#i know lots about charcoal too like how it powers up fire type moves

[vrexrobo]

Charcoal expert GaoBlack

[writerofmyths]

Blood, Sweat, and Tears

ONE SHOT: Part One

Pairing: Mob Victor Creed x Oc! Kendra

SUMMARY: Victor is Mob Boss, and his men decide to take him out to a club. Not knowing what they get themselves into when one of them accidentally screws up. ☺☺😘

A/N: AU where Victor is a mob boss and meets a woman named Kendra for the first time in a club.

The blaring of music could be heard from five blocks down, the smell of smoke in the air could be smelt for miles, and the salty taste of liquor upon ones tongue stayed until the next morning. That feeling of nostalgia never washed over Victor, all it brought was seething and bubbling rage. It didn't make sense to him, out of all places his men had to bring him. A fucking club was not one he particularly liked. After all what was the point, he has been to so many in his lifetime but this one was different. It felt like his blood had been pounding ever since he stepped inside, giving to a drive he hasn't felt in centuries. Now that was something no one would be able to expect.

As he took a sip of his scotch, his eyes skimmed over the crowd of people. None of them were even aware of how fast things could turn south, after all they were just silly humans after all. It was in their blood to enjoy fake bliss without understanding the dangers that crept in their shadows, the tiniest of smirks came to his lips. Noticing how some of the women were skin tight dresses, that barely could cover their ass. Most men were gawking while others would take quick glances, pretending to be looking around as their partner talked to them. Yet some weren't as sly with it, being left their to ponder on their choices. Pathetic. Victor thought, as he continued to sip his drink.

All while a waitress comes up the steps, passing out drinks in her unusual clothes. Unlike most of the women patrons within the fine club, these women wore pants and just a shirt with the club name on it. Though that still didn't leave the male or female mind to wonder to dirty thoughts, but as Victor glanced over he saw one of his men slap the woman on her ass. Which made him grip his glass, he didn't usually care but this was something he didn't like being show about his group. Every men who was initiated into his organization were taught a very good set of rules, whether they were whipped literally to understand it. Sometimes beatings weren't good enough Victor's eyes, after all they were all feral like mutants and could heal but not like him. It pushed a nerve he didn't know his men could push him too.

"Malcom remind me to deal with him later." Victor instructed, barely even looking over to his second command with any care. Some of the men just shake their heads, before the lady simply walked away. The smell of annoyance clear in the air, each different to the owner as some smelt black charcoal, then others fire wood, but for Victor it was Whiskey. It was pure and old whiskey and he was amused by it.

Soon enough time came for the show, knowing the club owner never disappointed finding that most of his men had two or more ladies on their arm. As he saw most of the club was eerily becoming slow, there was a lot of people being escorted out. Which caught Victor and Malcolm's attention more than anyone's.

It seemed there was something none of them knew was going on, as the club was still populated as most of the women began messing around. Yet they all stop as a woman walked up the stairs, her braids resting against her back, and her skin seeming to glow in the strobe lights. While she bore a scar on her right arm and didn't seemed to ashamed of it.

Most of the women simply stopped playing around, as the woman stepped on to the scene. They seemed to hold her with a high respect, that made it seem like this was a type of threat. Yet all the woman did was smile, maybe that's why Victor felt a wired urge. It made him place his glass down, as he sat up placing his hand on his thigh, taking in his feel of her appearance. For someone who had a wired aura, it seemed he got a kick out of it. Which made it so much easier for him to keep looking at her while his men were just having their fun with the other men.

"Girls, I think that's enough acting." Kendra announced causing the women to huff, as they all stood up in unison, moving away as they stood behind her. While she goes over to the man who slapped one of her girls' on the ass, before she smirks. "Mr. Creed I don't take kindly to the behavior of your men."

When Victor looked at the women, he found she was kneeling in front Damien, making him 'tch'. Of course, how did he not notice who this woman was. The way her skin seemed to have its own glow, the way her brown eyes looked upon the people in front of her. She was the owner of the club, but there was something else about her, which made him stand up as she glanced at him. Though he couldn't even say anything before she ripped out the man's heart without even batting her pretty little eyes. All of his men went to draw their guns, but found they weren't even there. As giggles erupted the men looked seeing the women sitting with them before were holding them, it didn't seem like tonight was there night. To say that Victor was pissed was an understatement, because he was growling but that didn't seem to intimidate Kendra.

As she looked at the heart in her hand, she remembered she still had to perform a show. So maybe she would play with the little kitty later on, after all that's what he looked like to her. Without another word she dropped the heart before turning around and going down the stairs without a care in the world, her girls following behind her as they put the guns up in their dresses.

Kendra wasn't known well in the mutant world, but she was known well for the crime world. Everyone knew she was dangerous, but there had been some that stupidly wished to test their luck, and it ended with them drifting out at sea in a body bag for no one to mourn or grieve. She made sure to wipe her hand as she went into the back, taking her sweet time to undress and dazzle the audience with her show.

"Ms. Kendra you'll be on in five minutes." A stage worker called looking at her, now realizing she was full nude making her blush. After all Kendra was stunning, but everyone knew she didn't wish to start a relationship because it was too much of a hassle. It was a distraction in her eyes, and she didn't like being distracted all the time by messily sex or pretend ounces of pleasure.

Within the time Kendra had lived on this earth, she learned how women and men were taken as some type of trophy. The process had changed over time, but sadly it was still the same and nothing that anyone did could stop it. Sell and buy, was that really how love was looked at now a days, but how would someone who has only seen a minimal of love understand that. It became a type of drive to never catch feelings, knowing you would outlast others in the long run.

"Thank you, Sophie... Now," Kendra hummed in her mind looking at the racks of clothing, deciding on just which one is the right suit for tonight. Red always seemed to show power, but there was an unspeakable truth to it, was never about the sense of being known as a killed. It was just Kendra who had only a few minutes ago just ripped out someone’s heart use to hate blood, now the sight of it just leaves her numb and she doesn’t care. “What shall I be letting my guest feast on tonight?”

As she took out a black two piece that looked quiet appealing, as she began dressing herself, she took the liberty to put her hair in a high ponytail. As she was wearing a black top that had strips of lines coming down the front and back but not over her shoulders. It seemed to be as if her collar was supposed to look like it was choking her, but it wasn’t really. Then her bottoms ended with her having shorts that stopped mid knee, while having a lace tail line that fluttered behind her. All in a days work, and most say beauty is pain well whoever said that didn’t know their self worth at the time. 

Outside of the dressing rooms, Victor looked highly irritated as he didn’t understand how a woman could make him feel fear. The way her eyes just bore into his made him want to gut her alive, but also see how much trouble he could make and still worry about her wrath. Even though his men was alright, he didn’t even care if he had died out on the floor from a slow healing factor, but they were still apart of his pack per say so he still was pissed. He handled his men in different ways and some outsider claiming what he was going to do was not helping him in any way. As he watched a short and stout woman come out, she smiled with a quirky tone as she introduce a dancer on to the scene.

“Give it up for Kendra!”

Cheers erupted as Kendra walked out on stage, looking like a model as she went up to the mic, taking her time to do what she wanted. Soon enough some soulful music began to play, meaning the real fun had yet to begin.

To Be Continued

@creedslove

[missmeikakuna]

Tired Girl Ch. 4- F/F Fantasy story

Rated: T

Fandom: Original story

Relationship type: F/F

Description:

High schooler Nosderag is childish, impulsive and- worst of all- powerless in a magical world. Her strong sense of empathy leads her to rescue an injured fairy and bring it back to her dorm, to the chagrin of her love-powered rumoured lesbian roommate Dalzonf. Together they try to return the fairy to its enclosure before they get arrested for animal theft.

The problem is, people with love powers are seen as criminals, putting a giant target on Dalzonf’s back. 

CONTENT WARNING: This story will have homophobia, bullying and discussions of sexual assault.

Chapter 4: Anxious Girl

Nosderag slowly and oh-so-casually walked back inside, Dalzonf following close behind. They went straight to the elevator and made sure to be the only ones there. No one was to see the effects of love magic on Nosderag.

This time the effects included Nosderag twirling one of her dreadlocks and gazing at Dalzonf with an innocent lip bite. Her uniform skirt swirled around as she swayed back and forth.

While Dalzonf waited for the effects to wear off, Nosderag tried to look around the room. Just like before, everything but Dalzonf was out of focus. However, she noticed something.

On Dalzonf’s bedside table was a miniature idol that was wearing green. ‘Is that Terio?’ Nosderag asked, squinting her eyes in the hopes that it would come into focus. Dalzonf hummed and nodded. ‘So, like, why? Shouldn’t you have a Marosos statue? Since she's, you know, the goddess of… love?’ Nosderag batted her eyelids at that last word. Dalzonf rolled her eyes at the gesture of affection.

‘My parents are from Terio city, so we worship her mostly.’

Nosderag giggled. ‘Huh, why do they name places after gods anyway? Isn’t that confusing? It doesn’t make any sense. And why-’

‘Alright, that’s enough out of you.’ Dalzonf chuckled. ‘You are so drunk.’

‘I am not! I haven’t had any alcohol.’

‘You’re drunk on… you know what? You’re going to get back to normal soon enough. I don’t know why I’m trying to reason with you when you’re like this.’

As if on cue, Nosderag snapped out of her daze. Dalzonf asked, ‘So what are we going to do about this fairy?’

Nosderag opened her already slightly open backpack further, letting out Daliki. ‘She must be so hungry. Will you feed her?’

Dalzonf held out a hand but curled her fingers in hesitation. Eventually she touched Daliki’s head and closed her eyes. A thin stream of pink mist surrounded the fairy and then entered her mouth. She gulped the magic down and then flew to Dalzonf’s side, rapidly nuzzling her.

Dalzonf tried to move away from Daliki but she continued showing affection. ‘Be grateful you don’t have magic,’ she said to Nosderag, who frowned when Dalzonf pushed Daliki away. ‘Anyway, we need to get her back to that enclosure.’

‘Should we just tell them what happened and clear up the misunderstanding?’

‘Yeah, no. I’m not risking running into the police.’

‘But you haven’t done anything wrong.’

‘I don’t have to,’ Dalzonf retorted, creating a small ball of pink mist in the palm of her hand. Nosderag nodded in understanding.

‘So are we going to sneak in? What about the guards? And the magic shield… wait, how did I make it into that shed? It had a shield around it. I felt it but I made it through.’

‘Huh. Maybe you have powers after all. Is there such a thing as a power to break magic shields? Either that or their shields suck. That’s a distinct possibility. Whatever the case, we can use that to our advantage.’

The two were about to start planning when Nosderag’s stomach grumbled. After descending to the ground floor, Dalzonf led a lovesick Nosderag to the dining hall in the dormitory. She tried to ignore the stares from other students as Nosderag kept attempting to grab her hand.

The dining hall was about the size of a professional soccer field. Tall torches in the shapes of dragons stood at the perimeter, several metres apart from each other. Orange force fields surrounded the flames to prevent them from getting out of control. The tables were made of black wood designed to seem like charcoal. On top of each table were bowls of various brightly coloured fruits. A cart with a long line of students stood against a wall. In addition to granite plates and bowls, the cart contained sikoka beans for making hot sikoka, smelly dried blue kie kriz fish and a ridiculous amount of rice. 

Hanging over everyone’s head was a medieval European-style chandelier with, you guessed it, fire at the ends. At the end of the hall was a low platform with a giant unused cauldron atop it. Students loved to write inane and often offensive messages on the outside of the cauldron in pen. Knowing how many times this happened, the teachers never bothered to clean it.

Nosderag, still affected by love magic and seeing that she was in a public setting, tried singing another serenade. Dalzonf’s shoulders jumped up. Everyone was staring in silence. As soon as she could, she covered the other girl’s hand with her mouth. It was too late.

‘I guess she was getting desperate,’ Sosoka whispered to a friend, who cackled a little too loud.

Dalzonf lowered her head, turning back into the vulnerable girl Nosderag defended a week ago. She shuffled to the food cart line, Nosderag following closely behind.

When Nosderag returned to her senses and looked around the hall in confusion, Sosoka and her friend laughed at the sight. The other students joined in. The girls in line stepped away from Dalzonf while still keeping their spots in the line.

‘Why don’t you just tell them about the elevator?’ Nosderag whispered in her ear, absentmindedly grabbing her arm. Dalzonf tore her arm away and turned towards her with a fire in her eyes to rival all the torches in the room combined.

She ignored her for the entirety of breakfast and left for class without saying a word. The two didn’t share their first class of the day.

Instead, Nosderag had Potions Sapphire Class. As one of the few omlers on campus, she had a more limited curriculum but had to make up for it by taking more advanced classes and excelling in academics. While everyone else her age was in Potions Topaz, she was a year ahead.

A fact that brought a scowl to her teacher Dr Lomaschramm’s lips.

‘Try not to make anything explode this time, Ms Zotmin.’ The teacher’s voice went up and down like a children’s show character. Or a poor person’s impersonation of a rich person. Take your pick. Nosderag tried to laugh the comment off as she took her seat.

The air of the classroom was chilly thanks to the refrigerated potion pantries in the back. The teachers claimed that this was not the case as the fridges were closed. The non-refrigerated potions were kept in a wide, locked cabinet against a wall. A fat lot of good that lock did when students kept punching the unshielded glass and taking out potions to pull pranks on each other.

The class was small, with only half of the ten benches being used. Nosderag turned to her designated lab partner for the term but the other girl ignored her. Someone whispered behind her but stopped when she turned around.

‘I hope you’re paying attention in class, Ms Zotmin.’

Dr Lomaschramm towered over Nosderag. Her hooked, pointy nose made her cat-eye glasses slip down it as she looked down on her. She smelled of hand sanitizer and, when she opened her mouth, minty toothpaste.

‘Now, what do we never mix Aja’s Vine with?’

‘Himalayan healing water.’

Dr Lomaschramm pursed her lips. After a moment of thought, she grinned, showing off her eerily perfect white teeth. 

‘And why is that?’ Nosderag didn’t answer. The teacher turned her back on the class and returned to the whiteboard. She picked up a marker and began writing the first sentence of her answer. ‘We… do… not… mix... healing... potions... together. They’re like those newfangled interwebz security softwares. They compete against each other and are unable to work. Unlike the softwares, two healing potions will create an explosion.’

As she continued her lecture, Nosderag slumped in her seat, trying not to fall asleep. Slumping in her seat soon turned into slumping onto her bench. She closed her eyes.

A second later, she heard a zap and felt a sting on her neck, making her sit up in attention. She didn’t have to turn her head. The sound of snickering students allowed her to fill in the blanks.

‘Save your tolxing for the classes that require it,’ Dr Lomaschramm said.

The laughing quietened but was still audible. 

Nosderag’s other classes were similar. Strict and seemingly sadistic teachers, students high on schadenfreude and lessons that could put an insomniac to sleep.

There was one exception: cryptozoology. No, not the omler version in which wackjobs search for Bigfoot for the millionth time. It was a class dedicated to real magical creatures. The teacher Mr Fot was a portly soft-spoken old man with a clear passion for the field but little confidence in controlling a classroom of bored students. However, he always greeted Nosderag with a smile and gave her high marks. She listened to his classes with rapt attention, in stark contrast with the other students.

The classroom for this subject was cramped between two similarly plain rooms. The only interesting thing about this room was the globe on Mr Fot’s desk, which was decorated with pictures of magical creatures on the countries they originated from. The man brought it into the classroom every day in the hopes that it would inspire intellectual curiosity in his students.

Most of the students were too busy making jokes about his name, which meant ‘flow’.

‘Hey, sir, do you want some tampons?’ one girl asked in between fits of laughter.

When Mr Fot sincerely replied, ‘Oh, no thank you, I don’t need them,’ Nosderag’s heart broke on his behalf.

When Nosderag returned to her dorm, she kept interrupting her fairy-saving plan meeting with Dalzonf to rant about her day. Dalzonf eventually gave up on planning and listened to the other girl’s ramblings.

She even found herself smiling at Nosderag’s wild array of facial expressions.

[write-my-dreams]

Jay Tim Day 1: The Toughest Job

Title: The Toughest Job

Author: write-my-dreams @ tumblr/Ao3

Pairing: JayTim

Genre: Canon, action

Warning: Some violence and cursing

Chapter(s): 1/1

Summary: Jason is none too pleased when Bruce calls him and wakes him up. Irritation turns to urgency when Bruce tells him Black Mask has put a hit out on Tim, who has no idea what's going on. Jason suits up and goes to Tim's rescue.

Read it on AO3

Jason groans into his pillow as Bruce’s ringtone blares in his ear. The hell does he want? He considers ignoring the call to go back to sleep. Except Bruce rarely contacts him unless there’s some sort of problem. Things are better between them, but tensions still remain. Jason gropes for the phone without raising his head. “What?” he growls into it.

“Where are you?”

“In bed.” Jason turns over onto his back with another groan. “If it’s my turn to pick up your demon spawn kid, tell him to get a ride from Dick. It’s too early. Call me later.”

“Get up!” Bruce orders.

The urgency in his voice startles Jason into obedience. “What’s going on? Is someone injured?” Fuck, please don’t tell him someone’s dead. 

“Suit up and go to Tim. Now. Barbara caught word of a planned assassination for him. Lucius says Tim’s already left the office for his work lunch at the Royal Swan. He isn’t answering his phone so I have no way of contacting him. You’re the closest one to the restaurant. Keep Tim safe.”

Jason comes to full alertness the moment “assassination” reaches his ears. “Royal Swan. Got it.” He presses the phone to his ear with his shoulder and grabs his uniform. “Does Babs know who it is? Deathstroke, Deadshot, some other well known hitman?” 

“Slade wouldn’t take a hit on Tim.”

Not if he wants to get in Dick’s pants ever again. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“She doesn't know who the assassin will be. Only that they were hired by Roman Sionis.”

Jason’s fingers tighten around his gun holsters. “Black Mask? Why the hell is Black Mask going after Tim?” If Roman fucking Sionis succeeds in harming a single hair on Tim’s head Jason will take great pleasure in gunning him down. 

Bruce sighs. “I don’t know, Jason.”

“The Red Hood will pay him a visit tonight,” Jason says grimly.

“As will Batman.”

Jason smirks as he pictures the fear on Sionis’ face behind that mask. A pissed off Red Hood <i>and</i> Batman interrogating him? They’ll have Sionis singing like a bird in no time. “Good. I’ll call you once I’ve got Tim. Leaving now.”

“Be careful.” The line goes dead before Jason can say anything in response. He pockets his phone and grabs his boots. He finishes putting on his chest armor, jacket, and helmet on the way to his bike. He knows how to keep his composure during tense situations. So he is <i>not</i> panicking as he drives to the Royal Swan well over the speed limit in broad daylight. It’s rare for any of the Bats to come out during the day. Jason doesn’t give a fuck what passersby think. The two police cars he zooms by must recognize him since neither officer pursues him for speeding. Smart move. 

Jason reaches the restaurant just as Tim’s cherry red sports car pulls into the parking lot. He’s off his motorcycle the second he parks it. Tim steps out of the car looking way too sexy for his own good. Today he’s wearing a charcoal suit over a white dress shirt and the blue tie Jason gave him for his birthday last year.

Tim stops in his tracks when he sees Jason. His eyes widen in surprise. “You’re the Red Hood. What… What are you doing here? During the day?” He plays his part well by backing up, looking nervous as he clutches the door.

“You’re in danger.”

“From the Red Hood?”

“No, from Black Mask. I’m here to protect you.” Jason scans the buildings around him. Offices, apartments, a shopping mall. The killer could be anywhere and have a number of ways to take down Tim. Poisoning the food or drinks inside the Royal Swan, shooting from the rooftops or the windows, bombing the restaurant if subtlety is no concern. Jason lowers his voice in case anyone can hear them. “Oracle heard about it. Who are you meeting?”

Tim frowns. “Colonel Raymond Hayes from the army. Why?”

The name means nothing to Jason. He scans the area again, looking for the clues Bruce and Dick taught him. There! “Get down!” He seizes Tim’s shoulder and forcefully drags him down to take shelter behind the car. A bullet strikes where Tim’s head had been moments ago. “Fuck,” Jason curses as he tightens his grip on Tim. 

Tim lays his hand on Jason’s arm. “We need to get the assassin away from the restaurant. Innocent lives are in danger while I’m here.”

“You think?” Jason snaps. “Give me your keys then get in the back. Stay down. I’ll drive us out of here.”

Tim knows better than to protest. He stays low as he opens the back door and crawls in behind the driver’s seat. Jason grits his teeth as he hears two more shots hit the car. The rear passenger window shatters from a third. He throws himself into the driver’s seat and starts the engine. The tires screech as he drives out of the parking lot and onto the road. Jason grips the steering wheel tightly as he runs through a red light, leaving a trail of angry drivers and honking cars behind.

“Hood,” Barbara says in his com. “I saw you on the security footage. You have Tim?”

“He’s safe. Let B know that.” Jason tears his eyes away from the road when Tim climbs into the passenger seat. “The hell? I told you to stay in the back!”

Tim gives him a withering look. “Roman Sionis didn’t hire the League of Assassins. There’s one shooter. Unless he has speedster powers he’s not going to catch up to you when you’re driving. What does he want with me anyway?”

“Hell if I know.” Jason speeds through another red light and swerves to avoid an oncoming car. He ignores the honking and screeching of tires. “Did you hack into his bank accounts or find something incriminating?”

“As Red Robin. Not as Tim Drake.”

Jason tenses as he sees a police car in the rearview mirror driving straight towards them. He seizes the back of Tim’s neck and pushes him down again so he’s bent over his legs. Jason ducks as the masked “officer” opens fire on the car. The back window shatters and he hears a tire give. Jason swerves down a side road with an ugly curse. No way in hell will Tim get hurt on his watch. Not when he’s yet to tell Tim how he feels about him.

Barbara speaks again. “Turn at the first left. Go through the next three intersections, turn right, then go over the bridge. I’ll keep the way clear for you.” 

“Got it.” Jason realizes he’s still holding the back of Tim’s neck. He releases him to grip the wheel again, following Barbara’s instructions. Thanks to her guidance they’re able to lose their pursuer in spite of the tire. 

Jason doesn’t relax until they’re inside his nearest safe house with the garage door down and security active. He shuts off the engine and turns to Tim. “Are you okay?” Jason cups his cheek to examine his eyes, turning his head from side to side then looking him over to ensure he hasn’t sustained any injuries. No concussion, no broken glass on him, no blood on his clothes.

Tim bats his hand away. “I’m fine, Jay. Thanks to your quick actions. Shit. I had no idea any of this was going down.”

“Where’s your phone? Bruce tried calling you to warn you. You didn’t answer.”

Tim’s pale cheeks flush. “I, uh, forgot it at the penthouse.”

Jason sighs. “Seriously? You were so sleep deprived you didn’t think to grab your phone and take it with you?”

Tim’s silence is all the answer he needs.

Jason mutters a curse and shoots a text to Bruce. <i>“Tim and I are at my safe house. Neither of us are injured. Tells Babs I owe her one.”</i> Tim’s car is the only thing to sustain damage. Jason drops his phone onto his lap and looks at Tim again. “Black Mask isn’t smart enough to figure out you’re Red Robin. Did he ask you on a date or something and you rejected him?”

Tim glares at him. “You think he’d be alive if he did something like that? Ra’s would separate him from his head! And for your information, <i>no</i>, I’ve never had any contact with Black Mask in my civilian identity.” He gets out of the car and scrubs a hand down his face. “Shit,” he says again. “I have no idea why he’d target me. Is he trying to get to Bruce?”

Jason frowns. “It’s possible, but not really his style. I don’t like this one bit.”

“You think I appreciate being shot at in my civilian identity?” Tim runs a hand through his hair in frustration. “Guess I’m not having lunch with Raymond Hayes. Thanks for that, by the way. He’s the latest on a long list who wants Wayne Enterprises to sell tech to the military.” He glances up when Jason approaches him. “Bruce sent you to be my bodyguard?”

“I was closest.” Jason hesitates before taking off his helmet. Tim is alive and well. What better time to tell him? It’s now or never. “And… he knows.”

Tim blinks. “Knows what?”

Jason wonders if he’s made a terrible mistake. It’s not too late! He can back out, come up with a lame excuse. He looks into those big blue eyes and feels his defenses crumbling. Tim can never know the effect a single look has on Jason or he’ll lord it over him forever. Finally, he comes clean. “He knows I’m in love with you.”

The confession catches Tim off guard. His eyes widen in shock and he takes a step back. “You’re what?”

“I’m in love with you, Tim. I hate seeing you hurt. I’d do anything to keep you safe. To make up for what I’ve done to you in the past.” Jason contemplates throwing himself out the window if his confession turns Tim against him. Tim is gorgeous, intelligent, and best friends with Superboy. If Jason does anything to Tim, Kon will find a way to maim him.

Tim’s cheeks turn pink. “I… never knew you thought of me that way. I thought you and Roy were together.”

“Roy’s my best friend. I care about him, but I wouldn’t date him. Especially since my type happens to be Robins.” Jason can admit to having a crush on Dick in the past. Who hasn’t had a crush on Dick Grayson though? He’s ridiculously attractive and a great guy. Though with that temper he can easily live up to his nickname.

Tim steps forwards, pulling him out of his musing. “Robins huh?”

Jason closes his eyes. “Look, I know you don’t like me back. I shouldn’t have said anything. I just… wanted to get it off my chest. I guess.”

“Jason, stop. You never gave me a chance to tell you what <i>my</i> type is or how <i>I</i> feel about you.”

His breath catches. “What?”

Tim lays a hand over the bat symbol on Jason’s chest. “I like you too, dummy. I thought you were dating Roy so I never said anything.”

Jason blinks. “You mean Roy cockblocked me and we weren’t even in a relationship?”

“Dick thought you were.”

“Well he was wrong! Roy and I are <i>not</i> dating. I’d like to date <i>you</i> if you’d let me.” Why does everyone think he and Roy are a couple? Because they’re the family screw-ups who get along great, work together, and are good friends in and out of their uniforms? Okay, so it makes sense. Still, he’s never viewed Roy with any romantic interest. Not when Tim’s been around. Tim with his soft hair, that nerdy glint in his eye when he talks about Star Trek and science fiction, his fondness for wandering around the manor in leggings and shirts he stole from other family members…

Tim laughs softly. “Well, Romeo, you did save me from an assassination attempt. I think you deserve a kiss for that.”

Before Jason can respond, Tim is up on tiptoe kissing him. He wraps one hand around the back of Jason’s neck as he presses closer. Tim’s lips are so soft. Jason puts his hands on Tim’s waist to hold him against him as they kiss.

Black Mask is <i>so</i> getting the ass kicking of his life for sending assassins after Tim. Jason won’t kill him though. Yet. If not for this whole situation and the urgent call to protect Tim, Jason knows he wouldn’t have confessed. Now he has. Tim is safe and warm in his arms, they’re together now, and they’re going to take Black Mask down.

After Jason yells at Dick for telling Tim he and Roy were dating.

[jaybug-jabbers]

Bug Run 5: Final Comments & Movesets

So, my final commentary and discussion of builds isn’t going to be too complex this time. As I’ve already noted, in gen 5, an all-bug team is a pretty easy ride. We made for a pretty balanced team and had some very solid base stats all around. The battles in gen 5 are also pretty easy in general.

That said, it was fun to watch the team grow and progress.

Leavanny: Leaf Blade/Swords Dance/X-Scissor/Reflect - Miracle Seed

This was my starter pokemon, the beautiful leafy mantis Leavanny. This species is overlooked by many simply by virtue of its typing, Bug/Grass. Quite frankly, it’s your loss if you pass this poke up for simply that reason.He has good speed and amazing attack and makes for a powerful sweeper if you treat him right. He’s squishy on defenses, so it’s best to treat him like a glass cannon, but he can be a powerful ally if, as I note, you know how to handle him.

Green Bean may not have been a poke that could save me in all circumstances��� he’s definitely a specialized fighter– but he was with me through to the end and when I called on him to do his job, he did it well. He even occasionally survived some hits that I didn’t expect in my wildest dreams for him to survive. Bug pokes’ll surprise ya.

Scoliopede: X-Scissor/Superpower/Toxic/Screech - Leftovers

Oh, Tonka! I am so happy to have finally met you. I used Scoliopede a little bit in the past, but I never kept him on my team long term before. I adored his design so much, though, and always wanted to have him on a steady team. It was great to finally do so here. I learned a lot about Scoliopede.

For one, they’re scrappy and reliable as heck. They’re also extremely versitile. Tonka was a big, beefy boy, able to take a lot of hits but also dish out powerful attacks. He also is surprisingly speedy for such a big beast. With such excellent, well-rounded stats, it makes for a great mix. Tonks was always surviving super-effective hits when I needed him to and acting as a wall on my early team, but he also had the power to get the knock-outs and to get them fast.

Another thing about Scoliopede is their diverse movepool. Relatively speaking for a bug, at least. His movepool allows for a lot of different builds and strategies. Want a stally tank to poison something and wait for it to die? Sure. Want something to hit fast and hard? Yep. Want something with mixed strats? He can do that too. Want fairly diverse coverage moves? Scoliopede gets Earthquake, Rock Slide, Aqua Tail, Superpower, Iron Tail … and even Swords Dance, if you scrape up the BP for it.

Admittedly, I was pretty annoyed he couldn’t access a lot of these great moves unitl pretty late game, or even post Elite-Four. I had to skip Earthquake, Rock Slide, and Poison Jab TMs because they just aren’t available pre-Elite Four in Black/White 2. Tonka was such a trooper, though. When the others on my team were learning high-basepower, great moves and he was still working with some relatively crummy moves, he still pulled his weight and did so much.

Basically, I’m here to tell you Scolipede is a beautiful creature and one of the best bug pokes out there, and I absolutely adore him.

Crustle: X-Scissor/Rock Slide/Rock Wrecker/Shell Smash - Hard Stone

Here’s something I need to confess: I never cared for Crustle too much. Don’t get me wrong: I adore Dwebble. It’s cute. It’s a hermit crab. How could you not love it? But Crustle, man. That massive slab of rock just looks uncomfortable. And the name is vaguely unpleasant to me.

But Crustle was most definitely the backbone of the team’s defenses for most of the game. It played a pretty essential role in tanking Flying and Fire and Rock hits, and dishing out moves to take out those pokemon, as well. Gaia carried a very heavy weight on her shoulders, and I appreciated that deeply. She worked HARD and was darn reliable. I thank her for taking on so much of the burden of coping with a mono-bug team’s weaknesses, because I don’t think Tonka could have done it alone.

Galvantula: Thunder/Bug Buzz/Energy Ball/Hyper Beam - Magnet

Here she is! <3 Galvantula has always been close to my heart. I had one on my team through to the end for my first run of Pokemon Black/White. I don’t think I need to explain why. Freaking amazing electric tick and neon-colored tarantula? Sign me the heck up. This gal did all the things she was meant to do. As a speedy sweeper, she came in, hit hard, and left. She’s definitely a glass cannon, so don’t go switching her in to take big hits and you’ll be fine. With Compound Eyes, she misses moves extremely rarely. It’s pretty freaking great.

I should also note, our team was pretty heavy with the physical attackers. F-Zero was one of only two special attackers, so that made her role extra important.  

Volcarona: Heat Wave/Psychic/Quiver Dance/Fly - TwistedSpoon

It’s probably not surprising that I never used a Volcarona in-game before for anything other than hatching eggs. It just never occurred to me. They’re just so powerful, right? It would be boring to use something so OP.

I brought Volcarona along for the ride this time and got the chance to really test it out. Or … did I? Volcarona is an extremely late bloomer. This is not just due to its incredibly late evolution– level 59, if you breed one– all of its useful moves are also incredibly late gains, as well. When you capture the one at the Relic Castle in Black/White 2, it’s at level 35 and comes equipped with String Shot, Leech Life, Gust, and Fire Spin. Needless to say, these are terrible moves. It takes a very long time for it to gain anything worth using at all, so you will need to help it along with some TMs until then. Your options are not exactly many. A lot of the coverage moves Volcarona get are physical, which are a very poor choice for this special attacker. I pretty much just limped along with Psychic and Fly– fly merely because it was a useful field move.

Once Ra hit level 60, he finally picked up some good moves with Silver Wind, Quiver Dance and Heat Wave. Psychic is still a great coverage move, though, so I kept that on him. I didn’t have Charcoal so I just kept the TwistedSpoon I had on him for his Psychics. If I had the chance, I would have replaced Fly with Hurricane, but that doesn’t come until level 90. I considered removing Fly and tutoring Roost into Ra before the Elite battle, but I think I just forgot to.

In short, I don’t think Ra even had a chance to reach his full potential, despite being on my team a fair length of time. This species takes a long time to hit its stride. When it does, though, it can be a fierce foe, a great special attacker with tanky sp def. They work best if you have the chance to set up with a Quiver Dance or two (or a Fiery Dance), which helps you deal with their middling speed. You do need to be careful with their massive rock weakness, which is a huge deal in a game where virtually everything seems to have a rock move, but having a bug neutral to fire hits is pretty great on a mono-bug team.

It’s a shame Ra didn’t get the chance to fully shine, but maybe I’ll go back and play the post-game sometime. I know he has a lot of potential.

Durant: Iron Head/X-Scissor/Dig/Thunder Wave - Razor Claw

Speaking of late bloomers, Durant is not so much a late bloomer as an insanely late addition to the crew. It’s always a bittersweet feeling, a new species of pokemon showing up at Victory Road. On the one hand, you’re excited and glad there are still surprises left for you, even in the late game. On the other hand, you’re sad when you discover an amazing species and it never had a chance to join you for more of your adventures.

Durant may often be overlooked by many in favor of other steel bug types of his generation–  Escavalier, in particular– but these vicious little ants are not to be trifled with. Originally I was going to get one with Hustle and teach it Hone Claws, but when I caught one with Swarm, I decided to just go with it. Even without the Hustle boost, that’s some very respectable attack. Not quite as much as its Escavalier kin, sure, but Durant actually sports superior defense and, of course, far better speed. All in all, there’s a lot of damage you can do with this tiny terror.

My only regret is as I already mentioned– I hardly spent any time at all with her. Throughout the run, the core of my team was Leavanny, Scoliopede, Crustle and Galvantula. In a post-game or future run, maybe I’ll get to use these buggos a little more.

And that about wraps things up! See you next time!

This is a repost on a new blog. The original post was on Feb 25, 2019.

[commercialcoffeemakersdmut2-blog]

How Personal Coffee Maker can Save You Time, Stress, and Money.

developed to look just like the legendary mixer, and you can also purchase it in black http://www.bbc.co.uk/search?q=coffee machines or white. You can make the complete 12 mugs, or pick 2 or four. Unnoticeable buttons enable you to pick routine or vibrant brew stamina and program automated brewing approximately 24 hrs in breakthrough.

It allows you make enough for a crowd, making a complete pitcher in 8 mins, or you can make simply 3 to five cups. The charcoal water filter gets rid of chlorine, smells, and various other chemicals from your water before brewing. You can get rid of the drip-free stainless-steel pitcher to put a cup at any moment during the developing process without mistaking.

It will shut itself off in two hrs, so you won't have a fire danger on your cooking area counter. Possibly you're not hurrying through your home every morning, but you still desire to have the ability to brew a good pot of coffee in the house. And also possibly you desire to make lattes, coffees, as well as coffee too.

One side is a full cappuccino system with swivel jet frother. It has a 40-ounce water storage tank, so even if you're entertaining a crowd, everyone can have a coffee without stopping to fill up the water. It even has a cup warmer ahead. The other side is a ten-cup drip coffee machine.

An incredibly hassle-free feature is the front access to refill water and also coffee grounds, so you won't need to move the maker whatsoever. If you find yourself caught between desiring an equipment that does single-serve and also a device that can manage making a whole pitcher, don't sweat it. Either way, the Hamilton Beach 2-way Brewer has you covered.

And also, it adapts to your mug, brewing anywhere from one stand-alone cup to a complete, 12-cup pitcher. The brew strength selector allows you. to choose between normal as well as strong and also there's also a warming-plate to keep points warm as you consume. Last but not least, there's an auto-shutoff function. Likewise called a filtration approach, there are a huge selection of various drip techniques.

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Chances are you've utilized one of these before. And while there is some variant in how users involve with the device, the internal workings of just how your coffee brews has a tendency to be essentially the same. It begins by putting grounds in a filter as well as water in the storage tank. Many versions use basket-shaped paper filters, though some do have irreversible ones or you can decide to obtain a multiple-use one individually.

Occasionally there is just a tube system in position that allows heavy steam to climb there itself. As the reaches the drip area, it undergoes whatever shower head modern technology the maker has actually been developed with. The objective here is to damp the grounds as well as at some point soak with them. The warm water essences coffee from the grounds as gravity brings it down, eventually reaching your carafe or cup.

This helps to keep the coffee warm so you can appreciate your coffee without rushing. This group includes tools such as Chemex, Pour Overs, and the Clever Coffee Dripper (though this one likewise makes use of immersion). These techniques are best for individuals that want a bit more control over their brew than a drip maker will certainly enable.

They typically call for making use of gooseneck pots for accurate, comprehensive removal. Those who such as to revel in the workmanship of coffee brewing tend to be attracted in the direction of these tools over the vehicle drip choice. However, they do call for more work and also initiative to brew coffee. In the long run however, the taste you obtain from these methods has a tendency to be above what you'll get with an auto dripper.

This device was initial patented in the United States in 1865, and also it reached the residence market in 1889. The important point that separates percolators from their automobile brewing brethren is the fact that they cycle the water through the premises several times. Therefore, if left unattended they are known to over-extract the coffee.

In the end, they make a solid mug that often tends to have a noticable anger. Most individuals choose both the taste as well as benefit of utilizing vehicle drip makers in their residences. Nevertheless, there are a few areas where the percolator wins out. For example, due to the fact that percolators can be found in self-heating as well as non-self-heating choices, they can be a bit more functional on area.

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Additionally, while auto drip brewers aren't generally pricey, percolators often tend to be much more budget-friendly. While the drip approach isn't the only method to get chilly mixture, it's a quite intriguing one. These slow-moving drip makers have a tendency to generate a lighter mouthfeel and flavor than their immersion counterparts. Therefore, they assist highlight citrus notes and also other sweeter flavors.

You have to keep track of the drip price and equilibrium it with the proper work dimension. Plus, they need to be readjusted throughout developing, which can take anywhere from 3 to 24-hour. So if you're seeking something fast and convenient, the auto brewer is going to be the far better option.

For something budget-friendly you can try: Or, if you actually intend to go all out on style: This tool is rather simple to utilize. It's essentially a little steel filter that you place premises in. After pouring warm water over it, the water infiltrate the grinds and also into a glass listed below.

Voila! You have some tasty Vietnamese coffee. This method needs a little bit a lot more initiative than auto drip brewing, but not a lot. Nonetheless, it only makes a details kind of coffee. Along with there being alternate ways to get drip coffee, there are also options to drip developing completely. These different techniques all offer somewhat different advantages as well as features for brewing, so do some discovering to see that you like finest.

Devices that come under this group include coffee devices, Moka pots, and Aeropresses (non-inverted). Pressure brewing normally calls for tool to great grounds and also brews more focused beverages. Immersion makers allow premises to high for extended time periods. Devices include the French press, Aeropress (upside down), Clever Coffee Dripper, Siphons, some cold brewers, and also coffee bags.

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While all coffee techniques entail steaming or near boiling water (except cool mixture), there are some coffee developing approaches that need you to in fact boil water with premises in it. Two of one of the most noteworthy styles are Turkish/Greek coffee, which uses an ibrik מכונת קפה jura or briki, and Swedish Kokkaffe and Egg Coffee, which just utilize a pot and also (occasionally) a filter.

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This is an essential attribute if you know that you personally like particularly strong or weak coffee. Or, it can also come I useful if there are different preferences within your home. Settings like these usually work b y slowing down or speeding up water circulation. The slower the drip, the more powerful the coffee, as it has even more time to remove.

There are a pair various type of serve features that you'll find on automated drip makers. Among the most conventional ones is pause-and-serve. This attribute permits you to get rid of the carafe or pot before developing has actually entirely finished to get your very first cuppa without it sputtering the remainder of the brew around your counter.

[insane-mane]

11 year old Ben’s new batch of 10! Updated powers n such under the cut!

Swampfire has the ability to regrow his body over and over again from even the worst type of damage. He has a heated inner core that allows him to create fire from his charcoal-like hands. When snapping his fingers together,  a spark ignites the methane gases his body produces, allowing him to create fire. Being a being that LIVES on heat, Swampfire can withstand almost any type of hot temperatures. Swampfire is pretty resilient against many things, but if in extremely col environments, he is greatly weakened. He has a TERRIBLE odor due to the methane gas (although not as bad as Stinkfly’s stank) so hiding ain’t easy. For this design, I tried merging all of his concept designs, along with his blossomed form while adding a bit of my own flare to it. Heh, flare. Like fire. As in the alien above. The one that controls fire. Aptly named Swampfire. I wish I was dead.

For Echo Echo’s new design, I kinda wanted to return to form on this one. While I love Omniverse’s style and a lot of their redesign’s (I mean it IS practically the only art style I try to go for when drawing Ben 10), there are a few redesigns that don’t really strike me as the best. Echo Echo kinda being on of them. My only complaint was making him more pudgy-looking and giving him bulbous bug eyes. So, I kinda used his old design while keeping in tune with Omniverse’s design. Echo Echo is like a living amplifier. Covered in head to toe with a biosuit allowing him to create copies of himself, Echo Echo can duplicate and increase his amplitude tenfold. However, he can’t make infinite copies of himself. His max limit for clones is around 10 to 15. Anymore than that can weaken him and make his amplification less powerful. So if you’re expecting an army, you’re out of luck.

For Humungousaur’s new design I didn’t necessarily change much despite his power set is a tad different. AS for his clothing, I absolutely LOVE giving Vaxasaurians MMA-style clothing (shorts and gloves, primarily). I liked how it looks on my OC, Brawlasaurus, so I wanted to do it with Humungousaur too! Humungousaur is one one of Ben’s strongest, and largest aliens (besides Way Big). Humungousaur is pretty much just a large humanoid-like Dinosaur alien ranging up to 20 feet tall. He has IMMENSE strength (surpassing Four Arms), and very durable, incredibly dense, armor-like skin. But, like every alien, he has his weaknesses. Vaxasaurians are notorious for being cold-blooded creatures. Meaning if they were ever in contact with harsh, cold elements, their strength and size would dwindle and could possibly even die. So if a Vaxasaurian were to ever pick a fight with a Necrofriggian, chances are the Necrofriggian would come out the victor. And before anyone asks, no. My versions of Vaxasaurians do not sporadically change their size and grow plates of armor. They’re already large enough and have dense skin.

Instead of flying fast, Jetray is able to merely glide quickly in the air. In the water, however, he’s an incredibly fast swimmer. He can still breathe both on land and in water. Instead of shooting lasers from his eyes and tail, he merely has the ability to do so from his eyes. His tail is now able to shoot out a very long, VERY sharp paralytic barb that he can regrow. For this redesign I wanted to keep Jetray’s colors/stripes and such, but have a few of his features to feel a tad more alien. So I decided to simply restructure his face and change his abilities.

Big Chill’s power set is not that different from what we’ve seen. He still has the ability to freeze things by blowing incredibly cold gases/wind onto an opponent, freezing them instantly. He also has the ability to become intangible and phase through different objects, even freezing them inside-out if he chooses. Big Chill now has the added ability to create large ice structures over his limbs in order to make any punch/kick twice as powerful. Big Chills species can survive the cold vacuum of space, however they are still susceptible to incredibly hot temperatures. Was really excited for this one since Big Chill was an old fave of mine. For his design, I really wanted to keep the buff look Omniverse gave him, since I sorta felt his more scrawny-look made him look like a dude in a suit (a problem I feel UAF had a lot of times with their designs). I wanted to give him a lil fur, like an actual moth, and an exposed rib cage that has a translucent sack that can sorta show his organs (although a tad hard to see in the pose, my bad). I also REALLY wanted to keep the hood he always wears, so I had the idea that to top part of his wings stay on his head when he’s gliding, but when he needs to fly faster they flow outward, giving him more air to fly on. 

Chromastone is still a subspecies of Petrosapiens known as a Crystalsapien. However, this subspecies mainly lives deep underground, illuminating the dark caves and catacombs. They absorb large amounts of light when they’re on the surface and “feed it” to the core of Petropia, thus containing the planet as a whole. The crystal on his head allows him to shoot a wide range of powerful beams of light that can disintegrate an object in no time flat. He can also create light energy-based barriers to defend himself (an evolutionary trait his species learned to not be crushed by any cave-ins). Nothing too different from the last redesign I did for, but merely simplified it and gave him a new outfit.

For his powers/skill set, Brainstorm is one of Ben’s most strategic and analytical aliens on the roster. Able to calculate practically ANYTHING (whether it being complex math equations, enemy attacks, etc.) Brainstorm proves to be a go-to alien when needed for complex issues Ben can’t solve on his own. Brainstorm can produce and manipulate electricity in a variety of useful forms, including shoving/launching or shocking enemies, creating protective force fields of energy by opening the exoskeleton plates on his skull. Brainstorm is often very cold an calculating, so a lot of his calculations don’t involve how other may feel about his solutions. His species is also very boastful, so he may get stuck on admiring how intelligent he is.  Nothing all that different for Brainstorm in terms of design, pretty much just an addition of the sharp, winged ridge around his dome. Felt like it gave him some mad scientist “hair” in a weird way. .

For his skill sets, Spidermonkey is not too different. He’s now equipped with sharp, prehensile spider-like arms and a paralytic/venomous bite. Spidermonkey’s webs are about as strong as a lightweight cable, and sticky enough to latch on to just about any surface. Spidermonkey is able to climb on just about anything, although places with sooth surfaces can be pretty hard for him to grasp on to. Spidermonkey is INCREDIBLY agile, able to dodge many attacks and can jump insanely high. However, he’s not as strong as you might think. He relies far too much on his webbing, but can only organically spin out as much as he can. He can be easily caught off guard and taken down, depending on his adversary. For this design, I really wanted to hammer in the whole spider aspect about Spidermonkey, since I sorta feel his design was pretty much just a monkey with extra limbs and weird eyes. However, I didn’t want to stray away from his initial design he had in UAF. I didn’t really like the hair design they went with in Omniverse, so I kept the UAF style since it gave him more of a spider-looking head. 

This Goop doesn’t need his Anti-Gravity Projector to move, however if he’s on a planet with little to no gravity, his body will move aimlessly and sporadically. He’s still able to make his goop acidic, and can fit between any crease or crevice. However, if the Omnitrix (which is now located inside his body for convenience) is removed from his body it will return Ben to his human form. His one major weakness is large amounts of water. If submerged, his body will dilute and also cause Ben to revert back to his human form. Goop’s species is immune to heat, but can be slowed down in much more frigged temperatures. Nothing too different from the first redesign I did of him, just felt like putting him in an old pose he’s had before. 

And last but certainly not least, Alien X! I really loved his initial look, so the only thing I really wanted to was give him clothes inspired by OS suits and the Galactic Gladiator outfit. I also wanted to make the three horns on his head to be the same color green that Serena and Bellicus are to show how there are three entities controlling Alien X (including Ben, obviously). Alien X is at the TOP of the most powerful aliens list. He’s omnipotent, being able to warp reality, time, and space with ease and at any level. He’s so powerful he can even recreate the universe if need be! However, that doesn’t mean these tasks are easy… A major weakness for the most powerful alien in the universe is simply coming to a decision on what to do. Sounds dumb right? It should be easy knowing what to do immediately. Wall crumbles? Just rebuild it using your thoughts. City being wiped out by typhoon? Just reverse the effects of the planet to calm it down. Bad guy going on a rampage? Teleport him to the nearest dimension. Well, it wouldn’t be hard to actually do those things, but it depends on every variable you could dream of. Ben often goes to Serena and Bellicus (the two other halves of a Celestialsapien that they all have) to see what to do. Serena tells Ben how one decision can solve the situation, while Bellicus tells him how it could also mess with events going on ANYWHERE in the universe. Not only that, but Alien X’s powers are so difficult for Ben to manage that any one of his abilities can mess with the fabric of reality itself. While in this form, Ben would have to be absolutely emotionless and analytical. All three must come to a conclusion that ends up solving the problem, while not damaging any part of the space-time continuum. You can probably imagine how that sort of thing can be really difficult for an 11 year old who barely knows what cereal to get at the super market. Not only that, but turning into Alien X takes a major tole on Ben’s psyche. After transforming back, Ben still hears voices and gets major headaches. He has trouble sleeping at night, thinking about every action he takes that could have a negative or positive effect. It really messes with him for a while, making Alien X one of his most powerful, and harmful aliens to transform into.

[sakura-soldier]

Barry Madison - Avengers OC Uniform

Ok, it's been 1 year since I've drawn and uploaded an Avengers uniform design for Tracey. Fast-forward to January 2016, I found myself having an urge to draw her twin brother, Barry in HIS new Avengers uniform. He was originally a S.H.I.E.L.D agent, but he and his fraternal twin sister ended up joining the Avengers sometime after the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier (he's also part of the Winter Is Ending series, written by @winter-is-ending/Singer of Water). Back in S.H.I.E.L.D, he was simply known as "Agent Madison", but then a couple years later (read "The Fireman" by Just A Little Birdy on fanfiction.net to understand this pic: www.fanfiction.net/s/11575901/…), he discovered a flamethrower gun during a mission, which originally belonged to one of those cliched mad scientists, and had to use it to fight a monster. Because of this, the internet and the Avengers (much to Barry's suffering) originally called him Fireman, but then Tracey hacked into social media and she christened him with the superhero name Firebrand instead.

Weird thing was, I tried starting this drawing back in January 2016, but that time, I was struggling with how his uniform was supposed to look like AND I got swamped over by homework and stuff, resulting in a huge-ass case of artist's blocks for months and months, so I only finished part of the lineart until just now (late April 2017-Thursday. May. 11, 2017), when I finally got the inspiration and guts to finish the whole thing (even though sadly, it took me about a few months/1 year-ish to even finish). Also, the WEIRDER thing was that, way back before Just a Little Birdy's story was written, I came up with a DIFFERENT superhero name and power/weapons for Barry; I originally wanted to call him Endgame and I planned to give him special gloves/fingerless gloves (?) that would give him the ability to move objects around in thin air with the help of physical motion/gestures and telekinesis just after leaving a signature imprint on it (inspired by video game logic and abilities). Sadly, I had to start my concept over from scratch, as well as the colour palette a few times as soon as Barry became Firebrand (unless like, I don't know, you wanna see Barry as Endgame, maybe?).

So for this outfit, I wanted to give off some kind of connection to Barry's original job as a S.H.I.E.L.D agent, but since he's an Avenger now (with a new alias, too), I wanted him to prove that he is more independent, less restrained by militaristic or spy rules, and have a sense of freedom and individuality, but still connected to the organization he previously (currently?) worked in. The difficult part though, was to not make it super flashy, let alone make it super obvious that his flamethrower-like gun/fire was his weapon (think Johnny Storm's powers/Fantastic 4 uniform, flame-patterned fabrics and clothing, warm colours like red, orange, yellow, etc..); otherwise, it would make him a bigger target for the enemy to attack or notice him. For Barry's uniform, his jacket (don't worry, he's wearing a short-sleeved top underneath) and leggings could be connected together with tiny metal hooks hooking inside the jacket and legging's waistline, as if it looks like a bodyglove/jumpsuit, but it can appear as separate clothing items as well. They are charcoal black (although slightly lighter) and slightly distressed with a bit of a metallic sheen underneath (you know how some leather clothing would have have shiny, iridescent, metallic layers underneath the original black, brown, or gray colour; it's kinda like that), but it's not too obvious. Believe it or not, the jacket was actually based on a black trench coat I owned, which has a high collar like the one Barry's sporting. The collar flaps, as you can see, can be laid flat like the ones from a leather jacket, rolled up to his neck like a turtleneck or scarf for warmth, or even pulled up to cover the lower half of his face like a mask or scarf for warmth, concealing his identity, or (if Stark Industries or other technology allows it) even acting like a gas mask of some kind. The jacket buttons are bright blue, but they could also be navy blue, silver, or black either in plain or the Avengers logo. There's even a darker black pocket on his left side for extra storage, which I got the idea from after randomly discovering a jean pocket from a denim bag I saw on tumblr. :P Since Barry and Tracey are fraternal twin brother and sister, I wanted to create a few similarities and indications that can imply that Barry's related to Tracey (the two uniforms have slightly loose yet form-fitting jacket, tight leggings, the asymmetrical zipper on Barry's right and Tracey's left, the buckles on Barry's left shoulder/his left and Tracey's right shoulder/her right that are inspired by asymmetrical leather jackets and Bucky's Howling Commando's jacket, belt shape, usage of fingerless gloves, and ankle boots), but it's also easy to tell that they're mostly different (by colour schemes, abilities/strengths/skills/themes, button and belt colours, zipper and buckle positions, silhouettes, belt structure, separate vs. attachment pieces, and shades of black in the leather).

The leggings should provide mobility and freedom to move around (and to give Darcy some secret eye-candy, mmm~), while his simple black ankle boots have flat soles, rather than ones with heels, laces, or buckles, so that they're easy to put on. There's a holster with a pouch on his right left while his belt design is actually inspired by chain belts and this ribbon-like version Dan Kuso from Bakugan: New Vestroia wore as his New Vestroia/Vestal outfit (you're gonna have to look him up though, to get the idea); the "chain" is more of a decoration than anything, but it can be attached or detached from the actual belt depending on what Barry's comfortable with. The fingerless gloves are two separate versions; the "outer" layer is technically part of the jacket is based on atheltic stretch tops, running shirts, oversized sleeves, and Quicksilver's/Pietro's (Age of Ultron version)'s blue Under Armor top, while the inner layer is a dark, inky black and they're actual fingerless gloves underneath, which can be worn together or separately for protection and to keep his palms warm.

Now, the most unique part about Barry's uniform are the flame designs that run down from his shoulders to barely touching his hands, from his outer thighs to his ankles. They don't seem too significant at first, UNTIL you actually look at them more closely. At first glance, people might perceive them as normal swirls, but really, they're stylistic designs of flames (ok, I struggled with drawing actual flames for his drawing that doesn't too obvious, is small enough for the size, AND easier to tell that it's fire, so I experimented with swirls and curves like I did with Tracey's hair and ended up creating my own flame designs, which looks really cool). As for the colours, you'd be surprised at how colourful they looked; depending on how Barry moves around, the lighting, angles, or even his emotions, either the entire designs or the individual flames can change colour, which can vary from blues, whites, traditional fire colours of red, orange, and yellow, or even unusual colours like purple, pink, gold, or green. But why those colours? Well, basically, they represent the physical states of fire, which can change into different colours depending on the chemical compositions of burning material, immediate reaction products, chemicals, and temperature. I recommend looking this up to have a better understanding of flame colours and temperatures: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flame. They also reflect the temperment and unpredictability of Barry's personality inside and outside of his missions. Also, the colours COULD also act like a mood ring, in which the flame colours can change and reflect depending on his emotions and mental state. BUT if Tony Stark, S.H.I.E.L.D, or other kinds of technology could make this possible, then the flame designs would also emit and/or reflect heat to keep himself and other people warm, could light up a dark room like reflective tape/glow-in-the-dark clothes and paint/reflective elements like in Pietro's shirt, AND/OR if Barry got manhandled/grabbed/physically in contact with the enemy (human, monster, robots, or otherwise), he can either unleash his anger as a trigger (like how Bruce turns into the Hulk) or use hidden buttons inside his uniform to make himself burst into actual flames that come out via the flame designs to burn or melt the enemy/enemies, but can be cooled off by self-control/calmness/non-angry feelings or the hidden buttons so that they won't burn his actual clothing. Either of the following options depend on @winter-is-ending/Singer of Water and her choices for future stories.

I also managed to provide colour palettes for the overall outfit and the flames (sorry if some parts are cropped up though; I think my parents cut off part of it with Photoshop without telling me -__-), and I tried to practice the jacket collar in two variations (though it's actually three) and Barry's hair with several headshots. The front view made him look like Finnick Odair (or maybe that's just me?) while everything else is either sticky-uppy or loosy and shaggy. (BARRY MADISON, YOUR HAIR IS AN ABOMINATION!!!! NAH, JK, I LOVE YOU EVEN IF YOU HAVE HARD-TO-DRAW HAIR, BRO.) The materials I used were pencil crayons, two different types of pens, a thin fineliner, and a hint of eraser. It took longer to draw Barry compared to Tracey and I had to improve and reinvent a lot of stuff compared to what I originally planned, but I liked the results so far and I hope Mel would like it. *^^*

deviantArt version: http://artist-cupid.deviantart.com/art/Barry-Madison-Avengers-OC-Uniform-Design-680500893?ga_submit_new=10%3A1494763216&ga_type=edit&ga_changes=1&ga_recent=1

Drawing and uniform concept design belongs to me, @sakura-soldier.

Barry Madison/Firebrand belongs to @winter-is-ending/@the-melapedes-main-blog (also known as Singer of Water.

Please don't use my drawing or uniform design without my permission first, thank you.

[outdoorfads]

Camping Food List For 3 Days Trip

Camping trips are more than sitting by the fire and roasting marshmallows; it calls for survival to enjoy yourself in the wild. You need all the items you can get to prevent any hitch on your trip. When it comes to food, some people grab a few things, and up they go until they get stranded and go hungry. Planning for meals when you go camping should not be a spontaneous activity less you go hungry. So, it is vital to plan the feeding aspect of your trip thoroughly, examining crucial factors that will determine how you pack your foods, the gears to get, and the number of meals you will need.

In this article, we would map out a camping food list for 3 days. It could be a weekend getaway or just free days in the summer. Whatever it is, we are sure this list would help you with curating whatever you want, while also matching with the food items for your needs. But first, it helps to:

1. Know where you are going.

Are you planning for a time at your backyard or going to another town. Backpacking or driving through the wild in your RV? Consider all these facts to know what to pack. For example, if you plan on going a long-distance with limited luggage space, it might not be wise to take heavy meals like canned foods. If you would be in your RV, you might indulge in them while staying in a campground might mean a little more comfortability since most have stores on sites. Will there be a trash disposal system? If not, you want to avoid food in small bags. Since it isn’t likely to find a refrigerator on site, take juices in small jars if you have the space it helps to bring a cooler along too.

READ: How to Choose a Campsite – 10 Important Tips

2. What will get you there?

Big Horn Mountains, Wyoming

A Hatchback doesn’t have as much space as an RV. Neither does a sedan have more space than a truck. It is vital to match your needs with the space you can manage. It is only a three-day trip, figure out if you can survive without a camp gas cylinder if your car has no space for it.

So it is necessary to note the cooking gears available to match your meal choice. If you would leave with a grill, it is okay to take food like bread, eggs, and meat which you can grill over the fire. If your space would allow a camping stove, baked beans, bacon, tea, and eggs can be an option. You wouldn’t want to pack meals you won’t be able to cook because you didn’t bring the needed gear.

3.  How many people are coming?

Is it a single drive, or will you have a friend or partner with you? Figure out your needs and draw up a list. Are you going with the family or a large group? Consider all you need according to the age and needs of your companions the need to take meals they enjoy would avoid having to deal with leftovers. Delegate duties if it is a large group, let people be responsible for themselves then it will leave you to supervise. If you are planning for a group of 3, multiply the portions by three.

4. What are your food needs?

Are you and the gang a healthy bunch? Going on a camping trip doesn’t mean you have to indulge in junks. If you are the grilled food type, look towards grill meals like bacon and bread. Are you with a toddler or pre-teen child? Cereals with milk might be a necessity. If you are going with young kids, it is wise to go with only what they enjoy to avoid a great mass of leftovers. Tailor your food according to your needs; you will need energy meals if you are going backpacking.

Now that we have tackled the factors to consider for packing, let us move on to the list of gears to bring.

Things to Bring on a 3-days Camping Trip

A Grill: If you plan to roast meals by the fire or warm-up meal packs, a grill might be a great option. There are a lot of portable options at stores that you can get either the type that uses charcoal (if your campsite provides charcoal) or gas. The choice is yours depending on accessibility, never forget.

A Fire Grate: Another Substitute for a charcoal grill is to get a fire grate, be sure to ask if your camp provides one before leaving, if you are going on a trip all by yourself you can get a portable and sturdy one to put just over the fire to roast whatever you need.

A Pie Roast: You can have waffles in camp with this equipment, you seal the top with your waffle paste in them and hold it across the fire Viola! Here goes a waffle or two. They are most times long and with a carrier. It isn’t advisable to go along with this if you would be backpacking.

A Camping Stove: If you have room for this, it is always a great addition, especially if you are with your family. You can always warm meals on it, make less-duty meals instead of powering on a grill. You can use it indoor, so cooking doesn’t have to stop when it’s cold and rainy outside.

A cooler: Fill a cooler with ice and arrange your supplies in them. It could be canned drinks, foil-pack food, or meat you plan to cook the next day as the ice melts the next day completely. If you can replace ice in camp, you can always take enough food for cooling then, if not be sure to keep the drinks and foods close to each other and separate the items in layers, so you do not open the less-needed ones too often. You can put the drinks at the top then pre-packed meals at the lower end of the cooler.

Thick Grilling Gloves: Safety is key in every activity, you want to make sure that you don’t get burned or scalded by hot coals from the grill or open fire.

READ: Best Packing List for Camping in a Tent

You might need handy tools like:

Salt Shakers.

Matches or a lighter.

Silverware like plates, mugs, forks, and spoons

Let’s get right on to the food list.

Camping Food list Ideas.

Appetizers or Fruits: Pineapples; Strawberries; Bananas; Apples.

Breakfast: Campfire Hash Cereals; Cinnamon rolls; Bacon, egg, and bread; Campfire hash; Scrambled

Lunch: Tortila Sandwiches; Tacos (packaged); Pan Burritos; Grilled Pizza

Snacks: Pretzels; Cookies; Granola Bars Cheerios; Chips.

Dinners: Fajitas; Roasted Corn with Fish; Hot Dogs; Burger; Roasted Potatoes

Desserts or Beverage: Almond bars; Smores; Cherry pie

Camping Food List for 3 Days

Day of Arrival- Day 1

You must have had breakfast at home before leaving, Pack some snacks like chips to eat while you travel in the car. According to Gus, he opts for foil-pack meals that are easy to warm up in the campfire or a fire grate whichever is handy for you. You could also make sandwiches.

For dinner, you can always make some mac and cheese or ready-made pasta mixed with some sauce.

At night over the fire, you can have some almond bars.

Day 2.

Appetizers: Pineapples. Strawberries

Breakfast: Campfire Hash Cereals. Cinnamon rolls.

Lunch: Tortila Sandwiches. Tacos (packaged).

Snacks: Granola Bars Cheerios. Chips.

Dinner: Fajitas. Roasted Corn with Fish.

Desserts: Smores.

Day 3.

Appetizers: Bananas, Apples.

Breakfast: Bacon, egg, and bread. Campfire hash. Scrambled

Lunch: Pan Burritos. Grilled Pizza.

Snack: Pretzels. Cookies.

Dinner: Hot Dogs. Burger. Roasted Potatoes

Dessert: Cherry pie

For healthy fam, you can always include some fruits and vegetables, so they match your needs. Backpackers and children need more proteinous meals. Also, it won’t be advisable to go with plenty of canned goods because of their weight which might cause some restrictions. According to beyondthetent swipe less heavy food for heavy ones, so you do not have to drag extra load with whatever you need to pack.

Final Words

Now you know how to pack meals for your camping trip. With this Illustrated camping food list for 3 days,  you don’t have any confusion about what to pack for the stipulated time you intend to spend. Ensure that your luggage matches your needs, and the vehicle you intend to go with. Bring the proper gears along with you, if you plan to make more grilled meals than pre-packed meals grills would be the best shot than a burner stove.

If you are going with more than three people, it is easier to calculate your portion and then multiply it by the number of others. Pack light and convenient meals for breakfasts, if you are traveling with kids cereals are your best option, bringing along a cereal dispenser might be easier if you have enough space. Fruits, chips, and cheerios are suitable for midday snacks. Packed burgers and sandwiches are better for lunch while you can sit around the campfire to roast meat and corn when it is time for dinner. One of the funs in camping is roasting marshmallow and smores by the fire, a mom from tasteofhome recommended peanut jelly in between your s’mores to make them yummier.

I am sure by now; you know what foods to take to your next camping trip, follow the tips and examples, see how easy and stress-free it would go.

The post Camping Food List For 3 Days Trip appeared first on Outdoor Fads.

from WordPress https://www.outdoorfads.com/camping-food-list-for-3-days-trip/

[ciarblog-blog]

Staying safe during your independence day celebration

According to Property Casualty 360 every year U.S. fire departments respond to nearly 10,000 home fires involving grills, hibachis or barbecues, according to the National Fire Protection Association. That’s a staggering number — not least because I didn’t know that hibachis still existed. On a serious note, these statistics should not be taken lightly as these fires result in an average of 10 civilian deaths each year, 160 reported injuries, and more than $13 million in direct property damage.

Of the nearly 10,000 fires each year, 4,100 are structure fires and 5,500 are outside property / unclassified damage. Almost all of the $13 million in losses each year are from the structure fires. That’s an average of $31,000 and change per structure damaged — these aren’t little fires.

1. Clean the grill

So how can you avoid becoming one of these grim statistics? As with most risk management, it’s easier than you think. The same NFPA report previously mentioned tells us that 22% of the structure fires were the result of a grill that hadn’t been cleaned. If you are anything like me, taking time to clean the grill before each use seems like a messy and unpleasant chore that seems to yield minimal benefit — after all, the chicken will taste the same whether I tidy up or not, right? But, that 22% number is eye-catching.

Cleaning the grill before lighting it up isn’t about making the chicken (or steaks, ribs or burgers) taste better; it’s about protecting myself, my family and my home. If I have a grill fire that burns my house and injures my family, no one will care how the chicken tasted. Get yourself some disposable gloves, a good wire bristle brush and a scraper and spend 10 minutes cleaning up from last time before lighting up again. Your local fire department would much rather be grilling hot dogs on its own barbeque than rushing to your house to put the fire out.

2. Stay away from flammable material

A startling 17% of grill-based home fires start because the grill was set up too close to flammable material. That’s 1 in 6 fires. Give your grill lots of space, keep it away from walls, low overhangs (11% of these fires start when an outside wall catches fire, the other 6% involve some type of structural element wood framing), fences, dry grass, or anything else that is combustible. Grilling is all about harnessing a small friendly fire and getting it to work for you. Don’t give it a chance to become a hostile fire.

3. Watch the fire

While we’re on the subject — don’t turn your back on a fire. Fire isn’t inherently evil, but it is a powerful, destructive force when left to its own devices. One in 6 backyard grilling fires stem from inattention. Pour a glass of iced tea and pull up a lawn chair — and keep an eye on that fire for the duration. Having a water hose close at hand (connected to a hose bib well away from the grill so that turning the water on doesn’t require you to brave the inferno) is just good risk management also!

4. Know the difference between gas and charcoal grills

This isn’t the time or the place to start the debate about the superiority of one type of grill over another, but we do need to acknowledge that there are differences between gas grills and charcoal grills. For one thing, gas grills have a tank full of additional fuel hooked up to them, while charcoal bags are usually stored a little bit farther away.

The NFPA reports that from 2011–2015, 82% of home fires caused by outdoor grilling involved gas grills. Twelve percent of gas grill fires reported in that interval were the result of a leak or break in the gas line, regulator or tank of gas grills. —Every bit as important as cleaning your grill regularly is proactive maintenance! Inspect your gas lines and valve frequently. The sniff test is handy — commercially available propane gas is infused with a compound called mercaptan, an organosulfur compound found naturally in the blood and brain of humans, which makes the otherwise odorless propane gas smell of rotten eggs. If you smell anything unpleasant near your propane tank, think twice about lighting that match.

A spray bottle of soapy water can help to spot tiny leaks — douse the suspect area with several sprays of soapy water and look for bubbles forming after the spray settles. The soap increases the surface tension of the water, making the bubbles formed by escaping propane gas persist for a few seconds and sometimes even “stack” on each other so that they are easy to spot.

5. Keep children away from the grill

One last area of risk management that I cannot stress enough: Keep small children well away from the grill! The NFPA reports that children under five account for 1,600 or 35% of contact-type burns reported every year. These burns result from accidentally touching (bumping into, falling on or grabbing) the hot grill or hot coals. Please keep your children at a safe distance, and dispose of spent charcoal only after it is thoroughly cold (charcoal can smolder for days under a layer of seemingly cold ashes). In 2015 the Charlotte Observer reported that three house fires in Charlotte, N.C. were the result of smoldering charcoal being dumped into trash cans. Three homes in a single grilling season, in a town of less than a million people — that’s far too many.

Risk management recap

As we head into what looks like another fabulous summer grilling season, please take a few minutes to engage in some basic grilling risk management:

Clean your grill regularly.

Move your grill well away from combustible materials and surfaces before igniting.

Stay close to your grill while it is burning.

If you have a gas grill, inspect the components regularly.

Keep small children out of harm’s way.

With just a little attention to detail, we can all enjoy a summer full of delicious grilled food and keep our homes and families safe at the same time.

We here at Capital Insurance Agency of Raleigh, LLC hope you have a safe holiday.  Free auto insurance and commercial insurance quotes available for you.

Thank you, Michael D. Brown, vice president and property department manager at Golden Bear Insurance Company. He can be reached at michaelbrown93442@gmail.com.  for your great article.

The opinions expressed here are the writer’s own.

[ryttu3k]

So, after yesterday’s crushing defeat, time to take on Lavaridge Gym!

Here’s the team!

Chickweed the Combusken | level 32 | male | Blaze | Serious, takes plenty of siestas | Flame Charge, Peck, Double Kick, Cut | starter

Agapanthus the Pelipper | level 30 | male | Keen Eye | Modest, a little quick-tempered | Water Pulse, Wing Attack, Steel Wing, Quick Attack | found route 104

Snowdrop the Mightyena | level 30 | female | Intimidate | Lonely, loves to eat | Ice Fang, Bite, Odor Sleuth, Rock Smash | found route 101

Sequoia the Gyarados | level 26 | female | Intimidate | Bashful, nods off a lot | Splash, Tackle, Bite, Dragon Rage | found route 106

Edelweiss the Skarmory | level 22 | male | Sturdy | Gentle, very finicky | Assurance, Steel Wing, Sky Drop, Fury Attack | found route 113

Moraea the Spoink | level 21 | female | Own Tempo |  Quirky, quick tempered | Psybeam, Psych Up, Confuse Ray, Magic Coat | found Jagged Pass

Moraea and Edelweiss still have a fair bit to catch up. They’ll get there!

So this’ll basically be Aggie’s last big battle! Once I get Surf, I’ll give that to Sequoia, and Edel will be my main Flyer.

Huh, an egg. I’ll pop that in the PC for later!

“I heard that an Egg was found when two Pokemon were left at the Day Care. That’s great. I’m envious. Wish I could lay an Egg...” I’M KINKSHAMING.

Ayyy a charcoal. Nice!

ON TO THE GYM. Oh yes, I remember how this one works! First up, Kindler Cole! He leads with Numel, level 23, then Slugma, also level 23. Two OHKOs for Aggie!

Oh hey, Ninja Boy Hiromichi in the water. Ew, Koffing. Level 24, Moraea is a bit under that level, but worth a crack. Yup, down to the reds, next one handles it! Good job, Moraea!

Kindler Axle has a Slugma, level 25. Aggie OHKOs it. Man, the trainers here have such attitude!

Battle Girl Sadie has a Meditite, level 26. Aggie gets to use Wing Attack instead, haha. Oh huh, it had Fire Punch. Did fuck all against Aggie, second Wing Attack takes it out.

Ace Trainer Zane leads with Slugma, level 24, then, for a change, a level 26 Kecleon! Chickweed can take this one, takes it out with Double Kick!

Kindler Andy has a Numel, level 25. Bye!

Finally, to Flannery! Gosh she is so hecking cute. She leads with Slugma, level 26. Aggie OHKOs it. Next is Torkoal, level 28. Another OHKO! Finally, Numel, level 26. Guess the fuck what, Aggie OHKOs it XD

Well that was anticlimatic lmfao. She’s so adorable <3

Ayyy it’s Brendan! GOGGLES ACQUIRED. Oh nice, an instant travel back to Petalburg. BUT FIRST, DESERT. AND IT IS... BALTOY FUCK YEAH. Just what I wanted!! Okay time to get the heck out of dodge, then switch out Moraea for my new friend, Sage!

And back to Petalburg! You know what, Norman’s strongest is level 30, Chickweed is already level 33, let’s go fight Dad!

Alright, let’s try theeee... Accuracy Room! Ace Trainer Mary has a Delcatty, level 28. Double Kick only hits twice, aww. Next round is the charm!

Hmm, Defense or Recovery... let’s go with Recovery! Ace Trainer George has Linoone, level 28. No chance for Recovery there, OHKO ;D

Next is the OHKO room oh god. Ace Trainer Berke has a Zangoose, level 28. DON’T DIE, CHICKWEED. Never mind it was the Zangoose that got OHKOed ayyyyy.

OKAY DAD TIME TO FIGHT. Not gonna go easy on you just because you’re my father~! Leads with Slaking, level 28. Oh goddammit I forgot about Yawn XD It goes down to a couple of Double Hits, and then Chickweed... falls asleep. Vigoroth next, level 28. Use an Awakening, it uses a Retaliate that hits hard, dang. Heal up, it uses Encore, it uses another Retaliate that does much less damage, and with a few kicks, it’s down! Last up, Slaking, level 30 - I’M GOING TO CALL IMPOSSIBLE RECOVERY CLAUSE. One miraculous recovery, because I am not going to have my starter die at the hands of my father. Anything else is fair game, just not this. ...Okay, Aggie, one last stand. Time to spam Water Pulse while it spams Chip Away, I guess? Oh Hyper Potion you dick. Two can play at that game! More spamming, finally down.

Dang.

Okay. Official story explanation is that Chickweed did actually get knocked out, but survived. That can totally happen XD Slaking grew up with Atsuko, you know. Slaking is absolutely not about to murder Tiny Human’s starter.

Oh hey, it’s Wally! And now I have Surf TM yeees. Thank you for your services, Agapanthus, now is the time to retire in glory! A brief trip to Mauville, haha. Who shall I bring back in for now... Milkweed? Okay! She has Mega Drain, so even if it’s not STAB, she won’t be completely helpless against Water. Would prefer a Grass- or Electric-type for STAB, but Milkweed works for now!

Onwards to route 118! First up is Aroma Lady Rose. Starts with Gloom, level 25. Chickweed chargrills. Next is Roselia, level 25, and ditto.

Guitarist Dalton leads with Magnemite, level 16. My level 35 Fire-type takes it out. Next is Whismur, level 16. Coupla kicks this time!

SURFIIIING. ...And no encounters XD Oh well, there’s land on this side!

HEY IT’S STEVEN. Oh! Right, I know this bit :D Time for a new friend! ...Who’ll be staying in a PC box, but oh well XD God can you imagine the protag's reaction to this bit. "Oh hi Steven nice to see you good chat IS THAT A LEGENDARY FUCKING POKEMON."

lmfao the grunt calling Steven ‘that rather alluring gentleman’. Alrighty Stevieboy let’s take ‘em out! Snowdrop, I think, my strongest that’s not weak to Water. Metang OHKOs Grimer, nice stuff, good Steven. Ooh that Slash hit hard. Snowdrop no don’t get into the reds. Emergency heal-up! Again, another Slash, still fine, no crit that time. Keep trying Rock Smash, I guess - STOP HITTING YOURSELF. Bringing in Sequoia briefly to ditch the Confusion - whoops, Swagger on the Metang. And then it takes out Sharpedo! Good Metang!

“I love interesting, strong dudes! That’s why I love my bro, Archie! And that’s why I’m gonna start loving you from now on, too! Next time I see you, I’ll smash you up real good, OK?” Matt you really need to work on your flirting skills.

You know what? The name I used for Latias last time still works. Rosemary!

Mega Bracelet GET. And uh, I’m gonna race back to Mauville to box Rosie, haha. Time to get a route 118 catch! And it iiiis... ...Pelipper XD DUPES CLAUSE.

IT’S AN ENTIRE HOARD OF ELECTRIKE. Finally, got down to one. She shall be named Oleracea, the species name of the Electric Daisy <3

And Chickweed evooolves!

Okay, back to Mauville - again - and switching out Milkweed for Oleracea! She’s very very underlevelled now, oh dear XD;;

Back to the route! Bird Keeper Chester leads with Swablu! Level 26. Snowdrop’s turn! Chomp chomp. Next is Swellow, level 28. Wing Attack does some damage, then Ice Fang down to the reds. UGH Double Team. You know what fine. EDEL HAS SWIFT. YOU’RE DOWN.

Another Bird Keeper, huh? Pelipper, level 29. God I miss Daisy. Snowdrop manages after a bit. Oh, for Sage or Oleracea to be high-enough...

Delinquent Miley leads with Cacnea, level 26. I am so sorry for my ten-levels-higher Fire/Fighting type. Next is Mightyena, level 28. Mine’s better! Double Kick takes it out.

Ooh, route 123! Sure :D Aroma Lady Violet has a Vileplume, level 36. Whoa shit we’re on the same level as my strongest. I might just catch a Pokemon and go XD Chickie takes it!

Ohh, the berry farm! Let’s see. 6x Sitrus, 3x Pecha, 3x Cheri, 3x Chesto, 2x Persim (only had two!), 1x Oran, 6x Leppa. That should do it!

DAZZLING GLEAM TM. YES. No Pokemon gets, but a Fairy move for Sage~!

And IIRC route 119 is really hecking long, so I will leave it here for now!

Current Team

Chickweed the Blaziken | level 37 | male | Blaze | Serious, takes plenty of siestas | Flame Charge, Blaze Kick, Double Kick, Cut | starter

Snowdrop the Mightyena | level 34 | female | Intimidate | Lonely, loves to eat | Ice Fang, Bite, Odor Sleuth, Rock Smash | found route 101

Sequoia the Gyarados | level 30 | female | Intimidate | Bashful, nods off a lot | Surf, Tackle, Bite, Dragon Rage | found route 106

Edelweiss the Skarmory | level 27 | male | Sturdy | Gentle, very finicky | Assurance, Steel Wing, Sky Drop, Swift | found route 113

Sage the Baltoy | level 27 | no thank you | Levitate | Bold, sturdy body | Rock Tomb, Psybeam, Ancient Power, Dazzling Gleam | found route 111

Oleracea the Electrike | level 15 | female | Static | Brave, capable of taking hits | Thunder Wave, Spark, Howl, Quick Attack | found route 118

Reserves

Wattle the Taillow | level 9 | female | Guts | Quirky, alert to sounds | Peck, Growl, Focus Energy, Quick Attack | found Petalburg Woods

Bristlecone the Zigzagoon | level 14 | female | Gluttony | Lonely, good endurance | Tackle, Headbutt, Baby-Doll Eyes, Odor Sleuth | found route 103

Onion the Whismur | level 16 | female | Soundproof | Adamant, likes to relax | Pound, Echoed Voice, Astonish, Howl | found Rusturf Tunnel

Poison Ivy the Tentacool | level 5 | male | Liquid Ooze | Sassy, capable of taking hits | Poison Sting, Supersonic | found Dewford Town

Euphorbia the Makuhita | level 12 | male | Thick Fat | Hardy, capable of taking hits | Focus Energy, Sand Attack, Arm Thrust, Fake Out | found Granite Cave

Lithops the Numel | level 14 | female | Simple | Quiet, likes to run | Tackle, Ember, Focus Energy, Magnitude | found route 112

Rauvolfia the Seviper | level 19 | male | Shed Skin | Careful, impetuous and silly | Poison Tail, Screech, Venoshock, Glare | found route 114

Moraea the Spoink | level 23 | female | Own Tempo |  Quirky, quick tempered | Psybeam, Psych Up, Confuse Ray, Magic Coat | found Jagged Pass

Agapanthus the Pelipper | level 33 | male | Keen Eye | Modest, a little quick-tempered | Water Pulse, Wing Attack, Steel Wing, Quick Attack | found route 104

Rosemary the Latias | level 30 | female | Levitate | Sassy, somewhat vain | Heal Pulse, Dragon Breath, Mist Ball, Psycho Shift | found Southern Island

Milkweed the Beautifly | level 26 | female | Swarm | Lax, somewhat stubborn | Air Cutter, Mega Drain, Silver Wind, Morning Sun | found route 102

Dead

Catnip the Skitty, found route 116, killed by Lass Janice’s Marill in route 116

Daisy the Pikachu, found Slateport City, killed by Archie’s Sharpedo at Mount Chimney

[talldarkandroguesome]

4th of Second Seed, Turdas

I met my target early in the morning, and brought a very full looking purse of coin, as was his instruction. He complimented me on my rich clothing and even caressed my hair. The way he let his eyes roam over my body when I appeared to be looking elsewhere was enough to clue me in to the truth behind another rumor I had heard. That in addition to murder, theft, and smuggling, this particular mer was also in the business of selling young Dunmer as slaves to the Covenant. 

He would pose questions to me that would otherwise be very strange, at least, if I was not aware of what his plans were. A lot of questions about my family, wealth, occupation, sexual history, and types of poisons I usually took in my daily doses. He offered me one of his special blends he claimed would fill in the missing gaps to that which was used more commonly in Skyrim. Had I not been accustomed to life abroad or Skyrim, and was foolish enough to trust a stranger, I might have let myself be tricked in such a way.

As it was, I thanked him and pretended to take the drought. I could discern from the scent and taste, before I spat it into canteen as I borrowed his water to help it go down, there was the distinct taste of three common sedatives. One of which is known to cause a slight chill as it taste hold. Another is know for making you docile. The last has a reaction to some poisons where it creates a minor truth serum. It was easy enough for me, a mer with no shortage of experience witnessing the effects of all of these, to simulate them one by one.

I started by complaining about how cold Skyrim was heading north and he assured me that was perfectly normal. He told me to take a sip of alcohol to warm up. I did so, knowing how alcohol is known to speed the effect of the drought he had given me.

I asked him if we could stop for a bit, for I was feeling unusually tired. He told me it was the altitude of Skyrim that made those unused to it tired quickly. I thanked him for traveling with me. He told me it was his pleasure and wore the most evil grin I have ever seen. Even Urtisa at her most cruel could not manage such a look of self satisfaction.

We made camp and fire and I asked it was alright for me to stay closer to him for warmth. He offered me a space to share his cloak. I joked that so quickly had everything happened that I would almost think he had poisoned me. His joke was chilling enough I nearly blew my cover. To speak so casually of a preference to flay his enemies rather than poison them. I must have given him some sort of look, for he laughed and slapped my back, telling me to lighten up.

I pretended to get progressively more tired, nearly clinging to him for warmth. He told me he knew of a cabin just a short ways ahead that we could go to to stop for a while until I recovered. I nodded sleepily at him and trudged forward, leaning heavily on him for much of the way. His hands, which he used to help pull me along got lower and lower in their holds.

At the cabin, things escalated fairly quickly. He got me into bed and started a fire in the fireplace. Then he told me it was best if he removed my wet clothes. I told him I hadn’t recalled them getting wet. He assured me it was part of why I was so cold. I let him help me out of all but my under garments. He set them by the fire under the pretense of drying. Then he rubbed oil over my skin, he claimed it had fire salts in it. I could tell from how he was feeling my muscles that he was assessing my body for potential value. I had seen similar techniques when I was in Black Marsh freeing slaves there.

I soon began to get warm all over, I could feel myself begin to perspire after a bit. He stared on, those pink eyes staring at me, but not seeing another mer, rather, he saw the price he assumed I might fetch. I could tell that it was a sadistic pleasure for him to watch the power he could gain over others. I knew he must have taken advantage of many mer. I knew from the way he touched me that he was planning on seeing what I could offer.

Still, haste leads to mistakes. I had to wait. I needed him to be the least on his guard before I made any move. It would make sending him to his death all the sweeter. I owed it to those I could not save to know what they saw at his hand.

I let him place the leather collar around my neck. I let him place the bracelets around my wrists. I asked soft, mumbling questions, which he answered as though I was a silly child who just didn’t understand how things worked in Skyrim. Always his actions were done for my benefit. I had worn the finery of a noble slave once before. Ironically, it was on a mission with Eo then too. Of course, that was by choice, but in a way, so was this.

I made sure to moan softly as he turned me this way or that. I whimpered gently as his cold hands stroked different parts of me. I knew what sounds would bring him the most satisfaction and I drew them out of myself like an eager lover. I could hear the groans of victory in his throat. I asked him what he was doing to me. He told me again he just wanted to make me feel good.

I stretched out, arching my back to the feel of his body against mine, my arms raising up above my head. He straddled me and slid his trousers down far enough that there was no longer any doubt as to what was next to come.

As he slid down atop me, I wrapped my legs and arms around him. This seemed to please him greatly and he leaned down and whispered in my ear that he was going to show me something I never knew before. I purred in agreement and writhed below him. He chuckled and informed me that he was sure to give me the rest of my lifetime to know the pleasures of the flesh.

I leaned up wantonly and told him I wanted to show him the pleasure of his lifetime. He licked his greasy lips at the thought.

I sprung, it was the right moment.

He had been too distracted to see that I had pulled out my hair pins, two thin blades for just such an occasion. My eyes focused instantly and he only had enough time to tense before I plunged both into his throat.He tried to recoil and reach out for his own blade, but I had him tight, pulling him closer against me, pushing myself deep against him. He grasped at his throat where I had punctured his neck. I took out another hair pin, the one he had been so keep to compliment, I twisted it out of it’s cover and jabbed the poisoned needle into lower back and ripped upward. He continued to scream in pain.

It was justice. He got off on the power and sounds of his victims’ suffering. He now got to enjoy just what they had to go through.

At one point he managed to knock away my blades, but the jewelry he had adorned me with is nothing if not covered in lots of pointed ends and I could plunge torn bits off one by one, holding him from taking any out. Even after he managed to throw me off, I simply walked over to his bottle of sleeping drought and threw it, glass and all onto his wounded back. I wanted every fraction of irony of his victim’s pain to be relived by him, bit by excruciating bit. 

He cried out how he was going to tear the flesh from my bones and make me rue the day I ever even thought to take him on. That he would burn my bones to ash and make sure I would never see my ancestors or have an afterlife to look after my kin. Well, what a wonderful idea that gave me. I grabbed up my things and the records he had of his victims. Then I took his bottles of whiskey, and as much as it pained me to do, I smashed them on him and the area around him.

I took the purse I had, it was not full of coins, but charcoal. I lit it and tossed it atop him, letting the whole place catch ablaze. Then I walked out and set the door and both the windows on fire as well.

Now I am writing by the light of the blaze as Eo and I wait to make sure that he does not escape from the building before everything is burned down. The screaming has died down, but I want to make sure that there’s no chance of him having passed out and being able to wake up once the fire subsides. I want to make sure the building is raised to the ground. I am going to search the smoldering ashes and make sure there is no way for him to have made it out alive. I want to make sure that all traces of him have been wiped clean of Nirn. I have the record of all those he has sold and all the other activities he has conducted within Skyrim. I will have Avon make a copy to send to The Temple and then submit the record to one of the guards in the hold to follow-up on. Whiterun is not part of the Pact, but I am sure they will not be happy to know there have been spies creeping into the city. I will let them take over that investigation though. I have Avon and my son to reunite with and a husband and daughter to meet.

I suppose once we finish here I will have to speak to Eo again about parting ways. We never did finish our discussion before we had to get to work.