#rectangular dive mask

[ultimateoptimus]

G1 Autobot Junior Divers Spike and Carly

By UltimateOptimus

Meet Spike Witwicky and Carly Spencer, The Original Autobot Junior Divers (Since '85), in their '80s retro, minimalist (It was the early 1980s after all), sleek, sporty and colorful school swimwear and scuba gear in the original '84 anime with an UltimateOptimus-Brand Junior Diver Upgrade with new scuba gear and all enhanced with secret TransformerTech, all suited and geared up and ready to roll out and dive into underwater heavy metal action as dive buddies with each other and the Autobots in underwater missions in the first 2 seasons of their 'toon, whether exploring the underwater worlds of Earth, helping the Autobots out in underwater warfare with the Decepticons, discovering underwater civilizations of myth and legend (Looking at you, Atlantis) and yes, Junior Rescue Diver operations involving out-of-air emergencies, scuba rescues, buddy breathing and scuba kisses of air!

Spike Witwicky, the boy of the G1 Autobot Junior Divers and the G1 boy of the Autobot Teen Team Three, is suited and geared up in his all Bright Green and Dark Green Boys' Speedo School Swimsuit and Swim Cap, Rectangular Dive Mask, J-Shape Snorkel and Dive Fins ABC Kit, Dive Watch, Dacor Seachute Style Front-and-Back Inflation Horsecollar Buoyancy Compensator with Parachute Harness, double Air-Integrated Regulators and Breathable Air Cartridge Inflator, Air Tank, Air Gauge and Pilot Style Mouthpiece Regulator.

Carly Spencer, the girl of the G1 Autobot Junior Divers and a proven Scuba Schoolgirl since her first appearance in The Immobilizer, is suited and geared up in her all Blue-and-White Girls' Racing School Swimsuit and Swim Cap, Oval Dive Mask, J-Shape Snorkel and Dive Fins ABC Kit, Dive Watch, US Divers Sea Otter Style Jacket Buoyancy Compensator with double Air-Integrated Regulators and Breathable Air Cartridge Inflator, Air Tank, Air Gauge and Pilot Style Mouthpiece Regulator - with the Autobot Hi-Ex Detpack from the Ark armory from the forementioned episode as a bonus.

[thingsnia]

boss benefits — simon riley "ghost" 💀🏴‍☠️

─── ☆ attention: english is not my first language, sorry for any mistakes, just clearing the web that I let accumulate; I missed writing, diving into something to get away from life, asks are open, and I write to all the men of cod (characters by Pedro Pascal & house of the dragon <3)

─── ☆ summary: What would you do to stand out? To take on a mission you always wanted to finally have new opportunities? Would you be willing to give everything? were you willing to sleep with your Lieutenant?

─── ☆ warings📣: +18, MDNI | Allusions to an unhappy marriage, Simon is a scoundrel here, a bit dark (since you have sex to get a job) , possessiveness, size kink, creampie, unprotected sex, sexual desire, sexual tension, Simon is jealous of his boyfriend (he doesn't admit it, but competes), infidelity, oral sex (m/f), mention of procreation, infidelity, abuse of power, hierarchical relationship, position advantage, extramarital relationship, both have relationships, mentions of lust, prosmic sex, high sexual attraction, big dick (I know, I know, Simon is a big boy), Simon makes fun of the reader's boyfriend a lot, Simon lives in a loveless relationship.

"Lieutenant?" You asked as you pushed open the door to his office, perhaps it was to ask for a new report or to explain the briefing for your newest mission.

But when you opened the door, you noticed Ghost's body leaning against the table, he was in uniform, the mask covering only his lips, his honey eyes looking at you, you couldn't help but smile softly while showing his teeth.

You can't help but see the rectangular photograph, the gold-colored frame on his desk, displaying the happy photo of him next to his wife, Lisa, Lana or Lenny, you don't even remember her name. "Do you really want that mission?" His bitter tone of voice, so drawn out and thick that it almost made you think you were negotiating with the devil himself.

The mission that you begged so much to be in your hands, you wanted, was a mission in an area that always interested you, come on, you even studied to perform such a role, but Simon said he would give you an answer, and you were grateful for himself for letting go of his laziness and coming to his office at night.

"Of course I do, Lieutenant." The way you seemed convinced you believed it would be the best for you, he couldn't help but laugh beneath the mask, a little thing like you saying you could take it all. You had fire in your eyes, and Simon wanted to taste that fire.

"Whatever you're willing to do, I say." He cleared his throat while crossing his arms over his chest, raising his body even higher. "Many other soldiers asked me for it, it's an important mission, to show your values ​​and skills. Why do you think you deserve this mission?"

"I'm the most qualified, I'm tired of kissing babies or hugging people." The last mission, after saving a pile of hostages, you ended up becoming more popular in talking in front of the cameras — you were a kind, sweet woman and the photos of you holding a baby in your arms almost made everyone call you an 'angel' of the task force. You even got a five-day vacation to spend with your boyfriend, thanks to everything you saw, to all the scary things you saw while saving them. "That's not for me, Lieutenant."

"You still haven't answered me, little thing." The harsh tone, the way he leaned in, touching your chin with the same hand that had the gold ring on it, he was flirting with you, sending all codes of professional ethics to hell, the way he leaned in, without Don't even care about the photo on the table, the photo is his wedding. "What are you willing to give me... for this job to be yours alone."

You should run, escape, warn the HR people about his strange attitudes - no strange, he was harassing you, insinuating that you should give him something to get a job, this was against all regulations, using his own power to obtain sexual favors. But you knew, the army would never send him away, would never dismiss him, he was one of the most competent agents on the military installation.

Reporting him would ruin your career, it would throw all your efforts in the trash if you told anyone about it. Closing your own eyes while looking at him, why was he insinuating this? His wife was young, pretty, and you had a boyfriend - damn, why are you creating reasons not to have sex with him? "Simon, your wife doesn't deserve this, my boyfriend, Devon, doesn't deserve this."

"Don't be silly, little girl." The little flick he gave you on the nose, laughing as he noticed you dodge, trying to get away from him, were you creating reasons? Did you want it so much that you needed to create excuses to stay away? - "Look, don't see this as cheating, sex or whatever is in your head. See it as a business transition."

He laughed, you could almost see the wrinkles forming under his eyes, you could almost feel the way he was offering to have an affair with you. "We're not going to kiss, honey, I don't want you to kiss me, love me or leave your pathetic little boyfriend."

The silence that fell, your throat was dry, you seemed disappointed to know that there wouldn't be kisses? - the entire environment was silent, I could hear your mind pounding, I could hear the doubts, the uncertainty, and even the desire to have sex with your superior. Everything was silent for a few minutes, it seemed like an eternity, all the doubts, the uncertainties, the doubts, your eyebrows furrowed as you looked at him.

"you'll never tell anyone this, right?" you should be ashamed to accept it, you should walk away — leave, not accept this damn job and simply deny it, be faithful to your boyfriend, don't cheat on another woman, don't let him cheat on his marriage with you, in a damn case.

The way he took off his mask, showing off his thin lips, his strong facial expressions, his Greek nose as he couldn't help but laugh as he walked towards the door. He looked at your body, noticing that you were probably close to going to bed when they told you that he wanted to talk to you, his attentive eyes analyzing you, your curves, the entire contour of your body. "It will be a shame to never tell anyone that I was with a woman just like you, sweet." The pet name almost made you tremble, he spoke as if he had honey between his teeth. "But I agree, we can't let others know. It would be bad for my marriage and your little boyfriend- he would finally have to learn how to fuck a real woman."

At first it was strange approaching him, your lips tilting slightly, you didn't know where to touch, you didn't know how he liked kisses or how he liked to be touched, he approached, forgetting that it was you who wouldn't kiss you, but he lied, and you were stupid to believe him. Your eyes connected to each other, slow and slow steps towards each other, as if you were reading the deepest secrets of each other's souls — reading the darkest secrets that could exist, almost creating your own rhythm, a speed of yours. two. Simon couldn't help but bite his lip, he would be lying if he said he never desired your lips.

At first the kiss was so calm, sensitive, your lips pressing against each other, in an absurd harmony they were having, he held your face while he deepened the kiss, prolonging it, asking for passage with his lips, and when you moaned into his mouth of him, pulling his hair, everything seemed to go dark, to darken, your breathing in tune, your chest rising and falling, you needed to breathe, you needed air, oxygen, you needed so many things, Simon's hoarse voice, the way he just He smiled when he noticed how confused, airy and so confused you were.

"I have one condition" you pulled away from his lips, as you tried your best to hold on to something, fuck, you always imagined the sweet com could be his lips - you always knew he was as hot as the devil himself.

He couldn't help but laugh, finding it so curious how you didn't push him away during the kiss, quite the opposite, he saw your eyes on his lips, he saw desire in you, lust, tension, so many things that were more than enough. just an arrangement, an agreement. "What's your condition, pretty."

"I want you to use a condom." It was your lifeline, of course you imagined the texture of Simon's fresh semen filling your pussy, you knew it was wrong, wishing another man would cum in you while forcing your own boyfriend to use a condom, it was so comical, the man who knew your parents couldn't cum, but Simon had the approval to do so?

"We have a little problem. I don't have a condom." He wasn't lying, tilting his gaze at you as he walked away, he didn't have condoms, since he always made his own wife take care of birth control a lot, he didn't want accidents, he didn't want an unwanted child, but with you, he didn't even At least he cared about his own regulations of only having sex when he was aware of birth control.

"I have a condom in my boyfriend's room, I can get it."

“don’t be stupid princess, do you think it fits me?” You wanted to hit him for being arrogant, he was just being self-centered by telling you that he had a huge dick, but before you could even argue that he was lying or making excuses, he took your hands in his, feeling the soft and smooth texture, so Sweet as an addictive drug, he fell into your trap.

He let you feel him, feeling the volume, but he made a point of undoing his belt, lowering the waistband of his pants, making you see his dick, the red bridge leaking, the thick outline, covered in bluish veins, you couldn't let it go and Closing his eyes, biting his lips, realizing how huge he is, Simon couldn't help but laugh when he noticed how surprised his eyes were, when he noticed that he had a huge cock. Simon knew he had a huge dick, fuck, he knew he should be proud to have all that stuff in his pants. "What's wrong, doesn't your boyfriend have a huge dick, kitten?"

You hated how cocky he seemed, how full of ego he seemed, surely getting so many compliments for having a huge dick that he probably got a big ego. "shut up. I want you to take it off before you cum."

"Yes ma'am."

And there you were again, crushing your lips against his, feeling the way your body shivered, he knew it was wrong - but he couldn't lie and say he was sorry about cheating on his wife, he didn't care, he didn't even care. The way he was devouring your neck, crushing his lips against your skin, giving bites, hickeys and even licks, loving the way it gave you goosebumps, how you squirmed in his arms. "You seem so needy, no man has ever touched you."

He was groping your body, crushing your breasts against his own hands, he could feel how round they were, even under a pile of clothes. Pulling at clothes, removing buttons and buttons, watching your skin be revealed, flesh soft and supple, he knew he shouldn't leave marks, that he shouldn't have the boldness, but he did, he marked you, bit your skin, kissed.

Simon couldn't help but moan when he felt your hands wrapped around his cock - starting to masturbate him, moving his fists around him, feeling his cock throbbing, the veins bulging, how hot it was, how luscious, fuck, he'd never had a man with such a strong reaction to simply touching. You stayed for a few minutes, teasing each other, Simon exploring your skin, discovering all the pieces, all the contours, trying to remember in his own memory what you were like, he would record this moment, because he didn't know when it would happen again.

And that would be his best secret, the image that would pass through his mind every moment he had, remembering how your body reacts to being touched, to being kissed, to being loved, he knew it was wrong to give you the role of a lover, an affair, how he hated not being able to love you with open doors, to reduce you to just that, an affair of a married man. When he saw you kneel, see you on your knees for him, he could almost cum, he could almost feel the air getting thin, you almost stopped breathing.

"how do you.. like being sucked?" He couldn't help but find it so captivating, did you want to please him? You wanted to know how he wanted you, you wanted to engrave yourself in his mind like gum.

"Just do what you do with your boyfriend, hmm?" That was a lie, he wanted it to be even better, for you to suck him with more love than you sucked your boyfriend, he wanted you to be even better with him but it was with that loser.

"If you talk about him, I'll get dressed and leave." You didn't want to remember that you were a damn traitor, that you were about to suck a man who wasn't your boyfriend, and to make matters worse, a man who was wearing a ring. When you opened your mouth, starting to suck the base of his cock — sliding your tongue along the slit, while holding his base so tightly, you loved how needy Simon seemed to feel your mouth against him.

When you started to suck him, sliding your mouth around his entire contour - the warm, wet mouth surrounding him, as you began to slide in and out, just wrapping the glans around your mouth, you couldn't help but smile when he wrapped it around you. his hand in your hair, fuck, you could feel his wedding ring against your head.

Simon couldn't help but smile when he saw you smiling, seeing the outline of your lips against his, seeing your eyes so big as you tried to relax your throat to take him, you've never taken a huge cock, while you felt the weight of his cock against your tongue. He waited for you to be ready, as he started to move his hips, hitting the back of your throat, he could see you fighting the urge to choke, there was saliva running down your chest, you were willing to take him whole, to please him , you knew that anyone could notice that you and Simon were missing.

You move your head back and forth, breathing through your nose as you move your tongue around him, trying your best to pleasure him, you didn't care about the pain in your throat, you would probably have to drink tea the next morning, and when you heard Simon's moans, you can't help but continue, now hungrier, taking him so deep in your throat, starting to choke around him, the disheveled sounds, Simon's moans and with him he seemed so excited to see you giving a blowjob sloppy, not caring about his appearance, he looked like a slut who would get paid a lot of money, but no, you were doing it willingly, trying to please him, trying to be good to him, sucking a married man.

Fuck, Simon imagined all the perverted things he could do, he could take a picture of himself like this, but he didn't want to be such a bad man. He was close to cumming, close to emptying down your throat and even though he wanted to see you swallow him — or cumming on your face, he couldn't wait, he wanted to hear you moan for him.

He used all the strength he had, placing you on the desk, laughing when he saw the photograph fall to the floor, his wedding photo shattered, and he didn't even care, stepping on the broken frame, crushing the happy image of his wedding, separating at your legs, taking off your panties, he almost salivated at the sight of your wet pussy, at the sight of how wet you were for him, patting your clit and just laughing when you moaned.

He wanted to make fun of you, laugh a little, but he just wanted to feel your pussy around him, smell your sweet and soft scent, he leaned over, not caring about his spine curved in a bad position, as he started rubbing your clit. with a circle of his tongue — like a kitten testing the water, and when it tastes sweet, damn, he can't help but growl, opening your legs even wider, using his own weight and arms to open you up. "Fuck, I can live under your legs. That wet pussy."

He purred as he went back to sucking you, playing with your clit, drinking in all your excitement, trying his best to make you wet, patting you to see how wet you were, spreading your legs, separating your legs, putting you on top of the shoulders. Damn, all those moans you let out as he attacked your pussy, moaning as if you had never received quality oral sex, if he was your boyfriend he would never leave your legs, he would leave with you hanging on his shoulders, lifting the head just to speak politely to people.

Noticing his wet mouth, feeling your scent stuck right under his nose, as you arched over the table, feet shaking, crushing your hands against his hair, you were close to pulling his hair, messing up his hairstyle, those straw hair stuck between your fists, you were close to cumming, close to messing up everything around you, moaning loudly, squirming.

As you arched your back, rising and leaning, you wanted to close your legs, but Simon couldn't help but fight you, using his arms as a kind of screwdriver to let you open. Tapping hard on your clit while rubbing two fingers against your entrance, making you take his fingers, feeling your cum soak his fingers, feeling how you were crushing his fingers. "Fuck, Simon!"

When he lifted himself up, you couldn't help but see his forehead covered in sweat, his lips stained with your juices, he couldn't help but smile at how confused you were, how high you were from your orgasm, as he pulled you in for more. close, he needed to stick it inside you before he came, the taste of your pussy, the taste against his tongue. Fuck, he was dripping like a beast, his dick so hard and throbbing he might have blue balls if he didn't come, when you pulled him closer, wrapping your legs around his hips, you were a demon, and he should have known from that.

"don't do that to a man baby.. it makes any man greedy." Seeing your eyes, how you were kissing him, how he was crushing his body against you. He felt his cock rubbing against your wet folds, and when you pushed in, he had to bite his lips, his jaw clenched, you were so tight, so wet, so welcoming that it took everything he had not to cum on the first thrust. . "You're a glove inside, as tight as a fucking virgin."

He was rambling, talking out loud, he never felt like this, he never needed to pull his dick out to relieve it, fuck, he didn't want to cum on the first thrust, he didn't want to disappoint you, he didn't know when he would have the chance again and I wanted to enjoy every second. You couldn't help but laugh, noticing how fucked he was, how he had hurt his own lips sinking his teeth in to hold himself back, he kept fucking himself, just pushing his head in and out, moaning as he felt the obscene sounds, the smell of sex in the entire office.

When he crushed his hands around your hips, using one of his arms to keep you from struggling before he fucked you into oblivion, before he fucked you like a beast. Feeling your hands against the back of his neck as you began to move, laughing as he moved in and out of you, seeing you roll your eyes and scratch at his shoulders, scratch at his back, he can feel you shaking against him, You can feel how deep you were, your pussy was wrapping around him so tightly.

You knew you shouldn't be moaning in another man's arms, you shouldn't be letting a man without a condom enter you, fuck, you could feel the cold, golden ring against your skin, throw your head back, feeling the sounds of sex, the creaking table, the obscene sounds your pussy was making as it clenched around him. Feeling him fuck him balls deep inside you, he knew there would be so many bruises, marks that were too difficult to explain to the people who were waiting for you at home, but damn, he didn't care.

The violent rhythm that your bodies intertwined, you were both sinning, you were both getting sick, he loved feeling the texture of your skin, how your pussy clenched around him, and when he buried himself deep inside, the way your eyes rolled back, the air that was trapped in his chest and his head thrown back, his nail scratched him as if his skin was a whiteboard ready to be painted, exposed and displayed as a beautiful work of art.

The heavy breathing, the sounds, the harsh and hot noises, Simon was growling, feeling your pussy to squeeze a huge amount of you, the smell of sex, all the items on the table hitting the floor, Simon didn't care about the mess, with all the papers, the cock buried, in and out the wet and lasives sounds, while the rhythm was so slow, he wanted to hear you moan — to hear you beg for his cock, beg for the mark, for the contour of his cock against your pussy . "Fuck, keep moaning for me, I want to remember how you can be so loving."

He noticed your bright eyes, the way you bit your own lip just to make him angry, and fuck, he started moving so slow, so slow, thrusting all the way in at a deadly pace, letting your clit rub against his His abdomen, just looking down Simon thought he was going to fill you up, the simple sight of almost burying his balls inside you drives him crazy, makes him so animalistic, lost in desire, bathing in lust.

His hips rock almost naturally, the sight of your lubrication gushing against his cock, the obscene sound of your pussy and how your moans sound so loud and needy, it was almost like another impulse to slide his fingers up to your clit, he wanted you Seeing you cum for him, seeing how your eyes rolled back, how your body would tremble against his, god, he was so wild.

Simon feels his charms completely over you, the way your belly twitched, he can feel the way you hugged him even tighter with your legs, almost forbidding him to leave, creating a limitation that made him almost merge. Your body rose from the table, your spine arching, your hair spread across the table, it was like a damn overdose, better than the adrenaline of being on the field. Your eyes were so dilated, your moans were confused, altered, the orgasm made you so needy, the way you looked at Simon, almost like a succubus ready to drain every drop of semen he had.

He knows he should have used the strength of his own body to pull away, to cum on his belly and even his thighs — the guilt was already gone, he didn't even remember his wife's name, Lisa, Lenny or anything, his mind was just I could think about you, your body, your pussy that seemed made for his dick, even the shock against your cervix. "I need you, Simon-"

His eyes were heavy, his hands were squeezing your flesh so tightly, as if he was stopping you from slipping between his fingers, he was so close to filling you, the way his name rolled across your tongue, as if it were a prayer, a song that you were the only singer who gave meaning to the musician. "Fuck, I'm going to fill you up..."

The devilish smile that played on those lips, now you know how Lucifer fell as he tried to dominate and rule heaven, the distorted pleasure before your eyes, the danger, the chance to father his child - the marks of the alliance against your skin If it's so wrong why did it feel so good in your mind?

Instead of pushing him away, yelling at him, telling him he's gone crazy, it was as if he had opened a box with all his darkest desires, fathering a married man's child, destroying a home, you should be ashamed, but all he felt was pleasure, desire, knowing that he was so immersed in this that he was willing to lose everything. Giving up everything he had for years, simply to fill you up.

The way Simon's hips seemed ready to give way, he was like a machine, rough like metal hitting you over and over again, and you were made of porcelain, fragile and struggling not to break, he was hitting you over and over again against your uterus, he was insatiable, it would only stop when it spilled, when all the semen was dripping from your pussy, he didn't even care how red, swollen and baked it would be. He could only think about the feeling, fucking you again, using his own cum as lubricant, imagining how your pussy would still accept him even after he had cum.

Knowing that you weren't letting your loser boyfriend do that, but you were letting him, a man who had his wife's photo on the table, the frame that was now broken — he didn't even know where it had fallen, if he was stepping on it or anything. thing, you pussy was his only focus, your body against his. The simple thought made him come, the firm, thick jets being spurted inside you, looking at you is seeing your eyes closed, your body trembling, he filled your pussy, and instead of pushing him away, you moaned, leaving another man marks you, another man kisses you, another man tastes and delights in your body.

Simon didn't want to leave, even though he heard the sound in the hallway, knowing that at any moment someone could open the door, but he didn't care about the danger, the suspension they would both receive, or the gossip spreading through the hallways. He just smiled, your breaths mixing, you didn't move a single centimeter, you knew your legs would give way - but you still did your best to lean over and sit down, the semen running down your leg, dirtying the carpet.

He was a knight, taking your panties that he had stolen minutes ago, cleaning your pussy, just rubbing the leaked semen and smiling as he smiled. "Never handled a big dick? If you want, I can walk you to your room."

"Don't feel cocky, you looked like a drooling dog tasting pussy for the first time" He couldn't help but laugh as he leaned in, giving you a soft kiss on your lips. "Unlike you, I assume my sins"

You gave him a light push, and he just smiled. "We are two sinners, the difference is that you will convince yourself that you have not sinned, and I-" he showed you semen-stained panties. "I like to remember my sins."

©thingsnia is the author and owner of the content, do not translate or post on another platform.

[catscidr]

Can you make a scenario with obedient reader who is getting experimented on by Dottore please ☺️

nonnie i started writing this at 1 in the morning yesterday because i couldn't stop thinking about it and i may or may not have gone over my self imposed word limit. however....... hot doctor. so. hope u enjoy because ik i sure as hell did ⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝ cw: dottore being just a biiit creepy, slightly suggestive (?), normal tension + sexual tension asgnfns includes: fem!reader, dottore wc: 1,9k

“Stick your tongue out.” 

Dottore places his gloved thumb on your tongue, knocking you out of your daze.  

As per your routine, the doctor performs a quick, partial check-up to assess your physical state before diving right into his scheduled experiments. What he had planned you never knew; such was the joy of being one of the second Harbinger’s playthings. 

He gazes into your mouth with an almost bored expression as he looks for anything out of the ordinary. Being so close to his face, you could feel the warmth of his breath tickling your cheeks and the sharp point of his mask just barely grazing your jaw. When finally satisfied, Dottore mumbles something about nothing that’ll skew the test results and pulls his hand back, wiping your saliva off on his coat. You shut your jaw and look at him expectantly, waiting. 

He turns his back to you and rummages through a drawer, taking out an assortment of what appears to be wires coming out of a small rectangular box with even more wires sticking out of that. You glance at the machine and then back up at Dottore, a question burning on your tongue that he answers before you get the chance to voice it out loud. 

“This right here,” he sets the machine down on the table and plugs some cables into his laptop, “is a polygraph. Do you know what it is?” he asks with the ghost of a smile, hands buried in his pristine lab coat. You nod silently. 

“A lie detector,” the doctor says, disregarding your answer. He takes out a vial from his pockets and brings it up to the fluorescent lights on the ceiling, observing how the liquid shone at the right angle. Letting his arm fall to his side, he takes a few steps around the table and towards the chair you’re sitting in, bending down to your height. 

“Do you know what this is?” 

He brings his hand up to show you the vial in question. A purple, slightly translucent solution that came halfway up the thin glass, shut tightly with the help of a small cork seal. You already knew what you had to do with it, but not what the liquid itself did. Slowly, you shake your head and tear your gaze away from the liquid, looking back up at the man in front of you. His expression doesn’t change for a second, observing your own carefully. 

“Simply put, it’s a truth serum. Anyone that drinks this will find that they will be rendered unable to lie. Of course, the serum itself is still being tested, which is precisely why you’re here,” he says, his smile growing just slightly. You part your lips, hesitant to speak. 

“So, you... want me to drink the potion and then take a lie detector test to verify whether it worked or not?” you ask with a small glimmer of hope in your eyes. The doctor nods curtly, his expression unwavering. You internalize a sigh; looks like you lucked out today and won’t have to endure any physical torture this time around. 

“Now drink,” he says, emphasizing the order by taking out the cork top with a quiet pop, bringing the vial up to your lips. Your hand reaches up to grab the glass but right as you reach it, Dottore uses his free hand to swat your hand away. You tear your gaze away from the serum and look up at the doctor- his expression flat, lips devoid of the small smile that was previously on his face. He pushes the vial closer to you, the edge of the tube pressing against the plush of your lips, forcing you to tilt your head back ever so slightly. 

“Drink,” he repeats, his deep voice rumbling your nerves. 

You part your lips and tilt your head back even more, allowing the Harbinger the space to push the vial past your lips. Your throat bobbed as soon as the serum made its way down, Dottore’s stare unwavering from your face. The purple serum slid down smoothly; the lack of any discernable taste only being slightly unnerving, all things considered. 

Dottore stares at you long enough for you to start becoming nervous by his presence. However, as soon as your pulse quickens, he leans back and puts an acceptable distance between the two of you as he puts away the, now empty, vial back in his coat pocket. 

“How do you feel?” 

That makes you pause. How did you feel? Nervous, anxious? Awkward, even? The answer was an obvious all of the above. However, this was in response to Dottore’s unusual closeness, not in result of the serum changing your body in any way, shape or form. In fact, you didn’t really feel anything other than your heart racing in your ribcage. You felt strangely normal, which only fueled the slight agitation boiling in the pit of your stomach; feeling anything less than discomfort when subjected to Dottore’s experiments was nothing short of unusual. But, knowing he couldn’t care less for an answer that doesn't regard the effects of the serum, you keep your thoughts to yourself. 

“I feel fine,” you say as normally as you could. Dottore narrows his eyes, observing your behavior with interest, but doesn’t push further. 

He directs his attention back to the polygraph on the table, wires hanging loosely off the side of the surface. Grabbing the four cables, he peels off the protective film off from the sticky sides and sticks two cables on your temples and one on your wrist. Holding the last cable, he looks down at you with an unreadable expression. 

“Tilt your head back for me,” he says quietly, voice unassuming. 

You do as he says and, as soon as your throat is revealed, Dottore plunges his hand into your shirt. He sticks the last cable to the top of your left breast, fingers grazing the plush skin for a moment before he retracts his hand and rounds the corner of the table. Your heart pounds in your ribcage, your poor, weak mind reeling at how physical he seemed to be getting despite the psychological nature of the experiment. He makes no further comment as he opens his laptop and does whatever it is he needs to do in order to start the test. 

“Keep staring at the wall. I’m going to be asking you a series of questions. You are to answer with the first thing that comes to your mind, in the most natural way possible. Understood?” Dottore says rigidly. You nod quickly, replying with a quiet yes, sir. 

“Then let’s begin. What is your name?” he asks, leaning his chin into his palm. 

You tell him your name which, obviously, doesn’t make the lie detector go off. He nods and continues, asking questions that range from “where are you from”, “when is your birthday” and “how tall are you”. 

However, the more he speaks, the more his questions become increasingly... risky to answer. 

“What do you think of my experiments?” 

Holding your tongue, you mull it over for a moment. Even though you knew that no matter what you intended to say wouldn’t matter, that you’d just tell the truth no matter what, you wanted to think carefully either way. After a moment you part your lips, still staring at the wall like he instructed at the start, and speak. 

“Sometimes they can be painful, but I know you’re doing what’s best for me and... everyone else.” You felt the way your hands clammed up from sweat, the plastic chair becoming increasingly uncomfortable for you to sit in without shifting your weight. Dottore looks at the screen of his laptop and grins, his gaze finding your tense figure once again. 

“What do you think of me?” he asks, and even though you can’t see his expression, you could hear the smirk in his voice. 

You respond without allowing yourself to stress over what your truth is. 

“I think you have a strong work ethic, and I... admire you for it.” 

His lips stretch into a wide, uncharacteristic smile. Dottore stays quiet, stalling for the next question to let you simmer with what you just said. He shifts his position on the table, leaning forward over the computer with both hands clasped in front of him. 

“And what do you think of me, not as a Harbinger but as a simple, regular man?” he asks coyly, his mask hiding the way his crimson eyes pierced a path into your side profile. 

“That you’re attractive,” you blurt out, head tilting to the side away from him to hide the way your cheeks immediately warmed up. The doctor scoffs, amused by the sheepish display merely a few feet in front of him. 

“Hm. Good,” he hums to himself, straightening his back to lean into the chair he sat on. “Look at me,” he orders firmly. 

Not even giving yourself the time to process his words, you automatically turn your head to look at your captor. The sight of his pleased, seemingly innocent smile made your heart flutter. He grabs the side of his laptop and turns it around so you can look at the... blank screen?  

Before you can question what exactly it is you were looking at, Dottore speaks up. 

“I wasn’t tracking your answers. I lied to you. What did you say you felt after drinking the serum?” he asks with a tilt of his head, amusement clear on his face. You freeze, brows raising ever so slightly as the cogs turn in your head. 

“Nothing...?” you murmur quietly, slowly understanding what he meant. 

“Nothing, because you just drank water. With a dash of food coloring, sure, but water nonetheless.” 

“Ah.” 

Looking at his intricate mask then back down at the blank laptop screen, you felt yourself become increasingly embarrassed the longer the silence between you two stretched out. Dottore chuckles heartily, the sound revibrating in the small room as he stood up to loom over your figure. 

“Technically, you could still call this an experiment. What if you did lie? There’s a possibility you did since nothing forced you to tell the truth. However, I know you wouldn’t.” 

He leans down to your height, a gloved hand coming up to tilt your head back, holding your chin with his thumb and forefinger. 

“You’re always so good to me, you know. So obedient, compliant and malleable,” he sighs, a soft and eerie smile on his face. “My favorite test subject,” he whispers. 

Glued in place, you do nothing aside from staring up at him with wide doe eyes, your cheeks flushed as a result from the attention he gave you. 

“What a good girl you are,” he mumbles to himself, but still loud enough that you can hear. The doctor was so close that you could just barely feel the warmth of his body against you aside from his hand holding you still, his lips ghosting over your own. 

With a chuckle, Dottore straightens his back and looks down at you with a knowing smirk, acutely aware of the effect he had on you. He hums, faking being lost in his thoughts, conscious that you sat there, waiting, silently begging for more. 

“How about a reward, then?” he suggests in a low voice. “Prove yourself to me, prove that you spoke nothing but the truth, and I’ll reward you handsomely.” Dottore tilts his head in a way that can only be described as condescending, smiling at your bashfulness. Slowly, he takes off the wire stuck to your body, his hand lingering beneath your shirt, over the cable stuck to your chest. 

“I’m sure you’d enjoy that, my pretty test subject.” 

[achtung-attitude]

CHAPTER 78: Lonely Boy - Part 1

Cracks travel up SATURN BARZ’ mask. Around the edge, the material flakes off like extremely dry skin. Dark fluid oozes out. The twisted cords sprouting from its cranium come undone, and the gold rings tied in them drop to the floor. The sounds of cracking bones and tearing muscles emanate over the synchronous groans of pain from the Stand and All-Kill.

Shizuka stares, entranced by this horrific spectacle, as what remains of her friend’s spirit is being corrupted. The man in black hunches over the body of his departed pet wolf.

The ooze leaking from the cracks evaporates into thick black vapor, with licks of green flame sparking from within. The fissures spread across SATURN BARZ, as it shakes violently, until the cracking flesh shatters like marble. Revealing what has formed underneath.

Rectangular bars pierce the sides of its pale torso and around its forearms, blue cobalt locks hang suspended in the air. In the center of its chest, where a heart may have been, is a gaping hole, through which the hallway behind it can be seen. Its head is bald and featureless except for a wide mouth lined with small, lizard-like teeth. Without eyes, it leers at Shizuka and T’onga and hisses. “Shhiiiii-!”

All-Kill gasps for air as he attempts to regain his composure. Glancing behind him, he lays eyes on the hissing Stand at his back. “Oh, I see… so that’s what it’s like…” he mutters before turning towards his foes. “This is a new feeling… I’ve never had as you might call a ‘guardian’ by my side. It’s always been me alone, with BLACK KEYS…”

Turning again to his Stand, he gazes in awe. “That’s it. I think I’ll name it… LONELY BOY.”

Before the name exits his mouth, T’onga is moving. An errant mosquito meanders towards her, and she catches it as she vaults over the kitchen counter. On the far side of the kitchen from All-Kill, she throws open a cupboard and draws out a bottle of whiskey from the rack.

“Shizuka!!!” she shouts, and her daughter snaps out of the trance she’s in. All-Kill hardly notices, still enraptured by his new Stand. 

T’onga unscrews the cap with her teeth, then screws it back on again after tossing the mosquito inside. Then she dashes at All-Kill again, striking the bottle hard against the island counter as she goes. 

In the same instant, HOUSE OF PAIN merges with the bottle and absorbs the damage. Finally, she her makeshift pressure grenade at All-Kill.

“3 seconds for the bug to die…” she thinks, her mind racing, “Bottle full of alcohol… Flammable… Douse him, and light him up somehow… No way to know what the new Stand can do, but maybe he can’t use BLACK KEYS anymore… won’t be able to shut down the flames… An instant is all it takes…! No way am I letting him find out what his new power does…!!”

Out loud, she roars, “DUCK!!” Shizuka dives behind the kitchen counter, followed swiftly by her mother. What happens next takes place within only 3 seconds. 

The bottle, granted weight by the liquid within, arcs through the air. The hapless mosquito inside shakes from the inside out. All-Kill turns his head as it approaches the back of his skull.

LONELY BOY catches it by its neck before it reaches him, but this was expected. All-Kill continues turning. As the bottle enters his periphery, HOUSE OF PAIN dislodges from the bottle and the green glass shatters, tiny droplets of whiskey bursting out from the cracks. An ominous prelude to the glass flying in all directions and covering him in alcohol.

Only this doesn’t happen. Shizuka and T’onga peek out from behind the counter, and T’onga gasps at the sight before her.

[furioustidalwavetyrant]

Women’s Online Dresses: Best Dressed for Every Body Type

Let’s get real — buying dresses online is like jumping into an ocean of never-ending possibilities. A-line, off-shoulder, bodycon, shift, midi, maxi. And it just keeps going. But we have a secret to share with you: there is a dress for you out there, and we’re here to guide you in finding that one special dress.

Whether you’re on the hunt for relaxed fit dresses for women that cling to your body like a glove or that single beautiful off shoulder dress for your night out on the town, this guide is customized (we couldn’t resist the pun!) to take you through Vestido Modas’s top recommendations for every shape, size, and personal style.

Ready to find your fit? Let’s dive in.

First Things First: Know Your Body Type

Before we dive into our dress selections, knowing your body type does make a big difference. Here are the standard types and what they usually look for in a flattering dress:

Apple-shaped (broader midsection): Try on styles that accentuate your bust or legs.

Hourglass (defined waist, balanced top and bottom): Fitted styles such as bodycon are perfect.

Rectangle-shaped (waist, hips, and shoulders are equal): Develop curves with belted or ruffled designs.

Petite (short height): Opt for shorter hems and vertical embellishments.

Now that you know your shape, let’s discuss the types of dresses that suit you best.

1. Weekend Dresses for Women: Style Meets Comfort

Weekend dresses are the wardrobe workhorses for women. They’re simple to style, ultra-versatile, and yes, ridiculously comfortable.

Our Top Picks:

A-Line Cotton Midi Dress:

Perfect for pear-shaped and rectangular bodies. With its gentle flare from the waist, the A-line cut flatters your silhouette while keeping things light and airy. Style it with white sneakers or flat sandals for an easygoing, relaxed look.

Tiered Maxi Dress with Sleeves:

If you’re apple-shaped, this style can be a game-changer. It draws attention to your legs and arms, while the tiers subtly mask the tummy area.

Smocked Waist Floral Dress:

A staple for Saturday brunch or an ocean walk. The cinched waist provides shape to rectangle silhouettes and defines curves naturally.

Style Tip: Throw on a denim jacket or cropped cardigan to turn your casual dress into the colder nighttime.

2. Off-Shoulder Dresses for Women: The Flirty Classic

There’s just something so inescapably cool about off-shoulder dresses. Whether for a day date, vacation selfie, or girls’ night out — this shape never goes out of style.

Who Can Pull It Off?

The best thing about off-shoulder dresses is that they look good on almost everybody. They highlight your collarbones and shoulders, bringing effortless elegance to any look.

Try These:

Off Shoulder Ruffle Mini Dress:

Perfect for hourglass and petite women. The ruffles create a fuller silhouette above, but in all fairness, it does look quite nice on many body types.

Off Shoulder Maxi Dress with Slit:

Ideal for taller or apple-shaped women, the slit maximizes the wow factor, while the floor-length design lengthens the body.

Style Tip: Ankle-strap heels and statement earrings are the perfect pair to create a no-fail look for both dress and casual events.

3. Bodycon Dresses: Bold, Confident & Beautiful

Assume bodycon dresses are just for fashion runway models? Not so fast. With the proper fit and material, bodycon dresses can complement all body types by highlighting your natural curves.

Ideal For:

Hourglass, rectangle, and pear figures. The key is choosing a bodycon that hugs your curves, not squeezes them.

Our Picks:

Ribbed Knit Bodycon Dress:

Smooth, stretchy, and easy to forgive. A good choice for low-key dates or relaxed coffee meetups.

One-Shoulder Ruched Bodycon Dress:

A show-stopping option for hourglass figures. The ruching provides contour and flattening, particularly on the tummy zone.

High-Neck Sleeveless Bodycon:

Excellent for rectangle shapes that want to create some curves. Belt up to define a waistline.

Style Tip: Pair with a long shrug or oversized jacket for street-style bravery.

4. Dress Styles by Occasion (Because You Deserve Options)

Still not sure what to pick? Time to match your plans with the perfect dress..

Workwear Vibes

Shirt Dresses

Solid Midi Dresses with Puff Sleeves

Keep it classy with structured silhouettes and minimal prints.

Day Out or Brunch

Floral Wrap Dresses

Smock Dresses

Light, airy, and Instagram-ready.

Date Night

Off Shoulder Bodycon

Slip Dress with a Satin Finish

Add heels and soft curls for an easy glam upgrade.

5. Dressing Tricks for Every Body (Size is Just a Number)

Go up: Vertical prints and buttons make the body look longer.

Belt up: Adding a belt creates an hourglass effect on straight bodies.

Pick your fabrics: Soft knits, cotton blends, and flowy crepes are flattering on most bodies.

Remember, the perfect dress is the one that makes you feel great.

Shop Women’s Dresses Online with Vestido Modas

At Vestido Modas, we think that every woman should have a dress that makes her feel like it was designed just for her. That’s why our collection of women’s dresses online is carefully curated with real women in mind — every size, body type, and style included.

Discover:

Casual Dresses for Women — Lightweight, relaxed, and perpetually wearable.

Off-Shoulder Dresses — Effortlessly chic, universally flattering, and made to turn heads.

Bodycon Dresses — Fearless and stunning just like you.

Pro Tip: Sort by size, occasion, and style on our site so you can discover your new go-to wardrobe piece without the scrolling struggle.

Your Dress, Your Rules

Fashion has to be fun, not overwhelming. Whether you’re a dress-every-day girl or just getting your toe wet with feminine styles, there’s a piece (or three!) waiting for you at Vestido Modas.

And remember, no matter what your shape, size, or personal taste, confidence is the best thing you can wear.

[handimadeproduts]

Resin Trays: A Complete Guide

Introduction

Resin art has taken the world by storm, offering endless possibilities for creativity and customization. Among the various resin art products, resin trays stand out for their functionality and aesthetic appeal. Whether you're looking to create a unique piece for your home or exploring a new hobby, resin trays provide an exciting avenue to express your creativity.

In this blog, we’ll explore everything you need to know about resin trays and resin art trays—from what they are to how to make them, and why they’ve become a favorite among DIY enthusiasts and artists alike.

What is a Resin Tray?

A Resin Tray is a flat, often rectangular or circular, surface that is coated or filled with epoxy resin. Resin trays are not only practical for serving food, drinks, or holding decorative items, but they also serve as a canvas for intricate art. The glossy finish of the resin gives the tray a luxurious feel, while the customization options allow for a truly unique piece.

Understanding Resin Art Trays

Resin art trays are a specialized form of resin trays where the primary focus is on the artistic element. These trays are often decorated with various materials such as pigments, alcohol inks, glitter, dried flowers, or even small trinkets. The resin seals these elements, creating a durable and stunning piece of art that is also functional.

Materials Needed for Making a Resin Tray

Before diving into the process of making a resin tray, it’s essential to gather all the necessary materials:

Epoxy Resin: The primary material used to create the tray's surface.

Mold: Available in various shapes and sizes; the mold will determine the tray's form.

Mixing Cups and Sticks: For measuring and mixing the resin and hardener.

Protective Gear: Gloves, mask, and apron to protect yourself from the resin.

Pigments and Dyes: To add color to the resin.

Decorative Elements: Such as glitter, gold flakes, or dried flowers.

Heat Gun: To remove bubbles from the resin.

Level Surface: Ensure your tray cures on a flat, level surface to avoid unevenness.

Step-by-Step Guide to Making a Resin Art Tray

Prepare Your Workspace: Lay down protective sheets and ensure your workspace is well-ventilated. Gather all your materials before starting.

Mix the Resin and Hardener: Follow the instructions on your resin kit. Typically, this involves mixing equal parts of resin and hardener in a mixing cup. Stir slowly to avoid creating bubbles.

Add Pigments or Dyes: Once your resin is mixed, add pigments or dyes to create your desired color. You can also divide the resin into multiple cups to create different colors for a more intricate design.

Pour the Resin into the Mold: Slowly pour the resin into your mold. If you’re using multiple colors, you can create swirls, patterns, or even a marble effect by pouring the different colors in strategic areas.

Add Decorative Elements: Place any decorative items like gold flakes, glitter, or dried flowers into the resin. You can use a stick to position them exactly where you want.

Remove Air Bubbles: Use a heat gun or torch to eliminate any air bubbles that may have formed on the surface of the resin.

Allow the Resin to Cure: Place the mold on a flat, level surface and let it cure according to the manufacturer’s instructions. This can take anywhere from 24 to 48 hours.

Demold the Tray: Once the resin is fully cured, carefully remove it from the mold. If the edges are sharp, you can sand them down for a smooth finish.

Optional: Add Handles: For added functionality, consider attaching handles to your tray. Use a strong adhesive suitable for resin.

Why Choose Resin Trays?

Resin trays are not just another decorative item; they are a blend of functionality and art. Here’s why resin trays have become increasingly popular:

Customizable: Resin trays can be personalized to match your home decor or serve as a unique gift.

Durability: The hardened resin creates a sturdy and long-lasting product.

Versatility: Use them as serving trays, decorative pieces, or even as vanity trays for your accessories.

Aesthetic Appeal: The glossy, glass-like finish adds a touch of luxury to any space.

Resin Tray Design Ideas

If you’re looking for inspiration, here are some popular resin tray designs:

Geode-Inspired Trays: Mimic the natural beauty of geodes by using pigments and glitter to create a crystalline effect.

Ocean-Themed Trays: Use blue pigments, white resin, and sand to create a beach-inspired tray.

Floral Trays: Incorporate dried flowers into the resin for a delicate and feminine touch.

Metallic Accents: Add gold or silver leaf to create a luxurious, metallic sheen.

Caring for Your Resin Art Tray

To ensure your resin tray remains in pristine condition, follow these care tips:

Avoid Direct Heat: Resin can soften under high temperatures, so avoid placing hot items directly on the tray.

Clean with Care: Use a soft cloth and mild soap to clean the tray. Avoid abrasive cleaners that could scratch the surface.

Store Properly: When not in use, store your tray in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight to prevent yellowing.

Conclusion

Resin trays and resin art trays offer a fantastic way to combine creativity with functionality. Whether you’re a seasoned artist or a beginner looking for a new hobby, making resin trays can be a fulfilling and enjoyable experience. With the right materials, a bit of patience, and a dash of creativity, you can create stunning trays that are sure to impress.

[lynns-bonkle-blog]

Bionicle mask-mouth headcanons (based on @systemsearcher's post about grille-mouths) that I will probably draw at some point. Also these are only officially-produced mask-designs, so the Inika masks are based on the hypothetical of inorganic versions using the same designs, and the Mahri masks assume that that's just what they look like.

(note: "screen-mouth", in the context of this post, refers to the mouths that the movies' interpretations of masks like the Kaukau and Noble Ruru have; "separate lower-jaw" refers to how characters like Jaller's mouths work.)

Hau: oval-shaped screen-mouth. Nuva has a flexible mouth. Swamp-adapted has a curved screen-mouth. Champion form and Noble are the same as their movie designs.

Kaukau: normal and Nuva have screen-mouths. Swamp-adapted doesn't have any form of mouth.

Pakari: tapering, rounded screen-mouth, with the cheek-vents working like sound-visualisers. Nuva has a flexible mouth. Swamp-adapted has a screen-mouth where the small, rectangular "mouth" is on the actual piece.

Miru: cheek-holes contain waveform-displaying screens. Nuva has a metallic parrot-like "beak". Sky- and vehicle-adapted and Noble have a rectangular screen-mouths.

Kakama: normal and Nuva are literally the same as the movie designs. Sky- and vehicle-adapted have a circular screen-mouth.

Akaku: normal, Noble and Nuva have circular screen-mouths. Sky-adapted has a respirator-like filter instead of a mouth, with the vents flashing the wearer's eye-colour, synchronised with their speech.

Huna: great has a respirator-like mouth-grille. Noble has multiple screen-mouths along the length of the "trunk".

Rau: semicircular screen-mouth. Noble has a circular screen-mouth.

Ruru: great and noble have circular screen-mouths.

Mahiki: three tall sound-visualisers. Noble has a rectangular screen-mouth.

Komau: same as the move design. Noble has a separate lower-jaw.

Matatu: screen-mouth, split between the three mouth-bars. Noble has a trapezoidal screen-mouth.

Every Inika mask except the Iden: separate lower-jaw.

Iden: circular mouth-protrusions pulse with the wearer's speech.

Every Mahri mask: literally just their set-designs, since they're meant to resemble diving gear. The gaps in the Volitak's "filter" are, you guessed it, a screen-mouth.

Every '08 Makuta mask: all have mouths that work how you'd expect from the designs. This also applies to their Noble counterparts.

Kualsi: no mouth.

Avohkii: essentially the same as the Pakari (visualiser-cheeks, screen-mouth) but with a different mouth-shape.

Kraahkan: vertical has a sharp-toothed mouth with a separate lower-jaw, horizontal has a hinged reptillian mouth.

Rode: separate lower-jaw.

Olmak: no mouth.

Olisi: flexible lower-jaw, which only moves on the left side.

Psychometry: screen-mouth. Tubes pulse with the wearer's speech.

Possibilities: separate lower-jaw.

Elemental Energy: no mouth.

Scavenging: separate lower-jaw with a jagged top.

Creation: separate lower-jaw.

[lizartgurl]

The doors opened without fanfare, though with the loud creaking noises they made, fanfare was unnecessary. Anakin held his wife's hand tightly as they crossed the threshold. The door shut ominously behind them, dousing the musty halls in darkness.

His breath shook as the familiar stench of Gamorreans and sentient waste penetrated his nose. Had it really been twenty years since he was last here? He had dreamed of never setting foot in here again.

He had been furious when Artoo alerted him of what the twins had gotten themselves into. He knew they were determined to rescue Solo, but did they have to dive in headfirst without a plan?

Padme had just smiled at him on the flight to his homeplanet.

"They take after you, you know."

He had taken a while to really understand what that meant.

Padme adjusted her scarf to cover her face and mask the smell, and Anakin spied the first set of guards. The thick-headed gamorreans flashed their vibro-axes at the intruders, and with a wave of Anakin's hand, they were choking on air.

"Where are my children?" He demanded, though it was unlikely they would answer. He didn't care. His children were in danger, and he was going to rescue them at whatever cost.

"E chu ta!" Huttese echoed down the hall, and Padme drew her blaster at Bib Fortuna. Twenty years and she was still the fastest draw in the galaxy.

"Take us to Jabba. now." She demanded. When Anakin looked at her he could almost hear her voice echo through the Senate Rotunda, carrying every bit of queenly grandeur as she had when he first met her.

The pale twi'lek took a moment to think it over, his lek twitching nervously.

"To tak to Jabba now." He nodded, and quickly turned heel back to the throne room.

Padme glanced at Anakin, but she didn't sheathe her blaster. Anakin squeezed her hand, and they followed Fortuna deeper into Jabba's Citadel. sometimes, aggressive negotiations were just as effective as a Jedi mind trick or two.

Fortuna had them wait in the center of the throne room, amidst the piles of barely-concious bodies too hungover for the good of their waste-processing organs. Fortuna tapped his master on the shoulder quite vigorously, and once Anakin pulled his hood down did Threepio recognize him, standing beside the giant slug like a shiny golden trophy.

"At last! Master Ani's come to rescue me! And Mistress Padme!"

Jabba growled at Fortuna's decision to wake him, and took a moment for his vision to adjust as the rest of his entourage began to stir.

"Greetings, mighty Jabba." Padme started with tension in her throat. They had agreed that she would do the negotiating. Anakin harbored far too many emotions for things to go smoothly.

"I am Padme Amidala of Naboo. This is my husband, General Anakin Skywalker." Gasps echoed through the room. Anakin had no small reputation, and certainly a Hutt's memory wasn't so short that his goons had all forgotten the Jedi who rescued Jabba's son.

Padme continued, though Jabba could hardly process what she was saying through his hangover.

"We will be taking Captain Solo and his friends. I warn you not to interfere." She held her head high.

Jabba chuckled, and spoke in a long string of huttese. Padme had to wait for Threepio's translation, but Anakin understood it perfectly, and it fanned the flame of white-hot anger in his stomach.

Threepio tittered nervously, caught between two masters. "The Mighty Jabba reminds you that you are Senator of a Republic that fell twenty-two standard revolutions ago. Your threats hold no weight here."

Anakin's mechanical hand twitched towards the saber at his belt, but Padme caught his hand with hers.

"Be that as it may, we have powerful allies even now. Do you truly think you can keep the children of General Skywalker contained in your meager dungeon?"

Jabba laughed, encouraging his menagerie to do the same. "a Jedi without his sword is useless," He waved his hand to the wall. A rectangular alcove was carved where Anakin assumed Han hung while frozen in carbonite, and now, displayed in the spotlight, were his children's lightsabers.

They had scavenged and saved and bled for his children to have the parts that they needed to make those; he had been so proud of the day Leia finally beat him in combat (Luke had distracted him, but still). For Jabba to have such weapons in his possession was like owning a piece of their soul and putting it on display.

Anakin shook his head to keep from vomitting all over Jabba's throne. He normally wouldn't much care, but he needed his wits about him to be able to save his children.

Padme nodded, and Anakin ignited his saber. The blue glow sent screams rippling through the room as he leveled it at one of Jabba's many chins.

And just like that, the wall of the throne room caved in. The two lightsabers flew across the room as a hand shot out of the dust cloud to retrieve it.

"I tried to warn you, Jabba," twin blades of blue and green sprung to life alongside Anakin's as the twins of Skywalker made themselves known.

"You should have bargained."

[constancelaufeydottir]

Help me, help you

Pairing: Bucky x reader

Word count: 3.1k

Warnings: Attempted suicide, mentions of mental illness and eating disorders, angst, fluff(?)

Summary: You seek help from the stranger who saved you the night you sought for an escape, maybe you weren’t the only one who needs saving.

A/N: This is my first ever fic here! I’ve never written anything before and I’m really anxious to put this out here, please bear with me if I make any grammatical mistakes and let me know what you think!

You probably shouldn’t be doing this. They said you’d disappoint your family and people around you would be sad. But the water, it’s tempting. A dive, and your problems would be gone.

To be honest, you don’t think you family cares at all. They’ve got bigger things to worry about, you sister’s engagement, your brother’s enrolment in college. After all, you were the unwanted kid, an accident. The only time you caught your parents’ attention was when you butchered your job interview. You had prepared thoroughly but a stomach bug ruined it all and your parents blamed you for it, saying they always knew you were a failure, a disgrace to the family.

They didn’t even ask where you were going tonight. They never cared unless you had big achievements in your life or maybe when your failure was too huge for them to ignore.

The sloshing of the water is luring you to jump into it. The deep dark waters inviting you to join the others who had succeeded before you. You moved your feet a little towards the edge of the railings, embracing the chilling midnight wind as you closed your eyes. This is the end, you thought, your foot dangling over the railings ready to plummet into the river.

You felt an arm circling your waist and pulling you backwards until your back hit the ground, a palm caging the back of your head, preventing it from hitting the hard ground.

“Ma’am, are you alright?” You heard a deep voice coming from the right side of your body, hands were on your shoulders gently shaking. You blinked a few times, the blinding lights made you wince as you closed your eyes again with your hand shielding them.

The man who saved you helped you sat up, kneeling beside you to ensure your safety. You took time to have a close look at the good Samaritan. His hair was long, stopping a little lower down his ears. Eyes was the colour of the ocean, almost enticing as the water. His chin adorned with a scruffy beard, lips curving in a small smile. If it weren’t for your bad mood right now, you would have joked that he looked like a modern version of Jesus.

“Why?” You whispered, so quietly if not for his enhance hearing, the man wouldn’t have heard you. “Why did you save me?” You cried out, hands trembling as they grasped the collar of his bomber jacket. Your teary face surprised him and your sniffles made his heart tightened.

“I- I can’t let you die!” He exclaimed. The tears in your eyes spilled out again as you collapsed into the stranger’s chest, crying your heart out. He felt the vulnerability in your voice and hugged you tighter, palms meeting behind you and patted your back to comfort you.

You didn’t know how long you sat there crying in the man’s arms. Your tears soaked the dark red Henley underneath his jacket, causing it to stick onto his firm chest but he did not utter a single word, instead opting to calm you down.

You had no idea how you got home, except for the fact that you vaguely recalled ending up in the arms of a certain stranger, the rest was a blur.

You woke up on the couch the next morning, your phone alarm blaring. The hard rectangular metal was digging the soft flesh of your butt and you groggily dig it out of your back pocket turning the alarm off.

There was a sweet smell of pancake wafted from the kitchen and you sniffed at the smell, face scrunching when you didn’t remember having someone over. The thought of someone unfamiliar inviting themselves into your house alarmed you and your hastily got up from the couch, a pillow in your hand as you inched slowly towards the kitchen. Peeking your head around the corner, you found a tall and broad figure in the space, hands fumbling around with something. You couldn’t see clearly who that was, your glasses were in your bedroom the last time your saw it.

You knew the stranger in your house could never be your brother because one, he was an asshole who gave no fucks about his sister’s life and two, your both hated each other’s guts. Your breath quickened as the intruder suddenly turned his head towards your direction. You yelped as you threw the pillow at him, or the general direction where he was standing.

Of course, you missed the target when he walked towards you. “Shit, I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die.” You shut your eyes as you heard his footsteps getting closer and closer to you.

“Hey, you’re awake!” You squinted at the man, trying to make out the features of his blurry face. He looked oddly like the guy who saved you on the bridge last night. He moved closer to you when he realized you couldn’t see him clearly. Your eyes widen at the sudden close proximity, your lips were slightly parted. You could feel his breath against your face, his long lashes and that steel blue eyes.

“Y-you!” Instantly, you were conscious of your own appearance, your eyes must have been puffy from last night’s non-stop crying. There were probably still dried tears on your face. Adverting your gaze from his, you looked to the side as you slid out of the slightly awkward situation. Walking towards the counter, you pulled out a wet tissue and wiped your stiff face with it then retrieving the cold spoons you kept in the freezer.

He laughed when you put the spoons on your eyes, you sighed at the cool sensation soothing the puffiness of your eyelids. “Don’t laugh. It’s effective,” you glared at him.

“Alright, alright.” He threw his hands up. “I’m Bucky,” his hand extended outward, waiting for you to shake it. “Y/N.” He smiled, eyes crinkled as you reciprocate the gesture.

He cooked you breakfast, although it was a simple one, you were still grateful.

“Thank you for last night,” you gave him a genuine smile as he was seated across you on the dining table, stuffing his mouth with the pancakes. “It’s nice to see that someone cares.” This time you smile didn’t quite reach your eyes and he caught it.

Grabbing your hand across the table, he looked at you in the eyes with sincerity. “It’s the least I could do.” Taking a deep breath, cautiously he spoke up. “Y/N, I know it’s not my place to say this but seek for professional help if you aren’t feeling fine. Maybe just talk to someone or … go see a therapist.”

“Are you insinuating that I have depression?” You scoffed. Your eyebrows furrowed in annoyance as you snatched your hand from his grasp and crossed your arms in front of your chest defensively.

Depression? No, you couldn’t have had depression. It’s a sign of weakness, you father said. Depression is just a fancy term to describe one’s laziness, that’s what your mother told you.

“I’m not insinuating anyt-”

“Get out,” you interrupted, “get out of my house!” Enraged, you pointed towards the door while snapping at him. How dare he, a stranger suggested that there was something wrong with you.

Sighing, Bucky gave you a taut smile while nodding then placed a piece of paper on the coffee table on his way out. “Here’s my number in case you needed any help.” He paced towards the door opening it, giving you a last glance before leaving.

It’s been weeks now since you yelled at Bucky to get out of your house. You felt bad and deep down there you knew he was right, but the stigma surrounding mental illnesses was extremely terrifying to you. Not to mention what will happen if your family found out. You were a major disappointment in your household already and you definitely wouldn’t want to add a mental illness into the mix.

You were sitting in your office, typing on the keyboard furiously. Honestly you didn’t know why you were still here. This job sucks, even though the salary was high and you’d just been promoted to manager of the department. Chewing on your nails and bouncing your legs under the desk, you felt the need to just leave everything and go home.

The drive home was painful, you simply had no energy to do so but you still had to go home, your only safe place. Taking off your shoes, changing out your clothes, you lied on the bed. Your stomach grumbled, protesting at the lack of food in your system but you just couldn’t get yourself off the bed to make something for yourself. Your mind travelled back to the day you were on that bridge. You didn’t actually seek for death, all you sought for was an escape. An escape from reality, from your parents, from the constant judgements of people surrounding you.

As you closed your eyes, you wished that tomorrow never comes.

Another day, another disappointment. You were still alive, and the world seemed a wee bit duller than before. Skipping breakfast, you went to work as usual, plastering the faux smile on your face which everybody seemed to liked and expected from you. In this workplace, everybody’s gotta put on a façade and that included you but you dreaded the day where there would be a crack in your mask. Until then, you just had to work harder to reinforce it because according to your parents, nobody would want to see the real you, it was unpleasant … and ugly.

“I gotta say. Miss Y/L/N, you are spectacular. Being one of the Y/L/N, I bet it was a lot of pressure but you have done such amazing job, I think your parents would be so proud of you.” A client who was a family friend was seated across you, a wide grin on her face as her face crinkled rambling about how lucky you were being born into a family filled with successful people.

You smiled and thank her for her compliments, cutting the steak your ordered into bite-size pieces. Poking into one of the pieces with your fork, you lifted it up to your lips. Taking a deep breath, you put it into your mouth and instantly you felt like you were about to throw up. Fighting the urge to spit it out, you endured the taste of the meat as you bite at it mechanically. Looking down at your plate of steak, you no longer feel the appetite to consume any more of it.

Everyday you woke up, you wondered how long would it be until the colours faded into grey. Perhaps it was the only thing keeping you alive right now, counting the days until the beautiful hue of the sunsets no longer amazes you; the sight of puppies doesn’t excite you; the thought of having ice cream whenever you can no longer sounds appealing to you.

You should get some help, you really should. Your body was deteriorating, you could feel it. You weren’t in denial anymore; you knew there was something gravely wrong about you. Your body couldn’t afford being in denial. The loss of radiance in your face, the hair and weight loss and most importantly, you couldn’t put on a façade anymore.

Bucky rushed towards your apartment when you called, he could hear how shaky your voice was. He was extremely worried the past weeks even though he had only met you once. Maybe it was because he was in that dark place before and was able to relate or maybe he took a liking to you. He found himself constantly wondering whether you were well and how long would it take for your stubborn ass to call him.

He arrived at your place as fast as he could, probably drove past a few red lights but he couldn’t care less. He was more worried about you that the fine he would have to pay.

Bucky stormed past the hallway, straight to your unit and knocked on the door when he couldn’t open it. He received no response from you and his mind immediately went straight to the negative thoughts. His heart raced as he banged on the door, shouting your name several times.

He was about to break his way into your apartment when he saw the door opened slightly, your tired eyes meeting his concerned ones. He made his way into the space and immediately got the wind knocked out of him when you hurled yourself into his chest.

“Imsorryimsorryimsorry.” You kept chanting your apologies as you broke down in his embrace. You felt as if you were floating in the middle of the ocean succumbing into nothingness and he was the anchor, helping you to stay in one place. He was a mere stranger to you yet he witnessed every vulnerable side of you, if only your family could share the same level of concern as he did.

“Shh, shh. I’m here now,” he guided both of you to the couch with you still tightly in his arms, smoothing a palm on your back gently patting you. You hiccupped, eyes teary while you tried to calm yourself down. The tears however would not co-operate, it was like a broken faucet and no matter what you try it wouldn’t fix itself. “I’m really sorry for lashing out last time.”

He didn’t say anything, only wiped your tears with the sleeve of his sweater instead. Maybe it was the fatigue of crying too much or the absence of food in your body, you drifted into sleep in his arms while he hummed songs to you.

You woke up in the middle of the night when you heard the heavy breaths of the man. Half awake, you blindly reach out for your glasses on the night stand, vision clearer as you saw the door to your bedroom was wide opened. Getting on your feet, you moved towards the source of the noises carefully and realized it came from Bucky who was now thrashing on the couch in your living room.

He was groaning, clutching at his left arm painfully as if it was burned. A sheen of sweat could be seen on his forehead, strays of hair sticking onto the sides of his face. The front of his wife beater clung onto his chest soaked by perspiration. His groans soon turned into agonizing screams as he tossed and turned on your couch. You noticed webs of burn scars littering the expanse of his left shoulder to his arm and felt your heart tightened at the sight of it.

You hastily knelt in front of the couch, hand gripping on his shoulder and his face. “Bucky! Bucky!” His eyes shot open at your voice, flinching at the sight of you. Hands balled into fists in front of his chest, he was ready to take on any attack coming at his way. He visibly relaxed when he broke out of the haze, pushing his hair back with his hand with a bashful look on his face.

His muscles tensed when your hand reached out to his shoulder, but then slackened when you pulled him into a hug. His head fell onto your shoulder as you patted on his back like how he did for you just a few hours ago, ignoring the sweat gliding down his skin.

It must have been hours; the two of you sitting there in an embrace on your couch, not wanting to let each other go after what you both have been through. No one spoke a word and there was only silence in the large apartment of yours. The faint ray of sunlight peeked through the blinds, gleaming into your apartment reminding you to start the day.

He was the one who broke the hug, an awkward silence now surrounding the both of you. “Thank you … for helping me, even though I was supposed to be the one helping you,” his voice was raspy from the groans and moans. “It’s … uh nothing,” you shrugged, dragging your worn body to make some hot chocolate for him even though your body was screaming for you to lay in the bed, rotting your day away.

Your hands trembled as you passed him the mug. “Where’s yours?” Your head tilted at his question, not quite sure what he was asking about.

“Y/N, how long have you not eaten anything?” You turned your head away, not meeting his determined gaze. You wished he didn’t catch the glint of guilt in your eyes, but you knew he did.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He clenched his jaw at your statement.

“You called me, Y/N. You called me because you need help and I can’t help you if you’re not honest with me.” You gulped at his words. His eyebrows were furrowed and it triggered a fear in you; you didn’t want to disappoint him like you did to your parents.

Your lips quivered a little, eyes darting to the carpet. “I couldn’t find the energy to eat, it’s just too much work. These days it’s either eat or shower. Since I don’t have any appetite anymore, I dedicated all the energy to shower then. But I have a feeling that I might not even have the energy to drag myself to take a shower or even get up in the mornings soon. It’s just so tiring, where do people even get those energy from?”

“Well, we’ll deal with it one step at a time, okay?” Bucky tilted your chin up to make you look him in the eyes. You whispered a meek ‘ok’, suddenly tired at the lack of sleep.

He handed you the now warm hot chocolate, a stern stare on his face. “At least have some fluids in your system, please.” His gaze softened when he saw you gulping at the sight of the warm brown liquid, nose scrunched up in disgust.

He noticed your discomfort and gestured you to wait while he went to your kitchen and rummaged around the drawers only to return with a spoon.

“Baby steps, okay? Just 5 spoons of it then we’re done.” You nodded while he passed the spoon to you.

The whole morning was spent with Bucky in the living room, him giving your warm encouraging smiles whenever you managed to swallow a spoonful of the chocolate drink.

“Go get some sleep,” he gave your knee a few light taps before proceeding to pull you off the couch and guide you back to your room, then went back to the couch himself to get some shut-eye.

Sending a message to your assistant that you would have to take a few days off, you didn’t wait until you get a reply and plopped yourself on the bed, once again drifting into sleep hoping tomorrow would be better than today.

[burningpaths-ffxiv]

FFXIV WRITE 2021 // Prompt #21 Feckless

🛑🛑🛑🛑🛑🛑🛑🛑🛑🛑

Trigger Warning - This prompt includes depictions of violence, bodily injury, blood mentions and references murder and arson.

Read at your own discretion.

One cannot kill other people for a living without igniting certain… types of enemies.

Typically the righteous sort; with flares for revenge or avenging angles.

One cannot avoid these types of people, or their perfectly expected retaliations.

Even bad people have family or loved ones, after all.

‘Bad’ could even be subjective, to some.

To Shear, ‘bad’ simply meant someone might be willing to pay coin to have their ‘bad’ influence removed from their lives. Permanently.

And he would be happy to oblige their desires for the right price.

Late summer sunbeams streamed in through the window, curtains and shutters open, facing the rising sun. In the early morning, giving a stir, tanned bare skin shifted against soft-spun silk sheets with a tired groan as tiny beams of light trailed over his face.

One rosy quartz colored eye blearily peeled open, the gold flecked pupil drawing unfocused across the sun-brightened wooden walls of the room and across the grass woven mats across the floor. The room he’d chosen for himself lay on the second floor, along the east side of the building, located on the sprawling estate of Shirogane where they were staying. The muted colors of the painted walls were broken up by the occasionally specifically placed dark wooden shelves in varying leveled patterns and meticulously - albeit sparsely - decorated.

A single paneled shōji set against the far wall opposite where he lay, leading to the private balcony on the north side of the building and was closed, the latch still locked in place. The small rectangular windows set between them and the ceiling in opaque glass, brightly illuminated and unoccupied by any shadows.

A full-length, double paneled shōji was on the joining wall on its left, also still closed and latched. His ears picked up the trickling of the man-made stream that moved through the grounds, set beside the stone garden just below his balcony, and the faint chirping of distant birds on the other side of the house. The sound of sea waves were close, but still a walk down the long, winding stone steps outside the north gate to the beach.

Blonde head rising off his pillow, the viera pushed his body up to a sitting position on the thickly stuffed and layered futons he’d been sleeping on. Clad only in a pair of black cotton smalls, one palm rubbed sleepily at an eye while the other stretched high above his head. Torso twisting, the opposite of the movements were echoed on the other side.

Scratching at the base of both long blonde ears and easing that scratch along the back of his head through the blonde tangle of his overgrown bob, Shear blinked fully open both mismatched, sunset toned eyes. One the rosy quartz flecked in gold, the other sunlight golden and speckled with deeply hued pinks.

Something felt off but the rousing viera couldn’t quite put his finger on what. The estates had been rented a week prior, Kalona’s crew all having various jobs or errands to run in the nearby prefectures. With the size of the house itself, Shear had his own room, as had they all. Kolli had opted not to stay on the grounds, insisting on a room at the hot springs inn in Kugane proper.

With Manjima fucking Yohan.

Stamping down his spike of irritation at the thought of the smug, smiling xaela, Shear pushed himself to his feet. What he realized was odd, then, was that there were no close birds chirping. The bell crickets that had taken to singing in the carefully tended bushes below his window were silent.

A squeak in a floor board on the stairs - and why Shear had chosen the second floor for sleeping- got the viera moving. The pillows he’d previously been resting on were stuffed under his blanket and the blanket tugged over them. Standing from there he slipped the loose, oversized summer patterned garment hanging from the hook over his head over his shoulders, belting it closed quickly. Two curled knives from his belt were removed and placed - by the grips - between his teeth.

Slipping out of the window, he hung there curled on the outside of the wall, listening intently.

He rather liked the estate and he thought it’d be a damn shame to accidentally burn the place down dealing with whoever was coming for him. So, knives it was. Adjusting his handholds, Shear moved to the very northside of his window quietly, ear turned to listen at his balcony.

There. A scuff of a leather sole on the waxed wood. A calming, muffled exhale.

Shear scowled from where he hung on the sill of his window.

Let them calm themselves all they like.

They’d be dead before the next bell’s chime.

The figure on his balcony kicked the wooden brace of the single paneled shōji, rolling into the room with a snarl and there was a distinct whump where a weapon hit the pillows along his futon. The viera swung up onto the waxed dark colored wood, waiting there as he observed the hyuran figure stab his futon repeatedly with a short sword.

Panting, the bandana-masked hyur yanked at the blanket with a disbelieving, “He’s gone!” A man, younger sounding by the pitch of his voice, yelling in Hingan.

Someone else - the one Shear had heard on the stairs to the second floor - shouted from outside the door leading to the rest of the house. “What do you mean he’s gone?!” A woman this time, also young, also responded in Hingan. The viera’s eyes narrowed as the figure previously stabbing his futon shanked it again in frustration.

Now he was curious.

Standing up from his crouched position, the karambit knives in his mouth were eased into his palms, clamped there idly as he gave a small whistle and called out in Hingan to the man in front of him. “Not that gone, idiot.”

The hyur whirled, startled, and nearly tripped on the destroyed padding. “YOU!” He lunged for Shear on his balcony - without his sword. Shear waited until he was near before ducking low, catching the edges of both the curled blades inside the front of both thighs after the man tried to throw a boxing punch for his face. With a pained scream from the masked figure, he shot a look down at his thighs as he clutched his palms around the karambit knives planted into him.

Yanking up and heaving him up over his head, Shear tossed the younger male off the edge of the balcony to the carefully raked tiny pebbled rock garden below. He fell straight to the ground with a yell, abruptly cut off as he landed on his back with a cough. From the lack of scuffling from below and just the echoing, gasping groan, the viera figured he wasn’t getting up any time soon.

“Taku!” A different figure, the one belonging to the woman, barreled into the room after ramming it a few times with her shoulder. Another bandana covered his face and she screamed in fury not finding him present in the room.

The bloodied karambits dripped blood onto the waxed wood of the balcony floor under him. The half-dressed viera braced his legs apart and cocked his head with a broad, taunting smile. “What are you two kids doing trying to break into this place, hm? Looking for someone?”

“We’re not kids! We’re adults!” A bulky weapon snapped up in her hands, pointed his direction. Shear jerked shortly before the tiny crossbow’s string gave a twang of warning, diving to his right. The bolt thunked into the railing where his guts used to be and he gave it an impressed ‘Huh,’ under his breath before gripping for the railing.

Kicking up over it’s edge, Shear landed in the swath of pebbles below with a clatter, heading for the figure still on his back who was struggling to catch his breath. The hyur gave a gasp and a wheeze, trying to scramble away from the approaching figure but was at a disadvantage. His aching legs bled freely, still winded, and his back throbbed at the points he’d landed on it.

Reaching down, Shear hooked the tip of one bloodied karambit onto the edge of the bandana, giving a yank against the tugged fabric before flipping the blade off his finger and tucking it into one pocket of his cloth-belted shirt. Giving the younger man’s revealed face a quick inspection before reaching down to grip a fistful of his dark hair, the viera yanked him up by it and drug him backwards. He kept the hyur pressed close against him as the woman - who’d reloaded her crossbow - pressed her hips to the railing and raised it again, taking aim.

“Nami, shoot him!” The unmasked young man Shear was using as a shield shouted at her but above them, she hesitated, unable to get a clear shot. He continued walking backwards, putting more distance between them and dragging the now struggling Taku stumbling with him. The viera’s other hand settled the still-wielded karambit under his pointed chin, the tip pressing closed and the curve of the blade resting up against his jaw.

The man froze in place. Nami, the one on the balcony, gave a shout and raised her bracing arm off her crossbow. “Don’t--!”

“Drop the crossbow over the side, then.” Shear called up at her, eyes narrowing.

Taku half turned his head and ceased the motion when the karambit dug in closer. “D-don’t do it, Nami! Take the shot!”

“Brave. Stupid, but brave.” Shear muttered it near Taku’s ear, who hissed something callous about the viera’s mother and her various used holes in return. Giving an amused snort, Shear held his position. To the woman, he called up again. “Drop it or I will kill him here and now.”

“Wait! W-wait, don’t--... Please.” The crossbow was tossed over the railing, landing with a clatter below and she raised both of her hands up. “He’s all I have left. Please.”

Scoffing, Shear rolled his eyes and barked at her, “You cannot tell me that, you never tell your enemy your single weakness! Honestly, are you new? Get down here.”

“Do I jump-?” Nami’s brimming fury from earlier was deflating the longer that karambit was held so close to easily sliced skin, although the edge of her tone betrayed a lingering annoyance.

Shear gave her a long-suffering look from behind the bristling hyur in his grasp. “If you can jump it, sure. Otherwise, you took the stairs once, you can take them again.”

“You won’t kill him while I go downstairs?”

“What? No, I want to talk to you, not lose you to grief screaming. Or worse, you trying to come at me senselessly after this idiot’s death and I’d have to kill you, too. Then you’re both dead and I get no answers. So just get down here already.”

“Nami no, just leave me!” Taku shouted and gave a lurch as she turned from the balcony, heading back into the room to proceed back down the stairs she’d come up and threading through the house’s corridors quickly. The hyur gave another hiss as the ache in his legs sharpened and the karambit bit in with the movement.

“She has more loyalty to you than to leave you behind to die in my grasp. How are your legs, by the way~?” Shear adjusted his grip on the hyuran man’s hair, checking that the idiot hadn’t yanked his neck open on the knife pressed to it. There was a tiny trickle where the tip of the blade had nicked skin, but short of the furious look on his face and his blood seeping into his pants, he seemed fine.

“Fuck you, murderer!” The hyur spat the words over his shoulder, which gave Shear a bigger indication of why they were there. “My legs are fine enough to kick your ass.”

“Is that why your knees are shaking like a freshly-born ewe? Don’t struggle, I have a knife to your neck.” The hyur had attempted to lurch away again, and Shear decided then these two would live if only because they were so gods damned stupid they’d get themselves killed before it mattered if he did it.

Nami stepped out of the front door quickly and followed the wrapping porch around to the north side of the building. Shear motioned with his chin for her to approach as she slowed on arrival to the stone garden. “Sit, on your knees in the grass, just there. Pull the bandana down and lace your fingers in front of you on your lap after. Reach for the stones or for another weapon and I will give him the last smile he will ever give you. Understood?”

“I d-don’t have a-any other weapons. But a-ah, y-yes.” The hyuran woman knelt where bid, fingers clasping the edge of the dark bandana and pulling it down off her face. The tongue spoken did match both of their looks and Shear frowned at the familiar looking face she’d revealed that shared features with the hyur in his grasp.

Likely related, and both of them locals to the area, then.

She was passably pretty, not his type, but good looking, with her hair tied tightly behind her head. Speaking of looking, she barely looked of age but he took her word for it. On the back of one clasped hand, Shear could see trailing burn scarring along the uncovered skin. The scarring continued up into her sleeve past her wrist, and he could see more of it crawling at the edge of her shirt’s high collar on the same side, partially up one side of her neck and up along her cheek. Her earlobe was stuck to the side of her neck on that side, her jaw more defined by the irregular shape of the healed scar tissue.

“You really should not tell me that either,” Shear drawled his Hingan lazily, as casually as Iji had taught him. No formalities. You don’t try to kill someone while they sleep and get formalities or respectful phrasing. “Unless you are lying and you do have other weapons, in which I will kill him for that.”

“Stop!” Her clasped hands rose and Shear growled a warning. They thumped back to her lap as her lip quivered. “I r-really don’t. Please, let him go.”

“Nami, shut up, don’t tell him that-” Taku started and was silenced by the sting of the karambit once again. The hand in his hair gripped harder, making the hyur grimace.

“Mmn, I will believe you, if only because of his rude pleading for you to shut up. Since you seem more inclined to speak than he does, why are you here? More specifically, why did you target me?” Shear spoke evenly, staring at the woman across from them.

“W-we were told you s-sleep well into the a-afternoon when y-you don’t h-have work,” She spat the word bitterly. Her voice shook the longer she stared at her companion’s state, deciding to change her gaze down at the disturbed stones leading from the place Taku had fallen to where he’d been dragged and was currently. So much for keeping her eyes off of it. “So th-the early m-morning we thought w-would… Be p-perfect.”

“And who told you that?” Shear’s lip curled and Taku gave another whine as the grip in his hair tightened.

“Sto- hhhhgh, o-one of the people you t-travel with! He was d-drinking and m-mentioned this place he was staying, and c-complained that you sleep t-too m-much.” The laced fingers squeezed, thumbs rubbing against one another nervously as she watched the grimace ease off Taku’s face, Shear’s grip having loosened as she talked.

Shear’s annoyance dimmed some. Maybe this wasn’t personal then. “So you made smalltalk with one of my companions, got them talking about me, and decided to… What? Make me your mark, to rob me or something? Is that it? Do you need gil? Are you starving?”

“Screw your money! You killed our mother.” Taku snapped it over his shoulder, laced with venom. Maybe it was personal after all. “And you left the place burning where Nami was sleeping, so she got burned real bad! This is revenge, you idiot!”

“Actually, this would be you avenging your mother, and would be her revenge.” The viera’s chin motioned at the woman sitting across from them. “Although I have to say, thus far you are poorly avenging your mother, so the word choice on the matter is irrelevant.” Shear corrected Taku loftily and barked a laugh when the hyur snarled back at him. “How do you even know your mother died because of me? I do not know either of your faces, or recognize your names for that matter.”

“The neighbor told us she saw a viera man matching your description leaving, long after the flames had already been roaring. If not you, then who? Do you even remember the fire? Or our mother? Ota Emiko. Her name was Emiko.” Nami’s nervous thumbs shifted, rubbing at the scar along the back of one hand as she spoke fiercely.

That name did ring a bell. Two, even. “And you decided to not report this witness to the authorities because...?” Shear pressed for more, figuring the answer before they spoke.

Taku responded when Nami did not, her lips pressed together while she bit back tears as the painful memory resurfaced. “Because they didn’t believe her. She’s older, and claims to see things no one else can. I did though. Believe her I mean. That old lady might say she sees her dead son sometimes and some other weird spirits, but some people can just do that. It doesn’t mean she’s lying. She took care of me while Nami recovered, so we had time to figure out who you were. Not like you rabbit ijin are common in our area, it was easy to put together, stupid.”

Listening, Shear nodded and eased the karambit off Taku’s throat. His hair was also released, giving the hyur’s back a shove towards Nami. “Good little sleuths then. I would say ‘well done’ if not for this piss-poor execution of your plan so far.” Still holding the karambit in his hand, Shear’s other palm rested on his hip as Taku hit the stones with a pained grunt. The hyur crawled closer towards Nami who hesitated.

To her credit, she recalled his previous warning and did not move from her position as Taku crawled into her lap. At Shear’s nod, her hands rose and wrapped around Taku’s back in a hug as he gasped for breath on her folded legs. She eased her hold off him with a murmured apology as he whined at the squeezing.

Hitting the ground on his back had been very painful.

“As you were honest with me, I will be honest with you. I recall Ota Emiko, as well as a house fire around this area. That was a few turns ago now and that house was empty, except for the marked target left inside-- your mother, I presume. You could not have been home, you were with your brother and father at the Ruby Bazaar in Kugane that night.” Brows furrowing, Shear recalled that job and he dug for the memories of it.

He remembered all of his jobs, just not always immediately. They were daily reminders about the scum of humanity, and how easily your life could rest on the edge of a large sack of coins.

“You’re wrong!” Nami finally blurted it out, staring up at him indignantly and openly crying in frustration. “I was home. Taku was out with his girlfriend at the time and our father, not me. I was in my room, on the second floor, asleep.” Shear’s gaze wandered to the girl and her burn scars, his eyes narrowing on them.

Had his lookout been that foolish to mistake them? Had he only seen a young girl with the then-teenage boy and his father and assumed she was the sister?

That was entirely possible. Tymbask* was a hulking wall of muscle that could cleave a person in two with his axe easily, and who had been historically kind to the viera, but as his name’s literal translation meant ‘Dumb Ash’ suggested, that did not mean he was always intelligent.

“When the fire was set on the main floor, it eventually came up through the floor and caught my futon and hair on fire.” Nami choked and swallowed thickly, touching at the space above her ear under her tucked hair. The styled hair was lifted to reveal more of the scarred skin a bit above the edge of her ear. “I-I couldn’t get down the stairs. I had to jump o-out of my bedroom’s w-window, w-while I w-was on fire. I b-broke my arm w-when I landed a-and the old lady saw me jump. She r-ran over a-and helped put me o-out.”

Putting details together, Shear observed her brother push himself up to sit beside his sobbing sister, brushing at her tear-streaked face with one hand gently. It left streaks of red behind from his bloodied hand, leftover from when he’d grabbed at his bleeding thighs earlier. Realizing his error, Taku attempted to keep swiping it off in vain, spreading it further out across her face until Nami was swatting at his hands.

Shear felt a pang of pity and moved cautiously closer. Both of the young Hingans flinched, heads turning to stare up at him with a varying level of distrust and hatred. Shear reached up with his unoccupied hand, claws hooking the fabric of one sleeve and tearing it off. The torn off sleeve was then slit along it’s seam with the karambit into a wide - but now flat - arching square of blue, flower-patterned fabric.

Shear moved to just in front of them, squatting and holding it out towards the crying woman. “I was misinformed, then. You were never meant to be home.” Taku slapped at the hand holding the cloth but Shear, simply to spite him for it, leaned closer to wipe Nami’s bloodied and tear-streaked face clean instead. “Where is your father now, perchance…?” He asked cautiously while Taku simmered in his anger beside them.

Nami looked confused at the question and her sobbing eased some, responding to his inquiry as her reddened face was wiped with his sure motions. “H-he’s dead. He died a bit after our mother did, trying to barter the r-remaining things of value that survived the fire with a corrupt a-appraiser.” Her expression fell again but the tears seemed to have stopped. She gave a sniff. “But he was k-killed for them instead.”

“Nami shut up! Stop telling him shit!” Taku snapped and wiggled between Shear and his sister, shoving at Shear’s chest with one hand. The viera gave a snort at the shove, his crouched form wobbling a moment. He leaned back in, shoving the hyur aside roughly instead, straight back into the stones he’d fallen into earlier with Taku giving an indignant, pained squawk as he landed.

“You should not tell your sister to shut up while she is talking and being reasonable. It is incredibly rude.” Her face clean and dry, Shear tucked the torn cloth into the same pocket as his other karambit and crab walked back a step from her as she turned to check on her brother. Taku waved her off with a grunt. The viera continued. “Although it is a good story, and I may be incorrect on the specific details, I do not believe that is who killed your father, or for that reason.”

“What do you mean? How could you claim to know something we were assured of by the investigators? They even caught the appraiser! He was sentenced and thrown in jail!” Nami objected loudly and narrowed her eyes, shaking her head. The braid Shear had assumed was just a simple ponytail whipped behind her with the movement. “How dare you!”

“Nami- it was Nami, yes?” Shear waited and the heated Hingan stared a moment distrustfully before nodding. “Nami, you seem the smarter and more reasonable of the two of you. Maybe even older, I’d guess by at least a turn or two. Take stock of what I have said and realize I may know more than you, having been intimately involved in this already. I also described your mother as a mark earlier, and you have yet to ask me the most obvious question.”

“Wait, a mark?” Backtracking her thoughts prior to her outburst about him being wrong, her brows knit. “Oh, so you did. What does that have to do with my father and the appraiser? Who marked my mother, then?”

“Your father.” Shear sat his backside on the stones in front of her while Taku gave a shout and lunged for him. The karambit still in the viera’s hand curled up for the lunging man who stopped just short of it’s point, huffing.

“Liar!” Taku spat at him, the wad hitting his bare leg.

Shear’s other hand removed that bloodied, tear-damp cloth from his pocket and wiped it off his leg. “I have yet to lie to you about anything, least of all this.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense. Our father was distraught when he realized our mother was dead. The official reports ignored our old neighbor lady naming you at the scene. We knew better, obviously, and tried to tell our father but he told us not to make demons out of shadows.” Nami shook her head again, gripping the back of her brother’s shirt and tugging him back away from the knife.

“He would, considering he knew it was I carrying it out and that he was the demon in the shadows the whole time. Assuring you to accept a perfectly believable story is entirely why he asked for the job to be carried out in a rather distinct manner. Your mother was known for fainting, right? Something about her weak heart, if I recall.”

The siblings looked at each other and frowned. Taku decided to broach it first. “Yeah. So what? Everyone around our area who knew our mother knew that.”

“So I happen to know your father had been trying to poison her for some time, hence the strange and sudden onset of it, despite being healthy as a chocobo her whole life. All it gave her was a weaker constitution and fainting spells instead. She was very strong willed, I heard. He insisted he had wanted her to die quickly but his poison attempts were failing and he did not want her to suffer unreasonably.” Taku bristled but Nami set her scarred hand over his mouth. After her nod to continue, Shear tucked the cloth back into the pocket at his side and kept going.

“He needed distinct things, which cost him extra for finesse.” The viera counted the contracted details off on his fingers. “First, his wife dead from a posed fainting episode. That was easy. After she was already dead, I had to drop her just right as if she’d fallen and bashed her head on the edge of your living room table to make it believable. By the unmistaken damage on her skull eventually found in the fire. Some would even believe that is when she would have died, on the edge of the table itself. So the body would be next to where it would have fallen before the fire consumed it, either way.”

“Second, the place needed to burn down from the lantern she'd have mistakenly knocked over from her fainting fall in your living room. He indicated clearly he wanted her body taking the brunt of the worst of the flames so no other damage than the obviously damaged skull would be recognizable. He could claim the whole thing as an unfortunate series of events out of anyone’s control about the terrible accident.”

Shear let these details settle into the two Hingans in front of him, the both of whom looked increasingly sick as he spoke. He followed up with the next information more gently. “All this to guarantee the insurance money from your mother’s death, and for the house, which would be paid after the heart-breaking investigation into her death. You all would have alibis, witnesses of the bazaar itself and each other placing you shopping in the Ruby Bazaar during the regrettable incident. All of this plotting and planning to pay off his debts, one of which was a life debt, as well as the debt he would have with us for completing, since he was broke to pay us outright and too cowardly to kill himself.”

“You lie!” Taku exploded and pointed a trembling finger in his direction. Wisely, he did not lunge at the viera as he had during previous shouted dissents. “Our father had no debts, or they would have passed to us! He was an honorable man who did not have our mother killed for money. He loved her! He loved us! Fuck you, asshole!”

“Explain.” Nami, more reserved, stared at Shear with a level expression.

“You can’t believe him!” Taku whirled on his sibling, looking shocked.

“He hasn’t lied yet, Taku. He knew about the lantern, and where and how she died.”

“That you know of! And of course he knew the details about the crime scene, he’s the fucking murdering ijin who set all of it up! You can't trust a word he says!”

“That’s true, although for a ijin, he speaks our language well.” Nami pointed this out and Shear considered passing her compliment to Iji. They really had worked very hard on his pronunciations while sharing dumplings.

Taku did not agree. “So he’s a well-practiced ijin, who cares! He’s a murderous, lying bastard!”

“But Taku, what if it’s true?”

“Shut up! Don’t even entertain it! It’s not!”

While the two siblings continued bickering, Shear eventually cleared his throat. Taku turned his head and glared, Nami looked tired. The mismatched gaze glanced between them before the viera shrugged. “I can prove it.”

“Bullshit! You can not! Asshole! You fucking liar! Bastard! Piss off!” Taku bared his teeth. Nami set a hand on her brother’s shoulder, squeezing it. She took a deep breath and quietly counted under her breath. While she counted and Taku puffed and muttered angrily, the young Hingan eventually simmered his shouting.

Shear waited as well, faintly amused about being told to ‘piss off’ in front of his own - current - home. “Are you finished?”

“Don’t test your luck, shithead.” Taku growled it under his breath after another squeeze of the hand on his shoulder.

Nami spoke louder then, turning her head from her brother. “How can you prove it?”

“We have his contract for the job in a safe, for starters.” Taku looked less certain then and stared at the stones. “My mentor keeps them as insurance in the hypothetical scenario that should anyone who requests services from us attempt to betray us or extort us by threatening to, we would simply take them down with us. The details I spoke of I know about because they are clearly outlined, in your father’s own hand, in that contract.”

“Can we see it?” Nami frowned and pressed her lips together. “Not even Taku could deny such damning evidence.”

“Typically, no.” Nami started to ask something else but Shear continued. “However, this is… a curious case. My mentor may make an exception. Although,” Shear eyed Taku, who despite having calmed his shouting, was still openly seething beside his sister. “Would seeing the source of this pain, knowing it were true, sway you away from attacking me in the future? I was still the one who did the job. I killed your mother, and set fire to your house, and as such subsequently, set fire to you.”

“Exactly!” Taku hissed it and Nami looked torn.

“But if I’m understanding this correctly, you would not have if our father hadn’t paid you to.” Nami chewed the inside of her lip.

“That’s also true. It wasn’t personal to me, it was a job. Normally not even the type of job I would have accepted because your mother, all things considered, was an innocent.” Shear scratched at his bare shoulder with the handle of the karambit lightly.

Taku cut his sister off before she could speak to exclaim at him.“Then why did you?! She was kind! And sweet! And loving! She was innocent, like you s-said, so why d-did you kill her?!”

There, then, was the root of all of that futon-stabbing bluster. Shear grimaced and waved his free hand vaguely. “Because it was as I said. Your father was already trying to carelessly kill her, and I knew she would have died eventually anyway. By accepting and handling the job myself, I could at least guarantee her a swift death, rather than a painful, extended one. His first idiotic suggestion as a means to possible ‘painless death’ had been to slit her throat and let her bleed out. He’s obviously never choked and drowned to death in his own blood before.”

The siblings looked at Shear, clearly horrified.

Both blonde brows perked. “Oh, I see. Well, maybe he understood why I didn’t at his end then.”

“How did you know?!”

“Did you kill him, too?!”

The viera held the waving hand still up in a ‘stop’ motion at the sudden upset assault of questions. “No, I did not kill your father. I expect the ones who he owed his massive debts to did, especially after learning that instead of simply owing them his life, he traded his wife, his house - which arguably had more value than his life anyway - and nearly his daughter in exchange. Someone who is willing to sacrifice someone he loves to save his own skin is not someone to be trusted. I suppose you both should be grateful he didn’t have one of you killed instead.”

“That is not the comforting thought you think it is.” Nami muttered under her breath, rubbing the back of her neck.

As eloquent as ever, Taku glared at him before turning his face away. “Asshole.”

“I will let the two of you talk it over. It would be more likely you would both see the contract your father wrote for us and be set free to return home if you swore to drop the vendetta.” Shear shrugged simply.

“How do you know we wouldn’t simply lie about dropping it and come back to kill you, regardless? Or report to the investigators what we know?” Nami asked it, and Taku thumbed at his sister to echo it silently.

Shear’s shoulders raised in another simple shrug, flipping and spinning his karambit idly in his hand. “The investigators would not want to reopen something they have already tied closed, and especially so old. It would never pass in any kind of court, especially not hinging on someone your neighborhood has labeled as a liar.”

Motioning at Nami with the karambit and making the hyuran woman look nervous, Shear followed up. “As to the former, two words: magic contracts. My mentor knows how to do them. You both would sign one guaranteeing the dropped vendetta, even if you both still feel like doing it. But if either of you caused me harm, especially death, the contract would reap its justice against you in return.”

“So if one of us hurt you, or killed you... Say, me, I would die when you died.” Taku squinted suspiciously at Shear, who returned the suspicion with an unimpressed brow raised.

“Or be harmed equally, by cuts, stabbings, scratches, etcetera. Please don’t go thinking you would valiantly sacrifice yourself to rid the world of me, idiot. It would kill you both. Same contract, same punishment for those involved. It would also, in turn, guarantee that I could not harm either of you, either. Not that I have any plans to. Though you do owe me a new futon.”

“Owe you a-?!” Taku spluttered and sat up threateningly, and Nami’s hand plopped against his puffing chest.

“We will sign it.” Sure of herself, Nami stared at Shear hard who looked bored by that point. His adrenaline had more than worn off at that point.

Taku made another angry noise, shoving the hand off his chest. “Can we talk about this?! He’s still the murderer who killed mom!”

“Taku.” Shaking her head, Nami offered her sibling a small smile. “It would still be answers. And he was simply the tool used against her, he wasn’t truly who killed her. Even if she died by his hand, he was set against her by someone else. That is who really killed mom. Do you understand?”

“No?! Hello, did you fall and hit your head when I wasn’t aware?!” Gripping at his sibling’s shoulders, he shook her gently. “He! Killed! Her! He could have said no-”

“But he said she would have died either way! And then we would be chasing someone else in her name! But that’s not the point, Taku. He was sent after her by someone, possibly our father. I want to know the truth! I want… I want to know for certain.” Shrugging his grip off her shoulders, Nami set her jaw and stared at him stubbornly.

“And if it’s true?!” Taku scrubbed at his scalp with both hands, eyes squeezing shut. “Then he’s already dead and this asshole is still alive! We promised to kill her killer! This just… It just turned into killers, plural!”

“Except we won’t get answers unless we give up something, Taku. Aren’t you ready to go back to Old Biju? She’s still worried about us, Taku.”

“Don’t you dare use the old lady on me like that. Of course I want to see her, but we… We promised each other!”

“And if father is behind it, and he is the reason the rabbit was sent after mom, then he’s dead, and her killer is no longer alive. We would have succeeded.”

Shear considered correcting their word for ‘rabbit’ with ‘viera’ and opted that the linguistics battle wasn’t worth it at that moment.

Taku growled and rolled his shoulders, flinching when they gave a twinge. “But…”

“And if it’s not true, we did say until death we would hunt her killer. I would accept our fate, if you would.” Nami cocked her head in Shear’s direction, whose intrigue in their back-and-forths died inside his irritation.

The viera began talking, heated. “Excuse me, you would ki-”

“Of course I would accept it. So it’s settled. If … If it’s father, then the rabbit lives. If he’s a liar, the rabbit dies. That fair to you, rabbit?” Taku turned to address Shear who looked miffed.

“Viera. I am a viera. A veena, to be precise. And I guess, you could try. The first time went all sorts of in your favour.” Pulling the karambit off his hand and pocketing it, Shear rolled his eyes so hard he was surprised they didn’t pop clean out of his head. Climbing to his feet and stepping past them, he waved his hand over his shoulder. “My mentor will be gone at least until midday, so either leave and come back later or try not to annoy me with your quarreling. And a reminder you still owe me a new futon!”

“Sure, yeah, whatever. That’s definitely not fucking happening, asshole. Consider it collateral damage for you being a prick.” Taku snorted and stood with the assistance of his sister, the pair of them stumbling towards the house. “Don’t suppose you got any bandages?”

Turning his head and glancing at his bleeding limbs, Shear curled his lip in disgust. “... I do. Stay on the porch. If you bleed on the mats, he will kill you.”

“He who?” The pair of them chirped the question at the same time as Shear stepped into the house.

“My mentor, Kalona.”

“Who the fuck is Kalona?” Taku snorted as he eased to the porch. “Sounds like a girl's name.”

Shear called over his shoulder. “You will find out.”

Nami murmured under her breath to her brother after Shear disappeared, nudging him gently as she sat beside him. “Think we’ll regret it?”

Taku exhaled heavily, shoulders sagging, staring at his bloody thighs. “... I got no fucking clue.”

[nautiscarader]

Wendip Week day 4 - same age

(Ao3)

- This is going to be the most boring holidays ever.

Dipper Pines put down the bags he's been carrying on the wooden floor of their new room, wondering if the creaking he was hearing would be the herald of their doom. But even if, the effect was nullified at once when Mabel began jumping up and down on her new bed, doing somersaults in the air, laughing and cheering.

- Oh come on, dipdop. This place ain't so bad! Come on, let's see what things are in the gift shop. - Mabel, we *live* in a gift shop now. - Dipper grumbled - And I have a feeling our grunkle would be willing to sell us...

The twins walked down the stairs (Mabel two at the time), getting used to the bizarre décor of the Mystery Shack. The modern merchandise clashed with old pictures and clearly fake paraphernalia that wouldn't lure even the most gullible of tourists.

- Man, can you believe this, Mabel? Who would believe in such things? - Dipper asked into the void, leaning against the counter. - Oh, you;d be surprised.  

Dipper let out an embarrassingly high-pitched meep as someone jumped from behind the counter. The girl had long, red hair, wore a green plaid shirt, was missing one front tooth, but it somehow didn't detract from her beaming smile. It took Dipper a moment to realise he has been in Mabel's arms the whole time when she caught him, and stepped to the floor.

- Hi there! - the girl asked - You are Mr Pines' grand-kids, right? Oh man, maybe finally the borefest will end. - she kept talking, while she sat on the counter and dangled her feet, which Dipper now noticed were hidden in bizarrely huge boots. - Hi! I'm Mabel! - Wendy. Wendy Corduroy. - the girl reached her hand and fist-bumped Mabel, much to her delight. - Dipper! She knows the SECRET HANDSHAKE. - Heh, it's not very secret, isn't it? - Wendy looked at the chestnut-haired boy - And it's... Dipper?

She raised her brow, ogling him from head to toes.

- It's... it's a nickname. Anyway, - Dipper quickly changed the subject - You were talking about the, uh, clients? - Oh yeah. Lots of people fall for those. - Wait, how do you know? - Dipper inquired - Are you... working here? - Yup.

Wendy jumped to the floor and walked to the twins. She was fraction of an inch taller than them, though her oversized ushanka might have contributed to that effect.

- You are talking with Mystery's Shack best saleswoman! Mostly because I'm the only woman. - she added. - Wait, how come grunkle Stan let you? - Mabel tilted her head in confusion/ - "Grunkle"? - Wendy chuckled - What's that short for, "grumpy uncle"? - "Great uncle" actually. - Ah, makes sense. So, anyway, I asked him if I can work here to earn some cash, and he said yeah, and he was happy cos he thought he'd have to pay me only a half. So then I told him I might call the feds, and you'd have to see his face when he heard that.

Mabel and Dipper exchanged bewildered looks after the girl sputtered the entire history seemingly in one breath. Wendy looked around and lowered her voice.

- Between you and me, I think your grunkle has some serious skeletons in his closet. Or maybe the basement.

She jumped in place, and as she landed, the three heard a faint echo, just like when Dipper put down their bags.

- There must be one, but I can't find an entrance. Anyway, do you guys want to take a tour around the neighbourhood? And by "neighbourhood", I mean forest. - Sure! - Mabel exclaimed - Dipper, isn't she the coolest? - Uh, y-yeah. - Dipper spoke cautiously and followed the two.

Wendy grabbed something from the counter, and as they left the building, it became obvious what did she take.

- Woah, woah, woah. - Dipper ran forward - You're not gonna tell me you will drive this. - he pointed to the golf-cart parked in front of the Mystery Shack. - Oh, you can drive, too? Cool. - Wendy spoke nonchalantly and tossed him the keys. - No, that's not what I meant-

Dipper tried to argue, but the girls were already in the car, looking at him with mischievous looks. He sighed and passed the keys back to Wendy, who, with her big boots, were just tall enough to reach the pedals. While Mabel was singing some silly song, Dipper was saying his last prayer, but he quickly realised he might have underestimated Wendy's abilities.

The three drove into the forest, down the old, beaten paths, and the two city kids were suddenly engulfed by the untamed, serene nature that surrounded them. The sounds of birds chirping, leaves rustling and the distant roar of waterfalls created ambience they only heard in documentary films. And with the sudden rush of clean air came the oxygen shock, and Dipper couldn't stop himself from speaking his mind.

- Wow, Wendy, this is...

He looked to his left and saw the same girl, whose long hair now flowed with the air, while her face and her green eyes were partially obscured by the flickering shadows of the nearby trees. Words got stuck in his throat, and only one came out.

- ...beautiful. - Yeah, it's nice around here. - she answered nonchalantly. - It gets weird when the trolls come from the mountains.

Dipper blinked.

- I'm sorry, what? - Yeah, they are a pain in the behind, but they're not that bad, unless you know how to handle them. And then there are the unicorns, those are jerks, but again, they stay in their glades. Man-bats can be weird, they get rebooted every season anyway, so as far as monster go, they are not that bad, and then there's-

Suddenly, Dipper gripped Wendy's shoulders and turned her towards him, the sheer horror on his face.

- THERE ARE MONSTERS HERE?! - Woah, Dipper, don't do that, or I'll ran into- - A TREE!

Mabel screamed and Wendy slammed the brake pedal, just as they were about to crash into a mighty tree. But only thanks to her reflexes, the car stopped, making only the tiniest contact with the tree that arose in front of them.

- Oh, geez, oh geez, Wendy, I'm so sorry, are you-are you okay? Mabel? What about you?

But neither of the girls reacted to Dipper's questions, staring at the obstacle they nearly ran into. And when Dipper followed their sight, he realised why. There was now a hole in the tree. Not a round one, not one caused by any of the parts of the golf-cart, but a rectangular, precisely cut one, and the door it was hidden behind hang onto the only remain hinge.

- Woah, guys, we found a treasure!

Wendy eagerly jumped out of the cart and crawled onto the mask, her hand already diving into the hidden compartment.

- We-Wendy, be careful there might be some rabid animal there-

Dipper alerted Wendy, who, from the looks on her face, already found something inside.

- Guys, there's some mechanism here!

The red-head eagerly pushed the button inside, and Dipper once more let out a faint meep when he felt that ground underneath him began moving, uncovering another obscured hole, this time underneath thick, metal sliding door. Mabel and Wendy rushed to the spot, but this time, they let out disappointing sighs.

- Eh? A book? Come on, I expected a treasure chest!

But this time Dipper reached for the old, brown-red book as quickly as Wendy jumped up the tree before. The corners were encased in golden metal that once probably shone brightly, but years have made that shine obscured underneath the thick layer of dust. The center of the book's cover was an outline of six-fingered hand as well as number "3", and there was a magnifying glass attached to it on a string.

With trembling hands, Dipper opened it, worrying the book might crumble to dust, but to his surprise and amazement, the book was in almost immaculate state, sans the yellowish tint the once-white pages have acquired.

As he shuffled through the pages, Wendy and Mabel leaned over his shoulders, and with each new hand-made drawings, their curiosity deepened, though only one of the three knew what Dipper might be holding in his hands.

- Holy smokes, guys! - Wendy exclaimed - I think this is some sort of guide to all the monsters and weirdness that happens around here. - she nudged Dipper in his arm - Dude, if you didn't distract me, we would have never found this. - Y-Yeah. - Dipper replied with a equally ecstatic smile - And-and it looks like some pages are written in a code, look!

He opened the book and pointed to a series of mysterious signs that looked random, but upon further inspection were clearly written with some thought in mind.

- Guys, this might be something really big! - Dipper cheered - I thought we might get bored to death here, but-

Suddenly, Dipper remembered why he nearly made Wendy crash their cart.

- Wait, Wendy, did you mention "monsters"? - Oh yeah, the woods are chock full of them. - Wendy shrugged - Like manotaurs, giant ducks, and... - CORDUROY!

The three turned their head around as a new voice reached them. Dipper nearly dropped the mysterious book when a creature from the very same drawing he was looking at materialised itself in front of them, together with dozens of its spike-hatted brethren.

- ...gnomes. - Wendy spoke in disgust and spat - What do you want, you jerks? - We told you not to come here - one of the gnomes spoke - Not after your father tore down our forest. - Ugh. - Wendy rolled her eyes - He is a lumberjack, what else was he supposed to do? - We-Wendy, maybe we should-

Dipper's concern became real when the small, inoffensive-looking gnomes suddenly gathered around, and from the mass of colourful hats, a new, humongous gnome arose, comprised of the whole pack that just a moment ago looked comical.

- Er, okay, guys, it's time to scram.

Wendy didn't have to say it twice to the twins. The three jumped into the cart and Wendy slammed her foot onto the gas, driving them back towards the Shack. Mabel and Dipper watched as the monstrous mega-gnome was left behind, and for a moment, they thought they might have escaped its wrath. But a moment later, a deafening roar shook the forest and the colossal gnome appeared from behind the trees, running after them much faster than they anticipated.

- We-Wendy! It's-it's getting closer! - Check the book! - What? - Check the book, maybe there's something in it!

Dipper and Mabel quickly opened the mysterious journal back onto the page that described the gnomes. Dipper frantically looked through the hand-written descriptions, hearing the ominous, thundering footsteps behind him.

- Er... Er... We-wendy, there's nothing about their weaknesses! - Well, we'll have to improvise. - Wendy spoke - Hold on, guys! - Ah, my hat!

Dipper reached to grab his brown hat that flew with the wind and as it collided with the mouth of the gnome it was torn into pieces.

She made a sharp turn, and the next moment the twins found that for the second time this day their cart was on a collision course, this time with something much bigger.

- We-Wendy! The water tower! - Mabel screamed, but the red-hair was already steeping out of the cart as it slowed down.  

Something metallic shone onto her belt, and with a quick "Be right back", Wendy disappeared.

- Oh, great, she left us! - Dipper panicked, but Mabel pointed up. Dipper followed her, perhaps just to avert his eyes from the oncoming death.

With an axe in her hand, Wendy was climbing up the water tower, as as the gigantic gnome was about to squish Dipper and Mabel, she struck the old cistern, and jumped to the nearby tree, as the pressure did the rest. A stream of water hit the gnome in the face, and it began disintegrating, as if it was made from sugar, revealing each and every single little gnome that were part of it.

Like cats treated with a sprinkler, the might enemy dispersed, cursing Corduroy's name as they came back into the woods. With the same grace, Wendy jumped to the ground, welcomed by Dipper's and Mabel's overjoyed cheering.

- Wendy, that was the coolest... - ...most irresponsible, but definitely coolest... - ...think we've ever seen! - Wow, Your mom must be so proud of you! - Mabel exclaimed. - Yeah... I suppose she would be. - Wendy looked away for a moment - You gotta learn how to deal with these guys. Maybe I can help you complete this book, eh?

For a moment, Dipper didn't realise Wendy was addressing him. Though the water around them made the air chilly, he felt hot when his eyes locked with hers, and only Mabel's hand breaking that contact brought him down to earth.

- Oh, oh yeah! Sure!

Wendy raised her brow, and only after a while she realised that was missing from Dipper's usual look.

- Dipper, your hat's gone. - Oh, oh yeah, but it's not a big deal, Grunkle Stan has tons of caps in the Shack, I'm sure he will-

But before he could end the sentence, Wendy plucked her oversized hat onto his head. And as she ruffled his hair, she suddenly noticed something peculiar on his forehead.

- Woah, what's that? A birthmark? - Y-Yeah - Dipper blushed - It kinds looks like... - A big dipper! - Wendy exclaimed - Wow, that's so cool! Now I get why people call you that.

Once more, Dipper found himself speechless, looking at the stunning, brave girl, whose red hair were now illuminated by rainbows from the last streams of water leaking from the water tower. And before he knew it, they were back at the Shack, saying goodbye, as the sun was setting down, and their new friend had to go home.

- Oh, by the way... - Wendy's cheeks turned crimson - You are not the only one with a weird name. My middle one's Blerble.

She stuck her tongue out and waved the twins goodbye, before she ran into the forest, following a path only she knew.

Dipper let out a sigh and was about to walk into the shack, when he collided with his sister, and was met face-to-face with the widest of snarky grins he has ever seen.

- What? - Someone's in lo-ove! - Mabel sang - Come on, Mabel. - Dipper rolled his eyes. - It's not like that. - Oh yeah, mister "It's not like that" - she mocked him - You couldn't take your eyes from her! We drove past like a dozen of weird things and you didn;t even flinch, you were ogling her soooo much!

Dipper walked faster, trying to escape Mabel's taunts.

- Mabel, Wendy is just our friend, we just met her! And yeah, she is cool, and can climb trees, and knows all about the wildlife, and she saved our lives, and she wants to help work on the... the book with me...

Dipper Pines stopped in the middle of the Mystery Shack, and uttered a single "Oh no", just as Mabel erupted into laughter.

[noxtms]

IN CHARACTER DATE : december 25th, 2020. TRIGGER WARNINGS : talk of injury, blood, gore, death. 

IMMEDIATELY : CHAOS. BELLATRIX is quick as a whip with her wand - the first spell thrown across the room by her hits the glass case and shatters it into a thousand pieces as the nearest members of dumbledore’s army jump out of the way. they realize quickly that this room can provide them no cover. their best bet is a few protego’s cast in quick succession, each shield rising just in time to deflect another nameless curse thrown their way with little time to shoot a counter curse back at them. the death eaters pour into the room and the intention to mow through them if needs be is clear - they are sitting ducks awaiting slaughter, here, and not one of their assailants will hesitate to deal that killing blow. 

luck for them manifests in a door to their left - less grand than the first one was, but a salvation that CASSIA realizes exists not a moment too soon. she dives through it, red sparks erupting at her feet, and pushes it wide. the rest of the group, still trying to hold their own through numerous shield charms and the odd curse thrown haphazardly in the direction of the incoming death eaters, rush to follow. the onslaught only worsens as they pour through, but with what is surely seconds to spare, they make it - all wands now drawn, chests heaving, alive for a moment but desperately in need of more options. HERMIONE casts a sticking charm to the door that’ll buy them some time, but they don’t have the seconds to spare to form a plan or unpack what was happening. 

they have no idea which way to go - the new room, illuminated by several sconces but utterly empty aside from them - has two doors to choose from. one directly across, one to their left. the wand passes from ALICIA to RON while each of them deliberates, and only a handful of moments passes before they are running again, splitting up, two groups taking different directions and hoping to be the ones who find the right way. no one wants to separate, but what choice do they have? together they’re a large target, but apart... maybe not. 

a screamed bombarda from BELLATRIX renders that sticking charm null & void, but there is no one left waiting when they burst into the next room. the death eaters realize, too late, what has happened. “my lady-” starts one of the masked figures, but a silencing charm stops him from stating the obvious : they have no idea which way the wand has travelled. she takes the door directly across, her best lieutenants following swiftly behind. the others head to the left. 

the first DA GROUP has entered the space room, though none of them would know this is what it’s called. planets float through the darkened space and would be impressive were they not running for their lives, unable to stop and appreciate the beauty of them. their footsteps are slowed by some sort of anti gravitational charm cast upon the room itself, a realization that strikes them the further into the center of the space that they get. this slows them down long enough that the death eaters in pursuit of them, helmed by BELLATRIX, manage to catch up in what feels like no time at all. earth explodes when hit by a jagged curse, the little fragments of it likely to do real damage if their trajectory wasn’t being slowed down too. it is an odd sort of duel - spells that make their way to the middle of the room slow down enough that they are able to be dodged with no trouble at all, and the members of the da who have managed to make their way to the other side of the rooms charm reach the next door without damage, scurrying through while the death eaters are left to continuing pushing. 

the second DA GROUP travels through several doors in quick succession - sticking charms placed upon every one closed behind them, just to slow the death eaters they know will be following - and every room is as empty as the last. intellectuals amongst them might spare a thought for why so many rooms are lying barren, but there isn’t exactly time to ponder. they burst, suddenly, into the time room, a long and rectangular space with a deafening ticking that reverberates off the walls, coming from the thousands of clocks contained within. a bell jar that shows the cycle of life has been repaired and shows no sign of previous damage, and it sits solidly near the top of the room. they pass without stopping to properly look. at the end there is another door they quickly push through, finding themselves in the hall of prophecy. 

BELLATRIX reaches the other side of the space room after what feels like a very long minute, her lieutenants still struggling behind her. when she emerges it isn’t into another room but instead into the entranceway, the door marked with a red ‘x’ ajar as if it has just been pushed through. it’s too deliberate a decision to be legitimate, even she knows that ; she scans the rest of the doors as RODOLPHUS and the rest of her group join her, “they’re still here.” 

cut to group two : split up inside of the pitch black hall of prophecies, running along the grated floors loudly until the door that they locked behind them explodes inwards with a bang and they realize their pursuers have caught up with them. they all have the exact same instinct to pause. they can’t be seen in the dark, but their heavy breathing and heavier footsteps are surely not going to keep them hidden for long - they begin to inch their way along, slowly, trying to in vain to slow their rapid heartbeats. 

it’s one of the girls who gets caught, first - skirting around one of the tall shelves, carefully, she backs into a robed death eater and lets out a piercing shriek as they wrap one arm around her middle and put one gloved hand over her mouth. she doesn’t need her voice to defend herself - wand lifts desperately and she stabs backwards, the tip of it managing to shove through the eye socket of their mask and causing them to let out a bellow and let go. she turns quickly and fires a stupefy that sends them flying backwards, landing with a thump just beyond the reach of her vision. she’s already drawn attention to her position. the death eaters descend, though one of the other members of dumbledore’s army appears suddenly and hits one of the shelves with a reducto, forcing it to topple. it brings prophecy orbs down around them and forces them all out of the way, but it puts a solid block between them & the death eaters.

this time whent he two run, they do so tightly holding hands. they are the first out of the doorway that leads into the entrance, quickly joined by the others who were drawn by the commotion and followed the steady thud of the others footsteps to find the exit. 

unfortunately, they run right into the path of BELLATRIX and her associates. quick thinking makes them close the door behind them and the room begins to spin, disorientating to even the best of wix : it’s hard to track movement when the wall is moving as quickly as it is, and the hexes thrown their way all manage to miss their target. one of them throws a leg locking curse towards the death eaters and manages to knock RODOLPHUS right off of his feet as the wall stills, and as he falls, they push through one of the unmarked doors. 

this room is large, rectangular, and just as dimly lit as all of the others - but unlikely those, it sinks into the ground. stone benches descend like steps all the way down to a raised platform right in the middle, where a large stone arch that looks almost as if it has risen from the floor itself sits, hung with a tattered black curtain. the rest of the da are there, and it’s pure luck that they all drop to the floor right as the others send several curses flying their way, only realizing as they explode against the stone wall that they are joined by friend, not foe. 

they tumble over the benches. they desperately try and reach the rest of the group on the other side of the room. the door bursts open again, and the death eaters enter. 

DENNIS falls first. he’s the closest to the door, and he’s lucky that it’s just a stunner that hits him in the back - he drops like a rock, tumbling over one of the benches and lying very still where he lands. 

an opening killing curse fired by BELLATRIX only just misses RON, who jumps out of the way as if he’s been electrocuted and yells, “CONFRINGO!” the stone bench before her explodes, loudly, and forces her to mirror him as she moves out of the way of the flying shrapnel... and allows him to pass the elder wand off to LUNA without it being seen.

MIKAELA karkaroff, masked & only as dangerous as she wants to be, throws a shield charm up just in time to avoid the jellylegs curse that AURA attempts to hit her with, though she tumbles over from the force of having to stop it. she fires several spells hoping one of them will stick, each a shockingly different color to the last, none of them quite managing to land until a sickly green one hits the other in the chest. it wouldn’t immediately be apparent, what had happened. only when you got close enough would you be able to see that AURA’S knees were suddenly reversed. 

GINNY & NELLIE work as a well-oiled machine, watching the other’s back as the death eaters move forward. it is when a “confringo-” is sent towards them that GINNY pushes the other to one side, herself diving to the other, only looking back as it narrowly avoids another member of the army. it is then, with NELLIE on her knees already, that a death eater disarms the hufflepuff and sends her wand clattering across the granite floor. GINNY runs to her defense and lets out a loud swear, but is unaware to MULCIBER JR who is also running towards the noise, and who hits her square in the back with a sharp cry of ‘IMPERIO!” eyes the size of dinner plates and her arms struggling at her sides, she turns towards him. obviously happy with himself for having a leader of the fight in his grasp, he smirks before giving her a command : “inflict the cruciatus curse on your little friend.” GINNY turns, unable to do anything, and NELLIE can only gasp before her screams pierce the air. 

the sight is alarming, but GINNY, astoundingly, still struggles against the curse and becomes more and more volatile, wand wavering as it drops every so often, though NELLIE continues to simply writhe in pain. it is when THORFINN rowle drags a nearly unconscious and notably bleeding AURA across the floor to the four of them that GINNY is moved away from her friend - twitching and panting on the ground - and given another target for her curse. she raises her wand, eyes meeting briefly with the half-lidded ones before her, and they are all shocked when she does not speak the cruciatus curse but rather a cry of “incendio,” as she lights three cloaks on fire in her wake. the other, the purposefully unscathed mulciber jr, is greeted by a simple ‘wingardium leviosa’ and is promptly thrown into the nearby wall with enough force to knock him out. 

ALICIA weaves through the fighting people, casting an ‘expelliarmus’ there and a ‘stupefy’ here, not waiting to see the full brunt of her actions. it is only when a foot slips out to trip her that she stops. BARTY crouch jr swipes his tongue across his lips as he assesses his target. she narrowly misses the avada kedavra sent her way ( he has not come to leave survivors ), but the flash of green is enough to send her stumbling to her feet. her disarming spell is a quick, practiced thing - a dumbledore’s army classic. her next move is just purely the quidditch player in her as she kicks out his feet from under him and swiftly runs, though she isn’t fast enough to avoid her feet from being taken from underneath her by a knockback jinx, wand sliding from her hand in the tumble. she lands a few feet away and the death eater speaks again. “ebublio.” before she can comprehend what’s happening, ALICIA is inside of a bubble. she goes higher and higher into the air before it pops, leaving her to freefall to the ground - 

the crack of her bones that she is expecting never comes. DEAN, the nearest to her and currently taking cover on the floor behind a bench, has seen what happened and casts a quick cushioning spell. her ankle, she realizes, has been damaged in the second tumble that she took... but she’s almost assuredly grateful things didn’t end up worse, thanks to him.

LUNA jumps to avoid some yellow sparks and dodges a death eater who seems to have forgotten, completely, that he has a wand and is instead making an attempt at brute force. she hits another with a head shrinking curse before they can cast a shield and for good measure, drops out of the way of what might have been another stunner. she passes the wand to HERMIONE as the other duels two of their assailants and engages with another death eater.

the wand passes like this around the room - from HERMIONE to GINNY to NELLIE and back to RON, who quickly presses it into CASSIA’S hand and immobilizes HELEN buchanan, who topples down a number of the benches before finally stilling, bloodied by the fall.

HERMIONE and RON end up back to back - it isn’t intentional, but it certainly helps as they duel four of the death eaters trying to subdue them. they’re difficult to track, their wands blurred as they parry the spells thrown their way. one of them manages to upend one of their attackers with a flipendo that misses their shield and hits their legs, instead, but when HERMIONE is hit by a pinkish spell that slices her cheek and causes her to cry out, RON’S distraction costs him dearly. a crucio takes the wind from his lungs and causes him to crumple. HERMIONE can’t move fast enough, desperately trying to disarm or incapacitate the remaining number now circling them while RON’S yells echo in her ears. she needn’t have worried. how the spell even occurred to the other, she’ll never know : but with a shout of ‘tentaclifors!’ from LUNA, the head of the death eater who had their wand trained upon him turns into a large, purple tentacle, and RON’S pain stops.

CASSIA doesn’t see the death eater who’s spell hits her ; but she feels it. the chiffon of her dress goes up in flames almost too quickly and with a strangled cry, she falls to the stone floor and twists, trying to douse the flames with a stream of clear water from her wand. as she struggles, ANTON karkaroff wrenches the elder wand from her grasp - making no effort to help her. he turns to leave and is hit square in the face by a bat bogey hex from GINNY, who is sporting a nasty gash from a ribboning curse, now, but who doesn’t seem to have noticed the blood. she snatches the wand back from him before she gives him a shove with as much strength as she can muster, knocking him over the stone bench and clearing the way for her to crouch and help CASSIA put out the flames.

still shaking from the cruciatus curse, NELLIE ducks under a stupefy and breaks away, seeking out her target carefully and landing before HAZEL. it is purposeful when she throws a ‘fumos duo’ into the air, layering the immediate space with a haze of smoke. unable to see through the black clouds, HAZEL does not see NELLIE swishing her wand once, twice, thrice, splitting her skin with ‘diffindo’, though her hand raises instinctively to the spill of her own blood. she does not miss the broad smirk shot her way before the other is gone again. 

RON has struggled to his feet again, by now, but the onslaught against he, HERMIONE & LUNA has yet to let up. one of them manages to hit an approaching death eater - NIKO karkaroff - with a spell that sticks his shoes to the floor, but as they raise their wand to hit him with something more effective, his sister appears. KAELA blasts the bench before the three of them and sends chunks of rock flying as she protects him with a shield charm, though the explosion knocks them all off of their feet, anew. when they struggle back to them, the twins are gone ( though his impeccable shoes are left stuck to the stone ). there is no time to search or wonder where they’ve fled to as the duels begin again post haste, and show no signs of stopping -

“ENOUGH,” BELLATRIX’S voice is magically amplified by the wand that is pushed to her throat. the room actually freezes, one last spell cracking against the edge of the stone arch, the death eaters who had been attacking so ferociously stopping like soldiers obeying a command they can’t ignore. her chest rises and falls rapidly as she stands near the top of the room, somehow... triumphant. no one can understand why until three figures appear behind her. 

well. two figures, propping a third between them. 

PERCY weasley is a sorry sight, still dressed in the clothes that his missing poster had described in such good detail as the last outfit he was seen wearing, though they are tattered now and soiled with various dark stains. the CARROW twins are supporting him, by the looks of it, and only the fact that his expression changes minisculely as he enters the room and sees a number of familiar faces below betrays that he’s still alive. it was one thing to assume the death eaters had something to do with his disappearance. it was another to see him in the aftermath, raw as a fresh wound, and know that he existed as a bargaining chip that they knew they would not ignore. 

the warring crowd parts - only the one warning given to one of the army who raises their wand as BELLATRIX grows near - as the CARROW’S descend the stone benches with PERCY, and their leader picks her way along behind them. it takes an uncomfortable minute for them to reach the dais in the middle of the room, where she turns in a circle to address them all at once. 

“GIVE ME THE WAND, now, or i’ll kill him right here.” 

[handimadeproduts]

Resin Trays: A Complete Guide

Introduction

Resin art has taken the world by storm, offering endless possibilities for creativity and customization. Among the various resin art products, resin trays stand out for their functionality and aesthetic appeal. Whether you're looking to create a unique piece for your home or exploring a new hobby, resin trays provide an exciting avenue to express your creativity.

In this blog, we’ll explore everything you need to know about resin trays and resin art trays—from what they are to how to make them, and why they’ve become a favorite among DIY enthusiasts and artists alike.

What is a Resin Tray?

A Resin Tray is a flat, often rectangular or circular, surface that is coated or filled with epoxy resin. Resin trays are not only practical for serving food, drinks, or holding decorative items, but they also serve as a canvas for intricate art. The glossy finish of the resin gives the tray a luxurious feel, while the customization options allow for a truly unique piece.

Understanding Resin Art Trays

Resin art trays are a specialized form of resin trays where the primary focus is on the artistic element. These trays are often decorated with various materials such as pigments, alcohol inks, glitter, dried flowers, or even small trinkets. The resin seals these elements, creating a durable and stunning piece of art that is also functional.

Materials Needed for Making a Resin Tray

Before diving into the process of making a resin tray, it’s essential to gather all the necessary materials:

Epoxy Resin: The primary material used to create the tray's surface.

Mold: Available in various shapes and sizes; the mold will determine the tray's form.

Mixing Cups and Sticks: For measuring and mixing the resin and hardener.

Protective Gear: Gloves, mask, and apron to protect yourself from the resin.

Pigments and Dyes: To add color to the resin.

Decorative Elements: Such as glitter, gold flakes, or dried flowers.

Heat Gun: To remove bubbles from the resin.

Level Surface: Ensure your tray cures on a flat, level surface to avoid unevenness.

Step-by-Step Guide to Making a Resin Art Tray

Prepare Your Workspace: Lay down protective sheets and ensure your workspace is well-ventilated. Gather all your materials before starting.

Mix the Resin and Hardener: Follow the instructions on your resin kit. Typically, this involves mixing equal parts of resin and hardener in a mixing cup. Stir slowly to avoid creating bubbles.

Add Pigments or Dyes: Once your resin is mixed, add pigments or dyes to create your desired color. You can also divide the resin into multiple cups to create different colors for a more intricate design.

Pour the Resin into the Mold: Slowly pour the resin into your mold. If you’re using multiple colors, you can create swirls, patterns, or even a marble effect by pouring the different colors in strategic areas.

Add Decorative Elements: Place any decorative items like gold flakes, glitter, or dried flowers into the resin. You can use a stick to position them exactly where you want.

Remove Air Bubbles: Use a heat gun or torch to eliminate any air bubbles that may have formed on the surface of the resin.

Allow the Resin to Cure: Place the mold on a flat, level surface and let it cure according to the manufacturer’s instructions. This can take anywhere from 24 to 48 hours.

Demold the Tray: Once the resin is fully cured, carefully remove it from the mold. If the edges are sharp, you can sand them down for a smooth finish.

Optional: Add Handles: For added functionality, consider attaching handles to your               tray. Use a strong adhesive suitable for resin.

Why Choose Resin Trays?

Resin trays are not just another decorative item; they are a blend of functionality and art. Here’s why resin trays have become increasingly popular:

Customizable: Resin trays can be personalized to match your home decor or serve as a unique gift.

Durability: The hardened resin creates a sturdy and long-lasting product.

Versatility: Use them as serving trays, decorative pieces, or even as vanity trays for your accessories.

Aesthetic Appeal: The glossy, glass-like finish adds a touch of luxury to any space.

Resin Tray Design Ideas

If you’re looking for inspiration, here are some popular resin tray designs:

Geode-Inspired Trays: Mimic the natural beauty of geodes by using pigments and glitter to create a crystalline effect.

Ocean-Themed Trays: Use blue pigments, white resin, and sand to create a beach-inspired tray.

Floral Trays: Incorporate dried flowers into the resin for a delicate and feminine touch.

Metallic Accents: Add gold or silver leaf to create a luxurious, metallic sheen.

Caring for Your Resin Art Tray

To ensure your resin tray remains in pristine condition, follow these care tips:

Avoid Direct Heat: Resin can soften under high temperatures, so avoid placing hot items directly on the tray.

Clean with Care: Use a soft cloth and mild soap to clean the tray. Avoid abrasive cleaners that could scratch the surface.

Store Properly: When not in use, store your tray in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight to prevent yellowing.

Conclusion

Resin trays and resin art trays offer a fantastic way to combine creativity with functionality. Whether you’re a seasoned artist or a beginner looking for a new hobby, making resin trays can be a fulfilling and enjoyable experience. With the right materials, a bit of patience, and a dash of creativity, you can create stunning trays that are sure to impress.

[garden-ghoul]

Alone Among the Stars

I am a solitary adventurer, hopping from planet to planet with only myself and my AI pilot and ship's log, DECK, which is recording this for me. Thank you DECK.

Date: 00941 Finally landed on the new planet I picked out. Landed in the middle of a plain and walked around for a while. It's kind of like prairie, except that suddenly I was surprised to find an enormous black pit open up in front of me. Grass grew on the rough igneous rock lining it, but inside it was cool and humid. I didn't stay long. The jagged rock tore up my boots something awful. Good thing I have a second pair.

Date: 00943 Spent all of today and yesterday hiking toward a tower far away on the horizon, nearly obscured by the air between us. I really should have brought more water. But it's incredible, what seems to be a kind of tree or fungus. Around its base a riot of plant life has sprung up. Like it's protecting them. I'll camp out here and then start back tomorrow.

Date: 00982 I was going to check out the planet but I got sidetracked by one of its moons. Clearly someone was once here. Not sure yet if anyone still is, but if there are still people here now why would they leave a place like this to go to ruin? It's obvious it was once a garden city, because the flowers spilling out of the flat places and climbing the buildings are so vivid and beautiful. Everything is rectangular and I think once polished stone. A few of them are even structurally sound; I'm camped out in one right now.

Date: 00983 Wandering around the city again for most of the day. In the afternoon there was a shower, and the most amazing thing happened. I was in what I think was a park at the time, and all the flowers at once sent up these massive puffs of pollen, golden and sparkling into the air like towering clouds. Good thing I never leave my mask home.

Date: 00984 I set my sights on the tallest structure in the city, since I wanted to  get a good view of the landscape. It took me a while to notice, but all the buildings are integrated into it in a really interesting way. Most of them really aren't that tall, but one of the bridges over the river is this enormous arching structure. It was a difficult climb. But at the top I found these puffball things, gently tethered to the top and floating around in the wind. I wonder if they seeded here from the sky. I haven't seen anything like them on the ground.

Date: 00987 Decided to leave the city, finally, and flew over to another part of the moon. I landed by a massive lake and had to wait for DECK to process the chemical assays so I could make sure it was safe to go in with a normal dive suit. It was, though, and when I finally made it to the bottom it was a forest of gorgeous waving water plants in brilliant colors. Didn't see any animal life, but maybe I scared them all off with my clumsy swimming.

Date: 01001 This world has heavy clouds, so I couldn't get a read on anything that was on the  surface. I was so excited to see what it would be, and it really didn't disappoint! Suddenly I broke through the cloud layer and I could see the whole surface of the planet winking at me in the dim light. Haven't seen any plants yet, but everything is a mosaic of pink and turquoise crystal. I almost felt bad for landing on it, but at least it's tough enough to walk on without breaking.

Date: 01002 I'd been walking around for a while in a wide loop around the ship, and I was resting on top of one of the larger jutting crystals. Nothing was really changed from the last couple of hours I'd spent looking at the crystals, but it finally clicked into place: the geometric nature of the valley I was in, the careful placement of the crystals to amplify each other's light. This place was constructed.

Date: 01003 Found a shaft down into the planet. I don't have the gear to get down it, and even if I did rappelling without a spotter would be really stupid. I sent one of DECK's drones down there, though, and I think it's some kind of... display passageway? The veins of gold haven't been mined out, they've been smoothed and polished so they run like rivers along the shaft. Didn't see the end of it before the drone reached the end of its range and had to come back.

Date: 01024 I hadn't even started the descent to the planet's surface yet--I was waiting for DECK to finish scanning to see where would be interesting to land--when I met my first people in quite a while! They'd sent a satellite up to orbit the planet, so I maneuvered into the same orbit to take a look at it. And there were people inside! Wolfy-looking, with long necks and dextrous many-fingered hands. With a little work I managed to help DECK figure out their image encoding technology and we had a little picture chat. They seemed really excited to see me!

Date: 01026 Learning a little bit of their sign language, although I don't have quite enough fingers to pull it off. It turns out they're up here looking for a ghost ship, which DECK managed to pick out pretty quickly. I accompanied them into synchronous orbit with it and we all went in to explore. I think it was the first manned space mission from this world. No sign of what happened to the cosmonauts. They seemed sad or afraid about that, but it cheered them up to take a lot of pictures with me. I wish I could have taken off my suit, but I don't want to risk exposing them to any germs. I couldn't explain that to them. Not good enough with the language or with pictures.

Date: 01027 Second day of hanging around the ghost ship discussing what to do about it--I think they were trying to figure out what they had fuel to take back with them? But we found something scuttling around in the air recycling system. The wolfy people are great trappers, and they managed to catch it within just a couple hours with improvised nets and such. It was a kind of spore creature, I think? It looked infected somehow, although maybe that's how these things are supposed to look. I'm worried that it might have infected my new friends.

Date: 01029 I stayed with them until the end. They should have kept their damn suits on, but they were so excited... I took plenty of pictures and posted them in the airlock so whoever comes here next will know not to mess with it. I'm... tired. It shouldn't have ended this way. Helping the next cosmonauts just doesn't seem like enough. I couldn't do anything for them except sing to them as they lay dying with those strange sprouts coming up out of their skin. They always liked my singing, especially Wide Rocking Circle. I don't want to land on the planet. I don't want to face whoever sent them up here.

Date: 01045 Hadn't even started looking around yet, really. Was hanging around in the shade of the ship--hot here--watching DECK's drone humming around like a crazy bee. DECK reports that all of the plants here are identical on the cell level. DECK is trying to decode whatever genetics they have. It's weird, because they all look pretty different. All sorts of different forms and colors and smells.

Date: 01046 The people here aren't very friendly. They look kind of planty as well, or at least like they photosynthesize: lots of broad translucent frills in dark blue, and DECK reports that they absorb in the maximum luminosity region of their star. That's interesting, but mostly I had to sprint back to my ship because they were all drifting toward me with a sense of purpose and pointy objects. Maybe they were friendly, but I'd rather not take the chance.

Date: 01047 Today on a different part of the planet. Purposefully picked a part that seems uninhabited, now that we know the kinds of emissions that come from settlements. I've just been taking in this enormous rock formation with what seems like an endless cascade of sparkling water. And I mean it's carbonated: DECK reports high concentration carbonic acid.

Date: 01049 Okay, not all settlements have the same kinds of emissions. Accidentally landed near another one. The people here are more wary than hostile, though. They were more interested in hiding than attacking me. I like to give gifts to show that not all strangers are bad, so I decontaminated one of the small crystals I picked up from that crystal planet a while back and left it for them where it could catch the light. I guess I should pack up and get off this planet before I disturb anyone else.

Date: 01077 Landed on new planet, kind of dull and rocky. No life that I can see. But the dust storm came on so suddenly there wasn't time to take off and avoid it. I'm really worried about the solar panels. And hull integrity. The wind is so fierce that the ship is actually rocking. I'm going to power DECK down to wait it out so when it's over there's still enough power to do repairs. Air and food recycling still take energy, though, so if it takes too long... Well, fingers crossed.

[eugenemaftsir]

The Basics of Scuba Diving Masks

Eugene (Evgeny) Maftsir is an established presence in the New Jersey entrepreneurial sphere who has experience in investing and finance that extends to Russia. Among Eugene Maftsir’s interests is diving, and he has knowledge of the equipment and techniques involved in scuba pursuits. One of the diving essentials is the mask, which serves to trap a pocket of air in front of the eyes. This both ensures clear vision and protects the eyes from waterborne microorganisms that can lead to infection. A basic diving mask is rectangular, constructed of hypoallergenic soft silicone, and has a double-flanged face seal that ensures it is watertight. Divers with vision issues may also have a custom tempered glass corrective lens inserted between the eyes and the mask's face shield. This provides for in-focus vision in an environment where wearing glasses is not possible. In addition, some masks are specially designed with hypo-face skirts that include purge valves, in case water intrudes while underwater. The most common issues with masks are fogging and leaking. One preventive strategy is to take time when purchasing to ensure that the mask provides a comfortable, snug fit. Keep in mind that masks can be overly tight, to the point where they pull from the face, releasing suction. When it comes to fogging, some models come with anti-fog coatings. Alternatively, anti-fog gels and drops can be effective, and of course simply placing the mask in water immediately before putting it on clears it at least temporarily. Another strategy is to clean the glass with a gentle soap on the day of the dive.

[maria-sultada]

Shades of November

I always dreaded the first days of November. The wistful warmth that danced with the cold yuletide breeze shattered the edges of my soul. And yet, somehow, I realized it was exactly what reminded me not to forget.

When I was a child, I did not find any beauty in the Halloween season. My town, where people used to plow land biannually to earn their living, was not the best site for children to enjoy the luxury of participating in trick-or-treat games and Halloween parties. Television channels that became the temporary home of manananggal, tyanak and white ladies were enough to send a crippling shiver down my spine. At night, I avoided peeking under my bed, terrified of a boogeyman that might jump out.

I refused to turn my lights off during November. Shadows urged my mind to plunge into the sea of uncertainty I didn’t want to bathe myself in. I was scared of the dark. It was too overwhelming that it seemed to render my existence insignificant and helpless.

Despite my attempts to use the familiar comfort of the light, wide-eyed monsters tiptoed silently toward the corners of my mind, mocking and haunting my subconscious. It was enough to dissolve the pixie dusts in my dreams and turned them into bits and pieces of nightmares.

Luckily, I had my grandfather. Bleary eyed and with a mind still fogged with fragments of the night’s dream, he would jump out of bed whenever he heard me crying in my sleep. His rough hands, calloused by years of expert farming, would shake me back to reality. He would fight my imaginary demons with the tune of Leron Leron Sinta and Bahay Kubo as his armors.

Amang, as what I fondly called grandfather, was my knight in shining armor. When my father died before I was old enough to understand loss, Amang taught me not to fear the dark. He said I should not be scared when there was a parade of werewolves out there, circling in the darkness of the real world and preying on the innocents one by one. I was told to become the wolf instead. He taught me how to be brave, how to turn my battle scars and rough edges into my strength.

Frankly, I never knew I needed so much strength until the day before I turned 19 - the day my grandfather passed away.

Perhaps death could revise people’s perception of living. It’s funny how between a second and a heartbeat, it could change fear into sadness, sadness into regret and regret into an endless trail of excruciating pain piercing through the heart.

Since Amang’s death, I began to see November as a painful rather than a scary month. Suddenly, my fears of Halloween monsters faded. They were replaced by an intense yearning in my chest. It was spiced with a bitter pint of regret on wasted opportunities - on ‘thank yous’ and ‘I love yous’ that could have been uttered.

November made me recall the bittersweet figments of memories my grandfather left me. After the time and effort it took to mask my loss with a cheerful smile, the month forced me to relive the moments that I desperately tried to repress in my mind.

The troubling boogeyman that I once thought reigned under my bed has transformed to a more haunting, endless list of life’s milestones that Amang was supposed to witness. All the missed graduations, birthdays and broken hearts have killed me several times in the years that I wondered why I was still breathing. Each year, the list of unattended events grow longer and longer – becoming more painful than the previous ones.

Somehow, being alone during Halloween no longer scares me. I have managed to befriend the dark. Loss has lulled me to find peace in my empty unlit space as I try to hold onto old little vestiges of what used to be a living, breathing soul. Misery taught me to find comfort in the shadows as I think how I went from holding my grandfather’s warm hands to holding a cold photograph, from seeing his face to trying to revive its contours in my memory.

The leaves of November 2017, however, fell in a different shade for me.

As I searched the semi-crowded grocery store for the perfect candle to light beside Amang’s new home - the rectangular gravestone with his name embossed on a piece of marble - I realized how I was wasting life mourning my loss and dreading a particular month.

Well, I cannot drive out shadows in a windowless room, I need to let the light in. I began to accept that clinging to the false hope that things would stay the same made me stagnant and vapid. It’s amazing how in just a flicker of a moment, I was transported from tumultuous longing to the infinite serenity of holding on and letting go.

Looking among series of packed waxes, I realized I could never stop people from leaving just as I can’t stop the world from turning. It’s natural. They leave because, well, they have to. Everything is ephemeral. Everything will eventually go, whether people like it or not.

Perhaps the act of lighting candles on the graves of lost loves was not for the dead, but for those who were left behind - a reminder that people’s lives were like candles; we must burn bright and touch as many lives as possible before reaching our eventual melt down.

But how?

I resolved to become a wolf despite the loss. I decided to be unafraid to the outcome of life, to remember to breathe in the laughter and cherish the tears; to dive into hope and land into love. I bled but chose to persist- to dream, to struggle, to try.

I decided to live.

Filled with a new brand of hope, my steady footsteps marked the Bermuda grass once again. I became one with the sea of people who have started to find solace in the middle of a spacious lot filled with sturdy crosses. The bright embers that flew off from colorful candles, the breezy wind fragranced with smell of flowers and the chirping of birds resting on gravestones reminded me of the beauty of life and death. I mean, what could consistently go wrong in a perfectly imperfect world as this.

Guided with my recent realizations and my lost loves’ memories in heart, I resolved to move forward – not to surpass this emotionally dragging month – but to continue living in the days, months and years that would follow until better tomorrows have replaced the painful yesterdays.

Written on: Nov 7, 2017