#those roofing techniques are cool

[lucysstoryworld]

The Tormented & The Unforgiven | Azriel x Reader

Summary: What happens when one of Azriel's most trusted spies, someone he is beginning to care for, betrays him?

Warnings: This is dark and quite graphic. Abuse, torture, waterboarding, death. MDNI. Angst.

Word Count: 7,558

Masterlist

This wasn't happening... this was all just a sick nightmare. You'd wake up at any moment now, tangled in the sheets of your bed. The sun rising over a cool winter morning and trickling through your window would lull you from your slumber at any moment, you were certain. You tried to pinch yourself and were met with a tug. As if on cue, a dull yet deep ache permeated from your shoulders to your arms. A tingling feeling vibrated your fingertips, chained above your head. Oh... yes. Breaths rattled through your lungs, a crackling filling the dank space.

Definitely not happening... surely not.

Opening your eyes was a chore. They stung, the faelight from the hallway burned your retinas. A low hiss and another attempt later, your eyes remained open. The ache in your neck felt insignificant compared to that of those pulsing at random points in your body. The gorsian shackles choking your wrists and ankles ensured the pain would last. An low, agonised moan escaped your lips.

Definitely is happening. The agony that spread through every nerve of your body was all the proof you needed. Raising your head, you desperately tried to clear the fog. You were suspended from the ceiling with gorsian shackles, with matching chains gripping your ankles. The smell of damp and mould was almost as distracting as the cold that nipped at your body and heightened the ache of your injuries. There were small puddles on the floor beneath you, a leaking roof too - high risk of infection to the wounds that were littered across your body. Your mind was still lagging behind reality, your heart felt like it was going to beat out of your chest. Breathe. Remember your training.

A deep breath in, you focused on filling your lungs to their capacity. Pursing your lips, you blew the breath out slowly. Your focus remained solely on controlling the exhalation, all the way until there was nothing left. You repeated this twice more, just as your boss had trained you. Our job can be terrifying at times, this technique can help you focus and bring your heart rate down. Make our decision making more rational, he had said. He was right, you had come to realise. The breathing exercise had allowed you to calm down on more than a handful of occasions. That being said, it did not make your current situation any easier to understand. You remembered how you got here now... and you still couldn't wrap your head around it.

***

It was a normal day, for you at least. Returning from a mission a day previous, you had today to report your findings to Azriel and to rest. Exhaustion laid heavy on your body, the mission had been a long one with little reward. Although every mission had been similar to that as of late. While Eris was to be somewhat trusted, as Azriel had put it, it would be unwise to not send his own spies to make sure the High Lord and Lady were not being blindsided. So that was your detail. Stake out the Autumn Court and High Lord Beron along with his family. Figure out what was occurring behind the curtains and try to discover Beron's motives... at least so Azriel didn't have to rely on the word of Eris Vanserra. Though your boss had warned you to keep as much distance as you could, with all the Autumn Court soldiers being bewitched he did not wish that fate on you or any of your colleagues... yet you couldn't help the flutter in your heart when he had expressed this concern while looking directly into your eyes. You allowed yourself the small comfort (or delusion) of believing he told you this because he cared about you.

You used to have a rendezvous point with the Spymaster. Yet, after a rough mission in which you were too incapacitated to move from your bed, it soon became the routine for you and Azriel to debrief at your home. Not that you were complaining. You lived a solitary life being in your line of work. There were no records of your existence anywhere, no family to remember you nor any friend to seek your company. A truly invisible female. Apart from Azriel of course, though you were sure he did not see you as a friend or even acquaintance, just his employee. Not even his second in command. Though it did not stop you from feeling excited by his visits. They reminded you that you were alive. That you, at least, had one person who knew of your existence. So, with the butterflies of a youth in your stomach, you prepared for your visitor. You had already written out your report and left it sitting on your living room table. You had dressed in your usual style, and waited for Azriel to come to your door. The rushing of the Sidra filled your living area through the open window. Your generous salary as a spy allowed you to build this house, along the youthful stage of the river where it raced downhill and eventually through Velaris. You had not yet laid your eyes on the city that was only a depiction in your mind from how Azriel had described it. You knew he trusted you at least that much, to allow you to know where he resided. He had once offered to bring you there. Then the war happened and it became the last thing on either of your minds.

A series of knocks pulled you from your wandering thoughts. The seemingly nondescript rhythm of taps on the door made sure you knew who was on the other side. You fought back the slight grin that threatened to widen. You chided yourself, you were acting no better than the human females in the tales of princesses and knights you had read as a teenager. Your teenaged years had been rough, you had travelled up and down Prythian five times over, stealing and tricking to get by. You knew you wouldn't live as long as other fae did back then, your way of life bound to end you sooner rather than later by means of starvation or by disgruntled merchants. The books you nicked from time to time allowed you to fall into a different reality for a short while where life was much simpler. Where life consisted of whether or not the stars would align and let the princess remain with her true love. A moment later, you opened the door with the signature smile stretching across your lips. As quick as your smile appeared, it disappeared. Azriel was not alone.

Standing beside your boss was another Illyrian male few inches shorter though no less intimidating. For every blue siphon Azriel possessed, this male had just as many red ones. This must be Cassian, the General. You glanced at your boss warily, feeling slightly betrayed by him as your privacy was breached. Though from the look of his amber gaze, you knew it was not a good time to tackle him on it.

"Come in," You mumbled confusedly and widened the door. They stepped in and you watched as Azriel guided the warlord to sit at the table you had just been daydreaming at moments ago. "Would you like anything to eat or drink?" Careful, you warned yourself. Something wasn't right about this situation. Instinct had you scrambling to gain control of the unfolding events.

"No. Sit down," Azriel ordered. This was not the male you were accustomed to. While one could never describe Azriel as flamboyant, he was also not usually this cold toward around you. Quiet yet caring, not cold and calculating.

"Yes, sir," was your reply and you settled in the seat opposite the two males. Your heart was beginning to thump in anticipation. Your tendencies had you wishing you at least had your dagger nearby. You trust him, you always have, the voice in your mind whispered. Reaching out to open the report between the three of you, you did not miss how the General tensed ever so slightly. It was a movement so slight that, to the untrained eye, it would have been unnoticeable. Meeting Azriel's eyes once again, you allowed the confusion to show on your face. "I assume you want the report of my previous mission in Autumn." You weren't sure if it was a question or a statement.

A few beats of silence passed and both males stared you down. You waited, staring back. If there was something amiss, you would not allow them to think it was something to do with you. "Go ahead." Azriel's tone was so... cruel. Like you were a mouse caught in the claws of a street cat. Like he was toying with you.

You would not bite. If there was an issue, they were more than capable of speaking plain to you. "As you know, this mission spanned a period of four months," You began. As you continued to debrief your mission, you felt as though you were speaking to brick walls. While both sets of eyes remained solely focused on you, they seemed to be looking through you. As though what you were saying was insignificant. You tried to make sense of it. There was no major outcomes of your mission, so perhaps that was the reason for their demeanour. "I observed a member of High Lord Beron's spy circle enter and leave fairly often. I could not get close enough to determine why or what was the reason for these visits. I dug as much as I could but could only ascertain that it had something to do with Eris. If he has been absent then it is likely because he is being watched closely." Closing the report, you slid it across the table to Azriel, "Anything I may have missed will be in my report like always." You never missed out on any detail, though you always said it to Azriel.

You sat back in your chair. There was usually some discussion after you finished your report. Azriel would question you on various parts of your account in order to try make a connection that you could have missed. When you were new to the world of being a spy, it annoyed you to no end. You did not enjoy being second guessed. Azriel had explained to you that all he wished to do was brainstorm with you, try to figure out the puzzles together. A problem shared is a problem halved. So the lack of conversation after only added to uncertainty and began to grate on your nerves.

"Anything else?" The General pressed. Your head shot to him. He looked ready to pounce on you at any moment.

Heckles raised, your brows furrowed, "No?"

"Are you sure?" Azriel bit. If Cassian looked ready to pounce, Azriel looked ready to kill.

"Yes, I'm sure," You snapped back, heart beginning to race. "Can you cut it out? Get to the point!"

You cursed yourself for slightly jumping when Azriel's fist slammed against your wooden table. Your mind ran in circles around itself trying to decipher what it was that you had done to have your boss so visibly angry. So visibly struggling to control his fury. "I am being more than patient with you. You have one final chance to reveal what you have done... I cannot and will not refrain from extrapolating it through any means necessary." His voice was a vicious growl that seemed to make your very bones tremble.

Your stomach felt weak, your cool and calm spy demeanour a thing of the past. Sweat accumulated along your brow as your eyes frantically darted between your boss and the General. "I-I..." You hesitated. You were drawing a blank and a curse quickly followed from your breath at just how guilty you looked, especially to one so keen as the Spymaster of Night himself. "I truly do not know what this is about... please I'm sure whatever has happened is some sort of miscommunication." You nearly fell over your chair as you stumbled out of it, trying to create some distance between yourself and the hulking Illyrians who were beginning to stalk towards you in a strange unison. They didn't appear to be doing it consciously though that did nothing to ease the terror snaking up your spine as they drew nearer. "Azriel please... you must believe me. I don't know what this is about. You know me!" It was true. Azriel was the only living soul on The Mother's land that knew you through and through.

A cruel snort from Azriel seemed to dash any hope from you. "I thought I did, though that was my mistake," Azriel replied. In an instant both males grabbed your arms and forced you to your knees. You hated to admit it, but the feeling of betrayal had tears beginning to line your eyes. You hated it even more when you began to plead with him, beg him to believe you. However neither Cassian nor Azriel replied. They only secured chains around your wrists and ankles and a charmed sack over your head. The sack blocked all sound and sight, not even a crack of light. Your panic created a lump in your through as the only noise to greet you was your own laboured breaths. The tears finally dribbled over when your felt the hands of Azriel and Cassian roughly push and shove you to and fro. You knew where you were headed. You had delivered a target or two to the dungeons of the Hewn City -- well you had delivered them to Azriel's second in command, or Azriel himself, to bring there.

You knew that those targets never left those dungeons either.

***

You remembered now. Some time had passed from then... a few days... a few weeks... you weren't sure. It was so desperately, desperately dark down here. You had been rendered unconscious a number of times. Whatever information Azriel believed you possessed translated to him using all manner of force to squeeze it out of you. He allowed other members of his spy circle... your spy circle to torture this mystery information out. He knew the betrayal would cut deeper than any blade or whip ever could. Despite the kindness within Azriel, he was a talented torturer. He seemed to know that mere flesh wounds wouldn't break someone like you. You had known cuts and bruises long before you ever came into Azriel's employ. And he knew that. Seeing the quiet rage in your former colleagues eyes, seeing your own betrayal reflected in their gazes, tore something in you. You had worked with each one of them on one mission or another. Now they were taking their pain out on you... traitor had been imbedded onto your torso by Alyia in her native tongue from the continent. Elijah had pulled out your molars, his knife tearing strips from your gums in the process. Oscar ripped three fingernails from you. You screamed and wailed that you knew nothing. That this was a mistake. Though your pleas had fallen on deaf ears.

So you hung there, despair your only company until the next barrage began. No one would believe you, that much was painfully obvious now. They would not allow you a quick nor painless death... so you stopped eating and drinking. You would at least keep your dignity in controlling your own death, even if your mouth had the consistency of sandpaper and hunger pains were a torture in their own right.

Footsteps began to echo toward your cell. They were light, but making themselves known. Azriel. He had not shown himself since you had been dragged here. A strategic move on his part. He was saving his presence until it was absolutely necessary, you were sure. He allowed your colleagues to begin chipping away at your presumed resolve. Allowed them to begin cracking you, so he could deliver the final blow and reveal all your secrets. You raised your head, waiting for him with half lidded eyes. Seeing him standing there, wings flared and a tray in hand, brought a rush of emotions. Anger, rage, despair, betrayal, injustice. You wanted to scream at him, to curse his name and his existence. The urge bubbled in your chest. However, when you laid your eyes upon him, it all died on your tongue. What use had screaming gotten you thus far. Thus, you dipped your chin once again.

You closed your eyes and listened as he passed through the door. Listened as he placed the tray on the table that had held pliers, daggers and whips in the prior hours. You felt his shadows snake and slither over your aching body. They seemed to bite and nip at each of your injuries. You twitched at their barrage, it felt like tiny needles poking at your mangled body. Even so, you would not raise your head. As silent as a mouse, Azriel moved to stand before you. His shiny boots were all you could see. A groan erupted from you when he grabbed your cheeks and forced your head upright. His amber eyes burned with hatred, though they wandered all over your faced. Lingered on the swelling on your left eye that would soon become too large for you to open and close.

"Hunger strike, really?" He questioned unimpressed, squeezing your cheeks so hard that the cuts inside your mouth reopened and dribbled out of your lips onto his gloved hand.

You stared through him, forcing your mind out of that dingy cell and back to your peaceful home. If you thought hard enough, you could hear the flowing Sidra over the noise of your own agony. If you thought hard enough, you could smell the breads you used to make more than the smell of your blood. If you thought hard enough, you could transport yourself to a reality where this wasn't happening.

A harsh slap reeled you back into the dungeon. Stars danced across your vision. The lack of food and water made that slap feel like a punch. When they cleared, you gazed upon the cruel beauty of Azriel Shadowsinger. It seemed like eons ago that this male set butterflies afloat in your stomach. Now all he did was set led weighing on your stomach. "Keep your eyes on me." You hated the way you obeyed. You were terrified of the horrors Azriel could release unto you. It was no secret to anyone in Prythian the creativity he possessed in the arts of torture. He raised a cup of water to your lips. No. You jerked back, clenching your teeth together. He struggled with you, holding the back of your head. Shaking your head, you dodged his attempt to hydrate you by any means necessary. His fingers curled around your blood-matted hair, and he yanked with all his might. You shrieked at the pain and Azriel used the excuse to pour the water in. You choked and sputtered until you expelled as much of it as you could.

"Fuck you!" You coughed out, your throat raw and breaths heaving.

An impatient snarl passed through Azriel's lips. He walked back to the small table to where the tray rested. You watched this time, and saw that the tray consisted of three jugs and some rags, along with the cup in his hand. One of the jugs slammed back onto the table, its contents spilling over the edged. "Let's try this again, agent," Azriel spoke steady. "You will drink and then you will eat. You will not get out of this the easy way. Is that clear?" His tone promised violence.

"No," You voice was low but defiant.

A humoured chuckle escaped the Spymaster as he returned to your front. "I was not requesting," Was all he said before he grabbed your head again and attempted to force the water down your neck. You thrashed and shook, though a couple drops managed their way past your protests. You detested that the cool water felt nice on your raw throat. The struggle continued until the remanets of the glass dribbled down the rags that covered your battered body.

Wordlessly, Azriel returned the table again. This time, he abandoned his cup and picked up the jug. And a rag. "I gave you two chances to drink properly," He began and immersed the rag into the jug. Your heart began to race like it had many times over the last while. Taking the rag out of the water, Azriel held it over your face. His hand slid to the back of your head and held your hair so tight that you couldn't move an inch. Before you had a chance to take a breath, Azriel began to pour the water slowly over the rag. You tried to gasp, though the water made you splutter and choke. Your mind went wild with panic, your chest heaving in attempt to draw in enough air. Trying to scream only resulted in weak groans and more choking. "This will go on for as long as you wish to protest," Azriel began. "I will have the water topped up regularly. You will not know more than a moments peace until you either confess what you have done or until you have decided to eat and drink." Dread swirled in your guts. You had enacted this very torture on a male before, it really could go on for hours. For as long as was necessary.

"I-I-" You tried to choke out. The water halted for a moment. "I don't know what I must confess! Azriel please-!"

"Don't. You. Dare!" Azriel roared. You body trembled and your head pounded from his grip on your hair. "Cut the shit!"

For the first time since you had been brought here, a loud sob ripped through your throat. You had screamed and wailed from the torture before, but you hadn't outright cried like this. Your pride had prevented it. Now, you couldn't control the sobs that shook your body. It had seemed to pause Azriel for the moment, for he did not move or speak. He just let you cry. Your eyes burned from the tears and your tears burned the gashes on your face. Your heart weighed heavy in your body, hopelessness withered your soul. Your jaw clenched as you heaved. "This is some sick joke," You whispered to yourself. "Please just tell me if it's a joke, I'll forgive everyone I promise."

"This is no joke," Azriel spoke softly. Softly like one would speak to a lover. You wished that were the case. But instead, the water began to trickle over your face again.

***

It had been a few days since Azriel had returned to Velaris. Your silence troubled him greatly. He must've waterboarded you for at least five hours, only stopping when you had passed out from hyperventilation. Troubled, yet impressed. He had never known another target to last that long. They either cracked, confessed or passed out much earlier. Azriel chalked it up to your hard upbringing. You had only revealed bits and pieces, more being divulged the longer he knew you... if those stories were even the truth anymore. Though you were beginning to crack, that much was certain. It had been about three weeks since Azriel and Cassian had dragged you into those dungeons. His spies reported the actions they took in order to extract the information from you. Some of it would make even the toughest males cringe. As much as Azriel loathed you for what you had done, the descriptions of your torture and the results of which he had seen decorated on your body was a tough pill for him to swallow. Especially when it stretched on so long with no result. Was all the pain and suffering worth it when it yielded nothing? Whatever information you possessed must be worth such a fate.

A knock on Azriel's door pulled him from his depressing stream of thoughts. He called for his visitor to enter and lifted his head from the paper on his desk, it was not like he was really reading it anyway. Rhys walked through the door and sat on a chair in front of his Spymaster. It seemed funny for his High Lord to be before him rather than the other way around. "What is it, brother?" Azriel questioned. Rhysand had been disappointed when it was revealed that one of Azriel's more trusted spies had turned traitor, or been a traitor all along. Especially when it had gone unnoticed by the Shadowsinger himself, only to be unveiled by said Shadowsinger's second in command. Rhysand had held his tongue then, seeing how blindsided and angered Azriel had been. He wasn't completely sure, but Rhysand suspected it could have had something to do with some feelings developing between his brother and the traitor.

"How has it been coming along? Do we have any idea how much intel has been passed onto Beron?" Rhysand asked carefully. It was a silly question really, Azriel would've come to him straight away with that kind of information. He just wanted to check on his brother.

With a grimace, Azriel answered. "She has been a tough one to crack. Not even a sliver of information that I can make anything of."

"Perhaps it is time for a change of strategy?" Rhysand suggested.

Azriel's eyes met his brother's. He knew what he was suggesting, the power swirling throughout his High Lord's gaze could extract the truth in a matter of moments. But the idea sickened Azriel. Not only because he knew it turned Rhys' stomach to do so, but also because he wanted to avoid that end for you if at all possible. It confused the Illyrian really. On one hand, he wanted to rip you to shreds for betraying his trust. On the other, he wished he could go back in time and relive those peaceful moments of your friendship and his blooming feelings for you. Azriel clenched and unclenched his jaw. "That is our last resort, brother. I wish to try one more thing, if that does not work, then..."

Rhysand dipped his chin. "Of course, Az." He would probe Azriel later for his true thoughts. The shadows twirled around Azriel in a frenzy. They were typically a good indicator of when was a good time to talk to him.

***

You had been lowered to the ground, your ankles remained chained. Lying on the cold damp floor, tears dripped steadily down your cheeks. You did not sob and you tried to stop the flow, but it did not halt. Maybe you were going mad because the tears did not reflect the emptiness you felt eating a hole into your soul. It was horrifying yet comforting. You did not feel like the host of your own body, you felt like an outsider. Your assailants stabbed and whipped, you screamed and groaned. Yet you felt nothing on the inside. You did not beg or plead. You no longer protested when they forced food and water down your neck. You did nothing. There was nothing left in you. The lack of reaction had gained you no mercy. Large, deep gashes scored your arms. So lethal that the healer had advised that you be lowered, or else the wounds would stretch and you would bleed to death. Of course you could not die yet. The news must have made it to the boss because he stood before your cell for the second time since you arrived. You expected your heart to race, for fear to rattle your bones once again. Yet you remained still. Unbothered. They truly had broken you beyond repair. In walked Azriel. Your eyes followed each of his movements. His slithering companions remained by his side, as though they were on a leash.

"What have they done to you?" Azriel's voice was so soft as he hunched down before you. He reached out with an un-gloved hand to take your own. Red-stained bandaging covered two gaps where fingers had been. The gorsian shackles had been doing their job, along with the drops of faebane in your water. The healing was slow... but still healing. Was this what it was like for the humans?

You remained mute, still staring at your former friend. He met your eyes once again, not holding back his troubled face. If Azriel was being honest with himself, your silence was jarring. That look on your face was scary. You were slipping away before him, before the job was done. He replaced his grip on your mangled hand to wipe the tears from your cheek. You did not so much as flinch. Instead, your eyes closed. This was the only soft touch you had received in what felt like forever, and with your end drawing near you would enjoy it. Even if the one that would order your execution was providing you with that warmth. For a moment, you slipped into a reality stars away. A reality in which you were lying beside this male, his hand not wiping tears but caressing gently. A world where you could open your eyes and see Azriel's loving expression. Not this world.

"Let's try this a different way, sweetness." The nickname startled you. It had been a joke between you and him before all this. He had teased you for the amount of sugar in your tea. "Can you sit up for me?" Azriel spoke to you like he had before this nightmare began. You shook your head. It was only now that Azriel realised that your hands were clutching your stomach... no guarding it. He lifted the rag-like shirt that covered your top-half. Another inscription had been cut there. No, burned there. The spymaster's own hands twitched at the sight. For how depraved he was, he had never been depraved enough to enact this specific torture on anyone.

"It means snake," Your voice cracked. Raw from both disuse and screaming, Azriel was sure. "Alyia promised for every day I do not reveal my treachery, she will brand me with names through different means. You would be proud of her," You chuckled. The chuckle soon turned into a mixture of groans and coughs that spattered blood into your hand.

"I am not proud of this." It was the truth. As much as it was necessary at times, Azriel did not delight in torture. Much less yours. "Why are you keeping the information then? Surely you do not wish for this to continue."

Another laugh filled the room, the tears still streaming from you. The laugh turned to a cackle this time, loud and crazed. It lasted a few moments and all Azriel could do was watch. He had seen this many times before. The emotions of a tortured soul were not to be understood. He waited until your giggles died down. When they died, your arm wiped the tears. "You must think me stronger than I really am! I would've confessed long ago if I was a traitor. I've even thought of fabricating a confession so it would mean I would be put out of my misery but you would see through that and you'd keep me alive even longer." Your words struck a cord in Azriel. It was a strange thing for an old friend to wish for death at his hands, particularly when he knew your guilt to be fact. A fantastic actress you were, your performance was weighing greatly on Azriel's moral compass.

"How can you possibly think I will believe that?" He demanded incredulously. "I have seen the facts with my own eyes, through the work of someone I trust more than you."

That meant that Elijah, his second in command had either framed you or been fed false information so strong that it could not be refuted. "I don't think you will believe me," You replied dryly. "You have shown me that. So how about you tell me what you know."

Azriel rolled his eyes. He had trained you very well, your performance had tugged on even his heartstrings. "I know you are feeding intel about this court and my actions to Autumn," He growled and stood. He began to pace back and forth in front of you. "I was wondering why you kept requesting missions to the Autumn Court. I stupidly thought it was because you wished to help me with the unfolding business and please me. Because I believed you cared! That was my mistake. So now all that remains is to find out exactly what you have fed to Beron. So please, sweetness, tell me what you know and I will gladly put you out of your misery!"

Another humourless cackle erupted from you. "Let's be real, Azriel. You won't believe the truth even if it slapped you in the face. You have been tricked, but not by me. The truth will reveal itself one day, old friend. Whether it is in a few days or a few years, it will come out. Just know that when it does and I am dead, I will never forgive you. You have done wrong by me more than anyone else in my life."

With that, Azriel left your dungeon. This was his last attempt at extracting the truth. He had hoped that showing you kindness would give you enough hope that the truth would come out. He was wrong. So as he winnowed home, he mentally called for a meeting with Rhysand. Azriel's heart thumped painfully in his chest at your words. They resonated with him for some reason, the hard look in your eyes would be something he would never forget.

***

Elijah kept your hands bolted to each arm of the chair with two knives. They pierced all the way though your palm and at least a few inches into the wooden armrests. The pain that came with it was among some of the less severe you had become accustomed to. It was downright trivial compared the burning agony of the large screw being slowly twisted into your foot. Out of anyone, his punishments were the most painful. Elijah held a crazed look in his eye, a corner of his lips quirking while he inflicted his torment. It made sense to you now. For him, it was a sick delight. He enjoyed making you scream, making you beg for death. He wasn't trying to extract any information from you, he was merely toying with his spoils.

"You," A series of deep, laboured breaths ensued. "You're sick. I know what you've done."

The Cheshire-grin that slinked across Elijah's face was terrifying. "Oh how clever of you. Unfortunately for you, it is your word against my own. You are a pawn in a game that was created long before you let the Shadowsinger into your home for the first time. However, a happy coincidence it has been, girl. I could've never imagined the enjoyment I could get out of this. A dull affair turned an excess of excitement." You bowed your head. He was right. No one would believe you now, not that Azriel had revealed who had damned you. How convenient it would be for you to reveal Elijah's treachery so soon after your former boss had told you he was involved in your capture. Not to mention that whatever evidence the second in command had procured was enough to convince your boss and colleagues of your unwavering guilt. A terrible hybrid of a groan and scream ripped through your already raw throat as Elijah twisted the screw another full turn into your foot. It wouldn't be long now. Your end was in sight, Azriel's patience would not stretch much further. The only things you had left to fear was the method that would kill you and The Mother's grace to allow you back into her arms.

As if on cue, a group of footsteps echoed down the halls. You had come to recognise Azriel's. The other two you weren't sure of, but you assumed The General was in tow. The final pair were a mystery. Elijah spun on his heel, ready to greet his boss. In an instant, he was down on one knee, bowing so low he looked as though he could kiss the bloodstained ground. "High Lord, it is an honour." Your blood ran ice cold. Your head shot up and beheld the three Illyrians, each one just as petrifying as the other. Though, the High Lord's power blanketed the cell, seeping into every crack and corner. High Lord Rhysand stared right into your fear-filled eyes. There was whispers and rumours as to exactly what this male had done. He could turn your brain to mush and leave you living. He could rip your mind to shreds, give you the most agonising death with little effort. The horrors of his victims had never been far from your ears. The male's stare promised the same fate for you. It had you scrambling to ensure your own mental shields were intact, as though you could resist the might of the most powerful High Lord in history.

Rhysand called you by your full name, full of authority and reflecting the power that lurked behind his eyes. Raising your head, you looked anxiously at Azriel. You did everything to portray your fear and terror into that look. "Eyes on me." Rhysand bit. With a heart beating loud enough that everyone in the room could hear it, you met the eyes of your High Lord.

"My lord, please. This is a mistake," You begged one last time. One last chance at freedom. He would see the truth in your mind, but there would be nothing left of you to save.

"You have one final chance to reveal what you fed to Beron. Otherwise I will rip your mind apart until I find it myself," He promised viciously. You felt a razor-sharp claw make a long, uncomfortable pass over your mental shield.

You flickered your eyes to Elijah, who looked pale. This was it, your chance at justice. Even if you wouldn't be alive to witness it. Then you slid your gaze back to your old friend... your old love interest. Azriel scanned your body, holding on the knives in your hands and the screw in your foot. Cassian watched the exchange, though he had a harder time at hiding his expressions at the various horrors littering your body. "Remember what I told you," You spoke as you held the stare of Azriel. "I know nothing, High Lord. I have not fed any information to Beron or anyone from the Autumn Court."

Rhysand breathed a deep sigh when your eyes met once again. "Very well. May the Mother punish you justly for your sins." The feeling the followed was unlike anything you suffered before. You could not move, you could not scream. He was right there, in your mind. You could feel his essence cleaving your consciousness apart. Through each memory he watched, he destroyed it as he went. It felt like time had been slowed to a fraction of what it had been. The last few weeks of your torture felt inconsequential to these moments passing at a snail's pace. The blood that began to ooze from your nose, eyes and ears trickled slowly and took your mind with it. Everything you had ever been, would be and could've been was dribbling into a puddle in your lap.

You tried to push him out, tried to reinstate the shields and get him out. Give it up, his voice was a ripple of night. It was the voice of the High Lord, but also something more. Something demonic and beastly. It demanded you, and your mind conceded. The end was drawing near, you found yourself trying to remember your life and were met with nothingness. There was nothing left of you, only this pain and suffering. Why was this happening? You could not recall. Just let it end, you willed it. You repeated it like a mantra, begging whatever demon was inhabiting you to just kill you. The blood tickled your face as it now poured from you, but you could do nothing about it. Not as you heard ringing in your ears and your world fade to black.

Azriel watched in horror, having never witnessed this side of his brother's power in person. Dread weighed on him as your mouth hung open in silent horror, blood and drool pooling into your lap. Your fingers had curled and eyes clenched shut. Despite what you had done, Azriel would never wish this fate on his worst enemy. The image before him was something that even the most graphic horror novel could not depict. Azriel watched as the life drained from your body. Your hands relaxed first, then your expression relaxed and lastly, your upper body drooped and slumped over itself.. It was strange, you looked like you were sleeping peacefully despite the carnage you experienced. Rhysand's eyes focused once again and he quickly whipped around. Azriel jumped forward putting his hands on his brother's shoulders. "What's going on?" Cassian shouted.

"Where is he?!" Rhys bellowed, ripping from Azriel's grip.

"Who? Where's who?! Talk to me!" Azriel snapped.

"Elijah!" Both remaining brothers whirled around to where the spy was previously. An empty corner was all the remained.

Azriel's heckles raised, nothing was making sense. Cassian seemed to catch on partially. "Why do you want him?"

Rhysand looked solemnly at Azriel and Cassian. "It wasn't her, Elijah set her up."

Azriel froze, his heart pumped loudly in his ears. This couldn't be happening. A cold sweat broke out across his forehead, his hands shook by his side. Carefully, he looked at where you were slumped in the chair. "No..." He barely whispered. Azriel's words seemed jumpstart Rhys and Cassian into action. Cassian ripped from the room, his feet stomping down the hall in pursuit of the real traitor.

Azriel approached you slowly, hoping there was some of you left to save. To save so he could repent. Tentatively and more gently than anyone had been with you in weeks, the Shadowsinger raised his fingers to your neck and waited. Waited for something, anything. "She's gone brother, I made sure of it," Rhysand stated, shame and regret thick in his tone. The Spymaster collapsed to his knees beside you, his mind replaying all the times you had begged for him to believe you. Replaying all the times his gut had told him there was something amiss. Sobs began to rack through his body, his heart had cleaved in two. In that moment, Azriel felt no better than his step brothers. An innocent female, an innocent and amazing female dead by torment he had ordered.

***

Azriel took charge of arranging your funeral himself. Guilt and shame had plagued him in the days since your death... no your murder. You laid on the pyre outside the home you had made for yourself. The Sidra rushed aggressively, as though it had been angered by your demise. The healers had cleaned your body as best they could, covered you with the finest silk Azriel could buy. But, he could still see the characters engraved on your skin. The holes in your hands where Elijah's knives had been were visible as they laid criss-crossed over your heart. Your cheekbones jut out in a sickly manner from your face. You looked clean, but nothing like the female Azriel had fallen in love with. He knew that now, that he had fallen in love with you. And he had destroyed you. A shell of the female you used to be laid dead on the pyre, all because of him. Azriel wished he could awake from this hell. Awake and see your face full and happy. Instead, he saw the eternal rest before him. Despite the peace on your face, all he could see was the image of your freshly dead body; mouth hung open with blood spilling from it, tears still trickling down your cheeks. With a flaming torch, Azriel set the pyre ablaze. He had attended this on his own, despite the protests of his family. He would attend this alone. Though Azriel was sure that the thought of him being the only attendee at the ceremony of your untimely demise would disgust you.

As your body burned, along with your most prized possessions, Azriel vowed to never forget what he had done to you, his friend and lost love. He would walk every day with the thought of you whispering in the back of his mind. For everyday he would remember what he did to you with the most crushing guilt, it would never account nor excuse the turmoil he put you through. Would never amount of the betrayal and injustice he unleashed unto you. Azriel Shadowsinger would never allow himself a moments peace again. Because you had never gotten yours. You had never even gotten so much of a chance at peace. Azriel knew it was a fitting punishment, he even smiled dryly at your burning body as he recalled your final words to him.

I will never forgive you. You have done wrong by me more than anyone else in my life.

I would appreciate any feedback that you have! Let me know what you think! :)

[ponyhasapepsiaddiction]

hi! can i get headcannons about each of the boys you have?

Hi! Of course you can. I totally didn't think of these right now and then fell in love with them, haha totally had them prepared.

Sodapop believes in paranormal stuff and is careful not to mess with any of it. Dally suggested they do a ouija board once and he freaked out and went on a rant about not fucking with that shit.

Johnny will always have multiple packs of cigarettes on him and most of the time the gang will end up asking him for some. It’s mainly Dally and Ponyboy because they never bring spare packs and always run out. They are communal cigarettes

When Dally can’t find anywhere else to go for the night, and he can’t be bothered to walk over to the Curtis house, he would go to a spot under a bridge where the gang used to hang out before they got told off by Mr and Mrs Curtis for going there, because they could get hurt.

Steve also believes in the paranormal and is also careful with it, but less so than Soda because he still wants to act cool, especially around Pony, because he needs to assert dominance.

Sometimes when Pony’s reading he will go into random positions and be too invested in the book to care if it hurts or not. His brothers would sometimes come home and see him half hanging off the couches or chairs reading or he would be lying underneath the table. Darry and Soda don’t even question it anymore.

Two-Bit likes to balance random objects on top of each other just to amuse himself (in the movie he balanced a shoe on a can). He’s gotten really good at balancing things. One time he was so concentrated on balancing really hard objects that he didn’t notice that someone had fallen off the roof and broke their arm. That person was Steve.

Sometimes Darry would come home slightly later from one of his jobs and he would be really tired so he would lock himself in his room and sleep for about 10-15 minutes just to recharge before getting up to make dinner.

At one point or another, each one of the gang have tried to draw like Ponyboy weather in secret or not. Johnny was the best because he spent more time with Pony and he gave him some tips on techniques.

Hope you like them. I have more but I figured I can save those for another time, a be secretive about them.

[demonslayedher]

Shall we talk ☆Pillar Filler???☆

(As well as the rest of the episode?)

Keeping it behind a cut because it's not yet available for everybody and a lot of people will appreciate being surprised (I know I did)!

First, how about that new OP??

I love how it sets this arc up for being a pause in the constant life or death struggle (for the Pillars anyway, hahaha), and pricks at how the Pillars always feel they are struggling to compensate for their weaknesses, and the inky hatred that fills their hearts which Oyakata-sama knows they've channeled into defeating Kibutsuji Muzan at all costs. I also had a passing thought the other day about how so many Japanese legends of demon slaying require the hero to call upon a non-human higher power, or use something like a poison or alcohol to weaken a demon before they stand a chance of defeating it. In the end, the medicine that Tamayo and Shinobu develop does serve this crucial role (and the sun fulfills the role of a higher non-human power), but it's otherwise ironic that instead of temporarily weakening a demon to their own level, the usual course of action is to use Breath to temporarily increase their power to that of a demon.

Attaining a mark sure increases the role that "temporary" already played in their lives, and it's really no question that they would choose to pursue that option, even knowing the result.

(Also, CHUNTAROOOOO)

So anyway, onto that filler!!

I loved it.

First, the nitpicking just to get it out of the way: why did a demon need to bother tying up a victim???? Whhhhy? Like, at least they didn't pull a Speedy with some contrived "this demon just toys with victims and leaves them injured instead of killing them" routine that makes for a happy low-stakes Piller Filler episode while showing utter disregard for what demons are and why the Corp risks themselves to stop them. (That said, I always love seeing other Corp members fulfill their own Corp duties with no relation whatsoever to Tanjiro, who is just one piece of a much, much larger whole.)

But rather than write what would ultimately be stupid dialogue with an insignificant filler demon, it's nice that Ufotable did not bother developing the Castle Demon. The totally undeveloped baddies are easy to cast off as Blood Technique (but maybe they could have looked a little cooler if, like, they were vaguely wearing samurai armor or something instead of just being in skin suits? Whatever, not important.) I appreciate that Ufotable did not bother to answer these questions of "why is the victim tied up" because the point of this scene was very obviously not about her or the demon. (I like to think Iguro cut the ropes and then told her to get to safety but just, like, left her there on the top roof).

So as for what this scene WAS for... hot dang, did it accomplish that!!!

The purpose was to make Sanemi and Iguro look cool, and it sure as hell did that. WHAT GOOD CHANBARA, those show-offy sword-play moves against a mob of nameless villains were just so deliciously well choreographed, and the people who can appreciate that were also likely to really appreciate the use of a castle as a purely fun battle setting. Ufotable was probably like, "Our biggest fans are nerds for KnY's touches of traditional Japanese folklore and culture, and for swords and swordplay, so you know what else will probably get them riled up? Yeah, let's give them a castle fortress."

And then everyone cheered, like, "Yes, yes, the fangirls like demonslayedher on Tumblr will never know what hit them."

But then some brilliant person spoke up and said, "You guys, I have the perfect finishing blow."

And everyone said, "What? How could we possibly top this scene that not only purely makes Sanemi & Iguro look cool, but also serves their characters and the plot nicely by showing how the Pillers don't feel they can rely on the other Corp members, and that even though they speak sharply to them they show concern for them by their actions? You know, especially slyly since anime-only fans will get to appreciate a new side of characters whom they haven't gotten to bond with much yet for only having seen their mean sides mostly and none of their battle coolness, and also slyly because the hardcore manga fans know that these two are buddies?"

And then the brilliant person says, "Let's give them that fortress."

The brilliant person was then crowned Ruler of Ufotableland and the fans lived happily ever after.

Speaking of Pillar Filler, I also want to point out how nice that opening exposition between Shinobu and Kanao was. First, what a nice way of incorporating Kanao into a nice episode that gives us a nice little dose of everyone in the Corp cast, even by adding that little scene of Amane and Ubuyashiki too. I loved the little touches that develop the Butterfly Mansion, like the fact that on the path there, they have a stone sign that says "Butterfly Mansion" and a line of carved Jizo statues (to protect travelers and (deceased) children) with little butterflies. And that moment of Nezuko frowning as the sunlight goes behind a cloud? Wonderful. And Shinobu essential saying to Kanao, "I trust you with defending everyone here in the now VERY LIKELY EVENT OF KIBUTSUJI MUZAN ATTACKING while I have to go off to a Pillar Meeting now that you're back"? I looooove iiiiiiiiit. That also says a lot about the trust other Pillars have in Shinobu to entrust her with Nezuko instead of putting any pressure on her to take part in Pillar Training, as clearly they don’t know about Tamayo, and it's really anyone's guess if they know about the poison or not (though the light novel implies Himejima might have an inkling but doesn't know). Being Pillars, though, I doubt any of them would tell her she's wrong for being prepared to take down a demon in any possible way.

I love, love, love, love the treatment of all the straight-from-the-manga scenes, like "Welcome home, Inosuke" (except for the added 'did you miss me, Aoi-chan' because canonically Aoi is the one kind of girl who is not his type), Tamayo speaking with Oyakata-sama's bird, Mitsuri's "explanation" of the mark, and every single Pillar interaction. I love the amount of respect they show to Himejima (and how Ufotable slightly expanded on this), and I am so excited for the extra Himejima content this season. In the new marketing materials released on the same day as the episode/movie, they make stark use of one of the kanji characters in his name ("cry out"), which is a very nice touch. And the use of BGM!!! Especially the touches of Giyuu's and Mitsuri's themes during the meeting!

*happy sigh*

It is nice to be a fandom citizen of Ufotableland.

[mariacallous]

The humble tree has long protected humans from sickness and even death—and in the modern city, it’s still doing so. As global temperatures rise, so too does the “urban heat island effect”—the tendency for cities to absorb and hold on to the sun’s energy, which is a growing public-health crisis worldwide. On a small scale, the shade under a single tree is an invaluable refuge on a blisteringly hot day. Scaling that effect up, neighborhoods with more tree cover are measurably cooler.

Now research is showing just what an impact this can have on people’s health. A new paper finds that in Los Angeles, planting more trees and deploying more reflective surfaces—something as simple as painting roofs white—could lower temperatures so dramatically, it’d cut the number of heat-related ER visits by up to 66 percent. That research follows a previous study by the same scientists finding that one in four lives lost during heat waves could be avoided with the same techniques.

As urban populations are rising around the world, so are temperatures, putting ever more people in ever-hotter environments. “We’re primarily urban dwellers at this point,” says UCLA environmental researcher Edith de Guzman, coauthor of both studies and the cofounder and director of the Los Angeles Urban Cooling Collaborative. “We know that that’s problematic, because there’s a magnification of heat that occurs in those spaces, because of the preponderance of heat-retaining surfaces that then release that heat at night, when the body seeks to cool off.”

If a heat wave stretches day after day, the physiological stress builds and builds on residents. Elderly and young people are especially at risk, since their bodies can’t cool themselves as efficiently. Extreme heat also leads to the formation of ozone, which exacerbates asthma.

For the new study, published in the International Journal of Biometeorology, de Guzman’s team looked at four different LA heat waves between 2006 and 2010—the same ones were also referred to in the previous study on mortality. These heat waves differed in their length, high temperatures, and humidity. (The higher the humidity, the more difficult it is for the human body to cool off by sweating.) The team then married this data with land-use data showing where in LA County there’s good tree cover, which reflects heat, and where there are impermeable surfaces like pavement, which absorb it. And lastly, they got data on heat-related ER visits in those areas.

They plugged all that data into an algorithm that modeled scenarios in which modifying the urban environment—with more reflective surfaces and more trees—could lower temperatures and avoid those heat-related ER visits. With 25 percent more tree cover, visits might decline by 7 to 45 percent. Bumping that up to 50 percent more tree cover, the heat-related ER visits decline by 19 to 58 percent. And then if LA were to max out its allowable tree cover—40 percent of its total area—those visits would drop by 24 to 66 percent.

“We are able to quantify how outcomes would have been different in real events,” says de Guzman. “I know that projections are for a higher number of extreme heat days in each of these communities.”

In other words: The time to act is now. Tall trees provide shade, for one, but plants in general release water vapor as they photosynthesize, essentially “sweating.” Accordingly, a high-income neighborhood with lots of parks and landscaping might be 15 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than a low-income, more industrialized area—like so many health threats, heat disproportionately affects those who are the most deprived. The urban heat island effect varies not only from neighborhood to neighborhood, but also from block to block and even house to house. Different building materials, like wood and brick, absorb and retain the sun’s energy in different ways.

So the utility of this kind of research is to first of all find whole neighborhoods to prioritize for greening, but then to target specific places to put single trees. “We don’t necessarily in urban areas plant entire forests—we plant an individual tree at a time,” says Portland State University climate adaptation scientist Vivek Shandas, who studies the heat island effect but wasn’t involved in the new research. “If you have a limited amount of funds, and you know where there’s going to be the highest impact from the deployment of this, it’s a no-brainer to be able to identify those locations.”

But it’s not as easy as just sticking a bunch of trees in the ground and calling it a day. LA has embarked on a multiyear Urban Forest Management Plan to increase its tree canopy, especially in its most vulnerable neighborhoods. It has to carefully identify locations to add the plants, but also collaborate with the residents there—for instance, with community feedback meetings. Some people might not want trees outside their home: Maybe a branch once fell on their car, or their sidewalk cracked from underlying roots, reducing the mobility of a grandparent in a wheelchair.

So getting more trees in the urban landscape is also about collaboration and education, getting folks to understand the significant cooling benefits that could well save their lives—and, at the very least, reduce their air-conditioning bills. “If you have a negative tree story, we have to do some education on how we’re going to do better in the future,” says Rachel Malarich, the City Forest Officer of Los Angeles. “How we’ve learned as an industry is to be more selective about what we put where, and make it appropriate for the site, or to change the site so that we can plant something larger.” For example, if a given patch of dirt is too small to fit a tree species big enough to provide good shade, perhaps the city could rework the sidewalks to accommodate that, simultaneously improving mobility and reducing local temperatures.

In LA and elsewhere, scientists are rushing to find tree species that’ll be able to withstand temperatures 10, 15, 20 years from now—you wouldn’t want to plant a tree only to discover it can’t survive in the new climate. Climate change may also help tree pests and diseases spread, adding yet more precarity to urban greenery: A given community might be keen on planting more of their neighborhood’s trademark species of tree—magnolias or what have you—but the future may be increasingly hostile to it.

A tree also needs more maintenance and water in its vulnerable early years, a resource that may be in increasingly short supply as Southern California warms. So in addition to increasing its tree cover, LA is trying to make itself spongier: Lots more green spaces in general that allow rainwater to soak into the underlying aquifer or cisterns for later extraction. Back in February, this spongy infrastructure helped the city capture 8.6 billion gallons of stormwater over just three days.

Being an urban environment with pedestrians, cars, and buildings under the trees, the city has to ensure that the plants aren’t dropping branches. That means inspections and boots on the ground—unlike a proper forest, the urban forest needs constant attention. “We have to manage a little bit higher-touch in an urban environment, because we have these risk factors,” says Malarich. “We want to do planting, maintenance, and then preservation. So keeping existing mature trees in place is actually really critical to canopy expansion.”

And a neighborhood doesn’t have to stop at adding extra trees to mitigate the urban heat island effect. Scientists are researching ways to grow crops on rooftops, shaded by solar panels, which produces both food and free electricity as well as cooling the top floor of a building. And extra points if it’s a “blue-green roof” capable of storing rainwater for residents to use to water plants and flush toilets.

Scientists are also experimenting with “cool pavements,” which bounce more sunlight back into space instead of absorbing it. Reflective coatings do the same for the sides and rooftops of buildings. Painting more surfaces white helps cool an area, but urban designers have to take care not to unintentionally bounce that reflected solar radiation toward people. “I’m a big fan of white paints up high,” says Shandas. “That’s what clouds do naturally: On a cloudy day, a lot of that sunlight is already reflected back up into space. And so if we can get every roof in some way a lighter color, we can start moving in that direction.”

It’s not a matter of whether LA or any other city will be greener or more reflective in the years to come, but how much greener and more reflective it can manage to be. And accordingly, how many lives it can save as the world warms. “While it’s generally a feel-good kind of investment for cities, we need to tie those investments to public health outcomes,” says de Guzman, “because the improvements that can be made are really meaningful.”

[knucklestheenchilada]

Hi it’s me I’m asking abt the radiation girls bc EVERY TIME I see that wristwatch factory post I’m so confused bc I don’t know what to google to get answers pls infodump on me

Beans you have no idea how happy this has made me, cw that I'm adding pictures that may be unsettling to some viewers also this is very long, like reaaaally long

TLWR: The Radium Girls died horrific deaths due to painting watches with radium paint and the corporation responsible tried to cover it up. This tragedy helped to form OSHA

Okay so! The Radium Girls (i wrote radiation in the tag by accident whoops) where factory workers who painted clock hands and instrument dials with radium luminescent paint around 1920. 100 years ago! Neat!

So, this was back when radium and by extension radiation had just been discovered. Back then radiation was thought to be able to cure cancer, it was in make-up, toothpaste, fancy spa water, even butter. Radioactive tonics were being sold as a miracle cure snake oil. It was even called Liquid Sunshine with espresso like effects. And what can radium do my dear Beans? (besides kill you) It can glow.

Radium luminescent paint made clocks readable in the dark, which was a big deal when digital clocks and non-toxic-glow-in-the-dark stickers didn't exist. In WW1 soldiers needed to be able to see their clocks for maneuvers that needed precise timing in the dark/in trenches without being spotted by the opposing side (at the time wrist watches were seen as a lady thing until the war)

One of the factories that made those watches opened in orange NJ in 1916 called the US Radium Corporation (USRC). They hired about 70 women, the recorded youngest 14, to paint watches for the military with the paint. It was actually considered a fancy job, as it paid three times as much as a regular factory job at the time and the women were listed as artists in their town’s directory. They soon were called radium girls and they were 5% of female workers in the US. An estimated 4000 workers were hired by corporations in the US and Canada between 1917 and 1926. Working in one of these factories was a big deal

Radium paint powder is super pretty and after work, the ladies would sprinkle it on themselves and dance in it. They would wear their favorite dresses to work so they could get some of the paint/powder on them so they could glow all the time. Because how cool is the dame that's shining like an emerald in the dancehall when no one else is? The radium dust, since its dust, was in the air itself - so these women were breathing it in constantly, sometimes they would rub it on their teeth as a joke and they would paint their nails with it so they could glow as well. They started getting called ghost girls because when they'd walk home in the dark, they'd be glowing like a ghost. When they would blow their noses the tissue would glow

How do you paint those tiny bits of watches that need to glow? With a very tiny paint brush Beans! The technique they were taught to get these teeny tiny numbers on wristwatches (which sometimes were only 3.5 centimeters wide) was called lip pointing. After painting each number the woman pit the tip of the paintbrush between their lips to make it a fine point. With every digit, the girl swallowed a little bit of radium.

The women started to experiencing side effects of unknowingly feeding themselves radium pretty quickly in the early 20’s, including: chronic exhaustion, tooth and jaw pains, and stillborn births. 22 year old Molly Magia had to quit her job at the radium factory because of the aching pain in her limbs that was so agonizing eventually she was unable to walk. She had been wrongly diagnosed with rheumatism and was prescribed just aspirin at first. Soon, she lost most of her teeth and in their place were agonizing ulcers would grow. The entirety of her lower jaw and the roof of her mouth and even some of the bones her ears were said to be one large abscess. Her entire lower jawbone had become so brittle that her doctor removed it by just lifting it out

Her jawbone was riddled with teeny holes and this is because the body treats radium as calcium substitute but instead of strengthening the bones like calcium, radium kills off the bone tissue. The women weren't yet aware of the culprit, of course, that's because the specialist who had begun to ‘help’ them was Dr. Frederick Flynn of Columbia University

After declaring there was unquestionably nothing wrong with them, he turned out not to be a licensed physician but a toxicologist working for the very radium factory that the women worked for the USRC and the man who was introduced as his colleague was actually a vice president of the Corp. The USRC also paid off local doctors and dentists to tell the women that they were sufferings from syphilis and eventually that was their cause of death, which was shameful to the family

When the girls started dying from their radium poisoning, the first was Maggie on September 12th, 1922. She was 24 (that’s my age). The cause of death was listed as syphilis. 18 year old Grace started to work as a dial painter on April 10th, 1917, just 4 days after the US joined WW1. By the time Maggie died, Grace was having trouble with her jaw and suffering pains in her feet and so were other workers

Their legs broke underneath them (literally), their spines collapsed, and soon more were dying. The USRC denied any responsibility for the deaths for almost two years but when their bottom line was threatened by the shrinking sales due to the rumors that were spreading about the dangers of radium in 1924, they commissioned an expert to look into the rumored link between the dial painting profession and the women's deaths

The independent study confirmed the link between the radium and the women's illnesses but instead of accepting the findings and making the changes that had been suggested, the USRC paid for new studies that published the opposite conclusion. They also lied to the Department of Labor which had begun investigating about the verdict of the original report. In 1925, a doctor named Harrison Martland developed tests that proved once and for all that radium had poisoned the women

Martlin discovered that when radium was used internally essentially honeycombed the woman's bones. In 1925, Grace’s spine was basically crushed and she had to wear a steel back brace. She decided to sue the USRC but she spent two years searching for a lawyer who was willing to help her. She said, ‘It is not for myself I care; I am thinking more of the hundreds of girls to whom this may serve as an example.’

Other women's legs were shortened and they spontaneously fractured, sometimes the moment a woman realized she even had radium poisoning was when she caught sight of herself in a mirror in the middle of the night. The radium had embedded itself in their bones and had caused them to glow from the inside out

By then doctor Martin had also found that the poisoning was fatal as there was no way to remove the radium from their bodies. Grace was finally able to find a lawyer named Raymond Berry who along with Grace and four fellow workers Catherine Schaub, Edna Hussman, Quinta McDonald, and Albina Latrice accepted their case in 1927. They were seeking $250,000 in damages which is about 3.4 million today.

The USRC wanted to delay the trial as much as possible with the hope that all the women in the case would die before the outcome would be reached, so they kept calling these long recesses for months and months

By the time that women finally appeared in court to testify in January of 1928, none of them were able to raise their arms to take the oath #

The case was finally settled in the woman's favor in 1928 and it became a milestone of occupational hazard law and raised the profile of rad poisoning just as Grace had wanted. By 1927, more than fifty women had died as a direct result of radium paint poisoning. Despite denials of any fault by the USRC after the lawsuit they and other factories that dealt with radium laced paint changed the working conditions. They banned the lip pointing and they gave them protection protective clothing to minimize exposure and after these simple changes were instituted (which actually had been suggested and ignored years before by that independent study)

More women rightly sued which the radium companies appealed several times but in 1939, the Supreme Court rejected the last appeal. The survivors received compensation and the death certificates of the women who’s had been put as syphilis were changed to radium poisoning

Maggie's body was disinterred. Her bones were glowing.

The Radium Girls case was one of the first in which an employer was made responsible for the health of the company's employees and it led to regulations that saved lives and ultimately to the establishment of OSHA. Before OSHA was set up, 14,000 people died on the job every year. Today it's just over 4500 (which is still a fucking lot). The women also left a legacy for science that's been termed invaluable as it revealed the dangers of radium, so thankfully people stopped using it

Marie SkłodowskaCurie's notes from the 1890s are still considered too dangerous to handle without protection due to the high levels of radioactivity and are stored in lead line boxes. She died of aplastic anemia in 1934 resulting from long term ionizing radiation exposure

[the radium girls: the dark story of America shining women by Kate Moore was the main source for this post, some name’s may have been spelt slightly wrong and for that Bee (that’s me) is sorry]

[renardtrickster]

I really don’t like the “Balance between Good and Evil” trope. Derivatives like “Balance between Light and Darkness” is good, because “Light” and “Dark” can be interpreted in multiple ways, giving virtuous and negative qualities to both. “Balance between Law and Chaos” is similarly good, which is me letting my SMT nerd out and OSR if half of those games didn’t just define “Law” as “Good”. But “Balance between Good and Evil” always sounded really dumb, like the “what if we put half of the babies into woodchippers” meme but unironic and it’s also the premise of an entire work’s story and metaphysics.

Part of this is because, while “Law and Chaos” or “Light and Dark” or “Yin and Yang” have some room for interpretation (Is Law a peaceful community led by a just ruler or is it theocracy devoid of free will? Is Chaos a chill anarchist paradise or is it eternal war and space monsters?), “Good” and “Evil” are self-defined and very uncomplicated. Good is Good. Evil is Evil. This is fundamentally pretty cringe for numerous reasons. One, “Good” and “Evil” being cosmic forces implies that there is an objective morality in this universe. I have never in my life seen “objective morality” handled in a way that wasn’t really weird or shitty (it’s very apparent that early D&D considers “kill the orc babies so they don’t grow up evil” to be the morally correct, Good option, or at least Gygax did). Two, our opposing forces are “Good” and “Evil”. You couldn’t be more on-the-nose unless you outright have the good guys refer to themselves as “the good guys” and the bad guys refer to themselves as “the bad guys” in-universe. And third, combining elements of the previous two, it’s very easy to slip into self-justifying behavior or protagonist-centered morality with a set-up like this. “When they slaughter our soldiers, it’s abhorrent. When we wipe out the enemy troops, it’s heroic. When they torture our men, that’s vile. When we used enhanced interrogation techniques on their lieutenants, we’re just getting work done. When they try to kill all the elves, it’s genocide. When we kill all the orcs, it’s Good Triumphing Over Evil.”

But while “Good” and “Evil” is a bad dichotomy, let’s discuss the middle ground, Neutral. Neutral in regards to Law and Chaos means freedom and order, everyone has free will, but everyone follows the social contract and treats each other well. Neutral is the point of Yin and Yang, because neither are bad or good and it’s unbalance that’s destructive. But what does Neutral mean in regards to Good and Evil? Does it mean saving half of the orphans from the burning building and collapsing the roof on whoever’s left inside? Sending soldiers to save one city from Goblin Attack but then doing your best to prevent anyone from saving the second city because we’ve filled up our life-saving quota today? Petting a kitty but then punting a puppy over a fence? Being Good but also being kind of a grumpy prick about it? What are its motives, its foundations? “Does Good acts and balances them out with Evil acts or vice versa” describes either a mentally unwell person or an Evil one, the same way “randomly switches between being Lawful and being Chaotic” actually just describes Chaotic. Furthermore, “Good is Good, but Evil has to exist or flourish to some extent because uhhhhhhhhhhhh“ is stupid no matter how you slice it. Even putting aside the fact that this sounds EXACTLY like something an Evil person would say while they’re currently losing, allowing the world to become an objectively worse place to live in out of some sense of fairness or neutrality-for-its-own-sake is heinous. There’s no reason, really, and to be Neutral in this regard is to allow the world to become objectively worse through action or inaction, which is indistinguishable from Evil.

You could make political commentary out of this! No, don’t.

Finally, and in addition to the above, part of what makes Law vs. Chaos so cool is that you can side with any of Law, Neutral, or Chaos, and it can be good or it can be bad. Law is security and tyranny. Chaos is freedom and eternal conquest. Neutral is balance but it delays the inevitable cosmic clash of Law vs. Chaos. Good/Neutral/Evil is completely asymmetrical. A world of Evil would just be a horrible nightmare world, if not the end of the world. A world of Neutral has evil in it for poorly explained reasons. Meanwhile there’s no downsides to a world of Good. “But if Evil is eliminated, then Good will turn on itself in the belief that people aren’t being Good enough” I hear you say, to which I retort that persecuting other people for petty reasons isn’t Good, it’s Evil. “But Evil had to be contained, if it’s destroyed then a greater Evil will take its place” isn’t a problem with Good either, it’s a problem of Evil reappearing. The worst you can say about Good is that it always has to defend itself against the forces of Evil, but acting like Good taking over will lead to a dystopia because Good taken too far is just as bad as Evil is some “I’m 14 and this is deep” stuff.

[herrlindemann]

KERRANG! - Review of the concert at the Velodrome, Berlin, 19.05.2001

Sunken below ground level, the only giveaway sign that something is rumbling underground is the venue’s corrugated iron roof that appears on the edge of Berlin like a frozen pond and the faint doof, doof of an industrial beat somewhere deep below. We’re not in Kansas anymore Toto. A 10,000-capacity racetrack arena, Rammstein couldn’t have chosen a more perfect venue to play two nights in their hometown to illustrate exactly why they’re undoubtedly the most important rock band ever to have come out of Germany. And no, The Scorpions don’t count because they were horseshit.

It begins — as all good metal shows rightfully should — with a spectacular entrance as a large pulsing red womb hovers above the stage before giving birth to each band member who then takes his position for the opening attack of ‘Mein Herz Brennt’. Utterly ludicrous of course, but totally appreciated. A few songs in, you can see why knee-jerk reactionaries have accused Rammstein of flirting with Nazism.Their entire aesthetic pilfers from Hitler’s most effective performance and propagandist techniques — grand, theatrical displays of power, hard-hitting marching rhythms, simple sloganeering, the ability to whip followers up into a frenzy and an over-rising sense of male superiority. It is, however, just harmless flirtation and politically Rammstein actually stand at the other end of the spectrum, ensuring they have more in common with the colorful, part-choreographed nihilism of Marilyn Manson or Slipknot, than any misguided knuckleheads with hidden agendas. ‘Links 2 3 4’, with its jack-boot stomping intro and war-like chorus is written directly for those who can’t get past the Übermensch imagery and who clearly have a problem with Germans displaying some rare humour. It’s a massive song in defense of the band and it works.

Nevertheless, taken at face value seeing Rammstein in front of 10-thousand drunk Germans, each with a fist raised and many a bad ape drape in close proximity, is a slightly disturbing and definitely uplifting experience, such is the devotion to this band.

As with new album ‘Mutter’, musically Rammstein aren’t doing anything that the likes of Depeche Mode, Laibach, ‘The Wall’-era Pink Floyd, early Ministry and Kraftwerk haven’t already covered, but the one thing that the critics seems to have missed is the irony and the gloriously gratuitous theatrics involved. While the flying jazz and pendulous prosthetic penises are a thing of the past, tonight there are enough pyrotechnics and moments of Phineas Barnum-style rabble-rousing to send Kiss to their long over-due retirement. And what a refreshing change it is to not have to deal with some pious American big-leaguer telling us that we’re the greatest before directing us to the merchandise stall on the way out.

Singer Till Lindemann, possessed with a voice perfect for B-movie voiceovers, is far too cool for banter when he could be strapping Roman candles to his feet, setting fire to himself and then singing an entire f**king song as his coat goes up in smoke. Which he does. More than once. Old favorite ‘Du hast’ and the more recent ‘Sonne’ (that’ll be the one that saw Rammstein dressed somewhat amusingly as pick axe-toting miner’s on Kerrang!’s video giveaway) are stripped of unnecessary fat to leave big, meaty foot-stompers with all the subtlety of a punch in the face — surely their desired effect — which they then char-grill with vast walls of flames and explosions that seemingly appear at eyebrow-threatening closeness to the band members.

Bizarrely, Rammstein choose to end it all with a roomy run through The Ramones ‘Pet Cemetery’, the one time that they truly stray away from the classically Teutonic rhythms that ensure the show stomps along in a hypnotic haze. They may be as German as two pounds of Bratwurst squeezed into a pair of Lederhosen but that’s where Rammstein’s real appeal lies — the cold, blunt tones of their mother tongue couldn’t have found a more suitable soundtrack in their sublime and regimented sound. Most of all though, they might just currently have the best stage show in the metal world. And that alone is reason enough to get into this unique band.

[max--phillips]

Alright guys. With the talk of streaming services being the way that they are and like… who even has cable anymore? You may be thinking to yourself, well, damn, there are some things (sports, the news, live TV, whatever the case may be) that I’d like to watch but I’m not paying for cable or anything, and I don’t want to wait to pirate it. (Or maybe you’re not comfortable pirating which, cmon now, but fair enough.)

I have a solution!

First thing you’ll need: a good old fashioned antenna. This will be particularly helpful if you live in a city, relatively close to the towers doing the broadcasting, but you can get antennas with some pretty incredible range. Here’s a fairly decent one from Amazon for about $30. Usually hardware stores also have them, and chances are pretty good you have an electronic supply store in your town that also carries some!

Second thing you’ll need is an app called RCA Signal Finder. Just type that into your app store of choice, and you should get a free app from RCA you can download. This will allow you to choose which channels you’d like to watch, and it will tell you where the towers broadcasting those channels are so you can turn your antenna towards the tower for a stronger signal!

Other than the $30 investment for the antenna, the channels are completely free, and in this day and age typically in HD. You will mostly get local news channels, but that means you can watch whatever shows happen to be airing on NBC or CBS or whatever stations you can get. It’s genuinely a lot like cable, just minus the fancy extras (like DVR or being able to pause the show or whatever), and with a little bit of quality loss considering antennas can be a little touchy.

I used this technique to watch SNL last night, actually!

Anyway, here are some tips for you to give you the best chance at success with this:

The higher you can set up the antenna, the better. If you have a bookshelf you can set it on top of, that would work, or you can usually use a command strip or something similar to hang it on the wall. That said, if you hang it on the wall, you’ll have less ability to adjust which way the antenna is pointing if you’d like to use the RCA Signal Finder app to find towers.

As an extension of that, if you own your home or have a cool landlord (which is an oxymoron I know but hang with me here) and can set up a bigger antenna outside, maybe on your roof, that’s even better! But not strictly necessary.

Yes, that’s (most likely) a coax cable. Your TV (even your brand spanking new smart tv) should have a little screw looking thing in the back with a convenient little label next to it that says “antenna” or “ant/cable in” or something similar. The little wire sticking out of the middle of the cable will go in the hole in the center of the screw looking thing, and you’ll screw the cable on. Voila! Your antenna is now connected. Unless you have one that requires external power, this should be the only thing you need to plug in at all.

Getting to channels should be easy. If you have a Samsung smart TV like I do, you should be able to go into the settings menu, then broadcasting, then auto-program, and tell it to program from air. It should automatically detect the channels you’re receiving from your antenna and save them to your TV. If you don’t have a Samsung smart TV, I can’t imagine the steps would be too much different. You should be able to Google “how to set up antenna on [brand] tv” and it’ll walk you right through it.

Don’t be afraid to adjust and get creative with the antenna if you’re not getting a channel you want. Those old TV bits of people building wild contraptions with coat hangers and duct tape to get a decent signal to watch a show aren’t THAT much of an exaggeration. Now though our antennas are typically a little less unwieldy.

Go forth and watch TV for free!!!

[ainyan]

A Dance to Remember

Music floated on the night air, wafting in from one of the private parks set amongst the houses of Journey’s End, where the rich and influential of Sharlayan lived. She sat atop the Annex, leaning back on her hands, eyes closed as she lifted her face to the cool breeze off the sea and listened. She probably could have attended whatever party was ongoing; these days, few were those who would deny her the right, even if she was a barbaric foreign warrior.

But that would mean facing people. Although the crowds had thinned since she and the Scions had returned triumphant from Ultima Thule, she still found that people were drawn to her whenever she was out and about, wanting to talk about her deeds, her legend, her story.

Talk about her.

She hated talking about herself.

So rather than go find the party, she stretched her legs before her and gazed up at the stars above, wondering if Meteion had been correct - were they all dead? Or was there still life out there, clinging as tenaciously to existence as it did here on Etheirys. It stood to reason that the answer was yes - after all, their star couldn’t be the only one with a strong imbalance towards aether…

Damn it. She frowned, closing her eyes again. She simply wanted to enjoy the music, the clear sky, the cool breeze, the murmur of the waves against the cliffs nearby. What did it take to turn one’s mind off? How did others do it? Every time she thought she had the trick, a stray thought would send her off on a tangent.

Maybe there were meditation techniques she could use. The shinobi of Doma no doubt knew some, and the samurai of Hingashi. Even the monks of Ala Mhigo might be able to - 

“Gah!” Frustrated, she shoved herself to her feet and kicked bad-temperedly at the rooftop. 

“Is there a problem?”

Squeaking, she whirled, raising one hand to her lips as she stared wide-eyed at Thancred. The gunbreaker stood near the roof’s edge, leaning back casually on one foot, hands in his pockets. He raised one eyebrow at her, his expression amused. “What are you doing here?” she demanded.

His other eyebrow arched upwards. “Standing,” came the laconic reply, and as she glared, his smile deepened. “I’m not sure if you knew, but my room is right…” and he trailed off, pointing to her feet.

Color rose in her cheeks, painting indigo skin violet and she looked away. “Sorry. I’m…”

“Restless. Yes, I got that.” When her eyes hardened, he pushed himself upright and held up his hands. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to be a boor, Kali. I’m just teasing you, just a bit.” His expression softened. “You didn’t look happy even before I irritated you.”

She wrapped her arms around herself and turned away, gazing out over the distant ocean. “I’m not unhappy,” she temporized, then sighed. “I’m not unhappy, but I’m not exactly happy, you’re right. I’m… can you hear it, Thancred?”

He padded closer, his feet silent upon the roof tiles, his gaze steady on her. “The music?” he asked, his voice soft. “Yes. There’s a fête in Journey’s End. If you wish to go, they will certainly welcome you.”

Her arms tightened further about herself as she stared up at the night sky. “I know. But I don’t want people. I just want to… I don’t know. Dance. Without the small talk, without the questions and the concerns. I just want to dance,” she murmured dreamily to the moon.

This was such a bad idea. The thought crossed his mind even as he crossed the last few fulms of roof between he and she. This was such a bad idea, and yet, she’d provided the perfect opening and he found himself walking through it even before his mind had caught up with his intentions. He reached out, sliding his fingers lightly along her arm, and as she turned in surprise, he spun with her until she was in his arms and they were moving lightly across the roof.

She stared up at him in shock, caught for a moment in surprised stasis - then her face softened into affection and she unfolded her arms, reaching up to grip his shoulder in one hand even as he caught the other, folding it firmly in his fingers. He said nothing; neither did she. There was naught to say that needed words; everything was said in the way they fit together so effortlessly.

He’d intended to keep her a safe distance away, leaving several ilms between them. As before, the moment she slid so easily into his arms, all of his intentions fell by the wayside. He gathered her close, his hand fisting against the small of her back as he spun her across the roof, gazing down into her upturned face.

In the gloaming, her pale freckles stood out in stark relief against her indigo skin, glowing softly like tiny pinprick stars. Her eyes were closed, but the smile on her face fairly shouted her delight. It took far more willpower than he liked not to gather her up, not to lean down, and cover that smiling mouth with his. Inhaling deeply, he closed his eyes and let himself fall into the dance.

She could feel him along every point where they touched - arms, hands, bodies. His proximity set her nerves aflame and had faeries doing waltzes in her stomach. As desperately as she wanted to gaze upon his face, to stare into those citrine eyes, she knew better. So she kept her eyes closed and allowed him to lead her in the dance, trusting implicitly in his skill and grace to keep them safe.

As the music soared from below, they danced above, feet light as air, barely whispering against the roof tiles as Thancred led Kal’istae in slow, lazy circles. And as the music gently drifted to an end, their steps slowed, then finally stopped, nearly in the same place they had originally started.

A heartbeat passed, then two, then Kal’istae let out a delighted laugh, opening her eyes to gaze up at the gunbreaker’s downturned face. “Oh,” she said breathlessly, “oh, that was splendid.”

Thancred’s eyes flickered open, pale citrine and far too intense. It made her words falter and she started to tug herself free of his grip, only to find it tightening, drawing her closer until she was fetched up against him. “I - Thancred,” she murmured, confused.

He wasn’t confused at all - but he was terribly conflicted. Gazing down at her, seeing her puzzlement chase the joy from her eyes, he hesitated, then loosened his grip. “It has been a very, very long time since I have enjoyed a dance with such an exquisite partner,” he said softly.

Her confusion slid away, replaced once more by incandescent pleasure. “I don’t know if I’ve ever had a partner who matched me so perfectly,” she admitted, smiling shyly up at him. “Couriers can dance, but their steps are… practiced. Beautiful, but… mathematical,” she decided. “And adventurers have spirit, but few of them have rhythm. You have both.”

There was so much he wanted to say. Instead, he smiled easily, squeezing her briefly before releasing her. She eased back, wrapping her arms around herself once more but still smiling up at him. “I did not realize how much you liked music, or to dance,” he admitted, “or this might have happened sooner.”

She chuckled softly and released herself, spinning in a slow circle. “Did you think my dancing just for battle? No, Thancred,” she sighed. “I love music, and I love to dance. I think, had I not been blessed - or cursed - with such wanderlust, I might have wanted to dance professionally. In a troupe, perhaps, or as an instructor.”

He watched her, fisting his hands inside his pockets to keep himself from reaching for her. He’d had his moment, enjoyed his guilty fantasy - now it was time to push it away and move on. Instead, he found himself opening his mouth, impulse once more taking the reins. “The bardic students often give recitals,” he said softly, and she turned, tilting her head at him curiously. “They’re open to the public.”

When he didn’t continue, she frowned at him in puzzlement, then offered a slight smile. “I’ll keep that in mind if one happens to occur when I’m in town. Thank you.”

“I’ll take you, if you like,” he blurted out, and didn’t blame her for staring at him. What was it about her that made him feel like a bumbling tyro? “Ah, that way you don’t have to feel like everyone will be hounding you if you go alone…”

She watched him for a long moment as if puzzling over a cipher. He gazed back, hiding all of his doubts and concerns behind an easy, cocky smile. “I - thank you, Thancred,” she said slowly. “Should we both be in town and one happening, I would enjoy that.” The words said one thing, but her tone said quite another - she did not expect him to have an opportunity to fulfill that promise.

Well enough. If he was lucky, that would be the case. He didn’t have it in himself to regret making the offer, one he would desperately love to fulfill - but he did hope that it would never come to fruition.

He could only take so much temptation.

They stood in awkward silence for a moment longer, then Kal’istae gave him a soft smile and gestured for him to lean down. He did so, curious, and she went up on tip-toe to kiss his cheek. “Thank you, Thancred,” she said gently. “You have turned my night from sour to sweet. I appreciate that, and you.”

Such a back-handed compliment. He didn’t want her appreciation. He wanted… Gritting his teeth internally, he smiled at her and gave her an extravagant bow, earning another low chuckle of appreciation. “And I appreciate you, lady Kal’istae. I’m glad that I could be of service this evening.”

She gazed up at him a moment longer, struggling against the urge to leap on him and kiss far more than just his cheek. Did he have any idea what that simple dance had sparked within her? Of course not - it was just another day for him, another good deed for his friend. Part of her - the masochistic part - wanted to know what he had planned now.

She knew. She’d seen the women eyeing him since they’d come to Sharlayan. Maybe he’d abstained while they were combatting the Final Days, but now?

So she smiled, and stepped back, carefully distancing herself from him. “Thank you,” she repeated. “Have a good night, Thancred.”

He wanted to know where she was going. What she was doing. Who she was doing it with. And he had no right to any of those answers. So he smiled, slow and cheerful. “Have a good night, Kal’istae,” he replied, and watched as she backed away, then leapt nimbly from the edge of the roof and disappeared.

He waited several minutes for her to get wherever she was going, then followed more slowly, achingly tender in inconvenient places. It hindered his ability to drop down onto his balcony below, and he nearly stumbled before getting his footing. Grateful there was no one to see his unusual ungainliness, he picked the lock on his own window and slid inside his room.

Kal’istae also returned to her own room. And as the moon shone in from above, dusting the pale wood of their floors with silver light, both she and he lay upon their respective beds and remembered the dance.

[butserancientfarm]

progress on our latest iron age roundhouse!

this is a really cool and unusual build based on a structure at the iron age danebury hillfort, and our experimentation has been getting us very familiar with wattle, postholes, and 👻 ghostholes 👻

danebury hillfort is a great site, and we've got some lovely archaeology to work from on this build. look how beautifully clear and circular it is! but it's got some quirks that are proving a little tough to build and interpret...

those little round beans are the stave holes -- ie, the uprights in a wattle and daub wall. they're super clear, but they're also much closer together than usual. we're discovering that with this spacing it's actually really hard to get a wattle weave through them

the other interesting thing about the archaeology is that there aren't regular postholes. we wondered if that might mean the wattle would support a roof on its own as it's a tighter weave, but that doesn't look likely after all...

so, posts! we're using scots pine to create an inner ring of posts and rafters, handmade using augers and axes and fitted together with oak dowels. but there's only evidence for about 50% of these posts in the archaeology. so what does that mean for our build?

well, not all posts leave clear archaeology behind, and not all postholes are always found. if a post wasn't driven deep enough into the ground, it might never show up in the archaeology.

we've been calling these 'ghostholes' -- places where we can surmise there might have been a post from the pattern of the rest of the archaeology (and our experimentation), but where there isn't any physical evidence of one

with that in mind, we've chosen to interpret this building as having a full ring of posts by extrapolating from the postholes that *are* in the archaeology. but that's just one explanation -- this building might have supported a roof on its wattle after all, and just used a different technique to achieve that. or maybe it didn't have a roof at all!

this is what experimental archaeology is all about! we'll let you know how this experiment goes 😊

[jackthomasblogs]

Silicone Roof Coating Lifespan: Factors that Influence Durability

Did you know that silicone roof coatings can last up to 20 years? That's a long time! Silicone roof coating services in Broward County FL are great for protecting your roof from the elements. However, many factors can influence their durability. Let's explore these factors to help you understand how to keep your roof in top shape.

Choosing Quality Materials With Silicone Roof Coating Services In Broward County FL

First, the quality of the silicone coating matters a lot. High-quality silicone coatings last longer. They provide better protection against UV rays and weather. Cheaper coatings might save you money now, but they won't last as long. Investing in a good silicone coating can save you money in the long run. Always look for reputable brands when choosing a silicone roof coating. This ensures you get a product tested and proven to last.

Climate and Weather Conditions

Second, the weather in your area plays a big role. If you live in a place with extreme temperatures, your roof coating will wear out faster. In hot climates, the intense sun can make the coating break down. In cold climates, the freezing and thawing can cause cracks. Heavy rain or snow can also affect the coating in places. Too much moisture can lead to damage over time. To protect your roof, consider the weather conditions where you live and choose a coating that suits those conditions.

Proper Installation

Next, how the coating is applied is very important. A professional installation makes a big difference. The coating won't stick well to the roof if not applied correctly. This can lead to bubbles, cracks, and peeling. Always hire experienced professionals to apply the coating. They know the right techniques and tools to use. Proper installation ensures that the coating performs its best and lasts as long as possible.

Maintenance Practices

Regular maintenance is key to a long-lasting roof coating. You should inspect your roof at least twice a year. Look for signs of wear and tear, such as cracks or peeling. Clean your roof regularly to remove debris that can cause damage. If you notice any problems, fix them right away. Silicone roof coating experts in Broward County FL can prevent bigger issues. Taking care of your roof coating helps it stay strong and last longer.

UV Resistance

Silicone coatings are known for their UV resistance. UV rays from the sun can cause a lot of damage to roofs. They can make materials brittle and cause them to crack. Silicone coatings reflect these harmful rays, protecting the roof underneath. This not only extends the life of the coating but also keeps your roof cooler. A cooler roof means less strain on your home's cooling system, saving you energy and money.

Water Resistance

Another great feature of silicone roof coatings is their water resistance. Silicone is very good at repelling water. This makes it an excellent choice for roofs in rainy or snowy areas. Water can't seep into the coating, which prevents leaks and water damage. This water resistance helps the coating last longer and keeps your roof in good condition.

Thickness of the Coating

The thickness of the silicone coating also affects its lifespan. A thicker coating provides better protection and lasts longer. However, it's important to apply the right amount. Too thin, and it won't protect well. Too thick, and it can crack or peel. Professional installers know how to apply the coating to the right thickness. Moreover, silicone roof coatings in Broward County FL ensure maximum protection and durability.

Reflectivity

Silicone roof coatings are reflective. They bounce back the sun's rays, reducing heat buildup on your roof. This reflectivity helps keep your home cooler and reduces energy costs. It also protects the coating from heat damage, extending its lifespan. A reflective roof is a win-win for both durability and energy savings.

Flexibility

Silicone coatings are flexible. They can expand and contract with temperature changes without cracking. This flexibility is important for areas with extreme temperature fluctuations. It helps the coating stay intact and protects the roof beneath. Flexibility is one of the reasons silicone coatings are so durable and long-lasting.

Regular Inspections: Keeping an Eye on Your Roof

Regular inspections are vital for the health of your roof coating. Twice a year, take a close look at your roof. Check for any signs of damage like cracks, bubbles, or peeling. Inspecting the roof after major weather events, like storms or heavy snowfall, is also a good idea. Early detection of issues can save you a lot of trouble and money. Small problems, if left unchecked, can turn into big ones quickly. Cleaning your roof during these inspections is also important. 

Environmental Impact

Lastly, silicone coatings are environmentally friendly. They are made from natural materials and don't release harmful chemicals. Broward County silicone roof coatings make them a good choice for eco-conscious homeowners. A durable roof coating means less frequent replacements, reducing waste. Choosing silicone roof coatings is smart for your home and the environment.

The Role of Proper Drainage

Proper drainage is crucial for the longevity of your silicone roof coating. Water pooling on your roof can cause significant damage over time. It can lead to leaks, mold growth, and structural issues. Ensuring your roof has good drainage helps prevent these problems. Make sure gutters and downspouts are clear of debris. Blocked gutters can cause water to back up and pool on your roof. Also, check that your roof has a slight slope to direct water away. 

Impact of Roof Traffic

Roof traffic can significantly affect the lifespan of your silicone roof coating. Walking on the roof can cause wear and tear, especially if it's frequent. It's important to minimize foot traffic on your roof as much as possible. When you need to go up there, be cautious. Wear soft-soled shoes to avoid damaging the coating. If you have contractors or maintenance workers on your roof, make sure they know to be careful. They should use proper equipment and avoid dragging heavy tools across the surface. If you anticipate a lot of roof traffic, consider adding walk pads. 

Conclusion:

In conclusion, many factors influence the lifespan of silicone roof coatings. Choosing quality materials, considering the climate, ensuring proper installation and regular maintenance are all crucial. UV and water resistance, the right thickness, reflectivity, flexibility, and environmental benefits also play a role. By paying attention to these factors, you can ensure your silicone roof coating lasts as long as possible. Remember,  silicone roof coating services in Broward County FL protect your home and save money in the long run. So, take good care of your roof, and it will take good care of you.

[rhinoconstructionservices]

DIY Joint Sealing: When to Call the Professionals

Introduction

Joint sealing, or caulking, is an essential task for maintaining the integrity and efficiency of buildings. While many homeowners may attempt to handle joint sealing as a DIY project, certain situations call for the expertise of professionals. This blog explores the basics of DIY joint sealing, the challenges involved, and when it’s best to seek professional help.

Understanding DIY Joint Sealing

DIY joint sealing can be a cost-effective way to address minor gaps and cracks around your home. Here are some steps for a basic DIY joint sealing project:

Identify the Areas: Locate the joints and gaps that need sealing, such as around windows, doors, and baseboards.

Choose the Right Sealant: Select a sealant suitable for the material and environmental conditions. Silicone, polyurethane, and acrylic sealants are common options.

Prepare the Surface: Clean the area thoroughly, removing any dirt, dust, or old sealant to ensure proper adhesion.

Apply the Sealant: Use a caulking gun to apply the sealant evenly, ensuring a smooth and continuous bead. Tool the sealant with a damp finger or a caulking tool for a clean finish.

Allow to Cure: Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for curing time, ensuring the sealant sets properly before exposure to moisture or stress.

The Importance of Proper Joint Sealing

Preventing Moisture Infiltration: Proper sealing prevents water from entering the building, reducing the risk of mold and structural damage.

Enhancing Energy Efficiency: Sealed joints improve insulation, reducing energy loss and lowering heating and cooling costs.

Improving Indoor Air Quality: Sealing gaps prevents the entry of outdoor pollutants, enhancing indoor air quality.

Challenges of DIY Joint Sealing

While DIY joint sealing can be effective for minor repairs, it presents several challenges:

Material Compatibility: Choosing the right sealant for the specific material and environmental conditions can be complex.

Application Technique: Achieving a smooth and continuous bead requires skill and practice. Improper application can lead to gaps and weak points.

Surface Preparation: Thorough cleaning and preparation are crucial for proper adhesion. Inadequate preparation can result in sealant failure.

Complex Projects: Larger projects or those involving critical areas, such as roofing or foundation joints, require professional expertise.

When to Call the Professionals

Complex Projects: If the project involves large areas, multiple materials, or critical structural components, professional expertise is essential.

Persistent Issues: If previous DIY attempts have failed or if there are persistent leaks and drafts, it’s time to seek professional help.

Building Codes and Regulations: Professional joint sealing ensures compliance with local building codes and regulations, avoiding potential legal issues.

Long-Term Durability: Professionals use high-quality materials and advanced techniques to ensure long-lasting and effective sealing.

External Joint Sealing at Rhino Construction Services

At Rhino Construction Services, we provide expert joint sealing solutions for both residential and commercial properties. Our professional team ensures that every joint is sealed effectively and efficiently, providing long-term protection and performance.

Commitment to Quality

We use only the best materials and follow meticulous application techniques to ensure that our joint sealing services meet the highest standards of quality and durability.

Ensuring Long-Term Benefits

Our comprehensive approach includes thorough assessments, precise application, and regular maintenance to ensure that your building remains protected and efficient.

Conclusion

While DIY joint sealing can be effective for minor repairs, certain situations call for the expertise of professionals. At Rhino Construction Services, we offer expert joint sealing solutions that provide long-term benefits and ensure compliance with industry standards. Whether for residential or commercial projects, our commitment to quality and durability ensures that your building remains resilient and efficient.

Contact us today to learn more about our joint sealing services and how we can assist with your project.

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What Are the Benefits of Working with Architects in Chennai for Home Project?

Designing and building your dream home is an exciting yet complex endeavor. To ensure your vision becomes a reality, it's essential to work with skilled professionals who understand both your aspirations and the unique characteristics of your location. If you’re planning a home project in Chennai, collaborating with a local architect offers numerous advantages. Here’s a look at the benefits of working with architects in Chennai for your home project.

1. Deep Understanding of Local Architecture

Chennai boasts a rich architectural heritage that blends traditional South Indian styles with colonial influences and modern designs. Architects in Chennai have a profound understanding of this diverse architectural landscape. They can seamlessly integrate traditional elements like courtyards, verandas, and intricate woodwork with contemporary aesthetics, creating homes that are both culturally rich and modern.

2. Expertise in Climate-Responsive Design

Chennai’s hot and humid climate requires specific design strategies to ensure comfort and energy efficiency. Local architects are experts in climate-responsive design, utilizing techniques such as optimal building orientation, natural ventilation, and the use of heat-reflective materials. These strategies help keep your home cool and comfortable while reducing energy consumption.

3. Knowledge of Local Building Regulations

Navigating local building codes and regulations can be challenging. Architects in Chennai are well-versed in the city’s building regulations, zoning laws, and permit requirements. Their expertise ensures that your home project complies with all local laws, preventing potential legal issues and delays.

4. Access to High-Quality Local Materials

Chennai offers a variety of high-quality local materials that can add authenticity and character to your home. Local architects have extensive knowledge of these materials, such as traditional terracotta tiles, locally sourced stone, and crafted woodwork. Using these materials not only supports local artisans but also ensures durability and cost-effectiveness.

5. Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Practices

Sustainability is a key focus for modern architects, and those in Chennai are no exception. They incorporate eco-friendly practices and materials into their designs, helping you create an environmentally responsible home. From solar panels and rainwater harvesting systems to green roofs and energy-efficient appliances, these sustainable solutions reduce your home’s environmental impact and lower utility bills.

6. Personalized Design Solutions

Your home should reflect your unique personality and lifestyle. Architects in Chennai excel at providing personalized design solutions tailored to your specific needs and preferences. They take the time to understand your daily routines, aesthetic preferences, and functional requirements, ensuring that every aspect of your home aligns with your vision.

7. Strong Network of Skilled Professionals

Experienced architects in Chennai have established networks of reliable contractors, craftsmen, and suppliers. This network ensures that every aspect of your home project is handled by professionals with a proven track record of quality workmanship. A well-coordinated team can significantly reduce the stress and complexity of building your home.

8. Efficient Project Management

Managing a home construction project involves coordinating various tasks and professionals. Architects in Chennai offer comprehensive project management services, handling everything from initial design and planning to obtaining permits and overseeing construction. Their expertise ensures that your project stays on track, within budget, and is completed on time.

9. Innovative and Creative Solutions

Chennai’s architects are known for their innovative approach to design. They stay updated with the latest trends and technologies, bringing fresh ideas and creative solutions to your home project. Whether it’s integrating smart home technology, designing multi-functional spaces, or incorporating unique aesthetic elements, they enhance both the functionality and beauty of your home.

10. Enhanced Property Value

A well-designed home can significantly enhance the value of your property. Architects in Chennai understand the local real estate market and design homes that appeal to potential buyers. Thoughtful design elements, high-quality materials, and attention to detail can boost your home's market value, ensuring a good return on your investment.

Conclusion

Working with architects in Chennai for your home project offers numerous benefits, from their deep understanding of local architecture and climate-responsive design to their knowledge of building regulations and access to high-quality materials. Their personalized design approach, commitment to sustainability, and strong professional networks ensure that your dream home is not only beautiful and functional but also compliant with local laws and environmentally responsible. By partnering with a skilled architect in Chennai, you can bring your vision to life and enjoy a home that truly reflects your style and meets your needs.

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"What is the difference between commercial and industrial roofing?"

When it comes to protecting a building from the elements, roofing plays a crucial role. However, not all roofs are created equal, and the differences between commercial and industrial roofing are significant. Understanding these differences can help property owners make informed decisions about their roofing needs, whether for a new installation or maintenance.

Commercial Roofing

Commercial roofing is designed for buildings that house businesses, offices, retail spaces, or restaurants. These roofs are typically flat or have a low slope, which influences the materials and techniques used in their construction. Common materials for commercial roofing include single-ply membranes, such as TPO, PVC, and EPDM. These materials are favored for their durability, flexibility, and ease of installation.

One notable characteristic of commercial roofs is the focus on aesthetics. Since these buildings often serve customers or clients, the roof needs to complement the overall appearance of the structure. This is why roofing contractors might use materials that allow for a cleaner, more polished look. Additionally, energy efficiency is a significant consideration for commercial roofs. Many businesses opt for reflective roofing materials that can reduce cooling costs by reflecting sunlight away from the building.

Industrial Roofing

In contrast, industrial roofing caters to factories, warehouses, and other facilities involved in manufacturing or storage. These roofs are designed to withstand harsher conditions and heavier loads. Industrial roofs often need to support the weight of heavy machinery, equipment, or even rooftop HVAC systems. As such, the materials used are typically more robust and durable compared to those used in commercial roofing. Metal roofing, built-up roofing (BUR), and modified bitumen are common choices for industrial applications due to their strength and longevity.

Industrial roofs prioritize functionality over aesthetics. The primary concern is ensuring the roof can withstand extreme temperatures, chemical exposures, and other demanding conditions typical in industrial environments. This focus on durability often means that industrial roofing systems require more frequent inspections and maintenance to ensure they remain in good condition and continue to protect the building and its contents.

Key Differences

Design and Structure: The design of commercial roofs tends to be simpler with flat or slightly sloped surfaces, whereas industrial roofs can be more complex, often designed to accommodate heavy equipment or specific industrial needs.

Materials Used: While commercial roofs use materials that balance durability and aesthetics, such as single-ply membranes, industrial roofs employ sturdier materials like metal and BUR to handle more rigorous demands.

Maintenance Requirements: Industrial roofs generally require more rigorous maintenance schedules due to the harsher environments they endure. Regular inspections are critical to identify and address potential issues before they lead to significant damage.

Installation Complexity: The installation process for industrial roofs can be more complex and time-consuming, often requiring specialized knowledge and equipment. In contrast, commercial roofing installations can be quicker and less disruptive to the business operations within the building.

Roofing in New Jersey

Both commercial and industrial buildings in New Jersey face unique challenges due to the state’s diverse climate. From hot, humid summers to cold, snowy winters, roofs must be resilient enough to withstand these varying conditions. This is where professional services for roofing in New Jersey come into play. Skilled roofing contractors in New Jersey are adept at selecting the right materials and techniques that can handle the local weather patterns while meeting the specific needs of commercial or industrial properties.

Window Replacement in North Bergen

While discussing roofing, it’s also essential to consider other aspects of building maintenance, such as windows. Windows play a crucial role in the energy efficiency and overall integrity of a building. In North Bergen, where weather conditions can also be quite variable, window replacement in North Bergen is a service that many property owners seek. Replacing old, inefficient windows can significantly enhance a building's energy performance, reduce heating and cooling costs, and improve the comfort for occupants.

Conclusion

In summary, the main differences between commercial and industrial roofing lie in the design, materials used, maintenance requirements, and installation complexity. Commercial roofs prioritize aesthetics and energy efficiency, using materials like single-ply membranes that offer flexibility and a clean appearance. Industrial roofs, on the other hand, focus on durability and functionality, utilizing stronger materials like metal and BUR to handle more severe conditions and heavier loads.

For property owners in New Jersey, understanding these differences is crucial when selecting the right roofing solution. Professional roofing services can provide tailored advice and installation techniques to ensure that the roof, whether commercial or industrial, meets all the necessary requirements. Additionally, addressing other building elements, such as windows, through services like window replacement in North Bergen, can further enhance the building’s performance and longevity.

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Transform Your Space with Skylights: Lighting and Energy Efficiency

Skylights are a great addition to any home or office because you get natural light, a mood boost and energy savings all in one! In this article, which will help those who are thinking about installing a skylight, we will talk about all the advantages and types of skylights with a focus on skylight windows, skylight roofs, and skylight solar solutions.

The Magic of Skylights

A skylight is a versatile feature that can bring more light into a room and make it look much larger. They are particularly useful in areas that are not well lit such as attics, bathrooms, or any closed interior section. When installed appropriately, they offer natural lighting into your house, and you will not need to use electric lights, thereby saving your electricity bills.

Types of Skylights

Skylight Windows

The most popular there are skylight windows. They can either be fixed or operational. A fixed skylight window is one which is installed without any provision of opening it for purposes of ventilation. The reasons are that operable skylight windows can be opened for fresh air and for the purpose of ventilation since the moisture can be a problem in kitchens and bathrooms.

Manual and electrical operation is available for the operable skylight windows. The manual ones often come with a detachable pole or crank handle while the electric ones can be operated from a remote or even home automation, which gives them even more appeal. Also, there are models that have rain sensors which means that the skylight will close at the first instance of rainfall.

Skylight Roof

Fixed roof windows, also known as skylight roofs, are bulkier and can be installed right into the roof running. These allow for an extensive vision of the sky, and are most appropriate in areas that require a wide field of view, like the living space or loft. They can also be constructed to be opened allowing for natural light and at the same time offer adequate ventilation.   Several varieties of skylight roof are available, including flat roof skylights and domed skylights. Flat roof skylights can be more minimalist and are often frameless; large glazed lights that let in a significant amount of light. Domed skylights, for their part, are more conventional and are precisely built with consideration to aspects such as water and debris shedding, particularly for those regions that experience a lot of rainfall.   Skylight Solar

The skylight solar solutions are yet another approach incorporating natural light into building designs and saving energy at the same time. Integrated photovoltaic systems are solar-powered skylights that enable the solar panel to store sunlight to operate the opening and shutting procedures of the rooflights along with the blinds and shades if any. This kind of skylight is not only right but also ecological because it does not require much electrical power.   Solar skylights can also serve a dual purpose of helping to control temperatures within buildings. They can be used during summer by adjusting the blinds or the shades to minimize heat while in the winter, they can be opened to let in more heat and light. The use of these techniques for passive solar heating can greatly decrease heating and cooling expenses throughout the year.

Benefits of Installing Skylights

Enhanced Aesthetics Skylights are and additional feature when it comes architectural designs of a home. They are fundamental in design as they provide focus and can transform even the smallest of rooms into ones with a welcoming atmosphere. Natural light has a way of making all the colors of your interiors pop out and it also accentuates details that one may not easily see in artificial light. In addition, natural lighting opens a window to the space outside our home in a way that makes even the evenings a little more magical.   Energy Efficiency Since they allow natural lighting rather than using electrical lighting at night and allowing fresh air to circulate within the house, skylights can help you save on electricity costs. Solar skylights, for example, go a step further by being run by renewable solar power. Also, low-emissivity glass, low-E glazing provide the possibility of regulating the amount of heat that comes through the skylight and therefore have a better control over the climate of the room.   Improved Mood and Well-being Lighting is known to affect one’s mood, sleep quality and productivity in equal measure from experience and researches. Skylights provide more natural light, making the living environment far better for the occupants. Daylighting has a positive effect on human health by improving the circadian rhythm sleep/wake cycle, thus enhancing sleep and well-being. The health facelifts are also impressive: natural light can directly improve the manifestations of SAD and other forms of depression.   Optimised Ventilation and Air Quality

While in use, operable skylights can be very effective in improving ventilation compared to stagnant and congested air. If the skylight is opened, a chimney effect will be created since warm air rises and exits through the skylight while cool air from the windows or doors at the lower part of the house enters in. The following natural air flow can assist in minimizing utilization of air conditioning and enhancing IAQ.

Considerations for Installing Skylights

When planning to install skylights, there are a few key considerations to keep in mind:

Location In the case of installation of the skylights, the decision-making process on where to install them is vital. North-facing Velux windows offer diffuse natural light input during the day, while south-facing ones offer more direct; this may be beneficial in cold climates but potentially problematic in the hot ones due to overheating. Skylight on the east will allow admission of morning light, while on the west it will allow the late afternoon or evening light.   Size and Number This means that more of the skylights will admit more light and heat into the rooms than the number of skylights will admit. One or more large skylights or several smaller ones provide a striking aesthetic and admit far more light into a room at the cost of allowing more heat in during warm months as well as more heat out during cold months. The appearance of a building must however not be sacrificed for the importance of efficiency in terms of energy use.   Professional Installation To increase the durability of your skylight and stabilize its efficiency, installation is highly important. This way it is recommended that professional installers handle the skylights for a correct sealing and flashing of the units to prevent leakage among others. They can also help to guide you in the right placement and kind of light that best suits your need.   Conclusion Light tubes are a great addition to any home as they comes with many advantages and some of these are; increase in natural light, energy efficiency. Regardless of whether you choose the Skylight Windows, or the Skylight Roof or Skylight Solar, you are bound to enjoy the comfort, added by the aesthetics that comes with them.

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Our professionals are experienced and verified and will complete the service on time. Our group deep cleans to remove infection-causing germs. We can also use a can of compressed air to get mud and dirt off the ceiling fan's motor housing and other unreachable components. Should your ceiling fan have extra features like a built-in lamp, your specialist can clean this too. Some specialists might offer to alter the bulb if necessary - roof insulation brisbane.

Different ceiling supplies might require specific cleansing strategies to keep away from injury. Understanding the extent of mud accumulation helps determine the intensity of cleansing required. Getting rid of household dust those pesky fine particles composed of plant pollen, human and animal dander, environmental air pollution, and plain old dir is a continuing battle. We’re able to place technicians anywhere. Our team will not go away from your property until your ceiling is clear and spotless and we have your acceptance that you are proud of the level of service offered - attic cleaning gold coast.

Installing insulation in your partitions during the means of building or renovating a house increases the power effectively of the construction, which saves cash on heating and cooling. Whether you wish to use spray or fiberglass insulation batting, the proper steps and strategies are easy. But even with the upper cost, the benefits external insulation presents over internal mean that it is tough to ignore. An uninsulated house is expensive to warmth as a result of it loses of its warmth through the walls and the roof, through windows and doors and  via the floor. If the wall is relatively flat and in good condition, this can be an efficient, fast technique - brisbane roof insulation.

This improves power effectively, comfort, and safety following the construction or renovation of any building with a steel wall system. Before insulating your partitions with fiberglass insulation, measure the partitions and the width between the studs to figure out how much batting you’ll need to buy. Our professionals are experienced and verified and will complete the service on time. Our group deep cleans to remove infection-causing germs. This is perfect for individuals seeking residence cleaning providers at an affordable value. For more information, please visit our site https://roofsuckers.com.au/