i picked up some of my friends from the airport yesterday and now we’re all dressed so pretty with all our other friends to go to our friends’ wedding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yay!!!!!!!!! 💒🩷🌸

Earlier today I said out loud, to no one and while no one was around, “not beating the friend visitor allegations” and then whipped my head to look behind me as if I wasn’t the one who said those words out loud.

these guys aren’t gonna beat the friend visitor allegations

Based on that reblog I'm assuming you're taking requests....if you are may ask for "oh. OH."

If you're not taking them just ignore. Hope your day is really nice

Haha, there's an Arcana flash fic I wrote a looong time ago that this prompt reminds me of.

I asked for a monster and another anon suggested werewolf, so we're going with that.

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Next Part | Masterlist

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The second day of the convention had proved to be less lucrative than Amber had hoped. At this rate, she would likely break a little over even with the stall and overhead. Not terrible, but she had higher hopes for her first convention as a vendor. Especially since she debuted her webcomic earlier in the year. 

It didn’t help that most other vendors near her seemed ten years her junior. Somewhere in their early- to mid-twenties, already popular in their art or writing. It made that sense of imposter syndrome - or the thought she should have done something with her life by now - dig in deep.

Little attention on her stall, plus some rather big name speakers drawing her potential customers away every hour, had left her feeling even more morose. It didn’t help that her best friend, Addie, kept taking off, eager to take in all the sights and programs. Of the two of them, extroverted Addie was more equipped to handle customers. 

And had been the one to convince Amber to risk money on this venture. 

Losing her tenth customer for the morning, Amber had resorted to idly sketching in her sketchbook, letting the sounds of the event wash over her. Her introverted batteries were at risk of exploding if she plastered her customer service smile on for yet-another easily-distracted congoer.

A constant flow of talk, of bodies constantly moving, of noisy little doodads or televisions played. Overhead, a screen indicated upcoming events and, occasionally, played ads concerning prices at the convention hall’s food court. Farther away, near the doors of the main hall, cosplayers posed and cameras flashed.

Someone’s hand leaned at the edge of her table, the plastic creaking under their weight as they leaned to peer at her art. Amber tensed, braced for questions or maybe even a request for a free drawing. Her mechanical pencil continued to sketch, pretending to be too focused to pay the interloper any mind. 

“So, I take it you don’t like Montos?” 

Apparently, someone couldn’t take a hint. Then again, Amber was supposed to be hawking her wares. Namely her art and webcomic. Still, she was bitter over her circumstance and her MIA co-worker. 

Shrugging, Amber didn’t bother looking up as she continued to work on the not-so-flattering caricature of Montos, fan favorite villain of hit streaming show Of Wolf and Blood. “The character is okay - as far as a bad guy, y’know - but the actor is just overhyped.” 

The interloper chuckled, deep enough that the resonance made a tingle shoot down Amber’s spine. There was a smile in their voice as they replied, “I hear that. I’ve been on his sets.” 

“Is that so-” Unimpressed and ready for some harebrained lie, Amber shot the visitor a skeptical look. Her disbelief faded as her eyes landed on Augustine Prime. A pompous name for an even more arrogant actor, if tabloids were to be believed. “Oh.” 

For a beat, all she could do was stare at him. From the back of her mind, she could hear Addie’s gushing voice relaying details about this very man. He/him, seven foot, a lycan with alleged hellhound blood in him, and built like a strongman competitor. 

Amber could see why he was a fan favorite from his size alone, but those dark gold eyes and chestnut brown waves - worn in a way that made Amber think of a surfer dude - certainly didn’t hurt. The fact he was half-shifted didn’t hurt, either. Walking around like a damn anime character with wolf ears and tail on full display. Faintly, she tried to recall if his clothes - a suit with some obnoxiously bright tie - was from a anything she recognized.

“Oh.” It was curiosity and realization that made her glance down at her sketch, part of her trying to gauge how accurately she was. It took her a half-second to realize that perhaps drawing a less-than-flattering picture of an actor would result in retaliation. Her eyes swung back up to Augustine’s face, that infuriating smirk still tilting at his lips. “Oh no.” 

“So, how much?” He nodded to her hands, to her sketchbook.

Amber’s brain grappled for understanding. “H-how much?” 

Augustine’s smile spread a little further, showing off unnervingly perfect - slightly sharp - white teeth. “For the drawing.” 

Instinctively, she snapped her sketchbook shut, slamming it down on the table and folding her hands atop it. “Wh-what?” 

Amusement quirked further through his features as he raised an eyebrow. “The drawing you were just working on.” 

She clutched her sketchbook to her chest, barely keeping a whine down at the back of her throat. From the way the man’s infuriating grin broadened yet again, she was willing to bet he could hear it regardless. Something broke in her mind. Agitation over his smarminess cleaved through her shock and surprise. 

When she answered, her knuckles hurt from clutching to her sketch pad so hard. “I charge $200 for commissions.” 

Augustine’s other eyebrow rose to join its counterpart. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but commissions would mean I’d ask you to draw.” 

“I-It’s not finished.” Amber wanted to bite her own tongue for stuttering, but she sat straighter and tried to sound firm, “So you’d be asking me to complete it.” 

It was only then that she realized people were staring. Hell, they were amassing around her table. There were obvious fans, hoping to catch Augustine’s attention, and nosy busybodies who were undoubtedly wondering what exactly this star was doing at her table. Heat clawed up Amber’s back, threatening to spill a blush across her cheeks. 

Gods, why couldn’t he have dropped by when Addie was here? 

“Can’t argue there. Here you go.” Finally, Augustine shrugged and pulled his wallet out. Amber numbly stared as he slapped down two $100 bills. Her eyes swung to his face, mouth open to protest, but he silenced her with a wink and a grin. “Deliver it to the VIP section when you’re done.” 

Augustine swept away from her table, taking most of the accumulated crowd with him. If he noticed his silent entourage, he didn’t take any notice. As her hand smacked over the cash, sliding it closer to her, she watched the actor swagger off. 

Though most of the crowd had left, quite a few people had remained. She realized they were asking about her art, her webcomic, her relation to Mr. Prime and she fielded the question while still trying to process her own shock. 

There was one thing, however, that lit up in her mind. 

She really should have charged him more.

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Meet The OCs

Behold the highly dysfunctional women of the Aniteon Legacy. I hope visitors to this blog enjoy their time with them as much as I do.

(art by hoth-and-cold <3)

Savtas Thom

Age: 26 (prologue) - 43 (7.4)

Species: Mirialan

Legacy Connections: Ántonia Aniteon (queerplatonic), Lyde Aniteon (allies)

Song That Makes Me Insane About Them: Wolf by First Aid Kit

Overview: A woman re-embarking on the path of a Jedi after fleeing from it as a girl. Her devotion to embodying the values of her order belies a wish to make up for lost time.

Largely canon-compliant Jedi Consular, though her story regularly crosses over with that of her friend Ántonia. Commander of the Eternal Alliance and co-canon Outlander with Lyde.

Ántonia Aniteon

[AN-toh-NEE-uh]

Age: 20 (prologue) - 37 (7.4)

Species: Miraluka

Legacy Connections: Savtas Thom (queerplatonic), Lyde Aniteon (twin sister), Ffevi Aniteon (awkward, artificially-enforced rivalry)

Song That Makes Me Insane About Them: Mile Magnificent by molly ofgeography

Overview: A runaway from the heart of the Empire. While she initially sought refuge with the Jedi for mere self-preservation, she now strives against her own passionate nature to bring light to the dark corners of the galaxy, and undo the harm caused by her family's very recent fall to the dark side.

Largely canon-compliant Jedi Knight, though her story regularly crosses over with that of her friend Savtas.

Lyde Aniteon

[LIGH-dee]

Age: 20 (prologue) - 37 (7.4)

Species: Miraluka

Legacy Connections: Savtas Thom (allies), Ántonia Aniteon (twin sister), Ffevi Aniteon (it's complicated)

Song That Makes Me Insane About Them: close tie between Who Are You, Really? by Mikky Ekko and Sisyphus by Andrew Bird

Overview: The dutiful daughter to Ántonia's prodigal, nonetheless shouldering the burden of being the family disappointment due to her weakness in the Force. Her leal service to the Empire is increasingly tempered by her growing disillusionment with, and resentment toward, her Sith masters.

Largely canon-compliant Imperial Agent. Co-Canon Outlander with Savtas.

Ffevi Aniteon/Shanin 

[FEH-vee Shah-NEEN]

Age: 18 (prologue) - 35 (7.4)

Species: Sith Pureblood 

Legacy Connections: Lyde Aniteon (it's complicated), Ántonia Aniteon (awkward artificially-enforced rivalry), Kaja Vrei/Darth Lakhuna (homoerotic rivals-to-lovers)

Song That Makes Me Insane About Them: If We Live by Disparition

Overview: An ambitious young Sith attempting to beat the "replacement goldfish" allegations. After her own family was wiped out under suspicious circumstances, she was adopted into the Aniteon clan as a surrogate daughter and apprentice. Now her quest for power is only matched by her desire for answers, and for vengeance.

Non-canon Sith Warrior (though I may butcher the canon SW story for parts).

Siolo Vrei

Age: 28 (prologue) - 45 (7.4)

Species: Twi’lek

Legacy Connections: Glash’avrei (sister), Darth Lakhuna/Kaja Vrei (sister)

Song That Makes Me Insane About Them: Bremen by PigPen Theatre Co

Overview: The hardiest of the sisters Vrei. Imprisoned after turning to crime to support her two younger sisters, and released as an adult with little option for above-board employment, she has now embraced the life of a hired killer for good or for ill.

Bounty Hunter; canon compliance TBD.

Glash’avrei

Age: 24 (prologue) - 41 (7.4)

Species: Twi’lek

Legacy Connections: Siolo Vrei (sister), Darth Lakhuna/Kaja Vrei (sister)

Song That Makes Me Insane About Them: close tie between Traveling Song by Ryn Weaver and Empress by The Arcadian Wild

Overview: The luckiest of the sisters Vrei. Unmoored from her home and family by senseless violence and tragic circumstance, she now forces her gaze towards chasing profits and adventure to keep from looking back.

Largely canon-compliant Smuggler.

Darth Lakhuna/Kaja Vrei

Age: 19 (prologue) - 36 (7.4)

Species: Twi’lek

Legacy Connections: Siolo Vrei (sister), Glash’avrei (sister), Ffevi Aniteon (homoerotic rivals-to-lovers)

Song That Makes Me Insane About Them: Cosmic Love by Florence + the Machine

Overview: The shrewdest of the sisters Vrei. Wrenched away from a promising future and thrust into slavery, she clawed her way out of servitude to become Sith. She dedicates every waking hour to seeking hidden knowledge and learning the secrets of the Force; her safety will never be taken from her again.

Largely canon-compliant Sith Inquisitor.

not beating the friend visitor allegations

Why

Fire drill lyrics

FIRE DRILL LYRICS FULL

Story-wise, the song was originally meant to reflect Cry Baby's school journey and the ending of the K-12 film (the film was originally supposed to end in the school burning down, but due to budget constraints, the plan was scrapped and the song was used for the credits of the film instead). Since the accusations, Timothy has been accused of controversial behaviors such as attention-seeking, speaking on behalf of other musical artists, and stretching the truth on social media after accusing Melanie the song's lyrics "We're on the same side" and "Bullying / screwing around / with people they don't even really know" in the song seem to reflect the allegations on Timothy and how both Timothy and the people online who accused her are both using the same toxic method of accusation, with Melanie stating that all accusations and bullying should stop. Timothy Heller, who accused Melanie of rape in December 2017, may have inspired certain lyrics. The song focuses on the matter of fake friends, childhood bullies, and attention-seeking people. * = indicates the song is a re-release.In an interview with Travis Mills for Beats 1, Melanie confirmed that the song was still planned to be released as a single before the release of After School it was later released on June 26 th, 2020. Chords for Melanie Martinez - Fire Drill (Clean - Lyrics).: Bm, Em, D, A. In an interview released on February 6 th, 2020, Melanie revealed that the song was intended to be released as a single by the end of February. In this Q&A, she stated that Fire Drill would be one of seven tracks on the EP. We should have, we should have a firedrill. You can also know Deck The Halls and Snowman song lyrics.On January 8 th, 2020, Melanie held a Q&A on her Instagram story regarding her EP, After School. So is that what you really wanna say to me. So, let’s know the song of Fire Drill Song lyrics and also play the music video in below. Fire drill If it all went up in flames one day Would you give your mom a hug before your house burned away It kills I wish the best for you and You think I. Fire Drill Song first published on the YouTube in the channel of Cocomelon – Nursery Rhymes. This song sung in the language of English. This song music composition by Cocomelon.įire Drill Song got a music label which name is Cocomelon – Nursery Rhymes. Fire Drill Song got more than 43 million visitor in YouTube after released this song. Song of Fire Drill Song lyrics sung by Cocomelon. This song released on the date of 16th November, 2021. Song of Fire Drill Song lyrics started by the line in English pronunciation is Ninas mom is a firefighter. Fire Drill Lyrics by Melanie Martinez from the customalbum5999636 album - including song video, artist biography, translations and more: Ive never fit. You pull the lever for fun, yell fire, then you just run.

FIRE DRILL LYRICS FULL

Livin' in the fake world, full of facades and chaotic behavior. You pull the lever for fun, yell, Fire, then you just run. Livin’ in the fake world, full of facades and chaotic behavior. You live in a world and you’re clutch, you don’t get out very much. You must not know my heart, but I know it isn’t your fault. You live in a world and you clutch, you don't get out very much. FIRE DRILL WHAT HAPPEN IF A NUKE JUST HIT WOULD YOU SAY BYE TO YOUR FAMILY WOULD YOU POST ABOUT IT Comment by Camilla. Calling me words I’m not, paintin’ a picture that’s false. You must not know my heart, but I know it isn't your fault. Fire Drill Song Lyrics – Cocomelon is a well known English song. Calling me words I'm not paintin' a picture that's false.

If you do decide you want prompts in the end — I adore the way you write Ogrim and Quirrel interacting, and something fluffy from their younger days could be fun!

Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid

- - -

Summary

Ogrim is handed an assignment in theoretical diplomacy and practical investigation, recruiting his best friend for assistance.

- - -

This is from the Ghosts That We Knew universe, although it set approximately fifteen years before the Hollow Knight is Sealed in the Black Egg Temple (rather than the in-game time that the other works are currently set in). This is complete and utter silliness with a side of nonsense, but it technically canon for my universe. xD

- - -

Ogrim

- - -

Ogrim snickers as he walks down the hallway through the White Palace. This is going to be fun. The Pale King had given him a faint smile when Ogrim had laughed at the assignment, and stated that he expected his orders to be followed implicitly.

Snickering again, he rounds a corner and heads out across a courtyard. He grins and waves at the two guards on duty, who nod back as he passes by. Reaching the other side, he crosses another hallway and heads through an archway to head down the sweeping stairs circling a fountain. He beams as he catches sight of Isma, waving when she notices him bounding down the stairs.

He diverts from his intended destination to greet her. She’s on duty, so he nods as he steps up beside her.

She smiles back as she finishes up her current discussion, and he waves at Lorial as they take their leave.

“Alright, spill it. What has you grinning like a fool?” she asks him with a smirk.

“I have an assignment. From the king!”

She turns to face him, one hand on her hip, the other on her chin as she gives him a mock once-over.

“That generally isn’t a cause for glee,” she says. “Frustration, yes. Curiosity, yes. Dread, frequently. Are you certain you are feeling well?”

She steps over and places a hand against his cheek. “You don’t seem to be running a fever.”

Ogrim chuckles as she stretches up to look into his eyes. “Your eyes might have a little extra gleam, but I diagnose mischief and not illness.”

He laughs and captures her hand for a moment, squeezing gently before releasing it. “Ah, Isma! The glee is not only due to the assignment, but also because of what it is, who it is for, and whom I am going to rope into helping.”

She snorts. “This should be entertaining. I’ll bite, who’s it for and what are you going to be doing?”

He pulls a folded letter out of his armor with a broad grin. “The Pale King has, and I quote, ‘no clue’ what Lord Furzkopf is trying to locate. I can only imagine how many questions he had to ask; see for yourself!”

Isma shakes her head as she takes the letter, and he smiles, bouncing on his feet as he waits for her to get to the best parts.

He sees her eyes widen, and she gasps, “No!”

“Oh, yes!” he says, knowing she has only made it about halfway through.

She snorts, and jams her hand against her mouth as her eyes crinkle up in glee. He watches as her shoulders start shaking, and she finally bursts out laughing as she reaches the end.

“Stars above, Ogrim! Are you certain the Pale King didn’t know exactly what he was trying to get Lord Furzkopf to describe!?” she laughs.

He shakes his head. “I am not! That makes it so much more exquisitely wonderful, doesn’t it?”

“Oh, gods, Ogrim. I don’t know which to hope for. Lord Furzkopf is an ass and this?” She waves the letter back and forth. “Knowing he had to describe this in such particular detail is a joy unto itself. Because you just know, whether the Pale King knew what was being described or not, he would have taken these notes with exactly the same intensity.” She grins at him. “Lord Furzkopf would have no way to know for sure if it was sincere ignorance, and I’m sure our king just kept asking in that deeply focused way he has.”

She starts snickering. “Not that I didn’t already know who you were going to be grabbing to help from the bounce in your step, but for once I completely agree. This is right up his alley, and one should always consult with the appropriate experts.”

“I am glad we are in agreement!” Ogrim laughs, and Isma smiles at him as it echoes around the fountain courtyard.

Her eyes crinkle and she captures his claw in her hand, squeezing lightly as she says, “Enjoy your assignment, I’ll see you this evening.”

He takes the letter as she hands it back, touching her face lightly with his claw before stepping back to give her a small bow. “As always, my lady,” he says softly.

She scoffs, but he sees the faint flush of white as she turns away, and smiles.

Time to go find his victim… er, partner.

- - -

Ogrim strides through the barracks, grinning widely. It’s late enough in the afternoon that the second shift is waking up, and he watches bleary-eyed guards stumbling around as they try and get enough stimulants into their systems to begin functioning for their day.

He knocks on one of the doors towards the end of a hallway, eliciting a quiet groan and “Go ’way!” from within.

He chuckles and knocks again, eliciting further incoherent mumbles. Figuring he’s given plenty of warning, he opens the door and walks in with a bright “Good morning!” as he heads for the window.

“Gods, Ogrim, what do you wa—don’t you f—argh!!” comes from the bed as he gets to the window and opens the blinds.

Turning towards the bed, Ogrim is greeted with, “You ass!” and he laughs.

“No, my friend!” he says, as he heads towards the bed. “This makes me an ass!” he says as he grabs a corner of the top blanket and yanks it away, uncovering the bugs hidden beneath.

The larger of the two bugs ducks and hides against the pillbug, who puts his arm over them as he glares blearily at Ogrim.

Ogrim smiles and retreats to lean against the desk. “How’d you get Galien out of here? He seems fundamentally incapable of condoning transgressions.”

“Ugh; you would be correct. I found him a date of his own, that’s how.”

Ogrim snorts. “Surely it couldn’t have been that difficult.”

Quirrel sighs, hugging his bedmate and whispering something to them. They relax, but don’t uncurl from their position of hiding.

“No, not particularly. It was more a matter of getting things moving along in such a way that he wouldn’t be here, which meant arranging for Delian’s roommate to be somewhere else, which meant… you get the idea, I’m sure,” Quirrel says.

“I most certainly do,” Ogrim chuckles. “You can be quite determined to entertain your companions. How on earth do you manage not to get caught?”

The companion in question flinches, and Quirrel says, “Technically, we just got caught, didn’t we?”

“True enough! However, in the grand tradition that has existed for centuries, since I am not your direct superior or even their direct superior, I don’t actually have to cope with this particular aspect of your shenanigans.”

Quirrel snorts, getting up onto one elbow and then leaning over his companion again, whispering to them. They shake their head, and he chuckles softly as he kisses their cheek and hums quietly. Pushing himself up and over, he deftly snags the blanket back and throws it over them, once again hiding them as he stands up.

“And for what glorious reason am I being subjected to your over-cheerful presence?” Quirrel asks.

“Ahhh, that’s the joy! Although the orders are to be kept quiet, so I’ll meet you in the commissary in five minutes, and we can head back to one of the offices from there.” Ogrim snickers. “It was lovely seeing your carapace, Miranda.”

The lump under the blanket twitches, and she throws the blanket back to glare at him.

Smiling at her, Ogrim sketches a small bow as Quirrel glances at the ceiling and shakes his head.

Ogrim stands up, calling back as he leaves the room, “Five minutes! Don’t be late!”

- - -

Having located a small empty conference room, Ogrim holds the letter aloft. “We are to locate a missing possession, as requested by the Pale King.”

Quirrel looks at the letter dubiously. “The Pale King has lost something, and – out of all the available options –” he waves his hand around in a vague circle, “he asked you?”

Ogrim shakes his head with a snort. “No. A visitor has lost something, claims it has been stolen.”

“I’m still stuck at the Pale King having asked you.”

“My heart weeps at your lack of faith!”

“Ogrim, the Pale King has at his disposal the entirety of the Guards, including the Investigators. Your job, last I looked, was to beat shit up, not find shit.”

Ogrim chuckles. “Ah, but you see, this visitor has requested… let me think… how was it put.” Ogrim thinks for a moment before continuing, “requested ‘the utmost delicacy and discretion regarding the item that was lost.’”

Quirrel crosses his arms and give Ogrim a flat look. “Now I am definitely calling stagshit. Unless the Pale King has suddenly become feeble-minded and forgetful?”

“My friend! I am hurt – nay, wounded – that you would question my ability to be quiet and careful!”

“…right.”

Quirrel ducks forward, snatches the letter, and opens it to start reading.

After a few seconds Quirrel asks, “So who is this theoretical illustrious guest that has not only managed to lose this whatever, but has the clout, courage, or outright idiocy to actually ask the king to be personally involved in the hunt for a thief or – far more likely, knowing most of the nobility – find it wherever they… uh…”

He stumbles into silence, and Ogrim starts grinning.

Quirrel boggles at the letter, bringing his other hand up to feel it and no doubt check to make sure it is real. He flips it over and looks at the back, then goes back to staring at what has been written.

He finally looks up and meets Ogrim’s eyes.

“Nice forgery. There is absolutely no way that you of all people were asked to investigate this as a favor requiring ‘discretion and delicacy.’”

“I assure you; it is quite real! And I was specifically requested by the Pale King to investigate this in ‘my usual thorough fashion.’”

Quirrel crosses his arms as he stares at Ogrim. “You. He requested you.” Ogrim beams. “My friend, you are a wonderful person, but you don’t have a single fiber of discretion anywhere within you. Every single rumor in this place makes it to you, through you, and is redistributed by you with extreme glee. Everyone knows this. The Pale King holds himself above most things, but he is not unobservant; he is, in fact, quite the opposite. This is not something he doesn’t know. And you are trying to tell me he specifically requested you to find this!?”

“Yep!”

“Does he know you are recruiting me?”

“Yep!”

Quirrel stares at him in silence, and Ogrim smirks back; he was right – this is fun!

“…I suppose the only person I could ask to get confirmation of the assignment is the Pale King?”

“Yep!”

Quirrel slaps the letter against the middle of Ogrim’s chest with a groan, and Ogrim grunts as he grabs it. Most definitely fun!

“Who asked for this help?”

Ogrim grins broadly. “Lord Furzkopf.”

Quirrel stares at him, his whole posture lighting up with unholy glee as the situation finally sinks in.

“You don’t say,” he murmurs.

“Oh, I most certainly do.”

“Utmost discretion,” he purrs.

“Indeed.”

“As provided by one of the Great Knights themselves.”

“You are now seeing the picture!”

Quirrel laughs. “I am indeed, my friend; I am indeed!” He points at the letter and asks, “We get to go interview the victim, I hope?”

“Last I knew, the proper investigative protocol involves verifying the witness statement by any investigator taking over the lead on an investigation.”

“Wonderful. It is a lovely day to be a horrible investigator, is it not?”

“It has turned into one,” Ogrim snickers as he grabs Quirrel’s shoulder. “I trust you can ask the appropriate questions and not giggle? Because there is no way I will make it through this interview.”

Laughing, Quirrel grabs the letter again. “My friend, if Lord Furzkopf stammered through this description of his ‘enhancement aid’ as awkwardly as this letter indicates, while the Pale King laughed his metaphorical ass off behind the guise of a sincere desire to properly ensure his investigators can find the item in question? I am going to assume I have implicit permission to bring the full force of what I am so well known for to bear, in the same way that your discretion is implicitly understood.”

“It is good to see you understand what the Pale King desires from this investigation! Shall we go find Lord Furzkopf?”

Grinning, Quirrel nods as he hands the letter back. Ogrim tucks the letter into his armor and heads out the door, Quirrel following behind.

- - -

They find the Lord in question lounging in one of the gardens, entertaining himself by attempting to… flirt with one of the gardeners working nearby. She looks up and meets Ogrim’s eyes with a pained expression. He nods at her as he says, “You’re excused for now, Gaiea. We need to speak with Lord Furzkopf privately.”

“Yes, of course,” she says as she dumps her tools haphazardly into her bucket.

Lord Furzkopf sputters as she stands. “Now just wait a minute! We were having a friendly discussion and we weren’t done; you can’t just interrupt like that!”

Quirrel steps around Ogrim’s side, breaking into Furzkopf’s line of sight to Gaiea as he says, “We are here regarding your missing figurine?” He turns and blasts a charming smile at Gaiea, who has just stuffed her rags over the top of her tools and is ready to flee. “I’m certain she would love to stay here with you and offer comfort.”

Ogrim sees her grip the handle of the bucket and worries that she is ready to chuck it at his friend. Quirrel turns a little further – making sure Furzkopf can’t see – and starts to sign something Ogrim can’t see either.

Furzkopf shakes his head and says, “Figurine?”

Gaiea relaxes as Quirrel signs, so Ogrim turns to Furzkopf and says, “Yes, the one you reported missing to the Pale King. We have some questions about the descri—”

“Oh!! That figurine, yes, quite so! No, my dear, no need to fuss about this, I’ll be simply fine; don’t you worry!”

Ogrim turns back to see Gaiea shake her head, and Quirrel turns to speak to Furzkopf again. “Are you certain? I can see how losing such a precious item would be hard to bear, how you might need a hand to hold in your time of need. Ogrim can go ask—”

“I am absolutely certain that I can remain… strong during these trying times, there is no need to go to all of this fuss! She may go!”

“As you wish,” Quirrel says, and turns back to Gaiea to bow slightly as he says, “Your time will not be required today, thank you for your enduring patience.”

She scoffs quietly and returns the bow before fleeing down the path.

Quirrel waits until she’s disappeared around one of the trees before turning back to Furzkopf. He holds his hand out to Ogrim as he says, “I just have a few questions about your descriptions.”

Ogrim pulls the letter out and hands it over.

“Are you certain that there is suitable privacy here?” Furzkopf asks, his voice quavering.

Quirrel looks around, startled. “You didn’t seem to think there would be an issue in what you were suggesting Gaiea do for you, I don’t see how this is any different. This is fairly secluded, as you were mentioning.”

Ogrim almost snickers, but catches himself. Quirrel had heard what the ass had been suggesting; good. Ogrim had been planning on making sure that she didn’t need to work anywhere near this end of the palace for the rest of the week – and he still will – but getting Quirrel worked up would generate additional solutions that were usually far more entertaining.

What Ogrim can do is make sure the White Lady is aware she needs to temporarily double or triple the garden staff, so that the seclusion is no longer available.

“I… suppose, if you are confident we won’t be interrupted?”

Quirrel shrugs and gestures around vaguely without saying anything.

“Go ahead then.”

“As you wish,” Quirrel says, unfolding the letter. “From your description, this novelty figurine is made from gold, onyx, and emerald?”

“I made it very clear what the materials were when describing it, I don’t know why you need to be asking me this again!”

“It’s standard procedure, my lord. Please bear with me, I know it can be quite hard. From these notes, I understand that it’s about this long?” Quirrel asks as he holds his hands a little ways apart.

“Not quite, well, more like this,” and Furzkopf holds his hands apart, but much closer together – although they keep wavering about, refusing to settle on a specific distance.

“Ahhh, ok, I’ll note that then. Accuracy is important.”

“I’m sure, quite sure, yes.”

Quirrel skims down the notes again, tapping his finger near the bottom of the letter. “Is this a downward or upward version?”

“…I am quite sure I have no idea what you mean.”

Quirrel looks up at Furzkopf, innocently puzzled. “Do you put it in upwards or downwards?”

“This isn’t… it doesn’t go into me anywhere!”

Ogrim nearly gasps, trying to keep from laughing. He grabs his claws together behind his back, and stares off into the trees just over Quirrel’s head. He knew he had chosen the right bug for the job.

“Really?” Quirrel looks back at the letter. “This description is fairly straightforward for a standard model. Barring the materials involved, I don’t see anything particularly special about it.”

Lord Furzkopf stares at Quirrel, speechless.

“You have the hinged version, which I must say is a wyrm to keep clean – honestly, I’m impressed by your dedication on that front – and the little protrusions are definitely a bonus in my experience—” Quirrel has taken to moving his hands as he describes the… novelty figurine in question, demonstrating the various… options he is describing “—but being made from metal and stone means that it will stay cold for quite a while. Which in itself can be quite pleasurable, but… well, that’s a whole different topic, of course.” He looks up and smiles at Furzkopf, holding his hand out slightly, palm up.

“Of course,” Furzkopf whispers.

“Regardless, I suppose whether it goes upwards—” Quirrel curls his fingers up and then tweaks his wrist to rock them forward as Furzkopf watches, stunned, “—or downward—” Furzkopf whimpers as Quirrel rotates his hand and curls his fingers again, providing another helpful demonstration, “—doesn’t matter so much as we search. Hmmm. Where was the last place you saw it?”

“Ahhh, that would be in my rooms of course,” he says faintly.

Quirrel skims the letter and nods. “You wouldn’t have happened to take it with you while visiting Vashnia?”

Ogrim looks at Quirrel. That wasn’t in the letter. He knew Furzkopf was doing his level best to get into Vashnia’s bed, but in addition to his naturally repellant personality, he continued to harass anything that moved in an attempt to get it to move on him. Last he knew, Vashnia wouldn’t do much more than taunt him.

Quirrel is assiduously reading the note, as if the answer to his questions were present somewhere within. Which they are not, because Ogrim has re-read the note several times in absolute amazement.

“…I perhaps may have happened to have it in my robes when she suggested we have drinks, to show her, you know, simply as an amusement of course.”

Quirrel nods, “Of course, as one does.”

“Yes! As one does, certainly there was nothing meant by it at all!”

“Well, it obviously means something, or we wouldn’t be here having this conversation, would we?” Quirrel says, looking up and smiling brightly.

“No, of course not… I mean yes, it does!”

“Right! Thank you for your time, Lord Furzkopf. I believe we have enough information to get a firm grasp on the situation. We will be sure to keep you updated of any changes or progress. Have a nice day!”

“Yes, of course, please do that,” Furzkopf replies weakly.

Absolutely positive he won’t be able to say anything without laughing, Ogrim simply nods his head at Furzkopf, and follows Quirrel out of the gardens.

- - -

“I’m going to shove his novelty figurine into him sideways,” Quirrel growls once they are out of earshot.

Ogrim grabs his shoulder and shoves him into one of the sheds, wedging the door shut behind him.

“No, you will not.”

Quirrel glares at him, crossing his arms.

“Vashnia knows how to handle creeps like him, she’s been doing it for years. He’s making a fool of himself.”

Quirrel snorts. “And Gaiea?”

Ogrim gives him a tight smile. “The White Lady will have a report of my observations by the end of today. I know she’s been lightly monitoring him; it won’t be so light after this.”

“Good.”

He stares at Ogrim for several moments before grinning. “I know where his blasted novelty figurine is, by the way.”

Ogrim laughs, and grabs his shoulder. “I was wondering! I take it Vashnia has it?”

Quirrel nods with a snicker. “Miranda is her cousin, and has been staying with her the last few weeks. Vashnia has taken to spiking his drinks and then flirting with him shamelessly.” He gestures back towards the gardens with a sigh. “Unfortunately, the side-effect of that frustration seems to be an increase in his harassment of others. My guess is that the White Lady missed it simply because it’s only stepped up in the last two or so days. Your report may not surprise her all that much, to be honest. Her staff seem quite comfortable reporting up to their supervisors, it may just have been the normal delay of bureaucracy in inaction.”

Ogrim scoffs. “That doesn’t help Gaiea much.”

Quirrel grins wickedly. “Gaiea was armed with trowels, at least two pruning shears, a turning fork, and a trimming saw. Two of those items you never saw, because she had tucked them into her shell when he started getting suggestive. She’s strong, she’s fast, and volunteered to be the one in his presence today. If he’d done more than talk – which is all he’s ever done, according to Miranda – he would have been missing parts faster than you or I could see.”

Ogrim stares at him.

“My friend, never piss off a gardener. They have tools and chemicals, and are not afraid to use them.”

Ogrim shakes his head. “Duly noted.”

Quirrel snickers. “Let’s go talk to Vashnia and see what her plans were for this… toy, because I’m guessing it’s far more entertaining than anything either of us could come up with.”

Grinning, Ogrim follows his friend out of the shed and into the palace.

- - -

Several days later, an interesting novelty figurine was found in the hallway outside of Lord Furzkopf’s door, laying as if dropped from the pocket of a robe.

The cleaning staff considerately placed it on a towel and gave it to the serving staff, who placed on his tray as they brought him breakfast, lying beside his fork and knife.

- - -

Do a Google Translate on Furzkopf. ;-)

Post Apocalyptic Love Chapter Five

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3  - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7  

NUMBER OF CHAPTERS/ONE SHOT: 5/? WHICH TOM CHARACTER: Doctor Thomas Hiddleston   PAIRING: Tom/OFC   GENRE: Drama, Romance

SUMMARY   After three generations of living inside of vault 181, the era of expeditions into the wasteland has finally come. Young scientist Rory Waters is more than eager to join in on the fun together with her colleague and boss, Doctor Thomas Hiddleston. There is only one problem, Rory is a fertile and childless woman in her mid-twenties. In order to be able to go out on an expedition, she has to promise the research board that she will provide them with a child afterwards. There is only one man in the entire vault that Rory can imagine having children with…  

Taglist: @twhiddlestonsstuff​

CHAPTER FIVE The Disciplinarian’s Office

Tom shook his head amusedly at Rory’s habit of getting herself into trouble. It became so apparent how different she was from the other girl’s their age as they sat down in the waiting outside the disciplinarian’s office. The other visitors were children, some accompanied by grown ups, or adolescents, all of which considerably younger than Rory. It was a bizarre experience for Tom to sit outside the disciplinarian’s office with his soon to be wife, just to make sure that she didn’t try to escape from whatever punishment Mister Cavill would have in store for her.

Mister Cavill sighed heavily and shook his head upon seeing Rory in his waiting room.

“You can come back in an hour, Miss Waters, so you don’t have to sit around and wait here with all the children,” he informed her.

“Thanks, Mister Cavill,” Rory replied with a grin as she got out of her seat.

“Then I suppose we could head to the canteen for a meal,” Tom suggested. Rory nodded agreeingly.

They ate in silence until Tom noticed how Rory was not eating but picking at her food as though she was deeply bothered by something. He wanted to cheer her up.

“What’s wrong, Miss Waters? Don’t you like the food?” he asked, causing her to snort at his bad joke. Reflecting over whether you enjoyed the taste of the food you were rationed was merely a waste of time and a luxury of the past. Her entire life, Rory had been constantly reminded to be grateful for what she was given and chided when displaying any signs of discontent. There simply was no room for that kind of behaviour in this new world.

Rory picked up the fork and began eating from her plate. She had been in deep thought and forgotten all about how hungry she really was. Once the plate was emptied she looked around the canteen with its metal walls, ceiling, tables and chairs. They all had the same boring colour of grey. She sighed heavily as she thought about the world outside the vault, it had been pretty grey too, but in an open way that didn’t give her that unpleasant claustrophobic feeling as the insides of the vault did. She wanted to get out there again. She had to get out there again, she thought.

“We should probably head back to Mister Cavill’s office now,” Tom informed her after an hour had passed. Rory nodded and got out of her seat, taking the metal tray with her.

Inside of Mister Cavill’s office, Tom noticed an unmistakable chemistry between Mister Cavill and Rory. They shared knowing smiles as Rory slumped down in one of the seats by the desk.

“So, Miss Waters, what brings you here today?” Mister Cavill questioned in a businesslike tone, leaning slightly forward in his seat behind the desk to look at her through his thick rimmed glasses. He was very muscular, but his gentle ways made him considerably less threatening than he would have been otherwise.

Rory smiled amusedly as she motioned to Tom. “I believe Doctor Hiddleston should tell the story, seeing as Commander Fowler told him to escort me here,” Rory replied.

“Commander Fowler, huh?” Mister Cavill said with a heavy sigh as he looked at Rory. “You know he’ll want proof, right?” he informed her. “That’s why he sent Doctor Hiddleston with you, so he’d have a witness for the administration of your punishment.” 

“A witness?” Tom questioned uneasily. He certainly didn’t want to see Rory get beaten. Especially not after all the awful stories she had told him about it throughout the day.

“Yes, a witness,” Mister Cavill said and looked at Tom thoughtfully, as though he was trying to read him. “But to judge by the look on your face, you want Miss Waters to be caned as little as I do,” he continued with a smile. “In fact, you make the perfect witness, Doctor Hiddleston, because you’re considered a reliable and conscientious person. We could use that to our advantage. Don’t you think, Miss Waters?”

“You can call me Rory in front of him, Henry,” Rory told him happily. “This is Tom, my fiance, I think?”

“Yes, I suppose I am,” Tom realised and smiled embarrassedly as he looked at her ringless hand. “I should probably get you a ring,” he added.

“I would like that very much,” Rory replied with a wide smile and turned to look at Henry. “Can you believe this, Henry? I’m getting married! The plan is that we’re going to have children and raise them together, not collectively like you and I got raised, but as a real family,” she told him excitedly.

“I’m so happy for you. Congratulations, Rory,” Henry told her and walked around his desk to give her a proper hug. “But you should have just come and told me that without pissing off Commander Fowler first. Now we both have to spend the next couple of days acting like I caned you,” told her with a sigh. “I hate it when you glare at me.”

“Yeah, I’ve been told I’m pretty good at that,” Rory replied with a smile. “I’m sorry, Henry. But we can’t act like we’re friends outside of here, because then they’ll get suspicious and possibly ruin everything you have worked so hard to achieve.”

“I know. The number one troublemaker can’t be friends with the disciplinarian who allegedly gives her beatings on a regular basis,” Henry said sadly and parted from her to look at her properly. “I’m sorry I can only see you when you’re in trouble.”

“Me too,” Rory said regretfully. “But at least we see each other quite regularly.”

“It’s not a good thing that you still get sent here on a regular basis, Rory. You’re too old for this,” he told her seriously before turning to face Tom. He shook his hand. “Congratulations on your engagement, Doctor Hiddleston. As you already know, she’s a handful, but she’s also one of the best people I know.”

“Awwh, thank you, Henry. The feeling is mutual,” Rory told him, placing a hand above her heart as she looked at him tenderly.

“I promise I’ll take good care of her,” Tom assured Henry as he walked back to his desk.

“You better,” Henry told him seriously “She’s like a little sister to me.” He looked at Tom for a moment before cracking a smile that made Tom even more nervous. The smile didn’t look genuine.

They spent the rest of the time in Henry’s office talking about details of how Tom and Rory should act to convince everyone that Tom had just seen her get severely caned by Henry. The attention to detail in the story of the alleged caning made Tom feel sick to his stomach. Was this really how people were being treated within the vault? He felt bad not having had any idea how bad things really got for those who couldn’t or wouldn’t keep their heads down and stay in line.

Tom also felt a sense of pride for becoming a confidant when it came to Rory and Henry’s plan to change things from the inside. Henry had set out to become a disciplinarian solely because he wanted to change how badly children and adolescents were being treated. He would actually talk and listen to the troublemakers rather than hitting them, like he was instructed to do.

As the two of them left the disciplinarian’s office, Tom looked at Rory with a new found interest and wondered what else he might not know about her. The more he thought about it, the more he realised how little he really knew about the free-spirited woman walking beside him.

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Buddhist Temples In Japan

It is alleged that the Muromachi interval, in which Ginkakuji was built, was an age that blended the aristocratic tradition of samurai warriors, monks and court docket nobles. The constructing was modeled after the traditional Imperial Palace from the Heian Period, but its surrounding space is simply as impressive. You may be required to take off your footwear when getting into temple buildings. Leave your footwear on the shelves on the entrance or take them with you in plastic bags supplied at some temples. If a temple has a temizuya, purify your palms and mouth in the same method you'd at a shrine and head to the altar. At some temples, you might be required to take off your sneakers earlier than entering temple buildings. When you are taking a stroll under the torii, make sure you don’t walk through in actual center, as an alternative walk through a little to the left or proper of the middle pathway. The middle of the trail is taken into account holy floor on which the god walks. Two pairs of gigantic and grimacing gods stand guard initially of the 300 meter-long approach to the temple, lined with stalls promoting an exuberant mixture of traditional crafts and gaudy souvenirs. Eiheiji Temple - Eiheiji is certainly one of Japan's most well-known temples - an lively coaching middle of Soto Zen Buddhism in Fukui Prefecture. Hanazono Shrine - a popular shrine with a energetic festival within the heart of Shinjuku. Nashinoki Shrine - small shrine on the north east facet of Kyoto Imperial Palace well-known for its fresh water spring. Sennyuji Temple - is a giant Shingon sect temple complex with imperial tombs near Tofukuji. Kiyomizu Temple - World Heritage Site - Kyoto's most popular temple particularly with younger people. This Zen temple has its own, if extra understated, beauty, with a famous Zen sand garden, meticulously cared for by the temple’s monks. 10 Finest Museums In Tokyo Art that isn't like the rest - visit the Taro Okamoto Memorial Museum to not solely see, but touch and surround your self with works by this prolific Japanese artist. The Snoopy Museum positioned in Roppongi is the primary and solely approved satellite location of the Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California. Peanuts followers can see rare drawings, be taught the history of Charlie Brown and the gang and even get pleasure from Snoopy-related treats in the cafe. Contemporary artwork has its home right here in the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo; international and domestic artists are shown right here in Eastern Tokyo which has lengthy been known as the off-beat side of this metropolis. Japanese architect Arata Isozaki has generated a theory to analyse the evolution of the inside design of museums and art galleries. According to his concept, museums and artwork galleries over the previous several centuries have diverged into three classes. In reality, many truly saved cash on pricey exhibitions through the short-term closures. In the artwork world, the biggest victims of pandemic-related restrictions have been personal galleries and the up to date artists whose works they show and sell, says Tatehata. As a three way partnership between the Center for Contemporary Graphic Art and the Tyler Collection Archive, this gallery presents a wide number of art and design exhibitions focusing specifically on printmaking in contemporary art. Located within the well-known Ginza District of Tokyo, the GGG focuses largely on curating exhibitions about graphic design and typography. The gallery options numerous exhibitions on Japanese designers, as properly as design from all over the world. The GGG additionally hosts workshops and lectures presented by visiting artists and designers. Visitors are in a place to experience and study various elements of the earlier Tokyo, such as the way of life of people, Edo period structure, cultural heritage, political local weather and the industrial situation, in an interactive means. The Nezu gallery itself is well-known for having an attractive bamboo-lined entryway and an expansive conventional Japanese-style garden for museum-goers to discover. Onsen Etiquette It could probably be a scary feat for babies to wash alone without a familiar face in sight! Some places could explicitly state the standards of bringing youngsters of the other gender (e.g. under xx cm/xx age). You might always go for staying at a Japanese inn with an Onsen connected or lease out a private Onsen for the whole household to enjoy. This might be essentially the most asked question from foreigners when involves utilizing an Onsen in Japan! The cause why tattoos usually are not allowed in Onsen is that tattooed people have been traditionally linked to the Japanese underground society. By banning tattooed patrons, the Onsen services are able to shun these bathers. With so many various styles and kinds of Onsen, the place should you start? It is not only extremely enjoyable after a long day of walking or climbing, additionally it is apparently nice in your health—plus many happen to be set amongst gorgeous scenery. In a pair years, the Olympics might be held in Tokyo, Japan, which implies hundreds of thousands of foreigners will get to experience the enjoyment of the Japanese onsen, or public baths. Sainokawara is your best choice for the outdoor bathing expertise. The men's and women's baths combined cowl a staggering 500 square meters, making it one of many largest outside baths in the country. While it's potential to do a day-trip from Tokyo should you're pushed for time, we would extremely suggest a one-night keep so you possibly can loosen up and get essentially the most out of your visit. You're right here to enjoy the strategy of elongated and relaxed bathing, in any case. • As you can’t be disturbed by your cell phone or pill whereas indulging within the sizzling spring experience, bathing is a perfect opportunity for a digital detox.

While sizzling springs could be discovered wherever volcanic activity is rampant, the Japanese have had a particular affinity for the mineral waters. Onsens are plentiful across the country, and most located outdoors the city limits, that are accessible by prepare or car, making a weekend getaway affordable. When you get within the sizzling tub don’t let your small modesty towel touch the water, you’ll discover a lot of people fold it up and put on prime of their head. Some say that this might help prevent dizziness, however on the very least it serves a sanitary function. [newline]Going to an onsen is unquestionably a soothing experience and a fun cultural exercise to try however can even seem slightly bit intimidating at first. Especially because the concept of a group bath is a large taboo for most westerners. The closest a lot of us might need come to this would be after school sports or should you frequent a health club, even then, privacy remains to be considerably thought of in these situations. Whatever your trepidation’s about visiting an onsen are, this guide to onsen etiquette will be positive to alleviate a few of that. Friends of mine with smaller tattoos have gotten away with covering them with bandages or even using their small onsen towel to obscure them. For those with back tattoos, leaning against the wall while within the water has labored. A guide to experiencing Japan's sizzling springs - even if you're inked. Finest Time To Go To Japan With Kids Thanks for this record of things to do with youngsters in Tokyo. We’ve lived in Tokyo for 1-1/2 years and haven’t carried out any of these… except Robot Park. I don’t have any particular suggestions for Christmas day in Tokyo. If you are feeling an excessive amount of city time will be taxing and tiring for your family then I’d add one or each of those in. But if you’re snug with busy cities, subways, outlets, and crosswalks then I’d stick with the large three of Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. Otherwise, Tokyo Station is just a 15-minute journey from Maihama Station, giving access to many issues to do in the city. Lastly, when utilizing public baths in Japan, it’s customary to be nude. However, this make-your-own-noodles-by-hand expertise is by reservation solely. Reservations could be made on the official website however the interface is just in Japanese. Because of this, many international tourist households miss out on this amazing family fun expertise. If your family has hassle making your reservation in Japanese, be at liberty to reach out to us at Kids Travel Japan and we’ll set up a reservation for your liked ones for a small fee. Nearby you will discover an excellent purchasing street where you can find a unusual Japanese memento or sample some conventional snacks. Later, you and your family might be treated to a conventional calligraphy lesson. Learn to put in writing your name in Japanese (and perhaps study to say a few words!) with the help of a local instructor. There may also be the chance to visit a manga market, situated in Akihabara. Children face their own challenges when transferring to a new nation. Make positive to provide plenty of support—familiar books, toys, music, photographs of extended family and close associates, and a few favourite meals. Allow them time to get adjusted to their new surroundings, and examine out not to push them to play with children they don’t know. Japanese Competition It’s a lot more of a family centered affair than its western contemporaries. No matter where you would possibly be in Japan, you'll stumble across a Shogatsu celebration during December 31st – Janurary 1st. At night time, teams of lavishly dressed dancers called ren carry out within the streets for the viewing pleasure of all festival attendees. Gion Matsuri is Kyoto’s largest pageant and one of if not the most well-known festivals in all of Japan. Beginning as a non secular ceremony in 869, this pageant quickly turned an annual custom. Some of the notable highlights of the pageant embrace parading of moveable shrines, street meals stalls, and lots of entertainment. They are very intimate celebrations, and not just like the rowdy crowds you might have most likely witnessed with most of Tokyo’s festivities. This is one other unruly annual pageant that takes the streets of Tokyo by storm in May every year. Changing Developments In Japanese Pop Culture Whether a delicate power source should be value-laden is a crucial question. 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Fifty Five Best Excursions & Things To Do In Tokyo There are a variety of sightseeing spots and experiences, together with the snow monkey park of Jigokudani Onsen, the Hiroshima Peace Museum, and Matsumoto Castle. It supplies a variety of areas and experiences that can suit any age. We provide skilled options for any and all needs and we now have worked with many families and individuals from all around the world who required particular companies. Explore darkish alleys, cemeteries and haunted hills, tunnels and residences hiding beneath Tokyo’s tidy veneer when you learn the haunted histories of those areas. Take a moment to wander around the complicated, enjoy the grounds and small shrines scattered all through. You’ll notice that the Golden Pavilion could be very in style and there are crowds throughout. Having a take a look at who's visiting is an efficient supply of entertainment itself. On arrival you'll be met on the airport by your driver and travel by shared shuttle bus to your lodge in the Asakusa district of the city, where your tour leader shall be waiting to satisfy you within the lobby. 公司登記 convene with your group for a welcome assembly before heading out to an area restaurant for an introductory meal – the proper method to begin getting to know your group. Take a tour of Kyoto with an professional local guide, enjoy the unique audience with a trainee geisha, and stroll through the gorgeous Hamarikyu Gardens, hidden within the heart of Tokyo's skyscraper district. Whenever and wherever you travel, public transportation in Asia offers you an perception of the native life and an opportunity to have a memorable experience. After lunch you’ll hop aboard a boat for a one hour excursion of Tokyo Bay. Here’s the place you’ll get amazing views of Tokyo’s skyline, with its skyscrapers, and the Rainbow Bridge. Osaka is Japans second largest metropolis, but in relation to meals, its undoubtedly the frontrunner. This pleasant port is close to Kyoto, making it a handy way to experience the charms of each destinations. Greatest Meals Markets In Tokyo If you wish to eat delicious seasonal vegetables and fruits, remember to go to this market. Here, you can purchase agriculturally licensed, prime quality vegetables and fruits, unfastened leaf tea, jams, and other goods. Even guests who don’t cook on a standard basis may have a good time at this market. Here you will discover a large quantity of merchandise bursting with historical past and nostalgia, like secondhand clothing, antiques, common items, and European trinkets. You’ll find a bit of everything in Ueno market, it’s not completely a food market because the others are however have had some great experiences through here. We love this a part of Tokyo that has so much to supply and felt it deserved a point out. As we mentioned above, the Toyosu Fish Market is the wholesale market and auction section that break up off from Tsukiji market in 2018. We booked, and loved, the night time foodie tour in Gion with them that is simply down the street from here so we wouldn’t hesitate to hitch this one subsequent time. Hakuba, a Nagano ski resort and in style winter destination, proves it has simply as much to offer in summer time, including gorgeous mountain hikes. If you’re looking to stay nearby (it’s really a great, central location), there are lots of motels and hostels close to Nishiki Market to choose from. Originally swordsmiths to royalty, the decline within the need for swords led to the household focusing their expertise on kitchen knives. That craftsmanship doesn’t come cheap; but if you’re after something special, this might be the place for you. With speciality knives and more all-round fashions, you'll find a way to choose a blade and have your initials engraved when you like. Aritsugu are the purveyors of a number of the finest knives in Japan, with a history spanning all the best way back to 1560. Opened by Fujiwara Aritsugu, the store has been handed down from technology to technology. It prides itself on its extensive selection of contemporary seafood which could be ordered and cooked on the spot. A high-profile magazine for the health and sweetness business, featuring market tendencies, business updates and new product info. It offers timely information on the health industry together with each home and overseas markets. Not only in the industries talked about above but in many others, Informa Markets Japan organises over 500 B2B occasions all over the world. Informa Markets in Japan creates international platforms for professionals in numerous industries for his or her enterprise communication. 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A Good Dog Doesn’t Bark

[yet another Foster AU for SIX, if there weren’t enough already]

(Read Anne As Courtney!Anne)

Word count: 4004

TW: Child abuse

———————

Jane couldn’t understand the idea of fostering.

“I mean, yes, it’s a good thing to do,” She had said over tea. “But wouldn’t you rather have a baby come from your body? You just won’t have the same connection with a foster child...”

Anne and Aragon gave her an unamused look. She continued her mantra with a dismissive wave of her hand.

“Plus!” She went on. “You may have to give them up! What if they’re terrible? Or you can’t raise them? Or if their parents want them back? Are you ready to deal with that guilt?” She stirred her tea calmly. “I’m just saying that maybe you two should just try for a moment first.”

“We’re lesbians, Jane.” Aragon deadpanned.

“I meant sperm implants.” Jane specified, slightly ruffled. “That’s what I did to have Kat!”

Aragon wrinkled her nose at the through. Anne snorted.

“No way.” They both said.

“Your loss.” Jane shrugged.

Despite their friend’s very helpful commentary, Anne and Aragon went on with their idea of fostering and went to an adoption fair hosted by the county foster program. There, they met a young eleven year old girl with gnarled blonde-brown hair, storm grey eyes, and a knack for drawing. Instantly, they both fell in love with her shyness and lamb-like appearance.

They had to have her.

“Kinda feels like we’re picking a puppy from a kennel,” Aragon admitted as Anne was driving them both to the house where they would retrieve their new daughter.

Anne has just smiled at her comfortingly, but even she had to admit it kind of did feel like that. Especially when they eventually got to their soon-to-be-daughter’s current placement.

“No, no, no, NO!!” A deep, rough voice roared. “You absolute IDIOT! You would have been dead! Do it again!”

That’s the first thing they heard when she stepped out of the car, then a series of grass-padded footsteps, the clanging of metal, and then a cacophony of crashes and rattles.

“Stop holding back!” The voice snapped. “Where’s that little monster I saw when I first got you?”

“I-I don’t know!” A second voice squeaked, similar to their girl’s. “Dormant? Sleeping? Hibernating? I learned that bears often hibernate, so if it’s supposed to be a bear— OW!!!” There was a howl of pain. “You said hair pulling was cheating!”

“I’m your guardian and teacher. Nothing I do is cheating! Now do it again or so help me—”

“Okay! Okay!”

There was another scampering or footsteps, metal hitting against metal, the strain and creak of ropes, and subtle harsh breaths and whimpers.

“There,” The younger voice panted. “Was that-” A squeal of pain, followed by a heavy thud up against what was presumably the fence. “Owww...! I-I wasn’t—” Another noise, this one the horrible sound of something whipping down against a skull. “Ow! Ow! Ow! Stop! I’m not ready!”

“USELESS!” The older voice bellowed. “Nobody is going to wait for you in a fight! SO STOP WHINING AND FIGHT BACK!!”

It was madness. Pure madness. And Aragon and Anne couldn’t just stand there and listen to it anymore.

They stormed through the backyard gate and stared in horror at the obstacle course set before them- thick nylon ropes hanging from old, gnarled trees overgrown around the yard; a steep, splintered wooden ramp; large, heavy tires set up in rows; deep trenches of muddy water; even what looked to be a board full of upturned nails placed on the ground. Most of the grass was dead and seemed to be stained a permanent shade of red. The worst thing, however, was the twisted older woman standing above a shuddering child with a bamboo pole in her hands. When she noticed the couple goggling at her, she didn’t look horrified to be caught, rather just annoyed. She prodded the child at her feet roughly in the shoulder.

“Get up.” She spat, then finally turned to address the visitors. “What?”

“What the fuck,” Aragon said first. “What the fuck is wrong with—”

Anne covered her mouth, but her wife struggled and even bit her in her attempt to keep scolding. The woman with the pole looks very amused.

“We’re here to get Joan.” Anne said, still attempting to wrangle up Aragon. “Umm... What is this place and, yes, what is going on?”

The woman raised her nose, examining the two of them.

“This is the Puppy Mill.” She said, and those words sent snarls of ice cold horror curling through Aragon and Anne’s stomachs. “Where the...unwanted children go. Or are born. I get a lot of knocked up teenagers.”

She cast a disgusted look over to a young pregnant girl sitting on the porch. The girl glared right back, and that’s when Anne and Aragon realized that they were surrounded by kids. Kids ranging from ages five to seventeen it seemed, either sitting on the roof or in trees or on the porch or watching from the windows inside. They were all dressed in rags, had their hair done in tangled messes, looked absolutely filthy, and had collars fastened around their necks. It made Anne want to cry and Aragon want to rampage.

“What the fuck,” Aragon muttered again.

“Who did you say you wanted again?” The woman asked. “My name is simply Wolf, by the way. Don’t wear it out.”

“Joan.” Anne repeated, trying to keep back a tremble in her voice. The smell of blood, piss, and sweat were swarming her senses.

“Joan...” Wolf looked around the backyard, tapping her chin. “Don’t think I have a Joan.”

“That would be me,” Gurgled the child at her feet. Wolf scowled down at her. Aragon and Anne realized she, too, had a thick, metal collar latched around her neck.

A shock collar.

“Oh. Right.” Wolf oozed. “I thought I told you to get up, Pit Bull.”

“Pit Bull?” Anne echoed.

“We don’t use real names here. For example, the six year old that just took your wallet without you knowing is Yorkie.”

“What?!” Anne whirled around to find that her wallet was, in fact, missing from her back pocket and now resided in the greedy little hands of a dirty, mud-smelling six year old boy with amber eyes. He had been going through it with his grimy fingers up until he was caught and then actually hunched over, bared his stubby teeth, and growled like a dog. Wolf laughed loudly.

“That’s my pup!” She cheered. She held out her hand and Yorkie immediately scampered over, pressing his head into it eagerly. She stroked his dusty hair gently. “Alright, now give this lady back her things. You’ll be rewarded for your thievery after this.”

Yorkie beamed. He gave Anne back her wallet and stuck out his tongue at her before skittering away to probably brag to his friends about what he had done.

“See. That’s what you should be like.” Wolf said to Joan, prodding her in the cheek with the end of her pole. “Why did you tell them your name? You know why don’t use those.”

“I’m sorry,” Joan whispered. She failed at getting up, still reeling from when she had been hit on the head, and just slumped to the ground in a woeful puddle, moaning pitifully.

“Why can’t she use her name?” Aragon hissed.

“And why do you call her Pit Bull?” Anne added.

“Because,” Wolf smirked wickedly with all her teeth. “Pit Bulls are killers, just like this little one.”

Black ice shot through Aragon and Anne’s veins. Darkness seemed to be rushing into their vision, sucking all their breath away. It was like the entire atmosphere was pressing down on them.

“What?” Anne whispered.

“You’re lying!” Aragon snarled.

“Tell that to the corpses of her parents she beat to death,” Wolf said smoothly. “She’s a little monster. My perfect little monster. If she can just get her training drills down.” She shot Joan a glare. “But she isn’t for sale. Not that you would want such a creature after hearing what it’s done.”

“No,” Anne shook her head. “We’re taking her. We have forms.”

Aragon fished them out of her purse and thrust them into Wolf’s hands. Wolf sighed, rolled her eyes, but scanned over the documents. She occasionally glances at Joan and then the couple as she was reading.

“Hm.” She eventually said. “I suppose you are right.” She suddenly snapped her head downward and jabbed the end of the pole in between Joan’s shoulder blades. It made Aragon jolt forward slightly, hands outstretched and twitching. She gave the woman an entertained look, then turned her attention back to the child on the ground. “Get up, beast. Go gather your things. You’re out of here.”

“B-but—” Joan tried to protest.

“NOW!”

Wolf grabbed Joan by the collar and yanked her to her feet, then shoved her roughly to the back door. The girl uselessly keeled over into the grass immediately, but managed to scramble inside.

“Worthless,” Wolf hissed under her breath.

“We can call the police.” Aragon warned dangerously. Her protectiveness for the child seemed to have only increased, despite the alleged news of murder.

“You can try.” Wolf said. “But it won’t do you any good. Nothing ever happens.”

“You’re hurting these children!” Aragon cried.

Laughter rang out through the entire backyard- the children were laughing.

“Awww, the rich lady thinks we have it bad!” One boy in a tree chortled.

“Probably because she’s had everything handed to her on a silver platter!” Another chimed in.

“Ohhh, look at me! I have money and can pay my mortgage! I need to barge into everyone’s lives and think I have to fix it!” A third mocked, causing a roar of giggles. Aragon suddenly felt a lot less pity for all these kids except her girl.

“She's acting this way because Pit Bull is a weak little bitch,” Said the pregnant girl on the porch.

“Yeah!” A seven year old joined in. “Pit Bull is making us look bad!”

It was that moment that Joan came back outside holding a small bag full of her belongings. She cowered under the looks she got and scampered over to the three adults. Her shoulders are hunched around her neck and she’s trembling, Anne and Aragon realize.

“Traitor!” A kid on a rickety tree branch shouted.

“Don’t come back here!” Another yelled.

“We don’t want you!” A third joined in.

“And neither do they!” The second added. “They’re just pitying you, Pittie! But they’ll throw you away soon!”

“Try not to kill them, too!” Bellowed a cruel fourth kid.

By that time, Joan was clearly fighting off a wave of tears.

“We’re leaving now.” Aragon snarled, glaring at Wolf and then all the children in the backyard. “God save you.”

Screeches of laughter filled the yard as the couple and their new foster daughter walked to the gate. They could hear the kids mocking Aragon’s words as they went, and Aragon somehow managed to keep from storming back over and pummeling all of them.

“Are you okay?” Anne asked Joan once they got to the car.

Joan looked down at her feet. “Yeah...”

Anne and Aragon exchanged worried looks, but didn’t try to prod. They just helped Joan into the car and began to return home.

The drive smelled like blood.

———

Joan was asleep when they got to the house—or maybe she was just unconscious. Anne and Aragon didn’t know. And they were not sure if they wanted to.

Anne grabbed the bag while Aragon carefully scooped up the child, who was alarmingly light. She was absolutely tiny too, even for an eleven year old. That was exactly why she barked at her wife to call her doctor friend to come do check a check up on the girl.

“They’re just the kind of injuries you would expect from an experience like this,” Maggie was saying as she returned from the child’s bedroom, removing the stethoscope from around her neck in a far too professional manner for what Aragon or Anne was used to. “Even though I’m not technically working right now, I still have to follow confidentiality agreements, so I can’t tell you the extent of her injuries, but she’s had a rough time. From what I’ve seen, it appears as though she was thrown into a wall and hit her head more than once; she’s got a few bruises, a bad ankle, and a couple of nasty broken ribs.” She concluded, setting down her medical kit on the coffee table. “All-in-all, she’s in pretty bad shape, but nothing seems critical. Speaking optimistically, she ought to make a full recovery."

The reaction to his proclamation was stunned silence as Anne and Aragon stared at her in disbelief. She looked back in confusion.

“What?”

“There is no way that's all that happened to her!” Aragon finally exclaimed explosively, halting her agitated pacing by the flat’s window. “When we went to her placement she had been hit in the head with a pole, I’m pretty sure there was blood everywhere, there was absolutely no hygiene there so it’s peak conditions for infections, and all you have to give me is a few bruises? Mother Mary above, you are a doctor, aren’t you? Why don't you just go fix her up and—”

“Training to be a doctor.” Anne cut in quietly, but her wife didn’t hear her.

“And we are her PARENTS now! We deserve to know what’s wrong with—”

“I think what Catalina is trying to say,” Anne finally took charge, and Maggie shot her a grateful look. “Is that you’re withholding important information from us, Mags, because a girl with the home we saw must have sustained much worse injuries than you’re explaining. So please, enlighten us.”

Aragon grumbled to herself before tossing herself down on the couch and downing an entire glass of vodka in one go.

Maggie, nervous, shuffles her feet and then sighed in defeat. She sat down on the arm of the couch.

“Alright, so basically, beside the bruises, cuts, sprained ankle, and bumps on the head, you’re looking at a girl who’s probably been severely abused throughout her entire life.” She said reluctantly, but bluntly, meeting eyes seriously with each of them in turn. “Not just physically, either. I really— I shouldn't be telling you any of this; legally I can’t. All I can say is that what happened to her today wasn’t the first time. It’ll take about a month and a half for all of her external injuries to heal completely, but with physical evidence of her history...the emotional toll is going to be huge.”

Anne set a hand on Aragon’s shoulder when she sensed her wife was getting worked up, but Aragon still got herself to her feet and marched to Joan’s new room. Maggie watched her good helplessly, then turned back to Anne.

“I’m sorry,” She whispered. “That I can’t be more helpful. She‘s right— I’m a doctor. I should be—”

“Shh,” Anne took one of her friend’s hands and rubbed the knuckles comfortingly. “It’s alright. You did more than enough.”

Maggie smiled at her, then got up and began to gather her things. She left some amoxicillin, antiseptic, extra bandages and gauze on the table.

“Just in case.” She said.

“Do you just carry this stuff around?” Anne asked, walking over and picking up the amoxicillin.

Maggie giggled. “Never know when you might need some strong painkillers!” She waved. “Call me if you need anything, alright?”

“Will do,” Anne nodded. “Thank you!”

With that, Maggie is gone. Anne can now hear Aragon cooing in the extra bedroom, so she takes the amoxicillin and a glass of water, and then walks over to the room. Inside, she finds her wife perched on the edge of the bed, stroking Joan’s hair, who is awake, but dazed.

“You took me away,” Joan whispered.

“That’s right.” Aragon said softly. “You’re safe now.”

Joan’s pale face crumbled. “Don’t make me go back there. Please. Please, don’t wanna go back...!”

Anne’s heart broke as she watched this. Aragon seemed to feel the same thing, because she wrapped Joan in her arms and pulled the tiny child into a tender embrace. The little girl immediately clung back, crying into the woman’s chest.

“We’ll never send you back.” Aragon promised her. “You’re our girl now. Our daughter.”

“That’s right,” Anne nodded, walking over. “We’ll take care of you, Joan.”

Joan looked up at them, grey eyes sparkling with tears. Anne and Aragon both reach out to wipe away the streams on each cheek.

“Thank you,” She whispered. She rested her head back on Aragon’s chest, taking steady breaths.

“Hey,” Anne said. “I know! Why don’t I go run you a nice hot bath while Catalina makes us some dinner? Then we can watch a movie! Our first family movie!”

Joan actually smiled, and it was such a beautiful thing to see.

“We never got to take hot baths,” She whispered. “Or watch movies, unless we were really, really good.” She looked up at the two women. “Can I really do that?”

“Of course, sweetheart.” Aragon said. “This is your home now.”

Joan gave another small, but giddy smile and hid her face in Aragon’s chest to hide her blush. Anne ruffled her hair affectionately and then got up to go run a bath in the bathroom connected to the room. Aragon continued to rock Joan in her arms until the water was ready.

—

The room smelled like apples. Not the fresh, crisp kind from the ageing trees in the orchard, but the sweet, faintly chemical scent of apple flavored products. It’s the scent of bath bombs and body wash and, in this case, no tears baby shampoo.

Something Pit Bull had never smelled before.

No-

Not Pit Bull.

She wasn’t-

She was-

She wasn’t-

She was-

She didn’t know who she was anymore.

She splayed her hands open and stared down at them, remembering the way hot, slick blood slid between her fingers. Remembered the chill of the fire stoker’s metal and the smoothness of the lamp’s body. Remembered the way they cradled her brother’s head, which was wrung backwards, neck snapped like a baby bird’s. Remembered how they clawed at His face when he tried to pin her down and remove her clothes.

His face. Him. Her daddy.

And her mummy had watched, face blank, not caring about her husband’s choice to punish their daughter. But she did care when their pathetic child reached back, grabbed a nearby screwdriver daddy had been using earlier that day, and drove it deep into daddy’s eyeball.

Those hands travel up and delicately touch the metal collar fastened tightly around her neck. Her name is engraved on the front- “Pit Bull.”

That’s her name. Not Joan. Who is Joan?

Joan was dead.

Pit Bull desperately roused herself from her reverie when she felt the lashing tongue of the belt across her shoulders and back, the sting of glass edging itself sneakily into her skin. She could see daddy again, his daunting figure towering over her seven-year-old self like some sort of terrifying giant.

Her head snapped up and she lost her will to panic when she noticed something. She was looking in a mirror.

She had not seen her reflection in a long time, since Wolf didn’t like anyone becoming too vain, so she would breaks all the mirrors or cover them up. Now, gazing at her petrified eyes, shrunken lips, and bruised cheek and jawbones, she was shocked by her defeated appearance. Her shape had held out well—she had lost more weight than she had imagined, but at least her her thick, blonde-burnished hair- brown creeping back in at the roots- seemed to be preserved. However, the expression in her own eyes frightened her. They were so blank, so dead—what had happened to her?

Her musing was interrupted by the low growl of her stomach. She needed food, badly. But where could she find some? This was those ladies’ apartment- ladies who were, in all likelihood, going to punish her severely if she took anything that was offered to her. She was used to the punishment—that was the way it was; she wasn't supposed to exist. She wasn't worthy of being alive, so it was natural that she should suffer some sort of consequence for wasting useful air. But she was hungry, and she wanted to at least choke a small portion of food down before the abuse began again. Even if the two women were nice, she couldn’t trust them. She couldn’t believe she let one of them hold her. She even cried in front of them!

She wouldn't dare to ask for any; that would only ensure further deprivation. Wolf’s words, not so long ago spoken, echoed through her head—if you ask, the answer is no.

It wasn't that she particularly enjoyed living to meet the brutal woman’s standards. It was only that she had been forced to learn in order to survive, and even now, after being allegedly set free, her mind and body still clung to that way of living. How could it not? It wasn't as though she had ever known any differently.

She would wait until they came to her, and then, hopefully while they were distracted, she would eat as much as possible before the beating came. She only hoped that it would not be too painful; she didn't want to throw it back up.

Pit Bull eventually peeled off her clothing and grimaced at her body’s state- tight blemishes decorating her body from her thighs to her neck, mottling her pale skin various sickly shades of black and navy and violet and mauve. Her collarbone was bruised all across, while fingerprints showed clearly around the tendons in her neck. Limitless scars in varying degrees of recovery were scattered like pine needles across the expanse of her arms, shoulders, wrists, back, and thighs. Angry red and deep blue marks mar the expanse of her pale back.

Wolf so badly wanted to make her the monster she was believed to be. And looking at how maimed she was, she was starting to believe that she truly was a creature of nightmares.

———

After an hour of being in the bathroom, Joan eventually wandered out in the dining room, bleary-eyed and hair dripping. Aragon smiled warmly at her from the kitchen and Anne went over to greet her.

“Have a nice bath, darling?” She asked the little girl, who blushed shyly at the pet name.

“Yes ma’am.” Joan whispered, keeping her head dipped low.

“We’re having lasagna.” Aragon told her. “Do you like lasagna?”

“I’ve never had it before,” Joan admitted. “Well- Maybe once. A long time ago.”

Anger flashed in Aragon’s eyes, and Joan flinched away. Anne set a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“Wanna meet our cat?”

Joan’s eyes lit up. “You have a cat?”

Anne nodded and led her over to a fluffy white and brown ragamuffin sleeping on the couch. Its ears twitched and blinked big blue eyes at them when they approached.

“This is Speed Demon.” Anne said proudly. Joan giggled at the name, making her heart swell with even more love for this little one.

“He’s so pretty!” Joan exclaimed. She gently pet the cat, who immediately pounced on her hand. She laughed again.

“He’s evil.” Anne grinned.

“I like him,” Joan said. “Can he watch the movie with us?”

“Of course!” Anne said. She continued to watch the child play with Speed Demon until she abruptly stopped and touched the collar around her neck. “Joan? Sweetie?”

Joan turned to her. “Take it off.”

“What?”

“Take it off.” Joan whispered this time. “My collar. Take it off. Please.”

Anne nodded. Carefully, she reached out and unlocked the metal collar around the girl’s neck. She set it to the side and then looked back at Joan.

The real Joan.

This entire time, Pit Bull had been wearing the girl’s skin like a coat, but now with the collar removed, Anne could see that Joan was free.

Free.

Her Joan.

Her daughter.

20 November 2020

Some personal news

Funny how whenever anyone says they have 'some personal news', it's always professional news, isn't it?

It was my turn yesterday. After more than seven years at the Institute for Government, I've decided it's time for a new challenge. I'll be going freelance from 1 January, so please get in touch if you'd like to work with me (all interesting projects on data, digital, openness, government, etc considered). I'll also be working on a book idea. Exciting, if also a little bit vaguely terrifying...

I'll still be an associate at the IfG, and still running our Data Bites event series. (Put Wednesday 2 December in your diary for the next one, and then Wednesday 3 February 2021 after that.)

And - rest assured! - I'll still be writing this newsletter, though it will be taking a break for much of December.

Just one more thing this week: I have a report out (with colleagues Marcus and Oliver) on digital government (in the UK) during the coronavirus crisis. There's a nice write-up from diginomica here, some nice quotes for the paperback from Tanya Filer and Tom Loosemore, and I'll be on the IfG podcast talking about it later. I'm a big fan of this chart, which tells the story of the crisis through visitors to GOV.UK.

This is the second of three reports on digital government we're publishing this autumn - the first was on policy making in a digital world, and the third, on future technology and the government workforce, will be out soon.

Have a great weekend

Gavin

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Today's links:

Graphic content

Viral content

3D Map of COVID Cases by Population, March through Today (r/dataisbeautiful)

Covid in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count* (New York Times)

Here’s a quick thread on what we changed and why (Charlie Smart)

Visualizing Covid-19 Deaths As Spheres in a Tank (r/dataisbeautiful)

Why rich countries are so vulnerable to covid-19* (The Economist)

COVID wriggling its way up county by county, subsiding, and then returning in six dimensions (Benjamin Schmidt)

States That Imposed Few Restrictions Now Have the Worst Outbreaks* (New York Times)

Coronavirus: Inside test-and-trace - how the 'world beater' went wrong (BBC News)

How have COVID-19 rates changed over the last week in England's small areas? (Carl Baker)

New York and the crisis in mass transit systems* (FT)

The kids aren’t alright: How Generation Covid is losing out* (FT)

The vaccines come of age

An effective covid-19 vaccine is a turning point in the pandemic* (The Economist)

Eurozone economy: the struggle to stay afloat until a vaccine arrives* (FT)

The world will soon have covid-19 vaccines. Will people have the jabs?* (The Economist)

Tracking the vaccine race (Reuters)

A man for Four Seasons

Even in Defeat, Trump Found New Voters Across the U.S.* (New York Times)

How Trump’s presidency turned off some Republicans – a visual guide (The Guardian)

Counties That Suffered Higher Unemployment Rates Voted for Biden* (New York Times)

In 2020, the critical must-win states were the 'blue wall'. By 2024, they could be Arizona, Georgia or even Texas (Aron)

Suburban turnout pushed Joe Biden to victory* (FT)

How Suburbs Swung the 2020 Election (Bloomberg CityLab)

Here’s how long it could take to certify the vote in key states — and the GOP efforts to upend that process* (Washington Post)

#dataviz

#ElectionViz: US TV networks have room for data storytelling improvement (Tableau)

Tracking the US election results: 'We needed to be clear, fast, and accurate' (The Guardian)

Sport and leisure

Lewis Hamilton's seventh F1 world title: The stats (BBC Sport)

How new swing techniques are revolutionising golf* (The Economist)

“The Queen’s Gambit” is right: young chess stars always usurp the old* (The Economist)

Who’s in the Crossword? (The Pudding)

Everything else

The State of Ageing in 2020 (Centre for Ageing Better)

Skyscrapers in London: Do we want to reach for the stars?* (The Times)

Atlas of Sustainable Development Goals 2020 (World Bank)

Boeing’s Max jet set to return just as customers head for exit* (FT)

Behind the tally, names and lives* (Washington Post)

Climate graphic of the week: Siberia experiences record temperatures* (FT)

Meta data

Viral content

Digital government during the coronavirus crisis (IfG)

What has digital government in the UK learned during the COVID-19 crisis? (diginomica)

Investigation into government procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic (NAO)

How DWP managed a surge in demand for Universal Credit during COVID-19 (diginomica)

Vaccine rumours debunked: Microchips, 'altered DNA' and more  (BBC News)

Health

Crowdsourcing Our NHS AI Lab Skunkworks Project (NHSX)

Working on a global mental health databank pilot (Wellcome Digital)

National project shows digital inclusion is key to tackling health inequalities (Good Things Foundation)

UK government

The National Data Strategy for Health and Care (and the other one for everything else) (medConfidential)

The UK National Data Strategy 2020: doing data ethically (ODI)

Matt Warman's speech on digital identity at Identity Week 2020 (DCMS)

Integrated Review (the Prime Minister)

The latest release of @ONSgeography's National Statistics UPRN Lookup links #UPRNs to postcodes (via Owen Boswarva)

The Document Checking Service: trialling online passport validity checks (Government Digital Service)

A possible expansion of FOIA... (via George Greenwood)

Taiwan

How Taiwan beat Covid-19* (Wired)

Taiwan’s civic tech gift to the world (GovInsider)

How Taiwan became a coronavirus success story (IfG, from June 2020)

North America

Data disappeared: four years of the Trump administration (Highline)

How the U.S. Military Buys Location Data from Ordinary Apps (Motherboard)

The federal government’s chief information security officer is helping an outside effort to hunt for alleged voter fraud* (Washington Post, via Alice)

Zuckerberg and Dorsey to be quizzed by Senate following Biden vote victory (BBC News)

Companies could face hefty fines under new Canadian privacy law (CBC)

Analysis (Cory Doctorow)

Everything else

Announcing the Data Collective: Free training, consultancy, peer support, and community for those using data in the social sector (DataKind UK)

Increasingly trusted to find an edge: What it’s like to be a club’s data analyst* (The Athletic)

Design is the strategy* (Apolitical)

An adequacy determination does not resolve the lower standard of data protection in the UK. (Amberhawk)

The TBI Globalism Study: Transparency and Autonomy Should Underpin Online Voting Systems (Tony Blair Institute for Global Change)

The Data Governance Working Group of the Global Partnership for AI is seeking feedback on how we're thinking about our work and scope (via Jeni)

Opportunities

JOB: Director, GOV.UK (GDS)

JOB: Head of Technology and Architecture for GOV.UK opening at GDS (Technology in Government)

COURSE: ANNOUNCING: First of its Kind Executive Course on Data Stewardship — Focused on Data Re-Use in the Public Interest (Open Data Policy Lab)

EVENT: How to enhance the UK’s geospatial ecosystem (Geospatial Commission)

EVENT: UKGovCamp 2021

And finally...

The R number, crocheted. (Statistrikk)

The Civic Tech Graveyard

AI can now produce passable parody song lyrics. The system is called Weird AI Yankovic. Really. (Pando)