#Did somebody saw him during the stream?

[mystories2012]

Where did Stephan go during the Ceremony? I didnt saw him there?🥺🥺🤔

#lellinger #ski jumping #stephan leyhe #andreas wellinger #they are the cutest #i love them so much #Where did Andis Boyfriend go? #Did somebody saw him during the stream?

[tkingfisher]

Right! Apropos another post, let’s talk about lawn crayfish aka The Lobsters Beneath Our Feet!

This is Craw-Bob. He’s about three and a half inches long.

Long ago, when I had only gardened in the Southeast for a year or two, I saw an interesting hole in a flowerbed. It was rather deep and had a muddy front porch. I gazed into this hole, thinking “Ooh! Is it a rodent? A snake? A toad?”

And then I saw…the Claw.

It was unmistakably a crustacean claw. And it was in a hole in my yard. My terrestrial yard! Why was there a crustacean in my flowerbed?!

I could not have been more astounded if an octopus tentacle had come flopping out. I ran screaming for my husband and the internet, both of whom said “Yeah, that’s a lawn crayfish, they do that.”

And yes. There are about 400 species of crayfish* in North America, and a not inconsiderable number of them are burrowing species. The devil crayfish, which builds little mud towers, ranges from the Rockies to the Atlantic and as far north as Ontario. There are a number of other species as well. Some are limited to stream banks, but many burrow in lawns, flowerbeds, and other places with consistently damp soil, which means that there is a non-zero chance that when you wander around the grass, a tiny lobster is lurking somewhere beneath your feet.

You would think that more people would know this, but at no point in my life had anyone ever mentioned it to me.

Being me, I immediately set out to determine if other people knew about lawn crayfish and I had just somehow missed it. I took an informal poll—by which I mean I accosted random strangers at the farmer’s market, the coffee shop, and my doctor’s office—and discovered a stark divide. Half the people looked at me like I was telling them I’d seen a lawn chupacabra and the other half looked at me like I’d asked if they’d ever heard of squirrels.

It was not divided by social class or education. The farmer with the heirloom breed hogs knew about them, his wife did not. My nurse practitioner first thought I was hallucinating, then went out into the clinic, and began demanding to know if her co-workers had heard of this. My barista was like “Yeah, mudbugs,” but he’s from Florida, so may not count.

My theory is that if you know they’re there, it’s just a fact of life so obvious that you don’t bother to comment on it, and if you don’t—well, why would you ever assume that any given hole in the ground comes from a goddamn MINI LOBSTER? And since they mostly just hang out underground during the day and don’t really hurt anything, it just doesn’t come up very often, until one day you’re at the farmer’s market, just trying to sell some organic tomatoes, and a wild-eyed woman with a Studio Ghibli T-shirt descends on you yelling “Are you aware of lawn crayfish?!”

(Yes, they’re edible, but it’s a lot of work popping them individually out of their burrows.)

During torrential rains, they will often leave their burrows and wander around, which is how I got the photos of Craw-Bob. My hound spotted him in the garden and poked him with her nose, whereupon Craw-Bob poked back. Hound, not sure what was happening but that it was probably bad, began doing her “release the humans!” alarm bark, and I came out to find her toe to toe with a crustacean who was waving its claws and presumably screaming “Come on if you think you’re hard enough!” in Lobster.

Despite their willingness to fight everything, they’re pretty harmless. The most they do is move soil from underground to a little pile above. I’m sure golf courses hate them. Our local county extension office suggests “These nonprolific creatures should be appreciated like an interesting bird or turtle living on the property.” Some, like the Greensboro burrowing crayfish, are so rare they were thought to be extinct until somebody found one in the backyard.

So. Lawn crayfish. They exist! And could be lurking underfoot as we speak!

*or crawfish, depending on where you’re from.

#crayfish #crawfish #crustaceans #nature

[oneforthemunny]

everybody loves somebody |older!eddie| part 10

prompt: your first valentine's day with eddie.

age gap relationship. Eddie is 42 and reader is 26. everything is consensual.

contains: age gap, dilf!eddie, older!eddie, alcohol, language, p in v sex, oral male and fem receiving, really sweet and fluffy and smutty. minors dni 18+

The front office had delivered the roses to your door during your planning, smiling and giggling with holiday filled joy about how beautiful the roses were. And they were, but the card attached was even better.

'Bunny, Happy Valentine's Day to my best girl. You have my heart every second of every day. I can't wait to see you tonight. Love, Ed'

Your blush matched the roses, heart soaring and floating the rest of the day.

The other teachers had cooed, tight lipped smiles when you passed with the bouquet. You could feel their jealous gazes, eyes cutting and lips pursed.

The kids had asked a million questions, bombarding with you about who your boyyyyfriend was, followed by a stream of giggles and cackles. The candy from the party didn't help their energy, bouncing at their desks, ripping open heart shaped suckers and candy hearts.

Eddie had shown up at your apartment at five o'clock on the dot. He'd had a midday shift today, taking the night off so he could spoil you. He cleaned up nice for you, he always did. Curls tamed and framing his face neatly, black button down and black slacks, leaving the top unbuttoned so you could see his inked skin. Sliding your jacket on, opening your doors, lips on your cheek, pressing kisses and words that made you giggle into your skin.

"Enzo's?" You asked, brows raised when the truck rolled into the parking lot. Cars filled the spots, but you knew on nights like tonight they only did reservations. A big Valentine's Day dinner that was near impossible to get into anyways.

Eddie grinned, hand on your thigh, rubbing small circles up your bare leg. "Told you I'd spoil you, bunny." He pressed his lips to yours, squeezing your thigh when he ran around to open your door.

You didn't miss the way the hostess raised her brow at the two of you, eyes flickering from you back to him, then at his tattoos. Your eyes narrowed at her, lifting a challenging brow to the snooty high schooler. Her lips pressed together, but she showed you to your seats, nose in the air.

You passed Steve and Nancy in the restaurant, the two having a child free Valentine's dinner to themselves. Eddie waved, the two sharing matching smirks before you were seated.

"You didn't have to do this for me, Ed." You smiled, looking at the candles that illuminated your table. Eddie reached over, pouring champagne into your flute. "I would've been happy with Benny's." You grinned.

Eddie laughed softly, lifting his own glass. His eyes sparkled when he looked at you. "Well, maybe next year." He said, tapping his glass with yours, enjoying the way you blushed, trying to hide behind the glass. "To our first Valentine's Day. One of many."

He ordered your food, you let him, content on letting him be in control tonight, letting him spoil you for the evening. You knew he loved to, smirking at you after he'd tell the waiter exactly what you wanted. Proud of himself for how he took care of you.

The champagne poured, Eddie ordered dessert, the two of you chatted in the dim light of Enzo's, the classical music playing softly in the background only aiding to the snooty vibe of the place.

"My first graders wanted to know who sent me the flowers today." You grinned. "Thank you, by the way, they were stunning. Beautiful."

Eddie smiled. "Of course." He nodded, reaching his hand out to grab yours across the table. "I got you somethin' else too." He moved into his jacket, pulling out a small, square shaped, black box.

You gasped when he opened it, teardrop pearl earrings with gold clasps lined with tiny diamonds. You saw them weeks ago, a little after Christmas when he was taking his watch to be fixed. You'd told him they were beautiful, so dainty and perfect. So, he went and got them for you.

"Eddie, you shouldn't-"

"Sure I should have." Eddie waved at you, grinning at the way you delicately reached out to hold the box. "They're gonna look beautiful on you, baby. Happy Valentine's Day."

You smiled, clasping them in your hands. You leaned across the table, not caring at the glances or side eyed stares you got to kiss him, fully and passionately. Your head swam from the champagne, and your heart was fluttering, you felt like it might fly right out of your throat.

Eddie chuckled through the kiss, hands holding your jaw, gently. By the time you were brought your dessert, you were ready to go. Eddie had it wrapped up to-go before the two of you left, giggly and blushing all the way to the car. He stopped before he opened your door, kissing you hard, pressing your back up against the cold metal of the truck.

The ride home was sweet. Stolen kisses, giggles, Eddie serenading you with love songs on the radio. Eddie's house was quiet when the two of you stumbled in, Brielle was at Gina's for the night.

Eddie's hands were all over you, roaming your black, silk dress, pawing desperately at the fabric. His lips on your neck, scruff of his beard rubbing against your sensitive skin. You knew you'd be chaffed raw by tomorrow, but you didn't care.

"Wait," you gasped, pushing Eddie's chest slightly when his lips sucked on your neck. Eddie looked at you with confusion, hands still tight on your hips.

"Wait, I-I have a present for you too." You said, blushing and nervous. You clutched your purse in your hands, white knuckled with the strap between your fingers.

Eddie cocked a brow, eyes falling down to your purse. "Bunny, c'mon, you didn't have to-"

"Yes, I-I," You laughed. "How about, you go in the bedroom, wait for me, and I'll be there in a minute? Ok?"

Eddie raised his brows, a dark look taking over his features. You grinned, legs clenching with excitement. "I'll just be a minute. I promise."

You slipped into the bathroom in the hall, back pressed against the door, lying your purse on the sink. You pulled out the red lingerie piece you'd been hiding. Lacy, one piece set- well, it was so revealing, it might as well been nothing at all. Crotchless so it exposed your center, lacy mesh material so sheer you could see right through the two small heart details that attempted to cover your nipples. It was high cut on the sides, plunging low on the front. Scandalous and delicate.

Eddie had lost his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt, sleeves rolled up as he waited on the bed. You peeked around the corner, hidden by the door as you grinned. "You ready for your gift, Mr. Munson?" You asked.

Eddie smirked back, spreading his legs farther when he sat into the bed. "Can hardly stand it, bunny. Show me what you got me."

You took a breath, pushing the door open, revealing yourself, changed into the lacy red piece. Eddie's eyes bulged, roaming over your body as you walked closer to him.

"It was supposed to have little wings and an arrow, but," You shrugged, spinning around for him. "Whaddya think?"

Eddie swallowed, reaching out to you, eyes moving from your breasts to your exposed center, back up and down, all over. His hands pulled you closer, so you were standing between his legs. He spun you around slowly, fingers tracing over the thin cloth that barely covered any part of your ass.

"Holy shit." Eddie breathed, hands moving fro your waist back to your ass. "You bought this for me?"

You smiled, nodding excitedly. "Happy Valentine's Day, baby." You whispered, lips brushing over his. "Hope you like your gift."

And oh, did he.

Eddie had no problem showing you how much he liked his gift. He was buried between your legs not minutes later, your claves down his back, heels of your feet digging into his shoulders and moving around like his own pair of angel wings.

Eddie sucked on your clit, fingers pumping slow and lazy in you, curling so he jammed into your g-spot, leaving you crying out and gushing. Your hands wrapped in his curls, crying out when he'd bury his nose into you, inhaling your scent entirely while devouring you from the inside out.

He'd pulled down your straps, leaving the top part around your waist so he could toy with your nipples, grinning into you at the way your back arched when he rolled them between his fingers.

You were a puddle when he finished, barely holding yourself up when you climbed down the length of his body, trailing sloppy, wet kisses. "'M gonna thank you for dinner." You said, hazy and spacey. "Thank you for takin' care of me."

Eddie smirked, pushing your hair out of your face when you fumbled with his pants. You palmed him through his black briefs, kissing the outline of his cock so delicately he lurched towards you.

You kissed up the length of him, tongue trailing back down lightly. You knew by now how he liked it, slow and a little teasing at first. Your mouth sucking lightly on his sac until he was throwing his head back with a groan, leaking from his tip. His hands found your hair, fisting tightly and pulling at your scalp.

You took your time. You really wanted to show him how much you appreciated him, how much you loved him. He didn't thrust into your mouth, or fuck your mouth until you choked around him. He let you swallow him taking him slowly and sweetly. Kitten licks to his tip that led to you nuzzling the hair at his base, him stuffed down your throat.

That's how he fucked you that night, slow and meaningful. There was no rush, no thrill to fuck quickly and hard. His body was pressed to yours, your hands on his back, heels digging into the flesh of his ass. Eddie kissed down your neck, muttering sweet words and praises Ito your skin, sweaty bodies conjoined together as the bed squeaked with every slow rock of his hips against yours.

Your eyes rolled back, toes curling when he circled his thumb around your clit. "'S good for me, bunny. That's right. Let me make you feel good, sweet girl." Eddie rasped against your cheek, pressing soft kisses into your heat licked skin.

Your nails raked down his back with every orgasm he pulled out of you. You clamped around him again, tears leaking out of your eyes. You could tell by the way his grip tightened on your waist that he was close, but he didn't pick up his speed. He kept it consistent and rhythmic, the way you liked it. Your heart swelled that he knew that about you now.

Eddie groaned, muscles clenching when he released, warmth filling you from the inside out. His sticky bangs pressed against your forehead, his head falling against yours, lips brushing and noses touching. "I love you so much, baby, so much, fuck." Eddie muttered, chest rising and falling quickly against you.

His head dropped to your shoulder, breath steadying as you remained wrapped in each other, close together. Eddie looked up at you, you ran a hand through his sweaty curls.

"Happy Valentine's Day, baby." Eddie whispered, lips pressing against your jaw, trailing all the way to your lips. "I'll spoil you every other day, too. I promise, bunny."

"Yeah?" You asked, giggly and dazed, coming down from your own high.

Eddie nodded, hands fisting the fabric that was tossed on the space next to you two, lacy red fabric that had been sweat soaked and was now wrinkled. "I promise." He said. The lines by his eyes crinkled when he smiled, moving the discarded lingerie closer to you two. "Especially if you wear this again, baby, fuck." You giggled, wrapping your arms around him to pull him closer to you.

You stored the lingerie piece in the back of his underwear drawer, saving it for the next time you needed it. You went to work the next day, high neck sweater to cover the hicks on your collarbones and breasts, but ears shining and sparkling with your new dazzling earrings.

#oneforthemunny #munnytalks #funsonmunson #older!dilf!eddie munson #older!dilf!eddie #older!eddie munson x reader #older!eddie munson #older!eddie #dilf!eddie munson x reader #dilf!eddie munson #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x reader #eddie x fem!reader #eddie x reader #eddie munson x fem!reader fluff #eddie munson x fem!reader smut #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson x reader smut #eddie munson smut

[rainbowchaox]

Philza fully has a soft spot for one Missa Sinfonia

I think it’s about time for everyone to fully understand that Philza has a soft spot for Missa. Whether you ship them platonically or romantically. Everyone needs to understand how gentle and how Missa can do no wrong Philza fully is.

First off literally whenever Missa is there Philza voice drops into the softest I ever heard him. Philza finally gets calm and relaxed with missa. Missa was canonically gone for ages left their actual son and was absent. Philza immediately forgave him. Missa thinks he is bad dad but he is not. Missa canonically had no choice but to be gone CAUSE? HE WAS LITERALLY HELD HOSTAGE BY WILD WOLVES.

If Missa had a choice in the matter he wouldn’t have never left Philza or Chayanne and eventually Tallulah. He would have always stayed by his family side. He is completely loyal to a fault. Missa isn’t perfect but Philza can clearly see that Missa is 100% on his side. And for some one like Philza where complete trust and loyalty is so hard to come by. Much less Philza giving trust and loyalty to somebody is the hardest thing to get. But once Philza trusts you? Practically have it for life. Only utter betrayal will break his trust.

Philza will wait and wait. It’s no problem for him. Philza forgives Missa so much. Even if others will hold a grudge over him being gone. Even if others fully believe that Missa doesn’t deserve Philza or deserve his family. Philza will always have a space for Missa in their home. There’s reasons why it’s Phil and Missa. Not just Philza.

Missa JUST cares so much about those he loves. And Philza definitely understands that about Missa. Which is why he has such a massive soft spot for his husband. There’s no anger. No resentment. No. Philza is just happy that Missa is back.

And this comes to what happened recently. The fight between Wilbur and Philza. Philza did snap and for good reason. Wilbur left for ages had him take care of his egg and Wilbur started getting upset? Wilbur doesn’t even know Tallulah at this point. Philza is more a dad to her than Wilbur. Sucks to point that out but it’s the truth. But all the anger Philza directed at Wilbur? He never directed at his husband Missa.

Missa was also a absent father. Missa also left him to care for Chayanne. But Philza can tell Missa never wanted to leave. That Missa loves chayanne and the rest of the eggs so much (literally one of the first things he did during his first stream back was kiss sleeping chayanne). And most importantly Missa is always on his side. They are team. A unit.

I remember when Tallulah was worried about if her father would still love her as she changed so much when he was gone. And Philza alluded that even chayanne changed and that was mainly because he didn’t talk about Missa much making him lose Spanish. And you know what? Missa never stopped loving his son. Was hella dramatic about it primarily because people putting ideas chayanne was doing drugs. But Missa never stopped loving chayanne.

Missa always cared for chayanne and if anything he wants to better for Philza and Chayanne and even Tallulah. As they connected right before the egg kidnappings happened. And Philza understood so he immediately saw the small amount of blame he did. He stopped talking about Missa.

There’s reasons why Missa holds Philzas heart. Why he trusts Missa so much. Why philzas is always loyal to Missa.

MISSA IS ALWAYS ON PHILZA SIDE NO QUESTIONS ASKED.

Missa just like Philza wants to save the eggs. Missa is always on Philza side. So of course Philza is soft. (Also Missa visited before the egg kidnapping lore. Definitely made him look better.) I just find it so interesting despite both Missa and Wilbur being in similar states of being absent fathers returning both connected to Philza. That Philza is visibly more soft towards Missa than Wilbur. It’s something the pissa nation should pick up on. Because really no one can say that Philza has a soft spot for his husband. We were always saying it but now it’s practically canon.

Anyways Missa PLS STREAM YOUR HUSBAND NEEDS IT!!!!!!!

#qsmp #pissa #Qsmp pissa #Deathduo #Essay! #guess who back back again it’s me the essay devil #pissa newspaper

[bibbityboppitybillyharvgrove]

Holiday Blues - S.Rogers

Summary - Steve Rogers loves the holiday season, going all out with baking cookies, blasting holiday music and watching a constant stream of holiday movies. Y/N, his floormate and teammate, never celebrated the holidays and he wanted to know why. It takes her time but she finally opens up to him after an impromptu sparring session at midnight.

Word Count - 2117

Author's note - Welcome to Day 8 of my 25 days of fics! This is getting uploaded later than I usually do because it was not written in advance. School has been crazy with the end of the semester coming next week so I have been very busy. I hope you enjoy!

Warnings - Hydra, mentions of torture and brainwashing, Steve is a very patient man, not proofread, vulgar language, use of Y/N, Female Reader, (let me know if I missed any!)

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Feedback is welcomed and encouraged!

Enjoy!

not my gif

not my gif

As she got older and the world became an increasingly worse place, it was hard to get into the Christmas spirit. She had seen most of the horrors of the world, alien invasions? Check, more than once. Half the world disappearing? Check. Meeting 2 men that were born during World War I? Check and check. She herself was much older than most people assumed, she was born during the late 20s so she knew how the two men felt.

However, only one of them embraced the holiday spirit and that was Steve. Steve who had probably seen worse than most of them, other than Bucky and Nat of course. Steve who was used as propaganda during the war. Steve who was ‘America’s Golden Boy’. Steve who was Captain America. A majority of the world never thought of Captain America as Steve Rogers, no, they thought of a strong man who had been a world protector starting with the second world war. Sure he was frozen for nearly 80 years but that didn’t matter to them, what mattered was the image America attached to him.

Y/N, who was a bit younger than Steve, still understood him better than most. She knew what it was like to be used for the ‘betterment’ of society. She knew what it was like for nobody to truly see the person she was. She knew what it was like to be frozen in time for decades and wake up confused and lost in a world filled with all this new kind of technology. She knew and Steve understood that. He understood that they went through similar things in their lives. He understood what she felt deep down but never let it show. 

Speaking of the horrors she had faced, well there was more than just alien invasions. She had faced escaping from Hydra, who was thought to be dormant. She had to face constant brain washing and memory wiping because no matter how often it was done, there was still a little piece of her inside that was fighting. That little piece was fighting for everything it had which wasn’t a lot. She was poor, her parents had died and her sister had moved to another state with her husband. She was left alone and Hydra saw this, Hydra saw a girl that was lonely and needed somebody so they became that somebody. She was manipulated into becoming a pawn in their game.

She had lost her faith in humanity long before she had woken up in the 21st century. But as she lived in this new century, she felt more out of place than she ever did. Because of this, she hadn’t felt the need to celebrate any holidays or any of her own birthdays. To her, these were miniscule things in a huge world of issues that needed to be resolved.

With living in the Avengers tower, it was quite hard to get away from holidays. Almost every inch of the tower had been decorated for the holiday season, Christmas lights and Hanukkah candles staring her in the face every time she left her room. She had even told Tony that she didn’t want her floor to be decorated but he ignored that request and her floor was decorated anyway. 

Even Bucky, who shared her floor, didn’t want the decorations up. He too could care less about the holidays after all of the horrors he had seen. The two of them brought up the point to Steve who was the other person on their floor. Tony thought it was funny to keep the three of them together and call it the glacier floor but that’s besides the point. Steve admitted he was the one who wanted the floor decorated. Bucky and Y/N knew that Steve had a particular love for holidays, no matter what kind of holiday it was.

The two couldn’t be mad at him so they ignored the decorations the best they could, ignored the constant baking the best they could and ignored the constant holiday movies and songs the best they could.

Steve, on the other hand, was trying to get the two of them excited for the holidays. He couldn’t understand why they hated holidays so much so he took to asking. Bucky was okay with the holidays but Y/N would almost disappear during them. He had asked Bucky first and all he said was he was too old to celebrate holidays to which Steve scoffed at his life-long best friend. Steve knew it was an excuse but he brushed it off since Bucky had started watching holiday movies with him and helped him with his baking.

Steve couldn’t seem to get a straight forward answer from Y/N though. It was like she hated talking about the subject of holidays all together. But Steve watched as her walls cracked a little bit and her true feeling shone through. 

“I used to love the holidays, especially when I still had my parents around and my sister. We had so many traditions that I couldn’t keep track but as I got older and my parents' health deteriorated, we stopped our traditions because they were becoming too much. After they died and my sister and her husband left the state, I was alone so I didn’t feel the need to celebrate the holidays anymore. I had nobody to celebrate them with, I guess I just never went back to celebrated after waking up,” She explained to Steve, but he knew there was more to the story. Her voice changed a lot as she spoke about why she stopped celebrating but it wavered the most when she said she stopped celebrating. He could tell she was lying to him just by her voice but she also avoiding his eye contact and was shifting from foot to foot. Those were her usual tells that she was lying.

“There’s something more that you aren’t telling me, isn’t there?” He asked her.

“There is but let’s save that for another day.” So they did save it for another day, Steve brushing it off until she looked particularly off, more than usual during the winter holiday season.

“What’s going on? You seem upset,” Steve asked her quietly one night in the kitchen. He was cleaning up after a baking disaster with Bucky, the other super soldier going off to bed after. It was just the two of them as it neared midnight, the only light being the gentle ceiling lights that hung over the island.

“Just thinking about my life back in the 30s. I couldn’t sleep so I spiraled a bit and needed to get out of my own head for a bit. Wanna head to the gym with me?” She offered him. He put the rag he was cleaning with down and followed her to the elevator so they could go to the gym.

“You wanna talk about it?” He questioned gently, not trying to pry the information out of her.

“Maybe after I get some energy out.”

So as they entered the gym after getting off of the elevator, it was quiet. He had never heard the gym so quiet before, usually music was playing or someone was in there training but it was desolate. Y/N loved coming to train at this time, enjoying the quiet and the privacy it provided. The two of them sparred for a bit, and by a bit that really means nearly 3 hours before one of them got even remotely tired. 

“You wanna tell me what’s going on now?” Steve asked as they both laid on the floor of the ring, panting and sweating from their long spar session.

“I was taken by Hydra 75  years ago today and tomorrow will be 75 years of me having the serum in my body. It’s why I hate the holidays so much, they remind me of Hydra and what they did to me. Reminds me of times when I was younger and able to believe in my family’s traditions. When I was innocent and not a monster that Hydra created. When I was me,” She explained absently. She was staring at the ceiling as she talked and continued on as he spoke back.

“So Hydra took you on Christmas Eve and you got the serum on Christmas day? Why would they do that to you? You were so young!” 

“Because I was alone and sad. My parents had just died, my dad dying of cancer and my mom dying of a broken heart, my sister got married and left to some southern state with her husband. They saw that I was vulnerable and alone so they used that as their opportunity to take me. I went willingly because I thought that I was doing the right thing, they really knew how to play mind games. Then I met Bucky, he was still Bucky but he was getting tortured and brainwashed right next to me until he wasn’t Bucky anymore. I was the next in line, getting the serum hurt like a son of a bitch, I didn’t think I would live but I did. Then came my torture and brainwashing. I put up a hell of a fight, nearly 40 years until I gave up fighting.”

Steve’s heart was heavy as she talked, not knowing what to say so he just listened. “There were a few times I almost died but they never let that happen, I was a winter soldier, one of two compliant soldiers they could use and abuse however they liked. I was in and out of cryo just like Bucky, when I was in he was out and when he was out I was in, that made for the consistency that they wanted and craved. The last time they sent me on a mission with Bucky was to kill Howard and Maria. I spent so many years of my life frozen in some unclaimed territory so when I escaped right before the issue with SHIELD, I had no idea who I was or what I was doing. I had such a hard time adjusting to everything going on because the last time I was out of cryo was the 90s where technology wasn’t as advanced. That’s probably why you found me so quickly, I didn’t know how to lay low and in the shadows in this new world.”

“Come with me,” Steve said, getting up and holding out his hand for her to take. She grabbed his hand, pulling herself up and followed him. He hadn’t let go of her hand and neither did she. They left the tower, both of them in sweaty pajamas, and walked through the streets of New York City. She had no idea where Steve was taking her but she willingly followed. They finally stopped right in front of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, brightly lit and holding the winter snow in all of the right places to make the view even more breathtaking.

“That’s beautiful, I haven’t seen this in person ever. I never realized how pretty it actually is,” She rambled about the beauty of the large evergreen. 

“I know holidays are tough and trust me I understand what it’s like to spend them alone, but you don’t have to, not anymore. You have me, Bucky and the rest of the team. We can start new traditions, just me and you and go from there. How does that sound?” Steve asked her, his eyes lit up with joy and wonder, he looked like a kid in a candy store.

“Can this be one of them? Seeing the tree at 3 in the morning on Christmas eve?” She asked innocently as she looked into his storm blue eyes.

“Of course it can. We can add a new one every year.”

She smiled a real smile for the first time since November had rolled around. The two of them enjoyed the view of the tree and the company of one another as the sun started to rise. They stood there until the sun was up and the streets were getting busy before making their way back to the tower. The two of them happy as could be, hands intertwined as they practically skipped through the tower and to the main kitchen floor where they had breakfast as a team every morning. 

Y/N was happy to be starting new traditions with someone she loved dearly, someone who cared about her but never pried her for anything that was on her mind, someone who let her take her time opening up and going to him in times of need. Someone she needed in her life.

#steve rogers x reader fluff #steve rogers x you #steve rogers fluff #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers #captain america #bucky barnes #the winter soldier #mcu #marvel #the marvel cinematic universe #marvel cinematic universe #marvel mcu #marvel studios #marvel movies

[humblequestvinyl]

DETOUR

DETOUR, JJ MAYBANK X FEM!READER

APART OF THE HUMBLE QUEST SERIES

SUMMARY: after moving a couple hundred miles, dealing with a few bad ex’s and going off of the road that’s most traveled on, y/n realizes its the detour that brought her to the one person she loved the most.

inspired by detour by maren morris

warnings: swearing, underage drinking, death of a loved one, depression, anxiety, literal tooth rotting fluff its going to be bad.

lowercase is intentional!! word count: 1.6k

a/n: somebody tell me why this took me three months to write because i am so lazy hello??? also this was kind've fun for me to write. + stream humble quest: in rare form!!!

NEVER IN Y/N’S RIGHT MIND DID SHE THINK THAT MOVING 1,021.3 MILES AWAY FROM THE ABSOLUTE BITTER COLD, TO ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR TOURIST TOWNS WOULD DO HER ANY GOOD.

when the h/c girl moved away from forest city maine in the middle of january, she brought two distinct things with her.

the bitter bitter cold

the thick canadian accent that was attached to her.

the day the girl arrived, it was 20 degrees out, (a rarity for outerbanks), with it feeling like 10 degrees because of the windchill. 

to say the least, the pogues were confused and pissed about the cold.

“who’s moving in with jack?”jj asked as he stood outside with john b, kie and pope, all four shivering to death.

“no clue, but i’m sure you’ll find out on monday.”john b cupped jj’s shoulder, giving him a grin, before they saw a h/c girl storm out of jacks house, with him following behind her.

“putain je ne veux pas être ici ! pourquoi emmy et toi ne pourriez-vous pas vivre tout seul à forest city!”the girl yelled, catching all the pogues off guard, not expecting that from her.

“parce que tu as moins de 18 ans et si tu n'étais pas venu vivre avec emmy ou moi, l'état t'aurait pris!”jack yelled back, and jj turned to pope, with a puzzling look on his face, “pope what are they speaking?”

“they’re speaking french!”

all the pogues looked to their left, seeing sarah walking towards them, and john b furrowed his eyebrows, “how did-?”

“taylor swift.”she cut him off, before she stood next to the group, watching the entire scene unfold, with the two arguing back in forth in french.

“Va te faire foutre!”the girl finally yelled, before storming off inside, and the five saw jack sigh, before he turned and saw the pogues.

“oh shit.”john b stated as they saw jack walking over to the group, and to say the least, the 26 year old looked stressed.

“so, whos that?”jj asked bluntly, causing kie to smack him upside the head.

“jj!”

“ow!”

jack chuckled, before pushing away the stray hairs from my face, “that's my sister.”

“and she’s from france?”jj questioned, causing john b to chuckle, and jack to laugh, “no. on the border of maine and canada.”

“that explains a lot.”

“do you guys just mind keeping an eye out for her at school?”jack brought up, trying to read the look on the pogues faces, “i’m honestly worried about her and don’t need her getting suspended.”

“yeah, shes going to need a tour guide right?”kie asked, and jack nodded before she looked over at sarah, “yeah, we’ve got her.”

“thank you guys.”jack said, before the six heard a door slam, and the h/c walked out of the house, 

“jack!”

—-

“YOU’VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW.”

y/n turned her head to look at her brother who sat in the drivers seat as they sat outside of outer banks high school, waiting to go inside.

“is this some kind’ve joke?”she asked, with her thick french canadian accent peaking through, and jack gave her a stern look, “i have already told you i’m doing online school. i already paid for it.”

“and i told you that if you were going to be with me in outer banks, you were going to high school.”jack reminded her, causing her to roll her e/c eyes, “i cannot have you being at the house right now during the day while i’m out at work.”

“un - fucking - believable.”she muttered, before exiting the car after seeing it was 9 am, “putain de trou du cul.”

“i heard that.”jack told her as the two entered the school, and the 16 year old was not amused.

after getting the girl settled, jack had left, leaving y/n alone sitting across from the school’s principal, “you’re going to love it here y/n.” the girl bit her tongue from saying what she actually wanted to, and instead forced a smile before nodding, wanting nothing more than to go into the bathrooms and hide out for the rest of the day.

“i’m going to have someone whos in a few of your classes come and give you a tour of the school!”dr.folk exclaimed, before leaving her office for a moment and bringing back a gorgeous girl who had a bright smile on her face.

“y/n, this is kiara! shes going to be in most of your classes and giving you a tour of the school today!”dr.folk explained excitedly, before handing y/n her schedule, “alright! off you go girls!”

the two walked out of the office, and y/n looked to see how far they had walked before finally speaking up, “is she always like that?”

“yeah.”kiara chuckled as they turned down a different hallway, “you can call me kie by the way.”

“alright.”she nodded, before kie had started to give a tour of the school, pointing out everything she would need to know.

“and this is your class.”kie gave y/n a smile as they stopped outside of the history room, “i’ll come find you before lunch and we can hang there.”

“thanks kie.”y/n waved towards the girl, before walking in, seeing the entire class staring at her.

this was going to be fun.

—

“NOW WHO’S THIS?”

y/n’s head snapped towards the front of the table, seeing a blonde boy standing at the head of the table, causing kie to roll her eyes and smack hin, “this is y/n, now will you stop trying to be intimidating?”

“the french girl herself?”he questioned as he sat down next to the new girl, and y/n raised an eyebrow at him, “how did you-?”

“Va te faire foutre!”he imitated her accent, and her jaw dropped, “you know, you’re very loud.”

“connasse.”y/n muttered under her breath, causing kie to laugh, knowing that the girl had taught her what that meant only minutes before.

“what was that?”jj questioned, and y/n forced a smile as she took a sip of her starbucks drink.

“i said you had beautiful eyes.”she lied, seeing other people join the table, and jj scoffed.

“mhm. keep telling yourself that babes.”

—

FOUR ENTIRE MONTHS HAD PASSED, AND ALMOST EVERYTHING HAD CHANGED.

y/n had become one of the pogues, and spent almost all of her time with them, and when she wasn’t, she was working at the wreck which the pogues would visit often because of both her and kie.

on this day though, all the pogues were sitting on the beach, except for jj and y/n, who were out in the water, surfing.

well, trying to at least.

“babes your balance is off, that's why you keep falling whenever the waves come.”jj told the girl who was becoming more frustrated by the second.

jj had finally convinced y/n to let him teach her how to surf, and here they were, and she was getting frustrated after not getting the handle of it yet.

“it makes no sense though! i was fine on the sand!”she exclaimed as the two hung onto the board, taking a minute to catch their breath and figure out where she was going wrong.

“do you want me to do it with you?”jj questioned after a few moments, and y/n nodded, before the two got up onto the board, and waited for a wave to come in.

“other than your balance you’re doing good. do not beat yourself up over this.”jj told the girl, know how hard she was on herself all the time, “it’s your first time doing this. remember that.”

surprisingly, within the four months jj and y/n had grown extremely close, and jj was one of the only two people who had gotten through to her, hell he was the only one who was able to get through to her that was alive.

“alright, ready?”jj asked, and she nodded before they started towards a wave, trying to think positive, knowing her mom always said to think positive, and good things would happen.

the two caught the wave, and y/n’s face lit up, knowing she had finally gotten the hang of it, and all of the pogues cheered, “i got it!”

“i did it!”she cheered as the two reached the edge of the sand, “i did it!” 

“you did it babes.”jj chuckled as she leaped into his arms, filled with joy and how proud she was of herself.

it took her almost 17 years, a couple of detours, but she realized in that moment she found her person. the one she could go to no matter what, and the one who knew everything about her. the highs, the lows, how to deal with her when she went on an angry tangent in french, and how to pick her up during some of the worst days of her life.

jj was that person for her, and even though it took her a few detours to get to him, she didn’t mind it.

as long as she get to be his, she didn’t mind a detour.

#jj maybank x reader #humble quest #outer banks #obx angst #john b #jj maybank #jj maybank imagine #jj maybank x routledge!reader #jj maybank x y/n #pogues x reader #maren morris #jj maybank x you #obx jj maybank #obx jj x reader #obx netflix #obx fanfiction #jj maybank one shot #outer banks fanfiction #jj maybank angst #sarah cameron #kiara carrera #pope heyward #jj outer banks #pope outer banks #john b routledge #john b obx #john b x sister!reader #sarah cameron obx #kiara carerra obx #humble quest writing series

[apatheticlexicographer]

(this is kind of a long post that somehow turned into lowkey a conspiracy theory but i don’t want to rewrite the start bc it was written pretty much stream of consciousness and that amuses me)

maybe this is an unpopular opinion but i don’t want byler to be spoiled lol

crumbs, sure, little things that keep us invested, but i want to go into s5 completely unawares of how it’s gonna play out. i don’t want the cast or the official socials or some random leaker to tell me what’s gonna happen beforehand.

honestly the fact that so many people involved with the show have acknowledged byler yet none of them have shot it down as a possibility is a big enough crumb for me. or the way official netflix accounts have posted promotional things with byler since s4 dropped. yeah, they don’t have any involvement with the production of the show, but if the ship is being used for marketing then it’s considered a possible sales point.

actually now that i think of it, does anybody remember the june advent calendar??? when, immediately after v1 dropped, the official netflix accounts started posting pro-byler stuff damn near every day, to the point where we made an event out of it???

at the time we all got super hyped over it and then figured it was queerbait when they didn’t get together in v2, but isn’t it mighty fuckin convenient that the netflix accounts just “coincidentally” happened to start posting pro-byler stuff as soon as v1 dropped??? because yeah, byler started picking up traction immediately after it aired, but it took a while to really get the ball rolling. they started cashing in on the byler hyper train when it was only just beginning to grow from its tiny pre-s4 presence. seeing official accounts mentioning byler probably helped to cement it in a lot of people’s radar in the gap between the volumes. and didn’t noah also start saying he shipped byler around then??? 

POSTED ON JUNE THIRD??? only a week after v1 aired??? and ppl were so surprised by this tweet that when he was on a panel somebody asked him if he got hacked 😭😭

back then it really seemed like “oh the official accounts are queerbaiting during pride month” but A: we know noah wasn’t just saying this for nothing,he’s made it very clear that he believes it and B: why the hell would they be queerbaiting the tiny fledgling post-v1 byler audience when it was only just coming together??!?

hindsight says something was afoot here actually. they started releasing the pro-byler agenda from its tightly locked enclosure AFTER the volume where mike tells will hawkins isn’t the same without him and will brings the painting “for somebody he likes” when they go to pick mike up, IN PREPARATION for the volume where will gives said painting to mike along with an extremely emotional nameswapped love confession and mike turns around and gives a stilted and phony confession to his girlfriend. why the hell was attention being drawn to byler outside of the show itself in that interval if not to make people recontextualize what they just saw in v1??? and then when they see v2 have that recontextualization validated when will is confirmed to be both gay and in love with mike??? and to pick up on the fact that mike and el’s relationship is on more rocks than your average pile of gravel???

we know that they’ve had actors straight up lie to the audience before, too, because even if u just take noah as an example he said in a JUNE interview that will’s sexuality was up to interpretation, and then not that long at all after v2 dropped he did the iconic “will is gay and in love with mike” interview!!! and obviously he knew that will was confirmed gay when he did the first interview bc they had filmed that scene like a year earlier. so the fact that he never rlly mentioned byler, except for vaguely negatively when he was a kid, until v1 comes out and “SUDDENLY” he’s byler’s biggest warrior doesn’t mean he randomly changed his mind, it means he hadn’t been allowed to talk about it until after volume 1. after the first half of the season that made the majority of byler shippers see it as a genuine possibility and even the most likely outcome.

sorry i have no idea how much sense this makes and i’ve completely derailed whatever i was talking about at the top of this post. has anybody pointed this out??? have i pointed this out and i just forgot??? help?!!?!??

#byler #havign a fuckin crisis in this chilis tonight #no but like why the fuck else were they hyping up a ship that had until less than a week prior #had an extremely small fandom and an even smaller group of people who thought it was going to be canonically mutual #byler meta #i guess #stranger things meta #does this count as a theory??? bc it IS a theory but in the genuine conspiracy way and not the funky textual analysis way #fuck it #byler theory #stranger things theory #noah schnapp

[butterballbuttnakey]

So I finally saw Black Panther.....

This being the first movie I see after burying a family member that should not have died is..... a choice. And it hit me HARD during the funeral scene in the beginning: the slow-mo shots of Shuri & Ramonda as they look around hit WAYYY deeper than I was prepared for; like yeah funerals are celebrations of life and as you look around at all these happy-ish people who are celebrating your loved one & yeah it feels nice to be surrounded by love and support but you would rather have your person with you and it just be a regular day. And then as they raised his casket & it stopped for a moment and saluted the crowd..... yeah I was done for. And then it faded straight into the silent, Chadwick-only Marvel logo????? Tears

Do I agree with Ramonda's decision after the bridge situation? No. And her rash, emotions-driven actions ultimately [train horn]

ALSO the fact that nobody believed Okoye after the bridge is weird af. The Elders not believing her bc they weren't there...fine, whatever. But QUEEN RAMONDA not believing her after seeing Namor come out of the water???? And speaking to him???? And hearing him say he had a big ass army (granted he never mentioned they were blue lol)???? Out of character tbh. And that ultimately contributed to [train horn] too

I saw some people saying that the nighttime scenes were too dark. I agree, the scenes on the beach in particular were really hard to see

Namor's little joke to Shuri like "the pressure would kill you almost instantly. Your blood would become poison.......or you could wear a suit. Come on, we have some 😊" *chefs kiss*

Also namor had like two little jokes and they fit in with his humor (from the comics) & his character so well 😭

I love that this movie wasn't overly comedic? Yeah there were jokes (mainly from Riri) but it fit within the context of the movie and the plot & it didn't feel like the script took a detour just to tell a joke where there didn't need to be one (looks at the Thor movies)

I also saw some people say that the slow-mo was a little heavy handed; I also agree. We don't need it every time a waterbomb explodes lol

Namor punching M'Baku into 2135 then going about his business was funny tbh

I would love to rewatch this movie in a crowded theater to hear audience reactions bc the two people next to me were WILD lmao

Somebody in the balcony of my theater yelled "I KNEW IT" when some info was revealed during the mid credit scene

I would've opted to stay with namor immediately. Not only because he's fine as hell, but because I too carry rage everywhere with me & I always have time to burn everything to the ground

Namora was setting little fires with Namor's emotional ass & I loved it

The suits Shuri built look like Sonic/blue Knuckles. That's all I saw 🤷🏾‍♀️

I have a feeling Tenoch has a thing for being on his back at a woman's feet bc this isn't the first time we've seen him like this 👀👀👀

Some people said the CGI was a little dodgy? I agree & it was only dodgy in the deep-dive suit & the ships which is wild bc those types of shots have been done so many times in the MCU?? Why did they struggle with it?

Alex Livinalli is *chefs kiss*

Mabel Cadena? Hot, gorgeous, stunning, amazing, incredible, outstanding, talented, never been done before, we love her

The two white people in this movie were largely unnecessary..... especially that white woman. And I have a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't Ryan's idea to include them 🤷🏾‍♀️

Everyone in this move (except the two white people bc they shouldn't have been there) deserves an Oscar IMMEDIATELY bc they were ACTING THEIR ASSES OFF LIKE RENT WAS DUE

I hate to say it but I forgot Nakia was even in the movie until she popped up 😭😭😭

All in all, this was a 10/10 movie for me I will absolutely be seeing it again (hopefully in a more full theater bc there were like 10 of us in mine) and I will be streaming when it drops on Disney+

#black panther #black panther wakanda forever #black panther 2 #tenoch huerta mejia #tenoch huerta #queen shuri #letitia wright #namor #namor the sub mariner #danai gurira #lupita nyong'o #alex livinalli #mabel cadena #angela bassett #general okoye

[wonder-queen-123]

Kurapika x Suicidal Kurta Reader

Kurapika and Y/n have known each other their whole lives, but what neither of them expected was to get separated from each other. Kurapika always looked after Y/n, and helped her with any and everything.

When their clan got attacked, and was wiped out, both Kurapika and Y/n thought that each other had been wiped out as well.

As they got older, Kurapika started forgetting about Y/n, but the latter never forgot him.

When Kurapika and his friends first met during the Hunter Exam, he thought he saw someone similar to his best friend.

No, it couldn’t possibly be her. I mean, this person has longer hair, and is wearing an eyepatch. There’s no way. It has to be somebody else.

As Kurapika was lost in thought, he noticed Tonpa walk over, and hand someone one of his drinks. They took one drink, and immediately spat it out.

“You trying to poison me or something, punk?!” They screamed, trying to calm themself down. “Sorry, it’s just ever since I had that happen in my past, I can sometimes get aggressive. My deepest apologies.” They bowed apologetically, and walked away.

Their past? What happened in their past, and now that I think about it, they look very similar to her. What’s going on?

As Kurapika was staring at the person in front of him, he gasped softly when they turned their head. They have the same colored eyes. Even their hair is the same, but longer. Wait…fire colored eyes? Could it actually be…?

“Hey, Fire Eyes, show us will ya? We’re all dying to see it.” Someone said, trying to get the fire colored eyes person’s attention.

“I already told you! My name is not Fire Eyes! It’s Y/n Simmons! Get it right, and no! I’m not taking my eyepatch off just to show you idiots! Stop asking!”

As soon as Kurapika heard their voice again, he knew almost immediately that it had to be her. Before he could say anything, Mr. Satotz appeared, and told everyone to follow him to the Exams Second Phase.

Kurapika soon lost sight of who he assumed was his friend in the crowd, but had a feeling that he’d catch up with them sooner or later.

As more and more people kept falling further behind, Kurapika noticed it was getting slightly easier to catch up to the person who had been on his mind since he first saw her.

While everyone was running, Y/n adjusted her eyepatch, and then began digging her nails into her arms. Kurapika quickly noticed this, and tried to catch up with her.

He barely tapped her, when she turned around briefly, glanced at him, then turned back around and began picking up her pace slightly.

Wait, could it be…Kurapika? Why’s he here? I thought that…oh my gosh. It- it is him! What?! But-but, I thought that he- how did he-why is he…? I’ve got so many questions racing through my mind right now! What the fuck? My best friend is…

While she was lost in thought, she didn’t realize that she began slowing down, and that the more she slowed down, the further behind she was getting. She took her phone out of her pocket, and went to her camera.

Her left eye was glowing a faint scarlet, and she had tears streaming down her face.

Oh my god. It is him. My best friend is still alive! This is the happiest day of my life

As she stood there crying, Gon and Killua both looked behind them, and were apparently waiting for her. Y/n was so happy to see Kurapika again, that she didn’t realize that two of his friends were waiting for her.

Gon walked over to her, and tapped her on the shoulder. “Hey, are you okay? What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

As Gon tried talking to her, the two of them started walking side by side, then started to run.

“Oh I see. So you’ve met Kurapika before? He was your best friend? What happened? Did the two of you get into a fight or something? Ohhh, so your clan got attacked. Wait a second, are you saying that you’re-“ “Yes! That’s exactly what I’m saying, now would you please quiet down? Look, I’m sorry, but there’s two reasons why I’m wearing this eyepatch. 1) so nobody finds out I’m actually one of the Kurta people, and 2) because I don’t want anyone knowing that only one of my eyes is scarlet. During the attack, the Phantom Troupe killed everyone in my family, and they tried killing me too, but they only managed to take my right eye. I somehow managed to escape with my left eye still intact, and to make sure that nobody finds out about me being Kurta, I’ve decided to wear this eyepatch. I’ve also got colored contacts in, that make my eyes appear like a fire. So, that why people call me ‘Fire Eyes’. It’s actually the name I’m using as an alias…just in case I have another run in with the Troupe. I don’t want any of them to know I’m still alive.” Y/n interrupted.

Now that Gon was aware of Y/n’s situation, he promised to keep it a secret from the others, including Kurapika.

The rest of the First Phase, Gon couldn’t stop thinking about what Y/n told him. Killua tried asking Gon what he was talking about, to which Gon replied with “Sorry Killua, I promised her I wouldn’t tell anyone. All I will say though, is that it has something to do with her past. I wish I could tell you more, but a promise is a promise.”

Killua just scoffed, and left it at that.

The rest of the Hunter Exam went by in a flash for Y/n, and she kept checking with Gon to make sure that he didn’t tell anyone. “Eyepatch, I made a promise to you, and I’m planning on keeping that promise for as long as I can. Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me.” Gon reassured.

Even though Y/n felt like she had lost trust in everyone, considering what happened to everyone she knew, she felt like Gon was trustworthy, and felt like she could tell him anything.

As the five of them spent more time around each other, gon quickly began noticing changes in Y/n’s behavior. At first there were subtle changes, like she started to become quieter, and began wearing longer sleeves.

She would also try to avoid using certain words or phrases when talking to anyone other than Gon. Sometimes her left eye would turn scarlet, and she would cover it with her hand, so nobody could see the scarlet color.

Whenever someone would reach for her hand, she’d pull her hand away, or smack the other person’s hand.

After a little while of this happening, Gon decided that it was time to confront her about it. He went to her room and knocked on her door. “G-go away Gon Freecs! Get-get out of here! G-go away!” She stammered, trying to finish what she was doing, while keeping the door closed.

“Patch, let me in. What’s going on? Can you tell me? Please? I want to know.” Gon said, worryingly.

“I said go the fuck away Gon! Damn, you don’t know how to listen do you?!” Y/n snapped.

It took her a few minutes to realize what she just said, and what happened. “G-Gon? Are you still there? I-if you are, I -I-I’m so sorry for snapping like that. I didn’t mean to. I just have a lot going on right now. Can you come back later? I’m sorry.”

Gon wasn’t going away after that outburst, and he didn’t care that he just got screamed at by her. “Patch, look, I’m not leaving you alone. Especially not after that. I understand that you have a lot going on right now, but talk to me about it. It’s not good if you keep all of this bottled up, you know. Talk to me. What’s on your mind?”

“Gon! Come here for a second!” Leorio called out. “Killua says he wants to show you something!”

Gon really didn’t want to leave her alone, but he figured a few minutes couldn’t hurt. “Coming Leorio! Give me one second! (To Y/n) Hey, Patch, I’m coming right back. I’m just going to go see what Killua wants to show me. I’m only going to be gone for a few minutes. I’ll be back.”

With Gon gone, she took that opportunity to do what she has been wanting to do for god knows how long. She got her pills open, and began taking handful after handful. She then tied tied her rope to her ceiling fan, and put the noose around her neck.

She made sure to leave her note out in the open, so Kurapika could read it when the door got broken down.

“Goodbye Gon. Goodbye Killua. See you later, Leorio. “I’m sorry, Kurapika, but this is goodbye. Farewell friends, I love you all. The four of you mean the world to me.the five of us forever.”

With that, she stepped off the chair, and began hanging.

When Gon came back, he tried opening the door, only to find that it was still locked. He knocked on the door, begging Y/n to open it for him.

“Patch, please! Please open the door! Come on, Patch!! Don’t do this to me! Don’t do this to us!! Open the door!! Please! Kurapika, Killua, Leorio help me get this door open!! Y/n is in here!”

Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio all looked over at Gon, and gave a questioning look. “Goddamn it! Our friend is in here! Kurapika, your best friend is in here! Help me get this goddamn door open!”

After Gon’s outburst, his friends all began banging on the door, hoping Y/n would answer. As the four of them continued trying to break the door down, Gon suddenly had an idea.

“Everyone stand back, I’m going to try running towards the door, and break it down that way!”

As Gon got a fair distance away from the door, and ran towards it full force, the door broke off the hinges slightly.

Gon ran into the door repeatedly, trying to break it down, and each time he slammed against the door, the more it came off the hinges until it finally broke, allowing the four friends to enter.

As soon as the door was open, the four friends immediately saw Y/n hanging. They ran inside and got her down as quickly as they could, and then checked for her pulse.

“Shit! They're ice cold. Leorio, call an ambulance and hurry! Gon, help me get the rope off her neck! Kullua, can you manipulate your body, and cut the rope to make it easier to get off?” Kurapika shouted, panicking.

Leorio quickly called for an ambulance, while the other three tried to get the rope off Y/n’s neck.

“The ambulance is on the way!” Leorio shouted, rushing to his friends. That’s when he noticed the pill bottle on the floor. He picked it up, and examined the label closely. “Shit! Kurapika, we need to try to wake her up, and try to get her to throw up the pills! Of course, I don’t know if we’ll be able to wake her up, seeing as the pills she took are fast working, and can be fatal!”

“You’re telling us this now, Leorio?! Fuck! Why didn’t you tell us as soon as we ran inside?!”

“Don’t look at me! You’re the one who told me to call for an ambulance, so why’re you getting mad at me?!”

“Would the both of you shut up?! You can argue later! For now we have bigger and more important things to worry about and deal with!”

“He’s right, let’s save the arguing for later. Let’s focus on saving our friend!”

The four of them waited for the ambulance to arrive, and then went with them to the hospital.

Once Y/n got taken in, the four friends waited patiently in the waiting room. A doctor came out a little while later, and told them that they could go see their friend. Kurapika thanked the doctor, and followed them to Y/n’s room.

Upon arriving, the four friends gasped after seeing Y/n.

“Miss Simmons is just fine. We got her stomach pumped, and looked at her neck. Since the four of you got to her when you did, her neck is only bruised, nothing more. She’s stable, but she might need a few days to fully recover.” The doctor said.

As the four friends walked in, the four of them had tears streaming down their faces. Especially Kurapika. “Y/n, I know everything. Gon filled me in about everything you’ve been keeping to yourself. Why would you do that? I would’ve never thought that you had that much going on. I mean, it has been years since we’ve seen each other, but you should’ve told me that you were going through all that. We could’ve help you.”

“Yeah, idiot. Next time tell us what you’re going through, so we can help. It’s not fair if we all laugh and smile and make jokes together, only for you to go home and suffer alone in silence. From now on, let us help you. Baka.”

“Yeah, exactly, Patch. You shouldn’t suffer through something like that alone. And by the way, I know I broke our promise, but Kurapika wasn’t the only one I told. I also told Killua and Leorio. We’re all here for you, so you can talk to any of us about anything.”

The four of them stayed by her side, and refused to leave until they saw her open her eyes. “We abandoned you once, and we’re not going to do it again. Please don’t leave us, Y/n. Please.”

As night began to fall, the four friends were still waiting by Y/n’s bed, hoping that she’ll wake up soon.

“Excuse me guys, but I’m afraid that the four of us will have to start heading home. It’s getting late, and she still needs to rest. I promise I’ll keep the four of you updated.”

The four friends agreed that they would take turns staying with Y/n to keep an eye on her, and keep her safe. Leorio had the first night, and he stuck by his word. He didn’t leave Y/n’s side, and even fell asleep holding her hand.

After a few days, all four friends were back, and Y/n was still asleep. They looked at each other, and were all thinking the same thing.

Please don’t let it come to that.

A doctor walked in the room, and had a sad look on his face. Please no. Don’t let it be that. The doctor approached the four of them, and told them that at this rate, if their friend didn’t wake up soon…then the line would go flat.

This broke the four friends, and they all prayed that their friend would wake up soon.

Another few days pass, and Y/n is still asleep. Before anyone could react, the four friends all heard the one thing they didn’t want to hear. The line went flat, and that meant that they had lost Y/n to suicide.

All four friends broke down in tears, and didn’t want to believe it. “No. Please come back. We need you. I need you. Please don’t leave me. I lost you once, I can’t lose you again! Not after being reunited after so long! Please!” Kurapika cried, not believing his best friend was really gone.

Quick A/N: Sorry it’s so long. This happens a lot whenever I write. First Kurapika x Reader, so I hope it’s not too terrible.

Color code:

blue = Kurapika

Orange = Leorio

Red = Killua

Green = Gon

Purple = Y/n (Reader)

#kurapika x reader #hunter x hunter #mental health #x suicidal reader #hxh x reader #x Kurta Reader #anime x reader #angst

[amethysttribble]

I don’t quite know how to explain myself in a way that makes sense…

In 2012 when I was a freshman in highschool, a classmate told me that One Piece was the most popular anime in Japan. Way more so than Naruto! You should watch it. And I did, and I did and I did.

I took my laptop to the library and watched One Piece during lunch (because I had no one to sit with) and during my free period (because I had no one to talk to) and I fell in love. Those loveable rascals, the beautiful world they inhabit, their brilliantly conveyed struggles, I loved it so much.

When I ran out of show to watch, I picked up the manga, and have been reading since 2016. Since the last chapters of Dressrosa.

I was in in that fandom. I read the fic, I was young and stupid and saved art onto my laptop because I had no tumblr to reblog on, but I scrolled and scrolled through tumblr without an account. I watched thousands of chapter reviews and reactions and video essays and I just… I loved it. I truly did. Do.

And it’s funny, I’ve never written fanfic for One Piece because… it’s too sacred to me. It’s too good. I get everything I need out of from the main story, and, it must be said, I feel I have nothing to contribute to fleshing out that lovely world and characters (unlike the Silamrillion, which is also a brilliant work, but leaves a wide sandbox). I always felt that I could never write Luffy properly.

As a brilliantly executed character, he is singular.

So. Then-

In the year 2020, I was watching a streamed event called “the Reverie”. It was a live discussion featuring a whole bunch of One Piece YouTubers. They’re discussing fan theories and reactions to the latest chapters, when suddenly, a live guest came on.

Matt Owens, one of the principle writers for the recently announced One Piece Live Action tv show being produced by Netflix.

To say I was skeptical of this would be a massive, massive understatement. I was dreading the possibility. Who could write Luffy but Oda? No one.

Then, Matt Owens spoke. Spoke, on a live streamed chit chat session between a bunch of nobody YouTubers (who were all somebody’s to me). Like, who does that? But he did and he just… he got it. He was a fan, it was like 2 in the morning and I couldn’t stop watching because he was a fan. He wanted to put us, mega fans, at ease. And he did. I felt seen.

I thought, “you know… maybe.” Wasn’t going to hold my breath, though.

So I followed the news.

The casting, the filming locations, the delays, the leaks and the rumors and the insiders. Cowboy Bebop on Netflix terrified me. Like, to my core. RoP was coming out around the same time and I just didn’t have the energy to get worked up for or about it, because something bigger was coming.

RoP was so empty and mediocre, I couldn’t even be mad. Why should I bother putting energy towards that? The One Piece Live Action was shaping up to be, good or bad, anything but empty.

It was something that, against all odds… kept looking not just good but loving?

The casting was perfect. I literally screamed on my parents couch when I saw it. “But okay,” I said, “that doesn’t mean that much.” And then we started getting images of those ships, the ships they’d made. The Baratie, the Going Merry, and Alvida’s ship.

That one stuck with me and I know why: because they didn’t need to make a minor villain’s ship that faithful and that memorable. But it was.

First trailer: I laughed I smiled I worried still. Oh… that’s not Luffy.

And it’s not. I stand by that, I’ve never seen anyone write Luffy like Oda, write him properly. But it was Luffy’s spirit and I adapted. It looked so good.

The news coo had a hat.

Second trailer, the same. Just let the dialogue be good. The sets be good. The condensing be good. Just let it be good.

And god, here we are, and it’s- it’s so good y’all! It’s just so good. Tonight, I was a 14 year old girl sitting on a musty library couch watching this show, aching for a big world and group of companions to explore it with. Freedom and dreams and laughter filled my soul.

It’s One Piece. That’s all it needed to be, and it did that and more. This is a version of one of my favorite stories that I can share more easily with people I love. I’m so happy.

Yohoho ❤️☠️

#Tribble post

[oh-surprise-its-me]

One thing Jake never saw is his dads crying. Sure, he saw Ron hurt more times he wanted, like a hell more. And a couple of times Chris too. But crying?

The first time he sees Chris is when he got hurt during deployment. He hates it. Jake swears to be extra extra careful. (They all know he can't fully promise)

With Ron is different, because he tries to be discreet around his chickie, even when said chickie is like 27 now. It's when Jake returns home from deployment, he doesn't want to reveal it to his dads, he killed someone. Hell, people in his squad are amazed by that, Jake can't help but have nightmares. He doesn't tell them, but they hear him having nightmares, and ron puts things together, he noticed the difference when he arrived but couldn't place it. He never wanted that for his baby. He's a kid. He'll always be a kid in his eyes. He knows it was doomed to happen, he remembers how he and Tom felt after the Layton mission.

Jake doesn't need to tell them, papa knows. (Papa would want to shield him from nightmares like he could do when Jake was a kid)

❤️

Ow! But absolutely yes!

When Ron is woken up by Jake screaming again he knows. He knows in his soul what happened and why Jake is back for three months.

Chris is on shift. Thank god he doesn’t have to hear his baby scream like Ron just did. Ron goes into Jake’s room. He sits on the bed and brushes a hand through his hair. “Chickie come on come back to me.”

Jake wakes with a gasp. He sits up so fast he accidentally slams into his dad. “Fuck sorry.”

Ron catches him and just holds on. He thinks his nose might be bleeding but he doesn’t care. “How many.”

Jake makes a questioning humming sound. “How many did they make you shoot down.”

Jake sobs.

“One. It was my first confirmed kill. It was me or them it was so bad pa. I didn’t think I was going to come home.”

Ron sighs. He knows what it feels like, knows how you never forget the adrenaline dump. Knows you can’t stop imagining the other person and what their lives were. How close it could’ve been you shot down instead of them.

Ron pulls Jake to lay down. He holds his baby. Knows he can’t protect him from the nightmares but can protect him while he’s home. Ron let’s the tears he feels stream down his face.

Jake is sobbing into his chest, curled as small as he used to. They all know how dangerous their jobs are. Ron sometimes wishes Jake wasn’t like him, picked a different job. A safer job. But god he’s proud of Jake.

Ron tried not to give any opinions when Tom told him Mav pulled Bradley’s papers without Tom knowing. But he gets it. He understands why Mav did what Carol asked.

“How does it get better papa. It can’t this is horrible I killed somebody.”

Ron sighs he presses his face into Jake’s hair. “It doesn’t get better you just learn how to live with it. You accept that they would’ve killed you and know you had to do it.”

Jake let’s out another sob, “I want dad.”

Ron winces. “Want me to call him and see if he can leave early?” Jake nods. Ron reaches a hand over and grabs his phone. It rings for a few seconds before there’s an answer. “Ron? What’s wrong are y’all okay?”

Ron sighs, “can you come home?” There’s a pause, “it’s Jake isn’t it.” Ron looks at their kid still sobbing into his shoulder. “Yeah.” “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Around 15 minutes later Chris walks into Jake’s room. He sees them on the bed, he lays down on the other side of Jake. Thank god they got him a full sized bed.

Jake let’s put a whine. He wiggles around until he’s facing Chris he’s still sobbing, “dad.”

Chris jolts forward and grabs onto Jake. He holds on while Ron holds Jake from behind. Jake eventually passes out from exhaustion from sobbing for so long.

Chris looks at Ron, “something bad happened when he was over there didn’t it.” He says it as a statement not a question. Ron can only nod. “I know I can’t know but tell me he’ll be okay Ron.”

Ron sighs. He touches Chris’s eyebrow, smoothing out the wrinkle. “Yeah he’ll be okay eventually.”

Chris nods, he lets the tears he had been holding fall. He buries his face into Jake’s hair.

-

When Jake wakes them up screaming three hours later they all give up sleeping. Jake sits on the counter like he used to when he was little, he watched his parents cook breakfast.

He feels guilty that he keeps waking them up, but he knows his dads would kick his ass for feeling guilty. Chris spins around from where he’s been putting pancake mix in the bowl. “Stir baby.”

Jake smiles. It’s just like when he was younger, he brings his legs up onto the counter and obeys. Ron passes by and kisses both of their heads.

Jake knows he’ll be fucked up for a while but eventually it’ll get less. He just wished he didn’t have to see the man’s eyes when he killed him.

He’s going to see that in his nightmares for the rest of his life. The way his unit cheered when he got back on the ground, that’s burned into his head.

His dads always taught him that no matter who’s life it is it is a big deal to take it.

He snaps out of his thoughts when his pa takes the bowl from him, “you’ve stirred that more then good enough Chickie thanks.”

Jake knows they are trying to keep his mind occupied, he loves them. “I love you guys.”

He gets the response he normally gets of “I love you more.” And a “love you too baby.”

He slips off the counter and grabs his dad into a hug. His pa comes over and joins them, he gets kisses pressed onto his forehead and his cheek.

He’ll be okay. He knows it.

#ron slider kerner #chris seresin #ron slider kerner x chris seresin #ron slider kerner x original male character #jake hangman seresin #slider is jakes dad #I love them so much oh my god #Jakes dads love him more then I can ever describe #top gun #mac writes top gun

[bylertruther]

Jamie Campbell Bower is a bit of a method actor — whether he refers to himself that way or not.

In Season 4 of “Stranger Things,” he plays a vital role of Henry, aka One, aka Vecna. But when he first auditioned for the part, he was told nothing. In fact, he wasn’t even sent scripts. “I first got two sets of sides, one from ‘Primal Fear,’ and one from ‘Hellraiser,'” Bower tells Variety. “I had no idea what this character was; I wasn’t sent any material from the show.”

As a huge fan of “Stranger Things” and creators Matt and Ross Duffer, he immediately recorded his audition on tape. Then he waited for a call — a wait that, since it was the holidays, was longer than usual. When he finally did hear, he was sent “dummy sides” to show him a tiny bit more of the character.

“I went crazy for, like, two days. In my apartment, I put a picture of Will Byers in the middle, and then all the other characters around it, and then sort of made this Claire Danes-esque from ‘Homeland’ mind-map of who I thought this person was. I stepped back from it after two days, and was like, that feels kind of good,” he says. “So I took a picture, and then I printed out all the pictures and put them in this little folder — and then I got a phone call saying Matt and Ross wanted to meet.”

The meeting went well, and before it ended, he asked if he could show them what was in his folder. They said yes.

“I think they might have just been kind of humoring me. So I presented this thing to them, and then we flipped through it. They looked up at me after going through it, and they went, ‘Have you been given the scripts?’ I was like, ‘No, honestly, all I’ve been given are your dummy sides, and the two sides from the show,'” Bower explains. “They were like, ‘This is literally perfect. Everything that you’ve gotten here is perfect. Your references are perfect. The inspiration is perfect. Do you mind if we show you some more visual references that we have and what we’re thinking, and tell you a little bit more about the character?’ I think by that point, they knew I wasn’t completely insane.”

The Duffers also told him about Henry’s true identity during their discussion, which lasted about 90 minutes. Three days later, he received the news that he’d landed the role. “And then came more chaos,” he laughs.

During Episode 7 of Season 4, Henry’s full identity is revealed to Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) in a dark scene; Bower has an extremely lengthy monologue, which was about 10 pages, during which he explains to El that he killed his family (Victor Creel was his father) and was placed under Brenner’s (Matthew Modine) care. When Brenner found out how strong he was, he made Henry his first test subject — One — and later tried to recreate him, eventually leading to Eleven.

“I was just fervently going through it and building it and it was a lot. I remember doing it in the rehearsal and Millie just looking at me and saying something like, ‘You’re a freak,'” he says.

That reaction just got more intense. As the speech went on and Henry became Vecna, Brown began to cry.

“She was terrified, like, literally terrified, and when she saw Vecna, she burst into tears and she said, ‘That’s not my friend. I don’t know who this person is anymore. Where’s he gone?'” Bower says, noting that as the character, he knew that was a good thing. But it was difficult, and he really had to dig deep.

In fact, the mental preparation — both before and on the day of the intense scenes — was just as consuming as the physical one. During Episode 7, he filmed many scenes opposite both Brown, and a younger actor, Martie Blair, who played a young Eleven.

“It was scary, I’ll be honest with you. Particularly when I’m Henry or One, there’s so much manipulation that’s going on in there,” he shares. “To work with a young person or a child or somebody who’s much younger, that was an interesting dynamic. And the things that would sort of pop up in the brain were quite weird and odd.”

He says the pandemic was helpful to get into that state of mind, because it gave him extra time to really go to a new place mentally, and do “lots of weird stuff.” First, he filled his office with figurines and posters from “Hellraiser,” “Nightmare on Elm Street,” “Dracula” and other key projects from the ’80s to dive more into the horror genre.

Then came the real darkness.

“For Vecna, there’s this deep, deep, deep resentment. It’s his fuel, so I really had to tap into that, and I consider myself not somebody who holds onto resentment. So, digging that up from within me was quite a lot,” Bower says. “I mean, I wouldn’t speak to people. I wouldn’t speak to anybody outside of the ‘Stranger Things’ world for at least four days before filming anything. I would find myself doing some pretty wild stuff. If anyone saw me walking around the streets of Atlanta at 2 o’clock in the morning talking to myself, they would understand. I was just bringing up a lot of anger, particularly for Vecna.”

For Henry, it was all about focusing on being nice repeatedly — then manipulating repeatedly.

“I would write post-it notes and stick them all over wherever I was living at the time,” he tells Variety. “They said, ‘it’s all for you’ or ‘be nice to her’ or ‘she’s like you.’ I had mood boards, photographs, kind of everywhere, both from the show and external as well, and just built that up.”

Once it came time to physically transform into Vecna, it was quite the process. While viewers may assume that it’s mostly CGI, it’s actually “90%” Bower, he estimates. The vines are real vines on his costume; the only thing added in post-production is the movement within them.

The transformation took about seven and a half hours, with his day usually beginning at 3 in the morning. After about 10 to 12 hours of filming, he’d head back to the chair to get it all removed, which would take another hour.

While in the chair, Bower would stay extremely focused and quiet.

“I came in in character, wearing the character, so I’m sitting in the makeup chair very still, not really talking to anyone. Music is a big help for me. I find it to be a very visceral experience,” he says. “I had a few records that I was just constantly spinning on repeat as I’d been building the character I’d had on anyway, so there was that, sort of, subconsciousness that was coming through.”

In order to keep himself removed from others, he called one of the production assistants on the show, with whom who he’d previously worked on “Twilight,” and asked if he could have an extra 30 minutes after hair and makeup was done before filming began, to sit in the full look alone.

After the PAs figured out what he needed, they found a room that Bower could sit in.

“It was totally pitch black. I’d sit in there between the takes and go for it. It was it really interesting. About halfway through, I started to become quite afraid of Vecna,” he says. “I remember seeing Matthew Modine one day and being like, ‘Modine, I’m terrified of this person. It’s really weird.’ He’s like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s good!’ I was like, ‘Oh, thanks for your help, buddy!'”

#henry #interview #pre s5 #long post #i want this on my blog for Reasons <3

[ausetkmt]

"Hidden History: NY Slave cemetery uncovered"

If you've never been to the African Burial Mound - GO, Please

NYC Slave Cemetery Is Now Hallowed Ground

In New York City, on lower Manhattan Island, lie two and a half hectares of land that represent brutal early American history. It’s where many Africans who were slaves in homes, factories and the city’s burgeoning port are buried. They were among untold numbers of Africans forcibly taken from their homelands and brought to the New World in chains. For hundreds of years, they were simply forgotten.

That changed in 1991 when the bones of over 400 people were unearthed during construction of a federal office building. A portion of the burial ground was set aside as a monument to the slaves and the bones were re-interred during a ceremony in 2003. It’s now hallowed ground as the African Burial Ground National Monument.

On a quiet Lower Manhattan street, a stream of water symbolizing the Atlantic Ocean flows alongside a narrow boat-like structure – an echo of the ships as they made their way to the New World heavy laden with human cargo .

Nearby, Juanita Jones, an elderly African American fixes her gaze on grassy mounds. They are the main visible reminder of the vast 17th and 18th century Negro Burial Ground - now the African Burial Ground National Monument.

“Most of these were young people but they didn’t live to be so old. They died very young. You looking down here you see babies, newborns, and young people dying. It’s very bad,” said Jones.

Like Ms. Jones, Mary Palmer is an African American, born in Harlem further north in Manhattan. She has just emerged from within the slave ship structure.

“When I walked through I felt my heart starts jumping because I’m feeling the souls coming up to me. Like your cousin or somebody you never saw before comes up to you? And then they say ‘Oh hi.’ They touch you… you feel it. So that’s what it felt like. Somebody who was part of my family might have been they touched me inside and shook me a little bit. I had to lean back and hold on. It’s very heart-wrenching, kind of scary.”

Phillips: “You had such a strong reaction.”

Palmer: “Oh yes. Very much so.”

Michael Jiwa and his family are visiting New York from Nigeria. He has a sense that some of the people buried may be his ancestors, and feels his visit has offered him a bit of closure.

“It’s a good thing to come and see where your ancestors are buried. Even if you don’t see them alive, at least you know where they are buried. And that gives you a kind of joy at least. You always want to know where you came from, where you originated from. If you don’t know your origin, people see you as an outcast, like nobody,” he said.

Meanwhile, Billy Williams, of the Bronx, Manhattan’s neighboring borough to the north, stands by the mounds, shaking his head.

“I have never been much into genealogy but I do know that I have some African ancestry, and I wonder if I was just standing on a few. It’s horrific. It’s sad. To look at a piece of cement that says kids are buried underneath that is heart wrenching to anyone. It’s beyond my verbal description what I feel. I am going to make it a point to bring my grandchildren down here so they can see this important part of our history,” he said.

For Shirley Moultrie, the clean elegant feel of the monument misrepresents the actual history of African slavery in New York, when cruelty and misery were part of everyday life.

“It’s too modern,” she said, “They make it seem like ‘Everything is okay. They’re just buried here. They chained us, they beat us until we said ‘Massuh.’ [Master] Until we didn’t even know our name! We was almost like animals. Whatever they say do, we did. Because we was scared of the whip. We was taught sometime to hate ourselves. I think it’s very sad.”

Moultrie said for African Americans, the past continues in the present, both in the racist ways they are often treated, and in their own attitudes towards others.

“I think sometimes the blacks do have the hatred for others because of this. It’s the way the white man tells us something and we might say ‘yes sir,’ ‘no sir’ because we don’t know any better. Now I don’t feel it as much, but I am standoffish from them to a certain degree – whites, Caucasians, whatever you want to call them. But we have to get beyond that.”

As visitors to this place have learned, and as recent headlines have made clear, “getting beyond” the past can be a long, difficult and painful ordeal

The creators of the African Burial Mound Monument hope this site can a place to begin to discover, remember, and ultimately to heal that legacy.

#Youtube #NYC Slave Cemetery Is Now Hallowed Ground #NYC Slave Cemeteries #African Burial Mound #Ancestral Resting Places #Ancestor Worship

[piratewithvigor]

Journey Out Of Darkness: The History Of Kane

Chapter 7: The Police

What else can be said about cops?

Last Chapter ~ AO3

Taglist: @the--blackdahlia @coffee-n-bagels-comic-universe @wendigoruble @old-no7 @kayfabebabe

Abel stared at the space between himself and Katie on his bed as he listened. He didn’t say a word and didn’t want to. The policeman explained what new evidence had been found, some stream of logic that he thought was hard to follow. Something about the chemical signatures of the different preservatives they used at the funeral home, the pattern of how the fire spread, what they’d found at the point of ignition, but it was the last thing, the simplest thing of all, which made Abel sit up straight, made a chill run down his spine just like– how had Ma always put it?– just like somebody had walked on his grave.

“The front door was open.”

He continued, more for Melissa’s sake than for Abel’s. That in the panic and confusion, no one had thought that an open front door meant anything besides someone having escaped. In the hour fighting the blaze, they forgot about it. By the time the news broke that the only survivor had still been inside the house, the detail was long beyond them.

“So the door was open…” Melissa said. “What does that mean?”

“Well, if the door was open before the engines arrived there, which it was, it means that it was opened either before or during the fire. No one was outside the house, so it would have been opened and left open before the fire began, between one-fifteen and one-thirty in the morning. Do you know many people who leave the door open that late at night?”

“I don’t, but could it have been a mistake? Something someone forgot to do, like turning the oven off?”

“It’s certainly possible, but combined with the other details, deeply improbable.” Dominguez turned his attention back to Abel. “Do you understand, son?”

He did. The last thing he saw the night his house burned and his family died, the last memory he had before everything went dark for weeks, was remembering the wide-open front door and wondering how it got that way and why. Now he finally knew.

“Somebody set the fire,” he whispered. “And then they walked out and left the door open.”

“Exactly. And now we have to find out who that somebody was.”

As if it would bring them back…

Dominguez adjusted his seat and pulled out a notepad and pen. “Now, I have some questions for you, Abel.”

–

He was there for almost an hour, rehashing the questions Abel felt like he’d answered a million times by now. Explaining every detail of what he saw that night, the evening before, even days before. Everything he heard, if he smelled anything. Everything he’d done that night, everything his parents had done, everything Thomas had done. Abel prickled at those questions. Thomas would never kill anything. He believed in beating up kids who picked on others to teach them a lesson. He believed in justice and hated killing anything if there was no immediate danger to his life. Thomas threw a good punch, but to think he could have set the fire…

Noting Abel’s quiet anger at those questions, Dominguez switched gears a little and began asking more about his parents’ business. A lot more. He was hammering the topic down far beyond what Melissa believed necessary.

“Did you see anyone that looked suspicious to you around the funeral parlor the last few days?”

“Like what?”

“Somebody you haven’t seen before? Maybe looking around a little too much, like they were out of place?”

“No one feels comfortable at a funeral parlor. I see lots of clients for the first time,” Abel pointed out. Half the people who frequented the house were people wearing suits and looking around and acting weird. They were planning a funeral, likely for someone they loved. If anyone could look like a regular person there, Abel never wanted to meet them.

“Fair point. What about your dad? Did he seem upset about anything recently?”

“No.”

“Anybody he was fighting with? Anybody mad at him about anything?”

“I don’t think so.” “Okay.” Dominguez wrote something on his notepad and checked something a few pages back. “Abel, do you know a man named Paul Bearer?”

“He works at the funeral parlor. I used to see him pretty much every day.”

“Have you seen him lately?”

“He hasn’t visited. But I don’t think he set the fire.”

“Why not?”

“Cause he’s a weasel. He’d never have the guts,” Abel grumbled.

Melissa smiled at that. It was an excellent word for Paul Bearer, given what she’d heard from Beverly. He’d been drafted for the war like all the other young men in town, but had somehow gotten out of his situation by attending just enough night classes at the local college to be disqualified. Melissa could appreciate a man standing against a war he didn’t believe in, but there were no moral reasons behind his scheme. Rumor had it that half of those classes didn’t even exist and he’d been lying about where he spent his time in order to put in more hours at the parlor. According to Beverly, he’d been awfully close with Mrs. Carrion. Or so Mr. Carrion had griped about at the bar in town. That he was taking his wife away to work on the stupid book that was doing nothing but getting her frazzled and out of the marital bed. 

Melissa had stopped her there. Speaking ill of the dead, especially the dead who had been loving parents to a child in her care didn’t sit well with her and she wanted no part of it. Just like she hadn’t wanted the policeman to ruin her morning plans. Once he’d left, she barely had time to say goodbye to Abel before having to rush Katie home to make it to her next appointment on time. Abel’s morning had been ruined too, she could see it in his face. He’d completely closed up again after having to answer all of those questions. The worst night of his life and that man had him relieve every detail.

Not that Dominguez liked asking those questions either. He’d kept a straight, stern expression for many of them, but every so often, his expression faltered into quiet frustration. Both at not getting the answers he wanted to hear and the fact that he had to ask the questions in the first place. Talking with a kid like Abel was already such a delicate operation and then he had to ask that kind of thing? It was a rotten affair all around. Not the usual kind of interrogating police did, as Melissa knew all too well from the occasional shop talk Jarvis brought home, though his shop– Jarvis was a highway patrolman– was a little bit different. 

Life was funny that way, bringing the two of them together. They had opposing views on so many topics. It’d concerned Melissa in the beginning of their relationship that they would eventually argue themselves directly into a divorce, but the arguments rarely came. When they did, they originated from points and opinions that had been misworded. The rest of the time, Jarvis was willing to listen to her opinion providing she listen to his. They never needed to agree with the other, but listening was a requirement. The previous night at the dinner table, for example, she was talking about a man named Wendell Newton she worked with up in Alpine, an ex-con who was having a hard go of it lately, some health problems. Jarvis listened, but at the end pointed out that many of his health problems had been brought on by substances no one had forced Wendell to take. Melissa couldn’t argue that the substances were the direct cause of the health problems, but also questioned what circumstances had driven Wendell to taking them and if there was anything she could have do to help someone in the same circumstances before they resort to substances as well. It felt like not only her job, but her duty to help those in need. Like Wendell. Like Abel. They were all human beings and there was certainly nothing that Abel had done to bring on what happened to him. It was all just bad luck.

She’d have to see what Jarvis thought about Abel. Maybe she could arrange for him to join the family on some kind of outing, get him into the real world and out of the hospital. She’d mentioned the idea of bringing him to church one Sunday, but judging by the way he clammed up immediately and looked away, he wasn’t too fond of the idea, but far too polite to ever say so. Dinner would be better. The hospital food was certainly nutritious and would help patients recover, but it lacked all the joy and love of a meal prepared from scratch. He could come with the family to dinner somewhere special. Katie would like that too. It’d been a while since they’d gone out. 

She glanced at her daughter in the rearview mirror and smiled.

“You made me proud today, honey– back in the hospital. The way you got Abel talking.”

“Yes, Mama,” Katie hummed along, distracted by the game she’d concocted with her dolls.

“You have a knack for making people comfortable.”

“Knack?”

“A good talent. You’d make a very good social worker.”

“Like you?”

“That’s right, like me.”

“I don’t know,” Katie shrugged. “You have to help a lot of people having a lot of really hard problems. I don’t know if I could solve them all.”

“You could be surprised. But whatever you want to do is up to you. You’ve got plenty of time to decide.”

They arrived at the empty family house and Melissa almost had to grasp Katie’s wrist to keep her from running off too fast.

“Now, honey, I need to get back to the office for a little bit. A few hours. I should be home by about dinner time. Will you be okay here by yourself until Daddy gets home or do you want me to call Mrs. Sanders to come stay with you?”

“I’ll be okay by myself,” Katie assured. “Do you think maybe we could invite Abel over sometime? He doesn’t like dolls, but I bet when his arm isn’t bandaged anymore, he could play Frisbee or maybe hopscotch. I didn’t see his legs but I bet…”

Katie’s excited chatter faded from Melissa’s attention as a car began pulling into the driveway alongside her own. Jarvis’s state trooper vehicle. There was no reason for it to be home at this hour. He was on a seven-to-three all week, had barely had time for breakfast before he’d left with a kiss to the cheek for each of his girls. 

Melissa smiled softly as she thought it through. He’d left in a hurry that morning and knew that she was planning on being home at about this time, if only for a few minutes. It could be the one moment until dinner their paths crossed. That man…

Jarvis got out of the car and her heart stopped. The man who’d climbed out of the car was not her husband. Not even a close resemblance. She recognized the man as Jarvis’s captain, Roy Egger. Looking a little closer, she recognized the car as the captains’ car. The markings were different, but in her quick glance, she hadn’t noticed. Nor had she noticed there was a second man in the passenger seat until he climbed out. Stan Halverson, Jarvis’s best friend on the force. He’d been a twice-monthly dinner companion in their house and Melissa knew him to always make a joke out of nearly every story. She never knew him to be crying. Nor did she know the usually no-nonsense Captain Egger to pat his men on the shoulder as they did. The path between the driveway and the front door was only a few steps and somehow, it seemed like they were about to cross a desert, if one were to judge by their faces.

Melissa clutched a hand to her chest and sat down, like if she stopped looking out the window, the men would stop moving towards the front door and the entire world could be put on pause. 

Katie noted that her mother had ceased listening to her ideas and stood on her tiptoes to peer out the window beside her.

“Is it Daddy, Mama? Is he home already? I thought he was only getting home at three-thirty and the clock doesn’t even say one yet,” she pointed out, always eager to show her skills in clock reading.

Melissa finally found her voice. It cracked as she spoke.

“No, honey, it’s not Daddy.”

Judging by the pit of lead that had settled in her stomach, it was never, ever going to be Daddy again.

#Journey Out Of Darkness #Kane #WWE #WWF #Writing #Fanfic #I changed a lot in this chapter #cause it seems in 2005 Michaels Chiappetta was a cop apologist #ain't gonna be none of that #also he ignored canon on a detail #so I shoved the canon back in there violently

[kip-loric]

Been reading your fic "Two Lorics and a Mog" and I really love the story you've laid out so far!! Do you accept fanart for your character, Leo? And if it's fine, are there any description or ref sheets we can go off of?

I'm so sorry that this was one of those things that I saw and was like 'oh yeah I'll reply to this when I get home' and never did 😭.

Anyways, I would love to have fanart of Leo done if you still feel motivated to do that!! (If not it's okay) They have light brown skin and naturally black hair, but it's now dyed blue. They're from America, and didn't devolp their legacies during the invasion. It felt like a dream, seeing it on their TV in a smaller suburban city. They use they/them pronouns and have used the name Leo since they got to New Lorien, which they flew to a couple weeks after the academy moved there. No one there knows them as anyother name or anyother pronouns. They figure that their family is worried about them, but most days they don't really care. The feeling of community they get might be too good to be true, but they'll hang on as long as they can, only hoping that the gift of flight will stick with them.

Leo is mainly based on the idea that the human garde can have ANY main legacy. By that I mean I was thinking about how most of the human garde we meet have some big offense (and occasional defense) legacies, like Ran, Kopano, Nigel, Einar, Caleb, etc. But it was said that human garde were popping up with almost every legacies seen on Lorien. Taylor is one of the only human garde we see having a 'less powerful' legacy, and we saw many other healers as well. I guess I would've just liked to see some of the human garde having some of the loric's legacies. Some kid that's disappointed with getting anti-gravity because all his friends got cool, ass kicking powers, but Nine shows him how it can help him and he relizes he can climb buildings and when he looks out over LA he starts crying. Somebody having super hearing or smell, but ignoring it and working on perfecting their telekinesis because they think that's cooler.

Hearing the words 'main legacy' feels like such a big thing, and it's made out to be in the books. Somebody developing telekinesis and finding out their gonna get ANOTHER power that's gonna be even cooler? All of their dreams about being superman coming true? Daydreaming about which one they want the most? And then they just stumble upon something like Dreynen, which they would never really have to even use. Then there's another kid who has prayed their whole life for something like this, and even having the SLIGHEST chance of getting a legacy brings tears to their eyes. All the people that control them couldn’t anymore. Then hearing that there's somewhere with super-powered people, somewhere where even the law can't touch them? Imagine the surprise, the euphoria, the fear as they first figured out they had telekinesis. As they look at themselves in front of the mirror with tears streaming down their face and thoughts pulling them in every direction.

So I decided that Leo would have the power of flight. It's seen as something quite powerful by Five, but only really because he matches it with his Externa. But even if flight isn't great for offense, it still has many uses. It can still change lives. It could change the lives of just a couple kids, ones that have always wanted something, ANYTHING to come grant them the power to run away. To feel better. To find people that understand, that could help. The power of flight. To strap a bag on your back and take off into the sky, to whereever you want. They can't chase you when your up in the clouds. And their words couldn't reach you if you were on the otherside of the world, telling you that their worried sick, even though they don't seem to act that way anyother time. A legacy that might not seem extraordinary, but someone could make it so. It would be extraordinary to the right person, even if they didn't think so at first. And maybe all that praying paid off, because flying away from everyone they love feels like heaven.

#what. did this turn into. #i know ive been going though it but. wow #im sorry for dumping some of my feelings onto you and my OC?? #but uh #i think i would actually combust if I saw fanart based on a fanfiction or OC i made #lorien legacies #i am number four #i am number 4 #human garde #OC #this became so much longer than planned.

[blazehedgehog]

Response to the Ryan Davis thing, it was in the "How is it Friday" stream at 2:55:00

(As a reminder, technically this is an extension of this)

Huh, that's why I missed it. Seems to be a Twitch-only stream archive that never got put on Youtube. I wonder if he ran in to some copyright stuff with the trailers he watched from that Xbox disc.

Since I assume that vod isn't going to live on Twitch forever, here's a recap of the relevant parts for future people reading about this: the short of it is, Jeff opens with his usual preamble where he rates an energy drink on the list and then works through the very first OXM (Official Xbox Magazine) demo disc ever, which isn't actually a demo disc but is just a normal DVD containing a lot of early Xbox video features. Mostly interviews with the hardware designers as they talk about the Xbox "secret sauce" and letting you "explore the sauce" on "the molecular level" or whatever.

This gets Jeff reminiscing about his time at Gamespot during that era, and how Microsoft was so desperate to prove they were "cool enough" to understand console games. Too desperate, in a lot of cases. They did a lot of dumb posturing like give Seamus Blackley the official job title of "Games Otaku" at Microsoft.

This leads in to talking about the Xbox's role in the game industry back then and how Gamespot dealt with platform differences in reviews, and eventually to Jeff being part of overhauling Gamespot's reviews system not just once, but twice (I believe he was fired before the second overhaul was completed).

Which leads to him talking about the recent wave of firings in the games industry, particularly in the games press, as the big corporations brace for what people are saying is going to be the next great recession. Jeff offers his condolences to those who are fired and ultimately blames the corporate cycle of hiring too many people and then having to fire some, both to save money and possibly even put fear in to the remaining employees as a reminder to never step out of line.

He talks about his time at CBS after they bought GiantBomb and how weird that merger was for them. As they were coming in Jeff said he didn't want to be treated like a startup company anymore, he wanted GiantBomb to be fully integrated into CBS and treated like valued asset with a proper studio, budget, and benefits. By his account, CBS did nothing but give them the runaround, moving goalposts and never letting GiantBomb meaningfully grow as a business. They were always somebody else's problem. All of the downsides of still operating like a startup combined with all the downsides that come with being part of a corporation, and no upshot to speak of whatsoever.

So, around 2012, he was getting ready to walk. Quit GiantBomb entirely. CBS was leaving them to rot, and he did not want to be a part of that anymore.

Then Ryan Davis died.

And suddenly the whole tone at CBS changed. By Jeff's account, he says CBS saw the writing on the wall and the industry-wide outpouring of support GiantBomb was getting in the wake of Ryan's death, and it put fear into them. CBS had already been taking a beating for overpaying on their purchase of CNET, so maybe they didn't want another albatross around their neck, but Jeff says they probably were afraid that everybody at GiantBomb was going to quit, since it was clear they could have jobs anywhere they wanted.

So all those broken promises and all that delayed funding magically came in to focus as a way to sweeten the pot and keep everybody at CBS. Jeff says he believes Ryan's death is the only reason CBS let him hire Dan and Jason. And it worked; most of them stuck it out for another ten years after that, until it all finally fell apart with the pandemic.

He closes out the stream fighting back tears, lamenting what a mess this line of work has always been. To always fight for credibility, accountability and respect, but watching it slip through his fingers, as money dries up and colleagues get run through the grinder over and over. He expresses frustration that there needs to be more to this than just some kid running a studio out of their bedroom. That there needs to be an authority (of sorts) that people can look up to and trust to do the right thing, something that the suits that run these corporations never seem to understand.

Jeff expresses that he has plans in the big picture on what he wants to do now that he's starting over from scratch, but implies that could be years away, since right now, he just wants to spend some well-earned time with his family. He talks about how much Ryan's death was a wake up call for him, how much he's changed over the last five or ten years, and how all he wants to do right now is be there for his kids, because "they're only young once."

And I don't know what to say about that one way or the other. More just a repeat of what Jeff himself expresses: it sucks, but businesses exist to make money. CBS was protecting an asset. And in a perfect world things would be better, with smarter people who didn't wait until a moment of panic to properly support their employees.

We can only fight for a better tomorrow.

#questions #Anonymous #jeff gerstmann #giantbomb #gamespot