#sr&r era

[josephtrohman]

12.02.2013

[grandtreeangel]

Wow. Patrick saying the most heartbreaking things about the writing process on save rock and roll, how he had to submit to outside ideas and he felt like he got his keys taken away after what happened with soul punk and he was being watched more closely by producers and how after that album he felt that he was writing for other people and what he thought they wanted from him

And then saying,

"Stardust was letting myself put me in there"

[grandtreeangel]

source

[siriusblackdevotee]

Mauraders fandom: Sirius would quite literally die for James and even kill for James

Mauraders fandom: James trusts Sirius the most with his life and the lives of his family

Mauraders fandom: they are so codependent they would literally stop functioning if they weren't around each other

Mauraders fandom: what they have something deeper than best friends, their love transcends even soulmates

Me: nice, oh so we're so shipping them right?

Mauraders fandom: ew what the fuck, no, that's literal incest, what is wrong with you???

Me: wha-you said they were bestfriends???

Mauraders fandom: they are platonic!! Brotherly!! Incest?? How could you ship them?? There's no romance!! Nothing is between them!!

Me: ???

[overlord-of-fantasy]

And Abraxas is proud of that!

Tom the-fact-that-I-found-out-I'm-a-rape-baby-did-not-mess-me-up Riddle: Most likely every human alive is the product of rape during some point in their ancestry.

Abraxas Malfoy, smugly: Speak for yourself. I'm a product of incest!

[caspi-snz]

I need to see A/venturine sneeze NOW

[josephtrohman]

08.02.2014

[grandtreeangel]

2013/City in a Garden

[angelwishess]

You have been invited to the Fairytale Soiree! ‧₊˚ ⋅.𖥔

Angel’s 100+ followers event!

a/n: Hi hi everyone! I’d like to thank everyone so, so so very much for 160 followers!! When I first started this blog about a month ago, I genuinely did NOT expect to get this much love and attention. It was such a surprise, but I’m so very thankful nonetheless! During my short time running this blog I have met so many wonderful, talented, charming, amazing people, and I appreciate all of you so much! Thank you once again for supporting me until now! ♡

Story:

Every 100 years, a group of fae gather together to host a grand party to celebrate the beginning of a new century. And tonight, once the clock hits 12 it will be the genesis of a new era once more. The stars seemed to shine brighter than usual on this evening, and magic swirled around as the faeries gathered to sing, dance, feast and party the night away.

But of course, there was one more thing they had to do. Every Soiree, the three hosting faeries summon a group of humans, beastmen and merfolk alike to join them on this joyous occasion! Once every one hundered years, it truly would be a waste not to share the joys of tonight.

It just so happened that this time, a group of students seem to be the ones that were chosen! Waking up in an unfamiliar palace-like building, lush with gorgeous flora and hues of pinks, blues and purples. Although skeptical at first, they soon joined the fae with their grand soiree.

That was, until they swiftly picked out Kyra from the crowd. Declaring her as the “Dreamer of Tonight”. They explained, that at the end of every soiree, just before the clock hits 12, all of the fae come together to grant one wish. Whether it be riches that overflow into mountains of gold, power beyond imagination, or knowledge of the unknown— whatever it is, they grant it. And it may even shape the course of the next century.

Kyra pondered this for a moment, sitting upon an elegant throne-like chair as she looked at the faces of all her friends. She frowned, and the faeries were curious. That was until she asked,

“Could I share my wish with my friends?”

Taken aback, the faeries asked why she wanted to do such a thing.

“Well… It just seems kind of unfair. They all deserve to have their wishes granted, too.”

An air of silence filled the room. Only to be broken by a rampaging laughter from all of the fae. They laughed, and laughed, until tears prickled in the corners of their eyes. No one had ever asked for something so ridiculous. The very first time anyone had asked for such a thing!

Amused, the fae agreed to let her share the wish— but with only one person. Now, its up to the rest of the group to decide whether they want to convince Kyra to share the wish with her, or simply just enjoy the party. But they better hurry up, because the clock is ticking! Either way, the faeries are expecting a good show out of tonight’s soiree.

Why, it might just be the most exciting one yet!

“Share this wish with me!”

Dress Code:

There isn’t a really stict dresscode— but of course the characters will all be wearing clothing suited for an extravagant ball!

And, if the name wasn’t obvious enough, this event is very Fairytale themed! So I suggest taking inspiration from fairytales! Whether it be characters, tropes, or items in the fairytale! Go crazy!!!

Theres not really a certain colorscheme either, Id rather you use the colors you think fit the characters you choose the most !!

Featured Characters:

Kyra Lovelace SSR (Fairytale Attire)

Floyd Leech SR (Fairytale Attire)

Ace Trappola SR (Fairytale Attire)

Vil Schoenheit SR (Fairytale Attire)

Azul Ashengrotto SR (Fairytale Attire)

Leona Kingscholar SR (Fairytale Attire)

Jamil Viper SR (Fairytale Attire)

Sebek Zigvolt R (Fairytale Attire)

Jamil Viper R (Fairytale Attire)

Jack Howl R (Fairytale Attire)

OCs:

Victor Sanderson SSR (Fairytale Attire)

Yuuel “El” Mirume SSR (Fairytale Attire)

Yurena Lovelace SSR (Fairytale Attire)

Yuubeni Choga SSR (Fairytale Attire)

Joseph Akaba SSR (Fairytale Attire)

Yuki SSR (Fairytale Attire)

Dranav Taryn SSR (Fairytale Attire)

Ame SSR (Fairytale Attire)

Rory Queens SR (Fairytale Attire)

Shuu SR (Fairytale Attire)

Rayven Ludwig SR (Fairytale Attire)

Arlo Wake SR (Fairytale Attire)

Erice Ainsbourg SR (Fairytale Attire)

Delilah Koshkin SR (Fairytale Attire)

Kaiia Haunt SR (Fairytale Attire)

Yumi Yozakura SR (Fairytale Attire)

Reyu Carrera SR (Fairytale Attire)

Caspian Ashengrotto SR (Fairytale Attire)

Philosophy Freay R (Fairytale Attire)

Yuhua Wei (Fairytale Attire)

Asher (Fairytale Attire)

AJ (Fairytale Attire)

RULES!!!:

- Despite this being a follower milestone event, everyone is welcome to participate! ♡

- You can use any kind of character to enter into the - event! OCs, Yuusonas, and canon characters that haven’t been listed in the participants! All characters are very much welcomed !!!

- Any kind of entry is also welcomed! Art, edits, fics, ect.

- Please tag me in your post and use the tag #Fairytale Soiree! In your posts!

Strictly no NSFW or proshipping.

There is no clear deadline nor winner, this is honestly just for fun so go crazy!!

Theres no real limit on the amount of SSR cards either, so feel free to do whatever you’d like, whether you choose to make an SSR, SR or R card !

Feel free to dm me if you have any questions :3

Once again, Thank you all so very much for supporting me thus far!! (Reblogs are appreciated :3)

[grandtreeangel]

(updated source)

(x) [ 1 / 2 ]

[mrstellmeafuckingsecret]

I am once again asking u to give me another creep rjl au... I feel like a drug addict abt to relapse bc ur creep rjl makes me cry but idc

I WAS SUPPOSED TO POST THISSS oka i will post this now its bad and kind of 2 loser 2 b pathetix pls don't cry pretty girl 🙁

sirius gows on trips w his fmlily every summer right, and they always stay at this one hotel thats super massive and grand and awesome. remus qorks as like a helper there (got the job bcz daddy helped him out) ans first theim he saw sirius he decdided that sirius was. the most beautiful person. ever . so he wa slaways the one who cleaned the rooms and he always stayed laye to catch sirius coking in ajd oit,, sirius never paid him any attention bcz ahy wd he ? remus decides that at thw wns of this vacation hesll gey sirius' numebr and decied the vwst way to rizz sirius uo wd b to be sooo good at cleaning so hw works super duper hard and stuff and hes the ine whi delivers room serveuce & everything but sidius litr doesnt eevn nitice that housekeeping,waiters,room service, wtc r the sawm person vcz remus is so. forgettable. ans sirish kinda stares at him skemtimes like 'do ik u...' but enver says it (obv) so rmeus thisnk htat hes totally in lowv with jim and thwyee goin 2 be boyfrnds ... bt when the balcks r checkin g oit wlaburga and sirius r fivhtinggg and rmeus gets too scared so he diesnt ask for his numebr.

till sidius is not here remus looks for him oneline and he feels sooo guilty abr not tajign oictures bcz now he doesnt have ahyrhing to jaxk iff to so he pays ppll to find sirius and gwys scammed 92 tiems and getss oo broek he goes to lyall and lgall is kike wtaf bru ubhave a job and hes like yh but ykyk lief and sguff.... ans lyalls like whatver fine ig haev some moeny. & rmeus does it agn and agn. and agn. &agn.

sieius comes back the netz year and remus is ful creeped UP okay froem the secojd he comes in eemusnis taking 63746 pciturws w his new phoen with a greta camera that he spent food money on adn us dedicate to sirius blaxk ,, hes alrdy deicded to taek all rsp for the valcks bcz hel get 2 see siriis more like rhat and stuff . qhen his first joeb cleaning behind them arrives hw srwals clothes &udnerwear bcz hs needs to hold siirhs and msell srs and idk jack off to him . he breaghes in his liklow ans collects hairs (they all have the same hair idk) abd keeps then saef. wben sirius doesnt coem out v mich he outw a camera inthe room but feels siio guilty he never sueus it unless hes rlky delressed and beeds some1 to live for.

meanwhule siris is in his #rebel era soooo ges hooking up w . everuone . ans fucks the head chdf and managers & stuff bcz it psisses walburga off but yk what wd piss her off even more ? fuck ing the weird creepy guy whos obsessed w them. so risirus approaches remsu and rmwus cums in his oants and then they oiss ans renus comes in his oants again. sirius is like ewwww bht whatrvr an remus is leik woowow dergading kink hottt wowooww. but sirisu is actullat ewwed oti. but like tjs for pissibg off his mommy so its oka. renus is soooo in loev he flws sirisu aroudn liek "hi 🩷 kiss? 🩷" abd sirius is liek. omg. die

shwnen sirius leaves rmeus si sooo aad and dries sm bcz sriisus wdnt give him his number bcz apparently hes 2 "clingy" (lie vcz he only flws sirius around 80% of the tiem) an d rwmus ia xrying and jakcing off.

sieis returns rhe nwzt year w james and they ksis and james doest cum in his pants somehow and remus dies if jelaousy and also suicide. james & sirius fuxk on his graev the end 🩷

[shiningdesignersreflections]

Shining Nikki 4th Anniversary!

Hello, Shining Designers! The 4th anniversary of the game is coming up, and the game devs did not disappoint with the livestream. Our anni hell is...

Whale's Fall: Flowers Bloom

I saw the announcement last year for the CN/TW anniversary livestream, and I was amazed by how beautiful the suits are! So much detail in each dress, and who would've guessed they'd make an entire outfit based on a dying whale?

The story is an emotional one. It takes place right after Vol. 3, Ch. 5, when you and Nikki return to the Ark to find everything...strangely silent.

(Fun Fact: If you go to the main page for Vol. 3, Ch. 5 right now, there's an icon for Flowers Bloom, but when you tap on the icon, it brings up the story for Sin Flower instead. It will probably update when the hell event officially comes.)

We also received three Redeem Codes! Make sure you use them soon. The first code, CHERISHEDMEMORIES, gives you:

-1000 pink gems

-777 stamina

-1,000,000 gold

-10 World Flower (the hell currency)

-20 Fantasy Tickets

-50 Refresh Cards

-12 UR Concept Shards

-100 SSR Concept Shards

-20 Memory Track

The second code is WHALESFALL, and it gives you:

-1000 pink gems

-250 stamina

-1,000,000 gold

-5 World Flower

-20 Fantasy Tickets

-50 Refresh Cards

-380 R Memory Keys

-128 SR Memory Keys

-10 SSR Concept Shards

And our last redeem code is FLOWERSBLOOM, which gives you:

-1000 pink gems

-250 stamina

-1,000,000 gold

(And in case you missed it on their other social media platforms, we have 4 extra Redeem Codes. Each of these gives an extra 100 pink gems and 500,000 gold)

-GEMS4U

-3KISSES

-BORN2SHINE

-1ANDONLY

The hosts also shared some fun stats from the past year:

-Stylists have greeted Nikki in the morning 3,559,882 times and in the evening 2,391,244 times.

-Stylists have bought Nikki 7,273,585 movie tickets, which is about 19,927 movies per day. (What movie do you think is her favorite?)

-Stylists introduced 131,898,138 outfits to Nikki's Closet at Home.

(And then an animated ad for Momo Jeans.)

-The top UR suits last year were:

--Gilded Shackles - Yisu (Time Corridor season 5)

--Windrest Woods - Aloysius (free anniversary suit)

--A Boat in Smoky Rain (collab)

-The top SSR suits last year were:

--Glorious Heart - Ophelia (New Chapter of the Glory event)

--Sparkling Dream - Dodora (free Rookie Road suit)

--Twinkle Twinkle - Leonid (first suit)

-The top makeup pieces last year were:

--Rose Liquid Balm (R rarity, lipstick)

--Spoiled Bunny (UR rarity, adornment - cheeks)

--Honeyed Brew (SSR rarity, reflection)

-Stylists have posted 295,873 stylings to the main menu.

-The most popular interactive scenes were:

--Crystal Stairway

--Twinkling Rhythms

--Parade Time

And then, the grand showcase of the anniversary suits:

-Vast Blossom - Nikki

--Attribute: Pink/Sweet

--Rarity: UR (special)

--Awakened Suit: Cradle Era

-Whales Toward Sea - Aeon and Marina

--Attribute: Gold/Elegant

--Rarity: UR

--Awakened Suit: Cosmic Melody

(You might have seen Older Marina before, as the designer for the top-up suit Broken & Chainsaw. It's her only Sexy attribute suit, because now she's an adult. Her "growth spurt" actually comes from the anniversary event.)

There were three lucky draws for those who watched the livestream.

-Lucky Draw #1: WHALESANDFLOWERS

--Rewards: 20 winners receive 1200 pink gems

-Lucky Draw #2: SHININGDRESS

--Rewards: 1 of 5 new IRL dresses from Shining Nikki

-Lucky Draw #3: BESTNIKKI

--Rewards: 3 winners receive 3600 pink gems

And like last year, Paper got two real-life designers to make pieces for Shining Nikki's anniversary. The first is Angie Wu, a jewelry artist who made a breathtaking opal necklace inspired by Nikki's blooming dress.

You want to know the best part? This is the grand prize for the Ocean Reverie fanart contest! Only one lucky person can claim this necklace, so get your creative energies flowing now.

The second designer is Valentine Moon, and she spent countless hours sewing and crafting a cosplay version of Nikki's flower dress!

The voice actors for Nikki and Momo, Emma Ballantine and Emma Tate respectively, share their anniversary wishes, and then we get a new single to end the livestream!

A lot of amazing things to look forward to! I hope you have a wonderful anniversary, Shining Designers!

[grandtreeangel]

interview

©

[laciefuyu]

//CN & TW server spoilers, GLB server miscs

I was overwhelmed to make any rounded post but I will try to make sense now XD

Anyway first in order, the one we wait the most when April arrives is here! Artem!

The theme for 5th Bday related to their early career, so I was hoping for Junior Attorney Artem because we did see bits from his Intern/Graduate Attorney Era in Day and Night SSR and Belle Nuit d'Amour SSR, and we know how he is as Senior Attorney now. He mentioned that he was more like her back then in Dream & Hereafter card, and a soon-to-retired attorney told Rosa about Artem style used to being a bit aggressive (they were talking about chess but it's not hard to see, it's also about his approach as attorney too). Also in line with a past we read in Day and Night SSR, someone who doesn't even think of the risk he might face because there is someone who needs his help and his lines in the 5th Bday PV!! I need to dissect his mind (very very fond)

I am very excited about this card, especially with the artemrosa art very much a callback to Belle Nuit d'Amour pre evol, i can't wait to pull it and I hope it delivers story-wise!!

Also finished the rerun free mr a few days ago and you definitely can get it for free again but there is no s-chips and namecard in rerun.

And the baby zuo ran puzzle..... so soft

Well, Zuo Ran's 5th Birthday event starts like April 18, so that's Friday business. I already secured funds to get it XD

Now, about the GLB server LOL

Usually I didn't address it much but some special cases since two unexpected features came earlier.

First of all, Flight of Fancy feature.

Every ML garden (this is an old screenshot tbh) where collecting nectar that eventually gathers itself, so it will reach 100% to unlock the page of the story (there are four pages per story).

Very easy feature, in general, level up skills/structure (25%/50%/75% you will get currency to level it up), collecting nectar (don't let it reach limit so it can keep gathering) then get the ornaments for the garden after finished stories (like the one marked with hands in my screenshot).

Skill/Structure I am talking about (I am currently unlocking newest lu jinghe story in tw server)

In this update, there should be two stories: One related to Main Story and from ML POV and the other one from Outsider POV.

I am very much an absolute shill for Main Story, so I always encourage everyone to read that first. It's the story with these illustrations:

(XZML ENGRAVED IN DNA)

If my mind doesn't fail me, it should be like this for the one related to the Main Story:

Zuo Ran - Post Chapter 6

Mo Yi - During Chapter 13

Xia Yan - Post Chapter 12

Lu Jinghe - During Chapter 12

Please read everyone's story because I genuinely enjoy them all!

Now the second feature, Memories of Love and Card Milestone Reward

I will be honest.... this is genuinely baffling simultaneously also the most hilarious decisions LOL

Because the Card Mksupposed to be after every ML's Dream & Hereafter series roll out. Baffling decisions because the current GLB server cards, none of the ML/All ML whaler would reach the namecard yet wwww

Anyway because it's here anyway, here how it will look:

For the reward itself, basically each card has points and each rarity has a certain amount of points, such as:

SSS: 50

SSR: 30

SR/MR: 8

R: 1

The reward for the card collecting is:

Badge: 300 points

Avatar Frame: 600 points

Cursor Effect: 1000 points

Namecard: 1600 points

In-between there is S-chips and materials.

Please note that it only works for the first one, the copy that comes after that is not counted.

For example for counting: in my TW acc, for Artem, I have 2 SSS, 8 SSR, 9 SR, 3MR and 12 R

So it's:

2 x 50= 100

8 x 30 = 240

9 x 8 = 72

3 x 8 = 24

12 x 1 = 12

Total: 448

Side notes, Cursor effect is for tap tap animation and it's like this:

Anyway that should be all, I am not sure if people read my post that much but I hope it helps.

P.S.: After Artem's 4th Birthday, it definitely is Forever Young 4SSR event. Prepare your pulls XD

See you later ^^

[usafphantom2]

The SR-71 Detection of Missile Lock-On

I was reading through an old Air and Space magazine article from 2015 where they interviewed Jerry Crew. He was an RSO that was trained in the simulator and in the classroom by my father Richard” Butch “Sheffield. Dad trained most of the RSO‘s while he was also still flying the SR-71. He was a very busy man.

When a missile locks onto an SR-71, the aircraft's systems, including radar warning receivers, detect the threat. The Reconnaissance Systems Officer (RSO), seated in the back, plays a crucial role in monitoring these systems, as mentioned in National Air and Space Museum SR-71 page. The SR-71 was equipped with electronic countermeasures (ECM) like the AN/ALQ-131, which could jam radar signals, as noted in The National Interest SR-71 countermeasures article. This detection allows the crew to respond before the missile can effectively engage. Jerry said in the article that on his first mission over North Vietnam, July 26, 1968. His pilot was Tony Bevacqua.

Turning inbound from our first sensor run, I noticed the “R” light on my electronic counter. Measure panel was illuminated a North Vietnam SAM site was tracking us on its radar. What I didn’t expect was illumination of the “M” light followed closely by the “L” light!

This meant that the North Vietnam had actually fired one or more SAMs at us.

This news couldn’t have occurred at a worse time. We had just started our sensor take and evasive action was not an option.

Tony asked how long ago was it launched and I replied about five seconds. The time of the missile launch was important. We were told countless times by our intelligence expert that the SA – 2 missile total flight time was only 58 seconds in other words if nothing happened by then we were probably safe! My immediate duty was to turn off the ECM jammer. The purpose of our jammer was confused the missile prior to launch. Tony asked again how long ago did the missile launch Tony asked two more times by then the sensor run and the risk to our Blackbird was over !

Wow! This was my Dad‘s job for eight years. He told me every time he went up in the Blackbird. It was thrilling, but he never mentioned that it could be this scary.

Evasive Action: Acceleration and Speed

The standard evasive action, as described in Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird was to accelerate further, leveraging the SR-71's ability to reach speeds over 2,000 mph (Mach 3.2). This speed, combined with its high altitude, made it nearly impossible for missiles of the era to catch up. The aircraft's design, with Pratt & Whitney J58 engines, allowed it to sustain these speeds, as detailed in Smithsonian Institution SR-71 page.

Why Speed and Altitude Worked

Missiles like the Soviet SA-2 and SA-5 had limited speed and altitude capabilities compared to the SR-71. As noted in Coffee or Die SR-71 outrunning missiles, by the time a SAM could be launched and reach the SR-71's altitude, the aircraft was often already out of range. The SR-71's low radar cross-section, enhanced by radar-absorbent iron-ferrite paint on its chines, further reduced detection time, as mentioned in The National Interest SR-71 countermeasures article. This combination gave SAM sites a very short window to acquire and track the aircraft, often too brief to launch effectively.

Role of Electronic Countermeasures

While speed was the primary defense, ECM played a supporting role. The AN/ALQ-131 system could jam acquisition and targeting radar. If a missile was launched, the RSO might switch off the ECM to prevent the missile from homing, relying instead on acceleration. This strategy was crucial during missions where multiple SAM sites were active, as seen in accounts from Air Zoo SR-71 Spy-Posium. This is some of the information that the new.GROK found

Linda Sheffield

@Habubrats via X

[klimtjardin]

Contos de Nube - Capítulo onze

Atualizações: terças e quintas.

Capítulo Onze - Juno é apresentado à família Brilhante…

Um pouco mais tarde do que o esperado, Juno estacionou seu Volga na frente da residência da família Brilhante. Trazia consigo um buquê de flores para presentear a aniversariante e não chegar de mãos vazias.

Esmeralda ausentou-se da sala rapidamente ao receber sua mensagem. Disse à Mercury que precisava atender a campainha, não sendo de todo mentira. Beijou Juno do lado de fora da casa e convidou-o a entrar. A primeira pessoa a conhecê-lo, naturalmente, foi Opal, a quem ele presenteou com as flores que trazia. Ela agradeceu e lançou um olhar malicioso na direção da irmã mais velha. Esmeralda deixou-o conversando com ela e foi buscar Mercury, preparando um texto em mente:

"Mercury, quero que você conheça uma pessoa… Não, muito formal... Mercury, esse aqui é o Juno! Soa melhor."

Diferente do que imaginou, sua amiga não demonstrou qualquer reação negativa. Apenas sorriu e cumprimentou-o como faria com outra amizade de Esmeralda, pois era gentil e educada, afinal. Juno logo começou a fotografar a festa, e Magnólia interrogou sua filha sobre o rapaz alto e bonito. Tudo estava bem, com os convidados a comer e se divertir. Os mais jovens dançavam na sala enchendo a cara de espumante. Juno fotografou Opal diversas vezes. Safira e Netuno conversavam sentados num canto, de mãos dadas, tão próximos um do outro que Esmeralda só podia imaginar que ele recitava algum de seus poemas para sua irmã.

A campainha tocou pela última vez e um convidado inesperado foi recebido: Quíron.

Um tanto quanto desencaixado do cenário, ele cumprimentou polidamente quem estava em seu caminho. Esmeralda não conseguiu decidir se estava mais incrédula por Opal ter tido coragem de convidá-lo, ou pelo rapaz marcar presença de fato. Magnólia se apressou para recebê-lo correndo na frente de todos e por isso quase atropelando alguns convidados. Ofereceu comidas e bebidas, e Quíron aceitou uma taça de vinho. Sentou-se afastado, porém, de frente para Esmeralda, que a esse ponto já havia decorado o guarda-roupa do rapaz, que se restringia a um elevado número de camisas brancas. Ele sorriu para ela, que foi a coisa mais estranha que ela presenciou. 

Juno meteu-se na frente:

— O que ele está fazendo aqui?!

— Sei lá… Minha irmãzinha deve ter convidado, mas se acostume, porque ele é o queridinho da minha família… E é nosso vizinho.

— Como assim, queridinho da sua família?! — Juno franziu a testa.

— O que o dinheiro não compra, não é mesmo?! — Esmeralda bateu no ombro de Juno ao levantar-se e balançou sua taça. — Fica aí que vou buscar mais.

Esmeralda fez o caminho até o bar, na sala de jantar, onde alguns de seus tios, tias e primos estavam reunidos. Riam e conversavam, alto, jogando cartas. Opal exultava migrando de um grupo social para outro. Tinha de dar a ela esse prestígio: a festa parecia um sucesso tão grande que jurou ver o Secretário da Cultura, Sr. Urano Kim, esboçar um sorriso. Ao terminar de abastecer seu copo com mais coquetel de pêssego, Esmeralda virou-se para se deparar com Quíron em seu caminho.

— Oi. — Disse ele.

— Oi. — Respondeu ela secamente.

— Queria agradecer sua irmã pelo convite, pode passar esse recado a ela? — Ele se serviu da mesma bebida que Esmeralda e ela se pôs a observar.

Quíron tomou um gole de coquetel, sentindo que ofendera seu próprio palato logo em seguida. Era uma bebida exageradamente doce, para satisfazer o gosto da aniversariante. Ele segurou a careta de desgosto e Esmeralda gargalhou:

— Não tem jeito de você se acostumar com isso!

Quíron empurrou outro gole, mas foi demais para ele. Largou o copo em um canto do bar.

— Isso o quê, Srta. Brilhante? Pode me explicar mais especificamente? — Aproximou-se perigosamente de Esmeralda. Era alto. Cheirava a perfume caro. Tinha olhos  profundamente escuros que naquele instante pareciam virá-la do avesso.

Esmeralda hesitou.

— Uma coisa menos… Do seu padrão…

— Padrão?! — Quíron riu. — Só não gostei porque é doce e eu detesto bebida doce. Não acredite em tudo que você ouve por aí... — Cruzou os braços. 

Ao contrário do que Esmeralda esperava com o comentário, Quíron não se ofendeu ou irritou. Pareceu se divertir e achar graça.

— Muito menos no que você diz, não é? — Completou ela. Viu que Juno os encarava de longe e fez menção de se levantar do lugar, então, voltou para a sala de estar onde estavam seus amigos.

— Ele estava te incomodando, Esme? 

— Não, não… Só tinha me perguntado onde tinham mais copos.

Esmeralda continuou bebendo, porém, notou Mercury um pouco mais reclusa após a interação entre os dois.

— O que houve, Mercury?

— Eu ouvi o jeito que vocês estavam se referindo ao Quíron e não acho justo. Ele não é um rapaz ruim. Deve ser difícil para ele se adaptar a uma nova cidade também.

— Olha… Todas as vezes em que fui obrigada a interagir com ele, me soou extremamente rude. — Explicou Esmeralda, já a ponto de perder as estribeiras novamente, pois aquele cara só trazia desentendimentos aos seus diálogos. — Infelizmente, não consigo sentir simpatia por ele. Mas posso aguentar a presença, se te faz feliz.

Mercury ofereceu seu melhor sorriso complacente e ganhou um abraço de bêbado de sua melhor amiga.

— Eu não vou me casar com ele. — Sussurrou. — Se te faz feliz.

— Me faz feliz ver minha amiga feliz! Então, se é assim, vamos brindar!

Esmeralda brindou e dançou, especialmente com Mercury e Juno, sem perceber que as palavras da amiga delatavam algo um tanto mais profundo do que a rápida conversa, e que faziam referência ao avanço de seus planos particulares. Quíron contentou-se com sua taça de vinho, mas não desgrudou os olhos de Esmeralda nem quando as luzes da sala de estar foram apagadas.

“Creio que a festa de aniversário de Opal tenha sido um sucesso, pois vi inclusive o Sr. Kim parecendo se divertir um pouquinho. Além dela própria, obviamente, pulando de canto em canto toda serelepe. Sinto-me jurássica ao pensar que tenho uma irmã mais nova de vinte anos, como se já houvesse vivido tempo suficiente para ver todas as coisas. Vendo-a, percebo agora o quão distante estamos uma da outra, mesmo que cinco anos não pareça tanto. Opal ainda irá descobrir tantas frustrações, que sinto mais por ela do que fico feliz. O ponto alto foi o bolo preparado por nossa mãe e o coquetel de pêssego delicioso. Bebi até um pouco mais do que deveria. Lembro-me vagamente de ter sido conduzida ao lavabo pelo Sr. Suh, e o resto é história… Ele beija bem, demasiadamente.”