#the roads would be so much safer and the world a cleaner place

[eikae]

@gayemo you're driving under the speed limit in this image. others are not speeding. And since you understand the concept of rage baiting you understand that in doing so, you are doing that. even if the person you're doing it to was in the wrong originally, you're encouraging more unsafe driving as well as enabling the person in the left dangerously (often illegally) blocking traffic flow in the passing lane. And in doing so, risking the lives of everyone in the situation.

Everyone else sucks here, but you do too. Baiting everyone to make dangerous driving choices not to police speeding but, as you admit, for your own enjoyment, is, believe it or not, more dangerous than just about anything they were doing before, and you're lying if you say you wouldn't drive close enough to how they were in the situation that originally provoked you given the right circumstances.

[saratogaroadwrites]

For King and Country (76/122)

For King and Country | saratogaroad rating: T total wordcount:  280,466 characters: Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum, Roland Crane, Aranella, Batu, Tani, Lofty, Leander Aristidies, Bracken Meadows relationships: Roland Crane & Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum, Aranella & Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum, Roland Crane & Aranella, Batu & Tani, Batu & Evan, Tani & Evan, Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum & Lofty, Rolander other tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Mother-Son Relationship, Father-Son Relationship, Place Slowly Becomes Home People Slowly Become Family, Found Family, For Want of A Nail warnings: none

Pulled from his world by mysterious powers, former president Roland Crane finds himself caught in the middle of a coup meant to take the life of the young King Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum. Joining forces with Aranella, the pair of them set out to aid Evan in making his dream of a kingdom where everyone can live happily ever after a reality.

But the road to peace is a long and treacherous one and there is no promise of success in a world where darkness spreads ever thicker with each passing day. If they are to stand a chance, they must stand together, for king and for country.

(A retelling.)

=

“And this is the fastest part of the river?”

“Yes,” Evan nodded, ears brushing against the inside of his hood. Snow gently pattered down onto it and the shoulders of Bracken’s coat as she crouched at the riverbank. “At least, within the city walls it is. I would imagine it’s faster in the Plateau where it first comes down from the mountains.”

“That’s too far for us to use,” Bracken said absently, standing up and poking at her tablet. She held it up for a moment, pointed at the river. It beeped once, then gave a little trill. “Ah-ha! Perfect. Not too slow and not too fast. We can work with this.”

Alright, now he was just confused.

“How so? You still haven't told me what it is you need such a fast moving current for.”

“It’s more future proofing. Basically, if we can get Evermore hooked up to a power system, we can stop relying so much on torches and fire.” She tucked her tablet under her arm and blew on her fingers. “It’ll make things safer, cleaner, and faster.”

“Really?” Evan tilted his head, remembering the metal walls and steam-filled air of Broadleaf. He couldn’t imagine Evermore coming to rely on such things. “And this has something to do with the river?”

“Uh-huh. You know how mills will use waterwheels to move the millstone?” She asked, and when Evan nodded she continued, “It’s the same idea. The waterwheel makes the stones move. That’s energy. If we channel it right, we can move that energy to other places and make light.” She grinned, bouncing on her heels. “No more needing torches and lamps just to get around, and no more burning fires for heat, which means no more smoke and ash getting everywhere.”

It sounded almost too good to be true. Evan ducked his head thoughtfully. “And…this won’t damage the land?”

“Not in the way you���re thinking,” Bracken said gently. She stepped over towards him, going to her knees to meet his eyes. “Broadleaf started in a really bad spot, and we grew way too fast to keep up. But out here?” She spread a hand as if to encompass the land they stood on. “Things are different. We can work with the land instead of fighting it. I can’t say it’ll be easy, but it’s doable, and it’ll be completely sustainable.”

Now it really sounded too good to be true. As far back as Evan could remember, the people of the Summerlands had always relied on the natural world around them to provide them with all they needed. The staff of Dell Castle would cut wood to burn, or wash clothes in the swiftly flowing canals of the city. The people in Evermore did much the same, and he couldn’t see that changing. It was true that Niall’s Greenlings had sped things up, made it so they would always have wood without having to cut their way through the forests, but that was still the natural world. He couldn’t see any other way.

And yet…

“…What would the benefits of this be?”

“Well, for starters? Light whenever you need it without having to find a caster or a match. Hot water without having to boil it over a fire. Machines that’ll wash your clothes or heat your room or keep your food cold.” She smiled a little. “I’m not saying go as far as we did, Evan. No one should go that far again, but there are still plenty of things that we can do to make life easier for everyone.”

That would be nice. How many times had he seen a maid with their hands scrubbed red and raw from washing clothes, or heard the yelp of a new servant as they burned themselves on trying to light something? Floyd had complained at length about things going bad too quickly in the summer heat, and even now the castle was growing colder by the minute. Worrying the inside of his lip, Evan thought it over. If there truly was a way to keep things from going too far and yet still provide an easier way of life for his people…

Maybe there was a happy middle after all. Slowly, he nodded.

“Could you explain to me how this would all work?” He asked Bracken, meeting her gaze head on. “I understand how the millers use their wheels to grind flour, but making light?”

Pushing herself to her feet, Bracken set a kind hand on his shoulder and herded him back towards the road. She spoke as they walked.

“Well, it’s a little complicated, but the simplest way to explain it is to say that the motion of the waterwheel makes energy. That energy is what turns the millstone, but if we hook it up to a crystal matrix and some cables, that energy becomes electricity.” She tucked a lock of hair out of her face. “It’d take some doing, and I’d need to bring some people over from Broadleaf to plan it properly, but if we can get those cables to the buildings? We can rig them up with lights, and heat or cold, or…anything we need.” She shrugged, smiling like the Grimalkin that had just raided the creamery. “And all without having to chop firewood!”

It did sound like a good thing, that, but…electricity. Evan narrowed his eyes.

“Isn’t electricity another word for lightning?” He asked, and he frowned when Bracken nodded. “That’s dangerous.”

“Very.” Bracken agreed, “And if people aren’t careful they can get a really nasty shock because of it. But fire’s the same way: if you aren’t careful, you can get a burn from the stove or the hearth.” She spread her hands. “The real danger’s going to be while we get everything set up, but it’ll be safer afterwards. All the cables that could spark will be underground.” She thumped the heel of her metal foot onto the cobblestone of the main road. It clacked beneath her. “Meaning we’ll have to wait for spring to get started. The ground’ll be frozen over too soon if we start now.”

There was that to consider. Evan clasped his hands at the base of his spine, contemplating for a moment. He wanted to agree, to give her the go ahead to start planning, but…he didn’t know enough about this just yet. He would need a second, or maybe third, opinion first.

He’d have to consult the others. Shaking his head, he looked up at Bracken.

“I’ll consider it,” he said politely, and was relieved when she simply nodded. At least she wasn’t upset! “In the meantime, is there anything else you need? Help with another project, perhaps?”

“Nah,” Bracken waved a hand in the air. “I’ve got about six crystal heaters to make for the castle, plus the greenhouse to insulate, plus the storehouses to shore up against pests…” With a tilt of her head, she grinned. “I think I’ll go wrangle Batu into giving me a hand. Maybe save him from Aranella in the process.”

Evan quickly brought a hand to his mouth, but there was no stifling the giggles that burst out of his throat. It was true; Nella had gotten her hands on Batu earlier that morning and had yet to let him go. He’d taken to her measurements and ideas for clothes about as well as Evan had taken to swimming lessons.

Which was to say, quite terribly.

“I think you would be his greatest hero if you did,” he said around a laugh. They’d come to the main castle road; his eyes tracked south. This would be his best chance. “Should I tell Roland to expect your report tomorrow or…”

“Next week.” Her grin became a smirk. “You tell him he can come find me when he wants it badly enough. I’ll have an update for you as soon as I can, though.”

Was she trying to tease Roland by making him come look for her? Maybe. Evan chuckled at the thought. They truly were like family if they were jabbing at one another like this. It was good to see.

“Alright,” he said, “Then I’ll see you later, Bracken. Try not to miss lunch!”

“I make no promises,” She waved over her shoulder, heading for the bridge that would take her to the castle. Evan watched as her back disappeared into the late morning crowd, then turned on his heel and headed south.

All around him, people greeted him with warm smiles and waves, happy as could be. It was a balm to see his people doing so well, but even that couldn’t truly heal the bruises on his heart. Evermore was well provided for, and though they had yet to come up with a solution to the problems they were having with Dell, he was sure they would have a plan to deal with that soon.

But that wasn’t their only problem. One more sword loomed over their heads, ready to fall at any moment. He had to deal with it now, while there was still time and a chance to come up with a solution. The stories had given him only one option, and somehow he doubted it would work in their circumstances.

For this, he really needed a second opinion. Moving as fast as he dared but trying to avoid making anyone worry, Evan beat a fast track for the Dispellery.

Li Li had saved his mother once. Maybe she could save his father, too.

[fallout-4-freak]

Hi, Winnie! (Cute name, btw!) I was wondering if you could write Fallout 4 reactions to a Sole that is BOUND AND DETERMINED to clean and fix up every single road she encounters - clearing up debris, chopping up fallen trees for resources, making bridges, filling in large cracks in the tarmac with cement until a better solution comes along, making signs and setting up better lighting/security points with Minutemen guards. This is basically me with mods and console commands, lol. It's a pet peeve.

Are... Are you me?? Half my mod load order is settlement/cleanup/etc mods...

(Also thank you! I’m honored you think it’s a cute name~)

Ada:

She’s quite pleased with Sole’s efforts to beautify the Commonwealth. It’s ridiculous that most folks haven’t bothered to tidy up their homes-- especially considering how much useful stuff can be found in the debris. She’s also proud of Sole for trying to make things safer for the people of the Commonwealth.

Ada will help Sole clean up, picking up the bigger items. If there’s something good that can be repurposed, she’ll make sure to let Sole know!

Cait:

It never bothered Cait, the state of the world. It’s what she grew up with, after all. She gets annoyed when Sole spends so much time picking up trash and fixing stuff. Cait will complain and beg Sole to move on, wanting to do literally anything else.

If Sole insists on cleaning the Commonwealth, Cait will wander off to make her own fun. Or trouble.

Codsworth: 

He’s over the moon. Frankly, he’s sick of his cleaning subroutines firing off every time he and Sole explore the world. It’s about time somebody did something! How could people live like animals in such filth?

Codsworth will congratulate Sole on their efforts, and do everything he can to help them! 

Curie:

She didn’t think much of the state of the world, until she noticed how Sole would go through an area and clean it up. Perhaps she was just too preoccupied with her research, or maybe she didn’t realize how the dust and grime affected her non-body. But Curie sure took notice of how nice things looked compared to the rest of the land!

If Sole wants/needs help, she’s glad to do so. Otherwise, she’ll just keep them company and discuss research or other interesting things to pass time.

Danse:

He admires their dedication to improving the world. As long as Sole doesn’t get sidetracked during missions, he’s fine with it. Most civilians don’t seem to have the discipline to keep things tidy, which annoys him... It’s a bit of a pet peeve, if he’s honest. After all, life is terrible enough. Why make it worse with piles of garbage and broken structures?

Danse will help Sole keep things clean, using his expert organizational skills to do so. 

Deacon:

He’s always joked about starting a maid service after he retires from the Railroad. So naturally, when Sole began fixing and cleaning everything they could get their mitts on, he was fully supportive.

Granted, he doesn’t have a lot of time to help Sole... But he’ll try and keep them company if he’s free. Deacon will also find a way to put a team together for Sole, to help them get more done.

Dogmeat:

Any time spent with Sole is good time! He’ll happily run about as Sole works tirelessly, chewing on a baseball or teddy bear occasionally. Dogmeat will occasionally beg for pets or attention, but tries his best to keep out of Sole’s way. 

He’ll bring Sole some cool treasures he finds in the trash, too-- a colorful hat, a stuffed animal, a locket, and whatever assorted goodies catch his eye.

Hancock:

Another companion who’s fine with the state of things. It never bothered him much before, but he understands why it would bug Sole so much. Hell, post-war America must feel like a totally different dimension to Sole. He’s supportive, though, and hangs out with Sole while they do their thing. 

He also tries to keep his residence a bit cleaner from then on, out of consideration for Sole. 

Longfellow:

He doesn’t get it, and he’s ‘too old’ to start caring at this point. While he might tease Sole about their penchant for home improvement, it’s all in good fun. 

Longfellow will usually make use of the downtime and hunt, or drink. If Sole requests help, though, he’s kind enough to give it.

MacCready:

The guy lived in a cave town for years. Does he really care how things look? 

No. 

That being said, he eventually learns to appreciate the changes. It’s nice to not trip over huge cracks in the road every five seconds, y’know? MacCready will also help Sole pick through more promising piles of junk for ammo or valuables, earning the nickname ‘rat man’ in the process.

Nick Valentine:

He vaguely remembers what the world used to look like, and appreciates it immensely. So, when Sole decides to bite the bullet and improve the world, he’s pretty happy! It seems to mean a lot to Sole, so he does whatever he can to support them.

As long as there’s no active cases to work, Nick will help Sole and chat with them to pass time. He hopes that their work inspires others to take better care of the Commonwealth.

Piper:

Initially, she thinks that Sole is just trying to bring the old world back... Which is a clear waste of time. But Piper comes to realize that they aren’t trying to revert the Commonwealth-- they’re simply trying to improve the lives of others. She feels a bit ashamed, that she had so little faith in them. 

Piper would never tell them that, of course. She’s happy they’re trying to move on, and that they’re making the world a better place. 

Porter Gage:

Can’t be assed with this. It’s annoying, especially considering how many other things Sole could be doing. They’re the Overboss, for fuck’s sake. The safety improvements and raider checkpoints are the only thing he appreciates, because they reduce the chances of dying. That’s it.

He’ll take care of business while Sole is busy... Or spend time cleaning his weapons for the next job. 

Preston:

He’s inspired by Sole’s efforts. While he’s never really had a chance to clean things up himself (considering how he and the last Minutemen were on the run for months), he’s wanted to for awhile. Preston never liked how dirty things were... Plus, the cracked roads and unsafe structures were pretty bad.

Preston is happy to help Sole, and organizes spare Minutemen into shifts to help them out. He’s hands-on, too, though. What sort of friend would he be if he had Sole do all the work?

Strong:

Bored to tears as Sole works their magic. Super Mutants don’t exactly care about how the land looks. Their living areas are full of trash and gore, after all. And safety??? Who cares???

Strong wanders off, and doesn’t understand why Sole is enjoying this.

X6-88:

He must admit, Sole’s work definitely improves the Commonwealth. It’s not nearly as clean as the Institute, but it’s something. While X6-88 doesn’t necessarily enjoy the Commonwealth, he has to spend plenty of time there whether he likes it or not. So, he’ll take what he can get. 

X6-88 isn’t keen on helping Sole, but if they ask him to, he’ll obey. Usually, he spends the time tinkering with tech or, surprisingly, reading. 

[trashcatsnark]

8, 10, 12 and 16 for the ur V question thingy plssssssssssssss

AHHHHH THANK YOUUU JUNIEE BUGG

8. favorite weapons & build types?

I mean firstly, i cheat my ass off, so i have max everything. But as far as what i actually prefer and what reflects in my V; melee weapons, with a body/reflex/and then cool focus. My V grew up in a nomad family who didnt believe in cyberware-ey tech stuff beyond fixing up vehicles. Its a clan with no netrunners, no interest in the net space. So, while she is in the process of adapting and can do some of the netrunner shit (the basics) its just not her pick, shes far more adept at grabbing a weapon and swinging. As far as weapons go; 3 weapon slots mean, 1 blade, 1 blunt weapon, and one gun. While not confined to game mechanics in fic, i think this is still a approach to weapons that work. Knives/blades are her favorite; machete, stinger knife, and katana being high on the list. Blunt weaponry is next; baseball bat and sledgehammer. Guns are her least favorite tbh; but having iron is crucial in night city, she'd probably have something akin to a desert eagle pistol. (I dont know much guns so i may have got the name wrong) its not in game, but its a low tech, high caliber, devastating damage.

10. where would be your ideal place to live in NC? or would you prefer to follow the open road?

A part of my V loves the city, the anonimity and the buzz of excitement. And she loves her apartment, as much as she'd like a bathtub and a cleaner building. Its her, its the first living space (other than her rattler car) that is just hers.

However, former nomad, she does still often find herself longing for the road. Due to her...strained relationship with her nomad family, she doesnt always feel like she could be safe out in the badlands. But...god does she miss the quiet even when she has hearing aids in, she misses the serenity at times, the feeling of careening down an abandoned road at mach speed, windows down, and no one else around for miles. Those moments where she wasnt just a traitor on the run, when for a moment it felt like the world was hers. She knows what she has in Night City is actually hers, she knows she safer (which sounds ironic) , and shes finally living life once she gets there. But those moments, that feeling is not something you can capture in the city and fuck if she dont miss it.

12. does the rocker lifestyle (either as a rocker or somewhere behind the scenes) sound appealing to you?

Not really, not for my V at least. Concerts are fun, the energy and the vibe. But as far as being a rocker...yeah no.

A) shes not crazy comfortable with attention, she literally hides her name, face, and voice when she can. When she does get attention, for her building merc reputation and the more uh high profile jobs. Shes viscerally uncomfortable. Unlike canon V, my V doesnt want or need the world to know she exists to remember her; only the people in it who matter to her.

B) Drinking and drug use arent her thing either, from that aspect. She only really drinks as a social pressure thing when needed, ie someone orders her a drink and she doesnt wanna be a rude shit. My V is the person who orders a cherry cola at the bar because alcohol tastes bad god damn it.

I will say despite these... thanks to a certain constructs memories...she has developed a certain attachment to the idea of fucking in a backstage dressing room. But thats about it.

16. if being a merc was off the table, what would be your ideal NC job/lifestyle?

Hmm, as weird as this sounds, i think my V sometimes envies like waitresses and shit. Because while yes, customer service sucks ass, it just seems so normal and quiet and like a part of her wishes she could have just cut out a simple little life like that for herself. To spend her days handing off pancakes and serving coffee instead of snapping necks or stealing; to make an honest living.

[gold-and-rubies]

In It For The Long Haul - Chapter 3

Warnings for Violence. Claudia’s POV.

Claudia leaned against a wall of the Rexford as she waited for MacCready. They had finished at the Castle with just enough time to get back to Goodneighbor. The ultimate goal was to get back to Sanctuary, but it was too far away to reach by nightfall. So they settled at the Rexford for the night. Staying the night there was decidedly better than some random abandoned building.

She thought about MacCready as she waited for him. He was not what she had been expecting when the ghoulified Mayor Hancock had steered her in his direction. Sure, he acted like how she would expect a mercenary to act, for the most part, but she was not expecting him to be so young. It was a little jarring to her. It was like seeing what she could have become if she had grown up in the wastes.

“Boss,” MacCready said in greeting, shaking her from her thoughts.

“Ready?” she asked.

“When you are.”

Her nose wrinkled when she stepped out of the hotel. Goodneighbor was not exactly the best smelling place in the world. At least it was safer than the ruins that surrounded the place.

“I gotta ask, boss, why are we goin’ to this place? It’s on the edge of the Commonwealth,” he complained, trying to mask it as a question.

They had only been traveling together for a day, and she had already noticed how much he tended to complain. They usually came in the form of sarcastic or backbiting comments. She had learned that the hard way when she made him help clean up the Castle.

“It’s… where I live when I’m not on the road, I guess?”

“Seems a little far away to be helping people,” he muttered.

“There’s actually two allied settlements pretty close by, so it’s not as bad as you think,” she said, “Besides it’s safe, and there should be clean drinking water available. For free.”

He seemed to lighten up a bit at the promise of something free, even if he was not the one paying for it. She figured it was because it meant she could afford more ammunition.

The area around Goodneighbor was eerily peaceful. She closely followed him as he weaved through the ruined buildings. He paused every now and then to listen and watch for threats. They got to the Charles River in a surprising amount of time. He led them down the river all the way to the train tracks that spanned across it. It was not the most direct route, but it was certainly one of the safest.

When they got to the tracks Claudia took point. She looped around the farm that the tracks ran through, wary of the robots that were working there. From there they made their way along them until they reached the newly established settlement of Starlight.

A lone figure sat working at a water pump. When he noticed the pair, he reached for his gun. In response MacCready readied his rifle.

“Who are you, and what do you want?” the man demanded.

“Put your gun down, MacCready,” Claudia whispered.

He looked at her as if she was crazy, but followed her orders.

“Don’t worry, we’re friendly. I’m Claudia Flynn, General of the Minutemen. We’re just passing through,” she said calmly.

Her words seemed to soothe him. He still looked a bit wary, but he lowered his gun.

“General, huh? Sorry I pulled my gun on ya, especially since I should be thanking you for an opportunity like this.”

“It’s quite alright. It’s a rough world out there,” she said with a small smile.

“Well, you’ve given me a decent place to set up, so if you and the Minutemen ever need anything just ask.”

She nodded, “And if you need anything just ask. There’s a place called Sanctuary to the Northwest. Just head there.”

“I will, and thank you again, for this place.”

“No problem,” she smiled. She shot a look at MacCready. He was watching the man warily as they walked across the cracked pavement. His rifle was ready to be fired at a moment’s notice.

“He pulled a gun on us, and you just let him go?” he muttered.

“He didn’t know who we are,” she shrugged, “besides this kinda stuff is going to happen a lot. I’ve noticed people aren’t quick to trust. Even when you’re trying to help them.”

“Noticed? No shi- kidding, boss. If you haven’t noticed the wasteland isn’t like that vault you came from. You’re gonna get killed if you aren’t suspicious of everyone.”

She frowned at him. She could handle the complaining. The more sarcastic comments could be funny. She could not, on the other hand, handle him treating her like she was an idiot. She was new to the world, not a dunce.

She rolled her eyes in response.

“Yeah, I noticed,” she said sarcastically, “I’m not an idiot you know? Just new to the Commonwealth. If you have an issue with it you can leave.”

His eyes widened at that, seemingly caught off guard by her sudden change of tone. She hoped he did not take her up on her offer. At least not until she had someone else to follow her across the wasteland.

“No, no. Just trying to offer some advice,” he said, verbally backing off.

She relaxed slightly. She was thankful he did not walk off on her, but she wondered why. She decided not to ask, because she figured whatever the reason was it was good enough for her.

She led the way through Concord. As they got closer to Sanctuary she relaxed more and more, but she did not let her guard down. She doubted any raiders would be there for a while, but the wildlife was a different story.

As they crossed the bridge that spanned the river that wound around the island Sanctuary sat on, MacCready completely stopped walking.

“What is this place?” he asked, almost completely in awe.

She raised an eyebrow at him. His tone seemed out of character from the very little that she knew about him, but it also made her feel a bit sad. When she looked at the dilapidated houses all she saw was the ghost of a once beautiful neighborhood. A painful reminder of a past she was still avoiding coming to terms with.

“Sanctuary.”

“A bit on the nose, don’t you think?”

“It always has been,” she said wistfully. She started walking again before he could respond. He had to lightly jog to catch up to her again.

After a few steps off of the bridge Dogmeat bounded up to her. His tail wagged at a frankly ridiculous speed. Seeing how happy he was to see her made her feel warm and fuzzy inside.

“Hey, boy. Did you miss me?” she asked as she scratched just behind his ear, causing him to thump his foot on the ground.

She smiled up at them, saying, “This is Dogmeat. He helped me clear out Concord and Corvega.”

“You cleared out Corvega?” he asked with wide eyes.

“Yeah. Given how easy it was, I’m surprised no one else had,” she said straightening back up. The moment she did Dogmeat started to aggressively sniff MacCready. She tried to stifle her laughter at his worried look.

“Should I be worried?” he asked.

She shook her head, “He’s just trying to make sure you’re not an enemy is all.”

When Dogmeat seemed to be satisfied with his assessment he bounded off back towards the heart of Sanctuary. She watched him run off with a smile.

“Seems like you passed the test.”

“Yay me,” he said sarcastically.

As they got closer to the house that had the workbenches stationed outside of it they caught Sturges’s attention.

“Hey, General!” he greeted enthusiastically, looking up from the turret he was working on. The table littered with various tools and pieces of the turret. A protective mask was pulled up on top of his head instead of covering his face.

“Hey, Sturges.”

“I hope you’re here ‘cause things went well at the Castle,” he said hopefully.

“Yeah. I can say with full confidence that the mirelurk infestation has been dealt with. Oh, and the old radio station is up and working again,” she said triumphantly.

“Looks like things are finally startin’ to look up, thanks to you.”

She smiled awkwardly at the praise, but before she could say anything he changed the subject.

“I see you’ve made a new friend too.” he gestured towards MacCready, who had been standing behind her silently.

“oh, yeah, this is MacCready,” she said, turning towards him, “he’s going to be helping me make my way across the Commonwealth.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you. A friend of General’s is a friend of mine.”

MacCready merely nodded in acknowledgement. She frowned at him.

“How long do you think you’ll be stickin’ around for?”

“I don’t know,” she answered, “until someone needs us, I guess?”

“So, not very long then.”

She sighed. She had been hoping they could get some rest before they had to go somewhere else. The journey from Goodneighbor had not been hard, but it had been long.

“Did someone come by while we were gone?”

“Yeah. One of the Abernathy’s. Said they needed some help with raiders. They’ve got a farm just south of here built around an old electrical tower. Can’t miss it.”

“I know where that is. Thanks for passing along the message, Sturges.”

“No problem. Also, where’s Preston?”

“Oh. He stayed behind at the Castle. Wanted more people to be there before he left.”

He nodded thoughtfully before beginning to work on the turret again.

She turned back to MacCready.

“I want to repack my bag before we head out,” she explained.

“You sure we should head out today, boss? Sun’s gonna start setting soon.”

“We should have enough time to at least find a place for the night.”

“If you say so,” he grumbled.

She rolled her eyes in response as she headed towards her house. Inside she emptied her pack of everything she did not need and refilled the things she did. She noticed he did not follow her inside. She looked over her shoulder to find him awkwardly leaning against the door frame.

“You know you can come inside, right?”

“Don’t want to intrude on your space, boss.”

She chuckled, “My space is the room on the right side at the end of the hallway. Besides, I’m having you stay across the hall, so this,” she gestured to the room, “now belongs to both of us.”

“Why? There are other houses.”

“True, but that’s the only room that has a bed that hasn’t been claimed yet…” she paused, “...it’s also cleaner than the other rooms.”

She turned away from him, so that he could not see her struggling to keep her composure. It had been her grandmother’s room before the bombs. She had torn that room apart the day after she woke up. She had completely gutted the room of everything except a dresser and bed that were both in surprisingly good condition. That room being in a complete state of disarray was the exact opposite of what it had been before the war, and it hurt her too much to look at it like that.

“Fair enough,” he said walking over to the counter where she was sorting through supplies.

“I have extra supplies if you need anything,” she said. Her voice was far weaker than she had intended. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him raise an eyebrow at her, but he did not comment on it.

“You have any bullets?”

“Not the kind you use.”

“Then I’m good.”

When she was done packing they were on the road again. Claudia led the way through the tall grass. MacCready made snarky comments as they walked about it. Fortunately for him, she thought some of them were amusing. It seemed to her that he knew that he made his constant complaining more bearable if he made it funny.

They made it to Abernathy Farm in just over half an hour. As they walked closer to the house they were greeted by a man leaning against the railing of the porch.

“That’s close enough, strangers. We’re a peaceful farm. We don’t want any trouble.”

“It’s ok,” Claudia said, “We’re friendly. Not looking to cause any trouble.”

“If you say so. But be warned, we’re armed here, so don’t try anything. Let me tell ya, farmin’ ain’t easy. Out in the field, all day, every day? And every moment of it spent watching your back.”

“Farmin’s hard work.”

“Won’t argue with that. Blake Abernathy, you new to these parts?”

“Uh, no. Not exactly,” she answered hesitantly.

“Well it’s nice to see a new face. What about you, ever think about working the land?”

“I’ll probably give a try some day.” She was not sure if that was a lie or not.

“Well, good look to you then. Word of advice though. If you do start up a farm, be ready to deal with the raiders. Why do all the hard work when you can just take what you want at gunpoint?” he demanded.

“That’s why we’re here actually. I’m Claudia Flynn, general of the Minutemen, here to help,” she explained. It was weird introducing herself like that. It was only the second time she had done it, it felt just as odd. She figured she would get used to it with time.

Mr. Abernathy nodded carefully, before carrying on. His voice was pained.

“The last time those raiders hit us, my daughter Mary tried to stand up to them. Now, she’s buried out back of the house. Only twenty-one years old, and they shot her down without a thought. That’s why we need the Minutemen back, and the sooner, the better.”

Her heart broke at that. She knew better than anyone what it was like to lose a loved one, but thought losing a child was a whole other type of pain.

“My God… I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine what it’s like to lose a child.”

“I hope I never have to experience that feeling,” MacCready murmured from behind her. His voice was barely audible, and sounded almost sorrowful. She wanted to ask him if he was alright, but she knew that that would be crossing a boundary that should not be crossed.

“I… I don’t have much to offer, but those raiders that killed Mary took her locket too. It’s been in Connie’s family for generations. It would mean a lot to us if you could get it back for us.”

“Don’t worry,” she assured him, “we’ll get that locket back for you. And we’ll take care of those raiders. Just tell us where to go.”

“Thank you. There stationed at a place called Satellite Olivia to the northwest of Concord.”

“Alright, we’ll head there now.”

“Thank you again.”

As they walked away MacCready piped up, “You know, boss, we could have saved a lot of time if you had said you’re a Minuteman from the start? Why did ya let him drone on about farming?”

“Customer service?” she shrugged. Truth be told, she liked learning about people.

“Who cares? We’re savin’ their a- butts.”

“True, but we need support from them, and they’ll support us if we are kind to them,” she explained in an exasperated tone.

He grumbled something, but she could not make out what he said, so she took it as a sign that that conversation was done for the time being. She began to wonder if him being an ex-gunner had anything to do with his attitude. They definitely were not the nicest people in the world if she was to go off of what she had heard, but they sounded more evil than rude. She knew that greed could be a hell of a motivation, but she doubted anyone that bad would want to join up with a Minuteman. He did not even seem to be that bad of a person either so far. Sure, he was no saint, but he also did not seem to be a walking pile of human garbage either. He was grey, and as annoying as it could be, she could work with grey.

The sound of gunshots in the distance shook her from her thoughts. They were coming from the satellite as they drew nearer to it. It seemed as though MacCready read her mind. Before she could even get out a word to tell him what to do he lifted up his rifle and stared through the scope.

“Two raiders and an attack dog. Looks like they’re fighting… molerats?” he relayed back to her.

As soon as he finished speaking an explosion sounded through the air.

“Uh nevermind,” he said lowering his gun, “who the heck makes a suicide vest for a molerat?”

She looked at him in pure confusion.

“Did I-” she started.

“Yeah, you heard me right,” he interjected.

“Well… less work for us then,” she said walking off toward the bunker.

Inside they quietly walked down the stairs, and made sure they did not trigger the tripwire at the bottom. They wanted to make sure they had the element of surprise on their side.

When they encountered the first raider, he was in a room by himself with his back to them. Not wanting to draw attention to themselves yet, Claudia quietly sneaked up behind him, and planted her knife in his neck. He made a strangled noise, but it was not enough to alert the others.

The next room was more of an issue. Claudia peaked into the room without being noticed. There were four raiders inside, and one had a minigun. She motioned to MacCready to come towards her. When he was in position she mouthed ‘minigun’ to him. He knew what to do without further instruction. He poked his rifle through the doorway, lining up the shot. The raiders noticed this, but before they could do anything he hit the woman wielding the minigun right between the eyes. Together, Claudia and MacCready dove into the room, and took out the remaining raiders. When they went down, as if on a cue, the remaining inhabitants of the bunker were taken down.

“Do you think that’s all of them?” she asked.She tried to shake the way killing the raiders made her feel. She knew it was the right thing to do, but she was still getting used to that fact.

“Should be.”

“Then let’s start looking for that locket.”

“Sure thing boss.”

She turned to the small toolbox at her feet, and opened it. Sure enough the locket laid inside, glinting at her in the dull light. She picked it up. She let it hang from her fingers as she inspected it.

“That was easy,” MacCready said.

“No kidding,” she said “do you want to look around before we leave or?”

He shook his head, “I’m gonna go check how dark it is outside, and have a smoke. It was sunset when we got here, and it’s starting to set faster now that it’s getting closer and closer to late fall.”

“Alright. I’ll be in the main room when you come back.”

She scoured around the main room as she waited for him. She found an assortment of loot that she placed on a desk. Most of the ammo she found was either 10mm or 5mm, so she took most of it for herself. Even though she knew he would be happy to claim the minigun as his own, she also knew he would not want to haul it all the way back to Sanctuary. She evenly split the caps, stimpaks, and radiation medications. She left the chems she found alone, not wanting them for herself. She pulled the fusion core from the generator, and placed it on the desk as well. She doubted he had access to power armor, but she did not want to be greedy. Everything else was either weaponry, or something that could be considered scrap or junk. He could grab that stuff for himself.

When he came back he had an annoyed look on his face, but it softened at the sight of the various goodies she had found.

“Too dark to travel,” he said simply.

“Damn. Well, at least this place should be safe, right?”

“Except for some exploding molerats, yeah,” he joked.

She laughed quietly at that. She liked that he was already able to make her laugh easily. Not only did it make it easier to travel with him, it distracted her from the grief she was desperately trying to avoid.

She picked up the fusion core, “I’m assuming you don’t have access to power armor, so is it alright if I take this?”

“You have power armor?”

“Yeah. You didn’t see it at Sanctuary?”

“Obviously not. Why don’t you wear it?”

She shook the core in her hand, “Lack of power mostly, but it’s also not in great condition. Sturges is fixing it up.”

“Then be my guest. Power armor is worth more than a few caps.”

She placed it securely in her bag. Sturges would be happy with the find.

They searched the rest of the bunker for anything of value. They found a miniature warhead, which they agreed not to touch. When they finished they returned to the main room to settle down for the night. They sat around a trash can that had a fire burning in it. She pulled some deathclaw jerky Marcy had made from her bag, and started to eat. MacCready pulled some food from his bag as well. She could not tell what it was, and decided it was best not to ask.

After her small dinner she fiddled around with her Pip-Boy. She marked the location of the satellite, and poked around in the settings looking for something interesting.

MacCready broke the silence, “What’s with you vault dwellers and those Pip-Boys?”

She looked up at him, “What?”

“Every vault dweller I’ve heard of has had one. Do you know why Vault-Tec gave them to you?”

She saddened at the memory of pulling the device from the skeleton's arm. The visions of the vault being full of dead bodies haunted her. She cleared her throat before she spoke.

“This… was not given to me.”

“What do you mean? They’re one of the few things all the vaults have in common. That, the jumpsuits, and that every single one had some sort of fu- messed up experiment.” He suddenly looked like he regretted what he said. “Sorry, that was probably too far,” he winced.

She looked at him with wide, sad eyes. She had not thought of other vaults before. His mind had been full of other things.

“Does… does every vault have a different experiment?” she asked quietly.

“Yeah,” he said in a rather somber tone, “I’m sorry I should not have brought it up. I know how bad vaults can be.”

She suddenly felt incredibly alone. Everyone she had known was dead. Everyone who had been locked in that vault with her was dead. There was no one who had gone through what she had. No one who could truly understand.

“Boss?” he asked nervously, “are you good?”

“I’m fine,” she lied. It was an obvious one, but she was not ready to talk about the vault yet, especially not with him.

“Don’t worry about it,”she said, staring into the fire.

“If you’re sure…” he said hesitantly. “This place is pretty secure, but I think we should still keep watch. Why don’t you sleep, I’ll keep first watch,” he suggested.

She nodded in agreement, hoping sleep would keep her from her thoughts. She set up her bed roll silently. Sleep did not come easily, but it was dreamless.

Chapter 2 Read it on ao3

[fantasyoverreality98]

Fight the Darkness Pt. 7

Masterlist

Pairing: Gaius Augustine x MC

Summary: Amy begins to give in to her darker desires.

Author’s Note: Gore. Also, possibly disturbing content? MC has some disconcerting thoughts, let’s just leave it at that. I got extremely excited to publish this chapter so apologies for any possible typos or grammatical mistakes.

Word Count: 3,490

-----

Blood. There was so much blood. It coated the walls, her body, her hair. A warm metallic taste filled her mouth as she released her grip on the body and let it fall to the floor.

Amy studied the room, wondering how she had ended up here. The last thing she remembered was the plane landing in Greece.

“Hello?” Her voice seemed to rattle the walls, each word laced with unimaginable power.

No answer.

When she looked down, she saw that her hands were bright red. Bodies lay strewn around the room, the mess so much worse than that in the Irish town.

After a moment, Amy finally realized where she was. Fear of herself grew when she noticed the snacks laid out for the humans. There were couches for people to sit on, some music still played through speakers, and the lack of windows made it obvious. She was at a club for vampires.

Amy started to breathe heavily, panic striking her heart as she began to search through the bodies.

“No, no, please. No.” She let out a sigh of relief when she did not see Gaius among the fallen.

But that relief was only temporary. There were much bigger problems for her to deal with.

What had she done?

The taste of blood suddenly made her nauseous. She scanned the room for a bathroom sign, rushing to it when she found it. Amy burst through the door, collapsing at a toilet as a rush of blood flowed out of her mouth into the bowl. Heaving, she continued until her stomach felt empty.

Tears burned her eyes and she sobbed, shaking as she rose to her feet. It took everything within her not to scream when she saw her reflection in the mirror above the sinks. She stared at herself, trying to convince herself this was all a dream. Her eyes were red, her normally brown hair black from the amount of blood sticking to it, clumping the strands.

They were all dead. And it was all because of her.

A scream unlike any sound she’d ever made before ripped its way out of her throat, and Amy smashed the mirror. The glass shredded her hands, but she didn’t care. She grabbed shards off the wall and threw them on the floor, destroying every piece that was big enough for her to see herself until there was little left but dust.

The wounds on her hands healed soon after, and she screamed again. She should have to deal with the pain. It was the only thing that made her feel even somewhat normal anymore.

Something poked her in the side when she slid to the floor, and Amy reached into her pocket, frowning when she pulled out a key card. It was for a hotel. The name seemed vaguely familiar, the room number giving her a tiny glimmer of hope.

Gaius had to be there. Any other possibility was too horrific to consider.

She knew that she couldn’t go out looking like this. Any sane person would immediately call the police. So, she made her way to the men’s bathroom, making sure to only look at her reflection long enough to clean up as best she could.

The water in the sink ran red, the amount of blood that clung to her alarming. Amy scrubbed at her face, her hands, her neck, trying to get the reminder of her crimes off. Vampire and human alike, all dead because of her growing power.

After nearly ten minutes, it seemed she would not get any cleaner. Amy shut the tap off and stared at her face in the mirror. She took a deep breath and shut her eyes, forcing herself to turn away before she did the same thing she had done in the women’s bathroom.

Upbeat music filled the club when Amy walked back into the main room, her eyes falling on the trails of blood creeping their way across the dancefloor. To count how many bodies there were would be too much. Sometimes it was better not knowing.

Birds were chirping when she stepped out onto the street and lifted a hand to shade her eyes. There were few people on this stretch of sidewalk. Someone met Amy’s eyes and turned around, hurrying back around the corner they had just come from.

With a sigh, she tried to find her bearings. Nothing looked familiar. At this point, it would take all day to get back to the hotel. It seemed unlikely anyone would help her when she looked like this.

The birds stopped chirping. Amy turned around, realizing that the street was empty now. She frowned and started walking in the direction where the person had backtracked away from her.

Uneasiness washed over her as she searched the streets to no avail. They were empty. It seemed like everyone had disappeared.

Even more energy hung in the air, the power of it calling out to her. Before she stopped to consider it, she started drawing more life in. People started to scream, and Amy gasped, her steps faltering.

This is all your doing, the voice laughed. It sounded just like her now.

Amy walked further along the street until she reached the sea. There was a railing separating the street from the beach, and she leaned over it. She felt a pull, an unseen force out in the water calling to her.

Mydiea.

It was summoning her.

“Almost there,” she whispered to herself, scanning the shore for any signs of life. Nothing.

Silence filled the island. It was though everyone had disappeared.

A seagull screeched overhead, the sound startling her after spending so long alone. The bird seemed to break her concentration, and life once more roared around her. When Amy turned back to the city, people seemed to have appeared out of thin air. Brow furrowed, she stepped away from the railing.

Several passersby turned to look at her as she continued her journey to the hotel. They watched with awe, marveling at the being that walked by.

A goddess among men. Infinite power made flesh.

It would be too easy to end their lives. All she had to do was make a choice.

Already, she could sense herself changing. The moments in the club that she could not remember had made her stronger. A new person had emerged from the wreckage. A better person.

People continued to watch her pass, dozens of heads turning as if drawn by an incomprehensible magnetic force. Vehicles stopped for her when she crossed the road in front of the hotel. The employees simply smiled at her as she walked through the front doors, their behavior reminding her of how Rheya had managed to influence those around her in New York all those years ago.

“Morning,” Amy said with a grin, brushing aside the instinct to feed. That could wait until later. Right now, she had to find Gaius. Surely he would be waiting for her in the hotel room.

A chorus of mornings sang back to her, and she glided past them to the elevator. This hotel was much nicer than the one in Ireland. She could imagine herself staying her on a honeymoon.

In another life, she liked to think that’s how it would have been.

“There you are.” Gaius crossed the room in a few strides when she opened the door with the key card, wrapping her in his arms. “Where have you been?”

“Out.” Amy almost felt like her old self. Perhaps even better than her old self. “The last time I was in Greece, I didn’t have the opportunity to explore much.” She tilted her head back to look up at him and smile.

Something drew his attention, and Gaius frowned, pulling back an inch as he reached an arm out. “Is this blood?” He ran a finger across her temple, rubbing at the spot she could not see.

“It’s nothing. So, how are we getting to Mydiea?”

“We’ll have to find a boat to use during nightfall.” Lines appeared between his eyebrows as he studied her face, the frown a sight she hated to see. She reached up and tried to push his lips up into a smile. Gaius’ frown only deepened. “What’s gotten into you? One minute, it’s like you’re on the verge of losing your mind, and then the next, you—”

“Shh.” She smiled, releasing him. Amy brushed past him to the bathroom, ignoring the questions thrown her way. For the first time since last night, she felt at peace. The voice had finally quieted, and everything felt right.

Gaius followed her into the bathroom, leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest. “Why was there blood on you? The minute we got our hotel room, you left! I tried to find you all night, but I had to return here when the sun started to rise.”

Too many questions. Some peace and quiet was all that she asked for. After six months of horrible flashbacks and a constant war waging within, she deserved some rest. It had been so long since she felt this numb that a part of her enjoyed it.

“I’m fine. I’m okay now.” Amy stripped off her clothes, relieved to be free of the filthy material.

“You may be fine, but what about the humans you fed on?”

She could hear the accusation in his tone, and whirled to face him. “Either you join me in the shower, or you can get out. I’m done with this conversation, Gaius.”

“Fine.” He stood up straight and left the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

Amy stood in shocked silence for a moment, listening to the sound of water hitting the shower floor. Whatever. She didn’t need him.

How could anyone possibly understand how it felt to possess such power? To know it was dangerous, and yet slowly grow to crave it?

The possibilities with this power were endless. Given enough energy, she could make the world a better place. A safer place. One where people wouldn’t still discriminate against vampires and make them fear for their lives like she had in that town.

Even better than that, she could actually bring Jax back. It wouldn’t be like her dream. No, she would do the world good. The sacrifice of some mortals would be worth it to bring one of her closest friends back.

Amy stepped under the spray of water, smiling as she rinsed off the last remnants of dried blood. If absolutely necessary, she could help Gaius understand. They had a mental connection, after all. She’d seen the real him on that plane to Japan. He would be able to see the real her too. It just might take a little persuading.

Another door slammed, and Amy turned her head in the direction of the sound. She paused, ignoring the fall of water and instead focusing her attention on the room beyond. It sounded empty.

Gaius couldn’t leave the hotel with the sun out. He would be somewhere within the building. She would deal with him later.

Once the water ran clear down the drain, Amy turned the tap off, stepping out of the shower to grab a towel to wrap around her body. As she passed the mirror, she came to a halt, backtracking to glance at her reflection.

The scar from Jax’s katana was gone. Her skin was now flawless, each tiny scar that had once remained from when she’d been human vanished. Her eyes, returned to their usual brown, looked brighter than before. As if something more swirled behind them, buried deep inside her.

There was nothing else for her to change into, so Amy grabbed the outfit she’d been wearing when she first found Gaius and slipped it on. The smell of blood lingered on the fabric, but it was better than the other option.

After she’d dressed, Amy stepped out into the hallway, feeling the life surrounding her but seeing no one. It seemed strange to her that most people remained hidden within their rooms.

A cool breeze blew in through the open window to her left, and she turned to looked outside. Crystalline blue water shone in the sunlight, the calm waves lapping against the shore. The people on the street below went about their day, and she watched as a small family ran toward the sea. She missed the days when life had been so simple. Back before she’d met and started working for Adrian, the most she could hope for in life was to someday have a family of her own.

That would never happen now.

Sadness swelled in her chest, and Amy stood to watch the family for a while. Any chance at a normal life had ended the day she walked into Raines Corporation. Some days, she still regretted that decision. It may have granted her access to a world she’d never known existed, and given her immortality, but it had also destroyed her. Whatever she gained from that job, there was equal loss.

Anger toward both Adrian and herself bloomed, replacing the sadness. She should have left when she had the chance. Now, the world’s very existence was at stake. Maybe it was what was meant to happen all along. Rheya had represented life, the birth of the vampires. Amy was the Bloodkeeper. She could bring life and death, chaos and balance. The world was at her mercy.

Laughter from one of the nearby rooms drew her attention, and turned her head in the direction of the noise. Footsteps pounded down the hallway, accompanied by the sound of rolling wheels, and she straightened, hoping to see the one person she still felt anything for. Instead, an employee rounded the corner, smiling when their eyes met.

“Good morning, miss.” He gave a quick bow with his head before walking to one of the rooms, a cart full of food in front of him. “Can I help you with anything?” the man asked before knocking on the wooden door.

Amy shook her head, the smell of his fresh blood overwhelming her. “No. No, I’m good. Thank you.” She hurried away, sensing his eyes on her back until she reached the end of the hall and rounded a corner, coming to the elevator.

There was a group waiting when the doors opened on the main floor. They all watched her, stepping aside as she emerged from the elevator, as if in a trance. Several pairs of eyes followed her journey across the lobby. Part of her enjoyed the attention. Everyone seemed to notice her for the first time in her less than impressive existence. They saw her. They admired her. She felt none of the fear that her friends had radiated in New York before she left.

Speaking of her friends, she wondered if they really were trying to find her. The curiosity was too much to ignore, and Amy pulled her phone out of her pocket, waiting a moment as it turned on. Her battery was almost dead.

There was an accident in an Irish airport that ended with fourteen dead. Did you have anything to do with that?

Adrian’s message was no surprise to her. Sooner or later, words of the things she had done would reach international news. She really had to learn to be more careful.

Amy, what you’re doing is unnatural. Tell us where you are. We can help you.

The message from Kamilah only made her want to leave sooner. If they found her, she knew that it wasn’t going to end with a simple conversation. She was becoming the enemy, and the enemy always paid the price.

That would not happen to her. She refused.

Without taking the time to consider the consequences, Amy crushed her phone in her hand, reveling in the sound of it crumbling under her strength. Distractions were too big a risk now. For far too long, she had listened to Adrian. He had constantly convinced her to fight the power, to lock away a part of herself that she should feel no shame over.

They did not understand. They would never understand.

Feeling as though a weight had been lifted off her chest, Amy crossed the lobby and disposed of the destroyed cellphone. No one would find her now. She didn’t want to be found. A part of her even considered abandoning Gaius, leaving him here while she finished the plan alone. He would only get in the way.

“What was that that you just threw away?”

A smirk tugged at her lips as she slowly turned to face the very person she was just thinking about. “My phone.”

“Don’t take this as an insult, but you’re starting to concern me.” His clothes were still something she wasn’t used to. It made him like so…normal.

Amy laughed, and the sound momentarily sent shivers down her own spine. “Are you scared?” The sky outside seemed to grow darker, and the lobby revolving door started to spin faster.

Gaius met her stare, and she recognized little affection left in his eyes. “Yes.”

She took a step closer, tilting her head to the side as she studied his face. It was a face that had once haunted her nightmares, and then her dreams. Somehow, she had gone from hating this man to caring about him more than anyone else. Just thinking about it made her want to laugh hysterically.

“Good.”

Gaius shivered when she whispered the word, closing his eyes as their breath mingled. Their lips were inches away, and she pulled away with a smile, admiring his beauty. It was a face she wouldn’t mind seeing forever.

“We leave for Mydiea at dusk. Get some rest while you can.”

And with that, she walked away, straight into the sunlight.

Amy wanted to take advantage of the day while she still could. She didn’t need to stay inside, and so she would walk around the city until sunset.

Hunger gnawed at her; the kind that could only be satisfied by more feeding. More energy. More power.

She needed more.

Amy walked along the sidewalk, admiring Rheya’s plan in New York to gather the masses at the opera house. It had been genius. So much life, so much blood…all in one convenient gathering. She would have to find another way to feed.

The fear she had felt for so long was gone. Amy felt at peace, as though the only solution was to accept the darkness growing within her. She could utterly understand how Rheya had felt now.

Without anyone around to try and stop her, she could reach her full potential. She could bring Jax back, set out to make the world a better place once he was safe. No one would ever have to worry about tyranny ever again. All their problems would be over. If she could just get more power.

Wonder for what other powers of Rheya’s she possessed filled her, and she turned down an alley where no one else could see. Amy looked down at her hands, picturing flames bursting from her palms. Warmth spread throughout her body, and she laughed with disbelief when fire sprang from her fingers. She surveyed the alley, and spotted a garbage bin several feet away. It exploded with fire when she imagined the metal container engulfed in flames.

“Unbelievable,” she said, extinguishing the fire with a wave of her hand. Her face hurt from grinning so much.

Just a little more, and she would be unstoppable. She could become a Goddess. She could do what Rheya could not. Amy took joy in that thought. She was not like The First, she was better.

“Hey! What are you doing? Get away from there!”

Amy turned toward the voice, panicked for a moment until she remembered she had the upper hand. No one was a match for her. She had killed dozens of humans and vampires without even having to try.

The man’s anger turned into fear when he came face to face with her.

“Hello.” She bared her fangs, certain no one would hear his screams over the roar of traffic ten feet away.

---

Amy wiped a drop of blood off her lips and licked it off her finger, strolling out of the alley with a smile.

“Welcome back,” the receptionist said at the hotel, giving her a dreamy smile as she breezed past once more, a bag of new clothes in her hands.

“Good afternoon.” Her voice echoed in the lobby, the musical tone of it making those around her smile.

The elevator ride was short, and when Amy reached her room, she paused outside to listen. It was quiet again.

Surely he would still be here. There was nowhere else for him to go.

When she pushed the door open, Gaius was on the other side, waiting for her.

[megalony]

The media

Another part of my latest dad! Ben Hardy series Little James, thank you to everyone for the lovely feedback and to @the-girl-wh0-cries-w0lf for the request.

Taglist: @marshmallowmae @butlegendsneverdie @langdonzvoid @luvborhap @jennyggggrrr @radiob-l-a-hblah @rogertaylorsbitontheside @chlobo6 @rogertaylors-lipgloss @sj-thefan @omgitsearly @luckytrashgooprebel

Series masterlist

Enjoy.

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Glancing down to the little boy holding his hand, a fond smile came onto Ben's features when he noticed James' attention was on the pond to their left. More specifically he was looking at the two swans lounging about in the water, this specific pond didn't usually have swans in and there was something about the birds that intrigued James.

"We'll grab some bread on the way back so you can feed them if you like?" Ben questioned, gaining his son's attention for a few brief seconds. Enough for James to nod enthusiastically before looking back to the majestic birds swimming through the rather murky water.

Lily had asked if she could have one of her friends over from school and since both Ben and (Y/n) were off work today they had agreed. Lily went to her friend's houses more than they came over because James got uncomfortable and that wasn't fair on him. He didn't know his elder sister's friends and he didn't like how they rushed about, playing upstairs and then drifting downstairs and outside and everywhere else. He was more calm than Lily, he could just sit and colour or paint or watch tv without moving around a lot. They didn't want to overwhelm James because Lily and her friend would surely be rowdy and since Lola and both parents would be home it could cause a sensory overload for the little boy.

So to save James from that Ben had decided to take him out for an hour or two and had brought Lola too so she could be out for a while. Giving (Y/n) one less child to care for and letting Ben have some time with his younger kids.

They had taken a drive around for a while, James listened to a Queen CD he really liked and Lola gurgled along to the lyrics every now and then. Ben had promised to take James to get some more craft supplies and so had parked up and thought they could take a walk down to the art store. James didn't know where they were going but he was content walking by the pond, taking in the familiar route they had walked on a few occasions. The shop they were going to held just about everything for craft supplies and some other homeware things too. James loved the shop, it made him happy to look at the different pictures they had framed and to see all the paints, pencils, canvases and children's craft boxes. Allowing kids to make things such as clay models or things from pipe cleaners or painting different designs.

Leaning over the pushchair when Lola suddenly whined, Ben noticed she was pointing to her stuffed dinosaur toy resting on the floor which she had either thrown out or had dropped. Before the actor had a chance to stop and reach for the toy James had already let go of his hand and picked it up for her.

Ben watched with a smile creeping onto his features as he slowed down his walk, watching James intently as the little boy looked to his younger sister. A look on his face that seemed like he was smiling just the tiniest bit, handing the toy to her very gently. Saying nothing when she grabbed his hand which was unusual as James was not a fan of physical contact unless it was from his parents. But he continued walking beside the pushchair, letting Lola hold his hand as her other arm secured the toy to her chest which James had picked out for her when she was born. They had gone shopping and Ben asked if James wanted to get a present for his new sibling, he decided a dinosaur was a good choice and he seemed to be right.

It was no secret that James didn't get along great with Lily, she always seemed to push his buttons even without meaning to. But with Lola it was different. She was younger so James knew she never meant to upset him if she did but she was calmer than Lily. Lola babbled but she didn't yap James' ear off, she didn't run around the house or speak too loudly, only when she cried loudly it upset James. Generally, he could tolerate his younger sister much better than his older one.

A comfortable silence enveloped them as they headed over a small bridge before turning right onto the main street. James gently let go of Lola's hand to go back to holding Ben's instead, feeling more safer that way since they were near a busy road and more people were around.

When Ben's eyes drifted over to the right, his heart picked up the pace at noticing people with cameras beginning to cross the street.

Paparazzi.

They were like a bad smell in the air that followed people wherever they went and it got on Ben's every nerve. He didn't mind meeting fans in the street because they asked if they could have a picture- most of the time- and they were considerate. They didn't follow Ben around when they saw him pestering with questions and taking photos even though they had been told numerous times not to. The paparazzi had no sense of personal space and would crowd around whichever celebrity they had managed to find until threatened or actually hurt.

Ben didn't see what there need was to document someone's every move. He was out in the street like numerous other people, he was taking his children out like millions of others were doing across London. Why was that something that people needed to know? Ben had not shot someone, he had not started an attack or saved someone or done something commendable today. There was no need to pester him for a comment they knew would be rude so they could try and ruin his image. No one needed to see a picture of him wearing his grey jogging bottoms and a plain black shirt which Lola had managed to stain earlier after he'd fed her. No one would benefit from seeing Ben walking down the street pushing a pushchair with his son holding his hand. It was not a necessity to others so why did the media think they had to do this?

Even when Ben went to events that were photographed or recorded he still felt out of place or like no one should be taking pictures like they were. Right now he was in his slacks that didn't make him look very appealing, he had jet black sunglasses over his eyes to hide the circles resting beneath them from a lack of sleep. He looked like any other parent out there, the swarm that was now coming up behind them had no need to follow him.

"Daddy..." James tilted his head over his shoulder when he heard the unmistakable sound of a camera snapping a picture. He had heard that sound thousands of times, his mother being a photographer and all. But he didn't understand why they were being photographed in the street like this nor did he like it. Photos weren't his favourite thing in the world and the flashing of the lense hurt his eyes.

"Keep looking forward, buddy. They're doing that because of my work, just gotta ignore them sweetheart." James turned back so he was looking where they were going, unsure which shop they were meant to be going to. All he really knew was that Ben worked away a lot and a lot of people knew him from work. Since Ben never specifically said what he did James presumed it was either secret or he kept changing jobs but he never really bothered to ask what Ben did since he didn't seem to want to talk about it.

Reaching down Ben quickly scooped James up, resting him on his hip when he noticed yet more annoyances standing on the other side of the road and further up the street snapping photos.

"I don't like it." James whispered when he noticed the people with cameras seemed to be closing in on them. When a camera suddenly snapped right beside them James shivered, his head pressing into the crook of Ben's neck to try and hide away. Which Ben saw as a good thing, he didn't want the media to be posting pictures of his kids all over the internet, he had done well up to this point to make sure they didn't know what Lily, James or Lola looked like or how old they were etc,. In interviews Ben would say he had three kids, he said he had two girls and a boy but he didn't say how old they were and if he posted pictures of him and his family he didn't show their faces because he wanted them out of the media. James especially.

Ben's teeth ground together as his eyes rolled when Lola started clapping her hands. Of course she would be happy right now, she liked it when (Y/n) took pictures of them all so her little mind was obviously thinking that this was some kind of photoshoot for them all.

The actor tried to keep walking, knowing the shop they wanted wasn't too far ahead but he came to a sudden stop when quite a few people started to swarm around them like flies. His chest heaved when one man standing too close for Ben's liking took a picture very close, clearly trying to take one of James. Even though he could see the four-year-old was shaking, a cry leaving his lips that was a warning to Ben. If he didn't take James somewhere quiet and safe now the little boy would start screaming.

"I wouldn't do that again if I were you." Ben's tone was lower than usual as he quickly let go of the pushchair, reaching out his right hand to force the camera away from him. Causing the item to slip from the man's hand and bash into his chest due to the straps holding it around the man's neck.

Ben's attempts at trying to walk forward were proved to be rather hard. He had the paparazzi swarming around him to the point even he was feeling claustrophobic, Lola was now beginning to get confused and started to whimper. And one man took a picture far too close to them for Ben's liking which really made James scream. The little boy's hand bashing against Ben's shoulder to try and tell him that he didn't like it, not realising he was going to leave a bruise or two on Ben's shoulder. The blond pressed his lips into a thin line as his shoulders dipped to the right from the sudden attack from James that wasn't intentional but was beginning to hurt nonetheless.

"You're gonna piss off or I'm breaking that camera." The man seemed to realise his mistake when Ben took hold of the lense, his body still leaning more to the left due to James who was now sobbing in his ear which made his jaw grind to the point it was going to break.

Ben unscrewed part of the lense as he pulled the camera closer to him causing the strap around the man's neck to dig into his skin. Ben had never given in to the anger the media made him feel before but then again he'd never been swamped by them like this when he was with his children. They were upsetting both his kids and they were taking pictures whilst they were doing it. It was hardly fair on them and who was going to want a picture of Ben lashing out or a picture of his children crying because of the media? It wouldn't do the media any favours when they were rather despised as it was.

The message that Ben was not messing around seemed to get through to them, especially since James was getting to the point where he was going to start screaming constantly instead of sobbing. His face buried in Ben's neck though his hands were balled into fists. One hand was scrunched up around Ben's shirt as the other repeatedly hit his father's shoulder, begging for him to go somewhere that was away from here.

"Sshh, s'alright baby. Come on, I've got you we're almost there now." Ben pressed his lips to the side of James' head, mumbling the words against his skin to try and get him to calm down. His voice was loud enough for James to hear over his own cries but low enough so it wouldn't send James into sensory overload. Knowing his son hated loud noises or voices, he liked things quiet as opposed to loud. James stopped hitting Ben's shoulder, instead he curled his small fingers around his father's shoulder as well, his nails ever so slightly digging into Ben's skin through his shirt but it was better than hitting him.

Turning right Ben headed into the store they had come down here for, sighing in relief that they had made it. Moving over to the side so he wasn't in the way of the doors, Ben placed the pushchair near to the wall before bending down so he was kneeling in front of it. His hand reaching out and gently running along Lola's cheek before taking her hand for a moment as she stopped whimpering at finally seeing him and seeing they were somewhere different.

When James finally pulled his head from Ben's neck the actor turned to look at him, letting go of Lola's hand so he could set James to his feet. He brushed the tears from James' reddened features before kissing his cheek, his fingers carding through his son's hair as he pulled him into a hug.

"I'm sorry about that buddy, I don't like them either. But we're here now and we can stay as long as you like."

James rubbed at his now sore eyes as he nodded, taking a moment to see where they had actually turned up before the sparkle returned to his eyes that widened when he realised where Ben had brought him. Ben slowly got to his feet, taking James' outstretched hand before grabbing the handle of the pushchair. Letting James lead him down the polished floor to whichever section he wanted to go to.

The little boy took a moment to look down the isle of picture frames, glancing at the few different pictures held within them. Some containing dogs, some kist random quotes as others held pictures of bands or ones with coffee mugs and weird photos. Ben let go of James' hand to let him wander around, his arms folding over the handles of the pushchair as he leaned forward. Slowly following behind James as they wandered over to the craft section near the back. Reaching out Ben picked up one of the painting by numbers that showed a picture of flowers. Deciding Lily would like that one, she liked painting by numbers but James hated it because the numbers could be seen through the paint on most of them and so could the lines separating each section.

"No, no sweetheart... we'll get you something else." Leaning down Ben gently took hold of Lola's hand when she tried to take the packet he'd grabbed for the painting by numbers. Lola was too young for painting by numbers and for a lot of the craft boxes they sold here, getting her a toy or some pompoms might be the better option so she didn't try and eat anything she shouldn't.

Walking back over to Ben, James silently held out a plastic packet that contained different coloured pompoms and some paper flowers, gesturing between the packet and Lola wondering if that would be suitable for his younger sister.

"Perfect." Ben smiled, motioning to the little girl who practically snatched the packet when it was held out to her.

Ben followed James into the next aisle, watching his son perk up when he noticed the colouring books and the different pencils on display. New pencils or felt tips were needed since the ones James had now were running rather low. He coloured so much and if he got frustrated he pressed rather hard on the pencils meaning more lead was used so they were being sharpened every day. Ben knew they needed to buy them from here since the others were from here, James couldn't get colours that didn't match the ones he had before because it wouldn't look right if he had different colours or shades in the books he was still using.

"Buddy, I think these are the ones you have. Do you want felt tips as well or just these?" Ben held out a packet of fifteen colours that looked to match the others he had studied since James used them so much. He showed them to James, earning a nod of approval before he glanced to the felt tips next to Ben. The little boy hated to ask for things but councilling was helping him to be able to try and deal with that, he was beginning to look at things and silently ask for them which was a good start. They didn't have many felt tips at the moment, a lot of the ones they did have were run out or the ends were frayed or split courtesy of Lola when she found them.

Ben grabbed the ones James was looking at, nodding at them as they seemed better. They wouldn't create a scratching noise when applied to paper like the other ones did which annoyed James and they had a different end. They were very pointed but expanded out so if you tipped the pen at an angle the colour would be larger.

"Found a colouring book yet?" Ben questioned, putting both packets of colours on top of the pushchair before slowly pushing it over to where James was looking. The young boy liked a variety of colouring books which made it easier for them to buy ones for him but it was better if he picked ones that he wanted. Harry Potter seemed to be his favourite right now and for his birthday which wasn't too long away, Ben had gotten him another one which contained the magical creatures to colour in. As well as a book that held different pictures and details of the creatures from the Harry Potter universe.

Just as James was about to shake his head one seemed to catch his eye. He gingerly reached out for the book, reading the front cover before beginning to flick through the pages to see what kind of pictures it held within it.

"What is it?" Moving to stand beside him, Ben bent down on his knees as James held the book out to him so he could see. Ben's brows raised although he smiled instantly when he was handed the book. It was a bake-off book, containing pictures of different styled cakes, cupcakes, pies and little treats that James could colour in. It was certainly different from the other ones he had picked before and it didn't look too hard or complicated for him to do either which was good. "I like the look of this one, you want it?" Ben's encouragement caused James to shyly smile, his head nodding before Ben handed it back to him.

James looked through it again, instantly finding a favourite, his mind working out what colours he would use before noticing a Battenburg cake on the other page which was one of Ben's favourites.

This was the one.

[adrenalineguide]

Jeep Wrangler JL Rubicon: The sleekest Jeep ever

By Michael Hozjan

While some manufacturers appear to be content resting on their laurels, the Jeep team has obviously been busy…very busy. Not only have they given us the new, much awaited Gladiator (see Los Angeles International Car Show below) but they must have been burning a lot of midnight oil lately as they’ve also given us the sleekest Jeep Wrangler ever.  It may not look it at first glance but the 2018 is all new from the ground up with a new model designation, the JL. 

Its iconic styling dates back to World War II with off-road prowess that few vehicles can match. But that prowess and iconic angular design comes at a price, and that’s its on road comfort and performance and yes thirst for fuel. Jeep’s designer and engineers have, and continue to persevere to smooth its rougher edges without alienating Jeep traditionalists (remember the debacle of the square head lighted YJ of 1986). 

Those same traditionalists and any Jeep aficionado will quickly recognize the all-new JL model from the outgoing JK by…yes the new headlights. This time with optional halo LEDs that if anything hint at the blackout army headlights. There are also LED turn signals mounted on the front fenders and rear tail lamps are LEDs as well. 

The Wrangler’s Achilles’ heel has always been its thirst for fuel and the challenges facing designers is how to keep Jeep’s iconic world-renown shape and persona without destroying it and at the same time make a brick aerodynamic. 

At first you’ll have to look closer for the aerodynamic touches until you see them, then you’ll be able to spot them a mile away.  The windshield has been angled a bit more with a slight curvature to it. More evident is the lower beltline and larger side glass. Oh and the windshield can now be folded down quicker with the A-pillar staying in place to form an integrated roll bar.  The end result is a nice clean, crisp look sitting on a wheelbase that’s been stretched 61mm and is 114mm longer in length. Thanks Jeep.

If you were to put a scale of off-road prowess on the Wrangler’s trim line up, then the Rubicon would be at the top of that list which also means it would be on the bottom as a street fighter. I got my hands on the four-door version of the Rubicon last fall.

Engine options across the trim lines include a 2.0L direct injected, DOHC, in-line turbocharged four cylinder that is available only with the 8-speed transmission and the company’s main stay power plant, the 3.6L Pentastar V6 that can be hooked up to either the automatic ($1595) or a 6-speed manual trans.

Inside

The JL’s interior has also seen a lot of changes. There are now grab handles under the armrest to ease removing the new aluminum doors. It’s cleaner and more user friendly with cubbyholes for your drinks, cell phone, nylon nets on the doors and a deep center console.  The infotainment screen is the old familiar one I’ve come to expect and love in FCA products. It sets up easily, is super friendly to use and navigate and is now encased in a rubberized trim mold to keep it water tight for those times you drop the top. The Alpine sound system is also greatly improved.

A back up camera has been added that you can access by hitting the camera button on the 8.4” infotainment screen at anytime, so if you’re towing something and you want to see if all is ok while on the highway, you can, without stopping.

You can also change the menu at the bottom of the screen for quick access by dragging the icons the menu.  There’s an on/off switch for the auto stop/start on the center console along with a mute button for the radio.  Just in front of the gear selector you’ve got the sway bar disconnect and front & rear/rear diff lock switch along switches with for aftermarket accessories.  The front seat backs have hooks for your grocery bags. Outback there are provisions for the door hinges and there’s a cubbyhole with a drain plug that you can fill with ice for those camping trips. Two pet peeves in an otherwise great interior, there’s no dead pedal and the kicker… the fuscia colored dash! Why not keep it the same colour as the exterior? With the wider body, the cargo space is up slightly to 72.4 cu.ft of cargo space with the rear seats folded.

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Tall opening eases loading awkward cargo

Still Jeep tough

Jeep engineers have also been busy making this the most capable off-roading Wrangler ever with improved suspension travel, and better articulation.

A Rock-Trac two-speed transfer case, Dana 44 front and rear solid axles with 285/70R17C off road treaded tires complete the go anywhere ability of Rubicon package. My tester came with the cold weather package (heated front buckets and steering wheel) at $895, the $895 LED lighting package, the aforementioned 8.4 inch nav/infotainment screen with premium Alpine sound ($1395), blind spot monitoring and rear cross path detection ($895), towing package including a 240 amp alternator, hard and soft top package ($2395) cloth seats. Power of choice was the 3.6L Pentstar V6 mated to a new 8-speed automatic and a 4.10:1 rear axle.

On the road

In 2015 I commented that Jeep could take a lesson from Fiat and improve their lighting, well they have and my drive home on country roads is greatly safer with the new LEDs.

Even with the off-road tires on my Rubicon (I love saying my) the improved ride quality of the new chassis was clearly evident but despite the refinements the JL is still a Jeep. A lot of the ancestral trademark Jeep jarring is gone and there’s a crisper feel to the steering. The 3.6L V6 is a carryover from the outgoing model and I’m used to the power delivery of the 285 horses and 260 lb-ft of torque. Checking the numbers however on the new 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder (270 hp with 295 lb-ft of torque) sounds promising and I hope to get my hands on one in the not too distant future.

OK the question that everyone has been asking. I was hoping the new smooth shifting, 8-speed automatic and aerodynamic changes would have made a big improvement in my gas bill, and was curious to know by how much. My last Wrangler was the Sahara, which averaged 13.5L/100 km. My Rubicon with off-road gear ratios and off-road rubber managed to better the old Sahara by .7L/100 kms. netting an average 12.8L/100km on mostly highway travel so a similarly equipped Sahara JL with the 3.45:1 rear end should get significantly better numbers.

Trims

Entry price for all this fun starts at $33,103 for the two-door Sport, followed by Sport S at $36,851 and completing the two door versions is the Rubicon at $44,878.  The 4-door versions start with the Unlimited Sport S at $40,508 followed by the Unlimited Sahara – the company’s most street friendly ride complete with three-piece hard top starting at $44,308 and finally with our off-road bad boy, the Rubicon at $47,158.

There are reminders of the JL’s heritage all over.

If you’ve been thinking about getting behind the wheel of a Wrangler, you’ll be glad you waited, as the JL is an all around winner.

 Price as tested: $57,998

[quartusbellum-blog]

SAMPLE APPLICATION

As promised, here is my application for the role of Marcus McKinnon. A couple notes before you read it: this app is not to be used as a guide on how to fill in the application. Every writer is different. I seem to favour long drabbles and bios in my own writing, but quantity is not a measure of quality, so you do you. It is purely an insight into how I plan to play Marcus. Secondly, any background information about Marlene and the McKinnon family can be adjusted to suit any Marlene players. 

ooc details

Name: Elva

Age: Twenties

Pronouns: She/her, they/them

Activity Level: I check the dash daily, and aim to post at least one reply a day. Obviously there’s the odd day where I don’t manage that, but that is what I strive for as a bare minimum. I’ll be doing mod duties as well, but there should be plenty of time for interactions.  

Other: No triggers, but I will be mindful of other players’ triggers and tag accordingly. This application requires content warnings for: death, murder, racism, bigotry.

Acknowledgement: I acknowledge that the themes of this game may include triggering elements. I also acknowledge that my character may be harmed, coerced, or even killed (with player’s consent) during paras/events or may cause harm to or kill others during paras/events.

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general ic details

Name: Marcus McKinnon

Age: 19

Ships: I’m not going to lie, I would love to see Marcus in a relationship because he would be so spectacularly bad at it. He needs roadmaps for everything, but romantic and/or sexual attachments would throw him way off.

Gender/Pronouns: Queer cisgender male, he/him pronouns.

Face Claim: Noah Centineo.

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biography:

Marcus McKinnon is the kind of person who would never travel without a guidebook. He likes to plan out his whole itinerary, marking spots along the map so he always knows where he’s going and if he’s on track. It’s like he needs external permission before following a certain road. Even as a child, the youngest of the McKinnon children, he wouldn’t wander off the paths cut into the fields and dive into the tall grass after Marlene and their older brother, Matthew. There’s something comforting about routines and familiarity. It keeps Marcus’ grounded. Like if he just follows the rules and does what he’s supposed to, he’ll get where he needs to be.

It’s probably why Marcus finds the act of swimming so thrilling. Growing up near the coastline, Marcus equates the cry of seagulls and thick salty air with home. But he wasn’t always fond of the water. Marcus learned to swim in public pools, and the first time he was taken to the sea, it took his mother a full morning to coax him in. But once he was in to his waist, then his shoulders, letting his feet slip away from the seabed and the water carry him, Marcus couldn’t get enough. In the water there are no paths to walk. The rules are different, no ground beneath your feet, only invisible currents, the kiss of the tide on sand as it draws in then bids it farewell again. It’s one of the few instances in which Marcus can let go and just exist in the moment, no thought for what comes next beyond the setting sun or wind picking up; just the elements and him, water warm against his skin, and his own muscles burning as he swims, proving himself a worthy match for the sea.

Needless to say, Marcus isn’t fond of surprises. At school, he would ask numerous questions before any important assignment or exam, feeling blindsided when the homework proved too difficult. He was never a particularly good student. His anxiety made it hard to concentrate, the information hard to take in, and in his frustration Marcus found it easier to simply slack off altogether. He turned to his Hufflepuff peers for permission or approval rather than teachers. Marcus never went his own way, never paved a path of his own. Not until war came knocking and he had to.

Marlene and Matthew had fought in the Order, while Marcus was merely grateful he didn’t have to; grateful that school kept him safe. Then he graduated, and the world rapidly descended into chaos. Dumbledore captured, the Ministry taken over, the Order hunted. His parents, Matthew, and Marlene, all murdered by vampires in Voldemort’s service. Marlene survived in the end, but not before Marcus watched her die like the others. Now she’s a sister who feeds off humans; who fed off him. Marcus loves her, would do anything for her. But she walks a path he wishes never to join her on.

Two weeks after losing their family, Marcus split from Marlene. He didn’t want to live as a fugitive, always running for his life, never knowing what tomorrow might bring. And though he didn’t admit it to Marlene, he didn’t want to live with werewolves and vampires, even if they weren’t the ones who killed their family. He wanted to go home. He wanted back in magical Britain. And so Marcus persuaded Marlene it was where he would be most useful, that he would gather information for the Radical Alliance but he couldn’t live with them. He returned to magical Britain where he was promptly arrested and interrogated by Death Eaters at the Ministry, but being a halfblood who showed little resistance, a mere boy grieving for his lost loved ones, repellent but no real threat, he was pardoned on the condition that he serve the Dark Lord faithfully for the remainder of his days. Only a few weeks later, Marcus’ arm was tattooed with the Dark Mark.  

It was a mistake, or so Marcus had thought in the first weeks after his return. His parents’ resistance to the Dark Lord--their shame, as it was remembered-- and Marlene and Matthew’s involvement in the Order; everyone seemed to know Marcus’ history, and as a consequence many refused to hire him. Nevermind that he was marked and that he walked with Death Eaters. Marcus spent the first few months taking whatever job he could get, dishwasher, nightclub toilet cleaner, pet sitter to some of the biggest pesks in the world of magic, test subject for potioneers, sometimes even dinner for hungry vampires looking for a consenting victim. For a time he lived in the ruins of his old home, the burned down cottage by the sea. But as the winter came, it was leave or freeze to death. Marcus could have followed his family then, but between the familiar and the unknown, Marcus will always choose the familiar, and in this case that was life.

Marcus moved from one dingy apartment to another, always thrown out of at the drop of a hat, sofas of sort-of friends from whatever job he was working at the time, until finally, a room he rents on the third floor of a crooked building on a winding side-street just off Diagon Alley. Marcus has the Malfoys to thank for that. They’d been trying to recruit him for some time, halfblood Marcus, just needy and gullible enough to let himself be preyed upon, still intelligent and attractive enough to be worth their time. It was the hope of his name on a lease that finally persuaded him to join the Silent Daggers. He needed help and they were offering it in the form of a recommendation for the position of Wizengamot Administrator. Marcus can finally afford a steady life, but it all hinges on his loyalty to the Malfoys. They haven’t tried to exploit his position yet, but Marcus has seen too much cruelty to think they did it out of sheer kindness. And yet it saved him, giving him a home, (a place for Marlene to run to if she’s ever desperate,) an income, something resembling a life even if it doesn’t feel like one, the hole left behind by his family’s murders too big and all-encompassing. Marcus owes them.

He feels stretched thin, his allegiances pulled between the Dark Lord whose mark he bears, Narcissa and Lucius he’s sworn to, and Marlene. Marcus has no map for this life. It died with his parents and Matthew and all the other victims of the first war. But Marcus needs one. Maps don’t just show Marcus where to go. They show him how to get back.

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my character is:

Please Describe a Belief your character has that is wrong. Alternatively: How is your character lying to themselves (and how is is it shown externally).

Marcus is kidding himself that he went back and joined the Death Eaters for Marlene. In his arguments, he emphasised how much good he could do from the inside. But Marcus’ reasons were more selfish than he will let himself believe. He’s afraid of Marlene, as he’s afraid of all vampires. The fact that they’re related and that he’s known her all his life doesn’t change that; he feels safer in the Death Eaters than in the Radical Alliance, because they’re not known vampires. This is partly PTSD, and partly racism, but either way, Marcus can’t be around the Radical Alliance long before the scar on his shoulder, a bite from Marlene he acquired the night she turned, begins to itch, then ache, until all Marcus can think about are those fangs, his dead family lying in the grass. Marcus doesn’t want to be like this, but he can’t overcome it without facing up to it first.  

Please Provide a description of Your Character’s Job.

Wizengamot Administrator. Since leaving Hogwarts and the tragedy that befell him afterwards, Marcus’ main ambition has been to stay alive, and to remain in the wizarding world as long as possible. To get a flat of his own, earn enough to pay the bills, and if he can feed himself too, even better. None of that was possible for long before the Malfoys became a common presence in his life. Marcus knows he owes it to them. Lucius and Narcissa might be tactful but the message is clear; he’s in their debt. Marcus doesn’t know when he’ll be expected to pay up, and for now, he lets himself enjoy the small comforts, food in his belly, a roof over his head, a bed instead of some moth-eaten sofa, quiet. He is an Administrator in the Wizengamot Administration Services, meaning he carries out the secretarial work for the Wizengamot, maintaining court documents, scheduling hearing dates, managing the Wizengamot members’ schedules and carrying out the administration of all legal proceedings. In this position at the Ministry, Marcus is well-situated to one day study to be a solicitor, but he’s already pretty valuable as an administrator. More than once, Marcus has been asked to reveal to the other Daggers what information has crossed his desk. He is also in a position to corrupt information, though as of yet Marcus has yet to be asked to do so, nor had the nerve to take that initiative himself. For not only might his position benefit the Silent Daggers, but it could benefit the Radical Alliance too.

ooc questions

Writing Sample:

Marcus breathed on his fingers, rubbing his palms together. His cloak was second-hand, threadbare, and beneath it he was shivering. He’d need a better one before long if he was going to keep being called out for long cold nights outside. Nights spent waiting, hunting, focusing on the task ahead to keep his thoughts from wandering; to dull the constant remembering.

A rattle from behind the bins made Marcus flinch. Never had he been stationed alone. Now that the Death Eaters didn’t operate in secret, now they were legitimate subjects carrying out their duty to society, they didn’t have to hide their intentions and could travel in packs. So where were they, whoever they were?

Every sound and shifting shadow caught Marcus’ attention. He couldn’t stand still; paced the length of the chained gates separating him from a humming train line. And he was cold. So cold.

His summons had arrived as soon as he sat down at his desk that morning, coal black paper folded into an airplane. It used the space bar of his typewriter as a landing strip. The message was simple: patrol duties, 8:00pm, Harrogate Train Station. Whether his mark burned due to some magic carried in the paper or because he’d simply imagined it, Marcus could never tell. He slid the paper into his pocket, where it felt like it was burning a hole through the fabric, he was persistently aware of it.

A train blasted through the platform behind him and all of a sudden he was reeled backwards, a gag spelled across his mouth. He drew his wand, but in the same second the spell dissolved and laughter filled his ears.

He threw the first curse that came to mind, the air exploding with a gush of water. It hovered in the air as it met a blocking spell, then dropped to the ground with a splash. White stars marred Marcus’ vision and he coughed.

“Evening, McKinnon.” Alecto Carrow stood before him, robes shining like satin under the streetlights. Everything about her made Marcus feel mocked.

“Are we back at Hogwarts now?” he asked, rubbing his lips with rough fingers. He spat on the ground. “Who are we waiting for?” As much as he didn’t enjoy his outings with Death Eaters like Carrow, he was glad to see her, and in her usual spirits. Any more time standing alone like that and he’d start to believe he had a bull’s eye on his back. His eyes slid past Carrow to a silhouette peeling away from the darkness, a man with ragged clothing, dirty skin, imperiused from the looks of him. And a werewolf, or at least associated with one, judging by the silver scars slashed across his face.

“Radical Alliance?” he asked through the roar of panic rising in his head. His mind strayed towards Marlene, hoping she was inside, and that she was safe; knowing that she wasn’t, even if she was a thousand miles from this town.

“Close enough.” Carrow whispered into the man’s ear. Marcus leaned forward hoping to catch a word. Nothing. The werewolf walked towards the gate, and begun to climb. When he tumbled onto the other side, he headed straight for the tracks. Then stopped. “Come along, McKinnon.” Carrow began to walk away.

“Wait.” Marcus’s grip on his wand tightened--sickly yellow sparks hissed from it’s tip. “You’re just going to leave him there? He’ll-- when a train comes...”

Carrow didn’t spare her victim another glance, turning around only to glare at Marcus. “Would you rather curse him dead?” After a moment’s silence, she let out a quiet scoff and kept walking. “We don’t have time for this, McKinnon. There are other wolves in Harrogate.”

Marcus turned to the tracks and the werewolf standing like a statue, eyes fixed ahead. A soft, dreamy expression held his face captive; if he knew deep down that something about this was amiss, his face didn’t betray him. It sickened Marcus, to see him so at peace. He stepped toward the tracks, but something stopped him from going all the way. Shove him off the tracks, he thought. Break his legs if you have to. Bones heal. 

But the mark, his arm, branded forever; the cut, binding him to the Malfoys; his flat, the warmth of his bed, food in his fridge, a job, a life. It was a package deal. He couldn’t have one without the other.

“Smart boy,” Carrow said as he stepped into line beside her. Marcus could hear the smirk in her voice; that was how well he’d come to know her. And she him, apparently. She reached a hand towards his hair, knocking his hood off as she ran her fingers through it. Marcus jerked out of her reach, hatred boiling up inside him, and, with it, relief that at least it wasn’t him standing on those tracks staring death in the face.

Exploration:

One thing I’m always eager to explore in fiction is war and belonging to an army as a means to financially bettering one’s life. How political groups prey on vulnerable or desperate individuals to create destructive forces in society. Marcus was overwhelmed by his new circumstances. Those first few months when Marcus was utterly alone, desperate, and striving to return some normalcy in his life, define who he is today. He got a lucky break--but at what cost? Everything he does is to ensure he doesn’t go back to that.

There are things Marcus does to maintain his quality of life. And then there are the things he does because that’s the person he’s becoming. I’ve played Marcus as a wholesome and naive character, a member of the Order of the Phoenix. In this game, I would like to see how far Marcus will go as a Death Eater and a Silent Dagger. He’s currently lacking strong attachments to any one group, and he doesn’t possess a firm awareness of who he is. He’s in pain and he doesn’t know where to direct it. As such, he’s easy to manipulate. And he’s learning bad habits. This could lead him down an extremely dark path, which I would relish the opportunity to explore. But I would also like to explore the opposite side of this one. I would like to see Marcus forging attachments to conflicting individuals or groups. The messier the better. He doesn’t like surprises, but how does he handle the pleasant ones?

Marlene and sibling drama. This is part of the reason I chose Marcus, so I could get the sibling drama I so crave. I want siblings who squabble, but also fight their enemies together. I set up Marlene as an assassin type character, with a desire for vengeance. Does Marcus play any role in this, tipping her off to where her victims are? If he gets in trouble, would he ask for her help? What shape does their relationship take now that they’re both close acquaintances with death? I imagine that they’re closer than ever, being the only surviving McKinnons, but I want to see plenty of friction between these two. They are fighting for opposite groups after all, even though Marcus assures Marlene he keeps no secrets. They love each other, but do they trust each other?

The Silent Daggers are currently secret, and they’ll remain this way for a time, probably until we get more players. But I would rather like to see the Death Eaters split once and for all, with Voldemort completely out of the picture. What happens if Voldemort is undone, with the Silent Daggers standing at the ready? I’m not sure what all the pieces are yet, but I would like to see how the magical world is reshaped and groups merge, or dissolve, or fracture. It’s something I’ll be thinking about, at least.

Confronting his questionable attitude towards vampires. Marcus doesn’t think less of muggleborns, but his opinion of vamps is shaped by his experience, and its not exactly kind. What will happen when he discovers he’s been allied to a vampire all along? If he ever discovers Narcissa is more than just wix, Marcus will have to confront his false belief, and by extension his grief. It’s that latter part that means he doesn’t want to.

Extras:

Aesthetic: [ x ]

[simonloweblog]

Looking back on 2020 and looking forward

There are few countries and few families who have not in one way or another felt the impact of Covid-19 this past year. Loss of life, loss of freedom, loss of employment and loss of a “normal” way of life that we have been accustomed to, yeah, taken for granted for so long.  Through man’s enduring ingenuity the arrival of a vaccine in record time will help us regain our lives of yesteryear, but will it turn the clock back?- probably not, for let us hope that mankind has reflected on not only our own health but that of our planet, our priorities and what changes of direction we should strive to achieve in the world of “tomorrow”.

My personal reflections vary from learning to be in one place alone with my wife for long periods of time and enjoying the feeling of contentment to gazing into the future of life online as it will surely accelerate even after a return to “normalcy”. Zoom, Team, et al have become new words in the lexicon, but acceptance of these new media formats have improved business and communication  to the point that travel is becoming superfluous to commerce and even concerts, but all the while realizing that there is no substitute for a hug. 

Many of us have endured a trauma of some kind in 2020; for us it was the shock of learning that our daughter Mandy had contracted stage 3 Colon-Rectal cancer back in February. With the pandemic raging in NY where she lives we were terrified that she would not get her chemo and radiation treatments; happily she did and six months later she has been given the all clear. The miracle of modern medicine administered under the most trying of circumstances is testament to the ingenuity of man and as with the development of the vaccine, the miracles that modern science can deliver.

Sadly that cannot be said of many western governments, none worse in governance than that of the US under Donald Trump’s Presidency. In 2015 Bill Gates warned ( view his Ted talk) of an imminent pandemic and that if government would set aside a few billion dollars in preparation,disaster could be avoided. Whereas governments in the East did prepare, most Western governments did not. The result has been that they have had to spend trillions not billions to prevent a complete economic meltdown but their negligence failed to prevent an unnecessary massive loss of life that is still raging.

For decades the appeal of the West has been the freedom, well being and prosperity that western democracy delivered. Governments in the Far East and China today tell their citizens that instead of freedom the West offered lockdowns, misery instead of well being, and in so many cases, unemployment and economic hardship instead of prosperity. The West will have to do better if it wishes to regain the mantel preached for so long that now sounds so hollow.

The fourth industrial Revolution has been gaining momentum for some time, but from here on in will gather an even faster pace. Online activity of every description will accelerate at warp speed. From shopping to education, to travel, hospitality and commerce  and thus employment prospects and the arrival of mass robotics, driverless electric cars and soon planes, trains and boats will radicalize our way of life.

Will unions disappear as robots work 24/7 without holidays, pensions or rights? In fact will the working class become irrelevant as they become redundant and as a consequence of little interest to the “haves”? ; most likely yes.

Will inner city life, commuted to via ever more congested roads and trains continue unabated?; will  massive malls and office conurbations remain dominant? Very possibly not as a reversal of the migration from the country to the bulging, dense, overcrowded and over expensive cities  is already taking place. Much food for thought as especially the younger families think of their futures.

As an eternal optimist, there have been nevertheless some brighter features of this very difficult year. The traumas of the US election have passed and in spite of all the mischief and relentless efforts to overturn the results of the November Presidential election, democracy and the checks and balances that the Founding Father’s laid down have meant that democracy is very much alive and working in the USA. Doomsday merchants will not agree, but the fact is that Jo Biden will become the 46th President of the United States on Jan 20th.

There too is hope for our planet; Jo Biden will rejoin the Paris Accords and BP and Shell have seen the righting on the wall and set out a vision for their futures that embrace a carbon neutral position. The diesel car is doomed and electric everything is on the cards; cleaner safer air will come to the people of Shanghai and Delhi as their governments realize that their citizens will not prosper in the death traps of their air-polluted mega cities.  

The recent break through resulting in the establishment of diplomatic relations between long term foes, Israel and the UAE will hopefully flourish and be extended to other parties bringing some hope to a more peaceful coexistence in the Middle East. The Palestinians may realize that a deal is better than a no deal as their long term financial benefactors slowly peel away from them.

2020 has seen the final exit of the United kingdom from the E.U. This has been the single most controversial topic in British politics and much of life for the past 47 years (since 1973 when the UK joined the E.E.C.) At least the constant arguments and divisive bickering that has engulfed families, political parties and communities for so long can now hopefully to put to rest. In volume 3 of William Manchester’s epic biography of Winston Churchill he quotes the great man as saying in 1946, “We are with them, but not of them”. For me and so many, Churchill was the greatest Statesman of the 20th Century. He believed  and had the foresight that Europe could only be rebuilt and avoid future war if Germany and France joined together in mutual recognition that a union of sorts was needed. So he encouraged a Union but equally was clear that Great Britain was not “of them”.  

Our hopes and aspirations for 2021 and beyond are  that life will become safer and easier. Sadly, “ plus ca change”…..- corruption, bureaucracy, inequality, religious fanaticism and tribalism are set to continue  with little change; intrinsically man has not changed.

Will the young become slaves to social media and hand IT control of their lives?, I hope not. Let us pray that man’s ongoing ability to change and adapt will prevail and conquer the many challenges that lie ahead.

 Wishing you all a very happy New Year.

 Simon

[coquillagesea-blog]

Automobile Devices — Automobile Throttle Store

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They supply real critiques on the gadgets and gadgets so that you just discover it simpler to select before buying any particular gadget. Besides the above https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_and_society devices in your car there are a lot of different which are accessible for you to purchase. The devices featured on this checklist will definitely occupy a toddler, and a mum or dad will need to have a sure guideline of time in place when giving the gadget to the child, equivalent to telling them that they will spend an hour taking part in with the gadget.

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[ntrending]

The history—and future—of our roads

New Post has been published on https://nexcraft.co/the-history-and-future-of-our-roads/

The history—and future—of our roads

Today’s streets have it harder than their ancestors did. Instead of feet, hooves, and wooden wheels, they shoulder semis and SUVs. As we’ve developed new ways to zip around, we’ve also changed the makeup of the routes on which we travel, transforming gravel paths into asphalt superhighways. Challenges such as extreme weather and carbon emissions mean our expressways must evolve even further, so engineers are turning to futuristic fixes to keep traffic flowing. Here’s the story behind that long and winding journey—and where it’s going next.

Past: In the rearview

1. Rocks and bricks

Humans have been clearing trees and burning brush to transport food and attack our enemies for more than 10,000 years, but Mesopotamians invented some of the first paved roads to make more transit-friendly cities around 3000 B.C. Workers molded thousands of identical clay bricks, dried them, then arranged them like tiles. To keep paths from crumbling every time a cow kicked, they glued the blocks together with bitumen, a naturally occurring semisticky petroleum that we still use as a binder in asphalt today. But this ancient population bothered with the labor-intensive method only on streets with religious significance or high military value.

While all road technology might not lead back to Rome, the Roman Empire did build some of the longest and most durable pathways in the ancient world. Builders recessed rock and gravel layers into the ground for stability. Closer to cities and in other prominent areas, pavers topped these layers with hard stones to create a more polished look.

At its height, around A.D. 100, the Empire presided over a combined 50,000 miles of highways, which allowed soldiers and merchants to move swiftly throughout Europe and Asia Minor. Some of these timeworn passages are still functional today. The Via Appia, which runs from Rome 350 miles southeast to the east coast of Italy, supports automobile traffic on select stretches— though it has required quite a few overhauls over the past two millennia.

2. Sloped mud

As the Industrial Revolution took off in Great Britain during the 1700s, local governments built longer networks of gravel highways, relying on toll collection to finance the construction of new routes. These so-called turnpikes sprang up across the countryside, spreading out from London and connecting cities in England and Scotland. But most roadways were made of small stones piled on top of mud, meaning the slightest sprinkling of rainwater could turn the rocky lanes into mucky heaps of disgusting, dangerous slush.

A civil engineer named John ­Metcalf had a plan for smoothing things over. His construction crews would slightly slope each new street’s surface and dig deep ditches on either side. This provided proper drainage to keep roadways from caving in due to excess moisture, preventing potholes.

Metcalf famously went the extra mile to advocate for these design changes. Blind from boyhood, he once challenged a colonel to race him to London. Thanks to the rough terrain, Metcalf made his way to the city on foot faster than the military man could get there in his horse-drawn buggy.

3. Packed Gravel and Asphalt

Nineteenth-century Scottish engineer John McAdam, frustrated that even Britain’s best drags were still bumpy, took a new approach: He replaced loose, round stones with rocks crushed into tiny angular bits that he spread out along a path, and then rolled over to press firm. These “Macadam roads” were more durable and weather-­resistant—and kinder to carriage wheels—but they were still pretty loosey-goosey.

So, in the 1870s, American engineers began filing patents for bituminous asphalt mixtures known as “binders,” which combine the oily substance with gravel or sand for sleeker street surfaces. The basic cross-section of a road or highway hasn’t changed much since: Builders dig a ditch, lay down a bed of packed soil, spread a layer of crushed stone, and then top it with a smooth, 6-inch layer of either asphalt or concrete. ­Heavier-​duty roads, such as interstates, sometimes have an additional rocky layer at the foundation.

4. Even more asphalt

Around the turn of the 20th century, the U.S. started to roll out roads as we know them, replacing soil paths with hardy concrete. But long-​­distance routes—such as the Lincoln Highway, which joined New York and San ­Francisco in 1923—were sometimes no better than dirt ditches etched in the countryside. While riding on the Lincoln with his Army convoy in 1919, Lt. Colonel Dwight D. ­Eisenhower had an idea: What if this, but better and every­where? When he became presi­dent, Eisenhower masterminded the interstate highway system, its more than 45,000 miles of pavement taking three decades to lay down.

Present: What’s under our wheels

1. Solid foundations

Apartheid-era South ­Africa was under sanctions and economically isolated by many other countries, which made buying a highway’s worth of bitumen prohibitively expensive. So engineers in the country came up with an unortho­dox solution that was not only cheaper, but also just as effective as conventional methods. Rather than laying down a thin gravel base and slathering it with half a foot of asphalt, South African designers relied on a layer of stone (infused with cement) about a foot thick as the foundation of the path, then placed a 2-inch-thick strip of asphalt on top. Trade opened up after Apartheid ended in the 1990s, but no one raced to repave the region: The unique highways proved to be just as strong and resilient as those in other countries. The clever and effective workaround became a subject of fascination for transportation officials from around the world.

2. Low-friction blacktop

A truly well-designed road won’t just withstand rain, sun, and tire abuse—it’ll also make driving easier and cleaner for the cars passing over it. In Denmark, government researchers will be testing more than 30 miles of highway built with an earth-conscious asphalt that minimizes friction with tires. To lower what’s called “rolling resistance,” the designers embed the upper layer of asphalt with unusually small stones—sometimes smaller than a quarter-inch across—which makes the surface smoother. Cars can coast longer, so drivers need to hit the gas less frequently to maintain a steady speed. Fewer presses of the pedal equals less fuel consumption, which helps minimize emissions. For every million dollars Denmark invests in these streets, motorists could save around $40 million in fuel costs.

3. Limestone bases

Germany’s comprehensive network of famously no-speed-limit ­autobahn highways are among the best in the world. Their secret sauce: money. Each of the country’s more than 8,000 miles of freeway costs the federal government nearly a million dollars per year in maintenance. As they say: It costs money because it saves money, and Germany’s road-building budget means better materials that cause fewer problems in the long run.

Not only are these bahns twice as thick as the average U.S. highway, but the trenches lining them are sturdy limestone rather than ­more-­common materials such as soil or sand. (The government planned for a few stretches to double as airstrips during World War II, so some sections are actually thick and sturdy enough to survive the force of a landing plane.) Each motorway is also topped with high-​­quality concrete.

As a result of their resilience, these routes are safer, quieter, ­easier on cars, and last an average of 20 years longer than American pavement. And even though it’s not as big as the United States, ­Germany’s web of highways is dense—if you laid all the autobahns end-to-end, they would stretch a third of the way around the planet.

4. Ice/salt road

Especially cold or dry locales can boast boulevards made of unconventional stuff. In arid countries such as Chile, governments sometimes skip asphalt and top roads with a salty compound called bischofite, which occurs naturally in the Atacama desert. It doesn’t make clouds of dust the way sandy roads do, and rare rainfall helps the soluble substance stay in place. In chillier northern climes, frozen rivers become drives linking otherwise-isolated towns from January through April. But they’re melting earlier each year as temperatures rise.

5. Emerging asphalt alternatives

Rubber

One of the easiest ways to skimp on oily bitumen is to grind up landfill-bound tires and other elastic materials, and mix them into the blacktop. Rubberized highways last nearly two times longer than their traditional counterparts, and can be 50 percent quieter as well. Plus, rubber doesn’t crack as much in extreme heat because, unlike stiff asphalt, the material can expand and contract. California, Spain, and Germany all use rubberized streets, and Japan now features the bouncy stuff in about a fifth of its national roads.

Plastic

In 2015, the Indian government mandated that cities fill potholes with melted plastic garbage. This technique inspired Scottish engineer Toby McCartney to found MacRebur Ltd., a ­plastic-​road startup that seeks to build byways using the material clogging up our landfills. By grinding thousands of soda bottles down into pellets and mixing the result with standard asphalt, ­McCartney trims the usual cost of paving materials by as much as 25 percent—while also cutting down on waste.

Food scraps

Some researchers are working on more appetizing alternatives to petroleum. Culinary waste such as soybeans, cooking oil, and even used coffee grounds can boost asphalt’s binding power; the materials’ organic properties allow them to oxidize in much the same way the bitumen does. This practice should also reduce the overall carbon footprint of new construction. But don’t expect to sniff java on the exit ramp anytime soon: Edible leftovers may replace just a small percentage of the sticky bitumen needed for a full-service road.

6. Gravel is back

As small towns across the United States face drastic budget shortfalls, some find themselves without the cash they need for road repair. In at least 27 states, localities have turned to a rugged solution. Instead of repaving damaged paths, they just ­unpave them—­peeling up all the asphalt and leaving swaths of loose rocks in its wake.

Though pebbled ­pathways can generate throat-​clogging dust and tend to get a little messy in the rain, they work just fine for routes that don’t see a lot of heavy traffic. And while you’d be right to worry about sharp little stones wearing down your Goodyears, some experts argue that super­size potholes in busted-up asphalt can be way more dangerous for drivers than good ol’ gravel is. Any rough spots that do form are much easier and cheaper to fix: All you need to do is get some more rocks and fill in the craters.

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Future: The road ahead

1. Self-repairing

Shifts in temperature and moisture mean cracks are always forming, and we often don’t know where they are until they’re ­really dangerous. But what if a freeway could repair itself? Scientists are experimenting with forms of fissure-fixing pavement. In the Nether­lands, researcher Erik Schlangen of the Delft University of Technology laced a stretch of asphalt with a matrix of steel-wool fibers, turning the surface into one big conductor. When cracks start to form, the government passes by with a massive magnet on a truck, which makes the metal contract, closing the gap.

The Dutch are already employing Schlangen’s threads on a dozen roads, but even-​more-​­radical solutions are also in the works. Su Jun-Feng of Tianjin Polytechnic in China, who has worked with ­Schlangen in the past, has tested dispersing small capsules of an expanding chemical polymer known as ­“rejuvenator” throughout a few Tianjin streets. Whenever fissures start to form, the capsules expand to fill up the chasms. This patch-up job halts the decay of the road while making the aging pavement less ­brittle—which means it’s less likely to crack again later.

2. Climate-proof creations

Extreme heat due to global warming poses one of the biggest threats to drivers across the U.S. High temps cause asphalt to split more quickly, which means pavement in toasty places will decay faster than governments can repair it. Although the Southwest will see the most scorching days, roads in the Midwest might also suffer—they weren’t built to withstand heat at all.

Some cities, such as Los Angeles, have started to paint blacktop with light hues so it absorbs less sun. But preventing future fissures might require new materials.

And as monster storms and rising tides trigger ever-bigger and more-​­frequent floods, traditional drainage systems in coastal areas from Georgia to Cambodia become overwhelmed. Miami, one of the world’s most vulnerable cities to sea-level rise, has already started taking preventative measures such as raising roads off the ground and building dozens of anti-flooding pump stations. But low-lying countries such as Belize might have to renovate much of their existing infrastructure. U.K. startup Topmix is experimenting with permeable pavements that slurp up thousands of gallons of rain; their mixture omits the usual layer of fine-crushed stone to allow moisture to slip through to the dirt beneath.

3. Pro-robot designs

While early models still might be a tad crash-prone, self-driving cars are coming. And they’ll eventually lead us to change our streets. Lanes, for example, will get skinnier once they don’t have to accommodate shaky human hands. Roads will also have to become “smart,” communicating instructions via embedded sensors rather than with more-traditional visual cues. Radio transmitters could take over right-of-way regulation from stoplights, and satellite pings could mark detours in place of signs. Engineers will also have to find new ways to manage construction zones along highways—car cameras have a hard time knowing which messages, from cones to hand signals to barricades, trump others. Some startups, such as UC Berkeley-born Hyperlane, have crafted novel proposals for highway upgrades like self-driving-only lanes. There’s not much time: By some estimates, fleets of robot taxis and buses could roll in during the next decade.

RELATED: Where to find self-driving cars on the road right now

4. Solar panels

With every passing year, ­humanity needs more power: Global energy consumption could rise by around 25 percent by 2050, to the equivalent of nearly 150 billion barrels of oil a year. All that energy has to come from somewhere—so, some engineers wonder, why not get it from our streets? Open roads tend to absorb plenty of sunlight, which you surely know if you’ve ever stepped on blacktop while barefoot. Those toasty rays could power your dishwasher. In 2017, China debuted a mile-long stretch of “solar highway,” a raft of panels stuck beneath a plasticlike polymer thick enough to tolerate the weight of a vehicle. Energy from the array could funnel to streetlights above or houses nearby. Idaho startup Solar Roadways has tested similar technology, but both prototypes face serious financial hurdles: One square meter costs more than 90 times as much as the same swath of regular asphalt.

Written By Jake Bittle

[tarotflavored]

✧ New Deck Interview ✧

I’m going to admit it. When I was first getting my feet wet with tarot, the Rider Waite deck did not appeal to me. The colors, the art style... With all the different options out there, it wasn’t a deck that got me eager to purchase or use. But in the end I bit the bullet and bought the borderless edition as my second deck. I didn’t touch it for a while. But these last few days, I’ve been familiarizing myself with it.  And I fell in love.  The borderless edition’s colors are less yellow, the lines are cleaner, and the art style grew on me. Most of all though, there’s something about this particular deck’s energy that really excites me. Even before using it! While I was playing around with the cards (shuffling, looking at the pictures, familiarizing myself in general) the 3 of Cups kept jumping out at me. After thinking about it, the message became clear: it was time for me to invest in projects that I love and find new community and friendship within them. Ideas like this blog were already in the back of my mind, but thanks to this deck, I was both inspired and encouraged to take action! 

My favorite way of cleansing cards is through shuffling and burning dried herbs. Sitting on my balcony, the number 4 kept popping into my mind as I passed each card through the smoke. I don’t know much about numerology, but after brief googling, some key words that relate to 4 are stability, patience, loyalty, and values. Interesting to note as I go forward getting to know this deck! 

Today I used @unmaskingthedivine ‘s deck interview spread which can be found here. Questions and answers are below the cut. 

1) Greeting - Something the deck wants you to know about it. 

8 of Swords Reversed 

The swords always makes me nervous, though I’m not sure why. They are tied to the element air, associated with knowledge, conflict, and change. I guess anyone might be a little nervous when they are confronted with those concepts. The card itself depicts a woman in red. She’s tied, blindfolded, and surrounded by swords. Behind her is a castle in the cliffs. Her home, perhaps? Somewhere she’s been banished from? Her back is turned to it. She doesn’t belong there anymore. 

The blindfold really sticks out to me. She cannot see or escape. This is a card of being trapped. Upright it could mean being trapped by external circumstances that seem inescapable, and reversed it could mean being trapped by internal self-doubt. The 8 of Swords reversed speaks to a prison of your own making, constantly cutting yourself down and making yourself blind to the truth.  So, what does this deck want me to know about it? It’s here to take that blindfold off. Through self-acceptance it’ll help give a new perspective on situations that will ultimately lead freedom. 8 in numerology is often associated with balance. I get the sense that this deck is relatively neutral. It wants to cut through all the murkiness that doubt brings and get to the truth, the heart, the sharp point. 

2) Eye Contact - An immediate first impression the deck gets from you.

5 of Pentacles 

The first thing that jumps out at me are the colors, the stain glass window, and the snow falling. It is a somber card with two destitute figures outside in the cold while the church behind them radiates warmth. Traditionally speaking, the 5 of pentacles is a card indicating a lack of basic necessities and insecurity. There is a sense of experiencing physical, emotional, and financial loss. The two figures are outcasts, outsiders looking in, and they either can’t see that there is help available or don’t know how to ask for it. 

That being said, when examining this card, I didn’t get a sense of hopelessness. The church, a symbol for charity and forgiveness, is so close by. The people in the card need only to look up and enter it. 

My deck seems to think that I’m in a place where I’m hyper focusing on the misfortune of things and not looking around and reaching out. While the air element of the swords represented more invisible or psychological entrapments, the earth element of pentacles is very physical, and indicates material things such as money, school, or career. The deck’s impression is that I have a lack of abundance or am even isolated in these areas. 

3) Handshake - The nature of your working relationship with the deck.

The Lovers Reversed

I was pretty shocked to see 4 out of 6 cards being major arcana, The Lover’s Reversed was the first to pop up. I love the color in this card. The red, the blue, the yellow, even the purple of the mountain. Of course, it’s hard to miss the big angel at the center of it all, with Eve on side (the tree of knowledge behind her with the snake) and Adam on the other. Upright, both are still in paradise, but reversed, it typically means a lack of harmony.

Not going lie, seeing this in the working relationship part of the spread makes me a little uncomfortable. It seems to be telling me that there will be times when I feel out of sync or out of harmony with what it’ll be telling me. (I already felt that a little bit with question 2 because really, what a callout.) Combined with the above cards, there may be times when the deck will want me to take the blindfold off and see, but I won’t willing to look because I’ll be too distracted by negativity/doubt/delusion. 

This makes me think back to the number 4 I kept feeling while I was cleansing the cards. The energy and vibrations of this deck is masculine, almost paternal in nature. He has a “no-nonsense” and “tell it like it is” attitude. Again, a keyword that stuck out to me for the number 4 was values, which can also be associated with Lovers Reversed. At times, the disharmony may be with yourself. When you are between doing what what someone might expect you to do and doing what you feel is right. I sense that this deck is rooted firmly in telling the truth and making sure I do not sacrifice what I think is right for shortcuts or the easy route. 

(Is it strange that this deck seems almost knightly to me? I feel like a good name for him would be Emit, and I’ll be referring to him as such from now on.)

4) Conversation - Strength(s) as a deck.

The Star

The Star in the Rider Waite is absolutely beautiful. A woman kneels, one foot in a pool, jug in each hand, pouring water into it and onto the grass. Above her are 8 stars, one of them in the center, shining brighter than the rest. The imagery on this card is lush and serene. I can almost hear the trickle of water and the quiet of nature around her. The energy this card represents is that of calm and balance. 

The nakedness of the woman in this card really strikes me. I believe Emit’s strengths are that, if we allow him to, he’s able to strip away the armor, stuff we we use to protect ourselves, which is ultimately more harmful and weighing us down. Once we allow ourselves to be vulnerable, that is when we have the chance to embrace the things we love and truly allow ourselves to grow. Still water becomes stagnate, but dipping into it, we can use it to nourish ourselves, our spirit, and the world around us. It might feel safer not to confront certain aspects of our lives, but opening up, accepting the truth, and being honest allows us to form more genuine connections with not only other people but ourselves.

5) Conversation - Limitation(s) as a deck.

The Sun

The sun is a lovely card, one that I was nervous seeing in the limitations area of the spread. With a beautiful bright sun, sunflowers, a white horse symbolizing strength and purity, and a naked child riding it to represent a carefree spirit, I was disheartened to see warmth and positivity as something Emit might have difficulty in. But, context brings me comfort.Emit is not the deck to turn to for these things and it makes perfect sense. He is not here to tell me to take the easy road. Working with him may bring the discomfort of vulnerability and opening my eyes to truths that are difficult to see, but the road we walk on with our own two feet is more worthwhile than the easy way on a white horse. It was earned.

I’ll also take note here that a sun is also a star. It’s interesting to me that the Star is his strength while the Sun is his limitation. They are the same things in different contexts. The Sun and the Star cards parallel each other in many ways (both centering around a naked figure under an open sky) and are close to each other as far as the order of the major arcana go. It might be something to meditate upon for general meaning and what it means for Emit. (He holds mysteries yet!) 

6) Gift - Guidance/advice/insight the deck has to offer you.

Judgement

Judgment has never been my favorite card visually, with corpses popping out of the grave while an equally creepy angel plays the trumpet. And when I saw this card in the “gift” area of the spread, I laughed, because in a way Emit’s gift is literally judgment: seeing the truth of a situation and offering guidance to act accordingly. But I think another important aspect of this card are the ideas of rebirth, of leaving certain things behind. Parts of us may die, but then new parts of us will rise, reinvigorated. With the truth comes knowledge of what we need to change. And yes, sometimes that truth might make us sad, or angry, or feel lost, but in those moments we have our own intuition to rely on, and with the gift of proper Judgment, we will make the right choices. (END)

THAT TOOK MUCH LONGER THAN I EXPECTED! And honestly, I’m a little pooped analyzing all the cards and seeing how they relate to one another. That being said? I think Emit is a great deck and I can’t wait to start working with him. If you want a reading using Emit, check out my tarot reading menu for details on how to commission a reading! If you read through this and have possible alternate/additional interpretations of the cards, meanings, or how they relate to each other, feel free to hit me up! I would love to see them! (I’m especially interested in that whole sun/star thing I mentioned!) My friend thinks Emit is a little shit, but I don’t know, I think he’s pretty cool. He reminds me of a knight with strong codes and honors. I’ll be doing some more bonding and readings with him in the future, so keep an eye out! 

[zozammer]

What We Can Learn From (Lincoln’s) America

Sure we have McDonald’s; we even had a Beni Hana open at Nehru Place at one point. H&M, Krispy Kreme, Air BnB, authentic Vietnamese, no Detroit Swindle (not from Detroit). Jayden Smith is coming for Supersonic this year. Lots of imports.

What I don’t see though, is any sort of flower power except for old dadi ma’s and a few young hippies chanting Om. America always had its share of fire starters but also a brethren of rebels and keepers of the peace. There’s a lot about America today I can’t stand, particularly the snobbery and ignorance (both ugly stepsisters, both come hand in hand).

Find it odd how we take their diet plans and their music, but when it comes to national pride, standards of work, teamwork, respect for all service types, common etiquette on roads, being charitable, having community values, we’re as my school teacher once used the word,

ANDA.

meaning egg = 0.

I can’t understand why we wouldn’t want to become a more liberal and progressive society. Change happens on the streets, and through the election of our leaders, through the ways in which we receive each other, and how we choose to view each other as people.

Everyone plays for power, instead of the true 1% that plays for love.

Wondering what kind of economy we would be, if we chose to play with and for love. If we chose to support the arts from an early age, and encouraged such practice for the sake of building stronger neuro pathways in children at the very least. If we allowed women to continue working, if we respected professors and time, and gave them more credibility.

If every profession was respected and rewarded better then we’d have less depression and less scrambling for seats. If everyone was more polite, then we’d have less tension and more space to be ourselves.

If we were funner, as a country, funnier even. More room and inclusion of local festivals. If we knew how to party without being disruptive or dangerous. If our subconscious’s weren’t always leaking with depression and repression.

I also feel like we tend to shame everyone including ourselves for who we think they are supposed to be around us. I have a problem with the older generation in this country because they don’t really understand our generation & the values that we are currently exposed to through older books and liberal media.

Nietzsche rightly once said,

“You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.”

I find myself questioning my beliefs about the world, but not much of a group to genuinely test it out with. The fact that everyone is family oriented in India, is something I find comforting, but also incredibly limiting and so overall, boring. 

I’m glad I didn’t really grow up with much family, because that allowed me to view things from a world perspective rather than a “I hope my family won’t mind” perspective.

We are less Rock n Roll and more Dhanteras. 

And that’s why we don’t really have Theo Jansens, Friedmans, Nietzches, Picassos, Curies, Earhearts. 

If someone is going to throw Bhaskar, Ramanujam, and Charaka at me one more time. I’m just going to say this.

a) you sometimes have to wonder what kind of society we lived in to produce such great people. How we dealt with the ones less privileged, and how the privileged had a sense of duty in such a society.

b) how we were more open and more scientific (therefore, more experimental and inquisitive). 

c) how inward we could all be. To reflect and note. Note: noting is different from commentary. 

In America, they impeached a President who got blown by his secretary.

In our country, we elect people who commit genocide, (no matter which party they belong to)

For all our moral high horsing on public fornication and masturbation, we seem to lack the real genuine moral compass (that our elder generation, also seems to lack considering they continue imposing such beliefs on us). 

- The compass to make it safer for women to be free, rather than repress them with clothes and curfues.

- The justice to intervene in a bad situation rather than minding one’s own business and staying shut as the violence pervades. The same people seem to be commenting on trivial inconsequential views on social etiquette.

- back bones to defend the weak. The awareness to build better communities in our neighbourhoods and spaces.

- a skeptical nature about the right things. for example, why didn’t anyone question toilet paper? Maybe we should start viewing products from input to output to disposal/transmutation and decay/digestion. That would bring us closer to being a more culturally advanced society. Toilet paper is shit for the environment. 

Imagine truly the questioning the need/ thought behind/ and use of our every day items and see what kind of ideas we allowed into our lives because someone else said we should have them.

- giving a damn. basically. that’s how i reached the thing about Toilet paper.

I feel guilty writing all of this down because it sounds extremely judgmental and also I’m not perfect, I am currently struggling with my personal laziness to recycle and adopt less plastic in my life, do better for communities, and myself. I’m even struggling with humility.

As a nation, we could all make it easier for each other by being kinder to one another, less lazy, more on time, and maybe more accommodating in terms of novelty of thought and disruptive (design world loves this word) ideas. 

I really wish we had a way of appealing to our elder generation to let us fulfil better ethics, more liberal societies, safer roads, funner streets, cleaner neighbourhoods, through the allowance of ideas to be applied practically.

And if not,

the allowance of our own peers to support us in our desire to create differently, and not mindlessly. for the sake of change, not likes. 

And if not,

the will to rebel.

[veganvagabond88]

The Road to Pai

Id heard a lot of good and bad about Pai, some say its like the south but without the beaches, some compare it to Bangkok Khao San road. I was keen to find out for myself and to have a change up from Chiang Mai, as lovely as Chiang Mai is we have been there a couple of weeks now so we wanted to explore some other parts of Northern Thailand.

The mini van picked us up from our hostel around 9am, after making a few pickups for other travellers around the town we were on our way and began the 3.5 journey to Pai. The cost of the bus was 170THB (around £4)

If you get car sick or are scared of winding roads up mountains then maybe take a sleeping pill  haha. It was definitely a bit of a dodgy ride, it even made my stomach flip a few times and I’m usually pretty good with things like that. We stopped off a couple of times for a loo break and for a lunch time stop where you can buy cooked food, coffees, shakes, snacks etc.

As we drove further away from Chiang Mai we were met by the great beauty of mountainous rainforest. I could now see why people want to come to Pai. We arrived at the Purple Monkey Backpackers in the afternoon, we had a little hut which just has a double bed in and a small fan, basic but nice. We then took a walk into the town to look around. The main walking street is made up of many quirky eateries and coffee shops, as well as Bohemian type clothes and souvenir shops. Already I loved it.

Our little hut....right next to the loo though :-|

After finding our bearing's we tried to rent a scooter, this proved some what difficult it was really busy in Pai so a lot of the rental places were empty or only had crappy scooters which in our opinion were not road worthy at all, we tried one but the breaks were no good so we took it back and decided to wait till the next day to get something a bit safer.

We found a cute place to stay for the next few nights across the river, although the first place was ok it was a typical backpacker place, a bit too noisy and not really that clean, and overpriced for what it was. We stumbled across the Pai Loiss resort which is made up of huts similar to what we stayed in the first night but bigger and cleaner with a decking area and hammock, this was paradise! The lady here was lovely to, so friendly and helpful id definitely recommend staying here as it was only 300THB which included complementary tea, coffee and toast with marmalade in the mornings.

A much better and bigger hut with a hammock :)

We failed the next day to get a scooter again so we decided to rent push bikes haha, I haven't rode a bike in years so was a bit worried but it was ok, the cost of renting a bike everywhere is 50THB for 24 hours which isn't too bad, the bikes are not the best but they will get you from A to B. We set off out of the main part of town to explore the surroundings and to also check out a Muay Thai gym that id heard was good, Charn Chai. The gym was open plan and the trainers seemed nice so we decided we would train there the next day. Afterwards we ventured into a tiny village which was lovely, no westerners just us on our creaky bikes on dirt path which ran between rows of little houses and huts. This was the best way to see the countryside of Northern Thailand, we were surrounded by rice paddy and farming fields. We checked out a Wat which is on the way to the Chinese village which was cool. We then headed back to the main town before stopping off at a little shack where we bought a fresh coconut to drink and some freshly picked tomatoes.

We finally found a relatively good road worthy scooter and drove around to explore some more, we rode out of the town and rode along the winding roads that ran between mountainous green landscape. We stopped at some hot springs which were a bit of a disappointment, I think these particular ones had been abandoned as it was littered with rubbish and carcasses of birds which had been cooked in the hot springs! It was pretty disgusting. I think it must have been a failed tourist venture as I could see that it could have been nice, but obviously the other hot springs on the other side of Pai must be the place to go. (book a day tour that takes you to the main springs and other attractions, this was around 500THB, we didn't do this but know a few people who did and said it was worth it.)

Pretty disgusting to let something get like this, it could be really lovely

We stopped off on the main road into Pai to check out the memorial bridge, this was built by the Japanese during the second world war to transport weapons and provisions to Burma. They needed it as a route from Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son to attack Burma, which at the time was a colony of the United Kingdom. The bridge was built over the Pai River in 1941 using elephants to drag trees from the jungle and enslaving the local villagers to work for them. After the war the Japanese left and callously burnt the bridge down. This left the locals in despair as the bridge was very important to their daily life so they rebuilt the wooden bridge over the Pai River to maintain their way of living. Its a good place to stop if your passing there are a few touristy shops and a couple of coffee shops which is nice for a break. We met a Canadian Couple and Irish couple who were doing a similar journey to us and shared our stories from the past couple of months which was nice.

We didn't stop long before heading back towards Pai to visit the impressive Pai Canyon. This is definitely worth your time as it is a beautiful natural attraction with lovely nature walks in its surroundings. We did this around 5pm to catch the sunset and it was amazing. The geological features are pretty stunning and unique as it has been formed by continuous erosion over decades before reaching its current condition. The carved narrow walkways have steep 30 metres deep cliff drops and a series of narrow walkways cut into the ridges of the massive rock walls that wind in and out into the heavily forested valley. Along the trail you can freely climb up and down the rock faces which is pretty cool and gives you a little adrenaline rush, but be careful where you tread especially along the narrow paths as it can be quite dangerous, one missed step and you could fall down into the deep valley.

Take trainers as the canyon is pretty narrow and not exactly safe as the ground is very sandy and unstable. We were only here an hour or so but you could easily spend at least a few, exploring the twists and turns of the trail, and taking in the magnificent panoramic views of Pai.

On the edge

We debated doing a day tour to visit all of the attractions as it was only 500THB but decided against this as we had a scooter plus a tour would be pretty rushed. We picked the things we wanted to do and made our own way to the attractions.

The next morning we got up early and trained at Charn Chai. It was great to get back into some gloves and kick again. I haven't trained properly for over a year now so it was quite alien at first and I’ve lost all conditioning in my legs haha. I had some pretty nasty welts come up on my shins by the end of the 2 hour session, but it was worth it and made me realise how unfit I am. Definitely a wake up call to get back into it as I really miss it. The class was quite big but there are quite a few trainers working with everyone which is good, you get to do some one on one pad work which was fun but pretty gruelling especially in the heat. Id recommend going here even if you have never done it before as they cater for all levels and will teach you right from the basics of how to stand and positioning etc. The cost of this was 300THB a session. A lot of people there were doing a training camp so you stay for a week or two and train twice a day. Id love to do this but because our visa expires on the 1st of February we don't have time. Hopefully ill get to do this when we visit the South of Thailand. We headed back to our resort for a well needed shower and some breakfast.

Relaxing, i really want a hammock when we get home now :)

We had a ride out of the main town which passes a few elephant riding camps, this was pretty upsetting to see them chained up at the side of the road, so we swiftly moved on. Id heard of a place called the Pai Tree House so we decided to check it out. Its actually a pretty pricey looking resort made up of luxurious villas but it has a tree house in the centre of its beautiful gardens (hence the name). Id say its worth a visit if your passing for a break, there are a few shaded picnic areas and a coffee shop (which wasn't open at the time) you can walk down to the river which has a bamboo bridge to the other side however there's nothing over there just some trees. I think they must run Elephant riding tours as we witnessed an elephant coming through the gardens carrying some Chinese tourists. The trainer had a mahout (which is used to dig into the side of the elephants head to control it) he quickly tossed this aside when he saw Ben taking photos. The elephant looked at us with such sadness in its eyes I had to keep walking as its too upsetting.

Other than that the gardens were pretty and we spent around an hour there taking some photos before moving on.

Messing around taking cheesy pics

Afterwards we stopped at a great cafe called “Earth Tone” they have an amazing selection of vegan cakes so of course I had to have one. I tried the Banoffee Pie which was so good and also had a very healthy smoothie! Not a “fruit shake” which are sold everywhere in Thailand. Id avoid these as they are basically ice with a little bit of fruit and a shit load of sugar. So if you do order a fruit shake try to order without ice and more fruit if they understand you.

Opposite Earth Tone is the entrance to the Giant White Buddha other wise known as Temple on the hill (Wat Phra That Mae Yen) this is a few km’s away from the main part of Pai. It is still under construction but is still worth climbing the 300 plus stairs up to the top to take in the views of Pai. The Buddha itself is pretty impressive and gigantic as you can see in the photos. You can see it nestled into the hills from miles away, so its pretty easy to find.

Started to feel pretty knackered, it was a busy day training for a couple of hours then out on the scooter all day before finishing off with a big climb up to the Buddha. We went back to our resort for a nap before going out to visit the amazing night market that Pai has on every day!. The food here is crazy good, so many options for vegans to, nearly every stall has something wonderful and delicious to offer, its hard not to try everything that I come across. We had the best dinner I’ve had in a long time. A Burmese salad roll, this was something completely new to me and oh my god it was amazing. The lady made each one to your individual preference, I had mine with added avocado. So many flavours wrapped into one!, it was like a giant rice spring roll cut into several bite sized pieced, decorated with numerous toppings and a tasty dressing served on a banana leaf, as well as tasting delicious, the care into the presentation made this one of the best meals I’ve ever had.

This man at the night market made rings from coins and engraved them, I had Pai written in Thai on my one! i love it 

When we arrived in Pai we wasnt sure if we would like it as much as Chiang Mai, there seemed to be a different vibe here and it was a lot more touristy, however after a few days we loved it and ended up booking another night at the huts.

The huts have a coffee area which was nice to sit down in the shade

Bamboo bridge that lead to the huts

The Lod Caves

We set off to go to the Lod Caves on the Saturday morning, this is also included in one of the tours but we wanted to visit on our own so we could have as much time as we wanted. The caves are quite far away, it took around 2 hours but its well worth the trip. We underestimated how cold it would be though, the route to the caves snakes through winding valleys between the mountains so the sun is not always on you. Be sure to bring a jacket and trousers if you are going on a scooter, however the scenery is beautiful so it is well worth the ride.

As you approach the caves you are met by quaint little villages which is really pretty. The caves are pretty hidden from the entrance so I was sceptical about how good they were going to be. Entrance fee is 150THB per person in a minimum group of 3, so luckily we found a young solo traveller called Sam who was at the ticket office. You cant enter the caves alone you have to go in with a guide, which is fair enough. We walked into a forest like area to get to the start of the cave. It was huge! And showed so many different and interesting rock formations. There are some impressive stalagmites and stalactites here and a lot of rock formations that look like animals as the guide pointed out. We had quite a good guide who told us a little bit about parts of the caves, she held a kerosene lamp throughout the trip however id suggest taking a torch as well as it would have been cool to shine it up high to see what ever else was there. There must be thousands of bats in there we could hear them as we took the bamboo raft through part of the cave, I also was treated to some bat shit which landed on me haha. Besides that it was really cool experience and reminded me of something out of the Lord of The Rings. There are also heaps of huge carp in there (you can buy food for the fish at the entrance). Ive visited quite a few caves over the years but these have to top them all, definitely visit them and if you can stay for a couple of days in that area as its stunning, we wish we had more time there. 

Our new friend Sam was kind enough to lend us his jacket for the ride home as he was staying near the caves then coming to Pai the next day. So glad he did it was absolutely freezing as it was after 5pm when we left. Ben ended up putting the jacket on backwards and I put my hands inside the back to try and keep warm we must of looked like right idiots but it really helped. The good part about leaving at that time is you get to catch the sunset, we stopped at a service area (you cant miss it, I think there's actually a trek that runs from there up to the highest point) this was probably one of the best sunsets I’ve seen, we saw the sun perfectly round and glowing setting behind the mountains, it was amazing.

We spent our last night at the market then met Sam the for breakfast the next day and returned his jacket. We hung out at the Art of Pai cafe which is a really cool hippy place, they have lots of veggie options but we just had a smoothie, which was good. After saying our good byes and packing up we got the bus back to Chiang Mai. Again this was a horrible journey so if you get car sick take some sleeping pills, at least two people were throwing up it was that bad.

The next day we just sorted out some washing and sent some more stuff home that we don't need, however I’m starting to wish id sent even more stuff home my bag could actually burst. Found a cool vegan place for lunch called a taste from heaven, had an awesome BLT sandwhich (veggie bacon of course and vegan mayo ;) then later on treated myself to a well needed pedicure, perfect ;)

We were on a tight schedule now to get to Chiang Rai to see the White Temple and Black Temple so we got the bus which actually isnt that bad, its a big coach and we got lucky with our seats. Pre book your tickets as we just turned up at the bus station and all VIP buses were fully booked so we got economy but it was fine, the seats reclined and it was clean and air conditioned, it didnt have a toilet though but you do stop for a quick break. This only cost around 130THB.

To be continued...

Chiang Rai and getting to Laos to follow 

[itsworn]

How-to Convert a Mopar A-Body to Front Disc Brakes

We ditch drums for a front disc brake kit that’ll work with small-bolt pattern 14-inch Rallye wheels on your pre-’73 A-Body.

In our continuing saga to build a daily driver ’66 Slant Six Dart GT, it was time to ditch the drums for front disc brakes. The small 9-inch drums had to go. While they worked perfectly without pulling, they were barely adequate for 1966 traffic, let alone the insanity of 2019. Late-model vehicles have a big braking advantage over our outdated, drum brake–equipped classic Mopars.

Most of today’s vehicles brake so well, the drivers think nothing of pulling out in front of you, making sudden stops, or other inconsiderate moves. An old drum brake Mopar can’t safely stop in time with their abrupt braking habits and shorter braking distances. That’s why in previous episodes we’ve been modernizing the Dart — most recently with a Borgeson quick-ratio power steering system for more responsive, no-slop steering. Suspension mods from PST improved handling, road-holding ability. And engine bolt-ons (TTI 2 1/2-inch exhaust, Holley 2bbl) aided acceleration to safely merge onto the highway. In this installment, we’re focusing on deceleration.

For surer, safer braking with reduced stopping distances, a front disc brake upgrade will provide no-fade braking in back-to-back panic stops at highway speeds. Past testing has proven this. Using our ’67 Coronet R/T test mule with stock 11-inch drums versus 11-inch front disc brakes has produced these results in back-to-back 60-to-0-mph panic stops. The drums showed us a best 60-to-0 stop of 168 feet (cold), with backup stops (hot) fading to a frightening 230 feet achieved on our third stop test. The front discs showed us a repeatable 140 to 142 feet without any signs of brake fade in three back-to-back 60-to-0 panic stops. This was achieved after we adjusted the rear proportioning valve for no rear brake lockup. As on our ’67 R/T, we’ll opt for slotted/drilled rotors with an adjustable prop valve for the Dart’s front disc conversion. It’s a proven, safer combination than drum brakes.

When we began searching, we noticed there’s many different front disc brake conversion kits available for the pre-’73 A-Body, but most require you move up to the bigger 4.5-inch bolt pattern that the B-, C-, and E-Body cars utilize. We see so many A-Bodies (like ours) sporting the popular small-bolt pattern (4.0-inch) Rallye wheels, so we wanted to find a front disc brake kit that didn’t require changing the spindles, ball joints, and upper control arms, while allowing you to keep the 4.0-inch bolt pattern wheels. We didn’t want or need to change all those aforementioned components. Recently, we rebuilt and beefed up the front end with select PST components and didn’t care to do it all over again.

Since our ’66 Dart is equipped with 9-inch drum brake spindles, it made the search even harder than if we had 10-inch drum brake spindles, like many later A-Bodies. After a lot of looking, we found Classic Industries offered just the front disc upgrade kit we needed. And yes, we could retain our small-bolt pattern 14-inch Rallye wheels and not need to change out the spindles, ball joints, and upper control arms.

OK, smart A-Body folks know we could’ve found a used 1965-1972 Kelsey Hayes four-piston disc setup, complete with its disc brake spindles. But that used parts setup would’ve required new or rebuilt calipers, rotors, hoses, and other related parts. This complete front disc kit includes everything needed with all-new parts and hardware. It features new single-piston calipers for less pedal effort. Available with a power brake option, we elected to go the manual disc/drum master cylinder route. We felt the bracket that holds the power booster and master cylinder setup would take up too much room. It appears the bracket would move the booster and master too close to the Slant’s carb and air cleaner and not look right in our early A-Body’s tight engine compartment, though we didn’t measure fitment to know for sure.

On a pre-’67 Mopar like ours, the single-line master cylinder has to be replaced with a dual-line disc/drum-type master cylinder. Also required for the dual-line master conversion is brake lines, a distribution block, and an adjustable proportioning valve to eliminate rear brake lockup. For safety’s sake, it would also be a good idea to replace the 50-something-year-old brake lines. Don’t forget, if you have a ’67-up dual-line four-wheel drum master, replace it with a disc/drum type master cylinder. For our front disc conversion, we looked to Inline Tube for the disc/drum master, dual master conversion and front brake lines, adjustable prop valve and distribution block.

Safety is of the utmost importance by having all-new braking components. Detailing the area surrounding those new parts will add more eye appeal and protection for your classic Mopar. We used Eastwood restoration paints for that long-lasting, cool clean look. Personally, I needed to coat-over the gaudy, gold-colored calipers with Eastwood’s Hi-Temp Black Caliper and the bare-steel caliper brackets with the tough 2K Chassis Black paint. The firewall area near the master cylinder, front framerails, and wheelwells also received the Eastwood treatment. Hey, the parts and background of the pictures in this article need to look good too.

In future installments, we plan to add even more go to the sluggish Slant Six. These engines need to live up to their nickname, “The Leaning Tower of Power.” A cam swap and porting the head could give the slanted engine another 50 hp to the wheels. A testdrive and break-in of our new front disc brakes wasn’t possible due to the ice, snow, and salt covering the streets here in the Northeast, but after that goes away, we’ll have no fear of driving our old Mopar into the back of a new car that jams on the brakes.

Safer braking with shorter stopping distances without fade is achieved from disc brakes. This front disc brake kit (PB40011, $999.99) from Classic Industries will allow us to retain our small-bolt pattern 14-inch Rallye wheels, 9-inch drum spindles, ball joints, and upper control arms. We opted for cross-drilled/slotted rotors to reduce heat buildup on the pads and rotors, lessening the possibility of brake fade.

Even though these 9-inch drum brakes had quality semimetallic shoes, newer wheel cylinders and hoses, plus they functioned well without pulling, they’re still no match for disc brakes. Drum brakes exhibit fade when hot and aren’t safe and sufficient in today’s world of repetitive, stop-and-go traffic, along with those sudden last-second stoppers.

We found the instructions included in the kit to be somewhat incomplete. There are unmentioned details and tasks that’ll need to be done. Follow along with us, as we took many pictures to make the job easier to do. Seen here, from the right front (R/F), passenger side, the complete drum brake assembly is removed. The spindle and its shaft was cleaned up and readied for the kit installation and aesthetics.

We elected to coat the bare metal caliper brackets with Eastwood’s 2K Chassis Black (14146Z, $24.99). This tough, durable ceramic paint has been holding up for years on other projects we’ve used it on. We’re confident these caliper brackets will look good and be rust-free in our upcoming retirement years.

The stock spindle bolts cannot be reused. Here’s the included spindle-to-caliper bracket bolts and washers needed to mount the caliper bracket.

Notice the bracket position is to front-mount the caliper. First, put the caliper bracket in position with the two 7/16-inch bolts and place the two 7/16-inch spacers on the top mounting holes between the bracket and the spindle. Next, install the two 1/2-inch bolts for the bottom mounting holes. Place the two 1/2-inch spacers between the mounting bracket and the spindle for the bottom 1/2-inch holes. All four spindle-to-caliper bracket nuts and bolts received 70 lb-ft of torque. Here, the important spindle to inner bearing spacer is put in its place. The bearing spacer placement isn’t mentioned in the instructions!

The wheel bearings need to be packed with a high-temp, high-quality bearing grease. We use to “hand pack,” but this time we used the “bearing packer” seen here. Either way, be sure the grease goes through from the bottom and coming out of the top of the bearing.

After installing the inner bearing and grease seal, mount the rotor onto the spindle. Install the outer bearing until it seats on the spindle shaft and bearing race. We put the spindle/bearing washer in place followed by the castle nut to hand-tight. Next, the hub/rotor assembly was rotated forward and reverse a bunch of times before and after applying roughly 15 to 20 lb-ft of torque. We backed off the nut until hand-tight and again rotated the rotor a few more times. Finally, we torqued the castle nut to only 7 to 10 lb-ft, installed the cotter pin, and tapped on the dust cap with a rubber mallet.

We tried to mount the caliper onto the caliper bracket with the supplied caliper bolts to no avail. The caliper needed to be clearance grinded in the pointed-out area to clear the spindle. This might be an early A-Body issue due to spindle design. Roughly an 1/8 inch was grinded from the caliper for enough caliper-to-spindle clearance fitment and function.

The shiny spot on the spindle near the upper-caliper bracket bolt is where we clearance-grinded roughly .100 inch for extra insurance. We checked to be sure the caliper could float side to side on its slider pins with sufficient clearance. Here you can see where the spacers should be installed between the caliper bracket and spindle.

Look closely, after grinding and fitment checks, there’s roughly an 1/8 inch of clearance for the floating caliper to function properly. Notice the R in the caliper for the right side. Be sure the bleeder screw is pointing upward.

The left image is before, and the right is after clearance-grinding the two raised bosses on the calipers for sufficient clearance (1/8 inch) of the rotor hat/hub area.

After all the caliper grinding, we needed to add another coat of Eastwood’s High Temp Ceramic Caliper Paint (11839ZA, $18.97). It’s a super-durable paint that has proven itself to last and look good for years. This can of paint has already coated three pairs of calipers with enough left for another pair.

Once we got passed the clearance grinding, we feel this is a well-designed front disc brake conversion kit. We prefer the look of black calipers over the gold color they were painted.

From Inline Tube, we ordered these pre-bent OEM-type reproduction front brake lines (MFG73490A, R/F: MFG73490B L/F: call for price). The 50-something-year-old, rusty originals were in dire need of replacement. Now we’ll have no-fear of a blown brake line.

We routed the included brake line hose so it couldn’t rub against anything during suspension travel or full steering to the left and right. The Inline Tube, R/F steel brake line features OEM looks and bends, plus it’s a nice fit without leaks. We coated the framerail and fenderwell with leftover Eastwood Chassis Black for improved looks and protection.

A single line master cylinder doesn’t produce enough brake fluid pressure for disc brake calipers to function properly. The Dart’s original, leaky master cylinder contaminated and crinkled the paint around and below the master cylinder. The master seen here replaced the leaky original a few years ago.

The brake fluid contaminated area was taken down to bare metal. We wiped the area clean with Eastwood’s Pre about five times to ensure there wasn’t any residual brake fluid. Compressed air was used to blow dry the area. With a foam brush, we first spotted-in Eastwood Rust Encapsulator followed up with the leftover Gloss Black Caliper Paint

We ordered this four-bolt 1971- to 1974-style disc/drum brake master (MMC500, $75) from Inline Tube. It will bolt right in place of the stock single-line, drum brake master cylinder. The larger reservoir is for the disc brake calipers that require more fluid volume and pressure (over 1,000 psi) than drum brake wheel cylinders (400 psi).

Also necessary for the dual master to front disc conversion is this slew of parts also sourced from Inline Tube. Distribution block (BLK243, $35), adjustable proportioning valve (ADJP 01, $39) and dual master conversion lines (MFG70143A, MFG70143B, call for price)

The new master was coated with Eastwood’s Brake Gray (11756Z, $19.97) to protect the bare cast iron from rusting quickly. We haven’t used it before, but Eastwood says it’s a durable, heavy-duty coating that resists brake fluid and up to 400 degrees F temperatures. It looks great too.

An adjustable proportioning valve is an absolute necessity to prevent rear brake lockup on panic stops. By adjusting the prop valve, we’ve seen 60-to-0-mph stops reduced 10feet by eliminating rear brake lockup. By turning the knob, you’re simply adjusting brake line pressure to the wheel cylinders and brake shoes to stop the lockup tire skidding.

First, compressed air was blown through all the access holes in the L/F framerail numerous times to rid it of loose rust. After no loose rust was coming out of the access holes, we sprayed Eastwood Internal Frame Coating (15275Z, $21.99) inside the framerail. Notice the position of the prop valve adjusting knob for easy access adjustments.

The new Inline Tube brake lines to distribution block were finger-tightened into position before installing the master cylinder. We think our spot-in job at the firewall looks good enough for our future frequent driver in our upcoming retirement years. The gasket for the master was in stock at our home garage.

The original brake pedal rod was swapped over to the new master. We coated the rod’s eyelet and the bolt with bearing grease for long-term, smooth brake pedal action.

To lengthen the brake line going from the master to the prop valve, we removed the loop. After tightening the lines, we added fluid and bled the brakes manually with help from my wife. We checked for leaks and tested the system at each wheel. The pedal feels OK for now, but the snow-covered streets prevented us from a testdrive.

The nice thing about this kit is there’s plenty of clearance to run the small-bolt pattern 14×5.5 Rallye wheels. Peeking through the slots, you can notice the drilled and slotted rotors rather than the humdrums.

The new braking system is another welcome addition to our ’66 Slant Six Dart GT. We’re another step closer to making it a more enjoyable and safer driver in today’s stop-and-go traffic. For our next adventure, we’ll add more go to “The Leaning Tower of Power” with a cam swap and porting the head.

Here’s a few of the previous adventures updating our outdated ’66 Slant 6 Dart GT:

Borgeson Quick Ratio Power Steering 1-Barrel To A 2-Barrel Holley On A Slant 6 TTI Exhaust And Performance Distributors Electronic Ignition For A Slant 6

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