Acrylic nails with rhinestones

Somehow, this has never really been discussed much (or ever). But since the show is over now and all we have is time to look back and discuss stuff, I thought I'd dive into this topic.
The objective here is not to figure out how old Thawne is physically. Between his many deaths and resurrections, timeline changes, time spent in Limbo, change in body, speed-healing and what-not, that's a fool's errand. I'm talking about his age experientially.
So here goes:

1. First let's nail down his birth year, which is surprisingly easy to do. In Season 1, Eobard mentions being born '136 years from now [2015]'. Since the number was pretty specific, I'd say its accurate, and that Thawne was born in the year 2151.
   
2. The next event in Thawne's life for which we have some definitive chronological placement is when he first meets the Flash. In Armageddon, Thawne says that he meets the Flash 'nearly 2 centuries from now [2021]'. In 9x10, Barry recalls how Thawne says they meet '170 from now'. Okay, let's take the 170 years number since that's more specific (though how did Barry arrive at it, since we never hear Thawne mention it on-screen?). The question is - 170 years from when? From the year 2000, where Barry and Thawne currently are? Or from the early 2020's (2021 to be exact, since that's when Wellsobard mentioned the 'nearly 2 centuries from now' bit)? Well - if we take 2000 as our starting point, that would mean Thawne first met the Flash in 2170 when he was 19 years old! If we take 2021 as our starting point, Thawne first met the Flash in 2191, when he was around 40 years old! I think the latter makes a lot more sense so I'll go with that.
   
3. Thawne became the Reverse-Flash and spent years battling the Flash. We don't know how many years that is, because all this involved time-travel. It could have been 5 years or 10 years or even longer. I'm gonna take a random guess here and go by Matt Letscher's age when he first filmed those flashbacks to Nora Allen's murder - 45. You can give or take a few years of course, but I think it's a reasonable assumption. So Thawne is around 45 when he discovers Barry's identity, travels back to kill him as a child, kills Nora Allen instead, ends up trapped in the past, and assumes the identity of Harrison Wells.
   
4. Thawne spends 15 years as Harrison Wells, from 2000 to 2015, before Eddie shoots himself and he's erased from existence. So by the time Thawne is 'erased' (actually sent into the Negative Speed Force, as we later learn), he's around 60.
   
5. We don't know how much time passes for Thawne before he shows up in Crisis on Earth X. It could be years later for him, or it could be no time at all. We're talking a time-traveler who's been in Limbo after all. So I'm assuming it was no time at all, and Thawne is still around 60, again, give or take a couple of years. Now, at some point, Thawne is imprisoned in Iron Heights, using Cicada's dagger, in 2034. Again, we don't know how much time after COEX that was. Let's assume, at bare minimum, it was almost immediately after. Thawne then spends 15 years imprisoned in Iron Heights before he meets Nora West-Allen and manipulates her into manipulating the timeline. So Thawne is at least 75 in Season 5 (possibly a few years older).
   
6. Again, we don't know what happens to Thawne after he gets out of Iron Heights due to the timeline change (which also seems to de-age him?). It seems though that his body was destroyed after COIE, and he becomes negative tachyons who try to possess Nash. We have no way of telling how much time has passed for him given all this. Eventually he gets resurrected by the Speed Force to help fight Godspeed. So I'd peg his age as being still around 75, maybe a few years more, through all this. But then things get weird with Armageddon. It's unclear exactly what Thawne does, but it seems he created an alternate timeline where he got struck by lightning in 2013 instead of Barry and became the Flash. Now did Thawne just warp reality to make everyone think that, or did he literally live an extra 8 years in that timeline as the Flash? If we assume he did, that makes him around 83 by the end of Armageddon, and also when he later returns and has his final death as the Negative Speed Force avatar. And of course, when he returns again briefly in the series finale.
   
7. So to sum up, Thawne is at least 83 (and probably in his mid-to-late 80's) by the end of the show. And we basically get to see him across 40ish years of his life - the youngest Thawne we see, in 2x11, was probably in his early 40's, and Wellsobard in Season 1 was around 60.
   
8. As for the Flashpoint Thawne - well, he's 45 in Flashpoint and probably around that age when he fights the Legends. He then spends years working for the time-wraiths before his death in LoT Season 7 and his resurrection and return in Flash Season 8. We don't know how many years, but I'm gonna go by Letscher's real age and assume it was something like 6-7 years later (plus the year he spends living as an amnesiac Eobard with Meena), and he's in his early 50's by the time he dies.
   

Hi everyone. I’m 25f, 5’5 and weigh about 125lbs and I’ve been struggling with my health for the past few years. Since I was a teenager I’ve always had very low energy but in the past year it has gotten drastically worse to the point where I can barely leave the house as I’m too exhausted. Even if I’m stood up for a few minutes I begin to get dizzy and have to sit down. I even have to take breaks during showers just to sit down for a minute. I’ve been to a doctor many times and done blood tests and wore a heart monitor for 72 hours but the only thing they found was my thyroid is slightly under active and I was put on levothyroxine around three months ago but I haven’t noticed any changes. I try to go for short walks to build up a resistance but this hasn’t helped. I sleep about 10 hours a night and wake up stiff and sore and even more tired. I’ll give you a little symptom list. Any advice is appreciated
Extreme exhaustion (made worse by even small activities) Dizziness when I stand or bend my head down Joint pain in shoulders and knees Recurring infections in ear piercing that I’ve had since I was a baby, my nail cuticles and gums (Not sure if this is relevant but it stuck out to me) Very sensitive to temperature and swing from boiling hot to freezing cold Excessive sweating Out of breath from basic tasks like walking to the bathroom Very bad migraines that lead to vomiting, a spinning sensation and blurred vision I often feel the spinning sensation even without the migraines when I’m just lying in bed Terrible short term memory and forming sentences Bad concentration Blood pooling in hands and feet

Here is the outside
Here is the inside
The acrylic knobs are not original - they are there temporarily while we find suitable replacements.
The pulls are spaced 3-3/8", or about 85mm, which makes them a pain to replace.
I have been over and through the cabinet twice and haven't found any maker's mark.
The only markings are D.719-11 MAG in big stencil font either painted or blackened into the back panel, like some shipping mark. There is a label for a moving company that no longer exists, but that only dates it to before 1980s.
The decorations on fron are handmade, feels very solid. The Fleur de Lis and 8 petal flower (maybe simplified dogwood?) Seems very Louisiana, which lines up with the shipping label.
I am in Virginia, USA, but it was bought by my mother from an estate sale years ago.

Robert Dunlap Blue was a painter noted for his images of pin-up girls in the 1980s and later his cowgirls of the New West series. He was the son of comedic actor Ben Blue. Blue's work precedes that of Patrick Nagel, as Blue's credits as a commercial artist date as early as 1970. A Blue painting was used for the album back cover art for Iron Butterfly "Metamorphosis" 1970 LP release and he painted fetish pin-ups of icon Bettie Page on canvas as early as 1974, which were collected by the "Pin-up King" Charles G. Martignette. (Martignette is co-author of The Great American Pin-Up with Louis K. Meisel). Other notable collectors of Blue's art have included Jack Nicholson, Barbra Streisand, Brian Wilson and Hugh Hefner, as well as numerous corporate collectors, including the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Los Angeles, and the Atlanta Hilton Motel. Blue's paintings are in the National Archives in Washington D.C. and the permanent collection of the Carnegie Art Museum.
Robert Dunlap Blue was born, 27 August 1946 in Los Angeles County, California, to Axie (née Dunlap) and Ben Blue, and grew up in Beverly Hills. He served in the United States Army and attended the California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland, earning a BFA at the Chouinard Art Institute (1969) in Los Angeles. Blue served as chairman of fine art at Assn. in Art, Van Nuys.
In 1979, Blue joined Brian Davis to form the Davis-Blue Artwork publishing company. This company published a number of dramatic posters, including some by illustrator Major Felten.
Blue, a published painter as early as 1970 worked in many mediums including watercolors, oils and acrylics. Blue's fashion pin-up "Blue Girl" paintings and serigraphs were done in the 1980s, selling to Japan. Compare Blue's artwork to the famous Playboy and commercial illustrator Patrick Nagel, both artists were alumni of the Chouinard Art Institute and painted women during the 1980s.
Blue's popular 1980s period "Blue Girl" series was easily identifiable. Blue painted eyebrows featuring a signature zig-zag detail, with hair swirls with individual strands (often in a stark violet or gold), hands adorning long painted nails, frequently in cherry red. Some popular paintings include "Monica," "Lauren," "Claudia," and golden-haired "Suzanne," in which Blue painted and printed his female subject's hair strands in micronized 24k gold.
In the early 1990s, Blue painted with more realism. By the mid 1990s Blue began painting Bettie Page. Blue and Page collaborated on a series of serigraphs which Page also signed. Robert Blue, Dave Stevens and Olivia De Berardinis feature Page.
Blue succumbed to brain cancer in Santa Monica in 1998, and the Robert Blue Foundation to aid brain cancer victims was instituted in his memory. He was survived by his wife, Linda, and his brother, Tom.
Blue's art was featured in the 1974 film The Second Coming of Suzanne, and also 1984's Heartbreakers, which was loosely based on Blue himself. His work also appeared in the 1982 Richard Elfman film Forbidden Zone.

I've been wanting to ask this for a while but wasn't sure if it was allowed, if it isn't obvs please let me know.
TL;DR I'm very hard on my nails and am hoping for tips to have longer lasting nails that won't tear up my nail beds, ensuring I can get them year round?
I'm am owner operator of a small dog grooming salon so my hands are in water and soap all day and I am always bumping them on stuff etc. Also my natural nails are not naturally very thick. I've really only gotten gel (before i did this work) or acrylic nails with gel polish over the years and I find the latter is the only thing that truly lasts more than a couple weeks. I get a fill every 3 weeks when I'm getting them done. I've noticed many add on like getting chrome powder or designs make them chip sooner so I don't get them. I generally get oval or ballerina shape. Still, I'll have 1-2 fall off between fills.
I often have to stop getting them at some point and let my nails heal because with the nails that fall off they just start to get too thin. I haven't had them in 4 months now and I MISS MY NAILS SO MUCH.
My question is, is there anything I can do in the type of nails I'm getting, the place I'm going, the amount I'm going, in between care etc that will enable me to keep getting them year round? I've only tried polygel and dips at home and they literally just peel off or start to crack after one day of work. Help!

over a month ago, I noticed a broken nail on my 2 yr old pitbull’s back paw. the nail itself has mostly healed, but there’s a little wound/raw hotspot right next to it that will not heal, and I have quite literally tried everything to keep him from licking it. regular e-collar, inflatable donut, both together, a medipaw boot, an extra long e-collar, bitter spray, hotspot spray, veterycin spray, I even sewed a sock onto the leg of his onesie pajamas because he kept taking off the sock I bandaged on there. there are a few combinations of things that are more effective, but overall he’s just staying on gabapentin/trazadone to help him chill out and I’m watching him all the time to make sure he’s not bending back his cone to get to his foot, or pulling the boot off with his mouth, which he is able to do easily at this point. he’s been getting daily epsom salt soaks as well but it’s still an open wound/hot spot. it’s truly exhausting for me and I’m sure for him too. :( we’ve been to the vet 3 times now, and they’ve said it’s getting better, he just needs to avoid licking it long enough to let the wound scab over and heal - and they can’t put a big bandage or splint on it bc it needs air to heal.
has anyone dealt with something similar in a very very persistent dog? one thing to note is that although he’s gotten much better about letting me handle the paw, he gets very anxious and will avoid me if he sees I have a spray bottle or a paper towel with anything that I’m going to try to put on the wound, so I try to not go that route unless it is something super crucial.

My experience with how to beat an OBSERVED pre employment drug screen! So got word I got the job ( yay ! ) under the circumstances of passing a drug screen, this was a Ten panel OBSERVED test. Which means a person comes into the bathroom with you stands in front of you and watches you go to the bathroom this specific restroom had a mirror attached to the toilet so the observer could see from behind as well. I knew I could not pass because I smoke weed, soo I went ahead and went to my local head shed store as you know we users have 3 options 1. Use someone else's urine 2. Buy a rapid detox drink 3. Synthetic urine. Now I'm a smart woman and I know that our first option spoils quickly and you have to find someone that you know for 100 percent FACT has clean urine then you have to quickly go and hope that it stays good. Was not willing to do that plus it was short notice. Our second option does infact work BUT It turns your piss like neon greenish yellow which they could then expect its adulterated so I went with option 3 and the brand was Bullet Proof X2 now they have an option that comes with a belt for people who don't have an OBSERVED screen but make sure you know for a fact that it's not or you bomb it because the belt has a tube on it that you use to expell the urine.. anyways if your a woman here's how you do this.. I warmed the piss in the microwave the bottle has a temp strip on it and comes with a warmer you strap to it I did not use this bottle for anything except warming it up and making sure it was the tempature that I wanted it to be before going it has to be between 90-100 degrees after putting in the cup to pass. I put it on my dash in the sun on the way there every 2 Mins checking the temp and it went up in tempature each time. I warmed it to 102. You'll need a 5 hr energy bottle emptied and rinsed out duck tape and a small piece of heavy duty foil put the piss in the bottle at 102 quickly put foil on and tape around so it doesn't leak and put it up your slot take your ass in there don't be nervous I promise it'll work out fine ! Hold the cup with you index and middle finger so you can poke a hole in the foil with your thumb nail ask to run water to prevent hearing any sounds the pee comes out she will leave the room and your done ! Ya passed just trust me. Good luck to you on passing your screen for whatever you need it for !! This will pass In a lab test also.

Hi all, I've had Vitligo since I was 6 years old. I'm going to condense some wisdom down into an easy to read post so you can just get on with your life. I've spent most of my life researching vitiligo because mine was really noticeable, and I've functionally conquered at times in my life only to have it re-emerge and have to find some other way to handle it. I believe I've now come to the ultimate knowledge and can help others. And I put the knowledge out free because no doctor should be able to make a living charging people in a compromised position to not even fully heal most of them.
This is going to be a post with a lot of Truth in it. If you can't handle it, please keep scrolling. The Truth is of immense value to people because it will help them deal with the real situation and not a fuzzy, make believe world that they don't actually belong to, and then can't understand when things just aren't working out.
1) Vitiligo puts you in a compromised position in a lot of cases because it reduces your value in society. It is considered a flaw and therefore you will have a hard time in dating and sometimes jobs, friendships etc depending on what the vitiligo looks like and it's severity. Some people get lucky but for the most part, people with vitiligo get shunned because people have the instinct to not be around those that show signs of a disease. Although vitiligo isn't a contagious disease, it looks like one. In addition, the shapes it makes on the skin can be scary such as looking like a "skull face" on top of a real face, etc so kids can start crying etc if they see someone who looks like that, no matter how nice they are. It's a real mindfuck for the person who has it. It goes without saying that it's a barrier to dating as well.
2) Doctors are making a ton of money researching vitiligo but notice how they don't just simply put an end to the vitiligo. Why would they when their whole career is based off of it? If people just got rid of it and got on with their lives, that income source would end. So you go to the doctor and are mindfucked AGAIN when you are filled with hope that a treatment might work, and it never, never does. I've tried PUVA, topical steroids (a disaster, they made me get spider veins on my ankles worsening my situation), Eximer laser (did fill in one of the areas but then created dark spots as well), and a melanocyte transplant that failed and also created a new spot on my outer thigh from the "doner" area. Looking to Doctors to provide relief has been a fail. The new JAK inhibitors, "Ruxolitnib" has a ton of warnings on the package, such as "don't use if you've ever lived near the Ohio River because parasites that are infesting your body can overwhelm your immune system" - whaaaat? Ok Skippy. I've long ago learned not to use "new cures" that come out every decade or so.
3) there is ample evidence of what is actually going on but it's not in doctors best interest to connect the dots. But I have. I went through a period of sickness that required me to take 6 years off just working on my health. During that period, I pretty much figured it out. So read on.
4) 23andMe is now widely available. In 2016 I ordered mine and spit in a cup, mailed it off and got my printout of my genes. I uploaded the raw data to Prometheaus and found out that I have a Vitamin D Receptor Mutation or VDR mutation, mine is called VDR-TAQ. I didn't understand that AT FIRST. But I kept researching. Turns out that people with VDR-TAQ only make a little bit of Vitamin D from the Sun when they are out there, compared to normal people. They operate on low D for their whole lives. Vitamin D controls the skin's pigmentation as well as many other body processes like hair, nails, bones, teeth etc. Long ago, we used to spend from sunrise to sunset outside gaining vitamin D. Then we would have enough to last us through the Winter when there is no D available in the sunlight. But we are all inside now, making anyone with low D much worse. If D gets too low for a long enough time, it will affect some people's skin pigmentation, especially if they are under stress, using up nutrients at a high rate. I came from an abusive family of alcoholics and was under a lot of stress, so my Vitligo appeared very early, at age 6. It wasn't understood so I continued to suffer low D until I figured it out at 40+. My D had consistently been low whenever measured but I wasn't told how to bring it up and why I should.
5) Bringing up your Vitamin D level isn't easy or simple. D requires cofactors in order to raise the level if you're using pills. You have to take it with magnesium and B complex or else it won't absorb. Further complicating things is that all magnesiums are not equal, you have to take a "good one", not magnesium oxide which is a cheap version that can actually harm your body instead of helping. So I took mine with magnesium bisglycinate. Also I become sick from commercial versions of the B vitamins and have to order special "activated" B so I could even take a B complex. I use the Quicksilver activated B complex liquid and it's about $50 with shipping. Was it hard to figure these things out? Yes it was. But I wanted to get better, so I did it. At the end of the day, I spent 2 summers sunning 3 times a week in a private back yard, AND supplemented with D and it's cofactors especially in winter, and my level did go up but not all the way, so I ended up buying a Sperti vitamin D light that cost me about $400. This is not PUVA which for most people does not work. This is just a regular Vitamin D light that gives off UVB rays like the sun's. Using this light, I began to have productive winters where I didn't have Seasonal Affective Disorder and see real progress on my Vitiligo. I also use a cream directly on the spots that contains vitamin D and A called Infadolan that I order online, it's about $20 for 3 tubes.
6) Since I began raising my vitamin D level with supplementation, sunning and a SPERTI UVB sunlamp, my vitilgo has slowly gone away. But there are some areas that refuse to budge. My lower abdomen is one of them. I feel that this is because there is no dark hair on the area, and it's also the largest. It also gets the least sun. Areas that have hair repigment much easier that those that don't (the pigment cells live in the hair follicles) - also areas that get sun every single day like the face. It's well known that most people find the face much easier to repigment than other areas of the body. I feel that this is because the melanocytes there get stimulation with sunlight almost every day.
7) I've read that some people get vitligo in response to chemicals found in rubber - my most persistent spots are where I used to wear rubber next to my skin growing up such as the elastic in sandals or girl's underwear. I also used to wear a latex mini skirt in my teens and early 20s, and ended up with a band of depigmentation where the skirt rested against my lower abdomen. These are very stubborn areas to treat. My advice would be if someone has vitligo, stay away from rubber, latex etc. resting against their skin. It's not necessary. Also stay away from skin bleaching agents - I got more spots from using a skin lightening cream that I got from a beauty store to take care of dark areas that had developed in intimate areas. Don't use those creams.
8) to make it through life, I've had to use camoflages for my vitiligo. I have worked as a performer and needed to appear "normal". Often, people with vitiligo are beautiful and vibrant people who have amazing gifts. Ive found to my surprise that they are often in the entertainment industry (Michael Jackson, etc). What has worked in my particular case, is using non toxic spray tans and mousses - so far I've found that Sephora Sun and Loving Tan are 2 of the least toxic. Use the Yuka app to determine the toxicity of a product. Don't use really toxic stuff as body makeup, it can affect your health. In a small glass cup, I mix the 2 mousses together into a shade that approximates my skin tone, and let it melt in to a liquid in front of a fan or heater. I use a Q tip dipped in this liquid to coat the spot initially, then use a wet washcloth to blend the edges so that there isn't such a sharp contrast between the areas. After adding that layer, I then load the rest of the liquid into a small rechargable spray gun that you can find on Amazon for about $100. I spray the areas with the spray tan artfully and enhance my abs, bustline etc while I am at it and end up with a pretty good look that can fool most people. This coating lasts for a day or 2. It takes about 30-45 minutes to re-coat myself. I usually give myself a day or 2 rest between applications. But sometimes I have to do it back to back.
8) I'm still only 3 years into using the Sun and a UVB light as a treatment for vitiligo. I've seen great progress, but the most stubborn areas aren't gone. I did, however get rid of most of the areas. When I think about how miserable I was with the amount of vitiligo I had, I want to cry. I got it to where people don't stare at me in the street, on my own - and that is very exemplary. Areas that have almost no vitligo now - face, arms, hands, chest, upper stomach, shins, thighs, lower back. Areas i still have it - ankles, foot tops, underarms, private area, lower abdomen. There is a process called MicroArt that can tattoo over those areas. It's a form of permanent makeup. At the end of the day, I want it all gone and don't want to have to deal with it at all, so I may end up getting MicroArt over the areas that are remaining so I can stop with the spray tan and just be normal. The MicroArt isn't a 100% solution because it's a permanent makeup and can't change color with tanning like your normal pigment can, but I bet it could be a 90% solution, and that might have to be the best result for me in a timely manner. You could get a professional spray tan over the Microart in the summer so it would all match, or do it yourself. I don't want to have to pursue a cure for the rest of my life. Had my parents been aware that this was a low D gene and a low nutrition problem, maybe I could have been saved in childhood and never had to go through dating and all the rest with vitligo. But unfortunately, I was the one who had to put the time/effort into finding these things out as an adult and that took precious time. MicroArt is expensive just so you know. Maybe you can find a camoflage tattoo artist who could do a servicable/acceptable job who isn't Microart and who wouldn't charge as much - more and more are popping up across the country.
9) a noteworthy site is this woman, The Vit Pro, who figured some of these things out on her own, and had a lot of success in regaining her pigment. Again, it's someone who simply took the time to figure it out on her own. I think you will find more help from individuals like me and her than from the doctors, sadly. I have seen A FEW success stories where someone was healed by a doctor, but not many. And did they stay that way? This is her site - thevitpro dot com. Good luck!

Hey Clashers!
I just wanted to take a moment and share my thoughts on the Super Giant in Clash of Clans. As a dedicated player, I've had the opportunity to experiment with this powerful unit, and I must say, it has left quite an impression on me.
First off, let's talk about its appearance. The Super Giant looks absolutely stunning! It's larger than life, towering over everything in its path. The attention to detail is commendable, from the intricate armor to the menacing expression on its face. Supercell definitely nailed the visual design of this colossal warrior.
When it comes to performance, the Super Giant lives up to its name. It packs a serious punch, demolishing walls and buildings with ease. Its high hit points make it a formidable tank, capable of soaking up damage and protecting other troops behind it. This makes it an excellent choice for those intense ground assaults.
What I particularly appreciate about the Super Giant is its ability to spawn regular Giants upon death. This unique feature adds an extra layer of strategy to gameplay. If you're smart and deploy your Super Giants strategically, you can create a chain reaction of reinforcements that catches your opponents off guard. It's a satisfying feeling to watch those Giants continue the fight even after their colossal comrade falls.
However, like any unit, the Super Giant has its drawbacks. Its slow movement speed can be a bit frustrating at times, especially when you're trying to keep up the pace of an attack. Additionally, air units can easily bypass the Super Giant, rendering it useless against certain base layouts. These limitations remind us that balance is essential in maintaining a fair and enjoyable gaming experience.
In conclusion, the Super Giant is an impressive addition to Clash of Clans. Its imposing presence, raw power, and unique spawn ability make it an exciting unit to use on the battlefield. It brings a fresh dynamic to attack strategies and keeps the game engaging for both veteran and new players alike.
So, fellow Clashers, what are your thoughts on the Super Giant? Have you had the chance to utilize this colossal warrior in your raids? Share your experiences and strategies in the comments below! Clash on!

I was excited for a quick second. We all knew we are gonna see a Bryan trailer this weekend. So its actually not that suprising. I went to YouTube after i woke up, scrolled a little than saw the thumbnail of Bryan and i was like: "Oh, it happened". Save for later - Kept scrolling
This is the first time ever where I reacted like this to a Tekken Trailer since the T7 announcement back at Evo 2014.
Idk if its because of the fact it got leaked, or I dont care about Bryan or if I find his design just boring. Since Bryan had the potential to have a crazy design in T8, I was actually excited to see it. But its literally the same with little changes. The 4Chan leaks back in 2021 even sounded better with that eye loss and robotic parts beeing exposed sounded much cooler and more fitting. But the robotic eye detail in the trailer and the rivalry with Paul was a nice touch. And the announcer nailed it again!
Overall i found the trailer mostly uninteresting. Especially the bad lighting is sending me off everytime when a Rage Art is launched where the background becomes blueish/redish. But I get it it's still in development and I have some hope. I mean look at the difference we got from T7 -> T7 FR within a year.
Or maybe all thats just because we are able to watch it only in 1080p because theres no official trailer from BNE with their 4k trailers out yet. It would be nice if this was a trick and they gonna surprise us with a second trailer later.
Otherwise Its really the time to show off something else. New Characters/Stages/Costumes, Game Modes, Release Dates, … These character trailers are too predictable and are less exciting.
But I must say. Those trailers are very exciting when the characters get an unique T8 design such as Jin, Law, Paul, Jack-8, Nina, Jun and Hwoarang. They just look so different and it fits the theme which made the whole thing more interesting.
What about you?

I was having sex with my partner last night and it started with some fingering and then a few rounds of PIV intercourse. During the last PIV session, we noticed tons of blood. It was all over their penis and pubic area- it looked as if I had my period. My partner took a picture of the “lesion” and now I’m extremely worried I have some kind of STD or cancer. It looks like a cut or a blister had popped open. It looks quite deep and the edges are jagged and it stings when I pee.
This type of bleeding during sex has happened a few times now, and usually after being aggressively fingered. Im worried that I’ve had some kind of internal cyst that’s been bleeding and finally popped. My partners nails are sometimes sharp from not being trimmed and I’m hoping that’s what happened last night. I’ve been to my gyno about this already a month ago and he said everything looked fine after doing a pelvic exam. I’ve been tested for STIs several times in the past year and nothing has ever come up.
I also had a skin tag grow right next to this spot a few months ago and had it frozen off (it’s hasn’t fallen off yet- so that’s what that piece of skin protruding is). I’m worried that between the skin tag and now this bleeding/lesion that something is very wrong. Has anyone had a similar experience or know what this looks like?
I have a photo of the cut/lesion but can’t figure out if it’s okay to post that type of photo here.

I’m obsessed with this new trend but I like to wear gel or shellac colours only because I use my hands a lot at work. I’d love to buy a colour that I can bring to the salon for a shellac manicure. But when I try to Google for lipgloss nail colours, it’s all normal nail polish.
Some examples of what I’m looking for:
https://www.stylist.co.uk/beauty/lipgloss-nails/762777

My son loves cocomelon and he's 3. I understand that he's gonna have his likes but he literally watches nothing else except Doggyland by Snoop Dogg (WHICH I LOVE) but it's rare that he wants to. He does like the clean up song and the affirmation songs but he doesn't want to listen to anything else by Doggyland. He puts Cocomelon on the TV and the Google nest in his room so I'm getting a double dose of it. He has a tablet for learning time and I've restricted all video apps to prevent cocomelon from being on it, yet he somehow found some apps that cocomelon made and they play that annoying music. I'm going to lose my mind. Everytime I hear a song by those annoying voice actors, I just wanna rip my hair out and break all my technology. My brain literally compares the stupid show to nails on a chalk board and responds in the same way. I get angry and start having really bad anxiety. Idk why it triggers me so badly. I've tried so many other shows and YouTubers including Gracie's Corner (which I also love) but he has no interest in anything but that show. I don't have any issues with any other children's shows. Am I irrationally angry and anxious? My husband doesn't mind the show and says that how I'm feeling isn't normal. My son has played it for the last 3 weeks. I have to walk away and put my headphones on. He wants me to sit with him and watch it but I physically cannot. Any ideas on how to help with this response I'm having? Any ideas on how to get him to watch literally anything else? I'm at a loss at this point and I cannot take having these feelings and bodily responses because of the show.

I recently graduated from a top MBA programme achieving the Dean’s List and a few other awards.
Here are my core learnings on how to achieve this:

1. Be transparent
2. Be collaborative
3. Be structured
4. Read around
5. Speak to your lecturers
6. Learn from your high achieving class mates

Breaking these down one by one.
Transparency: I was open on day one of my programme that I had a learning difficulty when one of our lecturers asked about imposter syndrome. Showing that vulnerability early on worked heavily in my favour. I’m also pretty friendly and an extrovert - so I spoke with a lot of the cohort after this and started to quickly build relationships based around trust.
Collaboration: because of my learning difficulty I’m a slow reader - even though I’m precise and have good understanding / recall. Therefore I rallied a group of MBAs to note all of the readings that we had for each module. I created the structure (see below) and held control of the final docs, so if people were trying to free load they couldn’t access them. The collaboration meant I only had to read 2-3 articles and 2-3 chapters per module, yet had all of the readings and references for every article / book which I could use in my essays / for exams.
Structure: I structured a very specific noting schedule for articles / books. This was in a word template and included the title; the reference (both in text and full reference) and the author. Then in the main bulk of the template I had the key takeaways from the reading, analysis, key quotes and interpretation of these quotes. By exception there was a detailed summary notes which people could do if they found it useful.
Read around: because I wasn’t doing much of the reading I would then listen to an audio book that was relevant but not included / was recommended but not required. This gave me an edge over everyone else in my content.
Speak to lecturers: I would always speak to my lecturer before the assignment and get an idea of what they were looking for. In the class I would always be the one to ask around the assignment and clearly note what the lecturer said in terms of tips / structure. If I had an idea about what I would write I would float this with the lecturer before and see if they liked it / whether I should change.
Learn from high achieving class mates: I had some very smart class mates as you all will. I quickly understood who was scoring well and asked them what they were doing. I found that some were being hyper precise on their executive summaries; some were adding lots of references, some wrote very well naturally, and some would dive into a key theory and nail that to get top marks. I took their approaches and made my own. To keep it fresh I updated my styles for each essay.
Other things I did: use mnemonics, work smart not hard, be someone who adds value to your peer group (I would download and share all of the files for each module), enjoy yourself.

For the people trying to beat him here is how i did it

1. Dash slash is your friend here and should only attck him with it
   
2. The only room for attacking is when he does the spin attack as there are no swords to dodge
   
3. Focus on dodging the swords istead of attacking him
   
4. For the first phase only attack him with nail arts (not spells)
   
5. In the second phase you should have saved enough soul to attack him with shade soul (and try to only get double hits)
   

Charms are shown at the end
Good luck 🍀

Our goals for a beach vacation include ocean time, beach naps and alllllll the food. We stayed at Crescent Beach but hopped all over the place for activities, food etc. Figured I'd share the places we ate and my thoughts :)
Columbia restaurant - I've been eyeing this place every time I've visited, so I finally made a reservation and tried it out. It's a gorgeous restaurant and I was in awe of the building. The service was great. Food.. not so much. I had the Cuban sandwich, gazpacho and a mojito. The sandwich and gazpacho were both very bland, and the sandwich was boneeee dry. The mojito was tasty but not mind blowing. Glad I got to see the inside, but I wouldn't come here for a meal again. Maybe I would for a mojito though! Also ugh the area we were seated in had a distinct urine smell, and the bathrooms reeked of urine too
Black Molly's - we had a good meal here a few years ago so we tried it again. It's cheaper than most of the other places in/around St Augustine. I got mahi mahi and it was overcooked. My partner got a fresh catch (idk remember what) and it was also overcooked. Edible, but wouldn't eat here again.
Mango Mangos- I like the vibe here. The service was good. Seemed like a bunch of locals which is usually a good sign! We got the coconut shrimp to start which was okay, nothing special. The meal was fine. But the key lime pie!!!!! It was the best I've ever had
Caps on the water - the views here are amazing, and it made for a nice romantic dinner. The service was top knotch. The she crab soup was delicious, maybe the best thing I ate the whole trip. I could eat that soup every day. I had salmon which was good & my partner had the sesame seared tuna. He raved about it and says it's the best tuna he's ever had. We ended with the key lime dessert and it was good. We started too strong with Mango mangos key lime pie and everything else paled in comparison haha
Violas- we didn't make a reservation and definitely should have! We had a long wait on a Wednesday night, but we enjoyed it here so much in the past that we decided to wait it out. Good service & the owner bops around to all the tables which I thought was cool. The food is good and the portions are massive (which now that I think about it, almost everywhere we ate had big portions). We'll continue to eat here when we visit in the future but we'll be making a reservation. We took key lime pie & fried cheesecake back to our condo and they were both good
Llama restaurant- I was excited to try this place out and made reservations 2ish months in advance. They nailed the decor. Otherwise, I felt it was way too cramped and LOUD. It was hard to have a conversation and I couldn't hear our waitress. We started with ceviche- it was my first time having it!- and I enjoyed it. I had the surf&turf dish and my partner had the lamb. The lamb was overcooked. My meal was okay, but had a lot going on and I couldn't eat very much. I ended up eating the noodles when I went back to the condo, but the rest I just picked at and ultimately ended up wasting it. Our waitress didn't check back with us to see how the food was, and we decided to leave without getting dessert because I just didn't want to stay there longer than necessary. It has a pretentious vibe to it imo
Sunset Grille- we went here a handful of times on our last trip so we knew what to expect. We had the mahi/salmon spread - something I normally wouldn't order - and it was delicious, especially with their datil sauce. I ended up buying a bottle to take home. I had the lobster pasta which was too heavy for me (I ate a few bites before I boxed it up for later) but I liked the flavor. And of course got the key lime pie! It's oddly pricey here, I was surprised by our bill
Kookaburra - we got coffee here everyday. Love the vibe and the staff. Wish I could take this place home with me!
I got lots of recommendations from this subreddit, so thank you all for the recs & for sharing your beautiful city :)

Opal stood up with a sigh, grimacing at the pain along her back and arm. She looked down on the man crumpled on the floor. “Sorry Devona. But life’s a bitch.”
“...fuck you,” he mumbled.
Opal’s eyes widened slightly. “Man, he’s one tough cookie. Not much he can do now though.” She pulled the documents out from her bag to verify that they were still there, and then slid them into her jacket. She turned to leave before pausing. Something felt… off. Her eyes scanned the area and she tensed herself. Even with Opal being as alert as she could, she didn’t see the fist coming at her face until it was too late. Her vision spun as her head snapped back, feeling her feet leave the ground as someone slept her legs out from under her. She pushed herself off and jumped to her feet, only to be met with a swift kick waist. She tried to swing her crowbar but a hand wrenched her wrist to the side and a knee slammed into her stomach. She doubled over and felt her lunch struggle to the surface before she was promptly slammed face-first into the wall. She slid down like wet spaghetti onto the floor.
She turned her head to the side to watch the retreating footsteps as she waited for her entire body to stop aching. Devona, if that was his name, was already sitting up, wincing but very much functional despite the blood dribbling down his face. She could see the figure now crouching beside him, doing something with their hands. It took Opal a few seconds to realise that they were signing something.
-you alright?
Devona nodded, rubbing his bruised cheek. “Yeah, I’m fine, Harlow. Don’t worry about me.”
Opal would have sworn out loud, but the pain in her face was making it hard to speak. “Are you kidding me? They sent the damn wolf after these documents too?” Speaking of the documents, why was she after them again? She frowned and rooted around her memories like a child digging in the sand. Right, to sell the information within. Wow, she was scatter-brained. Probably to do with the ringing headache she had.
She had to get away. But with her current situation, a foot race would be a pointless endeavour. All she needed to do was get to her motorcycle parked a few metres away, and she’d be able to depart. She looked over the side of the roof and studied the area. Then she rolled over the side. She grabbed onto the railings by the side and yanked them off, managing to swing herself into a window after skidding down several metres. If she couldn’t outpace Harlow, then she could at least slow them down. She shoved herself to her feet and started to run, the sound of someone scaling the wall already behind her. She shoved desks and cabinets in front of doors as she ran, the only sound she could hear being her own footsteps and bated breath. If she got caught once, if she slowed down for a single second, she’d be headed for the rocks.
She turned the corner and felt that same shiver of anticipation run up her spine. They’d caught up to her, somehow. She readied herself and ducked under but still caught the edge of the hit as Harlow appeared from behind her. She grabbed an oil can and crushed it behind her back, spilling it down onto the floor. They rushed forward anyway, using the momentum to slam into Opal and throw her across the floor. This time it was her scrambling upon the oil to get up, grabbing onto the wall to try to pull herself up. She was instead hoisted up and thrown through the door and onto the clean floor of the corridor where she pushed herself up and began to run again. Something nagged at her but she ignored it, electing to get to the exit as fast as possible.
She finally shoved the door open and ran upon the gravel, finding where her motorcycle was parked. She kicked back the stand and revved the engine, tearing off as fast as she could while weaving for good measure. She relaxed her body once she reached the empty fields of high grass, shooting a final peace sign towards the dwindling buildings. She reached into her jacket and then realised that the documents were not there.
“God. Fucking. Dammit.” That conniving bastard. They’d probably stolen the documents during that final tussle, and the nagging feeling she’d so carelessly discarded was how strange it was that they didn’t continue to chase her. There was enough time to go back, perhaps she could -
There was a massive explosion from one of the buildings, loud enough for the windows on the neighbouring structures to shatter. On second thought, perhaps she’d let this one go.
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Claren soared through the air and slammed against the ground and wall, bouncing around like a handball. He pressed a hand to his head with a groan as he stopped, barely managing to dodge the glaive that slammed into the ground and sent a blast of lightning into the earth. As he looked, he could see that metal had been infused into the bone and flesh that comprised the glaive. Laurel came at him again, swinging her glaive again and again as lightning coursed through her body. Claren blocked her attacks, but he was forced to the defensive, the lightning preventing him from getting close.
He pushed forward nevertheless, grabbing onto the end of Laurel’s glaive as she tried to drive it into his chest. He didn’t know how much longer his shield could keep up, but there was no chance for him to take a moment to recover. He could feel the heat from the electricity scouring the air, not hot enough to injure but hot enough to hurt. His fist connected with Laurel’s face and sent her flying backwards before she launched herself forward with a burst of electricity, sending him slamming through the door and into a hallway. He didn’t have time to test if his bones were broken before she was launching herself into the air, electricity worming around her like a writhing cocoon. Claren rolled to the side to avoid her slamming into the ground, sending shards of concrete everywhere. His thoughts rushed around his head as he jumped to his feet and started the process again.
Claren didn’t have time to consider the ramifications of why her magic was so different to what it had been before. All he had was to try and hold her off for long enough to… what, exactly? Figure out a way to beat her? For backup to arrive? Have the crime lords escape? He almost laughed at that one - internally, of course. He barely laughed out loud. He’d dedicated most of his life to law and order, and here he was: potentially throwing his life away for a bunch of high-end criminals. The thought of it casted a bitter taste in his mouth and he could feel his teeth grit together. The sudden, uncontrollable action startled Claren enough to make him almost freeze up. He’d trained himself for years to hold in anything of that ike, and here he was, in the midst of battle yet unable to compose himself. He smoothed his expression again and hit Laurel across the head with a hook.
“You know,” Laurel managed between breaths while dodging and weaving, “this would be a lot easier if you just stood aside.” Her glaive gave her the advantage in reach, but Claren’s bubble provided him with enough manoeuvrability to get in and out.
“I mean,” she continued, “why bother trying to save people like that? They’re scum, or lower than scum. Just the greedy pigs of the world that managed to get enough money to stay on the top of the bottom.”
It was such a mirror of his own thoughts that he almost, for a second, considered it. He tried his hardest to push her words from his mind and levelled his gaze at her. “I don’t make deals with people like you. Not to mention, you already murdered the English council, so don’t pretend like you’re above them.”
Laurel scoffed. “Please, they were politicians. Barely even people.”
She stomped her feet and a wave of electricity radiated off of her, scorching the ground and furniture around her. She raised her hands and a scent of ash filled the air. Fire suddenly flared into existence all around her, bright and blindingly hot. Claren had to jump forward as he felt himself cooking alive from the fire that rose just a few inches away from him. Laurel opened her palm and a wave of flame erupted from her hand right towards Claren. He expanded his bubble just before it washed over him, keeping the scorching heat away. He rolled to the side and outstretched his hand into a finger gun. His shield was sucked around his hand and onto the tip of his finger, hanging there like a dew drop. It fired off and slammed into Laurel, sending her flying backwards. It shot back and wrapped around Claren just as another wave of fire rushed at him.
He dodged to the side as she swung wildly with her glaive, the blade lit by flame. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his yo-yo. Laurel guffawed as she saw it, her voice revealing the emotion that her mask was hiding.
“A yo-yo? Seriously?”
Claren’s shield flowed over the yo-yo and he lashed out with it, wrapping around Laurel faster than she could register. He swung the yo-yo around and Laurel followed, being slammed all around the wall and floor like a ball attached to a ping-pong paddle. He pulled and she spun like a top as the yo-yo retracted to his hand before crumping to the floor.
“That’s Captain yo-yo to you,” Claren said dryly. The bubble from the yo-yo started to wash over him. It wavered for a second, and then shattered. That was not good. But with Laurel out for the count, he should be able to wait out for his shield to form again.
Laurel stood up. Claren was momentarily taken aback. Someone who was without any physical enhancements should have been taken out by that assault. She stretched her neck and arms.
“Nice trick. Wanna see me do it?” She lashed out with a strand of lightning, faster than Claren could dodge and wrapped it around him. While it was much faster, it barely tickled his skin as it pressed against him. Then the strand of lightning erupted into flames, and Claren could feel his flesh start to bubble. She slammed him all around the room and the world began to blur, his vision flashing white intermittently from the agony of the experience. She brought him in close, spinning him around like a ribbon dancer would, and punched him in the face. He collapsed to the ground as the last of the fiery electricity stopped holding him up, body still steaming as his wounds hissed.
Laurel picked him up by the collar and dangled him in the air.
“Like I said. This would have been a lot easier if you just stood aside.” She was tall, tall enough that with the two of them at eye-height Claren’s feet couldn’t find the floor at all. She started to carry him towards the window and Claren thought about how high the mansion was from the ground as she threw him through it.
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Cirius had taken a quick break when he felt his eyes start to slide from their sockets. He excused himself to the bathroom, died, and then came back out as fresh as a daisy. Ignoring the incredibly confused and alarmed expressions of the crime lords, he continued to lead them out until they were in the front yard.
“Welp,” he said, “you can all go home now.” He heard some commotion from the mansion, and turned around. The noises stopped.
“Huh. Must have been the wind.”
The window shattered and Claren hurtled through. Cirius scrambled around the lawn and managed to catch Claren, taking the brunt of the fall as the man slammed into him. He was burnt heavily all over, and a hiss of pain escaped his lips as Cirius set him gently upon the ground. He looked up as a figure jumped down, landing on top of a car as electricity coursed around her. It was the woman from before, still brandishing her glaive and with her mask covering her face. Bauble, was it?
“Hey,” said Cirius, because he didn’t know what else to say.
“Hey,” she returned casually, leaning against her glaive onto the ruined wreck. She seemed to be trying to appear flippant, but too much of her weight was put on the glaive for that to be true.
“Did you do this?” he asked, gesturing towards Claren.
“Yep.”
Cirius nodded. “Not going to lie, Bauble, you suck. I kinda have to fight you now.”
Even with the mask Cirius could feel her glare. “First off, it’s Laurel. Second off, I don’t have time to waste on you.” She directed her gaze towards the crowd and waved her finger around. The crowd surged as if trying to disperse before she slammed her foot and sent a wave of fire soaring up to block them.
“Not you, not you, not you,” she muttered. “Ah, there you are!” The flames dispersed and the crowd backed away from the man she was pointing to. He looked around, as if for anyone to help. Everyone turned and ran towards their cars, getting in and driving away within seconds.
Laurel twirled her glaive and jumped down. “I’m going to kill you now, okay?” She dodged leisurely to the side as Cirius tried to tackle her, sending volts of electricity through his body with a casual backhand. She grabbed Cirius by the collar and threw him with a blast of lightning, hurtling him several metres away. The man turned to run and she shot out a small bolt of lightning, seizing him up and collapsing him to the ground. She stepped forward, scraping the glaive across the scorched grass before being slammed in the back. She whipped around to see Claren pointing his index finger, his face screwed up in pain yet eyes forced open.
“You really don’t know when to quit, so you?” she snarled. She hoisted her glaive into the air but was interrupted once again as Cirius popped out and managed to grasp onto Laurel’s leg. Before she could kick him off, he clambered up onto her back and clung to her.
“What the fUCKKK” she yelled, the yell turning into a screech as Cirius bit down as hard as he could on her shoulder. She wheeled around wildly, shouting curses to the sky as she tried her hardest to shake Cirius off. He continued to hang on, his fingers gripping tightly and only the gloves preventing his nails from sinking into her skin. Fire and lightning roiled off of her yet Cirius continued to cling on. She slammed her back against the mansion again and again. Cirius heard something crunch from within his body. Still holding on with one hand, he grabbed a disk from his pocket and tossed it into the air. Dropping down, he kicked at Laurel’s feet before running away as the disk exploded and sent debris tumbling down onto her. He ran to Claren and hauled him up, trying his best not to touch the deep burns. He turned his attention to the man who was still lying on the ground as if pretending to be dead. Cirius walked over while holding up Claren and kicked him in the side.
“Ah! Just kill me quickly!” he screamed before seeing that it was just Cirius. Cirius stared down at him.
“Just get up and help me support Claren.”
They managed to get into a building and barricade the door. Cirius propped Claren up against the wall as the man started to pace the halls.
“God, where are the guards! They should have stopped her!” he yelled. Cirius grabbed a pen and threw it at his head.
“Shut up. She’s going to hear us.”
“Hear us! Who cares if she hears us! She’ll find us anyway! We’re doomed!”
Claren slitted his eyes open. “Keep it down. I have a headache and it’s…”
“Killing you?” Cirius interjected.
Claren raised an eyebrow. “No. My wounds are killing me. My headache is simply a pain to deal with.”
Cirius chewed his lip. He needed a plan. Devona and Harlow were both off somewhere else, and he didn’t have time to wait for them to come around.
“Think, think,” he muttered to himself. An idea sparked in his head. It wasn’t very good, but it was all he had.
“You there,” he said, pointing at the man who he had thrown the pen at. “Uh, what’s your name?”
“Winston Haxter,” supplied Claren with a pained voice. “He’s the one I was supposed to be negotiating with.”
“I see, I see. What’s your discipline?”
“I, uh, can run well.”
Cirius hummed. “Super-speed, eh? Yeah, I can work with that.”
“No, I run at normal speed. But like, I don’t get tired. I can just keep running.”
“Huh. So you have infinite stamina?”
“Yeah. But like… just for running.”
Cirius hummed again. “Well, I can probably still work with that.” He stepped towards Winston and pointed towards a long hallway. “Alright, when she gets here, you’re going to start running down there.”
“What! She’ll kill me!”
“Come on man. Your magic is literally just running. You can outpace her. ‘Sides, I have a plan. Claren’s going to be at the end of the hallway, and he’ll bubble the two of you up. I’ll distract her and lead her far away where I’ll… I don’t know. I’ll figure it out.”
Winston stared at him. “You’ll die.”
“Oh, most definitely. In fact, probably several times! But hey, that’s just how it is.”
Winston’s face dropped even more, if that was even possible. “You’re absolutely insane. We’re all going to die.”
“Nope! Just me! Anyways, go wait by the hallway. Don’t want to lose any ground.” He walked over to Claren before Winston could protest. He sat down next to him.
“Hey.”
Claren titled his head down. “Mr. Walker.”
“You up for the plan?”
He shifted his body and winced. “I am. I don’t think it’s an especially good plan, but I don’t see a better way.” A strange expression settled over his face. It took a while for Cirius to discern it. It was discontentment, irritation, bitterness. Claren seemed to recognise this and swallowed the expression.
“You know, it’s not too late to toss Winston at her and walk away.”
“What did you say?” Winston called out.
“Nothing!”
Claren sighed and his shoulders sagged. “No. That’s not for me to decide. I have a job, and I need to do it.”
“Why? I mean, you clearly don’t want to protect him.”
Claren looked away. The two of them sat in silence before Clarne spoke up again. “I need to do my job because it’s… it’s not a good job. It doesn’t feel good to look people you know have done horrible, horrible things in the eye and shake their hand. To watch them walk away and know that you could have stopped them but… couldn’t. Or just didn’t. I won’t - I can’t let anyone else do that.” His hand reached up to the two rings on his fingers and twisted them - a golden band with a bright yellow gem and a silver band with a cool blue one.
Cirius stared at the ground. “Wow. That kinda sucks.”
Claren huffed a laugh. “That it does.” He shook his head. “Look at me, talking about my feelings while on the job. How unprofessional.” He staggered to his feet. “You should go and get prepared. Won’t be long until she finds us.”
Claren was right. The door was thrown off its hinges and a figure ducked down. The light glinted off the white mask as Laurel stood in the frame. She stared down across the room at Winston, who was doing a very good job looking like a deer in headlights. She cocked her head to the side. Winston bolted down the hallway, his breaths sharp and panicked. She blasted forward with a bolt of lightning, each step energised as she leisurely followed him.
Laurel ran down the hallway, every step bringing her closer to Winston. Cirius let out a silent exhale. It was time. All the doors along the hallway were open, and a short figure jumped out of one only to be met with an immediate blast of lightning so strong it sent the figure slamming back immediately. Laurel had anticipated a trap being laid. Unfortunately for her, Cirius had anticipated her anticipation. The makeshift, stuffed, humanoid doll wearing Cirius clothes smouldered, the string that attached it to the tripwire carefully hidden across the floor snapped from the sudden force of the lightning. At the same moment as she turned to unleash her magic, Cirius leapt from the opposing side and tackled Laurel, sending the two of them crashing to the ground.
Laurel grabbed him by the arm and slammed him into the wall, fire roiling off of her and washing over him. Cirius kicked at Laurel until he felt it connect with something hard and her grip loosened. He dropped down as he realised that his eyeballs had been burnt off. He scrambled around blindly for several seconds before a glaive tore through his chest and ripped him in half. A foot stomped on his head again and again until his skull cracked open and his brains were mushed upon the floor. Laurel stomped on the desecrated body again and again until blood and gore started to coat the cuffs of her pants.
“You know, I’m starting to feel a little insulted.” She whipped her head around and stared at Cirius, standing there perfectly fine.
“Wha- you-” she looked back at the corpse, then at Cirius. “I killed you!”
“You missed.”
She looked back at the corpse. “No I fucking didn’t!” She grabbed her glaive and threw it at him, slicing his face wide open along with the rest of his head. The top half of his head slid cleanly off and onto the floor.
“Missed again,” said Cirius from behind her. She gathered lightning in her hand and sent a bolt right through him.
“You should really aim better.”
“What the fuck!” Laurel screamed. “I killed you! I killed you several times!” “Yeah, I get that a lot.” He dodged the glaive being thrown at him again and turned to run. Laurel charged after him, each charged step leaving cracks within the floor. He ducked down as she ripped through the air, fire and lightning trailing behind her. She brought down a wave of flame with a kick, following it up by swinging her glaive as it crackled with lightning. Cirius ducked under, rushing forward through the flame and punching Laurel in the stomach. His gloves glowed for a second, a frosty cyan that pierced the air, and a blast of energy ripped out that slammed Laurel into the wall.
Cirius was hit with a wave of exhaustion. He’d died thrice in a row, and although there didn’t seem to be any limit on how many times he could die and revive, it certainly wore on him after a while. He needed to think of something to do. Laurel was already drawing herself back to her feet, her mask shifted to the side and revealing her cold, hard eyes that blazed with fury. His mind scoured all of what he knew of buildings like this.
“The boiler room! Of course! If I can get there, I can blow this place sky high and take her down with it.” He forced himself up and started to run, turning around briefly to wave at Laurel. As expected, she gave chase, her movements more akin to a rabid animal than a hunter. He ran through winding corridors and locked doors, barely dodging the stray bolt of lightning or fireball. He could already feel the exhaustion from dying and reviving thrice in a row; he’d be too tired to outpace Laurel if he had to die again.
He reached the door to the boiler just as Laurel caught up, tackling Cirius and sending him crashing through the old, rotten wood. She kicked him in the face as he slid across the floor, preventing him from righting himself. She stepped forward and pressed her foot down on his back.
“I wonder,” she said, “how many times can you die until it becomes too much? Is there even a limit for you?” Her voice was sing-songy and slightly manic, like glass about to shatter into thousands of sharp, sharp fibres. Cirius rooted around his pocket. He didn’t feel any explosives. He clicked his fingers and a spark flicked to life, the cyan light barely visible before fizzling out.
“I mean, if there is, I certainly haven’t reached it yet.” He clicked again and a bigger spark emerged. He managed to shoot it out of his index finger right towards one of the thermal tanks. The tiny spark travelled through the air, hit the tank and did absolutely nothing.
“Well. We’re screwed.” As Cirius started to lament his poor planning skills, Laurel’s head snapped up.
“What was that?”
“Uh. Nothing,” Cirius replied like the excellent liar he was. Laurel cocked her head. “Oh, so that sound from behind that thermal tank over there was nothing?” She lifted her arm and her hand flared with electricity. “Hope you won’t mind this, then.” She shot a bolt of lightning and hit the thermal dead centre. There was a beat of silence. “Oh, fuck.” A moment later, absolutely nothing happened.
“Oh. I really thought those were going to explode. Like, as soon as I realised I had blasted lightning at a thermal tank, I was all ‘that’s going to explode’.” She laughed. “Wow. That’s pretty funny.”
Cirius felt something brush up against the hand that was still in his pocket. He pulled it out.
“Oh hey! I still have an explosive disk!” He activated it, threw it at the thermal tank and the world exploded.
“-ey. Wake up.” Cirius blearily opened up his eyes. He was laid out across the floor next to what presumably had been the building. Claren was crouched next to him, snapping his fingers in front of his face.
“Oh, good. You’re awake.”
Cirius nodded and got up. He was so incredibly tired, but a sense of accomplishment filled his chest. “We did it.”
Claren nodded. “Indeed we did.”
There was a small silence before Cirius broke it. “Hey, about what you said before. I know it probably isn’t much, coming from me, but,” Cirius hovered his hand above Claren’s shoulder. “I think you’re really awesome.”
Claren bowed his head. “Thank you, Cirius.” He stared at the hand. “I’m sorry, what is this?”
“Well, I heard from bossman that you don’t like physical touch. So I’m doing this to show reassurance while still respecting your boundaries.”
Claren blinked. “That’s… pretty thoughtful, actually.”
“Hey, uh, am I safe to go now?” Winston asked, standing a few feet away and ruining the moment.
“Yeah, it should be all good,” Cirius responded before a bolt of lightning ripped through Winston’s head.
Claren immediately flared up his shield around the two of them, blocking the next bolt of lightning. Laurel, her mask half-shattered to show her furious eye, tuxedo torn with skin scraped raw underneath, and arm clearly broken staggered towards them.
“You clever, clever little fucker. You led me on quite the wild goose chase.” Her mouth twisted into a manic grin. “Typically, I’d just leave you be. But now? I think I’m going to kill the shield guy first and string out his body across the buildings here. Then I’m going to throw the little one in a box and toss him into the deepest, darkest part of the ocean.” She hoisted her glaive as lightning crackled around her, larger and more volatile than before.
Claren narrowed his eyes. “Cirius. Are you in any condition to fight?”
Cirius shook his head. “Going to be honest, this feels like a running situation.” As if on cue, a wall of flames erupted to life around them.
Something silent flew through the air. A thin, red line appeared over Laurel’s cheek. The crossbow bolt embedded into a wall. Laurel turned around and Harlow faced her, holding a crossbow aimed straight at her. There was a beat of silence as Harlow stared her down, their message held clearly in their hands. Laurel stamped her foot and a circle of flame enveloped her. When it cleared, she was gone. Harlow stared off towards the air, as if contemplating pursuing her, but turned to Claren and Cirius instead.
“I must admit, it would have been very useful having you here earlier.”
I was busy, they replied as they poured a blue vial over Claren’s wounds.
“Where’s bossman?” “Right here.” Devona popped into existence behind them and his eyes scanned the area. He looked down at the two of them. “Claren. You don’t look so good.”
“I could say the same about you. Broken hip?”
“Certainly feels like it. Cirius, you alright?”
Cirius flashed him a thumbs up. “You know it.”
“I’ll inform you of the details after I get these wounds treated,” Claren told Harlow. “I think I’ll be fine to walk on my own for now. I’ll let you know if I require any assistance.”
They made it all the way back to the original drop-off point and called Axon. After Claren explained a basic overview of why they were so late and Harlow was forced to promise to describe everything that happened, the portals opened up. Claren waved Harlow and Cirius through but held Devona back.
“Yeah? What’s up?”
Claren hummed. “Cirius was… the only reason that I survived. If it wasn’t for him, then I wouldn’t be here right now. He may seem strange and irrational, but-”
“When push comes to shove, you can count on him.”
Claren nodded. “It took me a while to realise that. But from what I’ve heard from Axon, you seem to be able to put up with Cirius’s less serious side very well. How is that?”
Devona scratched the back of his head. “I don’t know. Guess I’m just used to it.”
“I see.” Claren bowed his head. “Goodbye, Mr. Verdant. And do get that hip checked.”
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“Jamie, no! That’s a terrible idea!”
“Come on, Vivian. It’ll be great! I’ve constructed the perfect plan!”
Vivian folded his arms. “Oh yeah? And what is that, pray tell?”
“Alright, so, in order to make our own water-slide, we steal all the blankets from all the houses and wet them. We tie them together, and then we attach it all around the town and slide around! It’d be amazing!”
Vivian stared at his twin sister with a mix of disbelief and amazement. “And how are we going to attach it all around the town?”
She faltered. “I’ll… I don’t know. I’ll think of something.” She clasped her hands together. “Come onnnnn Vivi, please!”
Vivian sighed. “Fine. Just this once,” he replied, perhaps for the fifteenth time.
“Yay!” Jamie slung her arm over his shoulder. “I promise you, this is going to be awesome.”
“I’m sure,” he responded dryly, but he couldn’t hide the small grin on his fsce.
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Laurel Pariah was pissed. She winced as she jolted her broken arm, and she felt how her entire body radiated with pain from every movement she took. The wind was howling, so she didn’t hear the footsteps approaching until they were right behind her.
“You’ve returned,” the figure said brightly.
“That I have.”
The Dreamer hummed, and Laurel shifted her gaze to see him picking at his nails. “Did you achieve your mission?”
“I did. I just ran into some… complications.”
The Dreamer chuckled unkindly. “I can see that.” He cocked his head to the side, his expression hidden behind a mask decorated with white stars. “You broke your mask again. They’re not going to be pleased if you keep doing that, you know?”
“They collapsed a fucking building on me. What do you exp-”
The Dreamer put his hands up. “Hey now, hold your horses. Yes, yes, opponents were tough yadda yadda. I get it, I really do. Sucks to get your ass beaten so often, doesn’t it, poor little baby? I mean, I wouldn’t know, but still.”
Laurel grit her teeth. “Go fuck yourself.”
The Dreamer laughed. “Well then, I’ll see you later, Demon of Babel. Toodles!” He walked away, deep into the thicket of trees until he vanished from sight. Laurel kicked at the dirt before turning to walk away too, leaving only the wind to howl to an empty sky.