get inside to grab something, that the signal was finally breaking up. So, it easily goes through walls, floors, and some pretty serious distance without missing a beat. The only problem you have is people start talking to you because they don’t realize you’re listening to anything and you have to pause what you’re doing and have them repeat again. But the sound is spellbinding. I was talking to a colleague of mine about this and I saw his eyes light up. He has a close relative who cranks the TV up to the point where it’s painful for him to go visit when the TVs on. He really wants to get him into StreamLine TV.

My LG V30 handing out with my aids and StreamLine Mic

I’ve also had an opportunity to use the StreamLine Mic. This allows streaming to the hearing aids for Android phones (it’s native to iPhones). That means music, phone calls, Audible audiobooks and podcasts all can go directly into your ears. The sound is the same quality as the StreamLine TV. That is, astonishingly good for the mids and treble with subtle bass (again, unless you switch to double closed domes). To me, this is a game changer and one that I can see being adopted in the future in a more mainstream manner, even for those who don’t have hearing loss. This is not quite the future of implants, but close. I can be anywhere, without any bulky, separate headphones and listen to tunes or my favorite book.

Finally, a separate note on channel separation. I listened to a few binaural recordings, that is, where the recording mics are placed in, essentially, a mannequin’s ears so that it is recorded exactly how a human would hear it live. This provides the ultimate in stereo separation. For example, I listened to David Chesky’s Primal Scream: Jazz in the New Harmonic (a binaural recording). Words fail me. The channel separation is stunning. The placement of the drums in, for example, left rear while the sax is jamming in the right front is amazing. It really is as if I’m in the middle of the studio with the band around me going at it. While I listen mostly to jazz and classical, I love all genres. When I need a bit more thump, I pull out my Grado SR125e’s which are an open-backed headphone with a flat on-ear cushion that works well with my hearing aids and their mics.

One of the brilliant things the Signia Nx does is adjust the mic volume automatically based on environmental noise. For example, I was out on a walk with my dog, listening to Amor Towles’ audiobook A Gentleman in Moscow (I highly recommend it) when a car drove by my bit of the sidewalk. The volume pumped up automatically to adjust for the car noise. Very nice; the story continued and there was no need to go back to before the car came by. Equally nice is that you can still hear some environmental noise so that you can avoid dangerous situations like a cyclist calling out “Left” as they breeze by you and you do not hear it because you have headphones that keep noise out. Phone calls are really clear on the receiving end and, I’m told, clear on the recipient’s end albeit you sound like you’re in a tunnel. Your words are clear but you sound a bit different. So, as I said, anywhere I go, I have instant access to my tunes, music, and phone without ever picking up a separate headphone, Bluetooth headset or anything else.

As you can see, unless you’re at just the right angle, you don’t even notice 13 Nx’s

There’s so much more built into these things. Let’s talk programs (or profiles). So, working with your audiologist, you can set up different programs. Mine are Universal (this tech is smart so I leave it on Universal most the time and let it figure out what’s going on and adjust accordingly), Noisy Environment, TV, Recorded Music, Outdoor Sport, and Tinnitus. I’ll use Noisy Environment in a restaurant where the hearing aids will pull in the spatial signature to be closer in (reduces the sound of conversations, plates, and movement so you can focus on the conversation at hand). TV is used when I want the hearing aids to pick up the StreamLine TV device. Recorded Music kills the tinnitus therapy sound and opens wide the sound signature. Outdoor Sport more aggressively manages wind noise and Tinnitus focuses on the tinnitus therapy stream.  Here’s the kicker though; the Signia Nx’s are still smarter than you, at least when it comes to hearing. Let’s suppose that I go the Universal setting and manually configure the mics to point to my left so I can listen to my dear bride speaking to me from that side. OK, time to go. As I’m walking, the Nx detects my movement and will reorient my mics forward. Pretty slick.

Honestly, these are a stunning piece of tech. Prior to wearing hearing aids, the world sounded like I had a thick blanket over my head; I could hear conversations, music, and so forth. I could mostly distinguish all of the words, albeit, with effort. It was like hearing everything through the filter of mediocre headphones which muddied down the sound. Now, there is a crispness, sparkle, and clarity which was previously lost. All of this while retaining a more natural sound to my voice. I don’t have to focus as much to understand what’s being said. If that was all, these are worth it. However, I also have the ability to control my sonic environment more than ever. I can adjust the volume down for a loud movie or turn the right side up to hear my wife in the car. I have tinnitus therapy to mitigate the buzz in my head and, now, can connect to my media and phone calls everywhere.  Serious sonic seventh heaven.

@SigniaUSA Pure 13 Nx - Pure Tech to Make Sounds Natural #HearingAids #NaturalSound Recently I had an opportunity to be fitted with Signia’s Pure 13 Nx hearing aids thanks to the help of Ron McVeigh at…

[un-enfant-immature]

Sony WH-1000XM4 headphone review

There was a mixed reaction among the TechCrunch staff when Sony’s WH-1000XM4 were announced the other week. There was excitement among those looking for new headphones and disappointment for those who’d recently purchased a different pair. The product’s predecessor are pretty universally regarded as some of the best over-ear headphones you can get for the price point, so the biggest question, really, was what the new ones bring to the table.

So let me just say this off the bat. If you own the WH-1000XM3, congrats. You purchased a very good pair of headphones — ones that rightfully helped unmoor Bose from its long-standing position as the default frequent traveler purchase. And no, you don’t need to rush out and upgrade if yours are still hanging in there.

The original headphones entered the world pretty fully formed, and after two years, this refresh is more of a refinement of an excellent product. But the additions do go a long ways toward maintaining Sony’s spot as the reigning champion of noise-canceling, over-ear Bluetooth headphones. The 1000XM4 are hard to beat.

Sony’s excellent over-ear headphones get smarter

The new headphones more or less look exactly the same as their predecessors. They’re not the most striking pair of over-ear headphones for your money (that award may well go to Sennheiser or Bang & Olufsen). I appreciate the relative simplicity versus the comparable Bose Quiet Comfort model. Honestly, when it comes to things like long-haul flights, the less flashy, the better.

The headphones are surprisingly light — something I noticed the first time I had the opportunity to try the M3 during a meeting in some board room with Sony execs a couple of years back. The new units have a bit more padding and are extremely comfortable. I say that as someone who has a tough time with over-ear headphones for whatever reason. As I write this, I’ve been wearing the headphones for the better part of four days.

Image Credits: Brian Heater

There have been breaks in the marathon, of course. The nature of the form factor means they’re not really ideal for, say, going for a walk or falling asleep. The former is especially the case of late here in New York, where it has routinely hit temperatures in the 90s. For noise canceling all of the annoyances of home, however, they’re terrific. And when we all start flying in planes again, they’ll be excellent for that, too (thanks in no small part to the inclusion of a 3.5mm headphone jack for that seat-back entertainment).

The other element that has allowed for nearly uninterrupted usage is the ability to pair the system with two devices simultaneously. This has, frankly, been a big pain point for a number of headphones I’ve been using of late, requiring the user to get into the device settings and manually select the headphones. Using the iOS app, I paired the M4 to my phone and desktop top, and I’m able to switch seamlessly between sources. You’d be surprised by how liberating that feels. Just make sure your sound level is comparable on each device or you’ll be in for an unfortunate blast.

Sony adds Alexa to its noise-canceling headphones

Like the M3, the sound quality is excellent, offering a full audio picture, regardless of genre. The sound is honestly pretty comparable to the previous model, and that’s perfectly fine. Nura’s truly excellent sound profile technology retains the top spot for me, but these new Sonys offer excellent audio for a pair of everyday headphones.

Once again, the real centerpiece, however, is Sony’s truly excellent noise canceling. The feature was the M3’s real secret weapon against Bose dominance in the category. The new models take things up a notch by detecting ambient sound some 700 times per second via the system-on-a-chip and actively adapting to counteract this. The system also features the addition of Noise Canceling Optimizer. On the face of it, the feature works similarly to noise optimization on other systems. Hold the button down and it sends an audio signal into your ear, meowing things like seal quality and atmospheric pressure (for planes, primarily) to offer up a more customized found profile. It adds up to some truly excellent noise canceling and an overall great audio experience.

There are a bunch of other nice features throughout that may or may not be helpful in your specific scenario. For instance, I found myself  immediately disabling Speak to Chat, which pauses playback when you speak. A nice feature in theory, but I live alone, so the only time it would trigger is if I coughed, laughed or unconsciously found myself singing along to the music. More useful for my own needs however is a feature that lets in ambient sound when you cover the right ear cup with your hand. Ambient sound fed into headphones through a mic still sounds a bit unnatural, but it does the trick.

Image Credits: Brian Heater

I also found myself turning off location tracking, because, quite frankly, enough of my gadgets already know where I am. Also, the addition of noise that adapts based on familiar locations is nice, but not really worth the trouble for me — especially these days when I’m leaving my apartment significantly less than I’d care to admit. And besides, I just really don’t like seeing that location tracking icon in the corner of iOS 11.

Google Assistant and Alexa are built in, as well, but again, not features I tend to use much in a pair of headphones. I’d say I shut them off to save battery, too, but with a stated life of 30 hours, I’ve honestly been fine on that front. Charging via USB-C, meanwhile, will get you an impressive five hours of playback in around 10 minutes.

At $350, they’re priced the same as their predecessors — which is to say, they’re not cheap. But you’d be hard pressed to find a better pair of wireless over-ear headphones in their class.

[mohammadyousef2]

Get your airpods with free shipping

Apple and other Companies in March 2019 overhauled the AirPods and introduced the first AirPods update with useful new features that make designed earbuds better than ever.

 The updated AirPods are equipped with an updated H1 chip, which replaces the W1 chip and brings connectivity improvements. AirPods connect more quickly to your devices for an even more hassle-free experience, and automatic switching between devices while listening to music is now two times faster. The H1 chip in the second-generation AirPods supports Bluetooth 5.0, which should bring better range.

 AirPods delivered a magical wireless experience and have become one of the most beloved products ever made. They connect easily with all of your devices, and provide crystal clear sound and intuitive, innovative control of your music and audio,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “The world’s best wireless headphones just got even better with the new AirPods. They are powered by the new Apple-designed H1 chip which brings an extra hour of talk time, faster connections, hands-free ‘Hey Siri’ and the convenience of a new wireless battery case.”

 The new AirPods come with either the standard charging case or the new Wireless Charging Case. Each case holds additional charges for more than 24 hours of total listening time, ensuring AirPods are charged and ready to go whenever you are. The Wireless Charging Case is designed to offer the freedom of wireless charging. An LED light indicator located on the front of the case conveniently shows the charge status with just a glance. Existing AirPods customers can purchase the standalone Wireless Charging Case.

 When Apple announced wireless AirPods, it met with mixed reactions. None of the negative reactions came after actual use; those were mostly knee-jerk reactions to a new product. There are only a handful of people who have actually tried them on and their experience has been positive. Since I own the iPhone 7 Plus and the iPad Pro (along with three Google Nexus devices and Pixel C tablet), I have been debating whether to buy AirPods or not. Here are some pros and cons that helped me in my purchase decision. They may help you too.

 1-Pairing made easy

If you own Bluetooth headphones you already know how painful it is to pair and unpair them with different devices. Apple solved that problem by developing their own W1 chips that seems to be using Bluetooth standards, but with better connectivity and more power efficiency with any device.

 2-Smart enough to work with Android devices

The smartness of AirPods goes beyond just the iCloud pairing. AirPods are equipped with dual optical sensors, accelerometers, tiny batteries, W1 chips and a microphone. All of these work together to offer a great experience. The sensors detect how you are using them.  If I want to use AirPods with my device; I can pair them just like plain old boring Bluetooth headphones.

 Shop AirPods with all-day battery life, Just pull them out of the charging case and they’re ready to use with your iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, or Mac, visit us now and enjoy free shipping at Volgo Point.

[jrazillashadowworks]

Footsteps Into Anarchy: Chapter Three

Warning: Gore, language. 

Word Count: 3288

Glad to bring back this story. I hope that you guys read and enjoy this. ^,,^ 

Overpass Bridge Outpost Two: Flotsam Islands/Seafoam fortress (District Four)

Through the scope, a decayed face shuffled between the crosshairs, one eye missing. Dry, cracked and torn lips pulled over chipped, corroded teeth. Pasty, molded flesh clung loosely to a half exposed skull, patches of hair spotting the melted scalp.

The steady sea breeze, caused the young gunman’s aim to falter, pushing the reticle downward, unwillingly. He took note of it, knowing full well its effect on the trajectory of the shot. Filling his lungs with the salty air, he let it linger, swirling about in gales. Fixing the sight, he waited for a single break in the wind. He wasn’t sure how long he had been holding his breath, save for the constricting of the throat that steadily twisted into a coil. Squeezing the trigger at the last moment, the butt of the rifle jerked sharply into the gunman’s shoulder, the cushioned arm guard stabilizing the strong tremor. The deafening blast would have ruptured his eardrums, were it not muffled by the tightly clamped, standard issue, military headphones on his head.

Grimacing, he recoiled and sighed. Missed. Miffed, he fired off a couple more misplaced shots, without much focus. Disappointed with himself, he growled with one final shot. The bullet whizzed through the air, whistling as it collided with the cheek of the zombie, blowing apart half of its face, in a blast of molded crimson. Though it was a kill, the shot was crude, and not centered, lacking his usual skill. Falling back from the rifle, he clanked the gun against the railing, slumping in his chair.

The sky was a swirling mess of grey and red above, the standard look of daytime. Crackling flashes of red lightning struck the thick, morphed clouds. Gulls fluttered about, pale beacons in the drab expanse. They cried, their voices strained and hollow, a death call to the unfeeling masses below. The sound was uncomfortable, making his skin crawl. Brushing the dark strands from his face, he simply watched them for a moment, winding down.

Finally letting his gaze fall, he peered out at the never-ending stretch of bridge that he was in charge of watching over, jutting out of the darkened ocean. This was one of the only two overpasses that lead to the Secret State Laboratory, doubling as a fortress, Tangaroa. He had only seen the outside of that massive facility, and it gave him the creeps. Though he was always curious what went on in there, his anxiousness kept him from asking. Then again, there was no longer anyone to ask.

By some horrible misfortune, all other soldiers that were stationed on this desolate overpass, abandoned their posts, leaving him all alone. With the world going to hell, and communications cut shortly after. The last order was for them to stay put and not to leave under any circumstance. He could not really blame them for leaving, wanting to check on their families and so forth. Some promised him they would return, yet…that was over a month ago.  

It was also impossible for him to keep them there, being of the lowest rank in the State’s Watch, not that they would listen anyway, their superior being one of the first to leave. He, however, had nowhere else to go. He was safe here and that was good enough for him. Although, he kept his radio on at all times, in some vain hope that he would miraculously receive new orders.

Taking one last look around the perimeter, he flipped the switch, turning on the magnetic field. The translucent shields sparked to life, sparkling clear, octagonal shapes, clinking together to create a diamond wall that was almost invisible to the naked eye. They were rather beautiful, a sight to behold each and every time. No undead could penetrate it, these shields used normally to protect from explosives and gunfire.

Peeking around the old, cement base, he could make out the faint, grey outline of the massive military compound and laboratory, shrouded by a light, never-ending mist. Shrugging, he entered the barracks, the sound of wind stifled as he closed the door. Taking off his long, white, uniform jacket, he hung it up and let his hair down with a sigh. He peeked at the lettering on the arm, ‘Harry.’ Heading to the small kitchen, he grabbed the first MRE he could get his hand on, not even paying attention to what it was.

Flopping down into one of the chairs, he tore open the sealed packaging, revealing a folded loaf that couldn’t possibly be real bread. More than accustomed to the bland food, he tore off a chunk. By some sick circumstance, he imagined he was tearing apart skin, the bread suddenly flesh in his hands, sinew between his teeth. What was supposedly tomato sauce, became blood, wetting his tongue, and leaking through his fingers.

Rolling his eyes and swallowing it down, things returned to normal. “Nice try,” he told himself.

Taking another bite of the tasteless loaf, he looked up at the poster plastered on the far wall, next to the fridge unit. In big, bold, blue lettering, the State’s Watch stretched, celebratory, across the top. Underneath, the great leader of the State’s watch, Tenzen Byakko, a woman of Asian descent, painted with flowing, raven hair and steeled brown eyes, stood proudly, grasping the flag, adorned in the insignia of their cause. She wore a form-fitting, white and blue accented, six button, leather, generals jacket, silk scarf tucked in, with just as tight pants and mesh toed shoes. A curved blade was sheathed at her side.

Harry had always been in awe of her almost regal beauty, her calm yet powerful voice a constant inspiration whenever he had heard her, replaying elegantly in his head. She was the reason he joined after all. When around his comrades, they would always tease him vigorously, calling him a fanboy. They weren’t entirely wrong, though he always denied it.

Standing beside Byakko, towering over her by more than three feet and thrice as wide, was an imposing, armored colossus. Amongst the uniform, the golden plated pauldrons, and knee pads, his right arm stood out most, linked in heavy duty, mesh armor, an unnatural light shimmering through the open creases.

His face was encased in a striking faceplate, with four eyes, searing emeralds. This being simply went by Divine. More of a title really than a name but still, his astonishing appearance lived up to the name. Harry, however, although never actually having seen him, assumed his image was highly embellished. Unless he was one of the State’s Watch’s mech’s or something. Ah well, he thought. Probably would never meet him anyway.

Finishing up his meal with a glass of crystal water, he trudged to the bunk room, past the communications room and showers. Entering the rectangular area, multiple bunk beds were pushed up against the grey, cracked walls. It was here that Harry felt the loneliest, passing by the messy, no longer used beds to his, at the farthest point. Only his stuff remained, a single military backpack and some clothes, folded on the nightstand, a handheld video game device crowning it all. Grabbing the system, he rolled onto the thin, lumpy mattress, expelling all the air within him.

Clicking the power button, he watched as the screen blazed to life, blinding him for a second, before animated bullet holes, riddled the screen. The sharp sound of glass shattered, as the title stretched across, in massive letters, wreathed in flame. ‘Whirlwind of Bullets.’ Sifting through the menus, he scoffed at the multiplayer function. Even though the WIFI field that encompassed the entire continent, remained unaltered, despite all that happened, he had not once found another person playing the game. Then again, he was sure everyone had more pressing matters, not as privileged in their situation.

Harry knew well how stupid it sounded, to check a video game, to possibly find someone out there but, he always had this ridiculous hope or, perhaps it was more out of curiosity. Habitually, he ended up choosing that option and immediately he was thrust into a destroyed battlefield. Choosing his specialized class, he ran through the hi-res fields, shooting at all manner of beasts and soldiers. Vibrant, flashing colors, washed over his face, tantalizing, intense music and gunfire, pounding from the hidden speakers.

After a while of play, taking out over a hundred hell beasts, Harry thought he saw something peculiar, strike over one of the far rising hills, a few, out of place pixels perhaps? His mind began to reel, pulse racing, despite his brain telling him it was probably just a glitch. Giving in, he ran over to the hill and upon cresting its ridge, glanced out at another player standing in a horde of beasts. Railing against them, this bulky soldier blasted all with a Light machine gun.

Utterly shocked, Harry’s heart shooting up into his throat, he was about to run to them when he saw their player name….Gurgle_My_Balls. At that very moment, he let out an almost painful groan, his expression morphing from incredulousness to a defeated resignation. Forehead creased, he wondered if it was better if humanity went extinct.

Seriously questioning whether he should approach them now, he was taken off guard when they wheeled about, the beasts lying dead all around them, in a mire of gore. They both froze, staring at each other for a moment. Too late now. Pressing forward, he made his descent down the hill, turning on his mic.

“Hey there,” he said, in a friendly tone, though a touch of exasperation leaked through. “I never thought I would find another player here… My name’s…”

He was cut off, when the other player lifted their gun, blasting a hail of fire in his direction. Inhaling sharply, he cursed as he ran back up, zigzagging away from the ballistic trail behind him, uprooting grass and dirt. Kneeling down behind cover, he called out. “What the hell is wrong with you? Let’s talk!” He was practically screaming into the mic. “We could the very last people on earth!”

The response was a whistling, a grenade landing just beside him, tapping against his arm. Stomach dropping like a boulder into the ocean, he whispered….”Fuck.” With a massive explosion, his body was obliterated into a thousand, mutilated pieces, littering the hill. The surroundings spinning, they constructed the words all gamers hated to see, ‘YOU DIED!”

Almost throwing his handheld, he shot up, headbutting the top bunk with a loud clink. Exclaiming, he held his forehead, shooting pains, striking in all directions. Gritting his teeth, floaty, colorful specks filled his vision. “Damn asshole!”

Out of spite, he fought through the pain to rejoin the game but, unfortunately, they were gone. He tried repeatedly, restarting over and over to find them to no avail. It must have been a couple of hours of continuous attempts before he finally passed out, from stress and exhaustion. Arm hanging over the bed, his system fell to the floor.

It was to a massive, resounding boom that ripped him from sleep, the bridge beneath the base quaking. With a start, he smacked his forehead on the top bunk again, groaning as he threw his legs over and wobbly stood up. Peeking through his fingers, he noticed just how dark it was, everything around him, almost pitch black. Stumbling about, he found his flashlight inside the nightstand, flicking it on, creating a cone of stark luminance. Groggy and perplexed, he hurriedly scrambled to get outside.

Hit with the salty night air, mixed with a burning taste of ash, he retched. A palpable smoke danced on the sea breeze, shooting up his nose. The red glow from the crimson flashes above, allowed Harry to navigate around to the back of the base. Though he had a hunch it could be an attack, he never could imagine he would see Tangaroa, the establishment he guarded, reduced to absolute rubble. Bleeding hellish flames that writhed in the cacophony of smaller explosions, a pillar of swirling, black smoke encased the scene.

“What the hell?!” Jaw dropping, he felt a cold sweat creep upon his forehead, mind a broken, jigsaw puzzle. Gripping the railing to keep upright, he tried to make sense of how an attack of this magnitude could take place, and without him knowing. It was then that he realized, a bit late, that the power had been completely cut off from the laboratory fortress. A protective measure, to keep power uninterrupted by anything, all lines lead under the bridge and were supplied from the lab's generators. Aided by the disbelief that whoever attacked could make it past their defenses, especially those ridiculous Anarchists, it was a bewildering happenstance.

With everything suddenly falling apart, Harry tried to fight through his clouded mind, to think of what possibly to do next. Then, a strike of icy fear, shot up his spine, as he thought of the bridge. With the area now unprotected and him being all alone, the undead could easily swarm. Frantically, he began to panic. Then from the dark recesses of his memory, he remembered that the overpass base had its own generator, used only in the unlikely situation of such a thing happening.

About to turn, his peripheral caught sight of a fast ripple in the murky water. First thought to be a simple wave, he couldn’t ignore the screeching alarm in his heart. Reflexively scurrying back inside, Harry dropped low, as a geyser erupted from the water’s surface, followed by a fleshly slapping against the grating. Freezing on the spot, Harry’s hair stood on end as a dank, disgustingly horrid stench, flowed in, through the doorway. It was the fetid stink of rotten fish and long scrapped, boiled crustacean shells, in a fermented oil that was relished with a distinctly sour twist.

It was the most horrible thing he had ever smelt, throttling his throat, and scorching his nostrils. The slapping grew louder, as whatever accompanied that smell stepped into the base. Harry had snuck back into the bunk room, hiding under one of the beds. He did not have a gun, the only weapons being his sniper rifle, which he had left outside and the few munitions, sitting in the armory closet. He could only wait in silence, the stale cold of the floor emanating into him, chilling him to the bone.

In the stifling silence, there was an unearthly, guttural, clicking thrum coming from whatever had entered. It was akin to an animalistic, yet alien growl of some sort, the likes he had never encountered. Harry had thought that the undead to be the most abhorrent things in this new world but, apparently, there was something more.

Whatever it was, it had to be searching the compound, its steps, deft yet erratic. Harry listened intently as it went about, smashing things about in other rooms, throwing stuff around. It was one room, in particular, that received the brunt of its attack. By the sound of it and its location, it had to be communications. It made an unbelievable ruckus, smashing no doubt every panel in the place, a bizarre, hissing spray, punctuating all other sounds.

Once it had finished, Harry thought it was over, then the thrum entered the bunkroom, bouncing off the walls. Stifling his breathing with his hands, he waited as still as he could. Drops of something splat against the floor, the same hissing sound, rising up from where they had landed. Unable to see, Harry could only imagine what was in the room with him. The growl whirred, sharp sniffs mixing in.

Then the unthinkable happened. It dropped down on all fours, right beside the bed Harry was hiding under. It sniffed the flooring, something slathering against it. Every inch of Harry’s skin crawled, its broken breathing, washing over him. Gagging silently, he pressed his hands to his mouth as hard as he could. It was an unbearably possibility that it could be looking at him but, it was impossible to tell in the overbearing darkness.

After a few painstaking, heart-stopping seconds, by sheer luck, or some other unfathomable entity at play, it finally shot up and left. Remaining motionless until the sounds stopped, assuming the thing had returned to the sea that spawned it, he slipped out. Clicking on the flashlight, but keeping the beam contained, looking at the spots where the drops had fallen. In their place, the cement had been eaten away, leaving melted holes, remnants of the stench, curling with unusual steam. Only acid of some kind could do something like this.

Stealthily, Harry followed the trail, peeking around the corner to make sure it was indeed gone. Eyes moving to the open doorway, he fell upon an otherworldly being, standing atop the railing, back to him, filling him with a shocking disbelief, at what he was actually seeing. It was a repulsive mix between a fish and a human, greenish blue, striped scales making up its entire, athletic body. Jagged, blood red fins lined its arms and back, long, striped spines protruding between them. A few, deep crevices on its sides, and back, leaked streams of the puss colored acid, glistening.

Just as it bent down and lunged into the air, to return to the depths, Harry was absolutely certain he saw Xenolith’s symbol, branded into its right shoulder blade. With the slosh of water, sounding its departure, Harry’s head dropped. “They are the ones responsible? How the hell does such a creature even exist?” The questions were endless, followed up with the most important. What in the world was he going to do now?

After searching the base, Harry surveyed the irreversible damage the monster had inflicted, the control room left a melted mess. All controls and machines including the generator were cleaved and disintegrated, a layer of the mucous-like ooze, cascading every surface. Still reeling from what had happened, and lost as to what to do next, he went to the armory closet. Taking the only remaining military vest, he put it on and loaded up every compartment with whatever clips he could fit.

Lastly, he found a submachine gun, hidden behind a couple of empty bullet crates. Lifting up the lightweight weapon, and checking it, he exclaimed happily. With both the sniper rifle and submachine gun, he had both far and mid-range covered. Counting his clips, he figured he had enough to protect himself for a while at least if he was careful. Still, the question remained. What was he going to do now? Should he go check on the facility, despite its ruin, for survivors?

As if to answer him, his radio crackled on his belt, startling him, to jump on the spot. Fiddling with it in his shaky hands, eyes bulging wide, he gasped when a feminine voice, both professional, and strained fizzled through. “Whoever can hear this, this is an S.O.S,” she said. “My name is Mishy. I am a State’s Watch doctor. I would be eternally grateful if I could get some assistance.” She rattled off her exact latitude and longitude, placing her in the city of District four, just across the bridge.

Collecting his things and realizing that this was the best choice out of the two, he walked back to the coat hanger, he pulled on his long jacket and exited to collect his rifle. Picking it up, he peered out as far as his eyes could reach, the city a mere outline in the dark haze. Lifting the radio up, Harry cleared his throat and pushed on the receiver. “This is Harry, a Soldier of the State’s Watch. Stay put. I’m on my way.”