#west valley hospital

[phixwips]

West Valley Hospital p1

The first hospital in the world that served both monster and human kind.

Nightmare typed away on the old keyboard, looking back down at the file before going back to his computer to fill in more of the information needed about a new patient. Reaching for his coffee and being met with disappointment at it being empty. He would get some later, after he finished this paperwork. Rolling his eyes when his office door was opened,” what is it,” he growled. Only one person was bold enough to open his door without knocking, looking up to see the always smug skeleton giving him a grin, holding up a brown sack and shook it like it was some sort of prized catch. Nightmare rolled his eyes as Killer made himself comfortable on the office couch. “Brought you some lunch,” Killer said happily, pulling out the small takeaway containers and set them on the coffee table. Nightmare gave a little sigh before locking his computer and moved to sit on the chair next to Killer,” thank you,” he said simply, opening the container to find one of his preferred meals, a toasted egg and cheese sandwich with a salad that had blueberries and almonds mixed in. Watching as Killer smushed a handful of crinkled fries in his mouth before working on the burger he had.

“So how much do I owe you?” Nightmare asked, enjoying his food. Killer shook his head, swallowing a mouthful of food before responding,” I didn’t buy it, Blue did.” Nightmare nodded, the little ball of energy that they had for a nurse lead would often buy them lunch, which was nice,” I’ll pay him back when I see him again,” Nightmare said, slowly finishing off his food. Once the pair had finished, Nightmare had suggested they walk down to the nurses station, mostly so he could thank Blue but also collect any paperwork that they had for him. It was a pleasant enough trip over to the main hospital, giving a nod to other nurses as they passed them. He noticed that the nurses were gossiping quite a bit more than usual, which was good. Their spirits were high. Finally spotting the little blue skeleton who was typing away on one of the computers while chatting with a cat monster nurse.

“Hi Blue,” Nightmare greeted, leaning against the counter, Blue giving Nightmare a bright smile,” afternoon Dr Demure.” Nightmare swore if Blue smiled any more it would blind him. Killer always talked about the few times he had seen that smile break, but Nightmare had never seen it. It apparently took a lot to make the little guy angry, though it didn’t take much to suffer from Blue’s petty side. He learned that the hard way. Blue seemed to vibrate in place as he cheerfully spoke,” did you hear yet?”

Night tilted his head, before he could say anything Killer spoke,” we haven’t heard anything baby blue~” he teased, Blues face souring for a moment before a file was shoved into Killers hands,” go do your job,” Blue spoke flatly, Killer making a huffy noise before trotting off. Blue turned back to Nightmare,” anyways, you remember Gary retired?” Blue asked. Nightmare nodded,telling Blue he recalled the small party the nurses had for the elderly mortician,” so his replacement arrived?” Blue nodded, handing him a lollipop,” yup, he’s a young guy too, probably around your age,” Blue explained before gesturing to some of the other nurses who were talking,” according to the nurses that came in with him, he’s a real cutie.” Nightmare couldn’t help but chuckle, the gossip was always so interesting,” is he a human or a monster?” Nightmare asked, unwrapping the loli and bit it, watching Blue cringe just a little. He never liked it when he did that but it didn't stop Nightmare from doing that. “Skeleton monster, isn’t that neat?” Blue smiled, setting a small stack of files on the counter to be taken by different nurses. “Just another person for you to bully into getting Saturday night drinks,” he teased, Blue making an offended gasp,” I don’t bully, I’m just very good at persuading people,” Blue snipped back. Nightmare let out a scoff,” same difference.” Blue had gotten pretty much every skeleton that worked in the hospital to go out with him for some sort of activity, save for Horror who seemed immune to Blue’s charm. Even Nightmare had been tricked into attending a trivia night with Blue and Killer, though it was admittedly fun. The sound of an alert going off over the intercom, the nurses scurrying around to take control of whatever situation was happening. “Well I’ll leave you to this, call if you need anything,” he told his blue friend before making his way back to his office.

It wasn’t too long after he had settled into his chair and began working on paperwork that his pager went off, he hadn’t realized it was that time already. Duty called. Being quick to get to the OR and greeted his team and prepped for the patient. Older male white multiple heart attacks. This would be a long afternoon.

—

Nightmare wished he could say the operation went well, looking over the paperwork at his desk. They had been only 20 minutes in before the patient endured another heart attack. They weren’t able to bring him back. Nightmare wasn’t used to people dying on his table very often. It did happen, of course, but that didn’t mean it was ok. He used these events to better himself and his craft. Taking a moment to breathe, to steady himself before standing. He needed to go get the morgue report, hopefully it would be ready by the time he arrived. Leaving his office and caught an elevator, riding it down to the bowles of the hospital. This place creeped many people out, the odd creaking noises and the musty smell. It wasn’t too bad down here, though he wouldn’t trade his office for this. Not in a million years. Walking down the erie halls before he saw a sign that read out MORGUE in big bold letters. He didn’t see anyone at the desk so the new person must still be working.

Creaking the door open to the cold room and was met with a voice,” my skeleton puns are very humerus,” bubbly laughter filling the room. Nightmare took a moment, he knew that the basement people could be a little odd, but making jokes with the dead? That was very odd. Giving a cough before stepping inside the cold room, hearing a piece of metal being set down, a cheerful voice greeting him,” I’ll be with you in a minute.” He could see the skeleton, they were leaning over a cadaver and writing notes, watching them pull off their gloves and toss them in the hazard bin before removing the frock and trashed it as well. “You must be here for Mr Blach’s report?” The other asked, shuffling to the desk in the corner. Nightmare nodded, making his way over to the other,” I am, is it ready?” He asked. “Yup, Al ready to go,” the skeleton turned to face Nightmare, bright golden eyes greeting him. The other gave him a smile before holding out the file,” you must be Dr Demure, it’s nice tii oh meet you.” Nightmare nodded, taking the file from him,” thank you, Mr?”

“-Soli, Dream Soli,” Dream greeted, holding out a hand, Nightmare shaking it. Nightmare noted how cold the others hands were, almost like touching death. The other skeletons' whole demeanor was a little odd. The black smocks, the yellow undershirt and the apron coupled with a studded necklace, this person was very odd indeed. Even the personality didn’t quite mesh, someone so cheery he assumed would want to work as a nurse or in the children’s center, not in the basement. An awkward silence fell between them before Dream gave a small chuckle,” well it was nice to meet you, but I have to get back to it, corpses can’t process themselves after all,” Dream gave a smile before sidestepping Nightmare. “Right, thank you again, Mr Soli,” he said as he made his way to the door, stopping when the other called out,” you can just call me Dream.” Nightmare nodded,” right, Dream.” And with that Nightmare was gone.

Dream rolled his eyes as he pulled on a new frock and gloves, looking down at his patient,” some people can be so odd, don’t you think Mr Gracy?” Humming to himself as he went back to work.

[doctorreid187]

PLS PLEASE PLEASE DO TEEN DAD MIGUEL!!! MAYBE SHE FINDS OUT SHES PREGNANT A WEEK BEFORE THE FIGHT THAT PUTS HIM IN THE COMA!!!

No body descriptions used - A/N: I hope this is what you asked for, if not I am sorry

It had been two weeks since the fight that had put Miguel Diaz in a coma. West Valley High School buzzed with stories of triumphs and defeats, but for Y/N, time seemed to have slowed to a crawl. She sat on the bleachers of the school's football field, clutching a small, white stick in her trembling hands. The two pink lines were unmistakable. She was pregnant.

Her thoughts whirled as she tried to make sense of it all. Miguel, her boyfriend, the love of her life, was the first person who came to mind. They had shared so many dreams and plans for the future, but neither of them had expected this so soon. Y/N knew she had to tell him, but how?

The next day, she found Miguel in the dojo, focused and intense as he practiced his moves. He had been training harder than ever for the next tournament. She watched him for a moment, marveling at his dedication, before summoning the courage to approach him.

"Miguel," she called softly, catching his attention. He turned to her, his face breaking into a warm smile.

"Hey, Y/N! What’s up?" He walked over, towel draped around his neck.

"I need to talk to you," she said, her voice shaking slightly. "It's important."

Miguel's smile faded as he noticed the seriousness in her eyes. "Okay, let's sit down."

They sat on the bench, and Y/N took a deep breath. "Miguel, I... I found out something yesterday. And it's really big."

He reached for her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Whatever it is, we'll face it together."

She looked into his eyes, drawing strength from his confidence. "I'm pregnant, Miguel."

The words hung in the air, and Miguel's eyes widened in shock. "You're... pregnant?" he repeated, his voice barely above a whisper.

Y/N nodded, tears brimming in her eyes. "I know it's unexpected, and I know we didn't plan for this. But I wanted you to know."

Miguel sat in stunned silence for a moment, his mind racing. Then, he pulled her into a tight embrace. "We're going to be okay, Y/N. We'll figure this out together."

As the week went by, they started discussing their options, their future, and how they would make things work. They were both scared, but their love for each other gave them the strength to face the challenges ahead.

Then came the day of the big fight. Miguel had been tense all morning, but he tried to put on a brave face for Y/N. "I'll be okay," he promised her, kissing her forehead. "Just stay strong for me, okay?"

Y/N watched the match from the sidelines, her heart pounding with every move Miguel made. The fight was brutal, and the tension was unbearable. When Miguel landed a particularly hard hit, Y/N winced, praying silently for his safety.

But then, it happened. A fierce kick from his opponent sent Miguel crashing to the ground, his head hitting the floor with a sickening thud. Y/N screamed, rushing to his side as chaos erupted around them.

"Miguel! Miguel, wake up!" she cried, cradling his head in her lap. He didn't respond, his eyes closed and his body limp.

The paramedics arrived, pushing Y/N aside as they worked to stabilize him. Tears streamed down her face as she watched them carry Miguel away on a stretcher, her heart breaking with each step they took.

Hours later, Y/N sat in the hospital waiting room, surrounded by friends and family. Her hands rested protectively over her stomach as she silently prayed for Miguel's recovery. The doctor finally emerged, looking grave.

"He's in a coma," the doctor said, and the room fell silent. "We're doing everything we can, but it's too soon to tell when or if he'll wake up."

Y/N felt a crushing weight settle over her. She looked down at her stomach, whispering a silent promise to their unborn child. "We're going to be okay, Miguel. We'll wait for you. We'll stay strong for you."

As days turned into weeks, Y/N visited Miguel every day, talking to him, holding his hand, and telling him about their baby. She believed, with all her heart, that he could hear her, and that he would come back to them.

Then, two weeks after the accident, something miraculous happened. Y/N was sitting beside Miguel, holding his hand and talking softly about their plans for the future, when she felt a slight squeeze.

"Miguel?" she whispered, hope blooming in her chest.

His eyelids fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes. "Y/N?" he croaked, his voice weak but unmistakably his.

Tears of joy streamed down her face as she leaned in, kissing his forehead. "You're awake! Oh my God, Miguel, you're awake!"

The doctors rushed in, checking his vitals and making sure he was stable. Y/N stood back, her heart soaring with relief and happiness. Miguel was back, and they had a future to look forward to.

Months later, as they settled into their new routine, Y/N went into labor. Miguel was by her side, holding her hand and offering words of encouragement. After hours of labor, their daughter, Charlotte, was born. She was perfect, with a tuft of dark hair and bright, curious eyes.

Miguel held their newborn daughter, tears of joy in his eyes. "She's beautiful, Y/N," he whispered.

Y/N smiled, exhausted but happy. "We did it, Miguel. We're a family."

As they looked at their daughter, they knew that despite the challenges they had faced, their love and determination had brought them to this moment. They were ready to face whatever the future held, together.

[lomotunes2008]

Ok folks! Here's a list of every Kerr Stuart narrow gauge engine I could find!

It was a struggle (most of these had basically zero info on them other than very, very basic stuff) but I tried my best! I've also included photos of each just for fun ^_^

Tattoo:

1284 - Current location: Nam Tu Mine Railway

1288 - Current location: Nam Tu Mine Railway

2395 - Current location: Apedale Valley Railway

4047 - Current location: Talyllyn Railway

Winston 17 - Current location: Corris Railway

Unknown - Current location: Nam Tu Mine Railway

Skylark:

742 - Current location: Red Cliffs Railway

813/814/1360* - Current location: Mauritius

1281 - Current location: Pernambuco, Brazil

4389 - Current location: Alagoas, Brazil

Sirdar:

652 - Current location: Walvis Bay Station, Namibia

685 - Current location: Beaconsfield Heritage Centre

1158 - Current location: Amerton Railway

Wren:

1015 - Current location: Sao Paulo, Brazil

1194 - Current location: Santa Catarina, Brazil

2387 - Current location: Pattaya, Thailand

2388 - Current location: Falkland Islands

2392 - Current location: Falkland Islands

3114 - Current location: Vale of Rheidol Railway

3128 - Current location: Statfold Barn

4031 - Current location: Sandstone Steam Railway

4250 - Current location: Amerton Railway

4256 - Current location: Leighton Buzzard Railway

4260 - Current location: Leighton Buzzard Railway

Hunslet 3905 - Current location: Unknown

Hunslet 3906 - Current location: Kew Bridge

Brazil:

886 - Current location: Sittingbourne Railway

926 - Current location: Sittingbourne Railway

1049 - Current location: Great Whipsnade Railway

1179 - Current location: Santa Catarina, Brazil

1314 - Current location: Carribbean Islands

3024 - Current location: Cavan & Leitrim Railway

3025 - Current location: Private

4219 - Current location: Sittingbourne Railway

Hunslet 1842 - Current location: Statfold Barn

Hunslet 3756 - Current location: Statfold Barn

Hunslet 3902 - Current location: Stratford Barn

Darwin:

4063 - Current location: Sandstone Steam Railway

Joffre:

2405 - Current location: West Lancashire Railway

2442 - Current location: Richmond Light Railway

2451 - Current location: L&B Railway

3010 - Current location: Statfold Barn Railway

3014 - Current location: Apedale Railway

Unknown - Current location: A. Schweitzer Hospital

Haig:

3117 - Current location: Teifi Valley Railway

4183 - Current location: Western Springs Railway

4185 - Current location: Western Springs Railway

Huxley:

2383 - Current location: Nam Tu Mine Railway

4141 - Current location: Nam Tu Mine Railway

4393 - Current location: Nam Tu Mine Railway

Matary:

4034 - Current location: Great Whipsnade Railway

4193 - Current location: Alagoas, Brazil

4404 - Current location: Welshpool Railway

Unknown class:

98 - Current location: Pernambuco, Brazil

668 - Current location: Sao Paulo, Brazil

847 - Current location: Chennai, India

848 - Current location: Puri, India

928 - Current location: Sao Paulo, Brazil

1244 - Current location: Alagoas, Brazil

2417 - Current location: Pernambuco, Brazil

4077 - Current location: Antofagasta, Chile

4315 - Current location: Vizinagaram, India

4316 - Current location: Visakhapatnam, India

4408 - Current location: Visakhapatnam, India

Unknown - Current location: Oruro, Bolivia

*Unsure of works number. Numbers listed are speculative and may not be accurate.

Hope someone finds this useful :)

[stone-stars]

so… i made a list of the first use of every song* in campaign 1 of naddpod, with timestamps. if you're wondering, it's 190 unique songs! * disclaimer: this list doesn't include royalty free songs, only emily's, and it's entirely possible i missed one or two.

i've put the list under the cut, separated by episode! edit: backdating on patreon has made it so that ALL timestamps are from the ad free episodes now!

(disclaimer that i determined the names of songs by cross-referencing what they were credited as across episodes, so some may be inaccurate. i noted those down in the list)

13 - City in the Clouds, 16:56 13 - Beverly's House, 34:18 13 - The Widow, 49:59

14 - Court of the Boy King, 17:48 14 - The Twinkling Lights of Galaderon, 1:20:41

15 - A Bastard No More, 23:21 * 15 - The Ruins of Cragwater, 2:00:09 * (note: "A Bastard No More" is called "Hardwon Takes the Wheel" after c1e70)

16 - Duergar Drudgery, 3:16 16 - Spooky Shafts, 5:13 16 - Heed the Mushroom's Call, 20:02 16 - Schubert's Song, 24:37 16 - Jolene the Green, 30:21 16 - Farewell to Fungen, 33:33 16 - The Mithril Miner's Shuffle, 37:48 16 - The Mithril's Run Dry, 51:37

17 - The Depths of the Dungeon, 1:07:29 17 - Conspiracy in the Clouds, 1:10:39

18 - The Revenant's Fate, 23:26 18 - A Fate Refused, 24:50 18 - Escape the Boy King's Brunch, 1:27:20

19 - The Purge, 10:49 19 - The Valiant Ol' Cobb, 50:13 19 - At the Last Minute, a First, 1:25:18 19 - Skybound, 1:28:17

20 - The Blows of a Friend, And Not a Foe, 58:58 20 - Forsaken, 1:03:08 20 - Apotheosis, 1:04:11 20 - A Haven Away From Home, 1:08:06

21 - Betrayal Below, 17:53 21 - The Gunslinger's Girl, 37:45 (loops) 21 - A Sign from Melora, 1:00:47 21 - Friend Turned Foe, 1:01:52 21 - Sumpin's a Mess Out West, 1:35:39

22 - Slumber in the Stump, 45:05 22 - The Sultan of Stone, 1:38:20 22 - Block Hop, 1:39:31

23 - The Mountain Meets the Sky, 42:34 23 - Trust the Gust, 57:55 23 - The Titan of Air, 1:09:39

24 - Sumpin's Asunder Down Under, 36:50 24 - Baptised, 39:43 24 - Steed of the Sea, 47:17 24 - Cetacean Farewell, 1:09:44 24 - Into the Flame, 1:12:29

25 - The Golden Sword, 51:24 25 - Cured by the Light, 56:30 25 - Hospitably Hostile, 1:01:47 25 - Mee Maw's Burden, 1:17:28

26 - The Grand Maw Tree, 8:20 26 - Into the Fog, 51:25 26 - A Hospitable Farewell, 57:20 26 - Befuddled and Befogged, 1:01:28 26 - Hazy Daze, 1:06:08

27 - Snake Skirmish, 3:06 27 - Greener Shades, 1:07:01 27 - Moonshine's Stump, 1:10:59 27 - Unknown Tome, 1:23:16

28 - Balnor's Bad Dream, 26:31 28 - Blessings of the Elementals, 1:10:45 * 28 - Elemental Energy, 1:13:47 * * (note: the two songs credited here are actually "Elemental Energy" and "Calling in a Favor", so the second song may be either name)

29 - The Prodigal Sister, 54:47 29 - A Rare Appearance, 57:37 29 - Oh, Melora!, 59:04 29 - A Tale's End, 1:04:41

31 - A Giant Among Men, 16:18 31 - Back Against the Wall, 26:35

32 - Behold! Treasure, 9:02 32 - Akarot's Letter, 22:21 32 - Shock at the Dock, 35:54 32 - Invisible But Not Invincible, 42:19 32 - Escape from Smuggler's Bounty, 47:27

33 - Tonathan Tinkle, 5:21 33 - Uku's Gift, 1:16:20

34 - Frostwind, 35:34 34 - A Humble Shopkeeper, 45:40 34 - Vinril's Gems, 1:01:16

35 - Balnor the Brave, 1:04:05

37 - Descending, 19:29 37 - A Tempting Offer, 40:11 37 - Desecrated, 47:18

39 - Incriminated, 32:08

41 - Tower of the Winter Wolves, 19:00 41 - Tundra Trudge, 1:22:08 41 - Valley of the Frigid Death, 1:15:31 * * (note: this song is used in ep 38 at 48:34, but not credited)

42 - Prey Don't Stand a Prayer, 41:03 42 - Yanoba, 1:06:07 * * (note: this song is also used in ep 38 at 1:07:13, but not credited)

45 - The Eye of Akarot, 12:59 45 - Bash at the Gash, 33:08 45 - The Bronzebeard Legacy, 43:40 45 - Kingshammer, 1:41:30 45 - A Sight For Sore Eyes, 1:44:32

46 - Fantastic & Fuddling, 38:59 * 46 - A Soft Landing, 56:18 * 46 - A Humble Farmer, 1:02:52 * 46 - The Court of the Bear Prince, 1:14:22 46 - Wooded Wonders, 1:40:52 * * (note: the four starred songs names have been used somewhat interchangeably, and "The Feywild" is sometimes used instead of "Fantastic & Fuddling")

47 - Puzzled, 7:34 47 - Mysterious Yet Familiar, 1:04:22 47 - Queen Cirilla, 1:10:17 47 - Frozen in Time, 1:12:42

49 - Gnome Man's Land, 1:03:54

50 - Rolling Deep, 13:10 50 - Neath a Ceiling of Stars, 30:36 50 - Sea Beast, 53:38 50 - Great Crone of the Sea, 1:11:05

51 - Alanis, 3:34 51 - The Nannerfly Effect, 14:35 * 51 - When You Wish Upon A Stone, 20:26 51 - Only the Ocean to Console Him, 45:27 * (note: throughout the Feywild, this song is called “The Nannerfly Effect”, and then later goes on to be credited as various versions of "wish stones")

54 - The Autumn Court, 3:35

55 - The Witch's Den, 58:57

56 - An Innocent Flirtation, 48:02 56 - Goblin Dirigible, 1:04:27 56 - Crash Landing, 1:15:21

57 - Tower in the Distance, 13:18 57 - Angels and Devils, 16:58 57 - King Lestibourne, 1:02:39 57 - All I Need is One Thread to Spin a Web, 1:09:20 57 - Kiss of Life, 1:45:12

58 - Flying Through the Night, 25:18 58 - Bittersweet Sixteen, 59:34 58 - A Hard Goodbye, 1:26:52

59 - Shadowfell, 2:49 59 - Into the Mist, 5:34 59 - Grimhawk, 53:33 59 - Langston, 1:05:56

60 - Deadeye, 6:30 60 - The Fat Monk, 25:13

61 - The Red Fen, 20:54 61 - The Montgomerys, 40:11 61 - Growing Pains, 1:16:21 * 61 - Gutless, 1:29:37 * (note: “Growing Pains” is credited as “Drained” here, but the name changes later and is used consistently)

63 - Montgomery Manor, 1:14:22 63 - Shadowfell Sneak, 1:17:34 63 - Two for Tea, 1:21:08

66 - Unholy Pilgrimage, 22:22

67 - Bastard's Fate, 1:22:05 67 - Bastard's Cove, 1:30:06

70 - Lucanus Aer'Tea, 1:27:08 70 - A Miracle Child, 1:44:43 70 - The Thinking Cap, 1:49:53

71 - The Whisperwood, 27:30 71 - Gladeholm, 29:41 71 - The University, 56:36 71 - Qwiksus, 1:10:04 71 - A Wizard Tournament, 1:30:24 71 - Star Spawn, 2:10:23

73 - Summoning, 11:28 73 - Secret Basement, 32:21 73 - The Objective, 1:31:50 73 - Pandemonium, 1:34:22 73 - Lilith La Trix, 1:37:55

75 - Kingsguard, 22:17 75 - Speaking Stump, 27:19 75 - Irondeep, 1:18:40 - (note: these three songs are only used in this ep in c1)

76 - The Mindflayer's Lair, 59:48 76 - The Multiverse, 1:13:57 76 - Alone, 1:19:50 76 - The Vast Expanse, 1:22:21 76 - Into the Planar Pool, 1:27:28

77 - Deal with a Devil, 21:42 * 77 - Buzzer's Cutters, 25:28 77 - The Posse, 1:07:48 77 - The Bronze Bastard, 1:35:51 * (note: this song is also frequently called “Soul Coins”)

79 - Lust, 14:52 79 - The River Styx, 24:46 79 - Fierna, 32:36 79 - A Risky Gamble, 51:42 79 - The Honey Trap, 55:40

82 - The Seventh Circle of Hell, 14:58 82 - Demigod, 28:55

83 - Ilsed's Secret, 42:05

84 - Hellfire Crown, 1:26:11 86 - Torn Apart, 46:42 * * (note: technically "Torn Apart" is a part of “Hellfire Crown” and plays in ep 84 at 1:17:32, but the two have different instrumentation and “Torn Apart” is credited as such later, so I've split them)

91 - I Just Want to Know You're Taken Care Of, 21:37 91 - The Pact, 47:25 91 - Forest, 1:07:14

92 - Enlightened, 15:26 * * (note: this song isn't credited in this ep, its first credit as "Enlightened" is in ep96 at 36:47)

95 - Hole in the Sky, 1:01:12 95 - Pure Gold, 1:34:39

96 - The Glittering Lady, 15:51

97 - Fabric of Fate, 9:44 * 97 - Selfless, 12:48 97 - A Glittering Reunion, 22:18 * (note: this song is later called "Melora's Boon" in c3)

100 (pt. 1) - The Writing on the Wall, 28:55 100 (pt. 1) - Paradise, 46:04 100 (pt. 1) - A Memory, 1:03:17 100 (pt. 2) - One Big Bed, 1:46:57

[earlycuntsets]

mcr shows on youtube pt. 4 (2011 - 2023) last one :]

-> pt. 1 (2002 - 2005)

-> pt. 2 (2005 - 2007)

-> pt. 3 (2007 - 2011)

08/05/2011 pnc bank arts center holmdel nj - the academy is my beautiful romance

08/13/2011 hersheypark stadium hershey pa - the academy is my beautiful romance

08/20/2011 first midwest bank amphitheater tinley park il - the academy is my beautiful romance

08/26/2011 little john's farm reading england - em

08/31/2011 rogers arena vancouver canada - catie cunningham

09/03/2011 usana amphitheater west valley city utah - delaney nye

09/04/2011 comfort dental amphitheater greenwood village co - the academy is my beautiful romance

09/09/2011  capitol federal park at sandstone amphitheater bonner springs ks - the academy is my beautiful romance

09/11/2011 dte energy music theater clarkston mi - justanotherkilljoy

09/18/2011 farm bureau live at virginia beach va - the academy is my beautiful romance

09/20/2011 verizon wireless amphitheater charlotte nc - the academy is my beautiful romance

1/22/2012 gold coast parklands gold coast australia - the academy is my beautiful romance

02/03/2012 adelaide showground adelaide australia - the academy is my beautiful romance

02/05/2012 mccallum park perth australia - myxinfinitexromance

05/19/2012 north beach asbury park asbury park nj - ryan hanratty

12/20/2019 the shrine expo hall los angeles ca - gabe havel photo

05/16/2022 the eden project day one st austell england - the academy is my beautiful romance

05/17/2022 the eden project day two st austell england - the academy is my beautiful romance

05/21/2022 stadium mk milton keynes england - TheChickenGiraffe

05/24/2022 royal hospital kilmainham dublin ireland - the academy is my beautiful romance

05/28/2022 sofia gardens cricket ground cardiff wales - the academy is my beautiful romance

06/04/2022 bologna sonic park arena parco north italy - the academy is my beautiful romance

06/06/2022 olympiahalle munich germany - the academy is my beautiful romance

06/07/2022 budapest park budapest hungary - the academy is my beautiful romance

06/09/2022 progresja warsaw poland - the academy is my beautiful romance

06/11/2022 o2 arena prague czech republic - the academy is my beautiful romance

06/13/2022 stora scenen gröna lund stockholm sweden - live from stockholm

08/19/2022 paycom center oklahoma city ok - tony

08/23/2022 bridgestone arena nashville tn - the academy is my beautiful romance

08/24/2022 heritage bank center cincinnati oh - the academy is my beautiful romance

08/29/2022 wells fargo philadelphia pa - ronaldb2985

08/30/2022 mvp arena albany ny - the academy is my beautiful romance

09/05/2022 scotia bank toronto ca - the academy is my beautiful romance

09/16/2022 riot fest douglass park chicago il - geoffrey gardner

09/20/2022 prudential center newark nj - deadhoarse

09/24/2022 fla live arena sunrise fl - the academy is my beautiful romance

10/03/2022 tacoma dome tacoma wa - seattle concerts

10/05/2022 oakland arena oakland ca - HisoKu

10/07/2022 t-mobile arena las vegas nv - wormspeddler (smeagles)

10/08/2022 aftershock discovery park sacramento ca - the academy is my beautiful romance

10/09/2022 barclays center brooklyn ny - the academy is my beautiful romance

10/15/2022 kia forum inglewood ca - the academy is my beautiful romance

10/23/2022 when we were young day day two las vegas - the academy is my beautiful romance

10/29/2022 when we were young fest las vegas nv - PichyJr

11/18/2022 autódromo hermanos rodríguez mexico city mexico - leashalia

03/11/2023 the outer fields at western springs auckland new zealand (soundcheck) - the academy is my beautiful romance

03/23/2023 qudos bank arena sydney australia - the academy is my beautiful romance

-> pt. 1 (2002 - 2005)

-> pt. 2 (2005 - 2007)

-> pt. 3 (2007 - 2011)

[zoesblogsposts]

o 625 words to know in your target language o

There is a really interesting blog called "Fluent Forever" that aids foreign language learners in tricks, tips and techniques to guide them to achieving fluency "quickly" and efficiently. One of the tricks is to learn these 625 vocab words in your target language, that way you have a basis to start delving into grammar with ease as you can understand a lot of vocab right off the bat. Plus this list of words are common across the world and will aid you in whatever language you are learning. Here is the list in thematic order

• Animal: dog, cat, fish, bird, cow, pig, mouse, horse, wing, animal

• Transportation: train, plane, car, truck, bicycle, bus, boat, ship, tire, gasoline, engine, (train) ticket, transportation

• Location: city, house, apartment, street/road, airport, train station, bridge hotel, restaurant, farm, court, school, office, room, town, university, club, bar, park, camp, store/shop, theater, library, hospital, church, market, country (USA,

France, etc.), building, ground, space (outer space), bank, location

• Clothing: hat, dress, suit, skirt, shirt, T-shirt, pants, shoes, pocket, coat, stain, clothing

• Color: red, green, blue (light/dark), yellow, brown, pink, orange, black, white, gray, color

• People: son, daughter, mother, father, parent (= mother/father), baby, man, woman, brother, sister, family, grandfather, grandmother, husband, wife, king, queen, president, neighbor, boy, girl, child (= boy/girl), adult (= man/woman), human (# animal), friend (Add a friend's name), victim, player, fan, crowd, person

• Job: Teacher, student, lawyer, doctor, patient, waiter, secretary, priest, police, army, soldier, artist, author, manager, reporter, actor, job

• Society: religion, heaven, hell, death, medicine, money, dollar, bill, marriage, wedding, team, race (ethnicity), sex (the act), sex (gender), murder, prison, technology, energy, war, peace, attack, election, magazine, newspaper, poison, gun, sport, race (sport), exercise, ball, game, price, contract, drug, sign, science, God

• Art. band, song, instrument (musical), music, movie, art

• Beverages: coffee, tea, wine, beer, juice, water, milk, beverage

• Food: egg, cheese, bread, soup, cake, chicken, pork, beef, apple, banana orange, lemon, corn, rice, oil, seed, knife, spoon, fork, plate, cup, breakfast, lunch, dinner, sugar, salt, bottle, food

• Home: table, chair, bed, dream, window, door, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, pencil, pen, photograph, soap, book, page, key, paint, letter, note, wall, paper, floor, ceiling, roof, pool, lock, telephone, garden, yard, needle, bag, box, gift, card, ring, tool

• Electronics: clock, lamp, fan, cell phone, network, computer, program (computer), laptop, screen, camera, television, radio

• Body: head, neck, face, beard, hair, eye, mouth, lip, nose, tooth, ear, tear (drop), tongue, back, toe, finger, foot, hand, leg, arm, shoulder, heart, blood, brain, knee, sweat, disease, bone, voice, skin, body

• Nature: sea, ocean, river, mountain, rain, snow, tree, sun, moon, world, Earth, forest, sky, plant, wind, soil/earth, flower, valley, root, lake, star, grass, leaf, air, sand, beach, wave, fire, ice, island, hill, heat, nature

• Materials: glass, metal, plastic, wood, stone, diamond, clay, dust, gold, copper, silver, material

• Math/Measurements: meter, centimeter, kilogram, inch, foot, pound, half, circle, square, temperature, date, weight, edge, corner

• Misc Nouns: map, dot, consonant, vowel, light, sound, yes, no, piece, pain, injury, hole, image, pattern, noun, verb, adjective

• Directions: top, bottom, side, front, back, outside, inside, up, down, left, right, straight, north, south, east, west, direction

• Seasons: Summer, Spring, Winter, Fall, season

• Numbers: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 21, 22, 30, 31, 32, 40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52, 60, 61, 62, 70, 71, 72, 80, 81, 82, 90, 91, 92, 100, 101, 102, 110, 111, 1000, 1001, 10000, 100000, million, billion, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, number

• Months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

• Days of the week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday

• Time: year, month, week, day, hour, minute, second, morning, afternoon, evening, night, time

• Verbs: work, play, walk, run, drive, fly, swim, go, stop, follow, think, speak/say, eat, drink, kill, die, smile, laugh, cry, buy, pay, sell, shoot(a gun), learn, jump, smell, hear (a sound), listen (music), taste, touch, see (a bird), watch (TV), kiss, burn, melt, dig, explode, sit, stand, love, pass by, cut, fight, lie down, dance, sleep, wake up, sing, count, marry, pray, win, lose, mix/stir, bend, wash, cook, open, close, write, call, turn, build, teach, grow, draw, feed, catch, throw, clean, find, fall, push, pull, carry, break, wear, hang, shake, sign, beat, lift

• Adjectives: long, short (long), tall, short (vs tall), wide, narrow, big/large, small/little, slow, fast, hot, cold, warm, cool, new, old (new), young, old (young), weak, dead, alive, heavy, light (heavy), dark, light (dark), nuclear, famous

[gowns]

AMY GOODMAN: We have just been joined on the phone by Raji Sourani [...] the award-winning human rights lawyer and director of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights in Gaza. [...] Can you tell us what happened?

RAJI SOURANI: I think the world should be worried about the crimes going on against Palestinian civilians, who are for the 18th consecutive day in the eye of the storm. They are the target. They are the target of the F-16s, of the cannons, of the gunships, day or night, 25 hours a day. They almost destroyed — they destroyed Gaza. I mean, it’s unbelievable, this army targeting only civilians and civilian targets — towers, houses, hospitals, churches, mosques, schools, shelter places, ambulances, nurses, doctors, journalists. This is the most political army — this is the most political army in the world. This is the mighty Israel, its might and power targeting civilians. They are doing war crimes, crimes against humanity, persecution for 2.4 million people for the last 18 days.

Unfortunately, this colonial, racist West supporting them by all ways and means. They are supporting them with money, with guns, with airplanes, with all what they need to do this crime. They are complicit by supporting them politically and militarily and politically. It’s shame this is happening in the 21st century, while these war crimes not secret enough. It’s projected live on air, and the entire world see it. And the ICC prosecutor, who issued warrants against Putin because he committed war crimes against civilians, because he invaded and made occupation to Ukraine, and here we have this prolonged military occupation, we have prolonged blockade, which is criminal, suffocated people here, we have five consecutive wars, and this is the sixth, and he is doing nothing. He is doing nothing except, you know, freezing the investigation of the war crimes committed by Israel and the Israeli army.

[...]

AMY GOODMAN: Raji, you’re talking about the International Criminal Court prosecutor, Karim Khan?

RAJI SOURANI: Yes, yes. He is complicit. He is selectively dealing with the Rome Statute, with the investigations, and he’s politically charging the International Criminal Court. Shame on him. He didn’t say one statement, since day one 'til this moment. He should be the backbone of the victims who are suffering in this part of the world. And he sees that, and he knows that, and he receives reports about that. And he's doing nothing.

So, U.S. and Mr. Biden — I’m saying to him — you are complicit. You are part of these crimes, because you are allowing, with your arms, civilians to be targeted and killed. We have almost 1,200 people for almost two weeks under the wreckage and under the destroyed houses, unable to be recovered. We have 57 families deleted, don’t exist anymore, because 20, 25, 30 of them have been killed in one second. We have churches targeted, and people died in it. We have mosques, people sheltered in it, and they were killed. Why you are allowing this to happen? Why you are seeing, watching, supporting Israel? Israel right of defense? Or it should be protecting civilians at the time of war. IHL, international humanitarian law, and human rights, Rome Statute, it’s there simply, Amy, to protect civilians at a time of war. And nobody is protecting us. We are the target of the Israeli army. They want to evict Gaza, and they create a new Nakba. They don’t want anybody in Gaza. They want us to leave. We are not leaving. We are the stones of the valley. We have been here since ever, and we will continue forever. We will not be part of the Israeli plan to evacuate Gaza.

AMY GOODMAN: Raji, if you can tell us what happened to your own family? When was your house bombed? And were you dug out from the rubble?

RAJI SOURANI: I’m living in Rimal area, Tal Al Hawa, the nicest place in Gaza. I have my own villa, and it’s nice, with very nice garden. It’s a two-story building. It’s me and my wife Amal and my son Basel. And we were, like everybody, I mean, you know, at our home, watching what’s going on. And out of the blue, the bombing began, began in our area — nothing special, nothing unique, nothing consist danger; otherwise, my sense will tell me, I mean, you know, I have to leave, or I will ask my wife and son, I mean, at least, to leave. But there is nothing, I mean, in that part. It’s entirely civilian, and I can tell — and I have always the reason, I mean, to say that.

And I have — the bombing began, and we thought, yes, I mean, this might be one bomb here or there. But it was very close. And the second, and then we began to realize and feel, you know, there is something big wrong happening, because sound getting closer, closer and closer. We were holding — I mean, we were not thinking or realizing that we are going to survive. That’s not easy. And I was thinking of a lot of things, I mean, my life, how I didn’t really, you know, leave like everybody leave. Should I leave, or should I stay? Why we move just in that place two minutes before the rocket of F-16, GBU-38, hit? And I felt the heat of the flame, and I saw the ball of fire. And every time, especially this one, I thought it’s our end. And this was last one, I mean, with the hit directly to my house, and the house was literally destroyed. Lucky enough, I just moved from the place where we are staying, upon the request of my son, to one tiny corridor inside the house. And if we were where we were, we are gone. We are gone.

So, we waited almost half an hour, unable to speak any words, unable to do anything. And we were really, I mean, a state of human shock. And I waited 'til, you know, there was some siren of ambulances remotely, and that means usually the bombing stopped, and they get the green light to come in. Then we began to climb our way out. But it was rather a mission impossible. And we were lucky, I mean, you know, to get out. And when we get out of the place, we just moved to my brother's house, which is like 800 meters away from the place we are staying. This happened on the 18th. But since then 'til today, I can assure you one thing, that the entire area is of Tal Al Hawa completely abolished almost. Two-thirds of it doesn't exist. This really beautiful area of Gaza doesn’t exist anymore.

So, we survived. We were lucky. But our neighbors, I mean, they lost 29 members, Habboush family, and others and others and others and others and others. We are collecting data. We are collecting information. This is unprecedented. I never, ever thought in my life civilians can be the target of war. They are not with Hamas.

Hamas insulted them, insulted their intelligence, insulted their military. We can understand that. In two hours, they were able to destroy the security wall, which America — which U.S. took it as the standard, and many other countries. And they destroyed it in 15 minutes, and they were able to enter. And they took over 11 military strongholds of Israel, and they killed and captured many of them. And they get back to them in Gaza, and we can understand why they are angry with them. And they took the headquarters of Gaza commandment of the Israeli military army, and they arrested generals, colonel and others, and they brought them, I mean, to Gaza. Israel has the right to be angry, absolutely angry, because Hamas showed their intelligence and their military capability means nothing, and they destroyed this illusion in two hours.

But why they are revenging from us? They should rebel from Hamas. Hamas still, I can assure you, functions like a Swiss watch in Gaza, and they are not affected. I can tell that. I can see that. We feel that. They are unable to minimize their power. They are unable to silence them. They are unable to locate where their soldiers are who were taken as prisoners of war. They are unable to do anything for them. That’s why they are revenging from us. This is the shame on the army. I mean, there is rules of engagement between the army, between the resistance movement and any army. But why civilians are the target? This is the big question. This is shame this is happening, I mean, to us.

[...]

AMY GOODMAN: I want to ask you — the leaflets that were dropped this weekend on Gaza, addressed to residents of Gaza, reading, “Urgent warning to the residents of Gaza: Your presence north of Wadi Gaza is putting your lives at risk. Anyone who chooses not to evacuate from the north of the Gaza Strip to the south of the Gaza Strip may be identified as a partner in a terrorist organization.” These on leaflets. I don’t know if you saw these leaflets, but you have made a decision with your family not to move south. Can you respond to what they’re saying, that anyone who chooses not to evacuate may be identified as a partner in a terrorist organization?

RAJI SOURANI: We have been here since ever, and we will stay forever. And no power on Earth will take me from here. We are the stones of the valley. They have to understand that. And even if they destroy once and again houses on our heads, even if they took our life, we are not moving anymore. Simply, we suffered from the Nakba 75 years. They committed massacres. They killed thousands of Palestinians. They pushed us out. And now it’s time for us not to do that again, at least willingly. We cannot be part of Mr. Bibi’s plan to evacuate Gaza. He said it, from a written statement, in a press conference day one: Gazans should leave Gaza. Where to? Where to? If anybody should leave, people like Mr. Bibi, not us. Enough for the occupation. We want dignity, freedom, end of this belligerent, criminal occupation. Now people from south of Gaza began to come back to north in thousands, because there is no safe haven in Gaza, no safe place in Gaza. And we are not going to be a tool in the hands of racist, criminal, rightist Israeli prime minister. No way. We are not going to do that. We are going to stay in Gaza.

[falloutboylyricss]

Fall Out Boy and Places

note: this post only includes names of specific places, both real and fictional

Evening Out With Your Girlfriend

"I'm deep with futures like Chicago / No, Glenview never meant a thing to me, she never meant a thing to me" - Growing Up

Take This to Your Grave

"Pete and I attacked the laws of Astoria with promise and precision" - Saturday

"Landing on a runway in Chicago, and I'm grounding all my dreams of ever really seeing California" - Homesick at Space Camp

Chicago Is So Two Years Ago (title only)

"But there's a light on in Chicago, and I know I should be home" - Chicago Is So Two Years Ago

From Under The Cork Tree

none

Infinity On High

"Put love on hold, young Hollywood is on the other line" - The (After) Life Of The Party

"And everyone's looking for relief, United States versus disbelief" - You're Crashing, But You're No Wave

"New York eyes, Chicago thighs, pushed up the window to kiss you off" - I've Got All This Ringing In My Ears And None On My Fingers

Folie à Deux

"Erase myself and let go, start it over again in Mexico" - I Don't Care

"Let's hear it for America's suitehearts, but I must confess, I'm in love with my own sins" - America's Suitehearts

Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown On A Bad Bet (title only)

"Plant palm trees on Lake Michigan before it gets cold" - The (Shipped) Gold Standard

"Said, 'I'll be fine 'til the hospital or American embassy'" - What A Catch, Donnie

"And you're a bottled star, the planets align, you're just like Mars" - 27

"A Roman candle heart, keep us far apart" - Tiffany Blews

"Have you ever wanted to disappear and join a monastery, go out and preach on Manic Street?" - 20 Dollar Nose Bleed

West Coast Smoker (title only)

"Got my degree in the gutter, my heart broken in the dorms of the Ivy League" - West Coast Smoker

Save Rock And Roll

"Did you trip down twelve steps into Malibu?" - The Mighty Fall

"Bel Air baby, did you get dressed up?" - The Mighty Fall

"But we are alive here in Death Valley, but don't take love off the table yet" - Death Valley

"When Rome's in ruins, we are the lions, free of the Colosseums" - Young Volcanoes

"Americana, exotica, do you wanna feel a little beautiful, baby?" - Young Volcanoes

PAX AM Days

"Cargo and despair, all American made" - American Made

American Beauty/American Psycho

"You know you look so Seattle, but you feel so L.A." - Irresistible

"She's an American beauty, I'm an American psycho" - American Beauty/American Psycho

"Take me down the line, in Gem City, we turn the tide" - Uma Thurman

"In between being young and being right, you were my Versailles at night" - Fourth Of July

"There's a room in a hotel in New York City that shares our fate and deserves our pity" - Twin Skeleton's (Hotel In NYC)

MANIA

none

So Much (For) Stardust

Heaven, Iowa (title only)

"6 AM, Mulholland Drive, Moonlight Sonata and I" - Heaven, Iowa

Misc.

"I wanna put the Midwest home again" - Alpha Dog

"Sometimes, when I'm in Heaven, I get forgetful of the Earth" - Lake Effect Kid

"And joke us, joke us 'til Lakeshore Drive comes back into focus" - Lake Effect Kid

"I love you, Chicago, you make me feel so summer fling" - City In A Garden

"You know the world can get my bones, but Chicago gets my soul" - Super Fade

"Captain Planet, Arab Spring, L.A. riots, Rodney King" - We Didn't Start The Fire

"Oklahoma City bomb, Kurt Cobain, Pokémon" - We Didn't Start The Fire

"Nuclear accident, Fukushima, Japan / Crimean peninsula, Cambridge Analytica" - We Didn't Start The Fire

"More war in Afghanistan, Cubs go all the way again / Obama, Spielberg, explosion, Lebanon / Unabomber, Bobbitt, John, Bombing, Boston Marathon" - We Didn't Start The Fire

"Stranger Things, Tiger King, Ever Given, Suez" - We Didn't Start The Fire

"Elon Musk, Kaepernick, Texas failed electric grid" - We Didn't Start The Fire

"Great Pacific garbage patch, Tom DeLonge and aliens / Mars rover, Avatar, self-driving electric cars" - We Didn't Start The Fire

[stephensmithuk]

The Valley of Fear: The Tragedy of Birlstone

Tunbridge Wells, which became Royal Tunbridge Wells in 1909 as it had long been popular with the royals, is a former spa town about 30 miles SE of central London and still a tourist destination. Well connected to London, it had three railway stations, two of which remain open with Southeastern services and the other now being the eastern terminus of the heritage Spa Valley Railway. It has also gained a reputation as being peak "Middle England" and middle class:

While Birlstone is fictious, 10-12 miles west of Royal Tunbridge Wells lies East Grinstead, in West Sussex since 1974 county boundary changes. The Queen Victoria Hospital there was a pioneer in plastic reconstructive surgery, starting during the Second World War mostly with badly burned RAF servicemen who had undergone experimental treatment. These formed the "Guinea Pig Club", a social group that continued with annual reunions until 2007, when it was wound down due to the increasing frailty of its members; the final two members died in 2023 aged 101.

East Grinstead is the northern terminus of the Bluebell Railway, whose Victorian-era Metropolitan Railway carriages have featured in Sherlock Holmes adaptations.

Hugo de Capus is fictitious. The 'Red King' in this conference refers to William II of England, aka Wiliam Rufus or 'red', possibly due to having red hair. The third son of William the Conqueror, he succeeded to the English throne in 1087 on his father's death (first son Robert got Normandy) and reigned until 1100 when he got an arrow through the lung while out hunting. The circumstances are suspicious on that one. With no wife or children - not even a mistress - along with posthumous comments by medieval writers - have led to speculation he was gay, bisexual or celibate.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was directly inspired in the layout of Birlstone by this place and credits it in the book:

A windlass is a device used for lifting heavy weights:

"Sawed-off shotguns" had been used by Confederate cavalry during the American Civil War; they remain popular for police and military use due to being easier to use inside buildings.

In the US, acquiring or modifying one requires paying a registration fee and tax with the ATF.

In the UK, they became very popular for criminal use due to the ease of obtaining and modifying shotguns, especially for armed robberies. This resulted in the 1968 Firearms Act, modified in 1988 following a mass shooting in Hungerford the previous year that saw a man kill sixteen people with a shotgun before turning the weapon on himself.

The current law is that a shotgun with a barrel below 24 inches in length or an overall length below 40 inches cannot be owned on a shotgun certificate - which can be obtained from the police subject to a background check and generally having a good reason. They are treated as Section 1 firearms and you need a firearms certificate, much harder to get, and only weapons with non-removable magazines of less than two rounds i.e. your standard smooth-bore double-barrel type. Pump-action or other shotguns below that length are straight up illegal, possession being a serious criminal offence.

Railway crashes were sadly very common in late Victorian England.

[lactating]

The wizard carries on in that way for some time, having been "so lost in the poetry zone. it was flowing out of me like a ballet". NG: so good luck - ; as a spell i cast to your pluck UP: Oh fuck yes, more spells for me? NG: "do whatever you want forever"; advice a true treasure UP: Okay, lest we get too giddy. You've started dreading the adventure ahead. You decide you ought to get it over with. UP: I bid you adieu; I've stuff to do. NG: til we meet again, friend ^_^ You, still smarting, stand and walk out to your railing and fix your vision far away. You look out over your hated Meat City. The unsightly skyline, filled with an lust of reverence to rebar and concrete. Each building full of working drones, sitting, standing, making small talk, eating a cold tuna sandwich by a buzzing florescent light. They raised the prices of tuna again. You've had to start eating half an ounce less each day. In the middle stands a vast and perpetually unfinished trunk of stone, praising you're-not-quite-sure which Ozymandias. It leaves you, at the end of your pondering, with one nagging question. Why? This is profoundly unscientific, even for contemporary equations. What actor or actant could possibly stand to benefit from this display? It towers, twice as high as every other crooked tooth. You fix your vision a bit closer. Not that the middle distance fares much better from the lust. The odd outlier, some hospital or over-eager office building breaks up the horrific monoculture of One-Fives. [4] These noble exercises of cost-optimization overpopulate these great and level valley floors. As much as you ideologically oppose the cogency and soundness of their construction, you admit that the top story of every single one is almost always lousy with blindspots, and railings that rattle whenever some busybody happens to walk nearby. You review your previously explored paths, making note of which ones have had their HEAT INDEX raised recently, and hypothesizing which ones will have their HEAT INDEX raised soon. Some of the paths stop, bortie'd to soon despite their promise. These paths have challenging PHYSICS-A! manipulations that have you stumped. Despite the robustness of biomechanics , some of them are simply too taxing on your physica; others too taxing on your robustness. You fix your vision a bit closer. You look down upon the street from your current One-FIve. Located eight thousand three hundred and seventy meters south and two thousand five hundred and four meters west from Ozymandias. Though you call it "Zero, Zero" internally. The street forms an unbroke, unmoving mass of cars, some parked, others allege to be in traffic from their occasional frenzy of honks. [6] Being without both car and phone, you prefer to travel by alternative means. You fix your vision a bit closer. You gaze upon your hands. You marvel a while at their callouses, miniature testaments to the fourier transform, lusty with their reverence to pain and repetition. Ah, the heart line, keeping watch over the bottom edge of your row of phalangial callousness. Ah, friction. Where would you be without it? At the bottom of each and every wall, unable to physica your way up it. You fix your vision a bit closer, and remember your efflorenscia has a 'scia called "Tome of S.K." Fuck, that's going to take a while to clear out of your queue. You break down the very first task, leaving your room, into its component steps.

#19: >

[beardedmrbean]

Arizona State University student Kaci Sloan, who is accused of stabbing a fellow student twice in a Glendale classroom last month in an apparently random attack, entered a not-guilty plea in Maricopa County on Wednesday after two of her four charges were dismissed last week.

Maricopa County authorities initially charged Sloan, 19, with four counts, including first-degree attempted murder, in connection with the attack against student Mara Daffron. After a preliminary hearing on Sept. 30, Sloan now faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and disorderly conduct, according to court records.

Judge Ashley Rahaman also gave Sloan a cash bail of $250,000 and listed the conditions of her release should she be able to post bail in full.

Sloan allegedly walked up to her classmate, Daffron, on Sept. 19 and stabbed her "multiple times," according to an affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital citing multiple witness accounts.

Matthew McCormick, a student who witnessed the attack unfolding in the classroom, took swift action to stop the alleged stabbing, potentially saving Daffron's life, according to FOX 10 Phoenix.

"In that moment, I didn't really have a thought going through my head, I just knew that I felt compelled to do something," McCormick told the outlet.

Approximately 13 witnesses present during the attack, including a professor, recounted the incident to police, who wrote in a probable cause affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital that the stabbing occurred "without any provocation or any words spoken."

Police corroborated McCormick's account in their report, stating that one of the witnesses "was able to disarm the defendant by pulling the knife away from the defendant's right hand and threw it away from them." Another witness then "kicked the knife to the back of the classroom."

"Another witness described the defendant was sitting in the classroom at a desk and suddenly got up and ran at the victim as the victim entered the classroom and stabbed her multiple times," the affidavit states.

Detectives found a handwritten note inside Sloan’s backpack that apparently referenced an act she was "about to commit," but it did "not specifically state what she was referring to."

Sloan also allegedly expressed the desire to "hurt somebody" in class that day in an interview with detectives after the incident and targeted Daffron because she was "an easier target" than the other person she apparently considered attacking, who she referred to as "a veteran."

Authorities quickly arrived at the scene and took Daffron to a nearby hospital, where she received treatment.

"ASU Police continue to investigate a Sept. 19 on-campus stabbing of a student. Kaci Sloan was immediately detained and arrested on suspicion of first-degree attempted murder; aggravated assault with a deadly weapon; interfering with an educational institution; and disorderly conduct. She is being held on a $250,000 cash only bond," an ASU spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement. "ASU and the entire ASU West Valley community are deeply saddened by what happened. ASU West Valley is a close-knit campus of students, faculty and staff. Counseling support is available to all."

Sloan has an initial pretrial conference scheduled for Nov. 21.

[girlactionfigure]

🟠 Monday  - ISRAEL REALTIME - Connecting to Israel in Realtime

▪️INTL POLITICS.. Hossein al-Sheikh, secretary general of the PLO working committee and designated to succeed PA 4-year president for life Abu Mazen, met today in his office in Ramallah with the new British foreign minister.  A-Sheikh demanded that Britain act for "the cessation of aggression on Gaza, the introduction of aid and for the return of the Palestinian Authority to the Gaza Strip, “and the recognition of a Palestinian state.

▪️IRAN CLAIMS.. that Israel is operating a spy balloon on the Iran-Azerbaijan border in order to gather information.

▪️IDF MILITARY EXERCISE.. Jordan Valley.  Expected military movements.

▪️LEBANON EXPLOSION.. Wadi Khaled, northern Lebanon, on the border with Syria: a huge gas explosion.  Unknown reason.

▪️ECONOMY.. Google in talks to buy an Israeli cyber company “Wiz” for $23 billion.  If it closes it will be Google’s largest acquisition, and Israel’s largest hi-tech exit.

▪️SOCIETY.. Significant increase in the recruitment of ultra-Orthodox youth for nationalservice. Since the beginning of the war, twice as many ultra-Orthodox have been joined national service than last year. This year, 813 ultra-Orthodox volunteers joined compared to 492 last year. A total of 1,538 ultra-Orthodox members serve, among others, in security agencies such as the Shin Bet, Mossad, and the Israel Police, as well as in educational, management, and other positions.  

The numbers put them in line with their percentage among the population.  12,033 are from the Jewish general society, 5,356 are servants from the Arab and Druze sector and 1,938 are from special populations.

▪️CORONA IS UP.. a wave of Corona is going through Israel.  For the vast majority it is “just a flu”, but almost 100 are hospitalized with serious cases, 15 very serious (which is not a huge number - and similar to serious flu cases in the winter).  Doctors are complaining that the drugs to treat serious Corona are not covered by the Israeli health basket, and therefore of highly limited availability.

▪️HIGH COURT ORDERS PAID DEFENSE ATTORNEYS FOR TERRORISTS.. which outraged many in the Knesset, but the reason: a Knesset law on terrorist handling that says - Section 15 of the law states that "the hearing will be held in the presence of the detainee's defense counsel and if he is not represented, the court will appoint him defense counsel”.

♦️HEAVY IDF BOMBING in Gaza overnight, as well as many sites in Lebanon targeted overnight.

♦️COUNTER-TERROR OPS - TURMOS AYA.. Ramallah area.

⭕ INTERCEPTION OVER HAIFA.. explosion, rocket trail photo’d.

⭕ INFILTRATION? ALMON..  There was a Home Front alert for an Infiltration in the Samaria town of Almon (north west of Jerusalem) at 6:30 AM, but I’ve seen no follow up either of an attack or of clearing the incident.

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece Chapter 1095 - Initial Thoughts

We are back

and the big guns have come out to play

Luffy's down, Kizaru's down, Bonney's dangling off a demon And it's been 6 weeks since we last saw Nico Robin, we just want her back safe

TCB has been slow and tumblr's already showing panels so I had to use mangaspurs today, translations are a bit more wonky on that side so sorry if a bit of context is lost.

Spoilers for the Chapter, Support the Official Release too

Another monkey thief cover page this time with Buggy's nose

Marines naturally panic, those who don't want the upper part of their face removed are heading for the hills in confusion

Those allowed to see are of course ready for action as Bonney has stabbed a Gorosei

Saturn however stops them 'If I didn't want to get stabbed I would've dodged'

Whatever Saturn is doing it seems to be sourced from his eyes, as he fires a projectile (still thinking Haki) to knock Bonney off and grab her

Sanji tries the same but he also gets headstruck

The sword wound heals as well when removed, as anticipated

The Vice Admirals circle Vegapunk and the pirates, but again Saturn wards them off, very confident about the situation

He also reprimands Kizaru for taking so long

Kizaru is conscious, but he admits that he cannot move, which Luffy all deflated and wrinkly understands, so I'd say that counts as Luffy defeating an Admiral

Saturn though quickly goes to stamp the life outta Luffy

Franky for the save with a Strong Right to get him out of trouble

Saturn exudes his confidence by reminding that even though Luffy and Bonney's appearances are unexpected, they are massively surrounded

I wouldn't challenge fate in finding a way to escape Saturn, there's a giant leaving its slumber...

He thanks Vegapunk for his contributions, but then asks him - in order of most painful - who he should kill first? As they want him to suffer for opposing the World Government

It seems like Saturn also has some kinda pressure that's keeping Sanji, Franky and Vegapunk from approaching him

Bonney however stares daggers at Saturn claiming he killed her father

Not only was Kuma a slave before, he was also apparently from a tribe that 'committed a great crime', the Buccaneer people

I'm guessing it's Buccaneer because they translate it like 3 different ways in this chapter

That knowledge has surprised Vegapunk, either he was sure they didn't know or he didn't know

Surrounded by Marines and held up by Saturn as he orders them to shoot her head, Bonney remembers the words of her father, words about his young desires to bring freedom, and be like the Sun God Nika

Sanji and Vegapunk protest her execution, but they're still held down

Bonney asking Kuma if Nika will set her free is telling too, was Bonney also once a slave?

Kuma Flashback Time, right into his birth in the Sorbet Kingdom 47 years ago

Nani? Gentle, caring parents who unconditionally love their child? I can hear the death bells already

It seems the father was known as Klap, Bartholomew Klap, and he had the Buccaneer blood passed down to Kuma

The WG seemed intent about erasing it since they had spies in the hospital when Kuma was born, who leaked the information

Naturally the dragons took Klap back as a slave, along with Kuma and his mother despite Klap's protests

Kuma was strong as a kid, but abused

While in slavery the mother did die, Klap had to tell Kuma so I'd guess the Dragons killed her

Klap also tells Kuma about Nika, the same way Kuma would tell Bonney

But that would be his last tale to tell, as the Dragons shoot him in front of Kuma for being 'too noisy'

38 years ago in the West Blue we skip ahead

The Celestial Dragons are literally culling people in a non-WG country, and they do it every 3 years!?

This time it's God Valley!

God Valley wasn't even a Celestial Dragon place, they just wanted its resources and are killing the natives...how colonial

The King of God Valley doth protest, and protest until his swift death

Young Figarland Garling is the culprit, he's popular with the ladies and seemed unfazed by getting deducted 10,000 points for killing someone before the start

This time they're also sending out problematic slaves into the cull

And Saturn was there, completely unchanged in age

This is the field we saw in Kuma's memory bubble with Bonney, he was trying to escape God Valley and was being dragged back

Someone from the top notices that Kuma has Buccaneer blood

Buccaneers apparently have giant's blood too, maybe furthering the whole theory of Joy Boy being a giant before

There's only one person in the world with a laugh like that though

Young Ivankov was a slave too, and had a sister, Jinny, who looks like she'd be Bonney's mother given her looks and the fact that she's already eating meat

And now a break? Oda c'mon man, that means it'll be at least 8 weeks since we last saw Nico Robin

Well it looks like we will be delving into that Kuma flashback after all.

Not much else to tell I don't think, good to verify that Kizaru is defeated, and that Saturn is more than just talk I mean he did floor Sanji with a glare.

Given the build up I feel like Luffy is gonna - pun intended - bounce back to save Bonney, since he is Nika, but then the Sleeping Giant may assist with the rest. I am still hoping that Franky can get some shine in this arc but not as hopeful. We didn't get any of Zoro vs Lucci either so unclear how that's going, it should've been over before this anyway.

The Kuma flashback is already hitting us with surprises though; God Valley didn't belong to the Celestial Dragons, but then what does that make of the incident? Ivankov and Kuma were there so will we see it? Roger and Garp had to defend the Celestial Dragons, but were they more defending the slaves the Dragons had already planned to slaughter? We also have to wonder how baby Shanks ended up in a treasure chest. The introduction of Jinny being potentially Bonney's mother adds more implications, since that'd mean that Bonney is also Ivankov's niece, unless the clone theory on Bonney is that Bonney is in fact a clone of Jinny raised as Kuma's daughter. There's also the matter of Buccaneer races, if Bonney is biologically Kuma's daughter shouldn't she have those genes too that the WG would wanna erase? A new chapter of questions has opened and unravelled.

But seriously where is Nico Robin???

[rotworld]

17: Rotten Fields

(previous)

jamie's advice on how to deal with a querrow comes in handy.

->sexually explicit. contains gore, noncon, non-human genitalia, spiders, terato, body horror, mentions of breeding, mentions of hard vore, religious content.

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.

.

The shift came shortly after you fell asleep. It trickled into your dream, hissing and viscous, pouring fractals into the void. There were stars but they were inside out and strings of unwound clouds. The thing in the dark said nothing but there was pity in its great eye. An aurora curved tenderly around you.

In the morning, Jamie talks with the doctor. You’re given a bottle of anti-parasitic inhibitors to take by mouth twice a day. It’ll help, he says, but it’s not a permanent solution. You get changed out of the hospital gown and Jamie is quiet, looking out the window into the foggy parking lot. You expect a fight, an argument over what’s best for you, why you should stay. 

Instead, they ask, “Where did you want to go?” 

Anchor is east, says the heart. Nelton is south, says the divine. “West,” you say. “I need to go west.” It feels important. More than a delivery, more than homecoming, this is something you have to do. “What are you going to do?” 

Jamie frowns, brows furrowing in confusion. “Go with you, obviously.”

“I thought you’d want to get back to the University.”

“Not unless you’re going.” They shrug and look out the window again, frown deepening. “The last couple shifts had barely a day or two between them. That’s extremely unusual.”

“You sound worried.” 

They look up at the sound of your approaching footsteps and smile. They kiss your hand with the same desperate tenderness as yesterday. They’re right; the last few shifts came quickly. It feels like you’ve been on the road together for months now.  “I am worried. Because I know you don’t care. You’re going to get back out there either way, so I’d better go with you,” they say. 

Intimacy between you is easy, almost automatic. Jamie kisses you and it’s chaste, fleeting, just a quick peck on the lips, and it makes your heart flutter. The thought of them leaving, of an empty passenger seat, leaves a sick feeling in your chest. “Yeah,” you say softly, “I guess you’d better.” 

[NOW PLAYING ON THE RADIO: BLACK MILK BY MASSIVE ATTACK]

Routeless driving is dangerous. You have no way of knowing how far it’ll be before the next town, if there even is a town. Some roads go nowhere. Couriers don’t talk about it much but you know it’s something most of you do at one time or another, a pilgrimage made in the wake of disaster. Your mourning is done across miles. In the absence of home, the road will always welcome you. 

“I think I’m starting to get it,” Jamie says. “The road, I mean. It’s not like anywhere else.” They have a textbook open across their lap, an enormous hardback with creased, dog-eared pages and a worn spine. Drift parasites of every shape and size adorn the pages. “The last few days have been awful, but…we can always just leave. We’re doing it again, right now. It’s freeing.” 

“Sounds like you’ve got courier instincts after all,” you say. “Most people would call it running away and say I do it too much.”

“Of course they say that. They have a home to go back to.” 

The terrain becomes hilly, the road rising and falling over frozen waves of asphalt. You see open plains in the valley ahead, swaying green and gold. You see rows of corn and tomatoes, a patch of eggs growing in grape-like bunches. Spun hay bales dot the landscape. A weathervane squeals atop an old but well-maintained farmhouse, a truck parked off to the side. 

“You don’t think of the University as home?” you ask. 

Jamie smiles bitterly. “I don’t remember what ‘home’ is supposed to feel like for us. I have a house there. I have family, you could say. The other flukes have always looked out for me. I don’t feel like anything’s wrong, really. Just that…maybe I’m not done looking. That’s the home that was chosen for me, but I didn’t choose it.” They look away, guilty. “I’m sorry. That’s insensitive. You didn’t choose your home, either.” 

You shake your head. “No. But maybe I should. Maybe we all should.” 

Something stirs inside you; a flutter in your chest like a second heartbeat. The God of Nelton tries to lure you back into its comforting embrace, every pulse filling you with waves of warmth and adoration. “You chose me, angel. My love. My paradise. You chose.” 

You didn’t choose. You were desperate and grieving, too heartbroken to fight back. And as angry as you are, as violated as you feel, you do feel a shred of sympathy and understanding. You saw those boys in the church. You felt their fear. “Home wasn’t kind to you, either, was it?” you murmur. You think of Compass Hill more and more these days, how much of an anomaly it is in the Drift and how unfortunate that truly is. 

“I’d like to tell you not to feel bad for that thing, but then I’d be a hypocrite,” Jamie sighs, leaning against the window. “So much for a worm-free zone, huh?”

“Are you jealous?” You mean it as a joke, but you find Jamie leering at you through their lashes, a sharp and hungry expression you’ve come to associate with the influence of the fluke. 

“‘Jealousy’ would imply a desire to have parasitized you myself, which is inaccurate,” they say. “No, courier. I am not ‘jealous.’ Simply lamenting missed opportunities. I respect your refusal of fluke implantation. I admit, it makes you more difficult to predict and manage, but I—we would have you no other way.” 

“That’s sweet in a weird way.” 

Jamie laughs and starts to say something, but the thought is cut off mid-sentence. Your gaze follows theirs down the road further to a frightening, familiar sight. The road is wrong. It splinters off in a dozen directions, circling back on itself, curled in impossibly tight spiral turns. You notice, increasingly, the rotten smell of death but you don’t see anything. You’ve passed several unremarkable farmhouses and there’s another ahead, a red barn behind it. You don’t see the typical signs of abandonment or subsequent Verlindan acquisition; there is no equipment lying forgotten and rust-speckled in the field, no crumbling roofs or gaping, glassless windows. 

But it is quiet, you realize. No one seems to be home. There is no one in the field or the barn, no animals roaming the pastures. A full harvest waits on stalk and stem. Some of it has gone bad, unpleasant notes of musk and rot laced through the alluring fragrance of fresh vegetables. If something happened, it was recent. 

“Anchorware malfunction?” you wonder aloud. 

Jamie sits up straighter in their seat. “Pull over,” they say urgently. “We can’t use this road.” 

There’s nowhere else to go. You pull over beside the wooden fence running the length of the field. The air is strange here, sticky somehow. “Something’s not right,” they say. They’re out of the car and hopping the fence without another word. You rush to follow, shoving your way through the cornfield after them. 

“What do you mean not right?” 

“That’s twice now that we’ve seen this kind of malfunction in just a couple days. I don’t think I’d even heard of anchorware failing for decades before this.” Jamie hesitates, waiting for you to catch up. They look nervous. They grab your hand before they start moving again. “I didn’t want to say anything before, obviously. You were already having a bad day. But I’ve dealt with people from the anchorware labs a few times before. I don’t trust them.” 

You reach the edge of the field, stepping out of the corn and onto a dirt path, heading up to the porch of a two-story farmhouse. The exterior paint is old and flaking but there are ripe pumpkins on the front steps, neatly-trimmed shrubs beneath the windows. Jamie knocks on the front door and waits, glancing back at the road. 

“I tried to get to Anchor for years and never could,” you say. “It’s not just the tunnel. Every road into that city has the same malfunction. That seems…”

“Deliberate,” Jamie nods. “That’s what I thought, too. Odd for a company so concerned about the spotless reputation of their product.”

This shouldn’t be the way to Anchor, though. This is another place, the outskirts of a city if it even is one, falling victim to the same problem. You’ve heard anchorware has a built-in alert system. That’s how repair technicians respond so quickly, even without anyone reporting malfunction. Did it just happen, too recently for anyone to respond yet? Is it too remote for them to care?

Jamie knocks again, harder this time. You don’t hear any movement inside. “Nobody home,” they mutter. “I was hoping we could ask someone what happened. This is a worse malfunction than the tunnel. We might need to drive through the field, just to be safe.” You both notice a slightly flattened portion of the field behind the house, tire tracks splattering blackened stalks of corn. Jamie walks alongside the tracks with a pensive expression, pausing now and then, closing their eyes. Sensing the way out, you assume. You’d rather not be alone so you jog after them, pausing at the sight of another trail.

They’re not tire tracks, but something did pass through and drag over the crops. You see gouges, something narrow and slightly curved raking through the earth, and the broader shape of something being dragged. They start near the house and curve around it, the dirt recently disturbed and cracked. 

Crumbling, you realize too late. Unstable. A trapdoor entrance disguised with loosely packed dirt. You don’t get the chance to fall. Something surges up from below, something sharp slices your leg, and you are dragged down screaming.

Everything is pain and confusion, the world dark and spinning. Your skin scrapes raw against hard, snaking roots. Your head knocks against sudden turns and tightly-packed mounds of dirt as hard as concrete and you groan, disoriented and dizzy, unable to tell up from down. The pain in your leg gets worse with every dragging movement that pulls you further You weren’t just cut, you realize, you were skewered through the thigh. Something speared you through the flesh and now it drags you like bait on a fishing line deeper into the depths. The smell of blood is strong. You feel it, both freshly slick puddles and old, sticky scabs, lining the narrow passage. 

Eventually, you hit the bottom. The landing is hard and agonizing. You feel like there’s an enormous, serrated knife stuck in your leg, shredding skin and muscle every time you flinch. It moves just slightly and you scream, blood gushing on the underside of the wound where the pointed tip pierces the ground, keeping you anchored to the spot.

Something jabs you in the side. It feels like a bite, a quick puncture that makes you wince but is over thankfully quickly. Numbness spills across the side of your body and spreads quickly to your limbs, cool at first and then boiling, hot enough to make you start to sweat Your breathing evens out and your heartbeat slows even as fear overtakes you. Your head lolls back into the dirt. 

Something clicks and chitters above you. You hear something moving; the crunch of soil, the leathery squeal of something thicker than skin creasing. Hot breath fans across your face. There is something right in front of you. Close enough to kill you, if it really wanted to.

“Yessssss,” you hear, an animalistic hiss. “I have you. I have you, destroyer. You are mine.”

Hands caress you—human hands? Not quite, you think, close but too long and spindly, the skin smooth like glass and hard like bark, the tips pointed like needles. And too many. One is on your face and one is on your neck and one is tugging at your shirt, and there are more still groping and fondling. The more you try to struggle, the more the numbness spreads.

One of your hands flails weakly, brushing against a body that is nearly human. Bony shoulders and broad pectorals; a long abdomen with strange, thick protrusions down the sides, bony but flexible growths that shiver when your fingertips graze against them. One flexes and the pain in your leg intensifies. A limb, you realize. A leg. The footsteps you hear are like the driving of a stake into the ground, weighted, heavy, but the point of contact is small. You wish you could see anything in this subterranean darkness.

A burrow, you realize. That’s what this is. It laid a trap, struck when you got close enough. You never saw it coming. Jamie told you about these, you think. They’re called querrows.

That spreading numbness and the feverish heat building beneath your skin must be neurotoxin.

“Why return? Arrogance. You are weak now. You are helpless. You take from me. You take and you take.”

The sharp appendage driven through your leg suddenly wrenches loose with the wet, ripping sound of your flesh tearing open wider. You have just enough strength to sob quietly. The wound is gaping, blood puddling underneath your body. You’re starting to understand that you aren’t really numb. You still feel everything from the uncomfortable grit of the ground under you to the blood sticking to your hands. Too old to be yours, too far from your leg. The rusted stench of slaughter fills your nose. You are far from the first to end up down here.

“Now,” the querrow whispers, voice lilting with glee. “Now you will give.”

You try to scream. You try to beg. You try to crawl in any direction. All you manage is a slurred murmur and a slight twitch. It lifts you easily. Turns you over, leaves you face-down in the dirt without regard for your comfort. It’s a monumental struggle to turn your head far enough to avoid suffocating against the ground. Suddenly, it’s gone. Not far, but its hands vanish and you hear it pawing at the soil behind you. Digging? Burrowing deeper?

Help me, you beg the God of Nelton. You can’t do this alone. Can it move you? Can it burn through the poison in your veins? You feel a surge of helpless frustration. It can’t. It has tried. It has made your eyes a beacon of holiness but this thing cannot see well enough to be swayed. It is sad and afraid and angry at itself, thinking of home, of Malachi, of all the faithful. It has never been so far away, it admits. It didn’t know, didn’t realize the dangers of the world. You feel it twist itself up like an angry snake, but there’s no time for guilt or regret or self-flagellation. You need help. 

“I will bring you salvation, angel. I will not let you die.” You can feel it unfolding across space, a cry echoing into the dark. It’s looking for Jamie’s fluke. You just have to hold on until it can find them.

The scraping sounds stop and something looms over you again. “P…please,” you manage. You can’t get all the sounds out properly, can barely understand yourself. “Don’t…don’t…”

Something stabs the dirt so close to your face that you feel the air shift and smell the stink of old blood right in front of your nose. “Please! Don’t!” it mocks you shrilly. It rakes its claws over your head and takes a fistful of your hair, dragging you head off the ground and making your scalp burn. “I am to listen to these sad sounds, am I? Why would I owe you my ear, destroyer? Why, when you would not lend yours to my kin!”

You have no idea what it’s talking about. Someone else must have been here recently—someone it feels has wronged it. “Not me,” you mumble. “Don’t…don’t know.” 

You’re making it angry. The hand in your hair starts to pull and you are dragged across the ground, bruising and bloodying your knees, tossed against a mound of earth that digs painfully into your stomach. Is this what it was doing? Not digging, but shaping something from the soil? You can’t figure out why until it shoves you forward and you’re draped uncomfortably atop the mound, your head bent uncomfortably against the ground and your lower body elevated. Claws rake your back and your clothes unravel easily. It doesn’t undress you so much as it rips what’s in its way. 

Sharp hands grasp your hips, yanking your legs apart. Your heart skips a beat. Jamie said they’re vulnerable, but where? On the legs, you think. Something about the exoskeleton being flexible, moving around when—

when they’re about to mate. 

The querrow sinks its claws into your shoulder and you choke on a whimper, feeling yourself splitting apart on the sharpened ends of its fingers. “Did you think I would forget your scent?” it hisses. “How could I? You have been gone so briefly your smell still lingers.” It moves all around you, skittering limbs piercing the rocky walls of the burrow. Anchoring itself, hovering just above you. You inhale shakily at the sensation of flesh against your back, all segmentation and strange, bumpy ridges. This part of its body is far wider than its chest, easily eclipsing your entire form. It rubs clumsily against you. You feel the same rigid sharpness that pierced your leg return with gentler attention, dagger-point limbs arranging your lower half with surprising dexterity, hiking your hips slightly higher. 

Smaller limbs, the length of your forearm and curved like fangs, clamp down on your waist. You hear a cracking sound followed by that same leathery creaking. The querrow slides itself up and down your back until you feel a damp spot along your spine. You mistake it for blood at first, something that rubbed against your injury, but its thicker than that. Slime-like, dribbling from an opening in the querrow’s body. Another back and forth motion, settling more of its weight on top of you, and you feel something emerging from that opening. A warm, wet pressure. A tapered head and a throbbing length of flesh covered in fleshy bumps and knobs.

“Do you plant the eggs of your kin, or do you lay them?” the querrow rasps. Its cock keeps emerging long after you think it should be done. It’s long, impossibly long, its heavy girth slapping heavily along your back as it shifts again, repositioning. It pulls back and then lunges forward, its enormous length stabbing between your thighs. Your heart skips a beat. That thing can’t go inside you. It won’t fit. You won’t survive. “Let me tell you a secret, destroyer. It does not matter.”

It rocks forward and even outside of you, without penetrating, the movement is brutal. Its body shoves you forward, grinding your stomach painfully against the mound you’re bent over. Its length is slick with the same disgusting slime that trickled out of it and all over your back, and you notice a tingling sensation spreading wherever it touches. 

The legs. You have to hit its legs. You can feel them, their soft undersides where exoskeletal plates folded away, but you can barely lift your head. The querrow rocks back again and that thin, tapered head slips past your entrance. It growls. The grasping limbs on your waist lift you just slightly. The next thrust is a sharp jab that knocks the breath out of your lungs. It doesn’t miss this time. The tip of its inhuman cock punches inside you and it’s almost more than you can take. It hesitates. You feel it stiffen, hear it moan.

“You will…make me a father,” it grunts, its breathing labored. You’re begging for mercy, trying to scream with a constricted throat, as it lunges forward. More of its monstrous cock forces inside. You wouldn’t be conscious if its strange, sticky fluid wasn’t numbing your insides, soothing every scalding movement. It fucks you like it’s trying to kill you, every thrust a vicious stab. You’re full, beyond full, bulging around its hot, twitching flesh, and it’s not even halfway inside. “Your flesh will bear my eggs and feed my young. Your blood, their milk. Your bones, their nursery.”

Its body sways and your hands clench weakly into fists as you’re stretched even further, its cock churning your insides. To your horror, the ridges ringing its length rub against your inner walls in a way that sparks pleasure at the base of your spine. It shouldn’t feel good, none of it should. But every predatory lunge and softer, teasing thrust, every small movement it makes is accompanied by whispers of pleasant friction. It’s deep enough to touch things that make your toes curl and your eyes roll back in your head, deep enough to pound against them mercilessly. You don’t think it knows, don’t think it even cares, but it has you shivering and whimpering under it.

The legs, you think dimly. You need—need to do something. Need to—to do something, but you can hardly think. The querrow settles into a predictable rhythm; back and forth, in and out, and then it pauses, swaying back and forth in a gently rocking motion that you are ashamed you push back to meet with your hips. It makes you relax and let it in even deeper, that line of bumps along its cock dragging by that spot one at a time. It makes your mind go blank. 

“You smell willing,” it rumbles. It breaks rhythm to reward you, a slow, circular grind against your hips making you whine and arch your back. “You break easily, destroyer. Look at you. So eager for my eggs and my seed. Why did you ever leave when you were made to be a querrow breeder?”

There is a voice in your head that is screaming, calling you angel, angel, my angel. It says you have to fight but the querrow pounds into you again, pumping another thick, viscous load of numbing liquid into your abused entrance. It says you have to run but the querrow is swaying its body and you are swaying with it, your mind melting from the sweet, filthy praise and the strangely soothing glide of its appendages along your sides and back. It says Jamie is up there waiting for you—

Jamie. The name is like ice water down your back, sudden clarity. Jamie said its legs are its weak spot. You can move but not well, not with precision. You don’t trust your legs. You might need to crawl out of here. You’ll only have one shot, you think, because the second it realizes you’re not paralyzed it’ll bite—sting—whatever it did before. You have to put everything you have into this strike and claw your way to the surface. But you don’t know which way is up, or which way is out, or how—

The querrow slams into you, the pleasure just edged out by pain. You ask the God of Nelton to guide you. The next time the querrow halts its merciless pace to grind softly into you, you lean slightly, feel where the nearest leg is—thick with a soft, fleshy underside right where it connects to the body—and you kick as hard as you can. 

The sound the querrow makes leaves you momentarily deafened, your ears ringing for a long time after. It’s nails on a chalkboard amplified, a screech like a car crash echoing all around you. You feel it collapse because the whole burrow shakes from the impact, legs flailing, a claw raking your side as you make yourself twist and turn and get up to run.

Your legs give out after barely a few steps but you crawl, bruised hands and bloodied knees into the dark. The God of Nelton is your eyes, a steady voice in your head tells you where to go, when to turn, urging you onward even when your wounded, weary body wants to give up. You feel things—soft things, dead things, wet and rotting—but you have no time to think or worry or linger. You make yourself crawl until the tunnel starts sloping gently upward, and then sharply, yanking on snaking tree roots and stones lodged in the earth. A speck of light shines like a single star overhead.

Below you, not far behind, there is an enraged, earth-shattering screech. The burrow quakes with terrifyingly swift movement, a dozen long, graceful legs sprinting right for you. You know you can’t outrun it and you can’t outclimb it and you’re dead if it catches you, throwing yourself forward, higher, pushing through the acidic burn in your legs, the crackling heat in your lungs, your palms scraped raw and bloody, your nails breaking on the crumbling wall of dirt in front of you. 

A hand catches yours just as you start to slip. Jamie hauls you out of the burrow so fast your heart feels like it’s in your throat. They sling your arm over your shoulder and then they’re running the best they can with you half-dragging beside them, shoving through the barn doors and out into the pasture. Your car is running in the middle of the corn, driver’s door hanging open. Jamie shoves you into the passenger seat and lets you handle the door, sprinting around to the driver’s side. Rotten corn squelches under your squealing tires. 

You hurt everywhere. You twist around in the seat trying to find a position that doesn’t send searing agony up your spine. Jamie looks sympathetic but doesn’t risk taking their hands off the wheel to soothe you, too focused on navigating out of the field and the anchorware malfunction. 

You look back just once, a quick glance in the rearview mirror. There is something in the field but it doesn't follow beyond the crops. An enormous spider-like limb pricks the ground, hesitates, and slowly retreats back into the corn. The thing must be the size of your car.

“You’re on thin fucking ice,” Jamie says sharply, making you flinch. “But yes. I am grateful.” 

There’s a warm sensation in your chest, a proud little squirm from the God of Nelton.

(next)

[kleenexwoman]

Kk3 au where Johnny and Daniel end up together

1) Johnny isn't at school after winter break.

Daniel wonders if he's okay. He goes up to Jimmy, who isn't the most approachable Cobra but who is probably the least likely to kill him, and asks if Johnny's still in the hospital or something.

Jimmy looks at him blankly and says he doesn't think Johnny went to the hospital. He called him to see if he wanted to hang out before Christmas, but Johnny said he was busy with stuff and that he'd see him when he was finished with it.

Daniel asks what stuff. Jimmy says he didn't ask.

Bobby asks why the hell Daniel wants to know, then softens when Daniel reminds him that he saw Johnny get strangled by his sensei, too. Bobby tells him that Johnny isn't ready to come back to school, which makes sense.

Daniel says that he hopes Johnny feels better, and that if Bobby talks to him, maybe he can just tell Johnny that Daniel hopes he's okay. That there aren't any hard feelings. He'll even spar with Johnny if he wants.

Dutch sneers and says he's asking to get his ass kicked.

As Daniel walks away, he can hear Tommy saying, "I can't believe you even bothered to talk to that little maggot. You're not gonna tell Johnny all that shit, are you?"

2) It wasn't Johnny that Daniel was afraid of.

Newark was a hard, cold town. There wasn't much work, and there were plenty of brown faces in the town to turn against each other when the car company moved down to Mexico to find cheaper brown hands. Daniel knew the cold flash of fear in the pit of the stomach that comes when you see the glint of a knife or the barrel of a gun.

He'd gotten a switchblade from Cousin Enzo and taken it to school, flashed it at Peter Dabish when the oversized prick tried to fuck with his friend Cici, and nearly gotten kicked out of Aaron Burr High School, home of the Fighting Governors, in favor of the Joseph Pesci Reformatory for Boys.

California seemed safer. Sure, Compton was full of gangs, but Reseda was merely mildly seedy. And West Valley High School promised little more dangerous than social ostracism by blonde pastel-clad children of privilege.

For fuck's sake, the scariest guy in school did karate instead of carrying a piece. And he was skinny. Well, not so much skinny as slender, with long graceful limbs layered with gentle curves of muscle, and a tiny waist, and a chest more curved than barrel. The bruisers back home were all chunk, built like bricks, bulked with pasta and pork, heavy with flesh. Johnny looked like he'd been carved away over time by a stream of water.

Sure, five against one was shit odds, but Daniel knew that a knife doesn't help when you're outnumbered anyway. It's just another thing that can be taken and used to hurt you.

Daniel could have hurt Johnny badly enough to end it, if he'd wanted to. He wasn't an idiot. The kind of places that would sell a kid an illegal blade or even a gun under the table were always easy to spot in Newark, and they didn't look much different in L.A.

He was scared of what he saw when he'd looked into John Kreese's dark blue eyes. Whatever was in there was hungry, hollow, and blank. Something that had cut itself off and refused to be reached. Something that only took and didn't know giving. Something that didn't know limits.

Daniel was scared that the thing driving John Kreese would push Johnny too far. That the posturing, the pushing, the pressing against lockers, that it would explode into something real.

He really didn't want to have to hurt Johnny. Johnny had been hurt enough already.

3) The All Valley was the second night of Hanukkah and Johnny was sleeping in his car by the eighth night.

Sid had a big party at the house the night after. Since Mom was Christian, he liked to call it Christmas-kkah. There was a tree and ornaments, and there was an electric menorah in the window that looked like nine plain, ugly glass tubes that lit up in a plain, ugly sodium yellow. If that was supposed to represent the miracle of having enough oil or whatever the fuck the whole thing was about, that sure didn't look like it meant shit. The potato pancakes weren't even any good, soggy and flavorless because nobody was eating fat.

Sid gave Johnny a blue sweater that didn't fit him, a check for thirty-six hundred dollars, and a sweaty rant about how Johnny needed to stop getting his face beaten on purpose before a big party. Did Johnny want everyone to think Sid beat him, get a reputation for being a domestic abuser and ruin his career? Was that his game?

Johnny gave Sid a head hung low, a bite of the lip, and a tear in the eye. He gave Sid the generous, frankly unwarranted gift of the most sincere-sounding apology he could muster. He promised Sid that it would never happen again.

(He couldn't make himself tear up until he started to think about the prospect of leaving his mother alone with the bald piece of shit. But he'd begged Mom to just take the money she had tucked away and leave, let Sid take everything else in the inevitable divorce. She'd always said she couldn't.)

Mom gave him a bunch of things that were nice, but that he didn't really need and had never asked for. That weren't really his style, but something between the chunky, shiny bright reds he'd liked as a kid and the soft, slender pastels she seemed to like him in. She also gave him a card that had a little trophy on it and said "To A #1 Champion of A Son!" on the inside.

"I'm so proud of you," she said to Johnny, and hugged him. "You always do so well when you put your mind to it. You only ever have to try."

The report card came in. Johnny got more C's than D's this time, but Math had plummeted from a B to a D, and Phys Ed was a B instead of an A because of all the shit he'd given LaRusso that year.

Sid screamed at him that he was never gonna get into a college, that he'd wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars on Johnny, that Johnny was gonna end up as a janitor scrubbing toilets. Then he shoved a brush and bucket into Johnny's hands and followed him around while he demanded that Johnny scrub all twelve toilets in the house by hand without gloves.

Later, retching, scrubbing his chapped hands with moisturizing soap, he looked to his mother for comfort.

She stood in the doorway and said softly that he'd done a good job cleaning the toilets.

Johnny left before sunrise, everything he wanted to take in the trunk of his Avanti, then drove to West Valley High and slept in the parking lot.

He found a new place to crash before the school year started up again. It wasn't hard. He looked good, and that made it pretty easy to make new friends who'd shoot you a few bucks now and again. As long as you were, you know... Properly grateful.

[workersolidarity]

🇵🇸🇮🇱 🚨 UPDATE ON THE WAR ON GAZA AND ISRAEL'S ETHNIC CLEANSING OPERATIONS TARGETING PALESTINIAN CIVILIANS

• Israeli Occupation Forces were responsible for 10 major massacres in just 10 hours in the Gaza Strip, killing 231 civilians

• Hezbollah launched two Burkan rockets towards an Israeli Military outpost

• Palestinian Resistance launched an Ayyash 250mm long-range rocket towards Eilat settlement

• In response to the recent speech by Hezbollah Commander Nasrallah, multiple Western officials have made attempts to contact Hezbollah's leadership for clarification on the speech's details

• Israeli Occupation Forces claims they have intercepted a missile fired on the occupied Jordan Valley using a high-altitude Hetz/Arrow system interceptor

• Rockets were fired from Southern Lebanon towards Israeli positions, activating the Iron Dome air defenses

• According to representatives of Hamas' military wing, al-Qassam Brigades, Resistance Forces have damaged or destroyed 24 Israeli armored vehicles and tanks

• Channel 12 Zionist media reports confrontations occurring between the family members of Israeli hostages and Israeli Police in front of Prime Minister Netanyahu's resident in occupied al-Quds

• Arab country envoys and foreign ministers are feuding with United States Secretary of State Antony Blinkin over their support for a ceasfire

• Hezbollah Brigades of Iraq say US Secretary of State Antony Blinkin is not welcome to Iraq, and he will be met with escalation if arrives

• Security Official for the Hezbollah Brigades of Iraq, Abu al-Askari says Resistance Forces will work to disrupt US interests in the region if the Massacres on Gaza don't stop

• Abu al-Askari also said his forces will arrive in an “non-peaceful” way to shut down the American embassy in Iraq and said that the forced removal of American troops from the area is inevitable

• 🚨💥Al-Mayadeen News correspondant reports that Israeli air strikes that targeted al-Shati Refugee Camp in the west of Gaza resulted in "shortness of breath, pain in the throat, and a feeling of nausea and drowsiness."

• Israeli Occupation Forces have launched 15 raids and strikes in the vicinity of the Indonesian Palestinian Friendship Hospital in Bait Lahia, northern Gaza

• According to Gaza's Ministry of Health, large numbers of civilians are trapped under the rubble in the al-Maghazi Refugee Camp in central Gaza after an Israeli air strike targeted the residential neighborhood

• Israeli Occupation Forces raid the village of Qasra, southeast of Nablus in the West Bank

• occupation forces bombed the bridge linking Nuseirat Refugee Camp with the village of al-Mughraqa in Central Gaza

• East of Khan Yunis, in the al-Farahin area Qassam Resistance Forces managed to destroy two Zionist armored vehicles using the domestically produced Yassin 105mm rockets

• al-Qassam Brigades ambush targets and destroys two Israeli Merkava tanks penetrating the Khan Yunis area of central Gaza

• Occupation Forces stormed the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank

• Clashes recorded between Occupation Forces and the Palestinian Resistance after an attempted raid on a home in Abu Dis, east of occupied al-Quds

• Israeli occupation snipers seen on top of buildings during the raid on Jenin

• More intense shelling was later recorded around the proximity of the Indonesian Hospital 🏥 in the northern Gaza Strip

• Israeli media confirms an explosive device detonated in an occupation bulldozer being used in the raid on Jenin

• Hezbollah fires ATGMs from southern Lebanon towards the Israeli "Misgav Am" military site northwest of Kiryat Shmona

• Al-Quds Brigades: an occupation bulldozer was destroyed using a domestically produced "al-Tamer" explosive device

• Israeli Occupation Forces injured a young Palestinian man during clashes at his besieged home in Abu Dis, east of al-Quds

• Israeli Occupation Forces continued collective punishment against Palestinians by bombing a water well and two water reservoirs in the Tal al-Zaatar area, affecting up to 70'000 people with water shortages

• 50 were killed and another 100 missing under the rubble after the Israeli air strike that targeted the al-Maghazi Refugee Camp in central Gaza

• Islamic Resistance of Lebanon downed an Israeli Military drone flying over southern Lebanon

• Israeli Occupation Forces have committed 24 massacres in 24 hours, killing a confirmed 243 with many more trapped under the rubble

• Al-Qassam Brigades announced the destruction of another Israeli Merkava tank penetrating Gaza in the area southwest of Tal al-Hawa using the Yassin 105mm rocket

• According to Gaza's Ministry of Health, 9'770 Palestinians have been killed since October 7th, including 4'800 children and 2'550 women

• Palestinian Authority Traitor President Mahmoud Abbas in a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinkin says the Palestinian Authority is ready to “fully assume our responsibilities within the framework of a comprehensive political solution that includes all of the West Bank, including east Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip."

#source1

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@WorkerSolidarityNews