#✶〈 IC 〉➤wannabe elite✶

[normaliize-a]

with every normal type that gets benched from someones team, a little bit of ivory's heart breaks

#✶〈 IC 〉➤wannabe elite✶ #TOTALLY NOT REFERRING TO KIERANS FURRET THE POOR BOY.......... #and larry not being allowed to use normal types in the league #dont let ivory know either of these she'll get irrationally upset

[normaliize]

tag dump ! (except actually this time )

#.◦✶*OOC ‖ Quarters was here*✶◦. #.◦✶*IC ‖ wannabe elite*✶◦. #.◦✶*Mun Art ‖ Quarters has drawn this*✶◦. #.◦✶*OP Art ‖ Another person has drawn this*✶◦. #.◦✶*Starter Call*✶◦. #.◦✶*Open*✶◦. #.◦✶*Musings*✶◦. #.◦✶*Study*✶◦. #.◦✶*Aesthetic*✶◦. #.◦✶*Queue*✶◦. #.◦✶*Dash Commentary*✶◦. #.◦✶*Ask Meme*✶◦. #.◦✶*Dash Game*✶◦. #.◦✶*Music Box*✶◦. #.◦✶*Ask*✶◦. #.◦✶*Promo*✶◦. #.◦✶*Drabbles*✶◦. #.◦✶*Save*✶◦. #.◦✶*Pokemon Team*✶◦.

[missprincesse345]

His island queen 🌺🌺

Summary: what happens when the elite & rest of the Aew roster meet the only other important person in Chris Jerichos life in the most surprising way.

Pairing: Chris Jericho x younger wife reader ❤️

Warnings: mostly fluff

Y/n fatu ( face claim India Westbrook)

Her tattoos: left hand

Right hand:

Back piece:

Pov:

For the past couple weeks going into the new year Jericho & the elite have been dealing with the Bcc’s unruly actions against them since Chris beat yuta for the roh championship then the elite beating mox,Claudio and Bryan for the trio’s belts. The feud has been getting worse by the second from sneak attacks to down right intentionally causing physical harm not only to them but everyone else randomly for no reason it was getting ridiculous, which is why they challenged them to a street fight on rampage 2 weeks from now sick of their tactics.

“ This has to stop!!! Just because we beat them clean at the beginning of the new year those pricks wanna throw hissy fits and attack us left & right then going around randomly injuring others on the roster” Nick Jackson said snarling sitting down the boys and Chris just got back from their 5 man tag match against United empire ,kip sabian, and Ricky starks. Which of course ended in another attack by the bcc after the boys that got slightly bloody resulting in some of them getting stitches no thanks to that damn screwdriver they’ve been using.

Wincing putting the ice pack on his shoulder “ agreed this shit ends after new week can’t afford anyone else getting injured or attacked by them” kenny said closing his eyes all of them understand what it’s like to lose championships every now and then but what the bcc is doing isn’t it. “ especially coming from me being the first victim *points to eyepatch * try explaining to your 2yr old why daddy is wearing a eyepatch I’m not waiting when the day comes moment we walk out and hit the ring I’m attacking” hangman said joining kenny on the other couch holding his husband lovingly.

When feud first started hangman came out to save Kenny and the bucks from a beat down only for the bcc to hold him down and stab him in the eye while the rest were tied up let alone to beat up to help. “ can’t blame you besides they’ve had the belts for to long, Chris you good dude been quiet since we came back?” Matt said looking over at Jericho who was packing his bags silently fuming completely in his own world “ huh ? * looks over his shoulder * physically no mentally I’ll be fine *sighs * okay no I’m not okay!!!” He growled.

“ who the hell do they think they are just because regal trained them then of leaving them high dry all of them are above everybody else?! No just some wannabe house of black knockoffs” Chris said it was true though especially No thanks Bryan Danielson’s hypocrite delusional nonsense and fake propaganda crap. “ Acting like they’ve never lost before doing the most over the top bullshit I’ve seen come rampage all bets are off!!! The want batshit crazy that’s what we’re going to give them those stupid idiots are in for a rude awakening” he declared as the others agreed after this street Bryan & the Bcc’s actions are going to finally catch up to them.

- 2hrs later-

Chris and y/n’s house:

Waving goodbye thanking them for the ride Chris made it home god it feels good to say that during the whole feud he always looked forward to decompressing from all of it relaxing and being wrapped in the warmth nurturing love with the one person that always brings happiness and joy to his life just when he feels like he wouldn’t find it again.

Walking up the stairs then inside locking the door behind him Chris chuckled hearing Sade playing through the house on low then the smells of delicious food filling the room he was at peace, after playing with the dogs for a little bit he walked further into the house finding the source Chris smiled fondly leaning against the wall watching his flower moving their hips to the beat her siren honey vocals matching perfectly to the music how did he get so lucky.

Y/n’s outfit (all sets made by me) :

“ Now how did I miss this little performance? Let alone my own home?” He said teasingly startling the woman a little bit before chuckling as she smiled big walking over hugging him tightly greeting him with a loving kiss.

“ we’ll if you got back earlier than you’d have still been able to catch the whole performance” the mystery woman smiled rubbing his cheek before kissing him again “ how you feeling pain level 1 to 10?” She asked looking at the small stitches on his forehead. “ 5 so not too bad but right now I’m here so that’s all that matters, mm is that what I think it is?” He said looking at the meal she was preparing. “ yes now go get cleaned up it should be done when you come back downstairs” she giggled swatting his chest playfully.

Who was the mystery woman you ask?

Well she is not only Chris’s new wife but also well known in the wrestling world as Desiree parks but most people that know her personally especially her family she’s y/n fatu , yep that’s right she’s the usos baby sister and Roman Reigns baby cousin that wrestles under new Japan wrestling/stardom.

The two met mid 2022/23 at jeys birthday to which he was invited after word got out about his divorce from his ex wife who treated him badly and cheated on the twins wanted him there getting his mind off things. And have fun little did he know he’d find love again let alone true happiness in their baby sister as if it was a soulmate like force that brought them together.

*Flashback*

Even though he wasn’t really up for getting out of the house mingling with other people Chris was actually enjoying himself quite a bit maybe this what he needed “ hey man there’s someone we want you to meet if that’s okay?” Jimmy said joining him by the bar “ sure I don’t mind” Chris replied taking a swig from his beer.

“ cool uce , hey !!! Sis c’mere!!! * y/n turns around smiling softly hearing her brother * hey Chris this is our little sister y/n” jimmy said introducing her to Chris whom became hot and bothered instantly seeing the Carmel skinned goddess standing infront of him.

“ hi Chris nice to meet you nice to finally meet from all the stories and music the twins tell me about great to see the man himself” she said her voice like honey making him snap out of his haze. “ it’s nice to meet you I’ve seen some of your work too very amazing” he smiled shaking her hand watching her face blush a little everything was going to be okay he thought.

*Flashback over*

The two have been married for almost three years now having a private ceremony in early 2023.

Handing him his plate once he came back all washed up and clean they migrated to the living room and caught each other up on everything going on since sometimes she would be wrestling while he was touring. After dinner and dessert they relaxed on the couch watching a movie just wrapped in each others embrace towards the ending Chris looked down chuckling noticing she’d fallen asleep on his lap.

Smiling softly he just traced her cheek softly how did he end up finding himself a modern Wonder Woman a woman with a simple touch could calm him down or able to always look at situations from both perspectives fixing the problem easily without any hesitation. Beats him but one thing he does know is that no matter what he’ll always protect her.

He’s gonna win for her the nights of fear & worries will be over he hated seeing her terrified crying because of the painful physical state he come home to.

2 weeks later

It’s time the night everyone had been waiting for the Bcc we’re going face their actions but most importantly Chris was going to make them for bringing tears to his wife. He had her stay in the back with Brandi & Britt watching not wanting her to get hurt very little people know about y/n & his relationship it’s not that he was afraid of what people would think Jericho just wants that part of his life private.

Cause now or day’s people can get to you any form especially in their line of work.

The match was just getting brutal at this point both teams were pulling out all of the stops yet nobody could blame them Bcc’s actions had gone to far it was time they faced the music. Jumping slightly as Chris was slammed into the tacs Y/n silently prayed to herself watching her husband scream in pain “ his gonna be alright they all are” Brandi said rubbing her shoulders in comfort “ I know * sighs * just worried i mean get it but i still get scared when he gets hurt doing matches” y/n replied with a small smile she was no stranger to these kind of matches having done a few through out her career.

“ And you’re winners of this match the Elite & Chris Jericho!!!” They announced as the arena cheered loudly the whole building shaking with excitement and applause it was over the bcc’s reign of terror was over. Y/n let out breath of relief cheering watching Chris standing tall alongside the elite in victory both knew that the win was needed , as the boys close out the show with Britt & Brandi Chris was finally going to show the world his good luck charm to the world.

“ Now as you know that through out this whole feud we conquered and fought taking down the bcc tired of being attacked let alone disrespected right?” Chris chuckled as the crowd cheered. “ thank you cause you guys never once stopped giving us that energy to keep fighting through the terror , they caused but as you can see all of these amazing hard working people in this ring have their loved ones with them right now well I have a special person here tonight with me as well” he said smirking as the crowd got excited wondering who the mysterious person was.

“ she’s literally been my rock through this whole roller coaster of pain and craziness literally has been my light for a while now and till the day i die my heart,my bestfriend and god so much more probably going to kill for outing her * crowd laughs * so with out further ado let’s give her a warm welcome” he said pointing to the ramps.

The crowd goes crazy watching y/n walk out smiling big shaking her head walking down to the ring “ it’s Desiree parks !!! The immortal goddess!!!” Taz said in shock as Tony & Excalibur agreed in complete shock.

Getting in the ring with the help of the young bucks Chris pulled her into a tight hug rocking her softly before kissing her head holding her close “ yep this beautiful woman has been with me through it all especially during the lowest months in my life but there is one special title that not only she holds but a title very close to my heart ladies and gentlemen she’s my wife!!” he said watching her blush as the boys & crowd went crazy as she held her hand up showing off her wedding ring.

“ And with that being said Tonight will forever be the most important nights of my career!!” He said handing the mic over to the announcer pulling her into a deep loving kiss while everyone cheered & wolf whistles for the couple.

No matter what came his way long as he had his island queen by his side everything would be okay.

The end ( hope you guys enjoyed it

Her theme:

Y/n’s outfit:

#aew imagine #aew x reader #aew fanfiction

[grimmssnarl]

oh yeah heres an older batch of drawings i did. heres my original comments on it:

“taking a break from my pokemon fan team to work on the gym leaders and elite four 

i did three. ashton, the quebecois dark type gym leader, icanna the inuk-nunavummiuq ice type gym leader, and noriel, the metis-albertan normal type gym leader 

 more ideas below:

some pokemon i have ideas for: algice, a moose pokemon that evolves from moocy. it's big, angry, and purely ice type. its horns act like a big icy shovel a beaver pokemon that works in construction

more gym leaders and elite four: a chinese-canadian actress elite four british columbian lumberjack gym leader (grass type) a rock type gym leader from somewhere in the canadian shield (maybe an older guy?) a wrestler named 'hart', fighting type gym leader

also: ashton has never been to kalos but he keeps bringing it up lol

heres another gym leader. his name is hart, a wrestler with a school dedicated to training young wannabe stars. his hawlucha design is based on the blue blazer.”

#.OOC. #.ART. #pokemon #fakemon

[ogdencollegerp]

CONGRATULATIONS !!!

On behalf of Ogden College, we’re pleased to offer you admission for the next semester. Please complete our new member checklist, and let us know if you need an extension !!! If you were accepted with a secondary FC choice and need to adjust anything about your app, please submit the changes with your account.

SKELETONS

{ JAN LUIS CASTELLANOS, 21, CIS MALE, HE/HIM } Is that DIEGO FUENTES? A JUNIOR originally from MANHATTAN, NY, they decided to come to Ogden College to study ASTROPHYSICS & ASTRONOMY. They’re THE BIG MAN ON CAMPUS on campus, but even they could get blamed for Greer’s disappearance.

{ ARCHIE RENAUX, 23, NONBINARY, HE/THEY } Is that BENJAMIN KEPLER-TURRAL? A JUNIOR originally from BERKSHIRE, UK, they decided to come to Ogden College to study FILM. They’re THE COOL LOSER on campus, but even they could get blamed for Greer’s disappearance.

{ CODY CHRISTIAN, AGE, CIS MAN, HE/HIM } Is that MASON REED? A SOPHOMORE originally from PORTSMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE.they decided to come to Ogden College to study GEOLOGY on an athletic scholarship. They’re THE HOMEGROWN HERO on campus, but even they could get blamed for Greer’s disappearance.

{ ANTONIA GENTRY, 21, CIS WOMAN, SHE/HER } Is that PHILIPPA “PIPPA” MORRISON-GRANT? A SOPHOMORE originally from MANHATTAN, NYC, they decided to come to Ogden College to study PRE-MED. They’re THE ICE QUEEN on campus, but even they could get blamed for Greer’s disappearance. 

{ HERO FIENNES TIFFIN, 20, CIS MALE, HE/HIM } Is that RHODES "RO" MORRISON? A SOPHOMORE originally from MANHATTAN, NY, they decided to come to Ogden College to study FINE ART. They’re THE PROUD ELITE on campus, but even they could get blamed for Greer’s disappearance.

{ ALEXA DEMIE, 21, FEMALE, SHE/HER } Is that NADINE DWYER? A JUNIOR originally from SPRINGFIELD, MA, they decided to come to Ogden College to study CHEMISTRY on a ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIP. They’re THE WANNABE on campus, but even they could get blamed for Greer’s disappearance. 

ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS

{ BRUNA MARQUEZINE, 22, CIS WOMAN, SHE/HER } Is that LUCIA OLIVO? A JUNIOR originally from LAGUNA BEACH, CA, they decided to come to Ogden College to study PHILOSOPHY and RELIGIOUS STUDIES on an ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIP. They’re THE BLASPHEMOUS on campus, but even they could get blamed for Greer’s disappearance.

{ ZION MORENO, 21, TRANS WOMAN, SHE/HER } Is that INÉS OSORIO? A JUNIOR originally from SAN DIEGO, CA, they decided to come to Ogden College to study PRE-LAW on a FINANCIAL SCHOLARSHIP. They’re THE PRODIGY on campus, but even they could get blamed for Greer’s disappearance.

#ogdenaccepted #skeleton rp #secrets rp #rich kids rp #dark academia rp #university rp #semi appless rp #plot driven rp

[carryonsimoncarryonbaz]

Gift Fic!!

A very happy birthday to my dear @vkelleyart !! A little something to brighten your day and hopefully make you laugh!

I’ve Been Everywhere

Shepard

I don’t think I would have given them a second look if it wasn’t for the wings.

You see a lot of unusual cosplay at Ren Faires. You see a lot of cleavage too, but I’m not going to complain about that.

Some of the cosplay is amateur, homemade, but still in the mood of the whole thing, you know? And some of it is expert level, seriously slick.

Those wings were something else. Those wings were magic.

It’s hard to spot Speakers. They blend in, glamour the obvious, layer on the mundanity, making it nearly impossible to catch even a glimmer of the magic they hold. They go out of their way to do it, to mask the magic.

Not these three. At least not in the usual way.

Granted they looked pretty run-of-the-mill at first sight—a chubby, Middle-eastern looking girl in something like anime cosplay, what with that school uniform look. The tall, dark-haired guy with the Anne Rice, modern vamp vibe. My eyes almost slid over the stocky dude with them–he was just so ordinary looking .

Until those wings popped.

Maybe that should have been my clue. The ordinary. But it didn’t feel like the way Speakers usually mask it.

Because once I took a good look at them, they were practically leaking magic everywhere. Like they failed a Subtlety of Magic class or something. Do they have classes for Speakers? Like schools where they learn to control the magic and filter it, to hide it in plain sight?

I wonder. I’ve never heard about anything like that on the message boards.

These guys would obviously be dropouts, if they actually do have schools like that. They could use a semester of Remedial Magical Skills 101 or whatever they’d call it.

Those wings got my attention. They looked so real, even from a distance. Fluid. Not like the mechanical stuff I’ve seen before. And there was that weird thrum in the air when they popped out.

I mean, I’m not saying I can sense Speakers or anything, but there’s definitely been a change since the whole demon incident. Like I crossed a threshold or something, with magical beings? Like a veil was lifted, maybe.

I can spot them a lot better. Most of the time.

These three though. They didn’t look like much at first glance but they may as well have had SPEAKERS tattooed on their foreheads, the way they were acting. As if I could stay away from that.

I don’t know what was up with all that nonsense they were doing at the Faire. Wands out in the open. Magical words flying. Poorly, at that.

They really must be dropouts or complete dumb-asses or have gone rogue or something. No magicians would ever risk being so blatantly obvious with their magic.

I mean, I’ve followed other Speakers before and I’ve never seen a hint of a wand or heard a whisper of a spell cast out loud. I’ve read up on it—on the web, on the message boards, heard from other people who were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the magic workers doing their thing.

I’ve managed a few words with one or two myself.

But they’re evasive, secretive. They don’t talk about magic, they don’t even admit they’re magic. And they most certainly don’t go around sprouting functional dragon wings, decapitating fellow vampires with funky spells and using wands in public.

I’d be surprised if these three aren’t on some delinquent wanted list.

I trailed them when they left the Faire. For a whole mess of reasons.

They’re intriguing, for one. I’ve always wanted to know more about Speakers. These guys, they’re so out of control, so careless with it. I thought maybe this was finally my chance. My chance to get in with Speakers, find out what I can about them. Research, you know?

They’re nothing like the ones I’ve read about, the ones I’ve sweet-talked into spending a bit of time with me.

A witch-girl who decapitates first, asks questions later.

Berserker fly-boy.

And then that magical vampire. That’s a new one. A vampire with a wand. Who kills other vampires. I’d have said they were some sort of elite, covert, vampire infiltration squad, what with the decapitation and dusting they unleashed a few hours ago on the local Dracula crowd.

If they weren’t so completely inept at the covert part of that equation.

Maybe they’ve got something to do with the Next Blood.

Not that I got a chance to ask. They bugged out of there before I could get close enough to start chatting, introduce myself, get a conversation going.

They probably wouldn’t have given me the time of day, being magicians. Even though I helped that homely Edward Cullen wannabe with his spell. He’d have been dusted if I hadn’t.

I get why he chose to stick with the vampire cosplay. I mean, I can see it. Camouflage yourself in plain sight. It makes sense. Puts people off your trail.

He’s pale. And he’s got a widow’s peak.

But still. The circles under his eyes kind of detract from the look. And that crooked nose. It’s kind of the first thing you notice—it really takes over his face, like he’s all nose. Overly groomed eyebrows, far too heavy with the foundation, and then that honker. Yeah. He’s no Edward Cullen, that’s for sure.

I can’t believe they’re driving right into a Quiet Zone. You’d think they’d know what a bad idea that is. But then again, these three seem mighty clueless for magicians. Or vampires. Or harpy hybrids. Whatever they are.

It was quick thinking by Edward (I’m just going to call him Edward, it’s easier) to act like it was all a show. That might work for run-of-the-mill Normals. But anyone like me—or a demon in disguise, any Maybe really–wouldn’t be fooled.

Not with them spilling magic like that. I’ve never seen anything like it. Spells, magic fire, the dude bro guy literally flying. (I’m going to call him Kevin, it’s easier.)

It was unreal.

I flash the brights. I don’t know how to get these idiots to pull over. If they’re driving right at it, they’ve got no clue what trouble they’re getting themselves into.

I flash the brights again. The Mustang just speeds up.

Mustangs aren’t made for late night drag races on gravel. I try to stay close behind. They come back onto the main road just before the Henge.

Well, that’s it. Just crossed into the Quiet Zone.

I speed up.

The Mustang practically does a donut as it turns into the parking lot. No idea how to drive either. They need more than some friendly advice–they need a handler. Like a chaperone or something.

I pull up in front of them. Cut the engine and the lights. Get out.

“Hi.”

They don’t trust me but at least they let me get them out of that mess with Jeff Arnold. Never a good idea to cross Jeff or any of his posse.

And I was right about this crew. They are careless. The girl–Penny–she just magicked her way in here, into this hotel room, without a care in the world. Then she cast half a dozen spells on the other two. Simon and Baz. (I’ll have to stop calling them Kevin and Edward in my head.)

Spell after spell, to try to get the skunk funk off. It’s not as bad as it was, I’ll say that. Not as good as it would have been if we’d had tomato soup, but I doubt there’s a spell for bringing bathtubs of soup into existence.

She just cast them all in front of me, like I didn’t even exist. I expect they’re going to try something on me. I wouldn’t put it past them. They’re not masking their distrust, I can tell you that. Not the first time I’ve dealt with that and I’m sure not the last. I’m used to it by now.

These three don’t seem to be following any set playbook, just reacting to situations as they come up. I suppose you could call it resourceful and bold, but that doesn’t fly with the local Maybes or the resident Speakers.

Not the way it’s supposed to be done. There’ll be a reckoning if they don’t watch out.

That’s where I come in, if I can smooth talk them well enough to get past their defenses. Penny’s fierce, I’ll give her that. Put a proverbial knife to my throat while I was driving the getaway car. I don’t know if that’s sheer bravado or stupid desperation. Probably both.

I should be able to bring her around. If she ever lets me get to talking, that is.

They all look like hell. Grubby, exhausted, the faint aroma of skunk still clinging to them.

I’m right about Baz though. He’s a vampire, no question. Took a chestful of shotgun pellets and lived to tell. I don’t know if lived is necessarily the right word.

Survived might be more accurate. I know people call them the undead but I didn’t really believe it until I got up close and personal with this guy. Scrawnier than the Twilight vamps and a lot less sparkly, for one. Almost as fast though, when he was running alongside the truck.

But there’s a weird innocence to him. I don’t know if that’s the right word.

I mean, he’s fierce too. Cold as ice, grimly menacing. Certainly not afraid to play with fire, which seems a bit risky to me, considering.

No qualms about incinerating his own kind, that’s for sure.

I’ve seen vampires before, from a distance. Like the ones at the Faire. They’re pale and arrogant, powerful and vicious.

None of them ever looked quite this lost.

He and Penny collapsed on the bed by the window almost as soon as we got in the room. I hadn’t pegged them as a pair, but it works, I guess, if you squint.

Opposites attract, so they say.

And they are opposites, at least in looks. He’s tall and lanky, pale as the moon, all sharp edges. She’s short and round, warm brown skin, warm brown eyes. At least they’re warm when she’s looking at the two of them. They’re blazing and accusatory when they’re on me, that’s for sure.

Still, they’re nice eyes.

Edward’s—I mean Baz’s—nose is even more noticeable up close. It’s like they fitted him with the wrong size? Like it was made for a much larger person. Someone with a broader face. And it’s too high, like it needs to be shoved down a half inch. That’d probably make the proportions even worse, what with that wide mouth of his.

Was his mouth always that way, I wonder? Or did it get bigger because of the fangs?

I have so many questions.

Doesn’t look like I’m getting any answers tonight. Penny and Baz fall asleep in minutes, not even bothering to get under the covers.

So it’s just me and Winged Victory over here. He’s got his back to the door, like some threatening sphinx guarding the exit.

The sphinx I ran into last March was far more attractive.

I can’t tell if Simon’s got freckles in his acne scars or scars on his freckles. In any event he’s got literal craters on his face. And so many freckles. Big ones, small ones, clusters of them.

It’s like some pint-sized Jackson Pollock shook a paint-laden brush at him. Repeatedly.

I don’t know what to make of him. He was like some Biblical avenging angel, wielding cosplay swords like they were the real thing this afternoon. Staking vampires like it’s his literal job.

I don’t know. Maybe it is.

Simon’s got a scar that runs down across his left eyebrow. Splits it in two, with a little bare patch in the middle. His arms are crossed over his chest at the moment. He’s got scars all over them too--wide, silvery scars. Thin pale ones. Puckered gouges that look like they were left by claws.

He’s glaring at me, but I’m used to that from Maybes. At least until they get to know me.

I just smile back.

read it at ao3

#carry on #wayward son #shepard #baz pitch #simon snow #penelope bunce #happy birthday venessa #idea from rainbows tweet about simon describing Baz and attraction being SUBJECTIVE #shepard from omaha #my writing #my fic #crack fic

[writeroutoftime]

la la land - chapter one

pairing: steve rogers x reader 

summary: as a struggling actress in the big city, you aren’t sure how you are going to get your big break. similarly, starving artist, steve rogers, doesn’t know how to move on after a deal gone wrong. what happens when the two of you meet and learn more about yourselves, love, and the power of dreams than you ever thought possible? 

warnings: none 

word: 2058

a/n: oh my goodness, I am so excited to final be posting this story!! yes, I know you’re probably think - another series rita, really? but yes, another series!! so, this was actually for @marvelcapsicle​‘s writing challenge, and not only is it overdue, but beth has actually decided to step away from tumblr. however, I still wanted to write this story, and I hope you are excited to read it. the story will follow the general plot of la la land, but I will take some liberties here and there. anyway, please enjoy the first chapter and have a fabulous day! 

There are some lines of dialogue taken from the La La Land script and some song lyrics that inspire dialogue. I do not own anything from La La Land or Marvel, this is purely for creative enjoyment.

oOoOo

New York City. The big apple. The city that never sleeps. A city full of dreamers and a mesh of everything imaginable. Thousands flock to New York every year in hopes of achieving the impossible, pinning down that dream that makes their life worthwhile. It doesn’t matter if they are destined to be starving artists, each day brings a new sun and new opportunities, and no one can tell those dreamers otherwise.

The subway car rattled and whistled as you held onto the standing rail for support, your other hand gripped a rumpled sheet of paper. Eyes closed, you mouthed the words that had been memorized for days, playing the scene over and over in your mind. To any observe you looked ludicrous, but the only thought you could care about was getting that one line right.

“Damn it.” you mumbled when you looked down at your script to see that you had flipped two sentences.

Completely engrossed in your own world, you didn’t notice that the subway train had stopped, nor the tall man that stood before you impatiently tapping his foot and glaring daggers at you. With a scoff, you stepped by so that he was able to squeeze through the doors right before they closed with a ‘whoosh,’ though you didn’t miss the subtle finger he gave you. Some people were just assholes.

However, the man was pushed out of your mind a moment later when you realized, as the train began to move again, that you had missed your stop. Panic consumed you and one glance at your phone told you that you were already pushing making it to your audition on time. Jittery for the next few minutes, you ran out of the subway car as soon as the doors opened at the next stop and bolted up the stairs onto the busy, New York sidewalks.

Dodging against the flow of pedestrian, left and right, you saw that you only had minutes to make it to the theater on time. With your mind focused on the destination, you didn’t see the woman with a tray of iced coffees headed your way until they were spilled down the front of your white shirt. There wasn’t anything that could be done, and you ran away shouting an apology over your shoulder, speeding up when you saw the theater in sight.

Slightly sweaty, out of breath, and with a stained shirt, you shrugged the cardigan you had shoved into your purse on and handed your headshot and resume to the assistant collecting them in the lobby. He gave you an unimpressed looked at your tardiness, but still lead you back to the waiting room where other actresses sat for their turn to impress the higher-ups.

When you walked in the room there was a table full of producers and directors absorbed in their phones, fingers flurrying across their screens, not even given you a second glance. Once you cleared your throat, one of them looked up and nudged the others around her to signal that there was another ‘wannabe’ actress in the room. With a deep breath, you started the scene you had been practicing for days.

“And I swear to God, she was wrecked. It was pure lunacy. Oh God, I know…” you began the scene you knew by heart, phone up to your ear in faux conversation. “No, no, Turner’s fine. So, you- are you waiting ‘til Denver to tell her?” you recited, your smile tightening up as you let your character’s emotions begin to take over, though the fear that ran through you was 100 percent yours. “No, you’re right. I understand.” you said, tears shining in your eyes. “No, I’m happy for you, I just-“

“One second.” you were suddenly interrupted by one of the casting directors as he motioned for another figure to join the room.

As you stood vulnerable before these strangers, they had the audacity to treat you like a movie they could simply press pause on when it was time to place their dinner order. Holding your fake, and soon to be very real tears, you watched as the exchange took place before someone noticed you were still there.

“Uh, thank you.” the one director interrupted. “We’ve heard enough.” she told you and gestured for the door.

“Um, o-okay.” you mumbled with an incredulous look and tried to exit with what little pride you could muster. Out in the waiting room, you saw a handful of other women that looked exactly like you, and you sighed as you shrugged off your jacket, not caring if everyone saw your coffee stained top. No matter how much you practiced or how confident you felt, there was always another actress ready to one-up you, or an assistant ready to interrupt your audition.

Another subway ride later and you made it back to your apartment, kicking off your shoes before you flopped dramatically onto your bed. It had been such a long day between waitressing and another failed audition, that in that moment the only thing that sounded appealing was a hot shower. However, once you stepped out of the shower, it wasn’t long before your roommates barged into the bathroom door, disrupting your pity party.

“Where’s the sauna?” Nat asked with a laugh as she opened the door to the steamed-up bathroom.

“I was trying to give you a dramatic entrance.” you told her over your shoulder on the way back to your room.

On the way there, you ran into Wanda who gave you a hopeful smile. “How’d the audition go, y/n?” The grimace you gave her was all she and Natasha needed to know as they shared a look. “Well you are coming to the party tonight, right?” Wanda asked as you closed your bedroom door.

“I’m not going.” you called out, wincing slightly at their shrieks of protest.

The two rushed to your door and pounded furiously until you emerged, now donned in sweats and a sleep shirt, ready to spend the night with your latest Netflix binge. That was, until Natasha and Wanda cornered you in your own room, grilling you about the party.

“Come on it’s going to be so much fun. A party thrown by Tony Stark and we’re invited!  Besides, when else are we going to see New York’s finest all in one room?” Wanda teased as Natasha looked through your wardrobe.

“I don’t want to go.” you repeated. “It’s just gonna be full of social climbers and I don’t feel like ass kissing all night.”

“But you have the perfect dress.” Nat teased as she pulled out a dress that had sat in the back of your closet for months, never having the right time to where it. “You’ve got the invitation.” she told you.

“You’ve got the right address.” Wanda chimed in, and the two pulled you up from the bed, the dress pressed up against your frame.

“Come on, y/n. Someone in the crowd could be the one you need to know. What do you have to lose?” Nat pressed. “Directors and producers galore, looking for you to star in their next show.” she said as she framed the scene dramatically.

“I think I’ll stay behind.” you told them with a shrug and pushed your roommates out so they could get ready.  

Only a few minutes later you heard Nat and Wanda call out a goodbye quickly followed by the door closing behind them. As the silence of your apartment surrounded you, the thoughts began to swirl in your head. Yes, the audition today didn’t go as planned, but when had that stopped you in the past. Maybe the perfect part was waiting for you at that party. With a new sense of determination, you threw the dress and some heels on and rushed to catch up with your friends.

Nat and Wanda heard the clack of heels behind them and stopped to watch you approach. “Get it, girl!” Nat cheered as they gave you a moment to show off your dress before the three of you linked arms and pranced towards Tony Stark’s apartment complex.

Travelling through the city surrounded you with bright lights, neon signs, and an atmosphere that made anything feel possible. The party was in full swing when the three of you stepped out of the elevator, and you weren’t sure where to look first between the decadent decorations and glamorous people. Wanda quickly dragged you to the bar to grab a drink, but it wasn’t long until you found yourself separated.

While you tried to keep an optimistic attitude, the longer you were around these people, the faster the walls of silver and gold that had been built up in your mind began to deteriorate.  Instead of New York’s finest in the room, you saw sleazy, cheating elites, and when you wouldn’t give them what they wanted, they were quick to move on to their next, potential victim.

Finding the bathroom, you stepped away from the noise and chaos and reveled in the cooler, silent air for a few minutes. Clenching the porcelain sink, you stared in the mirror and wondered what you were doing there? Did you really expect to just be offered at a part by going to a party? You scoffed at the notion, knowing that out in the party, there were so many that shined brighter than you, and you were just another crowd chaser.

When would this end, and could you truly find what you were looking for in New York City? As a young girl, the city seemed so magical and full of hope. It was like a flame and you were the foolish moth who had packed up from the only home you’d ever known and tried to create a whole new life. But, just maybe, this wasn’t the city for you, maybe the flame had burned you too many times. There just had to be a place where you’d find you who were going to be.

It wasn’t long until you tried to find Wanda and Natasha to let them know you were going to leave. While they offered to leave with you, you knew they were enjoying themselves and didn’t want to ruin that. Instead, you grabbed your phone to call an Uber, but groaned when you saw no available drivers were near you for at least another twenty minutes. Deciding the subway would be quicker, and cheaper, you began to walk towards the closest station.

On your way there, you noticed a class or gathering of some sort going on under some tents in the park off to your side, but it was the art that lined the entrance to the class that caught your attention. The sign advertised one of those classes where people paid to paint along with the instructor to feel like an artist for the night. However, the examples displayed held so much more depth and detail than your typical skyline of New York. Whoever had painted these was wasting their time with these classes and deserved to be in a museum. Each one looked like it had taken ages and it was in a style you weren’t really familiar with, but one that sparked something warm and inviting within you.

Glancing up, you watched a tall, blonde man, hunched over his easel as he was sucked into the moment and threw colors across the canvas. While you couldn’t see the picture, you guessed it was just as wonderful as the others, and the way his eyes were slanted in concentration made you smile. Even when a man, who you assumed to be his boss for the evening, approached the artist and began to scold him, you couldn’t look away. When you looked at his art, you felt something, and you needed to let him know.  

The two of you locked eyes from across the way, and you felt your body bring you closer to him. As soon as he was in earshot, you were ready to sing his praise. “I just saw your art, and I-“ you began before he bumped into your shoulder as he walked away.

There was a moment of confusion in your mind as you stood there and stared where the man had just so rudely brushed by you, until you scoffed and continued towards the subway.

#steve rogers x reader #steve rogers imagine #marvel x reader #marvel imagine #captain america x reader #captain america imagine #steve rogers imagines #marvel imagines #captain america imagines #la la land series

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 014: Chapter 13 Died for This

But it’s okay. We’ve put all of that behind us now.

Previously on BnHA: RESCUE TRAINING VILLAIN INVASION

Today on BnHA: Aizawa is a fucking badass. Class 1-A gets ambushed and split up into convenient little two-and-three-person groups perfect for having a bunch of quick minifights that’ll give some of the less prominent characters a chance to briefly shine. Deku and Tsuyu wind up on a boat surrounded by a bunch of angry fishpeople. Basically a lot of setup, but exciting setup.

(As always, all comments not marked with an ETA are my unspoiled reactions from my first readthrough of this chapter. I’ve read up through chapter 19 now, so any ETAs will reflect that.)

fyi it’s the middle of the a.m. and I’m supposed to be sleeping. but fuck it

(ETA: in hindsight I really should have just gone to sleep lmao)

would be nice to see these color spreads in color. I’m sure I can find them somewhere but I’m too lazy

“Encounter with the Unknown” well that’s accurate, I guess

did these guys just wake up one day and think “I’m gonna go full evil”, or was it a gradual process? most shounen series I’ve read feature villains who are evil but also eventually redeemable. but somehow I can’t picture that happening with these guys

also I suppose that waking up one day when you’re only three or four years old, only to find that your skull has vanished, leaving your brain exposed, and that you’ve suddenly grown a fucking dinosaur beak with razor-sharp teeth, might fuck someone up enough to start ‘em down that villainous path. I GUESS

(ETA: apparently for my example I accidentally picked the one guy that supposedly was created expressly FOR the purposes of being evil)

these gung-ho superhero wannabe teens are not taking this situation nearly seriously enough IMO

sigh

also where are they watching from? how did they get to such a distant vantage point so quickly?

I hope the anime version of this clears that up

ohhhh hold up, I’m just now realizing that because the panels placed Aizawa and the villains so close to one another when the portal first appeared, I assumed that’s how close they actually WERE, but in reality Aizawa was watching from a distance the whole time I think

spatial awareness, I lack it

seems like communications have been cut off

they tell Kaminari (remember that name remember that name...) to try to signal for help with his quirk! I guess his lightning/electricity quirk gives him the ability to do that somehow. cool beans

Deku is concerned because Aizawa won’t be able to take them all on at once. but Thirteen is right there though. his their quirk is pretty OP

(ETA: I have been advised that Thirteen’s gender is actually supposed to be ambiguous and Viz just took it upon themselves to label them as a “he” because it wouldn’t be Viz if they weren’t ruining things entirely unnecessarily. so from this point forward I will be changing any “he/hims” to “they/them” when referring to Thirteen.)

OH MY DAMN AIZAWA’S GOT SOME SHIT UP HIS SLEEVE

YESSS he’s not even asking Thirteen to help. he seems REALLY confident that he’s got this. what are you up to you badass fucking ninja

(ETA: apparently he is a badass self-sacrificing fucking ninja about to get way in over his head!! not gonna lie I love him all the more for it)

now he’s making a heroic leap down to the villain group

some redshirt villains are wondering who he is, even though the other villains addressed him by name only moments earlier. I don’t know who is in which fucking group, because you’d think they would have heard that, but apparently not

ooohh these motherfuckers bout to die and I can’t wait

SURPRISE BITCH YOUR QUIRKS DON’T WORK AND NOW YOU’RE BEING K.O.’D

“YOU DUMBASSES THAT’S ERASER HEAD” YESSSS SAY HIS NAME AND LET THAT FEAR ECHO DEEP WITHIN THE PIT OF YOUR SOULS YOU TRASH MOTHERFUCKERS

this one guy made out of rocks expresses doubt that Eraser Head’s quirk will work on him. wow you’re just asking for it aren’t you dude

doesn’t seem to slow him down though

oh my god he’s ducking and weaving so beautifully and effectively. apparently he’s really good at hand-to-hand combat. and they don’t know whose quirk he’s canceling because of the goggles. it’s surprising how good he really is at handling a group

I take it he doesn’t consider himself an ordinary villain, then :/

Deku is supposed to be evacuating but he’s just watching EH kick ass

the fact that we’ve cut back to Deku suggests that something bad is about to happen, though 8|!

um

uh

yeah I’d say so, yeah

motherfucker these guys got a fucking league

I was gonna make a joke about how this eloquent guy clearly went to an elite fancy villain high school. but then I thought again that there might really actually be a villain school. so, uh

yeah that’s right Deku, they’re after your dad

this guy doesn’t seem to know that All Might’s currently chilling in the break room, so that’s good? less good is that he doesn’t seem too worried about him not being there

AHHHH MOMOTOPS AND BAKUGOU ARE RUSHING HIM ALL OF A SUDDEN

WHAT THE FUCK DOES A GUY WITH THE POWER OF HARDENING THINK HE’S GOING TO DO AGAINST A GUY MADE OUT OF EVIL VAPOR

AND BAKUGOU’S NOT MUCH BETTER OFF

HOW FUCKING STUPID ARE YOU TWO BRICKS

“that was close” you don’t have to lie, Dr. Neck

(ETA: oh my god I can’t believe this of all things got a fucking callback. that’ll show me to ever assuming anything at all about this fucking series.)

Thirteen’s just standing there holding an arm out and saying “no, get back!”

fucking useless. you were supposed to be cool, Thirteen

I SWEAR TO GOD THIS SHADOWY MOTHERFUCKER BETTER NOT EAT MY SON

“WRITHE IN TORMENT” OH JESUS

so now this black mist is swirling around fucking EVERYONE

EVERYONE

and then it fades...

and now Deku is... falling? into the flood zone?

ohhh so he did the portal/teleportation thing again. that seems to be his ability, then

so I guess he split them all up. which makes sense; when you have this many characters, you need to split them into smaller groups so as to be more manageable. but they’re also going to still need other characters to interact with, so I wonder who Deku’s going to be paired up with then?

I really need either him or Bakugou to be paired with Todoroki

uh oh Deku’s not even out of the water yet and he’s already run into another villain

this man is literally a meme. I wonder if he’s aware

-- AYYYYYYY

MY GIRL TSUYU WITH THE DYNAMITE SAVE

aaaand she’s wrapping her tongue around Izuku

and pulling him to safety!

how is she talking with her tongue wrapped around a guy. HOW DO THESE CHARACTERS ALWAYS FUCKING DO THAT

they surface! and for some reason there is a boat!

oh she also rescued Mineta!

and

I see. I see. this is why I was warned about him

anyway!

WHATEVER A FROG CAN DO!!! OF COURSE!!!!

Izu is thinking furiously and has Resting Hero Face and it really suits him

this kid doesn’t miss a trick

Mineta points out that there’s no way they could ever possibly beat All Might! but even Tsuyu, who doesn’t actually know that All Might has a weakness, nonetheless realizes that the villains must have found one if they went through all this trouble just to get to him

I shouldn’t keep being surprised by how smart and talented all of these kids are. they managed to get accepted into this school, and so far they’ve lived up to that elite reputation. and yet, I consistently am surprised, and pleasantly so

well, I was trying not to be biased either toward or against him, but so far he’s not making a very good impression this chapter

oh shit the fish guy is back and now there’s somehow like a dozen of him??

WHERE DID THEY ALL COME FROM

meanwhile Deku is more clueless than I expected

you literally know the way to beat All Might, though?? he’s losing his powers and he’s secretly very weak without them?? you know this???

would “revenge” not be a good enough motive even without all the rest? I guess I’ll shut up and see where he’s going with this

there’s a whole page of Deku thinking about how much he loves All Might

I wonder if maybe he literally can’t understand why someone would want to kill him

that’s very sweet actually

meanwhile Todoroki is off somewhere kicking ass and taking names

easy there A Song of Ice and Fire

and it looks like Bakugou is stuck with... ... ...I still can’t remember his name. Momotops it is and continues to be

the actual Momo is paired up with Lightning McQueen and the extendable ears girl! and her quirk looks to have something to do with making weapons appear out of her limbs or some shit. fucking sweet

also that means it makes logical sense for her to have as much of her limbs exposed as possible, and to be honest I’m glad there’s actually a logical reason for her to have the skimpy costume then

and shit, Iida, Homestuck, Too Many Arms and Ochako are still facing off with Dr. Neck

Dr. Neck’s neck hasn’t really been prominently featured since his appearance at the end of chapter 11, but I’m in this too deep to back out now

Aizawa is still being epic, but he needs to wrap this up now cuz the kiddos are in danger!

or at least, in theory they are

well. this is shounen, after all

BONUS:

Tsuyu is so flipping cute. I didn’t expect to have that opinion when she was first introduced but here we are

I’m really glad he made her a girl

#bnha #boku no hero academia #makeste reads bnha #aizawa shouta #kurogiri #midoriya izuku #asui tsuyu #and I'm not gonna bother tagging mineta cuz I do in fact hate him now #let's not dwell on that though

[normaliize-a]

✨ plops

Send ✨and Ivory will tell you what pokemon you remind her of!

"Mm, mmm. A Kanton- Kantonian Meowth!"

"Um, I think the coin on their- on their f-forehead is used as a symbol of good fortune! Which would definitely be useful as a merchant! Also they're quick and cunning, n-not that you're bad or anything, Mr. Volo! You just, um, pop out of nowhere sometimes..."

#gcd-fcrsaken #✶〈 Ask 〉✶ #✶〈 IC 〉➤wannabe elite✶ #SORRY THIS TOOK A BIT I WAS GONE ALL DAY A HEEM HEEM

[anonymous-dentist]

OH SHIT MY POKEMON AU so:

There are actually two separate stories for this one for two different fics. They take place at the same time but focus on different characters, and both come together at certain points. So like if in one fic we have Bench Trio breaking into the evil team's base from one direction, we have the fiances breaking in from another direction, and what they do on their ends impacts what helps/hinders the other party, all while not really knowing what the other party is doing. It's confusing I guess, but it makes sense in practice. It would be easier to do alternating pov chapters (ex: chapter one is Tommy, two is Karl, three is Tommy, four is Karl), but I enjoy making life harder for myself.

It's all /rp of course, I don't do rpf, but I'm gonna put the c! for clarity's sake

The first one focuses on c!Bench Trio as that pov character, c!Tommy, travels the Esempi Region completing the gym challenge with hopes of defeating the champion, Dream. On the way, he and his two companions, runaway gym leader Tubbo and wannabe professor Ranboo, do battle with the evil Team Smile.

Team Smile is in both stories as the main evil team of the "game". You'd never guess who the leader is... But its main focus is making the region forcibly content and peaceful. Think kinda Team Plasma's motivations cranked up to horrific stakes because the leader is, uh. Well.

But the second one focuses on investigative reporter c!Karl as he arrives in the Esempi Region from Unova to, well, investigate. Specifically, he's looking into the mysterious Team Snowfall and its... actual lack of crimes committed. He's accompanied by Sapnap, who is an Elite Four member on sabbatical playing tour guide and training up his Pancham buddy, and by Quackity, a pickpocket with more to him than meets the eye.

But both teams' journeys take place at the same time. Tommy gets to the Las Nevadas Gym and finds the ice type gym leader missing and temporarily replaced with our man Slime. Karl hears reports of some kid going around beating up an emerging evil team that Team Snowfall and Quackity seem to have a grudge against for some reason.

Is this something I'll ever properly write? Probably not, but I love it. Karl has a Goomy and a Spoink. Tommy has a Chimchar. Quackity has a Ducklett and a Froslass (Candice flashbacks, anyone?)

#untitled pokemon au

[mastersalamon]

MIRAVERSE. Elements Benders.

That’s my first time when I’m doing this but I had this idea for a long time so I’m trying. This is Star Wars Rebels/ Miraverse -don’t know what it is? Shame on you!” Here you have link. @meldy-arts​ . Fanfict set in the Last Airbender universe.There is a short description how it is.

* Ezra - Nation. Water Tribes. South Pole. His parents were waterbenders so they were taken away from him when he was a kid. He is extremaly powerful but has no master. Local thief and problemaker. 

*Sabine- Nation. Earth Kingdom . Kyoshi‘s island. Not a earthbender. Wanted to fight on the war and escaped with Ketsu to do so. Escaping she brought a shame on the family and can’t go back to the clan. Hired blade, the Ghost crew member. Favorite weapon -Two short swords.

*Hera. Nation. Water Tribes. North Pole. Not a waterbender. The tribe’s laws were not for her so she left, pissing her father off and started to fight on the war, commanding a small but really fast ship Ghost stolen from the Fire Nation fleet, with her loyal polar bear dog Chopper. Favorite weapon- fists. 

*Kanan. Nation. Air Nomads. One of thelast Airbenders. He has been hiding in the Earth Kingdom, working as a smugler, then meet Hera and teamed up with her. During a small mission in the sounth one kid have stolen a freshly stolen weapon from him and the kid sounds a bit lost, and needs a master.

*Zeb. Nation. Earth Kingdom. Earth Bender. The Elite Earth Guard commander, the unit has been decimated by the Commandor Kallus elite fire unit. Found and saved by Hera and Kannan on the sea. The crew’s muscles.

*Ashoka. Nation. Air Namads. Former Air nomad, currently freedom fighter. She is looking for all the last Airbenders and everyone who can help her fight her arch nemesis The Great Fire Admiral and old -before the war- friend, Barris.

*Chopper. Nation. Water Tribes. Small, polar bear dog. Knows the ship better than anyone, exept of Hera, love to steals Ezra’s and Zeb’s shirts and stuff, especially when they are close to the South or North pole.

*Kallus.Nation. Fire Nation. Not fire bender, but really skilled warrior. Former commandor of the Fire Nation Army. Have been chasing the Ghost Crew since the Sounth Pole but after one batlle when Zeb saved his life decided to join the Resistance.  Weapon. Earh nation Spear.

*The Grand Inquisitor. Natio. Fire Nation. Fire bender. Mission was to hunt down all of the last Airbenders and kill every other benders he will meet. Can’t return to the Fire Nation until do it. After chasing the Ghost crew all around the word finally team up with them and help them to beat the fire lord.-cough*Zuko*cough. But dies soon after that. :(

*Darth Vader. Nation. Fire Nation. Crazy powerful Firebender. The great Admiral of the Fire Nation Army. Has only one mission. Counquer the World and Kill every non fire benders. For the Glory of the Fire Lord. (Admiral Zhao)

*Seventh sister Nation. Fire Nation. Strong blue Fire Bender. Crazy Fire nation assasin. The Fire Lord’s favorite assasin. The only purpose in her life is to become the Fire Lord. cough*Azula*cough.

*Fifth Brother. Nation. Fire Nation. Fire bender. The muscle guy. Seventh Sister’s loyal ‘friend’ partner in battle,

*Eight Brother. Nation. Fire Nation. Fire bender. The martial art guy. Seventh Sister’s second loyal battle ‘friend’. 

*Rex, Wolf, Gregor. Nation. Fire Nation. Old Fire nation soldiers. Deserters. Joined the Earth Kingdom’s Army and the Ghost crew.

_______________________________________________________________

After the War.

Ezra and Sabine get married, have three kids. Mira, Rona, Johan. (Maybe will be more in the future;)

Kanan and Hera get married and have three kids. Jacen, Dawn and Kai, (Also could be more;)

Zeb, Kallus, Ashoka, Rex, Wolf. Are building the Republic City.

*Most of their after war time the Bridgers have spend on the South Pole or on the Kyoski Island but with time their slowly moved to the Republic City where Hera is in charge of police and everything.

Mira Bridger. Nation-Who cares! Water bender. Really powerful. Ezra have taught her everything he knew and she left to the Republic City to work with here. On her first day on duty she have been saved by a non bender guy who soon become the new Ghost crew member and more. Then more and not so nice things started to happen but if you think that she will just leave the City only because the things are hetting worse. Think Again.

Rona Bridger. Nation. Doesn’t matter. Earth Bender. Crazy powerful. Moved to the Republic City together with Mira and her family where she meet a lot of great friends and one annoying fire bending kid.

Johan Bridger. Nation. Art. Non bender. very handly with swords and brush. In tRepublic City have meet the cutest water nation girl ever and the most cocky fire brat ever.

Mikah Coen. Nation. Non. Not bender. Live in the Republic City like ever. Gladly showed the  Bridgers where they can find the best mechnic in the city -her dad- and is spending most of the time horsing around with Rona and Race.

Helina Lassar. Nation. Water. Not bender. Born in the Republic City. It was crazy interesting to see a half water and half earth kid. She is spending most of her time with Johan, but like to spending some time with others.

Kori Kitt. Nation. Non. FUTURE Air Bender. Born in the Republic City. During a regular day of selling things in his grandmother shop he saw a girl fighting with three mob’s gangsters. He helped her and then agreed to join her crew, working for the city’s police.  

OC Characters. - In my fanfic. But not in the cannon Miraverse.

Dager Rekan. Nation Fire. Non firebender. Former mob’s hitman. Have been send to kill Mira and the others. Got his ass kicked. Got out of prison for ratting out the mob. For some reason Ezra pity the guy and want to help him. Joined the gang as the new muscles guy in the crew. Favorite weapon- Big heavy sword.

Malcolm “Race” Striker. Nation. Fire Nation. Not firebender. The fastest man alive. Have the best car in the city. Little redhead wannabe gangster brat, playboy, bad boy. Annoying, but deadly loyal, hot headed guy. The nickname dude. Made up a nickmane for anyone. Johan is JB. Helina is Helly. Mikah is  ‘WOW’ Rona is ice queen etc. Currently. Hera’s student/ assistant, kid she need to keep an eye on. Hate his name, love his car and friends, but mostly car.

Lieutenant Logen Striker. Nation. Fire. Not bender. Race’s father. Hera’s lieutenant and second in charge in the Republic City police. Ex criminal. Want to be a good father and husband. Ezra’s new drinking buddy. 

Addena Mamba. Nation. Earth. Not bender. Rona’s and Mikah greatest enemy. Hire assasin,at least ten years older than Rona. Silk haired tramp with the biggest cleavage in the City. Favorite weapon, her hips, posions and long spear.

Darth Hass. Nation. Darkness/Red Lotus. The powerful firebender who tried to kill Mira and make Ezra supper. After a long and deadly fight Ezra finally caught the guy and put him in a ice prison. Now is waiting for his minions to prepare the Republic City for his return. Beware. Be very afraid. The Darth Hass will kill everyone in the Republic City and make the Bridger Family suffer.

______________________________________________________________

Uhhhh. That’s it for now. If you want to read more check my fanfic out. Oh wait. I forget I haven’t start doing it yet. Stupid me. Anyway. I’m now trying to find a way to draw Miraverse guys like meldy is doing this (or at least kind of) and then I will probably be drawing them in the Avatar’s styl. I have other fanfic if someone want to read it. Sorry if you don’t like this what I do, but as I always say. Don’t like? Don’t hate. Be happy. Master Solomon out. Maybe the Meldy be with you.Here you have link if you don’t know where she is @meldy-arts

#miraverse #fanfict #please don't hurt me I'm trying my best.

[westletter]

January 2021

Dear Friends,  One of Albrecht Durer’s most enduring images is this 1498 woodcut depicting The Four Horsemen of the Apocalyse. It is based on the Bible’s Book of Revelation and can be interpreted variously. But the essentials are fairly basic: as punishment for our sins, mankind will be visited by Pestilence, War and Famine, followed by the ragged cleanup hitter down in the left hand corner, Death. In short, the End of Days is coming!  With resurgent COVID, bloody insurrection in Washington, hunger, hardship and death ravaging the land -- and why not throw in climate change for good measure -- one could be forgiven for concluding that the Apocalypse has arrived. Take away the religious element, and I am nearly there.  Yes, ultimately and somehow we shall overcome these travails, but this is a bleeping depressing mess we are in.  Why do so many seemingly intelligent people selfishly equate wearing a life-saving mask to taking away their freedom?  Why do so many flout the travel and social gathering rules?   Why are there millions who distrust the vaccines and say they won’t take them?  Can this really be happening?  Sadly, yes, and those four horsemen show no signs of slowing down.  Now we have seared in our brains forever the image of Confederate flag-waving “patriots”, egged on by the putative “leader of the free world”,  storming the Capitol in Washington in a violent attempt to subvert the presidential election.   My Great Grandpa Allen Sherman West who fought under Lincoln at Gettysburg is roaring from his grave.  This is not what he fought for.  Nor my father Allen Sherman West III who served in WWII.   My generation, the Boomers, has enjoyed for the most part, life without war.  That has been a blessing in many ways, at least materially.  No generation in history has lived so high off the hog, enjoyed such an expansion of human rights (but not responsibilities) and seen the average lifespan increase so dramatically.    But as the body politic has fattened, has our spirit become flabby?  Where are the social sinews that hold us together and give us the strength to face adversity collectively?  We had them in previous wars.  Are they gone forever, or can we get them back?  I am not sure.   Sometimes it takes a truly epic catastrophe, an Apocalypse if you will, to bring people to their senses.  Let us hope that is not the direction we are headed in now.   Apologies for posing so many questions without answers.  I leave it to the next generation, including Allen Sherman West IV, to guide us to enlightenment.  Watch out for those horsemen and stay well, CW 

                                             §

You probably recognise this fine fellow.  He is Mark Carney, the brilliant former Governor of the Bank of Canada who was a key figure in reforming the global financial system after the collapse in 2008.  He then went on to the governorship of the Bank of England and deftly stickhandled his way through the thickets of Boris Johnson and Brexit. What you may not recognise is that Mr. Carney has long been a champion of “impact investing”; i.e., investing that takes into account social, environmental and governance factors, so-called ESG investing.  In particular, for years he has been advocating the need to take what he has termed “the climate emergency” into account on private enterprises’ balance sheets.  He has argued on the one hand that there are enormous shareholder liabilities for companies that do not include environmental costs in the liabilities column.  On the other hand, he has proclaimed from the rooftops that there is a massive opportunity for shareholder gains in companies that are prepared to put capital to work in addressing climate change and reducing carbon output. Last August the elite banker found a new home where he is putting his philosophy  to work.  Brookfield Asset Management has appointed Mark Carney Vice Chair and Head of ESG and Impact Fund Investing.     Canadian-based Brookfield has over $550 billion in long-life assets under management and its subsidiary, Brookfield Renewables is home to a growing portfolio of hydro, solar and wind investments around the globe.  Said the visionary CEO of Brookfield, Bruce Flatt: “Over time we see ESG and impact funds matching the size of our existing platforms.”  “We are not going to solve climate change without the private sector,” said Mr. Carney in the Globe and Mail.  “We are in the early innings of a very long game.”   He is not talking small potatoes.  According to the industry publication Pensions and Investments: “The value of global assets applying environmental, social and governance data to drive investment decisions has almost doubled over four years, and more than tripled over eight years, to $40.5 trillion in 2020.”                                            §    CLASS OF 2021 MID-YEAR REPORT CARD  Sparkling returns mock the Apocalypse Apocalypses come and go, as do wannabe fascist autocrats.  The markets don’t care.  As the Headmaster has often remarked, he has no insight into where the markets are going in the short term.  All he knows is that a basket of well-managed companies with competitive advantages in promising sectors will rise nicely over time.   To wit: since the beginning of the school year, July 1st, 2020, the Class of 2021 turned in an average investment performance of 20.3% vs. 21.1%, 17.4% and 12.3% for the S&P 500, the Dow and the TSX respectively.  “Bravo Class!” declared the Headmaster.  “You stared the four horsemen down and matched or bested your benchmarks.  Keep up the good work.” Class results for the calendar year (January 1, 2020 - December 31st, 2020), that included the stomach-turning contraction last March, were similarly impressive.  The Class returned 13.6% vs. 15.5%, 6.5% and 2.8% for the S&P, the Dow and the TSX.   Here are the sector by sector results. Financials - A  Each of these blue chips -- TD Bank, ScotiaBank, RBC and BlackRock -- bore out its pedigree, with an average return of 21.8%.  BlackRock was the leader of the pack with a sterling 32.6% gain.  Remember, as previously reported, BlackRock is the largest investment fund company ($7.8 trillion under management at the end of September) in the world and CEO Larry Fink, echoing Mark Carney, has been an industry leader in demanding that companies do a better job of incorporating ESG into their strategic planning and financial reporting.  All promoted.  Resources - A plus The lone Class member in this highly cyclical category is Nutrien, the Calgary-based fertilizers and agricultural supplies retailer.  As the owner of the world’s largest, and lowest cost, potash reserves, the company enjoys the advantages of scale.  Adds the Headmaster: “When commodity prices are on an upswing, as they are now, Nutrien can do very well.”  Hard-working Nutrien’s return was 40.4%.  Promoted.  Energy - B  Quoth the Headmaster: “Enbridge has been a loyal, blue chip pipeline performer almost since this Class was formed 13 years ago.  It is with regret that I had to let him go this past October.  There was no pivotal event. Rather, the advantages of being a dominant conveyor of fossil fuels, in my humble view, came to be out-weighed by the disadvantages of same.”  “My timing may not be perfect, but it is inarguable that the production of fossil fuel, and businesses tied to it like Enbridge, are approaching or in decline.  It may be a long decline, but in the meantime, we need to give our precious Class space to an energy candidate with the winds of change behind it.  Last October I replaced Enbridge with Brookfield Renewables.”  From July 1st to October 10th, Enbridge  returned minus 5.5%.  From October 10th to December 31st, Brookfield Renewables returned 16.5%.  Promoted. Classmate Algonquin Energy, with investments in solar, wind and hydro, didn’t miss a beat during these pandemical times, with rising revenues and profits.  Its stock appreciated 19.3%.  Promoted.  Infrastructure - B Once again, Brookfield Infrastructure proved the value of its business model, investing in long-term assets like rail, toll roads and cell phone towers, with regulated cash flows largely immune to the vicissitudes of the markets.  The company’s stock price advanced 12.7% over the past six months.   Adds the Headmaster: “I am delighted that CEO Sam Pollock has reiterated his commitment to recycling assets, selling mature businesses when prices are high, and buying new ones that are out of favour when prices are low.  No one plays the game better than Brookfield.”

The company is forecasting $2 billion in new investments annually for the next three to five years, all financed without issuing new shares.  Promoted. Retail - C Classmates Alimentation Couche Tard (convenience stores) and Metro (groceries), as one might expect, benefited from being deemed “essential” in the pandemic and to date have been largely unscathed.  Their share prices, however, don’t reflect this achievement, up a very modest 1.6%.   Adds the Headmaster: “There’s excellent value there.  Metro, in particular, reaped large gains in revenue and profits at the expense of the locked down restaurant sector.  It will be interesting to see how much of those gains they can hang onto.”  Both promoted.   Industry - A plus Workhorses CCL (containers and labels), CNR and John Deere showed the Headmaster their mettle with an average return over the past six months of 39.8%.  He says: “That average masks the spectacular performance of Deere, which had a gain of 71% fuelled by rising farm crop prices and the promise of major infrastructure stimulus spending on the heels of the US election.”  All promoted. Healthcare - C plus “I must remind myself that patience is a virtue,” gripes the Headmaster.  Yet again, the markets have failed to ignite under the Class healthcare trio, Johnson & Johnson, Amgen and Merck.  “Not to worry,” he quickly adds.  “While an average gain of 4.1% is nothing to write home about, each of these wonderful businesses is riding the pandemical wave with ease.  In fact, both J&J and Merck are in the thick of the vaccine race, although they don’t need a winner there to do well.  That would be icing on the cake." Final comment: “I have no doubt the market will better appreciate the value in these companies in the months ahead.”  All promoted. Telecom - B “Class member Telus,” says the Headmaster, “is nothing if not a model of consistency, once again boasting the lowest “churn rate” (customer turnover) in the industry.”  Telus also owns PC Magazine’s “Fastest Canadian Mobile Network” title.  These, and other virtues, underlie the company’s more than respectable return of 10.7%.  Little known fact: Telus derives about 15% of its revenues from Telus International, a global outsourcing and digital solutions company.  According to the the Headmaster: “There’s a possibility Telus will spin out International.  If they do, I would expect a nice bump in shareholder value.”  Promoted. Information Technology - A Classmates Visa, Apple, Microsoft and Open Text combined for an average return of 17.1%.  It must be noted, though, that Apple did more than its share of the heavy lifting, with a return of 45.5%.  “Of this foursome,” says the Headmaster, “only Visa has failed to grow its revenues and profits through the pandemic.  It’s almost perverse how well Apple and Microsoft have done.  Granted, luck has something to do with it, but good businesses make their luck.  Both these companies have spent years and billions making it easier for people to work, and learn, and be entertained remotely.  COVID-19 has only accelerated the trend they were already on.”  All promoted.  Entertainment - A plus  “I sometimes get asked,” says the Headmaster, “why I don’t invest in so-called ‘disruptive technology’ companies, the ones grabbing the headlines like Tesla and Square and Shopify with their sky high stock prices and stratospheric valuations to match. Too risky, I answer.  And I don’t need to be greedy.” “There are a number of companies in the Class of 2021 that give us plenty of exposure to innovation and disruption, without the nosebleed valuations and the attendant risk.  Look at good old Disney.  The growth in their streaming business is screaming, but I don’t have to pay an arm and a leg for it.”     Disney expects its streaming subscriber base to triple to about 250 million by 2024.  The stock is up 62.5% since last July 1st.  Promoted. If you would like further information on any of the investing ideas raised in this issue, or a complimentary consultation, please call or email.  CW     

[thelibertyloft]

The Tide is Turning for Trump

By now, we all saw her Liberal Heiness and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi when she showed her true colors, and that of the entire socialist-left establishment, by demanding an immediate apology from a small salon owner after surveillance video surfaced of her violating the laws of San Francisco, and directly contradicting her COVID-19 regulation stance. In traditional liberal fashion, Pelosi placed blame for her irresponsible and hypocritical actions squarely on someone else, claiming that she was set up during her most recent salon visit. Now, what she should be upset about is the outcome of the dye-job. Instead, she took to her liberal friends in the drive-by media to say that a small business salon owner intentionally deceived her and her staff by misinforming her of the current San Francisco COVID-19 restrictions on beauty spots. Now, if you think hard, you may recall that Nancy Pelosi, in addition to being the current Speaker of the House, Pelosi represents the people of San Francisco - and yet, she is "unaware of the current COVID-19 restrictions that she commands utter obedience from across the nation. If you recall, the Ice Queen herself has attacked President Trump almost daily for his failure to routinely wears masks while attending public events. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, the 3rd in line to the Presidency is incapable of knowing the current COVID-19 restrictions that govern her constituency. You're shocked, I know. Perhaps Pelosi has been hanging around Joe Biden too long, who this week, discredited President Trump's visit to Kenosha, WI, by following up a stay of his own. It wouldn't be a good visit for the once Vice President without some significant gaffes. In the wake of the most recent police shooting of African American and criminal, Jacob Blake, and while speaking in Kenosha, surrounded by Blake's family, oh Biden's speech aimed at addressing racial unrest veered into talking about inequities in taxes at one point. He stopped himself from laying out his tax policy in detail, saying if he goes on any longer, "they'll shoot me." Father Time, and Champion of Black America himself, used his stage to discuss the shooting of innocent minorities and police brutality by saying that he needed to wrap up to avoid being shot. I promise, you can't make this stuff up, folks. And some out in America still don't believe that the DNC is intentionally attempting to keep Biden away from open mics and video cameras. If it wasn't for such a poor performance during the DNC, and for President rallying recent and further support from the Republican base and pulling-in undecided voters, oh Biden and the Dems would have allowed and preferred for Bumbling Biden to wait out the 2020 election on the confines of his bomb shelter. Let's face it; Joe Biden has no real intention of wanting to debate President Trump - he lacks the fortitude, the forethought, and the brain function fiber makeup to put on a good showing. It would be an outright embarrassment, and yet, the Democrats can't seem to keep the man secluded. And the reason? Because deep down, the Democratic Party and the masses at Maddow-MSNBC know that yet again, the 2020 dumpster election polls are inaccurate and also illustrate just how flawed the liberal pollster and pundits are. Before the RNC, polls from CNN and other mainstream media outlets showed Trump down by 12 - 15 points in nearly a dozen states across America. While I do not want to take away from the RNC's performance and the utter failure of Hollywood elites and wannabe conservatives during the DNC, President Trump didn't outline anything other than what he has said and acted upon over the last 3 1/2 years. Preserving American history, keeping our nation's citizens safe, secure, and employed have been staples under the Trump Administration. And while the fireworks on the national mall were a great touch, Democrats are confused in thinking that conservatives are fickle-minded - they are not. Somehow, they believe that some flashy fireworks and pomp and circumstance has elevated Trump in the most recent polls - folks, I'm here to tell you that isn't the case. The truth is, Trump has always been in the 2020 race. He was priming for 2020 when he took his oath in January 2017. Democrats find Trump dangerous - simply because he has called them out on their desperation and their deceptions. Like Pelosi this week, the liberal-agenda pushing Biden onto death's door has illustrated their hypocrisy - honestly saying and showing America that there is a different set of rules for them and everyone else. If you want to see just how much disdain Democrats have for America, look no further than their 2020 ticket's inaction. Joe Biden has had 50-years to govern, keep promises, and promote his newfound vision of equality. For 50 years, Joe Biden has been a bust - a philandering, done nothing, do nothing Democrat, who has taken advantage of a black president to deceive blacks into believing he truly cares for their well-being. Biden doesn't care about the BLM movement - he cares about his move into the White House - and that's why he continued his deception when he nominated Kamala Harris as his VP - not for her merit only for the color of her skin. Like Biden, Kamala Harris has done nothing to excel and promote "her people," - in fact, her service within the San Franciso DA's office and further continued as California Attorney General exemplified an egregious and erroneous view real criminal reform. Like Biden, when given a chance to make a difference, Harris failed and folded. As we near the closet to November 3rd, the Democratic Party will not stop - heck, they haven't stopped since Trump took his oath. From coast-to-coast, Biden and Harris, Pelosi to Schumer, have been consumed by hate - and that hatred has rooted them and their party into collapse - and to be overtaken by communist's leadership and the socialistic-scheme they wish to put upon our nation. Our democracy deserves better than what any Democrat can provide - let's keep Biden locked up in the basement. Let's send Harris and Her Heiness Pelosi packing back to Golden State.

Music courtesy of Greg Shields Music. http://www.reverbnation.com/GregShields

Check out the latest episode of The Closet Conservative Podcast!

#Closet Conservative #Closet Conservative Podcast #The Liberty Loft

[daylflay]

Twitter “Friendship”

The Menagerie

Twitter, unlike other social networking sites such as Facebook, doesn’t necessarily encourage users to amass a large number of followed accounts. On Facebook, when you befriend someone it’s mutual (i.e., if one successfully adds an individual as a Facebook friend, then it’s reflected on both accounts), which creates a different context when it comes to the number of friends one has. Some individuals collect friends as if they’re Pokémon, attempting to increase the size of their collection for bragging rights, but on sites like Twitter that catch-em-all dynamic doesn’t really exist. In fact, on Twitter it’s typically seen as more impressive to follow less accounts than the number of accounts following you; it shows that one can attract others without the promise of reciprocation, which creates a sense of fandom as opposed to friendship. Danah Boyd touches upon this in Hanging Out, Messing Around, Geeking Out: Living and Learning with New Media: “The vast majority of those who collect large numbers of friends are…musicians, politicians, corporations, and wannabe celebrities…[;] mass friend collecting is just one of the practices of connecting with strangers”. As I mentioned previously regarding Twitter, one doesn’t really amass friends, but instead tries to establish a following, so the “mass friend collecting” Boyd mentions can be more accurately described as mass follower collecting when it comes to Twitter. The accounts I’m tracking are not musicians, corporations, or politicians, but they are essentially wannabe celebrities who are politically active, and they’ve each established rather large followings.

Kashana Cauley/@kashanacauley and Patti Harrison/@Party_Harderson currently have over 100,00 followers each and are following less than 1,000 accounts; Rick Wilson/@TheRickWilson and Mehdi Hasan/@mehdirhasan have over 700,000 followers each and follow a few thousand accounts; Candace Owens/@RealCandaceO has almost 2,000,000 followers and only follows 14 accounts. The follow/follower ratios of these accounts are rhetorical statements in of themselves. Kashana Cauley and Patti Harrison, for example, are in the entertainment business, but seemingly focus more-so on writing than performing, so it makes sense that they’re not aggressively pursuing larger followings; their form of occupation is more subtle in nature than the other accounts I’ve mentioned. Rick Wilson and Mehdi Hasan are large-looming figures in political media, so their followings are understandably larger than that of Kashana and Patti; Rick and Mehdi basically don’t have jobs unless people are paying a lot of attention to them, because otherwise nobody would invite them onto their political shows in order to provide commentary. Candace Owens is arguably the most unique individual among the five. Owens is a staunch conservative, so her invitations to provide political commentary for notable media networks are limited, which makes it a necessity for her to have as large a following as possible; having said that, as a Black woman who identifies as conservative (which basically makes her a unicorn in the world of politics), she’s able to easily attract the attention a plethora of individuals on social media. Some Twitter users follow her because they share her values, but others undoubtedly just follow her because she’s a political curio; either way, Owens has carved out an impressive social media niche for herself.

The Cool Kids

Throughout Hanging Out, Messing Around, Geeking Out: Living and Learning with New Media, Danah Boyd is primarily talking about teenagers, which is why it was humorously surprising to find that these adults with their massive social media followings seem to have instincts similar to said teenagers: “The issue of whom one is friends with…is embedded in a broader set of struggles over status among peers…[,] it is important to pay special attention to the role that social media play in the negotiation of…status.” I’ve already established how the number of followers one has on Twitter compared to the number of accounts one follows is important to Twitter-fame, but besides the importance of the aforementioned numerical dichotomy, there is also something to be said about whom exactly one follows. On Twitter, there’s a notorious emblem that signifies the importance of an account: The blue checkmark. If one’s Twitter account is deemed worthy by the powers that be, then one will receive a blue checkmark at the end of their name. All of the accounts I’m monitoring for this project have this checkmark by their names, and I discovered something curious about the accounts that they tend to follow, and that’s that the vast majority of those accounts also have the blue checkmark. These faux-celebrities that have cultivated cults of personality around themselves seemingly prefer the Twitter-company of other faux-celebrities. It reminds me of how movie stars like Brad Pitt and Leonard DiCaprio only hang out with other stars like themselves. It makes me think that these blue-checkmarked Twitter users have developed a sort of social media elitism, and only those who are part of the checkmark-club are worthy of their attention. 

Cool as Ice

Twitter, seemingly by design, is a colder (figuratively, in terms of human interaction) social networking site than most. In Faux Friendship, William Deresiewicz primarily writes about Facebook, but his commentary is of commensurate relevance when applied to Twitter and the nature of followers: “We have stopped thinking of them as individuals. We have turned them into an indiscriminate mass, a kind of audience or faceless public…climbing the jungle gym of…contacts in order to advance your career”. Deresiewicz hones in on exactly how individuals such as those I’m following are using Twitter and their respective followings in order to capitalize on their sizable online presences. For the most part, there is nothing wrong with taking advantage of social media in order to maximize one’s career prospects, but it does give me pause when I think about the rhetoric espoused by some of these individuals. People like Candace Owens and Rick Wilson have the power to legitimately influence individuals on a real-life, political level, and when their motivations are muddied by the possibility that they’re simply trying to strengthen their brand, then they become dangerous. I suppose only time will tell whether I’m being hyperbolic or there is a genuine threat to society to fear from these blue-checkmarked faux-celebrities.

#Rick Wilson #Patti Harrison #kashanacauley #candace owens #Mehdi Hasan #politics #twitter #democracy #conservative #brad pitt #leonardo dicaprio

[thunderheadfred]

A few of my favorite things...

Inspired by @theherocomplex ‘s Favorite Things post, because I need more reminders not to be so gall-darn negative all the time. I encourage all of you to do this too, and if you do, tag me so I can see your lovely faves. Let’s share in the happy vibes!

(as always, I’m too long-winded but at this point I’m just embracing this as a lovable character quirk)

Coffee. My husband has been making fresh coffee every morning and he leaves the rest in a glass jar in the fridge for me, all because I said I liked iced coffee one time and now he never forgets.

Husband. Okay this is kind of generic, admittedly, but specifically, my spouse kisses me goodbye every. single. morning. and always says “I love you,” just in case his car explodes on the way to work. The day this isn’t my favorite thing is the day I am a dead woman... speaking of which...

John. I saw my best friend John over the weekend and even though the visit kind of went topsy-turvy due to someone else’s complicated bachelorette party, I still loved being a passenger in his car while he told a wacky story about the one time he was trying to deliver pork and accidentally interrupted some rich people who were very probably walling-up a corpse in one of the elite social clubs downtown. Okay that turned dark but the point is this guy is the best, esp his storytelling skills

Japanese food. Eating in restaurants makes me nervous and overstimulated, except when I’m nomming tonkotsu ramen and a beer in the small, chill Japanese bistro near our house (at least once in a blue moon when we can afford it.) It’s getting too hot for bone broth now, so I’ll probably switch to shoyu with ginger pork, but that is HARDLY a downgrade.

YOSHI. I am admittedly a black-clad wannabe edgelord half the time, but also a person who would happily wear Yoshi footie pajamas while eating a Yoshi birthday cake, while chanting “YOSHI" in an increasingly desperate, high-pitched voice as I lose again and again and again at Mario Kart, because I am horrible at console racing games but could not care less, as long as I can be Yoshi.

ASMR. At the moment I’m hooked on Dr. Tingles, because he makes me think of Mordin and all the things I should be doing with Paradox - and okay, that makes me feel more guilt than anything but I still really like his videos and watch at least one per day to EASE MY SOUL, so...

Stardew Valley. This game is the most relaxing thing ever. How many panic attacks has this game prevented in the last month? Haha I have no idea but the number is high.

Spicy Cheetos. These are pure garbage and will probably be the reason I die too young without any limbs but fuck science they’re delicious and I appreciate food that can make me sweat like I’m being interrogated by my therapist.

Disneyland. Why the fuck am I not at Disneyland right now? When I lived in Los Angeles I used to have an annual pass and I would just drive over to real life fucking Disneyland on a whim on random Tuesdays and eat dole whips and walk around and ride Space Mountain five times in a row and I know of NO BETTER way to meet your sunshine/exercise requirements for the day than to people watch at m-f’kin’ Disneyland. Maybe I’m missing the point by listing something far away and nostalgic but WHATEVER. I want to go to Disneyland. Yes, right now.

Fandom. Seriously wtf you are all the nicest, sweetest, bestest people in the world and don’t ever change.

[travelworldnetwork]

By Mike MacEacheran

17 January 2019

Amid the neon-lit diners and coffee shops of New York’s Upper East Side sits a townhouse that’s a world away from the fast-paced drama of Manhattan. In sight of Central Park, but not as far north as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, it is just one of many such houses on a street full of elite mansions and enviable residences. No sightseeing map would direct you to East 70th Street, and it’s routinely bypassed by cab drivers, commuters and pedestrians, all of whom have somewhere else more important to be.

But beyond the townhouse’s wrought iron doors, under a keystone archway, a world of tightly guarded secrets awaits. For this intriguing six-storey mansion, 109-years-old and a fusion of Jacobean Renaissance and Tudor architecture, is a social club for a clandestine group of travellers who have seen more of the world – and universe – than anyone would think possible.

View image of A townhouse in New York houses the headquarters of The Explorer’s Club (Credit: Credit: Mike MacEacheran)

You may also be interested in: • The travel guides that charted our world • The origin of life on Earth? • A trip most people wouldn’t dare to do

The deepest oceans. The farthest rivers. The highest peaks. Even the moon and outer space itself. All of it has been mapped by the club’s globetrotting members. And on any given day, many can be found in the back room, taking tea while plotting their next extraordinary adventure. Talk is not of the weather, but of moon landings and blow dart encounters.

The people who’ve marched through these doors created pages of history

This is the little-known Explorer’s Club, the headquarters of one of the world’s most awe-inspiring field science institutions. Its illustrious list of current, historical and honourary members includes Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, who first summited Mt Everest; aviator Charles Lindbergh, who made the first solo transatlantic airplane flight in 1927; Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl who sailed his hand-built balsawood raft, the Kon-Tiki, from Peru to Polynesia; famed pilot Amelia Earhart who disappeared in the Pacific; Apollo astronauts, including Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong, the first men on the Moon; record-breaking deep-sea diver Sylvia Earle; British paleoanthropologist Mary Leakey, who discovered 15 new species of animal; Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos; Titanic film director and deep-sea explorer James Cameron; and primatologist Dame Jane Goodall, considered the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees. The list is mind-boggling. Small wonder the club’s in-joke involves an astronaut, aquanaut and speleologist walking into a bar.

“There are millions of stories associated with this place, and sometimes I need to catch myself from name-dropping,” said two-time club president Richard Wiese, who himself is an explorer with more than 200 episodes of the Emmy Award-winning TV travel series Born to Explore with Richard Wiese on his resume. “The people who’ve marched through these doors created pages of history. They’re immortalised figures.”

View image of The Explorer’s Club’s list of members includes Neil Armstrong, Edmund Hillary and Theodore Roosevelt (Credit: Credit: Mike MacEacheran)

Now the club’s 44th president, Wiese was drawn into this Indiana Jones world by his father, Richard Wiese Sr, who was the first man to solo the Pacific Ocean in a plane. He remembers standing on his front lawn in Connecticut looking at cumulus and contrail clouds wishing he could be just as adventurous. By age 12, he had travelled to Africa and climbed Mt Kilimanjaro.

“I recall the first time I came to the club in the mid-1980s,” Wiese told me, while we sat at a table once owned by former member and US president Theodore Roosevelt in the club’s boardroom. “It was to see a lecture about black bears in northern New Jersey, and straightaway I knew I had found my people.”

Like the other mountain-climbing, polar-exploring, zeitgeist-defining club presidents before him, Wiese maintains the society’s purpose is for knowledge enhancement alone, not self-fulfilment. Its 3,500 members – spread across 32 global chapters, including the New York headquarters – are bound by a bond to push the boundaries of science and education. And these days, membership is predominantly taken up by oceanographers, lepidopterologists, primatologists and conservationists. Not wannabe Shackletons.

A case in point: this past summer, a group of club palaeontologists were in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert hunting for fossilised dinosaur remains using drone scanners. “They found dozens, if not hundreds,” Wiese told me, almost as if he couldn’t quite believe it himself. “Exploration for us is now less a cult of personality and more a cult of data. And because of that we’re getting better at finding the truth.”

View image of The Explorer’s Club consists of 3,500 members spread across 32 global chapters, including the New York headquarters (Credit: Credit: Mike MacEacheran)

It was 1904 when The Explorer’s Club was founded by historian, journalist and explorer Henry Collins Walsh and like-minded Arctic explorers. At the time, the race to the North Pole had brought the group together with a broader purpose to explore by air, land, sea and space. This saw the first meetings held at its original headquarters in the Studio Building at 23 West 67th Street. But as the club grew in stature, so too did its need to expand to house trophies, books and priceless artefacts.

Enter American writer and broadcaster Lowell Thomas of ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ fame years later. An enthusiastic member in the 1960s, he was instrumental in the club acquiring its current headquarters, once a private family home owned by an heir to the Singer Sewing Machine.

“This place used to be about pushing dragons off the map,” said the club’s archivist and curator of research collections Lacey Flint, leading me on a fascinating tour of the townhouse. “We still push those dragons, but the club has become so much more. What really excites members is that we know more about the volcanoes on Jupiter than we do about the very bottom of our oceans.”

View image of Richard Wiese: “There are millions of stories associated with this place” (Credit: Credit: Mike MacEacheran)

History is alive in the building’s upper galleries like few other places in New York. It isn’t just the taxidermy polar bear guarding the staircase. Or the sledge used by Robert Peary and Matthew Henson on an expedition to the North Pole in 1909 (now placed above a door in the Clark Room). It’s in the indigenous totems found by Michael Rockefeller on a trip to collect primitive art from New Guinea (while several artefacts were airmailed to the US, Rockefeller never returned and rumours persist he was eaten by cannibals). It’s in the series of framed club flags, once folded into spacesuit pockets and carried on every Apollo mission into space. And it’s in the artefacts on the desk of the club’s archivist that still need to be catalogued.

It’s a place that boggles the senses

Moreover, it’s a place that boggles the senses. On the day of my visit, Flint’s desk was taken over by a prized 17th-Century Persian helmet and a pair of Spanish colonial spurs. She oversees some 1,000 objects in the club’s collection, as well as a library brimming with 14,000 volumes, photographs, slides and reports. One recent acquisition is a century-old Akeley Pancake Camera, dating to 1919 and first built for rugged expeditions.

The townhouse is an intriguing architectural marvel in itself. There are wooden beams taken from HMS Daedalus (an 1826 frigate warship). A ceiling bought from a 15th-Century Italian monastery, plus original stained-glass windows inlaid with Tudor roses from Windsor Castle in England. It’s so out-of-this-world, in fact, it feels as if it could have been designed by Jonathan Swift’s fantastical traveller, Lemuel Gulliver.

View image of The Explorer’s Club’s New York headquarters houses around 1,000 artefacts collected by its members (Credit: Credit: Mike MacEacheran)

One floor up, past the Hall of Fame and the Sir Edmund Hillary Map Room, is the extraordinarily detailed Gallery. A drop-in visitor can see trophies of cheetah and lion from Smithsonian expeditions; a yeti scalp and prayer wheels from Tibet; a first edition of Napoleon’s description of Egypt; an Alaskan mammoth tusk, moose heads and stuffed penguins; a pelt from a man-eating Nepali tigress; and the remarkable ivory of a four-tusked elephant, a rare genetic anomaly from Congo. The horde of artefacts is so exact – so remarkable – that, at first, it feels like a film set suspended in time.

They were rock stars of their age

“The risks these explorers took were crazy,” said Flint, pointing to an oil painting of Danish explorer Peter Freuchen that hung above the fireplace. Freuchen, she told me, wore a coat from a polar bear he killed, and once escaped an ice cave using frozen excrement as an improvised dagger. “These were people who would amputate their own foot. They were rock stars of their age and their stories are just as radical. Some unearthed burial grounds of ancient kings, while others travelled to the Arctic with a full tea service or crossed a desert with a camel carrying a full-size writing desk. Unbelievable, isn’t it?”

Members’ adventures are just as inspiring today. Archaeologist Joan Breton Connelly – aka ‘Indiana Joan’ – continues to dig for clues at a Cypriot temple built by Cleopatra that she discovered, while deep-sea explorer Jennifer Arnold’s passion is diving for megalodon teeth.

View image of While The Explorer’s Club has an illustrious history, president Richard Wiese says its members are focussed on the future (Credit: Credit: Mike MacEacheran)

To visit the club – possible for around $25 during the society’s weekly public lectures – is to experience an expense of spirit most people can only dream of. While the world of the explorer is changing, the club’s president believes it is a golden era for members – particularly in the fields of palaeontology, anthropology and space exploration.

There is still plenty of magic left in the world – and it’s our job to find it

With evolution comes opportunity and time for reflection, Wiese told me, and over the next few months, the club will undertake one of its most ambitious projects to date: to bring together the largest ever gathering of moon walkers and Apollo astronauts to celebrate 50 years since the Moon landing in July 1969.

“Our challenge is to stay relevant,” Wiese said, looking out the window. “In science, if an organism doesn’t evolve it’ll go extinct. Yes, we have an illustrious history, but our members are focussed on the future – on climate change and on animal and human preservation. So the more we can promote and popularise science to people that have curiosity about the world the better. There is still plenty of magic left in the world – and it’s our job to find it.”

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