#Jetpack comment form

[thedogladysden]

TINKERING WITH WORDPRESS 🛠️🤔😥🫤 UPDATE

On Friday, I happily relayed the news that I installed the Jetpack (wordpressdotcom) comment form, to make it easier for those using the WordPress reader.Best of all, I was excited to introduce a new edit feature! We’ve all wished we could correct a typo in a comment, yes? Well… TINKERING WITH WORDPRESS 🛠️🤔😥🫤 UPDATE #dogladysden #bloggingcommunity I’m sorry to report, it didn’t work out! 😩 The…

[guardianofnightmares]

Attack

“And remember: there is enough fuel in those rods for couple of maneuvers and a descent. That’s it.” Blitzwing said in a stern tone while adjusting some screws on minibot’s backplates. “I highly recommend you to not stray far away from your group for too long.”

He knew that his companion was not that reckless to go on adventures of his own on a battlefield, but it’s still difficult not to worry about mechs’ safety. Even if the targeting systems of an Autobots’ flagship "Endeavor" were supposed to be down by the beginning of an operation, its guns would still be working at full capacity.

Chances of being shot by a random plasma beam were still pretty high.

“I know, Blitzwing, I know,” said minibot sighed in defeat. His spirits were not that much higher than everyone else’s lately.

“But hey,” He continued, “Even if I wanted to, I doubt Megacon would allow me to go sightseeing without him… And if I indeed managed to do just that, my fear of withering away from his lecture about my recklessness definitely outweighs the fun of getting into troubles.”

----------

Phew, third entry for the @blitzbee-week event has arrived at last. Prompt of a third day was "Attack", which turned out to be quite an interesting one to create a piece for. Eventually, I've decided to picture a scene of preparations for one of first major battles in a story of mine. Considering a fact that a mentioned scene takes place at the beginning of a second part/volume of a fanfic, I found it to be a good opportunity to show an evolution of relationship between characters (at least in comparison to previous entries).

Fanfic the scene is taken from is called "TFA: Icarus". You can read it by following a [link] for the series "folder" which also includes an existing teaser (future prologue) for a story. The updates are slow, I know, I am sorry for a delay, I was very busy with a job of mine lately and I do not know when the situation will change for better. Despite all of it, I'm still deeply grateful for every subscription and "like" you leave under works for this project of mine. Know that I see and appreciate every kind gesture of yours).

As always, if anyone is interested to know what's going on "behind the scenes" of a picture, I will provide the full snippet of a depicted interaction under a cut line. Hope you'll enjoy it. Especially those of you, who read previous "chapters" of mine, for you might find a reference here to one of them ;)

Bumblebee finally glanced at a Decepticon sitting on his haunches behind his back. The Warframe’s been checking on a Cybertronian analogue of a humans’ “parachute” for the last half of megacycle, trying to secure the massive carcass on a frame it was not meant to be worn by. 

“How’s it looking?” The Bot asked. Not out of vanity, for once, but rather out of practicality - a bleak, outdated “jetpack” was the smallest one they could salvage, and it’s still way too big for a mech of Bumblebee’s proportions. Several kilograms of metal more and it’d have begun to tip a yellow colored Autobot over. 

“… It’ll have to do.” 

A brisk, honest and not so uplifting answer. But, come to think of it, Bumblebee would’ve been more surprised to hear a reassuring comment coming from a Triplechanger. 

A notion that Bumbler was capable of periodically predicting Con’s responses almost made him chortle. The possibility of his team forming a bond with Warframes over the course of a stellar cycle after an escape from Cybertron was improbable at best. And yet, there they were - trying to work as a single unit despite ever present old grudges. 

For a goal they were fighting for together against a common foe was more important than any of their just (and unjust) beliefs. 

“And remember: there is enough fuel in those rods for couple of maneuvers and a descent. That’s it.” Blitzwing said in a stern tone while adjusting some screws on minibot’s backplates. “I highly recommend you to not stray far away from your group for too long.”

He knew that his companion was not that reckless to go on adventures of his own on a battlefield, but it’s still difficult not to worry about mechs’ safety. Even if the targeting systems of an Autobots’ flagship "Endeavor" were supposed to be down by the beginning of an operation, its guns would still be working at full capacity.

Chances of being shot by a random plasma beam were still pretty high.

“I know, Blitzwing, I know,” said minibot sighed in defeat. His spirits were not that much higher than everyone else’s lately.

“But hey,” He continued, “Even if I wanted to, I doubt Megacon would allow me to go sightseeing without him... And if I indeed managed to do just that, my fear of withering away from his lecture about my recklessness definitely outweighs the fun of getting into troubles.”

The last comment earned him a snort from a companion.

“Yes, he tends to do exactly that. You’d be insanely lucky if that was the only punishment coming upon your helm,” Blitzwing agreed in a more lighthearted tone. “Especially since, it seems, Megatron’s already figured out where someone prefers to spend their shift at once in a while.”

“…what do you mean by that?” Bumblebee asked worriedly after a short lived pause - he could almost “see” a smirk plastered across Blitzwing’s faceplates with the back of his own helm. And if he’s learnt anything about a Con over the last orbital cycles, it’s that him being smug never promised anything good for a yellow and black Bot. 

“Let’s just say that if a certain hiding spot is indeed real, I’ll make sure to send you energon treats during a “home arrest” of yours.” Blitzwing mused out loud. A followed groan full of despair, which came from a small mech, made Blitzwing slip an amused laugh. 

And here a minibot hoped that Megatron would be any different than a so-called Bossbot of his. 

---

Soon after the Trpilechanger’s done everything he could in order to make Bumbler’s descent to a flagship safer, a huge figure appeared at an entrance to a bay. Bumbler noticed a newcomer only when a said mech contacted him via personal comlink, voice commanding yet devoid of usual rasp undertones. 

“Time to go, minibot,” Megatron announced, as if wanting to make sure that his arrival was interpreted as a sign to wrap preparations up. It made both Cybertronians to pause their conversation and to look up at an arrived Decepticon. 

The red and grey mech stood with his servos being clasped behind his back, polished shoulder pauldrons proudly shining under a warm artificial light. One of his chest plates bared signs of a recent scuffle at one of remote outposts - the right side was adorned with a fresh wielding patchwork, performed by Ratchet himself, which hid an ugly and deep scar. 

The sight of a quickly healing wound reminded Bumblebee of an amusing memory he’d witnessed in a medbay the other day - Ratchet and Megatron bickering with each other about who’s a true madmech between two of them, while a medic was performing mentioned repairs. The fact that a Warlord received an injury during a rescue of a red and white Autobot, who stayed behind in order to cover their team’s escape, seemed to slip out of both of their processors. Ratchet was nigh unstoppable in his fury, and it seemed that Megatron’s finally found someone who could rival his own stubbornness. Something, all members of a team were certain of, both older mechs secretly admired about each other. 

With raised up spirits, minibot quickly picked up a bag of tools, which laid near a working bench, and waved goodbye to a Triplechanger, who stayed behind to tidy a working place up. 

Blitzwing couldn’t hear what his two comrades were talking about while standing at an exit to a bay, but he could still observe the interaction between them. 

The height difference between mechs was ridiculous. It became especially obvious when Megatron lowered himself to a ground in order to access electronic panel of a “jetpack”, while Bumblebee was checking on contents of a bag of his. To Blitzwing, the scene almost resembled the way human parent would interact with their child after meeting them from an educational establishment back on Earth. Come to think of it, Bumbler looked like a sparkling in comparison to all of Warframes, which made the situation even more amusing in Blitzwing’s optics. 

After switching on needed components, the grey Decepticon activated a program in his own engine’s software. Both mechs synchronized recently updated broadcasting frequencies of their flying gear, and the “jetpack” came to life with a faint glow of its side lights.

A model of a “parachute” may have looked old, but the technology behind an outdated surface was something to be proud of. As if to prove a point, Megatron shifted his wings from side to side, up and down. Minibot whirled his head around just in time to see his own wings mirroring movements of his larger partner with a barely there delay. Created during an expansion of territories on foreign planets, devices similar to Bumbler’s one allowed Autobots to join Decepticons in off-ground battles and explorations, going so far as to copy difficult maneuvers of Warframes with an impressive accuracy. 

A true forgotten marvel of Cybertronian engineering. 

To say that Bumblebee could barely keep his excitement under control would be an understatement. The way he puffed up his chest plates and spread his temporary wings reminded local workers of a young Warframe after the first successful training session at a boot camp, fears and doubts the Bot had about an upcoming battle diminishing at a prospect of taking the first flight in his life. Even if it’ll mostly be coordinated by a partner. 

Bumblebee faced a rising by his side Decepticon with a contagious smile plastered across his grey faceplates, blue optics glowing with eagerness. He said something to him, most likely a spicy remark about his immaculate skills as a Prime soon-to-be Flyer on a battlefield taking place in an outer space. Those jovial antics made Megatron roll his optics, after which he turned an Autobot around with a smirk and (lightly) shoved him forward in direction of a main hangar, where they would join other members of a boarding party. 

---

It’s been a while since both mechs disappeared out of the view of Triplechanger, leaving him to his own devices. The grey and violet mech was in a middle of cleaning a working bench when he received a call. 

“Hey, Blitzwing!” A booming voice of Bulkhead sounded clearly over the comlink, only interrupted by periodic screeching of metal against metal in a background. “Are you and Bumblebee finished by any chance?”

“Fortune is on your side this time, my artistic friend, - Megatron’s already picked your yellow menace up.” Warframe answered while putting instruments into their designated slots. “What’s the matter?” 

“Lugnut and I would really appreciate it, if you joined us with loading ammo on a ship - these electromagnetic emitters are putting a strain even on him. Optimus is already helping us by operating a crane, but I don’t think it’s enough for everything to be finished on time.” A green Autobot admitted guiltily. When Blitzwing was about to say something, he added: “One more thing: Optimus said that he’d like to discuss a plan of an attack with you again afterwards - something about an established route through an asteroid field doesn’t click right with him.“

Of course it didn’t. But Blitzwing could hardly blame him for being extra cautious. Truth be told, he’d expected an ex-cadet to contact him sooner or later in order to go through a plan one more time. Meaning, there’s really no point for him to act getting annoyed at a prospect of doing an additional work during a current shift. 

“Alright. Seems that by helping you I’m going to kill two cats with one stone, so, count me in.”

“It’s “two birds”, Blitzwing,” Bulkhead corrected him with an audible smile. “Anyways, I’ll be waiting for you at an entrance 4-06. Thank you.”

With that being said, the bulky Autobot hung up the call, leaving a Warframe alone with his own thoughts, smiling to himself while cleaning the last of used tools from grease and oil. 

Many things have changed since the beginning of a new cycle of War, for better and for worse. With the amount of mechs switching sides and betraying their causes, sometimes it was easier to assume, that all around you were enemies rather than to hope you had at least someone to rely on. 

Yet, despite every obstacle Outcast Autobots and Earth-stranded Decepticons had to go through so far, the newly formed squad of theirs was a proof that some things stayed the same. That Camaraderie still had a value in an ever treacherous world. And Blitzwing had a feeling that no matter what lied ahead of them, the old healed bonds and recently blossomed ones would stand the test of time.

As if coming to an internal agreement with himself, the Triplechanger shook his helm and finally headed to an agreed upon place of meeting with his unlikely comrades, while silently humming a tune Bumblebee taught him once.

Perhaps, an Autobot known as Prowl was right after all?

Perhaps, it was indeed the right time to start having Faith and Trust in teammates once more?

[artemismoorea03]

DP x DC: Reaction Time

Based on the Danny Phantom Episode: Flirting With Disaster

(Another idea I've never seen anybody else use so I'm going to go with it)

When the United States sent up a new Satellite the Justice League had conflicting feelings about it all. Yes, it wasn't any danger to the Watchtower and was nothing more but a mild annoyance. Mostly because 'Axion Labs' had built the damn thing after constantly refusing to share their specs with any competitors and everybody was very tightly lipped about it. They had no idea if it were safe, what it was capable of, and it was ugly.

It turned out that the satellite was just the processing unit but that due to 'Secret Axion Labs technology' was able to access any and al devices to allow world wide alerts to go out in a matter of seconds. Which wouldn't have been a bad thing if A) The Justice League had even a glimps of what data they would be sending, B) Axion Labs could even be trusted - which they couldn't, and C) if the owner of Axion Labs wasn't also on Batman's personal "Watchlist" for a multitude of reasons one of which was blackmail and fraud.

Batman didn't trust it and specifically made any possible adjustment on their equipment that they could to prevent anybody from hacking into their systems or finding out their personal information.

For a few months things were fine until one day things suddenly changed.

It was a rare mid-day meeting to talk about the increasing number of Lazarus Pits popping up around the world when a sudden bright green laser shot out from the middle of Illinois and hit the ugly satellite.

In seconds every Justice League member was on their feet and at the window, watching the situation with wide eyes while Martian Manhunter multitasked and started trying to locate the source of the problem. Batman watched as he obnoxious round dome on the satellite suddenly morphed into something green and almost alive. It was glowing and face like as it laughed, it's voice echoing through space as it boomed.

"IT'S OVER, CHILD! YOU CAN'T STOP ME NOW!"

Batman was thankful that he had updated the security on the Watchtower and his stuff back in Gotham City but now he was left spiraling and concerned. What happened to the satellite? Why was it suddenly sentient?! WHAT THE HELL WAS HAPPENING?!

"There are two figures approaching the satellite." Superman said, "Without a ship."

"What?!" The collective comment formed as the satellite began to move on it's own and Batman pulled up the camera's from the outside while pulling up more information from earth.

The outside cameras showed what looked like two teenagers - one in a red suit that definitely wasn't meant to be a space suit and one in no suit at all just a helmet and what looked like some kind of jetpack!

Pink lasers shot out of the satilitte down the earth, making Batman fear the worst as news became flooded with a glowing green face of a man with long white hair in a mullet and a black and white suit of some kind. He was laughing wildly.

Suddenly earth was thrown into chaos.

Street signs changed, electronics came to life all over not just America but the entire planet as one by one areas were struck by pink lasers. The teenager with the mask flew at the satellite with glowing green energy shooting out of their hands as it effortlessly bounced off of the machine.

"Whoever that kid is, he seems to know what's going on." Flash said quickly, "We might be able to hack into the helmet and form some kind of communication."

"Maybe I should go out there." Superman suggested.

"Not yet, that glow could mean trouble." Batman grumbled and Superman deflated slightly, "Let's try to contact the kid." He said, getting to work on hacking into the kids helmet when the second kid in the red suit suddenly slammed into the one in the mask, trapping them in the middle of some kind of hoverboard.

Suddenly there was an explosion, a crack in the back of the jetpack as the kid tried to break free, firing a blast at the red one, throwing the two of them apart. The red one went limp while the green seemed surprised at their own actions before flying towards the satellite, flying in front of it. The teen pulled off the jetpack, turned it on, then let it go as the satellite opened what looked like it's mouth and swallowed the jetpack.

Which - understandably - exploded and destroyed the satellite in turn. The faces were yanked off of the news, all of the machines which had been powered up were suddenly shut down and fell harmlessly to the ground.

Disaster had been averted in a matter of minutes and just as quickly both teens vanished.

"What the hell just happened?" Gawked Superman.

"I don't know... but Axion Labs has a lot of explaining to do." Batman glared. "Let's find out as much as we can about the Illinois location."

"Amity Park Illinois." Flash said, already having information pulled up. "It's - oh."

"Oh?" Green Arrow repeated.

That was never good.

"Uh... yeah, looks like this isn't gonna be an 'on the way conversation'. Looks like we have a new meeting topic."

They learned about the kid they had seen, Ghosts, and half a dozen attacks that probably should have at least caught the attention of Justice League yet they had never even heard of these things.

They had never heard about Danny Phantom or the problems Amity Park was having but that was going to change from that moment on. They were taking a fieldtrip to Amity Park. To meet Danny Phantom, figure out what was happening, talk to Axion Labs, and figure out how the hell they hadn't heard about any of this.

[differentnerddiplomatopera]

Opinions and Interpretation ( Epic Spoilers)

Author's Note (As long as it’s not hurting/attacking anyone mentally, physically, or emotionally, people are entitled to their own opinions, own beliefs, own ideas, and nobody is allowed to make you feel bad for your thoughts/ideas.)

Okkkkkkk, I had a long day, and this was bothering me so I wanted to make a post about this so humor me. I have problems with an issue in and outside the Epic community, so that is something I will speak on. Also an inappropriate situation happened earlier this week that caused someone to become extremely uncomfortable so I am going to discuss that as well. And imma teach this up, so sit down and let’s talk. (This issue is a separate post)

Opinion: a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.

As long as an opinion is not hurting anyone emotionally, spiritually, mentally, physically,  you are free to speak your mind in the proper time and place. Your opinions on things, with the things above in mind, should be respected because you are entitled to your opinion. It’s yours and it is precious, cause you are precious. 🥰

Same way switched. You certainly don’t call the opposite party’s opinions “cringe” or  “weird” just because you don’t like them. Are you allowed to discuss why you don’t like it? As long as you are being respectful, go ahead. Do what you do but certainly don’t diminish anyone’s ideas. They are precious. 

Now, the jet pack animation in the Vengeance Saga. Was it unexpected? Hell yeah. Would you like to have seen Jorge choose a different orchestration on how Odysseus got out of water? Maybe. But do we call his idea “cringe?” 

Class: No

Absolutely not! He has stated before how video games have affected the creation of Epic and how he wants to demonstrate it in the animatic. So why are we saying it was “stupid” or ”weird?” Is it inaccurate? Unless Homer has a trashcan of scrapped jetpack scenes we have no idea about, yeah it is. But it is fun. And I think that is what we missed. We are allowed to have fun, as long as we are not posing it as accurate information.

Correct me if I am wrong, but Jorge never said this was a “on the mark” musical of the Odyssey. He is gonna take liberties, and unless a Greek Mythology Association sues him for not following the story to the letter, is it hurting anyone? Do the people who like an accurate retelling of Odyssey have to like Epic? No, absolutely not. Well, I mean unless someone has a gun to your head.

I have mutuals who don’t like Epic, and that is absolutely ok! They aren’t doing anything illegal, and neither are we. UNLESS we are telling and or arguing with Greek Religion Experts, mythographists and the like, that Epic is God's honest truth. In that case, we need to read The Odyssey together and apologize to them.

However, if you are gonna listen to it and just shit talk about it, bullying the creator and the fandom for creating/liking it, scrutinizing the road they chose, and just being a Debbie downer about it, do it by yourself. 

You know what is great too? Sparkle* The Power of Animation *Sparkle. Animators don’t like it, you do it. And that is not an taunting attack like, “oh if you think you can do better, then do it” blah blah nonsense. This is the glory of your talents. You are allowed to let your mind travel in the way that it does, I encourage it.  When I saw the prosthetic Poseidon, I didn’t say in the comments, “actually Poseidon didn’t have a prosthetic, this is cringe and inaccurate.” I didn’t say anything in the comments cus I was screaming and shrieking like a little bitch cus of how much I loved it. I apologize to my neighbors, I was losing my crap, like OMFG, HOW ARE SO TALENTED AND WHAT IS IN YOUR MIND I WANNA SEE IT AND-sorry I’m trying to get to a point.

(Also go check out Neal Illustrators Etsy shop, the pins are up and scrumptious)

All are talented artists/animators. I’m pretty sure when he watches your stuff, he gets so  giddy and excited. No one idea is steady law. We all are allowed to shine and share. I wanna see your talent and ability. 

So please, please.  Epic fans, if you don’t like Jorge’s ideas, look towards the animators. If you don’t like the animator's ideas, do your own. And if you can’t, imagine your own. 

But please, do not send hate or nasty messages toward Jorge and his team or to people in/within the community. Jorge is allowed to have fun, I am allowed to have fun, you are allowed to have fun. We are all allowed to have safe, healthy fun. Don’t spend all your time being a hater. Respect, we all deserve respect. Opinions, we all deserve to have our healthy and good-mannered opinion’s. 

Ok? Ok. Yay!

[321spongebolt]

While the mermaids in "SpongeBob SqaurePants" are more antagonistic (with the exception of Princess Mindy of course, and maybe even the two King Neptunes depending on your viewpoint), I thought about an OC who is a nice mermaid like Mindy, but rest assured, she will never be SpongeBob's love interest, as the late Stephen Hillenberg made it clear that SpongeBob doesn't need a love interest. So in this regard, she's just another friend of SpongeBob. I should also mention that she's not an OC I would use for self-inserts and giving original stories for like when I made Remi Loud (My "Loud House" character hybrid and OC). And while I don't have drawings for her, hopefully you'll get the idea with what I have typed up for her down below.

MY OC'S NAME

Sunny

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

She's an adult mermaid with yellow skin (much like how the mermaids vary in different skin colors). Like Daphne from "Scooby-Doo!" (as seen as one of my inspirations for Sunny), she has long orange hair. I don't know what color her shirt and mermaid tail would be, so I'll leave that up to you guys in the comments.

Like Mindy, the two King Neptunes, and all the other merfolk on this show (and movie franchise), Sunny has five-fingered hands like us humans do in real life. She has no veins on the back of her hands much like Mindy, but doesn't wear a bracelet around her wrist like she does. In fact, she probably wouldn't wear jewelry at all.

PERSONALITY

Considering her name is "Sunny", she's beautiful inside and out, but she's adventurous, affectionate, modest, and friendly all at the same time. And though she's friendly on the outside, she can also be assertive and protect herself from harm (much like Lola Bunny and Daphne put together) and has no hesitation to stand up for whoever she's close to like SpongeBob (again, not as a boyfriend/girlfriend dynamic, just friends).

CHARACTER INSPIRATIONS

Like Princess Mindy, she's extremely friendly and compassionate as I stated earlier. She can fly around much like Mindy, but when she reaches the surface, she can't fly. Despite this, she can traverse over Bikini Bottom with ease. She can even allow SpongeBob and friends a ride on her back, even though SpongeBob can technically fly with his pants and Sandy with the jetpack on the back of her suit.

Like Daphne, as I stated before, she has the same colored hair and hairstyle.

Like Ariel and Melody, she carries Ariel's adventurous spirit mixed with Melody's determination (like what her father, Prince Eric has.). She also could have a knack for collecting and observing stuff.

Like Snow White, she can be considered "The Fairest in Bikini Bottom", but is modest about her title much like Snow White. And she even attracts animals with her beauty and can have them assist her (For one example, the jellyfish in Jellyfish Fields would easily be tamed by her beauty and they won't hesitate to make jellyfish jelly just for her. For another example, SpongeBob's snail, Gary would enjoy Sunny's company and would know whoever's good or bad, much like Prince Eric's dog, Max, who loves Ariel, but hates Vanessa, who is really Ursula in her human form with Ariel's voice).

And like Lola Bunny, Sunny's will is strong and she's tough when she has to be, even though she's not the "sports" type of girl. So she's more than just another pretty face, as when her friends are in trouble, she has no hesitation to fight.

WHO WOULD VOICE SUNNY

I've got three options as far as whom I would imagine Sunny's voice. Feel free to comment your opinion on any of my choices.

Tara Strong - Tara Strong's done a lot of voice roles for various cartoons, movies, and video games. If Tara Strong voiced Sunny, I could imagine that she would sound like Melody, albeit aged up to sound like a young adult. Or, she could use her Twilight Sparkle voice for her speaking AND singing voice (as she doesn't do Twilight's singing voice because she's far away from Vancouver, where "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" was produced, which is why Rebecca Shoichet does Twilight's singing voice. But here, she can make Sunny's voice sound like how she would've sung Twilight's songs in "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic".).

Kath Soucie - If Kath Soucie voiced Sunny, I imagined she could use the voice she uses for Lola Bunny as Sunny's speaking and singing voice. Believe it or not, Kath Soucie has sung as Lola Bunny before, particularly in the former Six Flags stage show, "Looney Tunes Dance Off (2010 Six Flags Show)" (for the songs, "Hips Don't Lie" when she sang her duet with Bugs and "Please Don't Stop the Music" to end the stage show with Bugs, Daffy, Sylvester, and Tweety) and in the "New Looney Tunes" episode, "Rhoda Derby" when Lola sang "I'm a Rollerskating Rabbit" while destroying Rhoda Roundhouse's robots.

Kari Wahlgren - If Kari Wahlgren voiced Sunny, I imagined she would use the same voice as the "DC Super Hero Girls (2019)" version of Zatanna. She even proved that she can sing in Zatanna's voice in the episodes, "#SirensConch" and "#HappyBirthdayZee".

WHAT SUNNY CAN DO WITH SPONGEBOB AND COMPANY

As far as learning what SpongeBob does, I have some scenarios I imagined she would do.

SPONGEBOB

If there was a way he could allow Sunny a job at the Krusty Krab, she could either help SpongeBob in the kitchen as far as making Krabby Patties and other sorts of food for the customers. Or she could even get a job as a waitress. Either way, Sunny's natural beauty and her way of attracting customers would create a huge profit for Mr. Krabs. Speaking of Mr. Krabs, he could even teach Sunny about the Krabby Patty formula with or without SpongeBob mentioning a few other details.

At Jellyfish Fields, SpongeBob (with or without Patrick) could teach her the basics of jellyfishing, only to be surprised (in a positive light) by Sunny attracting the jellyfish and maybe even making a playful comment about she's got "the magic touch".

If SpongeBob took Sunny to Goo Lagoon, and introduced Sunny to Larry the Lobster and a bunch of the other beachgoers, the boys on the beach would surround Mindy and admire her. And when it comes to arm-wrestling with her, Sunny would playfully let any boy win, or out of their love for Sunny, they would let her win. In fact, at the Salty Spittoon, Reg might allow Sunny in either because she's beautiful or because she'd be accompanied by SpongeBob or Sandy.

If SpongeBob (with or without Patrick) invited Sunny to come to Glove World with him, I thought SpongeBob could surprise Sunny with a gift. Maybe while she's not with SpongeBob, Sunny could seen trying on different pairs of gloves for her hands, with one pair of course being white wrist-length dress gloves that feel soft and smooth like either satin or silk or any material that's soft. Either way, SpongeBob would give Sunny a bag and Sunny would admire SpongeBob's gift, which would be the same white gloves she tried on earlier. She would put them on and admire that they're exactly her size and thank SpongeBob. From this, Sunny would keep them on as part of her physical appearance going forward (except on some occasions of course). And the next time she goes to Glove World (either by herself or with just SpongeBob or with SpongeBob and Patrick), she would also bring home a boxes of white disposable nitrile gloves (which would feel soft to touch with only her fingertips being textured) to store in one of her drawers with her other clothes, depending on what her home should be like.

Given SpongeBob's love for DC Superheroes, namely Aquaman and Aqualad, I imagined if SpongeBob introduced her to the world of DC Comics, Sunny could be inspired to dress up as Miss Martian, but with Sunny wearing Miss Martian's classic white shirt (with the red x) and blue cape and skirt to compliment her gloved hands.

OTHER CHARACTERS

Patrick Star - She's just as nice to Patrick as he is to SpongeBob, but Patrick isn't in love with her because of his feelings for Mindy.

Squidward Tentacles - She doesn't take kindly to Squidward antagonizing SpongeBob and Patrick.

Mr. Krabs - As long as Mr. Krabs isn't using her as a way to make more money, let alone do any greedy or dirty get-rich schemes, she can be on good terms with Mr. Krabs much like SpongeBob.

Sandy Cheeks - Sandy could develop a gurney or wheel cheer for Sunny to ride on considering she can't fly when she's not in water.

Plankton - Sunny knows Plankton's evil demeanor and knows what he's up to, making her the only "sane" person in SpongeBob's friend group.

Karen - While Plankton's not around, Sunny could talk to Karen about lending her blueprints to Karen's mobile body with arms. Sunny and Karen would be great friends who would be good with sharing secrets. And as far as their friendship, Karen could build a clone of her mobile body for Sunny to keep. And to tell the difference between Karen and her clone, Sunny could have her clone wearing the same white nitrile gloves (albeit four fingered, due to Karen's mobile body having four-fingered hands) she got from one of her visits to Glove World. She could even rename her Karen clone, "Katie", with Katie's voice sounding like Mira Nova (from "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command"), Shego (from "Kim Possible"), Marlene (from "The Penguins of Madagascar (2009 TV Show)"), and Supergirl (from "DC Super Hero Girls (2019 TV Show)"), considering they were voiced by Nicole Sullivan, whom I imagined would've voiced Katie.

Pearl - Sunny is good friends with Mr. Krabs' daughter, Pearl, who would actually envy Sunny, but not in a negative way.

Princess Mindy - Sunny and Mindy would be great friends. In fact, given Mindy's physical appearance somewhat resembling Velma from "Scooby-Doo", I could imagine that if Mindy and Sunny entered a cosplay contest at some convention, Mindy could wear an orange sweater and a red skirt around her tail to resemble Velma, with Sunny wearing a purple dress and a green scarf to resemble Daphne, provided Sunny takes her gloves off first and stores them away.

This is all I've got as far as a character concept, but if you like what you saw, feel free to leave a comment. Even if you comment suggestions for Sunny as long as they stay true to her character.

[dovand]

things to do with one hand/limited grip strength in your dominant hand

hi spoonies and suchlike. i am having some sort of a flare-up (probably carpal tunnel at this point, tbh) in my dominant hand, & i've been going CRAZY INSANE trying to keep myself occupied without exacerbating it. here's some stuff i have tried/am meaning to try that seems doable, even with the working hand being my non-dominant one :] feel free to add further suggestions!

crafts

finger painting (or drawing on the shower door/mirror when it's steamed up. you will have to BYO steam though)

air-dry clay with one hand? anything's possible! (keep it small, maybe?)

you could try learning to write/draw with your non-dominant hand (if that one isn't also fucky) (and not if you, like me, are prone to going "ah fuck it, i'm faster with my dominant hand, surely it can't hurt") (it CAN hurt) (ow)

pixel art! no gripping necessary; especially easy with a touchscreen. i've been using Pixel Studio on my ipad and it's pretty good! Aseprite on the computer will always win out for program quality, but clicking on my trackpad is more arduous than tapping a screen

music! i loveeee beepbox and it's all piano roll, so you don't have to play stuff realtime. otherwise you could try really resting your long-suffering fingies and doing a vocal mix on a DAW like garageband, cakewalk, logic, or reaper

origami if you can use your offhand for some support when folding

character playlists (suggested by a friend. love u, pal)

a friendship bracelet if you can secure it on something (and if you can do lots of tying knots)

write something? (dictation software might help if you can't type/handwrite with your off-hand. you could also just record yourself and transcribe it later)

games

some computer games can be played one-handed (either by default or with some remapping)—here's some reddit posts with suggestions in the comments (1) (2) (3) and a list article from thegamer and a steam collection. i don't think it's on any of those posts so i also rec Hades—you just need to remap the attack action (i put it on L-shift usually) but then you're good to go

on mobile: puzzle games like monument valley, a dark room, gubbins (hi nerdfighters), colour-matching games (i played I Love Hue for a while). is bejeweled still around?

on mobile again but fast-paced: platformer/tappy games like alto's adventure (or the sequel), crossy road, jetpack joyride, temple run

on mobile but longer-form: a dark room (again), godus, any town-building game (i think simcity is still kickin')

card games or chess online, Perhaps? i like a good bit of solitaire

outside

i don't have the energy to do these sorts of things, but perhaps you do

go to the park!

get a little treat and perhaps even sit in a nice location to consume it

window-shop (craft stores are excellent for this. don't bring a bag unless you want to Accidentally purchase pretty fibres that you will not use)

browse in the library. use your good hand to get stuff off the shelf

[marketingpro1]

Top WordPress Plugins to Supercharge Your Website in 2024

Building and maintaining a WordPress site is both exciting and challenging. While the platform provides a robust foundation, the true power of WordPress lies in its plugins. From enhancing site functionality to improving user experience, WordPress plugins are indispensable tools for developers, businesses, and bloggers alike. In this blog, we’ll explore the best WordPress plugins that can transform your website into a highly functional, user-friendly, and SEO-optimized powerhouse.

What Are WordPress Plugins?

WordPress plugins are software add-ons designed to extend the functionality of your WordPress site. Whether you need to improve site speed, enhance SEO, secure your website, or add unique design features, there’s likely a plugin for that. Plugins allow both beginners and advanced users to customize their sites without coding expertise.

With over 60,000 plugins available on the WordPress Plugin Directory alone, the options can feel overwhelming. Choosing the right plugins for your website’s goals is critical for success. Below, we’ve rounded up some of the most essential WordPress plugins to consider.

Must-Have WordPress Plugins for Every Website

1. Yoast SEO

SEO is crucial for driving organic traffic to your site, and Yoast SEO is one of the best tools for optimizing your content. This plugin provides on-page optimization tips, readability analysis, and technical SEO tools to help your site rank higher on search engines.

2. Elementor

Looking to build a visually stunning website without hiring a designer? Elementor is a drag-and-drop page builder that makes designing websites easy. Its intuitive interface and vast array of widgets allow you to create professional-looking pages in minutes.

3. WPForms

For websites that rely on user interaction, a contact form is a must-have feature. WPForms allows you to create customizable, mobile-responsive forms effortlessly. Whether it’s contact forms, surveys, or payment forms, this plugin has you covered.

4. WooCommerce

If you’re running an online store, WooCommerce is the go-to plugin. It transforms your WordPress site into a fully functional e-commerce platform, complete with features for product listings, payment gateways, and inventory management.

5. Akismet Anti-Spam

Spam comments can clutter your website and ruin user experience. Akismet Anti-Spam automatically filters out spam comments, keeping your site clean and professional.

6. Jetpack

Created by Automattic, the team behind WordPress, Jetpack is a multipurpose plugin offering features like performance optimization, security, site analytics, and social media integration.

7. Rank Math

Another excellent SEO plugin, Rank Math provides advanced features like schema integration, keyword tracking, and detailed analytics. It’s an excellent alternative to Yoast SEO for more advanced users.

8. UpdraftPlus

Backup and restoration are critical for any website. UpdraftPlus allows you to schedule automatic backups and store them securely on cloud services like Google Drive or Dropbox.

9. Smush

Site speed plays a major role in user experience and search engine rankings. Smush compresses images without compromising quality, helping your site load faster.

10. MonsterInsights

Understanding how visitors interact with your site is essential. MonsterInsights integrates Google Analytics directly into your WordPress dashboard, offering real-time insights into traffic, user behavior, and more.

11. W3 Total Cache

Slow-loading websites lose visitors and revenue. W3 Total Cache improves website performance by caching static files and optimizing server resources.

12. Sucuri Security

Cybersecurity is non-negotiable in today’s digital landscape. Sucuri Security offers malware scanning, firewall protection, and blacklist monitoring to keep your site secure.

13. Social Snap

Boost social media engagement with Social Snap, a powerful social sharing plugin. It offers customizable sharing buttons and in-depth analytics to track your social media performance.

14. Litespeed Cache

For websites hosted on LiteSpeed servers, LiteSpeed Cache is a high-performance optimization plugin that enhances speed and reduces server load.

15. TablePress

If your site needs to display complex data, TablePress is a lifesaver. It lets you create and manage tables without requiring any coding knowledge.

Why Use WordPress Plugins?

Enhanced Functionality: WordPress plugins extend the capabilities of your site, making it easier to achieve your goals.

Ease of Use: Many plugins are beginner-friendly and require no technical expertise.

Scalability: Whether you’re running a blog, an e-commerce store, or a portfolio, plugins grow with your needs.

Cost-Effective: Most plugins offer free versions with premium features, making them accessible for all budgets.

Tips for Choosing the Right WordPress Plugins

Identify Your Needs: Start by determining what features your site requires.

Check Reviews and Ratings: Plugins with high ratings and positive reviews are generally more reliable.

Update Frequency: Look for plugins that are updated regularly to ensure compatibility with the latest WordPress version.

Avoid Overloading: Too many plugins can slow down your site. Stick to essential ones.

Final Thoughts

WordPress plugins are the backbone of a successful website. By selecting the right ones, you can enhance your site’s functionality, user experience, and performance. Whether you’re aiming to boost your SEO, secure your site, or create stunning designs, there’s a plugin tailored for your needs.

Experiment with the plugins mentioned above and watch your WordPress site thrive. Remember to regularly review your plugin list and update them to ensure optimal performance.

[vilevileposting]

I'm reading homestuck for the first time (Weeks 5 and 6)

I keep forgetting to post these and I'm sorry!

I've been enjoying going around telling people homestuck is good actually. That's a role I never got to occupy in my young life as homestuck passed me by. So far zero people have believed me and I don't expect that to change.

I have now seen a picture of a troll! Foul little imp

I *am* left with my first little critique of homestuck: Act 3 felt like it was building to the End of Act 3 flash, like it was trying to outdo End of Act 2. Setting things up almost more for the payoff of the flash than for the sake of the story. I don't think a series of lore bombs is a very good way to structure a story, and I'm worried that's the structure the series is going to take. That said, it *is* fun in the moment, it's only in hindsight that I'm thinking this.

Our dealer and homestuck veteran Char has been writing discussion questions for our weekly book club meetings (sometimes), and I've decided to include those along with my answers.

Week 5

980: I bet If I could pause here I’d see something wacky

1000: Interesting that John changed his name *to* Ectobioloist from something else, especially after the prior reveal that ectobiology is a thing in this setting. ARGH I SHOULD HAVE FINISHED THE PAGE BEFORE WRITING THIS NOTE

1022: Tempted to go back and look… This is the kind of thing I’d miss.

1024: This exchange makes me feel like I’m right about both their parents, but I’m getting a little used to the rug pulled out from under me. I feel like I’m picking up on a kind of rule of threes. If I’m right about something, my attention’s drawn to it once, and then the second time it shows up is confirmation. But if I’m wrong, my attention is drawn to it, then my conclusion is hinted at more blatantly in a “it sure looks like that huh” kind of way, and finally the third time it appears is the rug pull. I can’t think of an example following this format right off the melon, I’m going off pure vibes sleep deprived and on a plane.

1026: There are two towers on that funny moon, and it’s notable to me that Rose’s real life house is based on them.

1033: I know those weary eyes!!!!

1039: I appreciate the harsh spike in Gun Realism

1043: Notable to me that the Peregrine Mendicant’s awesome sword is black in color, when you would expect the Light Guys to have white weapons. If indeed he is a Light Guy as Jade’s dream implied.

1046: I would like to apologize for my repeated misgendering of the Peregrine Mendicant. I did it on purpose out of malice. I’m a DEMON

1049: What does this MEAN

1051: Seems like Rose might have been onto something with her subconscious doodling theory, because it only just occurred to me that this takes place prior to basically every other event. Also what does this MEEEEAAAAAN

1062: Pressure cooker bomb reference

1064: Second coming of decoding foreshadowing. Very notable that they got a potted plant, which I seem to recall was one of the things in the jetpack!

1070: Bro EXECUTED Cal for NO REASON!!! THEN LEFT ON A HOVERBOARD!!! I’m telling you in terms of power scaling Dave’s brother is clearly unstoppable.

1093: This has *gotta* be them.

1096: Kamina glasses…….

1099: What is it with Dr. Hussie and ethnic weddings

1108: I was on board for a mayor and a mailwoman, but I am not here for a cop guy

1110: I feel better about a judge guy.

1133: I’m uncertain about Bec’s nature. For a hellbeast, he seems to also be quite cooperative.

1136: Seems like a paradox in the form of sending items to the past is allowed, but not taking items.

1149: Without a pause button I’m just utterly unequipped to handle this – I wrote BEFORE realizing that Nanna’s note is the same note we saw in John’s dad’s copy of Sassacre’s, except written in John’s copy and dropped into the void. This affects the timeline! And I’m really not sure how. I might need to rescind my earlier comment about Nanna being a willing participant in all this, which seems like it may no longer be true. Somehow this copy goes from the void to John’s dad’s safe, then back around again, presuming it’s the closed time loop it seems to be. No clue how that’s gonna come together.

1152: Is this one of the planets we saw? In the process of checking, I notice that there is a LUMINOUS PLANET with a SINGLE MOON, exactly like the one Jade dreamed about. Going by the art style, that indicates this luminous planet and the shadow planet are the sort of centers of light and dark we’re working with. Anyway, if this is one of the four planets then I think it’s the dark cloudy one, or possibly the not so dark (kinda bright actually) cloudy one. A thought that occurs to me now, days later, is that we have 2/4 kids accounted for in dreamland and the shadow planet also has a moon.

There were no discussion questions for Week 6.

Week 6: If Homestuck Book Club was mpreg our child would have a heartbeat.

1159: I think this is the guy in John’s house and I’m not checking.

1169: That’s a setting-specific captchalogue analogue!!! And it’s the same as Wandering Vagrant’s tattoo!!!!!!!!

1170: Hidden message vibes.

1171: Hidden message vibes intensify…

1177: Standing out to me how things get swapped. Clubs Deuce seems to have swapped here with Hearts Boxcars, and a moment ago, the Spade Key was swapped with the rules for blackjack and the war chest was swapped with the deck of cards. If Clubs and Hearts are paired somehow then that would leave Spades paired up with Diamonds, and the rules for blackjack don’t seem very diamondy. I don’t think that’s what’s going on.

1210: Damn I wish I knew how to play poker

1215: Purple planet with a moon…

1219: I saw that the doom wardrobe whatever it was called was the same as Jade’s, but now with John’s bathtub in play I notice all the inventory options are themed after the four kids.

1353: It finally happened

Q: Where do you think the midnight crew and their foes are from? Who does Spades Slick look suspiciously like, and what do we know of his origins?

A: Spades Slick looks exactly like the Warden guy, and for a moment, a lot like WV/PM. He showed up under almost identical circumstances to them too, wandering a destroyed world, and for some reason, making a city. Or present band of synonyms for Wandering Vagrant are uniquely insistent upon civics, with a mailwoman, a mayor, and a judge. It could be that after worlds are destroyed, these guys show up and make something. It’s unclear to me why, or how to categorize everything. The plot of Midnight Crew centers around a conflict of black vs green, not black and white. They did say darkness always wins, maybe there was some other force (time?) before light? We don’t really know where this interlude falls in the timeline, if it falls anywhere at all. For example, if Spades Slick becomes the Warden, or vice versa. Or the secret third option. If those bar codes are an analogue for captchalogue cards, then it stands to reason that that code can be used to replicate the thing it designates. They could just be clones.

Q: Did you understand... any? of the time fuckery?

A: I followed the thread but I could not retell the story if I tried.

Q: Who is the weird little grey fucker at the end of the intermission?

A: John Stuck

Q: What's Snowman's deal? Will she ever be killed?

She’s clearly an imp-thing turned traitor, but there’s so little to go off of. The o in her name wasn’t green at any point, and she’s not shown to have a power besides taking the world with her if she dies. So she’ll probably die. Former Mayor Hussie isn’t striking me as someone who flinches.

Q: Who of these characters, if any, do you think might reappear in Homestuck?

If nobody else, definitely Spades Slick and Snowman. Maybe Lord English, maybe the rest of the Crew.

[webmktdigital]

6 melhores ações para potencializar o desempenho do seu site

Entender a importância de cuidar do site da empresa de forma estratégica é fundamental no cenário atual. O site não é apenas uma vitrine digital, mas uma ferramenta essencial para a atração e conversão de clientes. Portanto, otimizar seu desempenho é vital para garantir uma experiência de usuário satisfatória e alcançar melhores resultados em estratégias de marketing digital e, principalmente, no posicionamento em mecanismos de busca.

Veja a seguir 6 ações que podem ajudar na otimização e melhoria dos resultados do site.

Remover código HTML desnecessário

O excesso de código HTML pode prejudicar a velocidade de carregamento do seu site. Códigos limpos e otimizados garantem um carregamento mais rápido e uma melhor experiência para o usuário. É recomendado revisar e eliminar qualquer código desnecessário regularmente, especialmente após grandes atualizações.

Para auxiliar nesse processo, você pode utilizar ferramentas de análise de código como W3C Markup Validation Service, Google's Lighthouse e JSLint. Essas ferramentas podem identificar e destacar partes do código que são desnecessárias ou que podem ser otimizadas.

Se necessário, consulte um desenvolvedor web para obter assistência especializada. Lembre-se de fazer backups antes de realizar alterações significativas.

Desativar plug-ins do CMS que não estão sendo usados

Muitos sites, especialmente aqueles construídos em CMSs populares como WordPress, dependem de plug-ins para adicionar funcionalidades. No entanto, plug-ins desnecessários ou inativos consomem recursos e podem tornar o site mais lento. É aconselhável desativar ou excluir plug-ins que não estão em uso periodicamente. Mas atenção, acesse o painel do seu CMS e verifique a compatibilidade e a importância de cada plug-in antes de desativá-lo.

Veja a seguir uma lista com 7 plugins para WordPress que podem gerar lentidão no site:

Contact Form 7: Um dos plugins de formulário de contato mais populares, mas pode afetar a velocidade do site.

Disqus Comment System: Um sistema de comentários amplamente utilizado, mas que pode tornar o carregamento das páginas mais lento, especialmente se houver muitos comentários.

Jetpack: Embora ofereça uma variedade de funcionalidades, algumas de suas características podem desacelerar o site.

Broken Link Checker: Este plugin verifica links quebrados no site, mas é conhecido por consumir muitos recursos, o que pode afetar a velocidade.

NextGen Gallery: Um plugin popular para galerias de imagens, mas pode ser pesado e afetar o tempo de carregamento das páginas.

Reduzir o tamanho das imagens do site

Imagens grandes podem afetar significativamente a velocidade de carregamento. Imagens otimizadas melhoram a velocidade e a experiência do usuário. No entanto, ao reduzir o tamanho das imagens, é necessário garantir que a qualidade e a resolução não sejam comprometidas.

Antes de fazer o upload de qualquer imagem, utilize ferramentas de compressão ou formatos mais leves. Serviços online como iLoveImg são excelentes para reduzir o tamanho das imagens, ou convertê-las para um formato melhor, mantendo a qualidade original.

Habilitar o cache

O cache armazena informações temporárias, permitindo um carregamento mais rápido em visitas subsequentes. Para sites construídos com WordPress, plug-ins como W3 Total Cache ou WP Super Cache são opções populares que podem ser utilizadas para otimizar o desempenho.

Para sites que não utilizam WordPress ou outro CMS, a implementação do cache pode ser feita através de configurações no servidor. Por exemplo, em servidores Apache, é possível utilizar o módulo mod_cache para habilitar o cache de conteúdo. Já em servidores Nginx, pode-se usar diretivas como fastcgi_cache para caching de conteúdo dinâmico.

Além disso, ferramentas como Varnish Cache podem ser usadas para acelerar a entrega de conteúdo em sites sem um CMS específico. Independentemente da abordagem escolhida, é essencial consultar a documentação relevante ou um especialista em servidores para garantir uma configuração correta e eficaz.

Criar AMPs (Páginas Móveis Aceleradas)

O AMP é um projeto do Google que permite carregar páginas mais rapidamente em dispositivos móveis. Considerando que a maioria dos usuários acessa sites por dispositivos móveis, é aconselhável criar ou atualizar páginas com alto tráfego móvel para versões AMP.

Para sites desenvolvidos com WordPress, o plugin oficial do Google para AMP é uma excelente ferramenta para essa finalidade, garantindo que as páginas AMP mantenham a funcionalidade e a aparência desejadas.

Para sites que não foram desenvolvidos utilizando o CMS WordPress ou outro, a implementação do AMP é manual. O primeiro passo é acessar o site oficial do projeto AMP e seguir as diretrizes e tutoriais fornecidos. Basicamente, envolve a criação de uma versão AMP das páginas, que é uma versão simplificada do HTML. Depois de criar a versão AMP das páginas, é necessário incluir um link rel="amphtml" na página original, apontando para a versão AMP.

Também é importante validar a página AMP usando a ferramenta de validação fornecida pelo Google para garantir que ela esteja em conformidade com os padrões AMP. Por fim, monitore o desempenho e a indexação das páginas AMP através do Google Search Console.

Contar com uma empresa especializada em sites

Ter o apoio de profissionais especializados pode fazer toda a diferença. Eles têm o conhecimento e as ferramentas necessárias para otimizar o desempenho do site. Se sentir que precisa melhorar o desempenho do seu site ou ao criar um novo site, pesquise e contrate uma empresa com boas referências e experiência comprovada, garantindo que a empresa compreenda seus objetivos e necessidades.

Uma empresa especializada em otimização de sites pode oferecer uma variedade de serviços, desde a análise técnica do site, identificando gargalos e oportunidades de melhoria, até a implementação de estratégias avançadas de SEO para melhorar o posicionamento nos mecanismos de busca. Além disso, essas empresas geralmente têm equipes multidisciplinares, que incluem designers, desenvolvedores e especialistas em marketing digital, garantindo uma abordagem holística para otimizar a performance e a experiência do usuário.

Os benefícios de contar com uma empresa especializada são inúmeros. Primeiramente, você terá acesso a expertise e ferramentas de ponta, que podem ser caras ou complexas para gerenciar internamente. Ao terceirizar essa função, você pode focar no core business da sua empresa, enquanto deixa a otimização do site nas mãos de especialistas.

A longo prazo, a parceria com uma empresa especializada pode resultar em um aumento significativo no tráfego orgânico, melhorando a visibilidade online da marca. Isso pode levar a um aumento nas conversões, vendas e, consequentemente, no ROI. Um site otimizado e bem estruturado proporciona uma melhor experiência para os usuários, o que pode resultar em uma maior retenção e lealdade do cliente.

[isabellaseraphinabloger]

The Best Plugins for a Professional Corporate Website

To create a professional corporate website, selecting the right plugins is as important as choosing the right design. Among the WordPress Plugins for Business Websites, Yoast SEO is essential for optimizing your content, ensuring that your site ranks well on search engines and attracts the right audience.

WPForms is a top pick for those exploring new WordPress plugins. It allows businesses to easily create various forms, enhancing user engagement. MonsterInsights, another of the best WordPress plugins, offers comprehensive analytics, helping you track visitor behavior and optimize your marketing efforts.

For those looking for best free WordPress plugins, Jetpack provides an all-in-one solution for site security, performance enhancements, and marketing. Akismet is another crucial plugin for filtering spam, ensuring that your site's comments section remains clean and professional.

Businesses interested in WordPress plugins for business websites free download will find WooCommerce invaluable for adding eCommerce capabilities. It offers a wide range of features for selling products and services online. Elementor, a popular page builder, is among the most popular WordPress plugins and is perfect for designing custom page layouts without needing any coding skills.

In conclusion, choosing the best WordPress plugins is vital for building a successful corporate website. Whether you're interested in free WordPress plugins for business websites or considering premium options, these plugins can greatly enhance your site's functionality and overall user experience.

[thedogladysden]

TINKERING WITH WORDPRESS 🛠️🤔😥👌 #BloggingCommunity

To my WordPress friends: Over the past year, I’ve made many new blogging connections and I’m thrilled about that! What’s not so thrilling is that my self-hosted wordpress.org site seems to be less user-friendly than some on wordpress.com. To that end, I’ve been tinkering madly with the inner workings of The Doglady’s Den to make it more accessible… TINKERING WITH WORDPRESS 🛠️🤔😥👌 #dogladysden…

[betshy]

Top 30 WordPress Plugins for Enhanced SEO, Security, and Performance

WordPress, with its flexibility and abundance of features, has long been the go-to platform for website creation. The following list encompasses the top 30 WordPress plugins that can significantly enhance the functionality, security, and performance of your website. - Yoast SEO: This plugin offers a comprehensive set of tools to enhance your site's search engine optimization. - Akismet Anti-Spam: Protect your site from spam with this powerful plugin that filters out malicious content. - WooCommerce: Transform your WordPress website into a fully functional e-commerce store with this versatile plugin. - Jetpack: Jetpack offers a suite of powerful tools for security, performance, and site management. - Elementor: Create stunning and responsive designs with this popular page builder plugin. - Contact Form 7: Easily manage multiple contact forms and customize them according to your requirements. - W3 Total Cache: Enhance website performance by leveraging the caching features of this plugin. - Smush Image Compression and Optimization: Optimize and compress images to improve website speed and performance. - Wordfence Security: Protect your website from security threats and malware with this robust security plugin. - UpdraftPlus: Safeguard your website by creating automated backups and restoring them with ease. - WP Super Cache: Deliver cached files to your visitors to improve website speed and reduce server load. - All in One SEO Pack: Optimize your site for search engines with this user-friendly and feature-rich plugin. - Google Analytics for WordPress by MonsterInsights: Easily integrate Google Analytics into your WordPress site for in-depth data analysis. - WP-Optimize: Keep your website clean and optimized by removing unnecessary data and improving database performance. - Really Simple SSL: Ensure your site's security by easily migrating to HTTPS with this plugin. - WPForms: Build powerful and customizable forms for your website without any coding knowledge. - Redirection: Manage 301 redirects and monitor 404 errors to maintain a smooth user experience. - MonsterInsights: Gain valuable insights into your website's performance and user behavior with this plugin. - Regenerate Thumbnails: Quickly regenerate post thumbnails and featured images to fit your site's design. - Disable Comments: Easily disable comments on your site to streamline user engagement and site focus. - TablePress: Create and manage tables within your WordPress site without any coding knowledge. - Advanced Custom Fields: Empower your website with custom fields and content display tailored to your specific needs. - bbPress: Integrate a robust and customizable forum into your WordPress site with this plugin. - The Events Calendar: Display and manage events with ease, enhancing user engagement and interaction. - WP Mail SMTP: Ensure reliable email delivery through WordPress by configuring SMTP with this plugin. - Polylang: Easily create multilingual websites and reach a global audience with this powerful translation plugin. - WP Rocket: Improve website speed and user experience with this powerful caching and performance optimization plugin. - Envira Gallery: Create stunning and responsive image galleries for your website with this user-friendly plugin. - Sucuri Security: Protect your website from security threats, malware, and DDoS attacks with this robust security plugin. - Ninja Forms: Build beautiful and powerful forms for your WordPress site with this drag-and-drop form builder. With these top 30 WordPress plugins, you can take your website to new heights by enhancing its functionality, security, and user experience. Whether you're focused on SEO, e-commerce, security, performance, or user engagement, there's a rich selection of plugins to cater to your specific needs and propel your website to success. Read the full article

[infydots]

Top 5 WordPress Plugins

These Best 5 WordPress plugins cover basic angles of site administration, from SEO optimization and e-commerce usefulness to security and execution upgrades. Depending on your website's particular needs, you'll mix and coordinate these plugins to form a strong and feature-rich WordPress location custom-fitted to your objectives and goals. Keep in mind to frequently overhaul your plugins to guarantee compatibility and security.

Yoast SEO:

Category: SEO

Description: Yoast SEO is a must-have plugin for optimizing your website's search engine visibility. It provides a user-friendly interface for optimizing content, meta tags, and images. It too offers lucidness investigation, making a difference you creating SEO-friendly and reader-friendly substance. Yoast SEO helps in moving forward your website's on-page SEO, making it simpler for look motors to get it and rank your content.

WooCommerce:

Category: E-commerce

Description: If you arrange to run a web store utilizing WordPress, WooCommerce is the go-to plugin. It consistently coordinates together with your WordPress location, changing it into a full-fledged e-commerce stage. You'll be able to effortlessly oversee items, set up installment portals, handle stock, and customize the plan to coordinate your brand. WooCommerce also offers numerous extensions for added functionality, making it highly flexible for various e-commerce needs.

Akismet Anti-Spam:

Category: Security

Description: Akismet is a powerful anti-spam plugin that helps protect your WordPress site from comment and contact form spam. It automatically filters and checks comments and submissions against its global database of spam, ensuring that your site stays clean and free from unwanted content. Akismet is an essential tool for maintaining the quality and integrity of your website's interactions.

Jetpack by WordPress:

Category: Performance and Security

Description: Jetpack could be a multifunctional plugin created by Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com. It offers a wide run of highlights, counting site execution optimization, security improvements, downtime observing, and analytics. Jetpack also provides tools for social sharing, related posts, and content management. Its all-in-one nature makes it convenient for both beginners and experienced WordPress users.

Wordfence Security:

Category: Security

Description: Wordfence Security may be a comprehensive security plugin that makes a difference in securing your WordPress location from different dangers, including malware, hacking endeavors, and brute constrain assaults. It highlights a capable firewall, real-time risk defense, and security filtering. Wordfence also provides detailed security reports, login attempts monitoring, and two-factor authentication options to bolster your site's security.

[sspsoftproindia24]

How to make dynamic website in wordpress

Creating a dynamic website in WordPress involves several steps, including selecting the right theme, installing essential plugins, and using dynamic content elements.

Choose a Hosting Provider and Install WordPress:

Select a reliable web hosting provider that supports WordPress.

Install WordPress on your hosting account. Many hosting providers offer one-click WordPress installations.

Select a Dynamic Theme:

Choose a WordPress theme that is designed for dynamic content and flexibility. Some popular options include Astra, Divi, and GeneratePress.

Install and Configure Essential Plugins:

Plugins are essential for adding dynamic functionality to your website. Here are some essential ones:

Elementor (or a similar page builder): Allows you to create custom layouts and design dynamic pages.

WooCommerce: If you plan to sell products or services online.

Yoast SEO: Helps with search engine optimization.

Contact Form 7 or WPForms: For creating dynamic contact forms.

Jetpack: Offers various features for security, performance, and customization.

Create Dynamic Content:

To make your website truly dynamic, focus on content areas such as:

Blog Posts: Regularly publish new blog posts to keep your content fresh.

Widgets: Use dynamic widgets to display recent posts, popular posts, or other dynamic content in your sidebar or footer.

Custom Post Types: Consider creating custom post types for different content types like portfolios, testimonials, or events.

Implement Dynamic Menus:

Use WordPress’s built-in menu system to create dynamic navigation menus that can be easily updated as your site evolves.

Add Dynamic Features:

Incorporate dynamic features such as:

Search Functionality: Allow users to search for specific content on your site.

Comment System: Enable comments on blog posts to encourage engagement.

User Registration and Profiles: If applicable, let users register, create profiles, and interact with your site.

Optimize for SEO:

Use the Yoast SEO plugin or a similar tool to optimize your content for search engines.

Ensure Mobile Responsiveness:

Make sure your website looks and functions well on mobile devices, as many users access websites through smartphones and tablets.

Regularly Update Content:

Keep your website dynamic by regularly updating content, adding new blog posts, and refreshing your design as needed.

Backup and Security:

Regularly back up your website and implement security measures to protect it from threats.

Performance Optimization:

Use caching plugins and optimize images to improve your site’s speed and performance.

User Testing:

Before launching, test your website on different devices and browsers to ensure it works as expected.

Launch and Promote:

Once you’re satisfied with your dynamic website, launch it and start promoting it through social media, email marketing, and other channels.

#dynamicwebsite

#webistecreation #website

[gale-gentlepenguin]

ML Fic: Soulmate Survey Part 37

Shout out to @asongeverlasting for beta reading for me and making sure I actually got this out.

Check her writing out on AO3 as Ramblingwren

(Master post)

(Read the fic in a more condensed on Ao3)

(The latest chapter will be up on there once this reaches over 300 notes on tumblr)

_____________________________________________________________

Simularé looked out over the city from the top of the school.  Using her replicated powers, she took the form of Volpina so they'd be able to alter the illusion quickly should something pop out and accidentally reveal the true form of the school. Thankfully the sentimonster didn’t need to do much in order to maintain the illusion; Paris was a surprisingly quiet city.

As far as they could tell, no one in the city outside of the school had any idea what was going on. And that worked out perfectly for them.

“So, this is where Lila has you stationed,” a voice called out, resulting in the faux fox turning around. The figure behind them was a woman clad in dark blue, with blue skin and a feathery fan. She looked confident and the sentimonster instinctively felt that this individual was very much aware of what it was.

Mayura had quickly deduced it was the sentimonster as it was in Lila’s previous akuma form, Volpina. With Lila now Masquerade, it was unlikely she would choose to take such a form. She would likely want to stay in her new form to show it off.

“Do not be alarmed, Simularé, it is your creator. Mayura,” Mayura spoke again.

The shapeshifter leveled a sharp glare at the woman. What made her so certain of that?

“How do I know that is true?” Simularé questioned.

The villainess took a moment to examine the sentimonster. Mayura had to admit that this sentimonster was her finest work to date. The amount of emotion harnessed from Lila to create it made it far more unique, much less of a mindless creature than her previous creations. Amoks were created much like akuma were, locking on to intense emotions before sending off. But unlike akuma, amok can be shaped and tailored with enough focus. Simularé was a special case, as it was made from the conclave of emotions that Lila was experiencing during her breakdown. It had been quite difficult to focus on one specific feeling but Mayura had pushed through. Simularé was sculpted to be Lila’s ideal ally, but it was also so much more than a simple asset. This Amok embodied Lila’s core personality. Her cleverness, her cunning, her mistrust of others, her playfulness, her pride and so much more. To put it simply, this Sentimonster was Lila’s spirit given a new form.

“Trust me Simularé, you would be best not to ask that,” Mayura warned.

The sentimonster felt as if it was being talked down to and clearly did not approve of anyone talking to them in such a tone, save for its master. It charged at the peacock villainess, ready to make contact, But, before it could get close, Mayura stuck out her hand and pinched her fingers together, causing the sentimonster to feel as if some force was pulling its essence out. The pain it felt was indescribable! It felt as if its very being was being ripped out. Mayura was in range to sense the Amok and could easily remove it without difficulty, much like Hawkmoth could with an akuma. Though Mayura had a feeling that letting the Sentimonster know that keeping her out of range of the item was the key to its survival would not be wise. It was best in this moment to display power.

“Stop! Please!” Simularé begged. “I … I believe you! I will do whatever you ask, just please stop the pain!”

The villainess smiled, it seemed there was even more to this Sentimonster than Mayura had anticipated. It had a powerful sense of self preservation, something controlled sentimonsters didn’t seem to have. She took note of that.

“Good. Now, you are going to explain to me your master’s end goal and where Ladybug and Chat Noir are in the building.”

Simularé felt the grip that Mayura had on its essence and held back its burning resentment towards the blue bird villainess. She would behave. For now.

“Okay… I will tell you everything.”

_____________________________________________________________

“Duck!” Ladyice called out as she had Ice Noir lower their bodies to avoid oncoming ice projectiles.

“Surprising that she's only attacking us with ice. She's Stormy weather. You'd think she would be attacking with more, maybe some rain or like a vol....” Ice Noir commented.

“Don't talk about that! Do not give her any ideas!”

The two had skated out of the room and made their way through the now icy hallway while Stormy Weather gave chase.

“I was just saying it seems weird how...mediocre her attacks are.

“It’s like we saw before, the akuma servants are like robots, they can’t react quickly so changing up her powers is likely just as much of a problem. She's probably not as dangerous as we initially thought.”

“So maybe we should face this problem head on now that we aren’t cornered?”

Ice Noir changed direction and began skating towards the umbrella-wielding akuma.

Stormy Weather noticed the approaching cat and raised her umbrella, creating a mighty gale to blow him back and ending him flying past Ladyice to the end of the hallway.

“She can use her other powers… can confirm,” Ice noir commented as he got off the wall, still dazed.

Ladyice skated up to the dazed cat and helped stabilize him. Despite seeming like a wasted effort, the cat’s brash antics actually inspired Ladyice with a way to take her out.

“I just figured out how we can stop her, think you can give her one last charge for me?”

“Why Bugaboo, asking me to rush headfirst into danger? How heartless.” He feigned hurt.

Ladybug rolled her eyes.

“Silly Kitty. Just be ready to hang in there when she blasts you with wind. Don’t get blown back this time.”

“Got it.”

Ice Noir quickly skated across the ice as he drew his weapon. He was ready for her this time.

“Hey breezy weezy! The weather today was supposed to be sunny with a 20% chance of raining Cats and Dogs!” Ice Noir called out, clearly happy with his lame joke.

Stormy Weather saw the cat approaching once again and prepared to send another wind blast at him.

But the cat was prepared this time around and extended his staff to anchor himself to the walls on either side.

“Nice try!” Ice Noir snarked. “But a small little puff of wind won't blow me back again.”

The storm akuma decided instead of creating just another wind blast, she was going to step it up with a cyclone attack! A powerful tornado tunnel would surely blast the cat down for good.

“We were wrong! She can amp up the power too!” Ice Noir exclaimed as he held onto his staff with all his might while his body was being blown back by the massive winds. “This was not well thought out!”

He focused on digging his claws into his staff and doing his best to remain in the wind tunnel. The powerful winds blew into his face and he could see Stormy Weather slowly approaching.

“I don’t think I can hold on much longer, Ladyice!”

He felt his grip slipping. Any second now, he was going to get blown back.

“Don’t worry, Kitty. I got this.”

Stormy Weather didn’t get a chance to react when she felt something tackle her full force and rush her into the wall on the opposite end of the hallway.

The wind died down and Ice Noir was able to land on his skates. He released his grip on his staff and fixed his windblown hair to resemble its original state before quickly skating down the hall to help his partner.

“Nice job, Ladyice.”

The red-clad heroine stood up from her grapple with the storm akuma.

“Actually…”

Ice Noir looked up to see that his partner had shifted power ups. Her skates and ice skater aesthetic were replaced with a suit that had red spacesuit-like plating, a jetpack with retractable wings with red and light blue colors that matches her helmet.

She had changed into her space form, Cosmobug.

“Space power up! Because you can fly through the wind! Genius!”

Cosmobug smiled.

“Well, Stormy Weather is dazed but probably not for long.”

The two heroes noticed her about to grab her umbrella, but Chat Noir’s cat-like reflexes helped him snatch it first.

“Oh no you don’t!”

Ice Noir broke the umbrella over his knee.

“I don’t think she will be as mobile without her powers.”

Stormy Weather tried to stand but slipped on the icy floor she had created.

“Let’s just make our way to the boss,” Cosmobug said. She used the jet on her back to swoop up Ice Noir and fly slowly down the icy hall.

“Just like you to sweep me off my feet. But don’t think I will be a smitten kitten like usual.”

“Oh? Is that so?” The bug heroine raised an eyebrow. “It’s hard to imagine that you haven’t been dreaming about this scenario.”

“It helps that you aren’t riding a horse with the wind blowing in your hair,” Chat Noir joked back, catching Ladybug’s teasing.

Cosmobug quickly moved them to a part of the hall where there was no ice. Both undid their potion transformations, reverting back to their usual hero forms.

“Not keeping the jetpack?” Chat Noir asked. “It is really cool.”

“The room halls are pretty limited, and there's not much mobility, otherwise I might have,” Ladybug confessed.

The two heroes took a moment to catch their breaths and figure out their surroundings.

“We should thank Stormy Weather.”

The cat looked at his partner skeptically, remembering how a few minutes ago, the wind had nearly sent him flying through a brick wall.

“What makes you say that?”

“Lila probably had Stormy Weather out and about to flush out other people in the school and make sure the area was difficult to traverse. She likely sent out a bunch of other akuma to do the same, which means her forces are scattered and we have a better shot of dealing with her with fewer obstacles.”

Chat Noir nodded. He would not have deduced such a thing from one encounter with a weather akuma.

“Good to know, so the plan is to locate her and save the day.”

“No need to figure out where she is, I already have a good idea where she should be.”

Chat Noir noticed Ladybug had already started moving. He quickly followed behind, though he didn’t need an explanation this time. He already knew where Ladybug was heading — to his homeroom class, but he couldn’t say that without revealing what he knew.

_____________________________________________________________

‘This was a ridiculous decision.’

That was the thought running through Chloé’s mind as she ran for her life from a large group of Reflekta clones.

The two or three she had run into early were easy to avoid, but now it seemed like a horde of those tacky clones. And all of the ice that surrounded certain hallways made it impossible to traverse. She was limited in her running space and she was running out. But what made it all worse was that now those Reflekta copies had adjusted to running.

“HOW CAN YOU RUN IN THOSE HEELS!?” Chloé screamed as she ran down the hall.

She just had to try and be a hero. Why was she even doing this? The assistant probably got turned into one of those gross clones or got masked like those other students. She could have just sat back and just waited for Ladybug and Chat noir to find her or let them handle it.

“You can’t run forever” The crowd of clones sang in Rather impressive and creepy harmony.

Chloé took a turn down the hall and went into the door of the nearest room.

She closed the door and locked it before smelling the musty wet air.

“What the… EWW!” She spat in disgust as she realized she had locked herself in a janitor’s closet.

“Why did it have to be in such a gross smelly room?” she moaned.

Unfortunately, her comments caught the attention of the crowd chasing her.

She heard banging on the door.

“You can’t hide, we will find.”

Chloe put her back to the door to keep them out and felt herself slide down it in despair.

Was this how it was going to end? Getting turned into one of those fashion nightmares after hiding out in such a rank smelling closet? She didn’t even save… wait. She did save someone. She saved that old man. It hadn't been glamorous, but she did manage to save at least one person.

“I guess I did do something good after all. May not have been exceptional… but it was something.” Chloé smiled for a brief moment.

She took a moment to look at the positives, Ladybug and Chat Noir would likely come in and save the day, plus there were those other two heroes. Perhaps that would be enough. But she had to admit, finding solace in that was getting harder to do when the smell of the closet was destroying her nostrils. Just then, she remembered she had some nice perfume in her bag that she could spray to alleviate the smell.

“Well, at least I won’t smell awful when they capture me.”

She put her hand in her bag and felt around for her perfume. As she searched, she felt an unfamiliar object in her designer handbag. She pulled it out.

“What is this?”

She noticed a note on top of it. It was a bit dark to read so she pulled out her phone and turned on her flashlight.

“Return to Ladybug after mission?”

Chloé’s eyes went wide. Could this be what she thought it was? How was it possible? She didn’t have time to question it.

She opened the box and out came a floating bee creature, who Chloé recognized right away. It was real.

“Pollen!” Chloé exclaimed with cheer.

“It has been a while, my queen.” the bee kwami said.

Chloé would have loved to revel in this moment more but she knew that door was going to burst open any minute. She needed to be the bee heroine.

“As much as I would love to talk more, we need to hurry. We have some akuma clones that need bashing.”

“Right away, my queen!”

Chloe put the bee miraculous in her hair.

“Pollen, Buzz on!”

_____________________________________________________________

“It is a good thing there are so many copies,” Ryuuko stated as she leaped over a few Reflekta copies.

Viperion swerved and dodged the replicas of his sister’s akumatized form while avoiding getting caught in the bubbles that froze them and floated them up in the air.

Deadzone had been doing a lot of friendly fire thanks to its single minded obsession.

“After this, I really hope I never have to see my sister take this form again,” Viperion commented.

“Right, Adrien mentioned that you were Juleka’s brother. Older brother, right?”

“Older twin brother. But yes.”

“Really? You seem older.”

“I am a grade ahead of her, but we are the same age,” he explained.

“Could have sworn you were at least a year or two older.”

“A lot of people think the same thing. Even my mom forgets, sometimes. Rose, my sister’s girlfriend, says I radiate ‘big brother energy’ or something.”

“You learn something new.”

“What about you? Any siblings?”

“Sadly no. I was an only child.”

“Too bad, I think you would have made a great older sister,” Viperion encouraged

“A snake charmer, are we?”

“Well I am the snake, and I am not charming myself, so I think the more correct term would be dragon charmer.”

“Change that to fun killer because you killed my fun right there.”

Before Viperion could retort, they had made their way down to the end of the hall and noticed that it was frozen off.

“Dead end,” they say at the same time.

“No, Deadzone.”

The two turn to see the deadly akuma amalgamation pointing its blaster at them.

The two heroes looked at the deadly akuma.

“Any ideas?” Ryuuko questioned.

“Just one.”

Viperion moved his hand to his bracelet.

“Second chance!” Viperion activated his power.

“Now we have some options.” Viperion explained.

The akuma fired a bubble blast at Ryuuko, and she was frozen.

“Second chance!”

Things reset to how they were a few seconds before. Viperion grabbed Ryuuko and pulled her out of the way of the oncoming bubble blast.

“Thanks. For a minute there, I thought that thing had me.”

“It did, but I used my power to stop that. we still have to get out of here.”

“Look out!”

Ryuuko got hit with another bubble as they got up, protecting him from an attack.

“This might take a few attempts…”

_____________________________________________________________

Hawkmoth paced inside his lair.

Mayura was out there, his son was out there… and things were not going the way he planned. Masquerade seems to be building a base for herself and was more concerned with that than getting the miraculous. Adrien is MIA, and Mayura isn’t responding.

“I might need to step in. But there is a lot of risk in this. Far too many variables that I can't account for”

Hawkmoth never liked leaving his lair. It had too many risks to it. After Heroes' Day, he had nearly been exposed. And after that fiasco in Shanghai he didn’t want to risk getting taken out by his own akuma. He had already taken plenty of risks that had blown up in his face. Would this be another one of those times he would need to risk his miraculous?

“But it could also be just what is needed to beat Ladybug and Chat Noir once and for all.”

With an akuma this powerful, the two would likely have to use their special powers multiple times. If he can just locate them and wait for them to do so, he could potentially gain the advantage. Maybe Mayura was on to something with her actions.

Hawkmoth walked to the window.

“There will be a right time. I just need to wait for it.”

He felt an itch in the back of his neck. He wasn’t sure what it was but he could tell one thing, something big was going to go down, and he needed to figure out the right call soon or it could cost him dearly.

_____________________________________________________________

“…And that’s her plan.” Simularé finished. “As for Ladybug and Chat Noir… I am unsure. I lost track of them before I was given a new assignment. But they are in the building and they have not tried to leave.”

Mayura smiled at the information. While it was quite unfortunate that she didn’t have the exact location of the two heroes, it was good to know that they were still in the building, and Lila’s plan was certainly something interesting.

“Indeed, that is quite a clever plan. Ensuring everyone in the school couldn’t escape was pretty smart. You likely had a few escapes anyway, with how clumsy some of the akuma were. You are fortunate that neither one was Ladybug or Chat Noir. Still, though, it isn’t your master’s fault for that. They are basically mindless puppets. But then again, it seems that there might be zero escapes since there seems to be no new reports on the subject of a school takeover.”

Simularé let the peacock villainess muse, analyzing her movements as if trying to figure out any advantage it could handle.

“So, the next step now that all communications are cut is to send out a message that Ladybug and Chat Noir have already been defeated, so as to cause massive despair in order to create even more minions. Sounds a bit derivative, don’t you think?” Mayura mused.

Simularé said nothing. It held its tongue. Deep down, it knew that starting any dispute with this peacock was not wise. Especially given that crazy power she had over their being.

“Still, it is quite a plan. And with all those extra akuma recruited and Ladybug and Chat noir cut off from their guardian, they wouldn’t be able to get any sort of back up. They wouldn’t be able to put up much of a fight before all of Paris is under Masquerade’s thumb. I approve of the plan.”

“I am glad you do,” Simularé stated with a forced smile.

Their conversation was cut short when an akuma appeared. Seeing one it did not recognize, the artist akuma prepared to fight. But thankfully the shapeshifting sentimonster stepped in.

“Stand down Evillustrator, this one is not our enemy,” Simularé ordered.

Evillustrator eased and walked over.

“Masquerade has ordered that we start reinforcing the building. She wants this place to be like a fortress,” he parroted.

Mayura looked at the artist.

A fortress? Yes, Simularé mentioned that Masquerade wanted to reinforce the school so that she could ensure Ladybug and ChatNoir would have less chance of escape.

Simularé nodded at the akuma servant.

“Alright, so she wants us to drop the illusion, then?”

“She wants the place to be like a fortress.”

“Go ahead and start,” Simularé motioned. She figured that her master likely didn’t care about the illusion much as she was prepared for stage two. But she would maintain it for a bit.

The akuma moved to the end of the roof and begins working to reinforce the walls

Mayura began moving to the door of the roof to get back down into the school.

“Tell your boss I will be heading to her, and she best be welcoming,” Mayura ordered.

“As you command,” Simularé replied, hiding a large amount of anger and resentment towards the blue bird.

As soon as the blue peacock is out of sight.

Simularé contacts its master.

“Simularé, what is going on? Did Evilustrator reach you?”

“Yes. He is working to make this place a fortress. You want me to maintain the illusion, right?”

“I am about to go public shortly. After I make the announcement. Drop the illusion and make sure this place is a full-on fortress. After that is done, report back to me.

“Yes master. By the way, I had an idea.”

“Oh?”

Simularé smiled sinisterly. She was going to show Peacock why she was sorely mistaken.

“I will report the details to you shortly.”

_____________________________________________________________

“Everything is set up,” Robostus noted.

“Excellent. Let’s do it now.”

The Reflekta camera crew was all set, and Gamer had set it up so the moment they went live, every screen in Paris would show Masquerade.

Masquerade got off her call with Simularé. Something seemed a bit off with her sentimonster but she was intrigued that she had a plan.

“We are live in 5….4…3….2…” the gamer stated before pressing the go live button.

Masquerade smiled.

“Good afternoon, citizens of Paris. You may not know who I am, but don’t worry! You will be very familiar with me very soon. I am Masquerade, and I have decided to make Paris my personal kingdom.”

She paused to let that sink in.

“Now you are likely very alarmed by this declaration and that is normal. It will only be a matter of time before I spread my influence to everyone in Paris.”

She paused to let her words hang in the air before continuing.

“Do not be afraid, I am no monster. I plan on being a fair leader. All I ask is for your undying admiration and absolute loyalty. After that, you are free to live your lives as you normally would. Do not resist and you will have no problems. However, if you do… well, I can’t guarantee your safety.”

Masquerade took a calm breath before finishing.

“This last message goes out to the heroes of Paris, Ladybug and Chat Noir. I know you are here, I know you believe you will stop me, and I know you have allies here. But you will fall to me. Your days of superheroing have come to an end, your miraculous will be taken from you, and I will expose you as the failures you are,” Masquerade finished with venom.

She ended the transmission.

“Now make sure that it is being looped,” she ordered.

“Already is,” Gamer confirmed. “And panic is starting to rise.”

Masquerade smiled. Her plan was already working.

It may have seemed like a simple ego boost, but that speech of hers was a crucial part of her plan. Her charm bracelet could hyper focus on anyone that was akumatized in the past and have their biggest insecurities exposed. But that one by one process took far too long, if the hope of the entire populace of Paris was already demoralized. Then all she needed to do was send out her masks and let them take hold. And all she needed to do was go out there and send the masks.

She could already feel massive amounts of negative emotion from outside of the school. As soon as she headed out of the school, she could easily go and get more akuma soldiers. She could feel her bracelet trembling with all the potential additions.

She was prepared to leave, activating one of the charms to give her black angel wings, but something she remembered caused her to stop.

“Simularé I am moving to phase two of my plan. Get down here.”

It only took a few seconds for the sentimonster to jump from the roof and knock on the window.

One for the Reflekta copies opened the large window to let in what appeared to be Dark Cupid, before it shifted into the phantasm form that was its base.

“Right on cue. So, what is this plan you wanted to suggest?” Masquerade inquired. “And be sure it is not a waste of my time.”

“What if I told you I could get you a Miraculous?”

The sentimonster could feel that Masquerade was very pleased with that idea.

_____________________________________________________________

37 attempts.

It took thirty-seven resets before Viperion figured out what they needed to do.

“Ryuuko, follow my directions exactly,” Viperion instructed. “I know how to win.”

He quickly pulled her towards him to make sure she dodged the first bubble.

The akuma was surprised by the avoidance.

Viperion smiled.

“Your next line is, ‘How did you know I was going to blast at her?'” Viperion stated confidently.

“How did you know I was going to blast at her?” Deadzone parroted in shock before realizing they had said exactly what Viperion had said they would say.

The dragon heroine looked at the determined expression of the snake. She could see experience and certainty in his posture. All her years of fencing taught Kagami the art of reading body language, and the hero in front of her was someone that exuded an aura of confidence. She knew she could trust him.

“Alright, Sassy Snake, I will let you take the reins.” Ryuuko responded.

“Jump to the left in 2 seconds and start running.”

Ryuuko followed the instructions and sure enough avoided yet another bubble attack from Deadzone.

“Head to their left and bounce off the locker at the end.”

Ryuuko dashed past the akuma and jumped as Viperion instructed, perfectly avoiding the barrage of blasts sent her way. Viperion had perfectly mirrored her motion as he explained the next steps.

“Now somersault twice and draw your sword.”

Ryuuko somersaulted as Viperion leaped over her and the dragon turned to draw her sword, now on the other side of the hall.

“Now as soon as it fires a bubble at you, activate your wind! No matter what! I believe in you Ryuuko.”

The last words seemed a bit strange to the fencer. What did he mean by that?

“Will you shut up!?” Deadzone shouted before sending a bubble at Viperion.

“For my final glimpse into the future, you will say, ‘Not so tough now are ya?'”

The bubble contacted Viperion.

“Viperion!” Ryuuko cried out.

The bubble enveloped the snake and floated to the ceiling, taking his frozen form along with it.

“No…” Ryuuko muttered. She looked down in sorrow.

I failed to protect him. He ended up protecting me. He had been backing me up to make sure I wouldn’t do anything reckless.

Ryuuko felt her mind flashback to a few days ago which now seemed almost like it happened a year ago. They had made such a good team back then and now… they get a chance to be heroes again and she couldn’t cover him like he did her.

“Ha, not so tough now are ya?” Deadzone stated with confidence.

Ryuuko’s ears perked up at the statement. That was the line Viperion predicted they would say. That means… Viperion knew this would happen! Which meant his previous statement was to show he planned this. She knew what to do.

Deadzone turned its attention to Ryuuko.

“Don’t worry, you will join him shortly.”

Deadzone fired another bubble right at her, but this time Ryuuko wasn’t moving. She was at the perfect distance to do what she needed to do.

Ryuuko smiled.

“Wind dragon!”

The dragon-themed heroine turned into a cloud and blew the bubble right back at the akuma.

“What!”

The bubble encapsulated the akuma, causing it to freeze in place and then float to the ceiling.

Ryuuko returned to her original form and smiled, seeing how they had finally incapacitated the akuma.

“We did it, Viperion. We took them down. I'm sorry it cost you so much… I won't let you down!”

She raised her blade, upon realizing that her partner was indeed trapped in a bubble.

“Wait a minute…”

Ryuuko walked underneath Viperion’s bubble. She wasn’t entirely sure if this would work, since akuma magic was weird and often unpredictable, but it would make a lot of sense if it did.

“It is a bubble, so this should work right?” Ryuuko questioned as she used the tip of her sword to touch the bubble. She pushed it forward a bit causing the bubble to pop.

Her partner dropped to the floor.

“Ugh… my head.”

“You’re okay!”

Ryuuko hugged her friend, but then realized her sudden action and quickly jumped back up. A bit flustered, she could swear Marinette was rubbing off on her.

“I am glad you are alright, friend. You had me concerned — slightly,” Ryuuko corrected herself.

Viperion was surprised by the quick motions but managed to steady himself.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course. But make it quick, we will need to get a move on.”

“Okay… Who am I?”

Ryuuko froze at the question. She could see the confusion on his face. He was completely serious.

“Oh… that is not good at all.”

_____________________________________________________________

Masquerade is on phase two of her plan and Simularé is starting to make waves.

Who will get to the akuma first, Mayura or our heroes.

What will happen to Viperion now that his memory is gone?

Will Queen bee be the right choice?

Reblog and Comment . Your support is invaluable in keeping this fic alive. And I love hearing your thoughts on it

[nicad13]

Crossroads: Chapter 3

The Connection

Summary: Because Din and Rayne deserve a little happiness.

Notes: Here come the R-rated bits.

Lovely illustration by @catstanbulite.

As I think back on this chapter, I feel like I should make it clear that Rayne's perception of the Jedi is not my own. She's looking back on her experiences through the lens of abandonment and the persecution that followed. She'll continue to do that throughout this story, but I'm thinking of addressing it in a later one.

Canon-compliant through Season 1, alt version of Season 2. Posting some old fic in the hopes of some more comments & inspiration to push me to finish the sequel by the end of Season 3. AO3 link in the Source at the bottom.

Tags/Warnings: Found Family, PTSD, Hurt/Comfort, Helmet rules, Grief/Mourning, Religious Conflict, Angst, Sexual Situations, Infertility

---

I am not your señorita I am not from your tribe If you want inside her well Boy you better make her raspberry swirl

Tori Amos, Raspberry Swirl

---

The morning sun crept over the hangar wall as Din approached the edge of the yard, jetpack in hand. He adjusted his cloak before swinging the pack over his head and sliding it into place over the armor on his back.

He stood still and closed his eyes, re-centering his balance, focusing his thoughts.

The sounds of morning were subdued, but plentiful. He heard the turn of a ratchet as Rayne opened an engine panel at the top of the Razor Crest. He heard the bleeps and blurbs of the bots as they shuttled to and fro, bringing her what she needed. He heard the soft snores of the kid as he lay napping in his crate under the belly of the ship, safely out of the way of anything Rayne might drop from the roof or anything Din himself might do in the coming moments.

His first flight on Nevarro against Gideon and the TIE fighter had been just good enough to not get himself killed, and that was about all that could be said of it. His second flight from the lava river back to the Razor Crest had been more controlled, but not altogether good. He needed more confidence with it, to learn to operate it properly. The hangar wasn’t ideal; he would’ve preferred a wide-open space, but Rayne hadn’t yet had a chance to work on their personal fob-scramblers, so he and the kid were still restricted to the hangar or the ship. The lattice protecting the hangar formed a ceiling of about 50 meters. At the very least, it would force him to stick with low-altitude practice to start.

He tapped the ignition button on his vambrace and the jetpack fired up, jerking against his shoulders first, then settling into a steady rumble. Eyes still closed, he recalled his boyhood lessons in the Rising Phoenix, early training with stripped-down jetpacks that were far less powerful and temperamental than the real thing, never getting more than three meters off the ground, but enough to get a feel for how to lift off, hover, and land on your feet instead of your head. He had proven to be far better with a rifle than a jetpack in those days, so his later training had focused on that instead, but he still remembered the basics.

Taking a deep breath and opening his eyes, he lifted off, gently, not the 100-meter straight-up shot of before. He paused at ten meters of altitude, rotated in a slow spin, then brought his hands up to initiate a forward glide. It started reasonably well, but just when he thought he had it, he shot forward, smashed into the blunted bow of the Razor Crest, then fell face-first to the ground as the jets cut out.

Rayne had been walking along the top of the port engine when the sound of Din’s collision startled her off her feet and sent her sliding butt-first down the curve of the cowling to the top of the hull. Not liking the sound of what she’d heard, she slid down the rail of the service ladder to the ground and ran to where Din lay prone, skidding to a halt beside him. “Din! Hey! You ok?”

A low groan escaped the modulator as he pulled his hands in and pushed himself over and up into a sitting position, knees pulled up, arms wrapped around his shins, head hanging. “Give me a minute.” His voice was thin.

His head pounded.

He couldn’t fill his lungs.

The ground swam before him.

His stomach lurched.

Uh oh…

Just before he could tell her to turn away so he could take the helmet off ahead of his breakfast ending up in it, he felt tiny hands press into his ribs, and the nausea fled as quickly as it had come. His chest heaved as he finally was able to pull some air in.

He turned to see the kid standing next to him, smiling, ears up and alert.

“Thanks, kiddo,” he said, dropping an arm to put it around him.

Rayne took a knee before them. “What’s up, guys?”

“Just rung my own bell.” The kid snorted as if to say, You did more than that, pal. “He put me back on an even keel. Usually that kind of thing wears him out.”

“He’s getting stronger. That’s good.” She stood up and offered him a hand. He took it, and she helped him up. Walking out to the yard a little further, she turned back and looked up to the bow of the Razor Crest, amber shades reflecting the sun. “Doesn’t look like you did any harm to your ship.” She looked back at Din and smiled. “You do know I’ll have to charge you extra for any damage you cause here that I’ll have to fix, right?”

“I understand,” his tone was light as he walked back out.

---

The rest of the day was uneventful. Rayne wrapped up the hyperdrive repairs, the kid swallowed three frogs and a wrench, and Din’s jetpack practice improved. Rayne couldn’t resist a bit of light teasing by the end of the afternoon. “Fledgling status will not excuse any broken windows.”

“Yeah?” Din shot back. “You handle a sword like a giant ten-year-old.”

“Because my training stopped when I was ten years old.”

They took the sparring sabers out again, but more for instruction, this time. He taught her a few new moves, the same ones an old friend had taught him ages ago, tricks for smaller people fighting larger ones. She was still somewhat off-balanced and clumsy, but improved despite it. She showed him how to get more power out of his swings without over-committing. They practiced, more of a dialogue, the ring of steel-on-steel coming in short, rhythmic bursts.

The kid watched them from his crate, fascinated by the choreography before him, Mythosaur pendant half-in his mouth, the silhouette of his father moving fluidly with that of his new friend against the setting sun. His father was a mix of skill and power, efficient movements graced by the billow of the cloak about his shoulders, armor glinting in the slanting light. The friend was raw power and speed, lean limbs still clad in the form-fitting clothes designed not to catch on moving parts, occasionally stumbling, but never tiring, matching his father strike for strike.

For the first time the kid could ever recall, his father was happy.

The kid decided he liked his father’s new friend. She was strong like Cara, kind like Kuiil. She let him eat frogs and gave him a huge, shiny ball. She had openly accepted his effort to heal her. Encouraged it, even. She played with him like no one else had in a long, long, time, lifting without her hands and smiling at him, like it was their own secret to share.

He wanted to stay here with her. But they never seemed to stay anywhere for very long. If they couldn’t stay, he wanted her to come with them. They brought people with them, sometimes.

Maybe they could keep this one.

---

Dinner was again delivered and consumed, and conversation turned towards the kid’s future.

“The Jedi wouldn’t be the right place for him, anyway,” Rayne said.

“No?”

They were sitting around the fire. Din with his back to the Razor Crest, facing the hangar’s exit, the kid on his left, Rayne to his right. Rayne and the kid were playing with the bearing again, tossing it back and forth, catching it not with their hands, but with the Force. Rayne held it aloft for a moment, making it rise and fall. “Extremist practices. They forced people who would otherwise have made good Jedi to the Dark Side.”

“Like what?”

“All the girls were sterilized.”

“What?”

“Sith rape just as much as anyone else, so it was a preventative measure. Still.” She paused for a moment, gazing at the bearing, then continued. “Zero-tolerance policy for intimacy. No sex. Nothing beyond platonic relationships. It was stupid. The Force burns. You’re supposed to direct all that energy into becoming more skilled, becoming a better warrior. It’s banthashit. Sometimes you just need to connect with someone. Get inside their head. Let them get inside yours. The worst of the Sith were picked off because they were lonely.���

“You know a lot about this for someone who’s not a Jedi.”

She cast her eyes in his direction, then focused once more on the bearing before tossing it to the kid. “I had some early training before the Republic fell. Went to ground once Order 66 went out.”

“How old were you the year of the fall?”

“Ten.”

A bitter laugh barked out of him. “We’re the same age. You look good for forty-four.”

Rayne smiled. “So do you. The beskar takes at least ten years off.”

He tilted his helmet to the side. “Makes for an even complexion, anyway.”

“You could be a Tusken under all that and have a lifespan of two hundred years for all I know.”

He shook his head. “No. I’m human. Same as you.”

“Guess I’ll have to take your word for it.”

For the first time since he’d arrived, Rayne felt him hold her gaze through the visor. She reciprocated, waiting. After a few moments, still facing her, he pulled at the tips of the fingers of his right glove with his left hand, taking it off to reveal a perfectly normal-looking human hand. Olive skin that would be bronze if it ever saw any sun. Long fingers, nails neatly filed to the quick. After a few moments, he put the glove back on.

“Thank you,” she said. “You didn’t have to.”

“You’re welcome. Something about making connections.” He made a show of turning his head all the way to his left, all the way to his right, then back to her. “I’m curious how that worked out for you.” His tone made it clear that he had observed the lack of anyone else around the hangar.

She leaned back in her chair and caught the bearing as the kid threw it to her without taking her gaze off of Din. “Fair question. I was married for ten years. He was a good man. Died in an Imperial attack five years ago, at the end of the war. I had a few before, had a couple since. Just because they didn’t last doesn’t mean I didn’t gain anything from them. I’m still friends with the ones who aren’t dead. I wouldn’t give them up for the world. Each one of them gave me experiences I wouldn’t otherwise have had.  Each one of them taught me something about myself. Each one of them gave me moments of joy. Learning how relationships evolve is a good skill. Denying your own feelings gets you nowhere and only leaves you bitter. That’s where the Jedi got it wrong. Not getting laid leads to a heaping pile of bitterness. Bitterness leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. And that, my shiny friend, leads to the Dark Side.” She threw the bearing to Din, this time. “So. What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Any connections get made past that helmet?”

He took a deep breath, thoughts of Omera way too close to the surface for his liking. But Rayne had been frank with her answer, and she deserved his answer in kind. “We’re not celibate. The helmet stays on. It can only come off if it’s completely dark. No attachments outside of clan membership, if you choose to be part of one.”

“I’m curious how that’s worked out for you.”

Another deep breath. “That’s also a fair question.”

“And?”

God, she isn’t going to let me get out of this. He looked down at the bearing in his hands. “The Mandalorians brought me in as a foundling and raised me in the Fighting Corps. I couldn’t fit with any of the existing clans and wasn’t looking to start my own. I gave any extra money I had to the foundlings at whatever covert I was based out of at the time. The Armorer – the leader of the covert on Nevarro…” he paused, shoving the horrors of the slaughtered remains down in his mind so he could get through this. “She declared me and the kid a clan of two last week.” He shrugged his right shoulder, seeming to indicate the mudhorn signet on the pauldron there. “As far as the other stuff goes, I can’t give you a number. It’s… not in my nature to count. Longest I’ve had since leaving the covert I grew up at was maybe a couple years. That got a little crazy and I had to move on. Last one was about a year and a half ago. I passed up an opportunity nine months ago. I’m… not sure I did the right thing, there.”

“What happened?” Rayne asked.

“Didn’t want to start something I couldn’t finish.”

“Got too attached.”

“Yes.”

“Her or you?” Din’s silence stretched longer than she expected, so again, she decided to make it easy on him. “Both.”

“Yes.”

“And with the bounty hunters after you…”

“It was unsafe to stay.”

She nodded. “Tough situation. Sorry to hear it.”

“Thank you.” Again, his voice cracked through the modulator, confirming the sorrow that he couldn’t help but radiate.

“So what will you do next time?” she asked.

“Next time?”

God, he’s going to make me do all the work here. “Next time you have the opportunity to make a connection.”

“It… depends.”

“Assume the other party understands the conditions. Mandatory helmet. No strings attached. Bounty hunters not at the doorstep for the moment.”

Like… right… now…

He finally realized what she was offering. Finally realized what had been sitting in the pit of his stomach since yesterday’s test flight. Maybe even since the start, when he’d seen how well the kid had taken to her so quickly.

But… Omera… oh, god he’d come so close with Omera. Had almost let her lift the helmet from his head. Had almost… But he knew that would have been an attachment he could not have borne to break. He deserved the knot that formed in his gut when he thought of her. He deserved it for letting his discipline slip. For letting her in. Knowing that she had made the same mistake of him only made it worse. The best he could do was console himself with the knowledge that she was safer with him and the kid far away. The best way to keep her safe was to keep his distance. 

As far as Xi’an… well… she had clearly been a mistake. A remnant from a darker part of his life. A history he had worked so hard to claw his way out of. Only she had liked him that way. Ruthless. Brutal. Murdering. She had validated that part of him. When you were so good at killing, it was easy to start to like it. Until one day you find yourself in a room full of corpses you created and the woman you’ve been sleeping with walks in and thinks it’s the hottest thing she’s ever seen in her life and you realize that maybe this is kinda fucked up and you want out.

He had turned that corner, good and hard. Had proved it to himself when he didn’t kill her when he had the chance, even if she probably deserved it.

I won’t make those mistakes again. I won’t.

Not for this woman. It didn’t matter that the kid got along with her so well. It didn’t matter that the ship responded to her touch in ways it never had for him. It didn’t matter that she could bring him to the ground with a sword. It didn’t matter that she was somehow able to meet his gaze through the helmet with her eyes every time she looked at him.

Those eyes. The steely blue of freshly-polished beskar. Pinning his own when everyone else looked a little too far to the left or the right, missing the mark just a bit.

Goddammit.

Rayne lacked Omera’s beauty. Where Omera’s toughness was graceful, Rayne was all utilitarian wire and sometimes even a little clumsy. Omera was rooted to her home, where Rayne drifted to safety. Omera had her community, where Rayne made due with a string of companions and the robots she’d built with her bare hands. Omera provided for the kid, where Rayne had him hunting frogs and developing his Force skills. Both were pragmatic in their own ways. But he had to admit that Rayne was sharp. She cut directly to the heart of an issue and dissected it with a surgeon’s skill, pointed out the problem with the tip of the scalpel.

And she read him like a goddamn book.

He might as well just stand naked before her.

That can be arranged.

Goddammit.

He realized he still hadn’t answered her question when the silence was broken by a gurgle from the kid, hands outstretched, waiting for Din to toss the bearing. He’d been playing in the dirt for three days now, and it was starting to collect in the creases at the top of his head and in his ears.

“Can I… do you… can I give him a bath?” Yes. That’s my answer to the offer of intimacy. I need to give my kid a bath.

Rayne simply lifted an eyebrow and smiled. “Sure. He’ll fit in the dishtub in the kitchen. Come on in.”

Din heaved a sigh, heaved himself out of his chair, put the kid in his crate, and followed her through the door to the shop. They went in a short distance before turning through another door that opened to her residence as she flipped the light on. They entered a small, tidy kitchen, which was separated from a cozy living/bedroom area by a small peninsula counter. The lighting struck a warm hue against the adobe walls, but the open windows were arranged to maximize a cool breeze. Rayne pulled a plastic tub from the cabinet and placed it in the sink. “I’ll let you get the right water temperature for him. I’m gonna’ go take a shower – I can wash his clothes and blankets with my stuff.”

“Yes, please.” Din placed the kid in the tub, took his gloves off, stuffed them in his belt, and made a lifting motion with his hands. The kid raised his arms in response, huge dark eyes gazing up at the visor, smiling as Din undid the fastening of his robe and lifted it off of his arms.

A mythosaur pendant hung on a leather string from the kid’s shoulders. Suspicions confirmed, Rayne did her best to suppress a frown.

Mandalorian Jedis were a mixed bag, at best.

Din handed the kid’s robe to her along with the blankets. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She handed him a clean towel to dry the kid off with and headed to the shower.

When she came back out, she found them sitting on the bed, the kid wrapped in the towel, lying on his back on Din’s thighs as Din dried his ears, lids drooping over his eyes. She handed the robe back to Din, fresh out of the clothes unit, and placed the blankets in the crate. “Looks like he’s ready for bed.”

“Yes, he is.” The sight of a fully armored Mandalorian hunched over and wrestling a tiny, green, sleepy baby back into his clothes was almost too much, but she managed to stifle the laugh. When he was done, he lifted the kid back to the crate and wrapped him in the blanket. Only then did he stand up and face her. “It seems I’m the only dirty one left. Do you mind if I…”

She smiled. “Mine’s a lot bigger than yours. Go ahead.”

His head dropped in thanks. “I need a few things out of the ship. I’ll be right back.”

“Sure.”

He returned a few minutes later with his kit and she showed him where the towels and clothes unit were. “Hair dryer is under the sink.”

“Thank you.”

She left him to it.

Feeling reasonably secure about the lock on the door, he lifted the helmet from his head, placed it on the floor, and stacked the armor next to it. Peeling all of the layers off, he stuffed his cloak and clothes in the unit to get clean. Stepping into the shower, he relished the feel of warm water running through his hair and over his shoulders. He stood still for a moment, taking some mental space to relax, to be out of the armor and yet still feel safe, very much aware of the fob scrambler somewhere overhead keeping him that way.

He was unused to the idea of someone else protecting him.

Someone who wasn’t even really a soldier. Nor a Mandalorian.

If anything, an ancestral enemy.

Things were simple with Mandalorian women when neither of you were part of a clan. Everyone knew the rules. No attachments. If you wanted the lights on, helmets stayed on. If you wanted the helmets off, lights stayed off. You didn’t get many chances, so when you got one, you made it good. Good sex was like good fighting – it required training, but you were also encouraged to develop your own style. Din had both. Contraception depended on what kind of work the woman was up to and what she wanted. With Mandalorian numbers so low, pregnancy was revered. Pregnant women worked until they no longer could, then they went back to the covert and were properly cared for. Obstetric science among the Mandalorians rivaled even their trauma medicine.  Mandalorian doctors boasted the lowest maternal and neonatal fatality rates for all of the species that were represented among the ranks. Women brought forth their children. After, they nursed, if they were mammalian. They recovered. They received more training. They trained the younglings. The stories Din heard from mothers returned when he was a child still rang with great clarity in his memory. How to extricate yourself from a bar fight. How to negotiate with mechanics. How to clear the mud from your rifle. How to gut a Taun Taun without making it smell like ten-year-old garbage. And then, when the child was weaned, the women returned to the field. The children were either adopted by a clan or raised by the men and women of the Fighting Corps who were suited best for the task, who knew how to prepare them for the harsh world that awaited them. They were the true parents. Mothers who were not part of a clan were told nothing of their children; the same went for clan-less fathers. Contributing to the enclave was good. But it was best not to know the specifics. To hear about the fall of a fellow Mandalorian was bad enough. To know they were your own blood would be devastating. As bad as the carnage at the covert at Nevarro had been, he considered himself lucky that he had not been there long enough to form much in the way of friendships. Further proof of the point.

And so, intimacy with Mandalorian women, such as it was, was easy enough. Physically satisfying. Often fun. Usually safe. Never any strings attached.

But with anyone else...

In most ways, it was easier for the women. The only trick lay in finding anyone who was any good at it and didn’t expect anything after. Pregnancy was celebrated. It brought in fresh blood and the children were always cared for. But for the men… for the men who preferred women, anyway… the universe had enough orphans. Making more was unconscionable. You wrapped it up. Every time. You made it abundantly clear that there would be no attachments, that you would eventually move on and never see each other again.

And you didn’t take chances with the lights. You kept your fucking helmet on.

And so, with anyone else, things were… difficult. He’d only chanced it with two. The first was looking for nothing more than one night, ravenous, and seemed to have a kink for armor, so the results had been satisfactory, if even a little humorous. Xi’an was hot in that scary kind of way, back when he liked being scared because it meant he wasn’t dead. The woman just on the other side of the door right now… definitely wasn’t a fan of the armor, but had a healthy appetite and would be happy to have him for whatever time she could. She was good with a blade, but she wasn’t a psycho about it. She was more than capable of taking care of herself and was comfortable with her independence. He had to admit to himself that he had a certain weakness for women who were capable of killing him, and he had no doubt that Rayne had it in her.

Being in close quarters with an enemy sorcerer would be a unique challenge. Given what he had seen, given what he had heard, she didn’t need weapons to kill him. Hell, she didn’t even need her hands.

She could kill him with her mind.

He wasn’t sure he knew what was normal, anymore. He wasn’t sure he had ever known what was normal. All he knew was that he wouldn’t last more than a minute with her if he didn’t take pre-emptive action.

He took himself in hand and resolved the issue.

Head cleared, body clean, he stepped out of the shower and dried off, then flossed and brushed his teeth while he was naked, just because he could. The tile on the floor felt blessedly cool under his feet, and the draft of ventilation pricked goosebumps on his skin. Having the opportunity to shave, he took it. He fished out the hairdryer and blew his hair dry, enjoying the warm air on the back of his neck. I gotta’ get one of these. When everything was done, he packed up his kit, hung it on the knob, and regarded himself in the mirror once more. Remember who you are. Remember who you are not. This is the Way.

And keep your fucking helmet on.

---

He stepped through the door, anxiety radiating off of him in waves. That peculiar mix of anticipation, fear, and, despite his recent release, the desire for more. “Thank you. I feel… better.”

“You’re welcome.” She stepped closer, gauging his reaction as she did so. His balance shifted more to anticipation, but his fear caught up with it again. She was still for a moment, noting the rise and fall of his chest, fists clenched at his side. He wouldn’t be able to bring himself to ask. Once again, she would have to make this easy for him. “Would you like some company tonight?”

“I would.”

The surge of anxiety almost knocked her over. “Your place or mine?”

“I’d be more comfortable on the ship.”

“I understand.”

He turned to the kid’s crate and froze. “He likes to nap on the flight deck sometimes, but he doesn’t always stay there. I don’t…” Again, another wave of anxiety, complete inability to move his thoughts forward.

“He’ll sleep through it. Two hours of playing Force-catch should have worn him out.” Din visibly relaxed. Not much, but a little. “And just so you know…” she reached out and traced the plate at his wrist. “People who are Force-sensitive… within a short range, we can tell when… the Force responds to orgasm.”

A small choking sound clicked over the modulator. “I needed to clear my head.”

She smiled. “Did it work?”

“Clearly not.” He looked back towards the kid. “What’s the range?”

“For me? I’m guessing twenty-five meters or so. For him? Probably more. Definitely longer than the length of the Razor Crest’s hull. Having the helmet on probably cuts it down some.” She prodded his arm to get him to turn his head back to her. “We grow up with it. It’s part of life. We take it for granted and are surprised when we discover that no one else feels it. When we’re little we don’t even know what causes it. Like hearing birds chirp or when someone gives you a blanket when you’re cold. It… just feels nice. It’s nothing to feel creeped out over. If anything, it probably helps him sleep better. I thought you should know.”

“Thank you for telling me.” He took her hands in his, then looked down, acknowledging this first time of reaching out to touch her. “The helmet stays on. I know that’ll be tough for you, but that’s how it has to be.”

“I understand.”

“And when I leave, you won’t ever hear from me again.”

“I know.”

“This is the Way.”

“Okay.”

She followed him out to his ship, Din carrying his kit, the kid floating next to him in the crate, soft snores coming from under the blankets. They walked up the rear ramp and she hit the button to close it when she reached the hold as Din continued on to the flight deck. He placed the crate on the starboard jump-seat, tucked the kid in one more time, laid a finger on his forehead, and wished him goodnight. He stepped out, closed the door to the flight deck, and came down to the hold.

He sat back on one of the lower rungs of the ladder to take his boots off, noticing as she turned to the bunk. It was really small in there.

“Second thoughts?” he asked.

“Hm? No. I’m just… a little claustrophobic.” Her gaze lingered on the bunk for a moment more before coming back to his. “I’ll make it work.”

He titled his head. You sure?

She took a deep breath. “I’m good.”

“Ok.” He stepped forward and took her hands in his.

She could feel him trembling through the gloves. Looking him up and down, she realized that undressing a Mandalorian was going to be a complex task. And he probably wasn’t going to be entirely comfortable with it. But she sure as hell wasn’t going to shed all the layers first with him still in full gear. She released his grip and ran her hands along his forearms. “Can we start with the armor?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want to do it or should I?”

“I should do the vambraces.” Indeed, taking them off looked like an intricate procedure, unlocking the clips under his forearms without setting off the weaponry along the top. Once they were off, he pulled a drawer open and placed them inside. He also un-holstered his sidearm blaster and undid the utility belt, placing them in the same drawer, then turned back to her. “You can do the rest.” His voice was tight over the modulator.

She slid her hands up his arms to his shoulders, slid her right hand across his chest to the pauldron on his left shoulder, and realized she was completely flummoxed as to how to remove it. He permitted himself a soft laugh and showed her how to do it, then allowed her to do the one on the right herself. They did the same for his thigh guards, him showing her how for the left, her doing the right. He guided her hands to his sides to unclip the fastenings for the chest and backplates, the cloak coming off with them. The last items to go in the drawer were his gloves.

He stood before her in nothing but a helmet, black shirt, and black pants. Aside from the helmet, he could have been a normal person.

Now, finally, she had a better idea of his actual size. Just a shade under two meters. A surprisingly moderate build, but with broad shoulders, chest tapering to his hips.

“Your turn,” he said.

She lifted an eyebrow. “We’re not done with you yet.”

“I’ll follow your lead.”

“Fair enough.” She didn’t have much to take off. She’d come out in the clothes she normally slept in; just a loose sand-colored shirt and black leggings, plus the pair of sandals on her feet. Her hands dropped to the bottom hem of her shirt, and he followed suit. “Ready?”

“Yes.”

Her eyes never left his visor as she pulled her shirt off over her head and he did the same with his, the hole at the top of his shirt just big enough to get the helmet through. They stood before each other, both naked from the waist up, regarding each other.

His build may have been moderate, but what he had was all business. Lean muscle through his shoulders, arms, chest, and abs, made all the more defined by his olive skin. Several scars marked him where the armor hadn’t reached; high on his left arm, low across the ribs on his right side, a fresh one on the inside of his right shoulder. His left shoulder was a little higher than his right, the sign of a collarbone broken long ago. Her build was moderate as well. Not much curve, but strong. Athletic. Her skin was fair but tanned reasonably well in the sun, leaving her a few shades lighter than him. She took a slow spin around, giving him a good view of her back, a tattoo of the Rebel Alliance Starbird sigil on her left shoulder. What looked like a scar from a blaster bolt graze ran from the top of her left shoulder blade to the top of the muscle. He reciprocated, revealing another scar just below his right shoulder blade, the muscles in his back forming a valley to his spine.

“Like what you see so far?” She asked.

“I do. You?”

“I do.” She stepped closer to him, just within arm’s reach, and she had to look up to the visor. “May I touch you?”

“… Yes.”

Even now, he was still hesitant. She reached up and ran her hands along his collarbones, noting the asymmetry, feeling the rise and fall of his chest. He drew a sharp breath at the feel of her fingers along his skin. Her hands were an odd mix of calluses and softness by way of turning wrenches and submersion in engine grease on a daily basis. When she reached his throat, she slid her hands up as far as she could go, catching just a bit of hair at the back of his neck, below the helmet. She slid her hands down his ribs, smiling when he winced in a ticklish flinch, and rested her hands at the top of his pants. “Do you want to touch me?”

“Yes.”

He brought his hands to her face, running his thumbs along her cheekbones, then pushed his fingertips through her hair, up through the short chestnut curls. “My hair is dark,” he said, voice cracking. “It’s too long right now… longer than yours. It’s getting a little gray around the temples.” He ran his thumbs along her eyebrows, pausing at the outside corners of her eyes. “My eyes are brown. They’re deep-set like yours. I have the same lines under them at the corners.” His fingertips spread along the backs of her jaws. “I have high cheekbones, but my face is rounder. My nose is arched. I… actually have kind of a big mouth.” She raised an eyebrow in response. He laughed. “I know, right? I’ve managed to keep all my teeth, and they’re in decent shape.” He dropped his hands to her shoulders, noting the thrumming tension there. “Is there anything else you’d like to know?”

“What are your eyebrows like?”

“Normal, I guess. Unremarkable. Two lines between them, right here.” He slid his thumbs through the same place on her.

“Facial hair?”

“Just shaved.”

She smiled. “That covers all the bases. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

He resisted the urge to press his head to hers, the traditional Mandalorian prelude to intimacy when wearing a helmet, heeding her discomfort with the armor. Instead, he brought a finger to her mouth, laying its length between her lips. Taking his meaning, she kissed it. Gently at first, then she took his hand in both of hers and pressed harder, taking it between her teeth, pressing her tongue around it. His other hand slid from her shoulder down her back, flattening against the end of her spine and pressing her hips to his. She kissed all of the knuckles of his hand, blind to the small nicks and scars, eyes closed, listening as the rhythm of his breath picked up. When his hand was thoroughly wet, he pulled it away from her mouth, trailed it down her chin, her throat, sternum, her belly, and slipped the tip of a finger into her navel.

The rest of their clothing fell away and he guided her to his bed.

He opened a drawer in the bulkhead and extracted a small, wrapped package.

“So that Jedi sterilization thing…” her words trailed off.

He nodded. “I wondered.”

“Another perk about being Force-sensitive is that I don’t contract or transmit diseases. So if your supply is limited...”

I’m too naked as it is. Maybe they could unpack all that later, but for the moment, Mandalorian training for protection in all things outweighed the human desire for direct contact. Otherwise completely flummoxed, he fell back on the old mantra. “This is the Way.”

“Ok.”

The immediacy of her acceptance encouraged him.

They lay together, hands running over bare skin, both of them taught muscle and sinew over bone, acquainting themselves with each other with desperate intensity. She pressed one hand against the helmet, pushing his head away even as she gripped his flesh with the other, her meaning clear. Don’t touch me with the metal. Instead, he once more brought a finger to her lips, she once more wet it, and he made her ready.

He was patient, unhurried, disciplined, secretly enjoying the power he seemed to have over the enemy sorcerer as she became undone before him. Finally, she brought her lips to the space between his shoulder and his neck, whispering the word “Please,” over and over.

They joined. They moved. They breathed. She warned him that things with a Force-sensitive partner might be different. He accepted. And so he was ready for it when the tell-tale moan parted her lips, ready when something gripped his spine in rhythmic pulses matching those that gripped the flesh he had sunk into her. His own release came shortly after, and once again she felt the warmth of it bloom in her mind as he shuddered against her.

“Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you, thank you…”

He was always so polite.

After, she turned around to spoon back into him, tolerating the press of his helmet against the back of her head, the wash of his mind over hers worth the price of the beskar against her skull. For a short time, he was at peace, too destroyed to think much about anything, and she was content to enjoy the warmth of his body around her. It wasn’t long until she noticed a change in his breathing, a cloud of sadness gathering within him. Continued regret at the lost opportunity from months ago. Fresh wounds from the carnage at the covert at Nevarro. She brought his hand to her lips, again kissing the length of his finger. Without thinking, she reached out with her mind to soothe his.

“Stop.” His response was immediate, followed with a rush of anger. “Get out of my head. Let me feel what I’m supposed to feel.”

She let go of his mind, shocked at the rage in his voice, but she gripped his hand. “I’m sorry. You’re right. It was a reflex.”

“Don’t ever do that again.”

“I won’t. I’m sorry. I… wanted to help.”

She felt him take a deep breath behind her, his lungs filling against her back. “Then just talk to me. With words.”

The irony of him asking her to talk was not lost on her, but she let it slide. He needed this. “It’s ok to feel this way. It’s ok to think about her. It’s ok to miss her. It’s ok to mourn the others. There’s enough room for all of us in here.”

The anger was replaced with a sudden rush of gratitude and he held her tight against him. She held his hand to her face and kissed along his thumb as the sorrow returned and he wept, shaking and silent.

After a short time, he noticed that his hand was wet from her tears, and he belatedly realized he’d projected a year’s worth of angst at her after refusing to let her calm him down. “God, that was selfish of me. You were just protecting yourself. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine.” She snuggled into him. “I can block it when I have to.”

“Do you think the kid got any of that?”

“Oh he got every bit of it.”

“Dammit.”

“He’ll be fine. He’s tougher than you think. It’s easier when it comes from a good place.”

Din gave a shaky sigh and sat up. “Might be a good idea to get dressed. He crawls in here with me sometimes. And after that…”

“Yeah. Is there enough room in here for all of us?”

He turned his head in her direction and let out an exhale that was probably a laugh. “Yes.” He scooped up his clothes. “I’ll be right back. Inside of my helmet got wet, somehow.”

She smiled and dressed while he locked himself in the other room to dry things out.

When he returned, he crawled back in and lay facing her in the dim light, letting her take his hand in hers. They were still as she stared into the visor. She smiled after several minutes. “I don’t know what’s creepier for you – having me stare at you with your eyes closed back there or your eyes open. Which one have I been doing?”

He gave a small laugh to let her know he was smiling. “They’re open. No more creepy than for you not knowing if I’ve been staring back.”

“Have you?”

“Yes.”

She smiled and bit his finger with a gentle nip.

“May I ask a question?” His voice was low over the modulator.

“Yes.”

“The sterilization thing.”

“Yes.” Her smile disappeared, but she still held his hand and his gaze.

“How old were you?”

“Six, I think.”

“Did they give you a choice?” His voice cracked.

“I don’t remember being given one.”

“Your parents allowed this?”

“I don’t remember my parents. The Jedi recruited us as soon as possible. I’m told I was picked up after I started throwing spoons with my brain when I was six months old.”

Din’s mind was reeling. “So you were on your own when the Republic fell.”

“Yes.”

“When you were ten.”

“Yes.”

“You were a foundling.” His voice cracked again and he felt something tighten in his chest.

“No. I was on my own. No one ever found me.”

Again, she heard the faint sound of his teeth clicking shut, and he tightened his hand around hers. “I found you.” Oh god, what am I doing?

She kept her expression neutral. What the hell does he think he’s doing? “I guess you did.”

They both jumped when a small squeak emitted from the foot of the bunk and a tiny green hand reached up. Din sat up and pulled the kid into bed with them. “How do you keep sneaking up on me like that?”

“I didn’t even hear the door from the flight deck open,” Rayne said.

“I always find it still closed when he does this. It’s like he phases through the bulkheads.”

The kid laughed in what Rayne swore was with a mischievous tone, crawling up between the two of them before plonking himself down, pulling his blanket up around his chin, and closing his eyes with a smile on his face. Din tucked the blanket around him, forming a tight little bundle. “Time for bed, I guess.”

“Sounds like a good plan.” They settled down, but she still found herself staring at the visor before her. “One last thing.”

“Yes?”

“Rayne isn’t my real name.”

“No?”

“You were honest about your name, so I’ll be as honest as I can about mine. It’s safer for you if you don’t know it.”

“Order 66,” he repeated.

“Yes.”

“I understand. Thank you for telling me what you could.” His hold on her hand tightened for a moment. “I’m closing my eyes now.” He did sound tired.

“Ok. Me too.”

In truth, he waited for her to close hers first. When she did, the tightness in his chest released, but just a little. He wondered at the little boy who he had finally come to accept as his own. He wondered at the woman who had given him shelter, in more ways than one. He wondered at the relationship forming between the two, the Force bonding them together as she taught him how to use it the best she could.

He wondered if he was looking at his family, right now.

He wondered what the hell he was doing.

And then he closed his eyes.