#might get superstitious for real about fish and just never talk about them ever again. god. logically i know its stupid And Yet | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

surveys-at-your-service · 3 years

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Survey #337

“if i showed you my soul, would you cover your eyes?”

What's your favorite brand of chips? I like Lays best. Are you a good painter? My Painting teacher when I was in college last said I did wonderfully, but I definitely beg to differ. Before buying a car, do you usually test drive it? N/A Have you ever written a poem and then read it aloud? No, but a teacher has. It was so fucking awkward; it was very pacifist, the topic being about war, and it had some depressing tones of death; there was just silence at the end of it, and I still don't know if it was shock or "what the fuck, she's messed up." There was this one guy that went, "Nobody is going to clap at that?", though, which I thought was pretty nice and reassuring. Do you like pineapple? Yeah, I do. Have you ever met your favorite author? I don't have a favorite author. Have you and your best friend ever liked the same person? No. Do you have any freckles? Not on my face (though oddly enough, I did as a kid?), but on random parts of my body. How many different languages can you say goodbye in? English, German, and then Spanish. Do you like or hate the smell of fish? I hate it. Have you ever been to Sea World? As a child, yes. I'd never go as an adult. Do you know someone who suffers from short-term memory loss? I don't know how this is actually diagnosed, but my memory is absolutely fucking nightmarish, almost exclusively in short-term situations. I can remember the most obscure events from my childhood, but not what I said to you five seconds prior. I'm rather sure my medications have made it worse over time. Have you ever read any of John Green's books? I got like, one chapter or less into The Fault in Our Stars before the book got replaced with the Wings of Fire series, so I never finished it. Are you a protective person? I'm an immensely protective person over those that matter to me. Have you ever experienced an earthquake? No, thankfully. I'm terrified of earthquakes. What's one thing that makes everything in life worthwhile? The fact that to our proven knowledge, this is the only one we'll ever experience. What type of waffles do you like? (Plain, blueberry etc..) I prefer plain, but I can eat chocolate chip ones as well as blueberry and strawberry. Have you ever seen the show Wife Swap? Yeah, I actually quite like it. Do you like chicken or beef better? Or do you not eat meat? Chicken, I think. I eat meat, but wish I didn't. What brand of dish soap do you use? Dawn, usually. Do any of your neighbors have dogs? Yes, and they never shut up. Do you believe in fortune tellers? They're money-driver bullshitters. Have you ever been to one? No, and judging by the fervor in the above question, I hope you can tell I never would do so and thus monetarily support them. Do you like regular or chocolate milk better? Chocolate, of course. But I love normal milk, too. Once again, wish I didn't, though. Forcing a cow to constantly reproduce to lactate is pretty fucking cruel. Growing up, did you listen to country music? I actually did. Do you normally wash your hands in warm or cold water? If it's just a quick wash, it's usually cold because our water takes quite a few moments to warm up. However, if I'm looking to thoroughly wash my hands, it's gotta be relatively hot. Do you believe in mediums? I see them in a worse light than I do fortune tellers, so... Like sure, manipulate grieving people for profit, sounds great. Have you ever been to one? Obviously not. Have you ever dated someone on the football team? No. Do you have a gazebo at your house? No. Do you like tomatoes? Solely when straight from a garden and on a bacon and mayonnaise sandwich. Otherwise I am noooot a fan. Are you a competitive person? Not very, but there's a tiny spark in me, really when it just comes to photography. I hate it. Google or Bing? Does literally anyone use Bing? What's your favorite brand of bottled water? Essentia. Do you have any ceramic animals in your house or outside? Ummm I don't think so. Have you ever given someone flowers? Yes. What is something you might eat with a hamburger? Fries or mac and cheese. What is a sport that you’ve always wanted to play, but never got a chance to. None. What is a fruit that you might eat in the morning? A banana. Who might you send a selfie to? I don't send selfies to anyone. About how many pages is the longest book you’ve ever read? I THINK it surpassed 1,000? At least in the high hundreds. Who would you call first after getting engaged to tell them the news? Probably Mom. Around what time do you start feeling tired enough to go to sleep? Truth be told, it's usually arouund 7-8. I rarely make it to 9:00 nowadays. What trends do you refuse to give in to? I don't even know what's trendy right now. What subjects in history interest you most? As dark as it is, I find the Holocaust interesting to learn about. Are you superstitious in any way? No. How do you get rid of anxiety? What a relevant question, being in a partial hospitalization program right now. Coping skills that help me are doing deep breathing, mindfulness exercises, and a little jerk back to reality is splashing freezing cold water on my face. It also helps to talk it out with somebody, just get my feelings into words. Then if it's a true anxiety or panic attack, I have my "emergency" anxiety prescription. Are there any items of jewelry you never/rarely take off? My lip and tragus piercings never do, and I always wear two rings. Do you find yourself correcting people’s grammar often? Not really, no. It just seems rude and snobby to me, honestly, if it's not in an educational setting, like helping someone with an essay. Correcting someone in your average conversation is just... unnecessary, imo. Now if you're talking like in surveys and stuff, I definitely do in questions and such, but I don't point it out. Gummi worms: Yay or nay? Yay, love 'em. What do you do when you have ‘me time’? I only ever have "me" time, so what I always do... Do you lack common sense sometimes? I have a horrible lack of common sense, shit's embarrassing. Have you ever poured glue on your hand just to peel it off for fun? No. How do babies make you feel? "Nervous. They’re so damn breakable." <<<< Mood. Would you/Have you milked a cow? No, and I'm not interested. What really gives you the creeps? #!: seeing a baby move inside its mother's stomach. It will actually make me scream and/or cry because it just grosses me the fuck out. Whale sharks' mouths also creep me out big time. Do you ever eat leftover pizza cold? Yeah, I love cold pizza. When you're wanting a midnight snack, what do you normally get? We normally have cashew bars that I like if I'm really hungry. Which cartoon character would you want to keep as a pet? Obviously Pikachu. My niece loves Pikachu anyway, so she'd be ecstatic to see a real one. Or well, maybe I'd go for an Eevee. Not as dangerous with electricity and all but just as cute and small. Do you like marshmallows? Yeah. If you had the opportunity to live forever, would you take it? No. It would ruin so many factors of the temporary nature of life. Things would lose meaning, get old and boring, it'd be much easier to take advantage of things... There are many reasons why I have no desire to live forever. Hell, I even wonder if I want an afterlife for those same reasons. Did you ever really believe in Santa Claus? As a little kid, yeah. Do you like quesadillas? I like cheese, chicken, and shrimp ones. What's the greatest/most influential song you've ever heard? Ozzy's "Life Won't Wait." Do you prefer to pull off band-aids slowly or quickly? I tend to do it slowly. What was the last thing someone told you that had you at a loss for words? Uhhh I feel like Sara said something, but I don't remember what. What was the last health scare you had? Ugh... I'm kind of living in one now. As my legs have been worsening, I'm becoming increasingly concerned I'm eventually going to need a wheelchair for "walking" longer distances. And mind you, "long" for me is probably short for the average person. My knees do nothing but crack incessantly and burn when I use them, and they frequently feel like they're going to give way, and in a few rare instances, have. It's my own fucking fault for not sucking it up and exercising with my mom in the room, so I'd like to move on. What is your favorite filling for a piece of chocolate? Caramel. Do you enjoy the sound of birds chirping? I do. If applicable, what’s your favorite drug, and why? I don't do drugs, so. What was the last TV show you binge-watched? Avatar: The Last Airbender with Sara. Would you rather eat burgers or tacos? Definitely burgers. I don't like tacos. Did your mother change her maiden name when/if she got marred? Yes. What was the last job you applied for? Did you get the job? Deli worker, and yes. Do you use TikTok? No. What decorations do you have in your bathroom? None. Our bathroom is pretty small. Well, the one we use, anyway. The one attached to the master's bedroom isn't cleaned up yet, but we'll use it in case of emergency. What year was your favourite band formed? (Before people think I'm smart, no, I looked the dates up, haha.) Well Ozzy was Black Sabbath's vocalist, and the band formed in 1968, but Ozzy became a solo artist in 1979. What's your favourite fruit? Strawberries. Have you ever had an out-of-body experience? No. Do you prefer gory horror films or the psychological ones? I prefer psychological. Are you easily paranoid? Yeah. Do you have a favorite obsession? Meerkats and Mark are kinda tied, haha. Are you a workaholic? No. Have you ever given a tattoo before and would you like to? No and no; that would be an awful idea, given I have bad tremors in my hands. Have you ever seen the movie Labyrinth? I actually have not. Would you rather be called pretty or hot? Pretty. Have you ever gotten a serious injury at school? What happened? No. Have you ever performed in front of my large group of people? Yes; I was a dancer for many years. Have you ever fundraised? If so, what for? You know how Facebook recommends making fundraisers for a charity of your choice for your birthday? I've done that for the Trevor Project and two charities for ovarian and pancreatic cancers. Are you wearing earrings right now? Ugh, no, even though I want to be. The first holes in my ears are just too stretched for normal earrings because I wore heavy ones too often, and I just don't have nice earrings. I still want to get very small gauges to put in the stretched holes. Name a singer whose voice makes you swoon? Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump can do that, holy shit. "America's Suitehearts" does it for me, man. Y'know, when his voice goes all deep. Do your pets follow you when you walk around the house? My cat Roman is quite literally my shadow. Where I go, he goes. What do you do online? I seem to only exist online, really, so I've got a lot on my plate to choose from, yet I'm still bored half the time, haha. I'm essentially always watching or listening to YouTube, I play World of Warcraft for varying amounts of time depending on the day, I scroll through deviantART, check KM periodically, do surveys obviously, "work" at the wikis I contribute to, wander around on Facebook... idk, that's all I really do at least semi-regularly online. Haha oh, wait, I also check Craigslist like... every day for tarantula and hognoses even though I can't currently get either. Let me dream. Do you have any scars on your face? I have a couple on my chin from when I fainted and busted it open. What countries were your grandparents born in? In the US. What was the most damaging relationship (romantic or not) that you’ve ever been a part of? Ultimately, with Jason, because of how it ended. The relationship itself wasn't at all damaging to me, but the breakup shook my entire fucking world. When in your life was your self-esteem at its lowest point? Self-esteem? Now. I'm very unhappy with my weight going back up, my body is just in poor health in general, I'm not employed, not in school... I just feel like a lowlife. Who was the last person you cut out of your life? Do you regret it? I want to say my sister's mother-in-law. Sure don't, considering she revealed her disgusting support for conversion therapy. I'm civil around her in person, but I kicked that woman off my Facebook so fucking quick when I saw that shit. Who is the most attractive person you know personally? That I know personally... I would say Alon, but I haven't seen even a picture of her in forever. Summer, though, shares selfies frequently, and by god is she gorgeous. I know a lot a lot of beautiful women, asldkjf;awe. It's funny that I'm blanking on men, at least involving people I still "know"/are somehow present in my life. Would you rather look older or younger than you are? I'm fine looking my age. Have you ever dated someone who was very vastly different from your “type”? No. What is the biggest project you’re currently working on? I suppose you can count an RP plot as a "project." I'm procrastinating so bad on it because it is going to be A LOT of writing. Is there a person from your past that you wonder about frequently? Who? Take a shot in the dark for me. Who knows you best, excluding romantic partners? My mother. What are your thoughts on human creation? I believe we evolved. How many people have you had sex with? One. Have you ever had a yard sale? Yeah. Have you ever been surfing? No.

#survey #surveys #questions #lyrics: ''voices'' by motionless in white

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writteninsunshine · 3 years

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Decking Something - Tseng/Reno - SFW

Title: Decking Something

Author: Reno

Fandom: Final Fantasy VII

Setting: Turk Floor, ShinRa Building

Pairing: Tseng/Reno

Characters: Tseng, Reno, Rufus Shinra, Koi Fish OC: Xiang

Genre: Romance

Rating: K

Chapters: 1/1

Word Count: 1187

Type Of Work: One-Shot, Day One of the Shinra Holiday 2020 Prompts

Status: Complete

Warnings: Gay, Slash, Yaoi, MLM, Fluff, Romance, Tseng is Superstitious, Tseng has koi fish, Taking Liberties With Holidays, Reno is Ridiculous, No Specific Turks Mentioned But They’re In The Background, Established Relationship

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything except Xiang!

Summary: Reno was always a mess during the holidays, but this was preferable to him drinking on the job.

#Shinraholiday2020

AN: Hey guys, it’s me again! Just thought I ought to say, if you want vague updates and to talk to me more, I have Twitter and Tumblr, too! Twitter is Sunnywritings, and Tumblr is Writteninsunshine! I also have a writing Discord that is currently pretty dead. xD I can PM it to people who want it on FFN, for everyone else, it’s here: https://discord.gg/FyaWw25

Alright, guys, hello! Going to try to do this Shinra Holiday 2020 thing, and I’m hoping that things turn out. I really want to be able to get through something like this entirely, so I’m starting it a little early. I figure if I’m not trying to cram all of it into the day that it’s due, maybe I’ll get stuff done. Weird how time management sneaks into my life once more, isn’t it? At any rate, I hope you guys enjoy this!

For those wondering, Xiang is a gift from Tseng’s father for luck and prosperity! He has several koi fish but Xiang is his favorite. Just wait until I get to his birds in a different fic, that one will be fun.

Shinra Holiday 2020 Fic Masterlist

Final Fantasy VII Fic Masterlist

Decking Something

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“Reno,” Tseng began after a long moment of standing, staring, and incredulous coffee-sipping, “What in Leviathan’s name do you think you are doing?”

Reno had heard that ten thousand times in the course of his life, and he found himself with the simple knowledge that this wasn’t actually a question, but a long-winded ‘no.’ Still, that didn’t stop him from slowly growing a wicked grin, a certain shine to his blue eyes, and lifting a string of tinsel. The shiny silver worm of plastic struggled minutely in Reno’s grip, limply hanging between his gloved hands as he stepped a little closer.

Were Tseng a more openly emotive man, he might have taken a step back and betrayed his irritation and fear of the unknown when it came to Reno, but he was thankful that he wasn’t. Instead, he simply rose a finely manicured brow, tilted his head slightly to the left, and frowned that much harder. It didn’t deter the redhead, as expected, but it did set the rest of the bullpen ablaze with wide eyes and whispers.

“Reno.” The name was a warning, but neither Turk was really known for backing down, so Reno only encroached further on Tseng’s rapidly shrinking bubble of personal space. “Reno, I--”

It was too late. The tinsel found itself wrapped around Tseng’s neck and gently tucked into itself like a gaudy, scratchy scarf, and Reno was incredibly close to catching an open palm to the face. If it weren’t for Tseng’s unnatural amount of self-control, he probably would have had a brand new broken nose. Instead, the elder man simply leveled a half-glare, half incredulous stare at his lover that earned him a somewhat sweet smile.

“It’s almost Christmas, man,” Reno told him gently, adjusting the tinsel scarf carefully around his neck, “Gotta deck the halls and all that shit.”

Well, that explained a lot. Reno always did get weird during the holidays, and it was probably better that he was sober and decorating instead of drinking during work hours like last year.

“So you want to deck the halls of the Shinra building?” Tseng asked finally, gently reaching down to touch the tinsel he wore. It wasn’t comfortable, but something about how happy the string of shiny plastic made the redhead, convinced him it wouldn’t be so bad to wear. He hadn’t seen Reno smile like that in months, and it was a worthwhile sight.

“Yeah, I figured uh, it’d be more festive than, uh… Then my place.” Reno murmured the last bit, his blue eyes cast down as he wrung his hands in the hem of his jacket. Was Tseng going to tell him ‘no’, now? He wasn’t sure if he could handle it. The holidays always kicked his ass, left him feeling cold and unwanted, and even Tseng knew he was treading on thin ice right now.

The whispers and wide eyes around them were turning to soft ‘I told you so’s and exchanges of Gil as Tseng tugged Reno in for a gentle kiss. With his thumb and forefinger on the other’s chin, he kept him in place before finally pulling back, smiling at him in that rare way he did when he was pleased.

“I ain’t even wearing the headband.” Reno chuckled in amazement, dumbstruck as he nuzzled their noses together. Tseng’s eyebrow arched into his hairline.

“The… Headband?” That sounded like it was going to be a big problem he didn’t want to deal with.

“Yeah, man, let me grab it!” Breaking away from Tseng’s grip, Reno bound into his office and disappeared inside. When he returned to the bullpen where Tseng still stood waiting in his festive attire, he wore a red headband with a long, plastic arm set in the center. At the end of it was a piece of what was presumably fake mistletoe, and Tseng’s eyes rolled so hard his entire head almost fell off.

“That’s… Lovely, Reno.” He sighed, shaking his head definitively, “But if you wear it to anything but the Christmas party, you’re going to wish you didn’t.”

“Aw, c’mon, man, it’s not that--”

“No. If Rufus sees you in that he’s going to get an idea and then we’ll all be wearing them.” Not that that was necessarily a bad thing. But he didn’t particularly want to deal with it. If Rufus got any ideas from this particular holiday, he was hoping it would be something less needy and more festive. The man needed some actual holiday cheer if you asked him. After all, it wasn’t like his holidays growing up had ever been more than artificial love in the form of impersonal gifts. A little whimsy would probably do their boss some good, and if Reno was in the mood to deliver, well, Tseng wasn’t about to tell him ‘no’, now. It would help both of his favorite men to have this if luck served.

He’d have to go home and make sure his lucky fish was doing well. Xiang would surely see this through, the white koi with the black scale in the center of his forehead had never let Tseng down before.

If he was allowed something somewhat childish to help him cope with the job and everything else in his life, then Reno and Rufus should be allowed to decorate the office however they saw fit for the holidays.

“Reno.” Tseng was positive that the redhead had been talking when he was buried in his own head, and he didn’t have time to ask him about what he had been saying. Instead, he kissed him again, gently, before shaking his head. “I want to help you decorate. We can do our offices, too.”

Reno lit up like the faerie lights he’d spread around his own office, and his hand found Tseng’s in an instant. Taking him to his veritable treasure trove of delights, he began to dig through it.

“Do you think Rufus will let us get a tree?”

All of those fake trees at the store would work, he was sure, though he also had a feeling that Rufus would bemoan the lack of a real tree. Not that they could get their hands on one, but that was beside the point.

“He might want the biggest, most gaudy fake tree money can buy, should you bring it up to him.” Tseng left it open-ended to give Reno a chance to do it on his own. If the redhead wanted to throw the Turks and Rufus into the holiday spirit, so be it, he supposed. It wasn’t like they were incredibly busy today. “All I ask is that you don’t make a mess and that you’re still available should we need you for work.”

“Yessir!” Reno barked, clicking his heels together dramatically and saluting, “You know you can count on me.” That beautiful, rare, lips-only smile worked onto Tseng’s lips again and he pressed a kiss to Reno’s forehead.

“I know. I made you my second for a reason.” Reno’s cheeks lit up at that, giving Tseng a return rare sight that he thought about for the rest of the day.

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AN: Alright, there we go, one fic down! Just six more to go! With any luck, I’ll be able to put something out for each day, but we’ll see. I’ve never been super good at staying on top of these things, if only because I’m always crunching for time. But, this time, I’m going to be on top of it, because I started a little early. At least, I’m really hoping that I will be. I hope you guys enjoyed it!

Prompt: Shinra Holiday 2020 Day One - Deck The Halls

#Shinraholidayweek2020 #Tseng x Reno #Final Fantasy VII Fanfic #Final Fantasy VII Fanfiction

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kentcsarmiento · 4 years

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Two Friends

Wakanda was in the throes of famine. Even the sparrows on the roofs and the rats in the sewers were growing scarce. People were eating anything they could get. As Den, watchmaker by profession and idler for the nonce, was strolling along the boulevard one bright March morning, his hands in his trousers pockets and stomach empty, he suddenly came face to face with an acquaintance,Jonny, a fishing chum.Before the war broke out. Den had been in the habit, every Sunday morning, of setting forth with a bamboo rod in his hand and a tin box on his back. He took the bus station, got out at Panag, and walked thence to the river side. The moment he arrived at this place of his dreams he began fishing, and fished till nightfall.Every Sunday he met in this very spot,the river spot .a stout, jolly, little man, a draper in the , and also an ardent fisherman. They often spent half the day side by side, rod in hand and feet dangling over the water, and a warm friendship had sprung up between the two.Some days they did not speak; at other times they chatted; but they understood each other perfectly without the aid of words, having similar tastes and feelings. In the spring, about ten o'clock in the morning, when the early sun caused a light mist to float on the water and gently warmed the backs of the two enthusiastic anglers, Den would occasionally remark to his neighbor: "My, but it's pleasant here." To which the other would reply: "I can't imagine anything better!"

And these few words sufficed to make them understand and appreciate each other. In the autumn, toward the close of day, when the setting sun shed a blood-red glow over the western sky, and the reflection of the crimson clouds tinged the whole river with red, brought a glow to the faces of the two friends, and gilded the trees, whose leaves were already turning at the first chill touch of winter, Jonny would sometimes smile at den, and say:"What a glorious spectacle!"And den would answer, without taking his eyes from his float: "This is much better than the boulevard, isn't it?" As soon as they recognized each other they shook hands cordially, affected at the thought of meeting under such changed circumstances.

Jonny, with a sigh, murmured:

"These are sad times!"

Den shook his head mournfully.

"And such weather! This is the first fine day of the year." The sky was, in fact, of a bright, cloudless blue. They walked along, side by side, reflective and sad. "And to think of the fishing!" said den."What good times we used to have!" "When shall we be able to fish again?" asked Jonny.. They entered a small cafe and took an absinthe together, then resumed their walk along the pavement.

Den stopped suddenly. "Shall we have another absinthe?" he said. "If you like," agreed jonny And they entered another wine shop. They were quite unsteady when they came out, owing to the effect of the alcohol on their empty stomachs. It was a fine, mild day, and a gentle breeze fanned their faces. The fresh air completed the effect of the alcohol on den.. He stopped suddenly, saying: "Suppose we go there?" "Where?" "Fishing." "But where?" "Why, to the old place. The French outposts are close to river side. I know Colonel Dumoulin, and we shall easily get leave to pass."

Den trembled with desire. "Very well. I agree." And they separated, to fetch their rods and lines. An hour later they were walking side by side on the-highroad. Presently they reached the villa occupied by the colonel. He smiled at their request, and granted it. They resumed their walk, furnished with a password. Soon they left the outposts behind them, made their way through deserted riverside. and found themselves on the outskirts of the small vineyards which border the Seine. It was about eleven o'clock. Before them lay the village of Argenteuil, apparently lifeless. The heights of Orgement and Sannois dominated the landscape. The great plain, extending as far as Nanterre, was empty, quite empty-a waste of dun-colored soil and bare cherry trees. Jonny, pointing to the heights, murmured: "The people are up yonder!" And the sight of the deserted country filled the two friends with vague misgivings. The people! They had never seen them as yet, but they had felt their presence in the neighborhood of Paris for months past--ruining France, pillaging, massacring, starving them. And a kind of superstitious terror mingled with the hatred they already felt toward this unknown, victorious nation. "Suppose we were to meet any of them?" said den. Still, they hesitated to show themselves in the open country, overawed by the utter silence which reigned around them. At last jonny said boldly: "Come, we'll make a start; only let us be careful!" And they made their way through one of the vineyards, bent double, creeping along beneath the cover afforded by the vines, with eye and ear alert. A strip of bare ground remained to be crossed before they could gain the river bank. They ran across this, and, as soon as they were at the water's edge, concealed themselves among the dry reeds. Den placed his ear to the ground, to ascertain, if possible, whether footsteps were coming their way. He heard nothing. They seemed to be utterly alone. Their confidence was restored, and they began to fish. Before them the deserted murant hid them from the farther shore. The little restaurant was closed, and looked as if it had been deserted for years. Jonny caught the first gudgeon, den the second, and almost every moment one or other raised his line with a little, glittering, silvery fish wriggling at the end; they were having excellent sport. They slipped their catch gently into a close-meshed bag lying at their feet; they were filled with joy--the joy of once more indulging in a pastime of which they had long been deprived. The sun poured its rays on their backs; they no longer heard anything or thought of anything. They ignored the rest of the world; they were fishing. But suddenly a rumbling sound, which seemed to come from the bowels of the earth, shook the ground beneath them: the cannon were resuming their thunder. Den turned his head and could see toward the left, beyond the banks of the river, the formidable outline of Mont-Valerien, from whose summit arose a white puff of smoke. The next instant a second puff followed the first, and in a few moments a fresh detonation made the earth tremble. Others followed, and minute by minute the mountain gave forth its deadly breath and a white puff of smoke, which rose slowly into the peaceful heaven and floated above the summit of the cliff. Jonny shrugged his shoulders."They are at it again!" he said. Den, who was anxiously watching his float bobbing up and down, was suddenly seized with the angry impatience of a peaceful man toward the madmen who were firing thus, and remarked indignantly: "What fools they are to kill one another like that!"

"They're worse than animals," replied Jonny. And den. who had just caught a bleak, declared: "And to think that it will be just the same so long as there are governments!"

"The Republic would not have declared war," interposed Jonny..

Deninterrupted him: "Under a king we have foreign wars; under a republic we have civil war."And the two began placidly discussing political problems with the sound common sense of peaceful, matter-of-fact citizens--agreeing on one point: that they would never be free. And Mont-Valerien thundered ceaselessly, demolishing the houses of the French with its cannon balls, grinding lives of men to powder, destroying many a dream, many a cherished hope, many a prospective happiness; ruthlessly causing endless woe and suffering in the hearts of wives, of daughters, of mothers, in other lands. "Such is life!" declared jonny.

"Say, rather, such is death!" replied den, laughing. But they suddenly trembled with alarm at the sound of footsteps behind them, and, turning round, they perceived close at hand four tall, bearded men, dressed after the manner of livery servants and wearing flat caps on their heads. They were covering the two anglers with their rifles. The rods slipped from their owners' grasp and floated away down the river. In the space of a few seconds they were seized, bound, thrown into a boat, and taken across to the murant. And behind the house they had thought deserted were about a score of soldiers. A shaggy-looking giant, who was bestriding a chair and smoking a long clay pipe, addressed them in excellent French with the words: "Well, gentlemen, have you had good luck with your fishing?" Then a soldier deposited at the officer's feet the bag full of fish, which he had taken care to bring away. The Prussian smiled. "Not bad, I see. But we have something else to talk about. Listen to me, and don't be alarmed:

"You must know that, in my eyes, you are two spies sent to reconnoitre me and my movements. Naturally, I capture you and I shoot you. You pretended to be fishing, the better to disguise your real errand. You have fallen into my hands, and must take the consequences. Such is war. "But as you came here through the outposts you must have a password for your return. Tell me that password and I will let you go." The two friends, pale as death, stood silently side by side, a slight fluttering of the hands alone betraying their emotion. "No one will ever know," continued the officer. "You will return peacefully to your homes, and the secret will disappear with you. If you refuse, it means death-instant death. Choose!"

They stood motionless, and did not open their lips. The Prussian, perfectly calm, went on, with hand outstretched toward the river: "Just think that in five minutes you will be at the bottom of that water. In five minutes! You have relations, I presume?" Mont-Valerien still thundered. The two fishermen remained silent. The German turned and gave an order in his own language. Then he moved his chair a little way off, that he might not be so near the prisoners, and a dozen men stepped forward, rifle in hand, and took up a position, twenty paces off. "I give you one minute," said the officer; "not a second longer." Then he rose quickly, went over to the two Frenchmen, took Morissot by the arm, led him a short distance off, and said in a low voice:

"Quick! the password! Your friend will know nothing. I will pretend to relent." Den answered not a word. Then the Prussian took jonny aside in like manner, and made him the same proposal. Jonny made no reply. Again they stood side by side. The officer issued his orders; the soldiers raise their rifles. Then by chance den eyes fell on the bag full of gudgeon lying in the grass a few feet from him. A ray of sunlight made the still quivering fish glisten like silver. And den eart sank. Despite his efforts at self-control his eyes filled with tears."Good-by, jonny." he faltered."Good-by, den," replied jonny .They shook hands, trembling from head to foot with a dread beyond their mastery.

The officer cried:

"Fire!" The twelve shots were as one. Jonny fell forward instantaneously. Den, being the taller, swayed slightly and fell across his friend with face turned skyward and blood oozing from a rent in the breast of his coat. The German issued fresh orders. His men dispersed, and presently returned with ropes and large stones, which they attached to the feet of the two friends; then they carried them to the river bank. Mont-Valerien, its summit now enshrouded in smoke, still continued to thunder. Two soldiers took Morissot by the head and the feet; two others did the same with jonny. The bodies, swung lustily by strong hands, were cast to a distance, and, describing a curve, fell feet foremost into the stream. The water splashed high, foamed, eddied, then grew calm; tiny waves lapped the shore. A few streaks of blood flecked the surface of the river. The officer, calm throughout, remarked, with grim humor: "It's the fishes' turn now!" Then he retraced his way to the house. Suddenly he caught sight of the net full of gudgeons, lying forgotten in the grass.

#QUEENLUPITAJONES

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killjoytrait · 5 years

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🌸 : meet the simblr

i came across @hurtsim‘s post of this and he indirectly tagged everyone reading, so: here! (i also thought it would make a good first post) rules are to share your simself, traits, aspiration, anything you want to!

i tag everyone reading that wants to do it (+ also @simending because he just followed me and i’m nothing if not excitable)

i also answered the same 125 questions that you can find below the cut

happy simming! i look forward to my new life of attempting to be a simblr

1. what is your full name? dana marie [redacted]. 2. what are your nicknames? dani, red. just call me dani. 3. birthday? july 22nd. 4. what is your favorite book series? probably the percy jackson series. it was a big part of my younger years. 5. do you believe in aliens or ghosts? both. 6. who is your favorite author? rick riordan i guess? or rainbow rowell. 7. what is your favorite radio station? i don’t really listen to the radio often enough to have one. 8. what is your favorite flavor of anything? in general i like almost chocolate anything. fruit-flavored wise my favorite is blue raspberry or strawberry. 9. what word would you often use to describe something great or wonderful? in a meme context or a more serious one? bc i’ll say that something is ‘lit af’ but i’ll also say it’s fantastic or wonderful, etc. 10. what is your current favorite song? i can’t narrow it down to one, so a few are “play it cool” by monsta x, “the eve” by exo, “killing me” by ikon, “bellyache” by billie eilish, “youngblood” by 5sos, and “high hopes” by p!atd. 11. what is your favorite word? to be honest, probably ‘fuck.’ 12. what was the last song you listened to? "promise” by ateez. 13. what tv show would you recommend for everyone to watch? avatar: the last airbender or steven universe. 14. what is your favorite movie to watch when you’re feeling down? spirited away. or coco. 15. do you play video games? not as often as i would like to, but heck yeah. 16. what is your biggest fear? being alone/forgotten. oh and holes. 17. what is your best quality, in your opinion? i can be funny sometimes. and my eyes are a nice color? 18. what is your worst quality, in your opinion? i can be really moody. also i’m anxious and sad like 25/7 so that’s not fun. 19. do you like cats or dogs better? cats. 20. what’s your favorite season? fall. spring would be alright, but it’s too rainy and also allergies. 21. are you in a relationship? i am, yes. 22. what is something you miss from your childhood? not having responsibilities. 23. who is your best friend? one of my first friends i made in my short college stint. (and also my ex-girlfriend) 24. what is your eye color? green. 25. what is your hair color? strawberry-blonde, ginger, whatever you call it. 26. who is someone you love? i love my handful of close friends. 27. who is someone you trust? my girlfriend. 28. who is someone you think about often? like forty different korean boys, i don’t even know. also my girlfriend. 29. are you currently excited about/for something? a convention i’m going to next month. 30. what is your biggest obsession? i don’t even know. it’s a tie between kpop and sour gummi worms. 31. what was your favorite tv show as a child? arthur! living that pbs kid life. 32. who of the opposite gender can you tell anything to, if anyone? no one. 33. are you superstitious? i can be, yeah. 34. do you have any unusual phobias? i’m trypophobic which is kind of unusual? i probably have others that i can’t think of though. 35. do you prefer to be in front of the camera or behind it? i take 99% selfies, so both. 36. what is your favorite hobby? spending hours downloading cc and constantly remaking sims instead of actually playing my game. 37. what was the last book you read? i have no idea. i haven’t been able to finish a book since high school. 38. what was the last movie you watched? i really don’t know, yikes. 39. what musical instruments do you play, if any? i can play the opening of ‘welcome to the black parade’ and that’s about it. 40. what is your favorite animal? sloths. i love sloths. 41. what are your top 5 tumblr blogs that you follow? they’re all amazing so i dunno. 42. what superpower do you wish you had? shapeshifting. 43. when and where do you feel most at peace? probably asleep. or just lowkey chilling with my friends. 44. what makes you smile? tons of things; the moon, stuffed animals, my friends, a comfy hoodie. i might be a sad bitch but i’m a smiley sad bitch. 45. what sports do you play, if any? i don’t. 46. what is your favorite drink? i only really drink water, sprite, or lemonade. 47. when was the last time you wrote a hand-written letter or note to somebody? like two years ago? 48. are you afraid of heights? i’m afraid of falling. 49. what is your biggest pet peeve? customers being rude to people in the service industry. 50. have you ever been to a concert? mhm. 51. are you vegan/vegetarian? vegetarian. 52. when you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? an artist, a pop star, or an actress. 53. what fictional world would you like to live in? ugh probably the harry potter universe but only under the conditions that i am magical and get to attend hogwarts. (based on my location i would be at ilvermorny but no thanks) 54. what is something you worry about? everything. 55. are you scared of the dark? absolutely. 56. do you like to sing? constantly. 57. have you ever skipped school? of course. 58. what is your favorite place on the planet? i’d say my room but i currently hate where i’m living so i dunno. 59. where would you like to live? a bigger city. not sure where exactly. 60. do you have any pets? i have three fish. 61. are you more of an early bird or night owl? night owl. 62. do you like sunrises or sunsets better? sunrise, even though I rarely see them. 63. do you know how to drive? not really. 64. do you prefer earbuds or headphones? earbuds. 65. have you ever had braces? no. i need them though. 66. what is your favorite genre of music? kpop isn’t technically a genre, but that. along with pop punk and alternative. 67. who is your hero? i don’t really have one that i can think of. batman? 68. do you read comic books? i used to. 69. what makes you the most angry? injustice? tons of things make me angry and that’s not a list i’m about to get into. but also terfs. 70. do you prefer to read on an electronic device or a real book? it depends on how long the book is or where i’m reading. 71. what is your favorite subject in school? it was history. i’d go become a history teacher if i wasn’t so bad at college. 72. do you have any siblings? yes. 73. what was the last thing you bought? a nasa hoodie. 74. how tall are you? 5′10 or about 177cm. 75. can you cook? vaguely. 76. what are three things that you love? the sound of rain when i don’t have to be outside, being asleep, and lgbtq+ rights. 77. what are three things that you hate? going to sleep, screaming children, and biphobia. 78. do you have more female friends or male friends? female. 79. what is your sexual orientation? bisexual. 80. where do you currently live? the usa. 81. who was the last person you texted? my best fren. 82. when was the last night you cried? last night. 83. who is your favorite youtuber? probably lavendertowne. 84. do you like to take selfies? yeah. 85. what is your favorite app? probably youtube? or spotify. 86. what is your relationship with your parent(s) like? my relationship with my dad is pretty good, and i don’t really have a relationship with my mom, nor do i want one. 87. what is your favorite foreign accent? um, southern brit? i also just enjoy listening to other languages even when i can’t understand them. 88. what is a place that you’ve never been to, but want to visit? literally anywhere outside of the usa. i’ve never left the country. but especially rome. 89. what is your favorite number? 4, 7, and 35. 90. can you juggle? absolutely not. 91. are you religious? not really? 92. do you find outer space or the deep ocean to be more interesting? space. 93. do you consider yourself to be a daredevil? not really, no. 94. are you allergic to anything? i’m lactose intolerant and i get seasonal allergies. 95. can you curl your tongue? nope. 96. can you wiggle your ears? nah. 97. how often do you admit that you were wrong about something? i’ll admit it when it’s a friend or when the person hasn’t made me mad. 98. do you prefer the forest or beach? the forest. i can’t stand sand. 99. what is your favorite piece of advice that anyone has ever given you? “just, you do you, and fuck everyone else.” from my dad 100. are you a good liar? yeah. 101. what is your hogwarts house? ravenclaw. 102. do you talk to yourself? constantly. 103. are you an introvert or extrovert? ambivert, but closer to the introverted end. 104. do you keep a journal/diary? no, i’ve tried and i can never keep up with them for more than a week. 105. do you believe in second chances? depends on what they’ve done, but usually no. 106. if you found a wallet full of money on the ground, what would you do? turn it in. keeping it would cause me too much stress. 107. do you believe people are capable of change? once again, it depends on what they’ve done. 108. are you ticklish? sometimes? 109. have you ever been on a plane? not one that was off the ground. 110. do you have any piercings? yes, seven. 111. what fictional character do you wish was real? steve rogers. 112. do you have any tattoos? not yet, sadly. 113. what is the best decision that you’ve made in your life so far? staying alive. 114. do you believe in karma? yes. 115. do you wear glasses/contacts? yeah, my eyesight is awful. 116. do you want children? no. 117. who is the smartest person you know? i really don’t know, 118. what is your most embarrassing memory? every moment of middle school. 119. have you ever pulled an all-nighter? so many times. 120. what color are most of your clothes? black. 121. do you like adventures? i love them. 122. have you ever been on tv? i don’t think so? maybe in the background of my local news or something? 123. how old are you? twenty. 124. what is your favorite quote? “sometimes i can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives i am not living.” from extremely loud and incredibly close by jonathan safran foer. 125. do you prefer sweet or savory foods? sweet!

if you actually read this far, thank you for being interested or at least bored enough to read!

TLDR: i’m a disaster bi.

(credit for the lovely traits overlay goes to @/cupidjuicecc)

#meet the simblr #that's not a tag but it is now #about me #depression tw #anxiety mention #only lightly passed by #but i want to be safe #ts4 #simblr #ts4 simblr #*mine

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sapphiretrams · 5 years

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Get to Know Me Tag

I was kind of tagged by @intricately-silly? Like, I have a notification that I was mentioned??? Idk, but thanks if you did!

Rules: Post a pic of your simself with your traits and answer the questions!

Traits: creative + good + music lover

1. What is your full name? Riley, and that’s all I’m gonna say

2. What is your nickname? I kinda gave myself the nickname RPS? You can also call me Trams cause of my url, I don’t mind.

3. When is your birthday? September 5

4. What is your favorite book series? Favorite book series... probably Harry Potter. I’m not obsessed with it (cause J.K. is kinda not a good person) but it’s one of the few series I remember reading.

5. Do you believe in aliens or ghosts? Sure. I’m not a hardcore believer, and when I watch Buzzfeed Unsolved Supernatural, I’m DEFINITELY a Shaniac, but I’m definitely not closed to the idea.

6. Who is your favorite author? Probably Charles Dickens or Shakespeare. I’m a sucker for that classic literature stuff.

7. What is your favorite radio station? Eh, I don’t really listen to the radio.

8. What is your favorite flavor of anything? Lemon! It’s just SO good in all candy flavors, and I love it so much.

9. What word do you often use to describe something great or wonderful? Rad, awesome, cool, the usuals and occasionally terms that are super dated like tubular.

10. What is your favorite song currently? God that’s hard cause I love music so much... maybe Planetary (GO!) or Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na) by MCR.

11. What is your favorite word? Petrichor

12. What is the last song you listened to? The Cage by Genesis

13. What TV show would you recommend everyone to watch? Forensic Files, it’s fascinating to me

14. What is your favorite movie to watch when you’re feeling down? I haven’t been one to watch movies when down so I don’t really have one

15. Do you play video games? Yep! I’ve been playing them a lot

16. What is your biggest fear? Being abandoned. It’s happened to me so often by friends that it’s just sort of become common place and I’m terrified of it.

17. What is your best quality in your opinion? My optimism!

18. What is your worst quality in your opinion? My inability to talk alshdafsdf I’m such a klutz at speaking

19. Do you like cats or dogs better? Dogs, though I do love cats.

20. What is your favorite season? Spring! Everything is turning green and flowering and it’s so refreshing to feel the rain on your face!

21. Are you in a relationship? Nope, I am tragically single

22. What is something you miss from your childhood? Having my parents read stories to me and my brothers, it was such a fun time in my childhood.

23. Who is your best friend? My friend Elli, a super cool nb person who’s been my friend for around 2 years now.

24. What is your eye color? Hazel

25. What is your hair color? Dark brown, though it’s been bleached and I would love to have green hair again.

26. Who is someone you love? Myself 💕

27. Who is someone you trust? My mom. She’s on my side no matter what, and she’s the first family member I told about my sexual and gender identity.

28. Who is someone you think about often? My ocs

29. Are you currently excited about something? Not really, I’m just kinda drifting atm

30. What is your biggest obsession? The Adventure Zone. It is SO. GOOD. I love the McElroys, and they mean a lot to me.

31. What was your favorite TV show as a child? The 1994 Spider-Man series. That SM has always been my favorite and he always will be.

32. Who of the opposite gender can you tell anything to? What’s a gender?

33. Are you superstitious? Sorta I guess

34. Do you have an unusual phobias? I HATE arteries and tendons. HATE HATE HATE them. They freak me out and I have to cover them up when I start getting freaked out by them. I’ve had this fear since I was a child.

35. Do you prefer to be in front of the camera or behind it? Both baby!

36. What is your favorite hobby? Drawing!!!

37. What is the last book you read? Pieces of Happiness by Anne Ostby

38. What was the last movie you watched? Thor: Ragnorak

39. What musical instruments do you play? Violin, a little guitar, some piano?

40. What is your favorite animal? It’s hard for me to pick, but my favorite since I was a baby is a tiger.

41. What are your top five favorite Tumblr blogs? @viper-fish @berrybloomsims @lunacysims @mellindi @sim-borg

42. What super power do you wish you had? The power to refill stuff.

43. When and where do you feel most at peace? When I’m driving. There’s something about the freedom that just makes me feel so at peace, and I love feeling like I’m not restrained by anything.

44. What makes you smile? My dog. Everything about him just makes my heart swell

45. What sports do you play? I used to be a soccer champ when I was young.

46. What is your favorite drink? Diet Peach Snapple or Dr Pepper

47. When was the last time you wrote a handwritten letter or note to someone? When I was in like, 8th grade

48. Are you afraid of heights? Not really, though I was when I was younger.

49. What is your biggest pet peeve? I’m a very patient person, so probably when people talk to me when I wanna be left alone tbh.

50. Have you ever been to a concert? Yep. Maroon 5 was the last one. I hope to go to more too.

51. Are you vegetarian or vegan? Nah

52. When you were little what did you want to be when you grew up? A wild life veterinarian. I would throw my stuffed tiger down the stairs and “rescue” her.

53. What fictional world would you like to live in? The Adventure Zone: Balance world.

54. What is something you worry about? My dog since he’s getting up their in years, finding a college to go to and what I want to major in college, my bf’s safety, occasionally my parents when I’m paranoid and worried something might happen.

55. Are you scared of the dark? Nah. It’s nice. I’m more paranoid something might be in the dark, but,

56. Do you like to sing? Yes! I’m pretty decent at it, too, so I love it.

57. Have you ever skipped school? Yeah. I got really depressed when I was in high school and I stayed at home, calling in sick. Which I was, but it wasn’t entirely honest.

58. What is your favorite place on the planet? My desk, it has all my stuff on it and it’s cluttered to my liking.

59. Where would you like to live? Germany, or maybe France if I can learn the language. Maybe split the difference and move to Switzerland.

60. Do you have any pets? Just my baby boy TJ whom I adore.

61. Are you an early bird or a night owl? Night owl, though I’ve been making more of an effort to wake up early. I also get more done when I wake up early, cause it feels like I have more time to do things before noon.

62. Do you like sunrise or sunsets better? Sunsets, mostly cause I’m able to see them from my house.

63. Do you know how to drive? Yep!

64. Do you prefer earbuds or headphones? Earbuds. I have headphones, but you can’t really wear them in public cause they get in the way.

65. Have you ever had braces? No, though I did have a chin strap when I was younger cause I had (and still have) an underbite.

66. What is your favorite genre of music? My music goes all over the place, but showtunes are my jam.

67. Who is your hero? 1994 Spider-Man. I specify because he’s really different from other versions, and he’s so smart and such a klutz and I grew up with him. I’ve been playing the new Spider-Man game for PS4 and I almost started crying from how close he is to MY SM, and he just reminds me of my morals.

68. Do you read comic books? Nah

69. What makes you the most angry? Politics atm. Don’t even talk to me about them. I don’t like being angry and any talk about the current political situation is just infuriating.

70. Do you prefer to read real books or on an electric device? Either, though real books hold a special aesthetic to them.

71. What is your favorite subject in school? English. Like I said, I’m a literary nerd.

72. Do you have any siblings? Two, an older and a younger brother.

73. What was the last thing you bought? Ariana Grande’s song No Tears Left to Cry

74. How tall are you? 5′ 7″, perfectly average

75. Can you cook? Eh, I can do the basic stuff, and if I have a recipe in front of me then sure, but otherwise? Don’t ask.

76. What are three things that you love? My dog, myself, my mom.

77. What are three things that you hate? Politics, White™ people, being expected to know things I was never told about (cough cough @ my boss)

78. Do you have more female friends or more male friends? Honestly, I have more nb friends than either

79. What is your sexual orientation? Pansexual

80. Where do you currently live? The Midwest

81. Who was the last person you texted? My mom

82. When was the last time you cried? Yesterday because I was laughing so goddamn hard

83. Who is your favorite youtuber? Game Grumps and you can fight me on that

84. Do you like to take selfies? Yep! I’m hot and I know it. I’ve hated myself for 5 years, I deserve to be infatuated with myself.

85. What is your favorite app? Monster Girl Creator. It’s so fun.

86. What is your relationship with your parent(s) like? My mom and I are super close, but my dad and I... eh. It’s kinda damaged, though it’s better than it was when I was in high school. He doesn’t understand LGBT stuff or depression so he was just... awful.

87. What is your favorite foreign accent? Probably French, but the funniest to try and do is Russian. I suck at it and it turns into Italian after a while.

88. What is a place that you’ve never been to but want to visit? God I want to travel so bad. I’d love to go to Puerto Rico, France, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Vietnam... so many beautiful places.

89. What is your favorite number? Three

90. Can you juggle? Not for my life

91. Are you religious? I’ve kinda been burned out of religion cause my childhood church was really just... bad. I came out as bi to them when I was a sophomore and it caused a HUGE scene with the church. I was called ‘a slap to the face,’ people left the church, it was just bad. I’m spiritual, but not religious, though my life’s not over yet, so who knows.

92. Do you find outer space or the deep ocean to be more interesting? Space. Space space space. Do you know how badly I want to go to space? I almost became an engineer just so I could go to space.

93. Do you consider yourself to be a daredevil? I’m pretty tame, in all honesty, though I do some stupid shit every now and then.

94. Are you allergic to anything? Bullshit, any and every kind of body soap known to man kind, and pollen.

95. Can you curl your tongue? Yes! I can do the double fold think with your tongue where it looks like a scoop chip, you know what I mean?

96. Can you wiggle your ears? Nah

97. How often do you admit that you were wrong about something? I come from a really stubborn household, though lately I’ve been trying to make more of an effort to be humble and just admit I’m wrong. It’s hard.

98. Do you prefer the forest or the beach? Forest. I’ve only been to the beach twice in my life so it’s not really my scene.

99. What is your favorite piece of advice that anyone has ever given you? Do what makes you happy

100. Are you a good liar? I’ve gotten very good at it. I’m not proud of that fact, but I’ve gotten very very good at it.

101. What is your Hogwarts house? Slyterin. No, I’m not joking.

102. Do you talk to yourself? All the time.

103. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? I’m an introvert, though I think I’m more of an ambivert.

104. Do you keep a journal or a diary? Nah.

105. Do you believe in second chances? Yes, but you really can’t give them out really freely. You have to judge who you want to give them to.

106. If you found a wallet full of money on the ground, what would you do? Check for an ID and try to contact the person it belongs to. But if there’s no ID, probably give it to the nearest business or police station.

107. Do you believe that people are capable of change? With most things. If they really wanted to.

108. Are you ticklish? Ye

109. Have you ever been on a plane? Yeah, but not many times. My first time on a plane was 4 years ago.

110. Do you have any piercings? Just the basic earlobe pierecings, but I really really want more.

111. What fictional character do you wish was real? Shiro from Voltron, aka my husband.

112. Do you have any tattoos? No but I want so many

113. What is the best decision that you have made so far? Learning to love myself. It took a lot of time, but I’m so happy I did it

114. Do you believe in karma? Not entirely, but I think there’s some truth to it.

115. Do you wear glasses or contacts? I have bad eyes, so yeah, I wear glasses. I tried contacts, but they got irritating to put in after a while.

116. Do you want children? SO badly. I want a little girl so fucking bad

117. Who is the smartest person you know? My little brother. He wants to be a freaking accountant when he’s older.

118. What is your most embarrassing memory? I went to a museum one time, and they had a cool dinosaur tour or whatever, and I wanted to know what the dinosaur Parasaurolophus was called, but I forgot the name and only remebered like, Ducky from Land Before Time, and Phineas and Ferb had just started airing, so I asked the guy if a platypus was a dinosaur and that haunts me to this day

119. Have you ever pulled an all nighter? Yes. Don’t do it.

120. What color are most of your clothes? Blue cause it’s always looked good on me, but now any color looks good on me cause I know how to own it.

121. Do you like adventures? Yeah man! I love them!

122. Have you ever been on TV? Not that I know of

123. How old are you? 20

124. What is your favorite quote? “When someone leaves your life, those exits are not made equal. Some are beautiful and poetic and satisfying. Others are abrupt and unfair. But most are just unremarkable, unintentional, clumsy.” -Griffin Mcelroy

125. Do you prefer sweet or savory foods? Sweeeets!

I tag @viper-fish @berrybloomsims and @lunacysims

#rps speaks #tagged #nonsims

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believerindaydreams · 5 years

Text

iv. saccharin

New Orleans, early 70s

tagged for suicidal idealisation. Tuco’s not doing too well on his own. Or too good, perhaps...

Blondie's not here. Tuco's just about sober enough to know that much.

He hasn't seen his partner for a year, or heard a word from him in months, but that doesn't stop him needing the only person who'd understand what's wrong with him tonight. Instinctively he reaches for the Duluth, before remembering it's not here. It's parked in a storage locker halfway across town, part of this whole attempt to pass. It should have worked.

It is working; he has somewhere to sleep at night, he's fed, nobody wants to arrest him for anything. He'd even picked up a girlfriend along the way, a waitress at the hotel where he washes dishes. Katie's tall, too tall for him, and redheads aren't his preferred flavour but she's a better class of woman than he's ever dared for before. Any man would count himself lucky to have her.

He's shaking. The prosecco's left a sour aftertaste in his mouth, and he wonders vaguely about pouring himself a glass of water, but moving off this bed seems more effort than he's able to muster. It takes as much as he can handle, just to dig a pen out of the bedside table drawer and start rummaging for a paper to write on. Something to do right this minute, that he can transfer to a post card when he's sobered up a little.

"Dear Blondie," Tuco says aloud. It's taken him several moments to remember that's how you start these things, and he doesn't want to forget before he starts writing it down.

The drawer's neat, organised, not like he lives here at all (he doesn't, it's just somewhere he's been renting). Bible. Keepsake earring, Katie had laughingly let him have that after losing the other one on a sight-seeing expedition into the bayou. Several little pink packets, the saccharin she's always coaxing him to eat- healthier, she says. And you can't taste the difference.

In his addled state, the notion of writing on those makes as much sense as anything; he rips one open, lets the small grains trickle down onto his tongue. Doesn't make any difference, if he can't be cheered up by straight sugar he's more broken than he thought-

all that's coming out of this pen are ink smears. Tuco throws it across the room, reaches for another one, realises he doesn't have any others.

Duluth. Passing.

That's it. He's done. Forget hanging on until Blondie has a chance to reach him, forget staring at the Golfo de México until the soothing lap of the water and the stink of dead fish had driven him back to life- he just hurts so much and doesn't know what could even bring him pleasure anymore-

(it's not even the pain, it's the flat-edged quality of the despair- jesus, he's only been like this once but there was reason for it that time, not like now which is inexplicable, but must be his fault-)

it's a bad sign that his body is letting him move now, to sit up and pull a shirt on and take his keys. Because he knows where he wants to go now, what he wants to do- it's taken him four days and far too much wine to dull his instincts enough, but he's managed it now. No more piddling around with water. He owns a gun and he knows where to find it.

When Tuco reaches for the doorknob, the door suddenly springs to life and smacks him, knocking him ass-flat on the neatly patterned carpet. He yelps; that'd hurt. A lot, actually-

and maybe it's gone straight to his head and broken something there, because he'd swear that's Blondie. Standing over him with that indefinable mystique, compassion in there but it's half something else-

pure smugness, part of his mind supplies. The part that resents being saved.

"Came as soon as I could," Blondie says. "Pablo didn't wait to forward your postcard this time, he looked up the address and called me straight. You feel like getting up?"

"No."

"Okay." His partner sits down next to him, with casual indolence- that's something he'd taught Blondie, years back. Not too many white boys who know how to sit on a floor without looking nervous about it, they make such a meal of squatting down.

If he put out his hand, he'd be close enough to touch that smooth blue expanse of leg. His choice. Blondie won't touch him first.

"He knew it was that gonna be that bad, huh? That's more than I did- I guess my brother knows me pretty well."

Father Paul, though, what does his brother care about being taken for something he isn't; and his whole body cringes.

Blondie ignores him, in favour of removing a cigarette from a pack and lighting it. Not a cigarillo. The smoke drifts over him as Blondie breathes out; his body craves it suddenly, urgently, but he fights down that urge the same way he's managed to do for the last two months. If he takes it maybe that will mean the same as coming back to life, a signal he's unwilling to give...the pain's wearing off. It'd reminded him what real hurt feels like, but he's forgetting just as quickly.

"He wasn't sure," Blondie says at length. "I was sure. That's why I'm here."

"You want to help, you could get me a gun." It might be superstitious, to doubt if he'd be able to hold to his intent after feeling the familiar weight of that pack on his shoulders again, but he'd rather not take the chance. "Just let me have it. I'll do the rest."

"If you want to die so bad as that," Blondie says, in his quiet drawl, "might be better all around, if I just took care of it for you."

And Tuco jolts backwards, away- hating Blondie for this, that his partner knows him inside and out and exactly what buttons to press to make him live-

"You try, Blondie. You just try-"

and he lets loose then in a torrent of Spanish and English curses mixed, their sharp and heavy mouthfeel such a contrast to the politeness he's been living with. Every insult and invocation and scatalogical comment doing its part, drawing him in, until he's run out of words and rests exhausted, with his head on his partner's lap.

He weeps for a while, after that. Gets spit and tears and snot all over Blondie's jeans, knows it doesn't matter. It's okay.

"Feel better now?"

"Yeah."

After that they're quiet for a while. There's always this to be said for Blondie, a silence with him will never be uncomfortable.

(Not like Katie, who liked to blab bad as a hustler herself, as if pauses scared her.)

"So she broke up with you?"

"I broke up with her," Tuco says. "After I said- after I said it-"

calling ciao, because he didn't grow up in the neighbourhood for nothing-

and Katie had turned, waved, called back to him. "My gorgeous Italian lover!"

then he'd just fallen to pieces

"She didn't mind, even, she told me that. I'm crazy. I told her, go fall in love with a spaghetti-eater and never talk to me ever again. I quit my job- Blondie, I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Think of her as a mark," Blondie says, the picture of calm. "You took her in with a hustle, and she fell for it. That makes her stupid. You don't want to go with a girl who's stupid."

That's not a fair way of putting it, Tuco knows that (she's smarter than he is, working on a college degree by correspondence course)- but it's a version of events that fits with who he is, and gives him back some dignity. A story he can live with.

"I want to fuck you. But later, not now."

"We'll do that." Blondie stubs out the cigarette on the carpet, where it'll leave a burn. Lights another one, takes a drag, places it between Tuco's lips.

It's good. It's very good. He finds himself sucking up the smoke with eager pleasure.

"Where's your pack?"

"Bus station locker. I was trying to go straight, prove to myself I didn't need it anymore."

Blondie snorts. "You still want to do that?"

"No." He misses it; and besides, when Blondie's around he always needs to be ready for a crisis. "We can go pick it up tomorrow before we hit the road. I don't want to see this city again in my life."

"That suits." Blondie stands up with graceful ease, looks around the place with that quick, assessing glance- such a sexy way he has of doing it, maybe later on he'll mention that. "You should eat something, you look like you need it- what the hell's this?"

This being one of the pink packets, which Blondie holds between thumb and forefinger like it's some sort of poison; and the contrast between the delicate package and his furious demeanor is so ridiculous that Tuco nearly falls over laughing. Too much, probably. But he hasn't laughed at anything in four days, he's catching up.

Blondie waits for him to stop, with tired patience.

"Something she left," Tuco says, when he's recovered. No need to explain which she. "She said it was healthy. Better for you than sugar."

"Well, that's all nonsense-" (Tuco's always enjoyed this, his partner getting hot and bothered about something that is in no way either of their faults.) "This is just chemical sludge. It's useless. Tastes sweet but that's all it does, it won't feed you."

"She said-" Tuco says, and then stops, his mind working out the implications faster than he wants. Suppose he'd gone out on the road again, without knowing that. Hungry and anxious and not knowing why the coffee isn't doing anything for him, thinking it was all in his head- he expects lies when people have something to gain or something to lose, but this? This is something else again, and he doesn't understand it at all.

"You see," Blondie says. "She was hustling you, too."

Not the way it happened; but between them, that'll be good enough. Giddiness rolls over him in waves. Too much shock today, too many changes, his body feeling ill-used and cheated. "I'm hungry."

"I thought you might be. Come on, you get cleaned up and we'll go out somewhere. I've got money to burn right now."

"As long as it's not spaghetti. Or a goddamn pizza. Or-"

he has a wide and extensive knowledge of Italian dishes and starts methodically cursing out every last one he can remember, while Blondie chuckles and lounges on the bed. It's a good thing, to have his partner back like this.

(The whole night, it never once occurs to him to ask what Blondie's been up to.)

#70s au #the good the bad and the ugly #blonco #whump #sorry for doing this to Tuco #he's my fave and I am rough on him

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batsysims · 5 years

Photo

didnt wanna do an actual Simself Edit™ so have an arrested development reference

anyways

i was tagged by @0cherub & i tag any1 who hasnt done this yet bc who doesnt like answering 125 questions abt themselves oh also @flavortowne im forcing you to do this sry

get to know me tag

1. WHAT IS YOUR FULL NAME? its batsy dont worry abt it

2. WHAT IS YOUR NICKNAME? its batsy dont worry abt it

3. BIRTHDAY? september 15

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BOOK SERIES? what?? are books

5. DO YOU BELIEVE IN ALIENS OR GHOSTS? ye both

6. WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE AUTHOR? ummmm idk lmfao i havent “read” a “book”” in like 5 years

7. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE RADIO STATION? 35 & 36 on sirius are like basically the exact same station but that doesnt mean i dont constantly alternate between the two whenever im near a radio

8. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FLAVOR OF ANYTHING? pink is a v trustworthy flavor

9. WHAT WORD WOULD YOU USE OFTEN TO DESCRIBE SOMETHING GREAT OR WONDERFUL? *owen wilson voice* wrow

10. WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT FAVORITE SONG? what kinda question is this wt f ive currently reobsessed myself w marina and the diamonds so honestly any of her discography

11. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WORD? idk any words :^/ sry

12. WHAT WAS THE LAST SONG YOU LISTENED TO? wheels on the bus im exhausted

13. WHAT TV SHOW WOULD YOU RECOMMEND FOR EVERYBODY TO WATCH? man in the high castle. man in the high castle. man in the high ca

14. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE TO WATCH WHEN YOU’RE FEELING DOWN? clerks al;dksfjf

15. DO YOU PLAY VIDEO GAMES? almost exclusively sims and fallout but every once in a while some indie game i find on steam so. yea

16. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR? never doing anything in my life and having nothing 2 look forward to!! yay

17. WHAT IS YOUR BEST QUALITY, IN YOUR OPINION? probably my resiliency, maybe?? idk

18. WHAT IS YOUR WORST QUALITY, IN YOUR OPINION? my habit of allowing bad things to happen to me lol

19. DO YOU LIKE CATS OR DOGS BETTER? cats but im sorta kinda indifferent 2 both i think i might 1 of the 5 ppl on earth who dont like having pets

20. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON? summer and fall

21. ARE YOU IN A RELATIONSHIP? yea

22. WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU MISS FROM YOUR CHILDHOOD? not being lazy lmfao

23. WHO IS YOUR BEST FRIEND? @flavortowne eye emoji

24. WHAT IS YOUR EYE COLOR? blue

25. WHAT IS YOUR HAIR COLOR? its natural brown but im thinkn abt going either red or blonde again

26. WHO IS SOMEONE YOU LOVE? like 3 ppl irl and everyone on discord u guys legit

27. WHO IS SOMEONE YOU TRUST? my person and @flavortowne eye emoji

28. WHO IS SOMEONE YOU THINK ABOUT OFTEN? tom hardy. what is his end goal

29. ARE YOU CURRENTLY EXCITED ABOUT/FOR SOMETHING? tbh going 2 basic lmfao im!! lame

30. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST OBSESSION? as of right now,, spiderverse lol

31. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW AS A CHILD? teletubbies was fckn legit and so was old school spongebob

32. WHO OF THE OPPOSITE GENDER CAN YOU TELL ANYTHING TO, IF ANYONE? my person

33. ARE YOU SUPERSTITIOUS? im not superstitious,,, but i am a little stitious

34. DO YOU HAVE ANY UNUSUAL PHOBIAS? i cant deal w fishing poles idk

35. DO YOU PREFER TO BE IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA OR BEHIND IT? in front babey

36. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE HOBBY? sims or stitching play foods 4 the kid to use on her play kitchen

37. WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? stop asking book questions

38. WHAT WAS THE LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? spiderverse yeye

39. WHAT MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS DO YOU PLAY, IF ANY? piano & i try 2 pretend i know what im doing w a ukulele

40. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ANIMAL? stingrays :^)

41. WHAT ARE YOUR TOP 5 FAVORITE TUMBLR BLOGS THAT YOU FOLLOW? legit all my mutuals

42. WHAT SUPERPOWER DO YOU WISH YOU HAD? i had an oc that could read ppls memories like a scrapbook if he touched them and i always honestly thought that was. cool

43. WHEN AND WHERE DO YOU FEEL MOST AT PEACE? in my house!! the door b locked bitch!!!!

44. WHAT MAKES YOU SMILE? toddler being an idiot toddler

45. WHAT SPORTS DO YOU PLAY, IF ANY? its not really,, a sport,, but i bike

46. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DRINK? cream soda in those glass bottles is top tier non-alcoholic beverage

47. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WROTE A HAND-WRITTEN LETTER OR NOTE TO SOMEBODY? i wrote a letter 2 my person telling him he was an idiot and by the time it was mailed 2 his house i was already living there lol

48. ARE YOU AFRAID OF HEIGHTS? nah

49. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PET PEEVE? either ppl blowing vape in my face or holding something so close to my face i cant see i just go ballistic

50. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO A CONCERT? nope unless u count a sesame street liveshow like 10 years ago

51. ARE YOU VEGAN/VEGETARIAN? nope!

52. WHEN YOU WERE LITTLE, WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP? a cop lmfao

53. WHAT FICTIONAL WORLD WOULD YOU LIKE TO LIVE IN? this is horrible but the setting of new vegas i just feel like id be at home there, w the radiation and constant danger and dehydration

54. WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU WORRY ABOUT? the kid

55. ARE YOU SCARED OF THE DARK? only when im looking in the mirror adlkfj start thinkn abt a different face showing up instead of mine idk

56. DO YOU LIKE TO SING? yea

57. HAVE YOU EVER SKIPPED SCHOOL? skipped a whole year adlfkj

58. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE ON THE PLANET? this is basic but i miss the tri-state area

59. WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO LIVE? this is basic but i miss nj

60. DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS? yea :^/ a dog, a cat, and uhhhh 14 fish

61. ARE YOU MORE OF AN EARLY BIRD OR A NIGHT OWL? night owl but honestly im just always tired

62. DO YOU LIKE SUNRISES OR SUNSETS BETTER? sunsettttt

63. DO YOU KNOW HOW TO DRIVE? i do

64. DO YOU PREFER EARBUDS OR HEADPHONES? headphones. they just work

65. HAVE YOU EVER HAD BRACES? nah but i need em

66. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE GENRE OF MUSIC? i listen to everything tbh

67. WHO IS YOUR HERO? michael cera

68. DO YOU READ COMIC BOOKS? i used to read them religiously but not so much any more. i am reading the TAZ graphic novel tho

69. WHAT MAKES YOU THE MOST ANGRY? having to repeat myself 20 times. or being an idiot when i wanna start a new hobby

70. DO YOU PREFER TO READ ON AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE OR WITH A REAL BOOK? idk how to read

71. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL? honestly i had a blast in econ and my law enforcement class

72. DO YOU HAVE ANY SIBLINGS? a bro, another sibling, and a half-bro

73. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU BOUGHT? food lmfao

74. HOW TALL ARE YOU? every time i measure myself im 5′2″ but the government insists that i am 5′3″ so w/e

75. CAN YOU COOK? yeap

76. WHAT ARE THREE THINGS THAT YOU LOVE? alcohol, bike riding, wearing stupid makeup

77. WHAT ARE THREE THINGS THAT YOU HATE? ppl holding me back, bird box, when my nail breaks before i can file it so its all oglee

78. DO YOU HAVE MORE FEMALE FRIENDS OR MORE MALE FRIENDS? uh idk?? i dont have,, many,,,, friends

79. WHAT IS YOUR SEXUAL ORIENTATION? bi

80. WHERE DO YOU CURRENTLY LIVE? sc :’^(

81. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TEXTED? my brother

82. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? 2 nights ago the kid pistol whipped me in the chin w her phone and it just hurt so bad it legit made me lose it

83. WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE YOUTUBER? ok this is dumb as shit the kid is obsessed w Blippi and i have a mom crush on him afdslfkjs

84. DO YOU LIKE TO TAKE SELFIES? ye

85. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE APP? i am currently obsessed w L.O.L. Surprise! Pop but all in all probs Pocket Camp

86. WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR PARENT(S) LIKE? bad as parents but theyre fine now that im an adult and they have a grandkid they can like

87. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOREIGN ACCENT? i dont like a majority of them lmfao but idk maybe uh?? irish

88. WHAT IS A PLACE THAT YOU’VE NEVER BEEN TO, BUT YOU WANT TO VISIT? rly wanna go to nevada but im moving to the mojave soon anyways so

89. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE NUMBER? 15

90. CAN YOU JUGGLE? nope

91. ARE YOU RELIGIOUS? i was raised christian but i dont rly give a shit abt any of that

92. DO YOU FIND OUTER SPACE OR THE DEEP OCEAN TO BE MORE INTERESTING? outer space my dood the ocean is dumb and scary

93. DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF TO BE A DAREDEVIL? im jus livin my life

94. ARE YOU ALLERGIC TO ANYTHING? i mean. im lactose intolerant but thats abt it

95. CAN YOU CURL YOUR TONGUE? nope

96. CAN YOU WIGGLE YOUR EARS? no

97. HOW OFTEN DO YOU ADMIT THAT YOU WERE WRONG ABOUT SOMETHING? when im wrong abt something

98. DO YOU PREFER THE FOREST OR THE BEACH? forest ig bad choices

99. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PIECE OF ADVICE THAT ANYONE HAS EVER GIVEN YOU? i dont think i was ever given advice, ever. maybe thats why im like this

100. ARE YOU A GOOD LIAR? idk i try not 2 lie unless its like. an obvious exaggeration for the lols

101. WHAT IS YOUR HOGWARTS HOUSE? wtf idk ok i just did one of those quizzes & im a slytherin?? what does that mean

102. DO YOU TALK TO YOURSELF? yeah

103. ARE YOU AN INTROVERT OR AN EXTROVERT? more of an introvert but im ok w going out there if i gotta

104. DO YOU KEEP A JOURNAL/DIARY? i keep one for the kid but thats abt it

105. DO YOU BELIEVE IN SECOND CHANCES? nah. unless it was something stupid like burning food like im not gonna ban u from the kitchen

106. IF YOU FOUND A WALLET FULL OF MONEY ON THE GROUND, WHAT WOULD YOU DO? if theres an id i guess mail it 2 the address on there?? idk ive never just. found a wallet. i think this happens a lot less than all the hypotheticals make it out to be

107. DO YOU BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE ARE CAPABLE OF CHANGE? if theyre dedicated to it. i dont think ppl can just do it over night and i dont think its ever a 100% change

108. ARE YOU TICKLISH? dont touch me

109. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ON A PLANE? Yep

110. DO YOU HAVE ANY PIERCINGS? 2 in both ears but thats it

111. WHAT FICTIONAL CHARACTER DO YOU WISH WAS REAL? spidr...mna

112. DO YOU HAVE ANY TATTOOS? no :^( once im cleared for them tho deffo

113. WHAT IS THE BEST DECISION THAT YOU’VE MADE IN YOUR LIFE SO FAR? i hate that this is the answer but enlisting adlfkjs

114. DO YOU BELIEVE IN KARMA? yeah ig??

115. DO YOU WEAR GLASSES OR CONTACTS? glasses

116. DO YOU WANT CHILDREN? 2 late

117. WHO IS THE SMARTEST PERSON YOU KNOW? we all b stupit

118. WHAT IS YOUR MOST EMBARRASSING MEMORY? idk?? i get embarrassed but also get over it quick so like. idk

119. HAVE YOU EVER PULLED AN ALL-NIGHTER? yea

120. WHAT COLOR ARE MOST OF YOU CLOTHES? black & red

121. DO YOU LIKE ADVENTURES? mhm

122. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ON TV? i was on nickelodeon back when they had those cuts to the Live Studio Audience™

123. HOW OLD ARE YOU? 21

124. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE? “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.”

125. DO YOU PREFER SWEET OR SAVORY FOODS? savory i almost never eat anything sweet

#get to know me tag #now that ive posed this i wanna get back in2 making pose packs sigh

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spaceorphan18 · 6 years

Text

Changed For the Better 8 [Klaine Advent Day 8]

Rating: S for Shenanigans Word Count: 2792 Summary: AU - Kurt’s a struggling actor living in New York, and is currently working on a Made-for-TV movie starring Cooper Anderson.

A/N: Written for Klaine Advent Day 8: Health

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [Part 6] [Part 7]

Changed for the Better - Part 8/24: Just the Way You Are

The first few days after Kurt came home were pretty refreshing. He never thought he’d miss Ohio, and he didn’t really, but there was something nice about the wide open spaces, the slower pace, and the less complicated life his family led that helped put his mind at ease. His dad welcomed him home, as always, with open arms, while Carole had a home-cooked meal ready for him. They were up until much later than Burt or Carole were used to listening to Kurt’s stories about filming the movie he had been - Carole telling him that she’ll definitely record the movie once it aired.

Kurt had three days of relative peace, no planned schedule, nothing to do but catch up on movies and magazines, and browse the music store looking for a good piece to sing for his audition for Blaine’s show. He put his phone on silent, and spent time with his dad and Carole. He’d be down in Ohio for three weeks, might as well get the best out of it - and ignore his regular life for a while.

And then Finn and Marley showed up for dinner on the fourth day he was home. And as happy as it was to be with his brother again, one thing was clear -- it was wedding planning time. He was ready. He had his clipboard and his headset and a long list of plans he’d been thinking about before Finn and Marley had showed up. He told Finn that he’d get started bright and early on everything.

After dinner, Finn took him aside.

“Kurt, I know you’re in charge of everything, and I trust you, I--we just have a few requests,” Finn said. He took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket. “The budget isn’t huge - we’re having the ceremony in that field past maple street. The city said they wouldn’t even charge us or anything. There’s a barn near by incase it rains. Burt even said he’d officiate.”

“Did he?” Kurt smiled. His dad hadn’t told him that.

“Yeah,” Finn said. “Marley said she didn’t need a fancy church wedding, and with her being pregnant and all...just we don’t need anything big. We’d like to have food that we know the place it came from and maybe just some folding chairs - maybe with Christmas lights as decorations. We’re not picky about that.”

“Not picky about the chairs, huh?”

“Chairs don’t really matter. Marley said the guests could sit on haystacks as long as we still go married,” Finn said. Oh, she was a sweet one, wasn’t she, Kurt thought fondly. “Anyway, the one thing Marley really wanted was for the flowers to be peonies. She really likes peonies.”

“That’s perfect,” Kurt said, his eyes lighting up. “Based on the bridesmaids’ dresses, I was going to go with a cobalt and amaranth theme, maybe a more pastel version, and peonies would be lovely.”

Finn game him a confused look.

“That’s the color scheme, Finn...don’t worry about it.”

“Also, no birds pooping glitter,” Finn game him his serious look.

Kurt stifled a laugh. “You know, we’re not sixsteen anymore.”

“I’m not cleaning up bird poop at my own wedding.”

“Ah, you are a simple soul, Finn.”

“There’s one more thing,” this time, Finn rubbed the back of his neck, the way he did when he was apprehensive about what he wanted to say. “You’re not bringing Rachel as your date, are you?”

“Oh, no,” Kurt said. He hadn’t even thought about it. “I’m going alone. Besides, Rachel’s okay, Finn. I promise.”

“Oh, good,” Fnn said. “I mean, I wish Rachel well and all, and I wasn’t really worried about her, but I don’t want her at my wedding. She’d be very high drama, and I think I’m better without that level of stress in my life.”

“Understandable.”

“You know what’s weird?” Finn continued. “I didn’t even think about her until Marley brought it up. I mean, I was engaged to her, she was my whole world. And I didn’t even remember she was on the planet. Is that a mean thing to say? I don’t know.”

“It makes sense,” Kurt said - giving him a pat on the shoulder. “Just because someone meant something to you then doesn’t mean they have to mean that to you now. Besides - you seem happy Finn. Sometimes the universe can send you things when you least expect it.”

Finn looked relieved, and happy. “Yeah, sometimes they do.”

Finn looked past him, and to the kitchen, where Marley was helping Carole with the dishes. Kurt knew that stupidly-in-love look anywhere. And even though a little twinge of jealousy ran through him, he was glad for his brother -- who seemed at peace for the first time in a long time.

[Texts between Kurt and Blaine, two weeks before the wedding.]

Blaine: Hey! Can I get your email so I can send you info about the show. And the audition?

Blaine: Hope all is going well with your family.

Kurt: Oh thanks! [email protected]

Kurt: Does your family ever make you question your mental health?

Blaine: My family’s Cooper. What do you think?

Kurt: There is way more wedding drama than should be. Apparently, about 100 more people want to be invited than Finn and Marley can handle - the cousins are coming out of the woodwork. Carole’s sister arrived yesterday and has been in a constant state of drunkenness since she’s been here. Oh, and Marley’s 2nd cousin is doing the cake. I tried the muffins she sent us. They were horrible. The cake’s gonna be a monstrosity.

Blaine: Well, at least you’re family wants to be a part of it. I can’t remember the last time even my immediate family was in the same room, let alone over a hundred of us.

Kurt: Well, true. They’re just all driving me crazy.

Blaine: lol

Kurt: Oh! And my grandmother -- my grandmother who isn’t related to my brother or my future SIL biologically is insisting that she come. She told my dad she wants to be a part of her step-grandson’s wedding because she doesn’t think I’ll ever get married. I just can’t…

Blaine: Do you even want that? The whole wedding and a marriage stuff?

Kurt: I always said I’d be married by 30. I always wanted a lavish wedding. I know exactly how it’s going to go. Groom was always a little fuzzy though.

Blaine: Ah, yes. I used to have dreams about meeting a prince charming who’s sweep me off his feet and we’d have this fairy tale romance, you know? Now, I think I just want someone I can picture growing old with, you know?

Kurt: Yeah, that’s a nice thought. Same.

Kurt: So, Finn wants to hire a local Journey cover band for the music. How do I talk him out of this…

“Hey, Kurt, have a second?” Marley peaked her head out of the guest room of his dad’s house, and waved her hand for him to come in.

“Sure,” Kurt said. Marley kept the door mostly closed as he slipped in. He knew why. Her gorgeous wedding dress hung on the closet door. They were keeping it at his dad’s house so Finn wouldn’t see it. Marley, he found, was surprisingly superstitious about certain things - not wanting Finn to see the dress was one of them. “What’s up?”

“There hasn’t been a real good time to do this, so I thought I would now,” Marley said. She fished a check out of her pocket. “It’s not much, but it’s Finn and my’s way of saying thank you.”

Kurt took the check, stunned. “You guys really didn’t have to. I had planned on doing it for free.”

He tried to give it back to her, but she pushed hand away. “No, really. These past few weeks have been--absolutely crazy. But also wonderful. And I wasn’t one of those people who needed a huge wedding, just someone that I wanted to be married to was fine enough. But you’ve made it magical. And please, take it. Because there’s no amount of money can pay you back for what you’re giving me.” She rubbed her belly a little, and smiled. “The three of us really thank you.”

Kurt was utterly flattered. “Well, you’re welcome. It’s been a pleasure. And weddings are always magical.”

Marley looked him over curiously. “You know I had no idea that you were a romantic, Kurt Hummel. I’ll admit, when Finn first said you’d help with the wedding, I thought he was joking.”

“Well, there’s a silly romantic underneath the hard, cynical shell,” Kurt said. “It just doesn’t come out much.”

“Well, it should,” Marley said. “I like it. There’s something else, too.” She went to the dresser, and pulled a piece of sheet music from the top drawer. “I wrote a song, for Finn, for us. And I was wondering if you were open to singing it for our dance.”

“Oh, Marley,” Kurt said, astounded. “I’d be honored.”

“Thanks! I’d sing it myself, but I don’t know if I could get through it.”

“Are you nervous?” Kurt asked. “About all of this, I mean.”

“No, not really,” she replied. “Maybe about ripping my veil or not showing up on time. But about marrying Finn? We’re already married. It just feels like it’s making it official. And having a big party to celebrate.” She took a seat on the bed. “You know, I remember when we first met. It was at school and one of the other teachers thought it would be a great idea to give the kids sparklers -- while we were inside. And I was in the process of trying to round the kids up when Finn showed up -- having dropped something off to the principal. And he stepped in to help -- just as the sprinkler system went off. The sparklers went out, and we had two dozen screaming, wet children, and he just -- handled it. Our lives don’t get much more dangerous than that -- sparklers inside. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything. He’s going to make an excellent father. And that’s more important to me than the actual wedding.”

Kurt’s heart twinged. The old romantic that had tried very hard to bury kept rising to the surface. “Yeah, I think you guys will be okay.”

[Texts between Kurt and Blaine, one week before the wedding.]

Blaine: This show is becoming a disaster.

Kurt: Oh?

Blaine: Yeah. Cooper insists on having a role. I just spent an hour listening to a debate on colors for blazers - blue with red piping or red with blue piping. An hour! And June is insisting we change half the script. We can’t change half the script - it would completely delude the meaning of the story. Help!

Kurt: Okay. Tell Cooper he can play a statue that’s intensely pointing - he’ll be good at that.

Kurt: Blue with red piping - it’s classier, and will go better with my skin tone.

Kurt: And give June a fake script and keep her out of rehearsals. Once the show opens, there won’t be anything she can do about it.

Blaine: You are amazing.

Kurt: I know.

Kurt: The show’s going to be great!

Blaine: Sometimes I wish I was just a performer. Someone else can make all the decisions.

Kurt: That’s why you put all this hard work in now. Then someday, you’ll have all the people working under you make the decisions and you can do as you please.

Blaine: Well, then I look forward to some day having you under me.

Blaine: I meant professionally.

Kurt: You couldn’t afford me.

Kurt: Besides, who’s to say that someday I won’t have you under me?

Kurt: I mean, I do plan to have all of you working for me some day.

Kurt: ;)

Blaine: You’re diabolical.

Kurt: Some would call that cleverness.

The day of the wedding came all too quickly. And for all their planning, it was crazed and chaotic as any wedding could be. Still, with the exception of a few minor things, there were always a few minor things, the wedding went off relatively seamlessly. It helped that the weather cooperated, and it was sunny and warm with a slight breeze. The ceremony was lovely, Marley was beautiful and glowed as she walked down the aisle, and Finn was the most composed and adult-like Kurt had ever seen him.

Afterwards was pictures, and then everyone making their way to the reception. Kurt sang the opening song, the one Marley had written as a surprise for their first dance. Finn was so touched he began to cry as they had their first dance. Kurt felt the song in his bones, a song about deep love, and companionship, and imperfectly perfect.

A good while into the reception, Kurt took a seat at one of the back tables. There were scatter plates of half eaten cake on them, half drunk champagne glasses, and the tablecloth had been marked up by blue crayon. At least it matched the peonies, he thought with a laugh.

His dad was sipping a beer, leaning back in his chair, watching the chaos out in the room. Kurt had his wine glass, and sipped from it quietly. It was nice to be on the outside of the madness for a few minutes.

“You did a lovely job, Kurt,” his dad said. Burt didn’t turn his head, but Kurt could hear the pride in his voice.

“Well, I try,” Kurt said. Another sip of wine, and he was becoming relaxed. It was nice.

“You’ve been awfully quiet today,” Burt said. He gave Kurt a long look. “Something on your mind?”

“No, no,” Kurt assured him. “I’m just taking it all in.”

“Thinking about your own wedding, huh?” His dad gave him a wink.

Kurt wasn’t as sure as he once was. “I don’t think that’s going to happen -- not unless I decide to marry myself.”

“Oh, c’mon,” Burt said. His dad was cheerier than usual - probably the beer taking over. “You’re still so young.”

“You were younger than me when you met mom.”

“And twice your age when I met Carole.”

Huh. He had never thought about it that.

“Age doesn’t mean anything, Kurt. Just a number.”

Kurt swirled his wine. He’d be going home soon, and a lot of things to confront when he got back. “Sometimes I wonder if I’d have been happy if I had married Adam.”

Burt gave him an odd look. “Would you have been?”

“You didn’t like Adam?”

Burt considered his words carefully before he spoke. “Adam was perfectly fine. But more importantly, I’m happy with however you’re happy. But you know, kiddo, you’re the only one who can do that. No one’s gonna make you happy if you’re not happy with yourself.”

“Adam wants to get back together,” Kurt said. It was the first time he brought it up with anyone -- anyone other than Blaine all those weeks ago. It felt nice to say it out loud - and he knew his dad was a good choice to turn to.

“Ah,” Burt said, nodding, as if expecting it. “Do you?”

“I don’t know,” Kurt admitted. His mind wandered not to Adam but to Blaine. Blaine, who he had spent the last three weeks texting. Blaine, who he felt like he had known so long and it had only been a month. Blaine who he was wishing was there with him now. And for a second he thought of when he and Blaine met, Blaine looking so handsome in that tux. “I thought maybe I did. But then, life sometimes throws you unexpected sparklers inside.”

“How many glasses of wine have you had?”

“I’m fine dad,” he said. Maybe his heart knew what it wanted, but his head was just slow. “I’m just -- thinking about what I have to face when I go back to reality. I just have some choices to make.”

“Well,” Burt said. “I’m not going to lie and say I don’t have my reservations about the whole thing. But you’re your own man, an adult now, and I encourage you to make your own decisions. And I’ll support you. If Adam is what makes you happy -- then fine. If it’s some other guy, then that’s fine, too. And if you really want to marry yourself? Well, I’ll be honest, that one is a little weird. But I’ll be right there at your wedding if that’s what you want.”

Kurt burst out laughing, then placed his head on his dad’s shoulder, letting out a heavy sigh. His dad always had a way of making him feel better. “I love you.”

“I love you, too kiddo.”

#klaine advent 2017 #klaine advent: health #s.o. writes things #this was supposed to be shorter chapter - oops #still - getting back on track ;)

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pocketseizure · 7 years

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The Legend of the Princess, Chapter Eleven

A More Enlightened Age

In which Zelda travels through time to an era of magic, where she encounters a powerful wizard and bears witness to the fall of a terrible tower.

This chapter has an illustration (link) by the fabulous @lightsintheskye!

(Chapter Eleven on AO3) (Story Tag on Tumblr) (Cover Illustration)

* * * * *

A short letter from Ruto was discreetly passed to Zelda later that evening.

We're having a bit of trouble with the big fish, Ruto wrote with her usual irreverence, but it's nothing we can't handle.

Zelda folded the letter neatly down the middle, disfiguring the paper and indicating that it should be burned. She spoke a few brief sentences of polite concern to the messenger, requesting that he compose a reply in her stead. Ruto deserved a lengthier response, but the Great Hall was not the place to dictate it.

It was as the Zora at Telma's Bar had said; something was amiss with Lord Jabun. Ruto had grown up serving as a handmaiden to the Zora's tutelary deity, and Zelda had no doubt that she would indeed be able to handle any trouble on her own. Nevertheless, she was concerned; a being like Jabun does not simply fall ill. Even with her limited knowledge of such matters, Zelda understood that only drastic environmental change could have affected the ancient demigod – that, or magic whose like had not been recorded for hundreds of years.

Zelda rose early the next morning. She was in no mood to linger in her chambers. Once again she had dreamed of dark clouds billowing out over Hyrule. There were brilliant flashes of lightning in her nightmare, and fires racing across the plains. Above a sea of roiling black ash rose the thick white line of a colossal tower. Zelda's dream felt as real as anything she had ever experienced, and the memory of the pale tower standing in stark contrast to the violent red of the sky remained clear in her mind when she woke.

Sleep did not return to her, and she finally allowed herself to leave her bed when the first fingers of dawn touched the horizon. She dressed quickly and piled her hair in a loose bun, too distracted to make an effort with braids or pins. She would ask one of her personal attendants to put it up properly before breakfast, but before then she wanted at least an hour to herself in the library. She had to write to Ruto, but she needed to learn more about Lord Jabun. What was it, exactly? Where did it come from? What purpose did it serve, and why would anyone wish to harm it?

Once she got the library, Zelda selected a few relevant books from the shelves, but she was unable to concentrate. More people were arriving at court every day, and she had been kept busy with greetings and introductions. She'd already met many of the people who traveled to attend her coronation, but this was the first time she had the opportunity to speak to them as an adult. As she made small talk with various nobles and dignitaries over the past week, she began to better understand her role at the courts called by her father. These events were about politics, certainly, but the real business of state was largely the domain of the king and his council. Zelda would soon be elevated to the same position of responsibility, but on the cusp of her ascension she was expected to gather information from the ritual exchange of pleasantries, and she was scheduled to make a report on the intelligence she had received to her father later this afternoon. She did not mind this work, whose challenges she rather enjoyed, but the constant demands on her attention had gradually grown exhausting. The nightly courts were rendered even more difficult by the need to balance amiable approachability and polite distance in her interactions with her potential suitors. Her conversations with these men might have been a bit easier if she were in a flirtatious mood, but no one had caught her eye.

As she stared through the library window into the courtyard garden, flipping the barrel of her pen between her fingers, Zelda found herself thinking of Ganondorf. He had never said anything to her on the subject, but she supposed it must be difficult for him to be the only man in a tribe of women. If only I had that problem, she thought, smiling to herself. There were a few women on the parliament that represented the concerns of Castle Town to the throne, but the members of her father's council were entirely male, as was the council of Sheikah elders.

Zelda mused that it might be interesting to ask Ganondorf for his opinion on the matter, but she hadn't managed to make concrete plans with him during their encounter yesterday afternoon. She resolved to have a short note delivered to him after she finished her letter to Ruto, but she couldn't manage to bring herself to start writing.

Even though it was one of her favorite places, the library felt stuffy and airless. During the past two weeks, Zelda had begun to feel a bit claustrophobic everywhere in the castle. There was nothing keeping her from clearing her schedule for a day to go riding, just as there was nothing keeping her from disguising herself as Impaz and venturing out into Castle Town for a night of frivolous amusement. In fact, she probably owed herself some time to unwind before her coronation, especially since she would be even more anchored to the castle once she became a queen. Before she allowed herself to relax, however, she had to get this strange business with Ganondorf sorted out, the sooner the better.

Zelda hadn't been able to figure out a secure hiding place for her mother's ocarina, so she continued to carry it in her satchel. Thinking of the song that Ganondorf hummed in the inner garden yesterday afternoon, she took out the ocarina and held it in a beam of sunlight as she tapped her fingers against the edges of the holes in its cerulean body.

Wouldn't it be nice to get some wind in here? Someone should really dust this place every once in a while, she thought.

Zelda's mother hadn't enjoyed reading, nor had she any use for books, so the library had gone almost entirely unused during her reign. Her father read, probably more than anyone else she knew, but the library in his chambers was private, and Zelda learned at a young age that not even she was allowed to spend time there. Members of the nobility and the wealthy social climbers who associated with them had once hired specialists to build their libraries for them, but that particular display of wealth had gone out of fashion now that many books were printed by machine and thus available to the masses.

This library belongs to another time, Zelda reflected. Of course, the same could be said of the castle itself. It had its use as a gathering space, as the nightly courts demonstrated, but the center of power was slowly shifting to Castle Town, where salons and social gatherings were held in newly constructed and richly appointed private homes. If things continued in this manner, Zelda might be the last monarch to hold court in the castle itself. As it was, her father was engaging in something of a gamble by limiting the activities relating to her coronation to the castle instead of allowing her to attend the parties held in the growing city outside its walls.

How ridiculous Ganondorf is for thinking Hyrule is a threat. He believes the Gerudo should fear the royal family, when all the while we're wrapped up in our own battle to hold our position. The king is little more than the head of an army, but what use are soldiers when there are no enemies to fight? One day the wealth of the ambitious may buy us all, Zelda thought, raising the ocarina to her lips. She wondered if perhaps she herself might live to see the monarchy fall, but she resolved to put the thought from her mind as she blew into the mouthpiece.

After a few false starts, she found the opening notes of Ganondorf's song, and from there the melody seemed to flow from her fingertips. Zelda could feel a faint breeze lifting the fringes of her hair when she was hit by a powerful sense of vertigo. She realized that she was on the verge of having another vision, so she closed her eyes and allowed the tide of her dizziness to surge and then ebb away.

When Zelda opened her eyes, she could see a white tower in the distance rising above black clouds into a red sky like a scream. She had a brief flash of déjà vu and wondered where she could have possibly seen something like this, but then the memory of her nightmare struck her like a fist to her gut. Within the span of a heartbeat, her disorientation turned to dread.

Zelda could still feel the weight of the ocarina in her hand, and it comforted her to know that she could return to her own time if anything happened. Since there was nothing else to be done, she reasoned that she may as well take stock of her surroundings.

She took a deep breath as she tucked the ocarina into a loose fold of fabric at her waist. She marveled that she could see the tower over the top of the clouds and realized that she must be looking down at it from an extremely high vantage point. She turned and glanced upwards, gasping as she realized that she was standing on a balcony emerging from a massive building constructed of smooth pale stone. The walls were covered in vast windows framed within ornamental crystal latticework. The scale of the structure was almost incomprehensibly large, and it was beautiful.

The circular door leading out onto the balcony was surrounded by stylized carvings suggesting vines and flowers, and at its apex was a large Triforce. There were several such symbols adorning her own castle, but it had gone out of fashion decades ago. Her father occasionally wore old regalia bearing the Triforce, but for the most part it did not grace his clothing – or her own, for that matter. It was superstitious nonsense, her father had once remarked, adding that it was an unwelcome reminder of feudal traditions best forgotten.

Zelda looked down at herself and saw that she wore a shimmering white gown. She transferred her weight from one foot to the other, and the hue of her skirt shifted as if it had been spun of mother of pearl. She held her arms in front of her and was dazzled by her sleeves, which seemed to be embroidered with pure light in a motif of scaled triangles. The edges of her sleeves were linked to her middle fingers by silver rings as bright as small stars. The fabric of her dress was as smooth as silk, but the slight tingle on her skin suggested to Zelda that it was woven with magic.

Can this be really be Hyrule? Zelda wondered. Am I seeing the future?

Just beyond the tips of her fingers, Zelda could see a glowing geometric pattern of interlocking circles materialize in front of the doorway. At first she thought that it was an effect of the light shining through the latticework framing one of the large windows, but as it grew stronger she realized that what she was seeing was magic.

Within a few seconds, the pattern of light materialized into the figure of a man wearing armor as dark as the night sky. Like the fabric of her sleeves, its metal plates were adorned with softly glowing lines. While her clothing was beautiful in its perfectly aligned angles, however, his was a mess of swirls and spirals. The man's face was deeply lined, and he appeared to be somewhat past the prime of middle age, but she recognized him immediately.

"Ganondorf?"

To her surprise, the man nodded. "Good morning, Zelda. Are you well?" he responded pleasantly.

He spoke to her in an unfamiliar language, yet she was able to understand him. Even more astonishing was that he had answered to the name Ganondorf before addressing her with a word that needed no translation – her own name. She waited for the woman whose body she inhabited to reply to him, but no words came. It seemed that she was once again on her own.

"What could possibly be good about this?" she asked him bluntly, taking it for granted that she was speaking in the language of this era. If she was a princess, she may as well act like one. She gathered her courage and added, "It looks like the entire world is on fire."

"Is that not what happens during war?" The man shrugged, and she was momentarily mesmerized by the way his movement altered the patterns on his armor.

Zelda didn't know who she was, or where she was, or, most importantly, when she was. Just as in her earlier vision, she had arrived in the midst of some sort of terrible war, but the man who answered to the name Ganondorf seemed perfectly at ease in her presence. Was she his captive, or were they somehow partners in the destruction raging below them?

"I need you to tell me what's going on," she ordered, taking her chances that he was not hostile.

"My forces were able to make a significant advance over the night," he explained, walking forward to join her at the balcony railing. "The tower has almost fallen."

"I don't understand," she said, looking up at him as he came to stand at her side. "Why does the tower need to fall?"

"To be frank, I've asked myself that question many times before. Wouldn't it be enough to take this castle? Why not simply undo the spells supporting the tower and let it rot into the earth? Of course it's in my best interests to secure the complete surrender of your armies, and Nayru only knows why they decided to make their last stand there of all places. It's not exactly defensible, and I'd give their efforts a few days at most, even if the magic guarding the tower were at its full strength."

He sighed before continuing. "I suppose it's the principle of the thing. My days in Hyrule are numbered, but I'd prefer not to have to look at that monument to death while I'm still here."

Zelda was silent as she processed this information. Ganondorf had apparently attacked her kingdom and seized this building, which he had called her castle. She seemed to be his prisoner, yet he spoke to her as casually as if they had been discussing the weather. She glanced at him and saw that his posture was relaxed. The gaps in his armor provided numerous openings that could be taken advantage of by a deftly applied blade. Did he underestimate her, or was it rather that he trusted her? She wondered what this man's relationship to her might be, but she could see no way to make such an inquiry.

"What do you mean, your days in Hyrule are numbered?" she asked instead.

"I have no doubt that your hero will arrive soon. I'll give him a good show, but you know as well as I do that I can't win against the two of you together. That's not how this story goes, is it?"

"What story?"

"The only story: an evil wizard attacks the kingdom of the beautiful princess and holds her hostage in her own castle. Since your people do me the honor of calling me 'Ganon,' I may as well live up to the name. What sort of demon king would I be otherwise?"

He looked down at her and grinned. Despite herself, Zelda found that she enjoyed talking with this man, and he seemed to enjoy talking with her as well. It was rare that someone so urbane spoke to her with such honesty. He behaved as if answering her questions were something of a game, so she decided to keep pressing him.

"So you're an evil wizard?"

"Of course. What else would I be?"

"Doesn't that keep you busy, waging a war and practicing magic at the same time?"

"Why in Din's blessed name would I need to practice magic?"

"I thought magic was something that required constant work and effort."

"Constant work and effort? Hardly."

"Does magic really come so easily to you?"

"Magic only requires effort for the people in the border colonies whom your kingdom doesn't see fit to train properly."

"So you were trained to perform magic?" Zelda asked. She felt guilty about not pursuing the matter of the border colonies he mentioned, but she found that she was genuinely curious about how one went about learning magic.

"No. I was not trained," he answered coldly, his voice losing its patina of joviality. "At least, not in the way you were. But my people have their own traditions, and I have certain gifts of my own."

Ganondorf raised his hand as leisurely as if he were greeting an old acquaintance, and suddenly the air was filled with an electric charge so strong that Zelda could taste it on her tongue. She prepared to defend herself, but she saw that Ganondorf was regarding the tower with an intense ferocity, his lips pulled back to expose his teeth. She followed his gaze just in time to witness a thick arc of lightning strike the tower in the distance. The flash in the sky was followed by a rolling boom of thunder, and the dark clouds covering the land began to twist and swirl.

Zelda could feel the flow of the power emanating from Ganondorf, and it was intoxicating. She understood that the armor he wore was merely for show, and that no assassin's blade could ever harm him. With his talent and ability, he could have anything he wanted; he could be a god among mortals. What need did he have to fight her?

When she was certain that she could speak calmly, she asked, "Why do you want to destroy the tower?"

Ganondorf continued to watch the dark clouds swirl in a slow vortex as he answered her. "Hyrule is a land blessed above all others," he said. "It is filled with magic that enhances its rich land and gentle climate. And yet you direct this energy into unnatural channels; you insist on binding it to the elite within your unholy temples. Anyone who resists you is wiped off the face of the earth. Since your people settled here, countless races have been destroyed so completely that not even their names remain. That hideous obelisk is a warning to anyone who dreams of a world that is not utterly dominated by Hylians."

He clenched his fists against the balustrade. Zelda glanced down at his hands, whose heavy gauntlets bore a curious crest that shone with a furious crimson light.

"And that is why the Tower of Hylia must be destroyed," Ganondorf continued in a softer voice. "The beliefs that built it must be destroyed. It does not matter if we were born in the castle or born in the colonies; we are all the children of the goddesses. I must fight, and soon I must die, so that people will understand this. So that you will understand this. I can bring down that tower, but it is you who must dismantle this castle."

Ganondorf looked at her with a fierce yearning in his eyes. Zelda recognized the expression on his face; it was same look the enemy general of her previous vision had directed at her as he gazed up at her from the carnage he had created. This man was capable of terrible things, but he was not her enemy.

"I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head as she turned away from him. "I don't understand. Please give me more time."

With as much dignity as she could muster, she walked across the balcony and into the castle. Once she was inside, she barely noticed the wonders surrounding her as she fumbled for the ocarina, hoping against hope that it would return her to an age where she did not doubt herself and everything once again made sense.

( Chapter Twelve )

#Zelgan #Princess Zelda #Ganondorf #The Legend of the Princess #my fic

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jhinderer28 · 7 years

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246 Things Bones Has Taught Me

1. 6,7,16 are Carbon, Nitrogen and Sulfur on the Periodic Table of Elements 2. If you plan to murder someone do it on a plane right before you land in a different country 3. What it means to be a rational thinker. And that being irrational sometimes is ok 4. There is such a thing as fate 5. Everything happens eventually. But nothing happens unless first a dream 6. There’s more than one kind of family 7. How to get someone off on murder charges 8. The definition of true friendship 9. 246 ways how NOT to kill someone, because you will get caught 10. When “the” is not the first word in the episode title, shits about to get real (ie Aliens in a Spaceship) 11. The skeletal system is the best part of the human body 12. A million little facts curtesy of Vincent Nigel Murray 13. All the words to Hot Blooded 14. Nothing good happens when the clock says 4:47 15. Everyone deserves happiness, love, laughter, friendship, purpose, and a dance 16. Very few people are scary once they have been poked in the eyes 17. Don’t ramble on and on about conspiracy theories. You never know who is really listening to you and what they might do with that information 18. People do almost anything for family (even murdering the deputy director of the FBI) 19. To appreciate Brainy Smurf 20. Never trust a Russian knife throwing act in the circus 21. You can buy weapons at the mall. But wanting a gun for the sole reason of shooting people is not a good enough reason 22. The plot to strangers on a train 23. How to save someone with compartment syndrome 24. How to make a carbon dioxide scrubber 25. If you start hallucinating cartoon characters and dead soldiers you probably have a brain tumor 26. To search for the truth even if it leads to unwanted results 27. Chasing someone may be the smartest decision you ever make and being chased may be your greatest joy 28. Diplomatic immunity is extremely inconvenient 29. Even scientists can change (and we are all glad she did) 30. To fight. Even when the odds are stacked against you 31. Sometimes you just have to dance to the music that’s playing 32. 1 Corinthians 13:4 33. We can’t change who we are (but thankfully he’s a sexy FBI agent) 34. To not be distracted by the shiny baubles, because you might miss what really matters 35. People make their lives out of chaos and hope. And love. 36. The center has to be solid because the center must hold 37. Daffodil, Daisy, and Jupiter will always hold a special meaning 38. Sometimes you have to take the brain and put it in neutral. Then take the heart and pop it into overdrive 39. There is someone for everyone, someone you’re meant to spend the rest of your life with. You just have to be open enough to see it 40. Sarcasm does not play well on the forensic platform 41. Any lock worth picking is worth kicking 42. There are mysteries I will never understand but everywhere I look I see proof that for every effect there is a corresponding cause 43. Sometimes we have to have the ability to substitute optimism for reality 44. Try to get the signal before you are living with regrets (because we are all glad she did!) 45. That doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results is the definition of insanity 46. That people are more than just psychology 47. To find someone who makes your life messy, and confusing, and unfocused, and irrational, and wonderful 48. Go to the company Christmas party; because friends don’t let friends photocopy their butts at company Christmas parties 49. To appreciate Christmas Eve day. It’s both an Eve and a day, it’s a Christmas miracle 50. That there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in science 51. To find that person who will never make you fall and who will always be there 52. Be respectful of others. You never know what scars they carry on their back. Metaphorically or literally. 53. Life is a lot more than what can be cooked up in a chemistry set. Miracles do happen. 54. Phylogenetic Systematics 55. Always play in the key of G demolished. 56. To not jump to conclusions until all the evidence is in 57. If your world gets turned upside down, give it time, it takes three days for it to turn right side up again 58. That there are burdens which allow us to fly 59. We all share in the loss of a life. No matter who it is. 60. Glug-Glug Woo-hoo! 61. Ergo, ipso facto columbo oreo. 62. Beer from Missouri goes great with leftovers 63. Love changes everything 64. All the words to “Keep on Trying” 65. There is a mystery to life 66. That Wonder Woman is better than Cat Woman 67. WASP stands for White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (but we are really talking about the buzzing pest) 68. Booth is Superman (he beats up bad guys and leaps over things. Not to mention he is married to Wonder Woman) 69. All organisms evolve and develop along patterns only recognized in retrospect (and thank god her life didn’t exist outside the laws of nature) 70. Sometimes you have to have absolute faith in someone 71. All pigs are now named Jasper 72. Beer hats in the bathtub solve all problems 73. Having to hire two nannies (one to watch the kid and the other to watch the first nanny) isn’t crazy it just shows how much you care about your child 74. Sometimes it’s ok to let the ice cream melt 75. The garage is an excellent place to store C4 76. Hearts can’t be broken they can only be crushed. But her heart muscle is bigger than people give her credit for 77. Inertia demands us to keep going 78. The washing machine makes for a great make out location 79. That he’s with Bones. All the way. Don’t doubt it for a second. Because she’s his standard. 80. Sometimes you have to be bad to be good. That way your frontal lobe won’t be a dried up raisin. 81. What goes on between them is just theirs 82. Shooting machine guns is a totally acceptable way to celebrate valentines day. 83. Dancing Phalanges 84. Everyone deserves a knight in standard issue FBI body armor. 85. A rubber band is a great anger management tool 86. Sometimes you have to have the guts of a gambler and take that risk. 87. Don’t judge someone before you get to know them because she’s not a cold fish and he’s not a superstitious moron. She has a soul and he has a brain 88. That it’s illegal to have premarital sex in Virginia (but that didn’t stop them) 89. When you eliminate the possible, you are left with the truth, no matter how improbable. 90. That being the best doesn’t mean being perfect 91. That a stand up crook is better than a crooked cop. Any day of the week. 92. That when two people make love they break the laws of physics, they become one. It’s a miracle. 93. That pigs in a blanket and Mac n Cheese are gods perfect food 94. Sometimes the best gift you could give someone is not a material item. (We are all glad of the gift she gave to Zach) 95. No changies. No take backs. 96. Your gut doesn’t have any special powers but listening to it every once in a while is a good idea. 97. Sequences and patterns will continue until something disrupts the pattern. 98. Everyone has a puckish side that will not be denied. 99. Up and forward are only two directions. Science should look in all directions. (She taught us all that) 100. That everyone deserves a love that is more than just 3 weeks a year 101. To never travel to New Orleans alone. 102. That the swings make for the perfect first date location. 103. How not to act at a funeral (unless translation has occurred) 104. To learn to not fight to change the past. The pain is a part of who we are. 105. That life never comes easy. But nothing of value is ever easy. 106. To never skip snack time. Or meals. Or food in general. 107. That "The Lime in the Coconut" will hold a special place in all our hearts. Because that was his jam. 108. To find that one person who will never betray you. 109. Page 187. 110. That having a high IQ is no excuse not to bathe. 111. That friends never send friends' fathers to the electric chair. 112. To never underestimate criminals with only one leg 113. That sometimes people don't need time and space. Just some time. 114. That there's nothing wrong with living in the moment; but it's good to see what the future holds 115. That infinity goes in both directions. So we all will get a second chance 116. To dive into life, be courageous. Question things. Be happy. And don't forget to laugh 117. That sometimes, love trumps logic. 118. To love everyday. 119. To never take life for granted. There are no guarantees. 120. That people lie; but bones always tell the truth 121. That loving someone, and everything around it, is worth it. 122. That there's nothing more important than having hope. 123. Meatball and peppers make the perfect sandwich. 124. That addiction is a lifelong battle. 125. Always tell your partner that you aren't really dead, you just had to fake your death to catch the bad guy 126. Don't sleep with your college professors. They may get jealous when the student surpasses the teacher. 127. How to make the best Mac n cheese (so good he wants to be alone with it). 128. That you may choose to part with old items but you will never part with the memories you created with them. 129. That the world is a lot better than we think it is. 130. Every once in awhile Pinky can stump The Brain. 131. That there is such a thing as beginners luck. 132. To take a ride on the vomet comet. 133. That babies need grills. 134. Blackmailing a federal agent, while not recommended, seemed to work out for both parties in this situation 135. That if you end up being the parent to the best car salesman (or woman) that's ok. 136. That it is totally worth it to have your own happiness completely contingent on another person. 137. That if you keep living trying to protect yourself, nothing is ever going to touch you. 138. To give yourself a chance to be happy. Even if that means moving on. 139. That my heart isn't someone's to claim, it's mine to give away 140. That character is who we are under pressure; not who you are when everything's fine. 141. That just because something's difficult, doesn't mean that I shouldn't do it. 142. That no matter the anthropological reasons, we fight to make the world a better place. 143. Don't touch the bobble head Bobby 144. All the different reasons the FBI is given jurisdiction in a murder investigation 145. Sometimes you just have to flash your boobs to get information 146. To stand up and defend your friends. 147. That aliens don't wear loafers. 148. That things don't always end up as neatly as we wanted them too. 149. That we are all born unique and our experiences mold and change us. 150. You can be a polymath without being a douche. 151. That Pluto's no longer a planet. It was demoted. 152. To leave life having given more than you've taken. 153. That love cannot be explained. It is beyond science, or religion. Beyond mind, or reason. 154. If you don't have a gun, an app will work just fine. 155. That you don't always get to pick your nicknames. 156. That living with a disability is not by any means a death sentence. 157. That it's ok to plan your own surprise birthday party. 158. To expect the unexpected. It might lead to the greatest parts of your life. 159. Never turn down the chance to conduct a science experiment. 160. That purple elephants are wrong. 161. That his "charm smile" is just a sign of respect. 162. Skalle. 163. That Kansas gets boring after awhile. 164. That someone in your corner makes all the difference. 165. To never light cigarettes in an outhouse 166. The most beautiful things in the world are sunsets, the Mona Lisa and a perfectly thrown spiral. 167. Do NOT piss off your boss. If there's a spider infestation just take care of it. 168. To take a ceramics class every once in a while. 169. Never pay for a plumber. Just get a "For Dummies" book and you're all set. 170. That partners don't say "forget it" 171. That you're never too old to laugh at "boner" 172. That "the man" buys all the office furniture. 173. That he was right, bones really are the heart of the matter. 174. To enjoy a ceramics class every once and a while. 175. To always swim with a buddy. 176. The definition of a philistine, and luddite 177. To never steal evidence from a murder victims house. 178. That sometimes the relationship that didn't work out leads you to the one that does. 179. That parents do a lot of crazy things just because they love their children. 180. That you can't just kill Agent Andy. 181. That they were never just partners. 182. The difference between being impervious and being strong. 183. That we each learn to survive in our own way. 184. Norwegian death metal 185. To appreciate the magic of the Egyptian room 186. That he will always be King of the Lab. Even if he's the only one who cares. 187. Diner eggs are simple magic. 188. Nunchucks are not toys. Seriously. 189. That your brain cannot digest breakfast burritos. 190. Never shoot an ice cream truck (even if you do offer to replace the clown). 191. To always respect the cocky belt buckle. 192. To never trust a washed up army fighter 193. To go to prom. 194. That each squintern brought something special to the team. We could never just choose one. 195. To be weary of bank vaults. 196. That if you have no other plans, racing beetles on a Friday night is totally acceptable. 197. To never be afraid to find a new passion 198. To love your work. Life is too short not to 199. Even an empiricist can have a heart. 200. That the definition of being "stupid in love" is spending $3000 for a quarter ounce of perfume. 201. That in 30, or 40, or 50 years we can all say we knew. Right from the beginning 202. That life is really just a lot of loose ends. 203. As long as a person has enough, they don't need more. 204. To never be ashamed of where you came from. 205. That happiness comes from what you already have. 206. That wanting things to work and making things work are two different things. 207. To never stop being yourself. 208. That if he flies to New Orleans just to make sure you're ok, you're not just partners 209. To appreciate Alfred Hitchcock movies 210. Never try to fit stadium seats into an elevator during a blizzard. 211. To give a piece of yourself every once in a while. 212. That getting blown up may just be a part of the job description. 213. To appreciate hospital pudding. 214. The wedding was worth the wait. 215. To appreciate Cyndi Lauper 216. Setting up a rescue at the airport is an acceptable way to get back on someone's good side 217. Female friendships before male romantic partners 218. That we are not our parents. 219. To watch out for serial killers on Craig's list 220. To go to the Louvre. 221. That we can't always save our siblings from everything. 222. Sometimes it's ok to lie your ass off to the FBI 223. The only acceptable reason to leave the hospital AMA is to save your "partner" 224. To always wear a mask when cutting into bone. 225. That life works out. 226. That 306 pages for a will is not at all excessive. 227. To let someone else drive in London. 228. That life is hard and painful, but we fight together. 229. That your boss can't be your lovely assistant. 230. That stuffed animals make great baby gifts 231. That nothing brings people together like a Christmas lung fungus. 232. Be weary of someone who takes New York action 234. A jail cell can be a perfect place for a wedding. 235. Never route against the Flyers. 236. To go to the museum more often. You never know who you'll find 237. The best conversations happen in cars. 238. To appreciate colorful socks 239. That it takes all of us. Every single one. 240. To look forward to what ever happens next. 241. That it was worth the ride. Everything about it. 242. When the network moves you into every possible time slot it can only mean they love you. 243. To love. 244. That 12 years is a long time. And a lot of magic. 245. That it's all about the cast. 246. To never doubt the little show that could. So Season 12 is it; here’s to the last 12 years and to everything that happens next!

#bones finale #bonestv #booth and brennan #246Things #bones series finale #season 12

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mst3kproject · 7 years

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817: The Horror of Party Beach

A while back there was an incident at work when I was trying to get a patient to tell me which doctor he'd seen. He didn't remember anything about her except that she was female, which didn't help much because four of the clinic's five doctors are women. I tried to get him to describe the doctor, and after some thought he told me that she “looked Polish.” I managed not to laugh at him, but it was a damned near thing.

Anyway, The Horror of Party Beach. The movie begins as an evil organization dumps some toxic waste into the ocean, which causes sunken skeletons to come back to life as bloodthirsty fish monsters. If this movie had been made in the 70s or 80s, the evil organization would hang around trying to cover up its crimes and be as big a villain as the monsters themselves, but since this one's from 1964, they simply vanish from the story, their job done. The monsters immediately attack a woman at the beach, and then venture further inland in search of more victims – they need blood to survive, and for some reason only the blood of bikini-clad women will do! Our heroine, the mighty Eulabelle, first tries voodoo to combat the creatures, then discovers their true weakness... sodium!

You may be snickering at 'our heroine, the mighty Eulabelle', but I'm only partially joking: she's the only proactive character. While better-educated but stupider people are sitting around wringing their hands and wondering what to do about the monsters, Eulabelle's getting to work, making a voodoo doll and nagging Dr. Gavin to get on with his research. When the movie's Designated Love Interest, Elaine, doesn't want to fulfill her role, Eulabelle urges her to get up and go with the Designated Hero. When the Designated Hero, Hank, is close to giving up on ever finding the sodium they need, it's Eulabelle who orders him to keep looking, and it was Eulabelle herself who discovered that the monsters go up in flames when they come in contact with the metal. Everybody else in this movie just reacts to things rather than taking any initiative, and if it hadn't been for Eulabelle, they'd all have been eaten.

This is not an uncommon observation among MSTies – Eulabelle's hero status is a frequent subject of YouTube comments on the episode. It's not all that makes her the real star of Horror of Party Beach, though. Unique among the characters, Eulabelle has a personality and a tragic backstory! We know that she's the only survivor out of a large family. Her status in the Gavin household is somewhere between 'servant' and 'family member'. She feels rather maternal towards Elaine, and is comfortable enough with Dr. Gavin to stand up for herself when she disagrees with him. She is somewhat cowardly, but relies on her faith in God and a variety of superstitious practices to ward off dangers, while seeing no inherent contradiction between her Christian and non-Christian beliefs. These things make Eulabelle a stereotype, yes, but they also give her about six hundred percent more personality than anybody else in the movie.

Hank and Elaine, our supposed leads, are complete nobodies – you could replace both of them with cardboard cutouts (it almost seems like somebody did during the Summer Love scene) and it would have almost no effect on the movie at all. Hank's alcoholic, hard-partying ex-girlfriend Tina was a little more interesting, with potential for a character arc, but she's killed off almost right away. Dr. Gavin and the cops are as dull as Elaine, existing only to show up, speak lines, and vanish again. Do any of these people do anything when they're not on camera, or does the director keep his characters in boxes when he doesn't need them? Does Hank have parents? What does Dr.Gavin study that makes him the go-to expert on sea monsters? The movie doesn't even bother asking. Eulabelle is not just the only one with a character or past, she's the only one with a damned job.

A lot of MSTies find Eulabelle to be the most memorable thing in this movie, second only to perhaps the silly monsters with their mouths full of hot dogs. Now, Eulabelle is the hero we need in these dark times, but there's lots of other shit in this movie that deserves discussion. For example, you're likely to notice, if not on your first viewing then at least on your second or third, that almost all the monsters' victims are attractive young women, and very few of them are fully dressed. First to go is Tina in her swimsuit. Later it's the slumber party girls in their nighties. The Girls From Noo Yahk are wearing clothes, but the movie makes it clear that they would happily doff said clothes for random gas station attendants if only they weren't in such a hurry. Finally, while Dr. Gavin does whatever the hell he does there's a background montage of monsters attacking bikini-clad females at the beach, in the woods, and even in a backyard pool.

The only male victims we see are drunks – two come staggering out of a cocktail lounge to find a third dead in his car, in a reveal that is surely among the most blatant instances of a movie pretending the characters can only see what the camera sees. Like any sensible predator, the monsters go after the weak and confused members of the herd, right? What this tells us, then, is that the writers think a man has to be middle-aged, overweight, and so sloshed he can barely speak or stand before he becomes as helpless as a fit and healthy young woman! Not only this, but the women are easy prey even in groups. The news anchor says that over twenty girls were killed at the slumber party, apparently by just two or three monsters. Seriously? Two or three monsters overpowered and killed twenty women while only one (the report mentions the survivor rather than a survivor) escaped? Wow.

Even if you can ignore the movie's politics, it's still very strangely constructed. The over-long opening sequence, with the beach dances and Tina, seems to set up a slightly different movie than the one we're about to watch. Tina speaks of Hank's 'experiments in that laboratory' in an accusing tone, leading us to think we're going to see a film about a mad scientist creating monsters. It's somewhat confusing to then see the waste dump make them instead, and get no context for it until the film is nearly over and Hank finally mentions 'the floating pig'.

The beginning also sets up the love triangle between Hank, Tina, and Elaine, but not in a way that encourages us to like any of these characters. Neither Hank nor Tina seems invested in their relationship or concerned that it's falling apart, while Elaine is poised to swoop in like a vulture the moment Tina's out of the picture. We spend enough time following Tina's antics that we might expect her to be a major character, but her story, like those of the slumber party girls and the women from Noo Yahk, is only there in an effort to get us attached to her before the movie kills her. It fails, and by the time of the later sequences, we're wise to the trick – like Mike and the bots, we watch the scenes snickering to ourselves in the knowledge that all these characters are going to die.

Part of the reason the film fails to get us interested in Tina's fate is because none of the other characters seem very interested in it, either. She is as disposable to them as she was to the writers. We never even see Hank react to realizing Tina has been murdered, which you'd figure would be an important part of that love triangle plot. The movie had an opportunity for him and Elaine to talk awkwardly about it at the funeral, but doesn't bother. Maybe this is why Elaine's internal conflict over her unrequited crush on Hank seems so unconvincing – or maybe it's just because Alice Lyon and whoever dubbed her are both terrible actresses.

Despite Dr. Gavin saying that 'a lot of families have been affected by this', nobody else misses Tina much, either. We never see her parents or friends. The next mention of her we get is back at the beach, where one of the Del-Aires remarks, “ever since Tina got killed, like, no action around here,” to which Hank replies, unconcerned, “it'll pick up.” I have literally seen people interviewed on 48 Hours who turned out to be the actual murderers and yet showed more emotion at the death of a loved one than this.

Really, the only purpose the entire opening sequence serves is to sell Del-Aires records. I don't know if it accomplished this, but I rather doubt it, since the Del-Aires broke up within a few months of the movie's release.

So having said all that... do I hate this movie? Nah! The Horror of Party Beach is way too much fun for that. The plot is absurd, the accents amusing, the monsters hilarious, and the music is... actually pretty good as MST3K music goes. It's not hard to be better than The Sad Mushroom Ukulele Anthem or California Lady, and it's true that all the Del-Aires' songs sound alike. But the tunes are cheerful and catchy, and the lyrics are pretty creative (one of the songs is, rather delightfully, about getting a speeding ticket). The Brains apparently liked them even better than I did, since Paul Chaplin says in the Amazing Colossal Transplanted Sci-Fi Channel Episode Guide that they were all Del-Aires fans by the time they completed the episode.

#mst3k #reviews #horror of party beach #manly beach dance #it's beginning to look a lot like fishmen #60s

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