#that on top of my already non-existent energy is really taking its toll on my ability to do anything

[byanyan]

still alive but still struggling

[do-not-careissa]

Now that Men in Black has reinvaded my mind so have new plot bunnies. So have 2 Jason joins the min ideas/options.

1. Sort of a Mr and Mrs Smith type thing, jaykyle, only sadder and angstier:

Post death and resurrection Jason wasn't picked up by Talia, instead it was MiB. Using their alien tech they're able to heal him and put his mind back together. They know who he is, just like they know who Bruce and the Justice League are (for how much the Kents believed no one noticed their sudden baby acquisition, they were wrong. MiB's known all along, if anything they're the reason the Kents and other alien adopters and adoptees have done so well at staying hidden.) They give Jason the choice to either return to Bruce, go with a normal family (in both cases he'd of course have his memories wiped), or stay and work with them. Now while Jason might not have the Lazarus Pits affecting his emotions and mental stability here, he's still a teen/young adult (say like 18 or 19 by the time he's healed enough to leave) and his last memories of the bats and his bio mother weren't exactly the greatest. Add on top of that the feeling of being forgotten/replaced that would undoubtedly come at seeing the addition of, what, at least three more people to the batfam. He doesn't believe there's a place left for him there, decides to stay, at least he can do some good while he's at it.

Cut to a few years later, Jason's moved up the ranks, he's one of the organization's best agents (could be just that branch, division, or overall) but of course the job doesn't really leave much for certain other needs. So on his rare time off he'll slink off to this nice bar or something and just enjoy himself, feel human, all that good stuff. And that's how he gets involved with a certain Kyle Rayner. The guy seems normal enough, an artist with laughably bad pickup lines but a smile and eyes that make you want to laugh with him rather than at him. They have a night together, and that one night turns into two, then three, and by the fourth Jason's sure he's making a mistake here. Regulation says to keep contact with non-mib individuals to a minimum and don't give them a reason to remember you if you have to interact more than once. He shouldn't be doing this, really, but he's also given up so much over the years, both to mib, to the bats, to the universe, can you really blame him?

Between the two of them rain checks are a regular, either one or both claiming a sudden work trip that couldn't be skipped. It made Jason guilty every time but he couldn't just not go. This was his job after all. And Kyle, well he was just a normal guy who happened to be a bit loose in the head sometimes, it made sense for him to forget to call off meetups and hookups, that's just what normal people their age did right? It takes far too long for him to admit that he's in too deep, that he's fallen for this loveable dumbass. But the same could probably be said for Kyle too.

The moment they meet not as Jason and Kyle but as MiB and Green Lantern you could hear a pin drop. Jason couldn't believe this, not in a million years. Kyle? A fucking Green Lantern? Are you kidding?!

Because you see, while the general population and even the capes might be unaware of MiB, MiB is more than aware of them and they have a very big problem with them, especially the Lanterns. Because they know the GLs and Guardians would argue that earth is their terf and that minehas not right to set up rules and protocol, byt MiB has been on Earth longer, they've existed since Roswell if not earlier, GLs haven't touched Earth til maybe 15-20 years ago. And MiB's work is to protect not just the humans of Earth but the aliens who've made a home here, or even just those ones that are here for a visit. Thanks to the GLs, and by extension the Justice League, not only is MiB and its agents in so much more danger of being exposed or attacked, but so are those aliens.

Suddenly Jason's happy go lucky secret relationship has been soured if not ruined. Kyle, he'd trusted him, even l-, he actually liked him as more than just a fuck buddy, but this? He's devastated, he's angry, and while he's sure Kyle's feeling something like that too, he doesn't get to, not when he's siding with the group putting innocent people in danger, not when he's siding with the bats and Tha Guardians and everything Jason stands against.

He manages to catch Kyle off guard, taking him down and neuralyzing him quick enough that him can't take him down too. It hurts to see that blank look take over Kyle's face once the light fades, but he can't let that affect him. Kyle made his choice, and he needs to make his.

Idea 2: much angstier in the "fuck Bruce and the JL" sort of way

Post rhato 25 and Roy's death, Jason's health is deteriorating quickly. Maybe he lied about how well he was out of guilt so Roy wouldnt feel like he had to stay with Jason instead of going to Sanctuary. Now with no one there to help him, along with the mental and emotional toll, Jason's body is shutting down. This is it, he's accepted it, he fucking hates that this is how he goes, but well, it's kinda poetic that Bruce would ultimately be the reason for his deagb this time wouldn't it? Between the physical injuries he gave Jason and the mental ones he's caused, everything all ties back to Bruce.

So Jason's just there, accepting his fate, but then out of nowhere these suits just show up and they've got an offer for him. They know who he is, what he's gone through, they know how to help him and keep him safe. They can heal him. But the only way they can let him know exactly what they're doing or who they are is if he joins them. They say they've been watching him for a while, we're actually planning on approaching him, but the situation with Batman and now with the League and Jason's health has pushed their time table up. He's obviously skeptical til they really go in on everything, breaking down mib, breaking down what they try to do, and you know what, he's in. Fuck Bruce, fuck the JL, fuck them all.

None of them stepped in to help him, none of them did anything to stop Bruce, no one except Roy, Roy who's now dead because of them. They don't get to tell him what to do anymore, they don't get to control him.

So they bring Jason in for the procedure, and there's a few ways this could go. A) They just use whatever alien tech they have that heals him no issue, maybe need to replace a few bones or joints or something, whatever it is he's healed. B) they need to meld his DNA to a sample from an alien species that heals quickly (personal favorite, could go down the route of this giving Jason superhuman abilities, or even something akin to energy absorption as the reason he's able to heal which would make him a massive threat to everyone especially the gls (imagine him just draining their rings in minutes and then using that power against them)). C) the Lazarus Pits are actually of alien origin, and since Jason's already been dipped in one before and had his brain and body altered/healed by it, it still remains dormant in his system, they just need to activate it.

Whatever they do it works, and soon enough we get Jason as MiB and Bruce and the others all believing Jason to be dead ala MiB​ tricks. Months or even years later there comes a confrontation, the "I thought you were dead!" Shit. Or the GLs/guardians learn about them and try to impose their bs on them, try to scare them into disappearing, and guess who MiB sends to deal with them? Why their star agent of course.

[icedanceupstarts]

A Guide to GP Spot Anxiety

It’s roughly a month till the GP assignments come out, and even in our semi-hiatus we’ve noticed a lot of worry over which teams will get assignments and who will be left out to dry. We put together this list so that everyone can most efficiently direct their anxious energy and prayer circles for their faves on the bubble.

Worlds Top Ten, Guaranteed Two Spots so really who cares about anything else:

Seeds 1-3

Papadakis/Cizeron

Sinitsina/Katsalapov

Hubbell/Donohue

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

Seeds 4-6

Stepanova/Bukin

Weaver/Poje

Chock/Bates

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

Gilles/Poirier

Guignard/Fabbri

Hawayek/Baker

Fournier-Beaudry/Sorensen

Guaranteed Spots: 20/60

Other Teams From Worlds With A Shot:

When you get past the two guaranteed spots for the top ten, the things to start looking at are the World Standings and Season's Best lists. Top 24 on either guarantees you one, top 24 on both doesn't technically guarantee you two but does make it very likely. Let's break it down!

Natalia Kaliszek/Maksym Spodyriev WS 9, SB 11 Not guaranteed two, but come on. After their breakout season they're definitely walking away with two spots. They're Fine!

Sara Hurtado/Kirill Khaliavin WS 17, SB 15 Same for the reigning Spanish National Champs! Who knows what lineups they'll be facing but their spots are secure. They're Fine!

Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson WS 21, SB 13 After the Discobrits breakout season they're almost certainly walking away with two spots. They're Fine.

Marie-Jade Lauriault/Romain Le Gac WS 15, SB 17 Deja vu. If they really need help there's always the host spot to fall back on, but either way They're Fine.

Shiyue Wang/Xinyu Liu WS 10, SB 23 All of this has happened before and all will happen again. They're Fine.

Juulia Turkkila/Matthias Versluis WS 39, SB 29 Guaranteed nothing but pretty decent chance of walking away with at least one spot, maybe even two if they cross their fingers a little and/or someone withdraws after initial selection. Better Than None

Allison Reed/Saulius Ambrulevicius WS 38, SB 30 Decent chance of getting a spot, if not in the initial selection then as a substitute if there are withdrawals later. Better Than None

Shari Koch/Christian Nuchtern WS 42, SB 34 Best chance out of the two German teams to snag a late spot, but nothing's guaranteed. GP Purgatory

Anna Yanovskaya/Adam Lukacs WS 33, SB 38 May or may not get something. They train in Russia which is helpful, but it's still up in the air. GP Purgatory

Alexandra Nazarova/Maxim Nikitin WS 32, SB 42 So it turns out that after four straight season on the Grand Prix, their chances for a fifth aren't looking as good as one would hope. Only 42nd on the SB list and with a lower World Standing than their countrymen Popova/Byelikov has left them in a dicey position. Light some candles. GP Purgatory

Misato Komatsubara/Tim Koleto WS 24, SB 39  Guaranteed one and with their host spot will probably walk away with two! Pays to be the top team from a small Fed. They're Fine!

Jasmine Tessari/Francesco Fioretti WS 34, SB 36 Landed an assignment last season but could use some candles and crossed fingers… they might get something? They're another team on the bubble - might walk away with something, but might also end up left out in the cold. GP Purgatory

Legally Guaranteed Spots: 26/60 Spiritually Guaranteed Spots: 32/60

North America, None Anxiety(or at least different anxiety):

We've seen a lot of handwringing recently, and we feel compelled to tell you not to worry. Or to at least worry more efficiently. Top five teams from Big Dance Feds get two spots, especially if they're already guaranteed one.

Christina Carreira/Anthony Ponomarenko WS 19, SB 18  Guaranteed one, may or may not get the host spot but they don't need it, stress about their attempts to claw their way through the ranks instead. They're Fine.

Lorraine McNamara/Quinn Carpenter WS 14, SB 16  See above! These plucky young Americans are in more or less the same position. They may or may not be brawling it out at the same events, but when it comes to getting assignments They're Fine.

The US ISP (International Selection Pool) is actually shockingly shallow for ice dance at this time, with only five senior teams listed and none of them needing a host pick. More might be added after further monitoring during the summer, however, so USFSA might want to hang onto one host spot just in case. Lydia Erdman and Yuri Vlasenko(8th at Nationals) had a decent showing for a brand new team, and if they've made enough progress since January they might be in the running.

There's also the question of new partnerships. The Parsons split due to Rachel's unfortunate retirement to better take care of her health, but he is continuing on. Rumor has it he's teaming up with reigning US Junior National Champion Caroline Green, which certainly is a choice one could decide to make! Potential cradle robbing situation or no, any new partnership he might form would at least be considered for a host spot if they get together in time.

Alexander Petrov(JGP competitor and 11th at Junior Nationals) has teamed up with former singles skater Livvy Shilling, so if they progress well and make a good showing at Dance Camp at the end of June they could have an auspicious start to her ice dance career and their partnership.

The Shibs(WS 30) should get two from the Returning Couple Rule if they come back this season, but it's a month till assignments come out and they have not stated any intention to compete. Still worth noting just in case.

Marjorie Lajoie/Zachary Lagha WS 22, SB 21 Guaranteed one, will almost certainly get two, and probably won't even need the host pick. Quite a few Junior World Champions and Medalists have gotten two without it, but it doesn't hurt that they have a host pick to fall back on. They're Fine.

Carolane Soucisse/Shane Firus WS 18, SB 25 We've seen quite a bit of questioning whether these two will even get anything so to clear it up, they're guaranteed one and we will be genuinely surprised if they don't get two in the initial selection, and downright shocked if they don't have a second assignment by the time the GP series actually rolls around. They're Fine, probably.

Haley Sales/Nikolas Wamsteeker WS 53, SB 51 We know they were 4th at Nationals, but when it comes to GP invites other countries mostly care about your international record and they just don't have the numbers for anything beyond a host pick. And even domestically, let's be honest, Soucisse/Firus defeated themselves at Nationals. Host Pick Please!

Alicia Fabbri/Paul Ayer WS 61, SB 59 Their first season together was a bit rocky but came together at the end, and they've gelled very nicely. They're very young, so depending on their progress and what the federation thinks of them during monitoring, they could be up for the host pick. Host Pick Please!

Ellie Fisher/Simon-Pierre Malette-Paquette WS 59, SB 47 Somewhat better numbers than Fabbri/Ayer, but not so overwhelmingly that they have a major advantage going into monitoring. Neither team really has the numbers or reputation to swing a GP outside of Canada, so it's going to be down to what the federation officials think of each team's progress and potential. Host Pick Please!

Legally Guaranteed Spots: 30/60 Spiritually Guaranteed Spots: 40/60

Miscellaneous Teams Who Didn't Make it To Worlds But Are in the Running Anyway:

Olivia Smart/Adrian Diaz WS 13, SB 19 They're guaranteed one but should easily swing two, as they did this past season. They're Fine.

Darya Popova/Volodymyr Byelikov WS 26, SB 43 Sometimes the teams in the running for spots are who you expect, and sometimes math takes you by surprise. These two have been pulling double duty as both junior and seniors for a while, and it's lead to them sneakily racking up WS points with all their competitions while the mods weren't paying attention. Three of the teams ahead of them on the WS list won't even be competing on the GP, so they've got a great shot at at least one assignment. Surprisingly Better Than None.

Katharina Mueller/Tim Dieck WS 43, SB 40 Chances aren't amazing, but far from non-existent. Could pick something up down the line if they cross their fingers. Luck Be A Lady

Robynne Tweedale/Joseph Buckland WS 46, SB 37 They got two spots last season, a feat they are, uh, unlikely to replicate this season. They might get a later spot. Would You Light My Candle?

Adelina Galyavieva/Louis Thauron WS 55, SB 31 Probably get the host pick, might get a second assignment down the road if there's an opening. Better Than None

Legally Guaranteed Spots: 31/60 Spiritually Guaranteed Spots: 43/60

The Russian Stress Ulcer Situation:

After four straight years of two spots at worlds, Russia has finally earned back a third, and not a moment too soon because this? This is a mess y'all. Have fun predicting who will emerge victorious from this chaotic mass brawl, because we're not even bothering to think about actual results. Chances are decent Russia will leave a host spot open until after the Test Skates in September.

Tiffani Zagorski/Jonathan Guerreiro WS 12, SB 12 Guaranteed one and very likely to get two! Top 12 on both World Standing AND Season's Best will do that for you, regardless of what happens at Nationals. They're Fine

Sofia Evdokimova/Egor Bazin WS 28, SB 22 Guaranteed one, with a pretty decent chance of walking away with a second assignment. They’re Fine, probably.

Anastasia Skoptcova/Kirill Aleshin WS 37, SB 20 They're guaranteed one thanks to their scores from last season, but unfortunately the injury that hampered the start of their season took its toll on their WS points. 50/50

Sofia Shevchenko/Igor Eremenko WS 23, SB 27 Guaranteed one and they have a really good shot at a second assignment. While not a sure thing, they are the reigning JGPF champions and Junior World Bronze Medalists, and their SB is pretty high. Show Me A Second Spot

Betina Popova/Sergey Mozgov WS 29, SB 28 Nothing guaranteed but decent chance to get at least one on their own and/or host pick but we make no promises. A Fine, Fine Line

Anastasia Shpilevaya/Grigory Smirnov WS 57, SB 32 *extended sigh* Realistically would need a host pick for any spot. Slim chance based on last year though they do have a full season behind them this time(including Nationals!) if you still believe things like that matter. Forget candles and prayer circles, it's time for dark magic. All Of The Handwringing

Annabelle Morozov/Andrei Bagin WS N/A, SB 50 Despite having had a GP host pick and two challenger events, a greater amount of assignments for a first senior season than some other teams on this list, didn't place high enough at any of them to get any WS points at all. Should not be in the conversation for the host pick but, unfortunately, are probably in the conversation for the host pick. Somehow Relevant

Ksenia Konkina/Pavel Drozd WS 90, SB N/A In the reverse of the previous team, their one competition gave them WS points, but didn't count for the ISU SB list despite doing very well there. They'll be brawling for a potential host pick at the Test Skates, if the Fed even leaves one to fight over. Be Prepared So Many Teams, So Little Room

Elena Ilinykh/Dmitry Soloviev WS N/A, SB N/A AKA Schrodinger's Dance Team. Elena is both retired and not. She is interested in competing again and not. They're skating together and not. They're only interested in shows and not. They're planning for competition and not. They definitely are trying to drive the mods into an early grave so at least there are some certainties in life. They could get GP spots through the Split Couple Rule, but quite frankly, GP assignments come out in a month and they still haven't committed to skating together. Empty Chairs At Empty Tables

Legally Guaranteed Spots: 35/60 Spiritually Guaranteed Spots: 51/60

We decided to go with a low estimate for the Spiritual Guarantees, but this should give you some idea of your faves chances.

[deans-baby-momma]

The Padackles Link-Chapter 7

Chapter 6 or Catch up with my Masterlist

Summary: Drea tells the Ackles about her past. How will they respond?

Warnings: talk of car accident; death of a parent; death of a spouse

“I’m a widow.”

This is the first time those words had ever crossed my lips.

I’m a widow. I’m almost 24 years old and I am a widow. That sounded so foreign to me. HOw can someone so young be dealt with this future. No matter where I go in life, what I do, I will always be a widow. I will never get used to those three words. Or the melancholy looks that were bestowed upon me when they are spoken.

Those melancholy looks are exactly what I am receiving right now. Jensen and Danneel Ackles look at me with sorrowful, remorseful gazes. The anguish and grief on their faces is staggering.

“I’m so sorry, Drea,” Dani says, reaching across the table to take my hand. “We had no idea.”

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

Arriving at the address that Dani had given me, I sit in my vehicle, mentally and emotionally preparing myself for the conversation about to take place. My new friends have no idea what I am about to tell them. They have no idea that my young life, the one that had really just begun, was ripped from me in the blink of an eye. With one too many sips of a drink, the future I had dreamt would never come to fruition. I will myself the energy to step out of the car and walk into their home. I have to do this. My presence with them at a stupid party has already caused them trouble. Their marriage was suffering because Dani had briefly held my hand and someone snapped a photo. How stupid is that!

Dani opens the door as soon as I make it to the top step of the patio. She welcomes me with a hug but it doesn’t calm my nerves. The simple move actually causes my anxiety to heighten. But I know this needs to be done before those silly gossip magazines and gossip entertainment programs that are all the rage right now digs the information up and work it to their agenda. Other people, and the truth, be damned!

“Drea!” Dani exclaims, smiling brightly. “It is so good to see you again.”

“Good to see you too Dani.” I paste a smile on my face, hoping it is believable.

“C’mon in. Jensen is firing up the grill. Figures we could eat and then talk. That sound okay?”

“Sure. I could eat,” I lie. The knots in my stomach and the lump forming in my throat aren’t going to let my body have any comfort.

The burgers were cooked to perfection and Dani had every type of condiment known but I just couldn’t enjoy the food. I took small bites of my sandwich and chewed until the morsels were basically non-existent before swallowing. The beer Jensen sat in front of me aided in the consumption. I watched as they devoured their food, waiting with bated breath to tell my story.

“I’m a widow.”

The melancholy looks I am receive from them are expected. As are the sorrowful, remorseful gazes; the anguish and grief on their faces is staggering.

“I’m so sorry, Drea,” Dani says, reaching across the table to take my hand. “We had no idea.”

“Why would you?” I say. “I was just some helpless person on the side of the road that you two took pity on.” “Don’t say that,” Dani criticizes. “You, Drea, were not and are not helpless. You’ve been dealt a shitty hand. But, you and I have talked these past weeks everyday and I know you are not helpless.”

“Thanks,” I smile at her. “I guess I just am down on myself because I never pictured my life to be like this.” Jensen stands up and walks around the table to me. He pulls me up and embraces me in a hug. “I’m sorry, Drea. But Dee and I are both here for you. Whatever you need. Believe that, okay? “ He lets go and I look up into his face. I can see the sincerity in his eyes.

“Do you mind if I ask to tell us about him,” Dani cautiously asks.

“His name was Chad; Chad Tyler Murphy. He was just 23 when he was on his way home and a drunk driver passed over the median and hit him head-on. They said the collision killed him on impact.”

“Oh, that’s horrible!” Dani says.

“Yes, Chad and I began dating when we were 15 years old. He was my everything from almost the beginning. It was just me and my mom. My mom got sick when I was 12, cancer. She was diagnosed after finding unusual looking spots on her arms and legs. It was in the early stages but the doctor wanted to try and get ahead of it so he immediately started her on treatments and medicine. Mom took more pills in a day than I’d ever seen. She was doing really well too. The day after my 14th birthday, we got the news that she was in remission. We celebrated by going to the movies and eating as much junk food as we could. It was a great day!” By this time, my cheeks are painted with tears. Jensen hands me a box of tissues and I dab at the moisture. “One day about six months later, I wake up to Mom sick. She’s bent over the toilet, vomiting. The bowl is splattered with blood. I rush her to the emergency room and hours later they tell us that between the therapies and the drugs she had been taken her intestines and stomach were destroyed. She died in surgery, trying to fix a hole in her lower intestines.”

“Oh god, Drea!” Dani has now joined me in the weeping. “You were 14 when you lost your mother? Did you have other family members there with you? Friends?”

“No one. Never knew my father. Mom said he knew about me but skipped town when she was six months pregnant. Guess he didn’t want me. It was just me and Mom.  I was alone in the waiting room when the doctor informed me that my mother had passed. Someone called a counselor in and social services showed up and took me to a kids’ home. That’s where I met Chad. He was a ward of the state also. His dad had abused his mom and Chad had witnessed his dad killing his mom and his dad is in prison, serving life.

“He befriended me almost immediately and we became close. We hung out every day after school and on the weekends we had movie days and would just lounge around. He held me as I cried for my mom and I held him as he cried, telling me what he had seen and heard as his dad beat the life out of his mom. On my 15th birthday, he bought me a cake and a present. This little locket,” I pull the locket away from my neck and show them. It just a little silver oval-shaped locket but it’s empty. “We didn’t have any pictures to put in it but that didn’t matter to me. It was special because my best friend gave it to me. That might we snuck out onto the roof of the building and was stargazing. He told me he loved me, he was in love with me. I gave him my virginity that night and we never looked back.”

Tears are once again streaming down my face so I grab another tissue to brush them away. Dani does the same. I dry my face as well as I can and continue.

“Chad and I were together. When we were both 18 we moved into our own apartment. Life was hard but we endured. He got a job at a local engineering agency and I was working as a clerk at the grocery store down the street. We were happy. We started saving as much as we could. We both wanted a big family. Kids, at least 4. When I turned 20, I took a home pregnancy test. It was positive. We were excited. We got married a week after that. Nothing fancy, just a justice of the peace. I went to my doctor’s appointment only to find out that it had been a false positive. Chad had had to work and couldn't go with me. I told him that evening and we both cried.”

“ Oh, sweetie! That had to have been devastating,” Dee said. “I can’t imagine thinking I was pregnant and finding out different,” she said, looking over at her husband. Jensen grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it.

“We were heartbroken but getting through that together only made us stronger. We talked that night and both agreed we were going to get through this as one. That was not going to break us. And it didn’t. At first. But then Chad started working more and more. He was coming home late every night and even began working on some weekends. I thought he was having an affair. We actually fought about it. Then, the next day he comes home with a dozen roses and told me he had been working toward a promotion and had actually won it. I’d never felt so ashamed in my life. Here I had accused him of cheating and he had been working to better himself and us. His promotion took us to Georgia, where we moved into a 3 bedroom house that I had fallen in love with. The architecture, the flow, everything was exactly what I had always dreamed of us having.”

I stopped to take a drink of beer and collect my thoughts.

“I was 23 years old when the police knocked on my door to inform me that there had been an accident and my husband didn’t make it.”

Dani was full on crying, along with me, and I could see tears in Jensen’s eyes as I resumed.

“I was escorted to the hospital to rightly identify him. Something inside me broke seeing him laying there, lifeless on that metal slab. I went through the motions of identifying him, collecting his personal items, making funeral arrangements. I don’t remember much of the service, just the image of him laying in the casket as the preacher droned on. I couldn’t watch as they lowered him into the ground. I just walked away.”

A year later, I decided to sell everything and take the trip Chad and I had always discussed doing. Now I’m doing it alone. I sold the house, quit my job and just took off. I was three days into my journey when you two came upon me.”

“Good Lord, Drea!” Dani breathed out. “You went through all that, alone?” I nod at her question, not trusting my voice to actually work at the moment. Having to rehash all that had taken its toll on me.

Dani comes over and wraps both arms around me and hugs tightly. “I’m glad we found you.”

Chapter 8

The Padackles Link @xxdragonagequeenxx @darlingpeanut

[atiredwriter42-blog]

A Strange Occurrence

“Pull yourselves together maggots! This is all out war here, not some daycare bullshit you worthless piece of scum are used to back at home!” Commanding Officer Philips roared. It was clear that he was in a decent mood today.

“What’s wrong there Private Pussylips? Did your period start this morning? Where’s the blood? You need someone to take you home to your mama? Answer me Private!”

“N-No… Sir!” Private Pussylips shrieked back, eyes sealed shut. Sergeant Ace patted the private on the helmet, the rest of Pathfinder moved out.

The ambience of gunfire and the winter winds blowing kept us on our feet at all times. Not a single leaf crunch or branch snap went by without one of the men frantically darting their attention to the noise. By the end of morning patrol, everyone was seemingly taking turns worrying about trivial sounds. Even back at camp, the unit was on edge, or at least more so than usual. The morning game of “craps” after patrol never began, and no one talked about it either. Private Dumbo or Sergeant Four-eyes would always complain when they couldn’t get their morning gambling in, but they were busy watching the city. I suppose everyone was fixated on the city. Its name was in a language I didn’t care about, in a country I hardly wanted to be in at this time, and yet we all gravitated towards it. Some kind of energy grabbed our attention. Every minute detail was engraved into at least one of the men every day.

“4 days ago… I saw a child mindlessly roaming the streets near the church. She wasn’t crying, but you could tell that kid ain’t ok. Jesus fucking Christ! Just a kid!” Someone remarked. As depressing as it sounds, sharing stories of something we all had in common kept us sane. The ones who saw the same thing became best of friends. Some began seeing things no one else saw, and they became best of friends with the straight jacket. There was one thing, no matter how crazy you were, that everyone agreed on. This city wasn’t right.

Not in the traditional sense of “not being right”. This war is traditionally not right. Killing men for power and status has always been on the mind of the corrupt, but nothing about this city was like that. We all knew that we didn’t need this city to advance further into Europe. In fact, other divisions captured towns closer to the Kraut’s main country, perfect for setting up bases of operations. And yet, here we were, the 8th Infantry Division, or what’s left of us, and some Kraut bastards on the other side, fighting for this city.

“Hey, Ghost, since you’re so big on the whole ‘supernatural’ bullshit, what’s going on here?” One of our men asked, “Some of the boys here thinking we are trapped here or something stupid like that, like a purgatory for fighting in such a destructive war.”

“The energy here sure is strong, I’ll give you that much.” I began, as did the laughter, “but there’s one thing for sure, we ain’t dead. Purgatory is a place for the dead, the sinners. Now I ain’t saying some of you sons-a-bitches ain’t sinners, but what I am sayin’ is that we ain’t dead, not yet at least.”

The only thing that circulated morning was more stories. Each one got progressively worse, and they all ended the same. They first started off with an animal caught in some rubble, or a doll left behind. They soon devolved into children without limbs, bodies piled stories high, and stenches worse than anything they’ve ever smelt. As I mentioned, the ending always stayed the same. Without fail, the men all saw one thing before turning away from the scene; the shadow of a looming presence. A presence no one in the camp denied that day, we all knew it was there.

“Do ya think this presence is the cause for us bein’ stuck here? Cause if it is, I’m going to have to talk some sense into it or somethin’, I ain’t dying in this shithole.” Dumbo finally remarked, after the 6th story. We only made it to 8 stories before we all couldn’t take it anymore. Shortly after that, no one traveled alone, and many hardly wanted to go at it in pairs. Yet, there was still a mission to be carried out, whatever that was. Pathfinder moved out as a unit into the city. No point in letting this presence have the better of us, we all wanted to go home.

“Wait a minute… Y’all hear that?” Four-eyes whispered. The unit stopped and listened.

“I don’t hear any-” I started, quickly realizing what I had just said.

We continued into the city with our guns locked and loaded. The air around me began to push against my skin until it felt like I was hundreds of feet underwater. The sound of heavy panting and footsteps became the ambience. An endless amount of time passed before the pressure was broken by a single noise. A noise that I, nor anyone else, would have thought could make so many military men shit themselves. In the distance, we could hear faint coughing. We proceeded with caution and saw where the noise was coming from. Parts of men that should have been in one spot were in another, the trees and grass were soaked in the color red, and the smell was nauseating. Luckily I wasn’t one of the poor souls to start vomiting, I don’t think I could handle the sight of blood and vomit mixing with such lush green grass. I motioned over Sergeant Joker, and we both followed the sound of the coughing. It didn’t take long, as we were still in eyeshot of the rest of the unit, but lying on the ground was a German soldier.

“What the fuck is this Kraut doing here? Why is he- Oh for fuck’s sake, Ghost look at this.” Joker said, motioning his hand at the posture of the soldier. His body was mangled into shapes that weren’t even possible for the world’s most flexible people. His left arm was twisted behind his head, and his right was looped through the opening his left arm provided. The only thing I could describe his legs as would have to be like a pretzel. There was seemingly no life left in the poor soul, but every so often, the body jerked and the soldier coughed out a black substance.

Joker couldn’t hold it in, and we turned around to go back to the unit. They weren’t there anymore. The entirety of 15 men disappeared in a matter of minutes! Joker was too busy vomiting to realize, but I was completely aware of our situation. A maniacal laugh erupted from the soldier behind us. I turned back towards the body as it’s twisted fingers warped into place.

“Der Eine ist hier… der Eine ist hier… der Eine ist hier…” The soldier chanted.

My body wouldn’t move. I told it to, but all it did was stand still and watch as the soldier shouted words I didn’t understand. Soon, other bodies around it joined in the chant. There were soldiers with no mouth and others that were missing everything below their neck skewered onto any and all sharp objects. No matter what they looked like, they all joined together like an orchestra and sung one song. It wasn’t until I heard my own language that I realized two things. The first was what they were saying, which was “The One is here” over and over again. The second realization was that the reason I could finally understand was that behind me were about 15 voices speaking out to me.

“The One is here…” Four-eyes Gargled, throat swinging like a loose branch off of a tree.

“The One is here…” Pussylips rang, eyes scooped out and nose twisted in strange ways.

“The One is here…” CO Philips screamed head spun completely around like an owl.

“Joker… is that what these beings call you?” a voice calmly called out to me. Its soothing words carried me away from the sight of my squad members and introduced me to another.

In front of me, a ghastly woman floated above the corpses. She was gorgeous, even with her face covered by a misty veil. Maybe it was my horny self not physically seeing a woman since I was stationed across seas, but her aura of warmth pulled me closer.

“I suppose such mundane creatures such as yourselves simply do not understand the futility of such things as ‘names’.” The woman snapped. I smiled and closed my eyes. What a feisty one, I’ll have to work for this one.

I reached out my hand and felt something hot. I opened my eyes in hopes of grabbing onto something, but instead, I was blinded by my own blood. The pain soon knocked me out of the daze that my boner placed me in. I screamed as I cradled myself on the floor.

“You dare try to lay a finger on me? Do you wish to die so soon? Enough of this drivelous contact. Take care of him, will you?” The woman said. That was the last time I would hear her voice. The remains of people I’d previously seen as below me and others who I thought of as my brothers all gathered on top of me.

“It’s a shame really… Not being able to hear such a lovely voice anymore… guess I’ll be waiting in hell for you…”

Oh boy... Uh hey everyone! It’s been some time, hasn’t it? I guess work really was a bit more than I expected. Recently I haven’t been motivated to write, which really took a toll on my already non-existent mental state, so writing this and posting it is kind of a big deal for me. I’m not promising anything in terms of consistency, simply due to my motivation, but I will say that it has gotten a lot better. And yes, I do realize this is a lot shorter than what I’ve been doing, but I’m actually quite excited for this ‘series’ that I’m planning. Hope you all have beautiful days and thank you for taking time to read this! -TW

[telecloud-blog]

Audit: First 8-inch Windows tablet is a gadget that shouldn't exist The Acer Iconia W3: Sometimes you can cut expenses too far.

My disappointment with PC OEMs is something I have reported before. They offer a befuddling cluster of items and tend to compromise in the most exceedingly awful ways possible. The OEM reaction to Windows 8 has been to deliver an extensive variety of machines wearing novel shape components to fit a wide range of specialties, both genuine and envisioned.

One specialty that the OEMs haven't attempted to fill, in any case, has been sub-10-inch tablets. That is not inside and out astounding. Microsoft composed Windows 8 for screens of 10 inches or more, and at first the working framework's equipment necessities had a comparative limitation.

That choice looked a little silly after the accomplishment of tablets, for example, the Google Nexus 7 and the iPad scaled down. Likewise, Microsoft changed the tenets in March, opening the way to a scope of littler Windows tablets.The Acer Iconia W3 is the first—and as of now the main—8-inch Windows tablet. That quality alone bodes well vital. Unfortunately, it's about the main thing that does.

Spec-wise, this is another Intel Clover Trail tablet, and its internals are essentially the same as the gadgets that propelled a year ago, (for example, its greater sibling, the Acer Iconia W510). This implies 1.8 GHz, double center, four string Intel Atom Z2760 CPU, 2 GB RAM, 64 GB streak stockpiling (which with Acer's default apportioning leaves a little more than 29 GB usable), front and back cameras, Bluetooth 4.0, and 802.11b/g/n (no 5 GHz bolster). There's a smaller scale HDMI and miniaturized scale USB port for outside network (a different link changes over the smaller scale USB port into a full-estimate one), alongside a SD card opening. The tablet has a speaker satisfactory for warning sounds yet little more.As an outcome, execution and battery life are like what we've seen some time recently. The Iconia W3 comes outfitted with out and out Windows 8, not at all like ARM tablets, so it can run any 32-bit Windows application—should you truly need to. Clover Trail's GPU execution is to such an extent that recreations and different design concentrated projects won't run well, however.Eight creeps of awfulness

The new bits on this tablet are truly the screen and the size.

Screens are essential. We invest basically all our energy interfacing with gadgets taking a gander at screens. Taken a toll cutting on screens is indefensible, as a terrible screen will harm each and every connection you have with the gadget. This goes doubly so for tablets, where the screen works as a yield gadget as well as the essential information gadget.

The Acer Iconia W3's screen is a champion—since it is most noticeably bad in-class. I loathed each minute I utilized the Iconia W3, and I despised it since I abhorred the screen. Its shading precision and review edges are both hopeless (whites aren't white—they're peculiarly beautiful and spotted). The screen has an impossible to miss grainy appearance that makes it look for all time oily. You can clean as much as you prefer; it will never leave. The entire impact is reminiscent in some methods for old resistive screens.

It's difficult to exaggerate exactly how poor this screen is. At any sensible tablet seeing separation, the shade of the screen is uneven. The review edge is narrow to the point that at ordinary hand-held separations, the hues change over the width of the screen. At full a safe distance the screen does at long last look even, however the gadget is clearly unusable that way.

Acer has plainly held back on the screen. I'm certain the board in the W3 was very shabby, and that might be fairly reflected in the unit's retail cost ($379 for a 32GB unit, $429 for this 64GB one—putting it at an indistinguishable cost from the 32GB iPad smaller than normal, which has a practically identical measure of accessible circle space), yet what difference does it make? It doesn't make a difference how shabby something is whether you would prefer not to utilize it by any means.

This poor screen quality isn't an issue of determination, either. 1280×800 is not an immensely high determination, but rather message looks sufficiently fresh. At 186 pixels for each inch, 1280×800 feels pretty much OK for this size of gadget.

The low determination does, be that as it may, have one huge downside: it cripples Windows 8's one next to the other Metro multitasking, which requires a determination of no less than 1366×768. The W3's screen is 86 pixels excessively tight, so the Metro condition is entirely one application at once.

This is a deplorable choice. The next to each other multitasking is one of the Metro condition's most convincing components. Keeping Twitter or Messenger snapped to the side bodes well and functions admirably. I've never utilized Windows 8 on a gadget that didn't bolster one next to the other Metro multitasking some time recently, and I absolutely never need to again.

Measure astute, the W3 might be little for a Windows tablet, however it's not precisely little. It's fat. The W3 is 11.4 mm thick. The iPad smaller than expected, in correlation, is 7.2 mm thick. The Iconia W3 is additionally substantial at 500 g; the iPad smaller than usual, in correlation, is 308 g. That makes the W3 more than 50 percent thicker and more than 50 percent heavier.

The thickness makes the absence of a full-sized USB port on the gadget all around befuddling. There's positively space for a full USB port, and a full port would be more helpful than the dongle. Be that as it may, for reasons unknown, Acer didn't give us one.

The gadget itself feels sufficiently strong, yet plasticky. It doesn't ooze quality, yet it's a stage or two up from the scratch and dent section.

Console non-dock

The W3 likewise has a console extra. As is regular for this sort of thing, the console has no electrical association with the tablet. It's a Bluetooth console fueled by a couple of AAA batteries. It has a depression along the top that can hold the tablet in both scene and representation introductions and a clasp on the back that gives you a chance to utilize the console as a sort of screen protector.The console must be physically matched to the tablet. It's pretty much full-measure, with a sensible key design. It's a normal fair console. The vibe is a little on the squishy side, without the freshness of, for instance Microsoft's Type Cover for its Surface tablets. It's superior to any on-screen console, and to that degree it does its occupation. Be that as it may, it's far from being an in reality great keyboard.The groove holds the tablet up, and on a level surface the unit doesn't topple over, yet it's not as tasteful as a portion of the pivoted console/docks we've seen on different gadgets. Tilt the base while conveying it or utilizing it on your lap and the tablet is subject to fall out.Software determination

Programming astute, the W3 has some prominent components. Most noteworthy of all is its form of Windows. It's a Windows 8 SKU that is, I accept, as of now novel to Acer; the permit documentation calls it "Windows 8 Small Screen Touch with Office 2013 Home and Student."

This isn't really another rendition of Windows to the extent I can tell, seeing that it doesn't act any uniquely in contrast to Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro SKUs that are more typical. It's just Windows 8 packaged together with Office 2013 Home and Student (that is: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote, with a permit that stipulates they not be utilized as a part of any working or business limit). The unique package SKU exists to offer a cut-value bundle that can precisely coordinate Windows RT (which has Office 2013 Home and Student as an inherent component). This is, for need of a superior portrayal, "Windows RT for x86."

Notwithstanding Office, Acer preinstalls a group of Metro applications and a little choice of desktop applications. A large portion of the Metro applications are in reality truly sensible picks, with applications, for example, Netflix, Hulu, Kindle, and Skype all delivery on the framework. Not exclusively are these not too bad applications in their own particular right, the way that they're all Metro applications implies that they're ensured to uninstall neatly. Crapware this ain't.

On the desktop, Acer incorporates a trio of cloud matching up applications that let you store photographs, media records, and reports on an Acer cloud administration or the like. I don't know whether these applications are great or terrible, in light of the fact that I don't generally observe the purpose of them. In case will utilize a distributed storage benefit on Windows 8, will utilize either Dropbox (in light of the fact that it has a wide biological system) or SkyDrive (as a result of its first-party bolster).

Windows 8: Not ready to deal with 8-inch tablets

Concerning the packaging of Office, I don't know whether this is truly essential. 1280×800 is a low determination, and 8.1 inches is a little screen. Conventional desktop Windows applications simply aren't much fun on this gadget. The framework comes arranged naturally to utilize 125 percent scaling, giving it a compelling determination of 1024×640. This implies applications like Word and Excel are hugely confined—considerably more so when you utilize their (to a great extent insufficient) "touch mode" that makes some screen components even larger.You can utilize the machine at 100 percent scaling, which enables applications to fit somewhat better, however the exchange off is that things turn out to be unsatisfactorily little. There's recently no great arrangement here. The Windows desktop isn't intended for screens this little.

Metro applications admission significantly better. They're all the more fittingly measured and a great deal more usable. The already depicted absence of next to each other multitasking is lamentable, however insofar as you're substance to run just a solitary application at any given moment, the framework is workable.

The issue here is that the Metro environment is still very immature. Web Explorer 10 functions admirably, and there are some nice applications, for example, Twitter, however general it's not a rich, finish condition.

There is one more issue. Windows 8 is intended to be overwhelmingly utilized as a part of scene mode. Yes, it underpins screen pivot (with a product screen revolution bolt, even), and yes, a few sections of the working framework like the Start screen do bolster picture mode. Be that as it may, it is not a picture working framework. Numerous applications, including constructed ins, for example, Video and Music, don't bolster picture operation.