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bucknastysbabe · 10 months

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Docile - King Aegon II x Lady Stokeworth Reader

my eyes are animal and dumb and hold no accusation and every time i die i come right back as another little lamb because the king priest loves me so so much - @/rollercoasterwords

Rating: Explicit (read tws)

Tags: Dark!Aegon II, post blood and cheese, lady-in-waiting reader, past relationships, exhibitionism, dirty talk, TW: Aeggy Ain’t Nice, manipulation, emotional abuse, unreliable narrator, degredation, dub-con, it’s dreary at the keep, Aegon is very unstable, rough sex, pnv!sex, erotic choking, lights out orgasms, spitting, a wee bit sloppy, dacryphilia

A/N: Hey look I wrote a filthy nasty depressing Aegon fic. It felt great. Cheers🤨

Taglist: @aemonddtargaryen @lovelykhaleesiii @aemonds-holy-milk @sugarpopss @fairysluna

The cold throne sat with Aegon atop, broody expression upon his drawn features. The entire room felt lifeless and chilly. Not that it had been a warm place in what felt like years. Goldcloaks and the Kingsguard seemed to loom around every corner.

Heads were being stuck on pikes, Lord Otto brought 100 cats to the keep, and Helaena’s anguished wailing echoed through Maegor’s Holdfast. It was a dismal place. You and the other ladies-in-waiting of the mourning queen were rendered moot as of now. Aimless.

Aegon always held power over you. Since a fresh maiden coming from Stokeworth— the loyal lambs to the Targaryens since the conquest. That’s what he called you, little lamb, while chasing your skirts with that silly laugh of his. He took your maidenhead soon after, Helaena not paying any mind, oft lost in her thoughts or tending to the children.

You still felt guilt slipping about in the early days of the affair. Soon the prince grew tired of the passionate affair, finding the attention of whores easier. He had broken your soft heart at that grand feast celebrating kinslaying. He slurred, lips stained with strongwine and violet eyes glossy, “Lamb, I find this to be stifling. It’s probably best if you return to your duties.”

He had found another maiden to cavort around and deflower before everything when to shit. Funny enough, you thought it was bad then. Aegon seemed to have all life drained out of his wily nature after the horrid incident of his son. He was somber, drunk, raging. Wouldn’t see Helaena and seemed to prefer drink over the company of others. Too dangerous out on the street.

A guard nudged you out of the spiraling thoughts, bringing your gaze up to darkened eyes regarding you at the edge of the grand throne room. Aegon called from afar, voice booming in the barren room, “I said come here little lamb.” Bowing your head in obeisance, two guards flanking, the sound of your heels clicking against the marvel began to match the beat of your heart.

Now at the steps of the imposing mass of a throne you kneeled. Somehow felt in your bones it was the correct move. Aegon’s moods were sour and a tempest of late. He murmured, “Good little lamb. You Stokeworth’s were bred well. Come here.”

Gaze flicking up to his own— your mouth fell open. He wanted you to climb that monstrosity? Your heart beat faster, sweat collecting on your palms. The king sniffed, “Not very smart though, yes, get up here. To me, lamb.” He swigged his goblet and full lips curled just the slightest.

Taking shaky steps up the throne you felt as if you might cry, everything feeling wrong, the fear of being cut arising. Eventually a ringed hand reached out, Aegon’s fuller face cocking to get a look. Taking his hand, the blonde jerked you forward into his lap. You screeched in terror, eyes bugging at all the sharp blades.

Aegon’s laugh was a deep rumble, thick hands securing around your soft waist, squeezing and feeling. He hummed softly, “Just as I remembered. Meek little thing, pretty little thing, I’m not letting you get impaled lamb.”

Your eyes stared into his violet ones, tired and dull from well, everything. He looked away first, grumbling, “Turn around, I look a fright, only you ever got that. Sweet lamb. How foolish I am.” Aegon swiftly maneuvered you to sit astride his lap, back pressed against his softer chest and belly. He’d put some on with all the drink and stress eating.

He tucked his chin onto your shoulder, then moved to kiss and murmur, “I won’t let you go again. Lock you up if need be. Mine,” he bit a mark into your sensitive skin, “My lamb now. You’ll stay in my chambers. Poor sweet sister needs more maesters than ladies in waiting.”

A hand roughly grabbed your jaw, jerking your gaze to his. Aegon looked ravenous, eyes darting to and fro, licking his lips. He growled, “Open.” Your jaw lowered obediently, horrid shame crawling up your spine, heating your cheeks and cunt. He spat onto your tongue, still tinged reddish with wine. Your king smiled pleasantly when you swallowed, overwhelmed tears beginning to rise.

“Good little lamb, I taught you well did I not?”

“Y-you did my liege.”

Aegon’s hands moved upward to free your breasts, casually and uncaring, not like the room was filled with guards. Men who had seen you as a little girl. He groped and pinched at the soft flesh, giggling meanly, “These have gotten riper, gorgeous, how the guards wish they could have a piece.” You warred on whether to protest. But it felt so good to be coveted again.

Still. Everyone shall know by supper. Aegon wouldn’t let up, this you knew. He tweaked one of your nipples and the thoughts flew out of your head as you squirmed and mewled under his fingers. He laughed again, dragging his swollen cock into the soft velveteen of your dress. It was the same laugh he always had.

Just a little too high and sharp.

For some reason it dug in like the blades around you now.

His voice was a bit more ragged now, palms squeezing your tits on the side of too hard, moist lips frantically moving. You whimpered in pain, hand coming to his wrist to try to ease Aegon away. Aegon rasped, “I need you, ease my burden, take my pain will you lamb? Will you?” His blunt nails dug into your breast.

“Yes my king! Yes! Anything!,” you cried to make him stop.

Aegon sighed, fingers scrabbling at your dress, huffing, “Up, get it up, need you lamb, quit playing the shy maiden.” You blushed and helped him hoist up the fine fabric, tears welling up again as your cunt laid bare to the entire room. He swiped two fingers through your slit, collecting the gathered wetness, grinning wide.

“All that crying and you’re wet. Did you spread your pretty legs for another lordling when I stopped? Something to stop the ache I gave you hm?”

He luridly suckled your essence off those ringed fingers, moaning deep in his chest. Aegon pushed you forward, freeing his swollen cock from its confines, slapping the wet tip against your ass. He growled, “Hold your damn dress up,” he aligned himself with your soaked entrance, “I asked you a fucking question, dumb little lamb.”

Shaking your head once again, you sobbed out, “No— no! It’s only ever been you Aegon!” You shrieked in the sudden and rude entrance of his cock, stuffing your unused cunt in the worst kind of pleasure. The blonde stiffened and his hands shook at your hips, breath at a staccato pace. His voice, softer, murmured, “I- I can tell lamb, but you only address me ahh-as your king.”

He pressed a sweet kiss to your flaming cheek when you simpered, “Yes my King.”

Your cunt ached and pulled at Aegon’s cock, body alight with pleasure after so long. Closing your eyes, spilling more tears onto your heaving breasts, you begged for more. He snorted, “Get to it then lamb, show me how you used to ride.” He maneuvered your legs up jerkily, stiff prick throbbing deep inside.

Grabbing onto Aegon’s fine breeches, eyes darting fearfully to the blades so very close to your thighs, you picked up your hips in a slow drag. The king moaned in delight, gasping when you sank back down onto him with a filthy wet noise. It would only get worse.

Again and again you bobbed up and down his thick length, mewling and trying to hold down your sobs. Some of the goldcloaks watched with poorly concealed desire, the Kingsguard even taking peaks. Oh Seven above, you thought, you had become no better than those brothel whores.

Aegon finally began to fuck back, driving deep when your ass came down to meet his hips, drawing utterly shameless cries from your throat. He grabbed your throat and jerked you back, eliciting coughing and a choked sob. He licked up a trail of hot tears, groaning your true name deeply, squeezing at your tender neck. Brutally he forced himself harder and harder, a wicked burning sensation licking up your belly, your swollen pearl throbbing frantically.

You sobbed and squirmed, assaulted by all the emotions and sensations, the lack of blood flow to your head exacerbating the situation. Whimpering thinly, you pled, “Aegon, oh please- my king, I! B-be gentler!” He stilled his hips and stopped, throwing everything off center again.

The man’s lips pouted as he drawled, “You agreed to take my pain away from me lamb.” All you could do was stare with wide eyes, the picture of a scared little sacrificial sheep. Ready to have her blood smeared and sprayed all over. Aegon’s brow furrowed as he continued, “Remember when I took your maidenhead? How lovely you sang, you said you loved me.”

Eerie silence laid stagnant.

“You love me do you not lamb?,” his haunted eyes seemed to the ceremonial dagger, slicing you open for the gods and all to see.

“I love you, I always have.”

“Then hush and take my cock, I’ll spoil you later.” Back to fucking and choking he went, harder now, panting harshly through bared teeth. The noises of your coupling rose and rose to a fever pitch. His deep moans were pitching, rambling nonsense into the sweaty nape of your neck.

You were bent forward to his mercy, crying out on every deep thrust of his leaking prick. Aegon closed in on your neck, tilting you so to desperately mash his puffy lips against yours. He dominated the kiss as you fought for breath, writhing and convulsing. The fire was back in your belly, spreading upward and outward. Your former lighthearted prince ushered, “C’mon my lamb, my pretty little hole, wet your king’s cock.”

He let go of your throat to pinch at your swollen bud, the influx of air and stimulation making you see white. Hot hot white. There was the register of your howl and violent spasms, pleasure overtaking everything. You could distantly hear Aegon’s grunts and feel the inevitable load splattering the back of your once pristine dress. Imagination or not you could swear the blonde whisper, “I love you too.”

It seemed as you floated for a hours, minutes, seconds. Eventually blinking enough to see the open-mouthed guards and desolate throne room. You laid back against again, panting whilst the King seemed to be smugly preening. He spoke slowly, as if you were a dolt, “Do you need me to lace you up? Seemed I fucked any rhyme or reason out of you.”

“Please,” you sulked. Guilt and shame and remorse and love sickening filthy syrupy love crashing down. Aegon laced your tits back up and called to one of the Kingsguard, “Take the lovely lamb back to her quarters, you can open court now Lord Commander.” Criston’s dark eyes regarded you with revulsion at the doors of the throne room, the other knight escorting you on coltish legs.

You kept your head and eyes down being led away, the murmuring and gasps of the obviously defiled Lady Stokeworth circling around. While the queen mourned, her own trusted lady-in-waiting was off sating her husbands ravenous appetite. Bile rose up to your throat. You sat in Aegon’s darkened quarters, snapping at a maid to draw a bath.

Atleast you could hide from your shame in here. He seemed to care for you still after all. Even if he sought to make you just as defiled and twisted as he. You stared out the window facing the Blackwater, contemplating your fate. Long live King Aegon, second of his name.

#aegon ii targaryen #hotd fanfic #hotd smut #aegon ii x reader #aegon ii targaryen x reader #dark!aegon targaryen

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beanghostprincess · 5 months

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Ya know there is so much in the Fandom and yet I have noticed a distinct lack of Buggy and Sanji content.

Not in a shipping way either but like. Buggy, the Flashiest Pirate In The East, would ABSOLUTELY go to the Baratie if only for the renown it has for its food. Also I bet he knew - or knew OF Zeff at the very least - when he was still a pirate. Buggy visiting the Baratie occasionally, sometimes in Normal Flashy Fashion, sometimes more toned down because he just needs a bit of a break. Zeff would absolutely take one look at this traumatized little hobgoblin of a pirate and go "oh wow. Someone get this bitch a meal. Bitches love meals"

Sanji, a wee tyke learning the ways of the kitchen, sees this absolute bozo who he, at first, assumes to be a second rate pirate. Zeff is better. Zeff tells all these stories about the Old Ways, the Pirate's Code, and Sanji thinks "this clown doesn't know the meaning of a code"

Then smth happens to completely change his tune. Maybe Buggy says or does something. Maybe Sanji overhears or sees smth. Maybe someone else kicks a fuss, and Buggy responds in the Right Ways. Who knows?

But Sanji is now intrigued. And Sanji is a kid, with lots of trauma sure, but a kid nonetheless. And Buggy Notices.

He gets forcibly assimilated into Sanji's found family. He never agreed to this. He never had a choice.

Sanji grows up with Zeff and uncle Buggy. He happens to leave with the Strawhats at the perfect time to do so - and he keeps avoiding Buggy via near misses, to the point Bugs is SEETHING playfully. How dare. Truly. All of his nephews are EVIL.

It comes to a head when, years later, with Emperors crowned, there is a series of wacky shenanigans which lead to Cross Guild and the Strawhats meeting face to face.

Sanji is flabbergasted by the realization that he now has step-uncles, one of which is the mosshead's mentor/father-figure. The other is the brutal ex dictator of Alabasta who later passed the captain's vibe check and might just be said captain's other father, there is no confirmation.

Buggy meanwhile is having twelve different attacks of a variety of nature bc he's due for his yearly fight to the death with his one nephew, and the other is here and within throttling range and - IS THAT A HICKEY!?!?!

Cue veeeerry awkward Meet The Family where Buggy and Usopp actually get along well while Sanji is debating his chances of kicking these men's asses and if it would dishonor Zoro's dreams if he threatened mihawk....

Both conversations boil down to "he's been through a lot, so be good to him or you'll be hearing from me, okay? Okay. Good."

Usopp actually is chill with this both bc "I would never" and also "even if he came for me, I could kick a clown's ass probably. If nit me, then Luffy. And if Luffy doesn't, then I will deserve it."

Crocodile and Mihawk are mildly amused but also curious - the clown? Having trauma? As if. They think of it initially as smth of a comparison. Severity of trauma is the highest rank. They think of Buggy's past as "his captain died, he broke up with his best friend, the end". They do not know of the interim details. The reasons that Shank and he both refuse to allow anyone below 14 at the bare minimum onto their crews. The reason Buggy was frothing when Shanks told him about Uta - after the fact. The reason Buggy only drinks certain brands of rum because some make him physically sick. The reason he can't sleep in pitch black darkness. The reason he sometimes simply Can't Sleep At All.

There's more to it, to everything, to all of it, than any one person knows.

Just. Back on topic but Buggy and Sanji. I just think they'd have the neatest dynamic.

You just chose two of my favorite characters and did THIS and I love it 😭 The funny thing is that it does make sense that Buggy had gone to the Baratie and met Sanji at some point... I've always thought mostly on Usopp/Buggy parallelisms but Sanji kind of relating to Buggy too because of feeling inferior to his family,,,, Besides I think the dynamic would be hilarious because okay, they get along, but I can imagine them growing closer and caring about each other but arguing all the time Sanji/Zeff style? So at first, everybody thinks he has something against Buggy because when they meet they won't stop yelling at each other but when they ask them about it, Sanji is like "??? Nah, he's something like my uncle don't- Don't think too hard about it". And I am also SO sure Sanji would know stuff about Shanks that Luffy doesn't because Buggy explained Sanji their childhoods,,, Going insane about this one, actually.

#unexpected duo that i support wholeheartedly #one piece #black leg sanji #buggy the clown #ask-bean!

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cnschedulearchive · 3 months

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Here's some more Cartoon Network schedules from 2023, from June 5 to October 22. A lot of change occurs, most notably the loss of not just 6pm, but 5pm, with Adult Swim consuming more hours as we face the harsh, bitter truth that kids just do not watch kids television anymore. But adults do get nostalgic for the kids programming they grew up with, as seen by Adult Swim launching a Checkered Past block in the hours they just gained, with various 90s/00s CN shows (but some notable absences, like The Powerpuff Girls, and I feel like there's a lot to explain there that I don't feel like doing right now). Adult Swim even takes ACME Night with them, if perhaps rather reluctantly (you think they wanted to air Legally Blonde on the network?). It's weird seeing the CN schedules so stubby.

At least CN finally gets a new show: Tiny Toons Looniversity. Cartoonito gets one too, the Craig spinoff Jessica's Big Little World, which, like Craig, got cut short in 2022. Just 20 episodes for that show. Summer Camp Island got rescued by CN from the HBO Max purge, making CN have to air five whole new seasons (including the last season that HBO Max abandonded) throughout the Summer.

Another big change happens mid-September, with the old Turner playout system being retired in the wee hours and replaced with a new Discovery playout. What should have just been a simple change to on-air (including the Discovery rating bug coming to all of the Turner networks and lack of split-screens) became a whole mess, with a lot of shows randomly removed, replaced, or rescheduled. Adult Swim and Boomerang I think got it worse. Took a few weeks to recover, and by that point, it's Scoobtober baby.

You also see CN start to bring back even more shows that perhaps didn't get the greatest treatment while they were still running. Perhaps they're nostalgic for the 2010s, perhaps they're disguising the fact that they don't have much to air. And it's clear Gumball is the new Teen Titans Go when it comes to being overplayed...

#cartoon network #cartoon network schedule #schedule

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starlight-shades · 1 year

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Called Home to the Depths of the Forest Ch 2

• summary – Ghost, retired from the military, finds a pair of orphaned werewolf pups. He calls the only werewolf he knows for help. Soap and Ghost become (not so) reluctant dads.

• rating – M

• wordcount – 3.3k

• warnings – references to Ghost's backstory, mentions of previous character deaths

• This is my first fanfic, so please let me know if there's anything I forgot to tag. Feedback is welcome and encouraged

Read on Ao3

Chapter 1 Chapter 3

There was some sort of feeling in his chest that Simon struggled to describe. He and Johnny sat on the bench he had on his porch as Ailsa and Duncan explored the area around his cabin.

After their bath, it became evident that they had to relieve themselves when Duncan pissed all over himself in the tub. After cleaning him off again, Simon and Johnny took them outside since they were in no state to be using his bathroom.

They were just spending time in the sun now, getting some much needed fresh air.

“Why won’t they shift back?” he asked, his voice low.

“Probably feel safer like this. They’ve got a way to defend themselves if they need it where they don’t in their human shape. I suspect it’s all instinct for wee ones like this after what they went through,” Johnny explained.

Outwardly, they seemed fine enough, Ailsa chasing her brother in a friendly game of tag, weaving through the rocks and bushes around them, but Simon knew, perhaps better than most, that these sorts of things left lasting scars, even if no one else could see them. They still startled at every unexpected noise, no matter how small.

“What are we going to do, Johnny?” He sounded lost even to his own ears.

Johnny let out an exhausted breath. He still hadn’t had a chance to get some sleep.

“Fuck if I know, Si…”

“I had hoped you would,” Simon laughed mirthlessly. “That’s why I called you.”

Johnny chuckled, dragging his hands down his face. “Unfortunately, I ken shit-all about kids. There’s not really a possibility for them in my pack, so I haven’t had to think about it.”

“The fuck does that mean?”

“Oh, uh…” Johnny looked a bit sheepish. “It’s just the three of us, me, ’n Price, n’ Gaz. And none of us can get pregnant as far as I know so…”

“No kids,” Simon finished for him.

“Yeah no kids.”

Silence fell between them. It was uncomfortable in a way that had not happened in their relationship before. To be fair, Simon had mostly been a reluctant participant, but Johnny had somehow managed to keep any potential awkwardness at bay. Now that they were getting more personal than he had ever anticipated, Simon found himself lost for words.

“I mean, could you take them?”

He shot Johnny a wildly incredulous look, coughing as he choked on his own spit.

“Hear me out! Hear me out!” he started, hands up to placate Simon. “They’ve already gotten attached to you, and you seem to have done alright so far…”

Dragging his gaze away from Johnny, Simon stared out at Ailsa and Duncan as he caught his breath.

They had moved on from their earlier romping and had begun investigating one of his dormant garden beds. Ailsa looked up at him and they just stared at each other for a moment. Her brother chose that moment to trot over to them with a stick in his mouth. He proceeded to stop in front of Simon, his eyes darting up to look at his face then moving away again.

A soft smile on his face, Simon gently reached out to take the stick, not quite sure what Duncan wanted from him. His smile faded to a perplexed look when Duncan backed away from him, taking the stick out of reach before he could grab it.

“Si, look,” Johnny said gently, so he did.

On the very tip of the stick was a ladybird. A little red jewel crawling about without a care in the world.

“Oh…” he breathed. “That’s lovely, Duncan, thank you.”

Apparently, he just wanted to show them the bug as he turned and bounced his way back to his sister, tail wagging.

The two men lapsed back into silence as they watched the children together. Simon clasped his hands together.

He could get used to this. It wasn’t anything like the life he had imagined for himself; Simon had quickly let go of any imaginings he had of being a father when he was still a child himself. But in this quiet moment, with the sun streaming through the trees, and a gentle breeze passing through, with the pups playing together in the dirt, and Johnny by his side, Simon found that he was content.

His life had been bloody and dangerous for so long. He had been broken beyond repair and put back together to become a new creature several times over. Could he do it again? This time not through violence, but through a more radical act. Could he choose to take in Ailsa and Duncan in all their innocence? His hands, stained in every way imaginable, would be the ones to guide them through life if he decided to do this. Was he even capable?

Images from another life flashed through his mind. Laughter from another child, abruptly silenced. Warm smiles and family photos and the happy ending that didn’t last nearly long enough. The smell of copper, oppressive in the air.

Was he truly a different man now? Was it enough?

He looked at Johnny.

Maybe he wasn’t enough on his own, but if he had a partner in all this…

“Okay.”

Johnny startled, looking back at Simon.

“What?”

“I’ll take them… if you help me.” He had to chew through his ingrained reluctance to ask for assistance.

Johnny’s whole expression softened. “Of course I’ll help you Si. Anything you need.”

“I—I need you to be in this with me, Johnny. I can’t do it by myself.”

He absolutely melted at that, reaching out to place his hand over Simon’s, still clasped tightly together.

“Okay,” he whispered. “You and me.”

His eyes were so impossibly blue. Simon could get lost in them if he let himself. He could feel the warmth from Johnny seeping into his hands, feeling like it was life creeping back into his soul.

The moment was broken by the loud call of a crow. It startled the pups who immediately bolted to Simon.

Johnny burst into laughter at the look on his face as he was suddenly swarmed by a combined 45 kilograms of werewolf pup moving at speed.

The rest of the day passed in a blur after he had finally voiced his decision to look after Ailsa and Duncan. He and Johnny discussed logistics while the pups wrestled in front of the fireplace that they had lit to chase away the chill of an early spring evening. They would all live together, in Simon’s little cabin, at least for a little while. Johnny would move in with them. At least as long as it took for the pups to get comfortable with them as their guardians and shift.

“We can reevaluate then,” Johnny proclaimed with a grunt of affirmation from Simon.

They lapsed back into a comfortable silence as they stood in the kitchen, preparing dinner for the four of them. Simon bit back a smile as he watched Johnny with his own knife and cutting board that he had brought from the place he lived with the rest of his pack. The pups had needed an afternoon nap and he ran back for supplies. Now they had enough plates and silverware and glasses for all of them. Simon wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

He had also brought some of his own things, and had fully dressed in his own clothes upon his return. Simon really didn’t want to examine his feelings about that.

“I’ll need to go into town again tomorrow,” he announced, abruptly changing the subject. It had been weighing on him.

“Okay. I’ll stay and watch them?” Johnny asked, a little unsure what Simon wanted from him.

He nodded. “I don’t have enough to keep up with four people. And they’ll need things of their own.”

Johnny gave him that cocksure smile he had grown familiar with. “Of course.”

Simon’s brow furrowed as he thought out loud. “And we should probably let them know what’s going on. I don’t want them to feel like I’m leaving them here and not coming back.”

“Oh Si,” Johnny murmured.

There was far too much of something in the way he looked at him.

Turning abruptly, Simon turned the stove on. They lapsed into silence. Taking a chance, he stole a quick glance at Johnny, and the way he moved around the kitchen with ease made him realize that he had no need to feel awkward. Johnny had let it go. He wasn’t going to push him. Simon felt a weight lift from his shoulders that he hadn’t noticed was there.

“What’s a wolf’s favorite time of the year?”

Confused, he looked up at Johnny only to find him smirking like he had a secret.

“What are you on about?”

“The howl-o-days.”

Simon’s blank face was not enough to keep the shit-eating grin off Johnny’s face.

“Two goldfish are in a tank.”

It was Johnny’s turn to look confused. Maybe it was his deadpan delivery, but it was not immediately obvious he was telling a joke of his own.

Simon continued, unbothered. “One turns to the other and says ‘You know how to drive this thing?”

Johnny’s grin returned.

With a small smile of his own, Simon said “Little army humor.”

“Very little.”

They finished cooking in that comfortable silence, plating up four servings and setting two of them at the table while setting the other two on the floor where Ailsa and Duncan could reach. The sound of the ceramic hitting the hardwood was enough to have the two of them come running, without the need for Simon or Johnny to call them.

Simon sat perched on a stool he had had tucked away somewhere while Johnny sat on his only chair at the table. They sat opposite one another, but where they could still see where the two pups were happily munching away at their supper.

“Ailsa, Duncan,” Simon started, making his voice as soft as he could. He set his fork down and made eye contact with the both of them. They stopped eating. “Tomorrow, I’m going into town for supplies. You will stay here with Johnny. He’ll be looking after you with me from now on, alright?”

Duncan darted a look at Johnny and quickly dropped his gaze back to his plate, but not going back to his food. Ailsa stared at Simon and cocked her head.

“Can you nod so we know you understand?” Johnny asked gently.

Slowly Ailsa nodded her head a few times. Duncan gave one that was almost imperceptible.

“Is that okay, Duncan? That Johnny will watch you tomorrow?” Simon asked him directly. Something was bothering the boy, and he wasn’t sure how to get to the root of it.

The pup gave another nod, still not looking at either of them.

“Is something else worrying you?”

A quick shake of his head. Simon glanced at Ailsa as she shifted towards her brother, nosing at his face. She licked at his muzzle and nudged him with her paw.

“It’s okay if you’re sad,” Johnny told them. “You’re safe here, and Simon and I will do our best to take care of you, but we know we can’t replace your mum and dad.”

Simon slipped off his stool to sit on the floor with them, only hesitating a moment before gathering Duncan into his lap. The little wolf sunk into his arms, whining softly. He imagined he would be crying if he was in his human shape.

“It’s going to be alright,” he murmured into his fur, stroking him softly on the back of his head.

Ailsa started whining as well, pushing into Simon’s lap alongside her brother. He didn’t exactly have enough room and had to shift a bit before he wrapped his arms around both of them, holding them as solidly as he could.

Echoes of his own grief flashed through his mind before he pushed them away. He had dealt with it. It was time to dedicate his energy elsewhere.

Simon startled when he felt the heat of Johnny’s arms around him. Wordlessly, he gathered him into the embrace as well. They were together, the four of them, and they’d get through it… somehow…

Dinner was a subdued event after that. Ailsa and Duncan weren’t up for much after the reminder of their parents’ deaths, eventually falling asleep in the combined warmth of their bodies.

Simon prepared to take the exhausted pups down the hall to his bedroom, accidentally waking them as he moved to get up from the floor. He wasn't sure how to hold both of them comfortably in his arms. Luckily, he was rescued.

“Och little one,” Johnny cooed softly, scooping Ailsa into his arms.

Rising with Duncan, he padded down the hallway on soft feet, Johnny behind him. It was far too domestic, and yet some fragile part of him fluttered. Could he grow used to this?

Maybe he actually wanted to…

He pushed into the bedroom, the bed still made with military precision. There was a single window with the curtains drawn, letting in the light from the moon. His rather spartan furnishings had never been an issue before when it was just him, but he found that they looked inadequate now.

With one hand, he pulled back the comforter and settled Duncan in the depression where his body would normally settle, leaving enough room for Johnny to slide in beside him, tucking Ailsa next to her brother. They almost immediately began crying again until Simon settled into the bed with them. It took him a minute before he began stroking down their backs, hoping that this was what they needed.

Their fur was thick between his fingers. Not as coarse as he expected. After their bath, he could see that Ailsa had the typically grey-wolf coloring. Her fur was a warm grey on her back, fading to a soft tan, almost white in some spots. She blinked up at him sleepily. Duncan was darker, the grey of his darker spots was almost charcoal. His underbelly was a sandy brown. As Simon stroked through his fur, some strands of red glinted subtly in the light.

“I’ll, uh, be out in the living room…” Johnny whispered to him, with a thumb hooked over his shoulder. There was a soft, knowing smirk on his face that Simon decided not to interrogate in front of the little ones.

On his way out, Johnny flicked off the big light, leaving only the moon to illuminate the room. A cry from Ailsa had Simon turning on his bedside lamp, casting a warm glow through the space.

He was a different man than the one who used to be a child. Simon felt so far removed from his youth. It was like he had been born when he clawed his way from the depths like a Lazarus risen from his own Hell. How could he have any idea what a child would find comforting?

But this? Their pain? Their grief? This was something he understood. He wished they didn’t know what the blood of their parents looked like, but they did. And their parents were gone. It was just him and Johnny.

Flashes of the brittle fear he saw in their mother’s eyes haunted him. Ghost had been the reason for fear like that before. He was just as much a monster as the hunters he had killed.

Duncan nosed his way closer into Simon’s side, startling him from the dark turn of his thoughts. Big brown eyes framed by the most delicate-looking lashes gazed up at him. The boy gave him a soft yip, as if expecting something.

“I don’t understand…” he whispered, all his concerns about his capabilities as a guardian racing back to the forefront of his mind from the shallow spot they had sunk to.

Duncan just flopped further on top of him, now laying half of his body across his lap as Simon leaned back against the headboard. Ailsa once again came to his rescue, nabbing the dog-eared copy of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” from the table at his bedside. With new, baby-tooth shaped indents, she plopped it into his lap and settled down, mirroring her brother on his other side.

Smiling softly, he rubbed her ears in a silent thanks.

He began reading, starting at the beginning rather than the spot where he had left off. Simon had reread it enough times that he could probably recite certain passages from memory.

The low cadence of his narration was enough to begin to lull both the pups to sleep.

When he was sure that the woes of Victor Frankenstein and sent them off to the warm embrace of dreams, Simon dog-eared the page he was on and set to extracting himself. Before long, his movements had woken them up and set them crying again.

Johnny ducked his head into the door at the sound, but chuckled at the scene before him. “Don’t think you’ll be sleeping anywhere else, Si.”

“Oh piss off,” he retorted before remembering the young ears. Shit. He was going to have to get better about that.

“Sweet dreams,” he sang, leaving them once again.

When they saw he was settling into bed for the night as well, Duncan and Ailsa quickly went back to sleep. Exhausted, he joined them.

A howl woke him. It resonated deep in his bones, leaving him shaken and reaching for the gun he kept in his bedside drawer.

Ghost quickly cleared the room, finding no threat, but before he could put the pistol away, Johnny burst into the room.

“Put that away!” he snapped, moving to the crying pup in the bed.

Simon wiped a hand down his face, flicking on the safety and returning the firearm to it’s spot in the drawer. He turned to investigate the writhing mass of distressed puppies.

Johnny was softly cooing at them, stroking Duncan whom he held in his lap.

“Oh it’s alright, darling. You’re going to be okay.”

When he realized he has Simon’s attention as well, he crawled out of Johnny’s lap and into his own, pushing past his sister who was whining softly as well. Already wrapping his arms around him and pulling him close, his mind caught up.

“Did you have a nightmare, love?” he whispered, pulling away only enough to look him in the face.

He refused to put distance between them, chasing after him as he nodded. Simon held him close again, moving up and out of the bed to pace along the bed, gently bouncing him the way he used to do with Joseph.

Glancing back at the bed, he noticed Johnny had gotten under the covers, crawling in to curl around Ailsa as she watched them, her expression worried.

“I’m going to go out into the living room. Get some sleep,” he murmured to them. As he stepped out of the bedroom, he heard Ailsa’s soft whine and Johnny’s quick reassurance.

Duncan still hadn’t settled, so he continued, walking back and forth along the length of the living room.

Evidence of Johnny’s presence was everywhere, from the blanket strewn along the couch where he had been sleeping, to the duffel bag in the corner, to the leather-bound sketchbook on the side table.

“It’s going to be alright,” Simon spoke quietly into the fur on Duncan’s head. His ears twitched, brushing the velvet-soft fur against his lips.

Another cry, quieter this time, was his response.

It took about another forty minutes before Duncan fell back asleep in Simon’s arms. They had eventually made it onto the sofa, but he carefully stood up, returning to the bedroom. His mind was utterly blank beyond the need to get back to sleep, so it didn’t faze him when he returned to find Ailsa and a shifted Johnny curled up together in his bed. Simon just pushed Johnny further over, and crawled in with Duncan.

His last thought before he fell into a dreamless sleep was that he ought to get a bigger bed.

#soapghost #fic #ghostsoap #my fic #werewolf soap #reluctant dads

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hummingbird-of-light · 8 months

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Round 2: Seventh story for @badthingshappenbingo ~

Title: Mistakes Of The Past

Fandom: Star Trek (AOS)

Character(s): Robert "Robbie" Scott, Original Male Character(s)

Relationship(s): /

Rating: T

Words: 754

Prompt: Ambush

Warnings: Violence, Mentions of Drugs, Ambiguous/Open Ending

A/N: Based on my one-shots "Failure" and "Worth It" from Bad Things Happen Bingo Round 1

(You can also find this story on AO3)

~ Mistakes Of The Past ~

When Robert "Robbie" Scott entered the dark warehouse and saw no one except for Daniel, his heart sank a wee bit. This was all way too easy.

Wasn't the gang leader supposed to be joined by his minions? Usually, he was never all by himself. It was very unsettling.

Still, the young Scotsman couldn't show his fear. Not on this day. Not when he'd finally put an end to this horrible business.

"H-hey Daniel," Robbie greeted the man with a wave of his hand and a smile crossed Daniel's face as he turned around to face the young man.

"Robbie, buddy, how nice to see you."

The Scotsman tried his best not to wince when Daniel slapped a hand onto his shoulder and pulled him in for a quick hug.

"I was very surprised to hear from you. Thought you were clean?"

Cold sweat formed on Robbie's forehead as he shrugged his shoulders. His heart started to beat a little bit faster.

"Y-ye know me. I n-need the stuff."

It was a lie. After he had taken an overdose, his family had helped him to get off the drugs. Even his big brother had come back from the academy to help him.

"Ah, I see. Well... I can't blame you. After all, I sell the best stuff in town."

Slowly, Daniel reached into his pocket and pulled out an ampoule.

Memories of all the times Robbie had used this horrifying substance crossed his mind and he suppressed a shiver. It had been wrong, had made everything worse. He knew that now.

And that was the reason why he was helping the police get these guys.

They had wired him to listen in on everything. As soon as Robbie left the house or was in danger, the officers would storm the building. They had told him not to worry.

And yet it gave him the creeps to be near the man who led the gang.

"T-that's just what I'm looking for. S-same price as always?" Robbie didn't mean for his voice to shake, but he just couldn't stop it.

The grin on Daniel's face only widened and he nodded.

"Sure. Always for one of my best customers."

He placed the ampoule in Robbie's hand, then pulled him close again so that he could whisper the next words into his ear. Still, his voice was loud enough for the bug to pick it up.

"Especially if that customer leads the officers who are after us right into an ambush."

Robbie's heart skipped a beat and his eyes widened in horror at what he heard. He shook his head in disbelief as Daniel grabbed the bugging device, threw it onto the floor and crushed it with his foot.

N-no... That couldn't be!

Before the Scotsman could say anything, he heard loud shooting and yelling outside the warehouse.

Daniel let go of him and chuckled coldly, slowly shaking his head.

"Oh Robbie, Robbie, Robbie. Did you really think that my gang is small? I have so many members on my side."

"I-I-I-" Robbie stammered, slowly tumbling backwards. Tears filled his eyes as he realized just what Daniel had said before he had destroyed the bug.

The police! They would think that he had worked with Daniel and his gang! That he was responsible for leading them into that ambush! That he was part of the plan!

Amused, Daniel took a few steps forward, reaching for the phaser he always carried with him.

"Now, what will you do, Robbie? Try to escape the police for the rest of your pathetic life? Or should we end it right here and now?"

The gang leader's finger played with the trigger and Robbie just wanted to scream for help. But he knew that it would get him nowhere. It was useless.

"P-please..."

"I'm sure they'll put you in jail for a very long time once they find the evidence we hid in a locker only you officially have acces to."

Tears started to stream down his cheeks as Robbie placed one hand on his mouth.

That... that was impossible! It couldn't be!

His eyes found the phaser pointed at him.

He knew it. He knew that he wouldn't survive years in prison.

"Now? What do you say, Robbie? Want me to end you?"

Daniel's voice was filled with pleasure. He really enjoyed this way too much.

And Robbie? There was only one thing he could do. One way out of this mess he had caused.

So he closed his eyes... and nodded.

#bad things happen bingo #prompt: ambush #fandom: star trek aos #fanfiction #robbie scott #oc #whump #violence #drugs #open ending #mega_whumps_characters

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therealeagal · 2 years

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Pokemon Scarlet and Violet - Best of Type

Here we are again, my children. Best pokemon of generation 9, Scarlet and Violet.

As usual, these are not combat ratings. They’re not based on anything like battle viability. I just list them according to my personal favorites.

I’ve obviously got all time favorite pokemon. None have been yet ousted from their lofty positions at the top (although I will say that water is in the running), but this will consist only of pokemon introduced in Scarlet and Violet, potentially including regional variants.

Normal

Best new normal type is Lechonk. Just because of the name.

Fire

Best new fire type is Ceruledge. Just a badass lookin’ son of a gun. Close runner up for best of gen.

Water

No question. Quaquaval. My starter pokemon started out as Donald, after Donald Duck, but once he reached his final evolution I just had to rename him to Johnny Steps.

Quaquaval also happens to be my top favorite for the whole gen and may in fact unseat Greninja for my all time favorite water type. Depends on how much of a pain in the ass it will be to get an Ability Capsule.

Electric

Best new electric type is Bellibolt. Looks so silly. I love it.

Grass

Not terribly interested in the grass types this gen. I guess I’ll give it to Scovillain just for the novelty of a grass / fire type.

Ice

Best new ice type goes to discount Gojira, Baxcalibur, the latest but far from greatest pseudo-legendary.

Fighting

Best new fighting type is Paldean Tauros. Because Tauros.

Poison

Best new poison type will go to Revaroom. It’s a car. And a pokemon. A pocarmon.

Ground

I suppose I could maybe put an asterisk on this one, since I only played Violet and there look to be some interesting ground types in Scarlet. So best new ground type goes to Ting-Lu*.

Flying

Best flying type is Squawkabilly. Just because.

Psychic

Best new psychic is Farigiraf. Because the alternative is a dung beetle and a dumb fish and an ostrich. Farigiraf is an evolution of a pokemon from ye olden dayes of Gen 2, Girafarig.

Bug

Not much in the way of quality bugs this gen. I guess I’ll give it to Lokix. No reason.

It’s either that or bend the rules and give it to my Scizor, Slash Fic.

Rock

It was close, but I gotta give this to MechaGodzilla-lite. Iron Thorns, the robot Tyrannitar. I always liked Tyranitar, and it seems someone in the future agreed with me since they based a robot on him.

Ghost

Best new ghost type is Annihilape. Because Annihilape.

Dragon

Best new dragon type. Based just on looks I gotta give it to Roaring Moon, the new ancient version of Salamence. I almost bought Scarlet just for him, but I just couldn’t pass on Ceruledge.

Dark

DOGGY DOGGY DOGGY! Best new dark type is Mabosstiff. How can you say you have a heart and not pick the pupper?

Steel

Best new steel type goes to Tinkaton. A wee tiny pokemon with a big hammer.

Fairy

DOGGY DOGGY DOGGY! Take 2. Best new fairy type has to be Fidough and its evolution Daschbun. Another stupid pokemon that I love because of how stupid they are.

#pokemon #pokemon scarlet and violet #pokemon violet #pokemon scarlet #best of type #quaquaval

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ozma914 · 2 years

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A Sick Sense Of Humor

As mentioned before, I don't usually write about bad stuff unless it can somehow be made funny. Well, funny to me. That's why I haven't said much about Emily and I both being sick through the entire month of December, and now into January.

I mean, it's winter, I'm sick, it's moved into my sinuses--not exactly breaking news. Everybody's sick. People buried for five years have set off local seismographs with their coughing. You may think I'm joking, but remember: Many of those same dead people voted in the last several elections.

I got so sick I was unable to do any writing work for over a week. No editing, no submitting ... a little promoting, but that's the un-fun part, anyway. I started going into withdrawals. I also had to take time off from my full time job, but I had about fifty sick days saved up. In this one case, that's not an exaggeration.

"I could take a sick day, but I prefer to wait until I turn green."

At the rate this winter's been going, I'll be down to zero in no time.

It's led to certain things being said around the house that I'd just as soon not have said:

"I talked to the doctor: She wants us to stop talking to her."

"Why do we still live in a house with one bathroom?"

"Siri, how many cases of Kleenex can fit in a Ford Escape?"

"Dr. Fauci's at the door, he's coming out of retirement just for us."

And my favorite: "My mucus is fluorescent green. Could this be Kryptonite poisoning?"

Hm. It occurs to me that this bug makes us feel exactly like having a hangover, but without any of the fun parts from the night before.

We still don't know what it is, although Emily got a two for one case of croup. She coughed so much that at first our worried dog hovered over her. Now he curls up in the room furthest away. (He was sick half of last year. Now he's fine, except everyone keeps waking up in the wee hours to make ramen and tea.)

"Good news! They want a few gallons of my blood for a study!"

They tested us for flu a. through f., Covid, mono, strep, plague, rabies, mad cow disease, and something called M-Pox, which is apparently transmitted by monkeys, but for some reason we can't say so. The CDC set up a tube passage that ran directly from our back door to their tent. "Have you figured out the problem?" I asked the Doc while he was doing a preliminary check of my wallet.

"Yes, you don't pick up the dog poops enough. It'll take hours to clean up our clean room boots."

"No, I mean about what's wrong with us."

"You're trying to earn enough money writing to retire."

"No, I mean medically."

"Oh. Uh, you have an upper respiratory illness."

"Thanks. I figured that out when I started sounding like Elmer Fudd."

"Well ... it's a bad upper respiratory illness."

At that point he prescribed a controlled substance to Emily to quiet her cough, because people who haven't slept for three days have been known to throw kitchen implements at doctors, not that it happened here.

No pharmacy in northeast Indiana had that medicine. Apparently we're not the only people with a cough.

But it's okay, because after a few weeks of insomnia I was able to sleep right through the coughs. As for me, the crap moved--as usual--into my sinuses. Sinus infections are like my old friends, who stop by twice a year to visit for a month. That, I know how to deal with.

Oh, and don't worry: I'm taking care of Emily. Nothing ever goes wrong with anything I'm trying to fix.

You can find our decontaminated books here:

http://markrhunter.com/ https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0058CL6OO https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/"Mark R Hunter"

Remember: Whenever a book doesn't sell, a doctor loses his patience.

#humor #medical humor #Humorous #medical #medical stuff #sickness #sick

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recipro-turbo · 2 years

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brother mine - year three

Chapter Rating: T Chapter Word Count: 949 Chapter Notes: originally posted to twitter here. tensei is 18 in this chapter.

Chapter-specific content warnings: hospitals (nothing life-threatening!)

Read on AO3 | Previous Chapter

Tenya is not much of a crier.

Like any kid of three years old, Tenya trips and slips and bumps into things. He gets visibly distressed when Aoi is taken by Mother to be cleaned, even if it’s only long enough to brush off a few crumbs. He’s wary around strangers, watching Tensei’s interactions with them closely to determine if they’re safe. It takes a lot to make him cry, and more often than not, it’s no more than a few tears.

So it’s pretty fucking concerning when Tensei hears his little brother crying in the wee hours of the morning. He abandons the idea of watching that one nature documentary that never fails to knock him out during his rare bouts of insomnia, turning on his heel to head back towards Tenya’s room. He hovers just outside his door to confirm that he wasn’t hearing things, and sure enough, he hears pained sobbing from the other side.

Tensei’s first instinct is that Tenya must’ve had a nightmare―that wasn’t unusual for kids his age, and even he still has nightmares that have a serious emotional impact on him. He opens the door quietly, calling into the darkened room to make his presence known. Normally, that would be enough to make Tenya race over to him, but he doesn’t get a reaction.

Tensei frowns. Tenya sits in the center of his bed, hunched over himself. Even in the dark, Tensei can make out trembling. He breathes wet, shaky gasps that make his heart ache.

“Tenya,” Tensei tries again, crossing the room to sit next to his brother. “What’s wrong, buddy?”

This time, Tenya hears him. He slowly raises his head, looking up at Tensei with big, watery red eyes. His little face is pinched with pain and shame. “H-hurts,” he manages to hiccup.

“Can you tell me what hurts?”

Tenya sniffles pitifully, wordlessly pointing at his calves.

Tensei nods. “Alright. I’m going to turn on the light so I can take a look, okay?”

When Tenya makes no objections, Tensei switches on the lamp sitting on the nightstand, ignoring the mild discomfort he feels at the sudden change in light. He goes to roll up one of the legs of Tenya’s pajama pants, only for him to recoil.

“Ten, I gotta have a look,” Tensei explains patiently. “I know it hurts, but I can’t help if I don’t know what’s wrong.”

Reluctantly, Tenya nods. Tensei rolls the right leg of Tenya’s pajama pants up to his knee, trying to avoid touching his calf. He searches for a scrape, a bruise, or a bug bite, but he finds nothing of the sort. He does notice a bit of swelling, and that makes him more concerned.

Tensei thinks back through his first aid training, but his sleep-deprived mind offers nothing useful. He can’t ask Mother or Father, either, as both of them are currently out of town for hero work.

“I’m gonna leave a message for Dr. Kiyabu. I think she’ll know a lot more about this than I do,” Tensei says. “Do you think you’ll be able to go back to sleep if I stay here?”

Tenya sniffles, shaking his head.

“That’s okay. I can’t really sleep, either.” Tensei gives Tenya a comforting smile. “How about this―after I’ve called Dr. Kiyabu, we’ll go downstairs and watch a movie. Does that sound good to you, Tenya?”

Tenya gives him a shaky smile. With that, Tensei hoists his little brother up off the bed and into his arms, minding his tender calves.

-x-

“Well, believe it or not,” Dr. Kiyabu says, “this is entirely normal. At least, it is with your family history.”

A few hours after Tensei left his message, Dr. Kiyabu had returned his call and requested he bring Tenya to the local hospital. Just like he had done before, she visually examined Tenya’s calves, then gently began to prod, feeling for anything abnormal. Tensei nearly had a heart attack when she ordered X-rays, but Dr. Kiyabu was quick to assure him that she didn’t think it was anything life-threatening.

“Call it a hunch,” she had said, a knowing smile on her lips. Now, she’s showing Tensei the results, pointing to six small, identical masses in one of Tenya’s legs.

“These,” Dr. Kiyabu says, “appear to be exhaust pipes. Given the Engine Quirk that runs in your family, this is nothing to worry about. Sometime within the next couple of weeks, they should break through Tenya’s skin, but until then, he’s going to be sore.”

Tensei―who is suddenly feeling incredibly stupid, because right, this would be about the time Tenya’s Quirk would manifest―lets out a sigh of relief. Hell, it hadn’t been that long ago since he ripped out his old exhaust pipes to allow new ones to grow in. That had been excruciatingly painful, to the point where he couldn’t sleep.

“As far as you can tell, are they growing in correctly?” Tensei asks.

“Based on what I can see so far, yes,” Dr. Kiyabu says. “I’ll be able to better tell once they break through. In the meantime, acetaminophen will ease the pain and ice packs will help with the swelling.”

It’s mid-morning when they leave the hospital. Tenya, who had been uncharacteristically silent through the better half of their visit, was now cheerfully chattering away. His little arms are a blur of excited chopping motions. Tensei’s only able to pick up about half of what his little brother is saying, but he gets the gist of it―he’s excited to be a hero, like Father. Like Mother.

“Like you, Oniisan!”

Tensei smiles fondly. “In that case, I gotta work really hard to be a hero you can be proud of.”

#boku no hero academia #bnha #my hero academia #mha #bnha fanfiction #mha fanfiction #iida tensei #iida tenya #recipro fics #series: brother mine #hospitals

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batty-tiddys · 9 months

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This is not a bug! This is some form of scoop-feeding waterfowl!

10/10

#wee rate bugs #not a bug #10/10

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softichill · 19 days

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I love the fact musk is not allowed in Brazil. this is amazing. I have a Brazilian friend. Either way imagine screwing up against the meme capital of the world. I still need to go to Brazil. For the memes. And to meet Hatsune Miku. No use begging for death from her though. We got invaded by moths. There were SO MANY.poor dog doesn't like the zappy bug trappy so she just keeps on jumping out cause the pops scare her. It is amazing to know I have a device specifically to kill bugs and it sest fire to bugs in my house. With electricity. I watched a moth start smoking. Before you get mad I wish I could like... Open my window or something but it's upwards of fifty moths. Wee found the source they came in through but it still doesn't help the ones in here. Object Show Medley by MorimotoYTP. We will not survive the finalie of II I fear.

HFBJSBF Yeah. It's great watching Muskrat freak out bc he can't just fix it by being rich

Hey I getcha! Moths are important but 50 in one area is excessive. You have a right to zap em.

We are NOT surviving the fucking finale. Brian Koch said himself in his most recent qna stream; there will be screaming and tears. And apparently a joke about pg ratings.

Look Who's Inside Again by Bo Burnham! This always felt a bit like a mephone song to me

#ask #song rec

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thelistingteammiami · 5 months

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What You Should Know Before Renting A Storage Unit

Renting a storage unit is a convenient option for people who need extra space for their extra possessions, for a variety of reasons. Maybe you want to store seasonal items, such as holiday decorations, costumes, gear, and lawn equipment. Maybe you haven't closed on your new home yet but need to move out of your old home, a rental storage unit can house your stuff till the move can be completed.

If you're a homeowner whose home will undergo major renovations, you can protect your belongings and provide clear space for the makeover by keeping your furniture and other items in a facility until the renovation is complete. For those who are downsizing but not ready to part with some of the stuff they’ve accumulated, renting a storage unit provides an excellent, space-saving solution.

Regardless of your reason or need, here are some things to consider before deciding to rent a self-storage unit:

1. What should I look for in a storage unit?

Accessibility: If you prioritize 24/7 access to your items so you can get to your goods when you need them most, a facility that's only open 9 to 5 might not be your best choice. Also, remember the difference between office and access hours. Because even if you can enter your unit during the wee hours on a weekend, there might not be any on-site personnel to address your needs or concerns.

Location: How often do you need access to your unit? Make sure to balance convenience with price when choosing between a facility that’s closer to your place or a cheaper facility that’s located a bit farther away.

Safety and security: A storage facility should keep your items safe. Make sure to choose one with robust security measures such as gated access, video monitoring and surveillance cameras, and good lighting. Actual security guards and individually alarmed units can also boost the overall safety and security of the facility.

Cleanliness and pest control: Be wary of any facility with poor lighting, lack of cleanliness, and other obvious signs of insufficient maintenance and neglect. Furthermore, ask about the pest control policies of the company, as bugs, rodents, and other creepy crawlies can be a huge problem if they get into the units and destroy your items.

Pricing and contracts: Compare the month-to-month, short-term storage, and long-term storage rates charged by different facilities to find the best deal. Don’t forget to ask for specials and online discounts, such as a military discount and other seasonal specials. Also inquire about any additional fees, such as administrative or early termination fees, that may apply.

2. What size storage unit should I get?

The first step in figuring out what size works for you is deciding what you need to store. Do you only need a small closet space to store off-season clothing? Would you need a storage unit the size of a one-car garage to store household goods like bulky furniture, or other items such as boats or motorcycles? The good news is that the majority of self-storage facilities offer a variety of storage unit sizes for rent.

And while you can count on online storage calculators to help you gauge what size is best for your belongings, it's still best to talk to a customer service representative at the facility. Also, don’t forget to look into possible future needs and see if you can scale up within the same facility if ever you need more storage space for extra items.

3. Do I need a climate-controlled storage?

Climate control helps protect your belongings from extreme temperatures, humidity, and other outside conditions. Humidity can lead to dampness, which can lead to bacteria and mildew growth that can damage valuable belongings.

Climate-controlled storage units can be more expensive, but the extra cost is money well spent if you want to keep certain possessions protected. Fortunately, the majority of storage facilities offer this type of storage unit. Some of the items recommended to be placed in a climate-controlled storage are:

Wooden and leather furniture

Artworks and paintings

Antiques

Electronics

Textile and clothing

Other items sensitive to climate, such as rugs, carpets, wallpaper, etc.

4. How long can I rent a storage unit?

While you can rent a storage unit for as long as you like, most storage facilities offer a one-month minimum contract, while some may even have a three-month minimum. Whether you're looking for short-term or long-term storage, you can often save money by comparing quotes from several storage companies available.

Just keep in mind that if you need to cancel your storage contract, you will need to let the company know by a certain date. Otherwise, you may end up paying for the next month regardless of whether or not you’re still using the rental unit.

5. What can and can't I store in the facility?

Storage units are built to hold household and business goods like furniture, files, and clothing. They're not meant to hold anything perishable, toxic, dangerous, or alive. This is why most storage providers will include a list of items in their rental agreement specifying what a renter can and cannot store.

The most obvious no-nos are hazardous and/or flammable items like gas, although gas-powered machinery may be allowed if all gas is drained. It’s also not advisable to store perishable items such as food, which can attract bugs or pests, as well as any living things like plants or animals.

6. Do I need insurance?

Do you have homeowners or renters insurance? If so, great, because standard insurance policies generally cover a percentage of your belongings even when they're kept in storage units. They’re usually under personal property coverage, but you should also check with your insurance agent about your existing policy just to be sure. Coverage usually protects against things like smoke damage, vandalism, and theft.

7. Can I work in a storage unit since I rented it?

As tempting as it may be to use your self-storage unit as an office or a living space (even if it's only temporarily), it’s considered illegal and a violation of the terms of your lease. Many storage companies prohibit tenants from using their units as an office, nor can you legally register it as your business location. Besides, most storage units don’t have adequate lighting or electrical outlets that an office requires.

You are free, however, to use your unit to store files and other business-related goods. Many storage facilities even have on-site business centers where you can work, print documents, and mail packages.

8. What if all my stuff doesn't fit?

Before bringing all your stuff to your storage unit, make sure you've decluttered everything you don’t need and you’ve packed your possessions efficiently. These facilities don’t provide dumpsters and never let you dump your trash or items that don’t fit in your unit. Likewise, many storage facilities impose fees for any trash left on the premises.

Packing your belongings more efficiently can have several benefits. Not only will your items be kept in top condition, but it’s also one of the easiest ways to save on storage unit costs. Storage units typically have high ceilings, so it’s better to use stackable bins and arrange furniture to fill the space all the way to the top. Wipe clean and dry items as needed, and don’t forget to label everything so you won’t lose track of what’s where.

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theghostpinesmusic · 7 months

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I've been traveling for a bit, so I haven't been watching any new shows, but I have a little catching up to do, so today I'm going to write at you about the 7/29/23 "Fuego"! From Arkansas!

As in "I'm in Arkansas right now," not "This Phish concert was in Arkansas," because it was in New York City, where all Phish concerts are now contractually held.

This was the second show of the summer MSG run, and it was just as good as the first. If I was being a neurotic Fandom fan, I'd say that the first show was a wee bit better because it had better paced-setlist, but I don't rate Phish shows anymore. I'm in recovery!

Anyway, the first set of this show has a freaking excellent, bliss-jammed version of "Down With Disease" as well as a well-placed "Bug," cleanly-played versions of Trey bugbears "Sugar Shack" and "Foam," and closes with a barn-burning version of "Moonage Daydream."

The second set is anchored by the "Fuego," for sure (it's thirty minutes long, as we'll get to), but also has a great post-jam landing pad in "Oblivion," a great ballad tune in "Wingsuit," and a weird and wonderful take on "2001" that melts into some Fishman shenanigans toward the end of the set.

In short and as usual, it's all good, but Phish saw fit to post the "Fuego" online, and I like writing about music a lot but not enough to talk about the whole show in detail, so we're gonna focus on that.

"Fuego," for any uninitiated, is from the same-titled 2014 album, which, like most latter-day Phish albums is weirdly paced but also full of good songs that get shit on because they weren't written in the 90s. "Fuego" in particular is a great example of a post-breakup Phish tune that contains lots of the proggy twists and turns fans say they want to hear in the new tunes, but it often gets poo-poo'd anyway because it isn't literally "You Enjoy Myself" or "Divided Sky."

I like it a lot. It's a fun composition that throws a lot of different ideas out there and, like the best Phish tunes, stitches them together seamlessly. Everyone gets moments to shine, but to me "Fuego" is primarily a Jon Fishman showcase.

Since there are a lot of instrumental passages built into this one, it can be hard for the non-fan to figure out what's composed and what's improvised, so, for your reference, the song proper runs up through 5:15.

From there, we start with what I'd call a typical outro, following the song's chords and Trey playing variations on the song's main melody in a grungy blues tone. While this isn't immediately that exciting, the lights sure are. I seriously can't get over this rig, even just watching from home.

Things start to get a little weirder right before 7:00, when Trey changes his tone to something spacier and chunkier (I think of this as one of his quintessential post-COVID tour tones). It's not until 7:45, though, that we really start to break away from the song entirely. Here, Page adds some synth droning, and Fish starts playing a more complicated beat. Trey reprises the "Fuego" melody a few more times, not entirely letting it go yet, but you feel the band starting to launch.

At 8:35, Trey starts chording instead of solo, and we're off to the races. The lights seems to respond in kind.

Even though we're in a much jauntier, abstract space by 9:15, thanks mostly to Trey and Page's playing, I appreciate that Trey still takes a minute to reprise the "Fuego" melody again, reminding us where we came from.

There's a really gorgeous section of Trey and Page interplay starting at 9:45. Fish and Mike do a great job of filling in the edges here but not getting in the way as the other two play off of each other. This leads into a really upbeat, unique jam section. Mike's bass eventually takes on a sort of droning quality that encircles the jam and holds it in place for a bit.

At 11:20, Fish changes up the beat, and the band moves toward something with a little more form to it. By 11:45, it's Trey and Mike that are playing off of each other, while Page has moved over the clav. For a minute here, it's hard for me to tell which is the guitar and which is the bass, Trey's guitar is so wonderfully distorted.

They come out of the distortion in a bit more of a traditionally Phish-y space, and though Trey seems to struggle playing what he wants to be playing here briefly, it's a nice section of the jam anyway. Fishman's drums remind me a bit of "Manteca," and I found myself singing the lyrics while I was watching this live. The rest of the band seems to lock on to the "Manteca" feel, and we get a jam that highlights Page's piano and Trey's...robot guitar (?) in equal measures.

I didn't pick up Mike's playing on this too much when I watched the whole show because of the mix on the webcast, but I can hear him a lot better now through my headphones and he's a much bigger part of the sound of this jam that I realized before. As usual. Go Mike!

Around 17:15, Trey switches from his murky tone to the quintessential sharp, clear Phish tone and proceeds to absolutely rip a solo. He and Page have another great moment of chemistry here, and though Fishman's initially introduce some tension with the feel-good soloing, eventually he and Mike help power Trey and Page to some major-key fun.

At 19:05, the band engages in some stop-start jamming, which is always good for a few "Woo!"s from the crowd. At 19:35, though, Trey jumps right back into playing smoothly, and leads the rest of the band into what sounds to me for all the world like a "Golden Age" jam. I wondered the first time and again now if they were originally planning to go into "Golden Age" here (I'm not-entirely-but-mostly-sure it's in the same key and everything). Regardless, Mike is an absolute beast out in front of this part of the jam while everyone else is adding some fantastic accents.

To clarify, I am not sad that this jam does not turn into "Golden Age": this section is amazing, and reminds me of some of my favorite dark, funky jamming from the early 2000s, post-hiatus.

It feels to me (again, not a music theory guy) that Trey throws out a key change at 23:28, which changes the feel of the jam again, moving us toward a more uplifting space. Page switches to the piano, Fishman simplifies the beat to something a bit more rock-and-roll, and Mike...well, Mike just keeps doing his Mike thing. Which is fine. It feels though like the band is rounding the bend on the space exploration that has been this jam here, though, and heading back to the barn. If I'm not mistaken, this new section of the jam is in the original key of "Fuego," so we're musically as well as existentially back at home base. Pretty sure Page teases the "Fuego" melody a few times here.

Of course not content to just roll to the finish line, the band takes one last foray into space around 26:30, with Trey moving to the octave shifter and the music becoming...circular? I'm not sure what you'd actually call it, but it's great and the lights are insane. I feel like I'm at EPCOT Center in the 80s. It's these sudden, brief-but-intense forays into different soundscapes that makes me love post-COVID Phish so much (among other things). A show (or a run of shows) with so many of these little moments would have easily been in the conversation for show of the year between 2009 and 2019, but now it's just sort of seen as "normal." I hope it never stops making me as happy as it does now.

Brilliantly, Trey signals the return to "Fuego" at 28:08, at which point, watching live, I remember standing up from the couch and literally pumping my fist at the TV in joy. For the next minute or so, the band expertly weaves the previous jam and the "Fuego" melody in and out of each other as the music ever so slowly winds down. Ultimately, the jam/song lands perfectly in "Oblivion," though, unfortunately, the stand-alone YouTube video cuts off before you get to hear it.

It's wild to listen to this again and immediately think that if this had been a jam at, say, a 2014 or 2018 show, it would likely have automatically been seen as the jam of the year. Here, in 2023, it's just one of many such performances I've already seen in the first four shows of this seven show run, and is probably outclassed by at least a few jams from the band's December MSG run (as well as the recent 2024 Mexico run that I haven't listened through yet). It's a crazy time to be getting back into Phish, and it's moments like these that have me thinking about making the drive out to Denver this summer for the first time since 2017 to see them play for four nights.

Anyway, more from summer 2023 soon!

FUEGOOOOOOOOOOO

#phish #music #live music #videos #jams #jam bands #tour journal #writing #trey anastasio #Youtube

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