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fixomnia-scribble · 1 month

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WOW.

Scientists found an amazingly well-preserved village from 3,000 years ago

Text below, in case article access dries up:

LONDON — A half-eaten bowl of porridge complete with wooden spoon, communal rubbish bins, and a decorative necklace made with amber and glass beads are just a handful of the extraordinarily well-preserved remnants of a late Bronze Age hamlet unearthed in eastern England that’s been dubbed “Britain’s Pompeii” and a “time capsule” into village life almost 3,000 years ago.

The findings from the site, excavated in 2015 to 2016, are now the subject of two reports, complete with previously unseen photos, published this week by University of Cambridge archaeologists, who said they cast light onto the “cosy domesticity” of ancient settlement life.

“It might be the best prehistoric settlement that we’ve found in Britain,” Mark Knight, the excavation director and a co-author of the reports, said in an interviewThursday. “We took the roofs off and inside was pretty much the contents,” he said. “It’s so comprehensive and so coherent.”

The reason for the rare preservation: disaster.

The settlement, thought to have originally consisted of several large roundhouses made of wood and constructed on stilts above a slow-moving river, was engulfed by a fire less than a year after being built.

During the blaze, the buildings and much of their contents collapsed into a muddy river below that “cushioned the scorched remains where they fell,” the university said of the findings. This combination of charring from the fire and waterlogging led to “exceptional preservation,” the researchers found.

“Because of the nature of the settlement, that it was burned down and its abandonment unplanned, everything was captured,” Knight added.

“As we excavated it, there was that feeling that we were picking over someone else’s tragedy,” he said of the eerie site in the swampy fenland of East Anglia. “I don’t think we could smell the fire but the amount of ash around us — it felt close.”

Researchers said they eventually unearthed four large wooden roundhouses and an entranceway structure, but the original settlement was probably “twice as big.”

The site at Must Farm dates to about 850 B.C., eight centuries before Romans came to Britain. Archaeologists have been shocked at “just how clear the picture is” of late Bronze Age life based on the level of detail uncovered, Knight said.

The findings also showed that the communities lived “a way of life that was more sophisticated than we could have imagined,” Duncan Wilson, head of Historic England, the public body responsible for preserving England’s historic environment, said in a statement.

The findings unearthed include a stack of spears, possibly for hunting or defense; a decorative necklace “with beads from as far away as Denmark and Iran”; clothes of fine flax linen; and a female adult skull rendered smooth, “perhaps a memento of a lost loved one,” the research found.

The inhabitants’ diet was also rich and varied, including boar, pike and bream, along with wheat and barley.

A pottery bowl with the finger marks of its maker in the clay was also unearthed, researchers said, still containing its final meal — “a wheat-grain porridge mixed with animal fats” — with a wooden spatula resting inside the bowl.

“It appears the occupants saved their meat juices to use as toppings for porridge,” project archaeologist Chris Wakefield said in the university’s news release. “Chemical analyses of the bowls and jars showed traces of honey along with ruminant meats such as deer, suggesting these ingredients were combined to create a form of prehistoric honey-glazed venison,” he added.

Skulls of dogs — probably kept as pets and to help with hunting — were also uncovered, and the dogs’ fossilized feces showed they fed on scraps from their owners’ meals, the research found.

The buildings, some connected by walkways, may have had up to 60 people living there all together, Knight said, along with animals.

Although no intact sets of human remains were found at the site, indicating that the inhabitants probably fled the fire safely, several sheep bones were found burned indoors. “Skeletal remains showed the lambs were three to six months old, suggesting the settlement was destroyed sometime in late summer or early autumn,” according to the university’s news release.

Ceramic and wooden vessels including tiny cups, bowls and large storage jars were also found. Some pots were even designed to nest, stacked inside one another, Knight said — evidence of an interest in aesthetics as well as practicality.

A lot of similar items were found replicated in each home, Knight added, painting the picture of completely independent homesteads for each family unit rather than distinct buildings for shared tasks — much like we live today.

Household inventories often included metal tools, loom weights, sickles for crop harvesting, axes and even handheld razors for cutting hair.

The roundhouses — one of which had almost 50 square meters (nearly 540 square feet) of floor space — had hearths and insulated straw and clay roofs. Some featured activity zones for cooking, sleeping and working akin to modern-day rooms.

The Must Farm settlement has produced the largest collection of everyday Bronze Age artifacts ever discovered in the United Kingdom, according to Historic England, which partly funded the 1.1 million pound ($1.4 million) excavation project.

The public body labeled the site a “time capsule,” including almost 200 wooden artifacts, over 150 fiber and textile items, 128 pottery vessels and more than 90 pieces of metalwork. Some items will go on display at the nearby Peterborough Museum next month.

Archaeologists never found a “smoking gun” cause for the fire, Knight said. Instead, they suspect it was either an attack from “outside forces,” which may explain why the inhabitants never returned to collect their possessions from the debris, or an accidental blaze that spread rapidly across the tightly nestled homes.

“Probably all that was left was the people and what they were wearing; everything else was left behind,” Knight said of the fire.

But the preservation has left a window for people to look back through in the future. “You could almost see and smell their world,” he said.

“The only thing that was missing was the inhabitants,” Knight added. “And yet … I think they were there — you certainly got glimpses.”

#archaeology #bronze age #UK archaeology #excavations

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ancientcharm · 27 days

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Roman glass bowl, end of 1st century B.C–1st century A.D

During the Roman Imperial period, the popularity of elite objects sculpted from colorful stones such as agate and onyx led to the development of a market in glass replicas. These affordable alternatives were cast or blown from multi-colored canes of glass and imitated expensive natural stones. Here, an ancient craftsman has created an abstract version of agate using brown and white glass.

To make the bowl, the artist heated a rod of multicolored glass and laid the molten glass onto a flat surface, spiraling it into the center in a serpentine pattern. While heating in a kiln, the glass would fuse slowly--each curve melding into the next--until it became one large, colorful disk. After brief cooling, the disk was placed atop a hemispherical mold and heated again, until it slumped into a bowl shape. In the final step, the completed bowl entered an annealing oven to cool slowly, a process that kept the glass from shattering.

Text by The J. Paul Getty Museum.

Public domain pictures. Getty's Open Content Program.

#roman glassware #archaeology #roman art

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nasa · 1 year

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Caution: Universe Work Ahead 🚧

We only have one universe. That’s usually plenty – it’s pretty big after all! But there are some things scientists can’t do with our real universe that they can do if they build new ones using computers.

The universes they create aren’t real, but they’re important tools to help us understand the cosmos. Two teams of scientists recently created a couple of these simulations to help us learn how our Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope sets out to unveil the universe’s distant past and give us a glimpse of possible futures.

Caution: you are now entering a cosmic construction zone (no hard hat required)!

This simulated Roman deep field image, containing hundreds of thousands of galaxies, represents just 1.3 percent of the synthetic survey, which is itself just one percent of Roman's planned survey. The full simulation is available here. The galaxies are color coded – redder ones are farther away, and whiter ones are nearer. The simulation showcases Roman’s power to conduct large, deep surveys and study the universe statistically in ways that aren’t possible with current telescopes.

One Roman simulation is helping scientists plan how to study cosmic evolution by teaming up with other telescopes, like the Vera C. Rubin Observatory. It’s based on galaxy and dark matter models combined with real data from other telescopes. It envisions a big patch of the sky Roman will survey when it launches by 2027. Scientists are exploring the simulation to make observation plans so Roman will help us learn as much as possible. It’s a sneak peek at what we could figure out about how and why our universe has changed dramatically across cosmic epochs.

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This video begins by showing the most distant galaxies in the simulated deep field image in red. As it zooms out, layers of nearer (yellow and white) galaxies are added to the frame. By studying different cosmic epochs, Roman will be able to trace the universe's expansion history, study how galaxies developed over time, and much more.

As part of the real future survey, Roman will study the structure and evolution of the universe, map dark matter – an invisible substance detectable only by seeing its gravitational effects on visible matter – and discern between the leading theories that attempt to explain why the expansion of the universe is speeding up. It will do it by traveling back in time…well, sort of.

Seeing into the past

Looking way out into space is kind of like using a time machine. That’s because the light emitted by distant galaxies takes longer to reach us than light from ones that are nearby. When we look at farther galaxies, we see the universe as it was when their light was emitted. That can help us see billions of years into the past. Comparing what the universe was like at different ages will help astronomers piece together the way it has transformed over time.

This animation shows the type of science that astronomers will be able to do with future Roman deep field observations. The gravity of intervening galaxy clusters and dark matter can lens the light from farther objects, warping their appearance as shown in the animation. By studying the distorted light, astronomers can study elusive dark matter, which can only be measured indirectly through its gravitational effects on visible matter. As a bonus, this lensing also makes it easier to see the most distant galaxies whose light they magnify.

The simulation demonstrates how Roman will see even farther back in time thanks to natural magnifying glasses in space. Huge clusters of galaxies are so massive that they warp the fabric of space-time, kind of like how a bowling ball creates a well when placed on a trampoline. When light from more distant galaxies passes close to a galaxy cluster, it follows the curved space-time and bends around the cluster. That lenses the light, producing brighter, distorted images of the farther galaxies.

Roman will be sensitive enough to use this phenomenon to see how even small masses, like clumps of dark matter, warp the appearance of distant galaxies. That will help narrow down the candidates for what dark matter could be made of.

In this simulated view of the deep cosmos, each dot represents a galaxy. The three small squares show Hubble's field of view, and each reveals a different region of the synthetic universe. Roman will be able to quickly survey an area as large as the whole zoomed-out image, which will give us a glimpse of the universe’s largest structures.

Constructing the cosmos over billions of years

A separate simulation shows what Roman might expect to see across more than 10 billion years of cosmic history. It’s based on a galaxy formation model that represents our current understanding of how the universe works. That means that Roman can put that model to the test when it delivers real observations, since astronomers can compare what they expected to see with what’s really out there.

In this side view of the simulated universe, each dot represents a galaxy whose size and brightness corresponds to its mass. Slices from different epochs illustrate how Roman will be able to view the universe across cosmic history. Astronomers will use such observations to piece together how cosmic evolution led to the web-like structure we see today.

This simulation also shows how Roman will help us learn how extremely large structures in the cosmos were constructed over time. For hundreds of millions of years after the universe was born, it was filled with a sea of charged particles that was almost completely uniform. Today, billions of years later, there are galaxies and galaxy clusters glowing in clumps along invisible threads of dark matter that extend hundreds of millions of light-years. Vast “cosmic voids” are found in between all the shining strands.

Astronomers have connected some of the dots between the universe’s early days and today, but it’s been difficult to see the big picture. Roman’s broad view of space will help us quickly see the universe’s web-like structure for the first time. That’s something that would take Hubble or Webb decades to do! Scientists will also use Roman to view different slices of the universe and piece together all the snapshots in time. We’re looking forward to learning how the cosmos grew and developed to its present state and finding clues about its ultimate fate.

This image, containing millions of simulated galaxies strewn across space and time, shows the areas Hubble (white) and Roman (yellow) can capture in a single snapshot. It would take Hubble about 85 years to map the entire region shown in the image at the same depth, but Roman could do it in just 63 days. Roman’s larger view and fast survey speeds will unveil the evolving universe in ways that have never been possible before.

Roman will explore the cosmos as no telescope ever has before, combining a panoramic view of the universe with a vantage point in space. Each picture it sends back will let us see areas that are at least a hundred times larger than our Hubble or James Webb space telescopes can see at one time. Astronomers will study them to learn more about how galaxies were constructed, dark matter, and much more.

The simulations are much more than just pretty pictures – they’re important stepping stones that forecast what we can expect to see with Roman. We’ve never had a view like Roman’s before, so having a preview helps make sure we can make the most of this incredible mission when it launches.

Learn more about the exciting science this mission will investigate on Twitter and Facebook.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

#NASA #astronomy #telescope #Roman Space Telescope #dark matter #galaxies #cosmology #astrophysics #stars #galaxy #Hubble #Webb #spaceblr

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memories-of-ancients · 3 months

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Mosaic glass bowl, Roman, 25 BC - 25 AD

from The Victoria and Albert Museum

#history #antiquities #art #ancient history #ancient art #ancient rome

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heaveninawildflower · 4 months

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Roman Mosaic Glass Bowl (1st century BC-1st century AD).

Smithsonian American Art Museum.

#glass #Roman #ancient history #ancient art #Roman glass

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tiredwitchplant · 7 months

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Everything You Need to Know About Crystals: Black Obsidian

Black Obsidian (The Regal Warrior of Stones)

Color: Black, Dark Brown

Hardness: 5-5.5 (softer than quartz)

Rarity: Easy to Acquire

Type: Igneous Rock (Comes from a Volcano)

Chakra Association: Root

Angel: Uriel

Deities: Pele, Tezcatlipoca, Itzpapalotl and Sekhmet

Element: Fire, Earth

Astrological Signs: Sagittarius, Scorpio, Aries

Planet: Saturn, Pluto

Origin: Anywhere with Volcanic Activity

Powers: Protection, Grounding, Clarity, Releasing Blockage, Drawing out Stress, Creativity, Divination and Scrying, Negativity Banishment, Transformation and Absorption

Crystals It Works Well With: Howlite, Malachite

How is it Created: Obsidian is a black volcanic glass, formed when molten lava hits cold water or air and solidifies. It is composed of silicon dioxide (quartz) and many impurities which allows it to take different shapes and colors. Black obsidian gets it coloring from iron and magnesium.

History: The earliest obsidian tools can be dated back to the Oldowan, at the dawn of the Paleolithic/Stone Age (2.6 million- 10,000 BCE). Different origins of this rock can be found in Britain, Italy, Mexico, and the USA. In Egypt, obsidian knives were used in ceremonial circumcisions, as well as making mirrors (scrying mirrors for most) and other decorations in tombs. The word “Obsidian” was first used by a Roman explorer, Obsius, who “discovered” it in Ethiopia. In the Americas, Obsidian was used as a symbol of Tezcatlipoca, the chief god of the Aztec religion. Tezcatlipoca means “smoking mirror” which is why a lot of the Mayan priest used the glass rock for scrying mirrors like the Egyptians did. On the Eastern Islands, obsidian was used to make the eyes of the Moai statues before they were lost. The indigenous tribes of North America used pieces of obsidian to make arrowheads, spears and even knives by using an antler in order to carefully form different shapes.

What It Can Do:

Grounds the soul and spiritual forces into the physical plane, making it possible to manifest more spiritual energy

Increases one’s self control

Forces you to face your true self

Brings imbalance and shadow qualities to the surface to release them

Repels negativity and disperses self-hating thoughts

Powerful meditation aid

Great for scrying and divination as the glass allows you to look to see the “clear truth”

Can heal you after a spiritual or mental attack

Was used in the past during ritual for healing physical disorders

How to Charge:

Sit with the stone in the palm of your hand and enter a light meditation. Use your thoughts to charge the stones with desires of protection and make sure the thoughts are clear and concise.

Use high vibration to amplify the crystal

Use a singing bowl to send sound energy into it

Place it in a bed of Himalayan salt and let it sit for 48 hours

If you work with a sun or moon deity, I have noticed charging it in the sun or moonlight with the idea of protection helps to charge it as well

How to Cleanse:

Run under water (not hot just lukewarm) for a minute

Create a saltwater solution and submerge it for up to 24 hours

Burn herbs or incense over the obsidian with the intention of cleansing (I personally use sandalwood incense for this)

Leave your stone under the full moon to cleanse and retrieve in the morning

Bury your obsidian in your garden for 48 hours

How to Get the Best Out of It:

Wear a black obsidian bracelet. The wrist area is a highly energetic zone because it has nearly direct access to the bloodstream. This (in my opinion) is the best place to have obsidian to create a powerful shield and help with manifestation.

For lighter dosage, use an obsidian ring.

Crystal Grid:

Letting Go (Triangle Grid)

Mantra: “I release everything that no longer serves me”

Center Stone: Smokey Quartz Tower

Secondary Stones: Obsidian, Malachite, Rhodonite, Citrine

Best Moon Phase: Waning or Dark Moon

Best Day: Saturday

Sources

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ericscroptop · 2 months

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Stupid In Love

✧ pairing: bf! eric x gf! reader

✦ genre: fluff

✧ warnings: suggestive, kissing, mentions of alcohol, mentions of drunk people and tipsy reader

✦ word count: 3k words

✧ synopsis: you’re in vegas during super bowl weekend with your boyfriend and nothing could be better.

✦ note: i know the super bowl passed already (the super bowl is barely mentioned here) but i randomly got this idea because i was listening to “stupid in love” by max ft. yunjin and i really wanted to write something inspired by that!

also, i really don’t know how to feel about this but i wanted to feed you guys with something while i plan other fics, and so i had this idea so i just had to get it out. plus, this eric looked very scrumptious and is my roman empire so i had to use that look for something <3

~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~

The tastebuds on your tongue swell in satisfaction at how unapologetically sweet and creamy your cocktail is as you sip.

You bask in the atmosphere of the outdoor bar you currently are at with your boyfriend. Listening to the boisterous laughter and animated conversations of the drunk people surrounding.

Your gaze fixates on Eric while your fingers play with the straw of your Piña Colada, swirling the liquid around in the process.

He takes a sip from his glass filled with beer, jawline looking sharp and prominent as ever while he does so.

The corners of your mouth curve up into a sweet smile to match your drink from looking at your view.

Your mind thinks about how you’re the luckiest girl in the world to be having drinks with your beautiful boyfriend here in Vegas.

How fortunate you are to be doing something as casual as drinking at some random bar with the love of your life.

A laugh escapes from your mouth at your happy thoughts in disbelief of your current setting, and you look down at your drink, smiling like a fool.

You notice from your peripheral your boyfriend now eyeing you in amusement from your sudden laughter.

“What’s so funny? Did your drink tell you a joke?” Eric teases.

You shake your head as you continue to laugh, “I just think it’s crazy that i’m here in Vegas with you. You really didn’t have to do all this for me.”

Your eyes soften at Eric, your emotions beginning to heighten as you’re a bit tipsy from the drinks you’ve consumed tonight.

You two sit adjacent to another on a small table outside, sitting extra close together to be able to hear one another in the midst of the bustling bar.

And not to mention because you two are practically attached to the hip and can’t stand distance between you lovebirds.

He puts an arm around the back of your chair and responds, “It’s nothing, I always love spoiling you.”

You scoff and raise your brows at his downplay. “Eric, not everyone has the money to fly out to Vegas and pay thousands of dollars just to go watch the fucking Super Bowl.”

“Spoiling me is like getting me flowers and putting together a care basket for me. Not surprising me with tickets to one of the biggest events of the year that are almost impossible to get.”

He shakes his head and chuckles at your words and baffled expression while you’re still in shock that your boyfriend would fly you two to Vegas.

“You know money is never an issue for me.” his hand moves to rest on your shoulder, gently patting it before he continues. “Plus, i’ll do anything for you. I wanted to plan a Vegas trip with you anyways, so what better way than to come for the Super Bowl— even if we barely know shit about football,” your boyfriend grins.

With his other free hand, he goes to pick up his glass of beer, holding it in the air between you two. He raises his brows and nods his head to gesture at your own drink, giving you the signal that he wants to clink your glasses together.

Your lips curl upwards fondly once you get the hint and your dominant hand goes to pick up your glass and bring it towards his own, clinking them together while you both say ‘cheers.’

He winks at you as you each bring your respected drinks to your mouths, making you almost spill some of your cocktail from his flirtatious act and you playfully kick his foot from underneath the table. Eric stifles a laugh at your flustered self while he finishes his drink.

He licks his lips once he finishes his beer, and your eyes can’t help but land on his mouth, watching his wet tongue lick around the beer droplets from his pink lips.

Your body is starting to feel fuzzy and like you’re floating in air, already way buzzed from the couple of drinks you’ve already had throughout the night.

Eric looks extra delicious tonight, wearing a slightly loose, brown long-sleeve shirt. The sleeves were pulled 3 quarters of the way up and the first couple buttons remained undone— driving you absolutely mad at how your boyfriend had no respect for your sanity to be out in public looking so yummy.

His tan skin stood out so much more in the brown shirt. It also complimented well with his dark brown hair.

His hair was getting so long. You always went above and beyond to let him know how much you adored his long hair, and begged him to not even trim it because it suited him so much.

Dark black sunnies rested on the top of his head, even during the night, being the cherry on top of his overall look.

You mentally drooled over your boyfriend. Thinking about how you just want to kiss the golden skin of his neck and undo the remaining buttons of his shirt to—

“Would you ever get married in Vegas?”

You’re ripped away from your thirsting thoughts by said person you’re feening over.

Your lips part slightly and your head tilts at his question. Not really much in shock at his words, but more so because you were ripped away from your lustful daze and reminded where you were.

“Hmmm… I dunno. I know some people do it because it’s cheaper, easy, and fast, but I think I personally would prefer an actual ceremony. Planned out and stuff, you know?”

“What if you couldn’t wait? What if it was with someone you really loved? Like me?” Eric challenges you, tongue poking his cheek.

“Are you implying that we should get married in Vegas?” you reply as your brows lift in amusement at your boyfriend’s words. You catch your bottom lip with your teeth to bite back a laugh.

Eric shrugs his shoulders and flashes you a smile. “If you’d want that, then yes. I’d do anything for you.”

The laugh you were holding back lets free, and you shake your head at his words. “You’re so stupid.”

He lets out his own laughter, knowing that you’re joking. You two have been together as a couple for a few years now so you both are used to one another saying corny shit and mindless things— especially coming from Eric.

“Well, yeah. I’m in love with you. I’m practically waiting for you at the altar,” he singsongs, hand that was resting on your shoulder now finding home in your locks, playing with your strands of hair fondly.

You shift in your chair and your boyfriend’s hand falls while you bring your hand up to cup his jaw gently. The apples of your cheeks are prominent as you vibrantly smile while meeting his gaze.

“When you propose to me one day, then maybe i’ll walk down the isle to meet you,” your thumb sweetly strokes his cheek, and he hums in satisfaction at your words.

‘When’ not ‘if.’ His heart practically gushes at that.

“One day, baby. You just wait.”

Eric’s eyes are practically sparkling at yours and you feel the sudden reddening of your face— not from the alcohol, but from the love of your life.

You angle your face slightly away from him, hand that’s on his jaw going limp as you laugh in shyness.

Even after years of being together, he still manages to make you melt at his smooth talk and the butterflies never seemed to go away.

Eric smirks at how he’s managed to make you shy at his words. You’re the cutest person in the world, he thinks.

With your face still angled away, Eric leans over and presses a kiss to your cheek, letting his lips linger against your skin for a couple seconds longer than just a quick kiss.

A silent gasp leaves your mouth at his action, feeling your cheeks heat up even more now that he kissed you in public.

You never minded PDA as long as it wasn’t overdone, and Eric did show you affection regardless of where you were. But he had a tendency to catch you off guard and you could be a bit bashful when he would be openly affectionate— even if you should be used to it by now.

“Awe, my baby’s shy, isn’t she?” your boyfriend teases you, causing you to whine at him, feeling like you’re put on the spot.

“Do you get hard at fucking with me and watching me crumble at your words?” your thumb and index finger go to flick his forehead, but Eric is quick to stop you before you’re even close.

His hand grabs your wrist, and he pulls it carefully towards his mouth, giving it a light kiss.

“Basically, yeah.” he simply states with a half smile. Your eyes roll playfully at that. Of course.

“But in all seriousness, I find your reactions adorable more than anything.” his thumb begins to stroke your hand lovingly, your eyes mirroring his own in fondness.

“Let’s get out of here, yeah?” Eric whispers close enough to your ear, and you simply hum in response.

———————————————————————————

You guys paid your tab (Eric did) and left the bar shortly after.

You convinced him to walk around the Vegas streets for a while, wanting to be out for a bit longer and not return to your hotel just yet.

His arm is hooked closely around yours, insisting that he better have a hold on you since you had a decent amount of drinks tonight after sitting at the bar for a good bit of time.

You assured your boyfriend that you could handle yourself because it’s not like you’ve been going ham all night— you’ve been pacing yourself.

But you are a little warm, feel tingling and sensitivity in your teeth from the alcohol, and your vision is not 100% clear.

Eric knows you’re okay regardless of those side effects that will go away as you walk more since you’re only a bit tipsy, but he still holds onto you to keep you safe and protected.

You two walk on the sidewalk of some random street, passing by a variety of shops and a couple of people who are also just roaming around.

Your eyes wander curiously around the different buildings as you walk, eventually landing on a tattoo parlor that piques your interest.

“Hey look! You should get another tattoo.” Eric stops his tracks at your words and looks up at the place that caught your attention.

He chuckles at your words and rubs your arm up and down softly. “I wouldn’t want to cheat on my tattoo artist back in LA. I’m a loyal man.”

You giggle at that and sigh deeply, eyes still on the shop, “I want a tattoo, babe.”

Eric’s eyebrows raise at your words. “Like now?”

“If you dare me, I would.” you smile, leaning your head cutely against his shoulder.

“Well, when you’re fully sober and have time to plan it out, then you can get one.” he presses a kiss on the top of your head, humming as he inhales the scent of your shampoo and conditioner.

“I actually want to get a tramp stamp, you know?” you lift your head up and go to grab both his hands with your own, now holding them while you two stand facing one another.

“A tramp stamp? What’s that?” your boyfriend asks curiously.

“It’s a tattoo that goes on your lower back. Wouldn’t that be so cute?” you beam at Eric, dreaming about the possibility of having a tattoo like that and how cool you’d look.

Eric’s lips are parted as he looks at you, tongue wetting his lips while his mind tries to picture you with permanent ink decorating your lower back.

Your skin is currently a blank canvas, but you always loved how tattoos look on people’s skin and are unique to each person.

In particular, you always complimented Eric’s tattoos and encouraged him to get more. Most of his tattoos were on the smaller side and kinda dainty, and you admired how that was his style.

“I think i’d also want a tramp stamp because I could easily hide it. It would only be visible if I were to wear something like a crop top, or if I was in a bikini.” you say to your boyfriend.

“And what design would you wanna get?” Eric smiles at you as you let go of his hands and pull out your phone. Seems like you really are eager for one.

He looks down at your screen alongside you while you pull up Pinterest on your phone and search ‘tramp stamps.’ You stop at one of the first images to pop up and click on it, displaying a tramp stamp of a heart in the middle with cool designs on either side, all in black ink.

“Maybe something along the lines of this. I think words could be cute also, but I don’t know what I’d want— plus, what if people find it corny?” you laugh at your own words, and Eric joins in your laughter, unable to help himself whenever he hears it like it’s his favorite song.

“Hmm.” Eric presses his lips together, both of the ends curled while his pupils move upwards to the side mischievously. You can practically see the playful glimmer in his eyes. Oh boy.

“Why don’t you get ‘Eric’s wife?’ People will know you’re mine— and when we make love, I can pull out and cu—

“Dude!” You furrow your brows and lift a hand a couple inches away from his mouth, gesturing him to not even dare finish that sentence.

You anxiously look around to see if anyone was close enough to hear him. Thankfully, nobody was even paying you two any mind.

“Can you shut up? I know we’re adults but someone could’ve heard you.” you lightly scold him, trying to fight back a smile as you see the shit eating grin present on his face.

“C’mere and make me,” he nods his head at you, arms open as he gestures with both his hands to come into him.

You scoff at your boyfriend, though, you secretly love his behavior.

You huff out some air as you walk into his arms. Eric welcomes you into his embrace, his arms finding purchase in your hips.

Your arms hook around his neck, your eyes sparkling at Eric— probably from the street and building lights, but he can see the adoration you have for him through your orbs.

“I love you,” he whispers cutely, your heart skipping a beat as his eyes trail down to your lips.

You don’t reply with words. Instead, your dominant hand finds comfort in his hair and you gently push his head down to where he would meet your lips with his own.

Eric’s right hand moves to cup your jaw as he begins to kiss you.

Your lips brushed against one another’s delicately. It was gentle, not being rushed as you two had all the time in the world.

Eric’s lips still had a lingering taste of beer— Corona, if you remember correctly. You could taste the slight maltiness.

You lose yourself in how velvety and warm his lips feel in sync with yours. How his bottom lip is slightly more plump than his top, smiling when your lips gently sucked on it.

His left hand rubbed your hip, tracing circles over it, sending your body heat in every direction at his touch and contact.

His lips feel like home. And you wish you could be locked in them for the rest of your life without pause.

Unfortunately though, all good things must come to an end as you need a breath of fresh air every now and then.

And as of now, the good general public can interrupt you.

Your ears are suddenly filled with joyful cheering and whistling, resulting in each of your eyes opening wide, and lips retracting with a faint smacking sound.

You turn your body slightly and go to stand next to Eric, looking to see what’s the source of the commotion.

You two see a beautiful couple, both of which are in wedding dresses. One of them has a fit and flared silhouette, with a v neck-neckline. The other one wears a mini bridal dress, with puffed sleeves.

Their arms are linked together as they walk on the other side of the street from you two, gaining cheers of ‘congratulations’ and claps from people walking by.

Even people on your side of the street notice the couple, beginning to yell words of encouragement and applauding as they eventually give the crowd a show, kissing to display their love.

“They just got married! How sweet.” You swoon at the couple, you and Eric beginning to join everyone else in congratulating them by clapping your hands.

Eric looks over to you while your gaze is still fixated on the newly weds, smiling fondly at how lovely they looked together.

He wraps an arm around you and kisses your rosy cheek as you see a car pull up, the couple holding hands while they get into the vehicle— resulting in more rooting and cheering from the public.

His free hand falls into his pocket, feeling the ring box that he’s been carrying with him during the entirety of this trip, waiting for the right moment to ask you to be his wife for real.

This whole trip was an excuse to finally ask for your hand in marriage. Even though you think you guys came just for the Super Bowl, he has other plans to make the most out of this trip, in more ways than one.

Eric believes now isn’t the proper moment, seeing that a couple just had their own spotlight and the fact that you’ve had drinks tonight, and he wants you two to have a clear mind.

You guys still have more days in Vegas together, and he has other moments planned up his sleeve.

He’s been waiting for you show him signs that you’re ready to be his officially, and even though deep inside he already knew you loved him beyond words, tonight washed away any worries and nerves he had about proposing.

He doesn’t want to think too much, cause’ he knows what his heart wants.

And he has a hunch that yours knows, too.

~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~

#ericscroptop #the boyz imagines #the boyz #tbz fluff #eric sohn imagines #eric sohn fluff #tbz eric #eric sohn #sohn youngjae #eric sohn scenarios #ericblurbs #tbz x reader #eric sohn x reader #kpop #kpop imagines #Spotify

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arealphrooblem · 8 months

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A Good Roommate Is Hard To Find Part 2

I was blown away by the response to something I banged out without much thought.! I've received several asks about continuing this so here is part two! Thank you everyone!

Synopsis: Civilian has harbored a secret crush on his roommate for a long time, only to find out that said roommate is the newest villain on the scene during a robbery at his job.

Part one here

CW: named characters (juggling two unnamed male characters pronoun wise was just a huge headache)

“Salt?”

Ben stared at his roommate from across their tiny kitchen table. Two bowls of soup lay before each of them, accompanied by folded napkins and spoons and glasses of water. The formality instantly raised his hackles. Whatever happened to eating on the couch while they watched stupid youtube prank videos?

Fear and anger twisted and blended into each other until he didn’t know what was responsible for the maelstrom in his chest that the hot shower did nothing to calm down.

“How long?” he said instead.

It was the question that plagued him the most. Did this start before they met? Had Ben lived with a stranger in a mask this whole time? Or did it start later? Did something horrible happen to make Adam desperate enough to try villainy and could Ben have prevented it?

“How long has salt been around?” Adam asked blithely. “I don’t know. Probably at least a thousand years or more. Did the Romans use salt? You’re the history nerd, not me.”

“Don’t mock me,” Ben snapped. “You know exactly what I mean.”

“Do you really want to know?”

What fucking kind of question was that? But Adam tilted his head to the side, the look in his eyes deadly serious.

“Because if I tell you,” he continued, “that could implicate you. Once you know, you can’t un-know. And Heroes have ways of making you talk. There’s no way they’d believe you didn’t help me all this time.”

So consumed with the fear of Adam himself, Ben never thought to be concerned with anyone else. Now a new fear dug its roots into him.

“There’s no way they’d believe it now,” he said, heart thudding again.

“They would if you were genuinely clueless.”

Or if I turned you in Ben thought. That was the other thought that had plagued him the last few days.

Now that he knew, what was he supposed to do about it?

“But I don’t intend on you talking to anyone about this,” Adam added.

Again, Ben’s hackles raised at the certainty in Adam’s voice. He swallowed, mouth suddenly dry.

“How would you stop me?”

He didn’t mean it as a taunt. He knew Adam was dangerous, but not how. Did Adam have powers or weapons? What plans did he have for Ben?

“You don’t want the answer to that question either,” Adam replied softly. “But know that I would, if I had to. I’m capable of anything when I know it’s my best option.”

The lump was back in Ben’s throat, making it hard to swallow. He could stomach the lying, even understand it a little. How do you tell your roommate that you’re the one behind all the recent robberies and arson?

And Ben could handle the crimes, for the most part. This city ate people alive and anyone not obscenely wealthy had one bad accident standing between themselves and homelessness. So far Adam’s crew had only targeted places with large payouts. They took hostages when necessary but had no casualties so far.

But the threats? The knife at his throat? The lack of hesitation before launching to dark promises of violence hurt Ben the most. Even without his stupid crush, they had become friends the last three years. Their lives had become enmeshed with each other’s in a domestic intimacy that went beyond two people who simply shared a space.

Adam knew his allergies and what restaurants to avoid because of it. He knew Ben’s parents and siblings. He knew Ben’s failed dreams and useless history degree. They shared shampoo and lonely holiday dinners and a Netflix account.

Ben thought he knew Adam the same way. But now all that had unraveled, and though he never harbored the hope that Adam could return his affections, seeing how easily Adam could threaten his life as if Ben never meant anything to him . . .

The knife would hurt less.

“What . . .” Ben swallowed again, his voice coming out choked. “What do you want me to do? I can move out. Leave the city.”

Adam’s eyebrows shot up. “Leave? You can’t leave!”

Hope rose ever so slightly without Ben’s permission. But when had it ever listened in the first place?

“I can’t afford this apartment without you.”

And there it went, dashed on the rocks.

“Haven’t you been . . .earning extra income,” Ben asked hesitantly.

“Not enough to cover your portion of everything for more than a month or two. Besides . . .I only get a small percentage of the cut. I need you.”

Boy, would Ben have loved to hear that in literally any other circumstance.

“But I’m a liability now,” he protested.

“Are you?”

Adam got a certain look in his eye anytime they played strategy games. It didn’t matter what kind — Among Us, Monopoly, chess, Street Fighter. His mind always worked five steps ahead, thinking of contingency plans for contingency plans, and Ben knew when that glint showed up in Adam’s eye, he was about to lose. That he had lost long before he even realized it.

“Here’s the way I see it.” Adam leaned forward, elbows resting on the table. “You hate living with your parents and you don’t want to leave the city. I can’t leave because I’m . . .in the middle of things. If either of us were to move out, we’d both have to find another roommate and the odds of us finding people that work as well with us as we do with each other is impossible. We would both be miserable.”

“You think I would be more miserable with a person who didn’t threaten me with a knife?” Ben asked.

And the answer to that question was yes, but Adam didn’t have to know that.

“What if they never turn the light on when they piss at night and get it all over the toilet?” Adam countered. “What if they eat the last of all your snacks or move their obnoxious girlfriend in or never empty the dishwasher before sticking their dirty dishes in?”

Objectively speaking, Ben would rather have a knife to his throat one time than deal with any of those on a constant basis.

“We know how to live with each other. We’ve developed a routine that has worked for years. This doesn’t have to change anything. It’s not like I haven’t been doing this for months while you had no clue anyway.”

“You will never trust me not to snitch,” said Ben.

“If I’m in jail, then how are you going to still live here with any kind of sanity? Better yet — if I’m thrown in prison because you ran your mouth, how are you going to be safe from retaliation from my boss or crew members? How are you going to avoid your own prison sentence for being an accessory? Is it worth your life to put me away?”

That last question hit him hard. He knew it was cowardly and stupid beyond measure, but he couldn’t bear the thought of blowing up the little life he’d carved for himself here. It didn’t amount to much, especially to his parents, but he loved it all the same.

“No,” he told Adam softly. “It’s not worth it.”

He loved his life and he loved Adam and he loved his life because of Adam and it all fed into each other like one writhing ouroboros.

Adam leaned back again, looking devastatingly smug. “I didn’t think so.”

“So . . .what now?” Ben bit at his lower lip, the nervous tell that always gave him away in poker. “What do you want me to do?”

“Eat your soup for starters.” Adam nodded at the bowl in front of Ben. “And then give me your phone.”

“My phone? What do you want with my phone?”

Adam leveled a flat look over the table. A look he shot at Ben frequently over the years when Ben made a particularly bad pun. He used to love making Adam give him that look. Now it felt tainted with an undercurrent of a threat.

“Eat your soup, Ben.”

Ben ate his soup. It came out great, almost as if they had just ordered it from the restaurant that inspired it. Adam didn’t cook often, but when it did it outshone Ben’s rudimentary skills. And when they both finished, Ben cleared the table, almost on autopilot, because the person who didn’t cook did the dishes. It was one of the first routines they established.

Usually Ben hated washing dishes which was why he volunteered to make dinner so often. Tonight however it offered a soothing distraction, much more effective than the shower Adam insisted he take. Right up until he felt Adam’s hands on his thighs, sliding up to the edge of his front pocket.

“What are you doing?” he yelped, dropping the spoon with a clatter.

“Looking for your phone.” Adam’s voice pressed right against the shell of Ben’s ear.

His fingers wriggled their way into the pocket, tight in old jeans Ben should have thrown out when he graduated. His breath stuttered in his chest at the intrusion, which lasted only a few seconds, and at the triumphant snort against his ear when Adam slipped the phone out.

He swallowed thickly, throat tight for a very different reason than before. Adam stepped back, the heat of him gone just as suddenly as it appeared. A glance over his shoulder showed Adam leaning against the stove, brow furrowed as he typed in Ben’s password. Because of course Ben had given it to him, thoughtlessly, for vague future emergencies.

“What are you doing to it?” he asked, nerves fluttering in the pit of his stomach. What if he didn’t get it back?

“Precautionary measures,” Adam replied distractedly. “I’ll give it back in the morning.”

“The morning?”

He spun around, soap dripping from his hands. Adam leveled another flat look at him.

“Do you want this to work or should I get another knife?” he said.

The blood drained from Ben’s face. His eyes darted over to the knife block, sitting just inches away from Adam’s hip. There was no way he could reach it in time — not that it would matter if he could. Clumsy and inexperienced, he’d only hurt himself and save Adam the trouble.

“I just . . .want to know what’s happening,” he said, eyes prickling for the second time that night, goddamn it. “You don’t have to keep threatening me.”

The cognitive dissonance of having Adam so carelessly threaten him, pulling a knife on him — Adam, his best friend that he lived with for years — felt like it could split his head apart. Life was starting to not feel real anymore, like he was in a video game instead. Or a nightmare.

Adam’s expression flickered, looking almost stricken, before Ben turned away. He rinsed what was left of the suds from his hands and then turned the water off.

“I’m going to bed,” he said, even though it was barely dark. “Keep the phone.”

Then he walked straight down the back hall to his bedroom. Adam called his name, almost too softly to hear, but Ben ignored him and shut the door.

He locked it too, for good measure. Not that it mattered. Sleep did not accompany him much that night.

Part Three

#villain x civilian #hero x villain #m x m #my writing #friends to enemies to lovers #writeblr #named characters #a good roommate is hard to find

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blueiskewl · 5 months

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Roman Glass Bowl 1st half of 1st century CE Early Imperial, Julio-Claudian

#Roman Glass Bowl #1st half of 1st century CE #Early Imperial #Julio-Claudian #ancient glass #ancient artifacts #archeology #archeolgst #history #history news #ancient history #ancient culture #ancient civilizations #ancient rome #roman history #roman empire

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ancientrome · 1 year

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Ribbed mosaic glass bowl with base ring. Roman, probably Italian, late 1st century BCE–early 1st century CE. x

#ancient rome #rome #roman #mosaic #glass #bowl

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thesamoanqueen · 2 months

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Emotional support

Tagged by my lovely foreva honorary friend @wrestlezaynia for a WIP friday.

A/N: for @xxtremee (is not a big long story but I did something)

She knew that pose, he used it even acting as the Tribal Chief, in front of cameras. Even outside, however, it didn't mean anything good and the chaos erupted from his family was enough to make her know what had happened. She had observed him while she helped tidy up, she had seen him scratch his dark beard, listen angry comments and complaints, nod a couple of times. He was sad, even though he was a big boy and he was keeping it in silence, she was not a football fan, but for him years before it had almost been his dream career and it was enough to make her a sad about that defeat too.

Finishing putting away the potato salad in another lunch box ready for who knows which member of his huge family, she saw him leave them after a while to join her

- They fought in the final, its a win anyway – she didn't know how the football business worked, but she was a visibility and marketing conoisseur, it couldn't have hurt the niners to be in the Super Bowl for sure.

- Next year maybe we'll make it – Roman agreed with a slightly too heavy breath and she felt like hugging him, showering him with kisses, anything just to take away that face from him.

Maybe was not a good idea in front of everyone, not with the racket in the living room and his cousins and uncles threatening to tear the house down, but maybe she could lighten the mood.

-You know, if you need emotional comfort, I can help in many ways... - she proposed, casting an elusive glance much lower and Roman put down the glass he had taken to look at her - I was trying to be helpful, doing my part. I thought it might help to lighten things up a bit, my bad – she cut it short, falling silent when his sister, Vanessa, stormed in the kitchen, passing them both without a glance.

Roman kept the fridge open for her, giving her time to get some juice for who knows which one of the many kids who were running around and Y/N smiled at her too, when she left in a hurry, taking advantage of things to put down the potato salad that was still in her hand.

- It can help – she heard Roman admit, shifting his attention from his sister to her with ease and Y/N widened her eyes, surprise quickly turning into a giggle at seeing him show a more contrite face than when he joined her.

- I'll do everything I can to make you feel better, I promise – she said, patting his chest playfully while he leaned down to hold her again, laughing softly.

It may not have gone as they had planned, either for the niners or for him, but she was pretty sure that one way or another they would all find something to overcome the emotional trauma.

Tag squad: @sunnyfleur23 @racerchix21 @alyyaanna @reignsangel444 @romanreignsdefencesquad @romanstheory @claymorexpunisher @keybladeofsteel @msbigredmachine @nayys-world @gobbersworld @utika151209 @cumxxslutt @civildawn @romanmydaddy @triscillal @papireigns-05 @helensanders92 @darqchilddaydreamz @meggylynnloves @unfriendly--blvck--hottie @nicolewoo @reignsx @reigns-central-blog @kianalea04 @daguenoire @extra-11 @thedonsfactory @snowpanda18 @brattyfics @mzv11 @romanreignseater @dreamsinfocus @tribalchiefdaily @2baddies2furious @vebner37 @depressedneedingrevenge @cyberdejos2 @mahi-wayy @jxtina-86 @harmshake @harlem11680 @southerngirl41 @blkbutterfly816 @spritelucozade

Tagging @joannasteez @racerchix21 @msbigredmachine @southerngirl41 whoever want to do it~

#roman reigns fanfiction #roman reigns imagine #roman reigns one shot #roman reigns fanfic #roman reigns oneshot #roman reigns x reader #roman reigns x oc #roman reigns x y/n

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