#gun runner spray and pray

[forensicated]

Smiffina Episodes: Gun Runner Part 4 -Spray And Pray (4/5)

Max and Terry are in place to watch the workshop where Smithy will be recommissioning the guns as part of his undercover job. However they have to set up the cameras first. One appears to be faulty but they don't have much time as Cutler and Smithy are on the way back.

Just in time the expert manages to make the sound and vision clear and he and Max. It's very tight and they can't drive away without being seen, so Max has to cover and pretend to be a security camera salesman. "We're in the area today offering top of the range security monitoring." Mwahaha. He gets away with it and leaves.

Neil and Heaton update/remind us uniform on what Smithy has found out so far. Cutler has gotten his hands on pistols and Mach 10's and wants to sell them to the street gangs. As long as he gets his money he doesn't care whose hands they fall into.

Wallace arrives with Tommy Rose, an enforcer for the SE1 Gang, to the workshop.Rose is returning a gun he leased - £200 to rent it. £500 if it's been fired. Wallace suggests he's heard that "Jay" got shot. Rose threatens Wallace who seems intimidated. Smithy has to tell Wallace to stop playing with the gun and takes it to look it over. On inspection, Smithy agrees that it's been fired. Rose tries to make out it hasn't and Smithy squares up to him as Cutler arrives and tells them to calm down. Faced with Smithy and Cutler, Rose stumps up the full £500 and then takes Cutler for a private chat about meeting up with a Bob Gatting, the SE1 Boss. Smithy counts the money and hands it to Wallace, asking him to try find out when the guns might be arriving. With Wallace putting the money in the safe, Smithy shows the gun Rose brought back to the CCTV. Terry and Max mutter about it having to come in for forensics as they watch.

Neil asks Kezia to trawl MET records for gun crimes in the last 24 hours and to get search CRIMINT for anyone called Jay or similar who could have dealings with the SE1 gang. Cutler is splitting the risk to himself, using the SE1's funds and muscle in the deal.

Stevie attends the workshop to meet up with Smithy and to get the gun. She kisses his cheek in greeting but he tells her no one is around. Smithy says she can have the gun but they have to get it back sharpish. The door starts rattling Stevie grabs Smithy and kisses him as cover when Wallace appears. Wallace makes a cheeky search of Stevie and she complies to show she has nothing to hide. Stevie is cheeky and forward, teasing Wallace on his soft touch. Smithy joins in to help the banter distract him and stop him checking her bag (seriously - you'd think he'd check the bag more than Stevie!) and discovering the gun and envelope the cash arrived in from Rose. He winds him up about not having a girlfriend. "See you later, darlin'." she calls back as she leaves. "And you, Smithy."

Callum tells Neil that they've found a possible scene of the shooting with blood, 2 case shells, a bullet and drag and tyre marks at a building site on Barton St's patch. A neighbour reported hearing two bangs at 2.15am too but thought it was kids and firework.

Cutler arrives and pays Smithy for his time and tells him to take the afternoon off. Smithy mentions taking Stevie away that weekend as a way of trying to find more information out about deliveries and Cutler tells him he can't as they're in the middle of a deal. Smithy says he's only doing bits and pieces at the moment and it's not worth waiting round - unless the shooters are arriving that weekend. Cutler admits he's not sure. Smithy uses that to question him about who is really running the show. He admits that they're using SE1 as insurance. Cutler threatens Smithy's life if he 'has to terminate his employment' and tells him he'll give him a time and place when he's ready and that the guns are in London and there's a meeting that night about it.

There's no one in London hospitals with a bullet wound that fits and noone has been linked to be 'Jay' through the police intelligence at the moment. Eventually the blood comes back to a Sean Seaton. They tell his wife they're searching for him, she gives them the numbers of likely friends who might know where he is. The phone is still moving - or someone else has his phone. Jo rings it when it stops and they track it to the back of a skip lorry. Jo has a look inside and teases Roger over a plunger... and then finds Seaton's body.

Stevie tells Smithy that Max is pressing to find out the time of the delivery. He tells her he's been trying but Cutler won't talk. The gun isn't back from forensics yet. Smithy asks her to arrange a meeting with Max. At the Workshop, Cutler's supplier "Demitri" turns up. He's ready to do the deal whenever they are. Max tells Smithy this when they meet and that the gun still isn't back as it's been linked to a likely murder and they'll just have to hope it's not asked for. Smithy is NOT happy - understandably!

Smithy meets up with Cutler, Bob Gatting and Tommy Rose at The Boat Inn. Gatting asks Smithy what brought him into being an armourer. "I used to be in the army." Cutler reassures him Smithy is trustworthy and explains he got him out without being caught by the police the other week (at the football game). They toast to the job.

Now Seaton's body has been found, forensics are holding the gun as key evidence in a murder trial. Poor Smithy! The driver picked the skip up from the building site and had no idea about the body. There's a mobile message from a man who calls himself Jay. It says 'they need to sit down and sort things'. Jay is George Jacobs and Sean took the wrap for him fencing goods for the SE1 crew. He's shocked Seaton has died but isn't surprised. He claims Sean had a habit of finding trouble and was in a state when he last saw him 2 days ago because 'someone was squeezing him for money'. He admits leaving a message that morning and says he hasn't seen Julie - Sean's wife - for months. He agrees to come down to the station but goes to phone his lawyer first. As he does, Kezia tells Neil that Sean's wife said she didn't know anyone called Jay.

Wallace helps Smithy cleaning out gun barrels. As they chat, Smithy tells Wallace he was in the army for 5 years and did a couple of tours in Northern Ireland after being in Sunday Cadets as a kid. Wallace says he wanted to join the army and was in the cadets too. He admits Cutler is his uncle and he offered him more money to work for him than the army would pay. Cutler appears and sends Wallace off to clean his windscreen again so he can talk about the guns with Smithy. They're meeting the next day and Demitri will be bringing a sample of the mach 10's so Smithy is needed to check it before they pay. Cutler doesn't know when so sends Smithy home to rest.

Forensics have found fingerprints inside the gun and matched them to George Jacobs. However if they reveal this to Jacob's solicitor then they'll know they have the gun and put Smithy at risk. They also can't give it back to Smithy incase Cutler destroys it. Kezia has found pictures on Sean's phone of his wife with Jacobs. Jacob's alibi is that he was at a club at the time of the murder but the keyholder of the club is proving impossible to get hold of. Neil suggests he brings up the potential affair to show his lie and use that to keep and question him instead. Jacob's insists he isn't having an affair with Sean's wife and that he'll be on the CCTV of the club when the murder was supposed to have happened. He spots Julie when he's being returned to his cell and they lock eyes but neither say a word.

Smithy worries if word gets out Jacob's has been arrested for murder, Cutler will want the gun destroyed. Stevie suggests subbing it for a different gun but Smithy says it won't work because it's too distinctive and besides, Max promised him he was getting it sorted. He leaves to meet Cutler and Gatting with a warning to tell Max to get it sorted or he is stuffed.

Heaton says he's going to pull Smithy out and keep the gun for the murder case. Max worries that they're so close to seizing a huge amount of arms and suggests returning the gun but reclaiming it in a stop and search if Smithy can plant the gun. Gina thinks it's risky and worries for Smithy but says Callum can manage it. If it works they'll keep Smithy in but if not they'll have to pull Smithy out.

Smithy's concerns come home to roost as Cutler finds out that Jay has been arrested. He and Bob want the gun to disappear. Smithy goes to the loo and tells Max they have minutes to get the gun in place or it's all over. Max tells him Stevie is already at the workshop and is putting the gun back. All he has to do is plant it with Wallace and disappear whilst Callum and Roger pull him over. Stevie struggles opening the safe. A few minutes later, Smithy opens it with Wallace right behind him, praying the entire time that it's in there.

Smithy causes a delay by dropping a box of bullets and asking Wallace to pick them up and box 50 for him to deliver. The camera pans to reveal Stevie crouched behind some boxes. Smithy goes outside and hides the gun in the glovebox of Wallace's car and then smashes the brake light. Smithy goes to fake a delivery whilst Callum and Roger stop Wallace and question him about the broken brake light. They do an index check and Roger asks him if he has any documents. Wallace doesn't know and Roger goes to look - 'finding' the gun in the glovebox. He tries to run away but Callum rugby tackles him and brings him down, arresting him.

Julie's reaction to finding out her husband has died is not very believable. It seems he left the club at 1.15am and was dead within the next hour. Now Kieran Wallace has been arrested, the gun is brought into the interview where he's told his fingerprints are on it. Neil says he has enough to charge him but the solicitor produces the CCTV they'd been struggling to obtain showing Jay at the club as he'd said. They check the neighbour again to see if she is really sure that the time was 2.15am. They haven't questioned Julie about lying about knowing Jay because 'she was too upset about Sean'. She admits she and Jay were having an affair and claims things were over with her husband. Her husband however wouldn't accept it. Neil tells her that there are Jay's fingerprints on the gun and she stammers that it's her fault. Kezia tells her that Sean mistreating her and making her fall in love with another man doesn't make his death her fault. She misses the fact that it DOES make it her fault if she's the one who shot him though! And yep. She is. She shot him in self defence when he tried to kill her. Jay came and put the body int he skip before taking her home again. Neil arrests her for the murder as she admits that she took the gun with the idea of using it.

Max and Terry watch Smithy and Cutler rowing about Wallace getting arrested on the CCTV. Smithy tells him he doesn't know why he was arrested - he just came out of the pub to see him with police. "You left the gun with Wallace? That muppet?!*" He growls at Smithy. He then tells him has to square the gun getting found with Gatting because Jay is part of the SE1 crew. Smithy scoffs and says he doesn't, after all he's the one putting it on the line as Cutler's suppliers could be 'rip and run merchants' who dump him in a ditch somewhere. Cutler pulls a gun on Smithy and warns him to toe the line, not question him and that he warned him already people do not walk away from him - especially not when involved in something as dangerous as this. "So what? You're going to shoot me. So? Shoot me." He growls back. THIS FUCKING MAN! I wish they'd stop doing that 😂 Cutler eventually lowers the gun and walks off. Smithy shouts that he's sick of getting half the story and turns and walks out, telling him to ring him when he's ready to deal properly.

Max finally releases a breath and tells Terry to arrange a meeting with Smithy because they're too close for it to explode now. Smithy arrives to meet Stevie and Max soon after and he admits he doesn't know if he can hack it any longer because he can feel his entire life running down the back of his neck when he's with Cutler. Stevie and Max offer him the chance to walk away if it's become too much. Max reassures him that he's playing a blinder and that they're a team. He reminds him that he's doing it for the Carly Samuel's of the world and tells him that he - Max - is doing it because in CO19 one of his colleagues was murdered by a mach10 held by a kid. Smithy assures them both he's still in - whatever it takes. He pulls his hood up, gets out the car and walks off.

*This is a strong area where they were let down by having lots of different writers on multipart stories, This episodes Wallace is quite likeable, sympathetic and behaves like a teenage boy who loves his mum (he was going to be heading to his mums birthday party after the gun drop off) lead astray from the path of good - the army - by his big bad uncle who treats him like a loser. He's repeatedly (sometimes the same task several times in the same day) made to do menial tasks like washing his car windscreen just to get rid of him so the real men can talk. He's easily intimidated - like he was by Rose earlier and easily embarrassed - Smithy saying to Stevie that the closest Kieran'd gotten to sex was having his pocket picked when he was searching her to distract him and make him want to get Stevie away quicker so he didn't check her handbag. He's nothing like this big feared gangster with a bad history that he was made out to be in the first set up!

[screamxqueenx94]

Second Chance at First Line Part 1/ Teen Wolf Series

A/N: Officially the beginning of episode 2! This one may be shorter than the first episode, but I still hope you guys like it!

Warnings: Mild cursing

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

I sit and watch lacrosse practice, which will probably be a daily routine now. I talk to Stiles for a bit before practice officially starts.

“So Scott apologized to Allison, she forgave him, and then he seen her father, who was the Hunter that shot him with the crossbow that went through his arm, and she doesn't know about any of it?” I repeated, making sure I got everything right.

“Yep. That pretty much sums it up.” Stiles confirms.

“And her dad didn't recognize him?”

“Apparently not.”

I thought for a minute. “So… what's he gonna do?” I ask.

“Not sure, he's focusing on lacrosse right now and then I guess figure it out after that.” Stiles explains.

I just nod my head trying to process everything. Scott comes out and coach calls everyone to the field. I go and sit in the bleachers again to watch like I have been for the past week.

“Jackson! Take a long stick today!” Coach Finstock calls out. I literally want to vomit anytime I hear that guy’s name.

I watch as the players take turns practicing and not getting passed Jackson. Then it's Scott's turn. He runs towards Jackson, but instead of passing him, Jackson lifts him completely off the ground and slams him to the ground. Making me cover my eyes. That was painful just to watch.

Finstock is trash talking Scott, making Scott angry. “McCall's gonna do it again! McCall's gonna do it again!” Coach chants. I sit there, biting on my thumbnail as I watch Scott go again, praying he doesn't wolf out.

Scott charges towards Jackson, this time with his elbow up and ready to defend. He pushes into Jackson, sweeping him off his feet and makes him land hard on the ground, grabbing his right shoulder. Scott falls to the ground, Stiles runs over to him to make sure he doesn't change while others check on Jackson.

I follow Stiles and Scott into the school and into the locker room.

“What are you doing? This is the boys locker room.” Stiles exclaims.

I push passed him and try to calm Scott down. Stiles is behind me, trying to help as well when Scott looks at us with golden eyes and fangs showing.

“Get away from me!” he hollers, pushing Stiles and I down.

We crawl separate ways. Scott follows Stiles and I crawl to the nearest lacrosse stick and chase after Scott, who is still chasing Stiles. When Scott jumps off the top of the lockers, I get behind him and swing as hard as I can to hit him in the head. Which only angers him more and dents the stick. He turns around and faces me. My eyes widen, my mouth gaps and I drop the stick. He starts stepping towards me.

“Stiles, get outta here!” I scream.

Scott pounces and I start running the opposite way, my converse making me slip, but I quickly pick myself back up and run again. Scott jumps from lockers to ceiling beams, trying to block off every exit until I'm cornered. Instead of cowering, I get into an attack stance. Prepared to pounce, just as I'm about to attack, a cloud of white foam starts forming in Scott's direction. I look over and Stiles jumps in front of me and continues spraying Scott with the fire extinguisher, distracting him. He grabs my hand and pulls me out of the locker room and has us pressed up against the wall. Both of us panting heavily. Afraid to look back in.

“Stiles…” Scott calls weakly. Stiles and I look at each other and peek around the corner. “What happened?” Scott asks.

“You tried to kill me… then you tried to kill, Charli.” He answers, slightly out of breath.

“It's like I told you before…” I walk in behind Stiles and sit next to Scott, putting my hand on his shoulder. “... it's the anger. It's your pulse rising. It's a trigger.” I continue to explain as Stiles sits in front of us.

“But that's lacrosse, it's a pretty violent game if you haven't noticed.” Scott remarks.

“Well, it's gonna be a lot more violent if you end up killing someone on the field… you can't play Saturday. You're gonna have to get out of the game.” Stiles affirms.

“But I'm first line…” Scott reminds us.

“Not anymore…” Stiles barks.

~

I'm sitting in my room, getting some homework done when my Skype call notification starts going off. I click the answer button and it's Scott and Stiles doing a three way chat.

“Can this wait? I got an algebra test to study for plus a book report on The Maze Runner due next week and I'm not even halfway through with the book.” I complain.

“Not really.” Stiles answers, as he points a toy gun at the camera and shoots it so it lights up and makes noises. I roll my eyes and plug my headphones into the computer so my father can't hear anything we're talking about.

“Well first of all, Jackson has a separated shoulder.” He continues.

“Because of me?” Scott asks with guilt lacing his voice.

“No, Scott, it's because Jackson is a fucking tool.” I sass. Making the boys chuckle. “So I assume that means he's not playing, right?” I quizz.

“Well, they're not sure yet, but now they're counting on Scott to play Saturday.” Stiles answers.

Scott puts his head down and I turn to lean down to grab a book out of my desk drawer that I had read from on Friday. When I look back up, Stiles is looking at something suspiciously. I first look in my room, but then when I don't see anything, I look back at the computer and see something in Scott's, just like Stiles did.

“What?” Scott questions, annoyed. Stiles and I look up, fear on Stiles’ face. Stiles and I both start typing, but my keyboard locks up and won't type, then I look up and see that Stiles’ message hasn't fully sent. Dammit! C'mon stupid piece of junk keyboard!

The computer buffers, with just the words “it looks like…” in bubble above Stiles’ head.

Then another bubble pops up. “someone's behind you.” I scream, “It's Derek!” then Scott turns around and is quickly snatched away.

Stiles and I call out Scott's name, but get no answer. I get up and grab my jacket and run to Stiles’ house and he comes running out. We hop into his jeep and speed down to Scott's house. We get there and Scott is sitting on his bed with his head down. We slowly approach him.

“Scott? Scott are you okay?” I ask quietly, making sure not to startle him.

“Derek threatened to kill me…” he answered in a hush tone.

“What?” Stiles asks concerned.

“He said if I play Saturday, he'll kill me himself because I risk exposing myself and Derek…” he continued.  

Stiles and I look at each other and nod in agreement.

“So what are you gonna to do?” I ask.

“I'm gonna have to back out.” He answers.

“This is what's best, Scott. It keeps everyone safe and no one gets exposed.” Stiles notes.

“Stiles is right, Scott. It's safer for you and everyone else… just until you can get it under control.” I assure.

Scott keeps his head down, but he nods in agreement. “Okay, I'm out. I'm not playing Saturday night.” He finally speaks up.

I give him a sympathetic smile and pat his knee. Stiles gives him a sympathetic pat on his shoulder. We all know this is hard for him, but it's his best option, and we all want what's best.

~

I'm just finishing my book report when my phone starts ringing. I look at the screen and it has Stiles’ name with a goofy picture of me, him and Scott as the contact picture.  

“Hello?” I answer.

“Hey it's me, I'm leaving Scott's house right now and I'm coming to get you.” He says, talking a mile a minute.

“W--wait what?” I ask confused.

“Just get some shoes on and come wait outside.” he barks and hangs up.

I look at my phone and then roll my eyes and get changed into black skinny jeans with a gray Vans hoodie and my old converse sneakers. I call to my dad that I'm leaving and sit and wait for Stiles and Scott. When he pulls up, I get in and before I can finish buckling up, he's already driving off.

“So what's so important that I had to be taken away from my book report? I'm literally almost done.” I huffed.

“Scott knows where to find the other half of the body.” Stiles announces.

I just freeze. My eyes grow wide and I look at both of them.

“Is this the same body you guys were talking about on my first day?” I ask.

“Yes.” Scott answers.

I'm still in shock. I lean back and stay quiet for awhile. Then I look at Stiles. “Where is it?”

“At Derek's house.”

I'm sorry, it's where?! “So I assume we're just gonna waltz right up to his house and take it? Do you guys even have a plan?” I start off sassy, but then start freaking out.

“I already thought of one.” Stiles answers proudly. That's what I'm afraid of...

We arrive at the hospital, Stiles parks then we get out. “I thought it was at Derek's house?” I ask.

“It is, we just gotta make a stop here first so I can get a scent.” Scott says as we walk in.

Stiles spots the morgue and Scott goes in. Stiles wishes him good luck and we start walking through the hospital.

“Scott's not even sure that the body is there, is he?” I ask, knowing I was tricked.

“He smelled blood when he went to Derek's, he just wants make sure that it belongs to the right body.” He answers, looking around the hallways, never looking in my direction.

“And what if it's not? What if it's just a dead animal?” I question him.

He stops and I bump into him. I go to say something, but then I look over and see Lydia sitting in a waiting room chair. I roll my eyes and hit his back. He walks over to her and I lean on the wall with my arms crossed to watch the disaster unravel itself.

“Hey, Lydia!” he exclaims, making her actually look at him for once. “ You probably don't remember me um-- I sit behind you in biology.” Clearly she doesn't remember you, Stiles.

“Uh anyway, I always thought that we had this kind of connection-- y'know, unspoken of course…” this is so excruciating to watch.

“... Maybe it'd be kinda cool to uh, get to know each other a little better.”

“Hold on, give me a second.” She says as she pulls a Bluetooth earpiece off her ear and I try so hard not to laugh as I watch what's about to happen. “Yeah, I didn't get any of what you just said, was it worth repeating?” she's more of a bitch than I thought.

“Uh-- no, sorry.” He says, clearly defeated and turns towards me and he sits on the other side of the wall from her and I slink into the seat next to him, grabbing a magazine from the other table.

“You didn't actually think that would work did you?” I ask, not looking up.

“No, no I didn't.” He answered, burying his face into a menstruation pamphlet. I lay my magazine down in my lap and pat his shoulder.

Stiles and I watch as Lydia and Jackson start talking. When they start making out,I want to just stab my eyes out. Poor Stiles has to witness this.

I look away and see Scott coming. Scott grabs the pamphlet out of Stiles’ hand, scaring him and making him whip his head around.

“The scent was the same.” Scott states. Stiles and I both get up from our seats at the same time.

“Are you sure?” I ask.

“Yes.” Scott says.

“So he did bury that other half of the body on his property.” Stiles concludes.

“Which means we have proof he killed the girl.” I add.

“I say we use it.” Stiles declares

“How?” Scott questions.

“Tell me something first; are you doing this because you wanna stop Derek or because you wanna play in the game when he said you couldn't?” I look between both of them as they talk.

“There were bitemarks in the legs, Stiles. Bitemarks!” Scott answers.

Stiles purses his lips and nods, “Okay, then we're gonna need a shovel.” He states.

We walk out of the hospital, and I finally ask. “Can't we get in trouble for this?”

“Only if we get caught.” Stiles answers, not even looking back.

~

We pull up to Derek's house as soon as he leaves. I can feel my palms getting clammy. My legs are trembling. I'm so dead if the cops catch us…

The jeep stops. We all get out and are carrying shovels. Scott hands Stiles a flashlight and we walk to the side of the house.

“Something's different.” Scott states.

“Different how?” Stiles asks.

“ I don't know…” Scott trails off.

“Maybe it's a sign that we shouldn't be here.” I comment.

“Let's just get this over with.” Scott complains.

We start digging in the spot Scott led us to. It feels like it's going on forever, you'd think it go faster with three of us digging.

“This is taking way too long.” Scott complains.

“Just keep going.” Stiles retorts.

“What if he comes back?” Scott asks.

“Then we get the hell out here.” I retort.

“What if he catches us?” Scott continues.

“I have a plan for that.” Stiles claims.

“Which is?” Scott asks.

“We all run different ways and whoever he catches first, too bad.” Stiles continues.

“I hate that plan.” Scott and I repeat simultaneously.

We continue to dig until Scott hits something with his shovel. Stiles and I stop him and we all brush away the dirt to see a bag.

“Hurry!” Scott cries.

“I'm trying, but did he have to tie the thing in like nine hundred knots?” Stiles remarks as he and I try to untie the knots. Scott helps us untie them. We open the bag and see the head of a dead wolf, making Stiles scream and all of us jump out and I start brushing myself off and shaking my hair out as I repeatedly cry ‘ew.’

“What the hell is that?” Stiles yells.

“It's a wolf!” Scott states, confused.

“Yeah! I can see that!”

“I thought you smelled blood? As in human blood?” I interrogate.

“I told you something was different.” Scott answers.

“This doesn't make sense.” Stiles states.

“We gotta get out of here.” I say.

“Yeah… Okay, help me cover this up.” Stiles says to Scott and I. We start covering it up until Stiles stops.

“Hey, guys.” Scott and I look up. “Do you see that flower?” He asks. We look at it.

“What about it?” Scott asks.

“I think it's wolfsbane…” I state. “Yeah, me too.” Stiles adds.

“What's that?” Scott asks.

“Haven't you ever seen The Wolfman?” Stiles asks shocked that Scott didn't know what it was. Scott shakes his head.

“ Lon Chaney Jr.? Claude Rains? The original, classic werewolf movie!” I exclaim.

“You've seen it?” Stiles asks, amazed.

“Yeah, my mom loved classic horror movies…” I point out.

I get up and pick the flower up from the ground. Stiles starts following the rope as it gets closer to the wolf head we dug up, revealing a swirl on the ground.

“Stiles.” Scott calls. Stiles and I get closer and it makes us both jump back a bit. We see what was once the head of a wolf, was now the upper half of a woman. The smell of human blood is so strong that I cover my mouth and nose, trying not to give into the temptation. I start to shake. Finally I can't take it anymore and run off. The boys watch and Stiles gets ready to chase me, but Scott grabs his shoulder.

“I'll get her. You call your dad. Let him know what we found.” He tells Stiles. Stiles nods and calls his dad.

Scott comes after me. I'm sitting with my back to a tree, deep in the woods, digging my nails into my legs, trying to push away the want of human blood.

“Charli?” Scott asks softly.

“Go away, Scott.” I growl. I dig harder, making myself bleed.

“Charli, it's okay. I'm here for you.” He tries to comfort.

“Scott, for your own safety you'd get away.” I warn.

“No… you didn't leave when I wolfed out, I'm not gonna leave you when you vamp out.” He tells me sternly. “We're friends, Charli, friends don't abandon each other.” He continues. I look up and he's standing in front of me. I start to cry. He gets down on my level and hugs me tight. I hug him back as I continue to cry into his hoodie.

“You'll get through this, Charli. Even if I have to chain you up and pour deer blood down your throat.” He states, making me chuckle since I had just said the same thing to him.

“Do you want me to make up an excuse to Stiles for you?” He asks sweetly. I just nod my head. “Okay.” He answers, patting my knee and heading back over to where Stiles was. I wipe my eyes and put my legs cross legged and take some deep breaths. I finally get myself relaxed and then I hear Stiles.

“Charli? Are you okay?” He asks concerned. I swallow hard and slowly nod. “I'm so sorry, I didn't realize you had a sensitivity to this kind of stuff.” He adds.

“It's just really hard when you pretty much watched your mom die in front of you and then going to see another dead body just makes your stomach turn.” I tell him as I start to cry again. That wasn't a lie. I did have to watch my mom die.

He pulls me into a hug and holds me close as I cry some more. He doesn't question anything. He just lets me cry as he gently caresses my back and lays his head on mine. I hold on tighter, afraid that this is just in my imagination and that it isn't real. When I grip him tighter, he plants a soft kiss on the top of my head, making my heart flutter like the butterflies in my stomach. Stiles helps me up and takes me back to my house to get cleaned up so we can be back at Derek's when the cops arrive.

We get there just seconds before the officers do, but seconds after Derek has gotten back. Scott and I stayed by the jeep, making sure I wasn't close enough to the body to be triggered. We watched Derek get thrown into the police cruiser and the forensic team take photos and look for clues. Scott looks at me with sympathetic eyes.

“You okay?” He asks.

“I will be. I'm just glad we found the killer and don't have to worry anymore.” Scott nods in agreement. We look over and see Stiles coming out of the woods. He's walking over to the cruiser. Scott and I both rapidly shake our heads, knowing damn well what's about to happen. He opens the cruiser passenger door and Scott and I quickly turn away, trying to pretend we don't see anything.

“What the hell is wrong with him?” I whisper angrily.

“A lot...” Scott whispers back.

A few moments later, we look back and see his dad yank him out. We watched him talk to his dad for a bit. I couldn't hear much, but the all I knew was that the hand motions were hilarious and hard not to laugh at. We're about to hop into the jeep when his dad walks over to us. “Hang on a minute.” He calls out. We stop and turn towards him.

“You must be Charlotte. I'm Stiles’ father.” He introduces in a friendly tone, extending his hand. I take it and shake it.

“Charli actually, but yes, sir.” I answer back respectively.

“My apologies. When you're father spoke of you he called you Charlotte.”

“Y--you spoke to my dad?” I ask nervously.

“Yeah, I spoke to him last night just before the call came in. He spoke very highly of you.” He informed me, smiling.

“H--he did?”

“Yeah. He even invited Stiles and I for dinner tomorrow.”

I try to swallow the lump in my throat. What is my dad up to? This isn't good.

“Well, I won't keep you any longer. I just wanted to come over and introduce myself. It was nice meeting you, Charli.” He closes and starts walking away.

“Y--yeah. Uh, it was nice to meet you too…” I trail off. Scott and Stiles get into the jeep and I crawl into the back. I'm quiet as Stiles and Scott talk about the wolfsbane. Why would he invite the Stilinskis over? He doesn't even like Stiles…

“Okay stop it!” Scott yells. I break from my train of thought.

“Stop what?” Stiles asks.

“Stop saying werewolf! Stop enjoying this so much!” Scott shouts back painfully.

“Scott, are you okay?” I ask concerned.

“No! No, I'm not! I'm so far from okay!” he answers loudly with his face twisted in pain.

“Y'know you're gonna have to accept this, Scott. Sooner or later .You're gonna have to.” Stiles nags.

“No! I can't breathe!” Scott grits. He slams his hand on the roof of the jeep, making Stiles freak out and swerve a bit.

“Pullover!” I demand as Scott hunches over in pain.

“Why what's happening?” Stiles asks.

Scott opens up Stiles’ backpack. I look in and see what Scott sees. It's the wolfsbane rope!

“You kept it?” Scott snarled.

“What was I supposed to do with it?” Stiles freaks.

“Stop the car!” Scott demands, his eyes glowing yellow.

Stiles quickly pulls over, coming a harsh stop, slamming him into the steering wheel and my face smashing against the seat in front of me. I rub my nose as Stiles jumps out and runs with the bag, then tossing it. I look over and see that Scott is gone.

“Stiles!” I call out. He looks back and sees Scott is gone too. I hope into the front seat and look out the windows for Scott as Stiles calls the Sheriff's department.

“Stiles, you know you can't call on this patchline when I'm on duty.” the woman says.

“I just need to know if you've gotten any odd calls.”

“Odd how?”

“Like an odd person or dog like individual roaming the streets.” Oh my God…

“I'm hanging up on you now.”

“No no no--” she hangs up. He slams the phone down.

“So now what?” I ask.

“Well now we look for him ourselves.” He answers.

I try calling Scott's phone. Then I remember, I have the find my phone app. I click on it and type in Scott's number.

“What are you doing?” Stiles asks.

“I'm tracking him. That way, we can find him via find my phone app.” I answer as I finish typing and hold up my phone to show him. He smiles at me and drives faster. We get to where his phone led us. I hop out and run, following the GPS until I reach a tree. The phone was laying as if it had fallen out of a tree. Must've fallen out when he was jumping around.

I pick it up and walk back to the jeep. I get in, close the door and sigh.

“Where is he?” Stiles asks. Without making eye contact, I hold the phone up and hand it to Stiles.

“Looks like it fell out of his pocket when he was jumping around.” I answer.

Stiles lays his head back on the headrest and sighs.

“We'll find him.” I reassure, taking Stiles big hand into my own smaller one. He looks at me and we just keep our eyes on each other until he finally snaps out of it and starts driving again.

~

It's late. We're about to give up, until I notice someone in a gray hoodie walking down the street. I lean closer and realize it's Scott. I tap Stiles’ shoulder and point at Scott. He gets closer and pulls up to Scott and stops. I let Scott in and we start driving again. I look back and examine him. No blood. No rips in his clothes. No cuts or scratches on him. He's good, no harm was done.

“What happened to you?” I ask.

“I don't know, but I ended up at Allison's.” Scott answers.

Stiles slams the breaks and now we're both looking at him.

“What happened?” Stiles asks concerned.

“Nothing happened. I saw my wolf reflection, freaked out and tried to run home. I got hit by Allison's dad's car and before I knew it, they were telling me they were both going to be at the game tonight.” He explains.

“But I thought you weren't playing…” I remind him.

“Well I have to now. Plus my mom is gonna be there.” He cried back.

Stiles and I look at each other and sigh and face the road again. He starts up the car and heads to my house. I get out, wave bye to Stiles and Scott as he climbs into the front seat. I go inside and change my clothes for the cold weather. I put on a band short, a purple zip up hoodie, a leather jacket with some faded skinny jeans and my doc martens and put my anti social beanie back on. I start heading out the door until my father stops me.

“You just got home ten minutes ago, where are you going now?” My father questions.

“The lacrosse game. Scott's playing first line.” I answer, shoving my hands in my pockets.

“Oh great! I'll go with you.” He answers, heading for the coat closet.

“No, that's okay. I'm meeting up with Allison and Lydia anyways.” I answered a little too quickly. I barely know Allison and I can't stand Lydia.

“Who are they?” He quizzes.

“Just a couple of girls from school.” I answer with no hesitation.

“Well, I won't get in the way of ‘girl time’ then, but I would like to go to one of those games eventually.” He states.

“I'll see you later! Love you!” I call back as I leave. I hop in my car and drive to the school to watch the game. I take a seat in the bleachers, waiting for the game to start. The seats start filling up and the Mrs. McCall sits next to me. Should I introduce myself? I should right? Yeah I'm going to.

“Hi, Mrs. McCall, I--I'm Charli, I'm a friend of Scott's.” I introduce friendly, holding my hand out for her to shake.

“Oh, hi! Yeah I heard about you. Scott said you helped him get a date with Allison.” She replied sweetly. Did I really? … Huh, maybe I did.

“Yeah, he's a good kid.” I smile.

“Has he been acting strange to you lately?” she asks. Shit! I should've kept my mouth shut.

“Nope. He seems okay to me.” I lie. “I think he just really likes Allison and it gets to him a bit, but, no, h--he seems okay to me.” I continue.

“Maybe it's just me being paranoid.” She says quietly.

“He's a teenager. Most of the time we don't share everything with our parents…” I say, reassuringly. “He'll share with you when he's ready.” I finish.

She smiles at me and I smile back. “Popcorn?” she tilts the small box my way and I take a small piece. We look at the field, waiting for the game to start. A few minutes later, Mr. Stilinski comes and joins us, greeting both of us before he sits down.

The game begins and we watch as Scott gets passed up for the ball. I see him dart for the ball, but then get pushed over by Jackson. Mrs. McCall, Mr. Stilinski stand up. She puts her hands over mouth and I yell.

“Jackson, what are you doing? He's on your team you numbskull!” I look over and Mrs. McCall and Mr. Stilinski are just starting at me. I adjust my jacket and quickly chirp. “I'm a big fan of lacrosse.”

I look back to the field, trying to stay calm, but then I look over and see that Lydia and Allison are holding up a sign the says ‘We Luv U Jackson is #1’ and I just sneer. I can see Scott's demeanor from where and I am and I know things are not gonna end well. He's hunched over, panting. I can tell he's trying to hold back, let's hope he can.

The ball gets passed. Scott jumps for it off an opposing player's head and catches it. Shocking everyone. He dodges pass everyone and I can see his mom jumping up and down, clapping, so proud of him. I just clap too so I don't look suspicious. He makes a goal and everyone cheers. Mrs. McCall and I jump up and down, cheering and hug each other.

“Pass to McCall!” I hear Coach call out. Oh no…

An opposing player looks at Scott when the ball is passed again. He's shaking and just throws it to him. I can see that he's got his fangs out and his eyes are yellow for the second time today… Son of a bitch…

Scott makes another goal. Ripping a hole through the netting in the goalies stick. Everyone cheers and I just start to sweat. They make another pass. Scott catches it again and runs for the goal. Two players are getting closer, the clock is counting down and then all of a sudden, he looks at them, making them back up and charge at him. I bite my nails again and bounce my leg. He makes the throw, going right pass the goalie and into the net. Everyone cheers the loudest that they have all night, including me and everyone starts running from the stands, cheering on the winning team, our team. I got to Stiles and we run to each other and hug, he lifts me off the ground and spins me around and sets me back down. I look into his eyes, he looks into mine. This is it, Charli. This is the moment of your first kiss.

I take his face in my hands, he leans down to me and I get on my tippy toes to get to him, only for the moment to be ruined by other lacrosse players. They surround Stiles and start cheering and celebrating and I just land on my heels and back up. He eventually gets rid of them, only for his dad to come over to us and put a hand on each of our shoulders closest to him.

“Man, what a great game, huh kids?” he asks, smiling.

“Yes sir” I reply, trying to sound defeated. I smile at him and he pulls us closer to him.

“How about we get a couple burgers, on me?” He offers. Stiles is about to decline, but I won't let him.

I smile and look at Mr. Stilinski again. “Y'know, a burger sounds great.” I accept.

“Great! I'll--” he's cut off by his phone. He excuses himself and answers. I sit on the bench with Stiles, waiting on his dad.

“What made you say yes?” Stiles asks as he packs up his bag.

“Well he seems really nice and I'd hate to say no to him.” He smiles and continues shoving stuff into his gym bag. “Plus I told my dad I was going out with Lydia and Allison after so he wouldn't come.” I add, making him chuckle.

He looks over at his dad who looks concerned.  “Dad? What's wrong?” He asks. His dad looks at him and puts a finger up. Stiles look back at me and then we look at his dad again. He hangs up.

“The medical examiner looked at the other half of the body you guys found… and he determined it was animal hair, not human hair…” Stiles and I look at each other with wide eyes. “Which means Derek Hale has been found not guilty and is being released.” He continues. “Oh and the dead girl? Her name is Laura Hale… Derek's sister.” He adds...

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

@mummybear @ficus-fig @music-magic-mayhem @zenawa @stiles-o-dylan24 @cry-btch @maaariiiooo13 @thekingofselfloathing @sporadiccookiebagel @bewarethebees @inschi @awesomeandromedablack @wil2space @bansheeintuition @mrs-mitch-rapp93 @nicole-lynne

[glassesandpassion]

BOLD any which apply to your muse! Remember to REPOST! Feel free to add to the list!

[ COLORS ] red. brown. orange. yellow. green. blue. purple. pink. black. white. teal. silver. gold. grey. lilac. metallic. matte. royal blue. strawberry red. charcoal grey. forest green. apple red. navy blue. crimson. cream. mint green.

[ ELEMENTS ] fire. ice. water. air. earth. darkness. light. rain. snow. wind. moon.stars. sun. heat. cold. steam. frost. fog. lightning. sunlight. moonlight. dawn. dusk.twilight. midnight. sunrise. sunset. dewdrops.

[ BODY ] claws. long fingers. fangs. teeth. wings. tails. lips. bare feet. freckles.bruises. canine. scars. scratches. wounds. burns. spikes. feathers. webs. eyes. hands. sweat. tears. feline. chubby. curvy. short. tall. muscular. piercing. tattoos. trans.hunched/bent.

[ WEAPONS ] fists. sword. dagger. spear. arrow. hammer. shield. poison. guns. axes. throwing axes. whips. knives. throwing knives. pepper sprays. tasers. machine guns.slingshots. katanas. maces. staffs. wands. powers. magical items. magic. rocks. mud.

[ MATERIALS ] gold. silver. platinum. titanium. diamonds. pearls. rubies. sapphires. emeralds. amethyst. metal. iron. rust. steel. glass. wood. porcelain. paper. wool. fur. lace. leather. silk. velvet. denim. linen. cotton. charcoal. clay. stone. asphalt. marble. dust. glitter. blood. dirt. mud. smoke. ash. shadow. carbonate. rubber. synthetics. crystals.

[ NATURE ] grass. leaves. trees. bark. roses. daisies. tulips. lavender. petals. thorns. seeds. hay. sand. rocks. roots. flowers. ocean. river. meadow. forest. desert. tundra. savanna. rainforest. caves. underwater. coral reef. beach. waves. space. clouds. mountains.

[ ANIMALS ] lions. wolves. bears. eagles. owls. falcons. hawks. swans. snakes. turtles. ducks. bugs. spiders. birds. whales. dolphins. fish. sharks. horses. cats. dogs. bunnies. praying mantises. crows. ravens. mice. lizards. werewolves. unicorns. pegasus. dragons. rats. monsters. wendigos. parasites. tigers. foxes.

[ FOODS/DRINKS ] sugar. salt. candy. bubblegum. wine. champagne. hard liquor. beer.coffee. tea. spices. herbs. apple. orange. lemon. cherry. strawberry. watermelon. vegetables. fruits. meat. fish. pies. desserts. chocolate. cream. caramel. berries. nuts. cinnamon. burgers. burritos. pizza. ambrosia.

[ HOBBIES ] music. art. watercolors. gardening. smithing. sculpting. painting. sketching. fighting. writing. composing. cooking. sewing. training. dancing. acting.singing. martial arts. self-defense. electronics. technology. cameras. video cameras. video games. computers. phone. movies. theater. libraries. books. magazines. cds. records. vinyls. cassettes. piano. violin. guitar. electronic guitar. bass guitar. harmonica. harp. woodwinds. brass. bells. playing cards. poker chips. chess. dice. motorcycle riding. eating. climbing. running. puzzles.

[ STYLE ] lingerie. armor. cape. dress. tunic. vest. shirt. boots. heels. runners. leggings. trousers. jeans. skirt. jewelry. earrings. necklace. bracelet. ring. pendant. hat. crown. circlet. helmet. scarf. brocade. cloaks. corsets. doublet. chest plate. gorget. bracers. belt. sash. coat. jacket. hood. gloves. socks. masks. costume. ruffle collar. cowls. braces. watches. glasses. sunglasses. visor. eye contacts. makeup. hoodie. sweater.

[ MISC ] balloons. bubbles. cityscape. light. dark. candles. war. peace. money. power. percussion. clocks. photos. mirrors. pets. kisses. diary. fairy lights. madness. sanity.sadness. happiness. optimism. pessimism. loneliness. fear. family. friends. assistants. co-workers. enemies. loyalty. deception. smoking. drugs. kindness. love. hugs. jealousy.

TAGGED BY: @fallingdarknesswarrior {thank u my dude....}

TAGGING: whoever is still active in this day and age and hasn’t done this one yet

[luki-fanfic]

KHR Fic: The Tempest Temptation

So I’ve been in a bad mental place the last few days, and most of the stuff I’m reading online isn’t helping the way it normally does (all my fandoms have suddenly started writing pairings or plots that make me feel even worse, talk about bad timing - I needed fluff and family dammit!). 

So I did what any fanfic author does and started working on something a guilty pleasure of my own.  Sort of stagnated, but feel like offering the first chunk.

Xanxus is eight years old and desperate to find something more than a future in the slums.  When he comes across a man with kind eyes and orange flames, he thinks he’s found it.

Inspired by a comment left on Generation Cross about Xanxus becoming Tsuna’s Storm Guardian.

The first time Xanxus meets him, it’s utterly forgettable except for how pathetic it is.

Xanxus is eight years old going on fifty, trawling the back alley of an Italian slum far away from the tourists.  He was born in a clinic just down the road, and never gone further than ten miles from the bare-walled apartment he and his mother call home. Here, life beats harsh reality into you young – the boy knows full well his future consists of nothing but drugs, gangs and messy death.  

But Xanxus isn’t like everyone else here.  Most children of whore have already picked chosen their path, but Xanxus refuses to bow.  He’s not ready to accept that, there’s a burning desire that life can’t quite snuff out, that he’s meant for more than this.  When he prowls the street, his head is high, no matter how much the prostitutes laugh and the runners mock him for refusing their deals.    

However, when the slight drizzle that’s been threatening the neighbourhood all afternoon turns into a full storm, it’s enough for him to slouch and slip into the shadows, taking an alley shortcut home.  Normally he wouldn’t risk running down the tight dark streets, but even trash is heading inside right now.

Except apparently, for the idiot on the ground, slumped on the ground.  He barely registers the new arrival, only raising his head when his footsteps register.

The man is Asian, with wild hair, a two-day shadow and dressed in a suit that was probably quality before it got dragged through whatever war the man had crawled away from.  His face hosts a pair of empty, dead eyes, that widen to an extreme degree when he registers Xanxus’s appearance.  He looks as if he’s seen a ghost, mouth trying to form words and failing.  Xanxus just scowls, kicking the legs away to move forward.

But the second he makes contact, something flickers up his leg.  As powerful as an electric current, and strong enough to make Xanxus freeze.  From within, something twists awake, and Xanxus shudders at the feeling.

The man utters something wordless, and jerks his legs away, curling into a ball.  His eyes however, haven’t left the boy’s face.  Xanxus debates confronting him, but an extra pulse of rain falling from the sky makes him retreat, storming past and shaking the feeling off.

However, he can’t resist tossing his head back to check if the man is following him.  He doesn’t know why, but it feels as if he should be.  

He’s not, and Xanxus sneers at the figure still leaning against the wall, head down and curling in on himself.  As broken as everyone else in this godforsaken place.  

Just trash.  Xanxus doesn’t know why he expected better.

By the time he gets home, he’s pushed the man out of his head entirely. A homeless waste of space like that will be dead or in the claws of a gang within the week.

Except that’s not what happens.  Over the next month, the man flits in and out of Xanxus’s purview, sometimes lost in his own world or running to somewhere, and looking more and more like a homeless bum every time he sees him.  Strangely, every time he sees Xanxus, he freezes, and refuses to make eye contact, but Xanxus hasn’t had the inclination to find out why.  He’s got his own problems.  The last few weeks have been full of headaches and burning feelings in his stomach.  He’s always felt this fire in his gut, but it’s been cranked up to eleven ever since he met the man in the alley, and it’s driving him nuts.

As such, it’s not until a month after their first meeting that Xanxus learns how off his original assumption was.

Their neighbourhood caters to some of the lowest mafioso families on the crime ladder, and one of the grunts is slamming on the door of one of their downstairs neighbours.  Screaming abuse and fingering a gun with his spare hand.  Every person in the building, his mother included, had seen the man and gone running for their own rooms, desperately praying that they weren’t the target.  

Xanxus had ignored his mother’s warnings, pulling away from her grip and slipping into the hallway.  He sat on the middle steps, just out of sight of the man while keeping him in view.  A minute later, the lock on the door gives, and the mafioso is pulling a woman out by her hair.  She’s probably in her twenties, but looks a decade older from drugs and life, with bleached blonde hair and makeup smeared on her face.  Her legs are buckling, tears streaming down her face as she begs for mercy, arms wrapped around her stomach, the bulge only just starting to be noticeable.

Xanxus snorts in derision.  Blood is gold in the criminal underbelly.  The whore’s probably one of the boss’s favourites, but doesn’t want an illegitimate heir mucking up his family line.  Woman should have known better.

She’s on her knees now, sobbing furiously while the mafioso pulls out the gun and cocks it.  The sound has her trying to crawl away, only to get a backhand to the face, sending her crashing to the ground again.  The mafioso aims, and Xanxus leans forward.

Another death for stupid mistakes.  

“Hey!”

All three freeze at the voice, and turn to take in the figure in the door.

It’s the man Xanxus stumbled over that rainy afternoon, and looks as bad as ever. He’s lost the suit jacket in exchange for an olive-green raincoat with a furry hood, but it doesn’t hide the fact that the orange shirt underneath is as filthy as his dress trousers.  He’s filched a wool cap from somewhere, using it and the hood to crush most of those wild locks out of sight and mind while the straggles of a clearly unplanned beard invade his chin.  If Xanxus had ever been asked to imagine the epitome of ‘bum,’ this wouldn’t’ be too far off the mark.

The only aberration is the man’s eyes.  Xanxus could have sworn they were mud brown, but now they’re gleaming with a gold hue that can’t be natural, and focused on the mafioso like a cat on a rat.

“Let her go.”

Xanxus feels his spine straighten instinctively, fighting the shudder at the sheer power the bum manages to exude in just three words.  The mafioso doesn’t fare much better, his hand releasing the woman almost unconsciously. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, she’s flying back into her home practically on all fours.  A second later, the mafioso shakes it off, and makes to follow her.

“Get back here you little-“

The bum slams his hand into the door frame, blocking the door with his smaller frame.  The mafioso has at least a foot on him, but there’s not a hint of hesitation. Clearly, he’s insane.

This is the mafioso’s opinion too, and he sneers down at the interloper.

“What, you her newest John?  Bitch like her aint worth the bullet hole you’re asking for.”

The man doesn’t move.  

“I’ll tell you this just once” he warns.  “Back off.  Turn around and walk away.”

The mafioso does take a step back, but he’s just running his eyes up and down his targets frame, sneer turning into a smirk.

“Ohhh, so you’re the one causing so much trouble downtown” he says.  “Heard you took out three of Nino’s boys last week for roughing up the girls they’d bought and paid for.  Got a lot of people who want you dead in a gutter.  What, you want the district for yourself?”

“No” was the reply.  “But life has beaten into me the importance of standing up for those that can’t, whether you want to or not.”

“What the fuck are you?  A greeting card?”

He doesn’t answer, and the mafioso scowls, hand going out to shove the bum out of the way – only for the bum’s own hand to snap up, deflecting the arm and sending him spinning out the door with a squawk.  He pulls himself up and snarls, pulling out the gun and pointing it almost point blank at the man’s skull.

“Piss off you asshole!”

He fires, and Xanxus braces to see blood and brain matter spray over the wall. But it doesn’t.

Before Xanxus could register it, the bum had moved out of the way, his hand slumming into the mafioso’s nose.  The bullet flies into the wall, and the next thing Xanxus sees is the bum performing a terrifyingly quick move with his hands that sees the gun fall to the floor and the mafioso’s arm twist in unnatural angles.  He’s howling in pain, dropping to his knees, only to find a leg slam into his skull, sending him flying towards the door.  With eerie grace, the bum steps forward.

“Get out” he orders.

It’s just for a moment, but Xanxus swears he sees flames burning on the man’s fists.  The hall fills with their presence, and from somewhere deep inside, Xanxus feels something fighting to get out and match him.  From the way the mafioso is staring at his attacker, he’s not the only one.  He struggles to his feet, and throws himself out the door.

His disappearance starts the floodgates, and doors start to open, neighbours utterly confused at the turn of events.  The flames vanish, and Xanxus bites back the gasp as the aura he’d been drowning in vanishes as quick as it came, leaving him hollow and clawing his chest at the loss.  

Ignorant of what he’d done to the boy on the stair, the bum walks into the woman’s home, and closes the door.  When Xanxus heads downwards and tries to push it open, it stays firm despite the lock still being shattered.

He’s tempted to try and get in through a window outside, but his mother descends upon him, and pulls him back indoors, refusing to let him out of her sight until the morning.

When he finally manages to get away, the door is open, and both his neighbour and the bum are gone.

---

The natural assumption is that the bum took the woman for himself, but gossip flies through the building like wildfire.  Those closest to the apartment had seen the man escort the pregnant woman out of the house, a suitcase of her belongings in one hand.  He’d been an utter gentleman, and when one neighbour had been brave enough to question him, he’d merely said he was sending the woman somewhere safe.

Nobody knew why he’d shown up – was he a john?  A relative?  A rival mafioso trying to leave a message?  The only one who knew for sure was the bum, and he’d vanished into thin air.

Not that it stopped Xanxus from prowling the streets looking for him.  

It’s as frustrating as it is dangerous to be so focused on something you can’t grasp.  But Xanxus can’t get the man out of his head.  Can’t forget the electric current, or the feeling he’d ignited that night. When he concentrates, he can feel the burning feeling inside him grow, and not a week later, he’d achieved a small flick of red tainted with the familiar orange.

Flames.

Xanxus hadn’t been seeing things.  The bum had set himself alight.  With this assurance, he asks his mother if she’d ever heard of such a thing.  He’d had to wait for one of her more stable moments, but when she was mostly sober and coherent, he’d hit jackpot.

“The man had flames?  Oh, I should have brought him home.  Things would be so much easier with flames.”

“What are they?”

“Flames are flames” she’d replied, and Xanxus scowled.

“What’s the fucking point of them?”

His mother laughs.  “Flames are everything Xanxus.  Oh, I hope you get them.  Life will be easier then.  If you get flames, it’s a straight ticket to the life we deserve.”

He’s still growling, and she leans back, fingering a bottle to her side.

“Flames are the lifeblood of the Mafia royalty” she continues.  “If you have orange flames, you are a ruler.  Any other colour, and you’re a follower.  The stronger the flames, the stronger the person.”

She leans over and clasps her hands on Xanxus’s shoulders.

“You will be a powerful flame user Xanxus” she insists.  “I knew it the moment you were born.  I dallied with many a powerful man in my younger days, but nobody will believe me unless we can prove it.  When they emerge, we will ascend to our true place.  Ah, I almost can’t wait.”

She almost makes to hug him, only to pull off and grab the bottle instead. Xanxus shrugs it off – he’s long understood his importance in her priorities.

If she’s expecting him to reveal these flames at some point, it certainly explains why she’s kept him around.  Woman with kids don’t exactly make the most money around here.

Still, probably best he keeps quiet until he knows how to control them properly.  Especially since the red flames are currently overtaking the orange when he brings them out.

No fucking way is he going to be anything less than royalty.  

But he can’t get very far if he doesn’t know what he’s doing.  Instinct has limits.  The bum can tell him how to master them, all he needs to do is find him.

A week later, and he finds the source of his frustration when a giant pillar of fire soars through the air not two blocks from his home.  Most flee expecting a gas leak, but Xanxus bolts in the direction, turning a corner only to freeze in shock at what he sees.

It’s beautiful.  

The man is still dressed like a pathetic waste of space, but with the flames burning on his forehead and gloves, flying through the air and ripping through his opponents, he exudes everything Xanxus has ever wanted.

This.  This is a King.  This is everything Xanxus wants to be.  Powerful, strong, untouchable.

Yet, even as he says that, the colour of the flames shifts slightly. Tiny flecks of a darker flame dart through the hue, much like the orange does to his red.  Usually when the man is making contact with his opponents. Xanxus wonders if that’s just something all flames do, his own – dim as they are – fluctuate in their presence, and it takes everything he has not to run forward to join him.

The mafioso, survivors at the core, quickly realise just how outmatched they are when the flames enter the match, and they’re quick to flee, desperate to avoid the wrath of a flame user.  When they vanish from view, the man’s flames vanish, and he staggers on his feet, only to fall back, lying back on the pavement and refusing to get up. Xanxus scoffs, only to freeze when the man calls out.

“I can feel you.  Might as well come out.”

With that, his head turns in Xanxus’s direction.  The boy scowls, but decides to take the invitation offered.

Once again, when the man realises just whose coming towards him, his eyes widen and his body tenses.  For a split second, Xanxus thinks the man might just bolt, and he quickens his pace to make sure he can cut the man off if he dares.

“Trash” he greets.  The man blinks in confusion.

“Xanxus?  But…how?”

The boy’s eyes narrow.

“How the hell do you know my name Trash?”

The man just keeps staring, and Xanxus kicks him again.  He winces, and pushes himself into a sitting position.

“Sorry, I’m just surprised” he says.  “I’ve heard your name around.  Sofia mentioned you when I was taking her to the train station.”

“Sofia?”

The man smiles.  “The pregnant woman who lives in your building.  I guess I should have realised you were the flame user, I just got didn’t expect those flames.”

Xanxus frowns.  “The train station?  And what’s wrong with my flames.”

The man shrugs, and Xanxus gets the feeling he’s not fully there.  “That man, or whoever he was working for, would have tried again.  I had to get her out of the city, so I gave her the money for a one-way ticket and told her to pick a direction.  She and the baby should be okay so long as she doesn’t come back.”

“Why the fuck would you do that?” Xanxus asks, genuinely puzzled.  “You sweet on her?”

A shake of the head.  “It was the right thing to do.  And nobody else was going to do it.  I could help, and right now that’s all that’s keeping me going.”

He looks up at the boy glaring at him.  “As for your flames, I felt storm instead of sky flames.  I…thought you would have sky flames, so I didn’t realise it was you.”

“Sky, storm?” Xanxus echoes, barely realising he’s sitting down next to the man before he’s on the ground.  “What’s the difference?”

The man bites his lip, glancing over, and Xanxus scowls.

“Oi!  Tell me.”

“…What do you already know?”

“I know orange flames are the best” Xanxus snaps.  “If you have them, you’re mafia royalty.”

The man nods.  “Well, that’s sort of true.  It’s not a case of being the best though.  Orange flames mean you’re a sky.  But that doesn’t mean anything unless you harmonise.  There are other flame types as well, skies are rare, so most people have one or more of the other types.  Red for storm, blue for rain, yellow for sun, green for lightning, indigo for mist and purple for cloud.  They all have their own skills and abilities, and what most flame users want more than anything, is to harmonise with a sky and become a guardian.”

“Harmonise?  Guardian.”

He’s clearly reluctant to continue, but Xanxus grabs his jacket and glares, daring the man to move away. It works, and the man continues.

“A sky’s attribute is harmonisation, and the only way to be a true sky is to harmonise with at least one of each other element.  They…strengthen you, stabilise you, and you them.  They become your guardians, sworn to protect you as much as you would protect them.  To harmonise is to belong to that sky, for that sky to belong to you.  If you activate as a sky, you’ll start looking for guardians.”

Xanxus spits.  “Like hell I will.  I don’t need anyone to protect me.”

The man smiles as if remembering something fond.  “You won’t be able to help it.  I thought nobody would want to harmonise with someone like me before I activated but…even if you fight it, you’ll pull in guardians without even meaning to.”

“Yeah?  Then where’s yours trash?”

It was like hitting a light switch.  The fond smile vanished and the eyes dimmed back to that dead look Xanxus had first seen all those weeks ago.  He suddenly feels like crap, and he honestly doesn’t know why.

“They’re gone” the man rasps.  “I’ve gone somewhere they can’t follow.”

It’s an odd way to say dead, but Xanxus can read between the lines.

The man is clenching his hands (wrapped in mittens, strange.  Xanxus could have sworn he was wearing gloves), focused on the numbers etched on the front.  “Harmonisation is…it makes life better.  There’s no words for how a full harmonisation feels.  But on the other scale, when you lose that harmony…it can destroy flame users.  I’ve been fighting discord ever since I got here – when I felt a budding sky in the area I was drawn to them.  You’re not fully active, but you’re leaking enough that I can leech off your flames harmony element and keep mine from self destructing.”

He looks away.

“I might have leeched too much and brought your other flames to the surface by accident.  That’s why you feel like a storm instead.  If I leave tonight, they should go back to normal and you should activate normally soon enough.”

He begins to stand, only for Xanxus to pull back on the jacket, crashing him to the ground.  A moment later, the man is staring up at the eight-year-old pinning him to the ground.

“No.”

“…No?”

“No, you’re not just going to leave” Xanxus snarls, eyes bright.  “You know how to activate these flames, so you’re going to show me how to do it.”

“Xanxus, that’s not-“

“I’m not asking trash!” he snaps.  “I can almost get the red flame out, but I can’t force the orange one the same way.  If you’re the reason for that, then you’re going to fix it.”

He tries to focus on his flames, and grins when he feels the man’s own flare against the attempt.  However, his prisoner jerks back in panic, bucking the boy off.

“Stop!  Before you do something we can’t take back!”

Xanxus’s flames hesitate, and it’s enough for the mans to vanish, locked away so tight Xanxus can’t even feel them.  The man is gasping in panic, and holds up a hand while he stumbles to his feet.

“I’ll show you” he agrees.  “But you can’t do that again.  If you want to be a sky, then that can’t happen.”

Xanxus doesn’t fully understand, but he’s getting what he wants, so he’ll run with it.

“So, what do I call you trash?” he asks, and the man sighs, dropping into a bow (what the fuck?).

“Tsunayoshi” he says, which is far too much of a mouthful and Xanxus has no intention of remembering it.  Clearly, this must be obvious, because his teacher is giving him a bitter smile.

“But most people just call me Tsuna.”

[fallingdarknesswarrior]

BOLD any which apply to your muse! Remember to REPOST! Feel free to add to the list!

[ COLORS ] red. brown. orange. yellow. green. blue. purple. pink. black. white. teal. silver. gold. grey. lilac. metallic. matte. royal blue. strawberry red. charcoal grey. forest green. apple red. navy blue. crimson. cream. mint green.

[ ELEMENTS ] fire. ice. water. air. earth. darkness. light. rain. snow. wind. moon. stars. sun. heat. cold. steam. frost. fog. lightning. sunlight. moonlight. dawn. dusk. twilight. midnight. sunrise. sunset. dewdrops.

[ BODY ] claws. long fingers. fangs. teeth. wings. tails. lips. bare feet. freckles. bruises. canine. scars. scratches. wounds. burns. spikes. feathers. webs. eyes. hands. sweat. tears. feline. chubby. curvy. short. tall. muscular. piercing. tattoos. trans. hunched/bent.

[ WEAPONS ] fists. sword. dagger. spear. arrow. hammer. shield. poison. guns. axes. throwing axes. whips. knives. throwing knives. pepper sprays. tasers. machine guns. slingshots. katanas. maces. staffs. wands. powers. magical items. magic. rocks. mud.

[ MATERIALS ] gold. silver. platinum. titanium. diamonds. pearls. rubies. sapphires. emeralds. amethyst. metal. iron. rust. steel. glass. wood. porcelain. paper. wool. fur. lace. leather. silk. velvet. denim. linen. cotton. charcoal. clay. stone. asphalt. marble. dust. glitter. blood. dirt. mud. smoke. ash. shadow. carbonate. rubber. synthetics. crystals.

[ NATURE ] grass. leaves. trees. bark. roses. daisies. tulips. lavender. petals. thorns. seeds. hay. sand. rocks. roots. flowers. ocean. river. meadow. forest. desert. tundra. savanna. rainforest. caves. underwater. coral reef. beach. waves. space. clouds. mountains.

[ ANIMALS ] lions. wolves. bears. eagles. owls. falcons. hawks. swans. snakes. turtles. ducks. bugs. spiders. birds. whales. dolphins. fish. sharks. horses. cats. dogs. bunnies. praying mantises. crows. ravens. mice. lizards. werewolves. unicorns. pegasus. dragons. rats. monsters. wendigos. parasites. tigers. foxes.

[ FOODS/DRINKS ] sugar. salt. candy. bubblegum. wine. champagne. hard liquor. beer. coffee. tea. spices. herbs. apple. orange. lemon. cherry. strawberry. watermelon. vegetables. fruits. meat. fish. pies. desserts. chocolate. cream. caramel. berries. nuts. cinnamon. burgers. burritos. pizza. ambrosia.

[ HOBBIES ] music. art. watercolors. gardening. smithing. sculpting. painting. sketching. fighting. writing. composing. cooking. sewing. training. dancing. acting. singing. martial arts. self-defense. electronics. technology. cameras. video cameras. video games. computers. phone. movies. theater. libraries. books. magazines. cds. records. vinyls. cassettes. piano. violin. guitar. electronic guitar. bass guitar. harmonica. harp. woodwinds. brass. bells. playing cards. poker chips. chess. dice. motorcycle riding. eating. climbing. running. puzzles.

[ STYLE ] lingerie. armor. cape. dress. tunic. vest. shirt. boots. heels. runners. leggings. trousers. jeans. skirt. jewelry. earrings. necklace. bracelet. ring. pendant. hat. crown. circlet. helmet. scarf. brocade. cloaks. corsets. doublet. chest plate. gorget. bracers. belt. sash. coat. jacket. hood. gloves. socks. masks. costume. ruffle collar. cowls. braces. watches. glasses. sunglasses. visor. eye contacts. makeup. hoodie. sweater.

[ MISC ] balloons. bubbles. cityscape. light. dark. candles. war. peace. money. power. percussion. clocks. photos. mirrors. pets. kisses. diary. fairy lights. madness. sanity. sadness. happiness. optimism. pessimism. loneliness. fear. family. friends. assistants. co-workers. enemies. loyalty. deception. smoking. drugs. kindness. love. hugs. jealousy.

TAGGED BY: @the-cherubim-monster

TAGGING: @kaizerandtzar @glassesandpassion & anyone else

[hurricanexfate]

BOLD any which apply to your muse! Remember to REPOST! Feel free to add to the list!

[ COLORS ] red. brown. orange. yellow. green. blue. purple. pink. black. white. teal. silver.gold. grey. lilac. metallic. matte. royal blue. strawberry red. charcoal grey. forest green. apple red. navy blue. crimson. cream. mint green.

[ ELEMENTS ] fire. ice. water. air. earth. darkness. light. rain. snow. wind. moon. stars. sun. heat. cold. steam. frost. fog. lightning. sunlight. moonlight. dawn. dusk. twilight. midnight. sunrise. sunset. dewdrops.

[ BODY ] claws. long fingers. fangs. teeth. wings. tails. lips. bare feet. freckles. bruises. canine. scars. scratches. wounds. burns. spikes. feathers. webs. eyes. hands. sweat.tears. feline. chubby. curvy. short. tall. muscular. piercing. tattoos. trans. hunched/bent.

[ WEAPONS ] fists. sword. dagger. spear. arrow. hammer. shield. poison. guns. axes. throwing axes. whips. knives. throwing knives. pepper sprays. tasers. machine guns.slingshots. katanas. maces. staffs. wands. powers. magical items. magic. rocks. mud.

[ MATERIALS ] gold. silver. platinum. titanium. diamonds. pearls. rubies. sapphires. emeralds. amethyst. metal. iron. rust. steel. glass. wood. porcelain. paper. wool. fur. lace. leather. silk. velvet. denim. linen. cotton. charcoal. clay. stone. asphalt. marble. dust. glitter.blood. dirt. mud. smoke. ash. shadow. carbonate. rubber. synthetics. crystals.

[ NATURE ] grass. leaves. trees. bark. roses. daisies. tulips. lavender. petals. thorns. seeds. hay. sand. rocks. roots. flowers. ocean. river. meadow. forest. desert. tundra. savanna. rainforest. caves. underwater. coral reef. beach. waves. space. clouds. mountains.

[ ANIMALS ] lions. wolves. bears. eagles. owls. falcons. hawks. swans. snakes. turtles. ducks. bugs. spiders. birds. whales. dolphins. fish. sharks. horses. cats. dogs. bunnies. praying mantises. crows. ravens. mice. lizards. werewolves. unicorns. pegasus. dragons. rats. monsters. wendigos. parasites. tigers. foxes.

[ FOODS/DRINKS ] sugar. salt. candy. bubblegum. wine. champagne. hard liquor. beer.coffee. tea. spices. herbs. apple. orange. lemon. cherry. strawberry. watermelon. vegetables. fruits. meat. fish. pies. desserts. chocolate. cream. caramel. berries. nuts. cinnamon. burgers. burritos. pizza. ambrosia.

[ HOBBIES ] music. art. watercolors. gardening. smithing. sculpting. painting. sketching.fighting. writing. composing. cooking. sewing. training. dancing. acting. singing. martial arts.self-defense. electronics. technology. cameras. video cameras. video games. computers. phone. movies. theater. libraries. books. magazines. cds. records. vinyls. cassettes. piano. violin. guitar. electronic guitar. bass guitar. harmonica. harp. woodwinds. brass. bells. playing cards. poker chips. chess. dice. motorcycle riding. eating. climbing. running. puzzles.

[ STYLE ] lingerie. armor. cape. dress. tunic. vest. shirt. boots. heels. runners. leggings. trousers. jeans. skirt. jewelry. earrings. necklace. bracelet. ring. pendant. hat. crown. circlet. helmet. scarf. brocade. cloaks. corsets. doublet. chest plate. gorget. bracers. belt. sash. coat. jacket. hood. gloves. socks. masks. costume. ruffle collar. cowls. braces. watches. glasses. sunglasses. visor. eye contacts. makeup. hoodie. sweater.

[ MISC ] balloons. bubbles. cityscape. light. dark. candles. war. peace. money. power. percussion. clocks. photos. mirrors. pets. kisses. diary. fairy lights. madness. sanity.sadness. happiness. optimism. pessimism. loneliness. fear. family. friends. assistants. co-workers. enemies. loyalty. deception. smoking. drugs. kindness. love. hugs. jealousy.

SWIPED FROM: @fallingdarknesswarrior

TAGGING: @motomiyaz @flyonmylovee @gogglesmach2 and anybody else, really

[matterofblues]

BOLD any which apply to your muse! Remember to REPOST! Feel free to add to the list!

[ COLORS ] red. brown. orange. yellow. green. blue. purple. pink. black. white. teal. silver. gold. grey. lilac. metallic. matte. royal blue. strawberry red. charcoal grey. forest green. apple red. navy blue. crimson. cream. mint green.

[ ELEMENTS ] fire. ice. water. air. earth. darkness. light. rain. snow. wind. moon. stars. sun. heat. cold. steam. frost. fog. lightning. sunlight. moonlight. dawn. dusk. twilight. midnight. sunrise. sunset. dewdrops.

[ BODY ] claws. long fingers. fangs. teeth. wings. tails. lips. bare feet. freckles. bruises. canine. scars. scratches. wounds. burns. spikes. feathers. webs. eyes. hands. sweat. tears. feline. chubby. curvy. short. tall. muscular. piercing. tattoos. trans. hunched/bent.

[ WEAPONS ] fists. sword. dagger. spear. arrow. hammer. shield. poison. guns. axes. throwing axes. whips. knives. throwing knives. pepper sprays. tasers. machine guns. slingshots. katanas. maces. staffs. wands. powers. magical items. magic. rocks. mud.

[ MATERIALS ] gold. silver. platinum. titanium. diamonds. pearls. rubies. sapphires. emeralds. amethyst. metal. iron. rust. steel. glass. wood. porcelain. paper. wool. fur. lace. leather. silk. velvet. denim. linen. cotton. charcoal. clay. stone. asphalt. marble. dust. glitter. blood. dirt. mud. smoke. ash. shadow. carbonate. rubber. synthetics. crystals.

[ NATURE ] grass. leaves. trees. bark. roses. daisies. tulips. lavender. petals. thorns. seeds. hay. sand. rocks. roots. flowers. ocean. river. meadow. forest. desert. tundra. savanna. rainforest. caves. underwater. coral reef. beach. waves. space. clouds. mountains.

[ ANIMALS ] lions. wolves. bears. eagles. owls. falcons. hawks. swans. snakes. turtles. ducks. bugs. spiders. birds. whales. dolphins. fish. sharks. horses. cats. dogs. bunnies. praying mantises. crows. ravens. mice. lizards. werewolves. unicorns. pegasus. dragons. rats. monsters. wendigos. parasites. tigers. foxes.

[ FOODS/DRINKS ] sugar. salt. candy. bubblegum. wine. champagne. hard liquor. beer. coffee. tea. spices. herbs. apple. orange. lemon. cherry. strawberry. watermelon. vegetables. fruits. meat. fish. pies. desserts. chocolate. cream. caramel. berries. nuts. cinnamon. burgers. burritos. pizza. ambrosia.

[ HOBBIES ] music. art. watercolors. gardening. smithing. sculpting. painting. sketching. fighting. writing. composing. cooking. sewing. training. dancing. acting. singing. martial arts. self-defense. electronics. technology. cameras. video cameras. video games. computers. phone. movies. theater. libraries. books. magazines. cds. records. vinyls. cassettes. piano. violin. guitar. electronic guitar. bass guitar. harmonica. harp. woodwinds. brass. bells. playing cards. poker chips. chess. dice. motorcycle riding. eating. climbing. running. puzzles.

[ STYLE ] lingerie. armor. cape. dress. tunic. vest. shirt. boots. heels. runners. leggings. trousers. jeans. skirt. jewelry. earrings. necklace. bracelet. ring. pendant. hat. crown. circlet. helmet. scarf. brocade. cloaks. corsets. doublet. chest plate. gorget. bracers. belt. sash. coat. jacket. hood. gloves. socks. masks. costume. ruffle collar. cowls. braces. watches. glasses. sunglasses. visor. eye contacts. makeup. hoodie. sweater.

[ MISC ] balloons. bubbles. cityscape. light. dark. candles. war. peace. money. power. percussion. clocks. photos. mirrors. pets. kisses. diary. fairy lights. madness. sanity. sadness. happiness. optimism. pessimism. loneliness. fear. family. friends. assistants. co-workers. enemies. loyalty. deception. smoking. drugs. kindness. love. hugs. jealousy.

SWIPED FROM: @flyonmylovee​

TAGGING: @reliablejoukido @glassesandpassion @believinginhope @its-your-light @taichi-yagami @kourious and whoever wants~

[panickypeachboy]

BOLD any which apply to your muse! Remember to REPOST! Feel free to add to the list!

[ COLORS ] red. brown. orange. yellow. green. blue. purple. pink. black. white. teal. silver. gold. grey. lilac. metallic. matte.royal blue. strawberry red. charcoal grey. forest green. apple red. navy blue. crimson. cream. mint green.

[ ELEMENTS ] fire. ice. water. air. earth. darkness. light. rain. snow. wind. moon. stars. sun. heat. cold. steam. frost. fog.lightning. sunlight. moonlight. dawn. dusk. twilight. midnight. sunrise. sunset. dewdrops.

[ BODY ] claws. long fingers. fangs. teeth. wings. tails. lips. bare feet. freckles. bruises. canine. scars. scratches. wounds. burns. spikes. feathers. webs. eyes. hands. sweat. tears. feline. chubby. curvy. short. tall. muscular. piercing. tattoos. trans. hunched/bent.

[ WEAPONS ] fists. sword. dagger. spear. arrow. hammer. shield. poison. guns. axes. throwing axes. whips. knives.throwing knives. pepper sprays. tasers. machine guns. slingshots. katanas. maces. staffs. wands. powers. magical items. magic. rocks. mud.stake.

[ MATERIALS ] gold. silver. platinum. titanium. diamonds. pearls. rubies. sapphires. emeralds. amethyst. metal. iron. rust. steel. glass. wood. porcelain. paper. wool. fur. lace. leather. silk. velvet. denim. linen. cotton. charcoal. clay. stone. asphalt. marble. dust. glitter. blood. dirt. mud. smoke. ash. shadow. carbonate. rubber. synthetics. crystals.

[ NATURE ] grass. leaves. trees. bark. roses. daisies. tulips. lavender. petals. thorns. seeds. hay. sand. rocks. roots. flowers. ocean. river. meadow. forest. desert. tundra. savanna. rainforest. caves. underwater. coral reef. beach. waves. space. clouds. mountains.

[ ANIMALS ] lions. wolves. bears. eagles. owls. falcons. hawks. swans. snakes. turtles. ducks. bugs. spiders. birds. whales. dolphins. fish. sharks. horses. cats. dogs. bunnies. praying mantises. crows. ravens. mice. lizards. werewolves. unicorns. pegasus. dragons. rats. monsters. wendigos. parasites. tigers. foxes. pigs.

[ FOODS/DRINKS ] sugar. salt. candy. bubblegum. wine. champagne. hard liquor. beer. coffee. tea. spices. herbs. apple. orange. lemon. cherry. strawberry. watermelon. vegetables. fruits. meat. fish. pies. desserts. chocolate. cream. caramel. berries. nuts. cinnamon. burgers. burritos. pizza. ambrosia.

[ HOBBIES ] music. art. watercolors. gardening. smithing. sculpting. painting. sketching. fighting. writing. composing.cooking. sewing. training. dancing. acting. singing. martial arts. self-defense. electronics. technology. cameras. video cameras. video games. computers. phone. movies. theater. libraries. books. magazines. cds. records. vinyls. cassettes. piano. violin. guitar. electronic guitar. bass guitar. harmonica. harp. woodwinds. brass. bells. playing cards. poker chips. chess. dice. motorcycle riding. eating.climbing. running. puzzles. basketball.

[ STYLE ] lingerie. armor. cape. dress. tunic. vest. shirt. boots. heels. runners. leggings. trousers. jeans. skirt. jewelry. earrings. necklace. bracelet. ring. pendant. hat. crown. circlet. helmet. scarf. brocade. cloaks. corsets. doublet. chest plate. gorget. bracers. belt. sash. coat. jacket. hood. gloves. socks. masks. costume. ruffle collar. cowls. braces. watches. glasses. sunglasses. visor. eye contacts. makeup. hoodie. sweater. ties.

[ MISC ] balloons. bubbles. cityscape. light. dark. candles. war. peace. money. power. percussion. clocks. photos. mirrors.pets. kisses. diary. fairy lights. madness. sanity. sadness. happiness. optimism. pessimism. loneliness. fear. family. friends. assistants. co-workers. enemies. loyalty. deception. smoking. drugs. kindness. love. hugs. jealousy.

tagged by: @kisekidaisuke tagging: @shsl-house-keeper, @rikaikokai, @ultimate-impostxr, @hopeinreserve, @lumiosecoffeeclub, @moonmonogatari, @giutisu, 

[flyonmylovee]

BOLD any which apply to your muse! Remember to REPOST! Feel free to add to the list!

[ COLORS ] red. brown. orange. yellow. green. blue. purple. pink. black. white. teal. silver. gold. grey. lilac. metallic. matte. royal blue. strawberry red. charcoal grey. forest green. apple red. navy blue. crimson. cream. mint green.

[ ELEMENTS ] fire. ice. water. air. earth. darkness. light. rain. snow. wind. moon. stars. sun. heat. cold. steam. frost. fog. lightning. sunlight. moonlight. dawn. dusk. twilight. midnight. sunrise. sunset. dewdrops.

[ BODY ] claws. long fingers. fangs. teeth. wings. tails. lips. bare feet. freckles. bruises. canine. scars. scratches. wounds. burns. spikes. feathers. webs. eyes. hands. sweat. tears. feline. chubby. curvy. short. tall. muscular. piercing. tattoos. trans. hunched/bent.

[ WEAPONS ] fists. sword. dagger. spear. arrow. hammer. shield. poison. guns. axes. throwing axes. whips. knives. throwing knives. pepper sprays. tasers. machine guns. slingshots. katanas. maces. staffs. wands. powers. magical items. magic. rocks. mud.

[ MATERIALS ] gold. silver. platinum. titanium. diamonds. pearls. rubies. sapphires. emeralds. amethyst. metal. iron. rust. steel. glass. wood. porcelain. paper. wool. fur. lace. leather. silk. velvet. denim. linen. cotton. charcoal. clay. stone. asphalt. marble. dust. glitter. blood. dirt. mud. smoke. ash. shadow. carbonate. rubber. synthetics. crystals.

[ NATURE ] grass. leaves. trees. bark. roses. daisies. tulips. lavender. petals. thorns. seeds. hay. sand. rocks. roots. flowers. ocean. river. meadow. forest. desert. tundra. savanna. rainforest. caves. underwater. coral reef. beach. waves. space. clouds. mountains.

[ ANIMALS ] lions. wolves. bears. eagles. owls. falcons. hawks. swans. snakes. turtles. ducks. bugs. spiders. birds. whales. dolphins. fish. sharks. horses. cats. dogs. bunnies. praying mantises. crows. ravens. mice. lizards. werewolves. unicorns. pegasus. dragons. rats. monsters. wendigos. parasites. tigers. foxes.

[ FOODS/DRINKS ] sugar. salt. candy. bubblegum. wine. champagne. hard liquor. beer. coffee. tea. spices. herbs. apple. orange. lemon. cherry. strawberry. watermelon. vegetables. fruits. meat. fish. pies. desserts. chocolate. cream. caramel. berries. nuts. cinnamon. burgers. burritos. pizza. ambrosia.

[ HOBBIES ] music. art. watercolors. gardening. smithing. sculpting. painting. sketching. fighting. writing. composing. cooking. sewing. training. dancing. acting. singing. martial arts. self-defense. electronics. technology. cameras. video cameras. video games. computers. phone. movies. theater. libraries. books. magazines. cds. records. vinyls. cassettes. piano. violin. guitar. electronic guitar. bass guitar. harmonica. harp. woodwinds. brass. bells. playing cards. poker chips. chess. dice. motorcycle riding. eating. climbing. running. puzzles.

[ STYLE ] lingerie. armor. cape. dress. tunic. vest. shirt. boots. heels. runners. leggings. trousers. jeans. skirt. jewelry. earrings. necklace. bracelet. ring. pendant. hat. crown. circlet. helmet. scarf. brocade. cloaks. corsets. doublet. chest plate. gorget. bracers. belt. sash. coat. jacket. hood. gloves. socks. masks. costume. ruffle collar. cowls. braces. watches. glasses. sunglasses. visor. eye contacts. makeup. hoodie. sweater.

[ MISC ] balloons. bubbles. cityscape. light. dark. candles. war. peace. money. power. percussion. clocks. photos. mirrors. pets. kisses. diary. fairy lights. madness. sanity. sadness. happiness. optimism. pessimism. loneliness. fear. family. friends. assistants. co-workers. enemies. loyalty. deception. smoking. drugs. kindness. love. hugs. jealousy.

SWIPED FROM: @hurricanexfate

TAGGING: @ae-cus @taichi-yagami @kibokurestu @ofjunshin @reliablejoukido and anyone else!

[protagoggles]

BOLD any which apply to your muse! Remember to REPOST! Feel free to add to the list!

[ COLORS ] red. brown. orange. yellow. green. blue. purple. pink. black. white. teal. silver.gold. grey. lilac. metallic. matte. royal blue. strawberry red. charcoal grey. forest green. apple red. navy blue. crimson. cream. mint green.

[ ELEMENTS ] fire. ice. water. air. earth. darkness. light. rain. snow. wind. moon. stars. sun.heat. cold. steam. frost. fog. lightning. sunlight. moonlight. dawn. dusk. twilight. midnight.sunrise. sunset. dewdrops.

[ BODY ] claws. long fingers. fangs. teeth. wings. tails. lips. bare feet. freckles. bruises.canine. scars. scratches. wounds. burns. spikes. feathers. webs. eyes. hands. sweat. tears. feline. chubby. curvy. short. tall. muscular. piercing. tattoos. trans. hunched/bent.

[ WEAPONS ] fists. sword. dagger. spear. arrow. hammer. shield. poison. guns. axes. throwing axes. whips. knives. throwing knives. pepper sprays. tasers. machine guns. slingshots. katanas. maces. staffs. wands. powers. magical items. magic. rocks. mud.stake.

[ MATERIALS ] gold. silver. platinum. titanium. diamonds. pearls. rubies. sapphires.emeralds. amethyst. metal. iron. rust. steel. glass. wood. porcelain. paper. wool. fur. lace. leather. silk. velvet. denim. linen. cotton. charcoal. clay. stone. asphalt. marble. dust. glitter. blood. dirt. mud. smoke. ash. shadow. carbonate. rubber. synthetics. crystals.

[ NATURE ] grass. leaves. trees. bark. roses. daisies. tulips. lavender. petals. thorns.seeds. hay. sand. rocks. roots. flowers. ocean. river. meadow. forest. desert. tundra. savanna. rainforest. caves. underwater. coral reef. beach. waves. space. clouds. mountains.

[ ANIMALS ] lions. wolves. bears. eagles. owls. falcons. hawks. swans. snakes. turtles. ducks. bugs. spiders. birds. whales. dolphins. fish. sharks. horses. cats. dogs. bunnies.praying mantises. crows. ravens. mice. lizards. werewolves. unicorns. pegasus. dragons.rats. monsters. wendigos. parasites. tigers. foxes. pigs.

[ FOODS/DRINKS ] sugar. salt. candy. bubblegum. wine. champagne. hard liquor. beer.coffee. tea. spices. herbs. apple. orange. lemon. cherry. strawberry. watermelon.vegetables. fruits. meat. fish. pies. desserts. chocolate. cream. caramel. berries. nuts.cinnamon. burgers. burritos. pizza. ambrosia.

[ HOBBIES ] music. art. watercolors. gardening. smithing. sculpting. painting. sketching.fighting. writing. composing. cooking. sewing. training. dancing. acting. singing. martial arts. self-defense. electronics. technology. cameras. video cameras. video games. computers.phone. movies. theater. libraries. books. magazines. cds. records. vinyls. cassettes. piano. violin. guitar. electronic guitar. bass guitar. harmonica. harp. woodwinds. brass. bells. playing cards. poker chips. chess. dice. motorcycle riding. eating.climbing. running. puzzles. basketball.

[ STYLE ] lingerie. armor. cape. dress. tunic. vest. shirt. boots. heels. runners. leggings. trousers. jeans. skirt. jewelry. earrings. necklace. bracelet. ring. pendant. hat. crown. circlet. helmet. scarf. brocade. cloaks. corsets. doublet. chest plate. gorget. bracers. belt. sash. coat. jacket. hood. gloves. socks. masks. costume. ruffle collar. cowls. braces. watches.glasses. sunglasses. visor. eye contacts. makeup. hoodie. sweater. ties.

[ MISC ] balloons. bubbles. cityscape. light. dark. candles. war. peace. money. power. percussion. clocks. photos. mirrors. pets. kisses. diary. fairy lights. madness. sanity. sadness. happiness. optimism. pessimism. loneliness. fear. family. friends. assistants. co-workers. enemies. loyalty. deception. smoking. drugs. kindness. love. hugs. jealousy.

tagged by: @kisekidaisuke tagging: -shrugs-

[kibokurestu]

BOLD any which apply to your muse! Remember to REPOST! Feel free to add to the list!

[ COLORS ] red. brown. orange. yellow. green. blue. purple. pink. black. white. teal. silver. gold. grey. lilac. metallic. matte. royal blue. strawberry red. charcoal grey. forest green. apple red. navy blue. crimson. cream. mint green.

[ ELEMENTS ] fire. ice. water. air. earth. darkness. light. rain. snow. wind. moon. stars. sun. heat. cold. steam. frost. fog. lightning. sunlight. moonlight. dawn. dusk. twilight. midnight.sunrise. sunset. dewdrops.

[ BODY ] claws. long fingers. fangs. teeth. wings. tails. lips. bare feet. freckles. bruises. canine. scars. scratches. wounds. burns. spikes. feathers. webs. eyes. hands. sweat. tears. feline. chubby. curvy. short. tall. muscular. piercing. tattoos. trans. hunched/bent.

[ WEAPONS ] fists. sword. dagger. spear. arrow. hammer. shield. poison. guns. axes. throwing axes. whips. knives. throwing knives. pepper sprays. tasers. machine guns. slingshots. katanas. maces. staffs. wands. powers. magical items. magic. rocks. mud. stake.

[ MATERIALS ] gold. silver. platinum. titanium. diamonds. pearls. rubies. sapphires. emeralds. amethyst. metal. iron. rust. steel. glass. wood. porcelain. paper. wool. fur. lace. leather. silk. velvet. denim. linen. cotton. charcoal. clay. stone. asphalt. marble. dust. glitter. blood. dirt. mud. smoke. ash. shadow. carbonate. rubber. synthetics. crystals.

[ NATURE ] grass. leaves. trees. bark. roses. daisies. tulips. lavender. petals. thorns. seeds. hay. sand. rocks. roots. flowers. ocean. river. meadow. forest. desert. tundra. savanna. rainforest. caves. underwater. coral reef. beach. waves. space. clouds. mountains.

[ ANIMALS ] lions. wolves. bears. eagles. owls. falcons. hawks. swans. snakes. turtles. ducks. bugs. spiders. birds. whales. dolphins. fish. sharks. horses. cats. dogs. bunnies. praying mantises. crows. ravens. mice. lizards. werewolves. unicorns. pegasus. dragons. rats. monsters. wendigos. parasites. tigers. foxes. pigs.

[ FOODS/DRINKS ] sugar. salt. candy. bubblegum. wine. champagne. hard liquor. beer. coffee. tea. spices. herbs. apple. orange. lemon. cherry. strawberry. watermelon. vegetables. fruits. meat. fish. pies. desserts. chocolate. cream. caramel. berries. nuts. cinnamon. burgers. burritos. pizza. ambrosia.

[ HOBBIES ] music. art. watercolors. gardening. smithing. sculpting. painting. sketching. fighting. writing. composing. cooking. sewing. training. dancing. acting. singing. martial arts. self-defense. electronics. technology. cameras. video cameras. video games. computers. phone. movies. theater. libraries. books. magazines. cds. records. vinyls. cassettes. piano. violin. guitar. electronic guitar. bass guitar. harmonica. harp. woodwinds. brass. bells. playing cards. poker chips. chess. dice. motorcycle riding. eating. climbing. running. puzzles. basketball.

[ STYLE ] lingerie. armor. cape. dress. tunic. vest. shirt. boots. heels. runners. leggings. trousers. jeans. skirt. jewelry. earrings. necklace. bracelet. ring. pendant. hat. crown. circlet. helmet. scarf. brocade. cloaks. corsets. doublet. chest plate. gorget. bracers. belt. sash. coat. jacket. hood. gloves. socks. masks. costume. ruffle collar. cowls. braces. watches. glasses. sunglasses. visor. eye contacts. makeup. hoodie. sweater. ties.

[ MISC ] balloons. bubbles. cityscape. light. dark. candles. war. peace. money. power. percussion. clocks. photos. mirrors. pets. kisses. diary. fairy lights. madness. sanity. sadness. happiness. optimism. pessimism. loneliness. fear. family. friends. assistants. co-workers. enemies. loyalty. deception. smoking. drugs. kindness. love. hugs. jealousy.

SWIPED FROM: @flyonmylovee

TAGGING: @believinginhope @empatheticdigidestined @kisekidaisuke @motomiyaz & anyone else who wants to do it

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 20th January 2019

So, uh, I‘ve been listening to a lot of Aminé recently.

FEATURED SINGLE #2 – “BLACKJACK” – Aminé

This is our second Featured Single, and I’ve decided this will be before the chart so feel free to skip this if you don’t want something beyond the charts to check out. This recently got a hilarious video, with ridiculous attention-to-detail and impressive... “choreography”. That counts as a single for me, and God, do I love this one. There’s this maddening melody that immediately gets pounded by an intense bass thud, with Aminé rapping monotonously initially, but gradually getting as excited as his ad-libs, with his quick flow accentuating both his loveable voice cracks and some of the funniest lyrics I’ve heard from the guy, including those four lines in the second verse, which he spends just praising and appreciating Jack Black?

Rockin’ and rollin’ like Jack Black / Schoolin’ you n****s like Jack Black (Yeah!) / How could you not like Jack Black? (How?) / I put that on my momma, n****, no cap

That second verse is great, by the way, there’s something so charismatic and enthusiastic about Aminé’s pointlessly specific pop culture references that can either breeze by so you don’t notice them or, as shown above, essentially be a rake joke.

Said she wants a spot on my list (Please) / I told her, “Go pray to your God” (I need to go to Church)

Yeah, that last part’s an ad-lib – more people should be doing back-and-forth exchanges in their ad-libs, 21 Savage’s done it in “10 Freaky Girls” and so has, uh... Cal Chuchesta? Anyway, this is literally a minute and 57 seconds long, so it doesn’t waste your time. Check it out if you like stuff by KYLE or enjoyed Aminé’s one hit, “Caroline”, although this isn’t really in the same range.

Top 10

Pretty busy week, let’s get into it quickly, because there’s not a lot to care about. “Sweet but Psycho” by Ava Max is still at the top spot and has been for about five or six weeks now. “7 rings” by Ariana Grande’ll take this spot next week, although we do have competition.

These next three songs are the competition, including “Nothing Breaks like a Heart” by Mark Ronson and Miley Cyrus up one spot to the runner-up space, number-two.

Post Malone’s “Wow.” is also up one spot to number-three – good for it, this is a great song and I’d love it to hit #1.

Now, our first top 10 debut this week, “Dancing with a Stranger” by Sam Smith and Normani, arriving at number-four. This is Smith’s 17th Top 40 hit in the UK, and his 11th Top 10, whilst this is Normani’s second Top 40 hit and first Top 10 hit, so congratulations, I suppose, even though this isn’t including Fifth Harmony, who were hitmakers in their own right. We’ll talk more about this later.

“Sunflower” by Post Malone and Swae Lee from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse isn’t moving at number-five.

Collapsing down five spots to number-six is “thank u, next” by Ariana Grande.

Our second top 10 single that debuted in this spot is “Giant”, by Calvin Harris and Rag ‘n’ Bone Man, at number-seven. This is Harris’ 34th or 35th Top 40 hit and 24th Top 10, and Rag ‘n’ Bone Man’s 3rd Top 40 hit and 2nd Top 10 hit after his smash “Human”. We’ll talk more about this one later as well.

“Play” by Jax Jones featuring Years & Years is up three places to number-eight, becoming Jones’ 4th Top 10 hit and Years & Years’ 5th.

Once again, we have a debut in the top 10, this time at number-nine, as Gesaffelstein and the Weeknd collaborate once again for “Lost in the Fire”. This is Abel’s 17th Top 40 hit and 7th Top 10, while it’s Gesaffelstein’s first charting song as a credited solo artist ever, so congratulations. We’ll talk about this one more a bit later.

Finally, “Without Me” by Halsey is at #10, and it hasn’t moved from last week.

Climbers

We have two UK hip-hop songs gaining pretty highly here, one being pretty good - “Options” by NSG featuring Tion Wayne, up 11 spots to #14 – and the other being awful – “Gun Lean” by Russ splash is up five spaces to #34, but that’s it.

Fallers

These are a different story, however. “18HUNNA” by Headie One and Dave is down five to #11, “Rewrite the Stars” by James Arthur and Anne-Marie is down eight to #15, “Lost Without You” by Freya Ridings is down seven to #16, “Ruin My Life” by Zara Larsson is down five to #17, “ZEZE” by Kodak Black featuring Travis Scott and Offset is down six to #19, “Undecided” by Chris Brown is down six to #21, as is “Shotgun” by George Ezra to #22, and “Baby” by Clean Bandit, Marina and Luis Fonsi to #23, with the space of #24 being taken by “Thursday” by Jess Glynne, down five spaces since last week... but that’s not all. “Shallow” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper is down six to #27, “This is Me” by Keala Settle and the Greatest Showman Ensemble is down eight to #31, “imagine” by Ariana Grande is down 13 to #33, “A Million Dreams” by P!nk is down 11 to #35, “Eastside” by benny blanco, Halsey and Khalid is down eight to #39 and finally “Woman Like Me” by Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj is down 12 to #40.

Dropouts

“Let You Love Me” by Rita Ora is out from #28, “SICKO MODE” by Travis Scott featuring Drake and Swae Lee is out from #36, “2002” by Anne-Marie is out from #37, “KIKA” by 6ix9ine featuring Tory Lanez is out from #32, “Happier” by Marshmello and Bastille is out from #35, “I’ll be There” by Jess Glynne is out from #40, “Grace” by Lewis Capaldi is out from #33 and “The Greatest Show” by Hugh Jackman, Keala Settle, Zac Efron, Zendaya and the Greatest Showman Ensemble is out from #38. That’s all, and there’s no returning entries, so let’s get straight to the main attraction.

NEW ARRIVALS

Yup, there’s eight of them. Let’s just blast through them as quickly as possible.

#38 – “Saturday Nights” – Khalid

Khalid is a great singer, and I’ve liked a lot of what he’s put out, but a full project from him would put me to sleep, hence I didn’t check out his EP he released last October titled Suncity. Thankfully, thanks to a remix with... Kane Brown of all people, it’s here for us to review, and as Khalid’s ninth top 40 hit, I can’t say it really stands up to his others. I think the guitar strumming has gotten a little too cliché in chill-pop, and I think Khalid was above following trends to a T, but he doesn’t really add anything except his sultry voice to what is essentially anyone’s instrumental, with off-kilter trap percussion and deep 808s, high-pitched vocal samples and again, that damn guitar. For some reason that guitar infuriates me so much, maybe it’s just because it’s so slick and runs through the entire song? This is entirely too polished and aggravatingly boring in that respect. Yeah, this is Khalid’s worst one yet. It’s exhaustingly overproduced, and not even his voice can save it.

#36 – “Leave Me Alone” – Flipp Dinero

...Is this post-trap?

Okay, so Flipp Dinero has been on the rise, and this is his first top 40 hit in the UK... and I honestly love it. We have this cutesy piano lead that’s so twinky it almost forgives the awfully cliché lyricism. In fact, everything here forgives that. Flipp Dinero’s raspy voice is a great contrast, and the trap beat here actually works because of how he flows over this, as it barely keeps up with him to the point that it has to add the producer tag and the “oh!” used in songs such as Nelly’s “Dilemma” and Travis Scott’s “3500” just to remind us it’s there. Flipp Dinero is freaking fantastic on this, and every “yuh” ad-lib is like an injection of happiness. There’s that flute you don’t even realise until Flipp stops (and no, he doesn’t do this often at all), and I haven’t even got into the hook. Not only is it insanely catchy, but it’s hilarious as Flipp sprays his heart out, with so much passion put into being mildly inconvenienced by a woman who wants to spend some time with him after they broke up. This is beautiful, and that’s not even sarcastic. This won’t be to everyone’s taste, but to me, this is so much fun. Better than the Michael Jackson song, though? Don’t even attempt the comparison.

#29 – “Someone You Loved” – Lewis Capaldi

God, this guy’s boring, and he doesn’t understand how music works. See, the vocals on the song are supposed to make sense relative to the instrumental, and if they don’t, there has to be justification or purposeful juxtaposition (see: “Leave Me Alone”). On “Grace”, he sounded out of place, and on his 2nd Top 40 hit, he sounds bored over a repetitive, droning piano melody. Lewis Capaldi strains his voice to James Arthur levels of undeserved intensity, and while Capaldi is definitely a better singer than Arthur, he’s just as lacking in any compelling content, delivery or personality. Does anyone actually care about Lewis Capaldi and what he has to say? No. No one does, because he’s Lewis Capaldi. We only found out we existed in England, and we’ve quite literally made his songs interchangeable, as his last hit dropped out this week. God, this guy is a bore in three minutes and two seconds. Leave me alone.

#25 – “Longshot” – Catfish and the Bottlemen

If I was still an indie/alternative rock-head like I used to be, I would be able to tell you all about Catfish and the Bottlemen because from what I heard, they were pretty damn good, actually. I’ve liked “7” and I heard their first album, it was okay, but I always knew there was a lack of a real hook to the band, that could blow them up, and I assume they’ve just found it, because this is their first top 40 hit in the UK, and, yeah, it’s pretty good. I like the intense build-up of that one guitar pluck until it just drops into a light pop-rock instrumental with enough power and distortion on the guitars and vocals to make it unique. There’s this ticking sound in the chorus that annoys me, but otherwise, it’s definitely a nice, catchy sing-a-long hook. Whilst I’ve never been all too fond on Van McCann’s somewhat nasal voice, I definitely think it works in the context of these poppier bangers, and like he says in the chorus, the little things do make me smile, as this instrumental is very intricately-layered without being cluttered. I love the passion in McCann’s “woo!” followed by a couple guitar strokes, I just think that’s a great moment you couldn’t exactly replicate with non-live instruments, as that chemistry between vocalist and band is important. This song overall? Yeah, I’m definitely getting back into these guys because this was fantastic. I love the mic feedback at the end and I’m actually really intrigued to what that leads up to on the album.

#13 – “Hello My Love” – Westlife

Why was this performed on the National Television Awards? Guys, you’re Westlife, you’re a music group. Talking about outrageous trivia, can you believe this, Westlife’s 28th Top 40 hit is literally just three minutes of nothing? It’s insane how popular these guys are yet they can get away with stuff like this when they reform for their first song in nearly a decade.

#9 – “Lost in the Fire” – Gesaffelstein and the Weeknd

The lyrical content on this one sucks. This is “Lost in the Fire”, and there are a few lines that are just really creepy, if anything, and really play up Bella Hadid’s sexuality for what seems like cheap views, because there’s really nothing else these dudes haven’t done that doesn’t sound exactly like this. They didn’t even make cover art, that’s how lazy these guys are. The groove’s semi-decent, I suppose, but there’s little to no build up and I feel like it really doesn’t have much of interest to talk about, which shouldn’t be true for a Weeknd song. The personality of Abel is obvious in other songs and albums, and his portrayal of this character is what makes him so intriguing. So where is he here? Is a Drake diss what the Weeknd would do, or what Abel would do? Now that is the question. Oh, yeah, and the synths here don’t exist. This song is boring as hell.

#7 – “Giant” – Calvin Harris and Rag ‘n’ Bone Man

Now, I like Rag ‘n’ Bone Man. Like Ed Sheeran, although I don’t like all – actually, a lot – of his music doesn’t mean I don’t like how genuine he is. He’s a normal, average guy who’s been releasing EPs, found a label and had the break-out hit written for him, so now he’s famous. There’s no nepotism, no cheap industry plant tactics, just pure talent getting him this far, and I respect that. So this sucks so much, like, wow, Rag ‘n’ Bone Man goes way too hard on this basic, lightweight synth-funk-inflected deep house beat. The trumpet drop is so pathetic it would make J Balvin and OMI laugh Harris off as an amateur. That shouldn’t be happening for someone 15 years and nearly 15 #1s into their career. I won’t be too mean on Rag ‘n’ Bone Man, though, he did his best, and he probably didn’t even hear the beat prior. What’s with the chanting at the end, though? That’s just odd.

#4 – “Dancing with a Stranger” – Sam Smith and Normani

So, some finger-snaps, Sam Smith humming seductively, and then that house beat kicks in and we get to pleasure our ears with a nice Sam Smith house track, because we totally need more of his entirely unfitting voice over slick, incredibly well-produced beats. Normani sounds absolutely amazing, and that subtle guitar in this beat is a nice touch, so nice it may just be essential to actually try and enjoy this song, because it’s not like these guys have chemistry (I mean, apart from the obvious reasons they wouldn’t have chemistry, guys, at least pretend this could happen).I guess this is okay, but its existence just tires me. Who wanted another one of these, really?

Conclusion

Since “Blackjack” is not applicable, we have eight to choose from (wow), and Best of the Week should be obvious, as it’s going to Flipp Dinero for “Leave Me Alone”. Yup, that’s right, that song’s a banger and a half. Catfish and the Bottlemen were damn close though, so they do get the Honourable Mention for “Longshot”. Worst of the Week goes to Gesaffelstein and the Weeknd for “Lost in the Fire”. Man, that just reeks of wasted potential. Dishonourable Mention? It could be a toss-up between any one of these guys. Pick your poison. Choose your fighter. See ya!

[thecoroutfitters]

Movies and TV present seemingly magical scenarios where the good guy always wins and high impact action scenes are over in a matter of minutes.  While these forms of entertainment are designed to make you suspend judgment and go with the flow of the story, they do not accurately portray how guns work in real life.

If you tried to use a gun as they are used in the movies or on TV, it may well get you killed or, at best, seriously injured. There are no shortcuts to becoming a safe, well educated gun owner and user.  If you gain nothing else from this article, at least know that movies, and TV (including reality TV and the news) are not good places to learn about guns.

Seek a qualified instructor and good quality courses.  Now let’s look at some of those misconceptions.

The “Gangster Grip” is as Useful as it is Cool

When criminals shoot in the movies or on TV, they tend to hold handguns so that the magazine port is angled about 90 degrees from the ground.   Two things always amaze me about these scenes.

First, I can’t imagine how they hit the target with the sights so far out of alignment, let alone put enough lead into the other shooter to kill him/her 10 times over.  The other thing that amazes me is that the gun never has a fail to feed problem.

Click here to get your guide to a layered survival defense!

Shooters that use the “gangster grip” claim that they hold the gun this way so they can shoot faster.  The fact is they aren’t doing more than “spraying and praying” they hit what they think they are aiming at.  In a lot of shootouts the target individuals are missed and simply escape.

Sadly, given the large number of bullets flying around, it is more than likely innocent bystanders will get hurt or killed.

The major problems with this way of shooting are:

You can’t accurately measure movement left or right.

You can’t get a reliable sight picture because you are aiming down the slide instead of via the sights.

There is also no way to know if the pistol is pointing down below your field of vision from the back of the pistol.

Even if you do hit your target, it is likely you will not make the same shot again because you are never actually aiming the same way twice.

Big Caliber Guns are Fine for Beginners

In movies and on TV, they often show a complete novice picking up a large caliber gun and firing it with no problems.  This simply isn’t the way to developing good marksmanship and safe shooting works in the real world.

You will need to start off with small calibers and master them before moving on to larger ones.  If you use a gun that has too much recoil, or is too powerful for you to control, you can easily hurt yourself and others.

Case in point. I have personally witnessed people using guns like the 50 Caliber Desert Eagle and winding up with severe head wounds when the gun escaped their hands and hit them after firing.  Aside from that, never forget that you won’t be just carrying a gun for a one or two hour TV show or movie.

You may carry the gun for years on end and never need to pull it let alone get through a problematic situation.  During that time, you will still need to practice and make sure you do not develop problems such as jerking the trigger, flinching, looking away from the target when you shoot, or being totally afraid to handle or shoot pistols.

You Will Shoot Like a Pro from the Beginning

In movies, the good guy always shoots perfectly even if they have never fired a gun in their lives. No matter whether they got a “lucky shot” at just the right moment, or managed to be some kind of genius that engaged in a complex shootout, chances are you will not have the same experience during a time when your life depends on it.

Not only will you have to manage the gun itself, your own adrenaline and stress responses can, and will wreak havoc on you.  It takes years of training and practice to become a master at shooting a pistol.

Getting Shot Looks Obvious

When a person gets shot in a movie, they are lifted up off the ground and thrown many feet behind them into glass window or some other spectacular background.  In reality the victim may only move back a little bit and then fall over dead.

If the gun is of a smaller caliber, the person is likely to remain standing.  In most cases, the impact of the average bullet has about the same force as the recoil.  This occurs mainly because the body has much more weight and mass than the bullet. In addition, remember, the bullet isn’t made to just push the target, it is made to lodge in it or punch through it.

As such, you simply won’t see a lot of movement backwards when the bullet hits a live target. Check with FBI’s Handgun Wounding Factors and Effectiveness Manual for some further insights.

The Ammo Supply is Never Ending

Even though large capacity magazines may seem like they hold a lot of bullets, the fact is  even 18 rounds can go very quickly.  Some researchers have found that even trained law enforcement officers in a situation may fire their gun many times before hitting their target.

In a situation, it is likely you will run out of ammo and still not hit your attacker.  While they never count their bullets in the movies, you must always know how many bullets you have left at every second.  You should also remember to carry spare, loaded magazines and extra ammo.

Treating ammo like they do in the movies is a good way to wind up dead regardless of your experience and skill level.

You Will Always Be Thrown Backwards When You Fire a Gun

New shooters, or those with little shooting experience believe that they will be thrown backwards regardless of the caliber of the firearm.  Smaller caliber guns have less felt recoil.  Unless you are firing  a weapon that is well beyond your capability, it is likely that only your hand and forearm will move out of position.

With proper training and skill development, you should have no movement at all backwards from the recoil of a gun.

Semi-automatic Weapons Fire Like Machine Guns

In a lot of action movies semi-automatic weapons are portrayed as if they are full-automatics.  There is a big difference between the two, which leads to the false claim that semi-automatic weapons are “assault weapons”.

A semi-automatic weapon shoots one bullet with one pull of the trigger even with or without it has a bump stock on it.  Without this type of stock, AK, AR, and other semi-automatic weapons are no different than any other gun insofar as the trigger operation.

A full-automatic weapon, which can be called a “assault weapon” shoots many bullets without needing to pull the trigger again.  This type of gun will only stop firing when the trigger is released.  It takes a lot of training to shoot a full-automatic weapon accurately.

Without this training, all the shooter is doing is wasting ammunition and spraying the area vainly hoping to hit something.  Both semi-automatic and full-automatic weapons must be aimed to get the best target accuracy.

Guns Will Always Fire When Dropped

In the movies, when actors or actresses drop a gun, it always goes off (and more than likely kills someone in the bargain).  Today, guns are designed to not accidentally fire when dropped as required by The Gun Control Act of 1968.

Guns designed before The Gun Control Act of 1968 have no safe guards to protect shooters from a dropped firearm going off.  This one movie myth alone has probably negated dozens of modern alibis to murder made by people that claimed they dropped the gun and it fired “by accident”.

While it is still possible for this to happen, the drop safety test conducted by the manufacturer ensures that 99.999% of the time, a dropped gun will not go off.  If the gun does fall out of your hands, never try to catch it while it is in motion.  It is very easy for a finger or something else to get into the trigger guard and pull the trigger.

There is no Need to Aim a Shotgun

In many movies and on TV, people just point the shotgun in a general direction of the target and fire.  To add insult to injury, once the shotgun pellets hits, everything and everyone is destroyed, dead, or dying.  You can’t just “point and shoot” a shotgun and expect to hit the target.

Good aim maters just as much when shooting a shotgun as it does shooting a pistol.  With a shotgun, the further away the target is, the greater the shotgun pellets will spread.  As such, it is easier than you might expect to completely miss the target.

Even if you shoot slugs out of the shotgun, you must aim at the target and compensate for the weight of the slug at different distances.  The farther away from the target you are, the more the slug will drop.

It is Easy to Buy Firearms and Ammo

Movies and TV often show people walking into a gun store and simply buying whatever they want. Others show people walking in and flashing enough money to buy something “off the books”.  Even worse, there are many other movies and TV that show people buying a whole arsenal from gun shows or off the streets.

The false idea here is that all you have to do is go to your friendly neighborhood gun runner and get everything you need at cheap bargain basement prices. These movies never show the gun blowing up in the buyer’s hands, or all of the problems that occur as a result of buying low quality junk that probably won’t hit the target even if it does fire.

Sadly, these movies and the cultural opinion are also being used endlessly to drive gun control legislation.

It is true that private gun sales can be made in some states without the seller having to do a background check.  Depending on the state, the seller may still have to make sure they are not selling to a convicted felon or someone else that is not supposed to have a gun.

Even in these states, it is already a crime to sell a gun to someone that shouldn’t have it.  As a result, if the buyer does get caught, the person that sold him/her the weapon will also face criminal charges.

Insofar as gun shows, there are some individuals that believe anyone can go to a gun show firearms retailers booth, lay down some money, walk out with a gun, and never file any state or federal forms.  Buying a gun at a gun show retailer’s table is no different from buying from any legitimate gun store.

All firearm retailers in the business of selling firearms must due the following:

Have a Federal Firearms License(FFL).

Perform background checks through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System(NICS).

If you pass the background check, then and only then can you pay for the firearm and then take it home.

If you don’t pass the background check because you can’t legally own a firearm, you will be arrested either right there at the show, or at home.

At all legitimate gun shows you will find local, state, and federal law enforcement officers there to monitor sales and be sure all sales are lawful transactions.

The so-called “gun show loophole” is a completely false construct. It is said that people can simply meet up outside the gun show and sell there; thus getting around straw purchase laws. This is no different from making a private sale in a remote location.

In fact, it is less likely these kinds of sales will be made on the ground surrounding a gun show because the police are actively looking for such sales and will act to put a stop to them.  If anything,outside of a gun show is the worst place to make a private gun sale.

Never forget that gun shows, like most gun stores, utilize cameras and other forms of surveillance equipment.  This includes on the grounds surrounding the gun show as well as inside the buildings.

In conclusion, if you believe everything you see at the movies or TV dealing with firearms you can wind up in some very bad situations. This includes being unable to defend yourself in a time of need as well as being largely uninformed about how gun laws work in the real world.

If you don’t want to wind up dead or on the way to the pokey for breaking the law, it is best to relegate “action” TV and  movies to entertainment purposes only and find a good instructor that will train you properly in gun use and ownership.

This article has been written by Fred Tyrell for Survivopedia.

from Survivopedia Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies? #SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag

[xeezhiah]

13 August 2017 - Run Rio Trilogy Leg 2: Afroman Distance

6.12mi = 9.85km

Well, I again tapped my run tracker so late from gun start and too early as I crossed the finish line that I didn’t reach the exact 10K again. But like last run, I did finish the race coz if not, I won’t be getting my finisher’s medal.

This is second to the last run for 2017 and I mean it.

Schatz survived her first 10K and as expected, she gave me a new PR. If I have seen it right on the official timer, I hit the line at 1:25:48, I will get to see my confirmed runner and gun times on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Other than it is Schatz’s first 10K race, this is also the first race that I ran that has two separate venues as its start and finish points. Run kicked off in Okada Manila premises and then it stopped at SM Mall of Asia Running Grounds. Not that I am ranting but this is also the first run that has more than 3 U-Turns on its course. I think there were 5 or 6 of it - the most confusing race route I ever ran so far.

This is only my 4th time running the 10k distance but I am happy that I was able to break my latest PR again even if I unofficially beaten it by matters of seconds. A new PR is a new PR and I will take it anytime. Props to the fact that I only had 5 days of training, I didn’t get as much sleep as needed and I kept waking up every hour for some reasons.

It felt since yesterday that I wasn’t in the perfect shape to even break my PR but race day proved otherwise, endorphins won over all the odds that were against my favour.

As early as the 2km mark, I was struggling. My right knee down to my ankle were hurting so I had to stop running and brisk walked instead. While I was doing so, I was talking to myself:

“There is no reason to give up, sweetheart. 6km more to go, we CAN do this, keep going!”

At 2.5km mark, at the hydration station, I had no choice but to splash my face with cold water because my body’s heat is climbing up to my face and it could get worse if I don’t do something about it.

Started limping because the ankle really is hitting me bad at the 4km mark but I kept going still. Getting to break my PR still is my goal and that I need to get that medal. I didn’t give up on my 12 previous run, so what is my excuse now?

I have had a cramp and pulled hamstring scare at the 6km mark which limited me to walking again instead of running. Truth be told, I worried on that part because I may not be able to reach the finish line within my target time but – surprise, surprise, at the 8th km mark, my tracker said that my time is 1:10 - that is more than enough to finish the last 2km, within my target time.

And I did.

I couldn’t be more proud of myself for doing so in spite getting hurt.

“Nasaktan, pero naka PR. Palaban ee!” - that’s how I captioned my run as I share it on Facebook. Nothing is more precious than finishing the race and having the medal given to you (worn to you, maybe but I am ot confident on such choice of word) as soon as you reach the finish line. It’s like the medal in itself is enough to take all the pain away.

I didn’t bother braving the long lines at each of the sponsors’ booth because my right foot really hurts that I needed a space on my own so that I could try and stretch it. I hurried to get my finisher’s loot, left the race village and settled in one of the pillars in One E-Com Building to stretch my foot out. It gave me relief but when I started walking again, I knew I needed a medicated spray and a bandage.

I did just that as soon as I got home. As I compose this, I am pressing/stretching both my legs against the wall while my right foot is bandaged. I’m certain I would be out of the road run for the next two weeks to let this foot heal first.

It is also a wise decision to just finish the Trilogy and not aim to get to 10 runs for 2017 because my body says I am tired and I needed longer rest. I have 5 runs (6 actually because the third installment of the trilogy is on October 1st) to brag this year anyway and that is just enough to say I have had more runs, more because these are longer distances compared to most of what I have ran last year. This year, I believe I was braver!

Now this is the point where I wanna say something special to two important persons who makes up who I am.

First is for that someone who I have not met personally but has touched my life since High School through music. It was a proof that music alone can change people, music can influence a lot of one’s decisions and music heals wounds that not everyone can see. Appreciating Linkin Park is obviously inches away from my being a Backstreet Boys fangirl, but I loved “Papercut” the same way that I loved “I want it that way”. Chester Bennington was my rocker version of AJ McLean, and it broke my heart into fine pieces at the knowledge of his passing. Chester was a huge part of my teenage life, I screamed with him, emulating his unique voice when singing “In The End” and “One Step Closer”. When I needed to break free from all the stress life throws at me, Linkin Park songs were my escape. Chester’s death seems like I have lost a part of me that I can never take back anymore. I ran this morning with a heavy heart, because a part of me continues to mourn for Chester.

A part of me died with Chester Bennington, he was and forever will be my favourite Linkin Park member and just like other fans out there, I know the band will never be the same without him. There are many hows and whys to ask but will be left unanswered now that he us laid to rest. His passing is an eye opener, that we should appreciate life no matter how it sucks sometimes and that there will always be people who are willing to help when you feel like the rest of the world is against you.

Chester Bennington, you may not know me but I am one of the many people who loves you dearly. I dedicate this run for you, for the music that you shared with the world and for the life that you have lived. Heaven has gained another rock star angel in you. Rest in peace! 🙏

Second is for that someone who I constantly see as my inspiration, be it in running or in making my ultimate dream a reality. We breathe the same air and looks on at the same sky but most of the time, we are halfway around the world apart. In spite the odds, I continue to love in silence, I opt not to stop.

Yesterday, I heard mass by “accident” and I looked at it as God’s way of helping me ease my worry about today’s run and much more, I took advantage of me being in the church to humbly pray for him, for his good health and for his safety. I ask God all of these things everyday but it is always special that I was in the church when I rarely do that. At that point and always, my prayers were more for him than for me.

I kept waking up every hour during my sleep prior to going to Okada. I called it a night at 2230H but I woke up 30minutes later, then again at 0000H and at 0130H, respectively. At 0245H, I decided to just get up and start preparing for the run which requires the 10K runners to be at the Assembly area at 0430H for the 0450H gunstart. It isn’t true that I didn’t know why I kept waking up every hour because I knew why all along. As I toss and turn, there is one constant thing - he lingers in my mind and is haunting me in my dream. Then when I opened Facebook, I figured out why he was in my thoughts - he’s restless because he was waiting to go on duty which repeatedly got cancelled since Saturday afternoon until I ran and finished it. I feel for him like I always do. Hopefully, he gets to rest and that the duty he is supposed to serve will finally push through as per the new schedule.

At the 7th km mark of the run, my running playlist on Spotify played One Direction’s “Perfect” and as I stride, I suddenly cried. I got reminded of him for some reasons, I may never be the perfect one for him, I don’t think I’ll ever be but I will always look at him as the love of my life - THAT love of my life who is not going to be mine, ever.

And I am at peace with that so long as he is happy.

My dear SO, for the nth time around, thoughts of you kept me fighting. Your smile on my screenlock kept me going. You may be elusive but it isn’t an excuse nor a reason for me to stop doing what I do because I feel so alive even at the thought of you. You are lifeline to me, seeing you happy is more than enough for me to have more reasons to live. Thank you for inspiring me in ways you don’t even know how. Thank you for your existence, love, because you made me feel more alive than I ever be. In my silence, I will continue to love you. I will always love you. My success in this run is yours, too, just as I have promised. Advanced happy birthday, my heart’s favourite. Fly and come back home safe, my love! ❤

So much of the outpour of emotions now, someone needs to get some sleep! 😅

[shtfandgo]

New Post has been published on SHTFandGO Survival and Emergency Supplier

New Post has been published on http://www.shtfandgo.com/2017/03/25/10-best-survival-rifles-protect-your-family-hunt-shtf/

10 Best Survival Rifles, Protect Your Family, Hunt, SHTF

Everyone has their own favorite, best, or go-to rifle.  When deciding on a rifle for bugging out, buggin in, defensive, offensive, and just plain’old usefulness you need to consider many factors.

Ease of use

Supply of ammunition

Cost of ammunition

effectiveness for job intended

portability

serviceability

That being said, listing the 10 “best survival rifles” requires some compromise and some decisions to prioritize your most important features. There is no single perfect survival rifle.  It doesn’t exist because everyone’s concerns are different and there are too many unique survival scenarios to consider.

Also owning ten survival rifles won’t do you much good, unless you have a very large family or a caddy to carry all your guns and ammo, and that stuff isn’t too light, if you haven’t noticed. So I decided to fight conventional wisdom and focus primarily on the top five (or what I consider the best of each survival category) and then give you five runner-ups.

Questions you need to ask yourself.  What are the roles we expect out survival rifles to play?

Hunting Small game

Hunting Large game

Perimeter-defense beyond 200 yards

Self-defense inside 200 yards

Self-defense in close quarters

So let’s take a look at each task and the best survival rifles to accomplish them.

Hunting Small Game

In an actual survival situation, you may need to live off the land, and that means we can’t overlook small game.

There are a lot more squirrel, rabbit, possum and other varmints around than there are deer. Shooting a buck might feed the family for weeks, but those won’t be as common as smaller, more plentiful game.

Squirrel is easily found, even in urban areas and can be harvesting easily and feed your family.

But in the small game arena, there are many excellent rifles, each firing a variety of respectable calibers.

Great calibers for small game.

.17 HMR cartridge is flat shooting, very high velocity round and realize it’s the be all and end all of the varmint rounds.

.22 Magnum is a powerful small round, higher velocity than .22 LR, fired by great extremely accurate rifles.  Enough power to take coyotes and mid sized animals, but more expense than .22 LR.

.22 LR is by far the most popular choice and the most versatile for various reasons.  Plentiful and inexpensive, Usually.

Reason 1 – The .22 LR is never in stock at your wally world, because people recognize this cartridge as the most versatile, desirable, and affordable survival round. People hoard them by the thousands when they do become available.

Reason 2 – It’s the only cartridge I know where you can walk around with a thousand rounds in your pocket—or a lifetime supply in your backpack. They don’t weight much.

So it’s a well-established fact that the .22 LR makes the grade for best survival small game caliber. So let’s choose our small game survival rifle to match the best survival ammo. And there’s only one choice:

10/22 Ruger Takedown

1. The Scoped Ruger 10/22 Take-down

Ruger 10/22 platform has been around since 1964.  Since the 10/22 has been around for so long, it has been one of the most reliable, semi-automatic rifles, and you can easily modify your rifle with many aftermarket products available.

The Ruger and the Remington are competitors in the semi-automatic .22LR regime, however, over the years the public has voted with their pocketbooks and the Ruger comes out on top.

Plus, the newer take-down versions break down into component pieces. So you can easily store it in a backpack to be reassembled later as the situation requires. Perfect for those who’s survival plan includes bugging out.

Hunting Large Game

So your family is sick of squirrel and rabbit stew, and suddenly that ten point buck presents itself at 300 yards. Which rifle do you wish you had in your hands in that situation?

You will need a cartridge that can have power at 300 yards. You also need to kill that deer with one shot. You don’t want to wound him and then lose him.

If you do get off a bad shot but you still hit him, you want something that will slow him down so you can track. So we’re not talking about mid-sized cartridges, like a 125 grain 5.56 or 7.62 x 39mm traveling at 2100-2400 FPS.

You want something in the 170-220 grain region in .30 caliber soft-point or better traveling 2700-3000 FPS. We’re talking .30-06, .308 Winchester or .300 Win Mag.

So what is the best rifle for delivery of this type bullet? Well the US Army and US Marine Corps are pretty good references to begin with.

2. Remington 700

The Remington 700, in one form or another, has been the mainstay of the bolt-action snipers around the world for decades.

The Remington 700 in military trim is still a frontline bolt action sniper rifle. A high-quality scope is a must for this long range survival rifle.  So you can’t go cheap on optics if you want something that is going to last.

AR15 Rifle

Perimeter Defense

Keeping the bad guys away from your people by killing them at long range is usually a safer bet than having them at your front door.

Your personal morality may have to come into question on how you potentially handle a SHTF situation and protecting your family. However, you decide to send a message to others to stay away, you will want precision and make an impactful statement.

That means you need accuracy and lethality.

So why not pick the Remington 700? Surely, if your survival rifle can take down a deer at 400 yards, it can take down a man at 400 yards. No doubt. However, the benefit of the bolt action on accuracy is also a liability when it comes to quick follow up shots or multiple moving targets.

The deer might stand there wondering what the kicked up dirt next to it means and wait there for a second follow up shot, but humans will realize immediately what’s happening.

So a semi-automatic option is your best choice when hunting the “most dangerous game”; Man.

3. AR-15

When we’re talking semi-auto, lethal and accurate at these ranges, we’re talking a scoped AR-15 in 5.56 NATO—or maybe a scoped AR-10 in .308 NATO. The AR-10 has the better knockdown power, however, the recoil of the 5.56 mm round fired from an AR-15 with a quality buffer is negligible, so your aim is less affected.

Your shots should come fast, with easy acquisition of your second, third and fourth targets. Quality AR-15s are cheaper than the AR-10 and so is the 5.56 mm round.

You can carry quite a few rounds on your person as opposed to the .308, .30-06 or the like, and they are readily available and affordable—at least before the excrement hits the fan. So stock up.

AK-47 rifle

Self-defense Inside 200 Yards

In close quarters, you need a weapon that is both accurate and reliable.

There’s a reason weapons developed for military use, are perfect for 200 yards or less.  They were designed for that exact purpose. We’re talking guaranteed lethal hits on man-sized targets at less than 100 yards. There is one other significant problem at this distance—you can expect the bad guys to shoot back.

In close quarters, every round you fire must count, and the weapon cannot malfunction. A rifle malfunction at 400 yards takes just a moment to clear—a moment you might not have at 50 yards. So what would I recommend?

4. AK-47

There is only one logical choice—the favorite weapon of every bad guy, dictator, and communist in the world—the AK-47.

I’m not talking about a real full-auto AK-47. You can’t just pick up a full auto AK-47 on Gunbroker. I’m talking about semi-automatic AK-47 variants and there are many versions and brands, but the beautiful thing about them, is they all work the same.

A full auto is relatively useless, unless you are fighting in a small room or spraying and praying to provide covering fire for someone else. Accuracy goes out the window in full auto and you waste a valuable resource, bullets.

The AK design is tough and designed for the mechanical torture of full auto operation. In semi-auto operation, everything is simple, over-engineered and reliable.

I’ve owned a couple cheap AK variants over the years and have fired thousands of rounds through them. I don’t even clean it very often and I have never experienced a jam.

The 7.62×39 mm round is lethal and even cheaper than the 5.56 mm. Inside 200 yards the AK has decent accuracy. However, the one concession I would make is to add a red-dot sight to enhances the shooting experience and buy many magazines.  With the 30 round magazine as standard and keep them loaded and ready in your gun safe.

Mossberg 500 Chainsaw

Self-Defense In Close Quarters

In an urban area, you can’t keep people from getting close to home.

At this point in a perfect world, you could choose to engage the bad guy with a handgun—but the word handgun does not appear in the title of this article. So let’s assume you are grabbing for something larger. So what would you prefer?

When you are in close quarters combat, you naturally begin to spray and pray. If you have the AR-15 or AK-47 variant, you can make a lot of noise and poke a lot of holes in your walls, possibly killing your family members in the next room, however, if you want to remove doubt at close quarters—use a shotgun.

5. Mossberg 500

A tactical, pump 12 gauge, such as the Mossberg 500, can take spraying and praying to a whole new level. You fire a couple shells down your hallway,  you are going to hit your target and probably more than once

Regular, long hunting shotguns are at a disadvantage in these conditions but if you have one, you would use it.  I would prefer to have a shorter, tactical version or even one with a pistol grip.  Kel-Tec also makes a bull pub shot gun that would be a perfect choice, especially since it can hold up to 15 rounds.  There is a reason why mossberg calls one of their shotguns “The Chainsaw”.  It will cut down just about anything in its way.

Buckshot increases your likelihood of a hit, but a slug delivers an exceptionally deadly blow at close quarters. Here are the two big differences.

A shot pattern does not guarantee incapacitation. Now if the intruder gets hit with shot that may not neccessarily take him down immediately, but you hit him with 00-buckshot I guarantee he’s going down.

You’d prefer him to be unable to make any retaliation.

Any head or torso shot with a slug or buckshot is going to blow a significant hole in him, and all the desire to reach you or your family will leave immediately.

  My personal shotgun of choice is the Kel-tec KSG, but the Mossberg 500 in its many variants in 12 gauge, which also happens to be the shotgun of choice for the US Army.

So what is the best all around Survival Rifle?

So if I could only take one, what do I consider the best all-around survival rifle?  I would not choose a 10/22 although it is a great rifle. I do think there may be a better choice—or at least a marginally better choice.

I personally would have to choose AR-15 for my all around rifle.  Not the best, by far in many categories, but good enough to use in just about any situation.

Runner Up Best Survival Rifles

So how about some runner’s up? Here are some other best survival rifles to consider:

7 – Remington 597

8 – Winchester Model 70 (in .30-06, .308 Win, .300)

9 – Kel-Tec SU16 in many of its variants.

10 – Kel-Tec KSG (in 12 Gauge)

11 – Sam Yang .50 Cal Air Rifle and just for all around use in major World ending SHTF situations.  It can be used as a shotgun, rifle, and shoot arrows.  You don’t need powder, and can easily cast your own bullet.

Written by Rich G, SHTFandGO LLC.  excerpts taken from other articles

[the-dragon-writes]

Strange Saturday Nights

Prompt from: https://thestoryshack.com/tools/writing-prompt

Genre: fairy tale

Person: a golfer

Item: a machine gun

Sentence to use: “Don’t trust everything you see.”

Full title: Strange Saturday Nights Are Good For Sunday Morning Health

I’m starting to wonder if I’m actually drunk. I didn’t think I was, considering I only had a sip from one of my friend’s cups, but hey, with what I’m seeing in front of me, I can’t really be sure. After all, last I checked, I was driving home. I have no idea how I ended up on this golf course, standing next to a dragon.

Did someone slip me some magic mushrooms? Maybe ground up in my drink or something? I’m not really sure how that works, to be honest.

I sit down, staring past the dragon at the figure that was approaching slowly. It’s a bit too far for me to see what it is right now, but it’ll get closer soon enough. I would run, but if this is just some weird hallucination, I don’t think it would do any good.

But then again, maybe it’s not a hallucination. I’ll still take the risk, though; I have no idea where my car is and I’m not a very fast runner, so trying to escape both a dragon and a mysterious figure probably wouldn’t end very well for me.

Well, this is not how I expected my Saturday night to go.

The figure’s gotten closer, enough so that I can see it clearly. It’s a man, dressed like a golfer, with dark hair swept to one side. His shirt, though, is neon yellow, and his shorts are neon pink. He’s got a handsome face, but honestly, with those clothes, he’s an eyesore. He’s also holding something, but I can’t tell what yet.

The dragon and I share a look saying, can you believe this guy? then go back to waiting for the man to reach us. The dragon seems slightly exasperated- it huffed a little, and now it’s steaming slightly from its nostrils. These nostrils are about the size of my face, by the way, and it’s a little scary to look to the side and just see this large hole that’s oozing a little right next to me.

I’m also still wondering how I managed to share a look with a dragon, of all things. I have no other words for this than utterly bizarre.

The man’s almost here. I’m wondering if I should get up to greet him. I’ve got to be polite in all situations, no matter the circumstances, right?

---------------------

The eyesore in the neon golf clothes is carrying a machine gun along with a golf club, and this isn’t even the weirdest part of my night. Or maybe it is; I’m really not sure anymore. How did I even get here?

The man’s in front of me now, smiling. It’s actually a very nice smile, and it makes his whole face light up. It’s making me smile too.

“Hello, everybody!” the man says loudly, smiling even wider (if that’s even possible). “I’m so glad I finally found you!”

I’m trying to say something back, respond somehow, but the words are sticking in my throat. I can’t say anything; nothing’s going to come out. That’s...probably not good.

The dragon snorts and says, “About time you got here. We’ve been waiting for ages.”

The dragon talks. Huh. Well, that’s a thing now. I feel like I should be more surprised, but I think I’ve gotten used to the fact that I’m not really feeling anything very strongly right now.

“Shut up,” says the man, and he sprays a line of bullets right in front of the dragon’s feet. “I’m not here for you.”

The dragon snorts at him then spreads its wings above our heads and flies away, apparently disgusted with our actions. Oh great- my only protector here is gone.

My chances of living past tonight are going down like the Titanic. I can feel goosebumps on my arms, and a chill goes down my spine. I still can’t speak, can’t even scream for help. Not that there’s anyone around to help.

My fear only grows when the man turns to me. I’m shivering now, but I can’t move. It’s like I’m paralyzed.

The man just smiles at me and goes, “Darling! I’m so glad you’re safe from this hideous beast!”

Okay. Something strange about this: I’ve never seen this man before in my life. He’s a complete stranger, and I know this for certain, because I know I’d remember that face. So, why is he calling me darling?

The man kept talking. “I’m here as a reminder, darling! You’ve forgotten me, but you’ll remember soon!”

Oh man. This dude’s seriously creepy. I start praying for the dragon to come back and maybe eat the crazy golfer with a machine gun.

Naturally, my prayers aren’t answered.

The man stops talking; I think he might have noticed that I stopped listening a little while ago. He reaches up and cups my face with one hand, and strokes my cheek with his thumb. He smiles again, and says, “Remember, darling, don’t trust everything you see.”

It’s as if those words were a spell- I can move again, and my first reaction is back, away from the man. He puts down his machine gun and lifts his golf club. I have an immediate bad feeling about what he’s going to do, and then it happens- he swings it towards my head, and because I’m too slow to dodge, it hits me right in the temple.

That crack is the last thing I hear before I pass out.

-------------------------------

I wake up in my bed. It’s Sunday morning, and I feel fantastic. Generally, I never feel this good on any morning; must be because of that crazy dream I had last night. ‘Shrooms, am I right?

And then I realize that it wasn’t a dream. Mostly because there’s crusted blood on the side of my face. There’s a golf club in the corner (I don’t golf and never have), and my shoes, which are lying on the floor near my bed, seem a little...singed.

I have so many questions. What happened after I passed out? Who was that man? Was there really a dragon next to me?

What is going on?

Well, there’s only one thing I know for certain right now, and it’s that I need to know what happened last night. I guess the first stop is to talk to my friends?

I get out of bed and I immediately notice something- there’s a bracelet or something around my ankle. It’s smooth and round, but when I sit back down and try to take it off, it beeps and a flashing message appears on it: come to the golf course at 9:00 tonight.

Not very subtle, is he?