#also filing away another terminator reference >_>

[booasaur]

Special Ops: Lioness - 1x07

[mostlysignssomeportents]

The Bezzle excerpt (Part II)

I'm on tour with my new novel The Bezzle! Catch me next in SALT LAKE CITY (Feb 21, Weller Book Works) and SAN DIEGO (Feb 22, Mysterious Galaxy). After that, it's LA, Seattle, Portland, Phoenix and more!

Today, I'm bringing you part two of this week's serialized excerpt from The Bezzle, my new Martin Hench high-tech crime revenge thriller:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865878/thebezzle

Though most of the scams that Hench – a two-fisted forensic accountant specializing in Silicon Valley skullduggery – goes after in The Bezzle have a strong tech component, this excerpt concerns a pre-digital scam: music royalty theft.

This is a subject that I got really deep into when researching and writing 2022's Chokepoint Capitalism – a manifesto for fixing creative labor markets:

https://chokepointcapitalism.com/

My co-author on that book is Rebecca Giblin, who also happens to be one of the world's leading experts in "copyright termination" – the legal right of creative workers to claw back any rights they signed over after 35 years:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/09/26/take-it-back/

This was enshrined in the 1976 Copyright Act, and has largely languished in obscurity since then, though recent years have seen creators of all kinds getting their rights back through termination – the authors of The Babysitters Club and Sweet Valley High Books, Stephen King, and George Clinton, to name a few. The estates of the core team at Marvel Comics, including Stan Lee, just settled a case that might have let them take the rights to all those characters back from Disney:

https://www.thewrap.com/marvel-settles-spiderman-lawsuit-steve-ditko/

Copyright termination is a powerful tonic to the bargaining disparities between creative workers. A creative worker who signs a bad contract at the start of their career can – if they choose – tear that contract up 35 years later and demand a better one.

Turning this into a plot-point in The Bezzle is the kind of thing that I love about this series – the ability to take important, obscure, technical aspects of how the world works and turn them into high-stakes technothriller storylines that bring them to the audience they deserve.

If you signed something away 35 years ago and you want to get it back, try Rights Back, an automated termination of tranfer tool co-developed by Creative Commons and Authors Alliance (whose advisory board I volunteer on):

https://rightsback.org/

All right, onto today's installment. Here's part one, published on Saturday:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/17/the-steve-soul-caper/#lead-singer-disease

It was on one of those drives where Stefon learned about copyright termination. It was 2011, and NPR was doing a story on the 1976 Copyright Act, passed the same year that was on the bottom of the document Chuy forged.

Under the ’76 act, artists acquired a “termination right”—­ that is, the power to cancel any copyright assignment after thirty-­five years, even if they signed a contract promising to sign away their rights forever and a day (or until the copyright ran out, which was nearly the same thing).

Listening to a smart, assured lady law professor from UC Berkeley explaining how this termination thing worked, Stefon got a wild idea. He pulled over and found a stub of a pencil and the back of a parking-­ticket envelope and wrote down the professor’s name when it was repeated at the end of the program. The next day he went to the Inglewood Public Library and got a reference librarian to teach him how to look up a UC Berkeley email address and he sent an email to the professor asking how he could terminate his copyright assignment.

He was pretty sure she wasn’t going to answer him, but she did, in less than a day. He got the email on his son’s smartphone and the boy helped him send a reply asking if he could call her. One thing led to another and two weeks later, he’d filed the paperwork with the U.S. Copyright Office, along with a check for one hundred dollars.

Time passed, and Stefon mostly forgot about his paperwork adventure with the Copyright Office, though every now and again he’d remember, think about that hundred dollars, and shake his head. Then, nearly a year later, there it was, in his mailbox: a letter saying that his copyright assignment had been canceled and his copyrights were his again. There was also a copy of a letter that had been sent to Chuy, explaining the same thing.

Stefon knew a lawyer—­well, almost a lawyer, an ex–­trumpet player who became a paralegal after one time subbing for Sly Stone’s usual guy, and then never getting another gig that good. He invited Jamal over for dinner and cooked his best pot roast and served it with good whiskey and then Jamal agreed to send a letter to Inglewood Jams, informing them that Chuy no longer controlled his copyrights and they had to deal with him direct from now on.

Stefon hand-­delivered the letter the next day, wearing his good suit for reasons he couldn’t explain. The receptionist took it without a blink. He waited.

“Thank you,” she said, pointedly, glancing at the door.

“I can wait,” he said.

“For what?” She reminded him of his boy’s girlfriend, a sophomore a year younger than him. Both women projected a fierce message that they were done with everyone’s shit, especially shit from men, especially old men. He chose his words carefully.

“I don’t know, honestly.” He smiled shyly. He was a good-­looking man, still. That smile had once beamed out of televisions all over America, from the Soul Train stage. “But ma’am, begging your pardon, that letter is about my music, which you all sell here. You sell a lot of it, and I want to talk that over with whoever is in charge of that business.”

She let down her guard by one minute increment. “You’ll want Mr. Gounder,” she said. “He’s not in today. Give me your phone number, I’ll have him call.”

He did, but Mr. Gounder didn’t call. He called back two days later, and the day after that, and the following Monday, and then he went back to the office. The receptionist who reminded him of his son’s girlfriend gave him a shocked look.

“Hello,” he said, and tried out that shy smile. “I wonder if I might see that Mr. Gounder.”

She grew visibly uncomfortable. “Mr. Gounder isn’t in today,” she lied. “I see,” he said. “Will he be in tomorrow?”

“No,” she said.

“The day after?”

“No.” Softer.

“Is that Mr. Gounder of yours ever coming in?”

She sighed. “Mr. Gounder doesn’t want to speak with you, I’m sorry.”

The smile hadn’t worked, so he switched to the look he used to give his bandmates when they wouldn’t cooperate. “Maybe someone can tell me why?”

A door behind her had been open a crack; now it swung wide and a young man came out. He looked Hispanic, with a sharp fade and flashy sneakers, but he didn’t talk like a club kid or a hood rat—­he sounded like a USC law student.

“Sir, if you have a claim you’d like Mr. Gounder to engage with, please have your attorney contact him directly.”

Stefon looked this kid up and down and up, tried and failed to catch the receptionist’s eye, and said, “Maybe I can talk this over with you. Are you someone in charge around here?”

“I’m Xavier Perez. I’m vice president for catalog development here. I don’t deal with legal claims, though. That’s strictly Mr. Gounder’s job. Please have your attorney put your query in writing and Mr. Gounder will be in touch as soon as is ­feasible.”

“I did have a lawyer write him a letter,” Stefon said. “I gave it to this young woman. Mr. Gounder hasn’t been in touch.”

Perez looked at the receptionist. “Did you receive a letter from this gentleman?”

She nodded, still not meeting Stefon’s eye. “I gave it to Mr. Gounder last week.”

Perez grinned, showing a gold tooth, and then, in his white, white voice, said, “There you have it. I’m sure Mr. Gounder will get back in touch with your counsel soon. Thank you for coming in today, Mr.—­”

“Stefon Magner.” Stefon waited a moment, then said, for the first time in many years, “I used to perform under Steve Soul, though.”

Perez nodded briskly. He’d known that. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Magner.” Without waiting for a reply, he disappeared back into his office.

ETA: Here's part three!

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/19/crad-kilodney-was-an-outlier/#copyright-termination

[capsicrew]

Cleaning up a bunch of files off my computer, and came across this document I wrote some time back and never posted. Trying to catalogue the civilizations out in space based on in-game information. I would've wrote this a few months before 6.1 came out, but I don't think any lore was added in this realm since--even in the Omicron quests. Other than the Mandervilians and PuPu, but we're still waiting on the conclusion of that saga.

==

Organized in the order Meteion listed them. The cutscene where she gave her report cut away from her dialogue several times, so many planets are never described;

1: "Traces of civilizations found--structures believed to have served as domiciles. No extant life-forms detected." "The Nekropolis" location in Ultima Thule.

2: "Ruined remnants of buildings scattered across star, surface of which is encased in ice. Presence of life could not be verified." Possibly the "frozen star" mentioned by Omega?

3: "Evidence of large population centers akin to cities recovered. No extant life-forms found--only their lingering essence." Based on its location name in Ultima Thule, this is the home of the Ea. At another point, referring to no numbered star in particular, Meteion says: "One race had concluded that finite time was the root of all woes. Aspiring to shatter its shackles, they went in search of infinity. They discovered nothing is infinite, and that neither time nor death could be cheated. Disillusioned, they gave up on the future--and themselves." Which sounds similar to the Ea's predicament. One Ea refers to their planet as "Sadr IV."

4: "Edifices surmised to be abandoned residences found. No extant life-forms detected. Deadly plague or extreme environmental degradation likely to have led to mass extinction." Description sounds similar to the state of the Greboluff, the first area of the Dead Ends. But that star is designated as 6, not 4.

5: Unknown.

6: The planet of the Greboluff, based on its location name in The Dead Ends. A race of aquatic creatures brought war upon the 'shorewalkers' and became the dominant species. However, the creation of their tools of war soon had consequence on the planet's oceans, destroying its biosphere and reigning disease upon the world.

7: Unknown. However, the alien "fish" called Class Twenty-Four, which has 24 legs and 20 spines is described as being from this star. It's Fish Log entry indicates that this creature is *the* main civilization of 'Ostrakon Hepta' with which Meteion met. No mention of how this civilization/star met its end is made. No other fish in Ultima Thule make specific mention of their planet of origin, if any, except the few specifically associated with the dragons or the Ea.

8: "Star found in state of violent conflict. Contact successfully made with inhabitants, but deployment of weapons of mass destruction resulted in total annihilation of local population shortly thereafter." Second area of The Dead Ends wherein the society had eradicated disease, but threw itself into constant war. It seems that much of society came to be held under a single nation called the Global Community. However, various peoples, called Freedom Fighters in the dungeon, opposed them. In the end, the Global Community created 10,000 Peacekeepers (the second boss) which used an AI to maintain global peace--which included destroying its creators, who now also stand against them.

9: "Star is a barren desert. No identifiable flora found. Bones of living beings resembling men discovered beneath sands, but determination regarding their intelligence inconclusive." No other information available.

10: Unknown.

11: Unknown.

12: Unknown.

13: Unknown.

14: Unknown.

15: "Local civilization once flourished under auspices of higher power. Said power later laid waste to civilization in fit of rage. Upon revealing this to me, entity elected to self-terminate in lieu of providing answer to question. No other intelligent life-forms found."

16: Alphatron, home of Omega and the Omicron, as designated in Ultima Thule. Meteion doesn't discuss this star specifically at any point, but we know plenty about it's history through Omega, and the other quests in Ultima Thule.

17: The final area of the Dead Ends, the people of Ra-la. By however means, the people of this world rid themselves of sorrow and reached a state of perfection and paradise. In their perfect state, they lost any will to justify their existence, and lost the joy of life. Without mentioning a specific numeral, Meteion mentions of one star, "One race had discarded all things that gave rise to sorrow, hoping to have only joy. They found joy lost its savor in the absence of sorrow, and lost their will to live." Which sounds like it describes the people of Ra-la. Its been hinted at both in-game and by the devs that this was the pathway that the ancients could've been heading towards, and its likely Meteion recognized this, too. (Note from the future; we now know this race is known as the Nibirun.)

18: The Dragonstar, in Ultima Thule. Specifying no number, Meteion says thus; "One race had renounced war and devoted itself to the enrichment of its people. They were conquered. Though they destroyed the enemy in reprisal, they could not regain their former glory." This sounds similar to the state of the dragons and their star.

19+?: It's never specified how many Meteia were created, nor how many more stars they visited. Stars designated numerical codes only exist up to 18. When they form the Endsinger, though, there are a lot more than 19 birds.

Others: ?: "One race had striven to create a world bereft of animosity. They renounced relationships to avoid interpersonal strife, and in so doing brought about societal collapse" No known star matches this description.

?: "One race had renounced war and devoted itself to the enrichment of its people. They were conquered. Though they destroyed the enemy in reprisal, they could not regain their former glory." Though not 1-to-1 a description of the Dragonstar's history, as we know it, this description could easily be their own, as I pointed out above.

?: "One race had concluded that finite time was the root of all woes. Aspiring to shatter its shackles, they went in search of infinity. They discovered nothing is infinite, and that neither time nor death could be cheated. Disillusioned, they gave up on the future--and themselves." Well describes the state of the Ea.

?: "One race had discarded all things that gave rise to sorrow, hoping to have only joy. They found joy lost its savor in the absence of sorrow, and lost their will to live." The Ea also mentioned wanting to do away with "all sorrow," but no mention made of having lost joy--only their delusion with the finality of existence. This description also fits the society seen in the 3rd area of The Dead Ends, the people of Ra-la.

Deneb III: The Ea mention this planet as one that had been destroyed by "panic-induced cataclysm" much like Etheirys is approaching. Perhaps its one other planet that Meteion had already struck with the "final days" before she or another reached the Ea. No other description is given.

Gordhona: One of the planets conquered by the Alphatrons. Apparently they are silicon-based lifeforms, and were thus difficult for the Alphatrons to detect. No information on the star after Alphatron's invasion are known. Don't even know if Meteion was here or not. But since it was the first planet the Alphatrons visited, I'd guess it is/was close to Alphatron.

"Ypupîara": An alien "fish" available in Ultima Thule. It's Fish Log entry says that Meteion encountered it in the depths of space, associated with no specific star. The log speculates that they may have once been part of a star's civilization, but since lost their mental faculties.

[gaylordnantais]

5 Simple Steps To Prove Your Workplace Cumulative Trauma Injury

In the workplace, injuries are common. They can be caused by accidents like falls, car crashes or injuries from machinery. but if you have been injured and want to prove that you have been harmed with a cumulative trauma injury But if you have been injured in your workplace and want to prove that you have been harmed, here are five simple steps you can take to prove it:

Get your medical records in order.   To prove that you’ve been injured while working, getting all of your medical records and other forms of proof together is essential. From there, you can submit them as part of an official claim form or send them over as an attachment when you call into work every day with a doctor’s note explaining why they mustn’t come in for their time off—or whatever other kind of excuse might apply based on their specific circumstances (such as being too sick). Ensure all parties involved access these documents if needed; otherwise, they’ll be lost forever!

Get all your employment records in order.   – Work with a lawyer to review your company’s policies and procedures and the information they have on file. – Keep copies of all your pay stubs, employment contracts (including termination notices), performance reviews or evaluations that reference any time away from work due to injury or illness; IWOs are often filed away in a cabinet somewhere in an office building, but if you do happen upon them during an inspection it can help show how long it has been since these injuries started occurring! – Keep copies of any benefits provided by the employer, such as health insurance coverage or disability payments: these may not be apparent when looking at just one document, but when looked at collectively, they show how much money was spent on medical treatments over time which will help prove how much longer someone was out due to their injuries than previously thought.

Gather your employer’s insurance and contact information.   – The first thing you’ll want to do is gather the insurance company’s name, policy number, and phone number for both the claims department and any specific information about how to reach them in an emergency (e.g., toll-free numbers). – Once this information is gathered, it’s time for your next step: contacting them!

Document any workplace problems, write down a timeline of events and collect any evidence that supports your claim for a cumulative trauma injury.   Documenting your work-related injuries can help you prove them in court if necessary. It will also allow you to enter the timeline of events leading up to the damage so that court proceedings are more efficient and less stressful for everyone involved. You’ll want to keep track of everything from when each incident happened, including how long symptoms lasted after getting hurt at work, if any witnesses saw what happened or heard about it directly from another employee (or even someone outside of work), etc.

File a claim with the state to get workers’ compensation for your cumulative trauma injury if your employer denies your claim or does not have workers’ compensation insurance.   If you are injured on the job and your employer does not want to pay for the injuries, you must file a claim with the state. The state will investigate your case and determine if any compensation is due. If so, they will send out an adjuster who will come out to inspect the site of injury or damage and determine how much money needs to be paid to fix things up again. Suppose your employer has workers’ compensation insurance but hasn’t provided enough coverage or payments when needed due to shortfalls in income (i.e., layoffs). In that case, filing a claim can help employees get paid relatively. At the same time, they wait for their employers’ situations to improve financially before they can file another lawsuit against them!

Conclusion  

If you have been injured on the job, it is crucial to understand the steps involved in filing a claim for cumulative trauma injury. You may be able to file a workers’ compensation claim as long as your employer did not provide workers’ compensation insurance, and you can document that your injury was work-related and occurred at work. If you have any questions about cumulative trauma injury and workers’ compensation, visit us at Gaylord and Nantais Attorneys At Law or call (805) 800-8799.

[molagboop]

I told you I would info dump about Experiment Z-57, and I'm making good on that vow. Metroid Dread spoilers beneath the cut.

Navigation:

Dissected Creature

Experiment Z-57

Corpius

Comparisons, Part 1: Let's Talk About Legs

Comparisons, Part 2

2023 update: extras

Experiment Z-57 is referred to as "cooldown x boss" in the files. Before we begin, I'd like to note that the gooey, undulating bumpiness you're used to seeing on Experiment Z-57 is the work of an effect that I haven't yet replicated in Blender. There's probably a shader, a script, or some other file somewhere in the game that I haven't toyed with yet to apply it.

Top left: Z-57's corpse, top right: the corpse is missing after the X are released, bottom center: Experiment Z-57's X form. You can see the lumps in the black X goo covering its body.

In stark contrast to its previous appearance, the beast's skull is bleached white, as are the other bony protrusions jutting out from its body. Whatever rot or imperfection was present on its skull before the X were released was eaten away when one of the gelatinous parasites made a snack of the experiment. Additionally, its eyes almost glow a vibrant yellow, where they were dull orange before.

Its body is long and tubular, tapering off into a tail with no extra flourishes. It's like a worm, if worms ate people and had arms. Jagged ribs are situated on the creature's underbelly. They're exposed in much the same way Corpius' are.

Four of its arms terminate in hands that have four talons.

There are bony scutes on each wrist.

Beneath the armored plating, you'll find a tumorous yellow mass: the mesh for each of these is labeled "Arm_Hand_WeakPoint" with indicators that correspond to which side of the body its parent arm is on, and whether the weak point is on the upper or lower arm on that side. In the image below, I've hidden the mesh for the scales to make the mass more visible.

On each of these four-toed arms, you'll notice the elbows have three spines jutting out from the flesh. In this shot, the arm is bent, and the camera is positioned at the elbow.

The arms situated between these handsy limbs are longer and more noodle-like. Unlike the other two pairs of legs, the scutes lining these prehensile appendages start above the wrist and crawl up the forearm, stopping in the vicinity of the elbow. These arms end in three claws that get progressively larger as you near the end of the limb (the smallest one is hidden behind the wrist in this image, but I'll talk more about the middle pair of arms in another post).

Let's step back for a moment and look at the experiment's head again.

The boss has two short spikes situated around the perimeter of the mask. One could wonder if these are misplaced teeth (genetic modification says "oops"). It has round eyes that are fairly uniform in size. Each plane of the lower jaw has two eyes. The experiment's teeth, while not completely identical, don't vary too much in length. They all have about the same curve; not exactly, but approximately. The beast also doesn't have much of a chin, its neck kind of just starts at the end of the skull.

There's a lot of interesting stuff to talk about, but most of it involves comparing Experiment Z-57 to its undefiled body double and Corpius. We'll get to that.

[highshooketh1]

For those of you confused or just didn't see what happened leading up to Scaled and Icy, here's a quick(ish) rundown of the events of the weekend

1. The website that was created three years ago, dmaorg.info, in preparation for Trench, began terminating files. Here's a wiki that contains all the content that existed on the website if you are curious about it. The website showed a loading bar while this occurred and overall it took three days to reach 100%

2. Upon reaching 100% termination on Monday, the website was taken down and replaced with a letter from the bishops. You can still find this here.

The infraction number says "clancy is dead" which further renforces the message we received from this video. If you were not aware, the website contains letters from Clancy (refer to the wiki linked in #1).

3. We discovered that upon clicking on the o in the word "offender" in the termination notice, it turns to an ø (previously an à because of a glitch) which when clicked again, we can access these photos:

Things to note about these posters:

They have long hair, which usually means that they are in Dema

The logo is nowhere to be found other than Josh's arms when he is holding the tape measure.

We have yet another FPE: Featured Performance Event (our previous ones being "Few, Proud, Emotional" from Blurryface and "Failed Perimeter Escape" from Trench)

The fine print states that the band is not in full control here...if they have any control at all

DMAORG and Daily Dema...no mention of Fueled By Ramen (they are still working with the label, you can see this on their new website). These posters are meant to display that the boys are not doing all this by their own free will

This announces a live stream event and an album. The boys have stated multiple times that they wanted to avoid live stream concerts and they never want to play songs live to introduce them to us...they prefer for us to know the content beforehand.

And here's the biggest kicker: Scaled and Icy is an anagram for "Clancy is Dead"

On the Christmas Saves the Year cover, you can read "SAI is Propaganda". Scaled and Icy could be propaganda considering its initials spell SAI.

We've also noticed that the ø has returned to the band name on their website.

4. Tuesday night held a few notable things:

Posters like the one below started showing up in Europe and the US.

On the Warner website, the charts started showing "Shy Away - twenty one pilots", "Shy Away - Dema presents twenty one pilots", "Shy Away - one more sleep banditos", "Clancy is Alive - Tyler Joseph". These appeared at separate times but all within a few minutes before disappearing completely. We still are not quite sure if that was a hack or if that was an intentional set of messages. One more sleep was accurate since Shy Away came out today (Wednesday the 7th), and the others makes sense...except for the Clancy message. Someone on discord was wonderful and did some digging and it seems as though there was no way that could have been a hack because of their firewall/security system unless it was someone within Warner trolling us.

There's a new website as well as a fun little interactive place where you can hear a message from Josh, look at merch that drops later this month, and purchase tickets for the show and the 6-week interactive experience that they have set up.

If I missed anything or you want me to elaborate more on something, please let me know, but that is the main points of what happened!

I hope everyone is enjoying Shy Away :)

@vlvtmnky @witchaywoman

[bitchesgetriches]

Hey there! So my work place has quickly become TOXIC and I need to get out now while I can and I’m worried about job stability or another job paying me what this one does. I also don’t think I can work in the same job field due to how competitive it is and it can seriously rock the boat at the job I’m at. Or destroy my chances at another firm.

I make $20 Hr doing HVAC Estimating but I’m looking to make more because it’s not enough and I have two jobs (I was looking for a 3rd) . My old supervisor was fired and I took her position but apparently a year after being fired she filed for wrongful termination, (which I don’t know if I believe) and now they’re implementing some insane rules that feel specifically aimed at me (no one else knew about the rules when I mentioned it to other coworkers to cross reference my information) and when I asked if there’s something I’m doing wrong and could be doing better they said I’m doing just fine and not to worry. Well this morning I got a write up for something that’s been allowed all three years I’ve been here but now they changed the rules without telling anyone so almost everyone is being written up.

I’ve been begging for help for a year and a half and they’ve gotten me none, they joke about termination like it isn’t my livelihood on the line, and when I’ve offered up potential employees to help they didn’t want them in that position because they were a young unmarried woman (his words, and very illegal I know. As well as I fit all of these descriptors) they JUST now offered me help from a male friend of his and I worry it’s my replacement because he doesn’t want a young unmarried woman in this position due to our previous conversation on getting me help (maybe I’m paranoid) . I mentioned I want to go back to school this fall and had been promised when I was hired to have all the time I need to do so but since firing my supervisor and getting me zero help I had to quit school for a year, waiting for help so I can have time to go back. Also kinda unrelated, but when I mentioned how much a month I pay for my young allergy prone dog, he suggested I put her down, and that if I’m smart I’ll do it, and I don’t wanna work for someone who hates dogs like that(weird indicator I know but I feel like it tells me a lot about a person). I’m very worried I won’t be able to find a job that pays this much and I don’t know what to do but every instinct tells me I need to get my ducks in a row and jump ship soon.

All of this was bad, but when I got to the part about him telling you to put your dog down... HELL NO. We do not hold with people who treat beloved pets like part of the fucking furniture. Personally, I don't blame you for viewing this as a sign of shitty character.

Fortunately, we've been talking a lot about toxic jobs and bosses lately. So we have a lot of homework for you to go through. I hope these help:

Bonus Episode: “I Can’t Stand Another Day at My Toxic Workplace! Can I Walk Away Without a New Job Lined Up?”

Are You Working on the Next Fyre Festival?: Identifying a Toxic Workplace

Should You Trust Your Human Resources Department?

How to Quit a Job: Giving Notice with Dignity, Poise, and Tastefully Subtle Shade

Sexual Harassment: How to Identify and Fight It in the Workplace

[one-boring-person]

Could I request a first kiss scenerio with Austin/t-000

I hope you like this!😊💛

I Now Understand Why.

Austin/T-1000 x reader

Warnings: mention of sex, sexual themes implied

Masterlist

Nights like this don't come often in this particular household. Nights where the house itself is quiet and calm, very little activity taking place, the only inhabitants for the night simply enjoying this peace together for once.  It's relaxing, being able to sit in the living room without Sarah or John coming in to tell me they need help with something, or without Bob and Austin having one of their near-hostile conversations about subjects the humans of the house will never hope to understand, the idle nature of this time prompting a lazy smile to play across my features as I sit back on the sofa and gaze at the television.

A James Bond movie plays on the screen, the action flick being the only thing vaguely watchable for the night, in my opinion, anyway - Austin had no real input, by his own choice. The terminator had simply told me he wanted to partake in what his files tell him is a normal "human activity", and so had let me choose what we watch. His eyes remain locked on the screen, body rigid, posture not quite natural, his figure looking for all intents and purposes as if he's in shock, his perpetual scowl not helping his case. 

John, Sarah and Bob had all rushed out a few hours ago, leaving Austin and I together for a few days, none of them feeling the need to tell is why they had to leave, though it means little to me; I'd much rather stay at home and relax than chase some lead on a possible branch of Cyberdyne. Naturally, Sarah and John still don't trust the T-1000, and so left him in my care, much to my chagrin, knowing that my relationship with the terminator has become closer than I would like. Even now, as he remains seated across from me, I can't help my eyes wandering over him every now and then, finding the lithe build of his body, as well as the sharp cast of his features attractive after so long of being stuck with him. He and I have grown close, finding solace in each other's preference for quiet study and relaxation, the terminator speaking more openly to me than the others.

"Is something wrong?" The smooth voice suddenly interrupts my train of thought, snapping me back to reality with a jolt.

Blinking, I blush and look away, not sure when he noticed my gaze but embarrassed as hell that did, despite the inevitability of it. Thankfully, another thing I'd noticed about his programming is his slight naivety concerning romance and human emotion in that sense, meaning I'm able to explain myself much more easily.

"Huh? Oh, no, nothing's wrong. Why?" I stammer, scratching lightly at my arm, a nervous habit I picked up somewhere along the way.

"You have made visual contact with me exactly four times in the elapsed five minutes since I first noticed. Generally, this indicates that there is a problem." He informs me, blue eyes fixed on me as I internally cringe, flushing deeper.

"Have I? I hadn't noticed." I laugh off, a little shakily, "Nothing is wrong."

Austin doesn't reply, regarding me for a further minute or so, before he looks back at the television, right in time for the usual sex scene to come on. My cheeks go hot as I watch with him, my thoughts swiftly turning inappropriate, much to my dismay, somehow unable to stop myself from thinking things I shouldn't. Unconsciously, I clench my jaw, adjusting myself in my seat.

"What is the reason for that action?" Austin suddenly speaks up again, pointing at Bond and whichever girl he's with this time as they kiss, the camera panning in for a close-up.

"What, kissing?" I frown, glancing over at him - I know his files are limited concerning romantic actions, but surely he knows what kissing is?!

"The name of this activity is unknown to me. I am referring to their lips joining. Like that." He points again, eyes fixed on the two characters making out.

"Er, yeah, that's called kissing." I chuckle, watching him closely, "People do it when they love each other, or if they want to show their affection for someone. Most people do it in a romantic relationship, though it can also be used to show a romantic interest if they are not already together."

The terminator nods, taking in all the information I give him, a ripple going over him as he processes the data in whatever database he has, his eyes flicking over to meet with mine. After a moment, he cocks his head, apparently following a thread of data.

Suddenly, he stands and sits closer to me on the sofa, body twisted awkwardly to face me, despite the fact he could easily morph himself to fit more comfortably. Confused, I lift an eyebrow and watch him, unsure of where this is going.

"I require a demonstration to properly retain the information." He states, though he doesn't sound sure of himself, as if that isn't the only reason he's requesting this.

I'm too shocked to process it properly, my eyes widening, my mouth falling open as my pulse jumps, a sharp spark of excitement flaring up in me.

"A...demonstration?" Is all I can manage, my hand moving back to scratch my arm again.

"Affirmative. I request your consent for this." 

Austin continues to stare at me, observing my reaction as I struggle to formulate an appropriate response. My body is screaming at me to agree, but my mind is telling me I shouldn't, because I'll just get too attached. It takes me a moment, but eventually I just give in, unable to resist the slight terminator.

"You have it." I reply, somewhat unsure of what's going to happen until he nods and lifts a hand to cup my face.

His skin is somewhat cool against mine, his fingers splaying over my cheek as he uses his tactile sensors to collect what I can only assume is positive input from the touch as he leans in, eyes remaining fixed on mine. Mimicking my breathing pattern (unnecessarily), he leans in further, lips inches from mine, brushing against me with each gentle movement, until he carefully closes the gap.

I have to fight the urge to groan in satisfaction, relaxing as he kisses me, our lips moving tentatively at first, trying to find a suitable rhythm as my hands move to clutch at the slightly unnatural-feeling cloth of his shirt, pulling him close. In response, the terminator moves both hands to my hips, pulling me into him as my eyes fall closed, my body relaxing into his curious touch. Moving in sync now, we continue to kiss, his tongue lightly flicking over my lip as he pushes a hand up the back of my shirt, pressing for more sensory input. 

I can only give in to him, moaning as his tongue slips into my mouth, exploring everywhere it can reach, his grip on me tightening slightly, pulling me tighter against his hard body. For a moment longer, we remain there, Austin caressing every inch of my mouth with his tongue whilst his hands roam any available skin until I feel my air finally run out, at which point I go to pull away. 

He pulls back, looking at me curiously, until he seemingly remembers that I have to breathe. Waiting for me, he soothingly runs his hands up my back, regarding me closely as I lean into his touch, enjoying this far too much for my own good. 

"I understand why humans kiss now." He states, a smile pushing at the corner of his lips.

"Y-Yeah?" I pant, a little breathless.

"Affirmative." He confirms, before he leans back in, holding me tightly against him.

[80s4life]

Until We Meet Again”

Word Count: 1,353

Status: Not Requested!

A/N: This is completely off from the movie, like, it has nothing to do with the story line. It was just a little something when I got in my feels. I might make a part 2 depending on the hype and whether or not this was actually like lol.

Fandom: The Expendables 2010-2014

Relationship: Tool x Reader

Summary: When the reader has an unexpected turn of events, they realize all the things they’ve never done, and some of the things they should’ve done. Will they make it out or will they never get the chance?

Warnings: angst, regrets, blood, assumed death, Reader is shot, blood loss, violence mentioned, language, VERY SAD (I warned you)

Taglist: @snapessecretdiary ( @one-boring-person​ cuz u love expendables)

Masterlist Expendables Masterlist

{gif is not mine, credits to @hellofagirl​}

People say that, when death happens, your life flashes before your eyes, giving you a slideshow of all the good, the bad, and the downright dirty. Usually, when this happens, regrets and prideful moments occur, making you either want to keep time the way it is or change it in some way, making you burn inside. It is also common for you to die peacefully, surrounded by the ones you love, whether it be of old age or other natural causes. All the people you want, there and supporting you throughout your final hurrah.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case for you, you were not one of those people to die of natural causes or simply old age. You weren’t even surrounded by any of the people you loved. You were just a nobody, someone that was used at other people’s expense, used to kill and terminate any threats and rescue what’s stolen or held unlawfully. 

Hence your group’s name, The Expendables. Highly trained mercenaries, veterans, and weapons experts used to do as you do best.

You were on a mission with them when your worst nightmare occurred, it being thoughtfully planned and kinks worked out days prior, giving you preparation as multiple other missions had time and time again. Just like any of the jobs you took with the team.

The objective was to take down a newly popular mafia, not unusual to you, the mafia not being too strong or big of a family just yet. However, when finally on the battlefield, you, along with the rest of the team; Barney Ross, Lee Christmas, Hale Caesar, Gunnar Jensen, Toll Road, and Yin Yang, had noticed just how wrong the mission truly was.

It was a set-up, one put in place by your highly unidentified employers, sent to tear your one-of-a-kind, intelligent family apart from what it was. You weren’t very fond to your past enemies, taking them out, ruining their plans, and destroying what could’ve been years of work to put together. This had led to many menacing opponents.

Barney, your leader, had sprung to action quickly, splitting us off and protecting us, being the amazing leader he was. Something you never got to fully acknowledge at times, sometimes being so pissed, you didn’t care if you had threatened his superiority or level of expertise. Hurting his feelings immensely.

The mission had gone fairly well for a while, working hand-in-hand with one another, tag-teaming with your brothers at separate times, given your unexpected predicament and disadvantage.

This was until you had managed to unknowingly cut yourself far from the group of mercenaries, having to run from a silent assailant wielding knives. Running underneath an archway, scared and exhausted, you felt your legs, abdomen, and lungs burn as the only missions in mind now were to get to safety and come home to the one you love undeterred. 

Only time would tell if these were going to be successfully accomplished.

You duck and weave through crates and buildings, running through a small town, but quickly run out of options as you draw yourself into a massive clearing. You scream over the comms, turning your mic on, asking for help, anyone, anything.

But they were too far away, rushing as fast as they could, wanting none other than to be at your side, fighting off anything that were to threaten you. You were their sister, whether it be blood or in arms, you were family and connected as one.

You spin on your heels, looking for a way out, but find nothing. Nothing to protect you or hide away in.  Nothing to just get you out. Accepting your fate, you decide this is it, facing your pursuer now, hands above your head in an attempt of surrender. The surrender goes unanswered though, unaccepted, your attacker pulling a gun from his waist band, shooting you square in the chest, not giving you a chance. 

Walking now, the killer comes to your side, body encased in a pool of blood, seeping into your clothing. Deciding his job is done, he lowers his gun, looking you in the eyes before disappearing into the distance, concluding that a slow death was the best revenge. 

All you do is lay there, unmoving, your mic still on and blaring with the voices of your team, concern and anger lacing their tones. You do not answer however, motivating Yin Yang to track your location from his keypad, Caesar and Toll deciding that bullets weren’t enough anymore, throwing grenades and bombs instead, killing the multiples. Barney, Lee, and Gunnar finishing the last of the survivors off, the full team hurrying to get to you from all different directions.

Gunnar is the first to find you, pumping his long legs harder now as he fears the worst, knowing this situation is a close two-end street, your chances slimming by the minute. Lee and Barney file in a moment later, followed by Toll, Yin Yang, and soon, Caesar. 

All you can do is stare, lovingly, regrettably, and solemnly all at once, knowing there is so much to say but not enough time to do so. So you told them, as quickly as physically possible, the blood now rushing into your lungs and mouth. You told them what you loved most, what you had regretted saying or doing, knowing the full effect of the past now.

And, when the pain gets to its worst factor, you turn to face Barney, him knowing you the most. “The pink book,” you choke out, Barney knowing exactly what you were referring to, “Give it to Tool for me, will ya’? There’s so much I haven’t told him, and just about everything should be in there.”

“Yeah,” Barney answers, his voice fading now, tears in his eyes, “Yeah, I’ll give it to him. I know what ya’ want, and I’ll send the message. You’ve always had a better way of speakin’ than me, and I think he’d like if you came back home in one piece, Kid. Just focus on stayin’ awake for me for now though, okay?” The last of his sentence comes out choked, tears now pouring from his eyes. Tears pooling from all of the men now, knowing that your fate is nearing its end.

“I love you guys...Always know that okay? Keep it with ya’,” I say, my body now feeling immensely lighter than any high could’ve.

“Yer not dyin’ on us Y/N...Ya’ can’t!” Gunnar yells, his emotional defense kicking in as his way of coping. “Yer supposed to be here always-”

All you can do is watch, tears of your own flowing in waves down the corners of yours eyes, rounding my eye cheek bones, slipping down towards my ears, and falling in delicate puddles. They’re all falling apart, and there’s nothing anyone can do to help it. Instead, you weakly motion your hands, grabbing one of Barney’s and Gunnar’s, the rest motioning to either hold onto one another or a limb of your body, such as your knees or legs.

As your vision starts to fade, and the familiar faces of your family dim and disappear, the last face you see is one that wasn’t there. One who will never know what would’ve happened until the group returns home, your body being held within their own arms. Tool. The most talented, artistic, and loving man of my dreams, will never know the full extent of your passion for him. And now, as darkness overcomes you, your last final regret lies on him, your last tears shedding from your eyes. Closing them, seeing the darkness, and feeling the last bit of your being being lifted, no longer seeing or feeling anything. Just black.

Whoever said death was a pleasant goodbye never really understood all of what leaves with the hollow body of a once joyful, full of life person. The regrets, stories, love, and connections staying remnant within them and never truly leaving even when they are no longer visible. For even as they part, the people who knew them now are haunted and reminded of a person no one will ever see again. Never have the beauty of knowing just like they had.

That is, until they part ways as well. 

Until then, it is just a bittersweet goodbye.

[pterodactylterrace]

Guys Like You Chapter 17

Title: Guys Like You

Chapter: 17

Chapter Summary: We'll get through this, I promise.

Rating: 18+

Warnings: I'm almost 100% sure this is legally inaccurate. It's a work of fiction, though so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  Also, vomiting and mentions of anxiety/poor mental state. Mentions of prior abuse.

{Prologue} {Chapter 1} {Chapter 2} {Chapter 3} {Chapter 4} {Chapter 5} {Chapter 6} {Chapter 7} {Chapter 8} {Chapter 9} {Chapter 10} {Chapter 11} {Chapter 12} {Chapter 13} {Chapter 14} {Chapter 15} {Chapter 16}

Lawyers, attorneys, case building, legal proceedings and court dates all swam around Faye's head to the point she was dizzy. Henry had taken immediate action and gotten in touch with his legal team right away, ultimately being referred to someone more specialized in custody cases who agreed to work with Faye's sister on the case. He as not about to let that slime ball come back after years and take their baby from them.

First, they had to file for Faye to be the sole parent and guardian of Briar, sighting the years long abandonment for terminating any rights he may have had. Then, they had to gather up everything they could proving he was an unfit father, picking at old wounds that Faye would rather be left alone. All she'd had to do was get in contact with her sister and within minutes she had over a dozen pictures of just as many occasions with Faye battered and bruised, or with her fingers in casts, or her lip split. Faye hadn't even known her sister had been taking them, but she had also blocked out a lot of that time of her life. Her sister had always been the more responsible level headed one anyway. She'd probably taken them just in case something like this ever happened.

Her sister had also filed for a restraining order against him on her behalf. She knew what kind of person he was and having a legal order of protection against him was a solid idea. It prevented him from intimidating Faye or trying to just take Briar.

Overall, they were assured by almost everyone that he stood no chance. He had walked out of her life before she was even born and never tried to be in contact since. No judge in their right mind would listen to a word he had to say.

That did very little to settle Faye's anxiety. Over the next few weeks Henry would often find her crying silently, her mind a million miles away dwelling on the what ifs. Briar had moved to sleeping in their bed the same night they had gotten the letter, more for Faye's sake than anything else. Having her daughter close was one of the few things that calmed her down anymore. Henry had tried everything he could think of to take her mind off of what was happening, but with little success. All it would take is one look at Briar and Faye would start tearing up again.

Faye had gotten so bad she would barely eat. She would only pick at her food, nibbling on a few bites here and there. Henry could tell she was losing weight, but he was unable to convince her to actually eat more. She just kept telling him she felt sick all the time. A few times she had even worked herself up into such an anxious mess that she was physically sick. Henry had yet to meet her ex, but he knew he hated him more than he had ever hated anyone in his life. Whoever that slime ball was, he had severely crossed the line. The woman he loved was a wreck because of him, something had to be done.

Henry took it upon himself to pack everyone for the trip to the states, not wanting to add anymore stress to Faye if he didn't have to. Briar had been given Dramamine before the flight and again almost halfway through to keep her from getting sick. Faye's chronically empty stomach faired far worse. She was in and out of the small airplane bathroom, Henry dutifully following each time as she brought up bile or nothing at all, her stomach desperate to rid itself of contents it didn't even have. She even threw up the Dramamine he'd gotten her to take. It was times like this he was eternally grateful he was able to fly privately. The entire flight would have been a nightmare if they had to deal with other passengers at the same time.

He had booked the biggest suite he could within a reasonable distance of the court house where hearings were meant to be held. They wanted to have some privacy before everything happened, though they were planning on staying with Faye's parents afterwards until they went back home. Faye wanted to be impressed and thankful for everything he was doing for her and her daughter, once again, but she didn't have the energy to do much more than squeeze him tight, resting her weary head against his strong chest.

"It'll be alright, darling. No one is going to take our princess away." Henry assured, tilting her head up to kiss her gently.

"It's just dredging up so many bad memories." Faye admitted shakily, wiping her eyes before more tears could fall. Between throwing up and crying she was sure she was dehydrated, her head pounding in synch with her heart to prove it.

"I know, but they're in the past now."

"But they're not." Faye hiccupped, hiding her face in his chest again. "All of this is happening right now."

"This is the last time he is going to have any contact with either of you. Go and take a long shower, darling. Try to relax. You need your sleep."

"I know I look awful." Faye sighed, reluctantly stepping away from him.

"Just as beautiful as ever." Henry corrected, digging through the bags to find Faye's shower bag and something for her to change into. While she was in the bathroom, Henry convinced the half asleep toddler to get ready for bed, handing her a pair of zip up pajamas along with her diaper, reminding her to go potty before he would zip her up.

The child was tucked into the middle of one of the beds, hugging her stuffed bunny tightly and falling asleep almost instantly. Henry went to check on Faye once he was sure she was asleep, smiling softly when he saw her stepping out of the shower.

"Feeling any better?"

"Not really." Faye sighed, letting Henry take the towel from her and dry her off.

"It will be over soon, I promise." Henry assured, pulling one of the shirts she had stolen from him over her head.

"Not soon enough."

~*~

"She ran out as soon as she found out she was pregnant. I tried to track her down for years, but I never could find her. That's the only reason I haven't been in my daughter's life. I could never find an address for either of them. She just vanished."

Faye felt her skin crawl at his words, physically shrinking away from him the moment he laid eyes on her. Everything just came flooding back, and suddenly she was right where she was years ago, having to put up with his lies and manipulations. She could feel more bile threatening to creep up her throat every time she looked at him.

"As you can see, the defendant never filed for sole custody of the child until very recently. It is our belief that she is using the child against my client for some perceived wrongs. She has even fled the country to make sure that my client has no access to the child."

"Alright. Miss Warren?" The judge shifted his attention to the other side of the room. "Is the plaintiff the biological father of the child?"

"Yes." Faye answered softly.

"And did you try to reach out to him after the birth of the child?"

"No, I did not. He left the second he found out I was pregnant. He avoided my attempts to contact him up until I gave birth. He made it pretty clear he wanted nothing to do with us."

"And did you in fact leave the country with the child in an effort to avoid contact with the plaintiff?"

"No. I left because I had a job offer in another country. My daughter came with me, because she is my daughter."

"Your honor, if I may?" Delilah stepped in, squeezing her sister's hand supportively.

"Go ahead Miss... Warren."

"As you can see from the documents I have provided, my client has only moved three times in the last five years. The first was into an apartment in the same town she resided in with the plaintiff before their split. She held a lease in that same apartment until a year and a half ago when she moved to England. She only recently moved from there into a home that she shares with her current boyfriend. For the plaintiff to be unable to locate my client, he would have had put little to no effort into actually looking for her."

"Does Mr. Young have any evidence of him attempting to locate the defendant? What efforts did he make?"

"My client did the searching by himself, there is no paper trail of his efforts."

"So you cannot provide any evidence of his attempts to locate the defendant or the child in question?"

"No your honor."

"Now, Miss Warren... the lawyer, do you have a statement to make?"

"Yes, your honor. As you can see from the documents I have provided you with, my client suffered abuse at the hands of the plaintiff for years. There are not only pictures of the injuries, but also documentation from several emergency room visits due to 'blunt force trauma' along with multiple domestic violence reports against the plaintiff. The plaintiff left shortly after my client revealed her pregnancy and no attempts to contact my client or the child in question are able to be confirmed. Tell me, Mr. Young. If you were so invested in your unborn child, what was the child's expected due date? On what day did my client suffer a miscarriage of one of the children she was carrying? What do you even know about the child you want in your life so badly now?"

"I don't know anything, that bit- the defendant kept her from me."

"Kept her from you, or you didn't try to make any contact?"

"I tried to make contact!"

"Enough, Mr. Young." The judge sighed, leaning back to look at the papers in front of him. "Tell me Miss Warren, what does the child in question know about the plaintiff?"

"Nothing." Faye replied softly. "She didn't have a father in her life."

"Would it be alright if we spoke to the child?" The judge asked, looking over to where Briar sat in the back of the room, playing with her stuffed bunny under Henry's watchful eye.

"Briar?" Faye called, the child popping up and running over to her mother. "Would you be ok talking to everyone?"

"Ok, Mama!" Briar eagerly accepted, scurrying over to the chair she had seen everyone else take a turn sitting in.

"Hello Briar." The judge greeted, smiling warmly at the child.

"Hi." Briar giggled, squeezing her bunny to her chest.

"I like your bunny. He is very well behaved."

"We be good." Briar confirmed, nodding her head surely.

"Now, Briar, can you tell me about your family?"

"Yeah! I have my mama and that my aunt Lilah! I see Nana and Grampy on the phone too! Oh! And I met Papa family too! We play in the big yard, then we all went to sleep in the couch room and they were all giggling, but I was good!"

"You met your Papa's family?" The judge asked, his brow furrowing.

"I like Papa family." Briar giggled.

"Mr. Young, has the child had contact with your family?" The judge asked.

"Yes, she has recently met my family."

"Mama?"

"Hold on sweetie, Mommy needs to talk to Aunt Delilah." Faye rushed out, turning her terrified eyes to her sister. "What is he doing? Briar has never met his family. I've never met his family!"

"I thought he just congealed in a gutter somewhere. What is Briar talking about? Who's family did she meet?" Delilah whispered back.

"Henry's. She calls him Papa, we met them just a few weeks ago."

"That's kind of adorable, we will circle back to that after we deal with this douchebag. Can you prove she's never met dingus's family?"

"We've only been back in the States for two days. I don't even know where his family lives. Like I said, I never even met them!"

"That's something. Where's her passport?" Delilah mumbled to herself, shifting through the various papers in front of her.

"Papa? Papa, I gotta go!" Briar whimpered, squirming in her seat.

"I'll take you since Miss Warren is too busy." David quickly offered, popping up and reaching for the child before anyone else had a chance to react.

"No!" Briar screamed, kicking and wiggling when he picked her up. "No! Not Papa! Not Papa! Help! Mama!"

"Hey, it's me. It's Papa!" David tried, attempting to wrangle the thrashing child.

"NOT PAPA! WANT HENRY PAPA!" Briar screeched, hitting him in the face with her stuffed bunny.

"David, put her down! You're scaring her!" Faye yelled, anxious tears welling in her eyes. She wasn't sure if it was her heart in her throat, or if the water she'd been sipping on was trying to make a reappearance. The sight of him touching her daughter was enough to make her sick.

"Mr. Young!" The Judge barked, finally succeeding in getting him to release the struggling child. Briar dashed to the back of the room, throwing her arms around Henry's legs, frantically trying to climb him as she cried.

"Hey, it's ok Princess." Henry soothed, lifting her up and holding her tight. "Can you go and sit by Mama after you go potty?"

"NO!" Briar squealed again. "Papa stay! Bad man! Mama!" Briar blubbered almost incoherently, squeezing her bunny tight as she gasped between sobs.

"Ok, ok. I'll be right here. I'll make sure the mean man doesn't touch you or Mummy again, I promise." Henry assured, grimacing when he felt a warm wetness soaking through his shirt. "Princess? Did you have an accident?" Henry asked her quietly, glaring daggers at the other man when she shakily nodded her head.

"He... he scare me."

"I know, it's alright. We'll get you cleaned up, ok?"

"Your honor, may I ask the child a question?" Delilah ventured, standing up and placing her hand on Briar's back to get her attention. "Briar, who is your Papa?"

"Papa." Briar sniveled, hiding her snotty, tear stained face in Henry's neck.

"Your honor, as you can see from the copy of the child's passport, she has only been back in the United States for just over two days. She has never met the plaintiff's parents in her life. She is clearly terrified of him, too. Can we please stop all this nonsense?"

"I've heard all I need to." The Judge decided, turning to look at David. "Mr. Young, you have lied to me several times and provided me no substantial evidence regarding any of your claims. The child does not feel safe with you, and for good reason considering the numerous cases of domestic violence against you. Your parental rights are hereby terminated, and the defendant's request for an order of protection is granted, effective immediately."

"You can't be serious!" He growled, turning his furious eyes to the judge.

"I am very serious, Mr. Young. Even if you did genuinely want to be in the child's life, your previous convictions against the defendant prove you to be unfit to care for her." The Judge continued.

"She's ok." Faye breathed shakily, finally forcing herself to stand on shaky legs, Henry instantly wrapping his arm around her waist to steady her.

"I told you everything would be ok." Henry whispered, kissing her forehead softly. "No one is taking our princess away."

"I sorry Mama. I had accident." Briar sniffled.

"It's ok baby. Did you pee on the mean man?"

"Uh-hu. He scary." Briar mumbled. "No sorry."

"You don't have to apologize to him." Henry assured. "How about we go back to the hotel and get you a bath? We can go out for ice cream after."

"Please." Briar whimpered, continuing to hide in Henry's neck.

"No need to be upset. You're not in any trouble." Faye soothed.

"How about you? How are you doing?" Henry asked Faye, gently leading her out the door.

"Better? I don't know. I'm happy but still so anxious." Faye admitted.

"After all of this I don't blame you, but it's over now, darling. It's all over."

Faye and Briar ended up sharing a long bath when they got back to the hotel, giving Henry time to use the exercise room to relieve some of his own tensions. He had no idea what he would have done if they had been ordered to share custody. He hadn't known the little girl for very long, but she was still his world. He was willing to give up anything if it meant keeping his family together.

When he had gotten back to the hotel room, both of his girls were dressed, Briar happily attempting to dry her mother's hair while she sat on the floor, calling out directions to the little girl. She handed the dryer off to her mother as soon as she saw Henry, happily throwing her arms around his legs.

"You back!"

"Yes, sweetheart, I'm back." Henry chuckled, picking her up and kissing her forehead. "You have to try harder than that to get rid of me."

"Ewww! Papa you smelly!" Briar whined, covering her nose with both hands.

"The audacity!" Henry gasped, hugging her even tighter, laughing when she groaned in protest. "I in no way smell like a sweaty gym sock."

"You icky, Papa!" Briar repeated, pushing his face away with one hand, the other covering her nose. "You take a bath. I get you toys!" She decided, wiggling to be let down. Both adults nodded along as Briar monologued her choices in what Henry should take with him, tossing each one into the tub. She had decided upon a rubber duck, a wash cloth, a Captain America action figure, a horse figurine, the hotel mouthwash and carefully placed his razor on the side of the tub, sternly reminding him not to cut his hair again.

"Ok, princess. Promise I won't cut my hair again." Henry agreed for what had to be the hundredth time since he'd had to cut his hair for work months ago.

"Briar, how about we go finish getting ready, and then when Papa's done, we can all go see Nana and Grampy?" Faye offered, wincing at the decibel of the scream that erupted from the little girl's chest.

"NANA! GRAMPY!" She cheered, racing past her mother, digging through her bag to look for her shoes.

"You might want to hurry, I don't know how long I can keep her here." Faye chuckled, her brows crinkling when she saw the look on Henry's face. "What? You said you were ok with meeting my parents..."

"No, it's not that. That's the first time I've seen you laugh in weeks." Henry pointed out, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

"I'm trying to do better. Sorry I've been miserable to be around."

"Don't apologize for how you feel. Anyone would be upset if they had to go through that. I want you happy again, but I don't want you to force it. I want you to be really happy."

"Well, you can make me happier if you showered. The man stink is overwhelming." Faye teased, Henry rolling his eyes at her. "I see how it is, right back to teaming up on me. Just so you know, Kal is usually on my side."

"Guess we'll have to have a tiebreaker then." Faye shrugged, smirking as she left him alone in the bathroom with a shocked smile on his face.

When they finally arrived at Faye's parents home, Briar was about to burst from her seat in excitement. Faye barely got her out of the car before she was scurrying up the front steps, frantically ringing the doorbell. Faye followed behind her daughter, relaxing even more once she was in the familiar surroundings.

Delilah was the one to answer the door, her hair still up in it's sleek, professional updo, though she had changed into more comfortable clothes once she had gotten back to her parent's house. Briar audibly groaned when she saw her aunt for the second time that day.  "Aunt Lilah! Where Nana?"

"She's in the kitchen, waiting on you." Delilah laughed, moving out of the child's way and wrapping her sister in a hug. "Told you we'd get through this."

"My sister, always there to save my ass."

"And you thought law school was a stupid idea."

"You said the same thing about art school, and look what it got me." Faye teased, nodding at Henry as he made his way up the stairs.

"Ok, you got me there. No one in my law firm looks anything like that. All the ones that ask me out for drinks are fat, bald and married."

"Is that where your standards are now?"

"Basically." Delilah laughed, ushering the two inside.

"Faye!" A short older woman cheered, bustling in from the back of the house with Briar on her hip.

"Hi Mom!" Faye greeted, pulling away from Henry to hug her mother. "Mom, I'd like you to meet my partner, Henry."

"Partner?" Her mother questioned, giving her daughter a strange look.

"It just sounds better than 'boyfriend'. More sophisticated."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Warren." Henry cut in, offering his hand to her only to be pulled into a surprisingly tight bear hug.

"Now, now! We hug around here!"

"Papa give good hugs!" Briar giggled.

"Yes, he does." The older woman agreed, patting his shoulder before venturing back into the house.

"Dad is around here somewhere. Probably break-fixing something." Faye mumbled, taking a quick glance around in an attempt to discern where he was.

"Just follow the sound of objects crying, you'll find him." Delilah laughed. "I think he said something about fixing the ceiling fan in the gremlin's room."

"Which one are you staying in?" Faye asked.

"I'll bite the bullet and sleep in the gremlin room. Not very often you have the chance to score in your childhood bedroom." Delilah teased, Henry shifting his gaze uncomfortably anywhere else.

"Like that isn't what happened when we visited your parents." Faye scoffed, grabbing his hand to lead him down the hallway.

"That's different." Henry mumbled, hefting their bags up as she pulled him away.

"How?"

"They're my family. There's not much I could do by now that one of us hasn't done before."

"Relax, I'm pretty sure my sister knows we've had sex by now. I would know, I told her."

"Only good things I assume?"

"Well the conversation started with me telling her she gave me the wrong size condoms when I moved away."

"Wonderful." Henry sighed, fighting back a laugh when he was led into a room with two twin beds against opposing walls.

"If you want I can help you push those together." A voice from behind offered. "Hi, I'm the dad."

"Hello, sir. I'm Henry." He greeted, setting the bags down and offering his hand, the other man gripping it firmly and resting his other hand on his elbow, giving a curt nod.

Faye's father wasted no time in sequestering Henry off into a different bedroom to hold up the ceiling fan while he worked on it. Henry wasn't sure what he was doing, and he had a feeling he didn't know what he was doing himself. He was either trying to find a bad wire, or attempting to electrocute both of them.

Faye and her sister had wandered back to the living room, curling up on the couch with her head in her sister's lap catching up on everything that had happened while they had been apart. Delilah had been killing it in her law firm, to say the least. She'd bought her first condo and a cat to go with it. The cat hated her, despite her many attempts to befriend the feline now sharing her home.

Briar spent the rest of the afternoon in the kitchen with her Nana, 'helping' her make cookies and brownies. Naturally, she had to sample everything that was being made. She also got sole ownership of the spatula, and she made sure everyone knew it, loudly yelling it to the rest of the house.

They weren't all back in the same room again until dinner time, Briar happily explaining to Henry that she had been the one to make the 'sketti' as she kept calling it. He had doubts to the validity of that statement. He also quickly figured out where Faye had learned to cook. Faye finally did more than pick at her food, actually inhaling three plates of her favorite comfort dish. After they had all stuffed themselves, the three travelers decided to head to bed, the combination of jet lag, the day's events, and the amount of carbs they had just consumed almost putting them into a coma at the table.

Briar went straight into the room at the end of the hall as soon as her pajamas were on, happily leaping onto the giant canopy bed. Surrounding it were stuffed animals of all shapes and sizes, along with tumble mats, a slide, a small ball pit, a mini trampoline and the biggest dollhouse Henry had ever seen. One wall was a chalkboard, several of Briar's artworks still decorating it from the last time she was there, the other walls were painted a soft purple, her name written in big silver letters on the wall behind the bed, peering proudly through the posters of the canopy.

"It's her room at my parent's house." Faye shrugged.

"Tell me again how I'm the one that spoils her?"

"There's more stuff in here now than there used to be."

"No there's not!" Delilah called from down the hall, Faye shooting an annoyed look over her shoulder.

"They're her grandparents, they're supposed to spoil her."

"Is this the biggest room in the house?"

"It used to be our playroom. Dad wanted to turn it into a home theater before I had Briar."

"Papa, watch!" Briar gasped, picking up a remote and turning on the TV mounted on the wall across from her bed.

"A TV of her own in her room." Henry half laughed. "And I get yelled at for sneaking her a biscuit!"

"You sneak her cookies just before dinner!"

"Your mother has been stuffing her with cookies since we got here."

"She hasn't seen her in a while?"

"That settles it, until I end up getting that kid her own pony I don't want to hear another word about me spoiling her." Henry snorted.

"She asked you for a pony, didn't she?"

"It's come up." Henry confirmed, tucking the sleepy, squirmy child in tightly with her bunny under her arm.

"She's not getting a pony." Faye grouched, kissing her daughter's forehead.

"But I want a pony." Briar pouted.

"Where will you keep a pony?"

"The stable where Papa ride horseys."

"You know, Mommy is pretty sure she asked Papa not to take you out there." Faye grouched accusingly, glaring at Henry as he pointedly avoided her gaze.

"She started crying." Henry mumbled, giving her a pathetic look. "I can't say no when she's that upset. It was just the once, I promise. She only pat them, she didn't get on a single horse."

"Wanna ride horsey."

"Anything else you do that I should know about?" Faye asked, raising a brow at her boyfriend.

"I leave my underwear on the bathroom floor every night then put them in the hamper each morning before you wake up."

"Strangely specific."

"It has been eating me up inside for ages. I finally feel free."

It felt like no time at all that Faye was curled up in her old bed, Henry sleeping in the one that used to be her sisters. It felt like even less time before she was jerked out of sleep, her stomach protesting strongly, bile rising into her throat. She jumped out of bed and rushed across the hall to the bathroom, not even taking the time to turn on the lights before violently emptying herself of everything she had eaten that day. Henry was right there only a few seconds later, having been awoken by her frantic rush to the bathroom. He held her hair back at the base of her neck, rubbing her back softly and trying to focus on anything other than her vomiting. He should have been used to it after Faye being literally worried sick for weeks, but the smell got to him every time.

"I think I ate too much." Faye whimpered, using some tissue to wipe her mouth and tossing it into the bowl, flushing it along with everything she'd just thrown up.

"You haven't eaten much in weeks, darling. Maybe you should try pacing yourself more?" Henry suggested, slowly helping her to her feet to rinse her mouth out.

"I know, but I just love my mom's spaghetti so much." Faye whined.

"I'm sure she'll make it again if you just ask her."

"Well that seems obvious now."

"Think you can go back to bed?" Henry asked, leading her back across the hall at her small nod.

After another two days of feeling nauseous, they had all come to the conclusion that her immune system must have been weakened by the stress of everything and caused her to catch some stomach bug. After a week and a half, she was wondering what kind of super bug she had managed to contract. The only time she could keep food down was when she would nibble at things throughout the day. Just how long would it take for her stomach to get used to food again before she could keep it down? She'd hoped she would be able to stomach something more substantial on their last full day with her family, muscling down her mother's homemade waffles until lunchtime. Two bites of mashed potatoes was all it took to tip her over the top, landing right back in the bathroom with Henry holding her hair back.

Thankfully they had noticed the pattern of small bits of food staying down in time for them to fly back to England. The fatigue of her being sick, along with how emotional she was about not being able to actually spend as much time with her family as she would have liked while she was there had her sleeping almost the entire flight. That left Henry dealing with Briar's motion sickness. He was slowly becoming convinced his entire world would be nothing but vomit for the foreseeable future. Faye finally gets to where she can eat just fine, only for Briar to be throwing up kool-aid and vanilla wafers while her mother got some well deserved rest. It was a good thing he loved his girls, otherwise he may begin to resent them soon.

@weallhaveadestiny @lunedelorient @summersong69 @mis-lil-red @lharrietg @amberangel112 @mansaaay  @nostalgicb-txh

Ok, my taglist got deleted somehow. If I missed anyone, I’m sorry. If you want to be added, let me know. I’m doing my best to make the tags work, but it’s not going great, my dudes.

[luimagines]

Today was a bright and beautiful morning as all the trees outside your window have begun to fall.You force yourself to move from the covers of your bed and sit up straight,stretching your arms across and all around as you yawn. You start to make your way to your bathroom to get yourself ready for the day when suddenly a knock on your window takes your attention away from continuing on your path.

What was it? A bird?A branch?.....Link? No it sounded too much like a person’s hand knocking on the window,but who would be able to climb up here and what for?But Link had been gone for years since his last adventure with,what were they called, “the chain”?

He hadn’t sent you any letters or visits for years now and you began to wonder.No you believe that he was dead.that was the only other explanation there could have been when you heard that the great evil was slain and he still hadn’t come back.

Then you heard another knock on your window.

But just maybe….

A thought hits you and you begin rushing towards it with a smile on your face. 

It was Link! He finally came back! Your bare feet were hitting the floor with loud thumps as you ran as fast as you could reach your hand out ready to unlock the window door like he would disappear again forever if you didn’t open it in time.

“ After all these years he was finally back!” you peer outside only to see a small blue metal machine box with the triforce symbol glowing in a light blue color engraved at the top of it.

A box? Before you decided to pick it up,you stopped and took a quick look around to see if you could spot the culprit who left behind this package. After a few seconds of intense scanning you decide to finally look down at your package and lift it up for examination.Was this a gift from Link? Did he send this to let you know he was fine? On his way?Was he already here and- No,no,no,no,no! Not everything has to be about Link! This could be a gift from someone else! Or was this even a gift…? You turn to look around the area one last time before closing the window and going back inside.

You sat back down on your bed with the box in your hand which was no bigger than your palm and began touching all around it. What was this thing??A decoration?A tool? Maybe just a souvenir or trinket? Suddenly you accidentally press down on the symbole at the top as it begins to glow and the triforce symbol on your hand glows in sync with it too before you toss it out of your hand in shock. The box stops itself from falling just before it hits the ground and floats back up and begins to open itself turning and shifting like it was unlocking itself before a blue hologram screen is shown. At this point you have already fallen to the ground crawling backward to move behind your bed before seeing the image of a beautiful elegant  blond woman standing-floating?-before you.she had on alond white coat and wore a plain black dress under and wore a crown on her head that seemed to serve as a purpose to show her statues as a queen without it being too glamorous despite having what can only be described as a goddesses beautiful looks.There was also a unusual plastic like device or object that clipped on the left side of her coat that said

‘Head Chief researcher Dr.Zelda’

A second later the figure moved, took a breath,or what seemed to be one,then began to speak as words began writing themselves in front of her in tandem with her speaking but disappearing when the space was too full to keep the previous sentences with them.lucky the words were being said in a slow enough manner to were if anyone were to read it,even a slow reader,it would still be comprehensive.

“Greetings,do not be alarmed.This is a pre-recorded message sent to you by me to inform you of dire situation that has come to place,to also state I will not be able to hear or respond to you but will send a representative shorty to discuss the matter first with you after this message has been delieverd.To start I am the Queen Zelda of hyrule #18b-A12 timeline 2.I am also the the head chief and researcher of the Secure,Contain,Research and Protect Program also known as the SCRPP which main goal is to,as stated in the title, secure,contain,research and protect all dangerous,overpower and magical items and people or beings that could cause massive harm or destruction across our world. I am extending our hand out to the Zeldas of their worlds for aid as we have all of  the links,also known as “the chain” from all across the different Hyrules and timelines under our containment currently and need help figuring out a cure for them.There be a summarized report that will be shown to you soon after this message of the charges shown as well as incidents during their time here at the SCRPP and studied behaviors.You must make sure that you are alone or with trusted elite members in your circle when reading this.if you are not the Zelda,current wisdom triforce beror,current ruler of your kingdom or a level 6 personale reviewing this message,you will be hunted down and arrested giving B leve aministic dosage or be sentenced  for termination for illegally stealing,intercepting and accessing  governmental files without consent of the SCRPP and Royal approval of the Court of internal Investigations outside of the know judiciary.And due to the time and era difference of our worlds all the reports will be shown on paper organized in folders with photos and names of each link and their subject code number as well.

Would you like to be shown and have access to file #19835-the chain links? Touch on the “Yes” if you are in a secure location to receive the report click on the “No” and the message box will close in on itself until the recipient of the massage presses their hand on the symbol on the box to reopen it.You will be able to open and close the box and see the continent summary report inside  with every link,including my own, in the folders in order to better understand the situation as well as another subject who will for now be classified as subject zero for now.”

As you watch and listen to all this unfold,questions start to flood though your mind about everything that was going on.What happened to Link?Why was he locked up?Is this a hostage situation?How did these people know where to find me?Is this why he never came back?Is this a trap?What's going on????

Taking a deep breath,you decide to collect yourself and go and find yourself in a secure place to be.if this box had any answers to what was hap[pneding you needed to find out now.You didn’t even bother to get yourself dressed and ready but instead grabbed the box and ran to your study room and locked all the doors,covered every window and made sure everything in the room was cleared out  before setting the box down and taping on the “yes” as the projected blue light of the woman faded and the box closed in on itself.The box began to turn and twist with sound of metal gears turning as he became a much larger rectangular serving plate sized box.The top opened up revealing a large beige covering that had a lot of paper neatly stacked inside of it with the title in large bold letter that said “case file number  #19835-The corrupted Heros.You swallowed hard and began to read the first page and this is what it said:

Case file number #19835- The Corrupted Heros

  

To start off the chain were first discovered when they were arrested and charged with multiple kidnapping attempts,hostaging,multiple homicide murders,injuring/killing of innocent civilians,attacking and maiming some official knights and crown guards and damage of property as well as resisting arrest.Other charges were made as well but these were some of the highlighted main ones that were had in court during their trials before they were to be sentenced and put to death,but because of the intervention and pardon plea deal that was offered to instead imprison them by the link of our world also know as “Mulan” among the chain but will be referred to as subject 10,they were all instead placed in jail for life as well as receiving weekly therapy and prescribed medication for their physiological obsessive insanity. But having broken out of their prisons repeatedly and kidnapping the person in question,who for now will be referred to as “subject Zero” for privacy insurance, they were placed under the SCRPP containment buildings units until a better suited and proper prison was placed for them to serve their sentence.What caught the SCRPP’s eyes to have them permanently be contained in their prison unit research facility was for the fact that the links showed signs of abnormal magical essence surrounding around them when they were first administered to the SCRPP prison research unit and went through the mandatory full body scan check up that is done whenever a person,staff,anomalie or being is entered into one of our units,whether they be vacant or under occupied use of other anomalies, it is a mandatory procedure that must be done thanks to that of past events that have occurred before these check ups were installed. Every member of the chain,although they vary, have show a red aura circling or being admitted out of their bodys that was shown within the charts and scan results.Subject 8,also known and nicknamed as “Wind” has shown a grey aura that flowed with his red wich made the research team place him under a separate category with the rest of the chains,as we believe it may have to do with his age,but not enough evidence has been shown that can concretely prove it.It is believed that the substance could be a source or a symptom done by whatever it may have been that is caused them to have the obsessive and aggressive behaviors and symptoms for subject Zero.A short while after this discovery we decided to do a full check up on subject Zero,subject 10 and subject 11,and although we did find a large portion of magical essence similar to that from the rest of the “links”  we saw that the essence that surrounded subject zero was a glowing yellow magical force that seemed to take over the whole room that it incompaced in while with subject 11,who is better known and nicknamed as lucky, showed a red and grey aura that surrounded him but seemed to glow the least out of everyone in the room.Finally there was subject 10 who,out of everyone’s surprise showed no signs of any usual amounts of magic aura seeping out of them despite the fact that she had been traveling with the group and was also a “Link”.We decided to start conducting experimentations and research on the matters and to keep the links from attempting to escape they are to have long periods of time with subject Zero to prevent the loss of staff lives and to prevent public casualties due to their obsessive,protective and possessive nature for subject zero. 

You paused in your reading. Needing to take a minute to fully process the information you had been reading.

Subjects? Obsession?murders? Magic? It seemed every time you read more of the article the more questions you had.It made you brain hurt with how much you just wished someone would just properly explain it to you instead of just sending all these endless files of paper.But it was not like you wanted to just sit around waiting for whatever representative was going to come. 

You rub your hands over your eyes and sigh back on your chair, eyes closed.At least you know now that link was alive but with the way the letters were written,it seemed as if he wasn’t himself at the moment. 

Taking another breath you looked down at the letters before you. 

Well it's not like you had anything else planned for today.

And if you did,they just got canceled.

I AM NOT OKAY I MIGHT BE CRYING

HELP CHEESE CHEESE!!!!!!

WHY MY BOY HE'S BABY

NOOO NOT LIKE THIS I'M AFRAID I'M SCARED!!!!!!

MULAN!!!! LUCKY!!!!

FREE MY BOY HE DID NOTHING WRONG!!! I DIDN'T KNOW THIS IS WHAT YOU WERE PLANNING!!

I WAS GONNA TRY AND GIVE YOU A SPOTLIGHT TO READ AND RESPOND PROPERLY BUT I CAVED AND READ IT TODAY EVEN THOUGHT IT'S LATE AND I'M AFRAID FOR THEM!!!!!! WHAT DOES THIS MEAN!!!

CHEESE!!!

CHEESE I HAVE QUESTIONS!!!!!!

[the-swedes-knees]

Human Resources - The Swedes x Reader

Did I make a tumblr just to post a birthday present for @jossambird? Yes, yes I did.

Rating: Everyone 

Pairing: Reader/Swede(pick your favorite)

It had started like any other work day at the Temps Commission. The case management room was silent aside from the rapid clicking of typewriter keys and the rustling of papers as employees cross checked their historical references. You were just another cog in the machine, expected to work efficiently and follow every rule in the handbook down to the letter.

Which is why it was a surprise when your supervisor placed the summons to HR on your desk.

"Cheryl." You greeted the HR representative coldly as you entered the meeting room. She glared at you as you went to take a seat, not even bothering to say your name. There wasn't a clear reason why she had been gunning for you the past few months but you suspected that it had something to do with the last company Christmas party. Or rather the point in the Christmas party when she had become dangerously intoxicated and you had walked her back to her living quarters instead of letting her fulfill her desires of making thinly veiled sexual innuendos to coworkers.

One might assume that kind of story would lead to a friendship, or at least a funny story to laugh about together...  

"Do you know why you're here?" But apparently Cheryl didn't think so. When you crossed your arms and shook your head no she let out a catty hiss of disapproval. "Well this shouldn't be a shock, but I've opened up a sexual harassment investigation against you."

Your face hardened and your eyes shot to the folder that was placed in front of you, identical to the one infront of her and three more like it on the opposite side of the table.

"That can't be right... who - " The end of your question died on your lips as the three temporal assassins entered the room and sat down at the table across from you. Almost in perfect unison the three tall Swedish men regarded your presence before turning their attention to the woman at the head of the table.

Axel, Otto, and Oscar. More commonly referred to as simply The Swedes. You had handled a fair number of their cases in your career, and they were certainly some of the best the Commission had to offer. They were all handsome in their own right. Strong, stoic, and silent... but you had only admired them from afar, just sparing glances in passing through the massive building complex.

You weren't sure what drew you to them, like a moth to a flame. But just those sparing glances had ruined any other romantic prospects for you.

"Thank you for coming. I'm aware how busy the three of you are, but this matter simply demands to be addressed." She said smugly before turning back to you and opening the manila envelope that was placed perfectly perpendicular to her.

"In recent case number A-96353 you wrote an extra message to the Swedes that was not approved by your supervisor. Is this correct?" Cheryl asked your pointedly.

"Yes." You admitted, squaring your shoulders a little bit more as the reality of the current situation began to dawn on you.

"For the record, can you please recount what that message was?" She asked. You took a deep breath and kept your eyes focused on her. There was an evident threat of heat creeping up to your cheeks, but if this was some sort of weird power play, you didn't want to give her the satisfaction.

"I believe I wrote 'good luck boys' on the bottom of their assignment." You admitted in an even tone.

"Is that all?"

"I may have also drawn a small heart." You said through slightly gritted teeth. "I've already received infractions for that offense. It won't happen again."

You turned your body to face the three men, and bowed your head slightly in shame. Even though you had gone through getting slapped on the wrist and mandatory behavioral classes for not following protocol, it wasn't their fault that your attraction to them had led to your immature urge to flirt on the job. Even if the flirt was hardly a flirt, and it was sent via tube with a kill order.

"I apologize, for my unprofessionalism." You said sincerely, beginning to rise from your seat to leave this waste of everyone's time.

"Well there is also the case of these little locker room comments."

"I-I don't know what you're referring to." You froze as she sifted through her folder, placing her pen on the page as she began to read a section of notes verbatim.

"He could punch me in the face and I would thank him for it." She read with as much enthusiasm as a young fast food worker making minimum wage. Your heart throbbed in your chest wildly as you stared at Cheryl in disbelief. "Does that sound familiar?"

"Yes..." You croaked out softly, all moisture seeming to have left your mouth. Your eyes darted to look down at your lap, your fingernails suddenly much more interesting than the three assassins that were openly staring at your from across the table. The sound of rustling papers caught your ears as the men began to read through the reports for themselves, but suddenly you couldn't seen to move a muscle.

There was no telling who had overheard that particular comment from the water cooler, but it was just one comment... If you could shake off this terrible sense of dread and embarrassment you could chalk it up to a simple misunderstanding -

"Time and date 0923845753: I would pay him to crush my pelvis." She continued to read from the file in front of her in a monotone voice. In potentially the dumbest reaction possible your eyes darted across the table and made direct eye contact with Axel as the comment was read. His face was unreadable, but those blue eyes pierced into you so deeply you may has well have died right on the spot.

"Time and date 0202493192: God must be a woman to make men that fine." You decided that there was no God, if there was then he or she or whatever omnipotent being they were would have pity on your soul and allow your body to combust into flames instead of sitting there.

"Time and date 0221527010: He can break all two-hundred and seven of my bones." There was no blood left in your face, you were sure of it. It pulsed rapidly and loudly through your thudding heart and directly into your ears. Your brain couldn't pick between being embarrassed or downright mortified, a violent chill settling into your bones as the startling realization settled over you... this was the end... your life was over... just because you found the three men a few feet away from you devilishly handsome and you couldn't keep your damn horny mouth shut.

"Time and date 0940251637: I would let him step on my throat."

"Oh that one was actually-" You held up a finger to correct that that particular comment was made by your friend in payroll whom which you shared a similar horny braincell, but quickly decided against it. "You know what, I'll take responsibility for all of them... there's really no need to keep reading."

"For the case of this investigations, were all of these inappropriate comments directed at an individual or a collective?"

"It was, it was um... all. All of them."

"Any one of these comments could be classified as a serious offense, and you are in clear violation of several company policies." Her words barely registered in the haze that set in around you. This was it, your life was ruined... you were dead, and this was hell, it had to be... "And if they agree to follow through, I can have you fired by-"

The sound of metal screeching as Axel stood up from his seat silenced the HR representative. All three brothers shared a quick look before Otto and Oscar stood as well, tossing the files that had been placed before them back onto the table sloppily. Otto's eyes were glued to yours as Axel slightly shook his head at the woman at the end of the table.

"Byråkratisk skitsnack." He sneered before walking past you to leave the room. You had no idea what it meant, but from the offended gasping noise Cheryl made, you were sure she did. The other two men followed their brother shortly after, Oscar making teasing kissing faces at you as he exited through the door.

What just happened?

Both you and HR sat in a moment of stunned silence, obviously this meeting hadn't gone the way either of you expected. With the Swedes gone, you found the courage and sense of self determination to look at the woman again. You raised an eyebrow and looked behind you at the doorway, silently asking if this meant you could leave.

"One more slip up and I'll file for your termination, clear?" As much as you wanted to think of a snappy comeback to the woman who had just lost all the power she wrongly thought she had, your flight or fight response was still in full gear and you suddenly forgot all that was the English language. All you did was bite your bottom lip and nod before slowly rising from the chair and returning back to work.

Curious coworkers asked throughout the day if you were alright, the sense of dread still clawing at your heart at the utter humiliation that you had received... but there was no one to blame but yourself, you probably got what you deserved for making such comments in a professional environment. You briefly considered taking a vow of silence, never to speak again in penance for your sins.

The vow ended rather quickly after Dot offered you treats from her candy stash in an attempt to lighten your mood.

Everything will go back to normal, just don't think about them... ever again... You obsessively chanted to yourself while staring blankly at the copier and munching on your third candy bar. The mechanical machine whirred loudly as it spit out page after page of references that were needed for your current case. It was so loud, in fact, that you weren't aware that another person had entered the room until you felt a sharp pinch on your ass.

You suppressed the urge to scream as you jumped back, mind now alert as you whipped around to see the culprit.

Now standing a few feet away was one of the very same men with platinum blond hair that you were trying so actively to purge out of your mind. You had never admitted it to anyone else out loud, but secretly you did favor one brother more than the others... the slight mannerisms and the way that he held himself causing many obsessive dreams on lonely nights.

And here he was... alone... the closest he has ever been.

"Hi." You greeted dumbly, not even confident enough to say his name. Your eyes flickered from the ground back to his face before holding out your chocolate. "Kit-kat?"

His face remained neutral as he reached out and broke off a section from the bar, eyeing you up and down more properly than before.

"You know my name." He remarked before biting the chocolate wafer in half and slightly gestured his chin towards you. "Yours?"

You told him, a bit surprised that he didn't seem to know it after that disaster of a confrontation. Had he not read through the accusations? Or if you were such an unnoteworthy person to him, why was he here... talking to you?

He's going to kill you, you pervert.

"Do you eat?" Just as you were preparing to plea pathetically for your life, you were instead caught completely offguard. Confusion overtook you as your eyebrows furrowed as you tried to understand the question.

"Eat? You mean like... eat food?" You asked slowly, mind going completely blank as you watched him pop the rest of the wafer in his mouth and chew slowly. Even with something so small, your knees were going weak at the close proximity. You shook your head gently to refocus, dangerous thoughts like these were what got you into trouble in the first place. "Um, I guess? Yes?"

"Good. Six o'clock, pervers." He declared firmly with a stony expression before turning to walk away. Unintelligent noises of sputtering and half words left your mouth as you moved to walk with him, keeping a bit of a distance as you held your copies tightly against your chest.

"Six o'clock what?"

"You eat dinner, with me. Or I step on your neck, your choice." He said casually, eyes keeping straight ahead as he spoke... almost ignoring that you were even there.

"What? Where? Why?" Even though you were trying to whisper as you paced through the hall, your voice was rising in octaves as each question left your lips with little filter. He stopped his long stride abruptly, inadvertently causing you to flinch as he turned back to look at you. The slightest ghost of a smile toyed at his lips as he stared you down like a hunter with eyes on its game. You remained as still as humanly possible as he leaned down to speak in your ear.

"I will find you."

You watched him turn around once again and strut down the hallway like a man on a mission while you stood there, mouth gaping like a goldfish. He was coming for you, that much was certain... There was no where or time that you could possibly hide from the not-so-secret item of your affection.

Should you be horny or terrified?

Both. You decided. Both sounded good.

[kronecker-delta]

Farscape Nier crossover and ideas

Snippet (from 2017) Farscape/Nier: Automata --- Her room was a mess. Scattered parts of her uniform and other clothes piled along along the sides, kicked there when she came and went. Her personal books disarrayed, off the shelf and toppled over by her bed. She'd been putting off cleaning again and with the recent arrivals none of the operators could be spared to make up for her bad habits. None of that mattered at the moment. White sat in her chair, staring out into the void. A souvenir of her old days in the ground based resistance held in her hands. The framed picture of pair of androids seated on the still smoldering bulk of the ruined machine behemoth a memory of a simpler, happier time. A knock on her door brought her attention away from melancholy remembrance. Before she could compose herself and more sternly tell whoever had interrupted her what she had meant by 'Only bother me if there's an emergency' another knock issued forth. Followed by a voice. "Hey White? You in there?" She froze. She had so desperately hoped that it wouldn't be him. *** "I've never been here before," White said apologetically as their transport ship came down beside the small lunar outpost. A tiny thing, compared to the bunker. Even given the greater volume underground for secured data storage and backup generators. "No problem. First time I've been on the moon," he said, giving her a reassuring smile that didn't quite manage to look entirely honest. His frown returning as they stepped out of the transport, the boots of his pressured suit crunching into the light dusting of lunar sand that had covered part of the landing pad. "Feels like I should say something... 'Great leap for mankind and all that' you know. Hey, is the Apollo site still around?" "It is. If you want we could visit there Commander Crichton." "Just John... or Crichton. Being called Commander all the time feels weird," John Crichton said. "I know I'm the last human but..." "I-I understand," White answered. Keeping her own emotions deeply locked down as they passed into the fortified complex of the moon server. Past the scant few technicians and guards and into a dark room, nearly empty save for a single console located in the center. A black void engulfed the walls, impenetrable shadows, as the terminals and screens had long laid dormant. "So now what?" His voice echoed in the room, which must have been far larger than they had at first thought. Low clicks and whirs came from the bulk of the machine, the long slumbering physical access port awakening. Lights flashed along the walls and beyond them, racks upon racks of computer systems networked together awakening. A great screen before them coming on and displaying a stylized picture of a tree, long dark roots stretching out from its base. OVERSIGHT AND RECORDING SYSTEM VER. 2.01 SLEEPING BEAUTY ONLINE. CONFIRM USER PERMISSIONS NOW. "Commander White, YoRHa access S-Class security," White said. Looking to her side and adding, "As well as a guest." CONFIRM GUEST'S IDENTITY. "John Crichton, Commander in the IASA," John said. "Born... 1969. June 6th. If that helps any." The computer sat in silence for a long moment, not responding, the screen frozen as the loading bar seemed stuck in time. They shared a look of confusion, both android and human wondering if the ancient archive might have crashed and who was going to have to go out and ask the few technicians to help reboot it. Then the room came alight, a dozen more monitors online, the totality of it awake for the first time in forever. HUMAN IDENTITY CONFIRMED BASED ON HISTORICAL RECORDS. YoRHA S-CLASS SECURITY CLEARANCE SUBSTITUTED FOR UNRESTRICTED SYSTEM ACCESS. S-CLASS, SS-CLASS, AND HAMELIN ORGANIZATION FILES NOW UNLOCKED. GREETINGS COMMANDER JOHN CRICHTON. HOW MAY THIS SYSTEM AID YOU TODAY? "What... what's 'SS-Class?' There shouldn't be a level of security above mine." NEGATIVE. THERE ARE TWO. SS-CLASS, CONTAINING SENSITIVE FILES DEEMED TOO DANGEROUS TO BE KNOWN OUTSIDE OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCIL. AS WELL AS FILES REGARDING THE HAMELIN ORGANIZATION, WHICH WERE TO BE SEALED UNTIL SUCH A TIME AS A HUMAN USER ACCESSED THIS SYSTEM. "We do this so that the future generations will have the opportunity to judge us for our sins." "Who the hell was that?" John asked, shocked by the computer suddenly vocalizing. Producing the sound of some long dead man. Old and ill, his voice straining to make the words clear into the recording. DR. EUGENE ADLER, HAMELIN RESEARCHER IN DEMONIC ELEMENT MANIPULATION EXPERIMENTS. BY HIS RECOMMENDATION AND THE UN SPECIAL SECURITY COUNCIL'S AUTHORITY IT WAS FELT THAT KNOWLEDGE OF THE HAMELIN ORGANIZATION'S INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE DEMONIC ELEMENT AND THE 6-12 INCIDENT COULD NOT BE PUBLICLY REVEALED UNTIL THE CRISIS HAD PASSED. John looked to White, hoping she might be able to explain something, anything of what the computer had just told them. But she looked just as confused as he did. "Ah... Computer?" YES JOHN CRICHTON? "Define 'demonic element' please." DEMONIC ELEMENT: QUANTUM OBSERVATION REACTING PARTICLES BROUGHT OVER BY THE ENTITIES INVOLVED IN THE 6-12 INCIDENT. TWO VARIETIES WERE DETERMINED UPON FURTHER RESEARCH. TYPE I, WHICH CAME FROM THE ENTITY CLASSIFIED 'QUEEN OF THE GROTESQUE' AMONG NUMEROUS OTHER NAMES ACQUIRED FROM OBSERVATION DATA OF LEGION FORCES AND PRE-SUBLIMATION MEMETIC CORRUPTION OF WHITE CHLORINATION SYNDROME PATIENTS. TYPE I MATERIAL HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THIS UNIVERSE FOR THE LAST EIGHT THOUSAND YEARS FOLLOWING THE COMPLETE PURGING OF IT FROM THE EARTH'S ENVIRONMENT. TYPE II CAME FROM THE OTHER ENTITY, CLASSIFIED AS 'A DRAGON' NO OTHER NAME OR IDENTITY DETERMINED. WHILE HIGHLY REACTIVE AND DANGEROUS IN LARGE DOSES IT WAS FOUND TO BE STABLE IN SMALL AMOUNTS AND TO LACK THE MALEVOLENT EFFECT ON INTELLIGENT LIFE THAT TYPE I MATERIAL EXHIBITED. EVENTUAL CONTROLLED EXPOSURE AND SYNTHESIS EXPERIMENTS LED TO THE CREATION OF FOCUSED MAGIC ENERGY EFFECTS AND SUBSEQUENT DEVELOPMENTS IN FIELDS OF NEUROLOGY AND META-COGNITION AS WELL AS NUMEROUS OTHERS. PROJECT GESTALT AND ANDROID CONSCIOUSNESS ARE BOTH LONG TERM SUCCESSES OF THIS RESEARCH. HIGH ENERGY MAGIC WEAPONS WERE ALSO ATTEMPTED BUT LATER SHELVED FOR BEING UNRELIABLE. AS OF THIS DATE THE AMOUNT OF TYPE II MATERIAL PRESENT IN THIS UNIVERSE IS ESTIMATED TO BE 63 METRIC TONS, OVER A HUNDRED FOLD INCREASE IN MASS FROM THAT OF THE ORIGINAL ENTITY BROUGHT ABOUT BY CONTINUAL SYNTHESIS AND ITS NECESSITY IN THE CREATION OF NEW ANDROIDS AND ALL CURRENT GENERATION MAGICAL DEVICES. THE ANDROID WHITE HAS 6 GRAMS OF IT AS PART OF THEIR INTERNAL SYSTEMS, MOSTLY RELEGATED TO META-COGNITIVE PROCESSES. "Wait... wait!" John yelled out, grabbing onto the unused console as he stared at the enormous amount of text that had just been displayed. More and more appearing on other monitors, going into greater detail about all sorts of absurd things. "What do you mean by magic? And dragons? What the hell happened to Earth?" THE 6-12 INCIDENT. PLAYING ARCHIVED DATA NOW... *** Crichton sat on the edge of her bed. Looking down at his hands, fingers intertwined. He hadn't spoken since White had stepped aside and ushered him in. Neither had she. She had wanted to be alone, and had hoped that Crichton would choose to spend some time with his alien friends. Or his semi-human lover... "You know, it's kind of funny," he said at last, a low chuckle that surprised White. He truly did sound amused by the dark comedy of his situation. "What?" "Well, when I first realized you were lying about something... after I got over the whole 'android' deal anyway," Crichton said, looking up from his hands to look into White's eyes. "I was so certain that the deep dark secret you were keeping from me was that you all went Terminator on the humans and than got ashamed about it." White found herself smiling despite it all. "I guess I can imagine why you would think that. Even if we don't all look like Central European bodybuilders from the Old World." His expression collapsed, going from amusement to a shock so profound it looked like a stiff breeze would have knocked him over. White found herself confused and then very worried. Had she said something wrong? Then he started to laugh, slow at first, but building into something that bordered on mania. Rolling onto his back and shaking in the hysterics. "Haha... oh god... you have no idea, no goddamn idea how long I've wanted someone to get one of my dumb references," Crichton sat up looking far happier than he had a moment ago, the levity of their absurd connection dispelling the melancholy cloud that had hung over them since their return from the lunar server. "Like I love those idiots on Moya, but being around aliens on the other side of the galaxy for a few years really makes you long for some normal human conversation." "I... I think I can understand. Somewhat. It must have been very lonely out there." "Lonely, terrifying, insane... beautiful too. Space is crazy like that. Full of contrasts so sharp it's stunning. I-I wanted to bring that back you know? Not just to get home, but to show what I had found out there," he said, pointing to the stars outside White's window. "I guess it's too late for that now." "I'm sorry," White said. Noting the strange look that Crichton was giving her now she hesitated before continuing. "I'm sorry we failed." "Failed? Failed at what? Stopping a magic apocalypse that had already started before the first androids came online? Which reminds me, we're going to need to do something about them later. Those twin models that someone had the bright idea to shoulder with some fucked up version of android collective punishment." Crichton leaned forward, massaging his forehead as he did so. "That's probably only the tip of the bullshit you're dealing with and here I come with a whole new mess of problems. Maybe it would have been better if I had never found Earth." "No! Crichton you-we can fix things. I know we can. Not just your presence here or for getting access to sealed archives in the server. The technology you brought with you. It very well might represent a turning point in the war with the machines." "And what about the Sebaceans... the Peacekeepers? The Scarren Empire? Or hell, even the Nebari Establishment? Better gravity control systems and two hundred year old ship scale energy shields won't stop a fleet if it comes knocking at our door." "We'll do what we always have. Try and protect Earth and mankind's legacy from any aggressor. Whether distant cousins that no longer remember their home-world like the Sebaceans... or these Scarrens you've mentioned so much. We won't- we cannot retreat from this fight. Not now." White clenched her fist tightly, the glove creaking as she set a firm expression on her face. "I promise you Crichton, even if the past is lost, we will make a future worth fighting for." Ideas: I've been thinking over the ideas of a Farscape/Nier crossover some more, coming up with elements, themes, and specific scenes that would be fun to explore and write. These are some of the ideas I've had in no particular order. 1. Androids in relation to the Last Human (Crichton). Crichton is a self-admitted sci-fi geek, not surprising for a second generation astronaut that grew up wanting to explore the stars. He straight up makes comparisons to how he attempts to handle alien encounters to be inspired from watching Star Trek. Given that I think his relation to the androids would develop in a certain direction. Once the initial shock of a) the amount of time passed and b) that these people he thought were human aren't passes, he wouldn't feel comfortable having an intelligent race acting subordinate to him. I can see multiple incidents where some variety of complex philosophical quandary or just plain relationship question from 6O results in him telling them that humans really didn't have a better answer. Long term this would likely take the form of a very serious conversation where he points out that Earth, and what of its culture and history still lives, isn't in just human, whether the dead ones or genetically altered human descended Sebaceans. Or even in any hypothetical offspring that he might have. Basically, 'Mankind' includes them, as they're what's keeping the memory of it all alive. Aside from some bonding scenes between various androids and Crichton as they go over bits of alien tech, one idea I have in particular is that he takes a tour of moon landing sites, including the one his father visited. Effectively the only place he will ever see any lasting evidence of that man in particular. And the reaction of his android guide (White perhaps?) as well as the Apollo 11 plaque cements his decision to change the way the androids view their relation with humans, at least in so much as he can. 2. 2B and 9S (and others perhaps). I think there's a lot of fun to be had in placing the androids into weird situations with the aliens, and even more so if for some reason they have to head off away from Earth for a period of time. Since I can easily see the plan being for them to lie constantly. Lie about being human, lie about the 'Glorious Terran Federation' which is totally a military power that we didn't just make up, lie about what they're capable of, lies upon lies as they try and deceive the Scarrens and the Peacekeepers and keep Earth safe from either side those aggressive powers. In general I think 'Androids pretend to be human to deceive aliens' is a good plot for lots of stories, and could easily be turned into a rather long plot. Since the androids wouldn't want to let Crichton head off to parley with these alien aggressors on his own. And he could really use all the help he can get for whatever crazy ass plot he comes up with next. 3. Aliens would want Android tech. Probably just Scorpius, but others too if they find out more about Earth. I hadn't realized it at the time, but there was a period of the show where the hybrid Scarren-Sebacean was working with Crichton, and that would be the perfect opportunity for him to learn something about the androids and Earth history. And being him, he would look at all this extra-dimensional BS and android super soldiers and see potential weapons. He'd probably be disappointed that the Queen's Maso wasn't around anymore and that Hamelin Organization stopped human testing after Emil, since it would mean he'd be working from scratch if he could just get back into the good graces of the Peacekeepers and do so with enough of the demonic element to set up another research base. Hell, he'd probably try to directly convince Crichton get the androids to agree to serve the Peacekeepers, since that would technically put them back into contact with 'humans' if genetically engineered ones. Arguing that he could get the entire remaining population of Earth a ticket off world (to a nice Peacekeeper controlled colony where the can serve their new military overlords) if destroying the machine lifefroms proved to difficult even with a few starships to blast them from orbit. 4. The Terminals. The central intelligence of the machine lifeforms would likely reconsider its direction of evolution far earlier with a living human to observe, especially one that tries so hard to avoid aggressive resolutions. Even if that doesn't work, Crichton's crew and allies proves that he has managed to connect and form lasting bonds with entirely alien beings over and over. A direct repudiation of what the machine network had thus far found to be the fastest way to accelerate its own growth. Whether this would lead to a quicker conclusion that it needs to escape Earth and find its own destiny, likely expedited by FTL tech it took from the androids once Crichton revealed it to them, or an attempt at some kind of allegiance against the various hostile powers of the greater galaxy is unknown. While I can easily see Pascal and various pacifistic or non-hostile machine lifeforms being taken into account as potential allies the actions of the terminals past and potentially present would form a barrier to attempted cooperation. 5. Allying with the Worm Hole Ancients. The aliens that gave John Crichton knowledge about worm holes in the first place did so because they were running from an unstated catastrophe that had destroyed their home world. They originally decided against direct contact with Earth because it was likely to be divided and hostile. 21st century Earth that doesn't exist outside of Crichton's memories. It would be very interesting to see how they might react to finding out the new status quo. I've got a couple ideas that might be fun with them. One being that their dimension/time traveling tech lead to them accidentally creating their own personal Watcher related incident and the subsequent self-inflicted annihilation of their home world to stop it from spreading to the greater portion of the galaxy. Creating a situation where despite their far greater technological adeptness they find a reason to deeply respect humans/androids for facing down and defeating what they truthfully could not, reclaiming their world instead of burning it and running. (Though I'm iffy on that alteration/crossover expansion as it sort of makes them more like the Stargate's Asgard.)

[debousquetlawyerservice]

What Happens if My Employer Ends My Employment Contract Early?

What happens if my employer ends my employment contract early? It's a common scenario: you're working hard at your job, establishing a good relationship with your boss and his or her employees, when suddenly you get a phone call from your employer informing you that you're being laid off. The timing couldn't be worse. 

You've done all the things you were supposed to do, you're happy in your position and on good terms with your boss and other colleagues, and all the work you've put into building up your career is about to be taken away from you. If you're wondering what happens next, read on.

What happens if I'm laid off from my job is fairly common. In fact, statistics say that nearly half of all employed people in Canada have been laid off at one point in their employment history (which means they were officially unemployed).

However, there are many differences between being laid off in one Canadian province or territory and another. For example, Employment Law in Ontario differs from that of British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec. Therefore, depending on where you are employed in Canada, it's important that you know what the Employment Law in your province is like so that you know what to do if you're laid off.

One thing you should be aware of is that, if you've been in a position that you know is likely to result in your being laid off, you have certain rights to protect yourself from an employer who just decides to terminate your employment contract early. First, if you're considering filing a complaint for unfair dismissal or other charges relating to being unfairly dismissed, you should make sure to speak with an employment lawyer in your city or town. De Bousquet in Toronto can help you build a case by going over the documentation you have compiled related to your position, your employer's actions, and anything else that might prove relevant as proof that you were unfairly dismissed. This documentation can include things like a written statement from your employer that states why you were let go, documented proof that your job was terminated, official documentation from an employment tribunal or review board, etc.

If your position was terminated due to your violation of company policy, your contract may entitle you to unemployment benefits. In Ontario, this is usually referred to as "workers compensation." However, you should make sure to read your employment contract very carefully before signing it, as some parts of it may be deemed unlawful or void by the Ontario Human Rights Code. In addition, your contract could also be declared invalid if you signed it without having your attorney's advice. It's always a good idea to get legal advice before entering into any agreements, even before you hire a lawyer to help you out.

If your position is terminated due to your employer's gross misconduct or serious misconduct, your employment contract may entitle you to back pay, called redundancy pay. This is usually the case whenever your employer uses inappropriate performance standards, which negatively impacts performance and results in your being laid off. You might also be entitled to statutory unemployment benefits (these are not government benefits; they are actually provided by the government) once you are laid off. Employment law experts will inform you that the amount of money you will receive depends on many factors, including the length of time you have worked for the company, how many years you have been employed, and your age at the time of dismissal. For more detailed information, contact a worker's compensation lawyer.

What happens if I am asked to complete reexamination or training after being laid off? Your employment contract will provide details about what you will need to accomplish in order to complete your reexamination or training. It is important to know whether you are legally allowed to pursue these activities. Some employers require their employees to take a reexamination or training as a condition of being laid off.

What happens if my employer terminates my employment contract early? Most employment contracts specify that once your employment contract is terminated, you cannot terminate your employment without just cause. This means that you cannot be terminated because you asked for a transfer, requested a transfer to another department, or were promoted to a higher position. If you are being laid off, this is usually interpreted as "just cause."

What happens if my employer does not abide by their employment contracts and terminates me? In most countries, your employment contract contains specific termination procedures. This means that your employer cannot just fire you without giving you a chance to appeal the termination decision. In addition, your employment contract may state that you are entitled to reasonable notice before your employment contract ends. Your rights may also include filing complaints with the employment tribunal.

[amethystpath-writes]

A Gentle Blade Part 26

Part 25 here

Alrighty. I was able to recover the lost, last half of the chapter. All is well.

Putting big TWs on this one (there is no gore, but many references and mentions): captivity, prisoner of war, battle/war, choking, getting cut open, broken bones, torture, vomiting, whump of a minor, trapped, murder, character being stabbed, manipulation.

@tears-and-lilies

******

"Another question," Kastion piped as the two continued riding. "You don't have to answer, but..." He trailed off. Should he even ask such a personal question now?

On one hand, the prince figured there was no better time to ask. Who knew what would really happen when they arrived in Thharewood? The general would want to know where Kastion was, what he learned during his Mesenian visit. Beyond the minor interrogation, Kastion would have to visit his father- who was hopefully still alive. He'd need to help his mother sort things out; surely she was feeling overwhelmed. He couldn't think of what else he needed to do upon returning, but he was sure there was more. In this sense, it was reasonable to ask Leera such personal things now.

On the other hand, it felt too soon to ask such a thing. Kastion loved Leera. That feeling he knew was true, but a part of him always feared he only loved her because he felt bad for her. Even worse, he was afraid it was because he felt bad for himself. But Leera loved him, too. Kastion would feel okay if she asked him personal questions, so asking her was okay, right? But he didn't know for sure. What if-

"Kas?"

His attention snapped to Leera.

"What's your question?"

He swallowed, not meeting her eyes. He would feel so awful if he asked a question that made her feel badly.

"You can ask me anything. I don't mind, truly."

Kastion sighed. Okay. "Your father was captured by Termine. How were you? I'm sure you weren't in the battle."

Now it was Leera that swallowed. She semi-expected this to be the question. It was okay, she said it was okay, and it was. With a deep breath, she began, "I knew little about the battle, but I heard my uncle complain about it often enough that I understood Termine was strong and that if Poppy wasn't back with our much smaller army, then he was either killed or captured."

Leera went on to explain how she got to Termine. While her mother was sleeping from her illness, she stole the wedding ring off of her finger and sold it to a mercenary, who gave Leera just enough coin to hire a carriage traveling along the main roads. Thinking back on it now, Leera knew the ring was worth much more. It came from an island far east from their own lands. It was worth at least three silver coins.

Moving back on topic, the assassin further explained that she asked to be taken to the battle sight. There were bodies, more than she could count, and she could barely recall tossing up the bread she ate before the journey, along with a tangy yellow liquid that came from her stomach. The carriage director left immediately after she got out so in order to get to Termine Leera would have to walk. That didn't matter until after she checked every single body, searching for her father's face. When she didn't find it, she knew he'd been captured. She walked the rest of the way to the enemy kingdom.

Once she was in Termine, she went to the Servants' House. It was a stretch of small houses, only large enough to fit one poor bed per home. In the center of them all was a washroom, where the servants cleaned up at night- both their bodies and their clothes. In truth, they were probably better off to not clean at all. That much water being recycled was probably more filthy than they could afford. Not knowing this at the time, Leera stole a servant's wet clothes from the floor. She slept in an alley the first night and once the clothes were dry, she traded them with her own, leaving her own clothes in the alley before walking into the palace as a noble servant.

She snuck about the castle as well as she could, discovering every hall and nearly every door. She didn't rest until she found the dungeons where she promptly began to scream for 'Poppy', and although her Poppy didn't answer, she knew he was down there. He hadn't returned home, his body wasn't with the others; this was the only place he could be.

The guards in the dungeon, however few, chased her about, and she ducked beneath their arms, beneath their legs until she saw her father sleeping on the floor behind bars. She yelled and yelled at him, but he wasn't waking up. Leera feared he was dead. As she stood at her father's cell screaming, the guards finally captured her flailing arms and pulled her back. They marched her up the stairs into the main palace. Because she was so small, her feet didn't touch the floor as the guards carried her, their arms tucked beneath hers.

They carried her all the way to the king's personal quarters where they dropped her behind his chair. In her fear, she didn't hear what the king said, but she assumed he dismissed the guards, for they filed out of the room, shutting the door behind them. Leera was so frightened that she scooted back until she met the foot end of the king's bed. Her toes curled in a fur rug.

The king had stood, towering over her. She didn't breathe as he took two steps towards her. He asked why such a small girl like her had been brought up to him like a criminal. Leera admitted that she was only looking for her father.

"He told me that I was looking at my father," Leera told Kastion. She could feel her chest quaking and her hands shaking as they continued riding. Who knew how much further they'd made it since she began telling her story?

The prince tried telling her multiple times that she didn't have to continue, but Leera wanted to. True, it was the most difficult thing thing she'd ever done, but it was also the most necessary. Even when Leera returned home to her uncle, she never spoke of what happened. She only said her father was dead.

Now, years and years later, Leera thought that finally telling someone might release whatever was trapped inside her, whatever made her able to kill as many and as often as she did. Killing was never easy to Leera, but it was easier- easier than if she had never been through everything she had been.

"The door was heavy enough that I couldn't open it," Leera continued to tell. She needed all of it out. She needed it gone, expelled from her mind, and the only way that could ever happen was if she spoke it aloud. "I slept in the king's room, at the foot of the bed, on the very rug I crawled back to on that first night. Servants brought me food, the king handed me daggers."

"Daggers?" Kastion asked. He'd stayed silent the whole time, but he hadn't expected Leera to say the King of Termine gave such a small girl a dagger, especially after learning she belonged to the enemy. Maybe that was it. She was a young, enemy girl, one that could be manipulated into a friend.

"I was made to throw them at dummies made from my homeland's armour. There had been a pile of it in the dungeons. For all I know, I threw a dagger at my own father's armour." Leera huffed. "I didn't know Poppy wasn't dead until one day the king ordered I be taken to the dungeons. I hadn't known his name so they weren't sure which soldier was my father."

Leera was escorted to the cells where she then ran to where she found her father before. He was awake this time, and despite the dark, he rushed to the barred door, reaching through to hug Leera closer. Why are you here? Why are you here, Leera? he'd asked. Over and over again, he'd asked and all Leera could say was, I wanted to find you.

This was when the prince stepped in. He grabbed Leera's shoulders and pulled her away from the captive soldier. My father says you think you belong to this man. You have a choice, the prince told Leera. You can forget this man ever existed, or I will show you what happens to captured enemies and send you to tell all your friends about it. It was the king's idea; his son was only more active, more willing to walk up and down the stairs to the dungeons.

I want Poppy, she said. Maybe she cried it. She was reaching for her father's arms reaching through the bars. Surely she was crying.

A guard stepped towards the cell, holding his sword backward before slamming the pommel against Poppy's arm. Her father recoiled with a pained holler. Leera did cry then, she knew.

What do you want? the prince asked.

Leera repeated herself. I want my poppy! She thrashed and thrashed in his arms, but he was older and stronger. She was nowhere close to competition to him.

The guard who hurt her father fumbled with a ring of keys, shoving one into the door before swinging it open. Leera tried to run in, but the prince's hands were still holding her shoulders.

Stand! the guard barked at Poppy.

At first Leera's father refused, only looking at his daughter. She supposed now that he wanted to be strong for her.

The defiance didn't last long, for the prince suddenly released Leera's right shoulder before grasping her throat. Her neck had been so small that his whole hand fit around her. With just a tiny amount of pressure, she couldn't breathe.

There was ruffling and shifting, clicks and clacks, but Leera couldn't process any of it. She was in a state of panic, unable to breathe, and progressively unable to see. But then she could breathe, and the fogginess of her vision was clearing away ever so slowly. She was young, too young to be held as she was, to see her father in such a piteous state.

Poppy stood still in his cell, grunting, and breathing harshly as the guard slid the sharp edge of his sword across his arm.

What do you want? the prince asked once again. And still, Leera responded that she wanted him, her father. She just wanted to be near him, to hug him, and to go home to Mum.

It went on like this for what Little Leera thought was hours, when in reality it was only one. Beyond that, it went on for days, each day becoming longer and longer, harsher and harsher, until Poppy was nothing but a barely breathing mound. And even further until he was dead. He suffered more cut limbs, broken limbs, fingers, and ribs, concussions from blunt force trauma, and plenty more. Leera was forced to watch it all. And on some occasions- like the first- she was slightly involved in the torture, only to make her father obey. It was a vicious cycle, one that Leera could never forget, even years later, and no matter how hard she tried.

Before Poppy was killed, Leera was still forced to sleep on the fur rug at the foot of the king's bed. One night, when she was sure the king was sleeping because of his snores, she picked a dagger from his desk, walked it over to the side of his bed, and she plunged it into his arm. He awoke screaming, of course, which alerted the guards outside of his room.

Because of his flailing, though, the dagger became loose, so Leera took it back and repeated her action, only this time to the thigh. Soon after, the guards came in and carried her away. To the dungeons! The king's voice was rasped with pain. Teach her a lesson!

Leera couldn't say what got into her that night. She supposed that hearing the king was responsible for her father's treatment became too much as she continued to watch it happen, as she continued to sleep beneath the man's feet. Leera, despite wanting to forget, remembered everything the guards had done to Poppy. And what made it so hard for him to move was what Leera did to the king.

After this occurrence, the prince tortured Poppy until his last breath, chaining Leera to the cell door bars. It was a short leash, one that didn't even allow her to sit. It went on for a single day before Poppy was dead.

Grabbing Leera by her cheeks, making her lips push out like a fish, the prince spat, You will go home and you will tell everyone what happened to you. You will tell them about your father's screams, about his whines, and about his writhing dead body. You will remember me every day that you live, and you will remember me in death.

"He's calmer now than he was then," Leera said softly, remembering dinner in Mesenian. "He was so angry with me for killing the king. I didn't know the king was dead until weeks later, when I returned home and word spread. I was thankful no one in Termine knew my name."

Kastion wasn't sure what to say. Who would have? He settled for saying, "I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that. And neither did your father- er, Poppy." Leera nodded at him with an appreciative smile.

They were on the main roads after much riding. The fear now was that they wouldn't find a carriage that could take them to Thharewood. Some of the guards wouldn't rest until they were found, Kastion was sure, which meant he and Leera couldn't rest either.

If they could find and hire a carriage, they would be disguised. The Guard wouldn't expect them to do something as public as that.

"We need to find a village and inn."

"Ee'd have more luck there than just wandering the roads."

She was shaking less, Kastion realized. It must have helped to talk it out. Still, he felt bad for ever asking. Without doubt, that was a lot for her to unpack. He hoped she would be okay.

"Then again," Leera said, "we might run into someone less than favourable."

The prince shook his head. "I doubt it. They don't care much about the people of Mesenian. And if they don't care, why would they come all the way out here to patrol?"

She nodded. It was a fair enough point. It still made her nervous. What if they went into a local area in hopes of getting away, only to be caught again? But Kastion was a prince, and he knew about these things. Leera would trust his decision.

And so it was, they followed the main roads, following signs until they found a small village, far off of Mesenian's prime perimeter.

The gods must have been traveling with the assassin and prince, for there very well was a carriage, hanging out near a horse vendor. Without any coin, Leera was afraid the director wouldn't take them, but Kastion showed the woman his ring and she ushered him to hide it before telling the two to hop in. "Shut the flaps," she told them as they got in and shut the doors.

It was a rickety cart, but the horses were strong from what Kastion could see. They were certainly large. He felt confident they would make it home.

Ch, ch, the director clicked and there was a thwap. The carriage began rolling.

Kastion took Leera's hand in his, resting them on his leg as they sat side by side. "If at any point you don't wish to come with me, I will leave this cart and you can go wherever you want. Keep the ring, and know that you will be welcome in my kingdom and home anytime you wish."

"I want to go," Leera nodded. She stared at their hands and smiled. "I want this and I want to see where it will go. I just- I'll need help along the way. I don't want to be a burden to you."

"You could never be a burden," he said. "Never."

Her eyes met his and she took a deep breath. She could do this. Leera could be his queen. Whatever it meant, she could do it, because she had already been through the worst life could offer. Surely being a queen by Kastion's side couldn't be as bad as anything else she experienced. And even if it was, she wanted to stand by Kastion. He needed her help as much as she needed his.

******

Part 27 here

[psychicanchortimemachine]

12 Terminal Commands

Every Web Developer Should Know

The terminal is one of the foremost vital productivity tools in a developer's arsenal. Mastering it will have an awfully positive impact on your work flow, as several everyday tasks get reduced to writing a straightforward command and striking Enter. In this article we've ready for you a set of UNIX system commands that may assist you get the foremost out of your terminal. a number of them square measure inbuilt, others square measure free tools that square measure reliable and may be put in but a moment.

Curl

Curl may be a program line tool for creating requests over HTTP(s), FTP and dozens of different protocols you will haven't detected concerning. It will transfer files, check response headers, and freely access remote information.

In net development curl is usually used for testing connections and dealing with RESTful APIs.

# Fetch the headers of a URL. curl -I http://google.com HTTP/1.1 302 Found Cache-Control: private Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 Referrer-Policy: no-referrer Location: http://www.google.com/?gfe_rd=cr&ei=0fCKWe6HCZTd8AfCoIWYBQ Content-Length: 258 Date: Wed, 09 Aug 2017 11:24:01 GMT   # Make a GET request to a remote API. curl http://numbersapi.com/random/trivia 29 is the number of days it takes Saturn to orbit the Sun.

Curl commands can get much more complicated than this. There are tons of options for controlling headers, cookies, authentication,and more.

Tree

Tree may be a little instruction utility that shows you a visible illustration of the files during a directory. It works recursively, going over every level of nesting and drawing a formatted tree of all the contents. this fashion you'll quickly skim and notice the files you're trying to find.

tree . ├── css │   ├── bootstrap.css │   ├── bootstrap.min.css ├── fonts │   ├── glyphicons-halflings-regular.eot │   ├── glyphicons-halflings-regular.svg │   ├── glyphicons-halflings-regular.ttf │   ├── glyphicons-halflings-regular.woff │   └── glyphicons-halflings-regular.woff2 └── js ├── bootstrap.js └── bootstrap.min.js

There is also the option to filter the results using a simple regEx-like pattern:

tree -P '*.min.*' . ├── css │   ├── bootstrap.min.css ├── fonts └── js └── bootstrap.min.js

Tmux

According to its Wiki, Tmux may be a terminal electronic device, that translated in human language would mean that it is a tool for connecting multiple terminals to one terminal session.

It helps you to switch between programs in one terminal, add split screen panes, and connect multiple terminals to a similar session, keeping them in adjust. Tmux is particularly helpful once functioning on a far off server, because it helps you to produce new tabs while not having to log in once more.

Disk usage - du

The du command generates reports on the area usage of files and directories. it's terribly straightforward to use and may work recursively, rummaging every directory and returning the individual size of each file.  A common use case for du is once one in every of your drives is running out of area and you do not understand why. Victimization this command you'll be able to quickly see what proportion storage every folder is taking, therefore finding the most important memory saver.

# Running this will show the space usage of each folder in the current directory. # The -h option makes the report easier to read. # -s prevents recursiveness and shows the total size of a folder. # The star wildcard (*) will run du on each file/folder in current directory. du -sh * 1.2G Desktop 4.0K Documents 40G Downloads 4.0K Music 4.9M Pictures 844K Public 4.0K Templates 6.9M Videos

There is also a similar command called

df

(Disk Free) which returns various information about the available disk space (the opposite of du).

Git

Git is far and away the foremost standard version system immediately. It’s one among the shaping tools of contemporary internet dev and that we simply could not leave it out of our list. There area unit many third-party apps and tools on the market however most of the people choose to access unpleasant person natively although the terminal. The unpleasant person CLI is basically powerful and might handle even the foremost tangled project history.

Tar

Tar is the default Unix tool for working with file archives. It allows you to quickly bundle multiple files into one package, making it easier to store and move them later on.

tar -cf archive.tar file1 file2 file3

Using the -x option it can also extract existing .tar archives.

tar -xf archive.tar

Note that almost all alternative formats like .zip and .rar can't be opened by tar and need alternative command utilities like unfasten.

Many trendy operating system systems run associate expanded version of tar (GNU tar) that may additionally perform file size compression:

# Create compressed gzip archive. tar -czf file.tar.gz inputfile1 inputfile2 # Extract .gz archive. tar -xzf file.tar.gz

If your OS doesn't have that version of tar, you can use

gzip

,

zcat

or

compress

to reduce the size of file archives.

md5sum

Unix has many inbuilt hashing commands together with

md5sum

,

sha1sum

and others. These program line tools have varied applications in programming, however most significantly they'll be used for checking the integrity of files. For example, if you've got downloaded associate degree .iso file from associate degree untrusted supply, there's some likelihood that the file contains harmful scripts. To form positive the .iso is safe, you'll generate associate degree md5 or alternative hash from it.

md5sum ubuntu-16.04.3-desktop-amd64.iso 0d9fe8e1ea408a5895cbbe3431989295 ubuntu-16.04.3-desktop-amd64.iso

You can then compare the generated string to the one provided from the first author (e.g. UbuntuHashes).

Htop

Htop could be a a lot of powerful different to the intrinsic prime task manager. It provides a complicated interface with several choices for observation and dominant system processes.

Although it runs within the terminal, htop has excellent support for mouse controls. This makes it a lot of easier to navigate the menus, choose processes, and organize the tasks thought sorting and filtering.

Ln

Links in UNIX operating system square measure the same as shortcuts in Windows, permitting you to urge fast access to bound files. Links square measure created via the ln command and might be 2 types: arduous or symbolic. Every kind has totally different properties and is employed for various things (read more).

Here is associate example of 1 of the various ways that you'll be able to use links. as an instance we've a directory on our desktop referred to as Scripts. It contains showing neatness organized bash scripts that we have a tendency to ordinarily use. on every occasion we wish to decision one in every of our scripts we'd need to do this:

~/Desktop/Scripts/git-scripts/git-cleanup

Obviously, this is isn't very convinient as we have to write the absolute path every time. Instead we can create a symlink from our Scripts folder to /usr/local/bin, which will make the scripts executable from all directories.

sudo ln -s ~/Desktop/Scripts/git-scripts/git-cleanup /usr/local/bin/

With the created symlink we can now call our script by simply writing its name in any opened terminal.

git-cleanup

SSH

With the ssh command users will quickly hook up with a foreign host and log into its UNIX operating system shell. This makes it doable to handily issue commands on the server directly from your native machine's terminal.

To establish a association you just got to specify the proper science address or URL. The primary time you hook up with a replacement server there'll be some style of authentication.

ssh username@remote_host

If you want to quickly execute a command on the server without logging in, you can simply add a command after the url. The command will run on the server and the result from it will be returned.

ssh username@remote_host ls /var/www some-website.com some-other-website.com

There is a lot you can do with SSH like creating proxies and tunnels, securing your connection with private keys, transferring files and more.

Grep

Grep is the standard Unix utility for finding strings inside text. It takes an input in the form of a file or direct stream, runs its content through a regular expression, and returns all the matching lines.

This command comes in handy once operating with massive files that require to be filtered. Below we tend to use grep together with the date command to look through an oversized log file and generate a brand new file containing solely errors from nowadays.

// Search for today's date (in format yyyy-mm-dd) and write the results to a new file. grep "$(date +"%Y-%m-%d")" all-errors-ever.log > today-errors.log

Another nice command for operating with strings is

sed

. It’s additional powerful (and additional complicated) than grep and may perform nearly any string-related task together with adding, removing or replacement strings.

Alias

Many OS commands, together with some featured during this article, tend to urge pretty long when you add all the choices to them. to create them easier to recollect, you'll produce short aliases with the alias bash inbuilt command:

# Create an alias for starting a local web server. alias server="python -m SimpleHTTPServer 9000" # Instead of typing the whole command simply use the alias. server Serving HTTP on 0.0.0.0 port 9000 ...

The alias are offered as long as you retain that terminal open. to create it permanent you'll add the alias command to your .bashrc file. We will be happy to answer your questions on designing, developing, and deploying comprehensive enterprise web, mobile apps and customized software solutions that best fit your organization needs.

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