#i do need to get another ball of yarn but its ok

[courtchip]

this years wrestlemania knit is coming along swimmingly 🥰🥰🥰

#i do need to get another ball of yarn but its ok #last year i was on the road so i just did a kids sweatervest but THIS guy is FANCY #also what do yall do while watching wrestling cuz man i cant just sit still lol #plappermaul #my fav match of saturday was probs the womens trios tbh. now i sneep.

[nutzworth]

reading again so soon?

DAY 8: APRIL 22, 2024

STATS: read for 1 hour and 20 minutes pages read: 1683-1903. 220 pages. NICE! slur count: 13 + 0 = 13 silly count: 13 + 0 = 13 piss count: 2/3

THOUGHTS: today was largely uneventful but we did get to [s] shut up and jam

today john went through gate 2 and saw rose sleeping and i literally cant believe how unreal he was about it all. i mean yeah its JOHN EGBERT but come on you crash land in your wonderful friends house and you dont even wake her up or wait to say hi. whats your problem dude. he was really devious about the whole thing (pestering kanaya under roses name; snooping in roses books; pranking her by putting a bucket on her ajar door).

what IS a realistic interpretation of how i would interact with my online friend if i met him in real life is how rose and dave interacted for the first time on derse (which includes shut up and jam). imagine as follows: 1. i lean mischievously on your window sill. i throw a ball of yarn at your head and you wake up. hello. its me from the internet 2. you show me your awesome music gear and we dance and its awesome 3. i throw your creepy puppet out that has been giving you nightmares for like ever 4. you show me your computer. apparently our mutual friend is at my house. huh! 5. i disappear like yeah i would do that. rose is awesome

and of course the john (under the guise of rose) and kanaya conversation. i think its hilarious that was never explained and i like to believe none of them know any wiser except for john. kanayas like wow that was a weird first convo with rose haha and rose probably knows what happened to be honest. but kanayas left in the DARK. i love her. WE SAW SOLLUX TOO! kanaya is so cute. i literally love her. hassling sollux "You Used To Like To Talk More" fr girl. "I Dont Have An F1 Key" and then she throws it at his head. shes so awesome. ohh my god

another thing i was thinking about this session was hussie's use of tone. there were a few instances the tone was like crazy and they are as follows 1. john discovers roses gift for his birthday and reads the note. its like hes goofing off and is like "ok. im gonna look in the box now." and then theres this panel of the knitted con air bunny and its silent. and then he reads roses sentimental note. and its silent. and then he SLAM DUNKS THAT BUNNY BACK IN THE BOX!!! BOO YAH!!!!!!!!!!!! i guess it shows how john buries his feelings. no time to feel good! need to DO SHIT! 2. when john is ectobiologizing. and exploring the lab. its so... desolate. so disconnected. so silent. "A meteor ahead looks unnoticed." its like. it really sets a mood. its really. clinical. vague. abrupt. its SOMETHING. i really like it. especially for john. it fits him

rose and daves alchemizing parties were this session and they were only ok. daves is full of bangers like the brain in a jar and the swords and tuxedos. roses was just ok

[S] WV: Rise up IS SO COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!! COOLEST FLASH EVER! I LOVE THE CARAPACIANS! i love to see his revolution its so awesome. ohh my god. its got beautiful music and beautiful frames its all so good. i love unity and revolution

complacency in the learned was pretty ok. rose is a great writer it sounds like wizardy herbert but more wordy though. which is pretty much what it IS. so whatever

i think thats it. i want to put some panels that i really liked in here cus there were a lot of beautiful ones so here goes. act 4 is so beautiful probably the most beautiful act. ok bye

#me #nutzworth hs reread #lots of lists today #i feel like i keep missing silly counts and i feel really sad about it. but thats ok. #thrse images prpbably wont keep happening but you know i liked a lot of the images today. so #okay bye bye. for real

[freeroaming-curiosity]

Thanks to her new friend Powerfist’s help, Oppy finds New Mauville’s generator, overpowered and surging, with much of its power going toward a strange device, only to find a familiar face behind the disturbance - Top Man

You!

You!

Whatever you’re doing with the generator you need to turn it off! You’re making the pokemon be mean!

Tch! What do you know!? Get out of here or else!

Ok! But first I have to do this!

Oppy pulls a lever and the generator power goes down to its normal level, the device no longer having anything to siphon

You- Fine! I’ll just power it myself then! Minions! Attack!

All at once a surge of Mechakkaros, Picklemans, and Boltons and Nuttons advance on Oppy, with Komasaburos and Metalls providing range support. Oppy hurries and sends out her team, having Powerfist and Jutsu take out the close-range robots and having Celsius and Vinebud target the ones at distance. Meanwhile Top Man gets inside the generator, and makes it spin faster using his Top Spin, returning its power to the unstable level and resuming siphoning it away. The surging electricity is making it impossible for Oppy to get close

No… fair… you need to slow down

At that moment Oppy sees a Voltorb. Remembering her earlier encounters, she shifts her hands into a shape good for holding the Ball Pokemon, before throwing the Voltorb at Top Man

Hey Spinguy! Catch!

?!

The Voltorb hits Top Man and explodes, knocking him out of the generator. 

You brat! You’ll pay for that!

Top Man shoots several razor-sharp spinning tops out of his head that bounce around the area, then gets back in the generator and spins again, more robots coming to protect him again. Oppy deals with the robots with a bit more difficulty due to the tops, and sees another Voltorb. As before, she throws it at Top Man.

OK THAT’S IT! NO MORE PLAYING AROUND!

Top Man calls in several large cat-like robots that growl at Oppy menacingly before he jumps back into the generator. The Tamas shoot balls of electrified metal yarn at Oppy, while at the same time releasing flea-like robots from their back. Oppy is overwhelmed by all of this and struggles to keep up.

Why are you so mean!? Why can’t you just be nice?!

Believe me kid, it really isn’t anything personal. Ok maybe it’s a little personal for last time, but I’m mostly just following orders here

Right as Oppy’s pushed to her limit, Powerfist bravely uses Take Down on the final Tama. Powerfist faints, but the Tama is destroyed. At that moment another Voltorb rolls in, which Oppy like before uses to knock Top Man out of the generator

Grh! Looks like I’m out of tricks. No matter. I got the power I need, or close enough. I’m outta here!

With that Top Man takes his machine and speeds out

“Good show young lady good show!”

Wattson finally catches up to Oppy as the generator returns to normal output

“You and your pokemon cooperated marvelously! And I must thank you for your help! I doubt I could’ve taken that mongrel on my own, in my old age”

Hehe thanks

“For your help, and for that wondrous display of pokemon friendship, I present to you the Dynamo Badge!”

Wait really?! Are you sure? We didn’t battle or anything!

“What you’ve shown here is enough. I’m confident you would defeat me were we to battle, and besides, it’s your bonds with your pokemon that matter, and you’ve demonstrated that in abundance”

…Thank you so much Wattson!

“My pleasure. Now let’s get out of here!”

#rotomblr #pkmn rp #pkmn irl #oppypost #oppy explores hoenn

[sw124]

BonelyHearts: Match up! Pt1

MBTI matching! [note this is just MY interpretation of match ups, this is for fun if I feel I mixed somethings up please let me know gently don’t get mad. Date who you want when the game comes out]

Analysts:

——————

INTJ: This personality group is known for being big dreamers but also being the bitterest of pessimists. However thats not a bad thing as they rationalize the most hectic of situations. You my strong willed friend have a few equally strong individuals up to romancing you.

Your boys are: Boss, Nox, Poplar and Sans. Why these four?

Boss: has a dry wit and when it comes to those who are ‘lazy’ he doesn’t mess around. You’d adore his organization and his strict ‘no nonsense’ structure. His dark brooding appearance would draw you in but his voice and mind would ensnare you, best watch out or you’ll be caught in his trap of love.

Nox: both suave and would share your view on humanity. He’d talk to you about the complex nature of why humans tend to make so many mistakes while also delving into the intricate flavors of your shared cups of coffee.

Poplar: has such a thirst for knowledge and learning as much as he can about ‘The heat death of the universe’ why wouldn’t he be a perfect fit?

An Lastly;

Sans: behind his bad jokes this ‘lazy’ boy tends to be just as cyclical as the rest of the boys [An come on, he’d be perfect for when you need a bad joke once in a while]

———

INTP: Ah yes, you lovely people who ponder the mysteries of the universe, its a puzzle, a ball of yarn ready to be both solved and unraveled. You yearn for the deeper meanings in life and so here are some of the ideal dating bones for you.

Your boys are: Poplar, Papyrus, Sans and Blue. Why these four?

Poplar: Always up for learning anything, be it Dinosaurs or the world itself he’d always love to learn something new with you.

Papyrus: a puzzle lover and overall lover of anything complicated he’d also be willing to challenge you in any debate to any answer you come up with to a difficult question.

Sans: he’d probably not challenge you on answers but he will ask more questions…ok he’ll challenge your patients.

An Lastly;

Blue: an odd choice but hear this out, he may be energetic and extroverted but his zest for finding the truth even in a world of strange creatures [i.e Mothman] draws you in. Not just that he’d respect your need to be alone to ‘recharge’ he needs his partner to be ready for another Mothman hunt after all!

——

ENTJ: Oh here we go, our leaders have arrived! Yes you’re the Commander. A bold charismatic general that makes sure to guide all under you to greatness! Challenge you say? HA! My dears you love challenges big or small you overcome them with ease!

Your boys are: Blue, Boss, Nox and Papyrus. Why these four?

Blue: Challenges are nothing for this hyper sugar skull, he’ll take it on no matter the cost [even if it means his game station files begin deleted] any obstacle you throw at him he’ll greet with a smile an just love sharing that feeling with you.

Boss: Ha! There’s not challenge he can’t handle, a natural born leader wrapped in a onyx and vermillion cape. However he’d want a ‘second’ in command at his side to be sure his subordinates stay in line. You would be perfect for that.

Nox: Oh my sweet, the word ‘challenge’ doesn’t exist in his vast vocabulary because there’s nothing he can’t handle. Everything from his brother to finances he’s a master. He’s just happy that he’s got someone to help manage all the smaller details with him.

Papyrus: Boundless energy, love of anything complex, this happy go lucky angel would just adore having someone to lead the charge in anything. Weather is cleaning the entire skeleton home top to bottom or corralling all the lazy cousins [an brother] up to do a group activity outside; he would want nothing more then to share that with you!

——

ENTP: The great Debaters of the world, you love nothing more then to pit your mental wit against others. Listening to someone’s argument of the world then turning around and shredding that view to ribbons and watching the pieces fall. Nothing thrills you more then mental stimulation.

Your boys are: Papyrus, Boss, Poplar and Nox. Why these four?

Boss: Finally, someone who can keep up with him. So tired of humans with no structure in their arguments. He loves a good battle of wits, so brandish your verbal sword he wants a partner that can spar with his prowess.

Papyrus: A sweet boy by appearance but don’t let it fool you, he’ll fight tooth and nail to uphold his ideals and morals. He’d be perfect to mentally battle in a game of puzzles, chess, anything that would pit your wits against each other.

Nox: Oh my a lovely mind you have, yes he’ll love to pick your brain in all the right ways. Be it casual or complex he’ll want to test your mental capacity, how vast is your knowledge, how deep does the well go? Grab yourself a cup of well made coffee and get comfortable, your in for a wild ride.

An lastly;

Poplar: Much like Papyrus he’s not what he seems, he’ll chew your ear on every detail of the world and the two of you will be in a war of wits over the ‘heat death of the universe’ for days. You two would drop a argument but pick it up right where it left off with no problem.

—————————-

[A reminder, this is ‘my’ interpretation of match ups and each personality doesn’t adhere to its category. Date who you want in the game, this is all for fun and enjoyment! This is for @bonelyheartsclub and I hope you all enjoy it, the Diplomates group is next.]

#fanfic #undertale #bonely hearts club

[adhd-for-adhders]

Tips for Working with ADHD During Online School (or Work)!

This is really late and I don’t really know why I didn't do this earlier, but here we are! I thought I’d publish a list of tips and tricks that have helped me while doing school online - mostly long homework sessions - (and might help with online working). Even though it is the summer, some people are still working or doing summer school, so I hope this helps someone who needs it!

Get everything you’ll need or even the stuff you might need. It saves you from having to get up if you’re on a roll and breaking your streak (or maybe you find you can’t get up to get it bc ~executive dysfunction~)

If you find you don’t have something you need and it’s not pressing, wait until a pause or you’re getting up anyways, ie you’re getting up to fill your water bottle and you’re gonna need your phone charger. Take that time to go to the bathroom, get a snack, etc. I find this the best way to get around executive dysfunction because I didn’t want to get up for that one small thing earlier, but now I’m up for something else and I can kinda justify my other tasks, in a way? It’s like, I get up, and I'm like “well I'm already getting water, might as well just grab a snack and my phone charger too”

I’m terrible at prioritizing, so I try to prioritize the most obvious assignments first. You have one assignment due at 3 and another at 6? Do the 3 pm deadline first. You have a certain class that you have more missing assignments in than another? Do that homework first. If you can’t prioritize, try to think of the most logical order.

I usually do all my assignments for one class in a block because I get on a roll. Like, my brain is thinking in chemistry or whatever, so I knock out all my chem assignments at one time (this has to do with ADHD brains not being very good at jumping from task to task).

I started planning heavy hw days on google calendar. For example, I just list all the assignments I have to do and what time to do them and calendar will give me a little notification 10 and 5 minutes before a new task starts (this also helps me keep track of how time is passing because adhd brains aren’t too great at that either). Tip: give yourself much more time than you think you need—I usually give an hour unless it’s a super short assignment. Even if you’re 100% sure that you’ll finish it in under an hour, give yourself an hour and you feel a sense of accomplishment (and get a lil dopamine boost—we tend to be short on that too) because you finished something earlier than expected and you get ahead of schedule (which, if you finish before you plan on, will also give you a dopamine boost at the end).

Keep a bottle of water near you and a snack or two if you want. I need my meds to stay focused on my assignments for longer than an hour or so and it drastically improves my executive function (this is specifically for me, I don't know how meds work for everyone else). But the side effects of all three different types of meds I’ve taken have all come up/been worse when I don’t drink enough water. Also it’s just good for you. My meds kill my appetite, so I don’t need snacks, but if you get hungry, go for it.

Most of the time, I like having someone or a list giving me explicit instructions, kind of like a checklist I can check off. So even if you don’t use a calendar, I suggest putting your assignments in a numbered or bulleted list and then you can just check them off as you move down the list. It also tells me what to do next, because I’ll just do whatever I feel like doing most of the time and a list gives me direction. (Also, having one central list helps me keep everything in one place so I don’t have to go hunting through each of my class schedules for all my class assignments)

I have a little calendar chart for the week I created on google docs and there I list what assignments are due on which days of the week that I fill out on Monday. Once I fill it out, I spread out the assignments over the week (because a good 75% of them are due on Friday) so I have around 4 assignments due each day (which generally takes me from 9 or 10 to anywhere from 3 to 5. Even then I’ll usually not have enough work to spread over 5 days (because most of my teachers aren’t pure evil) so I’ll sprinkle in some of my many missing assignments in there on the lighter days. Also, it prevents me from only doing one or two assignments for a few days and then realizing that to not have any late work, I’ll have to complete 5 in one day (that’s happened before. It was extremely stressful and I didn't finish all my assignments. 0/10 do not recommend).

Take plenty of little breaks. We’ll get mentally tired from hours straight of just doing schoolwork (I’m not 100% sure if this is an adhd thing so don’t quote me on it but I’m pretty sure) so take a 15-30 minute break every few hours or assignments, maybe 20 minutes every 1.5 hours or after you finish two assignments or whatever works for you. Read a few chapters of your book, watch an episode of your favorite show, or make some food and scroll mindlessly through tumblr, whatever makes you happy. Just plan them ahead so you don’t get sucked in to doing 3, 4, 5 hours of work nonstop by setting an alarm for a specific time or putting it on your calendar.

Have a special place to do your work. I can't speak for everyone, but a lot of my motivation comes from habits, so I’ll do work (and only work) at my desk and not in my chair or bed or whatever (even though it’s way more comfortable) so when I sit down my brains like “ok it’s time to work I gotchu”

Not necessarily for working, but for zoom calls: get your favorite stim to use during those. A lot of teachers will ramble on and on and I’ve gotten so fidgety during these calls its really noticeable (aka, you can literally see me trying to crack my neck/back/fingers every five seconds) so I’ve taken to having some scissors and one of my many balls of yarn on my desk so I can start braiding or fingerknitting some yarn while my teachers ramble.

Sidenote: fingerknitting is a really great stim (for me, at least) because it requires basic, repetitive motions that don’t require me to look at my fingers. I once read like 14 (?) scenes of Shakespeare almost all in a row and I swear, I was only able to do that because of the fingerknitting. It’s super simple and you could probably find dozens of short tutorials on youtube.

I'm pretty sure this is only a mac thing, but on my computer, I have it set to announce the time on the hour, every hour and I find it helps with my complete time blindness and helps me not get sucked into doing a 1 hour project for 2 hours. Also if i'm working on a project that’s taking longer than expected and I have a zoom call at, say, 11, then the computer will break me out of my homework trance and I’ll realize what time it is (if that makes sense) and it’s prevented me from being late to a zoom many times. To get your macbook to do this, you go to the desktop —> settings —> date and time —> and then click “announce the time”, and you can choose whether you want it to announce it every hour, half an hour, or fifteen minutes.

Feel free to add your own! Happy studying/working!

#actually adhd #ADHD tips and tricks #adhd #ADHD Strategies #online learning

[ranger-jedi-knight]

A New Hero Chap 25

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20887313/chapters/66536767 Taglist: @bluesimani​

Ok, so here’s the next chap!! Just a reminder, next Wed, I have job training so after that, IDK how much time I’ll actually have to write. So ya, updates will be slower n randomer. Ok, enjoy!!

“These look great, thank you, Mari,” Lana said smiling as she looked at the suits Mari helped them make. Mari beamed at the two with a nod. “Well, I can’t let you two go out in something atrocious like the bat family's choices if I can help it. Tikki also blessed it so that it’s not easy to get throu,” Mari added with a giggle. “Go, try them on!'' The two left the living room of Lana’s apartment and changed into the gear they would be wearing as Gotham’s newest vigilantes. Lana exited her bedroom quickly and moved to stand in front of Mari to let her see how it fit. “Perfect fit,” she hummed out with a smile, glad she got the measurements right.

Lana smiled as she looked down at her suit. It consisted of a dark gray, near close to black, under armour that was sleeveless. It went up her neck mandarin style with a gold lining making a couple of ‘openings’ to show her neck. Over it was a purple, sleeveless kimono/robe-esque covering that slowly transitioned to darker and transparent purple at the end at past mid-calf. It had a hood attached and had a gold lining around the front of it that ended mid chest. On her shoulders and down was black that ended, split up in points at the end of the gold. Her shoulders were bare with the gold lining making half-circles starting at mid-upper arm and ended above her elbows. Under the gold was purple sleeves that went to her hands, held in place by a loop around her middle fingers.

Around her waist was a magenta-y colored sash that was knotted with gold wings on either side keeping it in place. On the sash were two purple and red metal fans along with a pouch in the same color. On her back were two silver escrima sticks. On both thighs, were red straps holding two deep red pouches that contained zip-ties and other things that would help her in battle. Black, heeled boots covered her feet. The heels were purple that could be taken out to show a compartment to hold sds, flash drives, and the like. They were knee high with a similar pattern to her color with gold trim. To finish it off, a red domino mask covered her eyes and her hair was pulled into a bun with a ribbon that matched the sash.

“Excellently made, as always, Angel,” Damian said, causing Mari to blush. Lana chuckled softly as she shook her head at the two in front of her.

Xan came out next and Mari nodded once more with a smile. His suit consisted of a deep gray, loose shirt that was styled like a karate gi. It’s lapel was deep blue with the collar mandarin style. The sleeves were short and big letting him move his arms more. Over it was a black cloak that stopped at his hips with a pin that had a stylized M, and a hood. Under the cloak but over the shirt was a red belt/strap that went from his shoulder to side holding pellets of knockout gas and smoke. Around his waist was a pale gold/yellow sash that held a couple of pouches holding zipties and throwing star-like items.

His shirt continued down on one side to mid-thigh, laying on top of another wrap-like item that was a deeper blue than the lining with gold lines running in arcs all over. On his right thigh was a blue pouch holding tools. Knee high combat boots covered his feet and tucked in the deep gray pants. Black gloves covered his hands, held in place by pale gold/yellow strings. Resting on his back was a red handled katana that was blunted and acted more like a staff. Covering his eyes was a red domino mask.

“Lookin good, Xan,” Lana said and Xan nodded back to her with a smile.

“That looks similar to-” Damian started but then cut off, but everyone knew what he was talking about. It was similar to the training outfits worn at the League of Shadows.

“They were a….big part of why I’m ready to fight crime. While I don’t like it, I’m more suited to fighting in this style of clothing,” he said and Damian nodded to that.

“Then make it your own.”

Xan smiled at those words and nodded. Mari beamed at the two of them and glanced outside. “Well, the sun is setting so you should be able to run around the rooftops and get used to them,” Mari suggested and the two nodded.

“What are you going to call yourselves?” Damian asked and the two shared a look.

“I’ll go by Huntress,” Lana said after a moment and the two nodded.

“Fitting.”

“I’m not sure,” Xan replied with a hum, thinking about what would fit. Lana had a smile as a gleam entered her eye.

“We’ll call you Kit until you figure out a name,” she said with a cackle, easily dodging Xan as the two started laughing as well.

“It’s something for the time being,” Mari replied between laughs and Xan looked at her betrayed.

“Come on, Kit! We’ve got to patrol!” she called out running to the balcony and jumping off it. He scowled but followed after her with a shake of his head.

“I’m not being called that!”

“Then pick a name before someone talks to us!”

Mari giggled as she transformed and followed after them herself. “You coming?” she asked and Damian soon nodded after a bit. After Mari left, he quickly changed into his Robin gear and ran after the three.

“There are some places you’ll want to avoid as they are frequented by Rogues. Not all Rogues need to be avoided, but, well,” Robin trailed off and the two nodded.

“It would be good to know anyways. Wouldn’t want to accidentally run into Two-Face or something,” Huntress said and Ladybug nodded.

“I can agree. It was not fun running into a Rogue when first starting out,” Ladybug said with a grimace.

“At least we don’t have to worry about Joker,” Kit muttered and the three nodded agreement. Screaming sounded out causing the four to stop running before turning to the sound. Hiding behind a ledge, they watched as a man entered the bank. The man was wearing a sleeveless black under armour, with a multi-colored knitted scarf, fingerless gloves, and sash. The sash had a few balls of yarn along with a couple knitting needles sticking out. On his back stuck out quite a few more knitting needles. On his feet were purple, knee-high combat boots and covering his face was a black domino mask. Strings went from his gloves to two monsters in front of him, they were knitted too. They had eerie white yarn over their mouths as if in a vain attempt to close it, but that didn’t stop the two from either smiling or frowning. Along their ‘hands’ and ‘feet’ three knitting needles stuck out along with some sticking out of their backs.

“Who is that?” Huntress muttered.

“I’m not sure. Do you want us to take care of it?” Robin asked and Huntress shook her head.

“No, we got this,” she replied standing up with Kit right behind her. “See you in a few,” giving a salute, she pulled out a grappling gun and pushed off the ledge. She shot the grapple back and swung down to the street and landed with a roll. Her right arm behind her, slipping the grappling gun back into place before grabbing an escrima from her back. Her left arm pulled a fan from her sash and flicked it open. Kit landed soon after she did and flicked his blunted katana out of its holder on his back. “New to town? Stealing from a bank isn’t the best way to make friends,” Huntress called out and the man turned startled.

“Who are you?” the man asked as his knitted creations turned to them.

“We’re the newest vigilantes to Gotham. Figured the big Bat could use some help so that he could focus on the big bads. Call me Huntress. But the better question is, who are you? And why did you think you’d succeed in Gotham of all places?” Huntress asked with a shake of her head as Kit snorted next to her.

“And him?” the man asked. Kit grumbled next to her, causing Huntress to cover her snort with a cough.

“Haven’t thought of a proper name….” he started.

“Call him Kit for the time being,” Huntress finished and the man stuck his chin up with a smirk.

“Well, you may have heard of me, they call me The Knitter!” he shouted and the two shared a look before shaking their heads.

“Never heard of ya before,” Huntress said while Kit tilted his head.

“Is ‘the’ part of your name? Or…?”

“I-” the man stopped with a confused look. “You haven’t heard of me? And yes it is!”

“Well, The Knitter, we have not heard of ya before. I doubt any Gothamite has,” Huntress said, twirling her escrima in hand.

“Prepare to be taken down,” Kit continued and The Knitter growled before throwing a hand out at them.

“Then prepare for your doom! My darling creations will knit you into an early grave!” the man shouted as the creatures then ran forward, with a swipe, knitting needles flew at them. Huntress ran forward and knocked aside the needles with her fan and gave a soft grunt as she then hit one of the creatures with her escima. Kit ran after the other one and slashed at it. The creature hit each stroke with a paw, the needles clanging against his sword each time. He jumped back with narrowed eyes before pulling out a small, black throwing knife. The handle was wrapped with a deep blue cord until the end were a hoop was, big enough for his finger to slip throu and twirl.

He threw the knife at the strings as The Knitter yelled out. As soon as the strings were cut, the creature fell to the ground lifelessly. Huntress smirked as she rushed forward and swung her fan, cutting throu the strings as well.

The Knitter yelled out when he saw his creatures fall lifelessly to the ground. He then pulled out a couple of knitting needles and ran at the two. Huntress ran forward and knocked aside the needles easily with her fans. She swung her leg in a sweeping motion, knocking him onto his back. Kit ran over pulling out zip ties and held them ready as Huntress pushed the man onto his stomach and let Kit zip tie him. “The GPD will be here soon and you will be booked,” Huntress said as she pulled The Knitter into a sitting position as the two stood to either side of the man.

The Knitter grumbled angrily next to them as they waited for the GPD. People all around them looked at them shocked, taking photos of them.

Alya soon arrived at the scene with Dick and some other officers. They paused shocked while Alya just moved forward and nodded, sending them a smile. “Thank you…?” she asked, since while she knew who they were UNDER the mask, she didn’t know the names they chose.

“Huntress,” she said and Alya nodded, looking over at Kit.

“For the time being, I’m going by Kit,” he said and Alya stifled a snort at seeing his face.

“Thank you, Huntress and Kit,” she managed with a straight face. She then took the man from them and marched him over to the cruiser.

“Come on, Kit!” Huntress called jumping up and off buildings back to the rooftops.

“You guys did well,” Robin admitted and the two shared a smile as Ladybug held a fist out for them to hit.

“Thanks. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing more of The Knitter,” Huntress said as they ran across the roofs.

“That may be true. But I have no doubt that you two will have it handled easily,” Ladybug replied with Robin nodding agreement.

“Now, let’s go see what places we should avoid!” Kit replied and the two nodded, continuing to lead them off.

Owl Blocked Again @owlforlife

LOOK AT THIS!!! NEW VIGILANTES!! And a new Rogue???? #weird #butawesome #newvigilantes #newbatfam??? *Huntress and Kit fighting the knitted creatures then another picture of them holding the man down waiting for police*

Ok, so here’s the new chap! I hope you guys enjoyed it!! If the link to their outfit doesn’t work plz tell me. But also, here’s this chaps link to Tumblr that has the outfits already: . Again, I hope you enjoy it, new chaps will be randomly updated due to many things. Until Next time!! -Love Willa<3<3<3

#fanfic #fanfic update #update #my writing #writing update #A New Hero #ANH #chap 25 #Lana Grayson #Xander Grayson #Alya Grayson #maribat #daminette #ml x dc #vigilante reveal #idk what else to tag

[yankyo]

Can we please have some comfort for all that hurt? ;u;

Yes! Yes, you may!

Accident - Part 2

Warnings: Mention of abuse, blood 

   Chamie was acting weird, it wasn’t that he was trying to help, no that wasn’t it, but you could see an odd look on Beetlejuice’s face as the clone was being lectured and Chamie seemed to droop even lower as he looked at the charred remains of his attempt at cooking. And then as the mess in the kitchen was being situated, Chamie was found in the living room attempting to vacuum. It was an honest attempt and you were flattered again that he was trying to help, but you couldn’t help but grimace at the state of it. You certainly didn’t have the money to replace it this month, not when your rent was due and feeding so many new mouths left you a little strapped for cash. Speaking of, you were already running a little too late for work this morning, so even though you wanted to stay and take care of the situation, you had to rush to get ready and run out of the door yelling goodbyes as you went - Chamie wasn’t anywhere to be found and as much as you wanted to assure him that you weren’t upset and make sure he got his goodbye kiss, you resolved to make it up to him when you got home.

   Work was long and boring, a day of dealing with frustrating customers and pasting a smile on your face as you pretended to be listening to them ramble about whatever coupon they were so certain should be working and just how rude the other cashier had been to them last time - you were pretty certain it had been you, but then again, you really didn’t care. No, you were too busy thinking about Chamie’s sad face as he looked at his feet, just taking the lecture without even attempting to fight back. It hadn’t been the first time, but you hadn’t really noticed it before. No matter who it was, once someone started to yell at Chameleon, he seemed to almost shut down, his shoulders hunching and his ears drooping as he just let them take out their anger on him. The only time you had ever seen Chamie fighting back was during the little mock fights he had with the others during game night and even then, it wasn’t really shouting. Despite all the time you had spent with them, how was this the first time you really noticed this? Was there other ticks you had overlooked? Other little signs things weren’t entirely alright with the group of demons you loved so dearly? The thought made your heart ache and it was all you could do to just stay at work and not rush back home to your lovers.

   After what seemed like an eternity, you were finally off the clock and rushing back to your car with a new ball of yarn to replace the one Chamie had messed up this morning. You would sit him down and have a talk about this morning and make sure everything was alright with him, and definitely smother the cute clone with kisses and make sure he knew just how much you really appreciated him, how you appreciated all of them. Your plans for the night were optimistic, but as you pulled up to your home and stepped out of your car, you could hear shouting from the driveway. A chill went through your veins, unsure of what was happening but from the yelling, you could be certain it wasn’t anything good.

   “My books! Why would you even mess with them?”

   “We’re going to have to clean up your mess again!”

   “The kitchen is covered in bubbles, you idiot! What did you do?”

   “What is going on?” You cut in, tossing your bags to the side as you pushed through the gathering of demons to find what they were swarming around and the sight just broke your heart. Chamie was curled into a ball, his arms locked around himself and his grip on his arms so tight you could see blood beginning to stain his sleeves. His hair was a swirling mess of purple and blue with a flash of grey that made you want to cry. “Get back from him, give him some space!” The clones blinked at you, looking down to their comrade as if just realizing how bad the situation had gotten, giving you space to lean in and try to pet Chamie’s hair to get his attention. As you moved closer, the clone raised his head, his eyes glazed and sightless before fear filled them and he stuck out as if trying to fight off his aggressor. You couldn’t help the pained yelp, falling back as you instinctively grabbed the wound, blood welling up through your clenched fingers. Yellow flashed through Chamie’s hair as his eyes seemed to clear before bleeding back to blue, to purple to a dark color you had never seen any of them wear before: black. He gaped at you, looked to his own hand as if it were a separate entity entirely before he reached out for you once more, looking so sorry you thought he would burst into tears right then and there, but before he could touch you the other clones swarmed around you both. Chamie was shoved back as you were dragged into someone’s arms, more shouting and hissing at the cowering clone before Chamie bolted away, half running on all fours as he fled deeper into the house.

   The clones clamoured around you, half dragging you into the bathroom to rinse out the bleeding wound on your arm. Ren took charge of the situation, calling for Bee to get the medical kit for him as he gingerly checked out your wound, sighing in relief after a moment.

   “Thank goodness, you won’t need to get stitches.”

   “What happened today, why was everyone yelling at Chamie?” You couldn’t care less about your injury, no, you needed to know what had lead to Chamie lashing out like that. You knew he hadn’t been attacking you, but something else, something he was clearly terrified of. Chamie would never have hurt you, none of them would, you knew that. The question made Ren wince, as if ashamed of his actions now that he had calmed down but instead of answering, he instead busied himself with tending to your injury,

   “Chamie half destroyed the house,” Jazz, on the other hand, didn’t hold back. “The kitchen is filled with bubbles, he fucked with the washer and dryer, pretty sure half of your clothing is ruined, and he messed with our shit.”

   “He put up the puzzle I’ve been working on all this time.” Jay was pouting in the corner, but you could see a guilty light shining in his eyes. “But all of us jumping on him like that wasn’t right. He doesn’t do well with shouting...” the clones all fell silent, a chill going through them all that stopped you from pressing any further. It wasn’t until Ren finished wrapping your arm and Beetlejuice stepped through the group around you to inspect the job that the silence was broken.

   “I should really clean up the mess...” Ren started shepherding the others out the door, “Someone needs to go find where Chamie holed himself up in.”

   “I’ll find Chamie.” There was no room for negotiation in your tone and the clones didn’t seem surprised, though Beetlejuice didn’t move from his place in front of you.

   “When he gets like this, it won’t be easy to get through to him.” It was phrased like a warning, but Beetlejuice looked resigned, as if this were something that he had tried to fix but knew that he couldn’t. “He might lash out at you again, and next time he might not recognize you in time.”

   “I’ll be alright.” Even if he did lash out, you weren’t scared. Chamie needed someone to reach out to him with kindness, needed to know that you weren’t angry at him. “Ren, can you handle the laundry? Bee and Wasp, clean up the mess in the kitchen, Jazz, Cici, and Jay can put their things back in order how they like it.” The clones nodded and Beej stepped back finally, closing his eyes and focusing for a moment.

   “He’s holed up somewhere cramped and dark. Pretty musty.” You thought to where in the house Chamie would feel the safest and your heart sank with the answer.

   “I’ll be back.” You kissed Beej on the cheek, giving him a reassuring smile before you headed up to the attic. Your attic was tiny, more of an extra storage space than anything, but a person could fit up there if they stooped, and Chamie could definitely curl into a tight enough ball to cram himself into even the smallest space. Your fears were confirmed at the sight of a trembling black and white ball stuffed up against the wall, black and white hair swirling violently. “Chamie? Baby, it's me.” As you crawled in closer, you could hear the muffled crying grow louder in response to you. “Chamie, it’s ok, I promise.”

   “No it isn’t!” Came the responding wail, anguish clear in his tone. “I hurt you! I ruined everything! You hate me!” You could hear his bones creak in protest as he curled in tighter on himself, even his flexibility was being pushed to its limits.

   “I don’t hate you, look, I’m all patched up, you didn’t ruin anything. The mess is already being cleaned up and everything.” Instead of trying to touch him again you settled down with him. “I could never hate you.” Despite your words, he continued to cry, heart wrenching, body shaking wails that made you want to gather him up in your arms and never let go. Between his sobs, he spoke, the words almost unintelligible, but you strained to understand him,

   “Monster..... useless... ruins everything.... she was right....” The last part caught your attention,

   “Can I touch you?” You asked, the ball jolted, but he didn’t respond, so you laid a gentle hand on his back, slowly rubbing back and forth. Though he didn’t relax in the slightest, Chamie shuffled closer to you, his head almost in your lap now. “Is....” You paused, almost afraid to ask this question for fear of hurting Chamie more than he already was. “Is that what Juno told you?” His trembling worsened, but he raised his head slightly to place fully into your lap.

   “She... Juno... She didn’t really like any of us, but...” His shuddered, his eyes tightly shut. “She hated me. I... I wasn’t supposed to exist, I was wrong. Demons aren’t supposed to feel and making something like me was just another sign that Boss wasn’t what she wanted him to be. When she was angry at boss she would make him bring me out and she would...” He trailed off with another shudder, his hand reaching behind himself to touch the small of his back, a sign you had seen once before but hadn’t asked what it meant. Slowly, watching him to make sure he was ok, you reached out to tug up the edge of his shirt over his back, your heart breaking at the sight. Each clone had their own scars, Beetlejuice as well, but this was bad. There was a gnarled, nasty looking scar from countless injuries as if someone had slammed something into his back countless times over the years, and it wasn’t just in one place either.

   “Oh Chamie,” you pulled him in closer and despite his shaking, Chamie let himself be pulled into a hug that he returned after a moment. The demon clung to you tightly, laying his head on your shoulder as he continued to cry. "I'm going to kill her. I'm going to find whatever sandworm ate her, drag her pieces from its belly to out her back together, figure out how to resurrect a dead demon lady and then I'm going to throttle her to death." Murderous anger was a feeling you never thought you could feel, but ever since you had heard of Juno and what she had done to your demons, you didn't doubt that you could have ripped that bitch apart with your bare hands if she were to stand before you. "Chamie, listen, Juno is nothing more than a bitter old bitch who liked nothing more than to make other people miserable because she had nothing better to do with her life. She was wrong about Beetlejuice and she's wrong about you." He raised his head slightly, but wasn't meeting your eyes so you continued on. "You're such a good boy that cares so deeply for everyone around him, and I'm so happy to have you in my life. You knew that I was going to do laundry today and tried to get it done for me, you knew today I had to clean up and brought out the vacuum, even if you messed up a bit you still tried and I'm so proud of you for that. I'll show you how to work everything next time and you'll do an amazing job because you're so smart and attentive that it just blows my mind that you're with me." Watery eyes finally met yours, a streak of green cutting through his hair.

"Really?" He asked weakly, you couldn't help it, you cupped his cheeks and kissed him softly.

"Really." Another tear escaped him, but a small, wobbly smile curled at his lips.

"I don't think you could pull body parts out of a sandworm. That'd take a really long, really strong fishing pole."

"Hell, I'll tie a rope around my waist and dive headfirst if I gotta." He laughed now, hugging you tighter.

"No! Sandworm spit is so gross! It smells and clings to you like a jelly!" He stuck his tongue out at the thought, making a disgusted sound.

“I’ve gotta do what I gotta do to defend my baby boy.” This time he kissed you, his cheeks still wet with tears but a laugh still at his lips.

“Thank you.” He murmured. “But I prefer my babes sandworm spit free.” He pulled you into his lap now, his arms wrapped around you and his head on your shoulder, much like how he would cling to his stuffed animals at night. “Babes?” He paused, swallowing hard as he seemed to be trying to gather the words he needed. “I love you.” Your heart skipped a beat, tears gathering in your eyes now too.

“I love you too, Chamie.”

#clone wars #Chamie #yan writes #Beetlejuice #beetlejuice musical #beetlejuice x reader

[a-wanderin-whirlybird]

Sole Ender AU Its the Little Things

It's the little things that made Ryan feel safe with the Fakes. Like how Gavin and Michael always walk on his right side, never his left, so he can always see them. It's how Geoff makes sure that any Heists outdoors are occurring when it doesnt rain. It's how Jack always has an extra umbrella or Eye Patch for him. How Jeremy and Lindsay make sure to never make direct eye contact. Jeremy looks at his mouth, Lindsay watches anywhere and everywhere else.

Those little things always made Ryan feel welcome. Even after they found out about the experiments, the Lab, the Eye. But still, something felt missing, Ryan could never put his finger on it. But he felt, lost still. He didnt realize the Emptiness was caused by something so simple until one night while playing Trivial Pursuit.

"Authors last names? Fuck that! Every last bastard whose ever written a book has a weird ass last name! They could be Hilda Sasquatch or some shit!" Jeremy shouted. Jack laughed and Gavin snorted.

"Jeremy, you wrote a book." Michael reminded him.

"Well Dooley is a funny last name!" Gavin pointed out as Jeremy growled and slapped the Brit on the back of his head.

"Yeah, like Free is any better!" Jack was losing it in the background as the Lads began to bicker and wrestle. Ryan's nose scrunched as his chest tightened and the empty feeling began again.

"What's with the face Rye?" Geoff asked breaking Ryan's stare. His left eye was covered with a glittering purple and blue eye patch Gavin had made out of his Sparkles. It was a fine gift, one that Ryan treasured.

"Its, it's nothing really." Ryan insisted a bit hesitantly. Geoff shook his head.

"Suuuuuurrrre, it's really nothing." Geoff drawled sarcastically. Ryan rolled his eye.

"Your like a security camera." Ryan muttered. "You keep digging and digging."

"Yeah that's not weird at all." Geoff sighed. "But fine, I'll stop. Just remember you Can talk to us."

"I... I know Geoff." Ryan muttered as the fight before them settled. "Just. Not now?"

Geoff nodded and they all turned back to the game. Ryan hoped that he could bury that empty feeling and never touch it again.

It was just a Last Name after all.

Turns out Ryan couldnt avoid the feeling for long. It was another game night a few weeks later. Jack and Geoff were out with Gavin, so Michael, Jeremy and Lindsay insisted Ryan joined them for Mario Party.

"Right so what's got you so fucked?" Michael asked never looking away from the mini game on the screen.

"Oh elegantly put Jones." Jeremy teased. Michael knocked into Jeremy who went tumbling away and Ryan felt the hole in his chest open again.

"I dont know what you mean." Ryan said as Lindsay pressed into him.

"Bullshit you keep wincing at random! Your eye bugging you?" Lindsay asked this time. Ryan shook his head, he felt stupid he just wanted these people to stop caring so much!

"We arent going to stop caring dipshit that isnt how this works." Jeremy said. Great, Ryan thought, he said that out loud.

"Yeah! We're a crew and shit we ain't gonna not care! Somethings bugging you and we want to help!" Lindsay declared throwing her arms around Ryan and pulling him into a hug.

Ryan tensed then mumbled.

"Sorry what was that?" Michael smirked. "Cant hear you through Lindsay dude."

"I dont have a fucking last name alright? It's a small stupid thing but it drives me nuts! I feel even less human!" Ryan shouted, pushing away from Lindsay. Michael and Lindsay began to laugh.

"Dude chill. It's just a name it doesnt mean shit!" Michael wheezed.

"Yeah dude. No need to get your panties in a twist over it." Lindsay added. Ryan growled and silently rose to his feet.

"Ryan?" Jeremy started but with a Vwoop, Ryan teleported away leaving the three others behind. In a cloud of dull sparkles.

Ryan could teleport pretty far. The farthest he ever went in one go was 20 miles. But now he didnt want to go far, just hide. And what better place to hide than one of the safe houses?

It was a small apartment closer to the suburbs of Los Santos, it was nice, if small. It was usually reserved for when someone was on a solo mission and needed to lie low, which meant that Ryan was there most. So he got to decorate.

Back at the Labs he never got to make any space his own. Everything was sterile and empty. He hated to remember the open space and clean white walls and the smell of bleach and chemicals.

Which was why this space was filled with stuff. Sure it was tidy, nothing was rotten or moldy, but Ryan used every space available. If the floor didnt have a rug there was a table or chair. If the tables didn't have Flowers, TVs, knickknacks or something on it there was usually a cup of Diet Coke. It was filled to the brim with bright plants, paintings, photos you name it.

Ryan plopped down on the couch feeling stupid. Why was he so hung up on a name? He had given himself the name Ryan sure, why not a last name?

Ryan knew why, and as that thought rose up he pushed it away. He didnt want any memories of the Labs in his head right now. Now he wanted to just sleep, he wanted to feel less... less stupid and childish.

So Ryan went off to the bedroom and buried himself deep under the covers, like he used to, and blocked out the rest of the world.

Ryan was 13 again and he sat on his cot, swinging his legs absently.

"Why dont I get one?" He heard himself ask. "Why am I only a number?"

"Names are given by family to people. You have no family and you are no longer human. You are far better than that." One of the blurred figures said. The second scoffed.

"Better? It cant even run the most basic excersise without failing ten times. Its isnt anything but a waste." Ryan couldnhear the sneer in the figure's voice as pain shot through every nerve on his body. "Failure doesnt get you a name of any kind. You are a tool, and a broken one at that. Dont forget that."

Ryan woke up with a start. Turning to the clock Ryan cursed. 3 am. He wasnt going back to sleep. Again.

Getting to his feet Ryan didnt bother to change into fresh clothes. He had slept in his jeans why not just use them again? But he grabbed a jacket and went out into the night.

Mount Chilliad loomed in the distance as Ryan walked the dark streets of Los Santos. He could have teleported where he wanted to go, or even driven. But he didnt want to. Walking felt better, it gave agency, he decided where his feet went, no one else.

"Oh Thank Fuck! I've been looking everywhere for you!" Ryan jumped, ready to fight and run from the handlers. When recognition snapped his mind from bad memories.

Standing before him was Jeremy, holding a tiny wiggling bundle of fur. A cat from what Ryan could tell. Jeremy smiled nervously, but relief was evident in the smaller man's eyes.

"Look, uh. Fuck I suck at this shit. Let's go inside yeah? We are near a place I own. Come on." Jeremy ushered Ryan towards a nearby apartment building. Ryan followed wordlessly, but obediently. At the door Jeremy hopped around a little.

"Keys, keys. Uh Hey Rye mind.holding him for a sec?" Jeremy then thrust the cat into Ryan's hands who finally got a good look at the little fur ball.

They were a tiny black kitten, fuzzy and wiggling furiously. What stood out the most was that it was missing a front leg.

The door clicked as.Ryan made eye contact with the little kitten. His chest tightened and his mind whirled as he looked into the kittens little eyes. Then it looked at Ryan's jacket and started burrowing into one of the interior pockets. Ryan felt a purr resonating out of the tiny cat from in his jacket and through his ribs. His chest began to unclench and suddenly he was.aware he was inside a studio apartment.

There were art supplies everywhere. Everything from Yarn and Knitting needles, to paints and canvases to wood sculptures, and musical instruments were strewn about. Jeremy hopped around the room over to a ragged old bed, kicking off his shoes as he went.

"Well, make yourself at home. Dont mind the mess things just get thrown around alot." Jeremy said sheepishly. Ryan picked his way through the room, his eye moving around and soaking up all the little pieces. The space felt lived in not just visited like the safe houses.

"Is this a safe house?" Ryan asked as he sat down on the bed. Jeremy shook his head.

"Nah. It's my apartment. Before I joined the Fakes I lived here. Still try to come back, sometimes you just need your own place you know?" Jeremy explained. There was a tense silence for a few minutes then Jeremy spoke.

"Michael and Lindsay were being a bitch." Ryan tensed ready to run. "No please just, hear me out?"

Ryan froze, suddenly aware he had gotten up to leave. Jeremy had his arm, and the Kitten purred even louder than before. Ryan sank back onto the bed.

"Look. I dont know what your life was like before you joined us but it obviously wasnt even a little bit good. Actually it sounds like it was fucking awful." Ryan laughed dryly.

"That's putting it lightly."

"Yeah no shit. But it's not stupid to feel shit." A pause. " If not having a Last name bugs you why dont you give yourself one?"

"Its not..."

"Not that simple yeah?" Jeremy finished Ryan nodded as the kitten crawled out on Ryan's lap.

"Alright, well. Do you think you can tell me why?" Jeremy asked. Ryan thought, eye down on the kitten as the little guy curled up on his lap without a care.

"Its not the same. It belongs to a family. I cant be a family of one." Ryan insisted and Jeremy shook his head.

"Ok two things. One. Thats a load of horseshit and who ever told you that was dumb as fuck. And two. There is more to it isnt there?" Ryan stayed silent. Running his fingers through the Kitten's fur. Jeremy began to whisper. "You're human, Rye. Just cause someone says you arent doesnt make it true. I know that one."

Ryan froze he didnt expect anyone to pick up on that. The whole Not human but was always somewhere in the back of his mind, eating at him. Jeremy wrapped himself around Ryan hugging him tightly. Ryan shook as he melted into the other man's touch, a few tears spilling out.

"You know. My family abandoned me when I was a teenager. Said I was a monster just cause I kissed both guys and girls. Not exactly dubious experiments but it is dehumanizing all the same. I kept my last name though. I did it as a big old fuck you to them. They died during one of the Fake's heists. Got to watch then burn myself. But the name never connected me to them, a name connects you to who ever you want it to." Jeremy was quiet as he spoke, his voice against Ryan's skin as he pressed into Ryan's neck.

Something was bubbling in his brain, but Ryan had no idea what it was. And right now was not the time to figure that out.

A small Meow pulled the two away from one another. The little kitten was trying to climb up Ryan's jacket between the two. As it scrambled up Jeremy laughed, and Ryan felt a chuckle escape his throat. The kitten then flung itself over Ryan's shoulder, it's one front paw kneading his shoulder blade and purring up a storm.

"I forgot this little guy was here." Jeremy said through a laugh. A pause, then Jeremy smiled softly. "Ya know, I was going to take him to the shelter. Geoff won't let me keep any animals. But I think you should take him."

"You just said-" Ryan began but Jeremy shook his head.

"I'm not allowed any animals. Geoff never said anything about you keeping a pet. And hey! Now you have another family member! You can give him a first name and a Last name of your choice!" Jeremy beamed at Ryan who smiled a little.

The sun rose as the Battle Buddies walked into the penthouse. The morning news was filling the living room, telling the story of several Petstores that had been robbed of supplies in the night.

"And what a coincidence, you both have Pet stuff." Geoff hissed as he sucked back more.coffee.

"Yeah well, Ryan's got a cat now so you gotta have toys and a litterbox to you know?" Jeremy said as he dropped a giant bag of cat food next to the kitchen Island.

"I thought I said no pets!" Geoff shouted, his voice cracking.

"Yeah but only for Jeremy." Ryan pointed out. "Abd Finnieas isnt a pet. He's family."

Geoff paused, Ryan knew the gears were turning. Geoff groaned.

"Ugh! Fine! You can keep the damn cat!" Geoff hissed. "And Finnieas? The hell kind of name is that?"

"Ih his full name is Finnieas Gavallo Haywood thank you." Ryan insisted with an air of dramatics. Jeremy giggled and kept in front of Ryan who held the kitten before him.

"A poud name Haywood! Ancient and divine! Dating all the way back to 4 hours ago!" Jeremy exclaimed. Geoff laughed.

"Alright you dolts get a move on. I'm going to text Jack and let them know you two caused the morning rukus." Geoff said. Jeremy took off down towards Ryan's room, a bag of cat toys in hand. As Ryan went to follow, Geoff got up off the couch. He placed a hand on Ryan's shoulder and gave a lop sided smile.

"Haywood's a good name. You know. I picked Ramsey myself when I built this crew. Jack took Patillo at that time to." Geoff then walked away, pulling out his cellphone and typing.

Finnieas purred as Ryan took in the unspoken message.

A name may seem like a Little Thing, but it holds importance all the same. And sometimes you need to give yourself those Little Things to heal.

#Sole Ender AU #Ender!Vagabond #A kitten has joined the party #Ryan Haywood #yes he named himself #FAHC

[sundrenched-smilez]

What sort of world do Strumm and Shiver live in? What race (species?) are they? Do they have magic? Are they native to the world/city/plane they live on? I assume they know each other or are related to each other, if they're new at the same time -- how do they know each other?

What sort of world do Strumm and Shiver live in? 

i want to make this a world where recovery is encouraged. it’s a magical and powerful place, and so many people can do all of these extraordinary things, so why can’t we bring them up when they’re trying to function, to get better? they deserve that chance, and we should give it to them. this is an affectionate world, that teaches love and mercy. it can still have it’s cruel moments, and we’ll explore that thru strumm, but only after the matter, while they’re recovering, and trying to move past what happened. which is why i’m calling it “a delicate tale of recovery” bc i think that these things require a lot of attention, and care. it certainly isn’t an easy road to getting better, but thru the brambles and briers, there is a path, and u can make it thru. 

aside from that, magic is everywhere, it’s a near-constant, and it’s beautiful. people make elaborate shops that r so custom-designed that u recognize them as much as u would a person. no two shops r the same!! like magic, they have their own spin on them. it’s something i’m excited to explore as i flesh out this world. :~))

What race (species?) are they? 

i’m not sure on this yet tbh!! not human, and i think there’s multiple, but that’s something i’ll have to explore. I think that bodies can be shaped depending on what kind of magic they manifest, if it’s powerful enough. there are probably examples of metal Base witches that r made out of metal, in part, or entirely. or by choice!! you embody your magic, and reap what u sow!! there are some ppl who can change parts of their bodies at will, and some that are completely embodying their magic, like plant ppl, or those who have rough earth-skin, and can change the material. this isn’t for sure yet, but is a possibility. maybe corruption from magic is a thing!! we’ll have to see where the story goes :~)) it’s mostly going to focus on recovery as a main theme. i have the first few panels thought out, and then i’m going to play it a bit by ear until i get some time w the characters to hear what they need to go thru, u kno!!

Do they have magic? 

they do!! they have rly diff magic from each other, and i think everyone does, really; some ppl get water manipulation, others can make clay sculptures from mud, and marble from ordinary stone. i like to imagine there’s as many magics as there r ppl. some correlate, but it’s more common that two people will have differing magics than the same, and ofc, even if u get two with the same power, they’ve had different upbringings, so they’ll have different styles and flavor to them. someone who can summon and wield water could use it like a whip, while someone with the same power might summon water-constructs shaped like animals to attack. it’s all about training, and how creative they can get with it!! the more imagination u have, the stronger u are as a witch. witches can have more than one magic, but typically they’re born with one, and then train others under witches’ wings. (sometimes literally)

strumm’s base magic is creation. at its root, their magic can b used to create anything they can imagine. it’s really powerful, but has its setbacks. it takes a lot of focus, and concentration to make something complex. they don’t need to know exactly how things work to make them, but it goes a long way. I think people have a Base, and then their Spin on it. strumm’s Spin is mainly life, but also dreams. their ability to create is typically used to make their thoughts and dreams come to life; whether this be storms coming out of nowhere, candles popping up into existence, or giving ordinary things life. I think they made one of their blankets into a cat, and it eats yarn when it’s getting a little rough for wear to patch itself up. they made a bear for their friend joyce (who i’ll also talk about) that dispenses cough/cold medicine. it also works for situations, sometimes, and they can gently push fate into play. they were thinking of a song all day, and then heard it on the radio; or miss a person, and a few hours later, they run into them/get a message. little things like that. it’s an unreliable way of forecasting, and is a result of their imagination being pretty active. they can’t control it, and honestly they shouldn’t even be able to do these things with creation as their base, but it’s such a strong spin that they can. they can’t super control it yet tho, so it’s more of a subconscious thing when forecasting happens. 

shiver’s base is food control, and her spin is sweets, usually. she can cook really well, and hasn’t ever burnt anything, nor had it undercooked. if she wants to, she can create some foods, but the process can toy with her emotions, depending on what food. so, as a result, she usually sticks to chocolate, and desserts, bc they’re sweet, and that’s something she can live with being. she’s got thermal manipulation over any food she chooses, and can also dictate its form. so she could make a chocolate bar into a cup of hot cocoa if she wanted, and she usually does, bc it’s less work than dispensing it. she’s rly upbeat, comforting, and warm, and a bit of a mess. sometimes she withdraws for a few days to focus on her, and her friends r understanding of this. in dealing w others’ emotions, she tires herself out. she can move food around by concentrating on it, as a form of telekinesis. her favorite to move around is drinks!! they’re a lot of fun, and it’s good practice on maintaining diff forms w/o having to worry abt botching things up. 

joyce!!!! i’ve not thought abt her a lot yet, aside from a few traits, and appeance. they’re like the mom friend, and relentless abt teasing and “calling out” their friends, and joking. if anyone even hints toward being uncomf, she’ll stop immediately, tho. i think they use she/they bc i can’t decide on one. their base is weaponry, and their spin is stained glass and metals. there are many magics that can aid in fighting, and some witches will spar with each other regularly to hone their skills, and compete. joyce loves this. they can make any weapon they think of out of glass or metal, or a mix of the two. her favorite to use is stained glass, bc it’s pretty, and bc it’s a glass cannon!! it’s sharp as hell, and powerful, but breaks in one hit, but since they have manipulation of it, they can just reform it into a different weapon if they want!! the only requisite is that (for now) she has to be holding some of the original piece. so she’s got a pair of earrings that they never take off!! :~)) same goes for metal, but that’s a lot easier not to shatter. but just in case, they have some piercings from a big pole of stainless steel. they’re able to use other materials, but they’re rly protective, and choose to focus on these two. they could make a sword, and once it hits someone else’s weapon/construct, etc., change it into a ball and chain, and trap them. their fighting style is really fluid, as a result. they’re also vry strong bc they metalwork, and like the physical toll of it, and being a bit sore after a job well done, and it helps them wield heavier weapons.  

Are they native to the world/city/plane they live on?

i think there r different worlds, bc that’s so fun, and how could i not do smth space related,, it’s me. joyce is from another planet, pyrrh (like peerh), shiver and strumm live in the same town, but strumm is from a neighboring one. they don’t have guardians, so they take care of themselves. (houses dont cost money!!! in this world!! bc fuck that. there’s just an application process, and it’s all formality, like ok yeah, u want this house?? sure, sure, just dont break it, and also mail us smth once u get settled in ok to make sure ur livin there, so we dont repurpose it or anything) i’ll explore how they travel thru diff worlds at some point!! but atm i’m gonna have 2 think on it.

they all live on the same plane!! one where they can harness the inherent magic of existence to fit their own expressions, their own worlds. there r multiple planes, tho 

I assume they know each other or are related to each other, if they’re new at the same time – how do they know each other?

strumm met joye one rainy afternoon, as they were coming home from grocery shopping, and kept wishing they would get a ride from someone, and joyce, being the sweetheart that they r, had to save this poor thing from being soaked further than they were. strumm was trusting enough to get in their car, and joyce hasn’t left them alone since. gave them their number, name, and a charm to keep them safe, and went “this person is under my protection now, they’re entirely too kind, and i want to see them grow.” n they hit it off and became fast friends. every tuesday, they get coffee, and sometimes hold hands. there’s probably going to b a relationship between them?? but also, platonic handholding is important, and joyce does this with all her friends. joyce loves physical affection, and is a big (very buff) softie, n is expressive abt her feelings.

shiver and strumm r childhood friends!! they met in a park, and napped together when they were 5-6, and started hanging out and showing each other their magic, and bonded over being able to create things!! i think base magic manifests at a very early age, and is developed over the course of several years, and never rly stops growing. they like to eat blue foods together, and will bake all the time, it’s fun!! shiver has blue hair, and grey eyes like rain, and the warmest smile you’ll see. they’re pretty cold all the time, and love curling up under blankets, and will tend to cling to ppl if she’s comf w u. also affectionate, a bit quiet at first, but once she knows u, she’ll go on n on abt life w u, and talk til she’s blue

shiver and joyce met each other thru strumm!! they’re friends, and will talk every so often, but hang out less than they each do w strumm, but they’re getting there!! they’ve had a few sleepovers, n r comf enough to sleep all over each other, n cuddle and watch movies!! im making this a vry affectionate world bc i don’t see enough of it, and i’m going 2 make it more prevalent!!!! joyce made a ceramic mug for shiver as a witching day present once, and it gets a lot of use, it’s shiver’s fav thing that they own. 

witching day is a holiday where u use ur abilities to make gifts for ur loved ones, n spend time w them!! there’s also competitions for fun, and matches that u can fight in, and it’s like a big fair, and everyone gets a paid weekend off. 

this was incredibly helpful in shaping the world a bit, thank u for asking!!! i super appreciate it!! lmk if u have any followups 

#dtor #cassette tapes #strumm #joyce #shiver

[sesl2020]

The Details: are they God’s or the Devil’s?

I don’t care; I just love them.

Pick Stitching

Suit Linings

Interior Pockets

Flat Piping

Contrast Collars

and OMG the feel of the fabric.

In 2007 while working at Harry Rosen as Visual Coordinator for Alberta, the new spring season of Etro arrived. I almost cried. The jackets were so beautiful. Colourful mix-matched tweeds, luscious paisley satin linings and contrast lapels to die for. The guys thought I was crazy and not for the first time. (I had recently lost almost 100 lbs with Jenny Craig and was not quite sane) But…

Please excuse me while I rip off my shirt. I’m having a Chinook. This talk of menswear is making me hot. Yes ZZTop, there really is nothing sexier than a well-dressed man. Not necessarily expensive, just well. In the late 70’s/ early 80’s young men made a point of being grubby. Not even cool, like grunge, just grubby and unkempt with the absence of style. It was supposed to be Macho. Or Poetic. Hmmmm. Yes, this is the way I tell a story. Bare with me. He-Heh.

…But, the fresh new offerings reaffirmed my love of all aspects menswear. Back in the day, the mid 80’s, I remember the guys at Jack Fraser Menswear in Winnipeg where I was the Regional Display person (or Displaced Person as the called me)  teasing me at my excitement over a new box of ties. Not just any ties. New Bosa silk paisley ties. Yes, it’s supposed to sound like Boss. I got so sick of polyester neats and stripes. It was like Christmas when something new came in to go with all the pink dress shirts. Oh the 80’s.

And then again yesterday evening…. André, my hunnybunny, had gotten paid in Brooks Brothers Gift Cards. $1800 worth. Go figure. Very sadly, during the apocalypse our local Brooks Brothers closed their doors and, as far as we know, permanently.  So, unable to order online in Canadian Dollars, as usual I ended up calling them in the States where they manually entered my order and Gift Cards. Very Helpful, Thanks Michael!

Less than a week later and after paying $150 in taxes and duty Fed Ex delivered an oddly small box containing 5 pairs of dress pants, a windowpane suit jacket, and a $100 belt.  I says to André: ‘why did you order another black belt?’ He says: ‘I’ve never owned a $100 belt before.’ Fair Enough.

Eeek! forgot to do my 500 steps this hour. Back in 3.

Pant! Pant!

As he modeled them, he has a very cute butt and he knows how to strut, I was carefully taking all the tags and labels off, the feel of the fabric and the precision of the stitching brought me back to my happiest career hours picking out coordinates for the windows and dressing bust forms.  One of my weirder skills is being able to unpackage a dress shirt with all its itty bits put neatly in the shirt bag with my eyes closed in less than 5 seconds. If only there were Retail Olympics…

Anyhoo, it was the Grey Windowpane Jacket that really made me smile. The contrast red felt collar lining, the one red threaded button, the red flat piping along the interior lining and pocket. It even has a strip of lining to hold the double vents from flapping. Classic design well-executed is Nirvana. And makes me drool. 

But, don’t forget to undo the Vent stitching. It makes you look…..inexperienced.

Subtlety and Restraint are two excellent ways to describe menswear in general. Well, British and North American menswear. The Europeans are much more outgoing. As I possess neither subtlety nor restraint these are things I admire and covet. Nothing makes me happier than a faint blue, red, or bronze stripe hidden in charcoal flannel. Pick it out with a blue or oxblood tie, cognac shoes and belt and it’s sublime. Step back (5 foot rule) to see if it works. If the suit is striped add a plaid Windsor Collar shirt or if it’s plaid add a yarn-dye stripe. And a pocket square if you’re feeling impish. 

Ah the fabrics, and the ties, and the patterns and styles all with their unique lingo. Mmmm Lingo. 

Whisper with me:

Bespoke

Epaulet

Haberdashery

Collar Roll

Sartorial

Pinstripe

Sprezzatura…..

Definitely the Devil.

I’ve bought a lot of menswear over the years. For myself. My former partner would have nothing to do with anything that wasn’t an old dirty fedora and a dusty ripped trenchcoat. God, he sounds like a Flasher.  It was kind of the same thing as buying myself a present on Father Day because on Mother’s Day even after 3 children I still heard ‘you’re not my mother’. Not that I’m bitter. I gave the man Twins. What more can I do.

Having never been petite of stature or nature, sometimes menswear was my only option. 5’8, size 11 feet, and superbly curved I did not fit the skinny, big haired lollipop girl ideal of the times. Not only did they not offer any kind of fashion in a size 14-16, but all the pants were too short and all the sleeves were ¾. Ok, I had to take in all the waists in men’s stuff, but, as if being one of the only women working in menswear wasn’t enough, wearing it was my own personal rebellion against the female stereotype. That, and I loved the Jackets. Shoulder Pads reigned supreme at that time and they who had the shoulder pads had the power.

And, in any case, it was suicide to wear anything sexy or revealing. Sexual Harassment was rampant. And expected. And a man’s right. I almost stabbed a store manager to death with my wire cutters one day when he grabbed my ass and I automatically back handed him. Any job you applied for you had to have a professional answer ready for ‘How badly do you want this job?’ The things that were said to me on a daily basis even from my bosses would make your hair curl.

‘Do you know what would look good on you? Me.’

I remember a guy at the St. Vital store that kept trying to get me to go to his place for a quicky at lunch. One day I got so tired of it that I finally grabbed my tape measure and told him to whip it out ‘cause I wasn’t going to waste my time for less than 9”. He declined. And left me alone from then on. 

I digress, it’s so nice to be older and wiser and not care about being taken seriously. And people go to jail now for being…. impolite. I dress like a sexy bamf on a daily basis, embrace my curves and still have more balls than most men I’ve known. And I still love menswear.

Omg! Chinooking again. Why? Why do I wear lycra pants? Oh ya, they make my butt look almost as cute as André’s, but so hoooot. And not in a good way. Excuse me as I take them off also. That’s better.

Despite the handicap of his father, I managed to raise my son to be a well-dressed individual.  I think a lot of it was my Father’s influence as well. My Father came of age in the 50’s wearing khaki’s, Dack’s, golf jackets on the weekends and suits to work every day. And, of course, he taught me how to tie a tie. He was left-handed, but forced to be right-handed in school so he batted and tied his tie from the left. Which was awesome because I was right-handed so it all worked out when he showed me.

This is also the man who refused to by a new pair of jeans for the entire 70’s. He wouldn’t wear flares. He had a pair of twill demin pants in narrow white, yellow, and brown stripes that were so recognizable that my Great Aunt Vera recognized him from her moving vehicle as he was filling up at a gas station. It must have been the ’69 Biscayne*. She had just arrived in town from Winnipeg and hadn’t seen him for a few years. Those were some pants. But they weren’t flares.

The ‘80’s on were a big relief for him. He spent the rest of his life, we lost him to Cancer in 2005, in khakis and neat plaid short sleeved shirts and polo shirts. I kept his Grey Flannel Pants and Navy Blazer for years.

We also called him Sir…

And Again! Forgot to do my 500 steps this hour. Back in 3.

….When we would call him at the office, (in Grade 2, an avid reader, I called him every time I finished a chapter in Alice in Wonderland) you couldn’t just ask for Dad. Everybody was a Dad. So we asked to speak to George. When he came on the line he would say ‘That’s Sir to you, kid.’ And it stuck. Even our friends called him Sir. My sister’s kids called him Papa Sir. Kinda like Papa Smurf only more respectful. My youngest niece, Courtney, called him Papa Sewer, but that was just the way she spoke as a toddler. We found it very amuuuuusing. As did he.

Aaaaand, back to my son. I actually enlisted him to work part time at Rosen’s when he was 16. He wanted (or did he?) a part-time job and we needed a Saturday merchandiser. I’d already taught him and his twin sisters how to fold their clothes properly, iron a shirt, and do their laundry. I also taught them that when they look at clothing in a store they need to put it back exactly they way they found it. Respect for Retail. It was sooo fun to dress him and see him get measured for his first suit. Staff Discounts Rock! We never actually worked together at the same time, but it was cool to work at the same place.

I also told him, it being his first job, that ‘If you’re late, screw up, or make me look bad I will let them fire you.’ I also told him ‘Don’t forget we work this lifestyle, we don’t live it.’ Entitled is not a good look on anybody. He chose his Boss suit for Grad, slim fit with pointy shoes and put his long blonde hair in pony tail for the occasion. This was way before man-buns which he would have scoffed at anyway.

I was so proud of him at the first Christmas Party and and at the 2nd he wore his made to measure Tilford purple velvet peak lapel Jacket. As he danced with his girlfriend on the dancefloor I couldn’t help shouting ‘Shake what your mama gave you!’ He got me back when we did a company paintball tournament. The pic of us two in our guns an gear hung in the staff room for ages. But, kept he shooting me. It hurt.

‘William, we’re on the same team. Stop shooting me!’

‘Then stop being a pylon.’

If anyone has pics or memories of the things I’m describing, please feel free to share with rest of us!

*more on Dad’s Vehicles. ’64 Pontiac Stratochief ’71 Chevrolet Impala Custom and the Volaré Station Wagon Woh-oh. Volaré! Woh-oh-oh-no! Not a GM product. ‘Nuff Said. Stay Tuned.

#welldressedmen #menswear #devilinthedetails #metoo #haberdashery #merchandising #display

[tzudism]

Love Line

Chapter 2

"Let me see that!" Nayeon tries to grab my paper from my hand. "No! Why should I?" "Well if I'm going to sing it I wanna know what the lyrics are!" "What!? No! Not till I finish the song! I've only written a few lines!" I run away and attempt to hide in my room. "Fineeeeee, but you better eat the pizza I bought." "Whatever!" I pop my head out the door and stick my tongue out and sneak back to the lyrics I wrote down. I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling. I want to see Mina again. I close my eyes and reminisce about what happened today. Am I really falling in love? No way, I just met this girl. But...but there's something about her. I open my eyes and I'm blinded by light. "Ahhhh! What the...what time is it!?" "Relaaaaax it's only like 7 am, you shouldn't have another class for 2 hours or something."

I see Nayeon sitting in my chair. "What are you doing at my desk?" "Well I came inside to yell at you for falling asleep before eating dinner, which I've never seen you do before, and then I saw this so I decided to read it." "Saw wha-HEY! I told you it's not ready!" Nayeon starts laughing as she runs away with my lyrics in her hand. "What are you so ashamed of!? These are cute lyrics! And not just that, they're good!" I stop in my tracks and catch my breath. "Re-really?" "Yeah! My Jeongyeon is in loooove. With who!? You wanna tell me?" "What!? I'm not in love! Even if I was I wouldn't tell you!" "But we're best friends! You can tell me anything! Ah! Unless...Jeongyeon are you in love with me?" I look at her in complete disgust. "Please, I didn't eat dinner, I don't want to throw up." "It's ok Jeongyeon you can admit, come here cutie." She runs towards me and tries to kiss my cheek. "Nayeon! Stoooop, god I hate when you do this! Ahhh!" "Booo! Whatever then, here's your lyrics back. You seem to be on a good track, keep it up!" I swiftly grab my paper and run before she tries some sneak attack. I sit at my desk and stuff the paper in a drawer. I look at my phone to check the time. 7:30. Ugh, I want to sleep some more, but I need to get ready for class. I hear a loud roar from my stomach. Oh that's right...I should probably eat too. I take a quick shower and get dressed. I eat some of the leftover pizza nayeon left me, after throwing away the pineapple of course. I grab my penny board and head to class. When I finally get there I see Mr Peterson inside. "Sup Jerry!" "It's Professor Peterson to you Jeongyeon." He glares, "You're on time to class for once, what's going on?" "I got some decent sleep, I guess." "Well let's hope it was decent enough that you'll stay awake today." "Yeah hopefully." I laugh. I take out my notebook and pencil and get ready. Rrrrriiiiiiinng "And that ends today's lecture." Damn it, not again. I grab notebook and look at what was supposed to be notes, instead it looks like I was drawing how to unravel a ball of yarn. I try to sneak away before Mr Peterson tries to call me again. "Jeongyeon!" I smile as I slowly turn around, hoping he won't yell at me again. "Have you been working on your song for the talent contest?" "I have actually!" "May I see what you have so far?" He says with intrigue in his eyes. "Oh I left it in my dorm room, but I've been working on it really!" "I see, you've at least signed up for the contest correct?" "I have to sign up?" He looks at me in shock. "Jeongyeon did you even read the flyer I handed you the other day?" I take out the crumpled piece of paper and read what's on it. "Let's see...sign up for talent show...blah blah...sign up by the 7th at 12pm at the performing arts building. Ok what about it?" "Jeongyeon, today is the 7th, and it's 11:30." "WHAT!?" I run straight for the door and ride my penny board to the performing arts building. It felt like I was going 100 miles an hour. "Move! Get out the way!" I yell out I check my phone again and its 11:45. Ugh! Why did my stupid class have to be on the complete opposite side of campus!? Soon, I can see the performing arts building coming up and I check my phone again and its 11:50. I run up the stairs and I see a girl walking out of the entrance. "Hey you! Where do I go to sign up for talent show!?" "Third floor, now let go of me!" She yells.

I didn't mean to grab her but I was in a hurry. "Sorry! Thanks!"

I run up the third floor and see people cleaning up the sign up booth. "Oh no! Please tell me ...I'm not...too late... to sign up!" I yell in bits and pieces trying to catch my breath. "Yeah, you still can! We were just getting ready to leave a little early, here's the sign up sheet." This girl passes me this clipboard and sit down in relief as I fill out all the information. I hand her back the clipboard as I stand up. "Thank you so much, I thought I was doomed." "No problem! My name is Jihyo Park, I'm in charge of organizing the event this year, if you have any questions feel free to ask me." "Yes of course, thank you again so much." She smiles and as she turns around I can hear light footsteps coming in this direction. "Wait! Please tell me I'm not too late!" Jihyo turns around and laughs. "Mina! I would've thought you signed up already!" Mina? They know each other? Mina runs right past me and stops right in front of Jihyo. I can smell her perfume as it lingers in the space she passed. Smells like lavender, which I love, and honestly I can't get enough of it. "I know, but I kept putting it off since I'm here everyday and I didn't realize I hadn't signed up until just now." "Well don't worry about it you can still sign up. Besides you're not the only one." Jihyo looks at me and smiles. Suddenly Mina turns around and looks at me too. Then, I realize I'm still dripping in sweat from the ride here, and I hide behind my penny board and try to walk away. "Jeongyeon?" Hearing Mina say my name stops me in my tracks. "Jeongyeon it's you right? The girl from the other day? You're signing up too? Oh wow!" She says with her gummy smile. "Yeah, yeah I am haha." I say awkwardly. I don't wanna be here, I feel so gross. This is so embarrassing. "What are you going to perform?" Mina asks as she writes down her info on the clipboard. "I...I'm not really performing, I'm writing a song and my friend is gonna sing it. It's just some dumb thing..." "Oh I like it! That sounds awesome! What's the song about?" I can feel my face heat up. I can't possibly say it's about her. "Umm it's about this girl who fell in love and is trying to express it...I guess." God she makes me so nervous. Oh how cute! "What about you? Is this what you were rehearsing your dance for the other day?" "Yeah it is! Wait, how did you know I was doing a dance?" Oh no, I obviously can't tell her it's because I was watching her dance without her knowing. "Well uhh you said you were rehearsing the other day when I saw you, and you were in a dancing outfit and so I kind of just assumed." Please buy it, please buy it. "Oh duh! Haha of course." She says with that again adorable gummy smile. "Oh! Jeongyeon you're sweating a bit." Oh no, after coming all the way here and seeing Mina I realize I had still been sweating this whole time. I feel so disgusting. How is this even possible? "Oh boy, I'm sorry, I should g-" Mina starts wiping my forehead with a hankerchief.

"What were you doing before you got here?" "I...boarded all the way from the music building to here so...I guess I'm pretty tired...hey Mina! I'll just do that myself, you don't have to do this haha." I grab the hankerchief and wipe my sweat on my own, Mina suddenly coming in close certainly didn't help. "Oh sorry, my friend sweats a lot while she plays piano and I do that for her when she's getting in the zone, force of habit I guess." "Oh I see, don't worry, you just caught me by surprise that's all." "Mina, I'm still here. And I'm gonna need the clipboard." "Oh Jihyo! I'm so sorry! Here you go!" "It's fine, is she your girlfriend or something? Jihyo laughs, you two are awfully close." "Me and Jeongyeon! Oh no, we're just friends we've only just met!" "Yeah! Yeah...just friends...we met like yesterday." I say hesitantly. "Yeah ok, good luck to you both on the talent show, make sure you stay friends if one of you wins and not the other." "Jihyo! Don't be like that!" Mina scolds. Jihyo laughs and walks away. "I'm sorry, she's such a tease." "Oh no it's fine really, that was nothing compared to someone I know." I shiver as I remember this morning. "Oh Mina, here's your hankerchief." As I hand it to her I realize this thing is drenched and instantly I take it back.

"I'm so sorry, let me wash this before I give it back." "Oh umm sure, but how will you get it back to me?" "Do you have a number? Once I wash it I'll send you a text." "Oh ok! Sounds good to me. Here you go." As I'm putting her number in my phone I realize what I'm doing and I try to calm myself down. "Ok thanks again, I'll let you know when I've washed it." "Of course! It's a nice hankerchief so don't keep for yourself now Jeongyeon!" She laughs. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted. I wave bye to Mina and board back to my dorm. Finally, I can relax, and I lay on my bed. As I think about what happened just now, I decide to get up, sit at my desk, open the drawer, and grab a pencil. To be continued...

Your scent, your gestures Even the way you call my name You’re like, oh like it Now please know my heart, my boy oh neoui hyanggi neoui sonjit nal bureuneun ne maltu hanakkaji neoneun machi Oh Like it ije nae mam arajwo My boy Oh 너의 향기 너의 손짓 날 부르는 니 말투 하나까지 너는 마치 Oh like it 이제 내 맘 알아줘 My boy oh

#jeongyeon #yoo jeongyeon #nayeon #mina #myoui mina #im nayeon #twice #jyp entertainment #jyp twice #twice fanfic #jeongmi #fanfiction #fanfic #kpop #kpop fanfic #kpop fanfiction

[meltingalphabet]

Real People. Not Actors.

There’s a new car commercial on television, have you seen it? Unsuspecting real people, not actors, are lead out from what is presumably their house to find a brand new SUV parked in the driveway. They ooh and ahh over how prestine and shiney it is, saying things like “this is the most attractive SUV I’ve ever seen” or “it’s so stylish, so modern.” Then the spokesperson, dressed appropriately for the late January weather, opens the backdoor and the subject’s real family, not actors, pop out like an overcrowded Jack-in-the-Box. Everyone squeals and screams in delight, hugging each other tightly while still finding space in their joyous meeting to coo at the car behind them, as if the surprise reunion and the SUV are now so intertwined they can’t help but think of the inanimate object as part of the family.

Now they have to buy it. Now you have to buy it. You wouldn’t not buy a member of your family, would you? You wouldn’t abandon your family, would you? Only a real animal abandons a member of their family like that. Though, I suppose, animals have a sense of loyalty one shouldn’t disregard, so only a real sub-animal would abandon their family like that. A real low-life.

You don’t want to be a low-life, do you?

Well, I was in one of those car commercials. Sort of. Let me start from the beginning.

My boyfriend, Henry, is an actor. Though the term “actor” is a real stretch. One might be inclined to call him more “real person” than “actor.” Ever since I’ve known him he’s wanted to be in front of an audience, despite having no natural acting abilities nor any desire to memorize scripts or practice. I think his logic was that if he pushed the universe enough, eventually he’d be given a spotlight. He was desperate to be famous, even if it was for only a few minutes. About a year ago he started focusing more on commercial gigs than “real” acting gigs. I guess he figured commercials would be easier.

“Lean against the counter and eat a spoonful of cereal. Act as if your life has meaning now. Do you practice mindfulness? Try to look like your practicing mindfulness as you eat the cereal.”

I was reading a novel in the tub when Henry came bursting in, screaming about how he had done it. I had been fully relaxed in my little ritual of self-care and the outburst completely surprised me, causing me to drop my book in the bath.

“God dammit!” I cried as I fished the book out from the soapy water and threw it on the floor. It sat there open, the paper pages melting into the synthetic fibers of the bathmat beneath it, completely ruined.

“I did it! I did it! Babe!” He cried, his hands raised in triumph, one clutching his phone as he looked at me, “I did it!.” The dimples in his cheeks were deep from the wide smile stretched across his face. He looked almost manic.

I inhaled, the lavender scent of the bath filling my nose as I tried to calm my frazzled nerves.

“What did you do, Henry?” I asked through clenched teeth.

“I got a gig! A gig, babe! A real gig! Isn’t that crazy, babe?” Henry had the infuriating habit of saying “babe” constantly as if he were a sheep baaing.

My anger melted with shock and happiness at my partner’s joy. I shrugged off the book. Buying another wasn’t too much of a hassle, and it could have been worse - it could’ve been my kindle. “Oh my god, that’s wonderful!” I stood, naked and wet, and we hugged in excitement. The now lukewarm water lapping gently at my calves.

“And guess what, babe! You get to be in the commercial too!”

My grip on him loosened as my enthusiasm waned. “What?” I asked, pulling away from him.

Henry straightened, his smile engulfing my entire view as he looked at me. “It’s a family commercial, babe! They want you too! Isn’t that awesome!?!”

“Why can’t they cast you a professional girlfriend?” I asked, not trying to hide the sarcasm in my voice.

“Babe, it’s a “real people, not actors” thing, so it’s got to be the real deal.” His face fell in concern, “you’ll do it with me, won’t you?”

My heart pained and I sighed, “of course, love. Anything for you.”

Henry cried out in glee, “thank you, Claire!!!” He gave me another squeeze before running out of the room, “I’m gonna call my mom!”

“You might want to change your shirt too!” I called after him as I bent down and pulled the plug.

I stood in front of a nondescript office building far outside the city holding two paper cups filled with coffee - one black, one with cream and just a touch of sugar - while Henry dealt with the casting director inside. It was chilly and I had the bulky scarf my aunt knit me for Christmas wrapped tight around the bottom half of my face. I was trying to think of a way to drink the hot brown liquid without removing the comfort of the scarf when Henry appeared beside me. He beamed as he took back his cup.

“Ok, babe, the release forms are all sorted!” He bounced on the balls of his feet in excitement and looked out over the barren parking lot, “the casting director said someone will be here soon to drive us to location.”

I nodded and looked longingly at my cup as I wondered why we couldn’t wait inside the dingy office. Turning my head, I searched the windy road we had driven up only moments before. I was impatient to get the shoot started. The sooner we started, the sooner we’d finish. Henry had warned me it’d probably take all day and I was already regretting my decision to come. I strained my eyes trying to see further down the road, willing a vehicle to manifest. I held the cup of coffee in both my hands, the warmth penetrating the skin of my fingers and palms only slightly, the rest of my body shivering in the cold.

We only had to wait a few minutes before a grey windowless van pulled up in front of us. I eyed it suspiciously. Rust was beginning to eat away at the wheel well and the grey paint was dull, having lost its luster long ago. I looked at Henry and silently begged him not to make me get into the van, but he wasn’t looking at me. The driver’s side door opened with a squeal and a young man jumped out.

He was slight and very chic looking. His wool peacoat was fitted, and the jeans and boots I could see beneath it were dark and fashionable. He wore round glasses and his beard was neatly trimmed close to his skin. A grey beanie was pulled over his ears and he smiled warmly at us as he brought a pen down to the clipboard in front of him.

“Henry Cooper and Claire Lane?”

“That’s us!” Henry exclaimed. I waved unenthusiastically.

“Hi, I’m Brett. I’m the production assistant for today’s shoot. The location is only a fifteen minute drive from here.” He slid the back door of the van open and Henry jumped in. I hesitated, looking from the worn cloth seat, yellow foam visible at the corners, to Brett.

Brett just smiled that warm professional smile at me. “I know it looks a little sketchy - they won’t let us drive the prop vehicles unfortunately.”

I groaned beneath the thick wool yarn of my scarf and followed Henry. Brett slid the door shut behind me and I searched futilely for a seat belt. The van bounced and swayed as Brett hopped into the driver seat. “Hope you guys like indie rock!” he called over his shoulder as the van rolled out of the parking lot and onto the main street.

The back of the van was surprisingly clean and I found myself becoming more comfortable with the situation. I could only see the road through the windshield, but the winter sun shone through the bare trees and it felt nice to be so close to nature. Henry took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. I rested my head on his shoulder and smiled as a Modest Mouse song played over the speakers from Brett’s iPod.

Twenty minutes later, we were both beginning to shift in our seats. My coffee cup rested empty in my hands and I had removed several layers as the dry heat of the van started to make me sweat.

“Hey Brett, are we almost there?” Henry asked, peering around the passenger headrest in an attempt to see more of the road.

“Yep, any minute now!” He called back over his shoulders. The van jostled beneath me as he turned onto a dirt road stretching through the dense trees.

“This is where we’re filming?” I asked, looking around him. “We’re in the middle of nowhere!”

Brett laughed goodnaturedly. “Yeah, easier to set up all our gear. You’ll be surprised how much lighting and camera equipment we need for a minute long commercial.”

I lurched back into my seat as the van hit a pothole, my coffee cup falling to the ground. Bending down to retrieve it from under the seat, I touched something sharp. I hissed in pain and brought my finger to my lips instinctually. My tongue traced the source and the coppery taste of blood stung against my taste buds. “The fuck?” I said under my breath as I bent my body down further so I could see. My coffee cup was rolling lazily with the sway of the vehicle, lightly bouncing off of a polished axe, the edge sharpened to a nasty point. My brow tightened in confusion.

“We’re here!” Brett cried cheerily. I sat upright and peered around him. In front of us loomed a giant house, old and brittle looking like a haunted house leftover from Halloween. Windows were smashed in or boarded up and the wood walls were rotten and sagging under the weight of their age. Shutters, bricks, and glass littered the ground.

I looked at Henry with concern, but he only shrugged.

Brett pulled up in front of the house. He turned in his seat to face us, smiling, waiting for a reaction. I sat still, disbelieving the situation around me. Brett, not phased, grabbed his clipboard from the other seat and jumped out. Henry wouldn’t make eye contact with me as the back door slid open. Brett stood there, his hand outstretched like a driver preparing to escort his fare out. I shook my head and scooted backed into Henry.

Brett laughed and turned his head, “Bob, can I get some help with the talent?”

A beefy hairy man appeared in the door. “This is Bob, the gaffer.” Brett explained as Bob reached towards me. I turned, pushing Henry to go deeper into the van. A strong hand wrapped around my ankle as I threw myself over the back of the seat. I kicked hard, but struck only the winter air. Bob tugged and my hands slipped from the seat. Pain shoot through my knee as I fell to the hard ground. Tears began to collect in my eyelashes.

Bob pulled on my leg, still in his grasp, and my chin hit the ground, more pain screaming through my body. My leg pulled at my hip socket as Bob started to drag me towards the house. I looked up to see Henry jump from the van and run towards me. Another big man, much taller than Bob, ran up to him and, using the bottom of his heavy work boot, kicked him in the side of the leg, right beneath his left knee. Henry fell with a sickening crack. He screamed in pain and I realized I was screaming as well. I clutched desperately at the dirt in front of me trying to stop Bob’s progress. My fingernails tore upward as I tried to cling to the frozen earth moving beneath me.

The tall man picked Henry up and hoisted him over his shoulder like a bag of flour. Henry cried out and squirmed in his grasp. Bob stopped and my leg fell to the ground. I rolled over and saw that I was in front of a brand new SUV. Behind it, the trees stretched out towards the cold sun like forgotten bones.

“What the fuck?” My throat was hoarse, the tight and raspy sound of my voice foreign to me. My whole body shook and the tears that glazed my face were beginning to freeze.

Henry was dropped unceremoniously beside me and I grabbed him. We hugged each other, our bodies clinging together in desperate fear.

“Cameras ready?” The tall man yelled, his voice low and gravely, the words sounding as if they were rolling over jagged stones.

A small woman being swallowed by an oversized green army jacket held out a thumbs up from behind a giant camera. Brett ran up beside him, the clipboard in one hand, the axe I cut my finger on in the other. He looked towards us, that warm friendly smile from the office parking lot unmoving.

The sound of a throat clearing startled me and I looked back, ready for the next horror. Standing over us was an attractive man in a smart charcoal coat. He smiled down at me, his perfect teeth a bright white that contrasted sharply with the grey colors surrounding them.

“You guys ready?” He asked, his smooth voice viscous like oil, dripping from his lips.

“Wh-what?” I whimpered, “r-r-ready for what?”

“Places everyone.” The tall man cried from beside the camera and the handsome man looked up towards him, smiling that dazzling smile.

“Camera rolling?”

“Rolling.” The woman said.

“Ac-tion.” The word was spoken meticulously, the man relishing every inch of it.

The handsome man looked down at us, “what do you guys think of the new 2018 Meridian?” He asked enthusiastically, gesturing to the car.

I looked at the car, then to the camera, then back to the handsome man with the white smile.

“Cut!” The tall man yelled. He bent down to pick something up. I screamed as he stood, a crowbar hanging loosely in his grip. He began to walk towards us, his heavy boots crunching the pine needles and leaves beneath him. I turned away, preparing to stand and run when I saw Bob watching me. His arms were crossed and a smile slowly formed on his thick lips. My knee twinged with pain.

No running. I thought. There won’t be any running.

The tall man reached us and slowly knelt down so that he was eye to eye with us. He rested his weight on one knee and snarled, the crowbar resting on the ground beside him, his fingers lightly tracing its sides.

“Don’t. Look. At. The camera.” He growled. He stood stiffly, raised the crowbar, and swung it down onto my outstretched foot. The pain tore through my bone and muscle, electricity shooting through my body as I screamed in agony. The tall man walked back to the camera. I sobbed as I looked to my leg. Bone jutted out from torn flesh, as white as the handsome man’s teeth. I tried to scream but the sound that emitted was pained and small, my voice no longer functioning. Henry hugged me closer, and I tried to swallow, to give my throat some relief, any relief, but my mouth was dry.

“Ready?” The tall man asked again. There was no answer. “Action!” He said, the word chopped short.

“Henry, Claire, what are your thoughts on the new 2018 Meridian?” The smooth voice asked from behind us.

I turned to look back at the man, who never stopped smiling at me. “W-why?” I choked, barely audible.

“What was that, Claire?” The man held his hand behind his ear, “I didn’t catch that.” He dropped his hand and gestured towards the SUV, “what are your thoughts on the new Meridian?”

“I… I…” My voice caught as more tears forced their way from my eyes. I couldn’t speak without sobbing, so instead I simply nodded, hoping to somehow make this torture end.

The handsome man stepped around us, careful to avoid my injured foot, and walked towards the car.

“Well, what’s a family SUV without family?” He pulled the back door open with a flourish.

My blood curdling scream filled the quiet air around me, piercing high into the sky. Four faces starred out from the inside of the car. I screamed again as their eyes widened in recognition. My mother, father, sister, and brother-in-law began to squirm and pull against the chains binding them to the seats. Their cries were muffled by dirty rags wrapped around their mouths. My niece, only five years old, was slumped over in one of the seats, completely unconscious. I tried to focus, to see if her chest was rising and falling, but I couldn’t tell. Bruises and cuts lined their faces, their skin only clean of blood and dirt where rivers of tears had washed them away.

Before I knew it I was standing, all my weight on my good foot, my good knee. Bob’s arms were wrapped around my waist as I struggled, flailing my arms wildly. I slapped and punched his solid mass, desperately trying to push myself forward while his meaty arms held me back.

The last thing I remember is something hard falling against the back of my head and the world going black.

I woke up in a hospital room yesterday with a mild concussion, a dislocated knee, and a shattered foot. They say I was found outside the doors of the emergency room early in the morning, bloodied and unconscious. I’ve repeated this story numerous times to the police, who are still searching for my family. I pray they are still alive.

The nurses are kind. One of them tried to wash my clothes for me, but the police took them in as evidence. They were able to give me back my wallet though. All my cards and receipts were still there, even the Christmas check from my grandparents that I still hadn’t cashed. As I looked through my wallet, the familiarity of it comforting me slightly, I noticed that one of the card pockets felt oddly thick. I pulled forward at my credit card and found a small, folded up note behind it.

“I don’t expect you to understand, but they promised me fame. I’m sorry and I hope you’ll forgive me one day. I love you, babe.

#nosleep horror horrorshortstory story shortstory creativewriting

[loreleywrites]

Command Zone: The Legends of Commander (2017 Edition) - Part 2

Commander (2017 Edition) taunts us from the near future. My tongue is sticking out and aching to taste the delicious flavor of four brand-new tribal decks. Each deck features three foil commanders of the deck’s tribe and color identity, though a few bonus legends are thrown in too.

Yesterday I took a look at the new commanders from the Dragon and Vampire decks. That means Wizards and Cats are on today’s docket. Without any further introductory delays, let’s get magical.

Not a Shapeshifter

Still have my fingers crossed for her being from Dominaria though.

OK, so my speculation that Inalla, Archmage Ritualist was a Blue/Black Shapeshifter was wrong. It was a good effort though, and I’ll take consolation in the fact that she does temporarily clone your other Wizards.

If you’ve never played with Minion Reflector or Mimic Vat, you are in for a ride. The best thing you can do with these kinds of effects is double up on your enters-the-battlefield triggers. Get double the tokens with Master of Waves. Copy a spell twice with Dualcaster Mage. Get two creatures back from the dead with Bloodline Necromancer, another new card that comes with the Wizard deck. You can even double up on sacrifice abilities when you have more mana available. Here, the name of the game is value. And since this is an eminence ability, Inalla doesn’t even have to be on the battlefield to give you that value.

Unfortunately, Wizards aren’t known for their combat prowess. Unless you’re casting Nameless One, you don’t be able to use Inalla’s ability to produce a significant amount of power out of nowhere. That is, unless you cast her. Once Inalla is on the battlefield, you can tap her and four other Wizards you control to just dome an opponent for 7 life. So that dorky little Sea Gate Oracle you copied now provides two of those Wizards. Synergy.

The Pretenders

He probably killed the other members of the band.

Mairsil, the Pretender was a major villain back in The Dark. He caged the wizard Ith in order to syphon his magical energy. After his demise, Mairsil’s spirit attempted to possess others for more power. Not a nice person. But true to the lore, Mairsil’s card lets him steal powers from others.

Before your brewing minds go haywire, I want to point out that “You may activate each of those abilities only once each turn,” is the last line of text on Marisil. You will not be building a Rube Goldberg machine that goes infinite with just a few combo pieces.

So, what can you do with Mairsil? Flexibility and options are paramount. Mairsil becomes a ferocious rattlesnake if you load him up with defensive abilities that imbue your opponents with threat-of-activation fears. Exile an Aetherling, however, and suddenly you have a frightening attacker that’s almost impossible for your opponents to deal with. Give him double strike with Jodah’s Avenger. Give him infect with Vector Asp. Boost his power while killing things with Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief. Even crazier, you can use Aetherling’s flickering power to exile more and more cards.

It’s also worth noting that Mairsil can exile artifacts and creatures from your graveyard, not just your hand. Maybe you don’t even want to use him as a build-your-own whatever, but just as a way to recycle the abilities of your dead creatures. Brewers often shoot for ridiculous when “good, solid value” can be fine on its own.

Kess and Tell

The ground has eyes, so it probably also has ears for her to talk to.

If I could sum up Kess, Dissident Mage’s strategy in a single phrase, it would be “instant and sorcery tribal.” She is a wizard that wants to do what wizards do best: sling spells. A 3/4 flier for four mana is decent stats on its own, but she also lets you cast a spell from your graveyard once during each of your turns.

That you’re limited to casting your bonus spell on your turn is important to building around Kess. Since you can’t cast your spell on an opponent’s turn, it means that reactive spells aren’t going to provide value for you. This is mostly counterspells, but it also means you can’t double up on instant-speed spot removal unless you use it on your turn.

To maximize Kess’s ability, you want to build a proactive deck with instants and sorceries. Sorceries are where to start, and ones that create tokens are “creatures” that Kess lets you cast a second time. There are a handful of sorceries that steal creatures that fit into this same category. Making token copies of creatures or reanimating them from the graveyard are also proactive, creature-based effects that go on sorceries.

Since this is Commander, there are going to be sorceries that simply have splashy effects. Epic Experiment fits right into a spells deck. When life totals are low, casting Banefire a second time can give you a victory. You know you want another round of Cruel Entertainment.

If you’re not interested in going all-in on instants and sorceries, Kess still makes for a great self-mill commander. In this kind of deck, her ability is more about extending your hand to your graveyard than doubling up on spells. Getting to cast spells you normally wouldn’t have an opportunity to cast is still value town.

Lend Me a Hand

Wait. You’re a murderbutt, Taigam, so nevermind.

The Wizard deck also includes Khans of Tarkir-era Taigam. This is the one that defected from the Jeskai and kept failing to assassinate Narset. We know, his tattoo and outfit are more Silumgar than Sultai. Sometimes art direction isn’t as tight as it could be. Either way, Taigam, Sidisi’s Hand brings back a food of memories about the machinations of the Sultai.

As expected of his clan, Taigam is all about dumping your own cards into your graveyard to use as a resource. And like Taigam, Ojutai Master (the other Taigam in the Dragon deck), this one feels perfect for the clan mechanics. There are two main parts here. First, Taigam replaces your regular draw with a “draw one of your top three and mill the rest.” This is incredible card advantage, helping you dig for the exact card you need each turn. It also fuels his second ability, which assassinates creatures in a mimic of the delve mechanic that the Sultai used.

Obviously, a Taigam deck wants cards that care about filling your graveyard. Wonder, Living Death, and Mortivore are just a sampling of cards to use. Delve cards themselves can use the graveyard as a mana resource. Flashback and unearth are mechanics that can give value to the cards you do end up milling away.

If you really want to be mean, play Taigam with Teferi’s Puzzle Box. Since you skip your draw step, you’ll never have to ship your hand to the bottom of your library. It will be frustrating for your opponents, which means you’ll probably become the main target, but it’s good for a laugh if you’re a griefer.

MEOWMEOWMEOWMEOW

MEOWMEOWMEOWMEOWMEOWMEOWMEOW

While The Ur-Dragon is out in the Multiverse being the paragon of dragon-ness, Arahbo, Roar of the World is doing the same for cats. This kitty is all about aggression, helping your feline forces bat enemies around like little balls of yarn.

Like all the face cards in this product, Arahbo has an eminence ability that impacts the game from both the battlefield and the command zone. In this case, it grants a free Giant Growth to another one of your Cats every combat. This is terrifying, as it makes two-drops actually great attackers in Commander. Drop a Fleecemane Lion and you’re attacking for 6 damage on your third turn. Your opponents might not have even cast a creature yet.

Letting Arahbo out of the bag gets even crazier. You’ll still get to give another Cat a free +3/+3, but then you have to option to pump your attacking Cats further and give them trample. That free +3/+3 becomes +4/+4 and trample for 1GW at minimum. Once your early attacks have dealt some damage, trample helps push the final bits of damage through.

If you’re building around Arahbo, you’re building an aggressive tribal deck. Green and White are already the best colors for pumping up your forces. Gaea’s Anthem, Mirari’s Wake, and Collective Blessing maximize your attacking potential. Granting all your Cats vigilance is another great way to keep up the pressure in multiplayer games, as you now don’t have to worry about being attacked back.

You Have My Sword

And his hammer, but it’s not a legendary creature, so you won’t meet it today.

We’ve had a number of Equipment-matters commanders already, but Nazahn, Revered Bladesmith is the first one in Green. The best part about this is that it lets you play Behemoth Sledge, which is one of the most efficiently powerful Equipment cards in Magic.

As a smithy, it’s natural for Nazahn to made weapons for you by tutoring them up. You can get anything into your hand, but searching for Hammer of Nazahn plops it right onto the battlefield.

Aside – Hammer of Nazahn is a must-have in a Nazahn deck (any Equipment deck really). When Nazahn tutors it up, it’ll enter the battlefield attached to a creature you control (probably Nazahn). All your other Equipment will too, evading the equip costs once. Granting indestructible is also one of the best things a piece of Equipment can do.

Nazahn makes for a fine Voltron commander. Load him up with Equipment, which he brings with him, and off to the races!

But his second ability, which gets blockers out of the way, rewards you for spreading the equipped love around. This lets Equipment decks go a bit wider and not have to rely on suiting up one creature that might die and leave you with nothing. I love that Nazahn gives you this kind of flexibility.

Life Three of Nine

Mirri’s first card sucked. Her second card was from an alternate reality.

Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist fits into one of my favorite categories of commander. She has fairly unique abilities, but otherwise doesn’t tell you how to build around them. “Here’s a thing, figure out what to do with it.” In Mirri’s case, the “thing” is giving you a Dueling Grounds effect that makes it impossible to group block Mirri and impossible to swarm you with attackers. So what can you do with that?

First, this ability makes Mirri a fantastic Voltron commander. All she needs is trample and it becomes very difficult for your opponents to profitably block her. Load her up with Auras and Equipment and you’ll have a massive creature that is almost guaranteed to take out a blocker. You don’t have to worry too much about crackbacks, as your opponents will be limited in how they attack you. The key part is “attack you.” They can still attack with a bunch of creatures, but a tapped Mirri will force most of those creatures elsewhere. That’s excellent for you offensively (Your opponents die faster) and defensively (You’re harder to kill.)

Mirri also works well in a token deck looking to flood the battlefield with creatures. One of the problems of token decks is that tokens tend to be small. That means they’re difficult to profitably attack with and easy to attack into because they don’t block well as individual creatures. Mirri helps solve both these problems.

When Mirri attacks, each opponent can only block with a single creature. If you attack an opponent with Mirri and ten tokens, you know ten of your creatures will go unblocked. And once Mirri is tapped, it becomes much easier for a swarm of tokens to block one creature instead of a horde of creatures.

It’s Link Cat

Traveling hero that loves refreshments? Def Link.

We don’t know what plane Balan, Wandering Knight is from, but she fits an archetype that would belong on an Arthurian fantasy world. You know, like Hyrule. She carries oodles of Equipment. She is Link, and you can’t convince me otherwise.

Anyway, Balan is very much a Voltron Equipment commander. She tells you which cards to play and how to use them. Little flexibility, but the tradeoff is raw power.

Like any Equipment Voltron deck, the most important abilities to build around are hexproof and indestructible. You don’t want your commander dying easily. Assault Suit is great protection against sacrifice while helping the game end faster by letting everyone beat face with your armored commander. Since Balan gains double strike herself, that’s a powerful ability you don’t need to run any Equipment for.

Balan’s key power is the ability to attach all your Equipment to her for only 1W. This skirts all your equip costs, as a Voltron deck won’t be interested in attaching them to any other creatures. You can even wait until combat to attach them, using the threat of activation to entice your opponent into making less risky plays.

Lords of Magic and Mews

Together with Dragons and Vampires, Wizards and Cats round out the tribes featured in the four decks of Commander (2017 Edition). Wizards use their minds to enable sneaky strategies. Cats let the claws out for aggressive attacks. Each of these four tribes pushes into new space that’s sure to reinvigorate your existing decks and provide opportunities for all-new archetypes.

Rule your tribe when Commander (2017) releases on August 25, 2017.

#Command Zone #Magic The Gathering #MTG #Commander #EDH #Commander 2017 Edition #MTGC17 #Inalla #Mairsil #Kess #Taigam #Arahbo #Nazahn #Mirri #Balan

[limpblotter]

Ray x Robert

a/n: Gift to @defussy who told me about their dadsona and dream dad. Its rushed, its gross but this is for you Taylor, <3  w/c:1995

“Are you sure you don’t wanna hang out on campus a bit more dad?” Amanda beamed up at her father. They had a long day of fun campus activities. Most of which were just Amanda stopping at every café near her campus for eats. Ray hung out at her dorms, said hi to her roommates and even got some keen gossip about Amanda’s first month away from home. Now the sun was setting and there was somewhere he needed to be. “It was nice having you here dad, sorry I couldn’t come home this weekend…”

“Wha-What no, hunny, I loved the 8 hour drive to see you.” He smiled (extremely) tiredly. “Plus, I don’t think you’ll be visiting home soon after the moose incident and your car.”

“It’s a shame moose don’t abide by the common traffic laws instilled by humans. One of few things we contributed to this world.”

“Well…the moose probably wouldn’t have hit your car if you weren’t speeding…and if cars…didn’t exist. I’d chalk this up to human error still.”

“Say what you will, Pops.” Amanda shrugged, “that moose was out to get me. Me surviving is nothing less than a miracle, final destination.”

Ray would have agreed until he saw that the only thing the moose did was dent her left wheel pretty bad that the metal was embedded into the tire. “I’m just glad you’re ok.” Just remembering that phone call that she had been in an ‘accident’ made his heart rate pick up. A small yawn escaped his lips against his will and his daughter gave him a small look. “What?”

“Dad, I’m serious, if you’re too tired to drive stay the night around here. Getting behind the wheel sleepy is practically as bad as having a moose hit you—“

“—hitting a moose”

“Whatever.”

Ray placed a hand on his daughter’s shoulder and gave her a small squeeze, “I promise I’ll be fine, I’ll take a break a few times on the road and if I really need to, I’ll pull over and spend the night in a sleazy motel where I’ll probably be more likely to be murdered in the middle of nowhere never to be seen or heard from again.”

Amanda gave him a small frown. “Not funny dad.”

“I’m being serious!”

“Father, if you die, you best have left me with a Will or something!”

“I leave you all my treasures my first born starting with my band shirts from high school”

They shared a deadpan expression until Amanda broke and made a face, “the 80s are so not coming back.” She would never want to inherit her father’s old, outdated shirts from his lame days in band.  Without any more jokes, the two stood in front of Ray’s old Chevy. Amanda wordlessly threw her arms around her father and gave him a small squeeze. “Love you dad, text me every time you stop ok?”

“I’ll be sure to update you every mile.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.” Ray smiled kissing the top of Amanda’s head. “See you next weekend, Manda Panda.” Ray held back the yawn until he was in the car. He waved at his daughter one more time, watching her reflection shrink in his rearview mirror was he pulled out of the college parking lot and began his 8 hour journey back to Maple Bay.

So, it became very apparent to Ray that Amanda was right. He was infact very tired from driving 8 hours to see his girl, be tugged around excitedly only to be driving back home for another 8 hours. Ray slowly started counting the seconds to a minute. He told himself if he could last a minute, then he can last another minute and continued this way until he forgot how to count all together. The roads were getting dark and with a glance to the dashboard he found himself looking at a car that was in need of some gas and at least three more hours of driving left.

He decided for his sake and the sake of his only heir to his fortuneless fortunes he would stop for the night. Ray called Amanda keeping his usual jokes of impending death to a minimum but made sure to bring up the moose one more time for the night. Once he got gas, got a room, and called his daughter one more time just for goodnights there was one more number left to check.

Ray shot a text to Val, who kept him posted about her father’s current situation.

‘Going strong, I’m planning on getting him a phone soon. He really appericates your letters even though and I quote, he rather have a hard one on the rocks. Lol, Val.’

Ray was happy. He was happy Robert was doing something to better himself but that didn’t mean he didn’t miss him. Only a few weeks after Amanda’s graduation party, Rob announced he was going away for a while. He was going to a Rehab center a few hours away but didn’t disclose where and for how long. He didn’t want anyone to be tempted to reach out to him incase…it was ugly. Mary and Ray took turns watching Rob’s house and his beloved terrier while his daughter kept tabs on him and his progress.

According to her he was really making some. That brought warmth to Ray but that didn’t replace the void. He found himself missing those wild nights of ghost hunting and stuttering out laughter. He missed the way Rob looked in his thinking spot, face illuminated by the city skyline. He missed the way Robert smelled like pine, ash and liquor all rolled together into a cologne that was pretty manageable on Ray’s senses.

It was for the best, Ray had to believe it was. Plus Rob’s absence meant hanging out with Mary became a way they both mourned the farewell of their drinking buddy. Mary wasn’t bad once Ray got to know her. Like Robert said once, she really was harmless.

“Ugh…” Ray turned up his nose a bit once he saw the condition of the motel room he was saying in. Now he wished he stayed the night closer to Amanda’s ritzy campus and not in some hot, humid, dusty room in the middle of god-knows-where Nevada. Too late for that now, Ray poked the bed and swore a blanket of dust uplifted and wafted through the air probably spreading decades of disease and unchanged sheets. “Th-the-there is no way I am sleeping in that.” He shook his head and went towards a complimentary chair beside the bed.

Thank God he was working out a little more with Craig. With a slightly more flexible and slimmer frame he managed to curl up in the chair until he was somewhat comfortable looking like a human ball of yarn…

…

…

“This isn’t working.” Ray spoke out loud. His mind was hazy and tired but his body couldn’t seem to relax long enough for that sleep to seep out of his brain and into the rest of him. Booze would probably help him sleep or anything that would force his body into a slumber. Now that he thought of booze the idea did not leave him. Finally slowly rose from the chair, making sure not to topple back down with exhaustion and opened the door to his room. He followed the dimly lit hallway in search of help or a mini bar nearby.

He walked down, passing a few rooms when a door on his right swung over so fast it nearly smacked him right in the face. “H-h-H-hey!” Ray exclaimed with mild annoyance. “Y-You could have hit me!”

“You could have watched where my door was going to open” a gruff voice grumbled with so much familiarity Ray was in near tears of joy. “Ray?”

“R-Robert?!” Ray didn’t think he’d be this happy to see that rough, bewildered expression again. “Wh-What are you doing here? I thought you-you were going to-to..wait you’re still going to-to rehab?”

Robert’s face took a while to compose itself; his hollowed, dark eyes didn’t look the same. There was a soft light flickering behind those blackened hues. He rubbed a large hand over his facial hair that seemed to be well maintained, then spoke “actually I mass murdered all of them and I’m on the run.”

…

That humor was well missed as well, as long as …it was actually humor. “Did you do it by poising their punch?” Ray included into the joke softly, he earned a small delightful laugh from Robert. His heart soared at the sight of his crinkling smile. “Seriously…what are you doing in a hotel?”

“Rehab is going well, they’re letting me have weekends to myself, test my limits with temptation.” Robert explained, “my rehab center is actually not to far from here…Val…didn’t happen to tell you where I was, did she?”

“Nono! Val kept her mouth shut. At least to me.” Mary could have probably gotten it out of her. “Amanda’s college I about 4 hours away from here, I stopped for the night.”

Robert leaned up against the doorframe, “picked a good spot, here its haunted.”

“Oo-ooh not this again.” Ray stammered a bit and shook his head, “I’m way too tired for Daniel McStrugis, Paranormal extraordinaire.” That was a lie, just looking at Rob. God he looked so good, he looked so healthy. At least…at least that’s what Ray thought. He could just be seeing what he wanted to see. What he hoped so maybe…Rob would be coming back soon… “Anyway…I was just going to…” wait, shit, Ray was on his way to find some ‘adult’ juice to sooth him to sleep.  Was he the temptation Robert was training to be able to face? Was he…bad? “take a walk…because I’m uh…not too tired.”

“Can’t sleep?” Robert tilted his head, his body language read ‘I don’t care’ but his voice said something softer. “I know the feeling…I’ve only just started sleeping six hour nights. Before it was impossible, the headaches, the cold sweats, shaking… I felt sick for weeks.” Rob must have seen Ray’s pained expression so he quickly changed his tune. “But its good now, found out I have a thing for Shirley Temples.”

Ray felt a giggle bubble out of him, as well as a yawn. “I hope you mean the fruity soda beverage and not the underage curly cue from that one infomercial.”

“I do like red heads.”

Ouch. His jokes still stung.

“It was…good seeing you Robert.” Ray signaled it was time he left. He wanted to stay, but Rob was in the middle of healing. Ray knew better he knew—

Robert shifted his weight off the door frame and had his arms down at his sides. He looked…vulnerable. “Come inside, lets…talk.”

“Rob I really shouldn’t, I gotta drive in the morning and you, you’ve got you-your thing an-and I…” his stuttering increased as his heart rate did. Rob’s offers to join him usually ended with random car rides or slick invitations to his bed. Both things Ray had also come to miss. “I-I should really not.”

Robert’s eyes looked down at his feet as the words slipped out his mouth almost effortlessly. “I’ve missed you a lot you know…kept all the letters Val forwarded to me.” He looked up and found Ray taking steps towards Robert. The pull was like a magnet, steady and constant. “Just…want to talk to you a bit…I don’t think I can wait 4 more months to see you now that you’re here.”

Ray knew he shouldn’t have. But the moment he walked into Robert’s door all the emotions flooded back. They spoke for hours until dawn. Then and only then did Ray find sleep, he found it while holding Rob’s rough hands. He found it after Rob used his beloved jacket as a blanket to keep him warm while he slept. Ray knew he shouldn’t have, but Robert Small was a very big distraction.

#dream daddy #ddadds #ray robinson #robert small #dadsona #loveyou #uneditted #drabble #yes I'm still doing more of these but a mutual asked so I made a post <3

[siliconwebx]

React’s Experimental Suspense API Will Rock for Fallback UI During Data Fetches

Most web applications built today receive data from an API. When fetching that data, we have to take certain situations into consideration where the data might not have been received. Perhaps it was a lost connection. Maybe it was the endpoint was changed. Who knows. Whatever the issue, it's the end user who winds up with a big bag of nothing on the front end.

So we ought to account for that!

The common way of handling this is to have something like an isLoading state in the app. The value of isLoading is dependent on the data we want to receive. For example, it could be a simple boolean where a returned true (meaning we're still waiting on the data), we display a loading spinner to indicate that the app is churning. Otherwise, wee'll show the data.

Oh god, no! 📷 Credit: Jian Wei

While this isn‘t entirely bad, the awesome folks working on React have implemented (and are continuing to work on) a baked-in solution to handle this using a feature called Suspense.

Suspense sorta does what its name implies

You may have guessed it from the name, but Suspense tells a component to hold off from rendering until a condition has been met. Just like we discussed with isLoading, the rendering of the data is postponed until the API fetches the data and isLoading is set to false. Think of it like a component is standing in an elevator waiting for the right floor before stepping out.

At the moment, Suspense can only be used to conditionally load components that use React.lazy() to render dynamically, without a page reload. So, say we have a map that takes a bit of time to load when the user selects a location. We can wrap that map component with Suspense and call something like the Apple beachball of death to display while we're waiting on the map. then, once the map loads, we kick the ball away.

// Import the Map component const Map = React.lazy(() => import('./Map')); function AwesomeComponent() [ return ( // Show the <Beachball> component until the <Map> is ready <React.Suspense fallback={<Beachball />}> <div> <Map /> </div> </React.Suspense> ); }

Right on. Pretty straightforward so far, I hope.

But what if we want the fallback beachball, not for a component that has loaded, but when waiting for data to be returned from an API. Well, that's a situation Suspense seems perfectly suited for, but unfortunately, does not handle that quite yet. But it will.

In the meantime, we can put an experimental feature called react-cache (the package previously known as simple-cache-provider) to demonstrate how Suspense ought to work with API fetching down the road.

Let's use Suspense with API data anyway

OK, enough suspense (sorry, couldn‘t resist). Let's get to a working example where we define and display a component as a fallback while we're waiting for an API to spit data back at us.

Remember, react-cache is experimental. When I say experimental, I mean just that. Even the package description urges us to refrain from using it in production.

Here's what we're going to build: a list of users fetched from an API.

Get Source Code

Alright, let's begin!

First, spin up a new project

Let's start by generating a new React application using create-react-app.

## Could be any project name create-react-app csstricks-react-suspense

This will bootstrap your React application. Because the Suspense API is still a work in progress, we will make use of a different React version. Open the package.json file in the project's root directory, edit the React and React-DOM version numbers, and add the simple-cache-provider package (we'll look into that later). Here's what that looks like:

"dependencies": { "react": "16.4.0-alpha.0911da3", "react-dom": "16.4.0-alpha.0911da3", "simple-cache-provider": "0.3.0-alpha.0911da3" }

Install the packages by running yarn install.

In this tutorial, we will build the functionality to fetch data from an API. We can use the createResource() function from simple-cache-provider to do that in the src/fetcher.js file:

import { createResource } from 'simple-cache-provider'; const sleep = (duration) => { return new Promise((resolve) => { setTimeout(() => { resolve() }, duration) }) } const loadProfiles = createResource(async () => { sleep(3000) const res = await fetch(`https://randomuser.me/api/?results=15`); return await res.json(); }); export default loadProfiles

So, here's what's happening there. The sleep() function blocks the execution context for a specific duration, which will be passed as an argument. The sleep() function is then called in the loadProfiles() function to stimulate a delay of three seconds (3,000ms). By using createResource() to make the API call, we either return the resolved value (which is the data we are expecting from the API) or throw a promise.

Next, we will create a higher-order component called withCache that enable caching on the component it wraps. We'll do that in a new file called, creatively, withCache.js. Go ahead and place that in the project's src directory.

import React from 'react'; import { SimpleCache } from 'simple-cache-provider'; const withCache = (Component) => { return props => ( <SimpleCache.Consumer> {cache => <Component cache={cache} {...props} />} </SimpleCache.Consumer> ); } export default withCache;

This higher-order component uses SimpleCache from the simple-cache-provider package to enable the caching of a wrapped component. We'll make use of this when we create our next component, I promise. In the meantime, create another new file in src called Profile.js — this is where we'll map through the results we get from the API.

import React, { Fragment } from 'react'; import loadProfiles from './fetcher' import withCache from './withCache' // Just a little styling const cardWidth = { width: '20rem' } const Profile = withCache((props) => { const data = loadProfiles(props.cache); return ( <Fragment> { data.results.map(item => ( <div key={item.login.uuid} className="card" style={cardWidth}> <div> <img src={item.picture.thumbnail} /> </div> <p>{item.email}</p> </div> )) } </Fragment> ) }); export default Profile

What we have here is a Profile component that's wrapped in withCache the higher-order component we created earlier. Now, whatever we get back from the API (which is the resolved promise) is saved as a value to the data variable, which we've defined as the props for the profile data that will be passed to the components with cache (props.cache).

To handle the loading state of the app before the data is returned from the API, we'll implement a placeholder component which will render before the API responds with the data we want.

Here's what we want the placeholder to do: render a fallback UI (which can be a loading spinner, beach ball or what have you) before the API responds, and when the API responds, show the data. We also want to implement a delay (delayMs ) which will come in handy for scenarios where there's almost no need to show the loading spinner. For example; if the data comes back in less than two seconds, then maybe a loader is a bit silly.

The placeholder component will look like this;

const Placeholder = ({ delayMs, fallback, children }) => { return ( <Timeout ms={delayMs}> {didTimeout => { return didTimeout ? fallback : children; }} </Timeout> ); }

delayMs, fallback and children will be passed to the Placeholder component from the App component which we will see shortly. The Timeout component returns a boolean value which we can use to either return the fallback UI or the children of the Placeholder component (the Profile component in this case).

Here's the final markup of our App, piecing together all of the components we've covered, plus some decorative markup from Bootstrap to create a full page layout.

class App extends React.Component { render() { return ( <React.Fragment> // Bootstrap Containers and Jumbotron <div className="App container-fluid"> <div className="jumbotron"> <h1>CSS-Tricks React Suspense</h1> </div> <div className="container"> <div> // Placeholder contains Suspense and wraps what needs the fallback UI <Placeholder delayMs={1000} fallback={ <div className="row"> <div className="col-md"> <div className="div__loading"> <Loader /> </div> </div> </div> } > <div className="row"> // This is what will render once the data loads <Profile /> </div> </Placeholder> </div> </div> </div> </React.Fragment> ); } }

That's a wrap

Pretty neat, right? It's great that we're in the process of getting true fallback UI support right out of the React box, without crafty tricks or extra libraries. Totally makes sense given that React is designed to manage states and loading being a common state to handle.

Remember, as awesome as Suspense is (and it is really awesome), it is important to note that it's still in experimental phase, making it impractical in a production application. But, since there are ways to put it to use today, we can still play around with it in a development environment all we want, so experiment away!

Folks who have been working on and with Suspense have been writing up their thoughts and experience. Here are a few worth checking out:

🎥 Dan Abramov - Suspense - React Fest

🎥 Andrew Clark - React Suspense

🎥 Kent C. Dodds - React Suspense

The post React’s Experimental Suspense API Will Rock for Fallback UI During Data Fetches appeared first on CSS-Tricks.

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