#can wait until one is ready for advanced logic

[alianoralacanta]

I am taking a logic course (first-year university level) and requested a good follow-up book or two for the coursebook (which is the most basic logic course possible without being condescending - seriously, if you want to learn logic, even if you've never done so before, Marianne Talbot's A Romp In The Foothills Of Logic is an excellent choice). One of the books I got appears to meet that brief quite well (it was the sort of logic book that starts with, "There is no original material in this book, except perhaps by mistake"). It was an introduction to logic, but it appears to go quite a bit further and deeper than the Talbot book. The other one… was Wittgenstein's Tractacus Logico-Philosophicus. Seriously?!? Most universities I am aware of don't study Wittgenstein until third year. It's one of the most complex books on logic ever written. It's the sort of book where the translator's explanatory notes are over a quarter of the length of the entire book. I emphatically do not recommend that book to anyone who hasn't got a completely secure grasp of logic before starting.

[200mark]

⌗ random night-time scenarios with the dreamies

SCENE .. “come here and give me kiss, please.”

꒰ DETAILS ꒱ boyfriend!dream & fem!rea ⋮ ♯ file 000. established relationship, scenarios, petnames && fluff ᵔⰙᵔ

♡ entry .. hi! this is my first post on tumblr! not new to tumblr but i definitely never uploaded my works before and suddenly i’ve gotten the confidence to do so. let me know if you all like this, my plan is to post more in the future. also i apologize in advance for the lack of dialogue in some of these, i did proofread but may still be errors!

more of nct dream

MARK LEE

it was cold in your shared apartment, not an uncomfortable cold but cold enough for you to want your boyfriend’s warmth and he was more than willing to give it to you. you’re both cuddled up against the headboard of your bed he’s flicking through channels trying to find something to watch and you’re laid against his shoulder playing with the edge of his shirt. “wait go back to that other channel, what was that?” you spoke softly the room was rather quiet except for the faint humming sounds of the air conditioner that can be heard from your bedroom, mark causally flicked back to the previous channels until you stopped him. the channel was on commercial and it was no telling how long it would be until the original show or movie that was airing would come back on. mark placed the remote on the night stand beside the bed and adjusted his position against the headboard causing you to sit up before he pulling you back towards him. this time his hand found your hip, he gave it a squeeze before rubbing his thumb gently against the skin. you both stayed like that, the silence was comfortable, the faint sound of the air conditioner, the sound of the tv and the sound of both of you breathing was all you both needed, what was on the tv no longer mattered just the quality time that was happening.

HUANG RENJUN

“junnie, did you say you wanted a fork or chopsticks?” you speak from the kitchen, you’re looking through the drawers trying to find a fork just in case that’s what he asked for. you both decided to get takeout tonight neither one of you were in a cooking mood so this was the best option if you two were gonna eat. you made your way back into the living room sitting beside renjun on the couch, “we don’t have any clean forks no one washed the dishes” you chuckled “so we both have to use chopsticks,” “and if i remember correctly it was your turn to wash the dishes? hm?” he asked before putting some of the food in his mouth, “well there’s a logical explanation for why i didn’t wash them!” you tried defending yourself, “and that is…” “i don’t know i didn’t think that far ahead,” you shrugged which caused him to laugh and he laughed so hard he started choking which caused you to laugh while patting his back telling him to stop laughing. it was moments like this, that made you whole or more so content. sharing a laugh with the person you love and sharing food with the person you love was more than enough for you.

LEE JENO

it was a little past 8pm, and both you and jeno are in the bathroom, you’re brushing your teeth and jeno is standing there watching and waiting for you to finish. you spit into the sink turning the water on washing the sink out briefly “you ready?” jeno spoke and you shake your head “not yeah i need to add some moisturizer on my face, can you look in that bin for me please, the bottle is white with a purple lid.” he nodded and walked over to the bin which you pointed at and looked through it, you washed your face with a rag gently patting your face “this one?” he asked, holding up the exact bottle you described you remove the towel from your face and squint in his direction before nodding and he walks over to you place the items on the counter. you toss the rag into the hamper and pump a few drops of the moisturizer onto your face before rubbing it in, “baby, can you please grab my glasses out the kitchen i believe they’re still sitting on the counter.” “ugh, you’re having me do everything tonight why can’t we just lay down?” he begins walking over to you. he picks you up and places you on the counter knocking the moisturizer over in the process, he stood in between your legs his eyes scanned your face like he was looking for something, he wrapped his arms around your body burying his face in your neck “mmm, you smell good.” his voice muffled against your neck, which caused you to giggle at the feeling of his breath on your neck. you’re still wondering if he’s going to go get your glasses or not.

LEE DONG HYUCK

“do you hate me? like seriously.” haechan asks you’re both laying on the couch, his head resting in between your legs, “hmm? why would you ask that unprovoked?” “not unprovoked, you’re scrolling on tiktok when you’re loving boyfriend is right here. unless i’m invisible.” he pouts and you laugh but it’s more like a ‘you’re cute’ laugh, “okay fine hyuck, my attention is all yours,” he shakes his head still pouting, “i just want you to rub my scalp you don’t have to get off tiktok,” “so why didn’t you just say that???” you shake your head, “i have to be dramatic first… you know this.” he gives your thigh a light squeeze, you run your fingers through his hair and he let out a satisfied hum. you go back to scrolling through tiktoks still rubbing his scalp gradually stopping then continuing and haechan is watching whatever is on the tv slowly dozing off at the feeling of your hand running through his scalp. “mmm, focus baby” haechan mumbled you definitely didn’t realize that your hand was no longer rubbing his head “whoops my bad,” and you go back to rubbing his scalp again a few more minutes go by and you stop without realizing again “okay maybe you should give me your full attention, i want to fall asleep but every time i’m about to you stop rubbing my scalp.” he whines, “hyuck my attention is all yours.” you place your phone down beside so that you can give your full undivided attention to him so that he can fall asleep.

NA JAEMIN

“jaem.. are you sleep?” you whispered, you both are laying down in the bed his arm draped over your waist his body pressed against yours and you’re uncomfortable but you don’t want to tell jaemin that you want to wait until he shifts then you’ll move but he hasn’t moved in hours and you still haven’t fallen asleep, “jaem…” you say a little louder and he groans, “i’m uncomfortable,” “turn over then sweets.” he spoke in his half conscious state, and you do as he said turning over, your both face to face expect he’s sleeping. you stare at his face for a while before pressing a few kisses along his jawline and a few on his face, “what are you doing?” he mumbled “kissing you,” “well i know that… why aren't you sleeping?” he slowly blinks awake and your eyes meet “i couldn’t sleep i was uncomfortable and i didn’t want to wake you.” your hand rests against his cheek and he shakes his head, “you could’ve just turned over,” “but you’re a light sleeper i would have woken you.” you said your voice soft, “so you’ll lose sleep because i’m a light sleeper?” he chuckles then placed a kiss on your forehead, “let me be little spoon maybe that’ll help you sleep.” he turned over and you wrapped your arms around his body, your head pressed against his back and you slowly dozed off to sleep.

ZHONG CHENLE

“lele it’s cold out here,” you shivered and he looked at you and laughed, “did i not tell you to bring a jacket?” and you nodded, “here” he took off his jacket handing it to you and you quickly put it on. it was late but chenle wanted to give daegal one last chance to use the bathroom before he goes to bed, “and what if she doesn’t pee this time?” you asked, being sarcastic, “then she’ll pee on the floors and YOU will clean it.” he laughed but you didn't, which only made him laugh harder, “i’m joking” he said still laughing “that joke must’ve really tickled you huh? your ears are red and everything.” he gently grabbed your arm pulling you towards him placing his arm around your shoulders, he sighed leaning his head on top of yours. “you’re still shivering am now i’m shivering seeing you shiver,” he said “yeah i’m like 99.99% sure that’s not how that works, wanna share the jack-” and before you could finish he was already forcing himself inside the jacket with you, “daegal hurry, mom and dad are VERY cold,” he said laughing and you laughed along with him. “yes please hurry, before lele turns into a popsicle his ears are turning red again.” you spoke but your teeth were clinging together because of how cold you were, chenle blew his breath in your face jokingly attempting to warm you up. “lele you’re such a weirdo! your breath is usually hot i guess not this time,” and you fake pout causing him to laugh and eventually daegal goes to the bathroom and you two head inside for the night.

PARK JISUNG

“ji get the eggs out the refrigerator,” he nods, moving past you to get to the fridge. it’s 1am and jisung woke up hungry and so did you so what better way to fix that than some late night ramen? he passes you two eggs before rubbing his stomach “my belly is so empty,” and you giggle “you know hunger is just a mind thing? if you think you’re hungry of course you’ll be hungry.” “wait really?” you nod, “being hungry is a mental thing cause if you aren’t thinking about wanting to eat the feeling will subside.” “so basically i can have your noodles?” he says jokingly and hou both share a laugh, “you wish! especially with me being the one who’s cooking them.” he sighs, he grabs two bowls out of the cabinet “forks or chopsticks?” “uhm, i want a fork,” he nods. you yawn putting noodles into the bowls you add the eggs to the bowls then hand one over to jisung who was already seated on the bar stool, he eats some of the noodles letting out a satisfied ‘mmm’ “i don’t think i’ll be able to enjoy these noodles since i’m so sleepy,” jisung smiles at you, “come here” and you walk over to him with your bowl in your hands, “at least take a few bites then we can go back and lay down, it’s super late at least eat these so that you won’t be hungry again in a few hours.” he said then pressed a kiss on your cheek, “fine.” and you eat some of your noodles “cute, your cheeks are full of noodles” he laughs, “ready to go lay down?” and you nod, you grab his arm and follow close behind him into the bedroom.

[luv4arinn]

Bayverse!Donnie headcanons bc his my bbg

Okay, lol, I really needed to let all of this out and just vomit all the ideas I’ve been hoarding about this man. I love him. I’ve adored him ever since the 2012 series, and that made me realize—I definitely have a thing for nerds. And glasses. Dear god.

I hope you guys like this!! Do you think I should do the same for the other brothers? Or maybe for the other characters? (I wouldn’t mind taking the risk and making headcanons like this for Rocksteady, hehe.)

Alright, bye!!

warnings: sfw & nsfw ( but not so explicit?) :p

- He’s a genius with confidence… until he isn’t.

Donnie is incredibly self-assured when it comes to his intellect and skills. He knows his worth and never doubts his ability to solve problems. Jumping out of a plane without a parachute? Easy. Hacking government security systems? A piece of cake. But confessing his feelings to you? That’s a whole different challenge.

This is where his anxious side kicks in. His brain, used to solving any equation, completely short-circuits when it comes to emotions. What if he misinterprets your signals? What if he ruins the friendship? What if you like someone else? Sure, he can design an exoskeleton in less than 24 hours, but love is a field where variables don’t always make sense.

If you think you can hide something from him, think again. Donnie notices everything. From the slight shift in your expression when you’re tired to the pattern of songs you repeat when you’re feeling down. (And no, he absolutely did not hack your Spotify, ahem—)

- That’s why, when you start falling for him, he already knows. In fact, he probably figured it out before you did.

He won’t tell you right away. Inside his head, there’s a storm of chaotic thoughts, organizing themselves into an ultra-detailed data table with every relevant piece of information. Give him a few days, and once his mind has fully processed everything, he’ll come back to you as a renewed Donnie—determined, confident, and ready to make you his.

- Donnie doesn’t just plan things; he breaks them down into a thousand strategies of action. His trash bin is living proof of the number of ideas he discards and reworks over and over.

Gifts? He’s not the type to grab something generic at the last minute. His gifts are so deeply personalized that they’ll make you feel like he knows you better than you know yourself.

Example: If you ever casually mentioned that you’d love to learn to play an instrument, he’ll build one for you—customized with enhancements. If you said you love the stars, he’ll create an interactive star map with the exact alignment of the sky on the day you were born.

Your birthdays, anniversaries, and any special dates are planned years in advance. It doesn’t matter if you’re not officially together yet—he already has ideas saved for when you are.

- Romance in his brain is an equation far too complex.

Donnie isn’t clumsy because he lacks intelligence; it’s because his brain moves too fast. His emotions and logic are in constant conflict, creating an ongoing battle between Confident Donnie and Nervous Donnie.

You’ll see him go from saying something with complete confidence to, “Uh, well… what I meant to say is… no, wait, forget it—” and then getting frustrated with himself because that definitely wasn’t what he had in mind.

But when he manages to organize his thoughts, he’s one of the most direct people you’ll ever meet. Once he crosses the mental line of “I’m doing this,” there’s no turning back.

- Gifts

He doesn’t believe in generic presents. Everything he gives you has a specific purpose. A bracelet that’s actually a disguised tracker (“For safety. Just for safety.”), or a stuffed animal that can record voice messages.

One day, you wake up and find a new app on your phone with your name on it. You open it, and it’s a virtual assistant designed specifically for you, complete with personalized reminders for the little things Donnie knows you always forget.

- Once he has you, you are his priority.

Once Donnie accepts his feelings and takes the step to be with you, he becomes the most devoted boyfriend.

He’s not excessively clingy or jealous like Raph, but his love is obvious in the time and effort he invests in you.

No matter how many projects he’s juggling, if you truly need his attention, he’ll give it to you without hesitation.

- Donnie needs physical contact, but his intellectual pride won’t let him admit it outright. Instead, he prefers to justify it with overly precise scientific explanations.

“Well, you see… my body temperature tends to drop faster than that of the average human, so it’s biologically beneficial for me to share contact with an external heat source.”

Translation: “Hug me. Now.”

If you confront him with something like, “Why don’t you just say you want cuddles?” he’ll turn bright red and start stammering, scrambling for excuses.

Don’t listen. Just climb onto him.

- Donnie can plan everything, but he cannot predict your spontaneous displays of affection.

If you surprise him with a kiss, his brain completely shuts down for 3-5 seconds before he can process it.

Unexpected gestures—hugging him from behind while he’s working, cupping his face in your hands, or kissing his cheek out of nowhere—leave him frozen, recalculating.

Sometimes, his first reflex is to adjust his glasses, only to realize that they have nothing to do with the fact that his vision just blurred from sheer shock.

NSFW

- He’s patient… but only to a point. Donnie will never pressure you. He’ll wait as long as you need, always making sure you feel safe and comfortable.

However… he’s already undressed you with his eyes a million times.

His mind is a machine of ideas and theories, and when it comes to you, he has imagined everything. Everything.

He tells himself he can be rational and controlled… but if you take too long, his thoughts will become a little more persistent.

- He’s not innocent. Don’t even think it for a second.

He may seem shy or awkward about relationships, but when it comes to this, his mind is a laboratory of hypotheses he’s dying to test.

He has analyzed you with surgical precision. He knows exactly how you blush, how you react to certain touches, which words make you tremble.

Do not underestimate him. He has read, he has researched, he has learned.

But nothing compares to the real thing. With you.

When he finally has you in his hands, his brain short-circuits.

No matter how many times he imagined this moment, nothing could have prepared him for the feeling of your skin beneath his fingers.

His jaw clenches, he exhales sharply, and his pupils dilate as if he’s just been electrocuted.

His entire expression changes—from his usual nervousness to something darker, more intense, starving.

- He becomes obsessive about memorizing every single reaction of yours.

He’s analytical. He will learn what you love and make sure to do it better every single time.

Eye contact and sounds. His drug.

Look at him. Don’t look away. Don’t ignore him.

If you dare to hold his gaze while he’s above you, he will completely lose himself in you.

Your voice, your moans, your gasps—they ruin him.

He needs you vocal. He needs to know he’s doing a good job.

If you get shy and try to cover your mouth, he will ask (or demand) that you don’t.

Kinky? Oh, absolutely.

Donnie lives to experiment. It’s in his nature.

Positions? All of them. But his favorites are the ones where you are on top of him.

He loves being dominated.

After spending his entire life controlling every aspect of his world, it’s a relief for his mind to surrender completely to you.

“Set the pace, beautiful. I’m in your hands.”

Toys? Oh, yes.

You can be sure he has researched every single thing about them.

But he won’t settle for the ones that already exist. No.

He will build his own. Upgraded. With precisely calibrated speeds and optimized materials.

“This one has five vibration levels, but if we increase the frequency by 15%, we could—”

May God help you if you walk into his lab at the wrong time.

May God help his brothers if they ever find out.

Dedicated and obsessed with you.

Donnie doesn’t do anything halfway. If he gives himself to you, it’s completely.

No matter how much time passes, he will always give his all to make you feel incredible.

He’s not a casual lover.

He is yours. And you are his.

“You are my greatest discovery.”

[authorlaci]

Livi introduction:

CW: Spoilers for Season 4-Lesson 60-80 of the first OM! game.

Livi (Olivia, Female. At the beginning of the story, 20-25(Exact age not specified) is a human with no family to speak of, who gladly accepted the invitation to the Devildom Exchange Program at RAD. She finds herself at home in the Devildom, not fond of things that are light and good (Including the Celestial Realm), with the exception of the angel exchange students.

Livi is a Chaotic Neutral. She’ll do what’s morally right when making a decision (...sometimes. Other times, she chooses violence.) She has some of each sin, but her main sin is Wrath.

She listens to music, likes to read books (Especially TSL), writes stories herself, sews and designs outfits. She likes hanging out with the brothers (With the exception of Belphie and Mammon, and Satan-depending on the day.), the royals and the other exchange students. She is very fond of birds and rats, and will converse with Satan about cats. She doesn’t like bugs, but she’s not afraid to squish them (mercilessly.) 

She knows magic and is often, (not always), successful with hand-to-hand combat. Her weakness is that she’s very lazy and tends to act out of anger rather than logic when very angry. She can be very destructive when very angry. If someone was just generally being mean, she’d go back and forth with them for a bit, and if they don’t give up after a while, she'll start throwing hands.

She inherited demonic powers, which then passed to her and Simeon’s two children, Eve and Maven. She also has the power of the pact, and is very advanced in using fire magic. She’s a human, but also has a demon form-Author. Author can be best described as a god, the devil or a reaper. Being the Author, she can be anything she writes and control everyone and everything in the worlds she writes. Livi can willingly go into her Author form, but Author can also take over whenever she wants (Which she often does,) even if Livi doesn’t command it. Hence, Livi doesn’t actually control Author-Author controls her.

Simeon and Livi have a partially fluff and partially hurt/comfort type of relationship. She married Simeon after season 4 of the OG Obey Me!, and they had two kids; A daughter, Eve (Evangeline: Simeon named her), who is seven years old and Maven (Livi named him after her favorite character from the Red Queen book series,) who is six. Livi and Simeon also consider Luke to be one of their children, who is 10 in angel years. She also has a pet rat named Chip, and loves to play with Cerberus. Chip was a gift from Thirteen after Barbatos found him at the Demon Lord's Castle and called Thirteen to dispose of him.

Livi is Asmo and Thirteen’s hype girl and vice versa. She’s also Levi, Luke and Simeon’s best friend. Her and Raphael are in-laws that bicker back and forth jokingly. She doesn’t come into contact with Mephisto much. Livi won’t admit it, but she adores how he has a soft side towards children (She isn’t good at hiding it tho.) Livi ofc knows how powerful Barbatos is and is smart enough to know not to trifle with him. However, she doesn't see him as a scary ultra-powerful demon more so than someone she respects alot, that's not quite a friend, but she likes him. In Livi's universe, he's also Thirteen’s partner. Out of the brothers, Livi is closest to Asmo. They consider eachother besties and ‘friendly flirt’. Livi sometimes cries to Asmo when she is sad or something happens, and Asmo would be her comfort person. Out of the angels, Livi is closest to Simeon. Like Asmo, Simeon is Livi’s comfort person and Livi is Simeon’s comfort person (other than Raphael.) When Simeon lost his powers and became depressed, Livi expressed her concern but didn’t force him to talk. He told her he needed time to think, and she waited until he was ready to tell her. A very emotional moment that heavily impacted Livi was when she visited Purgatory Hall, because Luke told her that he was worried about Simeon. Simeon was buried under the covers when she walked into his room. He broke down and told her that he was scared. They talked, and he confessed to her afterwards. That moment changed her from being cold and emotionless to beginning to love and have feelings towards people again. The two were close before then though: Pairing up for class projects and going out to eat together.

Livi couldn’t stand Michael or Belphie. Once she met Michael though, he eventually became her best friend and another comfort person (angel, lol.), and she grew to tolerate Belphie over time, referring to him by his nickname instead of only his full first name or ‘Belgefor’.

Livi vibes with Simeon in being deathly afraid of, and generally not skilled at technology. With Livi, however, it’s just limited to plugging things in electrical outlets and using electrical cooking appliances. She’ll dip if she hears a sound that she thinks is unusual for the microwave or oven to make.

Once in Devildom science, she accidentally set off a spell that transformed her and Barbatos into angels and Solomon into a demon. (and she briefly simped over Solomon’s demon form.)

 Her favorite quote is from the Red Queen books:  “It’s cruel to give hope where none should be.”

 She’ll eat almost anything except for Solomon’s cooking. She favors Barbatos’s Macarons, and her favorite drink is Diet Coke.

Her favorite bird is a barn owl. She prefers nighttime over daytime, and her favorite season is Winter. She doesn’t celebrate holidays unless it’s with the brothers.

Livi is a self-insert of her creator (Me), which is to say, she’s the same person as the other self-insert OCs created across multiple universes. Being the same person as her and all the other self-insert OCs’ creator, Livi also goes by ‘Author’. Simeon and Livi’s official ship name is MourningDove; The term ‘Dove’ being used for Simeon and the term ‘Mourning’ being used for Livi. The term 'Mourning' being used for Livi in MourningDove is supposed to come from the stories from all the different universes, and the numerous characters that died by her/(my) writing.

[magickfromscratch]

Hey! I just read your post “Prayer For Pagan Unity” and I have a similar situation that I would like to take your advice on.

A city in my country (previously known as Teos) has started to organize Dionysia Festivals again to preserve cultural heritage etc (amazing, right??) and I am planning to attend.

I have this friend, -ex best friend- whose patron god is Dionysus. We had a fallout last year because she broke an oath we had, causing a devastating year, still influencing my life. (I don’t want to bother you with details unless you ask) Then she just vanished and didn’t apologize, (it was out of cowardice and indecisiveness, rather than malice) we recently started to talk again, sending memes and stuff. We still didn’t touch the subject, since it will be a heavy talk.

So my question is… I don’t think she knows about the festival nor will learn unless I invite her. Part of me wants to invite her, in behalf of Dionysus and the hope of having catharsis/closure/conciliation. And part of me doesn’t want to invite her because I am still very hurt, and doesn’t want to stain the event/experience with a possible fight.

I have to make a decision on that in 10 days and I very much would appreciate your help. And if you bump into Dionysus in the mean time and feel like asking this for me since I don’t have that kind of relationship with him yet… I would be immensely grateful. Or if you could suggest a ritual to “ask yourself”

Thank you so much in advance. I am sorry if there are any grammatical/semantical/logical mistakes, (probably there are) English is not my first language and I am very drunk.

Loves 💕

Wow, it sounds like you've been through a lot. It sounds very painful, and I'm sorry that you have to go through that. No worries about grammatical/semantic/logical mistakes, I make plenty of my own, even in my native language.

Very often, we are separated by petty grievances, but this is not that.

First of all, I want to say that you don't have to forgive her, or anyone, until you're ready, if ever, and that if someone did something to hurt you, and they know it, it's really best to tackle the emotions you're feeling internally at your own pace before moving forward.

I'm writing my reply with the assumption that it's a rather large event. If it's not, you might wait until you have a sense of where you are both at before you decide whether to tell her about it. If it is, then I also want to point out that even if she goes, you don't have to go together. She can also go by herself, or with her own friends, provided that she knows it is happening. You can and should set boundaries for your interactions at the event. This can include avoiding certain topics, limiting your interactions, and asking her not to discuss your collective situation with other attendees.

Before you see her in person, in whatever context, I think a conversation needs to happen. You can tell her that she hurt you, that it's still impacting you, and that you're still dealing with the consequences of her choices.

And before you have that conversation, on a spiritual level, it might be good to consider what it might be like to have wrestled with your own Shadow and lost in such a big way that it cost you a friend, and to feel like you'll never truly be forgiven. I've been there. I have made mistakes that have cost me relationships with people who were important to me, and I know what it's like to understand, in an emotional place of cold, dull horror, that I lost someone because I just couldn't make myself do what I intended, what I needed, to do. I'm not certain about you, but in my culture, breaking an oath is something very damaging to the person who does it. It costs you not just your honor, but a little piece of your soul. It feels like shit. That's probably where she's at right now.

I don't know what the situation is fully, but it sounds to me as if none of this is your responsibility to fix. It's hers. She has work to do that no one can do for her.

In every relationship, people have needs. Your job in that conversation isn't to make her feel better, it's to articulate your boundaries and to get an accurate sense as to whether or not she can respect those boundaries. It's really only after that conversation that you can decide whether or not you want her to be at that event with you. You need to tell her what you need from her. That kind of conversation, no matter how it turns out, may give you the closure you seek.

It can be tempting to focus your conversation on why she did what she did, but a more important angle might be, "I need my friends to be true to their word, and you weren't. That breach of trust is a problem for me. How can we work together so that we can continue to be in this community together without incident?"

The gods, I think, do want the people that honor them to be a community, to sacrifice a little bit of ego, where we can, when it's emotionally healthy for us to do so, so that their community can be a harmonious and peaceful. I think that they want us to work out our differences, when we can.

If you can make it work without sacrificing your personal, emotional, social, and physical safety (in which I would include the security of your home, job, and mundane social life/support network), then you should try. If you're not ready (and again, it's ok if you never are), then it may very well diminish the festival for you. Another important aspect to judge is as to whether conversations had between you, or her, and the other attendees might stir drama beyond just the two of you. You obviously know her better than I do, and how likely that is to become a problem.

It is also possible for you to tell her that you're not ready to spend any significant amount of time with her in person until you've had that conversation. The best context for this conversation will depend upon the nature of the situation for both of you. The prevailing wisdom is that such conversations should be by phone or in person, but sometimes, asynchronous conversations can give both parties time to think before replying. A good way to decide might be saying, "hey, I want to talk to you about the thing," and then discussing where and how to have that conversation.

Having a path forward to redemption, even if the two of you are not where either of you wants to be right now, might be of some comfort to her. Again, it's not your responsibility to do this, you don't have to, but it might give both of your some peace. Hope is a powerful motivator for people to engage in good behavior, and hopelessness is equally likely to drive a person toward less than stellar choices.

As far as asking Dionysos goes, I could. But if I did, the reply I got would only be my own gnosis. At the end of the day, I'm just a random person on the internet.

As for asking Dionysos yourself? The Theoi, in my experience, are very good with omens. My advice would be to make offerings to Dionysos, and to Hermes in his capacity as messenger, to send you counsel in a way that you can understand. The language, "a clear omen, presented in a way that I can understand" or something to that effect is important to include when asking for a reply.

If you receive nothing in reply, that's still an answer and means, "it's up to you and how you're feeling about it." If Dionysos has a strong opinion on the matter, and you ask, believe me, you'll get an something unequivocal. I suggest looking into bird omens, as that's easiest for them, but it's also possible for other kinds of omens to appear, if you're not ready to do that research. I haven't been able to find a good and concise resource for that as yet.

As you wrote this in a somewhat drunken state, and I have anonymous asks turned off, please let me know if you see this and want my reply taken down for your privacy or hers. A comment on the post will suffice.

I wish you the best. The festival sounds awesome. I hope this time is spiritually fruitful, and that you gain what you seek from it. I hope my thoughts on the subject have been helpful. Thank you for reaching out.

[angel-oftheday]

Hey there will be a lot of requests here! Be ready! 👼 All from precure, because some alternative forms of some precures are 100% angel 😇 (Split in more than one ask) / - Yes Precure 5: Cure Dream in her Shining Dream form from the movie / - Fresh Precure: All of the cures as Cure Angel / - Suite Precure: All of the cures in their Crescendo forms / - Smile Precure: Cure Happy in her Ultra Cure Happy form from the movie. But maybe the Princess Form of all the cures can count. Also Royale Candy!+

*inhale deep breaths* Okay so-

Let's start the one I refuse:

Cure Wing from Hirogaru Sky Precure

Birds-related characters count only if they have wings on their back. You can see what characters I put in the #As Birds tag

The ones I hesitate to put:

Mishou Mai from Futari Wa Precure Splash Star

More exactly, I hesitate with the Cure Egret and the fusion she has with the fusion between Egret and Windy. The only feature is the winged sleeves but I can't say if it's enough angelic to me. I may see...

Omori Yuko & Hikawa Iona from Happiness Charge Pretty Cure!

In the Innocent Form, these both characters didn't seem angelic comparing to the other Cures.

And now for the rest... I accept!

Normally, as I usually say, if they are from the same media, they will appear one time by month.

Since they are ALL from Pretty Cure, in that logic, you will wait until the next year before seeing all these characters.

SO, exceptionally, I will put one by month from each specific Pretty Cure serie.

In case I am not clear at all from my explanation, here the example:

That's all I want to say from now!

Thank you for reading until the end, by hoping you are alright from my choices. Thank you also in advance for your patience-

And thank you so much for your propositions! 🙏

P.S.: Ah! And by the way, from your list, there is already one published! Enjoy!

[flutterflowdevs]

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FlutterFlow is revolutionizing the way developers build apps, eliminating tedious coding tasks and allowing for rapid deployment of enterprise-grade applications. But to truly harness its power, you need expert-level training—and that’s exactly what we provide.

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Don’t make the mistake of waiting. The skills you’ll learn in this training could be the difference between landing high-paying contracts or getting left behind in a rapidly evolving tech landscape.

Once the enrollment limit is reached, we won’t accept new students until the next cycle. Can you afford to wait?

Who Is This Training For?

This Enterprise FlutterFlow Training is designed for:

Developers who want to build high-quality, scalable FlutterFlow applications.

Tech entrepreneurs looking to create enterprise-grade apps quickly.

Development teams aiming to optimize efficiency with low-code solutions.

Freelancers & consultants who want to offer high-value FlutterFlow services.

If you want to be a leader in enterprise FlutterFlow development, this training is for you.

Your Future Starts Now – Take Action Today

If you’ve read this far, you already know that Enterprise FlutterFlow Training is the next big step for your career or business.

Read More :

Pagination in Flutterflow web project Firebase

[testleafsblog]

How Do Playwright's Auto-Waiting Features Improve Test Reliability?

In the world of web application testing, ensuring the reliability and stability of automated tests is crucial for delivering high-quality software. Playwright, an advanced end-to-end testing framework developed by Microsoft, has gained significant attention for its robust automation capabilities. One of the standout features that sets Playwright apart from other testing tools is its auto-waiting mechanism. This feature significantly enhances test reliability by addressing common synchronization issues that often lead to flaky tests. In this article, we explore how Playwright's auto-waiting features improve test reliability, making it an invaluable asset for testers and developers.

Understanding Auto-Waiting in Playwright

Auto-waiting refers to Playwright's ability to automatically wait for specific conditions to be met before executing the next step in a test script. This includes waiting for elements to become visible, clickable, enabled, or stable. Traditional automation tools often require testers to manually implement waits or sleep commands, which can lead to inefficient and error-prone tests. Playwright's automation tool eliminates this need by incorporating intelligent waiting mechanisms directly into its core.

How Auto-Waiting Improves Test Reliability

1. Minimizes Flakiness: One of the primary causes of flaky tests is element synchronization issues. For example, if a test attempts to interact with an element that hasn't fully loaded, the test may fail intermittently. Playwright's auto-waiting feature mitigates this by ensuring that actions like clicking, typing, or verifying elements only proceed when the element is ready, significantly reducing flakiness.

2. Simplifies Test Scripts: With auto-waiting, test scripts become more concise and easier to maintain. Testers no longer need to write complex logic to handle waits or retries, as Playwright handles these automatically. This simplification leads to cleaner, more readable code, which is essential for large-scale test automation projects.

3. Enhances Test Speed and Efficiency: Manual waits often lead to unnecessary delays, making tests slower than necessary. Playwright optimizes test execution by waiting only as long as needed, enhancing overall test speed without compromising reliability. This results in faster feedback loops and quicker release cycles.

4. Improves Accuracy and Consistency: By waiting for elements to reach the desired state, Playwright ensures that tests interact with the application in the same way as an end-user would. This improves the accuracy and consistency of test results, providing greater confidence in the stability of the application under test.

Key Auto-Waiting Features in Playwright

1. Element Visibility and Interaction: Playwright waits for elements to become visible and interactive before performing actions such as clicks or form submissions. This ensures that interactions happen precisely when the element is ready, avoiding common timing issues.

2. Network and Page Load Management: Playwright can wait for network requests to complete and for pages to fully load before proceeding with test execution. This ensures that tests do not proceed until the application state is stable, minimizing errors related to incomplete loading.

3. Built-in Retries: Playwright automatically retries failed assertions or actions until they pass or a timeout occurs. This built-in retry mechanism is particularly useful for dynamic web applications where elements may load at different times.

4. Frame and Iframe Handling: Playwright efficiently waits for iframes and nested elements, ensuring smooth interaction with complex web structures. This feature is essential for testing modern web applications that heavily rely on frames.

Real-World Benefits of Auto-Waiting

For organizations looking to improve their test automation frameworks, leveraging Playwright's auto-waiting features can lead to more reliable and maintainable tests. Professionals interested in mastering Playwright can benefit from enrolling in a Playwright course online to gain hands-on experience and in-depth knowledge of this powerful tool.

Why Choose a Playwright Course Online?

An online course on Playwright provides flexibility and accessibility for learners across different geographical locations. These courses often include practical projects and real-world scenarios that help participants understand the nuances of Playwright's automation tool. Additionally, an online course allows testers to learn at their own pace, making it easier to balance learning with professional responsibilities.

Bridging the Gap with Comprehensive Training

For those based in India, enrolling in a software testing course in Chennai can provide in-person, instructor-led training on Playwright and other automation tools. Combining theoretical knowledge with practical exercises, these courses equip learners with the skills needed to excel in software testing.

Conclusion

Playwright's auto-waiting features are a game-changer in the realm of test automation, offering unparalleled reliability, efficiency, and ease of use. By minimizing flaky tests, simplifying scripts, and enhancing accuracy, Playwright stands out as a leading automation tool for modern web applications. For testers and developers aiming to enhance their automation skills, a Playwright course online or a software testing course in Chennai can be the stepping stone to mastering this cutting-edge technology and advancing their careers in software testing.

[software-developmentcompany]

Java Concurrency: Managing Threads and Synchronization

Is there anything more fascinating than how the applications you use for your everyday tasks can provide you with multiple tasks at once, seamlessly juggling between different actions? Java concurrency holds the answer.

Concurrency refers to the ability of a system or program to execute multiple tasks concurrently. In the context of Java programming, it involves managing threads and synchronization to ensure the efficient execution of concurrent tasks.

Concurrency in Java brings about its own set of challenges. Coordinating access to shared resources among threads can lead to issues like race conditions, deadlocks, and inconsistent data states. To tackle these challenges, developers need to understand how to manage threads and synchronize their actions effectively.

This article provide a comprehensive understanding of concurrent programming in Java. We will explore topics such as thread creation and management techniques, as well as synchronization mechanisms like locks, semaphores, monitors, etc. 

Let's take a look at Java's threads and synchronization.

Understanding Threads in Java

Threads are a fundamental concept in Java that allows for concurrent execution of multiple tasks within a program. A thread can be considered an independent flow of control that operates within the context of a process. By utilizing threads, developers can achieve parallelism and improve the performance and responsiveness of their applications.

In Java, threads go through different states during their lifecycle:

New: When a thread is created but has not yet started.

Runnable: The thread is ready for execution and waiting for available CPU time.

Blocked: A blocked thread is temporarily paused due to synchronization or resource constraints.

Waiting: A thread enters the waiting state when it waits indefinitely until another notifies it.

Terminated: The final state of a terminated thread after it completes its execution or terminates prematurely.

In Java, there are two ways to create it:

By extending the Thread class: This approach involves creating a subclass of Thread and overriding its run() method.

By implementing the Runnable interface: This approach separates the code responsible for running tasks from the threading logic.

Each Java thread has an associated priority ranging from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest). These priorities help determine how much CPU time each thread receives relative to others with different priorities. However, relying solely on priorities for precise control over scheduling is not recommended since it depends on platform-specific implementations.

Here is a list of the best Java development companies: Intelliware Development, Jelvix, Cleveroad, The Brihaspati Infotech, DevCom, BrainMobi, Zibtek, and Itransition. Each of these companies has extensive experience developing Java applications and is well-equipped to provide top-quality services.

Thread Synchronization

In concurrent programming, thread synchronization is essential to ensure the correct and predictable execution of multiple threads accessing shared resources. Without proper synchronization, race conditions and data inconsistencies can occur, leading to unexpected behavior.

Java provides synchronized blocks and methods as mechanisms for thread synchronization. By using the synchronized keyword, you can restrict access to critical sections of code, allowing only one thread at a time to execute them. This ensures that shared resources are accessed in a controlled manner.

In addition to synchronized blocks and methods, Java offers more explicit control over thread synchronization through locks. The ReentrantLock class provides advanced features such as fairness policies and condition variables that enable fine-grained control over locking mechanisms.

To achieve thread safety, it is crucial to design classes in a way that allows safe concurrent access by multiple threads without introducing race conditions or data corruption. One approach is creating immutable objects - objects whose state cannot be modified once created. Immutable objects eliminate the need for synchronization since they can be safely shared among threads without any risk of interference.

Java Concurrent Collections

Java provides a set of concurrent collections designed to be thread-safe and support efficient concurrent access. These collections ensure that multiple threads can safely access and modify the stored data without encountering issues like data corruption or race conditions.

ConcurrentHashMap is a high-performance concurrent implementation of the Map interface. It allows multiple threads to read from and write to the map concurrently, providing better scalability compared to traditional synchronized maps. It achieves this by dividing the underlying data structure into segments, allowing different threads to operate on different segments simultaneously.

The ConcurrentLinkedQueue class implements a thread-safe queue based on linked nodes. It supports concurrent insertion, removal, and retrieval operations without explicit synchronization. This makes it suitable for scenarios where multiple threads need to access a shared queue efficiently.

When iterating over a collection while other threads modify it concurrently, a ConcurrentModificationException is possible. To overcome this issue, Java provides fail-safe iterators in concurrent collections. Fail-safe iterators create copies of the original collection at the time of iteration, ensuring that modifications made during iteration do not affect its integrity.

Executor Framework

The Executor framework provides a higher-level abstraction for managing and executing tasks asynchronously. It simplifies the process of thread creation, management, and scheduling, allowing developers to focus on the logic of their tasks rather than dealing with low-level threading details.

ThreadPoolExecutor` is an implementation of the `ExecutorService` interface that manages a pool of worker threads. It allows efficient reuse of threads by maintaining a pool instead of creating new ones for each task. The ThreadPoolExecutor dynamically adjusts the number of threads based on workload and can handle large numbers of concurrent tasks efficiently.

The `Executors` class provides factory methods to create different types of executor services, such as fixed-size thread pools, cached thread pools, or scheduled thread pools. These pre-configured executor services simplify the setup process by providing convenient defaults for common use cases.

The `ExecutorService` interface represents an asynchronous execution service that extends the base `Executor`. It adds additional functionality like managing task submission, tracking progress using futures, and controlling termination.

The `Future` interface represents a result of an asynchronous computation. It provides methods to check if the computation has been completed, retrieve its result (blocking if necessary), or cancel it if desired.

The `Callable` interface is similar to a `Runnable`, but it can return a value upon completion. Callables are submitted to executor services using methods like `submit()` or `invokeAll()`, which return corresponding Future objects representing pending results.

Java Memory Model

The Java Memory Model (JMM) defines the rules and guarantees for how threads interact with memory in a multi-threaded environment. It specifies how changes made by one thread become visible to other threads.

The volatile keyword is used in Java to ensure that variables are read and written directly from/to the main memory, bypassing any local caching mechanisms. It guarantees visibility across multiple threads, ensuring that changes made by one thread are immediately visible to others.

The happens-before relationship is a key concept in JMM. It establishes order between actions performed by different threads. If an action A happens before another action B, then all changes made by A will be visible to B when it executes.

Memory consistency errors occur when multiple threads access shared data without proper synchronization, leading to unpredictable behavior or incorrect results. To avoid such errors, developers can use synchronization mechanisms like locks or synchronized blocks/methods to establish proper ordering of operations on shared data.

Additionally, using atomic classes from the java.util.concurrent package or concurrent collections ensures atomicity and thread safety without explicit locking.

Thread Communication

Interthread communication refers to the mechanisms used by threads to coordinate and exchange information with each other. It allows threads to synchronize their actions, share data, and work together towards a common goal.

The Object class provides methods like wait(), notify(), and notifyAll() for inter-thread communication. These methods are used in conjunction with synchronized blocks or methods to enable threads to wait for certain conditions and signal when those conditions are met.

The producer-consumer problem is a classic synchronization problem where one or more producer threads generate data items, while one or more consumer threads consume these items concurrently. 

Proper thread communication techniques, such as using shared queues or buffers, can be employed to ensure that producers only produce when there is space available in the buffer, and consumers only consume when there are items present.

Java's BlockingQueue interface provides an implementation of a thread-safe queue that supports blocking operations such as put() (to add elements) and take() (to retrieve elements). Blocking queues facilitate efficient thread communication by allowing producers to block if the queue is full and consumers to block if it is empty.

Best Practices for Concurrency in Java

To avoid deadlocks, it is crucial to ensure that threads acquire locks in a consistent order and release them appropriately. Careful analysis of the locking hierarchy can prevent potential deadlocks. Additionally, using thread-safe data structures and synchronization mechanisms helps mitigate race conditions.

Minimizing shared mutable state reduces the complexity of concurrent programming. Immutable objects or thread-local variables eliminate the need for explicit synchronization altogether. When sharing mutable state is unavoidable, proper synchronization techniques like synchronized blocks or higher-level abstractions should be employed.

Thread pools provide efficient management of worker threads by reusing them instead of creating new ones for each task. However, it's important to choose an appropriate pool size based on available resources to avoid resource exhaustion or excessive context switching.

Properly shutting down threads is crucial to prevent resource leaks and ensure application stability. Using ExecutorService's shutdown() method allows pending tasks to complete while rejecting new tasks from being submitted. It's also important to handle interruptions correctly and gracefully terminate any long-running operations.

Conclusion

Understanding Java concurrency concepts and proper thread management is crucial for building successful and efficient applications. By leveraging the power of concurrency, developers can enhance application responsiveness and utilize system resources effectively. Properly managing threads ensures that tasks are executed concurrently without conflicts or resource contention.

Successful offshore development management also relies on a solid grasp of Java concurrency. Efficient use of concurrent programming allows distributed teams to collaborate seamlessly, maximizing productivity and minimizing communication overhead.

Incorporating concurrency in Java development enhances performance and scalability, a key to offshore success. Finoit, led by CEO Yogesh Choudhary, champions this approach for robust software solutions.

[meraki24601]

Some things to remember:

Story structure, editing, and writing are stupid, and their problems change with every WIP.

Story structure, editing, and writing are fun, and their challenges change with every WIP.

No matter how much plotting you do in advance, you won't know how your story goes until you finish the first draft, so it's not worth spending too much time worrying about.

Finding someone you trust to give constructive criticism is crucial to successful storytelling.

People will tell you you're supposed to plan a story in many different ways. No matter how many different methods you learn about, they will only be helpful once you try something out. If you're overwhelmed with a single chapter, you're probably trying to do too much at once.

One of my writer friends refuses to write until they know every detail they want to include. Once they have a concept, they fill out a chart with the Save the Cat story structure, starting at the beginning and working straight through to a logical ending. My method consists of coming up with a concept, staring into the void while asking myself why until I work my way back to the beginning of the story, and then looking at what I have and asking what the closest thing to a conclusion would be. Anything from that initial starting point to the end is generally discovered as I write.

I'm not a big fan of editing. That's why I don't really edit the things I post here. If you find editing intimidating, wait to get started after you've finished your first draft. Let your story sit untouched for a few days, weeks, or even months if you need to. Bask in that "I just wrote a whole story, and it's a mess, but I did it, and I'm proud" feeling. Then, when you're ready, read what you wrote. If it helps, make notes of what you want to fix. The good thing about editing is that, in theory, your story is already divided into chunks. Work one chapter at a time.

Once you've written that second draft, throw it at a friend. Let them read and react. Listen to their feedback and study the moments they said something didn't work. Sometimes, they'll only have a few detail things, and other times, they'll tell you your story is cluttered and help you figure out a way to completely reorder everything that happens.

Remember, there is no required length for a story. If you're struggling with a full-length novel, start with a short story instead. My NaNoWriMo book from last year wound up basically becoming a collection of short stories that all took place in the same town on the same day. Keep trying things and get help where you can.

(Also, I love listening to people's story concepts and helping them work out their problems, so let me know if you'd like some story-specific help!)

Does anyone have ways to make plotting long fics less intimidating?? I can look up story structure all I want, but that doesn't mean I know what I'm doing or even that everything is interesting. Idk it just feels overwhelming and that's why anything longer than a chapter tends to stagnate! Too much to get done

[adoringhaikyuu]

date night

pairing: atsumu x f!reader

summary: atsumu forgets about date night :/

warnings: a lil sad but not too bad

word count 1.1k

notes: this was inspired by this audio lol

at first you thought that he was just running late––it happened sometimes, that's just how he was. but as you watched the time pass by ––ten minutes, then twenty... by the hour mark, you'd given up.

he forgot. he forgot about the date night that you both planned in advance, weeks ago. atsumu had been so busy for the past few months, you were so excited to just have one night to each other, one night to have him all to yourself.

you dressed up nice, putting on your fanciest, sexiest dress and heels, you took your time to get ready, knowing this was a special night, the first night you'd go out with your boyfriend in a while. and it didn't happen.

the reservation was an hour ago, and atsumu was two hours late. you were contemplating going to bed when the door burst open to reveal atsumu, panting, eyes frantic and apologetic. "baby fuck, i'm so sorry––" he practically ran towards you, throwing off his jacket and kicking off his shoes haphazardly.

he ran his hands through his hair, trying to give you a small smile but you wouldn't look at him, choosing to focus, or rather pretend to focus on the tv. "it completely slipped my mind honey, i promise i didn't mean to blow you off––not that that makes it better..."

he was met with silence and his shoulders sunk as he stepped towards you hesitantly, his feet dragging like a small child. "c'mon baby i would never do that to you on purpose, i mean...look at you, i––god i'm a fucking idiot."

you nodded subtly but he didn't comment on it, his eyes still trailing along your body. your dress fit you perfectly, it accentuated all your best features and your shoes––you rarely wore shoes like that, though they were sexy, he knew they also hurt like a bitch, so the fact that you wore those for him and he didn't even show up? he had a lot of making up to do.

"baby doll please look at me, let me see those gorgeous eyes so you can see how sorry i am." he cursed quietly to himself, looking around for some sort of answer. "please don't ignore me princess."

you kept your eyes trained forward, your tongue in your cheek as you tried to calm yourself down, the frustration and disappointment still lingering in your mind, making your body buzz. you sighed, "i don't know what you want from me, atsumu."

you could see from the corner of your eye that he was pouting dramatically, eyes wide. "wh––atsumu? what happened to baby? or bub?" he got on his knees in front of you and placed his hands on your thighs but you looked to the side, not wanting to give in.

you crossed your arms, your voice quiet when you spoke up again. "where were you?"

you noticed him hesitate and scratch the back of his head nervously. "i––well i was with the boys baby and––"

you nodded your head and he paused, scared that he'd said the wrong thing, he didn't want to mess up even more tonight. "but as soon as i remembered i came running home." you got up, and walked past him but he was quick to stand up and follow you. "but you love the boys don't you?" he was trying to make the situation better any way he could, thinking that maybe if he reminded you that you liked them, and even considered them your own friends, you wouldn't be as upset––shit logic, he knows.

you kept walking until you made it to your bedroom, "yeah i do, but they're always with you, tsumu." tsumu, that was better than his full name. you glanced over your shoulder briefly, the hurt look in your eyes stopping him in his tracks for a brief moment. "i just wanted to be with you, for once. i just––can't remember the last time we had a night to ourselves. i missed you." fuck.

you made your way in front of your vanity, looking in the mirror as you reached up to take out your earrings when atsumu's hand gently wrapped around your wrist in mid-air. "wait wait," he brought your hand up to his face and kissed your wrist, pressing his cheek into your palm. "i'm so sorry babygirl, please don't get undressed, you look too good to let all this go to waste. let me take you out, show you off–"

you shook your head, "it's late."

he felt like crying, "but––"

you shook your head again, letting your hand drop to your side. "i'm tired, babe." you reached for your earrings again and this time he didn't stop you, watching you put them away in your jewelry box.

you walked over to your side of the bed and sat down and atsumu dropped back down on his knees, reaching to take your heels off for you. "i'll make it up to you tomorrow––i'll blow off practice and you'll have me all to yourself all twenty-four hours, promise."

you appreciated the effort but sighed, both from his words and the feeling of his hands gently massaging their way from the heel to the ball of your foot. you hadn't actually walked with them so your feet weren't hurting, but you weren't going to reject the massage. "you can't just skip, you're on a professional team."

he moved onto the other foot, bringing it up to kiss your ankle. "sure i can, i just won't go." he was serious as ever, yet you couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

you ran a hand through his hair and he smiled, content with the affection you were showing him. "you're really not gonna let this go, huh?"

he shook his head and kissed up one of your calves, his hand caressing the other. "of course not." he looked at you earnestly and you could tell he wasn't joking around. "i hurt my girl and i've gotta make it up to her." he leaned up on his knees between your legs and tilted his head up towards you, a hopeful look in his eyes. "kiss?"

you bit your lip and nodded, placing your hand on his cheeks to pull him in for a sweet kiss and he sighed, hands resting on your thighs. it wasn't like your usual passionate ones, it wasn't intense, it was short but meaningful, a reassurance. when you both pulled away, he looked at you, a warm gaze in his eyes. "i love you pretty girl, i will make this right, i swear."

[katsukikitten]

Part one. Master list for plus one can be found here.

Just a nice fic I decided to write for fun. Please enjoy!

Asshole!

He was nothing but a huge, giant fucking ASSHOLE for the entire two years the two of you were dating and he decides NOW is a good time to break up with you?

Two days before your cousin's wedding and over TEXT MESSAGE?!

That fucking asshole.

He knew how you felt. Exactly how you felt about going alone to your cousin's wedding after your family begged to meet your boyfriend and teased you for "probably making him up." Which hell, he may as well have been made up considering how absent he was in the relationship. Using work as an excuse to come home late but forgetting to turn off his snap location when he showed up at the bar.

So you did what any rational woman in her upper twenties would do.

You drowned your sorrows in booze, tonight red wine as it was the only thing around, and you scrolled through your socials in hopes of distracting yourself from your suffering.

Alas the devil that is Instagram only amplified your sadness and irritation. Showing couple after couple, your friends on hikes kissing on the mountain top, kissing in the flickering light of candles at a fancy dinner or, worst yet, getting proposed to. The video showing her in hysterics screaming, "YES I DO I DO!"

And it feels terrible to feel this way. Especially about your friends, the people you love and want to support, still it stings. You hadn't told anyone about the breakup, you weren't even sure your friends even remembered that asshole's name.

A teardrop lands on your screen, magnifying all the magical lights of the led beneath the glad. You wipe away the tear and with that the feed refreshes. A new post has come in at the top, Res Riot's official account.

Kirishima stands with a fat white cat in his arms. He dwarfs the animal with his large stature that looks larger as he still has his Red Riot gear on. The caption reads something along the lines of "missed my precious baby."

Red wine is a dangerous thing as your body acts on its own. You go to his page to hit the little arrow to DM him. Typing out and backspacing your message as you struggle from the booze, you decide to say fuck it and use the voice memo feature. Before you know it your sniffling voice is playing back to you after you've hit send.

"My ex broke up with me before this stupid wedding. It's in two days and my family is going to roast me big time when I show up alone. They think I made that asshole up. I don't know why I'm even in your dms. Your account is probably run by some dick head who can't even capture your kindness. I guess I'm here cause my first thought seeing you on my timeline was Red Riot has always been my hero…"

Ugh totally fucking cringe.

There is no surprise as you see the three normally ominous dots pop up, probably his social media manager about to ask you to stop your "advances" as Kirishima is too busy to date and he'd hate to block you or some other bullshit.

But there it is a surprise to see a little bubble with the play button and some vertical lines in various heights. It takes your sluggish brain a moment to realize you've been sent a voice memo. Odd. Your thumb smashes the screen faster than you can think and a deep voice rumbles through the speakers of your phone.

"Actually I run my official and personal socials. And I'm sorry to hear about your ex doll. He sounds like a real ass. I'll be your hero, I'll go with you to the wedding."

Your heart stutters, no way, no way in HELL this was Red Riot. You had read about the horror stories before or pervy account managers taking advantage of women who so desperately wanted to talk to their hero.

Hell, it's happened to Dynamight plenty of times.

You swallow quickly but the bile rushes up your throat. Not just from the anxiety of a possible con but from drinking an entire bottle of wine with nothing on your stomach after months of sobriety. Quickly you stumble to the bathroom, abandoning your phone on your bed. You barely make it in time to praise the porcelain Gods before you fall onto your back. Looking up at the light in your cramped bathroom, the orb doubles and spins as you feel the Earth turning on its axis. You curl into your side using your bathmat as a pillow as you drift off into sleep, totally forgetting about the voice memo on your phone.

As you sleep peacefully on your memory foam bath rug, Kirishima settles into his nightly routine. One giant hand grabbing strands of long dark red hair into a towel while another sits snugly around his Adonis belt and the thick, black happy trail that follows up the center of his abs before spreading out onto his chest. He tosses the towel over the open door of the bathroom before sitting in his favorite armchair with phone in hand. Diamond, his beautiful white cat he rescued a few years ago, jumps onto the arm of the chair, purring loudly when Kirishima's free hand scratches her ears absentmindedly.

He chuckles to himself as he realizes exactly what he's done. Acting on a feeling instead of logic all because he heard a "damsel in distress." Starting off his rare vacation with spontaneity starting with an impromptu date with a stranger. He really isn't sure what you look like and it's obvious your handle doesn't have your real name in it, just PrincessPeach with some random numbers at the end. He takes the time to scroll through your profile. Seeing pictures of food, of many sunsets, a friend's dog that guest appears often, your own cat and plenty of strays.

It takes him a while before he sees a photo of you. His heart stutters in his chest as he looks you over. Laughing with a friend, soft lighting from strings over head that blur like little fireflies. Your smile is wide, half hidden by your hands as your eyes seem to smile with you. Sparkling as if they held stars.

For a moment Kirishima forgets how to breathe, it isn't until Diamond jumps down from the armchair does he inhale. He smiles softly to himself before he drops his towel, puts his phone on charge and promptly falls asleep in his bed.

Kirishima rises before the sun even has a chance to filter through his blinds. He sighs softly, getting up to a sitting position disturbing a fluffy white ball that lays beside him.

"Mmrow." Moon stone eyes blink slowly as they look at the mountainous man hogging the bed.

"I didn't mean to wake you sweet baby." He says softly, going to pet the soft white fur only for her to get up stretch and give him her butt before plopping back down.

"I know, mean ol' daddy woke you up too early again." He says softly, his hand falling onto her back before he rises from the bed. Fishing for his running shorts, socks, headphones and shoes. He makes his protein shake, leaning on the counter as he drinks it, looking at how you read, or better yet, listened to his message but still no reply. It was late and there was a small slurring of your words, he figures you've passed out. He just hopes you're okay.

His run goes as usual, up before anyone else unless they were the normal avid runner. Passing by the usual array of people. An old man holding onto his youth by jogging through his daily five mile morning run, Kirishima knows he runs another five in the evening while the sun is setting. He hopes he can embody some of this man's commitment when he is older. Then he passes a middle aged woman, who gives him the biggest smile as she pases, jogging backward to send him a wink before plowing ahead. Occasionally he'll see a running group or a few teens training to be heroes, they always ask if they can run his route. "It's long." He always warns in a kind, warm voice. They assure him they will be fine so far only one other person could handle his 12 mile morning run. A young woman in her second year of hero courses at UA. Since then Kirishima put in a word with his boss and so every time internships roll around she's in the office.

By the time Kirishima is rounding back towards his high rise apartment, the city begins to stir. Slowly waking as men and women in business suits rush towards the train, parents flinging open the doors or curtains fussing at their children who cling to an extra few minutes of sleep before school.

This was always his favorite part of the run, not because it was almost over, oh no it was because he had a chance to glimpse at everyday life. Of nine to fives, of school hours and after school hangs outs at snack bars or the library.

What most would call the mundane but Kirishima would never call it that. It's why he worked so hard to protect it.

Diamond greets his sweaty form at the door. Glaring angrily with her moon stone eyes. Tail swishing before she goes to the kitchen by her bowl. Waiting impatiently.

"I'm not late, sweet cheeks." He coos, and she glares, "I know I know. You're hungry now."

He opens the fridge, gets out the highest quality food there is and places it on her dish, sure to keep it all in the middle or she'll claim her bowl was empty. He added a splash of water too since the weather was starting to get hot.

He sucks down a water or two, demolishes a protein bar and then heads to the apartment gym.

A few hours roll by and without hearing from you yet his worry over your well being begins to cloud the forefront of his mind. He pauses his music, picks up his phone and talks out a voice memo.

A loud DING echoes from your room and around your skull as you rise with a throbbing headache.

"Fuck." You hiss to yourself grabbing at your head as you shakily rise to your feet. Yanking the handle of the faucet to drink from the stream before looking at yourself in the mirror.

"Ugh." You grunt ignoring your swollen face and eyes, yanking the mirror door open to snatch at the bottle of aspirin. Swallowing THREE extra strength pills before slamming the door shut and turning off the faucet. You make your way towards your bedroom, more than ready to sleep the rest of your day away. Grabbing at your phone to charge it you see the push notification of an Instagram message from Red Riot.

The fucking Red Riot.

Internally you scream before it bubbles up your throat and escapes. You fumble to unlock your phone before looking that it's a voice memo.

Mortified you realize you sent one too. And first at that.

"Fuck MEEE!" You plop onto the bed. Nervous this second voice memo is probably about how you're a weirdo or something as you relive the memory of asking him to be your plus one.

Hesitantly your thumb hovers over the play button before you find the strength to press the cool glass. A soft thunderous voice plays out.

"Good morning sleepy head. I haven't heard from you yet, I hope you're okay. Be sure to drink some water and eat something greasy. Trust me, late nights with Denki and Bakugou taught me something. Since the wedding is tomorrow I'll need a picture of your dress for the color and style so I can match you Sweet pea. Contact me soon so I can know where to pick you up."

Did he… did he just call you SWEET PEA? Your heart pounds in your chest before it registers he's asked for your dress color and lowkey asked for your address. This couldn't be real. It sounded like Kirishima, his voice familiar from interviews you've watched but it very well could be a prank. Defeated you hit the small microphone and reply.

Kirishima hears a sharp DING in his headphones over his music as he finishes his set. He wipes the sweat from his face on his shirt giving the few people in the gym a lovely view of his sweaty and thick torso. One woman trips on the treadmill but it goes unnoticed by Kirishima. He pauses his music and hits play on the little memo. Your beautiful yet groggy voice comes in through his ear buds causing Kirishima to bite his lip. It causes such a flutter of butterflies in his stomach he has to listen a second time to actually hear what you said. Although he understand, he cannot help but feel hurt by your reply.

"How do I know you're not just some pervy guy using Kirishima's Godly looks to prey on unsuspecting people."

Your phone chirps at you from the bed stand and you growl reaching for it. You had hoped your message would have been clear. An unspoken of you know they're a fucking creep taking advantage of their PR job.

"What can I do to prove it to you, Sweet Pea?"

You hate how that cute nickname sends your heart into a somersault and your stomach in delightful knots. Still your doubt pulls a harsh tut from your lips before you reply.

Kirishima doesn't need his phone to alert him that you've messaged him, he's been looking at his screen for far to long without having to restart his set. He listens to your voice as if it were music.

"Fine, you wanna prove it to me so bad. Take a picture of yourself shirtless with the word 'Sweet pea' you love so much and send it to me. No photoshop I know what my favorite hero looks like!"

For over an hour you don't hear back and you figure you showed that perv.

But now you can't sleep so you nurse a water, door dash a "greasy" breakfast all before cranking your shower as high as it can go. Your phone dings and you try to ignore it. You really do but as the saying goes curiosity killed the cat. Opening the message you see a classic guy mirror selfie. Kirishima is clear as day in the photo, his large hand pointing to his bare, hairy chest where sweat pea is scrawled in his adorable handwriting. He winks at the camera as his kissable lips wear a dangerous, almost cocky eyes travel down his bulk following his happy trail that dives under a pair of black shorts, the best part of the view getting cut off by the vanity. At first you try to rationalize that this was fake but damning evidence was sitting on the vanity. A fluffy white cat in a diamond and ruby encrusted collar sits on the counter giving her owner an odd look.

His cat Diamond that everyone knows he loves and adores. Slick begins to collect between your thighs and especially so after you listen to the voice memo that comes through shortly after. His normally friendly and soft voice comes out a bit dark, husky as he says in a playfully annoyed tone.

"Now send me a picture of that dress, Sweet Pea."

[littlefreya]

Bark at the Moon

Summary: Walter always comes to you when he needs a hard release. Tonight he seems to need it more than ever.

Pairing: Werewolf!Walter Marshall x Female Reader 

Word count: 2K (WTF it was supposed to be a drabble)

Warnings: 18+, sex, lycanthropy, supernatural themes, no strings attached, vaginal fingering, oral performed on female, primal play (slight biting and scratching), cockwarming, slight denial, angst, fluff and romance.

*No permission is given for reposting my work, copying it, ideas or parts it and claiming it as your own

A/N: Not me naming my AUs after Ozzy Osbourne songs/albums. Following my post from October I am trying to follow up. This one-shot is also inspired by A Company of Wolves and @fishcustardandclintbarton​ moodboard. Many thanks to my beta and muse and dear friend @agniavateira​ for all the help. 

Please reblog and comment if you enjoyed 🖤

Title: Bark at the Moon

Muddy Timberlands dragged across the worn doormat as the large detective sought to rid himself of the dirt caking his soles. Black and soft, the dark mane of curls hung loosely above his forehead, a pale blue sheen cascading over each ringlet that concealed his face while he kicked his feet like an unruly child.

An instinct within pressed you to reach a wandering hand and entwine your fingers between those healthy locks. But ironically, touching Walter screamed ‘taboo,’ as if he wasn't going to finish wet and messy inside you anyway. 

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been here. 

"Rough evening?" you murmured, taking a long whiff of air. Traces of coffee drifted from his breath, mingling with the brisk November chill that wafted over your face.  

It's not that you didn't enjoy his company; it's just that Walter left you with nothing but bitemarks, bruises, and dirty sheets. A foreigner to this country even after all these years, Walter was much like the salty rocks from the islands that bred him: hardened and crude, yet smooth at the edge where the water licked the stone. Some evenings he wouldn't even speak; the moment his boots made it past the doorway, all civilised manners flew out the window, luring the beast to wander. Shredding your outfit, he’d fuck you to tears, shaking you the way a canine carnivore stuns its prey and then unload himself into you until you ached and begged him to stop.

Once stripped off his uniform, the sullen cop was no different than the deviants he shoved behind iron bars. Little did it matter, you loved him enough for the two of you, and though you knew you were a toy to pass the time, he always crawled back to you with that deprived agonised sparkle staining his gaze. 

After what seemed like an endless battle between his shoes and the bristly rug, he finally paused and slowly lifted his chin. Marine-blue irises peered below thick brows, and a red rim of weariness perfected his customary scowl. 

"Yeah," he drawled with indifference, "got any beer?"  

Observing him for a moment, you studied the sharp ridges of his furrowed brow and nodded, turning to let him in. Despite his heavy frame, he followed with lithe stillness, stepping into your house without making a sound while you advanced to the kitchen. 

Whatever happened tonight must have left another dent in the coarse material that made this man. You often mused on the things he must have seen and found out it’s better not to ask. 

You reached for the fridge when his arm wrapped around your waist by surprise and snatched you back, hauling you flushed against his broad chest. Briefly, he nuzzled your nape, his parted lips huffing hot against your skin. His breath carried the pained melody of a sad longing animal, an ache so great it seeped through the pores of your skin and infected you with his grief. 

You weren’t afraid of the beast but felt sorry for it.

“I need to feel you,” Walter rasped, a timbre of plea in his baritone. Palm swiping greedily at your breast and his cock hard and hungry, he ground his hips at the cleft of your ass. Like the black, shaggy dog that he was, he sniffed the air and then rubbed himself further against your jeans, seducing the wanton animal within you to come out of its hiding. 

“You want me too, I can smell it, I can smell your cunt.” 

Where was the lie?

With a guttural growl, he turned you to face him, skilful hands already making tatters of your clothes and his fangs nipping your throat. Caged in his grasp, you hissed and shuddered out of fear and lust. A part of you was always frightened that one night Walter will pierce an artery by mistake at the heat of the moment whilst another, more archaic urge, called for the sweet passion that was your Thanatos.

Succumbing to both urges, you forced his cable-knit sweater off, exposing his muscular, beefy torso and splaying your hands down his flexing pecs to feel the soft, dark fur that covered his chest and belly. Everything about Walter was large and charged with virility, twisting your moral compass and making any argument weak in his presence. Staring at the bulge in his trousers, you gnawed your bottom lip, giving to the pang of hunger that shot through your clenching core while your wicked fingers began to fumble with the clasp of his belt. 

With a low roar rumbling in his chest, he scrutinised you as if this was a trial, his eyes flashing, anticipating you to reach and grab his large cock. 

“Fuck…” his sonorous voice caressed your ears. He quickly slid his hand down your trousers, grabbing a handful of your ass before gliding his fingers to feel between your engorged petals. 

A tempest of moans unfurled from your clenching throats once you squeezed his shaft in your palm, choking around the veins adorning the meaty girth.

“You are always so wet for me, always so ready,” he uttered and licked your cheek. 

“Walter, please!” 

At your plea, his fingers slipped deep inside your burning cavern. Back and forth, he probed your little slit, spreading thick wetness across your mound and further up your virginal ass to taunt you. 

Before you met Walter you vowed that you’ll never be into that kind of debauchery. But whenever the bulbous crown of his cock accidentally teased your puckered hole, the only thing you could muster to think of was how much you wanted him to fill every empty inch within you.  

Long, nimble fingers dug deep, parting your sealed walls asunder in an endeavour to find the small heap of pleasure that regressed you to savagery. You were nothing but an instrument of pleasure, gyrating to the melody he composed by the rhythm of his thrusts, following every note. He made you shudder, made the earth below split in half and all the while, he held back and watched. A sick mist of curiosity hovered over the frigid ocean that was his glance, mindful of how logic and reason drained from your face, leaving you utterly incoherent and primal. 

Just as he was.

He crooned at your whimpers and nodded at the desperation dripping from your gaze. Hips swaying, you wriggled against his hand in a frustrated attempt to reach for the tendrils of ecstasy that loomed inches from your grasp.

“You want to come, love?” he asked, almost patronising. His brow lifted, and his eyes flared with what you could only describe as pity.

“Yes! Please! Please make me come!” 

His fingers tore from your sleek with a sudden haul, leaving you a trembling, outraged mess. Yet you had no time to curse him for denying your pleasure. Moving faster than your thoughts, Walter stripped your trousers and slammed you rear onto the counter. Kneeling between your spread legs, his strong hands gripped your thighs and dragged your cunt into his bearded jaw.

“Fuck!” 

His mouth wrapped around you in a lover’s embrace, his silky tongue plunging between your lips to savour the honeyed nectar that dripped from your tightening core. Thoroughly devouring your cunt, Walter hummed. Raw, unfiltered, and unbound, he laved every inch within as if he was dining at Olympus and feasting on ambrosia for the first time. Arching back, you dared to entangle your fingers in his curls and ride his bristly face until you succumbed to the furious, quaking bliss that spasmed within your womb and consumed you into rapturous euphoria. 

Engulfed in a veil of blissful darkness, you continued wailing, heaving, and slumping on the counter. Puny jitters of aftershock trod upon your throbbing flesh while Walter finished his feast with languid laps of his tongue.

Once you blinked your eyes open, Walter stood straight between your legs, now fully naked, peering at you quietly. His eyes were aglow with all the conundrums he could never speak. Still hazy from your ecstasy, you stared back with awe, drinking each taut bulging muscle and worshipping the feral, beastlike entity that he was. Not even the scars on his body could steal away his unspoken pride. 

Reaching a hand for his imposing cock, he crept closer and glared straight into your soul as he pressed himself into your tight little entrance. A loud groan thundered through your kitchen as he pushed in, erupting into the most melodic war cry which never failed to astound you once he penetrated you. Still clenched from your orgasm, you gritted your teeth and whimpered in pain, not quite ready to have all of him at once. Yet Walter wasn’t keen on stopping and continued delving deeper and deeper, despite your nails tearing fresh new trails of blood down his shoulders.

“Wait!” you pleaded, yelping when he suddenly bottomed out inside you.

An arduous gasp tore from his lips, and his forehead dropped on your shoulder. Stilling inside you, he breathed in the mien of a wild creature, trying to regain his composure for a brief moment as he timed his assault. Fingers etched below your thighs, he pulled you up with ease and carried you through the apartment whilst still buried inside you.

Confused by his actions, you hung your arms around his thick neck and clung to his body, welcoming the soft brush of his hide against your naked breasts. 

Soon, you found yourself on your bed with him seated beneath you while your legs enveloped his wide waist. Nestled between your cinching walls, his cock throbbed full of rage, desperate for the unbridled friction that Walter forbade as he refused to move. Milking every drop of his self-control, he vigorously fought to dominate his desire. 

With his shaft pulsating hot and buried completely within your womb, your previous orgasm felt like a distant dream and a fresh new need soon awoke, begging your body to writhe on top of him and take what you were promised by force. But Walter was in no rush to unmake any part of you just yet. Securing one arm around the small of your back while the other held your jaw, he made you stare directly into his eyes. 

Bare more than ever, he allowed you to glimpse through the cracks that creased his beautiful blue eyes, showing you the pure terror harbouring the heart of darkness that lived within him. 

Perhaps, a part of him desired you to break and cast him away from you, to say ‘nevermore.’

Mercy softened your face instead. 

Enamoured and embroiled with curiosity, you allowed yourself to roam freely, gliding both your eyes and fingertips to descend the delectable plains of his body. Tender and careful, you stroked a soothing touch over the elevated scar tissue the way one pets a wounded creature, your gentle caress painting over the large claw mark that marked him years ago and left him cursed.

Walter followed the movement of your hand. His chest sinking with a low roar, his cock twitched and swelled inside your protesting canal while he remained immobilised and kept himself sheltered in the warmth of your sanctuary.

“Last night,” he finally spoke, his voice soft yet drenched with hesitation while his eyes dropped to stare into nothing for a shy moment. “Last night, when I turned... I… killed someone…” 

Your heart clenched in anguish along with the seams of your cunt. All the hurt that flowed in Walter’s blood now mingled into yours, ascending your body from the spot where you were coupled. 

What you wanted most of all was not to run. No. You desired to suck the poison tainting his veins and swallow it instead, unable to bring yourself to do anything but love him more than you did earlier. 

Spreading your legs further to each side of his hips, you moved closer and wrapped your arms around him. Nails biting into his muscular back you clutched him tightly, making a firm statement of your unwillingness to spite him for his actions. 

Because, even a beast needs to be protected and cared for. 

* Disclaimer: I don’t own Night Hunter/Nomis or Walter Marshall * Dividers by @firefly-graphics​​

[nasa]

Tomorrow’s Technology on the Space Station Today

Tablets, smart appliances, and other technologies that are an indispensable part of daily life are no longer state-of-the-art compared to the research and technology development going on over our heads. As we celebrate 20 years of humans continuously living and working in space aboard the International Space Station, we’re recapping some of the out-of-this-world tech development and research being done on the orbiting lab too.

Our Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) helps redefine state-of-the-art tech for living and working in space. Here are 10 technologies tried and tested on the space station with helping hands from its astronaut occupants over the years.

1. Astronaut Wanna-Bees

Astronauts on the space station are responsible for everything from conducting science experiments and deploying satellites to tracking inventory and cleaning. While all are necessary, the crew can delegate some jobs to the newest robotic inhabitants – Astrobees.

These cube-shaped robots can work independently or in tandem, carrying out research activities. Once they prove themselves, the bots will take on some of the more time-consuming tasks, such as monitoring the status of dozens of experiments. The three robots – named Bumble, Honey, and Queen – can operate autonomously following a programmed set of instructions or controlled remotely. Each uses cameras for navigation, fans for propulsion, and a rechargeable battery for power. The robots also have a perching arm that lets them grip handrails or hold items. These free-flying helpers take advantage of another STMD technology called Gecko Grippers that “stick” to any surface.

2. Getting a Grip in Microgravity

We wanted to develop tools for grabbing space junk, and something strong and super-sticky is necessary to collect the diverse material orbiting Earth. So, engineers studied the gecko lizard, perhaps the most efficient “grabber” on this planet. Millions of extremely fine hairs on the bottom of their feet make an incredible amount of contact with surfaces so the gecko can hold onto anything. That inspired our engineers to create a similar material.

Now the Gecko Gripper made by OnRobot is sold on the commercial market, supporting industrial activities such as materials handling and assembly. The NASA gecko adhesive gripper that’s being tested in microgravity on the Astrobee robots was fabricated on Earth. But other small plastic parts can now be manufactured in space.

3. Make It, or Don’t Take It

Frequent resupply trips from Earth to the Moon, Mars, and other solar system bodies are simply not realistic. In order to become truly Earth-independent and increase sustainability, we had to come up with ways to manufacture supplies on demand.

A demonstration of the first 3D printer in space was tested on the space station in 2014, proving it worked in microgravity. This paved the way for the first commercial 3D printer in space, which is operated by Made In Space. It has successfully produced more than 150 parts since its activation in 2016. Designs for tools, parts, and many other objects are transmitted to the station by the company, which also oversees the print jobs. Different kinds of plastic filaments use heat and pressure in a process that’s similar to the way a hot glue gun works. The molten material is precisely deposited using a back-and-forth motion until the part forms. The next logical step for efficient 3D printing was using recycled plastics to create needed objects.

4. The Nine Lives of Plastic

To help fragile technology survive launch and keep food safe for consumption, NASA employs a lot of single-use plastics. That material is a valuable resource, so we are developing a number of ways to repurpose it. The Refabricator, delivered to the station in 2018, is designed to reuse everything from plastic bags to packing foam. The waste plastic is super-heated and transformed into the feedstock for its built-in 3D printer. The filament can be used repeatedly: a 3D-printed wrench that’s no longer needed can be dropped into the machine and used to make any one of the pre-programmed objects, such as a spoon. The dorm-fridge-sized machine created by Tethers Unlimited Inc. successfully manufactured its first object, but the technology experienced some issues in the bonding process likely due to microgravity’s effect on the materials. Thus, the Refabricator continues to undergo additional testing to perfect its performance.

5. Speed Metal

An upcoming hardware test on the station will try out a new kind of 3D printer. The on-demand digital manufacturing technology is capable of using different kinds of materials, including plastic and metals, to create new parts. We commissioned TechShot Inc. to build the hardware to fabricate objects made from aerospace-grade metals and electronics. On Earth, FabLab has already demonstrated its ability to manufacture strong, complex metal tools and other items. The unit includes a metal additive manufacturing process, furnace, and endmill for post-processing. It also has built-in monitoring for in-process inspection. When the FabLab is installed on the space station, it will be remotely operated by controllers on Earth. Right now, another printer created by the same company is doing a different kind of 3D printing on station.

6. A Doctor’s BFF

Today scientists are also learning to 3D print living tissues. However, the force of gravity on this planet makes it hard to print cells that maintain their shape. So on Earth, scientists use scaffolding to help keep the printed structures from collapsing.

The 3D BioFabrication Facility (BFF) created by TechShot Inc. could provide researchers a gamechanger that sidesteps the need to use scaffolds by bioprinting in microgravity. This first American bioprinter in space uses bio-inks that contain adult human cells along with a cell-culturing system to strengthen the tissue over time. Eventually, that means that these manufactured tissues will keep their shape once returned to Earth’s gravity! While the road to bioprinting human organs is likely still many years away, these efforts on the space station may move us closer to that much-needed capability for the more than 100,000 people on the wait list for organ transplant.

7. Growing Vitamins

Conditions in space are hard on the human body, and they also can be punishing on food. Regular deliveries of food to the space station refresh the supply of nutritious meals for astronauts. But prepackaged food stored on the Moon or sent to Mars in advance of astronauts could lose some nutritional value over time.

That’s why the BioNutrients experiment is underway. Two different strains of baker’s yeast which are engineered to produce essential nutrients on demand are being checked for shelf life in orbit. Samples of the yeast are being stored at room temperature aboard the space station and then are activated at different intervals, frozen, and returned to Earth for evaluation. These tests will allow scientists to check how long their specially-engineered microbes can be stored on the shelf, while still supplying fresh nutrients that humans need to stay healthy in space. Such microbes must be able to be stored for months, even years, to support the longer durations of exploration missions. If successful, these space-adapted organisms could also be engineered for the potential production of medicines. Similar organisms used in this system could provide fresh foods like yogurt or kefir on demand. Although designed for space, this system also could help provide nutrition for people in remote areas of our planet.

8. Rough and Ready

Everything from paints and container seals to switches and thermal protection systems must withstand the punishing environment of space. Atomic oxygen, charged-particle radiation, collisions with meteoroids and space debris, and temperature extremes (all combined with the vacuum) are just some conditions that are only found in space. Not all of these can be replicated on Earth. In 2001, we addressed this testing problem with the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE). Technologists can send small samples of just about any technology or material into low-Earth orbit for six months or more. Mounted to the exterior of the space station, MISSE has tested more than 4,000 materials. More sophisticated hardware developed over time now supports automatic monitoring that sends photos and data back to researchers on Earth. Renamed the MISSE Flight Facility, this permanent external platform is now owned and operated by the small business, Alpha Space Test & Research Alliance LLC. The woman-owned company is developing two similar platforms for testing materials and technologies on the lunar surface.

9. Parachuting to Earth

Small satellites could provide a cheaper, faster way to deliver small payloads to Earth from the space station. To do just that, the Technology Education Satellite, or TechEdSat, develops the essential technologies with a series of CubeSats built by college students in partnership with NASA. In 2017, TechEdSat-6 deployed from the station, equipped with a custom-built parachute called exo-brake to see if a controlled de-orbit was possible. After popping out of the back of the CubeSat, struts and flexible cords warped the parachute like a wing to control the direction in which it travelled. The exo-brake uses atmospheric drag to steer a small satellite toward a designated landing site. The most recent mission in the series, TechEdSat-10, was deployed from the station in July with an improved version of an exo-brake. The CubeSat is actively being navigated to the target entry point in the vicinity of the NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia.

10. X-ray Vision for a Galactic Position System

Independent navigation for spacecraft in deep space is challenging because objects move rapidly and the distances between are measured in millions of miles, not the mere thousands of miles we’re used to on Earth. From a mission perched on the outside of the station, we were able to prove that X-rays from pulsars could be helpful. A number of spinning neutron stars consistently emit pulsating beams of X-rays, like the rotating beacon of a lighthouse. Because the rapid pulsations of light are extremely regular, they can provide the precise timing required to measure distances.

The Station Explorer for X-Ray Timing and Navigation (SEXTANT) demonstration conducted on the space station in 2017 successfully measured pulsar data and used navigation algorithms to locate the station as it moved in its orbit. The washing machine-sized hardware, which also produced new neutron star science via the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER), can now be miniaturized to develop detectors and other hardware to make pulsar-based navigation available for use on future spacecraft.

As NASA continues to identify challenges and problems for upcoming deep space missions such as Artemis, human on Mars, and exploring distant moons such as Titan, STMD will continue to further technology development on the space station and Earth.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com

[stephspurs]

A Family Affair | Euro 2020 Football Fanfiction

Life is beautiful and life is cruel. This is a window into the souls of the victorious and the vanquished. In a way, football did come home during the summer of 2021. Follow along Amelia’s journey, navigating the football world as a tactical analyst for the Italian football team, with a brother and father part of the three lions. Will Amelia leave Italy and come back to England? Will she leave the Serie A for the Prem? Will she set aside the bianconeri stripes for new colours, leaving behind friendship for love? Maybe she can have both...

Wow - the response i received in a little under 24 hours since i posted the first taste of part 1 has truly bowled me over! I wasn't expecting that reaction & tbh i would have been happy if 2 people wanted to read this story hahaha! So, i've been writing in the background & the first few parts have already been proofed and are ready to go. HOWEVER! I am open to your suggestions so please please let me know what you think and how you want to see Amelia's story play out. As far as i'm concerned, this fic is as much yours as it is mine! So please enjoy this first part, in its entirety, and let me know your thoughts! Love always,

Steph xx

UPDATE as of 31/07: I've made some additional editing changes due to some feedback about the confusion between ben white (her brother) and ben chilwell (not her brother LOL). Nothing has been added to the story, just the addition of either surname has been added where i think it could be more straightforward - for future readers!

Part 1 | prima parte

warnings; none - maybe a bit of angst? (what sibling rivalry doesn't have a bit of angst)

word count; 1978 words

writing tools; third person until dashed line, first person thereafter.

next update; Sunday 25/07 5pm AEST. Updates will be twice weekly at this stage. Probably Wednesday’s and Sundays from next week!!

link to fic masterlist here

The world of football, no matter how big it may seem, is as tight as a close-knit family. Whether its management staff, senior players, scouts, academy players, business developers, medical team, groundskeeper - everyone knows someone who knows someone else involved in the sport. For Amelia White, it was a family affair.

Having grown up with her father as a senior tactical analyst for many different clubs throughout his career, and an older brother currently playing for Brighton in the Premier League, there was no opportunity for her to escape the fanaticism of the sport. It was what her household lived and breathed, football. Most would think that, with her brother being as successful as he is now, her childhood was shadowed by her brother's success but that's not the case. She capitalised on her ability to think both logically and creatively, and absorbed all of the information her father could give her as if she was a sponge, to establish a name of her own in the sport and advance her career in the sport. At the age of 21 she upped and left the comforts of her home in West London, accepted a position at Juventus within their graduate program & worked her way up the ranks to be their youngest tactical analyst by the age of 24.

So far in her career, the support of her mother, father & brother were unmatched by any. They were all so proud of her for making her own name, proving herself and succeeding in one of the most competitive football leagues in the world. She was smart, tactful, both meticulous and ruthless in her approach to her career and the success of her players. Because after all, they were her players. She worked day in and day out, studying them and their opponents, drafting performance plans and set pieces for every possible outcome of the play, so that they could perform at their best. They had her trust and faith, and she had theirs. This is probably what her family was most proud of, and wished her every success, until she was appointed as a tactical analyst for the Italian National Team for the upcoming Euro 2020 tournament. Which happened to be the same tournament that her brother had received his call up to the Three Lions. Which was the current level at which her father was a senior tactical analyst for the English National Team. The Euro 2020 Tournament was about to be a real family affair...

10 July 2021

It had been 2 months since she last had any contact with her family. 3 months ago, Amelia signed a contract with the Federcalcio, the governing body of football in Italy, to become the Azzurri’s tactical analyst for the foreseeable European Football Championship. In turn, her silky signature at the bottom of the agreement, also constituted a digital and physical contact ban with members of her family that were also involved with the tournament...her father and her brother.

At the time of the contract, and against her better judgement, Amelia hadn’t told her family of her opportunity. She knew her father would be proud, but her brother would be bitter. Her mother was switzerland, completely neutral and rooting for both of her children - but that's not how football works. No matter your role you have a job to do, and you do everything you can to make sure it is your team that lifts the trophy at the end of the tournament. So, on May 23rd her family congratulated her for another successful season at Juventus, and unbeknownst to them, said goodbye for the next 2 months. Until the day before the final match of the tournament, Italy v. England.

Her heart dropped when England won their semi final match against Denmark. She wanted nothing more than for her brother to be happy and for her father to succeed, but she didn’t want to have to go up against them in the final. Ultimately, she knew they were good, but she also knew that she could hold her own and compete with the best. Having a close relationship with her brother, up until this period, meant that she often paid attention to the premier league. This was a major benefit to her as she had already started analysing the azzurri’s opponents. It was her job to know what foot Raheem Sterling preferred to pass with, what direction Declan Rice preferred to take the ball up the field, what direction of receiving the ball did Harry Maguire struggle the most with. So that's how she spent the three days between matches, solidifying her knowledge of her opponents & predicting the plays her dad would be instructing the English team to complete, to attempt to outperform the Italians. However nothing would prepare her for the knock on her suite door, or for what was on the other side…

_____________________________________________________________

“Ciao Amelia, vieni con me per favore. abbiamo organizzato una visita supervisionata con tuo fratello prima della finale di domani sera. sorpresa!” (hi amelia, come with me please. we have arranged a supervised visit with your brother prior to the final tomorrow night. surprise!). I stood there in shock staring at one of my players & closest friends, Federico Bernardeschi. I was a person who didn't enjoy spontaneity, who thrived off of preparation and organisation. I needed the opportunity to overthink every situation so that I could prepare for every possible outcome. This was not my idea of a good time. Of course I missed my brother, but I know just how volatile he can be. Nevertheless, I grabbed my jacket and shoved my sneakers on before following Fede down the hall and into a blacked out van that was waiting to take me to St. George’s Park for my family reunion.

Upon arriving, and after a stern pep talk from Fede (who was my appointed supervisor for the visit - not sure I would say he was the most responsible choice but he did talk some sense into me) I walked into the main entrance and saw my father leaning against the reception desk waiting for me.

“Papa!!” I called as I walked over to him, ready to smother him with my love and affection. My father, Dean White, and I had as good of a relationship as possible, being that he was always heavily involved with my brother Ben’s footballing career as well as his own. I think when I came along, my father didn't know how to be a girl dad, so he took my mothers advice and just involved me like he would Ben. I was glad that I would be seeing him first, and he would be taking me to see my no-doubt pissed off brother.

“Dad, this is Fede, one of my players”

“Ciao Dean, it’s very nice to meet you but i am also her bodyguard for this evening” Fede introduced himself to my father and they exchanged pleasantries. I had a look around the foyer of the facility until I heard my name brought up in conversation.

“Amelia, come on. The boys are just over here. I don’t think you have long before heading back to your camp” My dad called to me. Boys? As in...more than just my brother?

“Hahaha that's funny dad, just show me to his room and we can have our screaming match there. Should only be about 20 or so minutes”

“Ben’s not in his room, we have a recreation room for the players and staff to lounge about and relax in. Pretty sure he’ll be in there. Come on, you’ve never been scared of your brother before. Why start now?” Before I knew it, Dad was leading us through some doors and into a large common area with bean bags, pool tables and couches - all occupied by current first team members of the English National Football team.

“Dean mate, don’t normally see you down here after 7pm. Oh look at that, someone let the trash in.” A loud mouthed player, that I used to adore as if he was my own brother, calls out as he notices us enter the room. And just like that, I shake off my nerves, stand in front of my taller & more argumentative bodyguard, relax my shoulders and stare into the eyes of Kyle Walker - daring him to challenge me and push me further.

“Relax Kyle, Benjamin White - your sister is here to see you.” Dad cut Kyle off. I didn’t need him to defend me against Kyle’s harsh comments, I could defend myself.

“Wow, I thought hell would freeze over before I got the opportunity to speak to you. Of course, I didn't realise hell would look quite like seeing you in that shade of blue.” My brother, Ben, spoke bitterly at me as he approached me from the other side of the room. This, coupled with Walker’s exclamation earlier, got the attention of the majority of the players scattered about.

“Ben, if you let me explain in private I'm sure you will be able to understand why things had to be this way” I tried to reason with him. Letting go of my always-defensive guard and pleading with my big brother to open his mind to see my side of the story.

“As if I would even talk to you right now, the night before the final, you’re probably here to try and get some insider information. Boys make sure you don’t say anything to her, she’s as sly as they come” Ben’s words were as sharp as a knife - but I knew what I had to say would cut him deeper.

“Ok that's enough! You are ridiculous! What did you expect me to do? Not take the job because you’re my brother? This is my career we are talking about here” I challenged him. “If you think for one second i stopped supporting you then you must be even more stupid than i thought. Of course this isn't the ideal situation, I'm proud of you for reaching a final but I'm just as proud of myself for doing the same thing.” I got progressively closer to my brother, who stood there with his hands beside himself, unable to get a word in.

“I came tonight to wish you good luck, to tell you I loved you, to give you a hug and tell you to stay safe and play smart. Whilst I still wish all of this for you, I now want you to know that I want you to play your best so I can be better than you. I can show you exactly how good at my job I am. I want you to know that no matter what way you play the ball, I'll be right there waiting for you. I am prepared for this, I hope you are too - so that it will feel that much more sweet when we beat you” I sneered at my older brother, who at this point, is quite visibly feeling a mixture of shock and embarrassment.

I take a step back, let out a breath and shake the tension from my shoulders. Breaking eye contact with my brother, I look briefly - yet confidently - at the other players in the room and take a step back. I turned to my dad, who was looking at me solemnly, as though he wasn’t happy with my outburst but understood it came from a place of frustration with my sibling. Walking up, giving him a kiss on the cheek and wishing him luck, I turned to look at Fede and began to walk to the door. This interaction with my brother, although supposed to be a nice moment shared between siblings, has only gone and motivated me to be at my best tomorrow, to prepare my players to go to war and to come out the other side victorious.

Part 2 | seconda parte

[yesimwriting]

playing vices

“A/n a blurb bc ive been working on my novel and ive missed writing for Kirigan :))

--

I am a fool that has played into her vices enough to make them addictions. That must have been Kirigan's plan. He knows that I don't agree with his methods. He is also much too aware of the fact that I am beyond attached to him. He plays into that fact often, lulling me to him whenever he feels that my conscious is in danger of driving a wedge between us.

Which is why I have become accustomed to falling asleep while running my fingers along his skin as he whispers things much sweeter than anything he would say while fully awake.

But now it's late and he's not here. I sit up, kicking the comforter off of me slightly. It seems Aleksander has been more and more absent these days. When he's not with me, the odds that he's doing something that hurts people are high. His absence is also starting to make me feel like he's losing interest in me. It would make sense considering the fact that he looked twice at me in any capacity has never seemed logical.

Maybe that's why we've never indicated commitment to each other. I don't know what commitment would be with him. He seems to grand to be considered a 'boyfriend', but there's something more than friendly about how he holds onto me. I've never cared for labels until I started feeling displaced.

"You're still awake."

I press my lips together, trying to seem a little calmer. "Couldn't sleep."

"Troubling thoughts?" The question is more weighted than it should be. Everything with him is. 

“Has anyone ever called you dramatic?” 

His lips quirk upwards, hinting at a smile. Warmth pools in my stomach, the way it always does when he lets me see the slight glimmer of light that’s still in him. Sometimes I think he only shows me this softness when he feels that I may pull away. It may be rooted in manipulative intent, but I know that it’s real. 

“Only you would have the gall,” he says, voice low yet not dark. 

Kirigan’s easiness coaxes a smile from my lips. A small one, but I can feel the way the crack in my tension feeds his confidence. He takes pride in slipping past the walls I only try to create when cautious or irritated. Today I’m both but I need to pretend like I’m neither. The more resistance he senses, the more forward and effective his advances become. 

I keep my expression neutral. I’m sure Alina could get away with calling him that. I wish she was more unlikable. It would be easier to hide my irritation if I could blame that displaced feeling in my chest on two people. But of course Alina is wonderful, beautiful, and his equal.

Whatever. It’s not like we’re really anything. Every time I see him I wait for his betrayal. There’s nothing worth using me for, and somehow that makes me feel worse. He should have never looked at me twice let alone encourage whatever strange relationship we’ve created. 

My silence seems to displease him because he approaches my bedside easily in quick yet patient strides. Now that he’s close enough to touch I feel some of the ice I managed to solidify melt. 

Kirigan lifts a hand and places it on my knee easily. I stiffen instinctually, he runs his thumb over my skin to fight my resistance. “Who’s upset you?” 

I breathe, forcing myself to ease. “No one has.” I don’t have to meet his gaze to know he doesn’t believe me. That’s the core source of our attachment, we can read each other with less than a look. “I’m just getting a headache,” not a full lie, “I’ll feel better after some sleep.” He squeezes my knee slightly, a soft way of asking me for more. “I don’t think I’ll be good company tonight.” 

His hand leaves my knee, fingertips barely grazing my thigh as he moves his hand to hold beneath my chin. I still as he turns my head so that I have no choice but to meet his gaze. “You don’t need to be good company when what I want is your presence.” 

I press my lips together to avoid melting into the promising pools of warmth that make up his irises. He spent all day with Alina, took Zoya’s side in an argument I had with her earlier this week, and now he comes to me late at night. He seems to only want to acknowledge me when we’re alone, and it’s not like I want more than that. I just don’t know how long my heart will be able to teeter the line between nothing and something. I’m a fool for having let it go on this long. 

The only problem is that his steady stare is chasing away all of my rationality. “I’m sure you’ll be able to find someone more in the mood to offer their presence.” 

My curtness leaves something behind his expression dull, the hint of a smile that was growing on him has now vanished. I am met with a stoic disposition I have never had directed at me. 

“They’re not you,” he counters, voice edged by something I don’t understand. 

That’s the point. They’re not me--I’m average. I can’t offer power and my relationship experience is basic at best. I don’t want to have this argument, not when I’m basically fighting for him to let me go when that’s not what I want. 

I’m making it easier. If it hurts this much when I was only on the cusp of something, imagine the pain I’l feel if I let it continue. I turn my head away so that he’s no longer holding my chin. “Not a bad thing.” 

“To me it is.” He doesn’t hesitate, my chest swells. His thumb brushes against my cheek, soft and comforting. “I’m tired,” he says this like it’s a confession. His admission hangs in the air for a long moment, as heavy and weighted as my heart. “If you’re angry, wait until morning.” 

Something in my heart cracks. “I’m not angry.” My gaze drops, my thoughts struggling to come together. “I’ll be nicer to deal with in the morning.” 

“Y/n,” his tone twists from distant to warning, “the last time you asked me to leave was when you discovered something you didn’t like.” 

I almost wince at the way he’s worded it. When I found out what his real plans were, I told myself I had to leave. He skirted past all of my reservations and walls, twisting my doubt away through coddling whispers and shy brushes of fingers.

“This isn’t like that.” Not a lie. 

He exhales slowly, the sound dangerously sharp. “Then what is it?” 

“Why did you come here so late?” The question leaves me too sharply. I’m exposing too much but I can’t help it. “If you don’t want to answer, that’s fine.” My voice is flat. “I’m sure Alina will be happy to fill me in.” I can’t bring myself to take in his reaction. “And if she can’t, I’m sure Zoya will be able to.” 

He’s silent for a long second. “Unwarranted jealousy doesn’t suit you.” 

His confidence sparks something angry within me.  “I am not jealous.” The most blatant lie of the night, but I don’t care. I turn my head to glare at him, “and don’t just tact on ‘unwarranted’ before something that’s true just because it’s easier for it not to be.” 

I watch his expression cautiously until the slightest tilt of his lips adds to my anger. He’s enjoying this or he did this intentionally or both. “Darling,” he hums, voice soft, “you are the only person that makes me feel peace.” 

My stomach flutters, the sensation threatening to break my weak resolve. “I am not particularly powerful,” I breathe, voice stiff, “or particularly...” How do I explain this all to him? “Anything.” He’s everything, and I am nothing but average. “I’m average at best, there’s no reason for you to want anything to do with me, and that’s fine--but don’t lie and pretend that that’s not true.” 

The sentence is barely out fo my mouth before I feel myself pulled towards him by the collar of my nightgown. His lips are on mine before I can question where this is going. I kiss him back too quickly, but any effort I expend is returned fervently.

He pushes me back slightly as quickly as he yanked me forward. He doesn’t explain. I don’t ask him to. I should demand an answer and shove him away from me or pull him back towards me. But I do nothing. I just stare at him as he stares at me. 

When the weight of the silence threatens to break something in me, I force myself to speak, “Kirigan--”

“Aleksander.” The name is soft and so fragile I worry it will shatter in the air before it can fully reach me. “You know there’s much I’m not ready to say, but that,” he exhales, the sound so sad I want to reach for him, “that is the one name I have not given to myself and I want you to have it.” Something conflicted crosses his features. “I would never give that to someone average.” 

Emotion swells in my chest, heavy yet not painful. “Aleksander.” I’m not sure if I’m trying to call to him or if I’m just trying to feel his name--his true name--on my lips. 

His eyes widen, something unbearable behind them. He moves the hand holding the collar of my nightgown to my cheek. I lean into the contact like a fool as his eyes flutter shut. “Say it again.” 

I don’t hesitate, “Aleksander.” I lift my hand, fingers hesitant to find their place on his cheek. “Aleksander.”

He sighs into both the contact and the name. “You’re the first thing I’ve allowed myself to want,” his eyes open, but I cannot bring myself to meet his gaze, “I should make you feel like it.”

Something about the way he says that is sad. “I think that if it’s fair to say you were a little distant, it’s just as fair to say that I was a little jealous.” 

Aleksander smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’m tired,” he admits, “I’ll enjoy my victory in the morning.” 

I roll my eyes, but scoot over to give him a place by my side regardless. “I’m not sure you won, I think it was more of a draw.” 

He takes the space I offer quickly, never letting the contact between us disappear as he settles himself against my pillow. I let him pull me towards him. “This feels like a victory.” 

I try to ignore the warmth in my chest. “You’re lucky I’m tired enough to find that endearing.” 

I relax as his fingers trace shapes I’ll never know about onto my back. “I agree.”