#Exercise glider

[backyardshadescape]

Best Push Up Machine – Perfect Form, Maximum Results

A Push Up Machine is a fitness device that not only guides you on proper form, muscle targeting, and injury prevention.

[excelfit]

Effective Ways to Build Core and Abs Quickly

Building a strong core is crucial for improving overall fitness, stability, and posture. If you're looking for fast and effective ways to strengthen your core and sculpt your abs, incorporating the right exercises and equipment can make all the difference. Here's how you can speed up the process with targeted workouts like the ab coaster exercise and using tools like the abdomen king machine, while also enjoying the many ab core benefits.

1. Incorporate the Ab Coaster Exercise

The ab coaster exercise is a fantastic way to target the lower, middle, and upper abdominal muscles all at once. Unlike traditional crunches, the ab coaster works by engaging your entire core as you move your legs in a sweeping arc, placing tension on your abs throughout the movement. It's a great tool for those looking to build core strength quickly while minimizing strain on the back and neck. Some of the ab core benefits of this exercise include:

- Improved core stability and balance.

- Targeted muscle engagement for faster results.

- Low-impact on the spine, making it a safer option for people with back issues.

2. Use the Abdomen King Machine

Another effective piece of equipment is the abdomen king machine, which focuses on upper and lower abs as well as the obliques. This machine provides guided motion and adjustable resistance, allowing you to progressively increase the intensity of your workout. It’s especially useful for those looking to see rapid results in their core development. Key ab core benefits of the abdomen king machine include:

- Adjustable resistance to suit various fitness levels.

- Comprehensive engagement of abdominal muscles.

- Helps sculpt and define the abs quickly by focusing on specific muscle groups.

3. Perform Compound Movements

Along with using targeted machines like the ab coaster and abdomen king machine, incorporating compound movements such as planks, leg raises, and mountain climbers is essential for full core activation. These exercises not only work your abs but also engage your lower back, glutes, and hip flexors, giving you a complete core workout. Doing these exercises regularly will maximize the ab core benefits and contribute to quicker muscle definition.

4. Focus on High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

To speed up fat loss and reveal your abdominal muscles, combining core exercises with High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a must. Short bursts of intense exercises like sprinting, jump squats, and burpees, followed by brief rest periods, will accelerate fat burning while simultaneously engaging your core. This type of workout will not only help you build core strength but also shred fat quickly, making your abs more visible.

5. Maintain a Clean Diet

Even the best exercises won't show results without proper nutrition. To reveal your abs and maximize the ab core benefits of your workouts, maintaining a clean, balanced diet is crucial. Focus on lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, and plenty of vegetables. Reducing excess fat around your midsection will allow your abdominal muscles to shine through faster.

6. Stretch and Recover

Don't underestimate the importance of stretching and recovery when trying to build core strength quickly. Stretching helps improve flexibility, prevent injury, and maintain good posture—all of which contribute to better core engagement during your workouts. Recovery time also allows your muscles to repair and grow, giving you stronger abs over time.

Conclusion

Building core strength and achieving defined abs doesn’t have to take forever. By incorporating targeted exercises like the ab coaster exercise and using the abdomen king machine, combined with compound movements and HIIT workouts, you can fast-track your results. Add a clean diet and proper recovery to the mix, and you’ll be well on your way to enjoying the full range of ab core benefits in no time

[doc-pickles]

waking up in vegas | matthew tkachuk x hughes!sister (pt.10)

series masterlist

summary: siblings come to visit and everything changes

warnings: none :)

a/n: okay this is the last official part of this fic BUT I have lots of one shots, social media blurbs, and headcanons rolling around in my head so this is not the end of this universe! thank you all so much for loving this fic as much as you do! i didn't think that this random idea in my head would turn into something so big but I am SO happy it did. i hope you all love this ending as much as I do!

xoxo

nina

“Does the crib really need to be built today?” Matthew groaned as he sat on the floor of the nursery. 

“We’re a month out from my due date, we need to be prepared as possible,” you smiled at him from your spot perched on the glider in the corner of the room. “Think of it as a team building exercise.”

Matthew scoffed, “And what team is that?”

“Team Tkachuk, obviously.”

Matthew smirked up at you, ears tinged pink at the comment. Your relationship had blossomed since your confessions to each other and you found yourself falling more and more in love with him everyday. 

“Okay fine, but only because I know if I don’t build this you’ll try and do it by yourself tomorrow when I go to the rink and that’s the last thing I want.”

“Aw you know me so well,” you laughed as you pressed your fingers into your side. “Your kid is trying to break my ribs over here. Maybe they’ll take up soccer instead of hockey.”

“Don’t put that evil out there,” Matthew glared up at you as you smiled sweetly at him. “He’s gonna be a third generation hockey player.”

“And if it’s a girl?”

Matthew paused for a moment then went back to assembling the crib pieces, “Then she can be the first female NHL player.”

+

The regular season finished up two weeks before your due date, much to your relief. While you were sad the Panthers hadn’t made it into the playoffs you were happy to not have to worry about Matthew possibly missing the birth of your child.  

You and Matthew were enjoying a slow Saturday, sipping coffee and eating breakfast in the kitchen, when a loud knock interrupted your peaceful morning. 

“Who the hell is here at 8 AM,” you grumbled as Matthew headed toward the door. 

A flood of voices sounded out and before you could react all three of your brothers are standing in your kitchen. 

“What- how? What the hell are you guys doing here?” You stuttered over your words as your brothers smiled at you. “Oh my god!”

You were up and out of your seat in seconds as you went to hug all three of them. Laughter echoed around the room as your brothers brought you into their embrace. 

“You look amazing sissy,” Luke said as you pulled back, your nickname from your twin warming your heart. “Little man’s ready to pop, huh?”

“It could be a girl,” you insisted as your brothers snorted and laughed at you. “You guys suck! Worst brothers ever!”

“Sweet, the bar is on the floor,” you turned to see Brady, Emma, and Taryn standing in the entryway. “Taryn we got them beat for best siblings.”

You looked between everyone before turning to Matthew who wore his smirk that you loved so much, “Figured you might want to see everyone before Baby T comes.”

With a grin you launched yourself at Matthew, not caring about your siblings as you pressed a sweet kiss to his lips. Your brothers and Brady groaned as Taryn and Emma whooped behind you. You'd confided about everything happening between you and Matthew to the girls and they were overjoyed to hear things were going well. 

“This is borderline harassment,” Luke groaned as you and Matthew pulled apart, his arms tightly wrapped around you. “I didn’t sign up for this.”

“My house, you have to deal with me kissing my husband,” you grinned as Matthew squeezed your hips affectionately. “I’m so glad you’re all here! I missed you!” 

“We have a whole day planned,” Taryn smirked as you frowned at her. “Which we know you probably don’t want to do much, but we also know that the nursery still needs some work. So we’re here to help clean and build things and get everything ready for my niece. Well I am, I don’t know about the boys.”

You all settled in for breakfast, Brady producing a box of bagels and donuts while Quinn dished out coffees for everyone. Your siblings talked animatedly while Mathew kept you close in his hold, his hands never leaving you for more than a few seconds. 

“Okay we’re going to work on the nursery,” Quinn announced. “Why don’t you… You and Taryn and Emma can go get pedicures? I don’t know what girls do, just keep yourself busy and don’t worry about us.” 

You glared at Quinn, looking between your brothers, Brady, and Matthew, “If I had to worry about anyone it would be you five. Don’t ruin my baby’s room.” 

Matthew grinned as he leaned down to kiss you, one hand coming up to cup your ever growing bump, “Enjoy yourself a little, yeah? And call me if you need anything.”

You blushed under his gaze, nodding as you leaned in for one more kiss. When you pulled apart your eyes flitted to your brothers who were all watching silently. With a quick thank you, you and Emma and Taryn headed out the door. 

+

“Soooo…?”

Looking over your sandwich you rolled your eyes at Taryn, “Just ask what you want to.”

“How’re things with Matthew,” Taryn eyed you warily, Emma raising an eyebrow in your direction . “Asking as a friend not a sister by the way.”

With a pause you stared at your lunch, thinking back on the past few months. From Thanksgiving to now your life had changed so much. Moving to Florida, falling in love with Matthew, preparing to be a mom… All of these were experiences that had changed you so much. 

“It’s good… It’s great actually,” you sighed and smiled at the girls. “I don’t know Matty is just different now. He’s so sweet and caring and… And I love him. I’ve never said it but I do. I wouldn’t pick anyone else to have a baby with or be married to. The ways my life has changed have been so crazy but I wouldn’t change anything.”

Taryn looked at you with teary eyes and grabbed your hand across the table, “I’m so happy for you two. Three. God I can’t believe Matt is gonna be a dad.”

“He’s such a different person,” Emma remarked. “Even Brady thinks so. I’m glad you two have found each other, no matter how unconventional it was.”

The three of you laughed together and finished your lunch. Exiting the restaurant you headed toward your car, pausing to grab Taryn’s arm, “Tare?”

“Yeah?”

“I would really like it if you’d be the baby’s godmother,” you smiled as Taryn failed to blink back her tears, Emma choking up too. “I couldn’t think of anyone better.”

With a teary laugh Taryn nodded and hugged you close, the two of you embracing in the middle of a parking lot. You knew without a doubt that your baby would be loved and cared for by all of your siblings. 

+

“Oh pizza!”

You walked into the kitchen to find a few pizza boxes scattered across the counter. Matthew came up behind you and wrapped his arms around you, holding you close. 

“Mmm we ordered from Gino’s, the place that has the Prego Pizza,” Matthew explained as he pointed to one of the boxes, his lips caressing your neck. “It’s supposed to induce labor.”

With a chuckle you crossed the kitchen, grabbing a slice of pepperoni and a slice of the pizza Matthew mentioned, “I doubt that but we can see. Baby T is comfy where they are.”

All of your siblings sat around the table, pizza and drinks flowing as they all chatted with each other. After everyone settled Matthew stood up, grinning at you before looking over the table. 

“I just wanted to say thanks to all of you for trekking down here. We appreciate it so much and know that you’re all going to be such good aunts and uncles to Baby T,” Matthew grinned and then turned to you. “And to my wife… I know this was all unplanned but I couldn’t picture doing this with anyone else. You’ve been the best partner I could ask for and I know we’ve had an unconventional start but you’re the light of every day for me. So… Thanks for sticking with me. I can’t wait to see where we head next.”

With tears in your eyes you leaned up to kiss Matthew as all your siblings cheered. Your brother’s approval meant everything to you as you all settled in for dinner, chirping each other and laughing around your dinner table. 

Matthew grabbed your hand under the table and you leaned into him as he kissed your forehead, “You’re my favorite, ya know?”

“I know,” you chuckled as you squeezed his hand. 

+

Your eyes shot open, reaching for your phone to check the time. 

4:18 AM

With a groan you rolled over and stood to walk toward the bathroom. But as soon as you stood up, a gush of liquid hit the floor. With wide eyes you stared at your legs until a cramp ran through your stomach. 

“Oh my god,” you gasped as you leant over the bed. “Hoooooly shit…”

Focused on your pain you didn’t even register Matthew waking up and turning the bedside light on. It wasn’t until his hand landed on your back that you looked up at him with wide eyes. 

“Hi,” you gasped out. “My water just broke.”

Without a prompt Matthew jumped into action, “Okay, bags are in the car already. What can I do for you?”

“Mmm I need new pants,” you groaned as a contraction ripped through you. “And maybe just your hand to hold. Fuck this hurts!”

Matthew grabbed your hand and used his other one to rub your back as the contraction subsided. With a deep breath you looked up at him with a grin, “Guess that pizza worked.”

Matthew laughed, helping you to sit as he grabbed you another set of underwear and sweatpants. You quickly changed and then took Matthew’s hand to head downstairs. 

You paused in front of the front door, meeting Matthew’s eyes for a long moment. The boy you’d met at your brothers hockey camp, the teen who’d begged you for cookies, the adolescent who’d bothered you for fun, the man who’d loved you so freely… You saw every version of Matthew as you stood at your front door ready to bring a new life into the world. 

“I love you,” you breathed the words out as you cupped Matthew’s cheeks. “I’ve loved you for years, but I know now that I’m in love with you. With every flaw and imperfection. Every truth you’ve given me to hold. All of it. I love you Matty, more than anything.”

Tears shining in his eyes Matthew kissed you wholeheartedly, arms wrapping around you as he held you close to him. 

“I love you too baby,” he gasped, cupping your cheeks. “So much. And I can’t wait for what’s ahead.”

+

“She’s got your eyes.”

You looked over at Matthew with tired eyes, grinning as he held your daughter in his hands. 

“Really?”

“Yeah,” you scoffed as you reached a hand out to brush her dark curls. “And the curls. She’s got my coloring and nose but she has a lot of Tkachuk in her too.”

Matthew laughed lowly then turned his attention back to your daughter with a grin, “I can’t believe you’re here. You’re real, not just a little thing I would talk to in mommy’s tummy. You’re here in my arms. God, you’re gonna be such a good hockey player. Ice those boys and show em who’s boss.”

The tears fell from Matthew’s eyes before you could comfort him but he was still laughing as he stared at your daughter. Finally he looked up at you with a wide grin, “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For everything. For her and for you and for… For being the best partner I could dream of. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

[dandelion-wings]

For the angst/gore prompts, could we please have “06: Not Realizing They’re Injured” from the first list with Kujou Sara? Especially something to do with those poor wings I sincerely doubt she was ever taught how to properly take care of.

Thank you for the ask! <3 I have to apologize for this one too, anon, because it's another one that ended up not very whumpy--more a mix of hurt/comfort and angst (and a dose of 'how much can I villain Takayuki?'), because your particular prompt sideswiped a fic idea(s)(really more a constellation of fic premises and themes) that I've been turning over for a while and just kind of. stuck to that until it was irretrievably gummed together. I hope it is still sufficiently wing-focused to earn your forgiveness!

---

ETA: now on AO3.

---

Kujou Takayuki has never once told Sara that she isn't permitted to fly.

She remembers his frown when she was a child, the one time she had leapt into the air to gain an advantage in training. Even though it had given her tactical superiority, he had penalized her for it when evaluating those training exercises. At the time, she had thought it about honor, about the unfairness of exceeding her peers not by outdoing them through the same efforts, but by using an advantage they did not.

When she was older, rising through the ranks in the field, she had once in extremis made an attempt to scout from the air. That time she had seen the frowns on other officers' faces before she had even landed, and understood that honor didn't figure into this at all. It was about being different, being *other*, about the fear some of her soldiers couldn't hide when reminded that she was a youkai, about the contempt some of her superiors showed when they thought she could not see or hear. About her adoption by humanity and what was required of her to uphold the Kujou name.

By the time she becomes a general herself, she doesn't need to be told to stay on the ground.

Flight might have been an advantage for her on the battlefield, but it had never been a necessity. No other tengu has served in the Almighty Shogun's military for almost five hundred years. *Certainly* none served in Watatsumi's. Perhaps she might have gained an edge by taking to the air, but she did not lose significantly by refraining.

After the war, after the Sakuko Decree is lifted, after Takayuki is removed as head of the Kujou Clan and the Tenryou Commission alike, that changes. Gliders have existed for hundreds of years, but have never before been a popular import, nor often even a permitted one; they are different and foreign, and the Almighty Shogun was so long resistant to things that were different and foreign that the Tri-Commission feared to march in lockstep. So has it been with many imports that the Kanjou Commission is only now slowly coming to authorize.

Gliders are particularly popular, due to the mountainous nature of many of Inazuma's most populated islands, where they no doubt would have been popular long before if not for the Tri-Commission's care, but the traveler had made their use seem particularly alluring and permissible. Unfortunately, it isn't only law-abiding citizens who can obtain them now that the sea around Inazuma is clear. The Doushin are struggling to keep up with bandits and smugglers who can just glide away from arrest.

Kamaji, after the third report of such in a row, orders a shipment of gliders from the Knights of Mondstadt to be distributed to the Doushin. When he tells Sara, he smiles, and nods to her wings, and adds, "Though you're fortunate enough not to need them."

Which is all but an order. Even if Takayuki *had* told Sara she wasn't permitted to fly, this would be the new head of the Kujou Clan countermanding that instruction. That the thought of spreading long-disused wings leaves her uneasy doesn't affect her duty.

---

The next such encounter occurs before the shipment of gliders has even arrived. This is a particularly troublesome group of bandits, who have escaped the Doushin twice before; when another report of their activities comes in, Sara leads her forces after them herself. They find the bandits' camp on the edge of a cliff, and when they're startled while celebrating their ill-gotten gains, it seems inevitable that the less drunken and more sharp-witted of them attempt to glide to an escape.

"You, securely bind our existing captives. You, take your troops down that way, and you, that way," Sara orders, pointing out the fastest safe routes down the cliff. "They seem to be aiming for that cliffside, so they may have a secret tunnel or hatch. I'll attempt to cut them off before I get there."

She turns away as the Doushin rush to follow her commands, and spreads her wings at the edge of the cliff. This isn't the first time she's done this, of course--flight is powered by muscles, and any muscle must be exercised. As soon as Kamaji had given his instructions, she'd begun practicing each day, finding a private place in the caverns beneath Inazuma City and attempting first short glides, then short flights, then longer ones. None have been in so open a place as this mountainside with the canyon at its foot, wind whistling through, but she trusts in her training. She could have flown this easily as a child.

Her wings catch the air as she leaps off the edge, and then she's swooping down, flapping to gain speed and get past the gliding bandits, diving towards the cliff to which they're trying to flee. From now she can indeed see a too-deep shadow at the base, where bushes grow. Despite the seriousness of the situation, there's a lightness in being aloft in the open air, a *joy* in flight, that only now that she feels it again does Sara recall, dimly, from her boisterous early childhood. She smiles to herself, all the unease she'd felt when anticipating this change falling away.

The bandits are behind her now, and the cliff close ahead. She flares her wings again to catch herself in the air and adjust, so that she can turn the dive into a plunging attack before she hits the cliff-

A gust of wind hits her broadside as she spreads her wings wide. The force of it wrenches her right wing with a pull that flares into lancing pain, and then the wing collapses in on itself at the wrong angle.

Sara finds herself spiraling as she flaps only the left, desperately trying to slow herself down, to change her bearing. Shifting her grip on her bow, she closes that wing before she reaches the cliff, the other not drooping and dragging limp, and manages to plummet the last few meters and land on both feet. Her right ankle twinges at the awkward landing.

She still manages to turn and straighten and aim before the bandits actually reach her. The uncooperative wing is still alight with pain, but she grits her teeth and lets Electro crackle around her. The bandits hesitate and spread wide to flank her, putting themselves right into the arms of her Doushin.

Lowering her bow, Sara takes a step forward and collapses to one knee as the fractured bone in her ankle snaps under her weight.

---

To add to the humiliation of being carried home by her subordinates, one of her officers goes out of their way to report her injury directly and immediately to Kamaji.

He arrives in the infirmary before the medic has even finished wrapping her ankle. Sara can't even rise to acknowledge his presence properly, only straighten her back, stiffening against the urge to wince when that grinds her injured wing against the back of the chair.

"The operation was a success," she tells him, keeping her voice level even as the medic pulls the bandage tight. "We've captured the entire gang. Their leader is undergoing interrogation now."

"I'm glad to hear it," Kamaji says. "Are you all right? The Doushin told me your wing... it doesn't look good."

Sara looks straight ahead, poised to give her report as best she can. "I trained inadequately for the conditions in the field, and overestimated my ability to handle them. I will have to temporarily remove myself from field operations. That will make the Tenryou Commission's situation more difficult if any complicated matters come up, and I apologize. However, I am still fit to coordinate the Doushin's administrative affairs and handle concerns within the city."

"You can delegate the physical work to your subordinates until you recover. This is a good opportunity to season some of our new officers. If anything serious arises, I *am* the Provisional Clan Head, and willing to take personal responsibility."

Which is in theory his duty--but Sara is accustomed to being Takayuki's right hand, the reason he didn't *have* to handle what he assigned her to personally, even if she had once or twice failed him in that role. She doesn't let herself think, sitting here directly in front of him, that Kamaji also lacks the experience to handle very serious Doushin affairs on his own, but certain conversations with Masahito do impinge vaguely upon her dismay. What matters is not his capability, but her responsibility to manage this department of the Commission, and that he currently considers her unable to do so.

"It will be useful for determining which officers are ready for more advanced duties," Sara agrees. It isn't her place to argue, especially with the results of her own failures. The medic has moved to her wing, prodding at it cautiously, and Sara grits her teeth against a stab of pain.

Kamaji smiles at her. Then he looks at the medic at work, and his smile fades. "How bad is it?"

"I'm not sure, Lord Kujou," the man says. "I've never treated a tengu's wing before. I think I can splint it, but I don't know how well it will heal."

"I don't see how it would be any different from my ankle," Sara says. "I have broken bones before. So long as it's properly aligned and held straight, I've always healed well."

---

The ankle heals faster. Sara is on her feet again within three weeks, though the medics are firm about limiting how much she walks about, and free of their restrictions in six. Her wing, though, lags behind.

It hurts at every slight bump against the back of a chair or a too-close wall, hurts jagged and sharp the first time she grasps a would-be escapee from an unwary Doushin by the arm and he turns and strikes her, and burns bitter and aching if she sits or stands for too long without finding something on which to prop the unwieldy limb up. The medics attempt a frame of bamboo that leaves it stuck awkwardly out; Sara has to discard that after a day of turning sideways to pass through doorways and feeling a fool in front of her men. At no point do they feel it's knit enough to abandon the splint and exercise it again.

A few days after that she's summoned to the Almighty Shogun's presence regarding some aspects of the palace's security. She can feel the Shogun's eyes on her splinted wing, impossible to fold completely against her back, for much of the discussion. Fortunately, the Shogun doesn't force her to recount her mistakes and explain her condition.

Instead, the next day Kamaji summons her to his office and opens with, "I received a message from Her Excellency yesterday regarding your wing." The mortification is so immediate that Sara almost doesn't hear him continue, "Once I explained everything, she arranged for help from Guuji Yae."

That explains the shrine maiden standing in the corner--not one of the bright-eyed young women or sweetly maternal figures who serve the public, but a grey-haired old woman with a lined face and keen eyes. She steps forward before Sara is able to suggest any place private for this examination and begins examining Sara's wing.

"They call this a splint," the woman mutters, and begins to undo it, her gnarled hands steady and sure.

As this was the Shogun's will, Sara simply extends her wing as far as she can when instructed and stands impassive as the woman pokes and prods at it, much more confident than the medics but no more gentle. Kamaji watches with unaccountable anxiety. His expression makes Sara have to breathe deep to quell some of her own. She has no idea what results the Shogun may wish from this examination, nor what instructions she may have given Kamaji regarding Sara's disposition if it does not go well.

Grasping the outer edges of Sara's wing, the woman flexes the joint to its fullest extension, pushing it so far past the point of comfort that Sara can't hold back a gasp as strained and swollen muscles complain. Then she folds it in to the same extent, almost as tightly as Sara has ever pinned them to her back. It can't quite make the full pivot in either direction.

"It never healed properly the last time," the woman says, waspishly. "Breaking it again has only made it worse. Did he have someone with a Vision heal it? I told him it should heal on its own."

"Heal what?" Sara asks, and at the same time Kamaji draws a breath in and says, "He did have a military medic with a healing Vision treat her. He said he didn't have time to wait for her to lie in bed."

The question's context falls into place. Sara knows she had needed tending, and healing, after her fall as a child, even with the Almighty Shogun's blessing to keep her alive. The haze of pain she'd been in afterwards had seemed to wrack every part of her, inspecific, but yes, she well could have broken a wing, plummeting from the air like that. Furthermore, she does recall the healer who tended her after she was brought to the Kujou stronghold, a man whose Vision's power had seemed another blessing on top of the one the Shogun had already given her.

"Not if they weren't used to hollow bones. They over-thickened it and impinged on the joint. And the way it's mending--have you been skimping on your grit?"

"My... grit?" Sara dislikes being so on the back foot in this conversation.

"Powder, sand, whatever you call it. Your mineral supplement. Don't tell me he listened to Mirei and you've been drinking *milk* all this time. I don't want to think about what that could do to your digestion."

"I don't have a mineral supplement."

The woman's grimace of disgust falls away a little too quickly to have been anything but performative, especially given the look that follows. Sara has seen medics giving dire news before. "That does explain why this isn't healing. And shattered into so many fragments, at that. Tengu are just like ravens in this respect. If they don't get enough grit in their diet, their bones go brittle. *Especially* the wings."

"Ah." Sara feels the air go out of her, and makes herself draw it back in. "What is the supplement composed of? I'll begin adding it to my diet immediately."

"Ground eggshells, or fish bones, or snail shells. But that's not going to fix this. It's started setting wrong, and it was already so fragmented that breaking it and resetting it would be a fool's errand. You needed to have been eating your grit the whole time to hope that this could be mended now, especially with that earlier break."

"Are you saying that it won't heal?" Kamaji asks, sounding agonized. Sara wonders again what instructions the Shogun may have given him.

"Not properly. Not such that she'll be much of a flier ever after."

Sara holds herself very still against the wave of despair. She is a competent warrior and an able servant of the shogun without her wings; she's served in that way her entire adult life. There should be no import to being told that she must continue to do so. Even if the issues with the joint preclude a tengu's proper flight, perhaps she can glide, or a glider can be adapted to her, so she can continue to assist the Doushin as Kamaji wishes. Even if the Almighty Shogun desires her wings mended... surely Sara's service has been sufficiently loyal that the Shogun will not reject her for this alone. Even if that disastrous flight had begun full of joy, the satisfaction in carrying out her duties should eclipse this strange sense of loss at something she had for years voluntarily put aside.

The woman seems to sense something in her stillness, though Sara knows she's kept her feelings off her face. "Honestly, I'm surprised this hasn't happened well before this, the number of battles you've been in."

"I've never flown in battle," Sara corrects her, voice flat. "This was the first time I've attempted to fly in the field."

"Why," the woman asks, looking at her in disbelief, "would a *tengu warrior* stay grounded?"

Sara holds her tongue, because she knows the answer. She knows it, and yet to say it would be to disparage Takayuki--to suggest that he had forbidden her to fly, when he never had, when he had never said a word on the subject one way or the other. He had only frowned.

He had only impatiently had her healed in a way this woman, familiar with ravens' wings and apparently with tengu's, had advised against. He had only disregarded the same woman's instructions on her diet, knowing that it would be to her detriment should she attempt to take to the air. He had only put her in a position that destined her, when she did try to take wing, to inevitably fall back to the ground.

"We'll find a solution to this," Kamaji says, determined in that way Sara has always admired, as if she, too, would be cause to challenge the Almighty Shogun if he had to. The words barely register as what Sara had always thought her understanding of the situation shifts once again.

Takayuki has never had to tell Sara she isn't permitted to fly. He's built that limitation into her very bones.

[asteria-argo]

9 for the drabbles. Something from Ted Lasso would be lovely but whatever you feel like

Honestly, this was going to be whump but uhhhh, it did not end up being whump. Have some quick fluff instead!

Sam’s hold on Jamie’s hand was a vice grip, and for someone so skinny it was fucking painful. Jamie didn’t exactly bruise easy, but he wouldn’t be fucking surprised if he woke up tomorrow with a bunch of fucking fingerprints all over the back of his palm.

Sam wobbled, his legs unsteady beneath him as they skated forward slowly — well, Sam skated forward, Jamie skated backwards, both of Sam’s hands held in his playing glider for his wide eyed, terrified friend.

“Do not let go.” Sam demanded, eyes wide as his feet went out wide and he panicked, lurching forward. Jamie steeled his grip, keeping him from toppling over onto his arse.

“Easy, easy. You're okay, I've got you." He promised “it’s really not that hard mate.”

“People are not meant to have knives on their feet Jamie.” Sam muttered, furious as he glared down at the ice as they kept wobbling forward. The rest of the team were milling around the rink, Isaac and Colin trying to spin as fast as they could in a circle together, while Richard and Bumbercatch cheered them on, though Richard was clearly only egging them on because he wanted to see Colin faceplant into the ice. Dani was having a great time, spinning and twirling on the ice like he was in that cartoon he liked to watch with Jan who looked thoroughly amused.

Sam was the only one who wasn’t having any fun really, wobbling around on the ice like Bambi and slowly breaking every bone in Jamie’s hand.

“This was a horrible idea.” Sam muttered again, more to himself than to Jamie. Jamie had never seen Sam so upset about something so inane before, and was having the time of his life listening to the furious muttering.

“Bring it up with Zoreoux, he’s the one who wanted to go skating for his birthday.” Jamie shrugged, gliding backwards easily. “you could’ve sat out with Roy.”

He nodded over to where Roy was indeed sitting in the stands, grumpily servuying the team. It was only by Jamie’s powers of annoyance that he’d even shown up. Sam glared at him, like this was somehow Jamie’s fault. After years of being on the recieivng end of Roy’s foul looks, Sam glaring was about as threatening as a soaking wet kitten hissing at you would be. Jamie shrugged flippantly.

“I’m just saying,” he said. “you’re doing a lot better than before at least.”

Before, Jamie was basically carrying Sam around the ice. Now, wobbly as he was, he was skating on his own for the most part. That did not seem to make Sam feel better.

“This is a horrible, horrible sport.” He said furiously “this is not fun. I am not having fun.”

Jamie snorted, shaking his head “But you’re doing such a good job.” He said cheekily as Sams legs shook and he almost toppled again.

“I’ll hurt you.” Sam promised. It looked sour coming out of his mouth, and lacked any and all of the heat an actual threat would require to be menacing. It sounded more like a desperate plea than anything.

“Empty threats.” Jamie trilled cheerfully.

“I’m serious.”

“I can always get Isaac to come teach you to skate instead.” Jamie said, just in time for Isaac to let Colin go and send him careening into the side of the rink with a noisy crash.

“This is fine.” Sam said quickly, his grip on Jamie’s hand tightening even more. Jamie grinned — he was definitely going to have finger shaped bruises tomorrow, but it was worth it.

honestly I don't know where I was going with this and I did not know how to end it so it's a bit of an awkward finish, but it was a fun little exercise!

Prompt from this post here! feel free to drop one in my inbox if you'd also like a drabble!

[aries-rp-corner]

A week has passed for everyone, and all were able to recover from their wounds…unfortunately, not emotionally and mentally. Even Aries herself including Lamont were still distraught upon learning what Veda has done to the both of them…. Oddly, peace was with the two. Lamont stopped having nightmares of that day and was able to sleep normally, and Aries felt closure in learning Cornelius is proud of her as well. It felt nice…. However, Cipher lived on with new leaders and three new Commanders. As well hearing rumors of some of the local Pokémon began to act strange while they began to attack people for no reason. Something has rose with Cipher, and like them, they to want revenge.

Aries meanwhile couldn’t do much thanks to her now scarred leg. Luckily it was healing quickly than normal which gives her the chance to try exercising her upper body and a bit on her legs to slowly recover through training exercise. Lamont remained in the Frigate to not only remain safe but to help whatever is happening to the outside, until hearing news that the Top Pokémon Rangers have arrived from Fiore, Almia, and Oblivia to investigate what has been going on.. he is relieved they are here, but he’s also concern for them all… especially his family back home, elbows on the deck and hands on his head as he began to worry for them… ‘Did Cipher got them before Aries’s family?…’ He thought. Feeling very anxious about it all, even trying to work up the courage to contact them was nerve wrecking for the poor man… having doubts and fears of them won’t forgive the actions he was forced to do…���

But up in the skies of the Unova Region, sores a silver glider in a search for something while using the clouds as their shield to not be seen… not yet. Not until they find the Frigate… Flying through the cities and taking in the beautiful view of the Unova Region, it felt so peaceful to fly once again after so long… “Now where is that damn Ship though?”

[polyphonetic]

Busy day!!

Yesterday night I was up late doing some math...

Essentially, this program allows me to calculate how many fanfare stacks my C2 Furina gets with my Neuvillette and Xianyun, by allowing me to adjust the delay in seconds of their actions in my combat rotation and analyze the sources and timing of HP drain and HP healing. It was fun, and allowed me to adjust my combat rotation in-game after testing reflected my calculations! :) Plus, it was a fun exercise.

Today though I did some work on Mario Kart 8 modding. So my game instance has various modded character models (uploaded through Game Banana), but not all character models have fully replaced audio files, because that's a lot of painstaking work. However, I've organized a file set-up to make adding audio files easier, and today I put it in action by making .wav audio files associated with the model for The Vessel, from Hollow Knight.

I was able to find source files for all of the in-game sound effects, and did some volume adjustments and such for the ones I wanted. This includes audio states such as getting hit by an item, boosting, hitting someone, activating your glider, etc. For each character there's about 70 audio files, and I have 10 more characters for whom I want to make audio files.

There's complicated steps involving converting all of the .wav audio files to a format more directly usable by Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's program, and that's a step I'm not worried about yet. However, I think I want to upload some of these audio mods when they are finished to Game Banana (the modding site), out of appreciation for the free modding work uploaded by many contributors.

I hope that there's maybe a dozen people out there who are interested in having associated game audio for the modded Genshin character models >w<

I suppose if I have a website someday, it'll be a project that I can have listed as like, hey, here's a thing I've done and put out into the world, even if very silly.

[usafphantom2]

1/2: Painting l did in 2021.

Handley-Page Heyford, the last biplane heavy bomber to serve with the Royal Air-Force. Entering operational service in 1933, the Heyford equipped 9 RAF squadrons by late 1936. The Heyford began to be phased out of service in 1937, the final examples -2/2: -withdrawn in 1939 although a few served as trainers & glider tugs until 1942. No Heyford ever saw combat but 4 were lost in accidental crashes during a training exercise in 1936 and one in a collision with another aircraft in 1940. Only 125 examples were built.

@PeteHill854 via X

[averys-fancure-festival]

I’ve been developing a fanseries on my own for the last two weeks or so, and I’ve finally got enough finalized to share it confidently with the public! I have no artwork, so I hope that’s okay! Here’s what I’ve got!

Introducing the world of Rollin’ Rush Precure, RollPre for short, a fanseries with a Roller Derby motif! While I can’t personally roller skate on account of having physical disabilities, the aesthetics and movement capabilities were too fun to pass up!

The Lore:

In a dimension a ways away from Earth, there are two rival kingdoms: Accelerush and Slowdoom. Accelerush thrives off the positive energy that adrenaline and exercise provide, while Slowdoom thrives off the negative energy produced when people laze about and don’t move their bodies. Seizing an opportunity to monopolize this negative energy and bring Accelerush to a screeching halt, Slowdoom sends some of their highest ranking officials to Earth to make sure nobody dares to exercise, much less gain joy from it. But little do they know that Accelerush is sending some fairies to thwart them, complete with a plan to bring about the Legendary Skaters, Precure…

The Precure & Fairies

Sammi Weston/Cure Rollin’ is my Pink.

Rushing forward to the beat of your heart! Cure Rollin’!

An energetic yet clumsy girl, she’s just learning how to roller skate when she meets Lacie and Wheeler and becomes Cure Rollin’ to protect them from a Traffikrash monster. As a Precure, just like the rest of her team, she can make the wheels on her shoes appear and disappear at will, which makes maneuvers that would be impossible on wheels easy to perform. Her transformation device and weapon is a pink Rollbourine, and her finishing move is Precure Rollin’ Raceway. Her unique symbol throughout her design is hearts.

Lucy Murray/Cure Glider is my Yellow.

Sliding and gliding to the song in my soul! Cure Glider!

Lucy is the daughter of a famous figure skater. She tends to apply figure skating techniques to her roller skating as a Precure, and thus is rather elegant compared to most Yellows out there. Her transformation device and weapon is a yellow Rollbourine, and her finishing move is Precure Glider Glittering. Her unique symbol throughout her design is flowers.

Janie Bogash/Cure Tricky is my Blue.

Crazy tricks that blow any mind! Cure Tricky!

Janie is a textbook adrenaline junkie. From parkour to skydiving, she’s done it all, and being a Precure has sent her to new heights of doing stupid stuff to send her adrenaline through the roof. She can create ramps and rails out of light with her powers for herself and her teammates to use in battle. Her transformation device and weapon is a blue Rollbourine, and her finishing move is Precure Tricky Turbulence. Her unique symbol throughout her design is spirals.

Bailey Thunders/Cure Surge is my Green and the Additional Warrior.

A rush of adrenaline that rocks the whole body! Cure Surge!

A former member of Slowdoom’s forces, Bailey learned firsthand from fighting the Precure about how much fun skating and exercise can be, and has decided to help the Cures spread the joy of exercise around their city…and perhaps even the world. Their transformation device and weapon is the Surge Stick, and their finishing move is Precure Surge Shockwave. Their unique symbol throughout their design is lightning bolts.

Lacie & Wheeler are the fairies, a giraffe and an elephant, because if Toei won’t do anything with such cute species ideas for fairies, then I will. They mostly just hang out with the Precure and eat healthy snacks, which would hopefully encourage the kids watching to do the same. Lacie loves fruits and ends her sentences with “-lace”, and Wheeler loves vegetables and ends his sentences with “-whee”.

The Bad Guys

Penaltimate is the Big Bad Evil Guy. Think the Witch of Delays but with a sports referee motif. His followers look to spread laziness with their Traffikrash monsters so they can absorb negative energy from slowly-beating hearts devoid of adrenaline.

Slickly was Bailey before they joined the Cures. Their monsters specialized in dirty tricks like oil slicks and speed traps to slow the Precure down.

Poddole is the muscle of the bad guys. His monsters specialize in property damage, using debris to their advantage.

Fendelle and Bendelle are a two-in-one deal, like Stop and Freeze if they had actual personalities. Their monsters specialize in controlling vehicles and machinery around the battlefield.

The Setting

The Precure live in New York City, where they do most of their skating on the streets, being careful to avoid cars, of course. Since New Yorkers are probably more chill about superheroes than most, given the Avengers, Spider-Man, and Moon Girl call the city their home across multiple timelines, the Cures enjoy transforming and skating with civilians when they aren’t fighting monsters, both to practice and to build up a good rapport with their community. They’re open about their identities, too, but since the city has so many people in it, they’re not really in danger of being hounded about it or anything. New Yorkers are just built different in that regard. Plus, hey, it’s not every day that 4 teenagers with magic skating powers start a skating flash mob! Might as well be cool with it, yeah?

The Items

The Rollbourine is the trio’s transformation device and weapon. It functions similarly to the Shiny Tambourine, with an outer ring that can rotate, but it’s small enough to fit into a carrying case. The center has a rectangular slot for Cure Dashies, the collectible trinkets which resemble batteries. To transform, the Cures insert their Cure Dashie and say, “Ready! Set! Precure!”

The Surge Stick is Cure Surge’s transformation device and weapon. It functions with the same method to transform as the Rollbourines, but it’s a baton. It cannot split in two, but it can still swap out the light on top for different effects, a la the Cure Stick. It has a little cover over the Cure Dashie slot to stop it from falling out.

[mod-kyoko]

pet hcs part 1: trigger happy havoc

type: non-despair au, general hcs

a/n: just wanted to write something with my own idea before i finish up requests!

♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧

makoto naegi

makoto and komaru each owned a hamster as kids

their parents took them to a pet store and they were both drawn to a specific one, and fought over who would get to name it

makoto, being the older brother, was pressured to just let komaru have that one

so he got another hamster, but komaru ended up liking his more, and more sibling fights ensued

makoto never owned any pets after that, but if he did, he would want a hamster because it reminds him of his childhood

kyoko kirigiri

i've said it before, i'll say it again

kyoko owns a reptile, specifically a bearded dragon

she often allows it to roam her office while she's working

having it out helps her focus

she often likes to scratch its head and under its chin

it's perfect for her because it's chill and quiet

byakuya togami

byakuya would own a great dane 100%

they are very regal dogs, elegant, and strong

they are low maintenance when it comes to grooming

they need a lot of exercise though, but byakuya doesn't mind that

he has many people to take over his business while he takes his great dane on walks

he's very proud of his pet, so much so that he would enter it in competitive dog shows

sayaka maizono

sayaka is a rodent person

someone: "are you a dog person or a cat person?"

sayaka: "no"

sayaka had a guinea pig as a tween, and eventually got it two buddies a few years later

she loves all breeds of guinea pig

hairless, curly, short-haired, long-haired

she loves cuddling with her piggies, nuzzling their noses with her nose, and scratching their heads

kiyotaka ishimaru

an energetic person needs an energetic pet

taka has a sugar glider!

he's obsessed with the way his little glider will jump down from tall objects and fly towards him, perching on his shoulder

the sugar glider goes with him everywhere, always on his shoulder or on top of his head

he definitely cuddles with it and kisses it good night lmfao

celestia ludenberg

yeah celeste has a cat, but she would also totally have a cockatoo

they are very elegant birds, and she loves having elegant things

her bird perches on her finger or shoulder and she loves to give it kisses

she's very protective over her cockatoo, no one else is allowed to touch it

mondo owada

mondo's soft spot is his pet rabbit

he has a lionhead because they look badass

his rabbit is always roaming around the house

it's not mondo's house it's the rabbit's house

he treats the animal likes it's his whole world

the rabbit gets nothing but the yummiest treats and the biggest play area and so many places to explore

he often has the rabbit lay in his lap and sleep, while petting it

sakura ogami

what else would she have but a ferret

two ferrets

they are energetic, fun, and she doesn't mind that they are high maintenance because they are like her children

if you go to sakura's house, just know that there will be tunnels and toys everywhere

the ferrets are always out and playing around, you really gotta be careful where you step and sit

all sakura's friends are always welcome and they're constantly at her place just to play with her pets

hifumi yamada

hifumi has a very grumpy himalayan cat

it doesn't help the fact that he's always dressing the cat in cute and silly costumes

if you go over to hifumis place just know that the cat will hide and you will not be seeing it around ever

in fact, no one believes he even has a cat because no one has ever seen it with their own eyes

but he does have a cat, and it has its own tiktok page

chihiro fujisaki

chihiro has a medium sized aquarium full of all kinds of colorful fish and it is his prized posession

he spends so much time decorating their living space and cleaning their habitat

he's very knowledgeable about fish, too, it's one of his special interests

ask him one question and he'll ramble on about salinity levels in saltwater tanks

he is always posting cute pictures of his tank on social media lmao

yasuhiro hagakure

hiro has a hermit crab because they are cool but also low maintenance

he loves taking it out and watching the little dude crawl around

but it's not supposed to really be a companion, he likes having it for show

nevertheless, he takes really good care of it and is also protective of it

toko fukawa

yeah, toko has a stink bug... yeah

but she also owns other bugs

tarantulas, praying mantises, and even an ant colony

she can't stand people who overly freak out at the sight of a bug, she never understood that fear

they are so calming to look at, and they are just little beings trying to get through life as we are

her ant colony sits on her writing desk so she can watch them all scurry around when she has a block

aoi asahina

leon kuwata

aoi needs a pet that can keep up with her

a golden retriever is perfect

aoi is at the park ALL the time throwing frisbees and tennis balls

she has her dog run next to her while riding a bike

her golden retriever sleeps with her in her bed and she's always with it

leon has a hedgehog because they're cool

he definitely pricked himself a hundred times before he learned how to pet it

shows it off thinking it's gonna get him chicks but it backfires because they are more interested in the hedgehog than him

takes cringe ass selfies with it perched on his shoulder

they wear matching accessories sometimes

junko enoshima

junko is a horse girl and i will die on that hill

her steed is her absolute most prized possession and ALL of her money goes to keeping its coat shiny and mane luscious

also she looks amazing in an equestrian uniform

she rides her horse every day around her own private stable ground

no one and i mean NO ONE is allowed near her steed

enters in equestrian competitions and horse beauty pageants and always. fucking. wins

there is no amount of money she isn't willing to sink into her horse's quality of life

it's stable is all pink and bedazzled

mukuro ikusaba

mukuro obviously has a badass pet

she owns the largest domesticated python in the world

she didn't own a snake expecting it to be her best friend, though she does enjoy its company

it free roams her house sometimes

she has a large respect for the pet, her space is the python's space

she totally lets it crawl over her, wrapping itself around her arms and such and lets it chill there because it likes her body heat

[captain-price-unofficially]

"Glider-Borne Paratroopers Exercise, 22 April 1944. British paratroopers sitting in the fuselage of an aircraft while awaiting their order to jump." Original color photograph.

[toranoya]

Christmas: Wing!

It was a chilly Christmas morning in Republic City, and Wing Beifong was unusually nervous. The streets were dusted with snow, and colorful lights adorned the rooftops, casting a festive glow over the city. Despite the holiday cheer, Wing's mind was focused entirely on one person: Angel, his airbender girlfriend.

Angel had been a light in Wing’s life, her carefree spirit and boundless optimism balancing his more chaotic and reckless nature. Wing had spent weeks preparing the perfect gift for her, something that would reflect how much she meant to him.

The two had planned to meet at Air Temple Island, where Angel lived and trained with the other airbenders. Wing arrived early, carrying a carefully wrapped package in his hands. He was greeted by Tenzin, who gave him an approving nod, and the young airbender children, who buzzed around excitedly, tugging at his scarf and teasing him about his nerves.

"She's in the meditation garden," Jinora whispered with a knowing smile, pointing toward the quiet grove on the island's east side.

Wing made his way to the garden, his boots crunching softly against the snow. Angel was sitting cross-legged beneath a sprawling tree, her breath forming small clouds in the cold air as she practiced a breathing exercise. She looked serene, her orange and yellow robes blending beautifully with the snowy backdrop.

“Hey, Angel,” Wing called softly. “Merry Christmas, Angel. I, uh… I got you something.”

Wing handed her the package. Inside was a handcrafted glider staff, its wooden frame polished to a rich shine. But it wasn’t just any glider. Wing had spent weeks incorporating custom features, including a small compartment for her meditation beads and a mechanism that allowed the wings to fold and unfold with a unique flourish. The wood was inlaid with carvings of flying bison and airbender spirals, symbols of her new heritage. He also had included some dried meats for Meili.

“I had some help from the craftspeople in Zaofu,” Wing admitted, scratching the back of his neck. “But I wanted it to be special—like you.”

[@a-girl-named-angel

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Ladies and gentlemen, eighty years ago today, Field Marshal Montgomery – Commander in Chief of the Allied Ground Forces – wrote in his message to all soldiers on the eve of D-Day:

‘To us is given the honour of striking a blow for freedom, which will live in history; and, in the better days that lie ahead, men will speak with pride of our doings’.

Today, we come together to honour those nearly one hundred and sixty thousand British, Commonwealth and Allied troops who, on 5th June 1944, assembled here and along these shores to embark on the mission, which would strike that blow for freedom and be recorded as the greatest amphibious operation in history.

Those who gathered here in Portsmouth would never forget the sight. It was by far the largest military fleet the world has ever known.

Yet all knew that both victory and failure were possible, and none could know their fate.

Aircrew flying overhead, sailors manning warships; or troops in assault craft battering their way through the stormy swell to the shore; whether dropping by parachute, landing in a wooden glider, or taking that terrible leap of faith onto the beaches... all must have questioned whether they would survive and how they would respond when faced with such mortal danger.

The poet Keith Douglas, who was killed in action three days later, wrote of the embarkation:

"Actors waiting in the wings of Europe, we already watch the lights on the stage and listen to the colossal overture begin.

For us entering at the height of the din, it will be hard to hear our thoughts, hard to gauge how much our conduct owes to fear or fury."

At this remove, eight decades later, it is a near impossible task to imagine the emotion of that day:

The pride of being part of so great an enterprise, the anxiety of in some way not coming up to scratch, and the fear of that day being their last.

I recently myself spoke to veterans who, to this day, remember with such heartbreaking clarity the sight of those many soldiers lying on the beach, who drowned before they could even engage in combat.

The stories of courage, resilience and solidarity which we have heard today, and throughout our lives, cannot fail to move us, to inspire us, and to remind us of what we owe to that great wartime generation – now, tragically, dwindling to so few.

It is our privilege to hear their testimony, but our role is not purely passive:

It is our duty to ensure that we, and future generations, do not forget their service and their sacrifice in replacing tyranny with freedom.

Our rights, and the liberty won at such terrible cost, bring with them responsibilities to others in the exercise of that liberty.

The Allied actions of that day ensured the forces of freedom secured, first, a toehold in Normandy, then liberated France, and ultimately, the whole of Europe from the stranglehold of a brutal totalitarianism.

And as we remember, with humility, pride and gratitude, let us never forget that the soldiers who fought in the campaign launched from this place came from thirty nations, from across the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and Allied countries; while elsewhere in Europe, Allied forces continued to make vital progress in their successful Italian campaign; and while halfway around the world, at that same moment, the critical battles of Imphal and Kohima raged on in what was then Burma.

The 1944 Victoria Cross roll of honour includes Sikh, Muslim and Hindu soldiers – a reminder that events that year shaped our world then, and the society we share today.

While it was the frontline troops who faced the greatest personal dangers, the privations and sacrifices of war were endured by so many more.

The Allied victory was a truly collective effort, born of the fortitude and hard work of those who remained on the Home Front, toiling in factories, under our land in the mines, out in the fields, or working in secret – men and women alike.

Their collective industry, ingenuity and commitment helped our soldiers, sailors and airmen to prevail.

So, as we give thanks for all those who gave so much to win the victory, whose fruits we still enjoy to this day, let us, once again, commit ourselves always to remember, cherish and honour those who served that day and to live up to the freedom they died for by balancing rights with civic responsibilities to our country. For we are all, eternally, in their debt.

Source: Royal UK

A speech by The King at the UK's National Commemorative Event in Portsmouth to mark #DDay80

5 June 2024

The King addresses veterans, serving forces and and members of the public at the UK's National Commemorative Event in Portsmouth to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Landings.

[drsteggy]

🛼 ⇢ describe your latest wip with five emojis 🍬 ⇢ post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character 🔪 ⇢ what’s the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project? BONUS: 🪲 ⇢ add 50 words to your current wip and share the paragraph here

🛼 five emojis hmmmmm….I’m not really working on a writing thing at the moment- it’s sort of put everything on a low burner and see what cooking later season but the one that keeps wandering back to my mind:

🐟🪦🤨🐘❤️

Oh actually, that was a good exercise lol

🍬 unpopular opinion about popular character…I feel some days that all my popular character opinions are unpopular but…I think that Link and Zelda were together between BOTW and TOTK but I also think that if they were not “on a break” at the start of TOTK, they were also having a very rough go of things.

I think this because it’s much more interesting than the typical read on them.

🔪 weirdest research topic. I feel like I’ve done a lot of reading on historical undergarments and working class employment in castles than ever actually shows up

🪲 this is just mean but OKAY here is 62.

He stood, trembling, with his toes over the edge of an oaken plank in an abandoned bell tower, looking out over the vast world beyond the plateau. The wind ruffled his hair as he braced himself against an exposed beam and he swallowed.

All he had to do was step off the safety of the floor and unfurl the glider. That’s it.

Thank you sun!

Truth or dare asks here

[briankeene]

99 Cent Sale

You all have been so gracious, kind, and supportive with the GoFundMe, and I am grateful to all of you. So, I’ve put all twenty of my books published via Manhattan On Mars on sale for 99 cents on Kindle, Nook, and Kobo. (The only place they’re not on sale for this price is iBooks, because Apple’s interface was designed by a pack of howler monkeys on Xanax and it is an exercise in frustration and futility to change the prices via their system). I wish I could do this with the rest of my books, as well, but these are the only ones I control the price to at the moment. Regardless, i’m sure there’s some stuff here you haven’t yet read..

The sale will last a full month — November 26th to December 26th. (Please let me know if you see one that is not 99 cents).

Here is a complete list with direct links:

FICTION

The Seven: The Labyrinth, Book 1: Kindle - Nook - Kobo

Submerged: The Labyrinth, Book 2: Kindle - Nook - Kobo

Alone: Kindle - Nook - Kobo

Scratch: Kindle - Nook - Kobo

Terminal: Kindle - Nook - Kobo

School’s Out: Kindle - Nook - Kobo

Blood On the Page: Kindle - Nook - Kobo

All Dark, All The Time: Kindle - Nook - Kobo

Love Letters From A Nihilist: Kindle - Nook - Kobo

Things Left Behind: Kindle - Nook - Kobo

META-FICTION

The Girl On The Glider: Kindle - Nook - Kobo

Sundancing: Kindle - Nook - Kobo

NONFICTION

The Triangle of Belief: Kindle - Nook - Kobo

Unsafe Spaces: Kindle - Nook - Kobo

Trigger Warnings: Kindle - Nook - Kobo

Other Words: Kindle - Nook - Kobo

Sympathy For the Devil: Kindle - Nook - Kobo

Running With the Devil: Kindle - Nook - Kobo

The New Fear: Kindle - Nook - Kobo

Leader of the Banned: Kindle - Nook - Kobo

Enjoy, and happy holidays!

[tailing-sun]

The Transfer Seven (Rainbow High OCs) Bio 6: Aubrey MacLeod

COLOUR: Aubergine

YEAR: Fourth

GENDER: Female (trans)

FOCUS: Costume Design

STYLE: Elegant. Posh. Victorian.

QUOTE: “I’m a mystery. Deal with it.”

BIO: Everything about Aubrey is a riddle—how she makes her ridiculously elaborate costumes, where she finds so many exotic animals as pets, why she’s so obsessed with 200-year-old fashion trends—and she likes it that way. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, she’s always had a love of theatre in all its forms, and was guaranteed to be among the crowds every time the Fringe Festival rolled around. She acted in many productions herself before discovering her true calling as a costume designer at Edinburgh Secondary School for the Arts. Now at Rainbow High, she’s known for her wild imagination, her exclusive tastes, and especially her artistic temperament. She continues to exercise her talent in any and all performances at Rainbow High, and though she’s known far and wide for her creative and downright outrageous costume ideas, her hardheadedness makes her a little hard to work with…

OTHER:

-She’s the oldest of the Transfer Seven at 18, two weeks older than Vera.

-She has two younger brothers.

-Aubrey has been out as trans since 14, and she’s been on hormones for two and a half years.

-Her fashion sense is heavily inspired by Victorian goth as a subculture—emphasis on “Victorian”—with a cute modern twist. We’re talking mini top hats attached to headbands (with the occasional veil), layered lolita skirts, bustled dresses, frilled collars, fluffy cravats, and lace gloves.

-If her roommate Vera is addicted to coffee, then Aubrey has a similar relationship with tea. She always makes her own and takes the process deadly seriously.

-She’s pretty much a permanent fixture of Stella Monroe’s high tea socials.

-Apart from theatre, she’s obsessed with Victorian literature/poetry. Blair, Dickens, Poe, Shelley, Stoker—she’s read them all twice.

-Renzo calls her “the mad hatter”, even though she’s easily the most stoic and icy of the Transfer Seven.

-She has several classes in common with Coral, and enjoys working with her (not that she shows it).

-Her pets are a sugar glider (Winona), a catfish (Mr. Englebert), two lorikeets (Iris and Zephyr), a turtle (Diogenes), and a chinchilla (Lady Chiffon).

-She’s cordial and polite (if aloof), but doesn’t take crap from anybody, not even Vera. The other transfers admire Aubrey for being the only one able to intimidate Vera into silence.

-Despite all her refined elegant poshness, her absolute favourite food is sausage suppers from her native Scotland.