#like better equipped for scouting or finding secrets

[draanden]

heres to hoping monhun stories 3 lets us do something with the smaller or unhatchable monsters 🤞🤞🤞

[illusory-nomad]

08 OUT OF FRAME!! - The Ghost of Relationship Past

Human idol! Jinu × Manager! Reader | OUT OF FRAME!! masterlist

Word count : 1720

TW : none (?)

The plaza wasn't very crowded that night.

The glow of the streetlights stretched long shadows over the brick pavement, and a few performers could be seen in the plaza's corners: dancers, singers, stunt performers...

Snack stands were also open, their bright signs and loud vendors gaining the attention of passerby. It was the perfect place to have fun, or in Y/N's case, scout some talent.

It was also the same place where Y/N and Jinu used to hang out in secret.

Y/N glanced at a familiar hidden corner and much to her dismay, her heart clenched. The worn-out bench they used to sit on was still there, next to the broken vending machine. She could still remember how she would lean against him as he tuned his guitar and asked if he sounded better in A minor or G major... Or whatever key it was.

Not that it mattered to her. She always thought he sounded lovely.

"He's still hanging around this place?" Y/N whispered in disbelief. "Unbelievable. He really is a sentimental jerk..."

Abby glanced at her, noting the way her voice shook a bit.

"You don't have to talk to him," He offered. "I can scout him for you if you want."

"No, I'll do it," Y/N mumbled. "I'm the manager."

"If you say so," Abby sighed as they continued to look for Jinu. "He's usually in the more quiet spots. And he should be wrapping up his performance soon."

"Which means we have to hurry, or else he's going to disappear as usual," Y/N grumbled. "That is... If he hasn't changed."

"Nope, I assure you: he's like a ghost," Abby joked, trying to lift the mood a bit. Y/N merely shrugged as they weaved past the crowd. A part of her hoped they won't find him. Maybe he had already left, or wasn't there to busk at all.

However, the louder part wanted to see him again. Because she missed him. Or maybe just wanted to prove she didn't. She didn't know.

"Ah, there he is," Abby pointed to a figure sitting in a quieter part of the plaza, singing into a battered mic, fingers dancing over the strings of a familiar guitar.

"He's..." Y/N trailed off.

'Just as beautiful as the day I lost him.'

She recognized the song he was singing. Of cousrse she did. It was the one they wrote on a rainy starry night while curled up in his apartment.

'Asterlayna', they had titled it. Meaning 'pathway of stars'.

'Even if you're walking that path without me

The stars I sent will forever keep you company'

She didn't think he remembered this song, let alone would want to perform it in public after their seperation.

And here he was: singing it like it was the only thing keeping him alive.

She watched him intently. In her mind, she was taken back to those nights in his apartment spent cuddling and whispering sweet words of love and affirmations.

And oh, she missed it so badly.

She wanted to be held again. She wanted to cry and have someone kiss away her tears. She didn't want to admit it, but she wanted it all back.

She wanted to feel safe. She wanted to be weak.

When Y/N snapped back to reality, a tear had already ran down her cheek, and the final notes of Jinu's song had faded.

"Thank you, everyone," he said into the mic with a polite nod. A few scattered claps rang out before the plaza quieted again.

"C'mon, let's go talk to him," Abby told her, already walking forwards.

"No," she grabbed his hand, then slipped some money into his hold. "Go get something for yourself and wait for me near the fountain. I'll talk to him myself."

Abby was silent for a moment, "are you sure?"

Y/N nodded, "I don't want you getting caught between my past problems with him."

"Alright then," Abby sighed, giving her a pat on the shoulder. "Good luck."

"Thanks."

Once Abby left, she took a deep breath, then approached Jinu who was busy packing up his equipment. Her hands shook with every step. Her mind told her to go back, but her heart was already sprinting forwards.

For now, she'd just have to stay strong a bit longer.

"Hi," Y/N tried her best to keep her voice steady and guarded. "It's been a while. You were great."

Jinu froze. He slowly turned to face her, eyes wide.

"Y/N...?" he whispered, clearly in disbelief. "I... What are you—"

"I wanted to talk to you," Y/N answered, gaze flitting to his equipment. "If you're free, of course."

Jinu's eyes widened more, if that was even possible, "talk?"

"We don't have to if you're not up for it—"

"No, no— I mean yes. Yes, we can talk," he fumbled with his words. "I just... I didn't think you'd want to even see me again. I thought you hated me."

"I-I don't," Y/N looked away. "Or... I do? I don't even know."

Silence lingered between them, neither really knowing what to say.

"I... Still play the songs we used to work on," Jinu said softly. "Some of the chords and lyrics are yours."

"That's sweet," Y/N admitted, hating how he always knew how to make her feel warm inside, "but it's mostly your work."

"Don't sell yourself short," he said almost too quickly. "Your lyrics are beautiful."

"You have to admit it's mostly you, though," Y/N insisted. "And you know what? That's exactly why I'm here: I need your help."

Jinu kept quiet, and she took it as a sign to continue.

"To put it short; I'd like you to join my boy band."

"Boy band?" Jinu echoed, raising a brow. "I saw some viral news recently: you and a bunch of guys... Something about a rap battle a brawl? Is this what that's about?"

"Sort of," she hummed. "The four of them agreed. I was going to debut just the four of them, but it felt incomplete."

She hesitated, then looked up to meet his eyes, "and then you came to mind."

Jinu's heart clenched. She thought of him? Even after everything?

"You have a great voice, you're good at making songs: lyrics especially," Y/N listed before a humorless chuckle escaped her lips. "Our rapper? He said he'd help write the lyrics, but he's so... Bratty, I'm worried he'll start writing about anarchy or something. So, we could use another lyricist. Plus, the guys are kind of unhinged, so we could use someone who can act like a decent leader."

Jinu chuckled at that, "sounds like you've got yourself a handful."

"More than a handful," Y/N let herself smile. "You can call it a zoo."

For a second, she wanted to forget all the business talk, as well as the space that had grown between them. Talking like this was so easy.

But what happened had happened, and the truth still stands: he had left her behind when she needed him.

"Anyways," Y/N cleared her throat, "that's the offer."

"Is this a good idea?" Jinu asked. "Scouting me. I mean, We have history."

"I'm wiling to look past it," Y/N tried to assure him. "I don't want to dwell on the past. It won't do me any good. Same goes to you."

Jinu couldn't bring himself to look at her, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I never intended to leave you. But I was scared. And I regret it everyday."

For a moment, Y/N didn't answer. She looked down at the ground like it was the most interesting thing ever, "you should've said something..."

"I know."

"What exactly happened?"

Jinu thought for a moment, trying to find the words to answer her.

"After the news spread," he started, "I got an earful from my agency. They shelved me shortly after. I wasn't allowed to release anything, so I started sneaking out to busk like this."

"Because singing is all you know," Y/N muttered, making him nod. She almost hated how she still remembered these things about him.

"And after they caught me busking, we got into another argument," he sighed. "I left the agency shortly later, but no one else would scout me because they see me as problematic."

Y/N looked away, guilt gnawing her heart. Why did she think he was enjoying life after he disappeared? Of course he wouldn't be fine.

"I hated you," Jinu's heart almost cracked when he heard the slight tremor in her voice. "I hated you so much for disappearing... But I hated myself more for hoping you'd come back."

Jinu had to fight the urge to just hug her then and there. He swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to keep his tears at bay, "I wanted to. But I didn't know how."

And in a sad way, she wanted to believe him.

But she reminded herself why she looked for him in the first place: to topple Huntr/x. If they wanted to fix the mess between them, then they can do it as they run for the summit, but it isn't the main goal.

"I want to fix our relationship and be friends because if I want you in my group, I'd rather we can communicate well and be on good terms," Y/N explained, steadying her voice, "but I can't see us going back to what we were. For now, I just want to reach the top and trample Huntr/x. I hope you're okay with that."

"That's... Fair," Jinu croaked. "And honestly, for the best."

'Because you deserve better than a coward like me,' he wanted to add, but held himself back. Because this wasn't about him anymore.

She came with a mission and a burning flame, and he wants to be a part of it. He'll swallow the guilt and help her to make things right, even if things will never be the same again between them.

"I'd love to join you," his voice almost trembled as he gave her a nervous smile. "If you're willing to have me."

Y/N looked at him, then returned his smile, "then welcome to the group, Jinu. Looking forwards to working with you again."

Author's note : DUDE, WE'RE GETTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER!! 🕺🕺🕺🕺🕺

AnyWHORE!! Thanks for your support as always!! Lotsa lovee 🥹🫶

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[theoceanoasis]

Fantasy Au idea

One day Soundwave ends up getting deadly sick leaving the cassettes worried sick as they can't do anything but make Soundwave comfortable and hope he gets better. As Soundwave gets weaker each day, Megatron orders his best medics and scouts to try and find a cure for he can't lose his closest friend and secret love.

After a few weeks Shockwave reports that he found something or rather someone who could cure Soundwave the God of the Sun and Fire, Rodimus. The purple mech then goes on how if they visit the temple in Nyon and present an offering to Rodimus that Soundwave would surely be cured. Though Shockwave warns that Megatron might be forced to offer something he'd lose forever as the Sun God has been known to request such items before.

"Megatron."

Ravage walked over, looking exhausted and stressed.

"He's getting worse every day. If something isn't done soon..."

"I know."

He followed Ravage to Soundwaves' room, trying to ignore the smell of sick. He'd been ill for a few weeks now. At first, he tried to continue his work, but as time progressed, he got sicker and sicker until he collapsed. After that, he couldn't even get out of bed.

He sat next to him, unsure if Soundwave could even tell. He held his hand and stayed with him, just reading, hoping he'll wake up by some miracle, he'll get better. It was hard to ignore how bad he'd gotten, how his frame rattled. How his systems slowed. The way he couldn't even turn on his optics anymore. Couldn't even respond. He was hooked up to so many tubes and equipment,t all of them keeping him alive at this point.

"I'll find a way to save you."

He squeezed his hand. Soundwave had no idea. He'd never had the chance to tell him, and he might never get the chance, but he loved him. He's loved him for a long time, and if he ever got better, he'd tell him how he feels.

Medics come in and out, checking on Soundwave and updating him on his condition. All of them had grim looks on their faces despite being the best of the best.

Then, Shockwave came, having found something that might work.

"You won't like it."

"What is it?"

"There have been rumors of a god who can save him."

He scoffed, having lost faith a long time ago.

"Are you sure this isn't a scam?"

"The people of Nyon claim he is legit."

"And what do I need to do to get this 'god" to help?"

"You must go to his temple in Nyon and offer a gift. Ask him to help cure Soundwave."

He sighed. Even though he didn't think it would work at this point, he was desperate and willing to try anything."

"Then let's go immediately Soundwave is running out of time."

Shockwave nodded, and he picked out some fancy trinket that would surely appease the god. Nyon was a poor city, and the trinket was probably more expensive than what he got in a year of hustling people.

When they arrived at the temple, the priests only let him inside. They took him to an altar, and he looked around, wondering where this "god" would appear from.

"Rodimus, god of the sun and fire. Patron saint of Nyon, I humbly ask for your audience."

He read the script, trying not to cringe as he kneeled before the altar.

The room began to heat, and with a blinding light, Rodimus appeared. He was a beautiful mech whose paint suited him well with its shiny reds and golds. He held up his offering, and the god didn't even glance at it.

"What have you come here for?"

He tilted his head, giving him a curious look.

"I can tell you are skeptical. Which means the reason for coming here must be important."

He barely held back a scoff, not wanting to be rude even if he thought the mech was a charlatan.

"My friend is sick and even the best doctors can not help him."

"You want me to heal him?"

"Yes."

"I can do that, but I must warn you that asking such a thing comes with a heavy price. You will lose something important to you."

"I agree."

He assumed the mech would ask for money and was willing to dish out however much if it meant Soundwave would live.

"Take this and place it on your friend's chest. Then when the sun is highest, he will be heated."

The mech held out a golden piece of metal with his face on it. He stared, wondering how vain he could be, just as the "god" disappeared.

On the way back, he tried not to complain about his time being wasted, after all, he was the one who asked to come. He turned the metal piece over in his hands, giving it an unimpressed look.

Although the mech hadn't taken his offering, he still felt scammed and highly doubted this would work.

When they returned, Ravage was waiting with a scared look on his face. His spark froze because Soundwave didn't have much time. Rushing to his room, he collapsed by his side, apologizing for leaving, especially over something so dumb.

Soundwave didn't respond, and he looked at the metal piece still in his hands. Having nothing to lose, he placed it on his chest and waited. When the sun rose to its highest peak, the room became unbearably warm.

He took a step back in surprise, wondering what was happening, when Rodimus appeared in a blinding light. He looked down at Soundwave and gently touched his face.

His hand then moved down to his chest, and he placed both hands on top. Closing his optics, he noticed a soft, comforting light that slowly consumed Soundwave. He watched in shock as his body was healed right before his optics. When Rodimus finished, he looked exhausted, and Soundwave finally turned on his optics.

He sighed in relief, watching as Soundwave sat up.

"How are you feeling?"

He asked only for Soundwave to ignore him. Instead, he was staring at Rodimus completely transfixed.

"Rodimus."

The mech whispered like a prayer, and the god sat in front of him.

Soundwave reached out, gently holding his face, and the god had tears in his optics.

"I remember you... I'm supposed to protect you. I am your lord protector."

"What?"

He looked between the two as Rodimus nodded, tears falling as he held Soundwave's arms.

"I've missed you so much."

Soundwave leaned over and kissed Rodimus, shattering his spark. His engine revved as he glared at Rodimus.

"What did you do to him? Soundwave isn't your lord protector, you freak!"

Rodimus flinched, and his oldest friend glared at him.

"Don't you dare talk to him like that."

"Soundwave."

He tried to argue.

"He's done something to your head. You need to snap out of it."

"No. He saved me. For the first time in a long time, I know who I'm supposed to be. I remember now. Rodimus is my god, and he is my love. Our sparks are bound as one, and our love will last an eternity."

He glared at Rodimus because Soundwave had clearly lost it.

"What have you done to him?"

"I restored his memories of our past lives. When you came to me, I had a vision that Soundwave was the one you were trying to save. I know about your feelings about him, which is why I warned you. When I healed him, I healed him completely, including returning his memories to him. I know he is the most precious thing to you, but with his memories returned, he will have to leave you. Soundwave is my lord protector. He will be mine in every life, just as I will be his. Our sparks are one, and our love is eternal."

Rodimus held out a hand, and Soundwave easily took it. He tried to protest, but with a blinding light, they were gone.

[rainderthesomeone]

TF2 HEAD CANNONS 4 ENGIE!

Engineer is a workaholic he never stops working, he’s always hammering away at a machine writing down things researching and finding new ways to improve his machines the only time you’ll catch him not working would be at dinner and he’s still working on something, but he’s great at multi tasking he can work and talk but he’s mostly working, he never sleeps, he refuses to, which means you’ll hear him moving around his workshop at like three am.

Engie has three wrench’s, but he sticks with the basic one, since the others require him to change his battle style which he doesn’t like to change, he’s got his strengths and strategies and he’s comfortable with staying in them, but it doesn’t mean he doesn’t like to get creative, he took a few notes from soldiers on a few things.

He has a small very small obsession with his grandfather, it’s not that big and it isn’t unhealthy or wired or borderline insanity, (at least that’s what Engie says to anyone who questions his photo board of Radigain pictures taken over the years), his main defense is that everyone has pictures of relatives on their walls and desks so why can’t he have pictures of his grandfather?

Engie is the team leader and main strategist, and is the one to calm things down if everything gets out of hand, he’s basically damage control when it comes to the team, he knows how they work he knows what they can and can’t do, and it’s his job to put them in the right spots at the right time, so he’s the ring leader pretty much, and gets the say on what happens, but he doesn’t mind inputs from the others, or any additional information, his main council of strategists are Medic, Spy and Soldier, (Soldier kinda forced himself in there but Engie likes his crazy ideas)

Engineer is dadineer, in other words basically the father figure, the team comes to him for advice and motivation or any good life advice he gives, he’s a good listener and sometimes the team just needs to vent or find solutions to problems they can’t figure out themselves, Scout is the one that dose this the most often, he has a good relationship with his team maté’s because of it, but he’s very close to Pyro that he treats like a family member, and if pyro has a drawing he’ll hang it up on his chalk board and bill board with the Radigain pictures (which is a very high compliment) basically this picture is going on the fridge kinda deal.

If engineer had a day off (which will never happen but if it dose he’d sit on his folding chair and take in the sun) but his workaholic mind would never let him do it.

Engineer is the cook of the team, one of his phds is in cooking and colonariy arts, he’s a great cook and loves to do it, basically cooking is the closest you’ll get to seeing him on a break, he’ll sit down with the team at dinner but he’s sketching down something or his fiddling with something else, he’ll still make conversation with the team though. (Multitasking master.)

Engineer follows the rules very closely and listens to the administrators rules carefully, he isn’t a rule breaker he’s very loyal to RED and his bosses, if your doing anything that go’s against what the rules say you better be careful he will most likely report it, but…..he dose make exceptions…very small exceptions…that are purely out of pity.

He fixes Spy’s equipment, that’s it nothing else….except these visits spy makes are very frequent.

Engie may be open with his team and honest with them, but he has his secrets and deals behind everything, he seems to have a very close partnership with the administrator, nobody knows about it except for miss Pauling and yet all she knows is that it involves astrualim, what Engineer gets out of this partnership is speculated by Miss Pauling very personal to engineer.

Those frequent visits spy makes to engineers work shop seem to have blossomed into a close friendship of sorts, Engineer is the most frequent team member spy talks with and they both seem to enjoy it when one stops by, Engineer has also been very open with spy on a lot of things, not everything..just some things, Spy never teases Engineer unless Engineer teases him first, and Spy often pulls Engineer out of trouble if he puts himself in the middle of it, having a close friend who can go invisible is quite helpful, Spy seems to also be trying to get closer with Engineer but Engie push’s him away or backs off from getting any closer, making some interactions uncomfortable unfortunately but Engineer turns it around and talks about something else and forgets about it quite quickly.

Engineer may have his head screwed on the most out of his entire team but there is a dark side to him along with a mini narcissistic side and sadistic personality, he takes great pleasure in killing like most of his teammates, and he can’t help but laugh when someone foolishly runs in front of his sentry, but he dose a great job at hiding his terrifying and messed up side very well, to well, don’t cross him ever.

You better fear the Engineer if ya know what’s good for ya, RED team has some very cocky people very stubborn and proud people with egos the size of the moon, Engineer is no exception to this he offten finds himself in predicaments where his ego got the better of him, but he knows when to pull back a bit if things get heated, that isn’t the case for the offense side of the team, Scout especially gets himself into trouble quite often, which leads him to getting hurt along with Soldier and pyro who are the most resilient members of the team but they still bleed and can get hurt, which leads into the last part of this headcannon…

Don’t hurt Engineers team mates, Engie is loyal to them and doesn’t take it kindly when one of them gets hurt or gets viscously attacked by an enemy he will come for them and he will kill them in the most gruesome way possible, I won’t spoil to much sense these head cannons I make are strictly additional information thing’s extras if y’all wanna know a little more about these versions of the characters, but at the beginning of Engies career as a mercenary he ripped someone head off with his wrench and proceeded to beat the body until it was red mess of body parts and blood, basically the body was unrecognizable as anything, the reason why he went full psycho was one of his team members got a bit over his head and lost his leg, so engineer took his head off, which shocked Sniper who walked in on the scene. Don’t touch his team he will rip you to shreds and forget about. ◦

[burnwater13]

Concept art by Ryan Church for The Mandalorian, Season 1, Episode 4, Sanctuary. A Mandalorian and another fighter are shooting at an Imperial AT-ST. Calendar from DataWorks.

Grogu wondered if they had left Sorgan a little too quickly. After all it was a nice planet. Cara Dune had taken care of that one bounty hunter who had managed to find them on a skug hole in the middle of no where. He and the Mandalorian were beginning to get to know each other a little better. Why leave now? Especially since there was an old piece of Imperial equipment on the planet that had absolutely no business being there. That AT-ST was a problem.

Not in and of itself. Not any more. It was destroyed. It had been touch and go, but eventually the Mandalorian and the fine people of the krill farming collective had managed to deal with it and the Klatooinian raiders who operated it. But it was still a problem. Where did it come from? Why was it there at all? Were there any other pieces of left over Imperial equipment on the planet? 

Grogu was pretty sure that this sort of event fell under the heading of where there is smoke there is fire. He was even willing to fall back to a Jedi standard of risk management which stated that if one thing appeared to be out of place on a planet, an investigation into similar non-sequiturs should be undertaken sooner, rather than later. There was just too much that they hadn’t known about it, plain and simple.

For example, the Klatooinian raiders didn’t appear to have any air support or other mechanized transport of any kind. They had attacked the village on foot. Their only advantage was the AT-ST. So how did they manage to get their hands on an All Terrain Scout Transport to begin with? It seemed unlikely to Grogu that they had somehow brought it with them. Sorgan had such a small population the raiders could have run the whole planet if they’d had the ability to bring it to Sorgan from wherever else they had come from. 

Grogu thought it was likely that the Klatooinians had found the transport on Sorgan. If that was true, why was it even there? Sorgan was not a strategic location for the Old Republic, the Empire, or even the New Republic. At least not an obvious one. It’s two exports were Spotchka, a fermented drink made from krill, and pickled krill sauce. Everything else they had they were importing. But no one involved in the farming collective had imported an AT-ST. If they had, they wouldn’t have needed the Mandalorian’s help in dealing with the Klatooinians. So why was it there?

Grogu suspected that the Empire or one of it’s former, wayward, war lords, had found Sorgan interesting because no one else did. It had a tiny population focused on farming. They had almost no infrastructure. They couldn’t defend themselves against a small band of Klatooinians. It was a perfect planet to set up a secret something on. 

Grogu had no idea what that secret something was and when he tried to engage the Mandalorian in a discussion of unknown risks on Sorgan, he was ignored. Well, that was to be expected. Din Djarin didn’t think that Grogu understood Gal Basic and Grogu really hated trying to communicate in that language. It was so clunky and hard to pronounce and it had a grammar structure that left a lot to be desired. 

If he had been able to have that discussion he would have also brought up a couple of other things that puzzled him. One of them was pretty simple. How had Cara Dune gotten there and why wasn’t she doing anything about the Klatooinians? The other was a little more mystifying. Why fight the Klatooinians from the ground?

The Razor Crest was outfitted with front mounted laser canons. Why bother teaching people how to be soldiers, when they could have just located the AT-ST with the sensors on the Razor Crest and then blasted it to it’s component atoms?

Was the Mandalorian worried that people might realize that he had the ship? Or was he worried that it might get a scratch on it? After all the stuff that Jawas on Arvala-7 had done to the ship was he just trying to protect it from everyone and everything? Grogu supposed that was possible. 

After all the Razor Crest was the Mandalorian’s home. It wasn’t just a ship. All of his stuff was on it and he’d just about lost his mind when the Jawas had taken it apart, forcing him to put it back together with Kuiil’s help. Grogu knew that it wasn’t working quite perfectly, but he had no idea how to help with that. That was a gap in his education that he really wanted to fill in, but so far he hadn’t had a chance. 

Was that it? He just didn’t want his precious ship to be damaged by the AT-ST? Maybe. It really seemed to Grogu that the Mandalorian found a harder way to solve the problem than was strictly necessary, but if that was the Way, fine. That was not a mystery that Grogu needed to solve right now anyway. 

He didn’t need to solve the other one about Cara Dune either. But he wasn’t going to forget about figuring out why the AT-ST had been there at all. Not like everyone else. He owed it to Winta and her mom to determine whether or not they faced a hidden threat. They had been very kind to him and he wasn't going to forget that either.

 Concept art by Ryan Church for The Mandalorian, Season 1, Episode 4, Sanctuary. A Mandalorian and another fighter are shooting at an Imperial AT-ST.

[uem-jaipur]

Why Civil Engineering Graduates in India Should Aim for a Master’s Degree

Civil engineering remains one of India’s most sought-after and promising career paths. Each year, thousands of students begin this journey, dreaming of contributing to infrastructure, construction, or environmental innovation. However, after earning their bachelor’s degree, many find themselves at a crossroads: should they jump into the job market or pursue further studies? While a bachelor’s degree does open doors, a master’s degree in civil engineering provides unique advantages that can supercharge your career. Here’s why taking this step could be transformative.

1. Unlock Greater Career Prospects

Think of a postgraduate degree as the key to the upper tiers of the profession. While a bachelor's degree equips you with foundational knowledge, a master's lets you delve deeper into specializations like structural engineering, geotechnics, or urban transport systems. These advanced skills are often prerequisites for high-paying leadership roles in top companies.

Picture yourself not just as another engineer but as a project manager, design consultant, or an R&D innovator. A master’s degree distinguishes you as an expert, and that expertise is exactly what global firms seek when hiring for premium roles.

2. Higher Pay, Better Opportunities

It’s no secret—those with advanced degrees often command better salaries. Civil engineers with master’s qualifications can earn 20-30% more than their peers holding only bachelor’s degrees. This gap widens with experience, especially as India’s demand for skilled engineers surges due to the expansion of smart cities and sustainable infrastructure.

And it’s not just India—global companies competing in cutting-edge projects abroad also scout for postgraduates. With specialized knowledge, you’ll stand ready to thrive in a competitive, well-paid environment.

3. Dive into Emerging Fields

Civil engineering evolves every day, driven by technology and environmental challenges. A master’s degree allows you to specialize in trend-setting fields like sustainable development, smart urban planning, or advanced construction technology. Employers are particularly interested in hiring specialists who can help them build eco-friendly, resilient systems for the future.

India's top institutes now embed these cutting-edge topics into their postgraduate curricula, exposing students to innovative materials, smart technologies, and new engineering strategies. A master’s not only sets you apart from generalists but aligns your career with industry trends.

4. Build Your Network

Here’s something often overlooked: the connections you make during a master's program can be priceless. You’ll engage with professors, peers, and industry professionals, all of whom can help shape your career. From collaborative projects to seminars with guest speakers, these experiences create meaningful relationships that may lead to mentorships or job referrals.

India's leading engineering colleges often maintain strong partnerships with industry giants, offering direct exposure to internships and real-world projects. The insights and connections you gain could prove invaluable when navigating your next career move.

5. Explore Research and Innovation

Do you dream of pushing boundaries or solving complex problems? A master’s degree could be the ideal launching pad. Postgraduate students often get access to cutting-edge research opportunities, enabling them to tackle pressing challenges in construction, sustainable materials, or infrastructure systems. Imagine contributing to projects that revolutionize earthquake-resistant designs or pioneer smarter transportation networks.

The skills you develop—critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical expertise—can propel you into prestigious roles where innovation is at the forefront.

6. Academic Pathways

For those passionate about teaching, academia offers its own rewards. Universities in India prefer advanced degree holders for faculty positions, making a master's degree essential if teaching is your ambition. Moreover, a master's serves as a crucial step for pursuing a Ph.D., which opens doors to impactful research and leadership roles in academic settings.

7. Balancing the Decision

Of course, further education isn’t without challenges. Master's programs demand both time and financial resources, and not everyone has the flexibility to take this leap immediately. But where there are hurdles, there are solutions: scholarships, part-time programs, and even online learning options can help lighten the load.

Conclusion

A master’s degree in civil engineering isn’t just an added credential; it’s a gateway to better opportunities, higher salaries, and rewarding careers in innovative fields. Whether you aim for leadership roles, research breakthroughs, or even academia, this advanced qualification equips you to stand out in India’s booming infrastructure sector.

Start exploring postgraduate programs now to map out your ideal career path. Take that decisive step toward a fulfilling future today—your dream job may be closer than you think!

[sciencestyled]

The Art of Wagering: How a Lost Game of Mahjong Sparked My Obsession with Game Theory

I, Sun Tzu, mighty architect of warfare, esteemed sage of strategy, master of conflict… found myself thoroughly outmaneuvered by an elderly woman named Madam Lu during a late-night mahjong session. Yes, you read that correctly. It all began on a humid summer evening, the kind that makes you feel like you’re sitting in a boiling pot, where the line between thinking and sweating blurs beyond recognition.

Madam Lu had invited me to her tea house. I initially thought we were meeting to discuss the finer points of deception in warfare, perhaps a lively debate on flanking maneuvers, but no—she slammed down a mahjong set with the force of a commander leading troops into battle. “Sun Tzu,” she said, “prepare to be humbled.”

I should have seen it coming. The smug gleam in her eyes was more telling than any scout report. But alas, I let my pride get the better of me. How could the author of The Art of War be bested at something as trivial as a game? Mahjong was simply a battlefield of tiles, I told myself, and I, the general, would soon lay waste to my opponents.

How wrong I was.

Madam Lu was no ordinary adversary. She played her hand like a tactician possessed by the gods of trickery. Every move I made, she countered with effortless precision. The tiles clicked and clacked like soldiers' boots, each one bringing me closer to an inevitable defeat. My strategic mind, usually as sharp as a blade slicing through bamboo, became clouded with confusion. This wasn't just a game—it was psychological warfare.

"You see, Tzu," she said with a laugh that was equal parts grandmotherly warmth and devilish mockery, "strategy isn't just about brute strength or cunning. Sometimes it's about understanding the game itself—the rules, the patterns, the choices people make when they think you're not watching."

And that, dear readers, is when the horrifying realization struck me like a volley of arrows. I had been outwitted, not because I lacked skill, but because I failed to understand something far more treacherous than the battlefield: game theory.

Oh yes, you see, game theory is the real battlefield—a cold, calculating arena where decisions aren’t made with swords and spears but with sly nods and sideways glances. Every move is a ripple that disturbs the waters, every choice a gamble that could lead to victory or, in my case, utter humiliation at the hands of Madam Lu.

My defeat, while embarrassing, was also enlightening. In that instant, I realized that true mastery of strategy goes beyond manipulating armies. It’s about predicting human behavior, understanding incentives, and playing the long game. Sure, I can outflank an army, but can I outflank a mind? Madam Lu proved I could not—at least, not yet.

The very next day, I vowed to unlock the secrets of game theory. If it could humble me, the greatest strategist of all time, it could humble anyone. So I dived headfirst into the subject, devouring every text and scroll I could find. I became obsessed, fixated on understanding how one’s choices can ripple through the battlefield—whether that battlefield is a mahjong table or, more importantly, life itself.

Naturally, the first step in my redemption was to share this newfound wisdom with the world. A simple treatise wouldn’t suffice—no, no, no. This knowledge required something more… dynamic, more… audiovisual! And thus, I stumbled upon a delightful little thing called "YouTube." At first, I mistook it for some kind of advanced siege weapon, but soon realized it was a platform for spreading strategic brilliance to the masses.

I gathered my thoughts, and with the same meticulous attention I once applied to siege tactics, I orchestrated the creation of a video—one that explains the nuances of game theory so that no one else need suffer the ignominy I faced. Watching it will equip you with the tools to not only win at mahjong but also conquer your personal and professional battles with ease.

So there you have it, my friends—a cautionary tale of hubris, humility, and the irresistible allure of strategy. Never again will I be outwitted by someone’s grandma. And neither will you, once you watch this.

Now go forth, conquer your world—not with swords or spears, but with the power of game theory! For war, as I’ve now learned, is played in the mind as much as it is on the battlefield.

[whitelabelseolab]

How Local SEO Increases Profits: white label SEO Lab

In today's world, when we want to find things or services, we often use search engines like Google. It's like asking a super-smart computer to help us. For businesses, it's super important to be seen on the internet. Imagine if you have a small shop selling delicious ice cream. If people can't find your shop online when they're looking for ice cream, you might lose out on customers. That's where Local SEO comes in. It's like giving your shop a special map to show up better on Google so that more people come and enjoy your ice cream. In this blog post, we'll talk about how this special map, called local SEO, can help businesses make more money.

Understanding Local SEO

Before we delve into the ways local SEO can act as a catalyst for profit enhancement, it's imperative to grasp the fundamentals of this intricate practice. Local SEO, in essence, is the art of optimizing a website and its online presence to magnetize more local customers. This multifaceted process encompasses an array of strategies and techniques, all aimed at augmenting a business's prominence within local search results.

Local SEO isn't just a digital accessory; it's the lifeblood of businesses with a tangible presence or those catering to specific geographic regions. When potential customers embark on quests to discover products or services in close proximity, search engines employ local SEO signals to deliver results that are not only relevant but also geographically pertinent. This signifies that a meticulously crafted local SEO strategy can function as a beacon, connecting businesses with local consumers who are actively seeking their offerings.

The Profit-Boosting Power of Local SEO

With a firm foundation in local SEO principles, we can now traverse the landscape of how it can tangibly impact a business's profitability:

Increased Visibility: Local SEO serves as the secret sauce that catapults businesses into the top echelons of search results when prospective customers scout for pertinent products or services within their vicinity. This surge in visibility invariably translates into an influx of website visitors and, in turn, an expanded pool of potential clients.

Targeted Visitors: Beyond sheer numbers, local SEO is an exercise in precision. It's about attracting not just more traffic but the right kind of traffic. By optimizing for locally relevant keywords and phrases, businesses can magnetize visitors who are not merely passersby but active seekers of specific services or products in close proximity.

Elevated Conversion Rates: A website fine-tuned for local SEO typically boasts essential information such as business hours, contact details, and the cherished testimonies of satisfied clients. This not only engenders trust but also facilitates the seamless discovery of your business by potential customers. When equipped with a robust online presence and positive reviews, businesses are primed for higher conversion rates.

Competitive Edge: Astonishingly, many businesses, particularly smaller local ones, underestimate the incredible value of local SEO. By investing in this realm, you can effortlessly outshine competitors who remain oblivious to the potential of optimizing their digital presence for local searches.

Cost-Effective Marketing: In an era where traditional advertising mediums like print ads and billboards can burn a hole in your budget, local SEO emerges as a cost-effective savior. It empowers you to reach an incredibly targeted audience without draining your financial resources, making it a boon for small businesses with modest marketing budgets.

Mobile-Friendly Optimization: As the world embraces smartphones with open arms, local searches have become ubiquitous. A robust local SEO blueprint ensures that your website is mobile-friendly, simplifying the process for on-the-go consumers to discover and connect with your business.

How Local SEO Boosts Sales

When you step back, the connection between local SEO and revenues is extremely clear.

More people are likely to become consumers if more people know about your company. Fortunately, there are a few variables you can monitor to determine how Local SEO affects your company.

Calls and Messages

An efficient Local SEO plan should increase traffic to your Google Business Profile. As a result, you ought to get more calls and messages on your business profile. Google does a wonderful job of removing spam calls, and occasionally they even let you know how many were stopped.

The Role of White Label SEO Labs

Now that the profound impact of local SEO is evident, it's time to pivot towards exploring how a collaborative endeavor with a white-label SEO lab can supercharge your business's profitability:

Expertise and Experience: White-label SEO labs are the true virtuosos of the search engine optimization realm. Armed with unparalleled expertise and a wealth of experience, they are adept at formulating and executing highly effective local SEO strategies. Collaborating with them allows you to tap into their reservoir of knowledge, ensuring your business remains on the cutting edge of SEO trends and best practices.

Scalability: Just as your business evolves and grows, so do your SEO requirements. White-label SEO labs offer scalable solutions that seamlessly adapt to your evolving needs. Whether you seek to expand your footprint to additional locations or enhance your online presence, these labs are equipped to provide unwavering support.

Resource and Time Savings: SEO is an unceasing endeavor that demands considerable time and resources. By entrusting your local SEO needs to a white-label lab, you can liberate valuable resources and precious time. This newfound bandwidth can be redirected towards fortifying other facets of your business, such as elevating customer service and refining product offerings.

Comprehensive Reporting: White-label SEO labs typically offer comprehensive reporting and in-depth analytics. These insights serve as the compass guiding your local SEO campaigns. You can make informed, data-driven decisions and fine-tune your plans for the best outcomes by using transparency as your guiding principle.

White-label services offer a special chance for your company to preserve its own brand identity while gaining the advantages of the SEO lab's experience. Due to this mutually beneficial relationship, your customers will view your company as the leading supplier of SEO services, enhancing your standing in the market.

Conclusion

In the ever-evolving landscape of Digital marketing local SEO has emerged as an indispensable facet for businesses seeking to connect with local clientele. Its numerous advantages, including heightened conversion rates, augmented visibility, and laser-focused traffic, along with a competitive edge, cannot be overlooked. It is prudent to contemplate a strategic alliance with a White label SEO Lab to amplify the impact of your local SEO endeavors. Through their invaluable expertise, scalability, and resource-efficient methodologies, your business can ascend to unprecedented heights in the online marketplace. Embrace the formidable influence of local SEO, and harness the expertise of White-label SEO laboratories to enhance profits and secure enduring success.

[tf2-oneshots]

(1/3) A three in one request with MediScout, DemoSniper and EngieSpy, where Scout and Demo are play arguing( which happens every weekend in private, because if either of their partners knew about it, they would never hear the end of it.) about who's partner is the better support, with both Impersonal ("He healed me which enabled me to snag a point" or "He headshot the enemy Soldier to save me the trouble of respawn") and Personal points in each argument  ("He called me his Most Pretty Specimen" and "He shared the secret to his family moonshine recipe") Then Engie walks in and they both ask him who's the better support. Engie replies with Neither, my partners the best : ). At which point, a second argument starts, and he is officially added into the weekly gushing about our partners to someone else.

A triple threat :0!! Hell yeah!! This will be part one of a multipart oneshot

Warnings: mild gore mention

Rating: teen and up

“Dude, Medic is the best! With his healing, I barely die anymore. The other Scout lost his shit last match.” Scout grabs a beer, popping the top off to gulp it down. He looks down at the abandoned board game on the table with pieces scattered randomly. Hopefully they can find them all when they eventually put it away.

“You should see the other Demo when Sniper ruins his sticky bomb traps. He throws a fit!” The Aussie’s sharp aim bursts the laid out bombs before the enemy comes close to activating them. Both men slip their empty bottles into the opened cases for recycling. Demo picks up the loose game pieces, tossing them back into the box. He doesn’t bother counting them and assumes that everything is in place. If not, oh well.

“Does Sniper call you sexy names in another language?” Scout can’t describe the shiver that runs through his body when Medic growls German pet names. He could walk past the man, and those sweet words would he uttered in a heartbeat. Of course, he would never know if Medic called him a bitch or darling.

“That’s my job, lad. Does Medic take you cryptid hunting?” An eye roll from the younger man. If Medic ever did that, it would include dissecting them in the same night. Scout tries not to think about the time he caught Medic coming back late at night after harvesting organs.

Before either of them can speak, Engineer enters the room. He looks between the pair while grabbing a beer for himself. The southerner takes note of yet another abandoned game. Do those two ever finish one?

“What are you fellas talking about?” Engineer takes a healthy gulp of his drink. His overalls are sticky with sweat after working in his shop all morning. Oil stains and small holes in his pant legs show the hard work he does everyday.

“Who’s got the best lass on his arm.” Scout laughs, nudging Demo with his foot under the table. Engineer joins in on the chuckling before he shakes his head at their antics. So typical of them.

“Well, for the record, Spy’s the best girlfriend out of all of y’all’s ladies.” While Scout gags, Demo laughs. He puts a hand on Engineer’s shoulder as the men chortle together. The Scotsman wipes away the tear in his eye and shakes his head.

“Be serious, lad. Does Spy bring you shark teeth?” He has several necklaces, one of which Demo is wearing under his vest. Sniper handmade each of them, careful to wrap the teeth in wire to keep them in place. He also made sure to give Demo every bit of information on the shark it came from until his mouth goes dry.

“Or carry you to bed?” Scout grins, chin in his palm as he thinks about his Medic. The younger likes to sit with him while he sterilizes his equipment. More often than not, Scout falls asleep somewhere in the examination room. Each time, Medic tenderly brings him to one of their bedrooms and tucks him in.

“No to both of y’all, but do your boys make you dinner? And I mean a real dinners with garnish and all them fancy bits.” There’s no doubt in Engineer’s mind that he gained a pound or two from Spy’s cooking. Those who can cook take turns doing so, but Spy makes a personal dish for Engineer. Plump ducks, roasted garlic spreads, and vegetables cooked in ways Engineer has never seen before.

“Fried gator isn’t fancy, but it’s sure as hell filling. Tastes like that chicken you love, laddie.” Demo says the second half to Scout. The batter now pauses, questioning if his beloved chicken hut serves actual chicken or gator substitute. It would make sense seeing how weirdly shaped some of the flats tend to be.

“Yeah, well, Medic lets me borrow his clothes. Sucks to be you guys.” Both men grumble at the fact. Of course they had to pick partners smaller than them. Engineer still hasn’t gotten back the flannel Spy borrowed during one of their dates. He’s starting to suspect he wasn’t actually cold that night.

“Now, listen—“

Onto part two! -H

[cbsxreader]

A s/o that works as a private chef? But not in the wholesome way but like competition chef way, very much like a Gordon Ramsey or a Sanji from one piece

Sure, why not?

Ps. To anyone who wants to make a request to me in the future, please specify which characters to write! (Don't take it personally, anon! Also, I hope I wrote it right!)

Also I'm going to write this in a Hell's Kitchen situation and the mercs are there.

The mercs with a S/o who is a competitive chef

Scout

Scout thought "What's the big deal?", before he actually saw what it meant to be a competitive chef.

He can't help but watch his S/o quickly moving through the food stations like it's nothing.

If anyone insults his S/o and he tries to defend them, most likely the other person arguing would make Scout return to his seat in silence..

But before that he hops over the counter and 'helps' his S/o.

Soldier

Is honestly a big fan of all the shouting and every dish being made as well as possible.

It's all fun and games until someone shouts at Soldier's S/o for screwing up.

Soldier immediately defends his S/o, shouting back at them to the point where they're both red-faced.

Security escorts Soldier and his S/o stays quiet.

When it comes to the actual food, he finds out which station his S/o is on and only orders from them.

Pyro

Just..stands there by the counter, watching their S/o.

Others would make a remark about their outer appearence, only for Pyro to stare into their soul.

S/o would have to shoo them away, so they don't disturb them.

And if Pyro hears someone praise S/o, the'll get S/o's attention and give them a sticker :)

Demoman

He would be the one who openly encourages and cheers on his S/o and helps them by shouting, for example, what should be taken off the heat, so it doesn't burn.

And if the others call this out, he will put on a strong scottish accent, defending his S/o.

His scottish rage towards the other contestants helps his S/o with dealing with them.

Engineer

Oh this poor man..

He's honestly worried for his S/o during the competition and afterwards he constantly asks them, if they're alright with being yelled at.

His S/o assures him that they're fine and it's completely normal and that they yell at others too, since it's all done to improve the chefs.

He might improve their equipment in secret, so their dishes are better. He just doesn't want his S/o to feel pressured.

Heavy

He knows he's a big man and would just be in the way of everything if he did what his S/o's great at.

He admires their agility and coordination skills. But he doesn't like others shouting at his S/o that's for sure.

Heavy feels the need to make sure the other contestants know that he's in a relationship with his S/o and intimidating them, so they don't try anything stupid.

Medic

He's a mix between Demo's supportiveness and Soldier's defensiveness.

He openly supports his S/o and at the same time, threaten anyone who insults his S/o. So, his partner isn't even surprised when a rival of theirs goes missing.

Might encourage his S/o to cheat and use drugs to boost their productivity during the competition. (I kinda imagine Medic to have sketchy drugs in his lab lol)

Sniper

Honestly, Sniper went in and watched his S/o, not knowing what to expect.

Only for the orders to start piling up and everyone getting angry.

Sniper then realizes how coordinated his S/o needs to be to cook a single dish and how they need to handle brutal insults said to their face.

He knows that he would crumble under the pressure, so he devellops a sort of respect for his S/o, especially after they spew out insults as well.

Overall very supportive and doesn't disturb his S/o.

Spy

He just might secretly sabotage anyone who's against his S/o.

And later his S/o might scold him for it because they want to play fairly and actually improve.

Spy, eventually, obliges and doesn't do anything shady.

He never misses a time when his S/o is in a competition, they might not see him because he's disguised, but he's always somewhere admidst the people.

Ms. Pauling

She actually quite likes the intensity of it all.

Like, this is her everyday, but in a restaurant.

Could actually think of some useful tips for her S/o to improve their performance while watching them compete.

If she has more free time than usual, she and her S/o practice, she sets up a timer while her S/o prepares a meal.

Would also cheer them on like Medic and Demoman.

Bonus!

All mercs would try to teach their S/o new swears, just in different ways.

Pyro would suggest something like: "Oh, biscuits!"

Engie and Heavy would try to "secretly" teach their S/o new swears, as if they're going to get in massive trouble.

And the mercs that are not american would teach unique swears from their homeland (I'm looking at Sniper and Demo specifically)

[grandromeo]

Scott x Dex

Dex looked at the back of Scotts head, the city of Bagastan, had opened his eyes to these strangers around him, and one thing he quickly noted was Scott wasn't what he was made out to be, after being swaddled in that blanket, it wasn't something he could easily erase from his mind. How could he?

Feeling his stomach tighten, Dex psychically shivered, not from disgust, but from the on going flips his stomach was creating, the butterflies that blossomed and fluttered about. This was something he hadn't Encountered all too often, if at all. Walking behind the rather tall druid, Dex started looking around, tailor shops, hat shops, equipment stock, bakeries, all of the amazing things around them that would easily play into their hands in the future.

Walking up to Scott who was in the middle of a conversation with Preston about weither or not Chili was a soup or a stew, Preston arguing that it was a soup while Scott was insisting that it was a stew. "Bug off, crooked, Scottie and I are going shopping," Dex declared as he wrapped his arms around Scotts arm and hugged it to his chest as if he was a needy child.

"Excuse me!" Preston began to argue but Dex looked back at him.

"Chili is in fact a stew and if you wanna fight, we'll do so after I take Scott with me somewhere," Dex shot back, "why don't you and Clarissa find a tavern or something," Dex waved them on and all while Scott was in the process of protesting, Dex lifted his head and looked up at him wickedly.

"What are we... Doing?" Scott asked both wildly concerned but also confused as Dex began dragging him through the shopping center, so the question came out as a whisper, as if this was something secretive that he might have forgot about.

While the pair walked away, Clarissa glanced at Preston and grabbed onto his jacket as he headed toward the tavern but Clarissa pulled him back toward the Harriet Mongoose Inn. "But-!" Preston stomped once before the fighter pointed.

"I am not taking care of yet another drunk, who throws up because he's a lightweight, Preston," Clarissa folded her arms much like a mother would to a stubborn child.

"Fine!" Preston stomped before marching to the Inn, complaining under his breath as Clarissa walked behind him, suddenly feeling like a bodyguard.

~~~

"Again, Dex, where are we going?" Scott asked while they rounded a corner and Dex stopped before looking at Scott with a warm smile and doe eyes.

"We're going shopping!" Dex clapped and Scott backed up from the cat.

"Why? Why are we shopping? I tend to go with Clarissa," Scott found himself anxiously scratching at the side of his thumb with his index finger.

Dex's gaze softened, "well, because you've kind of been busy taking care of everybody else, and making sure that we are all okay, and I think you need to unwind too, and what better way to do it than with your buddy ol' pal, Dex-y boy," Dex started seriously before he grinned toward the end of his answer as he gently jabbed his thumb to his heart like he was a proud Boy Scout.

Scott's hand dropped down to his side as he looked at Dex with eyes that weren't quite readable, mulling over all the possible outcomes but this wasn't the answer he was expecting, nobody seemed to follow his leadership, everybody is still chaotic even up to this point, "I-I mean, I mean I guess," he lifted his hand up and massaged the nape of his neck.

Dex grabbed onto Scott's hand and walked towards a tailor, "I know I bust your chops a lot bud, but don't think we don't see it, you're the one cleanin' us up when we are drunk off our asses, you try what you think is right for the team, you put yourself in the back just to make sure we are all okay," Dex patted the taller boys shoulder before he rushed Scott inside and looked for one of the working tailors, surprisingly it was a woman wearing a long striped sleeve with a vet over top and matching trousers.

'Purrfect!' Dex thought as he shoved Scott ever so slightly toward her, "Good day!" Dex said as he caught her attention, her glasses dipping on the bridge of her nose, her ears extra pointy, and her haired pulled back into a blonde bun, "my buddy Tippy Twoshoes, here has been looking for a new wardrobe, you see-"

"And who are you? Who's paying? Is there a type of style your looking for Mr. Twoshoes?" The woman asked.

Scott glanced down at Dex with anxious eyes but Dex only patted his shoulder, "whatever my dear friend here wants, he gets, I'll be back shortly!" Dex said with a cheery tone as he skipped out the door, his tail flicking side to side happily.

Scott glanced at the woman with scared eyes, 'why am I so scared, it's just a life or death game, right? No harm, no foul, just a game... just a game...' he thought to himself as he inhaled.

"My name is Marjorie, now what type of fabric would work best for you?" She asked as she gestured toward a more quiet and calm area, and began taking length measurements.

Scott trembled at the thought, Clarissa was the only one who knew, maybe if he told these NPC's that he was trans, maybe when he got back to the real world it would become easier, "uh... I'm not fully a guy," he looked at the elf with eyes of fear, "so, uhm, bigger clothes from the men's side, would be appreciated," he began scratching at the side of this thumb once more before Marjorie grabbed onto his hand with a smile only a mother could have painted on her features.

"Of course dear, you are my client after all, what you want to make you feel as you want, is what I want for you," she patted the tops of Scott's shoulders as she wandered off to find some clothing that she could find appropriate for such a request.

Scott fidgeted in his spot before he looked up as soon as the bell to the store rung and relaxation overcame him when he saw that Dex was back, looking around with a hint of worry, before spotting him and smiled as he rushed over, shoving his hands into the hoodie given to him.

"Where'd you go?" Scott asked.

"Oh nowhere, I went to go see where Clarissa and Preston went so we could head straight back when we have to leave," Dex said as he looked around for the elf lady-tailor, "so, did you find anything?" He asked.

"Not yet," Scott mumbled just as Marjorie returned with arms full of clothing.

"Try all of these on Mr. Twoshoes," she said as Dex snickered that she was still using the fake last name, "close the curtain and try them on and once you walk out, your friend here will help you decide which one works best.

Scott nodded his head as he stepped inside the changing room and he began removing his clothes, all while Dex sat down in a comfortable chair, removing his hands from the hoodie and holding onto what seemed to be tape, a perfect gift for Scott one day, not today, but eventually.

Slinking his hands and tape back into his pocket, Scott walked out wearing a dark blue button-up with a white vest and black trousers, "well?" Scott asked and Dex grinned.

"Do you like it?" Dex asked and Scott's eyes beamed with joy for the first time this entire trip.

"It feels amazing," Scott looked at Marjorie with clasped her hands together with a proud smile.

[aftokrator-official]

[for da oc meme] ALL OF THEM FOR UR SNIPER PLES TBANK YOU

sdkfjsd OKAY HAHA

@wannabe-etymologist also asked for 10, 15, and 16 for her, so... here!

What’s their name? Is there any meaning behind it?

Eskeri, or Essi for short. Presumably it's a Rhodokhroun name, but I haven't thought of an in-universe meaning for it yet skdjfskd

2. How old are they?

She's around 18, I think.

3. What is their occupation? If they are a student, which school do they go to?

She's at Border full time, living in the dorms at HQ. Her cover identity likely wouldn't hold up to close scrutiny, so finding work outside Border would be difficult. Though she's a bit of a recluse, so that probably doesn't bother her.

4. Who does their family consist of? (If they have pets, you can include them too)

She hasn't seen her family since she was taken to Aftokrator - I haven't quite decided if they were killed in an invasion or uprising, or if they're still alive but she was taken from them. I think her immediate family is her mother, father, and younger brother.

5. Are they from Mikado City originally or were they scouted by Border?

As previous answers may have implied lolol, she's a Neighbor originally from Rhodokhroun, though she was taken and conscripted at around 12-13 due to her high trion levels. Unlike Hyuse and House Ellin, the House that took her treated their conscripts very impersonally, and the lack of care led to botching her horn implantation. Eventually she was able to run away, though she couldn't get back to Rhodokhroun, and wound up going to Meeden to escape Aftokrator's reach.

6. What made them join Border?

She was picked up by Border shortly after arriving in Meeden, and as she didn't particularly pose a threat, she was allowed to remain on the condition that she enlisted so that Border could monitor her. Her status as a Neighbor is still a secret from everyone except the higher-ups and her squad captain.

7. When did they join Border?

Not solid on a timeline yet, but it's gotta be after Yuuma and Hyuse were already in Border, so having a Neighbor enlisted isn't much of a problem, especially one without the baggage Yuuma (Black Trigger) and Hyuse (enemy combatant) had.

8. What’s their position at Border?

She's a sniper. Which is completely different from how she fought as an Afto soldier, actually - I get the feeling that fighters who heavily specialize in long range combat like Border's snipers are not that common among Neighbors, from the ones we've seen. But the idea of picking off her foes at a distance appealed to her, and she's quite good at it.

9. What rank are they? Are they a part of a squad? If so, what squad is it?

She's in Kozue Squad - a B-rank squad with two Attackers (@blackapollonia's Naoko and Akemi) and their Operator/captain (@promisinininining's Kiyomi). I imagine she was kind of sprung on them - Essi herself probably wasn't too keen on the idea of joining a squad at all, but it's not easy to go it alone as a sniper, and it's hard to imagine any Operator wanting to partner up with her as a solo combatant anyway lmao. So their teamwork is pretty rough at first. She's also a much better sniper than her solo rank would suggest, because she skips training constantly and only really does the bare minimum to get by. Border's sniper division is a pretty friendly, close-knit group, and Essi has resisted every bit of it lol. In Afto, she was consistently one of the lowest-performing soldiers in her unit, thanks to her malfunctioning horns making Horn Triggers very difficult for her to use, and Trion levels that - while high for Border (probably in the 7-9 range) - are pretty low for a horned soldier. So she's still not really used to thinking of herself as skilled.

10. What do their Main Trigger and Sub Trigger consist of?

She equips all three sniper rifles (though favors Egret), Bagworm, Shield, and I think she'd make good use of a Chameleon as well. I think she'd carry something for short-to-midrange combat to use in a pinch as well, because she's pretty decent at it thanks to her Afto training despite not officially having any Attacker or Shooter training in Border. Maybe Hound? Haven't decided.

11. Do they have a side effect? If so, what is it?

No Side Effect. Her Trion levels are high for Border, probably in the 7-9 range, but middling to poor for an Afto soldier, thanks to her half-functional horns.

12. Do they have a mentor or a mentee? If so, who are they?

I'd really like to inflict her on one of her sniper senpais, though I haven't decided who - it would have to be someone pretty persistent and pushy, because I can't imagine she wants any part of being mentored haha. Someone'll probably see her potential and make an attempt, though. I could see someone like Satori or Touma being impervious enough to her bad attitude to try it.

13. How did the large invasion four and a half years ago impact their view on the Neighbors?

She's a Neighbor herself and wasn't around for the invasion, but she does deeply despise Aftokrator for what they did to her and her nation - so she probably has more in common with Kido Faction than they or she would be entirely comfortable with.

14. Do they want to go on the away mission or not? Why?

Probably not - she has the (partly paranoid, but partly accurate) idea lodged in her head that returning to the Neighborhood at all would only paint a target on her back for Aftokrator. There is a part of her that would very much like to return to Rhodokhroun, but she has long given up on that being possible for her - which, again, is partly realistic (it would be difficult for her to escape Afto's notice in their own vassal state) and partly a product of learned helplessness from her Afto indoctrination.

15. Amongst Border agents, who do they usually hang out with?

She's extremely untrusting and antisocial in general, so she hasn't endeared herself to many and doesn't socialize much with people outside of her squad. She's very quiet and withdrawn, and comes across as shy at first, but once she's opened her mouth it doesn't take long for her rude, acerbic personality to shine through... which puts people off, and that is mostly on purpose. I could see a fellow sniper or two making an attempt to crack through her shell, though. Depending on timeline, it'd be really cute if an older Chika was able to get her to open up. And of course Azuma might be patient and kind enough to manage it, too (someone please tell me not to give Azuma the World's Worst Daughter) I also think she might have some aptitude for trion engineering, thanks to her past - we know Rhodokhroun has strong Trion Soldier forces despite their small size, and if her parents were involved with developing them at all, the engineering labs might be a place she would immediately feel comfortable. So it'd be cute to have her sort of friendly - or at least Less Rude - with a few of the engineers. They let her hide out in engineering when she wants to avoid people and in return she'll help tinker with triggers that need repair or modifications.

16. Is there a shop in Mikado City they like to frequent?

Not at first, I don't think. She's reclusive and also honestly pretty scared of going out in the open outside of Border, at least early on. Eventually, I could see her having very strong opinions about which restaurants she prefers, and it'd be cute to see someone drag her out of her shell a little to experience more of Meeden for herself.

[mumblesplash]

wait what's your dick characterization then? in a pervious ask you mentioned you had a pretty concrete perception of dick... do you mind sharing?

oh not at all, although it’s kinda hard for me to figure out how to put stuff like this into words so apologies in advance if this gets a little all over the place

this might be a bit of a weird place to start but given that i’m an artist i have an easier time thinking in terms of visuals, so first off: when i think ‘dick grayson’ i’m almost always referring to nightwing, but i consider ‘used to be robin’ such an integral part of his character that it informs a significant chunk of his design. like i usually draw his hair neatly cropped and parted symmetrically down the middle, reminiscent of but not exactly the same as this kind of hairstyle:

which is kinda funny considering when i do draw him as robin i just have his hair sticking up all over the place, but in my defense i think he’s too young to care about his hair here

it’s not all about surface level looks though, i see even modern nightwing dick as evoking the general vibe of golden age comics, if more in idealism than aesthetics. he’s got kind of a boy scout thing going on, and it feeds into his approach to vigilantism more than anything else. that’s part of why, if you’re prone to noticing these sorts of things, i always draw him as having better posture and more dramatic body language in costume than in civvies

might be as good a time as any to bring up that i think dick is a standout case among all the bats concerning his secret identity — i think nightwing and dick grayson are distinct aspects of his personality, but they are both equally Him. to contrast—there’s an argument to be had as to whether or not batman is the ‘real’ bruce, at the very least his two identities seem starkly separated from each other, i don’t see cass as being meaningfully distinct from black bat/orphan(?) at all, to jason red hood is a symbol and a statement and a threat, to damian robin is a legacy, etc. dick grayson and nightwing are just different genuine pieces of the same person.

as for more specific personality stuff, despite the Classic Superhero streak i think dick is ultimately more devoted to people than any kind of moral code. so like for instance the fact that he follows the no-kill rule has much more to do with loyalty to bruce than his own ideals. i don’t think he *wants* to kill in general (more than anything else i see dick grayson as just a deeply, profoundly Good person. not to say he’s perfect or can’t make mistakes, but in my more melodramatic moments i’d just outright say his real superpower is having the strongest moral compass in the entire dc universe) but his strict adherence to that rule isn’t due to personal conviction or some kind of necessary self-control

on an interpersonal level (and i’m keeping this within the batfam bc 1) limited knowledge and 2) this is already getting long) i’ve mentioned before i think he’s got a serious case of eldest daughter syndrome, but unlike most such cases he’s actually pretty well equipped for dealing with it. to an extent. he takes on responsibility almost automatically, and has an impressive capacity for managing people and anticipating what they need (emotionally or otherwise). combined with his experience leading a team, his training, and being a naturally gifted strategist, he has a hard time justifying looking the other way when his family needs him. unfortunately he’s also one of those people who keeps operating at peak performance right up until the second he falls apart entirely, and he’s much more cognizant of his physical limits than his emotional ones.

(relatedly but kind of a side note, i have a whole Thing about his relationship with damian i’m very in my feelings about it don’t look at me)

imo the fanon idea of him as The Fun One or the emotional one is wildly oversimplified and downplays his competence, but there’s a little bit of truth to it, in that a lot about dick grayson flies directly in the face of the darkness he’s surrounded by. tbh if i had my way he would always be written specifically as a slap in the face to anyone who sees kindness as naive, but i understand that my desire to weaponize fiction in response to things i find mildly irritating is “unsustainable” and “you can’t just do literally everything out of spite” or whatever

but also lowkey i think my joke character summary for him from way back in like january when i knew almost nothing abt dc and was p much just poking fun at the fandom still kinda hits

[ahsofficial]

“Welcome to the AHS! We’re happy to have you!”

--Warning--

This blog contains writings and imagery containing some blood, gore, and other zombie-related content. If this kind of content disturbs you, do not continue.

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“To say it’s the end of the world would be inaccurate. The human race is far from nearing extinction, but it's no secret that we are smaller, with oceans of the dead separating us for many miles. While the governments of old are still out there, whatever they’re planning will likely occur long after I’m gone.”

This blog belongs to @aves-arts and covers the zombie au of my oc universe! Vick Pavlova and Jennifer Thompson emerge from their bunker to find the city of Nuevo Recinto in shambles. Together, they navigate the new post-apocalyptic world that was thrust upon them and face the logistics of managing a community.

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Synopsis

Vick Pavlova was the head of an organized crime syndicate that operated around the globe. She’s the type to always have a plan for any situation. 

When the outbreak jumped across the pond and made its way to the east coast, Vick sent an emergency alert to her facilities and those who would be useful in a disaster situation. Underneath her offices was an expansive underground facility that could house several hundred people in an emergency. Once the final day to enter came, the office entered a full lockdown. Sealing itself from the outside.

The military scrambled to set up defenses against the undead hordes, but the sheer number of people meant that no fortification could hold out forever. 

While they were underground, members of the Cobalt bunker would be sent out into the city through the subway tunnels to scout the city and scavenge supplies on occasion. For months on end, they bided their time for the perfect time to emerge. 

When the day came, the world they returned to was unforgiving. The deteriorating barricades and empty safehouses told a story they’d soon be a part of.

When the military abandoned the city, some of those left behind banded together. The Clique was a group dedicated to working alongside each other and helping as many people as they could. Safehouses were established, makeshift hospitals were maintained, and an aura of hope brewed in those who wanted to bring back some semblance of normalcy. 

However, The Clique began to stretch themselves thin. It became harder and harder to keep up with the responsibility placed on them. The dream of a better future died when those most capable of maintaining security defected from The Clique. The last of the group were wiped out at the Griffith Observatory safehouse by the newly formed Marshals.

Formed from the remnants of the Nuevo Recinto Police Department, The New Marshals are the dominant force in the city. Once fighting to restore order to the city, they regressed and resorted to more aggressive tactics long before those in the Cobalt bunker returned to the surface.

Once those from the bunker established the Cobalt Refuge - the Marshals resorted to recruiting lowly raiders as nothing more than cannon fodder to bolster their numbers against the Cobalt Refuge. Getting into conflict with Vick’s group has caused the number of actual former police to dwindle even more.

Outside of these conflicts, the city of Nuevo Recinto is still home to many survivors. Despite the outbreak, it is not uncommon to come across others in your travels through the city. Along with this, the former military occupation has left the city with an abundance of supplies and equipment. 

Needless to say, Nuevo Recinto is a city bursting with opportunity. With the headache The Marshals have proven to be, Vick has to make the tough calls between her group and theirs - not to mention what other groups may exist outside of the walls of the Cobalt Refuge.

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Tags to use

Posts on here will be placed in relevant tags for convenience! Whatever you’re interested in looking into, the list will be laid out here.

#🤺-Groups of Interest  (Faction related lore/content) #🕴️-Persons of Interest (Characters in the Zombie AU) #🧟-Afflicted Individuals(Lore about the infected themselves) #🗺️- Global News (Lore about Nuevo Recinto and the world itself) #🏠- Points of Interest (Location related lore/content) #🎨-Outbreak Creations (Zombie AU artwork) #✏️-Written Accounts (Stories about Zombie AU) #🧾-Salvaged Intel (Posters/signage/etc from the outbreak) #📟-Cobalt Documents (Lore about Vick’s group) #📈-Day 0 (Relating to the beginning of the outbreak) #📉-Day 100 (Relating to the post-apocalypse) #🔮-Unreliable Intel (Non-canon to Zombie AU) #🧑‍🤝‍🧑-Familiar Faces (Characters originating outside the AU) #👪-Strangers (Original Zombie AU characters) #🎬-Related Media (Relating to other zombie media)

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Final Words

Thanks for stopping by on my little blog! I've always been a huge fan of zombie media of all kinds. This blog is a labor of love that I hope interests other fans of the genre. If you have any asks feel free to send them my way! If you make any zombie or zombie-related artwork or ocs I'd love to see them!

[thecreaturecodex]

Devil, Orthon

Image by Daarken, © Wizards of the Coast.

[The last devil from Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes that I intend to cover, and the only one where I have used the 3.5 version at the table. They worked okay, but their lack of flavor text hurt incorporating them into a campaign. I like 5e’s flavor text for them as elite soldiers and bounty hunters. These statistics are a blend of the 3.5 and 5e versions.

Also, when doing research for this conversion, I discovered that Orthon is the name of the benevolent alien that supposedly contacted George Adamski and inspired his New Age UFO cult. I wonder if the original author knew that, or was just playing around with phonemes and didn’t look it up.]

Devil, Orthon CR 10 LE Outsider (extraplanar) This hulking humanoid is hairless, with beady eyes and curving tusks. It carries a polearm and brass crossbow, and wears a suit of spiked armor.

Orthons are the elite soldiers of the malebranches, used as advance scouts on mortal worlds in order to find weaknesses and eliminate key sources of resistance. When not assigned to these duties, they are employed as bounty hunters, targeting the enemies of Hell and bringing them back, dead or alive. An orthon is tireless in its pursuit of a quarry, and they enjoy testing their skills against elite opponents.

An orthon’s typical equipment is a polearm and crossbow, but they are still deadly with just their fists and tusks. Creatures shot by an orthon’s bolts cannot teleport away, and an orthon can tailor its shots with energy types calculated to damage particular foes. It typically uses fire against mortals, electricity against devils who have gone rogue, and sonic damage against demons. If a bounty is decreed to be brought back alive, the orthon attempts to knock it unconscious before using temporal stasis to keep it safe as a prisoner. When critically injured, an orthon explodes, the better to keep its knowledge secret and spitefully lash out at any surviving enemies.

Orthons work well with other devils, and may be used as field commanders directing armies of barbazu, magaav and merregons. Each orthon’s loyalty is to its malebranche above all others, and orthons with different masters often find themselves in competitive rivalries. Despite their bulk, orthons are remarkably stealthy and good climbers, and often are used in Hell as sentries and snipers.

Orthon  CR 10 XP 9,600 LE Large outsider (devil, evil, extraplanar, lawful) Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +17, see in darkness, see invisibility Defense AC 24, touch 12, flat-footed 21 (-1 size, +3 Dex, +6 natural, +6 armor) hp 126 (12d10+60) Fort +9, Ref +11, Will +10 DR 10/good and silver; Immune fire, poison; Resist acid 10, cold 10; SR 21 Offense Speed 20 ft., climb 15 ft. (30 ft., climb 20 ft. unarmored) Melee masterwork guisarme +17/+12/+7 (2d6+9/x3), gore +12 (1d8+3) or 2 slams +17 (1d6+6), gore +17 (1d8+6) Ranged masterwork light crossbow +14/+9/+4 (2d6/19-20 plus anchoring shot) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. (15 ft. with guisarme) Special Attacks charge bolt, death throes Spell-like Abilities CL 12th, concentration +16 Constant—see invisibility At will—greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. only), invisibility 3/day—quickened invisibility, order’s wrath (DC 18), unholy blight (DC 18) 1/day—dimensional lock, temporal stasis (DC 22) Statistics Str 22, Dex 16, Con 21, Int 15, Wis 15, Cha 18 Base Atk +12; CMB +19; CMD 32 Feats Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Power Attack, Quick Draw, Quicken SLA (inivisibility), Rapid Reload (light crossbow) Skills Bluff +19, Climb +26, Knowledge (geography, planes) +17, Perception +17, Sense Motive +17, Stealth +19, Survival +17; Racial Modifiers +8 Stealth Languages Celestial, Common, Draconic, Infernal, telepathy 100 ft. SQ choke up Ecology Environment any land or underground (Hell) Organization solitary, squad (2-5) or troop (6-12) Treasure standard (masterwork spiked breastplate, masterwork cold iron guisarme, masterwork light crossbow with 40 bolts, other treasure) Special Abilities Anchoring Shot (Su) Any creature struck by a bolt fired by an orthon is effected as per a dimensional anchor spell that lasts 24 hours or until dispelled (CL 12th). This is a property of the orthon, not its crossbow. Charge Shot (Su) As a swift action, an orthon can charge a crossbow bolt. If that bolt hits, it deals an extra 5d6 points of acid, cold, electricity, fire or sonic damage, of the orthon’s choosing. Choke Up (Ex) An orthon can make attacks with a reach weapon within its natural reach by taking a -2 penalty on its attack rolls. Death Throes (Su) When reduced to 0 hit points, an orthon explodes, dealing 5d6 points of fire damage and 5d6 points of piercing damage to all creatures in a 20 foot radius (Reflex DC 21 halves). The save DC is Constitution based.

[renaerys]

Okay I've got one: Prompt 15 with Reds. 🤣🤣🤣

15. “I can’t hear a word you’re saying, I just keep thinking about how good that mouth feels.”

Somehow they can make even breathing a competition.

Send me a prompt and some characters! Reminder that the challenge is to make everything SFW, so we're getting creative here.

List of prompts

xxx

“So, we’ve called the paramedics and they’re on their way, but until they arrive it’s up to us. Remember the acronym, kids: C-A-B. What’s the first thing you do?”

Aiyeesha Simpson, a gunner in the making destined for academic greatness and social ruin, raised her eager hand. “Find a flat surface to lay him down!”

“Correct.” Blossom took Brick by the shoulders and shoved him down to the floor. A gaggle of Girl Scouts gathered around him as he wheezed for air.

“Ow,” he said.

Blossom patted his chest. “Please choke more quietly.”

I will end you, he thought so loudly he hoped she could hear him through the murder in his eyes. There was community service, and then there was cruel and unusual punishment. When his required hours were up and his record expunged, he was going to write a very negative Yelp review of the local Townsville Girls Scouts of America chapter and tank this year’s cookie sales. Supremely annoying, outrageously petty, and totally legal. That would teach Blossom for sure.

“Place your hands here between the nipples.”

Some of the Cadette Girl Scouts giggled. To be fair, Blossom of all people saying the word nipples in reference to her former mortal enemy as she trained a room full of twelve-year-old girls in CPR using him as the dummy was a perfect storm of absurd and kinky that he did not see coming. And now he was giggling himself, because he was a teenaged boy who thought the word nipples was funny regardless of the very clear contextual cues, and that pubescent shame was on him, one hundred percent.

Blossom, an ancient and inconveniently attractive evil resurrected in a lab for the sole purpose of making his life miserable, did not appreciate his amusement. “Push hard at a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute. Remember to put your bodyweight behind it, like this.”

Brick flexed, and Blossom pushed against his heart like she was trying to crush it in her hands. Once, twice, three times she administered compressions, and Brick’s eyes glowed red with impotent rage.

“Assist Blossom with her CPR lessons to her satisfaction, and we can forget this ever happened,” Mayor Bellum had promised Brick when he lost his temper and blew up an (empty) ambulance. Butch didn’t need his Super stomach pumped no matter how much he drank, so the ambulance and the four-figure bill that came with it were completely unnecessary. This defense did not convince the mayor, however.

The promise of the bill forgiven and his record cleared—and the deterrence of Aiyeesha Simpson filming the whole thing to upload to YouTube later—gave Brick the strength not to eye beam Blossom in front of the children.

“Okay, who wants to try chest compressions on the dummy?” Blossom offered to the girls.

You evil bitch, thought the aforementioned dummy.

After the third little girl properly placed her sticky, little girl hands between his nipples, Brick had had enough. “Hey, I’m still dying over here. Can we move on already? Jesus Christ.”

“Of course.” Blossom smiled, and she had never looked more terrifying.

Brick hoped Butch was suffering. He hoped he was hung over so bad he couldn’t piss standing up. He hoped Butch tried going online only to find that Brick had disconnected the Internet and cut him off from all his online games and porn because fuck Butch and his weak-ass stomach.

“Who knows what the next step is? Maybe someone other than Aiyeesha this time?”

None of the other girls seemed willing to stick their hands up. The carpet under Brick had scorched where his power leaked out in his building resentment for this entire situation. The smell of burned polyester just made him feel even more powerless to stop this.

“No? Okay, well, remember the acronym. A is for airway. You want to be careful about a possible neck injury, so gently lift the chin…”

Blossom’s hands were not sticky like the Girl Scouts’ hands, but they were cold where they touched his skin and forced his head back.

“Are the paramedics here yet?”

Brick got a tight fist in his short hair for that one, and he considered it a small victory. “No. Something about a shortage of ambulances, apparently.”

Biiiiiiiitch.

God, he was going to destroy her so bad.

“Once you’ve cleared the airway and confirmed there are no obstructions—”

“Then you kiss!”

Some girls picked up the giggling again. Blossom, ever the professional, cleared her throat. “Mouth to mouth is a life-saving procedure and not something I’d recommend doing to someone you plan to kiss.”

Wow, great advice.

Some girls still giggled and whispered to each other. Brick had a sinking feeling that this was only going to end with his embarrassment: everyone knew that the cold judgment of pre-pubescent girls was the absolute worst type of judgment a person could suffer.

“Are you gonna show us?”

“Well, I don’t think I need to show you all how to breathe—”

“It’s in the manual! You have to demonstrate every step.” Aiyeesha waved the CPR manual, and Brick realized his misjudgment. She was no vapid goody two-shoes in the making, but a future Honors Student with a secret, a Work Hard Party Harder, an Ivy League Early Decision candidate with all of senior spring semester to slack off because no one was ever going to touch her 4.3 GPA.

Aiyeesha beamed a winning smile at Brick, and it was as chilling as Blossom’s.

Jesus Christ, there are two of them.

True to form, Blossom had never been able to defy a good instructions manual. “I suppose if it says so in the manual…”

Locking lips with Blossom was not a big deal. He’d done it before when they were kids, and he could appreciate the irony of a gesture meant to save his life this time rather than end it. She didn’t even try to mess with him by using her ice breath, just went through the motions as described in the instructions. The girls were disappointed with the lack of hormonal fanfare of it all, which was probably for the best. Leave it to Blossom to make mouth to mouth the sexless, medical act it was literally intended to be. He was almost upset, because it felt like she’d won something here, which could only mean he’d lost.

Disappointed but more educated than they’d been when they’d arrived two hours ago, the Girl Scouts dispersed after the lesson, leaving Blossom and Brick to put away the equipment they’d used.

She held a dummy torso, and she was looking at him with that pinched, constipated look she got when she was about to say something especially snobby. Instead, she surprised him. “Brick, thanks for being mature about it. I can honestly say you surprised me.”

He stared at her.

“I’ll talk to Mayor Bellum. I’m sure you’ve done enough to meet your hours quota.”

He had not fulfilled even half of his required community service hours and they both knew it.

“So yeah, thanks. I can finish up here if you want to leave.”

Was she trying to get rid of him? Why?

“Brick? Why are you looking at me like that?”

When Blossom was winning, he was losing. That was simply the way of the world. So, if she was losing, it could only mean he was winning.

“Are you listening to me?”

Brick smiled in what he hoped was a cool, sexy way if he imagined looking at anyone but Blossom. “I can’t hear a word you’re saying. I just keep thinking about how good that mouth feels.”

Blossom stared. “I’m sorry?”

He would make her sorry.

“Yeah, you’re a great teacher. I could really feel your passion for demonstrating the lesson correctly. With your mouth.”

Her staring intensified. “Did you.”

“Oh, yeah.” He leaned his hip against the table like he’d seen in the movies. It worked for Daniel Craig in Casino Royale, and that guy had convinced Eva Green. Iconic. “I could really feel you trying to save me.”

Where was Aiyeesha with her phone to film this? There was so little he could do to rattle Blossom as they got older, and while the challenge delighted him, it was also exhausting being constantly a step behind her. Was this truly her demise? Had he won the Teenage Experience? Was this poetic justice for how she’d once killed him with a mere kiss, only to suffer the same fate in turn? He could have cackled. This was better than trolling the Girl Scouts of America reviews, although he might still do that because it was a genius idea and he had always indulged his own genius ideas when they came to him.

So infatuated was he with his own self-fellating digression that he was slow to react to Blossom sidling up to him. Her hand was still cold on his chin, and it sent a shiver down his spine. “Shall I save you again?”

Brick’s dignity drained with his blood, which was an unfortunate side-effect of being a teenaged boy that he would just have to suffer. But winning was about recognizing one’s weaknesses and working around them. He leaned into her personal space. “Please.”

He wasn’t sure who kissed who first, but it was happening and all he could think was I am better at this than you and I hate you and also Do that again. He tried holding her waist, and she fought back with her fingers in his hair. Not one to be deterred, Brick tried some tongue but pulled back when he tasted thirty degrees below zero. He immediately went back in because he could feel her superiority, her Got you, you horny idiot, but the joke was on her because he liked her cold, always had when it was hot as balls out and he’d make up any excuse to pick a fight with her just for the chance to cool off.

The Girl Scout troop leader walked in on them competitively making out in the classroom like it was an Olympic sport and put an end to things, leaving them at a frustrating draw for now. They said barely a word to each other when Brick glared at the troop leader so bad she flustered and didn’t even question them before running out of there with some excuse about getting the wrong room.

Later that evening, Brick caved and changed the Internet password back just so Butch would quit whining at him. He Googled kissing techniques and spent the next hour and a half watching YouTube videos and reading GQ articles about How to Please Her Like a Champion, because he was a champion and a winner and he was not going to lose to Blossom in this. Not a chance.

This had to be what they meant when they said kill with kindness.

“I’m going to end you,” he muttered to himself as he read about the top ten highest voted movie kissing scenes, which he would then stream and commit to memory in order to be fully armed and armored for the next time he encountered Blossom alone in a classroom. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe during their shared free period.

Truly, he had the most genius ideas.

xxx

If you enjoy my writing, check out more of my fics on AO3, link in my profile. I’m currently updating Trinity House and The Alchemy of Us. Thanks for reading!