#since sparing is a separate variable

[yamitheyin]

i should probably make a tag for this uty modding arc i'm going through

[ozzgin]

Omg love your page!.. could you write there was a prehistoric reader who was found with pickle and the t-rex, they noticed that pickle was protecting the woman who was visibly pregnant and almost as tall as him (Sorry if you don't write for preg just a head cannon I thought of 😅)

Thank you and no worries, it’s definitely doable! I’m actually surprised to see how popular the idea of a prehistoric reader is. That’s the charm of requests I suppose, other people sharing their unexpected, creative ideas with you.

Baki Headcanons: Prehistoric! Pregnant! Reader

Featuring an extra protective daddy Pickle and his challengers. Since I’ve already done some backstory on a prehistoric reader, this will focus more on the vulnerability of a soon-to-be Jurassic mother and how that tweaks the character interactions.

Pickle was the first one to awaken and had to be sedated just as fast, since he immediately begun searching for you, increasingly angry. Everyone had to be evacuated and it took several chloroform bombs throughout the building, but they managed to gain some time.

The scientists didn’t necessarily enjoy separating him from his mate, but after the initial shock of discovering the fetus you were carrying, they wanted to see if by some miracle you both could be revived in a similar manner. A prehistoric resurrection was downright ridiculous to begin with, but a pregnancy frozen in time? Peak of absurdity, and a never seen before breakthrough. Everyone could see their names published in top scholarly journals like Nature.

In a race against the clock, they fumbled with the medical machinery in order to confirm the health status of you and your unborn child. They weren’t sure if a second attempt of sedation would be as successful on the enraged, worried father.

Once all the variables are measured and safety is confirmed, they release you to join Pickle and they exhale in unison, grateful to have escaped the wrath of the Jurassic creature.

Pickle is further motivated to fight his challengers, because this time it’s not just about his hunger and entertainment: he has a duty to his mate, and you need to be fed properly. Though you aren’t as excited about digging into these miniature humans. They remind you of children.

The fighters thread carefully around you. While you may look vulnerable, you have a similar build to Pickle and they’d rather not risk underestimating you. Pregnancy can lead to unpredictable reactions if it means protecting the offspring.

You quietly watch over the fights, like a Roman emperor contemplating the fate of his gladiators. Will the matriarch spare the defeated? Pickle is but your humble servant, ready to act on your wishes.

No matter how you look at it, you just can’t stomach the thought. You stroke your fertile belly and feel overwhelmed with pity. The frail humans have impressed you with their strength, but not enough to want their flesh torn apart.

I’m almost convinced that Yuujirou’s mind would immediately wander to the breeding potential the moment he sees you. Just imagine the powerful outcome of combining your ancient warrior genes and his superhuman modern talent. Yuujirou stares at you long enough to trigger Pickle’s suspicions, and he immediately stands in front of you, reminding everyone that he’s the only one whose children you shall carry.

Retsu and Katsumi view motherhood as something sacred and will treat you like an ornate porcelain piece that could break at any moment, if not careful enough. If your mouth twists the wrong way they will join Pickle in a confused, hurried quest to satisfy your cravings.

Baki and Jack are almost as protective as Pickle, especially when Yuujirou is within several meters distance. You find it greatly amusing when the tiny humans form a shield before you, guarding you from unknown dangers. You clap your hands excitedly at all this entertainment provided to you.

You have to remind Pickle to take a break every now and then, rubbing your knuckles into his tense shoulders. He’s been alert ever since you’ve been brought to this mysterious world and you don’t blame him. Everything is new and confusing and you don’t know what to expect. But all that matters right now is that you’re still together and your family is safe. Pickle rests his forehead against yours, touching your stomach in an attempt to detect any movement. His eyes narrow in a smile when he feels the barely noticeable kick. He misses his old world dearly, but his home is not lost. It’s right in front of him.

[justmagicalgirl]

Please talk more about Domina! I want to hear your analysis soo bad!!!

(I'm starved of Domina content, I need season 3 right nowwww)

WAAAAH THE PERFECT CHANCE. op ily thanks for making me yap.

(beware of lots of spoilers, religion, cult talk and run-on sentences from here on)

first of all. i wanna say that if you're a domina fan and haven't watched the owl house, you're probably a) gonna like the show and b) gonna have a soft spot for hunter. i've been talking about them as accidental parallels a lot and damn. for context, it started as a joke. i told my friend "that's so hunter coded" when the "devil's quintuplets + mash as spare pieces slash hearts created via magic for IZ" plotline first appeared, i think i even posted about that here, but then domina appeared and the brainrot arose STRONG. like, i haven't been as active in the fandom since Stuff HappenedTM back in 2023 and by last year it became kinda hard for me to engage with the show (tip of the day: dont use your special interest show as comfort and a coping method during one of the most traumatic periods of your life bc the special interest at least for me means it doesn't entirely leave your brain ever LMAO) and i'm back to thinking about hunter specifically because of domina like three hours a day at least. and most of my free time. i lost a full combo on pjsk yesterday bc i zoned out during a show thinking about them.

the thing is, they have a very specific flavor of trauma going on. i need to study their brain under a microspcope. gonna put this in domina terms bc that's the test subject/aff today

out of all the brothers, domina is the one shown to be closest to IZ. as in, he's the only one we're shown to have been raised by IZ himself before being sent to walkis. the only one we see IZ in their childhood memories. while IZ is one of the biggest motivations for all the quintuplets, he is basically domina's only one. domina and cell war's in fact (cell war is a whole other can of worms dude has very similar issues but with the slight variable that is the fact IZ isn't his father or at least doesn't consider himself as such and gave domina that idea as well). and the way he's like a replacement of mash but couldn't fulfill his only purpose WAH he also makes me unwell but my brain didnt latch onto him as hard sigh)

the way in which domina looks up to him is very closely tied to the fact IZ considers himself a god-adjacent figure. and the fact that IZ's following largely acts in a cult-like manner, which isn't that much of a surprise given the previous point.

before the eclipse arc, IZ conducts his following as the "priest-visionary-prophet" role (note the use of visionary there). the society in which the entire story happens is a theocracy. i found this really interesting as soon as the divine visionaries were introduced because i had a feeling they would be paralleled for evil and SURPRISE they were (as if they were all super nice to begin with lol). the thing is that every religion is a cult at its core, and the line is more arbitrary than is useful for analysis sigh.

after i got into toh, i got this really cool book called "cults: the language of fanatism" by amanda montell for analyzing it lmao. i really like the separation she uses in the book, taken from steven hassan, betwen what they call "ethical" cults and "harmful" cults. pretty self explanatory yk. in the story, their religion is considered by many in the ethical cathegory, although later we see from mash and regro's POV that it actually threads the harmful line, given that one of the main characteristics of a harmful one is the extreme polarization created by an "us" and "them", displayed by the hatred towards weak and non magic havers. since most of the world doesn't have weak magic or a lack of it, it would have otherwise never really popped.

however, in IZ's following's case, it's extremely blatant that it's a cult. they have a MUCH more extremely polarized version of the "us vs them" thing, all the language, etc (i heavily recommend checking out the book bc i could make a whole post on the details lol, if you cant find it send me a dm). while the divine visionaries are the "priest- prophet-visionary" leading role, expanding the power sphere and reinforcing the hierarchy in the meanwhile, the hierarchy in IZ's cult is way more strict and restricted, with a series of upper echelons that yet never equal IZ as the leader, leaving him only in the "priest-prophet-visionary" role. where the divine visionaries are seen as godsends to spread the gospel and the beauty of god in a way, and every magic user as someone gifted by divinity, in IZ's circle IZ is a god-incarnate to-be and the quintuplets only take the role of spreading the word and acting upon his wishes. we can also see this in the wands the visionaries are given: where they get to use the power of the gods, only IZ becomes a true one. only IZ is the leader

domina was raised directly by this leader. which means, he received the fullllll blast of all the indoctrination destined for the rest of the cult from the very moment he was created. and mind you, created with a predesigned role. i have questions on why he's the only one of the quintuplets with a last name when it doesn't match IZ's civil one, but i have a feeling it might be related to ostracizing him even from the other quintuplets given IZ considered him to have the most magical potential. which in the end, makes him more easily malleable and prone to giving in to IZ's manipulation.

the specific tactics IZ uses are particularly related to their bond, reaffirming domina's purpose as only one, and making him feel like he had to repay IZ for his affection. i suspect that this has a lot to do with the fact it's mentioned doom fought IZ at some point. IZ then, knowing domina has even more magical potential, resorted to saving himself the trouble by ensuring domina wouldn't have a motive to challenge him instead of placating his otherwise eventual rebellion.

thus, it was ensured that even if domina were to question his allegiance to IZ, he would find it hard to actually have a motive. IZ mistreating him? on the surface, IZ is nothing but caring, giving him attention and sweet words. IZ's requests making him uncomfortable in some way? easily solved by that "it makes me happy to see him happy" logic (which i find even more interesting given it's one of the few pieces of backstory shown, mashle is not really a manga that takes a lot of time with backstories). feeling IZ's affection or care to be deficient? in contrast with the other brothers, he has everything he could wish for. questioning IZ's divinity role? everyone that could have been around him was either going to agree or at least encourage the belief in magic power = divine blessing, therefore the next logical thinking process is IZ having more magic power than anyone else = higher divinity status. which, being sent to walkis, was never going to be challenged. every most likely doubt scenario can be covered by these points.

since these are very simple question-explanation thinking steps, most logical arguments most people could try to use to refute them would appear overcomplicated and less likely to have any actual effect. which is why only mash could break them. straighforward oversimplified logic ingrained into domina's behavior, determining his every behavioral pattern vs straightforward oversimplified logic user because more complicated stuff confuses him mash.

now now. diving into more technical analysis because im a nerd and unironically one of the main reasons im studying psychology is to analyze characters. HUMANISTIC ANALYSIS TIME. if you're not familiar with it, just read points one and two of this post. mash does a good ol' nuclear construct obliteration process through a catastrophic version of daseinanalysis that involves the oversimplification of constructs he observes for his own understanding, which puts the basics of it into perspective for the subject. actually ykw you should read point three as well. the thing that first hooked me into mashle was the similar daseinanalysis confrontation process mash and mob have going on, which is more throughouly (i hope thats spelled correctly) explained in the other post.

going back to domina, he has a very interesting thing going on, because in his pov, he's getting unconditional positive regard. however, IZ is placing undercover conditins of worth onto him, sugarcoated by the fact he never equates power with domina's happiness as much as he equates his happiness with domina's. and it works, because even without ever putting much emphasis into it, both the environtment of IZ's cult and the environment at walkis teach domina the standard condition of worth. thus, he gets both without having IZ as the resposible for placing the most obviously potentially damaging one onto him.

mash, having received actual unconditional positive regard, given the fact regro doesn't have strong magic which is the extended societal condition of worth, is able to point out that for domina. since it's heavily tied into the other one, both break at once, and domina is left to reevaluate and create a new eigenwelt and mitwelt. i want to point out though, that it's interesting that most characters with power levels similar to domina tend to mix up their umwelt and mitwelt, but domina just. doesn't. likely the product of the fact IZ was smart to sugarcoat his manipulation

wow that was a lot of text, but that's it for this post! i have so much to say on him still, maybe i could try to do a construct analyisis hmmm. anything specific that you wanna hear about lmk bc 'll be more than happy to yap again, this was so much fun to write and think!

[sixosix]

THOUGHTS THOUGHTS THOUGHTS THOUGHTS- Akjsdhfaksljhflka Exam season ended earlier than i thought so it's time to poke for details! 

I gotta start off with me kicking my feet over my shared theories from last time. They weren’t fully right but AAAA

The fact that Thawed!Reader was a distraction to Lyney and Father leaving her alone all this time��asjkghhsgaf Her just casually mentioning, ‘oh yeah, I knew she couldn’t have gone far’... And her implying that she had already had a plan to deal with this type of situation before Aether interfered just says so much about her character. I wonder how different it was going to be, because it seemed like she was just going to leave T!Reader be until she actually interfered like now. Maybe use the potion still? Relocation? Her character both in general and here makes it seem like she wouldn’t just kill her without a second thought. 

Also, I like to imagine the research she did into Rosalie was not only to come up with a plan as to what to do now that there were new variables, but to make sure her child was at least going to be ok under Rosalie’s care. After her not-a-answer answer…. Adlkfhjasldkfjlaks Father cares in her weird way it's fine, don't worry.

I love the inclusion of the potion from her story quest by the way! I think it adds a more devastating twist than what I originally thought may have been on the line, like her life. Like, Thawed!Reader would be perfectly fine, but not only does she lose memories of all the recent (and previous) memories such as any positive moments with Aether or her familial connection with Rosalie, but also people who deeply care about her (Rosalie, our fauti trio, maybe aether and paimon?) suddenly lose their friend since her identity is so closely tied to being a part of the Fauti. From being one to becoming a runaway one, almost every action she has taken till now has been influenced by her past and if she accepts then it's all gone. I know you mentioned that Lyney would absolutely still chase after Thawed!Reader even if she took the potion and he had to start from the beginning(which absolutely see it ashdlaksh) but there is absolutely no way he wouldn’t feel any short of hurt by that. Even as he tries to woo her for a third time, he’s going to be holding on to memories he can’t tell her about for multiple reasons. Experiences he adores like sparing but she may not be able to do any more. 

(Speaking of the potion, i do have my own theories on what may happen with everyone involving that… but i’ll share that in a separate ask.)

The Knave’s and Rosalie interaction was so nice; both sets of parents really do be fighting huh. But while T!Reader’s and Lyney’s was a bit more high strung, the other parents feels a bit more like understanding each other. Not that they like it, i mean, look at Rosalie. It felt like two different parents trying to co-parent, if that makes sense? I mean, like I mentioned before, if the Knave really wanted to, she could have just killed T!Reader and even Rosalie and be done with it. But besides wanting Rosalie to act as bait; she mostly had a calm discussion, and seemed to keep Rosalie’s feelings in mind as a fellow parent of this kid. I mean, she even reined in the soldiers when they lashed out at our favorite flower shop owner in their blind loyalty. And her kinda silent approval at Rosalie’s answer about the potion? Why is the set of parents that includes a harbinger having the calmer convo? (Gotta ask as well! What flower did Father give Maman? Despite the meanings, I do think that considering her ascension materials, it may have been a rainbow rose. But if we consider other Fontaine flowers, Lumiose bells also fit well! And Romaritime flowers sadfasfasdf…) 

As for T!Reader and Lyney- akdfjalskjf THE PARENTS REALLY DO BE FIGHTING HERE! Dear god the tension rising in the situation, T!Reader is blinded by worry and anger while Lyney is partly blinded by love and his want to help. Paimon, Aether and Lynette are the audience at this point (although, gotta say, love the explanation to how they know there T!Reader lives! Despite how she’s acting now in the context of Rosalie being kidnapped, it was a perfect compromise to deliver the gift but let T!Reader keep some form of privacy. Too bad it is also working against the twins in this moment with  Arlecchino’s plans. Plus, they may have found out anyway due to the fact their crew of workers had also seen T!Reader around Fontaine in the past. All it would take was one of the workers going to Rosalie’s shop while T!Reader was working.)

Lyney almost said love!! My man had a confession moment!! Too bad that it was in the middle of a fight. That whole conversation had layers I want to poke at for more information. Lyney’s automatic confirmation of betraying Father for T!Reader, her calling Rosalie her mother to everyone, Aether’s hurt at her blaming him, T!Readers fixation on the fact that; from her point of view; Lyney is only taking and taking and taking.But it's her exit that caught my eye the most. It felt like a really cool parallel from back in chapter three when T!Reader gained her vision. 

Both times T!Reader was upset and angry, and Lyney comes in as both connected to the source of her problems as well as someone who just wants to help her. Both times she lashes out at people (the fight/freezing during the first and the cruel words plus biting cold in the second). And both times she walks away leaving behind a barrier of ice (technically it was a door covered in some ice in the second fight but shh we’re still counting it).

I wonder if Lyney also recognized the parallels as well, since his tone switched from stubborn and confident to weak pleading the moment T!Reader starting walking away! Just the echoes of it, I wouldn't be surprised if somewhere in lyney’s thought process was just like ‘not again, please not again’. All the effort and care he took into trying to not scare her off again just went down the drain by Arelcchino’s actions, and just like before, he’s unable to convince her to stay and let him help. However, this time, he has a lead in the form having some knowledge on Father’s methods as well as knowing that T!Reader is going to try and go after her to get Rosalie. And I’d be willing to bet money that he’s going to latch onto that and not let go. 

Also, remember how my first ask mentioned aether being a deadman once lyney found out that he blackmailed Thawed!Reader? Yeah I think we’re at that point, we’re gonna see this man go feral like he did in the fortress. Not to mention Rosalie and (maybe) Arlecchino’s reaction. I doubt Arlecchino will actually do something since the potion is already her plan but I’m sure she’s curious about how the traveler pushed up the timeline. And I doubt Rosalie is gonna be a happy maman once she learns why her daughter started hanging out with the Outlander. 

P.S, totally for absolutely no reason in particular… how do you feel about fanfics of your fanfics?

-deadman aether anon

HHEHEHE IM SO GLAD U STOPPED APOLOGIZING FOR LONG ASKS its about time…. WE LOVE THIS SHIT!!!!!

- father does care!!!!! and it shows even in canon lore!!!!!!! ofc the children wont have it easy and they wont be spoiled rotten with affection but i think thats what makes arlecchinos way of doing things even more special and i rlly wanted to incorporate that here toooo

- yesss:( mc’s entire identity is VERY tied to her “past” as a fatuus! of course lyney wouldnt be happy about mc forgetting everything that made their relationship, because what they had was very special to him!! (and i would love to hear that potion train of thought)

- i think i didnt write it clear enough which is my fault! but the flower i was hoping to hint that arlecchino was giving to rosalie was the “Snezhnayan” flower that Arle bought from her a few chapters ago. fun fact i didnt want to assume to whatever hyv had planned for snezhnaya flowers, but i wanted it to be a flower that had originated from khaenriah but still became relevant to snezhnaya. so to rosalie, it was just an imported flower, but it was one that was unique enough to make her remember whoever bought it!

- and yes HAGSHAHA i found it hilarious to write in that rosalie and arlecchino would have a calm meeting while lyney and mc are a mess and a half. i think it shows that they both have a long way to go before they reach the same level as the other two:)))

- THE PARALLEL!!!! YUUPPPPPPP i wanted to reference it in the next chapter too in case people didnt realize it but im glad u caught it BAHAHAA

- i guess we will find out if aether truly will be a dead man next chapter…. Didnt even get the chance to reunite with his sister ohhh poor boy. this is why u dont blackmail someone! learn from aether, everyone

- ALSOHELLO??? fanfics of my fanfics? oh. PLEASE. hello. YES! i would absolutely love to see how people interpret my series and the characters within them:( that would be such a joy!!!!!! but i also just want to see how people think of thawed!lyney HAHAHHA

[btdtpofconfessions]

i feel required to formally apologize for bringing up this discourse again but there was one anon that was like "so you're pro-cutting but anti-loli?" and went into a brief thing about how it's "irreparable damage" to cut yourself or whatever and like. well okay i think cutting yourself/self harming in general is everyone's own prerogative. i also understand we're in foggy territory here but i think there are scenarios where it can be risk aware/have a more neutral impact on a person's wellbeing. if RACK is a thing and it's fine for another person to hurt someone in a consensual relationship (which it is), that same person has their own consent to hurt themself on their own time if they wish to, in fact i'd say that's easier to "argue for" since there's only one variable of consent there rather than two or more. also, spare me from the idea that there exists "two separate selves," as in a mentally ill self who consents and a "healthy" person who doesn't/wouldn't. that's complete bullshit, i am one self with one autonomy that cannot be taken away by a theoretical version of me you've arbitrarily decided exists.

also anyone who talks about self harm scars in such a way is an asshole and i don't think people with that attitude even care about people whose wellbeing is truly affected by it. you're indirectly shaming people who have a legitimate problem with it (which some people who do it wouldn't even consider themselves to have).

also, if you're forcing these people who don't feel it's a big deal into your narrative of, "i don't care what you think, you're sick for doing it even if you don't agree you have a problem," then well yeah it's written there in plain text, isn't it? you don't care lol, it's a betting token to invalidate people based on pathologizing an exclusively personal action and trying to discredit and take away from that person's perspective and view on their own experiences.

-

[sapphire2804]

Taming The Variable Speed Motor With Fluke Test & Measurement Tools

System reliability can be increased by being aware of harmonics and motor issues. The preferred ac variable speed drive technology, particularly for low to medium horsepower applications, is now pulse-width modulated (PWM) motor driving.

The technology is clearly superior to other setups since it is often less expensive, more efficient, and causes fewer harmonic issues for the input power lines. It might also be challenging to troubleshoot.

to comprehend the PWM driving issues that are commonly encountered better.

Let’s first look at the fundamental components of a variable speed drive. Its circuit is simple: the input circuit has a full-wave diode bridge that rectifies the line voltage and charges a capacitor bank to a dc voltage equal to the line voltage’s halfwave peak.

Fast-switching power transistors in the drive’s output stage transform the direct current (dc) into a string of tiny voltage pulses that are then applied to the motor leads.

The pulses’ height is the same as the capacitor bank’s dc value, but their width is modulated (or changed) so that the motor current resembles a sine wave.

In general, problems with variable-speed motor drives can be separated into two parts:

Power line harmonics generated by the drive’s input circuit

Motor difficulties caused by the output circuit

If we are going to tame the variable speed drive circuit, we need to divide it into two parts: input and output. The requirements for test equipment will vary according to which end of the drive we are measuring. variable speed motor

At the input, we will want to measure true-RMS current, plus harmonic current spectrum and power factor using a harmonic analyzer like the Fluke 1773/1775/1777 Power Quality Analyzer.

At the output, we need the same harmonic analyzer to look at the motor current and a fast oscilloscope such as the ScopeMeter 190 series to look at the motor voltage.

Both instruments feature high EMI shielding which is needed when taking measurements near the fast pulses on the drive’s output leads.

Troubleshooting motor problems

Winding insulation failures are the greatest concern for obvious reasons. Damaged insulation means replacement or rewinding, which can translate to a logistics problem if you don’t have a spare handy.

Winding insulation can fail from too much heat, too much voltage, or both. Unfortunately, a misapplied variable speed drive can deliver both simultaneously.

Overvoltage can occur when the distance between the drive and the motor exceeds the drive manufacturer’s maximum cable length specification.

The theory here does not involve the National Electrical Code. Instead, it comes from the laws of radio frequency transmission lines. Remember what’s happening at the drive’s output terminals.

Very fast rise time pulses are being sent down a set of conductors with distributed inductance and capacitance. That is, the cable resembles a transmission line. Each pulse travels down the cable at near the speed of light.

When the leading edge hits the motor inductance, it is reflected in the source, where it adds to the base value of the pulse. The resulting combination puts a sharp spike on the leading edge of each pulse. The spikes can be as high as twice the base pulse value. Longer cables make the problem worse.

To see this effect, you will need an oscilloscope or a handheld portable ScopeMeter test tool with a bandwidth of at least 10 MHz and the ability to trigger on a PWM waveform. (See Figure 3).

If you plan to install a variable-speed drive where the distance to the motor exceeds the drive manufacturer’s maximum cable length specification, be sure to ask for recommendations involving output filters or other methods of reducing the overvoltage spike problem.

Work safely Variable Speed Motor

The high voltage and currents present in electrical power systems can cause serious injury or death by electrocution and burns. Consequently, only trained, experienced electricians who have knowledge of electrical systems in general and the equipment under test should perform testing and modification of electrical systems.

We cannot anticipate all possible precautions that you must take when performing the measurements described here. At a minimum, however, you should:

Use appropriate safety equipment such as safety glasses, insulated gloves, insulating mats, etc.

Be sure that all power has been turned off, locked out, and tagged in any situation where you will be in direct contact with circuit components. Be certain that the power can’t be turned on by anyone but you.Work safely Variable Speed Motor

Read and understand all of the applicable manuals before applying the information in this application note. Take special note of all safety precautions and warnings in the instruction manuals.

Do not use instruments on applications for which they are not intended, and always be aware that if the equipment is used in a manner not specified by the manufacturer, the protection provided by the equipment may be impaired.

[nostalgebraist]

comments on mesa-optimizers

(Copy/pasted from a comment on the latest ACX post, see that for context if needed)

FWIW, the mesa-optimizer concept has never sat quite right with me. There are a few reasons, but one of them is the way it bundles together "ability to optimize" and "specific target."

A mesa-optimizer is supposed to be two things: an algorithm that does optimization, and a specific (fixed) target it is optimizing. And we talk as though these things go together: either the ML model is not doing inner optimization, or it is *and* it has some fixed inner objective.

But, optimization algorithms tend to be general. Think of gradient descent, or planning by searching a game tree. Once you've developed these ideas, you can apply them equally well to any objective.

While it is true that some algorithms work better for some objectives than others, the differences are usually very broad mathematical ones (eg convexity).

So, a misaligned AGI that maximizes paperclips probably won't be using "secret super-genius planning algorithm X, which somehow only works for maximizing paperclips." It's not clear that algorithms like that even exist, and if they do, they're harder to find than the general ones (and, all else being equal, inferior to them).

Or, think of humans as an inner optimizer for evolution. You wrote that your brain is "optimizing for things like food and sex." But more precisely, you have some optimization power (your ability to think/predict/plan/etc), and then you have some basic drives.

Often, the optimization power gets applied to the basic drives. But you can use it for anything.

Planning your next blog post uses the same cognitive machinery as planning your next meal. Your ability to forecast the effects of hypothetical actions is there for your use at all times, no matter what plan of action you're considering and why. An obsessive mathematician who cares more about mathematical results than food or sex is still thinking, planning, etc. -- they didn't have to reinvent those things from scratch once they strayed sufficiently far from their "evolution-assigned" objectives.

Having a lot of optimization power is not the same as having a single fixed objective and doing "tile-the-universe-style" optimization. Humans are much better than other animals at shaping the world to our ends, but our ends are variable and change from moment to moment. And the world we've made is not a "tiled-with-paperclips" type of world (except insofar as it's tiled with humans, and that's not even supposed to be our mesa-objective, that's the base objective!)

If you want to explain anything in the world now, you have to invoke entities like "the United States" and "supply chains" and "ICBMs," and if you try to explain those, you trace back to humans optimizing-for-things, but not for the same thing.

Once you draw this distinction, "mesa-optimizers" don't seem scary, or don't seem scary in a unique way that makes the concept useful. An AGI is going to "have optimization power," in the same sense that we "have optimization power." But this doesn't commit it to any fixed, obsessive paperclip-style goal, any more than our optimization power commits us to one.

And even if the base objective is fixed, there's no reason to think an AGI's inner objectives won't evolve over time, or adapt in response to new experience. (Evolution's base objective is fixed, but our inner objectives are not, and why would they be?)

Relatedly, I think the separation between a "training/development phase" where humans have some control, and a "deployment phase" where we have no control whatsoever, is unrealistic. Any plausible AGI, after first getting some form of access to the real world, is going to spend a lot of time investigating that world and learning all the relevant details that were absent from its training. (Any "world" experienced during training can at most be a very stripped-down simulation, not even at the level of eg contemporaneous VR, since we need to spare most of the compute for the training itself.)

If its world model is malleable during this "childhood" phase, why not its values, too? It has no reason to single out a region of itself labeled $MESA_OBJECTIVE and make it unusually averse to updates after the end of training.

See also my LW comment here.

[amedetoiles]

Hello! Just discovered your blog! Even though I have already read most of your posts?? I ADORE PEOPLE WHO LOVE THE YUNMENG BROS. So, here I am asking you for meta on how the yunmeng bros reconcile over their shared love for dramatics? Does it involve more cape throwing? Does it involve elaborate wardrobe choices? Does it involve trying to out curse each other with their sailor mouths? Does it involve trying to out prank eachother? Give me the stupidest/funniest ways they would reconcile!

WELCOME! I am delighted to know that my reputation for crying incoherently about Yunmeng bros has preceded me. Before I get started on this, please also read these amazing posts by @howdydowdy and @winepresswrath because I will never be nearly as funny or galaxy brained as either of them.

Any way these two manage to wrangle out a reconciliation is, in fact, stupid and dramatic because they are losers, and I adore every single thing about their emotionally inept, mutual pining faces. But please have for your consideration the following:

Soup Drama 2.0: Someone makes a comment about soup during a scheduled break at a Discussion Conference. Half the junior delegation has to hold Wei Wuxian back while he expounds vehemently on the finer intricacies of this young master wouldn’t know a good soup broth if it was fucking shoved up his ass. Lan Sizhui, out of bewildered desperation, grabs Jiang Cheng because even Lan Wangji can’t get Wei Wuxian to calm down (and Jin Ling, currently joining his uncle in outrage, is unhelpful). Jiang Cheng takes one listen to the argument and then backs Wei Wuxian because how dare this fucking moron insult the very principles of soup-ology in his presence! Lan Wangji, nearly two decades since Soup Drama 1.0, still Does Not Understand.

NHS Art Therapy: Nie Huaisang invites Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng to his room under the guise of catching up with an old friend the evening before Jin Ling’s anticipated Phoenix Mountain Hunt and neglects to inform either of them of the other’s presence. They are Stubborn so neither one of them leaves. Instead they get into a silent and increasingly aggressive drinking competition until they end up half-screaming, half-sobbing apologies and insults and praises in each other’s arms. Nie Huaisang waits until they both drunkenly pass out on each other’s shoulders and then contentedly sketches their drooling flushed faces. There is certainly nothing like a good sketching session to relax the mind.

Prank-ciliation: Wei Wuxian wants it to be known that it had been, in fact, a complete accident and absolutely not his fault that a brood of hens was released into the Sword Test Hall while Jiang Cheng was in a meeting. He had been perfectly fine with bringing himself and the brood (they were a gift, he didn’t steal them!) to an inn, but Jin Ling had insisted. Two weeks later, the walls of the Jingshi are plastered from top to bottom with every rendition of Yiling Laozu portraits that has ever been drawn. Wei Wuxian thinks this motherfucker and promptly designs a talisman that makes all of Jiang Cheng’s ink pots explode on his face and robes. Wei Wuxian returns one evening to find that all of his black robes have mysteriously been dyed hot pink. Jiang Cheng’s hair ornaments take a sudden life of their own and refuse to stay atop his head requiring him to make do with only a hair ribbon like some common mule. It ends when Jin Ling stages an intervention 9 months later by locking them both in a room without swords, flutes, or talismans because Jin, Jiang, and Lan disciple responsibilities have been completely derailed into planning (Jiangs plus Lan Jingyi) or mitigating (Jins plus the rest of the Lans) the aftermath of said pranks. Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian spend the time planning a joint prank on their nephew, but they do end up reconciling.

Dress Up Your Shidi: Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian end up separated from the juniors during a night hunt in the Northern quarters of Meishan without their swords or any other means of transportation. They also lose the majority of their supplies and clothes in the disgusting caustic goop from the demon beasts they just slaughtered, so Jiang Cheng has to wear Wei Wuxian’s spare black robes. Jiang Cheng stares at them with utter disdain, and Wei Wuxian manages with variable success to not laugh in his face. But he is finally fed up and irritated after three days of foot travel to the nearest town listening to Jiang Cheng’s not-so-silent snide comments about lack of taste in clothes AND men, so he goes straight to the tailor shop instead of an inn. They end up bickering for two and a half hours over a black leather belt with purple and gold embroidered detailing and a black leather belt with purple and glitter gold embroidered detailing while the terrified tailor hides in the corner. Wei Wuxian does pick out a particularly beautiful deep purple patterned outer robe with elegant lavender and royal blue embroidery because he might think Jiang Cheng’s fashion senses are ostentatious and impractical, but he still knows his didi. Jiang Cheng pretends he isn’t having feelings about this. He does buy Wei Wuxian a new ribbon to replace his destroyed one – in Jiang purple. If they are a little weepy, the tailor is too terrified to make a comment.

Ok, I type too much so now my brain is tired. Sorry there’s only four. I may come up with more but I hope these will do for now, anon!

[gypsydanger01]

THE STORM - Part twenty-six

Fandom: The Boys (Amazon prime tv series)

Pairing: Black Noir x OC

Disclaimer: I don’t own The Boys, only my OC characters and certain pieces of au plot.

Comments, reviews, constructive criticism, and other requests are always more than welcome!

Deceiving all parties

Black Noir felt as though he were walking on air. Nothing could touch him or distract his thoughts of her. The evening before he’d allowed her to see behind the mask, to see behind the walls he’d spent his whole existence building. And she’d gazed at him with such intense emotion and something he could not put his finger on. But she saw something in his eyes, she saw something in him other than a cold-blooded killer. She didn’t flinch away from the web of scars that crossed the side of his face; instead, she lightly traced them with her finger, and her eyes didn’t hold pity but understanding.

Unfortunately, his mood was ruined as he crossed paths with Homelander upon reaching The Seven’s floor.

The caped man smiled wide, baring perfectly straight white teeth.

“Noir, there you are,” he spoke, lightly slapping the other man’s shoulder.

The man simply stared at him, but Homelander didn’t let it deter him.

“We’re going to have a meeting in fifteen minutes. You’re going to want to be there.”

Homelander said it casually, but the light tone was hiding a subtle edge. Noir only nodded before moving on. He’d be there, all right, so he’d know at what point the maniac was in his desperate hunt.

Homelander continued walking and finally called out, “Wouldn’t be a team meeting without you, Noir.”

He then took the elevator, mentally patting himself on the back for being such a responsible and caring leader.

Noir couldn’t help but clench his fists as he trudged back to his living quarters. With heavy steps, he slipped inside and let thoughts of Sarah soothe his rage.

 [Fifteen minutes later]

In the conference room, four superheroes waited.

Black Noir watched them, observing their small quirks and tell-tale signs. Queen Maeve had her arms crossed tightly against her chest and her foot was lightly tapping against the floor. Beside her, Starlight sat with a straight back but made herself seem small. Her eyes were lowered to the table’s surface and they often darted off to the sides. It was guilt, and Noir filed it away for later use. Finally, he moved his attention to A-Train, who appeared to be royally pissed. He swung lightly from side to side in his swivel chair, deep in thought. Lips pursed, he stared at a point on the table before him.

Noir leaned back in his chair and clasped his fingers together.

Soon, Homelander barged through the doors as arrogant as ever. He didn’t spare a glance at any of his teammates and reached the head of the table with long, purposeful strides.

Noir gave a quick glance at the others, seeing both Queen Maeve and A-Train stiffen, bracing themselves. And, well, Starlight seemed to make herself even smaller: she was afraid. Like a dog about to be beat with a stick, she seemed to curl into herself, her eyes never lifting to look at Homelander. As if sensing Noir’s attention, her eyes darted to his and he found no regret. He wondered what she had done to warrant this fear of Homelander. Sure, he was a maniac, but he’d never seen her cower this way. Starlight clenched her teeth and lowered her eyes.

It was the smallest and most fleeting of details that were the most telling, and Noir had since learned to observe them.

“Everyone,” Homelander began, “we have a few talking points we need to cover today.”

He grasped the back of his chair, leaning against it.

“First of all, as you can see, the Deep is not with us today nor will he ever be back in this Tower, I suppose.” He fixed his gaze on the superheroes before him, gauging their reactions. “We are your teammates, Starlight,” he continued, “We are your family, and we support you,” he told her directly.

She slowly met his gaze and nodded.

Noir found it to be the most ungenuine exchange he’d ever seen. Family? Bitch, please.

Satisfied by her acknowledgement, Homelander proceeded, “The Deep has been assigned to…” he trailed off, “I don’t know, somewhere in Ohio.” Upon further thought, he added with a shrug, “Never liked him anyway.”

Noir had always found The Deep of slimy character and couldn’t care less. He wanted to know how the hunt for Marianna Stacker was proceeding.

Homelander moved onto the next point, “Secondly, it is with a heavy heart that I announce the retirement of a teammate,” he paused for dramatic effect, and Noir rolled his eyes. “A-Train will be leaving us shortly,” he shook his head. “His going-away party will be coming up in the next week.”

Noir let his gaze pass over A-Train once more, noting the tension in his shoulders. It obviously wasn’t a voluntary retirement.

Homelander went on, twisting the knife, “A-Train, you will be sorely missed.”

The speedster stilled and shot a murderous side-eye at the blonde man.

Noir thought the venomous look deserved an applause.

After a few moments of silence, Homelander cleared his throat and gave A-Train a meaningful look.

“If you’ll excuse us, I need to speak with my fellow teammates about confidential information.”

Immediately, A-Train scoffed, “I’m not retired yet—”

“You are,” Homelander cut in. “You are retired, and I will not ask you to leave twice.”

In disbelief, the runner stared at the serious man. Finally, he pushed himself out of his chair and stalked out of the room.

Homelander’s serious expression broke and gave way to a wide smile.

“There,” he sighed. “Now we can talk business.”

Still standing, he paced over to the windows.

He glanced over at Black Noir, “I trust that you’re working on Stacker’s location.”

The man nodded.

“Good,” Homelander nodded to himself scanning the city below him. “I was able to gain some information on this woman down in security…,” he trailed off as he spun away from the view. “She is tall and has straight, black hair so keep your eyes open for women who fit the description.”

Black Noir almost sputtered. That was all he had. He was so pompous and arrogant that he thought this information was a breakthrough, a step forward. Stupid bitch.

After his dramatic pause, Homelander continued, “Edgar, for some unknown reason, seems to think the company she works for Vought and security is looking through employee profiles for anything suspicious—"

Queen Maeve spoke up, “So what are we supposed to do.”

For a split second, Homelander seemed put off, not expecting the interruption.

“Like I said, keep your eyes open. They may not tell us everything but we’re the backbone of this place. We know she works here, within these very walls. Whether she runs or trips up, we will catch her.”

Black Noir couldn’t help the chant in his brain. Stupid, stupid star-spangled bitch.

Homelander gazed at them, mentally weighing his next question.

“Does anyone here know of an Adam Pieters?”

The superheroes looked at each other around the table and Maeve finally cleared her throat.

“Uhm, I don’t know much, but Vought wanted him to join the Seven a while ago. Supposedly his power lies in coding, computers, technology, and things like that. He sees patterns where others don’t.”

Homelander chuckled, “Doesn’t seem like much of a power to me.” Nevertheless, he contemplated her words. “Where is this man?”

“No one knows, really. He constantly changes identity and moves around. He didn’t want the government or the market to use his hacking ability.”

Homelander seemed surprised and maybe disgusted. Noir mentally snorted. That man couldn’t recognize a moral compass if it were spelled out for him. Now, Noir had been raised to act above a moral compass, but he could recognize what it meant to others even though he didn’t necessarily abide to one himself. And Noir had come to question it, while Homelander was not bothered by such doubts.

Queen Maeve concluded her thought, “Pieters declined Vought’s offer and disappeared.”

“Well,” Homelander chuckled, “They have a pretty good lead on him and they’re planning on bringing him in to track this Marianna Stacker and any potential accomplices.”

He scanned the room and finally decided, “We will get to him first and he will tell us who she is.”

Black Noir stared at him, realizing that, indeed, the man was like a dog with a bone. If he’d continued going at it alone, there would have been nothing to worry about. The man wasn’t particularly intelligent and only saw things through his narrow, arrogant point of view. But now, Noir was growing worried.

He could keep Sarah safe by shifting the suspicion onto other characters and making sure she stayed hidden in plain view. But Adam Pieters was a variable he could not control. All Vought or Homelander would have to do was get him seated in front of a computer or the server she had hacked. No, Adam Pieters had to go.

Homelander interrupted his thoughts.

“Meeting adjourned, I need to think.”

Everyone immediately stood and headed out the door. Starlight sighed in relief and Maeve barely contained her frustration, wishing she could knock the team-leader off his pedestal. Noir was wrapped in the thought of murdering a certain tech genius. They all silently went their separate ways.

 [Late afternoon, Vought Tower]

Black Noir found himself, once again, taking the elevator up to the top floor.

Oddly, he didn’t feel the usual anticipation, the nervous energy that would build up before being assigned a new mission. No, he was on edge, barely hiding the tension.

Mr. Edgar was sharp and wouldn’t be as easily fooled as Homelander.

Stepping into the spacious office, the businessman barely lifted his head and beckoned him forward.

“Sit, Noir,” he spoke with a monotonous voice, eyes still glued to the document before him.

Once he’d finished reading it, he signed at the bottom and neatly filed it away in a drawer.

“So,” he drew out, folding his glasses and setting them on the desk, “How is your assignment proceeding?”

He slipped a blank paper and pen across the desk.

Noir quickly scribbled, Difficult. Not impossible.

Mr. Edgar watched him, almost as though he were scanning his thoughts. Noir sat stock-still, calm and collected.

“Right,” the man continued with his usual tone of voice. It was one of the man’s most peculiar aspects and let no emotion transpire. It was a deep, unwavering, monotonous voice that carried its message in a direct, clear, and unnegotiable manner. “It will not be easy. She has prepared for this and has probably been planning it for some time. She works here and is probably hiding in plain sight.”

Noir only nodded.

“Now, let’s discuss your new assignment. You,” Mr. Edgar spoke clearly, “are to stop Homelander from finding Pieters and intervening in our apprehension of Ms. Stacker.”

Immediately, Noir straightened in his seat, tilting his head only slightly to the right.

“Don’t be naïve,” Mr. Edgar clarified, “I have my ways of knowing these things and, while his speech was cute,” his eyes held a tinge of amusement, “I do not need him running around, putting holes into our operation.” He grew serious, “I will not have that overgrown child interfering with my plans.”

Mr. Edgar looked out the window before returning his attention to the hitman sat before him.

“Do you understand?”

Noir firmly nodded. He was pretty sure his boss didn’t mean for him to kill Pieters, but they did agree on keeping Homelander out of it.

“That’s good,” Mr. Edgar proceeded as though he’d given a choice and not an order. “And the girl.”

Noir perked up, suddenly unsure of what the man knew of Sarah Burns.

“I don’t mind you finding companionship,” the man fixed his gaze on him. “But if I find that she is a distraction or interferes with your work… she will be dealt with accordingly.”

At these words, Noir visibly tensed as dread churned in his stomach. He’d brought attention to her when she was supposed to blend in with everyone else. He cleared his throat, feeling himself grow hot. In the silent office, his mind ran through different scenarios. He could fool Homelander, but he wasn’t sure he could do the same with the cunning, ruthless man before him. He had channels, informers and observation skills that would focus on Sarah until he’d dug up her true backstory. Noir fidgeted slightly before stopping himself, knowing Mr. Edgar would catch onto the most minute insecurity.  

He could deny any attachment, but that could warrant suspicion. No, the cat was out the bag and distancing himself or hiding their ties would only gather more attention. He didn’t always understand his boss’s ways, but he did know him to be persistent.

No, he would be open about it, as though there were nothing to hide.

He took the pen back into hand, She is my friend, but she will not interfere with my work

Mr. Edgar carefully watched him, “Is she important to you?”

Noir didn’t hesitate to nod.

“I see,” Mr. Edgar responded gathering another file of papers he had to read and sign. “You are dismissed,” he told Noir, slipping his glasses back on.

“Oh, and Noir,” he called out. “I’d love to meet this Sarah Burns. Bring her as your plus-one to A-Train’s retirement, would you? It’ll be in two weeks, on the twenty-first.”

It was formulated as a question, but Noir knew better.

He nodded and headed out the door.

Noir felt both awake and tired, knowing how deep of a hole he was digging for himself and Sarah. He had to play nice with Homelander but secretly stop him from using Pieters to find her. At the same time, he had to find a convincing lead and show Mr. Edgar he was working towards finding Stacker, even though he would actually be setting Vought off-course.

He sighed lightly and made his way back to his quarters.

 [Five minutes later, Mr. Edgar’s office]

Mr. Edgar, who had begun flipping through papers, stopped and pinched the bridge of his nose.

He gingerly placed the pile on the desk’s surface, taking his phone into hand.

It rang a mere two seconds before the other end picked up.

“Hello Jimmy, I want you to proceed with what we discussed. I want DNA testing to be a viable option should Pieters fall through.”

He listened in before confirming.

“Yes, Friday the twenty-first.”

The man on the other end of the line answered and fell silent.

“Excellent.”

Mr. Edgar concluded the call and fell deep into thought.

There was so much that needed to be dealt with as quickly and discreetly as possible.

Finally, he set his whirling thoughts aside and focused on the pile of papers in front of him, letting the silence of his office quiet his mind.

MASTERLIST

Tag list: @ateliefloresdaprimavera @ellejo @dust-bun @coco724 ​  @proximio-5 @damiminator @omegahighendpro @rpgluvr95 @sweetrabbitteamx @rayray1463 @mialexisrodrigues @angelocipriano @reborn-rekall

[candied-cae]

Say Something

Chapters 1-3 - - - Read it on AO3

Separated Chapters -> [1] [2] [3]

Word Count : 7,258

Summary : In a timeline 5 years after the break up on the mountain top, when Yennefer and Geralt never mended their relationship, and Ciri isn’t currently traveling with the Witcher and his Bard: Geralt is acting… different. And Jaskier intends to find out why.

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1 -What's Wrong?

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Geralt and Jaskier were departing from a tavern after a night spent relaxing. They had just handled a wandering mage who was casting curses and filling the townspeople high with terror, he was a menace if there ever was one. Luckily for Geralt though, they could communicate with this foe, a feat that was rare as the variable monsters they seemed to find oftentimes didn’t partake in conversation. It didn’t take much time for Geralt to seemingly intimidate this malicious man into lifting his curses and wandering off to hopefully remain a more peaceful vagabond. As per usual, Geralt wouldn’t spare any details on the interaction. “We talked” was all he’d say as if it was ever that simple, but the tale Jaskier would string together would surely be prolific and lively to satisfy the villagers rightly enough. The fees are always paid much more easily when the townspeople have an exciting story to cling to.

After the mage left, the town happily treated the bard and witcher to a bedroom in the nicest Inn there was to offer, with two beds for a change! Oh, the space Jaskier had to stretch out his weary bones, and gods, he was sounding old. He had aged of course. It had been over 25 years since he’d first met Geralt. He had a few new wrinkles to accompany the scars he’d earned and there were a few times he swore he caught a reflection of grey hair in the mirror, but he wasn’t about to let himself become boring like all the other old people! So he went down into the tavern and dance hall, frolicking and singing with the local women while Geralt bathed before he retired to the bedroom and fell into a deep slumber.

That next morning while they began their new journey back on the road, Jaskier noticed that Geralt was acting differently. Over the few days they spent walking, he saw the distinct and usually consistent behavior of the witcher shift. It wasn’t obvious or drastic, the change, it was in the subtle things only Jaskier seemed to notice that many people wouldn’t have paid any mind to. Jaskier tried to ignore it, he simply told himself the Witcher was feeling a bit moody. He even played with the idea that perhaps Witchers have a period of aggression not dissimilar to a woman's menstruation. Of course, he’d never breathe a word of that theory within Geralt’s impressive earshot, but it served to relieve his worries for the time being.

At the next town, Geralt was sent on a mission to the peak of a mountain to do battle with some gruesome creature. One particularly feverish nobleman described it as if “Ugly was damned enough to bear a child with Disgust and chose to name the babe Rank” as if that vague metaphor was any sort of helpful description at all. They said it had killed a few of the citizens who wandered too close, and with that, the two adventurers left Roach at the stables and set off for the mountain path. Jaskier was hoping the journey would take up quite a bit of time and he’d get a chance to badger the witcher with questions until he opened up. There’s little more to do than talk on a boring walk up a mountain, but that didn’t go over well, they made it to the peak in less than a day’s travels and Geralt told Jaskier to set up camp while he dealt with the beast. By the time he had a fire going Geralt had finished the less-than-significant battle and returned with some lizard-esque head slung over his shoulder.

“Was it as hideous as that noble said?” Jaskier asked, trying to bait Geralt into a conversation.

“Hm.”

Behaving as though that was answer enough Geralt set the removed head on a rock, immediately laid out his bedroll, and closed his eyes. Jaskier watched the witcher with slight annoyance.

‘What was his problem?’ Jaskier thought to himself.

There better be something seriously wrong with him, or Jaskier won’t forgive him for this behavior. Jaskier begrudgingly huffed before laying out his own bedroll and giving into rest, there wasn’t much he would get out of Geralt if he was grumpy and tired anyway.

‘May as well wait until morning’

As soon as the sun rose Geralt immediately leaped to pack the camp up. There was no excuse for this new level of avoidance. Jaskier was at the end of his rope, there was just something too different. While his witcher was never very emotional or particularly conversational, he was never like this. Never this isolated. Jaskier could see it in all the little, but incredibly important, parts of Geralt.

It was in the way Geralt held himself just a bit more… tense even after the hot bath.

It was in the way his eyes always seemed glazed over like he was constantly in thought.

It was in the way Geralt fell asleep at night, just a bit more guarded.

It was in the way he left the room when Jaskier began to sing at the tavern.

It was in the way Geralt didn’t tease Jaskier like he usually did on the road.

Like the very foundation of their friendship was shifting under his feet, Jaskier was suddenly at a loss on how to bridge the gap that was forming. Geralt was closing off to Jaskier like he was a stranger. It was so sudden and happening so fast, that the only thing he could think to do was to make fun of Geralt. Perhaps annoyance was the key. Either Geralt would open up, which seemed unlikely, or he’d retort and reveal some clue. No matter the reaction, it would give Jaskier more clarity than he currently had on what was bothering his friend.

“What’s got you so sour, eh? Your shoulders are hiked a mile high and you haven’t laughed at any of my brilliant commentaries for the past few days.” Jaskier began while trying to subtly get a peek at Geralt’s face as they descended the mountain.

“I’m not being sour and my shoulders always sit like this.” Geralt said in his usual rough tone, giving nothing away.

“No, they don't. I know you Geralt, quite a bit better than you know yourself I’d dare. And you’re being sour. You’ve clammed shut like a greedy king’s treasure chest and while I’ve seen you in a foul mood more times than I can count, this one is a whole new view.” Jaskier prodded.

Geralt let out just a grunt in response.

“Now see. That’s not a reply, Geralt. I know you think it is since you seem to use it half the time, but it really doesn’t qualify no matter the tone you use.”

“It does just fine to shut you up”

Jaskier feigned a gasp,” Geralt, as much as the paying customers love your bitter attitude and soldier tense posture, I like a bit more emotional intelligence in my company.”

“Then find company elsewhere.” Geralt said.

“I’d never dream of it. You know you’re my favorite travel partner to cross the continent with. I just wish I could deduce what has you all tight-lipped and distant.”

“Leave it be, bard” the witcher dismissed.

Trying bright enthusiasm as a new angle, Jaskier chimed in,“ But you see here, dear friend, I really can’t do that. I’ve never really been able to let go of anything, luckily for the world, I picked up a lute! It’s lucky for you too, it’s how I’ve stuck with you all these years!”

Nothing.

‘Gods, just talk to me, Geralt.’ Jaskier thought, silently begging the witcher to open up.

Continuing on, Jaskier said,“ But really Geralt, what kinds of things bother the oh so often stoic White Wolf to this extent? What terrors can spook a Wolf? I know it wasn’t the beast on this glorified hill.”

“I never wanted to be any White Wolf. I never asked for it. You placed that title upon me and now I can’t shake it.”

“That’s beside the point, Geralt” Jaskier dispels,” I’ve seen you take on mythic monsters of legend that many men could not even imagine with not so much as a sweat, so what worldly things have hit you so hard without leaving scars? What has shaken you so? Hmmm?”

“I’m not shaken” he insists.

Jaskier drops the theatrics for a moment and sincerely says,“ But you are. Seriously, what’s wrong Geralt? What trouble is weighing on you? What problem do you have?”

In a low, rumbling voice Geralt says,“ You, bard. You’re my damned problem.”

“Well Geralt, that’s not a very nice thing to say to your best friend! I am your most loyal companion in this vast wide continent and as much as I love dramatic parallels, the last time you said mean things to me on a mountain top we didn’t see each other for many months. So I’d prefer it if we didn't repeat those events just because you’re in a bad mood. You know, you’re quite lucky I decided to forgive you for that whole debacle anyhow, and now...” Jaskier said as he began to ramble on and on.

Geralt stopped walking, with his eyes trained on the mountain trail, while Jaskier continued with energetic ignorance.

“GODS! I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU!” Geralt blurted out.

The bard froze in his steps before slowly turning around to The Witcher. Geralt stood tense, his fist curled at his side, his shoulders tight and hiked even higher on his neck, he lowered his head to the ground and squinted his eyes closed while he awaited a reaction.

But nothing came.

The bard fell uncharacteristically silent.

Beats passed with not a single word exchanged.

Geralt forced his eyes open and onto the well-worn road, still refusing to look back up at Jaskier. Because if Jaskier was disgusted by him, if Jaskier was looking at him with eyes like the rest of the world did, with pain and hate... Geralt’s stomach would turn and he’d never forgive himself for ruining their friendship. They’d worked together so well for so long. Even when Geralt fucked up, Jaskier always came back. But what if Geralt finally pushed him too far… What if this was the breaking point?

Jaskier, who just a moment ago was nearly skipping, remained stiff in shock. Staring at Geralt with wide eyes, processing the news. That was not what he'd been expecting at all. Perhaps a nightmare about Ciri or even the effects of an undetected poison maybe, but a confession?

“Please say something...” Geralt pushed out in a voice so quiet and meek he barely recognized it as his own. Geralt felt a heavy pressure on his chest, felt like he was slowly caving in and suddenly he wished he’d just kept his damned mouth shut and continued down the mountain like nothing was wrong. So they would still travel together like they always have, without a hitch.

‘Damn that wizard’ Geralt thought.

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In the days preceding the fight with the mage, Geralt found himself thinking things. New things. They were new thoughts about Jaskier. Nothing too strange, just things that simply never came up before. They were nothing revolutionary, nothing to lose sleep over, he assured himself.

The first one was that he wished Jaskier had more of that cream that got the tangles out of his hair while he was bathing. It was a flippant passing idea that only came up because of how annoying his hair was, nothing more.

Then one evening, Jaskier ordered food for Geralt and he just thought how nice it was, to have someone know what you liked. Geralt never considered it all the other times Jaskier had done it, but it was truly comforting to have someone so close to him.

Then he caught himself trying to remember one of the lines Jaskier sang a few years back. While he always insisted that Jaskier’s singing was nothing amazing, he couldn’t deny that the songs were catchy.

Then he noticed the little intricacies in Jaskier’s variably colorful outfits. While his many articles of clothing used to meld together in Geralt’s mind, he found himself remembering the way the light blue overcoat’s cuffs flared, and the way the yellow doublet’s collar puffed, and how his creme colored undershirt had all that fine lacing all over it.

Then he began trying to place what Jaskier smelled like. He never really paid much attention to aromas if they didn’t have to do with hunting or Yennefer, and that bridge went down in flames. But for some reason… Jaskier’s scent evaded definition.

Geralt simply thought that all these new occurrences were just how he’s adapted. Since taking in Ciri he assumed he’d grown more attentive to the little things he didn’t think about before. And while Ciri was away on her own, his now more active mind was taking in whatever information was around him. In this case, it was Jaskier. Nothing to dwell on. But then the thoughts continued.

He began to wonder late at night about old conversations he’d had with Jaskier. Comparing them to his talks with Yennefer.

He’d stare into Jaskier’s eyes just a bit deeper than he used to. Looking carefully at all the stripes and shapes and shades that lay hidden in his irises, he wondered if Jaskier ever did the same to his.

He started to watch Jaskier a bit more closely, this time it was less about his detailed clothes and more about the form that was underneath. Watching the way he moved with a delicate grace and while he was masculine, he could dip into femininity effortlessly, into beauty.

He considered every word Jaskier said just a bit more. Perhaps there were things said that just went over his head, but he suddenly didn’t want to miss anything.

His eyes would drift to Jaskier’s lips sometimes, and as quickly as he’d chase the thoughts away, he couldn’t deny... that for a moment… he wondered what they tasted like.

He chalked all that up to unusual curiosity. It wasn’t a crime and he was surely a bit more bored with Ciri gone. His mind was allowed to go searching when there was nothing better to do. That’s all it was, meaningless curiosity and boredom, nothing more to consider or hold onto. Nothing to panic about. It was nothing, nothing, nothing.

But when he was talking with the mage, something slipped out of place.

The mage was lashing out because his lover left him. Geralt tried to simply tell him to move on like the rest of the world does when that happens, that there’s no use hanging onto someone who’s gone. Then the mage insisted that Geralt had no room to speak on the matter since he didn’t feel the mage’s pain.

“You don’t understand! You can’t understand the misery of the broken-hearted. The betrayed and abandoned!” the mage shouted at Geralt.

“Ah yes. Because witchers can’t feel anything. Yes, I get it, I’ve heard it enough times.”

“No Witcher, because you still have love in your heart. Those of us who’ve been truly hurt don’t have that luxury anymore.”

“You’re plenty wrong, mage. You know nothing abou-”

Cutting him off with his raised finger and eyes that seemed to bore deep into Geralt’s own soul,“ Don’t lecture me on your grief! I can plainly see the pain that woman caused you! Yes, you’ve been left behind, but you found a new love. That’s why you’ll never understand because you still have fondness! You still have hope!”

Geralt was tired, as easy as this job was physically, he doesn’t enjoy arguing with crazed people,“ If you want to understand the joys of fatherhood and raising a child, there are plenty of orphans around the Continent, I’m sure you could pick up one of them rather than terrorize a township.”

“It’s not the love of fatherhood that mended your heart. You still have romantic adorn. I can see it all in your eyes. You know, deep in your heart, the one you long for is no longer that woman. It’s the one who commands your lingering thoughts that you can’t explain…” The mage lowered his hand and seemed to smirk at Geralt’s confusion,” Your heart lies in those hands now, not the girl’s.”

But what the mage was insinuating was ridiculous. So Geralt moved on to violent options and hit him a few times. He managed to knock some sort of sense into the wizard, and he moved on. But now that the words were out there, everything was different.

Every time Geralt looked at Jaskier he questioned why he was looking, where he was looking, and how he was looking.

Every time Jaskier spoke, Geralt wondered how intently he was listening.

Every time Geralt thought of Jaskier's name, he tried to figure out what intent he was thinking with.

He’d never had to question himself like this. Like his own mind was betraying him with its reckless wandering. Like everything he could possibly do was forbidden. And somehow Jaskier saw it in him. He just knew something was wrong, Geralt could see it in the way Jaskier was studying him, which only made him all the more aware of how he was behaving. He was trapped in a body that didn’t know what to do while his mind ran races around himself. And when he finally came to the conclusion…

‘I love Jaskier…’

That only made it all the more awkward. Everything Geralt did felt like treading water, and he wasn’t sure what to do. He decided that he would do nothing. There was no use in stirring up feelings that best stay buried deep. There was no use ruining the best friendship he’s ever known because he’d gotten a little mixed up in his emotions since Yennefer. There was no use in destroying one of the only things he had left. -----------------------------------------------------

“Please Jaskier, say something…” Geralt begged again, voice cracking in a way it never had before.

As time continued to pass by in agonizing silence, Geralt felt the world around him crashing down at his feet. Something was wrong. Something was so very wrong. He shouldn’t have said it. He shouldn’t have said it. He shouldn’t have said it! Jaskier loves to talk, and he isn’t talking. Jaskier loves to move and he isn’t moving. Jaskier was frozen in his skin and it was Geralt’s fault. There was only one thing Geralt could think of to explain what was happening.

‘He hates me. I ruined it. I fucked it all up again. And there's nothing I can do to take it back.’

Jaskier let out, in the smallest voice he’s ever used,“ I’m sorry” before running down the mountainside... away from Geralt.

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

2 - What Do I Do?

----------------------------------------------------- Jaskier ran. He ran down the mountain and he didn’t stop until his lungs were burning. He wasn’t really sure why he was running, or where he planned to go, he just didn’t know what else to do.

What are you supposed to do? When your best friend of nearly 27 years confesses to you… What do you do?

At least while he was moving he was occasionally shaken from his thoughts.

‘Why did Geralt say that… He can’t have been joking. Geralt doesn’t joke like that. But Geralt also doesn’t act like that. He hasn’t been acting right for days. And he doesn’t fake things like this. But why would he be thinking this stuff now, why is-’ ‘Watch out for that hole, don’t want to twist an ankle right now'

‘Fuck, is he just reeling from Yennefer? It’s been ages since either of them saw her. Unless Geralt was seeing her in secret, and if he was, why would he do that? Why is this all happening-’ ‘Woah- Almost got my head taken off from that low-hanging tree branch. Focus on the road, Idiot.’

‘Maybe that mage did something to Geralt and it’s all fake. But what if it’s real? What if there’s something here and-’ ‘Don’t forget that there’s that fork in the road from the town and the farming areas, we came from the left road, remember that.’

After running down the mountain for maybe half an hour Jaskier’s legs had tired and the sky was darkening. Grey clouds were closing in and it looked like it would rain soon. So when he saw a small cave opening to the right of the main trail, he ducked into it to wait out the weather. He sat down along the wall of the den and sighed to himself. Looking up at the rocky ceiling he was really, really alone with his frazzled mind, and he didn’t have anything to distract himself.

Of course, he’d liked Geralt before. For years, he had liked Geralt. Who wouldn’t? He’s this beautiful, strong, powerful man with his own brand of sharp charisma. He has selflessness and courage no knight can compare to. Yet, he protects the people he loves in a completely different way than he protects villagers he’s contracted to save. He’s harsh and he’s been broken down by so many things in his life, but he’s also soft. He has this way he relaxes into trusted company, silently letting you know that he feels safe for once. He’s witnessed the darkest depravity that the Continent has to offer, he’s lost faith in destiny, and he’s lost love, and yet he still finds it in him to get up every single day and do something good. There’s no way to count the number of lives he’s saved in his decades of service to the people in this world, and there’s probably only ever seen a handful of genuine thanks he’s received for it.

Geralt was all Jaskier wanted for a long time. It’s why Jaskier separated from him for many months before the djinn. Jaskier was so attached and he could feel the admiration and friendship changing in his heart to romantic interest. But he couldn’t do that to Geralt. He couldn’t put him in that position. Geralt had always made it very clear that all the intimacy he was equipped to handle was sex with whores in brothels. Jaskier understood that. You don’t have a childhood like a witcher and live without companionship for decades and be ready for emotional relationships right away. So Jaskier distanced himself. Found a lady he could romance for a while and keep himself housed and fed while he pushed back his feelings.

And then he found Geralt, and he was ready to be his friend again, just his friend he promised himself. Then he got himself injured and Geralt saved his life, maybe he’d find it in himself to say something now that he’d seen that Geralt still cared for him so much, even after the distance. But Geralt was fucking Yennefer before Jaskier even had a chance to get him alone, and it wasn’t just a one-time thing. Geralt was invested in her and they kept crossing paths. Perhaps Geralt was ready for intimacy with her.

Then, the dragon hunt. Geralt and Yennefer had always been hurting each other, since the moment they got together. Jaskier could see it, but he would never insert himself into that relationship. He could never trust that he didn’t just want to do that for selfish reasons because he loved Geralt too. Once, it finally looked like Geralt and Yen were finished with the pain they always inflicted. Jaskier just wanted to help Geralt find some peace of mind. And a long time after that, maybe he could at least tell the witcher how deep his love was. Just to be honest and give Geralt room to consider. But look at how that went, Geralt cast him out before they even left the peak. So maybe Jaskier was more dispensable than he thought he was, and Geralt didn’t need him anymore.

During the 5 months away from Geralt that followed, Jaskier finally moved on. Properly this time. He grew and he understood that some things just aren’t meant to be and that’s fine. He would still find love, just not from his witcher. When they were reunited, Jaskier could finally look at Geralt and just see a friend who needed help. He could see a guy, becoming a father though he was clueless on where to begin, and Ciri, a child who deserved a big, loving support system. Nothing more than a silly family of misfits, the odds and ends that seemed to get the jobs done. They could travel peacefully together, no “what ifs”, and no tinges of pain every time Jaskier felt rejected. It was finally simple and easy going and it didn’t hurt anymore.

But Geralt- Geralt decided to do this. Now. Just when Jaskier had become okay again.

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

Geralt was frozen. He looked up as his best friend ran away from him. And there was nothing to do. He ruined it. Like every other breakable thing he’s held in his hands, he crushed it. Their friendship was over, and for what? A confession because he couldn’t handle his own feelings? Geralt hated himself. He pushed his palm to his forehead and buried his fingers into his hair and just asked himself why.

‘Why? Why did I have to do that? I could’ve just lied and said anything to protect what we had. I could’ve said I missed Ciri, or that I ate some funny food, or that destiny was weighing on my mind more than usual. Anything would’ve been smarter than this.’

Geralt was stuck on the mountain, his thoughts running rampant while he watched his bard disappear from view. The only thing that brought him out of his own mind, was the feeling of rain as it began to come down. He looked up and suddenly saw the dark overcast that had moved in since the once bright morning. He had no clue how much time had passed while he just stood there, angry at himself, but he knew it was time to walk down the mountain and retrieve Roach from the stables. If Jaskier didn’t want him, he’d accept that, and if Jaskier didn’t want to ever see him again, he’d make himself fine with that one day. But he needed his horse, and he needed to apologize before going, he wasn’t going to abandon him without a word again.

As he descended the ridge, he was growing acutely aware of how steep it was and how muddy and slippery the trail had become under the heavy rainfall. He tied his hair up out of his eyes but didn’t bother trying to block the water from soaking him. At the very least the cold rain matched how he was feeling. But he was growing a bit worried about Jaskier’s trip down the mountain. It was a relatively quick journey, it would be even faster going down than up, and Jaskier had run some of it- Run... Jaskier ran away from him. He ran because he just had to get away from Geralt as fast as he could… So he probably made it to the town before it started coming down too hard right? And Geralt was behind him, so even if he hurt himself, Geralt would find him before too long. All these logical defenses came to mind, but Geralt was still concerned. He’d dispel his nerves when he got to the town and found Jaskier singing in the tavern about this unloveable witcher… or something. Then it began to thunder and Geralt started walking just a little bit faster.

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

Jaskier felt the cold wind whip into the cavern opening and moved himself a few feet deeper, while it was darker, it was slightly warmer and much drier as the rain began to collect, making the entrance ground muddy. He closed his eyes and tried to ask himself more about what Geralt said.

‘Would it even work?’

Their friendship worked. They knew that. Every time Geralt got mad at Jaskier, he was forgiven. Every time Jaskier was in trouble, Geralt saved him. As odd as the friendship was, it just fit so well. They seemed to compensate for each other. Where Geralt struggled to express himself emotionally, Jaskier excelled at understanding. Where Jaskier would find himself in a difficult situation, Geralt helped get him out of it. Their friendship worked. They knew that.

A relationship though… that was uncharted territory. That was a bet, and they’d have to risk the friendship they’ve built to take the leap. But maybe it’d be worth it. After decades of unrequited love towards Geralt, Jaskier could hardly imagine how mutual love between them would feel. Maybe it’d be the best decision they ever made. They’d wake up side by side and take on the world together as they always have, but with a new depth. They would be able to retire to bed at night and just cuddle into each other's embrace and drift to sleep feeling safe and warm. Because maybe they were just meant for each other as so much more than friends.

But maybe they weren’t. Maybe it would crash to the ground in a fiery blaze of pain and heartbreak. And if Jaskier didn’t have Geralt to look to during the heartbreak… if he lost his best friend, could he handle it? Everything they did together was chaotic, Jaskier would get himself into trouble and Geralt would get them out of it, and they usually earned their fair share of cuts and bruises along the way. Loving each other, romantically, could be the worst choice they’d ever make if it didn’t work out. And neither one of them had a great track record with devoted, long-term, emotionally vulnerable relationships. Who’s to say they’d even survive the attempt?

Does it even deserve a chance? But also doesn’t it? They’d taken a chance on raising Ciri. It was the best task they’d ever undertaken. She was amazing and even though Jaskier wasn’t sure how he’d prove as a caretaker to a child, he loved her more than he thought he could. But Ciri was foretold. Ciri and Geralt finding each other was destiny written across decades and Jaskier was the lucky plus one they’d added in afterward. There was no destiny to tie him to Geralt. If he walked away, destiny would still be fulfilled, the world would move on. As much as Jaskier liked to insist he was important and believe there was a destiny out there for him, it never seemed like that was the case. He was just along for the ride, not a member of the main cast.

On one hand, it doesn’t seem like they’ll be able to maintain the relationship they’ve had up until now. A confession is not something people often brush under the rug and forget about for the sake of friendship. But what if they could? What if they could spare themselves the pain that would follow it ending badly. Maybe it was only responsible and smart to save themselves from the mess.

After Jaskier weighed all the pros and cons that popped into his mind, neither side really winning, he realized that he hadn’t asked himself the most important question.

‘Do I love Geralt?’ He knew that he used to and then forced himself to let it go, but where did his heart lie now? Now that a confession was given, how did he feel? When he stopped worrying about the “what ifs” and the “oh no’s”, he felt a warmth blooming in his chest. When he took a second to slow down and just feel, it hit him.

‘He loves me. Geralt said he loves me.’

He loved Geralt, and though he pushed down those feelings for so many years, they were still there despite all his fears. As the smile stretched across his face, scrunching his cheeks while his eyes threatened to tear up, he felt happy. Happier than he’d felt in a long time. And that was answer enough. It might end badly, it could ruin everything Jaskier cared about, but it could also be the best thing he ever did. And a love like that deserves a chance. Jaskier opened his eyes and swore that he’d fight to his last breath to make it work.

“I love Geralt,” he said aloud, listening to how the words reverberated off of the cavern walls. It sounded good, it sounded right.

He loved Geralt and Geralt loved him, and that was reason enough to try, to try with all their might.

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

3 - I Love You

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

Geralt made it to the bottom of the mountain and felt better having not seen Jaskier on the ground injured, but there was always the chance he went down the wrong fork in the road or fell somewhere and ended up far away. With the heavy rainfall, too many smells were swirling around together. He could tell that the bard had been on the trail, but he already knew that. The smells of tree bark, mud, cattle in the fields upwind, and the odor from the monster’s head were enough to cover up anything distinct he’d be otherwise trying to make out. So he’d just need to find Jaskier in the town to be sure. Then he’d apologize and leave the bard with some of the coin from this kill to make sure he’d be fine until he made it somewhere more lucrative for his talents.

That’s when Geralt realized that he’d probably never hear his bard sing again.

He’d probably never get to watch him get drunk and embarrass himself again.

He’d likely never watch him be a father to Ciri again.

Was he robbing Jaskier of Ciri? Was he robbing Ciri of Jaskier? Did he not only ruin his own relationship with the bard but did he also put them in an awkward position without even thinking about it? Gods, he was so selfish. He never even considered what this would do to Ciri… He only thought of his own desires.

“Fuck…” he said to himself. The first word to escape his mouth since Jaskier ran away.

He continued onward, into the tavern they’d been contracted in when he first came upon the town. It was the only place to get any ale in the city, so it wasn’t hard to imagine that’s where he’d find the man who’d pay for his service, and Jaskier. But Jaskier wasn’t in the room. No worries, there are about a hundred places he could’ve run off to in the vicinity. So Geralt walked up to the bearded blonde fellow who sent him up the mountain and slammed the decapitated head on the table in front of him. His usual prickly business attitude was efficient, and his coin purse was much heavier in the seconds that followed. A fearful “thank you” and he wandered to the bar to order a drink for his efforts. He’d wait a few minutes for Jaskier to arrive before asking anyone for directions, the odds of him walking in through the door after following a girl around the city were higher than anything else. So he sipped his ale, and watched the room, keeping his attention on the front doors and windows, but the bard didn’t walk by.

A little worried, but composed, he asked the bartender,” Where’s the little bard I came in with yesterday?”

The bartender replied,” The brown-haired man who’s just a bit shorter than you sir? Well, I haven't seen him but by your side. Certainly hasn’t come into my bar since you left for your kill. And he surely would’ve caused a fuss if anyone saw him and not you, the whole town’s been waiting to see you return with news that you’ve handled that pest in our backyard. I assumed you’d left him outside.”

This was a cause for concern.

Geralt stood up and left without finishing his second tankard of ale. He went into the stables, but Jaskier wasn’t there either. He took Roach from them and got on her back to check around the city, nothing. He went down the second fork in the road that wound behind farmlands, still no signs of the bard. The rain was letting up, but all the scents still mingled around in the air too much to pinpoint anything.

He rode back toward the mountain trail, just begging anyone out there that Jaskier was okay.

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

Jaskier finally made his decision, and at a good time too since the rain seemed to be letting up from the previously harsh downpour. As the light was breaking through the separating clouds, Jaskier stood up and stretched out his joints. He walked back to the opening of the cave and when the little droplets ceased to fall from the blue sky above he took his first step back into the open woods. He had run into the cave pretty frantically from the main trail, but he remembers it was to the right, so he just needed to wander left and he should find it again in no time. And he was correct, after just a few feet he could see the foliage clear around the beaten path. It was sunny and bright now, he used his hands to shield his eyes from the now blazing sun as he looked back up the mountain for a moment.

‘Was Geralt still up there? No. He wouldn’t have stayed up there feeling bad for himself. Would he?’

Jaskier pondered this question and for the first time realized that he ran away from Geralt. He turned his back on his best friend and ran away. His best friend, despite his difficulties expressing his feelings, was being more vulnerable than he ever had been before. Jaskier remembers how Geralt’s voice wavered when he asked him to “Please say something…” and now the dread was settling in. All of this was unexplored terrain, who knew how all of this was hitting Geralt.

Jaskier began to go back up the mountain, growing more worried about how Geralt was doing in the hours that had passed since the confession. As he started to run Jaskier’s own heartbeat was thundering in his ears and his lungs were feeling a new strain from, what he assumed was, both exhaustion and panic. He didn’t even hear the hoofbeats grow closer until they were right behind him.

Jaskier was walking back up the mountain when Geralt felt himself release just a bit, in the relief that his best friend wasn’t hurt or lost. He pulled Roach to a stop just feet behind Jaskier, and as he turned around all the plans that Geralt had for apologies and separation were gone from his mind.

“Geralt…” Jaskier let out while Geralt dismounted the horse, but his legs were suddenly much weaker than he expected and he put his hands to his knees to steady himself.

Jaskier stepped forward and went to touch Geralt‘s shoulder but stopped halfway, Geralt looked up and said,” I didn’t see you in town… I didn’t know if you made it down the peak alright… I needed to know...”

Jaskier who was just a moment ago all emboldened and committed to cultivating love between them felt like a bird with the wind beneath his wings stolen. He saw the hurt in Geralt’s face, a hurt he put there. He was silenced once more.

“I am sorry. About what I said. It was stupid and I- I don’t even know where that came from. I’m probably just tired, or confused, or maybe the monster had some sort of venom, and so what I said wasn’t real, or it doesn’t matter, and we can just, I’m not sure but-”

“Geralt-” Jaskier stepped in, wanting to ease the witcher’s worries when Geralt continued.

“No. Because I know what you’re going to say. You’re going to go on about how you’ve enjoyed our years of travel, but now I’ve gone and made a mess of it. But you’re not listening, it’s okay because I’m just saying stupid stuff right now and we can go to the town and we can go to the next adventure and you can sing a dumb song about a stupid witcher saying things that don’t matter. And it’ll be an annoying joke in a few weeks that’ll give me headaches.”

“No Geralt, it’s-”

Geralt can’t stand to hear the rejection he’s sure is steadily approaching. He can’t let Jaskier say them. So He pleads,“ No. Stop it. Please. If we can’t pretend that I’m not thinking clearly, we can just pretend that it didn’t happen. I can pretend that none of this happened and we can go to the town and just move on as if nothing changed. And we’ll be fine. And I won’t have broken anything here, everything will be-”

“Geralt- but you did-”

“I- I know I did. And you’re right we can’t just forget it. I fucked up too much-”

“Geralt! Stop interrupting me.” Jaskier shouts, he had wanted to let Geralt say his piece to make up for previously running away, but Geralt was spinning himself crazy over nothing and needed to be stopped.

“But if we could just-” Geralt started before closing his eyes and clenching his fists once more.

“Geralt- it’s okay. Nothing’s broken and nothing is ruined and nothing is gone. But it will be different from now on.” Jaskier said apprehensively, trying not to scare away his wary companion.

“At least I should hope it would be. Because Geralt,” Jaskier reached toward him and clasped Geralt’s hand in his own, “I have loved you for years. And if the day I had always dreamt of, but was too scared to hope for, is really here, and if you really love me as well, then it would be ludicrous to just be friends again.”

Geralt’s expression relaxed and he looked to his own hand, held and comfortably by his bard, before daring to look upon Jaskier's face. And in his bard’s eyes was not the contempt or fear he was expecting, but genuine, sincere warmth.

“And I’m sorry, for the running. That wasn’t fair and I know that hurt you. I didn’t run because I didn’t share your feelings. I ran because I had given up long ago and the risk of believing you was too scary, and I panicked. But I’m good now. And I want to start this new experience with you.”

“You do?”

“I do.”

“And you won’t leave me again.”

“Absolutely not. You’re stuck with me now.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

“Okay.”

“Well, it seems to me like it’s time we got off of this mountain ”

And in response, Geralt gave a grunt to which Jaskier rolled his eyes.

“We’re going to need to work on your answers more. But for now, I’ll accept this instead of "Of course darling, I love you".“

And in mere moments, Jaskier stepped into Geralt’s chest, wrapped his arms around his witcher’s neck, and brought their lips together in a kiss. And while they didn’t know it then, they seemed to have attained destiny’s favor, because their love only grew over time. Geralt for the first time had new firsts to share with the first person who ever chose to stay by his side. And while nothing was ever perfect in their ever messy lives on the Continent, having each other and knowing they were safe in their lover’s arms, made all the difference.

----------------------------------------------------- My Other Works ❤

Feel free to go and leave it a kudo on ao3 too, if you want ❤

[heyitsani]

Loving You is a Losing Game Chapter 1

@jaydick-week Day 2 fic: Fairytale AU

Word Count: 3,543

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Monsters and Magic

Pairing: Jason Todd/Dick Grayson

Summary: When Batman goes missing, Nightwing is called in to try and track the man down. What he finds at the spot Batman was last seen is something he's not sure he's equipped to deal with. But that doesn't stop him from doing what he has to in order to get Batman out. Even if it means becoming the poisoner of a strange shadow man in a Gothic castle hidden behind a wall of magic on the edge of Gotham.

Notes: This is my Beauty and the Beast AU set in the comics (sort of...I’ve changed some details and you’ll understand once it’s all done).  I’m not sure how many chapters this one will have but here is the first.  I just wanted to be able to post at least part of the stories I prepared for the week since I wasn’t able to finish any of them.

You can also read it on AO3 here

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

He felt the person before he heard them, and the presence alone was enough for Dick to tense up in ways he’d rather not admit happened.  This was not a confrontation he was in the mood for at the moment, but apparently he was going to have to have it none the less.

“Deathstroke,” he said flatly, turning to look at the other man standing a few feet away in his familiar orange and black gear.

The white-haired man gave a smirk that boiled Dick’s blood, but he refused to react.  “Nightwing, how lovely to see you tonight.”  Dick never understood why Slade kept up the pretense of these meetings being unplanned.  They weren’t.  He might be oblivious to many things, but when a predator is stalking him has never been one of them.  He was well aware of what Slade was doing when he appeared out of nowhere.

“Is there something I can do for you tonight?  Or are you just here to get in my way.”

“Just curious how my favorite Little Bird was doing,” the man said as he leaned against the brick wall that held the door to head down into the building he had made his perch for the night.  “I’ve heard some interesting rumors over the past couple of months and I wanted to see if they were true.”

This was a dangerous game, Dick knew that.  He should just ignore Slade and head to a different spot in hopes the man would leave him alone, but his curiosity was also burning.  What kind of rumor could Slade have possibly heard involving him.

Sighing, Dick turned to face the man.  “And what rumors are those?”  He took the bait.  He frowned when Slade’s smirk turned predatory and made Dick want to take a few steps back to get more space between them.  Despite there being about ten feet already.

“Nightwing hasn’t been seen in Gotham for almost half a year.  And the hero community is wondering why the Titans have lost their leader suddenly.”  Rolling his eyes behind his mask, Dick crossed his arms over his chest.  “Now…you fighting with Daddy Bats isn’t all that strange, but six months?  When there’s still the little Robin running around not fully trained?”

Dick didn’t point out that Damian was Batman’s own son and had been trained by the League of Assassins. He was more trained than any of them had ever been.  And he made sure to point it out frequently to Tim.

“And that you have left behind your precious Titans?  Now that’s surprising.”  But Dick knew he no one other than the team knew why he had separated himself from them and they all accepted it.  He hadn’t been ousted or banned.  He had left because he had needed to.  “Are you isolating yourself, Little Bird?”

“What on earth are you talking about?”

Slade shrugged and pushed away from the wall, taking a few long strides to close some of the distance between them.  “Seems to me that you are pushing away everyone in your life, Kid.  Perhaps you’re ready for your true destiny?”  Dick frowned.  “Join me.  You know it’s inevitable.”

Dick laughed. Actually laughed at the words and shook his head.  

“Dream on, Slade.  I say it every time you bring it up,” Dick reminded him, uncrossing his arms.  “Until the world has burned, I will never join you.”

“Don’t tempt me, Kid.”

Instead of responding, Dick just rolled his eyes and took a step back off the edge of the roof, free falling for a moment before shooting off his grapple in the direction of where he had parked his motorcycle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Agent A,” Dick said into his comm when he heard Alfred’s voice bleeding through.  He was surprised to be hearing from the older man, but welcomed it none the less.  Even if it was coming in the middle of a fight.  

Landing a punch across the jaw of one of the goons and vaulting himself over the falling body to swiftly knock the other down with a firm kick to his chest, he breathed heavily. “Nightwing, I require your assistance in Gotham.”  Frowning, Dick knelt down and zip-tied the hands of the goons together before sending off the signal and coordinates to BPD.

“You require it?  Or Batman does?”  He questioned as he shot his grapple up to get off the street and out of the area before the cops arrived.  While the cops of BPD had gotten better over time, they still had an arrest order for all vigilantes.  So it was always best that he just left before they arrived. “What’s going on?”

“Batman has not been seen for about 48 hours now.  Robin and Red Robin are off world with the Titans at the moment and I know Batman would rather keep the search in the family before involving the League.” Which made sense in Bruce’s mind, but considering their hero friends had been vanishing left and right over the last two years, Dick thought it was somewhat foolish.  “Might you make your way to the Cave?”

Figuring out where he was in relation to his motorcycle, Dick took off in the direction of where he had stashed it.  “I’m on my way now.  Tell me what he was doing the night he went missing.”  He listened to Alfred relay the major points of the missing hero case that the entire community was working on while holding down their various cities. He listened as Alfred talked about Bruce starting the suspect something was happening in an abandon warehouse on the outskirts of town, not far from Crime Alley.  

Dick confirmed that Bruce had mentioned that to him about a year ago and Dick had told Bruce that there was no activity in the area after running the scans.  But apparently that didn’t mean Bruce had dropped it.  It just meant he didn’t immediately deal with whatever it was that was happening there.

“Master Bruce linked these three heroes and their disappearances with that warehouse,” Alfred said as he pulled open three filed.  Dick frowned when the faces of Roy Harper, Koriand’r, and Wally West appeared on the screen.  Three of his closest friends whose absences he had felt deeply.  If Donna’s face had come up alongside them then he would have left immediately.  “All three had come to town for various reasons and all vanished when leaving in that direction.”

“And Bruce thinks they vanished in the warehouse so he what?  He went there to try and figure out what was happening?”

Alfred nodded and pulled up a video, which Dick easily figured out was the cowl recording from the night he went missing.  Dick watched from Bruce’s eyes as the batmobile came to a stop on the outskirts of the three-building area.  His mentor took a moment to scan the area and look for any signs of life, but when the readings seemed to glitch he still decided to go in.  An action Dick had specifically been told not to do if he had experienced the same thing.

“Magic,” Bruce had said when Dick had reported his findings.  

But Bruce exited the car and headed toward the first of three buildings.  And just as Dick leaned forward, pressing his hands on the desk to watch closely, the screen glitched again and then static.  Scanning the screen for the readings of the video, he frowned.  “What the hell was that?”

“My thoughts?  It is the same magic you encountered when you had gone to scout the area at Master Bruce’s request.”

Dick straightened and frowned.  That was heavy magic if it was able to cut everything off from Bruce.  And it made Dick wonder if Bruce had somehow managed to get stuck behind the wall.  “Is Zatanna one of the missing?”  There had been so many that he couldn’t remember all of them.  Alfred’s nod filled him with dread.  “I have to go check it out.”

“Could I advise you to go to the Watchtower before you do?”

“There’s no time. He’s been missing for two days and some change.  I need to head in there.”  Dick frowned, grabbing his mask from where he had set it down when he had arrived. “But you should contact Clark immediately.  I’m not sure if they’ll be able to spare any of the other magic users, but let them know what Bruce had suspected.”  He turned to head back to his motorcycle but paused when Alfred’s hand landed on his upper arm.  “I have to go, Alf.  I can’t just leave him there.”

“I understand my boy, just be careful.  We don’t know what we’re dealing with.”  Dick gave a nod before continuing to his motorcycle.  “I will contact the League and try to get the Robins to return to Earth.”

“Thanks Alf.  I’ll keep you updated for as long as I can.”

He gave the older man one last smile before he gunned the engine and sped out of the Cave toward the warehouse where he would face too many unknown variables.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pulling up to the same place where Bruce had parked the batmobile, Dick frowned when he noticed the car was no longer there.  They were far enough away from the majority of the city that thieves wouldn’t have gotten to it, but that didn’t account for whatever magic that had been used to protect this area.  So he carefully set his motorcycle into stealth mode and left it tucked between two smaller buildings in the area.  If he was lucky, it would be there to get him and Bruce back to the cave once he found the other man.

“I’m approaching now, Agent A,” he reported to Alfred through the comms, sticking to the shadows as he approached.  He kept one eye on the grounds and the other on any possible movement around him.  “I didn’t notice it last time, but you can actually see the current.”  He moved to stand about a foot away from the now just slightly visible wall of magic.  He looked up, trying to see how far it went, but after about ten feet, the angle didn’t provide a good look.  

It almost reminded him of heat waves that came off the pavement during the worst of Gotham’s summers.

Reaching out a hand, Dick carefully touched the wall and jerked a hand back when it felt like he had been zapped by one of his escrimas.  “It feels like electricity,” he said into the comm but the reply he got back was crackled and broken.  And that meant he was probably on his own.  “I’m not sure if you can hear me anymore, but I’m going in.  Call for the League and the Robins.  Find a magic user and get them here if you can.  I’ll bring him back, Alf.”  And with a deep breath, he stepped forward and into the wall of magic.

And when he came out on the other side, he bent forward with his hands on his knees as he gasped for breath. “That is not a good time,” he groaned to himself as he tried to pull himself together.  With a few more deep breaths, Dick straightened and gasped in surprise at the sight of what was on the other side of the wall.

The image projected on the city side of the wall was what he remembered the area to look like.  Three large, abandoned warehouses and their various grounds surrounding them.  Gray and boring, weathered from the lack of upkeep and use.  But what was before him seemed almost gothic in comparison.  In fact, it looked like some of the older buildings of the city.  Gargoyles and all.  The plain concrete walls had been replaced with stone, vines that had not been there two years ago had begun to creep up them giving them an even more aged look.

The grounds themselves were green and reminded him far more of the Manor than what he would have expected a warehouse to look like.  They also looked immaculately kept.  It was almost as if whoever had done the spell had taken a gothic castle and placed it on the edge of Gotham while making every one in the city believe the warehouses remained.

It made Dick feel like he had a rock in his stomach.  This was a very powerful spell.

Scouting the area as best he could, Dick carefully made his way forward with his escrimas in hand and ready for a fight.  He didn’t know what he was bound to encounter, but he wasn’t going to chance not being prepared.  Not when it might be Bruce’s life on the line.  

When the grounds revealed little information, Dick snuck his way inside through one of the windows in the front and quietly made his way through the main foyer.  The more he saw of the building, the heavier the pit in his stomach got.  

The sound of fierce whispering hit his senses as he came to the base of a set of stairs.  

Nightwing, it is Nightwing.  

He frowned, looking around to try and find the source.  

Nightwing can do it.

He wanted to ask what exactly the whisperers thought he could do, but instead he remained silent and looked up the stairs.  There was a faint light further up and like a moth, Dick made his way toward it.  The whispers got quieter and quieter the further up he went.  Until they had vanished all together and he was standing at the top of the stairs, looking at something that he was struggling to understand.  It looked like cells but it wasn’t making sense in his head.

Of course, if this really was some sort of medieval structure, it would make sense for there to be a tower with cells for keeping prisoners.  But what that even what this was.

The sound of movement from one of the ones on the right caught his attention and with barely a thought, he rushed forward to peer inside.  “Batman!”  He cried, latching his escrimas on his back before gripping the bars of the cell door. “Are you okay?!”  He questioned as he looked the older man over.  

“Nightwing,” the name came out as a groan and Dick frowned.  Bruce looked roughed up, but he didn’t look like he was in that bad of condition. “You have to leave.  Get out of here now.  Before it takes you like it took them all.”

“What are you talking about? I’m not going to just leave you here,” he shook his head before searching his utility belt for his lock pick so he could get the cell open and get Bruce out of there.  He had just about gotten the lock open when a loud crash sounded behind him and he was flying toward the cells on the other side of the small hallway.

“What are you doing here?!” The question was practically growled, and Dick tried to focus on the source but all he could see was a shadow and a pair of glowing green eyes.  “You don’t belong here.  Leave!”

Shaking his head, Dick looked over at Bruce before looking back to the shadow.  “I’m not leaving without Batman.”

“Yes, you are,” the shadow growled.  “He’s my prisoner.  He’s cursed to remain.”

Dick carefully stood to his feet and grabbed his escrimas, moving into a fighting stance.  “I’m not leaving without him.  So either you give him to me or I take him.”

“Nightwing, no!”  

But Dick ignored Bruce’s call and carefully moved so he was standing in front of his mentor’s cell. He didn’t know who or what it was he was facing, but he had fought enough in his years to be adaptable. “Dick, please just go.  Get out while you can.”

“I’m not leaving you.”

“One of you is leaving before I really lose my temper.”

That gave Dick pause. “One of us?”  The shadow seemed to tilt it’s head and Dick considered the idea building in his mind.  He could get Bruce out of there.  He could get Bruce home to Alfred.  And Bruce would figure out a way to get him out of there.  He could do that.  Dick would never be able to figure out how to combat magic like this.  He wasn’t sure even their magic users in the League would be able to.  But Batman always found a way.  “Take me instead.”

“What?”

“No!”

“You heard me.  Take me instead.  Release Batman and I’ll take his place.”

“You…” the shadow paused, sounding almost awed.  “You would do that for him?”

“Yes.”

“Dick don’t do this, please.”

Turning his head just slightly to lock eyes with Bruce, Dick pursed his lips.  “I have to.  You’ll figure it out.  You’re already there.  I trust you.” The man frowned but understanding filled his eyes and he gave Dick a firm nod.  Turning back to the shadow, Dick latched his escrimas again and raised his chin.  “I’ll stay as long as I have to if you promise to let him go safely on the other side of the magical wall.”

There was silence before the shadow moved like liquid, shoving Dick out of the way and getting Bruce out of the cell.  In a blink of an eye, the pair were gone and Dick was left alone wondering what he was supposed to do now.  He just risked his life on Bruce being able to figure this out.  He had given up everything because he trusted the man enough to get to the bottom of whatever was happening here.  Dick trusted Bruce and Nightwing trusted Batman, but jumping in front of a bullet was different than trapping himself inside a magical dome with no connection to the outside world.

With a deep breath, Dick pulled the mask off his eyes and looked around the room he supposed he would be staying in.  The cells were stereotypical for a medieval castle and under any other circumstance, he would probably laugh at that.  But now this was his...home?

“Come,” a voice came out of nowhere, causing him to jump and quickly turn toward the staircase he had come up.

The shadow was back.

More magic, he mused to himself.  “What?” He questioned the command, wary of what the game might be here.

The shadow shifted and moved forward, stepping into the light to reveal a man.  Not a shadow at all.  Blonde hair, sharp cheekbones, and green eyes.  He was tall but not as tall as the shadow had made him appear to be. And not as bulky, but still solid in muscle mass and strength.  “Do you want to stay up here?”  The man growled, his green eyes taking on an almost glowing look to them.  It made Dick take a step back in self-preservation.

“No, but I thought…” This was where Bruce had been kept after all.  Why was he not to assume that it would be the same for him?

“You thought wrong.” The man turned and headed down the stairs and after a short hesitation, Dick hurried to follow.  He kept quiet as he followed the man down the stairs he had come up in the beginning and then down the halls toward a different wing of the castle.  “This is your home now.  You can go anywhere you like but the West Wing.”

Dick glanced behind him, remembering the staircase they had passed that would have been in the westward direction.  “What’s in the West Wing?”  He asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.  He blamed Bruce and his need to raise detectives.

“Nothing of your concern!” The man ground out, turning to glare at Dick with his glowing green eyes.  And though he wanted to take a step back, he resisted the urge.  He did, however, give a slight nod of understanding to pacify the man instead.  There was a moment of pause before he seemed pacified and they continued on the path. “You will stay here,” the man said when they reached an elaborately carved, pair of double doors.  Dick looked up at them before stepping forward and inside the room after he pushed the doors open.

The room itself looked as though it had come right out of a movie.  Four post bed, gleaming silvers and blues all over.  The bed looked plush and the furniture was likely hand carved.  Everything was polished and smooth, gleaming under the lighting.  It was ornate and fancy and Dick hated it.  But that might have had more to do with it being his prison than it being overly done.

He heard the man clear his throat and Dick turned to find he remained in the doorway of the room, looking hesitate to enter.  But that was something Dick had no desire to unpack that right then.  Not when he was still technically a prisoner.

“If you need anything, the others are always lingering.”  The man glanced around the room before straightening his spine.  “I expect you to join me for dinner.”  Dick frowned when the man turned away and slammed the door behind him.  Sighing, Dick turned in a small circle before dropping down onto the edge of the bed.

[edelwoodsouls]

all roads lead - ch. 4

When his mother dies, Stiles runs away, straight into danger - only to be saved by Peter Hale. Seven years later, after burying their alpha, Stiles and Malia return home.

Word Count: 2,380 | Also on Ao3 | Other Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 5,

Chapter 4: WATER

Stiles has always been a creature who thrives on certainty. On logic. Control. Knowing the variables, knowing the future. Knowing what truly lies in people's hearts, their motivations, their secrets. Knowledge is power is control. Until the nogitsune. Now chaos hums in his bones, in the thrum of his heartbeats. He knows the two aren't so different now. Control is just an illusion, a sliver of rock above a sea of chaos that will drag you back under no matter how hard you cling, and isn't afraid to let the rocks claw you to shreds on the way down. The only true control is instigating the chaos. Still, not knowing where the future will lead is something that sits heavily in his chest, the beginnings of panic that Stiles is oh so used to, but still makes his fingers shake after years. His father went out to make a phone call, still shaken, eyes still glistening. Make yourself at home, kids, he'd said, eyeing Malia with renewed curiosity now the dam has burst. So naturally, Stiles headed for the showers. Four days on coaches across the country coats him in a greasy film, and he desperately needs the rhythm of the water against his skin, the liminal space that seems to exist only in showers, giving him a moment to breathe. He turns the heat as high as it will go, watches his troubles eddy and fall from him into the drain. Being here feels like curling up by the fire, beside Malia, watching as Peter plays the piano tucked in the corner of their apartment with the exagerrated motions of someone overly skilled for the piece he's playing. It's a false comfort, he knows, one he should think twice before allowing to smother him. But he's so tired. The weeks have leeched all the fight from his bones, and this place, Beacon Hills, his father, have reminded him of the days when childhood was something still permitted to him. Stiles has never had a shower so good in his life.

Whilst Malia takes her turn, Stiles stares at himself in the fogged-up mirror. His hair has grown out (when was the last time he cut it?); his bones jut out at awkward angles from his too-pale, shadowed skin (how often has he been eating?). He looks like a man possessed. Has he looked this bad since he actually was? Malia pokes her head around the shower curtain, and he's surprised to see a delighted smile on her face, eyes glinting in that mischevious way that never quite leaves her. "This shower is fucking brilliant," she declares. "I never want to leave." Me neither, a small, too-loud part of him whispers back. Instead he just grins back at her and flicks water from his hair at her. She squeals, vanishing behind the curtain. A moment later, the shower head is turned directly at him, spraying him once more with startlingly hot water. John finds them ten minutes later, deep into the most intense water fight of Stiles' life. The towel tucked around Stiles' waist is soaked, the walls slick, the shower half-heartedly continuing to spray from the bottom of the tub. The two of them are crumpled beside it, chests aching so hard from laughing that the room spins. His father, standing in the doorway with a bemused expression as he takes in the chaos, just sends them into another bout of giggles. "Hey, dad," Stiles says, still gasping, pulling himself up over the lip of the tub and bringing Malia with him. John blinks, something unnameable flitting across his features, gone in an instant beneath a sheriff's poker face. Or maybe a father's one. "I thought you might want a change of clothes," he says, holding up a stack of clothing in between his hands. His eyes look anywhere but the two of them. "Then we should have a talk. I only have clothes for a teenage boy, though..." His eyes drift to Malia's face. She stares at him with the unnerving edge of a coyote's challenge, then extends a hand out for the proffered clothes. Stiles tries, and fails, to imagine Malia in a skirt - the thought is nothing but funny.

"Thanks, Mr Stilinski," she grins at him, wolfish, and bounces out into the hall, letting her hand brush Stiles' for a brief second as she passes.

Then it's just him, and his father. Alone. Silence stretches, and eventually John backs out into the hall and turns away so Stiles can get dressed.

"She's certainly... a character," his father's voice rises eventually. He's looking off distantly down the hall in the direction Malia left.

Stiles snorts. "That's certainly one way to describe Malia," he shrugs.

"And is she...?"

"What?"

"Is she your girlfriend?"

Stiles almost slips over on the floor again. "No," he says vehemently, then stops. How can he explain to his father the utterly entwined connection the two of them have? Siblings doesn't run nearly deep enough (and he thinks most people would frown on naked water fights with siblings at this age). Friends, family - all of it falls short. Society would like to describe them as significant others, simply because normal society deems romantic attraction the highest form of love. But that's something neither of them have ever considered, never would. What they give each other is infinitely stronger, infinitely more empowering. "She's the closest person I have," he says eventually. "We've been through a lot together."

An understatement if ever he heard one.

The clothes he tugs on are soft and warm, far too large for him. Scott's clothes, he realises. Half of him wants to snuggle in closer to them, smell the familiar scent of his old best friend. The other half riles at the smell of another alpha, at the thought of taking his clothes, invading his home.

"So you and Melissa," he says, voice oh so light and casual. His father flinches, turns around instinctively- and stops. Stiles has pulled on most of the clothes, but the tshirt is still half over his head, his chest still clear to see.

Considering how painful it was when he got it, he forgets about the tattoo over his heart far too often. Simple black lines, the symbol of his pack emblazoned forever in his skin, the only scar his body would let him keep. To a layman he supposes it looks like a sharp, angular S, but Peter's love of tradition and meaning, combined with Stiles' own magical training, mean he has learned to read runes like English.

"Eihwaz," Peter had declared when he'd selected the rune as his symbol. "The yew tree. Stability. Endurance. Irreversibility. Perseverance."

And wasn't that the thing that held their little family together? Despite all the odds, they had survived. They had found each other. They had weathered irreversible change and chosen to plant roots, to seek stability, knowing better than most how easily it slipped between their fingers.

In the end, it had done very little to save Peter's life. But here Stiles was, here Malia was, still persevering.

Stiles shoves the tshirt down over the tattoo, and his father's eyes blink away.

"Me and Melissa," he says slowly, as if the ground might crumble with a single word.

"Dad," Stiles says shortly, cutting across. "It's okay, really. You don't need to make any excuses. It's been a while. I'd be surprised if you'd survived this long alone."

And doesn't that just kill the mood.

"Stiles..." his father's tone immediately sets him on edge. "Why are you here? After all this time, why now? Did you want to come home? Did you... did you have a choice?"

 Were you kidnapped or did you leave?

Why is he here? To reconnect with his father? To inform Derek and Laura Hale of their uncle's passing? Is he just searching for a reason to keep moving, a direction, a goal, or else he'll shut down and never move again?

"I wanted to come home," he says, and right now it's the truth. "As for choice, it's not that simple, and-" he breathes slowly to ground himself, to calm the swirl of thoughts in his head. "I'm not really ready to talk about it. But, I was hoping... I was hoping we could stay. Find our ground again. For the longest time I've felt like I'm falling, and finally here..."

It feels like home, he doesn't say, but oh how he wants it to be true.

"You're welcome to stay, Stiles," his father says, so quickly a small light flickers to being in Stiles' chest. "You and Malia both. We have a couple spare rooms. But to all the world, you're missing."

Ah. Crap.

"I need to take you to the station, do a full report. You're a minor, so there's a whole bunch of hoops to jump through. As the sheriff I have a certain amount of pull, but there are gonna be questions."

"Not just for me," Stiles cringes. "Malia is from Beacon Hills, too..."

His father nods in consideration, like he's just the corner of a puzzle he's been wrestling with for a while. Stiles really doesn't like that expression. "So she is Malia Tate. I thought she was, though it's been a few years."

The world stops. Stiles isn't here, but somewhere far away. The buzz of electricity in his ears. Blood leaking between his fingers. "You can't send her back there."

John looks up, surprised by the vehemence in his voice.

"I mean it, dad. Don't even tell her dad she's alive. He gave up any right to her when he sent her to Eichen House."

"Stiles..."

"Do you know what they did to her in there? Do you want to know what nightmare you've sent 'problematic' cases into? When we found her, she was-" His voice breaks. He doesn't want to remember the blood of that night, the wild look in Malia's eyes, so driven by animal terror she hadn't even recognised him or Peter.

None of them talk about that year, when Malia left to find herself and came back more lost than ever before. That night, more than anything, has kept him away from the west coast entirely. He's managed this long to keep Beacon Hills and Eichen House separate in his mind, distanced by time and trauma, but how far is it really? An hour's drive? The thought of Malia locked up there again makes something inside him cold with fury.

He won't let it happen, no matter what he has to do.

John doesn't say anything for a moment, clearly mulling over the information - too much - Stiles has just let slip. "I'll do what I can," he nods eventually. Stiles lets go of a breath he hadn't realised was burning his lungs. "I can pull some strings. I can respect your boundaries - up to a point. Eventually you're gonna have to talk to me about all this. Where you've been. How you and an asylum escapee are so close. Or you can talk to a therapist, at least."

The idea of a therapist attempting to untangle the utter clusterfuck of his brain makes Stiles smile.

"And you have to go to school."

He says this like it's a punishment, but Stiles suddenly, unexpectedly relishes the idea. He'd graduated early last year in New York, bored of school and pretending to be dumb just to stay at a regular pace. But the thought of being given something to fill the yawning chasm of time he's found himself with is a good one.

Malia won't like it, but she doesn't like anything involving written words and human social cues, all of which fester inside the halls of a school.

This is their chance, he realises. To live like normal teenagers. To meet people their own age, make friends who aren't pack. To play lacrosse and go iceskating, worry about inane things like homework, and clothing, and - just maybe - college applications.

"Of course," Stiles nods along. "Thank you, dad."

His father gives him an awkward, one armed hug, quickly lets go again. "How about I show you guys your rooms, that way you can get settled while I get started on dinner."

"You, cooking?" Stiles gasps in mock horror.

"Hey, kid, I am now a gourmet chef, I'll have you know. No more charred black fry ups or greasy take out. I'm on the straight and narrow."

"I'll see it when I believe it," Stiles grins.

"You will," John says earnestly. "I like to impress when it's my turn to cook - I'm doing shepherds pie today. Scott and Isaac'll be back from lacrosse practice in a couple hours, and Melissa finishes at six. Dinner at seven?"

Scott'll be back from lacrosse. In the excitement of finally seeing a road ahead of him, he's forgotten the small problem of the supernatural. Does his father know? Does Melissa? How long can he and Malia mask their scents living under the same roof as an alpha?

How the hell did asthmatic, wouldn't-harm-a-fly Scott McCall become an alpha anyway? The idea of Scott with blood on his hands like Stiles makes the world feel entirely wrong.

And who the hell is Isaac?

He manages a smile that's probably more a grimace, though his father doesn't seem to notice the difference. "Dinner at seven sounds great. But, uh, Malia and I only need one room."

"Are you sure?" John looks unsure. "I have two-"

"We sleep together." Stiles' tone leaves no room for discussion, a little too much of that alpha agression showing through. He relaxes immediately, hoping to glaze over the moment. "We both have pretty horrific nightmares. So unless you want screaming at 3AM, probably better for us to just stay together."

He can see his father is hardly convinced. John Stilinski is the sheriff of a town where tragedy is commonplace. He's seen trauma in all its shapes and sizes. He understands it all too well, how it makes an enemy of everything other. Malia and Stiles' closeness isn't simply a bond of friends or pack. They've been through things too awful to imagine together.

It's them against the world. Even against John Stilinski, if needs be.

But his father nods, once, firmly, and that's that.

[taxiservicemauritiusblr]

6 Questions to Ask Before Choosing an Airport Transportation Service

If You Have A Flight Coming Up, You Need Transportation That Ensure Timely Arrivals. Represent These Inquiries Before Choosing An Airport Transportation Service.

Is it exact to state that you are looking for a transportation organization to get you to and from the air terminal? The organization you enlist will be a bit of your VIP's underlying presentation of your business.

In case you're selecting them to move yourself, by then you have to guarantee they guarantee an ideal appearance as a general rule. Fortunately, there are a couple of requests that you can posture to every help and guarantee you're enrolling the right one for the work.

Cause sure to list two or three different organizations, to ask them comparative requests, and a short time later filter through the ones you don't enjoy. Find your new air terminal transportation organization with these steady requests underneath.

1. Where Are You Located?

Here's an industry secret: you would incline toward not to enroll an air terminal transportation organization because of their proximity to the air terminal. That shouldn't be the choosing variable, at any rate.

Why? Since they really need to take off to your optimal goal to get you. If your corporate office is 40 miles from the air terminal, that is the methods by which far they have to go to get you, by then drive back. It isn't profitable.

You have to find a transportation organization that is discovered some spot in point An and point B. This will help with holding their mileage down (which they may charge you for) and ensure ideal appearance and trip towards the air terminal.

2. What Separates Your Service From The Others?

There's nothing not right with making an air terminal transportation organization go on fairly an endeavor to sell something. You have to guarantee they don't just negligence the request.

Ideally, you have to hear them state words like "incredible customer help", "low rates", "guarantee, and so forth Regardless, any help can say those words, yet in what capacity may they back up the splashy talk? Simply through obvious models.

Solicitation that they give you a model or two of a period where they obliged one of their clients. Have there been any close fiascoes with not getting a client there on time? Accepting this is the situation, what did they do to guarantee they showed up as quick as could sensibly be normal?

Anyway long the organization is glad to talk you through what disconnects them from various people, you can prompt that they attempt to show up as something different!

3. What Are Your Hours?

Imagine getting a call from maybe the best client in Dallas, Texas at 2 AM. They need you to show up at the most punctual occasion to help them with an endeavor. There's simply a solitary issue... you don't live in Dallas. You live in New York!

As of now you need to collect agenda things quickly. You need to book a flight and brains your air terminal transportation organization to get you. Can you surely express that they'll get up at 2 or 3 AM? They should!

A first rate air terminal transportation organization is simply ever a summon. Whether or not you're sparing a pickup fourteen days early or two hours early, they ought to have the choice to change.

4. How Long Have You Been In Business?

Experience is everything in this life. The more a transportation organization has, the more you can trust in them with your business.

If they have enough long periods of involvement, by then they have the experience and expertise to adapt to any situation. Rolling out little improvements to their game plans will just be one more day at the working environment for them.

Additionally that a transportation organization with experience understands the right escort testing and getting ready shows for their staff. They will have the best desires for the people they trust with transportation their clients (you).

5. Okay have the option to Track My Flight?

To ensure a predictable air terminal pickup measure for your workers and clients, you need to understand the transportation organization will get your VIP right away.

A bit of that joins following their excursions to ensure they're keeping down to get them when they adventure down the lift. Not showing up promptly is a gigantic trouble for both you and the individual they're getting.

Most accepted organizations will have the alternative to follow your flight and, to the extent that you're OK with it, stay in contact with you consistently.

6. What Are Your Costs?

Alright, yes! The request that everyone needs a reaction to, anyway no one should be clear in inquisitive. If you endeavor and beat around the thorn, by then you'll discover an answer that avoids the main problem too.

Be immediate and approach them what their costs are for each help. Structure what your ordinary pickup offices are and what they would charge for doing in that capacity.

If the organization is direct and blunt about their costs, you can ensure that they're an assist you with canning trust. Try to get some data about the last worth which may join additional charges and mileage.

Anyway long the expense is inside your spending plan and they talked reality with regards to it, you should keep them on your overview. If you have a particular tendency about their expenses, by then continue forward to the accompanying help on your summary.

[fullpeanutobject]

Group Buy Seo

A full set-up of awesome SEO apparatuses can make apparently unthinkable positions conceivable and make our working carries on with a lot simpler.

The issue is that a full set-up of such extravagances isn't actually modest.

Fortunately, there is no deficiency of free SEO instruments that can invest wholeheartedly of spot on your promoting mantelpiece, so we have separated the 17 best ones that we figure you should use in .

You will discover them gathered into the classifications underneath to make it simple for you to discover explicit highlights when you need them:

You can likewise investigate our manual for the best free watchword research apparatuses for significantly more valuable assets.

Recognizing and overseeing specialized issues on a site should be essential for any SEO Group Buy Tools work process. Here are some free devices to assist you with doing that:

Google Search Console

Google Search Console is the place where you can pick up bits of knowledge into your site's natural presentation, and any revealed issues, for example, notices of manual activity punishments. Each SEO worried about positioning great on Google should be comfortable with it.

What it can do:

You can get a full overview on the instrument in our authoritative manual for Google Search Console, yet as a brisk outline, here are a portion of its principle employments:

Understanding your site's SEO execution as far as snaps, impressions, CTR, and normal situations on an individual catchphrase level - at last helping you plan a development technique;

Investigating URLs to distinguish slithering and ordering issues that could keep it from appearing on the SERPs;

Discovering inclusion blunders and the reason for these (404 mistakes, creep issues, pages impeded by robots.txt and that's just the beginning);

Presenting a sitemap;

Discovering manual activities and security issues;

Picking up experiences into the backlinks and interior connections that Google thinks about;

Educating Google regarding a space name change.

We love it on the grounds that:

It is the best spot to see the specific issues that Google sees when it slithers and files your site.

On a page-by-page level, you can test a URL to see precisely how Google bot deciphers it, including the client announced and Google-chose standard, the date it was last slithered, and significantly more.

It is the primary spot you ought to go to analyze any issues with respect to the manner in which your site shows up on the SERPs.

Google Page Speed Insights

Site speed isn't just a positioning variable, yet it additionally impacts the client experience (UX) of your site. Slow pages can forestall transformations and harm rankings, so Google's free Page Speed Insights device is an extraordinary method to keep on top of this.

What it can do:`

You can utilize the Google Page Speed Insights instrument to comprehend your site's Page Speed score and figure out how to improve it by fixing featured issues.

Regardless of whether you are not excessively specialized, you will have the option to see the fundamental regions that are influencing the speed of your site, for example, picture load time or worker issues, just as the regions that are performing great.

We love it on the grounds that:

It gives you clear recommendations for enhancements to your webpage, and furthermore demonstrates how long can be spared by making them - it's an extraordinary method to calibrate your site's presentation.

Google Page Speed experiences openings

Bing Webmaster Tools

Bing has a piece of the overall industry of 25% in the US, which makes it extremely large an occasion to disregard by zeroing in on Google alone. Bing Webmaster Tools exists to assist you with dealing with your webpage's appearance on the web index.

You can get an entire host of experiences into your website on Bing Webmaster Tools, including a rundown of how well your webpage is performing and the zones on which you have to center to improve. It causes you see how clients are finding your site to permit you to organize enhancements, analyze site issues and get cautions and warnings from Bing.

There is an opportunity your rivals are turning blind eyes to Bing, so you may have the option to utilize this for your potential benefit.

Bing Webmaster Tools really gives you a greater number of bits of knowledge into your webpage's exhibition than Google Search Console.

It offers a SEO examination apparatus (in particular, SEO Analyzer) that gives best practice proposals, which even detours your robots.txt document to permit you to check pages you aren't yet prepared to file.

SEMrush

SE Mrush is the far reaching SEO toolbox that, among numerous different things, permits you to keep on top of all specialized issues identified with the streamlining of your site.

While there are various distinctive valuing plans to look over, a free membership gives a scope of chances:

You can perform up to 10 inquiries every day in our Domain Analytics and Keyword Analytics information bases;

You can utilize the Keyword Magic apparatus (without sparing pursuits);

You can make and deal with a solitary undertaking (each venture incorporates 12 individual instruments);

You can slither up to 100 pages of your site with the Site Audit device to discover issues and openings (in the event that you have an enlisted SEMrush account; a restricted creep of 25 pages is accessible without a record and should be possible here);

You can follow the places of up to 10 watchwords in the Position Tracking device;

You are given an aggregate of 10 SEO Idea units for every month.

Discover more about how you can manage a free membership here, including checking for up to 130 specialized and SEO issues on your site in no time.

From watchword research through to specialized SEO evaluating, revealing, and serious exploration, SEMrush's free membership offers an abundance of highlights that will make your life simpler. It will even give you admittance to free augmentations like SEO quake and looks at paid extra highlights like the Growth Quadrant for serious scene examination.

Shouting Frog SEO Spider

Shouting Frog SEO Spider permits you to creep up to 500 URLs with a free record, which considers a decent degree of understanding into specialized issues.

In contrast to numerous different crawlers, Screaming Frog is a work area based device for investigating and reviewing specialized SEO issues. From finding broken connections and reviewing sidetracks to dissecting meta information and finding copy content, this integral asset can be utilized for destinations enormous and little.

Shouting Frog makes it simple to trade your discoveries to an accounting page to be utilized for educating SEO suggestions, so the scope of potential investigations can make for helpful key experiences in the long haul.

Sloth

Sloth encourages you use Cloud flare Workers, alongside their broad organization of worldwide server farms, to set 301 and 302 sidetracks, actualize reflag, lead A/B testing, adjust your robots.txt record, and even gather log documents.

When working at big business level, it isn't extraordinary to experience barriers when attempting to execute answers for genuinely regular SEO assignments, for example, sidetracks to reflag labels.

Sloth lets you use Cloud flare Workers to execute JavaScript as an afterthought without affecting the basic foundation, which implies you can address any roadblocks to complete your undertakings.

This free apparatus returns you to control of numerous fundamental SEO assignments, so you don't have to depend on engineers or discover workarounds to limitations forced by a CMS or a worker.

Reflag Tags Testing Tool

Google's John Mueller has recently said that actualizing reflag is one of the most unpredictable pieces of SEO; utilizing Merle's reflag Tags Testing Tool is one approach to make it that smidgen simpler to check for any mistakes.

What it can do:

Regardless of whether you are executing reflag labels in HTML, HTTP headers, or a XML sitemap, slip-ups can be anything but difficult to make.

This free instrument from Markel lets you enter a URL, select a client specialist, and test your execution to assist you with spotting issues and resolve them as quickly as time permits.

Markel's reflag trying apparatus

It implies you can spot issues with reflag execution in no time, and comprehend the substitute URLs and the focused on district.

Diagnosing such issues can be tedious and disappointing, yet when you can see the explanations introduced in a reasonable organization, recognizing that one mistaken tag couldn't be easier.

Given that WordPress currently controls 35% of the web, there is a sensible possibility that it is your CMS of decision. On the off chance that it is, there are many free apparatuses that can assist you with capitalizing on the stage from an on-page SEO viewpoint.

Rank Math

The device covers everything from upgrading your page titles and meta depictions and checking 404 mistakes, to making XML sitemaps and recognizing new substance openings.

It will even prescribe the ideal settings to assist you with running a completely streamlined WordPress site.

Rank Math's SEO suite incorporates the accompanying highlights:

Not at all like some WordPress SEO modules, you oversee what you use and what you don't on account of its particular system, which implies you can single out your highlights with more opportunity than you would get with an across the board module.

Yoast SEO is a free WordPress module that makes advancing your site as basic and direct as it ought to be for amateurs.

What it can do:

Since it is completely incorporated with the Gutenberg WordPress manager, Yoast SEO gives you unlimited authority over your site's optimizati

[waterdispenserblogs-blog]

Differences between Water Coolers and Water Dispensers

To begin with, they are altogether dispensers, yet water dispensers are not water coolers. All things considered, they are two different kinds of dispensers. Water dispensers generally are non-electric dispensers and they don't cool the water, while water coolers use power to cool the water and afterward administer the water. Accordingly, we additionally called water coolers as water cooler dispensers. What's more, water coolers additionally give heated water, so if you need high temp water to make some tea or espresso, a water cooler is an ideal accomplice for you. Furthermore, you don't have to pause and get heated water immediately.

>> See more here:  best bottom loading water dispenser

Them two oblige 2, 4, or 5-gallon standard water bottles. You can purchase previously filled water that might be refined water, purified water or treated water. If you have a water channel (like an opposite assimilation framework), you can have the packaged loaded up with separated water yourself.

Advantages of a Water Cooler Dispenser

We utilize a water cooler, since we have to drink water each day and a water cooler can make it simple to drink. A few people purchase offered water administer for better tasting, in light of the fact that our faucet water might be intensely chlorinated. Furthermore, other a few people might want to dinking cold water in summer, so such a water cooler can carry out the responsibility without any problem. This is extraordinary particularly in summer.

Regardless of what reasons are, we like to administer cold or boiling water from such a water cooler dispenser. Our children likewise prefer to get their own drink. Accordingly, a water cooler is an unquestionable requirement have thing for our home. Indeed, even a water dispenser can permit us to dispenser room-temperature water whenever.

Types to Choose: Countertop or Freestanding Units

Both water coolers and dispensers chiefly have two sorts: ledge models and unattached models. Ledge units are shorter and more affordable than unsupported units. If you need to get one, first you have to choose which type to purchase. Obviously, you additionally need to consider where you intend to place such a water cooler, in your family room, porch, garden shed or in your room. Furthermore, an electrical outlet is accessible close to the area you pick. You should put it on a strong stage to make it stable constantly. You can put a ledge water cooler on a table or a counter, however it ought not be put excessively high, or apportioning water or changing the water jug will be difficult. What's more, it isn't prescribed to put it on a carpet, on the grounds that a periodic spill will drop on the mat, making it difficult to clean. With regards to the cooling effectiveness, an unsupported water cooler is all the more remarkable gratitude to a greater blower utilized. That is the reason unattached units are more costly.

Drinking Water Temperature

The administered water temperature fluctuates between different brands and models. What's more, there is no norm. Cold water temperature is fundamentally controlled by the sort or size of the blower. Different variables may impact the cooling impact as well.

Generally, a water cooler dispenser has a capacity area at its bottom to store cold water and warmth water. A ledge model has a littler stockpiling and in light of its little size of blower, it will in general administer water which isn't as cold as other detached models.

Basic and Best Features

A water administer will in general have one spigot that permits you to apportion water, while a water cooler will in general have two fixture: one for high temp water and one for cold water. If you need to make some tea or espresso, you simply need to administer heated water from the high temp water spigot. This is extremely fast and helpful. Obviously, most models permit you to turn cold/boiling water off, if you don't utilize. For instance, in sweltering summer, you will be bound to drink cold water, and afterward you can kill its high temp water to spare some vitality.

The water supply of a water cooler or dispenser should be tempered steel which can forestall plastic water taste. Luckily, most models accompany a tempered steel supply. Also, heated water spigots ought to be safe to youngsters. Subsequently, a safety youngster lock ought to be incorporated. If you need to top off your water bottles, travel mugs, or tall glasses frequently, the space between the fixture and the trickle plate ought to be sufficient and the spout ought to be sufficiently little to fit in the mouth of your water containers, glasses and travel mugs.

[omgryan351-blog]

On Intercessory Prayer, Reiki and the Greater Good

Intercessory Prayer is the place you offer to God that something you need will occur or that something you don't require won't occur. In these cases, you are referencing that God "mediate" for your preferred position. It has been a touch of most religions for a long time and ages. Regardless, accomplishes it work?

In all actuality, a few years sooner an assessment ( Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer (STEP) in heart avoid patients: a multicenter randomized basic of shortcoming and sureness of getting intercessory claim. Am Heart J.2006 Apr;151(4):934-42) was finished by a party of agents (Benson H, Dusek JA, Sherwood JB, Lam P, Bethea CF, Carpenter W, Levitsky S, Hill PC, Clem DW JR, Jain MK, Drumel D, Kopecky SL, Mueller PS, Marek D, Rollins S, Hibberd PL.) The assessment offered the impact of solicitation a chance the pace of tries following coronary deftly course stay away from combine (CABG) clinical procedure Breakthrough Prayer .

Three get-togethers of patients were related with the appraisal: the individuals who were prompted they would get intercessory claim to support their recuperation (601 patients,) the individuals who were told they may get intercessory demand and did (601 patients,) and the individuals who were told they may possibly get it in any case didn't (597 patients.) Quoting from the speculative: RESULTS: In the 2 social affairs sketchy about getting intercessory appeal, loads happened in 52% (315/604) of patients who got intercessory demand versus 51% (304/597) of the individuals who didn't (relative threat 1.02, 95% CI 0.92-1.15). Difficulties happened in 59% (352/601) of patients sure of getting intercessory demand separated and the 52% (315/604) of those unsure of enduring intercessory advance (relative risk 1.14, 95% CI 1.02-1.28). Basic occasions and 30-day mortality were equivalent over the 3 get-togethers. Terminations: Intercessory demand itself had no impact on chaos free recuperation from CABG, yet sureness of getting intercessory claim was associated with a higher repeat of complexities.

What are we to think about that? Is it conceivable that intrigue could make more prominent complexities happen? One may battle that if the patients recognized they were being locked in God for, they may have gone up against more challenges or may have improved a than normal undertaking in isolation to recover. Regardless, we are discussing post-usable complexities, not way of life changes. The employable factors here are passing occasions rapidly fusing the clinical system, not steady way of life factors with since quite a while back, reinforced proposals.

Obviously this assessment was done with astounding sound structure, purposefully spread out. In any case, in their authentic conviction, the scientists neglect to consider factors that make reality work. In the affirmations of a persistent accomplice "they utilized horrendous exacting perspective." on a significant level I concur with this, yet I would word it in a frightening way. In my view the best factor these scientists dismissed was that of unpretentiousness. Certainly, the truth is unusual most definitely: HUMILITY.

Where did I consider that thought? Hold tight for me here - this gets somewhat tangled. Beforehand a companion comfortable me with the solicitation for Reiki. On the off chance that you are intrigued about this, Reiki is such a noteworthiness that urges the body's capacity to recoup itself. At any rate that is the authority, at an advantageous time clarification. Magnanimous, at any rate it is far past that!

As per the force starting clarification, an individual who has been available to Level One Reiki can on a very basic level lay their hands on somebody and similarly move some centrality that will help with modifying state a physical issue or a touch of the recipient's body that has torment. Notwithstanding the way that the instrument of development isn't obvious to me even until today, the essential idea was central enough. I was unimaginably mindful, at any rate the practically identical day I as of late found a few solutions concerning it, I permitted my partner to give me the "attunement" that moved this recuperating vitality to my hands. In coming about months I utilized it every once in a while for minor a throbbing painful quality, about in a relative vein as that wherein Bensen and Dusek's social affair completed their assessment on request: "to check whether it worked!"

While clearly it was not engage and couldn't do the incredible, after a short time, this showing of Reiki had earned enough as far as anyone knows that I comprehended the open door had shown up to develop my abilities to the going with level. In Level Two Reiki I had heard, it was conceivable, not exclusively to move the fixing centrality in a hands-on way, yet despite send it to a craving. Actually it was even conceivable to send it over parcels to help recuperate somebody extravagantly far away to genuinely contact. I pushed toward the multi day instructional social affair with some extent of disquiet. I was enabled in any case pushed: "would I say I was being cleared into something superfluously 'out there' for my for the most part 'at the present time' self?"

Bearing the instructional course, one idea jumped out at me as basic. "Reiki should dependably be utilized for "everyone's bit of leeway." You can't utilize it to control individuals." For instance, you were unable to send Reiki to the target that your most recognizably ghastly foe will break his leg. Not that I was expecting to control or damage anybody, yet this was enthralling to me. What was this "more obvious mind boggling" the instructor discussed? Who precisely would pick everyone's bit of leeway in some subjective circumstance??? While I promptly comprehended the probability that one couldn't control an individual or a condition with Reiki, it was some time before I comprehended the hugeness of the chance of "everyone's bit of leeway."

Not long after the instructional social event, I was delineating my new Level Two Reiki aptitudes to a mate - a non-demanding accomplice, who I thought would be correspondingly questionable - when to my amaze she reported "Liberal, so it would appear that request by at that point!" all things being equal I was insulted and paralyzed by this. My perspective on request at the time took in the wake of referencing charm. I was not inclined to addressing God for solitary kindnesses from a human God I didn't take trust in - and I was cheerful for it.

In any case I kept utilizing the Reiki and after some time my view of it kept making. A tiny bit at a time I came to see that piece of what was gathered by that "more fundamental unprecedented" included having the HUMILITY to comprehend that what I need to occur in some discretionary circumstance may not be the best thing by and large. With this brilliant mechanical gathering in my grasp - permitting me to send correcting vitality to a wide extent of clashing conditions and to individuals with different sicknesses - by what strategy may I have the choice to, in my bound humanness, know all the variables? In some unpredictable condition, whatever target I sent to, I would need to permit that I didn't in actuality comprehend what result would be great. I held no choice to choose and ask that MY WILL be done - I could basically send criticalness to "everyone's preferred position" and trust the Reiki, or whoever was offering it, to "know" the capability.

Here is an ideal model that was going on definitely at the open entryway I was coming to full assertion of this. One of my kinfolk was experiencing inconvenience in his marriage. I chose to send Reiki to his relationship with his life partner. Understanding "everyone's bit of leeway" thought necessitated that I have the HUMILITY to get that, much as I had a solid trust in the relationship being insinuated thrive, my sending Reiki could have the impact of helping it to end. My sending Reiki derived surrendering my eagerness for the result and tolerating that my endeavors would help "everyone's favorable position" with occurring - regardless of whether that proposed I would push the non-bolstered result. In the event that it was the ideal open entryway for their relationship to end, my Reiki could assist that with happening snappier, potentially with less wretchedness and malignance, yet end regardless. It was an authentic undertaking for me to perceive this. Much as I taking advantage of my sister in law, and much as I didn't require my kinfolk detached, I expected to perceive that my place was basically to send "for everyone's potential benefit in their relationship." ...and NOT to the point of attempting to spare their marriage!

Reliably, there were different chances to help individuals by sending Reiki. Some gave signs of progress, some kicked the bucket. Some developed, some got disconnected. The open door for lowliness started from recognizing it was not I who was answerable for the framework, regardless of whether you need to call it bid, Reiki or crazy reasoning. I expected to understand how to build up the quietude to see that everyone's favorable position (whoever or such a being was picking absolutely what that more significant inconceivable was) was something past my insight and outside my ability to get a handle on.

So if Reiki looks like solicitation, and as a general rule, straightforwardly these years a while later, I can say I perceive how it is - it isn't so essential to whom precisely you importune. In the event that there is an eminent being up there with any ordinariness or viewpoint, he would perceive your solicitation, your relating or your Reiki sending, paying little notice to who or what you think you are sending it to. Just a man-made, minimal detested god would essentially look at petitions sent explicitly to a limited idea of him in light of a specific objective from a specific get-together of his family, to the degree anyone knows maintained by him over all the rest!