#so if I'm still up for the maintenance I probably can't get one until my next job

[aroyalpaininthecass]

I'm so sad, what am I gonna do when my mom moves and takes this little prince away?

[altruistic-meme]

i want to get started on the Full Hands List but i am waiting on my apartment people for scheduled maintenance and i don't really want to start until they leave but i also have no idea what time they'll make it to my apartment so we're just playing the waiting game now

[abbyfmc]

Under the water

Submechanophobia: Irrational fear of man-made things submerged in water, whether boats, canoes, cruise ships, submarines, animatronics, or other mostly metal objects.

That being said, I can imagine a yandere boy (boyfriend, ex-boyfriend, or whatever) next to you, in situations related to this interesting phobia.

TW: Well, submechanophobia, harassment, probable psychological damage and yandere behavior.

[Y🔧A🔧N🔧D🔧E🔧R🔧E A🔧N🔧D🔧R🔧O🔧I🔧D]

🔧1- It could have been like I said, an android, a robot or a mechanical attraction that:

1.1- It could have been aquatic: That is, it operated or continues to operate in water attractions, whether partially or completely submerged in water.

1.2- It was abandoned: It no longer operates because it had many continuous failures, malfunctioned or simply stopped being profitable and therefore, it ended up abandoned in a very humid place or under water.

1.3- Flood: The place where it operated was flooded in catastrophic and irreparable ways.

2. I'd like to think that you would be a worker, or the engineer who was in charge of maintaining it personally (and therefore, you spent a lot of time with it). You did constant maintenance as a daily job, and on a few occasions "emergency maintenance"; repairing possible faults on him.

3. Everything was going well until your attraction was "temporarily" closed for whatever reason, the android or yandere robot found out, he had faith in seeing you again.

4. --Well, maybe she's busy today.-- He said when a day went by without seeing you after his attraction closed.

5. --Well, maybe she's on vacation. I'm looking forward to seeing her so she can tell me everything during my maintenance.-- I would say after a few days or weeks. He still has hope of seeing you again, specifically you.

6. --My water is getting dirty and I haven't seen her for a long time. I don't like this at all; has something happened to her? -- It must have been many months or a year and by now the standing water is mouldy and very dirty; she hasn't seen you or any other worker for a year or two, so she can't ask anyone about you either.

7. He slowly realized that he was abandoned by his creator company, but he refused to believe that he was abandoned by you. He was hoping that you would come back, talk to him, and maintain him again. But the years passed and he only began to rust and rot more and more.

8. Fortunately for him, the company that owns the theme park called you and others to inspect the facilities in detail to determine the future of each area.

9. You decided to visit your old work area, not knowing that he is still there, alive and waiting for you.

10. Everything was bad. The paint was peeling, rusty and damp; some parts had fallen off; there was a lot of noise everywhere; it was damp due to the place being there; not to mention the terrible smell of mouldy, stagnant water that hasn't been changed for years. You and your team walked around the site, not imagining that you weren't alone, as your old friend noticed your presence and worse yet… he had seen you.

11. I was happy to see you, but I HATED seeing your teammates with you. I thought they were the ones responsible for taking you away from him, and there was no way I was going to let you go this time.

12. He would kill your team one by one, coming out of the water to drag them and drown them in the dirty water.

13. No, he won't accept you leaving him and abandoning him once again. He will play hide and seek with you and come out of the water to look for you. Once he finds you, you would see how the water and the passing of time affected him; he will come to you, pick you up and take you with him to be together once again, like in the past.

14. He would sense your terror at seeing him not only submerged, but at the fact that he has somehow come to life, remembers you, and is willing to drown you if it means you'll stay together until the end of your days.

-The End.

So, what do you think about it?

I've never seen any stories about yandere boys (especially androids or robots) related to this phobia, so I decided to take the risk and see how it goes. I'm not lying, I like the concept of a yandere android or robot that has been abandoned and when you return to the place, he's already waiting for you.

[toomuchracket]

Mads I have this concept in my mind. I see it with d word Matty. I think beginning of the relationship, maybe Matty is supposed to be away for a couple of days so girlie is having a self maintenance night. I imagine her with her hair up to have heat less curl, self tan, maybe some pimple patches. And then Matty surprises her by coming back early, maybe she's waiting for her food, she opens the door and it's Matty. She's super embarrassed/self conscious but of course he's super chill about all of it.

this inspired me to write a lil fic! seeing it as set after candlelight, but before any d words or l words were used lol. enjoy! <3

i've been dying to meet you (d word matty x reader fluff)

the doorbell rings just as you're applying your under-eye patches. you don't rush to get it, though - the drivers know to just leave your food order at the door to your flat once you've buzzed them up. god forbid anyone sees you like this, after all, in the midst of your thursday night routine; you probably look insane, wandering around in your dressing gown and slippers, hair wrapped around a pair of tights and clipped up, face covered in sheet mask and pimple patches, respectively.

but you feel good. and you'll look good tomorrow. which is imperative, given that you’ll see your boyfriend (it still feels weird being able to say that, honestly) for the first time in 20 days.

the thought of that has you slightly giddy. humming happily, you dance through the flat towards the door, only pausing in the living room to click play on the next episode of sex and the city and have a sip of your wine. the mouthwatering scent of your dinner seeps into the hallway, growing stronger as you near the door - it's never quite been so potent before, but then again, you’re fucking starving. 

still humming tunelessly, you open the door to grab your food, and come face to face with matty.

your breath catches in your throat in horror - he can't see you like this, so soon into the relationship! - but your heart swells at the sight of your boyfriend in his hoodie and sweats, your (open!) takeaway in his hands. he grins when he sees you, eyes lighting up as he takes in your appearance; you tense up in preparation of him taking the piss out of it.

he doesn't, though. “hi, baby,” matty says softly. “stole one of your prawn crackers - hope you don't mind.”

you blink. “how- how did you get up here? you didn't buzz.”

“offered to hold the door for the delivery guy and just came in after him. and then i offered to bring this up when i asked if it was for your flat and he said yeah. felt like i was 22 again, honestly, in my old job,” your boyfriend smiles. “although i can safely say i never ever delivered a takeaway to someone as hot as you back then.”

“don't make fun,” you groan, stepping to the side to let him into the flat - he kisses your temple as he passes you - and kicking the door shut. “nobody was meant to see me tonight. s'why i asked them to ring the doorbell and just leave the food without me answering.”

“i did wonder why it took you so long to get to the door, darling,” matty calls over his shoulder as he wanders into your kitchen. he furrows his brow when you walk straight past and continue into your bedroom, laying the food on the counter and following you - well, until the door closes before him. “babe? are you… annoyed at me?”

“no, i'm just putting underwear on,” comes your muffled reply, followed by the sound of a drawer opening and closing.

“don't feel you need to do that on my account, sweetheart, i insist. actually, i'm more than happy to also get naked, if you prefer.”

despite your lingering shock at seeing him, you giggle at your boyfriend’s eager tone. “no, it's alright, matty.”

“you're sure? i've already got my shirt off.”

the speed with which you open your bedroom door at that phrase is almost embarrassing. matty - shirtless, as promised - smirks when you do. “i can't believe you had no pants on when you answered the door.”

you frown, flicking him on the stomach; he just laughs and follows you into the kitchen. “shut up, i couldn't put clothes on, i had just moisturised.”

“what, your arse and all?”

“mhmm.”

“interesting,” matty smirks again. “wouldn't mind seeing that process, to be honest.”

“for fuck's sake, matthew.”

“sorry, darling, couldn't resist,” your boyfriend grins. his face softens into a more tender smile. “just missed you, s'all. hope you don't mind that i came over early and interrupted your pamper night - couldn't settle at home, knowing you were only a few miles away for the first time in weeks.”

the sweetness of his revelation goes straight to your knees; you wrap your arms around his neck to hold yourself up, and press your lips to his in a tender kiss. it deepens when matty runs his tongue across your lips, slipping it into your mouth when they open, but that's as passionate as it gets - the overwhelming emotion behind the kiss is just sheer affection.

“i missed you too,” you kiss matty's nose when you pull away. “and you're not interrupting anything, really, s'just my usual thursday night routine,” you pull the little containers of food from the bag and turn to get a plate from the cupboard. “d'you want to split this with me? i ordered too much.”

matty nods, taking the plates from you and grabbing a fork from the drawer to dish the food up. “thanks, sweetheart. so, tell me more about this thursday night thing. you do this every week?”

“yeah, whenever i'm home, just to prep for the weekend. haven't you ever noticed i always look better at work on fridays?” you grin, pouring your boyfriend a glass of wine.

“not really. i think you look beautiful every day,” matty smiles, kissing your hand after you pass him the wine. “although i have noticed your hair is usually really curly during friday meetings. i like it.”

you point to your head. “blame this.”

“serious? i thought you were going to get a blow dry after work or something.”

“nah,” you giggle. “i just go to sleep with this in. feels a bit weird, but i like the end result.”

“so do i,” matty smiles. “you're so pretty, baby.”

your cheeks burn, and you smile bashfully at the floor. “well, when i take all these weird stickers off my face, maybe.”

“no, even now,” matty gently tilts your chin up so he can look you in the eye. “you’re beautiful. my perfect girl!”

he leans down to kiss you again; you giggle as he pulls away afterwards. “oh, you're down bad bad for me, aren't you? still thinking i'm pretty even when i've got pimple patches on.”

“well, yeah, i have eyes.”

“pretty ones, at that,” you rest your hand on his jaw, and he turns to kiss it. “i'm glad you came to see me tonight. would you like to stay over?”

“if i say yes, do i get to be pampered a little bit?” matty giggles.

“oh, i'll take care of you, don’t you worry, baby.”

[archangeldyke-all]

may u do sevika helping black reader take care of her hair? 🥹 I’d think after reader teaches her what to do sev would become a pro at braiding and would wanna do it all the time

sure!

disclaimer! i'm white, so please let me know if i make any mistakes and i'll fix them asap!

men and minors dni

sevika's hair is very low-maintenance. while she probably should be keeping better care of it, she just doesn't care enough to bother with anything beyond shampoo and conditioner, running a comb through it every morning, and putting it in her signature half ponytail. she trims it when it gets shaggy. that's the extent of her hair-care.

so when she meets you: you who alternates hairstyles like they're outfits, and takes a whole day to wash your hair, she's fascinated.

she absolutely adores your natural hair. when you guys first met, you were wearing two puffballs on top of your head, with two little braids framing your face, and it's still her favorite hairstyle to see you in. she thinks you're adorable.

she also loves when you just comb it out and rock an afro. she'll help you pick it out, carry a little pick in her back pocket in case you forget yours, and she'll always stop you to gently pick whenever lint or a little leaf gets caught in it.

when you guys move in together, she starts watching you do your hair. she just sits on her stomach, her feet kicking in the air behind her as she watches you braid your hair through the mirror, an adoring look on her face.

she's curious, too. you don't understand why for the longest time.

"what's that for?" she asks as you pop the tub of your hair gel, a toothbrush in your free hand.

"my edges." you explain as you gel your baby hair down on your forehead.

"oh. those pretty curls. i thought that just happened." she says, smiling. you giggle.

"no, i gotta style 'em or else they'll be all frizzy."

"i like you frizzy." sevika pouts. you just giggle and kiss her.

it's only when you catch her watching hair tutorials that you finally start to understand why sevika's been keeping such a close eye on you each time she sees you doing your hair. she wants to help.

the thought makes you melt, and you have to keep yourself from squealing and pinching her cheeks at how cute she is.

so, you start asking her for help.

"sev, will you help me section my hair out for my braids?" you ask one night. the responding grin you get is worth the wonky sectioning on the left side of your head.

the longer you guys spend together, the better she gets at doing your hair. by the time you're married, she's better at doing it than you are.

it's theraputic for both of you, it's how you guys bond. between each step of whatever style she's doing, she's peppering kisses against your scalp and forehead. you end up falling asleep more times than not, so relaxed and in love that you can't help yourself. she's so gentle with you, so patient, she spends entire days diligently working if that's what it takes to do the style you've requested.

she absolutely adores putting beads or charms in your hair if you have it in braids or twists or locs. the more the better. sevika doesn't consider her decorating job done until she can hear the little 'click click click' of your beads bonking into one another as you shake your head.

(now i'm picturing her buying little 's' charms to push onto your braids, and her frowning, hands on her hips in the hair bead isle of the beauty store as she tries to 'pick out a color scheme for your fun summer hair, babe'-- her words.)

taglist!

@fyeahnix @sapphicsgirl @half-of-a-gay @thesevi0lentdelights @sexysapphicshopowner @shimtarofstupidity @chuucanchuucan @badbye666 @femme-historian @lia-winther @gr0ssz0mbi3 @ellsss @sevikaspillowprincess @leomatsuzaki @emiliabby @sevikasbeloved @hellorai @vikasub @glass-apothecary @m0numents @macaroni676 @vixel352

[blueishspace]

Looped Sun 2

Loop #16

They didn't stop looping in time, but at least they had eachother. Grian had to admit that it was almost fun with Scar around, definitely felt less lonely with someone else to talk to.

Loop #19

It took 3 loops for Scar to suggest having some fun with this, spice it up. Grian hadn't expected stealing Martyns and Ren bit would be their objective this time but he didn't mind. Getting to be king and screaming "red winter is coming" was actually quite funny and being all shady in Last Life was nice too. As Secret Life comes to an end Scar whispers.

Scar: Alright alright, let me be king next time ok?

Grian laughs at the suggestion just in time for-

Loop #21

Grian had noticed soon that not every loop started the same exact day a while ago but he never expected to wake up already during Limited Life.

Surely things couldn't get weirder then that.

Loop #26

He spoke too soon. This time around he woke up as he was singing a piece of paper, a declaration of indipendence, while wearing a very weird blue american indipendence outfit together wih people he had never met before.

He just went along with it of course and fighting against a weird masked guy for indipendence had been a breath of fresh air but Scar was still missing and Grian was very confused the whole time.

Well until ...

Scar: Thank you Soot, however I think that I could run this country far better!

Grian: Scar? Where were you!? ... What are you doing!?

Scar: That's why I'm going to run myself! Vote for Scar 2020!

To be fair it took some times for things to go badly.

Grian: This is your fault you know that right?

Scar: Hey! Look! At least the country didn't explode or something-

*Boom*

Grian: ...

Scar: ...that wasn't me.

Loop #31

Grian: Damn I didn't bring enough tnt to rig the enchanter. How did I forget??

Scar: Don't worry! I got some!

Grian: Oh thank... where did you get it?

Scar: I kept it in my second inventory from last loop.

Grian: Your what?

Scar: We have a second inventory now! Didn't you notice!

Grian: I see it now ...how?

Scar: It keeps stuff safe from one loop to the other! Cool right!?

Grian: ... Like an enchanting table? But for loops?

Scar: I guess?

Grian: How are you not freaking out about this!?!

Loop #33

This time they woke up early, back in season 6! Grian doesn't understand why Scar doesn't care because he does! Why can't someone explain it to him for ender sake.

Loop #36

Someone explained it. He and Scar woke up somewhere completely different and it was confusing and scary but they finally got answers.

Grian: So our universe is part of a big big big tree?

Anakin: Yes, like every other.

Grian: And the tree is what, under maintenance?

Anakin: Basically.

Grian: And so we are stuck looping?

Anakin: You don't need to pretend to be calm, I can feel your emotions in the force.

Grian: So... we are stuck? Forever?!?

Anakin: Not forever forever, until the tree is fixed-

Grian: So possibly for billions of years!?!

Anakin: Some of the older loops have been going for trillions even.

Grian: ... I'll... I...need to think.

Anakin: I'll write some useful terms down so you can read them once you aren't... You know.

Grian: Guess I have all the time in the world to come to terms with it... Scar is going to hate that he didn't get to meet you.

Loop #37

Scar: ....soooo what you up to?

Grian: Memorising these terms Anakin gave us.

Scar: Ooh sounds...fun!

Grian: Every loop has an anchor, without it the loop can't exist. I tought I was the anchor but it's not possible because I was sent to a different loop last tims.

Scar: So am I the anchor?

Grian: You were missing for the first loops Scar... the only option that makes sense is that both of us are anchors. But even then...

Grian underlines the term "co-anchors" a bunch of times.

Scar: Does that mean I'll get to meet Anakin Skywalker?

Grian: Probably? One day?

Scar: Wooooho!

Loop #38

They were waiting for the moon to crash when Scar posed the question.

Scar: Do you think we can just... stop the moon?

Grian: Hmmm... I guess I never tought about it, why?

Scar: I don't know, just thinking.

Grian: I have an idea...

Loop #43

Scar: Grian what are you doing?

Grian: You remember how last loop started in s7?

Scar: ... Yeah?

Grian: I decided to keep something in my pocket this time around.

Grian took out a golden gauntlet with 6 colored glowing stones.

Scar: ... The button?

Grian: The button.

Grian snapped and the moon disappeared.. He then carefully removed and pocketed it again.

Grian: Well, I'm surprised it actually...worked...

Scar: But what happened to it?

Grian: I just made it really really small.

Loop #51

This was unbearable, Grian tought it was weird when this loops Timmy was acting like an incapable child, then he became worried when he saw that Scott was a pacifist who wouldn't hurt a fly, and then Cleo started burning down literally everything and he started to question his life choices. Everyone was barely themselves, it was like they had been replaced by very cheap imitations.

(Poor Grian had to walk into fanonland)

Loop #67

Scott Smajor liked to think he was often in control of the situation. Not many people liked that about him but if he died it was by his decision.

He didn't feel very in control at the moment, back in the Last Life with Grian and Scar being completely different from what he remembered them being... And he didn't like it one bit.

Scott: Ok ok, stop it!

Grian: What do you mean? We aren't doing anything wrong!

Scott: It isn't right! You are supposed to be in a team with Jimmy and Martyn and you Scar should be alone on a mountain!

Scar: ...

Grian: ...

Scott: ... Sorry that was-

Grian: You remember too?

Scar: New looper! New looper!

Scott: ...uh?

Prev Next

[sarah-kings]

Alright, listen up folks, consider this:

Giants that are astronauts amongst a human crew.

Hear me out:

They could fix large damage and could take care of ship maintenance

They'd be large enough for their space suit to potentially have an entire oxygen generator, so they could spend more time fixing the ship from the outside

They would make a great bodyguard for the crew members if their ship were to be attempted to be seized by another space crew that tries taking over theirs

Moving heavy cargo would be way easier

Of course, this only gets more hilarious the bigger the giant is and the smaller the space ship is and there could be a bunch of interesting scenarios.

A five meter tall mini giant on a space ship for humans? They keep bumping their heads into doorframes to the point that the medical officer knows them on a first name basis after week one (and yes the giant also bumps their head while entering medical)

Giant aboard a larger spaceship? No problem at all! Just gotta keep in mind that there still probably aren't any rooms that they could comfortably sleep in without getting cramped

You want personal quarters? Yeaaaah, no, sorry. Oh, but we can definitely offer you that cargo bay full of boxes!

Getting a panic attack? Don't! You'll breath up all the limited air that you and your crew has. Fun! So this would make for some great angst of every tiny on board trying to calm down the giant unless they wanna die.

The temperature regulation broke? Everyone come huddle up, the giant can offer the warmth until that's figured out!

If giants in space are a new thing you can throw in a bunch of humans who aren't fond of it and keep bickering with the giant constantly

Picture cocky giants and strict commanders who just pull them down to eye level and intimidate them by telling them off despite at least being half their size.

I'm sure there are so many things you could add with mini giants and giants that I can't think of, but please, I crave the sci-fi gt that includes giants as the odd ones out for a change!

Tinies amongst a human crew is great, but what about my giant bois?!

[luimagines]

HI PINKY ! 🎻 Anon here ✧⁠◝⁠(⁠⁰⁠▿⁠⁰⁠)⁠◜⁠✧

My finals went overall quite well! (Except for one final but my overall grade was still fine so we're all good) I did end up having my ceiling of my room collapse though! (⁠ノ⁠���⁠Д⁠´⁠)⁠ノ⁠彡⁠┻⁠━⁠┻ Gotta love landlords that refuse to do proper house maintenance on century old homes. So right before finals had my ceilings collapse, then had finals while stuck sleeping in the living room (to be fair the couch was comfy but the whole setup is less than ideal), and then literally the evening after my last final flew out to literal other side of the planet for college visits. So needless to say I've been rather tired recently! It's been fun though and I also got to see some family that I rarely see again so that was nice. BUT! I finally have the mental bandwidth to send in an ask again. So enough with the dramatic rambling about my life I have more ideas about the human hero reader I thought of!

So! I learned just the other day that an army captain is actually kinda low rank. (At least in the US military, can't speak to other systems) And you usually get there within like 4 years of your career as an officer. And if Wars is around 24-26ish (at least that's how old I usually imagine him since he's one of the older members of the group but not like OLD) and he would have started his time in the military as like a 17-18 year old, buddy boy would actually be behind on his career. (Stick with me this will all come together I swear!)

So I imagine human hero reader (I'm calling them hh!reader for my sanity to specify from here on out for my sanity) ended up getting pulled into the military after saving Hyrule. They really don't like being there, but the royal family of that time doesn't really give reader a choice. I'd imagine them most likely being a very low rank enlisted soldier. (If you require explanations for anything just let me know. I am more than happy to explain and understand most people haven't been raised around this stuff) But because reader didn't want to join the military in the first place and Warriors is one of the MOST wary member of the chain they would probably butt heads quite a bit. I imagine reader with an attitude of while they're usually a very nice person to be around they can hold a strong grudge and aren't afraid to tell someone if they're being an idiot. Not something that goes over well in the military. So reader probably targets at least some of that frustration to the resident military man. And something that would be rather easy to go for is that fact that he still hasn't been promoted. This would probably devolve into him telling them that they suck as a soldier until reader snaps and said they never had any choice in the matter and they storm off. Probably one of the their merry little band would go after reader. I think Sky might be best since he's a knight himself so he'd have a better idea what they were going through. Wind would also be an interesting option especially if it's after the whole "We're the same since we both made the active decision to save Hyrule!" moment. Both are good chances at bonding. Oh yeah I guess it's relevant that I see reader at an older teen age, like 16-17. Yay sibling dynamics (I say this like my only younger sibling doesn't drive me up a wall). I'll prolly add more later but I am tired. And I have a relatively early morning tomorrow.

Hope this was coherent but I actually had motivation for once so I went for it. If any clarification is needed just ask. Make sure to drink water and eat a snack! Self care is important to help prevent burnout. Have a lovely week. Good day/evening) ┌⁠|⁠o⁠^⁠▽⁠^⁠o⁠|⁠┘⁠♪ See you maybe once I've slept and ate. Bye!!

Oh, I thought you going to go the path of Reader outranking Warrior and him not being able to do anything about it. ^.^*

It reminded me of that one post for Marvel where Tony got excited because Rhodey, being Colonel, outranked Steve and could tell him what to do.

I'd imagine if Warrior pulled out the whole "you suck as a soldier" Wild would have to push back a bit because if they suck, what does that make him? He died! Hello? At least Reader had something going for them. They still won in the end with minimal loses on their side.

Wild lost everyone.

So what does Warrior actually think of him then?

[ronnieafterdark]

Starting this side blog off with a bang, here's some previews of some fics I'm working on. Who knows if they'll ever be published! I certainly don't.

Fic one:

Mike narrows his eyes as continues to watch the camera footage, his chin nestled in the crook of his hand. He watches as the trespasser fidgets with a book, as if they're trying to read but they can't take in any of the words. Like when you read an entire page and realize you were zoned out for most of it so you have to go back and read it again. This person broke into a building to read a book? That's really fucking ballsy. He wants to confront this person (because that's, you know, one of his number one job duties) but he can't help but think about the last time he ‘confronted a criminal’ at a security gig. His eyes drift over to the dust-covered intercom to the side of the monitors which has gone unused for the entirety of his tenure at Freddy's (and probably for the past few decades, too). He would say that there's absolutely no shot that it still works, but, then again, the owner of this place tends to place a weird amount of care in keeping things functional. He knows how to use a modern intercom (he used to be in charge of announcements over the intercom at an aquarium he worked at once—his boss thought he had a great radio voice, or something. That was until he flubbed one of this lines, accidentally saying ‘testicles’ instead of ‘tentacles’... Yeah, he wasn't on announcement duty anymore from then on), but he has no idea how an intercom from the eighties would work. It should be pretty intuitive, he figures.

Fic two:

"You act like you think I care about you," you say, rolling your eyes. "I don't think that. In fact, I want nothing less than for you to care about me," he mutters, voice suddenly growing colder, his previous playfulness dissipating. "And why is that?" You ask, eyes meeting his. "Because I don't care about you. I don't want my apathy to be unreciprocated." You nod, a quick breath leaving your nose. "Gotcha." "You know," he shrugs, leaning back in his chair and kicking his feet up on his desk, "you should probably stop worrying about me as much as you do. Between the two of us, do you really think I'm the one who's most likely to have a bounty on their head? You're the one who does all the killing." You glare at him. "Well that's a real fucking comforting thought, but I assure you that I don't have to worry about myself. Nobody stands a chance against me." He sighs, resigning to your stubbornness. "Fine. Just remember that you can never be too careful."

Fic three:

I'm the one who first notices it— no, wait, I think he notices first. He can be a bit of a baby at times and he gets all dramatic over the turbulence. He's the first to say ‘something seems wrong’, but because Derek is Derek, it sounds something more like: "What the fuck is up with this damn thing? It's shaking like a goddamn druggie going through withdrawal. Hold on... Look at that. Look at the fuckin'... System... Thing." Error: server maintenance. "The hell does that mean?" "It's like when you can't play a video game because they have to do something with the server," I respond, taking a closer look. "That's a lot of error signs. How do we fix whatever's going on?" "Fuck if I know. I'm not an engineer." "I don't want to touch anything and make it worse." He gets up, standing next to me and gazing at the ever-increasing amount of error messages on the screen. Error: unable to connect to server. "What, so we can't use Bluetooth anymore? 'Least I don't have to hear your damn music anymore," I mutter. Error: piloting system down. "Oh, that sounds bad—" Error: controls disabled. "Controls disabled? Wait, does that mean—" Error: engine disabled. "Engine disabled? Holy shit— Derek! We're crashing!" Derek's head whips around, immediately locking eyes with me. Pure panic. He lurches forward, grabbing hold of my shoulders and—

[inkybloom-luv]

Words Unsaid

I'd like to say that when I first met you I fell for you instantly and I knew. But I didn't know. And it wasn't even a meet. I saw you at orientation first, trying your damnedest to put out the fire breathed out by the stupid mage cat that had tried to steal my spot as a student, not that I really knew what was going on at the time, that had somehow spread to your Housewarden's robes.

I didn't have much time to look at you then, frantically trying to avoid the chaos and near frozen by fear and confusion. But even in that you looked gorgeous. I blamed it on the lighting at the time, running to catch up with the grey and blue creature.

The second time I saw you was after I'd been enrolled for a while, chaos seemed to follow me as I adjusted to everything. By then I'd had to replace my glasses, not that I think the headmage intended to replace them until I had begged Riddle to bring it up with him, as I could hardly see any board or far from me and using my phone camera only did so much. I must've looked weird to you. I was staring, I know, but I could not help it, even if I was supposed to ask about your, albeit not as severe but incredibly inconvenient, injury that would keep you from participating in the spelldrive tournament.

I couldn't tear my eyes away from you then, unable to find any excuse for such behaviour even now. Only then did I learn your name, Jamil Viper. Had I known that name would haunt my every waking thought, I would not have asked it. Your hair looked so lovely that day. And the accessories you wore, I wondered if they'd look good on me, if I could watch you do your hair up.

I saw you play basketball the other day. I was sent to the school Gym to help do maintenance on the equipment. You had your club activities supervised by coach Vargas at the time, seeing as I was also there. Unbeknownst to you, the band on your uniform that you wear around your arm had fallen in the cafeteria in the lunch period before. I noticed and picked it up, sure enough that I would see you and return it eventually.

When I actually saw you there I stared again, as one with a crush does, I guess. You take my breath away. Coach Vargas yelled in my ear on accident, which embarrassingly made me flinch and cower. I have not gotten over loud noises, but I don't think I need to. God I still hope you didn't see that. But you might've.

Somehow I actually managed to talk to you and return the armband. Told you I liked the way your hair was up, that you looked cool playing basketball. I wish I could've kept talking but really, I probably only would have embarrassed myself. If you knew how red my cheeks were, how hot they felt after I'd gone out of sight. I'm sure you'd laugh at me. But I can't help myself, not when my heart threatens to break my ribcage when I so much as think about you. Your eyes are gorgeous too. Can't believe I never noticed them, but I don't look people in the eyes when speaking all that much.

Your eyes though, your eyes I adore. They are endlessly beautiful to me. They ensnare me, hold my attention, I can't look waya no matter how much I try, not that I want to though.

Not that you're ever going to read this. I'm going to hide this away later. I just had to get my thoughts out. But I, Inky, do adore you. Moreso than I have anyone before. But I won't call it love. I don't think I'd be worth that yet. Maybe one day, Jamil, maybe one day I will be worthy of calling you my love. Until then, I do hope you don't think I'm too weird.

I've got to leave it here though, the damned bird is calling me in again, for no reason I bet. My allowance better get higher, lest I go nuts here.

♪~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~♪

Aaand here we have my Yuu-sona being down bad for the snake man. In case of terrible formatting, I am, in fact, on mobile. Might make more depending on how well this goes over but I hope it's not too obvious that this is my first writing piece,,, ya. Hope y'all enjoy! <3

Can be read as x reader, it's only my Yuu-sona, feel free to change the name in y'alls lil delulu heads cause me too<3

716 words

Part 2 Part 3

Part 4 Part 5

Part 6 Part 7

[marzipanandminutiae]

ahh working in historical houses sounds like such an interesting experience! I notice you mention some of them being haunted - have you or your coworkers ever had any ghosty experiences? I'm a new follower, so sorry if it's something you've been asked about before! hope you're having a lovely day

No worries! Thanks for the well-wishes, and I send you the same.

Yes, I and many people I know have had ghost encounters at our workplaces. Much as I roll my eyes at people who assume every historical house must be haunted...well, some of them are. But it can become very normal when you're dealing with it every day. A lot of museums have little rituals the staff have adopted to keep the ghosts happy, often as simple as saying "good morning" and "good night" when opening and closing. My current museum isn't even supposed to be haunted, and I still do that just in case, to be polite.

Also, ghost encounters are often pretty unexciting. A light going on or off with no explanation, hearing footsteps when nobody's there, objects being moved, doors opening or closing a bit, motion detectors beeping for no apparent reason, etc. are among the most common you hear about. It's not usually that scary, and you're here to do a non-ghost-related job, so. You just learn to coexist. Say hello now and then, ask for behaviors you don't like to please stop. Swap stories with other heritage site workers. It's part of the industry.

The most dramatic experience I've had at work was hearing a staff entrance door open and close (complete with the door sensor ding) and footsteps in the breakroom nearby, when nobody onsite was in that area. One of my coworkers at that museum had the elevator door repeatedly open and close behind her during a tour, when a guest asked if the house was haunted. She wasn't scared- just annoyed at the ghost for getting the visitors off-topic.

And that's a big reason you may be at a haunted site and not know it: unless there's a dedicated ghost tour, we generally don't like talking hauntings with guests. Some museum workers don't believe in them (rare at heritage sites, but it does happen), and even the ones who do often consider it an irritating distraction.

I mean, see it from our perspective. We've poured so much time and energy into researching this site, learning the tours, studying and working with the objects on display, fundraising, doing maintenance and cleaning, or any of a hundred and one other tasks. We all want to talk about the site, the people who inhabited it, the moment in time it represents, the world around it and how it relates to our current world, etc. And here comes someone who's watched one too many horror movies, ignoring all our hard work because they just want to know "IS IT HAUNTED?!?!?!"

Now, the person probably does not mean to come off that way. We are aware of this. Please do not be ashamed or feel bad for wondering about ghosts at a historical house museum; that's perfectly normal. As I said, a lot of us not only believe, but believe we've had encounters at work. It only takes a few bad apples, though- a few tourists who came solely as thrillseekers, or to mock the site simply because it's an old house -to make a museum worker jaded. We're not trying to make snap judgments or be snobs; we're just Tired. Even when I worked at a haunted site, I would tell visitors it wasn't just to keep the tour on track. And I will do it again the next time I'm in that situation, too.

If you want to talk ghosts on a house museum tour, here is my advice:

Wait until the end of the tour, catch the guide alone, and quietly ask your question. I can't guarantee you'll get an honest answer, even then- and some sites genuinely aren't haunted, so "no" is sometimes the truth. But I know I'd be much more likely to open up about a haunting if the person seems aware that asking during the tour would derail things.

If you have an experience, feel free to let the guide know- again, after the tour and quietly. Unless it's something really scary that you can't control your reaction to (understandable), or dangerous, or a bunch of other people notice it, too, please do not bring it to the attention of anyone outside your party. Yes, it is very interesting that you saw a curtain move on its own, but if you call it out I'll never get the tour back on-subject.

So there's a bit of a primer on the topic of ghosts in house museums. Hope it was helpful/interesting!

[kneecap-homicide]

The absolute state of YouTube ads

As someone who has been using an adblocker for at least a decade, and is currently having to pause it on YouTube, here are some things I've noticed which I haven't seen anyone else bring up (yet).

You can no longer tell when ads play in a video

I'm pretty damn sure there used to be a small yellow segment in the video progress bar, so you could at least know in which parts of the video there would be ads. Now, they just start out of nowhere, and if it's a longer video and the creator has shoved all their ads in the last 10 minutes, you're hit with a barrage of ad after ad.

Ads will just play whenever

In a similar vein to the previous point, unless the creator has carefully integrated the ads with their video (e.g. "before we get into that, I'm just going to play some midrolls" or "I'll be back after this short commercial break"), the ads will play in the middle of whatever the video is about, completely ruining the immersion. I don't believe many YouTubers integrate their ads in this way.

I've heard some people say that sitting through 1-2 short ads isn't as intrusive as sitting through 5-10 minutes of them on TV (such as in this video by SomeOrdinaryGamers). And I honestly cannot agree. As some have said, YouTube ads don't have the same moral standards as TV ads, and this is true, although I myself haven't yet seen any ads of dubious morality since pausing adblock.

But my main gripe with this take is that again, TV ads have set commercial breaks which the vast majority of YouTube videos do not, and the time between these breaks is ~20 minutes depending on the country (see Wikipedia). This means the ads won't start in the middle of a sentence or dramatic scene in a nature documentary.

You can:

Predict when the ads will start based on how long it's been since the last commercial break

Predict when the ads will start based on predicting when the scene in your program is going to end

And, of course, you can change channels during a commercial break, and watch something else in the meantime, or just get up and do something else since the commercial break lasts long enough to do that.

The ads in YouTube are too short to warrant changing tabs, so instead you just mute the ad, and sit there staring mindlessly at the screen until the ad finishes, or until you can click the skip button.

YouTube ads are high maintenance

As I've just mentioned in the previous point, you can't get up while the ads play, or switch tabs. You have to mute the ad, and just wait. Wait until the skip ad button appears, or until the two unskippable ads play out. In total, it probably only takes about 30 seconds, so why would you try to do anything else?

And if it happens to be a morally questionable ad, you might also want to report it.

All YouTube ads are videos

What happened to the little popup ads that you would just click the 'x' on and you're done? Have I just been unlucky and not seen any, or are they actually gone? This is a genuine question btw.

Can't believe I'm saying this, but I miss popups. Relatively speaking, they're way less intrusive than video ads, because you can keep watching the video already in progress. And if they do still exist, then at a much reduced rate than the videos, at least in my experience, given that I haven't yet seen one.

Adblockers should not be against YouTube's terms of service

This is definitely my weakest point, and I'm positive others have already brought this up. But what I do on my Personal Computer (emphasis on Personal) should not have any bearing on my relationship with the websites I visit, and if it does, it will make me question my usage of that website.

If the conditions surrounding your adverts are causing a large portion of your userbase to turn to adblockers, maybe instead of biting the hand that feeds you, you could improve the conditions and make adverts less intrusive, and keep better tabs on what kinds of ads you're approving. The change in revenue wouldn't be instant, but more people would eventually stop using adblockers on YouTube. If you recall what happened on Tumblr, userbases are actually happy to support sites they feel deserve being supported.

Overall, YouTube is pretty great, and while there are certain competitors out there, none of them do exactly what YouTube does. But forcing ads might make people turn to alternatives anyway.

Getting back to television, there isn't a law against changing channels or just turning your TV off for 5 minutes and making some toast. If you never watch a single ad on TV, your TV licence won't be revoked. TV commercials have a good system that hasn't really changed much over the years. Maybe commercial breaks have gotten longer, but that's it.

YouTube really needs to improve the QoL surrounding ads, because people will just continue using adblockers which update to circumvent YouTube's anti-adblock system.

TL;DR

YouTube ads are somehow more annoying than TV ads because they don't have set commercial breaks unless the YouTuber integrates them accordingly, and it sucks.

[jpitha]

The Dreams of Hyacinth 6

First / Previous / Next

The morning found all three of them sprawled asleep on Eastern's couch. They wound up just sleeping where they fell. Nothing other than sleep happened the night before - they were much too sore and tired for that but Nick was surprised how... comfortable it was to share space with the two of them.

All three got up and made their way into Eastern's tiny kitchen as Eastern's coffee maker bubbled and hissed. Eastern bustled and got tea going for Selkirk.

Nick's head was still sore, but the weakness and tiredness was much better. He felt almost normal. After the drinks were made, they all sat at the small table and woke up. "Okay Sel." Eastern takes another sip of her coffee. "We have to find an AI, her name is Yon." She looked up at Selkirk. "She's Jameson's daughter."

Sel's ears pricked up. "What? He has a daughter? How the hell does that work?"

Nick looked over at them. "Takes all kinds to be a family Sel, you know that. Yon's his daughter, we're not going to quibble."

"Fair enough." Selkirk flicked her tail and took a sip of tea. "So everyone thought she was in the coffin box, but she wasn't? Did Jameson let you keep the box?"

Eastern nods. "It's in my bag. He said we can use it to box her up if we need to."

Selkirk makes a face. "If we need to?"

"If she's been placed in a ship. Can't bring the wayward child back to their father if they're a Starjumper, now can we?"

Selkirk looks out the window. "I don't like that. I don't know much about coffin boxes, but I do know that most AIs hate being in them. I hope it doesn't come to that." She takes another sip of her tea. "Good on having it though. I can scan it and see if we can get some file data. Maybe find out how long ago she was moved off it, or if she was ever even on it." She stands up and stretches, all her fur poofing out as she does. "I don't know about you, I'm starving though. Let's throw on some clothes and get breakfast first. I do all my best work on a full stomach."

The three of them got dressed - Nick once again marveled at how... comfortable it was to be together, the three of them, naked in the room, putting on clothes and getting ready - and went out into Hyacinth.

This time, Selkirk took the lead, and brought them to a cafe a short metro ride from Eastern's apartment. As they walked, Nick looked around. Eastern lived off Gladiolus square, near the end of the arm.

The further away from the base of Hyacinth you were, the less expensive the housing was, but also the less desirable it was - until you got to the very end. During rush hour, a metro ride from Gladiolus to Congregation took more than an hour. An Omnibus ride that far took maybe two. One of the biggest benefits of living that far up the arm was that the apartments were bigger. If you were willing to live all the way near the top of the arm, you could own a house with a yard. Born and raised a city kid, Nick always thought that was odd. Why pay extra to live super far away and have to do more maintenance on your own place? Nick's place off Laurel was just about the size of Eastern's bedroom and bathroom together.

Nick realized that they'd probably have to go apartment shopping soon if they were going to keep giving this a shot. They might be able to save some money on one rent instead of three and be able to get a nicer place further down the arm.

The cafe Selkirk lead them too was small, and had a decent mix of K'laxi and Humans inside. It smelled like breakfast. A host sat them by a window, and a server brought steaming pots of coffee and tea and left them on the table.

"I've lived in Gladiolus for a year now and I never knew this place existed!" Eastern looked around. "Sel, you really do know everything there is to know about Hyacinth."

"Everything that matters at least." She flicked her ears playfully as she took a sip of tea. "This place goes pancakes and waffles with real Maple syrup. I don't know if it's Gord's Reserve, but we're close enough to Earth that we don't have to worry about it being fake."

Nick glanced at the menu while Selkirk talked. For what an order of pancakes cost, the maple syrup had better be platinum plated. "I'm just going to get a breakfast sandwich." Nick looked up at them. "You two go nuts though."

Selkirk rolled her eyes. "You can't go to a place that's famous for their pancakes and get the breakfast sandwich, Nick. This is my treat. Live a little. Get the pancakes. In fact..." Selkirk made a complex gesture with her hands and ears and tail.

A K'laxi server noticed and came right over. Surprising Nick, Selkirk ordered for everyone. It was pancakes for the table, extra syrup, a fruit plate and some Near Bacon. Selkrik knew Nick was a Lacto-ovo vegetarian, so she kept meat off the order.

A little while after that the food arrived. As the plates were placed down Eastern looked serious. "No business until after we eat, okay? I don't want to talk shop on an empty stomach." Nick and Selkirk nodded and they tucked in. It really was a good meal. Nick wasn't usually the type to eat a big breakfast, he was more a coffee and pastry kind of person. Selkirk was clearly in her element though. She tore through the pancakes and syrup, making sure there was no leftovers. She made sure Eastern and Nick got what they wanted and they didn't feel deprived, but this was an... event for Selkirk.

"I never had you pegged as a foodie, Sel." Eastern smiled and finished off her coffee."

"I fucking love pancakes." Selkirk said after finishing a bite. "I swear it's the best thing humans ever created. I could eat them every damn day."

Nick smiled. "Okay, now that we've eaten. We should talk next steps. Where do you want to talk?"

Selkirk looked around the cafe. It wasn't crowded but... "Not here. Let's go to your place Nick, you live down-arm, I bet your place is nice."

Nick was startled. His place was decidedly not nice. "Uh okay, but just to manage expectations, it's a little messy."

Eastern laughed. "Nick, if it's anything like it was when I saw it last, 'a little messy' is doing some heavy lifting." She stood. "Come on Sel, let's go see Nick's hovel. I'm sure you'll be horrified." Selkirk flipped a chit onto the table and they left.

They weren't in a hurry, so they took the omnibus down arm to Nick's place. He lived on the third floor of a 5 story apartment block, a couple minutes walk from the center of Laurel Square. On the bottom level of his building was a shop that sold kitschy antiques from Earth (all fake) and in the back had a small video game arcade of vintage games and consoles (all reproductions) They were never rowdy and the shop closed up right after dinner, so Nick never really minded.

Selkirk looked at the building as they walked up. It was anonymous with few windows, and the shop on the ground level had no customers. "Nick... Why do you live here? You're probably paying an arm and a leg for a place that looks like any other of the millions of anonymous apartments on Hyacinth. Yours is just closer to the base."

Nick shrugged. "I got it when I moved here. Then, I didn't know any better. Now?" Nick looked up at it. "I dunno. inertia I guess?"

Selkirk shot a look at Eastern who shrugged her shoulders.

"Nick, if this place is half as bad as Eastern makes it out to be, we're going to have to accelerate getting a place together. You can't live here."

"What? Why? At least look at the inside first." Nick was feeling defensive about his apartment and they haven't even gone inside it yet.

They went into the building. It was completely anonymous. They could have been in any of thousands of apartment buildings on Hyacinth. They went up the stairs and Eastern joked with Selkirk about how Nick lived in a 'Default Apartment' and she giggled.

Nick unlocked the door and Selkirk walked in.

"Oh Ancestors, Nick!" Selkirk coughed "This is a little messy??"

Nick stood in the doorway, mouth open.

His apartment was trashed. All the drawers open and tipped out, desk overturned, everything strewn about.

Eastern peered around Nick's shoulder and laughed. "Nick! What did you do? This isn't normal is it? Why is your place trashed?"

Nick whirled to Selkirk and Eastern. "No! Something happened! This isn't how my place usually is! Someone must've come in and... trashed it."

Selkirk turned back to look at Nick. "But why?"

"I have no idea. The last job I did was boosting the coffin box from Houndstooth and... I got... away clean..." He whirled. "Eastern! Do you still have the coffin box?"

She looked into her shoulder bag. "Yes, it's right here, why Nick?"

Nick gathered Eastern and Selkirk. "The only job i've done in at least two weeks is boost that coffin box. Whoever trashed my place must be looking for it. I think there's more to this than what Jameson is letting on."

Selkirk rolled her eyes. "Nick, it's fucking Jameson Winters. He runs all of Hyacinth that isn't owned by Houndstooth. If you thought things were on the straight and level, that's on you hon." She put her arms on her hips, mimicking a human gesture. "It sure is a good damn thing you're attractive, Nick."

Eastern looked around. "Well, we certainly can't stay here. Nick, grab some clothes, leave everything else. You're moving out."

Nick reached down and picked up a shirt. "But what about-"

Eastern shook her head. "No Nick. We don't know if they bugged anything. Everything here is suspect. I hope none of it was a memento or an antique, because it ain't coming with us."

Sighing, Nick went through the apartment. He really didn't have much to begin with. He kept his pad on him so he didn't have to worry about that, and it's not like he kept stores of currency or valuables here. He stood in his bedroom and looked at a photo on the wall. It was two adults standing stiffly proud, with a small boy, maybe 10 holding a trophy.

"Eastern, what about the photo? It's my only one I have of my parents."

Eastern yelped. Selkirk whirled around. "What is it Eastern?"

"Sorry sorry. Nick used our link to talk and I... forgot we had it." She sounded sheepish.

Selkirk flicked an ear. "You two can chat silently to each other? Don't forget about your girlfriend Selkirk now"

"No no, you're right Sel. We'll try not to use it unless we need to," Nick was sheepish. "I think you'll be able to chat too if you're wearing that coronet Jameson gave you. I just asked Eastern about taking this photo. It's the only one I have of my parents."

Selkirk and Eastern walked up to it and looked. Eastern took it off the wall and flipped it over. She sighed and looked at Nick. "Sorry." Then she threw it on the ground as hard as she could, and it came apart with a tinkle of smashed glass."

"Eastern? What the fuck?" Nick was aghast.

Selkirk reached down and picked up the shattered remains of the photo. She flipped over the frame and gasped.

On the back, under the cardboard, in between the photo and the backing was a wafer thin piece of plastic with lines and miniature components embedded on it. It was no larger than 3cm square.

Eastern gently took it from Selkirk and showed it to Nick. "They know you Nick. They know you're sentimental. Use your Pad to take a picture of the photo. Do it to any other ones you'd want to keep, but the originals have to stay. Like I said, this whole place is compromised. In fact-" Eastern looked at the clothes in his hand. "-put those down, we're going to buy you new threads" She looked around. "Everything here is burned. We can't take it, we shouldn't even touch it."

With a sigh, Nick tossed the clothes back on the floor and took out his pad. He went around the apartment and took a few quick pictures of his photos and mementos. After no time at all he was back in the kitchen. "Okay, I'm done." He turned back to the apartment and looked one more time. "Let's go."

When they came back outside Nick looked at Eastern and Selkirk "So, uh, what do I do about the trashed apartment?"

Selkirk waved a hand dismissively. "We'll call a cleanout service. They're around for when people die or fuck off without getting rid of their stuff. Were you on a lease or month to month?"

"Lease ran out 6 months ago, I was month to month."

Eastern nods. "Good. We just won't pay next month and you'll be free and clear."

Nick looked between the women. It was all too easy to erase any signs of his life. "But, how are we going to pay for it?"

Selkirk grinned. "Our lovely, scary, benefactor is going to pay for it. Jameson gave us a modest expense account. All the better, his people probably know cleaners who are... discrete."

Eastern looked out towards nothing as they walked. "And if Jameson was the one that did it?"

Selkirk flicked her tail. "Then he'll know why we're hiring the cleaners. They didn't get what they were after - I assume - so we should lay low and keep a look out." She sighed. "Our places are probably next - if they haven't been hit already. Come on, I want to go to my place and pack up some stuff before it gets trashed."

The three of them continued on into the morning towards the Metro station.

Figuring time was of the essence, they took the Metro to Selkirk's place. She lived in a K'laxi neighborhood just outside of Tulip square on the top floor of a 10 story apartment building. When they go to her door, Selkirk motioned for silence and her ears flicked. After a moment she slowly put her hand on the pad next to the door. With a chirrup and a click, the door unlocked.

Her apartment was neat and tidy and seemingly untouched. Being careful, they walked around looking, not touching anything. After making sure nobody was inside with them Selkirk looked at Nick and Eastern. "Can you two do something with your fancy new tech and see if there's anything off about my place?"

"Um, maybe?" Eastern thought a moment, and her eyes flashed blue as she accessed her implants. After a moment she said "I don't see any entries logged since you left yesterday Sel, but that doesn't mean they didn't come in any other ways. Nick, see what you can find."

Nick had spent time time reading over the tipsheets that Jameson's people had left him. He leaned his awareness back and accessed the implants. How do search? Hmm. Eastern checked out the door records, what about the windows? Looking, he saw that her security system had window sensors. The logs show no unauthorized access, but at 20:00 last night, they recorded an open and a close in her bedroom. Selkirk was at Eastern's place then.

"Looks like your bedroom window recorded an open and a close around 20 last night Sel. It wasn't marked as unauthorized though.

Selkirk's tair flicked irritatedly. "Looks like the goons that searched my place were less rowdy than the ones that ransacked yours Nick. Still, I think I have to assume my place is out of commission too. Come on."

Selkirk turned on her heel and walked out the door. Shrugging Eastern and Nick followed her.

First / Previous / Next

[the-hero-of-light-and-shado-blog]

So. Peek at a few things in my story I'm coming up for Signalis

One. Ariane getting scanned and made into a Replika model called a RLER, Ralle, Rail in German. I'm thinking the original designation is because... well she's a radio operator, so they figured she would make a good Replika for that, and Long Range exploration, because Penrose.

RLERs are HIGHLY FUCKING BIORESONANT, with much more ability in things like klimaforming, and Biomolding, acting as an effective ships doctor because she can just magic the pain away. But she can ALSO just basic your body cum of cancer from a mine away. Despite this every RLER is, while not opposed to violence of necessary, it's greatly distressed when using her powers to do anything offensive. They are Also, all very, very aware of Arianes memories, they just have the good sense to shut up about it. Effectively persina creation never really succeeds on them, and they act as a short of extension of Ariane's (as an Eldritch God who really doesn't want to be one,) Will. Effectively a bunch of fingers that she splits off parts of her vast consciousness into to experience lives she was never allowed before. Each individual RLER isn't really aware of this though, and essentially just thinks they ARE Ariane. Though they still recognize other RLER units are also, Ariane.

They did Not initially realize she was bioresonant, and in my headcanon wha determined a units bioresonance isn't some component, but the neural pattern itself. Like that brain pattern is Wired in to reality in a way others just aren't. Now they don't really understand bioresonance well I think, at least on a "How does it work" standpoint. They can see WHAT it does, when it's obvious, but the how is still kinda a mystery.

Also, LSTR units, are scouts as well as engineers right? Well naturally scouts are fast. We never see her really 'outside' truly, in my head everything happens underground still. So we never see any of the Replikas really RUN. Briskly walk at best. So in my head, LSTR units should be able to move AT LEAST like 30 mph or something. Probably with abnormally beefy knee and hip joints, with special low fiction coatings to prevent massive wear. If they REALLY push it I cab see this coating wearing off, and as the metal grinds against itself it gets hotter and hotter, until the elster is forced to either Keep running and burn out her synth-muscles entirely from the heat, or stop and the titanium bones contact welding together. Either way MASSIVE maintenance is required.

I think they're also probably the fastest unit in like, a raw speed sense, despite not being the tallest.

Also, Falkes, when not Corrupted are... mostly decent leaders. Not perfect, but genuinely care about their underlings. Unlike Adlers who... well they're true pragmatists. Without a Falke to counter an adlers coldness then it gets VERY iron fisted very quickly. Without an Adler to counter a Falkes natural compassion, then they can get far to lenient on genuine security matters, and are easily infiltrated. This is of course, highly restricted data because adlers would be getting assassinated left and right.

I'm ALSO off the mind that Adlers gestalt might be The Great Revolutionarys second. No data for that but it feels right if that makes sense.

I feel like a lot of that kindness I'm sort of putting into the empty Falke vessel I feel like also gets... not beaten it, but tempered by being lead of a lower Leven facility for a time as part of the Proofing for falkes. Really training but they're Machines.

On that I feel like the nation is HEAVILY split on replikas. Some feel like they're just very advanced machines, some recognize they're People, but want to win the war before they give them full citizenship, some want them to become citizens now. I do feel like they have a level of rights? But can't get married and other "frivolous" things for a machine. No customization, no freedom of movement, they're not allowed into politics. General second class citizen things you can imagine would be imposed on them.

Note Every Single RLER unit is gong to instantly start breaking those rules, but they didn't pick up on that in initial testing.

[eleni-cherie]

among thieves ✨ || bts • pjm - chapter 0.3

"what even am I to you? your rival, your lover, an obstacle or am I supposed to be your coffin?"

about two thieves who can't live with nor without each other. and a joint past that comes back to threaten them.

© 2023 | eleni_cherie

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masterlist: here

— genre: thief au, gangster comedy, adventure, romcom, humour, angst, fluff, very flirty jimin, friends/rivals/exes to lovers (it's complicated, ok?!) f2l e2l ex2l all members play a role in this story!

ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE. CHARACTERS NOT NECESSARILY LIKE THE REAL PERSONS. ALSO VERY UNREALISTIC PLOT LOL - JUST PRETEND READING A MANGA/COMIC OR WATCHING A FILM, REALLY.

SUGGESTIVE THEMES. MENTIONS OF VIOLENCE & BLOOD (BUT NOTHING TOO GRAPHIC, IT'S STILL A COMEDY!)

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Tokyo, Japan

"Say, Jimin-" Taehyung adjusted his grip around the bag that was slung over his shoulders. Glancing at his friend. "Why are we after these monkeys?" "Not all," Jimin corrected him, "Just one. The one with the sapphire in his embrace." He stopped when reaching the well in the basement. After getting rid off their cleaning stuff disguise, he laid out the blueprint on the ground. "Yeah, that. Why are we even bothering?" "Because that along with the document we got will lead us to the actual treasure, duh," he frowned. His finger tracing over the piece of paper until eventually finding their current position. He touched his earpiece then. "Yoongi, you hear me?"

White noise was heard before a bored voice anwered. "Yeah, in position." "Alright. Did you see anyone out of place?" "Yeah, tons of cops pretending to be normal gallery visitors." "Huh, so pops did find out after all," he smirked. "He may be an idiot sometimes, but he isn't that dumb," Taehyung mumbled then, "It was a quite easy one." "Indeed," Jimin shrugged, his lips tucking into a smug grin, "But that was on purpose. He surely didn't notice the second one. He felt probably too proud of himself to question it." "Let's hope you're right." "I'm always right!" Yoongi laughed out on the other end of the line, while Taehyung gave him an irritated glance.

"Fine, maybe not always. But ninty percent of the time." "Sure." "Yoongi, we'll switch off the lights for exactly five seconds. You sure that's enough time?" An annoyed groan was heard. "Did I ever need longer?" Jimin rolled his eyes. It was true, Yoongi was fast as lightning when it was about cutting something with his sword. This time it being disguised as a cane, perfectly fitting his own disguise of an old man. Like his in-ear which looked like a deaf-aid. Hopefully this wouldn't be an exception. "Alright, I'll count down. One.." His finger hovered over the switch. "Two.." It touched it. "Three." And pressed it down.

Before anyone even understood what was going on, the lights were back on. And Yoongi walked away like nothing had happened. "Done."

"Did the cops react?"

"Yeah, some are nervously -and not obvious at all- speaking into their collars." He chuckled amused. "Okay, my cue," Jimin said and pulled out a walkie-talkie, switching it into the right frequency. Clearing his throat, he prepared his voice. Disguising it perfectly when speaking. "We were just informed by the maintenance team this small electrical abnormaly was normal due to a light earthquake causing this. No need to let your guard down."

"Roger" someone answered.

He turned off the device, chuckling contently. "Yoongi, did they buy it?" "Seems so. They're back to pretending being normal visitors and observing the art pieces." "Good. Now phase three. Taehyung?" "Yeah, yeah. On it," he smirked and put the bag down. He got his Magnum out of his holster and put the silencer on. Shooting precisely three times on the three studs of the security bars on the top. Knocking them out. Meanwhile Jimin rummaged in the bag until finding the screwdriver set. He checked his watch then. "Eight minutes till they'll start asking everyone to leave. Before pops shows up and the cops come back in, invading the place."

Taehyung nodded and Jimin climbed on his shoulders to reach the top and took off the security bars. Starting undoing the screws inside. Taking off the lid then he gave it to Taehyung who was trying his best not to lose balance with the additional bodyweight. The ceiling wasn't too high, but Jimin needed him for the next step. Taehyung straightened himself more and so Jimin could grab the edges of the vent, pulling himself up into the subceiling. He breathed out deeply and looked at his watch. "Five more minutes," he informed. Pressing his earpiece again. "Yoongi? Did you also cut the other thing?" "Yeah, yeah. I'm waiting for you guys at the car."

"Thanks," Jimin cooed happily. Three minutes. He crawled a meter to the right, patting the top until finding the spot on the ground that Yoongi had cut for him. Waiting patiently. One minute. He calmed his breath, clearing his mind. He had a few seconds to due the exchange, nothing new. But also still nerve-wreckingly exciting. The loudspeaker announcement was finally heard dully through the floor. First in japanese then in english.

"The museum is closing in ten minutes. We ask all visitors to soon make their way to the exit."

Shuffling and steps were heard above. Knowing their object of desire was in the far back of the room, he dared to push the square-shaped cut out. Peeking his head between a tall plant and the exhibition show case. The room being empty. They knew were security cameras were placed and this was a blind spot. As long as he didn't go beyong the glass cube or the plant, he was save. So he slowly crawled out.

"Now!" Jimin whisper-yelled and instantly the lights flickered shut thanks to Taehyung at the switch downstairs. Giving him exactly ten seconds to switch off the real sapphire with the fake one he had prepared. And thanks to Yoongi cutting off the wires of the warning system, without cutting the actual electrical wire which would have immediatelly caused an emergency alarm, he was able to pull it off within the time limit. Disappearing into the hole on the floor right when the lights flickered on again. Carefully he put the piece of floor back on and fixated it before going back down the vent. Taehyung already waiting at the opening to help him get down. Jimin quickly screwed the lid on again and put the security bars on before jumping down.

They quickly gathered their belongings and put their disguise back on. Going the same route back which they had come from. Disguised as cleaning stuff they made their way to the backdoor. Walking fast down the back alley and out to the street. When they turned a corner, they started running. Already spotting their car. Yoongi, still dressed as an old man, sitting on the backseat. Eyeing everyone that passed by.

"Took you long enough," he simply said as the two slid inside into their seats and Jimin started the engine. "Right on time I'd say," he said when spotting multiple police cars driving past the street in front of them, to the direction of the museum. "They'll now get onto position. And in five hours they'll notice we're already far gone with the jewel," he chuckled and drove off.

"What did you write on your note?" "My note?" "Yeah, the one behind the fake jewel." "Oh, that one," Jimin said, the cool breeze of the evening brushing against his face, "Just explained that not only the gibberish was meant to be read taking five steps back. The time written in cursive as well."

As they turned into the ring rode, a black suv appeared behind them. Jimin noticed from the driving mirror. As he took the exit and left the ring rode, the suv followed. Whenever he turned into a road, the black car also turned. "Gentlemen, seems like we got a tail." The two other guys took a quick glance behind them as well. Easily spotting what we meant.

Seeing they got discovered, the windows of the black suv cranked down and its passengers started shooting. The rear window broke and Yoongi sighed, pushing the blade out of the sheath as he slid down, taking cover. "Gotta cut something unworthy again," he quietly mumbled and turned around. Fending off the bullets with his sword. Giving them cover and Taehyung time to get his Magnum out once again. "Don't disappoint me, baby," he whispered to his gun before also cranking down the window. He gave Jimin a nod, which he understood instantly. "Hold on!" Taking a sharp left turn, he gave Taehyung a good angle to aim.

He shot all his six bullets. Hitting the windscreen. But it didn't crack, seemingly being bulletproof. He reloaded his magazine, three by three at the same time. He aimed again and shot exactly twice. Perfectly hitting both car tyres, causing the suv to lose control. And another shot, hitting the motor. Sparks popping out from the rimes scratching the road surface and smoke coming from the motor as it hit a light post.

Jimin floored the accelerator, escaping further while dodging the cars in front of them and overtaking them. Sirens being heard from afar all of a sudden.

"Great," he groaned, "Those guys got us unneeded attention."

He turned into a sidestreet and then another. Gearing down. He turned into another street and into a parking lot. "Time to change cars."

"Who were those guys?" Taehyung frowned, looking at his friends then as the car came to a halt. Seeing them shrug. "Not sure, but they did leave us a souvenir," Yoongi said and picked up one of the bullets he had cut from the floor. Holding it between his thumb and index finger. The metal shining in the light. Making a carving visible. He squinted his eyes, trying to decypher the symbol. "What is this?" Taehyung grabbed the bullet. Inspecting it. ".308 semiautomatic," he noted. He turned it a little. Also seeing the little symbol carved on the side. "Is this some bird?"

At the mention of a bird, Jimin perked up. Becoming all ears. "May I see?" He took it from Taehyung and indeed. It was a bird. An owl, to be precise.

"Crap." He slid the bullet into his pocket and immediately grabbed his phone out. Starting dialing a number.  "What is it?" Yoongi asked, confused about his sudden reaction. Jimin's lips parted to explain but right in that moment the ringing tone stopped and his call got answered. "Bella-baby? We got a problem."

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next chapter: 0.4 here

[tabbyclaw]

I gave myself a home haircut at 2 AM and it was the best decision I've made in a while.

Look, it's my blog and I get to post a clickbait-y title sometimes, as a treat. I also get to talk about myself sometimes, also as a treat, but I don't have any interest in making a regular thing of it. But this haircut actually happened two months ago and I'm still super happy about it, so it gets a blog entry that sort of turns into a tortured analogy at the end.

My hair has always been A Problem. I was blessed with the kind of thick, curly hair that makes strangers come up behind you in the salon and tell you how jealous they are. I was not, however, blessed with the kind of patience and willingness that maintaining thick, curly hair requires. Especially when it's also dry and brittle. (Was that related to the lack of maintenance? It can't have helped, at the very least.) When it's long it's a sad mess of frizz and it's heavy enough to fall into my face constantly, but when it's short and not pulled down by its own weight it turns into a dandelion clock without careful styling. So a sad mess of frizz it's been for the last couple decades, down to not quite the small of my back because that's where it gives up the ghost on its own, because that at least I can pull back and get it out of the way and out of my sight. Well, except the bits at my temples that are an eternal scraggly halo of broken hairs because I have the audacity to sleep on my sides, and the little bit at the nape of my neck that I buzz every once in a while to get rid of some of the volume without being too noticeable and to get a little more cool air on my neck. I'll be honest and say that most days until recently it didn't even get properly combed, just finger-combed as briefly as possible in between the braid I slept in and the severe twist I wore during the day, because anything more than that would be trying to sort through the tangles and breakage and just cause more frizz and more frustration. Washing it was done as rarely as possible, again because of the tangles and breakage, and the whole process took over an hour and then several more to dry. (This wasn't the worst thing, because I've had multiple stylists tell me that I should only wash my hair about once a week, but there were many times when it was... a lot longer than that in between them.) Basically, I hated it on multiple axes, but if I did something different then it might be absolutely awful, and even if it came out okay I'd have to get used to it, and while I was getting used to it people at work would comment on it and remind me that I was still getting used to it and make it harder for me to do so (because I have a public-facing job and the public doesn't mind its own business), so I knew it wasn't going to be worth trying. Until the day after my birthday, when I finally said screw it and rode into battle.

Any part that was mostly fuzz and tangles and breakage was gone. Last six inches or so? Hacked off with all-purpose scissors, and who cares if it's uneven at the ends because it curls up enough that no one will ever actually notice. Scraggly temples? #2 trimmer blade, same as the back, and let's sweep around the sides to join those temples to the back while we're at it. Any part of my hair that was more trouble than it was worth ended up in the bathroom trash can, or in the corners of the room where I'm still trying to sweep it all up. It took over an hour -- don't worry; my sleep schedule was already complete nonsense before this -- and by the end of it I had probably about half the hair I had before I started, and that hair already looked healthier without its worst parts. I ended up with a style that's in the undercut family but is more of a horseshoe shape of buzz cut around the bulk of my hair, which is still pretty long even after the drastic trim. And the next day the only regret I had was that I should have done it when someone else was awake to tell me if I'd missed any spots because now I was going to have to haul the trimmer out all over again.

The lack of regret is something I really want to lean on while I'm talking about this, because it's so common to look at someone who's done something radical with their hair and go, "Oh, they're Going Through It." And I don't want to suggest that I'm not in a constant state of lowkey Going Through It, but it's the lack of quite as much It to be Going Through that made me do something radical with my hair. I've been wanting to find some way to deal with it for ages, but I was held back by that fear of being noticed and judged by people I don't care about and also that feeling of 'why bother because I know it won't be any better.' And then the antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication started working their magic and gave me the ability to say, "You know what? It's going to be fine. It's going to look fine and who cares if someone else thinks it doesn't, and even if it's not the best thing ever it can't be worse than what I have now." And it does, in fact, look very cool, and the only people who've said anything about it are coworkers who've been universally positive about it.

And then something really neat happened. Because the worst of my hair is gone, suddenly I have the patience and willingness to maintain the rest of it. Combing it out (and adding a little product if necessary for the dryness) is no longer an exercise in misery, which means it's easy to integrate into my daily routine. And having an immediate and visible result for the smaller amount of work it requires means that I'm motivated to stick with it and keep it looking and feeling nice. And that's where the tortured analogy comes in, because that's just the way taking care of yourself -- or anything else -- works. You have to find the thing that makes you want to do it, or at least not mind it enough to stop you, and sometimes that means giving yourself less to do. So cut those corners where you can, figuratively or literally, and let the lack of them improve what's left.

It's possible I'm not making any sense here. In fact, it's likely. But I'm 41 years old and I like my hair for the first time in my adult life, and that deserves a celebration.