#the other three are newly fledged adults

[abirddogmoment]

It's fledgling season and unfortunately all the newly fledged adults are scrungly af 😭

#find me where the wild things are #red winged blackbird #the first photo is an adult male #the other three are newly fledged adults #that means theyre like teenagers #essentially self sufficient and they can fly awkwardly #but they stick around and their parents still dive bomb you if you get too close #also they look..... ugly..... #i like the centre right photo because you can see his little red shoulder patch starting to come in

[brunitofindshappinessfanfic]

Father Madrigal & the Pagan

🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍

Writing from inspiration from another blog. Bruno Madrigal fled all those years ago and decided to join the church. He returns to the Encanto a fully fledged man of the cloth. But a newly arrived pagan tests his patience and sanity.

CW/TW: religious themes, adult content, VERY adult content, breeding kink, no minors beyond this point

⚠️🔞⚠️🔞⚠️

I took off my poncho and took off everything till I was down to my underwear.

"Father, I need you to -"

"Bruno," he spoke calmly, possibly sensing the quiet of the cavern, "my name is Bruno. Stop calling me Father."

"Okay, Bruno. This is how this works. In the bonding rite, our life forces become one. Interlinked. We'll be able to share each other's energy once this is all over," I started helping him out of his priest garb.

"What are we about to do?"

"It's called the bonding. It's a primal equivalent to marriage," I explained, "to be honest, I think you'd make a better Druid than a priest, but we can talk about that later -"

"So we're about to -"

"Yes, we are. But with some modifications," I melted some candle wax onto a stable surface before placing the candle there.

"We can not break the bond for a full day. We may get sick for three days. It entirely depends," I stopped at his priest collar.

"You understand what we're about to do is an ancient tradition, one only performed between couples who plan to spend the rest of their lives together? It's roots come from pagan practice. There's no returning to the church after we start this."

His gaze softened on me. The glow of his eyes and the candle played brilliant effects off the crystallized cavern walls.

"It's gross, it's sloppy, but I think it'll end these headaches."

He removed his priest collar for me.

"Do as you wish, I've been yours since we met," his gaze was soft and admiring.

I went in for a deep, long kiss. He kissed back with such force it was overwhelming. I started stripping him of the fabrics that separated us. I then used our discarded clothes to make a sort of bed.

"Lay down," I instructed.

"Yes (y/n)," he promptly flopped down.

I took what was a tassel he wore and tied our hands together.

"For this to work, we have to be touching, somehow, some way, for a while," I explained.

"Alright, here we go," I hovered over him, "just follow your instincts."

It was more encouragement than a command.

His one free hand roamed my back aimlessly. I brought my face down into an all-consuming kiss. He was devouring me again. Not that I was complaining.

He rolled us over, so he was the one hovering above me.

"You want this, too? You aren't just helping me?" That worried look I had come to know in my dreams existed now in real time.

"Yes, yes yes yes..." I hissed as he bit into my shoulder. The sweet spot of pleasure-pain.

"Shhhhh..." I stopped him, thinking I've heard something. I looked to the cave entrance.

"Goddess, please keep our sounds from escaping," I made a quick prayer.

"I don't think they'd interrupt us," he spoke directly into my ear, his tongue outlining the shell.

I was putty in his arms.

Our noses touched, nuzzling for a brief few seconds before getting consumed in a whirlwind. He bit, sucked, kissed, and licked his way up and down my neck and shoulder, sometimes to my clavicle and chest.

I was near whimpering when his trail detoured to a still covered breast. I looked at him and his glare fixed on me as he pulled down the fabric, lazily using his mouth to pleasure my nipple. He finally bit down, and I was too lost in pleasure pain to realize he'd drawn blood. He made his way over, repeating everything, including biting down but not nearly as hard. Despite my pleas.

I was already bucking my hips instinctively, seeking friction in any way.

But we had a full 24 hours to fill like this, so he took his sweet precious time, torturing me with pleasure.

He soared in confidence as I became a babbling mess.

Saliva and sweat made my skin glisten.

I mimicked his trick and rolled us over so I was hovering over him. I made similar marks over his throat, neck and shoulders. I was claiming what was mine.

I bit my way down until I was faced with a painful looking erection. The tip was red, nearly purple.

I looked him in the eyes as I took his length in my mouth. I couldn't take all of it and had to use my free hand to pump the base. His head went back, shameful sounds emitting from his chest. When he started speaking Spanish too quickly for me to understand, I stopped and came back to swallow up his words.

I sit back to look at my handiwork. He was an absolute mess, but a happy mess. I leaned forward again, speaking softly directly into his ear.

"I'm going to ride you for a bit, is that alright? I'm going to put you inside me," I pressed a kiss to the corner of his eye when he nodded.

I withdrew again and angled my hips above him. He watched as I sheathed him inside me. But before I could start moving, he sat up and held me in place.

He nuzzled his face into the crook of my shoulder again. I was moaning just from the feeling of being full. He found my mouth and started making out with me.

But the tip of his length was hitting a particularly sweet spot, and I was bucking my hips purely out of response. He pulled his head back to look at me. I could only imagine what a mess I looked like.

"You're so beautiful, you know that?" He finally spoke, his free hand cupping my face.

I needed to shut him up, so I drowned out his sweet nothings with my own mouth. I forced him back down so I could start grinding my hips into his.

I stopped grinding when I felt he was close. He flipped me on my back and withdrew his member from me. I never knew I could whine like I did then.

He pressed kisses to my inner thighs, gently biting and nibbling, getting dangerously close to my entrance. He faltered for a second, looking up at me like "Are you sure?" Or "may I?" Kind of look.

I nodded and braced myself.

He plunged in, lapping at my folds. His tongue experimentally darting inside.

"Clit, clit," I guided him through the female anatomy. Once he started working on it with his mouth, I started babbling in a language I'd forgotten.

He moved back to biting my inner thighs. I thought I heard something at the cave entrance. To my horror, I recognized Father Flores' voice.

Bruno kept biting and sucking at my inner thighs. I knew he heard, but he kept at it. Father Flores and the others he was with lingered for a bit. They must be out searching for us.

Bruno kept working his mouth over me like he wanted me to moan and scream and get us caught.

After what felt like hours, Father Flores and the others left. The Goddess had kept our secret.

I looked down at Bruno.

"Were you trying to get us caught!?"

"I want everyone to know about us," he said with such conviction it was envious.

"Yeah, after this." He looked so shameless while eating me out. He was certainly thriving.

"Is... is it okay if..." he fumbled over himself.

"What?"

"Guess we really should have discussed having kids before starting," he looked up at me with such concern.

"Don't worry about it right now," I guided his face back up to mine for a slow, languid kiss.

"B-but," he started but I wasn't having it.

"For fucks sake yes, come inside me. Fill me up, I need your thick cock back inside. Now," my hormones had taken over.

Thankfully, he did not have to be told again.

He slowly sank himself inside me. I writhed with desire to grind against him. He found a slow rhythm that was driving me absolutely mad.

He pinned our hands above my head, I was completely exposed to him.

"I love you, you know," he had lowered his head low enough I could hear his lips move.

"I certainly hope so," I chuckled out of dilerious giddiness, "I love you, too."

He bowed his head into my chest as he continued the rhythm he's set. Though he was getting quicker.

"Deeper, deeper," I had tears streaming down my face, "just bruise my cervix damn it."

"You like a little pain, hmm?" His thrusts became deep again, I could hear the squelching of our combining fluids bouncing off the walls of the cavern as well as the slap of skin against skin. Heavy breathing filled my ear.

I could only nod. Coherent words were too difficult.

"I want you to have my babies," he said in a very gentle tone.

"Fuck me," I whispered.

"I believe that's exactly what I'm doing," he spoke evenly, as if he wasn't pounding into me or even exerting any strength.

I huffed a chuckle. I was already struggling to breathe in the position he had me in, slamming himself into me.

"I want so many kids, mi vida. So many," he was practically pleading.

"I want a family so bad. Please, mi amore."

I scrambled up to catch his near sobs. I sat in his lap, fully sheathed again.

"Of course, my darling. But you've got to be good."

"Such as?"

I actually began to think. I'd been fucked senseless for long enough that I was thinking clearly.

"Firstly, you're going to go home and open your door. Repair the damage between you and your familia," my face was right on top of his, "you want your children to be able to see their abuela, don't you?"

"Yes," he sobbed.

"Second, you'll officially end your priesthood. Although that's already kind of over," I tried to get him to laugh.

He nodded furiously.

"Third, since you're already practically kicked out of Catholicism, I want you to give Druidry a try. My love," I nuzzled my nose into his hair.

"Ok," he sighed, managing his breathing.

I placed a kiss to his forehead.

"And never, ever run away from me," his face shot up.

"Never," he breathed.

"Never," I responded.

"I'll never run from you, mi vida," he promised.

"Good boy," I whispered into his ear, and I felt him shiver, "we can continue now."

His eyes watered. He eased me back down onto the makeshift bedding.

Bruno continued to fuck us senseless. I had come and been over stimulated by the time he came. We rested for a bit while he was still inside me. And on and on, we continued through the 24 hours.

[mrmrswales]

Exclusive: the ‘profoundly powerful’ moments that shaped Duchess of Cambridge’s children’s charity work by Camilla Tominey

It all started with secret visits the public never got to see. Newly married, and with the world’s press chronicling her every move – down to the details of her designer dresses – the Duchess of Cambridge resolved to go "below radar".

Acting as Prince William’s "plus one", rather than a fully fledged solo royal in those early days, the newest addition to the Royal family knew that she wanted to find a cause she could champion as impactfully as Diana, the Princess of Wales’s landmine campaign; it was simply a question of where to find it.

Having already announced her first patronage of Action on Addiction, a charity working with people with drug and alcohol problems, Hope House, a women-only rehabilitation centre in Clapham, south London, seemed as good a place as any to start.

It was October 2011 when the then 29-year-old Duchess paid the first of several, incognito visits in a bid to find out what had sent its clients on a downward spiral of self-destruction.

According to Rebecca Priestley, who accompanied the Duchess on the visit and would go on to spend five years as her private secretary, it played a pivotal role in her decision to put childhood at the heart of her philanthropic endeavours.

Speaking on the record for the first time, Mrs Priestley, who is now an executive coach, recalled:  "I remember going up to Anglesey, where they were living after the wedding, to have a conversation with the Duchess about her royal life."

At that point, she had the philanthropic world at her feet. She could have done anything she wanted in the charitable arena. Typically, she had put a lot of thought into it already. Addiction was an issue she was instinctively thinking about – but she was also genuinely interested in understanding what support was there and what role that played in the bigger picture of mainstream societal issues."

With the Duke having flown to the Falklands for a six–week tour of duty with his RAF search and rescue squadron, Mrs Priestley put a programme together to support the Duchess’s desire to "listen and learn"."A lot of it was behind the scenes, just talking to people and hearing where it was that they needed more help.  The one thing that united all of the women at Hope House was that the derailing had started so early on. They could trace the problems in their adult lives back to childhood."

A subsequent private visit in February 2012 to Clouds House, a treatment centre in East Knoyle in Wiltshire, served as further confirmation that the early years should be a key area of focus. But it was during a later meeting with female inmates at a detox unit at Send Prison in Woking when the penny well and truly dropped.

"It was a profoundly powerful moment,” recalled Mrs Priestley. "You go in there with this preconceived idea that these women have done things wrong, that it was their fault. Then one woman started speaking to the Duchess about her earliest memories of seeing needles on the floor of her home."

She had always thought addiction was a misunderstood issue, but after this, she became concerned that there was a pre-destiny about those affected – an inevitability about it. These women were born into it and there was very little chance of escape."

The experience set in train a sequence of events that will next week culminate in the Duchess, 39, stepping up her ambition in driving awareness and action on the impact that early childhood can have on society at large.

She will launch a new initiative through the couple’s Royal Foundation to further explore the science around early childhood, raise awareness of the issue and foster collaboration and partnerships across relevant groups.

According to Lord Hague, who became chairman of the Royal Foundation last September, the "ambitious" new project will be equal in stature to William’s £50 million Earthshot Prize, launched last year with Sir David Attenborough to find workable solutions to climate change and environmental problems.

"The Duchess truly believes this is one of the great issues of our time," said the former Tory leader. "This is the central plank of her work in the way conservation issues are for the Duke. It’s a hugely significant moment."

While politicians are often in a rush to make a difference during the comparatively short time they have in office, royals are there for life, which perhaps explains why Kate has taken 10 years to get to this point.Having been instrumental in launching the Heads Together campaign with William and Prince Harry in 2016, designed at tackling the stigma and changing the conversation on mental health, it was not until 2018 that she convened a steering group of experts to look at how cross-sector collaboration could bring about lasting change.

In January, she delivered a landmark speech after her Five Big Questions on the Under Fives survey garnered over 500,000 responses.

"People often ask why I care so passionately about the early years," the mother-of-three said.

"Many mistakenly believe that my interest stems from having children of my own. While of course I care hugely about their start in life, this ultimately sells the issue short. If we only expect people to take an interest in the early years when they have children, we are not only too late for them, we are underestimating the huge role others can play in shaping our most formative years, too."

Pointing out that the social cost of late intervention has been estimated to be over £17 billion a year, she added: "The early years are therefore not simply just about how we raise our children. They are in fact about how we raise the next generation of adults. They are about the society we will become."

According to Eamon McCrory, Professor of Developmental Neuroscience and Psychopathology at University College London, the Duchess "has a vision of how she can help transform how we as a society view and invest in the early years for the benefit of society".

Describing her interest in "the role the brain shapes our early experiences and how that sets us on a path to adult life", he explained: "When you look at very young babies and infants, on the surface they don’t appear to be engaging in complex emotions so there's a tendency to underestimate the millions of synapses that are being formed every minute. But science is telling us we have to look under the bonnet.

"There’s no question that for the Duchess, this is a lifetime piece of work. The last five years laid the foundations, now we are entering a more proactive phase.” Described by one source as “thoughtful, professional and determined to do a good job,” there is a sense that Kate has never been in it for the early wins, but the long haul.

As one well-placed insider put it: "She took the job very seriously right from the very beginning. She continues to want to get it right and do her very best - for the institution, for William and the importance of the work she’s doing.

"She doesn't just want to rock up for a picture opportunity, which is why she used to get quite frustrated with all the early focus on what she was wearing. She really cares about this stuff."

Another source said she was "much more fun" than people give her credit for, pointing out how she has grown in confidence having found a cause that she is not only passionate about - but also well informed.

As Lord Hague put it: "She’s been reading the books and had trustees reading the books. People assume her interest in the early years is because she has children – actually it comes from all the adults she’s met." The other key influence has been Kate’s own idyllic childhood.

Brought up in leafy Bucklebury in West Berkshire by her entrepreneur parents Michael and Carole Middleton, pictured below with the royal family, the Duchess has never made any secret of how fortunate she has been to be brought up in a loving and supportive family.

"She always recognised that she benefited from such a great start in life," added Mrs Priestley.

"That’s why sport and the outdoors has always been a key theme for her. She was always asking how those sorts of experiences could be made accessible to others."

For Dame Benny Refson, president of the children’s mental health charity Place2Be, where the Duchess has been patron since 2013, Kate’s grounded upbringing has proved an asset.

“The Duchess listens and people feel heard and valued. It’s nothing to do with privilege. The groups she meets in challenging areas in London don't look at what she's wearing. What makes a difference is that an important person has shown a genuine interest in them. She can relate without passing judgement, which is so important."

Having started out as a reticent public speaker, the Duchess has finally found her voice – and next week she will have a lot more to say.

#duchess of cambridge

[metaphor-cheese]

2nd dimension hcs timeline:

-the invasion happened 5 years ago, placing candace at age 10, and all the kids at age 4 (except buford who was 5)

-perry went on his last mission shortly beforehand. Only when he was defeated and reprogrammed did doof take over the tristate area. The other agents were made cyborgs a short while later

-when the invasion happened, candace was inside watching tv while the boys were outside playing. No one else was home. When candace saw her show be interrupted by doof announcing his conquest of the tri-state area, she rushed outside to see norm bots taking names and personal information from her neighbours for their papers (by force if necessary) and goving out copies of the new rules and put herself between them and her brothers, giving the information for her whole family

-the fireside girls’ Babey Troop the lil sparks were in a meeting at the time. Isabella and baljeet (who’d only joined a week ago) were in the group at the time of the invasion. Their den mother sprung unto action and hid the kids in the base’s secret bunker while she tried to gather information on what was happening. They stayed hidden there for a week before the rations supply ran out and the den mother had to admit defeat as this invasion looked pretty permanent. Everyone was sent home to their relieved families, though instructed to come back to the base regularly for their fireside girl training. (They soon created underground tunnels to each of their houses so as not to alert the norm bots)

-buford had won biff that day. On his way home he was stopped by a norm bot who, being programmed to hostile to animals, stole biff and went on to kill him. Buford was radicalised on the spot

-unknown to the fireside girls, the den mother was contacted by OWCA and teamed up with some of their remaining human agents in attempts to take down doof during the first few months of the dictatorship. They made good progress, but it didnt work and since they were targeting the inner workings of doofinshmirtz evil inc it wasnt really visible to the public that anyone was fighting for them. She continued training the lil sparks (now the only troops she could talk to) on the side, teaching them skills they’d need to resist the dictatorship

-candace started her rebellion two months after the invasion after stewing in fury at the injustice. It started with little things like throwing rocks at norm bots. They were updated so they werent so easy to take out, however since candace’s attacks were always in public people started talking. All adults were too afraid to fight doof, however the other kids at school were on board so she accepted them into the resistance

-since it started as just a bunch of kids with no order, candace created a tough, no nonsense nonsense persona (modelled after a character from a war drama lawrence watched) to command their attention. As the years went on she would slowly become the mask

-worried about the brainwashing in doofs schools, candace convinced linda to homeschool the boys. They grow up spending most of their lives inside the house

-three years into the dictatorship and the fireside girls den mother is captured. By this point she had tentatively started taking isabella, her best pupil, on missions and she was with her on that day. Before she was captured, she gave isabella the stolen information, her sash and made her a full fledged fireside girl and told her she was brave and smart enough to be the leader of the group from now on, before sending her back to base and giving herself up. Practically overnight isabella started training the fireside girls (now minus baljeet, since he realised he’s both trans and terrible at most fireside stuff and became their scientist instead) to take over their den mothers role

-candace meets buford who has been a solo anarchist for the past few years, getting away with breaking rules by just. Besting the norm bots with something heavy. Despite him being so young, candace figured he was safer in the resistance than causing havoc on his own where his recklessness could easily get him caught. She brought him into the resistance and tried to train him but because its buford he just resisted everything she told him and was generally a pain in the ass. She managed to teach him a few essential skills like how to deactivate a norm bot in an untraceable way through reverse psychology, but generally accepted that his role in the resistance was just gonna have to be a wildcard barbarian caveman-with-stick fighter. She never actually sent him on missions much since he was still like. Her brothers age and she was kinda attached to the kid

-soon after this the newly rebranded firestorm girls finally track down the other group who’s fighting against doof and ask candace to join the resistance. Candace is impressed by their skills and base (which is much better than the abandoned warehouse she’d been using) and officially welcomes them in as a separate division. She also gives them buford cos she hopes he’ll calm down and be subtler when its not an authority figure telling him to. He doesnt (also bc that is A Child and he needs friends his own age)

-candace discovers the den leader’s ties to OWCA in the files isabella gave her access to. She sucessfully contacts monogram, but as he’s already been captured and enslaved theres not much he can do other than give her a location to work out of and tell her some agents weaknesses

-after a while of working in isabellas division, buford gets sick of the rigid organisation of the firestorm girls and baljeet and decided to start resisting them to a collective eyeroll of the entire rebellion

-the portal is opened and the events of the movie start

#2nd dimension #phineas and ferb #phineas and ferb across the second dimension

[adultswim2021]

Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law #15: “Blackwatch Plaid” | January 1, 2003 - 12:08 AM | S02E01

Mere minutes into 2003 Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law debuted it’s first episode in a little while: “Blackwatch Plaid”. The new year is traditionally a time when we reflect on our previous year and re-evaluate old habits. At the time of this airing, I was fastidiously recording Adult Swim every week and saving anything new that aired to my own carefully labeled home video archives. Historically I’d been recording to VHS, but I had received a DVD recorder for Christmas and immediately began transferring certain Adult Swim shows from VHS to DVD. The DVD format was still rather young, and the idea of Adult Swim shows actually making it to retail DVD didn’t seem like such a sure thing (even though at this time, two such volumes had been produced; more about those during EPHEMERA WEEK)

This was the tenth episode aired, and 10 episodes was what could fit on a DVD-R recorded in SP mode. So, I completed my first and only custom DVD of Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. When faced with the prospect of beginning a second volume of Harvey Birdman on DVD I was at a bit of a crossroads. Keep watching this show I hate in the name of completionism? Or, do what any sane person would do and stop watching? I gave it away a few sentences back, but at the time I picked the later. This was a pretty big deal for me! Sure, I thought less of shows like Brak and Sealab from their strong starts, but I still stuck with them. My rejection of Birdman was a radical act. I was now no longer enjoying Adult Swim as a whole. I was now picking and choosing what I wanted from it.

“Blackwatch Plaid” isn’t so bad, truthfully. It’s a parody of the then-current Homeland Security Terror Alert Level Color Chart, which had debuted earlier in 2002. the eponymous blackwatch plaid is one of the colors on Phil Ken Sebben’s chart, which is created in this episode in response to an imagined office theft. The fact that this imaginary office theft is treated with the same high-level importance as a terrorist attack on our country is the whole joke of the episode. It’s a worthy target for satire, for sure.

Okay, so it’s 2021, and I’m watching these with a more open mind. I can admit the anger I felt at Birdman was “a little much”, this episode is more cohesive than most and the jokes aren’t bad. I didn’t laugh at them then, and I didn’t laugh at them now, so really not much has changed. But I recall one sticking point I had: the live-action montage. There’s multiple bits of live-action in this episode, and they are fun. But jealousy that these guys had a comedy show and I didn’t really worked wonders on me, because I remember really detesting the main montage in the episode. It was as if I thought “how dare you guys have fun, this show sucks.”

In the montage, Sebben presents Birdman with footage from the newly-installed security cameras that proves Birdman doesn’t get much work done in the course of his work day. A now live-action Birdman is seen milling around the office doing nothing much, then suddenly we are treated to a bright and colorful montage of Birdman playing hooky. He’s riding a ferris wheel, getting his nails done, showering at home with Boo Boo who playfully slaps his ass, cavorting around a fountain, popping out of a ball pit, and then running/tip-toeing around a field in different directions, for no reason. It’s wacky. It looks like it was a lot of fun to shoot. And I was pissed.

Okay, I’m primarily using this blog entry to try and get to the bottom of why I hated the montage so much. If a show I loved did something similar, I’d probably applaud it. It’s a fun idea, fairly low-effort (not that doing a live-action shoot doesn’t require real effort, it does!), and it just reads as “comedy is happening” for the entirety of the sequence. From a production stand point there’s little reason to not include a sequence like this.

I feel like this was a form of humor you’d see a lot of amateur comedy makers doing: the bright and cheery montage. It’s ironic, because I’m acting cheesy! I couldn't name names if I tried, but I just had about three or four different amateur sketch group videos pop into my head with the same comedy stylings. I can’t imagine what the point of view is here, or if anyone participating in this particular joke actually thinks they’re being original. At this point I’d say that the number of ironic/spoof montages in this vein outnumber the ones that are actually doing them in earnest. So, the idea can’t be “I’m doing a very original joke here.” The humor in those videos seem to be rooted in the more narcissistic ethos of “this is funny because *I’M* doing it!”

Have you ever seen Stella Shorts? I feel like a lot of aspiring comedy creators saw Stella Shorts and tried to produce similar sketches. That is: hammy, broad, intentionally sorta cheesy but ironic capitol-c comedy. And most of them would fall flat. It’s because the Stella guys were geniuses and the amateur comedians trying to do dime-store imitations of Stella Shorts were mostly not. So, it was the climate that really shaded my disdain for the montage. I wish I had my own TV show, still. I’ve occasionally written comedy pieces with the intent of putting together a low-budget sketch comedy show, and I’m certain that if I were to actually produce said comedy it wouldn’t be so easy, and I’d be very much guilty of putting unoriginal ideas on screen. But, the jealousy remains. So, sorry, Birdman. You’re still forbidden from entering my heart. Fuck you.

MAIL BAG

This is the part of the blog where we all get our eyes ready for some good messages and some good times. Here we go:

Just tried the Popeyes Nuggets, I've enjoy popeyes bone in chicken in the past so I thought I would give their boneless option a shot.

Please stop sending me nugget stuff. This is an anti-corporate, anti-capitalist blog. No one should eat any nugget unless they make it at home themselves. That’s just the facts

I can't believe I felt a little melancholy about the abrupt end of Brak. The first full fledge Adult Swim program to bite the dust. It was mostly terrible and you were better off airing an Aqua Teen episode in it's place but...wow, we'll never have that again. Goodbye Andy! See you in the shitty webtoon.

Andy is in hell now and “that’s gotta suck”. RIP.

Took the kids to Great Falls the other day, last treat before they head off to school and on our way back we stopped at Popeyes. The kids got the nuggets I went with the classic chicken. Cost me about 18 bucks with drinks and all that but it was pretty good chicken. The kids loved the nuggets. My son was like, "it's crunchy". Pretty cool place. Thanks for hipping me and my family to it. If you have any other kid-friendly places let me know because fall soccer season is coming up.

!!! SHUSH! stop that!

You arent gonna write about it since its not an original but Family Guy just left Adult Swim. Why don't you speak your mind about the show in general and what it meant for the programming block. Yeah, that sounds like a good waste of your time.

Little do you realize!

Popeyes chicken

Suck my dick

#adult swim #harvey birdman attorney at law #adultswim2021

[fieldsofview]

Day 5 AU Yeah August: Laundromat - “Adrien Agreste: Adulting is hard”

My contribution to day 5.  You can read the rest of the series so far here.

Summary:  Adrien is lost during his first encounter with the dreadful washing machine. Thankfully a very patient angel volunteers to help guide him. 

Adrien/Marinette fluff

Twenty-three-year-old Adrien Agreste stood under the bright lights of the 24-hour laundromat for the first time. Being a Wednesday night, the laundromat was somewhat empty, with just a few people mingling through various stages of their laundry. He’d made his way through Nino’s advice of separating his clothes by color and adding the right soap, but now he’d hit a roadblock. Stupidly having let his phone battery die meant that he had no way to look up how to move forward. Being an adult without the influence of his dad was turning out to be more difficult than he’d originally thought.

Adrien’s hands gripped the edge of the washing machine tightly as he scanned over the dozens of buttons and dials. He didn’t know what most of them meant, and he especially didn’t know which ones to set for today. After a few minutes of attempting to read over the tiny print to understand what to do, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Startled, he whirled around and came face to face with a petite, dark-haired girl.

“Excuse me, but you look a little lost. Did you need some help?” She gestured to the machine and smiled at him

Oh angel, sent from heaven above, thank you, thank you. “Would you please? I’ve never actually, uh, washed my clothes before. Wait. That sounded wrong.” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I meant to say, I’ve never used a machine like this. Someone used to do it for me.”

The girl giggled, “I’m happy to help. My name’s Marinette.”

Oh wow, Marinette. That’s a pretty name. She had the cutest little freckles across her nose. How’d he get so lucky? And why is she looking at him like that? Oh. Oh! “My name’s, uh, Ad-Adrien.” Smooth, great first impression Adrien.

“Well hello, Ad-Adrien.” Marinette smiled teasingly and turned to the machine. “I see you’ve separated your whites from the rest of your colored clothes. That’s a good start.”

“Yeah, my friend Nino mentioned that I should, so I’ve got that. I just don’t really know what setting to put.”

“Well, usually I’d recommend washing whites in very hot water because it keeps them bright. That’s why you separate them out though, because colors will bleed in the hot water and stain your whites. So unless you have anything particularly delicate in there, I’d suggest a hot setting with a cool rinse, and you can tumble dry low to make sure your clothes don’t shrink.” Marinette fiddled with the buttons and dials until it matched what she told him.

“Uh, yeah sure, that sounds great. Thanks, Marinette.” He leaned past her to drop in the change required and start the machine. “What about these then?” He picked up his basket of darker colored clothes, shuffling over to the next machine.

“Unless you have anything heavily soiled, I’d wash it all on cold with a cold rinse and low heat dry. Dark colors will fade with warmer water.” She poured some of his soap into the bottom of the machine and adjusted the settings again while he loaded the clothes in.

He worked quickly, trying to hide some of him more *ahem* colorful items. There’s no shame in a grown man having polka-dot underwear, but he was hesitant to let her see them anyway. After he dropped the coins in and started the machine, he sat down on the edge of one of the folding tables and patted the seat next to him. Marinette joined him, mentioning that her clothes were in the dryer now and would be waiting a while, especially the heavy-weight towels.

As the time for his washing laundry ticked away, the two idly chatted, mostly talking about their shared experience as newly graduated people fledging into the world of adulthood. Adrien mentioned advice he had received from Nino a few more times before Marinette finally decided to ask. “I know this is a long shot, but, is this Nino you keep mentioning Nino Lahiffe?”

Adrien’s eyes grew wide. “You know Nino? Small world this is.”

“Yeah, he’s dating my best friend, Alya. I’ve met him only a few times now.”

“Maybe we’ll be seeing more of each other in the near future then, Marinette,” Adrien wiggled his eyebrows at her and giggled, causing her to giggle too. Adrien shifted his weight to swing his legs underneath him, only to find his shoulder pressed up against Marinette’s. He found himself really not wanting to move. The two settled into a comfortable silence for a moment.

The obnoxious alarm signaling the end of his washing cycle came far too soon, in Adrien’s opinion.

“Time to move those to the dryer. Want some help?” Marinette hopped down from their perch and gestured towards the washer.

Adrien hopped down and followed her. “Sure. Sounds great.”

Marinette lifted the lid of the machine and her face fell. “Oh, Adrien.”

“What?” Adrien looked down into the machine, “Oh no. What did I do wrong?” The whole wash of clothes that used to be white were now an interesting shade of pastel pink. Not a single item was spared.

“Something red must’ve snuck its way into the whites. The colors bled and dyed the rest of them.” She fished around through the wet laundry, until, “Aha! It was this.” She pulled out one of Adrien’s red argyle socks. And he’d tried so hard too.

He took the sock from her with a pout. “Can we fix it?” He slowly started pulling out and separating some of the items from each other.

“No, I’m sorry Adrien. It’ permanent.”

Adrien held up one of his t-shirts in front of himself – bright pink and soggy. The moments stretched on as he took the time to examine it. The shirt was slightly blotchy and weighed down with the water-logged cotton fibers.

Adrien burst out laughing.

Marinette watched him in confusion as he laughed and laughed. “Adrien?”

With a flourish, Adrien held the shirt to his chest, as if he was about to put it on. “It’s a good thing pink is my color! Don’t you think?” He cocked a hip out and held a slightly exaggerated version of one of his old modeling poses. Soon, Marinette was laughing right along with him.

Once they calmed down, they moved all his clothes over to the dryers. By that point, Marinette’s clothes had finished drying, so Adrien helped her fold everything and get it secured away for her to take home. After an exchanging of phone numbers, Adrien returned to his perch atop the table and waved Marinette off into the night.

His shirts may not have survived the day the way he hoped, but these memories and this new friendship with Marinette really made the whole thing worth it.

#mlauyeahaugust #au yeah august #alternate universe #adrienette #fluff #adrien agreste #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #aged up characters #modern setting

[jaeminlore]

Break Down the Wall | Ten

summary: marriage isn't easy, and love takes time words: 8k+ category: prince!ten, angst, fluff warning: mentions of sexual harassment

It wasn't like the books. It was never like the books. Princes and Princesses didn't get married because they fell in love, and they certainly didn't fall conveniently in love with the one they were betrothed too. That wasn't realistic. That wasn't real life.

Reality was terrifying. It had you cinched in a pearly white gown, promising to become one with a man you had only met twice, and both were under formal business requirements. Reality had you faking smiles and laughing through the reception as your princess friends encouraged you •to be happy, Prince Ten is handsome!• and forget the binds this marriage had over your freedom. Reality had you crying yourself to sleep as you slept beside your new husband, having never been so physically close to someone before and yet felt so distant.

He never talked about it: your crying. You knew, without any doubt, that he had heard you many nights, sniffling through the pain. Maybe it was a mutual thing, because you had never mentioned the nights he spent in the library, not coming back to the room until it was already dawn. The first few weeks were like this, strictly professional and business-like.

The first check-in with his parents was awkward. His parents kept hinting that the two of you were intimate, and close both physically and emotionally. But the truth was that you had never felt further away from a person.

Life with Ten was awkward. Not because he was a horrible person, or because you refused to speak to him, but it was because he tended to close himself off to you. You could see it with his Royal Advisor, Johnny: his bright smiles and laughter that practically permeated the castle walls. Sometimes, if you were quiet enough, you could sneak a peak out your window and watch him joke around, unfiltered and unabashed. It was nice to see him so happy.

But around you, he was quiet. Quiet and tame, his guard always up. His dark eyes would search yours a lot, and he would always end his search with furrowed eyebrows, like he hadn't quite found what he was looking for. There was some sort of wall between the two of you, made from the stubbornness of not wanting to be married to each other. It was a wall stronger than Jericho, but in this instance, there was no Joshua to call it down.

This wall stayed up no matter what. Decisions for the newly conjoined kingdom were given to the two of you to decide. Both your parents and his could see the strained relationship and wished for the two of you to at least be on friendly terms. That was hard, however, when all you could see in his eyes was the future that was taken from you. You assumed he saw the same. But royal decisions seemed to be something the two of you could work peacefully on.

Ten had never spoken more than he had when the two of you were trying to figure out what was good for the people and the newly conjoined kingdom.

("It's a zoo," you had told Ten, stomping your foot like a child. "How is it hurting anyone?"

"I don't like having animals living in captivity while their mom is two yards away in the forest," he retorted. "Can't we use the funds for something better? A trade school, a library, a candy shoppe, literally anything?"

You had looked down at the forms, and before you knew it, you were handing them over to Ten. "Alright, I trust you. Figure something else out to keep the kids entertained."

And he had. Weeks later your kingdom had its own official park, complete with a koi pond for the adults and monkey bars for the kids. A legend was even tacked onto the pond by locals, stating that any couple who wished on the special pond would have luck in their future, since it was widely assumed that this was the first kingdom decision you and Ten had made together.)

("In my country, we have a holiday to celebrate in honor of the day the rain returned after a season of drought. Even if your half of the new kingdom doesn't celebrate it, my kingdom should get time off of work to celebrate like always," Ten had spoken passionately one day, his tongue poking at the inside of his cheek as he frowned.

"The rest of kingdom should celebrate as well, then," you had made a good point. "It would remind them that we are one now, and we celebrate each other's victories and mourn for each other's struggles."

Ten had given you a certain unidentifiable look, his blackwood eyes searching your own. "Okay, good. I'll talk to Johnny about setting everything up.")

("Johnny is saying we need another orphanage, or a bigger one." Ten had greeted you one night.

You were already sitting at his desk in your nightgown, going over the many possibilities with the kingdom's orphanage. With a war going on caused by a nearby third kingdom, angry that you had married Ten and not their prince, more and more children were becoming parentless. Even if they weren't orphans yet, kids whose parents were both off fighting were sent to the orphanage to be taken care of until their parents returned. If their parents ever returned.

Your fingers went up to pinch the bridge of your nose. "We've got to stop this war."

"How?" Ten asked. "It's not even a full-fledged war, it's just a series of hate crimes from a petty kingdom."

"Yeah, and it's all my fault and now my people --- our people --- are dying because of it."

"Don't say that," Ten had said, his voice sounding more gentle than you had ever heard it.

But you ignored him and turned off the light before crawling into bed and crying yourself to sleep.)

Other than that, Ten kept mostly to himself. He liked reading in the library on his off days, often romance or poetry. You once caught him trying out your horror book collection, but he quickly put it down once the squeamish parts appeared. Most of the time, however, he wasn't reading in the library, but coming up with battle strategies. Sometimes he played chess with Johnny, but he often relayed to you that he sucked at chess, and it was just a nice way to distract himself from the duties of the kingdom.

You liked to spend your free time outside, where you could breathe in the fresh air of the kingdom. It was the practice ring you loved the most, where you could grab your familiar broadsword and swing it around, exerting blow after blow on a practice dummy.

By the end of it, you were sweaty and exhausted, but you felt a lot better. Especially knowing that there was a huge threat over your kingdom. You wanted to be prepared.

The third kingdom had yet to surrender. They had told their people that Ten's parents bribed your own so that he would marry you, and although it was close to the truth, it still made you feel like nothing more than an object to be traded around for kingdom's sake.

You accidentally ranted about this to Ten one evening. He had been minding his own business, nose buried in his book about fairytales or something similar, when you barged in and slammed the door behind you. "I swear sometimes I have no voice in this castle. I'm sick of being negotiated like some sort of battle plan!" you shouted at the closed door.

Ten presumed one of your advisors was one the other side. He lifted an eyebrow and grabbed his turtleshell glasses from his desk, shoving them up onto his nose before looking at you. "Bad day?"

You glared at him. "Don't talk to me. You're the last person I want to talk to right now."

Ten gnawed on the inside of his bottom lip before speaking again, "Is this because of the strategy?"

"Of course it is!" Your voice then dropped to a low tone of what could only be considered an imitation of your husband's voice, "Hey, why don't we ship my wife off to the very dangerous kingdom and have her gain intel for us! That way, not only is she out of the way so that I can rule alone, she also gets to be wed to yet another man she doesn't love! Yay!"

Ten furrowed his eyebrows, looking hurt. "That's not what I said, nor was that the whole plan. I made it foolproof with the specific request that you not get hurt."

"My fate is not in your hands, Ten," you seethed. You pulled open the wardrobe and grabbed a random nightgown, practically tearing off your day dress before you tried to pull the nightdress on. Unfortunately, it was ones with done-up buttons on the collar, so you couldn't yank it down past your head. "Look, I'm still extremely angry at you right now but can you please help me?"

Ten emitted a giggle at the sight of your frustrated form. Before you could yell at him again, he tugged the dress down gently. Then, as if he wasn't even thinking, he ran his fingers through your slightly tangled hair, smoothing it out before he drew his hand back to his side. "There you are."

"Don't coo at me you insolent piece of undercooked haddock," you spat, mussing up your hair again just to spite him. "Thanks to you, I might actually be shipped off!"

"No, you won't," Ten promised. He followed you as you shuffled over to the bed, wrapping the covers around yourself until you were nothing but a silk burrito. "Did you hear the entire plan? Or did you storm out after hearing the first few words?"

Your exaggerated sigh was enough of an answer for Ten, who had most definitely picked up on your mannerisms since marrying you. He sat on the side of the bed, facing you. "The plan was to convince the Third Kingdom that you want me assassinated, so that you and their prince can eventually control all three kingdoms. Once they arrive, we'll have the royals detained and our troops with force the Third Kingdom into surrender."

"Oh." Your voice was small and muffled against the covers. "Well, I guess now I'm just a decoy."

Ten shuffled on his knees until they bumped against yours. "Hey, Y/n, you aren't a decoy."

You gave him a pointed look.

"Okay, you are, but that's just a sacrifice you have to make, okay? It's because at this point, we're all soldiers, fighting for the safety of our kingdom. You're probably our most important soldier, so stop thinking of yourself as just an asset."

You looked at Ten, and saw the seriousness in his eyes. "Fine. Whatever. I guess you can have some of the covers tonight."

After that, it was only a bit easier to talk to Ten. Perhaps all you two really needed was a fight to break down the wall. Or at the least, begin chipping away at the bricks.

Everything Ten had promised you turned out to be true. The plan went off mostly without a hitch, other than the prince being a total creep and trying to feel you up on the carriage ride home.

You still hadn't told Ten about it, since you were still a bit shaken up about the whole thing. What were you supposed to say? Hi, Ten, guess who touched my thigh before you did! Guess who kissed my neck and spat in my face when I refused his advantages?! Guess who told me he'd come for me if he ever got out of prison? It's Prince Matthew!

You also didn't tell him because you were angry. Angry that his plan had worked, and that you seemed to be the only one coming back with scars from it. The joint kingdoms were all celebrating, praising you for being so brave and Ten for being so strategic. The incident had brought the kingdoms together, and they seemed to now fully accept the idea of you and Ten being their reigning monarchs one day.

Although the kingdom was united, you once again felt distant towards Ten. Bitterness filled your heart. Under that was a layer of pain and absolute sorrow. No one seemed to understand or care. No one seemed to notice that you were different, and more secluded.

Prince Matthew was being kept in the castle's dungeon. Every night you were terrified that he would break out and find you. You were afraid of being taken away by him. You afraid of being hurt by him.

These thoughts must've leaked into your dreams, because you found yourself picturing just what would happen if he broke out and found you. Before you knew it, you were sobbing, tossing and turning in your bed. You felt a hand rest on your shoulder and you flinched, jolting awake with tear-streaked eyes.

"Get away from me, Matthew!" you screamed, yanking your arm away.

Then you saw where you were, safe in your bed. It wasn't Prince Matthew who had touched you, it was Ten. He had released his hold as soon as you yelled at him, but his eyes were still filled with concern and pain. Your eyes quickly gazed his face, and his body.

He's not the villain here. He's not the villain here. He's not the villain here, you told yourself. He was wearing a nightshirt and, as usual, all the buttons were undone. You couldn't remember when he had started doing that. All the days of being with him were blurred and mixed like one long, never-ending movie. A movie where you never seemed to get a happy ending, despite your mother promising nearly a year ago that you would; that everything would be okay.

"Matthew?" Ten furrowed his brows. Something unfamiliar was in his eyes, but you didn't have the energy to try and decipher it.

"Nothing's okay," you blubbered, scrambling to collect your covers and pull them tighter around you. "Nothing's ever going to be okay."

Ten reached for your face, perhaps to wipe your tears, but you flinched again. "Y/n, you have to be honest with me. Did Matthew hurt you? Did he touch you?"

Don't," you whispered, "I-I'm going to go sleep with my mom." Then, realizing you were too afraid to walk around the castle at night, you furiously wiped at your eyes, "Can you p-please walk me there?"

Ten was buttoning his shirt before you finished your sentence. When you stood, he wrapped your woolen robe around your body, tying it at your waist to keep you modest. "Please don't block me out, Y/n," he said in the form of a whisper, "I can't help you if you don't talk to me."

You shook your head. It was too late, because you already had blocked him out.

You felt like blocking everything out.

Your mother was concerned, to say the least. Within the past year, you hadn't been aware just how much you and Ten did together. Even though you weren't really friends or lovers, duty called that the two of you stay together for most things: decisions, outings, sleeping, etc.

Now it seemed you had unconsciously lost your other half. After coming clean to your mother, who had successfully relayed the information to anyone she deemed important enough know it, the staff treated you differently. Now it was as if you were some sort of fragile flower who might break at any minute. It made you miss Ten, because he was never one to treat you so delicately.

One good thing came out of all of this, and that was the fact that Prince Matthew had been extracted from the castle immediately, and thrown into prison at Ten's old castle. His parents had promised constant security so that their daughter-in-law would never be harmed again.

Ten hadn't tried to talk to you. Perhaps he understood that you needed space. That, or now that the two of you didn't do everything together, he didn't have any reason to talk to you. Surprisingly, that thought made you feel even worse. It made you feel expendable and unloved.

It wasn't even his fault, you reviewed as you attacked a practice dummy with your sword. You were the one who pushed him away, who begged for space. If anything, he was only respecting your wishes.

Now you just felt empty and torn, half of you begging to go back to Ten and talk it out, but the other half begging you to keep doing the exact opposite and just stay the same. Ten always wanted to talk stuff out. If you had a problem with anything at all, he would advise you to talk about it and get your feelings out in the open. And usually, in the end, he could help you find an easy solution. Only now the problem you wanted to talk about was him, and you had no idea how to go about that.

You missed him. You missed him in a way you weren't sure how to convey. Every bone in your body ached for some kind of contact, to be hugged by him at the least. Something that could be spoken with actions rather than words.

For the first time in three weeks, you gave into your feelings and packed up your stuff. Quietly, you brought it back to you and Ten's room. It still looked the same, and you weren't sure why you thought he would change it. There was a sketchbook lying on the desk, and you glanced at it for a moment, contemplating whether or not you should look through it.

You decided against it, and set your bag down on the ground. You'd unpack tomorrow. Then it was back to the familiar grind of royal life beside Ten's side.

He was asleep already, curled up on your side of the bed. His familiar unbuttoned nightshirt was on his body, and his hair had gotten longer, so that now it curled just slightly under his ears.

He looked warm. He looked safe. While the two of you were on strange terms as far as a relationship went, he was still legally your husband. And he had always been someone you could lean on when it came to the kingdom, just as you were someone he could lean on when it came to royal decisions.

Why was it so hard for you to lean on him when you had personal problems?

Your mind not quite made up, other than with the thought that you missed his presence, you slipped off your robe and walked over to Ten's side of the bed. The mattress dipped as you pressed your knee into the cotton. Then you lay on your side, facing Ten.

You studied his darkened face. His narrowed eyebrows were unworried as he slept, and the way his nose sloped upwards at the end brought the beginning of a smile to your lips. His lips were thin and dark, but they were always quirked slightly into a smile, no matter how he felt. His eyelashes were too short to brush against his cheekbones, but they fascinated you all the same. His scent of soap and sandalwood filled your nose, and it was such a calming scent that you found yourself closing your eyes and breathing in deep, just to memorize this moment.

You wanted him to hold you. Just once. Just as a way to say that he wasn't angry, and that you two could go back to the way you always were. Just as a way to let you know that everything would be okay.

Gingerly taking hold of his wrist, you lifted it in the air while you scooted your body up next to his. Then you dropped his arm over your body.

His arm suddenly tightened as he pulled you closer to him, and your nose brushed against his bare chest. "Y/n," he breathed quietly and groggily. Perhaps he was still asleep, "Thank God."

You and Ten stayed on your own sides of the bed after that. Perhaps the wall had chipped again, but it definitely wasn't broken. It was just back to how it had been before the raid.

It was a month until you and Ten's first wedding anniversary. Your mother was disappointed in you and Ten for having not even kissed yet. She refused to listen when you promised that the two of you had a very healthy relationship. She had snapped back. ("Yeah, for two co-owners! Not for a husband and wife!")

Maybe it was because both you and Ten had stubborn personalities, and neither of you felt like giving your heart to the one you were forced to marry. Perhaps there was no tension between the two of you.

Only that was a lie, because there were many instances where the two of you had displayed obvious chemistry. Obvious touches and glances of wanting just a bit more.

He liked to play with your hair most nights, especially when he was tired. Usually that was fine and innocent, but sometimes he'd let the pads on his fingers trail down the nape of your neck before he'd reach back up to your scalp. His light touch could sometimes send a prickle of fire through your belly, and have you struggling to fall asleep.

(He wasn't having any better of a time, especially when you helped him get ready in the mornings. He was a scatterbrain, and mornings were worse, because he was also sleepy. The amount of times you had had to unbutton his shirt and redo it because he had unknowingly buttoned it up wrong was uncountable. And there was nothing worse for him that you coming out of the bathroom after your morning shower, droplets of water from your damp hair falling onto your bare collarbones. Why did all your dresses have to be off-the-shoulder?

Then he had to be still when your soft hand accidentally brushed against his bare torso. Or he had to stop himself from picturing you unbuttoning his shirt under other circumstances. Needless to stay, he learned quickly to start paying more attention in the mornings, so he could stay away from you.)

You couldn't count the amount of times you and Ten had stared at each other for too long across the table. Or the times he had accidentally brushed your waist. Was it just your imagination, or did his hand manage to get lower every time?

So yeah, there was definitely tension, but the two of you simply wrote it off as being lonely. Or being deprived. Not as the two of you actually finding the other attractive.

The first time you actually got your head out of the sand and thought of Ten as an actual potential lover was the night of your first anniversary.

There was a party for you, Ten, and all of your family and friends. It was yet another attempt to get the two of you closer to each other, and closer to those each other held dear. For instance, Ten was quite the diplomat, and had befriended many princes from other lands. All of them were coming, and Ten was running ramped to made sure everything was perfect for his friends.

"You sure do love them, don't you?" you asked him as he struggled to clip his red velvet cummerbund around his waist. "Here, let me help."

You clipped it at his back and he handed you his bow tie before you could protest. As you wrapped it around his neck and began to tie it, he answered, "Thanks. And, uh, yeah, they've been my friends since I was little. We all went to the same international school. Some of them I haven't seen since we all graduated and went our separate ways."

His tongue darted out from between his lips, wetting them nervously. "Now I'm married, and the prince of two kingdoms."

You finished up the bow and patted his chest gently. "Well, just don't go rubbing in how gorgeous your wife."

Ten smiled in reply to your teasing glance, "As long as you don't brag about how absolutely sexy your husband is when he's on the dance floor."

"It'll be hard," you agreed.

"You've never seen me dance before," Ten said, "Have you?"

"No. Are you dancing tonight?"

"Yes," Ten said proudly, "with my mates. We've all been practicing for months. Haven't you seen me practicing in the ballroom?"

"I never go into the ballroom, Ten, so why would I see you?"

Ten's eyes were wide with innocence, and a pink tint blossomed across his cheeks. "I don't know, I was just kind of hoping you would. I practice shirtless sometimes, you know."

"You sleep practically shirtless, Ten. It's no different," you concluded.

"So you've noticed," he said, eyes twinkling.

"You're an absolute dork," you told him.

These talks weren't uncommon for the two of you. In fact, they were probably your favorite part of every day. Especially when you were both so close, physically, and you could see the depths of his eyes, and how it seemed like trillions of shades of brown pooled into each other. His eyes found their way into your heart, a gentle gaze that pulled you in and kept you there. If he didn't move, you were sure he could keep you there for hours.

There were times before, throughout the year, when you had gotten lost in them at the most inconvenient times. They were precious memories, ones you would come back to. Ones his eyes brought forward.

(It was the first time Ten ever gotten sick, a good three months into the marriage. He had gotten up and gotten ready without complaint. You didn't even know he was sick until lunch, when he began sneezing uncontrollably. Then his eyes began watering, and that's when you noticed how flushed his cheeks were and how fatigued his actions seemed.

"Are you okay?" you asked, eyebrows furrowed in concernment.

"Yeah," Ten coughed, "Johnny and I are just going to go over the plan again, and then I'll go back to our room and sleep."

"Ten, you look like you're about to fall over if you stand up," you said.

Ten shook his head, "No, I'll be fine... I just... I need to finish working everything out."

"You can do it tomorrow," you reasoned. "We'll have the day off tonight."

So the two of you arrived back into your bedroom, and before Ten could protest, you had already started a warm bath. "I don't want to take a bath," he whined.

"Do it, it'll draw the fever out."

"I don't have a fever." What you hadn't known before was just how whiny Ten could get when he was sick. Maybe it was the fact that he was being taken care of. Whatever it was, it made his eyes go wide and his mouth form a small 'o' shape.

You gave him a pointed look, slightly distracted by his eyes. "Go take a bath. Then you can go to sleep."

Ten glared at you. "I could kiss you right now and you'd catch whatever I have."

"You wouldn't," you retorted, leaning in to defiantly stare him down.

"Don't get too close, darling," Ten whispered, this time more concerned than teasing. "I don't want to actually get you sick."

"How generous," you mumbled, distracted by his eyes. There was some way they made you feel, like the stars in the sky were aligning just to light your way. You wondered if anyone actually had gotten lost in them, stumbling over their words, mouth turning dry.

"Y/n..." Ten sounded amused, "Have you heard a word I've been saying?")

(There was another time, nearly six months into the marriage, right before the raid, when you had once again let yourself become a slave to his eyes. He was lying in bed, refusing to get up and get ready for the day. There was something so innocent about mornings with him, when all that clothed him were shorts and an unbuttoned nightshirt.

"I'll never understand why you sleep in that shirt," you marveled, leafing through your wardrobe for a dress to wear. You stared at your riding pants for a moment, deciding that you wanted to wear them instead. So, you simply pulled them on under your nightdress and went to go looking for a shirt.

"My chest gets hot but my arms get cold," Ten explained simply, leaning back against his pillows, the comforter bunched up around his waist. "Why? You wish I would sleep out of it so you can feel me up while I'm sleeping?"

You grabbed your brush and walked over to the bed, sitting down at the edge, just beside his knees. You pulled it through your newly cut hair and looked at him. "Don't be delusional," you stuck your tongue out on him.

Ten sat up then, his hands immediately going to your hair. He began weaving braids throughout your hair, ignoring you when you swatted him away. "Stop! You're getting my hair all tangled!"

"But I like the new haircut," he whispered giddily, "and your hair is so soft."

You turned and met his gaze, eyebrows furrowed, "I'm trying to get ready, unlike you, lazypants."

"Aw," Ten cooed, "We've already got cute nicknames for each other!"

His cute tone made you giggle. He emitted warmth, and it was something you only noticed when you were separate from him. It was like there was some kind of heater built into his skin, and anyone within three feet of him could feel it warming their insides like melted butter.

More warm than his skin were his eyes, emitting this happiness and joy that you only got to see every once and awhile. He could give out smiles to everyone, but it had taken awhile for him to give them out to you. But once he did, a day that was now blurred in your memory between the many days of his giggly persona and excitable gestures.

While you were distracted by him, and only him, he had managed to make a few more obscure twists into your hair. "Now you really do look as pretty as a princess."

You maneuvered your body until you were facing him. "Well now it's my turn."

Before he could stop you, you reached up to twist a few braids into his bangs. "Your hair is getting so long," you said.

Ten watched you, his eyes softening at your touch. "Is it?"

"Yeah..." you let yourself once again fall into the bottomless pit of his gaze. There was just something about his eyes that set you alight, gave you a strange feeling of joy in your chest. His eyes were intimate in ways that made your insides squirm; it was like there was a world of possibly just beyond, and you were the lucky one who got to witness it.)

(There was another time, just weeks ago, when the evening sun was drawing nearer to the earth and the two of you were lying in bed. It was too early to sleep, but neither of you seemed to care. It had rained nearly all day, succeeding in making everyone feel groggy and sleepy. Even Johnny asked to go home early.

So now you were both propped up against your pillows, doing separate activities. You had a new book to read, but it was hard to get immersed in the horrific world of evil dolls when Ten was only a foot away, doodling in his sketchbook. Curiosity filled your mind, wondering what on earth he drew about so often. "What are you drawing?" Your voice was casual; eyes still trained on your book.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Ten taunted.

"I would," you said, scooting closer to try and sneak a look.

Ten understood your intentions immediately and held the book out above his head so that you couldn't reach. But you could, really, if you tried hard enough. You braced one hand on his shoulder and pulled yourself up onto your knees, fingertips just grazing the book. "Why are you so protective over it?"

"Secrets," Ten grunted, struggling and straining to keep the book away from you. There was only so much he could do, as he was still sitting down.

"Secrets?" you sat back down on the mattress, mostly because you were too tired to wrestle for a sketchbook. "What kind of secrets?"

Ten leaned his face in close to yours, until your noses were almost touching and you could smell the mint on his breath. "Like I said before, wouldn't you like to know?"

But his eyes were what you focused on. You assumed this is what it felt like to be in space, and get sucked up by a black hole. You assumed there was an entire galaxy hidden in Ten's eyes. One that would take years to explore.

"One day?" you asked, innocently enough to have Ten chuckling.

He gently grabbed your chin and tilted your head down. This way, he had better access to kiss the top of your head. "One day.")

There was a time now, when Ten was asking what dress you would be wearing to the ball, but you couldn't think properly because there were soft crinkles of joy beside his eyes. Today they were the color of chocolate caramel and it was such a beautifully blended mix of brown and black that you nearly felt yourself failing and falling once again, into his trap.

He could be a succubus with eyes like that. Sometimes you thought he was, because there was always something about him that drew you in and kept you there, content and happy to stay.

"I do believe this is the seventeenth time you've gotten lost in my eyes," Ten's laughter roused you from your otherwise preoccupied state.

"Why did you keep count?"

"Because," Ten looked cocky for a moment, and you wondered if it was out of pride or simply because he liked teasing you. "you get this concentrated look on your face like you're trying to look through my eyes, as if they're see-through or something. But your brows get knitted together and you start pouting."

"I don't," you said, more out of shame than defense.

"You do," Ten replied, "but even though it's a little creepy, I'll put up with it because you're pretty adorable. Now go get dressed so we can head to the party."

If there was one thing you weren't used to, it was interacting with people your own age. Everyone in the castle and kingdom were younger or older than you, including Ten, although sometimes it seemed like the two of you were the same age. Now, at the ball, many of Ten's friends had come and brought their wives or fiancés. Others had brought lords and ladies from their court. Even your court's lords and ladies had joined in the festivities, all powdered up, fanning their necks.

You weren't used to it, but it wasn't all that unpleasant. Ten and his friends --- who were lovely, by the way --- got up and performed some kind of lyrical piece that you were not going to try and interpret. But it was beautiful and Ten looked absolutely magnificent dancing up there so confidently. You would be surprised if the crowd was focusing on any of the other princes, because while they were good, Ten was captivating. You could see it in his body's languid motion, and the way his eyes carried a more intense gaze to them than usual.

This was a side of Ten you hadn't seen before, a passionate side that carried a lot of heart and soul along with it. It was a side you wished you could see all the time.

There were ladies of the court behind you, whispering something to the ladies of Prince Yuta's court. You could hear snippets of their conversation, "Seriously, look at Prince Ten... I heard that he and the princess haven't even kissed yet."

"Are you joking?" the other lady laughed, "If I were married to him, I wouldn't wait at all. Imagine how deprived he must be. Do you think he gets some on the side?"

Scandalous gasps and whispers followed as the girls theorized and gossiped their way around the ballroom. You watched them, taking note in the way they eyed your husband up and down like a piece of meat. Like some kind of prey to be hunted.

You didn't know if it was jealousy blooming in your heart. It couldn't be, because there was nothing and no one to be jealous of. The real feeling was anger, and protectiveness over Ten. He was your husband, and whether or not the two of you were romantically involved was none of their business.  

You felt like a fool, trying to come up with reasons why Ten would stay with you, had you not been married for political purposes.

After coming up with nothing at all, you felt your heart rate speed up. Sometimes, when there was overwhelming pain inside of your heart, you could hear the thump thump thump in your eardrums. That was what it felt like now, and you suddenly felt hot under the candlelight. Your wool dress was heavy, but your anxiety made it ten times heavier. You wanted to leave and forget everything. You wanted to stop feeling all the feelings you had because they all meant one thing. They all meant that you were falling for Ten, or that maybe you already had weeks or months ago. It meant that now you were stuck in a relationship with someone who didn't love you back, and that made the pain feel even worse.

Before the room could get any stuffier, you fled to your own bedroom, tearing off your tiara and dress to opt for one of Ten's shirts. The thin fabric smelled of him, and it made you feel like he was right there, holding you and whispering that everything was going to be okay, even if it wasn't. Nothing felt okay at all.

No one would be looking for you, because both you and Ten had already had your little anniversary ceremony, promising once again to love each other forever. You thought of one of the ladies grabbing Ten's arms and pulling him away, whispering words to him that she could never say out loud. Not in the castle. She thought of Ten going for it, because hey, he didn't love his wife anyway.

Before you knew it, there were tears in your eyes, and a painful sting against the bridge of your nose. Crying always made your head hurt, and this time was no different as you curled up in Ten's desk chair, hoping to find a book to distract you. Instead, you found his sketchbook again, neatly closed with a single pencil lying on top.

Memories throughout the year flooded on, when Ten would be sketching with active attentiveness. You could remember teasing him on occasion, asking him if you could look through it. He would always protest, harshly, as if he had something to hide.

You stared at the sketchbook and wondered what he was hiding.

Forgetting about respecting each other's privacy, you snatched the sketchbook and opened it up, eyes glued to the first page. It was a simple drawing of a dog, one you could remember visiting at his castle. The next was a sketch of a girl, brushing her hair at a vanity. Her face couldn't be seen, only the back of her, but the vanity looked similar to yours. You looked down at the bottom corner of the page for a date, and found it to be only a few weeks after your marriage.

The next picture was one of a couple in bed. The boy, who had to be Ten since the eyes and smile were the same, was lying on his back, smiling up at the girl. She was sitting up, blanket falling off her shoulder as she seemed to be talking animatedly about something to him. Whatever it was, it was making him smile. In addition to a date, this sketch also had words at the bottom of the page: "Y/n explains the legend of King Arthur to me."

And you remembered that morning, when you both had an off day. You had just finished reading a book about the legend of King Arthur, so you took the opportunity to tell him all about it in vivid detail. You begged him to read it as well, but he had told you that it felt like he already had.

You flipped through until you found a page that was dated around the time of the raid, when you were refusing to talk to him. It was a sketch of him, kissing you gently on the forehead. The caption was simple: "I miss her."

Another one of the pages made you blush, mostly because it was a scenario that hadn't happened yet, but it was one you definitely thought about. Apparently he thought about it too, since he dedicated an entire sketch to it. The two of you were kissing in the sketch, and his hands were bunching up your shirt, so that a bit of your midriff was showing. His eyes were drawn screwed shut, but yours were drawn slightly open in surprise, as if he had spontaneously kissed you then and there. The caption made you blush a few shades darker: "She's going to be the death of me one day."

You didn't get to look through more, because the door creaked open. Out of panic, you tossed the sketchbook onto the desk and looked up, meeting Ten's concerned gaze. "There you are. What happened? Why did you leave the party so soon?"

Then his eyes trailed to the sketchbook, which had landed, unfortunately for you, open on the desk. "Oh. You looked through... oh."

"I'm sorry," you said quietly, "I just wanted to know what you drew about."

"How far did you get?" Ten pushed, his ears turning a soft shade of pink.

"Far enough," you whispered, "I like it. It's like a picture diary."

"I guess you could phrase it that way," Ten agreed, "I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable."

"No." You drew your feet up on the chair, until you could rest your arms on your knees. The sketchbook really wasn't what you wanted to talk to him about. "I just..."

"Have you been crying?" he ventured, moving towards you until he could see your face under the dim lamplight. "I'm really sorry I sketched you. I didn't mean to make you cry."

"It's not about the sketchbook," you said sharply, wiping at your moist eyes. "It's about me being insecure and angry."

Ten reached forward and tucked your hair behind your ears, as the tears were sticking strands to your cheeks. "Why? Because I'm a better dancer than you?"

Despite his poorly executed efforts, you still laughed, more at his dumbness than the actual joke. "Ten, am I a bad wife to you?"

"What? No, why would you think that?"

You fiddled with the hem of your shirt, "I just heard a few of the court ladies talking, is all."

"Oh," Ten's lips formed a straight line. "The ones from Yuta's court? He warned me about them, and their, uh, crudeness, if you will. They're gone now, they were some of the first to leave."

You looked up, and Ten was back to smiling, "All the princes who are staying overnight have tucked in, so you don't have to worry about the rest of the party members."

"Did I ruin it? The party?"

"I don't think so," Ten said. "It was dwindling down anyways, especially after the dance performance. I mean, when you watch something like that, it's pretty hard to top."

You shoved his shoulder lightly, "Be serious for once."

"Never," he stuck his tongue out at you before heading over to the wardrobe to grab his pajamas.

"Hey, did you take my shirt?"

There was something so strange about loving the person you're always with, and having no idea if they love you back. You wished you had the courage to tell him that you loved him, but the words got stuck on your tongue every time. The fear of him being so weirded out by your confession that he would file for a divorce was what kept you from doing it.

You knew that that was a bit extreme, but it didn't stop you from worrying. It definitely didn't stop you from playing through every possible outcome that would happen if you told him; if you confessed.

Now that you knew about it, it was often ritual for you and Ten to go to the ballroom together while he practiced. He liked having you there to critique him on what looked good and what he could work on. You were an honest critic, which was appreciated. There was no way you were going to tell him that you loved that job because it meant watching him closely, memorizing every small detail about him without room for ridicule.

"Your kick was weak," you said one day. It was mid-winter, a few weeks after the party. You had a mug of hot tea between your palms and a warm shawl around your neck, just to keep you warm. Ten was the exact opposite, wearing minimal clothing of shorts and a tank top. Sweat dropped in beads down his forehead, and every once in awhile he would collapse to the floor in exhaustion and talk to you for a few minutes before taking a sip of his water and starting all over again.

When you had asked him, he said he was practicing for nothing in particular, but simply because he wanted to dance. Sometimes he sang along to the songs, and it would make your heart stir with glee as his voice came out soft and low.

You sipped on your tea again, and when you put your mug down, Ten was walked over to you. He shut off his music and slid down the wall until he was shoulder to shoulder with you, and he could comfortably fit his head onto your shoulder. His sweat made your neck feel hot and sticky, but the way he would absentmindedly grab your hand and squeeze it had you not finding it in yourself to care.

"Maybe we could go to the village this weekend and head to the art shop?" he rasped, still out of breath from his workout. "I need more pencils."

"Wore all of yours out while drawing my beautiful face, did you?" you teased him, liking how you could feel the vibrations of his laugh against your shoulder.

"That's exactly it," he said, a smile evident in his voice. "That, or I might have broken my last pencil by accidentally sitting on it. Your reason makes me feel less like an idiot, so we'll go with that one."

Then they came out, the words you never meant to say. It was like his words had broken some sort of dam inside of you, and the waters surged forward in a burst of laughter and admiration, "Wow, I love you."

You stilled. Ten stilled. There was an aching silence, where you could hear a few staff members chatting outside of the door. You could hear birds whistling in the trees outside. You could hear your heartbeat drop to a sickening low, knowing that you had affectively ruined everything, just because your couldn't keep your mouth shut.

"I-I'm so sorry," you rushed out, trying your hardest to stand up. But Ten's head was still on your shoulder and his hand was still holding yours.

"Why?" he urged, voice painfully quiet in the large room. "Do you not mean it?"

"I do, but..." Ten lifted his head and stared at you, waiting for you to finish your sentence. But you got lost in his eyes again, and you felt even more hopeless now. "I do. I really love you, Ten."

His gaze lowered down to your lips, and you subconsciously urged yourself to do it, to just lean forward and kiss him.

But this was his choice. He hadn't replied yet, and you didn't plan on making this worse.

When he did reply, it sounded desperate and secure at the same time, "You don't know how long I've waited to hear those words."

You had never kissed Ten before, but in your mind you never imagined it like this. Ten had somewhat of a passionate side to kissing apparently, because it felt like you could feel every emotion he had through a simple touch. And his hands were threading through your hair, leaving a feeling of pleasure that shot all the way down to your toes.

His lips were soft and warm, and he pressed his entire body against yours like he needed support to stay upright. The position was awkward, because the two of you were still sitting somewhat side by side. Ten fixed this soon enough. His fingers trailed down your side, until they hooked under your thighs, pulling you on top of him.

It was a much more comfortable position, both of you thought pleasantly. Your hands pushed against his chest as his teeth gently grazed your bottom lip. His kisses were somewhat rough and sloppy, but that was mostly because his lips couldn't stay still. Neither could his hands, and it felt like he wished to touch all of you at once, if he could.

He squeezed your hips, and you felt the warmth of his tongue against your lips. A gasp escaped you, from either or both sensations, you didn't know. All you knew right now was that you were kissing Ten. Ten was kissing you. It was as if all the waiting had paid off because now you knew that he loved you back, and everything was going to be okay. It was finally going to be okay.

The wall was finally broken, torn down by the both of you. Now it lay in ruins at your feet, ready to be built up again. This time, together, out of love.

Heavy footsteps arrived outside of the door, and Ten mumbled a quick, "Uh oh," against your lips. You laughed and moved away from him, only to rest your forehead against his.

His hair was messy, lips dark and parted, and there was a streak of red across his nose and cheeks. His eyes, oh how you loved his eyes, were glossy. There was a small hint of pride upon his lips. "I don't know how I went a year without that. Without you."

You kissed him quickly, just because the feeling of him being so close gave you an adrenaline rush. He smelt like cinnamon today, and his skin of his neck was soft to the touch. "I was afraid I ruined everything. I thought you wouldn't want to be near me."

"Please," Ten muttered, watching you as you crawled off of his lap and grabbed your mug. He grabbed his stuff as well and stood up, slipping his hand in yours and pressing a quick kiss to your forehead. "I can't believe you saw all my sketches and didn't deduct that I was in love with you. How dumb are you?"

"Hey!" you protested, only to be cut off by Ten wrapping his arms around you.

"Don't worry, darling, I still love you," he cooed at you. It was horribly annoying, but his words made you smile, and your heart race just a little bit faster.

#ten scenarios #ten scenario #ten imagine #ten imagines #ten fluff #ten angst #nct scenarios #nct scenario #nct imagine #nct imagines #nct fluff #nct angst #destwrites

[techcrunchappcom]

New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/filling-the-gap-nebraska-dev-lab-provides-comprehensive-pipeline-program-to-meet-demand-for-tech-talent/

Filling the gap: Nebraska Dev Lab provides comprehensive pipeline program to meet demand for tech talent

Lincoln-based software development company Don’t Panic Labs and Doane University have teamed up to turn non-tech employees at sponsor organizations into fully fledged software engineers.

The comprehensive initiative, called the Nebraska Dev Lab Pipeline Program, aims to strengthen Nebraska’s tech workforce and grow a larger, more diverse talent pool for employers to choose from when hiring. Approaching its second year, the program is now accepting applications for sponsor companies and participants to take part in its next cohort set to begin January 2021.

“We want to create people that we’d want to hire ourselves,” said Chad Michel, senior software architect at Don’t Panic Labs. “And there’s also the notion of trying to help people who are underemployed. They may be in an OKjob at some company, but they could be in a position that quite possibly does make quite a bit more money for them and their family with some sort of job change. And we really want to try to provide this opportunity for people that maybe wouldn’t have had this opportunity before, and especially to get women and minorities into the field more.”

Here’s how it works. Sponsor companies cover program tuition for sponsored participants, assist with living expenses over the nine-month immersion program, and commit to placing the newly trained employees in developer positions upon graduation. 

Taught by a mix of Doane University faculty and Don’t Panic Labs software architects, Nebraska Dev Lab participants develop general programming knowledge as well as the specific coding language skills they will need in their post-graduation workplaces, spending an eight-hour workday learning and practicing the fundamentals of computer programming. Weekly seminars, ongoing mentorship, a capstone project, a professional development plan and an apprenticeship round out the pipeline.

“We’re trying to set them up so when they are full-time employees at the host organization, they come in and are able to be very successful for that host organization almost immediately,” said Michel.

The pilot cohort began in January, with six students representing ALLO Communications, Nelnet, NRC Health, Doane University and Don’t Panic Labs. When the pandemic hit, participants barely missed a beat as the program went entirely virtual, Michel said.

The program is divided into four stages, progressing from learning the absolute basics of computer science in a Doane University classroom, to real-world learning under the guidance of Don’t Panic Labs software architects, to a group-wide collaboration on a capstone project, to working an apprenticeship at the company whose IT departments they will join after graduation. 

Students in the initial cohort, now in the third stage of the program, are working on their capstone project for a local nonprofit community partner. Using .NET for the back end and Ionic for the front end, they are currently building a mobile app for the Nebraska State Suicide Prevention Coalition focused on preventing suicide among teenagers and young adults. When completed, the app will give its users a way to diary their thoughts in the context of daily interactions with schools and other activities, while also providing a list of mental health resources. 

The app, which received additional funding from Omaha’s Kim Foundation, comes at a critical time in history as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports a COVID-related uptick in mental illness, substance use and suicidal ideation. 

Michel stressed the importance of developing technology to benefit the greater community, but that he also personally enjoyed witnessing the enormous progress students made since the program began.

“They started with very, very little coding knowledge,” he said. “(Alec Engebretson, professor of information science and tech at Doane University) had to teach them things like how to store things in variables, the basics of comparative programming. And taking them from that to building functional applications.”

The brainchild of Doane professor Alec Engebretson and Don’t Panic Labs CEO and co-founder Doug Durham, Nebraska Dev Lab hopes to grow the number of women and minorities working as coders, Michel said, referencing research demonstrating increased workforce diversity may increase innovation.

“Addressing the tech talent shortage in Nebraska is something we’ve been working on for over five years,” Durham said. “The challenge our region is facing is not unique. But our state is positioned to simultaneously grow the number of qualified developers while also increasing diversity in our industry.” 

Local corporations attest to the need for tech education pipeline programs like Nebraska Dev Lab.

“It’s no secret that businesses everywhere — not just in Nebraska — are struggling to hire qualified software developers,” said Jeff Noordhoek, CEO of Nelnet. “Addressing this problem will require us to think differently, and that’s what we see in Nebraska Dev Lab’s approach. We’re proud to be sending three of our current employees through the program, and we look forward to watching them grow through this opportunity.” 

Though Nebraska Dev Lab participant Rafael Simosa admitted he still had a lot to learn about programming, he said he has gained a ton of knowledge so far.

“We have an amazing study plan and plenty of time to develop our skills, and the program gives us a really good foundation to further develop our careers,” Simosa said.

Although powerfully transformative for the students and sponsoring organizations involved in the program, Michel said Don’t Panic Labs realizes that a single pipeline program cannot fill the tech talent gap. Additional partnerships in other cities are necessary to complement the efforts of Nebraska Dev Lab and yield the requisite collective impact sought by community leaders.

That’s exactly what is happening. In addition to the Lincoln-based Nebraska Dev Lab, there is a similar full-time tech pipeline program for career changers in Omaha. Callers to Coders, a partnership initiative of Physicians Mutual and AIM Code School, transforms employees in Physicians Mutual’s call center into programmers in the company’s IT department.

“It’s very encouraging to see what Don’t Panic Labs, Doane University, Physicians Mutual, AIM Code School and Nebraska Tech Collaborative are all doing to build the tech talent pipeline in the Midwest,” said Itzel Lopez, AIM institute’s vice president of advancement and community operations. “The need for tech talent has made it historically difficult for businesses to invest and reinvest here. Companies that need technology to operate their business should become part of the solution and sponsor high-potential employees for one of these innovative tech talent workforce development programs.”

Simosa, from the viewpoint of someone whose life has been changed by such a program, agreed that more tech pipeline initiatives are needed in Nebraska.

“Programs like these help communities improve by providing tools that weren’t available before,” he said. “(Nebraska Dev Lab) in particular allows you to focus 100% on learning, because you don’t have to worry about working to pay the bills. We are getting paid to learn by industry professionals that have a lot of experience and a lot to offer.”

#comprehensive #demand #filling #nebraska #pipeline #program #provides #Technology

[akaluan]

Bleach AU where dragons exist

“It’s only a small dragon. Practically not even a problem.” -- Prompt from @oopsprompts

\\\

Uryuu sighed at the sight of yet /another/ dragon flying overhead and making its way towards the outskirts of town. Reluctantly he packed up his sewing kit and slung his bag over his shoulder; looked like his break for the day was over with, hours before he had wanted to head back.

But dragons waited for no one, even if that one had looked suspiciously small. Probably newly fledged from the nest, and too dumb to realize that there /had/ to be a reason this prime territory was unclaimed.

It was a gorgeous blue color, deep and rich like the best ultramarine, and Uryuu wondered if he could manage to claim a few scales before they drove it off. He had a few projects that scales of that color would go /wonderfully/ with, even if the scales of young dragons were thinner than that of adults.

By the time he reached the other side of town — rather, by the time he reached /Kurosaki’s house/ because that’s where it had /gone/ because that’s where /all dragons went/ — it had already landed and was poking its nose at the door to Kurosaki’s house. Kurosaki was scowling at it from the street, arms crossed over his chest and a grumpy cast to his features.

That wasn’t unusual.

What /was/ unusual was the trembling girl standing in front of Kurosaki, katana drawn and stance as firm as she could manage.

“Kurosaki,” Uryuu muttered, as he stalked up next to his classmate, eying the short girl with suspicion. “Who the hell is this?”

“She’s a Shinigami,” Kurosaki responded with a shrug. “One of those damned undead dragons showed up last night, and she got in the way.”

“I saved your life!” the girl exclaimed angrily, all bristled like an offended feline.

Uryuu gave her a skeptical look, then turned back to Kurosaki. While he didn’t think she was lying about what she believed to have happened — after all, Inoue was perfectly capable of taking care of herself in the face of a dragon or three — the idea that Kurosaki had needed /saving/ was practically ludicrous.

“She gave me her powers,” Kurosaki explained further without prompting. “Because she screwed with my timing and got both of us hurt.”

Uryuu sighed through his nose and shook his head. Of course something as ridiculous as that would happen to Kurosaki. The idiot just /attracted/ trouble, and Uryuu had stopped being surprised back a few years ago when the idiot had decided to out-stubborn an Ancient just because he didn’t like what it was offering.

“Oh, speaking of which. My sisters gathered up the scales that it dropped for you, and Yuzu’s been washing them. She said they look like oil when they’re cleaned up, and they seem pretty tough.” Kurosaki eyed the young dragon, as it tried to shove its nose through one of the windows, but didn’t otherwise react to it moving about in front of them. His house had been warded by their best efforts, after all, and this dragon was only a few months out of the nest.

“Thank you,” Uryuu replied.

“Are you two just going to /stand there and chat/?!” the girl yelped, staring over her shoulder at them with wide, frightened eyes. “That’s a /dragon/! A /live dragon/!”

“So?” Uryuu asked in unison with Kurosaki, not quite understanding what her issue was.

“Yeah, I dealt with that undead one last night,” Kurosaki continued with a shrug. “They’re always the annoying ones, anyway.”

She made a strangled sound of frustration, then took one hand from her katana and pointed at the blue dragon that was currently reared up on its hind legs and scrabbling at the roof. “/DRAGON/! I’m a Shinigami! I deal with SOULS and HOLLOWS and DEAD DRAGONS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DEALT WITH BY CAPTAINS!”

“Huh, is that why you had so much trouble?” Kurosaki asked absently, as he finally grew bored of watching the dragon try to dismantle his house. He raised a hand to his mouth and gave a sharp, piercing whistle.

The girl made a terrified whine as the muzzle of the beast swung around to face them and the dragon’s sky blue eyes lit up with fascination at the sight of the three of them.

“It’s only a small dragon,” Uryuu told the girl with asperity, as he called forth his bow and sighted down the shaft. He needed to be careful about his aim, if he wanted to just drive it off instead of killing it, but Kurosaki had driven home his opinion: no killing the dragons unless they refused to take no for an answer. “Practically not even a problem.”

“Yeah, we deal with bigger threats than this all the time,” Kurosaki added, calling up his own weapon. The glimmering golden staff settled across his shoulders, and the teen nudged the girl out of the way as he strode forward to meet the dragon.

“BIGGER THREATS?!”

Uryuu rolled his eyes and loosed his arrow, landing it with precision right between the dragon’s toes on it’s right front paw. “Your new follower is rather high strung.”

“Oh shut up,” Kurosaki growled back, as he thumped the dragon across the snout with his staff. “She’ll adapt.”

Behind them, the girl whimpered.

#bleach #kurosaki ichigo #ishida uryuu #kuchiki rukia #bleach au #dragons exist #and are attracted to Karakura because reasons #look I don't know #i'm tipsy #tipsy writing #ichigo and uryuu are friends here #battle friends #orihime can deal with dragons too #she probably collects them #chad does too #rukia has no idea wtf to do with this knowledge #look Ichigo has a staff because no killing #he started beating dragons up at like... eleven #but he can make it a naginata if he wants to #he's more of a quincy here #i have no idea where this would go #or where it came from #whatever #my writing #unedited

[wildonlineblog]

BLACKBIRD  

Turdus merula

Words and pictures by Peter Hanscomb

The Blackbird , Turdus merula is a member of the thrush family and can be found throughout Britain and mainland Europe. Easily recognisably , the male with it’s glossy black plumage , bright yellow eye and yellow-orange bill is a firm garden favourite and can also be found in it’s natural habitat , woodlands. The bird can be resident all year round or migratory , depending on food supply. The female and young have a dark brown plumage and builds their nests in woodlands and suburban gardens.

The Blackbird has a wingspan of around 38cm , with a body length of between 20-25cm and average weight of around 100g. The young male resembles the adult male, but has a dark bill and weaker eye ring, and its folded wing is brown, rather than black like the body plumage . Life expectancy of the Blackbird is about 2.5 years , however individual ringed birds have been recorded surviving more than 20 years.

Blackbirds are omnivorous, feeding on earthworms and grubs , insects , fruit , berries and seeds. Mainly a ground feeding bird , it can be seen rummaging through bark and undergrowth looking for insects , earth worms and invertebrates. In trees it actively hunts caterpillars and insects . Occasionally it will hunt small lizards and amphibians.

Both sexes are territorial during the breeding season and will defend their nesting site from other pairs of blackbirds. Pairs stay in their territory throughout the year where the climate is sufficiently temperate and food is plentiful . The bird prefers to nest in deciduous woodland but has also adapted to urban gardens and hedgerows. The male common blackbird defends its breeding territory, chasing away other males with a running and bowing display. Fights are not uncommon between males however in early spring the female can also become aggressive when competing with other females for the best nest sites.

The male Blackbird will try to attract the female with a courtship display of runs combined with head-bowing movements together with an open beak. The female will often remains still and motionless until she raises her head and tail to permit copulation. The blackbird monogamous, and the established pair will usually stay together for life. Breeding starts in March, The breeding pair will look for a suitable nest site, favouring thorny bush species such as hawthorn, ivy and holly. The cup-shaped nest is made with grasses, leaves and other vegetation, bound together with mud. It is usually built by only the female. Laying between three to six greenish eggs with reddish-brown blotches. The female incubates for 14-16 days before the chicks are hatched naked and blind. It takes another 10–19 days, with both parents feeding the young before the chicks are ready to leave the nest. The young are fed by the parents for up to another three weeks after leaving the nest. Second broods are common, with the female reusing the same nest.

The main predator of the common blackbird are foxes and birds of prey such as the sparrow hawk. In urban areas as with most other birds the main threat to life is the domestic cat, with newly fledged young especially susceptible to attack.

The colour of the male blackbirds beak is a very good indication of the birds health. The birds own immune system is able to release a pigment in a healthy bird turning it’s yellow Bill an shade of golden orange.

BLACKBIRD BLACKBIRD Turdus merula Words and pictures by Peter Hanscomb The Blackbird , Turdus merula is a member of the thrush family and can be found throughout Britain and mainland Europe.

#4 and twenty #blackbird #blackbirds #brandon the blackbird #british garden birds #MEET THE MODEL

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Fintech friends: Monzo partners with TransferWise for international payments

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Fintech friends: Monzo partners with TransferWise for international payments

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“So what’s going on here then?” I ask. “Two good friends just got even better [friends],” replies TransferWise co-founder Kristo Käärmann laughing, while Monzo co-founder Tom Blomfield, who is also on the video call, smiles approvingly. “Sorry for spoiling your news,” I tell the pair, who I’m interviewing ahead of an announcement today that the two companies are working together.

The partnership, which TechCrunch outed nearly three weeks ago, will see TransferWise power international payments for the U.K. challenger bank’s 750,000 customers. It is the second new bank partnership that the fintech unicorn has unveiled this month, after announcing that it has begun working with France’s second largest bank BPCE Groupe.

TransferWise also powers international money transfer for Germany’s N26, and Estonia’s LHV. However, a previously announced partnership with the U.K.’s Starling Bank never materialised and has since been disbanded.

Asked why Monzo has chosen to work with TransferWise, Blomfield reiterates the challenger bank’s goal of becoming a “hub or control centre” for your money. This won’t necessarily all be done by Monzo, he says, “but with partner organisations who plug into this hub”. TransferWise is the first of these.

International payments has also been one of the most requested features by Monzo users since the challenger bank posted a roadmap of things it intends to “fix” over the next three months now that the switch from a pre-paid card to a full current account has been completed.

“I’ve personally been a TransferWise customer for five or six years and the service is amazing,” says Blomfield. “Compared to my old bank, it’s really, really transparent, the fees are really fair, and they’re continually working on bringing fees down and to make transfers more instantaneous. So I can’t think of a better a partner to do foreign transfers with than TransferWise”.

I ask Käärmann how different the conversation is with a challenger bank like Monzo — which arguably has nothing to lose by partnering with TransferWise and will generate affiliate revenue on each transfer — compared with larger incumbent banks who have historically generated fat margins on foreign exchange fees. He says it is similar, and usually centres on the fact that customers are already using TransferWise and that if a bank wants to put those customers first it makes sense to offer TransferWise functionality within its own app.

“When we announced the large French bank, which is clearly an incumbent — a massive incumbent — they were thinking about their customer,” he says. “That maybe does feel a little bit rare for banks to think this way, but they figured that ‘if we are going to do this, then why don’t we do it properly’. They were actually fully driven by their users and thinking about how to get the best user experience”.

The TransferWise functionality will start rolling out to Monzo users as of today and will let them send money from their current accounts to 18 of the most popular currencies, with “more being added in the near future”. The user experience will be near-identical to TransferWise’s own app, and will see transfers happen at claimed ‘mid-market’ rates in addition to TransferWise’s low and transparent fee. This means you’re told upfront exactly how much you’ll pay in fees and the amount you’ll receive in the exchanged currency.

The integration is pretty deep, too. Monzo customers who don’t have an existing TransferWise account will have an account automatically created for them when they first initiate an international money transfer. If they already have a TransferWise account, they can use their existing details to authenticate with and link their account to Monzo. This means that any international money transfers made from within Monzo will also show up in your TransferWise account and the TransferWise app.

“One of the coolest things for us, other than just working with cool people, is there’s another bank in the U.K. who is transparent with their international fees,” says Käärmann. “We’re kind of getting to the place where once there is enough banks who are as transparent in their foreign fees as Monzo is then it becomes quite untenable for everyone else to keep hiding their fees and that’s very interesting. Not just for us as companies, but more generally in terms of how banking works”.

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One notable dynamic to TransferWise adding another bank partner is that the fintech giant recently launched a banking product of its own. Positioned as a companion to your existing bank account, the TransferWise “Borderless” account and debit card lets you deposit, send and spend money in multiple currencies. Acting like a local country bank account, it is primarily designed to solve the specific problem of earning, receiving and spending money abroad and TransferWise says it is not intended to be a fully fledged bank replacement — at least not yet.

“We’re pretty chilled about it,” says Blomfield when I ask him if TransferWise’s tentative entry into the bank account space was in any way a concern. “Honestly, we are not competing with TransferWise. Both of us are looking at the big high street banks, as either partners or competitors. Our customers come from Barclays, Lloyds, HSBC and RBS. I think anything that increases both of our brand awareness is a really positive thing. We have 750,000 customers, which is something like 2 percent of the adult population, we’re targeting the other 98 percent who are still using the big banks. I just think there is so much headroom in this space that it would be crazy to think that we are competing with each other”.

“If we take a step back, what is the problem we are solving?” says Käärmann rhetorically. “The problem we are solving is that moving money across borders is expensive”. He then reiterates a point that TransferWise co-founder and Chairman Taavet Hinrikus has made often, which is that the company is entirely agnostic on how customers access the service. The more money moving via its infrastructure, the better, with economies of scale also meaning it has been able to lower fees on an increasing number of routes.

“For us, it doesn’t really matter if the money is in a bank account that is connected directly to TransferWise or if it is in the Borderless account,” he says. “There’s really no difference, and I know the user experience is better today if you’re banking in the U.K. with Monzo, so that’s what users should do”.

At this point I can’t resist mentioning Revolut, the digital bank startup and newly crowned unicorn that, on paper at least, competes with both TransferWise and Monzo. Revolut’s original “attack vector” (to borrow Blomfield’s phrase) was cheap foreign currency exchange coupled with a debit card for traveling. And although not yet a licensed bank, it has rolled out bank account features at a shockingly fast pace, putting it on feature parity with Monzo in a number of instances.

Rightly or wrongly, I put it to Käärmann that there is a market perception that Revolut is often the cheapest option when spending or sending money abroad, even if questions remain about how it determines prices, especially at weekends, or if the startup actually makes money on foreign exchange at all.

“When you talk about other people getting into that space, we should be happy if someone figures out how to do parts of it, some routes, better than us or faster than us or cheaper than us,” he says, somewhat diplomatically.

“I wish these things were sustainable as well. We’re super anti-subsidising, just because we think that over the long-term it doesn’t make sense to get some users paying for other users’ transfers or for some routes to pay for other routes. Progress is going to be faster if it’s clean. But, at the end of the day, if there’s a better solution, we actually endeavour to recommend that better solution. It would be nice if that better solution was also transparent and we can confidently say that they’re not just better in the next 5 minutes but that they are going to be better for the next 5 hours when you can put in your transfer. It’s only fair to the consumers — they’re not stupid — that they should go wherever is cheapest, if they need that, or somewhere that is more convenient”.

Cue Monzo’s Blomfield to caution me not to get too caught up in the London fintech echo chamber. “Most people in the U.K. have never heard of Monzo or Revolut or TransferWise,” he says, “and so our mission over the next five years is to take market share off all of the big banks, who I think are gouging their customers on things like foreign exchange. There’s so much open space in front of us because big banks just aren’t able to keep up”.

[endenogatai]

Fintech friends: Monzo partners with TransferWise for international payments

“So what’s going on here then?” I ask. “Two good friends just got even better [friends],” replies TransferWise co-founder Kristo Käärmann laughing, while Monzo co-founder Tom Blomfield, who is also on the video call, smiles approvingly. “Sorry for spoiling your news,” I tell the pair, who I’m interviewing ahead of an announcement today that the two companies are working together.

The partnership, which TechCrunch outed nearly three weeks ago, will see TransferWise power international payments for the U.K. challenger bank’s 750,000 customers. It is the second new bank partnership that the fintech unicorn has unveiled this month, after announcing that it has begun working with France’s second largest bank BPCE Groupe.

TransferWise also powers international money transfer for Germany’s N26, and Estonia’s LHV. However, a previously announced partnership with the U.K.’s Starling Bank never materialised and has since been disbanded.

Asked why Monzo has chosen to work with TransferWise, Blomfield reiterates the challenger bank’s goal of becoming a “hub or control centre” for your money. This won’t necessarily all be done by Monzo, he says, “but with partner organisations who plug into this hub”. TransferWise is the first of these.

International payments has also been one of the most requested features by Monzo users since the challenger bank posted a roadmap of things it intends to “fix” over the next three months now that the switch from a pre-paid card to a full current account has been completed.

“I’ve personally been a TransferWise customer for five or six years and the service is amazing,” says Blomfield. “Compared to my old bank, it’s really, really transparent, the fees are really fair, and they’re continually working on bringing fees down and to make transfers more instantaneous. So I can’t think of a better a partner to do foreign transfers with than TransferWise”.

I ask Käärmann how different the conversation is with a challenger bank like Monzo — which arguably has nothing to lose by partnering with TransferWise and will generate affiliate revenue on each transfer — compared with larger incumbent banks who have historically generated fat margins on foreign exchange fees. He says it is similar, and usually centres on the fact that customers are already using TransferWise and that if a bank wants to put those customers first it makes sense to offer TransferWise functionality within its own app.

“When we announced the large French bank, which is clearly an incumbent — a massive incumbent �� they were thinking about their customer,” he says. “That maybe does feel a little bit rare for banks to think this way, but they figured that ‘if we are going to do this, then why don’t we do it properly’. They were actually fully driven by their users and thinking about how to get the best user experience”.

The TransferWise functionality will start rolling out to Monzo users as of today and will let them send money from their current accounts to 18 of the most popular currencies, with “more being added in the near future”. The user experience will be near-identical to TransferWise’s own app, and will see transfers happen at claimed ‘mid-market’ rates in addition to TransferWise’s low and transparent fee. This means you’re told upfront exactly how much you’ll pay in fees and the amount you’ll receive in the exchanged currency.

The integration is pretty deep, too. Monzo customers who don’t have an existing TransferWise account will have an account automatically created for them when they first initiate an international money transfer. If they already have a TransferWise account, they can use their existing details to authenticate with and link their account to Monzo. This means that any international money transfers made from within Monzo will also show up in your TransferWise account and the TransferWise app.

“One of the coolest things for us, other than just working with cool people, is there’s another bank in the U.K. who is transparent with their international fees,” says Käärmann. “We’re kind of getting to the place where once there is enough banks who are as transparent in their foreign fees as Monzo is then it becomes quite untenable for everyone else to keep hiding their fees and that’s very interesting. Not just for us as companies, but more generally in terms of how banking works”.

One notable dynamic to TransferWise adding another bank partner is that the fintech giant recently launched a banking product of its own. Positioned as a companion to your existing bank account, the TransferWise “Borderless” account and debit card lets you deposit, send and spend money in multiple currencies. Acting like a local country bank account, it is primarily designed to solve the specific problem of earning, receiving and spending money abroad and TransferWise says it is not intended to be a fully fledged bank replacement — at least not yet.

“We’re pretty chilled about it,” says Blomfield when I ask him if TransferWise’s tentative entry into the bank account space was in any way a concern. “Honestly, we are not competing with TransferWise. Both of us are looking at the big high street banks, as either partners or competitors. Our customers come from Barclays, Lloyds, HSBC and RBS. I think anything that increases both of our brand awareness is a really positive thing. We have 750,000 customers, which is something like 2 percent of the adult population, we’re targeting the other 98 percent who are still using the big banks. I just think there is so much headroom in this space that it would be crazy to think that we are competing with each other”.

“If we take a step back, what is the problem we are solving?” says Käärmann rhetorically. “The problem we are solving is that moving money across borders is expensive”. He then reiterates a point that TransferWise co-founder and Chairman Taavet Hinrikus has made often, which is that the company is entirely agnostic on how customers access the service. The more money moving via its infrastructure, the better, with economies of scale also meaning it has been able to lower fees on an increasing number of routes.

“For us, it doesn’t really matter if the money is in a bank account that is connected directly to TransferWise or if it is in the Borderless account,” he says. “There’s really no difference, and I know the user experience is better today if you’re banking in the U.K. with Monzo, so that’s what users should do”.

At this point I can’t resist mentioning Revolut, the digital bank startup and newly crowned unicorn that, on paper at least, competes with both TransferWise and Monzo. Revolut’s original “attack vector” (to borrow Blomfield’s phrase) was cheap foreign currency exchange coupled with a debit card for traveling. And although not yet a licensed bank, it has rolled out bank account features at a shockingly fast pace, putting it on feature parity with Monzo in a number of instances.

Rightly or wrongly, I put it to Käärmann that there is a market perception that Revolut is often the cheapest option when spending or sending money abroad, even if questions remain about how it determines prices, especially at weekends, or if the startup actually makes money on foreign exchange at all.

“When you talk about other people getting into that space, we should be happy if someone figures out how to do parts of it, some routes, better than us or faster than us or cheaper than us,” he says, somewhat diplomatically.

“I wish these things were sustainable as well. We’re super anti-subsidising, just because we think that over the long-term it doesn’t make sense to get some users paying for other users’ transfers or for some routes to pay for other routes. Progress is going to be faster if it’s clean. But, at the end of the day, if there’s a better solution, we actually endeavour to recommend that better solution. It would be nice if that better solution was also transparent and we can confidently say that they’re not just better in the next 5 minutes but that they are going to be better for the next 5 hours when you can put in your transfer. It’s only fair to the consumers — they’re not stupid — that they should go wherever is cheapest, if they need that, or somewhere that is more convenient”.

Cue Monzo’s Blomfield to caution me not to get too caught up in the London fintech echo chamber. “Most people in the U.K. have never heard of Monzo or Revolut or TransferWise,” he says, “and so our mission over the next five years is to take market share off all of the big banks, who I think are gouging their customers on things like foreign exchange. There’s so much open space in front of us because big banks just aren’t able to keep up”.

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