#it might be water under the bridge to some of the community but you are NOT welcome back to me. and certainly not on my fucking blog

[isa-ghost]

ok no i need to get smth outta my system rq, dont rb this or i’ll block you

[daman19942]

TSR CC Recommendations: TS2 Lot Builders

Nobody asked for this but I have a little time on my hands and I said I might do it, so here is a list of some TSR lot builders who I recommend checking out. A few notes under the cut before we get started (all details under the cut, as well, in case you aren't interested in my preamble):

This is not meant to be paid promotion for TSR. I believe TSR asking users to pay for their CC is ridiculous, especially for a 19 year old game they haven't supported in 7 years. But I spent many years uploading there during the peak-TS2 / pre-TS3 era and know there is great CC in their archives that newer players may not know about. And unlike TheSims2.com, which has sadly shuffled off this mortal coil, TSR's content is still available to freely download (assuming you can stomach the pop-ups and wait times)

This post will only be about lot builders because that was what I was primarily uploading and downloading in this era. I was friendly with some of the creators I am about to list, but none of them are still active members of the TS2 community.

The preview pics might be a little rough and the architecture styles will likely feel very dated compared to the most popular styles these days, which are more colorful, cluttered, and use 3t2 and 4t2 conversions. Re: the previews: too many of us were using free trials of PaintShopPro back then, and TSR limited us to 2 previews, so we did our best. Re: the styles: unlike pre-2010's CAS CC, which was full of hand painted and "realistic" textures (LOL), these are the same objects you can find in the game today, just being used in different ways! Sometimes for the first time! And, yes, while some of these creators used CC, it was mostly Homecrafter walls and floors, as you'll see below.

This was also the hey-day of CFE lot building, which has certainly fallen out of favor to more traditional builds (in part because graphics cards have improved and these types of builds don't look as good in 2024, and also because the great CFE experimenters, builders, and tutorial writers are no longer part of the community and their original discoveries are gone as well - I am happy to go down a massive rabbit hole on this piece of TS2 history if anyone else cares, but trust me, you don't have to care).

Alright that is enough caveating, here are some recs! (Links are in the creator's names and they take you to their Lots, though many of them have other creations, too).

Lord Tiko Speaking of great CFE builders! Lord Tiko built spaceships, boats, pagodas, domes, windmills and bridges, oh so many bridges before retiring mid-TS2 because of health issues. He was one of the first builders to take Daihtnaoz7's single and double bridge tutorials and apply them to really big lots. I'm still not sure how he built the Venice Rialto Bridge, or his other European water lots. Overall, a massive inspiration to me when I was prioritizing CFE builds.

Hatshepsut My favorite "traditional" home builder, and someone I considered a friend. She specialized in English and American builds, and I had many of Hat's houses in my old saves and was impressed by her range and decorating style which was (for the time) more varied than many of her peers. Knew how to take great preview pics of her houses, too.

Tigerblue Another builder I corresponded with, Tigerblue was probably the least prolific uploader on this list for sheer number of uploads, but she also crossed a range of styles. Her builds leaned way into specific styles (see the previews, these were all part of consistent sets of 3,4, or even 10 lots), but this was also what happened when a new EP dropped and everyone raced to uploaded builds using as many of the new objects and styles as possible. Tigerblue just happened to be better at it than most of us.

Cyclonesue Do current TS2 players know Cyclonesue? Because it's hard to think of someone who had a bigger impact on building and decorating of the era, first with her English and Tudor builds and later with her extremely distinct grunge creations. Seriously, check out her Urban Renewal series and the corresponding objects. Iconic stuff that surely now feels frozen in time. I probably only played 20% of her lots that I downloaded, but they still make for great hood decor. Like Tiko, someone who happily experimented with CFE.

Illiana The creator who inspired me to make this list is, ironically, the one on it who I know the least about (she is a Featured Artist but not in the Hall of Fame, whatever that means). I just started playing her Tri-Annyas fraternity house and have a few other lots floating around my game. She built in a range of styles, from classical to modern to Twikki Island to grunge. Revisiting some of them in-game, the TSR previews do not do them justice.

*EXHALES* If you made it to this point, kudos to you. I'm sure there are creators I've forgotten, and houses I haven't linked to, but this is a good starting point for digging into some of the eclectic builds the TSR(chives) have to offer (I just coined that, is it clever? It is not). Maybe I'll do a Part 2 if people like this.

If you have any favorites of your own, let me know what I missed! And as I do with my old Exchange re-uploads, I am tagging @sims2packrat and @oldasscustomcontent for general TS2 history awareness!

[theworldbrewery]

1d8 places to camp in the desert

In a shady palm oasis, surrounded by rising sand dunes. The oasis was once inhabited, based on the crumbling signs of clay buildings ringing the water, but there’s no one here anymore. At the bottom of the oasis’s clear waters, nestled in the sand, you can see a large, pitch-black egg.

Between the high walls of a slot canyon, with shafts of light shining down to the sand on which you’ve laid your camp. The narrow passage is claustrophobia-inducing, and safety is far from guaranteed; if it should rain, creatures will have little warning before a flash flood strikes.

At the foot of a sandstone arch, worn very smooth. Scratched into the stone is a phrase in Dwarvish: “Demon’s Bridge.” No fiendish aura accompanies the arch, and yet the prospect of passing directly under the arch is a chilling one. The chaparral landscape all around supplies plenty of dry brush for a campfire.

On a flat range, having followed the sign of a distant fire to the site of a group of nomads making camp. The nomads' music resonates deep over the sound of their animals. The dark sky is a perfect dome, illuminated by the brilliant glow of a million million stars; how small mortals are, by comparison!

Surrounded by saguaro cacti. All through the night, the cacti produce a faint groaning sound. In the morning it’s clear the cacti have migrated a few thousand feet west, though they never appear to be moving. If communicated to, the cacti convey that they are heading to a succulent symposium, and that neither beast nor fungus may attend.

Amid a maze of white sand dunes. In the dark of night the dunes appear blue, like ocean waves frozen in time. Sticking up out of the next dune is the buried prow of a ship, its cast bronze figurehead made to look like a spray of grasping tentacles.

In a limestone cave, sheltered from a sandstorm blowing outside. Evocative paintings and deep-worn grooves have been left upon the cave walls. The images are difficult to interpret, but they seem to involve some type of titanic, many-limbed creature emerging from the dunes.

Beside the road, within view of a fortified town. The town’s lights twinkle like stars in the distance, but its gates are shut for the night. Jackals cackle in the brush nearby, but they seem more interested in scavenging off whatever prey carcasses a traveling hunter might leave behind. Out in the open like this, however, a camp is a prime target for a robber on the road.

[lulu2992]

Uncovering the unreleased Far Cry 5 in-game Encyclopedia

The almost complete but unused in-game encyclopedia, reconstructed thanks to the oasisstrings file.

Please note that it’s still cut content, so some information might not be relevant anymore.

You can read the oasisstrings file here. Pictures from this encyclopedia were also extracted and posted by @xbaebsae here.

Part 2: Locations - Holland Valley

Gardenview Packing Facility

The last facility added to the Hadlers' apple empire. They shipped their apples throughout Hope County and beyond. When the cult went red state, the Hadlers stopped their legal threats and resorted to violence.

Silver Lake Trailer Park

A community of people just trying to do their best.

Gardenview Orchards

A part of Doug and Debbie Hadler’s apple empire. After their ciderworks facility, they expanded to a second, larger orchard: Gardenview Orchards. Then they opened the Gardenview Packing Facility.

Rae-Rae's Pumpkin Farm

Fiery matriarch Rae-Rae Bouthillier cares about two things: Prize-winning pumpkins and her dog Boomer.

Gardenview Ciderworks

The first major facility owned by Doug and Debbie Hadler. Ten years ago, they had a dream: an empire made of apples. They nearly achieved it too, until the cult forcibly took over everything they had worked for.

Bridge of Tears

It was called the Mišihrew Bridge when the railroad was still active. It’s now a rickety old train bridge and John Seed's ideal location to send a warning message to all sinners.

Frobisher's Cave

In 1970, a cougar, named "Frobisher" by the locals, killed the star pitcher of a rival baseball team. The Hope County Silver Foxes won that year and changed their name to the Cougars in Frobisher's honor.

Howard Cabin

Home of Niesha Howard, an extreme rock climber from Canada who moved to Montana to be a prepper.

Copperhead Rail Yard

Copperhead Rail was created in the late 1800s by Emmet Reaves. It was shut down in the early 70s and a lot got left behind. It became a place for kids to get drunk or bums to find shelter, then the cult bought it.

Lincoln Lookout Tower

It’s the last working fire tower in the county. A man who worked here promised to help the Strickland family fight off the cult if ever their farm was under attack.

Sergey’s Place

A hobo historian calls this place home. Nobody's seen him in a while though.

Boyd Residence

Will Boyd lives here, or at least he did. No one in the valley talks about him. And for good reason.

Strickland Farm

Property owned by the Strickland family of farmers. No friends to Eden’s Gate.

U.S. Auto

A scrap yard containing trashed cars, broken farm equipment, and even a few busted planes. Eden's Gate uses the garage to build and maintain their convoys.

Doverspike Compound

Les Doverspike was a militia nut and he built himself a bunker. Nobody in the prepper community liked him. Despite that, he was anti-cult and pro-Resistance.

Harris Residence

Mike and Deb Harris were preppers with a cunning plan to keep themselves fed after the end of the world.

Reservoir Construction Yard

Deep North Water wanted to build a new reservoir for the Holland Valley. The company ran out of funding and was chased away by Eden’s Gate.

Dodd’s Dumps

Colin Dodd used to run garbage disposal for the whole Holland Valley, and his business lot shows it. The cult intimidated him into leaving but has yet to sort through all he left behind.

Davenport Farm

The remains of a run-down farm. Local farmers let their cows graze here. Can't let good land go to waste.

Hilgard Electric Power Station

The Holland Valley's power supply is reliant on this transformer station which is controlled by Eden's Gate.

Golden Valley Gas

Once the kind of gas station that gave out free bubble gum to kids, Golden Valley is now a strategic point of gasoline and auto maintenance for the Project at Eden's Gate.

Green-Busch Fertilizer Co.

Facing a decline in business, the Green-Busch family said “yes” and sold the place to John Seed on the condition that locals could keep their jobs and work alongside Eden's Gate.

St. Isidore School

Once a religious boarding school, it was forced to close its doors by Eden's Gate.

Dodd Residence

Home of Colin Dodd, hoarder and DIY enthusiast. He never throws anything out. His granddaughter Nadine's been known to lurk here.

Roberts Cabin

Home of Joe Roberts, a hunter. He's gone missing. He loved hunting deer above all else.

Hope County Clinic

Dr. Kim Patterson provides medical services to Hope County's farmers and low-income residents, many of whom would never receive care in such a remote area.

Holland Valley Station

In the days that it was up and running, Copperhead Rail used to stop here. Eden’s Gate uses this station to catch people who try to escape the region.

Grain Elevator

As the farmlands started to collapse, the grain elevator was the first casualty. Too expensive to maintain.

Henbane River Rail Bridge

Copperhead Rail was created in the 1880s during a mining boom, and shut down in the early 70s after the industry collapsed.

Flatiron Stockyards

Bobby Budell established the stock yards in 1946, and has proudly provided farm and ranch auction services since. The economic and community base employed over 25 people at its height.

Fillmore Residence

Home of Doug Fillmore. Not much is known about him.

Dupree Residence

Home of Tommy Dupree, an idiot who used to work at Green-Busch Fertilizer Co. He got fired by Eden's Gate because he was as dumb as the crap he bagged.

Catamount Mines

Fall’s End owes its existence to the gold Orville Fall discovered here in 1865. The mine brought a generation of prosperity to the region until a suspicious accident entombed 100 men within it, forcing its closure in 1912.

Sunrise Farm

Sunrise Farm was going under, so owners Mike and Chandra Dunagan reluctantly sold it to Eden's Gate. Big mistake.

Deep North Irrigation Reservoir

Originally designed to irrigate farms, the reservoir became a liability when the cult began putting Bliss in the water supply. The Resistance sealed it up to buy themselves time.

Red’s Farm Supply

The Redler family has run this place for 4 generations, and earned a reputation for honest business. Wendell did his best to keep it out of cult hands.

Purpletop Telecom Tower

In the 1950s, Purpletop Telecom built this tower, blessing people with the wonders of AM radio. As time and technology marched forward, they were also given the American splendor of a local TV station.

Woodson Pig Farm

This place has been in the Woodson family since 1943. Current owners Andrew and Frances Woodson used their wealth to try to stand up to John Seed and fight him in court. They lost, and joined the Resistance.

Sawyer Residence

Don Sawyer came from out of town to join the Project at Eden's Gate. He restores canoes, but isn't very good at it. Visitors have sworn they've heard him swearing in Russian over those boats.

Hyde Barn

Kenny Hyde's a poor man in Holland Valley, but that doesn't stop him from loving deep fried balls. He's the proud keeper of Fall’s End Testy Festy decorations, stashing them at his barn until they're needed.

Kupka Ranch

Zip Kupka's the only one who really knows what's going on in the Holland Valley.

John’s Gate

A missile silo long decommissioned and abandoned. The locals used to call it "Area 68." Eden's Gate bought it in secret and turned it into a bunker that is in John Seed's safekeeping until the Collapse.

Security Gate

Formerly the entrance to the missile silo, it's now the gateway to John Seed's bunker. Everything taken in the Reaping passes through this checkpoint.

Steele Farm

The Steele family managed to get their kids out of Hope County, but stayed behind to try and defend their home from Eden's Gate.

Lamb of God Church

A Lutheran church. Its elderly priest was overshadowed by Pastor Jerome’s charismatic sermons. John once asked the priest to say “yes.” Not a chance. Then, the priest was gone. He had taken a “long vacation.”

Lamb of God Sacristy

The Project at Eden's Gate has turned the Lamb of God Church's sacristy into a holding place for everything they need to baptize people at the water's edge.

Armstrong Residence

The Project at Eden's Gate targeted the Armstrong family early, burning their home to the ground when Grace Armstrong refused to devote her sharpshooting skills to the Father's cause.

Bradbury Tractor Shed

A shed for tractors.

Hope County Jail Bus

Prisoners hijacked this bus but were run off the road. The wreck was left to rot in the woods. When Eden's Gate brought prohibition to Hope County, some enterprising moonshiners set up shop behind the cult’s back.

Parker Laboratories

Home and workshop of Dr. Laurence Parker, and the origin of many mysterious noise complaints.

Seed Ranch

The power of yes gave John Seed this dream ranch overlooking the Holland Valley. it has commanding views, a private air strip, and secluded soundproofed rooms for his most invigorating religious pursuits.

Bradbury Farm

The home of the Bradbury family, hay farmers for generations. The strange pattern of dead hay in the field does not impact the quality of the final product. That's the Bradbury guarantee.

Bradbury Hay Field

Bradbury Farm's hay is baled and stored here before being sold to clients looking to feed their livestock with quality hay.

Laurel Residence

Laurel family honey was a local market favorite until their bee colony collapsed and jeopardized the business. It also spooked the Laurels who sunk money into a bunker and became preppers overnight.

Eden’s Gate Greenhouse

Bliss plants are found throughout the Henbane River, but they're also found here. John Seed takes the flowers he receives by boat from the east and plants them in his greenhouse.

Seed Boat Launch

Once a favorite spot for summer frolickers, this boat launch is used by John Seed for receiving shipments of Bliss and other supplies from elsewhere in Hope County.

Rye & Sons Aviation

This plot of land was first settled in 1920 by Willard Rye. He started a crop dusting business. His sons inherited both and it now belongs to the current generation of Ryes: Nick & Kim.

Kellett Cattle Co.

The Kellett family supplied beef for 3 generations. These proud Republicans thought they recognized the American spirit in Eden’s Gate, but when John Seed asked them to serve the Project, they said “no.”

Fall’s End

After prospector Orville Fall struck gold, his small mining camp quickly grew. Decades later, his rival, rail baron Emmett Reaves, shot him dead in the streets, giving the town its official name.

Old Silo

Welcome to the middle of it.

Kay-Nine Kennels

The owner, Kay Wheeler, loved her dogs more than life itself. She bred and trained hunting and guard dogs. When Eden’s Gate showed up, the local demand for guard dogs tripled. John Seed noticed and took action.

Sunrise Threshing

A silo and shed complex attached to Sunrise Farm. Rumor has it that Mike Dunagan's stashed a lot of cool shit around here somewhere.

Redler Residence

Home of Wendell Redler, local businessman and Vietnam veteran.

Adams Ranch

Jules Adams lost her husband in an "accident" after saying no to John Seed. Her family's struggled to keep the cattle ranch out of cult hands ever since.

Miller Residence

Despite financial hardship, the Miller family refused the cult’s invitations, prepping for doomsday all on their own. When the reaping came, Jerry Miller was out working.

Wellington Residence

The Wellington family mine is an urban legend, supposedly stuffed with gold, explosives, or both depending who you ask. Generations of Wellingtons (possibly inbred) have tried and failed to strike it rich here.

[rhysintherain]

Top 5 archaeological sites in your province

Well, I hope everybody's settled in for an illustrated archaeology infodump, because this one got long...

But thanks for asking, this was fun to put together.

1. Tse'k'wa (Charlie Lake Cave)

Partly because I worked there as a field school TA. Also because it's one of The Coolest sites. Look up the raven burials, they're incredible. Basically it's a rock shelter overlooking a filled in ravine used by Clovis-ish peoples moving north through the ice-free corridor 12,000 years ago. Our work there was looking at the top of the hill above, where the activity might be more recent. This is the home of the northernmost Clovis point in existence, among many other cool artefacts.

It's a very cool place, and you can usually visit if you call ahead and use the driveway instead of the unauthorised path up the bank.

2. Keatley Creek

This site might be the closest thing to a precontact interior plateau city we'll ever find. The house pits are so close together they almost overlap in places. A community this size was possible because of Keatley Creek's prime location on the Fraser salmon run and the nephrite jade celt industry across BC (think like axe blades and chisels, etc.) that they supplied with top quality material. A disaster that impacted the salmon run is probably why the site was abandoned, but they left behind lots of evidence of the good times for us to find.

Here's the site in modern times courtesy of Simon Fraser University:

And this is the inside of a modern reconstruction Lillooet pithouse like the ones those depressions used to be:

3. Hagwilget Canyon

There hasn't been a ton of work done on this site, but oral histories document it as a key trade hub in precontact BC. People from all over the northwest would come to the canyon to trade and socialise annually. And, with all those people moving through, you needed proper infrastructure, such as:

The first (and best, if you ask me) Hagwilget Canyon Bridge.

And here's the new one, in case you need context for how massive a crossing this really was:

This thing was built before white people arrived, from natural materials, and stuck around for generations. It was an incredible feat of engineering, and I'm so glad somebody thought to get pictures.

4. Kilgii Gwaay (Haida Gwaii)

This is a cool site for a bunch of reasons. It's about 10,000 years old. It was occupied before cedar was well established on BC's coast. It was only occupied for about 50 years. It's a wet site with amazing preservation. It's been under the ocean for most of its history.

Once upon a time there were people who lived on a nice little patch of shore between a pond and the sea. They fished in the ocean and hunted bears and drove wooden posts into the ground to make their homes and drying racks. They made stone tools. And then the water came up, slow but unrelenting, and made them leave. The grandparents who held little kids hands as they walked away were probably the people who had first picked this place as a home. Everything we know about them came from the short time they lived there and the things they left behind.

And then the water covered it, and kept bones and tools and wood stakes safe for ten millennia. Only luck and climate and geology working together made it possible for us to find it again. It's like a tiny, perfect Atlantis. I wonder how many generations after heard stories about the village the sea took back.

5. Vancouver Island Petroglyphs

Had to have at least one hometown hit on this list, right? There's rock art all over the place in BC, but some of the ones on the Island are phenomenal. They're pictures carved into rock faces, sometimes flat, sometimes vertical. They tend to heavily feature mythical creatures.

Here's some from Petroglyph Park near Nanaimo:

I like the chalk additions. You can't really damage carvings ground into bedrock and exposed to the elements for hundreds of years with sidewalk chalk, so why not let kids be kids?

This is the petroglyph wall at Sproat Lake Park:

There's a dock set up in front of the wall to view the pictures. They must have been very cool to see from a canoe before the dock went in. Here's a close-up of some of the creatures:

And here's a really big seal near Sooke, BC. Haven't seen this one personally, but it looks amazing:

[cringemomma]

𝖆𝖋𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖕𝖆𝖗𝖙𝖞

imagine our party entering the Baldurs Gate with all the honors for saving everyone from the shadow curse only to find out that not only civilians were happy to welcome them…

astarion+fem!tav; mature;

“you know, i lived two centuries in this city and i'd never seen those streets in the daylight before. drunk young patriars, naked in the fountains… ah, civilization!.. glad to know that this city can still surprise me!” — you squeezed his hand in reassurance. — “makes me feel agog once again.”

“it's when you use words like 'agog' that I remember you're actually two centuries old.”

“and it's when you think 'agog' is an impressive word that i remember you're just a child.”

“cut it, boys, just look around instead! news really does travel fast nowadays”, — you smirked while looking at all those pomposity that was waiting for you all on your way towards the castle.

the wandering musicians accompanied the newly arrived heroes with a cheerful music, the locals sprinkled you with confetti, flowers and words of thanks, and the street traders were luring the party to their shops offering you generous discounts.

“yeah…”, - the idea of upcoming meeting with his father after all those years was not a delight to warlock’s mind, obviously.

“don’t dwell on past grievances, Wyll. it’s all water under the bridge now! give your ol’man a chance.”

“thanks, Tav, though i doubt he will grant me with one.”

———————————————————————

despite Wyll’s negative predictions, the welcome was truly warm. everyone was having fun whether dancing, drinking or just enjoying small casual talks — all the pros of civilized community. well, almost everyone: poor Halsin was obviously going through his personal hell as he was made to wear gala doublet and tight closed shoes. what a view!

once you were sure that family reunion went smooth, you made your way towards your beloved fanged man, who was waiting for you, passionately observing your figure from a shadow not far from the fourchette table.

“ah, you got me, playing a poster boy has it’s advantages.” — murmured the vampire swirling some fine wine in the glass.

“why am i not surprised to find you exactly nearby the bar?”

“huh, where else i might be?” — as if illustrating his own words, Astarion made a couple of slow tasteful sips of thick burgundy liquid.

“yeah, well, but why it looks like you’re hiding? kind of… cmon, it’s a ball in our honor! i thought you’d be in the center of the hall shocking these noble snowflakes with explicit details of our journey.”

“oh, Tav, darling, don’t get me wrong, i’d be more than happy to do so… but, alas, i’m afraid i am not the only one with such — let it say — vast biography here, thus there might occur some sort of conflict of interests.”

“er…”, — as if you were a dog, you tilted your head on the side not getting what he was implying there.

“ugh, Tav, don’t make me remind you of the things i used to do for that Szarr’s offspring, would you? the thought of coming face to face with a kid that i made an orphan or an old lady that i made a widow way too early makes me sense this disgusting, gut wrenching feeling…” — he paused, not finishing the sentence.

“yeah, guilt, i got you.”

“wonderful, thanks a million for humiliating me with this pitiful word.” — Astarion frowned.

a small smile appeared on your lips.

“lets forget about everything for tonight, what do you think?” — gentle touch of your tender palm has granted the cold spawn’s cheek with some reassuring warmth. — “we’ve got so far and stayed alive not to be bothered by the ghosts of the past. well, we, for sure, can have at least a night for ourselves!

it took you a few more minutes to persuade your capricious white-haired vampire to make a step on the dance floor. and just in time: the orchestra changed the rhythm to a more melodic, signaling to all the gentlemen that it is time for a slow dance.

Astarion’s cold hand found its place on your waist and as the music started flowing throughout the ballroom hall, you — the sweet couple itself — began moving in unison with others.

————————————————————————

“i knew it was a bad idea, Tav…” — his red eyes were nervously wandering among the crowd of staring people.

and he was 100% sure he was the object of their “close attention”.

but you had just rolled your eyes.

“Selune forgive me… i swear to god, Astarion, if you spoil our first presentable dance in a fucking castle, the staring crowd would be your least problem.” — you hissed at him. — “you’re exaggerating, none is paying us extra attention.”

“but…”

“shush!” — you stopped him. — “if you allow me to have one more dance, we will go downstairs and…” — the rest of that amorous ultimatum was cowered with ballroom’s noise, but the sparkle in Astarion’s eyes made it obvious: he found that deal quite fair and worth his public suffering.

and as it was promised, in a few minutes you both were already running down the hall’s stairs, hiding from the servants’ curious eyes in the closest niches, until you came across the dark corridor.

completely without candles and any other form of magical light (just a few moonbeams that found their way trough the boarded up shutters), dust-covered furniture and paintings and the slightest bit of smell of damp — a perfectly abandoned corner for just two of you.

laughing innocently, you wandered down that corridor, marking every corner with passionate open-mouthed kisses, until you stumbled over a nightstand of perfect height and then…

his strong pale arms were shamelessly groping on every plush part of your body, erupting waves of goosebumps all over your skin. never have you ever thought that such cold hands could make you feel that hot.

his lips never completely left your body, if only just making short breaks to whisper (or better say, to moan in despair) some sort of explicit sweet nothings right to your ear. and not forgetting to bite on the earlobe in between, of course.

so now you were seated on that, you hoped, solid nightstand, Astarion standing with his knee between you thighs just right so that your core was granted with so wanted friction; his fists full of your hair and your hopeless moans while you were gridding on his hip and undoing his coat.

and then he pulled you up, connecting your lips and tongues, kissing so hard as if it was the last time.

“pardon, Mademoiselle, i just thought you’d boil my knee with that heat of yours” — half moaned and half groaned the pale elf, painting a hot line with his tongue from your collarbone till your cheek. — “but i have something else you can warm up instead~” — and with those words you felt the hem of your dress lifting up, exposing your left thigh to cool humid air.

you prepared yourself to stand firmly, having vampire’s shoulders as your support. his cold elegant fingers were grasping skin of your inner thigh, you already bit your lip in anticipation, a few inches further and you would feel him touch that hot spot, relieving the built up tension in your lower stomach…

…when suddenly you hear a door slam shut.

you both jumped a bit, turning your heads towards the noise.

the sound of slamming was echoing through the empty corridor.

no other noises.

“maybe just a butler?..” — you whispered, holding on the man’s shoulders even tighter.

Astarion put you down on the floor, adjusting your dress.

you tried to make your messy hair look presentable as if nothing improper ever happened.

the pale elf made an effort to get at least a glimpse of silhouette, but the darkness was greater than his elven vision.

“draft… maybe?” — you tried to reason the situation once again.

“shush”, — he cleared his throat — “er… everything is alright, we’re fine! just having some fun, none is hurt, well, at least for now, ha-ha~” — the last part was added quieter so that only you could hear it.

but there still was no answer.

“we saved the whole damn area from the bloody curse and still can’t get just a couple minutes of privacy? gods!” — annoyingly and sarcastically added Astarion, commenting on the situation.

and then, from the depths of the dark around them he hears the response:

“third, thou shalt not leave my side unless directed.”

and Astarion froze.

he froze in place as he used to do for so many times.

he froze as spawn that heard his master’s disgruntled command.

he froze, looking into darkness — the source of that deadly familiar cold-toned voice.

he froze in place: no sound, no breeze touching his skin — just echo of those words rushing through his head.

if he still had his heart beating, it would stop now.

if his skin was warmer, it would run cold now.

his face froze in a blank expression of horror: eyes wide opened and not blinking, just staring at some spot in the darkness before him, where a pair of two red piercing eyes was now visible.

“Astarion, my boy, you abandoned your family just to play heroes? and you thought you could enter the city without me knowing about it? uh, im offended. always so underestimating of me.”

the dark figure was slowly approaching you, becoming more visible with each step. you could already review that the stranger was tall, dark haired, had a rich suit on, was walking with elegant posture and had those damn bloody red eyes.

but Astarion was just standing as he was before, pure horror on his face.

and realization finally hit you.

you stepped in-front of your man, shielding him with your body and arms:

“do not come closer, you piece of shit, or i will slit your throat open.”

“ah, you got a pet without my permission? ugh, i can smell her all over your body… disgusting.

what did i tell you? first, thou shalt not drink of the blood of thinking creatures.”

you threw up your hand, preparing to cast sunbeam:

“i said, step away and leave him be, you moron!” — the more you were losing your temper, the more small sparkles where starting to appear on your palm, threatening to erupt into the powerful ray.

but the man before you ignored it, like you were nothing more than another piece of dust-covered furniture.

“come, boy.” — Cazador ordered.

his strong voice spreading in the hallway as ice-cold echo.

but Astarion remained motionless, still not blinking, though now visibly shaking.

“second, thou shalt obey me in all things.” — you were ready to swear that his eyes sparkled a bit brighter for a second. — “come here, spawn. do not make it more difficult for everyone.”

and the pale elf made a tiny step forward, jolting his body towards his not so former master.

“Astarion, no!” — you shouted, stopping him from going further in the dark. — “sunbeam!”

the bright sunshine erupted and fell hard on the dark figure in-front of you, creating sound of several waves of thunder. but when the light went off, you couldn’t sense anyone else present.

you casted a couple of flying candles to lighten the surroundings, however, you could see only pale elf and the covered furniture around you.

you were not sure if it’s a good thing, though.

but as none else was visibly present down there with two of you, you brought your attention back to the poor man, that was even paler than usual.

“are you okay?” — your voice obviously worried. — “hey, Astarion,” — you placed your trembling but still warm palms on his cheeks, tilting his face towards yours. — “look at me. he’s gone, you’re safe! everything is gonna be alright…”

and he finally obeyed. but as soon as he did so, he froze once again, looking somewhere behind your back.

at the very same moment you sensed it. the cold aura of that deadly monster who was tormenting your lover in his dreams. you did not dare to look back, too scared to find out how exactly close he was, but then you felt a couple of silk-like hair strands touching your bare shoulder.

“over there, i heard it there!” — muffled voices of guards came from behind the closed doors.

“unfortunately, our reunion had come to an end… for now. i just couldn’t not greet you myself, my dear boy.” — the guardians started slamming the door. — “come back home, Astarion, come back home…”

the very moment his piercing voice died in the corridor’s walls, the candles were blown, too, leaving you two in the complete darkness of the empty hallway.

[madstwd]

Relax

Rick Grimes x F!reader

Words: 1.4k

Warnings: smut, oral (f receiving), 18+ Only!

Season:8/9

Request: "Can you please do a similar story of under the sheets but with Rick I'd be forever grateful 😊" (This request was about a fic I reposted written by @littlegodzilla1 you can read it here. I don't write for actors, but I've loosely followed their idea)

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

The Grimes home was busy with people, the sound of people shouting ideas, arguing with one another was enough to give anyone a headache. Bringing the communities together, Negan's survival was the cause of the divide. A choice many thought was selfish, their grief and anger unable to expand their minds to see a true idea, the way to survive the rest of the years together. Anger and grief is what caused your beloved to lose his son, to lose the person that allowed him another chance at life, allowed him to find you. As much as you wanted the man dead, the man to stay rotting in the field he herded everyone to, you respect your leader and hoped to help him create his late son’s ideas for the future. 

You entered the house quietly, the soft slam of the door alerting only the few people that were located towards the back of the crowd. Gabriel smiled softly at you, a tired look on his face as others kept arguing with Rick. “it’s too late for this, rather be tucked in bed” he chuckled, eyes glancing around the room. You let out a soft laugh, nodding with the man. “I don’t sleep until he does and at this rate, we won’t be” you smiled, looking over at Rick. His eyes met yours, you could see his frustration as he tried to explain the purpose of the bridges. “Not sure why so many aren’t agreeing with him, this helps everyone” Gabriel sighed. You nodded, agreeing with the man. No battle was won overnight, you knew that people’s trust was wavering in the man. “Perhaps some sleep might make everyone see this differently, we have lost a lot because of the recent fights. Good people have died, Rick feels like he owes this to-to Carl '' you whispered. Gabriel hummed in agreement, patting your shoulder as he moved past you. You watched as he made his way to the front of the crowd, before addressing everyone to leave, stating to pick up the subject again after some much needed rest. You watched as everyone filtered out the house, muttering goodnight to those that were close enough to hear you. “Goodnight, Gabriel” you smiled at your friend as he passed you. “Get some sleep, both of you” he smiled, giving you a small hug before leaving. 

You watched Rick’s figure retreat to the kitchen, kicking yourself from the wall you were balanced on following him. You watched as the tired leader poured himself some water, sighing and pinching his brow as he looked out the window. “There’s always something more, isn’t there?” Rick chuckled, glancing over to you. You gave him a warm smile, “wishing you were somewhere else?” you joked. He shook his head, a grin forming on his face as he placed the cup on the counter. “Anywhere else but only if you are there though” he smiled, stalking over to you. His rough hands cupped your cheek, bringing your lips to his own. Rick sighed into the kiss, his frustration fading slightly as he felt you close to him. “They’ll see reason soon, it’s just happening too fast for them” you said after the kiss broke, your own hand cupping the man’s face. You could feel his stubble scratch against your palm. His eyes were tired, days of fighting yet to melt or wash away. “I’m only trying to make sure more survive. Make his-his death mean something” 

“And you are, they can see it, they just don’t want to take that step yet” 

Rick nodded against your hand, his shoulders ridged with tension. “Besides, when was the last time you relaxed, you know you can’t lead people properly when you are stressed” you whispered, bringing him closer to you. Rick sighed heavily, chuckling against your neck. You felt soft kisses litter the nape of it,. “I have an idea on how to relax,” he said, his teeth nipping at your neck. You gasped slightly, “in the kitchen? Where can our housemates enter at any moment?!”

Rick grinned against your neck, his hands slowly clamping around your thighs. His grip was strong, you could feel the kisses make their way to your sweet spot. Your body gave in far too easily. Rick’s hands lifted you, carrying you over to the island that was in the centre of the room. The marble cold underneath your thighs. 

Rick’s hands played with the hem of your top, his lips sucking softly on your collar bone. You lifted your arms for him, as he pulled the fabric over your head. His hands begin to work immediately on your bra after he discarded the top somewhere across the room. Your bra followed shortly.  His lips ghosted your nipples, soft kisses were being placed around them. The cold air helped him in making them erect. “Rick-” you whimpered softly, his lips sucking on your breasts, his hand attending to the other one. He smirked against your skin, his teeth grazing against your sensitive bud. “Shh love-” he said, his lips pressing against yours. You relaxed to his touch, arms draping over his shoulders. Rick's hands left yours, his fingers working quickly to unbutton his shirt. The item of clothing joining yours somewhere across the room. His hands ghosted your waist, gently guiding you on your back. You hissed as you pressed against the cold surface, your mind quickly distracted as he began to kiss down your stomach, his fingers working on your trousers. Pulling them down your legs, along with your underwear. He helped support you as you lifted your hips to help him pull them over the swell of your ass. The trousers thumped on the floor, his lips attaching themselves on your thighs. Leaving marks, towards your pussy. The marble caused you to raise slightly, your body unable to get used to the cold surface. Rick slid his arms underneath, gripping the back of your hips. Pulling you closer to his mouth like you were food on the table. He definitely intended to devour it. 

His lips ghosted yours, his breath cooling the wetness that soaked them. Your fingers gripped his curls. A soft grunt erupted from him, as you pulled him closer. Unable to wait for the feeling of him against you. You whimpered as you felt him kiss your lips, softly sucking against your clit. His tongue lapped up any juices that had begun to spill out, making sure not to miss anything. He teased your entrance, the tip entering slightly as he smirked against you. Enjoying the soft whimpers that escaped your lips in an attempt to be quiet. Wet noises began to surround the room as his tongue began to dip inside you, one hand escaping from underneath you. His fingers pressed against your clit, moving slowly in circles. You gasped, hands tightening in his curls, pressing him closer in between your thighs. Rick breathed out deeply through his nose, the air cooling your pussy despite the heat eliminating from it. “Rick- I’m gunna-” you panted. Your hands tugging at his hair now, the slight tinge of pain sending waves of pleasure through the man. He didn’t reply verbally, his body craved to give you release. His tongue began to lap at your entrance, his fingers working at a godly speed. In this moment his soul purpose was to please you, give you everything he could. A loud whine escaped you as your high pulsated through you rapidly. Rick grinned against you, drinking everything you were giving him. 

“Good girl” he spoke as he pulled away, his greying beard dripping wet. His lips looked like he was wearing ChapStick as he smiled at you. You gave him a weak one back, your head dropping on the marble surface as you caught your breath. The cold marble cools the sweat that covers your skin. “Fuck girl” he muttered softly, causing you to look up at him. He grinned, stepping back showing a large wet patch on his jeans. Your eyes widened as you looked at it, a smirk on your face as you looked back to his face. “I told you to relax,” you joked as you sat up on the counter. “Pleasing you in life always relaxes me” he smiled his lips capturing yours as he walked back in your legs. “We’ll figure it out” you smiled, hands running through his curls. He nodded, holding your naked form. “I know. We have to. For him” 

[bakageta]

Sliding in under the wire, here's my final fic for the AU roulette! This one is a Vampire AU. I went with emotional vampirisim, because there's already enough threats of cannibalism in canon. I have vague ideas about how things happen differently in this AU and I might end up writing more for it later. @kitausuret, I wrote about ya boi again!

Their patrol was wrapping up when Venom caught the scent of the most deliciously complex and tangled depression. It was the kind of deep darkness that ate people up. The kind of thing they tried to save people from, at least for a little while. It made their mouth water.

Whoever gave off that intangible aroma was just below them, at street level, huddled in a bus shelter. Eddie thought it was odd. The bus had pulled away from that stop a minute ago at most, surely the person hadn’t just missed it? The flavor profile they detected was all wrong for that. More bitter and resentful than angry and frustrated. 

Venom slipped to the ground in a nearby alleyway, and Eddie Brock approached the bus shelter. By the time he reached cover he was damp from the misting drizzle that hadn’t affected him at all as Venom.

“Hell. Did I just miss the bus?” Eddie asked as he shook himself off as much as he could without getting the other person wet. As best he could, Eddie put on the persona of an inoffensive every guy who just happened to be more than 6 feet tall and built like a brick shithouse.

"Yeah." The person was bulky, strawberry blonde, and resigned to conversation. He was also, Eddie noted belatedly, sitting in a wheelchair and not on the shelter's bench. The man would probably be more wary, he assumed, which would make it harder to lull him.

"You miss it too?"

The man snorted. "The wheelchair lift was busted."

"That’s awful." Eddie sat in the middle of the three seat bench and draped his arms across the back rest. His left hand was as close to the other man as he could get while not looking like anything more than a big guy taking up space. Hopefully his other would be able to reach.

"It's life." The man shrugged. 

"Doesn't mean it's okay." Eddie gestured widely with his far hand. “But it’s not really something guys like us can solve on our own.” For a moment, Eddie thought about mentioning the work he did at the F.E.A.S.T. center before thinking better of it. It would definitely come across as patronizing. “I’m Eddie.”

“Flash,” the man said, and his challenging stare made Eddie realize that Flash was probably his name.

“Flash,” Eddie confirmed. Some of the tightness at the corners of Flash’s eyes relaxed. “Do you mind if I practice a monologue? I’m working on my delivery for a community play.”

“Sure, better than awkward silence or small talk.” Flash shrugged. 

"True." Eddie slid into the monologue, one he was actually working on, and built slowly in dramatics. Less than a minute in, Flash was being lulled. It seemed he had assumed wrongly. Eddie hadn't even needed to draw on the harmonics of Venom’s voice to get him into the distracted state of mind that would let them feed on his emotions without Flash noticing what, exactly, they were doing. 

His other reached out from Eddie’s hand and bridged the gap between them. The moment dark alien flesh touched Flash, his emotions opened to them  completely. His depression was a wide bowl of thick, cold soup before them. It was refreshingly tangy and sour, different than their usual fare of criminal terror, innocent discomfort, and the sincere gratitude of those Eddie helped. They swallowed saliva, as Eddie’s body reacted physically to the psychic meal in front of them. 

Wildly, Eddie thought that if more people were like Flash then he wouldn't need his other to sate the hunger their symbiosis had burdened him with. The symbiote prickled complex guilt-apology-resentment-fear at him and he apologized to it as it started lapping up Flash’s depression. Chunks of the man's anger, hate, and bitterness caught on their currently metaphorical teeth like the meat and vegetables of a stew. 

Tangy fear ran down their throat. Flash had somehow woken up. 

"Stuh– stop!"

They did. Eddie went so far as to move to the furthest corner of the bench to his symbiote’s disgruntlement. That had never happened to Eddie in the time he’d been with his other. Flash wasn’t quite backed into the corner opposite him, but his hands were poised over the wheels of his chair ready to charge past Eddie. 

"What the hell was that?"

Eddie also wanted to know. Flash should have been out for as long as they needed him to be while they ate his depression. 

Good match. The symbiote communicated with rare words. Compatible. Want. Like. Love?

Darling? Eddie prompted. Emotions ebbed into his mind: they were his other's from when it first tasted him. It felt the same way now. Apparently the symbiote who'd turned him into an emotional vampire had a type. 

It squirmed but made no denials. 

"–you okay?" Flash had rolled closer to them for some unknown reason. "I just wanna know what you did, I feel… not better. But less like shit."

"I– we–" Eddie raised his left hand still covered in the symbiote's writhing feeding tentacles. It took the opportunity to wave at Flash with several. "We were eating your depression. It's not permanent. It'll be back, but it's easier to do something about it when you're not drowning."

"Can it be permanent?" Flash had looked away from them, up the street where neon lights blinked in the wet night. There were a few shops. A few bars, too.

"Not." Eddie swallowed roughly "Not if you want to keep feeling other things."

"That sucks."

"Yeah." 

The next bus was still at least five minutes out, but it wasn't like Eddie and his other needed to wait for it. He turned to leave, symbiote resisting his motion like cold molasses in his muscles, when Flash called out, “You aren’t waiting for the bus?”

“No.” Then, with a nudge from the symbiote, Eddie rolled his eyes and his shoulders and Venom stepped into the rain. “We have other ways of getting home.”

Flash’s eyes widened, almost like he recognized them. Surprise and curiosity radiated from him. It wasn’t the reaction Eddie had expected. The symbiote, however, was smug and pleased at being proven right.

“If you’re not waiting for the bus then what about the play? Is that real?”

“It is.” They confirmed.

“When is it?” Flash rolled to the edge of the bus shelter. “I need to get out of the house more anyway.”

“Next Saturday, at the F.E.A.S.T. Center gymnasium. The doors open at six pm, if we remember correctly.”

“I’ll see you there, then,” Flash said with a grin. “We will look forward to it.” Venom said as they slung up and away, Flash’s grin mirrored on their own face.

[mayasdeluca]

I wanted to write this up and send it to you sooner because I wanted to get the wording right and now that the Jay news broke, it kind of aligns with what I had wanted to say.It's never a good look when the lead(s) of a show get ignored for more fan favorite people especially at conventions. No fault to the actors, it's just who the fans gravitate toward.

I remember when Wynonna Earp was at their first SDCC I think, almost every question from the audience was for Kat. Obviously frustrating to the others on the panel (again not Kat's fault) to where Shamier (I think) joked that he could leave. But I think Mel felt more slighted as she was the lead of the show and might have resented Kat early on (all water under the bridge now). And you even see how Mel didn't participate in those early Earp cons probably because of being an after thought to fans. I mean even now, since the cons seem to lean toward the queer community, the male cast members like Tim, Varun, and Greg are treated like they don't matter and it annoys me so much the way some fans disrespect them.

I see it happening similarly with these Station 19 cons. They saw the pull of Danielle and Stefania (similar to Dom and Kat) and booked them as the con headliners, but then had random additions like Grey and Alberto and Brett. Why not Jaina or Jason the supposed leads of the show? Possibly because there is some "resentment" (for lack of a better word) to the Marina popularity overshadowing the show as a whole. Granted these are European cons so they tend to be a little different but Jaina and Jason and Jay are doing Epic cons so they're not opposed to the whole con scene like say Barrett but maybe they just didn't want to deal with being an afterthought among the predominately Marina/queer fans that show up to these cons. And I'm not including whatever BTS drama has happened or like I mentioned above it is not the actors fault that people gravitate toward them but it could be off putting in any profession when someone gets love and praise and you have to be like um, I was there too. (Which is why I also think the Marina Spinoff hashtag is kind of in poor taste but that's a discussion for another thread).

As for Jay, I was actually surprised when he was announced for the UK con since no one else from the current cast except Grey (who marches to the beat of his own drum) ever went to a con. They kept teasing another guest was going to be announced and I am very curious of who that would have been; I doubt it was Alex all along. They probably invited him cause he was cheap and it made sense since he was part of Jake and Jaicy's intern class and they made a point to add he was part of the queer community.

Anyway back to Jay, unless the mystery guest was Lachlan or Jaina or someone else at 19, it didn't make sense pairing Jay with Jake and Jaicy for Friday as they never worked together. Which is probably why his sales suffered and in turn they couldnt afford to bring him. I feel like some of these cons see the popularity in guests going to other cons but don't actually know the show(s) to know who to put together. I mean for all the BTS drama the cast seem to stick together, if they dicked Jay over like this, do they really think they'll have a chance to get him (or others for that matter) for their 2.0 version they're already planning. And that might even include Stefania saying no even though she had a good time this year.

I have rambled on this enough but my final thought is that we know the fans can be extreme but they really do border on disrespectful when they make it all about Danielle and Stefania or Marina (which granted they were the main couple of the show) and disregard anyone else which even may have been the cause of some of that BTS drama which would be petty but these are actors who need their who's stroked constantly LOL.

I totally see what you're saying with this and have seen it happening with both fandoms you mentioned considering I was in both but I think it's partly unfair to put all the blame on the fans for doing this for a few reasons.

I think the reason that fans of a wlw ship end up getting so invested in a show because of the ship is due to the extreme lack of representation on tv to begin with so we are literally grasping at straws to find any and every kind of representation and sinking into it in every way possible. Of course there should be limits to this when it ends up being invasive to the actresses and boundaries are being crossed but from a strictly on screen perspective, while it may be unfair to said main actress/character who isn't part of the wlw ship that people are watching for, it also isn't fair or right that our community is barely shown on television while you can turn on any channel and any show at any given moment and see a female lead and male lead who inevitably end up getting together at some point in time.

And from a con standpoint specifically, I even saw people start to say after the Jay situation that this should be a reason that people start to buy other guests extras and not just Danielle and Stefania's...but who is someone to say how someone else should spend their money? And I know that there are now a lot of con 'regulars' (I really cringe saying that but don't know how else to describe it) who make it a habit of going at least every year so clearly they are financially able to do so and maybe could buy other guests things to make sure they are able to stay a guest but also if someone is going just to meet the actresses of the ship they like, that should also be okay. It's not really the fan's responsibility to make sure the actor is represented and situated for a con once a con decides to invite them.

Yes it's awkward and uncomfortable when it's not the 'main' who is the favorite or if it's very obvious that there's certain cast members who are more popular than others but I'm not sure how you fix or change that. I also think a lot of is has to do with fan interaction and how interaction the actors are with their own fans. Just as an example, how much of the Station 19 cast really interacted with the fans to build up a connection with them? And I know they can now say they wanted to stay away from the drama and everything but what about before Marina was even a thing? Live tweeting and posting BTS and all that standard promo stuff really goes a long way with people (we've seen it with the Earp cast). But yeah I don't really think there's a real good solution to making it work for everyone.

[prettyboysdontcry]

Late December (flashback to late June)

As I stand there next to Corvid on the bridge, the dusk around us gently folding into night, I find myself reminded of the first time I saw them. Six months ago, almost to the day. Only later did I realize that I’d been marching at their side without ever really seeing them for hours, but the first time I looked in their eyes was right after they were filled with pepper spray.

It was only my third night protesting, and I was out there alone. The two nights before, I’d had Eddy with me, but he had a date that night. He’d told me not to go without a buddy, but I assured him I’d be okay. Besides, I reminded him, you’re never really alone at a protest. Everyone there is on your side, part of your community, fighting at your back. Eddy kissed my forehead and my eyelids and the left side of my jaw, so very close to my mouth, so very tenderly, and told me I’d better come home safe, and I tried to push down the sick, jealous feeling that came with every second date he went on, and the guilt that accompanied that feeling.

At the protest, a few hours in, we were standing outside of the newly erected chain-link fence at the aptly but unofficially renamed InJustice Center. I was starting to get sweaty and bored, that feeling that comes with protesting for far too long with no results, with being deprived of water for hours in the heat of an Oregon June night. I was starting to drift away from my surroundings, falling into the pleasant memory of the way Eddy’s face, stubbled with seven months of testosterone, scratched along mine when he kissed me, daydreaming about tilting my face so he might kiss my mouth instead.

All at once, with no warning, there were shouts and flashes, metallic clangs as grenades hit the hoods of parked cars, and I was shoved to the ground as the crowd around me pushed, some forward and some back, reacting to the cops finally bursting out of the building and into action. I heard paintball gunshots and the sinister hisses of flashbangs, and someone turned up the Childish Gambino song booming from their car radio, the bass thumping through my skull, making my eyes buzz in their sockets.

I hadn’t been expecting this tonight, here alone, later than I’d ever been. I didn’t have the experience that these people around me did, having been quarantined on suspicion of COVID for the past two weeks (false positive, turned out to be a fluke summer cold). I scrambled up and tried to run for cover in the park across the street, but tripped over an empty spray paint can on the sidewalk and went sprawling on the hot pavement. By this point, tear gas had been deployed, and I started to pull my respirator up from its resting spot on my chest, but one of the straps was caught on something under me, and I felt myself begin to panic. I spluttered and coughed in the growing cloud of gas, but couldn’t force my way back to my feet through the push of the crowd and my teary, stinging eyes. I placed a hand on the sidewalk to push myself up, and someone in heavy combat boots stomped hard on my exposed fingers. I yelped in pain, but they had already morphed back into the crowd.

Suddenly, graciously, I felt a pair of strong hands grip my shoulders from behind. I looked down to fingernails painted shimmery pink, and turned around to wide, dark eyes fixed on mine. The person shouted into my ear, “You okay!?” All I could do was shake my head in shock, rubbing my eyes in an attempt to clear them from gas and tears. I held up my mangled hand so my new acquaintance could see the damage. I couldn’t understand how this person could still see clearly without goggles, their eyes didn’t even look red. Understanding me without words, they reached for my good hand and pulled me up, half-carrying me to the cover of the trees at the park.

As we stumbled away from the action, I noticed that my savior was wearing blackbloc: black skinny jeans, black Doc Martens, a black beanie, a black hoodie with a red duct tape cross on the front, and a black Jansport bearing the same cross. Immediately, I relaxed into their touch. A medic had found me. A medic with the clearest, kindest eyes. A medic whose strong, pink-painted fingers took over the place in my mind that had been filled with Eddy’s stubble just moments ago. With dark, shiny hair that cascaded over their shoulders, gauged ears, and a long nose with a bump pronounced enough to see under their blue medical mask. By the time we got to the cover of the trees and had found a clear patch of ground, I had forgotten all about the pain in my eyes, throat, and fingers.

Once the gentle medic had treated me as best they could (pouring cold milk, then water, into my stinging eyes and mouth, stripping my gassed outer layers, washing and dressing my fingers), they just sat across from me, tucked into our quietish spot behind the park bathroom, holding my hands, and watching me. I had asked that they sit with me for a bit, and said that I might not go back out. They had told me that was a good idea, and agreed to sit and talk to keep me from panicking again.

They gave me a nervous once-over, then laughed breathlessly and said, in a mock-cheerful voice, “Hi, I’m Corvid, I use they/them and she/her pronouns, what’s your name?” tilting their head to the side like a curious puppy at the end of the sentence.

Their voice, I realized now that I had time to process it, wasn’t what I’d been expecting. It was rough and gravelly, yet also somehow sweet and melodic, deeply androgynous, and (I found, with a jolt of embarrassment that I hoped didn’t show on my face) very attractive. They sounded genuine, even mocking a meet-cute. I tried to laugh in response to their irony, but it came out as a dry, pepper-filled cough.

“I’m Fifty. I use he/him.”

We were silent for a moment, my face growing a bit hot, then I asked, “How the hell are you not wearing goggles out there? Or a respirator? It's my third time out here, so I don't know the rules, or the tips, but you seem so confident. How are you not in the same boat as me right now? And how did you become a medic?” The words just tumbled out of me, until I finally trailed off.

They were quiet for a moment, then, “I guess I've built up a tolerance. I’ve been out here every night since the first time. May 28th.”

My brain, panic-addled and exhausted, processed this answer slowly, then the realization hit that it was June 24th, meaning that Corvid had been out every night for almost a month. I let out a sharp breath. I blink in surprise as I feel a cool, calloused hand slide over my right shoulder and nestle into the buzzed hair at the nape of my neck. A soft gasp breaks from my winter-dry lips as my mind comes back to where my body still stands, leaned against the north railing of the Tilikum Crossing Bridge, the toes of my Doc Martens pressed to the cold beam, steel against steel. My bleary eyes focus with some difficulty on the orange city lights reflected on the surface of the dark, rippling water. My love moves their hand gently from the back of my neck to my shoulder again, hiking my scarf back up toward my cold cheeks. They murmur a question into my ear and I nod gratefully. Their hand shifts once more, floats down towards my own. Our numb fingers instinctually interlace upon their gentle impact and we turn as one, the orange lights now at our left, and stumble towards home, not saying a word, each of our minds lost in the haze of our own memories. We still don’t talk as, together, we board the 6 bus northbound towards home, letting the city speak our minds.

[little-engineer-who-cant]

20 questions for fic writers

I was tagged by @amethystunarmed and I am very late in responding, but what else is new? I finally get to do one of these now that I've started posting my writing!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

12 as of writing this.

2. What’s your total word count?

203,764 words which is so very many and 159,923 of those words are in one series that's not even halfway done yet.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

The fandoms I have published are Skyrim, Batman, Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Black Sails.

One day though, I will start posting my ASoIaF works, I swear.

4. Top 5 fics by kudos

Act 1: Into the Breach - Skyrim

The Water Under the Bridge to Elysium is Still the River Styx - Batman crossover with Percy Jackson

There's a Waystation in Gotham - Batman crossover with Percy Jackson

Act 2: Rising Until Our Souls Shatter in the Sky - Skyrim

Under the Red Hood Lies Jason Todd's Shattered Dreams - Batman crossover with Percy Jackson

5. Do you respond to comments?

I really love getting them and a lot of people who comment on my fics have hit very close to future plot points! I try to respond, but I also know I'm terrible at keeping secrets because I'm so excited about what comes next, so sometimes I do not respond because I don't want to accidentally spoil my own stuff.

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

This one is a tie, honestly. If you want angst that gets a resolution in a different work? Then it has to be Screaming Past the Limit, Never to Slow Down Again which is another part of the Batman and PJO crossover series.

If you're looking for unresolved angst, then it is Are You Coming to the (Hanging) Tree? which is a Black Sails fic focused on Abigail Ashe. It is one of my favorite pieces I've ever written and I did it in like 20 minutes while I was at work.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

You're the Torch I'll Use to Burn this World Down, another Black Sails fic but this one focuses on Miranda because I love her and I think she deserves good things all the time.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not really, but I write in very niche sections of fandoms (crossovers, modded communities, etc) so most of the people that come across my works really want to be there and try not to run creators out. The closest I've gotten was someone nagging on a location in the Damnation Saga because I screwed around with character's perceptions on map locations a bit for worldbuilding flavor.

9. Do you write smut?

To be determined. The Damnation Saga might get some, who knows.

10. Do you write crossovers?

...

That is 98% of my drafts. Literally the only works I have that are not crossovers are the Damnation stories. I have over 20 WIPs that are all crossovers. I love interweaving different stories that have similar themes or lore backgrounds, exploring how they interact and how the myths of one is perceived by the other and vice versa. Butterfly effects and world premise shifts, my beloved.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I am aware of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Fic? No. Original work however, @amethystunarmed and I have never really stopped our nonsense over the last 10 or so years. We still have shared Google Docs that were last modified in 2012.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

What got me into fanfiction, and what I still go back to even after all this time, is Bagginshield. I reread Sansûkh all the time. You should read it too. Everyone should. I aspire to create something that incredible and moving. I cry every time.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

Sweet Talk Hides Dark Thoughts. It's a massive crossover and I just tried to do too much. The butterfly effect got so out of hand that the story would no longer be anywhere near where I wanted it to be. It is super unwieldy in terms of both size and plot and I can't figure out a way to reel it in or finish it in a way that I'm satisfied with. Instead, I've sectioned out chunks and reskinned the concepts. For example, the entire Sirens Scream series is based on a bit I had in Sweet Talk where Silena Beauregard lives and vanishes into the unknown. Sweet Talk also explored the ramifications of there being survivors from Kronos' army and how the Titan War affected all the CHILD SOLDIERS that were fighting in it, concepts that I brought into Sirens but looked at from a different angle.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Descriptions and interweaving plot beats. I love a good Chekhov's Gun and I will fire it multiple times. I also am good at pacing. If you feel the story moving at breakneck speed with no room for breathing, it's because I want you to feel that way.

I'm also good at inner monologues, especially about a character spiraling into corruption and despair.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Action sequences. Unless there's room for monologues in there, I suck at them and they are a slog to write.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language?

I do it, but I always make sure to add a note asking for correction if I've translated it wrong. I do my best, but I am not a linguist nor do I have time to be. I use a lot of Dovahzul in the Damnation Saga and I am using both Old Norse and High Valyrian in other WIPs right now.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

The Hobbit. I wanted to make an OC in Laketown so very badly, but I never got anything I was happy with.

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

There's a Waystation in Gotham. Hands down. It's the fic that inspired the entire Sirens Scream series because I couldn't get that line out of my head. I wrote it in one swoop when I was in the middle of machine changes and it needed basically no edits. If asked to recommend my own work, this is the top of the list.

I am tagging @kiir-do-faal-rahhe, @vice-versa-vane, and @septemberskye

[jordanianroyals]

Queen Rania’s interview with BBC’s Kirsty Young

London, 5 May 2023

KIRSTY YOUNG: Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, Your Majesty, welcome and thank you so much for taking the time.

QUEEN RANIA: It’s a pleasure.

KIRSTY YOUNG: There is nobody sitting in that congregation tomorrow who's going to understand more what Queen Camilla is undertaking. The scrutiny, being on the world stage. How would you describe the role of being Queen?

QUEEN RANIA: Well, you know, I think for all of us, the love and support of family members is so important, but when you're in a public role, it becomes indispensable and that usually falls on the spouse. And so, you know, there's no job description for Queen Consort, but I think the late Prince Philip gave us a real life roadmap of what it means to be the partner of a monarch, and at the same time, you know, stand behind them, support them, and represent your own country.

Obviously, it's a very public role, which brings its challenges with it, but it also is an opportunity – it's a very rare opportunity to draw attention to issues that are critical but that can go unnoticed. And, I think it's a privilege and an honor and something to take very seriously. And Queen Camilla clearly feels the same, because she has used her platform to empower women, to support victims of gender-based violence, you know, giving them a real advocate inside Buckingham Palace and I think she's spent so much time building her relationship with the British public.

KIRSTY YOUNG: This is an interesting parallel between the two of you, because it is something of a signature of your queenship that you often have taken on causes that might have been potentially uncomfortable culturally, that you have talked a lot about the education of young girls and women. You also were there back in 2002, I think, when Camilla made her first public speech. And how was she before? I mean a lot of water under the bridge now, more than 20 years ago, but at the time, did you give her some words of advice? Was it was it a shaky start?

QUEEN RANIA: Look, Queen Camilla is someone who is very sincere. She's very candid, you know, what you see is what you get. And I think these are the qualities that have served her so well over the years and have endeared her to the British public. And I think that empathy that she has, that sincerity, that genuine spirit that she has, I think will serve her very well as queen. And so I don't think she needs my advice when it comes to that. You know, I think she knows exactly what she's doing. And, she really has a very strong track record of using her platform to support important causes that are that are close to her and King Charles’ heart

KIRSTY YOUNG: In 2013, as part of a tour of the Middle East, they came to visit you in Jordan. Did they decide the sort of projects they wanted to see or did you suggest them, and what was it they seemed most interested in as a couple?

QUEEN RANIA: Well, you know, King Charles, we have a very deep respect for. Over the years, I've come to known him as somebody who's very compassionate, very perceptive, very sincere. He's always great company, but he's at his best when he is talking to people and interacting with the initiatives and the causes that he really cares about. So, he came to Jordan a year and a half ago on his first overseas trip post pandemic.

KIRSTY YOUNG: Oh, right.

QUEEN RANIA: And he made a point of visiting the local chapter of his foundation and speaking to the beneficiaries, refugees, and the local communities that benefited from the project. And it's always such a pleasure to see him interacting, and it's very touching because he has a way of disarming people. The conversation is always easy. There are no airs or pretenses. He asks people questions and he genuinely listens, because he cares. And Queen Camilla is very much the same. She also is always eager to meet people, to speak to them… She also visited a Child and Family Center that deals with domestic violence.

KIRSTY YOUNG: …Which is one of her chosen causes.

QUEEN RANIA:  Which is one of her chosen causes. And her empathetic spirit and her gentle approach really touched every single person that she spoke to that day and left a lasting impression with them.

KIRSTY YOUNG: In one of your visits to London, you went to visit, I think it was called the Mulbery School for Girls, and it's interesting that tomorrow, we will see within the service in Westminster Abbey within this Church of England service with all its ancient associations, leaders from many faiths represented and there in the congregation. In terms of how that means that your own country and countries that surround it see our royal family and see Great Britain, do you think it has an international perception? Do you think people care beyond our borders about that representation?

QUEEN RANIA: Absolutely, and I think this is a trademark of His Majesty's approach. He really wants his coronation to be very inclusive across ethnic minorities, and religions, and cultures. And I think this is something that has always – he's always spoken of diversity as an aspirational value, and you see his respect for other cultures in his work, in his sincere support to projects whether in Jordan, or Afghanistan, or other countries. So diversity is very much part and parcel of who he is and how he wants to approach his role.

And, internationally, I think people look at this occasion with a lot of admiration. You know, you just have to see how many people will be tuned in tomorrow, hundreds of millions around the world, and all the people camped outside now for days. And that tells you a great deal about what this day means to not just the British people but to everyone in the world.

KIRSTY YOUNG: Queen Rania, thank you very much for taking the time to join us and we wish you a very good day tomorrow. Hope you enjoy it.

QUEEN RANIA: Absolutely, pleasure.

[hannukahmatata]

Inconvenient Attraction - for doc ock

Everything was so important and so stupid, but this was particularly stupid.

Luminous was ducked into the crevice under a bridge, catching precious breaths as she tried to process the events of the last twenty minutes. Overhead she could hear the thump-chk-thump of those... things hitting concrete and finding purchase as if it were ice beneath snow cleats, the kind with spikes that always unnerved her at utility shoe stores.

He was overhead, looking for her and the weird suitcase she'd managed to snatch from him. It was an effective if half-baked plan. Step one, which was to take the thing he was stealing and lure him away from civilians, had worked like a dream.

She did not have a step two. Normally Luminous was better about this, but between the very short notice (Spidey ringing her literally minutes into the event while he was managing some eloquent dinosaur-thing that was terrorizing a different building) and her own distraction, she found herself off-balance while trying to combat her new opponent.

Thunk. Chunk.

"I know you're here," a deep and deceptively pleasant voice called from above, "why don't you come out so we can properly introduce ourselves?"

He also threw her off-balance in general.

She'd heard of Doc Ock before, but the Daily Bugle did nothing to communicate the sheer size of him. He'd scared the shit out of her when she stepped into the building he was robbing and, confronted, risen to his full height with those four things splaying out around his shoulders. Spidey's voice was still in her shitty earpiece then, but she barely heard him as her heart dropped into her stomach. Jesus Christ on a bicycle, he was huge.

He'd flashed a toothy, lopsided smile at her - "Well, who might this be?" - and chaos had erupted.

She could still hear that smile now as he kept speaking overhead.

"You know, that was pretty impressive work I saw back there. Maybe you could give me a better demonstration of how those powers work, hm?" Flattery or taunting? It was hard to tell. Either way she pulled herself into the crevice a little tighter - she'd warp away to hide the suitcase before dealing with him, but there was nowhere she could see, and therefore nowhere for her to go, but down into the churning water below.

The initial fight had been a clusterfuck. She'd been expecting the limbs but wasn't ready for the height, and the shock gave him the opening for an early strike. She'd barely dodged (and he'd ripped her freaking mantle), and from there -

if she was being honest, it wasn't so much a fight as it was a flail. His four extraneous limbs would not give her an opening to get close and land a good punch, which was what she needed because he swatted away her crystal conjures like scattering flies.

She had managed to back him outside while a tangle of limbs and flashes of light struggled to find purchase with each other, and then, in a fit of sudden overstimulation, she'd just... grabbed the suitcase and ran.

"What's going on over there?" She'd heard Spidey in her ear. "I told you you'd be able to take him!"

"You told me he was a scientist, not that he was some goddamn eldritch Goliath!"

She'd heard him laugh back there when she said that. It was a deceptively nice sound.

Luminous had run for quite a few minutes, still shouting to Spidey between jumps, turns and dives. Colossus, titan, behemoth and homunculus were also all tossed out somewhere in her breathless ranting while she sprinted, platforms beneath her feet lifting her over traffic and giving her the slightest head start.

In truth, he was probably a perfectly reasonable six feet and some spare inches; but between the four extra limbs (suddenly "Doc Ock", a name she'd laughed at before, sounded deeply threatening) and her own compact stature, he loomed over her like the shadow of some eldritch monster. Hadn't he been a respected nuclear physicist? Had he been able to get people to go near him back then when he looked like a goddamn-

"There you are, dear."

Oh, fuck.

A red light stared at her from where it curved over the bridge. She shot out a blast, hitting it square in the face, and it retreated. As she tried to pull herself from her hiding spot to stand on the air beneath, however, three more emerged to peer at her before grasping onto the concrete. Should have called himself Hydra, she thought, if the name wasn't already taken. Doctor Hydra?

It didn't matter. She took several steps back as the doctor pulled himself down - seemingly undisturbed by gravity, he remained perfectly upright in his descent, pausing only to glance at her feet with nothing beneath them, several feet above the water.

"That's an interesting trick." His attention turned to her - and he dove. She jumped out of the way of swinging arms, careful to direct herself away from her hiding place where the suitcase waited behind a concrete pole. His attention was, thankfully and unfortunately, all on her - her fists connected with claws and sent them in recoil before they reared back, something he seemed to regard with mild surprise as two of the other three reared up to take its place.

Diving, weaving, jumping - it was a mess of movement stopped only when one of the claws managed to grab her by the front. Two others stilled (the third holding him up in midair) and anchored him tight to the bridge, while the one under her arms and pressed to her stomach started to retract.

For a second she expected the thing to try to crush her. Instead she was dragged closer to the doctor, who had grown surprisingly still. He was scrutinizing her, she realized as the distance between them closed for the first time that day. He held her slightly overhead and, now that they were at eye level with each other, she could properly see his face. He had that disarmingly lopsided smile, strong nose and a pair of shockingly nice brown eyes, looking up at her from behind those inscrutable sunglasses. There was a slight twinkle to them.

Everything was so, so stupid.

"Hello, dear," he said, and her heart stuttered. Luminous swallowed.

"I'm in trouble."

"Yes," he said as a clawed thing lifted and aimed for her, "you are."

[mariacallous]

On October 14, Russian president Vladimir Putin gave a press conference in Astana, Kazakhstan, after a summit for CIS and Asian countries. He answered questions about the Russian mobilization, the possibility of negotiations with Ukraine, and the prospect of a direct clash with NATO. Meduza summarizes his main points.

Russian mobilization

We’re not planning anything additional [in terms of new waves of mobilization], the Ministry of Defense hasn’t suggested it, and I don’t see the need for the foreseeable future.

The confusion was related to older forms of registration, which haven’t been updated in decades. We only realized what state they were in after mobilization got underway. Now the database is updated and it will be as reliable as possible. The work is already wrapping up – I think that within two weeks all mobilization measures will be complete.

Mobilization itself is connected to the fact that the line of contact is 1,000 kilometers (around 680 miles), and it is practically impossible to hold it with only contract soldiers who also take part in offensive operations.

Mobilized soldiers train for five to ten days in their units. Then, depending on their military specialty, they enter combat units and train there for five to 15 days. Then they wind up with troops taking part in hostilities, and there they have some additional handling. So if you look at the minimum amount of time, it’s possible that mobilized people are already in the combat zone [and dying].

222,000 out of 300,000 men are now in service. 33,000 are assigned to units, and 16,000 are in units involved in combat missions. But if questions arise, I will instruct the Security Council to conduct an inspection.

The war in Ukraine

I want to be clear. What’s happening now is unpleasant, to put it mildly. But all the same things would have happened later, under worse conditions for us. So our actions are correct and timely.

We’re not giving ourselves the task of destroying Ukraine. Look at Crimea, 2.5 million people live there. They captured it, and cut off the water. Our troops had to go in and turn the water on. That’s just an example of the logic of our actions. If they hadn’t acted, we wouldn’t have reacted. Or take the bridge they blew up. Now we have to think 10 times over how important it is for the Russian Federation to ensure communication with Crimea across territory.

It’s not necessary right now to continue massive strikes on Ukrainian territory. Out of 29 targets, seven were not hit as the defense ministry planned, but they’re gradually getting to them.

Negotiations with Ukraine

We know Kyiv’s position – they were always talking about negotiations, requesting them, and now they’ve adopted a resolution that prohibits negotiations*. What is there to talk about?

I’ve always said that we’re open to negotiations. The agreements in Istanbul were actually almost initialed**! But as soon as the troops left Kyiv, that’s it, their desire to negotiate disappeared. If they grow up, let’s talk!

Possibility of war with NATO

This is an understandable question. What is defeat for Ukraine? Everyone has a different understanding. Look at Crimea, which became a subject of the Russian Federation in 2014 – was that defeat?

In any case, putting troops into direct contact, direct conflict, with the Russian army is a very dangerous step, which might lead to a global catastrophe. I hope that those who speak about it have enough good sense not to take that step.

*Is that true?

The president of Ukraine signed a decree on “the impossibility of negotiations with Vladimir Putin,” but not with Russia in general. 

**What does this mean?

Initialing is preliminary signing before the official signing. Putin said agreements between Russia and Ukraine were complete except for the initials, and the head of the Russian foreign ministry even claimed that “everything was initialed.” Ukrainian authorities’ descriptions of the talks did not correspond to this.

[wuratravels]

Water Sports in the UK: Surfing, Kayaking, and More

The UK’s diverse coastlines, lakes, and rivers offer a playground for water sports enthusiasts. Whether you're drawn to the thrill of surfing, the serenity of kayaking, or trying your hand at something new like stand-up paddleboarding, the UK’s waters have something for everyone. Here’s a comprehensive guide to some of the best water sports experiences across the UK.

1. Surfing: Catch the Best Waves

Surfing in the UK is a year-round activity, with spots suitable for all levels of experience.

• Cornwall: Known as the UK’s surf capital, Cornwall offers some of the best surfing conditions in the country. Fistral Beach in Newquay is world-renowned, attracting surfers from across the globe. Other popular spots include Polzeath and Porthleven, known for their consistent swells and surf schools for beginners.

• Wales: Rhossili Bay in the Gower Peninsula is a stunning location that combines great waves with beautiful scenery. Porthcawl’s Rest Bay is another top spot, offering good waves close to Cardiff.

• Scotland: The rugged coastline of Scotland offers colder, but often less crowded, surfing opportunities. Thurso East is Scotland’s premier surf spot, known for its powerful reef break.

2. Kayaking: Explore Tranquil Waters and Thrilling Rapids

Kayaking is a versatile water sport suitable for tranquil explorations and adrenaline-pumping river runs.

• The Lake District: England’s largest national park is home to several stunning lakes, including Windermere and Ullswater. These large bodies of water are perfect for beginners, offering calm conditions and breathtaking scenery. Paddle past historic houses, islands, and wooded shores.

• Scotland’s West Coast: Sea kayaking here allows you to explore rugged coastlines, sea caves, and encounter wildlife like seals and seabirds. The Inner Hebrides, including the Isle of Skye, offer some of the most scenic kayaking routes in the world.

• Wye Valley: The River Wye, running along the England-Wales border, is a beautiful spot for canoeing and kayaking. With gentle rapids and stretches of calm water, it’s perfect for a family day out on the water.

3. Stand-Up Paddleboarding (SUP): A Fun Way to Stay Active

SUP is one of the fastest-growing water sports in the UK, offering a unique way to explore coastlines, rivers, and lakes.

• Brighton Beach: Paddleboarding along the iconic Brighton Beach is a great way to take in the vibrant atmosphere of this seaside city. Lessons and board rentals are readily available.

• Norfolk Broads: The peaceful waterways of the Norfolk Broads are ideal for paddleboarding, allowing you to navigate through quiet canals, past windmills, and lush greenery.

• London’s Canals: For a more urban experience, try paddleboarding along London’s canals. Paddle past houseboats, historical sites, and under the city’s bridges, with lessons available for beginners.

4. Windsurfing and Kitesurfing: Harness the Wind

If you’re looking to combine the thrill of surfing with the control of sailing, windsurfing and kitesurfing might be for you.

• Poole Harbour: Known as one of the best spots for windsurfing in the UK, Poole Harbour offers shallow waters and consistent winds, making it perfect for both beginners and seasoned windsurfers.

• Hayling Island: A favorite kitesurfing spot, Hayling Island in Hampshire provides good wind conditions and a friendly community of kitesurfers. The island often hosts kitesurfing events and competitions.

5. Coasteering: For the Thrill-Seekers

Coasteering is an exhilarating activity that combines swimming, climbing, and cliff jumping along the coastline.

• Pembrokeshire: Known as the birthplace of coasteering, Pembrokeshire offers some of the most exciting routes in the UK. Experience the thrill of jumping into the sea from cliffs, exploring sea caves, and navigating rock pools.

• Cornish Coast: Cornwall also offers great coasteering opportunities, especially around Newquay and St Ives, where you can explore dramatic cliffs and hidden coves.

Safety Tips for Water Sports in the UK

• Wear the Right Gear: Wetsuits are essential for most UK water sports, especially in cooler months, to keep you warm and protected.

• Check Conditions: Always check weather and tide conditions before heading out. Coastal waters can be unpredictable, and knowing what to expect can help keep you safe.

• Take a Lesson: If you’re new to a sport, book a lesson with a certified instructor. They’ll provide essential safety information and teach you the basics.

• Respect the Environment: Follow local guidelines to protect marine life and keep the waters clean. Avoid disturbing wildlife and always take your litter home.

The UK offers an array of water sports opportunities that cater to all levels of experience. Whether you’re looking to surf the Atlantic waves, paddle along tranquil lakes, or seek thrills on the coast, the UK’s waters promise adventure and unforgettable memories.

For more details, visit our website Wuratravels.com

[sleepyselkiesims]

Part 56

As the ice completely set in on Magnolia Promenade, Tiana's Palace had it's final grand opening. And it's final appearance.

Tiana rushed around, making sure all of her staff were as prepared for the job as they could be.

She was absolutely convinced that showcasing her wife's frog collection would make her restaurant stand out!

In case the frogs didn't work, Hanabi and Aurora teamed up to put on an amazing performance to wow the crowds.

Once again, the host simply refused to show up. But you'll never guess who stepped up as a replacement: Tiana's childhood "Friend," Charlie!!

Tiana hoped whatever had gone down between them was now water under the bridge, and Charlie could release his mysterious grudge in favor of a good day's work.

For his first accomplishment, Charlie could seat the Palace's most loyal customer! Maki and her Mother had been showing up since the place was just a run-down warehouse!

In fact, Maki's mother had apparently become quite friendly with Tiana! Of course Tiana was going to recommend hanging out with one of Christopher's relations!

Oooo look who else showed up!! Adrina's wishing-well lover was still going strong!

Tiana had no idea she was in the presence of legacy greatness! She simply made sure all her guests were treated equally and kindly.

Charlie also treated the customers equally.... badly! He single-handedly tanked their star ranking with his bad mood!

Eventually at least, Hanabi's beautiful piano melodies helped cheer him up a bit. Thank you, Hanabi!

Unfortunately, his latest customer had been Teo's wife, Matilda. And she was clearly not thrilled...

Tiana was feeling a bit blue about her situation. After the deaths of her fully-trained employees, her Palace's rating could only go down.

And it was clear that trying to run a restaurant during the winter was only causing some weird issues.

At least the snowy view was beautiful! They just had to put up with cold food, freezing skin, and uncontrollable fear of blizzards....

Day after day passed by, with not too many customers to speak of.

The staff did commendable work, more than earning their wages as they cleaned, delivered, and placated all the green-clad guests that Charlie had angered.

Tiana tried talking to Charlie about his behavior, but they both knew she couldn't fire him or else the restaurant might close down for good, with no more hosts available.

The Queen family chugged need fixer potions like their lives depended on it, unwilling to let any tip money pass by as the restaurant struggled to stay afloat.

During one of the slower periods, Jasper showed up to enjoy the performance!

Aurora was delighted! If she was honest, she was still crushing on Jasper a little bit. But mostly she really cared about her friends, and always loved seeing them.

The benevolent god had had a mini-heart attack thinking Jasper was going in for a kiss at first...

But Aurora was on the clock, and could only communicate to her friend by singing.

Eventually Tiana showed up, having absolutely no clue that this boy had given her daughter her first kiss, and asked him to either eat or leave.

...he picked leave....