#the room is like 35C at all times

[basslinegrave]

i can only do one thing at once, right now im fnafing all over the place

but i need to go back to dw cause i need to finish 3 drawings *sobs*

[rmd-writes]

'tis the season

@stereopticons tagged me to share my winter/holiday fics because 'tis the damn season! I love a winter/holiday fic despite the fact that I live in the southern hemisphere and today is 1 December and the temperature hit 35C today 😰

Schitt's Creek

and then one day, everything changed | T | 9.1k | canon divergence

All David wants to do is sign Marcy Brewer on to sell her amazing fudge at Rose Apothecary. Unfortunately for him, her very snippy, business consultant son gets involved. In an effort to win both Marcy and Patrick over, David invites Patrick to spend some time in the store and on a vendor trip. There’s snow forecast for the day of the vendor trip, but it’s Schitt’s Creek and it never snows. Right?

it's just for snow | E | 18.1k | coffee shop / fake dating AU

When David gets a last minute wedding invitation and Stevie refuses to go with him, he needs to find another date - he needs to show his so-called 'friends' (and Sebastien Raine) that he's thriving now. Enter: David's new favourite barista... — aka the coffee shop / fake dating / road trip / snowed in / there was only one bed fic no one asked for

since we've got no place to go | E | 6k | canon compliant

Patrick books a winter weekend away so that he and David can connect.

Red, White & Royal Blue

you're all that i need | M | 3.9k | coffee shop/book store AU

“Alex.” Henry leans against the wall behind the counter with his arms folded, wearing a pale blue cable knit sweater with the sleeves pushed up and navy chinos. Alex wishes he wouldn’t because it only emphasises his forearms.

He crosses his own arms in response. “Henry.”

“Are you actually looking for a book?” Henry asks with a sigh. “Or are you just wasting my staff’s time?”

“That staff member is my sister.”

“I’m well aware,” Henry says drily. “Doesn’t change the fact that you’re probably wasting her time. Which book are you looking for?”

“Oh.” Alex grimaces slightly. “I’m not actually–” He exhales. “Hunter is in the coffee shop, so I got the fuck out.”

yours for the afternoon | T | 4.6k | coffee shop / fake dating AU

Henry is quietly minding his own business in his favourite coffee shop, when he’s rudely interrupted by an insufferable man attempting to flirt with him. He’s rescued by none other than Alex – a fellow cafe regular who he’s long admired from a distance – posing as his date.

Snowed In? Snow Problem | E | 7.3k | college AU

Henry and Alex get snowed in at their dorm for the holidays, whatever will they do?

911 Lone Star

Make the Yuletide Gay | M | 19.6k | college / fake dating AU

"I'll be your boyfriend for Christmas."

Carlos stares at him like his brain is struggling to comprehend what TK is offering. It's a shared feeling, given that sometimes TK's brain engages before his filter does, and this is definitely one of those times. There’s no room for regrets, though, and he’s not really sure he regrets making the suggestion.

“TK,” Carlos starts softly. "What you're suggesting is— Well, it's a little crazy but also very generous. I can’t ask you to do that for me. It’s really too much to ask of anyone."

TK gets up off his bed and crouches in front of Carlos, his hands on Carlos’s knees. “Firstly, you're not asking, I’m offering. Secondly, consider it a social experiment, like the ones you learn about in class. Except this one directly involves you and me...as your fake boyfriend. You know, for science." --

Fake boyfriends. For science.

Your Place or Mine? | E | 4.5k | college AU

(the sequel to Make the Yuletide Gay)

From best friends to fake boyfriends to real boyfriends, it’s been an eventful few days for TK and Carlos, but now they’re finally back home and alone.

Whatever will they do?

Tagging @welcometololaland @liminalmemories21 @strandnreyes @three-drink-amy @everwitch-magiks @indomitable-love @cha-melodius @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut @inexplicablymine @lemonlyman-dotcom @carlos-in-glasses @alrightbuckaroo @iboatedhere @reyesstrand @lightningboltreader @indestructibleheart @lilythesilly @maxbegone @mostlyinthemorning and anyone else who wants to play to share their own winter/holiday fics!

[milascenta]

25th December 18:36

Merry Christmas, N. I hope you have a good day, I hope you're surrounded by good people, can relax, and get good presents. I hope the new year brings you love and joy you so desperately deserve, and you can leave this year behind properly where it belongs, not forgotten but as it should be. I fed Chonky a special Christmas dinner of with some of her favourite treats and now she's in a Christmas coma haha.

Thank you for your last message and that it was hand written was really special. I've been pretty up and down for a few weeks so I apologise for now messages. I spent a week in hospital from the 21st to the 28th. After that it was just specialist to specialist and it's only now started to calm down. Surgery and everything went well, surgery was only about 4 hours, the last time I remember seeing was around 830am then the next was about 1230pm. I was in soo much pain when I woke up, I could barely take full breaths, partly the pain but also i had a drain put under my lung. They had to move my lung to get at my rib so when they do that it removes the vacuum seal your lung has, so to make sure no air gets trapped they put a tube there and hook it up to a Lil like "underwater" thing, and it kinda pulls air out that would be trapped. That's why I was in for so long, after a couple days they clamped the tube, so my lung had time to do its thing on its own, and I went for X-rays and there was air forming so I had to just keep it in for longer. Got the last X-rays a few days later and it was clear to be removed. It was one of the weirdest sensations I've ever felt, didn't hurt but I could feel it move from inside to out, wasn't that long though so it was very quick pull. For the first couple days the pain was so rough, I was on a fentanyl drip that I was pushing every so often. But on it I was soo nauseous, I couldn't eat for like 2-3 days, so they got the pain doctor in, that's what they called her and she introduced herself as haha, and she said I could go on topentadol tablets, which was so much better, wimilar opioid but slower release so I could actual eat. After that I was fine. Just started to go stir crazy because the only reason I was there was because I was waiting for the drain haha. I went through 4 roomates, I didn't get a private room but being g a public hospital I didn't care, well until the LOUDEST snorer I have EVER heard stayed with me for one night oh my God I could not sleep at all with him there, the first lady was fine just ate with her mouth open a bit but my earbuds took care of that, but this guy, this guy snored while awake, j felt bad for him, a bit. I think he was there for surgery on his sinuses so I hope he got that. Afterwards I got home slowly started recovering, the swelling on my scar went down but now I can feel the internal stitches, so there's nothing on top just a scar line about maybe 10cm from where my collar bone meets my neck then up the neck line. Also have like a bullet hole looking one just under where the drain was in. The stitches will slowly dissolve but I feel lots of them in there, I think they had to go through the muscle so that probably has to do with how many there are and the stiffness I feel in my shoulder and chest. I've got most of my movement back but I can only move my neck to the right and a Lil bit to the left till I feel the pull from them. Chonky missed me soooo much, would not leave me out of her sight for over a week and still meows for me if I'm not looking at her, I missed her probably more to be honest. I told her I'd only be gone for a couple days then it suddenly turned to a week she was so confused.

Summer here has been a nightmare, we've had a few 40c+ days and most of it is 30-35c+ but we've also been hit with like random weeks of storms that drop to 20 or so, so my body has given up and I have a cold now hahaha, which sucks cuase it hurts to cough sometimes, but good it's a little bit over that first few weeks of recovery. I hope it's nice and cold for you, maybe snow and you're all cuddly and warm.

I hope you're doing well

"We're all here reaping hell on earth, between a death and a birth. Be what you want to be, don't be scared of being seen"

[selfconsciousfangirl]

Today was 35C (95F) and it’s not even summer yet. We're in the middle of yet another heatwave and it's miserable. I hate this. I hate that I feel so helpless to stop this. I don’t drive, I take public transport everywhere; we're careful not to waste food & very mindful not to overcomsume. No new anything just because. Sustainable fabrics only if we buy new clothes, old stuff gets given away or recycled. My tv is older than dirt, but it still works so I won’t be changing it any time soon. I’m obsessive about water usage, same about recycling and switching to fewer packaging products. Only candidates with solid ecological standing get my vote.

Short of not using the dryer (no room to dry the laundry, horrible memories to how much work that was) and composting (where? Where would I put a composting thing? It sounds so complicated) I don’t know what else to do. I hate feeling this powerless about climate change. Feels like there’s fuck all we can do to stop this from getting any worse because the people truly in charge won’t listen. And no amount of recycling will get them to change.

It shouldn’t be this hot. I should be fast asleep hours ago, but it’s so hot and I’m so angry and hopeless I needed to vent.

[hislopchino]

Paul Merton: ‘I stayed in one of the world’s worst hotels in China’

The comedian recalls terrible hotels in China, mishaps with malaria tablets and why he’s happiest holidaying in the UK

Interview by Nick McGrath

From The Sunday Times, 22nd February 2023

Paul Merton, 65, first performed at the Comedy Store in 1982 and since 1990 has been a fixture on the BBC’s Have I Got News for You, which returns this spring for its 65th series. He lives in London with his third wife, Suki Webster, his co-star on Channel 5’s Motorhoming with Merton & Webster

My first holiday of any substance was to a holiday camp in Hemsby, on the edge of the Norfolk Broads. I was eight years old and I loved it. I loved the space to run around and the people drinking beer and watching the shows in the ballroom. It felt idyllic.

I visited Ireland a couple of years later and got a lot of attention from my mum’s relatives, which was great for my performer’s ego. We saw the Ring of Kerry and I was charmed by the locals’ love of words and storytelling.

I spent most of the Eighties living in a bedsit earning very little money, so the first time I travelled further afield was in 1987, when I went all the way to Australia, with a heavy cold, to visit my girlfriend at the time.

The cheapest route was London to Sydney, via Athens and Singapore. In Athens, the complimentary coach from the hotel to the airport was full of boy scouts from Liechtenstein, who were on their way to Sydney for an international scouting jamboree. Being stared at by three-dozen hostile Liechtensteiner boy scouts is an experience I won’t forget.

After a two-day delay in Singapore, I eventually got to Sydney on Christmas Day with horrible jet lag and an even heavier cold, sat down to Christmas lunch in 35C heat, then fell asleep for 16 hours. It felt like I’d been kicked in the head by a horse.

I’d only been earning £30 a gig, sometimes £10 even, so holidays were rare. But as my career took off, I travelled more — including to Kenya in 1990, where I had a terrible experience with anti-malarial drugs. Back then you had to take a weekly and daily pill and I had a severe reaction to the weekly pill, but it took a while to work out what the problem was.

Each Friday, first in Kenya and then back home in London, I’d take this pill then start to hallucinate. I got these paranoid thoughts, where I believed I was being followed by the Freemasons and could predict the next song on the radio. Which I couldn’t.

I then went to places like St Lucia, but felt uncomfortable driving around in a rented Land Rover that probably represented what some people there might earn in half a lifetime. I felt the same visiting Cape Town.

I was lucky enough to film a couple of travel documentary series in India and China — and had totally contrasting experiences. The poverty was dramatic in India, but the people were polite and proud and when I returned to film in Mumbai, Delhi and Calcutta, they found our earnestly awful attempts at Bollywood improv hilarious and gave us multiple standing ovations.

I wouldn’t return on holiday to China, as the state interference leaves a bit of a nasty taste, as does the spitting. You literally pull up at some traffic lights and a woman in a very nice car will open her window and spit on the road. Everybody does it. Maybe a popular Chinese film star was a passionate spitter. Or perhaps Chairman Mao decreed it a healthy habit. Filming while surrounded on all sides by armed soldiers wasn’t massively relaxing either.

I also stayed in one of the world’s worst hotels in China. The foyer had a tarpaulin covered in some unusually dark stains and the room had bits of wall missing and stank of urine. I moved to a nearby hotel which was equally basic but clean, at least, although the TV was puzzling. It had a single channel showing a military man laden with medals berating a group of people for hours on end while they looked shamefaced.

I’d love to visit New Zealand as everyone raves about it. Another place I definitely won’t go back to is Tahiti, which everyone imagines is a South Sea paradise, but for me, it wasn’t. The hotel I stayed in was completely overrun by cats.

These days I prefer British holidays, as airports in the 21st century leave you with a low level of anxiety. My wife and I now love travelling round Britain in our motorhome, which is basically a hotel room on wheels. If we all could drop the idea that we have to go on holiday somewhere that has guaranteed sun, holidaying in this country has a lot going for it.

Paul and Suki will be speaking at the Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show at the NEC Birmingham, which runs from February 21 to 26 (ccmshow.co.uk)

[sylvinuk-turkey]

After a bit of a stressful evening and pulling somewhat of an all nighter… because sleeping on a bus is meh… we made it to Denizli around 8:30a. From there we caught a van bus to the town our hotel was in, Karahayıt. Then we walked a couple of blocks to our hotel - Pam Thermal Hotel.

Luckily it’s a large hotel so when we arrived around 10a they had a room we could check-in to. We took a 30 min nap, then got ready to go see Hierapolis - the old Roman city ruins, the hamam turned museum, the cleopatra pool and the travertines. Note: it’s in the city of Pamukkale which in English translates to “cotton castle.”

We walked back to the small town and grabbed a quick lunch of handmade gözleme and kofte. Yum!

Then we took a 5 min taxi ride to the north gate of Hierapolis. It was very sunny and warm, but we enjoyed walking from the north gate into the old city, seeing the view, and some of the ruins on the way, such as the grave yard, the gate to the city and the latrine.

Once we got to the center of the city, we went up to the beautiful theater. Incredible feat of architecture, that withstood the earthquakes the other buildings had not. It is one of the best preserved theaters in Turkey.

From that viewpoint we could see across the valley, and there was a dark rain cloud (and we heard thunder) coming our way, hoping if it did hit the “cloud is passing” - I say this in quotes as it’s a Turkish saying “bulut geçiyor.” So we decided to go to the museum, hoping we could be inside or in the cleopatra pool when it rained.

The museum was quick, it just had a couple of rooms showing off different marble statues and other small things. Then we did the cleopatra pool. This costs a little extra, plus paying a deposit for a locker which you get back. It was a little cheaper because during last years visit, Gokay got the musekart (because he’s a Turkish citizen) and turns out it lasts for a year. So he’s been getting in all the government run places this trip for cheap or free! We stayed for an hour. It was a nice warm spring, with some algae so you have to be careful of slipping.

Then we made our way to the travertines, which are also translated in English to “fluffy clouds” even though we also have the word travertine. The guy at the cleopatra pool and our guide told us to bring our shoes. But they immediately told us to take them off…we think to save the pools. The idea was to go the whole way down, but after stepping on this stone with bare feet… no thanks! So we only got about two pools down, got some pictures and then it started to rain! In a way this was very lucky for us because it meant almost everyone cleared out, so we got some great pictures (we used one of those dry bags for the phone).

On the other hand by the time we got out of the pools it was pouring rain and we had to find cover under the nearby cafe. Hoping it would pass quickly we got Turkish tea and waited. After about 20 minutes it didn’t seem like it would let up so we just quickly walked back to the lockers to get our stuff. We were able to hop in one of the vans run by Hierapolis (it costs a little) back to the north gate where we called the taxi driver from earlier and he took us back to our hotel around 5p.

Due to the rain and the fact we already had our bathing suits on, we spent the next couple hours (until about 7) in the thermal pools of our hotel. They have a mud pool (supposedly at 30c but it was waaayy hotter), then a pool at 35c, that the one above waterfalls into, and lastly inside a pool at 40c. Since it was raining we were the only ones going between all the pools. They recommend doing 20 min in, 20 min cooling down (either open air or in the regular pool). You can also drink the thermal water which is naturally slightly sparkling water. In Turkey they actually bottle it as mineral water.

We went to the all-inclusive dinner buffet around 7:30p, it was a lot of food but all very yummy.

Then went back to the room while we waited for the 8:50p belly dancing show. In that short time Gokay passed out! We were so tired after such a long night + day.

So I went to see the belly dancing show myself, but left after 2 or 3 songs because I was also tired. So I set a 9a alarm and went to bed around 9:30p. We slept until the alarm! Lol

[newmaniawe]

Reasons Why Eufy Vacuum Won’t Connect to WiFi

Eufy Robot Vacuums are the slimmest and with the quietest operation. It automatically increases the suction power within 1.5 seconds whenever extra power is needed for extra cleaning. Eufy Vacuums can clean home floors, and carpets without any human assistance and to operate with some smart functions like remote control access, and sharing the device with other people, you need wi-fi connectivity is important. When you first bring it to your home, you also need to make sure that it is working fine with wi-fi.

Why won’t your Eufy vacuum connect to WiFi

There are many reasons which we will go through in detail and also explain some (like Eufy RoboVac 11s troubleshooting) There are multiple reasons which cause Eufy Vacuums not to connect with wi-fi. - No wi-fi conection on Eufy RoboVac - Download Eufy Home app to set your Device - Check your Internet Connection - Check Robot battery - Network name and password are incorrect - Too many devices are connected to same WiFi network - Your Phone is not connected to 2.4GHz - Check your Firmware - Reset Your RoboVac 1. No wi-fi conection on Eufy RoboVac There are certain models which are not supported by wi-fi connectivity and they are also not supported by AI and other smart assistants like Alexa, and Google Assistant. First of all, you must make sure that your Eufy RoboVac has wi-fi connectivity ability before implementing any technique to connect it with wi-fi. We have listed down the models which are wi-fi supported. You can check your Eufy model from the list below. (i) RoboVac 11C (discontinued) (ii) RoboVac 11C Pet (discontinue) (iii) RoboVav R550C (discont) (iv) RoboVac 15C Edition (iv) RoboVac 15C Max (v) RoboVac 25C Model (vi) RoboVac 25C Max (vii) RoboVac 30C Model (viii) RoboVac 30C Max (ix) RoboVac 35C Model (x) RoboVac G10 Hybrid (xi) RoboVac G30 Model (xii) RoboVac G30 Hybrid (xiii) RoboVac G30 Edge (xiv) RoboVac G30 Verge (xv) RoboVac G20 Model (xvi) RoboVac G20 Hybrid (xvii) RoboVac L70 Hybrid (xviii) RoboVac X8 Model (xix) RoboVac X8 Hybrid These are the models which are aligned from oldest to newest. If your Eufy RoboVac model is not mentioned in the list, it means that it does not support wi-fi connectivity. You can check the list from the Eufy website. eufy by Anker, BoostIQ RoboVac 11S Features: Super-Thin, 1300Pa Strong Suction Buy at Amazon

2. Download Eufy Home app to set your Device If you have first purchased your Eufy RoboVac, you need to set and connect it with the Eufy Home app. Follow the steps below to completely set and operate your device from the Eufy Home app. - Download and install the app on your Android or iOS device. - Then, you have to create your account for the first time on the app. - Now, you need to add your device to the app. Make sure that you pick the right model in the app. - Connect your network and password and click Yes! - Now, turn on the power switch at the bottom of RoboVac. - Make sure that the wifi-status light is flashing slowly. - Now, select your device to continue and it will start loading. - When the loading is complete, a message will be appeared saying that, you need to connect with Eufy RoboVac. (Don’t take it as an error.) - Now, go to your wi-fi settings and select your Eufy Device and connect. - Go back to the app and click on your RoboVac. - Enter the name, you wish for your Eufy, and click OK. - The setup has been completed successfully. Read Related: 9 Ways To Fix Roomba Not Cleaning All Rooms 3. Check your Internet Connection Make sure that you have an active internet connection. Internet may be improper or disconnected due to many reasons. - You may not have an active Internet subscription and it has been outdated which you can renew and then try connecting your device with the router. - Your wi-fi router may be placed from a distance from your Eufy device which is causing improper and unstable connection. Try to place your router in the middle of your home. - Your router needs to be reset. Sometimes, there are unknown reasons causing connection problems which are corrected by just restarting or resetting your router.

4. Check Robot battery

There are 2AA Batteries included in the Eufy RoboVac and they are lithium-ion cells. It has a battery life of 100 minutes and it takes almost 6 hours to charge fully. Before using the device, make sure that you have fully charged the battery. Because the lower charging reduces its operational ability and also impairs its performance. The low battery may also disconnect the wi-fi connection to save the remaining battery.

Make sure that you have disabled Reduced Power Standby mode on your Robot vacuum. Some people turn on this option to charge the battery quickly but it disables the wi-fi network. Recommended: Steps To Find Ecobee Registration Code

5. Network name and password are incorrect

If there are multiple wi-fi extenders, make sure that you have accurately entered the name of the wi-fi network and password. This step is included in the first setup of your device in Eufy’s Home app where you have to put the credentials of your network. In case of a network extender in your Wi-Fi setup, ensure that the extender’s network name (SSID) and password are also the same as your primary network. eufy BoostIQ RoboVac 11S MAX Super-Thin, 2000Pa Super-Strong Suction, Quiet Buy at Amazon

6. Too many devices are connected to same WiFi network Eufy Robot vacuums need a strong internet connection which is required to operate different functionalities. If there are too many devices on your router, its bandwidth is distributed among all devices or there may be some high bandwidth consumption like 4K Videos or Live streaming which may lower the signal strength and ultimately it causes unstable or poor Internet connection for your RoboVac. Make sure that there are not too many devices being attached at the same time or you may increase your bandwidth to streamline the process. Recommendation: Roomba not connecting to WiFi | Fixed 7. Your Phone is not connected to 2.4GHz Eufy’s devices only work on 2.4GHz and they cannot connect to 5GHz frequency which people think will help in faster downloading but it has a short-range disadvantage. This step is included in the very first set of your device with the Eufy’s Home app. Make sure that you set default your network to 2.4GHz as 5GHz is not supported by Eufy and other smart assistant devices. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5mWuxhLdv4 Connect your Eufy RoboVac to WiFi 8. Check your Firmware There are many issues that arise only due to outdated firmware. Make sure that you update your Eufy’s RoboVac timely as the update is released by the company. Because wi-fi no connecting may be due to the outdated firmware. Please follow the steps mentioned below in order to update the firmware. - First of all, make sure that RoboVac is on charging and that there is an active internet connection. - Open Eufy’s Home app and go to your relative RoboVac model. - Click on the 3 dots appearing on the upper side of the screen. - You will see “Firmware Update.” Click on it. 9. Reset Your RoboVac Check on your RoboVac and observe whether the wi-fi status light is flashing fast or not, if it is blinking fast then you need to reset it. - First of all, You have to put your RoboVac back on and turn on its power. - Press the power button for about 10-15 seconds until you hear a beep from the device. - The device has been reset and it is gone into its factory settings which is good if you have purchased Second hand and the network has not been removed from the device. - Now, you will see the power button simply turned on and the wi-fi status light is blinking slowly which ensures the reset process is done successfully.

Reset is essential if you have tried all the steps mentioned above and unfortunately, nothing worked for you. If still, the problem lies, you may need to change your RoboVac device because it is possible that your device has some default error by the company. You can use a 30-day money-back guarantee. Conclusion If your Eufy Vacuum is not connecting to WiFi, you can try different steps which have helped us rectify the issues. You can check your internet, charge your RoboVac battery, or check your device firmware and update and some more which we have discussed in the article. If you have enjoyed the article, do comment and don’t hesitate to contact us in case of any issues. People Also Ask How do I get my EUFY back online? You may witness that Eufy still looks offline after you have restarted the device. You may first remove Eufy's RoboVac from the device and Reset the robot completely. You can press and hold the power button for about10-15 seconds until you hear a beep and the wi-fi status light will be slowly indicating the success of reset. Why does my EUFY vacuum keep going offline? There may be multiple reasons. Your device has lost the connection or your wi-fi router needs to reset or restart. Your device's battery has not been charged enough which turns off the internet connection when it is low in charge. About Author Read the full article

[redrobin-detective]

Side Effects of ghost powers

Hey all! I’m writing a DP fic called Side Effects exploring the physical and later mental/emotional impact of Danny initially getting his ghost powers. As an ICU stepdown nurse for 3 years, I wanted to view Danny’s accident through a slightly more realistic, medical lens. 

Note: I had to fudge a good amount because Danny really should have fucking died and there’s no getting around that.

I do recommend you read the fic first before reading this as there’s some spoilers. Or if you don’t care you can read on. So! The two factors we are looking at regarding the accident are: ecto-contamination secondary to electrocution. 

Electrocution

I was forced to downplay a lot of the severe symptoms of electrocution because, again, a bad enough shock will kill someone. My hand-wavey explanation is simply that the portal didn’t activate at a deadly voltage so he got a good shock but not enough to be fatal. I guess.

Muscle weakness/spasms: intermittent muscle spasms are common from shocks, muscles being activated by electricity and reacting to the lingering impulses. Danny’s is transient but quite annoying for a time. But his muscles are gonna be weak and achy af for days if not weeks after from the massive contractions caused by the shock and the after effects. Sensory issues: lots of things can cause nerve damage, including electrocution so Danny is experiencing some pretty severe neuropathy primarily manifesting with numbness and tingling throughout his body. His entire skin and peripheral nervous system got fried so while its mostly numb it’s also super sensitive for a bit of time causing massive pain and discomfort from your body tingling like a thousand bee stings. It’s worst in the hours after the accident but is something that never quite really goes back to normal both from the electrocution and his ghost half taking over and generally dulling his sense of touch.

Hearing/Vision loss: Like skin/nerves, your sensory organs in your eyes and ears would be affected by such a severe and allover electric shock. Danny has some blurred and occasionally double vision from his eyes not properly receiving/understanding input. Hearing loss is common following electricity given how delicate the inner ear is but I just give Danny some nasty tinnitus (ear ringing) for a bit. This inner ear problem also massively throws off his balance when he’s trying to move post accident. These factors are exacerbated by the ecto-contamination and mostly fade in the days following the accident before going away as his superhuman healing kicks in.

Heart Arrhythmia: an irregular heartbeat caused by the electrical impulses that control basal heartrate not coordinating they they should for a variety of reasons, in this case, massive electric shock. Danny would be somewhat aware of it, its not exactly painful exactly but you can just feel that your heart isn’t beating right. Secondary side effects are dizziness, chest pain, fatigue and shortness of breath. This resolves almost entirely when Danny stabilizes

Cognitive issues: Danny got his brains a little scrambled in addition to his molecules being rearranged. The first third of the story Danny is very clearly NOT thinking straight and Tucker/Sam should not have left him alone. Shocks can cause things like irrational emotional behaviors from hormone release along with memory loss and depression. He constantly waxes and wanes in mood and opinions on what to do in the story and never comes to a true decision that, damn lucky for him, worked out on its own.

Ecto-Contamination

Alright so Danny got massively shocked, sucks right but people live through that all the time. Ecto-contamination is more tricky (not only cause its made up and I had to think about what symptoms it would theoretically produce) but because the effects are more life threatening. It’s also irreversible, once he was contaminated it was only something that could be survived not cured. 

So I theorized that Danny got shocked by the accident and was slowly dying of ecto-contamination and was pretty much clinically dead for a brief moment there, the death was enough for the large quantity of ectoplasm in him to immediately coalesce into a ghost (Phantom). So Danny was mostly dead but not quite, I’ve coded and brought back enough people to know it can be reversed somewhat. Danny becomes Phantom but the sudden stable formation of the ectoplasm into what its supposed to be, a ghost, caused his body to stop fighting the ectoplasm as a foreign invader and become part of the self. His core finished forming in his chest and his body started back up again, his ghost safely nestled in his once again living body as he slowly comes to grips with his actual death experience. 

Nausea/Vomiting: I likened the idea of ecto-contamination to radiation poisoning, something that is essentially the antithesis to life. One of the first symptoms of radiation is n/v which is also why it’s one of the first overt symptoms Danny has. He was heavily electrocuted/irradiated and his body wants to expunge it all. As for the ectoplasm/blood he vomits, that’s the next section. 

Gastrointestinal (GI) Bleed: So I was a little mean here. When one vomits up blood (or in this case ectoplasm/blood mix) it has to come from somewhere and a lot of the times it’s a GI Bleed. These are nasty, they need to be either cauterized or surgically repaired not to mention replenishing the blood lost. Fanon says that ectoplasm is at least mildly corrosive to humans so it is here, as it’s bonding to him, it’s literally eating him very slowly from the inside out which is causing a great deal of his internal pain. It’s not enough to be immediately life threatening but would kill him eventually. He developed some nasty bleeding ulcers in his stomach which let in blood and ectoplasm which were expunged. Danny’s core formed overnight and began healing the damage it had previously been causing but Dan is still gonna be vomiting excess blood/ectoplasm not to mention having black, tarry stools for at least a few days afterwards.

Hypothermia/Tremors: Hypothermia is when the body hits 95F/35C which Danny is just above at the start of the chapter. Danny initially starts shaking really bad (rigors) but as his body temperature cools further his shaking slows and eventually stops, a sure sign that the body is rapidly losing the fight to hypothermia and will likely die soon without immediate intervention. This is caused not only by the ectoplasm but his ice core shakily starting to form inside of him. Once he fully turns half ghost his hypothermia doesn’t change but it just no longer negatively affects him (I say Danny hovers naturally around 96-95F/35-33C getting much colder as Phantom at baseline. His body still can be damaged by going too cold but that’s a whole other post.) 

Incoherency/Hallucinations: I mentioned in the electrocution section that Danny is more than a little addled and the contamination didn’t help in that regard. Not only is he not thinking clearly but he’s also getting a little delirious and seeing things. Common hallucinations I see are: someone in the room watching you, things crawling on the walls, creeping shadows, you’re in the wrong place. I think its a solid 50/50 as far as Danny straight up hallucinating but also becoming more aware of natural ectoplasm that hangs around in the atmosphere. (And before anyone asks, yes Clockwork did come and visit, Danny just doesn’t remember)

Pain: Being electrocuted, irradiated, being dissolved slowly on the inside is enough to cause massive amounts of pain. Danny is 14, he doesn’t understand true pain and probably underestimated how much it would hurt. Once it got bad, it was almost paralyzing so it got to the point where even when he wanted to call for help, he couldn’t move or think past the horrible pain of his every molecule slowly dying and rearranging itself.

Weakness/Fatigue: I don’t really have anything much to add for this section that hasn’t been said in the others. Just the combination of all of the above meant Danny is so incredibly weak and fatigued, this will be problematic in the days and weeks following the accident as his body heals from the stress put on it. Poor boy was probably just getting past the worst of his symptoms by the time of the Lunch lady attack one month in.

Ghost instinct: Going off the medical rant for a minute to go into another aspect of the contamination present in the story, the idea of ectoplasm adding inherent ghostiness to Danny. Its common fanon that all ghosts (through ectoplasm) have their own unique code and language that is just omnipresent and instinctive. Such a massive, body altering dose of ectoplasm saw those things start to leech into Danny even before he became half ghost. The biggest is his fear of being seen, majority of ghosts are completely invisible and don’t want to be seen by the living. As Danny’s suffering and literally dying, he can’t bring himself to confess to his loved ones for very understandable reasons but also this ghostly instinct in the back of his head telling him to hide and get away. Other instincts are a strong attraction to the portal/Ghost Zone, lowkey being able to sense living people around him and a bit of an emotional dampener when Phantom. 

[ussjellyfish]

Felix’s birth story

So I never wrote this out after he was born, or last year, and this year, my little gentleman is 2, and it seems like the time to tell it.

So, Felix’s birth story under the cut. (unmedicated vaginal delivery, really almost boring).

Felix’s due date was January 14th, and he was born on January 14th. I went for a walk the night before, and it was cold, really cold (-25C ish), and really beautiful and icy.

After midnight I had contractions, and I don’t think I could have said what a contraction was before I had them, but when I had them, it was obvious. (so that was nice!)

And they didn’t hurt at first, they were kind of consuming and tight and I couldn’t sleep through them. I did try to sleep. I lay there in the dark and listened to Drastic Measures (Star Trek Discovery) on audiobook because I had that on my phone and it didn’t take any effort.

My cats came and slept on me and it was actually kind of nice (but weird, intimidating because at some point it was going to hurt and be more intense and I wasn’t quite ready and when do you actually go to the hospital (I didn’t want to go early and be bored).

My water broke at around 430am, and it was weirdly just like they tell you. A pop kind of and gush, like I’d suddenly peed my pants without feeling like peeing.

I got up, I took off my pajamas, I put towels on my bed and then I couldn’t sleep anymore. I hadn’t bothered to time anything, I hadn’t looked at my phone, and I remember leaning on his crib, dancing around a little because they were pretty tight and wondering if I should use the contraction timer (which I hadn’t even looked at but I did have on my phone).

So I did that for about half an hour and I remember staring at the times thinking “these are too close together, I should wait until they are further apart and then go” They’d said around 5 minutes apart, you could head in.

Mine were three minutes or less apart then, and they lasted almost a minute. They hurt, a little, like my whole belly was tightening up and almost bouncing down? Very weird. Truly a unique experience.

So I woke up my mom after 5 and told her to walk the dog. She was staying with me with her rather annoying dog and my mom’s rather annoying so I wasn’t thrilled. We already had the car seat in the car and I had a bag (which included my star trek robe, always a good choice).

Mom was kind of skeptical, I guess because I wasn’t in that much pain. It did hurt, now, like the worst menstrual cramps I’d ever had and kind of bigger (I suppose my uterus was a lot bigger). It was cold and my mom was complaining about my car (I needed the brakes fixed) and we listened to classical music on the radio because she was grumpy.

It was after 6 when we got to the hospital, and we walked in and I remember in the parking lot was the first contraction I couldn’t walk through. I just stood there because it really hurt and if I was still, it was fine. And then you fill out paperwork and they offered me a wheelchair, which I didn’t want. Then they send me into a room to get checked and I took my clothes off and I was so wet, fluid was leaking and it just keep leaking and I was sweaty and they put a monitor on me and made me sit on the bed

Which sucked. Holding still sucked, sitting sucked and then they did an internal exam which was really uncomfortable and one of the women from my labor class had been sent home because she wasn’t in labor enough, and I was worried, because going home sounded so annoying.

I was at 8 centimeters, so I did not have to go home and the stupid monitor said Felix was fine. (stupid monitor). So we walked to the delivery room, which had purple lights, and I wanted to take a bath SO much and they wouldn’t let me because of the monitor. (my monitor hatred is strong).

My doula came, and she was awesome awesome. I hadn’t met her before and I didn’t get the one I thought I’d have because I was apparently so close they sent the faster one who lived closer. We changed positions a lot and wandered around and I remember basically peeing on the floor because I didn’t have to pee that much and they also weren’t that keen on mme going to the toilet. I don’t know why. They just put towels on the floor and it was fine.

My doctor was a 2nd year resident, and we were his second continuity of care delivery (where he’d been my prenatal too). He’s very sweet and enthusiastic. The teaching doc we got is this very calm Asian woman with small hands and really pretty hair. She came in around 8 because then I could push.

They made me lie down, which was annoying. They were worried about Felix being too big because I had gestational diabetes (mild and a huge point of contention because they just made everything hell).

I had to hold my legs and pushing is just the strangest movement because it’s muscles you usually don’t use. The light was bright over the bed and I did swear a few times, or yell, because it hurt and it was more just...frustrating and exhausting because it hurt and then it would still hurt and I did the right things but he would get closer and then go back.

I remember them wanting me to push with every contraction and there was one where I just took a break. Screw you guys.

I never really felt the bearing down they talk about. I thought I’d hit somewhere when I wanted to push and I didn’t. My hand hurt because the stupid IV was doing something. I had to hold on to my legs and that was annoying.

They decided they needed to do an episiotomy, and I’m still kind of bitter about this because we didn’t try changing positions (my doula did ask I was just not in the position to argue or advocate).

That part is really strange. I didn’t have any fight. I was tired, sure, but I was really agreeable. I’m told this is hormones too.

The umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck and kind of short, so I’d push him down and it would pull him back up. So they numbed me up (getting the needles in for that hurt) and my teaching doc did the cutting and then I pushed once and he just fell out.

He was just there, and damn, not being pregnant anymore feels really great. Kind of empty, but you’re so bendy-flexible- not under any tension anymore. It’s great.

And the placenta was nothing. It just kind of squelched out. It did look cool.

He had chubby arms and a chubby face and he was totally fine. I held him for a bit, he was not interested in eating, so they weighed him and gave him a hat and a heel poke and they stiched up the episiotomy.

That hurt, and my student doc was doing the stitches and he went outside the anesthetic for a few stitches and damn. I remember saying fuck a few times.  I also got to get up to pee and I had one nurse called Katie who had been there and two more had come in at the end and they didn’t want to let me up, but I stood up just fine.

My nurse Katie said I hadn’t had an epidural and I think that was rather rare because they were surprised I could just walk.

And I was tired, like I’d been running or swimming or climbing, something really full body exhausting, but it didn’t hurt really.

We moved to the other room and Felix and I watched CNN and eventually we worked out how to get the boob in his mouth (more of it than I thought had to go in there).

and it was really boring. My mom stayed and my dad came and...it was still boring. Felix was very cute and cuddly and he wanted boob and snuggles and I remember changing his diapers and holding him (those funny sticky black new baby diapers) and he just wanted to be held all the time, and we atched pointless television because they won’t just let you go home.

I got ibuprofen and paracetemol and pancakes. I had pancakes right after he was born because I was so hungry.

And chocolate pudding and they were terrible pancakes but, I was hungry.

They made me pee in a weird upside down hat thing that went on the toilet a few times and then they left me alone.

It was very alone. I remember holding him in the bath in his blanket because I wanted a bath but I didn’t want him to get lonely and cry so I couldn’t grab him.

I was so sleep deprived and they don’t want you hold him in bed and fall asleep so he went down and back and down and back and I did eventually just give up and hold him and sleep.

He was also a perfect size. We went home the next day, which was too long in the hospital, especially after I got released at 1pm and he didn’t get out until 7pm because he was a little yellow. (he bounced back fine, but was a little yellow at first)

Then we went home, and watched Discovery and the Witcher and Korean zombie dramas and I ate so much chocolate peanut butter pretzels. My Doula came to visit, and we talked and I remember thinking kind of in a shellshocked way that I was really annoyed they made me push on my back and I couldn’t do anything about it.

It’s actually not a good position! It goes against the spine and I had my feet in stirrups and I had a nasty bruise on my hand from my IV (that I also didn’t need, they just ran saline the whole time) and my pinkie finger was all tingly (that took weeks to get back to normal).

And all the “you just had a baby” advice is totally crap if you’re single. Let someone else...do the dishes cook for you do...

No, you do ALL the things and baby, and change diapers in the middle of the night and feed them (constantly, it’s so constant).

And take the kiddo to get his blood checked when it’s -35C outside. (poor little guy, he was fine, didn’t even need the light jacket). And get weighed (he was getting plenty of milk and chubbed up fast).

But newborns have no personality. (in my opinion They don’t even really ‘like’ you. You feed them and you make them comfortable and they sleep, and sleep, and snuggle.

Star Trek got me through a lot those first couple months until he was big enough to know I was there (like actually know me)

[briefololtragedy]

All Sasuke’s fault

Pairing: Itachi x Sakura

rating G

Summary: It was all Sasuke’s fault the predicament that Itachi found himself in. His father decided the best way to make smooth over the mess Sasuke made would be an arranged marriage. Itachi takes it into his own hands to find out about his prospective wife.

written for the ItaSaku gift exchange. prompt of royals. My attempt at fluff and humor

Also posted on ao3

“Ladies and gentlemen we have now landed in Sunagakure. Local time is 3pm, it is currently 35C no clouds in the sky. Once we are fully parked you may disembark from the plan. Thank you for flying with One Tail Air lines.” The flight attendant got off the intercom. The majority of the passengers were starting to twist in their seats, eyeing the overhead bins likely in anticipation of being the first one out.

A young man sighed and reclined his head back. It had been a long flight from Konoha to Suna, 12 hours of being stuck in the economy seating. A cap obscured most of his facial features and his long ebony hair was tied back neatly tucked under the cap. No one recognized him and that was his goal. His family was not going to be happy about him leaving the palace without any bodyguards.

Itachi was tired, his legs hurt, and he could already feel the sand that would start getting everywhere. The person in front of him, a slight middle age woman, reclined her seat all the way back the moment it was allowed. He could anticipate the bruises on his knees from the chair hitting him multiple times during the flight, T-shirt stained with his coffee from earlier. He reclined his head back, he had decided to be the last one off the plane. He was open to the new experience of flying with commoners and watching them all try to make a mad dash out of the plane to their destination. Itachi was at least lucky to not have seat mate, allowing him to slightly stretch out his 6’2’’ frame, something he learned after being rammed into by the seat in front of him twice.

Once the tail end of passengers from further back where past his row Itachi stood up, forgetting to watch his head clearance, which resulted in him hitting his head… hard. Today just wasn’t his day and he knew who to blame for his predicament.

This was all Sasuke’s fault.

______________________________________________________

The maids were running around making sure that everything was in its rightful place. Tea and coffee freshly brewed with sides of cream and sugar. Queen Mikoto Uchiha and King Fugaku Uchiha have been ruling side by side for over 30 years. Fugaku was young when he took the throne over, he had only been married a couple of years. However, with the sudden death of his father and mother the heavy burden fell onto him. His early years harden Fugaku and when his first son was born, Itachi, high expectations fell onto the heir to the throne.  He insured that his son would be ready to take over for him and any point in his life. Lesser burden fell onto his second son, Sasuke, who arrived 8 years after Itachi.

“Did you see the news this morning? His Majesty is not going to be happy.” The maids were whispering to each other trying to keep their tone down to avoid being overheard if anyone from the royal family were to walk by.

And just like that Fugaku was marching down the hallway, Mikoto walking at a brisk pace to try catch up to him. “Fugaku what is going on that has you this upset?”

“Where is Sasuke? He has a lot of explaining to do.” Fugaku pulled out his phone and looked as if he wanted it to burst into flames.

“What is … Oh…Oh no.” Mikoto was reading her husband’s phone.

-Breaking news the youngest prince to the Konohagakure throne reportedly gets into fist fights with delegates from Suna. Is our alliance in danger. – The news article had a blurry picture of a group of men at one of the bars downtown.

Mikoto was hoping  to give her youngest the benefit of a doubt, but she knew he had become reckless after starting university. He was developing the title of playboy and party animal. His grades were still passing, but not the expectations they had for him.

“Apparently our youngest decided to sneak out last night and get into a brawl at a club, instead of studying.  I have already talked to Suna and the police. The delegate was also the King’s brother, he was with his sister visiting her boyfriend. This shows how much of a hot head this boy is. Sneaking out…fighting.” Fugaku was wanting to blow fire. He had to do calming breaths.

“Father what is going on?” Itachi entered the room, going over to make his coffee with yet again too many spoonfuls of sugar and cream. Always with the unimpressed expression.

Itachi was 26 years old and still hadn’t settled down. Sasuke idolized him, maybe if Itachi were to show more stability with getting married that would rub off. The wheels in Fugaku’s head started to spin, yes that was how he could smooth over things with Suna. Mikoto would be happy for the prospects of grandchildren anyway so wouldn’t be too opposed.

“It’s time you start setting a better example for your younger brother. What better show than having it be with the crowned prince, next in line for the throne with an arranged marriage.” Fugaku walked away ignoring the looks for both his wife and his son.

“What did I miss while I was sleeping?” Itachi did not like the sound of what his father just said. Itachi wasn’t too worried surely there was no way his father would really just arrange a marriage for his eldest son.

Mikoto went back to drinking her tea she had made while Fugaku was rambling on. In deep contemplation.

‘Grandbabies!’- images started going through Mikoto’s mind.

‘Father doesn’t mean it, nothing will come of this.’ Itachi sipped his sugar and cream, pinky in the air. Little did he know.

_______________________________________________________________________

Sand. Sand everywhere. Itachi had just stepped outside and a “mild” wind current picked up creating a “small” sandstorm, or what the locals called it Wednesday afternoon. By now his messages had caught up with being back on the ground. His parents were not happy that he disregarded safety protocols and left without bodyguards. He was worried that they would send a team to come get him. He was too focused to care: ene thing brought him to Suna, well not a thing, but a person. Who was the person? His soon to be wife.

Sakura Haruno. Daughter to the Duke and Duchess of Sunagakure. The Duke was known to be a kind man with a sharp mind and wit, which lead him to be one of the top advisors to the late king. His wife was no nonsense and known to be a hard ass. Apparently his mother had heard about their daughter from a mutual friend, Kushina Uzimaki. On one of the Marchioness’s visits to Suna it was lady Sakura who watched Naruto. The countess was taken by her kind nature and manors, she was also able to tame the young child. This was almost a decade ago and they were certain that given the Duchess’s no nonsense rules her daughter would be the epitome of a wallflower. She was named after a flower.

Itachi was not wanting a well mannered drone, who was after a title. While his father had his faults he had seen the love between his parents and he wanted that. His belief that a marriage should be for love and not duty was why he had yet to find the right person. He had also worked hard in university going into psychology and sociology to better understand how people ticked.  Itachi wanted to be able to understand and help his people. This girl likely went for a useless degree and would be at her parents home waiting for the best title to come by.

However, Itachi was not having any luck on finding anything about Lady Sakura, she apparently didn’t have any social media presence. Itachi just had to roll his eyes, she probably had a hidden account so she wouldn’t get in trouble, like his younger brother. His younger brother’s account was not known to his parents, which may have to be remedied. Itachi could always blame Shisui.

Itachi would just have to put on the Uchiha charms to get where his “Intended” was. As he wondered the streets he noticed a bakery and couldn’t resist getting some dango. He would get some dango and inquire about Lady Sakura, easy as pie. ‘Great know I want pie too.’

“Good afternoon welcome to Desert’s Dessert Suna’s best bakery. What can I help you with today?” It was a young woman. She had sandy blond hair, light brown eyes, and average features. She looked about 20. As Itachi was deciding on how many sweets would be too many he noticed her starting to have a red tint over her cheeks. ‘Perfect’

“May I have two sticks of dango.” He would start just with the dango and maybe tomorrow get a different dessert, that sounded like a good plan. The girl started ringing up his order.

“I would love to know the name of the person helping me today in the best sweet shop.” Time to put on the charm, he slightly leaned into the counter keeping eye contact with the girl.

As he saw the blush deepen in color he knew it was working. “My name… its Mei. I haven’t seen you around before. Will you be here for long?” Like taking candy from the baby. Well in the this case he was getting candy, but it wasn’t from a baby.

Itachi let out a soft sigh. “ I’m not from here and actually here for work. I was hoping you would be able to help me.”

“What do you need help with.” His dango was now in a wax bag and he couldn’t wait to eat them.

“ Well I am doing a story on the different royals in the area and was wanting to know where I could find a Lady Sakura Haruno?” He hoped she bought the story idea, cause any other reason he could come up with was on the creepy side.

“Oh you’re doing a story on her. If you are wanting to talk to her today she is likely at the women’s shelter cause its Wednesday, she usually comes in to get pastries before heading there.” He wasn’t expecting her to say the woman’s shelter. ‘how odd.” He thought.

Itachi got the address of the shelter easily and said bye to Mei. He ignored her starry eyes and wistful look as he walked to the shelter, which was not too far from the shop. He found it easily and went into the shelter not caring to read the signs posted all over the door.

“No men allowed in the shelter. This is a safe place and you must leave. I will repeat myself one more time, sir. ” The receptionist looked like she was about to pick up the phone book.

“Anko what is going on?” Itachi was speechless as a young woman with pink hair entered the room. Her eyes could rival emeralds with their color, her hair looked like it fell between her shoulder blades, heart shaped face and body. Itachi couldn’t remark on her figure or clothes because as he was taking in the woman, he did not hear the shouts or see the phone book being thrown at his head.

Today was just not Itachi’s day as he fell to the ground.

_______________________________________________________________________

It was Wednesday morning. A day people often dreaded due to the midweek slump. However, for Sakura it was one of her favorite days. She woke up at 5 in the morning to get her morning run in before the heat of the day set in, then her shower. While in the shower her coffee maker started brewing her morning pot. She wrapped herself in her robe and towel around her hair as she left her bathroom. She always gave herself enough time in the morning to sit and have her coffee before the hustle and bustle of the day set in.

She warmed up her left over frittata from yesterday’s dinner as she prepared her coffee. Sakura sat down on her sofa and watched some of the morning news, nothing of note. Once she was done she pulled out the files she had put on her coffee table the night before. Her legs were crossed as she set to familiarize herself with their contents, coffee mug in her left hand of course.

One of the reasons Wednesday was her favorite day was that it meant she would be working in the Woman’s shelter. She had Anko, the secretary and keeper of the woman’s safety, compile the 5 main cases that needed Sakura’s assistance. Many of the woman were fleeing abusive relationships, some were married with children, some married, and others in relationships that didn’t know how to escape. The ones who needed immediate help had files sent to Sakura who would help with legal counsel.

Sakura grew up adored by both of her parents. They recognized at a young age how much she cared for others and wanted to help. She would get into fights trying to help younger kids that were bullied. After she came home beaten by some of the bullies, her parents enrolled her into karate lessons, which led her to her black belt. She then pursued a law degree. She was so studious when she was younger that most of the adults thought she was shy, but she only cared for working towards her goal. Her parents sent her to the public schools, they did not believe is separating her due to her status. It was one of the first times she saw how not everyone had the luxuries she had while growing up. It was when she got into high school and started volunteering did she know that it just wasn’t luxuries that some of her peers had to do without, but some had to do without the loving parents and a stable home.

She studied criminal justice and history in University. She was introduced to laws that held no benefit for those that they affected the most. History showed how the monarchy only cared for one thing, their continued legacy. Sakura graduated university and then went right into law school. 6 years was what it took her, others took at least 7. It was decided with her going to public school that Sakura would not be photographed or topics for the news. She also didn’t care for social media, seeing the dangers it held in society. Due to her anonymity she was able to forge her own path.

After graduating law school she went to work for one of the major Law firms in the country, but a stipulation in her contract was Wednesdays would be her day. Her first focus would be on the woman’s shelter and she had plans of extending to other causes. However, there was talk about getting her to settle down. Some of the older advisors to the King did not like that she held a normal job and interacted with the people so much. Sakura didn’t understand what the fuss was about, she was the daughter of a Duke, not a king. She had heard the talks that her parents were having with Konoha. Due to the youngest son’s behavior and punching Kankaro they wanted to do a grand gesture in support of Suna. Although Sakura was sure that he had the punch coming, he knew how to antagonize people.

Cases reviewed and coffee done Sakura set out to get ready for her day. Since she was in the shelter she kept her outfit simple. Dark skinny jeans, a simple T-shirt with a light sweater (the office was always cold), and her keds. She never cared to wear makeup during these visits and her hair would just be down. The goal wasn’t to look good, but to help.

As lunch time came around Sakura was starving. She had Anko order food for them and the woman of the shelter. Sadly she would be working through lunch as one of the cases became more complicated than she thought. She had gotten to the last woman for the day when she heard Anko yelling.

“No men allowed in the shelter.” By the time she heard Anko yell the no part, she was up on her feet apologizing to the woman she was talking with.

“Anko what is going on?” As he looked over to the door she couldn’t believe who she was seeing. His aura screamed respect me and she didn’t like the look of his face. Yes it was a handsome face, but it was the aristocratic features and having seen that face in headlines that, put a sour taste in her mouth. Before she could speak Anko had thrown a phone book at King Fugaku’s eldest son and he fell to the ground.

‘Oh shit, we are screwed’ was the only thing that came to her mind.

Itachi heard two woman’s voices as he came to. They stopped talking when he started to move. The receptionist glared at him, he felt like she knew her way around hiding a body or two. It was the other who drew his attention. She was slightly above average in height, possibly 5’6”, her curves were subtle from what he could see. He could not understand why he was paying attention to this woman.

“Don’t mind Anko she looks out for the woman of this shelter. We do not allow men in the shelter unless they have been screened and have a set appointment. Why have you come to this shelter? While you have long hair that any woman would envy and would make a beautiful woman, you are still a male.” Itachi took slight offense to him having feminine features.

“I’m looking for a Lady Sakura Haruno. The journal I work for has been hired to do a story on her.” Time to put on the charms again. Itachi was doubtful they would work on the one called Anko, but this other would should be an easy target.

“You’re looking for Lady Haruno, why don’t you come into my office and I can tell you about her. Sadly there is no “Lady” here.” The petal haired woman led him into a small office that didn’t have any windows and smelled like old carpet, it was 50 shades of dirt.

“Thank you for your assistance.” Due to her being in front of him he didn’t see her roll his eyes as they went to her office.

Before he could get another word in the woman spoke. “ I think a more interesting story would be why the crown prince of Konoha would be in Suna claiming to do a story about Lady Sakura when there hasn’t been any palace approval?” The woman had sat down at the desk, her face propped on her hands and she leaned forward.

Itachi wasn’t expecting this. “I…uh..” he couldn’t believe he was stammering.

“ Lets get this straight. I have heard about what your brother has done and how they are talking about an arranged marriage. However, I want this to be known. You are nothing more than a tourist attraction for people to gawk at. What do you know about the lives of those that fall under your families care?” Itachi’s mouth fell open, he felt like a gawking fish. Well in his mind his mouth fell open, on the outside he looked indifferent.

“No response? Aren’t you supposed to have a silver tongue? Since you want to know about me I’ll tell you something. I went to law school to help defend the people in my country. My parents instilled in me that my blood runs red when I bleed. I’m no better than anyone else around me. I was placed in public education, volunteered in the slums. Have you been to the poorest parts of your country prince?” Itachi could hear the venom with how she said prince.

“Again no response. Well I’ll leave you with this what better way to say screw it to the man than be able to know the laws, know how to break them, and when they can’t be broken how to twist them. You can go now. I’m sure you will tell your parent’s that I am not suited to be your wife, so I will never see you again.”

Sakura went back to working on her files. Itachi stood there speechless. She wasn’t after the title. She wanted to care for the people in her country and went further in school than he did, but above all else she had a backbone. From what he saw it must be made of diamonds. A new kind of determination set in.

“It looks like it is 7pm, have you had dinner yet?” Sakura looked up eyebrow raised. “Huh”

“Look who has no response know.” Sakura wanted to wipe the smirk off his handsome face. As she went to open her mouth in reply, Itachi had grabbed her hand and pulled her up.

“Do you need to grab your bag or do anything before dinner? I hope you know of a good place to eat.” Itachi couldn’t help but pay attention to how her hand fit perfectly into his. Sakura also took note of this. Before she knew it her cheeks were tinged and she got a fuzzy feeling in her stomach. Itachi didn’t want to point out the blush.

“I guess dinner won’t hurt. Lets get this over with.”

Sakura led Itachi out of the building and down to one of her favorite tempura places. They ate there till it closed for the night. He wasn’t just a prince with a pretty face, which she was quick to judge. He wanted to understand the people who would govern. He wanted to prevent the injustice that many faced. He was also adorably awkward during the whole dinner. Itachi told her about his little brother and his older cousin. Sakura told him about her best friend Ino and having to care for the holy terror Naruto when she was younger. Both enjoyed trivia, sweets, and puzzles.

By the time they separated they decided to share numbers. Over the weeks of negotiation it was agreed on that they would be married. Their parents did not know about how much they had grown together over those weeks, well his at least.

“Sasuke sit up straight.” Sasuke did as he was told. “ We will be meeting Itachi’s future wife you will need to make a good impression. I heard she can be on the shy side, especially when she was little. I don’t need you scaring her away due to your lack of manners. ” Sasuke had his typical scowl on his face.

Itachi stood to the side with a smirk on his face. Shy, Sakura was not. He couldn’t wait for them to see her in person again. They will certainly be a shock to the palace, and just because of her pink hair.  

Her name was announced and he couldn’t help but lovingly gaze upon his future wife. He then looked to his brother, since this was all his fault.

[trek-tracks]

A stage light fell on your head????

So…

Fourteen years ago, I was a teenager working as an intern for an abusive theatre company putting up a production of Midsummer Night’s Dream on a playground in a state park in NYC. It was abusive in many ways - the director would do things like a) cut your whopping $75/week stipend in half randomly when she felt like it, meaning that you might not even make your transit costs back if you lived a significant distance away, b) scream obscenities at you if you didn’t come back with enough donated loot for the gala silent auction after walking the streets for hours, or for such transgressions as not bringing an umbrella to work because the sky was blue when you left, and showing up slightly damp as a result, c) stand behind you as you brought up and down the sound for the 20 different body mics the actors were wearing; you had to turn up each mic a split second before the actor spoke and down as soon as the actor finished speaking to avoid picking up ambient noise. If you were a split second later than that, she would hit you on the back of the head.

The production was a really cool idea. It was Caribbean-inspired, and mixed professional actors with aspiring actors from the Harlem area. I loved a lot of the actors I worked with, the other interns, and even the company manager, though he wouldn’t stand up to the director at all. It was actually a good show, but the director treated the concept like something she had to do to fulfill a grant proposal item, rather than actually being interested in outreach and diversity.

Our lighting consisted of several Source Fours, lighting instruments that weigh around 15-20 pounds and are two feet long, which were attached to 15 or 20-foot-high shaky metal structures, which in turn were secured to nothing; the park would not let us touch any of the trees, so the lighting rigs were essentially held down with sandbags.

During the final week of rehearsal, my shift was about to end, when the skies darkened to an ominous red, and winds whipped up. The radar basically showed a wall of doom. It was clear that there was about to be one hell of a surprise summer storm, and we were right next to the river, which made it worse. Dust and debris were blowing around violently, but instead of allowing me to take cover, the director backed away to safety and shouted at me to protect the sound equipment. As I was trying to wrap up the sound board that was clearly more valuable than me, a human being, I heard a metallic clanging from behind me, and the next thing I knew, a giant stage light was smashing into the back of my head, with the metal rigging ripping down through my shirt, gouging into my back and pinning me to the earth. My glasses were nowhere to be found. I felt my jaw click out of place as I tried to shout for help. I was too stunned to form words.

There was an ambulance stationed at the park. I, along with our oldest actor who had been sliced in the forehead by a gel, was rushed to the hospital; I was trying desperately to maintain a stoic facade, but started crying in the ambulance, and was furious with myself. We showed up to the hospital at around the same time as what appeared to be the aftermath of a gang shootout. Once I got to a room, they shot staples into my head without anaesthetic and warned me about concussion. 

The company manager, thank goodness, offered to drive me back to my campus where I was staying, because it was in another state, my shirt was ripped to hell, there was gauze down my back, and I couldn’t see straight. When I got back to campus, my boyfriend (now husband) was at least still there over the summer, so he could watch me for the night. I stopped in the campus convenience store to get something to eat after who knows how many hours with nothing (as a type 1 diabetic). We ran into a friend of ours who looked at me, ripped shirt, bandaged back, no glasses, staples in my head, blood in my hair and all, managed to MISS all of that, and said, “Hey, you look different. Did you dye your hair?” I had to laugh.

The theatre gave me one day off for my trouble. The director COMPLAINED about giving me the day off. The next day, when I returned, she had me walk around for hours in 95F+/35C degree heat with a head wound. They didn’t pay for the hospital bill. Luckily, my college financial aid office basically gasped in horror when I told them what had happened and how much money I had lost, and vastly increased my scholarship to make up for it. Five years later, I received a bill for the ambulance. 

A little while after the incident, when it seemed like a fever dream, I was telling the story in detail at a fancy party; at least, I felt, I could trade on the story for entertainment value, considering how much it had cost me. I was laughing through the story like I normally did, when one of the people I was telling it to, a doctor I had just met, frowned, because he didn’t find it funny. He asked me if I realized that, if the light had hit me a couple of inches lower, I would very likely have been killed or paralyzed for life. It’s one of those “multiverse moments” - I know that, if multiple universes exist, there’s at least one without me in it; my life ended that day because I was less important than sound equipment.

As an adult, I now know the importance of workplace rights, and the organizations that give people the ability to stand up for themselves. I know what I didn’t then, which is that paying your dues should not equal potentially paying with your life, and just because a company is small, doesn’t mean they don’t have human responsibilities. Mostly, I know that every day since then has been a wonderful gift, and looking back so many years later, I am grateful for every one of them.

[saltyflowershark]

The L Word

Description: Lesbian? Love? Lust? Let’s frick? Literally can’t function?

The L word is a story about girls who like boys! And girls! And anyone else! And have no clue what they’re doing in life.

Character chart:

Katherine: -i mean she’s Katherine what else are you gonna expect -popular pretty preppy perfect. -an absolute fricken train wreck in the making -dates guys to be popular -actually READS BOOKS. NOT LIKE FIFTY SHADES BUT LIKE SHERLOCK HOLMES -so gay like she joined volleyball just because a really cute girl said that she’d be good at it gay -like the only reason she has a boyfriend is so she can talk to her boyfriend’s sister gay -yea. And she feels like crap because of it. -honestly home girl just wants a cutie girlfriend to snuggle up to and watch b99 with

Reign: -shaved head -BUT IS LIKE THE CUTEST PERSON IN THE SCHOOL NO JOKE -destructive mom™️ -has adopted every gay in the school...literally she gets them all valentines and Christmas gifts and invites them to laser quest Thursday’s -Pansexual -BUYS TRANS BOYS BINDERS FOR THEIR BIRTHDAYS -bakes cookies. But gluten free low sugar vegan cookies. So all of her children can EAT. -some how she still has boom cookies?.. -always brings extra tuxes and dresses to picture day for her lovey babies -but is still unpopular because “eew you’re gay?” -will spend hecka money on her friends -has a lover who whom moved but she still talks to. They visit each other over breaks -has two dads so yeah gay

Luca: -fluid as frick but just goes by she/her because who has to time to explain her Identity to everyone in school? Not her -Honestly she takes naps at lunch instead of eating because who has the time to sleep these days?? -she onestly just isn’t here for it. -goes to sleepover. Falls asleep at 6 pm. Wakes up at 2 am and wakes up her best friend to get snacks. Then falls back asleep at 7am. -totally binge watched all of the Shane Dawson series. -has cut class before and will do it again. -honestly doesn’t about detention and just sleeps through it. -gives very few fricks. -gets headaches and least twice a week -refuses to sleep without a blanket on. It can be 95F(35C) she’ll be completely naked under the covers but you’ll be damned if you think she will ever take off her blanket. -has 1 stuffed animal

Adam: -not a girl?? -is a civics teacher and hates it just as much as his students -youngest teacher at the school -is engaged to his stupid husband -but stays after for clubs and to help his children -yes he calls his students children -lets them curse in class -WILL NOT DEAL WITH HATE SPEECH -is an openly gay and out teacher and makes sure everyone knows -his room is covered in brightly colored curse words -almost always wears darkcolors -everyone calls him by his first name -has had an incident where a student was pulled out of the school and he was put in administrative leave because the students parents didn’t know he was gay so now he makes sure everyone knows. -he the spills tea on all of his fellow teachers. -curses in his classes constantly. -is hecka scary when he’s angry -drinks from a unicorn mug with an unwavering scowl on his face. -hates the principal as much as everyone else -starts sentences with “back in my day

@muchinsight for just being an amazing person who I love and helped me with this because they are lovely. uwuwuuwuwuuwuwowoowowowo❤️❤️❤️💞💞💓💗🌸🌹🌺🌺🌺™️™️🧡🧡🧡🌸💝✨💫💫⭐️💫💥⚡️

[miraltunes]

Free online budget planner

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The Cheapest: Religious buildings are often free entry. The Cheap: Alternative wonders – visit the non-tourist attractions rather than the major sites. If you allocate $10 per person per day then that is $70 per week – spend it wisely.

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Do a google search for your destination and check out the entertainment articles for free stuff.īudget Info: For most of us it will detract from the overall travel experience if we never enjoy any of the entertainment opportunities available whilst abroad, but be selective.Įstimating a figure for what is essentially an unknown entity is almost impossible, so I would suggest allocating a set amount of money for entertainment and be mindful of this when you open your wallet. Top Tip: From local festivals to beaches, waterfalls or just meeting other travellers and sharing travel stories, there is always something fun to do for free. The Cheapest: If it ain’t free, don’t do it – Go to the beach. The Cheap: Non-touristy entertainment for the locals

#FREE ONLINE BUDGET PLANNER HOW TO#

Read more on this topic – Top 5 ideas on how to drink cheaply worldwide and other booze stories. Non-drinkers are going to save a fortune… Although, in some countries beer is cheaper than tea! If you try hard with your budget you can party it up every day in almost any country for under $15 per person, sometimes a lot less, so try and estimate a realistic figure based on your habits. With average prices from 35c a beer in Cambodia up to over $10 in Greenland (and I’ve paid a lot more than that in Norway for a pint) try and figure out how often you are likely to go out drinking, how many drinks you’d normally have in a night and whether you are happy enough buying booze from the liquor or if you have to drink in the pub. The Pint Price website lets you search for beer prices in different countries. Top Tip: If travelling in a developed country, where the water is safe to drink from the tap, don’t buy bottled water when you are out during the day, just drop into a bar/cafe and get a free glass of water, and also fill up your water bottle at your hostel in the morning.īudget Info: If you like a lot of beer or can’t start the day without a coffee then you are going to have to factor that into your budget. The Cheap: Buy your alcohol from the store, not the bar. tips on finding the cheapest rooms worldwide and some ballpark figures to help you plan your budget.

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Live for Free with Housesitting – How to become a pro housesitter in less than 3 monthsĪccommodation price guide (by region) inc. It’s also worth searching for online promo codes on websites such as DontPayFull, maybe you’ll find valid coupons.” When those options are not available, budget hotels or hostels are a good backup. That’s why we mainly Housesit and then use couchsurfing or AirBnB when we can’t. Couchsurfing is, of course, free everywhere and is relatively safe (safer than you’d think if you have never tried it), but don’t assume that you’ll be able to Couchsurf every night. From $5 double rooms in SE Asia to paying $40+ for a dorm bed in a major western city. Top Tip: Read more about the 3 “Cheapest” options, linked above.īudget Info: Every country has differing prices. The Cheapest: Couchsurfing, Housesitting (take care of peoples pets and stay in their homes for free) The Cheap: Dorms, hostels, guesthouses, Homestay with Airbnb ( $25 off your first stay with this link) We focus on budget travel in our examples, but you can easily use the techniques presented to help plan a mid-end or luxury trip.Įveryday Travel Budget Costs 1. If you are a budget traveller then its all about doing it yourself – Maximum adventure, minimum budget. Some people opt to spend money, rather than time, to get their trip sorted. But, with this guide, you’ll save a lot of time as we cover the whole process in one easy-to-follow article.Įven organising a relatively short trip of 2-3 weeks can involve a lot of planning and research. There is no super quick fix to planning your own budget. If you turn up NOT knowing your stuff you are a prime target.

#FREE ONLINE BUDGET PLANNER DRIVERS#

There will always be someone making a living from ripping off tourists, from Indian taxi drivers to the “art student” scams in Beijing. Research and planning are also the key to getting the best prices when travelling. What if you forget something? Well, this article has the complete roadmap to everything you need to get sorted.

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In this article I’ll first outline the budget considerations for a backpacking trip.įollowing this I’ll offer some budget examples and you can download our FREE Excel travel budget planner calculator template to figure out your own budget estimate.

[dragonnan]

Whump Snippets

A selection of whumpy moments from several of my stories with links if you’d like to read more! (warnings will be included)

Psych:

Better Off Decapitated No warnings

“It’s just a headache.”

“Sure Shawn. It could also be Swine flu. I’m taking you to your dad’s. And don’t breathe on me either.”

A challenge was it? Intending to do just that, Shawn turned his head, and abruptly hacked, causing Gus to lurch sideways in a frantic and fruitless attempt to dodge the spray. “Gah! Dude, mouth!” The wild action threw the little car into the next lane, thankfully free of traffic, before Gus managed to wrench it back- proceeding to lock his eyes on the highway while somehow bouncing a glare from the rearview mirror directly into Shawn’s forehead. “You could have killed us you idiot!”

Shawn rolled his eyes while rubbing at the spot where he swore he could feel a small burn mark forming from his friend’s laser sights. That or his headache was merely responding to the heightened levels of bitchy that was clouding the space around him like boiled egg flatulence.

Closing his eyes was better than blinking cow-like at Mr. Faces of Death. “Man this stinks.” he moaned while trying to rest the side of his skull against the passenger window. Several hard raps as the tires found every rut in the road and he was back to cradling his cranium in his cupped hands.

“I better not get sick Shawn. You know I can’t afford to take any more days off this month; Ogletree's been threatening furlough if I don't run my route according to his personal schedule.”

“What, like in between sending Haversham secret messages with his carrier pigeons?” Shawn chuckled but then gasped, immediately clutching his skull. Gus pressed his lips together while glancing at his friend once more.

“It’s just a migraine.” Shawn whined, trying and immediately discarding head massage as a technique for easing pain.

A disbelieving snort with the decibel level of a seven forty-seven drilled through his left cornea and started a minor brain bleed.

“Two minutes ago it was just a headache.”

Choosing to ignore the snidery of the comment, Shawn just folded down towards his lap, his fingers winding around to the back of his head. If he squeezed hard enough he could crack through the thick outer shell and release some of the pressure. Gus might be irritated by blood and brain matter on his dash, but sometimes sacrifices had to be made in the name of friendship.

“You okay?”

Did his vision just go blurry there for a second? That couldn’t be good. Maybe he needed to squeeze harder. “As you confirmed in your booming announcer voice, two minutes ago I told you it was just a headache.”

“And now?”

“Still a headache.”

The avenue of palm trees lining the road made intermittent stripes across the vehicle- brief shadows of fleeting coolness that only increased the drum of heat and light in the spaces between. The blast of air from the vents simply wasn’t enough to comfort his throbbing temples and he was ready for extreme measures involving tire irons and chloroform by the time Gus turned down the last street at the end of the block. Still hadn’t fixed that pothole he noted as the car jounced across the crater at the top of the driveway. Normally something Gus would drive through a lawn to avoid, the Grand Canyon of road hazards could not be bypassed except by vehicles equipped with wings. They both groaned as the Echo clawed back to smoother tar- though his friend’s distress had more to do with insurance premiums than his companion’s agony.

“Looks like your dad is gone…”

“Good, now you have no reason to leave me here. Just take me back to my apartment.”

“You’re the one that was crying about a burst water pipe and contacting FEMA.”

Shawn curled his fingers into the hair on the back of his head and slowly began to pull. “Yeah well… I think my couch… floats…”

Sherlock:

The Tiger and the Shark  Warnings for rape/non-con and violence

“Breathing is good – no sounds of blockage.” John tapped across Sherlock's chest, checked pulse and pupil response. No sign of concussion, either. That, too, was good. He clung to the very, very little that was good about any of this. Palpation of his belly gave no indication of internal bleeding but he'd want a scan, just the same.

Shoulder was a mess – skin dark with bruising and stretched taut over the dislocated joint. While John wanted to ease the associated pain, there was no telling if Sherlock had also sustained a fracture so he felt it best to immobilize as best as he could and move on to more pressing injuries.

The agents Mycroft had employed were useless in medical treatment – no surprise. Singularly focused on Sherlock's rescue, they now sat about the helicopter like so much luggage. Sherlock's reactions had been minimal – a few slow blinks before his pupils had rolled back behind his lids. Once back to a facility with proper equipment, they'd need to test his blood to determine if he'd been given anything. Of course he'd been given something. Probably a lot of something.

The medical kit available to him was well stocked but a surgery bay this wasn't. And by well stocked, John could patch up a bee sting, postpone anaphylactic shock, and stitch a few minor lacerations. Still, he dug free one of the ice packs and gave it a shake – mixing the chemicals that started to freeze the pouch in his hand. Laying a thin cloth over the worst of the bruising on Sherlock's chest, he snapped fingers towards one of the agents propping up the sides of the helicopter. A hesitation, just a moment, before the young man angled across the sloping floor to kneel beside John.

“What's your name?”

“Uh, Dowd. Bastian Dowd.”

“Bastian. Hold this, here.” John grasped the man's hand and pushed it firm against the ice pack – keeping the frozen product against the darkening contusion.

Sherlock's eyes rolled open again – a bit less foggy then before.

“Hey – hey, you with us?” John pressed a folded square of gauze against the deep gash on the right side of Sherlock's abdomen. He noted the five circular bruises, already deep purple, just above Sherlock's hip – knowing there would be a matching set on the other side. His face twisted and he sucked his lips between his teeth – throat gulping as he worked though his reserves of composure until he could prop himself up enough to get through this.

“C...co...”

“You're cold?” John pointed to another agent – not bothering with a name this time. “You, find me a blanket!”

He turned back to Sherlock – whose lips had turned down in what John, could swear, was an aggravated frown.

“Co... coat...”

John blinked. “You... want your coat?” Of all the... He shook his head – accepting the blanket handed to him and draping it over Sherlock's body; forcing Dowd to sit back out of the way. “I didn't see your coat. Sorry, mate, I was a little distracted by my half-dead friend at the time.”

Now it definitely was a frown. “C-cut... it.”

Less attention on the stuttered words, John only nodded as he found a thermometer and pressed it into Sherlock's ear. Not as accurate as the sort taken under the tongue but, then, he'd never had any luck with getting Sherlock to keep one in his mouth long enough for a reading anyhow.

“He... cut it...” Still struggling with speech. John nodded again; removing the device after a soft beep and frowning at the readout. 35c. Not so good. John, without looking, gestured for another blanket. Without a thorough exam he couldn't be certain what had triggered the drop in body temp. The room had been chilly but not freezing and, given the approximate drive time to reach Appledore, Sherlock wouldn't have been there longer than an hour, at most. Shock was the most likely culprit so, until they could reach hospital, the best that could be done would to be to keep Sherlock warm.

A hard wind struck their transportation – rocking the helicopter. Sherlock lashed out a hand – clamping iron fingers around John's sleeve. He didn't make a sound but his breath sucked in rough gasps – eyes flinching tight.

“It's alright – it's alright...” Nothing much left but to monitor until they arrived, John slipped into a stereotype of comfort – trying to shove his thoughts far away from what he'd seen – only to find them snapping back into that room...

Even in this state, however, Sherlock was less than accepting of the pat words that rolled too easily from his lips.

“...sss'not al...right...”

Chastised, John covered Sherlock's fingers with his own – feeling their tremor. “No.” He pushed out a breath filled with all of the things burning in his chest... but had nothing more to add but repetition – as his friend never accepted lies; not even ones meant as comfort. “It's not,” his mind supplying the rest of the words – unspoken, 'but it is what it is...'

MCU:

Not the Hero Type  No warnings

Half his age and twice his height, Stuart Little and Tiny Tim were pawing the trinkets they'd collected from his person after that yellow flag moment minutes ago. They'd gone all out on their little urban Robin Hood cliché too. Their mothers and/or parole officers would be so proud. In addition to the tire iron they'd also managed a suitably dark and litter infested alley. All that was missing were the ra... oh, never-mind. One of the cat sized squeakers was just crawling from the dumpster about six feet downstream.

“Where's the cash?”

Tony lolled his leaking skull left-wise; bringing himself up to speed that one of the fine young gentlemen had wandered back to his side of the alley sometime in the last few... hours? Yeah, that was a concussion.

“That's the-green stuff, right?” Slurring. Kinda took the edge off his response but hopefully the all teeth grin helped it along.

Yup, sure did. Helped it right into a fist planted somewhere to the right of his appendix.

“Umph! Mmm... stellar delivery.” He coughed, noting the flavor of freshly diced liver on his palette. “No, really,” he wheezed, pushing slightly more vertical against his wall. “Watch a lot of Lamont Peterson?” He cocked his head. “Nah, you strike me as more of a Butterbean fan...”

Strike – got it in one as the second wallop emptied lungs and sarcasm but had the satisfaction of a yelp and gouged knuckles as his assailant stumbled backward, staring. Not just a glorified pacemaker and dream chaser, it also slices and dices. Though smoothed and polished for that nonabrasive comfort and style, the casing of his arc reactor was still metal. Very hard and very undentable by human knuckles no matter how large they were. Maybe still lacking in verbal comebacks, Tony still managed a wincing wink through his scrambled gasps.

The other guy stashed the Patek Philippe, no doubt dazzled with the notion of raking in a couple hundred for that bit of wrist gadgetry at the closest pawn shop in spite of the original sticker price. Tony didn't even know the original sticker price. Could care less about the sticker price and would be content with a hunk of plastic dressed up with Mickey Mouse so long as it alluded to the time. It didn't necessarily have to keep the right time either. An approximation... really. At least within a twelve hour window.

“That some kinda vest?” Big bad and angry grappled with complete sentences around the mouthful of scraped flesh. His buddy, still going through their recent windfall, was back to picking through the wallet that had yet to disgorge anything more than plastic.

He watched both young men while evaluating his own limits. Scruffy, oversized clothes in spite of their height. Easy enough to overpower them both. Even with him injured it wouldn't honestly be a fair fight. He'd gotten his breath back, now. Still dizzy and blinking hard but he could work with that. Wouldn't pass up a glass of Scotch. He'd even be happy with a stick of Juicy Fruit.

Or a... rock.

Good enough. His fingers crawled towards the... huh... not rock. Pitted, carbon black, the outer curved edge held a slight sheen. A tooth. Not even a whole tooth – just the sheared off tip from one of those... flying eel... things. The kid currently engaged with his wallet suddenly called for his buddy, giving Tony the chance to tuck the tooth into his palm as Clockwork Orange turned away.

Advantage him in those seconds, both with their backs turned and enough adrenaline to overcome the wobble, he pulled to his feet with barely a scrape of his heels, tooth dropping into his palm. Taking in a single breath to gather himself, he...

Legs. Funny time they chose not to work. Not funny hilarious but more like funny 'Oh Shit!'

“...oh fuck, dude, check out the name on the card! Dude, we just beat up Iro-KEVIN, LOOK OUT!”

Doctor Strange:

The High Cost of Dying No warnings

He felt a ripple travel from shoulders to waist – the cloth encasing his torso constricting – shivering mild panic through his chest and he fought not to tear the not-a-cardigan from his body – god, he couldn't breathe! Trying to push himself up, he trembled at the stiff ache throbbing through his midsection. His brain analyzed the symptoms even as he struggled to understand why... he was going into shock. His arms folded beneath him; dropping him to his side and he felt the first real bloom of heat in his back. He couldn't reach it with his hands but he could feel another sensation – wet – and understood, suddenly, what had happened... just not

“How... h-ho-how... what...?”

A shaking, terrified voice responded. “I'm sorry – God I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn-I didn-I didn't m-mean – please, oh my God, don't die – please don't die – oh my God!”

The clerk – babbling – sneakers squeaking as he, apparently, made several running steps back and forth. And then a sob – a metallic clank as something heavy dropped on the counter.

“Please – you have to come quick! He's bleeding – I think he... he's been shot and I think he's dying!”

Stephen tuned out the 911 call in the background. The kid wasn't wrong. Though he wasn't, yet, feeling the pain that he knew would hit once the adrenaline faded, he knew, roughly, where he'd been shot. Large intestine and possibly the right kidney were compromised – no exit wound so the bullet likely struck bone – angle suggesting slight upward path and... Stephen gasped – tasting blood... probable lung involvement.

Weakness was rapidly stripping away his ability to move – his fingers splayed – shaking. His vision was started to go unfocused – a darkening grey at the edges. Color had already begun to leech from his sight.

Everything stopped in his next breath – grey brightening to silver and everything tunneled to a single pinprick...

He burst free; his body left behind with the shade of his astral form lifting above – evaluating the damage from an outsider's perspective. Literally. Moving closer, he slipped his fingers past the layers of cloth and skin. A warm glow lit the interior – highlighting veins and bone and organs...

A clatter and startled shout reminded him of the clerk – the young man standing just behind him and currently staring at the light show with his jaw slack. In another moment, he swallowed – rubbing his head and muttering.

“Oh my God... that isn't normal...”

Interesting... Terrified but he hadn't run away, yet. Stephen pushed his head and shoulders into the physical world. “It also isn't normal to stand around gaping while a man bleeds out on the floor – no thanks to you.”

“Holy shit! Ohhhh holy shit!!” Backpedaling into an end cap of Hostess snack cakes, the young man pointed a shaking hand at the ghost apparently haunting the cracker aisle.

“Holy shit, you're dead – you're dead – are you dead?? Oh, God, don't kill me!”

“Okay, calm down, I'm not going to kill you... Wayne.”

Wayne wrapped his arms around himself, half bending at the waist – long dreadlocks swinging into his eyes. “How- how- how...?”

Forgoing the cliché of pointing out the prominent name tag, Stephen frowned. “Because I'm a powerful sorcerer and I can read your mind.” At Wayne's already ashy face losing yet more color, Stephen rolled his eyes. “I read your name tag. Now, do you mind?” He gestured to the widening blood pool.

[leoinjapan]

~ the end / ～終わり

right now i am tucked into bed back in my little hometown in torquay, thousands of miles from tokyo. this will be my last post on this blog (for now.) enjoy!

on the 21st july i went to kitasenju with friends, for my first hanabi taikai (fireworks show), which are very popular in the summer months. this show was so jampacked there was so space for the kind of little festival that usually goes on at these events, but it was still a great show with some stunning displays. it’s always nice to hang with friends!

i also went to fuji-q highland with friends, which is a very famous rollercoaster park near mt fuji. it has a rollercoaster with the steepest incline drop in the world. however, my favourite ride was called eejanaika (roughly translated by me as “isn’t that a bit whaaaat?”) which you definitely might utter upon seeing it. here is a video:

the park also has a section for my favourite anime ever called evangelion world! it had rough designs to see, and also large models and a projection show as well as recreations of the setting which were great to walk around

i also went to team borderless exhibition at the mori building in odaiba, which was full of digital art. it was a very surreal and beautiful experience that i will remember for a long time.

now for the trip to korea. strap in because this may take a while, i will try to be concise!

me and my friend arrived in seoul very early, and i don’t think i slept, so it was due to be an exhausting day. we thought we could buy a sim or portable wifi when we got there, but we found it was pretty expensive and so we decided just to rely on wifi we found on our way... which was pretty stressful but also a bit of an adventure.

we went on a bus to gangnam because we weren’t sure where to go at first. on the bus, a man who spoke fluent english gave us some suggestions where to go. he was extremely kind and i’m seriously grateful to him for putting us at ease when we had no knowledge of the place or the language!

gangnam is mainly just shops, which we weren’t that interested in at that moment, so we headed instead to our hotel to drop off our bags. i had thought that seoul and tokyo would be kind of similar, but they really aren’t. in seoul, people look at you a lot more, and are a bit more blunt (and sometimes rude-) but then out of nowhere they will turn into the kindest and most generous people you can meet.

me and my friend walked down insadong, a cute street with lots of crafts shops and stuff near our hotel. i walked into a store with bts merch because, well, bts, and the owner made a very enthusiastic attempt at english with me. i could barely read hangul (korean alphabet) at the time but he went through the map and made me read out all the important places on the map (my reading skills definitely improved under pressure). many people i met in korea were like this, going straight up to me and initiating a conversation with no pretenses, asking me about britain and how to pronounce english swear words. the vibe was completely different from tokyo.

in the evening me and my friend went to dongdaemun, famous for its fashion and music. i didn’t buy any clothes but i did have an amazing bowl of sulbing (shaved ice) with matcha, mochi and red bean. one of the best desserts i’ve had in my life!

near our hotel is one of seoul’s most popular palaces, gyeongbokgung. me and a friend paid to rent hanbok (korea’s national dress) so we could enter the palace for free and see the changing of the guard.

the palace was beautiful, with similar architecture to japan but with much more vibrant, pastel-like colours.

here you can see me in the hanbok passing through the gay initiation rainbow arch before i became a fully fledged gay. jk, we just found a random temple near our hotel that was really beautiful

i got heat exhaustion from walking around in 35C heat in the hanbok, but i recovered in time to go to itaewon in the evening where we went to a korean barbeque. unfortunately i could not afford the korean premium beef, but the beef i had was very good. after we found the street full of gay bars. we were called into a bar by a very flamboyant man, but it became clear no one could speak english except the bartender, who was busy but i still got to have a decent chat with. it was nice just to have a glimpse of the scene.

the next day we went to the national museum of korea. i always love a good museum, but i particularly loved the buddhist art and statues, since it’s a personal interest of mine! korea has such a complex history that i could not absorb it all going through the museum; i would love to study it in more detail.

afterwards we went to hongdae, the student district, which is full of cheap but trendy clothes. i got some cute earrings. i had a great drink at the coffee bean and tea leaf cafe. then we had fried chicken and beer at bbq, which is not a bbq, but a famous fried chicken place in korea. it was the best fried chicken i’ve ever had, the batter was made with olive oil and was to die for!

we barely had time but we rushed to seoul tower, which was only open for a little while longer. we went up to the top and had a brilliant view of the city lit up at night.

the next day we caught the bus to busan, the second largest city in south korea. the bus was pretty cheap actually, and comfy. if seoul was a bit grittier than tokyo, busan was even more so; it’s not so clean and the people side eye you a bit more. (some even refused to sit near us!) we didn’t have much time there but we headed to the hotel first to drop off our stuff, and then went to gamcheon cultural village, about an hour from the hotel by metro.

gamcheon is a village full of beautiful pastel houses and arts, crafts and murals. though it is still a residential area and some parts are off limits, there is a thriving tourism here. the residents were very friendly (though i had the feeling they were laughing at our tourist ways.)

i could have spent longer there, but it was quite a hike to get there and we had somewhere else we wanted to go before sundown: haedong yonggungsa, a buddhist temple at the other end of busan. on the train we went. it was a bit of trouble to get there by bus, but a friendly stranger helped us find the way. i am so glad we decided to go because it is the most beautiful temple i have seen so far.

the temple is built into this cliff above the sea. the sound of the crashing waves is supposed to calm and stimulate the mind when meditating. i did a bit of meditating myself on the rocks and it was a wonderful experience. seeing beautiful structures like this puts me at such ease with the world.

that night we went to the beach and just walked around on the sand, listening to the waves and watching the bright lights of the city’s entertainment district. we found a restaurant and i had korean beef and avacado rice with soju (god that stuff tastes bad straight.) my friend got very drunk.

at the hotel we had a jacuzzi, so i got in it for a while before going to sleep. the next morning we had no time to do anything but get to the coach station ready for our bus back to seoul.

once we got back to seoul we were planning to look around a bit more, but got an email from our flight company saying our flight was cancelled due to typhoon. we wanted to see if we could change to an earlier flight so we rushed to the airport, but nope, they were all cancelled. we would have to wait in the airport overnight for a flight the next day. i was gutted because i wanted to do some things in tokyo before i went back to the uk the day after, but now i had no time.

one silver lining of this was that i got to go into a jimjilbang, a korean spa, at the airport. it was pretty cheap for the service we got for a few hours. i was a bit anxious about going into the mens only baths, being a trans man, but in the end nobody cared, or at worst just looked at me a bit longer than usual. that might have just been because i was white though

you go into the changing area, strip and walk into the baths. i couldn’t see anything without my glasses so that helped my anxiety a bit. i went into the shower and showered off (which was great since i had been very stressed and tired.) i didn’t get in the bath but used all of the skin and hair products i could get my hands on, before going into the sleeping area in the pyjamas provided. the sleeping area is just full of mats and floor recliners. i got a couple hours kip before i went to see my friend off for her flight, then i had mine a few hours later.

packing and clearing out my room on the last day was very stressful, and i had to extend my deadline for moving out, but i eventually did it. i mailed my health insurance card back to the government and then headed to the airport, which was a very sweaty and exhausting journey, but not as exhausting as navigating the crappy british train system when i got back. shout out to my bestie addie for taking the stuff i couldn’t fit in my suitcase back with her!

it’s hard to summarize what an amazing year this has been for me. i learned so much about japan and its surrounding countries, about people, about the world, and about myself. to be in a place where i was thousands of miles from everyone i know was exciting and freeing. i met some of the most amazing people on the planet and grew so much in confidence and maturity. at the beginning of the year i had been afraid i would be disappointed by the experience, that going to the place i always dreamed to go would end up being tiring and i had been just romanticizing the place too much. however, though it was different to how i imagined in many ways, it was breathtaking to see and learn things i had always dreamed of. to look around and realize you have achieved your dreams is a very surreal feeling. somehow it feels like only the beginning.

thank you for sticking with me. i hope i can write one of these blogs again one day!

[bitcoinminershasrate]

Best GPU Temperature during mining: Guide| Setup| RXT 580/570, RTX 5700

Best GPU temperature during mining: Guide |Setup| RXT 580/570, RTX 5700: Graphics cards adapted for mining are equipped with an efficient cooling system. If you assembled the rig correctly and regularly carry out maintenance, the graphics adapters can work on the mining of cryptocurrency for 2.5-3 years. But, for this you need to maintain an optimal temperature regime. Overheating of the gpu device leads to increased wear of the cooler and the blade of the graphics chip. The normal temperature of the video card in mining is the key to stable profit for the miner. But, what temperature rp is considered acceptable, and how to maximize the life of computing equipment in mining? We will tell you about this now. Optimum temperature of video cards It should be noted right away that the indicator of the normal temperature of a video card in mining, to some extent, depends on the device model, mining algorithm and overclocking parameters. - On the air, the operating temperature of the GPU is higher than on the kryptonite, but if mining ETH is more profitable, it does not always make sense to switch to a "colder" coin. - The popular Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti model without the OHGODANETHLARGEMENTPILL utility outputs a maximum of 38 Mh / s on Etherum at 58 / 59C. If you install the "magic pill", the hash rate rises to 54.5 mh / s, and the average temperature of the video card will be about 70C, and this is not a reason for panic. Optimum temperature of video cards For AMD Rx 570/580 series devices, the normal graphics card temperature on the most profitable Ethash algorithm is in the 58-62C range, new RTX 5700 series devices have approximately the same indicators. Most of all, graphics adapters are heated on the ProgPow and X16Rv2 algorithms, but the extraction of these coins is not very profitable yet. True, there are rumors that Ethereum may soon switch to ProgPow to protect against ASICs .  In principle, any video card with heat pipes in the cooling system can operate at 70-75C, but as practice shows, red video cards do not warm up to this temperature under normal conditions. However, it all depends on the operating conditions. Tips for Ensuring the Durability of Graphics Cards How to extend the life of a video card when mining? Tips for Ensuring the Durability of Graphics Cards Cooling Follow the instructions for assembling the mining farm. It is necessary to correctly calculate the size of the frame so that the video cards do not stand very tightly to each other. And also they should be as far away from the power supply and cpu as possible, the fans of which will blow hot air over them. And keep in mind, constantly mining in a PC case is the murder of a video card. You can conduct a test and, if you decide to engage in crypto mining , transfer the card to the riser , or at least remove the side cover of the case. You can install a waterblock on top-end Nvidia graphics cards, but it's not cheap. Fresh air inflow Do not operate the equipment at room temperature over 35C. The maximum temperature of a video card directly depends on the air temperature in the room. Ventilate the room where the rig is installed regularly, if it is very hot in summer, buy additional fans to blow the truss. Dust how to clean video cards Dust how to clean video cards Stop the rig periodically for maintenance. Over time, dust collects on the hardware, which shortens the life of the video card when mining. It is necessary to thoroughly blow the devices with compressed air once a month. For this, special cans are sold in computer stores, but it is better to buy an electric blower for cleaning and drying, or a garden vacuum cleaner. Monitor GPU temperature On Claymore's or Phoenix, the GPU temperature and cooler rotation speed will be displayed in the program window. But if the crypto mining software does not support this option, please install MSI Afterburner or Tech power up GPU-Z app. Monitor GPU temperature Overclocking and lowering power consumption Setting the optimal overclocking parameters and undervolting will help ensure the normal temperature of the video card. Recent versions of Claymore's or Phoenix utilities allow you to: - Reduce the voltage of the graphics core and device memory (parameters -cvddc and -mvdc). - Adjust the power consumption limit. - Adjust the overclocking and rotational speed of the cooler. The voltage can be reduced by about 10-15% and this will not be reflected in the hashrate and stability, but the temperature of the GPU and power consumption will decrease and extend its service life in mining. Grossly overestimated memory and core frequencies will lead to malfunctions and higher GPU temperatures, so avoid overclocking. And it is not at all necessary to set the maximum rotational speed of the cooler. You will lower the temperature a little, but the fan bearings will fail much faster. Important! Do not leave the rig unattended for long periods. Sudden failure of one fan will cause the gpu device to overheat. If the room is strong in the summer and the gpu temperature is close to critical, switch to a less power-hungry algorithm. Previously, AMD graphics cards were transferred to Monero in the summer, but now this coin has switched to Random X and it has become unprofitable to mine. The altcoin Boolberry (BBR) based on the Wild Keccack algorithm was quite cold and profitable, however, now this project is going through hard times. Perhaps, among the forks of kryptonite or on other algorithms, there are still profitable coins that allow you to keep the normal temperature of video cards in the summer. But if the GPU temperature indicators on profitable coins are only 2-3 degrees higher than the optimal ones, you can ignore this. The main thing is to regularly clean the mining farm from dust and ventilate the room. And yet, in the settings of the Claymore's or Phoenix executable file, there is an option -tstop , which allows you to stop mining if the temperature of the GPU becomes critical. Be sure to write down this parameter, put, for example: -tstop 80 , so you will save the card from overheating if the cooler suddenly fails. Conclusion Well, now you know what the maximum temperature of a video card is allowed in mining. A crypto mining rig, like any complex technique, needs care, and if you don't like to tinker with hardware, then, perhaps, mining is not your element. But you shouldn't think that only advanced computer scientists can engage in cryptocurrency mining. Any experienced PC user can build and run a gpu rig. There are many materials on this topic on our site. Read the full article