#I went to a nearby store and the game was completely sold out there

[aquatxt]

so I finally got TotK yesterday, after having to go through a bit of trouble for it

it's pretty fun so far, but the game also reminded me that I'm dumb af sometimes

[mianavs]

Gezellig

You were the warmth that only another person could give

Kenma x f!reader

a/n: kenma is definitely my comfort character~

wc: 1.8k

It started with an apple pie recipe.

Kenma was editing his latest play-through video for a new video game when the craving for his favorite food creeped up on him again. He considered going to the nearby bakery that sold decent mini apple pies but a glance at the clock on his computer put an end to that idea—it was midnight and the bakery had been closed for three hours.

Normally Kenma would have settled for the day old pastry on his kitchen table but the craving for apple pie had plagued him for a while now. The reason? His neighbor had baked one a couple days ago and Kenma couldn’t stop thinking about the delicious aroma that had seeped through the walls into his unit.

A hasty thought crossed Kenma’s mind and he got up from his gaming chair to wander into the kitchen. He scanned the counters until his eyes landed on the two large apples Kuroo dropped off along with other groceries Kenma let spoil more often than not. The presence of the main ingredient spurred his impulses and Kenma fell back onto his couch as he scrolled through YouTube for an easy apple pie recipe. His perceptive eyes were immediately drawn to the golden crust of the pie on your thumbnail and his fingers clicked on your video without a second thought.

In the end, Kenma never got to making the apple pie and instead binge-watched every video on your ASMR cooking channel until he passed out at five in the morning.

Kenma knew he was obsessed when he turned on the notification bell on your channel. He loved the simplicity of your videos. There wasn’t any cheesy background music or obnoxious text. Your videos were intimate and comforting with the natural sounds of your cooking or baking and the high-quality recordings. More often than not, Kenma found himself unwinding to your content after a stressful meeting with the board members or a difficult gaming session. In fact, the more he watched your videos the more he found himself closing his eyes and imagining himself in your kitchen listening to the sizzling of the sautéing vegetables or the whir of your mixer combining the ingredients of a cake. It wasn’t necessarily hard to do since the layout of your kitchen was very similar to his own.

He should have found it suspicious when his neighbor’s cooking seemed to predict the video you would upload next but Kenma wasn’t one to dwell on unnecessary things like that. So when his neighbor cooked a delicious smelling recipe, Kenma would crave it the next day and ordered it to eat while he watched your nimble hands cook a similar dish.

In the two years Kenma had lived in his unit, he’d never crossed paths with his foodie neighbor. Although considering his line of work, Kenma supposed it wasn’t too surprising. He spent most of his time in his office and only when out when necessary. So when his doorbell rang and it wasn’t Kuroo with groceries or takeout but a young woman with a sheepish look on her face, Kenma froze like a deer in headlights.

“Hi! Umm…I’m your neighbor,” she introduced herself and awkwardly held up a small bowl. “Do you have some salt I can borrow?”

“Uh…yeah, come in.” Kenma replied stepping aside to let her in. There was a softness about her demeaner that drew him in and it wasn’t until her eyes blinked at him in confusion that he realized he’d been staring.

“T-this way.”

As Kenma led his neighbor to the kitchen he wracked his brain for the location of the salt container Kuroo had bought for him to use despite never having cooked a meal in his life. It took a couple of tries flipping through cupboards before he found the large salt container and handed it to his neighbor.

“Thanks!” She accepted it and began pouring some into her bowl. “Y’know your kitchen is a lot like mine but way cleaner!”

“I don’t really use it,” Kenma admitted. “I find it kind of intimidating…cooking.”

“It is at first but it gets easier the more you do it.” She smiled as she handed the salt back to Kenma and he couldn’t help but admire the way her entire face seemed to smile. Her eyes crinkled into crescent moons while the apples of her cheeks framed her gummy smile endearingly.

“I guess that applies to a lot of things.”

“Yes, it really does! I’m a firm believer in practice makes perfect.”

With that she thanked Kenma profusely and apologized for the intrusion before slipping on her shoes and walking out the door. While it may have only been a few minutes, the impression she left on Kenma lasted much longer. He went outside more just so he could run into his nice neighbor who would always strike up a conversation with him about anything. And while he was normally not one for small talk, it never felt forced around her. She had a knack for making even the dullest subject a compelling topic and Kenma quickly looked forward to those moments outside their apartment complex, in front of the convenience store, or outside her unit.

But even those short conversations Kenma has with his neighbor reveal very little about her. So when Kenma gets a notification from your channel and opens YouTube, he drops his phone when your thumbnail picture isn’t food but rather his neighbor that he’d grown fond of. Kenma’s eyes dart to your shared wall as he comes to terms with the fact that his favorite content creator and his pretty neighbor are the same person. It takes a couple of minutes for the initial shock to pass and another twenty minutes for him to play the video in the comfort of his office and with his headset on.

You’re all smiles as you announce a giveaway to celebrate one-hundred thousand subscribers. You introduce each of the five prizes and explain each one in detail. They’re all cooking tools from one of your sponsors that Kenma recognizes from your previous videos. When you’re describing the rules to enter, the similarities between your apartment and his are glaringly obvious now and Kenma can only shake his head in disbelief. The video ends too quickly so he watches it another ten times almost convincing himself that it’s to understand the rules of the giveaway and consider each of the products despite knowing he’d never actually enter.

A week after your giveaway video, Kuroo comes over with food and drinks after a business trip. A meal and a couple of beers later, Kenma opens up to Kuroo about you and the fact that you’re not only his favorite YouTuber but his neighbor as well. The liquid courage spurs him on and Kenma talks about your gorgeous smile, soft-looking hair, and your laugh that goes from a giggle to a cackle within a matter of seconds. Always the observant friend, Kuroo notices the persistent smile on Kenma’s face as he goes on about you and urges his best friend to ask you out on a date. The thought of spending hours with you is enough to get his heart racing but his insecurities never fail to rear their ugly heads and Kenma dismisses the idea as quickly as it comes up.

Kenma drinks even more to drown his insecurities and fantasies of you while Kuroo drinks with him knowing it’s best to support him quietly like this. When the last drop of alcohol is consumed, the two friends are completely drunk and Kuroo crashes in the guest room while Kenma stumbles to his room and collapses on his bed as the world spins around him.

Your image comes to mind but it’s too hazy for Kenma’s liking so he pulls up your giveaway video and watches it for the hundredth time. You’re so happy about your channel’s milestone that Kenma can’t help but smile like a fool as you thank your subscribers profusely. It’s with lowered inhibitions that Kenma is able to scroll to the comment section and write out how much your channel means to him.

The sound of multiple notifications stirs Kenma awake to a terrible hangover. He rubs the sleep from his eyes and focuses on his blindingly bright screen to see what the fuss is about. There’s a message from his publicist asking if he’s okay but before Kenma can reply he gets a notification from your channel; however, it isn’t the typical one that lets him know you’ve uploaded a video. The notification is a heart reaction to a comment and Kenma’s heart is in his mouth as his shaky finger taps on your giveaway video.

He doesn’t have to scroll far to find his comment because it’s the first one with ten thousand likes and three hundred comments to boot. Completely mortified, Kenma reads through the comments that have a wide range of reactions. Some gush about how cute it is for Kodzuken to fanboy over your channel while others express their disappointment that their favorite gamer actually likes cooking ASMR. While they are unnerving, it isn’t the comments that worry Kenma but the little red heart you’d left on his comment.

While he doubts you knew who he was before, this comment and the crazy feedback will definitely pique your interest enough to look him up and find out who he really is. Scared of facing you, Kenma holes himself up in his apartment. To get you out of his mind, he buries himself in work and video game streams and turns off the notifications for your channel.

After a week of not hearing anything from you, Kenma thinks he’s in the clear until one evening he opens his door expecting his takeout only to find you.

You’re a sight for sore eyes and Kenma’s heart hammers in his chest as your eyes soften and you break into a smile. The aroma of cinnamon and apples wafts up to his nostrils and you raise your mitted hands to reveal the same pie that had drawn him to you in the first place.

“Your fans mentioned you like apple pie,” you explain with a chuckle. “And I still owe you for the salt.”

“My…fans?” Kenma asks, still stunned you’re talking to him despite the comment fiasco.

“Yeah, you see I needed a reason to visit my neighbor and ask him out. Luckily, he’s a famous streamer with lots of fans.” Your confidence almost hides flush on your cheeks that deepens the longer Kenma stares at you in shock.

“…Unless you don’t want to go out-“

“I do!” Kenma blurts out. “More than anything.”

Your entire face breaks into a smile. “Well then how about a pie date?”

With a stomach full of butterflies, Kenma lets you into his apartment for the second time only this time he knows what he feels for you and is comforted by the fact that you feel the same way.

[teamhook]

Chaste Love :|: CSMM

This is my first submission for the @captainswanmoviemarathon

Thanks to everyone in the Discord for letting me bounce ideas and for all the help.

Thanks to @xhookswenchx for Beta services :)

The story is loosely inspired by The 40 Year Old Virgin it will not be a retell of the movie. I hope you guys enjoy reading it.

~~

Summary: True love is hard to find. Especially when you're a socially awkward virgin who's thirty-five and has an action-figure collection.

When Killian's friends discover his secret, they try to get him laid. But while all their efforts fail, Killian is already smitten by a blonde single mother who shows up at his doorstep one day.

After he finally musters the courage to take her on a date, Emma is quick to get her "happy ending," but Killian is too much of a gentleman to take things too fast. Especially since he's reluctant to tell her he's a virgin.

AO3 or FFN

Chaste Love

The Italian restaurant was quaint with amazing pasta to wood-fired pizza that his brother found online and  recommended. The eatery's kind owner, Marco Geppetto. greeted his patrons at the door.

Killian sat nervously as he waited for his date to return from the loo.

His brother Liam had begged him to try to meet someone, a nice young lass. 'Killian just try a dating app. Isn't that what all the young kids are doing?' His brother had joked on their weekly call.

He promised his brother for peace of mind he would, and here he was. He was a man of honor after all. The girl's profile seemed nice enough on the website but sitting in front of him was the complete opposite.

What was her name? Bloody hell, he couldn't remember. It was something like Laney.

He only smiled as he heard her talking about work and her coworkers.

The date soon came to an end. “So, can we go back to your place?” She asked as she bit her bottom lip. “Since I saw your profile I've been wanting to go home with you.” she purred as she rubbed his foot underneath the table.

Killian paled as he stammered. “Isn't it too soon? It’s only our first date after all.”

"Come on, let's go to your place and we can work out the food we just ate." She smiled.

“I think we should get to know each other first. You are a lovely lass and I’m not saying I’m not interested” he blushed “I’d be a fool not to be but-” he was interrupted.

“Look I don’t need you to be all gentleman-y. I’m a big girl and I know what I want. So take me home with you.”

She was persistent. “I live nearby, I walked here.”   

He had insisted that they should meet at the restaurant. He had walked from his place since it was a block away.  

“My car is outside but walking would be nice.” She didn’t want to mention the little fact that it had an ignition interlock device. 

He paid for their dinner and soon they were out the door. She grabbed his hand “lead the way.”

The walk had been nice. There was small talk but the closer they got to his place the more his nerves rose.

They arrived at his apartment and he quickly unlocked the door. She entered the clean space. She looked around the living room. 

“Please make yourself comfortable.” Killian indicated.

He rushed towards the bedroom to ensure it was clean. Killian slowed his breathing and went back to the living room. 

“Lass, would you like a beverage?” He still couldn’t be sure of her name.

She turned to look at him and smiled. “I didn’t know you had kids, your profile didn’t say so.” 

“I don’t have kids, why would you think so?”

“Oh, I just assumed since there are so many dolls.”

Killian blushed with embarrassment. “They are not dolls lass, they are action figures, collectibles.”

“Why do you keep calling me lass? My name is Lacey. I mean we were about to have sex for crying out loud.”

“We were?”

She laughed. “You are not seriously thinking we still are? What kind of man your age still plays with dolls?”

“I do not play with them. They’re collectibles. You are not exactly who you claimed to be in your profile, lass.” 

Lacey scoffed at him and eagerly left him home alone.

The day after his disastrous date he woke up with a common affliction most men do. The morning wood. He sighed and debated if perhaps a strenuous workout would free him from the need and make it go away. It didn't. A cold bracing shower finally did the trick, he was able to enjoy a healthy breakfast then finish getting himself ready for work. 

There was a sudden knock on his door and was surprised since he was not expecting anyone. He opened the door to be greeted by long luminous blonde hair, red leather jacket, tight jeans, black boots, sheer white blouse, and bright green eyes met his blue ones, once his perusal ended. He blushed as he realized what he had been doing.  

“Sorry to bother you but I’m looking for Lacey French.”

“I’m sorry lass but why would she be here?”

“I know there was a date last night. Is she in the bedroom?” She tried to push her way inside his place.

Killian stiffened and didn’t allow her entrance. “Lass, no one is here. I’m on my way to work and I’m running late now.”

“Look, your little girlfriend jumped bail and I’m just doing my job.” She forcibly pushed her way in.

“She’s not my girlfriend, I just met her.” He shuffled his feet nervously as she raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “Fine, you don’t believe me. Look around but make it fast. I’m really late now.” His heart pounded fast as he scratched behind his ear while she looked around his place.

The lass nodded as she made her way through the tidy place. “Wow, you have a lot of dolls for a grown man.”

Killian’s jaw clenched. “They are not dolls.”

She laughed as she had made her way back from inspecting the rest of the place. “I know they’re not. I was just teasing you.”

Killian raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

“Sorry to have bothered you, here’s my card. Please, call me if Lacey reaches out to you. Her dad put up her bail, and he is really worried about her.”

Killian grabbed the card and read her name out loud, “Emma Swan.” He couldn’t help the smile that blossomed on his face. 

He was late to work. He was the last one to arrive and rushed to his little section. 

He worked at the local electronic/appliance store in the small town. They sold everything from appliances, computers, and TVs. They even did special orders for their customers. The owner was an older woman that got the business from her dying mother’s estate when she passed away from a freak attack by her dogs. She was a decent looking woman but she was his boss. She would use any excuse to touch him and flirt with him. His coworkers teased him endlessly because she was into him and that he should go for it. That maybe if she got lucky they would all get lucky with a pay increase or a bonus. Ah, but he knew it wasn’t just him. It was all of them. She was handsy and inappropriate. She really enjoyed seeing his cheeks redden by her comments.

It was going to be a long day. He walked into the store and headed to the back room. Maybe his tardiness would go unnoticed. He had almost made it, he was so close.

“Hey, Killian. So I want to hear all the dirty little details about your date. Was she hot? Please, tell me she was a naughty librarian…” 

“Arthur,” Killian paused for a second as he interrupted his coworker, “I’m a gentleman and a gentleman never tells.”

“Come on! I want details, I saw her profile and you know what they say about the quiet ones.” Arthur’s eyebrows wiggled.

Killian grimaced at his coworker when a voice interrupted his thoughts. “Hello darlings,” Killian and Arthur cringed at the purr in her voice. 

Arthur forced a smile for their boss, “Cruella, lovely as ever but I really should be getting to work.” 

“Oh darling, please don’t rush on my account.” She blocked him from leaving. “You know, I wouldn’t object to getting caught in the middle of this stubble sandwich.” She waved her hand between the two of them. 

Arthur glanced at Killian as they shared an uncomfortable look. Killian cleared his throat. “Good morning, Cruella. I’m a little behind on my work.” He pointed at his workstation.

“Oh, my darling Killian, you work too hard. Besides I’ve told you many times before that if you need to put in an extra hour or so, I’m willing to stay later to keep you company.” She inched closer to him. 

Arthur had made his escape, as Cruella’s attention was completely focused on Killian. 

The day is like any other day. He is so consumed by his work he misses his lunch break. Rushing out of his workstation to leave for the day, he tries to swiftly sneak out without notice. The upside was that Cruella was a creature of habit. It was a known fact that she locked herself in her office the last hour of the workday. While she was distracted in her office, he escaped. 

When Killian finally arrived home, he ate his dinner. He followed his usual routine to the “T”. His thoughts briefly drifted to the bounty hunter and wondered if she caught her prey.

The days seemed to blend together. On one of those very typical days, he was surprised by his co-workers’ invitation. “Jones, come here,” David called out to him. There were some whispers and murmurs from the rest of the men.

He cautiously approached them. “Hello, Dave.” When his eyes drifted to Arthur, Leroy grumbled his protest. Robin smiled, “Mate, we were wondering if you would like to join us for our weekly poker game? My cousin, Will, is our regular but he finally found a girl that puts up with him so he can’t join us. How about it?” 

Killian looked at the group and knew he should decline. He was about to decline when he noticed Robin and David giving him an encouraging nod, and somehow the wrong words came out of his mouth. “Sure, I’d love to.” He was going to have to look up youtube videos on how to play poker or pick up a copy of Poker for Dummies. “When is game night?”

“We know it’s a bit of a short notice,” David sighed. “But it’s tonight.” 

“That’s okay,” Killian said with a smile. “I’ll be there.” 

David and Robin smiled and Arthur nodded begrudgingly. After giving Killian all the details, they went back to work. Killian went home and did some fast research about poker. Youtube was truly a lifesaver. After viewing too many videos on how to play poker for dummies, he felt like he was ready. Granted, it didn’t make him an instant expert, but he believed he could handle himself.

He looked in the mirror and freshened up. After finding a stain on his shirt, he made the last-minute decision to change it. A thought crossed his mind; he should stop at the store for some lager and crisps for his friends. Liam would be horrified if he arrived empty-handed. 

They played for hours and his coworkers didn’t seem to mind he wasn’t any good. They were playing for money, so there was that. His loss was their gain. Sadly, there had been liquor, which got the men talking about their loves…

David mentioned his high school sweetheart and hoped to marry her soon, Arthur still pined for his ex, Gwen, Leroy is happily married to a nice woman, Astrid, and Robin is married with a small son. That’s when they turn their attention to him.

Killian nervously shifted in his seat, his face coloring a bright shade of red. 

Arthur laughed mercilessly. “Please, tell me you’re not a virgin.”

Robin, David, and Leroy stared at Killian. 

“Of course not, I’ve had many dalliances before,” Killian answered as fast as he could.

Arthur stared at him. “Prove it.”

This time, David couldn’t stay quiet. “Please, ignore him, Killian. He’s drunk.”

“I’m just teasing. You and Robin are too overprotective. It’s not a big deal. If you are, we can take you out and get you laid, and if you’re not, well good for you.” Arthur smiled wickedly at him. 

The night ended in awkward silence.

@hookedonapirate @kmomof4 @searchingwardrobes @seriouslyhooked@profdanglaisstuff @let-it-raines @revanmeetra87@snowbellewells@hollyethecurious@kymbersmith-90@branlovestowrite@thejollyroger-writer@shireness-says@ilovemesomekillianjones@thisonesatellite@thesschesthair@winterbythesea@stahlop@resident-of-storybrooke@superchocovian@lfh1226-linda@artistic-writer@thislassishooked@shardminds@winterbaby89@xhookswenchx@ultraluckycatnd@gingerchangeling@laschatzi@wellhellotragic@xemmaloveskillianx@courtorderedcake@pirateherokillian@optomisticgirl@darkcolinodonorgasm@sherlockianwhovian @andiirivera @djlbg @nikkiemms @jennjenn615 @scientificapricot @officerrogers @imlaxdris71 @therealstartraveller776 @kday426  @lassluna

[purplesurveys]

1143

survey by brock-checkitout

Do you like cheese? Yeah but not to an obsessive extent like most people on the internet seem to be. I have a lower tolerance when it comes to cheeses with stronger or more pungent flavors, and I like sticking to those on the creamy side, like feta and burrata.

What type of shampoo do you use? Dove.

Do turtles make you happy? I mean not as much as dogs would but they are animals, so encountering one would still make me giddy and happy :)))

Name one person who snores in their sleep. Both of my parents, which is why I used to dread whenever we’d book a trip and there’s only one main room available for the 5 of us.

Would you walk around a grocery store with a bra as glasses? Sure, if I was gonna do it for like a cause or something. Or if I got paid for it. I can’t imagine why I’d ever have to casually/randomly do it. Also how would that even work, if it actually had to work as glasses???

Can you do the HoeDown ThrowDown? That movie came out when we were in the midst of moving houses and everything was super hectic in my little 10 year old life, so I never got to wach it, actually. I missed out on the whole Hoedown Throwdown craze and I distinctly remember jealously watching over my classmates as they danced it together.

Do you like Hershey's Chocolate bars? Just the cookies and cream variant.

What smiley face do you use the most? :) I very rarely use others.

What type of cell phone do you have? I have an iPhone 8.

Do you listen to rap? Not so much. For the most part, I stick to my tried and tested albums, like Jay-Z and Kanye’s Watch the Throne.

Look at something green, does it have batteries in it? That would be a nearby alcohol bottle, and no, it does not need batteries.

What's the first thing that comes to your mind when I say: PRINTER? Ink and paper.

What is the last cuss word you said out loud? Not so sure, but since I commonly say shit and fuck they could serve as safe enough guesses.

Do you like cows? Sure.

What kind of car does your mother drive? These days we split ‘my’ car between us since we sold our third car, which used to be the one she’d usually drive. The new arrangement used to bug me at first because it meant I now had to notify my mom in advance whenever I planned to drive out, but I’ve since gotten used to the setup.

What do you get in your tacos? I don’t eat tacos. Not that I dislike them; there are just many other Mexican dishes I find more filling.

What is your opinion on blueberries? As a flavor, it’s fine. But I actually tried an actual blueberry for the very first time last week when my aunt sent over a blueberry cheesecake - I really wanted to give it a chance, but I still found it nasty :( I really don’t know why I hate fruits so much lmao.

Are you currently wearing lip gloss/chap stick? Nopes.

Is there a bottle of lotion near you? There isn’t.

Name one person that you know that smokes. Sam smokes superexcessively. Like I’ve completely forgotten how much she can smoke in an evening until I hung out with her again a few weeks ago. It was half impressive and half terrifying; and my clothes ended up smelling because of it.

What's your favorite season? We don’t have the usual four seasons, but based on what I’ve seen in media, spring and winter look and feel the most pleasant to me.

Are any of your friends vegetarians? No.

What is one phrase that you hate hearing? “All lives matter” really pisses me off.

Can you name four presidents right now? Rodrigo Duterte, Ramon Magsaysay, Fidel Ramos, Diosdado Macapagal. But because I’m guessing this meant American presidents...George W. Bush, John F. Kennedy, Andrew Jackson, Harry Truman.

What is the first thing you think of when I say: HOOD? A jacket.

Do you currently own a cat? Nope.

What do you think of Ulta? I think of the fact that I’ve never heard of that before and I don’t actually know what this is referring to.

Have you ever walked into a club and asked for a Coke? No.

Do you like classical music? Sure, some.

What is your opinion on Oreos? I had the biscuits like a billion times as a kid to the point that I got sick of them. I will always pick the Oreo flavor in other desserts though, be it cheesecake, cupcake, cookies, milkshakes, tc. 

Do you like Chips-Ahoy? No, tastes too artificial/processed. I’ll always go for freshly-baked cookies.

What did ya think of this survey? It was fine. I *think* I haven’t taken this before either, so that’s a plus lol.

--

survey by carolynnnnonia

1. What time did you wake up this morning? Around 6:30ish.

2. When did you take your default picture? It’s not a photo of me, it’s a still from BoJack Horseman. Years ago I saw someone on Twitter use it as a default and I found it hilarious, so I decided to do the same thing for this blog.

3. Are you hungry? Mmm not so much right now actually. I had a midnight snack that I only got to finish by like 2 AM so I still feel pretty filled.

4. Have you ever cheated on a test? Yup but just once. When I ended up perfecting the exam I cheated on, I felt like a fraud and I’ve never cheated since. I’d rather get an honest 99 than get a 100 that I’m ashamed of, lol.

5. When was the last time you ate ice cream? I think it had been last week when we had a cookies and cream tub in the fridge.

6. What computer game is in your CPU? I don’t play PC games and it’s been a hoooooot minute since I’ve seen a CPU.

7. Do you like Audrey Hepburn? You’ve come to the right person :))) Yup, obsessed. Have watched her entire filmography except for the ones that are impossible to find DVDs of or online.

8. What color is your winter jacket?

9. Do you have any siblings? Yup.

10. Would you call yourself skinny? Not anymore. I’ve filled up a bit over the last few years but I’m still usually seen as thin. I was a lot skinnier in my teens.

11. Does your phone take pictures? Yes, 2008 survey, it does.

12. Who is your favorite neighbor? They’re not really neighbors, but the construction workers who are currently working on a new house from across ours are crazy over Cooper and love to greet him and give him a few pats when I take him out. My actual neighbors are rather quiet and we tend to keep to ourselves.

13. Do you wish at 11:11? No.

14. Have you ever gotten a detention? We don’t have detention here.

15. Do you still watch Disney Channel? Nah, we took out our cable last year because no one was using it anymore. And I doubt there’s anything watchable on Disney Channel for a twentysomething?? Lmao I usually stick to the shows and movies I grew up with, so.

16. Who did you last IM? Angela.

17. Who is your least favorite teacher? Whoever hated me for no reason in middle and high school. Then in college, I had to power through a misogynist, sexist, delusional Duterte-supporting professor for an entire semester as well.

18. What were you doing six hours ago? I was winding down and watching Good Mythical Morning videos to eventually doze off.

19. What is your ringtone? Just the default iPhone ones.

20. Does your door have a dead bolt on it? I had to look this up haha but yeah.

21. Have you ever been to a show? Like, a live shooting of a show? Hmm....I don’t remember ever going to one yet. I remember being invited to one because they needed seat fillers, but I had school at the time and was never available on the day of the shoot.

22. What are some details about your first kiss? Innocent, pure. Even though that person ended up disappointing me, I don’t regret having my first kiss with them.

23. What college do you want to attend/currently attend? I went to UP.

24. Have you had any soda today? No and I most likely won’t.

25. What is your favorite scary movie? Carrie, The Shining, and Evil Dead are some good ones.

26. Do you own a Wii? We used to and it was a big part of my late childhood to my early teens. We had thrown it out years ago, though, because it stopped working.

27. Did you wear shorts today? I currently am wearing shorts, yeah, and I plan on wearing shorts for the rest of the day.

28. Anything fun happening this weekend? There’s an official Kim Seonho fanmeet happening tonight on Facebook and I’m so excited for it lmaaaaaaoooo

29. What shoes did you wear today? One of my sneakers.

30. What is your favorite type of Pop Tart? We only get 5 flavors here in the Philippines, but my favorite is the chocolate fudge one.

31. Do you subscribe to any magazines? Nope.

32. What was the last television show you watched? I didn’t watch it on TV, but I watched a few clips from this show called Caught in Providence on Facebook. I have such a soft spot for that show.

33. Do you know any other languages? If I’m not speaking in English, I use Filipino, yes.

34. Are you wearing anything green? No.

[sweet-curried-powder]

Happy Birthday, Edward!

Technically, Edward’s birthday isn’t until tomorrow, but I was too damn excited!!

I really wanted to do something special for Edward’s birthday, so I thought I’d write him a little something to celebrate!

There’s also some self-indulgent Chredwis in here, because there isn’t enough of that out there.

Characters: Edward Quinton, Chris Jackson, Drew and Nevin Jovel, Isaac Beamer, Ell Fisher

Word count: 2,164

Warnings: Swearing

The boys belong to @onebizarrekai​, Ell belongs to me, and the picture was drawn by my good friend @oakskull​!

Fic is under the cut!

Happy birthday, Edward!

***

Chris was ten seconds away from a fucking panic attack. He was pacing back and forth, muttering to himself, finishing off his fourth chocolate bar in the span of ten minutes.

“Okay, so Ell’s baking the cake, Nevin’s cooking other stuff, Drew’s finishing up the playlist for the party…wait, what about the decorations? OH GOD, ARE THE DECORATIONS DONE?! THIS PARTY’S GONNA SUCK ASS IF THERE ISN’T ANY DECORA-”

“Calm your tits, man!” Isaac sighed, walking in the room with a box of handmade decorations. He put them down and held up a banner that said, ‘Happy Birthday, King Edward Quinton!’ There were crowns drawn on it with shiny markers, and it was covered in rhinestones and glitter. “Also gonna toot my own horn and say it’s some of my best work.”

“Oh, thank Kai,” Chris sighed, relaxing. “...Why is it so shiny, though?”

“It’s Edward’s birthday. Everyone knows that your birthday is the one day per year that you get to feel important!” Isaac grinned. “Plus I wanted to use a ton of glitter and rhinestones.”

“Isaac, honey, I love you, but how much did you even USE?” Drew cried, squinting at the banner and shielding his eyes.

“You remember when I went to the arts and crafts store with the five hundred dollars Ell gave me?”

“Yeah?”

“Two hundred and fifty dollars were spent on anything that sparkled.”

Drew facepalmed.

“Well, the aesthetic does look pretty nice,” Chris nodded. “Ell, do me a favor and use your telekinesis to help hang all of these up.”

“Gotcha, Chris-cross!” Ell grinned, lifting her hand. The banner lifted in the air all on its own. She lifted the box up with her hands and wandered off to decorate the rest of Chris’s house.

“I can’t believe that your dad’s okay with holding Ed’s party here,” Isaac said. “I figured that he’d say no to this.”

“Oh, Dad doesn’t know,” Chris replied. “He’s been on a business trip since Monday. He won’t be back until late next week. As long as we clean everything up afterwards, he won’t suspect a thing.”

“Damn, you’re being a rebel, aren’t you?” Drew raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, because this is important! Tomorrow is Ed’s big day!” Chris cried. “Tomorrow has to be absolutely perfect! Just like he is…”

“What was that last part?” Nevin asked, leaning closer to the monochromatic teenager.

“NOTHING!” Chris shouted, face going red, turning to Ell. “Ell, you’re gonna pick Ed up later so he can spend the night at your house, right? You know, to keep him busy so we can set up the finishing touches the next morning?”

“Uh-huh!” Ell gave Chris a thumbs up. “I’m gonna get up early and sneak over here to bake and decorate the cake. If all goes well, I should be back before Edward even wakes up.”

“Remind me why Edward’s gonna stay the night at Ell’s house, again?” Isaac asked. “He could’ve stayed at my place. We’re on pretty good terms.”

“Ell lives the furthest away from all of us,” Chris reminded him. “I’d have him stay at my house, but obviously we can’t, since we’re having the party here.”

“And we all know what Chris would do to Ed if they spent the night alone with each other,” Ell added.

“Jesus fucking Christ, guys! It’s not like that!” Chris cried. “We’d just play birthday games.”

“Birthday games?” Drew repeated.

“Yeah! Like Spin the Bottle, 7 Minutes in Heaven…”

“Chris, those aren’t birthday games,” Isaac facepalmed. “Those are the types of games that horny teenagers play at parties.”

“Hey, who can blame him? That’s how I would want to ring in MY birthday.” Ell’s face started to turn red. “But with somebody else, if you catch my drift…”

“Ell, stop it. You’re gonna bleed on the carpet.” Drew sighed, pulling out a tissue and handing it to Ell.

“Alright, everyone regroup here tomorrow morning at 8 am to put on the finishing touches! Ed’s… er, cronies will arrive a few hours before, and Ell and Ed should be here at noon! Don’t be late!”

Everyone said their goodbyes and went their separate ways, Isaac getting into his car, Drew and Nevin heading home, and Ell walking towards Ed’s house.

Chris shut the door behind him, sliding to the floor. He was nervous. So, so nervous. This party was one of the many surprises that he had for Edward, when tomorrow came.

“Tomorrow is going to be perfect,” Chris said aloud to the empty house. “It has to be. For Edward.”

********************************************

Edward’s cake looked amazing. It was several layers tall, and was frosted in different colors, and even had a tiny little Edward made of modeling chocolate and fondant.

“It’s not really one of my best creations, but Ed’ll like it,” Ell shrugged, wiping some frosting off of her cheek.

“Not one of your best?!” Chris cried. “This is the best birthday cake I’ve ever seen in my life! How did you even manage to make this in two hours?”

“I’ve been in a ton of baking competitions before. No biggie.” Ell blew some hair out of her face. “You gotta learn to work quickly in those sort of things.”

“Did you win a few of them?” Chris asked, intrigued.

“Nope. I won them all.” Ell grinned. “What did you think all those trophies in my living room came from?”

“Martial arts competitions,” Chris replied without hesitation.

“You’re not wrong, actually. I just keep those trophies in my room.” Ell checked the time. “I better go. Ed’s gonna wake up any minute now, and I need to keep the B-day boy distracted.”

“Alright,” Chris sighed. “I’ll call you if I need you to distract him for even longer.”

“That won’t happen.” Ell smiled at Chris, confident.

“How do you know?”

“Let me ask you a question.” Ell leaned in close to Chris. “Do you love Edward?”

Chris’s face went completely and totally red.

“Well, the same generic and platonic love I share with all of my friends and family-”

“No, you dumbass! I mean romantically! Sexually! That kind of love! Do you love Edward in that way?”

Chris balled his hands up into fists. He could lie in this situation, say that he didn’t, but Ell could read minds, and on top of that, she could instantly tell whether someone was lying or telling the truth, so denying that he loved Edward in this situation proved moot.

“Yes. I romantically and sexually love Edward,” Chris admitted, his cheeks warming.

“In that case, I believe that you’ve got this in the bag,” Ell smiled. “You won’t let anything go wrong for him. It’s his birthday, and you want to make it really special for him. You want to give him a birthday that he’ll never forget, in the best way possible. And you’ll succeed.”

“You really think so?”

“I don’t think so. I know so. Telekinetic’s intuition.” Ell tapped her head, looking like the guy from the “you can’t do” meme.

Chris chuckled. “Thanks, Ell. You’re the best.”

“You’re welcome. That’ll be thirty bucks.”

“WHAT?!”

“I’m kidding! God…”

******************************

Edward felt something sit down on his chest, followed by a heavenly smell. He opened his eyes, and Ell was sitting on him, a party horn in her mouth, holding a tray.

Ell blew on the horn, and she took it out of her mouth using her telekinesis. “Bon anniversaire! Feliz cumpleanos! Happy birthday!”

“You made me breakfast in bed? That’s awfully nice of you!” Edward grinned, taking the tray. “Ooh! French toast!”

“Not just any French toast!” Ell grinned. “It’s my grandmother’s special Nutella French toast! The recipe’s been in my family since the day Nutella was first sold in 1964!”

Edward took a bite of it, and his eyes lit up. “Holy shit, this tastes amazing! Nevin would probably kill for this recipe!”

“Yeah, I figured, which is why I haven’t told him about this,” Ell chuckled. “Do me a solid and keep this under wraps, will you?”

“It’s the least I can do,” Edward nodded, taking another bite. “Damn, I gotta say, you’re a really good cook.”

“Oh, thanks. I’m mostly self-taught.” Ell crossed her legs. “So, do you have any plans for today?”

“I usually go out for dinner on my birthday with my family, but I’m pretty much free until then,” Edward said. “I think I might go see Chris. My cronies probably got me something. Well, at least Cody, probably.”

“Oh, I bet you’ll see them soon,” Ell smiled. “Trust me.”

“Okay…” Edward took another bite. While he was distracted, Ell checked the time. She needed to keep Edward distracted for four hours. While some people would think that was impossible, she knew how to do it.

“You know, there’s this new store that opened up nearby that’s full of weird stuff,” Ell said, rubbing her thumb and forefinger together. “And I heard this rumor from one of the librarians that the place had some haunted items…”

“Haunted? As in, ghosts?” Edward leaned forward.

Ell nodded.

“Well, what are we waiting for?! LET’S GO!” Edward shoved the rest of the toast in his mouth and started taking his shirt off.

“HEY! Girl in the room!!” ********************************

“You want… that book?” Ell asked, raising an eyebrow as Edward held up a dusty, old book with some kind of symbol on the cover.

“Yep!” Edward grinned.

Ell breathed in deeply. “Dude, I know it’s your birthday, and I don’t mean to shoot you down on your special day, but I haven’t seen you pick up a book that wasn’t assigned to you for class.”

“Well, unlike you, I do all my recreational reading in the comfort of my own home, and only there,” Edward said, holding the book to his chest. “Besides, this book is just oozing with supernatural stuff. I can feel it in my bones.”

“Alright, if you say so,” Ell shrugged, giving the cashier several hundred dollar bills. “Keep the change, m’theydy.”

The cashier looked confused, but put the money in the register without complaint.

It was almost noon. Time for Ed to get so fucking surprised.

“Hey, Chris just texted me,” Ell said, looking at Edward with a gleam in her eyes. “He asked me to bring you over to his house. He has something for you.”

Edward’s cheeks dusted pink.

“Edward? You alright, buddy?” Ell asked.

“I-I’m fine!” Edward said rather quickly. “L-let’s hurry up.” Ell grinned, grabbed Edward’s hand, and fucking ran. For someone who was the shortest person in Foxfield High School, she was fast.

“Ell, slow down! Christ alive!” Edward cried, stumbling to catch up to his younger friend.

Ell finally screeched to a stop in front of Chris’s house.

“Chris said to just go on in,” Ell said, panting slightly. “I’m gonna go use the bathroom.” She dashed inside the house, opening and shutting the door quickly.

“Okay, everyone! He’s here!” Ell whispered.

“Okay everyone, go and hide!” Chris hissed. “When Ed comes in, count to three, and then jump out and yell, ‘Surprise’! Got that?”

Everyone nodded, scrambling to find a hiding spot. Ell used her powers to turn the lights off as she hid behind the couch next to the twins.

Edward opened the door, entering the dark house. “Hello? Chris?” He squinted, looking around the pitch-black house. “Are you home?”

Ell turned the lights back on, and everyone jumped out from their hiding spots.

“SURPRISE!” Everyone yelled. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”

“W-what? A… a party?” Edward looked around the room in disbelief. “You guys set this all up?”

“Actually, it was Chris,” Isaac admitted, elbowing Chris in the side. “He got the idea in the first place. The rest of us helped in our own little ways. I made the decorations, if you can guess.”

Edward held back laughter as he looked at the extremely glittery banner that was hanging on a wall. He turned to Chris. “You planned all of this by yourself?”

Chris nodded, his face turning slightly pink. “It’s your birthday. I wanted to make it really special for you. I hope you like it.”

“Well, I don’t like it.”

Chris felt his heart sink. “O-oh. I’m-”

“I love it!”

Chris blinked. “Y-you do?”

“Yeah!” Edward grinned. “I can’t believe you went through the trouble of planning a huge surprise party just for me. It’s such a great birthday gift.”

Chris looked at Ell from the corner of his eye. She gave him a knowing look, and nodded, as if she was telling her to go for it. Chris took a deep breath.

“Well, can I give you another gift?” Chris asked.

“Sure! What is-”

Chris grabbed Edward, dipped him down, and gave him a long, deep, passionate kiss. Isaac and Nevin fucking sceamed, while everyone else stared in awe.

After thirty thrilling seconds, Chris separated from a blushing Edward.

“Happy birthday,” Chris grinned.

Edward stood there, frozen for a good while, before he smiled back, tears of joy streaming down his face.

“Thank you.”

[delta-roseblr]

Felix and Kyle Visit an Adult Book Store: Part Two

Hello and Welcome back for part two!

Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a ninety-minute car ride that felt like it had been about four hours they finally arrived at their destination and what a fucking sight it was.

Jimmy’s Adult Toy Chest wasn’t the highest-rated adult store in Nashville. It wasn’t even the closest to their town. It was, however, pretty well known amongst pretty much everyone under the age of 18 as being extremely lax about IDing its patrons. Kyle had turned 18 in September so he didn’t have to worry about that, but Felix wouldn’t be 18 for another eight months. He had a fake ID, a really fucking expensive one actually, but it was for the state of Vermont. That wasn’t necessarily a problem, but Felix was pretty sure it would draw unwanted scrutiny. Jimmy’s Adult Toy Chest’s apparent apathy for looking at effect such things pretty much solved that problem.

Apparently, this also meant that Jimmy’s Adult Toy Chest was in the seediest part of town in the shiftiest looking building Felix had ever seen. It was pretty much just a one-story rectangular building dropped in the middle of a gravel parking lot surrounded by what looked like abandoned buildings. The building might have once been painted red, but the color had long since faded and was presently a weirdly muted and dingy looking pinkish purple color. It had a few windows that Felix could see but they didn’t give away any of the store’s secrets because they appeared to be covered with black paint. Felix felt like he was going to catch an STI just looking at the place.

One look at Kyle and Felix could tell that the place didn’t exactly live up to his expectations either. “Still think this is going to be fun?” Felix questioned with a grin.

Kyle looked at the building for another long minute before turning to Felix and obviously forcing a grin. “If we don’t get murdered,” he answered with fake cheer.

“Or kidnapped and sold on some black market,” Felix offered flatly at what he saw as a real alternative. The place kind of looked like a serial killer’s preferred killing room for fuck’s sake. He grinned humorlessly at Kyle before adding, “You know how there are all those jokes about red-headed step-children? What do you think happens to red-headed sex slaves?”

Kyle chuckled and rolled his eyes. “You are a fucking asshole.”

Felix just continued to grin at him. “You are not the first person to tell me that.”

Unfortunately, even though the place looked like it was going to be the site of a future murder Kyle still wasn’t deterred about going in. Felix knew it had been his idea to come in the first place, but the more he thought about it the more he wanted to get out of it.

The whole situation was just so stupid. The thing he wanted or at least wanted to look into was easily found online on dozens of websites, Felix was sure. Thing was, Felix was one hundred percent sure that his dad checked his internet history now. Felix knew how to scrub that. It wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough to handle his dad’s prying eyes. He had done a little looking already and his dad didn’t seem to know about it. So he could have looked at home but buying anything was a complete no go. His dad would absolutely open any package that showed up at the house for him and Felix couldn’t guarantee he would be home in time to beat his dad home to get the mail every day with soccer practice. If Felix wanted to purchase anything he needed to go to a brick and mortar store except he didn’t have a fucking car. Felix was working on that, and he was so fucking close, but that didn’t actually help him at that moment. No car meant he needed a ride which is why he had ended up enlisting Kyle.

Great plan except that Kyle was just so fucking enthusiastic about it. It made Felix feel even more uncomfortable about the whole thing than he already did, and he was already about as uncomfortable as he could get about it. Not that Felix was ashamed of sex or liking sex, but this was a bit more than that.

His last opportunity to escape effectively squashed, Felix walked into the store with Kyle. The outside had prepared him for something dank and dirty and probably sleazy which wasn’t what they got at all. The place was well lit and looked clean and organized. That juxtaposition alone was enough to give Felix pause, but he was sure that the display of dick and boob shaped paraphernalia meant for things like bachelorette parties that were set up so they were the first thing you saw when you walked in didn’t help.

“Wow,” Felix exclaimed. He might have even taken a step back from the shock of all of it. “That’s a lot,” he admitted.

“It’s like sensory overload with sex toys!” Kyle agreed although he sounded more excited than surprised. When Felix looked over at him, Kyle was looking around like a fucking kid in a candy shop. “It’s Toys ’R Us for adults.”

I should have just risked it and bought what I wanted online, Felix thought to himself.

“You two are 18?” Someone asked. Felix looked in the direction of the voice to see a bored girl sitting behind the counter by the register. She looked like she was in her late twenties or early thirties. She had more piercings on her face and in her ears than Felix dare try to count, and her hair was fire-engine red. Her phone was still in her hands and she was looking at them with an annoyed disinterest. It was pretty fucking clear they had interrupted her internet scrolling and she wasn’t fucking happy about it.

“Yeah,” Felix replied easily even though it was very much a lie. Considering his relative history of bad luck, Felix wouldn’t have been surprised if she asked to see their IDs but if she did he was prepared to deal with that.

“Yup,” Kyle also answered. Felix knew it was in his head, but he would have sworn Kyle sounded more sincere than he had. Dean could do that too and Felix blamed the southern accent. Kyle reached into his back pocket as he asked, “Do you need to see our IDs?”

The girl behind the counter actually seemed to think about it although it became clear pretty quickly she wasn’t going to take Kyle up on the offer. She just had to go through the motions for appearance's sake which Felix got even if he didn’t appreciate the stress.

“Nah,” she eventually dismissed and returned to looking at her phone like they didn’t even fucking exist.

Well, that was one hurdle dealt with, Felix guessed.

Felix went to take a step and Kyle caught his arm before leaning into his space to whisper. “Is that porn on the TV behind her?” he asked, and it was hard to tell if he was bewildered or horrified by the thought.

Felix almost asked what TV because he really hadn’t noticed one, but on a second glance, he saw the flat screen TV sitting on the shelves behind her. It took all of two seconds of looking to determine that the TV was, in fact, playing some good, old-fashioned porn. It wasn’t exactly a surprise considering porn was the place’s business, but Felix did find it a little amusing which was probably why he chuckled before answering, “Looks like.”

“Oh,” Kyle exclaimed, and he did sound surprised. How he could be surprised at that point Felix didn’t know because he had eyes and it was clearly porn, but it was Kyle. The guy could be shockingly innocent when it came to some things. “I guess that is on theme,” he commented sounding a little awkward about it.

Maybe he would have been more comfortable if it was gay porn. Or that could have made it worse. Felix really couldn’t tell so it was anyone’s guess.

Unfortunately, Kyle got over his discomfort quickly and went right back to being an excited puppy about the whole thing. He released Felix’s arm but turned to look at him curiously, “So what are you looking for?”

“None of your business,” Felix answered immediately. The thought of actually saying it out loud made Felix’s face burn. He was going to buy it which in its own way was embarrassing enough but he wasn’t going to talk about it.

“Dude,” Kyle laughed, “You know I’m going to see it when you check out, right?”

“Fuck,” Felix hissed, “I hadn’t really thought about that.”

How he had managed to not think about that Felix didn’t fucking know because it really was beyond obvious. He guessed he had been so hung up on actually going to the place that he didn’t think out all of the details as much as he should.

I should have just taken the risk and ordered one off the internet, Felix thought as the situation finally truly hit him.

“Well, now that you are aware why don’t you tell me so I can help look,” Kyle suggested as he started to crane his neck to look around the store curiously.

He was going to find out anyway, Felix realized and let out a sigh. It was stupid but he found himself looking around the store to make sure there was no one nearby to overhear. The girl behind the counter was already engrossed in her phone and Felix was pretty sure that he and Kyle were the only actual customers. “Um….,” Felix hummed. He was just going to admit it because it was going to come out eventually. He totally was until he thought about the horror of actually having to say it out loud really struck him and he couldn’t make the words come out.

“Let’s just start looking around,” he grumbled instead.

“You are literally the definition of a bisexual disaster,” Kyle exclaimed with a dramatic eye roll. It wasn’t the first time Kyle had called him that and Felix was pretty sure it wouldn’t be the last. Felix couldn’t even be that mad about it because he wasn’t completely wrong. “Where would you like to start?” Kyle asked as he looked around the store again, “Lube? Sex games and other paraphernalia whatever that means? Bondage?” Kyle gasped at his own question and looked at Felix wide-eyed. “Oh, god, is that why we are here? Like to get a pair of handcuffs or something?”

“No,” Felix dismissed quickly. He liked to think he was a pretty flexible person and he was willing to try a lot in the bedroom but there was no way in fucking hell he would ever let Dean tie him up. Thankfully, Dean had never expressed an interest in that, and Felix couldn’t imagine Dean would want to be tied up either. Dean could barely handle laying back and let Felix pleasure him. He would probably have a fucking heart attack being tied up and completely out of control. “Just… come on.”

[lamortexiii]

Cryptic Mystic: Ouija & You

We’ve all heard of ouija boards. Maybe you played with one as a kid. Maybe you come from a place where they are forbidden. Why do certain cultures view this divine board as deserving of high praise, while others are terrified of it? Maybe you should be terrified, or maybe… if you know what you’re doing and you’re careful... you may have found exactly what you’re looking for. Get ready to explore the catacombs of ouija stemming from its origins to what we know it as today. Strange encounters, myths, mediums, and tales of yore; we will dive into some of the mysterious happenings that surround the Ouija board.

Before the Ouija board there was the “talking board.” The talking board is a descendent of automatic writing, also known as psychography, in which a person thought to have psychic abilities is able to write words without consciously thinking about it. Automatic writing can be traced back to China as early as 1100 AD. The Chinese termed this activity “fuji” or “planchette writing.” A planchette is the heart-shaped tool used as your guide when engaging with a Ouija board. Similar practices have been found in various countries around the world.

During the spiritualist movement of the late 1800s mediums began using this technique as a part of their ritualistic practices. This became especially popular with those who had lost loved ones during war and those who had served in the war and lost combat buddies. Due to the skepticism of legit mediumship, talking boards slowly became associated with part of this skepticism.

A businessman from Baltimore, Maryland named Elijah Bond discovered talking boards one day and decided to make a patent on the boards and planchettes, turning them into the “family fun game” we know today as sold by toy companies. His patent was granted in 1891, and the mass manufacturing of talking boards began. The name “Ouija board” and its origins are up for speculation. One story from one of the manufacturers of the original boards said that he learned the name “Ouija” by using a talking board, and that he was told this means “good luck” in an ancient Egyptian language. After his experience he began terming the boards as Ouija boards, and that is supposedly how we know them today. Another story suggests that an employee of Bond named William Fuld coined the name Ouija from a combination of French and German words for “yes.” The actual origin of the name is a mystery, but these are the most popular stories that have been passed down from generation to generation. To be completely honest, I always thought there was a cool story behind the term. Nope,  just boring old businessmen trying to make a quick buck. *hard eye roll*

Scientists have an explanation for the phenomenon that takes place whenever someone engages with a Ouija board. Their theory is that the movement of the planchette across the board is caused by an ideomotor response. This is a psychological response in which someone makes movements unconsciously. The unconscious mind is thought to produce answers in a way that psychologists call a dissociative state. A dissociative state is one in which consciousness is somehow divided or cut off from some aspects of the individual's normal cognitive, motor, or sensory functions. Many studies have shown that participants move the planchette around the board themselves involuntarily. Don’t ask me how they measure an involuntary movement versus a voluntary one - I don’t know. I have to challenge this theory, as there is much we do not know about the world around us, and the many worlds around this one. In the early 1900s as research continued to be conducted on this phenomenon, many more skeptics surfaced as Ouija boards were used by con-artists for financial gain. This progressed to Ouija boards being associated with cults in the 1970s. If you were seen using a Ouija board in that time you may be thought to be a “devil worshiper,” because Christians began to spread the word that whenever people were using these boards they were talking to demons rather than entities from another realm. In more recent times, Ouija boards have been burned alongside Harry Potter books as being considered witchcraft.

I have a few noteworthy encounters with Ouija boards that I feel are important to share with you. The first was when I was about 12 years old. I was at a friend’s house. We used the board in their home between 5 of us. Most of the kids were goofing off and not taking it seriously, so I lost interest. That is, until my friend’s younger brother started freaking out. A terrified look spread across his face as he told us that he had seen a dark figure pass behind us in the room. We all thought he was joking, but then he got up and started screaming. Because of all of the commotion, my friend’s mother noticed what we were doing and ordered that we take the board out of the house immediately. We weren’t supposed to have the Ouija board in her house, but one of the kids had managed to sneak one in. Two of the kids that had brought the board to the house left with the board and took off down the street. My friend’s little brother followed them. My friend and I hung back for a few minutes, but then decided to take a walk around town. As we got to the end of the alley that was beside her house we noticed her brother and the other two kids by the soda machine at the corner store. There was a small fire burning in front of them. Within the fire was the Ouija board. My friend screamed at them, “what the fuck are you doing?!” We were both a little upset that they were going to the extreme of burning it. Her brother told us it was his idea after what he had seen in their house, and that he was not joking with us. We let them be, and continued to walk around town for about an hour. When we got back to her house I couldn’t believe my eyes. On the front porch sitting on the edge of a bench was the Ouija board in perfect condition. There were no burn marks, scratches, or dirt. It looked as though it hadn’t been touched. We immediately went to my friend’s brother and our other two friends who were playing video games in his bedroom. My friend begged to know what kind of trickery they were pulling on us. They swore they didn’t trick us and that they had burnt the board and threw the small remnants in a dumpster. No one ever figured out how the Ouija board ended up in perfect condition back at their house, but my friend did end up keeping it under her bed to hide it from her mom. We would bring it out every now and again, just not in front of her brother.

Another time, when I was 13 I was at another friend’s house. She lived with her mother and her boyfriend in the projects. There was a spare bedroom in their unit that her older sister had used to stay there for a while before she got another place to live. One day when I was hanging out at my friend’s place she asked me if I wanted to break out her Ouija board. I knew that she was big into witchcraft and dark arts, and she was a good friend, so I trusted her judgement. This was much different than the time with my other friends because this time it would be just me and this friend, and she was familiar with her Ouija board. While I was there I remember she made a circle of salt around us, and dropped some sort of oils around while she recited an incantation. She called this “blessing the board,” and said it would protect us from anything evil that may be present. Shortly after we started we got a hit. We talked to a man who said he was murdered in the 1800s and thrown in a nearby creek. The reason he was murdered is because he was accused of sleeping with a married man’s wife. He claimed he was innocent. When he died he was in his 20s. He was a local to the area. After we were done talking with him, my friend closed the board and did a different incantation before we were finished. It was an interesting experience that gave me goosebumps. This experience was much better than my initial one. I did question whether or not my friend was moving the planchette, but I gave her the benefit of the doubt and trusted that she wasn’t and that the experience we had was a legit encounter with something not of this world.

Personally, I believe there is something more to Ouija boards that is powerful. I believe Ouija boards to be yet another mysterious unknown that we only know a fragment about. Think about it - where do ideas come from? What or who planted the seed for this thought; this idea that spiraled into what we know today as the Ouija board. If you notice, it came in stages and progressed into the modern board that we know today. Some documentaries have made mention of the ancient Egyptians holding key knowledge to how this world and other worlds work, and that this gift was bestowed on them from the Gods or “sky people.” One of the theories of how the Ouija board got its name has potential origins in ancient Egypt. Could it be that other life forms set this idea into motion all of those years ago, knowing what automatic writing would eventually turn into? Could it be that the power that we experience when engaging with a Ouija board is somehow related to extraterrestrials? Is this why there is a strong emphasis on the sun, moon, and stars within the drawings and carvings surrounding Ouija board decor? One thing is for certain, there is much more to the Ouija board than meets the eye. This practice has been around for thousands of years. We would be foolish to not at least question the “what if’s” that surround some of the mysteries of its origin and capabilities. As I always say, at the end of the day you choose what you want to believe.

Cryptic Mystic Blog by PsychVVitch

www.LaMorteXiii.com

[thetriggeredhappy]

Hi! Just wanted to say I adore your writing :) I can’t get enough of it! Ever considered sniperscout where Scout drags Sniper to a game at Fenway Park?

well NOW I'm considering it!!! well NOW that's on my brain!!!!

(warnings for probable baseball inaccuracies and talk about sniper gettin real freaked out about crowds. also supreme gayness)

“—and that guy there is Tony Conigliaro, he’s been on the team for a while now and he really doesn’t play games out there, and that over there with the big nerd glasses is John Curtis, new guy, it’s his first year and he hasn’t been on the plate hardly at all yet, thank god, and he’ll probably stay in the box the rest of the game considering who we’re up against—“

Scout had barely stopped talking since they got within a line of sight of the historic Fenway Park, and while usually his chattering was somewhat calming for Sniper, a good distraction and a source of laughter, it was suddenly significantly less effective. Sitting in a baseball stadium with several hundred rows of seats behind him filled with complete strangers in late June heat was, as Sniper had decided, extremely stressful.

“And the, er, the other team,” he tried to say, throat dry. “That’s the New Jersey blokes, right?”

“New York. The fuckin’ Yankees. That’s one reason the stadium is so packed, we hate those guys, it’s a whole thing,” Scout explained, eyes fully lit up. He was fully in his element, gesturing with both hands and talking a mile a minute, and if Sniper didn’t know otherwise he would ask if he’d somehow found a store in Boston that sold his terrible energy drinks and bought the place out. On one hand, Sniper liked seeing Scout so happy about something, but on the other hand, it was pretty clear that Scout wasn’t actually paying great attention to everything around him, he was so wrapped up in his excitement.

Sniper focused on taking a deep breath and thanked his foresight not to eat breakfast that morning—surely he’d have thrown it back up by now.

One opinion that Sniper very decidedly kept to himself, at least partially because he cared about Scout very much and preferred that they continue dating, was that entertainment sports were objectively the worst thing on the planet. They were wildly hyped up by the audiences, with practically cult followings, hosted in sardine can arenas with many people yelling and food and drinks being spilled and jostling and the rows of seats that you had to squeeze by other people to escape from and the smell of sweat and conflicting foods and unclean bathrooms and blaring intercoms that he could hardly understand the words through and players potentially getting severe injuries just for the amusement of dozens of people watching them and—

He didn’t like them, was the long and short of it. The experience, the concept, any of it. He was okay with Scout going on about the latest game he saw on TV or heard on the radio, with hearing him recite statistics by heart, with the other man’s general enthusiasm, at least somewhat because he knew Scout probably had a big dream at some point about being a baseball player. But something about all the theatrics and noise just gave Sniper a headache.

Maybe it was having grown up in Australia, where every day was just kids challenging each other to constant shows of strength, starting fistfights over cricket matches, wrestling being both a competitive sport and as common of a delay as unexpected traffic was. He had no idea. Whatever it was, he very much didn’t want to be in that stadium.

Except... well, he’d wanted to do something special for Scout’s birthday, and he’d been a little homesick recently, and he’d been really excited about the upcoming game and all, and Sniper knew how much it would mean to him to go see it in person. He knew it would make Scout happier than anything else in the world to give him a chance to see his favorite place in his hometown. When Sniper showed him the plane tickets, he’d looked about ready to get down on one knee then and there.

And Sniper thought he could handle it, he really did. But now here he was, chest tight, hands shaking, stomach performing an acrobatic routine, very much on the verge of ruining this whole gift just because he couldn’t keep his nerves in check for just a couple of hours.

He really needed a cigarette, but he’d told Scout a few weeks ago that he was trying to quit again. He really, really needed a drink, but he wasn’t sure if that was even allowed in a public baseball park, and didn’t know if he could keep it in his stomach even if it was. He really, really, really needed Scout to do the thing where he held both of Sniper’s hands and quietly talked him down from where his brain was trying to push him over the edge. But he could stay calm. He could hold it together at least into the second inning, surely, then find somewhere quiet to get some air, then be all set for another two innings, rinse and repeat. How many were there, six? He was fairly sure it was six. He just needed to stay calm.

The crowd around him screamed as some man hit the ball with the bat and sent it very, very far. He tried his best not to visibly wince. Not that it particularly mattered—Scout didn’t notice his plight, too busy also jumping to his feet and cheering.

He could do this. He could do this. He wasn’t going to have a meltdown in a baseball stadium. He wasn’t going to have a freakout at 2pm on a weekend. He was better than that. He could do this.

“Hey, hey,” Scout said suddenly, tugging on the sleeve of his shirt insistently. “You’ve never been to a baseball game before, we should get some food! We got this special hot dog here, the Fenway Frank, it’s been around, like, longer than Medic probably. They got a whole special recipe about it, most stadiums got hot dogs and stuff but Fenway’s dogs are the actual best ones on the planet, seriously. They’re probably about to switch, Yastrzemski is up next but the guy after him’s a total schmuck and we’re already on two outs, so maybe that’s when we can go see if we can snag—“

Sniper just nodded, momentarily losing track of Scout’s voice as a group of men nearby started howling with laughter, making him have to focus hard on not tensing up.

“—and would you look at that, Seibert fucks it up, who’s surprised? Okay, let’s go!” And his hand was being taken, and he was being pulled along out of the row and up the isle in the same direction as plenty of other spectators.

He was barely present at all as they waited in line at the concession stand, focusing on using his time in a relatively quieter area wisely, trying to be stealthy as he took deep breaths, clenched and unclenched his fists in the pockets of his vest (the vest, hat, and sunglasses being the parts of his uniform that he rarely took off, even when otherwise in civilian clothes). Scout meanwhile continued on his little lecture, going on about some history and facts about the park itself, then funny stories about times he went to Fenway with his brothers, then offhandedly mentioning some player who he’d idolized growing up and didn’t quite know why for the longest time but now that he was thinking about it maybe he just thought the guy was hot—and hey, they’re at the front of the line, could he get like three, actually four franks and—

Somehow, Sniper found himself standing out of the way of foot traffic holding four hot dogs and a bag of popcorn as Scout shuffled around the wild assortment of food that he’d purchased just so he wouldn’t drop anything on the way back to their seats.

Sniper took a quick stock of himself and realized all at once that he would definitely not be making it back to their seats.

Scout’s mouth was moving, and Sniper was hearing the words somewhere behind the sound of laughing and yelling and cheering and the announcer and the sound of sneakers on concrete, but the words seemed to just pour right back out of Sniper’s brain like water through a sieve. He looked down at his hands and saw the way they were trembling, almost on the verge of violently, muscles clenched tightly enough to almost hurt as he was wracked with tremors all the way up his arms—

“—iper, really, I’m getting freaked out too now, you listening?” Scout asked, and Sniper lifted his eyes again. His entire expression was contorted with worry, with fear, all the earlier excitement and joy and light extinguished and replaced with alarm. Scout moved to shove packs of candy into his own pockets and his bag almost frantically, freeing up his hands, and he quickly relieved Sniper of what he was holding as well, freeing up a hand so that Scout could take it in his own, still fumbling a little bit. “What’s up, what happened? What’s wrong?”

Guilt, like a shovel to the back of the head, immediately dizzying in intensity. The first words to pop into his head were an apology, but they and everything else were driven out as there was another holler from the crowd up above. Belatedly, he realized that maybe he wasn’t dizzy from the guilt, maybe he was dizzy because his breathing was shuttering too-fast through his chest. His mouth moved, and he said something, and he was pretty sure it was supposed to be comforting, but Scout was just frowning further, moving to start pulling Sniper along by the hand, quickly through the crowd.

One good thing about the East Coast, Sniper was finding out, was that nobody cared about what anyone else was doing the majority of the time, and a grown man leading another grown man along by the hand like a toddler didn’t draw any strange looks, or any looks at all.

He blinked back to reality as he realized that things were much quieter all of a sudden, and he glanced around, noting that there seemed to be significantly fewer people. They were by the wall regardless, and the hot dogs that Scout had been so excited about were no longer in either of their hands. He knew that because instead Scout had laced their fingers together, was squeezing his hands in a way that was immediately comforting.

“Hey, is this any better?” he asked, his volume kept low. Sniper nodded. “Okay. What happened back there? You really freaked out on me for a minute. Looked pale as a sheet, started hypervascilating.”

Sniper took a breath or two to steady himself a bit, swallowed hard. “Hyperventilating,” he corrected, voice weak despite his best efforts.”

“Whatever, that thing where your breathing is all wrong,” Scout brushed off. “Whatever the hell it’s called. Seriously, what set you off?”

A few more breaths to steady himself, to search for words in his scattered brain. When that didnt work, he tried talking anyways. “Noises, crowds, the jostling, the, the people standing behind me practically breathing down my neck, it’s all, just, it’s just a, it’s a lot,” he managed, just barely tamping down on a stutter.

Scout squeezed his hands again. “Sheesh, even stadiums? Usually these places are way better for my paranoia stuff,” he said.

“Not just the work thing,” Sniper corrected, words tumbling out in a way that was far too clumsy and a bit too fast and practically unintelligible. “Just my regular, nervous, sort of, just my usual nerves but they’re, worse with crowds. Bigger crowds are worse.”

Scout glanced around their vicinity very briefly. The crowd only seemed to be thinning more and more. “Babe,” he finally said, voice very quiet, “I thought you said it wasn’t a big deal, that you didn’t think it’d be bad for you to show up at a big game.”

Guilt again, because he probably did say that at some point. “I just thought I could try anyways, it’s your birthday and, and all of that, and I wanted to do something good for you, and, and I didn’t want to ruin it just because I’m a bloody wreck is all—“

Scout’s eyes widened in surprise, and he was releasing Sniper’s hands, working out of his hold to instead cup his face in his hands. “Babe, I’m not worried about the birthday thing, I’m worried about you, are you serious?!” he exclaimed, still quietly. “I’m just upset that we’re even out here if it’s gonna freak you out this bad!”

“Thought I’d just try,” Sniper protested, practically under his breath, “I thought since, I thought, you’re always absolutely aces, you’re good to me, thought I’d try and—“

Scout was shaking his head. “There’s a difference between, like, when you listen to Sex Bomn with me for the twentieth time even though you don’t even like that album, versus flinging yourself facefirst into a full-blown freakout just because you wanted me to get to see a game in person for a weekend trip!”

“You’re always,” Sniper tried, and his voice wobbled and gave out, so he tried again. “You’re always telling me about home for you, and I just thought you’d like really being able to show me in person instead of just pictures and pointing at the screen on the telly when a game is on.”

Scout just looked at him for a few moments. “Snipes, you know they give tours of this place, right?” he asked, incredulous. “Like, actual tours? When it’s basically empty and not half as loud?”

Sniper looked right back at him.

“And you could’ve just got tickets for like, the game a few days ago? Which was against fuckin’ Baltimore, which is Baltimore, which nobody gives a shit about because it’s Baltimore, so it wouldn’t’ve been even like a quarter of the way as packed?”

“The hell is Baltimore?” Sniper asked, beginning to see that perhaps he was somewhat slightly an idiot.

“Exactly.” Scout squished his cheeks under his hands, released, squished and released. “And it ain’t even about seeing a game, or like, headed to a Fenway Park with you. I was just...” He muddled for words. “I was just excited because you wanted to... I mean, y’know. Go to Boston with me, see all this stuff from before you knew me. Even if one of us woke up this morning with, like, a total stomach bug or a wicked hangover or something, and we couldn’t go to the game, I would’ve been okay with it. Maybe disappointed about not getting a real actual gen-u-ine Fenway Frank from the place itself, but it’s... as long as I got to spend the day with you, maybe got to show you a little bit of what all I grew up with, that’s already a way happier birthday than I ever thought I’d get past the age of like, twenty-four. I figured it was all downhill from here, and then...”

He trailed off, eyes trailing over Sniper’s face slowly, like memorization, like recall. Sniper realized that his hands had stopped shaking at some point, and reached up to thread their fingers together again. “And then?” he prompted, voice quiet.

“It’s my birthday, you don’t get to make fun of me for being a sappy son of a bitch,” Scout warned, and there was that light back in his eyes again, his little dimple making an appearance at the corner of his mouth.

“Fair enough,” Sniper shrugged.

Scout squeezed his hands. “I thought it was all downhill from here, with all the, y’know. Having to get a job killin’ people thing,” he shrugged, maybe more casually than he should’ve been able to. “Figured it was just gonna be me getting older, that I’d already sorta hit my peak at some point in high school before everything went to shit. Figured it was just gonna be worse and worse. And then I looked around one day and... I figured out that I had you around. And the rest of the guys, the team, love ‘em to death—don’t tell ‘em I said that—but especially you. And, I dunno.” He smiled at Sniper. “Upswing, y’know?”

Sniper, had he not a crippling fear of embarrassing himself in public and the ability to do so without probably maiming them both, would’ve dipped Scout down into a kiss right then and there. As it was, he settled on pulling Scout into a hug and fighting back the sting in his eyes. “Don’t do that,” he warned, voice somewhat steady. “You know I get all emotional when I go mental like that. I will start sobbing all over you.”

“Do it. Cry,” Scout challenged firmly. “I’ll break you, so goddamn help me. C’mon, do it right now!”

“Nope,” Sniper said, squeezing hard and smiling at the wheeze he managed to elicit from Scout as he squished the air out of him. “Won’t do it. Can’t make me.”

“Don’t even test me,” Scout managed once he was released from the embrace, rolling his shoulders and getting the air back in his lungs. “I’ll fuckin’... compare thee to a summer’s day or some shit. I’ll get all poetic. Swear to god.”

“Uh huh. And how much Shakespearicles do you have memorized?” Sniper asked.

“All of it,” Scout bluffed without missing a beat.

Sniper rolled his eyes, even as he smiled. “Where are our seats, by the way?” he asked.

“Other side of the stadium, basically. I walked us over to the Yankee side, it’s usually emptier,” he replied, and leaned over to the ledge on the wall right nearby them. Sniper blinked, surprised at himself for not having noticed their hot dogs and drinks and whatnot lined up precariously. “Guess you were right about me not wearing like, literally all of my Sox merch.”

Sniper nodded, paused for a moment. “I was really out of it, wasn’t I?” he asked, guilt resurfacing.

“Hey, don’t do that,” Scout chided, elbowing him and handing over his food. “You’re still at a net positive for good boyfriend deeds for the day. You flew me across the country on a weekend trip to see a rivalry game in my hometown with a week’s notice even though you knew it’d freak the hell out of you. You’re still the best boyfriend ever. Of all time.”

“That’s you, actually,” Sniper replied.

“Shut up and take my compliments. Birthday boy’s orders,” Scout said, hefting his bag to sit more comfortably on his shoulder. “Birthday order number two, let’s get the hell outta here. We’re way down anyways, and I don’t see the Yankees letting us have a comeback. If we go now, I can probably catch the last inning on the radio back at the hotel.”

“Any other birthday orders?” Sniper asked, bumping shoulders and elbows with Scout, walking as close to him as he could get away with as they began making their way out.

“Yeah. Eat that hot dog, it’s fuckin’ delicious. These three are mine.”

Sniper shrugged and obliged.

(Scout was absolutely right. It was delicious.)

[shivae]

Sweets and Spirits was a short walk around the block, a small candy store that also sold a variety of craft beers and wines. There was an old fashioned candy shop set up at the front of the store for children and those young at heart. In the back was a bar that served up a variety of drinks. The shop was open, but no one was allowed inside.

Clover stood outside her shop. She was the youngest of his mother’s friends at somewhere in her fifties, a woman who immediately became friends with Bog’s mother because they were both short and had red hair. Clover was a perfectly nice woman, but when she got together with his mother, they harassed him relentlessly like a pair of mother hens instead of just one.

With a sigh, Bog walked up to her, still holding Marianne’s hand. He forgot he was holding her hand until Marianne leaned against him and placed her other hand on his arm. And he stood there, his mind going blank. Bog stared at Clover, swallowing hard.

“Bog?” Clover peered at him with a smile, unsure what to make of his stricken expression. “Your mother just left. She told me to tell you she’s on her way home.”

“Oh, okay,” Bog whispered, nodding his head slowly.

“I have something for you.” Clover smiled at them. “Wait here.”

Bog sighed, slowly shifting his eyes to look at Marianne as Clover went through her door, the bells over her door ringing. He found himself looking directly into Marianne’s lovely brown eyes, their warmth fixed on him. She was smiling, her cute lips set into a gentle curve, the dark plum lipstick she typically wore enhancing them. For a moment, he realized she was looking back, and he wanted to look away, but he didn’t.

“I’m sorry about whatever it is my mother’s up to.” He made a face at her and looked away as the bells rang again on Clover’s door. Clover held up a bag that clearly contained a couple of boxes and a bottle of wine. Bog scowled at Clover as he took the bag. “What’s in the bag, Clover?”

“Sweets for the sweet,” giggled Clover. “Why don’t you two head home and find out.”

Bog closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, grimacing. He wanted to give the bag back to her and leave, but Marianne heard what Clover said. It seemed rude to return something that was clearly intended for her.

“Let’s just go back to your house,” stated Marianne, winking at Clover.

“Here, this is yers.” Bog turned, pulling his hand out of Marianne’s and thrusting the bag into her arms, unable to look at her. “Go on home. I’m going to run into the grocery while I’m out. Ye don’t need to come with me.”

Marianne pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes at Bog. There was no way she was letting the last hour go to waste. Today was the day. He didn’t see her face as she stepped up next to him, jaw set with determination. “I’m already out. I’m going with you. Maybe I’ll see something I need.” Bog nodded, beginning to walk.

-=-=-=-=-

Bog scowled. Why was his mother trying to mess up his life? He was happy with how things were. His best friend in the world as his neighbor. Knowing she was nearby always made him feel so good. On the days he saw her in person, he was dumbstruck by her presence. That was as far as he would ever get. Moving any further would lead to him disappointing her.

He tried to push the thoughts away as they walked through the automatic doors and into a busy grocery store. Too many people. There were too many people, and it immediately stoked Bog’s need to hurry to the paper goods aisle and grab a couple more packages of toilet paper and leave. He ignored Marianne as she stubbornly tried to keep up.

Then he was there, stopping at the end of the aisle so abruptly, Marianne ran into his back and almost knocked him down. “Sorry!” Marianne giggled. Bog sighed, glancing down the empty aisle, completely empty and crowded with disappointed people. Disappointed short people.

There were six packages of toilet paper in a row, on the top shelf that he could see, that no one else could. He scowled at all the people, then stormed down the aisle. He reached up and without a second thought, snagged a package off the top shelf, turned, and dropped it into the closest cart. The woman pushing the cart gave him a relieved smile and said thank you.

Marianne watched Bog with a smile as he walked down the aisle, grabbing the packages that were out of reach and dropping them into nearby carts. When he got to the last one, he hesitated a moment, then dropped it into a woman’s cart who was shopping with a small child. He offered her a slight smile as she thanked him, then returned to Marianne.

“That was nice of you,” she stated as he walked by her.

“I have enough,” grumbled Bog, not meeting her eyes. There was nothing else to do. They should go home, but another idea came to mind. He knew he was being needlessly rude to Marianne and needed some way to make up for it, like making that delayed lunch he invited her over for. Not just sandwiches, something better. Maybe grill something?

Bog wandered to the back of the store, heading to the meat counter. Chicken could be done fast. Maybe pick up potato salad to go with it? Bog went through a mental list of things he usually made to go with grilled chicken thighs. Salad? Risotto? Ramen? With a single-minded focus, Bog walked into another busy area of the store and noticed the shelves were empty. Not just a few shelves, but every shelf.

The store had been cleared out, and Bog stopped walking for a moment, shocked. This wasn’t a normal part of his life or anyone’s life in this town. The shelves were always fully stocked unless the cooler was broken. Bog took a deep breath, the scene making the first real sensation of fear rise up within him.

“Bog, are you okay?” Marianne whispered, reaching out to take his hand. Bog instinctively curled his hand around hers, suddenly feeling grounded.

“I’m fine,” Bog mumbled, spotting a few packages of meats in one of the aisle coolers. “Looking for something I can make for ye for lunch.”

“Sandwiches are fine,” stated Marianne, worrying her lower lip, noting all the empty coolers.

“No, they are not.” Bog stepped toward the remaining packages and saw why they were left behind. People were grabbing the cheaper meats, and only the more expensive cuts were not taken. What was left to choose from were t-bones and ribeyes. He could afford them, but it felt awkward to buy something so expensive for Marianne. But why not? It was what was available. The brief sensation of fear returned, bringing with it an urgency to be with Marianne longer. “T-bone or ribeye?”

“What?” Marianne stared into the cooler. “Sandwiches are fine, Bog.”

“Ribeye it is.” Bog scooped up a large package, squeezing her hand. “I promised ye lunch, and we are not sharing with my mom.”

“Sandwiches are fine!” Marianne persisted, a look of panic crossing her face. “It’s too expensive.”

“N’no. It’s not,” muttered Bog. “I’ I would like to, to treat ye.” The stammer returned, exasperating Bog. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them, and tried again. “Marianne, just let me.”

“Okay.” Marianne nodded and smiled. “Thank you.”

-=-=-=-=-

They walked home with an uncomfortable silence between them. Marianne began going through a conversation, a very serious conversation she wanted to have with Bog. How was she going to do it? Just tell him? Bog, we’ve been friends for years. Have you ever wondered if we could be more? No, that wasn’t the way to go. They never talked about relationships. Bog listened to her rant about her ex, joining in on mocking him, but he had never expressed any interest in her like that.

What if he really wasn’t interested in her? If he wasn’t interested in her, then why did she keep catching him looking at her? He didn’t flirt with her. Ever. Even in the comfort of their homes while playing games, definitely not face to face, Bog never said anything that was remotely flirtatious.

Marianne sighed heavily, and Bog tilted his head in her direction.

“I don’t want things to be w’weird between us,” Bog stated suddenly, looking away. He took a deep breath. “Ye, ye are my best friend, Marianne. I d’d ‘don’t want that to ever change. We need to just forget what my mom and her friends were doing.”

“What were they doing?” Marianne stopped walking, noting they were almost home. “I want to hear you say it, Bog.”

"S’ say what?” Bog began walking quickly, trying to get away from the conversation.

“Bog!” Marianne ran after him. “Look at me!”

“I can’t!” Bog grimaced, breaking into a run. “No!”

“What are you, five?!” Marianne chased after him as he ran to his house, not about to let this go. “You promised me lunch!”

Bog ran up the steps to his house, stopping at the door. He stood there, facing it. “Marianne, ye need to forget it. Please. Don’t do this. We’ll go inside. I’ll make ye lunch, then ye go home, and we do what we usually do.” Marianne stepped to his side, staring at the door with him.

“I’ve got a great idea,” giggled Marianne. “If it’ll make you feel better, let’s have a huge argument, one loud enough for your mother to hear so she’ll never try this again.”

“Stop giggling, or it won’t work.” Bog smirked at her, liking this idea. “I’ll sneak a steak into yer backyard later.”

“Yeah, as long as I get that steak, you insisted on buying me when I told you not to. Can’t let that go to waste.” Marianne whispered to him. “Okay, ready?”

A pained look crossed Bog’s face. “I don’t mean any of this.” He took a deep breath.

“Bog! I can’t believe you tried to kiss me! What are you thinking!” Marianne beat him to it, shrieking like she was truly angry, clenching her fists. “What even gave you the idea to try that!” Bog’s jaw dropped, frozen in place. “Don’t ever talk to me again!” She turned and stormed down the steps, leaving Bog standing there, his mouth still open. He couldn’t respond, watching her walk to her house and slam the door behind her.

After a few minutes of silence, the front door of his house opened, and Griselda peered through the door, her face whiter than normal. “Bog?” she whispered in a horrified tone. “What’s going on?”

“Mother.” Bog turned to her, still stunned. He wasn’t faking it. Marianne’s words cut deeper than she could have known, even though he knew she didn’t mean them. She inadvertently crushed him, and the shock of it began making his eyes water. That was what she went with. An attempt to kiss her? Something he would never have tried in reality. He repeatedly swallowed, his throat tight and stomach turning in knots.

In stunned silence, Bog walked past his mother and went to the kitchen to prepare the steaks for grilling. He had nothing to say to his mother, shocked into his thoughts. Marianne didn’t mean what she said. She just said it for his mother’s benefit. They were just words. They were not meant to hurt him.

But they did.

Straight to his heart, those words circled and tore. Why? Because he had fantasized kissing her and occasionally, that’s where the daydream went. That she would be horrified he wanted to kiss her or touch her in any way. Marianne didn’t know that. She was just saying words.

Words.

They were just words.

She didn’t mean them the way they sounded.

Bog repeated the thoughts, trying to soften the blow. Marianne would never intentionally hurt him. They were just friends. She did not mean what she said. He fought the twitching in his face, feeling his lower lip tremble with the effort. The last thing he wanted was for his mother to see him actually cry about something, and he heard her standing in the doorway.

He hunched over, tucking his chin down as he moved around the kitchen in a frantic pace, unwrapping the steaks, laying them out on a baking sheet, and seasoning them quickly on both sides. He put his thoughts into preparing them, leaving them out to warm up to room temperature. When he was done, he walked stiffly to his room.

The fury came when he closed the door and stood in his neat and tidy room. This was his mother’s fault. Bog clenched his hands into fists and stood in front of the door, head down, trying to calm himself. She couldn’t leave well enough alone. She had to meddle. His relationship with Marianne was good where it was. Only now, she said what she said, and she would not have said it had it not been for the position his mother put them in today.

Bog took several deep breaths, eyes closed, then he looked up, through the window that was directly across from his door. Their homes were mirrors of each other, and Marianne’s bedroom was across from his. They actually had their computers set up against the wall so that when the curtains were open, they could see each other when they gamed.

Marianne was standing in her window, smiling at him, giving him a thumbs up now that he looked up. For a moment, he was confused, then he nodded, smiled back, and returned the gesture, the angry heat fading.

They were just words.

She didn’t mean them the way they sounded.

[bittysvalentines]

Virtual Reality, Emphasis on Reality.

From: @omgnotanothercpblog

To: @aflailureandamasterpiece

“Please, Bitty?” Chowder was giving Bitty his best puppy dog eyes. Bitty never could resist that look, and Chowder knew it, damn it.

“I don’t know…” Bitty told him, and Chowder’s face lit up, sensing his victory. “I never play video games,” he added desperately.

“That’s exactly what we need. We already have people who know what they’re doing.”

Bitty folded his arms and gave Chowder an unimpressed look, but Chowder just grinned at him.

“We want to make sure a total noob can jump right in and start playing too.”

“With that kind of talk, I hope you aren’t on the sales team. ‘Total noob’,” Bitty muttered.

“I brought everything you need to play,” Chowder said, ignoring him. He held up a VR headset - a fancy one with attached headphones - and a thin pair of gloves. “It’s all set to connect, you just have to turn it on. After you put it on, of course.”

“You want me to do this right now?” Bitty eyed the equipment as if it was a poisonous snake. He didn’t have anything against it, it just wasn’t his cup of tea. No matter what Chowder said, it didn’t make sense that he and Dex wanted Bitty to test their new game.

“I want to get you started, that’s all. You don’t have to actually play it right now.” It was obvious from Chowder’s tone that he really wished Bitty would.

“And how is this different from regular VR?” Bitty asked as he pulled on the gloves.

“It’s like, the next level. Total virtual immersion. Or as close as we can get for now. Like the Matrix or OASIS in Ready Player One.” Chowder held out the headset for Bitty to take.

“I’m not one for science fiction, but even I know the Matrix is not a good thing.” Despite his words, Bitty put the headset on, leaving one ear uncovered so he could listen to Chowder’s instructions.

“Okay, there are two modes,” Chowder said as the visuals began to load. “There’s augmented reality where the game world overlays the real world. So your couch becomes the trunk of a fallen tree or something. You need some space for that because the game world is so extensive. I mean, there’s this quest where-”

“Chowder, honey, can we get back to my tutorial?”

Chowder cleared his throat. “Yeah, it’s just- It’s swawesome that it’s finally real, you know? Anyway, we also have what we’re calling autopilot mode, so you can explore the game world without needed too much actual movement. To switch it, you just have to...”

Chowder went on, but Bitty barely heard him, because he was standing at the edge of a dark and forbidding forest. The trees were literal works of art, realistic-looking, but not so realistic that his brain kept insisting something was off, the way CGI people made him feel. Bitty would swear he could hear birds chirping and insects buzzing. He adjusted the headset, muffling Chowder’s words. Yep, birdsong, bees, and a breeze ruffling the leaves on the trees.

“This is amazing,” he breathed.

~

Bitty found himself spending a lot of time trying out Quester’s Fate, Chowder and Dex’s game. Not so much for the gameplay - it was interesting, but that had never been his cup of tea - but for the wonderful world where it took place and the people he met there. He was sure there were players who liked to use the augmented reality version and roam around outside to complete their quests, but Bitty preferred the shared virtual world. It was easier after a long day spent on his feet.

Even though he wasn’t actually playing the game, he had explored the other things it had to offer - namely, he’d built his own shop. He’d gotten Chowder and Dex to help him to speed things along; he wasn’t a fool. Now he sold or traded items to fellows players to help them along on their quests - things that would refill their game energy or boost their game stats - or would let them customize their character. It was pretty entertaining when they thought he was an NPC (non-player character, he was slowly learning their language) at first because his skin wasn’t available in the game store. Perks of being friends with the game developers. Dex had even created an NPC to keep the shop running when he wasn’t playing. If Bitty had been charging real money, he’d be rolling in it.

Not long after he’d opened up his shop - only stocked with virtual fruit at that time - his first customer had come along. That was how he’d met Jack.

Bitty’s General Store was was in the middle of the forest, situated at the crossroads of several quest pathways. A player wearing the default skin had come walking along one of them, looking a little lost. He kept looking this way and that and consulting his quest map. Finally he spotted the store - and Bitty - and practically ran up to him.

“Hel-” Bitty began.

“Are you a real person? Can you help me?” the player said in a rush.

“I’m as real as anyone can be in here,” Bitty said. “What do you need, sugar?”

“Dieu merci! I don’t understand how this map works. How do I get it to show where I am? Where I’m supposed to go?” He thrust his map at Bitty and it disappeared as soon as he opened his hand.

“Well, first of all, my name is Bitty.” Bitty waited expectantly.

“Oh. Sorry. Jack.”

“Nice to meet you, Jack. Second, that map is yours . So you can’t hand it to me. Go ahead and open it up again.”

Jack swept his hand up, then poked the air in a specific spot. It never got old, watching other players waving their hands around while they interacted with menus that only they could see. The map reappeared.

“Now don’t let go,” Bitty said. He moved behind Jack and peered around his bicep (even in-game he was shorter than most of the other players, which somehow seemed unfair. Dex didn’t have to make his character that true to life). “It looks like you’re still in world view mode. Tap your quest icon, up in the right corner. That’ll show you things that are specific to your quest, including where you are and where you should be going.”

“Quest icon? What does it look like?”

“That depends on the quest you chose. This was all covered in the tutorial.”

“There’s a tutorial?”

“Now how on earth did you get this far without the tutorial?”

Jack dropped his hands and the map disappeared again. “It’s my friend Shitty’s account. He kind of…” He made a pushing motion with both hands. “He said I need to relax, or at least not focus so much on hoc- my job.”

“I supposed wandering around trying to figure out how this all works could be relaxing,” Bitty said doubtfully.

“He had to leave for a work emergency before he could show me very much.”

“Wait. Did you say your friend Shitty, or did you mean your shitty friend? Because only one of those makes sense to me, and it’s not the first one.”

“Shitty’s his nickname. He likes it better than his real name.” Jack brought up his map yet again. “Quest icon, right?”

Bitty could take a hint and let the subject drop. “Did you even choose a quest? Considering you managed to skip all the basics.”

“Yes. Uh, I think so? Yes.”

“Well, that’s something, anyway. Let’s get you started from the beginning, all right, sugar?”

“Okay?” Jack didn’t seem too sure about continuing to play the game, but he was already there, and Bitty felt he owed it to Chowder and Dex to make sure he had a positive experience after such a rough start. Bitty showed him how to start the tutorial and left him to it, though he did stay close, rearranging a nearby display of apples, just in case Jack had any questions.

“Okay, I think I got it,” Jack said eventually. “I have to go…” He looked at his map and then at the numerous paths. “That way.” He pointed at one of the trails.

“Oh, the Glass Mountain quest. That’s a good one for someone just starting out. Here, take these apples.” Bitty held out a sack. “They refill your character’s health bar. You’ll need them.”

Jack stared at the sack. “How do I accept them? It wasn’t very clear in the tutorial.”

“Just reach out your hand. Once you’re close enough, the game’ll ask if you want to accept or reject the item.”

Jack reached out and the sack disappeared. Then he stood there, looking uncertain. “I suppose I should… go?”

“The princess is waiting,” Bitty said with an encouraging smile.

“Are you sure she’s not in another castle?” Jack asked expectantly.

“No? That’s not how that quest goes.”

Jack’s shoulders slumped. “That’s not...” He shook his head. “Oh, um, payment? For the apples?”

“Don’t you worry about that, sugar. They’re a gift for being my first customer.”

“Oh, okay. Um, bye then.”

“Bye, Jack. I hope to see you again. You can tell me how you did on your quest.”

Jack nodded and off he went. Bitty hoped he would come back. He didn’t think he’d ever met someone who knew even less than he did about playing video games; Jack’s cluelessness was a little adorable. He wondered briefly what Jack looked like in real life, but he buried that thought quickly. Sure, Jack seemed nice. Friendly. Willing to learn from someone shorter than him (which was surprisingly a problem for some players, Bitty didn’t understand it). None of that meant anything. Bitty wasn’t looking for a boyfriend. He probably wouldn’t ever see Jack again anyway.

~

Jack came back.

Not right away, but he did, and he kept coming back, showing up when Bitty was in-game at least once a week. Jack had gotten his own account, though he’d kept the default skin. At first, he would talk to Bitty for a few minutes before going off on one of the quests, but eventually he was sticking around longer and longer until Bitty suspected he’d given up on actually playing the game. Not that Bitty was one to judge, since he’d given up on doing that almost immediately. He used the virtual world as a distraction, something to do when he was too tired to do anything else and it was too early to go to bed, or when he needed the company of others and his friends were otherwise occupied.

Bitty enjoyed talking to Jack, and Jack didn’t seem to mind that Bitty was doing most of the talking. They would discuss work and their friends and family and Bitty’s dream job (because it sounded like Jack had his, lucky devil) and so many random topics that it amazed him that Jack kept coming around. Bitty found himself looking forward to their weekly chats more and more.

Shoot. He’d gone and done it - he’d fallen for Jack.

~

“Please, Bitty?” Dex wasn’t as good as Chowder at the puppy dog eyes, but he was giving him a run for his money.

“Dex, you don’t have to talk me into coming to your big celebration, silly goose.”

Dex grinned. “Chowder told me to do that. But also, we’re having it catered.” He winced, waiting for Bitty’s reaction.

“I would assume so. You’re bringing that up because…”

“They specialize in pies for dessert. Sorry, Bitty. We had to pick a couple for them to serve.”

“I see.”

“They won’t be as good as yours,” Dex insisted.

“Well of course they won’t,” Bitty replied automatically. “I don’t know, William. I don’t think I could come to your party now that I know you’re cheating on me with other pies.” He pressed his lips together to hold back a smile.

Dex’s eyes widened. “You don’t-”

Bitty burst out laughing. “My word, your face! Like I wouldn’t show up because of a little thing like that. Bless your heart, you should know I was going to bake pies for you and Chowder as a gift anyway.”

Dex rubbed the back of his neck and laughed. “Thanks, Bitty. I just didn’t want you to think, I don’t know, that we didn’t prefer your baking or something.”

“It’s not like I’m in a position to make pies for such a big do. Don’t worry your head about it.”

“So we’ll see you there?”

“Do you really need to ask? You couldn’t keep me away, mister.”

~

Dex and Chowder were having a party for two reasons - it was the one-year anniversary of their company, Two Frogs, and Quester’s Fate had become the #1 best-selling VR game in the country. It was an amazing achievement, and Bitty was proud to be a small part of that. He didn’t even mind very much that he had to miss his and Jack’s weekly chat. Bitty had sent him a PM through the game’s messaging system to let him know he wouldn’t be there.

Chowder introduced him to Caitlin Farmer, a young lady he’d met while testing out the game in its early stages. Apparently, he’d mowed her down when he hadn’t seen her due to a glitch and the apology coffee he’d bought for her had led to several coffee dates and then a relationship. They were adorable together.

Dex hadn’t brought anyone, but he was mighty interested in Derek Nurse, a local celebrity who was in attendance for some reason. He kept sneaking glances at him, only to look away quickly whenever Derek looked in his direction and Derek was doing the same. Wasn’t that interesting?

It was Dex who introduced him to Larissa Duan, the artist who had designed the backgrounds used in the game.

“Ms. Duan, let me tell you how beautiful your work is. It’s just breathtaking,” Bitty told her as they shook hands.

“Thank you. Please, call me Larissa. They turned out all right, I think. I’m an abstract artist normally, but I wanted to challenge myself, work outside my comfort zone.”

“Well, I’m glad you did, and I’m sure De- Will and Chris are, too.”

A man with an impressive mustache and long hair pulled back in a ponytail came up to them. “Lardo! Love of my life! I’ve found you,” he cried and handed her a drink.

“Cool it, Shitty, he’s not hitting on me,” Larissa said.

“I didn’t think he was,” Shitty replied. “I missed you, that’s all.”

Larissa’s face went a little pink and she gave him a tiny smile. “You were gone for two minutes.”

Wait-

“Shitty? Jack’s Shitty?” Bitty asked without thinking.

“You know Jack? Oh!” Shitty turned and waved at someone across the room. “Jack! I think I found your friend!”

Bitty’s face burned. Jack? Jack was here? He was going to meet Jack? Was he ready for this? They’d never even talked about meeting in real life. What should he do?

A familiar-looking man with dark hair was walking toward them. Bitty considered running away, but that would be too rude. It looked like he was going to meet Jack, ready or not.

He thought back to their long discussions, to the kind of person Jack seemed to be. Bitty decided he was ready.

Jack got closer and Bitty had to catch his breath. Jack was handsome. No, that word was too bland. Jack was gorgeous . Lord, those eyes . He could only hope Jack wasn’t disappointed in the real him.

Then Jack was standing in front of him and Bitty forgot to breathe.

“Bits,” Jack said, and yes, that was his voice. Bitty was going to swoon like a debutante in a corset in the middle of July.

“Jack,” Bitty said faintly. “How-”

“Your message said you were coming to the party, and I was already planning to come so I thought it might be okay? To meet, I mean.”

“Yes, but-”

“Bitty, I see you’ve met Jack Zimmermann,” Dex said, appearing out of nowhere. “He’s one of our major backers.”

Jack smiled. “Lardo made me do it,” he said with a fond look at her.

“Jack Zimmermann? The hockey player?” Bitty was getting light-headed from all the revelations. No wonder Jack had seemed familiar. He shouldn’t have - he looked nothing like the default skin he used in Quester’s Fate. “Any other surprises? Is Beyonce here too?”

Dex laughed. “I’d definitely warn you first.”

“Is this okay?” Jack asked. He reached out and took Bitty’s hand. “I really wanted to meet you, but if you-”

“This is more than okay, Jack. This is wonderful.”

[gel0p]

Japan S2, Day 12!

(Editor’s note: Please note that this was originally written back in November 2019, right after the actual trip. Some details have been updated, but the overall content remains the same.)

——

*sigh* My adventure’s almost over. For Day 12, I just went to Ota Road to complete my purchases.

gee Store wasn’t open yet when I dropped by, so I had an early lunch first. ^_^

My order stub for a katsu at Matsunoya. 550 yen?? Holy cow that’s a good deal :v

Itadaki-katsu! :P

Gochisousamadeshita ^o^

After my meal, I went back to Gee store (now open!), but was sad to find that they didn’t have the keychain version-

I WAS WRONG! Bana-nice! ^o^ I also got Hikari and Karen :)

I got this Weathering With You visual guidebook for my sister.

HOSHIIIIIIIIII

Expensive though :)) Moving to the next shop!

Lies! There aren’t any migawari / substitute dolls! T_T

I saw a couple of these at Akihabara the day before, but didn’t know how to use them. Apparently instead of displaying the shirts themselves, they just display these tags, which you bring to the register to ask for the item. :o

I wanted to get Ako (this one was size L, instead of XL!) but I already had Yukina and Rinko. I can’t have just three Roselia shirts. Sorry Ako >_>

Not a huge Chisato fan ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

AiAi’s autograph from the other day. T_T

I knew that a shirt version of this already existed, so I had to ask the register :P Apparently they don’t have it…

STARLIGHT SHICHAIMASU! I’ve considered getting this jacket since May, but “it’s not flashy enough”. I probably should have gotten it, it’s cheaper than my shirts LOL. In the end, I decided not to. If we ever meet again, I might finally!

I-

I got my Ran-chan for 2000 yen. There were a lot of 1700-yen ones in Akiba. This one, from a store right in front of where I got mine, was only 1500 yen. Injustice, I say! T_T

A very cute keyholder! ^_^ I now regret not getting this, tbh :))

YUKINA IS THA- oh. Tsk.

Another cheap Pikachu I found. Probably shouldn’t have added the eye reflections too much…

Also, the detective Pikachu pillow I found the other day was already sold. u_u

“Ehh? 100 yen??”

Seriously. I even asked the staff, which went something like this:

“Sumimasen, kore wa hyaku-en desu ka?”

“Plus tax.”

“Aa ok desu, arigatou gozaimasu.”

110 yen it is. :))) This one, I did get. ^_^

(Editor’s note: Who the heck did I give this plushie to??)

After I was done shopping, I was just randomly walking around. I went inside a Taito game center, hoping to find a Yukina I could win, but alas, there weren’t any.

“Get! Happy!”

Not pictured: “Not get! Not happy!”

And that was it for Ota Road. ^_^ My day wasn’t done yet though! Because it’s my last night at Osaka, you know what that means~

Kanpai! Mikan Ale served fresh at Keller Keller Cave. ^_^

PO-PO-POTE! POTETO! This one I ordered along with on the cloud.

And to finish it all off, a Brooklyn Lager!

As usual, I initially started ordering in English, but once I got drunk... well, the Japanese broke out. The waiter was audibly surprised to hear me order in Japanese (something like ”aa, nihongo ni iemasu”). I told him I didn’t have the confidence (”jishin ga nai desu”) yet. ^^;

Thanks Keller Keller Cave!

Side story :))))

So after my stint at Keller Keller Cave, drunk AF, I proceeded to buy souvenirs at a nearby shop. In the middle of it all, a staff hastily approached me and said,

“Okyakusan! *unintelligible Japanese, because I was drunk AF*”

She then dragged me back to the aisle where I got my souvenirs, took everything I put in the basket back to the shelf, and replaced them with actual goods. Apparently I was so drunk, I took the sample displays and put them in the basket instead of taking actual the goods for sale XD I was laughing on my way home after that XD

See?? These are the kinds of stories I get drunk for! :)))

Back at the hotel, I borrowed a keiryou-ki (weighing scale; not to be confused with karaoke) to check if my baggage weight was gonna be fine.

Find out tomorrow :^)

AND OH! MY SOUVENIRS ARE COMPLETE! TIME TO SHOW THEM OFF~

First up! Ran Nesoberi, Ran Shirt, and an Oregairu Volume 10.5 featuring Iroha as the cover illustration! I took this photo once I was back already back home, that’s why you can see the Cocoa Nesoberi I got last May. ^^

I sense a pattern here, hmmmm…

Ran shirt and neso (again), but this time with Himari! :3

Bana-nice! A Nana shirt, and a full-on Karen + Hikari shirt (which I almost got last May)! I also got three keychains: Karen, Hikari, and Nana :)

Uhhh the staff at Volks (Akiba!) probably forgot to not include this with the shirt, and I was already back in Osaka when I noticed, so thanks for the souvenir? XD

Close up of Oregairu 10.5 and the three keychains. ^_^

“There should already be an Engli-”

REAL FANS READ THE JAPANESE VERSION

I’ll be back for more when I have the money chance ^_^

Day 12 in Japan S2, complete! ^_^

<< Day 11 . . . Day 13 >>

[sometimesiwritetoo]

Blood Money - Chapter 17

Chapters: 17/?

Pairing: Noctis/Prompto/Luna

Rating: M for violence

Warnings: None

Summary: Look closely. In the shadows, there is violence. Prompto was engineered to do one thing, and to do it well. Contract by contract, he shaped a world he could only observe. Touching lives only by ending them.

Check it out over on AO3!

Crossing the border got a little sticky.

Prompto made it past the agents only to almost get mugged when he was staying at a motel in the nearby town. It was a quick scuffled that ended when his assailant was run through by a rusty pipe Prompto found nearby. He had to hide the body under the tarp of a nearby truck before the patrols caught him.

From the border it was a six day journey to the capitol. He took a bus to the local train stop then rode that to the next major city. He walked for a day, then took a six hour bus ride the next. He continued that trend until he arrived at the capitol early in the evening.

The capitol was a depressing place to look at. He’d been there several times before, one time for an entire month, and he’d never seen it quite like that. There had always been a notable police and military presence in the capitol, before it was always benign. More there to look pretty than to actually round people up or do anything. But security slowly began to get tighter and tighter the more people they killed. Now it was a police state. It was almost impossible to walk down the street without passing a patrol or a raid. Few people dared walk the streets. Those that did kept their head down and hurried passed in front of grey buildings. Some buildings were damaged from raids or street violence and were beginning to crumble. Prompto kept his head down and headed straight for the safehouse inside an apartment complex.

Vincent left some reports at the safehouse. He’d left a few days prior to handle a contract in the countryside. The reports shed a little more light on to the area. Protests to the increasing casualties between the empire and Lucis. Taxing to fund the already strained budget. The increased patrols, and the kidnapping of supposed rebels in the area. Vincent left a handwritten note stating that there had been activity from several organizations in the area either attempting to work for the Emperor and work against him. Some were contracted by his political allies and others by his opposition. The most notable were Scarlet, a small group contracted by the emperor’s cousin in his support, and treeline, a rebel group working independently. Brutus had a notable presence in the area as they specialized in gathering intel, but the organization had played both sides and was in hot water. Acts of terrorism were enacted by a group called freedom. The emperor’s personal investigation agency had two freedom agents and three agents from the group Silence which were a group employed by Jacob Spire, a political rival.

That was just the tip of the iceberg. Vincent had written a literal book on the current political climate and all the things that had changed during the week he’d been there. Prompto almost wondered if it was worth it to stick around. The capitol was clearly a lit powder keg. Eventually it was going to go down.

But he had a job to do, and do it he shall. Prompto set up the monitors and cameras at the safehouse and got to work.

---

They stayed on the coast for two weeks before moving out. This break was not a restful one, Luna felt dread build up in her stomach day by day. It first started when Prompto left and then sat firmly in the pit of her stomach when they moved out as a group. They drove further north until they got to the train line and caught a train heading north towards Niflheim.

It was sort of calm. Aranea read a book while the guys played some sort of card game. She slept for most of the twelve hour ride. At the border they showed their fake documents, which all were examined closely before being handed back by a heavily armed security guard.

During that break where they got their paperwork checked a person two cars over was not approved. Luna saw the woman get dragged from the cart. She put up little resistance, but instead of being escorted away as Luna expected, a man brought the butt of his rifle down over her head twice. They dragged the woman’s limp body down under the platform away from prying eyes.

Moments later the train started up again, leaving the woman behind. Luna buried her head in her coat and tried to sleep for a few more hours.

They stayed on until they were two stops away, where they split up and headed straight for the safehouse. Ignis, Noctis, and Aranea took a car. But she and Gladio were to walk the rest of the way.

The were given very simple directions. Look like a couple, find the address, don’t get caught. Aranea made it clear that they would likely not be rescued if they were captured.

“Should we get a map?” Gladio asked. He held her hand in a firm grip that she didn’t find comforting.

“No, it makes us look like tourists.”

He grunted, “I suppose. But it’s a big city.”

“They hang maps on the bus stations. We’ll look when we find one.”

She guided him along with a confidence she did not feel. She’d been to the capitol many times before, but she’d never wandered its streets. Even at midday few people were out, putting her on edge. All they needed to do was look at a person wrong for their cover to be blown.

They found their destination on the map posted at a bus stop downtown. It was across town, east of where they were, so they started walking.

They passed a raid on their way there. A patrol pulled screaming people from the house. She and Gladio turned the corner just as two were shot in the street The rest were pushed into a military transport car as they turned around and headed down a neighboring street. Luna knew that the Empire was capable of much, but she never expected it to be so low as to turn on its own citizens.

They found the safehouse at the end of one street just as the sun set. She and Gladio hurried inside and shucked off their heavy clothing. Ignis was waiting up the steps for Gladio so she checked the rooms until she found where Noctis was sleeping. She shut the door, crawled into bed, and fell into a deep sleep.

---

When Aranea arrived Prompto and Yuffie pooled their info together in one, comprehensive report. They had no info on the emperor or his two confidants. Several Brutus agents were active around town, some of whom sold information to treeline. Neither of them were able to find out what information was sold of if it was a purchase authorized by Brutus’ heads. Yuffie found out that Scarlet worked independently from the emperor’s personal guard, concerning themselves mostly with political opponents hiding either in their mansions or out in the countryside. Prompto found a list of their names and salaries in their sponsors house, and that list immediately went to Wedge for some digging.

A terrorist attack on the local police station was stopped due to a raid on a protestor’s home. Information on his plot and resources had been stored in a strong box inside the police station which Yuffie broke into several days prior. She’d used the money to purchase some explosives that Cindy began sprucing up when she’d arrived earlier that week.

“Scarlet and Brutus are our best bet on finding our targets.” Aranea said. “What do we know about Scarlet’s agents?”

“Most of them are former criminals.” Wedge explained. “My guess is that they’re receiving some sort of pardon in return for their services.”

“It’ll be difficult to sway Scarlet.” Claire warned. “Brutus has always been neutral, we should try them.”

“But that’ll cost money.” Yuffie said. “How much do we have to get locations on two prominent Duchesses?”

“You could always steal from them?” Biggs said.

“I don’t want to be on anyone’s shit list right now.” Aranea said. “treeline might have bought something useful, and they don’t have the resources to find us.”

“None of their computers are on a network.” Said Wedge. “Someone’s going to have to break in and get me on.”

“Okay. CIndy I’ll have you do that, Prompto you go as back up. Biggs keep an eye on Scarlet, once they know we’re here they’re going to be on us.”

With a path decided they all had to move quickly. He and Cindy headed out to treeline’s base after the city wide curfew took effect. It wasn’t as easy as they hoped with patrols filling the streets, but sticking to the rooftops provided a safe path. They made it across to the lower end of town where patrols were more constant. treeline’s base was a series of houses next to one another with look outs stationed on ledges on the outside houses. Prompto sat on a roof across from them and watched as Cindy ducked inside.

The trick with sneaking into an area as small as a home was to take your time. treeline likely did not have anyone patrolling their interiors and a lookout always had moments of inattentiveness. Cindy slipped inside a back window when one of the lookouts ducked down to light her cigarette.

Prompto ducked behind a wall during a passing patrol. Across the way the look outs ducked inside as well. The unified footsteps of the patrol echoed down the street, growing louder as they approached and softer when they passed by. Prompto stuck his head out to find that the look outs were back at their station still completely unaware of an intruder. For half an hour nothing happened, and Prompto began to wonder if he should phone in to see if something was wrong. But he avoided it, and his earpiece finally crackled just past midnight.

“I’m downloading the files.” Wedge said.

Soon after Cindy vaulted out of a window and they met up further down the street. Wedge gave them the run down as they headed back.

“I have one video of the exchange, but it’s too blurry to make out what the paper says. It looks like they scanned it in though because I can reassemble Brutus’ invisible I.D from the file.” Some silence. “They were getting information of Countess Lilah Tretch’s location. She’s a friend of one of our targets. Don’t know if she would know of their location.”

Wedge went silent for five minutes then came back with more info. There was corruption within the guard and a controversial vote to end the war that would never fly with the, very wealthy, weapons manufacturers and military sector. Another thing of note was a special gathering scheduled for three weeks in the capitol. Several nobles would be there, but there was no word on the emperor or their targets so Aranea was quick to label it a mid priority. He and Cindy arrived back at the safehouse just as Aranea came up with a plan.

“Claire, Yuffie. Go find this woman.” Aranea said. She handed Claire a wad of Niflheim notes, “Once you locate her let me know. Capture her if you can and extract what you can. Call Vincent if you need to.”

They left. And the rest of them waited. Aranea decided they had to spend their time wisely, and they were all assigned one or two known agents from other groups to follow and report on. Prompto ended up trailing a woman named Blair Connors, an ex-felon and professional hacker. She could most often be seen at one of the many coffee shops in town on her laptop. Prompto grabbed a spare laptop and spent his first day typing up a terrible screenplay about a man who wanted to open a coffee shop in the desert.

It was boring but important. He could see about half of Blair’s screen so he kept an eye on when she was attacking something and when she was just browsing a random website. He noticed that when she went up for a coffee that it typically meant she was going to attempt to hack into something, and on the fifth day began letting Wedge know so they could keep tabs on what she was doing.

On the sixth day he sat down for five hours and saw her do nothing but watch cat videos and research how to hand make a desk. It was boring, and he ended up downing two cups of coffee as he waited around for her to do something. Around noon Prompto went to stretch out his wrist he spied writing on his wrist.

What are you doing? In Noctis’ scratchy hand. Prompto searched through the laptop bag to find an old pen to answer with.

     Work. Y?  

 Bored. We’ve been considering asking Aranea for a job.

I’m watching Gladio do push ups with Ignis on his back. Luna wrote

     Fun. But I don’t know what you could do. It’s pretty delicate out here.  

What’s the plan then? Noctis wrote. We just sit here?

Blair packed up her laptop, Prompto dropped the conversation to follow her. She took a lap around the empty, unkept park then headed up to her apartment nearby. He watched the outside for an hour before calling it quits and heading back to the safehouse.

In the safehouse most people were asleep. But Aranea and Wedge were awake. On one of the laptop screens a dot slowly traveled across a map of the northern countryside.

“Claire and Yuffie were compromised.” Aranea announced. “Yuffie’s in a hospital right now. The countess is heading to a backup location, we don’t know where yet.”

“Is that a tracker on her?”

“Yes, you’ll need to leave soon to follow her.” She sighed. “I’m also letting you take Luna and Noctis. I’m a little nervous with them both being here, they’re too recognizable.”

“Being in Niflheim’s capitol is the last place anyone would expect to look.”

“Same with the countryside.” She tossed him a go bag full of equipment. “No loose ends.”

He checked the bag. There was a distress radio, a combat knife, a variety of scramblers and portable code breakers, and documents to get a train out towards the country. He added a second knife and a tourniquet, but there wasn’t much else he felt like adding to the already incriminating bag.

He found Luna and Noctis in their room playing a card game. They both looked surprised when he opened the door and handed them their papers.

“You guys want to go on a mission with me?”

---

Noctis would have done anything to get out of that safehouse, but he wasn’t expecting to be allowed out of the horrible city entirely. He felt a giant weight lift off his chest as the view outside the train window changed from bleak, grey buildings to the sprawling icescape of the freezing countryside. People slowly got off at stops for suburban towns until it was just them in a car heading to a remote village six hours away from the capitol.

“This is our stop.” Prompto said. He gathered up their food bag while Luna took a second to crack her back before they all headed towards the door.

The door opened and a rush of cold air flooded in. Noctis pulled his scarf up over his nose and stuck behind Prompto and Luna. Prompto hadn’t told them what they were all doing, and neither of them asked. They simply followed him out of town through a mostly empty field. Past that there were no road signs, no civilization. He was a little worried about what they were sent out to do, but bit his tongue and kept close.

The snow grew thick and difficult to walk through as they made their way through a forest. They spooked a wild animal and it darted off, which made Luna jump. As it grew darker Noctis began wondering if he should ask how much longer when they broke free of the forest found themselves on an overpass. Under said overpass was a large estate next to a frozen lake.

The estate was large and crafted from beautiful, red wood and decorated with a gold trim. The house and manicured yard were both blanketed in snow like a christmas card, and in the lake a speedboat was covered with a tarp. There were several garages, and a large, security van had been parked several yards from the end.

“This is our target’s house.” Prompto said. He dropped his device in his bag.

“We’re going to kill them?” Luna asked.

“No, we need information from them. Wait here.”

Prompto left his bag with them and headed down the overpass into the basin. It was difficult to follow Prompto after that. They caught sight of him again when he was at the house fiddling with some wires in a small, metal box. He sat there for ten minutes fiddling and looking around before heading back up.

“What’d you do?” Noctis asked.

Prompto held out a little device that listed a bunch of different numbers. “They have a keycard system. There’ve been six unique cards used inside in the last two days.”

“So six people inside?”

“Probably.” He dropped the device back into his backpack. “They’re not going to respond to anything outside unless it sounds dangerous or affects the home. So I was thinking that we cut the power.”

“Where’s the line?” Luna asked. She looked down at the house, searching for a power box.

“We’re not going to cut it at the house, we have to cut it far enough away that it separates them and back up can’t arrive in time.”

In snowy areas the power lines tended to be obscured. Prompto started the search in a nearby clearing and they eventually found the box later in the evening when the sun began to set. Noctis stood watch over the house as Prompto broke the lock and flipped the switch.

Noctis saw the lights immediately go out, and immediately two agents were dispatched. He bided his time until the men were at the edge of the forest before summoning a lance and chucking it straight at the two.

The lance beamed one of the agents in the back of his head. That agent crumpled to the ground in a bloody pile as his friend reached for his gun. Noctis rushed him, knocking him to his back and stabbing him through the chest with his summoned lance.

Prompto turned the power back on to keep more from coming. He and Luna soon appeared to help him search the bodies for a keycard which were clipped into the guard’s breast pockets. Prompto had them leave the men in the snow where the one still living man would definitely die. Noctis felt guilty over it, but it wasn’t the first time he killed someone. It’s what had to get done.

“Luna, do you want to stay out here?” Prompto offered, as they approached the house.

“Why would I do that?”

“There will be more in there.” He said. “And we’ll probably have to kill them.”

He saw uncertainty dance across Luna’s face for just a moment. Honestly he would’ve preferred it if she stayed outside. One less thing to worry about in an active battle zone. But she didn’t. She squared up her shoulders and took a knife from Prompto’s bag. He couldn’t tell her no.

The real trouble came when they used the keycards to get in. They couldn’t just swarm the place in case they tripped a silent alarm so they all stuck close together slowly went through the house. It was big, but single storied. The entrance opened up to a kitchen on the right and a series of rooms on the left. They followed the hall and encountered an agent as he left the bathroom. Prompto had a knife through his throat before he registered that there were intruders. He and Luna focused on dumping the body as Prompto went further inside.

They met up with Prompto just as he finished downing another agent who was left in the hallway. By that point they’d already passed a second sitting area and a library, and were at the end of the hallway with one final door. One last agent and their target.

Prompto put his ear on the door to listen in for a moment. Once he was satisfied he held a keycard over the reader.

“She’s probably in there.” He said. “You guys deal with the agent, I’ll restrain our target.”

He held up his hand and silently counted down. Three. Two. One. Go.

He shoved the door open and rushed in, dodging the agent who was standing near the entrance to go deeper into the room and find the duchess. Luna was next in and the first to engage with the surprised agent. She jabbed the knife into his gut then got smacked over the head with the barrel of his gun in the struggle. Before the agent could fire his gun Noctis ran up and jabbed his dagger into the agent’s stomach. He collapsed, still breathing but soon dead, to the ground in a bloody heap.

Noctis immediately helped Luna up and cracked one of the few elixers he had over her head. The bruise that was forming on her forehead quickly healed.

“You okay Lu?” He asked.

“I’m fine,” She rubbed at the spot. “Is he dead?”

“Yeah. I think it’s all over now.”

“Does Prompto have the duchess?”

Luna didn’t wait for an answer. She crossed the sitting room and opened the door into the duchess’ proper bedroom to find the duchess, bruised and a bit bloodied, tied up on the lush, red carpet. Her elaborate dress was still on, but her hair had fallen out of it’s complicated bun. A wad of duct tape prevented her from speaking so she struggled against her bindings.

“Everything good out there?” Prompto asked.

“It’s fine. Is this her?” Luna asked.

“Yep.” He sighed. “This is her.”

[imagine-loki]

Irked

Title: Irked

Author lokilover9 Chapter 8

Warning: Teen

Original Imagine: Imagine due to having highly effective telekinesis, Tony Stark seeks you out and hires you. Loki’s been forced to live there by Odin and help on missions when needed, making penance to Midgardians. Prior to moving into the Tower, you learn of his superior and arrogant attitude and upon being introduced, immediately dislike him. Particularly because he looks at you like your his next meal.

Tony had been collaborating with Phil and several others for almost three weeks when requesting Loki, Shandi, Natasha and Clint for a meeting in the main staff room. All sat clueless as to why when he and Thor entered.

“Good morning everyone, I’ll get right down to business. I’m sure you’re all familiar with an old ‘acquaintance’ or preferably an ‘asswhole’ I once knew named Obadiah Stane?” They nodded and he continued. “It would appear said asswhole sold one, or possibly more copies of the technology for my Sonic Tasers while alive.”

Shandi seemed unsure of what he was referring to so Loki spoke up. “It’s a weapon that incapacitates one by exposing them to a specific sonic frequency.”

Everyone stared at him with raised brows, including Tony. “I’m impressed Cactus.”

Loki responded matter of factly. “It’s wise, to one’s best ability, to be educated on the weapons of our enemies. Is it not?”

Tony’s brows furrowed and Loki rolled his eyes.

“I mean when we were as such? To remain prepared for war, we were taught as Asier princes to learn what we could of the arsenals of other realms.” He looked to Thor. “Correct?”

Thor nodded. “That is true.”

“Fine.” Said Tony. “On a forward note, an investigation of the criminals from the last bank robbery Cactus halted, lead to the investigation of a particular street gang. The leader’s home was eventually searched and twenty prototypes of my Tasers were found hidden in a ‘secret’ sub room off this idiots basement, amongst several other illegal weapons.”

“Shit.” Said Clint.

“It gets worse.” Said Tony. “He wouldn’t talk and when questioning his counterparts, we discovered one was not only seventeen, but an illegal immigrant whose mother and younger sister are too. After a year of living in here squalor, he was befriended by another member and offered a job. Desperate, the kid took it.”

“Oh no.” Said Nat. “Tell me S.H.I.E.L.D didn’t?”

Tony shook his head. “No, he was terrified and wouldn’t talk either. With no proof he’d committed any crimes, I convinced S.H.I.E.L.D to let him go and agreed to ‘keep an eye on him?’”

Nat smiled and nodded, suspecting what he’d done. “Details?”

“Later Toots, I’m short on time.”

“Carry on then.”

“So yeah. This kid had overheard some conversations amongst his so called peers and after ‘pressuring’ these bastards and S.H.I.E.L.D doing some further investigating, it was discovered these prototypes may be connected to a ‘Mr. Shamus O'Donnell’ of the O’Donnells of New Jersey.”

Clint sat back in his chair. “You’re shittin’ me.”

Tony shook his head. “I’m afraid not my friend.”

“Who is this person?” Asked Shandi.

“He’s a Federal Court Judge Doll.”

“His father was a Supreme Court Judge.” Said Clint.

“Yep. Shamus Sr. was found shot to death on a country road with his mistress in the late seventies and the murder was never solved. It was rumored shortly after he had links to organized crime, but nothing was ever proven.”

“Were he and Obadiah connected in any way?” Asked Nat.

“Good question. Out of concern for my company, I did some investigating into Stanes financial activities after his death. He sat in on four high stakes poker games in Vegas and L.A. two years prior and on a hunch, I recently obtained a guest list from his hotels. Shamus was there on three out of the four occasions. A coinkidink, don’t ya think?”

“I’ll say. So now what?”

“Shamus resides in the Palisades. As it turns out, I’ve a friend who owns a house there he rarely uses.” He looked to Loki and Shandi. “You two are now Mr. and Mrs. Clifford and Elizabeth Bradshaw, who will be renting the place until searching for your own home after your baby is born.” Then he turned to Nat and Clint. “And you two are Gustav and Ella Shriner, a retired couple in their fifties, who will be renting a nearby cottage for the summer.”

Shandi cleared her throat. “Might I ask something Tony?”

“Sure.”

“Is the mission actually expected to take that long?”

“Hopefully not Doll, but the house is high atop a hill. When you need a break from Loki, you can shove him off the balcony that overlooks the woods and watch him roll down.”

She pursed her lips in a smirk. “I was just curious.”

Loki rolled his eyes then snickered at Clint and Nat. “He he. You two have to wear troublesome disguises.”

“Seriously?” Said Tony. “Let discuss yours.” What he said next wasn’t spoken rudely, just firmly and to the point. “Out of concern for trust issues I still have with you, I sent big brother here to visit dear old dad and learned something very interesting. As a result, he’s now put Heimdall on higher alert. If you even ‘attempt’ to use ‘any’ kind of trickery to slip through my fingers, or intentionally screw up this mission, you’re back in Asgard. Is that clear?”

Not once did Loki look away from him and responded with no rudeness, or sarcasm in his tone. “I understand completely, but what did you learn?”

They’re eyes remained locked while Tony attempted to read any disdain within Lokis. “I’ll get back to that. Let’s finish with O’Donell first.” He re addressed everyone. “We’ve learned Shamus is quite the snob and very choosy of his friends. Only a select few are ever invited to his house and it’s rumored many have desired to be on that list.”

“Why?” Asked Shandi.

“He and his wife are the pillars of their community. To be accepted by him means you’re ‘special’ and could gain you prestige amongst others like them.”

“Oh brother.” Said Nat. “Time to polish your sharp wit Loki.”

“Apparently so.” He replied. “And thank you for the compliment.”

“It’s not only sharp wit you’ll need to hopefully earn a step through his door.” Said Thor. “Shamus is quite the intellect and is known to choose his peers based on theirs. We know of some hobbies he enjoys and learning what you can of them could be good conversation openers.”

“If this man is so snobby, how will I get chance to interact with him?”

“Through the wife.” Said Tony. “Alice is said to be much friendlier and adores children, especially babies.” He looked at Shandi. “Which is where you come in. We’re hoping your pregnancy will spark a friendship, eventually earning you both a step through the door.”

“He must be ‘very’ snobby if that’s our only hope. How did you learn all of this so fast?” She asked.

“S.H.I.E.L.D found some previous maids who were willing to reveal what they’d learned of the couple. They’ve no clue why the information was requested, but were pissed they couldn’t tell us more. Not only does Shamus rule the household, but he’s very secretive and very sneaky. Each claimed he sexually harassed them, yet were too afraid to report it.”

“Sounds like a real peach.” Said Shandi. “So how will I get a chance to interact with Alice?”

“It’s a tight knit community Doll and she’s very curious of newcomers. You and Loki will need to be seen amidst it every day prior to the county fair, so she can learn of your existence. Her closest friend owns a maternity store in town and after the grocery store on your first day, this should be your next stop. That’s when you four meet for the first time and Nat will strike up a conversation. I’ll explain more later, but what’s to happen during this encounter is ‘extremely’ important because of your empathy bellies.”

“When’s the county fair?”

“In two weeks.”

Loki was grinning inside like a Cheshire Cat, yet hid it extremely well.

“Alice and her friends are famous for their baked goods there.” Tony continued. “Hopefully, you can strike up a conversation with her and get the ball rolling. Without any definitive proof against Shamus, you and Loki are our only hope of getting this done quickly without anyone knowing we were involved. Legally, it could be disastrous.”

After Tony explained all the remaining details, everyone watched with curiosity as he presented a magazine before Loki. “And now back to what I’ve learned about you.”

“Designer Suits 2017. What’s this for?” He asked.

“Father was uncertain if Tony knew of your shape shifting abilities and I was told to inform him.” Said Thor.

Loki remained silent as everyone’s mouths fell open.

“Holy fuck.” Said Clint. “And I thought the clones were clever.”

Shandi still hadn’t completely processed either of the God’s natural abilities, including Lokis clones, so this really had her baffled. “P..pardon? How can one..I mean…”

Nat slid a hand over her forearm and she went quiet.

“Hence Heimdalls thicker glasses Doll.” Said Tony. He looked back at Loki and gestured towards the magazine. “Now pick a model likenes please?”

Loki gandered through it and chose a man with wavy Raven hair that was cut just below the ears. His lips were a little fuller, face a little rounder, body a tad more muscular, but his skin tone and height were the same. “May I at least keep my own eye color?” He asked.

Tony crossed his arms. “Let’s make a deal, shall we? As I’m so familiar with how annoying you can often be, promise you’ll refrain from being so to your new ‘wife’ and you may keep your shiny emeralds. If not, I’ll come toss you over that balcony myself.”

“What makes you think I annoy her now?”

“Oh I don’t know.” Said Tony. “Her abrupt concern for the missions length maybe?”

“Let him keep them.” Said Shandi. “Even if he becomes so, he’s nothing I can’t handle.” Everyone cackled when the front legs of Lokis chair hastily lifted from the floor, tilting him backwards and his limbs slightly flailed. She stared at him while still addressing Tony. “See? It’s all good.”

‘Very amusing darling.’ Loki Thought. ‘I do love a challenge.’

Tony replied with a smirk. “Okay then. All of you need to come to S.H.I.E.L.D for ID photos.” He handed everyone but Loki a duffle bag. “You’re dismissed Cactus until everyone’s ready. Can you stay behind a minute Shandi?”

Loki was the last one out and purposely left the door open. “Thank you God of annoyance!” Tony shouted.

“You’re welcome Tin Lips! Kisses!”

Tony got up and closed it. “Blech, where’s Caps shield when I need it. Nice move with the chair by the way.”

Shandi chuckled. “Thanks.”

“You are aware this is Lokis first mission, right?”

“Yes.”

Are you ‘sure’ you don’t mind working with him? He may be an arse of sorts and I can switch you with up with Nat.”

“He might be dead before the fair then.”

Tony thought about that for a minute. “True, good point.”

She chuckled at him again. “I’m okay with it, honest.”

“Alright then Doll, I just wanted to make sure.” He headed for the door. “Nat will show you how to properly apply your wig, contacts and makeup. She’s probably already at your door.”

He opened it and Nat was staring at him.

“Or she’s stalking me outside mine.”

“You’ve set that kid and his family up haven’t you.”

The three began walking together.

“Right, details.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Last I heard, they disappeared.”

“Uh huh. Suuure they did Tony.”

“Honest. For all I know, they could be in another state, starting whole new lives..with brand new identities.”

Both women smiled and Nat nudged him with her elbow. “I always knew the Tin Man had a heart.”

“Yeah well, don’t be spreading that around as I’ve a reputation to keep up. Genius, billionaire, playboy..infamous hard ass. You know the drill.”

Nats brows rose. “Playboy? Does Pepper know this is still a hobby?”

“Yeah boss.” Said Shandi. “What up with that?”

“You ladies aren’t going to snitch on me are you?”

They spoke in unison. “We are.”

Tony shrugged his shoulders. “Okay. We can always pretend I never said that, right?”

They spoke in unison again. “Good idea boss.”

Tony stared at them as they walked away. “That was weird.”

[loki-subterfuge]

CHAPTER 8 Tony had been collaborating with Phil and several others for almost three weeks when requesting Loki, Shandi, Natasha and Clint for a meeting in the main staff room. All sat clueless as to why when he and Thor entered. “Good morning everyone, I'll get right down to business. I'm sure you're all familiar with an old ‘acquaintance’ or preferably an ‘asswhole’ I once knew named Obadiah Stane?” They nodded and he continued. “It would appear said asswhole sold one, or possibly more copies of the technology for my Sonic Tasers while alive.” Shandi seemed unsure of what he was referring to so Loki spoke up. “It's a weapon that incapacitates one by exposing them to a specific sonic frequency.” Everyone stared at him with raised brows, including Tony. “I'm impressed Cactus.” Loki responded matter of factly. “It's wise, to one's best ability, to be educated on the weapons of our enemies. Is it not?” Tony's brows furrowed and Loki rolled his eyes. “I mean when we were as such? To remain prepared for war, we were taught as Asier princes to learn what we could of the arsenals of other realms.” He looked to Thor. “Correct?” Thor nodded. “That is true.” “Fine.” Said Tony. “On a forward note, an investigation of the criminals from the last bank robbery Cactus halted, lead to the investigation of a particular street gang. The leader's home was eventually searched and twenty prototypes of my Tasers were found hidden in a ‘secret’ sub room off this idiots basement, amongst several other illegal weapons.” “Shit.” Said Clint. “It gets worse.” Said Tony. “He wouldn't talk and when questioning his counterparts, we discovered one was not only seventeen, but an illegal immigrant whose mother and younger sister are too. After a year of living in here squalor, he was befriended by another member and offered a job. Desperate, the kid took it.” “Oh no.” Said Nat. “Tell me S.H.I.E.L.D didn't?” Tony shook his head. “No, he was terrified and wouldn't talk either. With no proof he'd committed any crimes, I convinced S.H.I.E.L.D to let him go and agreed to ‘keep an eye on him?’” Nat smiled and nodded, suspecting what he'd done. “Details?” “Later Toots, I'm short on time.” “Carry on then.” “So yeah. This kid had overheard some conversations amongst his so called peers and after ‘pressuring’ these bastards and S.H.I.E.L.D doing some further investigating, it was discovered these prototypes may be connected to a ‘Mr. Shamus O'Donnell’ of the O’Donnells of New Jersey.” Clint sat back in his chair. “You're shittin’ me.” Tony shook his head. “I'm afraid not my friend.” “Who is this person?” Asked Shandi. “He's a Federal Court Judge Doll.” “His father was a Supreme Court Judge.” Said Clint. “Yep. Shamus Sr. was found shot to death on a country road with his mistress in the late seventies and the murder was never solved. It was rumored shortly after he had links to organized crime, but nothing was ever proven.” “Were he and Obadiah connected in any way?” Asked Nat. “Good question. Out of concern for my company, I did some investigating into Stanes financial activities after his death. He sat in on four high stakes poker games in Vegas and L.A. two years prior and on a hunch, I recently obtained a guest list from his hotels. Shamus was there on three out of the four occasions. A coinkidink, don't ya think?” “I'll say. So now what?” “Shamus resides in the Palisades. As it turns out, I've a friend who owns a house there he rarely uses.” He looked to Loki and Shandi. “You two are now Mr. and Mrs. Clifford and Elizabeth Bradshaw, who will be renting the place until searching for your own home after your baby is born.” Then he turned to Nat and Clint. “And you two are Gustav and Ella Shriner, a retired couple in their fifties, who will be renting a nearby cottage for the summer.” Shandi cleared her throat. “Might I ask something Tony?” “Sure.” “Is the mission actually expected to take that long?” “Hopefully not Doll, but the house is high atop a hill. When you need a break from Loki, you can shove him off the balcony that overlooks the woods and watch him roll down.” She pursed her lips in a smirk. “I was just curious.” Loki rolled his eyes then snickered at Clint and Nat. “He he. You two have to wear troublesome disguises.” “Seriously?” Said Tony. “Let discuss yours.” What he said next wasn't spoken rudely, just firmly and to the point. “Out of concern for trust issues I still have with you, I sent big brother here to visit dear old dad and learned something very interesting. As a result, he's now put Heimdall on higher alert. If you even ‘attempt’ to use ‘any’ kind of trickery to slip through my fingers, or intentionally screw up this mission, you're back in Asgard. Is that clear?” Not once did Loki look away from him and responded with no rudeness, or sarcasm in his tone. “I understand completely, but what did you learn?” They're eyes remained locked while Tony attempted to read any disdain within Lokis. “I'll get back to that. Let's finish with O’Donell first.” He re addressed everyone. “We've learned Shamus is quite the snob and very choosy of his friends. Only a select few are ever invited to his house and it's rumored many have desired to be on that list.” “Why?” Asked Shandi. “He and his wife are the pillars of their community. To be accepted by him means you're ‘special’ and could gain you prestige amongst others like them.” “Oh brother.” Said Nat. “Time to polish your sharp wit Loki.” “Apparently so.” He replied. “And thank you for the compliment.” “It's not only sharp wit you'll need to hopefully earn a step through his door.” Said Thor. “Shamus is quite the intellect and is known to choose his peers based on theirs. We know of some hobbies he enjoys and learning what you can of them could be good conversation openers.” “If this man is so snobby, how will I get chance to interact with him?” “Through the wife.” Said Tony. “Alice is said to be much friendlier and adores children, especially babies.” He looked at Shandi. “Which is where you come in. We're hoping your pregnancy will spark a friendship, eventually earning you both a step through the door.” “He must be ‘very’ snobby if that's our only hope. How did you learn all of this so fast?” She asked. “S.H.I.E.L.D found some previous maids who were willing to reveal what they'd learned of the couple. They've no clue why the information was requested, but were pissed they couldn't tell us more. Not only does Shamus rule the household, but he's very secretive and sneaky. Each claimed he sexually harassed them, yet were too afraid to report it.” “Sounds like a real gentleman.” Said Shandi. “So how will I get a chance to interact with Alice?” “It's a tight knit community Doll and she's very curious of newcomers. You and Loki will need to be seen amidst it every day before the county fair, so she can learn of your existence. Her closest friend owns a maternity store in town and after the grocery store on your first day, this should be your next stop.” He gestured towards Nat and Clint. That's when you four meet for the first time. I'll explain more why soon, but what's to happen during this encounter is ‘extremely’ important because of your empathy bellies.” “When’s the county fair?” “In two weeks.” Loki was grinning inside like a Cheshire Cat. “Alice and her friends are famous for their baked goods there.” Tony continued. “Hopefully, you can strike up a conversation with her and get the ball rolling. Without any definitive proof against Shamus, you and Loki are our only hope of getting this done quickly without anyone knowing we were involved. Legally, it could be disastrous.” After Tony explained all the remaining details, everyone watched with curiosity as he presented a magazine before Loki. “And now back to what I've learned about you.” “Designer Suits 2017. What's this for?” He asked. “Father was uncertain if Tony knew of your shape shifting abilities and I was told to inform him.” Said Thor. Loki remained silent as everyone's mouths fell open. “Holy fuck.” Said Clint. “And I thought the clones were clever.” Shandi still hadn't completely processed either of the God's natural abilities, including Lokis clones, so this really had her baffled. “P..pardon? How can one..I mean…” Nat slid a hand over her forearm and she went quiet. “Hence Heimdalls thicker glasses Doll.” Said Tony. He looked back at Loki, gesturing towards the magazine. “Now pick a model likeness please?” Loki gandered through it and chose a man with wavy Raven hair that was cut just below the ears. His lips were a little fuller, face a little rounder, body a tad more muscular, but his skin tone and height were the same. “May I at least keep my own eye color?” He asked. Tony crossed his arms. “Let's make a deal, shall we? As I'm so familiar with how annoying you can often be, promise you’ll refrain from being so to your new ‘wife’ and you may keep your shiny emeralds. If not, I'll come toss you over that balcony myself.” “What makes you think I annoy her now?” “Oh I don't know.” Said Tony. “Her abrupt concern for the missions length maybe?” “Let him keep them.” Said Shandi. “Even if he becomes so, he's nothing I can't handle.” Everyone cackled when the front legs of Lokis chair hastily lifted from the floor, tilting him backwards and his limbs slightly flailed. She stared at him while addressing Tony. “See? It's all good.” ‘Very amusing darling.’ He Thought. ‘I do love a challenge.’ Tony replied with a smirk. “Okay then. All of you need to come to S.H.I.E.L.D for ID photos.” He handed everyone but Loki a duffle bag. “You're dismissed Cactus until everyone's ready. Can you stay behind a minute Shandi?” Loki was the last one out and purposely left the door open. “Thank you God of annoyance!” Tony shouted. “You're welcome Tin Lips! Kisses!” Tony got up and closed it. “Blech, where's Caps shield when I need it. Nice move with the chair by the way.” Shandi chuckled. “Thanks.” “You are aware this is Lokis first mission, right?” “Yes.” Are you ‘sure’ you don't mind working with him? He may be an arse of sorts and I can switch you with up with Nat.” “He might be dead before the fair then.” Tony thought about that for a minute. “True, good point.” She chuckled at him again. “I’m okay with it, honest.” “Alright then Doll, I just wanted to make sure.” He headed for the door. “Nat will show you how to properly apply your wig, contacts and makeup. She's probably already at your door.” He opened it and Nat was staring at him. “Or she’s stalking me outside mine.” “You've set that kid and his family up haven't you.” The three began walking together. “Right, details.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Last I heard, they disappeared.” “Uh huh. Suuure they did Tony.” “Honest. For all I know, they could be in another state, starting whole new lives..with brand new identities.” Both women smiled and Nat nudged him with her elbow. “I always knew the Tin Man had a heart.” “Yeah well, don't be spreading that around as I've a reputation to keep up. Genius, billionaire, playboy..infamous hard ass. You know the drill.” Nats brows rose. “Playboy? Does Pepper know this is still a hobby?” “Yeah boss.” Said Shandi. “What up with that?” “You ladies aren't going to snitch on me are you?” They spoke in unison. “We are.” “Okay. Can't we pretend I never said that?” They spoke in unison again. “Good idea boss.” Tony stared at them as they walked away. “That was weird.”

[orbemnews]

Still Looking for a New Gaming Console? Here’s Why One Saturday in mid-December, Chris Vernon was driving as fast as he could to a GameStop in Memphis. He had spent weeks combing the internet for new PlayStation 5 consoles, and had just heard about a new shipment’s arrival at a store nearby. It was the only present his 10-year-old son, William, wanted for Christmas. The problem was, lots of other children around the country were asking for new video game consoles, too. Mr. Vernon, a local sports radio host and podcaster for “The Ringer,” arrived too late. He waited in line for four hours before being told that the store had run out. He returned home, “crestfallen,” to tell William the bad news. Since their highly anticipated release in November, the new generations of consoles — Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and Sony’s PS5 — have been in short supply. Gamers have flooded online stores in the hundreds of thousands, crashed websites, lined up outside stores and shaken their fists in frustration when scalpers snagged devices, then resold them for double the price. “It’s completely chaotic,” said Rupantar Guha, an analyst at GlobalData, an analytics company in Britain. Microsoft and Sony would not give sales totals for the devices, which arrived on the market during a pandemic-fueled surge in gaming. But David Gibson, the chief investment officer at Astris Advisory, a financial advisory firm in Tokyo, estimated that Sony had sold at least six million PS5s through the end of 2020 and that Microsoft had sold three million of the Xbox Series X and the smaller Series S. “In a lot of ways, they don’t want to satisfy demand initially. They want to have an ongoing gap between supply and demand,” Mr. Gibson said. “They want to have buzz and excitement around it for a longer period of time.” Scarcity is typical for new consoles, but the coronavirus pandemic exacerbated it by closing factories in China early last year. Then the demand for laptops and other electronics for remote work led to a shortage of chips and other computer parts. Malfunctioning chips played a role in the supply problems as well. Sony declined to comment, instead referring to a November post on Twitter in which the company mentioned the high demand. Microsoft said in a statement that it saw huge demand, too, and was “working tirelessly with our manufacturing and retail partners to replenish Xbox hardware as quickly as possible.” Mike Spencer, Microsoft’s head of investor relations, said in an interview this week that the company had topped $5 billion in gaming revenue in a quarter for the first time. Microsoft sold every Xbox unit it had last quarter, he said, adding that supply is likely to be constrained at least through June. U.S. consumers spent $7.7 billion on video games in December, according to the NPD Group, up 25 percent from a year earlier. Hardware sales accounted for $1.35 billion, the most for a December since 2013, the last time new-generation consoles were released. (Nintendo’s Switch, which first went on sale in 2017, outsold both the PlayStation and Xbox last month.) When Mr. Vernon, 42, recounted his console-hunting tale on his radio show, a listener with an extra PlayStation reached out to him. Mr. Vernon drove to the man’s house, bought the console and surprised William with it days later. “It was the hardest gift for anyone that I’ve ever tried to buy,” Mr. Vernon told The New York Times. “It ended up all being worth it for that moment.” One of the most vexing issues are the scalpers. Some are using so-called purchase bots — also known as “Grinch bots” — to snap up online offers faster than humans can. “None of these devices are reaching their customers,” Mr. Guha said. “They are just going missing somewhere in between.” Online scalper groups are claiming credit for buying thousands of consoles, though their numbers may be exaggerated. Walmart said in a blog post in December that it had blocked more than 20 million bot attempts to buy PS5s in one 30-minute stretch in November. Resellers list consoles on places like eBay and Facebook Marketplace for up to $1,000, double the retail price. Mr. Guha said he had seen a PS5 advertised for $5,000. Crep Chief Notify, a British reseller company that scalpers use, said it had more than 5,000 customers. The group charges $40 a month for a suite of tools, advice on how to resell items and access to a server on Discord, a messaging app. Max Heywood, a 19-year-old British student who is one of the company directors, said Crep Chief Notify did not use purchase bots but supplied software that monitors online stores and notifies users when new items are in stock. Bradley Gee, another Crep Chief director, pushed back against criticism that the company helps people resell the consoles at higher prices. “To be totally honest, it’s basic supply and demand,” Mr. Gee, 21, said. “There’s millions of consoles available. If you didn’t get one, it is unfortunate.” He added: “We just help members secure them. They can then do what they wish with the console.” To beat out scalpers, buyers are following Twitter accounts that announce when stores like Target, Walmart and Best Buy get new shipments. And a group of college students has seen huge interest in a free browser extension they created to notify people when digital stores restock. More than 100,000 people have installed OctoShop, a Google Chrome extension made by five students from schools in Texas and Pennsylvania. Rithwik Pattikonda, a computer science major at the University of Texas, said the idea for a shopping aide had come about during the toilet paper shortage at the beginning of the pandemic. It morphed into a tool for outsmarting scalpers chasing consoles. “The goal is to give the power to regular people,” Mr. Pattikonda, 20, said. He added that several thousand people have said OctoShop has helped them obtain a console. For many, though, the search has remained fruitless. Shannon-Leigh Bull of Warwickshire, England, has been trying to surprise her boyfriend with a new PlayStation since November. “Sometimes, you’re waiting more than an hour and you finally get through and it’s out of stock,” Ms. Bull, 22, said. “It’s like having your dreams crushed, because you thought and hoped you’d actually get one.” “I feel like giving up, and that I’m never going to get it.” Karen Weise contributed reporting. Source link Orbem News #Console #Gaming #Heres

[chsamuseum]

Feather Duster Memories: A Boomer’s Look-Back at Chinatown

San Francisco’s Chinatown, CHSA Collection

Are you working from home today? Due to COVID-19 a lot of people are. My parents worked from home during the 1950s. Ok, that’s a bit of a stretch. Back then, home and work were not typically one and the same. My parents worked 10-12 hours a day, sometimes on Sundays. The work they did was not like being in a tech start-up. There were no snacks or free meals. They owned a hand laundry in San Francisco and running it was exhausting work; skin burns were often the reward. It was hard physical labor. They started their business in 1954 in what is now known as Cole Valley, a San Francisco neighborhood about three miles west of Chinatown. Our living situation was very humble. The entire place was about 600 square feet. We had less living space than a two-car garage. I slept with my parents in a double bed, while my sister slept in a baby’s crib. We took baths on Saturdays in a blue-trimmed enamel pan-the same pan mom used to dye our customers’ clothes. Every evening, after closing, we dropped down sheets to cover the storefront windows and pulled down roller shades to cover the doors. How’s that for privacy? We lived with the sounds of a streetcar passing by our laundry every day. 

Mom insisted on only eating Chinese food and our small refrigerator could only store a couple of days’ worth of groceries; going to Chinatown twice a week was a necessity. My dad went by himself on Wednesdays and on Sundays, we went as a family. The trip was a drive across town that took about 30 minutes. My dad drove a two-tone Pontiac Sedan from Carl to Clayton to Frederick to Masonic to Bush to Kearny to Pacific to Grant. We took those streets so often that they are coded in my memory, like a routine in a computer software program.

Grant Ave was our main shopping street for groceries. We did most of that shopping between Pacific and Broadway. At the North end of Grant Ave was the sausage shop. I loved the dried meats and the fat in the sausage, not to mention the BBQ pork. Mid-block there were two fresh chicken shops where you could select the chicken from a cage; a man would pull out the chicken, slit its throat, throw it into a garbage can, and then tell you to come back in a half-hour to pick it up. It was also the best place to buy fresh chicken wings and gizzards! Next door was a dried goods store that sold everything from canned goods to dried squid and 50 pound bags of rice. It was also where they sold my favorite jelly candy that came wrapped in rice paper and in two flavors, orange and banana. Banana was my favorite. On the corner of Grant and Pacific was a fresh fish store. It was always cold inside from all that ice to keep the fish on display fresh. I loved it because the window height of the fish tank was mounted perfectly for a little kid like me to watch them swim. Tommy’s Jewelry store was on the opposite corner where my mom took her watch for repairs and where she admired the gold and jade jewelry. Nearby was an electronics shop, Mee Shing, where they sold TV’s and Radios. Mom shopped for her Chinese opera records there. She listened to these operas during her long work hours of ironing laundry while my sister and I painfully endured the clanging sounds of the cymbals. Next to the electronics shop was Kaye’s Shoe store that carried Florsheim brand shoes in smaller shoe sizes to suit the Chinese foot. Does anyone remember the golden goose eggs in the windows? But what I wanted most, was to weigh myself on the weight machine sitting out in front by the entrance, where for a penny, I could get my weight printed on a ticket with a fortune on the back. Every Sunday, I begged my parents to let me weigh myself wondering when I would weigh 50 pounds. Across the street on Grant was a kitchen hardware store, Ginn Wall, that sold woks, wooden and plastic chopsticks, bowls, and more. It was also where they also sold the dreaded feather dusters with the bamboo stick handle - the ‘weapon’ of choice for Chinese families to mete out corporal punishment. I can attest to their painfulness. 

Map of Chinatown Streets with local shops, created by Will Lee

The Mandarin Theater, later Sun Sing, was further south on the same block, and next to it was an alley. The alleys always lead to a building with single resident occupancy units, better known as SROs. Most of the alleys wafted of urine, but some had the smell of cooked foods-rice, chicken, vegetables-from the adjoining restaurants. Add in the sounds of children playing, laundry hanging on a line ruffling in the wind, the sounds of shuffling mahjong tiles, elderly men spitting, and you get a more complete picture of the alleys.

On the next block was a herb shop where my mom bought ingredients to make a ‘special’ soup. It was special all right, and as I remember it, the bitterness was so awful that I had to choke it down while my mom would say Ay-geet, which loosely translated means “to be well, be healthy.” Then at the corners of Washington and Grant were wooden trinket stands where my sister and I would eye the toys we couldn’t afford. We did buy the wax candies with liquid juice inside. Does anyone remember those? Further on Grant was the Eastern Bakery, which is known for their moon cakes, but I loved their cow ear snack, Gnow Gknee, which was shaped like a potato chip that had alternating bands, colored in tan and brown. My mom always bought a Sunday newspaper from the newsstand guy in a wooden shack on Jackson. Even though we subscribed to the Chinese Times, it only came six days a week. 

The Buddhist church on Washington was under construction in the late 1950s. I recall going through the building during a Chinese New Year celebration and the street fairs that were held across the street in Portsmouth Square. I won a goldfish by tossing a ping pong ball into a bowl and the fish became our first pet. Other games at the bazaar were the metal horse races where you shot water guns to move the horses, throwing pointed metal darts at hanging balloons, and pitching coins onto a large board to try and land them on a small dot. But as fun as all of that was, who could forget the pink cotton candy!

Back in the 50s, Stockton street only had a few shops. On the corner of Pacific was the El Dorado Meat Market. It was the place to buy fresh meat. Who came up with the name El Dorado for a meat market in Chinatown? It had racks of meat hanging in the back and a display case full of fresh-cut meats in the front. I can still hear the band saw cutting the bone and the opening and closing of the walk-in freezer door. They sold ground pork to make Gee Knook Beng, a steamed pork patty cooked with salted fish on top, a peasant comfort food my parents brought over from their village. Everyone went to buy their oranges at Orangeland on the corner of Washington. My dad would drive up to the man, hand him a buck, and a brown paper bag of oranges was passed in through the window. Yup, that was how it was done.

Will with his younger sister, Courtesy of Will Lee

Going to Chinatown was like going to a foreign land. My mom would have liked for my sister and me to have grown up in Chinatown. She wanted us to identify as Chinese, for us to retain our culture and heritage. However, I am glad we missed that boat of growing up in Chinatown. Our laundry was small and had similar conditions to any place in Chinatown. If we had grown up there, I believe my experiences would have been far less diverse. I might have missed being fully immersed in American culture. So what-if? I’ll never know, there is only what is. I do know I speak Chinglish. My hillbilly Toishanese is badass. As challenging as it was to only speak Toishanese to my parents, not growing up in Chinatown forced me to figure it out. I am enriched to be at ease with both American and Chinese cultures, and I am so thankful to be able to embrace both. And a shout out to the N-Judah streetcar - no noise is too loud for me to sleep through.

Will Lee is a CHSA supporter. He was born in Oak Town (Oakland, CA), but grew up in San Francisco. He writes to share his American stories of growing up in a Chinese household with customs and traditions he didn’t understand, of living in a diverse neighborhood, and of finding his way between cultures.