if i see ANYONE pronouncing my url in any way that sounds near "crayon" or something like "kuh-ree-vo" i WILL shoot you in the head

CR2038-NS4027cr_MartinsCreekPA_0699-v by Mark Wurst Via Flickr: A former Monongahela RR "Super-7" is still holding on to its Conrail number, but not for much longer - the B23-7 behind it has already been re-numbered into the Norfolk Southern roster. Both units are tied down adjacent to the old Alpha Cement plant in Martins Creek, PA in June 1999.

rrgghhhtfhehggghgh i hate my hands i hate my reaction time i hate it so bad i cant fucking play songs over 150 bpm cuz my brain cant fucking register it im gonna rip the strings off my guitar with my teeth

William Shakespeare // pinterest // Feel Good (2020-2021) cr. Joe Hampson & Mae Martin // Natalie Diaz These Hands, If Not Gods // Sandra Cisneros Woman at Hollering Creek: Stories; "Never Marry a Mexican" // Holland NUMBER BOY // Richard Siken Crush // 스물다섯 스물하나 Twenty-Five Twenty-One (2022) dir. Jung Ji-hyun // Sappho // Dodie She // Maureen Seaton Furious Cooking; "Swan Lake" // unknown // Frank Ocean Forrest Gump // แปลรักฉันด้วยใจเธอ I Told Sunset About You / I Promised You the Moon (2020-2022) dir. Naruebet Kuno & Tossaphon Riantong // Danez Smith Recklessly (via @tendermimi)

To be honest, that moment in the movie killed me. I want to throw my au with the Creek and: Bra: Guys, we can't forget about Floyd. JD: Look, Branch is right. We're here for Floyd. Let's just get this and we can go our separate ways. Cl: Fine! Bra: Wait… What? JD: What? Mission's the mission.[chuckles] Cr: Wait… Are you serious now? JD: You didn't think we'd all live together, when this was all over did you? Bra: Oh, I'm sorry!..Is that funny to you? Cr: Branch, please, calm down… Bra: That I might want us to actually be a family again? Bru: Don't be a baby, Branch. (Branch wants to answer, but Creek answered first) Cr: Or what?! * I'm fed up with this. If the Branch closes again because of them, I won't be able to bring it back…* You were the first to behave childishly, leaving him alone. Cl: N-no… We left him with Grandma. Bra: Em… Floyd left me with Grandma, not you… Cr: Speaking of her, you didn't even ask the Branch how your grandma was doing. After your grandmother's death, Branch lived completely alone, deep underground, not wanting to see sunlight. Why did his boyfriend have to pull him out of depression, and not his family? Aren't you ashamed? (Everyone is in shock) JD: We… We didn't know. Branch it is true?.. (Branch looks away, clutching its childish drawing. Creek takes her boyfriend's hand). Cr: Are you blind? His color has returned, but there are still gray shades. (Silence) Cr: [Sighs] *Сalm down, Creek* If you think you're better than me or Branch… Believe me, no… You are real bastards… [Drooping gaze] Bra: What a fool… [sad laugh] (Squeezed his hand tighter)

i have other things to do but here we gooooo owl house fic recs:

Autism to Autism Communication by Polyhexian

"I understand sarcasm," Hunter said, sounding offended. He crossed his arms. "You didn't do the voice thing." Darius stared at him. "The what?" Hunter put his arms in the air and gave his hands a sarcastic little wave. "I GuEsS I'LL hAvE tO sToP cOmInG oVeR, tHeN," he said in the most over the top and comical parody of sarcasm that Darius had ever heard in his life.

everything by this author is great & this one is a joy and a delight!!

Extant Species by Polyhexian

She'd been called a monster more times than she could count, but she knew what a real monster looked like.

i'd happily rec a bunch of polyhexian's stuff but this lil vee & hunter fic was a highlight. especially enjoy the part where hunter's advising her on how best to go about murdering him. love that for them both!!

Owlet by Polyhexian

"Eda!" Hunter yelled as he shouldered open the door and Hooty cooed and rambled at him, "I need help with my potions homewooooooaaaat the HELL is that?!" Luz looked up from where she was sitting on the couch and reading what appeared to be a romance novel about werewolves. "What is what?" "That!" he yelled, pointing at the hulking behemoth curled up in the middle of the room in a massive pile of blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals. "Is that the owl beast?!"

& 1 more!! short n sweet n cute

With Clay and Star Scraps by SiryyGray

Hunter decided to do some research into Grimwalkers. First discovery: Grimwalkers were outlawed in every city under every rule as far back as the history books go. Second discovery: Grimwalkers have no natural means of death. Third discovery: there’s a caveat to that second one.

some absolutely brutal grimwalker content. SPOILERS: hunter can't outlive belos.

Intrusion by rayrock

'He drops something in. It moves and writhes, but it is clearly exhausted. “Eat,” is all he says, voice barely above a whisper. But it is a demand nonetheless, intimidating enough to send shivers down her spine. She hisses in protest once more. He tucks the notepad and pen into his cloak and pulls out a staff. It unfolds and glows a bright red. He does not say anything more. He is nearly always silent when she sees him.' Or: Vee and the Golden Guard’s relationship is complicated, but it is there

some more vee & hunter content for you

just a little bit left by prodigalDaughter

The first time Darius had seen the new Guard unmasked, the fury and betrayal had risen in him like floodwater, bubbling and steaming out of creeks and sewers. Creed had never told him he had a son. —— Hunter has discovered what he is, but he’s not the only one who has to grapple with assumptions made about his origins.

hey remember the other day when i was talking about 'what if darius thought hunter was the previous golden guard's son'! well here u go someone wrote that fic

Wild and Wandering Cries by PorcelanaRota

So his uncle goes flying into the wall directly above him and he is unable to dodge. And his uncle, who is now more palisman curse slime than he is flesh and blood, splatters on the wall, on the ground, on him. Hunter’s been in hundreds of life-or-death situations. He’s felt real and true and visceral fear that sank into his bones and marinated into terror more times than not. Still, nothing has ever left him so shocked and horrified and just flat-out scared that time has actually stopped.

belos splash zone? belos splash zone.

mistakes (the thrilling saga, in high definition) by quynnyah

"This," Amity says, "is not normal human behavior." (Or: Amity and Hunter volunteer to help Camila on a grocery trip. It goes about as well as expected.)

some banging amity & hunter in the human realm stuff for u

Notched by angelcloves

Belos removes the ear tag from his newest Grimwalker.

tiny wee fic giving a backstory for Hunter's notched ear. i rotate this concept in my brain all the time. absolutely twisted.

There is no open window, but the floors still creep by theprincessofdenial

On Tuesday, they eat Chinese. On Wednesday, Camila once again doesn’t have the time to cook, so pizza it is. On Thursday, she wants to make a proper dinner but there’s a hold up at the clinic, Luz knocks over a shelf, Willow has a wardrobe emergency, and then Amity’s cat goes missing. And Hunter beats Gus up so badly the boy ends up bleeding, so there’s also that.

hgnnnh i would rec this entire series if i could (it's 14 fics totally 200k total). its all so chewy i want to get my teeth into it and rrrrrrrrrr. ANYWAY this is my no 1 fav i've been back and re-read it about 7 times. love the Camila Noceda POV; the way it captures the chaos of all 6 kids in the house and makes it feel so real & vivid; the absolutely brutal Hunter characterisation. if ur a Hunter fan go read this right away.

Distance by theprincessofdenial

For the first minute, they all just stand there in silence and watch the airship slowly disappear beyond the horizon. Even though they’re supposed to react quickly, the cold still comes as a shock. It takes some time for the reality to settle in and for them to realize how useless everything they have brought is going to be when their marrow freezes. Hunter hears some of the Scouts inhaling sharply after they approach the ledge and look down. They turn around, unsure where to start, and they shuffle their feet in the snow (terrible decision, really, this way their boots are going to get wet even quicker). Hunter’s the first one to break the silence, and oh, he does it with style. He has been rehearsing that line for a week. “See you at the bottom, suckers!” he exclaims as he pulls out the staff and disappears in a flash of red light. (or: The Obligatory "Leave Everyone at the Top of the Mountain and See Who Makes It Back to the Bottom Alive" Fic. With a splash of Steve)

2nd rec from this series. exactly what it says on tin. *banging pots together* you like whump come get your whump i ADORE what this author does w Hunter. also Steve is there (whump for Steve!!)

A Potter's Field by theprincessofdenial

The view from the staircase is, well, not stunning, that’s definitely not the word. It’s just that “view” is supposed to be accompanied by “stunning,” and Luz can feel her brain coming to a screeching halt and refusing to process what they’re seeing. It's skeletons. Come on, they both knew it was going to be skeletons. The entire Isles know at this point. (Or: despite what the stories would have you believe, in the aftermath, there are things to deal with. Those things include ruined infrastructure, electing new leaders, and prosecuting those responsible for the old regime. And apparently, also Grimwalker mass graves.)

& third and final. unbelievably chewy post-canon fic. lets get into the reconstruction of the isles in full detail. goes hard as hell. will sit in my brain for a long time i think. cannot rec this enough.

and rats all for now!! i got a bunch more stuff in my 'marked for later' so watch this space

OKAY PT. 2 of times I shifted when I was little:

the second other reality I shifted to (not on purpose I don’t think? I just have two very vivid memories from it)

was this reality where I lived in this home in this cute spaced-out neighborhood in this autumn forest with trails and a creak

I have a very vivid memory of going on a walk with my grandparents (which would be impossible for that to have happened in my cr) in this beautiful forest with beautiful autumn leaves

then we went back home I think

AND THEN I remember sitting near this creek with the autumn forest all around, and my dad was fishing in the stream and caught a fish. I vividly remember asking him if we were going to have it for dinner and he said no and that it’s nicer to leave it back in the stream.

and I asked my dad recently if he ever took me fishing and he said no, but I thought it was a real memory until then :0

so yeah I just think I shifted when I was little because these memories are way to real to be imagined up or dreamt

@narukyuu replied to your post “I don't have anything smart to say about this as...”:

conflict is in many ways the heart of a story, and I think in D&D specifically this is more true than anything. it's not bad to like fluff and comforting stories where all the character are wholesome and conflict doesn't really exist - but it IS boring. and in the case of fanfiction it more often than not flattens he characters until they are unrecognizable - and at that point... why is it a fanfic?

​Oh man so this is a whole other post that I might make at a later time but here's the thing - I don't mind like, short fluffy one-shots for complex characters. Like, to give a CR example, Veth is a complicated, rounded character who explores a lot of conflict and attitudes towards power and trauma, but I would also happily read a story about her adding an ice cream counter to the apothecary. But the reason I care enough to do that is because the complex story that made me like her exists, and this is a brief side excursion. I would not care enough to read that about a random OC (and if Veth is not characterized well in this fluffy one shot fic and is flattened, I will feel like it's about a random OC and close it). Like...I think my general feeling is that fluff (or whump, or anything that's simple pure formulas of emotion rather than like, a story) fanfic as supplementary material is great, it's just very much supplementary and not the main thing for me, and characterization must be spot on otherwise it's truly devoid of anything I'm interested in (ie, the characters from the canon story in a situation, even if it's an entirely pleasant situation).

The separate post I want to make though is that I think the best way to combat this in your own writing and enjoyment is to watch/read a variety of things. I was reluctant to write meta on FMA:B because I'm really not familiar with manga/anime and any thoughtful analysis require familiarity with those conventions. I think there's a place for wholesome and comfort media with easily resolved conflicts, and I've enjoyed Schitt's Creek and Ted Lasso as much as anyone, but I really don't think you can only watch that and then be able to speak to stories with anti-heroes. I think that the fact that I've been a fan of Succession, Mad Men, The Wire, and Severance, even though three of those aren't SF, has been a factor in why I actively want stories that engage with power and control and social structures in interesting ways. I think a lot of the weird takes on The Ravening War are because people are treating it like it's a teen drama and not low fantasy political intrigue, and branching out a little would do them wonders.

10 Fandoms, 10 Characters, 10 tags

Tagged by @illusivesoul — many thanks! Tagging @tiny-banana-time @aleiocus @solstheimtxt @bisexual-kaidan-alenko @urdnotflexthejedibard @bluerose5 @theoriginalladya @cr-noble-writes @cronusamporaofficial annnnd @tankbredgrunt

No pressure as always 😌

Mass Effect/Kaidan Alenko

Mass Effect: Andromeda/Reyes Vidal

Star Wars (books)/Wyl Lark

Borderlands/Mordecai

The Outer Worlds/Maximillian deSoto

Dying Light/ Frank

Dragon Age/Zevran

Cyberpunk: 2077/ Kerry Eurodyne

Ocean’s Echo/Surit

Green Creek/Robbie Fontaine

Can you do a creek comic idk, sometime?

That actually would be interesting to do but I'm not much of a fan of cr//eek like I'm neutral with it but I'm not so drawn to it? I kinda see creeks dynamic a little different than what someone would expect from this ship. I don't like to picture their relationship as this perfect non flawless couple. And idk i feel some won't like it or find it interesting(?

I actually see them having their bumps in hs and college!

My dynamics r kinda like (this is pretty much what i base on)

St//endy/ communication |Stan/lacks communication, avoids fixing it- Wendy/sees this, points it out.

Ky//man/ obsession |Kyle/ wants to fix him, doesn't really - Cartman/ doesn't want to be fix, likes the change.

Cr//eek/ boundaries (space) |Craig/tries to isolate, distracted - Tweek/paranoid, needs comfort (reassurance)

Ken//rietta/ curse |Kenny/the one that dies, willing to sacrifice himself for answers - Henrietta/the one that summons him back, sacrifices him.

Also I'm not entirely sure if writing something for cr//eek would be too much of my interest to continue writing cause I tend to try finding fun in a fictional relationship just to keep myself entertained (which is what helps me create more scenerios for them), sometimes it's kinda hard for me to create scenerios in my head for characters/relationships when u have almost any content about them (yeah ik there was like three episodes about them but it's kinda like that's not enough for me😭). But I could definitely see myself writing like just small comics (shorts like two page comics) for them in a near future if anyone would like that n.n I feel If I were to make a comic for cr//eek u guys would think it would end up being an ongoing series like with the ky//man one yshshshshs just like what happened to the yentl//man comic which was just initially for one ask and not a actual comic series or whatever but y'all wanted more and I couldn't find myself trying to make a concrete story for it and that shit just stresses me out when I don't plan things beforehand 😭😭 aaand im currently working on two comics rn so another ongoing comic would not go well for me jHAJAJhaj 😅

Damn I'm so sorry for the long ass explanation for this but I feel bad when I can't or atleast I just know I wouldn't put so much effort on something compared to what I know I would(?

Creepo

Just felt like posting two, maybe I'll do a third one but I'll see how I feel after I do this one.

How Cr

shippers see creek as.

How Creek haters see Creek.

I don't own DreamWorks. The very first picture is an edit probably I would tell you If it was from me like I did before. Don't take it cause I don't know who it's from so don't take it cause it belongs to someone that I used to know but can't recall cause I lost contact with them over Pinterest. anyways hoped you liked it. Odios!

Ooooh! I think this is the song in YB's insatgram post. Interesting.

https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/boniver/715crks.html

OMG, is this really his attempt at getting her back? *This*?

Has he NOW realized what be threw away? What a POS. (You, OTOH Anon, are a treasure. TYSM.)

"715 - CR∑∑KS"

Down along the creek

I remember something

Her, the heron hurried away

When first I breeched that last Sunday

Low moon don the yellow road

I remember something

That leaving wasn't easing

All that heaving in my vines

And as certain it is evening 'at is now is not the time

Ooh

Toiling with your blood

I remember something

In B, unrationed kissing on a night second to last

Finding both your hands as second sun came past the glass

And oh, I know it felt right and I had you in my grasp

Oh, then how we gonna cry

Cause it once might not mean something

Love, a second glance it is not something that we'll need

Honey, understand that I have been left here in the reeds

But all I'm trying to do is get my feet out from the crease

And I'll see you

Turn around, you're my A-Team

Turn around now, you're my A-Team

God damn, turn around now, you're my A-Team

CON649BW by Stanley Short Via Flickr: A westbound Conrail welded rail train passes a dairy farm on the Middle Division at Spruce Creek, PA on a dreary May 5, 1989 with U23B No. 2768 and GP9 No. 7579.

ULTRAMagic Interlude Chapter 4

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Master Post

After breakfast, Brenna took Blood-Wraith for a walk around the district. She explained her experiences with the Magician’s Labyrinth. The biggest obstacles they would have to deal with was the layout of the labyrinth. It was a unique realm in its own right and constantly shifted around. Things from places unknown were also all over the labyrinth. Blood-Wraith was not sure what to make of what he was told. It seemed like he was stepping into a mess with this quest.

“This seems, hm… this seems like it’s going to be tricky” Blood-Wraith concluded.

“Yup. So how do you plan to find your mom? I got a few ideas, but they’re just ideas at the moment” Brenna replied as she sat down at the grand fountain.

Blood-Wraith thought for a second. “Er, I guess we could ask around?”

“Hm… well it’s better than mindlessly trudging around the labyrinth. The only hiccup is finding someone willing to talk.

As the two brainstormed, Radovan walked by. He was on his way to meet with a city architect. “Blood, excellent. I wanted to tell you something.”

“Oh, hey dad. What’s up?”

“Hey, Radovan,” Brenna replied.

“Greetings, Brenna. Now I presume you two are discussing the Magician’s Labyrinth? Blood, I need you to go to the mansion real quickly and ask Kresimira to get you a blank family crest. Then take the badge to Barna and have him engrave it with your name.”

“Okay, what for? Aside from the obvious.”

“Word of your adventures thus far have had a good chance of reaching Rose and she is trusting, but I want you to present it to her just in case.”

Blood-Wraith processed that and it made sense. “Yeah, I get it. Okay, I’ll go do that. Let’s go, Brenna. Best of luck to you, dad.”

“You too, kids” Radovan said as they all went about their business. Fortunately he had ordered extra crests in the distant past to accommodate for new family members.

Over at the mansion, the two ran into Desislav. He looked a bit disheveled, but greeted them warmly. Kresimira was busy touching up some paintings when Blood-Wraith and Brenna approached her. Upon having Radovan’s idea presented to her, she darted off and returned with a crest. The dull badge depicted a sword behind a shield and a fist in front of the shield. The blade represented Rose and the fist represented Radovan (The idea being that Radovan would put himself first so that his family and his people would be safe). Before Blood-Wraith and Brenna left, Kresimira gave each of them a cookie from a batch she had made the day before.

The next stop was Barna’s home, with Aureolus accompanying them. They were greeted and welcomed by Corentin once again. “Hey, dad! I’m here and Blood needs a favor” Aureolus announced.

“Does he now? What’s the job, Blood?”

Blood-Wraith handed the crest to him. “Barna, can you engrave my name in this?”

He looked at the dull crest for a moment. “Ah, I remember the day I fulfilled this order. Sure, Blood. It’ll need a little a restoring though…”

Barna got to work by getting out a bottle of liquid and an old rag. He explained that the polish he was using was his own recipe, based on one he had learned on a trip to Shadowland. It was amazing how quickly it worked. The badge shone brightly with a luster close to when it was first made. Next it was left to air dry, as that would help the polish work.

“Sometimes it’s better to rely on a little elbow grease than resort to magic or alchemy” Barna stated. “You can, obviously. It’s just that I feel your skills can degrade if you ask for everything on a silver platter.”

“But magic is so easy. Why not rely on it, if you don’t mind me asking?” Blood-Wraith inquired.

“True, very true. It is easy. Firstly, I believe in the value of hard work. Secondly, I’ve always been worried about losing the ability to perform alchemy. I know it’s highly unlikely, but I don’t want to be up a creek without a paddle.”

“He’s got a good point,” Brenna pointed out.

Blood-Wraith nodded. “Fair enough.”

Soon the crest was ready for engraving. Despite what he had said, Barna got out a magic-powered torch. He wanted to make sure the engraving was perfect. A strange, focused flame cut into the metal. Sparks were thrown up as the name appeared across it. Barna was deep in concentration as the bright light reflected off of everyone’s goggles. Once he was done, he gave a second to cool. He then took off his goggles and gave the crest back to Blood-Wraith.

“There you go, lad. Ready to go”

“Thank you, Barna. Wow, this looks amazing. These must’ve taken a while to make” Blood-Wraith commented.

“When you first start, absolutely. It can take weeks to come up with a finalized product. Once you get the design down, you can crank out a dozen in a couple of days. It just takes a little patience.”

“Amazing. Alright, dad, teach me how to smith!” Aureolus said with enthusiasm.

Barna laughed. “Then let’s get to work. Corentin, can Aureolus borrow your childhood tools?”

Corentin looked a little surprised. “Oh, sure. Jeez, I haven’t touched those in ages…” He went over to his side of the shop and began rummaging. “... If he wants, he can have them. I just have to make sure they still work.”

Aureolus was happy to hear this. “Thank you, brother.”

With all that done, Blood-Wraith and Brenna said goodbye and left. On their way back to Blood-Wraith’s house, Kresimira passed by them. She needed to see Corentin as a painting frame broke. The two Schindewolf’s were also fairly knowledgeable in woodwork. This caused Blood-Wraith to notice how busy things were. Seeing so many people going back and forth was incredible. Some even stopped to meet him and were very kind and welcoming. It made Blood-Wraith feel very warm inside.

“This city feels so different from a couple of months ago.” Blood-Wraith’s stomach growled. “And now I’m hungry.”

“Yeah, it was very surreal coming here while it was deserted. And it is lunch time. Here, we’ll stop by Herman’s. I’m pretty sure he’s back open for business” Brenna replied. 

“Herman’s?”

“You know, that parlor Drago took you to.”

“Oh, okay.”

Returning to the ice cream parlor was quite the experience. It was lively with people eating food, talking, and even a few dancing near the jukebox. Several waitresses were moving about, taking orders and delivering meals. At the counter were two waiters and Herman Lydon himself. He had tidy, short hair and stood roughly 5 and a half feet tall. The eponymous owner was jotting down some notes over at one of the cash registers when he saw Blood-Wraith and Brenna approach.

“Brenna! How are you doing?”

“Heya, Mr. Lydon. Just stopping in for some lunch.”

“Well you’ve come at the right time… wait a second. Kid, you wouldn’t happen to be Blood-Wraith, would you?” Herman inquired. The six eyes were a dead giveaway and some of the customers were whispering about this.

Blood-Wraith nodded. “Yup. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Ha, I noticed some of my stock was gone when I got back, but then I saw the money in the register and the note Drago left behind. It’s an honor to finally meet you. I’d do an on the house order, but I uh, haven’t quite gotten things in order yet, haha…”

“It’s alright, Mr. Lydon. I understand.” Blood-Wraith took a menu… and looked confused. “Brenna? Help, I don’t know what to order.”

Herman and Brenna chuckled. “Don’t worry, Blood. We’ll have two burgers, two soda’s, and two orders of fries” She said as she placed the money on the counter. “Oh, and the same for on the go. I just hope Vex doesn’t eat lunch before we get back, ha.”

“Alright then. Don’t worry, Blood, I still owe you a couple of ice cream cones no matter what” Herman said as he took the order and collected the money.

Adding to the new experiences, this lunch was incredible for Blood-Wraith. He knew it was not the healthiest, but it tasted so good. Naturally Herman had to chat with him. This was to be expected. Blood-Wraith talked about his adventures thus far and Herman told him about his sister’s when they were young. Once lunch was done, one of the employees packed up Vexation’s lunch and handed it to the two. They then departed and began making their way home.

“Vex! We brought you something to eat…” Blood-Wraith called out as he and Brenna entered his house.

“I wondered what I was sensing not too long ago. Thank you.” Vexation sat down in the dining room and started eating. They were worried he would not be interested, but he ate the meal and seemed to like it. “Come… sit, you two.”

“Is something the matter, Vex?” Blood-Wraith asked as he took a seat.

“Blood, I’ve been contemplating everything that has happened to me recently. For the longest time, I was jaded and cynical. Being betrayed by the Lich was not fun. Suffice it to say I had lost my drive to learn and teach… but then you fought and defeated me. Your courage and perseverance made me realize that the Cosmos still has that spark it had back during my prime. Blood, do you know what kind of magic I used on you back in our battle?”

Blood-Wraith thought back to the weird, magic suit that scrambled his magic. “Um… I’m not sure?”

Vexation took a sip of his soda. “That was a curse. It’s a powerful form of magic that is lost to the Cosmos…”

“Lost? It doesn’t seem all that lost to me because… well… you know…” Brenna pointed out, making her indication obvious.

“Vexation smiled. “Guilty as charged, I was the one who sealed it away from man. I was afraid it would be abused. I made it so it could only be taught to those who possess ULTRAMagic.”

“Alright then. I’m guessing you want to teach me this? Blood-Wraith assumed.

“Yes, precisely. There is a catch, however. You need to prove yourself to me. If you can bring Rose and Thora back in a reasonable amount of time, I’ll teach you my knowledge of curses. I don’t want my work to fade away, truth be told.”

Brenna looked really excited. “Ooh, Ooh! What about me?”

Vexation studied her for a second. “Hmm… not yet. I’ll need time to judge your skills and character.”

“I… but I…err… um… Aw shucks… Alright, fair enough. Just know that I am not going to let you forget though!”

This made Vexation laugh. “Very well then. To be fair, you already seem capable enough.”

“Vex, can you use that one curse on me? The one that would’ve sealed me away? I want to know what it’s like. It’s been bugging me at the back of my mind ever since. And since you're so knowledgeable, I imagine you can immediately reverse it…”

Vexation looked a bit guilty. “About that… I was lying. Truth be told is that it was a curse that would’ve turned you into my personal servant of sorts. And I already used it on you. That magic suit was the first part of it. The reason why you were able to exploit it was because I made it on the fly. I realized that I could not let the Lich get his hands on you or your power…”

Blood-Wraith hugged him. “Oh! I’m sorry I was so rough on you!”

This made Vexation’s old heart feel warm and soft. “Don’t worry about it, Blood. I forgive you. You did what you had to do. If anything, that means I have to start training again.”

“Uncle Vex, I will happily help you train… once I bring mom back” Blood-Wraith stated.

“Fine with me, nephew. And I’ll help you with the ULTRAMagic Guild…”

“The what?”

“Oops! I was not supposed to say that yet…”

Next: Chapter 5

ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)

AU, where did the guys go to rescue the princess. Branch and Creek are arguing about who will go to distract the Chef.

Br: So you distract her, and I pull the key out of her pocket. Cr: And maybe you will distract? Br: You're scared… Cr: As if you're not scared! Br: It was scary, but wasn't it scary to have that party? Cr:… Okay, you've talked me into it, what should I do?

Result: Creek runs away from Bergen Cr: Listen, let me show you where the trolls are, and you'll leave me alone. Br: That's a jerk… STOP RUNNING AROUND ME!

SpaceX CRS-27 delivers truck load of research projects to ISS by Melissa Gaskill for ISS News Houston NASA's 27th SpaceX commercial resupply services (CRS) mission is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station from the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in March. The scientific experiments and technology demonstrations carried by the uncrewed Dragon spacecraft examine how the heart changes in space, test a student-designed camera mount, compare surfaces that control biofilm formation, and more. A Helping Hand for Hearts The Tissue Chips in Space program, a collaboration between the National Center for Translational Sciences at the National Institutes of Health and the ISS National Lab, is sending up its final two studies. Both are second flights of heart-related investigations that use tissue chips, small devices that mimic functions of human organs. Cardinal Heart 2.0 builds on the Cardinal Heart investigation. That study, according to Dilip Thomas, a post-doctoral researcher at the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, affirmed the hypothesis that microgravity can adversely influence engineered heart muscle tissues. "This second study aims to test whether clinically approved drugs mitigate the signs of abnormal processes seen from the first flight," he says. Principal Investigator Joseph Wu, director of the institute, says the follow-up study could provide a deeper understanding of how major heart cell types respond to drugs in the space environment. That understanding could guide drug development strategies on Earth to treat patients with diseases such as heart failure more effectively. The first Engineered Heart Tissues investigation looked for changes at the cellular and tissue level that could provide early indication of the development of cardiac disease. Engineered Heart Tissues-2 tests whether new therapies prevent these negative effects from occurring. This research could help predict and prevent cardiovascular risk and lead to countermeasures to protect future space explorers. Because the cardiovascular system's response to microgravity resembles age-related diseases on Earth, these studies could help patients at risk of developing heart disease on the ground as well. These investigations both employ adaptable experiment hardware developed by BioServe Space Technologies. "We have been able to develop or modify hardware and expand the types of projects that can be supported on orbit," said BioServe Director Stefanie Countryman. "The Tissue Chips experiments really opened the gates to a wide variety of research that up until that point wasn't thought possible on station. It allows for more complex science and could inspire other researchers to think about what is possible." Student Innovation for Stable Images The High School Students United with NASA to Create Hardware (HUNCH) program enables students to fabricate real-world products for NASA while applying science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and artistic skills. The HUNCH Ball Clamp Monopod tests a platform to keep cameras stable while tracking targets on the ground or taking images and video inside the space station. The device, which attaches cameras to space station handrails, could make photography operations easier and faster for the crew and has the potential to support photography applications on Earth as well. Students from Cypress Woods High School, Clear Creek High School, and Conroe High School participated in the project. "The highlight of my experience was going through the entire engineering design process to ultimately accomplish a personal long-term goal," said Shane Johnson, Cypress Woods High School, who designed the thumbscrew used on the Ball Clamp. Johnson heard about the HUNCH program on the first day of high school and made the decision to get something that he made on the space station. "In the following years, I fell in love with the process of starting with an idea, then brainstorming, prototyping, and tweaking continuously until left with a perfected product. When I got the call that my hardware was approved for flight, I was absolutely euphoric." Mike Bennett, HUNCH flight configuration project manager, points out that this project offers students real world experiences in many areas, such as design and manufacturing, and gave them the experience of taking a project from an idea through various iterations to creating the parts needed for a refined and finished item. Soaking up Carbon Dioxide CapiSorb Visible System (CVS) demonstrates replacing gravity with capillary forces to control liquids that can absorb carbon dioxide. Capillary forces are the interaction of a liquid and solid that can draw a fluid up a narrow tube, much like water soaking into a paper towel. "Using liquid sorbents to capture carbon dioxide works great on Earth, but in microgravity, it's a challenge," said Co-investigator Grace Belancik. "This system's geometry provides liquid control and passive transport in microgravity in the form of a continuous liquid flow loop." Data from the experiment could directly inform design of new carbon dioxide removal systems for future crewed missions to the Moon and Mars. "Exploration missions require life support systems that are reliable as well as lightweight with low mass and volume," said Co-investigator Mark Weislogel. "Systems like this one broaden the technological options for life support equipment in the direction of simplicity, which could reduce the need for maintenance, repairs, and replacement parts without sacrificing performance. CVS builds on years of fundamental and applied research of large-length scale capillary phenomena on the space station that cannot be studied on Earth." Banishing Biofilms Biofilms, an ongoing study from ESA (European Space Agency), examines formation of aggregations of microorganisms called biofilms and tests the antimicrobial properties of different metal surfaces in spaceflight. "The Biofilms experiment consists of three flights testing three different bacterial species on three different types of metal surfaces with and without antimicrobial properties," says project scientist Katharine Siems. "Each flight has a different combination of bacteria, metal type, surface topography, and gravity condition." Principal investigator Ralf Moller notes that microbial contamination is inevitable on crewed space missions since microorganisms are an integral part of a healthy human body. "These microorganisms can spread to places inside a spacecraft where they can form biofilms," said Moller. "These biofilms can lead to biofouling and corrosion, which can be a threat for sensitive equipment, especially on longer missions into space." This investigation could advance the understanding of how biofilms form under different gravitational conditions and support development of materials that minimize microbial contamination inside spacecraft. Antimicrobial surfaces also have applications in settings such as hospitals, public facilities, and industry on Earth. Life in Space Tanpopo-5, an investigation from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), studies the response to space exposure in radiation-resistant microbes, moss spores, and biochemical compounds including amino acids. Amino acids have been detected in extraterrestrial bodies such as meteorites and are possible precursors to life on Earth. Tanpopo-5 follows four earlier experiments seeking insight into how organisms respond to space exposure. "Today, Earth's ozone layer shields much of the ultraviolet radiation, but the space environment can be considered a model for primitive Earth," said Principal Investigator Hajime Mita, Fukuoka Institute of Technology. "The space station provides an accessible exposure facility where we can achieve the same broad spectrum as solar ultraviolet radiation and the combination of cosmic and ultraviolet radiation in space." These investigations could inform strategies to protect other planets from contamination by humans and for returning samples from other planets safely to Earth. Tanpopo-5 could provide insight into whether terrestrial life can survive in space and help scientists understand the key ingredients that sparked life on Earth. Results also may help support agricultural activities and planetary quarantine strategies for human activities on the Moon and Mars.